Chapter Two
Polarization
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If only they had been out later. Of course, Amber certainly didn’t want to continue the night after the catastrophe that it turned into, but she kind of wished Caramel had planned something in between dinner and proposing. It couldn’t have been later than eight, and that meant she had no hopes of her parents being in bed.
She opened the door as quietly as possible and looked around. No sign of anypony. She closed the door, ever so carefully, then proceeded to walk as slowly as possible towards her room.
“Is that you, Amber sweetie?” Wisteria asked from the living room.
Shit. Hooves on hardwood floor, she wasn’t sure why she had even bothered. Too late to do anything else, she popped her head through the doorway. “Hey, Mom, Dad. How’s it going?”
Her parents were sitting around listening to their radio. It was kind of strange; for two ponies who very adamantly opposed Twilight and Sunset, they certainly didn’t seem to mind using their invention.
Wisteria smiled and shook her head. “Really, dear, we’re not the ones who had a big date, now are we?”
“Uh, yeah, guess not.” Amber covered her nerves with a sheepish smile. “It was nice. Fromage has this new white chocolate crème brûlée, and it’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”
“Hmm, I’ll have to try it next time,” Wisteria said. “I bet poor Caramel is in a tizzy about you leaving.”
“Boy could use some time to himself,” Dusty Quartz said. “Way he dotes on you, it’s amazing he hasn’t popped the question yet.”
Astoundingly, nothing about the conversation was doing anything to help Amber feel better. “Yeah, imagine that.”
“Oh, don’t worry, sweetheart, I think it’s just a matter of time.” Wisteria had a dreamy look in her eyes. “And I can just imagine it! You’ll be such a lovely bride, and with such a charming husband! Even your father said so, you know.”
The idea that Dusty would show that level of sentimentality clashed with his masculine nature, as did the way he blushed at his wife revealing such a secret. “I, uh, I don’t think those were my exact words.”
“Yeah yeah, grandfoals and all that.” Amber took a step towards her room. “But I have a different wedding to prepare for, so I better get to it.”
“Thought you said you were packed already,” Dusty said.
“Yes, yes I did say that.”
Before she could explain why her bag was still unpacked, her mom bailed her out. “I knew you were really waiting for the last minute.”
Amber chuckled and perfectly matched her mom’s good-natured smile. “You know me so well.”
“Do you think you have time to run to the store, too?” Dusty asked. “We ran out of milk for coffee in the morning.”
“No problem,” Amber said. Getting out of the house was just what she needed.
“Thanks, sweetie.” Wisteria chuckled. “You know your father and his coffee.”
Amber nodded her agreement, although in truth she also knew her mom was just as bad about her tea. Neither of them would dream of starting their day without their preferred drink.
She stopped by her room to collect her saddlebags, which were in fact completely empty of anything she might need for the wedding, then left the house. The cool evening air reminded her that winter was just around the corner, and she was almost tempted to go back inside for a scarf.
It wasn’t a long walk to the nearest convenience store. On the one hoof, she wished it was longer, since the more time spent out of the house the better. On the other, she knew she was cutting it close already. Even in a big city like Fillydelphia, there weren’t too many businesses that stayed open too late into the evening. The store was mostly empty by the time she arrived, with only a couple stallions standing around the newsstand, and the employees beginning their nightly cleaning.
One of the employees turned to her as she walked in. “Hey there,” he said. “How’s it going?”
While they weren’t on a first name basis, Amber shopped at the store enough that she was friendly with the evening staff. “Oh, you know, same as always.” Not friendly enough to go into the whole story, though.
She grabbed a bottle of milk and brought it to the counter. “How’s business?”
“Eh, kind of slow, but not too bad,” he replied. “Didn’t you say you’d be gone for a while?”
“Yeah, I leave in the morning. And to tell you the truth, I couldn’t be more ready to go.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I hear you. I’m about ready for a vacation myself.”
Amber dug some bits out of her bag and set them down. “Somedays you just gotta wonder why you stick around in the –”
“Think I could get her to sleep with me?”
“Why would you even want her to?”
Being the only ‘her’ in the room, Amber turned around to tell the stallion to go buck himself, but realized that he and his friend had their backs to her. The same unicorn and pegasus stallions she had noticed on the way in were still staring at the newsstand, and seemed to be gawking at some magazine. “I dunno,” the unicorn said. “Curiosity, I guess. Figure she must know a thing or two.”
Amber rolled her eyes and turned back to the cashier, but once again stopped short of replying when she overheard the stallions continuing their conversation. “Yeah, but think about it. All the ponies they’ve slept around with, they’ve gotta have some pretty nasty diseases.”
Amber had a feeling she knew who they were talking about, and decided the best thing she could do was leave quickly. The longer she stayed, the more likely she was to get into an argument with the two idiots.
“Anyway, I better get going,” Amber told the cashier. “Packing and all that.”
“Alright, enjoy your trip,” he told her.
She tucked away the milk and turned to leave. Despite her better judgement, she took a look at the newsstand on the way out. Surprisingly enough, it wasn’t actually a magazine they were looking at, but an honest to goodness newspaper. A closer look revealed the headline read ‘More Harm Than Good: How Princess Twilight’s Relationship Damages the Gay Rights Movement’. Amber was more annoyed than surprised.
“Plus you’re the wrong gender anyway.” The pegasus nudged his friend and grinned. “Unless there’s something you’ve been hiding from everyone.”
“Oh please, there’s no way anypony that into sex doesn’t also mess around with stallions. Besides” – the unicorn levitated a magazine off the newsstand – “they totally said they do.”
“Captain Shimmer is bisexual,” Amber said. “That doesn’t mean she sleeps around with stallions.”
Both stallions turned to her as if her interruption was far more rude than their loud and obnoxious conversation had been. “Seriously?” The unicorn raised an eyebrow. “It’s pretty obvious. She’s into stallions, so since Twilight and Fluttershy can’t fulfill all her needs, she’s gotta be sleeping with somepony else, too.”
“Plus all three of them are, like, sex addicts or something,” the pegasus added. “I mean, that’s cool and all, we’re not judging them or anything.”
Her hoof was on the door. All she had to do was push it open and walk out. That was it, then she could just go home and just forget about the two of them. She’d never change their minds, and trying would just make her more upset.
She took her hoof off the door. “They are not sex addicts, and Sunset Shimmer is perfectly capable of being faithful to her marefriends. And it’s Princess Twilight and Princess Fluttershy.”
The stallions looked at one another as if trying to decide whether or not to keep arguing. Eventually the unicorn sighed. “Whatever. If they weren’t into some weird stuff, why would they even be dating a third pony? Look, even gay ponies don’t want anything to do with them.” He held up the newspaper.
Amber briefly looked it over. The author seemed to be making the claim that the ‘sexually deviant’ nature of their relationship had cast all LGBT ponies in a negative light. “That’s one pony’s opinion. Plenty of gay ponies still adore Twilight, Fluttershy, and Sunset.”
The pegasus snickered. “I thought it was Princess Twili–”
“I know them personally,” Amber snapped. Because so many ponies had a tendency to ‘forget’ to use their titles, Amber tried to make it a point to always do so regardless of her familiarity with them. Forgetting caused her to blush a little.
The unicorn looked doubtful, but the pegasus just grinned. “Ah, that makes sense now. She probably just hasn’t gotten to sleep with them, so she blames it on their ‘commitment’.”
Technically, Amber had actually slept with Sunset before she was dating Twilight and Fluttershy, but neither of them was particularly proud of that night, and wasn’t likely to help her case any. “Of all the stupid, idiotic –”
“Uh, miss?” the cashier said nervously. “Please, there’s no need to cause a scene.”
“What?” Amber looked at him incredulously. “I’m the one causing a scene?”
“Well, uh…” he glanced down and twirled his hooves around nervously. “They were just having a conversation…”
Amber blinked and looked around the store. The two stallions both looked smug, and aside from one other employee sweeping on the other side, it was completely empty. “Yeah, about having sex with princesses and demeaning their relationship.”
“Look, it’s just…” He glanced around the store. “We’re not that kind of store.”
“Aargh!” Amber threw a hoof up in frustration, then spun around and walked out. ‘Not that kind of store’ seemed to sum up most stores for the past few years. There was an idea that extending a basic amount of decency – or goodness forbid, respect – to Twilight, Fluttershy, and Sunset meant that somepony was outright supporting polyamory and all manner of liberal views. The only way to stay out of the politics seemed to be allowing anypony to just say whatever they wanted about the lovers, while silencing anypony who stood up for them.
Amber fumed all the way home. Despite what she had said in the store, she knew that the stallions’ attitude and what the article said were far from the minority opinion. When Twilight and Fluttershy came out as gay, it was celebrated across Equestria. Amber would never forget the reaction. Of course there was criticism, but it had been possible to actually see the change in opinion. Nopony could really speak against Twilight or Fluttershy directly; they had saved Equestria multiple times, and Twilight had even earned the title of Princess of Friendship. They were unquestionably two of the most upstanding citizens Equestria had ever seen.
When they announced their marriage plans, it was celebrated as a possible nail in the coffin. Over the course of the two years they had been together, they had largely become accepted by the majority of ponies, even those who had been uncertain at first. Looking forward, it had felt like holding a negative view of homosexuality would be as outdated as thinking different races of ponies shouldn’t be together.
But then they came out as polyamorous, and things took an immediate turn for the worse. Suddenly, even liberal-minded ponies were divided. Many seemed unable to comprehend that polyamory wasn’t inherently more sexual than any other kind of relationship. And Celestia forbid anypony ever try to argue that even if their relationship were open to sex with other ponies, then that still wouldn’t be anypony else’s business.
To be honest, Amber was a little afraid to find out what everypony would say when it was announced that the three of them had a secret wedding ceremony.
Spending the entire walk home dwelling on the unfair treatment of her friends certainly didn’t improve Amber’s mood. She didn’t bother to try and be quiet on the way in, and instead just went straight to the kitchen to drop off the milk. On the way back towards her room, she passed by her parents again.
“Thank you, dear,” Wisteria said as she walked past.
“No problem.” Amber put aside her concerns and smiled. “I’ll just go finish packing if you don’t need me for anything.”
“I think we’ll manage,” Dusty said. “Best not to stay up too late, though. Train leaves early.”
“I know. I really am mostly packed, just gotta double check everything and pack a few last minute things.”
She wished her parents a good night and walked down the hall. She stopped before reaching the door to her room, however, and knocked on the door before it. “Foxy? It’s me.”
“Coming.” There was the distinct sound of hooves on wood, and then Fox Glove opened the door. He stepped aside to let her in. “What’s up?”
Without answering, she walked over to his bed and collapsed into it. He shut the door and sat down beside her. “Bad date?”
“The worst.” Amber furrowed her brow towards the ceiling. “Caramel asked me to marry him.”
“Really? But wait, I don’t get it. You did give up your job to be with him, isn’t this a good thing?”
Amber frowned. “He’s a really great guy, but, uh… let’s just say he’s not exactly the type of pony I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
“Oh.” Fox Glove looked contemplative for a moment. “So he’s bad at sex?”
Amber snorted. Fox Glove always seemed to know exactly what to say to make her feel better, so in answer she hit him with a pillow. “Geez, what would Mom and Dad say?”
He shrugged. “I dunno, that you should get a better coltfriend?”
“If Mom and Dad give a damn about my sex life, then they need to not.” She nudged him playfully. “Besides, aren’t you a little young to… You know what, never mind, that was a dumb question.” Amber grinned. She remembered being thirteen, after all.
He fell onto his back next to her. “Seriously though. Just tell him you don’t want to.”
“Yeah, ‘cause that’ll be easy.”
“Well, are you gonna tell him ‘yes’?”
Amber sighed. “No, I’m not going to marry him. So yeah, I know I’ll have to tell him ‘no’ sometime soon. But he’s a really sweet guy, and I don’t want to, you know, break his heart or anything.”
“Better than stringing him along though, right?” Fox Glove asked.
Amber couldn’t help but wish he’d chosen a different phrase. “Yeah, I guess. It just sucks.”
“Yeah.” They lay side by side for a moment without saying anything. Eventually Fox Glove rolled onto his side and propped his head up on a hoof. “At least you don’t have to worry about it until you get back.”
“That is true.” Amber sat up and stretched out, nonchalantly pushing Fox Glove onto his back and causing him to laugh. “I’ll tell everypony you say ‘hi’.”
He pushed himself back up to a sitting position. “Yeah, ‘cause I’m sure they’re gonna remember meeting me, like, three years ago.”
Amber chuckled. “What, you think they could ever forget a little chatterbox like you? I think you might have even managed six or seven words to Cadance! Besides, even if they did forget, I’d be quick to remind them.”
Fox Glove rolled his eyes. “Come on, don’t tell me you really sit there talking to the rulers of Equestria about me.”
“Well why not?” Amber asked. Her contact with most of her friends from her days travelling had largely been put to an end when she settled down in Fillydelphia. She no longer had many chances to see her royal friends, plus her parents were already suspicious enough, considering how vocal she was in her support of all the princesses. She’d even stopped writing to them, as far as most ponies were concerned. However, she did happen to own a few magic journals which allowed her to talk to her friends Moon Beam and Spring Blossom. And as it happened, her friend Spring Blossom – who was certainly nothing like Fluttershy – had invited Amber to her wedding.
Only Fox Glove actually knew the secret. “And honestly, don’t they teach you foals anything these days?” Amber shrugged and shook her head. “Twilight, Fluttershy, and Cadance don’t rule Equestria.”
“Yeah yeah, only Princess Celestia.”
Amber waited a moment for Fox Glove to catch his mistake, but he remained quiet. “Only Princess Celestia?”
“Well, like you said, Princess Cadance and Prince Shining rule the Crystal Empire, not all of Equestria. Princess Twilight doesn’t actually rule anypony, but she’s an expert on foreign politics and is responsible for using the cutie map with the Friendship Council. Princess Fluttershy is on the Friendship Council, and is involved with a lot of charity organizations.” He tilted his head to the side and tapped his chin. “Feels like I’m forgetting somepony… Oh! But, uh, Princess Flurry’s only two, so she doesn’t do too much yet.”
“Okay, you asked for it.” Amber launched herself at her brother and pinned him down with one hoof. Using her other, she proceeded to torture him by way of tickling the sides of his stomach.
“No! Stop!” he pleaded in between fits of laughter, while flailing his hooves around wildly in an attempt to get free.
“Not happening,” she said as she went for the sensitive skin right where his wing connected to his body.
“Okay, okay! I remember now!”
Amber relented. “And?”
Fox Glove kept smiling while he squirmed away and tried to catch his breath. “Well, after the wedding on Saturday, Captain Shimmer will become Princess Sunset.”
“Oh ho ho, somepony thinks he’s clever.” Amber positioned herself to pounce, and Fox Glove held a pillow up as if it were a shield.
She launched herself across the bed, and he did a fairly good job at holding her off. But she was bigger and stronger than him, and eventually they found themselves in the same position.
“Luna!” he cried eventually, so Amber let him go. He was clutching his sides and still laughing, even when she moved away.
“Damn right,” she said. In all honesty, she was very happy with her brother. Even schools were hesitant to teach too much about Twilight and Fluttershy, deeming them a controversial topic. They wouldn’t outright lie, but Fox Glove’s teachers generally included them only in mention of the Friendship Council. Amber wound up being the one to teach Fox Glove and his friends exactly what all the princesses did for Equestria.
“I met her again,” Fox Glove said. “Princess Luna, I mean. Like a week ago.”
“You met – oh.” Amber put a hoof on her hip and tilted her head downward. “You mean that night you kept having me tell you all those scary stories, ‘Mr. Oh I’m A Teenager Now So I Won’t Get Scared’?”
Fox Glove blushed. “Maybe.”
Amber just laughed and rolled her eyes.
“So do you really talk to her about me?”
“Sure, why wouldn’t I? She wishes you were coming to the wedding. Said she can’t help but remember you as the cute widdle colt she met at the last wedding.”
“It’s so dumb.” Fox Glove leaned back and folded his forelegs. “I got to go to the last royal wedding.”
“Yeah, well, Mom and Dad don’t know this is a royal wedding. And if they did, then I don’t think either of us would get to go.”
“That’s dumb too.”
His pouting face so perfectly captured the picture of teen angst that Amber could hardly keep from smiling. “Aww, it’s okay, Foxy. When you’re older, I’ll take you around Equestria, and you can really get to know her, and all the other princesses. Well, maybe not Princess Celestia, but everyone else.”
Promises of ‘when you’re older’ never really meant very much to a thirteen-year-old, but he looked at least a little less miserable. “So will Sunset Shimmer really be a princess?”
Amber sighed. “No. Twilight hasn’t managed to make it legal for more than two ponies to get married yet, so it’s not an ‘official’ wedding.”
“That’s–”
“– dumb,” Amber cut him off. That at least got a smirk out of him. She ruffled his mane, which got him to unfold his forelegs if only to swat hers away. “Anyway, I need to pack my dumb bag so I can get to the dumb wedding.”
“Nah, the wedding’s cool,” Fox Glove corrected.
“Alright, well, for the cool wedding then.” She stood up and walked to the door. “Good night, Foxy.”
“Good night, Amber.”
Before returning to her room, she walked into the bathroom. She looked into the mirror and frowned. Sighing, she turned on the water and washed the makeup off her face. She looked back up into the mirror before toweling off. Better, but still not right. The front of her mane had gotten wet, which weighed it down and made it look even longer. She grabbed a towel and vigorously scrubbed her face, then hung it up and went to her room.
On the way in, she passed her saddlebag, which still sat unpacked. She ignored it, and instead looked at the two journals on her bedside table. She considered writing in one of them to see if anypony was available to take her mind off everything else. In the end, she reasoned that everypony would be busy making preparations, and she’d see them soon enough anyway.
She did pick one up though. The cover was blank, as the crescent moon that had once adorned it had since been wiped with magic so nopony would know whom it connected to. She flipped through the earliest pages and reminisced about a life she once had.
Amber was more than ready to leave in the morning. She needed to get out of Fillydelphia.