Chapter 37: Her Mother's Looks, Her Father's Temper
Fluttershy followed her mother, occasionally casting worried looks back at Rarity as she did so. Logically, nopony would be fighting until her mom announced who was paired with whom, but her heart was screaming that if she didn't watch Rarity every second, she would get hurt.
Posey led her around behind the observation stand, where the sounds of the last few matches were muted. She sat down on the packed earth, motioning for her daughter to do the same.
After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Fluttershy prompted her mother: “You wanted to talk to me, Mom?”
Posey nodded, pulling a couple juice boxes from her saddle bags and giving one to her. The older mare held the box in her hooves, spearing the straw into the small hole in the top with precision that spoke of long practice. “I did.”
There was a much longer silence as Posey drank.
Fluttershy stared at her own juicebox, uncertain if she was expected to drink as well while she waited. “Um...”
“Shy, I’m sorry,” Posey said at last.
“Sorry?” Fluttershy blinked in confusion. Her brain had to double-check with her ears to make sure she'd heard her mother correctly. “Why are you—”
Posey held up a hoof for silence as she finished off her box. She set it down, looking at the ground. “Rarity’s going to be the exhibition match this round.”
And just like that, the bottom dropped out of Fluttershy’s world.
The exhibition match was in almost all cases against her mother. Shy herself had been the only exception, and hers had been against several stallions at once. Posey always picked the most promising from each group to showcase. In some cases, it was to knock a braggart down a peg, but more often it was to inspire the recruits, although it could be both at once.
“Mom, she’s exhausted. Please don’t do that to her! She was up all night doing a dress order for the princess!” Fluttershy pleaded, hoping against hope that the small sign of affection her mother had shown her earlier might indicate a change in her normal demeanor.
Posey looked her daughter in the eye, giving her a little half-smile. “All the more reason. She’ll make a fine example.”
“But she doesn’t need to be made an example of!” Fluttershy snapped back, trying hard to keep the tears from her eyes. “She’s exhausted, and she’s been trying so hard! I don’t think she has anything left!”
“Shy... I’m not going to stop her from doing this because you think she needs a nap,” Posey began. She paused and, in an attempt to comfort her daughter, laid a hoof on her shoulder. “But if you feel that strongly, tell her.”
“I’ve been trying!” Fluttershy stomped a forehoof into the ground, breaking eye-contact to stare at the ground. “She won’t listen!” The small bit of physical contact broke down the last of her emotional reserves, and she began crying openly. “She just wants him to give her a chance, and she’ll do anything to make that happen! I-I love her so much for that, but it’s not going to work!”
Posey said nothing, only waiting for her daughter’s frustration to run its course.
Fluttershy wiped away her tears, looking her mother in the eyes again. “Who is she going up against?” she asked, finally.
“You already know,” Posey replied, with just a hint of exasperation.
Fluttershy’s expression whiplashed from saddened to alarmed, and she lurched forward to clutch Posey’s foreleg as if she could physically restrain her by doing so. “You can’t! She can’t! Don’t you see? Even with a good night’s sleep, she’s no match—”
“She’ll do fine,” Posey said firmly, making no move to dislodge her daughter. “I’m not asking for miracles; just a good showing. If she managed to take down Charmer without any military training, and half asleep, your marefriend has more potential than I’ve seen in a long time. I want these layabouts to give me their all. That takes an example. I need to show them where the bar is if I ever expect them to reach it.”
“But why does it have to be her? Wasn’t there anypony else?” Fluttershy demanded, shaking her head angrily.
Her mother smiled a little wider. “You’re upset... that I find your marefriend to be talented?”
“No! I mean... yes?” The younger pegasus glared at her mother, no longer quite sure how to feel. “You’re just setting her up to fail! It’s bad enough with Dad—”
Posey met her daughter’s angry glare with her own passive unwavering eyes, saying nothing. After a few moments of this, Fluttershy looked away with a frustrated huff.
“Sorry,” she said softly, her ears folding back.
“You’re worried, and I understand that. But she’s had a fair chance, and she has far exceeded my expectations.” Posey got up, walking over to her daughter. She looked down at the younger mare, and stiffly embraced her in her forelegs. “I can’t speak for your father, but for my part, I will be glad to call her my daughter.”
Fluttershy returned the hug, her emotions overwhelming her. Her mother was acting like a mom. “Just... please, don’t hurt her?”
“Shouldn’t you be asking her that? She did just try to skewer one of my troops.” Though Fluttershy could not see it, she could imagine the smirk on her mother’s face with that statement. Posey hugged her daughter a little tighter. “I’ll do my best, Shy-shy.”
“You did well, all of you,” Posey said to her assembled recruits.
There were a few murmurs of negation amongst the ponies who had lost their rounds.
“To those of you who lost, winning or losing was never the point. We’re here to assess you, to see where your strengths lie now, and focus on your weaknesses. To those who won, you showed some real promise. And while some of your methods are more unusual than others—” She looked pointedly at Windy, who smiled back, completely unrepentant “—in any conflict, doing what works is what is important, though certain tactics might be frowned upon. We are the protectors of the realm, the peacekeepers, and occasionally the enforcers. As such, we have an image to uphold. Always remember that.”
“Now, before I pair you up again, I have a demonstration planned.” Murmurs of confusion could be heard from the assembled recruits. “One of you, the one who showed the most promise, will spar with an opponent of my choosing. On this occasion, I’ll be the opponent. The recruit, it should come as no surprise if you saw the match, is—”
Rarity, who had been listening attentively despite feeling like she was going to pass out at a moment’s notice, quailed as Posey said this. She prayed silently to whichever goddess would listen that the name about to cross Posey’s lips would not be—
“—Rarity.”
Celestia? Luna? Cadance? None of you have my back on this? Fine!
High in her tower, the Princess of the Night stirred, murmuring a very sleepy apology to nopony in particular, before falling fast asleep again.
The other recruits turned to her in curiosity. As well they might. No doubt they wondered what exactly Rarity had done to catch the eye of the Sarge. In truth, Rarity wondered herself. She laughed nervously in the face of the unwanted attention. Instinctively, she reached out for her chaise lounge with her magic, only to find that it was much too far away to bring to her, and even attempting the locator spell was giving her a splitting headache. She hissed sharply as her horn sparked.
“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked, concerned. She leaned closer to Rarity, fighting off a sudden urge to embrace her.
“I’ll be fine, darling. Just a little headache. My own fault for charging headfirst into somepony in armor, I imagine,” Rarity replied, rubbing her forehead with a hoof. “I... I can do this. Just cheer me on, will you?” She got up, kissing Fluttershy on the cheek, wondering if she’d be in any shape to do so after her fight.
It wasn’t like she was going off to die, but having seen nothing but concern from her marefriend for several days was starting to wear on her confidence. What if she couldn’t put on a good performance? What if Posey accidentally injured her? She still had orders to fill! Stop it, stop it, stop it! You’ve gotten this far, Rarity, There’s no point in stopping now.
“Really, you are much too kind,” she said to Posey as she made her way to the bottom of the stands, stopping there momentarily. “I’m certain any number of these fine ponies would be better suited—”
Posey only gestured for her to step forward. Rarity did not move at first, still not quite believing this was happening, but eventually found the strength to do so without shaking. Charmer had been an unknown, and as such, she had every expectation that she could beat him with effort, just like any foe she’d faced with her friends. She was under no illusions with Posey. She had every intention of giving her all, of course, but she estimated her chances were slim at best, and as such, her steps had all the enthusiasm of a pallbearer with a hangover.
She eventually found herself standing nervously in front of Posey. But as she stood there, facing her inevitable beatdown at the hooves of her mother-in-law to be, she smiled. Forgone though the conclusion was, she was determined to see this through.
“You certainly know how to make a mare work, sir...” she muttered under her breath.
“Repeat that, recruit?”
“I said it will be a pleasure to trade more than words with you,” Rarity replied with a false display of bravado. “Oh, and try to avoid the face, if you would. I’d rather not have any sca—” She stopped as her eyes fell on the fine network of scars on Posey’s face. “Nevermind! I’m sure it will build character... Eheh...” She tried to brush a stray lock of hair from her eyes, wincing as her horn sputtered and sparked in the attempt. She hesitantly assumed a ready position, waiting for Posey to do the same.
Fluttershy’s eyes were once again drawn to Rarity’s horn, and she gasped as she realized what it might mean. “Wait!” Fluttershy called out, pushing her way through the crowd that had gathered at the bottom of the observation stand to watch the match. “Excuse me,” she said, trying to pass a tight knot of onlookers. When the recruits wouldn’t budge, she tapped one of them on the back politely. “I’m sorry, I need to talk to my mother—” Suddenly, the crowd parted for her like magic. “Um... thank you.”
Posey’s expression flickered briefly between surprise and annoyance, before returning to it’s normal placidity. “At ease, recruits.”
Fluttershy galloped to Rarity, looking over her horn carefully, much to the confusion of the latter. With a sharp intake of breath, she turned back to her mother. Rarity watched in bemusement as the two of them had the most quiet argument she’d ever had the pleasure to not hear at all.
“Mom, she can’t do it!” Fluttershy hissed to her mother, eyes darting back to Rarity.
“Shy... not now. I know you’re worried, but—”
“No, I mean she literally can’t!” Fluttershy pointed surreptitiously at Rarity’s horn. “Her horn was sparking just now when she tried to use magic. She cracked it when she hit that other pony!”
Posey glanced past her daughter, looking Rarity over in a new light.
“Darling, what is going on?” Rarity asked, more curious than ever.
Fluttershy ignored Rarity for the moment. “It would be like fighting with two hooves tied behind her back, or asking you to fight without wings!”
Posey grunted in frustration. “I guess I could do that, do you have any rope?”
Fluttershy just looked at her disapprovingly.
“Well, that or a belt. It has to be strong, though.”
“Mom...”
“Well, you’re putting me in a bad position here. I can’t just pass her.” She thought a moment, eyes flicking back to her recruits who were beginning to wonder what was going on. “Ugh... fine. I’ll have to switch her out with one of the others. It’s a shame though; none of the rest are going to be much of a challenge.”
Fluttershy leaned in closer, dropping her voice even lower. “Um... I actually might have an idea...”
Finally, the two broke from their huddle. Posey looked less than pleased. Fluttershy, however, was beaming. It was a victorious smile which looked a little out of place on her due to its rarity, but the presence of which made Rarity love her all the more.
Posey turned back to face her recruits. “There’s been a slight change of plans,” Posey began, waiting for a moment to make certain she had everypony’s full attention.
Fluttershy trotted over to Rarity, standing beside her. “It’s all okay now,” she said quietly.
“What is okay, exactly?” Rarity responded, confused and a little worried. For some reason, she felt like her day was about to get worse.
“Due to injury, Rarity is unfit for this demonstration. She gave her all, and I will not hold it against her.”
Rarity’s face fell; she was not sure what was going on at all now. “Injury? What is she—”
“Your horn,” Fluttershy said, quietly. “I saw it sparking just now. You cracked it.”
Rarity gasped, lifting a hoof up to feel the length of her horn. Perhaps having charged into somepony’s armor was unwise, in retrospect. “So... I just get a pass for being an idiot?”
“Sort of...” Fluttershy replied, giggling softly before placing a kiss on Rarity’s horn.
“In light of this, I have a substitution,” Posey went on, ignoring the whispering mares behind her.
Rarity’s ears flicked towards Posey, half-listening to her as she interrogated her marefriend. “Wait... what do you mean—”
“My daughter will be demonstrating what I will expect from you all,” Posey finished.
There was a deathly silence, followed by an enraged cry from the stands, and excited talk amongst the troops.
Rarity stared at Posey, unable to comprehend how this had transpired. “She... she can’t do that, can she?”
“It was my idea,” Fluttershy replied, beaming. “I’m... I’m going to show you how much you mean to me. My dad is wrong. I don’t need protecting. I need somepony to stand beside me, not to hide behind. So, I’m going to do this for you.” She embraced Rarity to her chest.
“But... It was supposed to be me! I—”
Fluttershy silenced her with a kiss. “Sit down, cheer me on. Then we’re going to get some more rest. Remember, Luna invited us to a party.”
Rarity began to protest, but one look at Fluttershy’s eyes made them die on her lips. “All right.”
After Rarity had made her way to the stands, Posey regarded her daughter as she would any opponent. “Hmmph. Too many sweets lately, I see. Do you remember any of what I taught you?”
“I... don’t go around hurting ponies, Mom. Or... I try not to,” Fluttershy replied, trying to keep the quaver out of her voice. She felt like the gangly teenager who had just gotten her cutie mark all over again, worried about impressing a mother who seemed unmoved by anything.
Posey sighed, flaring out her wings as she took a ready position. “Please tell me you at least spar on occasion. I’d rather not look foolish in front of my troops.”
“Um... just with Harry... We wrestle?”
Posey’s ears perked up. “Interesting. Is he strong?”
“He’s a bear.”
Posey’s eyebrows rose, and she allowed a small grin to ghost on her lips. “What would possess you to wrestle with a bear?”
“He needs his exercise, Mom... He’s just a big cuddly teddy-bear,” Fluttershy replied, not liking what her mother was implying about her friend. “He likes to wrestle. And I can’t hurt him. He’s just having fun...”
Posey shifted her stance slightly, getting ready to strike. “Well then, let’s have some fun, Shy.”
Fluttershy’s face, if she could have seen it, mirrored Posey’s at that moment. She didn’t want to hurt her mother, but at the same time, she didn’t want to lose. She had reasons to want to win now.
Maybe, just maybe, if she won, her father could see her as more than the little foal he’d kept sheltered for most of her life. She’d grown and changed, and while she was still afraid at times, she could stand on her own hooves now. And her mother, whom she had sought approval from for the longest time, maybe she’d finally be impressed.
But most important to her was Rarity. She’d worked so hard for Fluttershy and their relationship, but now it was time for Fluttershy to do her part and take care of her marefriend. If that meant possibly hurting her mom, that was okay.
She got up on two hooves, flared her wings back, and adopted the most basic of defensive stances.
Her mother opened with a quick rush followed by a hard strike to her left side, just as she’d always done since she’d first begun training her daughter. Fluttershy blocked, shifting her stance to let Posey’s momentum carry her past, and ducking into a low sweeping kick once she was no longer actively deflecting the hit.
Years of training flooded back to her, and her body moved on its own, seemingly. Her eyes were wide open, watching her mother’s every movement, reading the older mare’s body language that telegraphed her intentions well in advance of her actions.
She hadn’t moved this fast in ages, and in the back of her mind that worried her, because while she knew her mother’s fighting style, she also knew she wouldn’t have the stamina to keep up for very long.
Posey was smiling; a real, unforced, joyous grin the likes of which Fluttershy only saw during moments like these. It had always confused her as a foal; her mother had never smiled for anything. It wasn’t until the first time they’d ever sparred that she’d seen this smile, and it had terrified her. At the time, she’d only understood it as a foal would: her mother was happy when she was about to hurt her.
But there was another side to that smile, and it also unsettled her daughter: Posey was happy when she was being challenged. And Posey was very happy now.
Blow after blow was struck and deflected, hooves and wings moved in a flurry, and the whole time, neither of them uttered a word other than a grunt of pain or appreciation. Far in the back of her mind, Fluttershy marveled at this amazing creature that had tried to mold her daughter into herself, and in some small way, had succeeded.
Perhaps Fluttershy had not become the warrior her mother had wanted, but she had Posey to thank and blame for all the times when she had needed strength and found it in herself, both for good and ill.
Was it a good thing or a bad thing that she was enjoying herself as well? She could feel herself grinning a smile of wild abandon; at that moment, she felt she could keep going forever.
With happiness came a momentary lapse in her attention, and Posey struck her with a hard right to the chest, knocking the wind out of her. Fluttershy huddled up, hooves blocking as much of her body as she could while she caught her breath. Posey rained blows on her, quick jabs to every spot that was unprotected. In desperation, Fluttershy took flight in a rush of air, and Posey followed soon after.
While Fluttershy was no Rainbow Dash, she was able to pull short bursts of speed in a pinch. Posey gave chase, of course, but her years of flight patrols were long behind her. The difference was infinitesimal at best, but it did allow the younger mare some time to recover. Catching her second wind, she banked sharply around and dove for her mother on a collision course.
In the stands, the recruits were watching with rapt attention, placing modest wagers on the winner. They knew their Sarge, but her daughter was something of a legend, and so the odds were only slightly higher on Posey, with Fluttershy being a higher payout. Rarity was tempted to bet on her marefriend, but felt perhaps it would be hard to explain later on.
There was a bit of a cognitive dissonance for Rarity, watching her dear Fluttershy go toe to toe with the battle-hardened veteran. This was the Fluttershy she’d seen the day that she and Pinkie had been away sent crying. And yet... she wasn’t. That creature had been pointlessly cruel. Here, she was focused, and determined... and quite... quite beautiful.
She looked down the stands at Silver, sitting all alone and looking utterly furious. Well good! Watch her. Maybe you’ll finally see what a fine mare she’s become. She turned back, and for a moment was confused, as the pair was no longer anywhere on the ground. She looked all around, then finally up, and gasped in worry as she saw the pair falling rapidly towards the ground at a speed that would surely badly injure them both.
The two impacted in the air, and both hurtled to the ground, a tangle of hooves and wings. Mere hoof-lengths from the ground, Posey kicked free of her daughter, tucking into a tight ball to roll away the worst of the impact. Fluttershy in turn managed to flare out her wings in a maneuver that would have made her oldest friend proud, as it was a near ninety degree angle. Her landing, however, would have only gotten a wince in sympathy and remembered pain as Fluttershy hit the ground hard.
She picked herself up, spitting out rocks and sand from her mouth and trying to get the many half-blurry Poseys to merge together again. In the back of her mind, she noted with concern that all of her mothers were having trouble standing as well.
“Are you okay, Mom?”
“Focus, Shy-shy; worrying comes later,” her mother muttered back, mouthing the familiar phrase she’d always shouted whenever Fluttershy stopped to see if her sparring opponent was injured. Many of the then trainees had used her concern to their advantage, and they’d only added to her bruises for her trouble. Fighting her mother, however, had always been different. She knew that her daughter’s kindness often worked against her and never took advantage of it.
Inwardly relieved that her mother was able to respond, Fluttershy shook the dirt from her mane, squeezing her eyes tightly to wash out the dust from them. She stood, albeit a bit unsteadily.
Having finally resolved the images of her mother down to two, Fluttershy aimed at a point roughly in the middle and charged forward. Posey looked up just in time to see her coming, ducking her shoulder underneath Fluttershy’s chest and lifting her bodily using her own momentum. In the process of sailing over Posey, Fluttershy whipped her head down, latching her jaws onto the shank of Posey’s wing and pulling her down as well.
Fluttershy scrambled to her hooves after they impacted, staring at her mother and breathing with difficulty. She spat out some loose down from her teeth, and somewhere in the very back of her mind, a little filly screamed, because her mother’s wing was lying limply against her side.
Posey flared out the other wing, a look in her eyes that Fluttershy had rarely seen: her mother looked proud. “I always knew you had it in you,” she chuckled, sounding slightly pained. “I think that’s enough.”
Something in Fluttershy shut down in an instant, and she rushed forward, embracing her mother. “Mom, your wing! Is it—”
“Dislocated. Just... give me a second...” Posey said, fending off her daughter. She reached down with her muzzle, grabbing her wing in her mouth, and gave it a swift yank. It made a sickening sound which made the collected ponies wince with her as the joint popped back into place. “Should be fine now, but I probably won’t be flying home today.”
There was a shocked silence in the stands, followed by cheers and whistles. Two ponies were making their way forward from the crowd. One, a proud marefriend (who had eventually given in to temptation and was now owed a tidy sum of bits.) and the other an enraged father.
Rarity made it to Fluttershy first, rushing forward to embrace her. “Darling! You were amazing!”
Silver, seeing this, fumed that he was not able to ensure his only daughter was not injured. He instead turned to Posey. “What was that?” he demanded. “You told me—”
“That she would fight the finest fighter I had, and that was the plan. But plans change, and I couldn’t very well let her fight if she has a cracked horn.” Posey shrugged, nonchalantly. “But enough about that. Don’t you want to congratulate Shy?”
“For what?” Silver replied, seething. “For putting herself in danger because that milksop of a mare couldn’t fight her own fight? I’m supposed to be impressed by that?”
He might have gone on in that same line of thought, but he was knocked to the ground by a swift hoof to the face, delivered by his very angry daughter.
She stood over him, breathing heavily, her eyes wild and dangerous.
He looked up from his prone position, shaking his head. He was a large stallion (and, being married to Posey, was not unused to being marehandled on occasion) but being hit by his daughter was a huge emotional blow. “Shy-shy?”
She just stared at him, shaking with barely suppressed rage. Her wings and nostrils flared. Everything about her screamed hostility, which was something he’d never seen in his darling daughter until that moment.
Rarity approached her marefriend cautiously, extending a hoof to her shoulder. At the contact, Fluttershy’s tension eased somewhat. “Darling... perhaps we should go.”
Directing one final disgusted look at her father, Fluttershy nodded. She walked away, not saying a word, and Rarity hesitantly trailed after her.
Silver looked up at the sky, not quite able to comprehend what had happened.
Posey just sighed. She had more matches to pair up, and a daughter to soothe when she was done. “Silver... I love you, but you’re an idiot.”
She walked back to her recruits, leaving him to his own devices.
“Darling, where are we going?” Rarity asked, plaintively. She’d been following in Fluttershy’s wake since she’d stormed out of the training grounds, and the fuming pegasus had spoken nary a word in that entire time.
“I’m taking you to the infirmary,” Fluttershy said, firmly. “It’s where I should have taken you right after your fight with that bully! I knew something was wrong with you! I just wish I’d seen that little crack when I was looking you over earlier!”
“Well, in fairness you did notice before it became important—” Rarity began.
“If I hadn’t noticed, Mom would have kicked your flank without breaking a sweat! With your magic you’d have had a fair chance at least, but not if it fizzles out when you try to use it!” Fluttershy snapped back, cutting Rarity off.
Rarity was uncertain what to make of her marefriend’s behavior. She still seemed dangerous, which wasn’t to say Rarity felt that Fluttershy would hurt her, personally. The normally reserved mare generally did not get into bad moods, but now she seemed to be making up for lost time.
For anypony else it wouldn’t have been so important, but the last time Fluttershy was in a bad mood, she had terrorized the town! Rarity felt she had to do something to calm Fluttershy down, and do so as quickly as possible. “Fine, that’s fine, but would you mind if we stopped a moment? I’m a tad worn out.”
“I can’t believe after all you went through, he still—” Fluttershy stopped dead in her tracks, turning back to Rarity. For just a moment, her ears went back when it looked like Fluttershy would yell at her for needing to stop. She braced herself for an onslaught, silently promising herself she would not hold it against her. The expected auditory assault did not come. It was replaced by two forelegs and wings wrapping her in a tight embrace. “Oh! Oh, Rarity, I’m so sorry. I just... I—”
Rarity opened her eyes in relief, seeing the other mare’s tear-streaked (and thankfully no longer murderous) eyes. “Sweet darling... You were worried, I know. I was worried for you out there as well. Though, I suppose I was being silly. You were incredible!”
Fluttershy shook her head ruefully. “I wasn’t. I... I hurt her, Rarity. And I wanted to hurt her.”
“Yes... that is sort of the point, isn’t it? She hits you, you hit her, you continue until one of you falls down or throws in the towel? That’s how it was at my dojo, anyway. Admittedly it’s been a while since I was last there...” She paused, seeing the troubled look in her marefriend’s eyes. “Unless you had some other reason?”
The silence that followed was palpable; uncomfortably so.
“She... she was acting like a mom,” Fluttershy said, finally.
Rarity had no response for that at first. It just seemed so very... off. “Erm... and that made you want to hurt her?”
“No! I mean... a little? It was... confusing. I was mad at her for wanting to spar with you, but I was proud... because she chose you. And... I wanted to hurt her because... it would make her happy?” Fluttershy shook her head almost imperceptibly. “I wish she was a normal mom, sometimes. Like your mom. But... I do love her, even if she is confusing.”
“Do you think you made her happy?” Rarity asked, stroking Fluttershy’s mane gently with her hoof.
“She... I pulled her wing out of its socket, and she was smiling at me, proud of me!” Fluttershy took in a deep, shuddering breath. Her voice dropped low as she confessed: “And part of me was happy and proud too.”
Rarity simply held Fluttershy for a time. That admission had clearly hurt. “You’re worried about enjoying hurting others. But, darling, that’s simply not so.”
“Isn’t it?” Fluttershy demanded. “I felt good hitting my dad. He just made me so mad!” She shuddered against Rarity. “Just like it felt good to tell off those ponies at the bakery when they cut in line.” She trailed off, looking at the floor. “It’s not supposed to feel good to hurt ponies.”
“Shhhh,” Rarity murmured, holding Fluttershy all the closer. “What a burden to be carrying. Well, let me tell you something, love.” She tilted Fluttershy’s head up with a hoof under her chin. “Sometimes, ponies do very stupid things. And while it might not be appropriate to hit them for it... you are allowed to be angry, do you hear?”
“No, I can’t do that, every time I do—”
“Yes, because you bottle it all up inside, and when it escapes, it’s horrible!” Rarity chuckled, smiling down at Fluttershy. “But if you let it out a little at a time, it’s not as bad.” Fluttershy looked away from her, and she guided her face back to look her in the eyes again. “Here, try this. Tell me something that makes you mad. Nothing big, just a minor little annoyance.”
Rarity stepped away from her, sitting down and waiting. “Come on. Something little. I won’t get upset.”
“You...” Fluttershy paused, taking a deep breath. “You haven’t been listening to me. I kept asking you to stop this stupid guard testing, but you never listened.”
“There... was that so—”
“So I hid your alarm clock, because I wanted you to oversleep. And I got you decaffeinated coffee so you’d get tired,” Fluttershy went on, heedless of Rarity’s words.
Rarity’s eyebrows rose at that, but she had said she wouldn’t get mad. “Well, I suppose—”
“Also, I kept trying to lure you to bed so I could distract you,” Fluttershy finished, panting slightly.
Rarity waited for a few long moments before she tried to talk again. “Well! Did that make you feel any better?”
“No...” Fluttershy said, sadly. “I still feel like a horrible pony. Only now you know how horrible I am!”
“Not.. horrible, love.” Rarity paused, considering her words. “Manipulative, perhaps. A little bit deceitful.” She smiled as a thought occured. “I suppose you were trying to act in my best interests, just as I was attempting to act in yours. Well, that didn’t work out so well for either of us, did it?”
Fluttershy let out a laugh almost against her will. “No... it didn’t.”
“Well, let me tell you as a fellow manipulator: this is often the case,” Rarity said, winking. “I’m sorry for ignoring you, darling. I just hoped I could make it all better by sheer force of will.” She sighed dramatically. “So much for fairy tales, then. You would make a better knight errant than I do, anyway.” She reached up to take her helmet off, plopping it down on Fluttershy’s head, kissing her on the cheek. “My hero.”
She tried to shed the armor as well, only to be painfully reminded that she shouldn’t attempt magic with a cracked horn. “Um... perhaps now would be a good time to go to that infirmary,” she said, wincing.
Some time later, after visiting the infirmary and getting something to eat, they arrived back at their room. Rarity had been instructed not to attempt any magic for a few days, and nothing beyond telekinesis for around a month after that. Her horn was shimmering slightly, a healing spell having been cast on it that would renew with her own magic reserves. While she was grateful for the speedier recovery, the spell was terribly draining on her, and she felt more than ready to collapse on the bed the moment they got to their room.
Fluttershy, while less severely injured, had still managed to overextend her forelegs, and had pulled a wing tendon as well. She, like her mother, would not be flying for a while.
Rarity threw herself down on the bed, pulling the covers up over herself with a groan. “Darling, do me a favor?”
“Um... sure?” Fluttershy said as she eased her way onto the bed.
“Wherever it is that you’ve hidden that alarm clock, could you be a dear and smash it for me?” Rarity propped herself up on a pillow, a smile in her eyes. “Oh, and Pinkie promise me you will never ever serve me decaf ever again, please.”
“Cross my heart. I’m so sorry about that—”
“No apologies necessary, just don’t do it again. It tastes dreadful. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really need to get some rest.” Rarity snuggled down into her pillow, yanking a sleeping mask over her eyes.
She drifted off into a peaceful sleep, which was abruptly broken by a knock on the door.
Rarity’s eyes snapped open, seeing only fabric, of course. “Darling, would you mind terribly opening the door and hitting whoever that is in the face, repeatedly?”
Fluttershy, who had been making herself some tea, started nodding before realising that Rarity couldn’t see her. Rather than forming a vocal reply, she instead got up and made for the door. Rarity’s request was a little unreasonable, but she could attribute that to exhaustion, and she did want her marefriend to get a good night’s rest. Or morning’s rest? Maybe I need some rest too.
She was going to ask whoever was at the door if they could please leave, however. “I’m sorry, but could you plea—”
She lost the rest of her words when she opened the door far enough to see who was on the other side. Suddenly, Rarity’s idea sounded a lot more appealing.
“Well, are you going to invite us in?” Posey asked.
Fluttershy just stared at the back of Silver’s head, because he was looking away from the door. “I...I think that would be a very bad idea. I’m sorry,” she said as she slowly closed the door.
“Wait!”
Fluttershy paused as her father turned to face her. She noted with shock that he was sporting a dark bruise on his face from where she’d hit him.
“Shy-shy... please let me come in?”
Again she hesitated. Finally, she relented, but on her terms. “Wait here. I need to ask Rarity.”
Silver looked ready to protest, but after a stern look from Posey, he nodded politely. “We’ll wait.”
She closed the door softly, turning back to the bed. Making her way over to it, she sat down in the edge, thinking. Eventually, she shook Rarity’s leg, waking her up again.
Rarity snorted, “Not now, Opal! Mama needs her beauty sleep!” Within moment’s she was snoring softly again.
Fluttershy tried again, shaking her slightly harder.
“Sweetie Belle! You leave your poor sister alone!” Rarity protested, irritably. “I’ve had a long night, and morning... and another night after that! Go play with your friends!”
“Rarity, I’m very sorry, but you need to wake up,” Fluttershy said, shaking her once more.
Rarity sat up, fumbling with her sleep mask with her hooves after unsuccessfully trying to use her magic. “Oh, good morning, darling. Is it time to get up already?” She yawned. “Goodness, it feels like I’ve barely slept at all.”
“You haven’t. Sorry, but my... mom is here to see us. And she brought somepony with her.” Fluttershy squeaked out, nervously.
Taking a moment to think about that, Rarity blinked in the afternoon sun. “I see. Well, I suppose we’d better let them in, then. Um... be a dear and keep them occupied while I freshen up, won’t you?”
Fluttershy went back to the door while Rarity grabbed a hoofbrush and disappeared into the bathroom. She opened the door to find her parents waiting patiently to come in. “Um... please, come sit down. Rarity is still waking up. She’ll be here in a few moments.”
Posey nodded, leading her husband to the sitting area of the suite.
Silver looked ready to comment on being made to wait, but wisely remained silent. At a nudge from Posey, Silver cleared his throat and addressed his daughter. “Shy... I... I wanted to say you did well today. I never really liked you training with your mother—” Posey nudged him again, meaningfully. “B-but I see she did a good job teaching you how to defend yourself.”
Fluttershy didn’t answer, instead turning to her mother and pouring some tea from a pot she’d brewed. “Mom, how is your wing?”
“It’s fine. The infirmary doc looked it over before we came by to see you. You could have told me where you were staying in the castle, you know. I finally found out where you were from the boys who guard the baths.” Posey took a cup from Fluttershy, nodding in thanks. “How about you? You don’t look all that steady.”
“I’m fine,” Fluttershy responded, laying a second cup down on the table and pouring herself a third. “The nurse said I should avoid any heavy lifting for a while, so Harry will have to play with the manticores instead.”
Silver cleared his throat again. “And... your marefriend? How is her horn?”
“Out of commision for a few days, Silver,” Rarity responded as she walked into the room. “Posey, good to see you again. Terribly sorry we couldn’t stay and watch the rest of the matches.”
Posey nodded amiably. “I certainly understand. Oh,” she reached into her saddlebag, pulling out a small bag. “From Brick, with his regards.”
Rarity fumbled for the bag with her hooves, finally taking it with her mouth. It was a bit heavier than she’d supposed. “Thank you,” she said after she had set it down on the table.
“How much did you bet on her?” Posey asked as she lifted her teacup.
“Every bit I had at hoof. I would have put up the deed to my Boutique if somepony would have taken the bet,” Rarity replied, smoothly. “Don’t approve, I take it?”
“Hmmm? No, it’s fine. I would have laid money on her myself, but I think the troops would consider me a little conflicted.” Posey chuckled, pouring a little more tea into her cup.
“So, I’m up, and a bit more presentable. You wanted to talk?” Rarity asked. She leaned back on the couch, trying to give an unaffected air that she didn’t really feel. She would have given nearly anything to be back in bed.
“I did.” Posey reached into her saddlebag once more, pulling out a stack of papers. “There’s the little matter of your enlistment to settle.”
Rarity choked on her tea, straining not to spit in the faces of her marefriend’s parents. “You can’t be serious!”
“I am,” Posey responded, not seeming bothered at all by Rarity’s response. “I’d like to recommend you for advanced placement. All you’d have to do is sign.”
“I’m sorry,” Rarity replied, “But I think not. I have a shop to run, and a home waiting for me.”
“You’re sure? We could easily just assign you to Ponyville. You have enough disasters happening there to warrant its own division for quicker response times.”
“Well, yes,” Rarity responded, hesitantly. The idea was tempting, after all. Military connections were still connections, and getting to design armor might prove challenging and fun. But it would mean her time was no longer her own... Which in the end was something she could not live with. “A division in Ponyville would actually make sense, but you could do that without me just as well. And my friends and family need me.” She shook her head firmly. “I’m flattered, but I still have to say ‘no’.”
“Fair enough,” Posey said, putting the document back. “I had to try.”
There was a long, uncomfortable silence in the room, broken only by stirring spoons.
“Well, if that was all, I really do need some rest. It was lovely meeting you, Posey. And you as well, of course, Silver.” Rarity yawned into a hoof, smiling apologetically.
“That... wasn’t all,” Silver said, slowly.
“Oh? Well then, I’m at your disposal,” Rarity replied.
Silver’s lips curled in distaste, but he held his peace. “I’ve... had it brought to my attention that my expectations of who I wanted my daughter to settle down with are not very... realistic.”
Fluttershy snorted in surprise, and Rarity put a hoof on her knee to steady her.
“Silver...” Rarity began, trying to find a diplomatic way to respond to such a grudging non-apology. Searching deep down for her inner reserves of patience, she found the well dry. “No, you know what? I am through dancing around you. You’re an overbearing, insufferable tribalist!” Rarity said, her voice rising slowly in volume. “You’ve been nothing but insulting to me and your daughter the entire time we’ve been visiting, and if your own daughter hadn’t hit you, I would have done it myself!” She paused, taking a deep breath. “But do you know the worst of it, Silver?”
Silver sat back, a slow smile growing on his face. “Don’t let me stop you now!”
“The worst part is, I still want you to visit your daughter, and I would like you to be there on our wedding day!” Rarity spat out, looking him dead in the eye. “Though to be honest, I no longer care if you’re conscious for the ceremony.”
The smile on his face fell, and he met her stare for stare. “Have you set a date?”
“I haven’t officially asked, quite yet,” Rarity replied.
“Make sure we get an invitation,” he snapped back, irritated.
“I’ll do that,” Rarity said, not blinking. “Anything else?”
Silver finally looked away, turning to his daughter. “Shy, would you mind if your mother and I come visit you this summer?”
“O-of course not, Daddy...” Fluttershy squeaked out, amazed. She’d been struck utterly speechless watching Rarity have a battle of wills with her father, and only now had found a voice.
“Fine. It was nice to meet you, Rarity,” Silver said through gritted teeth. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing a lot of you in the future.”
“Oh, you can count on it,” Rarity replied, allowing herself to smile. Somehow, someway, she had gotten exactly what she wanted from him, and gotten to scream at him too! This may very well be better than sex! Well, no, she thought, eyes flicking to Fluttershy. But close!
He stood, turning to Posey. “I’ll walk on ahead, give you and Shy some time to say goodbyes.” He gave one final nod to Rarity, then walked toward the door.
He almost made it before being stopped by a bear hug from his daughter.
“Daddy, I’m sorry I hit you! Please don’t hate me!” Fluttershy said, burying her face in his mane.
Silver looked down in surprise. He turned around, plopping down on his rump to be at eye level with his daughter.
“I’m not sorry you did, Shy-shy,” he said, brushing her forelock away from her eyes. “I could never hate you. I’m just glad you don’t hate me.” He ruffled her mane fondly. “Go on, say your goodbyes. And remember to have your home ready in the summer. I’ll want to meet all your friends. Especially that rabbit of yours,” he said, his face darkening. “He and I need to have a good long talk.”
He got up, gave his daughter a final kiss goodbye, and walked out the door.
Rarity let out a long held breath. “Sweet sisters, that felt good.”
“Hmmm-hmmm,” Posey said, drinking the rest of her tea. “I think that went about as well as we had any right to expect. I’d better follow him. I’d rather not see him brooding for too long.”
“Forgive me, but I wouldn’t mind if he wallowed in brooding for a bit!” Rarity said, laughing in relief. “But that’s just me being petty.” She collapsed back on the couch, grinning stupidly. “So, all this time, all I had to do was yell at him?”
Posey shook her head. “He wasn’t ready to listen until Shy snapped. She’s his everything. Never would have guessed she got his temper...”
Fluttershy squeaked uncomfortably as she sat down, embarrassed to be reminded of her actions.
“I could have,” Rarity replied, fondly reaching over to stroke Fluttershy’s hair. “We’re going to work on that, she and I. But right now, I’m afraid I’ll have to bid you both adieu. I have a long overdue appointment with a pillow.”
With that, Rarity left the room, lay down in the soft bed, and slept the sleep of the just.
“That’s quite the mare you picked, Shy,” Posey said after Rarity had left.
“She’s... very special,” Fluttershy replied, blushing. Her head was still reeling over the list of improbable events that had taken place today. She had stood up to Rarity, her mom, and her dad. And somehow, no one hated her for it.
“You know, I always wondered what it would be for you. For me, it was your dad, and then you. Looks like you finally found it.” Posey got up, kissed her daughter on the cheek, and walked towards the door.
“Wait...” Fluttershy said, getting up herself. “What do you mean? What did I find?”
“Somepony worth fighting for,” Posey responded. “Keep her safe, Shy-shy. I’m proud of you.” Then, for just a moment, she smiled that same smile she’d had when they were sparring.
Fluttershy watched her leave, struck speechless by so small a thing. She rushed forward, hugging her mom, and after a moment, her mom returned it, sighing in exasperation.
“Goodbye, Mom,” Fluttershy whispered. “I love you.”
Posey reached up to Fluttershy’s head with a hoof, ruffling her mane fondly. “I love you, too, Shy-shy.”
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Awww.... That was not a loving awww. That was the kind of awww you do when you realize you ran out of something. In this case, my diabetes medication.
Seriously, after all the poor girl has been through to prove herself, Posey springs this on her?
Honestly, screw Fluttershy's parents. Screw her mother and screw her father, all they are doing at this point is abusing a civilian that they have enough influence over that she cannot say no. *edited for language*
Well, good fight on Fluttershy's part, and finally Silver gets the punch to the face he has been begging for for so long.
4616976 how has this been up for an hour and only have one comment?
EDIT: ...at the time i clicked on the chapter
Huh, 1996 upvotes. Best make that 1997!
*click*
So close to 2000!
Seriously, girls! Haven't you learned that green (puts on sunglasses) just isn't your colour..
Great chapter! Although was it just me, or did the writing style change a little bit since the last one? Keep making them this amazing please. Now time to wait for the next one.
4617330 Nope, still me, though I do involve different prereaders and editors, who have their own takes on how to word things and describe actions. I hope the change denotes improvement, at least.
I'll admit, I'm a bit disappointed at not getting the Rarity vs Fluttershy match, but I think the match we got may have been better.
Fantastic as ever! I'm glad to see things improving between Fluttershy and Posey--and with Rarity, too. Can't wait for the next chapter!
Did not see Posey v. Fluttershy coming, but it was GREAT
! 
. Ya can't protect'em forever. Ya gotta teach'em to protect themselves.
Poor, stupid Silver...
And the line about Harry? "He needs his excersize."
I love everything about this story!
A Mare Worth Fighting For!~
and punching your dad in the face for.
and dislocating one of your mother's limbs for...
...
Well then, if that isn't love, I don't know what is.
Commence read.
That was quite a twist.
But glad that things settled well.
Hmm...
...
...
Everything went better than expected!
Still though, F
k Silver. 
I'm so proud of Flutters right now.
Yeah right! Like you could take on Angel.
That was awesome..
Also. GO RARITY.
All of my yes.
Nicely done chapter! Worth the wait.
I can't stop feeling so happy for Fluttershy
and I love how Rarity was able to still kind of prove herself in her own way. 
Well done on this chapter!!! Curious as to what happens next.
Kind of reminds me of a line from an old Futurama episode:
"Buddha! Zeus! God! One of you guys do something!"
I hope that's all they told her.
Doesn't that happen in the original 1938 film version of Pygmalion?
Well, we finally have a resolution to that arc. I felt it appropriate that Fluttershy proved she didn't need somepony to protect her by fighting her Mom and punching her Dad. She has quite an odd family.
And Rarity proved her own mettle by just yelling at Fluttershy's Dad and having a most delightfully passive-aggressive argument.: And it seems like this wedding is really going to happen. 
Rarity's proposal better be spectacular. Anyway, I very much look forward to what comes next. Let's see if we can get some more plotlines resolved so we can have more room for Fluttershy/Rarity sexy time. 
Good glory! What is wrong with me? 
So, keep up the good work. 
And everyone forgives her dad ... which they shouldn't.
4621340 Forgive? Nah. He's still a jerk.
4621352
I meant the fact that they haven't all abandoned him like I feel they should, or that there's even talk about him being at the wedding. In my eyes, he has proven that he doesn't want to be part of the family and I'd oblige him and remove him from it. He made it clear that it was only mostly about caring for his daughter, and a lot about the fact that he's still a racist.
For the record, I don't really talk to any of my racist family members either.
4621550 Well, his negative views aside, he is still Fluttershy's father, and Posey's husband. That did not stop being a thing because he has no respect for unicorns. The best Rarity can hope for is for him to come to respect her as an individual. He cannot just arbitrarily come to realize that he is mistaken about a race, that's not how things work. And while it seems simple enough to shut someone out of your life, it's not exactly easy to just stop loving someone even if you find out something about them you don't like. Rarity eventually came to the conclusion that it was not important for him to like her, just that he come to the wedding and that he maintain a relationship with his daughter.
4621627
I still love the family members I've shunned that way, I just avoid and ignore them.
4621672 Which I could understand, if Silver was having any real negative impact on their lives. He is a jerk who wasn't happy with his daughter's choice in mate. He humored his wife and daughter, allowing Rarity to try to prove her mettle, and found her wanting because he cannot see what he doesn't want to see. But beyond being at the wedding, or occasional visits to his daughter, he really won't be interacting with Rarity at all. He'd hardly be the first in-law to be a pain in the flank.
4621770
I guess I can understand what they're doing, but I still don't think it's what they should do. This is just one of those things that I'm likely going to be stubborn about forever.
Another success man. This keeps getting better and better. I guess I should try my hand at posting a story sometime. Heh, I kid. I'm already through the prologue and into my first chapter. Lemme know if you wanna preread.
That was great chapter
That was awesome Rarity is defiantly more than she seems I think I like this portrayal of Rarity then the show 
New head canon created and accepted 
I also love Fluttershy's portrayal as well 
Reminds me of another story, this one: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/6004/last-of-the-dragonlords 
Though I like your way of bringing out the inner warrior of Fluttershy a little more within the realm of the show 
I WANT MOAR SOON! 
If that is alright with you 
nice chapter, It seems that thing will go fine for them, I was waiting for Rarity to Punch Silver XD I enjoy it, and... was that a propose??? I enjoy your story as always! Hope they arrive to the party on time XD
now you hace to tell me what does RD want in the future for her and AJ and about her parents (if she does have it). you mentioned what does Applejack wants, but no Rainbow.
Well, that ended better then expected.
That was an awesome chapter!
I just have a few words for this story. I freaking love this story and would have never considered Rarity and Shy as a pairing. Guess I've joined the SS Rarishy ship! lol
-frost
Woo! This chapter was pretty full of amazing.
Spotted a few errors on my read-through.
lounge
Extra space after the "
alarm clock
4633352 fixed, and thank you.
TBH, I kind of expected the last line to be a "wait, what?" moment as Fluttershy remembers Rarity talking about a wedding and "haven't asked yet"
4640276 Chapter 23, Rarity already spilled the beans on that one to Shy.
Good chapter nice work. Relay good action.
Will be looking forward to that talk Silver is going to have with Angel, that is going to be interesting indeed.
~Tobben
That was delightful! I too also as well am glad that it worked out. There were quite a few occasions where I laughed out loud, I was smiling practically the whole time I was reading this, just awesome.
Please keep writing, I'll keep reading!
So happy to have finally caught up. This is even better than where I left it for so long.
This damn story will make me a RariShy-er yet, even if I don't like
canonRarity and also ship other Shy ships.Well, that feels like a resolution to an arc, there. I wonder what's next? More interludes on the Twinkie or AppleDash side of things? A new challenge for our primary pairing? Changeling invasion?
I suppose we'll just see, won't we?
4651370 Yes, yes, yes, and hell no.
4721371 ::
:: Chapter 24: Pulling An All-Nighter · 2nd Apr 2014
5,600
:: Interlude 8: Tainted Love · 1st May 2014
7,544
:: Chapter 25: Smoke and Mirrors · 31st May 2014
8,005
:: Chapter 26: Her Mother's Looks, Her Father's Temper · 29th Jun 2014
I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I've been keeping up a once a month update schedule for the last 4 months.
So um... not long now, but it will be at the end of the month?
4750118 Glad you're enjoying it
A rollercoaster of emotion! Gods, I've loved this fanfic ever since I started with this site... And it's STILL going! After two whole years! Absolutely love this fic, and you too Steel! Can't wait to see how it all comes together in the end.