Flash was late getting back home, not that anyone was there to worry about him. He’d always been jealous of kids whose parents actually cared enough to worry.

Then again, he couldn’t exactly explain to those hypothetical parents that he’d been late because he’d been having butt sex with one of the most beautiful women in his school and they’d had to clean up a lot of fluids afterwards.

So overall, Flash figured he broke about even on this.

He stumbled through the dark house and up to his room, collapsing into bed without even bothering to take his socks off. Massaging Rarity had taken more out of him than he’d expected. Maybe he should start working out or something. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea …

Something buzzed in his pocket, rousing Flash from his slumber. He blearily groped at it, struggling to remember how pockets worked.

Was his hand supposed to go in through that slit or just kind of phase through the worn denim?

Somehow, he got the buzzing object free, and muscle memory brought it up to his face. “Hello?”

More buzzing.

Right, he had to unlock the stupid thing first. He quickly scrawled his unlock pattern across the screen and tried again. “Hello?”

“Good morning, you fabulous cutie-patootie, you!” an energetic voice said.

Flash smiled. “Morning, Pinkie.” He yawned. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing right now,” Pinkie said cheerfully, “but today you’ll be doing the horizontal hula with Fluttershy!”

“Uhhhh,” Flash said slowly. “Good to know?”

“Oh, I bet it is!” Pinkie laughed. “Make sure to bring your hiking gear to school, okay? Oh, and be gentle with Fluttershy. It’s her first time.”

“I’ll do whatever she’s comfortable with doing,” Flash said, sitting up in his bed. “Just one question; why hiking gear?”

“For hiking, silly!” Pinkie said. “See you at school!” Then she hung up.

Flash stayed there for a moment, looking at his phone like it would give him the answers Pinkie hadn’t. “Okay,” he said at last. “I guess I should get up.”

It said a lot about his life lately that a phone call like that hadn’t even phased him.

His morning routine went quickly as he stumbled into his clothes, ate some toast for breakfast, and stepped outside into the gentle morning light.

Then he headed right back inside to change, muttering under his breath. “Stupid.”

He’d put on jeans and a his leather jacket out of habit.

A few minutes later, he stepped outside in a pair of green gym shorts, a white shirt, and a baseball cap. Hopefully that would work for whatever Fluttershy had planned.

If it was Fluttershy who’d planned this.

Flash hopped in his car and started it up, reflecting on his scheduled … uh, date, with Fluttershy.

Yeah, ‘date’ sounded a lot better than ‘sex appointment.’

Regardless, Fluttershy was so timid he honestly didn’t think she’d set up a ‘date’ by herself. Heck, just yesterday Rarity had said she’d likely have to get involved and get back to Flash with a plan. Which actually gave him an idea. Flash pulled out his phone and flipped to his contacts.

That’s also when he realized he didn’t have Rarity’s number.

“I’d better get that at school today,” Flash muttered, pulling up Sunset’s number instead.

“Hello?” Sunset said a few seconds later, followed by a yawn.

“Hey,” Flash said, starting up his car. “Any idea what’s going on with Fluttershy today?”

“Fluttershy?” Sunset yawned again. “I haven’t heard from her since she logged off last night.”

Flash paused. “Logged off of what?”

“Our chat group,” Sunset said. “We were talking while you were over at Rarity’s and …” She sighed, long, low, and sad. “A-anyway, how’d things go with Rarity?”

Something in her voice sounded alarm bells in Flash’s head. He pulled out of the driveway and started driving toward her apartment. “Sunset, what happened?”

“Nothing,” she said a little too quickly. “Nothing I didn’t deserve. I-I’m fine, really.”

Flash grit his teeth and decided to go for a cheap shot. “I thought we decided to be honest with each other from now on.”

He swore he could hear her wince.

“It’s okay,” he said gently, pausing at a stop sign. “Just tell me what happened.”

She was silent for a moment, then she sighed again. “I told them about everything I did to you back when I was the bitch queen. They, uh, they weren’t too happy with me.”

Flash didn’t speak for a moment either, torn between wanting to comfort her and feeling happy that the others were standing up for him. “Is everything alright between you girls?” he asked at last.

“Maybe in a few days,” she said quietly. “For now, it might be best if I gave them some space to cool off. Rainbow and Pinkie were seriously ticked.”

“Let me talk to them,” Flash said. “By the way, I’ll be at your place in five minutes. You might want to get ready.”

“What?!” Several loud thumps came through the speaker, probably Sunset falling out of bed. “Flash, wait. I’m not sure if I should even go to school today, let alone show up with the guy they’re all pissed at me for abusing.”

“Four minutes,” Flash said, then he hung up. He knew Sunset well enough to know she’d yell at the phone for a bit then get up and get ready, plus it gave him some time to think.

Pinkie was pissed at Sunset. It was another situation right out of a romance anime where two girls are fighting over a guy. He took a deep breath. “Okay, so what usually happens in those shows?”

Well, in harem animes, the characters might be upset for a few episodes, but then they’d get over it. Harem animes were also the ones Flash always thought were the least realistic. Most other shows with a love triangle usually used something like this to shatter the bond between one character and the other members of the triangle.

Flash swallowed. “So, worst case scenario, this ruins Sunset’s relationship with a few friends, possibly forcing me to choose between them.” He groaned. “Okay, Flash, you’ve got four minutes to come up with something. Think fast.”

Apparently his brain wasn’t a fan of thinking fast. Or thinking in general. Flash was still utterly clueless when he reached Sunset’s apartment and knocked.

She opened the door in her usual purple shirt and leather jacket, looking a crazy combination of annoyed, grateful, hopeful, and depressed. “H-hey.”

Flash easily slipped into his ‘Chill Dude’ smile. “Hey, ready to go?”

“I guess.” She brushed some of her still-wet hair out of her face. “Any idea what I should say to the girls? It doesn’t really feel like apologizing is going to cut it this time.”

“I’ve got some ideas,” Flash said confidently, leading her back toward his car.

He had no ideas.

At all.

“Okay,” Sunset said, looking slightly more cheerful as she followed. “So what’s the plan?”

He faked a sly smile. “Just leave that to me.”

Moments like these were why Flash firmly believed he was an idiot.

They reached the school far too quickly, and Flash could only accept that he’d dug his own grave. Still, he did his best to look calm and confident as he walked Sunset to the door. The usual crowd of students had already gathered around the front of the building. Flash was nearly at the steps when a voice called, “Hey!”

He and Sunset both whipped around to see Rainbow stalking out of the crowd towards them with a glare. The rest of their group was behind her. They must have been waiting next to the statue when Flash and Sunset walked by.

Rainbow jabbed a finger at Sunset. “You’ve got a lot of nerve making Flash give you a ride to school today after-”

Everyone froze when Flash grabbed Sunset and pulled her into the deepest, most passionate kiss he could manage. Like, deep enough he tasted her breakfast cereal, as his hands roamed up and down her body, pressing him against her. And yeah, he might have squeezed her butt too.

Eventually he came up for air, leaving a panting Sunset staring at him in shock. He winked before turning to Rainbow. “Heya, Rainbow. As you can see, Sunset and I have already kissed and made up.”

Flash didn’t know if that line was incredibly smooth or incredibly stupid, but he thanked his brain for it anyway.

Rainbow seemed about as confused as he was, just staring at him with her mouth open. Behind her, the other girls weren’t doing much better.

Except Pinkie, who grinned. “Wow, that was hot!”

The other kids around the school started cheering their agreement, a few calling out indecent suggestions.

Pinkie ran over to Sunset and pulled her into a hug, the top of her head resting comfortably under Sunset’s chin. “I’m super-duper-mega-extra sorry I yelled at you last night! Forgive me?” She looked up with weapon’s-grade puppy-dog eyes.

Sunset smiled and hugged her back. “Of course I do, Pinkie. I’m just sorry I did all those terrible things in the first place.”

“Don’t worry, I forgive you.” Pinkie turned to Flash with a sly grin. “Hey Flaaashie, want the two of us to kiss and make up too?”

If anything, the other kids cheered louder this time. Meanwhile, Flash was busy trying to wrestle a rogue ‘yes,’ from escaping his lips.

He was only human, after all.

Sunset just rolled her eyes and broke off the hug. “Sorry, but no. Just guys for me.”

“Aw well.” Pinkie smiled anyway and hugged her once more. “Let’s not fight again, okay?”

“Okay.” Sunset patted her head with a smile. She looked up at Rainbow; who was still staring at her, looking like her train of thought had been derailed. Then fallen off a cliff. Then exploded. “So,” Sunset said nervously, “we good?”

Rainbow looked at Flash. “Are you two good?”

Flash nodded. “Yeah.”

“Then yeah, we’re good.” She did one of those informal salutes with only two fingers before heading to the school door. “You should hurry. The bell’s gonna ring soon.”

“Somehow I doubt she cares,” Rarity said, walking up to Flash. She was in a simple white t-shirt today, with jeans that hugged her hips wonderfully. “I do apologize for that. It seems yesterday, while we were occupied, something of a tiff occurred between Sunset and the others.”

“Y-yeah,” Flash said, more than a little distracted with memories of the last time he’d seen her in a t-shirt. “I got the basics from Sunset.” He cleared his throat. “You look r-really nice, by the way.”

She smiled warmly and leaned forward. “Thank you for noticing.” Then she pecked him on the cheek, her hot breath tickling his skin. “Be sure to sit with us at lunch.” She smiled again before walking to the door as well, while the crowd stared at Flash in surprised awe.

Flash felt their eyes boring into him, but he didn’t mind too much, considering he had Rarity’s lovely, swaying backside to keep him occupied. He didn’t feel the least bit bad about looking either. In fact, he got the feeling she would’ve been upset with him if he hadn’t.

“Wow,” Pinkie said, watching as well. “Do you think she’d teach me to walk like that too?”

“M-maybe,” Flash said, his mouth feeling very dry all of the sudden. “But I kind of like the way you walk already. She’s got the sway, but you’ve got the bounce.”

“You charmer.” Pinkie jumped up, draping her arms around his neck, and kissed his cheek as well, drawing more gasps from the crowd.

Flash smiled at her for a moment, then a few brain cells kicked in. He’d just kissed Sunset and been kissed by Pinkie and Rarity, all in front of a fairly large crowd. A crowd that was still watching him and would definitely spread word of this through the entire school before the day was out. He cleared his throat. “U-uh, Pinkie, people are watching.”

She glanced over his shoulder. “They sure are.” She smiled and shrugged. “Oh well. We decided to not bother hiding things from the rest of the school. I mean, I’m sure not gonna give up all the kisses and cuddles we could have during school.” She paused, and her cheery grin faded to a nervous smile. “Is that okay with you? Please say that’s okay with you. Please?”

The stares pressing against his back suddenly felt much heavier. Images ran through his head of calls to his father, visits to the principal's office, getting expelled, or having the entire football team beat him to a pulp in a jealous rage. Yet somehow, Pinkie’s brilliant blue eyes made all that seem trivial. “Yeah,” he said at last, “that’s fine by me.”

“Yay!” She jumped into his arms, peppering his face with kisses while he laughed.

“H-hey, that tickles!” He pulled her closer anyway, pressing his cheek against hers as one hand slipped under her armpit.

“Wh-wha!” Pinkie flailed back, laughing enthusiastically, and Flash stumbled forwards, fighting to keep them both upright.

“Easy there, Pinkie,” Applejack said, grabbing Pinkie with one hand and Flash with the other. “Let the poor fella breathe.”

“Aw fine.” Pinkie kissed him on the tip of the nose. “See you at lunch, sexy!” Then she skipped off.

Flash’s eyes couldn’t help but notice the wonderful way her blue skirt bounced along with her, almost like it was teasing him with what lay beneath. “Definitely got the bounce,” Flash said quietly.

Applejack gave him a confused look. “What?”

“Nothing,” he said quickly. “And, well, sorry.” He shook his head. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about what happened between us ever since, but, you know,” he gestured after Pinkie, “things keep happening.”

She looked at him for a few long seconds, expression unreadable, before nodding. “Yeah, I guess we do need to talk.” She took out her phone. “Give me your number.”

Flash did so.

“Thanks.” She put her phone away and took a deep breath. “I’ll call you tonight, or try my best.”

He nodded. “Thanks.”

She nodded back. “You’re welcome.” Then she too headed for the school.

Flash was pretty sure he heard someone in the crowd mutter in disappointment that she hadn’t kissed him as well.

Twilight and Fluttershy both waved nervously before following Applejack inside, leaving Flash and Sunset standing next to each other.

Sunset let out a sigh. “That went a lot better than I thought it would.”

“How’d you think it was going to go?” Flash asked.

“I … I don’t know.” Sunset shook her head. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done something stupid and driven away people I care about.”

Flash hugged her. “Yet we keep coming back.”

She smiled gratefully. “Yeah, you do.” She looked over his shoulder at the crowd, and her smile faded. “Maybe we should head to class before they get brave enough to start asking questions.”

“Good idea,” Flash said quickly. He knew for a fact Brawly and Ringo were going to have a million questions for him, and he wasn’t sure where he’d even begin answering them.

The rumors spread faster than Flash had feared. People he barely knew were flooding his phone with texts before first period even finished.

‘Are you really dating Sunset’s whole friend group?’

‘You’re so lucky, man!’

‘How many of them have you banged?’

‘A hundred bucks if you hook me up for a threesome with Rarity.’

Flash deleted that last one and blocked the sender. Then he turned his phone off.

It felt like an eternity before lunch rolled around and he could retreat to the safety of his corner … Nope, never mind. Over a dozen guys were crowding around his usual table in the corner, all looking at him meaningfully. Flash had been debating if he actually should sit with the girls during lunch or not, but it looked like circumstances had chosen for him. He got his food as quickly as possible and made his way over to the table where Sunset, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy were already waiting.

“Rough morning?” Sunset asked with a sympathetic smile.

“Rough morning.” Flash sat down between her and Rarity, across from Applejack and Fluttershy. “How about you girls?”

Rarity shuddered. “A number of ruffians tried to convince me to abandon you for a, quote, ‘real man.’” She shook her head. “I don’t suppose you’re secretly a master of karate and could forcefully convince them otherwise?”

Flash laughed. “Yeah, no. I’ve never taken a karate class in my life, or any other martial art. I’m not much use in a fight except as a punching bag.”

Fluttershy mumbled something too quiet for Flash to hear, but Applejack, who was sitting next to her, nodded.

“Those fellows over there look ready for a tussle.” Applejacked jammed a thumb in the direction of his old table.

“Yeah,” Flash said slowly. “I guess it’s a good thing I have a high pain tolerance.”

Sunset nudged his shoulder. “Please don’t tell me you want us to sit back and watch you get pummeled because of some nonsense about men needing to fight their own battles.”

Flash cleared his throat and looked down at his food, a chicken sandwich. “No, nothing like that. I just don’t want any of you to get hurt.”

Sunset facepalmed. “That’s sweet, but stupid. I mean, you do know we all have superpowers, right?”

“W-well, yes,” Flash said, blushing slightly.

Applejack gave him a flat look. “You forgot all about it, didn’t you?”

He focused on his food again. “Maybe, but it isn’t like mind reading will do much if those jerks turn violent.”

“He does have a point,” Rarity said. “Not all of our abilities are well suited to combat.”

Applejack smirked. “So leave the busting heads to me.”

“Maybe don’t,” Flash said, still staring at his meal. “I mean, yeah, you could kick those guys to the moon and back, but then I’d have a bunch of embarrassed jerks coming after me for revenge.” He swallowed, just imagining them cornering him in the locker room. “My odds of survival are better if you let them pound me once to get it out of their systems.”

Rarity took his hand. “That’s very noble of you, but there’s no need to develop a martyr complex. I sincerely doubt violence is inevitable.”

“I could read some of their minds,” Sunset said. “Talking them down would be easy if we know what they’re thinking.” She nudged Flash with a smirk. “Even if my power isn’t too useful in a fight.”

He smiled back. “Point taken. Okay, so let’s figure out a way for you to brush past them without it looking suspicious.”

A hand tapped his shoulder.

Flash turned around and saw Fluttershy standing behind him. He blinked in surprise. When had she even left her seat?

“Sorry,” she said quietly, “I don’t mean to interrupt, but I talked to those boys, and I don’t think they’ll bother you from now on.”

“Huh?” Flash leaned over to look around her.

Every last guy at his old table was sobbing. Like, tears rolling down their faces, shoulders shaking, huddling against each other for comfort, sobbing.

Flash’s eye twitched. “W-wha? You? T-they?” He blinked a few times. “H-how?”

Fluttershy blushed and hid her eyes behind a lock of hair. “I told them being mean was the reason they had trouble finding girlfriends and asked them not to lash out at you just because you were nice.” She brightened a little. “I think I really got through to them.”

“Uhh …” Flash looked at the crowd of sobbing jocks again. “Thank you?” He shook his head. “I mean, thank you, Fluttershy. That was really nice of you.”

“Not to mention amazing,” Sunset said. “Great job!”

Applejack whistled. “Gotta say, I’m impressed.”

“As am I,” Rarity said, getting up and guiding Fluttershy, who’d gone completely red, back to her seat. “You really should have more confidence in yourself, dear. You resolved in minutes a conflict that would have taken us days.”

Fluttershy hid further behind her hair and mumbled something Flash couldn’t make out.

“Yes, it was,” Rarity said, returning to her own seat, “and I won’t hear you say otherwise.” She leaned over to Flash and whispered, “Is your phone off?”

“Yeah,” Flash said. “Why?”

“Add me as a contact,” she said before taking a bite of her meal. “Some things are best explained in silence.”

Flash pulled out his phone and turned it on. He quickly got Rarity’s number and added her, ignoring the countless texts that had built up since first period. Seconds later, he got a message from her.

‘I apologize for being late with this information, but I was finally able to discern the full nature of what happened yesterday.’

Flash blinked. Rarity was calmly eating her lunch right next to him with one hand under the table, yet she’d sent him that text so quickly, without a single error. Impressive.

‘It seems Sunset’s revelation and the fallout it caused led the others to elect Fluttershy as today’s, shall we say, date. The understanding being that her sweet, gentle nature would help any emotional scars remaining after your time with Sunset.’

He winced and quickly typed out a response. ‘So they forced her into this?’

‘They encouraged her, yes,’ Rarity sent back, ‘but private conversation with the poor dear has revealed that she truly does wish to be intimate with you. She simply needs gentle pushes in that direction.’

‘Are you sure?’ Flash glanced at Fluttershy, who was hunched over her food, not eating a thing.

Rarity smiled at him. ‘I spent all of first period confirming her desires. I was even able to procure a list of things she would like to attempt and gained permission to share it with you.’

Flash’s eyes widened. He never would’ve seen that coming.

‘Please use it with discretion. She would feel simply awful if she thought you were inconveniencing yourself by only doing things she had approved beforehand. That said, she does have a rather active imagination. Most anything you could imagine will be on her list somewhere.’ A link to something appeared on his phone.

Flash was about to press it when a hand covered his eyes, and an energetic voice called, “Guess who!”

He smiled. “Hi, Pinkie.”

“Right on the first try.” Pinkie pulled her hands back and disappeared.

Literally. Flash looked behind him and couldn’t see her anywhere.

Then something warm and soft settled on his lap. “Oooh, chicken. Want me to feed it to you?”

He whipped around, and somehow Pinkie had gotten onto his lap and made herself comfortable, sitting bridal style so her side pressed against his front, and her frizzy hair brushed against the bottom of his chin.

None of the other girls seemed too surprised by whatever had just happened, so Flash did his best to brush it off as well. “Thanks, Pinkie, but I can feed myself.”

“Yeah, but where’s the fun in that?” She held up a plate of pizza with a slight frown. “I was hoping they’d serve hotdogs. I bet I could’ve given you suuuch a huge boner eating one in front of you.”

Applejack and Sunset facepalmed.

Rarity cleared her throat, looking away.

Fluttershy blushed and sank farther beneath the table.

“Maybe don’t say things like that in public,” Flash said, feeling his own cheeks heat up.

“Fine, so long as I get to keep cuddling with you during lunch.” She nuzzled into his chest.

He smiled and hugged her. “Deal.”

The rest of lunch passed quickly thanks to Pinkie’s antics, but Flash never forgot about that link Rarity sent him. He got to his next class as quickly as possible and clicked on it.

A document opened with text at the top that read, ‘Here are some things I wouldn’t mind if Flash wanted to do, but it’s okay if he wants to do something else. I don’t want to be boring when he’s being so nice and doing this for me.’

“For me?” Flash mouthed. She made it sound like he was doing her a favor, and, well, he tried to make sex with him as good as possible for his partner, but he thought it was pretty obvious that he was the one who should be grateful to them for all the good times lately. Still, he scrolled down the document to the first entry.

‘Him going into my, um, front area.’

He laughed softly. She’d actually spelled out ‘um.’ Now that was just adorkable.

‘Him going into my back area.’

Huh, he never would’ve taken Fluttershy as the kind to try something like that. Flash crossed his legs and kept reading.

‘I could try using my mouth on him. I don’t think I’d be very good, but I practiced a bit last night with that toy Rainbow gave me, and I managed to get the whole thing in, even if the buzzing felt strange in my throat.’

He didn’t know why he was surprised that Rainbow would have a vibrator, but there it was. He also had a mental image of Fluttershy he didn’t think he’d ever be able to erase. Not that he minded.

‘I hope he holds me close. It would feel really nice to have him there, pressed against my heart. Maybe I’m being silly. It would be okay if he doesn’t want that.’

Note to self, hold her a lot.

Flash spent the rest of the class reading through her document, and the class after that, as the entries got more and more descriptive.

‘And it would be really nice if he was kind of dominant our first time. Not mean or violent or anything, but if he took charge, I wouldn’t have to wonder what to do. And it would feel really nice to have him firmly undress me, strong hands roaming all over my skin as he pulls away the last bits of fabric separating us. In a dark place, so there’s nothing but the feel of his skin against me and his powerful, loving voice breathless, like he just can’t wait to take me for his own. He could do anything he wanted to me, anything at all, and it would feel amazing because of the raw passion he shows. Just knowing that he wants me that badly, that fiercely, that powerfully. I … I really want him to do that.’

Maybe Fluttershy had a future as an erotic author, because he’d had one continuous erection since he started reading this. He moved to her next entry.

‘Maybe he wouldn’t want to be dominant though. He sounds very nice and gentle from what everyone else says, and he might feel bad taking charge. I don’t think I’d be very good as the dominant one, but I think it might be fun to pretend to be in charge. Only if he didn’t mind, of course. I’d stop as soon as he wanted me to, but even though I’d be acting dominant, I’d definitely do my best to make sure we only do things he’d want. I don’t know. It would be nice to feel in charge, but I need to ask him what he’d want. I don’t want to accidentally make it bad for him.’

That was the last entry. Flash checked the time and stared in shock. It was a few minutes until his last class of the day got out. He also had no idea what his last two classes had been about. Like, at all.

He shrugged and pulled up his text conversation with Rarity. ‘I finished reading through her notes. I won’t be walking straight for a while, but I think I know how to make this good for her. Where are we supposed to meet up?’

A response popped up almost immediately. ‘That’s wonderful to hear. Fluttershy worried you’d think her notes were silly or childish. In my estimation, it would be best not to acknowledge that you read through them yet. She won’t know how to respond, and it will just make things awkward. Instead, simply act as though those behaviors are coming naturally to you. I believe Fluttershy expects to meet you by the door to the parking lot. Allow me a moment to verify that.’

Flash waited the last few minutes until the bell rang, then he packed up his unused notebook and headed for the door. Part way there, his phone went off.

‘I just confirmed with Fluttershy. Meet her by the door, and as a personal suggestion, try to act calm but slightly nervous. Fluttershy is often a difficult mix between wanting to follow a confident leader and feeling useless if that leader is too confident. She also has rather low self-esteem. Compliments and reassurances will go a long way with her. Best of luck.’

He smiled and put his phone away. Rarity was easily the best wingman he’d ever heard of, and it was time to put her suggestions to use. He reached the door and stepped outside, soaking in the warm sun and gentle breeze. Yup, this was definitely good hiking weather. Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen, so he leaned against the brick wall and idly watched the stream of kids pour out.

Soon Fluttershy emerged, holding a stack of books as she looked around nervously. She locked eyes with him and froze, making the kids behind her stumble and bump into her. She jumped. “O-oh, sorry!” Blushing furiously, she hurried to his side. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you wait.”

“Don’t worry,” Flash said with what he hoped was a friendly smile. “I just got here too.”

“Oh, g-good.” She looked down, clutching a stack of books to her chest.

Flash kept up the smile as his mind scrambled for something to say. Should he suggest they head out? Tell her she looks nice? Wait patiently for her to say something? Rarity said she preferred following someone where possible, but she’d also said too much confidence could intimidate her. He cleared his throat, making Fluttershy jump again. “Sorry,” he said quickly, “should we, uh, head out?”

She smiled gratefully. “Y-yes, if you don’t mind, that is.”

“Not at all.” He started towards the parking lot with Fluttershy following behind. “By the way, where are we going? All I know is Pinkie said we’d be hiking.”

“There’s a trail I know,” Fluttershy said quietly. “Um, hiking is okay with you, right? You wouldn’t rather do something else?”

“Hiking sounds nice,” Flash said, turning back to her with a smile, “but what I care about most is spending time with you.”

She actually let out a small “Eep!” and hid behind her hair.

Flash felt an ache in his chest and a near-overpowering urge to hug her. He clenched both his hands, fighting to keep himself under control.

Fluttershy lifted the books she held to cover more of her blushing face, sliding past him. “Uh, th-the van is over h-here. We can r-ride together, i-if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind,” Flash said, following her. It occurred to him that he’d never consciously seen Fluttershy’s vehicle before. Apparently it was a van.

Sure enough, she led him to an old, gray van, the kind that looked like it had been made of real metal. Dents and scrapes covered it, with a sign on the side that read, ‘Canterlot Pet Sanctuary.’

Well, that explained a lot. She must have borrowed it from work. He walked around to the passenger’s side and got in, setting his backpack down on his lap.

Fluttershy put on her seatbelt and took a few deep breaths. “S-sorry,” she said at last, hands tightening on the steering wheel. “I … I hate that I get flustered so easily.”

“I don’t know if this helps,” Flash said gently, “but it’s really cute.”

She smiled, though her cheeks were flushed red. “Thank you.” She took another deep breath before starting the van. “We aren’t going far. There’s a little trail through the Whitetail Woods I like to walk sometimes, and no one except my mother and me ever uses it, so I thought …” She shrank behind her hair again and slowly backed out of the parking spot.

Flash stayed quiet as she navigated her way out to the road and towards the woods; partly because he worried about getting his driver too flustered. Still, her unfinished sentence hung in the air, taunting his imagination. Did she want to go at it out in the woods? That seemed like a very Fluttershy thing to do, but he hoped she’d at least packed a blanket. Nothing would kill the mood like rolling over a deer turd or getting a stick jammed up where the sun doesn’t shine. He glanced into the back of the van but only saw a thick black curtain a few inches behind their seats.

Soon Fluttershy pulled onto a dirt road leading into the woods. Flash wasn’t familiar with it, but then again, he didn’t come out to the woods very often. It was obvious no one had maintained the road in a long time; grass and other plants grew right up through the middle of it, tree branches scraped across the sides of the van, and potholes shook them every few feet, but Fluttershy kept driving calmly.

At last the trees opened up to a small area. Flash would’ve called it a meadow if not for the gravel covering the ground. Fluttershy pulled up to a log on the far side and parked, not looking over at him or doing much of anything.

Flash undid his seat belt and turned to her, unsure what to say or do next.

Fluttershy slowly undid her seat belt as well, though she kept her eyes on the steering wheel, hunched over so hair covered most of her face.

It was hard to believe this was the same girl who’d written all those pages of sexy stuff she wanted to do with him. Maybe she was fine imagining those things but couldn’t bring herself to do them in real life. Maybe she’d been imagining some other guy. Maybe this was all just stage fright, and she’d open up in a second.

Except she wasn’t opening up. And Flash couldn’t help this growing feeling that he’d done something to upset her.

At last a soft murmur caught his attention. He blinked. “What?”

Fluttershy tensed. She stayed that way for a few long seconds before slowly turning to him, face bright red as she chewed on her lip nervously. “I-I don’t know what to do next.”

Okay, maybe wanting to be the gallant knight meant Flash was secretly some kind of sexist pig, but he couldn’t have cared less at that moment. He slipped out of his seat, kneeling on the hard metal floor next to her, and took her hand as gently as he possibly could. “What do you want to do? We’ll do that, whatever it is or isn’t.”

She looked away, though her hand tightened around his. “S-sex,” she said in a quiet squeak. “In the back of the van. With you in charge. P-please.”

Huh, he’d been expecting a hike or something first. “Are you sure?” he asked. “I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”

Fluttershy shrank down in her seat a bit. “It’s okay if you don’t want to do anything. I’m sorry I bothered you with it.” Her hand went limp.

What? Flash had no idea where that had come from.

“We can just go for a hike instead.” Fluttershy took off her seat belt without looking at him.

“Wait,” Flash said quickly.

She paused, hand partway to the door.

Crap, crap, crap! He had no idea what to say next.

Let’s see … Rarity had warned him about her low self esteem. Fluttershy had said she wanted him to take charge their first time. Maybe she’d taken his hesitation as a sign that he didn’t want to sleep with her and was trying to be nice about turning her down.

Maybe? How could he convince her otherwise while still being romantic?

He took a deep breath. “Fluttershy, I …” This was the part where his brain was supposed to give him a great line that made her swoon. Except apparently his brain wasn’t in the mood. He gently but firmly tightened his grip on her hand. “I’ll stop if you want me to. Otherwise, I’ll do exactly what I want.” He brought his other hand up, gliding across her leg, then the green skirt she wore, and finally along her white shirt until it came to rest at her cheek.

Fluttershy didn’t move at all for a moment, then she closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. “Thank you.”

Flash nodded, standing up as much as he could in the cramped van. He turned to the black curtains separating the front and back of the van, pulled them aside.

A thick black mattress sat on the floor inside, sandwiched between a raised area on either side. Or maybe ‘taco’d’ would be a better term, because it did kind of look like a big, black taco shell with just enough room on the bottom for two people to lie side by side. If they didn’t mind cuddling. The raised area held some straps and things he guessed were used to hold pet cages in place, but there weren’t any cages at present. Instead, a collection of candles, oils, lubricants, and sex toys filled box after box.

“R-rarity, Twilight, and Pinkie lent me everything,” Fluttershy said, swallowing. “I-I didn’t know what you’d want, s-so I-”

Flash cut her off with a firm kiss, holding her tight against him with one arm as the other roamed up and down her back. “I want you,” he said, kicking off his shoes. “Nothing more, and nothing less.” Then he went in for another kiss.

Fluttershy practically melted into his arms, kicking off her sandals as her arms wrapped around his shoulders tightly.

If he was being honest, Flash felt a little weird going from zero to sex so quickly, he’d at least gotten to know all the other girls before they went at it; well, except for Applejack; but he especially felt weird being so forward with Fluttershy of all people. Seriously, if there was any girl he might pressure into sex without meaning to, it was Fluttershy.

But then again, Rarity had assured him that she wanted this, and Fluttershy herself had written entire pages of things she wanted to do with him. Not to mention how hurt she’d been at just the hint of him not wanting to sleep with her.

And yeah, he did. Maybe that was just hormones talking, but Flash definitely did want this. He ran a hand up and down her back, savoring the feel of her.

Fluttershy hugged him tighter, moaning softly into his mouth.

The last of Flash’s worries evaporated at how eager she seemed. He tightened his grip, carried her into the back of the van, and closed the curtains behind him, leaving them both in utter darkness ...

At last it ended, and he went limp on top of Fluttershy, using the tiny fragments of his strength to hug her gently.

She hugged him back, sighing happily. “Thank you for the wonderful first time.”

“Thank you for letting me share it with you,” Flash said, weakly nuzzling her cheek.

They stayed that way for a few minutes, just breathing deeply with their bodies pressed together.

“Did you still want to go for a hike?” Flash asked softly.

“Yes,” she squeezed him to her. “Only if you don’t mind, that is.”

“I’d love to spend more time with you,” Flash said, nuzzling her cheek again. “A walk doesn’t sound bad either.”

Comfortable silence fell over them for a few more seconds.

“I suppose we should clean up,” Fluttershy said regretfully, giving him another squeeze.

Flash squeezed her back. “Yeah. I'm guessing you have baby wipes or something in here somewhere.”

“Yes,” Fluttershy said, “they’re in the box to the left- My left, I mean. It’s to your right.”

Flash smiled, groping blindly for the box. She sounded adorable even when flustered. “I’m not sure if I’m looking in the right area. Should I open the curtains?”

She made a quiet, anxious sound. “I, um, would it be okay if we cleaned up and got dressed first?”

Now, Flash knew he wasn’t the brightest person in the universe, but he wasn’t an idiot either. First she’d wanted to have sex in pitch blackness. Now she wanted to cover up before they let the light in. Conclusion, she was worried about him seeing her body.

Probably.

It was possible he had it all wrong and Fluttershy was actually terrified of a sunburn on her butt or something, but Flash didn’t want to pry. He seriously didn’t want her to clam up on him from embarrassment again. So he leaned down and kissed her again. “No worries, I’ll leave the curtains closed.”

She sighed in relief. “Thank you. I … I really enjoyed this, but …”

“But?” Flash asked, pulling on his shirt.

“Nothing,” Fluttershy said quietly. “Thank you.”

Now, if Sunset had said something like that, he would’ve pushed her to admit whatever the problem was, but he didn’t know Fluttershy nearly as well. He honestly had no clue whether pushing her would help or just made things worse, and so he just shrugged and said, “It was my pleasure.” Maybe that was cowardly of him; he didn’t know.

Silence fell over them as they finished getting dressed. Flash took her hand and helped her sit up, giving her a kiss on the tip of the nose. Like with Pinkie, it made her giggle, and the sound was just as heartwarming. “Are you ready?” Flash asked, parting the curtain just slightly. The light on the other side looked blazing after so long in darkness.

“Y-yes,” Fluttershy said, sounding almost sad.

Flash slowly pulled back the curtains, blinding them both with the sun’s rays. He clenched his eyes shut automatically and had to force himself to pry them open again. Agonizing seconds passed as his eyes adapted to the glaring light, but at last things returned to normal. He turned to Fluttershy and literally d’awww’ed at what he saw.

Her long pink hair had gone all frizzy, leaving it sticking out in random places; her clothes were rumpled and uneven; and her cheeks still held the rosy glow of what must have been an amazing blush. All those were adorable by themselves, but what truly made his chest ache was the look of sheer, nervous hope on her face, as though she desperately wanted him to like what he saw but didn’t think he would. In fact, Flash was pretty sure that’s exactly what she was feeling.

And so he did exactly what he wanted to do; sat next to her, pulled her into a tight squeeze, and kissed the top of her head. “Goodness, you’re adorable!”

She froze up with a gasp of surprise.

“Sorry,” Flash said quickly, letting go. “I didn’t mean to scare you. You just, you looked so beautiful I had to hug you.”

Fluttershy turned bright red, covering her cheeks with her hands and ducking beneath her hair. “I-I don’t …” She lowered her head even more. “I … don’t mind.”

Flash gently hugged her again. “I’m glad.” He got up. “So, which trail are we taking?”

She smiled through her blush. “L-let me show you.” She grabbed a backpack from one of the boxes and slipped into it before climbing into the driver’s seat and going out through the door, with Flash following behind her, shivering a little as the chilly air touched his bare arms. Maybe he’d been wearing his jacket too much lately. At least the birds singing in the distance took his mind off it.

Fluttershy led the way to a shady trail head marked only by an old, dead tree, it’s gray branches sticking out in all directions.

Flash nodded and slid a hand under one of the backpack straps. “Mind if I carry the pack?”

He’d half expected her to jump in surprise, but she just blushed and looked down. “T-that would be nice. Only if you don’t mind, of course.”

“Not at all.” Flash slipped the backpack off her shoulders and put it on, adjusting the straps so it fit right. “How long of a hike is it?”

“Not long,” Fluttershy said quietly, leading him down the path. “It’s only a few miles, and there’s the cutest little meadow at the end.” She looked back with a nervous smile. “I hope you like it.”

Flash smiled back. “I’m sure I will.”

They fell into silence, following the thin dirt trail as it wove through a forest of pine and oak trees. At least, Flash was pretty sure they were pine and oak. He wasn’t exactly an expert on trees.

Minutes passed in peaceful quiet as they walked, Flash regarding Fluttershy’s back the whole time. He’d always known she was shy--it was right there in her name--but something else seemed to be going on here. Something was eating her, but how on earth was he supposed to help when he had only the vaguest ideas about the problem?

He lined up all the evidence he had; she was probably nervous about him seeing her naked, she thought she was fat, and she basically panicked when he even hinted at not wanting sex with her.

Huh, the answer actually seemed pretty obvious once he lined it up like that; Fluttershy had terrible self esteem, exactly as Rarity had said. Now how to help her?

Sex stuff seemed to work last time. Maybe he should compliment her body-

“Um, Flash?” Fluttershy asked as they walked.

He paused. “Yeah?”

“I’m sorry for worrying you.” She turned back to him and smiled weakly. “I’m okay, though. I promise.”

Flash could almost hear the squeal of metal as his train of thought derailed. “Huh?”

“You looked worried,” Fluttershy said, shrinking behind her hair, “and it’s probably because I’m acting strange. I’m sorry, but I promise I’ll be okay.” She smiled again, a little stronger this time. “I know I shouldn’t compare myself to my friends, but I can’t help thinking how amazing they all are.”

“I, uh, well, they are all pretty special,” Flash said slowly, stalling for time. This felt like a metaphorical minefield, and he didn’t have a clue what was and wasn’t a safe zone. “But, I mean, you’re pretty special too.”

She stared at him in shock. “Wh-what?” She shook her head. “No, I’m not. I-I just follow them. I’m not brave like Rainbow Dash, or smart like Twilight, or a leader like Sunset. I’m just …” She gestured down at herself like that was all the explanation needed.

“Just what?” Flash asked seriously. “Just Fluttershy?”

She nodded silently.

Flash put his hands on her shoulders. “What’s wrong with that? Even I know how hard you work taking care of animals at the shelter, and how you tutor anyone who asks you for help, and how you always reach out to people who look upset or like they need someone to cheer them up.” He tilted her head up to look at him. “Don’t sell yourself short.”

“But …” She lowered her head. “I’m not … sexy like they are.”

Flash arched an eyebrow. “You’re way sexy, Fluttershy.”

“I’m really not,” Fluttershy said quietly. “I weigh more than I should, my breasts are too small, and I’m so short.” She sighed and leaned against him, her head fitting in right under his chin. “See?”

Flash instinctively held her close, mind working furiously. “I don’t get it,” he said at last. “What’s wrong with being short? I think it makes you cuter. How are your breasts too small? They’ve gotta be on the high end of B-cup, at the very least. And what on earth makes you think you’re fat?” He shifted enough to let him run a hand up her leg, across her stomach, between her breasts, and up to cup her cheek. “You’re in great shape.”

Fluttershy leaned into his hand, looking conflicted. “Y-you haven’t …” She chewed on her lower lip. “J-just-” She took his hand and put it on her stomach, “-Just feel.”

He did so, gently tracing the curve of her stomach down to her crotch then up to her ribs. Her soft, warm skin felt amazing, even through her shirt, and he may have lingered longer than was strictly necessary. “I still don’t see the problem, unless you’re trying to get me turned on.” He smirked. “In which case, it’s working.”

She flushed and stepped back, staring at him like he was crazy. “B-but didn’t you feel how fat I am? My stomach is, it’s,” she made an exaggerated round motion with her arms, like how someone might pantomime being nine-months pregnant. “I didn’t want you to be disgusted by it, so that’s why …” She sighed. “You haven’t seen it.”

Now Flash was starting to get legit worried. “Fluttershy, I would never be disgusted by you or your body.” He did his best to smile casually. “I mean, I haven’t seen your stomach, but I felt it back in the van and again just now, and, well, it seriously turned me on both times.”

She blushed, slowly looking up at him. “R-really?”

He nodded. “Not to be gross or anything, but you're giving me a serious boner. I hope that counts for something.”

“Yes,” she said quickly. “I, I mean, it does.” She hid behind her hair again, though he could just make out a nervous smile between her pink locks. “W-we could go back to the van, if you want.”

Flash smiled and pulled her into a hug. “After the walk. I want to see more of you out here in the sunlight.”

She squeezed him back. “Are you sure?”

“Very.”

“O-okay.” She took a deep breath and stepped back. “I’ll try to stay out in the sunlight with you, but could you promise not to be disappointed if I’m not as nice to look at as you expected?”

“Deal,” Flash said confidently. He’d felt more than enough of her to know nothing about her looks would ever disappoint him.

“Okay,” Fluttershy said again, smiling weakly. “Then maybe we could walk side by side? I want to know more about you, if you don’t mind.” Her eyes widened. “Oh, unless you were walking behind because you wanted to look at my butt. I’m sorry. You can keep walking behind me.”

Flash didn’t know whether to blink, chuckle, shake his head, or smile, and wound up doing a mixture of all four. “I, uh, I’d love to walk next to you. I mean, your butt is amazing,” he added quickly, “but I didn’t want to be a pig and stare at it.”

She played with a lock of her hair. “I would kind of like it if you did.”

Huh, well it would be rude to say no, but Flash also wanted to talk with her. He hummed thoughtfully. “How about this? We walk together and talk, and I’ll look at your butt however much I can?”

She smiled and nodded. “Okay.”

Flash approached her and reached out. “Uh, do you want to hold hands as we walk?”

Fluttershy silently took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, walking down the trail with him in tow.

“You said you wanted to know more about me,” Flash said, falling into stride next to her. “What would you like to know?”

“Oh, um,” she looked away. “I … I wanted to know what kinds of things I could do to make you happy.”

Flash gave the question a few moments of serious thought. “Happy in what way?”

She hunched her shoulders. “I-It’s really selfish.”

He squinted in confusion. “Uh, how exactly does wanting to make me happy qualify as you being selfish?”

“Because,” she whispered, “I w-want to make you happy so you’ll want to do something like this again next Tuesday.”

His squint became a full blink. Several, in fact. “I’m still not seeing the connection there.”

“My friends are keeping you so busy,” Fluttershy said. “How could it not be selfish to take up more of your time?”

He actually laughed at that. “Fluttershy, before all this started, a normal day for me was sitting alone in my house, writing music for a band I stopped caring about years ago, waiting for something to come along and make me feel like I was actually living again.” He shuddered at the memory. “Trust me, I don’t want to go back to that.”

Fluttershy paused and looked at him in surprise. “B-but, how could you be alone? You’re the most popular boy in school. You must have had lots of girlfriends.”

He shook his head. “Just Sunset before last week.”

She stared at him. “B-but … You’re like Tuxedo Mask.” Her eyes widened and she looked away. “U-um, Tuxedo Mask i-is-”

“The guy from Sailor Moon,” Flash said with a smirk. “Should I give you a hard time for comparing me to the college guy who puts the moves on a fourteen-year-old?”

She flushed. “N-no, no, I didn’t mean it like that! A-and besides, I think that’s more culturally acceptable in Japan, so …”

Flash chuckled. “Don’t worry, I know you didn’t mean anything bad by it. I’m just surprised. I never knew you were into anime.”

“I mostly read manga,” Fluttershy said quietly, “but anime is fun too.”

Flash could practically hear a choir of angels singing hallelujah. Not only was this a much safer topic than letting Fluttershy dwell on her own fears, but he’d never been able to talk manga with anyone before. “What’s your favorite manga?” he asked, gently tugging on her hand as he started walking again.

She took the cue and matched his pace. “W-well, it’s kind of a strange one. Have you ever heard of One Punch Man?”

“Are you kidding?” Flash grinned. “I love that one!”

“Really?” Fluttershy’s face lit up in awe. “None of my friends will read it.”

“Seriously?” Flash shook his head. “Okay, that’s it. We’re holding a movie night sometime and showing them the first few episodes of the anime. I know Pinkie and Rainbow would love it if they just gave it a shot. Maybe Applejack too.”

“And Twilight,” Fluttershy said. “She says she likes smart stories, and One Punch Man is all about humorously deconstructing the overpowered protagonist trope.”

“Exactly,” Flash said, pulling her into a hug. “We’re gonna turn them into anime geeks for sure.”

Fluttershy giggled sweetly, hugging him back. “You’re so wonderful,” she said wistfully. “It’s like you walked out of the pages of a romance manga, the kind where the girl is just some ordinary person but the boy is almost perfect in every way.”

“Don’t put me on too high of a pedestal,” Flash said. “I screw things up like everyone else. I mean, my grades are just okay, I’m not that good at writing songs, and I sometimes have trouble seeing other people’s points of view.” He smiled sadly. “And I’m sure there are a bunch of other flaws I’m not even aware of.”

“M-maybe,” Fluttershy said slowly, continuing their hike, “b-but I’d still like to get to know you better.” She smiled. “What’s your family like?”

Flash winced. “Hooo boy, that’s a landmine right there.”

“Oh no.” Fluttershy’s expression fell. “Y-you don’t have to answer if you don’t want.”

“Nah,” Flash said with a smile that was only a little forced. “It’s not a secret or anything; I just don’t bring it up much; but anyway, my Mom was always a bit unstable. She’d be sweet one minute, then blowing a gasket the next, then back to sweet. I think they said it was Borderline Personality Disorder, but she started taking drugs to try and self-medicate, and that must have turned into dealing drugs too, because one day Dad got home from work and found her with over a hundred pounds of stuff, mostly meth.” Flash shrugged. “Dad’s a cop and had to turn her in. She’s been out of our lives and in and out of jail for about a decade now, and I don’t think Dad ever forgave himself for his part in everything. He’s been burying himself in his work for as long as I can remember.”

Fluttershy stopped, tears building in her turquoise eyes. “I-I’m so sorry, Flash.”

Flash shrugged again. “I do my best not to dwell on it.”

The first tears rolled down her cheek as she pulled him into a hug. “Is that why you work so hard to make us happy?”

He hugged her back, gently stroking her hair. “You’re really giving me too much credit here. I mean, a bunch of gorgeous women ask me for sex--basically demand it in Applejack’s case. I’m not doing anything incredible by saying yes.”

“But you aren’t just having sex,” Fluttershy said, hugging him tighter. “Pinkie told everyone how you took care of her after she fell at work, going so far out of your way to help her. Sunset told us how you took her in when she had nothing. You helped Rarity clean out her apartment then cooked her dinner and gave her a massage.” She pulled back enough to look up at him. Tears stained her cheeks, but there was something firm and unshakable in her eyes. “Flash, tell me honestly, when’s the last time someone has gone out of their way to do something nice just for you.”

He smirked. “Today. You planned out a nice nature hike and sexy fun times with me, even though we barely knew each other.” He tapped her on the tip of the nose. “And you can’t tell me it wasn’t something nice for me. The sex was incredible,” he smiled at her sudden blush, “and the hike has been a great chance to get to know you better.”

“B-but, I didn’t …” She leaned into him. “I did it because I wanted to feel loved, like how you made the other girls feel. I was selfish and not thinking about you at all.”

“Fluttershy,” Flash said gently but firmly. “How about you tell me honestly, when’s the last time a guy went out of his way to do something nice just for you?”

She blinked in surprise, then smiled warmly. “Today. You knew how nervous I was, and you did everything you could to make me feel more comfortable and reassured me when I felt bad.”

“I mean something special,” Flash said. “Today was just me trying to be … nice …” He shook his head. “Okay, so we each did something nice for the other today and neither of us think it was all that much.”

She hugged him. “Maybe next week we could plan something together to make sure we both enjoy it?”

“Sounds good,” Flash said, stroking her hair. “There’s always that anime night with your friends, but then again, maybe not. You know Pinkie would spend the whole night hitting on me, and this is supposed to be something for you and me to enjoy together.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Fluttershy said, smiling sweetly. “It makes me happy to see my friends happy, and I’ve always wanted to get them to watch anime with me.”

“Still,” Flash said, “I’ll ask Pinkie to tone it down. I want to spend that night cuddling with you.”

She squeezed him tight. “Thank you.” Then she let go and took his hand. “Let’s keep going.”

Flash squeezed her hand, walking beside her. “Just promise you’ll tell me if I ever say or do something that makes you uncomfortable.”

“O-okay.” She took a deep breath. “I promise, but promise me you’ll let me know what you do and don’t want.”

“Deal.”

She smiled. “Thank you.” They walked in comfortable silence for a few moments, then Fluttershy turned to him. “By the way, what’s your favorite manga?”

“Honestly? I’ve got like three.” He shook his head. “I never could pick just one to be my favorite.”

She giggled. “Would you tell me about them?”

“I’d love to,” he said with a smile.

“ … So yeah,” Flash said, “the whole show is basically those five wandering around, butting heads and dealing with the monster of the week while the bad guy sits around doing nothing of any importance.”

Fluttershy looked both amused and confused in equal measure. “And that’s one of your favorites?”

“Hey, Inuyasha’s a classic,” Flash said. “You’ve gotta appreciate it warts and all.”

“I think I understand,” Fluttershy said, ducking under a low-hanging branch. “Like how Sailor Moon always puts in those long transformation sequences for no reason.”

“Pretty much.” Flash let out a satisfied sigh. “Anyway, you have no idea how nice it is to finally have someone to talk to about manga and anime. My friends act like anyone who watches that stuff must be into crazy tentacle-sex hentai or something.”

Fluttershy blanched. “Rainbow thought the same thing when I told her. She even …” she looked down and blushed, “got me a tentacle-shaped dildo last year.”

Flash’s eye twitched and a laugh bubbled up his throat. “W-wait, seriously?”

She nodded. “I, um, only used it once to be polite.”

“You used it?” Now there was a mental image, and a disturbingly hot one too. “Uh, what was it like?”

“It was,” she cleared her throat, “strange. I really preferred, um, you.” She blushed harder.

“Flatterer.” Flash smirked. “Though in all seriousness, I’m more surprised Rainbow would do something like that.”

“Me too,” Fluttershy said. “I think she was even more uncomfortable than I was. She couldn’t stop looking at it and shuddering.” She looked ahead and smiled. “Oh, we’re here!”

Flash followed her gaze but only saw the same dirt path and endless trees. “We are?”

“Well, almost.” She squeezed his hand and walked a bit more quickly. “It’s right around this bend.”

They followed the trail in a half circle around a cluster of pine trees, and exactly as Fluttershy said, the woods rolled back to reveal a sunlit meadow full of tiny white flowers and long, flowing grass.

“Wow,” Flash said softly, looking around. “It’s beautiful.” He knelt next to a flower and stared at the delicate white petals leading to a yellow center. “How did you find this place?”

“I didn’t.” Fluttershy smiled fondly. “My mother loves to hike. We’ve come here at least once a month since I was little. We always eat lunch and talk.” She played with her hair nervously. “I-I hope it isn’t weird that I took you to the same place I go with my mother.”

He shook his head. “No, it isn’t weird. I’m glad I got to share something like this with you.”

Fluttershy smiled in relief. “W-well, there’s a meal in the backpack too, if you’re hungry.”

“I am a bit munchy.” Flash slipped off the backpack and opened it, pulling out a big gray blanket and spreading it on the grass. Beneath the blanket, he noticed several tupperware containers, which he put on the blanket.

Fluttershy knelt on the blanket next to him and started opening the containers, filling the air with all sorts of wonderful scents. “I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I brought mini pork pies, Japanese scotch eggs, vegetarian spring rolls, watermelon salad, lemon tarts, and brownies.” She chewed on her bottom lip, looking up at him through her pink hair. “I-I hope there’s at least one thing you like.”

Flash, who’d been nearly drooling since the first item, could only stare at her in shock. “All of those sound incredible.” He shook his head. “I mean, wow, it must have taken you forever to make all this.”

She shrugged, hiding behind her bangs. “It’s okay. I like to cook.”

“And it looks like you’re amazing at it.” Flash reached into a container and pulled out one of the mini pork pies. It was the size and shape of a muffin, but with a texture that reminded him of pizza crust and a glossy finish. The scent of sausage and bread filled his nose. “May I?”

She nodded, a shy smile on her lips.

Flash bit into the pie, and those scents exploded into glorious tastes, even adding new ones like basil and egg to the mix. He moaned appreciatively. “Okay, you absolutely have to teach me to bake these.” He took another bite.

Fluttershy grinned through flushed cheeks. “I’m really glad you like it. They were a new recipe, and I wasn’t sure how they’d turn out.”

“Perfectly,” Flash said between bites. “That’s how they turned out.” He shoved the last of the pie in his mouth and chewed happily. “Remind me to give you at least two orgasms for that alone.” He paused. “Sorry, was that too much?”

She giggled and shook her head. “It’s strange, but it makes me happy to hear you say things like that.”

“Oh, good.” Flash picked up the next item, what Fluttershy had called a Japanese scotch ball, and dug in with another happy moan. “Yeah, you’re definitely getting a lot of orgasms after this feast.”

The rest of the meal was quiet aside from moans of pleasure and promises of just payback, but at last Flash lay stuffed on the blanket, soaking in the warm sun. Their leftovers had already been put away, giving them plenty of room to stretch out, though Flash certainly didn’t mind that Fluttershy had curled up next to him instead, her head resting on his shoulder.

“This … this has been wonderful.” She sighed contentedly. “Thank you, Flash. This is everything I ever hoped for.”

“You hoped to have sex with some dork then feed him the best meal of his life?” Flash asked, idly running his fingers along her scalp. “Set your sights higher, because we both know you could do far better than me.”

She shook her head. “No, I couldn’t. Everyone else gets frustrated with me when I talk about how fat I feel, or tells me to grow up and stop being so shy.” She sighed again and shifted closer. “Flash, are you sure it’s okay if I spend my Tuesdays with you? I’ll be trying to make you fall for me the whole time.”

He wrapped an arm around her and held her close. “I’d love nothing more than to spend my Tuesdays with you, as long as you’re okay with me having feelings for Sunset and Pinkie, and kind of Rarity too.”

“I don’t mind,” Fluttershy said. She squeezed his arm then sat up next to him. “Um, Flash? Are you sure you want to see me naked in the sunlight? I’m not as beautiful as the other girls.”

Flash stopped and thought--not about her request, he very much did want to see her naked, but about whether he was up for some more sexy times right after a meal. One look at Fluttershy’s nervous yet brave face, generous curves, and form-fitting shirt was enough to make up his mind on that one. “Fluttershy, I would absolutely love to see you naked right now.”

Author's Note

Welp, if you're still around, I may as well let you in on a secret. I wrote this entire story for my dear, sweet wife.

It started as a joke and turned into a sort of dare. She didn't think I'd be able to go through and write an explicit sex scene. I proved her wrong, and let's just say reading through it got her in the mood for some fun times. So I wrote a second chapter, then a third, and now this.

But here's the thing, every single one of the Humane 7 in this story is actually some aspect of my wife. She's honest like Applejack, goofy like Pinkie, we've been through a ton just like Sunset and Flash, I was too nervous to talk to such a beautiful woman at first, like Flash and Rarity, and Fluttershy ... Well, my sweet, smart, beautiful wife suffers from low self esteem just like a certain yellow pegasus. This chapter, more than any of the others, is about the woman I love, and I sincerely hope you could feel how much she means to me.

Still no sex scenes for you, though. Those are for her only. In spite of that, I hope you enjoy what is essentially a guy writing MLP porn for his wife ... and she's somehow crazy enough to stick with me.