Catching Butterflies

Chapters

The Pain of the Unkown
Those Blue Eyes
With Friends Like These
Kindness and Generosity Go Hoof In Hoof
Redemption
The Fragile Fabric of Love
A World Full of Surprises
An Epilogue of Sorts

The Pain of the Unkown

Fabric flew through the air as sewing machines buzzed and threads weaved. A white unicorn was hard at work preparing an ensemble for a client. “Work,” she said to herself. “There’s always so much to do, which I suppose is a good thing, of course. Naturally I should expect an increase in my work load as my clients get bigger and bigger. Oh my! It’s such an exciting thought! Rarity’s designs worn by the most regal ponies in Equestria! Now, now, dear, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.”

In the midst of her external monologue, her timer rang.

“Oh dear, is it that time already?”

She swiftly grabbed her robe and galloped out the door to meet a certain yellow Pegasus at Ponyville’s spa. It was a small business, as the luxuries of a spa were not affordable to the average pony, but being one of the high class ponies in Ponyville, Rarity could afford to take her and Fluttershy weekly. They normally discussed current events and minor gossip, of course with the dress maker running the conversations. It was a lovely time to unwind after a long day of work.
Rarity entered the building and was greeted with the sweet scent of various fruits and herbs. She pushed through the wall of aroma and proceeded to the receptionist’s desk.

“Hello, Aloe,” she greeted the earth pony. “I believe Fluttershy has made the appointment.”

“I understand that this is your regular time, miss,” said the pink spa pony, “but we don’t have an appointment here for you.”

“What? I mean, you have to be joking with me. Where’s Fluttershy? She’s usually here by now,” replied the unicorn.

“She is not here. I haven’t seen her since your last visit. I'm sorry, but we're completely booked right now, and we don't have any room for you as you lack your appointment.”

Rarity normally found the spa pony’s accent to be soothing and refreshing, but now it just seemed to be harsh and condescending. “Are you absolutely positive? Is there anything you can do at all?” she said, batting her eyes.

The spa pony's patience was visibly being tested. “Your unicorn charm may work on some poor colts down at cheap bars, but you’re getting nowhere here. I'm sorry, but there is nothing that I can do right now. Have a nice day.”

Hearing no more of it, the seemingly preoccupied spa pony pushed the unicorn into the daylight.

“Hmph. How rude. Well, they may have just lost one loyal customer. However, I do wonder what has become of Fluttershy. I know she is very timid in social situations, but she loves our spa dates. I must go to investigate at once!”

With that, she began her slow canter to the edge of the Everfree Forest, where Fluttershy’s cottage was situated. She walked up to the large door and gave it a fast and precise tap.

“Who is it?” came a quiet and familiar voice.

“Darling, it is I, Rarity!”

“Oh no, um, can you please, um, go away?”

“Do tell why. We missed our spa date.”

“I don’t want to see you…”

“You don’t want to what, Dearie?”

“I, um, think you should go…” said the timid Pegasus. In a sudden burst of speed she turned off her lights and closed her blinds.

“You are acting awfully strange. Please, tell me what’s wrong.”

Silence fell upon the cottage as Fluttershy didn’t respond. An eerie darkness fell over Rarity during the time she stood there.

“Fluttershy, darling…” she began as she was about to open the door.

“I don’t want to look at you! Now go away!” Yelled Fluttershy with as much force as the weak pony could muster. The dumbfounded unicorn heard a heavy door bolt close. The sound of sobbing pierced the sky, as rain started to fall heavy on the cottage. Rarity herself was on the verge of tears as her best friend of many years shut her out in the rain. She galloped back to her boutique to collect her thoughts as tears streamed down her face.

Thoughts raced through her mind as worse case scenarios wedged into her consciousness. What if Fluttershy now hated her? What if it was her fault? It was extremely painful to think about. Even more painful to actually come to the reality of what had happened. She had been yelled at by the quiet, sweet mare she called her friend. What was she to do?

Before she knew it, she was running into her shop and collapsed into a fit of tears and wailing. She felt as if a knife had been stuck into her side. The worst part was, she had no explanation as to why. She laid there in a puddle of her own tear drops for what seemed like hours, but, in reality, were only mere minutes.

Rarity was quickly startled to her feet as there was a quick rapping at the door.

“J- Just a minute,” she hollered. Her hopes lie in the small chance that it was Fluttershy coming to give an explanation, but she knew in reality it was a slim chance.

There was another quick succession of taps on the door as Rarity was using a nearby towel to wipe the tears from her face. She opened the door, and to her disappointment it was Derpy Hooves, the local mailmare.

“I brought you a letter!” Derpy said, with her usual upbeat excitement.

“Oh… Yes, thank you, dear,” the white unicorn replied, attempting to put on a weak façade of happiness.

“Is something wrong? Anything I can do to help?”

“No… No, it is quite alright, thank you. Thank you, very much for bringing the letter. Please, do fly safe,” she replied, handing Derpy a couple of bits.

“Will do, Miss Rarity! Have a nice day now!” Derpy said as she flew off into the rain that she didn’t even seem to notice.

“Yes… yes, thank you…” Rarity muttered as she took her letter back to her couch. She admired the handiwork of the parchment the letter was printed on. Clasping the note shut was a brilliant purple treble clef. She opened it to reveal a formal request to meet with the classical musician Octavia about a dress for a grand performance. The meeting was to be the following day at the Canterlot Square Restaurant.

“Oh great, more work…” the designer muttered to herself. “My work… My work! That’s it! I don’t have time to deal with all of my personal problems when there is work to be done! I cannot and will not let my clients down!”

She immediately began picking up all assortments of fabric and started stitching them together. This continued through most of the night until her body shut down and she fell asleep with her head on her desk.

The repetitive sound of an alarm clock bell partially awoke Rarity. She was fully awake only when her body hit the floor as she fell out of her chair. She clumsily stood up as if in a stupor and muttered to herself.

“Dresses… Clients…” her eyes shot open, “Octavia! I mustn’t be late for our important meeting! What time is it?”

She frantically scanned the room for a clock until she found one perched upon the wall, where it always is. It read half past nine.

“Oh my, that gives me only three hours to get there! There simply is not enough to prepare and make myself presentable,” she said as she observed herself in the mirror. “No, I must make the time. I shan’t keep Octavia waiting.”

With that she frantically brushed her mane and donned a beautiful dress. She then proceeded to gallop out the door in her frenzy and call for the nearest carriage to take her to Canterlot immediately.

The trip went by very quickly for Rarity, as her thoughts were otherwise occupied by more important matters. To her it seemed the more she tried to not think about Fluttershy, the more emotional she felt. She arrived at the large gate and asked the driver for the time.

“Twelve-twenty,” he said bluntly.

“Thank you very much, sir,” Rarity replied as she rushed out of the wagon.

“What, no tip?” yelled the driver at the speeding unicorn. Unfortunately his words were not heard, as the rushing white pony was focused on arriving at her destination on time. The realization dawned on her that she really had no idea where the Canterlot Square Restaurant was, let alone how to get there. As it was a new restaurant, there were not yet any signs or maps indicating its location, so Rarity had to inquire about it from the local ponies. From them she found out that it was right next to the entrance she had come in from. With a huff she trotted over to the outdoor seating where a grey earth pony was certainly waiting patiently.

“Hello Miss Octavia, I have arrived,” she stated as she came closer to the cellist.

“Ah, and you must be Rarity. Charmed,” said Octavia in a very professional tone.

“I do apologize for my blatant tardiness; I had to hurry out the door as I was working through the night.”

“Oh, it is quite alright. I am the one who should apologize to you. I made the mistake of giving you no instruction on how to get here. It’s a wonder you made it at all. You are here now, and that’s all that matters. Now, let us grab a seat, shall we?” the musician said as she led Rarity to a simple table with a view of the square.

Rarity took this opportunity to initiate their talk about Octavia’s order. “So,” she said, “tell me about this dress you wish for me to prepare for you.”

“Ah yes, we can discuss that in time. We might as well order our entrees while we can. They are not too terribly busy here during the day. At this time is usually when the musicians come to eat; we have our breaks right about now,” said the grey mare.

“My, how exiting that must be,” Rarity idly replied as she looked over her menu. “You must get to meet all of the great composers and artists from all over.”

“Not all of them are so great, mind you, but I do get to meet a lot of intriguing ponies. Across from us on your far right is Beauty Brass. As you may recall, I played with her in the last disastrous Grand Galloping Gala. On your oth-”

“Are you to ladies ready to order?” asked an interrupting waiter in a quiet manner.

“Yes,” said Octavia. “I would like to have the sunflower sandwich without any seeds, if I may.”

“And for you miss?” the waiter asked, turning to Rarity.

“Oh yes, I would just like a small order of hay fries please,” said Rarity, seemingly distracted.

“Of course, madam, I will have your food right out for you.”

Octavia waited for the waiter to be out of earshot before saying, “How rude. Ah, well, where was I?”

“You were talking about the other musicians.”

“Yes, yes. As I was saying, on the other side of you is Sergio Staccato. He is a bit of an oddball, has some dream of being both a famous musician and writer, but an astounding guitarist nonetheless. In fact, would you like to meet him?” she asked, with a twinkle in her eye.

“Um, yes. Of course I would,” Rarity said, willing to do anything to get her mind off Fluttershy.

“Mister Staccato!” Octavia said with enthusiasm. “How do you do?”

“Ah! The lovely Octavia! Darling, I do say it has been too long,” the tan stallion said with the fakest sounding dialect Octavia had ever heard, giving her a quick hug.

“You need to work on your accent; it seems to be worse than ever.”

“Ah, well yes. I just thought greeting you in that fashion would make you feel among your people,” Sergio said, revealing his true, deep and clear voice that had a hint of cheerfulness in it.

“I am however, among my people. You may have noticed my friend here, Rarity,” she turned to introduce the white unicorn.

“Charmed,” she said in the warmest voice she could.

Sergio cocked his head and raised his eyebrow. He looked the dress maker in the eyes and said “I love your voice. It’s very pretty. I hope you use it well.”

“Why, um, thank you, I think,” she said, struggling to keep her composure. He truly was an odd pony, indeed.

“Sergio, why must you be so direct?” Octavia remarked.

“I don’t see myself as being direct by any means. However, you seem awfully indirect. Now what brings you to Canterlot Square Restaurant, besides the fact that you eat here every day of course?” He almost sounded condescending, and yet still very warm and welcoming.

“I have come here to discuss an outfit for my next performance with dear Rarity here,” replied the cellist, turning to see her new acquaintance.

“Yes, that is correct. It does seem we have yet to do so. Shall we return to our table?”

“Yes, let’s,” replied Octavia as she turned to leave.

“Wait, Rarity,” said the dark brown haired pony. “Come here.”

Rarity complied and drew closer to him until she was staring right into his brilliant green eyes.

“Listen to me,” he said very bluntly, grabbing her by the hoof and looking into her marbles. “Always remember, that voice of yours has power. Use it well; it can do you some good. Also remember, the hay fries here are quite delicious.”

Rarity stared at him for a second as the words sunk in and she questioned how serious the stallion really was. She soon found herself being pulled back to her table by Octavia.

“What was that about?” the white mare asked her.

“I am not sure, but I suggest you listen to him. He may not seem like it at times, but he is a really smart stallion whom is unafraid of who he is. It’s rare for him to give advice such as that, even if it may or may not be laden with sarcasm.” Octavia looked down at their food. “Well, let’s eat.”

Rarity didn’t even notice that their plates had been served. As Octavia was about to take a bite of her sandwich, Rarity came out with a thought.

“You seem rather fond of Mister Staccato over there.”

Octavia nearly choked on her food. “Oh, no. Well, I mean yes, he is a nice colt and all, and once you get passed his odd personality he’s a real sweetheart, but I’m already spoken for.”

“Ah, so who is the lucky colt?”

“Well, SHE’S not exactly a colt…”

“Oh,” Rarity said, unsure of how to respond. “Well I wish you two the best of luck then.”

“Thank you, Rarity,” Octavia replied flatly.

An awkward minute followed as Octavia continued to eat her sandwich and Rarity idly levitated one of her hay fries.

“Rarity, is something wrong?”

“Hmm?” came the startled response.

“You ordered the smallest dish on the menu and haven’t even touched it. Is something wrong?”

“Oh, I am completely fine. I’m just… Tired, yes, that’s it. Tired…”

“What is it you’re not telling me? I can tell something is wrong.”

“I wouldn’t want to burden you with my problems. I am quite alright.”

“No, please,” pleaded Octavia, “tell me what’s troubling you.”

“Well, if you must know, it is my dear friend Fluttershy. She has acted awfully strange lately and I don’t know what the matter is. Yesterday afternoon she shut me out in the rain and yelled at me. I feel that I am missing something. It’s just… I don’t even know what to think.”

Rarity was obviously deeply troubled, as she was about to break out into tears. She soon felt a comforting hoof on her back. It wasn’t Octavia’s, as she looked up to see that it was Sergio. He flashed her a gentle smile before returning to his seat. If nothing else, this made Rarity feel much better.

“Are you okay?” asked Octavia.

“Yes. I’m fine. I just feel lost. But please, don’t worry about me. I think I may need some time to myself.”

“I think that would be good for you. It’s getting late anyway, we should both get going,” Octavia stated as she finished writing a check and got up to leave.

“But wait,” Rarity said, stopping her. “What about your dress?”

“We can arrange another meeting. That’s less important right now. You need to get home and relax.”

“Yes. I… I think that’s exactly what I need, I really should go now.” She got up and started to leave, but turned to see Octavia walking away from the restaurant alongside a unicorn with an electric blue mane. The appearance of this white mare intrigued Rarity, but she pushed the thought aside. Another quick turn of her head revealed Sergio sitting with his hind hooves propped up upon the table and a toothpick dangling from his mouth. He gave a nod of acknowledgement as she walked to rent another carriage to take her back home. Back to Ponyville.

Rarity sluggishly climbed out of her carriage as she arrived back in Ponyville. To avoid interaction with the driver, she just left a sizeable amount of bits on the seat, not even bothering to count them. By the time she had arrived at her door, it was late evening. She slumped down on her doorstep in a fit of exhaustion, lost in thought. It wasn’t until her hoof brushed against an oddly shaped object that she was snapped out of her trance. Upon further inspection, it was a crumpled and soggy piece of paper, which she proceeded to open to reveal some smudged words. From what she could make out, it looked like a poem written with very pretty hoofwriting.

Hello Rarity, I think you need to know
I think you and me, could put on one great show
If you listen to me, I think that you may find
I want to tell you what is really on my mind

Oh Rarity, I think you need to sit next to me
Come close to me, I think you see, this needs to be
With a bright white coat and beautiful hair you’re the perfect mare
I want to show that I really care.

Rarity scanned the page for more information. She needed to find some way to see who wrote her that lovely poem, but all she found was badly smudged lettering at the bottom, presumably the author’s name. The confused unicorn scanned over the page one more time before heading inside to gather herself. Her legs threw her upon a nearby couch as her motivation to think faded away. She felt herself drift into a blissful sleep as Luna’s night overtook the sky.

After she heard a familiar tapping on her door, Rarity awoke as the eleven-o-clock sun shone through her window. She groggily arose and slowly moved towards her door. Not to her surprise, Derpy hovered on the other side of it, with a letter in her hoof.

“Hello, dear,” Rarity said, “I apologize for my appearance. I just rolled out of bed.”

“It’s no problem, Rarity!” replied the light grey pegasus with her usual upbeat cheerfulness. “Here’s your mail!” She handed her a simple letter.

“Thank you, very much,” Rarity stated, handing her some bits. “Do say ‘Hi’ to Dinky for me, would you?”

“Will do, miss Rarity!” the cheerful pony said as she disregarded her wings and skipped off into the distance.

Rarity walked back to her desk with a smile on her face. Seeing Derpy always made her feel happier, no matter the situation.
She sat down and ran a brush through her messy mane as she opened up the letter. The lack of a return address was odd, however she must at least give it a look out of courtesy. It opened to reveal the horrible hoofwriting of what seemed to be a young colt. It read:

Hello, this note is hopefully received by Rarity, if not somepony will be confused. It is very important that you listen to what this letter has to say. Go to Fluttershy, she needs you, and I know you need her. Go to her, and your friendship can be saved. Don’t wait too long.
-S

Rarity gasped. “Who would have the audacity to meddle in my business? I don’t know who this “S” is, but I intend to find out.” She let her thoughts collect for a moment. “But still, I think this advice should be considered. I see that there must be direction in this.”

For a moment she wondered if this “S” character was the same pony who wrote that beautiful poem, but realized that that would have been impossible as the hoofwriting was different and the signatures were of different lengths. She slumped back in her chair as she considered her options. The possible benefit of listening to the mysterious letter was that there was a chance to mend her relationship with her best friend, however if things were to go awry she could cause even more damage than had already been done.

“My, this is a difficult decision,” she muttered to herself. Her body, however, seemed to make the choice for her, as she found herself trotting out her front door, as if being controlled by an outside force. She passed by many onlookers and familiar faces in her trance. Some may have attempted to initiate conversation, not that Rarity would have noticed in her daze. She continued her journey until she had reached the outskirts of Ponyville. From there, her destination was in sight: Fluttershy’s cottage.

Those Blue Eyes

Rarity moved forward at a slow and nervous pace; her mind had never raced this much before. She had no idea what to expect, she didn’t want to get yelled at and shut out again, but she also couldn’t just leave this problem be. This must be solved today. Time seemed to slow as she walked up the narrow path leading to Fluttershy’s front door. The time had come; it was time for Rarity to find out what was really going on.

She was about to reach for the door handle, but stopped herself. “It would be rude to just barge in,” she thought. “No, I must handle this with dignity, and respect.” She then positioned herself to knock on the door, however just as her hoof was about to make contact, she heard something; the most beautiful singing she had ever heard:

Lovely Rarity, I know that you’re the one for me
I think you’ll see, our love can come to be
Be it night or day, I won’t stop, I won’t delay
I’ll storm their walls; I’ll break your falls, just so that I may

Get close to you, I know it’s true; you want to see me and you
I think you do, I hope you knew, we are the ones, me and you
I am the mare, the one who cares; the one who will be for you there
Get close to me, I think you’ll see
Rarity

The sound of Rarity’s hooves hitting the ground in applause echoed through the cottage as she looked up at the musical pegasus. Tears of joy and relief streamed down her face as she walked over to her pink-haired friend and embraced her. Fluttershy squeaked as she felt the pressure of her friend’s hooves on her back. Her tear ducts welled up as well as a wave of emotion swept over her. She collapsed into Rarity’s arms as she nuzzled into her and cried into her pretty white coat. A beautiful silence overtook the pair as time seemed to stand still. The quieter of the two voices was the first to break the silence.

“I… I thought you would hate me…”

“Hate you? Darling, what would compel you to think that?”

“Wh- when I left that note, I- I thought you wouldn’t want to talk to me again…”

“Dear, I am always here for you. If you need to tell me anything, I will never push you away.”

Fluttershy looked up into the unicorn’s purple mane. “B- but, when you didn’t say anything about it I thought I really must have done something wrong. I- I just don’t know…”

“It’s honestly my fault. I left my house for our spa date before I could see the note. It was today that I found it, all crumpled and damp. Your name was obscured from the parchment; it wasn’t until now I realized you had written it.”

“Oh Rarity, this is all wrong. I made big mess and hurt you.” Fluttershy broke down onto the floor in tears. Rarity let herself fall to the ground next to her to comfort her winged friend.

“Fluttershy, you could never hurt me. I will always, always be here for you. Never forget that.”

“Wha- what do you mean by that? D- do you feel the same about me?”

Rarity’s blood went cold at the sudden confrontation. The thought hadn’t crossed her mind. She had spent so much time worrying about Fluttershy’s feelings that she hadn’t worried about her own. She stepped back mentally for a moment and took a look at her situation and considered all that had transpired: how far she had come, how much pain Fluttershy had gone through to get her. When she came back to reality she realized she was staring into a pair of blue eyes, the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. Her face lost all expression as she wordlessly pulled Fluttershy closer in a tight embrace. Her tears fell into Fluttershy’s mane as she let loose her contained emotion into the open air.

She pulled away and looked into those deep blue eyes once more before drawing her in closer once more. The unicorn hesitated, before making a split decision to lean in. Their lips locked as Fluttershy stiffened, surprised by the suddenness. She relaxed and returned the kiss as night began to overtake the beautiful evening sky. The tight embrace of sleep gripped the two equines while they lay there in each other’s arms. Luna’s moon shone through the window as the tear-stained floor bore the weight of the couple, and peace settled in their existence.

Fluttershy opened her eyes as a blurred mass began to take shape. She found herself looking at a purple maned unicorn that lay on the floor next to her. She scanned her white coat until she found her eyes drawn to the other pony’s cutie mark: three brilliant blue diamonds arranged in a triangle. The yellow pegasus scanned the features of Rarity’s signature. Her eyes danced across the white mare’s body before her trance was broken by a pleasant and yet alarming voice:

“Darling, it’s so impolite to stare.”

Fluttershy squealed in shock and strange delight as she found her expedition uncovered. Her face transformed into a deep hue of red as blood rushed through her veins. She found that her legs instinctively began to move in flight, but came to the realization that she and her partner were still on the floor.

“Fluttershy, dear, are you alright? You look like you are about to take off.”

The pegasus was nearly crushed under the weight of her embarrassment as she looked back at her now unfurled wings.

“Oh… my…” she said shakily, as the hue of red on her face deepened.

“No need to be embarrassed, Fluttershy, it is quite alright. I’m sure I would have done the same had I awoken before you,” she said as a smile formed on her face. Rarity didn’t think Fluttershy’s face could get any redder, but her suspicions were dispelled as a yet deeper tint developed on her cheeks. This only made the unicorn smile wider as she embraced the pegasus. Rarity then proceeded to lift herself and Fluttershy off the ground, as being out of the euphoria of last night, it was most uncomfortable.

“Oh, dear,” said Rarity as she gazed into a nearby mirror. “My mane looks horrid.”

“I think you look pretty anyway, Rarity,” Fluttershy said, mustering all the confidence she had.

Rarity’s expression greeted her warmly. “But I could never compare to the earthly beauty of yourself, darling. Would… would you like to walk into town with me? I need some… supplies, yes.”

“Oh Rarity, I would love too. What do you need to get?” asked the quiet voice.

“Oh, you know… Just boring old dress items, I would just like you to accompany me.”

“Yes, of course. My…” Fluttershy said as she glanced at the nearby clock. “It’s almost one in the afternoon.”

“Let us hurry along, darling. There is no time to waste.”

Rarity quickly ran a brush through her mane as she magically opened the cottage door and the two ponies set off on their way. They walked side by side, wordlessly smiling, not worrying about what the future held for them. To the ponies’ annoyance, the walk seemed to flash by in an instant, as they soon found themselves in the market district of Ponyville.

Fluttershy suddenly came to the realization of their situation.

“Um, Rarity? What if people… see us?”

“Darling, that doesn’t matter to me, nor should it matter to you,” Rarity drew in closer as Fluttershy started to blush. “Now I’m going to get some sewing supplies, I will return as soon as I can. Is that okay?”

“It’s fine, Rarity…”

“Good,” said the unicorn as her face brightened and she turned to go.

“Wait…” Fluttershy said, “I… I, just please be back soon…”

Rarity turned back to her with a somewhat puzzled look on her face. “Of course, dear.I’ll be off, then. Don’t go too far, now.”

“Okay…” Rarity left Fluttershy in a sea of mares and stallions as the yellow pegasus shrank into the crowd. She felt herself become closed in by her own shyness as if one thousand eyes were all upon her, watching her every move. She let herself slowly walk back to a nearby bench and silently sat down upon it as she looked down upon the ground, waiting for Rarity to return.

A couple of streets over, Rarity was hard at work searching high and low for supplies so she could fix up a “surprise” for a certain pink-maned mare, sifting through various food items and baskets.

“I’m definitely not the right pony for this,” she said to herself. “Usually I have a couple of days to prepare for an event such as this, but I must make do with what I have.”

Thirty minutes had passed and Fluttershy still remained on the bench, wondering where her partner had gone off to.

Thoughts raced through her mind as loneliness began to enclose her. One idea engulfed her consciousness as an unfortunate notion crossed her brain. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she said to herself:

“I guess she doesn’t feel the same way after all…”

A dark shadow casted over her as a surprisingly warm voice came from it:

“Fluttershy, dear, what’s wrong?”

The pegasus squeaked as her eyes immediately shot up at the familiar, comforting sound. She quickly jumped upon the figure in front of her and hugged the shape.

“Rarity, I was so worried you weren’t going to come back! I… I’m sorry…”

“Oh don’t worry about it at all, Fluttershy. I can understand how one such as yourself would think that,” Rarity replied, dusting herself off. “However, I could never leave my favorite mare alone.”

Fluttershy’s face reddened yet again, as the words echoed through her head.

“Anyhoof, I invite you to follow me. I have a surprise I think you will enjoy.”

“Oh yes, of course, Rarity,” said a now calmer Fluttershy.

The two mares walked side by side closely, pushing through the actively moving crowd. The space between them closed in as the congestion worsened. Fluttershy felt Rarity’s tail brush against hers and exhaled as her face began to heat up at the sudden close proximity. She felt as if everypony could see her embarrassment at all this publicity. Rarity, on the other hoof, confidently kept pushing forward, not worrying about any possible onlookers for Ponyville’s newest couple.

The pair made it through the crowded market stalls to find a narrow dirt path, leading up to a hill with a single tree at the peak. Rarity began to walk ahead as Fluttershy began to shrink back behind her to give her more room on the thin walkway. The unicorn, however would have none of this, as she used her magic to pull the yellow pony right back to her side. The pegasus’ face became splashed with color yet again, while her tail rubbed against Rarity’s another time. The white mare smiled at her, it was almost enjoyable for her to see Fluttershy like this. The pegasus’ embarrassment was nothing short of adorable.

The path ended as the peak of the hill was in sight. The couple drew closer and a checkered picnic matt and basket materialized into their vision. Fluttershy gasped in excitement over the food and other items set up around the matt. A nearby radio played soft music under the shade of the looming tree. Rarity led the other mare to the matt and sat herself next to her.

“Now Fluttershy there’s something I would like to ask you.”

“Um, yes, Rarity? What’s wrong?”

“Oh nothing’s wrong; I would just like to know if you have any plans this week.”

The timid pegasus thought for a moment, “I don’t believe so, most of the animals are well cared for right now, so they shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Very good, because I have a very important client named Octavia that I am meeting with this week, and I would like for you to accompany me.”

Fluttershy almost choked on the apple she had taken a bite of. “D- do you really want me to?” She was scared by the idea of being out in the open in front of some important ponies, much less when there was a looming chance of embarrassing Rarity in front of a client.

“Of course, darling. I would have no less from you. Truth be told I would be much more comfortable with you at my side.”

The winged mare’s face reddened. She never would have guessed that a beautiful high class pony such as Rarity would desire to be seen with a simple pegasus such as herself. The unicorn’s smile reassured her. “Yes, of course, Rarity.”

At this response, the white pony squealed with glee and tackled Fluttershy in a hug. “You have no idea what this means to me; what this means…” She looked up into her blue eyes, “…for us.”

Fluttershy exhaled the breath she had been holding at the word “us”. A sudden realization came upon her; other ponies didn’t matter. What others think can’t harm her, nor should they. The feeling of invincibility overcame the pegasus as another truth dawned on her; this is what she wanted. Everything was perfect, and she had the perfect mare right in front of her. She drew in a heavy breath as she pulled the white unicorn in closer. Time slowed as the moment expanded and stray thoughts ceased. Nothing else mattered. Nothing.

The eyes of the pink-maned pegasus shot open. “Um ,Rarity?” she said quietly. “What time is it?” The unicorn turned to look up at the sky and saw Luna’s moon shining beautifully.

“It couldn’t be later than nine or ten. Why, what’s wrong?”

Fluttershy jumped to her hooves. “Oh, Luna! I need to feed Angel! He will be so disappointed in me if I don’t get to him tonight. I’m so so so so sorry, Rarity, but I need to go.”

It was Rarity’s turn to stumble over her words. “But, I- I thought maybe… you could stay with me tonight?”

The pegasus’ wings froze in place before she could leave as she turned to look back at the white mare.

“Well, I mean considering I stayed with you last night it’s only fair. I must show you some hospitality.”

Fluttershy’s face became flushed as she realized how quick her thoughts jumped to conclusions. Her wings folded back to her side as she stated “I- um would love to, but I didn’t tell Angel I would be out this long, and he’s probably really worried. Next time, alright Rarity?”

“I see,” Rarity said with her face having a slight red tint as she noted Fluttershy’s body language. “Well then I guess I will see you tomorrow. I shall let you know when we shall be meeting Octavia. Goodnight, Fluttershy.”

“Goodnight, Rarity,” Fluttershy replied, savoring every syllable as the beauty of the unicorn’s name rolled off her tongue. She was the first to regretfully turn as she collected her thoughts and proceeded back to her cottage.

Rarity magically gathered the picnic supplies and carried them back down the path leading towards her boutique. It wasn’t until she had her home in sight that she questioned if she should have walked Fluttershy home. She pushed the thought from her mind as she considered how Ponyville had a nonexistent crime rate and the earth-bound pegasus could quell any wild animal that would attempt to attack.

She pushed through her front door and flung the picnic supplies into a corner. Although her outward attitude hid it, she was tired. The pressures of the day had weighted her down, so much that she barely noticed the note in her mail slot. She picked it up and found it to be of very familiar make, as the sender was Octavia. She sloppily opened the note and dug out its contents. The note contained an expected message but it was the date she was requested that surprised her. Their meeting was scheduled for tomorrow, at the Hoofé Restaurant.

Rarity thought for a moment, tomorrow was awfully soon, but she couldn’t let Octavia down. “I hope Fluttershy will be okay with this,” she said to herself. “Oh, and it’s at Hoofé! That’s only one of Canterlot’s premier fine dining and dancing establishments!” The thought of being able to dance with Fluttershy sent happiness throughout her mind.

The unicorn took a breath and allowed fatigue to overcome her. She dragged herself upstairs. Passing by a mirror she took note of her appearance. Her mane was disorderly and her coat unkempt. “How in Equestria could Fluttershy be attracted to this?” she asked herself. “I’m just glad nopony saw me as I returned home… That I know of.” The white mare considered stepping in the shower momentarily to wash off, but decided it was already much too late.

Gravity pulled her body to the bed while she let herself topple onto it. A new feeling overcame her as thought slowly vanished from her mind. She was tired, but happy. Happiness was the last word to flash across her mind as her eyelids shut, transporting her to the next day.

The Sun Princess’ job was fulfilled as the rays shone through an elegant window. Rarity lifted her sleeping visor and let light flood her vision. She clutched a mass next to her, hoping to find comfort in another pony’s arms. Her eyes focused to reveal that she was in fact clutching a pillow. Disappointment momentarily flashed across her face as she recalled the events of the previous night. A smile then began to develop; she was reminded of her date tonight. The unicorn hopped off her bed and used her magic to tidy it up before she showered and prepared to trot over to Fluttershy’s cottage. She decided against going through her usual morning grooming as she wanted to see Fluttershy immediately. The mare walked out her door and set out on the path to the little cottage on the edge of the Everfree Forest.

“I’ve just never felt this way before, Angel; I don’t know how I can explain it to you.”

Angel pointed to his food bowl.

“Well of course I’ll feed you and give you all the attention you need. I will just be spending time with somepony else as well. Oh, Rarity…”

She exhaled as her eyes looked upward while she thought about the unicorn. Her thoughts soon drifted to how much time they would spend together; how perfect this was all turning out. Fluttershy’s eyes closed as her mind continued to wander to through what she hoped to accomplish with the white mare.

A sharp and quick knock broke her trance as she let out a shriek. She let out a quiet sound that closely resembled the words

“Who is it?” The pony on the other side of the door obviously understood her, as she replied “Rarity, my dear.” Fluttershy jump up and immediately opened the door to reveal the pony that had been occupying her thoughts.

Her face reddened as she wondered if Rarity had been listening to what she had said, or worse, if she had been listening to what she was thinking. As perceptive as Rarity was, she couldn’t read the expression of the pegasus in front of her.

“Is this a bad time?” Rarity asked, unsure of what to do.

Fluttershy quickly shook off her thoughts and returned to reality. “Oh no! Please, come in.”

It wasn’t until then that Fluttershy noticed Rarity’s appearance. Her mane was slightly wet, and was not in its usual curls.

“Rarity, your mane…” Fluttershy said, somewhat awestruck.

“Oh, this?” Rarity replied, touching her somewhat damp mane. “I didn’t have time to properly groom it, as I just had to rush over here and talk with you.”

“Are you kidding? It looks great!” the usually quiet pegasus looked down at her sudden outburst. “Oh… I’m sorry, I got excited.”

The pony with the moist mane raised an eyebrow. “Yes, I’ve been told it looks good like this. Anyway, back to the reason I came; terribly sorry for the intrusion, by the way.”

“Oh no, Rarity, it’s completely fine. Now what is it you wanted to talk about?”

“Yes, no doubt you remember last night when I requested that you accompany me on the day I go to meet Octavia. Well, it seems that day is today; I received the letter last night. We are to meet her at the Hoofé in Canterlot. This is so exiting!”

Fluttershy instinctively backed up. “The Hoofé? Isn’t that extremely expensive and dressy? I’m sorry, I don’t have anything to wear. I don’t know if I could do that.” She panicked at the thought of all the social interaction and dancing. It may have been too much for the mare to handle if Rarity hadn’t put a comforting hoof on her back.

“Darling, I would never do something to make you feel uncomfortable. This dress for Octavia is very important, however if you don’t want to go, you don’t have to.”

Fluttershy’s ears immediately perked up as she realized what she was doing. She was about to pass up a chance really spend some time with Rarity.

“Yes.”

“Hmm?” Rarity turned to her.

“I’d love to go with you today. Anything for you.”

The unicorn embraced the pegasus. “You have no idea how much this means to me.” She slowly released her grip. “Now, back to business. We are each going to need something to wear, preferably matching ourselves and each other, so I think you should come with me up to my boutique to try some things on.”

“Of course, Rarity.”

“Alright then, let’s head off. I’d let Angel know we are going to be gone for a while.”

Fluttershy said some quick words to the impatient bunny and then they set off on their way.

The carriage ride to Canterlot was always a beautiful one, no matter how many times you take it. Fluttershy looked up at the massive looming gates as they opened, allowing the two mares’ entry. Canterlot was as busy as ever; ponies walking to their jobs, delivering packages and chatting with one other. The couple stepped out of their carriage and into the chaos, organized chaos, but chaos nonetheless.

They trotted forward as a large and brilliant sign with the name “Hoofé” lit up the evening sky. The restaurant didn’t seem as crowded as Rarity expected. ‘Good for Fluttershy’ she thought.

Entering the building, they met a large, intimidating stallion behind the front desk. Fluttershy shrunk back behind Rarity, obviously intending for the unicorn to speak.

“Do you lovely mares have reservations?” Despite the stallion’s brutish appearance, he spoke with precision and poise.

“Yes,” Rarity replied, sounding as proper as possible. “It should be under ‘Octavia’.”

“Ah yes, second booth on the right, near the stage. Please, enjoy your time here.”

With a nod, Rarity led Fluttershy to the other end of the sizable room, side by side. They noted the rather large dancing space in the middle, and large stage that could house a classical ensemble. The restaurant itself was absolutely gorgeous. The light fixtures sustained by unicorn magic were breathtaking, and the tables themselves were works of art in their own right.

Taking in the beauty, the couple quickly found themselves at the table they were directed to. To Rarity’s surprise, it was not Octavia sitting at it, but a vaguely familiar white unicorn with an electric blue mane. She was glaring at them through her glasses, her mouth full of complementary bread rolls. Through her stuffed face, she managed to get out one word:

“’Sup?”

With Friends Like These

Rarity wordlessly stared at the white unicorn with the electric blue mane. Her judging eyes scanned the pony, taking mental note of every flaw she saw, noticing how her mane was disorganized, how her cheeks were filled with food in a most improper way, and most of all, how she acted like none of this was a big deal in an establishment such as this. However, the analytical fashion designer did notice redeeming factor: her dress was absolutely stunning and elegant. The piece flowed so brilliantly she was surprised it wasn't something of her creation.

"So are you just going to stand there or are you going to take my order?"

Rarity quickly snapped out of her trance. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Alright, I'll have the pork."

Rarity continued to stare at her as Fluttershy shrank back a little bit. The mare burst out lauging.

"Oh come on! Why don't carnivorous jokes ever go over well with you people? It's like you guys have no sense of humor, sheesh. Anyway, I would like a large dinner platter for two with all the sauces, seasonings, and everything you think you could put on there without giving me a heart attack. I should probably get Octavia something too... Oh yes. She said something about a salad to start with. She's such a lightweight," the electric blue maned unicorn looked up. "Why aren't you writing any of this down?"

“Excuse me? How could you ever mistake one such as myself for a waitress?” Rarity gestured towards her elegant outfit, “I am obviously here to dine.”

The blue maned mare tried to stifle her laughter, but to no success. Many eyes in the room turned towards her at her sudden outburst.

“Oh I love it when waitresses have a sense of humor. Makes my day. But really, I’m starving and would like to order.”

Fluttershy looked down at the empty basket of bread rolls. She opened her mouth to comment on it, but quickly shrank back behind Rarity and squeaked out an almost inaudible apology.

Rarity quickly turned back to the white unicorn. “Listen to me, I can assure you that we are not waitresses, I-“

“Vinyl! What are you doing harassing our company?” came the familiar proper voice of Octavia.

The mare apparently known as Vinyl lowered her glasses to the edge of her snout to reveal her brilliant magenta eyes. “Our company? I was just chatting it up with the waiters over here. Unless…” Vinyl took off her glasses and facehooved. “You’re the ponies ‘Tavi was talking about! My bad!”

Octavia found her own hoof making contact with her forehead. “How could you possibly think they were waitresses?”

“Well when they came up to the table I thought they were either fans asking for autographs or they were coming to take our order, and since they weren’t wearing shirts with pictures of me on them, they had to be waitresses. We’re out of bread rolls, by the way.”

The grey earth pony sighed. “Well as long as we are here we might as well get acquainted. Rarity, this is-“

“Let me stop ya right there ‘Tavi,” Vinyl interrupted. “I do all my own introductions. The name is Scratch,” she flipped her glasses on to her face, “Vinyl Scratch.”

Rarity reluctantly reached out and shook her hoof. “It’s a pleasure, I think…” The elegant unicorn pulled out the pegasus from behind her. “And this is Fluttershy.”

Octavia attempted to greet her, “Hello Fluttershy, pleased to-“

“Hello Fluttershy!” Vinyl jumped up and yelled. The timid mare let out an “Eep!” before falling to the ground, frozen in shock.

“Oh I can tell this will be a fun night,” the gray mare said to herself. She proceeded to help Rarity lift Fluttershy off the floor.

“So, shall we take our seats or would you like to pretend we are waitresses a moment longer?” said a slightly annoyed Rarity.

“Yes… Please…” said Fluttershy quietly, hoping nopony would hear her.

The now frightened couple seated themselves opposite of Vinyl in their booth, as Octavia sat next to the obnoxious unicorn.

“Well Vinyl and I already know what we would like, as I’m sure she has made you aware. We’ll give you a minute while Vinyl tries to flag down a waiter for more bread rolls,” Octavia stated flatly.

Rarity and Fluttershy picked up their menus, hoping to actually enjoy a quiet evening. Unfortunately their wishes were not fulfilled as a familiar male voice broke the silence.

“What’s up table nineteen? How are you lovely mares doing tonight?”

Vinyl’s ears perked up. “Finally, we need another basket of bread roll-, Sergio! What’s up my stallion! What brings you here?” The DJ hopped up to give a hoof bump to her fellow musician.

“Oh not much. Just going to work, it’s my first day.”

“PLEASE tell me you’re a waiter!” the white mare was almost jumping up and down with excitement.

Sergio chuckled a bit, “As much as I love to chat with mares and find out their diets, no. I’m the musical entertainment tonight.”

Octavia’s eyes lit up. “You, of all ponies, are who they’ve selected to play here? I’ve been on the wait list for ages! No disrespect to your art form, of course.”

“What can I say, apparently I’m talented or something. Anyway, I need to be heading out. Oh, and Rarity,” he turned to the purple maned unicorn who had a yellow pegasus against her. “I see you listened to my advice, you still use your voice well.”

The tan stallion left Rarity with a wink, returning to the backstage area as she pondered his words.

“He seemed… nice,” Fluttershy said to Rarity. “How do you know him?”

“I’m not really sure I do know him, truly,” the unicorn replied.

A comfortable silence enveloped them as they continued to look over the pricey menus.

Strangely, Fluttershy was the next to speak up. “Rarity… these- these prices… they’re so expensive, are you sure we can afford it?”

“Fluttershy, darling, what is this ‘we’ business? I would never ask you to help pick up the tab in a restaurant such as this; I invited you, so I’ll cover it. I’m being paid a fair day’s wages anyhow.”

The pegasus spoke up again, apparently that assertiveness training paid off after all. “No, we’re both here together, so I insist to pay for half… I mean, if that’s okay with you…”

“Well I’ll tell you that it is not okay with me. I will pay for-“

“Excuse me ladies, I would hate to interrupt,” ironically interrupted a waiter who seemed to materialize out of thin air; Vinyl mouthed out a ‘finally’, “but your meals have already been paid for, courtesy of somepony who would identify himself as ‘a friend’.”

“Oh really?” inquired the white unicorn. “Well I must meet this mysterious benefactor.”

“Terribly sorry Miss, but he wishes to remain anonymous, he also wishes you a great night.”

“Hey Mr. Waiter Guy,” Vinyl said, catching his attention. “Bread rolls, table, now, I decide your tip.”

“Right away Miss,” stated the somewhat frightened waiter as he scurried off.

Octavia turned to her partner with a stern look on her face. “Vinyl, must you always embarrass us, and more importantly me, on every public outing?”

The carefree pony’s response was a burp then a smile. “Don’t pretend you don’t like it.”

The stern mare couldn’t help but blush at the strange charm of the unicorn; at how she did, in fact, like it. Vinyl picked up on this as she threw her left hoof around her marefriend’s neck and nuzzled her. Fluttershy felt herself shrink back in her seat as she watched the display of affection, unsure of what to do. Her own partner on the other hoof seemed perfectly fine with the other couple. That or just ignorant as she continued to look over the menu.

Trying to break through her own awkward barrier, Fluttershy turned to her own partner. “R- Rarity, what are you going to order?”

“I’m going to start out with a salad, and I was thinking I would order us some spaghetti for two. How does that sound to you?” Rarity couldn’t stand the thought of trying to eat hay fries again.

“That sounds wonderful, thank you,” the pegasus smiled. “Um, thank you for inviting me here again Rarity… That was very nice of you.”

“Trust me, Fluttershy, there is no pony in Equestria I’d rather have by my side,” Rarity reassured, “I’m only glad you decided to come, despite what you believe others to perceive you as.”

Although that last statement was to be reassuring, it only seemed to heighten the yellow mare’s anxiety. If a waiter hadn’t come to the table right then, she may have thrown herself into a nervous fit.

The waiter turned to Vinyl. “Your bread roles ma’am.”

“Took you long enough, I’m not hungry anymore…” The statement cut like a knife as the assertive unicorn closed her eyes and turned her body with her fore hooves folded. Barely a moment passed before she opened an eye and gazed upon the delectable treats. “Fine, you win,” she said as she started to scarf down the baked loaves.

Octavia restrained a sigh as she turned back to the waiter. “Please, ignore her. Anyhow, I believe we are all ready to order.” She received a nod from Rarity.

“Yes, we would just like two salads and the spaghetti for two,” the unicorn stated as precisely as she could.

The waiter turned back to Octavia. “And for you Miss?”

“I’ll just have a salad; I’m sure Vinyl will let me grab anything off of her plate.”

The unicorn waiter nodded, somewhat expecting that to be the answer.

“Fine, for you Miss… Vinyl?” the stallion stumbled over her name.

Scratch managed to make sounds that somewhat resembled “I’ll haf the dinnerf phlatter fer two.”

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”

Vinyl swallowed her mouth full of the complementary snack. “Gimme the dinner platter for two, extra sauce, extra seasoning, extra fast.”

The waiter was starting to get quite impatient with the mare’s attitude, but decided to tolerate it one last time. “Will that be all, or would you like me to dance for you too?”

Before her marefriend could make another sly remark, Octavia cut in. “No, actually. We would also like a bottle of your specialty chardonnay for the four of us please.”

He let out a breath, happy to be treated with respect. “I will have it right out for you lovely ladies, please enjoy your evening.”

As the waiter left, an irritated Octavia turned to face an overbearing unicorn.

“What? I’ll tip him well… Maybe.”

The gray mare let out another sigh. “Oh Vinyl, I still wonder why I tolerate you.”

On queue the unicorn gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “That’s why.”

Their moment was interrupted by the sound of instruments being tuned. A small, well dressed group took the stage, consisting of a bassist, a drummer, a keyboardist, and a young mare on the saxophone and vocals. The bassist immediately started laying down a smooth jazz line, and was soon accompanied by the keyboards and drums. The frontmare began to sing a familiar tune, adapted for the jazz rhythm.

“I used to wonder what friendship could be…”

Hearing the lyrics, Rarity stood up out of her booth and extended her hoof to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy… May I have this dance?”

The pegasus squeaked, surprised by the sudden offer. She knew she’d be dancing with Rarity tonight, but didn’t expect it to be so soon.

“Oh… are you sure? I’m not a good dancer… We couldn’t leave Octavia and Vinyl here…”

Rarity looked to Octavia, who had Vinyl leaning on her shoulder, to be given an encouraging nod to proceed.

Fluttershy’s hoof was received by Rarity’s as the nervous mare was led to the side of the expanse of the room, which was already being filled with couples. There was quite a variety of pairings on the floor, which really showed how accepting a place Equestria was to live in.

The unicorn found the pegasus nervously putting her weight on her, partially hiding behind her purple mane.

“There’s no need to be scared Fluttershy, you’re here with me right now, and that’s all that matters.”

Rarity arched her neck around the winged mare’s, swaying along with the rhythmic music. Fluttershy was still nervous, but slowly began to feel herself relaxing in the mare’s embrace. Time seemed to slow for the two ponies as they enjoyed each other’s company. Rarity slowly felt her partner begin to get into the music as well. Soon they were equally pushing and pulling on each other, lost in the bliss of the moment, each loving the warmth of the other’s body. The unicorn brought her head back down, bringing it next to Fluttershy’s.

“Fluttershy, I’m so happy you decided to come out here. It means so much to me to be here with a beauty as you.”

“Oh Rarity, I just don’t know what to say. I’m honored to be here with you. There’s nopony I’d rather be with.”

The couple carried on with their dance until the song adaptation ended on a bittersweet note.

“Don’t you know you’re all my very best friends~”

The singer lingered on the last word as the rest of the band built up into a loud and beautiful crescendo, leaving all the ponies in the restaurant in applause, stomping their hooves on the floor. The singer got out a “Thank you very much” despite the roar of the crowd.

Rarity turned back to Fluttershy. “Well, shall we return to our seats? I’m sure Vinyl will absolutely love to have us back there,” she uttered sarcastically.

“Oh… Okay,” Fluttershy let out, now more scared of interacting with Vinyl than the dance floor.

They returned to their table to find Octavia putting her hooves together, shouting bravo for the two ponies’ first dance. The DJ still was hanging off of her with a look that seemed to say “I’m hungry” and “I’m satisfied” at the same time. More smooth music echoed through the room as the band played another song, giving their singer a break and letting ponies return to their seats.

“That was quite the performance you two, congratulations,” Octavia fed them as they assumed their positions.

“Thank you very much,” said Fluttershy surprisingly. The public dance had given her a new confidence, for now at least.

“Well unfortunately, much to Vinyl’s distress, our food has yet to arrive.”

The unicorn jerked up from her blissful daze. “Huh? What’s this about my favorite subject?”

“Food or yourself?” Octavia questioned.

Without thought the mare replied, “Yes,” drawing a giggle from Rarity.

Vinyl let herself slump back into the booth, letting her annoyance at her lack of food being known.

“Why don’t you eat another one of your oh so coveted bread rolls?” Octavia stated, motioning to the half full basket.

“I want food! Not wheat with air in between!”

Octavia laughed a very loud laugh. Although she can be nearly intolerable at times, she really was fond of Vinyl. They let another near silence enclose them as they waited for their food and the music continued to play.

“I thought Sergio was the entertainment tonight,” Rarity said, making a quick observation.

Octavia replied, “I thought so too, and he’s not one to lie. I guess they are saving the best for last.”

The unicorn nodded as silence returned to envelop them for another short moment.

Rarity broke the barrier, suddenly remembering a detail. “Octavia! We must discuss your dress! Terribly sorry, I forgot that’s the reason you called me here in the first place.”

“That’s right! Oh that’s my fault, you two just looked so happy out there, I didn’t want to ruin it,” the gray mare stated, quickly making up an excuse for her forgetfulness. “Please, what did you have in mind?”

“Well, I was thinking we could go with an elegant gala style design wit-“

The fashion pony was interrupted by a loud coughing.

“Vinyl!” Octavia shouted, turning to her marefriend.

“Huh, what? Oh, don’t mind me, please, carry on.”

Rarity gave her a quick passing glance. “As I was saying, we would like your design to flow with your body, so-“

Vinyl began to cough loudly again, adding some hacks and very disgusting sounds too add to the effect.

“Maybe we should continue this conversation elsewhere? Before we kill Vinyl because of her lung flare ups, of course.”

“Ah, yes. Lead the way, if you will,” Rarity replied, getting up out of her seat and following Octavia to the mare’s bathroom.

Once inside and completely positive she was out of earshot, Rarity inquired “How can you stand that mare? She’s been acting quite rude all evening.”

“Vinyl… Vinyl is something special. We have more in common than you might think; I owe some of my career to her.”

“Really?” the unicorn said, wanting to pick up on some gossip. “Do tell.”

Octavia sighed, “Well, that is a story for another time I’m afraid. Anyway, please tell me about this dress.”

Rarity took a deep breath and began to weave in the mare’s mind an elaborate and beautiful image of a dress that would leave any pony seething with jealously if they were to lay eyes on it.

Meanwhile back at the table, a young mare was spinning massive tales of big shows and performances, complete with a vivid description of the lights and the bass.

“… so that was when I jumped on the stage and yelled ‘Hello Canterlot! Are you ready to rock!?’ Heh, good times.”

Fluttershy shrunk back into her seat. “Oh my… That’s… nice.”

“Oh yeah, it’s basically been a party every night of my life for me. Well, that is until I met ‘Tavi.” She threw a roll in the air and caught it in her mouth. “Anyway, enough about me talking about me, I want to hear you talk about me. Just kidding, so what do you do, Flyshy?”

The pegasus grimaced at her newly dubbed nickname as she prepared her story, one that couldn’t compare to the excitement of Vinyl’s life.

“I… I care for the animals in Ponyville…”

“Oh, interesting. Sounds… smelly. You ever see a manticore? I once defeated one because he couldn’t take the bass.”

“Yes- I mean no, wait, yes. I’ve seen a manticore before.” Fluttershy was unsure of how to respond as she didn’t want to sound vain to the boastful pony.

“Say, has anypony ever told you that you’re really shy? Well, I guess that’s your name ‘Shy. How’d you end up with a big shot pony like Rarity?”

“I- I got lucky I guess, we’ve only been together for a few days…”

“Get out! It took weeks for Octavia to even admit we were in a relationship, let alone go out dancing in front of everypony. You’re pretty tough.”

Fluttershy smiled at the compliment. She had been called many things in the past, but it was the first time anypony had called her tough. Her smile quickly faded as a question came to her mind.

“Vinyl, how do you keep Octavia so… happy? Despite yourself.” She immediately shrunk back with an “I’m sorry,” as she realized what she said could be taken as an insult.

“You mean besides being the hot mamma-jamma I am?” The DJ gave a smile at her joking vanity. “Octavia will never admit this, but I’m hilarious. It’s true, I make her laugh so much that she never wants to leave. That, or that she owes her music career to me.” Vinyl noticed the confused look on the other mare’s face. “It’s a long story, tell you when I know you better.” Fluttershy nodded.

“Keep track of that Rarity, you don’t want to lose her, she’s a nice one. My advice? Do something unexpected, really sweep her off her hooves. Pour on some o’ ‘dat pegasus charm I hear about. I’m sure in no time her heart will be in your saddlebags, just you wait.” Vinyl shot her a massive reassuring smile as the yellow pony could feel herself relaxing. ‘Maybe this DJ isn’t a bad pony after all,’ she thought to herself.

“Anyway Flyshy, here come the mares in question right now.” She turned to see their counterparts. “Welcome back from happy dress land!”

Octavia was the first to address her. “I assume you two found something to talk about in our absence.”

“Oh yeah, I was telling ‘Shy all about that one time I dropped the bass so hard it made your heart go ‘BBWWWAAAAAA’.”

The gray mare laughed at Vinyl’s falsified story while Rarity expressed her sympathy for Fluttershy. “I’m terribly sorry I had to leave you with her. I completely forgot what I was getting you into.”

“Oh, it’s no problem Rarity, really. I had a nice chat.”

Rarity was surprised the timid pegasus even opened her mouth to the unicorn, but decided not to comment on it. All that mattered to her was that Fluttershy was alright, which made her smile. “Good, very good.” It was nice to see her marefriend come out of her shell a bit, especially with a pony like Vinyl.

No sooner had she said that than the waiter levitating a chilled bottle of wine came by. He placed it efficiently on the table along with the glasses, quickly saying “Your chardonnay,” before leaving immediately, not wanting to talk to Vinyl.

Rarity was surprised by the tardiness. “How long does it take to simply bring out a bottle?”

Vinyl smirked. “Well obviously long enough.” She quickly and sloppily levitated the bottle, pouring everypony a glass.

Fluttershy sniffed it, then turned to Rarity. “Um, Rarity? I’ve never had anything like this before.”

“Oh don’t worry about it dear, you don’t have to drink it if you don’t want to.”

The timid pony looked at it again and then took an experimental sip. She immediately coughed, not expecting that kind of taste, as she had been drinking water her entire life. The words “Excuse me,” escaped her lips. On the other side of the table, Vinyl found herself in a fit of laughter. She’d never seen anything like it, a scared little pegasus taking a sip of wine, and then apologizing after she does so. The DJ couldn’t contain herself. Octavia found herself giggling as well, not from Fluttershy but from Vinyl’s reaction.

Rarity wrapped a comforting hoof around her. “You know, you’re really adorable, has anypony ever told you that?”

Fluttershy was taken off guard by the statement. “Oh, I’m adorable? I’m sorry…”

It was now Rarity’s turn to laugh. The moment was just too good for her. Their laughter would have continued if it wasn’t for one of Vinyl’s outbursts.

“Food ahoy!” She pointed her hoof to their waiter levitating several plates, two of which being of substantial size. He placed the platters in front of the mares, putting the salads in front of those who ordered them.

“Octavia…” Vinyl said with a somber tone in her voice as she eyed her platter for two. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to eat all this…”

The lights in the room dimmed as the night went on; everypony’s plate was empty, except for, of course, Vinyl’s. As well, their bottle of chardonnay was devoid of any sort of liquid, surprisingly with Fluttershy drinking quite a bit. For a dry pegasus.
A lone, dressy colt took the stage and trotted up to the microphone. “Mares and Gentlecolts, may I present to you our final entertainment, Mr. Sergio Staccato.”

Applause echoed through the restaurant-turned-theater as the tall, underdressed stallion took the stage, a guitar clutched in his hooves. He took his seat and his voice resonated through the microphone. “Thank you all for coming out here tonight, this song goes out to anypony who has lost… or found somepony.” He smiled at those last words.

The guitar was positioned into his hooves as he began to play a melody, showing the skill it takes to play in that manner. He looked up into the mic and began to sing:

“For one thousand years I waited here for you
Waited every night
For I thought you were the
Answer to my life…”

During his song, Rarity reached out to Fluttershy once more. “May I have another dance?”

Without hesitation, Fluttershy led her strait to the floor, this time dominating the middle of the space, as opposed to the side like they did earlier. The pair looked over to find Vinyl and Octavia doing the same.

“Luna won’t you cry for me?
I’m as lonely as I’ll ever be
I am forced back into the start
Is there any way to fix a broken heart?”

They swayed along together in perfect sync as the beautiful lyrics and somber melody resonated. Fluttershy found herself humming along to the music, even though she didn’t know the words. She could feel Rarity’s warm breath upon her as they swam through the music in harmony. Her right wing extended and draped itself over the beautiful pony. All thoughts within her seemed to come to a standstill as she was flooded with emotion. Tears welled up in her eyes as she felt she was brought to new life. This is where she was meant to be. This was her purpose.

Rarity leaned over and nuzzled the now openly crying mare. She felt a certain happiness flowing through her; she felt the warmth and security that her partner’s wing brought, but she also felt something more. Something painful, but desirable as well. The unicorn herself began to cry as feelings overcame her; she felt that this was much too good for her, she didn’t deserve this wonderful pegasus.

“Is there any way to fix a broken heart?”

The beautiful song ended too soon as Sergio left the stage as quickly as he arrived, saying a quick “Thank you” to his audience. The entire crowd erupted in applause at the moving performance. Hooves hitting the ground echoed for a few minutes before they died down, when they saw that no stallion or mare had come to replace Sergio upon the stage, they realized it was time to go.

Ponyville’s couple returned to their table to say their goodbyes to Octavia and Vinyl Scratch, each wishing each other the best of wishes before departing. One thing that Fluttershy did notice, however, was a rather substantial tip that Vinyl had left.
The pair found themselves walking the streets of Canterlot, the pink maned mare leaning up against her counterpart for balance. Taking a cab back home would give them an arrival time of about four in the morning, so they had no time to waste. The ponies called the nearest taxi to ferry them back to Ponyville.

Fluttershy stumbled out of the cab, slightly disoriented from the long night. She found herself tipping over, only to be caught by none other than Rarity. The winged mare let her partner carry most of her weight back to Carousel Boutique, not that she had a problem with it, of course. The door was opened quickly by the unicorn’s magic as she allowed the two ponies inside, turning on the lights.

It took some effort, but Rarity managed to get the dizzy pegasus up the stairs, thinking it inadvisable for her to fly in her current state. They eventually made it to the master bedroom, Rarity letting the other exhausted pony fall down on her bed. The unicorn herself was about to crawl in and turn out the lights before the beautiful silence was broken.

“Rarity…” Fluttershy spoke up, letting her confidence truly show. “I- I love you.”

At that statement Fluttershy felt her eyes get heavy, having her last memory being Rarity’s lips interlocking with hers before a deep slumber overtook her, reality becoming indistinguishable from dream.

Kindness and Generosity Go Hoof In Hoof

Rays of light pierced the curtains, brilliantly illuminating the extravagant décor of Rarity’s bedroom. What was an ordinary bedspread suddenly became a beautiful work of art, hoof stitched by the host, of course. Fluttershy ran her hoof along the blanket, admiring the handiwork. She didn’t remember how she got there, but she didn’t want to leave either; all she knew was that she felt safe here. The pegasus’ eyes opened more, allowing the beaming light to flow into her pupils, awakening her mind.

Memories started flooding back to her like a rushing river. Waves crashed against the edges of consciousness as her eyes shot open, allowing her full view of her situation. The dinner, the dancing, the laughing, the words… Those words…

“I love you”

She cringed at the gravity those three simple vocalizations carried; never had she planned to utter them, but then again never had she planned to wake up in Rarity’s bed this morning. The mare began to question why she was in her bed in the first place, the memories of the night faded after her words, possibly because she drifted into slumber.

The blanket quietly shifted as she adjusted herself to take a look around the room and gather her bearings. She searched in front of her to find the door to Rarity’s closet, and scanned further to find a mirror. It wasn’t the mirror that intrigued her, but the pony inside it; that pony making it the most beautiful mirror she’s ever seen. Her vision blurred as the physical form of Rarity materialized in her vision. The fashion pony was prepping herself for a day of work, brushing her coat and mane.

Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out, only a silent breath. The yellow mare found herself transfixed by the beauty of her partner, her eyes again being drawn to her cutie mark, a triangular arrangement of diamonds, so brilliantly complementing her smooth white coat. She felt ashamed for letting her eyes be glued to Rarity’s flanks again, but she couldn’t break away from her stare.

“Fluttershy, glad to see you’ve returned to the land of the living, I see you’re enjoying yourself.”

Blood rushed to her face for another time as the peeping pegasus realized she had been caught. Again. This time was different though, she had confidence, maybe she wasn’t overflowing with it, but she had it nonetheless.

“Good morning, Rarity, what time is it?”

“It couldn’t be later than eight; I’m surprised you’re up so early, you had quite a night last night.”

Fluttershy raised her eyebrow at what the mare could be implying, but was reassured by Rarity.

“That dinner really wore you out.”

A sudden thought entered the timid pegasus’ mind. “Rarity… did we… did we sleep in the same bed last night?”

Rarity was surprised, but at the same time had expected this question to come. “No dear, I slept on the couch and left you
alone here, you were really out.”

“Oh, okay,” came Fluttershy’s reply. She knew that the unicorn wouldn’t do anything malicious; she just wanted to know some of the technical information.

“Anyway darling, I must get to work on Octavia’s dress. There’s a nice breakfast for you downstairs if you would like to partake of it. I’ll be in my workshop if you need me.”

The pink maned mare nodded as Rarity departed, leaving her eyes wandering beautifully designed room in full light. She noticed her gown from dinner hanging upon a mannequin, which she found to be strange. Her eyes continued to wander until the came upon the space next to her. The blanked upon it was sagging a bit, and she uncovered it to reveal a warm pony sized impression in the bed. A realization crashed down upon her; Rarity lied. It was completely understandable, considering the circumstances but she wasn’t being truthful nonetheless.

“I need to ask Rarity about this,” she muttered to herself. “Um, if that’s okay with her.”
She would have continued to ponder her next course of action if she wasn’t interrupted by a low rumbling. That breakfast Rarity had prepared sure sounded good right now. The aroma lifted her body out of the bed as she clumsily stumbled down the stairs. The kind pony was greeted with the sight of a mountain of pancakes, but it wasn’t the pancakes that stunned
Fluttershy, it was the presentation. The unicorn put a lot of effort into this simple breakfast; just for one young mare.

As much as she didn’t want to, the yellow mare found herself taking a seat and scarfing down the pretty breakfast, not letting manners impede her gorging. She soon found herself staring at a plate of crumbs. A quiet burp escaped her lips as she started giggling at her situation, not that it was funny, but because it was absurd. Here she was, chowing down on an amazing breakfast in the home of the mare of her dreams, and she was worried about where she slept.

It was during her fit of laughter that another thought entered her mind: she hasn’t seen her friends since her and Rarity became a couple, they must be worried. That notion bounced around in her head for a while as she thought about what her friends would think about their relationship. She questioned if they would be accepting, she and her partner being both mares. This was something she needed to ask Rarity about, she would know what to do.

Inspiration suddenly struck with an “Aha!” Vinyl said that she should do something unexpected, and what would be more unexpected for Rarity than her making such a bold request of her? ‘Brilliant,’ she thought to herself.

Fluttershy returned to the stairs and began the slow climb up them as she still found herself to be tired from the events of
the previous night. She found her mare toiling away at some fabric.

The pegasus decided to start off with a general comment before asking the difficult question. “Rarity, that breakfast was delicious.”

The unicorn stayed hard at work for a moment before responding, “Oh, well thank you. Just something I thought I’d do for a wonderful pony such as youself.”

Fluttersy blushed. “Well thank you very much.”

Rarity let her tools continue to slave away as she turned her head to the yellow pony. “So what would you like to do today?”

The pegasus froze. “Actually… I was wondering if we could do something really important to me… If that’s okay with you.”

“Of course dear, what is it?”

“I- I want to tell our friends about… us.”

The unicorn released her work from her magical grip. The thought hadn’t yet crossed her mind that she had forsaken spending time with her other friends for the past few days. “My… That is quite important. I wouldn’t expect one such as yourself to think about that, we really need to take that into consideration.”

Fluttershy smiled, that crazy blue maned unicorn actually knew what she was talking about. “Should we… should we tell them individually?” For obvious reasons she didn’t like the idea of being surrounded by four other ponies bombarding her and Rarity with questions.

“I’m not so sure that would be the best of actions, Fluttershy. Telling them one by one could have its own problems. No, we should break the news to them all at once, that way we won’t have any communication errors.”

The confidence Vinyl had given Fluttershy was suddenly lost as her voice quieted and she looked down at the ground.

“Oh… Okay, whatever you think is best, Rarity.”

The more up front of the two put her arm around her partner. “Now you don’t worry about a thing, I’ll make sure it’s nice and clear what our intentions are, they will be perfectly fine with us.”

“If you say so… I’m- I’m just a little worried, that’s all.”

“Well worrying doesn’t get us anywhere, now does it? Let’s get going, we have no time to waste. We’ll ask Twilight if we can all meet in her home, it being the largest.”

Fluttershy nodded as the unicorn began to lead her out of her boutique, remaining close by her side. The couple trotted down the path to the Ponyville library when a somewhat practiced speech resurrected itself in Fluttershy’s mind.

“Rarity… did we… do anything last night?”

The fashion pony was visibly shocked by the question; she thought she had already cleared that up. “Well of course not, I thought I already told you; you slept in my bed and I slept on the couch.”

“But you didn’t!” came Fluttershy’s rebuttal, her voice picking up. “I saw the imprint of your body where you slept!”

Rarity didn’t expect this kind of accusation from anypony, and definitely not this particular pegasus. She hung her head low as she replied “Look, I… I felt safe next to you. It just seemed like the right place to be last night, and I’d never want to confine myself to that uncomfortable couch. I would have asked you, but you were sound asleep. I’m sorry.

“To answer your question, no; we just went straight to bed, understandably so. You and I were both exhausted. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have lied.”

Fluttershy pondered Rarity’s response for a moment before a wave of embarrassment flooded her. “I’m sorry I raised my voice, I should have trusted you. I’m… I’m just new to this… this whole um, love, thing.” She stumbled over the word. Love; such power within such a simple word.

The unicorn looked over to her partner as they approached Twilight’s doorstep. “That’s all behind us now; it’s time to move forward.” She lifted her hoof to knock before the door swung open revealing a studious purple unicorn with saddlebags full of books.

“Oh, hi girls. I haven’t seen you to in a while. I was just about to leave to drop some books off at Rainbow’s, do you need anything?”

Fluttershy turned, wanting to quickly flee. “Oh, if you’re busy that’s finemaybeanothertime.” She sqeaked as Rarity caught her and held her back.

“Fluttershy and I were wondering if we could all gather in the library. We have something important to tell you all.”

Twilight’s face contorted into in obviously confused yet intrigued expression. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing’s wrong dear, we just have a big announcement and we want everypony to be there when we tell you all.”

“Oh, alright, I’ll let Rainbow know when I go and see her. I guess I’ll see you two here later.”

The couple was somewhat surprised at Twilight’s willingness, but she seemed preoccupied with other matters. ‘Probably stayed up too late studying’ both ponies thought to themselves.

Rarity and Fluttershy proceeded to leave the library to round up Applejack and Pinkie Pie, trying not to let their anxiety get the better of them.

The unicorn and pegasus waited patiently in the library for their invited friends to arrive as the midday sun glared over Ponyville. The tension started to build, especially for Flutteshy, as all the possibly scenarios ran through their brains. What if they weren’t accepting of them? Or worse, what if they were flat out against their relationship? Despite its variety of couples, Equestria still had splatterings of bigotry, not to say that any of their friends wouldn’t accept them, of course.

Applejack was the first to enter, uttering a “Howdy” as she plopped down on the couch. Minutes later she was followed by Twilight and Rainbow Dash, the latter looking somewhat enlightened by the conversation they must have had. Twilight was the first to speak.

“Alright, looks like everypony’s here, except… Where’s Pinkie Pie? I thought you two invited her.”

Rainbow Dash spoke up as well. “Yeah, where is that pony? I have some awesome reading- I mean napping- to do.”

The couch started giggling as a pink flash jumped out from behind it. “HERE I AM DASHIE!”

“Oh Celestia!” Dash stumbled back and fell onto her rear as the pink pony rolled on the floor on a fit of laughter.

“Oh I got you good that time. You should have seen your face! I was all ‘Here I am!’ and you were all ‘AHH!’ and then I fell
over laughing which made me laugh even more and now we’re talking about it and we’re up to date on the times.”

“Pinkie, how long have you been back there?” Twilight asked, legitimately concerned.

“Oh Twilight you silly filly, I just got here,” she replied with a smile.

It was Applejack’s turn to speak up; she turned to Rarity and Fluttershy with a supportive tone in her voice. “Alright sugarcubes, you wanted to tell us something?”

The yellow mare held her breath as her marefriend began to speak.

“Fluttershy and I… We’re…” she found herself moving closer to her. “I am dating Fluttershy; we are together.”

Gasps of shock resonated through the room as each pony began forming assumptions and developing questions.

Being the one who asked, Applejack felt that it was her duty to reply. “That’s great to hear, you two. Ah’m really proud of you.” She walked up and gave the couple a quick hug, allowing the others to speak.

Pinkie Pie looked as if she was about to explode. “I KNEW IT! Well, I didn’t really know it because I couldn’t have known it because you two were off together but I knew something like this had to happen! Because Rarity is sooo pretty and Fluttershy is sooo nice BLAM! Perfect pairing! I should throw you a party! Better yet, multiple parties! At least three! I could take out my new DJ PON-3 album and we could jam! I’m so happy for you! Well, I was happy before but now I’m like a supercharged bundle of happiness!” Pinkie extended both her forehooves in a feat that didn’t seem possible and drew the couple into a crushing hug.

“Th- Thanks Pinkie Pie…” Rarity breathed, gasping for air. The party pony released them and allowed oxygen to return to their lungs. She stepped back with a large smile and let another pony give her thoughts. The pony that task fell to was Rainbow.

What looked like a forced smile streaked across her face; the couple could tell she was happy for them, but couldn’t pinpoint what her true feelings on the matter were. She embraced the two ponies in a hug. With a sniffle and a grin she said in a shaky voice, “I’m so happy for you two. I just know you’ll be happy together.” A tear began to roll down her face she spoke.

‘What has gotten into Rainbow?’ Rarity thought as she wrapped her hooves around her cyan friend. She was going to inquire about it, but her marefriend beat her to it.

“Dash… What’s wrong?”

Rainbow took a step back as she wiped her face with a hoof and regained her composure. “Pfft, oh nothing. It’s just uh, some sappy book Twilight’s making me read. Isn’t that right, Twilight?” She looked over to her studious friend.

The unicorn obviously wasn’t very practiced in lying. “Oh, yes. Those, um, romance stories can really hit your soft spot.” She shook her head slightly as she walked up to her friends and embraced them each one at a time. “This is a nice surprise, I’m glad you two are happy together.” Her tone was a little more stern than they expected, but not thoroughly rigid. Everypony’s reaction was better than what Fluttershy had anticipated; she assumed they would all shut her out, or worse yet, call her a fillyfooler.

A silence didn’t have time to settle as Pinkie took a deep breath and started bouncing up and down in place. “So how about we get this party started!” She ran over and kicked a record player, putting the disc in place as it began to play an upbeat
tune.

Twilight used her magic to take the needle off the record, seeing Fluttershy curled up against Rarity. “That’s nice and all, Pinkie, but I don’t think they are in the mood to party” This was a nice gesture, but it was apparent the unicorn had other matters on her mind.

Rarity silently thanked Celestia for her intervention. “Yes Pinkie, not that we don’t absolutely love your parties, but we have our own matters that we need to attend to.”

Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared inches from Rarity’s muzzle, giving her an intense stare before her face sprang back to its usual cheerfulness with an “Okie dokie lokie!” leaving the unicorn to release her held breath.
Wanting to avoid another confrontation and seeing the unicorn’s discomfort, Fluttershy spoke up. “I, um, really need to get back to my animals.”

Her partner stood up, seeing this as a definite escape. “That’s right! We must see to it at once!” She grabbed the winged mare and led her out the door, all in fear of upsetting Pinkie Pie by rejecting another one of her parties, because she knew what happened the last time Pinkie was upset.

One by one the other ponies followed, leaving Rainbow to say a couple of quick words to Twilight and receive a hug from her before departing herself. The room became quiet before Spike half fell, half ran down the stairs, a little bit late.
“Did I hear Rarity’s voice? Was she here?” The young dragon was almost floating at the thought of the elegant mare drawing a giggle from Twilight.

“Oh Spike, maybe one day you’ll understand.”

“Understand what, Twilight?”

The unicorn shook her head, her mane waving back and forth. “Nothing. Come on, let’s go get some lunch.”

Angel tackled Fluttershy in what would have been a cheerful hug if he hadn’t pulled her to the floor, standing on her chest and tapping his foot impatiently. He pointed to the calendar and the clock, emphasizing what the problem was.

“I’m sorry Angel, I’ve just been so busy.”

The irate bunny expressed his displeasure by jumping up and down quickly.

“I know you want me to spend more time with you, but I’m not sure if I can as much as I used to.”

The bunny would hear none of it. He enclosed one of his hands into a fist and brought it to his other palm in a mock punch. It was at this point that Rarity decided to intervene, using her magic to drag the bunny off of his owner. She gently let him down to the ground as he continued to pout, powerless against the magic of a unicorn. Rarity then got to the ground and lifted Fluttershy off the ground, receiving a breathed “Thank you”.

“Fluttershy, darling, you really must not let yourself be walked upon by that rabbit. Literally!”

“I know, I know. It’s just that somepony needs to take care of him, he does no good all by his lonesome.” It saddened the pegasus to think about Angel scared, alone and hungry. This was reflected in her expression, which Rarity picked up on.

“Don’t worry too much about him, I’m sure he does quite fine on his own for short periods of time.” She motioned to the gluttonous bunny laying in a pile of carrots that he harvested himself.

Fluttershy let out a near silent “Oh…”

“Now come, let’s feed these animals like we came here to do.” Normally Rarity wouldn’t trouble herself with tasks such as this, but this was for a very special somepony.

While Rarity herself wasn’t necessarily useful, her magic definitely was. It made tasks that would normally take Fluttershy a sizable amount of minutes mere seconds. She used that magical horn of hers to quickly change out various animal’s water, food and pick up some of their messes, all keeping herself well away from the filth, of course. Why Fluttershy was so fascinated with these creatures was unknown to her, but none the less it’s what she liked doing, and that was enough to
justify getting a little dirty. Even if it did ruffle her mane a tad.

Her pegasus partner was absolutely delighted to see how much help Rarity was being. Seeing the unicorn do something was so unlike her, so… generous. Fluttershy thought about it for a moment, why wouldn’t Rarity help her? Giving her time and resources to other ponies was her element after all. She soon entered a what-can-I-do-for-her mentality, wondering how she could help her marefriend.

“Well…” she said to herself as she floated, cleaning a bird’s cage, “I do know a lot about dresses.” An imaginary light bulb flickered above her head as a thought entered her brain. “I’ll help her with Octavia’s dress!” she exclaimed in what felt like a yell, but in reality was a quiet chirp. The now exited pegasus landed on the ground and finished up the last chores before returning to Rarity, too happy with herself to care what Angel thinks.

Night began to fall upon Equestria as the pair entered Carousel Boutique. The trip had taken longer than either of them had anticipated due to their large amount of talking, well, mainly Rarity talking, and multiple detours to look at Ponyville’s more beautiful locations. It was when they had entered Rarity’s workshop that Fluttershy asked how she could help.

The fashionista gave it some thought before considering all that her pegasus friend, no, more than friend, could be useful for besides company. The reality was that her magic made her more than capable of doing quick work on her own, but she could tell by the look on her partner’s face that she really wanted to help.

“Let’s see, if you could bring me the fabric from that drawer and lay it out for me that would be spectacular.”
Any other pony would have been distraught at such a menial job to be given, but Fluttershy was happy that there was anything at all for her to do. She set out on her task, delicately setting out the material with enviable precision, determined to make Rarity happy.

The unicorn took note of the quiet mare’s insistence on laying out the fabric in such a precise manner, she was reminded of her “freaky knowledge of dresses”.

“Fluttershy,” she said, making a split decision. “Would you… would you like to sew for me?”

The pony hopped into the air, elated by the idea of helping even more. “Of course! I mean, only if you’d want me to…”

Rarity smiled and giggled, the pegasus’ politeness was sometimes too much for her. She led her marefriend to the machine, placing her earthly yellow hooves upon it. The fashion pony placed her own on them, enjoying her close proximity to the beautiful mare. Minutes went by as the worked on the fabric in unison, Rarity leading her in a working dance, each leaning back and forth into each other. They worked well into the night before a question rolled out from Fluttershy’s lips.

“Rarity… What are we?”

“What do you mean dear?”

Fluttershy removed her hooves from the machine and sat down in a nearby corner of the room. She gulped as she continued her sudden inquiry. “What do I mean to you? Where are we going?”

Rarity saw the shine of a turn in her blue eyes and walked over to her, tightly squeezing her. “You are…” she took a moment ponder her next word. “Everything.”

Tears began to stream down her face at her beautiful friend, but her crying was soon silenced by Rarity’s muzzle. She used her magic to arrange a pile of fabric for them to lie on before she broke the kiss. Luna’s brilliant moon gazed upon them
through the window as Rarity leaned in once more with a single word.

“Everything.”

Redemption

Yet another one of Ponyville’s brilliant mornings faded into the sky, overtaking the beautiful darkness of the night. The sun seemed to smile upon Carousel Boutique once more, shining through the windows in such a manner that made the elegant designs that much more beautiful. Without her usual sleeping mask upon her face, Rarity found the sunlight unbearable, awakening under the safety of her blankets.

‘Why am I in my bed?’ she wondered. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in a pile of cloth with her partner. She looked to her right, mirroring Fluttershy’s actions of the previous night, to see a similar pony sized impression in the mattress. Either she had lifted them both to the bed, or the weak pegasus carried her, the former being the most likely option. Proceeding to continue to copy her, she looked up half expecting to see her mare fixing herself up in the mirror; it was her turn to stare at her flanks, after all. To the unicorn’s disappointment, all she was met with was the view of an empty room.

Overcoming the desire to stay in the comfort of her bed, she grudgingly lifted herself up from her bed, preparing to search for Fluttershy. Giving herself a quick check in the mirror and a brush, she cantered down the stairs, passing a glance at her workshop to see the makings of a brilliant purple, pink and grey dress seated upon a mannequin. She smiled, Fluttershy really was a big help; despite Rarity’s expertise, she could always use the view of an outside pony.

A simple, earthy aroma dispersed from the kitchen, caressing the fashion pony’s nostrils as she followed the scent to its source. It was there she found a yellow mare frantically adjusting the arrangement of a sandwich, desiring it to be of the perfect shape. Rarity laughed somewhat loudly, breaking the pegasus’ concentration and causing her to jump in the air. When she had returned from her orbit, she looked at the ground, desiring the white unicorn in front of her to speak first.

“Well I see you’ve been quite busy,” the fairer of the two said as she trotted towards her partner, wrapping her hooves around her in a loving hug.

“I… I thought you’d like something to eat, so I made you what I could. I’m sorry it isn’t great, Rarity.”

“You will be sorry for nothing of the sort, darling. This is so nice of you, there’s no reason you should feel the need to do something like this.”

“But I do, you’ve done so much for me, I need to give back to you, I only wish I could give more.”

Rarity smiled. “You can help me by helping yourself, have you eaten already?”

“No…” Fluttershy found her gaze falling; she knew that there was no way her marefriend would let her make her a meal without first feeding herself.

Without hesitation the unicorn levitated a knife from a nearby drawer, quickly slicing the sandwich in two, giving a half to Fluttershy. “You must eat, dear. Don’t worry about me when you yourself are starving.”

A smile crossed the pegasus’ face. It was things that Rarity did like this that really allowed her element of generosity to shine through. She hungrily began to feast upon the sandwich, not realizing how truly hungry she was; the excitement of the previous day had really taken it out of her. Taken note of who she was eating in front of, she began to slow down with a quiet
“Excuse me.”

“Well, my dear Fluttershy, what would you like to do today?”

She swallowed a large bite as she pondered the question. In all honesty there was nothing she could think of that she hadn’t already been done, her needs are met, as long as she is with Rarity, of course.

“I just want to spend the day with you.”

The unicorn moved closer to her. “I think that can be arranged.”

Their meals finished and their need for breakfast satisfied, Rarity took a look over her to do list. “Well I have to walk into town to pick up some supplies, and you certainly are welcome to come. I could use your keen eyes for detail, actually.”
Fluttershy still wasn’t used to being asked to actually go places; she always thought it was like she wasn’t there at all. This
felt like a nice change for her.

“Of course. I’d love to, Rarity. Just, um…” she thought about the last time she went shopping with her. “Please don’t leave me alone again.”

“Don’t worry about that in the slightest, dear.” Rarity grinned; roaming the town with her best mare by her side was the only way she could imagine spending this beautiful day.

The pair found themselves relaxing on Rarity’s couch, the white mare looking over the paper for today’s current events with Fluttershy curled up against her, drawing a large amount of comfort from the other pony’s body heat. She snugly leaned into her, feeling secure in the fact that she had a pony to put her trust and life into. In all of her thoughts, there were no words to describe her feeling of elation. Never before had she felt this, and never did she want it to leave.

Nothing was less welcome than the sound of a pony’s hoof making contact with Rarity’s door. Much to the pegasus’ distress,
the homeowner felt the need to get up and answer the door, being the proper thing to do, of course. The door opened to reveal, much to Rarity’s surprise, Aloe, the spa pony. The world seemed to stand still as the two made eye contact in an intense, silent moment.

Her visitor decided it was time to speak up. “Listen I know I’m the last pony you probably want to see today, but I came back to apologize. I’m sorry I was so rude to you, I received a strong reprimand from my sister for shutting out one of our most loyal customers.”

Rarity’s face retained an expression of discontent, feeling all but unsatisfied by this apology.

Noticing this, Aloe continued: “I was having a bad week, going through a break up with my stallionfriend, you know how relationships are? They tell you they love you one day and the next they’re gone.” She tried to force a smile, but seeing the unicorns expression unchanged, she coughed and continued:

“That is why Lotus and I are offering you this,” she hoofs Rarity a coupon. “It’s a voucher for a full treatment for two, absolutely free of charge for our two best customers.” Aloe gives the most yearning smile she can give, hoping for forgiveness.

It was at this that Rarity’s stern expression broke, letting a smile sneak in and overtake it. Thinking about it, if it wasn’t for Aloe she may never have found Fluttershy. “I accept, and I’m sure Fluttershy will too.” She took a peak over her shoulder at the pegasus still lying on her couch, still longing for the comfort of her partner’s body. Forsaking her magic she extended her hoof and retrieved the voucher, and then using her magic to give it to Fluttershy.

Aloe exhaled her held breath, feeling extremely relieved at the pony’s willingness to accept. As well she seemed to pick up on what the pegasus was doing in the fashion pony’s home in the first place from the couple’s facial expressions, mentally congratulating the new couple.

“Great, well just come in anytime between now and forever to redeem that, we would love to see your friendly faces in the spa again. Thank you for forgiving me.” Rarity watched as she turned and left, still somewhat surprised by her visit. She wasn’t a bad pony of course, and everypony has their bad days. At least she actually strived towards redemption. Closing the door, she returned to Fluttershy.

“Well, what do you think?”

“I think whatever you want to do is fine, Rarity.”

At this the unicorn had to giggle a bit. She took the pegasus’ hooves in hers, “No, Fluttershy. I want to know what you want.”
“Well… the spa does seem nice, and you’ve been working awfully hard.”

“I’ll take that as a settlement.” She quickly gathered her two matching custom spa robes embroidered with her cutie mark and gave one to Fluttershy to try on. The garment hugged her sides beautifully, as if Rarity had designed it with accommodation for a pegasus.

“Well, everything seems to be in order,” Rarity said, folding the robes and opening the door. “Let us be off!”

Various welcoming scents greeted the couple as they entered Ponyville’s spa. A thick fragrance of flowers and shampoos greeted them; a familiar smell for Rarity and Fluttershy. Her saddle bags containing the coupon and robes, the unicorn made her way to the front desk, ringing the bell. She was almost immediately greeted by Lotus, who came from the back room.

“Our favorite customers! I’m so glad to see you two here. I was afraid Aloe had scared you off… I assume she filled you in on what happened and gave an apology? If not my talking to her has done nothing.”
Rarity nodded in unison with Fluttershy. “Yes, she just talked to us and gave us this voucher, which we would actually like to redeem today.”

The spa pony was visibly surprised by their suddenness. She wondered if there was a real reason that the pair need to spend this time together. “Oh. Yes of course, we should have time to give you the full treatment immediately, in fact. I’ll prepare the rooms and call you when it’s ready.” She turned with a smile, somewhat disgruntled as this was her break hour, but she needed to ensure that they returned as customers once more.

The rather comfortable seats welcomed the couple, Fluttershy taking up her usually position leaning against Rarity. The unicorn levitated up a magazine and began skimming through it until she came across a section entitled “How to please your mare”. Glancing at the words, she quickly flipped past it hoping that the yellow pony curled up against her didn’t see, although she really seemed too happy to care.

A few more magazines were disturbed from the rack before the main doors to the spa and the two owners stepped out, a flow of steam emitting from the room.

“Ladies, if you two would follow me,” Lotus happily said to them.

The pair slowly stood up, Fluttershy reluctant to get up from her spot. Passing the twins holding the door open, Rarity looked over to see Aloe giving them a large smile. They entered the large room to see it to be as beautiful as ever, two massage tables set out in front the bath and various lotions placed around. As directed, they each laid down on a table. Neither of them had received the full, VIP treatment before, but from what they heard from the few ponies that had it was definitely something to desire.

Rarity had always enjoyed the deep massages Aloe and Lotus had given. As a dress maker now playing in the big leagues with her clients the stress tended to pile up, and having that worked away by the hooves of somepony was extremely helpful to her and her business. Just the simple scents and atmosphere worked their way in and relieved some of the tension in her mind.

Fluttershy, on the other hoof, was much less keen on having another pony dig their hooves into her, opting for some of the lighter treatments available. Sometimes the only reason she even went was to spend time with Rarity; they were both so busy most of the time that she rarely got to see her except for their spa dates, “date” taking on a much greater meeting now.
Despite her inhibitions, she started creating her own plan in her mind; she had to do something bold. Building up her courage, the timid mare mentally decided to opt for the full massage. Well, not particularly ask for it, being much to up front, but not reject it when offered, because surely they will offer.

It wasn’t long before the hosts were prepared and began a light assault on each pony’s stressed back, their tension slowly ebbing away. The practiced hooves of the twins gently moved across the backs of their customers, their soft touch giving them a relaxing feeling, yet so intensely hitting the spots of the most stress.

The pegasus felt her wings slightly extending and retracting with Lotus’ touch, the mare’s forelimbs knowing how to all the major points of stress found on a winged pony. She found herself melting into her seat, her mind drifting to and from reality and fantasy. Soon she was no longer at the spa, but in Rarity’s home, and no longer was it Lotus, but Rarity digging her hooves into her back. She looked back at the white mare, who was smiling back at her. A weight she didn’t know she was carrying was lifted from her shoulders as a relaxed elation overcame her.

The illusion seemed to float away into darkness, the mare closing her eyes and enjoying the sensation of the deep massage. She was unaware of what exactly the pony behind her was doing, but whatever it was it was truly magical.
Mere feet away, Aloe was giving Rarity a similar, yet still unique, experience. The earth pony was just as skilled, if not more skilled, as her sister in her deep and thorough massage. It was a beautiful sensation that ran up and down her spine as the professional hooves heavily weighed into her body, knowing the exact points of tension to relieve on the dressmaker’s back. So much relief poured from her body, she felt as if she was floating upon a cloud.

The unicorn attempted to levitate up a nearby magazine for some quick reading material, but to no avail. The earth pony’s hooves were just too amazing, too magical. This visit was far overdue for the fashionista, she felt her troubles melt away and evaporate into thin air. It was in this bliss of relaxation that Rarity’s mind began to wander.

One subject seemed to occupy every corner of her thoughts; no matter where she turned, a cute little yellow mare was staring back at her with her beautiful blue eyes. Those beautiful diamonds that seemed to track onto her every move; following everything she does so closely, it was like being watched over by Celestia herself. Fluttershy was such a beautiful mare, how she felt attracted to her Rarity didn’t know.

It all had built up so fast to her, and yet so perfectly. It felt like puzzle pieces were kicked into the air and landed in just the right pattern, locking so beautifully in place like meshing gears of perfect sizes. This feeling was so natural, this feeling of love. Rarity’s thoughts drifted through all the possibilities of what could have or should have happened, but it all pointed back to what did happen. Love. She questioned if she had loved the mare this whole time and not known it, her feelings lurking in the shadows of her heart, only coming out with the appropriate trigger.

Both ponies found their appropriate places within their thoughts, each in their own rhythm of being. Their relaxing massage coupled with their comfort in their relationship gave both Rarity and Fluttershy a sense of invincibility, a feeling of being on top of Equestria. Without the social pressures of everyday life bearing down on them they could truly feel the connection between them. It was love, but it was something more. It was that close love and friendship that only comes by once in a blue moon; a sensibly encompassing love. Not only that, but life; life as it was meant to be lived.

Thick steam from the whirlpool bath floated up and filled the air with the fragrance of lilac and lavender. The substantially sized room was quiet except for the sound of warm bubbles rising up in the pool of water, lulling the two ponies in it into a secure comfort in each other’s arms. There was absolutely no better way to end their trip to the spa than this, with each pony in her own state of bliss and relaxation.

The various treatments they went through were almost a rigorous trial, each putting the ponies into a heightened mode of happiness. From the steam room to the hooficures, each felt clean and renewed, like a fresh new coat had grown upon each of their bodies.

It was as if Fluttershy had dug her own indentation into Rarity’s body, always taking her usual spot against her, taking in the softness of her, now wet, fur. The pegasus felt the hooves of her partner upon her chest, holding her tightly as if she could just float away at any minute. She looked up at her mare.

“Rarity?” she inquired, breaking the silence.

“Yes, dear?”

“I’m sorry…”

Rarity was surprised at the sudden apology, although it was not uncharacteristic of her. “Whatever for?”

Fluttershy giggled as she broke from the unicorn’s grasp. “This,” she excitedly squeaked as she ran her hoof across the surface of the water quickly, effectively splashing the mare in front of her.

An expression of irritation mixed with glee flashed across the pony’s face. “Oh. It. Is On!” Her hooves immediately jolted forward, sending a small wave rippling across the bath.

Water spilled over the side as the two ponies engaged in what some would call a “water fight”. Their drenched manes hung down from their faces as the warm water soaked them, each giggling and laughing. The floors next to the spa became soaked as the liquid continued to fly through the air.

The pair’s giggles were soon silenced as Rarity threw herself upon Fluttershy, her lips landing on the other mare’s. She let out a startled and muffled squeak, but accepted the sudden kiss all the same, her face becoming another comfortable hue of red. Never had she thought that she would be in this position before, but if nothing else it felt like where she was meant to be.

Rarity suddenly broke away and looked into the other pony’s eyes. “Did you know you’re really cute when you blush?”

Such simple language, but that only made the words seem even greater to Fluttershy. As per usual her words failed her.

“Fluttershy, I love you.”

It was that verbal confirmation that the pegasus so desired but was too scared to ask about. Now that Rarity had said it a mixture of relief and elation washed over her.

“I love you.” Seeing Fluttershy not responding, Rarity decided to emphasize her point. The gap between their bodies closed as they wrapped their hooves around each other in a crushing hug, each pony leaning on each other, each as a standalone object but one that would topple without the support of the other; each as one.

The cool, standing air of Rarity’s home greeted the pegasus and the unicorn as they trotted inside, their tails intertwined. It would be perfectly fine with them to just fall in a heap on the floor right now, as that trip to the spa was as exhausting as it was relaxing. A nice calm overcame the couple as they curled up on the couch with each other, one never wanting to leave the side of the other.

A good amount of time had passed before Fluttershy found the need to stand up.

“I’m sorry Rarity, I would love to stay with you tonight, but I really need to spend some time at my home. I hope that’s alright with you.”

“Oh yes, of course darling. I’d imagine that your animals will be missing you at this point,” came the white mare’s reply, in the back of her mind hoping to receive an offer to spend another night with her.

“I’ll be back the first thing tomorrow, alright?” Fluttershy declared reassuringly, hoping not to offend the unicorn in any way.
Rarity made sure to smile. “Of course.”

The pegasus internally debated for a moment before going in for a quick, glancing kiss, almost apologizing after she did so, and setting off on her way.

It amazed Rarity how far Fluttershy had come. This wasn’t the same timid little mare who was afraid of flying and pony interaction that she knew only a few days ago. This was somepony who was comfortable; somepony had found a place in this world. This was the real Fluttershy; the mare Rarity fell in love with.

Her thoughts danced around in her brain as she watched her marefriend go, eventually finding it no use to be staring at an empty street and turning around herself. The unicorn entered her workshop to be greeted by the workings of an elegant dress and piles of sketches and fabric. Smiling, she began floating up materials and sewing onto the mannequin. This dress was something special; it was no longer Rarity’s challenge alone. It was now the beautiful burden of two ponies in love; the toil of the two mares that was to be completed in a dance of fabric and linen.

Rarity sat down on the floor, she couldn’t bring herself to work on it. Tears of joy and acceptance began to roll down her face, falling to the ground and staining the floor. It is this beautiful turmoil that allowed her to smile through her tears. Life as she knew it became a thing of beauty, all the pain and happiness welling up inside of her. Words escaped her lips although
there was nopony to hear them.

“I love you.”

The Fragile Fabric of Love

It felt as if time-lapse photography was at play to Rarity as each day new layers of fabric seated themselves upon a mannequin. Octavia’s beautiful ensemble came together elegantly, flowing brilliantly in a pretty blend of grey and pink. For a certain yellow mare, however, it each day felt like a lifetime. A beautiful lifetime, each containing its own adventure as she blindly and happily stumbled through the passing weeks, loving and soaking up every moment she could spend with the white unicorn. It was this bliss that was worrisome for the mare with diamonds on her flanks.

Their relationship began at a moment’s notice. Nopony could have foreseen it coming; not even Fluttershy had predicted that her endeavors would turn out this well. It almost seemed too perfect to Rarity, like at any moment it could just fall apart. She was positive that she loved the mare, that was for sure, but she questioned what would happen as soon as they faced any sort of tension or the slightest strain on their relationship. She felt as if she was walking along a virgin tightrope line, unsure if it will hold or snap.

With each passing day it became more and more apparent to Rarity that Fluttershy had something on her mind, something that she wanted to ask her but wasn’t going to without the proper trigger. The pair continued to work on the dress together every day, however, forming a beautiful ensemble.

The pegasus watched intently as the dress maker toiled away, occasionally offering aid when possible. She always insisted on retrieving materials, only wanting to appear useful to the pretty mare, although the unicorn could easily levitate it over, not that she was complaining, however. It was another time of Fluttershy wanting to help that Rarity dropped the materials, stopped working and turned to her.

“Dear, for the past week it’s felt like there’s something on your mind. Would you care to tell me what is it?”

Being the honest, kind pony that she was, the yellow mare looked around the room frantically for some means of escape, knowing that lying would be of no use to the intelligent unicorn. “Well… I- I wanted to know something, and… Never mind.”

Rarity looked at the fragile pegasus with a soft smile. “Please, you can tell me anything.” She wrapped a comforting hoof around her. “Anything.”

“I remember when you told me… You told me you loved me, and I know what that means and everything, but how much does it mean? I- um, that doesn’t make any sense… Hold on…” Fluttershy was clearly overwhelmed as she tried to process her thoughts, Rarity telling her to take her time.

The question she wanted to ask slowly lined itself up in her mind. A shaky voice escaped her lips. “Have you ever loved anypony before me?”

The winged mare saw a nervous blank stare roll across the face of her partner; it was this initial reaction that she feared. This hesitation to respond to her inquiry about her much coveted love disheartened the pegasus. It all made sense to her; Rarity was the most beautiful pony she had ever seen, of course she has had a multitude of lovers and love interests. In her mind it felt like all of the puzzle pieces were falling into place; Rarity didn’t really love her, she was just another pony in the life of the unicorn.

Stuttering, the unicorn didn’t help Fluttershy’s paranoia. Looking upon the face of her interrogator, she felt at even more of a loss for words as she was looking upon the face of a pony in fear, a pony in fear of collapse. Relentlessly, the question persisted in her mind: had she loved anypony? Of course she had interests, but they were just that, interests. At least she believed them to be. The lines of her own truth became blurred as she pondered the question, quickly realizing that she was taking much too long. Running on instinct and a desire not to lose her mare, she walked up and embraced her tightly.

The pegasus’ vision became fuzzy as so many thoughts pounded against the walls of her brain, almost threatening to break her mind and spill out of it. She shook her head violently as a salty wetness began to roll down her face, letting out an ear piercing squeal. Rarity may have said something; she didn’t know; she didn’t care. Her mind slowly began to lose its grip on her body as she felt herself beginning to feint and start to collapse on the floor.

Unfortunately for her she would not have the mercy of losing consciousness. Her legs began to move quickly as her flight instinct kicked in, commanding her to escape the dangers, but to no avail as she found herself caught in the unfortunately loving embrace of Rarity, who showed no intention of letting her go. Violently flailing her upper body, she found herself breaking free of the unicorn’s forehooves. She quickly galloped down the stairs, nearly blinded from the tears in her eyes, quickly finding herself stumbling outside as she wailed.

Rarity wasn’t far behind in her pursuit, shouting different variations of “wait” and “I love you”. In her instinctual daze she attempted to capture the fleeing pegasus right out of her door, but the light mare was quicker than she thought. She found herself galloping head on down the street, hoping to overtake the mare and tackle her, possibly remedying the situation.

The efforts of the beautiful mare were fruitless, however, as her hooves slipped from under her and she found her body tumbling to the ground. A cough escaped her mouth as she spit out some of the material of the dirt road as a bit of blood ran down her muzzle, dripping to the ground. Her face shot up to be met with the vision of a yellow pegasus’ skyward rear as she flew away into the sky. She slammed her hooves into the ground at her failure; one that may have ruined their relationship permanently.

Those beautiful sapphires some ponies called eyes welled up once more, this time opening the floodgates that were holding back her sobbing. Somepony may have offered to help her up, but she didn’t know; she didn’t care. Her hooves lifted her back up to full height as she attempted to chase down the pegasus once more, but found that her body couldn’t keep up.
Turning her head, she shamefully and slowly trotted back to her boutique, a trail of tears falling behind her.

She entered her home and immediately blindly ran into her workshop, letting a crying scream. Her body spun in circles at her mental torment, her pain turning into rage as she searched for something to vent into. Her eyes fell upon the massive rolls of fabric and designs hung up all around her and without thinking she began to lift them up with her magic. Those blue marbles of eyes closed as her logic center slowly began to return to her and she considered her actions; she quickly threw it away, going back to her instinct drive daze.

A yell, a battlecry even, escaped the unicorn’s lips while her magic worked in swift motion and tore lines of fabric to shreds. All of her pain and sadness was put into the developing the satisfying sound of shattered efforts, leaving her looking for more. Her aura enveloped whole dresses in progress as they too were torn at the seams and hurled through the air, different material and string slowly falling to the ground.

Holes were punched into more gowns as her hooves made swift contact with them, turning them into unusable scraps. Nearly satisfied she stopped and fell to the floor, letting out a load and painful groan as she rolled around into little pieces of her now pointless work. She looked up as she levitated one specific piece of fabric she found above her head. Her eyes narrowed and brow intensified as she gazed upon the velvety piece. It was a beautiful shade of crimson, one that would be seen on a matching gown of two lovers. Her teeth gritted together while she felt a strong amount of magic grasp the fabric, a deep breath entering her mouth. One quick and painful motion later the fabric was torn in a pattern similar to her heart, the wounded pieces falling to her chest.

She looked upon the broken piece with distaste and anger; an anger that one could only harbor for themselves. However, it wasn’t broken. A sliver of material kept the separation from being complete. A loud grunt resonated throughout the room as she tossed piece aside with her hoof, not wanting to deal with it anymore. Her false satisfaction didn’t last long, however; she desired more to destroy.

Running on nothing but brutal instinct, Rarity stood up, staring at the wreckage in the room, her eyes falling upon the one thing that had remained untouched in her rampage: Octavia’s dress. Slowly creeping up upon it, she felt her magic envelop some of the individual seams on the ensemble, her gaze shifting all about the unfinished piece. Such an elegant, beautiful feeling resonated from it, as if it was pleading to Rarity to remain whole. The unicorn took a deep breath.

Memories suddenly flooded back to her, completely enveloping her mind. She was reminded of a certain pegasus that had labored upon it. Labored not because of her profession, not because of her hobbies, but labored because of her love, her love for the white unicorn, her love that she had put so much of into this dress. This piece wasn’t just another client, it was a bond between the two ponies; one that was as physical as it was emotional. The fabric seated upon the mannequin, some of it retrieved and sewn by the yellow mare, was but a heart poured out into a trade, as an artist does to a canvas.

The lone mare felt the aura lose its grasp and her legs weaken once more as she was slammed into by a train of emotions. Feeling the cold of the floor had never been more welcome, reality returning to her in a wave of emotion, her rage inverting and being replaced with her sorrows. An invisible weight was lifted from her shoulders, being replaced by one that was harder to bear. Droplets of moisture fell to the ground with almost audible splashes, painfully and falsely ringing in the head of the unicorn, her sniffles actually sounding out. She tightly hugged the base of the mannequin desiring it to be the warmth of another pony.

No, not another pony. She desired the warmth of the forelimbs and stomach of Fluttershy: the harbinger of her beautiful pain. Her head shook back and forth, rustling her damaged mane and flinging tears to all corners of her consciousness. Amidst her sobbing words managed to slide out from her tongue.

“What have I done?”

She wiped her blood, sweat, tear and snot stained muzzle on her right forelimb, openly sobbing into it, wishing it was the leg of another instead. This desire for companionship caused her to search her mind for answers; answers to Fluttershy’s question, but more importantly, answers to their relationship.

“I love you.”

Rarity wished it was the pegasus saying it, but to her distress, it was only the product of her own mouth. She continued to sob loudly, hoping that she could at some point run out of tears, the tears themselves bringing a comforting warmth to her cold and hurt face. She looked up once more at the beauty above her, forcing a smile to her face as she gazed upon the dresses elegance. Of all times to think of how good Fluttershy would look in an outfit such as that, she chose now. The smile faded as the unicorns head dropped back to the base of the stand.

“I love you.”

Another wave of tears welled up in her ducts, freely flowing out and leaving a salty trail upon her. With this wave of tears came a tsunami of something else: exhaustion. She was unsure of how long she had been laying there, but she knew it was not a short amount of time. More loud sobs escaped her mouth as her body found comfort upon the tear and mucus stained floor. All of her painful thoughts were sedated as she fell into sleeps clutches, mannequin in hoof and pegasus in mind.
Before the world faded away one more line resonated throughout the room.

“I love you; nopony else.”

The harsh, slicing glare of the sunlight pounded against Rarity’s head. She grasped at her cranium, hoping to stop its intense and distracting throbbing and pulsating. Wading through the sea of torn fabric and wobbling on her hooves of gelatin, she made her way to a nearby mirror, levitating a comb so she could observe how bad the damage from the previous night was. She gazed upon what was supposed to be herself with disdain.

Her eyes were met by a torn and tired figure; one that could have looked Discord in the eyes and be unmoved. Blood and mucus was smeared across a beautiful white coat, the same white coat that had lines of tear stains and clear evidence of deep sobbing.

Traveling up her features, her eyes fixed themselves upon her mane: her once beautiful mane that was curled just so with a soft, velvety texture reminiscent of a newborn foal; her mane that was her pride and joy. The unicorn’s hoof lifted to test the now dirty, crumpled and tear stained mat of hair seated upon her head, hoping this was just a dream; a dream in which she would distract herself from Fluttershy.

She sighed as her magic enveloped a nearby comb and she levitated it to her mane, hoping to correct the injustice that had been inflicted upon it. The comb gyrated, turning and bouncing as it awkwardly danced across Rarity’s strands of hair. The unicorn looked up upon the mirror in front of her, hoping to guide the comb properly, noticing something strange in the process. Instead of the brilliant blue aura that usually emanated from her magic, the force took on a hue of a soft yellow.
Rarity let out a quiet groan. It seemed like everyone she went she saw Fluttershy and her elegant colors.

“Those beautiful colors…”

Her head started to sink as gravity began to pull upon it, only to shoot back up as a train of brilliance rammed itself into her mind. She looked around at all the torn fabric around her; all the shards and scraps from the previous night. She gazed upon the vibrant colors laid out before her as her mind began to stich them together, and most of all create beauty out of destruction.

All of a sudden her messy mane was infinitely less important while she floated an intact mannequin to the center of the room. It seemed as if fabric was being simply tossed upon it, and yet elegantly so with the certain poise and precision that Rarity had acquired over the years. Various yellows, pinks and blues, or the scraps of those, were experimented with as they were levitated upon the figure, the curves of the material tightly hugging it.

Piece by piece the ensemble began to form; basically what the unicorn thought Fluttershy would look like as a dress. However strange that thought may be, she used it as her motivation and guide, closely following whatever image she had in her mind. It wasn’t long at all be for she had the basis of a gown strewn out, the image in her brain now having some physical material to latch onto.

For the first time that day she smiled. Not at her handiwork, but at what she was working for; who she was working for. Her hooves and magical aura glided across the fabric in a ballroom waltz, leaving no line of string unchecked and no stitch unfinished. It could be 11 P.M. and it also could be 10 A.M.; she didn’t care. This was a labor, not of labor itself, but of love; an intense love for all things Fluttershy.

The concept of her yesterday intensified her realization of how fragile that pony with the pink mane really was. She was not one to place her feelings on a silver platter and serve them up for all to see, so when she did, it was of course a delicate, tip-hooving situation. When a pony as beautifully reserved as her lets her true heart be shown it was a situation of mine defusing in that one slip of words, or hesitation of words, can make her world erupt.

Still, Rarity couldn’t help but wonder why she had reacted so hurtfully, and more importantly, how she was coping. Surely the timid pegasus was in a greater state of torment than she was.

“What am I doing?” she asked herself as she realized that she should be there for her. There was no reason Fluttershy should have to go through this without a comforting hoof behind her the whole time.

Her eyes fixed themselves upon her creation-in-progress. This was not something she could leave, her ideas were fresh and flowing and most of all, this dress could be a major bandage for their relationship. The creation of something simple yet elegant, a description that mirrored Fluttershy’s, was all the motivation Rarity needed to stitch such a thing.

Those blue eyes found themselves dancing across the room, more so her situation. She had little but scraps to work with, only a few full sheets of material left for use. Despite the situation that another would call grave, she smiled again. It was just this kind of challenge that would be a worthy obstacle for her to face.

Any attempts to take a distracted break and work on Octavia’s dress were foiled by her inability to reach for any colors, however scarce they were, than the yellow, pink and blue shades. It was a frustrated and yet happy groan that escaped her lungs this time; her mind had obviously and painfully set itself on the task before her. There was no avoiding it until it was complete. Not just complete, but accepted by Fluttershy.

“A daunting task indeed.”

Still letting her magic toil away, she allowed herself to sit down for a spell. All of her troubles seemed to press upon her like a ten ton brick, but her thoughts and love for a certain mare floated her stress away and allowed her to continue her labor.
Taking this pony’s-length-away step and theoretical break allowed her to gaze upon the beauty she had created. Only the underlying layer had been completed, complete with holes for the wings, but being a simple dress for a beautifully simple pony it wouldn’t be too work intensive and mind sapping afterwards.

Rarity ran a soft hoof across the material, its velvety texture reacting with a nice “hello” to her touch, although she still wished it was the coat of another pony. She navigated her way through many scraps until she found her way to the resting place of her last piece of complete pink fabric, personally taking it off of its shelf and placing it upon the mannequin.

The dress maker took a gulp of air as she cut and sewed the pretty pieces for the pony; it was as if she forgot to breathe sometimes. Flowing, the fabric came together in a manner that made Rarity smile for a third time, feeling that this fabric was made specifically for this dress. The rigged and yet swan like hems complemented the design in such a way that the eye was automatically drawn to it, but not lingered upon it, just as a timid pony such as Fluttershy would want.

The design being finally completed, Rarity took a step back. Her blue marbles danced across it, ultimately satisfied and yet feeling that it was missing something. Naturally, they were drawn to the flank.

In a loud “Aha!” moment she levitated up nearby pink, yellow and blue scraps and began to snip butterflies out of the fabric. The triumvirate of insects completed, she placed them upon the flank, not yet attaching them. A better view being obtained from another step back, she still felt as if the dress was lacking in some sort of character.

The butterflies were quickly tossed aside as she began again audibly snipping small shapes out of small shards of material. Satisfied, she placed her work upon her larger creation, again gazing upon it.

The rear of the dress was now graced with a triangle of diamonds, the same style as those that adorned her own flank. Yet another smile flashed across her face; she felt that if this would do the work of a repairpony, nothing would.
She herself levitated the complete dress off of the mannequin and tried it on, letting out an exhale of relief when it stayed whole. With a prance and twirl she ogled herself in the mirror. It was a pretty dress, of that she was she, but not a pretty dress for Rarity.

The gown was folded carefully into her saddlebags; she felt that there was no time to waste in going to Fluttershy’s. Her hoovesteps echoed as she walked down the stairs and in that span of time threw away any presumptions about her own appearance. She approached the door and personally opened it with her hoof, sharing a mutual gasp when she saw what was on the other side of it.

Her dress in pony for had been sitting upon her doorstep, nervously repeating a hasty speech to herself for if she were to knock on the door. The pegasus stuttered in shock, a shock that was unneeded considering this was, in fact, Rarity’s house, and unknowingly debated flight yet again. Fluttershy all but fell to the floor, tears yet again welling up in her eyes, begging the question of how long she had been sitting there.

Rarity, on the other hoof, was just as surprised to see the mare of her mind occupying her doorstep ever so gracefully. With a moment of painful hesitation, she walked forward and embraced her, lifting her off the ground; this was what she wanted. Her horn glowed yellow yet again as she levitated the saddlebags off of her back and placed them on the side of the room.

“Please, come in, Fluttershy.”

The pegasus wordlessly complied, silently happy that Rarity didn’t seem in the least bit mad at her actions. She was led to the couch and sat down, but the silence became too much for her as she took a deep breath.

“I’msorrythatthishappenedit’smyfaultpleasedon’tbemadatme!”

Rarity smiled once more, not caring that she didn’t process a word of it.

“Listen dear Fluttershy, I forgive you. I was actually seeking my own redemption.”

The yellow mare looked up, surprised that the unicorn had felt in the least bit at fault.

“That’s the past, and as the name is let’s move past it. We both were hurt, but there’s nothing we can do about that now. It’s my fault, Fluttershy, I hesitated and should have known better. I love you and only you, please never forget that.”

The salty substances pouring from their eyes mixed together as they shared another locking of lips, breaking away and beaming with happiness once more.

“Rarity… I- I don’t know what to say.”

“That’s not all, darling, I have something for you.” The unicorn ignored her magic and trotted over to her saddlebags in the corner, lifting them up and placing them next to Fluttershy.

“I made this for you. I think you’ll like it,” she stated before slowly lifting the result of her day of work out of her bag. The subject of the gift gasped as her eyes were met with the design. It flowed so brilliantly and caught the light in such a way that it grasped at her attention but didn’t beg for it. It was so beautiful, so simple, so her.

“It- It’s beautiful! I don’t even know what to say!” The pegasus stopped herself as she realized her voice was increasing in volume.

“How about you say ‘yes’ and try it on, dear.” Rarity smiled and gently carried the dress in her mouth over to her partner, who happily and eagerly complied.

It didn’t take long for her to don the gown, her wings displayed through the holes in the back. She danced around in front of the mirror, amazed at the beauty of the ensemble as it flowed with her body. Her eyes lit up as she noticed the three diamonds the adorned the flank, the signature of the mare of her life.

Careful not to mess up the dress, she tackled he partner in a crushing hug, or what felt like a crushing hug to her.

“It’s perfect! You have no idea!”

Rarity let herself and her partner fall to the couch as a light barrage of kisses assaulted her muzzle. She had realized her desire of the past day, to yet again feel the warmth of Fluttershy.

Their elation was only slightly interrupted as a barely audible knock lightly slammed into the door. Rarity grudgingly stood back up and cantered to the door, opening it with her magic. Her mind had partially made her expect another Fluttershy on the other side, still not yet fully processing all of the events of the day.

Alas, it was not a clone of the mare of her dreams but the local mailmare.

“Hello Derpy.”

“Good afternoon, miss Rarity! I’ve got something for you, hold on.” The gray mare always seemed to be in a state of happiness whenever delivering mail, even as she rummaged through her bags. This had always made the unicorn question if that was even possible in such a menial job, but she didn’t allow her mind to wander through that hallway.

The pegasus quickly lifted out a very pretty letter. “Here you are! And it looks important, I’m glad I brought it to the right house.” She turned and began to walk away. “Have a nice day!”

“And you as well!” came Rarity’s reply. She couldn’t help but grin at the actions and mannerisms of the pony.

She looked over the letter, familiarly admiring the handiwork of it. Opening the treble clef clasp, she took out the parchment inside as she walked back over to the couch where Fluttershy was seated in her dress.

“What is it, Rarity?”

The unicorn levitated out two brilliantly bronze colored tickets.

“We’ve been invited.”

A World Full of Surprises

The crackle of wooden wheels turning against worn yet solid pavement resonated through the clean evening air, the creak of the carriage proving to be no distraction for the two mares nestled inside of it. A pegasus and a unicorn relaxed themselves upon the rather comfortable and luxurious padded seats within it, the former leaning her head against the shoulder of the latter, enjoying the soft comfort of her warm fur. Each was dressed and adorned in flowing, beautiful elegance, the yellow mare wearing a dress of the same color with the diamond signature of Rarity gracing the flank. Similarly, the purple-maned pony was ornamented in a white gown, a triplet of pink and yellow butterflies relaxing upon both of her hips. The couple wordlessly sat in their bubble of contentment, each looking forward to their destination.

Fluttershy’s styled and flowing mane splayed out against the shoulder of her partner, seeming to wrap the pair in their own cocoon of togetherness as her wing outstretched and encompassed the white form of the unicorn as well, her own gaze cast forward while she occasionally stared back down to whisper sweet-everything’s to the pegasus of her dreams. Words meant nothing, but the action of saying them was the world. The two ponies’ excitement began to rise as the brilliant silhouette of Canterlot began to come into view, drawing the attention of the yellow mare away from her world, if only momentarily; comfort in the view began to wash over the couple.

Rarity’s view was suddenly nothing but that of yellow fur, gravity resuming its grip on her as she realized that she and her partner had been tossed into the side of the carriage due to a bump, herself landing muzzle-down in Fluttershy’s lap. She quickly flipped her body over to look into the crimson face of a startled and embarrassed pegasus, one who was just as surprised as she was at the sudden contact; the tables were turned now, putting the timid mare in a sudden looming position of reversed power; power that she didn’t want.

Seeing this, Rarity immediately sat herself back upright, finding difficulty as her she found her mane caught in between Fluttershy’s shocked and seized-up forelegs, her own face deepening as she realized how uncomfortable she must have made Fluttershy, as judging by her own embarrassment, it can only be ten-fold for the shy little mare she loved to call her marefriend. The entangled couple deeply stared into each other’s eyes in a moment of settling dust before a smile overtook the pegasus’ face, that smile turning into a snicker, and that snicker turning into an all-out laugh, Rarity joining in as the two laughed at their comfortable awkwardness with each other, each knowing that there was nothing to be truly embarrassed about.

Both of their heavy laughing sessions were quickly silenced as Fluttershy made a split second decision to half fall, half throw her lips upon the unicorn, her happy victim surprised by the pony’s sudden aggression, not that she had a problem with it by any means. Thoughts flashed across the white mare’s mind as she let herself sink into the kiss; happy thoughts of the beautiful mare that was putty in her hooves and vise-versa, of their beautiful symbiotic relationship, each giving back more than they take from one another; but most of all, she thought about how much Fluttershy has grown in the past few weeks.

Her diamond eyes witnessed the transformation of a timid mare who was afraid of her own shadow into this pony who was upstanding, brave and most of all comfortable. This mutual comfort they found in each other’s hooves was an achievement to be envied; there no longer was an overbearing unicorn who liked to spend time with a quiet pegasus. That relationship was no more; this was something bigger, something greater, something that made their lives worth living.

“We’re approaching Canterlot in five minutes!”

The harsh and loud voice of their driver startled Fluttershy to the point where she completely fell off of her partner, an “Eep!” escaping her mouth as she remembered where she was.

‘Okay,’ Rarity thought as she helped her back up. ‘Maybe not that comfortable.’

The rest of the slightly less bumpy trip to Canterlot went with a higher degree of awkwardness, instead with Rarity arching her neck and resting it on Fluttershy as the latter continued to mentally torment herself, questioning if their carriage drive saw any of the display she put on with Rarity, her face intensely becoming red again while the unicorn pretended not to notice. The pegasus might have continued to fall into her own despair if the cart hadn’t come to a stop outside of the New
Equestrian Concert Hall, the two ponies exiting their enclosure.

“Excuse me Miss and Miss Rarity,” their driver said taking on a much nicer sounding tone. Rarity assumed that there was only so much finesse a stallion could put into their voice while pulling a carriage. “Would you like me to walk you to the door?”

“Yes, of cour-“

“No thank you!” Fluttershy interrupted Rarity. “I- I mean it’s a nice offer and everything but I think we can take it from here, thanks…” Her voice became progressively smaller the more she talked, her mind still reminding herself of her
embarrassment.

“Yes, I do believe we can walk ourselves from here, thank you for the kind offer.” Rarity held herself upright as she turned and chuckled to herself, leading Fluttershy away from their cart as it rode away, finding her loss of confidence to be painfully adorable.

The couple quickly found themselves inside the large foyer of the hall; it had a very new and vibrant feel and shape to it, yet it kept the look of the woods and materials found in traditional halls, ones that Rarity was familiar with. After taking in the beauty of the room and fixing and righting their ruffled gowns for a spell, they approached what was interpreted to be the front desk, although only possibly so. The pair trotted towards the imposing figure standing behind it.

“Hello, kind sir, we were invited to attend the event tonight.”

“Invitations?” the large stallion more commanded than requested.

Fluttershy eagerly began to search her dress’ various compartments for the brilliantly clasped envelope that contained them. Not finding them on the first go around, her eagerness quickly turned to panic as her hooves quickly searched for every possible place the invitations could be.

“Um, Rarity? They’re gone. I can’t find them, they must have fallen off in the carriage when I…” she thought about the embarrassing event, “fell.” The pegasus tried to hide behind her mane, only to be brought back into the open by her partner.

“Not to worry, my dear. I shall take care of this,” she stated approaching the stallion who seemed to be more of a bouncer than anything.

“Excuse me, sir, but it appears we have misplaced out invitations. Now, if you could be so kind as to check the list, we should be under Rarity.” Her lips just tingled with charm.

“Like I haven’t heard that one fifty times today. No invitation, no entry.”

The unicorn’s patience quickly faded, her face turning into an expression of irritation. “Now you will have to trust me, we were invited, we just misplaced our summons.”

“Yeah? I suppose you got a note from Celestia too, right?”

“You know what? I think that you need to take a note and sti-“

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Alright fillies, what’s going on?” a familiar voice cut Rarity off before she had the chance to act unlike a
lady.

The stallion snorted. “These two mares claim to have lost their invitation.”

Stepping forward, the fantastic blue mane of a suit-clad Vinyl Scratch revealed itself. “Brick, chill. They were invited by Octavia, and if you will excuse me, I will personally show our important guests to their seating.”

Defeated, the stallion slumped back as Vinyl took charge of a parade towards a large pair of double doors.

“New guy, takes his job way too seriously.” Vinyl smiled at the couple. “So how have you two been?”

The unicorn quickly spoke up. “Recently, irritated, but if you mean all-encompassingly, we have been doing quite well.”

“Glad to hear it, and I’m even gladder you two could make it. These events are usually duller than digging for diamonds; I’m just glad ‘Tavi didn’t make me wear a dress this time,” the DJ stated happily, looking down at her rather nice suit.

“It fits you,” Fluttershy pointed out, hoping to add something to the conversation.

Vinyl smiled and asserted, “Well of course it fits me, I had it custom measured and all that stuff,” only to receive a blank stare from each of the ponies in front of her. “C’mon guys, it’s okay to laugh.”

Rarity let loose an amused, if not primitive grunt, immediately mentally reprimanding herself for doing so. Hoping nopony recognized it, she quickly attempted to push the conversation forward. “Well, shall we enter?”

The unicorn with the two eighth-notes on her flanks ruby eyes lit up, her range of expressions becoming visible as she lacked her signature glasses this night. “Alright you two mares, are you ready to party!?” She exclaimed as she pushed open the large doors.

Any sarcastic comment Rarity, or even Fluttershy, for that matter, was going to make was quickly silenced as each pony’s eyes widened, being greeted by the girth of the beautiful concert hall in which they would soon be enjoying the sweet sounds of a cello in. Fluttershy gasped as she looked around like schoolfilly who had been given twenty bits and released in a candy store; never had she seen such an elegantly built, yet so progressive and new building before. Her partner trotted along, awestruck as well at the beauty of the architecture.

“Yo, R; Flyshy; up here,” the voice of Vinyl called out from a slightly elevated position nearest the stage that was identified by the letters VIP. The couple almost galloped in mutual excitement to the section where they would presumably be enjoying the show from, the attitude of Vinyl making them nearly completely disregard any thoughts of acting more like a lady, as being an exited foal was far too much fun.

The two mares walked up the stairs side by side, their soft hooves clinking against the feaux-wood steps as they approached the DJ who was sitting upon a pretty little chair made from material that seemed to swallow Vinyl as she slouched back in it. Rarity first took note of the two, almost plaque-like labels that sat themselves on either side of the section, one graced with the name “Octavia”, the other “Sergio”, the latter of which surprising Rarity.

“Sergio is preforming tonight?”

Vinyl smirked. “If he shows up this time. Yeah, this hall loves to throw different musicians together and see what they do; basically the give them a week to practice together and make up a show. I honestly feel sorry that they had to put up with each other.”

“Nah, Octavia’s cool.”

Looks of surprise shifted all around the room as everypony searched for the source of the male voice, only to find it coming from the tan stallion sitting in his own VIP section.

“What?”

The musical unicorn exhaled heavily. “Shouldn’t you be, you know, getting ready?”

“Ready for what? Oh yeah, the show? As long as the SM doesn’t catch me out here I’ll be fine, it’s cool.” He slowly brought his hoof towards his eyes to look at the watch clasped around his forelimb. “Besides, I have… Negative five minutes, see ya later.” He quickly half-fell down the stairs without another word, disappearing as quickly as he had appeared.

‘An oddball indeed,’ Rarity thought to herself.

“Well, that was… um, nice,” came the quiet voice of a quiet pegasus.

“Quite. I do wonder, however, why his section is empty, except for him of course.”

“He probably forgot,” Vinyl answered. “’Huh? I have a show today? I wanted to sleep!’” she continued putting on her best male voice, drawing a giggle from Fluttershy and a laugh from Rarity. “And trust me, I’m speaking from experience. I mean, this one time he-“

The possible story she was about to tell was interrupted by the flashing of the house lights, signaling that the show was about to begin. Fluttershy looked around the room to see the large crowd of people that had gathered to see the performance, completely surprised when she was met by a full house, the house itself being more massive than the pegasus had previously thought it to be. A sudden nervousness overcame her, nervousness not for herself or Rarity, but for Octavia; although she didn’t know the mare well, it was a daunting task to play in front of all these ponies that were watching her every move, and she felt fear for what could happen should she make a mistake.

Her momentary fears were dispelled as she seated herself next to one of the two white unicorns and nuzzled up against her warm fur, enjoying its freshness and comforting feeling.

“Hey ‘Shy, get off of me.”

The pegasus’ ears immediately shot up hearing the voice of the DJ instead of her own mare as she almost jumped out of her seat. She turned to find both Rarity and Vinyl leaking out compressed laughter, each of them trying to stifle a tidal wave of giggles at the silly timid mare’s plight, the former knowing that she shouldn’t do so but laughing all the same.

“Vinyl! I’m sorry, I- I didn’t mean to; I thought you were Rarity and- and…”

The electric maned mare couldn’t hold herself back as a torrent of her loud chuckles flew out, the situation becoming far too rich for her. One row behind them, she rolled on the floor, unable to stop as she pounded her hoof on the ground at the hilarity. Rarity, on the other hoof, slowly began to regain her composure and managed to turn back to Fluttershy and speak in between small laughs.

“Oh Fluttershy, Vinyl is seated behind us. That was me you were leaning against.”

“Wha-? So Vinyl just… Talked…” The pegasus turned and plopped back down in her seat in an almost pouty embarrassment, her words finding no place in the conversation. She let the chair’s fabric engulf her, trying to tune out the sound of Vinyl’s now fading laughter.

Rarity took this opportunity to wrap a comforting hoof around her marefriend, drawing her back in close hoping to wave away her embarrassment and make amends. Fluttershy made sure to look up and check who it was before deeply leaning in and yet again snuggling up to the pony’s elegant white coat, fully taking in the beautiful fragrance emitting from it.

On cue as the mares’ comfort settled in, the theater darkened, all idle chatter in the crowd coming to an immediate halt as all eyes focused on the stage, a single pillar of light cascading down upon it revealing a familiar tan stallion huddled over a finely crafted acoustic guitar. The polished instrument was a work of art in its own right, it’s sleek and shiny outside not even bothering to hide its battle scars from many years on the road, those years being displayed proudly upon the body.

Not even taking time to address the crowd, Sergio began to play; not just play, but feel.

His hooves slowly trotted across the fretboard as arpeggiated minors and majors, fifths and sevenths and thirds rang out into the large room, the notes not bouncing off the walls, but flowing around and through them. Seamlessly the piper lulled all of his listeners into a trance-like appreciation of the notes he was weaving, those notes wordlessly speaking to them.

Constantly changing key and time signature, the tan stallion’s hooves danced behind the frets as he slowly began to pick up the pace of his playing, taking the crowed on an almost surreal journey of harmonics and harmonies. He himself seemed unaware of his onlookers, focusing all of his attention to the wooden instrument in his hooves. Forcing his heart into it, he let the notes flow out into the air, the strings twanging against the metal frets, all the pain, fears and hopes a single pony could experience being put on display for all the world to see.

Without warning, the loud, cringing sound of metal harshly slapping itself against wood echoed through the auditorium. Gasps were had all around by the large amount of onlookers in the amphitheater as they witnessed a high E string torn in two by the sheer force and frequency of the crescendoing notes that were gracefully stomped into it. A moment of what would be complete silence was rejected as Sergio continued to play, unshaken by the broken string, ignoring it and compensating for the loss of immediate higher pitch by shifting his hoofing on the guitar.

The pace and volume of the song continued to pick up unrestrained, the masterful guitarist continuing to build up the minors and majors until each scale could yield no more. In a moment of pure tension, the song escalated into a controlled falling collapse, emotional final notes being slammed into the strings and the strings responding be vibrating out the sweet sound of a beautiful conclusion. High sixty-fourth notes speedily slung themselves from the guitar, heavily bringing the emotional piece to a close as Sergio dropped his hooves from the guitar.

Applause and cheering overlapped any ‘Thank you’s he might or might not have said, the deafening sound of hooves stomping against the floor being all that could be heard, but it was all a performer would want to hear. He looked upon the crowd with smiling eyes and gazed upon the beaming faces, many of them showing traces of tears. With a big smile, he slung the guitar over his back and exited the stage, leaving the emotional crowd to their business.

“What a wonderful performance,” Fluttershy spoke up to Rarity through her tears.

“I’ve seen better.” The DJ saw another opportunity to butt in, only to receive a glare from Rarity. “What? I have.”

After the white pony made her snarky remark, the almost fervid applause began to wither, but not disapprovingly so, as the lights yet again began to dim, signaling that it was not yet time for intermission, but for another act. All but a few stragglers halted their stomping hooves, each and every one of them beginning to drown in their own anticipation of what was to come, the well-respected pony that the grand majority of the audience arrived to see in the first place: Octavia.

Out of blackness emerged trained light; within the spectrum a pony and her instrument was revealed, her grey coat from her head to her hooves seeming to gleam in the light, the light itself looking to be a perfect mold to her body. The wooden cello was leaned against her form in its practiced position, Octavia herself taking her upright stance, one that would be most uncomfortable for any pony not practiced in its art. Taking a gulp of the clean air around her, she grasped the bow in the cleft of her hoof and brought it to the strings of her piece of classical art.

Sound became the very essence of emotion at the first note sliced out from the strings, the bow gracefully speaking to the metal ever so softly, yet so powerfully. Slowly more notes began to join the strong introduction, methodically stringing together. The magical disconnection of musician from reality began to take place in front of everypony’s eyes, Octavia removing her very soul and placing it upon and through her strings for all of Equestria to gaze upon.

Minor notes hung and bounced through the air, responding to every little movement and jerk of the professional driving the instrument. Still recovering from the earlier phenomenal performance, some ponies were already breaking down in tears at the pure, unrepressed emotion that was set free in that concert hall. Perfection was an unattainable feat, but the performer on stage cantered on the line of it.

Multiple changes of key, time signature and pace had passed before Octavia’s hooves waltzed up the neck of her cello, the notes reaching a climactic height before travelling back on a spiral in a grand and beautiful finale, the crowd finding their own cue to resume their applause, applause that some of the audience found hard to contain even before the heavy climax.

The pony on stage gazed out upon the roaring assortment of ponies, ponies that were cheering, not just for anypony, but for her. She allowed her eyes to join those of many of her onlookers as almost comforting saltiness streamed down her face, that face transforming into the largest of smiles a single pony could muster. To put her soul out into the world and for it to be loved by others was, as she felt, her true purpose; she felt a true fulfillment of her calling with each performance, and this one was only half over.

Laying down the wondrous instrument, she made her way to a nearby microphone, finding difficulty to do anything but breath her words.

“E- everypony. I-…”

She took a step back, smiling to herself and shaking her head. Subconsciously, Octavia decided that now was not the time to pour her heart out with words; she instead decided to take a different, unscripted route.

“Everypony, it’s time for intermission. So please, buy all of our booze.”

Nervous murmurs and looks shifted around the theater before they were overlapped by the roar of laughter; back on the stage, Octavia blushed and smiled, slightly embarrassed. She’d never ended a performance like that, but it obviously was well received; she considered adding a bit of humor to every performance, but facehoofed exiting the stage as she realized that Vinyl was really rubbing off on her. The thought of the white mare turned her nervous smile into one of loving happiness.

Back in the VIP section, the pegasus and unicorn couple once again found themselves in a pile of tissues together. Rarity happily levitated the small handkerchiefs to her and Fluttershy’s faces, feeling her own comfort under the warm and secure wing of her partner. Vinyl, for once, decided to let them be, at least for the moment.

“That was too beautiful. All of it,” the winged mare fed her partner who was only able to nod in agreement as they leaned into each other with even force.

“It was just so amazing. The sounds. I…” Fluttershy found her words failing, but soon thought nothing of it as her lips were almost immediately met by a quick peck of Rarity’s muzzle. The two spent long moments looking into each other’s eyes before an almost welcome interruption pierced their secure bubble.

“Yeah, you mares heard ‘Tavi. Let’s go buy the booze.”

Rarity looked up and then to her partner. “Well, I do suppose we are no use here; we might as well stretch our hooves a bit and get ready. If that first act was as beautiful as it was, they must have some extremely powerful performing coming up.”

“Okay…” was all the yellow mare replied, really not wanting to agree or disagree, only wanting to remain right by Rarity’s side.

The trio walked down a long hallway down to what was perceived to be a snack bar of sorts. In their monotonous walk, the couple looked behind them to find Vinyl’s blue tail disappearing down a hall, one that was labeled “Do not enter”.

“Where is she going?” questioned the pegasus, not necessarily searching for an answer.

“I would assume some place where Octavia is situated. Best not to bother them, I’m sure she knows what she is doing.”
Rarity received a nod in return. “Now let’s go get something to eat while we wait for the next part, shall we?”

The duo waited in their lofty position in Octavia’s section; the suited mare that they shared the space with had not yet returned, and clues indicated that the show could begin at any moment. Minutes ticked by before they saw the mare in question slowly trotting up the stairs, a somewhat distracted look upon her face.

“Well Vinyl, I’m quite glad that you could join us.”

“Wha-? Oh yeah, I’m here now, let’s get this show rolling.” She clopped her hooves together in a “chop-chop”, “on the double” sort of manner.

The pony with the purple mane took note of the DJ’s new, rougher appearance. “Scratch, whatever happened to your mane? It’s a mess! Well, more so than usual.”

“Uh, nothing,” she coughed. “Nothing at all.” A smile creeped across her face.

“Fair enough,” Rarity stated as she attempted to turn forward again, before something caught her eye which made her turn back to the white mare.

“Where did you get the new bowtie?”

Vinyl looked around, and then down at herself. “Oh… Uh, yeah, I was always wearing this one.”

“No, the one you came in with was multiple shades of electric blue, and that one’s pink with-“

“Whoops, shows starting; can’t talk, shh,” the unicorn rudely, but not unjustly interrupted.

All Fluttershy could do was smile and shortly giggle to herself; Rarity’s intrusiveness was a harsh opposite of Vinyl, their comical banter made her feel right at home as if the DJ was Applejack. She gave her unicorn a quick and loving nuzzle.
Despite the undesirable controversy, the shy mare quite enjoyed moments like these in which she felt that she could be a comfort to Rarity, whether the unicorn knew it or not. A smile appeared as she took a whiff of the mare’s beautiful and fragrant white coat.

Her trance was soon broken as more light appeared on the stage. Completely disregarding the ponies within the light, there was something different about it, something calmer, as if the formality of the event was suddenly deemed unnecessary. It was when the ponies in the VIP section took note of who was actually on the stage, or more so what they were doing, that the reason for the sudden casual lighting became apparent.

Most noticeable was Sergio, who seemed to have traded in his acoustic guitar for a more rugged electric, him instead choosing to stand in a delicate position on his hind hooves with the instrument slung around his shoulder. His face bore an expression that loudly stated “come get some”, his cocky smile being well deserved as the ponies in the crowd questioned how he was going to play it; hooves are not the optimal appendages for guitars, especially not standing upright.

After thoroughly examining the guitarist, Rarity’s attention was drawn to Octavia, who was standing in her usual position with her cello. Immediately she didn’t find anything off or odd, but upon more staring, staring that could be considered ogling, she noticed the bowtie clasped around her neck. Being the designer of the dress, she was absolutely positive that she didn’t choose a bowtie of multiple shades of electric blue to compliment the ensemble. Gazing upon it, she turned back to Vinyl, and then back to the stage with a smile; they sure were silly ponies.

Seemingly without any sort of indication, the performers began their duty, Sergio starting with a chord progression with Octavia slowly coming in and complimenting it with the graceful notes of her cello. The pair created the intro to what seemed like it would be another sad tune, until something unexpected happened: Sergio stomped. The action itself was insignificant, but what he stomped on was. He had turned on the distortion for his guitar, transitioning into crushingly beautiful power chords; it was now him complimenting Octavia’s progression.

Aside from the music flowing forth from their instruments, another sound could be heard; Vinyl had stood up and gave a loudest of cheering screams, exited for the change of pace from the dullness which she so despised. The rest of the crowd look at her in shock as she drew attention to herself before some ponies joined in on her cheer, encouraging the musicians on stage to continue their epic journey of notes and heavy harmonies.

It was a surprising, yet beautiful mix of an orchestral metal of sorts; one that nopony had expected a proper mare such as
Octavia to participate in, but judging by the elated expression on her face, she was quite enjoying herself. Her bow danced across the strings, stretching the minor key as she had never before done while at the same time keeping the pace of the almost improvised song.

Vinyl, being one that has listened to this genre for quite some time, turned to Rarity. “I never expected them to play, let alone write, something like this. This is incredible!”

Before the fashion pony could say anything, be it of dislike or approval, Fluttershy spoke up. “I like it! I mean… it sounds good, it’s something different.”

The unicorn turned to her marefriend, surprised that she would enjoy this brutish art by any means, and managed to take a look into her eyes before giving her a peck on the cheek. Over the music, she spoke into her ear.

“That’s why I love you, you’re always full of surprises.” She wrapped her hooves around her.
Being another conditioned reaction, Fluttershy’s face reddened before she returned the peck with a full on kiss. “I love you too, Rarity.”

A flurry of notes strung together as the two stared into each other’s eyes for an undefined amount of time, all outside distractions coming to a standstill as they sat in each other’s hooves within their own sphere of feelings. It wasn’t until the music came to an intense crescendo with underlying prettiness that reality had snapped back, them realizing that the two performers were approaching the grand finale of their set, if that was what it was to be called.

The ponies in the crowd didn’t even wait for the final notes to be played as they erupted in cheer, the sounds of their numerous voices still not enough to overlay the sounds of the instruments. In its simplest sense, the energy of the crowd was intoxicating, drawing even Rarity into the loud cheering and applause for the heavy performance, some ponies shedding the strangest of tears.

“And that’s why they call it the New Equestrian Concert Hall!” the nearby DJ yelled over the roar of the crowd, herself caught in the excitement. This was most definitely more of her scene at this point, and the couple could now understand at least one of the reasons, besides her pink bowtie, of course, that she would attend these types of events.

It took a year’s worth of “thank you’s” and a multitude of bows, but the crowd eventually quieted down, especially after seeing the ponies on stage leaving it.

Vinyl turned around to guide the two lovely mares out of the section. “How was that?”

“Magical.”

The musical unicorn didn’t notice if it was one, two or zero ponies saying it; she was too excited from the riveting show to notice. She quickly led the ponies back into the hall where some of the ponies remained socializing and reminiscing about the show the just watch, much in a “remember when…” fashion. Rarity decided to gaze upon a clock as she had lost all meaning of time in the past few hours, becoming too lost in bliss and beauty from all senses.

“Fluttershy, dear, are you about ready to leave? We should most definitely make our way home before all the taxis have departed.”

Much too exhausted to agree or disagree, the pegasus just gave a tired nod, almost falling upon her partner, making her giggle.

“Well, I believe we should say our goodbyes to our gracious hosts. They have been better to us than I ever could have imagined. I don’t know how I will ever repay Octavia and Vinyl.”

She said those words, but in the back of her mind she knew that she would find a way. She would force herself to find a way.

It seemed like hours that they sat together, Fluttershy looking up at Rarity from her lap. Sitting in their rented carriage, one that they had found their missing invitations in, they became unaware if it was moving or stationary, they were only aware of each other and the warmth they shared: warmth of both heat and heart.

Breaking through this illusion the unicorn looked out of the window of the taxi and gazed upon Carousel Boutique, in front of it, the path to Fluttershy’s cottage: the path that had caused her pain and joy alike, both of those resulting in the beauty that she now thrived in. She was back where she began, had come full circle, but it was different this time.

This time, she was not alone; this time, she had somepony to share her hopes with.

Her fears with.

Her dreams with.

Her tears with and, above all;

her love with.

She now had obtained that elusive entity that she didn’t even know she so desired: love.

Love.

An Epilogue of Sorts

The stairs quietly creaked as Rarity made her way down them, looking forward to heading down that familiar path to the Ponyville Spa. The cheerful mare hopped out of her door with a spring in her step, ready to meet a very special pegasus for a spa date once more, their spa time being one of their events of togetherness they so cherished. With a smile, she cantered on down that path, ready to spend another glorious evening with the mare of her dreams.

Though quick, the trip didn’t end soon enough for her as she listened to the familiar sound of the chimes that signaled a customer entering the business of Aloe and Lotus. The white unicorn happily trotted up to the front counter to be greeted by the pink form Aloe.

“Hello Aloe, I believe Fluttershy had taken care of our appointment this time.”

The earth pony sighed. “Listen, I know that this is probably the last thing you want to here, but we don’t have an appointment for you.”

Rarity sat back baffled and expressed her distaste. “Haven’t we been through this before? Do you really want to go through this again?”

Before replying with a smile she looked around and beckoned the unicorn closer. “Alright, now don’t tell her I told you this, but she seemed really adamant in not booking your appointment. I offered, and she said no with a grin; if you ask me, I’d say you need to go to her.”

A puzzled look creeped across the face of the white mare, but regardless she thanked the spa pony and trotted off back down the path at a slightly faster pace than before. Her hurried legs carried her at a brisk pace until the outskirts of Ponyville were once again in sight. She wasn’t worried, far from it, but she was extremely curious as to why Fluttershy was acting in such a way, her curiosity alone driving her to walk up the steps leading to the cottage and stand in front of the door.

She was about to immediately open the door, as she had done many times in the past as the pegasus’ home had become somewhat of a second lodging to her, but she stopped herself, thinking that it would be best not to let her curiosity autopilot.
The unicorn lifted her hoof and gave a succession of swift taps.

A quiet squeak may or may not have been heard, but what succeeded it definitely was. In an almost singing voice Fluttershy answered with a “Come in!”

Accepting the invitation, Rarity led herself into the house to be greeted first by a wall of beautiful aromas due to various candles strewn about the room as she was secondly met by the ambient light they had created. Directly in front of her was a very happy pegasus clutching a beautiful bouquet of flowers in her mouth, which she promptly offloaded to the pony in front of her.

“Happy anniversary, Rarity.”

The unicorn's own mouth was silenced speechless; of all the things she had expected her shy pegasus to do, this was one of the last, and it was beautiful. Her thoughts immediately transitioned to ones of her own folly; of all the things that she had to forget, it was their one year anniversary, and such a magical year it was.

Rarity playfully and lovingly tackled Fluttershy in an attempt to remedy her lack of words for the situation, both of them falling to the ground in a heap and laughing. The white mare looked around the room while on top of her and took note of all the beautiful ornaments placed and hung around her cottage.

“You did all this… for me?”

Fluttershy smiled a widest of smiles. “There’s nopony else in the world who’s worth it.”

Rarity leaned down and gave her mare a quick peck on the lips before falling down beside her. “I only wish I had something to give you, my dear. I… I just never gave it any thought and-“

Before she could continue she was interrupted by the muzzle of the yellow mare. “You being here is worth it,” she continued her thought. “You’re worth it.”

For another time they lay with each other upon Fluttershy’s floor, and for another time they share tears of true happiness; to have spent one year with each other was a momentous achievement for them. Each pony looked upon the other with pure adoration, gazing upon each and every quirk, flaw and difference, however few they may be, and loving every one of them. It was this bliss that was the magnetism, the gravity, the attraction; for every push there is a pull, and only in a balanced dance may two souls stand the test of time.

Rarity’s thoughts reflected this as she basked in the beauty of her marefriend, wishing to never leave this position she was in. In a quick motion, she pulled her into an almost crush yet loving embrace, enjoying the warmth of the other pony’s body.

“Happy anniversary, Fluttershy.”

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