Forever and Always

Rarity

“Why do you think ponies spend so much time trying to convince Dashie that you’re cheating on her?” Fluttershy asks after we’ve placed our drink order.

“I suppose they just need something to do, darling.”

“Really?”

“Well, perhaps not. Some of the accusations have come from sources that I am certain would be pleased to see Rainbow on the market again, as it were. Cloudkicker for example. If I’m not mistaken, she assumed that she would get a chance to date Dashie eventually and rather hoped it would work between them. She hasn’t said anything negative per se, but she has made it clear to me more than once that there was a queue and I jumped the line.”

“Doesn’t that bother you?”

“Not anymore. At first, I was so utterly surprised by my feelings for Rainbow, and then even more surprised that they were not only reciprocated but more. I felt a bit distressed about it. Knowing that there was a line of ponies waiting for her to notice them didn’t exactly help. Eventually, I was able to stop my mind from second guessing my heart and soul. Once I figured that part out, life became rather blissful, regardless of what anypony had to say about it.”

Something about my little speech has Fluttershy staring forlornly at her hooves. I’m about to reach for her when, true to his profession, our waiter brings our drinks. We place our food order, and he leaves quickly, which is good of him. She’s taken the opportunity to try and hide the discomfort from a moment ago. I know she’d rather let whatever it is disintegrate into a bygone moment, but I am her best friend and one of her special someponies. My darling Fluttershy will hopefully learn soon enough that I don’t leave my love’s concerns unattended.

I raise my eyebrow as I did when we sat down. It’s a playful gesture, intended to segue to a serious issue. She isn’t looking at her hooves anymore, so she notices immediately. Beyond the initial wave of panic that she’s done something wrong comes a wonderful best friend moment. The moment she sighs at me, and I know I’ve caught her out.

“It’s nothing.” She says.

“If you say so, my dear.” My tone is precisely calculated to sound simultaneously innocent and disbelieving.

“Honestly, it’s nothing I want to talk about.”

“I understand completely.”

“Rarity.”

Almost there. “Yes, dear?”

There’s the shrug, and the sigh. I’ve won. Her expression shifts, and she returns to examining her hooves. She’s no longer despondent; she’s formulating what she wants to say. This is the part that can take a while. I sip my drink, which is delicious, and wait as patiently as I can. I have some inkling of what the matter is, but I can’t be sure yet.

The waiter brings our food. It’s a welcome intrusion this time. We offer him our thanks, and he leaves. All things considered he’s done well tonight.

The food is delightful. We eat in silence. Whatever speech she’s building up to must matter a great deal to her, which isn’t all that surprising. Fluttershy takes most things so seriously that when she finds herself confronted with those matters that are her top priority she either becomes nearly paralyzed with introspection or she manages to simply let go and follow her instincts. The second behavior almost always yields startling results (like that instance with the snoring dragon, but also that distressing display at the first gala we attended).

It’s only after our dinner plates have been cleared and I’ve asked for the check that she finally takes the breath that says she’s ready to speak.

“I’m intimidated,” she says quietly.

“Intimidated by what, my dear?”

“Your relationship.” She isn’t looking at me. She’s shrugged in on herself as though she has failed in some irreversible way. I want to say something to soothe her, but she shakes her head as I try to speak. She’s working on something else. Brave, devoted, Fluttershy.

The waiter brings the bill which I sweep up and settle immediately, telling the young stallion to keep the change. It’s a generous tip, but I am the bearer of the Element of Generosity, am I not? Something about my brief exchange with him has snapped her out of melancholy. She seems frustrated.

“Have I done something wrong?” I ask.

She sighs, “No.” Then after a moment, “I’m paying for our date next time though.”

Ah. I see. Rainbow and I went through this as well. She pointed out that my habit of treating everypony can make a marefriend feel rather uncomfortable about the balance of the relationship. For now, I’m going to choose to focus on the fact that Fluttershy essentially just asked me on a second date, rather than dealing with the larger issue of sometimes competitive insecurity that I’ve learned comes from dating somepony as generous as myself. “That sounds wonderful, Fluttershy.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Why shouldn’t I be pleased that you wish to take me on a date?” That makes her tuck herself into that alluring wisp of mane crossing her face.

“Because you always try to pay for everything, and it makes you happy to do it.”

“I very much appreciate that you are aware of the pleasure I find in treating my friends, and loved ones. I admit it’s taken a bit of practice, but I’ve been learning that graciously accepting the generosity of others is equally wonderful in its way- particularly when it’s my special somepony trying to do something for me.” A precious little smile crosses her face. Wonderful, I believe our conversation will proceed much easier now. “Shall we?”

We exit the restaurant. The next item on our agenda is a walk and some stargazing from a spot near Fluttershy’s cottage. The evening is starting to cool, and the sun is just beginning to dip in the sky. It’s lovely. We’ve left the simple, cultivated streets of Ponyville behind, and Equestria is open before us with views of orchards and meadows. I wish Fluttershy wasn’t so caught up in thinking, so she could enjoy it. I’m tempted to say something to that effect, but I fear it will make her feel guilty rather than relieved. So, I keep the thought to myself, and move closer to her.

The moment our sides touch she leans into me, bringing both of us to a full halt. She turns her head and hides in my mane. “Please tell me what has you so upset,” I ask. I can feel her breathing me in. I press my cheek to her neck, genuinely not knowing what to expect from her now.

“I don’t know if I can do it,” she says in a whisper.

“Do what, darling?”

“What I want. I want to be with you, both of you.” Her words are full of double entendre. She isn’t just talking about dinners and dates. “But I’m not brave like you are. If somepony told me that one of you didn’t like me anymore….I’d believe them. I’d believe them, because it makes sense.”

I want to interrupt, but I know better than stop her once she’s started. This may be the only chance I get all evening to hear what’s truly bothering her. She pulls away, and we start walking again. She still isn’t taking in the scenery. Here eyes are trained on the path in front of her.

“I want this to work, Rarity. I want to believe that every dream I’ve ever had about the rest of my life is about to come true, but I know that I’m going to ruin it. I know that we won’t be able to keep it a secret forever, and I wouldn’t want to. But that means that ponies will talk about us. They will whisper and watch. Someday I’ll be in the market and I’ll see my face on the cover of a magazine. The same gossip columns that report every time you and Dashie go to a party, will be reporting that you’ve started a herd with a former model. It will be so much attention, and I’ll crack. I always do. I’ll want to run and hide, and I’ll leave the relationship the two of you were trying to give me in pieces. I’ll-”

“You stop that right this instant,” I can’t remember being more flabbergasted or angry with her in all my life. I stop walking before she did, so she’s a few paces in front of me now. “Do you honestly believe that we didn’t consider the fall out of our choice? Do you believe that we would leave you so vulnerable and alone? That we would let you fall victim to such malice? Do you truly and honestly believe that the feelings you have for Rainbow or myself are so insubstantial?”

“Wel- Well, when you put it like that….”

“I know you have your doubts, Fluttershy, and that those doubts fall upon no pony more harshly than yourself. You are not so weak as you would have yourself believe, my love.”

“But I don’t have what you have,” she whispers through the tears.

“What’s that?”

She peers into my soul with those turquoise eyes. “You and Dashie. There’s …. something. It’s not like it was at first. It was so strange and wonderful to see it when the two of you got together. I’m not part of it. You talk about shrugging off rumors as if it were nothing, as if being able to just trust each other and yourselves like that is as easy as breathing. I’m not like that Rarity. I want to be. I want to be like that for you and for Dash, but I’m just…” Her entire countenance falls.

I won’t have it. I won’t. I won’t lose her. I won’t let her lose us. I won’t let this happen.

“You’re what, Fluttershy? Scared? So am I. Worried? So I am. Nervous? So am I? Look at me please.” Her eyes are back. My opportunity is small, but it’s there. “I’m terrified that this won’t work. I’ve had feelings for you since the day I met you. Rainbow and I both struggled when we got together, do you know why?” She gives the smallest possible shake of her head. “It was because we each felt as though we were betraying something. We felt that we were betraying our individual feelings for you. Both of us are prone to admiring other ponies, but there was only one other pony that had truly claimed our hearts. We were not unhappy without you, Fluttershy, but we were incomplete. Please give us this chance. Please let us show you that together we can handle it. We’ve done our best to insulate you from any rumor that may have touched you, and we will continue to do so. We-”

“No.” It’s the fiercest whisper I’ve ever heard, and it stops my heart in my chest. “Don’t you see? How can this work if the two of you are constantly protecting me? How can I be a part of something where I’m not expected to do my part? I know what we would need, and I want to do it. I just don’t know if I can.”

“You always rise to the occasion, Fluttershy. You have never faltered when it truly mattered.”

She doesn’t believe me. I don’t know how to make her believe me. What part of herself can I show her? What is there that will make her believe that it will be worth it? How can I show her that I believe she will find her reasons to endure anything that might come?

IDEAAAAAA! I need to be careful about it though.

I step forward closing what little distance there was between us. It’s tempting to pull away, to listen to that part of mind that says she isn’t ready for this; or that I am not ready for this. There’s also that bit where I have no idea how she’ll react. Fluttershy has hidden so much for so long that’s truly difficult to gauge what control she has over some of those feelings, but those hidden feelings are the very target of my plan. She needs them. She needs to feel that connection, that drive, that boldness that propelled her into an intimate moment between two of her best friends.

She tenses at the contact, but doesn’t pull away. It feels a little unfair. I know what I’m doing. If Rainbow Dash is to be believed, then I’m very good at it. I’m nervous, of course, there is a very serious matter at hoof; but I’m also pleased at the chance to do something I’ve wanted for so long.

I tip my muzzle to the place where her shoulder and neck meet and breathe softly against her, keeping my eyes on her wings, which show an immediate response. I keep my mouth open so she feels my breath as I slowly draw my lips up her long, luscious neck. I bring my mouth to the base of her ear, which twitches to greet me.

“Would I really be so easy to throw away, Fluttershy?” I ask keeping my voice soft and warm. Then I gently pull on the nervous ear. “Would there really be no reason to fight for me?” Her head lolls to the side a bit as I let a soft breath rush from my mouth. In slow deliberate kisses I find my way to the place just below the hinge of her jaw and nuzzle her firmly. The nuzzle turns into a larger motion as I slide my head beneath her jaw and turn my body. She does exactly what I want, keeping her head close to my body as I move across her. I round her shoulder like a corner, so that once I’ve run myself across her chest and under her nose, I run brush along her side. Happily, she hasn’t lost control of her wings quite yet, so many of her most responsive nerve endings -those in her feathers- feel me as I move past.

I confess that love this feeling. The moment when I know I have absolute power over a pony. Her tail is twitching. Her wings are straining. There are adorable and pleasant little hitches to her breathing. There’s one more thing I want to do. Perhaps it will be too much. Oh, I can’t resist.

At the last possible moment I flick my tail, so it brushes her nose. The straining wings burst from her side, and in a flash worthy of Rainbow Dash, I am pinned belly down in the tall grass a stone’s throw from the path we were just on.

The tail was definitely too much.

Fluttershy

EEEEEEEEEEEP!

I want her. I want her to know that it isn’t nice to tease somepony, just because she’s all sexy and smells nice. I also don’t want our first time to be like this. I don’t want to feel crazy. I don’t want to have her mounted from behind like this, although it’s definitely an idea for later.

Later.

It’s like lightening it hits me.

That feeling from the other night is back. Mine! That's what I'm feeling about the pony beneath me. She's mine and there's nothing I won't do for her.

There’s going to be a later. I might have to get Harry to find me a nice cave to live in if things get too terrible, but Rarity is going to come visit me in my cave and she will still be mine. She isn’t going to stop showing up just because I don’t want anypony to know where I live.

I really don’t know how long I’ve had her pinned to the ground like this. She’s holding perfectly still and being perfectly quiet. She’s waiting for me.

That’s nice.

I let my knees buckle and use my now relaxing wings to slowly rest on top of her. “That wasn’t a nice trick,” I say trying to sound like she’s in trouble, which she is, but I’m smiling too much for it to work.

“Wasn’t it? I was trying to be very nice.”

“Hmmmm,” I smell her mane again. She smells like flowers, linen, and soap. “Too nice is not nice,” I say as I try to do that thing she just did to my neck. She shakes a little. This is fun.

“Perhaps it was a point a little too well made for the time being.” Hearing her breathless is...nice, so I do it again.

I kiss my way to her mouth, and just hover there for a moment. It’s fun to feel her tail twitching as I taste certain places. I twist our tails together, and she makes a cute little sound.

“It isn’t nice to tease,” she says.

I turn quickly and kiss her on the cheek. “You started it.” I beat my wings a little, just enough to lift me off her and set me back down in the grass next to her. She lets go of a big sigh. She was nervous. “Sorry about tackling you,” I say sheepishly, then because it’s true I add: “But you deserved it.” Then we both giggle.

Then we laugh.

“Did I now?” She asks lifting herself up a little. “And what retribution do you deserve for getting me all dirty?”

Oh my. I tried to make sure she landed in the grass. I thought I was careful. I know she doesn’t like to get dirty. Why is she looking at me like that? Why is she- Oh. I see.

She pounces on me and rubs her muzzle into a spot on my shoulder. It isn’t the sexy thing from before. It tickles and I squeal.

“Rarity!” My wings flare open, and her hooves gently attack my ribs. I manage to roll just enough to tip her off balance. I tuck one wing and roll that way, so she’s on her back know, and I run a broad feather along her side. It’s her turn to squeal now.

She answers by nipping at my neck. I try to pull away, but I’m suddenly wrapped in a blue blanket that tickles everywhere it touches. “No fair!” The magic disappears and I fall onto her breathless and giggling.

“You started it, my dear.”

Rainbow Dash

“Hey Dashie! Come to talk about Rarity and her date with Fluttershy?”

“Uhhh. Yeah, if that’s cool.” How does she know?! And why is she covered in flour?

“Of course it’s cool! You guys are going to be the cutest little herd of ponies this side of Canterlot! Come on it. The twins are in the tub getting cleaned up.”

Ugh. Herd. Rares hates that word.

“Want a cupcake or something while I get foals down?”

“Sure, thanks Pinkie.”

She gets me a plate of cupcakes and a bottle of cider. “No problemo,” she says. “I’ll be right back.”

Pinkie has been awesome since Rares and I got together. She was awesome before that, but she’s the only pony apart from Shy that’s never questioned us. I think AJ was bugged because she thought we were doing something that hurt Flutters in someway. Like me being with Rares was going to crush Shy’s dreams. If that’s what she thought, then it’s cool Applejack tried to stick up for Fluttershy. I wonder if that’s really what happened though. AJ never looks at anypony, and I know Rarity makes her crazy, but it always seemed like AJ was a little too invested in being weird about us getting together to just be protecting Shy.

Twilight was cool, just curious. She just wanted to know why, and I didn’t know what to tell her. All I could say was, “It’s Rarity.” Then things got a little weird, because Twi started listing all the stuff that makes Rare awesome. “Is it because she’s beautiful? Smart? Did she make you something?” In the end, Twi just said she was happy for us and that she’d be asking more questions as part of her research into how friendships turn into relationships.

Pinks was just chill about it. I mean, as chill as Pinkie Pie can be. We weren’t even off the train from Canterlot that first weekend when the party cannon went off, and we heard Pinkie yelling, “Super Cute Happy Awesome Fabulous Couple PARTY!!!!!” She didn’t even let us go home. She made a party wagon that we had to sit in. It was like a frickin’ parade through Ponyville, and everypony waved and told us that we were cute together. Most of them meant it, but there were definitely a few that didn’t. I got some really nasty looks from a few stallions. I just wrapped my wing around my unicorn and thought, Sorry dudes, the drama queen of Ponyville is all mine! Suckers!

Every time I’ve needed a pony to talk to about Rares, I’ve talked to Pinkie- even if I’ve already talked to Fluttershy. Pinkie just gets it. She gets liking everypony, because she likes everypony. She gets me wanting to make things work, because Pinkie hates failing almost as much as I do. We never really talked about Fluttershy, but I was always pretty sure we didn’t need to. Pinkie just knows stuff, so there was no point in bringing it up.

Right when I finish my last swig of Cider, she shows up. Not a speck of flour on her anywhere. “Want another one?” She asks.

“Yeah. Thanks.” She gets me another cider, and grabs a bowl fruit left over from decorating cakes and stuff, and we go sit at one of the booths.

“You wanna talk about it?”

“Kinda. I don’t know. How do you know about it anyway?”

“Pinkie Sense, but somepony also stopped by to tell me they saw Rarity and Fluttershy at dinner.”

“I really wish ponies would keep their muzzles out of my business.”

“Except for Rarity and Fluttershy, right?” She raises an eyebrow when she says it.

“Pinkie!”

“What? You trying to tell me you don’t let your special someponies put their noses in your business? You should try it Dashie! I bet Rarity would be rea-” I shove my hoof in her mouth, just to make her stop talking. She gives me the eyebrow.

“Yes, Pinkie. I’ve tried it. Yes, Rarity is good at it. No, I don’t know if Shy likes it. We haven’t got that far yet. Now no more talking about anypony putting their muzzle anywhere, ok?” She nods and I take my hoof out of her mouth.

“Whew. You had me really nervous for a second there, Dashie. I mean if you didn’t let Rarity do the thing we aren’t talking about any more then that would seriously mean less fun times for you and for Rarity.”

Somepony remind me why I thought talking to Pinkie Pie was a good idea? Anypony?

“So,” she asks. “What happened with Fluttershy that’s got you all nervous, Dashie?”

“I’m not nervous.”

“Worried?”

“No.”

“Anxious?”

“Maybe.”

“Freaked out?”

“A little.”

“Thinking that maybe inviting a third pony into what you have with Rarity may not be such a good idea, even though it’s Fluttershy and you’ve had lovey, squishy, want-to-have-her-foals feelings since you were just a itty bitty teeny weeny little Rainbow?”

“No.”

“Worried that Fluttershy is more in love with Rarity than she is with you, and that Fluttershy is secretly a sex addict who may or may not get a little crazy when she gets the chance to let go of some of the sexy feelings she’s been having since forever, because she’s never learned how to manage the feelings because she never let herself feel the feelings. Plus, being worried that she’s a Fluttershy that you don’t really know, because you only see her one way, because you only wanted to see her one way for a really long time, and she only let you see her that way, because she didn’t want you to think that she didn’t need you anymore, but now you’re realizing that Fluttershy maybe doesn’t need you and you have to just try and process that she really wants you and not just in a Hearts and Hooves day- holding hooves by the fire while the foals play on Hearths Warming, growing old together kind of way, but also in a she’d probably like to mount you from behind and do naughty things to you until you scream and beg her to do the thing we aren’t talking about anymore tonight, kind of way?”

“Yep. That’s the one.” I knew Pinkie would get it.

“How does Rarity feel about it?”

“She thinks we’re going to be ok, if I can be ok with getting to know Fluttershy again. Which I totally am. Me and Shy actually spent some time together today, and it was cool. It was kinda like a date, except not.”

“So, what are you worried about?”

“I’m worried they’re going to have sex.”

“Because you feel like you don’t know Fluttershy right now, so how can you trust her with your Rarity?”

“Exactly.”

“Did you tell Rarity?”

“No.’

“Think she knows anyway?”

“Maybe.”

“Think Rarity is ready to have sex with Fluttershy?”

“I don’t know.”

“Think Fluttershy’s ready?”

“I don’t know that either, but like you said, Flutters is just starting to let herself feel any of this junk. She hasn’t learned how to keep it to herself without shoving the feelings away.”

“So, you aren’t just worried that they’ll have sex, you’re also worried that they won’t and that it will be a bad thing?”

“Yeah.”

She thinks for a minute. “You know what you need?”

“What?”

“A distraction!”

“Why the hay do you think I’m here, Pinkie?”

“For cider, cupcakes, and some time with your Auntie Pinkie Pie, silly!”

“You know it’s weird when you say that, right?”