The mare doth protest too much, methinks

by englishwitch

First published 30th of November, 2012

Rainbow Dash seems to disapprove of Marosexuals. But is her hate a cover for her real feelings.

Twilight and Applejack make a confession, hoping they will be accepted by their friends. Rainbow Dash horrifies them all by reacting not only with shock but hatred against the "unnatural acts"

Twilight suspects there's more to Rainbow's attitude than meets the eye.

Confession

The mare doth protest too much, methinks
Fanfic by englishwitch
Disclaimer: The following is an entirely fan-created parody. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, it’s characters and all other affiliated merchandise are the intellectual property of Lauren Faust and Hasbro. Please support the official MLP: FiM show.
I make no profit, or money at all, for the production and distribution of this fanfiction.

Chapter 1

Twilight paced the library floor nervously, moving back and forth in front of her small work desk. For the twentieth time she griped the stacks of parchment with her magic and straightened them out again, even though they had been perfectly organised and straight the first time. "Oh." She grunted in frustration, glancing at the clock. Thirty seconds to go. Her heart started pounding faster. She turned to straighten up her desk again.

A strong leg wrapped around her shoulder and pulled her close. A warm cheek nuzzled her own and Twilight felt her nervous jitters settle a little.
"C'mon now sugarcube." Applejack whispered gently into her ear. "It's gonna be fine."

A knock rapt suddenly at the door. Twilight jumped almost a foot in the air. "Oh Celestia, they're early!" A second later the small clock chimed the hour. Twilight took a deep breath, laughing nervously. "Okay, they're on time."

Spike opened the door for her, shaking his head and smiling. He hadn't seen Twilight this worked up since she was afraid of being tardy sending a report to Princess Celestia. This event was a little more amusing.
"Come on in girls." He said cheerfully enough, stepping back to give them room.

"Thanks Spike." Pinkie cried as she bounced past him.

"Thank you Spikey dear." Rarity said sweetly as she walked by. Spike watched her go past with a goofy grin on his face.

"Thank you." Came the quiet voice of Fluttershy, Spike didn't hear. He was still staring at Rarity.

His train of thought was derailed by a tough hoof knocking on his head. "You got any idea what this is about?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"You're gonna find out in a minute." Spike said in confusion. "Why ask me now?"
Rainbow just rolled her eyes. "Don't try and use your logic against me. I just wanted a heads-up is all." She flapped past and sat on the floor between Fluttershy and Rarity.

Twilight stood by the stairs, Applejack stayed nearby. She looked out nervously, biting at her lip and kicking at the floor with one hoof. "Th- thank you all for coming." She said in a shaking, nervous, voice.

"My dear." Rarity exclaimed. "Whatever is the matter?"

"Nothing!" Twilight jumped in, too loud and too quick to be convincing. She took a deep breath and started again. "Nothing is wrong Rarity." She said in a marginally calmer voice. "Something is right." She glanced, quickly, at Applejack, who smiled encouragingly. Twilight, emboldened by this, continued, "You are all my dearest and closest friends, as close to me as family, and I wanted you all to be the first to know." She was interrupted by a coughing from the back of the room and she smiled nervously. "Well...second. Technically Spike was the first to know. It was kind of impossible to keep this from him."

"Not that she didn't try!" Laughed Spike from the back. Twilight's horn glowed and the contents of her waste paper basket dropped over Spikes head.

"As I was trying to say." She continued with a sigh. "You're my friends and I...we wanted you to be the fir- second to know." She faltered again. She'd thought through this situation a hundred times, with a hundred different results but all of them had her speaking her piece clearly and eloquently.

Applejack sidled closer to her, Twilight looked at her and she nodded. That same encouraging smile eased Twilight's worries.

"Since I moved here I've gotten to know you all so well and over the last few months I got to know one of you better than everypony else." She took a second to take a deep, shaking, breath. "And that friendship has blossomed into something more. So today...what I'm trying to tell you...Applejack and I...We'reacouplenow!"

There was a second of silence, couple with confused expressions.
"Come again darling?" Rarity broke the silence.

"We're a couple." Applejack responded, wrapping her leg around Twilight and pulling her close. "We're marefriends."

Simultaneously Rarity and Pinkie started jumping on the spot (Pinkie significantly higher).
"Congratulations!"
"We Gotta Have A PARTY TO CELEBRATE!!!"

Fluttershy clapped her hooves together and Rainbow Dash leapt into the air.
"oh how wonderful."
"WHAT!"

The silence fell like a lead weight. One by one, the ponies turned to look at Rainbow Dash. She hovered above the rest of them glaring at Twilight and Applejack angrily.

"You can't be a couple. You're both MARES!" Rainbow yelled at them. Twilight felt the urge to shrink back, but Applejack was holding onto her tighter than before. Everyone else gasped at Dash in shock.

"Why, Rainow Dash," Rarity said in surprise. "Whatever do-"

"Course we can!" Applejack interrupted. "Just 'cause we're Mares don't mean an orange in a bushel of apples. We love each other."

Rainbow flipped in the air. "I'm gonna be sick." She growled angrily. She turned to the others and stared as she noticed their expressions for the first time. "You're not serious?" She demanded of them. "They're Mares! They can't be a couple. It's wrong! It's disgusting! Two mares! It's-"

"RAINBOW!!!!" Applejack shouted at the top of her lungs. "You're gonna wanna stop talking before I get real mad."

Rainbow glared at her, She clearly had a lot more to say.

Before she could open her mouth however Fluttershy spoke up, as up as she ever managed. "Rainbow, how can you say such things? Love is always beautiful, no matter who its between." Rainbow gave her such a harsh glare that Fluttershy shrank back and hid under the table.

Rainbow looked around the room, at their shocked faces, which only seemed to make her angrier.

"Rainbow." Came a nervous voice. Rainbow turned to look at Twilight. Twilight shrank back slightly but tried to stand her ground. She put on her bravest look and looked up at the cyan pony. "Rainbow, I don't know what I expected when I asked you all here. But I didn't expect this." She started to tremble but Applejack helped just by being close. "I never thought one of the ponies I called my friend would have such an...an offensive and close minded attitude...and..." She hesitated. Tears rose in her eyes. She didn't want to say what she knew she had to say next. "And if that's how you really feel...if you can't accept us for who we are, or who we love...well I guess we didn't know you as well as we thought we did and..." The tears rolled down her cheeks. "And I'm not sure I want to be friends with anypony who thinks such horrible things." She turned and wrapped her forelegs around Applejack who wrapped a loving hoof around Twilight and nuzzled her cheek soothingly. Applejack's eyes never left Rainbow Dash, they both burned with the same intensity.

Rainbow looked slowly around the room. The others looked surprised, shocked and even a little disgusted with her. Except Fluttershy, who simply looked nervously from under the table.

Rainbow looked shocked, then appalled, then confused, then angry. All in the space of a few seconds. "FINE!" She yelled furiously. "You have fun with your mareosexual freaks! I don't wanna be friends with perverts anyway!" She flew over to the door. "If you guy's wise up an stop being tail-lickers you let me know so I'll know when its safe to turn my flank on you again!" She shot out of the library, slamming he door behind her with such force several books fell off their shelves.

The silence was so heavy is seemed to have weight, and it sat very heavily on everypony's shoulders. The only sound was Fluttershy crawling out from under the table.

Rarity finally realised her mouth was hanging open and raised a hoof to push it closed.

Pinkie sniffed loudly. Her mane and tail hair had fallen flat and straight against her body. "Dashie?" She whispered with a sob.

Twilight slowly pulled herself out of Applejack's hold. She glanced at the door, looking shaken. "I've never seen Rainbow Dash act like that." She said. She looked at Applejack. "I didn't mean to upset anyone...have we done the right thing?"

"Of course you have!" Pinkie jumped in before Applejack could say anything. Her hair was poofing back up. "No one and nothing should ever stop anypony being happy. Not even a big meanie-bo-feenie hatey McHater pants like Rainbow Dash."

"Pinkie has a point." Rarity said firmly. She looked surprised that she'd said that. "If Rainbow Dash can't accept the two of you as Marefriends in love than that is her problem. Her problem, not yours."

Twilight managed a slight smile. Applejack nuzzled her cheek a little more. "They're right sugarcube." She said gently. "I never woulda thought Dash would act like that but that’s her apple ta bite."

Twilight's smile was a little more genuine now. "Thank you girls."

...***...

A chill ran down Applejack's back, chasing her out of her deep sleep. Barely conscious she reached out a leg for Twilight, to hold her close and feel her warmth. Instead of her loving mare Applejack found her hoof touching empty bed. Her eyes opened now and she looked blearily around the room. Spike was asleep in his bed, Peewee was cosily resting in his nest and Owlowiscious's perch was empty. There wasn't any sign of Twilight. Applejack felt that chill again and finally noticed the window to the balcony was ajar. Applejack gripped the blanket around her and stepped outside.

Twilight was staring up at the night sky, lost deep in thought. Applejack approached, not very silently, but Twilight didn't seem to hear. With an expert whip of her neck, spin and twist Applejack threw the blanket up into the air and wrapped the warmth of woolly blanket around the both of them. Applejack shuffled close, feeling how cold Twilight had become. She must've been out here for at least an hour, probably longer.

"Thank you." Twilight said in a half-distracted voice. She leaned her head on Applejack's shoulder.

"What's wrong sugarpie?" Applejack said softly.

Twilight sighed and nuzzled Applejack's neck for a few seconds before talking. "It's Rainbow Dash." She said with a sigh. Applejack tensed slightly but nodded. Twilight continued, "I just...never thought she'd react like that. She's usually so, to use her word, ‘cool’ about everything. She seemed like a modern, forward thinking, open minded pony. Sure she can be stubborn, impulsive and jump to conclusions but she's always willing to hear ponies out and change her ideas and opinions if she's wrong. I never, in a thousand years, would've thought she'd have such an old fashion idea about mareosexuals."

"Old fashioned nuthin." Applejack said, keeping her volume low but somehow making her passion and attitude still as powerful as ever. "Granny Smith is old fashioned but she was still best mare at great uncle Strudel's weddin to great uncle Schnitzel. He became our uncle Schnitzel after the weddin by the way, ah know the rumours about us farm ponies." She waited, hoping Twilight might at least smirk but there was nothing. Well, it hadn't been a good joke. "Dash is just ignorant. If she's gonna have that attitude then it's her problem. There ain't no excuse for ponies thinkin like that these day's." She sighed and looked up at the half moon that was still holding Twilight's attention. "Ah don't wanna lose no friend over this but I ain't gonna change cause we ain't in the wrong here. If Rainbow Dash wants ta talk and learn and change that attitude then I'd be glad to sit down and help her. But if she ain'nt gonna change, if she ain't willin to get rid o that ignorance...then she ain't the pony I thought she was and she ain't no pony I wanna be friends with."

Twilight said nothing for some time. Applejack felt the warmth of her body and the rhythm of her breathing. The lavender scent that rose from her hair always made Applejack feel a stir between her back legs. Now was not the time to build on those feelings.
"Me too." Twilight said finally. "I never thought I'd lose a friend after it took me so long to find some but..." she sighed heavily. "Well, if Rainbow can't change, if she can't accept us..."

Applejack silenced her with a kiss. She knew what Twilight was saying and she agreed with her. Twilight leaned into her, sharing the passion that was burning between them. When the kiss broke Twilight let out a shaky, satisfied, sigh.
"C'mon sugarcube." Applejack whispered. She blew gently onto Twilight's ear, knowing how it drove the mare wild. "I'm wide awake and need some tirin out." She wrapped her hooves around Twilight and pulled her close as they lay onto their sides. The blanket was discarded, despite the cold of the night. They were keeping each other warm, very well.

...***...

Twilight sighed contentedly as the warmth of the sun kissed her face. The birds were singing above her head and she was wrapped cosily in her blanket. Slowly her eyes fluttered open to great the day. She was surprised for a second to find herself on her balcony rather than her bed. The her smile grew as she remembered why she'd fallen asleep on the balcony in the first place.

Then Twilight noticed the height of the sun and realised it was long past opening time for the library. Jumping to her feet she almost fell over as her legs became tangled in the blanket. She panicked, rolled, kicked and jumped. Finally free Twilight hurried inside, barely taking a second to smarten up her appearance before running down the stairs into the library.

Spike smiled down at her from the top of the ladder, pushing several books back onto the shelves. "Morning Twilight." He said in his charming voice.

Twilight looked around, everything seemed to be in order. That was good. "Is everything okay Spike?"

"Uh-huh." Spike smiled as he slid down the ladder and to the floor. "Miss Cheerilee took out a history book for school and Bonbon brought back that recipe book. She said ‘Sorry’ that some of the pages are stuck together with caramel and left some bits to have it cleaned."

Twilight nodded and saw the book on her desk. "What's that smell?" Her stomach growled as if repeating the question.

"AJ made hayseed flapjacks for breakfast." Spike answered. "There's some left, you want a couple?"

"Yes please, and some tea."

"Coming up." Spike answered as he rushed down the stairs into the kitchen.

Twilight sat at her desk and glanced at the book Bonbon had borrowed. The damage didn't seem all that bad. A quick treatment with her stain removal spell would take care of it. She put the bits aside to be returned to Bonbon later. She then remembered Bonbon lived with Lyra, and they had both lived in Ponyville alongside Rainbow Dash for years. Twilight decided to have a talk with them later and see if they ever had any trouble from Dash.

Twilight's attention was diverted again when she noticed a hastily scribbled note on top of her pile of parchment. She recognised the slightly messy scrawl of Applejack's mouthwriting.

Twi.
Had to get to the farm, we got repairs to make to the barn today. Sorry I didin't wake ya to say goodbye but ya just looked too adorable to disturb.
If ya can't make it to the farm today I'll see ya at Pikie's 'Applejack and Twilight are a couple now, aren't they perfect together?’ party
Before I left I gave ya a kiss goodbye, you can borrow it for now, but I want it back : )
My love,
AJ

Twilight smiled, trying to suppress a foalish giggle. Applejack's grammar needed work but her spelling was getting better. She would remind her again the word was 'Didn't' and not 'didin't'. At least she remembered the apostrophe this time.
‘She actually wrote ‘Ya’. Not ‘You’.” She smiled. “And a little smiley face.” The mare was just too adorable for words. And Twilight knew a lot of big words.

If she found time she would stop by the farm but she did have things to do today, mostly making sure Pinkie didn't go over the top on their party. She was more excited than usual over the prospect of making a party for a new couple. She'd hired the town hall and invited everypony in Ponyville. She'd even sent invites to Princess Celestia and Luna, her parents, Shining armour and Cadence. It was actually very helpful in Pinkie's random way. It saved Twilight and Applejack the time and stress of announcing their relationship to everypony else they knew. Just telling her closest friends had been hard enough for Twilight.

"Breakfast Twilight." Spike called. He staggered up the stairs, balancing a large tray on his head. Twilight's horn glowed and she took it from him. The flapjacks smelled delicious.

...***...

Twilight walked down the street, enjoying the warm day. All of Ponyville seemed infected with happiness. Maybe it was her imagination, or maybe everyone was excited for a big Pinkie Pie party. The invitations had almost certainly gone out already. Ponies were smiling at her. A few yelled out a friendly 'Hello' Others a hearty 'Congratulations' and a 'well done.' or two.

"Twilight? Hey Twilight?"

Twilight smiled at the familiar accent and sweet voice of Applebloom. She turned to the three Cutie Mark Crusaders, who were running to her excitedly.

"Hello Applebloom. Aren’t you helping on the farm today?"

Applebloom looked embarrassed for a second. "We was. But Applejack let us go early after we, kinda, made a hole bigger."

"Bigger?" Twilight asked curiously.

"Well..." Applebloom looked at Sweetie Belle , the filly was a little dirty and had strands of hay in her hair. Twilight began to piece together what might have happened. Applebloom continued. "We was on the roof, trying to get Roof-fixin cutie marks. Then Sweetie Bell fell and the little hole in the shingles ended up being a Sweetie Belle sized hole."

"Lucky that hay bale was underneath." Scootaloo said in a very relieved tone.

"It would have been lucky." Sweetie Belle e sulked. "if it hadn't been the used hay pile."

Twilight had been wondering what that smell was. She decided to say nothing, but she did slowly shuffle a little more upwind from Sweetie Belle .

Scootaloo turned back to the subject on her mind. "Anyway, Twilight, we all got these invitations from Pinkie Pie." She delved into her small saddlebag and pulled out a large piece of square paper, bright pink and bordered with many hearts and balloons.

Dear: APPLEBLOOM
You are invited to:
APPLEJACK AND TWILIGHT ARE A COUPLE NOW, AREN'T THEY JUST PERFECT TOGETHER?
Party
To be held at:
TOWN HALL
at:
2:00pm until WHENEVER!!!
From your hostess Pinkie Pie

"Sho ish id tloo" Applebloom asked with her teeth still gripping the invite. She put the paper on the ground and repeated herself. "Is it true? You an ma sis are a couple?"

Twlight felt a twitch on her face as her smile faltered slightly. After Rainbow Dash's reaction she wasn't sure how Applejack's family would react to the news. She hoped it wouldn't be bad.

"Yes. Yes we are Applebloom." She said with a smile.

"So...y'all luv each other?" Applebloom asked, sounding unsure. She wasn't angry and wasn't shouting, so Twilight took that as a good sign.

"Yes." Twilight felt her smile growing. "Yes we do. Very much."

Finally Applebloom smiled. It was so wide Twilight could count her back teeth. "That's awesome!" She laughed. "It's so cool when a pony finds their special somepony." Then her expression turned serious and she scooted closer to Twilight and whispered to her, "If y'all hurt her, you'll have me to deal with."

Twilight managed to stifle a giggle at the thought of the tiny filly trying to be threatening. "I understand Applebloom." She managed to say with a straight face. "And don't worry. I'd never do anything to hurt Applejack."

Applebloom broke into smiles again. "Awesome." She said. "Thanks Twilight."

"You're welcome Applebloom." Twilight said with a nod. "It's nice that you're looking out for your big sister." She turned to leave but Scootaloo spoke up, sounding a lot sadder.

"Is it true Rainbow Dash doesn't like you two together?"

That made Twilight freeze. Then she looked at the young purple haired filly. "Where'd you hear that?"
Scootaloo kicked the invitation on the ground with her hoof, it flipped over and Twilight saw more had been written on the back.

Everypony is invited except Rainbow Dash!
Unless she stops being a big Meanie-bofeany, McMeanie pants and stops hating mareosexuals and starts accepting that its cool Twilight and Applejack love each other.
If she can't do that then she can't come to the party.
And, you know what, no more cupcakes for her from now on. HA! Take that Dashie. Only you shouldn't be reading this, because I'm not making an invitation for you. Unless, of course, someone show's you an invitation. Then you might see what's written here. But I don't think anyone would show you an invitation because that would just be mean, to show somepony an inviation to a party they know that pony isn't invited to is the meanest of meanie things a meaniepony could ever do. Oh I hop-

The page ended there and Pinkie had been forced to stop writing in mid speech. Twilight wondered if the same thing was written on the back of all the invitations. They looked hand made. How and why Pinkie had copied the same speech on the back of every invitation was one of those questions Twilight chose not to dwell on because it wouldn't lead to answers, only a headache.

Then Twilight noticed Scootaloo was looking up at her expectantly. She hesitated. Rainbow Dash was a hero to Scootaloo, what would this do to the young filly to learn the pony she looked up to, above anypony else, held such awful and ignorant beliefs? She couldn't destroy the image of a filly's hero but she couldn't lie to her. That would just make things worse.

Twilight sighed and decided to just be truthful. There was no avoiding it, Scootaloo would see or hear the truth sooner or later. "That's true." She said in a low voice. "Rainbow Dash... she doesn't approve of mareosexual relationships."

"What's mare-o-" Sweetie Belle began, she was interrupted by Applebloom.

"It's fancy talk for Gay." She said in a matter-of-fact voice. "It's when two lady ponies are in love with each other."

"Oh." Sweetie nodded. "So what is it when it's two boy ponies?"

"Stalliosexual." Applebloom said.

"What are you, an encyclopedia?" Scootaloo said with an annoyed grunt. "I can't believe Rainbow Dash has a problem with two ponies being in love just because they're both mares." She shook her head slowly in disbelief. "Are you sure?" She looked at Twilight, who simply nodded slightly.

"She said some very hurtful things. There was no mistaking that she didn't approve of our relationship."

"But that's awful." Scootaloo said, shocked. She hung her head. "I always thought she was cool."

"I'm sorry Scootaloo." Twilight said. She placed a hoof on the filly's head.

"Thanks." Scootalo said, still obviously disappointed. "Come on Crusaders. Let's go think up new ways to earn our cutie marks." She said without any enthusiasm. They walked off slowly. Twilight watched, her face long and solemn. All Scootaloo ever wanted to be was like Rainbow Dash. It was a terrible thing to have ones dreams damaged, especially at such a young age.

...***...

The bell above the shop door rang sweetly as Twilight entered Bonbon's candy store. There was the creamy smell of freshly made toffee hanging in the air and soft music came from the blue mare with a musical instrument cutie mark sitting behind the counter.

"Good morning Lyra."

"Good morning Twilight." Lyra said without looking up from her instrument. As well as playing the lyre she was using her unicorn magic to lift a quill to write down lines of music on a sheet of parchment.

From the back room of the store came Bonbon, a cream coloured mare with a cutie mark of three sweets in blue and yellow wrappers, dressed in an apron that was covered with a light dusting of powdered sugar. She smiled sweetly. "Hello Twilight. And may I add, congratulations."

"Congra-?" Twilight began, but spotted the corner of a piece of pink paper sticking out of Bonbon's apron. "Oh, yes. You got an invitation too."

"I think everypony did." Bonbon said. "We saw Pinkie running around this morning with the poor mailmare Derpy. They were rushed off their hooves to get to everypony in town. Right Lyra?"

"Hmmm." Lyra said non-committally. She was too absorbed writing down her latest composition.

Bonbon just shook her head and smiled. "So what can I get for you today?" She asked Twilight, her smile turned to joking amusement for second. "I just made a new batch of apple bon-bons if you'd like." She laughed lightly and held up a jar of small toffee balls coated in green powdered sugar. "But I hear you've been getting quite your fill of apples lately." Twilight managed a smile, then a light giggle. She had no idea Bonbon had this kind of saucy side.

She found it a shame to ruin the mood. "Actually, its kind of related to that. I didn't come to buy anything but I wanted to ask the two of you about...Rainbow Dash."

Lyra flinched on her stool, her lyre screeched out a bum note as one string broke. The hovering quill fell slowly to the floor. The two mares looked at Twilight with expressions of shock, then sadness.
"Come through." Bonbon said, pushing up a hatch on the counter so Twilight could step through into the back room. Lyra used her unicorn magic to flip the sign on the door to CLOSED before hopping off her stool and following on after Twilight and Bonbon.

The back room of the store was a combination of a large living room and open kitchen. The kitchen was slightly messy, still baring some of the signs of Bonbon's sweet cooking, a dusting of flour here and a few spots of toffee there. The living room was clearly more of Lyra's domain. Several sheets of parchment filled musical notes were lying in a heap on the coffee table along with several pots of ink and many quills that had been used until blunt. Many more balls of screwed up parchment had been left over the floor, kicked under the large, soft looking, sofa or into the general area around an empty waste paper basket. Many pictures of Bonbon and Lyra decorated the walls and there was a gramophone music player by the far wall, close to the stairs so the music would fill the whole house.

"Take a seat." Bonbon offered. "I'll make some tea."

Twilight nodded and sat on the sofa. Lyra placed her beloved instrument on the coffee table and started to remove the broken string with her magic. Twilight had a dozen questions already and was thinking up more. But she was a guest in their home and would wait until the two of them were ready to speak with her.

After a couple of minutes Bonbon brought in the tray of tea and Lyra rushed to clear a space on the table. "Sugar?" Bonbon asked. Twilight smiled and shook her head.

"Just a spot of milk please." She replied courteously. Bonbon poured the tea and Twilight took it in her magic. Lyra took hers black with a slice of lemon while Bonbon placed two sugars and a lot of milk into hers. There was a silence that would have been uncomfortable if the three of them weren't pretending that they were only quiet to take sips of their drinks.

"About Rainbow." Twilight said finally. Lyra flinched again while Bonbon looked like the sugar in her tea had really been salt.

"Yes." Bonbon said at last. She sounded nervous. She pulled the pink invitation out of the pocket of her apron and rested it on the table. "After these things Pinkie wrote, I guess Rainbow Dash didn't take the news of your relationship with Applejack too well."

"That's putting it mildly." Twilight said glumly. "And...well, based upon your reactions to her name, I suppose she hasn't been too...neighbourly to the two of you."

Lyra, never one to be shy, now looked like she wanted to be anywhere else in Equestria except for in this room and having this conversation. "She's...not as bad as she used to be." She said in a low voice.

Twilight's eyes widened. "'As bad'.'Used to be?'"

Bonbon nodded. "I suppose when she figured out we weren't going to break up, or move away, she lost some of her enthusiasm." She said in a low voice. "But she still throws some dirty looks our way sometimes. Then there's little things, some hate mail, and during last winter, when we had that heavy snow, ours was the only house with ice on the step. Lyra twisted her hoof badly in that fall."

"Nothing we can pin on Rainbow Dash." Lyra spoke up. "But we can't think it would be anypony else."

"But how did it all start?" Twilight asked. "When and why?"

Lyra shook her head. "Why is obvious. Rainbow hates Mareosexuals." She shuffled on the floor to sit closer to Bonbon. The mare nuzzled her cheek against her partners for a few seconds.

Bonbon was the one to continue. "When; it was shortly after we moved in together. Probably around the time the gossip stopped saying we were just room mares and confirmed we were a couple. As to how, Rainbow just burst into my store and started yelling terrible..." She stopped for a second as the painful memories were brought up fresh into her mind. "terrible insults. Saying no pony wanted any...any tail-licker perverts, in Ponyville. How disgusting...how filthy we were..." She had to stop and Twilight would have asked her to in another second. It was clearly upsetting the two of them too much.

"Girls. I'm so sorry. If I'd known-" She stopped, unable to know what to say next. What would she have done? Not be friends with Rainbow Dash? What good would that have done to ease Bonbon and Lyra's pain. It wouldn't have stopped what Rainbow Dash had done to them.

"No one knew." Lyra said. She wrapped her foreleg around Bonbon, rubbing her mane to comfort her. "She was always careful. Around everypony else she was the same Rainbow Dash you thought you knew. We weren't surprised when you became friends with her and we didn't blame you for it. We didn't blame anypony for being her friend, because nopony knew what she was really like."

"But still-" Twilight said apologetically.

Bonbon managed to recover herself slightly and nodded her head to Twilight "After a few months she started losing interest. She’s almost stopped sending mail, and she has stopped insulting us when no one else is around. She still throws dirty looks our way but that’s tolerable compared the things she said. She never comes into the store, so we hardly see her. In public we just avoid her and she seemed fine with staying out of our way."

Lyra took over the conversation at this point. "Actually, since she became friends with you and the other element bearers she's been so busy with all those strange adventures she seems to keep having with you she's practically forgotten about us."

"Practically." Bonbon muttered. "During the last winter wrap up a lot of snow mysteriously ended up falling down our chimney."

"But how could you stand this?" Twilight boggled. "How could you put up with it for so long? Why didn't you tell anypony?"

"We didn't think anypony would believe us." Lyra admitted flatly. "And we wouldn't leave. We wouldn't let her chase us away because, Dash aside, we loved it here. Everypony is nice to us, we have good friends, Bonbon has a popular store and I get lots of time to play and write my music. This is our home and one pony won't chase us away from a good thing."

"Oh girls." Twilight jumped off the sofa and trotted across the room to them. "I'm so sorry for what she did to you. I'm sorry she hurt you."

Bonbon turned and hugged her tightly. "It's not your fault Twilight. We can't ever blame you." She pulled back slightly and looked at Twilight with a serious look. "Just take our as a warning. Rainbow Dash hates Mares together. She'll try and upset you. She'll try and drive you and Applejack apart. But you have to remember all the good things. You'll have each other, you'll have all your friends, you'll have the whole of Ponyville on your side. Don't let her get to you and don't let her try and ruin all the good things about this place. Your love is stronger than her hate."

To Be Continued.

Authors Note: I know this might seem like a large departure in character for Rainbow Dash, but trust me, it all pays off in the end.

Decision

The mare doth protest too much, methinks
Fanfic by englishwitch
Disclaimer: The following is an entirely fan-created parody. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, it’s characters and all other affiliated merchandise are the intellectual property of Lauren Faust and Hasbro. Please support the official MLP: FiM show.
I make no profit, or money at all, for the production and distribution of this fanfiction.

Chapter 2

Rainbow Dash stretched on her napping cloud, clearing the sleep from her eyes with a foreleg. Getting up early wasn't her thing but it was worth it when you could clear away the clouds while every other pony was still having breakfast. Then you could spend the rest of the morning napping in the sunshine. There wasn't anything like a nap on a cloud on a beautiful sunny day.

Her stomach growled. It wasn't lunch time, but perhaps a snack wouldn't be amiss. She stretched, arching her back and sounding off several pops. She stretched her wings and jumped from her favourite napping cloud. She felt the breeze in her face, shaking away the last of her drowsiness. She was never more alive than when she was in the sky.

With barely a flap she glided to the ground and landed in the middle of the marketplace. Stalls were open and ponies were buying and selling some wonderful looking goods. Rainbow trotted over to Carrot Top's vegetable stall. "Hey C.T." She said brightly. "Some great looking apples there." She nodded at a couple Golden Delicious apples in the corner of the fruit and vegetable display. "Can I get one?"
Carrot Top just gave Rainbow Dash a glower of annoyance that made the pegasus mare's smile falter.

"We're all sold out of apples." She said in a flat, emotionless tone.

"What?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow. She looked at the apples on the cart and back to Carrot Top. Then she smirked. "Oh, I get it. Funny. Ok, now can I get an apple?"

"We're all out of apples." She said in the same tone. She reached up a hoof to the awning over her stall. "And my name, is Golden Harvest." She yanked hard, swinging the awning down by its hinges to hide herself and her stock from view. The classic 'We're Closed' position for any market stall.

Rainbow stared at the blue awning with growing confusion. Carrot Top had never objected to her nickname before. She liked it so much she even introduced herself by it. The first time they'd met it had been two weeks before Rainbow learned her real name.
"Weird." She muttered in confusion. She shook her head and with a flap of her wings glided away from the stall. As soon as she was gone Carrot Top pushed the awning back up to open her stall again.

Rainbow flew over the town and landed outside the ponyville cafe. She'd beat the lunchtime rush so many tables were empty. Dash chose a seat with a great view of the street and slight shade from a tree so the sun wouldn't be in her eyes as she ate.

The second she landed the cafe waiter, Horte Cuisine, came over. He was not carrying a menu, but he was carrying a large frown. "I'm sorry madam." He said in his snooty tone. "But that table is reserved."

Rainbow looked at him doubtfully. "Okay." She pointed to another table. "Well I'll just sit over there."

"That table is also reserved."
Dash pointed to another table, before she even spoke Horte said, "Reserved."
Another table. "Reserved."
Another. "Reserved."
And another. "Reserved."
Dash rubbed her face with her hooves in frustration. "Every table? Really?! Who the hay are all these tables reserved for?"

Horte looked at her with the same annoyed frown. "They are reserved for ponies who are more tolerant over other ponies sexuality." He said flatly. "Now, I shall demand you leave. You are driving away my customers." He turned his flank on her and marched away back into the cafe. Rainbow stared after him, her mouth open wide in shock.

"Well...FINE!" She shouted furiously. "I didn't wanna eat at your crummy cafe anyway!" Her stomach growled loudly, a long, deep grumble like the growl of an annoyed manticore. "Traitor." She muttered, prodding her belly.

...***...

Twilight walked leisurely up the dirt road to Sweet Apple Acres. Two saddlebags were strapped across her back. Tonight she decided she would spend the night with Applejack at the farm instead of in the library. It really wasn't fair on AJ to be expected to stay at her place every time. The poor dear had to get up so early to get back to the farm and start her days work. They were still working out little kinks like sleeping arrangements. Their relationship was still relatively new. They'd spent time together, a couple of dates, even snatched a private hour or two to do what two mares in love did when they were alone. Though they'd been together in that physical way a fair number of times Twilight had only spent the night at the farm once, while Applejack had slept at her place a total of three times, if you counted last night. Most of the time after their lusts had been satisfied one of the happy mares would depart for their home. But now their relationship was out in the open they didn't have to do any of the sneaking around and returning to their respective beds. It said so in a book on relationships she had at the library; The In's and Out's of Loving Relationships For The Socially Inexperienced.

Once a relationship has progressed to the point you feel comfortable informing friends and family of your romantic connection with the significant somepony there is no longer a need to follow the "Covert Arrangements" discussed in Chapter 3.
New sleeping arrangements should be organised with the special somepony as soon as possible deciding which dwelling to sleep within and how often are the most important decisions. Other things to be considered are procedures concerning meal times and the encountering of family members (See pg 324 for section on Awkward late night/early morning meetings)...

They could work out those things while they were talking over other stuff. Twilight wanted to relate to AJ what she'd learned from Lyra and Bonbon. They had to both be prepared for Rainbow Dash to be harsh with hate mail, insults and cruel pranks. Dash had lost interest in Lyra and Bonbon after a few weeks, but she knew AJ and Twilight better. Twilight wondered if that would mean Dash would keep her campaign up a little longer? It was one of a list of things to talk over.

As Twilight crossed the gate into Sweet Apple Acres the list of topics were forgotten. Down the dirt road the Apple family were just sitting down to lunch in the sunshine. A long table had been set out, with Granny Smith at the head. Sandwiches, dandelion salad, apple pie, and apple cupcakes had been laid out along with a large pitcher of, of course, Apple Juice. The food wasn't the distraction for Twilight though, it was the sight of Applejack, still sweating slightly after a mornings hard work, carrying a large basket of freshly bucked apples to the table. The way her flank swayed when she walked was almost hypnotic.

Applebloom waved a hoof eagerly. "Hey Twilight!" She called. Applejack almost dropped the apples as she turned and looked down the dirt road. Her grin widened and she placed the basked down, almost missing the table because she didn't take her eyes off Twilight. Twilight increased her pace to a trot, eager to reach her marefriend.

Applejack stepped close to Twilight and kissed her lightly on her horn. Twilight responded by blushing furiously, her face burning hot and her cheeks turning a vivid Pinkie Pie pink. "AJ, not in public." She said in a hushed voice. She broke into a fit of giggles like a filly who knew she was doing something fun but naughty, like sneaking a cookie out of the jar before dinner. It was naughty, in a way; a unicorns horn was a special thing for them, the source and focus of all their magic, the extra limb as special as a pegasus's wings. To allow another to touch it was a very, very, personal act. Some unicorns didn't mind touching horns in public, Cadence and Shining Armour did quite often. But Twilight was a little more prudish in that regard.

"Yer just cuter than a kitten wearin a bow when yer all flustered." AJ laughed lightly. She nuzzled Twilight's cheek affectionately. Twilight tried to be annoyed but it was impossible for her to be angry at her for long. She ended up nuzzling the mare back.

"You're incorrigible." Twilight sighed.

"And you're usin words I don't know again." Applejack laughed. She blew lightly into Twilight's ear and noticed the shudder that went through the body of the purple mare.

"Celestia damn the day you discovered my ears are so sensitive." Twilight said in a sultry voice.

"You got sensitive hearin Twilight?" Applebloom’s voice cut into the private moment like a hot knife through butter. Both mares started to blush as they remembered the rest of the apple family were sitting at a table not ten feet away. Granny Smith was half asleep and probably hadn't noticed anything, Applebloom was smiling goofily as them, while Big Mac, who looked nervous and embarrassed, seemed to have found something rather fascinating about the dandelion salad in front of him that demanded all his focus and attention. "Can you hear stuff other ponies can't?" Applebloom asked.

"No Applebloom." Twilight said, trying to regain her composure. "It was just a figure of speech. My ears are..." She struggled for the right words for the young filly. Meanwhile her face was so hot she was surprised steam wasn't rising off her head. "Ticklish! Yeah, my ears are ticklish."

"Yeah, ticklish!" Applejack jumped in, nodded with extreme eagerness. "Ah jus likes to prank her with a good tickle." She laughed nervously, her eyes darting left and right. "Hoo! Is it hot out here, or jus me? Ah could use a nice cool applejuice. Twi?"

"YES!" Twilight practically yelled in her epically failed attempt to be calm and casual. "Apple juice. Great. The juice of the apple. A cool drink made of the Malus domestica. An apple that had been juiced. The liquid of the fruit removed and placed-" A glass was pushed onto her mouth, jamming her lips into a pucker. Twilight used her magic to pull the glass off her face and sipped her drink as quietly as she could.

"Thank you Twi." Applejack smirked. She poked Granny Smith gently with her hoof. "Granny, wake up. Soupçon. We got comp'ney." She pushed a glass of applejuice in front of the elderly mare.

Granny woke with a start, snorted and gasped. "Wha? soupçon? Cump'ney?" She gripped the glass of juice and drank it all down. It seemed to wake her up better than a cup of coffee. She blinked at Twilight and smiled. "Hey there young 'un."

"Hello Granny Smith." Twilight said with a respectful nod.

"Yur the Miss Sparkle dats a'courtin my young gran daughter." She said. Something in her tone told Twilight it wasn't a question but was, in fact, a statement.

"Yes. Yes I am." Twilight nodded.

"You love her?" Granny asked.

"Yes. Yes I do." Twilight and Applejack shared a flushed look and twin smiles.

"Good." Granny said with a nod. "If yer break her heart you'll have ter answer ter me." She added in a heavily serious tone.

"I understand." Twilight said. She glanced at Applebloom, wondering if Granny Smith knew the filly had said the same thing earlier today, then back to Applejack. "You have an amazing family, you know that?"

"I gots the best family." Applejack stated proudly, which earned smiles all around the table.

...***...

Rainbow sat on a cloud, prodding her stomach in an attempt to make it stop. Why wouldn't anyone serve her? Heck, she couldn't even get flowers from Rose. Every stall closed when she tried to approach, Horte Cuisine had thrown her out of the cafe and when she'd tried to go to sugar cube corner...well that party cannon was a lot less fun when it was actually aimed at you.
She'd flown home to find her pantry empty. She ate out so often she rarely bought any groceries. She was surprised she hadn't even had any potato chips or popcorn. She usually had something. For a few minutes she had thought about drinking from the rainbow river that decorated her homes cloud garden but had eventually come to the conclusion that she wasn't that hungry. While technically edible, being made mostly from cloud and sunshine, rainbows weren't known for tasting good and there was something about it. It would be like eating dandelions you just found growing on the ground rather than buying them from a store. You could, but it would be nasty. Eating stuff from the ground like some common animal.

Something was going on in Ponyville today and she was suffering for it. But what? She couldn't think right while her stomach was growling every few seconds.

Her mind was distracted my the sight of a little orange filly with purple hair. Scootaloo was sitting by the lake, throwing stones idly. Poor kid looked down in the dumps. If Dash could get her to buy some food she'd talk with Scoots while they ate.

Opening her wings Rainbow swooped down to the ground, doing a slight flip and a barrel roll to make the filly smile. As she landed Scootaloo didn't even glance in her direction. She just continued to stare gloomily out at the water. She tossed a flat stone from her hoof. It skimmed three times before splashing under the surface.

"Hey Scoots. 'sup?" Dash said in her jovial tone. Scootaloo gave her a sideways glance then shook her head, turning and walking away. Dash blinked, taken aback. It took a second before her brain clicked back into motion. She flapped and hovered over the walking filly. "Hey, kid, what’s wrong?" She sounded genuinely concerned.

Scootaloo stopped and inwardly sighed. It didn't look like Rainbow Dash was going to just go away. "I used to think you were cool." She said heavily. Dash was so surprised she actually landed.

"What do ya mean 'Used to?'" She tried to make her face grin. "I mean, c'mon. It's me, Rainbow Dash! The coolest of the cool! Future Wonderbolt. Fastest of the fa-"

"Hater of gay ponies." Scootaloo jumped in. She sounded both furious and on the verge of tears. How she sounded made Dash stop, what she'd said was processed a second later. Dash's fake smile dropped and a very real frown took its place.

"Scoots you're too young to understand these things." She began. Scootaloo didn't let her get started.

"When two ponies are in love why should it matter if they're both mares?" She demanded.

"Because-" Dash started, but found herself cut off again.

"Love may be filled with dumb sappy stuff but its still something special. Even I know that!"

"Well-" Dash was cut off even quicker.

"Twilight and Applejack are your best friends. Now you hate them?"

"You-"

Scootaloo shook her head and yelled, "You're gonna suddenly hate somepony just because of who they decide to love? That's dumbest thing I ever heard!"

"Now wait-" Dash yelled back even louder but Scootaloo actually jumped right into her face.

"What if I fell in love with a girl?" She yelled, her eyes bulging in her fury. "You gonna start hating me?"

Dash looked like she'd taken a kicking to the face. "You like girls?" She couldn't think of anything else to say. Her argument had faltered, stalled then had been derailed entirely by that last sentence.

"I don't know!" Scootaloo yelled back, unaware of Dash's confusion. "When I'm all grown up who knows who that special somepony is? What does it matter if they're a mare or a stallion, as long as they make you happy? Make you feel all that dumb stuff all those ponies talk about when they're in love?"

"Becauseitswrong!" Dash yelled back. She grabbed Scootaloo between her hooves and looked at her with anger. Scootaloo bucked and wriggled free of Dash's grip and ran back until ten feet of space was between them.

"Only thing I see wrong here is you hating ponies for no good reason." She turned her back on Rainbow. For a second she wished she could fly to make her exit even more dramatic. "See ya around Rainbow Dash. Let me know if ya ever grow up." She ran off at full speed back toward Ponyville.

Dash continued to sit by the lake. Her head was a confused mess of thoughts. Suddenly the cold shoulder from Ponyville started to make sense. But everypony? Seriously? Everypony was supporting those two tail lickers? Even Scootaloo? The young filly was smart and cool in her own way and even she was on the side of Twilight and Applejack. But it was wrong, disgusting, perverted and heaps of other words she didn't know. Was everypony crazy? How could they support the two mares? How?

A realisation came on Dash like the slow dawning of the sun. It was a thought she'd never had before. A thought she could, would and should, never consider. But absolutely everypony else couldn't be wrong, so that only left, "What if..."

...***...

Fully sated from the large Apple family lunch the two mares in love were out in the backfield, sunning themselves under the boughs of one of the larger trees. Applejack lay on her back, her Stetson hat cocked over her eyes. Twilight lay at her side, her head resting on the mares chest. She was falling into a dreamy daze as she listened to the rhythm of Applejack's heartbeat and breathing. This was perfection.

As her mind bounced around random thoughts while it shifted through that grey area between awake and asleep it suddenly decided to remember Rainbow Dash and all the things she'd heard from Lyra and Bonbon. This thought swung through her head like an acrobat on a sugar high, sparking the synapses of her brain and dragging Twilight further away from the peaceful nap she wanted and back to reality. Twilight tried to get her mind to drift again, to find that restful place, but it was impossible. The more she focussed the more awake and alert her mind became.

After a full minute of trying, Twilight gave in and sighed quietly to herself. Opening her eyes she lifted her head gently. Applejack looked like she was snoozing peacefully it was a terrible thing to have to wake her but she felt she had to.
"AJ." She lightly placed a hoof on her chest and gave her a light shake. Applejack stirred but didn't wake. Twilight tried again, shaking harder. "AJ."

"Granny," AJ mumbled. "five more minutes."

Twilight smirked. She gave the edge of Applejack's hat a push with her hoof, exposing AJ's eyes to the sunlight. "Come on, Sugarcube." She said, putting on a mock of Applejack's accent. She leaned in and kissed Applejack's nose.

One bleary eye opened, then the other. Finally a smile rose on Applejack's face. "Twi. I was nappin'." She said with something approaching annoyance, which evaporated when Twilight kissed her on the nose again.

"I know." Twilight said with a nod. "And I'm sorry. But I just remembered I had to talk about a few things with you."

Applejack stretched and shifted to sit up. She could tell by Twilight's tone that this wasn't going to be the kind of conversation done in a relaxed half-asleep position. "What is it sugarcube?"

"Well..." Twilight sat up and sighed. The cosy mood was over. Gone as though it hadn't existed in the first place. "It's about Rainbow Dash."

Predictably, Applejack stiffened. She took a deep breath and nodded. "What about her?" Twilight was grateful that Applejack was willing to discuss it.

"Well it's not just us." Twilight said with a sigh. "Lyra and Bonbon have had some...let's say disagreements, with her too."

"Disagreements." Applejack said with a nod. She could imagine.

"Well." Twilight said with a sigh. "Some good news is that Rainbow will probably loose interest if we don't let her get to us. After...a few months."

"So a few months and that's it." Applejack said with less enthusiasm than Pinkie showed for ending a party. "She'll leave us alone and we'll leave her alone. No more Rainbow Dash. We won't have to listen to her hatin us nomore, but she won't be our friend neither?" She shook her head slowly and looked at Twilight. Their eyes met, sharing twin looks of hurt and sadness. "I ain't sure I like that Twi. Rainbow's mah friend. We'd be together, ah like that. We'd have our other friends, ah like that too. But our love has driven one pony we both care about. Ah don't like that."

Twilight looked to the ground. She wasn't sure where Applejack was going with this. Maybe AJ herself didn't know and was just doing what she always did, speaking from her honest heart. "I don't like it either. But what can we do?"

"Ah don't know. Yur the smart one, I thought you'd know." Applejack said with a sigh. "Ah guess my first reaction is for us to break up." She saw Twilight flinch and spoke quicker to explain before Twilight started freaking out. "But that won't fix nothin and just leave all of us miserable. It's foolish little filly thinkin' ta believe breakin up would put everythin back the way it was before we got together. We both know it won't."

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. Applejack was right and she chided herself for her unnecessary worry. There was only one thing left she could think of and she already knew it wasn't her best idea. "Rainbow's stance against us is out of ignorance." She began, then stopped as she convinced herself that her idea wasn't going to work.

Applejack leaned close and nuzzled Twilight's cheek. "What is it Sugarcube?"

Twilight smiled at the warm, comforting, touch. "It's dumb but, well...since ignorance is all about a lack of knowledge, I figure, if we could try and talk to Rainbow, try and help her understand..." She trailed off, shaking her head.

Applejack continued nuzzling at Twilight's cheek, it was starting to tickle. "Yur just amazin." She said softly into the purple mare's ear. "Jus like with Discord, even when it looks like ya lost the fight and all the odds are against ya, you still keep fightin for friendship."

Twilight's smile widened. "I'll always fight for my friends and their friendships. We care too much about Rainbow Dash to let something like her lack of understanding drive a wedge between our friendship with her. We've all been through so much together. We owe it to her, and us, to do something. To talk with her, teach her and help her understand that our love is just as beautiful and valid as everypony elses."

Applejack stopped nuzzling Twilight's cheek. She used her hoof to turn Twilight's head to look at her then kissed her passionately. Twilight felt sparks flow through her, making heat rise up her spine and her heart race. The kiss continued for seconds but it felt like a lifetime flowed by. Yet still it was too brief.
When the kiss broke Applejack was the first to speak. "Yur jus too special. Ah don't deserve you."

It occurred to Twilight that this was a side of Applejack that no other pony saw. Loving, caring and gentle ponies did see but this was more. From the comforting nuzzling of her cheek to the beautiful compliments she bestowed upon her. This was the Applejack that appeared when they were alone, the Applejack that loved Twilight with all her heart, from hooves to mane. This was Twilight's Applejack.
"Maybe." She said with a cheeky smile. "But you're exactly what I want." She leaned to Applejack and the two of them kissed again. The fire of passion passed between the two of them. Twilight swore she felt AJ's pulse race under her gentle touch.

As the kiss broke Applejack felt the warmth in her core that came from arousal. If they so much as touched again she would forget everything and just take Twilight right then and there in the middle of her families orchard. The flush on Twilight's cheeks, and the way her ears were twitching, told Applejack Twilight felt the same, or close to it. It was tempting to give in to the urges, so very tempting. "Maybe we should try and find Rainbow?" She said half heartedly, hoping that Twilight would disagree and they could enjoy each other.

Twilight's head jerked as she snapped back to reality. "You're right." She said with renewed vigour. Applejack just nodded. Deep down she'd known that would be Twilight's reaction. "Okay." Twilight continued. "Maybe we should split up. We can cover more ground that way and..." She wore an embarrassed grin. "we'd have less chance of being distracted." She laughed lightly. "Now. Pinkie is throwing that party for us in an hour, so we have that long to find Rainbow. I'll take the park, the market and around the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. You can take the lake, the outskirts along the river up to Rainbow Dash's home. Whether we find Rainbow or not let's meet at Pinkies party."

"Gotcha." Applejack nodded. "See ya there." She jumped to her hooves, tapped her hat down securely on her head, then charged off at full speed as fast as she could go. Twilight closed her eyes and concentrated. Her horn glowed and with a flash of light she vanished into thin air.

...***...

With a flash of light Twilight reappeared in the middle of Ponyville Park. She staggered for a second as a wave of dizziness passed. Travelling so far by teleport was always draining but it was quicker than running and the effects wore off after a couple of seconds. Twilight looked left and right but there was no immediate sign of Rainbow Dash.

She turned to the nearest pony, a grey pegasus mare with light yellow hair. "Derpy, have you seen Rainbow Dash?"

Derpy turned her head, and one of her eyes, to look at Twilight. She smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "Yes." She said. "She's a pretty pegasus pony. With a blue coat. And awesome rainbow hair. And she takes care of the weather. And she flies really fast."

"No. Derpy that's not what I meant." Twilight jumped in before Derpy could finish a long description of her friend. "I meant, have you seen Rainbow Dash anywhere around today?"

"Oh!" Derpy nodded in understanding.

Several seconds of silence passed.

"Well?" Twilight pressed. "Have you?"

Derpy blinked. The eye that had been looking at Twilight rolled away, but the other eye shifted to look directly at her. Twilight felt a shiver run through her. There was something creepy about witnessing that. "No. I haven't." She said with her innocent smile.

Twilight facehoofed. "Okay. Thank you Derpy." She said with a sigh. She walked away slowly as she waited for her tension headache to go away.

"You're welcome Twilight!" Derpy called, waving her hoof excitedly as she took flight and headed away backwards, facing Twilight all the way.

Twilight turned her attention to a female unicorn with a pale pink coat, iris mane and tail with a light glaucous streak. "Sea Swirl, have you seen Rainbow Dash?"

To Twilight's relief Sea Swirl nodded her head. "I saw her heading out of town about half an hour ago. She was heading towards the forest." She pointed her hoof in the direction of the Everfree forest.

"Thank you." Twilight yelled over her shoulder as she jogged off.

...***...

Fluttershy scattered grain on the ground for her little chicken friends. They clucked gratefully and started scratching and pecking. "Try and go slow now Elizabeak. Remember when the seed got stuck because you ate too fast and I had to give you a heimlich maneuver." She said in her gentle cadence.

A shadow passed overhead. Fluttershy squeaked in fright, fearing a huge eagle that had come to carry away one of her chickens, or maybe the mice who were making a new home in the thick grassy turf of her roof.

Rainbow Dash, not an eagle, landed in her yard. "Fluttershy." She was nervous, even on-edge, about something. Fluttershy could tell by her Trying-too-hard-to-sound-casual voice. "Hey. What's happening?"

Fluttershy's usual cheery disposition faltered, then faded completely. Without saying a word she walked past Rainbow Dash, up her path and into her home, closing the door gently because she didn't want to slam it and frighten away all her animal friends. The second she was inside her head hung low and sighed heavily. It made her feel terrible to do that to a friend. It was cruel to reject Rainbow Dash like that. She tried to reason with herself, tried to remind herself that the things Rainbow had said about Twilight and Applejack had been worse. She knew she was right but it didn't make her feel any better. Rainbow had to be taught the lesson that the others weren't happy with her attitude. If they had to be cruel and blank her so she'd learn that lesson, then so be it.

There was a faint flap of wings for a second and then nothing but the usual sounds of the cottage. Fluttershy risked a look out of the window, Dash was gone. "Oh dear." Fluttershy whimpered to herself. "I do hope I wasn't too cruel."

Revelation

The mare doth protest too much, methinks
Fanfic by englishwitch
Disclaimer: The following is an entirely fan-created parody. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, it’s characters and all other affiliated merchandise are the intellectual property of Lauren Faust and Hasbro. Please support the official MLP: FiM show.
I make no profit, or money at all, for the production and distribution of this fanfiction.

Chapter 3

Twilight thought she heard something nearby. She stopped, pricking her ears and turning her head slowly. There it was again, it sounded like a hammer blow. Then it came again and again a few seconds later. Who could possibly be hammering something out here? Her first thought was the Cutie Mark Crusaders but Applebloom was still back at the farm and the gang always did things as a trio.

Her curiosity aroused Twilight deviated from the road and started toward the hammering noise. It was faster now, a rhythm was building. Now that she was getting closer Twilight could hear something else below the pounding, like grunts of exertion.

The noise was coming from a little copse of trees. With every grunt and pound one of the trees would shake. Twilight caught a flash of something blue between branches and it was Rainbow Dash. There weren't any other cyan ponies who could fly that fast, not in Ponyville. Twilight decided to approach slowly, just in case Rainbow got it into her head to take out her frustration on more than a tree. Unlikely but, then again, Twilight would have thought Rainbow Dash's furious outburst over her relationship with Applejack was unlikely.

Dash flew at a tree and punched it with her forehooves. What Twilight had mistaken for one powerful blow was really a series of six or seven hits done in such rapid sucession Rainbow's forelegs were just a blur. The grunt of exertion came when Rainbow kicked off the tree's bark, sending her flying across to another tree, where she did the same thing again and again.

Twilight watched her for a few seconds. Dash looked like she was trying to buck the trees right out of the ground. She was working herself up into a frenzy. Twilight thought that even if she shouted Rainbow wouldn't notice her. She punched and flew faster and faster until she was leaving rainbow contrails in her wake, which she blasted apart into rainbow fog on her next pass. It was a weird sight to see the rainbows break like that, the wisps swirling and fading in the air as though a hundred miniature sonic rainbooms were going off at once.

Rainbow's cries were constant, building in intensity and volume as she pushed herself harder and harder. Her wings burned, her forelegs were numb, even her head swam with confusion of too many rapid turns and the g-forces she was subjecting herself to. She was pushing herself to her limits and beyond but it wasn't enough. The pain, the dizziness, the confusion, even the cold numbness of her hooves wasn't enough. She wasn't moving fast enough. Things were going grey around the edges. She pushed, harder and harder. She needed to move faster!

...***...

"Ra...ash" The ghost of a whisper drifted across her ears. "Rai...Da..."

Something cold hit her face. Then there came pain. Deep throbbing pain. There didn't seem to be a part of her body that didn't ache. Her head it pounded like a drum. There was a dull throbbing in her ears, rapid and never ending. What was it?

"Rainbow Ca...er Me!" More of the something cold and wet hit her face.

Rainbow Dash found her eyes opening. She regretted it. Everything was too bright, painfully bright. There was a large dark blur overhead. With grunts of effort the shape came into focus. Twilight Sparkle, looking down on her with deep concern. There was a large bubble of water floating over her head. Even the faint glowing of her horn was painful to Rainbow' eyes.

"Thank goodness you're awake." Twlight's voice seemed to come from far away. "Try and drink." A tentacle of water rose out of the ball, stretching out, growing and reaching Rainbow's mouth. The cold liquid was welcome and Rainbow sucked and drank like the simple water was the most delicious thing she'd ever tasted. Twilight let Rainbow drink until her belly looked fit to burst, then pulled the water back. "I'm going to try a healing spell. It's nothing fancy but it'll help take the pain away."

To Rainbow's eyes Twilight's horn glowed as bright as the midday sun in the height of summer, and she was staring right into it. The noise and whine of the energy building up was like stinging in her ears. Then, just when she thought she couldn't handle it any more Twilight discharged the energy. Dash gasped, her back arching painfully. It felt like being struck by lightning. Then the lightning bolt faded and her whole body itched, tingled and burned like she had body-wide pins and needles. Within seconds that ache too faded and Rainbow Dash was left lying on the ground out of breath and feeling like she needed to sleep for at least a week. The pain had gone though, her wings no longer felt like they'd been burned off, her hooves weren't throbbing like nails were jammed into them and the world was no longer too bright.
"What happened?" Dash asked. Her thoughts were starting to clear but the last few minutes were a blank. The last few hours weren't too clear.

"You blacked out and hit a tree." Twilight explained. "It was so scary. I thought I heard something break." She shuddered as she remembered the sickening crunch and the way Dash's body was all floppy and limp when she crashed to the ground. "I don't think you're hurt seriously, but you're going to be sore in the morning."

Her thoughts cleared enough for Dash's short term memory to kick in. She tried to sit up, almost collapsing again in the wave of dizziness that smacked her. "What did you do to me?" She demanded.

Twilight looked at her confused and upset. "Just the healing spell."

Rainbow shook her head and started looking down at herself. She fought through the disorientation and got to her hooves. She twisted her head left and right, struggling to look at her rump. "Not the spell." She snapped angrily. "What did you do to me while I was out?" She stopped trying to look at her rump and glared at Twilight.

It dawned on Twilight what Rainbow was trying to say. She went from looking upset to looking angry. "Rainbow! I didn't do anything to you. I would never do anything to anypony who was hurt. I would never do anything to anypony without their consent. I'm not a deviant without any sense of morels or conscience."

"Same thing in my book." Dash muttered bitterly.

"Is that what you think of me?" Twilight asked, her tone was one of hurt that did, for a second, make Dash feel guilty. "You think I'm capable of such things?"

"It's what you filly-foolers do." She muttered in a low, annoyed voice.

Twlight looked like she'd taken a bucking to the face. "Rainbow...that is a very offensive term." She said with slow patience. She didn't want to use anything that sounded lecturing and confrontational. It would only put Rainbow on the defensive and then she would stubbornly refuse to listen to anypony. "We don't do anything with fillies or colts. Just adults. Consenting adults. That's why we prefer the term mareosexuals or stalliosexuals.

"But, what offends me isn't the word fillyfooler." Twilight continued, the beginnings of tears in her eyes. "It's that you could think me capable of doing such horrible things like taking advantage of you while you were unconscious and hurt. We're friends Rainbow Dash. We know each other. All the things we've been through together. Nightmare Moon, Discord, the Changeling invasion, saving the crystal empire. You know me as well as I know you. Do you really, in your heart, believe I would ever do such a thing?"

Rainbow stared at her for several seconds of silence before hanging her head. "Well...I guess not." She said shamefully.

Twilight risked taking a step closer. "Where does this hatred come from Rainbow? What have I done to earn this anger and distrust?"

Rainbow put her hooves to her head like she was in pain. "Stop it." She growled. "You're trying to confuse me."

Twilight didn't stop. "We've known each other and trusted each other for so long. "I gave you your first Daring Doo book, helped you discover your love of reading. You stood by Applejack when Flim and Flam tried to steal their farm. You've been my best friend through so much. Why does this one thing change our friendship so drastically?"

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "I...I can't." She tried to fly but Twilight put a hoof down on her tail to hold her down.

"We love you like you're family Rainbow. We're the same ponies you've always known. Why does this one fact change things so much? Why are you so angry?"

"Why aren't you ASHAMED?' Rainbow slammed down onto the ground and shouted in her face. Twilight staggered back, shocked by the volume and ferocity. With her tail free Rainbow could escape but she didn't. Her wings hung limply by her flanks, her head and eyes were downcast. Even the bright colours of her mane looked like they were a shade darker. "How can you hate me more than you hate yourself?" She asked in a flat tone.

"I don't hate myself Rainbow." Twilight replied calmly. "And I don't hate you either."

"But you're a fill- a Mareosexual." Rainbow said in a low voice. A voice Twilight had never heard from her cyan friend before. A tone completely devoid of energy, enthusiasm or spirit. Even at her saddest Rainbow usually had at least one of the three in her voice but now she sounded drained, completely empty of physical or mental strength. "It's shameful. It's disgusting. It's wrong." She was repeating the same things she'd been saying again and again but there was none of the emotion she usually poured into them. She was just reciting them in an emotionless voice, like a filly would recite their lines at a school play.

"Say's who?" Twilight asked with genuine curiosity.

"Everyone." Dash replied. She sighed and her head twitched in a ghost of a head shake. "Well...no one in ponyville I guess...But...well...I don't know."

"Rainbow?" Twilight pressed, noticing that she hadn't answered the question.

"My parents okay?" Rainbow came close to sounding annoyed. Her eyes darted up and met Twilight's for a second, but fell away again. "but it's not what you think." She started pacing back and forth around the copse. Twilight, frankly, had been amazed she'd managed to sit still for this long. "They aren't, like, huge haters disapproving of everything. They just know what's right and wrong. They were right and I was wrong. They were looking out for me, like all good parents do."

"What do you mean they were 'Looking out for me'?" Twilight asked.

Dash froze, her back to Twilight. Her eyes widened as she realised she'd said too much.

Twilight approached slowly, she spoke carefully. "Rainbow, I came looking for you so I could talk. So I could help you understand. But I'm starting to think you also need to help me understand."

Rainbow sighed heavily. She kept her back to Twilight and her eyes to the ground. It just made it easier. She hadn't spoken of this, heck, she hadn't even thought of this for years. Not since...She pushed that thought away.
"I was just confused." She said quietly. "They helped me see that. They all did." She hung her head in shame. It was wrong. She shouldn't be talking about this. That time was over and done with and best left in the past where it could be forgotten. Forgotten, like it had never happened at all.
"I was young. All hormones and no sense." She explained. "I was at Junior Speedsters Flight Camp...and...well...I..." She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. "Gilda." She said at last. She was glad Twilight wasn't facing her. She could feel herself blushing furiously. "She was there for some student exchange program. Gilda came to study pony flying techniques and some pegasus was learning Griffin techniques in their flying school.

"It was the first time I'd seen a griffin. I was so curious about her. She was so weird, but so cool. So wild. So exotic. She was different from anyone I'd ever seen before. And...I guess..."

For Twilight, some pieces were starting to fall into place. Not all of them, there were still a lot of unanswered questions. "You fell in love with Gilda?" Twilight said as delicately as she could.

"NO!" Dash snapped. She rounded on Twilight, the anger burned in her eyes. Then it was gone. Dash sat down but decided to face Twilight this time. She was holding her head high. She was going to explain and Twilight wouldn't get any more dumb ideas in her head. "It was just a stupid filly crush. Mom and dad explained it all when..." There was a slight flush to her cheeks. "Well..." She had to fight the urge to turn away from Twilight. She'd started this and was determined to get through it, but it was just so embarrassing. "I had a picture of Gilda from the school paper...mom caught me..." Her voice lowered to almost a whisper. "doing things...to myself...while I looked at it."

Twilight felt a blush of her own rising on her cheeks. Lots of thoughts ran through her head but she chose not to say a word. This was one time when silence was golden.

"Don't look at me like that." Dash snapped, an annoyed look twisting her features. "It was a stupid crush okay? Mum and dad explained it all. Gilda was something odd, something new and exciting. I was just confused. I wasn't actually attracted to her. I was just fascinated by all the new and different things about her. That was all. Boys and girls were supposed to love each other. That's the way it worked. That’s natures way. That was the way it was supposed to be and anything else was wrong."

More pieces fell into place in Twilight's mental puzzle. She continued to stay silent and listen, nodding along at all the right places.

"And they were right." Dash said defensively. "I didn't know what I was doing. I shouldn't have..." She put a hoof to her mouth, her eyes widening again. She'd blurted out too much again. She just couldn't stop herself when she got into the flow.

"It's okay Rainbow." Twilight said with gentle patience. She almost sounded like Fluttershy trying to help a frightened animal.

"No. It's not okay." Dash replied angrily. "If I'd just listened to my parents none of it would've happened. They...I..." She growled in frustration and clutched her hooves to her head again as a headache returned. "Ugh...worst summer ever." She shook her head and leaned against a tree, tapping the back of her head against it several times. She realised it had been a bad idea only when it only made her headache worse.

"What happened?" Twilight asked in her fluttershy tones.

"It was so stupid. I should've just listened to what mom and dad said and sorted my head out. Dammit!" She rubbed at her eyes and exhaled a heavy breath for a long time. "I should have left Gilda alone. If I'd stayed away from her I wouldn't have gotten so mixed up and..." She suddenly leapt up with a flap of her wings. She hovered a few feet in the air and rounded on the tree. With a grunt of anger she pounded at the trunk six times in rapid succession. Not as fast as she had done before. Her arms and hooves were still tired and sore despite Twilight's spell. After her fit of blows had stopped she landed back on the ground heavily and took several deep breaths. She'd heard they were supposed to help you calm down but they weren't helping right now. "Me and Gilda got to know each other." She finally began talking again. "I thought once I got to know her and all the stuff that was different because ordinary then that stupid crush would go away."

"It didn't?"

"Stop trying to confuse me." Dash snapped. She got to her hooves and started pacing the copse again. "That's what you're doing. You're twisting everything and trying to muddle me up. Trying to trick me somehow. I don't know why the hay I'm telling you all this. You're trying to hear about the stupidest thing I've ever done to make something out of it. You're wrong though. You can't find something that isn't there."

Twilight felt frightened and took a step back from Dash. "I wanted to hear this because I'm your friend." She said cautiously. "And, I think, you started to tell me because you wanted to help me understand."

Rainbow let out an unladylike grunt. "There's nothing to understand. I did something stupid and I paid for it."

"But what?" Twilight pressed but Rainbow shook her head furiously.

"NO!." She yelled. She'd already said far more than she wanted to, dragged up memories shed hoped she'd never have to go through again. They had crawled out of the darkest depths of her brain and now sat there on the surface as raw and painful as the day they had been made. Dash opened her wings, Twilight jumped in before she could take off.

"Rainbow, please. You've raised more questions than you've answered." She approached the mare, who was clearly in some kind of distress. It hurt Twilight to see her like this but she needed to know more before she could help her. "Dash, we're friends, but all this hate you've shown Applejack and me...it could be the end our friendship. I don't want it to be, Applejack doesn't want it to be and, deep inside, I don't think you want it to be either. But...if it has to be...if that's what's going to happen and my relationship with AJ is going to be the end of us being friends then I have to know why. It's my nature. I have to understand. I have to know the answers."

Dash grunted again. Something inside told her to leave, that this was some kind of trick by Twilight to confuse her like she'd been confused all those years ago. She wouldn't fall for her crafty tricks. She wouldn't go through that again.
Then there was another voice. This voice told her Twilight was right, at least in part. Twilight should be told, should be made to understand. After all they'd been through together, she owed it to them. And maybe, just maybe, it would help Twilight realise the truth and make her see how things were supposed to be.
"I kissed Gilda." She growled.

Twilight said nothing but her look seemed to speak volumes to Rainbow.

"I don't care what you're thinking!" She yelled. "It wasn't like that!" She kicked her back legs in frustration, sending up clods of dirt and grass behind her. She bucked and jumped around the copse for a few minutes, finishing up by bucking a tree so hard the green leaves rained down on them like a swarm of parasprites.

Rainbow sat, panting heavily, sweat running down her flank. As fit as she was she had exhausted herself with her activities of the last few hours. "I just let my urges get the better of my common sense." She said in her tired voice. "I acted on impulse and it was the worst thing I ever did."

"What happened?" Twilight asked gently.

Dash looked annoyed for only a few seconds. The fight had all but left her now and she just didn't have the energy to resist Twilight's gentle persuasion any more. "Gilda and I ended up sharing a dorm room at camp. Three other ponies were in there too. Would have been four but Gilda needed two pony sized beds to herself."

Twilight nodded, remembering that Griffins were naturally larger than ponies.

"It was late and we were talking about stuff." Rainbow continued. "The kind of stuff girls end up talking about I guess. Times at camp, jokes, flight routines...then boys...and relationships and stuff." A blush started rising on her cheeks. "Then sex." She almost squeaked the word out like a frightened Fluttershy. "Gilda talked about how she'd seen a few colts who were cute, for ponies. She said none compared to a griffin though. If even half the rumours were true, then she didn't let that stop her." Dash kicked one hoof at the ground, she was uncomfortable talking about this. It made all the old confused feelings rise up again. She thought she'd left them behind long ago but there they were, dancing through her head. At the end of the day she was still that dumb, confused, filly. "She had a major rep by then but she didn't confirm or deny anything. Except one story." Dash turned her head from Twilight. She didn't want anypony, let alone a friend, seeing her like this. "We were talking about how far we'd gone with guys. She talked about a couple of flings with some griffin guys back home and how she'd done a little flirting with a few colts at camp, who obviously were just after her so they could boast they'd dated a griffin once." Her head started to lower, moving toward the angle of shame. "I don't know how but we went from relationships to sex. Gilda started talking about the major difference between a guy griffin and a pony colt wasn't Size"

Twilight figured what she meant.

"Male griffins have barbs on their...parts..." Her blush had turned rose read. "Gilda said that it made relations less interesting because you had to be more sure you liked a guy before you let him...enter you. Once he was in, he wasn't coming out until he was done. Not unless you wanted the barbs to...cut." Dash and Twilight winced at the thought of something cutting them in that most sensitive of pony parts. "No quickies among griffins. And if you get caught halfway through..." Dash muttered, hoping to keep the conversation moving so her mind didn't dwell on the unpleasantness. "She said that's where ponies were luckier. They could pull apart if they had to. They weren't stuck together until the guy was...tired."

Dash had to stop to take some deep breaths, trying to calm herself. All this talk about sex was making a heat rise between her legs. Her wings were still spread wide and it had nothing to do with the urge to fly anymore. Just like the male peacock spread his tail feathers to display for females, pegasus ponies (both male and female) wings would stiffen when they were sufficiently aroused to display to potential companions they were ready to mate. It was instinctive and out of her control, going right back to the days before ponies discovered fire.

"Out of curiosity I asked Gilda if she'd tried any colt. Actually I think my words were 'Talk, talk talk, I bet you're too afraid to put your flank where your beak is.' She found it funny, I guess. Then she told me about Brolly. He was a white stallion on the camp hoofball team with Gilda. They'd both been put on clean up duty after practice, y'know putting all the equipment back in the store rooms and stuff. Dull, dull dull. Coach always had to pick two ponies at random because he never had any volunteers. Gilda and Brolly got talking while they cleaned up. Then joking. Then flirting. Then they decided to share a shower." Rainbow Dash shuffled uncomfortably on the ground. That stirring between her legs was just getting more irritating. "She bragged about his stamina, even tired out after practise he still had enough energy to keep up with her. Brolly became really popular with the mares after that day." Rainbow hated herself at that moment. She was aroused and there was no denying it but the thing that made her feel shame in that arousal was that she wasn't thinking about Brolly and his amazing stamina, but Gilda and her furry flank. The look on her face as she recounted the details of that sneaky, steamy, session in the colts locker room. The details of how his ponyhood made her feel once they'd managed to work around the biological difficulties of her size. Though she was still an adolescent Gilda had already been the size of a full grown griffin, making her half a head taller than a pony of the same age, and twice as long if you included her tail. In Gilda's words 'The dude was more than up for the challenge.' Then she had winked.

"She insisted on going into detail." Dash continued. She had no idea how long she'd been silent. Twilight had been about to press her to continue. "And it got me all...y'know...worked up." She glanced over her shoulder at her spread wings. "Gilda found it hilarious." She admitted with shame. "I don't know what made me do it but..." Her voice trembled with nerves. "Well...while she was laughing at my wings I..." She shook her head, feeling a sting in her eyes that signalled tears wanting to fall. She didn't cry. Crying wasn't cool. Still the need was there. "I kissed her." She said in despair. "I don't know why, I just did. I grabbed her head in my hooves and kissed her right on the beak." She tapped a hoof hard against her head. "Dammit I was so stupid. I can't believe I did it. She just so me so worked up. My wings were flared and she was laughing at them and she kept insisting on going into graphic details about Brolly and..." She hit herself again with the other hoof and let out a loud cry of exasperation. "Arrrgg! My instincts got the better of me. I don't know, it was like my brain just decided to go one vacation. By the time it got back to work it was too late." With another cry of anger and frustration she planted her face into the grass and put her hooves over her head.

"I take it Gilda didn't respond well to your unexpected advances?" Twilight tried to ask with as much tact and gentleness as possible.

"It wasn't an advance!" Dash shouted, her head darting up from under her hooves. "It was just a temporary loss of control because she'd got me too horny with her sex story!" She pounded at the ground furiously, her head shaking slowly from side to side. "I tried to explain but she didn't listen. She roared in my face. That woke up our room mates. Heck, I bet it woke up the whole building. And the ponies in the next cloud over. Gilda was furious. She was yelling so loud. Then she whacked me." Twilight noticed the right wing twitched involuntarily. "My flying was off for weeks while those feathers to grew back. Gilda was yelling so loud, everypony knew what I'd done. It was so embarrassing I had get outta there." She looked at Twilight angrily, as though daring her to say something.

"I spent the rest of the night sleeping in the nurses office. She was annoyed in the morning. How was I to know that was a fire blanket? It said blanket on the box so I used it." She shook her head. "By the time I turned up for breakfast everypony knew what I'd done. I couldn't go anywhere without someone laughing at me about it." She started to hoof the ground again. "One stupid loss of concentration and for three weeks it's all 'Rainbow Pride!' and 'Dash the filly-fooler' 'Tail-licker Dash.' and girls saying 'I ain't turning my rump on you!' and stuff about 'Walking on the wild-side.' and 'liking em exotic.' and 'liking pussy.' Y'know cause Gilda's half lion and lions are cats." She growled lowly. Beneath her hooves the ground looked like it had been furrowed. "Just weeks and weeks of it constantly. I couldn't get away from it. Not even at home." She sighed in frustration. "My mom and dad visited for a parents day. Damn idiots couldn't lay off me for one lousy, stinking, day! One yell of 'Tail-Licker' and the whole damn thing came out. I didn't tell them everything, I couldn't, but I had to tell them I kissed Gilda. They were so mad. They were yelling at me worse than the other students. They told me how stupid I was for giving in to those unnatural acts. How much shame and disappointment they were feeling because I'd done something so disgusting and perverted. Mares and Stallions, Mares and...whatever the hay a female griffin is called."

"Oh Rainbow, that's awful." Twilight said comfortingly. Dash glared at her.

"NO! Because they were right. It was disgusting. I tried telling them it was a mistake. Tried explaining but they wouldn't listen. They just kept yelling louder and I kept getting angrier. Eventually I just lost it. I..." She sighed as her anger broke and the guilt and shame clung onto her with heavy claws. "I bucked my own father in the flank and flew away." She shook her head, eyes closed and head hung in shame. "I was so angry. I flew all the way to the storage rooms. I broke in and stole one of the storm clouds they use for stunt flying practise. I stole a category 5." She noticed Twilight's blank expression. "That's a full-blown hurricane. Camp seniors are only allowed near those things and only when they're wearing safety gear. I pushed the cloud right over the main camp building and bucked it into action." Despite the shame in her voice Twilight thought she saw a tiny spark of pride in the corner of Dash's eye. "That first thunder crack was so loud my ears were ringing for days. It took them twelve hours to wrangle that cloud back under control.

"The teachers suspected I was responsible. My fight with my parents then a hurricane happens, I was suspect number one. But Gilda bailed me out with an alibi."

"Gilda?!" Twilight exclaimed. After everything that had happened to Rainbow because of Gilda, the griffin had actually helped her?

"Yeah. She thought it was cool I stood up to my parents like that. Bucking my own dad, not even she would have the courage to stand up to her father. Then she thought it was awesome that I'd trashed the camp, not one room, or one building but the whole camp, not to mention I used a cat-5 cloud to do it. Adults guide those babies in groups but there I was, one little pony, freeing it, guiding it, then kicking it into action, all alone. She said anypony who would do that just to get even with some bullies was awesomely cool in her book. She decided to accept my apologies and finally accepted I had just made a mistake in the heat of the moment. She made the last few weeks of camp pretty cool for me, made everypony else lay off. By the time I went home everypony had pretty much forgotten those lies about me being a filly-fooler."

Twilight opened her mouth to remind Dash that filly-fooler was offensive. She didn't get chance to speak as Dash continued.

"Mom and Dad didn't forget. When I got home they wouldn't even talk to me. They let me live there but I was a stranger. They'd all but disowned their disgusting, perverted, filly-fooler slut of a daughter." She was almost yelling now, her voice laced with venom. She'd hooved the ground so much she'd dug two deep grooves in the mud. Dirt covered her legs up to her knees but she didn't notice. "If I was a real filly-fooler they'd have every right to do that. But they wouldn't listen. They never accepted I just made a mistake. One little mistake. Everypony else could get over it why couldn't they?" She shook her head angrily and started pacing again. Her wings were starting to lower back to her sides now. The arousal was dying under the fire of her anger. "I got outta there. As soon as I could I got into weather training college and checked out and got as far away from them as I could.

"I haven't gone home since and I'm glad I haven't." She said stubbornly. "If they're too stubborn, too sick in the head to realise I'm not a filly-fooler then I don't need them. If that's the best they can think of me, if they hear one little lie and believe those disgusting things, then I'm better off. I've raised myself longer than they raised me and I turned out just fine."

And there it was. All the pieces were in place, the puzzle was complete and Twilight could see the image clearly. Rainbow hated mareosexuals because of the hatred, the bullying and even being chastised by her own parents, whom she hadn't spoken to for years because of that one event at Junior Speedsters flight camp. She showed them the same hatred, disgust and intolerance everpony else had showed to her. Twilight was reminded of a recent visit by Babs Seed, cousin to Applebloom. The poor filly was so afraid of being bullied over her blank flank she'd turned into a bully. Rainbow Dash had gone through the same thing. So upset, so afraid, so traumatised, by the hatred against her when everypony thought her a mareosexual that she'd turned into one of the intolerant haters of gay ponies.

"Go on." Rainbow broke the silence. "I bet you've got some fancy egghead opinion. I bet you've got lots of theories and ideas you're just dying to share with me. I already know you've got it wrong."

Twilight said nothing for some time. She was busy absorbing and cataloguing everything Rainbow had said to her, committing it to her memory. "Rainbow..." She didn't know what to say. A thought occurred to her but she started to dismiss the idea. Yet, there was a lot of evidence. If she looked at everything Dash said, the way she reacted at times and the things that happened then there was only, really, one conclusion to reach. "Those feelings you had. Those emotions that you friends and family didn't understand, aren't wrong. They aren't unnatural. Love is the most natural emotion in the world. You saw with Cadence and my brother, when they banished the Changeling army from Canterlot, that it's the most powerful emotion."

"Cadence and your brother are Mare and Stallion. That's the way it's supposed to be. It's the way nature intended." Rainbow retorted. "What I felt with Gilda and the others was just some sick perversion that came up because I was confused."

"Others?" Twilight asked. "You didn't mention any others."

Rainbow's eyes widened so much they looked like they were about to escape from her head. She'd done it again, slipped up and spoken something she hadn't meant to. Her wings poofed out and she leapt into the air. She promptly fell back down. Twilight had used her magic to make a rope appear and had tied it to her leg then tied her to the ground by a protruding tree root.

"Rainbow-" Twilight started but was cut off again. Dash knew where she was heading.

"Spitfire and Fleetfoot okay?" She snapped. "But I only got crushes on them because they're Wonderbotls. You know how much I love the wonderbolts. My feelings got confused. That's all. Confused!"

"Did you get any crushes on any of the male wonderbolts?" Twilight asked calmly.

"Of course I did!" Dash jumped in before the question was even finished.

Twilight put a hoof over Rainbow's mouth to silence her. Their eyes met and Twilight spoke slowly and sincerely. "Think on it Rainbow. Don't just answer automatically. I want you to really think. Did you feel for the male Wonderbolts what you felt for the female ones?"

Rainbow Dash stared at her incredulously. What a dumb question. They were wonderbolts, of course she'd felt lusts for the stallions, and those would be good lusts, natural lusts. Not like the confused emotions she'd felt for Spitfire or Fleetfoot. She'd thought a lot about Firestreak, and Soarin. She'd certainly admired them. Their speed, their agility, the break-neck daring as they pulled through the negative G's of the Shooting Star; a half turn straight jump with a piggyback barrel roll that culminated in a full twisting double reverse suicide run. Nopony but Soarin and Firestreak had ever pulled it off successfully. They were amazing, she wished she could fly with them. Practise the trick, try and master it. She frequently imagined herself one day performing it with them. She admired and respected the two Wonderbolts. Adoration and respect, were they the same as the feelings she had for Spitfire or Fleetfoot? She loved all the Wonderbolts in the way any die-hard fan who wanted to be a Wonderbolt would. But Spitfire and Fleetfoot, when Dash thought about either of them there was more than respect. There was...

"No!" She snapped suddenly. "I don't know what you're talking about." She tried to fly again, forgetting the rope that held her. When she slammed back into the ground she closed her eyes and put her hooves over her head to shut out Twilight and the world.

"Please talk to me Rainbow, What's going through your mind?" Twilight pressed her as gently and patiently as she could.

"Nothing." Dash snapped, raising her head from her hooves. "There's nothing there. There isn't!"

Twilight sighed inwardly. Rainbow was being stubborn and bull-headed again. She was trying to be tactful, but her patience was beginning to wear thin. "I asked you a question Rainbow, about your feelings for the Wonderbolts and I'd like your answer."

"Stop trying to confuse me." Rainbow groaned, putting her head onto her hooves. "You're trying to brainwash me or something. It's not going to-"

"All I did was ask a question." Twilight interrupted. Her tone was louder and harsher than she'd intended. "And you still haven't answered it."

"I..." Rainbow clutched her head head her hooves, shaking violently from side to side. "I..."

Twilight's patience finally broke. "ANSWER ME!" She yelled.

"I LOVE THEM!" Rainbow bellowed back. Tears started to fall from her eyes and she lay down flat on the grass. "Sweet Celestia I don't want to but I do." She sobbed. "Every time I think of Spitfire it makes me happy. When I'm cloppin I always finish thinking about them, or some other mare." She hit her hooves against her head. She didn't notice Twilight blushing. "Mares. Always mares!" She broke down into floods of tears, unable to talk any more. Twilight didn't know what else to do. She placed a reassuring hoof on her friends shoulder. Rainbow Dash practically leapt into the lavender mare's arms and hugged her tightly, crying into her mane and shoulder. Twilight held her, firmly but gently, rubbing one hoof along her mane and back to reassure her. It was all she could think of, her mother used to do it when she was a filly when she'd had a bad dream.

It was some time before Rainbow Dash's tears became dry sobs and even longer before she'd managed to collect herself enough to pull away from Twilight's embrace. Her eyes were puffy and red, her face soaked, the fur matted together in two lines from her eyes to her chin. Rainbow turned her head from Twilight, hanging her head shamefully. "My parents were right." She said in a voice that was a dry croak. "I'm disgusting."

"No Rainbow, not at all." Twilight said, placing her hoof onto her friends shoulder. Rainbow Dash glanced at her, a doubtful look on her face. "The things you feel, whether they're for mares or stallions, are natural, beautiful and a part of who you are. As much a part of you as your wings. You should never be ashamed of love and I'm sorry that so many ignorant ponies, who didn't know better, made you feel this way for so long but they're gone and their words don't have to hurt you anymore if you don't want them to. You're not a bad pony, you just received some bad examples. It's over now, if you want it to be. You're surrounded by friends who love you, we won't judge you for who you really are, won't make jokes, poke fun, or make you feel bad. You won't have to ever feel bad for your natural feelings again. If you want us to we'll help and support you every day in every way."

Rainbow Dash hiccuped a couple of times. Fresh tears rose in her eyes. "I...I...hic...I don't know."

Twilight hugged her again. "I know it can't be easy for you. All your life ponies have told you all these wrong things so often you ended up believing them. You thought one thing but felt another. I can't even imagine how confusing that must be for you."

"Well..." Dash started but she couldn't think of anything to say. She could barely bring herself to tilt her head up to look at Twilight.

"I know." Twilight said. "We'll take it one day at a time. Okay?"

Dash managed a weak smile and nodded her head. "Okay."

...***...

"TWILIGHT!!!"

A ball of pink fury leapt at Twilight, squeezing her in a vice-like grip.

"Hi Pinkie." Twilight gasped. She struggled to breath, the hug was just too tight. The party pony jumped back, her grin so wide it almost reached her ears.

"I'm so glad you're here. Now we have both guests of honour and the party can really get going!" She bounced away, across the room, laughing all the way. Despite her manic movements she didn't bump into anypony. The main room of the town hall was packed with, what looked like, every pony in Ponyville. Twilight saw her friends watching her and Pinkie, smiles on their faces. Behind them Twilight saw the trio of Cutie Mark Crusaders, sitting under a table with an entire plate of cupcakes they had taken off a table.

"Hey Sugarcube." Applejack smiled. She stepped up and kissed Twilight on the cheek. Twilight returned the kiss. "Any luck finding Dash?" She added in a whisper.

Twilight nodded. "I'll tell you about it in a moment, I just have one important thing to do first." Applejack looked dubious but finally nodded. "Come into the back room in a couple of minutes. See if you can get the girls to come up too." Applejack nodded. "Thanks," Twilight said "you're the best."

Twilight walked away from Applejack, who wandered back to their friends. They looked confused that Twilight wasn't even saying 'Hello' but Applejack started to explain, the best she could given the limited information. Twilight wandered through the crowd of ponies. Everypony ducked at a sudden explosion but relaxed as a rain of confetti and streamers started to fall. It was just Pinkie with her party cannon. Twilight grinned as she spotted two familiar looking Mares.
"Hello Lyra, Bonbon."

"Hi Twilight." Bonbon replied with a smile. Lyra was too busy sipping away at a drink. She did nod her head in greeting though.

"Can I have a word with the two of you, in private?" Twilight asked. The two marefriends looked confused, Bonbon even looked a little worried, but they nodded and followed Twilight through the party and to a back room of the Townhall. It was a small office with stacks of filing cabinets and a musty smell in the air that the open window did nothing to dispel.

"What's this about Twilight?" Lyra asked curiously.

"Well...it's not easy girls. You have to promise me you'll stay calm and quiet and at least stay around long enough to hear what's said. After that, it's all up to you. Okay?"

The two shared another confused look. However they trusted Twilight and nodded and verbally promised.

"Okay. Girls, there's someone who has something to say to you."

From behind a filing cabinet came Rainbow Dash. Lyra flinched and Bonbon looked at her with both anger and fear, an odd combination but she managed it. Then, as Dash stepped into the light they were stalled for a second. Rainbow's mane was dishevelled, many strands of her multi-coloured hair were stuck up all over the place, her eyes wee puffy and red from heavy crying and her head was still hung low. Her eyes never met any of the three for more than a second or two before they fell to the floor again.

"Twilight?" Bonbon began.

"You promised you'd listen." Twilight reminded her. She walked over the Rainbow dash and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Go ahead Rainbow." She said gently.

Rainbow gulped loudly. She looked at Lyra and Bonbon for barely a second before her eyes dropped again. Her head was screaming the same hateful things she'd always known. She felt the urge to yell at them now. But her heart told her the truth and she was listening to it now. She was such a mess and she had a long way to go to sort herself out. This was part of that. For the first time she was taking a step in the right direction. "I'm sorry." She managed to croak out in her dry voice. Her eyes stung but she managed to hold back the tears. "I'm sorry for everything I did to you. I'm sorry for picking on you and bullying you. I was..." A tear fell and she rubbed her face furiously with her foreleg. "I was ashamed of myself. I tried too hard to deny who I was and what I felt deep inside. I lashed out at you to..." She sighed and shook her head. "That's no excuse for taking out my anger on you. You didn't deserve any of it. Not one second of the hate I showed you. I don't expect us to ever be friends after all I did. I don't expect you to ever forgive me. I...I just wanted you to know that... with all my heart, I'm sorry."

Lyra and Bonbon looked at each other. They were wearing the same shocked expressions, first of all that Dash would apologise to them after all she had done and said to them. Second, if they had this figured right, Rainbow Dash had just admitted to them she'd been a closeted Mareosexual in denial. Lyra held up her hooves and shrugged her shoulders. Bonbon took a step forward and looked at Dash, who looked up at her with tears and shame in her eyes.
"Rainbow..." She stared at her in silence for a few seconds. A multitude of emotions danced across her face before she finally seemed to settle on acceptance. "I don't know if we can ever forget what you did to us."

"I know." Dash said in a barely audible sigh.

"And right now, I don't think we can ever be friends." Bonbon continued. "If a friendship would ever develop between us it would take a very long time before we managed to look past what you did."

"I know." Dash repeated. She seemed to shrink before her, as though trying to disappear into the floor.

"But..." Bonbon sighed. "We forgive you."

Dash looked up at her with shock and awe in her eyes. It was more than she ever would have hoped from them. Fresh tears rose on Rainbow's face, tears of happiness and relief this time. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"It's okay Rainbow." Lyra said, stepping up beside Bonbon. "It was very brave of you to apologise." She looked at Twilight. "I don't know what you did, but thank you too. You've taken a huge burden off our flanks. If Rainbow is sincerely sorry-"

"I am!" Rainbow jumped in.

"Then we don't need to worry any more." Lyra found a smile rising on her face. "No more caution, or being afraid of hate mail or insults. We don't have to look over our shoulders for Dash to avoid her any more." Rainbow shrank lower onto the floor. "We can finally have the lives we've always wanted here in Ponyville." She stepped up and gave Twilight a kiss of gratitude on the cheek. Before Twilight could recover from this Bonbon stepped up and kissed the other one.

"Thank you." Both mares said at once. They turned and headed to the door. Before leaving Lyra looked over her shoulder at Rainbow Dash. The mare looked so lonely, ashamed, defeated and drained. Was this really the same pony that had terrorised them? Despite everything, Lyra actually felt sorry for her. "Good luck Rainbow." She said in as friendly a tone as she could. Then she left to catch up to Bonbon.

When the Marefriends had kissed Twilight, Dash had flinched instinctively and bit her tongue to stop the words coming out of her mouth out of habit. Her head was echoing with the yelling voices of her furious parents, the taunts of Gilda and all the ponies of Junior Speedster's Flight Camp, the hate, the laughs, every bad word others had said and she had echoed so many times. Twilight had said she didn't have to let it bother her any more but just letting go of more than half a lifetime of pain wasn't something to be done in one day. Probably not even one week, or one month. It dawned on Dash that she might never be able to let it go completely. What was she going to do? Take it one day at a time she guessed, working on ignoring the voices and listening to what her heart told her. Hopefully one day her heart would be louder than her head and the habitual hate, wouldn't be a habit anymore.

"Twi? What's goin on here?"

Rainbow Dash flinched at the voice of Applejack. She managed to get her eyes to look up and squeaked. If she wasn't so sure Twilight would just grab her Dash would try and fly out the open window. The whole gang was there, even Spike. They were looking at her and Twilight with various levels of confusion and anger.

"Come on in girls." Twilight said. "It's okay. Rainbow and I have had a long talk and, together, we've got a few things to say to you about why she acted the way she did." She placed a reassuring hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. Dash looked up into Twilight's smiling, encouraging face. The mare nodded down at her.

Dash felt a very cold tremble run through her body and she turned her head to the full, cold, attention of her friends. At least, she hoped they were still her friends. "I'm sorry." She began. "I've been so confused for a long time...but not in the way I thought I was."

...***...

Dear Princess Celestia.

Love is a magic all of its own and Twilight has taught me that these last few days.
For the longest time I listened to a lot of bad advice, and let the terrible opinions of bullies and ignorant ponies sway my thoughts and feelings to the point where I changed myself and the way I acted. I became something I wasn't. I ended up hating who I really was, all because of the way others treated me.
A pony must never change the way they act, even out of fear. It can be hard to stay true to him or her self when it seems like the whole world is against you but you have to hang on and keep fighting to be who you really are.
If somepony can't accept you for who you are then they don't deserve to be your friend. I know this because I almost lost the friendship of all those who are dear to me. When I heard Twilight and my friend Applejack were in love I found myself hearing those same pieces of bad advice my so-called friends and my family had told me my whole life. I found myself hating them. I thought my beliefs and opinions were right. I couldn't have been more wrong.
Twilight helped me see that my hatred of marosexuals was really me hating myself. The more I tried to deny who I was the angrier and more bitter I became to others. I ended up repeating the same things those terrible bullies used to say to me and, even worse, I found myself believing them too.
No matter what happens to you in your life, no matter what you do and what you face, I've learned, thanks to my friends, that you must always be true to your heart. It never steers you wrong.
I have a long way to go before I can fully accept who I really am. I held onto that hate and anger for so long that it is a part of me. A part of who I was. I'm trying and learning every day how to leave a little bit more of it behind me.
I know that with my friends at my side lending me a hoof all the way, that long journey won't be done alone.

Your loyal subject,

Rainbow Dash.