Fluttershy some up to the smell of hot oil, blueberries, and pancakes, with the omnipresent undertone of her home's assorted fauna beneath it. Who would be doing in her home? And this early?
Actually, a glance at her alarm clock — conspicuously silent — told her it wasn't that early after all. It was almost noon!
With a jolt, Fluttershy leaped out of bed, and immediately regretted it as everything from her hips and back protested against even having to dangle in a different shape than they'd reknit themselves into overnight. Fluttershy blushed, remembering exactly why she was so sore, and realizing who had to be cooking downstairs.
Oh, she so hoped he'd remembered to feed the critters first... although, if he hadn't, she could use that as an excuse for him to come back upstairs after breakfast — brunch, she supposed, and punish her for—
Nope! She was going to march downstairs, feed the critters, enjoy her coltfriend's efforts in the kitchen, and then go soak in a nice hot bath until she could feel her tail again. While Bulk joined her to help make sure she lost—
Fluttershy started flying downstairs before she could go any further down that particular trail, thank you very much!
Downstairs, her suspicions that Bulk was making breakfast were confirmed, the gentle giant humming tunelessly while he flipped blueberry pancakes. Angel stood stern guard over him with stirring spoon in paw, ready to lay down the law if the Maker of Late Breakfasts dared trespass against any other house rules. All the other critters were milling about as usual, strangely quiet for now hungry they must be. And Rarity was sitting at the kitchen table with a steaming mug of coffee in front of her.
Oh dear. Fluttershy was suddenly very aware of how unkempt she was. Normally it wouldn't bother her, Rarity expected a certain level of frazzled on spa days (oh, why hadn't she remembered that was today?), but this morning's display came along with some distinctively matted fur that the poor pegasus really didn't want to explain!
At least not until after a they were soaking safely in the privacy of the spa's hot tub, where she could hide beneath the water.
Maybe if she just drowned herself in the tub, it would be less awkward?
No, no, Aloe and Lotus would be devastated, and besides, how could she settle her account there if—
Fluttershy's musings were interrupted by a glowing, blue, flying plate of blueberry pancakes with syrup fluttering onto the table nearest her.
"Eep! G-good morning, everypony! Thank you for making breakfast, Bulk!"
"Happy to, Fluttershy! I took care of your animals too, since you... uhm... had such a rough night last night."
He and Fluttershy both blushed as Rarity tittered into a hoof, her predatory grin growing even wider as some juicy details (quite literally, to judge by Fluttershy's poor coat) promised to offer themselves as up later.
"Yes, I arrive just as Bulk was finishing up and putting his nuts into the pancake batter," she explained.
Fluttershy's world started to blur at the edges. So this was what it felt like to die....
"My cinnamon nuts!" Bulk very nearly squeaked, just before his marefriend could actually faint in front of him. He planned to do that himself later, she had no business beating him to it!
"Of course, darling, whatever else would I mean?" Rarity flashed her grin at him, and not for the first time since she'd arrived he felt like the last protein shake at a bodybuilding contest.
"I'd better finish cleaning up and get going to work," Bulk hurriedly explained, turning to start washing the dishes and hide his blazing cheeks.
"Oh, I can do that! " Fluttershy protested.
"Nope! My mess, I clean it up."
"Such a gentlecolt!" Rarity smiled. "Not what he said last night though, was it?" She teased Fluttershy with a quiet sing-songy tone, levitating her last pancake and rolling it up to a tube that could have held Mister Mouse comfortably. She quirked an eyebrow, as if asking about her estimate.
Fluttershy flushed and poked at her own pancakes, rolling the top one up like me Rarity's... then a second around that... then a third around that, and finally holding her hoof above her confectionary confession, indicating something more the size of the rabbit still guarding the kitchen, Rarity's eyes widening with each progressive addition, her jaw dropping slightly at the last one.
"Well, I certainly hope he was a gentlecolt then!" She muttered, fanning herself slightly and eating the last of her impromptu meal. Still, morbid curiosity demanded she ask, and once she finished, she floated her dishes over to Bulk at the sink, holding her hooves about six inches across as she did.
Fluttershy began to wonder if her coat could ignite from her own body heat, and if so, how much warning would the smoke give her first. Still, using her fork she push the innermost two pancakes out, like a telescoping tube of delectably hot, sticky goodness. Half again as long as the pancake... three-quarters... finally stopping just shy of a full two pancake widths.
Rarity's eyes widened again, this time with newfound respect for her dear friend's... appetite.
Fluttershy restacked her breakfast and started to eat silently, hoping Rarity would be satisfied for now.
"All done!" Bulk announced as he dried his hooves, oblivious to the objectification going on behind him. "I'll see you at the spa later, okay?"
"Yeah!" Fluttershy laughed, imitating his trademark enthusiasm. He laughed back at her, and kissed her gently before heading out.
"You have got to be pulling my leg, Fluttershy!" Rarity exclaimed once the door was shut. "Really... is he.... "
Fluttershy finished her own breakfast with a bashful nod to her flummoxed friend.
"And when he...?"
Fluttershy reached a wing out towards the syrup bottle to put it away, and then considered for a moment. She pointed her feathers at the bottom of the bottle, then raised them... and raised them... And again, until she'd measured out about half the bottle's height.
"If you don't mind, I think I need to go wash up before we head out to the market," she explained, putting her plate in the sink for later and putting the syrup away. "I got some syrup in my coat."