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If Honourshine is okay with that, take Moonflower aside and tell her that we want to talk about our relation. We don't know how things will turn out between us and Honourshine but regardless of that Moonflower is still very special to us. [...]
Before the night turns to morning, you compliment everyone on a game well played, and decide to call it a day.
Cerulean Drift: "You do that; I'll see you later."
You nod, and bid Cerulean Drift goodnight before walking over to the innkeeper. Once again, Honourshine sponsors the group, and rents a pair of rooms: one for you and Moonflower, and the other for herself.
Honourshine: "Let's enjoy some privacy while we can still afford it."
Moonflower: "Aww! You sure?"
Honourshine: "Hm. I wouldn't want to give Blaze a hard time if you can help it."
Moonflower: "Heeheehee... got'cha."
You climb upstairs to a hallway, and walk to a set of two adjacent doors. After wishing Honourshine a good night, you and Moonflower enter your own room, and begin to undress.
You unequip Star Hairpin and Blue Cloak of Feather Fall.
Moonflower: "I hope she doesn't feel too lonely all by herself."
You assure Moonflower that your foalhood friend keeps no better company than her own, and that she appreciates the time alone after a day like today.
Moonflower: "Oh yeah! We've been around lots'a ponies all day. I kinda feel sleepy, too."
You nod, and with your equipment safely stored in a nearby desser, you ask the young bat pony if she would like to take a quick shower together before bed.
Moonflower: "Ooh, let's do that!"
After a warm, soothing shower, you emerge from the wet room with a freshly dried coat and silky-smooth hair, and a subtle lingering taste of mint on your breath. Moonflower hops onto the bed to test its softness.
Moonflower: "You ready for bed?"
You nod, but before joining her, a thought creeps into the back of your mind. You ask Moonflower if you can ask her something.
Moonflower: "What'cha thinkin'?"
You recall that once before, back when you were injured, the young bat pony hesitated to have fun without you because she didn't want you to feel left out — the same worry she expressed about Honourshine just earlier. You tell her that you were wondering if she's ever felt left out, herself.
Moonflower: "Hmm... I don't think so! You're always super good at findin' somepony to keep me company — like Windcaller, or Basket, or even Furia that one time. I always got somepony to snuggle with!"
Curious, you ask if she minds you getting intimate with other ponies at all.
Moonflower: "Ya mean like with Honourshine?"
You wonder just how easy you are to read.
Moonflower: "Heehee! I mean, I totally get it! Sometimes you jus' wanna have some time alone with somepony ya like. And I think she likes her big brother a lot!"
You can hear the spirit of Honourshine teasing you through those words. In an attempt to ignore the sting, you try asking how that makes her feel.
Moonflower: "Well, it kinda makes me wish I had a big brother too, so we could totally—"
The part about you being intimate with other ponies, you reiterate.
Moonflower: "Oh! Heehee... I don't mind at all! I jus' think it's a bummer if somepony gets left out. But if nopony's left out, then it's all good! Unless they want to be, then that's okay too. Not me, though!"
You nod, and thank Moonflower for clearing it up for you. You then playfully ask if you should look into adding another stallion to the party, just in case.
Moonflower: "Shoot! Maybe we should'a gotten the dwarf to join us."
You share a good chuckle at that, and after glancing at the clock silently ticking on the wall, you decide to finally climb into bed.
Moonflower: "Speakin' o' stallions, did ya wanna talk to Empyrius again tonight?"
Enter a comment
I know the physical and the emotional are often intimately tied in real life, as evidenced by everyone (including me) assuming we're romantically involved. But if we take the setting's devotion to the idea of "free love" to its full, logical conclusion… does the fact that we've been loving Moonflower in the physical way the whole past month mean we love her in the "relationship" way? Well, since the love is free with no strings attached by default, no, this doesn't say anything about exclusivity, possession, or commitment.
That's pretty unintuitive to us, who exist outside this world, but at least in my interpretation, it's just something I've accepted is a difference between this setting and real life. Again, it isn't really my mental model of things in real life, but it is part of my suspension of disbelief.
Tl;dr, we can't assume we're in a relationship with Moonflower as we would understand it. Even an open one. 😮 And I'm not sure what we could offer her that would make her want to be "ours", much less "ours forever".
You are correct in that it is unintuitive; ponies with an affectionate personality will typically behave with friends of a similar mind akin to how lovers would. But to them, the distinction between friends and lovers is drawn at the intention of starting a family together, and little else. Naturally, this notion is many, many years away from our main characters' young minds.
For the players, this means that there is no one true pairing. They are free to pair up with any characters they like without fear of hurting the others' feelings, but likewise must accept that this rule applies to everyone. So rather than being given a choice of friends, they are given the choice of how to spend time with each friend. After all, those choices hinge on the roll of a dice!
Relatedly, there is the matter of whether the author is writing this to communicate whether they believe this is the way things should be — I would actually encourage you not to answer that. For one, it may not be intended to comment on anything real, and it is more of a question of reading comprehension, which is a dying art on the Internet. Though I do remember one work, Fallout: Equestria - Project Horizons, explicitly saying that this type of system is better.
I wonder if we'll see friendship magic at work. Ok, well, more than the kind we've already seen!