Love Bitingby Eyeswirl the WeirdedChaptersChapter 1: Midnight BiteChapter 2: Once Bitten...Chapter 3: Biting BackChapter 4: Bite FrightChapter 1: Midnight Bite"She bit me! She fucking bit me!!" Twilight Sparkle held her trembling, blubbering friend, freshly reverted from the terrifying bat form she thought they'd seen the last of. "Please, Prince Blueblood," she pleaded to a pony she outranked under the quiet stars, "I don't know how this happened, but I'm sure she didn't mean it!" Fluttershy, crying and muttering apologies into Twilight's fur, was likely just as traumatized by this incident as the bleeding noblepony. "Oh," he remarked, still holding a hoof to his throat as royal blood dripped from two puncture wounds despite attempts to bandage them, "she didn't mean it, my mistake, glad that's settle-ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND?!" He pointed a blood-soaked hoof at Fluttershy. "That sick monster sank its teeth in me, and you're comforting it?!" He glared at the two of them, his messy mane, tussled fur, and blood smeared on his neck and face from when Flutterbat struck only adding to what was already a more furious expression than Twilight had ever seen from him. Still, Twilight could glare right back! "She is not a monster, and your bleeding should stop in a minute." She tried for a more sympathetic tone, but seeing Blueblood, normally soft-spoken and perfectly composed, mad enough to swear, loudly, was a little unsettling. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop her before you were attacked, but with a decent unicorn doctor's help, I guarentee you won't even have any scar tissue from-" He smashed a hoof against the grass of the Royal Garden hard enough to make Twilight wince slightly as blood she wasn't sure had been from his neck splattered, followed by a stab of anger when Fluttershy shook from the sound, redoubling her sobs and choked-out apologies. "You think I care about fucking scars right now? No, my concern, besides seeing that degenerate put in a cage like the animalistic cunt she is, is not having to worry about the rest of the corrosive bitches that make up your little cabinet making their own disasters to match that one!" She knew it had to be mostly anger talking, but that was crossing a line. "Enough, Blueblood!" She hugged Fluttershy tighter, hoping it would somehow defend her delicate friend a little more from the scorn being fired in her direction. "This whole thing was an accident, please just get some medical help and let it go." He shook his head, incredulous. "Am I to understand that she's getting away with this?! Fan-fucking-tastic, friends of a princess can just do whatever they fucking like, same as the Gala, same as-" "I said enough!" They bored holes into one another with cold stares in silence for several seconds before Blueblood, letting the hoof on his wound fall away as the bandages finally seemed to do their work. Slowly letting out a breath, he turned away, walked off, and vanished into the dark, nearly-empty grounds of the Royal Garden. If any of the usual animals had been around, they made themselves scarce when the shouting started. Fluttershy cried for several more minutes, sobbing sorries until she started to calm down. Twilight did her best to comfort her, grateful to have wings with which to wing-hug (a surprisingly cozy embrace!) as she tried to figure out how this happened. Not how they got here, that was relatively simple. With a group of speakers gathering in Canterlot to talk about the roles ponies play in nature for an ecosystem awareness convention of sorts, Fluttershy had been asked to speak on matters concerning Breezies, since none could be reached themselves at this time of year and she was the best authority they could find on the matter. Twilight had thought that this was going to be about helping Fluttershy overcome a fear of public speaking, learning a thing or two herself and their friendship growing only stronger for it. While that had happened (mostly, the trick with staring at the cue cards being held up at the back of the crowd the whole time was utilized a little more than Twilight would have preferred, but progress was progress), Blueblood getting attacked by Flutterbat while out for a late night stroll through the gardens was right out of the left field. Seriously, since when did fruit bat transformation entail biting a living pony?! Well, she'd figure it all out somehow, make everything ok, it was what a princess did, and what a good friend did! Dealing with Blueblood, though, might be difficult in the future. He did have the right to not be thrilled about getting bitten by long, sharp fangs, but screaming at a pony that's trying her hardest to apologize through tears is just... She'd figure out what to do about him later, right now she needed to get Fluttershy to the room she'd been offered in the castle while the convention was going on, the same one Rarity had been offered back when she was designing that thoughtfully practical, yellow dress for her birthday. "Come on, Fluttershy," she uttered softly, "let's get you to bed." Her tears finally stopping, the she could only nod weakly in response. It was easier than Fluttershy would have believed, recovering emotionally from last night's incident, but she had managed to attend the last day of the convention without letting what had happened get to her! Closing the door to the palace suite Twilight had helped her get to after the attack, she felt proud, though it was most likely due to the constant reminders of her calling in life. The presence of animals, of those willing to give just a moment of their time to learn a little about how important they are to each other, the heart and soul of looking after the world they lived in and all it's loving creatures, had really helped put the blood and screaming out of her mind. She shuddered, Prince Blueblood's agonized cry when she bit him echoing through her head again. The first time, she didn't remember what happened when she turned into a bat-monster, but this time? Her memory was in perfect clarity of everything except when, how, or why she changed, and the images that kept coming back mainly revolved around blood spilled in the royal garden, the prince's terrified expression when she descended on him, and the scream. There were other things too, but mainly those parts, the ones Twilight had suggested she not dwell on. 'Please,' she had insisted as they stood by the hummingbird display, 'I really think the best thing for you is to enjoy yourself here. Too much stress can really mess you up, you know? I'll get to the bottom of this. Pinkie Promise.' Fluttershy held a hoof to her chest, relishing the warm feeling of having friends that cared so much about her, no matter what happened. But for now, it was probably time for sleep, as the sun had been lowered an hour ago and there was nothing else she really needed to do. At least until it was time to help wrap things up tomorrow morning and catch the train back to Ponyville late in the afternoon. Not this time. Prince Blueblood was not a humorless pony, not a perpetually sneering windigo. He could appreciate the odd shenanigans just fine, provided he wasn't tasked with cleaning it up. This was not a joke, this was not a harmless prank nor an accident of little consequence. This was not a victimless crime in which everything was neatly resolved and everypony could just move on with their lives. Perhaps the others could, but not him. Not this time. He'd ignored illegal activities before, been unable to do anything when the rules of civilized society were flouted and those responsible not brought to justice. Nopony really appeared to care most of the time because the perpetrators were usually those eccentric sorts that did something that made other ponies like them enough to let slide even the most absurd transgressions, intentional or not. A local DJ was one such pony and she hadn't even (that he could recall) saved the world before! It was no secret that Blueblood was not one of these ponies that could get away with seemingly anything, and didn't make a habit of trying. He generally believed that justice was served where it was called for. Not this time. Walking alone, as usual, through the palace after dark, he moved in the direction of the spiral staircase leading up to the room his attacker was staying in. The information was ascertained earlier in the day with the right question and the right timing to avoid suspicion. He wasn't going to hurt her, physically, that would only bring him to her level of barbarism. No, he would conduct himself like a civilized member of the Equestrian Court; shouting the viciously impertinent little bitch nearly deaf in private. Good thing the room is nearly isolated. At least, he strongly suspected it was, nopony ever came to interrupt when his parents used to bring him in there for exactly what he had in mind for the pony that got off scot free for biting him. Blueblood again felt a wash of antipathy and resentment for the way of things rolling about in his insides, thick like cold sludge. The injury was gone, yes, but the doctor's 'prescription' had been the last straw. "Gee, Your Highness," he said with a grin that made his patient wish he had a rabid bat-pony-thing at the ready to sic on him, "I know you're popular with the fillies, but you might want to tell them to ease up a little!" He hadn't even mentioned how he got the wounds, it was the first thing the doctor said. That was it; at the very least, there would be some kind of retribution, some kind of closure, friend of Princess Twilight or not. Reaching the top of the stairs, he didn't bother knocking, the swinging door eliciting a startled squeak from somewhere in the dark room. "Wh-who's there...?" He was almost surprised by how different she sounded when not snarling like an animal. He closed the door behind him, plunging the room into complete darkness until, horn glowing, he lit a candle he'd caught sight of in the moonlight. Sitting up in the bed was the trembling pony he'd come to berate. He regarded her coldly. "Fluttershy?" The slight movement of her head was somewhat obscured by the covers that had been pulled up to hide most of her face, but he interpreted it to be a nod. Blueblood smiled humorlessly. "I take it you remember me. Good, would hate to think the Element of Kindness was the sort of boor that would forget maliciously assaulting somepony in a day." "I-I didn't mean to-" "Shut the fuck up!" His face contorted with rage. Fluttershy shook, whimpering as he stepped closer. "Get up. I want to you to look me in the eye when I tell you each and every way you're a stain on the world you live in, you monstrous little bitch." To his slight surprise, she actually got out of the bed and stood facing him. "Ok." "What was that?" He asked more out of conditioned behavior than genuinely wanting to know what was whispered. She spoke much louder, which is to say, at a normal volume, looking him in the eye as asked. "I said, ok. I'll listen." He nodded, catching himself just milliseconds before saying an odd thing for the moment like 'thank you.' Instead, he took a deep breath, not to calm down, but in preparation for just the opposite. "You," he began, raising his voice considerably, "are the foulest, most freakish, most fucking despicable beast I've ever! Fucking! Seen! And I've leafed through a guide to monsters of Equestria, you're worse than a giant Diamond Dog with fleas! Do you know why?! A Diamond Dog won't bite you hard enough to draw blood itself, because they aren't that FUCKED UP!!" Oh, no, thought Fluttershy on shaky legs, this is... different, from when he was yelling last night... She tried to keep eye contact, certain that he just wanted some kind of resolution to what happened, but the way he was doing it, his face, his voice, berating her, scolding her, it was too much! Hooves bearing long fetlocks stomped a few steps closer, his target visibly shaking as she retreated into her mane again. "You're WORSE than a parasite, do you know that?! Because even they do it just to survive! WHAT THE HELL WAS YOUR REASON?! Ponies don't eat meat, extreme hunger isn't even rational here and you bit me anyway you fucking worm! No, worms don't bite ponies either, you're worse than a parasite and lower than a worm you miserable little bitch!! Do you hear me?!" From what he could see of her snout, her face was red and she was looking at the floor. He'd first thought she was crying, but staring at her for a few seconds, he could very clearly see a wide, wavering grin. This, for some reason, struck a whole new level of offense for the young prince. "And just what," he seethed, speaking in much quieter tones, "do you find so deeply amusing about all of this?" She looked up, making eye contact. The next thing Blueblood knew, he was pinned against the floor, a few yards back from where he'd stood, Fluttershy standing over him and breathing heavily. All his rage was gone now, in it's place; fear. Forehooves held firmly under hers, he could only close his eyes. "I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry, please don't bite me again!!" She half-growled something, her mane hanging down and obscuring her face again. If not for her hair being pink and well-kempt, she'd likely pull off the Ponryo look with terrifying effect. "W-what?!" Several seconds passed in silence as Fluttershy seemed to catch her breath, but didn't let him go. "I-I said, 'I'm sorry, I just can't help it.'" That ordinarily would have been his cue to start screaming for help (which would have been rather self-defeating, as he'd chosen to shout at her here specifically not to be heard), but it was spoken so softly he almost forgot she was holding him down. He opened one eye, looking up at her. "What?" "I said-" "I heard you that time, I just don't understand the statement." "Oh. W-well..." She shuffled nervously in place. "I-I, uh, th-there's a, I mean, um..." Does she realize she's standing on top of me? He cleared his throat, considerably less afraid now. "I'mamasochist!" "What?" "I-it means I really, um, k-kindof like-" "No, no, that time I just didn't hear you." "Oh. I said, 'I'm a m...M-masochist!'" Her knees started to shake, he could practically feel her blushing. He blinked very slowly. "As in, one who enjoys pain? Abuse?" By the light swaying of her hanging mane, he guessed she nodded once. Ordinarily this kind of news from a mare he'd gone to the bedchambers of late at night would evoke an entirely different reaction, but having his burning anger turned to quivering fear and flattened into confusion when he understood that she had been enjoying his shouty revenge just left the prince feeling drained. I can never quite win around some ponies, can I? He let out a tired sigh. "Get off me." "Huh? I'm not-EEP!!" She leapt backward, gaining some extra distance with quick wing movement. He sat up, eyelids feeling heavy even without the lateness of the hour. Looking at Fluttershy, she was again attempting to hide in her own mane for reasons he didn't have the energy to guess. This is no good, she thought, I was supposed to let him yell so he could feel better, not make ME feel... Well... I have to do something! And she knew what it would be. Before he could even think of anything to say, she stood up straight, shook her hair free of her face, and looked him in the eye with a serious expression. "I'm very sorry I bit you." "...What?" "I said-" "Understanding again." "Oh. I don't know why I attacked you last night, but I do know that it hurt you badly, and I'm sincerely sorry." She finished the statement with a little bow, not lifting her head again until he replied. There was a long pause. Standing up, he shrugged. "I suppose that will do, then. Does this sort of thing happen often?" "N-no, this was the first." Tired. So tired. "Good, don't make a habit of randomly biting ponies and I'll call it even, deal? Deal." He turned to leave, getting to the door before calling to her over his shoulder. "Oh," he deadpanned, "and if you'd ever like to be yelled at again, feel free to stop by any time." Closing the door behind him and carefully proceeding down the spiral stairs, he hadn't even waited for a reply, just wanting this whole thing behind him. Maybe he would just forget it. Maybe he would just let it go this time. Back in the chamber, Fluttershy hadn't moved. She stood with a goofy grin growing on her face as a rhythm grew in her chest. "Any time...?" Author's Note Loosely inspired by Batty, in that I got the idea for this story while listening to it, so credit where credit may or may not be due. Don't let the blood-soaked, screamy opening fool you, this is very much a comedy, just one that starts on kindof a dark note. Ponryo -> Onryo. What's on Onryo, you may ask? I really hope this link still works by the time you're reading this. Chapter 2: Once Bitten...Twilight sighed, defeated. "Ok Fluttershy, you can close your mouth now." She did so quickly, having felt foalish from the moment she was asked to say "aaahh." The Princess of Friendship had tried everything she could think of (well, everything she was willing to try on her fragile friend) to learn how and why Flutterbat returned to terrorize the night and none of it brought her any closer to the truth. It was the Pinkie Sense all over again! "I'm sorry, I just don't know what caused your transformation." Or what caused her to bite Prince Blueblood, which caused him to emit a blood-curdling scream. I even double-checked the definition of curdling; to congeal, and seeing as how my heart stopped for an entire three seconds, I think that's pretty close to the mark! Fluttershy smiled her usual, gentle smile. "Oh, it's ok Twilight, I know you're trying your best. I haven't had any weird feelings these last two days, not even cravings for apples, so I think I might be ok." "For now," Twilight conceded, "but you were fine before, too." Butter-yellow ears folded back, Fluttershy's head lowering as she looked at the floor, inadvertently making Twilight feel a little guilty. She managed a sympathetic smile, patting the oddly-afflicted animal lover on the back. "I'm sure everything'll be ok, I'm just a little concerned, you know?" Looking at her, Fluttershy nodded, again feeling the warmth that came with being loved. "The convention is just about over, you did a great job helping to wrap up the displays and answer questions. Why don't you take the rest of the day easy? We'll catch the train back to Ponyville in the early evening and be home a little after dark, ok?" Glancing out the window of the room she'd been staying in since the convention started, she figured it was still very early in the afternoon and nodded to Twilight. She had several hours before the train left, which might be enough time to work up her courage... It was probably a good thing very little of Blueblood's work needed doing as soon as possible, as it meant sleeping until noon after having stayed up until late in the night would have little consequence. Still, Equestria's bureaucracy demanded dedicated attention, every form filled out properly, every stamp and signature in the right place, which took time. He was sure many an hour was saved by the spells he used to keep a perfect, pristine appearance each morni-well, afternoon in this case. Finishing the zoning amendments for Appaloosa, he decided to take a walk, if only to clear his head of the mare that occasionally haunted his thoughts these last two days. There were a few ponies that left a lasting impression on him in his life, but fewer that did so with such contrast in such a short time span as Fluttershy. I suppose my real first time seeing her was at last year's Gala, but she didn't have fangs back then. And then, not even 24 hours later, she's all dignified grace and sincere apologies. It was just as he was trying to remember whether or not it was the Element of Laughter that had supposedly been the schizophrenic of their little group that he opened his chamber door and was immediately met with Fluttershy standing very close with a hoof raised. They had precisely the same reaction; hopping backward and screaming. "What are you doing here?!" cried the Princess's startled paperwork pony. Her wings fluttered nervously as she lowered her head, looking anywhere but at him. Ten minutes might not have been as much time as she would have liked to mentally prepare herself before knocking, but she couldn't just fly away and try again later. "W-well, I, y-you said, um, th-that, that I, if, uh..." She gulped, managing to look him in the eye. "I-if I wanted to be yelled at again...?" The prince blinked slowly, dumbstruck. Does this filly not know sarcasm when she hears it? "Y-you want me to... Are you quite serious?" She nodded slowly. The suspicion that this was a bad idea was louder in her thoughts now more than ever, but this was the best chance she'd ever had to meet another pony that might share her... Interests. It was possible that there were ponies with similar tastes around Ponyville, but she'd spent too many years trying and failing to even start a conversation on the matter, or even one that might eventually be derailed and vaguely brush on the matter to back out when outright given an offer. He even said he forgave me, I think. And he DID offer, right...? He could feel his brain slowing down, struggling to form a response. "I, eh, um," he cleared his throat, gesturing a hoof inwards, "c-come in, then?" She smiled a little as he closed the door behind her. "Thank you!" They stared at one another for two solid minutes, neither quite certain how to proceed, and both beginning to blush. "Uhm, s-so, uh-" "My apologies, I'm just not used to being asked so... bluntly? There's usually more of a..." He vaguely waved a hoof. "a flow to these things, perhaps, an act of sorts, motions to go through, you know?" "Oh!" She had read many a tale of this sort of encounter begun with a bit of suggestive double-talk, maybe it would help if she tried? Emulating one of her favorite personality types as she had hundreds of times in private fantasies, Fluttershy quickly pulled a lock of pink mane over one eye, puffed her feathers out just slightly with her wings at her sides. Raising her snout to the typical degree used by haughty noblemares, she sashayed in Blueblood's direction, voice as husky as she could manage. "Good afternoon, Lordship. The constable says I've misappropriated funding from the governor's office one too many times, and sent me here for... Discipline." The prince, watching in a slight daze, could only think that he was doing paperwork maybe five minutes ago. Now he was part of a... Whatever was going on here with a very pretty mare. He couldn't help a light shudder as she strode closer, breathing into his neck. "Please," she nearly whispered, wiggling her flank where he could see it, "punish a bad filly?" And then he laughed, for longer than what might have been strictly necessary. By the time he was able to speak again, Fluttershy was covering her face with both forehooves, trying to will herself to sink through the floor out of sheer embarrassment. "Y-you," he managed, still rolling on the floor, "you ridiculous, pfffhahahahahahahahahaha!!" Getting to his hooves, he couldn't repress a wide grin. "You were doing alright there, but 'punishing a bad filly' is something of a different act, don't you think?" She let out a series of high-pitched squeaks. After a short silence, he managed to regain a calm face. "Hello?" There was a pang of quiet guilt when her only reply was light trembling. "Uhm, y-you were, uh, that was-" he heard her sniffle and immediately knelt down, "Look, I'm sorry, please don't cry. It's just been something of an odd couple of days and your performance caught me off guard, I'm sure it hasn't been easy coming in here to talk about this kind of thing like you did, mocking you for it is horribly insensitive, and..." She peeked out from under her mane, delicate, cool-blue eyes making him flinch. He looked away with a hint of a blush, voice quieter than she'd ever heard it. "I didn't mean it." "Hm?" She wiped away lingering tears with a hoof, hesitant to reply. "I-I'm sorry, didn't mean what?" He glanced in her direction. "When I called you a monster? I didn't mean it, and I'm sorry." Thoughts of absurdity in regard to the jarring shift of his and her positions quietly danced in the back of his head, but he didn't mean it any less. The not-meaning-it part, that is. Her eyes widened, blinking a few times in surprise as she rose to her hooves. "Oh, th-that's ok, I mean, I really shouldn't have-" "No, no," he cut her off with a hoof motion, "I was letting anger and pain talk, content to heap scorn upon the one who had hurt me without a second thought, which, while cathartic, is wrong." He sighed, ears drooping. "Actually, that's something I seem to do quite a lot." "...Heaping scorn?" "N-well, yes, but general cruel, insensitive things, like shouting the ears off those that annoy me? It's..." He shrugged lightly. "Easier, you know? Somepony proves aggravating, you get cross with them, they get angry right back at you, you exchange harsh words for a few minutes, and part ways, possibly never seeing that pony again. It might not be the right thing to do, I know, but it happens and life goes on for all involved, wax on, wax off." He gave Fluttershy an uncertain look when he noticed she was frowning. "And, that's probably a little antithetical for you, isn't it?" "E-excuse me?" He nodded once. "The idea of getting well and truly upset with somepony, Element of Kindness and all? Everypony is told the right thing to do, keep a cool head, forgive and forget, but seeing it in practice?" No longer looking directly at her, he seemed almost ashamed. "Not as... employed, as perhaps it should be, I'll admit. I didn't make the slightest effort to restrain my anger the other night, and I'm sorry." She smiled sheepishly. "I-it's fine, considering..." "Hm?" His eyes widened in recognition for an instant. "Oh, that's right, you happen to enjoy being shouted at. On that note, did you come here specifically to have me wind you up again?" Her face practically glowed. "N-n-no! I didn't, I-I mean, well, I-I did, but it was, uh-" "Honestly, using an-" he smirked, draping a forehoof over his head in mock hurt, "innocent, pure-hearted soul like myself as a catalyst for your dirty thrills. For. Shame." "I-I-I-I-I-" "You just couldn't help it?" She quickly hid her face under her forehooves again. "I'm sorry!" In a combination of having already vented as much frustration against this pegasus as he'd felt he'd ever want to, not wanting to make her cry again, and her bashfulness proving to be oddly endearing, Blueblood opted to try pushing her buttons in a way she might actually prefer. "Well, what can I do? You said yourself that you're a raging masochist, so more yelling would lead us back where we started. I suppose the same is true of a spanking?" "Meep!!" Her rump having been in the air since covering her face, she immediately flattened as much of her body against the floor as possible. Chuckling, he approached and sat on his haunches beside her. "You know, I'm reasonably familiar with the branch of bedroom activity that involves ropes and crops, but I've never seen a pony that pounced on another because being scolded pushed them into an animalistic lust." Use of a gentler tone seemed to have a drastically different effect than reducing her to tears, judging by her reactions. This filly was damn cute when she wasn't snarling and biting! "Still," he said with a devilish glint in his eye, "I am an experienced gentlecolt with a variety of skills, so if I were ever to meet such a pony, perhaps I could make use of them." Fluttershy dared to peek out from under her hooves, her eyes betraying a hint of eagerness. He looked away, grinning. "It's a shame I don't know anypony that enjoys verbal abuse, the sting of faux-leather on their most sensitive regions, or being bound and gagged tighter than the fur on their skin-" he looked down at her, her chin still on the floor, "-do you?" She visibly shook, blushing furiously. "I do..." "What was that?" She gulped, heartbeat steadily quickening. "I-I do!" He was still smiling deviously. "I'm sorry, do what?" "I-I, uh... I l-like to, I-I'm a-" "Louder." "I'm a masochist!" "Louder!" "I'm a masochist!" Blueblood grinned ear to ear. "Louder!" She stood up, clenched her eyes shut, and shouted. "I'M A MASOCHIST!!" Silence. Slooowly opening one eye, she saw him lying on his back, blinking in surprise. I don't care how the saying goes, her bite was MUCH worse. "Right," he uttered, sitting up with something of a sheepish grin, "I think I may be able to assist..." A little while later, Princess Celestia popped her head in the door. "Good afternoon Nephew, do you ha-eek!" She very quickly jumped back and shut the door, blushing furiously. Oh, my, she thought, badly wishing he'd hung a tie on the doorknob or something, whatever ponies did to that effect these days, suppose I can ask if he has those papers for Appaloosa later... Trying to keep as much regal poise as she could manage while walking away, the Princess of the Sun wondered if it was some kind of exercise regimen or the ropes that allowed Blueblood's partner, of whom she only caught a brief glimpse in the darkened room, to be that flexible... Some time later, Prince Blueblood again sat at his desk, filling out the paperwork that kept Equestria running in between stray thoughts of the filly that was cleaning herself up in his shower. They both agreed that it would raise certain questions the shy pony might never be ready to answer if she were to walk out of his chambers looking... Unkempt. Just last night, he'd wanted little more than revenge against her, and while their interactions while she was tied to the bedposts looked painful for her, it wasn't quite what he'd had in mind. Suppose if I were truly inclined on her downfall, I could just share recently uncovered secrets, she seems especially susceptible to humiliation, but... He sighed. She made it clear she was sorry even before coming in here, I'd have to share how I learned it in the first place, and I'd be betraying the trust of somepony that apparently struggled greatly in the admittance. The last one would have to be the cruelest thing he'd ever done, which was why he wouldn't do it. Besides, he thought as Fluttershy stepped out of the washroom, looking and clean and presentable, Auntie says revenge is a hollow victory anyway. She approached him, her mane still damp and her cheeks still rosy, smiling contentedly. "Thank you for, um, th-the-" He couldn't resist a smirk. "I'd say the pleasure was all mine, but with some of those noises..." Her blush grew ten-fold, as did her grin. "A-anyway, I, uh, i-it's been nice." She averted her eyes, glancing around the room before taking a few steps toward the door, stopping, and looking back at him. "If, um, i-if you're ever in Ponyville..." She lowered her head, what he could see displaying a disarming smile as she whispered. "Feel free to visit me?" And then she sped out, opening and shutting the door very quickly, but somehow not slamming it. "Hmph." If I'm ever in Ponyville, she says. As if I'd ever visit a hovel teeming with disaster just to see-wait. He glanced at a nearby table, one of the ones he usually stacked papers on. There were forms that needed updating ten years ago regarding an amendment to the trade laws of the gemstone industry, to be signed by the mayor of Ponyville. I've been meaning to send somepony, but it hasn't been, and still isn't, important enough to really bother with... He grinned to himself, levitating the paper from the bottom of a stack. "If I'm ever in Ponyville, eh...?" Author's Note It probably shows, but not being sure how to start a sex scene is one of the reasons I don't write full-on clop. Still, relationships have to start somewhere! Blueblood never calls Celestia "auntie" in the show, on account of never speaking to her, but as most people that don't despise the character (myself included) might've grown to feel that way reading Best Night Ever, (the groundhog day loop fic) in which he does, I'm guessing it stuck from there. Early on, at least. Maybe? Chapter 3: Biting BackOn the train back to Ponyville, Twilight couldn't help thinking something was amiss. Did she forget something at the castle? No, everything was where it should have been in her saddle bag, organized alphabetically and by size and/or convenience of not needing to shuffle things around too much, was there something she was supposed to do? No, everything on the checklist for this trip was checked and double-checked, especially making sure to check everything herself with Spike having remained home. She could have sworn he'd done a good job with Owlowiscious and the rest of her friends' pets, but when she mentioned that the convention would primarily focus on animals, he became really insistent that he stay behind and polish the crystals (which was a LOT of the place!) in her new castle. She really hoped he wasn't eating the walls or anything. That reminded her, she'd have to get back to the map project she'd started to navigate the place easier (why did her new home have to be so BIG?!) once they returned. Or maybe in the morning, when she'd had some time to contemplate whether the Tree of Harmony had somehow badly miscalculated her body fat content and decided to house her accordingly. Discord had only made that joke once, but she started to wonder... Regardless, something felt weird. She looked to Fluttershy sitting next to her, whose expression, though smiling, was just... off, somehow. "Hey, Fluttershy?" She jumped, startled. "Y-yes?" "Are you ok? You look just a little bit..." She drew a hoof to her chin looking for the right word while simultaneously trying to riddle out whether her friend's fright had more to do with the perceived off-ness, or that it had gotten dark out while they were on the train, meaning they'd be walking home a little longer after nightfall than initially anticipated. Fluttershy, meanwhile, eyes locked on Twilight, started to sweat. Can she tell?! I was sure I got good and clean, I-OH NO! Are there rope marks?! Even if I didn't have fur to cover up, nothing should be visible by now, what if- "A-ha! I've got it!" Pleasedon'tsayitpleasedon'tsayitpleasedon'tsayit! "You went to the spa!" Blink. Twilight giggled. "You go once a week with Rarity, right? I always kinda thought it was more to spend time with a friend, but I guess you'd need it after all that happened. That's why you look so peaceful!" Fluttershy smiled sheepishly. "...Y-yes, that's it exactly!" Twilight nodded, smiling herself. "I'm glad you could get past what happened with Blueblood. With any luck, he'll forget all about it too." Not noticing Fluttershy's increasingly flustered look, her thoughts returned to her giant, crystal tree-house. Wait, the Tree couldn't have misread my weight, my chair in the meeting chamber is normally-sized! Ha! Take that, Discord! Armed with that data, she'd have between now and the next time she saw him to think of a sufficiently witty comeback. The next morning, in the throne room of Castle Canterlot... "Urgent business?" "Well, not urgent, I suppose, but well overdue, don't you think, Auntie?" Celestia sat looking over the changes implemented to gemstone trade laws around a decade ago. There wasn't much need to get it signed by Mayor Mare due to the lack of much activity in the gemstone business around Ponyville, Diamond Dogs thought to occupy the area thickest with jewels to be dug up, but she supposed not having it filled out technically meant they'd be ignoring a hole in the boat, so to speak. "It would seem so, Nephew. Whom did you wish to send to get it signed?" Blueblood smiled a little. "Actually, I think I'll go myself." There weren't a lot of ponies in the throne room at that time, but Celestia was pretty sure even the guards at the door turned their heads in shock. "Um... To Ponyville?" He nodded. "You tell me all the time that it is not a-" She couldn't help a faint, amused grin. "Filthy, run-down den of madness, a town-wide asylum dedicated to the preservation of inanity and bad ideas?" It was a rare moment that she'd seen him looking the tiniest bit abashed about something. "Y-yes, that. It occurred to me that if I never actually go out and challenge that assertion, I'll never really know, and it won't be a long trip, a day at most. What's the harm?" It was also a rare moment that she had to bite her tongue to keep herself from saying or doing something unwise, like loud laughter followed by a list of possibilities in order of likeliness and potential for bodily harm. Twilight wrote her one once. Still, as this was a golden opportunity to get perhaps the second or third stuffiest still-living pony she knew to give a humbler town than his own a try, she wasn't about to ask questions. She smiled warmly. "Very well, take care, Nephew." As he headed out, she pondered what she'd witnessed the other night, keeping a perfect Princess of Equestria mask the whole time. Ropes. They were using ropes. Is it an earth pony thing? Is that why- A number of thoughts clicked in her head at once as she again fought the urge to grin. She saw him with a mare tied up in an extremely racy way, he suddenly had the urge to visit a farming community, and... One of Twilight's friends was known to be good with a lasso. Had Applejack come to the recent convention too? Maybe to speak her piece about trees, particularly those that produced food, possibly meeting Blueblood in the process? Now she did grin just a little, trying to imagine how a romance between the prince and the apple farmer might play out if he grew to like her for more than the physical aspects of their apparent relationship. She whispered. "Good luck, Nephew." "Indeed," said a voice at her side. Suddenly aware that she wasn't alone, Celestia turned to her aide. "Hm?" Raven smiled. "You said 'good luck', right? If he's going to Ponyville, he may need it." The alicorn kept her voice gentle, but firm. "Ponyville isn't visits-from-Cerberus and Party-Pony-silliness-competitions all the time." Now Raven frowned a little. "Do you remember the time it was overrun in fictional characters because of a magic worm?" Twilight had written to her about that. "Yes, but-" "And the time that a pony wielding dark magic encased the entire area in a fishbowl?" "Trixie was from out of town, so I think it-" "I heard once," she said in complete deadpan, "that the Element Bearers were sucked into a comic book." "They were in the old castle when that happened, which is technically in Everfree, so-" Raven was one of few ponies brave enough to take a stern tone with her. "Princess." Celestia smiled sheepishly. "He'll... He'll be fine?" Raven sighed. "I certainly hope so." There was a long pause, the alicorn raising an eyebrow inquisitively at the sentiment. "Raven?" She's a unicorn, but still... "Yes, Princess?" "Are you at all skilled with ropes?" She blinked, confused. "R-ropes?" Celestia looked away. "Nothing, nevermind!" Come to think of it, Raven didn't look the least bit uncomfortable when Blueblood was present, so either there was nothing going on there or she had a truly formidable poker face. Raven scratched her head. Royalty could be so weird sometimes! Having gone straight home after arriving in Ponyville, Fluttershy hadn't seen much of anypony but Twilight since they got back. As such, it would be nice to see her friends again at the little get-together organized by Pinkie Pie to celebrate the nature convention's conclusion. As with the Going-Away-But-Coming-Back-In-Like-Three-Days party held before they left (Pinkie had such an easy time with names), it'd be taking place in Sugarcube Corner. Very gently pushing the door open, she peered through the crack to immediately find a large, black spot circled by a blue ring. It almost looked like- "HI, FLUTTERSHY!!" The door swung all the way open with the booming sound of Pinkie's greeting, startling Fluttershy considerably. "Oh, goodness! You st-" Pinkie grabbed a foreleg with her own. "No time for that," and lifted her through the air to bring her to the table the rest of her closest friends had gathered around, "gang's all here!!" They all smiled at her. "About time you showed up!" "Mornin', Sugarcube." "Hello, Fluttershy." "Good to see you, Darling." She smiled back. "Good morning, how is everypony?" Conditions, temperaments, and some other small-talk was exchanged before everypony was seated with a plate of waffles. "So," began Rarity, "how was the convention?" Fluttershy grinned. "Ohh, it was wonderful! The squirrels, the dogs, the cats, the parasprites, the elephants (well, it was really just the one, but still), the birds, the fruit bats the-" She froze, her mouth hanging open and eyes wide as she involuntarily recalled her first meeting with Blueblood. Before her mind could drift to the second or third, Applejack's waving hoof caught her attention. "You okay there, Sugarcube?" She and the others looked concerned, Twilight most of all. Fluttershy forced a perfect replica of her normal smile. "Oh, yes, I'm fine, thank you. How is the vampire fruit bat sanctuary doing?" Applejack scratched her head. "Kinda hard to tell. Them critters only really move around when Ah'm fast asleep, but most of 'em are keepin' to themselves..." As the details of the fruit-bat behavior over the last few weeks were shared, Fluttershy smiled a little more genuinely, though she noticed Twilight still giving her a worried look. The party was winding down. Fluttershy took a drink of punch as she watched Rarity give Rainbow and Pinkie blindfolded waltzing lessons, Applejack setting the mood with the most eloquent banjo-playing she could manage. It was a compromise between trying something new and pin-the-tail on the pony, but it looked like they were all having fun anyway. "Got a minute?" She turned to see Twilight, who looked just a little concerned, her voice quiet. "I just wanted to say that it's okay to still be a little rattled after what happened, and I'll be checking up on you every now and then until we know what caused the transformation. Okay?" Smiling a little, Fluttershy nodded. "Don't worry," she whispered, "I'll be sure to... um..." She scratched her head. "W-well, I don't know what not to do to make it not happen again, but, um-" Twilight smiled sympathetically. "I think you'll be okay. If this is the only time it's happened since the vampire fruit-bat incident, we probably don't have to worry about regular Flutterbat sightings." Unless it was a delayed reaction, a mixture of whatever remnants of the bat still lingered and Fluttershy's anxiety from when she had to speak in front of a large number of ponies, but she did that on the last day of the convention and nothing happened at all. Curious. The closest thing Fluttershy might have to do to public speaking around here is singing with the Ponytones, and they rarely get together. "Just promise you'll take it easy for a while?" She smiled a little wider. "I promise." It would be easy enough to keep, there wasn't usually a lot of reason to exert herself here in town. A little later that day, Blueblood stepped off the train at Ponyville Station. To avoid being mauled by Twilight's merry band of maniacs for showing his face in their territory, he'd come lightly disguised. Trenchcoats scream suspicious, but a long tailcoat and slightly obscuring top hat were probably fine. Then he got a good look around and remembered that Ponyville was a town of mostly-naked hicks. Regardless, very few of them gave him a second glance as he followed the map of the town he'd procured for his errands today. First stop; a tree cottage on the edge of town. I wonder how much she'll like somepony knocking at her door for slightly illicit reasons... He knocked, the door gently opening a moment later. "Y-yes, what is-" Fluttershy's eyes practically grew to the size of dinner plates before she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him -lifting his entire body and throwing him- inside, slamming the door shut. Well, he thought, lying upside down on her couch, She apparently likes it quite a lot! Leaning up against the door while standing on her hind legs, her face was crimson. "W-w-what are you doing here?!" Or not. Having been thrown into a cushy sofa did surprisingly little to addle his brain. He sat up in a more dignified position than 'landed head-first', looking around for where his headwear landed. "You said if I was ever in town to pay you a visit, did you not?" "...Oh... Yes." Spotting the hat on a nearby table, he smirked, donning it again telekinetically. "As it happens, I'm in town on business. While I'm here, however, it'd be criminal not to exercise my talent for one of the few who can appreciate it, don't you think?" Her nervous grin returned, along with about half the heat in her face from the other day. "W-well, I-I-I-I-" Her heart stopped as a knock sounded at the door directly against her back. "Fluttershy, Darling," came the slightly muffled voice of her fashionista friend, "are you home? There's something I'd like to talk to you about." She looked at Blueblood, pupils shrunk to pinpricks before leaping across the room in a manner he found weirdly familiar, picking him up, flinging him into another room of the cottage as his hat flew off again, and closing the door before racing back to answer Rarity. The second she flung open the door, a thought emerged. Wait, wasn't that the room Harry the Bear likes to read in? The second white unicorn to visit her that day smiled. "Ah, good, you are here! May I come in?" "O-of course!" Rarity gave her something of an odd look as the door closed behind her. "Uh, Fluttershy, are you... Are you quite alright? You're sweating and your mane is a little out of sorts." Eep! Despite the sudden, quick efforts of hauling a grown stallion even the short distance she did getting her blood running and making a slight mess of her hair, she forced a fairly convincing smile. "Oh, I was j-just, uh, out flying! I have to stay in shape if I'm ever needed for the rainwater gathering again." Rarity's face was mostly impassive. "I see... Well, please don't overexert yourself, especially after-OH!" Her eyes widened, the pegasus's heart stopping for a terrifying second. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about, actually! Something that happened while you were in Canterlot?" She drew a hoof to her chest, eyes full of concern. "While I don't approve of what happened, I want you to know that neither I nor anypony else thinks any less of you, we'd all understand how hard it must have been to resist that kind of influence." She knows?! Fluttershy felt herself sweating even more. But how? Not even Twilight knew! At least, I don't think she did, was it obvious? I was sure there was no sign of- Rarity looked apologetic, stepping closer to wrap her in a full foreleg hug. "There, there, Darling, everything is fine, I know you didn't mean to bite anypony." ...Bite? Something in Rarity's tone turned harsh, but it still sounded like she was trying to comfort her. "Even that lout, Prince Blueblood..." She winced. "Pardon the last syllable, Twilight tells me it was a horrible scene." Oh! Of course... She felt a wave of relief, though she'd have to find out just what the others knew later. Somehow. Fluttershy hugged her back. "I think I'm over it now, but thank you." A thought occurred to her, raising an eyebrow. "Twilight told you what happened that night?" Rarity took a step back, smiling apologetically. "W-well, I might have pried a little-" she held up a hoof, "but in my defense, when I casually asked if anything interesting happened on the trip, she hesitated and began looking anywhere but at me, a tell so obvious I'd feel dishonest if I didn't ask what it was. I do apologize if it was meant to be a private matter." Fluttershy smiled, the private matter she wanted to stay that way apparently not out in the open, at least. "It's ok." Rarity nodded. "Good, good..." Her eyes locked on something behind Fluttershy. "Uh, Darling? Why is your couch wearing a top hat?" "Huh?!" She whipped her head around, catching sight of Blueblood's hat atop her sofa at a jaunty angle. "Um, that's, uh-" The clothes-horse stepped closer, her expression calm and analytical. "It's very well-made, if a little plain, is it your-" Fluttershy quickly popped it on her head. "YES! I-I was, uh, thinking of adding something the next time I sang with the Ponytones, what do you think?" She beamed widely, emitting a tiny squeeing sound. It took nearly all of Rarity's lady-like composure not to laugh, but she did smile at the strange sort of dapperness the hat added to her shy friend. Oh, Fluttershy, you really are too adorable sometimes! "I-I think," she managed to say with only a light chuckle, "we might want to maintain a sort of uniform. Besides, I'm not sure I could convince Big Macintosh to wear a hat that didn't have at least a decade of wear and tear visible." Fluttershy nodded, glad to remove the faintly embarrassing accessory from her head. Still, if it was feeling a little silly or mentioning the hat's real owner, (or that he was in the house, most likely for scandalous reasons) to Rarity of all ponies... "R-right, I like the original outfit better anyway." Clearing her voice of residual giggles, Rarity moved toward the door. "I should probably be going now, but don't hesitate to let me know if you'd like to talk about it, or anything else, really." They exchanged goodbyes and Rarity left, Fluttershy waiting about four full seconds before speeding towards the room she'd thrown Blueblood into. The one with the grizzly bear. When she flung open the door, they were sitting calmly in chairs, Harry the Bear sipping tea, the prince speaking calmly with a smile. "-which is why I sometimes wonder what could have been, though dragons are quite a different kettle of fish to buffalo." He chuckled. "Or, fish, I suppose." Harry nodded sagely. "ROAAAR." "Indeed, Mr. Bearington, indeed." He looked over at Fluttershy, apparently just having noticed her entrance. "Ah, hello again! We were just discussing politics, would you care to join us?" She stood dumbstruck. Very few ponies seemed comfortable with Harry, fewer still engaged in his love of social commentary. Before she could manage a reply, Harry stood up, setting his teacup down. "ROAR, ROAAAR." "Oh," Blueblood said, "you need to be going? Fair enough, we can pick up with sea-ponies next time." Harry gave a low growl akin to a chuckle and left, there were some trees he wanted to scratch his back with. Fluttershy, standing perfectly still the whole time, finally managed to speak about a minute later. "Um... W-what just happened?" Blueblood seemed to take the question at face value, smiling. "I had an interesting chat with Mr. Bearington, he's quite the ursine erudite." "How did you understand what he was saying?" "He was a well-spoken individual, of course." She gave an awkward smile. "O-of course..." As they returned to the living room, he cleared his throat, smirking at her. "Now then, as I was saying..." Glancing around, Harry should have been the last animal in the house, as Angel was usually out frolicking at this time. Meeting his eyes, she turned florescent pink. "Exercising your, um... t-talents?" Blueblood put his hat back on only to tip it at her. "If the lady would permit it, of course." She smiled sheepishly. In an almost perfect reversal of events, it was Blueblood using Fluttershy's shower when they were finished, stepping out to find her brushing her mane back into line while sitting on a cushion. He raised an eyebrow. "Still sore?" She grinned contentedly. "Yes." Blueblood chuckled. "Well, good thing in this case, I suppose. I should be off now, I actually do have a bit of business in town." Fluttershy tilted her head. "Oh?" He nodded, donning his coat and top-hat once more. "Some paperwork that never got around to Ponyville's mayor. Nothing of particular importance if you don't plan to open a gemstone operation in town, but something that should probably be squared away regardless." "Oh, um, o-ok then." As he was halfway through the door, she fired something out with what little courage she had at the moment. "C-come again soon!" The look on his face as he turned back toward her, an eyebrow raised, immediately made her regret it. "Pardon?" Fluttershy averted her eyes, hastily brushing her mane over her face. "T-to Ponyville, I mean, it's a really nice town a-and, I, uh," she gulped, the rest of her statement coming out in a long squeak. "youcouldvisitagainifthat'sokwithyou?" Taking a few seconds to decipher that, Blueblood snorted, smiling a little. "If you're in need of my services regularly, perhaps I could make time, once in a blue moon." She glanced up at him, her own smile serene and heart-felt. "I'd like that." He stared back at her passively, lost for a response until he remembered the paperwork he'd supposedly come to town for. "Right, well, I wouldn't count on it, very busy and all, take care now, farewell!" And out the door he went. Alone, Fluttershy sighed a little, though her smile hadn't faltered. It would have been unrealistic to think he could come all the way to Ponyville all the time, moreso if they were to keep their meetings secret, but their... time together was nice all the same. Maybe I could visit Canterlot a few- She shook her head to cast off the scandalous idea. Even if she'd had the money for regular train-rides, there was no way she could go to a big city, alone, walk up to the palace, alone, talk to the guards, alone, and explain what she was there for, even with all the support in the world. It was as she considered the irony in that last part being the only one she could do alone, if even the guards weren't there, that Fluttershy noticed Angel Bunny, sitting on the couch and smiling at her. "A-Angel! I'm sorry, I was a little lost in thought, do you need something?" He shook his head. "Oh. Are you hungry?" He shook his head. "Oh. Then, what is it?" Angel smirked, nodding at the door through which Blueblood exited. Fluttershy felt her insides get cold. "Angel," she whispered, "h-how long have you been...?" He held up a paw and shook his head. They shared a long look as he smiled at her before putting on a tiny pair of sunglasses. "Angel?" "!" "Y-you're glad? Why is that?" "..." "About time I f-found a what?!" "!, !" "H-he is not a-" "?" "Well, yes, we did-" "~?" "A-actually, that was the second ti-" "!!!" Fluttershy again felt her face burn. "ANGEL!!" Mortified as she was about the situation, at least Blueblood had Angel's approval... Which would make two animals that she was shocked to hear actually seemed to like him. Later that evening, Fluttershy learned that Angel, one way or another, wasn't the only one among her animal friends that knew as quite a few of them gathered in the living room, all donning little sunglasses at the same time. Angel would have clarified that they were all happy that she'd finally found a mate, but she had already fainted in embarrassment. Author's Note I like the interpretation that Angel really just wants to look out for Fluttershy, even if he does it by being a foil to her in the (possible) hope she'll stand up for herself more often. Chapter 4: Bite FrightPanic! It felt like a long time since Fluttershy had resorted to that plan, but she wasn't sure what else to do right now. Rapidly pacing the floor in her bedroom, she couldn't stop the nervous fluttering of her wings, her heartbeat having been in overdrive since she picked up today's mail. Hopping over from the bed, her faithful rabbit decided to investigate. "...?" Fluttershy turned to him, trying to smile. "Oh, it's, it's nothing you need to worry about, Angel, just a little letter I got this morning." "..." She tried not to blush, with the usual result. "W-well, it's kind of a private mat-" "!" "I'm not 'frazzled', I'm just, um, well... maybe a little worried?" "?" "Y-yes, it's from him. He said he's been handling business at the castle by himself more and more often since last week, and," she glanced over at the bedside table where Blueblood's message lay open, "it sounded like he was saying he'll be in town again today!" Angel smiled. "!" Fluttershy turned a brighter shade of red. "Angel!!" It was at that moment that she noticed a red jay perched on her dresser. He chirped at her a little. She smiled sheepishly. "Ohh, it's nothing, we were just talking about-" A squirrel popped in through the window, chittering inquisitively. "I, it's, there's really nothing to-" There was a curious oinking from behind her. One after another, the room quickly filled with critters. Critters that wanted to know what the big deal was, why their favorite pony was so nervous. Fluttershy started to sweat, wondering how Cheerilee handled it when adult subjects came up in the classroom. She was about to suggest they go out for ice cream or something when Angel spoke up. "!" "..." "!, ?" "!" Taking a moment to process his speech, the other animals smiled, nodded, and collectively donned sunglasses. Blushing furiously, Fluttershy facehoofed. A good plan was one that had been thought through all the way. As such, inviting Prince Blueblood to visit the crystal castle was not a good plan. That was fine, though, because another aspect of a good plan was adaptability! Being sunk if everything didn't go perfectly was just asking for trouble, after all, so Twilight felt confident that she'd come up with a reason for the invitation she'd sent to Canterlot yesterday before Blueblood showed up. Luckily, she'd had just the thing before even sending the letter! The map project for her new home was still a work in progress, but there were certain risks with asking a baby dragon to hold a piece of paper for extended periods of time and walking through these halls by herself was... Well, that didn't matter, because Castle Canterlot's premier map pony(?) was going to be here any minute! I mean, his cutie mark is a compass rose, that could translate to finding your way around somehow, right? She'd smooth things over with Fluttershy biting him while they did something together, he'd hopefully come around and forgive her, and he and Twilight might even be friends by the end of the day! Or at least he might be a little less hostile. Princess of Friendship, she thought with a smile, that's me! She answered the door before the knocking even stopped, to Blueblood's visible surprise. That made it easier to smile. "Hi! Welcome to, uh... Welcome!" To minimize likelihood of ridicule, referring to it as the Fortress of Friendship or something equally silly was probably a better idea with actual friends. And even then, perhaps not at all. Less than amazed by the newest princess's legendary social grace, Blueblood hid a roll of his eyes as best he could by turning his head and adjusting the light saddle bag he'd brought along. He hadn't bothered with the coat and top-hat this time and nopony seemed to really take notice either way. So he had that going for him, at least. "Good day. What can I do for you, Princess Sparkle?" Title-first, last-name basis. Not a flying start. Note to self: In conversation with Prince Blueblood, steer clear of words like 'flying' on the off-chance they incite any measure of envy or a perceived flaunting of alicorn status. Keeping the smile as straight as she could, Twilight ushered him in, shutting the door behind him. "I've been trying to make a map of this place since it was, uh, built, and so far? It's been a little confusing. I was thinking you could help me map the place out. I'm due to host a pancake party here tomorrow morning, and it would help if everypony could find the dining room without getting lost, y'know? I still can't find the closet I left Transmogrification: Art of the Changeling, Volume II in on the 4th floor, or, or-" Her voice dropped considerably in volume, "-any bathroom other than the one nearest to my room..." "I see. And what makes you think I'd be able to assist?" She tilted her head a little. "You're... good at making maps, right?" He raised an eyebrow. "Why would you think that?" "Um... Your cutie mark, isn't it for-" "You called me out here with the assumption that my cutie mark could only signify prowess with cartography?" "W-well, I've always kinda thought-" There was a hint of a smirk. "Ahh, I see! With stars on your flank, your special talent must be staring off into space! No wonder you can't concentrate long enough to navigate your own home." Twilight gritted her teeth, doing her best to suppress an annoyed growl. She invited him here to smooth things over, so getting snarky right back probably wouldn't do much to dissuade him from whatever plans for revenge he might have in mind for Fluttershy. He was probably still annoyed that she'd pretty much dismissed his concerns, but what could she do? Arrest her already-emotionally-wounded friend for something that wasn't her fault? Still, she had to admit it wasn't fair to him, so if he was content with mocking her a little, she'd let him. "Yes," she said in the friendliest tone she could muster, "which is why I asked you to help me here." Maintaining a calm, unreadable grin was important for a subtle challenge to his ego. "Unless you can't figure this place out either?" He gave her a look like Rainbow Dash had given her the day she came to Ponyville, just before she'd cleared the sky of clouds in right about ten seconds, as though assessing in his head whether or not he could do it. "Hmph. We'll start with the ground floor." He started walking down the left-most hall to the front entrance. "Somepony has to have a talk with Mayor Mare about the zoning laws your castle brings up, so having a look around works for me anyway." Yes! Forcing a smile was a lot less difficult now. "Thank you very much!" This way I'll be able to find things quicker AND he might forget about Fluttershy biting him! Having shut and locked every door and window in the house, Fluttershy turned to address the reasonably large band of animals that were waiting patiently in her living room. She smiled, the knowledge that they all cared enough about her to wait as she asked warming her heart before she spoke. "Okay, this is everyone who knows about me and my, er, g-guest, from last week?" There was short-lived chorus of affirmative sounds. "Good, good. So, um, you all know your own r-respective m-m, ma-" She could do this. She was a big girl. "-m-mating habits, and, um-" But that didn't make not blushing any easier. "ponies have their mating habits too, and-" She was cut off by a short-lived applause from the critter collective, which, while she was glad they were happy for her, wasn't helping. "Haha, y-yes, thank you, uh... But, the thing is, that stallion, my guest and I, w-we don't really have what you would call a normal relat-n-no, we don't even have a relationship, we've just, um..." She took a deep breath. Then another. What she had been doing was a little outside the realm of reproductive 'mating' behavior. "W-well, have I told you all about how dolphins-" "!," interrupted Angel with a delighted little grin, "!, !!!" Once more, Fluttershy's face burned. "ANGEEEEL!!" It was nice that her animals friends weren't laughing at her, or even Angel's comment, but whooping and cheering was kind of having the same effect here. Fluttershy stood in mortified silence until they calmed down. "Angel, Blueblood is not a-wait, how did you know his name?" "..., ?" Lending an odd sort of relief to the heat in her face, Fluttershy paled. "What?" Angel hopped over to her, motioning for her to lean down. When she did, he whispered (for lack of better terms) into her ear. She immediately returned to red, brighter and fiercer than any time in recent memory. "Oh. That would explain how you know, yes..." She hadn't even realized she'd been screaming last time. That was good to be aware of now. If he really was stopping by, she would have to either wear a gag, or look into sound-proofing the cottage. But first, she still wasn't sure if he was just saying he'd be in town and that maybe he'd talk to her if they saw each other, or if it meant he'd be stopping by the cottage... for... reasons. Maybe it's a combination of both? Maybe he wants me to meet him out in town, somewhere public, yet secluded enough that nopony would see if, but they might if, if he- Fluttershy collapsed to the floor, hiding her head in her forehooves. One calming-down that involved being carried over to the couch, wrapped in a soft blanket, and given a glass of warm milk later, Fluttershy felt a little better, thanking her animal friends for their concern. She sat on the couch with many a soft critter nestled on or next to her, quietly relishing their company. Still, she couldn't stop her mind from wandering. Was his ambiguously-worded letter part of a game? Did he mean for her to get all riled up before he even arrived? If that were the case, what would happen if she didn't? Would he be annoyed if she wasn't hot and bothered from the start? Would she be punished...? But, her screams! Somepony outside might hear! The very thought of anypony in town happening by at the wrong time was so mortifying that she gently slipped away from the couch without disturbing any of her animal friends (years of practice), went outside, trotted over to the little bridge leading up to her front door, and tried to hide under it. That she could feel her hindquarters exposed to the wind only made things worse. She got out from under the bridge and dove into a patch of tall grass. Not enough! She hid in the branches of a particularly leafy tree. Still not enough! She lifted a long, flat rock and tried to hide under it, getting covered in dirt in the process. Not deep enough! No matter where she hid, she could still hear the whole world laughing at her, or watching in amazement and arousal as the prince made her his toy, doing things no decent pony would be caught doing with a look of pure, ecstatic bliss. There was so much blood in her head, she swore the tips of her hooves were starting to feel cold. She dashed over to the shed she kept the gardening tools in and grabbed a shovel, starting to dig a hole behind her cottage. It would be a deep one, and that meant it would be dark, but that was fine, wasn't it? It would give her a chance to spend some quality time with her mole friends. Moles could get by without any light at all, so she was sure she'd learn to conquer her fear of the dark to more easily give in to her fear of scathing, public humiliation. It all made sense in her head, honest. She hadn't gotten very far in digging when she noticed Angel Bunny frowning at her. She looked back and forth between him and the shovel. "?" "It's a little complicated, Angel." "..." She slumped, leaning on the shovel as she drove the tip into the ground. "Yes, I'm hiding, but-" Angel held up a little paw, then hopped away. Fluttershy sighed. She knew he didn't like it when she backed down or ran from things, but this was just too much! Just as the rational part of her brain was starting to say something, she heard the sounds of a lot of little paws on the ground. Looking around, she saw the gathering of ferrets, rabbits, squirrels, and more all smiling up at her before they started to burrow with their paws. Fluttershy could feel their love for her swell in her heart, they were helping her dig! Grinning warmly, she got back to work too! Quickly trotting through her castle alone after scouting a particularly door-laden hall, Twilight shouted out. "You said you'd wait up!" Blueblood shouted back from parts unknown. "You said you'd be back in a minute, Princess!" "It was a LONG hallway!" "MARCO!!" "PINKIE!!" "You're supposed to say 'Polo,' silly!" Blueblood sounded confused. "When did that one get here?" "I've learned not to ask." Then Twilight got an idea. The Marco-Polo game was foalish, but not a terrible way to locate one another, and there was less risk of drawing out the same parts of the castle more than once if they stuck together. She smiled. "MARCO!" Pinkie's voice came back. "POLO!" As did Blueblood's. "What are you doing?" It sounds like they're not near each other, but both are over here somewhere... Teleporting in that direction, but not seeing either of them, Twilight shouted again. "MARCO!" "POLO!" "You're really doing this?" Twilight giggled. "C'mon, Blueblood, join in! It'll be easier to find each other!" "You're a princess, dammit! You could stand to act just a little more dignified!" She just laughed a little more, teleporting in the direction of the voice. Pinkie sounded further away. "MARCO!" "POLO!" She teleported towards that voice. Blueblood sounded more distant this time, which likely meant she was between them. "That noise I keep hearing, are you teleporting?" "Yes?" "Well no wonder you can't find your way around here! Building a mental map of an area is just as important as having a physical one!" For the moment, Twilight was glad he wasn't close enough to see her face as she muttered to herself. "Oh. Right." Pinkie sounded like she was in a completely different spot now. "Hey guys, I found Spike!" Twilight opted to test long-distance sternness. "Spike? Were you eating the castle again?" He shouted back. "Ugh, no! I like my gemstones, but your castle tastes like drywall!" Blueblood sounded like he was closer now. "What possessed you to sample drywall?" Twilight could almost hear Spike shrugging. "Natural curiosity?" He wasn't shouting, but Twilight could still hear the prince. "I'm surrounded by idiots." Pinkie apparently heard that. "You're not surrounded, Blue-shoes, we're all at least a few rooms apart!" Twilight waited for the biting reply, but it only came after a long silence. "Score one for you, Miss Pie." "It's Marco-Polo, Blue's-Clues, there is no score!" "Urgh." Twilight giggled, trotting in the direction of the voices. Eventually, they finished mapping out the castle, though Blueblood had casually berated Twilight over multiple small mistakes, like not marking staircases or labeling which floor she was drawing out, things she was going to do, but just hadn't yet! Making it all the more irritating was that she couldn't really retort, though not reacting was getting harder and harder as they went. Spike and Pinkie apparently got bored and went out for ice cream at some point, Blueblood not remarking on their less-than-perfect 'diligence to the task' even once. That might have been because neither of them ever officially said they were helping with the map, but still. Thankfully, when they were finished and Twilight started copying the map to several sheets of parchment via Copy and Paste spells, Blueblood dismissed himself without much preamble, heading to the door. "Oh, by the way," he said with a smirk over his shoulder, "you really don't need to worry about your friend, Fluttershy, I'd already forgiven her for biting me before you summoned me here." WHAT. He grinned with a hint of evil delight at her expression. "Well, until next time, take care now!" He shut the door behind him. Now Twilight made no effort to hide her irritation. "RRRRGH, I hate that guy!" Still, the map was done, and it would be nice to finally know her way around the place. Marking 'You Are Here' in the appropriate places on each map, she teleported around to leave maps in key locations (Shut up, Blueblood, I'm doing it this way to save time!) as to make sure that nopony would get lost when they were invited over for pancakes tomorrow. That left her alone. In her castle. Alone. Maybe Fluttershy needed something? She wanted to pass on that Blueblood wasn't mad at her, at least. She arrived to find nopony home in Fluttershy's cottage, but noise from the other side of the house clued her in that something was going on. For some reason, Fluttershy and quite a few of her critter friends were all digging a big hole, more wide than it was deep. Goats and ferrets and pigs and more were all in there with her, furiously shoveling or clawing dirt away. Twilight cleared her throat, her face passive, but inquisitive. Strangely, Fluttershy didn't even feel the need to hide anymore, just the exertion of digging felt like it had been some kind of medicine. That she could do it alongside a pack of critters, more coming along to help as she went, was nice too. She smiled up at Twilight. "Hello, Twilight, would you like to help us dig a hole?" "Um... I-is it okay if I ask why?" Fluttershy giggled. "No real reason. Actually, we can probably stop here." She's been hanging out with Discord again, I just know it. "Right, well... Is there anything I can help out with?" Fluttershy looked around, seeing the dirt and grime coating herself and the animals that had helped her along. She smiled. Fluttershy and Twilight talked a little while giving everyone their baths, about the castle map project, Blueblood helping, "Well, that was nice of him!" "Yea. Nice..." and how he said he wasn't angry with Fluttershy anymore. Twilight headed home around the time the sun was going down, but she'd seemed a little reluctant to leave for some reason. That ended with Fluttershy trapped outside her cottage, gently pleading for Angel to open the door. "Having some trouble?" "Eep!" She turned quickly, seeing Prince Blueblood giving her a slightly perplexed look. "Oh, I, h-hi, um, th-this, I, um-" He chuckled. "Pardon my late arrival, things ran a little longer than anticipated in Mayor Mare's office. Quite the bureaucratic conundrum our newest princess's abode kicked up, but I believe it's all settled now." Fluttershy managed a smile. "Oh. Well, that's nice to hear." The new castle was very tall, too, so she'd worried Twilight would be charged for taking up air space used by the weather team or something. Then the front door swung open, a red carpet rolling out and stopping at Fluttershy's hooves, to Blueblood's visible surprise. The two looked through the doorway, seeing the carpet lead up the stairs to Fluttershy's bedroom. Angel Bunny hopped out where they could see him, smiling and wearing little sunglasses. Blueblood gave her an odd look. "I take it you got my letter?" Judging by her mortified shock, the answer was 'no'. He tilted his head. "Ehm... If I've come at a bad time...?" "N-no!" Fluttershy shook her head quickly, stepping through the doorway. "I, uh, p-please come in, I'll, tea, or, um... Do you like tea?" Following her in, he looked confused. "Doesn't everypony?" "I guess so. And, um," she made sure the door was firmly shut and locked. "d-did you bring, a, ehm-" she couldn't help turning a little rosy again, even saying it as quietly as possible. "b-ball-gag?" Blinking once, Blueblood gave her a smile that said he wasn't objecting, but... She lowered her head shamefully. "The walls have ears..." Remembering last time, he took the hint. "I'm sure we'll manage something. You know, funny story," he began as they headed upstairs, "on the way here, I was accosted by a white cat. I figured it was one of yours, but a unicorn filly with purple curls referred to it by name, scolded it for wandering off, and carried it away. Any chance you can tell me what that was about?" Pondering, Fluttershy wasn't sure how to answer. "That sounds like Opal." She decided to leave out who owned that particular kitty. "What do you mean by 'accosted'?" He shrugged a little. "Rubbing its face against my leg, doing that rumbling cat noise. Animals, so, just thought I'd mention it." He smiled deviously, producing a riding crop from his saddle bag. "And you know how I am with the right kind of animal..." For the umpteenth time that day, Fluttershy turned flushed crimson, but at least this time, it came with a smile. Author's Note Hope the sunglasses thing isn't too annoying, I hate to overuse a running gag. Cutie marks are screwy. The snowboarder guy in the season 5 premiere had, if memory serves, snowflakes for a cutie mark and his talent was apparently snowboarding. You can kinda see the logical connection, but that sounds just about as suitable for a pony that makes snowflakes in a pegasus city, and the distance between those two skills is jarring if nothing else. That's not even touching the ponies whose marks are random magic-y things, like Twilight, Trixie, Sunset, Starlight, whatever foils/shadow archtypes she may have in the future, and so on. Rarity's special talent has nothing to do with fashion, I think, but that gem-finding spell she hasn't used since... maybe the episode we learned about it? The Dazzlings had their own symbols on their clothes despite never having been ponies, and I barely know what to make of that. So, while something to do with maps or navigation was my first guess, I don't think there are rules for what cutie marks can mean. That being the case, I like to try a different talent every time I write him, in addition to a different personality. Finally, yes, Angel is thrilled to be helping his long-time caretaker get it on. It's a bunny thing. Do you have a pet bunny?
Chapter 1: Midnight Bite"She bit me! She fucking bit me!!" Twilight Sparkle held her trembling, blubbering friend, freshly reverted from the terrifying bat form she thought they'd seen the last of. "Please, Prince Blueblood," she pleaded to a pony she outranked under the quiet stars, "I don't know how this happened, but I'm sure she didn't mean it!" Fluttershy, crying and muttering apologies into Twilight's fur, was likely just as traumatized by this incident as the bleeding noblepony. "Oh," he remarked, still holding a hoof to his throat as royal blood dripped from two puncture wounds despite attempts to bandage them, "she didn't mean it, my mistake, glad that's settle-ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND?!" He pointed a blood-soaked hoof at Fluttershy. "That sick monster sank its teeth in me, and you're comforting it?!" He glared at the two of them, his messy mane, tussled fur, and blood smeared on his neck and face from when Flutterbat struck only adding to what was already a more furious expression than Twilight had ever seen from him. Still, Twilight could glare right back! "She is not a monster, and your bleeding should stop in a minute." She tried for a more sympathetic tone, but seeing Blueblood, normally soft-spoken and perfectly composed, mad enough to swear, loudly, was a little unsettling. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop her before you were attacked, but with a decent unicorn doctor's help, I guarentee you won't even have any scar tissue from-" He smashed a hoof against the grass of the Royal Garden hard enough to make Twilight wince slightly as blood she wasn't sure had been from his neck splattered, followed by a stab of anger when Fluttershy shook from the sound, redoubling her sobs and choked-out apologies. "You think I care about fucking scars right now? No, my concern, besides seeing that degenerate put in a cage like the animalistic cunt she is, is not having to worry about the rest of the corrosive bitches that make up your little cabinet making their own disasters to match that one!" She knew it had to be mostly anger talking, but that was crossing a line. "Enough, Blueblood!" She hugged Fluttershy tighter, hoping it would somehow defend her delicate friend a little more from the scorn being fired in her direction. "This whole thing was an accident, please just get some medical help and let it go." He shook his head, incredulous. "Am I to understand that she's getting away with this?! Fan-fucking-tastic, friends of a princess can just do whatever they fucking like, same as the Gala, same as-" "I said enough!" They bored holes into one another with cold stares in silence for several seconds before Blueblood, letting the hoof on his wound fall away as the bandages finally seemed to do their work. Slowly letting out a breath, he turned away, walked off, and vanished into the dark, nearly-empty grounds of the Royal Garden. If any of the usual animals had been around, they made themselves scarce when the shouting started. Fluttershy cried for several more minutes, sobbing sorries until she started to calm down. Twilight did her best to comfort her, grateful to have wings with which to wing-hug (a surprisingly cozy embrace!) as she tried to figure out how this happened. Not how they got here, that was relatively simple. With a group of speakers gathering in Canterlot to talk about the roles ponies play in nature for an ecosystem awareness convention of sorts, Fluttershy had been asked to speak on matters concerning Breezies, since none could be reached themselves at this time of year and she was the best authority they could find on the matter. Twilight had thought that this was going to be about helping Fluttershy overcome a fear of public speaking, learning a thing or two herself and their friendship growing only stronger for it. While that had happened (mostly, the trick with staring at the cue cards being held up at the back of the crowd the whole time was utilized a little more than Twilight would have preferred, but progress was progress), Blueblood getting attacked by Flutterbat while out for a late night stroll through the gardens was right out of the left field. Seriously, since when did fruit bat transformation entail biting a living pony?! Well, she'd figure it all out somehow, make everything ok, it was what a princess did, and what a good friend did! Dealing with Blueblood, though, might be difficult in the future. He did have the right to not be thrilled about getting bitten by long, sharp fangs, but screaming at a pony that's trying her hardest to apologize through tears is just... She'd figure out what to do about him later, right now she needed to get Fluttershy to the room she'd been offered in the castle while the convention was going on, the same one Rarity had been offered back when she was designing that thoughtfully practical, yellow dress for her birthday. "Come on, Fluttershy," she uttered softly, "let's get you to bed." Her tears finally stopping, the she could only nod weakly in response. It was easier than Fluttershy would have believed, recovering emotionally from last night's incident, but she had managed to attend the last day of the convention without letting what had happened get to her! Closing the door to the palace suite Twilight had helped her get to after the attack, she felt proud, though it was most likely due to the constant reminders of her calling in life. The presence of animals, of those willing to give just a moment of their time to learn a little about how important they are to each other, the heart and soul of looking after the world they lived in and all it's loving creatures, had really helped put the blood and screaming out of her mind. She shuddered, Prince Blueblood's agonized cry when she bit him echoing through her head again. The first time, she didn't remember what happened when she turned into a bat-monster, but this time? Her memory was in perfect clarity of everything except when, how, or why she changed, and the images that kept coming back mainly revolved around blood spilled in the royal garden, the prince's terrified expression when she descended on him, and the scream. There were other things too, but mainly those parts, the ones Twilight had suggested she not dwell on. 'Please,' she had insisted as they stood by the hummingbird display, 'I really think the best thing for you is to enjoy yourself here. Too much stress can really mess you up, you know? I'll get to the bottom of this. Pinkie Promise.' Fluttershy held a hoof to her chest, relishing the warm feeling of having friends that cared so much about her, no matter what happened. But for now, it was probably time for sleep, as the sun had been lowered an hour ago and there was nothing else she really needed to do. At least until it was time to help wrap things up tomorrow morning and catch the train back to Ponyville late in the afternoon. Not this time. Prince Blueblood was not a humorless pony, not a perpetually sneering windigo. He could appreciate the odd shenanigans just fine, provided he wasn't tasked with cleaning it up. This was not a joke, this was not a harmless prank nor an accident of little consequence. This was not a victimless crime in which everything was neatly resolved and everypony could just move on with their lives. Perhaps the others could, but not him. Not this time. He'd ignored illegal activities before, been unable to do anything when the rules of civilized society were flouted and those responsible not brought to justice. Nopony really appeared to care most of the time because the perpetrators were usually those eccentric sorts that did something that made other ponies like them enough to let slide even the most absurd transgressions, intentional or not. A local DJ was one such pony and she hadn't even (that he could recall) saved the world before! It was no secret that Blueblood was not one of these ponies that could get away with seemingly anything, and didn't make a habit of trying. He generally believed that justice was served where it was called for. Not this time. Walking alone, as usual, through the palace after dark, he moved in the direction of the spiral staircase leading up to the room his attacker was staying in. The information was ascertained earlier in the day with the right question and the right timing to avoid suspicion. He wasn't going to hurt her, physically, that would only bring him to her level of barbarism. No, he would conduct himself like a civilized member of the Equestrian Court; shouting the viciously impertinent little bitch nearly deaf in private. Good thing the room is nearly isolated. At least, he strongly suspected it was, nopony ever came to interrupt when his parents used to bring him in there for exactly what he had in mind for the pony that got off scot free for biting him. Blueblood again felt a wash of antipathy and resentment for the way of things rolling about in his insides, thick like cold sludge. The injury was gone, yes, but the doctor's 'prescription' had been the last straw. "Gee, Your Highness," he said with a grin that made his patient wish he had a rabid bat-pony-thing at the ready to sic on him, "I know you're popular with the fillies, but you might want to tell them to ease up a little!" He hadn't even mentioned how he got the wounds, it was the first thing the doctor said. That was it; at the very least, there would be some kind of retribution, some kind of closure, friend of Princess Twilight or not. Reaching the top of the stairs, he didn't bother knocking, the swinging door eliciting a startled squeak from somewhere in the dark room. "Wh-who's there...?" He was almost surprised by how different she sounded when not snarling like an animal. He closed the door behind him, plunging the room into complete darkness until, horn glowing, he lit a candle he'd caught sight of in the moonlight. Sitting up in the bed was the trembling pony he'd come to berate. He regarded her coldly. "Fluttershy?" The slight movement of her head was somewhat obscured by the covers that had been pulled up to hide most of her face, but he interpreted it to be a nod. Blueblood smiled humorlessly. "I take it you remember me. Good, would hate to think the Element of Kindness was the sort of boor that would forget maliciously assaulting somepony in a day." "I-I didn't mean to-" "Shut the fuck up!" His face contorted with rage. Fluttershy shook, whimpering as he stepped closer. "Get up. I want to you to look me in the eye when I tell you each and every way you're a stain on the world you live in, you monstrous little bitch." To his slight surprise, she actually got out of the bed and stood facing him. "Ok." "What was that?" He asked more out of conditioned behavior than genuinely wanting to know what was whispered. She spoke much louder, which is to say, at a normal volume, looking him in the eye as asked. "I said, ok. I'll listen." He nodded, catching himself just milliseconds before saying an odd thing for the moment like 'thank you.' Instead, he took a deep breath, not to calm down, but in preparation for just the opposite. "You," he began, raising his voice considerably, "are the foulest, most freakish, most fucking despicable beast I've ever! Fucking! Seen! And I've leafed through a guide to monsters of Equestria, you're worse than a giant Diamond Dog with fleas! Do you know why?! A Diamond Dog won't bite you hard enough to draw blood itself, because they aren't that FUCKED UP!!" Oh, no, thought Fluttershy on shaky legs, this is... different, from when he was yelling last night... She tried to keep eye contact, certain that he just wanted some kind of resolution to what happened, but the way he was doing it, his face, his voice, berating her, scolding her, it was too much! Hooves bearing long fetlocks stomped a few steps closer, his target visibly shaking as she retreated into her mane again. "You're WORSE than a parasite, do you know that?! Because even they do it just to survive! WHAT THE HELL WAS YOUR REASON?! Ponies don't eat meat, extreme hunger isn't even rational here and you bit me anyway you fucking worm! No, worms don't bite ponies either, you're worse than a parasite and lower than a worm you miserable little bitch!! Do you hear me?!" From what he could see of her snout, her face was red and she was looking at the floor. He'd first thought she was crying, but staring at her for a few seconds, he could very clearly see a wide, wavering grin. This, for some reason, struck a whole new level of offense for the young prince. "And just what," he seethed, speaking in much quieter tones, "do you find so deeply amusing about all of this?" She looked up, making eye contact. The next thing Blueblood knew, he was pinned against the floor, a few yards back from where he'd stood, Fluttershy standing over him and breathing heavily. All his rage was gone now, in it's place; fear. Forehooves held firmly under hers, he could only close his eyes. "I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry, please don't bite me again!!" She half-growled something, her mane hanging down and obscuring her face again. If not for her hair being pink and well-kempt, she'd likely pull off the Ponryo look with terrifying effect. "W-what?!" Several seconds passed in silence as Fluttershy seemed to catch her breath, but didn't let him go. "I-I said, 'I'm sorry, I just can't help it.'" That ordinarily would have been his cue to start screaming for help (which would have been rather self-defeating, as he'd chosen to shout at her here specifically not to be heard), but it was spoken so softly he almost forgot she was holding him down. He opened one eye, looking up at her. "What?" "I said-" "I heard you that time, I just don't understand the statement." "Oh. W-well..." She shuffled nervously in place. "I-I, uh, th-there's a, I mean, um..." Does she realize she's standing on top of me? He cleared his throat, considerably less afraid now. "I'mamasochist!" "What?" "I-it means I really, um, k-kindof like-" "No, no, that time I just didn't hear you." "Oh. I said, 'I'm a m...M-masochist!'" Her knees started to shake, he could practically feel her blushing. He blinked very slowly. "As in, one who enjoys pain? Abuse?" By the light swaying of her hanging mane, he guessed she nodded once. Ordinarily this kind of news from a mare he'd gone to the bedchambers of late at night would evoke an entirely different reaction, but having his burning anger turned to quivering fear and flattened into confusion when he understood that she had been enjoying his shouty revenge just left the prince feeling drained. I can never quite win around some ponies, can I? He let out a tired sigh. "Get off me." "Huh? I'm not-EEP!!" She leapt backward, gaining some extra distance with quick wing movement. He sat up, eyelids feeling heavy even without the lateness of the hour. Looking at Fluttershy, she was again attempting to hide in her own mane for reasons he didn't have the energy to guess. This is no good, she thought, I was supposed to let him yell so he could feel better, not make ME feel... Well... I have to do something! And she knew what it would be. Before he could even think of anything to say, she stood up straight, shook her hair free of her face, and looked him in the eye with a serious expression. "I'm very sorry I bit you." "...What?" "I said-" "Understanding again." "Oh. I don't know why I attacked you last night, but I do know that it hurt you badly, and I'm sincerely sorry." She finished the statement with a little bow, not lifting her head again until he replied. There was a long pause. Standing up, he shrugged. "I suppose that will do, then. Does this sort of thing happen often?" "N-no, this was the first." Tired. So tired. "Good, don't make a habit of randomly biting ponies and I'll call it even, deal? Deal." He turned to leave, getting to the door before calling to her over his shoulder. "Oh," he deadpanned, "and if you'd ever like to be yelled at again, feel free to stop by any time." Closing the door behind him and carefully proceeding down the spiral stairs, he hadn't even waited for a reply, just wanting this whole thing behind him. Maybe he would just forget it. Maybe he would just let it go this time. Back in the chamber, Fluttershy hadn't moved. She stood with a goofy grin growing on her face as a rhythm grew in her chest. "Any time...?" Author's Note Loosely inspired by Batty, in that I got the idea for this story while listening to it, so credit where credit may or may not be due. Don't let the blood-soaked, screamy opening fool you, this is very much a comedy, just one that starts on kindof a dark note. Ponryo -> Onryo. What's on Onryo, you may ask? I really hope this link still works by the time you're reading this.
Chapter 2: Once Bitten...Twilight sighed, defeated. "Ok Fluttershy, you can close your mouth now." She did so quickly, having felt foalish from the moment she was asked to say "aaahh." The Princess of Friendship had tried everything she could think of (well, everything she was willing to try on her fragile friend) to learn how and why Flutterbat returned to terrorize the night and none of it brought her any closer to the truth. It was the Pinkie Sense all over again! "I'm sorry, I just don't know what caused your transformation." Or what caused her to bite Prince Blueblood, which caused him to emit a blood-curdling scream. I even double-checked the definition of curdling; to congeal, and seeing as how my heart stopped for an entire three seconds, I think that's pretty close to the mark! Fluttershy smiled her usual, gentle smile. "Oh, it's ok Twilight, I know you're trying your best. I haven't had any weird feelings these last two days, not even cravings for apples, so I think I might be ok." "For now," Twilight conceded, "but you were fine before, too." Butter-yellow ears folded back, Fluttershy's head lowering as she looked at the floor, inadvertently making Twilight feel a little guilty. She managed a sympathetic smile, patting the oddly-afflicted animal lover on the back. "I'm sure everything'll be ok, I'm just a little concerned, you know?" Looking at her, Fluttershy nodded, again feeling the warmth that came with being loved. "The convention is just about over, you did a great job helping to wrap up the displays and answer questions. Why don't you take the rest of the day easy? We'll catch the train back to Ponyville in the early evening and be home a little after dark, ok?" Glancing out the window of the room she'd been staying in since the convention started, she figured it was still very early in the afternoon and nodded to Twilight. She had several hours before the train left, which might be enough time to work up her courage... It was probably a good thing very little of Blueblood's work needed doing as soon as possible, as it meant sleeping until noon after having stayed up until late in the night would have little consequence. Still, Equestria's bureaucracy demanded dedicated attention, every form filled out properly, every stamp and signature in the right place, which took time. He was sure many an hour was saved by the spells he used to keep a perfect, pristine appearance each morni-well, afternoon in this case. Finishing the zoning amendments for Appaloosa, he decided to take a walk, if only to clear his head of the mare that occasionally haunted his thoughts these last two days. There were a few ponies that left a lasting impression on him in his life, but fewer that did so with such contrast in such a short time span as Fluttershy. I suppose my real first time seeing her was at last year's Gala, but she didn't have fangs back then. And then, not even 24 hours later, she's all dignified grace and sincere apologies. It was just as he was trying to remember whether or not it was the Element of Laughter that had supposedly been the schizophrenic of their little group that he opened his chamber door and was immediately met with Fluttershy standing very close with a hoof raised. They had precisely the same reaction; hopping backward and screaming. "What are you doing here?!" cried the Princess's startled paperwork pony. Her wings fluttered nervously as she lowered her head, looking anywhere but at him. Ten minutes might not have been as much time as she would have liked to mentally prepare herself before knocking, but she couldn't just fly away and try again later. "W-well, I, y-you said, um, th-that, that I, if, uh..." She gulped, managing to look him in the eye. "I-if I wanted to be yelled at again...?" The prince blinked slowly, dumbstruck. Does this filly not know sarcasm when she hears it? "Y-you want me to... Are you quite serious?" She nodded slowly. The suspicion that this was a bad idea was louder in her thoughts now more than ever, but this was the best chance she'd ever had to meet another pony that might share her... Interests. It was possible that there were ponies with similar tastes around Ponyville, but she'd spent too many years trying and failing to even start a conversation on the matter, or even one that might eventually be derailed and vaguely brush on the matter to back out when outright given an offer. He even said he forgave me, I think. And he DID offer, right...? He could feel his brain slowing down, struggling to form a response. "I, eh, um," he cleared his throat, gesturing a hoof inwards, "c-come in, then?" She smiled a little as he closed the door behind her. "Thank you!" They stared at one another for two solid minutes, neither quite certain how to proceed, and both beginning to blush. "Uhm, s-so, uh-" "My apologies, I'm just not used to being asked so... bluntly? There's usually more of a..." He vaguely waved a hoof. "a flow to these things, perhaps, an act of sorts, motions to go through, you know?" "Oh!" She had read many a tale of this sort of encounter begun with a bit of suggestive double-talk, maybe it would help if she tried? Emulating one of her favorite personality types as she had hundreds of times in private fantasies, Fluttershy quickly pulled a lock of pink mane over one eye, puffed her feathers out just slightly with her wings at her sides. Raising her snout to the typical degree used by haughty noblemares, she sashayed in Blueblood's direction, voice as husky as she could manage. "Good afternoon, Lordship. The constable says I've misappropriated funding from the governor's office one too many times, and sent me here for... Discipline." The prince, watching in a slight daze, could only think that he was doing paperwork maybe five minutes ago. Now he was part of a... Whatever was going on here with a very pretty mare. He couldn't help a light shudder as she strode closer, breathing into his neck. "Please," she nearly whispered, wiggling her flank where he could see it, "punish a bad filly?" And then he laughed, for longer than what might have been strictly necessary. By the time he was able to speak again, Fluttershy was covering her face with both forehooves, trying to will herself to sink through the floor out of sheer embarrassment. "Y-you," he managed, still rolling on the floor, "you ridiculous, pfffhahahahahahahahahaha!!" Getting to his hooves, he couldn't repress a wide grin. "You were doing alright there, but 'punishing a bad filly' is something of a different act, don't you think?" She let out a series of high-pitched squeaks. After a short silence, he managed to regain a calm face. "Hello?" There was a pang of quiet guilt when her only reply was light trembling. "Uhm, y-you were, uh, that was-" he heard her sniffle and immediately knelt down, "Look, I'm sorry, please don't cry. It's just been something of an odd couple of days and your performance caught me off guard, I'm sure it hasn't been easy coming in here to talk about this kind of thing like you did, mocking you for it is horribly insensitive, and..." She peeked out from under her mane, delicate, cool-blue eyes making him flinch. He looked away with a hint of a blush, voice quieter than she'd ever heard it. "I didn't mean it." "Hm?" She wiped away lingering tears with a hoof, hesitant to reply. "I-I'm sorry, didn't mean what?" He glanced in her direction. "When I called you a monster? I didn't mean it, and I'm sorry." Thoughts of absurdity in regard to the jarring shift of his and her positions quietly danced in the back of his head, but he didn't mean it any less. The not-meaning-it part, that is. Her eyes widened, blinking a few times in surprise as she rose to her hooves. "Oh, th-that's ok, I mean, I really shouldn't have-" "No, no," he cut her off with a hoof motion, "I was letting anger and pain talk, content to heap scorn upon the one who had hurt me without a second thought, which, while cathartic, is wrong." He sighed, ears drooping. "Actually, that's something I seem to do quite a lot." "...Heaping scorn?" "N-well, yes, but general cruel, insensitive things, like shouting the ears off those that annoy me? It's..." He shrugged lightly. "Easier, you know? Somepony proves aggravating, you get cross with them, they get angry right back at you, you exchange harsh words for a few minutes, and part ways, possibly never seeing that pony again. It might not be the right thing to do, I know, but it happens and life goes on for all involved, wax on, wax off." He gave Fluttershy an uncertain look when he noticed she was frowning. "And, that's probably a little antithetical for you, isn't it?" "E-excuse me?" He nodded once. "The idea of getting well and truly upset with somepony, Element of Kindness and all? Everypony is told the right thing to do, keep a cool head, forgive and forget, but seeing it in practice?" No longer looking directly at her, he seemed almost ashamed. "Not as... employed, as perhaps it should be, I'll admit. I didn't make the slightest effort to restrain my anger the other night, and I'm sorry." She smiled sheepishly. "I-it's fine, considering..." "Hm?" His eyes widened in recognition for an instant. "Oh, that's right, you happen to enjoy being shouted at. On that note, did you come here specifically to have me wind you up again?" Her face practically glowed. "N-n-no! I didn't, I-I mean, well, I-I did, but it was, uh-" "Honestly, using an-" he smirked, draping a forehoof over his head in mock hurt, "innocent, pure-hearted soul like myself as a catalyst for your dirty thrills. For. Shame." "I-I-I-I-I-" "You just couldn't help it?" She quickly hid her face under her forehooves again. "I'm sorry!" In a combination of having already vented as much frustration against this pegasus as he'd felt he'd ever want to, not wanting to make her cry again, and her bashfulness proving to be oddly endearing, Blueblood opted to try pushing her buttons in a way she might actually prefer. "Well, what can I do? You said yourself that you're a raging masochist, so more yelling would lead us back where we started. I suppose the same is true of a spanking?" "Meep!!" Her rump having been in the air since covering her face, she immediately flattened as much of her body against the floor as possible. Chuckling, he approached and sat on his haunches beside her. "You know, I'm reasonably familiar with the branch of bedroom activity that involves ropes and crops, but I've never seen a pony that pounced on another because being scolded pushed them into an animalistic lust." Use of a gentler tone seemed to have a drastically different effect than reducing her to tears, judging by her reactions. This filly was damn cute when she wasn't snarling and biting! "Still," he said with a devilish glint in his eye, "I am an experienced gentlecolt with a variety of skills, so if I were ever to meet such a pony, perhaps I could make use of them." Fluttershy dared to peek out from under her hooves, her eyes betraying a hint of eagerness. He looked away, grinning. "It's a shame I don't know anypony that enjoys verbal abuse, the sting of faux-leather on their most sensitive regions, or being bound and gagged tighter than the fur on their skin-" he looked down at her, her chin still on the floor, "-do you?" She visibly shook, blushing furiously. "I do..." "What was that?" She gulped, heartbeat steadily quickening. "I-I do!" He was still smiling deviously. "I'm sorry, do what?" "I-I, uh... I l-like to, I-I'm a-" "Louder." "I'm a masochist!" "Louder!" "I'm a masochist!" Blueblood grinned ear to ear. "Louder!" She stood up, clenched her eyes shut, and shouted. "I'M A MASOCHIST!!" Silence. Slooowly opening one eye, she saw him lying on his back, blinking in surprise. I don't care how the saying goes, her bite was MUCH worse. "Right," he uttered, sitting up with something of a sheepish grin, "I think I may be able to assist..." A little while later, Princess Celestia popped her head in the door. "Good afternoon Nephew, do you ha-eek!" She very quickly jumped back and shut the door, blushing furiously. Oh, my, she thought, badly wishing he'd hung a tie on the doorknob or something, whatever ponies did to that effect these days, suppose I can ask if he has those papers for Appaloosa later... Trying to keep as much regal poise as she could manage while walking away, the Princess of the Sun wondered if it was some kind of exercise regimen or the ropes that allowed Blueblood's partner, of whom she only caught a brief glimpse in the darkened room, to be that flexible... Some time later, Prince Blueblood again sat at his desk, filling out the paperwork that kept Equestria running in between stray thoughts of the filly that was cleaning herself up in his shower. They both agreed that it would raise certain questions the shy pony might never be ready to answer if she were to walk out of his chambers looking... Unkempt. Just last night, he'd wanted little more than revenge against her, and while their interactions while she was tied to the bedposts looked painful for her, it wasn't quite what he'd had in mind. Suppose if I were truly inclined on her downfall, I could just share recently uncovered secrets, she seems especially susceptible to humiliation, but... He sighed. She made it clear she was sorry even before coming in here, I'd have to share how I learned it in the first place, and I'd be betraying the trust of somepony that apparently struggled greatly in the admittance. The last one would have to be the cruelest thing he'd ever done, which was why he wouldn't do it. Besides, he thought as Fluttershy stepped out of the washroom, looking and clean and presentable, Auntie says revenge is a hollow victory anyway. She approached him, her mane still damp and her cheeks still rosy, smiling contentedly. "Thank you for, um, th-the-" He couldn't resist a smirk. "I'd say the pleasure was all mine, but with some of those noises..." Her blush grew ten-fold, as did her grin. "A-anyway, I, uh, i-it's been nice." She averted her eyes, glancing around the room before taking a few steps toward the door, stopping, and looking back at him. "If, um, i-if you're ever in Ponyville..." She lowered her head, what he could see displaying a disarming smile as she whispered. "Feel free to visit me?" And then she sped out, opening and shutting the door very quickly, but somehow not slamming it. "Hmph." If I'm ever in Ponyville, she says. As if I'd ever visit a hovel teeming with disaster just to see-wait. He glanced at a nearby table, one of the ones he usually stacked papers on. There were forms that needed updating ten years ago regarding an amendment to the trade laws of the gemstone industry, to be signed by the mayor of Ponyville. I've been meaning to send somepony, but it hasn't been, and still isn't, important enough to really bother with... He grinned to himself, levitating the paper from the bottom of a stack. "If I'm ever in Ponyville, eh...?" Author's Note It probably shows, but not being sure how to start a sex scene is one of the reasons I don't write full-on clop. Still, relationships have to start somewhere! Blueblood never calls Celestia "auntie" in the show, on account of never speaking to her, but as most people that don't despise the character (myself included) might've grown to feel that way reading Best Night Ever, (the groundhog day loop fic) in which he does, I'm guessing it stuck from there. Early on, at least. Maybe?
Chapter 3: Biting BackOn the train back to Ponyville, Twilight couldn't help thinking something was amiss. Did she forget something at the castle? No, everything was where it should have been in her saddle bag, organized alphabetically and by size and/or convenience of not needing to shuffle things around too much, was there something she was supposed to do? No, everything on the checklist for this trip was checked and double-checked, especially making sure to check everything herself with Spike having remained home. She could have sworn he'd done a good job with Owlowiscious and the rest of her friends' pets, but when she mentioned that the convention would primarily focus on animals, he became really insistent that he stay behind and polish the crystals (which was a LOT of the place!) in her new castle. She really hoped he wasn't eating the walls or anything. That reminded her, she'd have to get back to the map project she'd started to navigate the place easier (why did her new home have to be so BIG?!) once they returned. Or maybe in the morning, when she'd had some time to contemplate whether the Tree of Harmony had somehow badly miscalculated her body fat content and decided to house her accordingly. Discord had only made that joke once, but she started to wonder... Regardless, something felt weird. She looked to Fluttershy sitting next to her, whose expression, though smiling, was just... off, somehow. "Hey, Fluttershy?" She jumped, startled. "Y-yes?" "Are you ok? You look just a little bit..." She drew a hoof to her chin looking for the right word while simultaneously trying to riddle out whether her friend's fright had more to do with the perceived off-ness, or that it had gotten dark out while they were on the train, meaning they'd be walking home a little longer after nightfall than initially anticipated. Fluttershy, meanwhile, eyes locked on Twilight, started to sweat. Can she tell?! I was sure I got good and clean, I-OH NO! Are there rope marks?! Even if I didn't have fur to cover up, nothing should be visible by now, what if- "A-ha! I've got it!" Pleasedon'tsayitpleasedon'tsayitpleasedon'tsayit! "You went to the spa!" Blink. Twilight giggled. "You go once a week with Rarity, right? I always kinda thought it was more to spend time with a friend, but I guess you'd need it after all that happened. That's why you look so peaceful!" Fluttershy smiled sheepishly. "...Y-yes, that's it exactly!" Twilight nodded, smiling herself. "I'm glad you could get past what happened with Blueblood. With any luck, he'll forget all about it too." Not noticing Fluttershy's increasingly flustered look, her thoughts returned to her giant, crystal tree-house. Wait, the Tree couldn't have misread my weight, my chair in the meeting chamber is normally-sized! Ha! Take that, Discord! Armed with that data, she'd have between now and the next time she saw him to think of a sufficiently witty comeback. The next morning, in the throne room of Castle Canterlot... "Urgent business?" "Well, not urgent, I suppose, but well overdue, don't you think, Auntie?" Celestia sat looking over the changes implemented to gemstone trade laws around a decade ago. There wasn't much need to get it signed by Mayor Mare due to the lack of much activity in the gemstone business around Ponyville, Diamond Dogs thought to occupy the area thickest with jewels to be dug up, but she supposed not having it filled out technically meant they'd be ignoring a hole in the boat, so to speak. "It would seem so, Nephew. Whom did you wish to send to get it signed?" Blueblood smiled a little. "Actually, I think I'll go myself." There weren't a lot of ponies in the throne room at that time, but Celestia was pretty sure even the guards at the door turned their heads in shock. "Um... To Ponyville?" He nodded. "You tell me all the time that it is not a-" She couldn't help a faint, amused grin. "Filthy, run-down den of madness, a town-wide asylum dedicated to the preservation of inanity and bad ideas?" It was a rare moment that she'd seen him looking the tiniest bit abashed about something. "Y-yes, that. It occurred to me that if I never actually go out and challenge that assertion, I'll never really know, and it won't be a long trip, a day at most. What's the harm?" It was also a rare moment that she had to bite her tongue to keep herself from saying or doing something unwise, like loud laughter followed by a list of possibilities in order of likeliness and potential for bodily harm. Twilight wrote her one once. Still, as this was a golden opportunity to get perhaps the second or third stuffiest still-living pony she knew to give a humbler town than his own a try, she wasn't about to ask questions. She smiled warmly. "Very well, take care, Nephew." As he headed out, she pondered what she'd witnessed the other night, keeping a perfect Princess of Equestria mask the whole time. Ropes. They were using ropes. Is it an earth pony thing? Is that why- A number of thoughts clicked in her head at once as she again fought the urge to grin. She saw him with a mare tied up in an extremely racy way, he suddenly had the urge to visit a farming community, and... One of Twilight's friends was known to be good with a lasso. Had Applejack come to the recent convention too? Maybe to speak her piece about trees, particularly those that produced food, possibly meeting Blueblood in the process? Now she did grin just a little, trying to imagine how a romance between the prince and the apple farmer might play out if he grew to like her for more than the physical aspects of their apparent relationship. She whispered. "Good luck, Nephew." "Indeed," said a voice at her side. Suddenly aware that she wasn't alone, Celestia turned to her aide. "Hm?" Raven smiled. "You said 'good luck', right? If he's going to Ponyville, he may need it." The alicorn kept her voice gentle, but firm. "Ponyville isn't visits-from-Cerberus and Party-Pony-silliness-competitions all the time." Now Raven frowned a little. "Do you remember the time it was overrun in fictional characters because of a magic worm?" Twilight had written to her about that. "Yes, but-" "And the time that a pony wielding dark magic encased the entire area in a fishbowl?" "Trixie was from out of town, so I think it-" "I heard once," she said in complete deadpan, "that the Element Bearers were sucked into a comic book." "They were in the old castle when that happened, which is technically in Everfree, so-" Raven was one of few ponies brave enough to take a stern tone with her. "Princess." Celestia smiled sheepishly. "He'll... He'll be fine?" Raven sighed. "I certainly hope so." There was a long pause, the alicorn raising an eyebrow inquisitively at the sentiment. "Raven?" She's a unicorn, but still... "Yes, Princess?" "Are you at all skilled with ropes?" She blinked, confused. "R-ropes?" Celestia looked away. "Nothing, nevermind!" Come to think of it, Raven didn't look the least bit uncomfortable when Blueblood was present, so either there was nothing going on there or she had a truly formidable poker face. Raven scratched her head. Royalty could be so weird sometimes! Having gone straight home after arriving in Ponyville, Fluttershy hadn't seen much of anypony but Twilight since they got back. As such, it would be nice to see her friends again at the little get-together organized by Pinkie Pie to celebrate the nature convention's conclusion. As with the Going-Away-But-Coming-Back-In-Like-Three-Days party held before they left (Pinkie had such an easy time with names), it'd be taking place in Sugarcube Corner. Very gently pushing the door open, she peered through the crack to immediately find a large, black spot circled by a blue ring. It almost looked like- "HI, FLUTTERSHY!!" The door swung all the way open with the booming sound of Pinkie's greeting, startling Fluttershy considerably. "Oh, goodness! You st-" Pinkie grabbed a foreleg with her own. "No time for that," and lifted her through the air to bring her to the table the rest of her closest friends had gathered around, "gang's all here!!" They all smiled at her. "About time you showed up!" "Mornin', Sugarcube." "Hello, Fluttershy." "Good to see you, Darling." She smiled back. "Good morning, how is everypony?" Conditions, temperaments, and some other small-talk was exchanged before everypony was seated with a plate of waffles. "So," began Rarity, "how was the convention?" Fluttershy grinned. "Ohh, it was wonderful! The squirrels, the dogs, the cats, the parasprites, the elephants (well, it was really just the one, but still), the birds, the fruit bats the-" She froze, her mouth hanging open and eyes wide as she involuntarily recalled her first meeting with Blueblood. Before her mind could drift to the second or third, Applejack's waving hoof caught her attention. "You okay there, Sugarcube?" She and the others looked concerned, Twilight most of all. Fluttershy forced a perfect replica of her normal smile. "Oh, yes, I'm fine, thank you. How is the vampire fruit bat sanctuary doing?" Applejack scratched her head. "Kinda hard to tell. Them critters only really move around when Ah'm fast asleep, but most of 'em are keepin' to themselves..." As the details of the fruit-bat behavior over the last few weeks were shared, Fluttershy smiled a little more genuinely, though she noticed Twilight still giving her a worried look. The party was winding down. Fluttershy took a drink of punch as she watched Rarity give Rainbow and Pinkie blindfolded waltzing lessons, Applejack setting the mood with the most eloquent banjo-playing she could manage. It was a compromise between trying something new and pin-the-tail on the pony, but it looked like they were all having fun anyway. "Got a minute?" She turned to see Twilight, who looked just a little concerned, her voice quiet. "I just wanted to say that it's okay to still be a little rattled after what happened, and I'll be checking up on you every now and then until we know what caused the transformation. Okay?" Smiling a little, Fluttershy nodded. "Don't worry," she whispered, "I'll be sure to... um..." She scratched her head. "W-well, I don't know what not to do to make it not happen again, but, um-" Twilight smiled sympathetically. "I think you'll be okay. If this is the only time it's happened since the vampire fruit-bat incident, we probably don't have to worry about regular Flutterbat sightings." Unless it was a delayed reaction, a mixture of whatever remnants of the bat still lingered and Fluttershy's anxiety from when she had to speak in front of a large number of ponies, but she did that on the last day of the convention and nothing happened at all. Curious. The closest thing Fluttershy might have to do to public speaking around here is singing with the Ponytones, and they rarely get together. "Just promise you'll take it easy for a while?" She smiled a little wider. "I promise." It would be easy enough to keep, there wasn't usually a lot of reason to exert herself here in town. A little later that day, Blueblood stepped off the train at Ponyville Station. To avoid being mauled by Twilight's merry band of maniacs for showing his face in their territory, he'd come lightly disguised. Trenchcoats scream suspicious, but a long tailcoat and slightly obscuring top hat were probably fine. Then he got a good look around and remembered that Ponyville was a town of mostly-naked hicks. Regardless, very few of them gave him a second glance as he followed the map of the town he'd procured for his errands today. First stop; a tree cottage on the edge of town. I wonder how much she'll like somepony knocking at her door for slightly illicit reasons... He knocked, the door gently opening a moment later. "Y-yes, what is-" Fluttershy's eyes practically grew to the size of dinner plates before she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him -lifting his entire body and throwing him- inside, slamming the door shut. Well, he thought, lying upside down on her couch, She apparently likes it quite a lot! Leaning up against the door while standing on her hind legs, her face was crimson. "W-w-what are you doing here?!" Or not. Having been thrown into a cushy sofa did surprisingly little to addle his brain. He sat up in a more dignified position than 'landed head-first', looking around for where his headwear landed. "You said if I was ever in town to pay you a visit, did you not?" "...Oh... Yes." Spotting the hat on a nearby table, he smirked, donning it again telekinetically. "As it happens, I'm in town on business. While I'm here, however, it'd be criminal not to exercise my talent for one of the few who can appreciate it, don't you think?" Her nervous grin returned, along with about half the heat in her face from the other day. "W-well, I-I-I-I-" Her heart stopped as a knock sounded at the door directly against her back. "Fluttershy, Darling," came the slightly muffled voice of her fashionista friend, "are you home? There's something I'd like to talk to you about." She looked at Blueblood, pupils shrunk to pinpricks before leaping across the room in a manner he found weirdly familiar, picking him up, flinging him into another room of the cottage as his hat flew off again, and closing the door before racing back to answer Rarity. The second she flung open the door, a thought emerged. Wait, wasn't that the room Harry the Bear likes to read in? The second white unicorn to visit her that day smiled. "Ah, good, you are here! May I come in?" "O-of course!" Rarity gave her something of an odd look as the door closed behind her. "Uh, Fluttershy, are you... Are you quite alright? You're sweating and your mane is a little out of sorts." Eep! Despite the sudden, quick efforts of hauling a grown stallion even the short distance she did getting her blood running and making a slight mess of her hair, she forced a fairly convincing smile. "Oh, I was j-just, uh, out flying! I have to stay in shape if I'm ever needed for the rainwater gathering again." Rarity's face was mostly impassive. "I see... Well, please don't overexert yourself, especially after-OH!" Her eyes widened, the pegasus's heart stopping for a terrifying second. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about, actually! Something that happened while you were in Canterlot?" She drew a hoof to her chest, eyes full of concern. "While I don't approve of what happened, I want you to know that neither I nor anypony else thinks any less of you, we'd all understand how hard it must have been to resist that kind of influence." She knows?! Fluttershy felt herself sweating even more. But how? Not even Twilight knew! At least, I don't think she did, was it obvious? I was sure there was no sign of- Rarity looked apologetic, stepping closer to wrap her in a full foreleg hug. "There, there, Darling, everything is fine, I know you didn't mean to bite anypony." ...Bite? Something in Rarity's tone turned harsh, but it still sounded like she was trying to comfort her. "Even that lout, Prince Blueblood..." She winced. "Pardon the last syllable, Twilight tells me it was a horrible scene." Oh! Of course... She felt a wave of relief, though she'd have to find out just what the others knew later. Somehow. Fluttershy hugged her back. "I think I'm over it now, but thank you." A thought occurred to her, raising an eyebrow. "Twilight told you what happened that night?" Rarity took a step back, smiling apologetically. "W-well, I might have pried a little-" she held up a hoof, "but in my defense, when I casually asked if anything interesting happened on the trip, she hesitated and began looking anywhere but at me, a tell so obvious I'd feel dishonest if I didn't ask what it was. I do apologize if it was meant to be a private matter." Fluttershy smiled, the private matter she wanted to stay that way apparently not out in the open, at least. "It's ok." Rarity nodded. "Good, good..." Her eyes locked on something behind Fluttershy. "Uh, Darling? Why is your couch wearing a top hat?" "Huh?!" She whipped her head around, catching sight of Blueblood's hat atop her sofa at a jaunty angle. "Um, that's, uh-" The clothes-horse stepped closer, her expression calm and analytical. "It's very well-made, if a little plain, is it your-" Fluttershy quickly popped it on her head. "YES! I-I was, uh, thinking of adding something the next time I sang with the Ponytones, what do you think?" She beamed widely, emitting a tiny squeeing sound. It took nearly all of Rarity's lady-like composure not to laugh, but she did smile at the strange sort of dapperness the hat added to her shy friend. Oh, Fluttershy, you really are too adorable sometimes! "I-I think," she managed to say with only a light chuckle, "we might want to maintain a sort of uniform. Besides, I'm not sure I could convince Big Macintosh to wear a hat that didn't have at least a decade of wear and tear visible." Fluttershy nodded, glad to remove the faintly embarrassing accessory from her head. Still, if it was feeling a little silly or mentioning the hat's real owner, (or that he was in the house, most likely for scandalous reasons) to Rarity of all ponies... "R-right, I like the original outfit better anyway." Clearing her voice of residual giggles, Rarity moved toward the door. "I should probably be going now, but don't hesitate to let me know if you'd like to talk about it, or anything else, really." They exchanged goodbyes and Rarity left, Fluttershy waiting about four full seconds before speeding towards the room she'd thrown Blueblood into. The one with the grizzly bear. When she flung open the door, they were sitting calmly in chairs, Harry the Bear sipping tea, the prince speaking calmly with a smile. "-which is why I sometimes wonder what could have been, though dragons are quite a different kettle of fish to buffalo." He chuckled. "Or, fish, I suppose." Harry nodded sagely. "ROAAAR." "Indeed, Mr. Bearington, indeed." He looked over at Fluttershy, apparently just having noticed her entrance. "Ah, hello again! We were just discussing politics, would you care to join us?" She stood dumbstruck. Very few ponies seemed comfortable with Harry, fewer still engaged in his love of social commentary. Before she could manage a reply, Harry stood up, setting his teacup down. "ROAR, ROAAAR." "Oh," Blueblood said, "you need to be going? Fair enough, we can pick up with sea-ponies next time." Harry gave a low growl akin to a chuckle and left, there were some trees he wanted to scratch his back with. Fluttershy, standing perfectly still the whole time, finally managed to speak about a minute later. "Um... W-what just happened?" Blueblood seemed to take the question at face value, smiling. "I had an interesting chat with Mr. Bearington, he's quite the ursine erudite." "How did you understand what he was saying?" "He was a well-spoken individual, of course." She gave an awkward smile. "O-of course..." As they returned to the living room, he cleared his throat, smirking at her. "Now then, as I was saying..." Glancing around, Harry should have been the last animal in the house, as Angel was usually out frolicking at this time. Meeting his eyes, she turned florescent pink. "Exercising your, um... t-talents?" Blueblood put his hat back on only to tip it at her. "If the lady would permit it, of course." She smiled sheepishly. In an almost perfect reversal of events, it was Blueblood using Fluttershy's shower when they were finished, stepping out to find her brushing her mane back into line while sitting on a cushion. He raised an eyebrow. "Still sore?" She grinned contentedly. "Yes." Blueblood chuckled. "Well, good thing in this case, I suppose. I should be off now, I actually do have a bit of business in town." Fluttershy tilted her head. "Oh?" He nodded, donning his coat and top-hat once more. "Some paperwork that never got around to Ponyville's mayor. Nothing of particular importance if you don't plan to open a gemstone operation in town, but something that should probably be squared away regardless." "Oh, um, o-ok then." As he was halfway through the door, she fired something out with what little courage she had at the moment. "C-come again soon!" The look on his face as he turned back toward her, an eyebrow raised, immediately made her regret it. "Pardon?" Fluttershy averted her eyes, hastily brushing her mane over her face. "T-to Ponyville, I mean, it's a really nice town a-and, I, uh," she gulped, the rest of her statement coming out in a long squeak. "youcouldvisitagainifthat'sokwithyou?" Taking a few seconds to decipher that, Blueblood snorted, smiling a little. "If you're in need of my services regularly, perhaps I could make time, once in a blue moon." She glanced up at him, her own smile serene and heart-felt. "I'd like that." He stared back at her passively, lost for a response until he remembered the paperwork he'd supposedly come to town for. "Right, well, I wouldn't count on it, very busy and all, take care now, farewell!" And out the door he went. Alone, Fluttershy sighed a little, though her smile hadn't faltered. It would have been unrealistic to think he could come all the way to Ponyville all the time, moreso if they were to keep their meetings secret, but their... time together was nice all the same. Maybe I could visit Canterlot a few- She shook her head to cast off the scandalous idea. Even if she'd had the money for regular train-rides, there was no way she could go to a big city, alone, walk up to the palace, alone, talk to the guards, alone, and explain what she was there for, even with all the support in the world. It was as she considered the irony in that last part being the only one she could do alone, if even the guards weren't there, that Fluttershy noticed Angel Bunny, sitting on the couch and smiling at her. "A-Angel! I'm sorry, I was a little lost in thought, do you need something?" He shook his head. "Oh. Are you hungry?" He shook his head. "Oh. Then, what is it?" Angel smirked, nodding at the door through which Blueblood exited. Fluttershy felt her insides get cold. "Angel," she whispered, "h-how long have you been...?" He held up a paw and shook his head. They shared a long look as he smiled at her before putting on a tiny pair of sunglasses. "Angel?" "!" "Y-you're glad? Why is that?" "..." "About time I f-found a what?!" "!, !" "H-he is not a-" "?" "Well, yes, we did-" "~?" "A-actually, that was the second ti-" "!!!" Fluttershy again felt her face burn. "ANGEL!!" Mortified as she was about the situation, at least Blueblood had Angel's approval... Which would make two animals that she was shocked to hear actually seemed to like him. Later that evening, Fluttershy learned that Angel, one way or another, wasn't the only one among her animal friends that knew as quite a few of them gathered in the living room, all donning little sunglasses at the same time. Angel would have clarified that they were all happy that she'd finally found a mate, but she had already fainted in embarrassment. Author's Note I like the interpretation that Angel really just wants to look out for Fluttershy, even if he does it by being a foil to her in the (possible) hope she'll stand up for herself more often.
Chapter 4: Bite FrightPanic! It felt like a long time since Fluttershy had resorted to that plan, but she wasn't sure what else to do right now. Rapidly pacing the floor in her bedroom, she couldn't stop the nervous fluttering of her wings, her heartbeat having been in overdrive since she picked up today's mail. Hopping over from the bed, her faithful rabbit decided to investigate. "...?" Fluttershy turned to him, trying to smile. "Oh, it's, it's nothing you need to worry about, Angel, just a little letter I got this morning." "..." She tried not to blush, with the usual result. "W-well, it's kind of a private mat-" "!" "I'm not 'frazzled', I'm just, um, well... maybe a little worried?" "?" "Y-yes, it's from him. He said he's been handling business at the castle by himself more and more often since last week, and," she glanced over at the bedside table where Blueblood's message lay open, "it sounded like he was saying he'll be in town again today!" Angel smiled. "!" Fluttershy turned a brighter shade of red. "Angel!!" It was at that moment that she noticed a red jay perched on her dresser. He chirped at her a little. She smiled sheepishly. "Ohh, it's nothing, we were just talking about-" A squirrel popped in through the window, chittering inquisitively. "I, it's, there's really nothing to-" There was a curious oinking from behind her. One after another, the room quickly filled with critters. Critters that wanted to know what the big deal was, why their favorite pony was so nervous. Fluttershy started to sweat, wondering how Cheerilee handled it when adult subjects came up in the classroom. She was about to suggest they go out for ice cream or something when Angel spoke up. "!" "..." "!, ?" "!" Taking a moment to process his speech, the other animals smiled, nodded, and collectively donned sunglasses. Blushing furiously, Fluttershy facehoofed. A good plan was one that had been thought through all the way. As such, inviting Prince Blueblood to visit the crystal castle was not a good plan. That was fine, though, because another aspect of a good plan was adaptability! Being sunk if everything didn't go perfectly was just asking for trouble, after all, so Twilight felt confident that she'd come up with a reason for the invitation she'd sent to Canterlot yesterday before Blueblood showed up. Luckily, she'd had just the thing before even sending the letter! The map project for her new home was still a work in progress, but there were certain risks with asking a baby dragon to hold a piece of paper for extended periods of time and walking through these halls by herself was... Well, that didn't matter, because Castle Canterlot's premier map pony(?) was going to be here any minute! I mean, his cutie mark is a compass rose, that could translate to finding your way around somehow, right? She'd smooth things over with Fluttershy biting him while they did something together, he'd hopefully come around and forgive her, and he and Twilight might even be friends by the end of the day! Or at least he might be a little less hostile. Princess of Friendship, she thought with a smile, that's me! She answered the door before the knocking even stopped, to Blueblood's visible surprise. That made it easier to smile. "Hi! Welcome to, uh... Welcome!" To minimize likelihood of ridicule, referring to it as the Fortress of Friendship or something equally silly was probably a better idea with actual friends. And even then, perhaps not at all. Less than amazed by the newest princess's legendary social grace, Blueblood hid a roll of his eyes as best he could by turning his head and adjusting the light saddle bag he'd brought along. He hadn't bothered with the coat and top-hat this time and nopony seemed to really take notice either way. So he had that going for him, at least. "Good day. What can I do for you, Princess Sparkle?" Title-first, last-name basis. Not a flying start. Note to self: In conversation with Prince Blueblood, steer clear of words like 'flying' on the off-chance they incite any measure of envy or a perceived flaunting of alicorn status. Keeping the smile as straight as she could, Twilight ushered him in, shutting the door behind him. "I've been trying to make a map of this place since it was, uh, built, and so far? It's been a little confusing. I was thinking you could help me map the place out. I'm due to host a pancake party here tomorrow morning, and it would help if everypony could find the dining room without getting lost, y'know? I still can't find the closet I left Transmogrification: Art of the Changeling, Volume II in on the 4th floor, or, or-" Her voice dropped considerably in volume, "-any bathroom other than the one nearest to my room..." "I see. And what makes you think I'd be able to assist?" She tilted her head a little. "You're... good at making maps, right?" He raised an eyebrow. "Why would you think that?" "Um... Your cutie mark, isn't it for-" "You called me out here with the assumption that my cutie mark could only signify prowess with cartography?" "W-well, I've always kinda thought-" There was a hint of a smirk. "Ahh, I see! With stars on your flank, your special talent must be staring off into space! No wonder you can't concentrate long enough to navigate your own home." Twilight gritted her teeth, doing her best to suppress an annoyed growl. She invited him here to smooth things over, so getting snarky right back probably wouldn't do much to dissuade him from whatever plans for revenge he might have in mind for Fluttershy. He was probably still annoyed that she'd pretty much dismissed his concerns, but what could she do? Arrest her already-emotionally-wounded friend for something that wasn't her fault? Still, she had to admit it wasn't fair to him, so if he was content with mocking her a little, she'd let him. "Yes," she said in the friendliest tone she could muster, "which is why I asked you to help me here." Maintaining a calm, unreadable grin was important for a subtle challenge to his ego. "Unless you can't figure this place out either?" He gave her a look like Rainbow Dash had given her the day she came to Ponyville, just before she'd cleared the sky of clouds in right about ten seconds, as though assessing in his head whether or not he could do it. "Hmph. We'll start with the ground floor." He started walking down the left-most hall to the front entrance. "Somepony has to have a talk with Mayor Mare about the zoning laws your castle brings up, so having a look around works for me anyway." Yes! Forcing a smile was a lot less difficult now. "Thank you very much!" This way I'll be able to find things quicker AND he might forget about Fluttershy biting him! Having shut and locked every door and window in the house, Fluttershy turned to address the reasonably large band of animals that were waiting patiently in her living room. She smiled, the knowledge that they all cared enough about her to wait as she asked warming her heart before she spoke. "Okay, this is everyone who knows about me and my, er, g-guest, from last week?" There was short-lived chorus of affirmative sounds. "Good, good. So, um, you all know your own r-respective m-m, ma-" She could do this. She was a big girl. "-m-mating habits, and, um-" But that didn't make not blushing any easier. "ponies have their mating habits too, and-" She was cut off by a short-lived applause from the critter collective, which, while she was glad they were happy for her, wasn't helping. "Haha, y-yes, thank you, uh... But, the thing is, that stallion, my guest and I, w-we don't really have what you would call a normal relat-n-no, we don't even have a relationship, we've just, um..." She took a deep breath. Then another. What she had been doing was a little outside the realm of reproductive 'mating' behavior. "W-well, have I told you all about how dolphins-" "!," interrupted Angel with a delighted little grin, "!, !!!" Once more, Fluttershy's face burned. "ANGEEEEL!!" It was nice that her animals friends weren't laughing at her, or even Angel's comment, but whooping and cheering was kind of having the same effect here. Fluttershy stood in mortified silence until they calmed down. "Angel, Blueblood is not a-wait, how did you know his name?" "..., ?" Lending an odd sort of relief to the heat in her face, Fluttershy paled. "What?" Angel hopped over to her, motioning for her to lean down. When she did, he whispered (for lack of better terms) into her ear. She immediately returned to red, brighter and fiercer than any time in recent memory. "Oh. That would explain how you know, yes..." She hadn't even realized she'd been screaming last time. That was good to be aware of now. If he really was stopping by, she would have to either wear a gag, or look into sound-proofing the cottage. But first, she still wasn't sure if he was just saying he'd be in town and that maybe he'd talk to her if they saw each other, or if it meant he'd be stopping by the cottage... for... reasons. Maybe it's a combination of both? Maybe he wants me to meet him out in town, somewhere public, yet secluded enough that nopony would see if, but they might if, if he- Fluttershy collapsed to the floor, hiding her head in her forehooves. One calming-down that involved being carried over to the couch, wrapped in a soft blanket, and given a glass of warm milk later, Fluttershy felt a little better, thanking her animal friends for their concern. She sat on the couch with many a soft critter nestled on or next to her, quietly relishing their company. Still, she couldn't stop her mind from wandering. Was his ambiguously-worded letter part of a game? Did he mean for her to get all riled up before he even arrived? If that were the case, what would happen if she didn't? Would he be annoyed if she wasn't hot and bothered from the start? Would she be punished...? But, her screams! Somepony outside might hear! The very thought of anypony in town happening by at the wrong time was so mortifying that she gently slipped away from the couch without disturbing any of her animal friends (years of practice), went outside, trotted over to the little bridge leading up to her front door, and tried to hide under it. That she could feel her hindquarters exposed to the wind only made things worse. She got out from under the bridge and dove into a patch of tall grass. Not enough! She hid in the branches of a particularly leafy tree. Still not enough! She lifted a long, flat rock and tried to hide under it, getting covered in dirt in the process. Not deep enough! No matter where she hid, she could still hear the whole world laughing at her, or watching in amazement and arousal as the prince made her his toy, doing things no decent pony would be caught doing with a look of pure, ecstatic bliss. There was so much blood in her head, she swore the tips of her hooves were starting to feel cold. She dashed over to the shed she kept the gardening tools in and grabbed a shovel, starting to dig a hole behind her cottage. It would be a deep one, and that meant it would be dark, but that was fine, wasn't it? It would give her a chance to spend some quality time with her mole friends. Moles could get by without any light at all, so she was sure she'd learn to conquer her fear of the dark to more easily give in to her fear of scathing, public humiliation. It all made sense in her head, honest. She hadn't gotten very far in digging when she noticed Angel Bunny frowning at her. She looked back and forth between him and the shovel. "?" "It's a little complicated, Angel." "..." She slumped, leaning on the shovel as she drove the tip into the ground. "Yes, I'm hiding, but-" Angel held up a little paw, then hopped away. Fluttershy sighed. She knew he didn't like it when she backed down or ran from things, but this was just too much! Just as the rational part of her brain was starting to say something, she heard the sounds of a lot of little paws on the ground. Looking around, she saw the gathering of ferrets, rabbits, squirrels, and more all smiling up at her before they started to burrow with their paws. Fluttershy could feel their love for her swell in her heart, they were helping her dig! Grinning warmly, she got back to work too! Quickly trotting through her castle alone after scouting a particularly door-laden hall, Twilight shouted out. "You said you'd wait up!" Blueblood shouted back from parts unknown. "You said you'd be back in a minute, Princess!" "It was a LONG hallway!" "MARCO!!" "PINKIE!!" "You're supposed to say 'Polo,' silly!" Blueblood sounded confused. "When did that one get here?" "I've learned not to ask." Then Twilight got an idea. The Marco-Polo game was foalish, but not a terrible way to locate one another, and there was less risk of drawing out the same parts of the castle more than once if they stuck together. She smiled. "MARCO!" Pinkie's voice came back. "POLO!" As did Blueblood's. "What are you doing?" It sounds like they're not near each other, but both are over here somewhere... Teleporting in that direction, but not seeing either of them, Twilight shouted again. "MARCO!" "POLO!" "You're really doing this?" Twilight giggled. "C'mon, Blueblood, join in! It'll be easier to find each other!" "You're a princess, dammit! You could stand to act just a little more dignified!" She just laughed a little more, teleporting in the direction of the voice. Pinkie sounded further away. "MARCO!" "POLO!" She teleported towards that voice. Blueblood sounded more distant this time, which likely meant she was between them. "That noise I keep hearing, are you teleporting?" "Yes?" "Well no wonder you can't find your way around here! Building a mental map of an area is just as important as having a physical one!" For the moment, Twilight was glad he wasn't close enough to see her face as she muttered to herself. "Oh. Right." Pinkie sounded like she was in a completely different spot now. "Hey guys, I found Spike!" Twilight opted to test long-distance sternness. "Spike? Were you eating the castle again?" He shouted back. "Ugh, no! I like my gemstones, but your castle tastes like drywall!" Blueblood sounded like he was closer now. "What possessed you to sample drywall?" Twilight could almost hear Spike shrugging. "Natural curiosity?" He wasn't shouting, but Twilight could still hear the prince. "I'm surrounded by idiots." Pinkie apparently heard that. "You're not surrounded, Blue-shoes, we're all at least a few rooms apart!" Twilight waited for the biting reply, but it only came after a long silence. "Score one for you, Miss Pie." "It's Marco-Polo, Blue's-Clues, there is no score!" "Urgh." Twilight giggled, trotting in the direction of the voices. Eventually, they finished mapping out the castle, though Blueblood had casually berated Twilight over multiple small mistakes, like not marking staircases or labeling which floor she was drawing out, things she was going to do, but just hadn't yet! Making it all the more irritating was that she couldn't really retort, though not reacting was getting harder and harder as they went. Spike and Pinkie apparently got bored and went out for ice cream at some point, Blueblood not remarking on their less-than-perfect 'diligence to the task' even once. That might have been because neither of them ever officially said they were helping with the map, but still. Thankfully, when they were finished and Twilight started copying the map to several sheets of parchment via Copy and Paste spells, Blueblood dismissed himself without much preamble, heading to the door. "Oh, by the way," he said with a smirk over his shoulder, "you really don't need to worry about your friend, Fluttershy, I'd already forgiven her for biting me before you summoned me here." WHAT. He grinned with a hint of evil delight at her expression. "Well, until next time, take care now!" He shut the door behind him. Now Twilight made no effort to hide her irritation. "RRRRGH, I hate that guy!" Still, the map was done, and it would be nice to finally know her way around the place. Marking 'You Are Here' in the appropriate places on each map, she teleported around to leave maps in key locations (Shut up, Blueblood, I'm doing it this way to save time!) as to make sure that nopony would get lost when they were invited over for pancakes tomorrow. That left her alone. In her castle. Alone. Maybe Fluttershy needed something? She wanted to pass on that Blueblood wasn't mad at her, at least. She arrived to find nopony home in Fluttershy's cottage, but noise from the other side of the house clued her in that something was going on. For some reason, Fluttershy and quite a few of her critter friends were all digging a big hole, more wide than it was deep. Goats and ferrets and pigs and more were all in there with her, furiously shoveling or clawing dirt away. Twilight cleared her throat, her face passive, but inquisitive. Strangely, Fluttershy didn't even feel the need to hide anymore, just the exertion of digging felt like it had been some kind of medicine. That she could do it alongside a pack of critters, more coming along to help as she went, was nice too. She smiled up at Twilight. "Hello, Twilight, would you like to help us dig a hole?" "Um... I-is it okay if I ask why?" Fluttershy giggled. "No real reason. Actually, we can probably stop here." She's been hanging out with Discord again, I just know it. "Right, well... Is there anything I can help out with?" Fluttershy looked around, seeing the dirt and grime coating herself and the animals that had helped her along. She smiled. Fluttershy and Twilight talked a little while giving everyone their baths, about the castle map project, Blueblood helping, "Well, that was nice of him!" "Yea. Nice..." and how he said he wasn't angry with Fluttershy anymore. Twilight headed home around the time the sun was going down, but she'd seemed a little reluctant to leave for some reason. That ended with Fluttershy trapped outside her cottage, gently pleading for Angel to open the door. "Having some trouble?" "Eep!" She turned quickly, seeing Prince Blueblood giving her a slightly perplexed look. "Oh, I, h-hi, um, th-this, I, um-" He chuckled. "Pardon my late arrival, things ran a little longer than anticipated in Mayor Mare's office. Quite the bureaucratic conundrum our newest princess's abode kicked up, but I believe it's all settled now." Fluttershy managed a smile. "Oh. Well, that's nice to hear." The new castle was very tall, too, so she'd worried Twilight would be charged for taking up air space used by the weather team or something. Then the front door swung open, a red carpet rolling out and stopping at Fluttershy's hooves, to Blueblood's visible surprise. The two looked through the doorway, seeing the carpet lead up the stairs to Fluttershy's bedroom. Angel Bunny hopped out where they could see him, smiling and wearing little sunglasses. Blueblood gave her an odd look. "I take it you got my letter?" Judging by her mortified shock, the answer was 'no'. He tilted his head. "Ehm... If I've come at a bad time...?" "N-no!" Fluttershy shook her head quickly, stepping through the doorway. "I, uh, p-please come in, I'll, tea, or, um... Do you like tea?" Following her in, he looked confused. "Doesn't everypony?" "I guess so. And, um," she made sure the door was firmly shut and locked. "d-did you bring, a, ehm-" she couldn't help turning a little rosy again, even saying it as quietly as possible. "b-ball-gag?" Blinking once, Blueblood gave her a smile that said he wasn't objecting, but... She lowered her head shamefully. "The walls have ears..." Remembering last time, he took the hint. "I'm sure we'll manage something. You know, funny story," he began as they headed upstairs, "on the way here, I was accosted by a white cat. I figured it was one of yours, but a unicorn filly with purple curls referred to it by name, scolded it for wandering off, and carried it away. Any chance you can tell me what that was about?" Pondering, Fluttershy wasn't sure how to answer. "That sounds like Opal." She decided to leave out who owned that particular kitty. "What do you mean by 'accosted'?" He shrugged a little. "Rubbing its face against my leg, doing that rumbling cat noise. Animals, so, just thought I'd mention it." He smiled deviously, producing a riding crop from his saddle bag. "And you know how I am with the right kind of animal..." For the umpteenth time that day, Fluttershy turned flushed crimson, but at least this time, it came with a smile. Author's Note Hope the sunglasses thing isn't too annoying, I hate to overuse a running gag. Cutie marks are screwy. The snowboarder guy in the season 5 premiere had, if memory serves, snowflakes for a cutie mark and his talent was apparently snowboarding. You can kinda see the logical connection, but that sounds just about as suitable for a pony that makes snowflakes in a pegasus city, and the distance between those two skills is jarring if nothing else. That's not even touching the ponies whose marks are random magic-y things, like Twilight, Trixie, Sunset, Starlight, whatever foils/shadow archtypes she may have in the future, and so on. Rarity's special talent has nothing to do with fashion, I think, but that gem-finding spell she hasn't used since... maybe the episode we learned about it? The Dazzlings had their own symbols on their clothes despite never having been ponies, and I barely know what to make of that. So, while something to do with maps or navigation was my first guess, I don't think there are rules for what cutie marks can mean. That being the case, I like to try a different talent every time I write him, in addition to a different personality. Finally, yes, Angel is thrilled to be helping his long-time caretaker get it on. It's a bunny thing. Do you have a pet bunny?
