Twilight froze, still sitting in the bath tub. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “What should we say?”

Rainbow Dash bared her teeth, barely containing her frustration. “You should know better than me, Twilight; you’re the one living with him. What do you want him to know?”

Twilight turned off the showerhead and floated some towels over to dry them both off. “Um, Rainbow’s just showing me how to preen, Spike.”

Twilight and Rainbow tensed as they exited the tub and took the towels, both hoping he’d take that as sufficient explanation.

Unfortunately, Spike had been raised by princess Celestia and Twilight Sparkle, and while he wasn’t always the brightest bulb in the room, they’d apparently caught him on one of his clever days. “Then why were you doing it in the shower? I thought the whole point of preening was to get your feathers greasy, not wash them off.”

Twilight winced. “Umm…”

Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight sympathetically. She sighed. “Come on, Twilight, he’s part of your family, isn’t he? Plus, he lives here. He’s going to find out sooner or later.”

“Rainbow, I can’t tell him what we’ve been doing. He’s only a child.”

“Yeah, he is. So maybe you should tell him the kind of thing you’d tell a child? Don’t you want him to know?”

Twilight bit her lip. “Are you absolutely sure you don’t mind the secret being out?”

Rainbow Dash smiled and shrugged. “Not all of it needs to be a secret, right?”

Twilight nodded and opened the bathroom door. She was drying her mane off with a towel, leaving Rainbow Dash to do the same. Spike looked up at the two, sensing the tension in the air. “What’s wrong? Did I knock at a bad time?”

Twilight shook her head. “No, Spike. The fact of the matter is… Rainbow Dash has something to tell you.”

Rainbow took a step back, startled. “What? Me? Don’t you have something to say?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Well, we both have something to say, but I think it would be best if you said it, Rainbow.”

“Is either of you gonna say it? Because I’m kind of confused now, just saying.” Spike scratched his head.

Rainbow stepped forward to face the baby dragon. “Well, Spike, what Twilight is trying to say, what we are trying to say is… we were in the bathroom together because we were taking a shower together.”

Spike stared up at the mare. Twilight nodded in agreement. “And we were taking a shower together because… the two of us are together.”

Spike stared at them for a moment. “So you two did a workout together, and you were washing off the sweat. Why are you making a fuss about it, then?”

Twilight gulped. “Well, we were doing some vigorous physical activity, sure, but that’s beside the point. The point is we decided to shower together because we are together. You know, together together.”

Spike finally realised what they were saying. “Oh, so you two are dating now?”

Twilight chuckled nervously. “You might say that. We haven’t done that much together because we want to keep it a secret, but we are a couple.” She wrapped a wing around Rainbow’s neck and pulled her closer. “We are... in love.”

Spike pursed his lips, no doubt trying to get his head around it. “So you’re in love with Rainbow Dash, and Rainbow Dash is in love with you? And neither of you remembers any spells going wrong or drinking anything that tasted funny?”

Rainbow nodded. “It’s not magic, and it’s not an accident. It’s for real, like, seriously. We hung out, we found out some stuff about each other, and we decided we like each other a little differently than we thought. It just happened, and now we’re kinda together, kinda figuring things out. Are you okay with that?”

Spike grimaced. “I don’t know, Rainbow Dash. Does this mean I have to clean up after you, too?”

Rainbow Dash looked away wistfully. “Wow, I hadn’t thought of that. A personal assistant is pretty tempting.”

Twilight shot her sexual pet a stern glare.

Rainbow flinched and flashed them both a nervous smile. “Umm, no, Spike, that wouldn’t be fair. I do my own chores. I won’t ask you to clean up after me, and I’m not gonna tell Twilight to tell you, either.”

Spike kept his eyes on the floor, taken aback by the news. “So are you going to live here, then, or are you moving out, Twilight?”

The two mares looked at one another, before facing Spike again. “Honestly, we haven’t thought that far ahead yet. We’re just taking it one day at a time, see what happens,” Twilight said.

Spike gulped. “But… you’re not just gonna abandon me, are you?”

Twilight let go of Rainbow Dash and grabbed Spike for a hug. “Of course not, Spike. I’m not going to abandon you.”

“Neither am I, just so you know,” Rainbow Dash attested. “I’ll still be around if you need me for anything.”

Spike scratched his left arm, something Twilight had learned was a cue he was upset, but hiding it. “Then why does this feel so weird? Why do I feel like I’m losing something here?”

Twilight looked away and sighed. “Well, I guess that’s because me and Rainbow Dash are going to need time alone sometimes, and that means you’d have to be out of the house, or I’d leave the house and not take you, just like I have a few times already for other things. But I’m not going to force you, or make any demands.”

Spike went forward for a hug and squeezed Twilight’s neck slightly. “So you’re not gonna get rid of me?”

Twilight rubbed his head to calm him down. “No, Spike. I know I can trust you to respect my privacy, and I’m still going to be there when you need me. If you need somepony to help weigh the dough for a gem cake, or to help carry your stones, or to tell you you look ridiculous when you’re trying out a new outfit, I’ll still do it. And I’ll still need you to tell me I’m spending too much time in the books, or getting worked up over nothing, or when I’m forgetting something.”

Spike's grip loosened once the scare was over. “And then you’ll just keep going instead of listening to me.”

Twilight snickered. “Exactly. Only now there will be two of you looking out for me, and I might listen to one of you. Once in a while.”

Rainbow Dash winked at the dragon. “I don’t think I’ve got the same authority you do, though.”

“So… nothing’s really gonna change?”

Twilight sighed again, not wanting to trip over her words. “Not for you, no, nothing important. A few small things might change, but none of them involve getting rid of you, or me leaving, or you being any less precious to me than you are. I just… found somepony I love, is all.”

Spike withdrew. “Does that mean you’re going to get married, then?”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “You’re not bothered by Twilight marrying another mare?”

Spike shrugged. “Why would I be? Hey, if she does, she’ll never get to tell me I don’t have a chance with a unicorn.”

Rainbow nearly burst out laughing when she heard that familiar and patented Twilight Sparkle groan of defeat. Twilight glared at him, then rolled her eyes. “I suppose that wouldn’t be entirely fair of me, no. Nice to know you’re so open-minded about it, Spike.”

“No problem, sister. But err, you still didn’t answer my question. Are you getting married?”

Twilight looked back at her friend, her hypnotic subject, and sexual pet. ‘Lover’ was somewhere on the list, ‘spouse’ hadn’t quite made it through the registration process yet. “I’m not sure. We haven’t been seeing each other for that long yet, it’d be a little sudden, no?”

“Yeah, way too sudden. This has only been going on for a few weeks, we haven’t really gotten a chance to get to the practical stuff.” The practical stuff that doesn’t involve fetishes, at least.

“Just checking.” Spike extended a claw to Rainbow. “In the meantime: welcome to the family, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow grinned and shook that claw. “Thanks, Spike, I think I’ll fit right in. And my parents will like you, too, trust me.”

Twilight nervously cleared her throat. “Speaking of which, Spike, would you mind keeping this under wraps for the time being? We’re not quite ready to make this public yet. I mean, most ponies think we’re both straight. It’d be a bit of a shock, and possibly embarrassing.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. Ponies used to think I’d turn into a girl when winter came around.” Spike shuddered at the thought. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

“Are you sure you can do that, Spike? It’s a pretty big secret, and Rarity might start asking questions.” Rainbow took the towel off Twilight and tossed it in the hamper.

Spike prodded his chest with his thumb. “Hey, this is me you’re talking about, remember? How long did it take Rarity to hear Twilight had a brother? And that she had a princess for a foalsitter?”

Twilight grinned. “He’s got you there, Rainbow.”

Spike grinned in kind. “Besides, nopony even knows about the broom incident, either.”

Rainbow leered at Twilight, who immediately began to blush. “What broom incident?”

Twilight caught her breath and looked up at the sky.

Trees. Trees everywhere. Air. Fresh air. Did I zone out for a bit? I feel like I’ve been here forever. How did I get here? Where am I?

“Twilight?”

Applejack. Sweet Apple Acres. Bucking apples to get the hang of Earth pony strength. Oh, Applejack, why didn’t I come here sooner?

Goodness, what time is it? I really need to get out more. I can’t even remember last time I saw Fluttershy. Focus, Twilight, focus. You’re here to do good, honest work, and clear your head. Well, your head’s feeling empty as it is, you just need to get the work part done right.

Twilight gave the apple tree another buck, throwing her full weight into it this time.

“You all right there, Twi?”

Twilight looked back at Applejack. “What? Oh, I’m fine.”

Applejack walked over and bucked the tree next to Twilight’s. “You sure? You’re lookin’ mighty distracted today, you know. Maybe you were cooped up for too long.”

Twilight nodded and wiped her brow, before looking at the tree behind her. Three bucks and she had barely gotten half of the apples to fall off. Clearly, of all the alicorn abilities she’d gotten, Earth pony strength had been the one she was least in tune with.

Still, the physical exercise did wonders to clear her head. She yawned. “I think I was, Applejack, way too long. It’s nice to be back in some fresh air, get my head out of the books.”

“Too right. Everypony needs a break sometimes, even you.”

Twilight nodded and lined up for buck number four. With Rainbow Dash off for her evaluation and Spike off helping the Cutie Mark Crusaders with something she gathered involved hang gliders, a day alone in the library just didn’t strike her as appealing, not anymore.

That didn’t do anything for her aching loins, though. The fresh air seemed to make her arousal more intense than usual. Calm down, Twilight, you already had Rainbow Dash yesterday. No need to get greedy. “Yup. Summer’s over halfway done, after all. I need to make sure I’m in shape for the next Running of the Leaves.” And to make sure my legs can hold Rainbow’s head in place when we get to the more exotic poses. Maybe I should return the favour, though. The books do say a good dominant looks after their pet. I should look up how to use my tongue, too, just to be sure.

Applejack chuckled, already going in circles around Twilight’s tree. “I see. Lookin’ to impress anypony in particular?”

Twilight nearly missed her next buck, but she caught herself and finally got the last of the apples down. “Umm, no? What makes you say that?” Oh, Spike, please tell me Applejack didn’t make you tell her. Wait, what am I worried about? He only found out yesterday, there’s no way he could have told her. Then again, there’s no telling who else already found out.

“Oh, just the way you’ve been hanging around Rainbow Dash all conspicuous-like, and the way she’s been prettying up. She looks younger now, don’t you think?”

Why, yes, sex magic may have a rejuvenating effect, but it’s not cosmetics I’m going for. “Really? I can’t say I’ve noticed.”

“Oh, come on, Twi. You really mean to tell me there’s nothin’ goin’ on with you two?”

Twilight felt her wings bunch up. She trotted over to the next tree and gave it a hard buck to get the apples down, but that didn’t distract Applejack at all. “No, honest. Why would you think anything’s going on?”

Applejack glared at Twilight. “Pinkie Pie’s Pinkie Sense went off when you two went shopping for books.”

Twilight Sparkle had never quite understood where the expression ‘my heart sank’ had come from. Always literal-minded, she’d thought it a silly notion that hearts could just detach from the cardiovascular system and fall in whatever direction gravity prescribed. And yet, the feeling of the blood in her head receding, her hooves growing heavy, and a weight falling straight down from her chest, all of it made her realise whoever had coined the phrase knew what they were talking about. “Well, Pinkie Pie’s Pinkie Sense is hardly reliable. It could mean anything.”

“Uh huh. Cut the act, Twilight, I know what’s goin’ on. You’ve got a crush on a certain pegasus pony, don’t you? That’s why you’ve been hanging out with Rainbow Dash so much.”

Twilight sighed and nodded, her wings unfurling with the admission of yet another defeat. “Okay, you got me. I was hoping to keep it a secret.”

Applejack got back to bucking trees. “Guess I shouldn’t ask who the lucky guy is, then?”

Lucky… guy? Seriously? “I think that might be best, Applejack. It’s a fairly recent development, and on top of sprouting an extra pair limbs it’s not exactly been smooth sailing the past few months.”

Applejack chuckled. “I’ll bet. But hey, at least you’ve got a good, strong stallion to keep ya busy. You sure you don’t wanna tell me? I might just run into him at the Running of the Leaves.”

Twilight bucked the tree again. “What makes you so sure the stallion I’d date is into sports? Or a pegasus, for that matter?”

Applejack looked away innocently. “If he was an egghead, you’d be tryin’ to impress him with even more books than usual. If he wasn’t a pegasus, you’d have swallowed your pride and gotten a proper teacher instead of going along with Rainbow Danger Dash for stunt practice. Besides that, I always pegged ya for a fan of the sporting crowd.”

How is it everypony but me knows I have a thing for athletic types? “That obvious, huh?”

“Aw, don’t feel bad about it, Twi. It’s only natural, after all: a princess belongs with a prince.”

Twilight’s ears fell flat against her head. “Right… a prince. Can’t marry a commoner now, can I?”

Applejack gave her a confident nod. “Nope. A pony princess can’t marry a commoner, so whichever stallion ya end up with is gonna be a prince. And if he’s good enough for you, he must be prince material.”

Twilight resisted the urge to groan and make a snarky comment. Her success at such wasn’t so much due to self-control as it was necessity, and she made a mental note to just say aloud everything she’d been meaning to say at that point when she was alone in the library. In the meantime, she sucked it up. “You know, I never thought of it that way. I should be looking for prince material, shouldn’t I?”

Applejack and Twilight both reared up against their respective trees and bucked. “Exactly. Can’t be too careful with pickin’ a husband.”

Twilight stopped and looked up. Just as before, about a quarter of the apples fell from one buck. She positioned herself carefully to line up her legs before trying again. “I don’t suppose you’re an expert in the matter?”

“Oh, in marriage? Sure I am. I’ve been to plenty of weddings in my day, ever since I was a little filly.”

“I don’t follow.”

“Big family, remember?” Applejack grunted and bucked another tree, neatly letting all the apples land in the buckets underneath. “One of us gets hitched, you gotta be ready for an army.”

Twilight bucked again. “Right, of course. So I guess you’ve seen a lot of different ponies… get hitched?”

Applejack looked at the sky wistfully. “Yeah, it’s always nice to see a mare and a stallion say their vows.”

Twilight tried to sound casual, but the nerves showed through her voice. I shouldn’t ask, really. But… would she? She wouldn’t. She couldn’t. “A mare and a stallion? Never a mare and a mare? Or a stallion and a stallion?”

Applejack lifted a hoof to her chin to think. “Nope, not in my family. We’re just traditional like that.”

Uh oh. She might be. “But if you knew anypony who was a lesbian, or turned out to be, you wouldn’t be upset, would you?” Twilight nearly slapped herself for saying it.

Applejack stopped her bucking and walked over to Twilight. “Twi, what are you saying?”

Oh, I should have kept my mouth shut. “N-nothing, really, I’m just curious. I mean, it almost sounded like you don’t like gay ponies.”

“Oh, that.” Applejack chuckled. “Nah, I don’t have any problem with them. I just like traditional marriage better, is all.”

Twilight didn’t press the matter any further. She just kept on bucking trees.

Applejack looked at her friend. Twilight did her best to look away, betraying her thoughts. Applejack groaned at the sight. “Look, I ain’t prejudiced, Twilight. It’s just weird for me to see a stallion kissin’ another stallion, and I can’t say I enjoy the sight as much as I do a mare kissin’ a stallion.”

“That’s okay, Applejack, you don’t have to explain yourself to me. I understand.”

The farmer stomped the ground ever so slightly, clearly annoyed. “Do you? Do you understand why?”

Twilight shrugged. “It’s tradition, right? Just how you were brought up.”

“But do you know why I was brought up like that? Why kids in our family are brought up like that?” Applejack walked closer to emphasise her point.

Twilight thought it over. “Actually, no. Why?”

Applejack motioned towards the barn in the distance. “Suppose I got married to another mare, Big Mac got married to a stallion, and Apple Bloom marries a mare when she grows up. What do you think happens?”

“You all live happy lives with the pony you love?” The princess shrugged.

Applejack smiled. “Sure. And what happens to the farm?”

Twilight fell silent. “Right. No heirs. There’s always adopting, though.”

Applejack nodded, if reluctantly. “Maybe, but I’d hate to put a child through that. Farm life ain’t somethin’ you can be dropped into, not when you’re a little kid. You have to be raised on it or work into it when you’re grown up and strong enough to handle it, otherwise the shock is just too much. And I’d know; I moved out once to live in the city, that was a huge shock for me. Doin’ that the other way around, that’s just downright unconscionable. Gettin’ married, in my family, means you try to get heirs if you can. If you can’t, no shame in admittin’ it. It’s not a big deal. If it turns out that I’ve got gay ponies in my family, so be it. But I can’t pretend it wouldn’t cause any problems later down the line.”

“I suppose that makes sense.” Twilight resumed the bucking with renewed vigour after her short break. She still looked worried, though.

Applejack wouldn’t let it rest on a sour note. “It’s just a practical thing, Twi, nothin’ more. I know some of your friends from Canterlot are gay, I wouldn’t go offending them.”

She thinks I’m worried about my Canterlot classmates. Why didn’t I think of that? That’s a perfect excuse. “I wouldn’t call them friends, per se. Mostly we just exchanged notes and tips.”

“You know what I mean, Twilight. To me and my family, marriage is something different than what it is for other ponies, but that’s just what works for us. Just because I like one thing over the other doesn’t mean I have a grudge against ponies who are the other way, any more than they do against me. Don’t worry about bringing any gay friends over: I promise if the topic ever comes up, I’ll mind my manners. I ain’t a bigot, after all.”

Twilight let off a little sigh of relief and smiled. “Good, you had me worried there for a second, no offense.”

“None taken, sugarcube. Just comes with speaking your mind and bein’ honest. As long as you’re honest, a good heart always shines through.”

“Eheh, yeah… honest. Gotta be honest, after all.”

Me and my big mouth… what am I supposed to say now?

Author's Notes:

Oh, this chapter... this one was hard. A couple of things to make clear here, because we can't have nice things:

-I don't know nor care how mature Spike is in the show, or how much it varies. What he does here is my best guess of his average default state, and what I need for the story to work. There was going to be a remark from RD saying Spike took it well, and Twilight replying Spike's brain rejuvenates itself from time to time (like a lizard shedding their skin, but with thinking), but it didn't really belong here, I felt. Rainbow's seen him march off into dragon territory and stand up to bullies who could kick his tail, and given her own past with bullies she'd probably give him the benefit of the doubt. That's not to mention she thinks him mature enough to take care of Tank when she knows that tortoise can cause a head injury.

-straight ponies are just more common in this story, that's all. If there's no reason to assume a pony is gay, no one thinks they are. And some of the more rural areas are populated with really oblivious ponies in that regard, as you have no doubt noticed.

-I don't follow the fanon that the Apple family is made up of bigots. Some people, I'm told, do. I thought a little more nuanced point of view might work. What I wanted to show here is that even if you do have a society with tolerance towards gay ponies, there are still some things that can cause problems. With all the talk about pony breeds, the idea of progeny becomes more important, too. I wanted to present a character who is not entirely okay with the notion of lesbianism, but not out of hate. That, to me, is tolerance: you don't like it, but you won't go so far as to want to eradicate it. Also, even without hate, that can still increase the threshold to coming out. The mere hint of disapproval can lead one to assume there's a bigot talking. While the extremes are best known, gray areas exist and prejudice can go both ways. But of course, this is just a straight guy's guess.

It's funny how now I have two stories with a lesbian couple that contains the moral 'you shouldn't force someone to like something'.

Please keep comments free of gaybashing or the gnawing of so-called 'holy' texts. I'm a chaoist, so to me no text is holier than the other. Except maybe cheese grater catalogues and Playling Magazine, but those are just weird.

I am aware it's a hot topic with everything going on with anti-gay laws, but please keep that debate out of this story, that's not what it's here for.