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                       A gentle hoof                       
                  -by Mightyena-Lucario-                   
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                       A gentle hoof                       
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A gentle hoof
A gentle hoof  
~by Mightyena-Lucario
The warm rays of Celestia's morning sun brushed against your face, gently waking you from your dreams. Shifting under your blanket, unwilling to leave your comfortable bed just yet, you turned your head away from the window.
Just five more minutes..., you thought to yourself.
However, your body had other plans with you, as your stomach made evident by grumbling audibly. With a huff, you tossed the blanket aside and rubbed your eyes with your hooves. Glancing to your alarm clock, you saw it was a little past 8am. Normally you would've slept at least two more hours, especially since it's your free day.
Oh well.
You rose up to a sitting position and started twisting and turning, stretching your aching muscles. Being part of the weather team surely was a straining job, but the pay was fine and you got to hang out with your friends a lot. Plus, bucking those especially big clouds was really "awesome", as Rainbow Dash would put it.
But since today was your free day, your plans only consisted of going to the market, maybe a little house cleaning and lots of relaxing.
Getting up completely, you trotted towards your kitchen, avoiding any of the half-read books and empty bowls on the floor. The apartment was a complete mess as always, but at least it was your mess in your apartment. You never really bothered to clean it up, at least not completely.
I should pick up all the books, though, you mused. Twilight's gonna kill me if she sees that.
Once you've reached the kitchen, you opened the fridge to check your supplies. Meager as always. A half-empty bottle of milk, that's it.
Gosh. Sometimes I wonder how I managed not to starve...
With no other choice, you grabbed the bottle in your teeth, opened it and cranked your neck, emptying it in a few gulps. It was a pathetic breakfast, but better than nothing.
Leaving the bottle in the sink, you walked to the bathroom to fix your bed-head before grabbing your wallet and throwing over your saddlebags.
Time to go shopping.
~~~~~~
Ponyville's market was once again bustling with activity. Dozens of carts, stalls and ponies were scattered all over the place. A group of foals were busy chasing each other between the hooves of the vendors, laughing and shouting all the time. Ponies were busy shopping and chatting, their happy voices echoing through the morning air.
You weren't really one for big crowds, though.
Glancing around the stalls, you quickly ponder over your to-buy-list.
Let's see. I need some hay, some apples, a few bottles of milk, carrots, and bread. That should do for the next days.
Since the apple stall was closest to you, you decided to go there first. Luckily for you, there were no other customers at the moment, so you trotted up to the front, grinning as you recognized a familiar flank with a familiar cutie mark behind the bushels. "Morning, AJ."
Immediately a brown Stetson popped up, accompanied by an orange-coated face and a blonde mane. Green eyes scanned you over, trying to identify who just spoke to her. When she finally recognized you, Applejack grinned broadly and tipped her hat.
"Howdy there, pardner! Haven't seen ya fer a while!"
"Well, the weather doesn't manage itself, you know...", you retorted, chuckling.
"Ah know that, Rainbow Dash keeps tellin' th' same thang ev'rytime. By th' way, aren't ya s'possed ta be buckin' some clouds?"
You shook your head. "Nope. Today's my day off, and since I just found out I'm in desperate need for some food, I figured I'd go shopping."
"Well that's a mighty fine idea! Can't have ya starvin' there! So y'all wanna buy some Sweet Apple Acres' finest, ah reckon?", Applejack asked.
"That's exactly why I came here, yes", you nodded. "I'll take a dozen of your best."
"Sure thang, pardner!" Trotting up to one of the bushels, the orange earth pony picked twelve of the shiny red apples, passing them to you one by one. You put them in your saddlebags, taking a moment to admire their beauty and imagining yourself lying on your sofa and taking a bite out of that sweet little-
"Here ya go, then! That'll be six bits", AJ interrupted your little daydream. Blinking in confusion, you shook your head once.
"Huh?...Oh, right. Sorry, I kinda zoned out there." You reached into your wallet, taking out the bits and hoofed them over to Applejack.
"Thanks a lot an' enjoy yer apples!"
"Sure will", you grinned. "Tell Big Mac I said hi."
"Will do! See ya later, pardner!" Applejack waved you goodbye before turning to the next customer.
You mentally put a check behind 'apples' on your to-buy-list. One down, four more to go.
~~~~~~
"I'm sorry, but you're a little bit too late", the salesmare said while giving you an apologetic smile. "I just sold my last bale of hay."
"Darnit!" You stomped your hoof angrily, then lowered your head with a sigh. "Oh well. Thanks, anyway." Giving the mare a swift nod, you turned around and trotted off. It always had to hit you. If you hadn't run into Rainbow during your shopping, and if she hadn't started a heated discussion about whether cumulus or cirrus clouds were the best clouds to relax on (an argument you've had before, which almost ended up in a brawl), you would have reached the hay stand in time.
Cursing your luck, you left the marketplace and headed for your apartment.
"Um...excuse me?"
You almost overheard the tiny little whisper behind you. Turning around, you spotted a yellow-coated pegasus with a pink mane behind you. She looked up at you with a slightly fearful gaze, crouching low.
"Hello, Fluttershy. What brings you here?", you asked, smiling and paying attention to keep your voice down. You knew how easily your long-time friend could be scared.
"I, uh, noticed you leaving the market, and you seemed to be upset about something, so I just...wanted to ask what was wrong?" The more Fluttershy spoke, the quieter her voice became, and she avoided your gaze. You noticed she too wore saddlebags.
"Oh, it's nothing, really." You waved a hoof dismissively. "I wanted to buy some hay, but I was too late; it was already sold out."
"Oh my..." Suddenly, she straightened up, a smile on her face. "You can take some of mine! I bought too much for me anyway."
Taken aback by her sudden change of attitude, you shook your head. "That's not necessary. I just come back tomorrow before work."
"No, I insist! I don't want you to get up earlier just because you need something to eat!"
"But I have plenty of-" Your voice trailed off as you looked her in the eyes. They were so full of compassion and pleading that you had a hard time turning down her offer. Finally, you gave in with a sigh. "All right then, if you're okay with this..."
"It's no trouble, really", Fluttershy replied while using her wing to open her saddlebag. She took out a small bale of hay and hoofed it to you. With a nod, you grabed it with your teeth and placed it inside your own saddlebag. "Thank you, Fluttershy", you smiled.
She looked away for a brief moment. Your smile faded when you noticed a strange flicker in her cyan eyes. It was so short that you weren't sure if you just imagined that.
"I need to go home and feed the animals. See you later?", she said with a smile, but it seemed a bit half-hearted. You nodded absent-mindedly.
"Sure...see you, Fluttershy."
As you watched her wander off, you couldn't help but wonder over her reaction. Did you really just imagine that flicker in her eyes? Had your mind played tricks on you? And if not, what did it mean? Was she upset about something? Maybe about you?
Shaking your head, you continued to trot homewards.
~~~~~~
Strange.
You dropped your left shoulder and tipped your wing to dodge the cloud in front of you. Normally you would've just flown right through it, but this cloud was completely dark and grumbled from the inside, and you didn't want to risk burning your feathers. Not right now.
After your incident with Fluttershy this morning, your thoughts keeped turning around her strange behavior. Something was obivously bothering her; you knew her long enough to tell that. You also knew she'd be hesitant to tell you about it, yet you wouldn't give in until you had some answers.
Looking downwards, you spotted her cottage to your left. Correcting your course, you started to descend until you landed smoothly in front of her door. You took a moment to readjust your frazzled mane before raising a hoof and gently knocking on the door.
No response.
"Fluttershy! Are you home? It's me!", you called out while listening for any sounds from inside. Again, no response.
Very strange indeed.
You were about to fly up to check the windows when suddenly the door opened, revealing a slightly teary-eyed Fluttershy. She cracked a smile the instant she saw you.
"Oh, hello. What a surprise to see you." Her voice was shaky.
"Fluttershy, are you alright?", you asked in genuine concern. "You look like you've been crying."
"I'm fine, really. It's just...my allergy that's bothering me."
You raised your eyebrows, giving the yellow pegasus a suspicious look. "Since when are you allergic? And to what?"
"Um..." Fluttershy avoided your gaze and tapped her forehooves nervously. "Well, I've been...I mean...since..."
"Quit thinking of excuses, Fluttershy. Tell me. What's wrong?"
"N-nothing!", she gasped out. "I-it's all fine, really!"
You didn't turn your gaze down. Finally, she sighed.
"Would you...like to come in?"
You nodded and followed her into the cottage. A single candle lit the otherwise dark room. Surprisingly, there were no animals in here. Everytime you'd visited Fluttershy, her living room had been full of all kinds of critters, birds and the like. If they weren't here, then something must be wrong.
Fluttershy led you to her sofa and motioned for you to sit down, which is what you did. She took a seat on the other end, as far away from you as possible. Once again you raised your brows, but you decided not to stress the subject. For now.
"Now tell me", you said softly. "What's on your mind?"
The timid pegasus looked away from you, her pink mane covering her face.
"W-well...", she began. "It's just that...I try my hardest to help everypony and make them happy, and..." She paused, lowering her head.
"And?", you pressed.
"A-and...well, it seems like they don't even recognize it...or recognize me..." Fluttershy's voice broke, and a sob escaped her lips.
You stared at her, dumbfounded. Then it started to dawn to you. Fluttershy gave so much to her friends and everypony she knew...and what did she get in return? Barely a 'thank you' or any other form of appreciation. The only ones who were really grateful for her care were her animals, but that couldn't be enough. Everypony just accepted her help like it was taken for granted...even you had done so, albeit unconciously.
No doubt she feels like she's invisible..., you thought bitterly. When you sacrifice yourself to your friends and they don't even recognize it...
By now, Fluttershy cried openly, her face buried in her hooves, her whole body trembling. Carefully, you drew closer to her until you placed a hoof on her shoulder. She squirmed and tried to back away from you, but there was no space for her.
"Fluttershy...", you whispered. "I can understand how you feel...and I'm sorry. I truly am." She turned her head towards you, tears flowing down her cheeks. "It's the worst thing anypony can do...the worst thing I have done. And please believe me when I tell you that I do appreciate everything you've ever done for me."
She stared at you, as if not comprehending what you told her. You offered her a warm, generous smile and wiped her tears away with your hoof. "Please don't cry...it breaks my heart to see you like this."
Fluttershy's lips trembled, she struggled to say something, but instead of words she once again broke out into sobs and whimpers, throwing her forehooves around your neck and burying her face in your chest. You embraced her ever so gently with your wings while holding her head in your hooves, stroking through her mane softly. "There, there...everything's okay."
While you offered your long-time friend comfort, you couldn't help but ponder over your feelings for her. You've known Fluttershy since the day you moved to Ponyville, and she had always been a good friend to you. But was it possible that, over the course of time, you had developed a deeper connection with her?
Given how your personalities were pretty close to each other - you were both rather timid, caring towards your friends, and generous - and the fact that she was the only pony you felt absolutely comfortable being around, it would really just be a matter of time until your bond would grow deeper. Plus...Fluttershy really needed somepony at her side, somepony to offer her support, somepony to offer her help when she needed it.
Somepony like you.
However, you couldn't just simply ask her about her feelings for you. At least not right now, not in her current state. What she needed now was comfort, and you were more than willing to offer her this.
"Fluttershy", you whispered into her ear. "Would you allow me to offer you help?"
The timid pegasus looked up at you, her cyan eyes bloodshot from her crying. "Wh-what do you mean?"
You smiled. "You've done so much for me already...I'd like to return some."
She shook her head. "You don't have to do this, really..."
"But I want to. And besides, sometimes even a helper needs some relief."
Fluttershy took a moment to consider your offer, before she finally nodded. "Alright...but you absolutely don't have to-"
"Hush." You put a hoof over her mouth, silencing her. "I said I want to. Now stop worrying about me and turn around instead."
"T-turn around? Why...?"
"Trust me, Fluttershy. I won't do anything you don't want me to, Pinkie promise." With that, you drew a cross over your heart with a hoof before putting it over your right eye. Fluttershy still seemed a bit hesitant, but eventually she nodded slightly and shifted in her seat, turning her back towards you. "Is that okay?..."
You nodded. "Perfect. Now all you need to do is relax, and I'll take care of the rest."
Straightening yourself, you gently placed your forehooves on Fluttershy's shoulders. She squeaked at your touch, but quickly relaxed again. Slowly and carefully you began massaging her shoulders, remembering what your mother told you about it.
Apparently you were doing quite well, as was made evident by a content sigh from the yellow pegasus mare. You could feel her growing more and more comfortable under your hooves.
"How does it feel?", you whispered.
"Wonderful...please keep going...", she breathed in response, her eyes half closed and her lips curled to a smile. You followed her wish and continued massaging her shoulders, constantly increasing the pressure you applied to every movement of your hooves.
After a while, however, you noticed something stroking your sides. Looking down, you were surprised to see Fluttershy's wings completely unfolded and pressing against your belly. You blushed a little.
Now that's some impressive wingboner...am I really doing that good?, you mused.
Fluttershy, oblivious to your embarrasment, laid her head back to rest it against your chest. Her eyes were now closed and her cheeks were growing pink. She was obviously enjoying your treatment. Maybe a little bit too much...
Well, since she doesn't seem to mind... "Fluttershy, do you want me to go a bit lower?"
Her eyes remained shut, but her blush deepened. "Mmhm...please..."
You let your hooves wander from her shoulders down her back ever so slowly, until you reached the base of her wings. Knowing how big of an effect it could have on her if you touched them, you avoided direct contact and focused on massaging her back instead, feeling her surprisingly strong muscles tremble under your gentle touch.
I guess she really needed that. If not for the relaxation, but for showing her somepony's actually there for her. I shouldn't push my luck, though.
"You know...if it's okay with you...you can also massage my wings..."
...Wait, what?
For the briefest of moments, your entire body froze. Did she really just ask you to...
"Are you sure about that, Fluttershy? I don't want to force you into anything", you stated, confused.
"Y-yes, I'm sure..." The timid pegasus opened her eyes to look into yours, a mix of fear and slight affection in her gaze. "I trust you..."
You felt your pulse double its pace at that. She trusted you. But not in the way she trusted a friend, no. This one was on a deeper level. Could it be possible that...she also felt more for you than mere friendship?
"Alright then...I'll be gentle."
Nervousness crept in your mind, distracting you and causing your hooves to shake slightly as they wandered to the base of Fluttershy's wings. You knew full well that massaging a pegasus' wings created sexual pleasure, and the last thing you wanted was embarrass her. But she asked you to do it, so she needed to know about the risks...right?
You started to apply pressure to the flesh, feeling her shiver as the tiniest of moans escaped her lips. Both your and her cheeks were red as tomatoes. Gulping down your anxiety, you gently massaged her left wing, slowly wandering from base to tip and back down before repeating your movements with her right wing. Her occasional shivers were accompanied by moans which continued to rise in volume.
When you finally reached her back again, you shifted uncomfortably in your seat. Your...sensual massage has also had its effect on you, made evident by your own wings standing out hard.
"Why did you stop?", Fluttershy whimpered. "That felt so nice..."
You gulped nervously. "Thank you...that's what I was aiming for. But..." Rubbing one of your forelegs with your hoof, you looked to the ground, unable to express your feelings properly.
"It's alright, you can tell me...if you want to, that is." Fluttershy seemed nervous herself, though you didn't really understand why.
"It's a rather complicated situation..."
"You don't have to explain...but could you, um...continue your massage, please?" Her eyes grew large like a puppy's, causing your heart to melt almost instantly.
"Anything for you", you whisper in return, smiling warmly. She leaned back against you while you put your hooves on her back, below the base of her wings, and started kneading the soft flesh again. Your mind raced. Although you desperately wanted to tell her how you really felt for her, you were at the same time afraid of her reaction. If you confessed to her and she didn't reciprocrate your feelings, it could destroy your friendship, something that would surely devastate you.
But keeping your emotions hidden also didn't get you anywhere. They were already starting to eat you out from the inside like a swarm of parasprites.
What should I do? If I tell her, I might lose her friendship. But if I don't, it's gonna kill me eventually...gah! Why does this have to be so hard?
A thought occured to you. She allowed you to massage her wings, right? This was an enormous show of trust among pegasi. However, you still had a way to tell if she trusted you even more. While your hooves tenderly wandered from her back to her stomach, eliciting a gentle moan from Fluttershy, you glanced down her body to her flank, your gaze coming to a hold at her butterfly cutie marks.
Touching another pony's cutie mark was a highly intimate act. If she liked you as much as you liked her, she wouldn't object if you started massaging them. And if she did object, you at least knew that she hadn't fallen for you.
However, it would've been stupid to simply place your hooves on her flanks. Not to mention absolutely offensive. So you decided to try the subtle path by slowly massaging your way from her stomach down to her sides and her lower back, until your hooves rested just above her cutie marks. You stopped you gentle movements and looked at her, both of you blushing.
"I won't go any further unless you want me to", you stated.
Her eyes widened slightly. You were sure she knew what you were hinting at. By now you felt an enormous lump in your throat, almost keeping you from breathing. This was the moment of truth. Either she allowed you to continue, thereby displaying that she shared your feelings for her, or she'd refuse and break your heart.
A moment passed...
Then another...
Gosh, the tension is killing me...
"Please...continue...", Fluttershy finally whispered with a smile.
Your heart skipped a beat, then made a jump out of pure joy. Did that really mean...
"Are you sure you don't have any objections?"
She shook her head. "No...I really want you to do it...and only you...because...you're very special to me..."
Without even thinking about what you were doing, you lowered your head, closed your eyes, and kissed her.
You heard her squeal in your mouth and felt her shiver under your hooves, but eventually she relaxed and leaned into the kiss. Her lips were unbelievably soft and tasted of sweet vanilla. She put one foreleg behind your head and pulled you closer, moaning into your mouth.
Finally, you broke the kiss and raised your head a little, gazing deep into the abyss of her cyan colored eyes. Both of you were breathing heavily, blushing furiously, and completely out of words. You wished for this moment to last forever. All that mattered to you now was you and her.
Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, but you placed a soft hoof upon it, silencing her.
"No time for words. Just enjoy it", you whispered with a smile before letting go of her mouth. She squeaked when your hooves traveled down her body, caressing her tender form, brushing over the tip of her wings, going all the way down her belly before coming to a halt just above her cutie marks.
She locked her gaze with yours, a look of complete trust and love in her eyes, and nodded slightly. Taking that as a sign to begin, you gently started to massage her cutie marks, feeling her tremble under your hooves. She leaned onto you and placed her head next to yours, eyes closed and mouth slightly agape as her pleasured moans returned with renewed volume.
You couldn't help but adore her for her cuteness. To you, Fluttershy was the perfect symbol of a mare. Gentle, beautiful and timid. Like an angel come to earth.
"I love you", you whispered into her ear affectionately. She turned her head towards yours and halfway opened her eyes, a soft smile on her lips.
"I love you too", she responded before leaning in and bushing her lips against yours. You willingly accept the invitation and lock your mouths in a deep, tender kiss.
After all, everypony needed a gentle hoof sometimes.
Author's Notes: Since there's quite a lot of "second-person" stories here, I figured I added one. It was a new experience, writing in second-person perspective, but I really had fun doing it. It's likely possible that I'll write more stories like this.
Any grammar or logical mistakes are a result of me not being a native speaker. I encourage you to point them out to me so I can fix them right away.
I hope you enjoyed reading. Rate, favorite, leave a comment and remember that Fluttershy is best pony.
~Mightyena-Lucario