Dreams Do Come True:Side Story:Always Been At Your Side

It was an early Saturday morning, cold and dreary. The Weather Team had scheduled a rainstorm for the day, but that didn’t stop certain ponies from going about their daily business. This particular day, a unique pony had some running around to do.

“Twilight, are you sure this is everything we need?” Shadow Foot shouted to his wife, whom was busy with Celestia-knew-what in the kitchen of their home on the outskirts of Ponyville.

“Yes, I’m sure. I checked it myself, twice.” His wife said as she entered the front hall of their domicile.

“You’re definitely certain this is everything? This may be the last time I go anywhere for the next 48 hours.”

“Yes, Shadow. Now go, before it gets worse out there.” She said, slightly irritated at her husband.

“Fine. I’ll be back in a little while. Please stay inside. I don’t need you getting sick and taking the rest of us with you.” Shadow huffed as he left.
+++
“First stop, Carousel boutique.” The sanguine coated pony thought to himself, approaching the lavishly decorated business of Miss Rarity, a lady of ladies among ponykind. Refined, Graceful, and often to the point, Shadow confessed to himself multiple times, had he not fallen in love with and married Twilight, Rarity probably would have had his heart.

The telltale jingle of bells greeted Shadow as he entered, snapping Rarity from her current project.“I’ll be with you in just a moment, please.” Her voice lilted out from some distant room of the boutique.”

“Not a problem, Ma’am.” Shadow shouted.Rarity recognized the voice immediately. Not many ponies could imitate such a sound. Instantly dropping her materials on a nearby table, she always gave preferred customers priority, but Shadow was a greatly preferred customer.

Able to hold his own in many conversations, she found him to be delightful company, and felt ashamed to admit, given the chance, she would give everything to have a chance at him. But that possibility went out the window on Twilight’s wedding day.

“Hello, Shadow!” She said excitedly, drifting out of her project room and into the main display hall of her boutique. In this room, ponyquins of varying sizes were clothed in some of her finest work, on display for the coming season, and the gala, to be held sometime within the month.

“What can I do for you this fine day?” She asked, drifting close to him. He always smelled of green fields and ocean breeze, a scent combination to die for.

“Nothing much, Miss Rarity.” Shadow piped up, smiling at her. “I just need these sheets repaired. Somehow, Spike managed to shred them when he washed them. Poor kid’s got claws bigger than he can handle” He laughed.

“Really? You can’t fix them yourself?” Rarity asked, astonished. A unicorn his age should have been able to manage that easily.

“I tried. See the previous repairs? They’re horrible.” In truth, they were. While he’d been in ponyville for a few years now, he was still learning the intricacies of unicorn magic. It’s not every day you can do things you never thought possible, especially when you’re taught on Earth that magic doesn’t exist.

Rarity laughed nervously. They really were horrible. “Not a problem, Shadow. Just give me a few minutes to finish up in here, and then I’ll get to this immediately.”

“Very well then. I’ll be back later.” As Shadow trotted toward the door, Rarity quickly got his attention, realizing the opportunity that had just presented itself.

“Shadow, why don’t you stay for some tea? The weather is horrible outside and I’d hate to make you come back out this way for a few bedsheets. It won’t take long, promise.

+++

Within a few minutes, Shadow was settled into an absurdly fluffy couch, a pot of hot tea in front of him and two tea cups with floral paint on them. The set was elegantly painted and free-spirited at the same time, Shadow noted. While he wasn’t an artist himself, he enjoyed it.

“So why come out for some bed sheets in the middle of a rainstorm?” Rarity asked her guest, who was happily munching on a chocolate cookie.

“No reason. Just something that needed to be done. Along with groceries for the next couple days until the storm passes. You were closest.”

“I wish we were closer.” Rarity said to herself, louder than she intended.

“What was that, Miss Rarity?” Shadow asked, feeling a little giggly and sleepy.

“Nothing, Shadow.” Rarity shouted back, realizing what she had just let slip.

“Oh. Alright then.” Shadow reclined on the couch. He suddenly felt very comfortable, and reclined lazily, studying his cookie with great intent.

“So what else were you looking for, today?”

“Some fresh roughage, maybe some milk. I don’t remember exactly what.” Shadow said dreamily. He suddenly felt an urge to approach Rarity with less than platonic intent, but stopped himself. He was already married. How dare he even think of cheating… But Twilight hadn’t been “in the mood” as of late, and what could one affair hurt if Twi never found out?
+++
“There we go, all done!” Rarity said gleefully, spreading the sheets before Shadow, to earn his approval.

“They look Amazing, Rarity. And so do you” Shadow said thickly, as if he were entranced or drunk.

“Why, thank y-- w…what?” Rarity asked shakily, blushing. She wasn’t sure what exactly she’d just heard. That comment was a bit off, even for the dashing and exotic Shadow Foot.

“I said…” Shadow got off the overstuffed couch, stepping toward her. “You. Look. Amazing.”

“Thank you, I guess. One does try to look presentable at all times. You never know who may show up.” Rarity said, nervously. She could almost smell his desire for her, not even slightly present a few moments ago, when she had served him the tea. It was almost as if he were in Estrus, which wasn’t supposed to happen to male ponies.

“Shadow, I think you should go now. Don’t worry about the bill. I’ll take care of it when you’re feeling normal again.”

Rarity said, promptly folding and boxing the repaired sheets, and putting a hoof out to stop his advance on her. Then something clicked. This could be her one and only chance to have what she’d wanted since she met the stallion.
At this point, a rapid argument began bouncing back and forth inside her, against herself. Here, she could have the stallion she always wanted, if only once, at the risk of endangering one of her best friends’ marriages, and her friendship with the both of them.

“Shadow, what are you doing?” Rarity asked him worriedly.

“I think you know.” He said, pushing closer.

“I’ll have you know, Shadow, that I am not that kind of mare, and even if I were, it would not be with someone who’s married to one of my best friends. Now, you may leave on your own, or I can call the police and have them remove you.”

“You won’t. I know as well as you that you’ve wanted me since I arrived here in ponyville. And what Twilight doesn’t know can’t hurt her.”

“But what if somepony walks in? Everbody talks you know. And word travels fast in ponyville.”There were a series of small clicks, what could have only been doors locking.

“Now there’s no chance that anypony can walk in. You’re one chance, for one afternoon.”

“Shadow, I…”Before she could finish, Shadow kissed her passionately, unlike anything she’d felt before. With that, she succumbed to years of yearning, and the burning passion he’d ignited in her.
+++
It felt so dirty, yet so very right. In the span of half an hour, all their desires had been fulfilled, all possibilities tried and tested. And nopony was the wiser. After a very long, hot shower, the pair parted ways, never to speak again of the deed that had been performed. Now that it was done and they had their fun, there was no longer any sexual tension between the two. They hoped that this would circumvent any future affairs.

With naught but silence passed between them, Shadow left the boutique, and felt as if he had done something very wrong, but wasn’t quite sure. He knew he’d spent more time at the boutique than he’d intended, but wasn’t sure how. The last thing he clearly remembered was drinking the very last bit of tea in his cup, noting that it smelled and tasted funny, and that was it.