“Breakfast was great, Fritter. Ah, nothing like a full belly to start the day,” Rainbow grinned as she began to hover from the table. Scootaloo was nearly done herself and Applejack was cleaning up as Rainbow hugged her from behind and nuzzled her softly. “It’s gonna be another long day. I’ve gotta make up for Red Winger taking the week off.”

Applejack hummed and leaned into the nuzzle. “Me too. We’re plantin’ in the south fields. Still spring and that means gotta get ready fer harvestin’ all summer.”

“Yeah, we’ll see each other a bit less but Ah still love you,” Rainbow softly whispered as she kissed Applejack on the cheek. “I’ve gotta go, but I’ll see you for dinner?”

“Heh, eeyap.”

“It’s eeyup,” Rainbow corrected as they giggled at the inside joke.

“I don’t get it. Why’s that funny? She said it wrong,” Scootaloo asked, head cocked to the side.

“It’s just a joke we know. Eat up and give Mom a kiss ‘fore she leaves.”

“First Mama’s gettin’ a freckle kiss,” Rainbow said as she began kissing Applejack’s cheeks several times on each side before a final kiss on the lips.

“Ah love you, Rainbow,” Applejack said with a pause, “Ah’ll see ya tonight.”

Rainbow said her goodbyes, hugs, and kisses then she left. Taking to the skies she wasted no time busting clouds and moving others around town to their designated areas.

With a heavy sigh she came to a stop over a house and slowed her flapping, slowly descending to the ground. A loud two knocks and a moment later the door opened.

“Rainbow, you’re late, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, just started work, Quill… I’m on my break, I really should hurry,” Rainbow said in defeat.

“It’s fine, you never last that long,” she said in a reassuring tone as she motioned for Rainbow to enter, closing the door quickly after she entered.

---

Rainbow lay on her side as Quill unstrapped the saddle from her body, both exhausted from their act. Rainbow sniffled quietly as Quill lay behind her and cuddled into her blue fur and spectral mane. “That, was amazing.”

“Y-yeah, it felt great,” Rainbow replied, sighing heavily, “it’s just that, isn’t this wrong?”

“What? Two friends hangin’ out?”

“No, the making love part. I, just feel like I’m hurting inside after we’re done.”

“Oh, psh. You worry too much. Just enjoy the moment, Honey. Mmm, I love your scent, like citrus.”

“Yeah, new shampoo AJ and me use, together.”

“She’s lucky to have you. Now, wanna shower and get all that sexy sweat off or ya gonna wait for it to dry in the clouds?”

Rainbow shuddered slightly as she felt the baby move inside her belly. “I need to shower and then I’ve gotta get back to work, Quill.”

“And I’ve gotta remember your smell until you come by tomorrow. Same time?”

“Y-yeah. I guess.”

“Oh, c’mon. Don’t be that way, it’s been two amazing weeks since you knocked on my door, crying like a filly and begging for an ear to listen and wing to cry on,” Quill nuzzled Rainbow’s neck.

“Yeah, and you kissed me.”

“You kissed back and started nipping my neck.”

Rainbow’s heart was heavy at the memory as she rolled away from Quill. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Then I’ll say what I’ve said everyday since last week: Stop coming over.”

…

“Ah, just can’t. It hasn’t been the same since that party. She’s different. She’s distant, like she’s bottling up somethin’, Ah can tell she’s hiding something, Quill. Ah just don’t know what.”

“Come to mommy, darling,” Quill opened her legs and embraced the mare as her wing covered the orange mare as well, “look, you’ve been sneaking to see me every evening you can. The sex is amaze-balls and you can use your tongue like it was a snake but you’re not a liar, Applejack. Since the party you’ve been lying to her and yourself. It’s been a week that you’ve been sneaking here after chores on the farm, behind her pinions and primaries no less, and I have to ask, isn’t it worth it?”

Applejack sighed and nuzzled into Quill’s embrace and sniffled, then began to weep. “Ah’m a terrible pony, Quill. Ah’m cheatin’ on my everything. She’s carrying my baby and I’m rollin’ in the hay with our best friend.”

“It’s not like she’d ever know. I won’t tell her, honest truth. You should leave her for me.”

Applejack felt like she was bucked in the chest at that moment as she thought about the offer.

…

“Oh, Rainbow, it’s not like she needs you. She has her family, all the other four girls and who knows how many other mares after her. There’s a reason you come back to my house everyday midmorning.”

“Yeah, you told me it was the best time to talk. Now we’re having sex every day… what about AJ? Huh?! What’s this going to do to her when she finds out?” Rainbow shouted as she opened her wings aggressively and lowered her head. “It’s your fault this happened, that I… love another mare.”

“Who’d you say was at fault the first morning you came here? Who made you carry her baby? Ruined your body and dreams? Stopped you from doing whatever you wanted by making you move into a ground house with her? You could have made a new cloud house, right?”

Rainbow’s body and wings sagged. “Yeah,” she looked aside, “I said all that, but it doesn’t mean anything if I have to hurt her.”

…

“Who said you’d hurt her, AJ? You’ve been coming by every evening after work and working up a great sweat with me. She’d do the same,” Quill averted her eyes, “if she had the chance.”

“No! She’s the perfect mare, Quill. Ah’m the one that’s doin’ bad. Ah’m the one,” Applejack pressed her face into Quill’s chest and inhaled the mare’s scent, “that’s fallin’ fer another mare.”

Quill grinned widely as she pulled Applejack into a tighter embrace. “Leave with me, tonight. Let’s just go away, the two of us.”

…

Rainbow huffed as she paced the room. “A herd? With the three of us? Ha! That’d never work. She’s into ‘monogamy’,” Rainbow rolled her eyes, “and I guess I am too, now. Quill, I love you, but this has to stop.”

“Fine, then leave and don’t come back!” Quill shouted and rolled over, hiding a smirk while she fake cried.

Rainbow took a hesitant step away before she moved toward Quill and lay behind her, holding the gradient purple mare with her legs. “Look, I’m sorry, Quill. I, I don’t want to lose you. It’s just that I don’t want to hurt AJ.”

…

“Quill,” Applejack whispered, “lemme go and... help me ta tell Rainbow about us. About this. It’d help if you were there and maybe it’ll all be okay. We can go back ta the way t’all was.”

Quill’s smile fell as she felt Applejack moving away from her. She tried to hold tighter but was no match for the earth pony’s strength and was shoved back by a forceful hoof. “What the feathering buck, AJ?”

…

“I love the mare I’m engaged to and you’re not worth losing her, Quill,” Rainbow said as she rolled away and back to her hooves, kicking the saddle away from her side of the bed, “and you’re not worth losing her. I’m going to tell her, soon, and whatever happens,” Rainbow nearly whispered before she started to cry, “I love you, but as a friend from now on. And I’m not coming back alone.”

“No! Lime, don’t go!” Quill shouted as she scrambled to her hooves in a desperate move to stop Rainbow. “I-I mean Rainbow. Please, don’t go.”

Rainbow winced at Quill’s plea and began to open the bedroom window. “I got over it, her, and happened. You need to too.”

With that Rainbow was gone from Quills house and back into the sky. She resumed her work at a higher altitude to cry to herself as she worked.

…

“What Ah’m sayin’ is that Rainbow’s mah reason fer bein’. If Ah’m gonna be with her,” she paused, “then I have to be with her. Ah’m in love with her and I’m not givin’ her up for another mare… even if she does listen as good as you.”

Quill’s bottom lip trembled as her furrowed her brow. “Get out.”

“Look, we don’t have ta end on bad terms. We can-”

“I’ve been grinding Rainbow for two weeks and she left me yesterday. You ruined her body so I was helping her feel better,” she began to fan her wings in aggression, “you two deserve each other! Get OUT.”

Applejack turned and took a reflexive step away. “Quill, I don’t-”

“I’m fucking your fiance, you ignorant country hick,” Quill said with a sneer. Applejack’s eyes widened and her ears fell back to her head. “I’m doing you both and you both wanna break up with me? You don’t wanna be with me? Well fine then. Get out and be with your whore of a finance. I loved her more in the past two weeks than you’ve loved her in the past months,” Quill spat on the floor between them as she reared and landed with a loud stomp of both hooves.

Applejack backed away and tripped over the rope they’d finished using a few minutes earlier. “Quill, Ah hope yer just talkin’ sap with them bad words and that yer tryin’-”

Quill snared daringly and began to Quote Rainbow. “‘I came home last night and she was wearing mesh panties. Black ones. We haven’t made love since the party and I’-”

Quill stopped quoting Rainbow after a controlled slap crossed her muzzle. “If you ever come near any of mah family again I’ll send ya halfway ta see Lime,” Applejack growled as she turned and left the bedroom, leaving Quill completely alone. The front door creaked open as Applejack stepped out with a frown on her face, her freckles seemingly gone as she marched her way home.

---

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