Basso Profondo

by Spell 25

Rating: mature
Tags: Fluttershy, Sex, Cheerilee, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance
Length: 4713

Flutterguy's biggest fan.

When Fluttershy agrees to have dinner at Cheerilee's house, she expects a quiet, run-of-the-mill date. What she doesn't expect is that Cheerilee is a big fan of the Ponytones, and especially of their recent 'guest-vocalist'. And maybe, just maybe, Cheerilee had an ulterior motive for asking her there.

WARNING: Contains lesbian sex, vulgarity, and a smidgen of whimsy.

Published 2014-07-19 01:50:02 UTC
Last updated 2014-07-19 01:50:02 UTC

Basso Profondo

Fluttershy slowly poked her head around the corner, peering down the street at her destination. And there it was. To the untrained eye, it looked like any other Ponyvillean home, but for her, the sight of it sent butterflies fluttering through her stomach. She ducked back around the corner, out of view.

“Oh, Angel. I don’t know if I can go through with this,” she whimpered.

The white bunny merely glowered at her, putting his little paws on his hips.

“I just… I don’t know if I feel that way about Cheerilee.”

Angel raised an eyebrow.

Fluttershy avoided his critical gaze. “Well, I don’t know! I was so caught off guard when she asked me that I just said yes.” She leaned over to take another look at the house. “She is a very nice pony, I suppose. I certainly admire her for what she does for a living, teaching all those cute little foals. And she does have a very nice rear end.”

With a tiny gasp, she covered her blushing face with her wings. “Oh dear! Did I just say that out loud?!”

Angel face-pawed, then set about nudging and ushering her around the corner and towards Cheerilee’s house. Fluttershy, in her petrification, had planted her hooves to the ground, but Angel pushed her down the street regardless, her hooves leaving four long furrows in the dirt as they went.

“Oh, you’re right,” Fluttershy said as they drew nearer, though her body continued to resist. “I have been meaning to get out more. It’s been so long since I went on a date. It’s just… it’s always so stressful, and… and… oomf!”

Peeling her face off Cheerilee’s front door, she shook her head and gave her lagomorphic companion a reproachful look. Angel merely met her eyes with a frown, raised a hind leg, and gave the door a series of rapid kicks.

“Coming!” called a friendly voice from within.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!” As if under the thrall of a flight response, she turned to run, only for Angel to stick out a paw and trip her, sending her to the ground with a thump. At the sound of the doorknob turning, Angel darted into a nearby shrub, disappearing from view just as the door opened.

“Hello? I…” Cheerilee looked down at the heap of pegasus on her doorstep. “Oh dear, Fluttershy! Are you alright?”

Fluttershy got to her hooves, hiding halfway behind her mane as she turned to face her date for the evening. “Yes,” she said quietly. “I’m fine, thanks.”

“Well, thank goodness.” Cheerilee discreetly ran her eyes over Fluttershy, her face taking on a vaguely sultry quality. “Please, won’t you come in?”

Fluttershy gulped, avoiding Cheerilee’s gaze briefly until she caught sight of Angel Bunny in the shrub, who proceeded to give her a series of gestures with his paws.

Oh, he’s right, of course, she thought when he was finished. I have been kind of tense lately. Maybe an evening with a nice pony will be just what the doctor ordered.

Finally, she met Cheerilee’s eyes, giving the teacher a timid smile. “Yes, I’d love to.”

“Great,” the teacher said, stepping aside, then closing the door once Fluttershy had entered.

Fluttershy came to a stop in the foyer, taking in the sight of Cheerilee’s home. It was a relatively small place, but warm and cozy. Evening sunlight poured in through one of the windows, illuminating various knick-knacks and hand-me-downs like a spotlight. Shelves packed with books lined one of the walls, and to the side was a table strewn with half-graded tests.

“What a lovely home you have,” Fluttershy cooed.

“Why, thank you.” Cheerilee stepped toward the kitchen. “Dinner will be ready soon, so please have a seat and make yourself at home.” She stopped in the doorway leading to the kitchen, looking over her shoulder with one eye. “Would… would you like some tea?”

“Some tea sounds lovely. I-if it isn’t too much trouble, of course.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all,” she replied, flashing a little smile.

As Cheerilee busied herself in the kitchen, preparing the tea, Fluttershy took a seat on the sofa, continuing to examine some of the finer details of the room—some family photographs on the mantelpiece, a ceramic plate clearly made by a student, a vase of marigolds on the coffee table. It reminded Fluttershy of her own home, sans animal ruckus and droppings.

“How do you take your tea?” called Cheerilee from the kitchen.

“Just a little bit of lemon, please.”

“Coming right up!”

True to her word, Cheerilee stepped into the living room in no time at all, carrying on her back a tray bearing two cups of tea. She set the tray down carefully and hoofed one of the cups over to her guest. Fluttershy thanked her, then made to take a sip, only to freeze, eyeing the tea and its faint bluish tint.

“Um… what kind of tea is this?”

“Oh, just a personal blend of mine,” Cheerilee replied without looking at her. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“O-of course not!” Fluttershy hastily took a sip, swishing the fluid around with her tongue for a moment before swallowing. Try as she might, she couldn’t place one of the flavors. It was odd, but not unpleasant, and Fluttershy took another sip before setting her cup down. She looked over at her host, finding Cheerilee looking at a grandfather clock to the side of the room.

Oh dear… Fluttershy thought. I hope I’m not boring her.

Cheerilee turned to face her suddenly, smiling brightly. “So, Fluttershy. You and I haven’t really crossed paths a lot, have we? I’ve spent time with Twilight, and in my capacity as a teacher I’ve met with Applejack and Rarity. But I’ve never really talked with you very much. I’d be delighted if you told me a bit about yourself while we wait for dinner.”

“Oh… a-alright…” Fluttershy stammered with a blush. “Well… I’m originally from Cloudsdale…”

“So, Twilight actually went to another world?” Cheerilee asked incredulously, finishing the last bite of her hay casserole.

Fluttershy, who was nearly finished with her own meal, replied, “Yes. Though, she never went into a whole lot of detail about what it was like.”

“Wow, that must’ve been quite the experience.”

Fluttershy ate her last bite, then slumped back in her seat slightly. “My, that was delicious!”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Cheerilee said with a smile. She cast a look at a wall clock, and added, “I’m glad you agreed to come, too.”

Fluttershy fidgeted in her seat. “Well, I’m flattered that you would even want to ask me out. I’m not exactly the most sociable of ponies, as I’m sure you know.”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re one of the loveliest mares in town!”

Fluttershy felt herself blush. She took a drink of her milk to occupy herself, barely noticing a slight tingle in her throat as she swallowed. “I’ll admit I was surprised when you asked,” she said. “I guess I was under the impression that you and Big Macintosh were… well, that the two of you are…”

“An item?” Cheerilee prompted with a smile.

“Well… y-yes.”

Cheerilee nodded. “It’s true, Big Mac and I have had a sort of… casual, on-again off-again relationship. And the two of us do get along rather well. But truth be told, I don’t think he and I really have that… spark between us.”

Fluttershy cleared her throat a little. “Well, that’s a shame.”

But Cheerilee merely waved her hoof. “It’s not so tragic. C’est la vie, as they say. I’m sure there are ponies out there for the two of us.”

She gave her guest a meaningful look, which Fluttershy met with a timid smile.

Cheerilee stood suddenly, carrying her plate to the sink as she continued to speak. “That isn’t to say, of course, that Big Mac doesn’t have his desirable qualities. Take his voice for example.”

“His voice?”

“Mm-hmm.” She began clearing the table, bringing dish after dish to the sink. “I’ll admit, I’ve always had a… thing for deep voices. You can imagine how thrilled I was when I found out that he was joining the Ponytones.”

Fluttershy got up to carry her own plate to the sink, only for Cheerilee to put her hoof on her shoulder, keeping her seated and taking Fluttershy’s plate from her. So, instead of help, Fluttershy said, “The P-Ponytones?”

“Oh yes.” The table clear, Cheerilee indicated the living room with her hoof, and the two of them made in that direction, Cheerilee continuing to talk as they walked... “I’m not ashamed to admit I became something of a groupie for the band. Hearing Big Mac belt out those sonorous notes was a dream come true.”

They took a seat on the sofa. “I c-can imagine…” Fluttershy said. The tingly sensation in her throat grew stronger, and she idly rubbed her neck.

Cheerilee suddenly looked deep into Fluttershy’s eyes, making the pegasus squirm against the sofa cushions. “Then, one day, something changed. His voice, I mean. It was somehow so… warm. And strong. Like a waterfall of silk. I’ll tell you what—just between us girls—I was tempted to start wearing panties, just so I could sling-shot them onto the stage.”

Fluttershy continued to shift under Cheerilee’s intense gaze. “Um, not to be rude, but… Why, exactly, are you telling me all this?”

On our date, she added in her mind.

But Cheerilee barely batted an eye. “Oh, well… It’s just, I had a little chat with Big Macintosh about the whole thing after it blew over.”

“O-oh?”

“Yes indeed. Imagine my surprise when he told me it hadn’t been him singing at all.”

The bottom promptly fell out of Fluttershy’s stomach.

“And do you know what else he told me?” Cheerilee asked, leaning forward in her seat.

“Um… no?”

Cheerilee’s grin widened significantly. “He told me it was you.”

Every muscle in Fluttershy’s body tensed. She darted her eyes back and forth, as if searching for some avenue of escape. Finally, she covered her face with her hooves. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt anypony!”

She felt Cheerilee’s hoof on her shoulder. “I know that, dear. I’m not mad.”

Fluttershy gave a small cough, then said, “You aren’t.”

“Not at all. I was actually quite intrigued. It made me see you in a whole different light. Ever since then, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. Just how pretty you are, and sweet. And that voice.”

“But it isn’t my voice. It’s only because of the poison joke.”

“I know that.”

The tingling in Fluttershy’s throat reached its crescendo, and she began to hack and cough. Cheerilee patted her back and fetched her a glass of water, which she drank gratefully.

“Are you alright, Fluttershy?” Cheerilee asked, genuine concern etched across her face.

Fluttershy finished her sputtering, cleared her throat, and said, “Yes. Thank you.”

With a jolt, she covered her mouth, as if trying to squash the deep bass voice that issued from it.

Cheerilee’s smile returned. “And there it is.”

Fluttershy opened her mouth, closed it again, as if reluctant, then finally said, “Wh-what’s going on?”

“Nothing to be worried about, I promise. But that tea I made you earlier? It might’ve had a certain special ingredient in it.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “No wonder it looked bluish...” She looked at Cheerilee uncertainly. “But why? Why couldn’t you have just asked me first?”

Cheerilee finally looked away, her ears laying back. “I don’t know. I know I should’ve asked your permission first, but… Celestia, that voice is just soooooo sexy.”

Fluttershy’s wings twitched at her sides. “You… y-you really think it’s... sexy?”

“Ohhhhhh yes,” Cheerilee said, visibly shivering from the sound of the booming voice.

“Nopony’s… ever said I was sexy before,” Fluttershy muttered.

Before she knew it, Cheerilee was leaning over her, touching a hoof to her cheek. “Well, you are.”

And then, she felt Cheerilee’s lips press against her own, and she froze. Never before had Fluttershy had such a whirling tempest of emotions pass through her. Surprise, that the night had taken this turn. Confusion, over what she was supposed to do. Irritation, that Cheerilee had slipped something—albeit a generally harmless something—into her tea. And, perhaps most of all, excitement, months and months of loneliness and sexual frustration suddenly ripping through her like water breaking through a levee.

Finally, her eyes closed, and she began to return the kiss—slowly, hesitantly. Under the gentle touch of the teacher’s lips and tongue, Fluttershy moaned, the deep vibrations passing through both their bodies. Fluttershy could practically feel Cheerilee melt against her.

She felt Cheerilee’s hoof come to rest on her thigh, and the small contact snapped her out of it.

“No, wait,” Fluttershy said, gently pushing Cheerilee away with one hoof.

“I’m sorry,” Cheerilee said. “Are we going too fast?”

Fluttershy considered it a moment. “Not necessarily,” she finally said, so quietly that the other mare barely heard her. “I want this to happen. I want it to happen because… because it’s been so long for me, and I really think you’re a pony I’d like to get to know. But… why do you want this to happen?”

Cheerilee’s face screwed up in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, is it just because of my voice? Is that the only reason you asked me here? If somepony else had this voice, would they be sitting here right now?”

Cheerilee looked at her closely, then let out a deep sigh.

“The voice is a part of it,” she said. “And I admit, I’d never really thought of you this way until I found out you’d been singing for Big Mac. But it wasn’t just the voice. The fact that the voice was coming from such a tiny, sweet mare somehow made it… even sexier, I guess. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how kind you are, and attractive. I haven’t been with a mare since college, but suddenly I couldn’t get you off my mind.

“And I know that, sooner or later, you’ll use the remedy, and your voice will go back to normal. And… when that happens, I think I’d still like to see you more often. To get to know the mare behind the voice, so to speak.”

Fluttershy looked at her closely, searching. “Really?”

“Mm-hmm.” Cheerilee chuckled quietly. “Though, if things do work out between us, I wouldn’t mind you using some poison joke on, like, my birthday or something.”

When Fluttershy didn’t laugh, Cheerilee winced, as if fearing she’d said the wrong thing. But a quick look at Fluttershy revealed the pegasus staring at her with wide, moist eyes. Slowly, gently, like the first breath of wind before a spring rain, Fluttershy leaned forward and kissed Cheerilee. In moments, the kissing was picking up in speed and intensity, and when it finally ended, they were both panting into the darkening living room.

“So, you really want to do this?” Cheerilee asked.

“Yes, I… I think I do. I’d really like to get to know you better—maybe go on some more dates. But for now… I think we both really, really want this to happen.”

“Want what to happen?” Cheerilee asked with a coy, sultry look.

Fluttershy met her eyes and, fighting off a blush, said, “Have sex.”

The combination of those words with Fluttershy’s deep, rumbling voice seemed to send spasms of pleasure through Cheerilee’s body. Having her guest’s permission, she rushed forward, locking her lips with Fluttershy’s once again. With a gentle push against Fluttershy’s shoulder, she guided the other mare onto her back on the sofa, then climbed on top of her, their bodies pressed together, hooves stroking each other, tongues dancing all the while.

As they kissed, Cheerilee’s hoof made its way slowly down Fluttershy’s chest and belly, running through her fur, until finally it found its destination between a pair of yellow thighs. Fluttershy broke the kiss with a gasp, filling the room with another rich moan as Cheerilee rubbed her hoof over her swollen sex.

After a moment, Cheerilee leaned down to Fluttershy’s ear and whispered, “Want to move this to my bedroom?”

Fluttershy bit her lip, and then nodded.

Cheerilee grinned. “Then hold on.”

In a rare display of her earth pony strength, Cheerilee stood and hoisted the pegasus onto her back, carrying her bodily out of the living room, down the hall, and into her bedroom. With a buck of her hips, she carefully tossed Fluttershy onto the bed, who bounced onto the mattress with a deep giggle.

Fluttershy, slightly breathless by the everything that was happening, watched as Cheerilee went to her closet and began rummaging through it.

“What are you looking for?”

“Oh, you’ll see,” Cheerilee sang, continuing to root around. Finally: “There we are.”

She emerged from the closet carrying a briefcase in her teeth, setting it down by the foot of the bed, unlocking it with two metallic clicks, and opening the lid. Fluttershy, curious, propped herself up on her elbows and peered over the edge of the bed and looked, her eyes widening as they got a look at the briefcase’s contents. Inside were a virtual artillery of sex toys.

“Oh my…” she breathed.

Cheerilee looked up at her, doubt flickering across her face. “You… don’t mind, do you?”

“No, I don’t guess so. It’s just… there are so many.”

Cheerilee chuckled. “Yes, I suppose there are. I told you about my college mare friend, right?”

“You mentioned dating a mare in college, but you didn’t go into detail.”

“Yes, well, I bought these back then. The two of… well, we had some rather wild nights. Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten much use out of them since then. Well, except for this bad boy.”

She pulled out a long purple vibrator.

“This one’s served me well on many a lonely night. But tonight…” She put the dildo back in its place, then reached for another item. “Tonight I think I’ll use this one.”

She removed a rather impressive strap-on from the case, holding it up for Fluttershy to see. And see it Fluttershy did, swallowing in some mixture of nervousness and excitement. Cheerilee immediately went to work putting it on, placing the straps around her waist and legs and buckling everything into place. When she was done, a long, thick, black dildo hung between her legs, and Fluttershy considered that most stallions would be lucky to be as well-endowed.

Cheerilee climbed onto the bed, looming over Fluttershy like a prowling animal. She laid down on top of Fluttershy, kissing her yet again, and the pegasus could feel the dildo pressed between their bodies. When the kiss ended, Cheerilee stood, putting a hoof on Fluttershy’s side to guide her onto her stomach. Taking the hint, Fluttershy planted her back hooves on the mattress, straightened her hind legs, and flicked her tail to the side, presenting herself to the other mare.

With a smile, Cheerilee mounted her. Fluttershy strained under the weight of Cheerilee’s body leaning down on her, then nearly gasped as the dildo prodded at her entrance.

Cheerilee leaned forward, laying herself across Fluttershy’s back, and whispered in her ear: “Are you ready?”

“Y-y-yes.”

Fluttershy really did gasp as she felt Cheerilee’s teeth clamping down gently on her ear, and in the rush of sensation, she almost missed the feeling of Cheerilee thrusting into her. Almost. Fluttershy couldn’t remember the last time she had been so completely filled. Her insides clenched around the length, and a tingly sensation passed through her body to the end of each limb. Then, ever so slowly, Cheerilee began to pull out of her until only the tip remained inside, kneading by Fluttershy’s swollen vulva.

“You like that?” Cheerilee asked throatily,

“Ohhhhhhh yes.”

“Do you want me to fuck you?”

“Y-yes, I do.”

“Tell me.”

Fluttershy’s eyebrows furrowed. “Wh-what?”

“Tell me what you want me to do?”

Fluttershy felt a bead of sweat run down her forehead. She placed her upper teeth on her lower lip, but hesitated, unused to such course, vulgar language. Feeling Cheerilee pull out another inch was all it took to persuaded her.

“I want you to… f-fuck me,” she said quietly.

“What was that?”

“Please, fuck me.”

“I can’t hear you,” Cheerilee sing-songed.

“Ohhhh, fuck me hard, Cheerilee!”

“Why didn’t you just say so?”

With one fluid thrust of her hips, Cheerilee hammered into her, and Fluttershy let loose a long, low moan. Cheerilee pulled out, and then thrust in again, repeating the motion, building a rhythm. Fluttershy had to bite onto her hoof to keep from crying out, her bass voice hitching with each thrust of Cheerilee’s hips against her backside.

Fluttershy had almost forgotten what good sex felt like, it had been so long. And Cheerilee was clearly no novice with a strap-on. Fluttershy could already feel an orgasm building, and her hind legs strained to remain standing. And, as if sensing that she was getting close, Cheerilee ever-so-slightly slowed her thrusting. Fluttershy whimpered, sensing her climax retreating into the underbrush.

“Could you… go faster, please?” she asked.

“How do you mean, ‘faster’?” Cheerilee asked with mock innocence.

Fluttershy gave a primal snort. “Could you plea-hea-hease fuck me faster?!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Cheerilee began to thrust faster, harder, making Fluttershy practically melt against the mattress, her wings stretching stiffly into the air. With her eyes squeezed shut, Fluttershy panted, feeling her climax building within her, like standing in the path of an avalanche.

“Is that good?” Cheerilee asked.

“Ohhhh, it’s sooooooo gooooo—ah!—oooood…”

“You want me to go even faster?”

“Y-yes…”

Cheerilee raised her hoof and gave Fluttershy’s rump a swat.

“Eep!”

“You didn’t say the magic word. Do you want me to go faster?”

“Yes, please!”

Cheerilee obliged, hammering away into Fluttershy like a wild animal, holding onto Fluttershy’s hips for leverage. And that was all it took.

“Oh… ohhhhhhhh… FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCKKK!”

Fluttershy’s body exploded with spasms, her legs finally giving out of her. Cheerilee’s slippery dildo fell out of her with a pop as she fell, and Cheerilee watched with some surprise as Fluttershy continued to writhe and moan on the bed beneath her. Finally, the orgasm passed, and Fluttershy lay there in a sweaty help, panting and twitching.

“My…” Cheerilee said, a smile blossoming across her face. “You really did enjoy that, didn’t you?”

Fluttershy could only nod.

“I… I didn’t go too far, spanking you like that, did I?”

A shake of the head.

With a sigh of relief, Cheerilee took off the strap-on and set it aside, then curled up beside the spent pegasus.

“Well, that’s the most fun I’ve had in ages,” Cheerilee said. “Thank you, Fluttershy.”

“And… the-thank you, Cheerilee,” Fluttershy said, finally drifting back down to earth. “You have no idea how much I needed that.” She turned and looked at the other mare. “In fact, you haven’t even had a turn yet. How could I be so selfish?”

As she withdrew from their embrace and sat up on the bed, Cheerilee said, “Fluttershy, you don’t have to—”

“I know. But I want to. Um… that is, if you’d like to.”

Cheerilee bit her lip and nodded, trying to contain herself.

Fluttershy reached for the strap-on and picked it up, examining it uncertainly. “Uh…”

“Um, if it’s all the same to you, Fluttershy,” Cheerilee said tentatively. “Could you possibly… er, you know… use your mouth?”

Relief washed over Fluttershy’s features. “Of course. I’m not sure I’d know what to do with this thing.” She set the strap-on to the side, then lay down, positioning herself between Cheerilee’s legs with a blush. “Though… it has been a while since I’ve performed cunnilingus.”

Cheerilee, meanwhile, shivered from the mere sight of the pegasus between her legs. “I’m sure you’ll do… just fine.”

Fluttershy met the teacher’s eyes briefly, then lowered her own to the vagina before her. With a gulp, she leaned forward, extended her tongue, and made contact. The tiny gasp that escaped Cheerilee’s mouth was just the encouragement Fluttershy needed, and went in again with greater boldness than before, dragging her tongue up the entire length of the slit, feeling the muscles in Cheerilee’s inner thighs twitch against her cheeks.

It was slow going at first, and Fluttershy felt a tad rusty in her technique, but soon enough she was lapping and sucking with some confidence. And judging by Cheerilee’s response—moaning and gasping and an arching of her back—she was doing a respectable job. Thinking back to what she’d learned in her younger days, she tried mixing it up a little, alternating between licking her folds and toying with her clit, teasing often, coaxing Cheerilee along an erotic crescendo.

Soon enough, Cheerilee’s thighs tightened on either side of her head, and greater amounts of fluids flooded from Cheerilee’s sex. And Fluttershy knew that she was close. All she had to do was tip her over the edge.

She closed her lips gently around Cheerilee’s clit, preparing to suck. But then, she stopped, an idea dawning on her. A memory of Cheerilee’s voice passed through her mind.

“I’ll admit, I’ve always had a… thing for deep voices.”

Suddenly, she knew what to do. Resecuring her lips around Cheerilee’s clit, she drew in a deep breath and hummed a deep, powerful F natural into it. The vibrations of her voice went into Cheerilee’s body and seemed to burn through her entire nervous system. The teacher’s body seized as if from an electric current, her eyes rolled back in her head, and, with a scream, she began to spasm, her back arching off the bed.

But Fluttershy didn’t let up, continuing to hum into the clit even as Cheerilee’s juices squirted into her face. Cheerilee managed to bring her hooves down to Fluttershy’s head, holding it against her, until finally the orgasm rode its course and she went limp.

Fluttershy pulled away, licking her lips and wiping her muzzle clean, then looked up to Cheerilee’s face, fighting back a giggle as the teacher gaze at the ceiling with stunned eyes, her tongue hanging out of her mouth. She crawled up to Cheerilee’s side and lay down.

“So, you… you liked it?” Fluttershy asked.

Slowly, Cheerilee turned her head and met Fluttershy’s eyes.

“Oh, sweat Celestia’s withers, yes!”

With a blush, Fluttershy cuddled up to her side.

They remained in bed for nearly an hour, just talking and getting to know each other better. Finally, reluctantly, Fluttershy got out of bed.

“I’d better head home,” she said. “I need to feed my animals.”

“Oh… well, alright…” Cheerilee started to get up as well.

“No, don’t get up.” Fluttershy trotted over and gave her a kiss on the nose. “I’ll let myself out.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. You just rest up.”

Finally, Cheerilee did as instructed, lying back on the bed, watching as Fluttershy straightened her mane.

“Would you… like to go out sometime? To a restaurant, or something?”

“Oh, yes. I’d like that very much,” Fluttershy replied warmly. “Though, I think I’ll use my own voice then, if that’s okay with you.”

“Of course,” Cheerilee said with a barely noticeable blush.

“Not that I would be averse to using poison joke on special occasions. I’ll admit, it was sort of… fun.”

Cheerilee’s eyes brightened. “R-really?”

“Mm-hmm.” Fluttershy looked in the mirror and nodded, satisfied that she was presentable. “Sometime you’ll have to tell me how you collected it and made it into a tea without touching it. Have you ever been infected with poison joke?”

“Well, just once. As a filly.” Cheerilee fiddled with her hooves.

“Oh? What did it do?”

Cheerilee tongued her cheek, avoiding Fluttershy's gaze. Finally, she blurted, “It turned me into a bear.”

Fluttershy froze, then started to giggle, then laugh out loud. Cheerilee finally joined her, and it took a moment for them to compose themselves.

Finally, wiping a tear from her eye, Fluttershy said, “Well, maybe for our next date, you’ll have to take some poison joke."

“Mmmm, our next date…” Cheerilee said rosily, closing her eyes. It took a moment for Fluttershy’s words to sink in.

Then, her eyes darted wide, wide open.