Chapter 1 - Aversion
“Really?” Applejack asked, quirking an eyebrow. “You, into mares?”
“Mmm, why of course dear,” Rarity replied, stretching out on the sleeping bag, one of six as well as a mess of assorted blankets and pillows scattered across the boutique floor.
Applejack snorted in reply.
“Well, I'll be. The way you threw yourself at... well, that stallion, I never would have guessed.”
“No, not all,” Rarity giggled, “I admit, stallions are more my forte, but that does not leave me above appreciating the fairer sex.” As she finished she grinned, leaning back as she shook her shoulders for just a second and her tail gave and appreciative flick.
Rainbow Dash broke out laughing.
“Oh geez Rarity, are we going to have to put a leash on you?”
“I-I beg your pardon?” Rarity blinked rapidly.
“I just had no idea you were such a hound. I mean, cripes, I'm a mare's mare, but geez, you were actually shaking.” Rainbow Dash, amused at her own commentary, broke out laughing again. Rarity's face as flush, her mouth flapping as she tried to find something to say to that.
“Rainbow!” Applejack said. “That was uncalled for and you know it. Apologize.”
“Okay, okay. I was just pulling her leg. Although I probably shouldn't, she might start drooling.” The final word came out as a squeak before she burst out laughing again.
“That's enough!” Applejack was on her hooves in a second. Pinkie flinched and Fluttershy dived under her pillow. Rainbow Dash reflexively sprung onto all fours as well. “One more word and I'll-”
“Everypony calm down!” Rarity shouted, bringing everyone to a halt. “Just... please! This is supposed to be a friendly little slumber party, not some... barnyard brawl to defend my honor.” She looked back and forth at Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Both were still tense but embarrassment had replaced anger on their faces at least. Rarity rolled her eyes and sighed, her horn lighting up. “Sit.” she said. Without warning the sleeping bags under each of them retreated, depositing both of them on their rumps simultaneously. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, embarrassed, tried not to look at anypony. Silence reigned for a few moments.
“Hey Rarity?”
“Yes?”
“Sorry for making fun of you. I was only teasing, didn't want to hurt you.”
“It's fine Rainbow Dash. Ponies just tend to be sensitive about that sort of thing. I know you didn't mean any harm.”
“Thanks.”
“It's alright dear.”
“Rainbow?”
“Yeah?”
“Sorry about getting all angry like that. I was just... I saw you was hurting Rarity is all. Got me wound up.”
“Yeah, no, I get you. I was being a bit of a hoof. We cool?”
“Yeah, we're cool.”
“Cool.”
And with that, the tension evaporated. Everyone smiled and relaxed into their pillows. Save for one pony. Twilight, silent through the whole scene, stared downward, brow furrowed in concentration.
Rarity sighed, relaxing.
“Well, now that that's settled, anyone else wish to talk about something other than how hot and bothered a proper lady can make me?”
“Well, I-” Fluttershy began.
“Rainbow Dash, do you think you're an asexual?”
Dead silence reigned. Five pairs of eyes stared at Twilight. For a second Twilight stared at Dash then, as if suddenly aware other ponies were in the room, Twilight jerked in surprise, and then blushed and cleared her throat.
“I mean, uh,” she gulped, “Sorry? I uh. You don't have to answer if you don't want to.” Twilight turned. “Sorry, Fluttershy.”
“It's okay.”
“Um,” Dash began, looking around. “Uh, no. No Twilight. I... I'm not. Can't be.”
“Oh,” Twilight said, turning her head. “It's just Rarity's physical reaction was pretty mild as I understand it, so your overreaction might be indicative of someone who doesn't experience sexual attraction.”
“It's a silly question Twilight. I'm not asexual. I want to have sex. Hell, I want to have sex with mares AND stallions. That's, like, about as opposite of asexual as you can get.”
“That's not what being asexual means Dash. It's a pony who doesn't feel sexual attraction.”
“I just told you I did.”
“No, you told me you wanted to have sex. It's not the same.”
“How is it not the same!?”
“Wanting to have sex and sexual attraction are not the same thing Dash. Sexual attraction is a physical reaction to seeing a pony we find attractive. A rush of energy, sweating, shaking, sexual hunger, for pegasi there can be tension in the wings-”
“'Tension in the wings?' Really Twilight, wingboners?” Dash laughed, disbelieving. “Ponies don't get wingboners Twilight-”
“-Um-”
Twilight groaned.
“'Wingboner' is slang for a more extreme form of that reaction, but that's not the point-”
“Really? You shouldn't have learned anatomy from trashy novels or dirty comics, Twilight.”
“-I did not! Look, Cloudkicker talks about them.”
“Cloudkicker is worse than the dirty comics, Twilight.”
“Sometimes I-”
“Girls!” Rarity interjected. “Please, calm down.”
A loud gasp filled the room.
“SometimeswhenI'mallaloneandIthinkaboutastallionIreallylikemywingsdogetstiffI'msorryRainbowI'mnotafreakamIpleaseforgiveme.”
Everyone turned and stared at Fluttershy.
“I mean...” Fluttershy said, panting. “Uh...”
And with that she dived beneath her covers.
Pinkie and Rarity were on her in an instant. The two of them beginning to pet her and coo, calming her down. Dash stared on in confusion and horror.
“I'm... I'm not a freak Twi.” She said. “Can't be.”
“No one said you were, sugar-cube.” Applejack said. “Though you been mighty close to making that accusation a few times tonight yourself.”
“I-I didn't mean-”
“I'm not the one you need to say sorry to.”
“I just-” She looked at Fluttershy, then Twilight, at a loss.
Twilight sat and thought about for a long moment, rubbing her chin.
“Dash, I think I know how to resolve this.”
“I mean, it's already resolved Twilight. I'm not asexual. I don't mean to offend anyone else, but I'm not.”
“Dash I want you to tell me the truth-”
“-I am-”
“-the truth, Dash, when I ask you this question. When you see a pony you really find attractive, is it anything at all like flying?”
“What? That doesn't even make sense Twilight.”
“Is that a no?”
“No-it, look, Twilight, this is stupid. I'm not asexual, I want to have sex.”
“I told you that's not what that word meant.”
“I like clopping, okay Twilight? Happy?! I can't be asexual.”
“That's not what that means either Rainbow Dash. Just answer the question.”
“It's a stupid question! I'm not asexual!”
“Then answer it and prove me wrong!”
“No!” Rainbow Dash leapt to her hooves. “Fine! No! Are you happy?! No, looking at a sexy pony is not like flying. It's so stupid to even think it is. Not to mention the whole sexy thing is overrated anyway!” Dash shook her head. “Sun above. Are you happy now?”
Twilight looked anything but happy. She looked… scared.
“Dash, part of sexual attraction is an adrenal reaction. So, that means if you felt it, you should recognize it as something similar to flying... I really think you're asexual Dash.”
“I told you to stop calling me that!” Dash barked. “It's a stupid word. 'Asexual.' I'm not a freak! Okay?! I'm not!”
“Dash, being an asexual isn't freakish.”
“I don't care! You're wrong! You're wrong. You're wrong... You're...” Dash's eyes filled with tears. “Buck this,” and with that she leaped over Rarity and bolted for the door. The others were on their hooves.
“Dash!”
“Hey! What are you-”
“No, Dashie, wait!”
“Dash, none of us-”
“I'm sorry-”
The slamming of a door was all that answered them.
~*~*~*~
Dash sat alone on a cloud, muzzle buried in her forehooves, glaring at the ground like a gargoyle.
“Dash!” a voice echoed in the distance.
Dash ignored it.
“Dash!” It was getting louder. Dash curled deeper into her cloud.
There was a flash of purple light and a loud pop and suddenly something purple and flailing its wings was hovering over Rainbow Dash's head.
“Dash,” Twilight said between pants. “Sorry-” pant “-I-” pant “-didn't mean-” pant “-to upset-” pant “-can you-” pant “-forgive me?”
Dash closed her eyes and sighed into her legs, swallowing her anger.
“Yeah, sure, Twi.”
“Good, mind if I-” pant “-sit down?”
“Sure, Twi.” Dash said, smiling. She sat up, using her hooves to stretch out the cloud some so Twilight could lay down. With a sigh of relief the purple alicorn gave a most unprincess-like flop onto the cloud. It was at that point that Dash saw the satchel slung over her shoulder.
“What's that?”
“Just some books,” Twilight said, in-between catching her breaths.
“Of course,” Dash said, smiling. She then turned away and frowned. “Hey Twi? Sorry about bailing. I really lost my cool. I... got picked on a lot as a kid for a lot of dumb reasons. Sometimes... I don’t like it when ponies tell me there is something I can’t do. When...”
“No, Dash, I understand.” Twilight said, sighing, half with regret and half with relaxation. “I really shouldn't have pushed the issue. Especially not in public. I got caught up in arguing with you, it's...” she smiled. “My bad, okay?”
“I think we both screwed up and now we're both even. Deal?”
“Deal.”
Dash reached out a hoof and Twilight lifted hers into the air. With an audible clap the two struck hooves, sealing the mutual apology. The two relaxed and turned, staring away in different directions. Twilight at the sky, Dash at the village below. Dash shifted after a moment before looking over at her friend again.
“Sooo, Twi, what's with the book bag?”
“Hmm? Oh. I wanted to give you the books I had on the subject of sexuality.”
“You have books on this?”
“Of course I do. No matter what the subject a good library should have reference material. Plus, I had reason to get all these out. See, I heard about asexuality from Bonbon. Lyra is asexual as it turns out, so once I discussed it with them I went and did some research, including corresponding with Cadance on the issue, and she recommended to me several books, a few of which are in that bag. Now, I recommend starting with Ace Visibility's book. It's probably the best on the subject matter and covers the topics -”
“Woah, woah egghand. Calm down, okay? I'll read the books.”
“Sorry,” Twilight said, rubbing her head. “Uh, here.” Without another word her horn glowed and lifted the satchel off of her shoulders and placed it on Rainbow Dash's. Dash sat up, picking up the bag in her forehooves, turning it over and staring at it like it was some kind creature she found crawling through the mud at a lakeshore.
“You really think I'm asexual, huh? Even though I... like... clop and stuff?”
“Asexuality isn't about wanting to have sex or masturbating or not. It's about whether or not you have sexual attraction. It's... what fits, I think, given what you've said.” Twilight paused. “There's nothing wrong with it, Dash.”
“Yeah, I know, I just...” Dash suddenly felt a hoof on her shoulders.
“It's okay Dash. We're your friends. We'll be here for you, no matter how many wingboners you don't have!” Twilight pulled her into a hug. Dash, surprised, hugged back.
“Thanks, Twi.” She said, her expression softening.
“No problem.” Twilight said back. She then pulled away. “Now, come on. Rarity said we'd start the smores when we got back.”
“Oh, now that's just cheating.”
“We better get going then.”
“Race you!”
“What? No! Rainbow Dash! Wait! I'm tired!”
Rainbow Dash took to the air, quickly outpacing a weary and late Twilight.
No matter how fast or high she flew though, the weight of the bag was constant on her shoulder.