Vacation for Three Please

by Blues Rider

5.5: Concern

"TRIXIE WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Was probably the most common phrase to leave Starlight Glimmer's mouth. Out of all the sentences or questions she could ask, this had to have the most uses.

This time though, Trixie was innocent and the question was directed at her only in a suspect manner. A vent for Starlight's growing concern.

"I swear Starlight, this was not me." Trixie emphasised in return.

The pair of ponies stood in the basement of the Castle of Friendship staring at the mirror to the human world. The mirror had glazed it's reflective surface with a rainbow of purple, yellow, orange, blue and white. To couple that, the magical mechanism which accompanied the mirror had ceased to move.

Starlight carefully approached the mirror and tapped a hoof to the rainbow glazed glass. Nothing happened. The surface which was normally fluid in texture was now set solid. She cast a spell to examine the surface. Her horn glowed green and softly touched a thin strip of magic to the surface.

The mirror didn't like that and violently reflected the examining spell towards a book on a shelf. Trixie took cover, diving out of the beam's way. Starlight was blown back to the floor and suddenly found a rather heavy book floating towards her. Starlight rolled out of the book's way as it landed. Then looked at the title. "The broken art of magic?" She questioned, looking back to the mirror curiously.

She picked herself back up and tried one more thing. She tried to reignite the mechanism which controlled the mirror. She cast her spell and a thin sliver of green magic made its way into the cogs and presses. With a jingle of magic, her spell disappeared and the mirror remained solid.

The pair looked at each other concerned, waiting for the other to speak first. Trixie took the first call.

"Twilight?" She asked worried.

"Twilight." Starlight confirmed.

They headed for the doorway. Starlight turned and took one last look at the mirror. "I warned Twilight It might not work like it used to."

---

Sunset felt the evening chill start to breeze past her hand. She pulled her elbows into her body in an attempt to keep some heat in her body. It might have been the end of summer, but that didn't stop the evenings getting cool when they wanted to. She regretted not picking up a coat.

Rarity, human Rarity that is, was on the other end of Sunset's phone and she was not in a good mood. Sunset had taken the call outside to not bother her guests but for the past few minutes she hadn't said a word because human Rarity had presented her with this speech.

"So then I tried to tell her that she cannot do things on my behalf without asking me, but she told me that I was never around! I mean really, I was in the past three days and she didn't even try to tell me about our counter-parts coming from Equestria and she knew! Then I told her that she never communicated with me like she used to and she went to hit me! She didn't but then I picked up my handbag and stormed out."
A muffled voice intercepted the phone call in the background.
"Oh thank you Twilight darling."
Sunset guessed she had gone around to Twilight's.
"Then I figured I couldn't go around to yours so I came to Twilight's..."

And the story continued. Sunset sat herself down on a bench next to her gate. She wanted to say 'It sounds like you and Applejack have been having problems for a while now?' but there was no way to get her question in at this point.

---

Rarity made her way down the stairs very slowly. Pony Rarity that is. She held her coat tight to her chest as she attempted to quell her emotions. Of course she hadn't told Applejack and Rainbow Dash everything. She didn't know how to tell them.

Rarity had been thinking of Trenderhoof, Prince Blueblood, Shining Armour & Cadence and Spike. She stopped at a window on the staircase that overlooked the front garden and rested her head against the clear glass. She thought about how she had crushed hard over Trenderhoof, but he was into Applejack instead. And how Blueblood had turned out to be a real dick to her. Was her taste in stallions just misguided or was there something wrong with her. Was she looking at herself in the wrong way.

Somepony had told her once 'If the problem looks like it's everypony else, you should look to yourself first.' This had always worked for her when it came to business or teaching. And now that, along with the thought of herself and Applejack hooking up in this world. Would she have been happier if she had decided to be lesbian? Would her relationships have been more successful?

Too many questions started flying around her mind. She tried to put them all aside. She had only really been interested in stallions, so therefore, she wasn't lesbian. Even if she was bisexual, she decided that she would have been just as busy setting up her businesses so therefore her relationships would have been just as successful as they already had been.

She pulled her head off the window. With that thought in mind, she took a deep breath and made her way outside.

---

"Ah don't think she's okay." Applejack said. She made her way over to the beds and looked around on the floor for her pyjamas.

"There's something that mare's not telling us." Rainbow considered. She remained sat at the table having not quite finished dinner. She shovelled another fork-full of noodles and stir fry into her mouth, the sensation of using a fork still slightly alien to her. But the food was good. "You think it has something to do with the fact that you and her in this universe are dating?"

Rainbow couldn't help but ask, the question had been on her mind since they returned from the shopping mall earlier. She had noticed Rarity's reflective mood in the car on the ride back. Applejack knelt down to search under the beds for her pyjama top and bottoms which left Rainbow a moment to reflect on her question.

Applejack got swiftly back onto her feet. "Ah s'ppose it might. Ah don't see any problem with that though." To Rainbow, Applejack seemed to shrug it off, like she would be happy with either her or Rarity as a partner. And to that, Rainbow felt a little dejected. She looked away only to snap her attention back to Applejack who was very confidently taking her top and skirt off, replacing them with the pyjamas.

"If Sunset came back in now!" Rainbow joked. Applejack turned to her, she could sense something was bothering Rainbow.

"Nah what's the matter honey?" She investigated her partner for a second. "You don't think me and Rarity would be gettin' together now?"

"Well you don't seem too worried about human Rarity and Applejack." Rainbow retorted. She wasn't mad, she just needed to explain her point of view. "In the Wonderbolts, if you find cadets starting to train with other flying corps you start to question their loyalty to the squad." Applejack smiled and Rainbow was a little annoyed about that.

"Ah'm not worried about it, cause Ah'm not her. Ah'm Applejack from Equestria and Ah fell in love with you." She walked over and perched a little seductively on the arm of the sofa. Rainbow followed her curiously. "Ah've never thought about Rarity, she's always been into stallions, an' besides she's always got herself busy. Rarity doesn't stop and she doesn't have time for relationships. Rarity in this world is different, she lives differently, you saw that at the mall. The way things work here are entirely different."

Rainbow got up and made her way cautiously over to Applejack. "You mean that?"

"Ya'll know Ah do honey. An' Ah could never love the Rainbow here, 'cause she wouldn't have been through the things we've been through." Applejack said honestly. Rainbow held Applejack's right hand in her left tenderly. She moved her other hand to Applejack's face and tenderly moved in to kiss her.

Applejack held both of them up, supporting the kiss with her arms on the sofa.

---

"And then she refused to help me drag all my stuff to the fashion seminar. I barely made the first speech. Lucky I was just a panellist and not a display artist or I would have been in no shape to start the talk. So I called Twilight who drove out and gave me a lift back, because I was really not wanting to take the train..." Continued Rarity on the other end of the phone. Sunset shivered. It was getting colder.

The front door opened and Rarity stepped out. She was shaking and cold despite wearing a rather large coat. Sunset perked up and waved her over to the bench. She mouthed the words "Are you okay?" To which Rarity simply looked down and made her way onto the bench.

Now Sunset was in one of the weirdest positions she had been in. She was torn between helping a Rarity she had known for a day but clearly needed her help, and her long, long time friend who had Twilight for company too.

Seeing as she hadn't actually said anything to Rarity in a while, she made her decision. "Oh my God! Rarity I'm so sorry I have to go, I'll call you back!" She said urgently. Then hung up the phone calmly. She turned to Rarity. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?" She asked, genuinely concerned.

"No I'm sorry Sunset." Rarity replied shaking. "I never meant to cause any drama, we were just looking for a holiday. If you don't mind, I was wondering if you would take us back home, to Equestria."

"Rarity... I hope this isn't about the other... you. Applejack and her have had a few communication problems recently. They just need to find a way to sort it out." Sunset tried to console her.

"Well it's just. That came as a bit of a shock to me I have to say." Rarity replied. Sunset smiled a little at that. "I've never even considered I would be with a mare.., um woman, I suppose? Bear in mind Applejack." She spoke softly and honestly. "And there's so much adjusting as well, with the body and everything." The moment hung in the air. Sunset breathed it in thoughtfully.

"You know, I never had time for relationships. I was too busy focusing on being evil. I went out with a guy named Flash just to get popular. They were good times you know." She couldn't help but smirk at how misguided she had once been. "Anyway, I was able to use sex to kind of control him, and sure, I enjoyed it. But one day I ended up with this girl," she deliberately avoided who, "and I found that I was okay with that too. But I'll say, I had never expected too."

Rarity looked at her slightly confused.

"My point is, relationships are complicated and you might never understand how they work. But if you put faith in anybody, put it in you before you find someone to find faith in." She paused to let that sink in. "But then don't listen to me, I'm still living alone!" She laughed out loud, and Rarity shared her a smile. "Look why don't you stay the night and we'll head back to the portal tomorrow morning as soon as you're all ready."

Sunset put a consoling arm around Rarity, this time it did genuinely make her feel better. Sunset stood up and offered Rarity a hand. Rarity smiled a nod, accepted the hand and got up with her.

"Let's head back up stairs shall we."

"Certainly Sunset. And thank you."

---

When they arrived upstairs, the pair were greeted with an amusing surprise. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had found themselves lounged over the sofa in a definitive make-out session if Sunset had ever seen one.

"Awww, Get a room guys!" Sunset called shortly after opening the door. Rainbow tumbled off the sofa and Rarity smirked a laugh. Sunset held a cross pose with the pair.

"SUNSET! Ah um.." Applejack tumbled over her words and scrambled to sit up and try to dignify herself.

Sunset burst into laughter. "I'm glad I got you different beds. Come on, let me show you a movie before we go to bed. I'll take you all down to the portal tomorrow." She looked to Rarity who gave her a thankful nod.

The four friends settled in for the evening.

---