The alabaster unicorn sitting at the polished mahogany table allowed her eyes sink to her imaginary watch once more and – in full knowledge of the fact that it would only serve to smudge her make-up to do so – hefted a glamorous yet irritated sigh into the plush environs of the half-full café. She was, she estimated, only thirty or so seconds away from storming out of the establishment in a sassy, but elegant, huff. I had to call in quite a few favours JUST to speak to the receptionist at this place, Rarity thought, trying to keep a lid on her anger as she irately perused the menu once more. Even though she now knew the whole thing off by heart. Tartarus, she fancied that she knew more about the cuisine here than its own chefs did by this point!
She tried to distract herself by pony-watching, by taking in the décor of the cafe; it was a new-ish, upscale sort of place. The tables were all real, highly-varnished wood which reflected her comely features back at her, the seats high-backed and comfortably padded, and the many delicious aromas wafting in from the kitchen competed to be the first to her nostrils. The ponies it attracted were all well-to-do, affluent types who – she hoped – might take notice of the humble fashionista and realise that they needed some new garments. Getting a reservation here had taken some considerable doing, and Rarity had wanted to share the experience with the pony closest to her.
Slinking through the glass double-doors, doing her best to go unnoticed despite the fact that her flowing pink mane, lustrous beryl eyes and shiny yellow coat instantly commanded attention, was the object of Rarity's momentary displeasure.
“Fluttershy, over here,” Rarity said, calling out and waving a foreleg at her tardy friend when she didn't immediately spot where she was sitting.
With an easy grace that was partly pegasus instinct and partly her own desire to make as little impact on the world as possible, Fluttershy navigated her precise way through a sea of tables, waiters and patrons to where Rarity sat patiently in wait for her.
For her own part, Rarity's annoyance with her friend was quickly forgotten; it was replaced by something much darker, a part of herself that she didn't like to admit to having – even if envy was a useful trait for a fashion designer to possess – namely: seething jealousy. With tiny, delicate motions, with absolutely no wasted movement whatsoever, Fluttershy's lithe, slender frame slid into the chair opposite her. Their blue eyes met across the table. For hours every day, I do my best to create a meagre illusion of what this mare has been gifted by nothing more than luck of the genetic draw.
“I'm sorry, could you repeat that?” Rarity asked belatedly, blinking several times in confusion when she realised that Fluttershy's muzzle had been opening and closing. So lost had she been in her covetous reverie, she hadn't heard a single word that her friend had uttered.
“I was apologising for being late,” Fluttershy said.
“It's all right,” said Rarity with a dismissive wave of her hoof, feeling a mite hypocritical after her earlier thoughts of storming out in a classy rage. “It is all right, isn't it?”
Frowning, Fluttershy asked, “Yes, why wouldn't it be?”
I may not be Applejack, but I know a lie when I hear it. Especially from you. Perhaps that's why it took so long for anypony to get close to you: despite your beauty, you do have the awful tendency to clam-up and keep things to yourself when you really should making yourself heard.
“It's not like you to be late is all,” replied Rarity breezily, doing her best to keep things light and airy-sounding, and not at all like an interrogation. “Especially not so late,” she added, her eyes flitting in the direction of a clock that hung over the counter.
Fluttershy sank back slightly in her chair, looking away from her friend's too-inquisitive gaze. “I said I was sorry.”
“Oh, I didn't mean to get at you,” Rarity said quickly, placing her own ivory hoof on top of Fluttershy's yellow one. “I just wanted to know if anything was the matter.”
“Not- nothing important,” Fluttershy said with a slight shake of her head that allowed her silky bangs to fall over her eyes. She quickly brushed them aside. “It's just … no, it's nothing.”
“Fluttershy-”
“-It's Twilight,” Fluttershy said sharply, and she immediately covered her mouth with her hooves, her wings extended from her sides of their own accord to hide her away. She had the sudden, acute sensation that ponies were looking at her, but when she looked nervously around she could see that they were much too busy with their meals to pay her outburst any mind. She managed to relax. A little.
“What's Twilight, darling?” asked Rarity gently. Despite the gnawing in her stomach, despite the heady scents that continued to assail her, her attention was suddenly diverted to more immediate concerns: food was good, but juicy gossip was so much more nutritious to somepony like her. Especially when it was juicy gossip about a princess.
Juicy gossip about a princess who is dating my best friend, no less. In that moment, feeling slightly abashed at just how easily her more base impulses could overwhelm her, Rarity allowed the generous side of her nature to finally win the battle against her slightly more perverse inclinations. Helping Fluttershy is far more important than hearing any of the sordid details about their relationship.
Fluttershy's ears flattened against the side of her head; once more, she looked around the café in a nervous daze, but this time she was searching for the aforementioned Princess of Friendship. She had a nasty habit of barging in at exactly the wrong time. It felt like a betrayal to be talking about her, even with one of their best friends, but she knew that she had to talk to somepony. Eventually. Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, she said, “Well, uh, it's stupid, but … she keeps asking me my opinions about stuff.”
“Oh. I can see … I can see how that could get annoying,” replied Rarity, narrowing her eyes in befuddlement. “Actually, no, I don't. Dear, I'm afraid that you'll have to elaborate for me.”
“Whenever, um, whenever we read a new book, or see a new film, or hear a new song, or … well, whatever, she'll ask me about it, you know?” From the look that she was giving her, Fluttershy was left with the distinct impression that Rarity did not, in fact, know. “She'll want to know what I liked about it, what I didn't like, what I thought could've been better or just plain different about it.”
“So.” Rarity's hoof went to her chin of its own accord. “You resent her for taking an interest in your … interests?”
“No!” Once again, Fluttershy retreated into her shell after her unintended shout. More calmly, she went on, “It's … if I don't like something that she likes, or even if I do but for different reasons, she'll, um, she'll try to change my mind about it.”
Rarity winced. “I think I understand now.”
“For my birthday, for example, she got me the new Daring Do book. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was great, but I told her that I felt as though the characters weren't as fully-developed as in the earlier installments.”
“And how did she react to that?” asked Rarity, fearing the answer.
“She sat me down for an hour and explained why it had been deliberately written that way in order to create a greater sense of mystery.”
“Really? A whole hour?”
Fluttershy nodded.
Rarity stuck her tongue out in distaste.
“You know how she gets when she's excited about something, but-” Fluttershy stuck her bottom lip out “-it makes me feel like she's one of my Flight School teachers giving me a dressing-down for not finishing the obstacle course properly.”
“Yes, I had something similar from her once when she wanted me to make her a dress in the traditional Canterlot style and it wasn't up to her exact specifications.” It wasn't that Twilight meant to be rude as such, but her passions overrode her good judgement at times. That said, it was something that they had all been guilty of over the years. “Somehow, I expected her to mellow out at least a little since you two started dating. It's really that bad at home?”
Blowing out a long-suppressed sigh, Fluttershy said, “It's like all of those things that make her brilliant at figuring out how to beat the bad guys also make her a terrible girlfriend.” Instantly, she regretted the words and made a hissing noise through gritted teeth. “That's not what I meant to say.”
“Don't worry,” Rarity said mildly, “I know what you mean.”
“No matter what I say, she'll almost automatically contradict me. She'll be so calm and reasonable about it, too, using all of those fancy words that she knows. It makes me feel so-” of their own accord, Fluttershy's eyes began to water “-inadequate and stupid. I bore her. I can't … I can't think at her level. The realisation hits me so hard every single time she finishes talking: I'm not good enough for her.”
“Fluttershy-”
“I mean, of course I know that I'm not good enough for her. She's a smart, beautiful and powerful princess who can do anything, and I'm-” she shook her wings sadly “-just a dumb old pegasus who is scared of heights and can't even fly properly.”
Rarity opened her mouth to speak, to offer mealy-mouthed platitudes to her gently sobbing friend, but she soon figured out that what was really needed was a gesture not more pleasantries; she got up off of her seat, crossed the short distance between them and pulled Fluttershy into a tight hug. “Darling, you are many wonderful things. You are not stupid and even Rainbow Dash thinks of you as one of the finest fliers in Equestria, and if there's one area that you would not presume to debate Rainbow Dash it's when it comes to flying, okay?”
“O-okay,” Fluttershy managed to say between sniffles, not quite able to return the embrace fully.
Soothingly, Rarity went on, “Twilight likes to discuss and debate things, that's all. She doesn't mean anything by her sometimes, ah, robust behaviour. I'm almost certain that she respects and values your opinions, as you do hers.”
“If you say so,” Fluttershy replied. She knew that Rarity meant well, but she couldn't bring herself to believe her.
“I do say so,” said Rarity firmly. “And I'm sure that Twilight would say the exact same thing to you if you were to be open and honest with her.”
Wiping her eyes, Fluttershy nodded, smiling thinly. “You're right. I do need to talk to her. It's just … she intimidates me a little. That's bad, isn't it?”
Rarity smiled. “It's perfectly understandable. Despite her intelligence, despite her power and status, she is just a normal pony at heart, however. Doubtless, there are things about you which will puzzle her.”
“D'you think so?”
“Would you like me to let you in on a little secret?”
Fluttershy nodded.
“Secretly, everypony is certain that they're unworthy of their special somepony,” said Rarity. “And they're right. Every day is a battle one must wage to reaffirm the correctness of their choice when they decided that they wanted to spend the rest of their life with you.”
Speaking quietly, Fluttershy replied, “You know, I'd never thought of it that way.” She couldn't quite imagine Twilight Sparkle sitting somewhere having the same doubts and insecurities about their relationship as her, but it made her feel a little bit better to think that it might be the case all the same. “Would you excuse me?” Fluttershy said, getting up from her seat. “There's somepony that I really need to see.”
“Not at all,” Rarity said, favouring her with a cheery wave. “All my best.”
Seconds after Fluttershy had departed, a fussy waiter clutching a notepad approached her and asked, “Are you finally ready to order now?”
*
“Fluttershy!” Twilight Sparkle said cheerfully yet with a faint tone of surprise in her voice, pleased to see her girlfriend again so soon as she entered the Castle of Friendship and closed the door behind her. “You're back earlier than I expected. Is everything all right with Rarity?”
“She's just fine,” replied Fluttershy, approaching where Twilight stood by a stack of books that she was in the process of sorting out slowly. “In fact, she gave me some very good advice.”
“Oh?” Twilight dreaded to hear what abominations from the depths of an arcane romance novel Rarity wanted Fluttershy to try out on her now. “And what was that?” she asked uncertainly.
Wordlessly, Fluttershy closed the remaining distance between them, placed her hooves gently on either side of Twilight's face, drew her in until their lips were almost touching and then planted a soft but passionate kiss on her muzzle.
When the pegasus eventually broke the kiss, the very surprised alicorn could only say, “Okay, that was some good advice, but do I need to be worried about how she might've gone about suggesting it?” It was so unlike Fluttershy to initiate anything beyond a warm hug.
Smiling to herself, Fluttershy said, “Twilight, I need to apologise to you.”
“What for?” asked Twilight quizzically, her ears flattening. Her eyes suddenly widened in alarm. “Angel Bunny didn't get into the pantry again, did he?”
“Twilight-”
“-Sorry, sorry.”
“I'm sorry for not being good enough for you,” said Fluttershy.
“But-”
Pressing a hoof to Twilight's muzzle before she could object, Fluttershy continued, “-please, let me finish what I have to say. I'm not good enough for you as I am, and it's likely that I'll never be everything that you want, need, me to be, but I promise to spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you make me.” A blush rose to her cheeks as some of her old, ingrained shyness returned. “That is, if you want me to, of course.”
Her own wet mulberry eyes looked deep into Fluttershy's beryl ones, Twilight embraced her, talking animatedly. “That's all I've ever wanted: for us to be together forever. I'm sorry, I know I can be a little infuriating at times, but I promise to be better for you, too. Before we got together, I didn't even realise that I was missing anything from my life, but now I couldn't imagine you not being in it.” She paused for a moment to gather her breath. “I love you.”
She felt Fluttershy stiffen in her grasp.
“Oh, Celestia, sorry,” Twilight said, slapping her forehead with her free hoof. “That was too soon, wasn't it?”
“I love you, too, Twilight.”
Breaking the hug, Twilight looked at Fluttershy and said, “I do have to ask, though: what was the café like? Was it as good as The Hay Burger? D'you think that we should go there some time?”
Fluttershy merely responded by rolling her eyes. Little steps.
