Our Lady's Courtship

by Rough_Draft

7. Reconciliation

Nothing could be more soothing than the sweet jasmine tea that Fluttershy was pouring into a quintet of cups, filling the air with a lovely aroma and the impression of a very tiny waterfall. It mixed in beautifully with the birdsong coming from a nearby grove of trees and the chitter of squirrels running up and down the road.

Of course, those same squirrels were blissfully ignorant of the serious conversation occurring just a few feet away on Fluttershy’s front lawn.

“Let me see,” Spike said slowly, his eyes fixed on Twilight’s sweat-lined face, “if I’m hearing this right.” He pointed a claw at Rarity. “You’re marefriends with her.”

“That’s correct,” Twilight answered. She exchanged a nervous look with Rarity, who gave her a timid smile, almost like encouragement.

Then Spike pointed at Fluttershy, who quickly hid her face behind the teapot she was holding. “But you’re also marefriends with her. And she’s marefriends with Rarity, too. Is that about right?”

Twilight rubbed a hoof along the back of her mane, prowling for any excuse not to look directly at Spike. “Uh, yes.”

“Yes,” Rarity added, just as quietly.

Fluttershy didn’t even say a word. Her only response was a mewling squeak from deep within her throat while she flew back into her chair, nestling in between Twilight and Rarity. The other mares put their forelegs around her almost immediately, sheltering her from any further criticism.

For what must have been the fourth or fifth time that hour, an uncomfortable silence fell over the table, and by then, everypony had more or less settled in their typical reactions. Twilight and Rarity would give each other comforting glances. Fluttershy would try to avoid speaking at all and distract herself—and everypony else—with quick offers of refilling their teacups and even dropping a few bits of emerald into Spike’s tea just the way he liked it. Spike, meanwhile, would clutch his temples in silent frustration and stare at the table, as if willing it to come alive and help make sense of the situation.

As for Sweetie Belle, all she did was sit quietly, sip her tea, smile awkwardly, and try not to get in the way. Twilight knew that she was almost a whole year older than Spike, and while age didn’t guarantee maturity, she had noticed that Sweetie Belle was more prone to listen and be a small, if high-pitched, voice of reason among her friends. It was a small comfort, but reassuring all the same.

“Spike, dear.” Rarity tapped the table with her hoof, trying to get his attention. “I’m sure this can’t be easy for you to stomach.” Her ears twitched, flopping downward a little. “ I… I do know how deep your feelings for me were and I can’t begin to imagine how much it must have hurt to let go for Twilight’s sake—”

“You’re wrong,” Spike interrupted. When he lifted his head, he shot a sullen glare at the unicorn he’d once worshipped. “You do know what that’s like. Remember Blueblood? Or Trenderhoof?”

Rarity’s cheeks flushed. “Yes, well, point taken.” She cleared her throat. “Let’s try it this way. You and I both know what it means to waste all our time chasing a shadow.” Then, with a sidelong smile at Twilight, she reached out and put her hoof on the her shoulder, making sure to include Fluttershy in the embrace as well.

“These fine mares, whom I’ve long considered friends,” she continued, “aren’t the objects of some fillyhood crush. The passion I feel for them is real. And I know that their love for me is just as strong. It may not be conventional, but then I suppose I’ve always wanted to be the sort of pony who sets the trend rather than follows it.”

“That’s right!” Sweetie Belle squeaked. At Spike’s warning glare, she added, “What? You know how fashion forward my big sister is.”

Spike opened his mouth to retort, then seemed to think better of it. Twilight watched the two kids with a smile hidden behind her teacup. It wasn’t lost on her how much of an influence Sweetie was casting over Spike—and not in a bad way either.

“Well, Sweetie, fashion forward is one thing.” Rarity chuckled. “But admitting to the world that you’re dating two different ponies at the same time? It’s unheard of!”

“Yeah, but…” Sweetie Belle shrugged. “I dunno. What’s so bad about that? I mean, yeah, I got upset ’cause I thought Twilight might be cheating on you—”

Twilight winced, as did Fluttershy.

“—but I can see why you’d want to date them both.” The filly concluded her remarks with a proud nod, flashing her pink and white curls in the mid-morning air. “It’s because you’re so generous, sis.”

Rarity’s eyes watered, but they did so with what Twilight could only describe as “liquid pride.” The unicorn leaned across the table and nuzzled her little sister, both of them flashing the biggest smiles in the world. Twilight and Fluttershy turned to each other and shared a tiny “Aww!” from behind their teacups.

“Thank you, Sweetie Belle,” said Rarity. She let go of her sister, pausing to ruffle her mane a little. “You really are the best sister I could ask for.” With a wink, she added, “And I’m sure you’ll have your cutie mark in honesty in no time at all!”

Twilight had an aching, burning desire to steer the discussion toward the Theory of Cutie Mark Development that she’d been working on for the last five months. Well, technically, it had been twelve months; she kept getting sidetracked. Doing research and going on dates with Flash Sentry—those had turned into full-blown adventures more often than not—seemed to be mutually exclusive. She knew better than to open her mouth and make this morning any more awkward than it already was.

Speaking of which—

Twilight looked over at Spike, who continued in sit in his own world of thoughtful silence. It was leaps and bounds better than the knee-jerk confusion and anger he’d been showing earlier. While he brooded, the little dragon took a sip from his tea. Then he smiled, just a little, when something between his teeth went crunch. Probably one of the emerald bits that Fluttershy had slipped into his cup, because who else but the Element of Kindness would be that sweet?

Lowering his teacup to the table, Spike went back to staring down for a moment. Then he peeked up at Twilight.

“And you’re… happy with all this?” he asked.

Twilight nodded. “Honestly, I’ve never been happier. I thought it would be enough with Rarity, but having Fluttershy in the mix just feels… right, somehow.”

Spike nodded, still thoughftul. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Twilight repeated, searching his face for clues. “Okay what?”

The little dragon sat up in his chair, rather than sulked, for the first time since they’d started talking. “It’s not an easy thing to digest all at once, y’know? It took a good night’s sleep for me to get used to the fact that you and Rarity were an item.” Spike grinned as he reached in and fished out a bit of emerald from inside his teacup. He bit into it and chewed with the satisfied grin of a fully-grown dragon sitting atop his golden hoard. “But I guess, for your sake, I could learn to work with this arrangement, too.”

Twilight’s heart leaped up a few inches inside her ribcage. She wiped the sweat from her brow with one hoof and reached toward Spike with the other. “Y-you mean it? You’re fine with us?”

“Guess so.”

The next thing she knew, Twilight was out of her chair and throwing Spike around with quick, controlled bursts of magic. She let out a laugh that had been building up deep in her stomach; it was the laugh of somepony who hadn’t heard a good joke, let alone smiled, for a very long time. Spike, meanwhile, flailed his way through the magical currents separating them and gave Twilight a hug around the neck.

When she looked back at the table, she saw Rarity and Fluttershy smiling at each other. She could only hope that their love was really beginning to deepen. The previous night together had only been sowing the seeds for a relationship.

But even as she let Spike down onto his feet, Twilight’s joy faded when she thought about how much she was going to be having this same conversation with other ponies. With Applejack and Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Her parents. Princess Celestia. Princess Luna. All the elites in Canterlot. All her neighbors in Ponyville and—

“Twilight?” Rarity came over to her side, throwing her foreleg around Twilight’s withers and pulling her close. “You seem a little flushed. Are you certain you’re all right?”

“Um, yes?” Twilight cleared her throat and leaned into Rarity, letting herself get distracted by the other mare’s silk-soft coat and that expensive but enchanting perfume she always wore. “Sorry, I was only thinking…”

“Hmm.” Rarity glanced over at Spike, who was now chatting with Sweetie Belle and Fluttershy, oblivious to Twilight’s concern while they shared more tea. “Yes, well, there are going to be some consequences to all this. I doubt we could conceal our affections from the rest of our friends for much longer anyway, no matter how hard we tried.”

Twilight ran through a little scenario planning. She expected confusion from the likes of Applejack and Rainbow Dash, if not outright concern. Pinkie Pie would be the most enthusiastic, but then that mare did have some very strange ideas about relationships. And she knew that Celestia would be supportive, but would her parents? Or Rarity’s? Or Fluttershy’s? Same-sex relations weren’t an issue in Equestria, but monogamous relationships had been the norm since long before the country was even formed.

And here I am, she thought, a bold princess who thinks the traditions and customs of her country don’t apply to her.

But that wasn’t fair, was it? Surely, other ponies could be allowed to have multiple partners, provided they went about it the right way, with full consent and affection between all parties. It was a rational approach, but then, not every tradition was based on rational thinking.

In fact, most of them weren’t when you got right down to it.

“Come,” said Rarity, pulling Twilight back toward the table. “We still have much to celebrate for now. Once we’ve eaten and gotten some rest, we can start with the rest of our friends tomorrow.”

Twilight nodded, glad to hear somepony else being the voice of reason for a change. “That’s a great idea, Rarity. If you have any more, please don’t hesitate to let me know.” She smiled. “Or you can hit me over the head with a rolled-up newspaper when I get too wound up. You have that right as my marefriend, after all.”

Rarity laughed—a soft, tittering sound that tickled Twilight’s ears. “Goodness, me! Striking a member of royalty? That’s a capital crime, my dear Twilight! I’d be thrown into a dungeon in Canterlot by sundown!”

They shared a laugh, which ended quickly for Twilight. She gave her marefriend—her first marefriend, she reminded herself—a gentle smile. “Well, maybe you can’t hit me, but you can still advise a princess on the best route to take.”

“You’ve never really needed much help in that regard.”

“Well, I do now.” Twilight fell back onto her haunches and lifted her gaze to the clear blue sky. Not a single hint of the heavy black storm that had struck the day before.

That was another thing she’d have to look into, once she had the time.

“The thing is,” she continued, “you’re better than me at talking to other ponies. At persuading them to try something new.”

Rarity nodded. “It’s a vital skill to have if you’re going to make it as a businessmare.”

Twilight turned to face her, putting on her most hopeful smile. “Then tell me. What would be the best way to talk to our friends about this?”

At first, Rarity said nothing. She frowned and cocked her head to the side, giving the matter some thought.

“They’ll need to feel comfortable,” she said, “and free to speak their mind. Pinkie would love a party, no doubt, but we have to keep it civil. Plenty of fresh air, too, so that cooler minds might prevail instead of being stuffed inside a house.” Then her face lit up. “Aha! A picnic!”

“A picnic?” Twilight grinned. “That’s your answer to all our romantic issues!”

Not one to be outdone, Rarity responded by batting her eyelashes at the young princess. “Well, it has worked so far, hasn’t it? And besides, we can set it during our weekly Pet Play Date the day after tomorrow. I’m sure they’ll be very receptive then!”

Twilight nodded. “Now that’s the kind of plan I like to hear. We’ll make it a play date!”

---

Coming in low, Rainbow Dash hit the ground running, spreading her wings all the way out to slow down her velocity. The moment her hooves touched dirt, she pushed the goggles up from her eyes and onto her forehead, gasping with relief. Having finished with the last of the foreign clouds, she juked left and right, scattering frost crystals and raindrops from her feathers over the soft brown dirt.

She grinned. Nothing better than the smell of water drops scattering over freshly-tilled ground. And by the looks of it, Big Macintosh had been around here only a few hours ago, pulling his trusty, rusty old plow. Who else would leave such big hoofmarks around the farm?

In the distance, Rainbow Dash spotted the familiar outlines of the family barn and the small house beside it. She eased herself down to a gentle trot and headed straight toward the house. Already she was picturing the tall glass of apple cider waiting for her in the kitchen, followed by the soft pillows of A.J.’s bed. It wasn’t anywhere near as soft as a cloud, but after the long night shift she’d just pulled, Dash was in no mood to complain.

By the time she reached the first apple orchard, she heard a thwack of legs against a tree, followed by the satisfying thump-thump of apples crash-landing into a bucket. It was a sound that Rainbow would never tire of hearing—not when it came from the world’s finest-looking mare, anyway.

As soon as she rounded the corner, Rainbow Dash got a glimpse of Applejack doing her thing. But the moment Applejack heard her approach, she paused—in mid-bucking, no less—and whipped her head around fast enough to dislodge the Stetson from her head.

“Darlin’!” Thundering hooves brought her to the pegasus in a heartbeat and the farm pony’s forelegs crushed her in a bear-hug. “You’re a sight for sore eyes! I was plum worried ’bout ya all night!”

“You and me, both.” Dash nuzzled her back. Forget the bed—she’d rather stay in her marefriend’s embrace all day long.

But when Applejack let go, she bit her lip. “Give it to me straight, sugarcube. How bad is it up there?”

“Pretty bad.” Rainbow Dash fell back onto her haunches, exhausted just thinking about the all-nighter she’d been flying. “Would you think any less of me if I put in for some vacation time from the weather team?”

Applejack made a face. “It’s that bad?”

“My hoof to the heavens, A.J., I’ve never faced down a storm like that before. It’s not natural!”

Most storms were the work of several weather teams working together, running relays from different cities. The official schedule for Ponyville had listed a Class One storm inbound from Appleloosa next week, but last night had been something else entirely. Advance Team fliers had reported a sudden discharge in the skies over the heart of the Everfree Forest, and by the time it reached the edge of town, that discharge had become a full blown storm cloud, big enough to drop a good four inches of rain.

Rainbow Dash had never fought in a war like her pegasi ancestors, but she imagined that their experience wasn’t much different from the hell she’d been through. Lightning and thunder that came literally out of nowhere. And the more the weather team had tried to kick and spin the cloud into a dispersion, the more it seemed to fight back.

“Could it be that varmint Discord?” Applejack asked. She turned around and picked up her hat. Then she fell into a gentle trot beside Rainbow Dash as they headed back to the house.

“Nah, not his style.” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Me and Discord have pulled some sweet pranks over the last few months. Believe me, you’d know if this was a cloud made of cotton candy and chocolate rain.”

Applejack nodded. “Well, I guess that don’t rule out magic.”

“Guess not.” Although she was still tired, Rainbow Dash made a quick leap over a fallen tree branch. The charred edge of one stump told her it had taken a direct hit from a lightning strike.

Horse feathers. Had many of Applejack’s trees had been at risk last night? No wonder she was so scared about the storm.

“After I’ve gotten a few winks,” said Rainbow Dash, “we’ll go and talk to Twilight. I’m sure she’s got some crazy weather-tracking device that can tell us what’s going on.”

“Funny you should mention that.” Applejack pushed her hat back, letting it settle into its natural spot on her scalp. “We’ve got an invite to a picnic tomorrow. Something big that Twilight and Rarity wanna tell us.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Ooh, I bet it’s some big fancy ball they’re throwing in Canterlot!” She lifted her hoof to the sky, flying just over the ground as she theatrically pressed her other hoof to her chest. “It will be ever so marvelous, I’m sure!”

Applejack laughed. “Dang, girl, you’re getting worse every day! I should’ve never let you read all them fancy novels from Auntie Orange!”

“Meh. I’d rather read an A.K. Yearling book anyway.”

“And I’d be fine with that.” Applejack looked up at her with those enchanting, half-closed eyes. “But so long as we’re snuggled up and reading together, sugarcube.”

Dash grinned, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks.

To heck with a vacation, she thought. A day and night with A.J. was all the R and R she needed.

---

It was a perfect day for a picnic—

“Woohoo!” Pinkie Pie bounced in the air, throwing confetti all over the potato salad. “Big news a-coming!”

It was almost a perfect day for a picnic, Twilight amended. With a curt nod, she summoned up her most delicate magic spell to separate the confetti flakes before they sank into what was left of the salad. When she gave Fluttershy a wink, the pegasus nodded and flapped her wings in double-time, scattering the confetti somewhere far from the picnic site.

“Mmph, thanks for putting this together, girls,” Applejack said around a mouthful of carrots. She swallowed and leaned into Rainbow Dash, who was wolfing down watermelon—one of the last slices that were still in season. “It’s a mighty fine day for eating outdoors.”

“I know, right?” Pinkie’s outburst cut off whatever polite response Rarity had been about to give. The unicorn glared, but Pinkie paid her no mind. She bounced up and down with the timing of a yo-yo. “That’s why it’s the bestest day for Twilight’s big news! I’ve got goosebumps and tail twitches and shivers like you wouldn’t believe!”

You and me both, Twilight thought. As painful as the chat with Spike and Sweetie Belle had been, at least it had happened fast and was put behind them. Setting up this picnic with her friends had been nerve-wracking, gut-wrenching, hair-pulling, and so many other adjectives that threatened bodily harm. The fact that her friends were all sitting around and eating with big smiles didn’t help in the slightest.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She did like seeing the quiet smiles that Rarity and Fluttershy shared over drinking from a shared thermos of jasmine tea.

Focus on that, she told her subconscious. That’s the future I want, more than anything!

Rainbow Dash dropped the rind of her watermelon slice onto her plate and collapsed onto the blanket with a long, tactless belch. Rarity stared daggers at her, but Applejack laughed and patted her marefriend’s belly.

The timing couldn’t have been better. A little after-lunch comedy to break the ice.

Twilight cleared her throat. “I’d just like to say thanks for everypony coming out here today. It means a lot to me—” She glanced at the unicorn to her left. “—and Rarity that you’re here to share this big news with us.”

“Quite,” Rarity added. She adjusted her large hat and fiddled with one end of the crimson scarf around her neck. “It may come as a shock to you, but perhaps not so big a shock now that you’ve eaten.”

Applejack chuckled. “That’s some plan, Rarity. Fattening us up before ya lay a big ol’ whopper on us?”

Rarity replied with a sniff of disdain. “Hardly! This lunch was prepared for your pleasure only, not as some cheap ploy!”

“I-I think what Rarity’s trying to say,” Fluttershy added, cringing from the other side of Twilight, “is that we’re all friends here and there’s no reason why we can’t have a nice meal together.”

With a groan, Rainbow Dash’s head rose from the other side of her belly. Twilight noted the way her wings buzzed underneath her back, straining to push her off the ground. “So spit it out already. I gotta get back to polishing off this three-course meal!”

Rarity’s ears flattened like they would on a cat sensing danger, and while she didn’t say it, Twilight saw her mouthing the word “Rude” like a vile curse.

Again, Twilight cleared her throat. “Right. Okay. So, as you all know, Rarity and I have been going out for almost two weeks and we couldn’t be happier. But something’s come up and our relationship has, well… grown larger.”

“How’s that now?” asked Applejack.

“Well, it’s a bit… unorthodox,” Rarity added. Gone was the death glare she’d shot Rainbow Dash, replaced by a deep blush and eyes darting to Twilight for encouragement. “I think it’s best if you heard it from our newest partner herself.”

Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight, then shifted back to Rarity. “Partner? Who’s that?”

“Um, hello…”

All eyes turned toward Fluttershy, who had lifted her hoof into the air, reminding Twilight of the same pose she’d held every day as a filly in school, much to her teachers’ exasperation. The pegasus squeaked and shrank back from the collective gaze locked onto her.

Twilight offered her an anxious smile, but it was nothing compared to the seething cauldron of torture she felt inside. We’re dating Fluttershy. How hard was it to get those three little words out? They weren’t even as hard as I love you, but every passing second made it harder for Twilight to even summon them to the back of her throat.

Applejack turned to Twilight. “Uh, help me out here, Twi. I ain’t exactly sure what y’all are trying to tell—”

“Oh, for Celestia’s sake!” The glare had returned to Rarity’s face. She leaped onto all four hooves, then threw one foreleg around Twilight’s shoulder while pointing her other hoof at Fluttershy. “Twilight and I are now dating Fluttershy as well! I don’t think we could make it any clearer!”

The whole group fell silent.

Rarity stood panting with anger, though the longer the silence lasted, the more her expression turned to mortification. She pressed a hoof to her lips and sat back down. Then, with a single wave of blue magic, she yanked her large hat over her eyes, as if preparing for the storm that was about to come.

“Wow! That’s so cool!”

Twilight cringed, half-expecting angry outbursts and seething remarks. But when she peeked her eyes open, she saw Pinkie Pie running cartwheels around the picnic blanket, scattering whole new packets of confetti everywhere. She was so surprised that she didn’t even react when some of the confetti landed on her muzzle.

Meanwhile, Applejack was looking at the newly announced romantic trio thoughtfully. “Well, I’ll be,” she said softly.

“You don’t like it, do you?” said Rarity. Her bottom lip trembled, sending a pinprick of ache through Twilight’s heart.

“It ain’t like that,” the farm pony replied. Before Rarity could object, Applejack got up, trotted across the picnic blanket, and rested her hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “Sugarcube, I’m sorry if I upset ya. Just took me by surprise is all.”

Twilight leaned forward. “But the thought of the three of us…?” She waved at her two marefriends. “Dating? It doesn’t freak you out?”

“Oh, it’s unusual, no doubt about it.” Applejack shrugged. “But so what? I figure you’re all responsible and consenting mares anyhow.”

“I guess I figured you’d be more close-minded about it.”

Applejack let out a laugh that was almost a bark. “Land sakes, why does everypony think that just ’cause I’m a farmer? The way they talk, they must think I’m some kind of holier-than-thou madmare!” She shook her head, still smiling. “Listen here, Twi. I’m a practical sort of pony. If somepony works hard and plays fair, then I ain’t gonna say one unkind word about them.”

“I might.”

Everypony turned to Rainbow Dash, who had sat perfectly still during the conversation. She was taking deep, slow breaths, wearing the sort of frenized expression that Bulk Biceps seem to have permanently attached to his face. Twilight felt her own wings shiver when she looked at Dash—probably some pegasus-style threat alert.

“R-Rainbow?” Fluttershy said with a quaver in her voice.

The other pegasus turned to her with a severe frown. “Shy, be honest with me. Did they… force you into this?”

“No, of course not—”

“Now, see here, Rainbow Dash!” Rarity stood up again, getting right into the blue mare’s face. “Just what are you implying?”

Rainbow Dash’s frown softened, but only a little. “Stay out of this. It’s between me an’ Shy.”

“And Shy is with us,” Rarity countered. “Whatever you have to say to her, you can say to Twilight and myself.”

“I don’t gotta do anything—”

“Rainbow, please.” Twilight sensed a breaking point about to erupt in the dialogue, so she threw up a magical wall between the two ponies. When she had everypony’s attention, she let the barrier collapse in a shower of sparkles and cleared her throat.

“You asked if we had bullied Fluttershy into a relationship with us,” she said, trying to project a calm air across the picnic blanket. “Are you saying that this has happened before?”

Fluttershy didn’t waste any time dropping to the ground and burying her face into the grass. While Pinkie trotted over and gave her a hug, Rainbow Dash sat back on her haunches, as silent and thoughtful as Applejack had been only a moment ago.

Then, slowly, she said, “Yeah. Way back in flight camp.”

Now everypony was looking right at her. Twilight found herself reaching out and grabbing Rarity’s hoof, squeezing it tightly for support.

“There was this colt named Apollo Blaze,” Rainbow Dash continued. “One of the best fliers in school. Everypony said he was gonna make the Wonderbolt Reserves with flying colors. But some classmate started a rumor about him being a coltcuddler, which wasn’t a big deal when you think about it, but kids are dumb like that.”

Meanwhile, Fluttershy had started weeping into the grass. Pinkie Pie tightened her hug, causing more tears to flow.

“Well, Blaze decided to prove he wasn’t like they said, so he goes after Fluttershy.” Rainbow Dash stared at her crying friend, a pained expression flashing over her face as she did. “See, Fluttershy isn’t just any old pegasus. Her dad happens to be Sky Sonnet, one of the best fliers who ever lived.”

“D-Dash, you promised!” Fluttershy sobbed. Her head lifted, showing red, tear-filled eyes that made Twilight want to scream. She wanted to kick the ground, blot out the sun, do whatever it took to make that misery leave her beloved’s face forever.

“Never heard of Sky Sonnet,” said Applejack. “Who’s he?”

Twilight was inclined to agree, but the name did strike a chord in her memory. She knew she’d heard it somewhere before.

And then it hit her.

“Oh,” she whispered. When she turned to Fluttershy, Twilight’s mouth fell open. “So, that’s the reason.”

“What reason?” Applejack demanded. “What in tarnation is going on here?”

“Sky Sonnet’s also known as the Hero of Fillydelphia,” Twilight explained. “I mean, he’s a legend in his own right. He took down manticores and major storms all on his own, long before any of us were born.” New memories surfaced of the night at Fluttershy’s cottage, swaddled under blankets and reading by candlelight from an anthology. “And when he retired, he became the most celebrated pegasus poet of our time.”

“And we’re friends with his only daughter,” Rainbow Dash concluded. Her eyes had begun to mist over a little, too. “That’s why Apollo Blaze went after Shy. And you know what she’s like. Wouldn’t say no to the guy. They went out on dates after classes—if you could call it that—for the better part of a week before the rumors died down. And then Apollo kept hanging around Shy like she was his trophy for being straight. I almost got expelled from flight camp ’cause I told him to stay away. He wouldn’t take a hint, so I kinda… sprained his wing.” She had the decency to blush and look away.

“So that’s why you’re upset?” asked Rarity. “You really think Twilight and I are the sort of ponies who’d pressure our own friend into having an affair?”

Rainbow Dash looked up, guilt written all over her face. “I guess not. Sorry, Rarity. I was only trying to make sure it wasn’t happening again.”

“Y-you’re wr-wrong…” Everypony turned to Fluttershy, who now sat up, still resting in Pinkie Pie’s ferocious cuddle. She was blinking back tears and wiping the grass off her muzzle. “They didn’t force me, Dashie. It was me who fell in love with Twilight. It was my choice! And when she said yes, Rarity wasn’t…” She sniffled. “S-she wasn’t mad. We talked it out and… and we agreed to be together.”

Twilight beamed. “That’s right, Shy.” She looked at the rest of her friends. “Rarity and I started out as a couple, but once we included Fluttershy, we’ve become a trio. We’re marefriends with each other, but that doesn’t mean we won’t continue to be your best friends, just like you, Applejack, and you, Rainbow Dash, never stopped being ours.”

Rainbow Dash exchanged a look with Applejack. Then she nodded and looked over at Fluttershy. Before the timid pegasus could offer up another sniffle, Rainbow Dash raced over to her side and threw her forelegs around her, holding her tight.

“Don’t sweat it, Shy,” Rainbow Dash whispered. “If these two make ya happy, then I’m happy.”

Fluttershy didn’t say a word. She let out a giggle and hugged her back.

“Yeah, group hug!” Pinkie called out. She squeezed herself into the embrace between the two pegasi.

Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight all shared a knowing look. Then they laughed and threw themselves into the three-pony cuddle pile on the edge of the blanket. Even as the sun began to set and the air grew cooler, they stayed warm enough by staying close together.

Author's Note:

Once again, the magic of friendship prevails!

I may take another break soon to devote a little more time to working on other stories (like Friendship is Software) as well as my day job. That being said, readers, your enthusiasm for the story is my constant inspiration, just like the stories that inspired me to start this little romance in the first place.

As always, thanks to all my pre-readers and editors for their help! You guys are the best.

Comments

[TheMusicalBoy93]

The passion I real for them is real.

The passion she what now?

“This was this colt named Apollo Blaze,"

"There was this colt named Apollo Blaze,"?

D'aww, this ficition is so cute I wonder, though, does the storm still follow the rules of the sister fiction? Hmm. Loving the work, and I look forward to seeing more chapters soon

[Rough_Draft]

4861181 Even with all the times my pre-readers and I run through this, it's always amazing how easy it is to miss an odd word or two. Thanks for spotting that!

And yes, the storm does follow the same rules as before.

[TheMusicalBoy93]

4861415

It's OK. I'm sorry, I know it's annoying, but I can be so anal about those sorts of things

[OmniFox]

Now did Applejack and Rainbow Dash told them their relationship?

[Rough_Draft]

4861421 No, I'm glad. There's enough spelling and grammatical errors on the Web that I don't need to be adding more.

4862274 Yes, the AppleDash connection has been common knowledge among the Mane Cast and the rest of Ponyville for almost a year by the time of our story.

[Texus]

I have to say at least rarity would not notice that fast if Fluttershy woud not like that, but i don´t think Rainbow have a real reason to think like that about her friends, but it is Rainbow. I like it, and even if i see already the end coming because of that storm thing i am glad that i read this one too.

[Winter Lily]

Pinkie "The Moment Killer" Pie is always a delightful thing to read.

[TheCrimsonDM]

I still struggle to think that Equestria is 'monogamous' there are like 1 stallion to 10 mares. though herds may be rare, I think borrowing males or multiple partners is probably just uncommon at worst.

good chapter as always though.