A Pair of Rare Shies

by shortskirtsandexplosions

Sixth: Playing Hoofsies

"Hmmmmm..." Rarity sat at a table in Sugarcube Corner. She squinted through her bifocals, staring at a sheet of paper while levitating a pencil in her telekinetic grasp. "Mmmmmmm..." She took a sip of coffee, exhaled, and tapped the pencil to her chin in thought. "'Orange Opulence...'" A beat. "No..." Her brow furrowed. "'Sunny Saddles.' Mmmm... no, not good either..."

She tried scribbling down a name, licked her lips, then groaned.

"No no no!"

She scratched the words out with great vengeance.

"Mrmmmnnnghhh..." She growled melodically before sighing. "How am I expected to open a Carousel Boutique branch in Fillyda if I can't even come up with a proper name!" She clenched her eyes shut, sat perfectly still, and finally blurted: "'Rarity World!'" A blink. "Blast!"

"Hey there, Rarity!" Pinkie Pie hopped up, followed by two other ponies. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Oh, hi, Pinkie Pie." Rarity smiled. "Hello, Twilight." Her eyes twitched... and she sighed dreamily. "Good afternoon, Fluttershy."

"Mmmmm..." Fluttershy smiled coyly, balancing a tray of muffins on her flank. "Good afternoon to you too, Rarity."

"Indeed... it is quite a delightful one," Rarity cooed.

"You didn't answer my question, Rare-Rare!" Pinkie stuck her tongue out.

"Oh! Uhm... I-I was endeavoring to come up with a name for my Central Fillyda branch of Carousel Boutique."

"Wow, Rarity!" Twilight exhaled. "I didn't know you were expanding to Southern Equestria!"

"It's simply hypothetical, darling. Nothing that can't be delayed for another time." Rarity scooted over in her bench. "Do sit down. The three of you! I would absolutely adore some... ahem... friendly company."

"Great!" Twilight sat next to Pinkie Pie. She grinned across the table. "I could certainly use a bit of relaxation. Fluttershy and I spent all day in the library. She helped me me create a taxonomy key of local Everfree wildlife."

"Oh really?" Rarity's eyelashes batted as she looked at the pegasus in question. "Isn't that rather generous of the kind dear?"

Fluttershy stifled a giggle, sitting across from Rarity. "I found it quite enjoyable." She smiled bashfully. "Besides, I think the rest of Equestria deserves to have an educational tool for observing and classifying rare cases of fauna."

"You don't say..."

"Yes!" Twilight beamed, levitating a muffin off of the tray. "Did you know that Ursa Majors have more in common with celestial Capricorns than mammalian species of bear?"

"That's... something I did not know!" Rarity chirped.

"Hehe! Yes!" Pinkie Pie grinned wide. "When it comes to Everfree trivia, Fluttershy's knowledge is unbearably superior!"

The other three mares glared at her.

"What?" Pinkie blinked. "Okay, so I slept in today."

"Quite alright, Pinkie."

"Would you like a muffin, Rarity?" Fluttershy asked.

"Why, I would be delighted, darling."

"Try the blueberry," Twilight said, munching on her own treat. "Mmmmmm... it's absolutely scrumptious."

"You said it, Twi!" Pinkie blinked. "That's because I baked it with extra 'Mmmmmmmm!' today!"

"Heheh..." Rarity nodded. "If you insist."

Fluttershy scooped up a blueberry muffin in her wingtips and leaned over the table. "Here you go, Rarity."

Rarity reached for it with a dainty hoof. "Much appreciated—"

In shifting her weight, Fluttershy's lower hoof inadvertently brushed up against Rarity's leg.

"Oh!" Rarity gasped, her body electrified. The muffin fell from a great height. Rarity caught it in a magic field before it could splatter across the table.

'S-sorry!" Fluttershy squeaked.

"Erm..." Rarity gulped a lump down her throat. She still trembled from the touch.

"What are you sorry for, Flutters?" Pinkie asked, blinking.

"Uhhhhhhhhh..." Fluttershy looked at her, then at Rarity.

Rarity silently glanced back.

With an innocent smile, Fluttershy leaned back in her seat. "Nothing!" she squeaked.

Silence.

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie smiled at Twilight. "So, Twi-Twi! What are you gonna do with your new animal guide? Huh? Huh?"

"Oh, where do I begin?!" Twilight grinned between muffin bites. "I've always been obsessed with physics, chemistry, and astronomy... with a dash of history and sociology here and there. But zoology?! That feels like a fresh new field of scientific possibilities to me! And utilizing Fluttershy's keen intellect into the subject matter only makes it all the more fresh and appealing..."

While Twilight spoke on, Rarity glanced across the table.

Fluttershy glanced back. She hid her face slightly behind a lock of mane hair.

Rarity cocked her head aside. She nibbled into her muffin before giving Fluttershy a reassuring smile.

Fluttershy exhaled. She glanced at Twilight... smiled... then glanced at Rarity again.

Rarity blinked, arching a curious eyebrow.

Fluttershy pretended to stretch. Her body shifted in her seat and...

...Rarity felt a hoof brush up against hers once again.

"...!" Rarity sucked her breath in. She locked eyes with Twilight, struggling to pay attention to the mare's rambling speech.

"...was always Moondancer's expertise. Although Minuette graduated with a minor in animal biology. She always loved dissecting cats... for some reason. Twinkleshine claims that Minuette has a box of feline teeth at home that she keeps under her bed pillow, but I think that's just a story she made up to keep stallions from hitting on her. Twinkleshine is overprotective like that..."

Rarity breathed in and out. She stared across the table.

Fluttershy brushed her bangs aside. She avoided Rarity's gaze... all the while smiling coyly.

Rarity inhaled sharply. While grinning in the direction of Pinkie and Twilight, she shifted her lower body. Reaching her rear hoof out, she gently caressed Fluttershy's fetlock under the table, playfully giving the ankle a swat or to.

Fluttershy coughed to mask the jolt her body experienced.

"Bless you," Twilight said, then continued merrily. "So, long story short, if I study hard enough, I might be able to sit in on Moondancer's next symposium on the subject of exotic constellatory creatures. I'll be sure to ask that my new taxonomist key be presented to those in attendance. Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns is very open to new and progressive means of scientific exploration, after all..."

Fluttershy inhaled and exhaled. Her yellow coat took on a red blush. She tried to hide it behind her mane hair, but failed. Trembling slightly, she glanced across the table.

Rarity returned the look with a smirk. She nibbled suggestively on her muffin, all the while wagging her eyebrows.

Fluttershy bit her lip. With a stern twerk of her muscles, she flexed her tail beneath the table. The silky pink follicles stroked across Rarity's cutie mark... then tickled their way towards Rarity's inner thigh.

"Ah!" Rarity gasped, dropping her muffin to the table with a clatter. "Goodness!"

"And if I play my cards right, I may actually get to see the insides of a walrus cadaver's stomach—" Twilight froze in mid-blink, gawking at Rarity. "Rarity? Are... are you alright?"

"Uhhhhh..." Rarity blushed and fidgeted. "Uhhhhhhm..." She gulped hard, then smiled delicately. "If you would excuse me. I... erm... n-need to use the little fillies' room."

"Uhm... sure thing!" Twilight smiled. "When nature calls! Heehee! Get it? Because it's topical to the conversation I've been—"

"Yes. Quite. Ta-ta." And Rarity dove out of her seat and trotted briskly across Sugarcube Corner.

"Uhm... I... er..." Fluttershy smiled sheepishly, slithering quietly out of her chair. "I think I need to go... uh... t-too..." She gave a gentle wave, then hobbled after Rarity.

Twilight's head turned as she watched the two mares disembark. "Huh..."

"You know what they say about two mares who have to 'powder their nose' at the same time," Pinkie cooed.

Twilight looked at her. "No. What?"

Pinkie smirked. "They've got really, really tiny bladders!"

"... ... ...oh." Twilight blinked.

"But hey." Pinkie shrugged. "I didn't invent the rules." She looked across the table, gasping at the tray. "MUFFINS!" And she pounced, causing blueberries and crumbs to fly towards the ceiling.

---

When Fluttershy entered through the swinging door of Sugarcube Corner's bathroom, she nearly bumped muzzles with Rarity.

"Eeep!" She hobbled back, trembling.

"What was the big idea of that?!" Rarity wheezed.

"Erm..." Fluttershy leaned back with a nervous smile. "Care to be more specific?"

"All of that!" Rarity huffed and puffed, her white cheeks blood-red. "I'd expect that sort of behavior from an incorrigible street hussy! But not from a well-manner'd mare like you!"

"You... uh..." Fluttershy brushed a lock of pink hair aside. "...you were quick to reciprocate, Rarity."

"That's not the point!" Rarity hissed. "For a mare who's so insistent that we maintain this... this thing of ours a secret, you're rather eager to... to..."

"Hmmm?" Fluttershy stared up at Rarity with bright, turquoise eyes. Her muzzle scrunched and unscrunched.

"To..." Rarity's red cheeks took on a rosier complexion. "You're..."

"Yes, Rarity...?"

Rarity gulped. "Oh darling... you know what happens to me when you wiggle your nose like that..."

"Heehee..." Fluttershy's eyelashes danced. "What about it?"

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh..." Rarity slumped forward until she hugged the mare close. "Goddess help me." She rubbed noses with the pegasus. Then, in a raspy voice: "Five minutes?"

Fluttershy nodded. "Five minutes."

And the first of many... many smooches ensued.

Comments

[LotusCake]

I find no commentary so far strange... GG! nice chapter. Looking forward to the next. (please absolve me of atrocious grammar??)

[Themaskedferret]

I'm expecting this story to end with them announcing their relationship and all their friends explaining it's been completely obvious ^^;

[belnett]

7162353 agreed. Except for, possibly, Rainbow Dash and Twilight. I'm not often a reader of SS&E, so I can't say his/her methods, so I'm going by the ponies' "fic-norm", if you will.

[QueenMoriarty]

7162338 Very well. I absolve you of your imaginary crimes.

[OmniFox]

Fillydelphia.

Incorrigible Street Hussy? Pot calling the kettle black.

[PearBear]

7163057
Fillyda = Florida

[silvershinepony]

I swear this gets better with every damn installment

[meerkat8472]

"And if I play my cards right, I may actually get to see the insides of a walrus cadaver's stomach—"

... ... ...WHY IS THAT A GOOD THING!?

[DrEggnog]

Ah, this helped ease the depression of today's Appledashery chapters. Good timing. These two are adorably helpless to each other.

[Steel Resolve]

Holy shit. It's all fluff. I am drowning in marshmallows and butterflies.

Worth it.

[Leftover of Saikano]

This is just so cute.
But with Rarity calling Fluttershy a hussy now, and not letting her work while ice cream drunk last chapter, I hope you are not trying to introduce a problem to this story.

[pahnazd]

Good luck keeping it secret with this behavior, you two

Yet still, so much cuteness!

[Dlaf rferg]

I have to admit, this didn't sound like my kind of story. Then, the fluff.

[A Joe in the Bush]

I have to admit, I was more interested in Twilight's conversation this chapter. It was both insightful and hilarious.

[Purple-Smart Heart]

Man, if this is how they're "hiding" their relationship, I have a feeling this is gonna be one of those stories that ends with "We've been dating in secret!" and Dash hands AJ a bag of bits because she bet it would take at least 3 months for the two of them to come out with it.

[PrincessFlutters]

Aand I need more.
MOAR!

[iox801]

Twilight looks down where each of them were sitting, "Small bladders, I guess."