Chapter 3: I Fly Both Ways

A loud knocking awoke Twilight from her slumber. She gazed at the other ponies lying asleep on the floor. Pinkie Pie was snoring soundly. Rarity pretended she hadn’t heard the knocking. Fluttershy’s eyes opened slowly, groggy after the long sleep she’d had. Rainbow Dash was unresponsive, sleeping deeply. Applejack groaned and turned to her side.

Twilight sighed and rose out of the bed, careful not to tread on anypony as she trotted towards the stairs. She made her way down to the library floor and opened the front door to see Spike waiting at the doorstep.

“It’s noon,” Spike said, “and you asked me to wake you guys up.”

“Thanks, Spike,” Twilight said, nuzzling his head affectionately. “You did well. Let me get my friends up so they can go home.”

“Sure,” Spike said, walking towards his bed, looking like he was eager to fall asleep himself. Twilight trotted back upstairs to see that only Fluttershy had gotten off of the floor and started to roll her sleeping bag.

“Oh, hello, Twilight,” she said. “I was just packing up like you said, because that was Spike knocking at the door, right? Don’t get me wrong, I was gonna say goodbye, but I wanted to follow orders and―”

“It’s okay, Fluttershy. Thank you.” Twilight then turned to Applejack, who she knew was pretending to be asleep.

“Applejack…” Twilight whispered gently into her ear, trying to coax her awake.

“Mmph,” Applejack groaned.

“Are you asleep?” Twilight asked.

“Yes, Sugar…” Applejack mumbled.

“Well, it’s time to get going,” Twilight said.

“Already?” Applejack moaned. “Fine,” she said, resigned, and slowly dragged herself onto her hooves. Satisfied, Twilight went over to Rarity.

“Rarity…” she whispered again, in the same coy manner.

“Leave me alone…” Rarity mumbled.

“You have to get going. Don’t you have an order due at the end of the week?”

“Oh my stars, I almost forgot!” Rarity shot awake almost instantly, frantically trying to roll up her sleeping bag while she was still in it. She stopped when she heard Twilight laughing and glared at her.

“Sorry, Rarity,” Twilight said. Rarity grumbled and struggled to pull herself out of her sleeping bag. Twilight then turned to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, both of whom were still snoring, clearly sound asleep. Rainbow Dash was looking rather uncomfortable, though, so Twilight decided to check on her first.

Twilight nudged Rainbow Dash in the shoulder, eliciting a surprising moan of pleasure from the blue mare.

“Quit teasing me and just do it, will you?” Rainbow Dash mumbled. Twilight ascertained that she was dreaming, but couldn’t imagine what it could be about.

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said sternly. “Wake up.” Twilight shook Rainbow Dash, and a sudden gasp told her that the pegasus had awoken.

“Sweet Celestia, Twilight! Don’t scare me like that!”

“I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash. You were in the middle of a dream, and I thought it best to snap you out of it.”

“I was dreaming…?” Rainbow Dash asked dumbly, but then the images from her dream came flooding back to her and she suddenly withdrew with embarrassment.

“You were talking to yourself.”

“About what?” Rainbow Dash asked, much too forcefully. Twilight looked concerned.

“Um…I don’t know. I nudged your shoulder and you said I should just ‘do it’…” Rainbow Dash turned away to hide her blushing cheeks.

“Is that all I said?” she asked. Twilight was even more skeptical now.

“Well…yeah, pretty much.”

“No, really Twilight, did I say anything else?”

“No, you didn’t,” Twilight said. “Why? Would it bother you if you did?”

“Um…no,” Rainbow Dash said, suddenly realizing how obvious her embarrassment was. “I was just…forget it. It’s complicated.”

“What’s complicated?” Applejack asked, finally inserting herself into the conversation she had been listening to the whole time.

“Applejack! Hi! Nothing, I was just…Twilight heard me talking in my sleep, and…nothing,” Rainbow Dash finished lamely. Somehow her cheeks turned even redder.

“Ya look all flushed,” Applejack said. “Are ya okay, Sugarcube?”

“I’m fine! Really. I just…get hot when I’m asleep.”

Oh dear God, WHY did I just say that? Stupid, stupid, stupid―

“Well, it is the middle of summer,” Applejack said. “Ah suppose ah can relate.”

“Great,” Twilight said. “Now that that’s cleared up, I just need to wake up―” Twilight turned and saw Pinkie Pie on her hooves, her sleeping bag already thrown over her back.

“Um…hi, Pinkie Pie,” Twilight said. “I didn’t hear you get up.”

“Well,” Pinkie Pie said, “Rainbow Dash’s yelping woke me up, and I decided since I couldn’t get back to sleep that I’d start packing up, seeing as how that’s what the others were doing, and you two were busy talking and I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“Great,” Twilight said, not entirely sure what exactly was so great about it.

“Oh dear,” Rarity said, “Twilight, it’s been an awful lot of fun…more fun than I had anticipated, to be frank.” Applejack swallowed nervously. “But I think it’s time for me to be heading off. I’m terribly busy today, as it were, what with that order…”

“Do you…do you need some help?” Fluttershy asked.

“What?” Rarity said. “No, really, Fluttershy, I couldn’t impose upon you. You must be up to your haunches with all those animals up at your cabin.”

“No, Berry Punch was kind enough to look after them for me. She said take all the time you need off, so I don’t think one more day will do much harm. Besides, if you remember, I have a lot of knowledge about sewing.”

“You do, dear, but…are you sure?”

“Absolutely.” Fluttershy followed this statement with a shiny-eyed smile that no sane pony could resist.

“Well, if you really want to help me, dear, who am I to stop you? And who knows? After we’re done we can have a nice cup of tea together. Doesn’t that sound lovely?”

“Oh, yes, very much so,” Fluttershy said, secretly hoping Rarity didn’t try brewing her own tea. Fluttershy had tried it once, and it had taken every effort she could bear to pretend to enjoy it.

“Well, it’s settled then!” Rarity said. “I’ll be off with Fluttershy. Applejack, I presume your farm needs attending to?”

“Darn tootin’, Rarity. Ah can’t imagine the state it’s in, what with me not being there fer a whole morning. Ah’m sure Big Mac’s got it handled, but ya all know how…precocious Applebloom can git tryin’ to help, and Big Mac’s not the most assertive type…”

“Sounds like you have your work cut out for you,” Twilight said. “Any plans for you, Rainbow Dash?”

“What?” she asked, having been broken from a line of thought in which she had lost herself.

“Where are you going now?” Twilight asked.

“Oh, probably just back up to Cloudsdale. Don’t have too much planned, really, other than sleeping off my hangover. The weather team doesn’t need me till tomorrow anyway. There’s supposed to be a big rainstorm coming through. Of course, don’t go telling anypony; that’s supposed to be confidential.”

“Okay. How about you, Pinkie Pie?”

“Oh, I don’t know! I’ll just go where the wind takes me!”

“Sure…well, it was nice having you all over! See you all soon!”

“Bye, Twilight,” the other ponies said before trotting down the stairs. Twilight sighed in contentment. The slumber party had been every bit as good as she had hoped it would be, and shockingly scandalous, to boot!

As the ponies left, Spike turned in his bed and saw that Rarity was going to be the last to leave.

“Wait!” Spike said, hopping out of his bed and dashing towards Rarity. She shut the door and turned to face Spike.

“What is it, dear?” Rarity asked.

“I, uh…” Spike said, “just wanted to wish you a safe…journey home?” Rarity giggled, which made Spike feel a bit dejected, but she patted him on the head.

“I’ll be careful, Spike. Thank you.”

“Um…no problem. Well…bye, then.”

“Goodbye, Spike,” Rarity said, and she left the library, catching up with a waiting Fluttershy. Spike returned to his bed in a daze, unsure what to make of that little exchange.

***

Rainbow Dash’s head did ache from the alcohol she had drunk the night before, but her mind ached in another way, too. Feelings she had thought she quenched long ago had threatened to surface last night, and she was no longer sure what to make of them.

As she laid on her fluffy bed, Rainbow Dash recounted the most important memories. Certainly, Pinkie Pie’s dare had contributed to the situation, but, surprisingly, it had been Applejack’s massage that had really set her off. Pinkie Pie’s actions had certainly been more intimate, but they hadn’t felt quite as…sensual as Applejack’s had.

What does this mean? Rainbow Dash asked herself for what seemed like the thousandth time. Though she hated to admit it, it seemed apparent now that Rainbow Dash harbored strong feelings for…mares.

How can I still feel that way after Gilda? Rainbow Dash cringed as the griffon intruded her thoughts, as they always did, unbidden. That “experiment,” as Rainbow Dash liked to call it now, had been painful, and she thought it had turned her off to the idea of mares for good. But it was obvious now that was no longer the case.

Rainbow Dash rubbed her head, groaning. She couldn’t let this happen! Applejack was a loyal friend, to be sure, but she feared that her agricultural upbringing had raised her to view romantic feelings in the “old-fashioned” way. What Rainbow Dash was feeling now was certainly not old-fashioned, as she was painfully aware. Could she ever let Applejack know how that massage made her felt, how badly she wished she could have more?

Think about something else! Rainbow Dash said to herself, frustrated. She tried to imagine some stallions, to see if they still managed to attract her. It wasn’t long before her mind fell to Soarin’, the athletic flyer of the Wonderbolts. Rainbow Dash smiled as she imagined the athletic stallion complimenting her on an impressive trick flight before asking if there was anything he could do to show his appreciation. It was a cheesy fantasy, and Rainbow Dash knew it, but the thoughts still titillated her to the point where she reached towards her crotch instinctually. Rainbow Dash came to her senses, looked down at herself, and chuckled. I guess I fly both ways… she thought, but then groaned again.

Why do I have to like mares?

She started imagining Applejack again, bucking apples in the summer heat, wiping the sweat from her forehead. She imagined Applejack removing that hat of hers, unhitching her ponytail, and letting her wild blonde mane blow in the breeze. Her hoof once again roamed to her private parts before Rainbow Dash stopped herself and thrust the back of her head into her pillow, which admittedly had no effect, as the pillow was made of cloud.

Rainbow Dash then wondered why she was only worried about Applejack and not her other friends. She tried to imagine admitting her feelings to them.

She first thought of Fluttershy, her oldest friend of the group. Fluttershy is so kind, she’d probably be supportive and understanding. It might creep her out a little, but not enough to feel uncomfortable with me. Rainbow Dash smiled, thinking that she at least had one friend in which she could consider confiding.

Pinkie Pie…well, she’d probably think it was kinky, but then she’d probably just laugh it off and say it’s no big deal. She’s also big on secrets, so I might even be able to tell her about Applejack if I needed to…what am I saying? I don’t have feelings for Applejack. Rainbow Dash shook her head in an attempt to snap out of her thoughts of Applejack.

Okay, Rarity…well, she’d probably be uncomfortable. Then again, she did agree to make out with…damn it! Not her again!

Twilight, Twilight…she’s well-read. She’d probably consider it curious on an intellectual level, but how would she feel about it? Honestly, she’s a tough one to read…

Rainbow Dash’s analysis complete, she figured she could tell Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie about her feelings if need be, but at this point she wasn’t interested in confiding in anyone. Her feelings were confusing enough on their own; she thought speaking to her friends about them would only complicate matters even further.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Rainbow Dash shut her eyes and tried to sleep on it, to see if her subconscious could work things out in her dreams.

***

Rarity and Fluttershy had managed to finish that order in much less time than Rarity had expected, so the two of them were sitting outside of the boutique with mugs of tea in their hooves. The sun was beating down, but they were in the shade of the building, and there was a gentle breeze that cooled them quite effectively from the warm air.

“Rarity, I’m sorry I told everypony about your magazine…”

“It’s quite all right, Fluttershy. Really, you don’t have to be so apologetic all the time.”

“Oh. Well, sorry for being too apologetic…wait.” Rarity laughed as Fluttershy tried to figure out what about that sentence had seemed off.

“Never mind, dear,” Rarity said.

“So…” Fluttershy whispered ever so softly, even for her, “um, if you don’t mind…what was it like kissing Applejack?”

“Huh?” Rarity asked, unsure if she had heard Fluttershy correctly. “Are you talking about Applejack and me?” Fluttershy nodded.

“Oh. Well, I haven’t had a stallion to compare to, but it was rather stimulating, at least on a physical level. But I know enough about such intimacies that one is supposed to feel a deep burning in their core when they feel passionate about the pony they’re kissing. Applejack is a dear, but I am not interested in mares on that level, so I cannot say I felt that level of passion stir within me. Does that answer your question, dear?”

“Yes,” Fluttershy said, actually concerned Rarity had answered her question too well.

“I was just curious, because I’ve never done it before…” she said.

“Well, my dear, you must have imagined doing it.”

“I guess I have, but I don’t really know what to imagine…”

“Really? You must have some idea.”

“Sort of…” Fluttershy said. “I know what parts of me I would like a stallion to touch. But…it just feels so weird.”

“Well, my dear, it’s supposed to be a bit uncomfortable. These are very personal acts between two ponies, and I must say if thinking about it didn’t make you feel uncomfortable then there would be something wrong with you.”

“But it’s not the acts themselves that make me feel uncomfortable…” Fluttershy muttered, hiding her face behind her pink mane.

“What is it then, dear?” Rarity asked.

“It’s…it’s how much I want them…” Rarity chuckled softly.

“Oh, my dear, that’s called a libido!”

“A what?” Fluttershy asked.

“I learned it from Twilight a while ago. It’s the part of your brain that desires sex. It’s a psychological term to describe that passionate feeling I told you should exist when two ponies kiss.”

“Oh,” Fluttershy said. “Then why do I get that feeling by just thinking about…you know…”

“Fantasies can activate it. How else do you think you can clop? It’s hard to get off without your libido firing up. In fact, I’d say it’s impossible!”

“Okay,” Fluttershy said. “I just wish that…I wish I didn’t feel this way.”

“Why, darling?” Rarity asked, suddenly concerned. “What’s wrong with feeling this way?”

“It’s just…it makes me feel like…”

“Like what, dear?”

“…like I’m a bad pony.” The emphasis Fluttershy placed on the word “bad” said it all to Rarity.

“Fluttershy, really, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Sex is a perfectly natural part of a pony’s life. How else do you expect to raise little fillies or colts of your own? You do want children someday, don’t you?”

“Maybe someday…” Fluttershy said. “But I don’t want them now, and yet I still want sex.”

“Well, dear, we are at that age,” Rarity said. “Our hormones are fired up, but we aren’t ready to settle down and devote our lives to our families yet. I think it’s healthy for everypony to explore themselves and find out what they want in a stallion.”

“Okay,” Fluttershy said. “I guess that makes sense…but it still makes me feel bad.”

“I think that’s something to think about,” Rarity said with a weak smile, wishing she could be more of a help. “I wish I understood how you felt, dear, but I really don’t know what it’s like. I suppose you might have to find somepony else to help you sort your feelings out.”

“Oh my, I don’t know if I can talk to anypony else about it.”

“You’ve been open with me, darling,” Rarity said.

“Well…you are my best friend,” Fluttershy said. Rarity beamed.

“That’s very sweet of you Fluttershy. The feeling is mutual, of course. But you might be able to talk to some of our other friends.”

“Like who?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie are not ones to be ashamed of their feelings, and I cannot really picture Applejack getting too worked up, either. I would suppose Twilight is your best bet. I mean, she never even had friends until she moved to Ponyville, so I imagine her sexual feelings had her confused as well.”

“That makes sense,” Fluttershy said. “I guess I’ll try that sometime. Thanks, Rarity.”

“It’s my pleasure, dear,” Rarity said.

***

Applejack had elected to plow the fields, even though Big Macintosh had insisted he do it. He had said that the sun was much too hot, and that he was much sturdier than Applejack was, but Applejack had put her hoof down in a way that always made Big Macintosh give in. The fact of the matter was that Applejack was feeling quite restless and needed the physical exertion to release a tension that had been building inside her ever since…

Ever since when?

Something about last night had stirred something potent inside her, something that she realized had been slowly stewing for a very long time. It felt like water, after it had been simmering for a while on the burner, had begun to boil. The frothy bubbles seemed an apt metaphor to describe Applejack’s stomach right about now. There was something funny going on with her, and she needed the time to figure it out.

Luckily, plowing was brain-dead work, although it was also physically exhausting. This allowed Applejack’s mind to wander freely, a sort of free association processing of her feelings. At least that’s what Twilight would call it…

The name Twilight struck her for some reason. What about that name was so striking? Had it been something she said, something she did? Think, Applejack, think…

The Truth or Dare game.

Of course. It seemed obvious to her now as soon as she realized it. Twilight had answered Rarity’s question about kissing a stallion. But, wait, that really wasn’t that big of a deal. I’ve read stuff saucier than that. Hell, Rarity’s question was really…

RARITY!

A jolt of energy surged through Applejack, the adrenaline pulsing as a reaction to a sudden epiphany. That water was really starting to froth now, and the memory of last night’s intimate make-out session charged Applejack with a burning feeling in the pit of her loins that shocked her to her core.

Hooey, that’s powerful stuff. Ah can’t remember feelin’ that worked up about anything in mah life…but why Rarity? Ah don’t even like her that way.

Applejack then recalled her anecdote about Lucky. Lucky, the only other pony ah’ve ever kissed. She had been exaggerating when she had told Rainbow Dash she’d kissed many a stallion, not to lie intentionally but as a reaction to the heat of the discussion they had been having. Applejack returned her focus to Lucky, trying to recall what exactly she had felt kissing him. Wasted out of mah mind, fer one thing. Ah’m surprised ah even remember doin’ it. It was…interesting, being mah first time an’ all, but other than that… Applejack then recalled Rarity’s description of kissing her, and it seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

Then a wave of horror coursed through her. What had Rarity said? That she wasn’t into mares.

Does this mean ah’m not into stallions?

Applejack, being far too busy on the farm, had never really noticed her pubescent desires as they had begun to surface not far after she had received her cutie mark. They had been vague at best, especially since she was mostly removed from anypony outside of her family for most of the time she worked the fields. Now that she was paying attention to it, however, it seemed more and more obvious to her just exactly which sex of pony she craved…

A wave of shame hit her as she thought of her family. Grannie Smith had not been shy to bear her disdain for the “alternative lifestyles” of homosexuals. And, though nopony else had explicitly stated it, their calm demeanor and nonchalant attitude to the comments seemed to Applejack proof that they agreed with her. Applejack, horrified, imagined telling her family that she was…a filly fooler. She shuddered at the imaginary grimace on Grannie Smith’s face, the disappointed shaking of Big Macintosh’s head, the confused expression upon Applebloom’s countenance. Trying to explain to Applebloom what it meant to be a filly fooler seemed unbearable to Applejack.

It can’t be this way…can it? Unsure what to think of herself, Applejack continued her plowing, her troubled mind far more aching than her muscles as she dragged the plow through the hard, dry soil.

***

Twilight was spending the afternoon studying famous friendships of the past. She was in the middle of reading about the controversial political alliance of Winston Churchoof and Joseph Stallion when Spike walked into her bedroom.

“So…whatcha reading, Twilight?” Spike asked, his tone giving away any pretensions of his interest in pony history.

“For the last time, I’m not going to recap the sleepover for you,” Twilight said, not even bothering to glance up from her book.

“Oh, why?” Spike asked. “I’m so curious about it…”

“Spike,” Twilight said, actually looking at him this time, “if I were going to tell you about the sleepover, would it have made any sense for me not to invite you?”

“But that’s just it, Twilight! You not inviting me made me think that you ponies were gonna do things…”

“What things?” Twilight asked, mocking Spike’s vague language.

“You know…things that might scar the mind of an impressionable young dragon.”

“I told you to stop reading my books on psychology,” Twilight said.

“But I think I might be sexually repressed, Twilight!”

“Excuse me?” Twilight said, so shocked by Spike’s bold proposition that she accidentally closed the book. “Ugh, look what you did, Spike! You made me lose my spot.”

“But according to The Growth and Development of Dragons, I’m reaching that age when I should be interested in female dragons!”

“Spike, you don’t know any female dragons.”

“That’s just it, Twilight. How can I be interested in dragons I’ve never seen before? So I looked through some pictures of young, female dragons and tried to imagine―”

“Stop right there,” Twilight said, thrusting her hoof out to accentuate the interruption. “Where did you find pictures of female dragons?”

“The same book, duh,” Spike said. “Anyway, I tried to imagine, you know…doing things with them, but I couldn’t do it. The only, well…animal that I could begin to picture was…well…um…”

“Rarity?” Twilight suggested.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, who said anything about Rarity?” Spike countered, though his rouge cheeks gave him away.

“It’s not like it wasn’t obvious from the start,” Twilight said.

“But isn’t that weird, Twilight? I mean, I’m not supposed to be interested in ponies, but here I am, imagining myself with Rarity on the beach watching the sunset, and her sighing and relaxing before turning to me and giving me a look like she could just¬―”

“Okay, okay, I get the picture, Spike. But what does this have to do with the slumber…?” Twilight then remembered Rarity and Applejack.

“Oh no,” she said, “you’re not finding out if Rarity did anything dirty. Your mind doesn’t need that kind of stimulation.”

“So she did do something dirty,” Spike inferred. “Ooh, what was it?”

“Spike, didn’t you just hear me say I wasn’t going to tell you?”

“But I want to know,” Spike whined, crossing his arms and looking like a grouchy baby.

“Spike, maybe I should send you to meet some nice girl dragons around your own age. Do you want me to write Princess Celestia and ask if you can be sent to a colony for a little while?”

“Oh, so just like that, you’ve got no problem sending me away again?” Spike asked. “Thanks a lot.”

“Spike, you know I love you and I would miss you terribly,” Twilight said, patting her dragon on the head. “But I think I’m starting to realize what it’s meant for you to grow up surrounded by ponies. You’re confused about all the wrong things. Hormones are confusing enough normally, let’s not add interspecies relationships into the mix.”

“I suppose you’ve got a point there…” Spike said.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll write Princess Celestia and ask her what to do.”

“Fine…” Spike said. He hopped down from the bed and started to leave the room. Something about his dejection pained Twilight, and she wanted to see him smile again.

But I just said I didn’t want to give him any kind of stimulation. Still, maybe a little wouldn’t hurt…

“Hey, Spike,” Twilight said, “don’t forget that Rarity likes to take long, hot showers…”

“Huh?” Spike asked, a little too naïve to understand the connotation.

“Well, let’s just say that when ponies take long, hot showers, they tend to get a little dirty while they’re getting themselves clean…” Spike pondered this for a moment, then smiled, walking away with a noticeably bouncier stride. Twilight chuckled and returned to her book, struggling to find the page where she had left off.