Panic!

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?