A Blaze of Glory

Chapters

Burning Rainbows
Tears and Tempests
Nobility and Gryphons
99 Bottles
History

Burning Rainbows

“Hey, look at the newbie.”

“Dude, that’s just wrong. You should not look that hot. Ever.”

“Yeah, she’s a looker, but have you seen her fly? Worst thing ever.”

Rainbow looked up from her nap. The constant chatter of the crowd had begun to grate on her nerves, even while the filly slept. There was absolutely no reason for them to be making this much noise. Who cared about some new student? Rainbow needed her midmorning nap, and by Celestia, she was going to get it.

“Yeah, but you know what they say right?”

“What?”

“All the hot ones are gay as a rainbow.”

Rainbow felt a blush rise, coloring her cheeks as she turned her head from the group. She still needed her nap, but it looked like there was no chance of that happening. Then, every thought of sleep left her as a shoulder rammed into her stomach, knocking her out of the bed.

“Hey, Rainbow Crash.” It was the usual three colts. Rainbow honestly thought that their mission in life was to make hers a pain. “Stay away from the new filly, got it? One fillyfooler is bad enough, two would be stupid.”

“I TOLD you like a MILLION times, I’M NOT GAY!” Dash’s voice cracked under the stress. She had been taking the insults and accusations since she had entered flight school. Everypony thought just because she had a rainbow mane, and was tough, that she just had to be gay. Honestly, it was stupid and annoying.

“Yeah, whatever. Just stay away from her.” The brown colt walked past, brushing past his friends and out the door.

“Please. What an idiot. I have better things to be doing.” Rainbow scoffed at the retreating backs. “Ugh, I need my nap now, thank you.” Settling down on the soft cloud she set her mind to its second favorite activity.

“Hey Dash, what did those losers want.”

Yep, no sleep for me. “Gilda.” Dash whined, covering her head with her hooves. Her friend knew better than to think that Dash meant it.

“Shut up Dash, it’s almost time to go anyway. Unless you want to be one of the losers that don’t get to talk to Spitfire?” The griffon asked, shining one talon on her chest feathers. As expected, Dash slammed into her from her recently supine position, apparently trying to squeeze the life out of her.

“What! Spitfire’s HERE! Ohmygosh. Oh, do I need to go shower? I probably have bedhead. Oh Gilda, where is she? How long will she be here?”

Gilda grinned at the ridiculously overexcited mare. “Calm down Dash, you might scare her.”

“Huh?”

“So you must be Rainbow Dash, the ‘Fastest Flier in Equestria’. How you doing kid?” Dash froze halfway through Gilda, the griffon squirming, trying to breathe through her laughter and the crushing hug. Slowly her head ratcheted around, looking over her shoulder. Standing there in her graduating class uniform, was Spitfire. “Gilda’s been telling me about how you want to be a Wonderbolt. You look fast, but I just don’t think you can cut it kiddo. Maybe you’ll be good enough to join when you graduate.”

“What?” Rainbow asked, dejection and perverse nature warring over her idols words. “I am totally good enough to join. Come on, I’ll race you.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah!”

“Fine, first one to the mess wins, a teacher stops you, you lose. On you marks.”

“Get set.”

“DASH!” Gilda stood next to her friend, shouting in her ear. Dash tumbled from her perch, and slamming into the floor. Say what you will about clouds being puffy and soft, if generations of pegasi walk on it, it compacts almost like rock. Rainbow could almost feel the bruise starting to spread along her side, a perfect match to the one her pride was now sporting. “You need to get up. It’s almost time for class to start again. Do you want to get yelled at by those lame teachers?”

“Gilda. Could you try not shouting in my ear the next time you want me? It hurts like hell.”

“So? Come on, we’ve got about two minutes left.” The pony groaned, the walked over and donned her uniform. It was green, and styled loosely off of the Wonderbolts. Instead of a lightning bolt along the side though, the uniform had a line of little white stars. Every student in Flight School had a uniform. They all looked pretty much the same, the color and stars changing a little every year. Dash was a first year student, but some, like Spitfire, were almost done here. They got recruited by some of the most prestigious groups around, from Canterlot Weather Control to the Wonderbolts. Instead of a set uniform, they were supposed to wear the uniform of their next job, or the gold and blue uniforms, the inverse of the Wonderbolts.

Spitfire though, she was already accepted into the Wonderbolts. She had been recruited almost a year ago, making her the youngest flier the Wonderbolts had ever drafted, even if she was just backup. Rainbow Dash was going to beat her, she just knew it. She was the best flier in five grades, and it was only a matter of time. A short matter of time. After all, The Dash did everything fast.

“Alright, come on featherbrain.”

“What took you so long? The thought of me make you need to rub one off?”

“Shut up catbutt.”

“You must still be asleep, the Great Rainbow Dash could not have said something that lame. Come on, race ya.” The gryphon shot forward. She had Dash up on distance flying, but only because she had wings that were about the size of Dash’s entire body. The massive wingspan let the gryphon use a lot of power in each wingbeat, and they let her glide. But Rainbow Dash was the fastest. By a lot. The pegasus crouched down, and stretched out her wings. Once the gryphon was halfway down the hall, Dash sped forward. And then she hit something. Hard. A frightened squeak sounded before a moan as the pair slammed into the wall at the end of the corridor.

Dash shook her head, trying to clear her blurry vision. She had flipped over the pony she had rammed, taking most of the force of the walls impact with her side. She stretched out her wings, rotating them in their sockets to make sure they still worked. Satisfied that they were nothing more than a little sore, she walked over to the other pony.

“Hey, sorry about that. You okay?” Rainbow asked, holding out a hoof to the little yellow mare.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been wandering around. Are you hurt? I’m so very sorry.” The voice was soft but clearly audible.

“What, a little thing like that hurt Rainbow Dash, the Fastest Flier in Equestria? I’m fine, it’s you I’m worried about.”

“What, oh me? I- I’m okay.” The voice got even quieter as the little filly lost the panicked edge, retreating back into her shell.
“Hey, I don’t bite. Come on, we need to hurry or we’ll be late.” And, with timing that only a school can have, the words were punctuated by a long, ringing bell. “Then again, maybe we should take it easy?”

The little yellow mare giggled, taking Dash’s proffered hoof. Hauled to her feet, Dash was surprised to see that the little mare was the same age, and almost the same height. Waves of the pale pink mane rolled over her back and in front of one eye.

“So who are you? I don’t think I’ve seen you around here.”

“Oh, I just started going here. I just came in this morning. I’m Fluttershy.”

“Rainbow Dash. The –“

“The fastest flier in Equstria?”

“Hey how did you know that?”

“You just told me.” Fluttershy replied, breaking into another fit of giggles.

“Oh. Well, whatever. Hey, what’s your next class?” Rainbow found her usual nature asserting itself as her body began to float a few inched above the floor. Fluttershy paced easily beside her, though she kept her hooves firmly planted on the hardened cloud, the clopping of her hooves echoing through a hall that rarely heard such noise.

Every pegasus was bred to fly, and almost every single pony at Flight School sped from class to class, using the time to hone their wings even more. More than that though, it was almost an insult to the school to walk instead of fly. Walking was for earth ponies and unicorns. Pegasi were better than that, the ground only received what they determined it should. Rainbow managed to contain her annoyance at the little mare. It was just rude to walk around the school.

“Oh. I have Basic Flying, with Sky Kicker.”

“Basic Flying? Oh, right. Most ponies start in basic when they come in. Sorry. Hey, I’ll be on the other side of the practice field. Spitfire’s going to be doing a private training session.”

“You got into one of her training sessions? Wow. You must be a very good flier.”

“What can I say? The Dash is the best here, except maybe Spitfire herself. And I’ve got a few years to just keep getting better.”

“That sounds wonderful. But shouldn’t you be going? Spitfire really doesn’t like ponies who are late.” At the words, Rainbow’s usually cyan coat blanched to almost pure white.

“HORSEFEATHERS!” She yelped, rocketing forward again, leaving the little mare ambling gamely along behind, smiling at her new friend.

That had been the day Rainbow had first met both of them in person. Fluttershy had been this gangly little filly then, all leg and no muscle. Not that she really had muscle now, but at least now her legs weren’t almost painfully thin and way to long for her body. It was also the first day Dash had met Spitfire. Suddenly reminded of the fact, the cyan pegasus rolled over, wrapping her hooves once more around the warm mare lying next to her.

“Dash, it is way too early for you to be waking me up.” Rainbow grinned, burying her face in the coppery mane. She lost herself briefly in the simple pleasure of her Captain’s scent, the sharp biting cinnamon layered with soft vanilla.

“Sorry Cap. I thought you had something in your mane. I was trying to get it out.”

“Oh really? Well you had better make sure you get it. Can’t have something in it for today’s show now can we?” The Wonderbolts Captain asked, arching her neck into Dash’s nose. The cyan mare grinned, and began to nibble at the mane.
Starting at the very base of the mane, she nipped as the hair, pulling it through her teeth. Spitfire’s hair straightened as she did so, the faintest sheen of moisture clinging to the hair. Gradually, Rainbow Dash worked her way down the arched neck, preening each strand. Then she made her way back up, and Spitfire moaned softly. Rainbow had found her lovers strange affection for grooming early on, but only recently had the pair of them discovered this. It would set Spitfire ablaze, and her wings to straighten out ruler perfect, if as she was groomed, Rainbow bit lightly on the flesh near the mane.

The Wonderbolts Captain silenced her rising moans by the simple expedient of biting down on Rainbow’s shoulder. Biting very, very hard. And answering groan came from Rainbow, who finished, pulling back from the mare beside her.

“Well. I think we had better look each other over. Wouldn’t want to be dirty on a show day.” And with a cocky grin, licked the side of Spitefire’s face. After which, neither party felt much need to speak in full words, confident that the mare next to them knew exactly what they were doing.

An hour later found the mares in the showers, laughing and talking, Rainbow occasionally smacking her marefriend’s admirably firm rear, receiving the same. After almost five minutes of this, interspersed with nonstop giggling and an occasional shriek as a wet snap heralded another hit, both mares finished cleaning themselves, with admittedly more aid than was actually needed.

Soarin’ stood just outside the showers, a smirk firmly in place. “You know, the point of a shower is to get clean, right?”
“Oh but Soarin’.” Spitfire said, rubbing along the stallion, flicking his nose with the very tip of her tail. “Where better to get dirty than where you can get clean right away?”

Rainbow, dutifully manning the stallions other side, smiled. “Yeah, think of it like pie. It’s just so good to eat, you just have to clean your plate.”

“Oh honey, I doubt there are any pies in the world that are as… colorful as you two. I never knew fires burned in that many colors.”

“Oh shut it, you old pervert.” Rainbow said, laughing and losing the sensual rub along the stallion, as Soarin’ had intended, thank you very much.

“Old!” He shouted, anger as obviously faked as the mares’ seduction tactics. “If I’m old, then what is Spitfire? She’s like two years younger than me.”

“Yep, and she’s in the prime of her life, in every way.” The prompt reply from Rainbow came, earning a radiant smile from her Captain.

“And what about in two year?” Soarin’ was all for favoritism, but that was just mean. Cut out of his prime, by two years at that.

“You’ll still be old, and I’ll still be in my Prime, won’t I Dash?” Spitfire asked, pecking Rainbow’s cheek. No matter how many times she did it, it always made the younger pegasus blush.

“So I was young two years ago?”

“Yep.” Dash said, returning the kiss. “And Spitfire was a virgin.” She ducked out from next to her lover, and shot off, outpacing the yellow mare, and shooting out into the wide courtyard. Today was finally the day. From all over Equestria, the best pegasi would be gathering here today. It was finally time for the Wonderbolts to recruit another member. White Streak had retired, the poor stallion had taken one too many tumbles, and his sixth broken wing had proven to be his last. Not it was time for the best, if not the brightest, fliers in Equestria were winging their way to the capital.

Rainbow felt the first stirrings of the excitement that always accompanied the moments before she did a particularly amazing trick. Almost like she couldn’t breathe, time frozen near her, and racing away everywhere else. That was the feeling she lived for, that one moment when there are no problems, no worries. There’s just her, and the endless blue sky.

“You were amazing sweetheart. You didn’t even use a Rainboom.” Spitfire murmered, face pressed hard into her lovers side. The orange yellow fur of her neck pressed into Rainbow’s back, rubbing softly along the blue mare’s spine.

“Yeah, well. You’ve all seen that before. I need t keep things interesting don’t I?”

“Well, I doubt anyone expected you to pull a lightning bolt and throw it at Celestia. How did you do that anyway? I mean, I’ve seen some really cool tricks, but that…”

“Ha. Well, I basically just built up static. Then I did some thinking. When lightning strikes from cloud to cloud, its almost always positive. You know how pegasi can jump on a cloud and make lightning hit the ground?” Rainbow looked over at her marefriend, a questioning tilt to her eye.

At the Wonderbolts nod, she continued. “Well, cloud to ground lightning has a negative charge. So to our hooves. It’s not a lot, but that’s the only way I could think of that it would push the lightning out. Well, it’s kinda like how we can walk on clouds. Our magic just does it, and we don’t think about it. I just practiced focusing on it, and making the charge stronger. The positive lightning followed the charge. You saw how I backwinged? That wasn’t just cause it looked cool, if I hadn’t I would be a lot less awesome and a lot more dead. I tapped my hoof on the ground, and that grounded the charge, so the lightning just fed into the ground.”

“Wow. That’s, kind of hot actually. You really are sexy when you get all smart.”

“Yeah, well what can I say? HEY!” the indignant mare yelped as she realized the insult hidden in the compliment. “You little.” She giggled, feeling Spitfire laughing above her. Rainbow flipped over, wrapping her hooves around Spitfire’s neck. She pulled her Captain’s mouth to her own, and they shared a smile, and so very much more.

Later, both mares were covered in a fine sheen of sweat. One of the benefits of the Wonderbolts training, and the personal hell that Spitfire put Rainbow through daily, was that they were both very fit, meaning that any activities that they engaged in were both strenuous and very athletic. Spitfire lay there, panting beneath Rainbow, a sloppy smile on her face.

“Who’s smart now?” Rainbow asked, leaning forward once more. She drew the mare into a gentle kiss, the violence and passion of the moments before seemingly forgotten.

“You are my love. You just hide it well.”

“What can I say? If people knew I was smart, cool, and this good looking, how would you keep me?”

“I’d tell them that you snore in your sleep, you always eat or sleep, and you do everything fast.” Spitfire kept her face smothered in the blankets, and her smile hidden from Dash. She stretched, almost catlike, on the bed.

“I, I do?” The newest Wonderbolt asked, nervousness entering her usually confident tone.

Spitfire let Rainbow see her smile as she arched her neck to look over her shoulder. “Oh course not love, but they don’t know that. And they will never find out how good you are in bed. You’d have to beat them off with sticks." Rainbow grinned, mollified and hummed contentedly. She curled up next to her lover, and together they fell asleep.

Tears and Tempests

Fluttershy looked around the large, empty practice grounds. Usually bustling with activity, the area was nearly deserted this close to nightfall. There wasn’t any kind of esoteric law that forbade the use of the practice grounds at night, it was the simple fact that by nightfall every pegasus in the school was ready to drop from sheer exhaustion. Fluttershy was no exception, she couldn’t remember her body every hurting as much as it did now.

By now, she was beyond simple exhaustion though. She had been at Flight School for almost three months, and she still couldn’t fly. She could flutter about and hover for a few moments, but actual sustained flight was beyond her. It was more than that though. She couldn’t let her family down.

“The Wonderbolts are in your blood girl. You just need to get over this hump, and you can be the next Wonderbolt. Look at your sister. She’s a Wonderbolt, and you can be one two.”

“I’m sorry Daddy.” Fluttershy whispered, tears filling her eyes. “I, I have to try.” She wiped the tears away with the back of one leg, and stretched her wings. Whimpering as the strained muscles made their protests known, burning from the strain of use they had been under all day. A fresh wave of tears threatened, but biting her lip, Fluttershy fought them off.
Rotating the wings in their sockets, the pain finally abated somewhat. The razor wire tension of the muscles finally relaxed, and the joint clicked into place. She sighed, and finished the stretches that had become almost reflexive in her time in this place. As she continued the joints eased more, and freer and freer movement came.

Finally, when every movement of the wings felt no more than a slight twinge, Fluttershy looked up. Before her was the basic track. It was long and smoothed down from centuries of pegasi students taking a break and landing on the cloud layer. Every time she had been near the track, Fluttershy had invariably been grounded, either by fear, the taunting jeers of her fellows, or simply because she couldn’t fly any more. But now would be different. It just had to be.

It had taken the little yellow filly only a week to go from the flattered, if embarrassed, center of attention and desire, to the laughing stock of the entire school. At first, she had been fine, she had flown only a little worse than the others. No pegasus was an expert flier when they came into Flight School, but Fluttershy was below even their lowest bar.

She knew how to fly, what pegasus didn’t? Her mind and spirit were willing; it was convincing her body that remained the challenge. She couldn’t help it; she had a paralyzing, crippling fear of heights. If she was in the air for more than a minute, her body froze, dropping from the air like a stone.

She just couldn’t stand being laughed at anymore. They would laugh and laugh, calling her names and jeering. When she burst into tears, it only seemed to encourage them, but no matter how hard she tried, the tears came. She didn’t like the ponies, but she couldn’t do anything. The only thing that would help would be to learn to fly. The only pony at the school who didn’t join in the laughing was Rainbow Dash. Rainbow was always there, telling the other ponies off, and helping her to her hooves.

“I can’t let Rainbow Dash down! She’s my friend, and the best flier here except for Spitfire. She can’t have some ‘loser friend who can’t even fly’. I have to do this.” Fluttershy said to herself. She continued to say the same things to herself for almost five minutes. Almost an hour later, the little mare finally took off, hovering a few inches above the ground.

Dash blinked warily in the dawn light. Yawning hugely, and rubbing the sleep from her eyes with a hoof, the mare rolled out of bed. She shock of landing on hardened stone, and not the fluffy clouds she had expected, jolted the pegasus fully awake.

“It wasn’t a dream.” She said, voice awed at the fact that she, Rainbow Dash, was finally a Wonderbolt.

“Ow. You better believe it isn’t a dream. I can’t feel my back legs Dash. You got a little carried away…”

Rainbow looked over her shoulder. Lying in bed Spitfire looked almost as bedraggled as Rainbow felt. The older mare winced as she moved her legs, and even from here Rainbow could smell dried sweat and the distinct smell of sex radiating from the fire colored mare.

“Hey, you said I could do anything since I made the Bolts.”

“Yeah, well. Try not to make it every day, I don’t think I could handle that. Where did you even get that idea?”

“Fluttershy, she is creative, I’ll give her that.”

“Huh?”

Rainbow looked over, giggling at the dumbfounded look on her lovers face. “What? You think a pro bono animal hospital makes money? Believe me, she wishes.”

“What? But, how…what? She does that?”

“Huh? Does what?”

“Does… um, that. For money.” Spitfire blushed, the heated skin reddening her already fire complexion.

“What? NO! Oh Celestia no. She writes. Umm. She writes dirty novels.” Spitfire’s hot blush was matched quickly by Rainbow’s. Blood rushed to her face with the admission that her friend not only wrote the books, but that Rainbow had read them. “She, um, writes really really good stuff.”

“That’s, pretty cool actually. I mean, I always just kind of assumed that she got money helping animals and stuff. Dirty novels huh?” Spitfire blanched a little, then she laughed. “What’s her pen name?”

“Magnetism. You know, cause ‘animal magnetism’.”

“Your joking. Fluttershy is Magnet? For real?” She broke down into another fit of giggles, tickled, well tickled orange. Spitfire had a small collection of books stashed away in her room, not hidden, just out of the way. There were some things you most certainly did not want an inquisitive pony from the papers seeing while she was out.

Among them were several of the slim volumes that ‘Magnetism’ published, including the full set of The Thief of Time. It was her personal favorite. The series centered around a young pegasus thief, but she usually wasn’t after the family jewels. Spitfire adored the adventures of the little thief. These mainly involved solving one political scheme or another, because unknown even to her lover and fellow thief. The Thief was the Countess Montessa, a well-bred pony of leisure. Of course the fact that it was one of the only series that revolved around the love two mares had for each other, not just the mindless rutting that other novels were composed of didn’t hurt her interest at all. What could she say, Spitfire liked plot. The literary kind you pervert.

“Yep, she sure is. Anyway, that’s where I got the umm, ideas. The third rope was my idea though.” There was a hint of pride in the mares voice.

“Hey, that one hurt.” Spitfire whined, rubbing at herself.

“Oh you liked it. Or else, why are you already trying to gear up for another round?”

“No, I’m trying to not remember where that rope you were so proud of went.”

“Yeah sure you are. Well come on Captain. Laziness is not tolerated in the Wonderbolts, and I would hate to be late to the first practice session.

“Bah all they’re going to do this early is work out a little. We already did that.”

“Well yeah, but we didn’t use our wings now did we?”

“Rainbow, is that a challenge?”

“Yes it is, but you have to wait until tonight to try it. Come on lazybones.” Rainbow walked over to Spitfire, drawing her out of bed with another gentle kiss. That was one aspect of Rainbow that Spitfire thought she would never get used to. In bed, Rainbow was ferocious. She was constantly battling for dominance, usually with her tongue and mouth. Spitfire usually gave in, loving the thrill of being controlled. But out of bed, in everyday life, Rainbow was like this. Soft, tender, gentle. A far cry from the mare who had left Spitfire tied up, and rope cutting into a few naughty places. She smiled, and walked with Rainbow out of the room.

Fluttershy was on her third lap of the track, and had gone almost one full length without landing. She was on cloud nine, metaphorically at least. In reality, she was above cloud six, the halfway mark around the track. It had taken the better part of thirty minutes, but the little filly was determined to make it one more hour. That would take her to a few minutes before lights out, but it was worth the risk. She needed the practice more than she needed dinner.

“Hey Fluttershy, whatcha doing?” Fluttershy squeaked, her wings shooting in and holding shut at her sides. In consequence, she plummeted to the ground. Her legs crumpled at the force of the impact, and her chest slammed into the path of hardened cloud. Tears filled her eyes as Rainbow laughed at her friend, only partially due to the pain radiating from the fall.

“Wow ‘Shy, you can’t fly when I come over can… you. Fluttershy? Hey, Fluttershy, what’s wrong?” Rainbow asked, worried by her friends discomfort. It wasn’t the first time that she had laughed at Fluttershy’s lack of aerial grace. It was however, the first time it had happened when Gilda wasn’t there with her, grabbing Rainbow’s attention once more before the young mare could notice the hurt on the yellow face.
Now though, Rainbow finally put two and two together, coming up with fish. “Hey Shy, you don’t have to cry. You’re doing great.”

“Huh?” The yellow pegasus looked up, puzzlement apparent to everypony.

“Yeah. You do the best comedy I’ve ever seen.” Fluttershy’s tears, which had momentarily abaited, came back in full force and then some.

“Hey, it’s not something to feel bad about. I mean, nopony does anything about actually flying. All they do is stupid tricks, but making fun about flying, acting like you can’t. That’s genius.”
“I- I can’t.”

“Sure you can, I mean I just watched you didn’t I? You were great. Could you imagine not being able to fly? That would be horrible.”

“I CAN’T FLY!” Fluttershy screamed, stunning Rainbow into instant silence. In the time she had been there, Fluttershy had spoken in public at most twice, and never above a quite conversational tone. To hear the almost silent mare scream in fury and pain was a shock. “GO AHEAD! LAUGH! LAUGH LIKE ALL OF THOSE, THOSE- ARGH!” Unable to find an epiphyte of sufficient strength to describe her feelings about the little monsters.

It was horrible for them to sit there and do nothing but to laugh at her suffering, and to create suffering in others. Fluttershy couldn’t, wouldn’t stand to see anypony in pain. She was always there with a kind word, a gentle smile. Whatever the pony needed, Fluttershy was happy to give it, whether it was an understanding ear or just the comfort of having company that wouldn’t judge anything.

Only a few days ago, she had done such a thing to Rainbow herself. One insult too many, and even the mighty Rainbow Dash had broken. Fluttershy had found the mare curled up in her room, wrapped in the bedclothes. The cyan pegasus had rocked back and forth, over and over, tears silently streaming down her face. That had been a long night, lasting far past lights out.

It wasn’t until almost midnight that Rainbow had seemed to notice that Fluttershy was there, murmuring soft nothings while she rubbed a warm hoof along Rainbow’s side. Slowly, haltingly rainbow had explained her problem.

It was the usual culprits. Hoops, Line Back and Pumped were once more using their words to hurt other ponies. Rainbow was their usual target, even if she shrugged it off. This time was different though. They had made fun of her, just as always. Rainbow Crash, Rainbow Dyke, Carpet Muncher, as many different insults about her supposed preference for mares or her flying skills as their limited wit could gather up and invent. That was nothing new, Rainbow could ignore those any day. What she couldn’t bare was their attacks on her parents, or rather, her lack of such.

And now Fluttershy stood in front of her, panting in suppressed emotion. Barely three days after the long night of comfort and warmth, and Rainbow had the gall to laugh at her. She was just like them.

“Wh-what? Ohmygosh, Fluttershy. I’m sorry, oh Celestia, I’m so so sorry.”

What had followed was another long night. The two of them stayed in the arena that night this time Rainbow comforting the broken Fluttershy. Rainbow promised that she would make sure that Fluttershy would be able to fly, even if Rainbow had to miss a Wonderbolts show to train her. Fluttershy had sobbed, thanking Rainbow, over and over again. Then, in the dark, Fluttershy had leaned in. She had kissed Rainbow there, a gentle touch of lips in appreciation and thanks for the kindness that somepony had finally shown her. Maybe, just maybe, she really did have a friend here. And maybe, she would finally be able to make her sister proud. At the very least, she would ensure that her family wouldn’t be ashamed of her any longer.

After a short pause, Rainbow returned the kiss, melting into the mare beside her. It was a long night yet, and most of it was spent in each other’s hooves. They would either talk, or kiss, or simply lie together in the warm darkness in the arena. Neither thought, nor cared what any would think in the morning, coming in and finding the mares curled together in the middle of the stands.

Nobility and Gryphons

Countess Montessa ran a tongue along her lips. While not the worst situation she had been in, being trapping in a chest to avoid notice was far from ideal. The fact that she wasn't alone in the cramped chest was also somewhat less than ideal. They had both arrived in Duke Greymane’s Palace Suite to find, to their mutual annoyance, that the other had also been hired by the Duke. They were the best, and they both knew it. One was a beggar who stole to feed not only herself, but the small family she had gathered about her. The other was a pony that had never known the want of anything, save love. Not one thief in all of Equestira had the skill of the two ponies at their beck and call.

And now here they were both cramped into the small chest, lest anypony find out that the Thief of Time was in fact, a pair of the most skilled mares in history.

“Well my lover, we appear to be quite mired.” The husky whisper of the Thief reached Montessa’s ears, and the reflexive surge of raw longing had to be beaten down. They could not indulge in such amorous activies now, if for no other reason than the cramped quarters. In fact, Tessa could barely move at all being slightly larger than her counterpart.

Tessa bit her lip, stifling the pained cry as the mare beneath her. One of the Thief’s hooves dug sharply into her back as the mare beneath her squirmed. “It appears we will be trapped her for just shy of half an hour Mona. I suggest you find a comfortable position, you shall be bound in it for some time.”

Tessa growled, the soft sound issuing almost as a purr as it left her, more motion than menace. “It is rather difficult to find comfort whilst I am enganged in acrobatics merely to allow thee to breath. If thine wish is for me to allow myself to sink lower, and crush thy, then I would be most happy to oblige.”

A soft chuckle, more felt than heard passed between them. She might have been larger and by no means excessive, Tessa knew full well that the mare beneath her was lean and hard as a coiled steel wire. Every inch of her was hard with muscles, even while relaxed, as opposed to Tessa’s fit softness. “Release yourself then, I will not be harmed.” Tessa felt her trembling muscles begin to relax, and she slid down further into the chest.

As the Tessa felt the Celestia blessed respite of her lovers body, another fact promptly became apparent. The warm ball of anger in her stomach had, at some point unknown, made up its mind. It had endeavored to travel farther south, and south it now was. In fact, the heat was great enough that the hot exhalations of the mare beneath her felt pleasantly cooled.

“Mona, dearheart. If you wanted to play, you had but to ask.” Another soft chuckle rolled between the two mares, passing from one body to the next without pause. In Montessa, the laugh changed, becoming instead a low throaty moan. She swallowed another moan as her lovers tongue flicked out once more, teasing, and each soft touch a tease to her heated flesh. As the tongue once more slid along her, a heavy pant escaped the Countess. To her shock, an answering moan sounded behind her at the exhalation. Belatedly she realized. If the thief situated such a way that her ton-

The train of thought cut out as that same tongue went back to work, moaning in time with the Countess. Tossing such trivialities as thought and rationale out of her fevered mind, the Countess extended her own tongue. The taste was unlike anything she had ever drunk, tart, and ever so slightly bitter. In all that the pair had done with, and to, each other, this taste was something new. Tessa thought back to all those cold nights, spent alone in her bed, save a single hoof to keep herself company. The thrill of this moment however, put every last second of those dreams and fantasies to rest. Never again would those dreams feature her Thief’s lips on her own, or at least, not on her face.

A crash from the room behind them silenced Tessa, her head rearing back and eyes lying wide in panic. The panic quickly increased as she realized that her lover hadn’t heard it. The Thief continued her work, pace never wavering, a constant stream of pleasure running through every one of Montessa’s nerves. When her time came, Tessa bit down on her own lip. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, but the scream had been successfully contained. In mingled thanks and exhaustion, she nuzzled her head into the warm thigh beside her.

The scream of the Thief’s release was completely unexpected, and it was very loud. Almost at once, Tessa felt the chest picked up, and hurled through the air, the tumbling sensation as the heavy wood spun end over end killed her romantic thoughts in a truly theatric manner. As the chest splintered on impact, Montessa’s last thought was Well this isn’t right. I can’t die until the favor is repaid. Then the blackness swallowed her.

The next morning broke through the semi-transparent clouds of Flight School. The grey of the conglomerated clouds steadily brightened, until a shining white colored the walls, floors, and ceilings.

As the sun rose, so did Rainbow. Yawning she stretched, feeling a satisfying series of clicks as her spine remembered where it went. A much louder and painful snap resounded around the hall as her wings rotated in their sockets, the joints sore from the long night in the same position. Thus reminded, Rainbow leaned down once more, waking the sleeping filly beside her with a gentle kiss. “Come on ‘Shy. Time to wake up.”

Rainbow’s soft voice would have shocked anypony who had ever spoken to the boisterous mare for more than three minutes. But with Fluttershy, a tamer Rainbow surfaced, one who whispered and could sit for long hours on end simply talking or just enjoying the company of the yellow mare. To the pegasus beside her though, that tone was one that she treasured above all others. How could anypony so strong, so brave, sound so… soft. That was the word. The gentle tone sanded down the edges of the Rainbow, leaving a new mare behind.

“I don’t think I can. I hurt my leg. Can you kiss it and make it better?”

Rainbow chuckled. For such a shy, quiet mare, Fluttershy sure did have a wicked sense of humor. Dash leaned in once more, and pressed a feather light kiss on the yellow mare’s brow. Fluttershy tilted her head up, capturing Rainbows retreating head, and pulling her back in. After a small eternity, the pair broke apart, panting.

“Your leg better now?” The cocky smile returned to the face of the cyan mare. She picked up Fluttershy’s ‘hurt leg’ in a hoof and pulled the mare off the bed. “Come on, we have like five minutes before breakfast starts.”

“But I don’t want to go. Rainbow Dash!” The mare whined, hiding a grin behind the covers. She relented however, when her companion made her way to the door. The filly popped off the bed, and ran to catch up to Rainbow. Honestly, sometimes Fluttershy wondered if Rainbow did anything except sleep, eat and sleep some more. Of course, almost like magic, the moment of these thoughts occurred, Rainbow would either preform some daring aerobatic feat, or draw her into another one of those kisses. Oh sweetest mother Celestia, Rainbow could kiss like nothing Fluttershy had ever read.

“Hey, Dash!” The words had barely reached their ears when a white and brown gryphon slammed into rainbow, bearing them both to the cloud cushioned floor. “Ha, gotcha. You’re slowing down. Hey Fluttershy.”

“Hello Gilda.” Possibly the only thing more bizarre to see than the sight of Rainbow Dash reading was Gilda speaking to Fluttershy. Of all the denizens of Flight School, the haughty gryphon and the meek timid Fluttershy were the least likely friends. Even now, Fluttershy had difficulty in believing that the gryphon was really there half the time.

The first time Fluttershy had seen Gilda after waking from the emotional gauntlet that left both ponies asleep side by side in the Arena, she had been afraid the gryphon would kill her. Like, really kill her. Rip her in half and eat her kill her. Instead, the gryphon had quirked an eyebrow and grinned. She had winked at Fluttershy and the dropped a water balloon on Rainbow’s sleeping head. “Wake up slowpoke. We have a race this morning remember? Or did she keep you awake all night? You naughty naughty fillies.”

Aside from that one comment, and a few jokes in a similar vein, the gryphon seemed to accept that the two mares were dating with glee. She was also the only thing in Flight School not involved in the relationship to know. Oh sure, everypony else knew, but they didn’t know, and that was the important difference.

“Oh, umm, Gilda?” Fluttershy stammered. She wasn’t anywhere near as nervous as she once had been in the gryphon’s presence, but still… they had really BIG talons.

“Huh? Yeah Mouse?” That was Fluttershy’s nickname. She really would have thought that it was cute, except that Gilda was half eagle. And eagle’s ate mice, which left her rather ominously wondering what the significance of her pet name was.

“Well, I was wondering, if you weren’t busy, maybe you could read something?”

“Woah there ‘Shy. Did you say you wanted Gilda to read? Ha. Hey G, do you even know how to read?” Rainbow asked, laughing as she hovered in midair, front hooves wrapped around her convulsing belly. Idly knocking the pegasus into a wall with one great wing, Gilda looked over to Fluttershy.

“Sure thing kid. What is it?”

“Oh, well, I kind of wrote something. A book…” Her voice trailed off, cheeks flushing a deep crimson. What she had written was, in point of fact, a dirty novel. Well, dirty chapter at this point, but still. And it wasn’t dirty dirty, it was mostly kissing and cuddling between the main characters. Of course, having an adolescent mind though, they pair had strayed, however briefly into far more daring activities. It was this last aspect that Fluttershy sought Gilda’s help with. She had never, um, well really she had never even kissed a pony before Rainbow, and while she loved Dash to bits, the mare couldn’t help her. There were a few parts of her anatomy missing for her to be able to instruct Fluttershy. Gilda, wihle also lacking the needed plumbing, was at least more likely to have read something about the love of two colts for each other.

99 Bottles

Dash ran through the halls. She was in the top three candidates for the Wonderbolts . She had one last thing to do, just an easy race. No tricks no obstacles, just raw speed. Dash could do speed, she was speed. There was nothing that she did better. If that was the last contest, then she was the going to be the youngest Wonderbolt in history by almost a year.

She barreled around a corner, bouncing off the wall and continuing down the hallway. Fluttershy had been sick all day, so she had seen Dash do some of the coolest tricks ever, she had even made the legendary Sonic Rainboom. That was one myth completely busted. Dash was on a high so far above the clouds she zipped over that she was only slightly amazed to not be seeing… well seeing something.

“Fluttershy! Fluttershy come on.” Dash hammered on the door, trying to wake her friend. There was the sound of shuffling and a soft squeak of surprise, and the sound of something heavy and soft thudding to the floor. Then the only sound was the pounding of Rainbow’s heart, a beat the only intensified as she glanced at the nearby clock. “Please come on Fluttershy! I’m in the top three, and there’s just a race left. Please come? It would mean so much for you to be there. I have to be back there in five minutes, and that’s just long enough for you to get there with me and find a seat. But we’d have to go now.”

Rainbow paused, and heard a sound. It was a soft whimpering sound, like that of an animal in agony. The sound was abruptly cut off, and its duration and volume were so low that Rainbow must have imagined them. “I can’t Rainbow Dash. I’m sorry, I’m just so, so sick.” The stuffy words were punctuated by the loud sniffing as the pegasus tried to clear her nose. “You go on, go be a Wonderbolt. You can do it. I believe in you.”

“Thanks ‘Shy, that means a lot… a whole lot. I… you know I’m not good with the talking stuff, and the… Well I just wanted to say something. I, I love you Fluttershy. I- Oh horsefeathers! I need to go before I’m disqualified, but we’ll… we’ll talk later okay?”

The mare sped down the halls once more, leaving her marefriend, the love of her life, in a room. Fluttershy wasn’t sick though, at least not until she heard Rainbow’s words. After the cyan pegasus had said them, then she had been sick. It broke her heart to hear Rainbow say such beautiful things about her, when Fluttershy did nothing to deserve them. Rainbow was the perfect mare, strong, fast, athletic and fun. She was smart too, in her own, very unique, way. She deserved to become a Wonderbolt, by Celestia, Rainbow deserved to become Captain of the Wonderbolts ten times over.

And that mare, that glorious, perfect mare, loved her. Her, Fluttershy. A mare who could barely lap the beginners track once. Fluttershy.Fluttershy who couldn’t even speak up in a crowd, much less impress, befriend, and mingle with on as Rainbow did. Fluttershy Rainbow who said she loved her, an imperfect mare for the best pony she had ever met or even heard of. Fluttershy. Rainbow, who loved a mare who was dirty, was filthy. A mare so weak that she couldn’t even call for help.

“Fluttershy can hardly fly.” The yellow mare whispered, tears flowing freely now. Tears for the cruelty of others, tears for her weakness. But most of all, tears because she was hurting Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy loved Dash, she had known that from the night the two of them had spent in the Arena. She was hopelessly, helplessly, completely in love with the confident young pony. But how could she live with herself knowing that she was hurting that same mare? She was slowing Rainbow down, forcing the pony into less practice and more lessons, just to keep Fluttershy from flunking out of the school. If Dash had been able to practice like she should, without the annoying interference of a mare who couldn’t even fly.

Fluttershy packed her last bag, filled mostly with mementos of her time there, almost all of them either things Dash had given her, or her favorite painting, one she had done of the snoozing athlete. In the portrait, her head rested on her forehooves, lilted slightly to the side. Her mouth was open, and only the barest hint of a tongue hung out. Fluttershy had licked that tongue in way of greeting after she had finished, waking up her beloved.

The pain in her chest redoubled as she stared at the painting, and she leaned down to brush her lips softly against the canvas. Then she stood, tears still flowing, and walked over to her desk.

The party took hours to end. It was the last Derby of the season, and the Wonderbolts meant it quite literally when they said that they were not walking anywhere the next day. Rainbow had lost count of the number of shots of various fluids she had consumed, some of a rather interesting name and dubious coloring.

“Heya sweetheart, how’s about you and me go into the back for a little?” A stallion slurred, wrapping an leg around her shoulders. He held a mug of some green liquid in the other, and took a long swig, the powerful muscles of his throat working to convey their burden. The stallion was red, with a green apple cutie mark, and he was huge. He was also obviously so drunk he could barely stand.

A bark of laughter came from Dash’s mouth, and echoed around the crowded taproom. Almost every pony in the town seemed to be stuffed shoulder to shoulder in the little pub, there was even a small purple dragon riding on a unicorns back, drink in hand despite his obvious lack of legal drinking age. A belch and a jet of fire shot from his mouth, lighting the alcohol in his mug like a torch. A small scroll bobbed in the fire, apparently unharmed by the searing heat. The unicorn grinned, and magicked the note over to her, and read it. As she did, a smile grew wider and wider on her face, and at the end of the note, she let out a fillyish squeal, and tore out of the pub.

A small orange mare, with another apple Cutie Mark, walked over and muscled the stallion away. “Sorry ‘bout that, he’s a might tipsy.” The mare, his sister, called over the back of the red stallion. She then turned her head to the pony beside her and began to chastise him. “Macintosh! What would Cheerilee think to see you going off and”

The pair moved off, once more lost to sight and sound in the crowd. There was a sudden hush, spreading from the entrance of the pub to the bar, leaping from pony to pony like an STD at an orgy. Silence filled the room, but from her barstool, Rainbow still couldn’t see the newcomer.

“You should all be most ashamed of yourselves. I will not allow my little ponies to behave in such a manner.” Oh, bloody hell. The long white horn and golden crown appeared over the stunned crowd as the Princess of Equestria stepped carefully into the pub. “It is a shame, a true failing. This is a party held in the honor of the Wonderbolts, and this is how you spend it? Bartender!”

At the call, the little earth pony bartender stepped forward, shuffling his hooves in nervous tension. “Is this how you treat royalty?” One imperious brow arched over the purple eye, and the little gray pony before her let out a mumble half choked in panic. “I have attended many parties held for the Wonderbolts and this is by far the most,” a sneer appeared “inappropriate. These ponies are still standing, at least one should be under a table by now.” The sneer fell apart, and a wide, and only slightly mischievous, grin replaced it.

Her eyes twinkled in the dim light, either with amusement at the joke, or in lust for the warm mug of cider that the blushing bartender gave to her. Lifting it to her lips, she tilted her head back and drank. And she kept drinking. With an explosive gasp, she inhaled, lowering the empty mug to the table. “Another!”

The night became a haze after that, as the Princess kept ordering drinks for the entire pub. On the sixth or tenth mug, Rainbow slowed down, turning to watch the Princess begin a drinking contest. She drank every competitor under the table, watching as the bets go higher and higher. Rainbow got up after the ninth stallion, the red from earlier in the evening, rushed for the door. She sat, slamming her own mug on the table. “My turn.”

“Oh my, one of the Wonderbolts. Think you can beat me kid?” And the contest began. Almost ten minutes later it ended as Rainbow admitted defeat to the Princess. Rainbow stumbled away from the table, grinning happily. Then she saw her beloved.

She made a very wide, loopy line to the mare, stumbling over her feet as she went. Stumbling over her hooves, she still managed to sneak up on the poor mare, and positioned herself. Extending a wing, she drew a feather lightly along the flank of the mare.

She whipped around, and was met by the soft lips and warm breath of Rainbow, pressing against her own in simple longing. Vaguely, Rainbow though that Spitfire felt different somehow, softer but still so very familiar. Then, out of nowhere, a hoof slammed into her cheek, sending her back, falling over her legs and landing in a heap on the ground.

Fluttershy stood rock still, eyes wide and pupils almost nonexistent. She looked at Rainbow, still lying on the floor where the little yellow pegasus had sent her. She closed her eyes, both to savor the memory of the kiss, and to keep the tears it brought with it.

History

Fluttershy hummed to herself as she dusted the small room she shared with Rainbow Dash. The prodigy had been forced to call in favors, and even beg one pony, but they had done it. Now they were living together. The room wasn’t any bigger than the one she had shared before, but it seemed like there was so much more room in the small space now.

Love did funny things, like make something as small as dusting while her friend was away seem like the happiest moment of her life. There had been more and more of those moments recently. And every single time, Fluttershy would wonder how she could possibly be happier. Then looking back, she would wonder how she could have felt so little. The small feather duster, composed of her own shed feathers as a matter of fact. The soft yellow color of the duster was only slightly marred by the thin layer of dust it had collected, all that had landed since yesterday.

The door to the room next to theirs slammed, and Fluttershy could faintly hear giggles wafting out through the cracks in the wall. She wasn’t the only one who was finally happy in the school, even if she still was the worst flier in the history of Flight School. That thought was a sobering one, and Fluttershy’s smile waned in only a moment. Its place was taken by a distant, slightly sad expression which so rarely touched the face of one so young.

Fluttershy shook herself, and the duster, smiling once more. It was almost time for Rainbow’s extra practice sessions to let out. Then they didn’t have anything else they needed to do for the night. They could spend it together, talking or not talking, but together.

The sounds from the next room grew louder, the giggling becoming the soft murmur of conversation. Stray words would filter into her room, but Fluttershy ignored them. They were minding their business, and she could mind hers. Besides, she needed to go and get dinner.

That was one of the odder customs of Flight School. All food was served in the kitchen, but they had numerous drop off points for the cleaned plates. And there was nowhere to eat near the cafeteria, no inside the room save for a few small tables.

Fluttershy didn’t have any chores to complete today, nor the entire week. Next week though, she was working in the kitchen, one of the ponies preparing the masses of food consumed daily. Rainbow however, by force of personality, charm, or blackmail, was never queued up for chores. When Fluttershy cooked, Rainbow just lingered in the kitchen, being spoiled by Fluttershy and Chef Golden Roast and all the other girls in the room. But then, Rainbow was fawned over by everything that could breathe in the school.

It was a compliment really, that all of the other mares, and not a few stallions, would follow her around, panting at her hooves. And that every night, she would come home to Fluttershy. To the pony she loved.

Today’s entree’s consisted of a large daisy sandwich, a small salad, and a stack of hay fries, tipped to her with a wink straight from the oil. Golden Roast was always doing things like that, being kind to her. He had given her extra, knowing she would be taking it to Rainbow. It was just the kind of-

“Hey, watch where you’re going Flutterfag. I don’t want your fillyfooling germs all over me.” Fluttershy lay sprawled on the floor, her tray of food now liberally splattered before her, and no little of it smeared into her fur. A hoof whipped out, jabbing her sharply in the ribs as she lay there. “I said, I don’t want you on me, bitch.”

Another jab in the ribs, this time slightly harder. The blow was enough to roll Fluttershy a short way along the floor, and she could see the cruel sneer of the colt who had pushed her to the ground. She could feel the cold slime of the mayonnaise from her sandwich smeared in her fur, matting is as she shook. She could feel the hot blush coloring her cheeks, and she curled her tail in, protecting her from the leers of the surrounding ponies. She saw the gaze of every stallion, and most mares, fixed on her, searching once more for a glimpse of something they should not see.

Her blush intensified, and in that moment, she wished for nothing more than to be able to sink through the floor, and vanish from sight. It would be nice to not listen to them jeer, to tease, to treat her like filth. All because she could love another, unlike them.

…What would Rainbow think right now?

“Aww, look, the little whore’s getting excited. What, you so much of a slut you’d get hard for anything that moves?”
Fluttershy’s wings were extended behind her, her face pale with the horrible thought of what Rainbow would think, seeing her lying on the floor like this. Every muscle locked, and she began to shake harder, her breaths coming out in sharp, short bursts.

“Lightning, dude, let up. She’s like, having a seizure or something.”

“Can it Ironwing, this slut just hasn’t done anything with somepony other than Rainbowdyke. I bet if you gave me an hour, I could fix that fillyfooling stuff. Couldn’t I, bitch?”

Another kick landed, and Fluttershy rolled across the floor again, this time further from her assailant. Her momentum petered to a stop, and the mare just lay there, quivering on the ground. Her body slowly curled, and her head tucked under her hooves.

“I said, couldn’t I?” The stallion growled, pulling his hoof back again. A clawed hand shot out, batting the pony aside with the careless strength only a predator could command. Gilda followed the pegasus’s flight, glaring until he slammed into the far wall. With a contemptuous flick of her head, she dismissed the crumpled form. The gryphon turned, walking over to Fluttershy.

Reaching down, she hauled Fluttershy up, setting the trembling mare on her feet. Then the great beaked head swung about, and the gathered crowd scattered. Gilda turned, and walked back over to the tray, gathering up the detritus and setting it on the metal dish. She slid the tray into one of the collectors, and then turned and walked to the still open cafeteria.

A few minutes later, when she returned, Gilda saw Fluttershy still standing there, though at least now she had ceased trembling. She simply stood where Gilda had set her, the food still in her fur, though now gravity was pulling it down. The tray the gryphon held was piled with even more food, all separated into three neat piles.

The wicked beak tilted, and the gryphon smiled at her friend. “Well, come on. You don’t want Dash to see you like that. You might make her laugh to death.” Fluttershy blushed again, and shifted both her hooves and wings in restless discomfort.

“Oh come on. I was joking. Now let’s go so you can rinse off.”

Fluttershy slowly drifted out of the haze of sleep, the memory of her dream fading with the darkness. It wasn’t as if the dream were anything new. It was like all the others, just a memory from the time she had been happy, when she had friends. She groaned as she stretched out her wings, yawning. Her wings ached from being pressed to the hard chair all night, but they extended fully behind her.

She lifted her head, the half-finished page glued to her cheek, the ink from when she had fallen asleep binding the two together. Lifting a hoof, she pressed down on the paper and moved her head. The book separated from her reluctantly, tearing out a few hairs as it did. Fluttershy winced, like she did every day she woke to the feeling.

She stood from her desk, flipping the book closed with a hoof, and closing the doors behind her, she swept out into main room of the small cottage. She looped a scarf about her neck as she passed the rack of them by the door. She opened the door on the weak summer sunlight, her hooves crunching through the thin layer of snow which had built up around her door.
It was a long slough through knee deep snow to reach the town proper, where the roads were at least cleared enough to make walking merely unpleasant, rather than torture. A thin layer of compacted snow lay on the cobblestones, muffling the normal clop of hooves on stone. Looking around her, Fluttershy could see a very few ponies outside, scurrying about their business and rushing indoors as quickly as they could.

Her gaze shifted about the small town square, a smile gracing her lips as she admired the beauty of the small town. Icicles hung from every roof, some stretching so far down that they were almost on the ground. In fact, two were on the ground, forming a pair of long pillars to the roof of the sweets shop nearby. Judging by their nearly uniform thickness though, they had to have been helped by a playful filly. The result was stunning though, the early light glistening and reflecting through the ice, drawing the eye to it.

Further down the road, there was a small shop, specializing in sofas and quills of all things, which had several snowponies frolicking outside, caught in frozen motion. Looking more closely, Fluttershy could see that these two had been coated in a thin layer of frost. The coat was just enough that the snowponies would retain their shape, and glisten very slightly in the light. Again, it was cleverly done. Fluttershy expected the same hooves to be responsible for both the statuary and the ornamentation all throughout the square, from the crude blocks of ice stacked into a hut, to the elegant, intricate spiraling curves of an ice statue twice her size.

She paced forward, her hooves crunching along the path as she slowly walked down the road. Her destination, the dilapidated library just off of the town square, came into sight as she turned the corner. The old building, still more tree than anything else, had been empty for years, ever since their librarian had moved to Trottingham. Now, Fluttershy was the only one who even bothered to visit the building, the rest of the town afraid of the ceiling collapsing on them. Of course, they apparently forgot that the building was built out of a living tree.

Just like Fluttershy’s cottage, the library was alive. Just like the books inside, the tree was always moving, always changing. It grew through the years, and it was as solidly designed as any of the surroundings, and even years later it was still solid and sturdy. Of course, the pile of snow which had fallen through the cracked ceiling didn’t exactly inspire confidence, but that was only because the trunk it was built around had expanded.

The books within the building were still in perfect condition, courtesy both of the powerful preservation spells laid on them, and the careful attention of the veterinary author. Fluttershy stepped inside the building, and held the door open for a moment. Wind, snow, and most importantly light blew in through the momentary opening, then the door shut behind her. Reaching out with a hoof trained by long practice, Fluttershy flicked on the small candle by the door.

The library was full of oddments like that, magical do-dads which Fluttershy could only puzzle over. The candle was enchanted, and waving a hoof before it would send it into flickering light. After a while, the large block of wax would melt enough that the candle flame was doused, but it could be lit again once it had cooled.

She leaned in, touching the small flame to the wood stacked neatly in the fireplace, and after a few moments, a blaze crackled with merry abandon in the grate. Now with light, and the beginnings of heat, Fluttershy set to work.

It was a lot of work, cleaning the Library. The heavy enchantments kept the books from being damaged, but they did less than nothing for the rest of the building. In fact, the areas near the bookshelves were particularly filthy, the dust and grim which would have landed on them instead shunted aside by the magical spell.

Fluttershy grabbed a rag from the bin she had set up, and set to with a will. And several hours later, numerous rags, and countless thoughts later, she was done. The library almost gleamed in the firelight, every inch of the building spotless, save for the mountainous pile of soiled cloth beside her. Fluttershy sat down, reclining on the sofa by the fire, stretching herself with a contented smile on her face.

It was worth it, every time she spent the day cleaning the library, it gave her the oddest sense of fulfillment. It was as if she were back in Flight School, cleaning her room. Their room. The smile dimmed, fading into a mask of neutrality.
This was a place that Rainbow would never step into. Maybe that was why she loved it so much. It was another shield from her past. Just another way to hide.

Dash sighed, the gusty exhalation ruffling the fur pressed close to her nose. Her hooves were draped over Spitfire, the other Wonderbolt lying on the bed in a lazy, attractive sprawl. Dash’s head rested on the yellow chest of the mare beneath her, and Spitfire snorted in amusement at whatever she was reading.

“Come on, how much longer do we have to be here? Can’t we, you know, do something?”

“Quiet little mouse. You lost the bet, so today you’re mine. And I want a blanket while I read.”
Dash sighed, and dropped her head with a soft thump onto Spitfire’s chest. Her lover had insisted that they bet on the outcome of a race of all things. Seriously, ponies bet on them, not the other way around. Figures Spitfire had blackmailed Fleetfoot into losing. That was cheap.

“I said, a blanket.”

Dash opened her eyes, and saw that Spitfire had shifted. Her tail was flicked off to the side, the flaming colors spread out on the sheets like strands of silk. She had wriggled a little further beneath Dash, and had spread her legs.
“Blankets go lengthwise, little mouse.”

The magenta eyes stared at her for a moment, annoyance written plain on the cyan face. Then Rainbow shifted, rolling about until her chest was wedged firmly between the yellow hips. She stared at her lover over the expanse of yellow fur, while the legs tightened. Spitfire latched on to Rainbow and began to slide along, rubbing against the soft fur of her marefriend.

“Oh, so this is what you do to blankets? I guess that explained why your towels are always so… wet.”
Rainbow looked away, determined not to let the Captain of the Wonderbolts see how much she was enjoying this.
“You love it, don’t you? These don’t lie.”

Spitfire leaned forward, curling herself until her breath gusted across the rainbow mane, her lovers head resting on her belly. She reached out, and drew a hoof feather light against Rainbow’s wings, drawing a gasp from her dominant partner.
Jolts of sensation traveled from each feather, racing through her body and straight to her brain.

Rainbow moaned as Spitfire stroked along her wing again, pressing down on the other mare, rubbing her face into the belly fur. “Oh, does my little mouse like that? What about this?”

When Rainbow woke, she found that they had rolled onto their sides, and now lay with their hooves entwined, Rainbow’s head resting on the yellow neck. She stirred, opening her eyes to the light of dusk filtering through the window. Yawning, she stood, careful not to wake her marefriend.

It was a beautiful night. What better time to go flying? Besides, Gilda lived in Ponyville didn’t she? It had been too long since the pegasus had visited her friend.