Busy Days to Peaceful Nights

After a few days, Rainbow Dash began to have an increasingly fearful well of emotion building up inside her gut that made her stomach turn into knots trapping butterflies. What Fluttershy had said the night they first slept together gnawed at her in a way that she never knew could feel so intense. It filled almost every waking moment of her last couple days, and she knew she had to do something about it or else she just might go crazy....or worse... Something bad was happening to her poor little Fluttershy, and this was a problem way beyond her.

Everypony else in Ponyville looked carefree and happy as she walked herself through the main street, but little did they know that one of their most cherished residents was bordering close to some mental disturbance.

Why was it taking Dash so long to do something about this one might ask? Well, it's no simple task in any case. The first thing she knew she had to do was see somepony, anypony really, who could help. It would have to be somepony that she trusted though. If she told a doctor or something, Fluttershy might be taken away for a long time, and Dash could not bear the thought of not being able to cuddle her beloved friend every night through this.

Pinkie was a master of secrets, but she was also a master of blowing things out of proportion. "Yeah..." Dash sighed as she looked at the dirt covered road. "That's a total no." Twilight was a renowned intellect full of useful knowledge, but she could also be very...crazy at times herself. Dash sighed heavily again, feeling her options begin to dwindle. Her last two options would have to be either Applejack or Rarity. It occurred to her that she could go see them both, but just one other pony would be fine for now with this kind of problem. Dash snorted with a half amused smirk for just a moment as she thought about how insensible Applejack could be, just like herself. This was no time for muses though.

This left one, and only one other option: Rarity.

As melodramatic and whiny as she could be, Dash had to credit her for being tougher than she looked, and perhaps even the hardest working of all her friends. Sure...Applejack was hardworking, but Rarity had accomplished so much in the past year which had her of all ponies stand out in Dash's mind the most.

And here she was, standing right in front of her door. Dash gulped as she took a peek through the window of the boutique. Yep, she was there, hard at work as usual. The door swung open with a ring of a bell as the tousled Dash stepped inside.

"Hm?" Rarity looked up from her drawing board and beamed a charming as ever smile. "Hello Rainbow Dash!" Came an incredibly sugary voice that was definitely Rarity's, but for some reason was full of such life and happiness. Something sure had her spirits high.

"H-Hey, Rarity!" Dash choked out the best cheerful greeting as she could in response. "It's uh, been kind of a while, huh..."

"I would indeed say so." Rarity giggled with that sweet voice she seemed to have been hiding until now. "It must be a week at least since I've seen you! And quite a week it has been." Again with that giggle. Although neither pony noticed, a slight blush spread across both of their faces as they each remembered fondly the times they spent the last week in intimate detail doing intimate. "Oh, pay no attention to me." Rarity huffed her nose to the air. "I'm just...rather gleeful."

"Great." Dash felt painfully envious, but she pushed that out of her mind. "Hey, listen...I came in cause I uh...I need your help with something."

"Oh you do?" Rarity frowned apologetically. "I'm so sorry Rainbow Dash, I may not be the pony to ask to help you, how do you say, pull a stunt?"

"It's not that." Dash shook her head. "I need help, your help...with a problem. It's kind of a big problem."

"Oh dear..." Rarity got up from her stool and walked over to her to put a hoof on her shoulder. "I do hope it's nothing too serious."

"Yeah...me too." Dash brought her eyes up to look her in the face. She felt a sudden rush of tears sting their way across her eyelids down to her cheeks.

Rarity made a small gasp and brushed them to the side. "Oh, darling...." She wrapped her hooves around Dash's neck and gave her a gentle hug.

A painfully loud sniffle came from Dash as her nose went to work on those little wet buggers. "I'm ok, Rare...I'm ok." She may have said that, but that didn't stop her from returning the hug. Their comforting embrace only lasted a few more seconds, and Dash choked out a small laugh at herself before wiping her face.

"Please tell me everything." Rarity led her to a fancy looking couch where they both sat down. "And don't leave out any minor detail. Whatever has got you crying must certainly quite a problem." She thought back to the last time Dash cried that involved Tank. "This wouldn't be about your pet, would it?"

Dash wished it was. Dash really wished it was. Unfortunately, her problem involved somepony so much more important to her "It's Fluttershy." Were the first words out of her mouth.

"Goodness! I-Is she alright? What happened to her?" Rarity exclaimed.

"Nothing. I mean, she's ok. She's just...well we've been spending, uh...time, together." Dash bit her lip for a second, and Rarity allowed her to gather her thoughts without saying anything. "Well, it's like if you found out something about somepony that makes you feel sad, you know? Like if they were bullied or something."

"Was she bullied?" Anger began to fill her chest, and Rarity felt the burn tingle the tips of her ears.

"No, no she's fine. She's not being bullied." Dash took a deep breath.

"Then what? I don't mean to pry, darling, but I have to ask. What is it about Fluttershy that has you so...despondent?"

Dash didn't know what that word meant, but it probably didn't mean anything good. "Uh...well..." She cleared her throat. "She told me that...like...in the past, she was sometimes...su-" Dash choked hard as the word she was trying to say fought furiously to stay lodged in her throat. "..suic-....suici-.." Tears began welling up around her eyes angrily, and Rarity gently put a hoof over her mouth to stop her.

"N-No..." Rarity said in a near whisper as she felt her own tears inching their way down her cheeks. "No...P-Please tell me you're..."

Dash made no response other than to look down at the stitching on the couch. She wiped her face angrily and with force as she felt those tears follow after each other each time she used the back of her hoof to rid herself of them.

Rarity's eyes began darting across the floor as her mind frantically tried to rationalize this. "I-Is...is she sui-" She herself couldn't come to say that word. "Is Fluttershy doing alright now?"

Dash nodded her head and cracked the smallest of smiles. A part of her took relief in the fact that her Flutters was ok. "Y-Yeah...Yeah!... Right now she's ok, I'm pretty sure."

Rarity let out a very exacerbated sigh of relief. "Oh thank Celestia..." She shifted as her body released all that nervous tension she had been holding in. "So, this was in the past, you said?"

"Y-Yeah..." Dash nodded her head. "I mean, this kind of thing...it was sort of a phase or something she went through as a filly, and then it sort of happened a couple other times."

"I honestly have absolutely no idea what you meant by that." Rarity tilted her head. "So you mean to tell me that this happened when she was a filly, and now as an adult, this only happens sometimes?"

"Exactly!" Dash nodded. "But its not as bad! It's gotten way better now."

There was some comfort in those words, but this secret was still too much to shrug off. Rarity felt a tremendous burden all of the sudden as she sat there in silence and contemplated this. "I have to ask, dear..." She tried to sound as sympathetic as possible. "Why have you come to me with this? I'm afraid I know nothing about this kind of thing."

"Well...I don't really know...You just kinda seemed like the pony would take this the best, and...I had to tell somepony...especially a friend I trust." There was desperation in Dash's tone and features which made Rarity give her the biggest hardest hug she had ever given in her life.

"Hush, my dear." Rarity said softly into her ear. "Relax, please. Don't worry. I may not be an expert on such matters, but if you trust me enough to come to me about this, then I promise you I will help you." She finally broke the hug.

"Thanks so much..." Dash felt so grateful that she might begin to cry again.

Rarity began wiping her friend's face with a smile. "Now now, no more of this crying nonsense. The tough Miss Rainbow Dash doesn't cry."

This made the distraught mare giggle. "You're right. I don't cry."

"Much better." Rarity smoothed out her friend's mane with the help of some her magic. "Everything's going to be ok. I promise you that. How about some tea? Hm?" Her hooves began to rub up and down against Dash's back.

"Uh...nah, I'm good." Dash laughed. "Not much of a tea pony."

"Hm...well, how about a nice crumpet?" Rarity got up from the couch and nudged Dash off towards the kitchen.

"What's a crumpet?" Dash asked as they trotted off towards the back of the boutique.

Rarity giggled at her and opened a cabinet to fetch a plate. She held the plate out, and Dash looked them over. Whatever they were, it smelled pretty good. "Go on, Rainbow. Give one a try."

Dash bit the end of one and nibbled hesitantly. She was pleased to find that they tasted like big fluffy sugary pancakes. "Hey, not bad!" She said with her mouth full.

Rarity normally would have gotten on anypony's case about talking with their mouth full, but now definitely was not the time. "I'm very pleased you like them. I'm not much of a cook, but I tried something like this the last time I was in Canterlot, and instantly fell in love!"

"Heh..." Dash smirked with amusement. "Yeah, I know the feeling."

"See? Feeling better already!" Rarity rubbed the underside of her hoof underneath Dash's chin, making her giggle again. "Don't you worry. Once we have a plan on what to do exactly, I'm sure that we'll never have to look back at this day."

"You know something?" Dash smiled warmly at her. "You really are the best pony to talk to about stuff like this."

Rarity made that affectionate trademark "oooooh!" of hers as she gave Dash another great big hug.

"Aw come on..." Dash looked just a tiny bit annoyed. "You're getting all Pinkie Pie on me."

"I can't help it right now, darling..." Rarity stepped back and shook her head. "And I will not apologize."

"Fine." Dash looked up from the crumpet plate and sighed softly. "Just uh...save all that huggie mushy stuff for later...I have a feeling we're gonna go through this all over again with Fluttershy."

Rarity sat down in a chair and motioned for Dash to do the same. "Do you think we'll have to?"

"I'm not sure what you mean." Dash sat and nibbled on another crumpet.

"I mean," Rarity cleared her throat. "I can understand the burden of needing to tell somepony something important, but do you feel like you need to confront Fluttershy about this? It is possible she just needed to tell somepony like you told me. Maybe...and I know this might be wishful thinking...but maybe you and Fluttershy can put this behind yourselves."

"Oh...yeah I dunno...." Dash rubbed the back of her head. "I don't think so....Fluttershy and I aren't just friends." She said rather too quickly, making herself gasp in surprise by her own words.

"More...than friends?" Rarity felt a bit intrigued by this. "Whatever do you mean by more than friends? Like best friends?"

"Y-Yeah..." Dash blushed incredibly hard. "Um...you could definitely say that. I uh...don't think you would get it."

Rarity gave her a very sly smirk and batted her eyes. "On the contrary my dear Rainbow Dash, I believe I would, how do you say, get it? Perhaps even more than you'd realize."

Dash gulped. She sat there in a very awkward silence which Rarity seemed to be enjoying much to her dismay. "Ok ok ok, fine." Dash growled. "Me and Fluttershy-"

"Fluttershy and I, dear." Rarity blurted out before she could finish, finding some amusement in correcting the pegasus' grammar.

"Fluttershy and I," Dash said with annoyed monotone, "are...a thing now."

There came this excited yet quiet squeal of delight. What Rarity said next surprised Dash even more. "Oh finally! It's really about time, dear!"

"W-Wait..what?" Dash felt more flustered than ever. "What do you mean about time?"

"Oh PUHLEASE, darling. Can you honestly tell me that this hasn't been in the making? Everypony knows you two belong together, and we've all seen how you just fawn over her." Rarity made dramatic gestures with her hooves which Dash's eyes followed closely.

With a nervous giggle, Dash nodded her head. "Y-Yeah...I always did think she was pretty cute...Like, really cute."

"Mhm! Mhm!" Rarity nodded her head enthusiastically. "Oh, but I must confess, dear Rainbow. You may perhaps be breaking somepony else's heart."

"Who?" Dash asked, very curiously.

"Why Pinkie Pie of course. The way she talks about you nonstop, the way she acts around you, that's even more obvious."

"Well, yeah but...Pinkie's pretty free spirited or something. I don't think relationships are her thing, you know?"

Rarity levitated a cup of tea from the counter and sipped it. "Mn, I think you grossly misunderstand her intentions. It's plainly obvious to me at least that she's hopelessly infatuated with you."

This made Dash blush heavily. "Heh....Really? You think so? Wow....Well, I am pretty sexy."

Rarity spat up some tea and laughed. "Honestly, darling!" She protested with a giggle. "I can't decide which is worse; your haughty attitude or your free use of the word...sexy. It's very unbecoming of a lady to use such language."

Dash shook her head and let out a laugh of her own, making her voice crackle in the most adorable of ways. "Am I wrong?"

"Welllllll, you're not, not wrong, dear."

"So...you're not weirded out by, uh, this?"

"Not in the least bit." Rarity shook her head. "I prefer love to be something that can be shared completely, no matter who involved."

Dash cocked her head. "Huh...You know, that's pretty cool. I always thought you were this huge princess story prude."

"Aw, you do?" Rarity sounded just a tad disappointed. "I suppose I do present myself that way." It dawned on her that maybe now would be a good time to share with Dash her newfound relationship between herself and Applejack. However, she hadn't discussed this topic with Applejack, so she wasn't sure how that might settle with the country gal. Another time then. "But you should know, Miss Rainbow Dash, that I am no such thing."

"Surrreee..." Dash laughed. "I bet you've never even rounded the bases."

An insulted yet amused huff came from Rarity with her head held very high. "I, for your information," Every word she said was emphasized, "am not a novice between the silken downs. In fact, you could learn a thing or two from a pony such as myself who can do things pegasi can only dream of."

"Oh....whoaw..." Dash gawked. "Yeah, with that horn of yours, I bet alllll the ponies go crazy."

Rarity always had a social weakness when it came to her blushing. With such a pale face, even the slightest tint of pink could easily be seen. This was one of the reasons why she carried herself with so much self-taught class. Unfortunately, now was one of those times where her blush had become so great that her face become a completely different shade altogether. "Sweet Celestia, Rainbow Dash! Have you always had such a crass voice for such things???"

"Yeah!...If that word means what I think it means." Dash smirked.

Rarity sighed and giggled as she got up. "Enough of this lewd conversation. I admit, I do find it rather stimulating, but honestly, this is definitely not the time or the place. I believe there's something I must do."

"Whats that?" Dash got up to follow her in case she began to walk somewhere. "Is it about Fluttershy?"

She nodded. "Indeed it is. It's high time that I had a talk with our dear Fluttershy." Rarity walked to the front door.

"Are you sure? Didn't you say before something about putting all this behind us? Like you said, maybe we can all just move on from this and let it be in the past."

"I did say that, but after learning about how close your true relationship is with her, I am reluctant, but I have to admit that the sooner we all have a good chat about this, the better it will be for your relationship. Besides, wouldn't you feel better if you could shed this baggage together and move on to a more happy and fulfilling life as a couple?"

"Huh.......Yeah." Dash nodded her head and looked down at the floor. "I bet Fluttershy would feel even way better too. I kinda owe it to her anyway."

"Why's that?" Rarity walked out the front door with Dash in tow. "Have you wronged her in some way?"

"No it's not that." Dash shook her head as they walked towards the outskirts of town. "I just feel kinda bad, you know? I mean, we've been friends since forever! Even when we were little. If this has been going on ever since then, that kinda makes me a bad friend if I never noticed."

"Aw, Rainbow Dash." Rarity gave her a nudge against the shoulder and shook her head. "Heavens no, dear. You're not a bad friend. Something like this is probably just too much for a young mind to fully understand. Besides, you and I both know Fluttershy is not the most outspoken of ponies, so even after all these years, the fact that she could admit something like this is a huge step for her."

Dash nodded her head with a bit more confidence. "Hey yeah you're right! So, this is kind of a good thing, maybe? Like maybe she's trying to move on and just now she's been ready to admit it."

"Marvelous level of deductive reasoning, darling." Rarity giggled. "You would make an excellent sidekick for my detective business."

"As much as I appreciated the whole detective thing back in Canterlot, I still wasn't super on board with it. Just not really my thing. Besides, you get wayyyy too carried away with that."

"You're right. It really isn't my thing." Rarity traded a smile with her as they entered the outskirts of town. "So..." There was a clear sign of apprehension in her voice now as Fluttershy's cottage came into view. "Have you thought about what you might like to say when we arrive?"

Dash sighed. "I dunno...Maybe the same stuff as before, like how I'll always be there, and that uh...you know...I love her..."

"That's a good start. I was thinking perhaps something a bit more concrete."

"Like what?"

"I'm afraid I cannot say. When the time comes, your own words and thoughts would mean so much more to her than if you repeated mine."

The cottage was close, and Dash stopped in her tracks to think. "Ok....yeah....I think I know what you mean. I think I know what to say..."

"Good." Rarity patted her on the shoulder. "Even though she may be independent and on her own, it really sounds like she needs you more than ever."

Dash sighed more heavily this time. "Yeah...it also works the other way around too...I need her just as much in my life." She smiled and narrowed her gaze in determination as she took a step forward. "This is something I should have said a long time ago too."

They walked in silence for the next minute towards Fluttershy's cottage. Dash wondered whether she may have made a mistake by getting somepony else involved, but Rarity's advice and support had become invaluable tools that gave her the confidence and reassurance she needed. There was no backing out now, not that she even wanted to.

Rarity smiled at her as they came to cottage grounds, and she lead them up the steps to the front door. "Shall we?" She knocked on the door softly a few times.

Fluttershy was in the middle of brushing a certain bunny's tail when she heard a tap at the door. In the past week, only Rainbow Dash had been her company, which was just fine with her. Each time that bright blue mare's face crossed the threshold of her door, she felt an incredible longing and explosion of affection fill her. Just as before, she greeted Dash at the door with a great big hug and soft little kisses on the cheek. This always made Dash giggle and complain about the tickling sensation, but she never once pushed her away or asked her to stop. Dash hadn't admitted it, but she always loved being doted on like this every time they would see each other.

One great difference this time however was the presence of another pony. This made Fluttershy instantly pull away from her love in sheer embarrassment and surprise. "R-Rarity!" She squeaked in a soft high pitched voice. "I-I didn't see you there. I-I w-wasn't k-kissing-"

"Relax, darling." Rarity patted her back and smiled warmly. "Your new relationship with Rainbow is not news to me."

"O-Oh..." For some reason, Fluttershy didn't feel any less embarrassed by this. When Dash returned her kisses on the cheek with a big warm wet kiss on the cheek back, she finally felt that nervous tension leave her body.

"How are you doing?" Dash asked, giving her a long gentle hug. "I hope I wasn't gone for too long."

Fluttershy shook her head. "N-No...I was just worried that...n-nevermind."

"Worried about what, dear?" Rarity closed the door behind her and brushed her hoof through Fluttershy's long mane.

"I um...w-well..." Fluttershy felt very on the spot at this point. "I umm...was...well I said something a couple days ago...and I was kinda scared that..." She turned to Dash. "...you were trying to keep some distance from me."

"What? That's totally crazy, Shy." Dash smiled and wiggled her nose against Shy's cheek. "Not in a million years."

"Awww!" Rarity cooed softly and clapped her hooves together. Dash felt a little annoyed, but Fluttershy couldn't help but smile.

"Listen Shy...I brought Rarity cause I wanted to talk to you about...what you said." Dash squeezed her mare's hoof and placed the softest of affectionate kisses on her forehead.

Fluttershy felt incredibly guilty and sad all of the sudden as she sat on her haunches and looked down at the floor. "I-I don't know why I said that...It was a mistake."

"Not at all, darling!" Rarity sat beside her and shook her head. "It's a big step for you, and it had to be said eventually. Something like this you can not carry by yourself."

Dash put a wing around her and nodded. "Yeah...and in a way, I'm really glad you told me."

Fluttershy looked up at her. "You are?" She asked with genuine surprise.

"Mhm." Dash nodded and held her. "I can't imagine holding something like this in all your life. Besides...it really makes me happy to know that you can trust me with something like this."

"W-Well...you really mean that much to me..." She looked down at the floor again. "You too, Rarity..."

"Aww..." Rarity gave her a great big hug. "It makes me so happy to hear that, dear. It really does." Rarity rubbed her back. "I know you may not want to talk about this right now, and you don't have to."

"I...I guess in a way I do." Shy looked up. "But it's different now...Dashie is here..and with her, I'll never feel that way again."

Dash pressed her face into Shy's neck. "And I'll always be here, no matter what. I promise. There's one thing I wanted to say, since we're just kind of throwing this all out there." She swallowed hard for a moment. "I know that you can get pretty sad sometimes...but you really should know that no matter what, I'll do anything to help. So don't feel weird or anything about bothering me when you don't feel good, cause you really aren't bothering me. Sometimes you just kinda not talk and not tell anypony what's going on, so I want you to know that I'll always listen. Oh yeah, if I find out you're not telling me something, I'll tickle you until you spill it, got it?"

Fluttershy let out a slight laugh as she felt tears stream down her face. "Ok, Dashie. You have a deal."

"Cool...cool.." Dash kissed her cheek and began running her hoof up and down Shy's neck.

Rarity gave them both a great big snuggle hug and smiled. "Well now that's out of the way, how about we all go do something to cheer up."

"Like a picnic?" Shy asked.

"Anything you want, darling." Rarity turned to Dash. "That alright with you?"

"Hey whatever Shy wants, we're gonna do it."

Shy wrapped her hooves around Dash's waist and squeezed tightly, making her gasp.

"Ack...ugh..." Dash choked for air. "Seriously! What's with all the squeezing and hugging today???"

"Oh hush your whining, Rainbow." Rarity laughed. "Get used to it."

"Fine.." Dash rested her chin on top of Shy's head and asked, "So is the picnic just us, or are we gonna invite everypony?"

Rarity huffed with excitement. "I'll go and, as Applejack would say, round up the rest of our friends. You two meet me in the meadow when you're both ready."

"The one with all the big pretty flowers?" Fluttershy asked with a smile now on her face. "I really like that one."

"Of course, dear. Whatever your lovely heart desires." Rarity got up and headed to the door. "Now don't take too long you two. I know you just got home, but the others and I won't be long. Tah-tah!" With that, she was out the door trotting down the dirt road with a gleeful smile.

Once Rarity was gone, Fluttershy had turned her body facing Dash and began rubbing her cheek and nose against Dash's chest and neck. "S-Shy...h-hey!" Dash began laughing as her hooves began petting her long mane. "That's tickles!" Instead of responding, Shy pressed her lips quite suddenly against the lips of the surprised pegasus, letting them linger in contact with each other long enough for both mares to deepen their physical embrace. Only after Fluttershy started to feel the need to breathe did she pull away, leaving Dash gasping in surprise. "I uh...guess that means I love you?" Dash asked with a giggle.

Shy nodded and began making soft little kisses up and down her neck. "Mhm..." She said between kisses. "And also thank you..."

"That's what I'm here for." Dash titled her head back and closed her eyes as she felt Shy's lips gently tug on the base of her neck. "O-ohhh-hhaaa....S-Shy..."

A tiny giggle came from the little mare as her lips attacked that spot. "I love you Dashie..." She placed her hooves around Dash's neck and leaned up to give her a long, deep, wet kiss.

They both stayed in that position for a long few minutes, trading kisses and only breaking for air a couple times. A deep red smile spread across both of their faces as they finally broke for the last time.

"Mn..." Dash muttered as she licked her lips. "...You are really....really really good at that."

Shy blushed hard and squeaked. "I-I...guess..."

Dash got up and pulled Shy by her wing in her mouth gently to the couch. Her hooves pushed Fluttershy down on the couch on her back right before she started making firm wet kisses up and down her tummy.

Shy threw her head back and ran her hooves over Dash's mane while she exhaled slowly. "D-Dashie....D-Das-shi-ie..."

"If you ever feel down, I'll do this for you too." Dash flashed her a smile before gently spreading Fluttershy's legs to place a big popping kiss against her inner thighs. All Fluttershy could do was squeak softly and hold her hooves in place over Dash's head while she felt warm lips begin pressing against her slit. A sudden rush of warmth that spread over her entire body made Fluttershy squirm and tremble in anticipation. Dash picked up on her body language, and instead of teasing her, she stuck up tongue out, moving it side to side slowly, deeper and deeper until her mouth pressed firmly against Shy's entrance.

"A-Ahhhh-hhahhaa-ahhhh.." Shy whimpered the entire time she felt Dash's tongue work towards her. Being granted such intense sensations so quickly made her subconsciously wonder how easy it be to have Dash do this any other time. Only a second later did she feel all her mental thinking power completely disappear as Dash flicked the tip of her tongue up and down.

Dash could feel an intensely warm tightening of Fluttershy's inner walls around her tongue, making her giggle. Her hooves moved up and down against Shy's thighs as she bobbed her head back and forth, desperately trying to move farther deeper than before. Each motion and each slurp made Fluttershy bite her lip and squeal loudly. One such squeal was so loud that Fluttershy instantly pulled her hooves back from Dash's head to cover her mouth in an attempt to quiet herself. It wasn't working. It might have worked if Dash would just pace herself, but an urge to bring her beloved to climax as soon as possible took primary concern in Dash's mind.

For the next minute, Fluttershy couldn't tell if she was even breathing. Her body trembled and shivered violently the closer she came to her finish, and when her train finally pulled out of the station, dancing bright blue stars clouded her vision as her eyes shot open. Her hooves grabbed Dash's mane and held her head in reflex, and Dash could taste and feel a powerful spray of hot love flood the inside of her mouth.

After many seconds of panting and heaving, Fluttershy let go, letting Dash stand up straight and lick her lips.

"D-Da-ashie..." She sounded faint and almost incoherent as she spoke. "D-Dashie..."

Dash crawl up on top of her and began to straighten out her mane while giggling hard. "I kind of deserved that for going crazy at the beginning, huh."

Fluttershy laughed hard up at her and nodded. "P-Please...........do that again someday."

"Just someday? What about everyday?" Dash wiggled her nose against Shy's while sitting on her tummy. "I'm sure with practice I'll get even better at it too."

"I...don't think...that's possible..." Fluttershy fell limp against the couch and closed her eyes again.

"Hey, don't fall asleep on me!" Dash whined. "We still have a picnic to go to."

Shy simply nodded her head. "...O-Ok...I-I...just need a minute."

Dash nodded her head and nuzzled her cheek, kissing up and down her neck, trying to extend her dear Shy's afterglow as long as possible.

-o0o-

"Well howdy, ya'll!" Applejack rang out as she walked up to her friends already sitting down on a big picnic blanket. "Ain't it just the purtiest a days for a picnic?"

Rarity snickered softly at the funny way she talked. Usually it wasn't as amusing, but it dawned on her the past couple of days how funny it was to be in a relationship with somepony so different from her. "It's is indeed, Applejack." She pat the spot next to her on the blanket and smiled. Applejack sat down and they shared with each other a knowing smile that seemed to say, "Hugs and kisses."

Pinkie already had her mouth full of something. It was probably food, but at this point it was hard to tell. She said something with her mouth full, something that no pony could understand.

"Hey there, Applejack." Twilight brought a cup of punch to her lips with her magic and nodded. "It is nice out. Sure beats being cooped up all day in the castle."

"You know, dear, I don't think we've all had a sit down picnic like this together in a long time." Rarity contemplated for a moment.

"Yeah, ya'll have been mighty busy lately. With the magic table, 'n openin' a new shop 'n Canterlot, plus all the crazy stuff happenin' here, it's gotta be a year at least since we've all been to a picnic." Applejack smiled at all her friends. "Plus Ah guess it's kinda my fault. Ah should be makin' more time for ya'll."

"Oh, it's not your fault, AJ." Twilight shook her head. "Sometimes everypony gets busy. There isn't really anything any of us can do about that."

Pinkie blurted out, "Well except for Twilight." She pointed to the princess with a hoof. "She's got a time machine now."

"A time machine???" Rarity and Applejack nearly gasped at the same time.

"Noooo, no I don't have a time machine." Twilight shook her head. "Pinkie got it in her head that I'm building a time machine for some reason."

Pinkie positioned her head between Rarity and Applejack's ears, and whispered, "Shhhh! It's super duper top secret. Twilight is-"

"You know I can hear you, right?" Twilight interjected, but Pinkie ignored her and kept whispering.

"-building a time machine. It's super duper top secret. Again, it's super duper top secret."

"Uh...Yeah, Ah think we heard ya the first time, Pinkie." Applejack pushed her back with a hoof against Pinkie's nose.

Rarity turned to Twilight and asked, "Darling, why does she think you're building a time machine?"

"Well, I am actually working on something. It's nothing fancy, just a clock."

"A clock." Applejack shrugged. "Just a clock?"

"Yeah. It hit me a week ago that the castle has no clocks in it, and I thought maybe I'll try building one myself."

"Ohhh, I see." Rarity nodded in understanding. "Just a regular clock then? Or perhaps something a bit more ostentatious?"

"Like a grandfather clock?" Twilight asked. "That's a good idea. It'll probably make the castle a bit more cozy."

Pinkie nodded her head slowly while putting on a nonchalant attitude. "Yes, a clock. Just a booorrring old clock! No time machines here!" She shouted up at the sky. Rarity levitated a cookie into the air and shoved it into Pinkie's mouth, effectively quieting her. "Mnnn! chocolatey!"

"Anyway..." Twilight turned away from Pinkie. "Where's Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy? Aren't they supposed to be here too?"

"Oh, yes of course." Rarity nodded and blushed slightly, feeling a bit guilty for hiding their relationship. It would be simple enough to tell everypony about them, but it wasn't her place to spill that kind of news. "I'm sure they're just running a tiny bit late."

"Knowin' Rainbow, she probably fergot all 'bout this picnic til the last minute." Applejack chuckled. "So Ah guess that means she's gonna be doin' the dishes."

"Do your own dishes, AJ." Came a voice from above them. All four ponies looked up to see Dash hovering in place. Fluttershy was behind her, trying to keep up in the air when Rainbow suddenly took off after she heard her name being mentioned. "Well, don't everypony take a picture all at once."

"It's nice to see you too, Rainbow." Twilight giggled.

Pinkie jumped up and grabbed Dash's hoof, pulling her down to a sitting position on the ground. "H-Hey! Pink-" She saw and felt a cookie being shoved into her mouth.

"Aren't these cookies the best?" Pinkie asked. She began pushing up and down on Rainbow's jaw, making her chew. Dash just sat there with a painfully annoyed look on her face as the cookie begrudgingly broke down in her mouth. After a couple seconds, she pushed her away and swallowed. "Pinkie! Knock it-" She stopped in mid-sentence and smiled. "Hey yeah! These are pretty good." Fluttershy giggled as she sat down next to Dash, using a hoof to brush the crumbs away from her love's chin.

"Told you so!" Pinkie threw a cookie up into the air like a flipping coin and caught it between her teeth to gnaw on it.

In an effort to ignore her antics, Twilight began pouring some punch for all the newcomers. "To great friends, friends forever." She said as she held up her cup to make a toast. "Including the weird ones." Everypony nodded and chinked their glasses together.

As everypony had their mouth full of punch, Pinkie pointed to Dash and Fluttershy to ask, "So when did you two start hooking up?" In a surprised and collective effort, everypony involuntarily started spitting up punch.