City of Shadows

Chapters

Chapter One: Just a New Case
Chapter Two: The Stakeout
Chapter Three: Obstruction
Chapter Four: The Long Night
Chapter Five: Breach
Chapter Six: Further On Up The Road
Chapter Seven: Lips and Words
Chapter Eight: Closer, Closer
Chapter Nine: Take Down (Part 1)
Chapter Nine: Take Down (Part 2)
Epilogue

Chapter One: Just a New Case

Chapter One: Just A New Case

Manhattan was a city in every sense of the word. Hell, in Equestria if was damn near the only thing that qualified. Sure there was Fillydelphia, Vanhoover, or even Los Pegasus, but when people talked about THE city, it could only mean one place.

Towering above the gritty streets of the expansive city were darkly ominous buildings; seeming to stretch infinitely skyward. The very kind of city to make you feel small and insignificant what with the colossal heights of the city’s many structures. Even the very smallest of them all didn’t fail in the intimidation factor, as they too were puzzle pieces to complete the set.

Street lamps adorned the streets, casting bright yet shadowed glows upon the environment, all of them tall and blackened. Many passed them every day, most of which not sparing them a glance were it not for the dead of night. Only then would they serve such purpose, as they became the very things that would show the way home. The city’s very own yellow brick road to the Emerald City.

Day by day, peopled walked, going about their fast-paced, bustling excursions. Nothing could stop them if they tried. Vehicles of all kinds went along the paved ways of the city streets, equally as fast-paced in getting from Point A to Point B as the people who drove them.

Manehattan was, above all else, a study in contrasts. It was a place where the wealthy could get the very best of anything they wanted. This is, of course, regardless of trifles like legal status. It is in this same place that the city’s poor were left to scrape whatever living they could from whatever was left. The city could somehow hold within itself both love and hate, order and chaos, violence and charity.

In short, it was paradise for the private eye. All those people, and all those problems, and so long as the client had a wallet, well, they might be able to find themselves some help. Either that or wind up in the gutter wondering what went wrong. Manehattan could do that to you. It was just something the residents accepted, attributing it to the grim faced god upon whose back they trod.

However, the good gumshoe had no time for such superstition. Rabbits feet and multi-leafed clovers may do for the average Joe or Jane on the street just fine, but when you lived and died by your wits alone trinkets and charms left something to be desired. Sharp. It was more than a frame of mind, or the state thereof, it was the way you had to live. Of course this was a good way to get paranoid, but is it really paranoia if someone’s out to get you? There are many buildings in Manehatten, who’s to say what lays within each.

One building stood among the rest, yet it didn't stand out in any sort of way. But what lay within comes to be an intrigue of its own. The building was modestly tall, though nothing compared to the rest around it. On the eighth floor of the complex, with one open window, lay an office. An office that many might just pass off as any other kind of office, for just any sort of business; but it wasn't just any office. Inside, there was more than meets the eye.

She sat at her desk, alone in her office. She wore the uniform of her profession, or at least that’s how she liked to think of it. She had always secretly been taken by the romanticized images of dime-store novel detectives, and she hadn’t met enough others that shared her line of work to disabuse her of her admittedly silly notion. So here she sat, wearing dark slacks and a white button down dress shirt, with the top several buttons undone for good measure. Around her neck hung a skinny black tie, loosened to match the undone buttons. To top it all off - figuratively and literally - she had perched atop her head a rumpled fedora with a few poly-chromatic strands of her bangs peeking out the front.

Rainbow Dash, detective for hire, snorted in disgust at a mug of cold coffee that was in the process of leaving a dull brown ring on the edge of a newspaper. The Manehatten Times to be specific. No finer paper, in this private eye’s opinion, especially when it came to killing time. Unfortunately this copy had been roundly abused and pursued several times over.

She groaned as she sat up in her chair, debating the merit of seeing her office hours through to completion. She had spent a fruitless day staring at her phone, browsing the paper, cleaning the old service revolver which she kept in her long coat, ‘just in case’. She had even broken a half dozen pencils in frustration after trying to solve the day’s crossword, and on top of all of that, her coffee had gone cold.

No. No more. She was going to end this travesty of a day before it had the chance to bring her more nothingness and boredom.

“Hey I ain’t much a of a believer,” Dash said, raising her eyes to the ceiling, “but if you up there got something for me, now would be a pretty good time to give it to me.”

Of course, then she walked in. That’s when everything started to change.

The door opened, with a tall figure walking in, and closing it behind her. Timid, the woman looked around for a moment, before her eyes settled on the detective. At least, mostly, considering she wasn't meeting her eye to eye. The woman stuffed something dark, revealed to be a short brown wig, into her purse, along with the sunglasses she was wearing on her head, even if it wasn't sunny outside.

The woman was tall, quite slender, but with very feminine curves. Long, soft pink hair fell down her back, reaching a bit past her waist. Her eyes were teal, glimmering with fear and uncertainty, but beautiful all the same. It also didn’t help that she was wearing a very flattering yellow summer dress decorated with flowers and butterflies printed on it, the fabric just barely reaching past her knees, showing off her long, pale, shapely legs. The straps were thin, showing off creamy shoulders and long pale arms.

“Um...” The woman spoke, her voice soft and timid. “E-Excuse me...I hope I’m not interrupting...but I...um... I...I needed to...see you about...s-something. Um...are you...Rainbow Dash? Private Eye?”

There was an odd look in the woman’s eyes as she studied Dash, not in a scrutinizing way, just curious. But as she did so, there was a strange look of recognition in her face.

“Yeah, I am...Huh...” Rainbow mused as she looked over the lovely girl. She looked oddly familiar as if... Oh. Rainbow made a mental note to either kill or thank that hyperactive bartender.

“You know, you’re very good.” Rainbow replied, a smile growing across her lips. “You’re a dead ringer for her.”

Now the woman looked confused, and a bit more nervous than before. “...Uh...I-I beg your pardon?”

“You know, That model. She was everywhere last year. Real beauty.” Dash said waving an airy hand, “Guess Pinkie didn’t tell you who you were supposed to be, huh? So what’s your thing? Do you dance? Kiss-o-gram? Roleplay?”

“I-you know who I am?” The woman sounded a mixture of amazed yet disappointed. “....Y-Yes, I am Fluttershy... I-I need your help...” She approached the desk, looking to her with despondency. “Y-You’re the only one who can...”

“Thanks, couldn’t remember her name,” Dash said before clearing her throat. She idly wondered if ‘Fluttershy’ here was really that green, or if the shyness was part of her character. Either way Rainbow was more than happy to play along - the girl was quite attractive, after all - and her smile became ever so slightly predatory.“Please miss, take a seat, and let me see what I can do to help you with your... case~”

Despite how nervous the woman looked, there was a strange glint in her eyes, as well as something curling at her luscious pink lips. She nervously stepped forward, her sandals clacking at the floor, and sat down on a nearby chair.

“Um...thank you! Thank you very much... I-I really...had no one else to turn to...and I...would appreciate it so much if you could try to help me. I-I know that this may sound...weird of me to say, but you’re...you’re my only hope.... thank you, Miss Dash...” The woman looked at her with a sweet smile. “I-I’d do anything if you could help me...anything...”

“Well Miss Fluttershy, I’m certain we can work out an arrangement,” Rainbow’s usually hard cerise eyes softened as she continued to observe the young woman, though her smoky voice still held an edge of playful suggestiveness. “How about you tell me all about your problem and I’ll see what I can do for you, and then we can see what you can do for me.”

“I-I need....help....t-tracking down a stalker...” Fluttershy said nervously, wringing her hands on her lap. “I’ll go into as much detail as I can where you need it, but that is...the gist of it at the moment. I have a stalker, and I want him caught. I’ve tried everything, but the police can’t help me... I-I heard...you were...the best, if not one of the best, in the city...” She looked at her with plead, yet there was a tinge of something else Dash couldn’t place. “Um... I’ll pay you, of course... I-I don’t know your rates off by heart, but I can pay you very well... And um...if there’s...anything else I can do for you...just tell me...and I will...” She leaned over a bit, holding her fingers together, raising her arms and inadvertently squishing them against her buxom chest.

Though Dash was enjoying the view immensely, something else was niggling at the edges of her mind. This encounter had certainly taken an odd turn. The girl’s story felt too genuine to be one of the paltry fabrications that most escorts stuck too. The pleading look in her eyes too convincing.

“Of course I’ll take the case...” Rainbow replied, her confusion creeping into her voice. Suddenly a terribly embarrassing thought crept into her mind. Maybe she had just been too distracted to notice, or maybe the reality was entirely too unbelievable, but it made an unfortunate amount of sense.

“I...uh... Do you have some identification I could see?” The gumshoe queried.

“Um...oh! Yes, I do...” Fluttershy reached into her purse, searching through it, before producing a yellow wallet. She reached into one of the card slots, pulled one out, and held it over. “Will an Animal Care license do?”

“Yeah...” Dash’s voice sounded hollow as she read the name on the card. It was true. Without a doubt, the beautiful girl seated across from her was the once-famous Fluttershy. Though with it, the realization brought along a shift in the P.I.’s demeanor. Her voice, once flirtatious, was now all business... well mostly. Fluttershy was still quite attractive.

“I’m sorry if I acted a bit odd before. I have this friend, and after a few drinks the other night I told her that... You know what, never mind. My rates are quite reasonable. I charge a flat daily rate and with it you can be assured that your case will be my exclusive concern. I usually also charge expenses as well but that mostly covers coffee if I’ll be working any stakeouts. So what do you think, gonna be any late nights?”

“M-More than likely...” Fluttershy responded, looking to her with a grateful smile. “It won’t be a problem, of course... Um...would you like an advance? For the first...um...week or so? Just to be safe? I don’t mind paying extra in case, but I also know it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Dash’s eyebrows shot up. Extra. Who offered to pay extra?

“You don’t need to do that ma’am.” Rainbow half-regretted not taking Fluttershy up on her offer, but the girl had clearly never done this kind of thing before, and Dash couldn’t take advantage of her like that. “But the advance might not be such a bad idea. After all if I’m going to be pounding the pavement for you, it never hurts to have a few extra dollars to loosen some lips.”

Fluttershy smiled brightly, then reached into her purse to pull out a pen and a chequebook. “Done!” She opened it up, wrote a few things down on one cheque and ripped it off. She held it over the desk, the thin slice of paper seeming to glow under the dim light. “Here you are, I think that about covers the first week.”

“Yeah... yeah that’ll cover it.” Dash replied her eyes going a bit wide as they alighted upon the cheque. It had been quite a while since she had a client so eager to fork over that much money. Quickly though, Rainbow attempted to recover her professional demeanor. She took the cheque and slid it into a pocket.

“Well, it's official. I’m your gal now, so lets see what I can do for you.” Dash rubbed at her chin thoughtfully. “I think the best thing for me to do with a case like this is to follow you around. Shadow you in hopes of catching your shadow. Now if you’re stalker is any good, he’s probably got all kinds of spots where he can watch you while you go to all of your usual places. So let’s take you someplace unusual. If we throw him off his game, we might be able spot ‘em.”

“Like a crocodile...” Fluttershy remarked, seeming to like this idea.

“Yeah...uh... just like that,” Dash replied, the odd comment momentarily derailing her train of thought. However as her plan returned to her, Rainbow could feel a grin spread her lips.

“What do say to dinner and drinks?”

“Yes! I’d love to!” Fluttershy said happily, but then retracted, blushing a bit. “I mean...that’d be nice, yes... I think I’d feel better having someone else out there with me.”

“Now, I think I got just the place in mind and trust me, it isn’t the type of place I think you would have been before.”

“What is it?”

“A little dive I like to frequent,” Rainbow replied as she thought fondly of the bar. “Kind of a hole in the wall, but it’s got a small kitchen and some live music. Goes by the name of The Rock Farm.”

“I see...” Fluttershy bit her lip, frowning thoughtfully. “I don’t believe I’ve heard of it, but that sounds fine to me.”

Rainbow found herself chuckling at Fluttershy’s expression. She wasn’t sure if it was the prospect of having a professional excuse to hit up her favorite watering hole, or just something about her client, but Dash could feel an odd feeling of mirth bubble up within her chest.

“Well,” the detective said as she rose from her seat. “Let me grab my coat and we can be on our way.”

With that Rainbow crossed the room to the little coat rack by the door and pulled on her long trench coat. Glancing back at Fluttershy, she held open the door to her office and beckoned her client onward, “After you.”

Blushing a bit, Fluttershy stood as well, going to the door and stepping out into the corridor. She tied her hair back into a tight pile on her head, before taking out her wig and slipping it on. “Th-Thank you, Miss Dash...”

Rainbow closed the door behind them, locking it with a key from the pocket of her coat. As she did she stole another glance at the gorgeous former model turned client. One thing was certain, this was going to be an interesting case.

XXXX

In the dimming light of dusk, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy arrived at a bar along the streets of a neighborhood not far off from Dash’s office. The two had been walking along, not thinking much on the fact of what was at hand. At least, to a degree.

Fluttershy felt herself looking everywhere she could. Over her shoulder, left and right, anywhere she knew was a blind spot. Then again, this was nothing new, considering she’d spent the year of her life having to keep an eye for anything. Having someone beside her, willing to help, did put her mind at ease. But it still didn’t help the unsettling coiling in her stomach, followed by the butterflies fluttering about. She’d had to fight the urge to hold Dash’s hand. Which she of course scolded herself for.

Nonetheless, Fluttershy felt...pretty good. She couldn’t help but steal glances at the shorter woman, and even think back to her more...playful and suggestive remarks from earlier. While nerve-wracking, it was oddly thrilling to her. Dash was attractive, at least to her, and she wasn’t exactly above the idea...

Fluttershy inwardly slapped herself. It was not the time to think about that. Especially since she now could see that they were at the bar.

The Rock Farm wasn’t exactly the prettiest of establishments, especially from the exterior, in fact it wasn’t much of anything from the exterior. A first glance at the building may lead the casual observer to miss the establishment entirely. Set slightly above ground level, up a small set of stairs was a little bakery, home-spun and charming, located in one of the ubiquitous brownstones found around the nieghborhood. However sitting to the side of the stairs up to the bakery were a second set of stairs heading down into the basement of the building. A little hand painted wooden sign on the exterior wall of the building proclaimed the name of the bar along with an arrow that pointed proudly down the stairs.

Rainbow lead Fluttershy down the concrete steps until they came to a small alcove within which was set a violently pink wooden door.

“Welcome to The Rock Farm.” Rainbow said as she pushed open the door for her client.

Fluttershy smiled, a soft blush tinting her cheeks. She was quite flattered by her chivalry, something that wasn’t quite often displayed to her, at least not like this. “Thank you...” She said, slipping toward the door, only to be stopped by a bouncer once she was inside. “Oh!”

“Got an ID there miss?” The bouncer drawled gruffly. She was an incredibly tall woman, towering over the relatively tall Fluttershy by several inches at least. She had a light dusting of freckles across her cheeks, and her long blonde hair was gathered in a loose ponytail that hung over her shoulder.

Her apple green eyes scanned the somewhat stunned Fluttershy, “Miss?”

“U-Um! Yes...I...I’m sorry...yes, I do...um...” Fluttershy pulled out her wallet, producing her Animal Care license once again. “H-Here you go...I-I swear I’m over legal age.”

“Can’t tell ya how often ah hear that one,” The taller woman took the card and turned it over, examining its legitimacy.

“C’mon AJ enough with the third degree.” Came Rainbow’s voice from behind her client. “I can vouch for her. She’s with me.”

“Well, ah’ll be.” The blonde woman began to grin in spite of herself, “Looks like Rainbow Dash ain’t coming here to drink alone.”

“Yeah, like I could be so lucky,” Dash retorted good-naturedly to the jibe. “Between you, Pinkie, and that waitress-slash-lounge act of yours, I don’t think I’ll ever get the privilege to drink alone. Not at this bar anyway.”

Fluttershy glanced toward her employee, then over at the bouncer with a kind smile. “Um, regardless...I do apologize for any trouble, Miss....” She looked at the taller woman’s nametag. “Applejack. You were just doing your job, that’s all... I certainly don’t fault you for it.”

“Shoot, I know it,” Applejack replied, the words themselves sounding harsh but the grin on her lips and smile in her eyes contradicted them. As she stepped aside to allow the pair of women entrance, Fluttershy received her first full view of the bar in earnest.

The bar itself was rather dimly lit, but the soft light of incandescent bulbs glowing in mismatched wrought-iron chandeliers was enough to reveal the tavern’s interior. The walls consisted of an exposed brick, covered here and there with lengths of fabric. The effect was an interesting contrast of hard and soft textures that never the less resulted in an over all cozy impression.

The room was a bit narrow, however it was still quite long. Set along the right wall about halfway back and extending towards the back wall, was a solid wood bar top. Placed periodically along it were leather topped bar stools, though no two appeared to have come from the same source. The rest of the room contained a number of wooden tables, and along the wall opposite the bar, a number of booths with squishy-looking leather seats.

In an overall sense, the bar was quite disorganized and didn’t seem to have a consistent theme or tone to it. Everything was all over the place, which even the lighting adhered to. Some lights were coloured, others were basic, and there was even a disco ball hanging over the stage. A disco ball.

Yet, Fluttershy couldn’t deny just how inviting the place was. There was a sense of a fun sort of comfort, like it was just the kind of place that you wanted to spend time at. To just kick back, relax, and not care about being conventional. She wasn’t used to this kind of environment, but there was something so infectious and interesting about it, that she couldn’t fault it for being a mess. The bar didn’t know what it wanted to be in terms of a theme, look and tone, but maybe it didn’t have to. It seemed to be happy doing its own thing, and hoped that you’d enjoy yourself when you came in. If that was the intent, Fluttershy really had to give credit to the owner and decorator of the place, because it was truly something unique and fun.

Removing her wig, Fluttershy took in the place a bit further as they walked in, heading over to the bar top. She liked it so far, it seemed like a fun place. It was probably no wonder that Dash seemed to like it, let alone frequent to it.

Suddenly Fluttershy’s field of vision was filled by a smiling face and poofy pink hair.

“Hi! Welcome to my bar, I’m Pinkie Pie! Well its not all mine but it mostly is, so what can I get for you, huh?” The words poured forth from the bartender in rapid succession. but before Fluttershy could open her mouth, the pink-haired dynamo continued “Hey you know what? Without that wig you look a lot like that one girl.”

Dash coughed as a means of getting the bartender’s attention. This worked, but only in a sense, as Dash too was cut off before she could address Pinkie.

“Doesn’t she Dashie? She looks just like her and I knooooow you know which one I’m talking about~” The barkeep added with a sly wink of her bright blue eye.

“Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash found herself saying a bit louder than she would have normally. Perhaps it was just the odd coloring of the lights, but Fluttershy could have sworn she had seen a light blush cross the P.I.’s features. “How’s about you just get us some drinks and chow?”

“Okie dokie lokie!” The energetic woman replied, “The usual okay?” Rainbow nodded curtly. “And for your friend?”

“Um....” Fluttershy finally caught sight of a menu sitting next to her. She picked it up, hastily reading over it. “I’ll uh...just have a club sandwich...a-and a grape soda, please.”

“Got’cha girly,” Pinkie said before disappearing under the bar and reappearing a moment later with two bottles placing each in front of the two patrons. “One grape soda and one Apple-Family Special cider. I’ll get back to you in a moment with your food.”

And with that Pinkie Pie bounced off through a door to the kitchen.

Rainbow looked at her own bottle a bit sheepishly, not knowing that Fluttershy would order something non-alcoholic. She ground her teeth slightly and shrugged off the feeling, taking a little swig of her drink. Its not as though a single drink would throw her off her game or anything.

“So...” Rainbow began as she set her bottle back down on a coaster. “I suppose while we wait to see if your lurker shows himself, how’s about you tell me how it all started.”

Nodding, Fluttershy took a sip of her own drink to calm her nerves, before setting it down. She looked around the bar, making sure no one was within close hearing range. Satisfied, she looked over at the detective, managing to get her story out.

“Well, it was some time after my modeling career took off,” she said, feeling a bitter taste come to her mouth at these memories, “and I was an unwitting centre of attention. All over the city, as I...see you know... Well, for a while, I was receiving all of this fan mail from this one person. All of his letters to me were typed, either on a computer or typewriter; which according to the police, was a way of evading having his handwriting caught on to. At first, he just sent way too many letters to me at a time. But as they went on...they became...creepy, and very...very unsettling to me. I eventually had to get two P.O. boxes, just to avoid anything further. I was even close to closing down sending me fan mail altogether.

“My agent eventually got me a filter, who looked through my letters before giving them to me. The letters continued for some time, though I never saw his. He never left a return address, you see. So there was no way to trace him. All they had were stamps, but printed on the envelope as opposed to pasting them. Eventually, he sent me gifts. All kinds of expensive things, jewelry, and other such things. Because I couldn’t return them, I had no choice but to give them away, or sell them for money I could donate to charity. Eventually I put a cease and desist on sending me gifts. But that didn’t stop him....

“A-After that...he sent me photos. All kinds of photos of me. On my day to day life. They weren’t photo prints from the shoots I’d done or anything. He said in these letters and photos that he was following me. I-I knew then...that he was stalking me for some time. I don’t know how or when that started, but it had gone on for a long while, and I never knew it. When this happened, I tried going to the police. But I had absolutely no evidence. Nothing he sent me had traces, or even fingerprints. There was only one thing...he signed his letters as ‘King Sombra’, which sounds like a stage alias or something. But even then, it wasn’t proven that he’s the guy, even if his patterns are similar. You...know about Sombra, right?”

Rainbow had grown increasingly more alert throughout Fluttershy’s tale, but she had most certainly not expected to hear the name Sombra.

“Damn.” She swore under her breath. “Yeah I’ve heard of him. He’s the suspect in a number of disappearances. Never worked a Sombra case myself, but the woman I trained under, Firefly, she said she had the misfortune of working one. Said the girl just vanished without a trace. Gone in a puff of smoke, as they say. Police couldn’t do much so the family went to Firefly.”

Dash’s voice dropped a bit, her tone less assured than usual. “She couldn’t do much either though. Had to drop the case. She apologized to the family, but told them to continue would just be a waste of their money. ’Don’t take people’s money if you can’t help them, that’s rule number three,’ She used to tell me, ‘and never give them false hope, that’s number one.’”

“...Oh....then you know...” Fluttershy murmured, her eyes darting about nervously. “Well, so Sombra has been stalking me...f-for whatever reason, I don’t know... All he has ever said was that I was his ‘inspiration’, and...other sorts of creepy things. And from those other stories...he stalks these girls and...they disappear. The police couldn’t help me because of this. They’ve been after him for years, and could never recover the bodies of his victims. Whether or not they’re still alive is unknown. He can’t be traced, so that was part of why they couldn’t help me... I...I had...n-no one else I could turn to... I even tried leaving the country. ...But he found me. He found me... I know that I’m no safe anywhere else than I am here. You’re....you’re my only hope in stopping this...”

The pinkette’s voice became shakier, her shoulders trembled.

“I’m scared... I think this man is capable of so much more than I know... Even after I quit being a model, he still followed me...he’s still following me today...it’s part of why I go out in disguise often. Not just because I don’t want to be recognized... I-I know this is a very hard case, and I am so sorry...but I-I need help...” She looked to Dash with pleading despondency.

Some people may have gotten scared. Some may have begun to empathetically feel as trapped as Fluttershy. Others would have given up the case right then and there, feeling it was a lost cause. Rainbow felt none of these things. Rainbow got angry.

Rainbow’s eyes hardened. She thought of this Sombra, this nebulous villain who got off on scaring girls half to death before she he finished the job. That gutless piece of trash wasn’t going to get this one. Not if Rainbow had anything to say about it.

“Fluttershy,” Rainbow said, a growl in her voice. “I’m going to find this guy,okay? I’m gonna find him, and he won’t hurt anyone else. Especially not you.”

Rainbow placed a hand on her client’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Not you, got it?”

The reassuring touch jolted through Fluttershy as she finally looked up, meeting Dash’s eyes. She felt her breathing slow, her body relaxing, and like she had nothing to worry about. The determined look in those cerise eyes were inspiring. Not only captivating and so beautiful to look at, despite how hard and stony they were, but determined. She felt her heart skip a beat, her stomach warming up...

“...I-I got it... Thank you, Miss Dash... I-I really appreciate you trying to help me...” She managed, smiling a little bit.

Rainbow attempted to mirror the expression, flashing a determined grin, meeting those watery teal eyes of Fluttershy’s. They really were quite beautiful. Rainbow found herself musing idly if thats why she had been so successful in her short lived modeling career, those expressive eyes. Suddenly she felt the fire in her redouble. She would be damned if she let some creepy slug lay his hands on this girl. As long as she drew breath, she was determined to insure that Fluttershy did the same.

Their gazes were locked, with neither looking away. Fluttershy even reached up to her shoulder, touching Dash’s hand with her own. A strange spark ran through her upon the contact of their skin, but not in the sense of static or a jolt. It was just a strange little jump within herself. The skin was fairly soft, if not a bit rough, and far from unpleasant to the touch.

Fluttershy felt safe, protected, like Dash truly was going to keep to her word. Everything in her eyes and her overall facial expression said everything. For once, she didn’t feel nervous or intimidated looking someone in the eye. If anything, it made her feel better. More connected to who she was with. Especially since the cerise eyes of the detective were captivating, fascinating even. She was just so curious to what secrets they held, what they would tell her of the woman before her.

It didn’t help that Dash was indeed attractive. While her nose told the signs of once having been broken, her skin roughened in slight ways, and her hardened eyes... Fluttershy found her pretty. Even her short, somewhat scruffy rainbow hair added to her appeal.

Suddenly Dash began to feel as though they were being watched. Fearing the worst she whipped her gaze about wildly, only to be met by a pair of wide blue eyes.

“Arg! Pinkie!” Dash groaned.

“What?” Pinkie responded in her innocent yet energetic manner. “You two were having such fun looking into each other’s I said to myself ‘Pinkie, maybe they have something special there, like they can hypnotize people!’ Naturally I responded to my self with, ‘that’s so cool!’ So I had to see for myself, but nope not hypnotism.

“Oh! You’re sandwiches are ready, I put them down right there for you, but like I said you were so distracted...” Suddenly Pinkie became rather thoughtful, tapping her chin in an almost cartoonish manner as she thought. After a moment she finally added with the air of someone reaching a profound conclusion, “Maybe you two should make-out.”

“Pinkie! Don’t make me leave you a crap tip!” Dash growled at the bartender, though she couldn’t suppress the flush that had begun to heat up her face. The idea certainly had its merits, Dash couldn’t deny that. Don’t take advantage of clients. That had been another of Firefly’s rules (number seven to be specific) and Dash certainly didn’t intend to break it, though she would be lying to herself she said she wasn’t thinking about it. No. When this was over maybe... when she wasn’t a client anymore.

The out-of-nowhere statement was both surprising and shocking to Fluttershy...and yet appealing. Of course, it was ridiculous, considering they didn’t even know one another on a personal level. Yet, if there was one thing Fluttershy couldn’t deny liking, it was kissing. Sweet kissing always had a way of sending shivers up her spine, most especially with other girls, she found in her lifetime. The ideal now flashed in her mind, which she tried to force out. Especially since she felt certain that the detective she’d hired for her case would not break a professional code like that.

Still, it didn’t help that Fluttershy’s eyes were now focused on Rainbow Dash’s lips. If there was one attractive feature, aside from her eyes, it was her lips. While average on a whole scale, there was nothing really wrong with them. They looked...soft, if a bit dry, and like they would really feel nice to touch with her own...

Blushing immensely, Fluttershy trembled as she tried to keep her thoughts in control. ‘No, no! I can’t think of her that way... This woman...Pinkie, is just being quirky! Quirky! Come on, don’t think into this! ...Maybe...after it’s all over...? ...No, she probably wouldn’t think of me in that way even after it’s all over. I know she...flirted with me earlier, but that was probably just her being silly and knowing it was me.’

“Um...” Fluttershy spoke up, trying hard to break the tension. “M-Maybe that’d be better if it were in private?”

‘You...Fluttershy, why did you say that?! Nice going...’ The pinkette thought, kicking herself under the bar, quietly.

Dash’s eyes went a bit wide, but then she felt a smile stretch her lips. Then she found herself chuckling.

“Yeah Pinks, here that? We’ll wait ‘til we’re in private, til then lay off ‘kay?” Her tone was playful, but at the same time made it clear that she had chosen to interpret Fluttershy’s comment as a joke.

Pinkie gave the gumshoe a skeptical eye, “Okie. dokie. lokie.” She said slowly as she slipped away to deal with other customers.

“That was a good one Fluttershy,” Rainbow said as she took another swig of her cider, “quick thinking too, that should at least get her off our backs.”

‘Of course she could have been serious...’ Rainbow thought with a bit of a blush as the tart liquid slid down her throat. ‘...when the case is done...’ She repeated in her mind, ‘...when the case is done, we can sort that out...’

A soft blush marred Fluttershy’s cheeks, to which she laughed a bit more in relief, glad to see that what she’d said wasn’t taken the wrong way.

“I-I try...besides...even if we....did take her up on that-not saying we should! Just um...that it’s true...right? We would...take that kind of thing...behind closed doors, in private...right?” She managed, looking to her employee with a shy smile.

“Hey if you don’t want to make out in the middle of a bar, who am I to make you?” Dash chuckled a bit herself again. Regardless of Pinkie’s intention when she intruded on the pair a few moments ago, it had at least gotten Fluttershy’s mind off the horrors of her situation.

“And...who am I to make you?” Fluttershy smiled a little more, even giggling. “I-I do like a nice kiss....of course...but um, in public I don’t go much more than a peck.”

“Classy, that’s the way to do things. Well in the ideal world I suppose.” Rainbow mused, though as she did her eyes darted around the room. She figured she may as well seize the opportunity for looking around for their intended target. Unfortunately a quick sweep turned up nothing. No one new had entered the bar since they had. There was no one peering into any of the highly placed windows. Nothing.

“Mm-hm...” Fluttershy had started to munch on her sandwich a bit. “Oh, I have to use the bathroom...um...are there...any windows in the bathroom?”

Dash shook her head as she picked up her own sandwich, her usual BLT, and took a thoughtful bite.

“Nope, just four walls and the stalls.” She managed after she had swallowed her mouthful of sandwich.

“No huge human-sized vents, either?” Fluttershy asked, caution in her tone.

“Just a little fan, nothing human-sized.” Dash responded. While at any other time the question may have sounded ridiculous, Rainbow understood the seriousness of the situation.

Managing a nod, Fluttershy stood up, looking all around her, before then heading to the lavatories. No one cast a second glance, nor followed, especially since the doors were in plain sight of the bar itself.

“Ooohh!!” Pinkie came back into view again, grinning. “That was Fluttershy, wasn’t it? That pretty model, who you were pretty much crushing all over?! Wow, Dashie! I never thought you’d finally get to her!”

“Look,” Dash replied to the bartender, and possibly the closest thing she had to a friend, ”I didn’t get to her okay, she came to me. She’s a client. Doesn’t matter if I am... was crushing on her, okay?”

Pinkie giggled, taking a glass and wiping it with a dishcloth, “So you admit it, then! Come on, I saw the way you looked at her... And I think the feeling’s mutual! See the way she looked at you? She looked curious and interested, and was always looking at your eyes! I think she likes you, Dashie!”

“Doesn’t matter.” Dash said flatly, though the observation did intrigue her. She figured when all was said and done maybe Fluttershy would agree to a date or two, but what Pinkie was describing sounded like they had already made a love connection. Sure Dash loved the look in those turquoise eyes, and the way her pink plump lips curved when she smiled. And naturally she wanted to tear this Sombra character limb from limb and make sure no harm ever befell her beautiful pink-headed charge ever again...

“She’s a client...” Rainbow repeated again, though the resolution had ebbed a bit. “Rule seven: Don’t take advantage of a client...”

While Pinkie gave a slow, solemn nod, she was immediately smiling again. “Of course, Dashie! You always live out by your code. But...what if she came on to you?”

“I...well...” Dash felt her mouth go a bit dry at the rather exciting thought. Fluttershy, the Fluttershy, coming onto her. That was quite tempting... but still. “Well. She wouldn’t be herself. I mean, not till this is all over. Maybe when she’s not scared for her life...”

“I know, Dashie... But you two have some pretty sweet chemistry!” Pinkie winked at her, then went to go and serve other customers.

XXXX

Inside the bathroom, Fluttershy finished with her business, and was now at the mirror, purse set on the countertop. Rainbow Dash had been correct, there were no windows, large vents, or any sort of access point. All of the stalls were empty, with their doors open, and no blind spots to be found. She was safe.

Hopefully.

Every now and then, her eyes darted to the door, keeping an eye for anyone coming in. So far, no one had. It was just her, alone in the public bathroom. Hopefully, Sombra didn’t see where she went. But she had a feeling that he could have had accomplices either following her, or were in the bar right now, posing as regular customers. Considering no one else had come in since they’d arrived, it was unlikely.

She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. Then took to re-applying her makeup, as any kind of means to distract herself.

Creak.

Pausing, she looked all around her upon hearing the sound. Nothing.

‘It’s an old building...there’s nothing to worry about. Sometimes they’re noisy...’ Fluttershy thought, and went back to work.

Creeeeeak.

Tensing, Fluttershy placed her tube of lipstick back into her purse.

Creeeeeeeeeeak.

Before she could grab her purse and get out of there, another sound hit her ears. Footsteps. Where they came from, she couldn’t tell. But they were close. Fluttershy looked all around her again, trying to reassure herself that there was nothing that could get to her in here. All except at the door. Just the door.

Looking to the door, it was still tightly closed.

Fluttershy took another breath, managing to calm down a bit. She leaned against the wall, closing her eyes for a moment. Her body relaxed, trying to tense up again, before she managed to will herself to calm down. The wall against her back felt cold, but she endured it, trying to keep herself alert.

Exhaling once more, the former model stood straight, bringing her purse to her shoulder. With nothing else to do, she went to the door.

Only to see a sneering, shadowed face looking in on her through an open crack in the door.

Fluttershy screamed bloody murder.

XXXX

Rainbow heard it. In a flash she was at the door to the bathroom, kicking it open violently.

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow called into the small room.

In a corner, near the sink countertop, Fluttershy stood there; wide-eyed and trembling like a leaf. She noticed Dash, looking relieved, though still scared.

“S-Someone...someone there! At-the-the door!” She squeaked, whimpering. “Someone was there! Looking in!”

Rainbow turned around sharply scanning the bar, just as she had done only minutes ago. Still there was nothing out of the ordinary. Gripped by a sudden idea Rainbow quickly vanished from the doorway to the woman’s room and kicked down the door to the men’s room.

“Empty.... damn...” Rainbow muttered under her breath.

She returned to the woman’s room and a trembling Fluttershy. Squatting down beside her, Rainbow placed a hand on her client's shoulder.

“It’s okay... I’m here now okay. He can’t get you.”

Looking to the detective, Fluttershy let out a whimper and threw her arms around Dash, tightly. She nuzzled into her neck, seeking comfort and trying to calm herself down. Whatever had happened, she didn’t even know right now. All she could feel now was a mixture of shock and relief, knowing that she wasn’t alone.

“...I’m scared...” Fluttershy whimpered, clinging to the shorter woman tightly. “Please don’t leave me alone...”

Rainbow held tight to her Fluttershy. She was unsure if this was crossing a line, but then again she didn’t care. Fluttershy needed her in this moment and she sure as hell wasn’t going to let a scared, trembling girl suffer to appease some sense of decency. Priorities. That was rule eight.

“It’s okay,” Rainbow whispered, “I’m not going to leave you alone, okay? You’re my client. Satisfaction guaranteed, right?” Dash said managing a slight smile. It was gallows humor really, but Dash was hoping it might cut the tension.

Managing to look at her, Fluttershy wiped pooling tears from her eyes, managing a tiny smile. It wasn’t exactly funny, or enough to make her feel better. But, the fact that Dash was trying to make her feel better and just being there for her was enough to help the situation a bit.

“....Mm-hmm...” Was pretty much all she could say in response.

Rainbow just sat there, holding the pinkette in her arms, rocking her back and forth in what she hoped was a gentle and comforting manner. Fluttershy cuddled into her, arms around her neck, now resting her cheek against her shoulder.

“Did you get a good look?” Rainbow asked tentatively. Her voice was still soft, but she couldn’t completely mask the sense of urgency that danced at its edges. She knew the woman was shaken, but if she was going to take down this stalker she would need all the information she could get. The sooner the better.

Shaking her head a bit, Fluttershy let out a shaky breath. “I-I didn’t see them...very well...it was very dark... All I saw was a shadowed face.”

The P.I. suppressed a disappointed groan. She had at least been hoping that such a close encounter would have at least been more fruitful from an investigative standpoint, but Fluttershy didn’t need to know that. Not on top of everything else.

“All I saw were...red eyes...” Fluttershy added, her voice soft.

“Good...That’s good Fluttershy, that’s something we can identify this guy with.” She gave the ex-model another little half-smile. “You did good.”

“...You really think so?” Fluttershy looked up at her then, wide-eyed.

“Yeah I do. Hey, it’s something right?” Rainbow looked down into those bright eyes. They were still filled with shock and fear, but there somewhere in there depths Rainbow could see that spark of hope and courage. Hope that one day this nightmare could end, and the courage to see it through.

‘She just needs a little help,’ Dash thought herself. ‘Just gotta fan the flames a little, she’s stronger than she knows. Stand by your client and see this through.’

“And don’t worry about tonight, I’ll see you back to your place. You hired me for long nights, remember?”

“R-Really?” The pinkette looked at her hopefully, a smile forming at her lips. “Oh, thank you, Rainbow Dash... I-I really...don’t think I’d be able to make it home alone... I-I don’t feel safe... I haven’t felt safe in months...”

“Then its a good thing you came to me.” Rainbow said, puffing her self up a bit, and hoping that Fluttershy could draw on her confidence. “I’m not just any old gumshoe. I’m the Rainbow Dash, and around me you’ll always be safe, got it?”

Considering how the woman had come to her aid only moments after she’d screamed, Fluttershy felt a sense of security she hadn’t felt in a long time. Of course, Rainbow Dash was only doing her job, as part of the case; but it still helped. At least, at some level, she could count on her.

“I got it...thank you so much...” Fluttershy smiled more, even snuggling closer in thanks. She wasn’t sure why, it just felt right to do so.

The private eye felt her face heat up ever so slightly at the affectionate gesture.

“Yeah... well... like I said, you hired the best.” Dash then coughed a bit awkwardly. It wasn't that she wasn't enjoying the closeness, rather it was the fact that the opposite was true; and that was the problem. “How’s about we head back out into the bar. I bet our food’s still good, and our drinks are still cold.”

Fluttershy nodded, attempting to try standing up, “Yes, of course...let’s go... I-I think...whoever was out there is gone now...”

“Yeah, no way he’d risk another encounter now that our guard is up.” Rainbow replied, rising to her feet.

Fluttershy stood up, clutching her purse, and taking one last glance around the bathroom. “That’s true. Um...let’s go, shall we?”

Dash lead the way out of the restroom. As she looked across the bar she caught Applejack’s eye. The blonde gave her a questioning look. Rainbow simply nodded giving the bouncer the all’s clear.

As they once again reached their seats Rainbow took another swig of her hard cider. She savored the flavor before setting it down with a clink and taking her seat on the stool.

Fluttershy sat back on her stool, proceeding to continue eating her sandwich and drinking her soda. Getting some more food and liquid in her helped calm her nerves, as well as further assure her that nothing further could happen now. She caught Dash glancing at her, to which she smiled, letting her know that she was all right.

Further down the bar, the pair was often observed by a keen-eyed Pinkie Pie. She kept her smile, giggling at the displays the two women conveyed. Never would she forget the look on Rainbow Dash’s face when upon hearing Fluttershy’s scream. This was definitely going to be an interesting development.

Author's Note

Flutterguy and NintendoGal here, back with another collaboration. The collaboration, to be honest. This is the first idea we hatched, and we hope you guys will enjoy it! If nothing else, we certainly had fun planning and writing it. We wanted to try our hand at a story like this and in the end it worked out very very nicely. So read, comment, and enjoy!

Chapter Two: The Stakeout

Along the darkened, lampost-lit streets of Manehattan, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy found themselves heading toward a more prestigious neighborhood. After making a stop off at Rainbow's office where she made sure to grab Firefly's old case files, the detective and her client now were heading directly for the latter's apartment. While still a ways off, the walk was pleasant, even somewhat quiet, but nothing awkward. Both women had made occasional small talk, though they usually settled on just merely walking side by side.

The night air was crisp and cool, though not enough to feel too cold or nippy. All around, shops and other such establishments were either darkened or lit up, clustered together in one fell swoop along the blocks.

However, the darkened alleyways between buildings grew larger, more shadowed, and nerve-wracking to Fluttershy. It was unsettling enough passing when they had passed a few homeless folks who had made catcalls at her, but the sinister darkness of the alleyways seemed to her to contain an unknown and frightening danger.

Swallowing, Fluttershy tried to keep her gaze ahead of them. “I-It shouldn’t be much further...just a few more blocks...and turns...” She said, more to herself than Rainbow Dash.

“Mhmm...” Dash agreed absently as they ambled along. Her cerise eyes darted around them constantly, her entire body tense and ready to spring into action should the need arise. Her hands were kept deep in the pockets of her coat, her right hand resting against her old revolver. She doubted the necessity of any of this, chances are Sombra wouldn’t risk another direct encounter, but it never hurt to be prepared.

Right then, Fluttershy stopped in her tracks. “D-Did you hear that?”

Rainbow’s neck whipped around, scanning every inch of the street, sidewalk, and the adjacent alleys. Nothing. Nothing but the dark.

“Probably just a rat.” Dash replied through gritted teeth. “Though if its all the same to you, let's pick up the pace.”

“Right!” Fluttershy agreed, looking around them nervously, beginning to pick up her pace.

It was right then that five shadowed figures slipped from an alleyway, making a fast grab for them. One of them, a tall and burly man, grabbed hold of Fluttershy quicker than she could blink, locking her into a full nelson.

“Hahaha, got her, boys!” The man laughed hysterically. “Go for the small one! She must be easy!”

Squealing with fright, Flutteshy struggled against the man’s hold, trying to escape. “L-Let me go! Please, let me go!”

One of the thugs made a fast grab for the private eye, but Dash was faster. Before the man could even reach her she had drawn her pistol and held its tip right between the thugs eyes. The hoodlum pulled up short staring cross-eyed down the barrel of the gun.

Rainbow grinned at the man’s stunned expression. “Easy, my ass.”

With a loud crack, Rainbow whipped the heavy firearm across the temple of the assailant causing the much larger man to go down like a ton of bricks.

“Let the girl go,” Dash growled as she pulled back the hammer of the revolver with her thumb, “or you’ll be headed to the hospital with holes in you instead of just bruises.”

“Oh yeah? With your aim, you’ll end up shootin’ this chick instead!” The man snickered.

Fluttershy froze in terror, wide-eyed, trembling a bit. The man holding her captive didn’t let loose, or even seem to care. She felt a tightening of fear in her stomach, her mind reeling with the worst case scenario. Most especially when she could see the other three thugs approaching Dash from behind, one of them wielding a tire iron.

“R-Rainbow! Look out behind you!” Fluttershy yelled, only for her mouth to be covered up by the man’s hand.

Dash’s eyes darted behind her. Without turning away from Fluttershy’s captor Rainbow fired a quick shot at the feet of one of her assailants. A cry of pain informed Dash that she had hit her mark. The other two thugs paused momentarily, unsure on whether their prey was worth the mounting risks.

“Cop’s be here any minute.” Dash’s voice was even, devoid of fear, though not absent of a slight throaty growl. She knew that you never showed fear to the other predators in the jungle, even in the concrete jungle of Manehatten.

“Nice neighborhood like this, I figure a gunshot get called in pretty quick.” She continued, baring her teeth slightly as she spoke. “Sure you want to be here when Johnny-law comes calling?”

Growling, the man shoved Fluttershy to the ground, looking angry now. “Fuck you, bitch.... C’mon, boys. Let’s get outta here before the cops show up.”

Without a response, the other thugs took off down the street, while the larger man dragged his comrades along.

Rainbow quickly appeared at Fluttershy’s side reaching out for the pinkette’s hand. Upon feeling her wrap her fingers around her own hand, Rainbow pulled Fluttershy to her feet. Inspecting the girl for any obvious signs of injury. Satisfied that may have only been a scrape here or bruise there from the fall, she rested a hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder.

“We should probably get out of here too. I don’t actually have a permit for the gun...” Rainbow told her client in a tense whisper.

Eyes wide, Fluttershy felt uncertain how to feel of that, but didn’t argue. All she wanted was to get out of here and away from any further danger. She felt shaken up, her body trembled, as her nerves were on fire. Everything around her felt terrifying, unsafe, and shadowed. She nodded, slowly, managing a small whimper.

“O-Okay...”

Her grip on Rainbow Dash’s hand didn’t release. If anything, she held her hand tighter.

“How many blocks to your place?” Dash did her best to make her voice calming.

“Um...five...plus a couple of turns...” Fluttershy responded, her voice shaky.

“Hey, its okay. Everything is okay.” Dash squeezed the taller girls hand. She looked her directly in the eyes, searching those teal pools for that spark of courage she had seen earlier. “You can do this, Fluttershy. I know you can, but I need you to lead the way. You can do that for me, okay?”

As if stunned, all Fluttershy could do was stare back into those confident, encouraging eyes. Her heart pounded, her hand felt warmer, and she just overall felt...better. Like there was nothing to be afraid of. It was all a strange feeling of security, despite what had happened just moments again. The very feeling of what could’ve happened if she were all alone, without Dash there to help...

Safe.

Taking a breath, Fluttershy gave a slow nod. “Y-Yes...I can... I can do it...I’ll-I’ll lead the way there...I can...I can...”

“Atta girl,” Rainbow praised. “Let’s get going.”

As best she could, Fluttershy led the way toward her apartment. Despite that, Rainbow continued walking alongside her, keeping at a steady pace so as not to fall behind or pull ahead. Neither spoke another word the rest of the way, nor did they encounter anyone else aside from the occasional passerby on the street. The entire time, Fluttershy’s heart pounded with fear, her gut wrenched, and she felt a strange sense of unease. What had just happened was terrifying, and if not for Rainbow’s strength and bravery, she’d have been done for.

Nonetheless, she felt safe. Most especially because Rainbow Dash held her hand the entire walk to her apartment.

XXXX

Eventually, they arrived at a modest though somewhat high-rising apartment building. On the fourteenth floor, they found their way to room 1408, Fluttershy’s apartment.

Despite that she was home now, Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel that string of unease tugging at her heart. Nonetheless, she unlocked the door and led the way inside, Dash following her.

The apartment was fairly big, all one room in an open concept, alongside a bathroom and two bedrooms. One wall had floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a very nice view of a portion of the city’s skyline at night. A homey country kitchen sat at one end of the room, while the other consisted of a basic living room with two couches, an easy chair, and an entertainment unit.

“Well, um...this is my apartment...” Fluttershy said, going to draw the curtains over the windows-quickly. “Feel free to take a look around...”

Looking out the windows as she closed them, she kept her eye for anything suspicious. Nothing. Just some people walking along the streets below, wagons and carts moving along... Everything seemed fine. Despite it, Fluttershy never felt at ease looking out a window, especially at night. She trembled, eyes darting everywhere she could look, trying hard to see past the shadowed areas.

Feeling a tightening in her stomach, Fluttershy dared a look at the complex across the street. In the lit up windows, she could see various forms of activity from the tenants, or nothing happening with them. One window across from hers had a young man looking out, gaze shifting all around the area. He caught sight of her, smiled, and waved. It wasn’t leering nor creepy, just friendly. Fluttershy managed a polite wave in return, before she then closed those curtains as well.

On the coffee table were some envelopes, that day’s mail. Fluttershy sat down, taking them to look over. It was the usual thing; bills, coupons, medical papers, and...one envelope with no return address. Everything on it was typed, as well as the stamp being printed.

Terrified, Fluttershy flung the envelope to the floor as if it burned her.

“No! No! No!”

Rainbow quickly snatched up the fallen letter, turning it over in her hands. The paper of the envelope was pristine, not so much as yellowed edge or errant stain. Rainbow got the distinct impression that this Sombra hadn’t even breathed directly on the paper.

“Him?” The investigator asked, though she already knew the answer.

Fluttershy nodded, looking to her with scared eyes. “It is...it has to be... He...He knows where I live now... Sometimes I relocate all around the city...to try to avoid him... I’ve moved four times in the past six months...”

Rainbow grunted by way of reply. She considered whether or not to open the letter. She briefly wondered if there could be any poisons hidden within, but that seemed too complex for Sombra. If that had been part of his M.O. the police might be left with something to trace. No, odds were that the missive was clean.

Dash was still vaguely unsure as to whether or not to open it. On the one hand it couldn’t hurt to get a glimpse into her target’s mind. However, on the other hand the very presence of the letter was causing Fluttershy distress. She felt herself groan. She had to open it. She needed all the information she could get.

“Sorry Fluttershy,” She whispered to herself as she hooked her thumb under the seal and tore open the letter. She swore to herself as peered inside the envelope. Neatly folded within was a letter along with a several polaroid photos.

The photos consisted of various shots of Fluttershy. A few were of her walking on the street, another in a shop, another having lunch at a cafe, swimming, walking around Central Park... Basic photos to convey the fact that she was being stalked and watched on her day-to-day life. One photo, however, was the most incriminating. It wasn’t even a polaroid shot like the rest seemed to be. It was taken with a different camera altogether, and developed as such. A few others similar to it were just like it, but it was this particular one that came to be shocking, as it was the start.

It was of Fluttershy, laying in her bed, with the bed sheet covering her body up to her shoulders. The angle was a fairly slanted birds-eye-view, but a clear shot of her nonetheless. But what was really making the shot was how much of a shock it was to have such a photo. Getting a shot of her in the outside world was one thing, albeit terrifying and unsettling.

This was just at a whole new level. Especially considering the fact that Fluttershy clearly wasn’t asleep in the photo.

In one hand, she was holding a scrap of paper, which the camera didn’t pick up, so it was hard to see what was on it. Fluttershy was looking to it quite intently though half-lidded eyes, while her other hand was buried under the sheet. Giving her arm’s outline, the blush on her face, and the paper in her hand... She was clearly masturbating.

Not only caught in her own home, but caught doing something private. Very private.

Rainbow felt her mouth go dry. The final photograph cemented this Sombra’s status as a major league threat. She decided to slip the photos into a the interior pocket of her coat that held the case files from her office. Fluttershy did not need to see them, not now, and especially the last photo. Still, that left a pressing piece of business.

“Fluttershy...” Rainbow began slowly, trying not to alarm her. Unfortunately, it was inevitable. “Do you have a air vent in your bedroom?”

Fluttershy, having not been looking in her direction for the past few moments, looked at her with mild confusion. “Yes...I do. There is a small air vent on the wall across from my bed. Why do you ask?”

“And which room is your bedroom?” Dash asked, closing her eyes as she avoided the question.

The pinkette pointed to a door down a corridor at the end of the room. “It’s the second door on the left.”

“Wait here.” Rainbow stated in a flat, commanding tone. She hated having to keep Fluttershy in the dark as she went about her business, but she saw it as the only alternative to traumatizing her client.

She followed Fluttershy’s instructions and found herself in the ex-model’s boudoir. It looked much the same as it had in the photograph, only minus the room’s inhabitant. It was cozy, or would have been had Rainbow not known of its status of being under surveillance.

Back pressed against the wall opposite the bed, she positioned herself under the vent. Hoping that her position would be sufficient to hide her identity from Sombra’s mechanical eye. Jimmying open the vent with a penknife, Dash reached inside. Her fingertips searched the cool metal surface for her intended target. Soon they alighted upon a small object. ‘Bingo’

She removed a small tube, no larger than a roll of quarters, with a glass lens one end. Sliding this too into her coat, she set off back towards the living room.

All the while, Fluttershy was now checking the locks on her apartment door, which didn’t have just the door lock. There was also a chain, and also a sliding lock. Whether or not it was part of the complex’s door lock system or Fluttershy added them herself was a mystery. She checked the peephole for a moment or two, then drew back.

She noticed Dash coming back, and turned around. “Oh, um...did you...find what you were looking for?”

“Mhmm.” Rainbow replied. She wasn’t exactly sure how to say: ‘Good news: found a lead. Bad news: your every private moment has been under surveillance.’ So in the end she stuck to the simple disyllabic sound of affirmation.

“Okay...” Fluttershy said, now going back to the couch. “What did...the...letter say, this time?”

Rainbow once again took the envelope in hand, removing the neatly folded paper from its confines. Unfolding it carefully, Rainbow’s eyes scanned over another disturbing sight. However, this time it took the form of written prose:

How I love you my darling butterfly;
But if you continue to pull away,
And prolong my hunt as across the city you fly,
I will twist those wings until they crack and fray.
I see it all, my love, even what you hide.
My clever slattern, you’re never alone,
And too soon I’ll have you by my side.

Rainbow slid her tongue across the back of her teeth as she read the note, a gesture she’d come to recognize as signalling anytime in which she found herself feeling vaguely unsettled.

“Sure you want to know?” She queried in response to Fluttershy’s earlier curiosity.

“...Yes...” Fluttershy’s voice was nervous, but soft. She sat back on the couch, folding her hands in her lap. “I-I think... I should know...”

Rainbow handed the missive to Fluttershy and stood close by her as she read it, not wanting her to feel alienated as she subjected herself to Sombra’s disturbingly poetic ramblings.

Reading it over, Fluttershy felt her gut seize. It was nothing new, Sombra often wrote poems to her. Especially in a format such as this. Nonetheless, the feeling of obsession and devotion, for all the wrong reasons, were seeping through, just as his communications to her always did. Disgusted, Fluttershy tossed it aside as if it were on fire, trembling a bit.

“He...He always...writes letters and poems like this.... With this...kind of obsessive tone... As if he’s a lover from afar...but far too creepy...” Fluttershy whimpered, hugging herself. “I, I just-”

Riiiiiiiing! Came the shrill ringing of her telephone.

As if on instinct, Fluttershy crossed the room where her landline phone hung on the wall. The caller I.D. screen didn’t display a name or a number. Her answering machine was broken until she could replace it, which only further added to why she felt the need to answer. Trembling, Fluttershy reached for the receiver, wincing as the phone rang again. She lowered her hand slightly, staring at it as if it would attack her.

Taking a breath, Fluttershy managed to gently grab hold of the receiver, and held it to her ear.

“...Hello?” She spoke in a quiet voice, trying to hide the fear in her tone.

No response. There was silence.

“...Hello?”

Still no response. There wasn’t even the sound of breathing, background noise, or even the ambiance of an open room.

“Hello? Um, excuse me, if you’re not going to respond, I will hang up. I’m sorry... Hello? Can you not hear me? Is that the problem? Hello? Is anyone there? ...Hello?” She felt her tone getting more worried.

Dash motioned for Fluttershy to hand over the receiver, but also pressed a finger to her lips to indicate the act should be done in silence. Taking phone from the increasingly panicked woman as she handed it to her, Rainbow listened as well to the silence on the other end of the line. Thinking over the possibilities, Rainbow decided that perhaps her best move would be to hang up the phone. If it was Sombra she certainly didn’t want to alert him to her own presence. That is of course assuming he didn’t already know. Either way the investigator didn’t want to take any chances and moved her finger towards the end call button.

“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you.” A voice suddenly spoke from the other line, followed by dark chuckling. The voice was digitized and squeaky, indicating that the caller was clearly using a voice changer. “You seem angry, dear Rainbow Dash...did any of this strike a nerve?”

Rainbow ground her teeth in frustration. You do not show fear to the other predators.

“Congratulations.” Rainbow replied her voice feigning boredom. “You know my name. Want a cookie for it?”

“You are indeed as insolent as they say...” The voice said, chuckling once more. “You certainly have made a bold attempt in taking on this case... If the police and EBI cannot catch me...would you really think that a gumshoe such as yourself will be able to catch me? It’s quite amusing. You stand there now, with the vow to protect your client... But can you, really?”

“Sure can.” Rainbow drawled lazily. “But I like that word you used before: amusing. That’s the perfect word for a smoke and mirrors kind of guy like you. I know me and Fluttershy are just laughing it up at your little scare tactics. Haven’t had this much fun since Nightmare Night.”

Once more, the voice chuckled, sounding quite amused. “You certainly have a very skewed definition of laughing things off. The way your client is cowering against you, trembling with fear and staring at the phone with wide, frightened eyes does indeed give the impression of her laughing this off.”

‘This is going nowhere,’ Rainbow thought with a frustrated roll of her eyes.

“Yeah well fuck you too.” She replied as she hung up rather angrily. “Boring conversation anyway.”

“But...But Rainbow...he’s watching us!” Fluttershy whimpered, trembling. “He knows you’re here, he can see us right now...”

“Yeah well, he probably has another camera.” Rainbow said looking around for more vents.

“...What do you mean, another camera?” Asked the former model, fear creeping into her tone.

Dash swore under her breath. “Yeah... yeah that’s what I was in you bedroom for... He’s been watching you. I had hoped that was the only one...”

A terrified squeak escaped Fluttershy, to which she leaned against the wall to regain her balance. Watched. Cameras. Watched. She was being watched. Wherever Sombra was, he could see them right now.

“Oh god...oh god...” Fluttershy held a hand to her mouth, trembling with fear.

“Hey... Hey!” Rainbow took hold of Fluttershy’s hand. “Don’t let him see you scared. Bastard probably gets off on it. Don’t let him. Be brave, okay? You can’t let them see you scared. Where’s the Fluttershy that just fled the scene of a shooting?”

Looking to the shorter woman with scared eyes, Fluttershy tried hard to let her words sink in and be brave. But all she could think about was how she was violated, with her home now declared unsafe. He could see her every move, with or without wiretaps.

“I’m trying...” Fluttershy’s voice shook. “I’m trying...I just...he can see us right now...I feel unsafe... I don’t even know if he has wiretaps in the house... I’m sorry... I know I shouldn’t be scared, you’re right... I think he is that much of a sadist...”

Rainbow nodded solemnly. She understood. It would take more than a single evening to bring Fluttershy into her world. Absently she thought sadly about how a model who could have lived the easy life had been brought into a position where she needed Dash’s help. Brought into a world of hidden cameras and psycho stalkers.

“It’s okay.” Rainbow said in an attempt to console her, “He overplayed his hand by telling us he was watching, now we know there are more cameras. We’re going to take ‘em out, and that gives us all the more leads.”

Hearing her assuring words, Fluttershy released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, “I...I suppose that’s true... Now that we know...we can find them... Would it even make substantial evidence?”

“If we can trace ‘em, we can make it stick.” Rainbow said as she scanned the room. “We give it to the cops. If all goes well then the bastard goes to jail for a good long time.”

A spark of hope entered the pinkette’s teal eyes. “Ooh, then we should find them and get them out! We’ll be able to finally put him away!”

And with that the pair set about searching the rest of the house for any further surveillance equipment. Fluttershy for her part helped to point out to Dash every nook and cranny where she believed another lipstick camera could be hidden. Rainbow deferred to her clients, after all this was her home and no one would know it better. Though, Rainbow bitterly thought that Sombra likely knew at least as well.

They’re diligence was rewarded. Unfortunately each time the thrill of discovery was tinged with spine chilling sensation that Fluttershy’s privacy had been all the more compromised. After discovering one particularly well concealed camera in Fluttershy’s on suite master bathroom, Fluttershy found herself feeling particularly violated.

“He... He was watching...” Fluttershy’s voice broke off. She was unable to add voice to the indignity she felt.

Dash simply growled. Clearly this bastard’s depravity knew no bounds.

Overall, once their search had concluded, they had recovered four cameras. If Sombra had bugged the apartment for sound he would have had to have hidden them within other objects within Fluttershy’s home. A quick survey of the ex-model’s appliances revealed no tool marks. With any luck, Sombra wasn’t listening.

By then, it was getting late, with Fluttershy soon announcing that she was tired. At that point, she felt a mixture of relieved and terrified; wondering if there were any more cameras in the apartment now. In case they could have missed one. She’d tried to calm down, but ended up changing for bed in her closet, the only place where it would’ve been impossible to store a hidden camera-they checked-to try to feel safe.

Now she lay in her bed, curled up in a fetal position, trying to figure a way to sleep. She felt so scared, so wired, yet so exhausted. Her stomach churned, gut wrenched, and her heart seemed to pound painfully. Even with the lamps left on, Fluttershy felt unsafe in her own bedroom, the very room that was to be her sanctuary. Her only solace at this point was covering the window so well that it wouldn’t leave any gaps. Despite that her apartment building would not allow for someone to look in, not without scaling the building and being seen themselves.

Taking a breath, Fluttershy whimpered a bit, trying to calm down. A shadow fell over her, making her yelp silently, startled. But as her gaze turned to the lit doorway, she came upon Rainbow Dash standing there.

“S’okay Fluttershy.” Rainbow said with a disarming smile. “I got your back, okay, and I’m gonna be here all night. Just wondering where you keep the coffee?”

Stunned, Fluttershy gazed at the detective with wonder. “Um, cabinet...above the counter next to the stove...” She said automatically.

Dash cocked an eyebrow, unable to suppress a grin. Perhaps it was the feeling of satisfaction in finally having made headway on the case, or a feeling of confidence that they had managed to finally root Sombra shadow from the apartment, but Rainbow felt herself feeling a bit lighter now.

“What’s that look?” She asked Fluttershy, a playful quality dancing at the edges of her voice.

“I-I...um...” Fluttershy blushed a little, sitting up in bed. “I just...I was...surprised you’re willing to stay with me tonight... I’m sorry...I know you must feel more like a bodyguard right now...but I do appreciate it...I-I really do.”

“Yeah well...” Its true, Dash hadn’t expected to be spending the night inside Fluttershy’s apartment, but Sombra’s reach had rattled the P.I. a bit. Better to keep her client safe than to gamble her safety for a few clues, especially when they had been so fruitful in their sweep of Fluttershy’s apartment.

“Gotta keep you breathing.” Came the gumshoe’s eventual reply. But it was a bit more than that. In these quieter moment Dash could see that. She was intrigued by the ex-model, had been even before there was an ‘ex’ to place before the title.

“Thank you...” Fluttershy smiled at her, no traces of fear or uncertainty remaining. She hadn’t expected this, but Rainbow Dash truly was a saving grace. If she hadn’t come to her office, seeking her out, there was no telling what would happen now. “I really...feel so safe with you...and I can’t thank you enough for that...”

“Don't worry about it,” Dash replied, mumbling slightly. She felt herself blush lightly at the compliment. She was quite unused to receiving such heartfelt gratitude from her clients, especially when the job wasn’t even remotely done. She looked away from Fluttershy in an attempt to hide the tint upon her cheeks. The again maybe it wasn’t the thanks itself, but rather who it was coming from.

“I...I know, but I still just...want you to know how grateful I am,” Fluttershy said softly, her smile growing. “So...well...definitely make yourself at home, of course. The bathroom is right there, you can use it however you see fit, if you need a bath or shower for example. If you’re hungry, feel free to fix yourself something from the fridge or pantry. And if you do need anything else, you can let me know. Um, I can even write a list as to where things are, if you need me to...”

Rainbow found herself staring at Fluttershy again. then she began to laugh. It was a soft good-natured laugh, full of mirth and free of malice.

“Fluttershy, its okay. I’m not some sort of fancy house guest, I think I’ll be fine. Just needed to know where the coffee was and all that. But thanks for all the offers, I’m sure I’ll take you up on the whole food thing. Food always helps keep my energy up during a stakeout. I’ll pay you back for the the food and coffee though, I’m not going to have you paying me to eat my way through your pantry.”

The pinkette shook her head and pouted. “I don’t have company often. Can’t you let me have this? Guests don’t pay me back, and you’re my guest. I’m paying you, you don’t have to pay me back for anything. Really...my home is your home.”

Rainbow frowned a bit before finally relenting. She normally never gave in, especially on matters of pride like this, but there was something about Fluttershy’s pouting lips. She just didn’t want to see her unhappy. “Okay, okay. I guess I am your guest then.”

“Yay!” Fluttershy clapped her hands, giggling like a schoolgirl. “Well, I’m going to try going to sleep now. Um, feel free to do as you please, of course. You can even turn the TV on, if you want. ...I do leave it on sometimes, that or the radio...just to have some kind of company...it helps,” she admitted, looking away bashfully.

Rainbow nodded in understanding. She actually did the same from time to time. Living alone tended to prove lonely, even for fearless private investigators. Sometimes it just helped to hear the voices of others, even if they were artificial.

“Well...” Rainbow began a bit awkwardly, it wasn’t often she saw someone off to bed, “uh...goodnight.”

She then turned and left the bedroom and its occupant behind as she headed back into the main living area.

“Goodnight!” Fluttershy called after her. She blinked, feeling a bit odd at having said that, considering how long it had been.

Laying back in her bed, the former model felt her body relax. If nothing else, she felt a lot more safe knowing someone else was there with her tonight. Especially someone as strong and fierce as Rainbow Dash. To think she had managed to fight off five stronger, bigger men like she had. A flutter came to her heart, as did a little spark of excitement. She giggled to herself girlishly, rolling onto her side.

‘Oh my gosh... Rainbow Dash is just...everything I dreamed she’d be! I did make the right choice in seeking her out... She’s amazing! I don’t know where I’d be if I didn’t see her today...’ She thought, her smile growing dreamy. ‘And she’s so...captivating. Beautiful, in her own way... I hope this all works out....and I hope I can see her again, after the case is over...’

With all of this in mind, Fluttershy managed to relax herself and soon fall asleep.

XXXX

The past several hours had been entirely uneventful. Rainbow had kept herself alert, continually inspecting any point of entry she could imagine, or even just patrolling the apartment. Between her patrols she had also managed to fix herself a sandwich, drain an entire pot of coffee, and read Firefly's case files backwards and forwards.

Though she had to admit it was most certainly one of the most comfortable stakeouts she’d ever been on. Normally she found herself crouching in or under a car, up a tree in a park, or even in a dumpster. She thought with bitter disgust at the memory of the last instance. She definitely not going to do that again. It had taken almost a week to get that smell out. That made a week of hearing AJ and Pinkie snicker behind their hands every time she was in the bar.

After yet another patrol, Rainbow became aware of the natural consequence of flooding her system with a whole pot of coffee. Quietly as she could manage she made her way through Fluttershy’s bedroom and into the adjoining bathroom, shutting the door as softly as she could behind her.

With a sigh of relief Rainbow emerged from the restroom a few minutes later. As she crossed back into the main room a soft sound hit her ears. She looked over to see Fluttershy, curled up in her bed, her pink hair spread across the pillow. The sound she had heard was snoring. The cutest, softest little snores Rainbow Dash had ever heard.

Rainbow felt a smile play at her lips. Of course Fluttershy would snore like that, it just seemed to fit her perfectly. Then it occurred to Rainbow that this was probably the best night’s sleep that Fluttershy had been able to have in weeks... month’s even. Dash began to feel a warm feeling well up in her chest.

She had been on many cases before, but the life of the private investigator was far from glamorous. Most of her cases involved cheating spouses, locating lost suspects or dragging home runaways. It had been quite a while since she had felt such pride in her work, but even then she could feel that what she felt now was more than just pride. There was something else mixed in with it, intensifying the warmth she felt in her chest.

She wasn’t sure how she had arrived at Fluttershy’s bedside, but now here she was, taking a closer look at the sleeping ex-model.

‘She’s even more beautiful in real life...’ Rainbow thought to herself, ‘I always thought she was sexy... I mean who wouldn’t... but damn... she’s more than that...She’s the most beautiful girl I think I've ever seen’

She was overwhelmed by an urge to sit at her bedside, to spend the rest of her vigil right at the pinkette’s side. She then shook her head, willing herself to regain her senses. No. No she couldn’t. Rainbow knew that it couldn’t be that simple. Just because she wanted to, even felt as though she needed to, she shouldn’t and she couldn’t. Especially because of how bad she wanted it.

‘If I gave in... If I let myself try and be with her now, of course she’d fall for me. I’m her knight in shining armor... That’s why rule seven exists... I can’t have her waking up years later realizing she only got together with me because I saved her life... if it ever lasted that long...’ She turned to leave the room, and leave Fluttershy to her peace. She stole a glance back at the slumbering figure as she crossed the threshold, ‘...still...’

Rainbow sighed and returned to her post on couch preparing another pot of coffee. It was going to be a long night. Just Dash and her thoughts, all alone.

XXXX

The next morning, Fluttershy awoke at around 9:40 or so, a bit later than she’d usually sleep at times. She let out a sigh of relief, glad to have been safe another night, and let her body relax.

Getting out of bed, the woman took a silk robe, pulling it on and tying the belt. Much to her own surprise, the door was half ajar, to which she’d thought that Rainbow Dash would close it behind her. Nonetheless, she exited her room and went into the main area. Nothing was out of place, aside from magazines on the coffee table, and seemed to be secured. No signs of a break-in or anything of the sort.

On the couch, Rainbow lay there, curled up in the fetal position. One hand clutched a throw cushion that rested beneath her head, the other dangled over the edge of the couch, fingers barely brushing the carpet.

Given the half empty mug of coffee on the coffee table, sitting on a coaster, Fluttershy could only deduce what happened the night before. She smiled, slowly going over to where the detective lay, unable to resist.

‘My...she really does look...peaceful when asleep...’ Fluttershy thought, keeping her keen eyes on the smaller woman, kneeling beside the couch.

She observed her, taking in her peaceful face, scruffy rainbow hair, and the light tan to her skin. Fluttershy held her hand to her, feeling the urge to-no. She drew it back, feeling unsure about it.

‘I just want to touch her hair...it must be a little bit soft...right? And it’s beautiful... I’ve never seen rainbow hair before... Is it natural? Her eyebrows are red... Does her hair match her-no! I can’t think that!’ Fluttershy shook her head fiercely. ‘Never mind that... Rainbow really is an interesting woman...very tough, aggressive, and calculating... She knows her stuff, I can tell, and from what I’ve heard...’

Carefully, so as not to wake her, Fluttershy reached out and just ever so gently brushed her bangs along her forehead. Much to her surprise, she spied a scar running along one side of her forehead, going down toward her ear, but stopping a few inches. A little jolt of concern came to her heart as her mind reeled with curious questions. But then again, it wasn't her place to ask, and figured it was irrelevant, considering that she at least survived whatever happened.

Releasing her bangs, Fluttershy instead opted to gently adjust Rainbow’s head along the pillow to make her more comfortable. In the process, she could feel the slightly course, but still soft strands of the prismatic hair. She smiled a bit, running her fingers through it gently.

‘Such beautiful hair... I’ll bet it’s as soft as can be when it’s washed... She really is beautiful... I would bet that with the right hair styling, some pretty clothes she’d like, and some makeup...she’d be a stunning woman...’ Fluttershy thought, her smile growing. ‘But that doesn’t even matter...she looks just fine the way she is...the way she wants to dress. I wouldn’t ask her to change like that.’

Rainbow suddenly jerked in her sleep, eyes drifting open ever so slightly. Was she still asleep? It was quite the lovely dream. A beautiful girl at her bedside stroking her hair. A girl with the most enchanting teal eyes and flowing pink hair. That model, the one from the lingerie catalogues that she kept hidden in the little table next to her bed...

Slowly Rainbow began to find her mind again and the events of the past evening caught up with her. Her eyes widened.

“...uhhh... morning....” Rainbow managed as her face grew steadily more pink.

“Good morning, Rainbow...” Fluttershy beamed, leaning in a bit closer. “Did you sleep well? Were you comfortable?”

“Yeah...” Rainbow replied, not sure if she was frightened or thrilled by having someone so close to her. “Sorry I fell asleep, I waited until it was morning, but you can only fight the sleep beast for so long, besides I figured I useless to you if I’m groggy all day... so I had a bit of a nap...”

“Oh, no no! Don’t apologize. In fact, I was hoping you would get some sleep, as well.” Fluttershy said, shaking her head. “It’s all right now, so that works fine. Um....well, speaking of it all... I wanted to thank you, for saving my life again...”

Seeing Rainbow’s hand now resting on her side, she reached for it, gently touching it.

Rainbow felt herself flinch slightly at Fluttershy’s touch. Its not like she was never touched, but it was rarely... gentle. Violent, yes. All the time, Rainbow got into more fights than she could count. The few times that Rainbow found herself on the receiving end of another’s touch who didn’t have any ill will in mind, it was generally because she was drunk and wanted sex. But a gentle touch, it was almost completely foreign to her.

Then something Fluttershy had said finally sunk in.

“Again? I’d hardly call removing a couple cameras saving your life.”

“I-oh...”

Fluttershy came to realize what she’d said, and bit her lip. To Rainbow, the night before, during the encounter with the thugs, was the only time she’s saved her life. A soft blush tinted her cheeks, to which she now knew that she’d written herself into a corner. Taking a deep breath, she could relive that memory, without the pain and terror of what had occurred. But this time, with the hope of what it had brought her.

“Well, Rainbow... There is something I should tell you. Yesterday, when I first came into your office....it actually wasn’t the first time we’d met,” she said, biting her lip.

Rainbow sat up rather abruptly.She prided herself on her skills at observation. “Wait, no way. I’m pretty sure I’d remember meeting you.”

“Oh, well...” Fluttershy sat up too, sitting down beside her on the couch. “We didn’t exactly meet per se... all we did was exchange a couple of looks. Then you were gone before I could thank you. I was...I was also in disguise...wearing a wig and glasses, so yes, you didn’t know it was me. Do you...remember the robbery that took place at the Evergreen Market, about three months ago? You stopped the thief before he escaped.”

“Oh yeah that,” Dash rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “You know the cops never gave me back the cuffs I used on that guy... probably got them mixed up with their own... Should have got an evidence receipt. I just gave my statement and bolted, hate hanging around the cops too much. Growing up where I did, those flashing lights never mean good news... So that was you huh? Weird way the universe works.”

Fluttershy smiled, nodding. “Yes...I was the woman who was held at gunpoint... You grabbed the thief away from me and punched him. I-I know you were only stopping him and all, but I...well, no one has ever saved my life before... It was a completely different feeling... If you hadn’t...he was going to pull the trigger. I was terrified and trying not to scream, but he said he was getting annoyed with me and was going to do it. But then you stopped him, and I...I wanted to thank you, of course... But you were gone, and I can see why.”

She looked down at her lap, recalling the events of that day, three months ago...

XXXX

The Evergreen Market was modestly full of customers as Fluttershy walked in, readying for her weekly grocery shopping. She liked this store, as it sold some fresh farmed goods, a perfect little farmer’s market. With her list in hand, basket selected, she was ready for her little mission.

Donning a blonde wig, along with some sunglasses, Fluttershy felt relieved. No one would recognize her, try to question her, or crowd her. She was safe, and hopefully, from any other sources, as well. A couple of customers glanced at her, but didn’t spare another. So far so good.

Browsing the aisles of fresh produce, Fluttershy inspected the vegetables curiously. She saw something at the corner of her eye, then glanced over. Nothing, just a display stand. She giggled to herself, shaking her head before she went back to what she was doing.

A scream filled the store, followed by a loud gunshot.

Yelping in fright, Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she saw a man, dressed with a ski mask over his face, wearing gloves...and brandishing a gun. He was standing at the cash stop, pointing the gun at the cashier, yelling something to her. It occurred to Fluttershy then, this was a hold-up. A robbery.

“Money!” The robber shouted, his voice deep and rough as though he spent every waking hour inhaling cigarettes. “Fucking money! God fucking dammit are you deaf!? Do you think I give fuck about putting bullet in that melon of yours!? Just open up the damn register and give me the god damned cash!”

The cashier, with her hands up in the air, nodded slowly. “I-I would, but I can’t...I can’t open it unless I make a sale... Th-That’s just how it works...”

The man swore again under his breath and cast his eyes about, alighting on a blonde woman with a half-full shopping basket.

“You!” He pointed his gun in Fluttershy’s direction, “Get over here and give this bitch your shit so she can make a sale, got it?”

Heart stopping, Fluttershy felt as if her feet were glued to the floor. She trembled, her stomach churning, as fear filled her very being. The store was being robbed, the man had a gun, and one wrong move would get someone seriously injured or killed. She whimpered, forcing herself to make her way to the cash, looking anywhere but at the armed robber.

“O-O-Okay...p-please...don’t hurt anyone....” Fluttershy squeaked in fright, managing to place her basket onto the counter. “Please...”

Hastily, but clumsily, with shaking hands; she managed to place her items onto the counter so that the cashier could run them through the scanner. Dutifully, eyes on the gun, the cashier ran them through, keeping one hand up in the air at all times.

Fluttershy trembled, whimpering, at least until the man grabbed her roughly by the arm, jamming the barrel of the gun against her temple. She screamed, beginning to struggle.

“Shut up. Shut the fuck up.” The man growled. “Having a quiet hostage is useful. My advice to you, stay useful and shut up. Scream again and you won’t live to do it a third time.”

Unbeknownst to the robber a figure was approaching him from behind, dressed in a trenchcoat and fedora. Though she was taking her time, making sure not to alert the assailant to her presence. As she drew closer the cashier’s eyes widened slightly, but Rainbow Dash pressed a finger to her lips, warning the woman to remain silent.

The cash register then made a little dinging noise, as the total amount from the sale displayed on a little screen.

“Th-That’ll be $37.95, ma’am...” The cashier said dutifully, and the cash register opened. She proceeded to pull out the money from it, as well as emptying the change from the money rolls.

Fluttershy let out a breath, trying to calm herself, and get her mind off the pain from the man’s hold on her arm. “O-Okay sir...you have the money... I’ll even give you the money I have on me...just please let me go...please...” She whimpered.

“What part of quiet hostage did you not understand?!” The man said, pressing the still warm muzzle of the gun to Fluttershy’s forehead, “So shut the fuck up or I will fucking waste you!”

All Fluttershy could do was obey, little whimpers escaping her. Somewhere behind her, she could hear someone using their cell phone to call the cops. But would it be too late by the time they got here?

She trembled, just waiting for it to be over. He had already cocked back the hammer, all he had to do was pull the trigger, and she’d be dead. Her entire life seemed to flash before her eyes, the terror of being upon the brink of life and death overcame her senses. Dread filled her, the very regret of not living her life as she’d always wanted, the fear of losing her chances... Fluttershy felt her body seize, her stomach churn, and her heart fall to the floor. It was over. It was going to be over.

Trying hard to think of better thoughts, to sing a song in her head, anything, Fluttershy tried to remain as quiet as she could. Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance she would live. She had to take it, she had to try.

The robber heard a cough behind him, as though someone was attempting to get his attention. He wheeled around attempting to point his gun at the interloper. Though before he could level the firearm at this new threat, an uppercut caught him across under his jaw.

His vision flashed white. His head was spinning. Then he remembered the gun clenched in fist and attempted to bring it to bear once more, but before he realized what had happened he felt a sharp pain in his wrist and the pistol pulled from his grasp.

Another blow to the head and the would-be thief was kissing the floor. He felt his wrists once more spasm in pain as the cold steel of handcuffs were fastened about them.

“They always forget about that pressure point on the wrist,” A smoky yet feminine voice said. “Its like all these idiots learn how to criminals from the same moron.”

“You fucking bitch! You better let me out of the fucking things you fucking cu-” The robber screamed in purest rage, though a swift kick to his ribs silenced him mid-obscenity.

Rainbow Dash, though modest in height, towered over the fallen robber. A snarl played at her lips, and her scruffy rainbow hair appeared wild about her head. “Speak again and the next kick lands farther south.”

Rainbow located her misplaced hat which must have at some point during the altercation fallen to the shop’s floor. Dusting it off as she retrieved it, she then replaced it atop her multi-colored head, breathing a sigh of relief at having the treasured piece of apparel back in its proper place.

“Everyone alright?”

The customers all around gave nods of confirmation, with one of them announcing that the cops had been called. The cashier looked relieved herself, and put the money back into the register.

Silently, Fluttershy paid, and could not keep her eyes off the woman before her. The captivating young woman in a trench coat and hat, with a head of multi-coloured strands. For a moment or two, their eyes met, to which Fluttershy felt her breath hitch. She had never seen such beautiful, captivating eyes before. A shade of a dark pink, a sort of cerise colour. They were hard, sharp, indicating that the woman was strongly guarded.

Fluttershy felt a strange sense overtake her, along with how amazed she was. This woman, much shorter than she herself was, had managed to take down a much bigger man. Whatever she did, she was strong. She wasn’t even sweating.

‘...Beautiful...amazing...strong...’ Fluttershy thought, unblinking. She just couldn’t look away. It felt as if she would disappear if she blinked or even tore her gaze away.

Dash’s lips quirked up in a little smile, “You okay? He didn’t hurt you too much, yeah?”

Though before Fluttershy could open her mouth to answer the store was bathed in flashing blue lights.

“Looks like the cops finally decided to show.” Rainbow said with a snort, turning her attention away from the former hostage and towards the new arrivals. “Well better give my statement...”

And with that she was off, meeting the police outside, rather than waiting for them to come to her. Then after exchanging some brief words with a uniformed officer and flashing a business card, she set off into the night leaving the crime scene behind.

“....Wow....” Fluttershy murmured, still looking after her. Remembering where she was, she helped the cashier bag her purchases. Seeing a customer she recognized next to her, she turned to the woman. “Miss Heartstrings...do you know who that woman was? The one with the rainbow hair, who just stopped that man?”

“Hrmm?” The young woman with two-tone pale teal-and-white hair replied looking at the spot the private eye had vanished from. “Oh, that was Rainbow something-or-another, she’s in here all the time. Though it’s the same time every week, like clockwork.”

“You mean, Rainbow Dash?” Said the cashier, smiling. “She’s a P.I. and totally awesome.”

“....Rainbow Dash...” Fluttershy looked out the doorway again. The name just seemed to roll off her tongue like never before.

She was not about to forget that woman.

XXXX

“So...a small world, isn’t it?” Fluttershy giggled. “You were the one who stopped him, and I was the hostage...”

“Yeah...” Rainbow replied running a hand through her hair. She sighed a bit. “Well, if you want to thank me for it again, don’t. I was just doing what I do.”

“...I’m just being sincere for the effort... I know you didn’t do that for any reason than doing your job and simply helping another,” Fluttershy looked away a bit.

Rainbow pouted a bit. “When you put it like that... it makes me sound like some sort of, I don’t know... hero.”

Seeing her pout, Fluttershy giggled. She wasn’t sure why, but Rainbow was so cute when she’d pout. “Hee hee. Well, then you can be mine. There’s no denying that you have helped me a lot... So, you’re my hero... You don’t have to read into that, of course. It’s just for fun.”

Dash shook her head, but she couldn’t quite keep a smile from her lips. When she spoke there was a playful quality about her tone, even though on the surface it seemed stern. “Okay. Fine. just don’t get carried away with that, I’m only human.”

“Awww...so you’re not going to get on a horse, ride into the sunset, wield a sword and shield and wear armor? That’s not fair...my fantasies are ruined!” Fluttershy quipped, laughing a bit. Normally she wasn’t so jokey or sarcastic, but there was just an irresistible urge to try for it, especially when the material seemed to be placed in her lap.

“Do I look like I belong on the cover of trashy romance novel?” Rainbow replied, unable to suppress a burst of mirth filled laughter.

Fluttershy giggled, delighted that she’d made her laugh. “Well...coming from my experience...no. But, you can’t deny that it would be the most unique cover! Hee, I would make for a good romance novel cover...” She made a sweet, sultry pose, giving her a ‘Come Hither’ look. “See?”

Rainbow briefly choked on her own saliva as she attempted to keep her tongue in her mouth. That would most certainly make one hell of a romance novel cover. However unwilling to reveal the more heated fantasies the look had inspired, Dash simply responded with: “You sure you haven’t already done one?”

Relaxing herself from the intricate pose, Fluttershy thought for a moment. “...I don’t know... I did make certain poses, and the company did sell prints... So it is likely that a publishing company used one of my prints for a book cover.”

“Well I’ll keep an eye out for you. If I ever see a romance novel with a pink-haired maiden in distress,” If she was being truthful she would have said ‘I’ll add it to my collection of your work’ but being that was a bit embarrassing she settled on: “I’ll let you know.”

“Okay! Ooh! I know! We can go together! We’ll go to any nearby bookstore, we’ll look over the romance novel covers, and see what we find! It’ll be like a game!” The pinkette giggled, clapping her hands with delight.

“Maybe when I’m off the clock,” Rainbow said with a grin, the idea did sound fun though. But she was a P.I. first. As fun as their little game could be, and as nice as it would have been to give Fluttershy another way to forget her troubles, Rainbow knew that the best way would be to catch this stalker once and for all.

“How about I head down to the police station, and get some more work done on your case. then after words, who knows...” It was an odd feeling. She actually wanted to spend time with Fluttershy... it was like having a friend.

“Okay. Um...can I...go with you?” Fluttershy asked demurely. “I mean, if that’s all right, of course. I...have nothing else to do, anyway...”

Rainbow thought about it for a moment. She had never had a client take such an active role in an investigation before, but then again she hadn’t had a client who had been in quite this amount of constant danger before.

“Alright, come on along.” Rainbow said finally as she rolled her head about her shoulders, which caused a couple of pops and cracks as the stiff joints loosened.

“All right, then,” Fluttershy smiled, getting up. “Before we go, how about some breakfast? Would you like to take a shower?”

“Not a bad idea...” The detective responded and she now rolled her shoulders, letting out a satisfied grunt as they too popped and cracked. She rose from the couch, realizing that it wasn’t just her neck and shoulders that were feeling stiff. A hot shower would likely work wonders and reversing the effects of a long night spent primarily on a couch. “Meet’cha back out here for breakfast?”

Fluttershy beamed brightly, clapping her hands. “Okay! What would you like?”

“Whatever you got,” Rainbow called to Fluttershy as she made her way towards the bathroom, “I’m not picky!”

“I’ll make us some eggs and toast!” Fluttershy called after her.

XXXX

Roughly twenty minutes later Rainbow reemerged in the main room. She looked almost identical to when she left. Although her clothing remained the same, her polychromatic hair was now slightly damp and about her face was a look of supreme satisfaction.

“Nothing like a nice hot shower,” the P.I. remarked to herself. It was somewhat odd, though, the way using someone else’s soap and shampoo left a foreign scent clinging to her. While Fluttershy’s soap and such wasn’t exactly something Rainbow would have picked for herself, nonetheless she found the warm floral scents soothing.

All the while, Fluttershy was at the stove, making some scrambled eggs. On the counter to her left was a toaster, with two slices of bread already pushed in, and the coffeemaker was bubbling more coffee being made. The pinkette looked soft, calm, and was even dancing a little bit to a song that was playing on the radio. There was even a little something domestic in how she looked, the way she cooked the eggs and wore her silk robe over her nightgown. Many would’ve found it to be degrading, considering the expectations of women these days, but every bit of Fluttershy looked content.

Noticing Rainbow enter, she smiled brightly in greeting.

“Hey, I was just finishing this up. I hope toast and scrambled eggs will be to your liking, and I made more coffee,” she said.

“Sounds great, better than what I slap together for myself most mornings,” Rainbow replied, smiling in return and making her way over towards the kitchen nook. The smell of Fluttershy’s cooking was quite heavenly, and above all else she had prepared the nectar of the gods. “And Coffee. You’re a goddess.”

Fluttershy blushed and giggled, flattered. “Thank you... Um, so, how do you like your coffee?”

“Black as Tartarus and sweet as a kiss, least that’s what my dad always told people.” Dash answered with a smile. “In a nutshell: No cream, lots of sugar.”

“Mm, I never quite heard it that way, before...” Fluttershy said thoughtfully, filling one mug with coffee, the other with hot water. “But I like that, it’s an interesting way to put it. Especially that last part. Sweet as a kiss...” She began stirring in some sugar into the coffee-filled mug, a dream smile etching at her lips.

“Yeah,” Rainbow laughed softly to herself as she accepted the mug from Fluttershy. She took a slurp of the steaming liquid and sighed contentedly. “I always thought it was my dad’s way of hitting on waitresses at coffee shops.”

“Ooh... That sounds sweet, actually,” Fluttershy remarked, setting the table with their plates and utensils before taking a seat herself. “I mean, I’ve heard a lot of pickup lines in my lifetime and all kinds of those...more crude phrases and such. But it is nice to hear something that could be considered more sincere. Even if it wasn’t quite the intention, I suppose...”

Dash took a seat at the table alongside her client, wasting no time digging into her breakfast.

“That was dad alright” Rainbow replied, though there was almost a forced nature to the casualty of her tone. “Real sweet guy. One of the good ones.”

A slight jolt came to Fluttershy’s heart as she put the pieces together. Was. Past tense. She swallowed, wondering if it would be appropriate to ask further about it. Then again, it was likely that she wouldn’t want to talk about it or be put on the spot. The death of a family member was never easy, most especially when it seemed that they were close, or at least had a good relationship.

Drinking down some tea to calm herself, Fluttershy decided to steer it along and make it a little less awkward, hopefully.

“He sounds sweet,” Fluttershy smiled. “I take it you were close with him?”

“Mhmm.” Rainbow replied around a mouthful of food. However, that was all the reply that came. She didn’t feel like turning their breakfast into the Rainbow Dash Sob Story Hour. Better not to say anything at all. Unfortunately this could have the unintended effect of making Fluttershy uncomfortable. Dash’s cerise eyes remained focused intently upon her plate, not quite willing to search out those of her host, for fear of conformation of her theory.

‘She doesn’t want to talk about it.... I don’t want to make her uncomfortable, or feel obligated to tell me. If she ever does, she’ll do so on her own terms, and I’ll listen. For now... I should take it away from her... I don’t have anything to hide about my parents, anyway.’

“That’s really nice to hear. I...well, wish I were close to my parents,” Fluttershy admitted, slowly proceeding to eat her own breakfast.

Rainbow lifted her gaze and offered a sympathetic quirk of her lips. “Sorry to hear that.”

“Oh, it’s okay. It’s nothing worrisome or anything. It’s just....well, I can’t exactly say we had a close relationship. Um...here, how about this? You know when you have the kind of relative you don’t see very much? Then you do see them on holidays, family reunions, and other such extended family gatherings? It’s kind of like that. You see them for a while, it’s good company, you chat and have a pleasant time together. But after you leave, and until you see them again, they just don’t have anything to do with you. Not out of dislike to you or animosity of any sort, but just because they have their own life going on and you don’t exactly fit into the equation. That was...well, is, the relationship I have with my parents. It’s been that way since forever, really...”

Dash hadn’t been sure what she had expected about Fluttershy’s childhood, but it hadn’t been that. It could have been the chip on her shoulder talking, but she always imagined that Fluttershy the famous model had a picturesque childhood. Puppy and white picket fence included. She chided herself. ‘You don’t have a monopoly on crappy childhoods, Dash.’

“Sorry to hear it, Fluttershy.” Rainbow replied in what she hoped was a comforting tone, “If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll tell you about my folks. Some other time though, but yeah, promise.”

A warm smile overcame Fluttershy’s face as she relaxed a bit. Revealing her own childhood, while certainly not the worst kind you could ask for, never was that easy to talk about. At least not like this. But there was a strange sense of familiarity that she couldn’t quite understand, and felt okay to reveal this to someone she didn’t know so well.

Most especially in circumstances like this. They were just having breakfast together, the morning after a stakeout in her home. They were detective and client, not two people out on a date and trying to get to know one another.

“Well, only if you ever want to, of course. But um, when you are ready, I’ll certainly listen,” Fluttershy said softly.

Rainbow nodded stoically as she polished off her breakfast, and finished her coffee with an almighty gulp. “Well, whenever you’re ready, we can get this show on the road.”

Nodding, the pinkette finished her own breakfast, and drank down the rest of her tea.

“Of course, so... I’ll just get myself ready and then we’ll head out. I-I won’t be long, I promise! ...Despite what others may believe, models don’t take forever get prepared. Unless it’s for a shoot.”

She smiled, winking, and then gathered their dishes to place into the dishwasher.

Dash, for her part, smiled at Fluttershy’s joke and leaned back in her chair. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Doing so, Fluttershy went to her room, preparing anything she would need. After a quick shower of her own, drying off her hair as much as she could, and getting dressed; she was ready to go. It was about less than half an hour by the time the former model was dressed, with her wig and sunglasses in tow, despite that it was raining outside.

Taking an umbrella, Fluttershy pulled on her hooded rain coat. “Are you ready to go, too?”

“Golden.” Came the P.I.’s reply as she appeared at the former model’s side, coat and hat already donned.

And with that, the pair once again descended into the concrete jungle that was Manehattan.

Author's Note

Chapter 2 folks, enjoy! Expect Updates every Monday or Tuesday!

Chapter Three: Obstruction

Rainbow looked up through the curtain of drizzle to see one of her least favorite buildings in the whole of Manehatten: the local police precinct.

She frowned at the building’s gray utilitarian facade. She only ever had two reasons to visit the police station. The first being to dig up details on cases, which was an excruciating ordeal given the fact that most of the officers treated her like a scum sucking bottom feeder simply because she rented her skills out rather than put on the blue uniform of a Manehatten cop. The second, and even less glamorous reason, was that since her line of work involved the occasional light trespassing and other miscellaneous petty crimes, she had landed herself more than one night in the station’s holding cells.

Next to her, holding the umbrella high above their heads, Fluttershy looked upon the police precinct with apprehensiveness. She herself didn’t have much of an easy time, considering that she’d been trying to report and get some help when they couldn’t do so. Not out of any sort of personal gripe against her, but simply that a lack of evidence or any traces of her stalker meant that they couldn’t do anything.

Fluttershy exhaled, looking to her honourary bodyguard. At least now, she had a bit more backup to prove her case.

“I hope they can help me, now…” She murmured out loud, her voice soft. “At least we have something.”

“Yeah, well, I wouldn’t hold your breath,” Rainbow said pessimistically, “Don’t get me wrong, this is the best thing to do, but in my experience they like their paperwork.”

Fluttershy nodded, “That’s true. I-I don’t want to be a bother to them… I’ve had to call them so many times… Just for some kind of assurance… I had nowhere else to turn to… They must be so tired of me…”

“Hey that’s not what I meant,” Rainbow said, a sympathetic quality in her rough voice. “You shouldn’t feel bad about making them do their job. If they could pull their heads out of their asses maybe they wouldn’t leave monsters like that on the streets.” She looked to the building scornfully, “At least you can turn to me now, and not have to rely on the bumbling boys in blue.”

Giving a smile, a warm feeling coursed through her heart, “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Rainbow drew herself up a bit, Fluttershy’s smile proving a bit contagious, “But just for kicks, let’s hold on to some this evidence hmm? Not all of it, just a camera. I might know someone who can help us. Off the books.”

“Really?” Fluttershy looked at her with mild surprise, “Well, okay, but how can this person help?”

“He knows gizmos, and just might know what shops sell this kind of thing,” Rainbow waved a hand airily, “Clues, leads and all that. Same things the cops would find, its just we don’t need fifty interdepartmental memos, reports and summaries for my guy to let us know what’s what.”

“I see… Well, okay, we can do that too,” said the pinkette as they approached the building. “It’d be good if we can get all the help we can.”

Rainbow grunted in affirmation. “We gotta give the cops something so this guy can see the inside of a cell one day, but that don’t mean I’m dropping your case.”

Smiling more, Fluttershy reached for the door handle, which Rainbow took instead and opened it for her. Closing her umbrella, the timid woman thanked her before stepping into the police precinct.

The uniformed sergeant manning the desk was a rather put upon looking woman. Her dark hair was pulled back into ponytail, but visible in the strands were a pair of streaks of purple and pink. She scanned the new arrivals with an evaluating gaze, then upon recognizing the former model, she sighed.
“Morning Ms. Fluttershy,” the police officer said in an automatic sort of manner, “I’m sorry but there hasn’t been movement on your case.”

“Wrong,” Rainbow Dash said flatly, approaching the desk and lightly tossing several of the cameras onto it. “Be good and find an evidence bag for those Officer…” Rainbow read the nametag on the woman’s uniform, “...Sparkle.”

“Y-Yes…” Fluttershy spoke up, “I’m sorry to be bothering you, of course. But we did find some tangible evidence. We found these cameras last night in my apartment, which I was unaware of all this time. I don’t know how long they’ve been there, but it’s obviously that it’s him.”

Officer Twilight Sparkle just gaped down at the cameras for a moment before regaining her composure. “Thank you, Ms. Fluttershy, and my thanks to your associate. I will make sure to log these right away. This will hopefully be the break we need in your case.”

Rainbow simply scoffed and gave Fluttershy a look the clearly communicated her lack of faith in the police.

Twilight’s mouth drew into a tight line. “I didn’t get your name Ms….?”

Rainbow gave a cocky smirk, “Rainbow Dash. I’m sure you’ve heard of me around the watercooler. You know, the woman who does all of your jobs better than you.”

Twilight looked unamused. “Yes. I’ve heard of you.” Rainbow looked satisfied with herself, that was until Twilight added, “I’ve also heard about a shooting near Ms. Fluttershy’s apartment. Some blood on the pavement but no one in the hospital. You wouldn’t know anything about that would you?”

Rainbow looked surprised, “What’re you, psychic?... and this is all circumstantial by the way.”

It was Twilight’s turn to look smug, “I make connections. But I wouldn’t worry Ms. Dash, there are no complaining witnesses, so I have no reason to charge you with anything. Don’t give me one, deal?”

“Deal,” Rainbow replied, not sure whether she liked or disliked the woman.

“Um…” Fluttershy spoke up, uncertain whether or not to reveal it. “It was complicated.”

“Don’t tell me anything else,” Twilight said quickly, “If you do, I’ll have to write it up.”

Rainbow frowned a bit. ‘At least she’s honest about it….’

“Right! Um… so…” Fluttershy looked from the cop to the detective, “...What next?”

“Memos, reports, paperwork,” Dash said sardonically, “and we put our faith in the great city of Manehatten’s finest.”

Twilight gave the private eye a death glare. “The rules exist for a reason Ms. Dash,” She said coldly, “I’ll pass this evidence along. I will contact you, Ms. Fluttershy, if there are any developments.” Twilight pulled a few clear plastic evidence baggies from a drawer in the desk, “And Ms. Dash, please try not to interfere with the investigation. Though…” Her features softened a bit, “I’m glad to see Ms. Fluttershy has someone looking out for her. As a member of the police force my hands are tied. Protection is expensive and the department has strict guidelines on assigning uniformed guard to civilians, but in my personal opinion Fluttershy is most certainly in need of protection. Thank you for providing that for her.”

“Uh… No problem,” Rainbow replied, once again conflicted in her opinion for the officer.

Fluttershy gave a grateful smile of her own, before deciding to put in a good word for her protector. “Yes… She’s been great in helping me and defending me. I really couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

“From what I’ve heard of her, I’d expect no less,” Twilight gave Rainbow another little once over, “Even if she is a bit unorthodox in her methods, she has a reputation for being very tenacious.”

“Standing. Right. Here.” Rainbow said with a roll of her eyes.

Standing her ground, Fluttershy smiled, “Well, I have faith in her.”

Rainbow felt a swelling of pride in her chest. Not her usual cocky front, but a deep feeling of pride that took its root in Fluttershy’s words and the fact that they genuinely touched Rainbow. The detective now simply and put a hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder, “Alright then, if there’s nothing else you need officer….”

“We’ll be going, then, um… but thank you for your time,” Fluttershy said softly, placing her hand over Rainbow’s. She wasn’t sure why, whether it was the instinct of touch or simply because she wanted to return the gesture. Either way, the pinkette felt a strange spark course through her hand and all over her body. Not static-like, but a different kind of feeling she hadn’t expected.

Rainbow felt a tingling travel through her skin. It seemed like every time they touched, there was something different to it… more than the feel of skin on skin.

Pushing it from her mind for the moment, Rainbow turned back to Twilight, and shot her a grin, “Adios, Sparkle.”

Using her hand resting on Fluttershy’s shoulder to steer the ex-model, Rainbow lead them from the station and back out into the chaos of the Manehatten morning.

“So… where do we go from here? What should we do?” Fluttershy asked, her tone a mixture of curious and uncertain. “I’m sorry, you must be a lone wolf and hearing all this ‘we’ is getting to you. I’m sorry.”

The odd thing was...it hadn’t, in fact, Rainbow hadn’t spared it much thought. “Naw I’m fine,” She said, trying to reason aloud. “I mean this is my job right? Sure it isn’t pounding the pavement solo-like, but it’s what you’re paying me to do. What more could I ask for?”

“Okay…” Fluttershy smiled, “So, what’s our next step?”

“We drop by to see my techie pal,” Rainbow smirked, “We see if he can dig anything up, then we see where that takes us.”

Fluttershy nodded, giving a smile, “All right, then. Let’s do that.”

XXXX

One train ride later Rainbow led Fluttershy into new and used electronics store on the edge of one of Manehatten’s rougher areas. The building itself was more than a bit careworn, and the windows her covered in a metal mesh to deter any would be thefts.

“Charming, I know,” Rainbow said to Fluttershy, noting the mild look of concern on her features. “But Haywire is the best in the business, and he is generally pretty good at not asking too many questions as long as I play nice. As a bonus, I did a job for him a while back and now he helps me out with info on those of his customers who don’t play nice.”

“Okay, no problem…” Fluttershy said, a bit uncertain, but ready nonetheless.

Rainbow pushed open the door to the shop and was greeted by the electronic *Bing~Bong* of the door. The interior of the store look only slightly less rough than the outside. While there was a wide array of various electronics from TVs to clock radios, there were also various bin laying about marked “Parts.” Combine this with the crowded feeling inspired by the sheer multitude of Haywire’s inventory, and it gave the shop more of a feel of some sort of bizarre indoor junkyard.

Dash made a beeline for a little counter at the back of the store, though there was no one behind it.

“Oh come on Haywire, I know you’re there!” She called out in the direction of a small doorway that was partitioned from the main shop by a curtain.

Out from behind the curtain hesitantly emerged a young man with short gold hair and eyes the color of a computer crash. He wore glasses, the round frames of which seemed give him a constant expression of bewilderment. He wore a rumpled forest green dress shirt that was unbuttoned one button too many, dark grey slacks, and a battered tweed blazer complete with leather patches over the elbows.

“Hey there, Rainbow. Sorry I didn’t hear you come in,” He said with an anxious smile.

“B.S.” Rainbow replied flatly. “You got this place wired up like it’s a military base.”

“Okay fine, fine, fine,” He said quickly, “Yes I knew it was you, I just wanted a nice quiet evening for once. No extra work. I got an internet date tonight and everything, man.”

“Shouldn’t be too bad,” Rainbow said producing the lipstick camera from a pocket of her coat, “Just need to know what you can tell me about this and your playtime with your new gal pal won’t get bumped from tonight’s line up, okay?”

Haywire took the camera and looked it over, “Five years ago I could have given you a very short list of suppliers for this kind of thing, a couple of phone calls, and you’d be on your way. Nowadays though, they're pretty common. Any online spy shop probably could sell you one, though this one is a bit high end… probably has great resolution. Need me to try and recover anything from it?”

“No!” Rainbow said quickly, “Just crack it open and tell me what you can find out, let me know if it’s been modded, the works.”

Haywire gave a low whistle, “That gonna take some time, Dash, how soon you need it by?”

“How soon can you do it?”

“Look I got a business to run here, and a personal life too, ya know?”

“How soon?” Rainbow added a bit of a growl to her voice.

“Tomorrow morning!” Haywire said, throwing up his hands in a sign of appeasement, “I can call you sooner if I find something pressing, okay?”

“Fine,” Rainbow conceded, her voice now more playful than angry. “It gets to be too late and I’m gonna stick that thing somewhere you won’t like.”

“Hey do I ever disappoint?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes, “Just get it done.”

“Um…. thank you for your help, Mr. Haywire…” Fluttershy said in a soft tone, though she wasn’t looking him in the eye.

Haywire gave a little laugh, “I like your new assistant there, Dash. Might not wanna take out of the office too much though, she looks like a stiff breeze would knock her over.”

Rainbow narrowed her gaze at the shopkeeper, her jovial air seemingly having instantaneously evaporated.

Haywire backpedaled, “I mean...I’m sure looks are deceiving… am I right?”

“Just focus on your work, and we won’t have any problems,” Rainbow growled, before turning her back to Haywire, “C’mon, Flutters.”

Nodding, Fluttershy offered a timid wave before she then followed Rainbow out the door. The drizzle was still going on, so she opened the umbrella for them. Yet another step taken to getting the case going, which was far more progress than she’d imagined. To think, in less than a week, they had managed to get this far. It wasn’t much, but it was certainly a lot better than finding nothing before.

It wasn’t even late in the morning, there was still a full day ahead of them. Once more, Fluttershy had the burning question in her mind. What was next? It even occurred to her that they would soon part ways. If not now, then sometime during the day. For whatever reason, even beyond the fact that she was good protection, Fluttershy felt uneasy. There was something about the other woman’s company that she enjoyed. Just simply being with her, being with another person. Someone who did, in some way, care.

‘She cares because it’s her job, because a man is threatening an innocent life and breaking the law. That’s it. She doesn’t care… beyond that….’ Fluttershy thought, crestfallen. ‘I wonder if we’d be… friends after the case is over? Or would she move on, get more clients, and forget about me?’

“So… looks like we have some time to kill,” Rainbow said, stretching her arms. “So… What does a reclusive ex-model do to pass the time?”

“Me? ….Well, I don’t know. I suppose it depends what I want to do, where I am, and such. If I go out, it’s usually to run errands or to go to Central Park,” Fluttershy said, “I don’t even really eat out, much. I get take-out or pick-up. I mean… what’s the point? I’m just going alone, and that’s okay, I do bring a book with me. But it honestly isn’t that much fun dining in a public place all by yourself.”

Rainbow felt a stab of empathy for the woman. It seemed that even before being stalked had made her a prisoner to her fear, she had been a prisoner of her own loneliness. Dash knew the feeling all too well. Rainbow truly was a lone wolf. Her upbringing had made it a necessity, but there’s a problem with that saying. Wolves are pack animals, it is in their nature to seek companionship… even if they had spent their lives alone. Even if a hard life had made the process of internalizing that companionship difficult.

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Rainbow said with a bit of a sad smile, “That’s why I usually spend most nights at the bar, when I’m not working that is. Closest thing to friends that I have.”

Looking back to her, Fluttershy returned the sad smile. It helped just a bit to know that Rainbow understood where she was coming from. “Really? Well, I guess we both… have had lonely times. Well… for what it’s worth, I have enjoyed spending time with you. I know it’s part of your job, but, it’s still be very fun. I liked the bar we went to, it was so inviting and friendly. Pinkie Pie may be unorthodox and silly, but it was refreshing to be around someone who has such a lust for life and just wanted to make others happy. It was nice… I’m glad we’ve been able to spend time together… I know it sounds silly, but I… I’m glad, you’re here with me…”

“And it’s all kinds of unprofessional, but I’m glad to have someone to spend some time with too.” A bit of the sadness left Dash’s smile, the expression become more genuine. “You’re right about Pinkie though. She lives life like it’s her last day on earth. It’s why I like hanging around her. I’m able to sap a little of that positive energy, and I can’t help but smile. She’s a walking, talking antidepressant.” Rainbow shifted her gaze away from Fluttershy. “....the liquor helps too…”

Fluttershy giggled a bit, giving more of a smile, “I suppose it does… Well, we’re here now, we have time to spare… What should we do?”

Rainbow puffed out her cheeks before letting out a long exhale, “Uh… bar? Lunch? Take over the jukebox, chill out, all that jazz?”

“Sure… That’d be nice,” she said, nodding in agreement.

“Yeah, yeah, I know when it comes to fun I’m a one trick pony, but what are you gonna do?” Rainbow laughed.

Fluttershy laughed too, grinning, “Well, I’m not exactly a barrel of ideas, either! One-trick-pony is what I do.”

Rainbow grinned and put an arm around Fluttershy’s shoulders, steering her towards the subway station. “Okay, but I’m now officially off the clock, ‘kay? Not gonna let you pay me to hang out and have drinks with a friend.”

The contact had Fluttershy blushing, but she fully welcomed it. It was nice to have someone who was being friendly and protecting her this way, and it had been ages since she’d felt that kind of contact. She smiled more, walking closer to her, and nodded. In turn, she brought her own arm around Rainbow’s waist to further establish the nice contact. “Fair enough. Let’s go, then.”

Rainbow beamed at her client. This felt nice… Not like she was taking advantage of their predicament, but like something more organic. It was something much more palatable for Rainbow’s professionalism.

XXXX

Another train ride deposited the pair of women near enough to their target destination. A short walk and they once again passed through the door and a bemused Applejack to take a pair of seats at a small booth towards the back of the bar.

An impeccably styled woman who, despite wearing a server’s uniform and apron, still gave off an air of dignity and grace. “Hmmm, at the bar before noon, not too out of the ordinary…” The purple-haired woman said, looking amused, “But my my, you have a friend. Nice to meet you darling, name if Rarity and...” Rarity’s face pinched slightly, as if tasting something bitter, “...and I’ll be taking your order…”

“H-Hello, Rarity… my name is Fluttershy,” Fluttershy said, removing the wig from her head and stuffing it into her purse. “Um, it’s too early for me to drink, so I think I’ll… um… have a 7UP and…” She looked at the menu curiously, “A toasted veggie sandwich, salad on the side, please.”

“Thank you, dear, and I already know what you’re having Rainbo-... Wait-a-moment!” A flame lit itself behind Rarity’s eyes. “Fluttershy? Not the Fluttershy?”

Realizing her error, but knowing she couldn’t back down from it, Fluttershy nodded. “Yes. The same Fluttershy, former model….”

Rainbow rolled her eyes, but a knowing smile graced her lips.

“That is simply magnificent!” Rarity beamed, leaning in to inspect Fluttershy further, “I followed your career quite closely, short as it was, it was something quite unique. A departure from the standard presentation and emotional evocation in the industry. A meek model, it was simply unheard of. I follow fashion very closely mind you, and am even a bit of an amatuer designer myself.” She placed her hand over the pinkette’s in a familiar manner in an attempt to build rapport. “Perhaps I could even bother you to model a few pieces~”

“U-Um…. Well… I… I appreciate your offer, but I don’t model anymore… I-I wouldn’t want to be a bother to you. Um… but as long as cameras and lights and so many eyes aren’t looking at me, that’d be okay…” Fluttershy stammered.

“It’s okay ‘shy. You don’t have to it if you don’t want to,” Rainbow said a bit flatly, scowling at Rarity. She knew the waitress all too well by now, and she knew she could be a bit… opportunistic.

Rarity look conflicted, but resolved herself with a nod and patted Fluttershy’s hand before withdrawing her own. “Rainbow is correct dear, I wouldn’t want to pressure you…” She said sounding hesitant, yet knowing it was the right thing to do.

Giving a smile, Fluttershy relaxed a bit, “It’s okay. I wasn’t expecting it. But um… I wouldn’t mind. Working one-on-one with designers was a bit more comfortable for me, anyway. And while I didn’t like the big aspect of modeling, I do respect designers. They put a lot of work and effort into their clothes. And I wouldn’t mind helping you.”

Rarity looked overjoyed, clapping her hands excitedly. “Oh my, thank you so much darling! I see the rumors of your kindness were not exaggerated. Don’t worry I won’t thrust you into the spotlight again. Just a few pictures is all I will ask. No runway work, promise.”

Rainbow laughed a little, shaking her head. “Goodie for you, now how about you get our food now, eh?”

Rarity looked at Dash as if she were the proverbial fly in her ointment. “Coming right up,” She said icily, yet in her eyes was still the undimmed excitement at her good fortune.

“Thank you, Rarity…” Fluttershy said in a soft tone.

The waitress beamed once more at Fluttershy before bustling off to the kitchen.

Rainbow sighed a bit and offered a little grin to Fluttershy. “She doesn’t let up until she gets what she wants. Usually it’s just a favor here and there, but she is usually good about repaying them. Just be glad she only wanted you for a few pictures, one night she decided it was AJ that she wanted. You should have seen it, Rarity closes out a set, orders one too many martinis and starts hanging off Applejack. Personally I think she might have been playing things up, but sure enough AJ walks her home, and spent the night I’d wager. Two have been dating ever since.”

“Oh my…” Fluttershy blushed at the thought, but smiled, “I see. She seems pretty nice… Um, so, she and that bouncer, Applejack, are dating? ...That’s really sweet.”

“Yeah sweet,” Rainbow laughed a bit. “That’s one way to put it. Word of advice, don’t go looking for them on their breaks. You might end up seeing more than you want.”

The implications made her blush heavily, “I-I know the feeling… Back when I was a model, I had this one hairdresser. Sometimes she was late showing up for a shoot to do a my hair. So one morning, I went looking for her, and I found her in one of the back rooms where they kept the clothes… actually fornicating with one of the technicians. It wasn’t something I wanted to see…”

Rainbow giggled a bit before straightening her features and trying to look sympathetic. “Uh… Sorry you had to see that Fluttershy.” A little grin spread her lips. “But um… ‘fornicating?’ C’mon ‘shy, who talks like that? No offense.”

“Sorry,” the pinkette looked embarrassed, “it’s a habit of mine. I don’t like to be crude. Um, but it’s okay. I wasn’t traumatized or anything. It was just surprising.”

“Ah, I’m sorry,” Rainbow said with a sheepish glance at Fluttershy. “I was just poking fun. I unfortunately live in a very crude world. Guess it seems a bit silly to see someone stepping so lightly over it.”

Fluttershy shook her head, smiling again, “I know, it is a bit silly. Sometimes I don’t even… well, catch myself. But I just do it to be polite around others, that’s all, and it works. But it’s true, times have changed.”

“Well you don’t have to be polite around me,” Rainbow grinned. “If you can’t get a little rougher around the edges with a seedy private eye, then who?”

“Point taken,” Fluttershy smiled back, leaning a little over the table, “I have to say, I do feel… well, a bit more comfortable in a way I never expected.”

“It’s mutual,” Rainbow replied. “ I mean, I guess it’s just been entirely too long since I’ve met some like you… Actually I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like you.”

Fluttershy blushed, “I didn’t, either. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone like you. Especially with your rainbow hair…”

“Oh I see, it’s all about my looks isn’t it?” Rainbow joked.

“Well, if you don’t mind my saying!” Fluttershy normally would’ve found herself apologizing, but it was one of the rare times she actually caught on to the fact that she was playing around. “I think you’re lovely~”

“Well right back at ya, Ms. Model~” Rainbow said laughing, though her statement still stood as truth.

The statement made Fluttershy blush and giggle, “Thank you…”

Rarity appeared with their drinks at about that moment, placing them on the table she observed the scene before her. She gave the pair a smile, clearly reading into their actions more than they themselves had admitted aloud.

Dash took her glass of fizzy amber-colored cider and sipped at at. “Mmm… Well hey, no problem.” She said as though Rarity had not interrupted them with her presence. “Need I remind you were a model. So I am pretty sure I’m not alone in my opinion.”

“I know, that’s true… But I suppose it feels different hearing it from a different perspective,” Fluttershy admitted, smiling as she sipped her drink, “It’s one thing hearing it day after day when you got into work and having to model several outfits for a runway track or a shoot. But to hear it from a more laid back and honest kind of way, I think it means a bit more.”

“Well I’m nothing if not honest,” Rainbow half-joked taking another deeper draught of her drink. “But I’m not afraid to tell you what I’ve been saying ever since I saw your picture on the cover of a magazine. You’re gorgeous, Flutter-baby.”

‘Flutter-baby?’ Fluttershy thought, having not expected that. A few associates she’d worked with in the modeling industry called her that, which always made her uncomfortable. But hearing it from Rainbow’s lips had a strange appeal to it she didn’t understand. She smiled more, giggling with glee, “Thank you, Dashie. Hee… you’re sweet. I um… well, you’ve seen my photos for a while?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow admitted, a slight pink tint to her cheeks. “Let’s just say I liked ‘em quite a bit, and I’ve seen most of them right from the beginning.”

“You have?”

There was a certain thrill to know that this woman was, in some way, following her previous work. And even found her genuinely attractive. This was nothing new, you heard this all the time in the entertainment industry; most especially when it came to being a model.

Fluttershy smiled, her heart going aflutter, “Well… Then it really must’ve been worth it. If I never became a model… I might never have met you.”

“Well count me as happy that we did meet, You’re much more awesome in real life than on the page,” Rainbow said with a smile.

The blush deepened as Fluttershy looked away, but her smile grew, “Awww… Hee… Well, I feel the same way. When I’d first seen you, I didn’t know what to think, and yet I was so intrigued like you wouldn’t believe. But I can say that you’re….more awesome than I imagined you~”

“Pffft,” Rainbow scoffed playfully. “Thanks, really I mean it but… C’mon, really? I mean I know I’m awesome but I’m not that kind of respectable all-around awesome that you’re implying. I’m good at what I do, let’s leave it at that.”

“Perhaps not, but I think you’re great,” Fluttershy blushed, not quite looking at her. “If that… means anything. I-I’m not about to sugarcoat anything, but I do give you credit where it’s due.”

“Thanks, I’ll take it then,” Rainbow said enjoying the compliment. She often put up an arrogant front, but it was generally in compensation for the lack of actual genuine praise she received… Well that and she just plain enjoyed thumbing her nose in the face of authority.

“And for what it’s worth,” Rainbow said between a few sips of cider. “It does actually mean a lot coming from you,” She concluded, suppressing the tiniest niggling doubt that Fluttershy’s high opinion of her was savior worship.

Giggling, the former model smiled with more vigour and seemed more relaxed, “Wonderful. Well, I know that this is unprofessional… but I do really like you, Rainbow… I hope we’ll be able to… spend more time together…”

“Sure why not,” Rainbow said confidently, having had every intention of doing just that. “Once this nightmare is behind you we can totally hang out, and keep being friends. I gotta say, It’s kind of nice to not be coming in here alone.”

“You’re right, it is nice…” Fluttershy felt a burst of joy in her heart knowing that the feeling was mutual. “It’s just nice to be somewhere like this, and with someone else. I… I’ve forgotten how nice it was.”

“I know the feeling. This place is pretty much the height of my social calendar. Take this away and…” Rainbow felt an empathic wave of loneliness. “I can’t image what that’s like…The solitude… Can’t believe you’re still sane, honestly.”

Fluttershy reached over, touching her hand, feeling the sparks yet again. “I do enjoy the solitude most of the time, it is something I seek. However, even I… can use companionship.”

“Well consider me your companion for hire and then, once we wrap this case up, a companion for real,” Rainbow said smiling, not even the slightest doubt that they would solve what had thus far been an unsolvable case.

‘Her confidence is so...wonderful. Almost anyone has said that the case was hopeless… But maybe it doesn’t have to be… And with her there to help…’ Fluttershy smiled brightly, “I’d love that very much, Rainbow.”

“Then it’s a deal, we are gonna be officially pals once we wrap this up,” Rainbow said with a grin, and adding internally, ‘Maybe more than that if I ask you out and my streak of good luck holds~’

‘I do find her attractive… Maybe… Maybe she’ll want to be more than friends by then...’ Fluttershy thought. She melted, finding herself enjoying the other woman’s grin. Idly, she played with her fingers, interlacing them, “It’s a deal. And I’m a woman of my word~”

Rainbow’s smirk only intensified. She was off the clock now. There was no investigative work to be done, no imminent threats to her client, and no pesky rules guiding her interaction with her. Just two women sharing a meal, talking and joking.

“I bet you are~” Rainbow responded, taking a moment to admire her client for what she was before she had walked into her office: the most attractive woman Dash had ever laid eyes on. Sure it was a tad unprofessional, but Rainbow kept reminding herself she was only looking, not touching.

‘I bet she would be amazing in bed-no! No no! I can’t think that! She’s working for me to help me with the case! Oh goodness, why do I do this to myself? She probably isn’t even a lesbian. Wait! Wait… she was flirting with me quite a bit when we first met… She thought I had different intentions, maybe? Okay, so maybe she does like women… she wouldn’t have done that if she didn’t like girls in that way. Maybe… Maybe it can work… Okay, so Rainbow does find me attractive… that’s a start, right?’

Fluttershy giggled, playing with her hand still, “Well, of course. And it certainly isn’t often that I can associate with such a unique and interesting woman like you…”

“I figure I’m not exactly in the usual interaction bracket for ex-models, huh?” Rainbow laughed, rimming a finger along the edge of her cider glass. “I mean I never figured I ever meet the real you, especially not in a professional capacity. Life’s strange that way.”

“It sure is strange that way….” Fluttershy agreed, gazing upon her admirably. “But I’m glad it is~”

“Me too~” Rainbow said, all the while imagining what fun they might have once they could. ‘I’m not touching her, just thinking about touching her. It’s not unprofessional until I act on it… and when I act on it I’m gonna make sure we are free and clear… then I’m going to act on these little thoughts… hard~’

‘What if she did that again? What if she… said more? Then went further? No, I wouldn’t stop her… Not at all… Do I want it? Or am I just lost in all of this and think I do? I’m confused… Yet, I’m not...’ Fluttershy thought, shifting ever slightly, ‘I hope this will be over soon, though. I’d love to get closer to her. To hold her, feel her… kiss her...’ Fluttershy felt her cheeks flare up all the more.

“We’ll have fun together, I just know it…” Fluttershy said softly, meeting her gaze.

“So much fun…” Rainbow replied with an equivalent tone. She met Fluttershy’s gaze, peering into the pools of her blue-green eyes. She could kiss her right now, right here. Dash could read the how welcomed the gesture would be all over Fluttershy’s face… but not yet… she couldn’t yet… Later. There would be plenty of time for that later.

‘What’s happening to me… I’ve never felt this way around anyone before. Not even my ex, it took ages for me to...feel that way. This is so new to me, I don’t know what to do! I shouldn’t, she has a professional code to live by. There should be a better chance after we solve the case,’ Fluttershy thought, a shiver running up her spine, ‘But I can’t help it, my body is not cooperating with my mind. This… attraction. I’ve never felt such an attraction to anyone, and so soon! If she sat next to me, I’d probably try to cuddle. But why? I haven’t cuddled in years! I didn’t even like cuddling with my ex. And yet, feeling her arms around me, holding me close… Oh, I want to! I want to hold her, have her hold me, kiss her...’

“I look very forward to it, Rainbow… And if anything, it’s even more of an incentive to solve the case, don’t you think?” Fluttershy said, trying to keep the conversation going, hoping to try to quell her inner desires. It didn’t quite help that she was now leaning a little closer over the table.

“Oh yeah,” Rainbow murmured, trying very hard to resist the many urges she was saddled with at the moment. It had been a very long time since she was so taken with anyone. Even before they had met Rainbow had constructed fantasy after fantasy starring the beautiful model, but meeting her in real life and understanding her only added to her appeal. Last night had been one disaster after another, but now Fluttershy had loosened up, and so had Rainbow.

Figuring she should probably contribute in some form to the conversation, least her constant staring become an issue, she managed a feeble, “Uh...How’s the soda?”

“...It’s fine,” Fluttershy said, a little deflected. ‘Oh, and it was going so well…’

Rainbow bit back more unprofessional thoughts and comments ranging from ‘I bet you taste sweeter’ to much more lewd quips. “...Good… I’m glad you’re enjoying it. It’s nice to see you enjoying things.”

“Of course,” Fluttershy said, nodding a little. “Are you enjoying your drink, too?”

“Mhmm, I always enjoy a stiff cider,” Rainbow said, polishing off the drink in question.

‘She really knows how to use her mouth… Oh, darn it, the feeling’s gone. ...Well, at least we can be professional, right? But if I feel it now, I’ll feel it again soon...’

“That’s nice,” Fluttershy sipped her drink again. “Um, what is their policy on refills?”

“The soda’s all you can drink,” Rainbow answered, “Least I think it is, I haven’t order one in awhile.” Rainbow peered around the bar. “Hmmm… Pinkie’s normally quicker with the food than this… She better not be holding Rarity up with her silliness…”

“I hope everything’s okay,” Fluttershy said, following her gaze.

Sure enough, only once both women had shifted their attention from each other did Rarity emerge from the kitchen with their orders. She made her way over to the table, placing the meals in front of their respective patrons.

“More drinks, girls?” Rarity asked, trying very hard not to sound like a waitress as she said it. In her mind it was bad enough working as a waitress, the last thing she wanted was to start sounding like one too.

“Mhmm,” Rainbow grunted, giving Rarity a visual once over. Rarity wasn’t usually one to neglect patrons, she may hated being a waitress but she never let it take away from the performing of her duties. In fact, she was usually better than most…. Rainbow sensed Pinkie’s hand in all of this.

“Yes, please…. and thank you,” Fluttershy said, looking down at her food. She was pretty hungry by this point!

“Of course, dears,” Rarity shot a pointed look back at the kitchen, “I’ll have them out to you, shortly.” With that she headed back to the kitchen.

Rainbow shook her head. Whatever Pinkie was playing at, she could do as she pleased for all Rainbow cared. Rainbow picked up her sandwich and wasted no time digging in. “Mmmm~”

Mirroring her, Fluttershy wasted no time digging into her sandwich too. She sighed in pleasure, smiling around her bite, and then swallowing, “Mmm… So good…” She took another bite, this time downing the rest of her drink with it.

Rainbow chewed a large bit of her sandwich while watching Fluttershy devour her own. She found it strangely entertaining to watch the cautious measured girl eat her food with an element of ferocity.

“Hungry are we?” Rainbow joked.

Blushing a bit, Fluttershy smiled as she finished her latest bite, “I suppose I was hungrier than I thought. And it looked so good, and it is! It’s delicious...”

“It always is, Pinkie has never made anything I haven't wanted to devour whole.” Rainbow said with a laugh as she continued at her meal.

Fluttershy did as well, continuing on her sandwich. As she eyed her new friend and employee so to speak, she reached over and stole a fry. Giggling, she ate it with a coy smile.

“Ah! Hey!” Rainbow pouted playfully at Fluttershy, “Now that’s just plain wrong.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Fluttershy teased, looking innocent, “I didn’t do anything~”

“Nice try, missy, but you are talking to a trained investigator,” Rainbow said, narrowing her gaze, “...and I saw you do it!”

“No you didn’t,” Fluttershy smiled, grabbing another, and placing it between her lips, “Do you want this one back? Come and get it~”

Rainbow did hesitate, she lunged forward and chomped down on the protruding half of the fry. It was only after that she realized that she was now practically kissing Fluttershy! ‘Damn my possessiveness of delicious fried food...’ Half of her brain thought, while the other half was thinking, ‘Do it! Do it! Kiss her! Come on!’ Paralyzed by indecision, Rainbow could only stare into Fluttershy’s eyes.

Fluttershy too, was quite taken aback at how Rainbow had responded to the move. But now she too was paralyzed, uncertain. Would making the plunge be a good idea? Would she be crossing any lines? Would Rainbow want it? That last question was easy, she clearly seemed to be into the idea. Their eyes locked, her heart pounded, and her body was on fire.

‘Kiss me… Kiss me… No, I should do it… I can do it...’

Very slightly, she inched her lips a bit closer.

Rainbow, who could be cool as a cucumber with a gun pointed in her face, was very much panicking now. Her heart was thundering in her chest. She was less than an inch away from making real a fantasy… all she had to do was… move… just… a ...little… closer….

And then Rainbow jerked away. “I...uh… sorry…” She muttered looking down at her plate. She had wanted to kiss that woman with every fiber of her being, but she knew it wasn’t right. “After the case…” She said aloud this time, reaching for her cider glass only to remember that it was empty.

Managing to keep her composure and not to give in to the pressure her body was demanding, Fluttershy ate the rest of it and began to pick at her salad. She wasn’t about to get upset over this, despite that every fiber of her being was begging for it.

‘She’s just being professional… She’s doing the right thing… She’s not putting herself in a compromising position. I was the one who was trying to seduce her… she was right to refuse it. After the case… who knows how long that will be? Will I even be able to wait? Curse you, King Sombra… You’re not only keeping me unsafe and taking away my life… you’re taking away my chances for my LOVE life! I finally meet a woman I’ve never felt more attracted to and connected with… and she’s the one I’m hiring to help me! Oh, no body… don’t do this to me… I know you want her badly, but I can’t… I can’t make this harder for her. ...Okay, after this is over… she’s mine. All bets are off. I’ll pounce like a jungle cat if I have to!’

“I’m sorry…” She mumbled under breath, despite that she wasn’t the least bit sorry, at least not beyond practically forcing her to go against her own job code. The blush remained on her cheeks, making it harder to convey it.

Dash managed to look up at her giving a bit a smile, though it appeared more than a bit awkward. Rainbow felt her cheeks heat up, a light pink blush touching them.

‘Damn it… Damn you Firefly… Damn every single fucking person that says I can’t take this wet dream of a woman back to my place, strip her naked and screw her until the sun sets and comes up again!....Deep breaths… calm down… It’ll be okay, just catch the uncatchable bad guy… yeah…. why don’t I just grow wings and learn to fly while I’m at it… Ugh… I swear if this takes too long, I’m going to have her… Rules be damned…’

“It’s okay, ‘shy, promise.”

Fluttershy was unsure about what she was promising, but guessed that it might’ve been due to her apology. She managed a smile, then went back to her salad.

‘Well, maybe if it takes too long…. Like a few months, I don’t think that would be a bad thing if we just gave in...’ Fluttershy trembled slightly, but kept herself in check. ‘Damn… What am I going to do until then? My hand only gets me so far... Who knows what Sombra will do, and I don’t even know about privacy anymore… Am I going to have to check into hotels until this is over?’

Rainbow popped a few fries in her mouth, unable to separate their flavor from the idea of kissing Fluttershy now. She shook her head trying to get her wits about her, but all she managed to do was make herself a bit dizzy.

An awkward silence stretched between them. Rainbow searched around for something, anything, to say. “So… uh… the weather’s pretty cool today… Don’t you think?”

“Huh? Oh… um, yes, it is… I like rainy days,” Fluttershy responded, not quite looking at her.

“Me too, I think that they’re peaceful…” Rainbow was appalled with herself. She was talking about the weather with a girl she almost kissed… the weather!

Finishing her salad, Fluttershy gently pushed her plates aside, “Mm-hmm, peaceful. Very peaceful.”

“Yeah… and relaxing…” Rainbow sighed and rubbed at her temples, wishing desperately that she could have gone back and just kissed Fluttershy. That awkward fallout from that had to be better than talking about the weather. She finished her meal, pushing the plate towards the edge of the table.

“Well…” Fluttershy looked at a bar clock, “It’s barely one… we still have the rest of the day ahead of us.”

“Uh… yeah… Should we go back to your place,” Rainbow suggested, “I mean, if you still need me around for protection, that is.”

‘Well, we did get rid of all the cameras, so it should be safe, right? But then again… Sombra would have had to put the cameras in while I wasn’t home. I haven’t been at home for a while, now… He could have easily gone back and put in new cameras, or something else to keep track of me. There are all kinds of objects he could hide cameras in… Maybe I should have her come back with me just to be safe. Oh no, but what if I’m tempted? It’d be my home, my bed is big enough, I could easily-no! No… It’s because I want her company and to feel safe. So we can search for cameras.’

“Well…. Would you be okay coming back with me to my place? Um, I don’t know what Sombra could do next, but he might break in again and place more cameras…” Fluttershy said nervously, wringing her fingers. “But if you’re busy, I’ll understand. I just-I want to double check and I want an expert there with me. And…. well, you know I enjoy your company. I’d love to have you over again…”

“Sounds fine by me,” Rainbow replied sounding pleasant enough, though inwardly she was conflicted.

‘...Damn… I want to spend time with her be with her… but I’m placing myself in a situation I know is going to tempt me… and if I compromise my ethics I’m just going to end up hurting her… But she has a point, we don’t know what this bastard is capable of… and I would like to spend some more time with her, even if I have to spend half my attention keeping myself in check…’

“ ‘sides, you are paying me a boatload of cash and I don’t have any other cases.”

Giving a smile, Fluttershy finished her drink, “And you’re worth every bit~”

“That’s right I am,” Rainbow grinned, “I am the best there is at what I do.”

“Hee, I don’t doubt it,” Fluttershy giggled, “Well, if we’re done, we can get the bill and be on our way,” she reached into her purse for her wallet.

“Never got that refill…” Rainbow said peering towards the bar, noticing that Pinkie Pie was still conspicuously absent from her post. “Ah, it’s fine though, I don’t really need it anyhow.”

“Oh, I’m sorry… Well, um, I have some drinks at home, or we can buy some on the way,” Fluttershy offered.

“I’ll be okay, honest,” Rainbow said with a reassuring smile. “Besides if I’m back on the clock, it probably won’t help things if I’m sloshed.”

“Good point,” Fluttershy said, waving Rarity over for the bill.

“Sorry for the substandard service,” Rarity said as she came by their table, hoping to not be the victim of a substandard tip. She placed the bill seripticiously on the table. “It was a… dispute with the management…”

Taking some money out, along with some for a tip, Fluttershy placed it all onto the table, “Oh…. Is everything all right?”

“Pinkie was just… micromanaging,” Rarity said, giving Fluttershy a smile as she mentally totalled the bills Fluttershy had placed on the table. “Well you women are good to go, and thank you again Fluttershy, for the modeling.”

“Anytime, um… here’s my card,” Fluttershy handed it to her, “I know it’s for pet caretaking, but it has my number all the same. But if you do have pets you need to be looked after for whatever reason, you can always ask, too.”

“Thank you very much,” Rarity said as she tucked the card into her apron with as much care as if it had been made of solid gold. “I hope to see you both again~”

Rainbow gave a small yawn as Rarity departed their table. “Whew… well back to your place, yes?”

“Yes,” Fluttershy stood up, placing the wig back onto her head, “Let’s go, shall we?”

Rainbow gave her a nod and a smile and the pair departed the bar, bound once more for Fluttershy’s apartment.

XXXX

A train ride then a few blocks later, the pair finally arrived back at Fluttershy’s apartment. So far, it seemed that everything was still in its place. If anything happened, it didn’t seem to show. Nonetheless, Fluttershy did feel a bit nervous, wondering if Sombra was somehow watching her.

“R-Rainbow… could you check around… just to make sure?” Fluttershy murmured.

“Sure thing,” Rainbow nodded, not willing to put anything past the realm of possibility.

Rainbow gave the apartment a thorough once over, checking every place they had found a camera or bug and every place they hadn’t, but the search came up empty.

“You can breathe easy,” Rainbow said as she emerged from the bedroom. “We’re clean.”

“Okay,” Fluttershy sat down on the couch, making herself comfortable, “It makes me wonder what else he’s been up to… But that works, for now.”

“With any luck he’s busy getting his ass caught,” Rainbow said as she sat at Fluttershy’s side, though she didn’t truly believe that it would be quite that easy.

Giving a little smile, Fluttershy rubbed her arm, “That would be sweet justice.”

‘Not to mention the sign of the case being closed and finally being able to have a normal friendship with Rainbow… and hopefully more. We were so close! So close… At least she does seem to feel the same way, all things considered… But if only there weren’t so much blocking us. No, no, I have to wait. But solving the case is not a waiting period, it’s bringing a stalker to justice and getting my life back on track. Just stay calm, spend time together-oh goodness, she looks adorable with that thoughtful pout! Those lips… I’ve never seen such pretty lips I’ve been dying to kiss…!’

Rainbow’s lips twitched into a little smile, enjoying the sensation of Fluttershy rubbing at her arm. The simply friendly contact was enough to set her mind aflame with passionate daydreams. “So, uh, what now? Do we just sort of lounge and watch TV?”

“I suppose we could, yes…” Fluttershy nodded. ‘At least that will have me less tempted...’

“Alrighty,” Rainbow said, trying to not quite look at Fluttershy already feeling sorely tempted. She picked up the remote and began to flip through the channels. “Any preferences?”

“Um… I love watching Animal Planet, the Discovery Channel, the movie channels… And sometimes if a show I like is playing, I tune to the channel it’s on,” Fluttershy shrugged.

“Animal Planet it is,” Rainbow said flipping to a show about newborn puppies. “Well something tells me this is right up your alley~”

Giggling, Fluttershy nodded, “It is! I love puppies!”

‘Good! Puppies! That won’t tempt me in the slightest. This is good… now we’re two friends just watching TV together. Watching a show about puppies. Adorable little puppies!’

Rainbow smiled at the musical tones of Fluttershy’s laugh, glancing at her out of the corners of her eyes. She was just so undeniably adorable Rainbow couldn’t help but breathe out a happy sigh. ‘God I’d love to just snuggle up to her… Wait… what the hell!? I don’t snuggle! Since when do I ever want to snuggle anything! Damn you Flutters… you’re not just a bombshell, you’re freakin’ adorable!’

“So cute…” Fluttershy murmured, cooing at the sight of the puppies. “I just want to take one of them home and snuggle them! I love this show, but it’s taunting me… Adorable puppies I can’t even touch!”

“I know the feeling,” Rainbow muttered. “But...uh… yeah, the puppies are really cute.”

‘What would make it complete is snuggling...’ Fluttershy thought, looking outside to the rain for a moment. ‘A rainy day… It’s warm…. I need security, we’re watching puppies, it’s perfect! I’ll just… move a bit closer...’ She shifted closer to her companion.

Rainbow licked her lips nervously. She kept her vision locked on the screen… trying to put out of her mind it would be to just grab Fluttershy… grab her and snuggle her… kiss her… do anything she wanted with the woman of her dreams.

Taking a few breaths, Fluttershy moved a bit closer to her, with their legs now touching. Hesitating, she reached over, taking Rainbow’s hand in hers.

‘This is not helping… the puppies are so cute, I want to snuggle them… but they’re making me think of snuggling Rainbow, too! Oh, stupid stupid…. What am I going to do?! I’m too tempted, no matter what I do! I’ll have to take a cold shower...’ Fluttershy thought, licking her lips nervously.

Rainbow froze. Their fingers were intertwining. It felt so natural… so easy… ‘Damn it damn it damn it damn it damn it damn it! ...How can I say no to this… She wants me too! I can tell… I know… what am I going to do!’

‘If she weren’t the one helping my case… I could go for it… She wants me, too… I can feel it… I have all the courage and motivation I need… I know she wouldn’t push me away. Oh, why, Celestia… Why did you have to dangle this irresistible woman in front of my face? I can’t function! I can’t think! I want to be with her so much, but I can’t!’ Fluttershy trembled in her seat.

Rainbow twitched, feeling Fluttershy tremble. This was too much. She had to pull away… needed to...or maybe… maybe not… they were just holding hands and sitting next to each other…As long as it didn’t go any further…

‘Okay, we’re fine… We’re just sitting here, holding hands… We’ll be fine...’ Fluttershy thought, taking a deep breath. ‘Earlier, we were still in public. But now… now we’re in my apartment, with all the privacy-hopefully-we can ask for. My bedroom is nearby… I could easily seduce her and take her into my room! Too… tempting!’

Rainbow shifted in her seat. This was getting out of hand or, more accurately, Rainbow’s handle on the temptation next to her was getting out of hand. “So...uh… ever thought about getting some- one! A puppy that is…”

“You know… I think that would be a good idea,” Fluttershy remarked, “I suppose I just worry, now. What if I do get a pet and Sombra kills them…? I-I don’t know about that… But I see what you mean.”

“Well… that’s why we have to try and catch him,” Rainbow said, feeling genuine empathy for her. “Then you can actually live your life.”

‘You have no idea… I can’t have pets without worrying, unless I’m looking after them, I can’t leave the house, and now I’ve found he has the ability to watch me somehow… And I especially can’t even make a move on a woman I’ve never been so taken with in my life. He needs to be caught…. And I will personally kick him in the knee for what he’s done to me!’

“Yes,” Fluttershy murmured, now snuggling against her. It was more out of comfort than anything, but even she couldn’t deny the temptation of truly getting closer to her. “You’re the only one I can count on in this world… I’d be lost without you…”

Rainbow couldn’t resist putting an arm around her, if for nothing else than to comfort her. “Hey, don’t you worry, I’m not going anywhere until we finish this thing.”

‘Oh goodness… I love it! Being so close to her like this is… I’ve never felt this way about anyone, about being this close to anyone. I feel… warm, safe, and so...good. Even hugging my parents hasn’t had this kind of feeling. Rainbow Dash… She’s amazing… I know it’s wrong, but it feels right… So right. It never felt this good with my ex. I think I really like her… more than I think I should...’

“Thank you, Rainbow,” Fluttershy snuggled close, laying her head on her shoulder. “If nothing else, you make me feel so much better about this…”

“I do what I can,” Rainbow said modestly, enjoying the contact as much as she hoped Fluttershy was… even if the stated purpose was only to comfort her.

Fluttershy felt herself smile, having felt better than she had in years. She turned her head a bit, meeting her gaze, “I’m glad I came to you, I’m glad I found you… And you know, I did mean it yesterday… If there’s anything else I can do for you, especially after the case… You can tell me, and I will. I’ll do anything to get my life back…”

‘And to finally be more than just friends with you...’

Rainbow lips quirked up in the corners, unable to resist the urge to flirt a little, “...I’m sure I’ll think of a few things~”

Giggling, Fluttershy caught on and was unable to resist flirting back, “I hope so… You just let me know~”

“When this is done,” Rainbow said, speaking aloud the affirmation that was all that stood between her and a serious breach of ethics.

“When this is done,” Fluttershy repeated, laying her head where it had been. ‘Which I hope will be soon… But I have to control myself… no matter how much I want her...’

They continued watching the show together, and then another, and then another. It wasn’t exactly romantic, but at the same time it was clear that they were not just friends. They couldn’t be. Between the underlying mutual attraction and the pure admiration they held for one another, it seemed as though they would be hopeless bound for something deeper.

As the sun began to dip lower, Rainbow stretched and yawned a bit. “Mmm… S’pose we should throw together some dinner soon, yeah?”

“Hm? Oh, yes… I’ll get dinner going,” Fluttershy nodded, getting up, “Um, is there anything in particular you’d like?”

“I don’t know. Anything, honestly.” Rainbow said. “In my line of work, you don’t always know when or where the next paycheck is coming from, so I’m okay to eat just about anything that can be considered food.”

“Would you… like a beef and vegetable stir-fry?” Fluttershy suggested, anyway.

“Sounds delicious,” Rainbow beamed, “I’ll never ever turn down red meat, you can be sure of that.”

The pinkette smiled, before she then headed to the kitchen to get started on cooking.

‘At least this will keep my mind and my hands busy for a while… Oh, what’s happening to me… I can’t let this go on! But I can’t leave myself alone when I’m not sure I’m safe. But I also can’t inconvenience Rainbow or make her go against her code… I can’t! I just can’t… But how can I be around her when I’m too tempted?’ Fluttershy thought, getting out the ingredients she would need.

Rainbow came up behind Fluttershy, resisting the urge to hug her around the waist. “Anything I can do to help? You did all the cooking this morning after all.”

‘Hug me from behind… like they do in the movies and those romance stories...’ Fluttershy thought dreamily. “Um… You can get the uh...frying pan and put some olive oil on it…”

“Can do,” Rainbow said as she did just that. “There you go. All ready.”

“Thank you… Um, you could also chop those carrots, green peppers… I’ll do the rest,” Fluttershy directed. ‘Anything to keep us occupied… So we don’t get tempted...’

“No problem,” Rainbow said, taking to the task. It was simple enough but it did managed to keep her occupied, though her mind wandered a bit, wondering what on earth they would do to pass the time after dinner… And where would she sleep? Naturally she could take the couch again... Should take the couch again…. Should… Though Fluttershy’s bed seemed so inviting.

The knife slipped and Rainbow nearly cut herself, ‘Focus up Dash, focus up… There will always be time for figuring that out later…’

Rainbow finished up slicing the veggies and handed them over to Fluttershy, “Here ya go.”

Taking them, Fluttershy placed them into the pan along with the sliced beef. She then proceeded to get to work on chopping the rest of the vegetables, placing them into the pan as well. Along with some seasoning, herbs and spices, she fried all the ingredients to a perfect level. Taking the pan, she spooned the food onto two plates, putting them down onto the table, and then retrieving some water and juice to drink.

“Here we go, let’s eat,” Fluttershy said.

Rainbow didn’t need telling twice. She sat down at the table and, in a rare attempt at showing manners, waited for Fluttershy to begin eating before digging in herself. “Wow… this is… Wow, way to go Fluttershy.”

“You like it?” Fluttershy gave a smile as she finished one bit.

“Love it,” Rainbow replied as she continued to consume the meal.

Blushing a bit, flattered that her cooking once again proved positive to the detective, Fluttershy resumed eating as well.

It wasn’t long before Rainbow finished her mean and patted her stomach in a satisfied way. “Damn… you sure know how to cook.” Rainbow chuckled a bit. “A model who can cook, I bet there’s a joke about that somewhere.”

“There… there might be, I couldn’t say for sure,” Fluttershy smiled, gathering their dishes, “But it’s nice to cook for someone.”

“Well, hey, I know it’s a cliche, but you can cook for me anytime,” Rainbow said with a grin.

Giggling, the pinkette looked back toward her, “I’ll take you up on that~”

“You make it sound like I’m offering a favor,” Rainbow said as she contemplated literally licking her plate. “It’s more like the other way around. I’m not much of a cook and my pantry is no where near as well stocked as yours.”

“Well, then I can help you anytime, too.” Fluttershy offered, putting their dishes in the dishwasher.

Rainbow joined her, adding her own plate and utensils to the dishwasher. “Thanks, Flutters.”

“...You’re welcome, Dashie…” Fluttershy met her gaze with a soft, warm smile. “Anytime.”

Rainbow grinned and headed back to the couch, stretching a letting out a little yawn. “Seems like things have been pretty quiet, no scary phone calls, no more hidden cameras. Nice easy day of bodyguarding.”

Fluttershy joined her, giving a little laugh, “You’re right… It’s been a good day, so far. A very good day.”

“Ugh…” Rainbow yawned again, “Damn. Last night’s stake out is taking more out of me than I thought it would…”

“Oh, are you tired? You can stay the night again, if you want…” Fluttershy proposed, feeling an inner confliction going on. She was thrilled, as well as feeling safe to know that Rainbow would be there. At the same time, she knew this would mean more temptation and also the fact that she would be on the couch. So much of herself wanted to invite Rainbow to bed, but knew that it was a bad idea.

“Yeah I was planning on it.” Rainbow said, stifling another yawn, “I wouldn’t feel right about leaving you alone, not for a full night. Not after all this guy has done. Nope, I am officially crashing here until further notice.”

Some part of Rainbow knew that this would almost insure that she would have to continuously resist temptation, but she knew now she wouldn’t feel right not being able to protect her. Sombra was already rumored to be responsible for so much loss and devastation, and Rainbow had no reason to believe that Fluttershy’s stalker wasn’t the actual Sombra.

“So yeah, I got dibs on the couch again, unless you’re hiding a spare bedroom somewhere in this place,” Rainbow joked, knowing no such room existed.

“I wish…. But it gives me an incentive to do that when I get a new place,” Fluttershy smiled.

“You’re thinking about a new place?” Rainbow asked conversationally. “I kind of like this one. Good location, nice layout. Hard to find a place the nice in the city even if it’s a little small.”

“Well, yes and no. It’s more that I’m being prepared and keeping my options open,” Fluttershy said, “This was the first place I’d ever bought, I used to just rent.”

“I like it,” Rainbow pronounced, “Loads better than my place. My bedroom is pretty much just big enough for my bed.”

Fluttershy smiled toward her sadly, reaching over to hold her hand, “I’m sorry…”

Rainbow grinned, taking Fluttershy’s hand, “Don’t worry about it. I like my place, even if it is tiny. It’s cozy, in it’s own way.”

“That’s good, then,” said the pinkette, squeezing her hand, “If you do… need a place to crash at any time… my door is always open, anyway.”

“Thanks ‘shy,” Rainbow chuckled a bit, “It feels weird, you know? You inviting me to stay here whenever after I’m already playing on spending a ton of time here. I know it’s as a professional but still, it’s kind of silly.”

“Maybe…” Fluttershy giggled, meeting her gaze, “But I do mean it… as both a friend and under the professional element.”

“I’m not going to leave your side as long as you’re paying me,” Rainbow said, quite serious for the moment, “After what happened at the bar the other night and your apartment, I’m not going to run the risk of you being hurt… after all of this, well… I plan on being very close to you if you’ll allow it.”

‘Of course I would… You know how to help and protect a client, you’ve proven that to me. I’d let you get as close to me as you wanted, Rainbow...’

“Thank you, I’ll definitely take you up on that,” Fluttershy said seriously, as well, but she was smiling. “It really helps so much. So I allow it, for sure.”

“I’ll enjoy that,” Dash smiled warmly. “Well I suppose I should gather up some blankets and clock out, so to speak.”

“You wait here, I’ll get you what you need.”

Fluttershy stood up, going to a nearby closet and pulling out a sheet, a blanket, and a pillow. She brought them over to the couch, laying them out for her.

“There you go, that should do it.”

“Thanks ‘shy,” Rainbow said smiling warmly. She would worry for most that her insistence on her presence as intruding upon the life of her employer, but for Fluttershy she held no such fear, or felt that she should. Fluttershy had no real life to speak of, it had been stripped from her… perhaps even before she became a victim of Sombra… Rainbow knew her own presence offered normalcy and friendship. Though she did have one inconvenience to apologize for.

“Sorry you can’t use your TV while I’m crashing out here,” Rainbow said a bit playfully.

Giving a laugh, Fluttershy shook her head, “Oh, if that’s the worst I have to worry about with a guest, I think I’m going to do just fine. If that’s torture, chain me to the be-wall!”

“Be-wall?” Rainbow said, playfully arching a brow and finding her client’s slip of the tongue to be quite ...interesting. “I don’t think you have one of those~”

“N-No… I don’t….” Fluttershy squeaked, blushing as she realized that Dash had caught on to her slip.

“Hey well, maybe one day I’ll chain you to that be-....wall~” Rainbow said drawing out the slip playfully.

Shivers ran up her spine at the idea, as Fluttershy slowly approached her. “Okay, Rainbow… I’m sure you’d be very good at that…”

Rainbow said nothing now, only licked her lips nervously, ‘Great going Dash… her she is, coming closer, all because you could resist a good chance to flirt…and now all you want to do is make good on that little promise~’

“Um, but if you get cold and need some more room to sleep… You can sleep in my bed…” Fluttershy said softly. Despite her hesitant but sweet tone, she looked to the detective with clear bedroom eyes.

“I...uh…” Rainbow bit back her will, her desire, and her burning passion to fulfill her fantasies, and managed a feeble, “I’ll think about it…”

‘You idiot! What are you doing?! Stop giving in to your hormones! You’re a grown woman, not a teenager! Is this what happens when you hold back for so long? Oh, no… I’m not making this easy for her.. or me… I’m practically begging her and it’s not fair.’

“All right, then… I’ll go to bed. You can watch TV, if you’d like. I’m just going to shower and head to sleep,” Fluttershy said, turning toward the hallway. “Goodnight, Rainbow… and thank you. For everything.”

“Night,” Rainbow said flopping back on the couch with another yawn, “Could you get the lights?”

Fluttershy nodded, turning out the lights in the main room.

“Again, thanks for everything,” Dash said as she stretched out on the couch, slipping under the blankets. ‘Might not be another stakeout but if anyone comes through that door, I’ll know,’ Rainbow thought, ‘Guess for once being a light sleeper is gonna come in handy.’

And with that the private eye drifted into a wary slumber.

Chapter Four: The Long Night

Chapter Four:

Thunder and lightning raged outside, occasionally flashing the room with a bright light. Feeling restless, Fluttershy awoke, sitting up in bed. She stared blearily toward the doorway, noticing a figure standing there. Because of the dim light, she could only see a silhouette within the shadows. Fear and dread coursed through her, rendering her immobile.

Lightning flashed, illuminating the room, revealing the figure to be Rainbow Dash.

“...Rainbow?” Fluttershy spoke softly in the darkness, turning on her lamp. “Why are you here? Is… Something wrong? Did something happen?”

“You don’t have to turn on the lights,” Rainbow whispered as she approached Fluttershy’s bed. “Nothing’s wrong… but something did happen…”

Rainbow crawled onto Fluttshy’s bed and onto Fluttershy’s herself, practically pinning the ex-model to the bed, “Something wonderful happened… I realized I need you Fluttershy… I need you in every way… and all night long~”

Stunned, Fluttershy stared up at her, feeling a thrill course through her body. Everything about this moment was conflicting. It was exciting, exactly what she was hoping for. But at the same time, she wondered how and why Rainbow changed her mind. Didn’t she have her own moral compass to uphold? Weren’t they going to wait?

“R-Rainbow, I… I need you, too… More than I can say… But, what brought this on? I thought we were going to wait until the case was solved…” Fluttershy managed.

“Screw the case,” Rainbow cooed, trailing kisses up Fluttershy’s neck to her earlobe, her hot breath playing over the sensitive skin. Outside thunder cracked, a flash of lightning illuminated the dim room as bright as day for all of a second.

“Why should we be afraid of shadows and smoke~”

Soft gasps and moans escaped the pinkette, her body all but surrendering to the sweet pleasures Rainbow was offering. “Yes… Oh, please… yes…. Oh, Rainbow… I’ve never wanted another woman as I do you…!”

“I’ve wanted you for so long Fluttershy…” Rainbow whispered directly into her ear, her hands wandering over Fluttershy’s body inspecting her soft curves. “...I’m not going to hold back… I don’t care about any rules anymore...I want to make you mine… and I’m going to have you~”

Bringing her hands up, Fluttershy touched her face and smiled lovingly, “You can have me… make me yours, Dashie… You’ve waited for too long. I’m here for you now, and I always will be. Sombra may have taken my life from me, but I won’t let him take you away, or anything else. I just want to be with you, you wonderful detective… I’ve waited my whole life for a moment as amazing as this… Kiss me, please… I want to taste your enticing lips…”

Rainbow planted her lips on Fluttershy’s kissing her with a fierce passion. Another flash of lightning illuminated the room, and then suddenly the lights cut out, leaving the lovers in darkness.

For once, Fluttershy didn’t care. She was too wrapped up in finally taking things further with the woman of her dreams. Her fingers wove through her hair, bringing her closer as their kissed deeply. Far deeper and more passionate than any kiss she’d felt in her life. Moans sounded from her throat, her body churned with pleasure, as it all shot down south.

“Dashie…” She moaned between kisses, bringing her arms around the stronger woman’s back.

Rainbow growled sensually. Her hand slide down Fluttershy’s body, her finger’s leaving a light trail down her tummy and then… lower…

“Oh, Flutters… You feel so nice and warm…” Rainbow purred.

Giggling, Fluttershy nuzzled her, moaning softly, “You’re warm and cozy, Rainbow…”

“Mmmm… I love you Fluttershy… I love you completely…” Rainbow cooed to her, “...and I’ll always be here to protect you… to make you safe…the only screaming you’ll be doing from now on... will be my name.”

“Rainbow….!” Fluttershy cooed, tears pooling in her eyes and streaming down her face. “I love you, too… I feel the safest than I ever have when I’m with you. Oh, Rainbow, I love you! I’ll scream your name to the heavens above!”

All at once, everything felt better than ever. She felt safe, she felt warm, she felt sure-footed, more than ever. But overall, she felt loved. To be loved and to love another was a beautiful feeling she’d always hoped to experience. Now here it was, in the form of the very detective she’d hired to help her. Fluttershy could’ve have asked for anything better. A woman she came to call her friend, her protector, her helper, was now her lover. There didn’t need to be any rational explanation. Romance happened unexpectedly, and this was as unexpected as it could get. At least for her. A woman who could see past her beauty, past her life as a model, and just as the woman she was.

“You will Fluttershy, you beautiful creature~” Rainbow nuzzled her face into Fluttershys neck. “... you wonderful kind woman…”

“Rainbow…” Fluttershy cooed, stroking her hair, “You’re a wonder… a real wonder…”

“....She is, isn’t she?…” A deep basso voice rumbled out of the shadows, “....But she isn’t wonder enough to save you…”

Rainbow kissed at Fluttershy’s neck with a heated passion, uninterrupted and clearly not noticing anything amiss.

Fluttershy trembled with fear, the voice striking her ears. Was she imagining it? She had to be, Rainbow didn’t seem to notice what was going on. Sighing with relief, she surrendered further to Rainbow’s ministrations.

“Oh, Dashie…”

A shadowy indistinct figure loomed over the pair. It was something ethereal, wispy like smoke, and yet terrifyingly menacing. Where once there had been warmth there was now a bone penetrating chill.

“....a pet name… how sweet…” Mocked the figure with a cold mirthless laugh. “...I don’t believe I ever received that honor…. my little butterfly~”

Fluttershy gasped, tensing from beneath her lover. “R-Rainbow….! He’s here…! Help me!”

“Shhh… it’s okay Fluttershy, I’m here, nothing can hurt you…” Rainbow said sweetly.

“...She’s wrong… I can hurt you…” The voice continued with a sinister sweetness, a dread inducing mirror to Rainbow’s tone. “...But I don’t want to hurt you yet… You’re my little pet… maybe… maybe I’ll hurt her instead...”

Rainbow stroked Fluttershy’s hair, trying to soothe her.

“No… No… please don’t hurt her… Please… Leave us alone… Please…” Fluttershy began to sob, trembling with fear. “Rainbow, he’s there…. can’t you see him? Hear him? He’s going to kill you!”

“Fluttershy, it’s okay. He can’t hurt you and he can’t hurt m-” Rainbow’s words we cut short. She looked down to see a red stain blossoming over her shirt. Fear such as Fluttershy had never seen in her eyes now was the only thing that her cerise gaze held…. and then even that was gone.

“They all die in fear…” Sombra laughed, “...all of them, in the end… you will too, butterfly… you will too…”

“NO! NO! RAINBOW NO! NO!” Fluttershy screamed in sorrow and terror, realizing she was now alone in this world… with the only woman she ever loved now dead. At the hands of her tormentor…

XXXX

In the world beyond her dreams, Fluttershy was screaming and thrashing in her bed, the covers and sheets being taken along for the ride. You would think she was struggling against something, feverishly beating back an assailant, if not for the fact that she was lost in the grasp of a nightmare.

“No! No no! Rainbow, now! No! Nooooo! Nooooooooo!” Fluttershy screamed, pounding at the air and the mattress, squirming. “No! No! Nooooo!”

The door to the bedroom burst open, slamming hard into the wall.

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow shouted, gun in hand and looking every bit as if she had just been jerked awake by the screams. “Fluttershy! What’s going on!? What happened!?”

“Sombra killed you! Killed you!” Fluttershy screeched, still hysterical.

“Fluttershy look at me,” Rainbow said, placing the gun on the nightstand, “I’m alive, I’m right here.” Rainbow grabbed the pinkette’s wrist and placed her hand over her own heart. “See? Feel that? My heart is still pumping and everything.”

Trembling, now realizing she was awake, Fluttershy sniffled, looking at her with wide eyes. It was then that she realized this was real. Rainbow’s heart was beating, she could feel it. Her hand was even inches away from her breast… But she couldn’t even find pleasure in that.

“Rainbow…” She uttered, bursting into tears.

“Shhh.. Shhh…” Rainbow wrapped her arms around the traumatized woman. Surprisingly, this was something emotionally related that she had some skill with, or at least some practice. She had comforted a few kidnapping and other victims in her day. It wasn’t fun, but she at least could at least help somewhat. She stroked Fluttershy’s hair, trying her best to do what she could to calm her.

Managing to take a few deep breaths amidst her crying, Fluttershy relaxed a little bit. Her sobs lessened to whimpers, while her body quaking managed to settle. She was no longer trembling with fear. All the while, the comfort of Rainbow’s embrace was slowly overtaking the fear from her nightmare. Sniffling, she cuddled closer, seeking the warmth she was offering.

‘It was just a dream… Just a nightmare… I’m sad all that never happened… But at least Sombra didn’t kill her. Thank heavens… I’m just glad she’s alive...’ Fluttershy thought, nuzzling into the strong woman’s embrace.

“I’m okay…” She whimpered softly, “I’m sorry… I just had a nightmare…”

“I’m not surprised…” Rainbow murmured, “All the stress this is putting on you… I know yesterday was a good day but it’s probably the most normal day you’ve had in months… Don’t worry Fluttershy, I’m here now. I’ll protect you. It’s what I’m here for.”

‘That’s not the half of it… I dreamt you had become my lover… That we loved each other… It was beautiful. So beautiful… You looked into my eyes and said you loved me… It felt real. It was one of the sweetest moments I think I can ever think of. And it was just a dream. Then he killed you… He killed you… I can’t let him kill you… He’s already taken so much from me… I can’t let him take you...’ Fluttershy thought, her teary gaze meeting Rainbow’s.

Hesitantly, she reached up and touched her cheek, “I was terrified it happened… that he got you… I don’t want to lose you…” She whimpered.

“No one’s going to get me,” Rainbow assured her, “I’m too good for that. I’m not going to leave you alone Fluttershy, I already told you that. I’m not going to let him hurt you and he won’t be hurting me.”

“I’m so glad, Rainbow…” Fluttershy murmured, leaning a little closer to her.

Rainbow offered a sad yet comforting smile. “Wanna come out and watch some TV and get your mind off things?”

‘I’d rather you cuddle me, kiss me, and make love to me...’

But she couldn’t say that. Not like this.

“Y-Yes… that’d be nice…” Fluttershy murmured.

“Come on,” Rainbow said offering her hand. “It’ll be the two of us in jammies watching crappy middle of the night TV. Kind of like a slumber party… you know, except that I’ll have a gun….”

The sentiment managed to make Fluttershy smile. She took Rainbow’s hand, allowing her to lead her over to the living room.

Rainbow brought her to the couch. “Feel free to wrap yourself in the blanket, it might help you feel a bit better.” Rainbow gave her another little smile. A more inexperienced or unfeeling person may have just written off the bad dream as nothing, but Rainbow could that this was only the latest in a long line of stress induced panics, the second in almost as many days.

“Can I get you something? Water? Snack?” Rainbow inquired.

“Um, I’m okay for now…” Fluttershy assured, sitting on the couch and making herself comfortable.

Rainbow sat next to her and flipped on the TV, surfing the channels trying to find something innocuous. “Does this happen a lot? The nightmares?”

“They come and go,” Fluttershy said, curling up a bit on the couch.

Rainbow rubbed at her leg in a comforting manner. “I’m sorry Fluttershy…”

‘I’m doing my best to protect her… I just wish I could protect her from her own head...’

Giving a smile, Fluttershy looked over at her, “It’s okay. I’m… well, I’m used to dealing with the nightmares alone. But it’s nice… nice to have someone here with me… It makes me feel a bit better.”

“I can imagine. Waking up alone after something like that has to be another kind of hell,” Rainbow said solemnly.

Hesitating, the pinkette scooted closer to her, snuggling in, “I’ve managed, but sometimes…. Sometimes I wished someone was there for me…”

Rainbow stayed silent for a moment, allowing herself to indulge in wrapping her arm around Fluttershy. Rainbow had lived much of her life alone, that much was true. So long had she been alone that she had stopped caring about if there would be anyone there for her. In fact she had always suppressed those desires for intimacy, sufficing herself with brief emotionless physical intimacy and only sharing emotional intimacy with the occasional clients, however these were of course one sided…Maybe when all this was over she would try opening up… Seeing how lonely Fluttershy was, it reminded her of her own longing for at least one confidant… one partner…

In response, Fluttershy blushed, smiling more as she snuggled close.

“We’re going to find an end to this,” Rainbow sighed, “We will. I’m going to get you your life back.”

Fluttershy cuddled in, the warmth overtaking her once more, “I have every faith in you, Rainbow. More than I can say… After all, you were the one who solved the Apple Case when the police had been on it for over ten years. And it only took you two months~”

“Wow you really didn’t walk into my office without doing your homework, did you?” Rainbow chuckled.

“Oh, no. When I saw you stop that robbery, and heard your name, I did some research. There wasn’t much, but enough. When I saw how talented and amazing you were, having been able to solve really tough cases, let alone in a matter of time… I figured you’d be the one to help me…” Fluttershy giggled.

“Let’s hope you’re right…” Rainbow said, “Sombra has targeted many women, most of them lived alone, far from any support system, few friends. By calling on me… by looking for help, you may have broken the cycle. He may like to appear in control, but serial killers rely on patterns. They need them. It helps them feel in control. You’ve changed things, let’s hope it’s enough.”

“That… does make sense,” said the pinkette, angling her head a bit to meet her gaze, “I’m sure he must know you’re with me by now, somehow… So maybe we did break it. He will find a new one, I’m sure… But I hope we can stay a step ahead of him in some way.”

“We do have him on the run,” Rainbow said with a nod. “I get the distinct impression that he attacks his victims shortly after revealing his little spy game. And he must do it in their homes, so as to retrieve the equipment. He tried to carry on like everything was the same, but he hasn’t be psychologically torturing me, so he didn’t scare me…. and I won’t let him scare you. Not if I can help it. He counts on that fear, so let’s turn it against him.” Rainbow rubbed at Fluttershy’s shoulder. “We won’t let ourselves jump at shadows. I’m gonna be brave, and so are you. We’re going to do it together.”

Fluttershy took a breath, “I hope I can be. I’m easily scared, but… I’ll do my best to be brave. If that’s what can counter against him, I will try to work my courage.”

“You won’t be doing it alone,” Rainbow unconsciously held Fluttershy closer. “You’ll have me with you. I don’t know why it’s easier for me to laugh at danger, but maybe having me there with you will be what you need to be brave.”

“I think…. You’re right,” Fluttershy murmured, snuggling closer. “You really know how to help me feel better. I think I feel braver knowing you’re here.”

“What can I say, I’m a one woman anti-anxiety pill.” Rainbow said smiling down at Fluttershy. She knew she was supposed to only trying to be comforting her client, but Rainbow could hold back the feeling of comfort and contentment that she too was feeling.

This made Fluttershy giggle, her smile growing, “I’d say you are…”

Rainbow forgot herself for a moment and brought her other arm around, placing her hand on Fluttershy’s cheek. “You… you’re gonna be brave...I just know it…”

All at once, Fluttershy’s cheeks heated up, her eyes widening ever slightly. Her heart pounded, while her body seemed to melt all over, despite the cool shivers running up her spine.

“Thank you….” Fluttershy said softly, placing her hand over Rainbow’s, smiling more. “Your encouragement helps me so much~”

Rainbow leaned in for all of half a second, and then she hesitated, pulling her hand away though her arm remained around Fluttershy’s shoulder. Dash felt a flash of frustration. She wanted this so bad. It felt so natural. Being close to her was like breathing, it felt so wrong to deny them both over a code of conduct… She shook her head. ‘When this over… but what if it isn’t over soon enough… what will I do then… Guess I’ll just have to see...’

A perfect moment, then it was gone. Fluttershy almost wanted to just scream. The temptation was back, full force, and not ceasing its grip on her. They were so close. It would’ve been so easy for her to just bring her hand to Rainbow’s neck, draw their faces close together, and just do it.

Rainbow looked away from Fluttershy, desperately pissed at herself for having to hold back. What could have been a such an amazing moment now felt soured.

Leaning a little closer, Fluttershy hesitated, trying with all her might to summon her courage.

‘Just do it, Fluttershy. You want her, she wants you, too, just do it. Why wait? You’ve never had this chance before, so take it! Take it! Kiss her!’

The pinkette pulled back. Both relieved, yet upset at herself for not taking it. The tension between them was not going to dissipate any time soon, she knew it. Any logical solution would be to nip it in the bud and try to find ways to quell the temptation. But the last thing she wanted was to make things awkward. Especially when it was all going so well. They were just going to have to overcome that temptation until the time was right.

Fluttershy at least knew that they weren’t going to let this slip through their fingers completely once it was all over. She just hoped they would make it and be able to get through all of this. The most important priority was getting the case solved, no doubt.

However, another little element seemed to buzz at her thoughts.

‘In my dream, I said I loved her… Granted, she said it first, but that was still my dream. Do I love her? I mean… I’m attracted to her, I want to date her, kiss her...and do more… But love? We’ve only known each other a couple of days, now. Does love happen that fast? Well, it is unexpected, of course. I mean, when I first saw her, I thought she was attractive. But I didn’t go after her looking for love. I wanted her help with the case. I just… happened to develop feelings for her? Well, I guess I can understand… I’m attracted to her physically, I enjoy her company, she makes me laugh, she’s encouraging, she’s rough around the edges… Mmm, maybe I am developing feelings for her...’

Rainbow, ground her teeth, still utterly frustrated with herself. Here was this wonderful, sweet tender woman, who offered Rainbow something she had forgot that she needed in the form of kindness and companionship…. and Rainbow had to stifle herself almost entirely.

‘I spend my whole damn life relying on my instincts. Yeah that makes me impulsive, but if I don’t trust my impulses what would I be? Now everything in me tells me to kiss this woman… to hold her without restriction… to… to… Damn, I want to screw her but… the word feels wrong… make love to her? Oh sweet Celestia, am I that far gone?... To even think about the “L” word…' Rainbow sighed. ‘Just keep pushing forward, you make it to the end of this and you can stop holding back… You know why you shouldn’t be doing anything now… you know why you can’t let yourself run with your emotions… For god sakes, the woman is paying you, and if that wasn’t enough to make things too complicated… what if things went south, huh? Where would your case be then? What would happen to her...? Eye’s on the prize Dashie… finish this, then have your fun...’

Fluttershy snuggled closer, trying to keep her urges down, but didn’t want to lose their closeness. It was about the only comfort she had since waking up. She kept her eyes on the television, trying to clear her mind and calming herself down.

“After the case…” She said to herself softly, thinking out loud.

“You said it, sister,” Rainbow said in reply, catching her words, and giving her a slight smile.

Giving a slight smile back, Fluttershy lay her head into her shoulder, making herself comfortable. It was all they had for now. All they could do.

After an hour or so, Rainbow caught herself starting to yawn again. “Think you’re up to getting a few more Z’s?”

“Yes… I think so…” Fluttershy murmured, though reluctant to leave Rainbow’s comforting hold.

Rainbow pursed her lips in thought for a moment. It was a risk, and another step in the direction of temptation, but Fluttershy’s health, mental as well as physical, should be Dash’s chief priority. “Would you… you know… Like me to come with you?”

‘Did she just-?’

“...What did you say?” Fluttershy asked in a soft, anxious tone. Just to make sure she heard her right.

Rainbow looked away a bit, already feeling guilty know the pleasure they would both take in the action. Pleasure that they shouldn’t, not while they were professionally entangled. “You have a pretty big bed and well, I figure it might help with the nightmares...If I slept in the same room.”

Blushing immensely, Fluttershy smiled, “Yes…. That’d be nice. I think it would help.”

‘What am I doing?! Her sleeping here on the couch was the only thing I had keeping us from getting tempted! Now with her sleeping in my bed, we’ll probably be all over each other in a matter of-oh my goodness, no! Fantasies! Go away! I can’t think of that! No no no! Okay… Okay, I’m calm… I can do this. She’s just going to be there to help me sleep better. We’ll be fine. We’ll be okay.’

Rainbow suppressed the part of her that sought to scoop up the taller woman in her arms and carry her to the bed. She got up off the couch, and gave a stretch. “Let’s get to it then.”

‘This is for her own good. It’ll help her stay calm and be brave. Just… just keep it in your pants Dash, and everything will be okay...’

Nodding, Fluttershy stood up and mirrored the idea of stretching, “All right, let’s go.”

Slowly, she led the way to her bedroom, feeling a pang of nervousness and yet excitement. The temptation was growing, she knew that this was not going to be easy. But for the intent, it was going to help.

Fluttershy blushed, then climbed back into bed, scooting over a bit further down to give Rainbow some room.

Rainbow climbed into the bed, wiggling about a bit to get comfortable, though found it wasn’t a particularly difficult task. “Damn, ‘shy… the heck is this bed stuffed with? Angel feathers?... I don’t think I’ve ever been in a bed so comfy…”

“One of the softest tempur pedic mattresses…” Fluttershy said with a smile. “I just love comfy beds. For a good part of my childhood, my parents insisted on giving me a hard mattress. Oh, sure, it was good for my back, but I hated it. So… I broke it, forcing them to let me buy a new one. I’ve been with soft mattresses ever since.”

“Lemme guess, you jumped up and down ‘til you heard something break?” Rainbow snickered a bit. “I gotta admit, it’s hard to imagine you breaking anything with how gentle you are.”

“Kind of, I also took a hammer…” Fluttershy blushed, giving a bigger smile, “Well, I suppose desperate times call for desperate measures.”

Rainbow let out an impressed whistle, a playful smile spread across her lips, “Wow, remind me not to push you too far.”

‘I can think of one way you can push me too far...’

Fluttershy blushed at the thought, “Oh, don’t worry. It takes a lot to do that.”

“Alright well, if I ever need you to tap into that, just promise not hold back, ‘kay?” Rainbow said as she nuzzled into one of Fluttershy’s soft pillows, trying to compress down the growing desire to wrap the ex-model in her arms.

“I won’t,” Fluttershy murmured, rolling onto her side to face her. She shuddered ever slightly, having to fight off the urge to snuggle against the other woman. “This is nice… I haven’t had pillow talk in forever. Maybe… Maybe this will help, just talking a bit about anything until we fall asleep.”

“Yeah, I mean, I never really quite saw the appeal of pillow talk,” Rainbow said, sorely tempted to reach out and touch the woman of her dreams, “But then again, I don’t think I’ve ever really shared my bed with anyone I truly wanted to be there, you know?”

“Oh, well….” Fluttershy blushed a bit, giving a smile, “I hope we can make it fun…”

“Yeah...fun…” Rainbow repeated, wishing that fun could include certain activities she knew were out of bounds.

‘I sure know what kind of fun we could have… Now we’re in my bed, in a very intimate setting… If we let ourselves, we’d be all over each other. Body, no… stop it… Don’t do this to me! Don’t tempt me… I can’t do this to her. I can’t! Not like in my dream, oh no, not the dream! It was sweet, it was wonderful-but no! I can’t think of that! I can’t expect her to do that! Not now, not like this.’

“Fun…” Fluttershy repeated, glad for the covers concealing how she was trembling now. Every urge in her body was screaming for her to do something, begging for the physical need.

Rainbow said nothing now, losing herself momentarily in thoughts of all of the times she had held in one hand a magazine clipping of Fluttershy while her other hand was otherwise occupied below her waist.

‘Oh dammit… this was a sucky idea… you just looooove to make this harder on yourself don’t you? You want to protect you client? Sure yeah, jump in bed with her, that clearly makes sense… or at least it seemed like it did at the time… but you should probably remember how hard you want boink this particular client… Seriously you have a drawer filled with clipping of her photos right next to your ‘special toy’...C’mon Rainbow, c’mon… you’re not a teenager, you can manage to control yourself right?... Right!?’

“Guess… we should...uh….sleep?” Rainbow offered. “Or talk more, whatever you’d like…”

“I’d like to talk, that’d be fun! Um… about whatever,” Fluttershy said, giving a sheepish smile.

‘Nice going, Fluttershy. A woman you want to make love to is in your bed, you two want each other, but you can’t teach other! Oh, don’t be coy, you masturbated to her more than once… Saviour worship! Stop doing that! She’s a real person and a human being. Okay. stay calm, and talk about something. Anything that won’t spark your sexual temptation!’

“So,” Rainbow paused, having trouble thinking of a topic for conversation, “See any good movies?”

“Movies? Um, well, yes… I have… I sometimes go to the movies if there’s something I want to see. In disguise, of course,” Fluttershy gave a little giggle.

“You know, I don’t normally uses disguises but, I might want to pick your brain about that sometime,” Rainbow gave a bit of a laugh, “I mean, sometimes it good for the bad guys to know who I am. A reputation is as useful as any tool, but sometimes it can be rough if I need to be a little more covert.”

“Ooh, like going undercover?” Fluttershy asked, smiling. “That’s really interesting.”

“Yeah, as awesome as I am, there are just some jobs where ‘Scruffy P.I.’ isn’t exactly the way I need to present myself,” Rainbow said, actually enjoying sharing a bit about her work.

The pinkette gave giggle, leaning up on her elbow, “True, I suppose there would be some jobs where you would have to make sure you don’t stand out. I know a lot of tricks to making sure I don’t stand out, I’ve been using them my entire life.”

“And there are other jobs where I need to stand out but not as a rough and tumble gal, you know?” Rainbow said. “ Sometimes I need to try and look like a knock out, instead of looking like I’m going to knock someone out.”

‘I bet you are a knockout when you put effort into it. You’re a uniquely beautiful woman. With your rainbow hair, your lovely cerise eyes, and the way you hold yourself… Oh gosh, I hope we can go undercover together during the case… I wonder how she looks in a swimsuit-damn it! Not again!’

“That makes sense,” Fluttershy said softly, nodding a little, “Must be interesting.”

“Suddenly making friends with a model seems to be a pretty good idea. I bet you know all kinds of tips and tricks,” Rainbow said with a chuckle.

“Hee, I certainly do. As a model, you have to learn all kinds of senses of posture and how to carry yourself. If… well, you ever need a little help, you can tell me. I still have a lot of connections to designer agencies. They still let me use their samples once their clothing line picks up,” Fluttershy said, winking.

“Woah, really? That would be awesome. I can always use for access and connections,” Rainbow said grinning.

Fluttershy smiled even more too, “Well, you can let me know if you need me to contact them. It’d be no problem at all.”

“Thanks Fluttershy,” Rainbow said beaming at her from her pillow.

A little blush coated her cheeks at the sight of her smile, to which Fluttershy felt a warmth in her heart. “Oh, you’re very welcome, Rainbow. Anything I can do to help will be good.”

“Jeez, could I get any more lucky? I mean, you are pretty cool person, you’re paying me, and I’m getting connections,” Rainbow’s smile became a little warmer. “You might just be the best thing to happen to me.”

“Oh, come on…” Fluttershy blushed even more, giggling bashfully. But with the smile on her face and the sincerity in her voice; it was impossible to think it was anything but true. “I mean, that’s so sweet of you to say. I… I feel the same way….”

“Well, I’d hold off on the praise until I can finish off your case,” Rainbow said, unable to keep a feeling of pride from her chest, “Thanks anyway though… it really does mean a lot.”

Fluttershy scooted ever closer, not even registering that, “You’re welcome. And thank you, too… It’s really nice to know that. I… I’m very glad we could interact as more than just client and detective. It makes me feel pretty happy. I’m really glad to call you my friend.”

“I am too Fluttershy,” Rainbow said a growing feeling of warmth in her chest, “It’s a bit surreal. I loved you work. I know it sounds a bit lame to say it like that, but… you could say I was a really big fan… and here you are, inches away… and I get to call you my friend too.”

“Gosh… Thank you so much. It’s always nice to meet someone who appreciated my work,” the pinkette said softly, her smile growing.

“Awww man, That just makes me sound even more like a silly fangirl,” Rainbow said with a little laugh.

“I’ve seen worse,” Fluttershy giggled, shaking her head.

Rainbow eyelids lowered to half mast, unable to help herself, “I bet none of them got to sleep in your bed though~”

‘Don’t flirt. You’re going to get tempted again. Don’t do it. Just laugh and say something like-’

“Well, not all of them are willing to try to get to know the real me… and not all of them are unique and attractive, strong women like you~” Fluttershy whispered, her own eyes half mast.

Rainbow bit her lip, summoning up her force of will, “Damn it, Fluttershy… this… this blows.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “...there is so much I want to do right now…”

‘Fluttershy, why did you do that?! Now you’re putting her in a difficult position! Why couldn’t you just stop trying to get her into bed with you and be friendly?’ Fluttershy thought, inwardly reprimanding herself. She bit her lip, averting her eyes for a moment, realizing exactly what she was getting at.

“....Me too…” Fluttershy whispered, all but ready to turn away.

“I’m sorry Fluttershy,” Rainbow said, breathing out a sigh, “We can’t seem to stop ourselves… and we can’t embrace our feeling either… at least not yet. It’s pointless to ignore it anymore. We need to… I don’t know… compromise.”

A soft blush marred Fluttershy’s cheeks, but she managed a small, even if sad smile. “I’m sorry, too. I… I never felt this way about anyone before, it’s all new to me. But I don’t want us to regret anything. We can… compromise. We’ll… We’ll hug, we can hold hands, sit next to each other… b-but that’s it, we won’t do anything else. We’ll just be good friends. Good friends… Until the case is over…”

‘Good friends who are immensely attracted to each other and want to be more than just friends...’ She added inwardly.

“Sounds good to me,” Rainbow said managing a slight smile of her own. “Maybe if we can do a little, we won’t snap and go too far.”

“Okay… A-A little…” Fluttershy repeated, reaching over to hold her hand. “We could even… flirt, just a bit… N-Nothing wrong with flirting…”

“Yeah,” Rainbow nodded, squeezing Fluttershy’s hand and even bringing an arm around to hold her client, “If we take things slow enough, the case should be done before we get hot and heavy.”

Despite her blush, a bright smile overcame Fluttershy’s features as she came closer and snuggled. “That’s right, we’ll be fine by then… I’m glad we… had this talk… I-I do feel a bit better now, actually… A lot better.”

“Me too… guess that supposed iron will of mine doesn’t apply to wonderfully cute and kind ex-models,” Rainbow said as she rubbed the pinkette’s lower back.

“And my shyness from others doesn’t seem to apply to amazing, awesome, sharp and beautiful detectives,” Fluttershy giggled, a shiver running her spine.

“Seems we are already taking full advantage of our flirting privileges,” Rainbow chuckled.

Fluttershy giggled, reaching up to touch her hair, “I’m only… telling the truth… Um, Rainbow? ...When I first came to your office… were you… um…flirting with me?”

“Uhhhh…” Rainbow felt herself blush, “Yeah I was... I thought you were a look-alike. See, I got really drunk one night and told Pinkie all about these… lets call them fantasies… that I had about the beautiful pink haired model. I thought she’d hired someone as a prank.”

Eyes wide, Fluttershy blushed quite a bit and giggled. While she was now aware that Rainbow had fantasies about her, it did still thrill her in some way to hear it. She cuddled a bit closer, her voice lowering to a soft whisper, “I think that was a missed opportunity either way…”

“Yeah well, maybe once this case is over we can have a little fun and indulge in a little role play~” Rainbow said with grin.

“Will you throw me down onto your desk and have your wonderful way with me?” Fluttershy smiled, giggling.

Rainbow’s breath hitched in her throat, and her eyes went wide, “Holy fuck Flutters! There’s flirting and then there’s flirting! You’re going to make me ruin your sheets with talk like that....”

“Sorry…” Fluttershy blushed, looking away a little, “Th-That was a bit too much…”

“It’s okay,” Rainbow said apologetically, trying to make up for her outburst. “Uh… It’s just, that kind of...flirting… is… well, let’s say I really really like it, which is bad, even though it’s good and… Ugh this so so damn complicated. Just don’t feel bad, okay?”

“No, you’re right… Innocent, sweet flirting… We should keep it at that…” Said the timid woman, managing to calm herself.

Rainbow smiled, holding the pinkette close to her. There was so much more she wanted to do, that they both wanted to do, but until then they at least had this.

Closing her eyes, Fluttershy smiled more and nuzzled into Rainbow’s neck, taking in her scent. She felt better, like a weight was lifted from her being, and that she could finally be a little more free. Their attraction for each other was more or less out in the open, leaving them more aware than ever before. But there was to be limitations on them, despite that they wanted otherwise.

At the same time, Fluttershy felt so happy. She not only had someone who was helping her with the case; she had met someone she could call her friend. Then hopefully, one day, something more.

“Will you… hold me while I sleep?” She whispered.

“Of course ‘shy,” Rainbow whispered back, “I was planning on it… and then, hopefully, I’ll be able to protect you, even in your nightmares.”

Fluttershy smiled, feeling her body tingle and yet warm up, “I feel… so safe in your arms… I don’t think I’ve felt this wonderful going to bed in forever…”

“Good,” Rainbow said, a warmth in her voice, “That’s the idea.”

“...I’m not still dreaming, am I?”

“Want me to pinch you?”

Giggling, Fluttershy shook her head, “I can think of a better way… But we’ll save that for later…”

“Mmm… You… you are too damn sexy for your own good,” Rainbow gave her back another little rub. “Well, until then, I can assure you that this is real, okay?”

“I believe you…” Fluttershy yawned a little bit, snuggling closer, “I think I’m ready to sleep now… Thank you, Rainbow… goodnight…”

“Goodnight, Fluttershy,” Rainbow replied, holding her close as she began to drift off. “...gonna keep you safe…”

The two fell asleep, with no further nightmare disturbances.

XXXX

As the sun shone into the bedroom, Fluttershy squirmed ever slightly, feeling something odd against her. Whatever it was, it was behind her, and much too solid to be a pillow. There was even something around her waist, holding her in place. But it was tight nor forceful; it was gentle, like a protective hold.

“Mmm…” Fluttershy yawned, opening her eyes.

It was morning, she was in her apartment. Last night contained a nightmare, a very dreadful nightmare that ruined a beautiful dream. Then it became even better. Fluttershy smiled to herself, waking up a bit more as she relaxed and took in the room a bit more.

She tried to move, but felt the hold against her tighten. Looking down, it was an arm. An arm!

Managing to look over her shoulder, Fluttershy’s heart stopped.

Rainbow Dash was in bed with her. Sleeping, spooning her, in bed with her! Fluttershy tensed, both with relief and yet surprise. It occurred to her that last night’s events since waking up from her nightmare were not a dream. Her cheeks pinkened as she tried to make sense of it all.

‘We talked about our feelings… We can’t do anything to each other until after the case… We’re sexually attracted to each other… She stayed with me last night to protect me and because we wanted to cuddle...’ Fluttershy thought, then gently rolled over to face Rainbow. ‘Oh gosh… She looks so… sweet and peaceful in her sleep.’

She reached over, gently caressing her hair.

‘She’s so close… I could kiss her awake… I could-NO! She’s asleep! That’s rude… You don’t kiss someone while they’re sleeping!’

It was by then, much to her relief, that Rainbow was beginning to wake up.

“Morning beautiful,” croaked Rainbow Dash, her voice a bit rougher from sleep.

Rainbow eyes cracked open. She remembered everything from the night before and the beautiful woman in her arms only confirmed that their talk last night had truly been real and not a beautiful flight of fancy.

‘Fluttershy…. Fluttershy in my bed… no wait, scratch that, her bed. I’m in a model’s bed… I’ve hit the jackpot...’

“This… this is pretty awesome…” Rainbow murmured through a yawn, squeezing tightly to Fluttershy’s midsection.

Blushing, Fluttershy gave a warm smile, “Hi, Rainbow… You’re right… this is awesome… It’s wonderful…”

“Wonderful…” Rainbow nuzzled her, “I like it… It’s a good word… Wonderful… We solve this case and then these mornings get even more wonderful~”

“Oh, yes…. They will,” Fluttershy giggled, nuzzling back, “I feel better than I ever had in years.”

Sounding almost surprised, Rainbow responded with, “...Me too.”

The confession surprised Fluttershy, to which she met her gaze once more. She smiled, blushing a bit more, reaching up to touch her face, “I’m so glad… I may not have known you long, but… I… I can’t help but feel… like I’ve known you forever.”

“Not to get too sappy but...” Rainbow felt herself giving a smirk in spite of herself, “... same here. I just feel really comfortable around you, without having to try hard or even think about it.”

“...Rainbow…” Fluttershy had to fight off the urge to pour all of her affection onto the woman. It was hard, she was dying to, but had to hold back. At least for now. Instead she cuddled close and nuzzled into her neck. “Where have you been all my life…”

“Getting my ass kicked, and kicking some in return,” Rainbow said, her smirk becoming a full fledged grin. “The usual.”

The thought of that made Fluttershy conflicted, but she knew there wasn’t anything she could really say nor do about it, “....At least you’re here, now…”

“Yeah, and I gotta say I am pretty excited about it,” Rainbow said snuggling against the ex-model. “...Here is a pretty awesome place to be, and not just your fluffy bed and your cushy pad~”

“Where’s here?” Asked the timid woman, slightly puzzled.

“With you.” Rainbow said simply, “Having you in my arms. Very awesome.”

‘All those women in the romance novels who describe how it feels to be in the arms of the one they love have nothing on this...’ Fluttershy thought, all but agreeing with her. There definitely was something to be said about being within the embrace of someone you loved and wanted to be with. She smiled, nuzzling into the soft skin of her neck and returning the embrace.

“Awesome… I love being in your arms~”

Rainbow leaned in close, whispering into Fluttershy’s ear, “You know what’s also awesome?~”

Trembling, Fluttershy looked at her, “What…?”

Rainbow licked her lips, a single sultry word falling from them, “Breakfast~” She burst out in a fit of laughter, “I’m starving. I don’t know if it was the late night craziness but I am in desperate need of some chow.”

A part of Fluttershy wanted to feel down about the complete loss of their intimate moment. But she also couldn’t help but appreciate her sense of humour. Not to mention, she was hungry, too.

“O-Of course… Well, I’ll just get started on making some breakfast…” Fluttershy murmured, reluctantly pulling away. “You can make the coffee~”

“Deal,” Rainbow said tousling her hair playfully.

Giggling, Fluttershy got out of bed, heading out of her room. She looked around the apartment, making sure that everything was still in place. So far, it was. Relieved, the ex-model headed to the kitchen, proceeding to prepare making breakfast.

Rainbow followed after, stretching and yawning wide as she made her way to the coffee pot. “I think I’m going to need to bring over some stuff, not that I don’t love sleeping in my clothes and then wearing them again all day or anything,” Rainbow chuckled.

“Oh, are you sure? We can always buy you a few things…” Fluttershy said.

“Buy a few…” Rainbow gave her a look, momentarily doubting the pinkette’s sanity, “Jeez… I keep forgetting just how much money you have. No, It’s okay ‘shy. Besides, I may not have the flashiest wardrobe, but it’s mine and I like it.”

“Huh? I-oh! No no… I didn’t mean it the way it might’ve sounded! Of course you’d pick out the kind of outfits you like and it’s more just an extra bonus… I-I’m sorry…” Fluttershy turned away in shame.

“Oh no, Fluttershy, I wasn’t trying to put you down,” Rainbow placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It’s… well to be honest it makes me a bit uncomfortable. I’m not exactly used to things being that easy, okay? I understand you were just trying to be nice…” She gave a guilty smile. “Sorry for all that… just sort of my way of playing off the inner tension, ya know?”

“...I-I understand…” Fluttershy murmured, sighing, “I can see what you’re saying… I’m sorry, though… If you really do want something, you can ask… I shouldn’t assume.”

“To be fair, I probably wouldn’t ever have asked,” Rainbow sighed. “Stubborn pride and all that. So, thanks for the offer, I’ll remember it.”

Nodding, Fluttershy went to the stove and prepared to fry some eggs and bacon. All while making sure she had some bread ready to be placed into the toaster. Calming herself down from the moment of shame, she managed to hum a little bit to a sweet tune.

Rainbow smiled to herself as she made quick work of the coffee preparations. The way Fluttershy could simply hum off a little tune like that, not just this morning but the previous one as well, it made Rainbow wonder if Fluttershy had spent a past life as some sort of fairy tale princess.

‘This is… so unreal. It’s almost like we’re roommates, or something… It’s wonderful.’ Fluttershy thought, smiling more to herself as she cooked breakfast. ‘I just wonder for how much longer… Admittedly, I still don’t feel safe, but how can we keep it up? She’ll want to go home eventually. I’ll have to learn to take care of myself without her. We can’t keep it up forever… Even if I wouldn’t mind. And I can’t just ask her to move in with me, she’ll get uncomfortable. No… No, I shouldn’t. I can’ do that to her… We’ll… We’ll let it happen naturally. She at least knows that she’s welcome here anytime. So that’s good.’

Rainbow rubbed idly at an inch on the tip her nose while she waited for the coffee to brew, “It’s funny isn’t it? The two of us doing this together again.”

“...You’re right, it is…” Fluttershy murmured, glancing toward her.

“And it’s just so easy too, with you that is,” Rainbow chuckled, a note of disbelief in her voice. “I tried living with someone once, or rather she tried to live with me. I got hit over the head with cello in the end. A cello! Those things are heavy!”

“Oh my gosh!” Fluttershy whirled around, facing her, “Oh, Rainbow… I’m sorry!”

“It’s okay,” Rainbow laughed off the concern, “I’ve got a hard head... actually I think that’s what she screamed at me as she stormed out.”

“...Was it an ex-girlfriend?” Fluttershy asked, her voice quaking.

“Yeah,” Rainbow frowned slightly. “Probably one of my longer relationships, which really isn’t saying anything, since it was only a couple months long. She got kicked out of her apartment when it went condo, and insisted that she move in with me.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that was a ship destined to sink.”

Fluttershy wasn’t sure whether or not she should feel jealous, but what was the point? It didn’t matter who had Rainbow first. The point was that she had her now. Or was eventually going to, rather. Still, she smiled in support.

“I’m sorry, though. It can still be unfortunate if it doesn’t work out. I… well, only ever had one other relationship,” she confessed.

“Oh?” Rainbow asked, though perhaps not sounding as offhanded as she had hoped to. “Suppose it didn’t end too great?”

Shaking her head, Fluttershy turned back to the stove, “Not at all. It was back when I was still a model. My ex-girlfriend… she was also a model. An underwear model, actually We had to work together for a collaboration shoot, and she asked me out after it was over. I… well, I never had anyone ask me out, so I took the chance to try dating. Her name was Beauty Mark, and she was a lovely lady. We went out for quite a few months, about half a year. However, when I quit my modeling career, she broke up with me. Well, not just that… but she said she only dated me because of how popular I was, how my modeling was giving her more attention. Oh… if that wasn’t enough, she admitted to have been cheating on me. With a man, right behind my back. She even said she’d started seeing him a week before I quit! I-I know she wasn’t the love of my life, but I still felt violated and humiliated…”

At the memory, she began to sigh heavily and beat at the eggs with her spatula.

Rainbow simply gaped at her, trying to process how someone could have done that to Fluttershy of all people.

“Well… Good riddance to a bad bitch,” Rainbow swore, feeling that such a self-interested cow of an ex-girlfriend deserved the harsh epithet.

“I’ll say,” Fluttershy agreed, exhaling, “To be honest, my relationship with her wasn’t even much. It was just...there. She was...my first, but I didn’t enjoy it. It felt mechanical…” Realizing what she was talking about, she blushed and went back to cooking.

“I know what you mean,” Rainbow said nodding, grabbing a mug from Fluttershy’s cupboard. “It’s like your body wants or needs it but the rest of you could care less. It’s a feeling I’m all too familiar with.”

“..You’ve had that happen?” Fluttershy looked to her with a curious smile.

“The majority of my romantic entanglements start at a bar at 2am and end around 10am the following morning,” Rainbow said with a sardonic grin. “Yeah, I know the feeling.”

‘In other words, one-night stands,’ Fluttershy thought, but wasn’t about to get on her case about it. ‘But it is kind of nice… perhaps I’ll be able to satisfy her...’

“...I had a one-night stand a couple of times,” Fluttershy mumbled, “It didn’t work out.”

“Yeah, it’s definitely not an exact science,” Rainbow commiserated. “Almost by definition it never works out. Personally, I never saw why people can be so damn proud of having them.”

“I-I know…. I even knew models, male or female, who would continuously brag about the fact that they’re single and having a one-night stand all the time,” Fluttershy agreed, “I never understood why they were proud. Most especially when they lead other people on into thinking it’s going to be more… I-I never was into it myself, but I would at least let the woman know it was a one-time thing… I mean… that’s just the honest thing to do…”

“Yeah, I mean no point in being dishonest about it. I know I never am.” Rainbow sighed. “I mean all it really says about you, if a one night stand is the only thing you can muster, is that you’re either too immature to try a relationship, too selfish to want to spend time with someone, or too abrasive to stand being around.” She managed a laugh. “I personally think I’ve hit the trifecta at different points in my life.”

Turning off the stove, Fluttershy hesitated a bit. She looked to her friend and detective, then approached her. Bringing her arms around the other woman, she nuzzled into her shoulder.

“Well… I guess it all doesn’t matter anymore… We have each other… and I… well, if the circumstances were different, in some way… I wouldn’t see it as a one-night stand,” she murmured.

Rainbow blushed lightly, but held Fluttershy tightly. “This definitely wouldn’t be a one-night stand. You’re way too good at cooking breakfast for that.” Rainbow chuckled a bit before adding, “More than that you are awesome Fluttershy, I’m sure I’d want more than one night.”

“I know I’d want you more than one night,” Fluttershy smiled.

Rainbow’s mouth tugged up at the corners. “Well then it’s settled. When this case is done, whatever this is, whatever we’re doing, it’s going to be more than a night’s fun.”

‘Oh…. she isn’t quite certain… but that’s okay, at least we will know where it goes...’

“You’re right,” Fluttershy hesitated, then planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. She let go, and went to get the food onto some plates.

Rainbow was momentarily stunned. She lifted her hand to her cheek and touched the place where Fluttershy’s lips had been. She felt a wide smile split her lips.

‘Oh wow… That was amazing...I am definitely going to need more of those!’

Author's Note

Sorry about the lack of an update last week, hope everyone enjoyed this one though!

Chapter Five: Breach

Chapter 5: Breach

Once the two were finished eating breakfast, this was when Rainbow Dash received a call from Haywire.

Dash felt the vibrations of her cell phone, “This is it.” She flipped open her phone and answered.

“What’cha got, Haywire?”

“What, no ‘Hello Haywire, how are you doing?’”

“Don’t be cute. You know I don’t do small talk, so cut to the chase. You must have found something or you’d have waited for me to come to you.”

“Okay fine, I found something. This particular piece of equipment was part of a batch of like items stolen out of a warehouse a few months back. I’ll spare you the details of my own fine detective work but suffice to say there’s a serial number and manufacturer's data on the camera’s interior. Couple of call and *bam* I got you your answer.”

Rainbow pouted as she thought. This was in some senses a dead end. If the camera had been stolen then it could have been bought and sold half a dozen times since it was taken. Perhaps if she had kept a few more of the pieces of the equipment she could hope to get lucky with one of them, or establish some sort of pattern. Then again the police probably had better records on the break in at the warehouse… as well as lists of suspects, related interviews and interrogations. Rainbow hated to admit it, but Sparkle and the boys in blue might be better equipped to follow up on this lead. That didn’t mean she was giving up, rather that she would just have to pay them another visit… maybe trade what she knew about the evidence she withheld, all in hypotheticals of course.

“So Rainbow, didn’t know this case had you rubbing elbows with a model~”

“What!?” Rainbow growled quickly.

“I know you told me not to, but,” Rainbow could practically hear the smug smile on his lips, “I was snooping around the camera’s buffer, and fished out some wonderful candid shots of what’s-her-name… Fluttersh-”

Rainbow’s face had gone slightly scarlet with fury, dropping her voice so as not to let Fluttershy know what exactly had happened. “Lose those, quickly, if you know what’s good for your health.”

“Oh come on Rainbow, she’s a celebrity. What’s it matter? I could get a pretty penny for these from a tabloid. I’ll split it with you, 60-40.”

“If I see those anywhere, and I mean anywhere, you’ll have to take that 60 and put it towards your hospital bills,” Rainbow threatened.

“Sheesh, are you kidding?” Haywire paused for a moment, as if thinking, “Fine, fine, but I think you should give me a little something extra. I mean I’m giving up a golden opportunity here.”

Rainbow spoke through gritted teeth, “Fine. I’ll give you an extra bump to your fee, but if you double cross me on this I’ll share some of the more interesting details of your life with Manehatten’s finest. I just met a bright-eyed officer who might take offence to your little piracy operation.”

“Criminy Dash, you got the hots for this gal or something?”

“Just keep your end up, got it?”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it. Till the next time.”

There was a click on the other line, signalling the end of the call.

Rainbow massaged her temples. She had known Haywire’s morality to be a bit flexible, but this was a new low.

“Is… Um… everything okay?” Fluttershy asked, approaching her from a few feet away, “You looked upset.”

“Sorta,” Rainbow said, preparing a white lie that died on the tip of her tongue. She had gone down the route of attempting to conceal the truth from Fluttershy for her own good before, yet to do so now left a weight in Rainbow’s chest. Better to tell the truth.

“That camera we handed over,” Rainbow said, her voice measured and even, “It had some data left on it, and Haywire couldn’t help but peek.”

Fluttershy squeaked, and covered herself, despite that she was fully dressed.

“I’m sorry Fluttershy,” Rainbow said somberly, moving towards her in a hope to comfort the distressed woman, “I paid him a little extra to delete it. With any luck he will. I also threatened him to make sure he doesn’t try to sell them, not sure if it will work, but I’ll make good on my threats if he dares try.”

“....Please do…” Fluttershy murmured, looking to her pleadingly, shaking. “I-I can understand it was meant to see the footage, but I… I can’t let anyone else see me like that…” ‘Except you...’

“Don’t worry ‘Shy, I’ve got your back,” Rainbow said as she pulled the pinkette into a hug. It was the least she could do. She had known the kind of shady character Haywire was, a useful shady character, but shady nonetheless. Fluttershy didn’t deserve anymore unwanted attention, one psycho stalker was more than enough, she didn’t need tabloids after her too. Not again.

Relaxing, Fluttershy felt herself smile as she returned the embrace. The security and comfort washed over her, along with the overall feeling of her friend’s arms around her. “Thank you, Rainbow… I don’t know if I can handle the tabloids again…”

“If you have to, you will,” Rainbow said firmly, yet not without compassion, “and I’ll be here with you. You’ll never have to go through anything like that alone.”

Meeting her gaze, Fluttershy felt a warm spark in her heart. She gave the prismatic woman a light squeeze, smiling gratefully. “Thank you… It’ll be a lot easier to take knowing I’m not alone.”

Rainbow smiled back, basking in the moment before, as she knew she had to, spoiling it slightly, “Unfortunately that’s not the only crappy news. Our clue was a dead end.”

“...What? Oh…. Then what are we going to do?” Fluttershy asked, feeling despaired all over again.

“We’ll figure something out,” Rainbow said trying to sound hopeful. “We gave a whole heapful of evidence to the cops, they could have had more luck. As much as I dislike the idea of groveling to the cops, I’m sure we can wheedle some information from them.”

Fluttershy nodded, seeing her point, “Well, okay. We can go to the precinct in a bit and see if they found anything.”

Rainbow nodded, sighing, “Well I wouldn’t count on much, not yet at least. I swear they probably have to fill out forms to get a cup of coffee.”

Unable to help it, Fluttershy giggled, “Well, unless you have a better idea.”

“Sweet Celestia, I wish I did,” Rainbow said, smirking a bit, the sound of Fluttershy’s giggles assuaging any trace of a bad mood.

“Well, then what should we do?” The pinkette asked cutely.

Rainbow smiled happily, “I don’t know, I suppose it couldn’t hurt to swing by the station sometime today… Other than that it looks like we have another day of nothin’ in particular. Though I guess I should swing by my office at some point to check and see if I have any messages, and my apartment to pick up some clothes…”

“Um, I’ll go with you!” Fluttershy volunteered.

Rainbow thought for a moment. They had spent every waking moment together, and yet it didn’t seem quite right to part… “Well you don’t have to... but I won’t lie, I’m still a bit worried about your stalker… We may have changed the rules of the game, but it feels weird for him to have not made another move…”

“I-I know… I’m beginning to worry… But I suppose I could barricade the door with a lot of things and locks, so he won’t be able to get in….” Fluttershy suggested.

“No, no,” Rainbow even chuckled a bit, “Let’s not jump to that. In fact I think it’s better to the opposite. Don’t wall yourself away, but go out, live your life, be happy. These are all the things that Sombra doesn’t want. He wants you isolated and scared, so let’s show him how that’s not what you’re going to be!”

Eyes wide, Fluttershy smiled, “Well, you’re right. Okay. So… I hope you don’t mind if I go with you. I just… feel better knowing you’re still there with me. I’m sorry to make you more like my bodyguard, though…”

“Eh it’s fine, I know it’s not exactly my job description, but you’re paying me well enough and… well… on a personal level you’ve come to mean a lot to me in a short time, and I want to do everything I can to make sure you’re okay, okay?”

“Okay,” said the pinkette, blushing ever slightly. “I understand~”

“Good,” Rainbow said, “Because I barely understand it myself. I’ve never really connected so quickly to someone, so this is all kind of new to me.”

“I-I… feel the same way,” Fluttershy murmured softly, not quite looking at her.

“We’ll figure it out together then,” Rainbow said softly, fighting off an urge to lay a sweet kiss on her lips.

“We… We definitely will…” Fluttershy met her gaze once more, looking into her stunning cerise eyes. “I certainly plan to.”

Rainbow felt herself being drawn into the teal pools of Fluttershy’s eyes and found herself leaning in slightly closer before she could stop herself. Upon realizing what she was doing, and what her body was guiding her towards, she pulled away ever so slightly. They would have plenty of time to explore each other later.

“Guess we should get going,” Rainbow said awkwardly.

“Right…” Fluttershy turned away, hiding the pout on her face. She could see, in some way, what Rainbow was trying to do, and felt disappointed that she’d stopped. “Well, um… after we get what we need done… Why don’t we go to the bookstore? There’s actually one just around the corner from here! We can find some reading material and have fun with that~”

“Sure,” Rainbow agreed, “Sounds like a good time, and a good way to get out of here.”

“All right, let’s go…” Fluttershy took her coat, purse, and headed to the door.

XXXX

The bookstore simultaneously felt crowded and comforting. Housed in an old brownstone, the little shop of filled to the nines with shelf after shelf of books. Small nooks were interspaced throughout the levels, complete with small yet squishy armchairs for sampling the many writings. A smell of dust and books clung to the air, but this too only seemed to improve the overall experience of the shop.

“Quite the place,” Rainbow remarked in a bit of a whisper. She wasn’t sure why, but it seemed to be the appropriate tone for such an atmosphere.

“I know… it’s very cozy,” Fluttershy said softly, smiling. She looked around the nearest shelf, which happened to be young adult romance novels. One of them was turned with the cover facing any viewer, and she approached it. The cover of a book called Shattered Dreams consisted of a photo of herself. She recognized it, it was a shot from a fantasy element shoot for a magazine. “Rainbow, look! This novel here has one of my prints.”

“Woah~” Rainbow said taking in the cover and grinning. The photo on the cover while tasteful was very alluring. Looking close, rainbow felt a little giggle catch in her throat, “Are those… elf ears?”

“Elf ears?” Fluttershy looked closer, “...Oh. Mm, I suppose I was wearing them, but I don’t recall.”

“Could have been photoshopped,” Rainbow said, laughing softly, “Oh man, they made you an elf Flutters, that’s so…” She was going to say funny but instead another word popped upon her lips, “...cute~”

Fluttershy blushed, giggling, “Thank you, Rainbow.”

Rainbow blushed a bit, “Anytime.”

Browsing the section more, Fluttershy spotted another novel that used a photo print of her. But it was actually digitally rendered to look more like a painting, and they changed her hair colour from pink to brown. It was a raunchier photo, where she wore a short dress and was looking at the viewer with a soft “Come Hither” smile while sitting on a chair with a martini glass in hand.

Rainbow came up behind her, letting out a low whistle. “Wow, now that’s a cover. Bet that sold a lot of copies.”

“...It seems to be,” Fluttershy noted that it was the only copy on the shelf.

“I know I’d buy it with a cover like that, but I think I’d rather have the real thing~” Rainbow said with a little wink.

Fluttershy smiled, leaning to her ear, “You do~”

Rainbow gave a toothy grin, and had to remind herself of the many levels of inappropriate that it would be to just take Fluttershy now, in the middle of the bookstore. “Can’t wait~”

Taking her hand in hers, the timid woman whispered, “Me neither…”

XXX

The pair of women continued their outing, amusing themselves with a few of the sights the city had to offer. Killing time to their own minds, waiting until a break could be made in their case, but to the eyes of any observer they may have been mistaken for a couple out for a day on the town...

Together they walked, now within the richly green areas of Central Park. It was a little bit later in the day, around the evening hours. Some people wandered the park, sat on benches or around the shore, or walked along the paths.

“It’s always so nice to come here, especially at around dinner time,” Fluttershy remarked, smiling as she took in the tranquil environment. “It’s really the greatest place to relax for me in this city.”

“Me too,” Rainbow said as she let the calm of the lush green space fill her. “I love the city but sometimes all the noise and concrete gets to you. Sometimes this is the only place I can clear my head of it all.”

“You’re right,” Fluttershy murmured, looking to her, “One day, I’d love to move away from it all, and just be in a beautiful place surrounded by nature… Like a sweet little cottage on the edge of a forest.”

“I’m always so torn,” Rainbow said staring off into the distance. “This city feel like it’s a part of me. I grew up here. I breathe Manehatten. My whole job, my life, is intertwined with it… but there are times when I just want to fly away from it all, like it’s crowding me… like it turns from the air in my lungs to smoke…”

Fluttershy smiled in understanding, “I know what you mean. I’ve been here my whole life, and even I think it would be nice to get away from it. Even if I do still call it home.”

Rainbow nodded, “Still, I feel connected to this city. With my job, I sort of feel like I’m part of this city. Like I make a difference. I don’t know if I could ever really quit it, not completely.”

The sentiment was understandable, which Fluttershy couldn’t help but admire her for. She reached over, holding her hand, feeling herself smile.

“That’s great of you. You know, if I ever one day leave… I hope you’ll visit me~”

“As long as you’ll brave the concrete jungle every now and again to see me,” Rainbow said with a smile, though at the same time, the idea of only infrequently seeing Fluttershy in the future weighed down her heart ever so slightly.

Fluttershy giggled, nodding, “Of course I will, Rainbow. I promise.”

Rainbow Dash smiled a little at this. “Well then I promise I’ll get a little fresh air to visit you if you ever do get that cottage in the woods.”

“Yay!” The pinkette cheered, looking elated. “Here, Rainbow, let’s sit on this bench for a bit, shall we?”

Rainbow nodded and plopped down on the little bench. “I think it might just be the atmosphere, the trees and all that, but I have never felt uncomfortable on one of these benches. I mean they should be. They’re just slats of hard wood held together by metal, but it’s the truth. Never gotten sore, not once.”

“Neither have I,” Fluttershy said, sitting down next to her. “Something about these benches are comfortable.”

“Heh… maybe they’re magic,” Rainbow snorted. “That would just be the icing on the cake for this world, wouldn’t it? Magic exists, but only to make park benches more comfortable than they should be.”

This made Fluttershy laugh, smiling more, “Oh, you’re so silly.”

“Sometimes,” Rainbow said leaning back on the bench, “It helps me deal with all the darkness I have to wade through from time to time.”

Fluttershy looked at her, then reached over to hold her hand, “It must be difficult.”

“It is,” Rainbow said, eyes trained firmly on a random tree on the opposite side of the path. “Then again my whole life has been like that.”

Tensing a bit, Fluttershy could see where this was going. She bit her lip, wondering whether or not she should ask further about it. It was hard to imagine, yet in this city, it was almost common to have a tough time growing up. Especially if you didn’t have a lot of money. But even that could be true anywhere you went. It broke her heart to know that this woman had gone through hell, especially in her early life. She coudn’t bear the thought, but was thankful that she made it this far.

She squeezed her hand gently.

“If you ever want to talk about it… I’ll certainly listen.”

“I figure you probably deserve to know a bit about me… I mean, you’re trusting me with your life…” Rainbow said, sighing a bit, “You know I didn’t grow up with much, which wouldn’t have been so bad… if it wasn’t for my mom. That’s a whole can of worms right there, but let’s just say things weren’t very nice there and dad tried too damn hard for his own good. Eventually he got out of there, and despite the idiocy of the courts, eventually got custody of me too…. things went smoother after that. He worked hard and so did I. But we made it work…. then he cashed outta this world…”

Rainbow rubbed the bridge of her nose, as if trying to hold in tears. “I would’ve been pretty aimless if it hadn’t been for Firefly. She was kinda like the mother I never had… and when things went bad for her… well then I got the detective agency… that brings us about to now. The abridged life and times of Rainbow Dash… hope you enjoyed the show…”

‘Oh… poor Rainbow Dash… She really had it hard. I suppose this explains a lot. Poor baby… I’m glad she’s made it this far. I hope she still will. But it’s amazing that she didn’t give up. I hope she knows that she’s stronger than she gives herself credit for.’

“Rainbow…” Fluttershy whispered softly, squeezing her hand, “Thank you for telling me. I can see that this wasn’t easy for you. I can’t…. pretend to know what it’s like or how you feel, at least not past an intellectual level. But you are a strong, determined woman, and you’ve made it this far. Now… you’re not alone. I will always be there for you. Even if you call in the middle of the night just to talk, I’ll be there. I… I just wanted you to know that.”

Rainbow gave a slight smile, “Thanks Fluttershy, but I think I’ll be okay. I’ve made it this far. I’ve faced down the majority of my demons, and the rest I keep in a nice little room. I know them and they know me… But thank you for the offer. I never really paid much thought to how much of my life I live alone, and I never really thought I needed someone to be close to me. But it does feel nice knowing someone would volunteer themselves to listen to all my crap, and to know someone cares enough to offer that. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” the pinkette said sweetly, giving her hand a squeeze, “Still, if nothing else, at least you’re not alone.”

“A fact that’s honestly starting to grow on me,” Rainbow said with a smile, returning the squeeze.

The sentiment made Fluttershy smile as she looked ahead of them, all along the trees and the lake. In the fading light of the sun, it was beautiful. But it felt even better to be sharing it with someone else. Something Fluttershy hadn’t felt in a long time. Even better, it was with someone she truly felt more connected to than anyone in her life. Someone she never imagined she’d know, but could not imagine never having met.

Scooting a bit closer, Fluttershy gently lay her head on Rainbow’s shoulder.

Rainbow sighed contentedly through her nose. The comfort Fluttershy felt in her presence in turn comforted Rainbow. The detective wrapped her arm around Fluttershy’s shoulder, pulling the timid woman closer, letting her know her tender affectionate action was welcome. Rainbow then rested her own head on Fluttershy’s, bringing the pinkette’s affections full circle.

XXX

“I’m sure you must be hungry,” Fluttershy remarked as she fished for her keys in her purse. They now stood outside her apartment door after their little outing. “I’ll be sure to fix us something delicious~”

“Anything you whip up will be delicious, Fluttershy,” Rainbow said smirking, her overnight bag still slung over her shoulder. There was a feeling of swelling warmth within her. Sure things were at a bit of a stall, as far as the case went, but she couldn’t be more delighted to feel close to someone, a fact that still never ceased to surprise her.

“Aww...thank you,” Fluttershy giggled, inserting the key into the lock. She opened the door, letting them inside the apartment. “All right, so what should we-”

The entire apartment was in disarray. Nothing was broken, just ransacked or overturned, or possibly stolen. Papers, objects, and clothing were strewn all over the floor. The couches were overturned, the blinds were ripped and torn. Even the kitchen had stains and food littered about on the floor, counters and sink, it seemed. On the walls, written in what she hoped was red paint, were the words; SOON, MY LOVELY FLUTTERSHY.

Fluttershy screamed.

Rainbow clenched her jaw and whipped around, scanning the room. She reflexively wrapped an arm around Fluttershy, holding the pinkette to her in a protective manner. Her other hand reached for her firearm, having it ready in case that their visitor had stuck around.

A moment passed, then another. Rainbow could feel Fluttershy shuddering against her, all the while the detective’s nerves were strung tighter than piano wire, her muscles all tensed and ready for a fight. Minutes passed, ticking slowly by.

“I don’t think he’s still here…” Rainbow said in a quietly stern voice, after still more time had passed.

Whimpering in fear, Fluttershy felt too afraid to move. She didn’t want to know what they’d find, what could have been hiding within the mess. But now her home was truly no longer safe. Sombra had done this, she knew it. He’d gotten in, tore her place apart, all to scare her. She was at a loss, not knowing what to do at all. Her entire body, rigid with fear and sorrow, Fluttershy just wanted to curl away and cry.

‘Nowhere is safe...’ She realized.

“R-R-Rainbow…” She uttered, beginning to cry.

“No…” Rainbow whispered, her voice growing stronger with each word. “No this is just another move of his little game. He wants you scared, to think nowhere is safe, to break down and despair... but you can’t. If you do then he won this round, and I’m not even willing to give him that. This is another fear show, plain and simple.

“He’s losing control. He failed with the phone call the other night and he’s trying to regain the upper hand, to control you again. To make you his. But you don’t belong to that monster. He may say it over and over, ‘My Fluttershy,’ ‘My butterfly,’ but you ARE NOT his!” Rainbow growled the last few words, an anger boiling behind them. “I hope you planted a bug you bastard!” She shouted into the empty room, “She’s not yours!”

Unable to help it, Fluttershy clung to her tightly. It was amazing how this woman was able to read her, to even realize what she was thinking. And to know the mind of the very man who was stalking her. She wanted so much to be strong, to be able to overcome his tactic of scaring her into submission.

“I-I… I’m sorry… I’m trying… I’m just so scared… I don’t know what to do…” Fluttershy whimpered, more tears flowing down her face.

“Look at me,” Rainbow said, forcing down her anger and trying to make her voice calm, “Just look at my face, my eyes. Focus on me and not this, not him.”

Trembling, Fluttershy managed to meet Rainbow’s gaze. It was meant to comfort her, to truly let her know that she wasn’t alone. She took a deep breath amidst her tears falling, trying to regain herself as best she could. Despite the anger and ferocity within the fierce magenta eyes of the detective, there was something else. Warmth, compassion, and determination.

‘I’m not alone…. She’s here with me… She’s going to help me, to protect me, to help me… feel brave. To overcome this in a way I never could… I’m going to be all right. We both are...’ Fluttershy thought, sniffling lightly, managing to calm down a bit.

“Good job, ‘shy,” Rainbow said, smiling in a somber sort of way, “I know you can do this. This coward only wins if you let him, and I know you’re stronger than him. You’re better. You’re Fluttershy, and despite what this asshole thinks, you are brave, and you are not in this alone and you never will be.”

At that moment, Fluttershy felt herself smile. Facing all of this alone had always taken effect on her, but now, she didn’t feel as scared. The fear was melting away, there were sparks of hope within herself that she never felt before. Not until she discovered this woman, not until she approached her. Now here she was, with a chance to overcome this monster and finally take him down.

“Rainbow…” Fluttershy murmured tearfully, but was smiling, “I’m so glad… you’re here with me… I don’t feel so alone… so scared… I feel… I feel nervous and anxious, but I know it’ll be okay. Because you’re here, because I feel better… I know we can do this. Right now, if I was alone, I’d be terrified out of my mind. But I… I know you’re right. I can do this. I can make it. I can finally take down this monster that invaded my life. Thank you…” She embraced the other woman closer, holding to her tightly.

“No problem,” Rainbow said, embracing her tightly and rocking her in her arms, for she had now abandoned her weapon. Sombra wasn’t going to show, and Fluttershy seemed in desperate need of a two armed hug.

“Mmm…”

Fluttershy snuggled into her embrace, completely relaxed and content. Her heart began to swell and pound, while her body melted. The fear ebbed away further, replaced only with hope and adoration. She sighed, dreamily, and managed to gaze into her eyes again. Those stunning cerise eyes she was beginning to truly find herself lost in.

‘Even as a model… Even if I was exposed to their beauty standards… Rainbow is so beautiful… I don’t know who would dare call her otherwise. I’ve never seen a more uniquely stunning woman… But she’s more than that. She has so much more in her heart, her mind, everything. I’ve never met anyone like her, I’ve never felt this way with anyone. She’s not just the woman helping me catch this man… She’s more. And I hope we will be more than friends. I can’t… I can’t imagine myself with anyone else...’

“Rainbow… Please, kiss me…. Kiss me…” Fluttershy pleaded, looking to her with despondency. “Please…”

Rainbow brought a hand to her cheek, cradling it in her palm. The detective breathed out a soft sigh. She knew that she should deny her. It wasn’t right, not yet, not until their professional relationship ended, but that argument lost ground within her heart with each passing moment they spent together.

‘This has always been about more than the case,’ Rainbow mused as she lost herself once more in Fluttershy’s gaze. ‘From the moment she walked in the door is was more than just another case, for her and for me. Firefly and her damn rules…Firefly, I’m sorry, but the world isn’t so black and white...’

Still there was the thinnest of threads holding her back, and though it broke her heart, she couldn’t just give in, “...Fluttershy…we shouldn’t...”

“I know…” Fluttershy trembled, her voice quavering. She held her tighter, raising a hand to stroke her rainbow hair, “I-I’m trying to tell myself not to… but please, just this once. Just one kiss. And I won’t ask again, I promise. Please…”

It was absolutely silly and made her feel like she was a desperate little harpy. But at the same time, there was no denying that she needed it. Deep in her mind, she could see it as some sort of defiance against Sombra’s actions. Like she was telling him that he could no longer hold her back from what she truly wanted. His actions in fact managed to help her, in leading her to this woman.

At the same time, it was most definitely her desires, as well.

Rainbow closed her eyes tight, and let out a shaky breath. She couldn’t say no. Saying it once had broken her heart, to say it again would be simply too much. She opened her eyes, a new resolve hardening them to a purpose aligned with her passion. A soft smile graced her lips. She leaned closer to Fluttershy, moving in to kiss her like she had wanted to from the moment she had laid eyes on her. To comfort her in the way only lover could-

Somewhere in the wreckage of Fluttershy’s home, a shrill ringing cut the air.

Letting out a startled yelp, Fluttershy jumped ever slightly. She looked around, realizing that it was her land line phone. To add to the irritant of being startled, she now realized the moment was completely ruined. Whoever was calling her more than likely was going to be told to just go home.

But before she could make a move to find the phone and answer it, Rainbow was already ahead of her, searching through a pile of papers to fish out the phone.

Rainbow prized the receiver from under an upturned chair. “What?” Rainbow said, her voice ripe with irritation.

“This is Officer Sparkle, calling for Fluttershy,” Replied the voice on the other end of the line, “There’s been a development on her case.”

“No kidding,” Rainbow growled. “Her apartment's been broken into and trashed.”

“What?! Oh... oh, that's terrible!” Twilight sounded genuinely shocked, “I’ll send some people over right away, but that’s not why I was calling.” There was a pause, “We have a suspect in custody.”

“You’re kidding?”

“Never,” Twilight responded. “Not about a case, and not about this one. Turns out the equipment you brought in lead us to a suspect. We may need you and Fluttershy to come down to the station at some point to review your statements, but other than that it seems like this whole thing is over.”

Fluttershy, curious, and trying to ward off her irritance, came over to see what was going on. By the look on Rainbow’s face, it was clear that something very surprising was told to her. Whatever it was, it even seemed to be good news.

“Uh, well… thanks for the good news…” Rainbow said into the phone, feeling incredibly mixed emotions. On the surface this was great news… but still… It could have just been her ego speaking, but it was hard for Rainbow to believe that she had been beaten to the punch by the cops.

“We’ll be in touch,” Twilight added before hanging up the phone from her end.

Rainbow stared around dumbstruck for a moment before setting down the phone.

“They got him.”

Awestruck, Fluttershy stared at her with wide eyes, “They did?!”

“That’s what Twilight said,” Rainbow said, sounding distant.

Fluttershy wanted to cheer, do a little dance and just happily hug the woman before her. However, the moment she nearly mustered up the nerve for it; she caught something. There wasn’t a shred of happiness within Rainbow Dash. If anything, she looked emotionally distant and even confused. Something about this wasn’t right, it all seemed a bit too easy. Fluttershy went to her, bringing her arms around her neck.

“Rainbow? What’s the matter?” She asked softly.

Rainbow sighed, “I don’t know… I mean I figured they’d get a lead but… this feels like too much…” She shook her head. Maybe her pride was wounded, or… or just maybe she had just wanted to be the one to save Fluttershy.

“Guess we should get you a hotel or something…” Rainbow muttered.

Something was not adding up, Fluttershy wasn’t sure what it was, or even if they should celebrate. “Rainbow… I don’t know. I feel happy about this, but I also don’t. I feel like something is wrong, but I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe… Maybe we should go see the suspect or something, get information and see if it’s the one we’re looking for. Sombra is capable of so much… he could easily have framed someone. I-I’m not an expert, but I hear about this kind of thing sometimes. But… Rainbow, you seem so sad.”

“It’s nothing,” Rainbow said simply, feeling self doubt creep into her mind. ‘Should I tell her I agree? That it seems too good to be true? But how can I… I could just be being selfish… wanting to chain her to me to ensure that she needs me… or I’m just angry that I didn’t get to be her hero… No, she can finally start rebuilding her life… and after she’s got her head back on her shoulder and her life together… then she can decide if she really wants me in it...’

“...Well, okay… but if you want to talk about it, I’m here,” Fluttershy assured her a with a little smile. “But isn’t this wonderful? If it’s really true, then he’s been caught! We can finally move on with our lives, and we can be together! I’m so happy! We should make sure this is truly settled, and once we know more, we can do something special together. ….That is, if you still want to be with me…”

“Yes, of course,” Rainbow said, though still sounding off, “I’m sorry. It’s just...Yeah, no we’ll figure all this out. Now, let’s just get you to hotel for the night… It’s getting sorta late…”

Fluttershy nodded, letting her go, “...Will you stay with me, tonight?”

Rainbow took a moment. “I think… I think I should probably spend the night back at my place.”

“...Oh, okay,” Fluttershy tried all she could to mask her disappointment, but to no avail. “Well, I suppose we should go, then.”

Rainbow nodded, retracing their path back through the wreckage and to the door, picking up her bag along the way. Whatever this confusion was that had descended on her, she hoped that a good night's sleep in her own bed might help clear it up.

Author's Note

Hey, folks! Sorry for being so late in updating this time. It's been a bit busy and crazy, but otherwise this is still going on! It'll just take a bit longer than expected. Nonetheless, we thank all of you fine readers for sticking with us this far! :D

Hope you enjoyed the chapter and have a good day!

Chapter Six: Further On Up The Road

Chapter 6: Further On Up The Road

Laying on the bed of her hotel room, Fluttershy yet again stared at her cell phone. She bit her lip, as if willing it to do something. Tension filled her body, refusing to let up. Even her breathing seemed erratic, worrying her further. She sat up, her mind reeling, worried all over again.

“I’ll try her again… No, no, I’ve already called her twice today. I shouldn’t.”

She looked through her phone’s messages, just to see if there were any missed calls that somehow slipped by her radar, but nothing.

Sighing, Fluttershy speed-dialed a number on her phone, holding it to her ear. It rang, rang, rang and rang. Nothing. It went to voicemail.

“Has she even been to her office today?” She mused, then speed-dialed another number.

Nothing. It went to voice mail yet again.

“Rainbow, it’s me. I understand that you’re busy, and it’s okay. I just want to make sure everything is all right. Give me a call when you can.”

Fluttershy hung up, then sighed as she looked at the time. It was after eight and getting darker outside. She stood, putting on a black wig, a pair of fake plastic glasses, and a jacket. It was time to take action and see what was going on, she was not waiting around anymore. With her disguise on, purse in hand, phone inside said purse; she left the hotel room and headed out into the city.

It had been a few days since the suspect had been caught. So far, it looked to be the that the case was wrapping up, at least according to the police. Officer Twilight Sparkle had said that she would keep in touch with them both about it, updating them once they had everything. Especially since a court date was to follow. That was all she knew so far.

However, it wasn’t the case that was having Fluttershy worried. It was Rainbow Dash herself.

Ever since they’d parted ways a few days ago, when Rainbow said she would go home; the two hadn’t seen each other. Not once. Fluttershy called Rainbow the following day after her apartment was trashed; only for the detective to tell her that she was busy and would call sometime when everything was settled. That was nearly five days ago, now. Fluttershy wondered if something had happened, hoping against all hope that there was a logical explanation for her mysterious absence.

When her apartment was trashed, the police declared it an unsafe zone and had to do a thorough search for any evidence. As well as that, it also would need to be cleaned. She was staying at a modest hotel until she was allowed entry back to her apartment, which helped ever slightly since she registered in disguise and under a fake name. While it was said that the suspect they claimed to be Sombra was caught, she still continued to disguise herself for this reason and also because she still wasn’t keen on being recognized.

Fluttershy felt a bit better, but knew she couldn’t celebrate until the case was declared over. So far, she didn’t know what was going on any further than what she did know.

At the moment, her goal was to find Rainbow, to see her again, and hopefully work things out.

XXX

It took some time, but Fluttershy had written down the address when she first went with Rainbow to her place. She found it pretty soon enough, in a neighbourhood just off a shopping district. Pretty quiet, a little less lavish than her neighbourhood, but cozy.

Before long, she located the apartment building. More specifically, the basement apartment that was supposed to be Rainbow’s.

Fluttershy approached the door, raising her hand to knock. No, she had a better idea. Searching around, she found the spare key that Rainbow had showed her, which was hidden under a fake rock near some potted plants. Taking the key, she unlocked the door, replaced the key, and then slipped inside. Quietly, she closed the door behind her, then locked it.

“...Rainbow? Rainbow Dash, it’s me. I let myself in with the key. Are you here?” She called in.

The apartment was dark, giving off a foreboding vibe. Scattered about the surfaces of the apartment was the detritus of Rainbow Dash’s life. Rifled newspapers, empty take out containers of all manner of size and description… and most alarmingly, a large number of empty bottles that from their labels most certainly contained alcohol of various types.

“Rnnnngh…” came a groan, issued from further within the room. Once adjust to the gloom, Fluttershy’s eyes made out an unmistakable silhouette resting upon the couch. Disheveled, dirty, and half passed out… it was still Rainbow Dash.

Eyes wide, Fluttershy all too immediately rushed to her side. Worry filled her to the core, especially upon seeing that a bottled rolled out of her hand. She turned on a nearby lamp, getting a good look at her.

“Rainbow… Rainbow, oh my goodness… are you all right?” She asked, trying to keep her voice from breaking.

“Ah! Dammit turn out that fucking light!” Rainbow snapped, not registering yet who her guest was and shielding her eyes from the sudden brightness. Her hand wiped blindly in the lamp's direction, fumbling lamely for several moments before finally gaining once more the precious darkness she sought.

“Sorry… R-Rainbow…. Are you drunk?” Fluttershy asked, worry in her tone.

“Wha… I… Fluttershy?” Rainbow slurred, her eyes recovering from the shock of the sudden bright light.

Fluttershy nodded, taking the other woman’s hand, “Yes, Rainbow… it’s me. I came to see you. I haven’t seen you for a few days, or even heard from you. I was worried…”

Rainbow looked at her, making eye contact for a brief second, even in this darkness it was clear her eyes were red and bloodshot. “Shouldn’t have come…” She mumbled, averting her gaze once more from Fluttershy “...I’m a selfish little bitch… I’m going to use you… that’s what I’ve always done….”

“No!” Fluttershy uttered, getting onto the couch next to her, “Rainbow, you’re not thinking clearly. You’re not using me. You never did.”

“I will!” Rainbow almost shouted, “...I didn’t return your calls!.. I was bitter and mean because I wasn’t the one to save you… because I got bested by some flat foot… No I’ll just use you like all the women I use… all the girls I scoop up from the bar, and dazzle with my dark and mysterious life…” Rainbow’s voice turned to a hollow desiccated thing. “...How many of their calls did I return…but…. but I don’t want to give you up, Fluttershy...I… I don’t want to hurt you…”

“Then why didn’t you just call me?” Fluttershy half-yelled, not in anger, but in sadness. “I was not going to hold any of this against you! Just because things turned out differently doesn’t mean I-no! No… I still wanted to see you. I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for you.”

Rainbow Dash ran a hand through her greasy unwashed hair, the logic of things holding little sway in her clouded mind. “...Look what I’m doing to myself...how could you want to tie yourself to this… it was all fun and games before...but this… this is the real me…”

“Did all of it mean nothing to you?!” Fluttershy yelled, tears streaming down her face, “Is that it?! Was everything a…. a lie?! So what if you didn’t save me? I-I don’t care! I just wanted you there with me! Everything is better and we can be together if we want to when they declare it over… What has changed? What happened?! Why is it suddenly different?! Did our time together not mean a thing to you? Were all those smiles, laughter, and sweet words… just a game to you?”

She felt her heart sink, her anger rising, but dissipating all the same. She couldn’t be angry, she was only upset, confused, and wanted answers.

“That’s right… be angry…. I deserve it…” Rainbow said in a small voice, turning away from Fluttershy, “...It wasn’t though-... no… no… I shouldn’t...but I have too… It wasn’t a lie… I really did enjoy our time together… It was awesome… it was real… I care about you… and… and I want you...but I shouldn’t… because I could hurt you… I don’t… I don’t know any more...why don’t I know… why am I doing this to myself… to you…”

“Then don’t!~” Fluttershy yelled, advancing on her.

“Fluttershy…” Rainbow curled into a tight ball on the couch, “Everything is spinning...I...I can’t keep it straight…”

“No… You listen to me…” Fluttershy began to sob, kneeling next to her curled form on the sofa, “Just stop all of this. Stop it! Nothing has changed! You’re holding yourself back, this is not helping anything. I haven’t seen you for the past few days and I’m worried! I am not going to give up on you just because you’ve given up on yourself! If you care about me, if our time together meant anything to you… then please, do something. Don’t let this happen! You can’t do that to yourself. Not when you can be happier, have a better life… Please, I can’t let you do this to yourself… What do you want? Just… what do you want from me? What are you holding yourself from that you kept yourself from me? What do you want from me?!”

There was no response for a few moments, or minutes. Fluttershy wasn't sure how long it had been, but it was long enough. Her mind reeled with worry, attempting to resolve at just leaving. She was not getting any answers, but she also didn't want to leave. What if it were best? At least she knew Rainbow Dash was alive, if a bit out of it.

Shaking her head, Fluttershy made a move to stand up, only for a hand to grab her sleeve.

“...Don’t leave me…” Rainbow whispered in a voice so small it could barely be heard. “...They always leave me…Please don’t leave...”

Right then, Fluttershy’s heart just shattered. She looked to the broken, scared, saddened woman, all the more tearful. To think that all of this could break down the strong, determined, dark past Rainbow Dash. To think she was capable of this kind of pain. But she was only human, after all. There had to be tough moments. All things considered, it made sense.

That didn’t make it any less painful to see. Fluttershy could feel her body collapsing with despair and sympathy, devoid of anything around her. There was only her friend, the woman she was falling in love with. The woman she’d enlisted for help. Then to hear her beg, beg for her to stay, to never leave her.

Not only were their days apart, in the way that they were with no contact hard on Rainbow, as she could see; it was terrible. It broke the strong woman in a way she never expected.

“Rainbow…” Fluttershy cooed, sadly, and crawled over to her. With all of her strength, she helped the woman up, then hugged her tightly. “I’m here now, I’m here…. I won’t leave you. You didn’t even have to go… I didn’t want you to, but I wasn’t going to hold you back if you needed it. But I won’t leave you again, I-I missed you so much. I wasn’t just worried, I missed you. I know that I don’t have anything to fear right now, but I felt so alone. So unsafe. Like something was missing. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but I know how I feel. Rainbow Dash… I truly meant everything I said. Having you with me is wonderful. The past two days we were together, I felt better than I ever did in such a long time. They were by far two of the best days of my life. I don’t want to lose you, I want to be with you. So, I promise I won’t leave you. I can’t.”

The timid woman sobbed, softly, and looked into the eyes of her friend. Touching her cheek, Fluttershy leaned in, just about to truly show her how much she-

Rainbow’s hand shot up between their mouths, causing her to kiss her palm, instead.

“S-sorry...but… Not yet…” Rainbow said sadly yet firmly, with a conviction that had been previously lacking. “...Not like this...when I’m like this… when I can barely see straight… you deserve better than that… and I can at least do something about that…”

Rainbow did however lower her hand, and embraced Fluttershy. Rainbow held her closer to her, resting her chin on the taller woman’s shoulder. “Thank you… thank you so much…”

Unable to even feel disappointed, Fluttershy hugged her back tightly. She nuzzled into the other woman’s shaggy hair, stroking it gently with her hand. “You’re welcome. I made a promise to you, I let you know that you weren’t alone. You never would be again… And I’m a woman of my word. I’ll stay here, with you, I promise. I’ll just have to retrieve my belongings from the hotel. I’ll go-no, we’ll go together. We’ll go retrieve them tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you…” Rainbow repeated again, wobbling a bit on her feet, the effects of the alcohol in her blood now feeling more like a toxin polluting her mind and body and less like a voluntary escape. ”...I… I think I need to sit down again…”

Fluttershy stood, brought the other woman into her arms, and brought her to the bedroom, carefully. There, she carefully lay her onto the bed, making sure she was comfortable.

“Is this better?” She asked.

Rainbow looked up at Fluttershy with a sort of astonishment. It had been entirely too long since anyone had truly ever done something like that for her… taking care of her out of simple kindness…

“Much… much better…” Rainbow said, ”Fluttershy… I know I’m in danger of becoming a broken record...but thank you…”

Smiling, Fluttershy exited the room. She went to the small kitchen area, fishing around for a glass, and filling it with some water. Coming back into the bedroom, she sat on the bed, carefully sitting her friend up.

“Here, have some water,” she said tenderly, holding the glass to her lips.

Rainbow drank, placing her hands over Fluttershy’s on the cup. She felt the cool water slide down her throat. Slowly the spinning began to stop, her mind returning to her.

‘This… this is so nice… She’s taking care of me… just like I did for her, I suppose, but no one has done anything like this for… not in a long long time… I feel so stupid… this is all my fault… Ugh! I feel so guilty… taking such pleasure in Fluttershy cleaning up after my mistake… no… don’t go down this road again, just accept her kindness and move forward or you’ll wind up in the same spiral all over again…’

Smiling at their hands touching, Fluttershy kissed her temple, nuzzling her, “You’re going to be okay now, Rainbow. I’m here with you, and I won’t leave you alone again. Just so long as you don’t leave me, either…”

Finishing the water, Rainbow looked up into her eyes once more, “Never, ‘Shy...I won’t leave your side again… I’m so sorry for putting you through this… but it’s going to be okay… I’m going to make it okay.”

“Good,” Fluttershy held her closer, placing the glass aside. “Thank you, too. Tomorrow, I’ll help you clean this place up, and we’ll get you going again.”

“Mmm’kay Fluttershy…” Rainbow mumbled, her eyes drifting closed. “...Will you sleep in bed with me...Couldn’t… couldn’t sleep as well without you…”

The pinkette was touched, nodding as she lay them down onto the bed, snuggling next to her. She curled up behind her, bringing her arm around her middle to serve as the big spoon. “Of course, Rainbow. I’d love to. ...You know, I couldn’t sleep well, either. Even though I’ve spent a majority of my life sleeping alone in my bed… After one night of sleeping in your arms, I was tossing and turning the past few nights.”

Rainbow nodded slowly, crossing her arms over Fluttershy’s own, “...Me too...Fluttershy...me too…”

The prismatic woman’s breathing soon became deeper and more regular, falling into a peaceful sleep for the first time since coming to rest in her own bed.

Fluttershy smiled, kissing the back of her neck gently and holding her closer. The entire ordeal had been an emotional roller coaster like no other, ever since the moment they met. But if Fluttershy could do it all over again, she would. Tonight had been no different, as the heights of their emotional commitment were challenged.

She trembled ever slightly, but a wash of comfort overtook her form. Tonight, she was the one being the protector, the one to help the emotionally broken down woman she cared for. Taking a breath, she too closed her eyes, allowing her body to relax.

‘It’s true, isn’t it… I really am falling in love with her… Now we can move on with our lives and make everything better… Maybe I’ll even go with her to her office, to help her out with any case she might have next. Of course, it’ll be exciting… And I hope she knows that even if she didn’t catch him… She still is my hero… She did save me. Without her, I wouldn’t even be here, I wouldn’t have made it this far… She did still save me… she always has.’

Very softly, she whispered, “You are my saviour, Rainbow Dash… you always were. Don’t forget that…”

With that, she slowly fell asleep as well.

XXXX

Sunlight poured through the high windows of the basement apartment’s bedroom, illuminating the slumbering form of Fluttershy… alone in Rainbow Dash’s bed.

From outside the little bedroom, the clanging of pots and pans could be heard, singing out a clunky little symphony. After a little while, the apartment was once again filled with silence, save for the gentle snores of the ex-model.

The bedroom door creaked open, and in crept Rainbow Dash, wearing a t-shirt, panties, an apron, and a smile. In her arms she was carrying a food-laden tray in her arms.

“Wakey wakey, Fluttershy,” the detective said in a slightly hoarse whisper, “I have a surprise for you~”

A sleepy moan sounded from Fluttershy, to which she sat up and rubbed her eyes. She yawned, opening her eyes and fixating on her curiously.

“...Rainbow?”

Rainbow practically shoved the tray of food into Fluttershy’s lap, grinning excitedly, “ I made you breakfast! I’m sure it can’t quite measure up to your cooking, but I think I can do a pretty damn good job. French toast, maple syrup - no fresh fruit, sorry - with a side of bacon and some delicious fresh OJ!”

“Oh!” Fluttershy looked down at the tray, surprised at the spread. But she smiled, looking up at her friend gratefully, “Gosh, Rainbow…. This is so sweet of you, thank you… Um, but what’s the occasion?”

“The occasion is that you pulled my ass out of the fire,” Rainbow said, giving her a self assured little smile, her hands on her hips and standing over her guest. “It may not have been a real fire, but it was burning me nonetheless.” Her little smile grew into a wide grin. “Do you like my apron, Flutters?”

Fluttershy finally took in her appearance, as well as the apron. It was absolutely adorable. The apron itself was a simple plain black number, while the string in the back was a rainbow pattern. On the neckline was an adorable little rainbow-patterned bow, further accentuating it.

“Yes, I do. It’s a very nice apron,” Fluttershy smiled. Her eyes curiously wandered along Rainbow’s body, only to stop dead in their tracks.

It finally registered to her that Rainbow was not wearing anything else but a t-shirt and panties. This left her legs completely exposed. For such a short woman, she had very long legs. They were toned, but slender, looking like she worked out a lot with them. What especially added to her charm was the tan olive tone to her skin, which until now, had been scarcely seen.

Adding to that, her t-shirt was right, barely reached the waistline of her panties, and was very tight. Even with the apron, it left nothing to the imagination, and was clear that she wasn’t wearing a bra. It was a cyan blue t-shirt, popping against her tan olive skin.

Fluttershy stared, unable to look away, taken aback by the beauty of the detective. It was reminding her that she was sexually attracted to this woman. She trembled, eyes locked, having to fight off any and all urges to make some kind of move.

“I thought I’d give you something to feast your eyes on while you eat breakfast~” Rainbow cooed to her, her tone the very picture of flirty.

“Ooh….” Fluttershy blushed immensely, feeling a tingle run through her body. She shakily tried to eat, but her eyes were glued to the beautiful legs of the other woman. ‘I think I’d rather have YOU for breakfast...’

‘Hmmm… I suppose the case is wrapping up… and she is definitely not here as part of the jobs… I think it’s safe to flirt a bit more~’ Rainbow thought with a smirk as she planted one foot firmly on the bed, striking a pose for Fluttershy.

“How is everything?” Rainbow asked innocently.

Swallowing harder than she intended, Fluttershy blushed more and managed to find her voice, “I-It’s… very good. The syrup… i-is nice, too…” She felt a shiver run up her spine, her eyes glued to the position of her amazing legs. ‘Oh my gosh… Was she never a model? That’s an amazing look on her…’

“Good. If you didn’t like a good maple syrup I might have to kick you out of my bed,” Rainbow said with a giggle, finally sitting herself on the edge of the bed, yet still looking no less appealing without even trying.

‘Is she trying to seduce me? It’s working...’ Fluttershy took another bite of food, this time of the bacon, liking the taste. “It’s a very nice product you bought of it…” She blushed.

“Hey, if you’re gonna get bacon, you gotta get the good stuff,” Rainbow laughed happily, eyeing the pinkette as she ate. “Eat up, Fluttershy… Enjoy yourself. You deserve it.”

‘Oh, I am enjoying myself...’ Fluttershy’s gaze, still focused on the attractive woman before her, finished up her breakfast, and drank down her juice. “That was… delicious…” She murmured, eyeing her legs and body up and down some more.

“Good, because I think I have something else you might enjoy,” Rainbow said grinning wide, her recent redemption at the hands of Fluttershy had imparted in her a new zeal for life. “I checked my messages while I was cooking and… well… I’ve got a new case, that is to say… I think WE have a new case~”

“We… We do?” Fluttershy repeated, her eyes darting from meeting Rainbow’s and all over her body. “...You want me to work on the case with you?”

“You said if I ever needed the tips and tricks you learned as a model...” Rainbow said excitedly, “How do you feel about crashing a swanky party?”

“Okay… Well, what’s the case?” Fluttershy asked. “Or rather, do we have to meet with the client?”

“Yeah, in-person consultations are always good, settles the clients nerves.” Rainbow said, enjoying sharing her craft with Fluttershy, “It seems like an easy job on the surface. Some muckety-muck in fashion world… what's'isname…. Shiny Shorts?… no that’s not it…”

“Fancy Pants?!” Fluttershy spoke out in shock, wide-eyed, “... I know him, a little bit. He was a sponsor of Photo Finish, and he’s a very big name in the city’s socialite world.”

“That’s the guy!” Rainbow said beaming. “Wow, guess this really is the perfect case for both of us. So he thinks his wife is stepping out on him, so our job is to find the proof.”

“I see… Well okay, we’ll meet with him, and we’ll see what we can do,” Fluttershy said, giving a little smile.

“The plan is we follow her to one of these high society mixers, snap a few photo’s and give Fancy a leg up in the divorce proceedings or whatever,” Rainbow said with a bit of a shrug. The situation was a bit sad, but at the same time she was excited to go undercover with Fluttershy.

Fluttershy nodded, “Well, all right. I’d love to help.”

“Alright then,” Rainbow said with renewed vigor, “I set the meeting up for later today, so we should probably get decent, and I know for certain that I need a shower.”

‘I’ll take it with you...’ Fluttershy wanted to say. She blushed immensely at the thought regardless, nodding. “O-Okay, then…”

“Alright well I’m off to do that. Gather up anything you wanna bring, we saddle up in 45 minutes,” Rainbow said hopping off the bed, and walking towards the bathroom, “Oh Flutters? Enjoy the view~” She said wiggling her hips as she walked away.

Fluttershy fell back a bit, wide-eyed, her eyes yet again trained on her body. She trembled, especially as a hot tingling resulted between her legs. ‘Don’t tempt me, Rainbow…! I won’t be able to control myself before long! Of course she did that on purpose… she knew it… Oh, goodness I want her so bad...’

Once the bathroom door closed, Fluttershy relaxed ever slightly. She looked down, recalling that she was in her clothes from yesterday. Looking at the time, she could see that they would have time to retrieve her belongings and bring them back here before they’d head to the office. Getting out of bed, she made it properly, arranging the pillows along the way. As well as that, she tidied up the bedroom, tossing clothes into the hamper, picking up books and placing them on the desk, anything else that was strewn about.

Stepping on something, she lifted her foot and saw that it was a fashion magazine. But not just any one. It was a special edition filled with photos of her all throughout. Fluttershy picked it up, remembering this issue of Equestria Fashion. At the time she was a model, this had been the best-selling issue for over a month. Even the cover was a glossy photo, with her looking at the viewer with a frightened, but enticing open-mouthed look.

‘She did say that she admired my work. I guess it’s no surprise that she has some magazines that featured me,’ Fluttershy thought. As she looked it over, she could see that it was a bit worn. Still in good condition, but clearly indicating that was it read. A lot. Considering that a good portion of the photos were very sensual, she could only imagine exactly why. ‘I wonder how many times she’s pleasured herself to my photos...’ She smiled at the thought.

The sound of the showers cut off and Rainbow emerged from the bathroom, dripping wet and robed only in a towel. She stretched her arms above her head. “Whew, nothing makes you feel human again like a nice steamy shower.”

“Yes, that’s-” Fluttershy looked up at her.

The magazine fell from her hands.

‘Rainbow…. in a towel…! All wet… in a towel… Under that towel she’s… oh my gosh...’ Fluttershy stared, wide-eyed, cheeks as pink as her hair.

Rainbow smirked, her arms still in the air. “Well, see something you like there, pretty girl?” Though Rainbow’s cocky smirk was interrupted as her towel slipped and nearly fell from her completely. Rainbow moved to catch it, but in the process more than few glimpses of her could have been seen.

“Oops! Okay, that one wasn’t on purpose.” Rainbow laughed.

Taking a step back, Fluttershy was completely conflicted. All she wanted to do was throw Rainbow onto her bed and ravish her like crazy. But the other half of her was telling her to wait, either because she was still unsure of the case or because she wanted it better than this. Either way. her eyes would not leave the exposed areas of Rainbow’s skin, as she stood, dripping wet, looking beautifully sexy.

‘She’s really doing this on purpose… She’s trying to wind me up! Oh no, is she getting me back for some of the things I said? Or because she was seduced by me without my knowing?’

“Yes…” Fluttershy squeaked, her cheeks pinker.

Rainbow managed a little grin and continued on into her bedroom, “Well I’m going to get changed, so you can either take a ringside seat of wait out in the other room. Your choice.”

‘Take it… Go for it… You can finally see her-NO! Not yet, it’s too soon! I shouldn’t, I shouldn’t, I can’t...’ Fluttershy thought, trying to keep her breathing in check.

Rainbow looked at her, finding the indecision on her face to be just adorable, “Tick tock, Flutters. This towel’s coming down in …..5….4….3…”

“No! I’d love to, but not like this!” Fluttershy cried, cheeks pink, turning away. “Get dressed, get ready, and we’re going! ...I just need to use the bathroom…”

Not waiting for an answer, she ran into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

Rainbow sighed a bit to herself, not sure if she was relieved or disappointed. She did however feel a slight twinge of guilt. Rainbow hadn't intended to cause her any real distress, just tease her a bit, more as a reward than anything else…

Rainbow sighed, dropped the towel, and began getting dressed. She pulled on the familiar shirt, tie, jacket and hat. It had been a while but she was finally feeling like her old self again.

In the bathroom, trying to cool herself down, Fluttershy looked at herself in the mirror. ‘What am I even doing? She’s just teasing me… She’s more comfortable being flirty and there I am blowing her off… She’s not trying to dangle a carrot in my face, she just wants to bring things further without going too far. All she did was … give me something...’

Running a hand through her hair, she did her business, washed up, and came back out into the main room.

Finding Rainbow standing at the table, looking over a newspaper. Fluttershy slowly approached her, plucked the hat off her head, placing it onto the table, and hugged her from behind.

“Hi, Dashie…” She cooed into her ear, snuggling her, “Oh… I’m sorry about all that. You were just being a little tease, weren’t you? Aww, you’re adorable. But I have to say, no one has ever wound me up like you do, usually it takes more than that. But I just hope you’re prepared to deal with the consequences~” Fluttershy giggled, kissing her cheek.

“Mmmm, I can’t wait,” Rainbow said with a smile on her lips. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had been so sweet to her. The tenderness of it all was enough to fill her with a warmth that radiated from her chest outward to her toes and her finger tips. She placed her arms over Fluttershy’s, her fingers stroking the soft skin of her arms.

“I think we might wanna hold off on that for a little,” Rainbow said wistfully, her every desire fighting her words. “If we start with that we not be able stop ourselves in time to make our appointment. So what do ya say we keep it in our pants for just a little longer.”

Fluttershy exhaled, squeezing her a little. She wanted to say screw it all and just act out every bit of desire they had. Especially considering how wound up she felt. Of course, she also knew Rainbow was right. They had an appointment to keep and other such things to get done that day,

“Oh, you’re right… I know….” The pinkette murmured, tracing her hands along Rainbow’s stomach, teasing her, “But do be careful… next time, I don’t think that towel will protect you at all~”

“Heh… sorry about that,” Rainbow said with sheepish little smile. “Sorry for being such a giant tease, but I knew you’d enjoy a little preview of things to come.”

“I don’t just like what I saw… I loved it…” Fluttershy cooed suggestively into her ear, tightening her grip gently. “You are such a beautiful woman~”

Rainbow licked her lips, part of her wishing Fluttershy wouldn’t never let her go and drag her right into the bedroom. “I’m glad you loved what you saw then… because you’ll be seeing it a whole lot in the days to come.”

“Mmm… And you’ve seen plenty of photos of me. I just… quit before they got to be too much. But that’s just as well, isn’t it? You’ll not only be the only one to ever see all of me… but you’ll have the real me… Better than any photo spread or cover issue,” Fluttershy giggled, kissing her other cheek.

“Oooo… yeah… I’d always hoped to maybe see all of you… but you’re right this… this is WAY better than a dirty magazine,” Rainbow said, now beginning to understand how Fluttershy felt being teased.

“Yay!” Fluttershy came around to her front, embracing her, “Oh, you’re amazing! Let’s get today going-together~”

“Yeah,” Rainbow said, squeezing her tight, “Let’s get things going.”

About to let her go, Fluttershy hesitated, debating whether or not to go for it. They were so close, the moment was almost perfect, and it would be just one little kiss. So long as they didn’t get carried away or full of tension. Then again, all things considered, Fluttershy had a pretty good feeling that if they did fully kiss, they wouldn’t leave the apartment. It would be an uphill battle. There was so much between them that enabling it further would cost them the day they had planned.

So she leaned in, kissing her cheek, just barely brushing the corner of her mouth.

“I’m ready when you are.”

Rainbow smiled, the feeling of Fluttershy’s kiss had left a wonderful warmth on her cheek. She took a moment, considering kissing her right then and there… wanting to kiss her right then and there… She leaned in close, and then hesitated, landing the kiss on her cheek instead.

‘Way to wuss out Dash,’ She thought to herself.

XXXX

Later on that day, the two were at Dash’s office, having tidied it up and looked over everything before their client arrived. Fluttershy felt it was surreal to be within Rainbow’s office again, the very place they first met. The place she’d come to in seeking help. Now, they were working together, like partners. She didn’t know what to expect, but felt excited.

She even had to admit, watching Rainbow at her desk, shadowed in the dim light of the room, with the rain going on outside; she looked every bit of a film noir detective. The former model couldn’t help but find this very intriguing and attractive.

“Well…” Fluttershy spoke up at some point, making conversation, “I definitely am looking forward to this. It’ll be very interesting to work on a case together. I-I know we’re not formally partners, but I’ll certainly do my best to help.”

“Why don’t you come sit with me?” Rainbow said, smiling, “Pull up a chair, we’re working this one together after all.”

Noticing a chair nearby, Fluttershy pulled it up beside Rainbow’s, taking a seat, “Sure…”

Rainbow beamed at her, not caring that it slightly spoiled the image of the ‘brooding noir detective.’ “This is going to be awesome, I just know it.”

“I’m excited,” Fluttershy giggled, smiling more. “This is going to be so interesting.”

“Mhmm,” Rainbow agreed, “Fun too, I mean we get to make a splash in high society. That’s a first for me.”

“Not for me, but I’ll definitely help you with that,” Fluttershy promised.

This was when there was a knock at the door. Which opened, revealing a tall man in a suit. He approached, giving them both a warm, kind smile. He had light blue hair, a matching moustache, and a monacle.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” Fancy Pants said kindly, speaking in a classy foreign accent and took notice of Fluttershy, “Ah, Fluttershy! I haven’t seen you in months, my dear. How have you been?”

“Oh… I’ve been all right, Fancy Pants… It’s very nice to see you again,” Fluttershy smiled at him warmly. Of all the things in her modeling career, she always liked him. Even though he was rich and into the high society thing, he was a lot more kind, understanding and even laid back, considering he was always fascinated by common elements.

“As it is to see you, quite a coincidence,” Fancy Pants chuckled, turning back to the detective, “Miss Dash, it’s certainly wonderful to finally meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, Mr. Pants,” Rainbow said as professionally as she could, holding her hand out across the desk, “I hope that we can help you with your situation.”

Fancy Pants shook her hand, then took a seat at the chair in front of the desk, “I had done research on the cases you had solved, Miss Dash. As I’ve seen, your abilities are quite remarkable. That being said, of course, I will get to the matter at hand. As I said in my message, I am to believe that my wife, Fleur de Lys, is being unfaithful. I, however, cannot prove it and the police have stated that they have no evidence. I was hoping with your ways of going about obtaining information, that you could see to catching her in the act, in some sort of way.”

“Do you have information we need to know?” Fluttershy asked, “And for that matter, how do you propose we do so?”

The man reached into his briefcase, bringing out a couple of files and placing them onto the desk, “Here is information of her that you may need to know. Beyond that, I do know that she will be attending a party at the Riverside Country Club tomorrow night. I, however, cannot make it as I am needed in Trottingham first thing in the morning. I think it would be an excellent place to keep an eye on her.”

Rainbow took the files, thumbing through them, “So did I. I’ve done my research as well, placed a few calls, and it appears that this particular soiree is the event of the social season, for at least the next few months or so. I was thinking we could trade on Fluttershy’s celebrity, say we’re looking to join the club and wrangle a couple invites. From there all we need to do is snap a few photos and we are good as gold. Easy-peasy.”

“It won’t be a problem, either,” Fluttershy chimed in, “I’m a member of the club and I didn’t get around to handing in any withdrawal. Plus, I liked the location and its beautiful gardens.”

“Hey, that saved us a phone call,” Rainbow said grinning. “Way to go Fluttershy~”

“Excellent, then!” Fancy Pants gave a hearty laugh, “You seem to have a good foothold into making entrance into the party. Acquiring invitations will not be an issue; as most of them do have a plus one incentive.”

Fluttershy nodded, “That’s true, they usually do. Rainbow, you have fake identifications, don’t you?”

“Yeah, no worries, I won’t be attending as Rainbow Dash P.I.,” Rainbow said with a grin, “I got an ID for all occasions. Let’s see… How’s about…” Rainbow put on a light accent, “...Miss Prism, high born entrepreneur? My specialty is obscure antiques that no one could possibly call my bluff on.” Rainbow’s voice returned to it’s usual smoky cadance. “You’d be surprised how often that one works. An accent, a giggle, and a flirt has gotten me past more security personnel that you could ever know.”

Even Fluttershy had to shudder a bit, which made her smile, “That’s very good, Rainbow.”

“Indeed,” Fancy Pants agreed, smiling, “Had I not known you, even I would believe it. You certainly have it down to an art, Miss Dash.”

“Necessity is the mother of fraud, or at least that’s how I think that saying goes,” Rainbow said with a chuckle.

“I think so,” Fluttershy giggled, “Well, then I think we have what we’ll need, right?”

Fancy Pants stood up, “I shall be returning in three days time, to which I will call you.”

“Sounds good to me, I’m sure I’ll have what you need by then,” Rainbow said rising with him, “Don’t worry about a thing.”

The pinkette got up too, “We’ll make sure of that, Fancy Pants. You can count on us.”

Smiling, Fancy Pants then retrieved something else from his briefcase, along with a pen from his pocket. It was a chequebook, which he wrote onto, ripped a piece, and then placed it on the desk. “Here you are, an advance for half of which your rate is. I shall pay you the rest when the case is closed.”

Rainbow took the cheque and placed it aside, pushing down the urge to look it over, a practice she had learned to be just plain rude. “Thank you very much. Safe travels, Mr. Pants.”

“All the best,” Fluttershy said sweetly.

Giving them both a nod, he went to the door, “And I thank you two very much for your time. Good luck, of course,” smiling once more, he left the office and closed the door behind him.

Rainbow turned to Fluttershy, beaming brightly, “It’s official, we got ourselves a case!”

“We… We do!” Fluttershy giggled, beaming as well, “I can’t believe it! This is amazing!”

“Excited?” Rainbow grinned, reveling in her cheer.

Nodding, the timid woman embraced her, “Oh, yes. I have to thank you for this opportunity~”

“We’re gonna try and get you your life back, right? Well, I figure, why not start with an exciting new career?” Rainbow said giving the pinkette a little squeeze.

Eyes sparkling, Fluttershy’s smile grew, “You’d really take me on as your partner?”

“Definitely Flutters,” Rainbow said, “Granted you’re new to the streets, but occasionally a fresh face can be an asset. Plus you’ll bring an interesting viewpoint, and you have all kinds of access I don’t.”

“Oh… Rainbow! Thank you!” Fluttershy hugged her tighter, having to resist the urge to kiss her. “That would be wonderful! I’d love to be your partner…”

“And I’d love to have you as my partner,” Rainbow replied cheerfully. “Besides, above all else you’re my friend, and I can’t think of what might make me happier than to have you close all day.”

Unable to hold tears back, Fluttershy hugged her closer and snuggled, “Rainbow Dash… I-I don’t know what to say… You’re wonderful… Amazing… There are no words to describe my gratitude. You have done so much for me, and you’ve given me my life back. I don’t know where I’d be if it wasn’t for you. I would love nothing more than to be close to you, by your side on the job. Thank you…”

“No problem, Fluttershy, I mean it.” Rainbow said, wiping away some of her tears with her thumb. “This is the start of something wonderful, mark my words.”

‘I love this woman… I’m not just falling in love, I don’t just have feelings… I love her. She’s the greatest thing ever to happen to me...’ Fluttershy tightened her grip, “I-It is… It really is, Rainbow… The most wonderful thing I could ever ask for.”

“You’re the most wonderful thing I could ever ask for,” Rainbow said softly, “You are the most amazing woman, my total dream girl, and nicer than anyone I’ve ever met. I’m happy to have you by my side, amazingly happy.”

Blushing more, Fluttershy nuzzled into her neck, “I’m so happy to be by your side, more than I can ever say.”

“Don’t worry, you don’t have to say it,” Rainbow said holding her close, “I think I know~”

‘I don’t have to… I know we love each other… We don’t have to say it… Maybe not now, but sometime...’ Fluttershy nuzzled her cheek, “I know, too~”

Rainbow smiled and reached up to stroke her hair, not saying anything in this moment, just simply letting their unspoken bond speak for itself. Fluttershy blushed, smiling more and reaching over to do the same.

Author's Note

Once again, we do apologize for being a little off course! But we hope to get into a good streak after this! :D Now things are doing a lot better for our heroes! Hooray! ^w^ It really has taken an interesting turn from what we originally planned, but it still works very well! Fluttershy's feeling a lot better and less scared, Rainbow's walls are down, and they're just so cute. Yay! <3

Chapter Seven: Lips and Words

Chapter 7: Lips and Words

“Okay… It’s almost seven, Rainbow! If we leave now, we can make it time,” Fluttershy called to the bathroom. She adjusted her earrings in the mirror once more, then smoothed her hair a bit. “Are you ready yet?”

While she knew that Rainbow was going to be wearing a dress (a designer sample), a wig, and some makeup, she kept how her appearance would look a complete surprise. Fluttershy herself dolled a forest green, knee-length formal dress made of silky satin, along with matching ballet flats. Her hair was tied up into an intricate bun, woven with some flower and butterfly clips, while some strands of her bangs framed her face. Light but enhancing makeup donned her facial features, including some very pink lipstick that matched her hair.

It had been a pretty long time since Fluttershy was dressed up like this, for a high society party or a modeling party. So while it felt weird, she couldn’t help but feel excited. It wasn’t for keeping up appearances and promoting designers, it was going undercover. Having never done such a thing, especially now that she was going to truly become a detective’s partner; Fluttershy was ready for it.

“Ready!” Rainbow called back emerging from the small bathroom. It was hard to believe that this could be the same rough and tumble detective who didn’t step out her door without a concealed weapon. Her short and distinctive hair was seamlessly covered by a pitch black shoulder length wig with dramatic bangs. She had applied dramatic dark silver smokey eyeshadow that highlighted her cerise eyes, and on her lips was a dark cherry lip stain. Her dress was a short off-the-shoulder affair done in black but trimmed in a color reminiscent of her eyes but several shaded darker. The dress simultaneously showed off her legs and managed to expertly showcase her modest bust.

“What do you think?” Rainbow said, doing a little twirl, “Figured I’d go dark and dramatic, really sells the whole the whole foreign artsy type thing.”

Fluttershy was stunned. She’d always thought of Rainbow as a very attractive woman in a unique and still appealing kind of way. Maybe not what the modeling world would consider beautiful, but she didn’t care what they’d think. Right now, having cleaned herself up and put on a nice dress, she looked so classy and beautiful. Even with her rainbow hair, she would still have looked lovely. At the same time, the wig managed to blend in with her matching dress and tan olive skin. She trembled, all the more tempted to romance her partner, her mind running wild with fantasies galore.

“You look… gorgeous,” Fluttershy said softly, finding her voice. “I almost don’t recognize you…”

“Well, that would be the idea,” Rainbow said giving her rookie partner a little wink.

Blushing quite a bit, Fluttershy approached Rainbow, bringing her arms around her, “I won’t be able to keep my eyes off you tonight~”

“That’s what we in the biz like to call a fringe benefit,” Rainbow replied in a flirty tone. “And all the better to sell our story, hmm?”

“You’ll be my plus one… we’ll be close together… I think you’re right…” Fluttershy cooed, her eyelids half-amast. “It’ll sell our story…”

“Careful tiger, we won’t make it out the door if you keep giving me looks like that,” Rainbow said with her trademark smirk. Since Fluttershy had come to live with her she had been feeling better than ever before, even her swagger was returning. No longer hollow armor used to compensate for her loneliness, this new attitude was build on the firm foundation of a new and fulfilling relationship with her former client.

“Hello Pot, this is Kettle. Kettle, Pot,” Fluttershy smiled. “You’re not exactly helping matters, Dashie. Or should I say… Miss Prism~”

“Yes you should,” Rainbow replied, “Though I catch your meaning, I’ll try and reel it in for now too.”

Fluttershy kissed her forehead upon brushing her wig bangs back, then went to retrieve their purses. While they seemed like normal purses that matched their dress colours, they were far from it. Rainbow’s purse not only held her wallet, but concealed a camera for capturing the evidence, a gun, and a knife. All cleverly concealed for easy reach and disguising. Fluttershy meanwhile had a retractable knife for self defense, a camera of her own and a tape recorder.

“Okay, so that’s everything,” Fluttershy said, slinging her purse onto her shoulder, “Let’s get going.”

For a little extra teasing, the pinkette purposely swayed her hips as she went toward the door, putting her days as a runway model back into action.

“Oh… you little minx, you,” Rainbow said, affecting her false accent and giving a short little burst of laughter before following after her out the door.

The Riverside Country Club was located close to the outskirts of Manehattan’s prestigious suburban neighbourhood just south of the heart. It had a view of the river as it ran along toward the main city areas, a lot of lush grass and shrubs, a beautiful garden, and was just off a golf course.

Upon arrival, the soiree was in full swing, with many guests still arriving or simply lounging in the cool outdoors.

Entering the building, the two women approached a man standing at a desk, who looked up to see them.

“Ah, Miss Fluttershy. How lovely to see you again,” the man said, giving a light smile.

“Hello, sir,” Fluttershy slid over her membership card to be scanned, along with the invitation, “Tonight, I’ve brought a guest. This is my plus one.”

The man looked to the ravenette standing next to her, and rose an eyebrow. Clearly, it was likely that he assumed she was either nouveau-riche or someone’s daughter. “I see. What might your name be, Miss?”

“Prism,” Rainbow replied, sounding almost bored and focusing much more attention on Fluttershy, “So this is the Riverside Club, hmm? I can see why you like it darling, the grounds seem quite to your liking.”

“Yes, I do,” Fluttershy smiled toward her.

“All right, Miss Prism, may I see your identification?” The man behind the desk asked.

Rainbow made a show of rolling her eyes to Fluttershy and retrieved false passport from her bag. It perhaps wouldn’t stand up to the scrutiny of a customs official, but it was more than enough to fool a desk clerk. “Here you are.”

The man looked it over for a moment, then slid it back to her, “Enjoy your evening, ladies.”

“Thank you,” Fluttershy said, taking Rainbow’s hand and guiding her down the corridor.

“So far so good~” Rainbow whispered to Fluttershy, her excitement showing plain on her face. This was shaking up to be by far the most fun case she had taken in quite a while.

Fluttershy smiled, whispering back, “You’re a natural, Rainbow. You really do come off like a woman who’s an entrepreneur or a nouveau-riche. Okay… so you remember our plan? We don’t approach Fleur, unless she approaches us herself.”

“Honey-bunch, I wrote the plan,” Rainbow said with a chuckle. “No worries, this’ll be a piece of cake, we just make sure one of us has an eye on her at all times, then if she sneaks off, we follow.”

“Right,” Fluttershy nodded, pointing forward toward an open door, “Okay, there’s the main hall.”

“And away we go,” Rainbow said, leading the way into the main reception hall.

They entered the main reception hall, where a crowd of socialites all mingled. Waiters were walking around passing some trays of champagne and various kinds of wine. A long buffet table consisting of finger foods and hoer d'oeuvres sat at one end of the room. On a platform beneath some spotlights was a live band playing some classical music. A grand chandelier hung from the ceiling above. Floor-to-ceiling windows graced two of the walls, draped with red velvet curtains with a gold trim.

Fluttershy felt a mixture of familiarity and yet out of place. She hadn’t been here in months, as well as the fact that she didn’t come here to party. It was an undercover task, which still made it exciting. She felt giddy, especially since she was now scanning the ground to spot Fleur de Lys.

“Okay… so we’re in, she should already be here. She likes to be early for these kinds of things,” Fluttershy whispered, keeping as casual as possible.

“Wonderful,” Rainbow said giving Fluttershy a kind smile, “Now let’s mingle, shall we, love?”

The term made Fluttershy blush, but she nodded. Squeezing her hand, more for comfort than anything, they walked through the crowd.

Unfortunately, Fluttershy saw a sight that made her blood run cold. Some ways off, in a golden gown, with her long fiery red hair tousled into something like a beehive, was Beauty Mark. Her ex-girlfriend. Not only that, but with a gorgeous woman on her arm. Fluttershy recognized her as the new, up and coming fashion model for Photo Finish; Lightning Dust. She was actually a former Equestrian Women Basketball player. Considering that a good portion of the fashion industry was getting into creating stylish clothing that took after athletic uniforms, it was no wonder that more athletically toned women were brought on board to model them.

Fluttershy gulped, knowing that this was going to be annoying and awkward.

“Um, Rainbow? Can we-can we go over there?” Fluttershy pointed toward a random direction, “I think I saw her over there,” she said hastily.

Rainbow leveled her gaze at Fluttershy, speaking very deliberately, “It’s Prism, remember? Head in the game, dear.” A small look of concern crossed her face, “What’s got you so upset?”

“Prism, sorry… Nothing! I just think we should go over there… you know, over there?” Fluttershy began to gently pull her away toward that direction.

Rainbow pouted, whispering in her usual accent, “Fluttershy, that’s BS, if there’s something bothering you, I need to know. What’s going on here?”

Looking away, Fluttershy was uncertain how to tell her that she just didn't want her ex to see them. She opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off.

“Fluttershy?!” Came a high voice.

‘Oh no… She saw me!’

Sure enough, Beauty Mark came over to them, alongside her new girlfriend. She smiled, though it was sickly sweet to the point of wanting to puke.

“Hiiiii, Fluttershy! Soooo good to see you!” Beauty said, bringing an arm around her in a hug, “I haven’t seen you in ages!”

“Oh, hi…” Fluttershy said awkwardly, not returning the gesture.

She averted her gaze, unsure of what to do or say. As much as she didn’t want to be rude and run off, she still wasn’t crazy about having a very awkward-and likely one-sided-conversation with her ex. The fact that they hadn’t seen one another in several months didn’t exactly make it any easier. Beauty Mark was a social butterfly, especially when she hadn’t seen someone in a while. Fluttershy felt tense, as if her legs had turned to jelly, and for all the wrong reasons.

Seeing someone she didn’t even want to see and meeting someone new was already high on her list of societal anxieties that she wanted to avoid. For the icing on the cake, she was a rookie detective sidekick and didn’t have time for these kinds of things. Already her eyes were darting about, trying to find both a segway out of this conversation and if Fleur de Lys was around.

“Well?” Beauty said, giving Fluttershy an expectant look, “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

Pursing her lips, Fluttershy gave a resigned sigh, “Right, sorry about that. Prism, this is my ex-girlfriend, Beauty Mark. Beauty Mark, this is my plus one for the evening, Miss Prism.”

“Totally charmed!” Beauty winked toward Rainbow Dash. “And this lovely lady here is Lightning Dust! I’m sure you’ve heard of her, yes?”

Rainbow already felt nauseous from the woman’s unctuous tone, but felt her muscles tighten at the mention that this former acquaintance was the completely awful ex that had already heaped plenty of crap onto the plate of Fluttershy’s former life. This same woman who was pleased as punch to flaunt her latest relationship with the famous athlete-come-model. The sheer vanity of it made Rainbow want to vomit. Though perhaps she could get a couple shots in, payback on Fluttershy’s behalf.

“Ah, yes, a pleasure,” Rainbow said, putting an aire of high society, “I think I may have heard of you...Miss Dust was it? An athlete… I think…” ‘Starting center of the Manehatten Wonderbolts, known almost as well for her poor sportsmanship as she was for her athletic ability…. less well known for hiring a certain private eye to help blackmail a blackmailing talent agent.’

“...was it tennis you played? What are you doing now a days Miss Dust? Keeping busy, I hope.”

Lightning Dust’s eyes went wide, before she smirked, “Well, Prism, I happened to play basketball. And now I’m a model, started off for some sports companies, then moved up the ranks.”

“She’s amazing, just beyond anything anyone has seen,” Beauty gushed, waving her arm along for emphasis, “She’s already fully booked with so many shoots this week! And she’s even going to appear on the cover of Equestrian Sports Weekly, as well as next week’s issue of Bikini Wonders. I think Photo Finish is overwhelmed at how much she’s brought in! You won’t be able to check a newspaper or a magazine without her endorsement!”

Fluttershy fidgeted uncomfortably, nodding, “That’s… That’s nice. Good for you.”

“Hmmmph,” Rainbow huffed, “Sounds a tiresome, I really hope I can find at least on periodical without your face slapped on it, darling.” Rainbow waved her hand a bit dismissively. “But you Miss Mark, I must say it seems as though you must be hard up for work with your girlfriend gobbling up all these gigs. I hope the public doesn’t forget your name… that would be tragic.”

“Forget me? Oh contraire,” Beauty laughed, as if she’d heard the silliest thing, “Lightning Dust is exceedingly talented and rightfully deserves to be right there in the spotlight! As she desires to be! What more can even I ask for? We work as a team, a team that stands the test of time, if you will. Besides, she’s amazing in so many ways, like you wouldn’t believe. Cooking, cleaning, engineering… and perhaps other things.”

At this, she looked over at Fluttershy, standing closer to the athlete-turned-model.

Once more, Fluttershy felt uncomfortable, and could see her ex’s game. Doing everything she could to make every woman she was with look so much better in comparison to her. Despite everything considered, of course. She tensed yet again, wishing she could just walk away and never see her again. Ever.

“But aside from that…” Beauty went on, giving Fluttershy a smirk, “You finally have a new woman, huh? Not a bad pick. She’s a looker. Never thought I’d see the day, but I guess life is full of surprises, isn’t it?”

Rainbow clenched her teeth, already regretting trying to engage the manipulative cow. Possessively, she wrapped her arm around around Fluttershy’s waist. She debated cutting her losses and turning their back to the women, but Rainbow couldn’t quite quench her competitive streak.

“Oh it’s no surprise. I sought Fluttershy out, her modeling career may not have been long but she left such an impression, I don’t think anyone has quite measured up,” Rainbow said off handedly, “Or at least that’s been the buzz around Trottingham society.”

Fluttershy blushed, while Lightning Dust shot Rainbow a smirk, but in a knowing way. Beauty Mark, however, was appalled.

“Well, yes… But she did make that choice,” Beauty said haughtily, “She could have been more. But she backed herself out and rightfully became forgotten. It could have gone on if she gave it a chance. You would think that even though she knew what she was getting into, she would suck it up and stick it out like any good model would do. Well, she made her bed, she had to sleep in it.”

Doing all she can to keep her composure, Fluttershy looked down at her shoes. ‘This is our breakup all over again… Why won’t she stop...’

“This is your own damn fault, Fluttershy! You knew what the modeling industry was like! And yet you STILL complain about it?! You’re in the spotlight, you have millions of people seeing your photos, you have no private life-well, no shit! You know what any good model does?! They suck it up and tough it out! But you are nothing but a coward! That’s what you’ve always done! You run away and hide like a puppy with their tails between their legs! You are a coward! A coward!”

She trembled, leaning more against Rainbow than she intended.

Rainbow squeezed Fluttershy reassuringly before quipping, “Well I sleep in that bed too, and believe you me it is plenty unforgettable.”

At this, she smiled sweetly at Fluttershy and kissed her on the cheek. Seeing the cracks in Beauty’s facade gave Rainbow all that she needed to plaster on her most annoyingly unfazed grin. She was showing her true colors more and more with each passing second, and what Rainbow knew of high society told her that such displays were rarely smiled up.

“Burn,” Lightning Dust snickered, winking at Rainbow.

Beauty shot her a glare, then made a move to step back, “We don’t have to stand for this. We have things to do, people to see, so much more worthwhile things we could be doing. Especially not with wannabe has-beens.”

Rainbow shot Lightening Dust an appreciative grin, before returning to Beauty Mark continuing in her unperturbed manner. “Nice meeting you, though one wonders why you would waste your time on wannabe has-beens...”

Surprised, Fluttershy looked at Rainbow with curiosity. Lightning Dust grinned behind her hand, eager.

“What?! Just what are you insinuating, Prism?!” The fiery redhead demanded.

“Insinuating? Oh darling, please, I thought you were being very obvious,” Rainbow said, unable to keep a smile off her lips, “Either you feel insecure and feel you need to prove to Fluttershy, who was clearly the best thing to ever happen to you, that you have profited since ending your relationship with her… or, well to put it simply, you are just a bitch.”

Eyes flaring, Beauty stepped toward her angrily, “Why you insolent little harlot! I’ll have you know that Fluttershy is nothing more than a cowardly little mouse! She’s all beauty but has nothing more to back it up! Especially not in how she carries herself! But you, you are probably just a little harpy flaunting around with Daddy’s Money because you know you can’t make something of yourself! Or maybe you feel that you can’t do better and so you latch onto the next pretty thing that walked through your door! You're probably nothing more than a pathetic, lonely, stupid, desperate little slut who can't even hold down a relationship for even five minutes!”

That was when Fluttershy just about had enough. Every bit of her ex's cruel words stung her, but none more so than any of them directed at her partner. She was not about to stand her and let Beauty Mark try to walk all over Rainbow anymore. Enough was enough. Anger boiled inside of her as the very words she wished she could have said long ago rose to her throat.

Fluttershy brought her own arm around Rainbow's shoulders, narrowed her eyes, looking right at her ex, “Stop it! What is your problem? Ra-Prism has a point. Every time you see me, you make sure to rub how great things are going for you in my face. It seems like a petty revenge for me breaking up with you. But no… you broke up with me. You cheated on me. You wanted nothing to do with me, you wanted to break up with me… you got what you wanted. So why are you still doing this? I don’t care. I have a life now. I’ve moved on. I'm not jealous of every new girlfriend you get and I have never come crawling to you. As a matter of fact, I don't even want you back. I could not be more over you. I don’t love you. And you know what? Yes. I do have a new partner. She’s been with me for a little over a week. And she… she’s done things to me that you couldn’t accomplish in a month.”

Fluttershy turned back to Rainbow, smiling, “Prism, we should go. We have things to do. Lightning Dust, it was lovely meeting you. Best of luck to your career, of course.”

Lightning Dust grinned, giving her a thumbs up, then winking at Rainbow again.

“Oh, and Beauty? I faked all my orgasms,” Fluttershy stated.

She then took Rainbow’s hand, leading her away.

“Ouch, that had to sting,” Rainbow whispered in her normal speaking voice. She was frankly amazed by Fluttershy’s outburst. She hadn’t ever seen Fluttershy quite so agitated. It was astounding, she felt stunned and yet unbelievably proud of the oft timid woman. “Way to go Fluttershy, that was awesome,” She whispered, “Way to bring the fire!”

“Oh… I had to, I couldn’t let her talk to you like that,” Fluttershy murmured, squeezing her hand, “And you were right. All this time… everything she said to me were things I believed. But you made me realize it. She’s just wasting her time trying to… somehow rub it in my face when clearly she could easily move on and not ever speak to me again.”

“Yeah, she’s a real piece of work,” Rainbow agreed, speaking louder and affecting her accent once more, as well as shooting the woman in question a dirty look over her shoulder, “Can’t believe Lightning Dust got mixed up with her, granted she probably knows exactly what kind of person Beauty Mark is.”

“I think she does, considering her reactions. Um… you know her? I just-the way she seemed to look at you, it seemed like she knew you,” Fluttershy remarked, curious.

“Yeah, she’s a former client,” Rainbow said, smirking a bit at the memory of Dust’s reactions. “I helped her get some dirt on her agent who was blackmailing her during a contract negotiation. I had to try and seduce some information out of the sap. Wore this wig too. That’s how she can see right through my little disguise.”

“Oh… I see,” Fluttershy nodded, taking in the information, “Nice. Well, let’s-oh! There she is!” She discreetly pointed, “There’s Fleur… And that man she’s with, she’s really close to him. Hanging off him, practically.”

Rainbow scoped out the very indiscreet couple, “Wow, no wonder Fancy suspects, she isn’t exactly being covert…”

“That’s just… If she’s trying to keep it secret, this is not the place to do it. She and Fancy frequent to this club, all their friends are here. They know them,” Fluttershy frowned slightly, “So I don’t know what she’s trying to pull.”

“Probably just doesn’t care,” Rainbow remarked, “She’s got the money, if she has a good enough lawyer, she could get away with murder.”

“...That’s true,” Fluttershy sighed, nodding, “When I was a model, I had that kind of lawyer, who even said that I could get away with murder if I wanted to. A-Anyway… let’s keep an eye on her.”

Rainbow whistled, “Good to know one of those, but yeah, we should be looking out for her. Though we should take it in turns, don’t want to arouse her suspicion with two women looking at her together. Wanna take the first shift?”

“Yes, I’ll do that,” Fluttershy nodded, “Let’s get a snack… But they’re not very filling, and too fancy. After this, I say we get a pizza.”

Rainbow laughed, “Wow, you really are a woman after my heart. Pizza it is.”

Fluttershy smiled, “I had to live on these kinds of fancy food for a while to keep my figure. I hated every second of them. When I quit, I spent an entire week eating fast food. I do enjoy organic foods and vegetables and fruits, but… I can’t do without a lot of comfort foods~”

“Yeah I know how you feel. I end up eating all kinds of junk, between stakeouts and the late hours.” Rainbow gave Fluttershy’s shoulder an affectionate rub, “And I wouldn’t spend a second thought on your figure ever again. You look even better since your career ended.”

Blushing a bit, Fluttershy looked at her with a shy smile, “You really think so?”

“Oh yeah, I mean, models are pretty right? But they always look better when they don’t look like they’re starving,” Rainbow said with a little laugh.

Glancing back toward their target, keeping her in within her line of vision, Fluttershy hugged her, “Thank you, Rain-sorry, Prism… That really means a lot.”

“Just telling you the truth, Fluttershy, love,” Rainbow said warmly, taking a few hors d'oeuvres from the food table and popping them in her mouth, “Mmmnn you’re right about this stuff… too fancy…”

“They are,” Fluttershy took a shrimp, dipping it into some sauce and eating it, “But sometimes you might find something you actually like. I just stick to those and fill up as much as I can. Aside from a select few, they don’t always eat very much. It’s the wine or champagne they really want.”

“Well with food like this I can sympathize,” Rainbow said, scrunching her nose slightly, “I mean it’s not that I hate finger foods or anything, but this is way too bland. Who knows maybe a bottle of wine turns it magically yummy.”

Flagging a waiter over, Fluttershy whispered, “Oh, yes. If you have red wine and then eat a couple of those hors d'oeuvres, crackers with foie gras and some of those...cheeses, they actually manage to taste really good. The white wine tends to be more of a casual drink, same for the champagne. But if you’re hungry, have the red wine with anything.”

“Oooh you know all the tips and tricks, don’t you~” Rainbow whispered back, starting to enjoy the party, or more accurately, Fluttershy’s company in the party setting.

The two partook in having a drink, while occasionally munching on a couple of finger foods, which the wine made tolerable to eat. For a while, they kept their eyes on Fleur de Lys and the man she was with, but found nothing suspicious. It went on for some time, both of them taking shifts, and were unnoticed.

At one point, Fleur exited the main hall. This was usually because someone wanted to go outside or into another room if there was an event being held. Her guest, however, didn’t follow her.

“Okay…” Fluttershy whispered, “I know how this works. It’s very likely that they planned it this way. She leaves, then they wait a few minutes, long enough to make sure no one notices, and then he might slip out after her. We should keep an eye on him.”

“Sounds like a plan, partner,” Rainbow said, sipping at her glass of wine. She was surprised by how well Fluttershy was able to navigate the currents of the part, and though she was a bit worried about not having eyes on Fleur, she figured Fluttershy had more than earned the right to call a few shots on their case.

Five minutes passed, but still nothing. Fluttershy bit her lip, trying to think of an alternative. Maybe by some chance, it was innocent, but they had to be sure. Nothing was to be overlooked.

“Oh dear… Maybe one of us should have followed her,” Fluttershy realized.

“Maybe,” Rainbow said, but there wasn’t any sign of negativity in the word, she spoke more as a teacher kindly correcting a student, “I always feel a bit more comfortable with a set of eyes on the target, but you had a good theory. Want to try and find her?”

“Yes, we-oh! Look, he’s leaving,” Fluttershy pointed to the man as he headed toward the main doors, “...Should we follow him, or try to find her?”

“Well, let’s give your theory a little try, and I think it holds water,” Rainbow said with a little smile, “Notice how he hasn’t spoken to anyone since Fleur left? Let’s go after him, chances are he’ll take us to her.”

Fluttershy smiled, seeing her point, “All right then, let’s go.”

Keeping their distance, as well as keeping it casual, the two headed out of the main hall as well. They followed the man along the hallway, glad for the carpet keeping their footsteps stifled. Slowly and quietly, they went, going around corners, and eventually coming to a row of other doors. Much to their surprise, the man entered one of the rooms. It wasn’t any room, they were lounge rooms, for the members to have a place of refuge and relaxation.

Fluttershy whispered, “Okay, those are rooms kind of like in a hotel, they’re meant for relaxation… Either he’s in there alone, or she’s in there. The doors don’t have locks on them, so we’ll be able to check.”

“Well then, we should probably be quiet then, try and listen in to make sure she’s in there and then we can try and snap a few photos once they get into things,” Rainbow said with a sagely nod.

Quietly, they approached the door, listening in as best they could. There was chatter, between the man and a woman. A nod from Fluttershy confirmed that the woman was indeed Fleur de Lys. They couldn’t make out what was being said, but it was clearly a very passionate discussion.

A minute or two passed, before the sounds of moaning and gasping were heard. This time, Rainbow slowly opened the door, quietly, so they could peer inside.

Sure enough, on one of the couches, Fleur was lying on her back, with the hem of her dress hiked up past her hips, and the neckline pulled down below her chest. The man was on top of her, half naked, groping her body while thrusting his hips. A clear sight that they were having sex.

Fluttershy looked to Rainbow, an unreadable gaze on her face. But she nodded, making sure to give her some room to take the photo.

Rainbow retrieved the small spy camera from her purse. She always preferred film for this type of work. Digital photos were too easily doctored, and that was usually the first complaint of the accused party. However if you wave the negative in their face, they started to sing a different tune.

She took a moment to make sure the couple was in focus, and started snapping away. Almost a full reel of film later, the pair of women backed away. Once clear of the door Rainbow shot Fluttershy a big thumbs up.

“Great work~” She whispered excitedly.

Fluttershy giggled softly, “Oh my gosh, we did it! We got the evidence… We solved the case… I can’t believe I helped you like this, I helped you solve a case!”

“Hell yeah you did!” Rainbow cheered softly, “You’re the reason things went so smoothly, partner.”

The thrill of being called ‘partner’ made Fluttershy squeal softly. She couldn’t believe their success! Granted, it was a simple case, but the fact that it all worked out; she couldn’t have felt happier. Being a rookie detective’s sidekick was really proving to be a great job for her, something she’d never expected in her entire life.

Giddy, her body bursting with excitement, Fluttershy just wanted to dance!

As they were about to turn the corner, they heard the voices of a few men, speaking fairly loudly. At least, loud enough for anyone within earshot to hear clearly.

“-And you’re saying you have no idea?” Came one voice.

“No, sir. He’s been laying low for the past few days, now. At least, that’s what I heard,” said a second voice.

A third voice spoke up, “I’m not sure what his plan is, but that’s what I heard, too.”

Fluttershy covered her mouth, wide-eyed, and drew out the tape recorder from her purse. She set it to “Record”, then placed it onto a nearby statue, where it was obscured, but would pick up the voices of the men.

At Rainbow’s confused look, she pulled her aside, whispering, “One of those men… He’s Jackpot. He was one of the men on Sombra’s file that he was associated with. He’s a gambler and seems to have very shady connections.”

“He wasn’t on my list of known associates….Either the cops were holding out on me…or, oh damn it, I was working from some of Firefly’s old files...” Rainbow growled, clearly perturbed at herself for not following up on her mentor’s work. Information was the lifeblood of her work, and to have missed something this major was nothing short of shameful. “...but why would he associate with such a loud mouth…” Rainbow mused to herself. This Jackpot was far from being covert. Speaking openly about his associate… and in a country club no less… It didn’t make any sense…

Unless…

“Oh crap… crap crap crap…” Rainbow slapped her forehead. “Shit, I’ve had this wrong from the beginning. I was working from Firefly’s case, Firefly’s notes! Assuming that your Sombra is that Sombra! It’s just a name though, a reputation...Fluttershy, this changes everything!”

Eyes wide, Fluttershy faced her again, whispering in a lower tone, “What do you mean, Rainbow? What-”

The voices were coming closer. By the sound of it, they were approaching, coming closer from the hall. Fluttershy tensed, realizing that they would be caught either way. Remaining in place would get them suspicious, trying to run away would get them suspicious, and they wouldn’t be able to make it down the hall without being seen, considering how long and open it was.

Rainbow’s eyes darted back and forth down the hall. The last thing they needed was for an associate of ‘Sombra’ to give them a second look, especially now and especially Fluttershy.

Acting fast Rainbow and barely thing pushed Fluttershy into a only partially concealed nook in the wall and pulled the taller woman’s face down to her own, their lips meeting in and fierce and passionate kiss.

And that was when the two women’s world exploded.

‘Oh my gosh…!’

Fluttershy’s body was melting and bursting, filled to the rim with passion. The touch of Rainbow’s lips against hers were unlike any kiss she’d ever had in her life. Kisses with Beauty Mark had always been nice, but Rainbow’s kiss just charged every bit of her senses. Whether it was the attraction she felt for this woman, or the pent-up desire for her; Fluttershy didn’t care.

She wound her arms around Rainbow’s neck and kissed her back, savouring her lips and returning it all with fervency. Their bodies pressed closer together, their lips clashed, there wasn’t a gap between them. Fluttershy moaned, overwhelmed by Rainbow’s kiss, surrendering completely. The location and circumstances were far from ideal, but all of that was rendered irrelevant.

Right now, all that mattered was finally being able to share a kiss with her. Fluttershy caressed the wig, careful not to pull it off or jostle it too much. Her heart pounded, her legs went weak, her stomach coiled with excitement and overall, the sensitivity of her lips drove her wild.

Rainbow had immediately lost herself in the kiss. Silly trifles, like the original need to conceal themselves or how no one would look twice at a couple of women making out except to maybe give a cat call, just went straight out of her mind replaced by the burning fiery need to Fluttershy again and again and again.

Dash pressed into her, wrapping herself around the pinkette, pressing her to the wall. The world fell away from her. Were Rainbow’s eyes open or shut? She couldn’t tell. All she could really see, or sense at all, was their heated passions finally finding release.

Minutes passed, and the detective and her client-come-partner continued to make out. Rainbow attention only being snapped away by a snide voice.

“Ugh, get a room why don’t you…” scoffed an indignant looking Fleur de Lys as she passed the pair in the hall.

A little startled, Fluttershy pulled back a bit, wide-eyed and staring at Rainbow. Mixes of emotions overtook her, her body began to relax, while still heated. She then smiled brightly, dazed with pleasure, her cheeks pink and her teal eyes sparkling.

“Oh my gosh…” Fluttershy said softly, enraptured.

“No kidding…” Rainbow replied, equally dazed, though after a moment she remember where she was and why they had just kissed. Feeling a momentary twinge of regret that their kiss hadn’t been for just its own sake, her eyes quickly scanned the hall up and down. “No sign of those guys…”

“I… suppose they just kept going…” Fluttershy said, looking past her for a moment.

They remained silent a few moments, but heard no further sounds. Only the indistinct sound of the music from the grand hall were heard, but nothing more.

“So...uh...That was awesome,” Rainbow said, knowing it to me quite the understatement.

Sighing dreamily, the pinkette just gazed upon the woman she’d fallen for, still taken aback by her kiss. It had been worth waiting for, it had been a lot better than she ever imagined it could be.

“Oh Rainbow…” Fluttershy cooed, bringing her closer, “You’re an amazing kisser. I’ve never felt that way when I was kissed before.”

“Yeah, me either,” Rainbow agreed, blushing a bit as she smiled up at her, “It was like the world just imploded or something and just...Wow...and I mean wow… What do I need to tell you for, you were there too!”

Laughing, the enraptured ex-model lay their foreheads together, “Dashie… That was the most amazing kiss I’ve ever shared. And it was with you. Not to mention a good idea in warding off suspicion, don’t you think? Although… I just hope you’re okay with the fact that I’m going to kiss you again… I’m not leaving those lips alone anymore~”

“Oh I’m not going back to the no kissing rule, that’s for damn sure,” Rainbow replied, bearing her canines in a mischievous grin.

“Well good, then I won’t have to make a fool of myself trying to kiss you,” Fluttershy giggled, nuzzling their noses.

“You could never make a fool of yourself, Fluttershy,” Rainbow said sweetly, “Not to me, at least.”

Fluttershy smiled more, blushing quite a bit. She then leaned in, touching their lips together in a sweet, tender kiss.

Rainbow returned the little kiss. It was less heated but made all the sweeter by this.
“Oh I can’t wait to get more of these bad boys,” Rainbow whispered against Fluttershy’s lips.

“You and me both,” the pinkette cooed back.

“Mmmm...Well that is the best way I’ve ever ended a case~” Rainbow grinned.

“It was my first case with you, but I think you’re right…” Fluttershy ran her fingers along her back, “Why don’t we go home, get into our pajamas, send for some pizza, and cuddle over a movie? Let’s make it even better~”

“That sounds like the most awesome thing ever~” Rainbow said shuddering happily at Fluttershy’s tantalizing touch, though there was an itch at the back of her mind, as though she was forgetting something…

They separated, then took the tape recorder, placing it back in Fluttershy’s purse. Going along, as if nothing had happened, the two left the building to head back to Rainbow’s apartment.

vero-chan vero-chan

It was indeed a job well done. All they had to do was present the evidence to Fancy Pants upon his return and the case would be closed.

With the nighttime now upon them, Rainbow and Fluttershy sat curled up on the former’s living room couch, a box of pizza on the coffee table, and a couple of two-litre bottles of soda with some glasses. Donned in their pajamas, cuddling together, they watched the film in the DVD player intently. All while occasionally sneaking some glances and little kisses.

Noticing one slice left, Fluttershy giggled and reached for it, taking a bite out of the end. “Mmmmm~”

“I can’t believe it…” Rainbow said to herself. “If anyone ever told me I’d be cuddling with a girl watching a movie and eating pizza and that it would be the best night of my life, I would have called them crazy… but it just is!”

Giggling, Fluttershy finished her bite, “I’ve always wanted to do this. I never truly had the real chance to just enjoy an evening together in this sort of simple, but fun way. And it feels wonderful!”

“How could it not?” Rainbow said leaning back on the couch smiling, “I do this a lot, actually. TV and pizza. But trust me, it has never been this fun. Ever.”

“It’s okay on its own… alone, but it’s even better with someone else. Especially someone you care about,” Fluttershy cooed, leaving the rest of the slice for her to eat, as they’d been doing for the past while.

Rainbow snatched up the last bit of the slice chewing away at it happily. “The best!” Rainbow said with her mouth full.

Fluttershy would’ve reprimanded her, but she didn’t care. She was too busy having fun with this. “Well, I think tonight has been amazing, too~”

“Super amazing~” Rainbow said after swallowing and giving Fluttershy a grin.

“Better than amazing,” Fluttershy give her a side hug, nuzzling her.

Rainbow planted a sweet kiss on her forehead, reveling in their abandonment of the restrictions that kept them apart. The little coo of pleasure coming from the pinkette was a little happy thrill to her heart. “I’m so glad to have you back Fluttershy, and for this to be… I guess ‘real’ is the word I’d use.”

“I’m glad to have you back, too,” Fluttershy beamed, stroking her hair, “You’ve done so much, and I can’t even begin to express how wonderful this all is. I finally have my life back, I have a new job, places I can be, and… well, best of all, I have you. There really couldn’t be anything better than this.”

‘Her life back… ‘ Rainbow mused for a second, “That’s it! Oh man I nearly forgot!” Rainbow beamed with pride and excitment, “I figured out the case ‘shy! 100% this time, I got it, I mean I really got it. Sombra, Jackpot, maybe even those thugs who attacked us… oh this is major!”

Eyes wide, Fluttershy looked at her with confusion, “What do you mean? What did you figure out?”

“I made the connection at the club,” Rainbow said excitedly. “When you mentioned that Jackpot had been listed as a associate of Sombra, but from Firefly’s case notes, and from what she told me when she was still around, Sombra is a classic stalker type. A loner. He wouldn’t work with anyone ever, it’s just the pathology of his particular brand of crazy.

“But think about it, what did Sombra do? He made girls disappear, that’s what. Now if we throw out the theory that this Sombra is Firefly’s Sombra who was motivated by his own mental illness, what other motive do you get for making young, attractive girls who nobody would miss disappear?”

“...Overpowering them?” Fluttershy asked, blinking a few times, “Just the sheer satisfaction of being able to overpower someone?”

“Yes but think on a bigger scale, I mean that Jackpot guy’s a gambler right? Los Pegasus is famous for something other than the flashing lights in my line of work. It’s the capital of the country’s human trafficking operations. Slavery, ‘Shy. All done under the guise of a psycho stalker that half the police force has probably given up on catching!”

Eyes wide, it was beginning to dawn on her, then. “Oh… Oh my gosh… So you’re saying that maybe… Sombra isn’t even real? Just… fabricated as some kind of a way to divert the police? By making him into some kind of shadowy, hidden man they wouldn’t know how to find? So that they can slip under the radar and blame all their crimes on him, but because they have no evidence… they get away with it?”

“He was real, that much is certain, but he could have died or gotten thrown in jail or something, and someone took over his MO. It’s the games and the fear that make the signature, and the new guy has them down, but his game goes a step deeper. It’s all a game inside another hidden game. This new guy is just as dangerous, if not more so. He is infinitely more calculating than the original.”

“Oh…” Fluttershy realized all the more what she was saying, and trembled. Sombra was nothing more than using his name to further instill fear and keep the real crimes under the radar. Someone who was once real, but was now taken over by someone new. “Well… What does this mean? Where do we go from there?”

“I don’t know, with any luck though he’ll just move on from you,” Rainbow said, thinking about it, “If this truly does come down to business… and it does make it more likely that the individual the police have might be Sombra… I was doubting it mostly on the basis that I had built up Sombra as this genius level crazy loner, but if he’s part of an organization, well every organization has weak links.”

Fluttershy bit her lip, feeling nervous all over again, “They haven’t done anything since the suspect was caught. In fact, I haven’t heard a thing since then, either.”

“Best thing I can do is try to explain it all to Twilight tomorrow. She might be the only one who could appreciate these kinds of connections, after all that’s what she said she does,” Rainbow said, pouting a bit in thought.

Pouting as well, Fluttershy cuddled up against her, “Dashie… don’t you get pouty on me, now.”

“Hey this is my thoughtful pout, not my sad pout, and I happen to like it, thank you very much,” Rainbow said with a little giggle, her pout breaking into a grin.

Giggling, Fluttershy kissed her cheek, “I stand corrected. Well, then I guess we’ll go to the station tomorrow and let Twilight know. Hopefully we should get some leads on this. Either way, we may just have a new side to the case, won’t we?”

“That’s for sure,” Rainbow said smiling and pulling Fluttershy into a tight embrace, “...and you know what? How about we make some other plans tomorrow too…” Rainbow grinned expectantly preparing to drop a wonderful bombshell, “Like, I don’t know, a date?”

Heart skipping a beat, the pinkette beamed at her with a shining smile, “Rainbow… really? A date?”

“Oh course!” Rainbow said excitedly, “I’m going to do this relationship right, though I do sort of count tonight as our first date, but it was work too so it only half counts. So let’s do something that’s just you and me. A pure “us” date.”

“Yay!” Fluttershy giggled and kissed her lips briefly, “I think you’re right, maybe it was a bit of a date. But since it was for work… Well, then tomorrow, we’ll go on a proper date. That would be wonderful! Um… do you have something in mind?”

“Can’t go wrong with classics,” Rainbow said merrily, “How about dinner and a movie?”

Smiling more, Fluttershy nodded, “I would love to, Rainbow.”

“Then it’s a date,” The detective cooed.

“Oh… it certainly is a date…” Said the pinkette in a sweet coo, nuzzling their noses.

Rainbow lay her forehead against that of Fluttershy, sighing happily, “I don’t know what I did… maybe it was just one too many drops in the karma bucket… but I can’t believe how lucky I am to have you in my life.”

“Believe me, I ask myself the same thing all the time…” Fluttershy murmured, closing her eyes, “While I could do without living in fear and being stalked… I do have to be thankful for one thing in all of this. It brought me to you.”

“And me to you,” Dash replied, her own eyes sliding shut as she kissed Fluttershy’s forehead. It had been a long night of first kisses and revelations, or parties and closed cases, of love and exposing infidelity… and the lot of it had left Dash feeling pleasantly drained.

“If you hadn’t stopped that robbery at the store, I would never have found you…” Fluttershy kissed her nose. “The first time I saw you, I couldn’t look away. I think it was your eyes and your hair that really drew me in~”

“Not my epic badassery?” Rainbow joked with a little laugh.

“Oh, there was that, too,” Fluttershy giggled, shaking her head.

“I suppose I’m glad my looks didn’t go unnoticed,” Rainbow murmured happily, “Celestia knows I noticed yours straight away...Mmmm… hey Fluttershy, wanna hit the hay?”

Brightening, Fluttershy nodded as she stroked her thigh, “Sure, I’d love to…”

Rainbow took Fluttershy’s hand and the pair walked together into the bedroom, each more than ready to face the long dark of night with one another at their side. Once they curled up in Rainbow’s bed, pulling the covers up around their necks, Rainbow wrapped herself around Fluttershy with both her arms and a legs.

“Mmmm… You’re so snuggly, ‘Shy,” Rainbow said softly.

Giggling, Fluttershy cuddled into her, “I love to cuddle. And I feel so safe in your arms, better than I ever did in a long time. You still smell so nice~”

Rainbow sighed happily and murmured “You too ‘Shy...Everything about you is so warm and nice and soft…”

“Hee… Rainbow, I’m curious. How did you ever find me? By way of when I was still a model?” She asked curiously, nuzzling her.

“Well,” Rainbow blushed a bit recalling the memory, “it was a magazine ad, I don’t even remember what it was for… maybe some kinda perfume? It doesn’t really matter. What does matter was the expression on your face! You were timid and yet alluring. Your eyes, that’s what said it all. Your eyes spoke to me Fluttershy and I found myself unable to look away. Being me, I looked you up and found as many pictures as I could, collected magazines and all that. I thought to myself, ‘This woman is the single most beautiful human being ever in existence.’ That’s how I found you, Fluttershy. That’s how I began to fall for you without having ever seen you...”

Blushing immensely, but so flattered, Fluttershy kissed her nose and nuzzled her, “Oh… you’re so sweet! I didn’t think I could honestly affect someone on such a level.”

“I’d never been so affected by any model like that before…” Rainbow cooed, “But somehow you just did it, your expressions just always felt so real, so special… they always cut to the heart of me.”

“Awww…” Fluttershy giggled, looking bashful. “I think I have to thank having become a model. You may never have found me... Oh! I also wore a rainbow-patterned dress in a few ads, photos and spreads. Did you see them?”

“Oh yeah!” Rainbow replied enthusiastically, only to blush a bit heavily a moment later, “Those ones… Let’s just say I found them to be very special…”

This made Fluttershy laugh as she then rolled onto her back, bringing Rainbow on top of her. “I imagine they must have been. Oh, and I found a few of the magazines you kept of me. They were quite worn… You must use them quite a bit~”

Rainbow looked down at her, blushing now at having been found out, and feeling a thrill coil in her stomach about now being practically astride the pinkette.“I did… they accompanied me on quite a few sessions of alone time… if you know what I mean~”

“I knew it…” Fluttershy beamed, bringing her arms around her neck, “Rainbow… I’ll be honest. I’ve… pleasured myself to your photos, too… before we met.”

“No wonder we’ve had to try so hard to keep out hands off each other,” Rainbow said, feeling herself shudder slightly, at Fluttershy’s words.

A hefty blush coated Fluttershy’s cheeks all the more, “I know… I never thought I could be so attracted to someone before even having met them. But really… I’ve been a model, I’ve seen so many models and all sorts of beautiful people. However, they don’t hold a candle to you. I think that… you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen~”

It was corny, cheesy, something she knew she’d gotten out of a romance novel. At the same time, Fluttershy wasn’t about to deny it. She’d never met another woman who had such a uniquely attractive look to her, not like Rainbow herself. It wasn’t even just that, it was who she was inside. Strange as it was, her personality and character traits seemed to mesh so nicely with her own. Anyone outside of their lives would think otherwise, no doubt.

But it didn’t matter. Fluttershy knew how she felt. She looked into the stunning, cerise eyes of her partner and lover; feeling captivated by them. Her face framed with her short, scruffy rainbow hair. Her face was strong and determined, but soft and feminine enough, despite the hardened features. Holding it together was her athletic tone, from what she could see, and her tan olive skin. Fluttershy continuously felt tingles just looking at her.

Rainbow looked down at her, meeting her gaze and staring straight into her beautiful teal eyes. Those eyes, the eyes that had spoken to her so long ago, were now right in front of her face. Fluttershy, her ultimate fantasy, now lay beneath her. Rainbow could feel the warmth of her body radiate off of her, and hear the soft exhale of her breath.

Dash knew, knew it in her heart, that what held true for Fluttershy of her, held true for Rainbow’s opinion of the pinkette. She was truly stunning, embodying every ideal of gentle grace that Rainbow could call to mind. Her creamy delicately pale skin, her long graceful limbs, and - despite it being a bit of a rarity in the modeling world - her bountiful curves all seemed to embody an almost mythical archetype of the bountiful open-heated caregiver. Even the bit of weight she had put on since leaving her modelling career only enhanced her beauty, filling out any hard edges the industry had forced on her and replacing them with more soft curves.

Looking down at her now, Rainbow saw it more than ever. Even Fluttershy’s long hair was spread about her head, forming a pink halo.

“You are, Fluttershy, the single most amazing, wonderful, and… stunningly beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on, and every minute of every day your beauty only seems to grow~”

The sweet words jolted her heart. Fluttershy heard this kind of talk many times before, but coming from someone she cared about so much was even better. To think, hearing the kinds of words that she dreaded, as it reconnected her to the life she’d hated; were for once, actually sweet. She blushed, nuzzling their noses.

“Rainbow… Come here, come and have the real me!” She cooed with passion, and brought the other woman’s lips down to hers.

“Mmmph~” Rainbow moaned softly against her lips, kissing her with all the passion of the moment they now shared while her hands ran over the pinkette’s sides, all too happy to be touching the woman of her dreams.

Moaning at the back of her throat, Fluttershy tousled her fingers through Rainbow’s chromatic strands. Their bodies came closer, fueling her desires, especially with the way she’d been teased before. The glimpses of Rainbow’s body, her legs, the tone of her muscles-it was all breathtaking. She didn’t restrain herself this time, not when they could finally be more intimate with each other.

Rainbow felt herself giving in to every carnal desire she had ever felt for the pinkette, every fantasy, every image that had ever driven herself to self pleasuring, it all came crashing over her. She lost herself in the pinkette’s lips once more, and once again she felt as though the world apart from her warm tender lips meant nothing. She felt as though she was diving head first into an abyss of pleasure, she could see in her mind where this was going and wanted it more than anything.

...and yet the thinnest of threads held her back...

“Fl-Fluttershy…” She said softly, fighting her every instinct, “...can we… wait a sec…”

“W-What’s wrong?” Fluttershy pulled back slightly, worried, “Is… everything okay?”

“...It’s…” Rainbow began, already hating herself a bit for spoiling the moment, “...I don’t want this to be like every other relationship I’ve had… They all moved so quickly… and if you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you got... you know?... Just… can we not have sex until we have our real date…?”

A little pout formed at Fluttershy’s lips. She wanted this woman so much, especially since right this moment was an opportune time for it. So much of herself wanted to put her seduction to good use, considering how she knew Rainbow wanted her. Easily, she’d be able to subdue her and take her right then and there. So easy.

But the other part of her knew that Rainbow was right. Maybe it was truly best to wait until they’d had a proper date, without everything else in between getting in the way. It was probably for the best, to truly make it special.

“....Okay,” Fluttershy murmured, albeit reluctantly.

“I’m so sorry,” Rainbow muttered, eyes shut. “...I know nothing about this.. about us… has been what you could call normal… It’s stupid, and I’m the last person on earth who would insist on romance, but that’s kinda the point…”

Shaking her head, the pinkette nuzzled Rainbow gently, stroking her hair, “No… no. Don’t be sorry for doing the right thing. I’m the one who should be sorry. I-I mean, I keep letting my body and my hormones get the better of me. I know that being impulsive will ruin things and that’s the last thing I want to do. At least you have restraint…”

“You have no idea how thin my restraint is wearing, Flutters,” Rainbow said, her body still tensed and ready for more than just kisses. “But you’re worth it.”

“You’re worth it too,” Fluttershy’s voice was soft, her lips grazing along her cheek, “I’m just sorry if it doesn’t seem that way…”

“I wish it didn’t have to be that way, you have no idea how much I just want to take you right now…” Rainbow said in a soft voice, her resolve wavering only for a moment.

A little giggle sounded from the ex-model, “Me too… But, it’s okay. I can wait, Rainbow. There is more to our relationship than just sex and I think we can wait until the time feels more right. Going too fast is… one of those things where it feels like a good idea at the time, but can turn out counterproductive. So… we’ll wait, we’ll make it truly worth it. Hey, at least for now, we have kisses, hugs and cuddles…” Fluttershy cooed, kissing her cheek.

Rainbow smiled, snuggling up to Fluttershy’s side once more, and planting a little kiss on her lips, “Oh yes… no one is going to keep me from kissing you, ever~”

“Good, because I know I won’t, either~” Fluttershy kissed her as well, stroking her hair.

“Mmm… and I don’t want to spend another night out of your arms, you hear me?” Rainbow said with a soft little chuckle.

Laughing, Fluttershy kissed her forehead, “Every night, there is nowhere I’d rather be than in your arms.”

Rainbow yawned softly, her eyes drifting shut once more, “Then that’s where we’ll both stay.”

“Every morning, noon and night…” Fluttershy closed her eyes and cuddled closer. “Mmmm… Goodnight, Rainbow…”

“Good night ‘shy,” Rainbow murmered as she slipped off the bonds of the waking world.

With the evening having brought them closer than before, both women slept in the comforting embrace of each other. Whatever would happen next would happen, what with their first proper date coming to be. As long as they had each other, they were ready for anything.

Author's Note

Yes yes yes! :D Rainbow and Fluttershy FINALLY kissed! Now they're officially girlfriends! And partners, no less! ;) What else is in store for our ladies? You'll see in due time!

Also, give a huge thank-you to vero-chan for the awesome new cover! Her support has meant so much to us! She's the mod for our mutual favourite Ask Human RainbowShy Ask Blog on Tumblr! :D

Chapter Eight: Closer, Closer

Chapter 8: Closer, Closer

The next morning, after waking up yet again to one another’s warm presence, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were heading out to the police station. It had been a nice morning, full of cuddling and having breakfast together, all the while getting some ideas of where to go for their date. But that was for later.

Now Rainbow Dash found herself facing the same gray facade of the local precinct, but this time, far from feeling the usual annoyance and bitterness upon eyeing the building, Dash actually felt a bit of a thrill. There were few things she enjoyed more than showing up the cops, not to mention wrapping up a case that was long overdue and securing Fluttershy’s continued safety.

Entering the precinct, Officer Twilight Sparkle was at the desk yet again, and looked up to see them coming in.

“Hey I know you said you’d call us, but boy have I got something for you,” Rainbow said, grinning excitedly.

Twilight looked to them both in surprise, “Really? So do I, in fact. But you first. What is it that you have?”

“I show you mine you show me yours eh?” Rainbow said, “Alright then. Two words, copper: Human trafficking.”

“...Human trafficking?” Twilight repeated, “This has to do with Sombra’s actions?”

“Think about it this way, since you love the connections game,” Rainbow said, swagger going on full, “Right, so Sombra, evil crazy black-hearted game-player, yeah? Profile my mentor worked up on him described him as a serial delusionist, a loner. Smart and crazy, pretty much. But look at what he’s been up to lately. Associates? why the heck would Sombra have associates. Especially mobbed up casino types?

“Turn it upside down. Think of frame of reference for it all. What if there were two Sombras? One real one, the original crazy asshole, and a second that associates with scumbags and contracts out his kidnapping game. He learns the methods well enough, the cops just see the Sombra M/O and pass it on down the line. I mean how realistic is the department thinking about catching this guy if a uniformed officer is the main person working this case? I mean no offence, you’re probably smarter than half the detectives but they probably don’t appreciate or realize that.”

The room was silent for a few moments, aside from the sound of the radio, before Twilight spoke up again.

“That… wow, I thought of that theory, but we had no real evidence to support it,” Twilight murmured, wide-eyed. “And I think it makes sense because the guy we took into custody isn’t who we thought.”

“Okay then, your turn. Spill.” Rainbow said, her curiosity sufficiently whetted.

Twilight brought out a file, sliding it over to her, “The suspect we caught had an airtight alibi. He was across town the night that Fluttershy’s apartment was broken into. It turns out that he was actually at a movie with his friends during the evening, and he was at work during the day, we had it all confirmed. His alibi was indeed airtight and true. He doesn’t even have a car, and the nearest bus stop from Fluttershy’s apartment is over eight blocks away.”

“So no way he could try and put the spook on Flutters, but he’s still bust worthy for the electronics theft.” Rainbow gave a nod. “Yup, if that doesn’t have organized crime written all over it I don’t know what does.”

“Yes… So our true suspect is operating under Sombra’s name to throw us off because of the fact that Sombra has been impossible to catch,” Twilight surmised, “It was true all along…”

“...Where… do we go from here?” Fluttershy asked, a litle bit worried. “I know Jackpot and his associates are up to something, we had it on recording,” she placed the tape recorder onto the desk, “But what we caught is a bit vague.”

"Unfortunately," Rainbow began, a slight frown creasing her brow, "The fact that Twilight here has also come up with a similar theory and yet nothing's been done, means that the cops are waiting for hard evidence before they accept that everything they had thought about was wrong..."

Twilight nodded in agreement, “There isn’t much else we can do. I have tried convincing the team on the case that we need to investigate further, but they’re not budging. However, I might have a plan for you two to follow, if you’d be willing.”

“I’m more than willing to take this bastard down,” Rainbow said, pounding her fist into her hand.

“Okay,” Twilight said, then lowered her voice, “For now, you two need to keep a low profile. You’ve done a good job of that so far, so that’s good. We also need to further investigate that man, Jackpot. What we have on him so far isn’t substantial, but I know there’s something up with him. We know he frequents to a casino on Long Island, so in a few days, the two of you should go undercover there, and keep an eye on him.”

“...I think we can do that,” Fluttershy said, “Especially if both of us are in disguise.”

“I know the casino scene pretty well,” Rainbow said, mulling the plan over in her head, “Not surprising really. You wouldn’t believe how many runaways and cheating spouses end up on Long Island.”

The officer snorted in agreement, “I’ve had to go undercover over there sometimes. You’d be right.”

“I’ve been to the casino on Long Island, and a few others,” Fluttershy mentioned. At their looks, she shook her head, “Oh, no. Not for the reasons you think. They were for publicity reasons.”

“I’m sure,” Rainbow said with a little laugh.

Twilight then took a notepad, scribbling something down on it, “Here’s my personal cell phone number. You’ll be able to contact me through that.”

Fluttershy took it, “Thank you, Twilight. It’ll help.”

“Glad to see you takin’ an interest in the case, above and beyond, I mean,” Rainbow said giving the officer a smile.

“Well,” Twilight smiled, “I figured it’s time to do something, especially with what’s come up. I just wished we could’ve done more to help you, Fluttershy.”

Giving a smile, Fluttershy held Rainbow’s hand, out of view of the desk, “It’s all right… I think it turned out just fine.”

“Yeah, guess things did sort of workout…” Rainbow said stroking the back of Fluttershy’s hand with her thumb.

“Right,” said the officer, giving a little smile, “Well, if you need anything else, just call me.”

“If you lose your number we’ll just dial 911,” Rainbow said with a laugh.

Fluttershy giggled, while Twilight rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

For their date that evening, they decided on going to the Rock Farm. It may not have been much, or even fancy, but Fluttershy was all too happy to comply with the idea. They’d already been there before and it was also the first they’d ever gone to together. Even their second trip there led to a few moments that was all but showcasing their growing feelings.

Tonight, it seemed like a great start to the new step in their partnership. As well as that, it was without the professional code. Tonight, it was about their relationship. And as such, they even wore nice dresses for the evening together.

Fluttershy wore a pretty dress she’d taken with her. A green and yellow number with thin spaghetti straps, reaching past her knees, and a sweetheart neckline. Along with that were green flats, while her hair was styled nicely and let down freely along her shoulders and back.

Rainbow opTed for a dark, almost blood red dress she’d kept in her closet for nice occasions. It was a relatively simple style, with a scooped out neckline and a fit that flared just below the hips so as to accentuate her curves, subtle as they were on Rainbow’s lean form. The length of the dress came to just above the knees showing off her long legs. Despite Rainbow’s usual no frills approach to life, she had always enjoyed the little embellishments of this particulate dress, namely the delicate yet stylish layer of black lace that was layered into the bodice. Though the shorter woman tended to shun heels (“What’s the point? You can’t run in them, they hurt like a bitch, and you can’t take five steps without worrying that you’ll break your neck.”), she had take a shine to a pair shoes that were essentially black combat boots with a five inch wedge.

In perfect honesty, Fluttershy could not keep her eyes off the other woman. Much like the night before on their undercover job, she looked absolutely beautiful.

They entered the bar, with a knowing and playful smirk from Applejack, who let them in without question.

All at once, they were immediately greeted by Pinkie, who seemed to know exactly what was going on.

“Oooooohhhhhh! Well, finally! Don’t you two worry, I’ll have you all set up! Wait right here!” She said excitedly, before bouncing off to prepare a table.

Rainbow laughed to herself, turning to Fluttershy, “Well, I didn’t tell her.”

“I didn’t, either…” Fluttershy said, blinking.

“I swear she’s had this weird sixth sense ever since I’ve met her, guess you could call it intuition,” Rainbow said her eyes following the pinkette as she lite a little candelabra on a single set table. “Whatever it is, freaks me out sometimes.”

Pinkie arranged the table with the candle, then added a little vase with a couple of flowers in it. She even added a cherry-red table cloth to further add to the atmosphere of the setting. With a bright smile, she turned to the two women.

“Here you go, ladies! A perfect setting for your date! I’ll be right back with your drinks!” Pinkie said, winking at them before she went behind the bar.

“Didn’t even ask for our order…” Rainbow muttered as she made her way to the table, but even the mysteries of Pinkie Pie could not keep a smile from her face. Arriving at the table before her date, and remembering a bit of dating advice her father had once given her, Rainbow pulled out Fluttershy’s chair for her. “Uh… after you?”

Giggling, Fluttershy smiled more and sat down, “Thank you!”

“Don’t mention it,” Rainbow said settling opposite Fluttershy, “Sorry if my manners seem a bit… Let’s just say I been on a real date since high school, and trust me, none of those went well.”

“It’s all right,” Fluttershy reached over to touch her hand, “I’m not exactly very well experienced, all things considered. But this is a whole new learning process for me, too…”

“Then I guess we have no choice but to be ourselves,” Rainbow said, smiling at this thought.

Laughing at the sentiment, Fluttershy beamed. She felt a sense of peace that she hadn’t felt on a date, and it was wonderful. There wasn’t a sense of it being awkward, as well as trying not to look stupid in front of the other person. It all felt a lot better than she imagined it would be. Here they were, in a place they were familiar with, after everything that had happened between them. It didn’t feel like a typical first date.

It felt more like a new step in what they already had.

Fluttershy took in the woman sitting across from her, still amazed at how lovely she looked. But what attracted her more was Rainbow’s smile. It filled her heart with happiness, further attributing to their sweet, romantic environment. The candlelight danced off her face in a warm, soft glow. She may have been a lovely woman, she may have been a gumshoe, but she was Rainbow Dash. She wouldn’t have her any other way.

“I’d love that very much,” Fluttershy cooed, gazing at her lovingly.

“I don’t think I know how to be anyone else,” Rainbow said laughing, her smile wide as could be.

In the flickering candlelight, it was Fluttershy’s eyes that Rainbow couldn’t tear her gaze away from. They glinted in the orange glow, like jewels set in the face of the most perfect beauty she could ever have imagined. She had once extolled at length on how attractive and expressive Fluttershy the model had been, but compared to Fluttershy the assistant detective, she couldn’t help to compare.

Fluttershy seemed to have grown more beautiful with each day Rainbow saw her, each moment they spent together she grew more real… more Fluttershy, and Rainbow simply wouldn’t have had her any other way.

“Neither do I…” Fluttershy reached over again, touching her hand and playing with her fingers, “I’ve never… felt this way on a date before…”

“Yeah I think this how they’re supposed to feel,” Rainbow said spreading her fingers and playing with Fluttershy’s in turn. “I mean we haven’t even gotten to the food or anything…. You got that warm feeling in your chest too?”

A soft blush coated her cheeks as the ex-model nodded, “I do, Rainbow… I’ve had it before we got here,” she placed her free hand over her heart, “My heart is going to burst.”

“Well not to get too mushy...” Rainbow said, her lips quirked in a small smile, “...but yeah, I think I got that too. I’ve had it for a while now, ‘shy, and I know it’s a cliche but… Yeah I’ve never felt like this before.”

Gazing into her superior and girlfriend’s radiant cerise eyes, Fluttershy felt yet another flutter to her heart. Even when Pinkie came back to place down their drinks and menus, she didn’t tear her gaze for a second. She was captivated, with the way those eyes looked back into her own, bearing all of her feelings. It wasn’t just a gumshoe who tended to be quiet about mushier feelings, but a woman. Letting out how she was feeling, being more comfortable, and having nothing to hold her back. Fluttershy couldn’t help feeling all the more amazed at their development. Client, friend, lover, and rookie partner.

With a giggle, Fluttershy leaned a little closer, “It’s amazing, isn’t it? You look so… beautiful. I can’t even describe it, but, you just seem so… well, awesome in this kind of way, too.”

“Guess that’s another level of awesome to put under my belt. Fearless private investigator… and looks good in a dress,” Rainbow said chuckling to herself, though her words were a bit teasing the soft tone of her voice showed nothing but warmth for the ex-model. “You know, I know you made a career of it and all, but you look really beautiful tonight too. Not just in that 2-D magazine page way either… You’re sort of… Glowing.”

“Oh…” Fluttershy cooed, the warm feeling in her chest returning, “Thank you… Well, I certainly have a lot of reasons to be glowing right now. You certainly are glowing, too…”

“What?” Rainbow looked at her hands as if she could somehow descend her ‘glow-factor’ from them, though it was all in jest. “I...I don’t glow… I just look happy, or kick ass, or angry. That’s my comfortable range of emotions,” She retorted, the snark in her tone almost palatable.

“Could’ve fooled me,” Fluttershy playfully pouted.

“Enough, enough, fine I’m glowing,” Rainbow said putting her hands up playfully, “Just be careful with those lips and that pout… you got more fire power there than anything I carry around.”

This made Fluttershy laugh, shaking her head, “You’re such a delight.”

“A delight? That’s gotta be the first time anyone’s called me that, though I’ll add it to my list of nicknames,” Rainbow said with a snort, “Alphabetically it’ll go right under that really nasty one that starts with a ‘C’.”

Cringing, Fluttershy pouted a bit, “Well, you’re certainly not getting filthy language from me.”

“None at all?” Rainbow said with a little smirk, hoping to play off any discomfort Fluttershy felt as she usually did: With her own brand of charm. “Because I was hoping after our date I might get you saying a few very naughty things to me~”

Perking a bit, this made the pinkette smile, “Well, that depends what you have in mind… But I’m sure there are ways I could say a few… naughty things~”

Rainbow gave her little wink and grinned over the of her drink as she took a sip, “Mmmm… well that’s just awesome~”

“Oh, yes…” Fluttershy sipped her drink as well, giggling.

Pinkie appeared again, “Okay, you two loverbirdies, what’ll it be?”

Straightening herself, Fluttershy took a quick glance at the menu and handed it over to her, “I’ll have the same as I did before. Oh, and fries this time, hold the salad.”

“Ditto,” Rainbow said quickly not even cracking the menu, “Why mess with success, eh?”

Snickering, Pinkie took the menus from them, “Oh, I think you know far too well about that, Dashie! Be back with your food in a bit!” She winked at the two, then traipsed off.

Rainbow shook her head, chuckling to herself, “I don’t know what makes that woman tick, but she always seems to get things right…” Rainbow smiled to herself, staring after the wayward pinkette, “...wonder if she’ll ever find someone?”

Shrugging, Fluttershy followed her gaze, then looked to see a woman sitting herself at the bar. Despite the casual wear, she was surprised to see that it was officer Twilight Sparkle. The moment Pinkie caught sight of her, she rushed to the bar and grinned, talking to her.

“Well, you never know,” Fluttershy said, smiling a bit.

Rainbow gave a little snort of laughter at the sight of Pinkie and Twilight together, “Yeah, guess you never do… Never figured Pinkie would go for bacon.”

“Life is full of surprises…” Fluttershy cooed, reaching over to gently tousle a strand of her rainbow hair.

Rainbow smiled warmly at the affectionate gesture. “Sure is… Like a model and a P.I. stepping out together and falling for eachother.”

“Oh, yes… then becoming partners, no less…” Fluttershy beamed.

“And who knows what we’ll become next~” Rainbow said, a sultry tone playing about the edges of her voice.

The implications made Fluttershy’s spine tingle, but it didn’t deter her, “You’re right, Rainbow… It’s all so wonderful. I’ve waited my whole life for a moment like this…”

“You know, I’d thought I’d ever get a moment like this. Candle lit dinner with the world’s most beautiful woman? Nah that only happens to fancy upper crust socialites... Still here I am, candles and everything.”

“Hee… Well, I’m sure glad you feel your fantasy came true~” Fluttershy giggled, winking.

“Well there’s plenty more where that one came from~” Rainbow replied, winking back.

Letting out a laugh, Fluttershy leaned a bit closer, “Oh, Dashie… I’d love to hear your fantasies… Goodness knows I’ve come to have quite a few of my own~”

“I want you to tell me each and every one,” Rainbow said softly, reaching for Fluttershy’s hand and stroking it gently.

“And you tell me yours,” said Fluttershy, placing her hand on top of hers.

Rainbow leaned in until their lips were mere inches from eachs from each other. The detective stared into Fluttershy’s beautiful teal eyes once more. Just as she had done ever since the first day they had met, and even before that, it was Fluttershy’s eyes that captivated her, and it was Fluttershy’s eyes that held her now.

“No problem, Fluttershy,” Rainbow whispered with a voice like silk.

Entranced by the other woman, the smile on Fluttershy’s lips grew, “Rainbow Dash… you’re such a wonder…”

“And you… you wonderful, beautiful thing…” Rainbow felt an indescribable emotions fill her chest. It was a feeling of security that she hadn’t felt in many many years, combined with an intimacy and attraction she had never known before meeting this amazing woman.

‘Is this...no, I mean… can’t be...but it feels like…. love.’

The word fell heavy on the gumshoe’s mind, sticking despite her usual aversion to it. Love was something she had always brushed aside. An idea that people used as an excuse to do stupid and crazy things. A temporary insanity that gripped the hearts and mind of fools… and yet there was nothing else that could accurately described how she felt.

Giggling a bit, Fluttershy closed the gap, touching their lips in a sweet kiss. She pulled back after a few moments, reaching over to stroke her hair, “I’m having such a good time so far, Rainbow… In fact, these past days we’ve been with each other… Have been some of the best of my life. You’ve really… brought so much hope back into my life…”

“Geez, Flutters… that’s… Wow, that’s really sweet… and not to be too mushy or nothing but… You’ve done the same for me. I don’t know what I’d be doing now if it wasn’t for you stepping into my office, but I certainly wouldn’t feel this good,” Rainbow said, smiling warmly.

Fluttershy smiled more as well, “I don’t know where I’d be if I didn’t seek you out, Rainbow… I don’t know what I’d be doing. But it’s wonderful that we truly had the chance to find each other.”

Rainbow once more took Fluttershy’s hand in her own, stroking the delicate, pale skin of it with her thumb. “You’re wonderful….just wonderful~”

Pinkie came over, as if skipping, and placed their food in front of them, “Here you goesies! Enjoy, you adorable loverbirdies! And good timing, too! Rarity is going to be doing a set any minute now!”

As if responding to Pinkie’s words a low spotlight flared to life on the stage and out from behind a curtain stepped Rarity who had traded in her waitress uniform for a deep blue, flirty cocktail dress. Rarity smiled knowingly to the detective and her date and sat down at the bench to the baby grand piano that occupied a corner of the stage.

The sometimes waitress took a deep breath and played a slow scale, her fingers gliding over the ivories, playing each and every note from low to high. After a few moments, during which the low buzz of chatter in the bar dies away, Rarity began to hum softly… and then she began to sing in soft elegant voice.

“Like the beat, beat, beat,
Of the tom-tom;
When the jungle shadows fall,
Like the tick, tick, tock
Of the stately clock,
As it stands against the wall,
Like the drip, drip, drip,
Of the raindrops,
When the summer show'r is through;
So a voice within me
Keeps repeating,
You, you, you

Night and day
You are the one,
Only you
Beneath the moon
And under the sun.
Whether near to me or far,
It's no matter,
Darling, where you are
I think of you
Night and day.

Day and night
Why is it so,
That this longing for you follows
Where-ever I go?
In the roaring traffic's boom,
In the silence of my lonely room,
I think of you,
Night and day.

Night and day
Under the hide of me
There's an
Oh, such a hungry yearning,
Burning inside of me.
And its torment won't be through
Til you let me spend my life
Making love to you,
Day and night,
Night and day.”

Rarity concluded her number and covered the keys of the piano. She smiled out to the limited audience, a radiant shine emanating from her, her eyes seeking those of a certain bouncer who grinned appreciatively back at her. In moments like these the simple cocktail waitress was transformed into shining star.

“Wow…” Fluttershy murmured, moved by the song itself and the sweet performance. “She’s a lovely singer…”

“Yeah, no kidding…” Rainbow added, feeling the song resonate within her, “I don’t know if I’ve ever heard her more...on.”

It was funny how songs could sometimes speak to you, kind of like they’re expressing how you feel. Fluttershy felt a warmth within her chest rise again as she calmly ate her food. She smiled then toward her superior and lover, her cheeks pink. If she was able to pick a song to describe her feelings, this would be it. So far, anyway. She had a feeling there would be plenty of songs along the way.

“I think… it says a lot about how we feel,” she said.

“I think we have a certain bartender to thank for the song selections,” Rainbow said with a smile.

Glancing over to Pinkie, Fluttershy could see her chatting animatedly with Twilight. Much to even her own surprise, Twilight was laughing and smiling the entire time. They seemed to have nice chemistry together, especially with Pinkie sometimes touching her arm.

“Oh, I think you’re right, Rainbow… And I think she’s made a new friend…” Fluttershy giggled.

“Yeah, well something tells me Twilight Sparkle there could use a friend or two,” Rainbow laughed a little, “Then again, Pinkie might be all the friend Miss. By-The-Book can handle.”

Laughing a little, Fluttershy continued eating her food. She took a fry from her own plate, sticking it between her teeth, but not biting down on it. The rest of it dangled out between her lips as she turned back to Rainbow, batting her eyelashes.

Rainbow giggled, leaning forward and taking the dangling bit in her teeth and biting down on it just as her lips met. Rainbow gave her a quick kiss before pulling away and grinning as she chewed the bit of fried potato.

“I take it you’ve watched more than a few romantic comedies?” Rainbow said, chuckling.

“Yes…” Fluttershy blushed, giggling, “And maybe I… wanted to pick up where we left off that one time we were trying to do that~”

“Holy crap, I forgot about that,” Rainbow said, laughing hard. “Wow, we’ve really been heading towards this date for a while now, huh?”

The infectious sight of Rainbow laughing was all too much for Fluttershy. She began to laugh as well, holding a hand to her mouth.

“You know, I think you’re right,” Fluttershy admitted amidst her mirthful laughter, “We-We must have been!”

“We’ve spent more than enough time dealing with our frustration,” Rainbow said, smiling warmly as she watched Fluttershy. “I realize that this still isn’t exactly ethical… but you are far from just another client. You’re way more than that, and you always were. We may still be working your case, but that’s just the thing now… We’re doing it together. I’m not a professional working a client’s case. I’m a partner, helping my rookie solve her own case! If Firefly ever taught me a rule about fraternizing with colleagues, I’m choosing to repress it.”

Touched, the pinkette felt herself blush a bit, reaching over to hold Rainbow’s hand. “Rainbow… I hadn’t realized it at first, but you truly became more than just the gumshoe I hired to help me. I didn’t expect it, but with how it all came through, I couldn’t be more thankful for that,” Fluttershy murmured, smiling brightly, “And now… I’m a partner too. Working with my superior officer, so to speak, on solving my own case. It may be a bit… well, crossing the line to be colleagues and lovers, but I for one won’t let it stop me anymore. It’s crazy, but it’s amazing.”

“I know right?” Rainbow said with a smirk, stroking Fluttershy’s hand with her thumb. “I mean, it’s not crazy ethical or anything, but I don’t really care. It might not be good for everyone to do, but you certainly aren’t everyone, Flutters. You’re one of a kind. You’re...well… I think you’re really special, and you mean a lot to me.”

“You mean a lot to me too,” Fluttershy giggled a bit, “You’re definitely one of a kind yourself. As well as very special to me… As I’d said, I never felt this way with another woman before, let alone so… quickly. But you’re right. We aren’t like everyone else, no one is. I think… what works for us is what matters.”

Rainbow flashed a grin, “‘Sides, what rules aren’t made to be bent, eh?”

“You’re right…” Fluttershy reached for her other hand, “I’m excited to move forward with everything… More than I can say.”

“Same here, Flutters. All the way,” Rainbow said holding her hands, relishing the connection.

They continued to eat their dinner, mostly making comfortable small talk, followed by Rainbow sharing some silly stories. They laughed, ate, drank, and enjoyed themselves as they never had before. They basked in the connection that they shared, the strength of their shared emotion. It felt so right, so natural, and now that they had unencumbered themselves of the burdensome restrictions of Rainbow’s professional code, neither could ever truly remember a happier time than the moment they now shared together.

By the by, Pinkie herself brought over the check, unable to resist the urge to gush over their “amazi-super-adora-rific-ness” up close and personal. The couple paid up, with Rainbow insisting but reminding Fluttershy that she was pretty much spending the ex-model’s money either way and imploring Fluttershy to indulge her chivalry regardless.

XXX

The trip home was more or less a blur, a beautiful haze of hand holding and Fluttershy’s head resting on the shoulder of her lover. Rainbow felt as though this night could in no way get any better… but then as she turned the key into her apartment she felt Fluttershy hug her about the hips.

“Oh, Rainbow…” Fluttershy cooed, her hands gently touching her stomach as her arms came around her. “I’m crazy for this, I know, but this has been the best night ever… I’ve had the time of my life.”

“If you’re crazy then you might as well have me committed, because I’d be completely insane,” Rainbow said, chuckling softly as she ran her slightly fingers over the pale, soft skin of Fluttershy’s arms.

Giggling, Fluttershy kissed along the back of her neck, holding her tighter, “You amazing, wonderful woman… You’re a dream, you’re everything I ever wanted, without even having known that. You’ve given me more than I can say, and I’d love to share more of that with you.”

Rainbow felt shivers roll down her spine as she pushed open the door. Reclaiming a bit of her swagger she managed a confident, “Yeah? Well how about we step inside and you share you little heart out~”

They went inside, with the door shut behind them. Almost immediately, Fluttershy came around to Rainbow’s front, bringing her arms around her neck.

“Dashie…” She said softly, gazing lovingly into her eyes, “I know we… might be rushing things quite a bit, but… It feels so right. As I’ve said, I never felt this way with anyone before. I feel more certain about what we have than I ever did. Rainbow Dash…”

She leaned in, touching their lips into a kiss. Pulling away, she whispered, “Make love to me.”

Rainbow had heard those words before, or at least the general sentiment, many times before, but never, NEVER, had her legs gone to jelly quite like they were now.

“Yes…” Rainbow whispered to her, immediately scooping her into her arms and carrying her towards her bedroom. “Yes, yes, yes, yes! Oh Flutters, I’m going to make your every dream come true!”

Fluttershy let out a happy squeal, moreso than she expected to make. And why not, she was far too excited. Never had she been that bold with the idea of making love, but it felt so good to just let that out. With Rainbow Dash, she felt so comfortable, as if it were just the perfect thing to say.

“Just as I’ll make yours come true,” Fluttershy cooed into her ear.

Rainbow felt the shivers race down her spine again as she carried Fluttershy through the threshold to the bedroom and deposited the beautiful woman onto her bed. Rainbow stood there for a moment, simply taking in the sight. It was surreal, to see her laying there, to see Fluttershy laying there, and yet after all they had been through it just fit.

“You can’t,” Rainbow whispered to her as she climbed on top of her. “You’re not the girl I dreamed of. The Fluttershy I dreamed of wasn’t real, but you… you’re so much better. You’re real. You’re amazing…” The detective planted a sweet kiss on the former model’s lips. “You can’t make my dreams come true, because you’ve already surpassed them in every… single...way~”

Despite the blush never having left her cheeks, it grew darker. Fluttershy beamed at her with love as she felt moved, her heart pounding in her chest. She reached up to touch her hair, before pulling her down into another kiss. This very moment was only what she’d ever dreamed of, sharing such sweet intimacy with the woman she loved. It was better than any fantasy she’d ever had in her life.

“Rainbow…” Fluttershy cooed, laying their foreheads together, their noses touching. “Oh… I can’t even begin to express how much that means to me. I want you to see the real me, all of me, and I’m so glad you like that… I.. I certainly… had a Rainbow Dash in my head before I met you. I didn’t know what to expect, but… it surpassed everything I ever imagined.”

Rainbow smiled down at her, her hand caressing Fluttershy’s shoulder, “Then let’s keep on making our dream selves jealous. Let’s do what we’ve been dreaming of... fantasizing of… longing for…”

“Yes…!” Fluttershy squeaked, giggling and pulling her down for another kiss.

This time it was more ardent, prolonging. She ran her fingers along the rainbow strands of her hair, before lowering them down her girlfriend’s back.

Rainbow groans into the kiss pressing her body against Fluttershy’s. She finally let loose her pent up passion. Finally allowed herself to be lost in the warmth of Fluttershy’s body. Finally allowed herself to feel keenly the feeling of wild, intense arousal that the model’s every touch had inspired in her.

Soft moans escaped Fluttershy as she held their bodies closer, clashing their lips in a heated kiss. Having wanted this for some time, she could barely believe it was actually happening. But here they were, after their first date, and spending the rest of the evening in bed together. Moments like this, she knew this was where she wanted to be. Here, in the arms of her partner and her lover. The very woman who had given her her life back.

Pulling away ever slightly, she whispered, “Rainbow… I want you to see all of me. I’m going to stand up, now… and get undressed… okay?”

Rainbow smiled and rolled off of Fluttershy, unable to think of any other words she’d rather hear. “Go for it~”

Getting up off the bed, Fluttershy stood in full view of her, feeling a bit nervous. Nervous, but happy. She smiled sweetly, before then proceeding to take off her dress, as well as her shoes. Now left in her undergarments, she wasted no time, and slowly removed them. She stood completely naked, covering no part of herself, and looked to Rainbow with a loving smile.

Rainbow had imagined this over and over, yet it in no way compared to the real thing. Fluttershy was more than beautiful, she was radiant. Her pale skin seemingly glowing in the dim light of the bedroom. Rainbow’s gaze scanned over the ample curves of Fluttershy’s form, and she realized that as attractive as the many parts of Fluttershy were, there was there was something more to her in this moment that sent Rainbow even further over the edge.

After a moment she realized what it was. There was a confidence to Fluttershy in this moment that Rainbow hadn’t seen before… and she knew that it came from a truly special place. It was there because Fluttershy was presenting herself for Rainbow… and this only made Rainbow feel all the more lucky and special.

All Rainbow could think to do was repay the favor. The detective dismounted off the bed and peeled off her dress, underwear and all. Grinning, she stood before Fluttershy, hands on her hips and all too ready for what would come next.

Fluttershy took in the other woman’s body with wonder, her smile growing. The little teases from before had been enough to spark her interest, but seeing her fully bare was amazing. She looked confident, so sure of herself, and just so beautiful in her own way. Her tan olive skin seemed to glow within the dim light of the room, but it was her smile that fully radiated her more.

While thin, Rainbow had a more athletic tone to her figure and less presumptuous curves. But it all complimented her so well, especially in contrast to her striking eyes and hair. Fluttershy had seen a lot of gorgeous women in the modeling industry, but they could not even dream of comparing to the strong and confident beauty before her.

“Wow…” Fluttershy murmured, embracing her, “You’re so beautiful… I’ve never seen such a unique beauty like you before…”

“Heh,” Rainbow chuckled softly, “I am one of a kind, that’s for sure… and so are you… I’ve never imagined or seen or… You’re just the sexiest thing on earth Fluttershy…”

The touch of their naked bodies further entranced Fluttershy, to which she tightened her embrace a bit. She giggled, laying their foreheads together.

“You’re sexy, so sexy… I’m all yours from now on, Rainbow… No need to hold back. You can do whatever you want with me.”

“Fluttershy…” Rainbow breathed, running her hands down Fluttershy’s sides and over her hips. “I want to do it all with you…” she caught her lips in another intoxicatingly good kiss. “Mmmm… but I think we can start by… as you put it… Making love~”

“Oh Rainbow…” Fluttershy moaned, running her fingers along her back, “Take me now…”

“Damn right...” Rainbow breathed, all but tackling her onto the bed, Fluttershy’s legs wrapped her waist as they collided with the mattress.

The flow of their released liquids leaked down their thighs, intermixing here and there. Fluttershy panted a bit as she relaxed, basking in the aftermath of such intense but wonderful lovemaking. She felt herself smile as her eyes managed to focus enough on the woman above her. An incredible experience that exceeded any and all expectations she’d had; she couldn’t have asked for a better moment than this.

“Rainbow, you’re….so...awesome!” Fluttershy squeaked, giggling.

“Right back at ya,” Rainbow said with a little laugh as she collapsed next to her lover. She rested her hand on the beautiful woman’s cheek pulling her into a tender kiss. “You...you amazing amazing woman~”

The sweet words touched her ears as Fluttershy cuddled close to Rainbow’s sweaty form. She nuzzled their cheeks, planting little kisses along the way, as tears flowed down her cheeks. Fluttershy had never felt so happy, so fulfilled, so excited, so content… So loved.

“I never imagined a moment like this,” Fluttershy whispered, the tears still falling, “You’re my everything… I’ll be yours forever, Rainbow… Anywhere you go, I’ll follow. There’s no else I want to be than right here by your side… forever.”

The usually hard edged P.I. felt her eyes mist over, her heart feeling light in her chest. She was touched. Well and truly touched. “I’ll never let you down Flutters… never again… and I’ll be by your side too… We’ll be partners in every sense of the word… You’ll be mine, and I’ll be yours… now and forever.”

Bright-eyed through her tears, Fluttershy continued to lovingly kiss her face, “You’re… you’re my soulmate. That’s what I believe…”

Rainbow chuckled softly, “Never been one for all that destiny stuff, but you know what? I think you’re right. Me and you. Soulmates.”

“Yay,” Fluttershy giggled with glee, “We’re simply meant to be.”

“Meant to be…” Rainbow turned over the words in her mind, feeling a smile stretch her lips, “I like the sound of that.”

“Me too… It’s a really lovely thought,” the pinkette murmured, nuzzling into her neck.

“Almost as lovely as you,” Rainbow cooed.

Fluttershy giggled again, “You’re so sweet.”

The pair of women remained entangled, swapping sweet nothings into the early hours of the morning when sleep finally overtook them. Their night together had been better than either could have truly imagined, and a delightful serenity seemed to hang about them as they slumbered side by side...

Author's Note

We're so sorry to have kept you all waiting! A lot of things got to us on both ends, so it took a little while to get it all worked out. At the same time, we can assure all of you that the story is DONE! We've had it done for a while, so we'll be able to make sure it's all completely uploaded soon! Thank you all so much for your patience!

And thank you, once again, to vero-chan for the AWESOME artwork and support! <3

Oh, and we have a separate one-shot of their... steamy first time. ;)

Chapter Nine: Take Down (Part 1)

Chapter 9: Take Down

Upon waking up the next morning, Fluttershy gave a little pout when she found that Rainbow wasn’t still in bed with her. It would’ve been wonderful, after such an amazing date and their first night making love to wake up together the next morning. However, the disappointment was only momentary, as she knew there would be plenty of mornings where that could happen.

Fluttershy smiled and hugged herself, getting out of bed and slipping on her nightgown. Last night had been, by far, the greatest she’d had in years. Not just because of the best lovemaking she’d ever had, but especially because of their date, and the start of their career together.

Life was just amazing.

“Oh, Dashie… I bet she went to make breakfast again…” Fluttershy mused, sniffing the air.

She couldn’t smell anything of the sort, but shrugged it off. Exiting the bedroom, she went to the kitchen, only to find it deserted. There wasn’t even coffee brewing in the coffeemaker. Fluttershy frowned in confusion, especially as she saw that it hadn’t been used at all what with the powder still being in the filter. It hadn’t even been turned on at all.

“Weird… Rainbow always has coffee in the morning…” Fluttershy murmured, shaking her head.

Going to the bathroom, she found the door closed, and listened in. Not a sound.

“Dashie? Rainbow, are you in here?” Fluttershy knocked on the door.

The door swung open to reveal an empty, unlit bathroom. However the scene was not without disruption. The bathroom mirror was shattered from a single point of impact, and what looked suspiciously like blood was smeared on the fractured glass… and most horrifying of all was, catching the light spilling into room, were several distinct strands of polychromatic hair caught in the fractures of the shatterpoint.

Aside from the surreal violence of the broken mirror, not a single thing in the restroom was out of place. Not even Fluttershy’s or Rainbow’s toothbrushes had tipped over in their cups. In fact the only other thing that didn’t belong was a note, stuck to the mirror and penned in something that had dried brown on the paper and smelled suspiciously of blood’s coppery tang, it simply read:

Miss me, little butterfly?

Having taken a few moments, or what felt like an eternity, to gather her bearings, Fluttershy looked about frantically.

“Oh… Oh my god! Oh my god!”

Quickly, she tore away the shower curtain, terrified at the prospect of finding Rainbow’s dead or unconscious body in the bathtub. There was nothing, only splatters of blood, along with the window being wide open.

“R-Rainbow…! Oh my God, Rainbow!”

Fluttershy tore out of the bathroom, searching everywhere in the small apartment she could, but there was no trace of her. Whatever happened, the perpetrator(s) had something to do with it. Growing more worried, her breathing getting heavy, her body numbing out, Fluttershy fell up against the wall in the kitchen.

“No… No… No… Rainbow… Rainbow…” Fluttershy shook, then came upon something else.

Another note was tapped to the fridge. But it wasn’t in Rainbow’s handwriting. It was typed.

Grabbing it, she read it over, wide-eyed.

Yeah, that’s right. We got your girl. Bet you didn’t see that coming, did you? Better watch yourself, pretty little Butterfly. Call the police and she dies.

Just you wait until I call you with instructions. Don’t even try tracing it, we’ll be watching your every move. If you want your precious little gumshoe back, you better heed my warnings. One wrong step and I’ll blow her brains out.

Oh, and check the desk drawer when you can.

Fluttershy, feeling as though she was almost out of her own body with horror in this moment crossed over to the desk drawer. Her hands fumbling and shaky, she opened it only to find a polaroid of Rainbow Dash, tied to a chair, half her face covered in drying blood, presumably from the cut sustained from the mirror. She looked as though she had sustained a beating as well, purple bruises blossoming over her olive skin, but what truly stood out in the photo was Rainbow’s eyes. Defiant to the last, her eyes blazed a warning to Fluttershy, she could almost hear the P.I.’s smokey voice growling to her, ‘Don’t let these bastards win...’

“D...Dashie… Rainbow…” Fluttershy uttered, falling to her knees and clutching the photo for dear life, “Oh, Rainbow… what did they do to you… Why you… Why… it’s me they want… They should’ve kidnapped me… I’m sorry… I’m sorry, my love…” She whimpered, beginning to sob uncontrollably.

It was then, of course, that the harsh metallic ring of Rainbow’s landline cut through the still, cold morning air.

Startled, Fluttershy looked to the phone, wide-eyed. Carefully, she reached up, answering it.

“H-H-Hello?” She asked shakily, trying to wipe her eyes and compose herself.

“Hello again, butterfly,” Came the all too familiar distorted voice. “I’m so glad I caught you, I knew if I kept calling you’d answer sooner or later~”

Although it was to be expected, Fluttershy felt a stab of fear. It was all coming to her. They knew where she was. They knew of their relationship. They knew how to get to her again. Getting the best of her. Whether it was from being thrown off course or their plan all along, she didn’t know. All she could do was try to figure this out.

She wanted to cry, scream, and run where they couldn’t find her. Fluttershy felt terrified, she didn’t know what to do then. Not when the kidnapper, Sombra himself (or rather, his associates) was confronting her in this way.

Looking at the photo again, she could practically hear Rainbow’s voice speaking to her. Telling her not to be afraid. That was what they wanted. Since day one, Sombra had preyed on her fear.

Today was not going to be that day. The last thing Fluttershy wanted to do was let Rainbow down by letting her own fear get the better of her. Wherever she was, Rainbow was counting on her, counting on to overcome this and not give Sombra what he wanted. It was time to take action and stop hiding away like a recluse. With the love of her life now in danger, possibly to be killed, she had no room to be scared.

Feeling a surge of anger and determination ebbing away the fear, Fluttershy stood up.

“All right, you son of a bitch, what have you done to her? I swear I will track you down and stop you,” she growled into the phone, channeling every bit of what her lover taught her, “Why did you kidnap her? It’s me you want, she has nothing to do with you!”

“Oh but she does, the minute you walked into her life,” the voice replied, “Not to mention the pair of you have peaked behind the curtain, and succeeded in unraveling a particularly vexing plot that had successfully had the police chasing after a ghost. This detective of yours needs to be silenced but I’ve persuaded my associates into a mutually beneficial arrangement...”

There was a pause that filled the air with a palatable anticipation that this Sombra seemed to relish.

“I learned my craft from the source, little butterfly, and I learned it well. I drank it in like a thirsty man at a bottomless well. My associates found my new talents useful, and so we struck a deal… but they never let me finish my work… it was like taking a lover only to me have her torn from me before completion… They told me to forget about you… that you were too much trouble.. but you, my butterfly, are my most lovely courtesan yet… I begged, I pleaded, and finally I was granted my leave to silence you… and to do it in my own way~”

“You sick bastard!” Fluttershy yelled, not even caring about her use of foul language, “Cut this nonsense and you tell me what you want from me! I see what you’re doing, you kidnapped my girlfriend in order to get to me, to get to my weaknesses and bend me to your will. You’re a sick jerk and I will not go down without a fight! What do you want from me?! What is it going to take for you to let Rainbow go?! Whatever it may be, I want to talk to her. Now!”

“Oh you’ve gotten so feisty,” Sombra said with a bemused laugh, “Not quite the paper-winged insect now hmmm? Very well, I’ll let you speak to your little girly.”

There was a little clatter, perhaps the sound of a chair scraping the floor and then,

“-uttershy! Fluttershy is that you!?”

All at once, Fluttershy nearly crumbled, but felt a small shred of relief, “Rainbow! Oh, Rainbow, thank goodness! Oh, darling… what did they do to you?” She sniffled a bit, managing to keep her composure.

“Got the shit kicked out of me my a pack of amateurs!” She shouted, her voice pitching as it seemed she turned to address her captors.

“R-Rainbow… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry I got you into this… That should be me in there! I’m the one they want… They only kidnapped you to get to me… It’s all my fault…” Fluttershy moaned sadly, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry I let my guard down…”

“Don’t worry ‘Shy,” Rainbow said, speaking quickly, “Don’t give them anything, just run, run as far as you can, I can’t let them get you, just r-.....Hnnngh….”

Rainbow groaned in pain from whatever had just happened.

“Chatty, your little protector, isn’t she?” Came the mocking tone of Sombra.

“Let her go!” Fluttershy yelled, tears running down her face, “Let her go, you sick son of a bitch! I won’t let you do this!”

“Trust me, my darling little insect,” Sombra replied silkily, “You don’t have a choice… that is unless you’d like to be haunted by your lover’s dying screams.”

Letting out an angered growl, Fluttershy squeezed the phone a bit, “Cut the small talk and tell me what your conditions are.”

“It’s simple really. There’s a disused warehouse - well most people think it’s disused, it can be quite the beehive of activity for me and my friends - It’s down two blocks south of the main gate of the east side docks. You come pay me and my friends a little visit, and make sure to do so alone. Call the police, and you’ll be finding a pretty little rainbow-haired head on your doorstep.”

Fluttershy hesitated, remembering Rainbow’s advice in that every time the killer or suspect was luring you somewhere alone, it was a trap. She could sense it, this was definitely leading to a trap. Either to kill her, to kill them both, or to kill Rainbow.

“...Why should I believe you?” Fluttershy ground out, “For all I know, you’re luring me into a trap. Because you know I’ll do anything to save the woman I love. You’ve taken everything from me… and then you take the one person who matters the most to me… to lure me into a trap. To get to me further… Well, let me tell you something. If she dies… so do I. Then your efforts will be for naught.”

At these words, she heard Rainbow’s muffled protests in the background. It was then that she realized that Sombra must have had her on speaker phone.

“Hmmm seems like Ms. Dash has something to say...” Sombra said. There was a momentary rustling and something that sounded like a gag being removed. “Go on Dash, your tragic little partner is threatening to blow a hole in her own pretty skull.”

“Just run Flutters!” Rainbow protested, though her throat sounded choked, “J-Just run, and stay alive… please Flutters… You’ll find someone else...just… just stay alive, otherwise me dying doesn’t me a damn thing...just run!!! Just-”

“-tt-,” Sombra tutted, replacing the gag amidst Rainbow’s guttural protests. “Still with the running, but she makes a good point. Tragic as it may be, it would be a poor way to honor your love’s life to take your own. But who said it would come to that? You come to me and maybe the detective lives. You carry any longer and she certainly dies… slowly… painfully… and I won’t be giving you the choice of coming in. Heat or not. I’ll bring you in myself and make you watch, and if you take the coward’s way out I’ll just make sure to throw your body in with Ms. Dash while I take her apart!”

Heart shattering, Fluttershy collapsed to her knees yet again, tears streaming down her face. But she couldn’t falter, not like this. She couldn’t let him win.

“Fine! If I come there, you let her go! Take me instead if you have to! Anything! Just let her go!” Fluttershy yelled in anger. “I’ll give up my life to save hers if I have to! There’s nothing more you can take from me. I’ll comply if you promise to let her go.”

“See you soon,” Sombra said with false gaiety before the line went dead.

Hanging up the phone, Fluttershy collapsed, curling into the fetal position and crying brokenheartedly. She wanted to just die, to escape this horrible pain and sorrow. Everything was crashing down on her, moreso than ever. Having faced this all alone for so long, now to be completely alone when the one person who supported her was gone… Fluttershy was more lost and scared than she ever was.

Alone. Alone.

Curling up tighter, Fluttershy longed for her lover’s touch, anything to keep the reality of the situation from killing her inside.

“Rainbow… Rainbow… my love… Don’t leave me…” Fluttershy whimpered into the empty air, her sobs being the only sounds she could hear. “Please be okay…”

She lay there for some time, feeling cold, empty, like everything around her was gone.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been laying on floor when she finally felt strength enough to crawl to her feet again. Time didn’t seem to have much of a purpose anymore. When her she once again found herself on her feet, her legs wobbled unsteadily, the cold of the tile beneath her feet seeming to seep into her bones.

What happened next was a mockery of her usual morning ritual. She listlessly pulled on her clothes, feeling hurried and lethargic all at once.

Although not even close to hungry, Fluttershy forced herself to eat some cereal. Just to at least satisfy her body’s nutritional system. Even though she just didn’t care about anything. Nothing reached her, nothing made sense, nothing. All she felt was nothing. All she wanted was to crawl into bed and wait for this to be over. She didn’t even know what to do. There was nowhere to go, no one to talk to, nothing. She was alone, more than ever before.

“Rainbow….” She whispered to herself, thoughts of her captive lover invading her mind once more… but with the image of her lover also brought forth her fiery determination, a pale echo of which Fluttershy could feel.

What would Rainbow Dash do?

She would fight.

Fluttershy remembered when those thugs had tried to grab her all those days ago. Rainbow had faced them all down with her determination and her trusted steel. She immediately dashed across Rainbow’s apartment until she reached the P.I.’s desk, her hand’s tearing through it in search of her lover’s weapon. Maybe, just maybe, if she armed herself she could save Rainbow… Maybe she could be the hero that Rainbow always believed she could be…

“Yes… Yes… I can! I can be a hero… I can save her life!” Fluttershy said to herself, feeling a smile finally reach her features. “I’ll save you, Rainbow… I’ll come and save your life!”

As she searched the desk, she came across the gun in question within a box. But next to the box was a case. A clear CD jewel case, but the disk inside it was what caught her attention. Written on it on a sticker label was her own name.

“...What’s this?” Fluttershy pulled it out, looking it over. “A mixed CD? She… made me a mixed CD? Or… something else?”

Taking it over to the living room, she placed it into the DVD player, and took the remote to play it. Much to her surprise, the screen flickered to life, revealing a pair of arms adjusting the camera view.

On the screen Rainbow Dash suddenly came into focus. “There we go… okay…” She muttered to herself as she took a seat in front of the camera

“Okay...Hey Fluttershy… I’m not exactly sure how to start this thing… but if we’re going to be partners I figured I’d need to make one, ya know?” Rainbow said, looking a little uncomfortable. “So yeah, if anything happens to me, consider this my will. Man this is weird. Right now you’re asleep in my bed, and here I am recording this crazy thing. I hope you’ll never see this… and if you do I hope it’s after a good long run where we kick all kinds of ass together…”

The Rainbow on the screen sighed, looking down at her hands in her lap for a second before looking back at the camera. “It’s all yours, Fluttershy. I don’t really own much, but it’s all yours… and I know it isn’t really your line of work but I hope you’ll keep the agency running. We can help people… You can help people… and I hope we helped quite a few before you’re seeing this… You might not think you can do it without me, but I know you can. You can be strong. You already are so, so strong. I love you, Fluttershy... I love you so much.”

Rainbow’s form momentarily sagged, and not looking towards the camera, she reached over and shut it off leaving only a black screen.

Stricken, Fluttershy all at once burst into tears again. Tears of sorrow, tears of joy, tears of hope, tears of despair. It was all a mix of emotions, unable to settle on just one. Hearing her, seeing her, it was all too much. She went to the floor, crawled closer to the TV, and rewound the bit.

“I love you, Fluttershy…”

She rewound it again.

“I love you, Fluttershy…”

Again.

“I love you, Fluttershy… I love you so much.”

Sniffling, Fluttershy rewound, freezing on the image. She gazed sadly at the screen, placing her hand on it where Rainbow’s cheek was at, “I love you, too… I love you… more than anything… I hope I can save you…”

Then there was the question of what to do about all this. How could she work this out to her advantage? Was there any other way?

As she thought further about it, something clicked. The day before, when they'd gone to the police station; Twilight Sparkle had given them her cell number. It struck Fluttershy then. Yes, Twilight was a police officer, but she wouldn't be breaching the conditions, technically. It was perfect!

Managing to reach for her cell phone, Fluttershy dialed Twilight’s personal cell. It went to voicemail.

“Twilight, it’s me… Listen, Rainbow was… kidnapped. Sombra and his associates are holding her captive in a warehouse somewhere. Two blocks south of the main gate of the east side docks. I’m going in there. Alone… If you go there, don’t send in back up. They can’t know I told you.”

Author's Note

Woohoo! We are in the home stretch, folks! :D This is part one! Part two, and then the epilogue! Yay!

Chapter Nine: Take Down (Part 2)

Within a dark, dimly lit room, thudding footsteps approached the chair sitting in the middle of it. Tied to the chair was Rainbow Dash, battered and bruised, even bleeding a bit from the lip. The suited henchman approached, dropping a paper bag into her lap, then removing the gag from her mouth.

“Yo, gumshoe,” he said in a thick West Side dialect accent, “Hope yer feelin’ hungry. De boss was sayin’ ta feed ya er somethin’.”

“Oh joy, fast food, you guys are real big spenders ya know that,” Rainbow said snidely, “Hey genius, how am I gonna eat this with my hands tied, huh?”

The mook laughed, going behind her and producing a pair of metalling handcuffs, “Da boss made sure ta take care o’ dat, girly.”

He slapped one part of handcuffs on her, freed her wrists, then brought them around, holding them tightly, and slapped the other end on.

“Dere, now eat yer damn food. Da boss wants ya kept alive… So long as your sexy little dame does what he says,” the henchman sneered.

Rainbow glared at the mook, but after a moment a lightbulb went off in her mind, and though it turned her stomach she decided try out a plan.

“Yeah she is pretty hot isn’t she?” Rainbow said in a slightly sultry tone, leveling her gaze at the thug.

“Heh heh,” the mook twirled a gun in his hand, “Da boss sure thinks so. Ain’t she a beaut? Hottest piece of ass in dis dang city, I tell ya.”

“I know it, in fact…” Rainbow dropped her voice ever so slightly, the henchman predictably leaning closer to hear her. “We were fucking like rabbits last night…” Her voice dropped again, ‘C’mon you bastard… come to momma...’

Now the henchman stared at her, “Ya cain’t be serious, girly.”

“Oh yeah…” Rainbow readied herself, her muscles tensing as the fool closed the last few inches “She has a spot riiiiiight…..”

Rainbow sprang at the thug, knocking the gun from his hands with a swift swat of her hands, the metal of the cuffs clanking against the metal of the gun. The criminal lunged at her, but Rainbow caught him with the chain of her shackles, choking him.

“That’s right you fuck, don’t you ever talk about Fluttershy like that again you son of a fucking asshole,” She growled, too focused on making the bastard suffer to hear the door click open, “You fucking fuck, I’m gonna-”
Krack.

The butt of a gun whipped against her head. Rainbow looked up to see Sombra’s gleeful green eyes as she slid from consciousness.

Walking along the docks, gun hidden under her coat, Fluttershy followed along to the apparent unused warehouse. She felt the dreadful elements of fear, with every bit of her body telling her to take Rainbow’s advice and just run.

But she knew that she couldn’t do that. Not when the woman she loved was in danger, with her life hanging by a thread.

‘I’m going to save her… Even if I have to give up my own life to do it... ’ Fluttershy thought, determined as she ever could be. Scared as she felt, at least it would be done knowing she helped save her.

“Look at ya,” drawled a familiar twang, “Almost look like ya know what you’re doing.”

Fluttershy turned to see Twilight and Applejack. The police officer had her badge on her hip, as well as her sidearm in a shoulder holster, though was otherwise out of uniform. Applejack, meanwhile, had traded out her usual work uniform for a plaid shirt and jeans, accented by a tactical harness, and in her hands was a sawed off shotgun.

“We came as soon as I got your message,” Twilight explained. “I was going to come alone, but Pinkie insisted I bring Applejack. Apparently she has some sort of training…”

“Let’s just say mah hay ride from the family farm had a few stopovers,” Applejack said patting her weapon and smirking at Twilight. “An’ when this is all done, Ah’m gonna need you to tell me about just how Pinkie was with you when you got that message~”

Twilight set her jaw, yet there was an ever so slight blush on her cheeks.

“If we survive this,” the policewoman replied.

Utterly stunned, Fluttershy blinked a few times, “Oh, my gosh…
Twilight, I… thank you… I-I was going to do this on my own, but wanted to at least let you know what was happening. Um… so what should we do from here?”

“Warehouses aren’t exactly the most tactical structures,” Twilight said surveying the building that Fluttershy had indicated in her message, “Mostly open space inside with minimal cover, that is unless they’ve built themselves cover. Likely they’re using them for sheer lack of any better real estate or simple convenience.”

“Looks like each has more than a few entrances,” Applejack surmised, “Ah say we breach one of the back doors, they're more like to lead to a set of offices which is our best bet for finding a hostage.”

Twilight gave Applejack a slightly surprised look.

“Not my first rodeo,” the bouncer said with another smirk.

Nodding, Fluttershy revealed her concealed weapon, “Just in case… I never held a gun before, but it’s all I could find aside from a knife.”

“Normally I’d confiscate that as a concealed and likely unregistered weapon,” Twilight said, placing a hand on Fluttershy’s to steady the ex-model. “But nothing about tonight is going to be on the books. These people took our friend, and your lover, and we are going to get her back.”

“Right… we will!” Fluttershy felt a new stem of determination course through her as she smiled, “I’m ready for this.”

“Good, cuz we ain’t got any more time to waste flapping our gums,” Applejack said, her face determined. “It’s go time ladies. Follow my lead and if ya see a gun, shoot.”

Twilight frowned at the slightly trigger-happy instruction, but she acquiesced. They were moving into a hostile environment with very few, if any civilians. This was by no means by the book, but it might keep them alive longer.

Applejack led their group closer to the warehouse in question. They crept through the shadows, sidling along a row of shipping crates that hide them from view. After a few tense moments of silent stalking, they had reached their target. The warehouse was big and imposing with more than its fair share of broken and boarded windows, and standing outside the back entrance, smoking a cigarette, was the presumed guard for the door.

“Oh my… how do we get past him?” Fluttershy whispered, “Especially if we don’t want to raise any alerts.”

“Leave this one to me,” Applejack said, picking up a large piece of broken concrete from the ground and chucked it a little ways in front of her. The guard snapped to attention and quickly hurried over to investigate, though as he did so he made fatal error of exposing his back to Applejack, who cracked him over the head with the butt of her gun.

“Awright,” She said quickly as she removed the goon’s weapon and tucked it into her a holster on her own vest. “We’ll have until his bosses check in, or until someone squeezes off a shot for anyone to know we’re here. Ah didn’t see any patrols comin’ in, so let’s get in there while the gittin’s good.”

Amazed, Fluttershy nodded and followed after the two as they slipped into the door. Sure enough, the room they entered was an open storage space, with many crates and other sorts of boxes littered around. Some in piles, others on the floor. Given the labels and some warning not to open them, it was easy to guess that they held dangerous weapons and/or substances. This was especially apparent when Fluttershy caught sight of some green leaves poking out of one of the half-open boxes. It was clearly marijuana. She wondered if they produced their own or were in cahoots with farmers of the plant.

“...My gosh… Rainbow was right… This guy really doesn’t match the original Sombra’s MO. This man seems to be part of a weapon and drug cartel…” Fluttershy whispered.

“It was a good trick,” Twilight conceded, gritting her teeth.

All this time of trying to solve this case, taking down all of Fluttershy’s traumatized phone calls, and all that time having her hands tied by red tape. Twilight felt this all like a slap to the face, a personal insult. This new Sombra and his mob connections had fooled her colleagues, and worst of all they had fooled her. But Twilight knew better than to dwell on it now. At least they had stronger leads and more evidence for the case than ever before. That was what mattered.

“Ya’ll see any offices or a hallway? Like Ah was sayin’, Ah doubt they’d keep their prisoners out in the open,” Applejack said in a hoarse whisper as she herself looked around the room.

“I see a lot of doors,” Fluttershy whispered, looking around as she peered into a nearby hallway, “They have numbers, but no labels. I’m not sure what’s behind them.”

“Good as place as any to start,” Applejack said, nodding, “Let’s check it-”

Just then there was a collection of shouting voices sounding from outside, followed by the door they had entered from being violently slammed open.

“Shit,” Applejack swore as she pumped the action on her shotgun. “Fluttershy, Twilight. Go on, I’ll hold ‘em here!”

Just then a series of gunshots rang out and before Applejack could fully duck behind a nearby crate, she was caught in the shoulder by a bullet.

“ARGH… Fuck!” The cowgirl swore again, pulling the purloined handgun from the holster on her harness and firing back a series of shots blindly. “Twilight, Ah might need some help here after all...!”

The police woman had her sidearm out in a flash, and joined Applejack at her makeshift cover point.

“Only a half dozen,” She observed, giving a solemn nod to her injured comrade, “We can take ‘em.” Then she looked to the very shaken looking pinkette, “Fluttershy, go! If Sombra’s back there we don’t have much time! Go!”

“But I can’t just leave you!” Fluttershy cried, scared as she hid herself.

“Go!” Applejack yelled as Twilight pulled out her cell phone and put in a call for backup, “Don’t ya understand what Twilight’s sayin? Sombra can hear the shots, he knows something’s up, and he’s going to kill Rainbow!”

Realizing this, Fluttershy nodded and hurried out of the room before the goons could see her. She wasn’t sure where she was going or what to even look for, but whatever it was, she had to hurry. Rainbow’s life was on the line more than it ever had been and she could not let it get worse.

Hurrying down the hallway, she could hear the distant shouts of men and footsteps wherever else. Spotting a closet, she ducked into it and closed the door, peering out through the slats. Within a few moments, some men in suits, each carrying one or two guns, rushed by the door, none of them noticing.

Taking a deep breath, she crept out of the closet and kept going, thankful that the flooring was carpet in this hall.

Going through an open door at the end of the hall, she could see now that she was in the main warehouse area, the inside of the loading dock. Gulping, she could see many doors along the walls, with rain now pattering against the large windows high above the floor. Aside from a forklift, crates and other paraphernalia, the room was empty.

‘Where are you, Rainbow… Where would they keep a hostage…? Behind a locked door… So the hostage can’t escape… But they’re expecting me… Oh, goodness… come on, think! Deduce this! If something happens to her and I run the agency, I have to be at the top of my game! Okay… They would do one of two things. One, hide the hostage in a concealed and locked area. This makes them harder to find.

‘But then again, the other option is in their stronghold. Especially in an obvious place, as a trap. They want me to come here, to fight for her life. But do they want me to find her before they take me to her or bring her to me? Is it a trap? They asked me to come alone… that’s a trap. They don’t want anyone on the outside knowing I’m here. They’re doing more than human trafficking, and if the police find this place, they’re screwed.’

She took a few breaths, looking around to figure out which way to go.

Wandering toward one of the doors, which was open, Fluttershy slipped in. She was now in another hallway, with rows of doors on each side. No one seemed to be around, so she slowly crept along, keeping as quiet as she could.

For a moment, she wanted to call out, give a shot, just in case Rainbow Dash was in one of these rooms. But that would’ve been suicide and drawing attention to herself was not the best. Not when the building was on high alert.

Fluttershy crept as quickly and quietly as she could down the hall, and because she could think of no better system, began checking each door as she went. At first the rooms seemed normal enough, abandoned offices with layers upon layer of dust, but the further down the hall she went that began to change.

Fluttershy had to stifle a gasp as she opened one door, the half light of the hallway falling upon a former office in which the walls were plastered with photographs of a young woman. Each and every photo taken from candid angles, and the subject was clearly unaware. The photos, creepy in and of themselves as they were, were not the only thing the room held. There was a collection of items sitting on the floor. Most of the items were as harmless as spare bits of clothing or jewelry, though they were all arranged like some sort of bizarre nest which had also been littered with the glittering remains of what Fluttershy assumed was a shattered mirror.

Sitting in the very center of the magpie-like heap, was a hand sewn doll with what could only be human hair sewn to the scalp.

Fluttershy pulled away, only just thinking not to slam the door. She felt nauseated. She could feel the bile rising in her throat, but she fought the urge to simply scream. No… she needed to find Rainbow… She could do whatever she needed to do later… she needed to find her love right now…

She continued opening doors, finding behind each one now a different collection. Each a different woman, each containing a new nest and a new doll…

Finally she reached the final door which sat ominously at the very end of the hall. It was still a gamble at this point, but she had to chance it.

‘These rooms… all of his past victims… and myself… Could Rainbow be in this room? She’s not the same kind of victim, but… It’s possible. I can probably even find a lead in here. Okay, Fluttershy… do it.’

Slowly she approached the door, peeking in through a keyhole, which was surprising. She couldn’t see much of anything, but a quick glimpse of something rainbow-coloured caught her eye.
‘Rainbow?’

Taking a lock pick from her pocket, she carefully applied it into the keyhole, and clicked it open. Opening the door quietly, Fluttershy slipped into the room, coming to find exactly who she was looking for. It almost seemed way too easy, way too convenient, but did that even matter?

“Oh my god… Rainbow… Rainbow!” Fluttershy gasped, coming closer. Much to her dismay, the woman’s eyes were closed, unmoving. The drip of blood down the side of her head was not reassuring.

No movement, no breathing, nothing.

It was bad enough finding Rainbow tied to a chair, with blood, cuts, and bruises on her person. It was even worse finding her dead.

Fluttershy recoiled in terror, her heart stopping and falling to her stomach. Everything within herself just dropped dead, unable to properly respond to anything. She took a step closer, feeling tears welling in her eyes, choked sobs escaping her. Of all the most terrifying, horrible moments in her life, none of them compared to this.

“No.. No… No… No!” Fluttershy uttered amidst her crying as she fell to her knees. She collapsed slowly against Rainbow’s lap, crying into it brokenheartedly. To truly face the loss of the only woman she ever loved had to be a crime in it of itself.

Just then, Rainbow stirred. She took in a wheezing breath and coughed so violently that the chair she was tied to wobbled.

“Wh-what’s going on…” the detective stammered weakly, “Flutters...no...no tell me that’s not really you… tell me this is a hallucination… tell me you ran…”
No. It couldn't have been. But Fluttershy could swear she'd heard Rainbow's voice. Was she imagining it? She had to be, there was no way it was truly her. Yet, something inside told her to be sure. If only because of one little spark of hope that Rainbow Dash could've still been alive. But the heart-shattering disappointment was already too much to bear.

She had to check. If only to confirm she was dead or alive. Slowly, Fluttershy rose her head to look up and see Rainbow's eyes slowly opening. Her heart all but stopped. It wasn't her imagination. It was real. Rainbow was still alive.

“Rainbow! ” Fluttershy cried, unable to believe she’d been wrong.
Without thinking, she straddled her lap on the chair and kissed her fiercely, fisting her fingers into her hair. Nothing else mattered, nothing. All she could think about was that Rainbow was okay, that there was still a chance to save her. She kissed her hard, passionately, pouring everything into it, not stopping.

From a darkened corner of the room there was the hollow sound of slow applause and a dry humorless laugh. “Bravo, my dear butterfly. Bravo.”

Gasping, Fluttershy looked up, all around themselves, “No…!”

“Yes,” Answered the voice as finally Sombra stepped from the shadows.

He wasn’t exactly a tall man, but the ominous air that lingered about him was more than enough to make him seem like a giant. He wore a suit of the darkest black with a shirt to match, the only color in his outfit coming from his blood scarlet tie. His raven hair was long and slightly unkempt, as if it had been slicked back a day or so ago, but had been left to tangle since then. His skin was pale, as if he had never seen the sun, and his eyes… those tormentous green eyes seemed to bore holes through the women.

“So nice to finally meet you, butterfly,” He said in a silky voice. “I had so hoped you’d find your way here before I was done with the detective here.”

Fluttershy’s grip tightened on her lover, “You stay away from her you son of a bitch…”

“Oh yes I’d nearly forgotten, this little kitten has grown claws hasn’t she,” Sombra said in a patronizing voice as he took a step closer still.

“She’s got more than that, you bastard…” Rainbow growled, though her voice was still a bit weak. “Fluttershy is stronger than you. She’s not some frightened little girl!”

“Then what is she?” Sombra asked, bemused.

“She’s my partner,” Rainbow said defiantly.

Despite the fear within herself, Fluttershy kept herself up, “I won’t let you do this to her. It’s me you want, Sombra… Let her go.”

“Do you know why I call you butterfly?” Sombra asked, as though he hadn’t heard Fluttershy’s command. “It’s because you, my dear, are special. I was never going to let these filthy criminals sell you like I did with the rest of my conquests… leaving me only their lovely locks to remember them by… No, I was going to keep you. I still am. I’m going to kill you, pin you up, and preserve you, just like a butterfly in a collection.”

Both women now looked less shocked and more disgusted at this.
“You’re sick…!” Fluttershy uttered. “I mean it! leave her alone…!”

“Yes, yes,” Sombra said dismissively, “I heard you before. I just don’t care.”

Fluttershy stood up, keeping close to the chair, “I’m here, in the flesh, now start talking.”

Sombra’s temper began to flare, truly none of this was going how he’d hoped. He began to advance on her, growling, “Why in blazes are you still talking, dammit!? You should be pleading, begging, bargaining!”
Admittedly scared, Fluttershy took a step back, eyes wide in fear. At the corner of her eye, she caught the ghost of a grin on Rainbow’s face. Realizing what was going on, she turned back to him.

“Sombra… I won’t lie to you. ...I’m terrified right now. Just as you have left me crippled with fear all this time. If there’s one thing I came to learn, it’s that you feed on fear. Not going to happen. I want you to let Rainbow go! What more do you want, I’m here, in the flesh, as you lured me,” Fluttershy managed in a calm tone, swallowing.

“Are you telling me what to do!? Are trying to quote to me some sort of rules!? I am king here!” Sombra thundered, producing a knife and waving it dangerously. “Yes I brought you here, I told you whatever you need to hear to do it, and now you’re mine, and thanks to your mischief I don’t have time for any of this anymore! Say goodbye to you little girlfriend!”

Sombra lunged at Rainbow Dash, knife raised high over his head.

“NO!”

The shriek of despair came from Fluttershy as she instinctively reached her foot out in his path. Sure enough, he tripped and unceremoniously fell over Rainbow, knocking into the nearby cabinet.
Shaking, Fluttershy advanced on his fallen form, any fear and despair now being overtaken by anger. Pent-up anger harbouring within herself since this whole mess started.

“Are you kidding me?! I mean, I know you’re evil and everything, but you’d threaten to kill my girlfriend even after I complied to your demands?! Really?! Why you’re just a great big meanie!” Fluttershy spewed in anger, her voice rising to shocking octaves, “There! I said it! What makes you think you’re so special?! Like the rules of common courtesy don’t apply to you?! Why don’t you pick on somebody your own size?!”

It was then that she pulled out the gun in her coat, pointing it at him.
Sombra started to laugh, but it died in his throat, only bald faced rage gripping him and he snarled up at her, “You dare point a gun at me!? Do you know who I am!? I am SOMBRA! I am the dark and the cold! I am the shadow and smoke! You can’t kill me!”

“Let her go, you sick son of a bitch!” Fluttershy snarled, pulling back the barrel, “Let her go or I’ll shoot! I’m at point blank range! You’ve tormented me long enough, Sombra!”

“She’s cable tied to the chair, cut her out yourself,” Sombra growled with a sneer, tilting his head in the direction of his fallen knife.

“Don’t take that gun off his ass for a second,” Rainbow advised, “Hand me the knife, I think I can cut myself free.”

Glancing toward her for a moment, Fluttershy kept the gun on him as she carefully made her way to the knife. Not once taking her gaze or gun off him, she chuckled darkly, “I see what you mean, Rainbow… This is the part where the villain tricks the hero into turning their back… So that he can either kill or knock them out when they’re not looking… Mmm, thought you could outsmart me, Sombra? Not this time. I have Manehattan’s greatest detective on my side…”

Reaching the knife, she took it in hand, gripping it. Still in the same procedure as before, she tiptoed to Rainbow, placing it into her hand.
“One wrong move and the next bullet is going between your eyes, Sombra!” Fluttershy warned.

Sombra remained eerily quiet, his eyes continually flicking between the two of them.

Rainbow flipped the knife around, pointing the blade towards herself and after some finagling she managed to slip the tip into the zip tie and began to cut herself free. A few moments later Rainbow managed to get to her feet, banged up, bloody and sore, but with any luck no worse for the ware.

Shuddering, Fluttershy then tiptoed over to her, placing the gun into her hand, “Quick, go!”

“You brought Twilight, right?” Rainbow said, her voice measured and even as she kept the gun on Sombra. “I heard shots.”

“Yes…” Fluttershy whispered back with a nod, “They’re in the back… Go find them, hurry.”

“If there’s shooting, she probably called in backup,” Rainbow said, her hard cerise gaze falling on Sombra still.

Sombra sneered, looking eerily calm, “You mean to murder me, Rainbow Dash? That's quite a step even for you.”

“Shut up!” Rainbow snarled, glaring at him, “You so much as blink and you're dead! You're not gonna terrorize Fluttershy or any other woman again, you sick fuck! Hope you packed your red pajamas, because there's an eternal sleepover in Hell and you're invited!”

Now Sombra stood up, holding his hands in the air, smirking at the two all the while. Rainbow kept the gun on him, following his movements, keeping in front of Fluttershy.

“You're not even the real guy,” Rainbow said sourly, “Our Sombra was quiet, lurking in the shadows, calculating. The Sombra on Firefly's file was everything you're not. You just took his name and made it your own. Face it, asshole, you're just a wannabe who takes Sombra and makes him sound like a Bond villain! I'm just surprised you're not sitting at a desk with a cat to stroke!”

This made Sombra, or whatever his name was supposed to be, laugh with dark amusement. “That isn’t even relevant. The point is that I came this far, while I have you two right where I want you.”

“And I’m about have you right where I want you,” Rainbow growled, “spending the rest of your life in a cold hole in the ground.”

Looking at the gun, then at Rainbow, Sombra chuckled, “You sure have a lot of confidence for a woman who has the gun, and hasn’t even tried pulling the trigger.”

“What? You think I’m going to be a good girl now? You think I’m gonna do what I always do? Rough and tumble girl detective with a heart of gold?” Rainbow said, her nostrils flaring. “Until a couple weeks ago, you would have been right. But I’ll let you in on a secret…”

Rainbow took a step towards the over confident villain with his crocodile smile. “It’s a hell of a lot easier to do the right thing when you have nothing to lose or gain. But I’ve changed. I’m in love…. and you hurt her… made her life a living hell…”

“Love. Willing to murder for love. I can already see it makes you no better than me,” Sombra taunted, “Go ahead. Pull the trigger. Let this nightmare haunt you every day after.”

Dash took a swallow, trying to steel herself. It was strange, she was about to violate the biggest rule she had ever been given, cross the line that separated right from wrong. What surprised her most in that as she considered all of this, she didn’t feel fear or disgust at what she was considering; instead what she felt was the certainty of her passion for Fluttershy egging her on towards this bloody conclusion.
“That’s supposed to scare me? I don’t care anymore. Let it haunt me. At least then it’ll be my nightmare, not hers,” Rainbow said, her voice low. Gritting her teeth, her hand steady as the she raised the gun to point right between Sombra’s eyes, and said in a too calm voice, “Fluttershy. You should look away.”

Fluttershy caught on right away, then nodded and looked away from her. There was a part of her that had hoped they could do this without using a gun in this way. But at this point, was it really avoidable? It raised many questions in her mind, but nothing she could assess at the moment. Everything was happening too fast. There was nothing more she could do.

Sombra looked from Rainbow to Fluttershy, and for the first time in years he felt a prickle of that sensation he had gleefully inflicted on his victims… he felt fear. The air in the room seemed to freeze, and for a second no one moved, and then... one last gunshot split the air that night.

In the silence that followed Rainbow let go of a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding, letting the gun fall to the floor.

“Your nightmare’s over, Flutters,” Rainbow said simply, her chest rising and falling heavily.

Opening her eyes, Fluttershy glanced over, seeing that the man who claimed to be Sombra lay there on the floor, motionless. Most especially evident of the fact he was dead was the bullet hole between his eyes. A mix of emotions ran through her mind, unable to comprehend just what had happened and what will eventually come to be. There was even a part of her that expected him to jump back up, somehow not even dead. But he didn’t move. Not an inch. He was truly dead. Dead and gone.

The entire ordeal was over. But at what cost? The cost of someone’s life. At the same time, Fluttershy knew all too well that if it wasn’t Sombra, it would’ve been either her or Rainbow. The latter of which being the worst case scenario to her. She shuddered a bit, finding it hard to stand all of a sudden.

Letting out a cry, Fluttershy fell up against her, trembling hard as she held to her, “R-R-Rainbow…”

“Flutters….” Rainbow said, her pent up emotions beginning to break free as tears welled up in her eyes. She wrapped her arms tightly around the pinkette, ignoring the dull ache of her injuries. “Flutters...I thought I’d never see you again…”

“Rainbow!” Fluttershy embraced her in return, beginning to cry, “Oh my gosh, I…. I was so scared…! I thought I’d never see you again either… I woke up this morning and you were gone! I found these notes, all the blood, I…”

“Shhh…” Rainbow cooed, wiping tears from Fluttershy’s cheeks. “It’s okay… we’re okay. It’s over… I made sure he could never hurt you ever again...”

Sniffling, Fluttershy gazed at her, mixes of emotions overtaking her, “You saved my life… You truly did come through for me… I-I can’t… I have no… no words…. You saved me, Rainbow…”

“You saved me,” Rainbow said softly. “Now let’s get the hell out of here…. and if anyone asks, that bastard came at us with that knife… but I don’t think anyone is going to ask too many questions.”

“No. To be fair, he did try to kill you…” Fluttershy murmured, leaning against her, “Rainbow? …Before I left, I… I found that video you left for me.”

“You did, huh?” Rainbow said taking her hand and leading her from the room. “I meant every word, every single one…. the two of us, we’re good together… and I do love you… with this entire thing in my chest that passes for a heart.”

Managing to smile brightly, Fluttershy kissed her on the cheek, “It touched me… I even felt a little sad, fearing I would never see you… But, when you said it, I think I watched it a dozen times. I… may not need to say this, but… I love you too, Rainbow. So much.”

Rainbow held Fluttershy close as they made their way through the complex. It wasn’t long before they were greeted by a uniformed Police officer who radioed in their discovery. The rest of the evening was a blur of on the record statements, red tape, and on the spot medical treatment by EMTs. The sun was rising over the skyline before they were done. Applejack and Twilight offered to drive the couple home which they gratefully accepted (How Applejack had convinced the EMTs to let her drive home with a bullet hole in her shoulder, none of them asked).

Sun blazing defiantly in the sky, Rainbow and Fluttershy finally laid down in Rainbow’s bed once again, their entire world having changed once again in the past twenty four hours.

“Fluttershy…” Rainbow said softly. “Can you say it again…?”

Nuzzling into her shoulder, Fluttershy gave a smile, “I love you.”

Rainbow gave a happy sigh, her eyes sliding shut, “I love you, too.”

Author's Note

Hey folks, we're terribly sorry that this took longer to update than expected! This was due to a number of reasons, and some of which being procrastinating. However, it is now down! We just have the epilogue, which will come up soon after this posting! :D Thank you all so much for reading!

Epilogue

How long had it been since the Sombra case had been finally closed? No one really knew, just that it was now a few weeks since it all came together. Press conferences were held, the media was all over it, parties and riots broke out across the nation, it was one of the biggest pieces of news in months. Many of the families of victims were immensely relieved, the thugs on Sombra’s side were thrown into jail, and many drugs and weapons were all brought into custody.

Things were winding down by now, which was a relief. Especially for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, now full time partners running the agency together. They too had their share of media coverage and being mobbed in the streets by reporters. Fluttershy of course felt as if she’d been thrown back into the modeling world and avoided going out without a disguise. But this time, she had the best kind of bodyguard anyone could ever ask for. While not hostile, Rainbow made it clear that no one got close to Fluttershy like that.

The two now lived together in Rainbow’s basement apartment, considering the idea of finding a new place, now that they had quite a share of funds. Fluttershy had sold her apartment soon after it was declared safe again. It had been quite an ideal time, since a lot wanted the apartment of a recent surviving victim of the biggest case to hit the newsstands. Needless to say, Fluttershy made more off the condo than she’d purchased it for. Most of their earnings had gone to keeping the agency afloat, buying new things to spruce it up and update, but still keeping to the charm Firefly once had.

Now living comfortably for the time being, the two newly formed partners in detective work and love were as happy as they ever could have been.

On one particular evening, Fluttershy was roused from her slumber, fueled by the need to use the bathroom. Groggily, she did so, getting up and going to the bathroom. Having been living here for a few weeks, she knew the place inside and out, even in the dark. After finishing up, she came back to bed, climbing under the covers. She glanced over at her lover, surprised to find her laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, wide awake.

“...Rainbow? Are you awake?” She asked softly.

“...Yeah...” Rainbow answered after a beat. “Yeah I’m up…”

Noticing her downtrodden tone, Fluttershy came closer and brought her arms around her, kissing her cheek, “Is something wrong?”

“I don’t know…” Rainbow said, her voice sounding distant as she leaned against Fluttershy. “...It wasn’t wrong. That much I know.”

“What wasn’t-oh,” Fluttershy caught on to her meaning. She turned on the light on her side of the bed, then cuddled the other woman closer, kissing her forehead, “You can talk about it, Rainbow. You haven’t said anything about it since it happened.”

“He didn’t deserve to live… I would have attended his execution with a smile…” Rainbow said, her eyes staring into the shadows beyond glow of the lamp’s light. “...I’ve never killed anyone before though. I’ve put bullets in people, hurt a few pretty bad, but never killed anyone, and never in cold blood… but I couldn’t let him still be out there...I couldn’t let him haunt you… haunt us.”

“He was the one trying to kill you. He had a knife… He would’ve killed you if you didn’t. Then later he would’ve killed me after I suffered. That was his plan, to make me suffer,” Fluttershy murmured, “It was in self-defense. I-I know it’s a little hard to take in, but you did do the right thing.”

“I know I don’t feel bad about him being dead,” Rainbow observed, her lips pursed in thought. “...I just don’t like that I pulled the trigger-no wait, that’s wrong. I think I don’t like how much I liked pulling the trigger. I didn’t think twice. I knew what I had to do, and it felt good. I was protecting you. I was ending your nightmare... I just don’t want to become your new nightmare, ya know?”

Reaching up to stroke her hair, Fluttershy continued to gently plant kisses along her face, “Shhh… It’s okay. You’re not a killer and you won’t grow to be one. You liked it because it was ending a nightmare. You’ll never be my new nightmare. Ever. I love you.”

Rainbow heaved a sigh, unable to fight the positive feelings instilled in her by Fluttershy’s tender affections. “I love you too Fluttershy. More than that, I need you. Just promise to make sure I never cross that line okay? I know the law can be screwed up, and sometimes doing the right thing means acting outside it… just, please... make sure I don’t become one of the monsters.”

“I promise,” Fluttershy cooed, gently rolling on top of her, cradling her lover’s face, “I’ll always make sure to help you however I can. I’m your partner now, I’m going to be right there with you through every case. I love you so much, I’ll make sure nothing ever happens to you. That line will never be crossed because we’re together. I’ll never leave you, my love… never.”

“And I’ll never leave you, Flutters,” Rainbow said, leaning up and bringing her lips to Fluttershy’s as well as wrapping her arms about the pinkette’s waist. “You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. You saved me too. Thank you… not just for that, but for believing in the good in me.”

Smiling all the more, Fluttershy lay their foreheads together, “You’re very welcome. I’ll always believe in you. You’re a strong, confident, noble, amazing woman. Nothing can ever take that from you.”

Rainbow smiled as she imparted another tender kiss on her lover’s lips. “Thank you, Flutters… I know that as long as you believe that about me I’ll try my best to live up to it.”

“As long as you believe in me, too. I never knew I could be brave,” Fluttershy kissed her lips as well, savouring the touch.

“I alway knew you could. Ever since that since I laid eyes on you, I knew you could be. Just coming to me was so brave. That’s what broke the cycle. That’s what brought down that bastard,” Rainbow said, running her hand through Fluttershy’s long pink hair.

Beaming, Fluttershy nodded and nuzzled noses with her, “You’re right. Things truly changed when I came to you, didn’t it? I never even thought I’d ever do something like that. But as you know, it was my only option at that point. I was at the end of my rope and truly had to find someone who could help me.”

“And by not giving up, by being brave, you changed everything,” Rainbow replied, continuing to stroke Fluttershy’s hair lovingly, “Not just for the case, but for us… because you were brave, you’ve made me the happiest woman on the planet.”

“That’s amazing… I’m so glad,” Fluttershy stroked her hair as well, “By being brave, I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my whole life. They say life rewards action… I couldn’t agree with it more. I especially am not regretting being a model, or having this case start. It’s almost as if… all of that happened… so it could bring me to you.”

“A serial kidnapper, murder, and all around evil bastard is what helped the pair of us find true love?” Rainbow said with a little laugh. “That sounds appropriately messed up to be fate.”

“Maybe,” Fluttershy grinned, “But I would do it all over again.”

“Me too… In fact I can think of plenty of things I’d do over again with you,” Rainbow said, smiling and giving Fluttershy a little wink. “Again and again~”

Giggling with glee, Fluttershy nuzzled her, “Oh? Like what?”

Rainbow snuggled up closer, her hands gently exploring her girlfriend’s naked body, “Anything you’d like, Flutters.”

Smiling growing, Fluttershy cooed softly at her lover’s touch, “I want to explore every bit of you and make sweet love to you~”

“Sounds like a good deal to me,” Rainbow leaned in and gave her soft passionate kiss. “What do you say we don’t go into the office tomorrow? Just spend another wonderful day together~”

“Oh, yes, you naughty woman~” Fluttershy cooed as they slowly proceeded to take each other away again.

The Rock farm was about as quiet as it tended to be on a Tuesday night, that was until a single voice rent open the calm atmosphere.

“APPLEJACK!” Rarity scolded, marching from her table to her girlfriend’s position at the door, her sapphire eyes ablaze as she stared up into AJ’s face. “Pinkie has given you all the time off you need, why on earth are you still here!? If you injure that shoulder I’ll… I’ll… Well I’ll do something, and you won’t like it missy!”

“Relax, Rare, Ah’m fine,” Applejack assured her, “Ah took enough time off.”

“You. Got. Shot!” Rarity said sternly. “Bad enough you go off you go swashbuckling about like some common ruffian, but you got hurt doing it!”

“Ah did, but Ah’ve recovered. The wound wasn’t all bad, anyway,” Applejack said, patting her hair, “Don’t ya worry none. Ah’m perfectly awright.”

“Perfectly alright!? You… I…” Rarity’s voice faltered for a moment, her eyes beginning to water. “Alright Applejackie, darling… just please… promise me I’ll never have to get another call like that from the hospital, or next time I won’t forgive you...”

Softening, Applejack brought an arm around her and kissed her head sweetly, “Ah know, Ah didn’t mean ta worry ya. Ah wouldn’t have done what Ah did if Ah knew Ah wouldn’t make it. But worryin’ you was not mah intention an’ Ah’m sorry. Ah promise you.”

“I know, dear… and I know you needed to lend a hand… I just wish I could have been there for you…” Rarity conceded with a pout, leaning into Applejack.

“Ah know,” Applejack kissed her forehead, “But ya were. When Ah saw you come inta mah room at the hospital, Ah felt… better than Ah ever thought Ah would.”

“Hmmph,” Rarity tutted, though now smiling, her voice soft yet playful. “Leave it to you to undervalue my presence, darling.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, sugarcube,” Applejack held her closer, looking up toward the door, “An’ would you look at that! It’s the gals of the hour!”

“Would you look at that,” Rainbow Dash remarked as she pushed her way through the door, her usual cocky grin on her lips as she engaged in her usual banter with the bouncer. “You get yourself shot, and you’re still here to card my girlfriend.”

Applejack laughed heartily, casting a playful smirk toward Fluttershy, “You got yer ID, Miss?”

With a grin, Fluttershy nodded and produced her new rookie detective partner identification card, “I certainly do.”

“Oh that’s simply lovely!” Rarity said, fawning over the ID badge. “So then it’s official? Partners in business as well as love?”

“You know it,” Rainbow said proudly, gently clapping a hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “All the paper work is in and everything, though it’s not like we, or anyone else, were waiting around for paperwork. We’ve already got a few smaller cases under our belt.”

“Amazin’,” Applejack grinned, “How are ya likin’ yer new job?”

Grinning widely, Fluttershy brought her arms around Rainbow’s waist and nuzzled her, “Oh, I love it! I never in my life would’ve imagined I would be a detective’s partner, but now that I am, I just enjoy it so much! It’s such a joy! Sure, it’s quite deep and dark at times, but working together really helps. I love my new job, and I love you for giving me the job,” she kissed her lover’s cheek sweetly.

“I love you too,” Rainbow said sweetly, kissing Fluttershy in return, not even caring if Applejack snickered at this softer display. “I’ll gladly wade through all manner of darkness as long as you’re at my side.”

“Such love! Such romance and adventure!” Rarity cooed excitedly, entangling her arms about her own lover’s form. “Go seat yourselves, I’ll be by in a moment to take any order you’d like to place,” She said, waving her hand in the direction of the table, her sapphire eyes locked firmly on Applejack’s own, “I’m not sure I’ve properly thanked my soldier for her part in your daring rescue.”

This made Applejack smirk as she held Rarity close, “Ah have no idea… Care ta referesh mah memory?”

“I’ve always believed actions can speak a little louder than words, no matter how lovely those words may be,” Rarity replied, leaning up to give her girlfriend a sweet kiss on the lips. “So how about you use some words to tell me just what actions you would consider proper thanks~”

Rainbow snicked, turning to Fluttershy, “I think they might be itching for a little alone time, c’mon.”

The detective leader her partner over to their usual table, where she reclined with a sigh of relief. “Nothing quite like coming to a familiar place after a long day of work…” She murmured to herself, then, looking up at Fluttershy, she added, “But nothing beats going anywhere with you Flutters.”

“Oh, you said it, Dashie,” Fluttershy agreed with a bright smile, “I’m glad to go anywhere with you.”

“This is where it all started isn’t it,” Rainbow said, looking around the mostly empty bar. “You, me, the Rock Farm, and some rules that were made to be broken.”

The sweet nostalgia of their past moments here filled Fluttershy’s mind, even though it wasn’t too long ago, “You’re right… This was where it all started. Right here in this lovely place… Mmm... I can still remember when we almost kissed…”

“Don’t remind me,” Rainbow groaned with a little laugh, “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so frustrated in my entire life.”

“Me neither,” Fluttershy recalled the aforementioned moment and laughed. She then leaned over, smiling, “Well, now you can kiss me anytime you want…”

“How about right now?” Rainbow said, that same playful smirk that had been on her lips at their first meeting once again making itself known.

Fluttershy gave a sweet, mischievous smile, “Why yes, Rainbow Dash… I would love that.”

Rainbow leaned over the table and met Fluttershy’s lips in a sweet and passionate kiss, just as they had done a thousand times since that first kiss and as they hoped to do a million more in the future.

Over at the bar, Twilight continued pouring through her casework. She had come to realize that a bar wasn’t the ideal place to complete her paperwork… but it wasn’t without its advantages. She looked up to find, as expected, Pinkie Pie hovering over her, that big genuine smile on her lips.

“I’m almost done, Pinkie, I swear,” Twilight said, smiling softly as she returned to her work.

“I knoooooow! I’m just so excited!” Pinkie said happily, clapping a little.

“For me being done with my work?” Twilight asked, not looking up from her papers. “I get plenty excited to be done with this stuff, but I don’t I’ve ever been that excited.”

“Well of course! Being done means we can have fun, Twi-Twi!” Pinkie giggled, leaning over to nuzzle her.

Twilight looked up at her, a little pout on her lips, “We’ve been over this, it’s Officer Sparkle while I’m still on the clock… not that I don’t like being called the other…”

“Okay, Officer,” Pinkie pouted playfully, “But you’re still my Twi-Twi!”

“That I am,” Twilight said, signing her final form with a little flourish. “And now I’m officially off the clock.”

“Woohoo! Yay!” Pinkie danced a little, and presented her with a drink, “Here you go! Your off-the-clock drinkie, just like you requested!”

Twilight accepted the drink happily, putting away her paperwork before indulging in the cocktail, which she did soon after. “I think that’s why I love coming here so much,” She joked, reaching back behind her head to undo her pony tail, “The service.”

Pinkie beamed, thrilled to hear this, “That’s sooo awesome, Twi-Twi!” She looked over toward their friends, observing the two detective partners as they exchanged conversation while occasionally sharing a kiss across the table, “Awww… so cute! I just knew it, the minute I first saw them come in together, I knew they’d fall soooo hard for each other!”

“You know, I knew it too,” Twilight said thoughtfully. “When Rainbow first came into the police station with Fluttershy, the way they acted together, I knew there had to be something that would happen there.”

“I know!” Pinkie laughed, nudging her slightly, “The way they looked at each other, and how Dashie was in such denial at first, it was so cute! Oh, Dashie especially had it bad for Flutters before even meeting her! Hee hee! She told me all about it when she was drunk one time! ‘Oh, Fluttershy’s the most beautiful woman who lived!’, ‘Pinks, I think about her all the time and I dream about her!’ and all that stuff! It was so funny!”

Twilight gave Pinkie a sly smile, “You’ll have to tell me more about that so I have some ammo for the next time she comes breaking down my door, sniffing for leads on a case.”

“Careful, then!” Pinkie warned, laughing, “She also said, ‘No way she’d go for a lowlife gumshoe like me! She’s way too beautiful and awesome, she could have any lady out there!’ and oh, there was this one! ‘I’d marry her if I could!’ So cute!”

“Everything those two have been through,” Twilight said, casting her gaze in their direction. “The bigger shock would be if there weren’t any wedding bells in their future.”

Pinkie mock-gasped, “How horrible that would be!”

“Oh that’ll never happen,” Twilight said with a laugh, “Just look at them, they’re goners.”

Looking at the pair, Pinkie giggled as she observed them sharing a kiss, which was lasting a little longer than usual. Had the table not been separating them, there was no telling what they could be doing.

“No kidding! They’re downright in love, those two!” She agreed.

Twilight agreed, nodding her head and observing the two once more. They truly were in love but at the same time, their love had gone beyond that, touching more than just their own lives. Twilight wondered if had Fluttershy not gone to Rainbow for help, what could have happened to all the future victims of Sombra’s crimes? What would have happened to Fluttershy? Would Twilight now even be sitting here, enjoying a drink with a woman whom she’d come to share much of her “off-the-clock” time with?

For their own sakes, as well as every life they had touched, it had been quite fortunate that Fluttershy had walked into that office, and that Rainbow had so enthusiastically lent her services. No one would have ever expected things to turn out as they did. In turn of such events, Rainbow met the woman of her dreams, while Fluttershy found love in the most unexpected place. The man known as Sombra may have reigned terror on many, but it certainly changed things. That at the very least was truly resolved.

At least until the next case would roll around.

Author's Note

And there it is! :D It is done! Woohoo! We really enjoyed writing this story and we hope you guys enjoyed it, too! It's been a great journey, as well as bringing us closer together as friends! Thank you all so much again for reading, and a huge thank you to vero-chan! Not only for providing awesome cover art, but also for the immense support!

We'll see you in the next story!