Where Friendships Wither, New Things Bloom

"Ugh! Quit it!"

After our little tumble outside we'd headed back to my apartment, once there I attempted to dry myself off and maybe even relax for a minute, Sweetie Belle wouldn't leave my face in peace. Adamant that she needed to clean me up she soaked a cotton ball in some sort of magical healing ointment which she used to carefully dab at my wounds. Well... I say wounds but honestly, it was only a few little cuts, nothing really that serious and defiantly not something worth this much fuss over or pain for that matter.

"Sweetie Belle I'm fine! Seriously I'm good, it's just a few scratches. OW!" Attempting to pin me to the couch she sat on my chest "Oh hold still you big baby, you're acting like a foal. The more you move the more it'll hurt." Finally accepting that she wouldn't let me go and that her ass was too heavy for me to move I just gave in, letting her get on with it. "OW... OW... OW..." Sweetie belle smirked "Come on, now you're just faking it" Lifting my head from the couch I looked her dead in the eye's "Oh well sorry mom. I never asked for this, you're the one holding me against my will!" Putting her hoof on my forehead she gently pushed it back down.

Knowing that she'd be here for a while I used this opportunity to find out what she'd been doing while I was away "Why were you out in the rain anyway?" Relaxing a bit she spoke "Well. When I woke up and you weren't there I figured you must have gone out. Seeing as though I only arrived here last night I thought I'd take a little tour of the city then maybe head over to the Boutique. Unfortunately, as you may have noticed that didn't really go to plan." I let out a soft chuckle "Heh. Welcome to my world"

Once she'd finished with my face Sweetie belle slid off my chest and walked towards the bathroom "Hey Button? Would you mind if I took a shower? I look terrible" Remembering how dirty we both were after rolling around in the street I gladly obliged "Really? I think that look suits you" rolling her eyes she disappeared into the room.  A few seconds later I heard a noise that I can only describe as being akin to a cat getting murdered followed a by screaming "AH! COLD!" Smacking my hoof to my head I remembered that I was supposed to fix that today before I was distracted "Oh yer, I forgot to tell you about that. Sorry."

Half an hour later and she was done. Stepping out of the bathroom Sweetie Belle somehow looked better than she had when she arrived. Trailing a wisp of steam in her wake she gracefully trotted into the main room with her mane tied up in one towel and another draped over her body. At that, I decided to give her some privacy. Walking into the bathroom I shut the door.

A short while later I stepped out of the shower having avoided the cold I felt... Better. Before long though I realized that there weren't actually any towels in there with me "Hey Sweetie belle? I'm all out of towels in here, could you grab for me? They're in the bottom draw next to the bed". A few seconds passed and before I heard a knock. Opening the door I noticed a towel at the base of the door "Thanks!". Drying my coat I  saw something strange fall off the towel, a single purple hair. "Why does this thing smell like lemons?... Lemons." She'd given me a used towel... I supposed it didn't really matter that much, at least I'd smell good.

When I emerged Sweetie Belle was laying on the sofa watching some sort of dating show, I wasn't really paying much attention to the show in question, though, I was much more interested in my stomach which was in the need of some serious lovin'. Trotting to the kitchen I began looting the cupboards, unfortunately for me though there didn't seem to be anything edible in there other than a few stale crackers and the sandwich left over from yesterday. Cutting it in half I took it and sat down next to Sweetie Belle "Want some?" I put the plate down on the coffee table in front of us. Looking at the TV I could tell that whatever she was watching would no doubt bore me out of my mind but I'd endure it for the time being.

"Hey, Button? I still need to visit the Boutique today before it gets too late, I'd hate to keep Rarity waiting any longer. Can you come?" It was already getting late and the sun was already on its way down. Honestly, I would have rather stayed in for the night and played some games like usual but I wasn't just going to let Sweetie Belle wonder the streets by herself, even if she knew where she was heading. "Sure, you want me to call a cab?" "Yes please, as much as I'd like to see more of the city I wouldn't feel comfortable walking this late."

After a few minutes, the cab had arrived and we were on our way to the Boutique. The Stallion pulling was massive; you could tell he'd been working all day, the odor was enough to figure that out. After about twenty minutes we arrived at the most prestigious part of the city. Every store seemed to scream 'expensive', each one having a distinctly Canterlot-esc look to them while still maintaining its own unique style.

Paying the fare I turned towards the boutique feeling a strong sense of daja-vu as I looked it over. The building looked almost exactly like the one back in Ponyville, the main exception being that it was MUCH bigger with more edges to its design. "Wow..." Sweetie Belle seemed almost as shocked as I was. Stepping through the huge double doors I took in the size of the place as well as the massive staircase in the center of the room, Some how it actually seemed even bigger on the inside.

Sweetie Belle looked around as if searching for somepony "Rarity! I'm here!" Suddenly a loud bang erupted from the floor above us followed by an ear-splitting screech which at first I guessed was a cat. Giving each other a look we both ran towards the source of the sound, almost tripping up on a fat cat running the opposite way "Huh. Whad'Ya know it was a cat.". As we reached the top of the stairs I saw a familiar Purple maned mare sticking out from under a mountain of clothes- Or more specifically her ass. Digging her out I thought something about her seemed different? Her mane and tail seemed to be fading with age. Not that she was old by any means, heck she was only about 10 years older than Sweetie belle but I imagined with all the work she must have been doing to prepare the boutique that she was under some amount of stress.

"Oh thank you darling, I didn't even hear you coming in." Taking me in she gasped "So THIS is the lucky young stallion you were telling me so much about? I must say he's quite handsome." Blushing slightly I glanced over to Sweetie Belle giving her a questioning look "Oh she has?" chuckling she introduced me "Rarity meet Button Mash, Button Mash meet my big sister Rarity" She raised her hoof in front of me and for some reason I instinctively took it, kissing the base "OoooOoo he's a gentle colt too!" That just seemed to extract more giggles from my friend.

After taking a tour of the place Rarity put to work stacking shelves and hanging up the clothes while Sweetie Belle discussed business with her sister. After sorting that out followed the girls upstairs. the second floor seemed even bigger than the first given that it was mainly going to be used for fitting and measuring rather than browsing. Looking around there were about ten large fitting rooms, the sort you could fit half a dozen brides mares into, one of which was slightly open. Squeezing my head through the gap my jaw dropped, there before me was Sweetie Belle wearing the cutest dress I'd ever seen. She'd always been pretty but at that moment I thought she was the most beautiful mare I'd I've seen.

Smacking my jaw shut I pulled my head back, knocked on the door and stepped in. "Wow, Sweetie Belle you look- Good." Blushing, she smiled "You think so? Rarity made it for me." Now looking at it I could see how well it blended with her coat and mane. I didn't know much in the way of dresses but I could at least appreciate the clear level of attention to detail that her sister had put into making it. "So when does this place open anyway?" "Two days from now, me and Rarity still have a few things to get ready before the grand opening and I still need to pick the remaining staff.". I thought about asking Sweetie Belle for a job but that wasn't really an option as one I had no experience at all in this sort of thing and two I didn't want to look stupid.

"So. Sweetie Belle. What was that about me being a very lucky stallion?" With that her whole body seemed to blush now, I didn't know if it was even physically possible for a pony to blush in their hooves but right then her's were defiantly turning some shade of red. "Oh, that? Well, it's- Nothing really! I was just telling Rarity about how we were friends and such... Nothing you need to worry about" "Right..." I thought about who else could be talking about me behind my back, maybe Rarity thought we were some sort of... a thing? I swallowed at the thought, apprehensive at the idea.

Once the two mares had finished with their business Rarity decided that I was in need of a reward for helping out her sister. Having my measurements taken was a first for sure "Thanks, Rarity but honestly, it was no problem, really." Dismissing me with a wave of her hoof she continued with her work "Oh pfff. You deserve something for your help darling and being the element of generosity I can't just let you walk away with nothing for your troubles."

Some time later we Left the store. Fortunately for us, it wasn't raining and the cabs were out in force. Rarity didn't have a spare room at the boutique so Sweetie Belle insisted that she stay with me. Not that I was complaining, on the contrary, I liked the company. Arriving back at the apartment block I immediately collapsed on the bed with Sweetie Belle following my lead and dropping with far more grace next to me. Not much was really going through my mind at that point, neither of us said anything.

After a few minutes I was half asleep, my eyelids were beginning to feel heavy and my body was relaxed. Out of nowhere, I felt Sweetie Belle begin to snuggle up against my back which just seemed to surprise me more than anything else. Rolling over I saw that she had already fallen asleep and as she was the one hugging me my sleepy brain thought it'd be a good idea to snuggle in further. Shuffling my body in closer I pressed my chest up against her back and brushing my hooves through her mane, feeling the heat emanating from her body I relaxed, even more, taking in her scent I closed my eyes "How is she so soft...?".