> Red: The Color of Passion
>  by Steel Resolve
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Green Chapter 19: Diamonds and Butterflies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had seemed like such a normal day when she had gotten up this morning. True, the previous evening had been spent leaving an anonymous love note for her best friend, but she had not expected to go from pining over her to showering with her in a single cycle of the sun and moon. Yet here she was. And now, the mare of her dreams had just uttered a phrase from her fantasies. “Rarity... um... voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?”

There was a long pause as Rarity’s nethers fought against her brain for control of her blood supply. The brain was not faring well. She froze, uncertain if her own senses could be trusted. She can’t possibly mean... Oh, please let her mean! “Darling... did you just ask me if I would like to sleep with you tonight?”

Forelegs wrapped around her and a warm wet tongue began to lick her ears. “Um... yes. If that’s okay with you...” Fluttershy began to lightly nibble and kiss Rarity’s ears lovingly.

Rarity melted into the embrace, all thoughts of her mane forgotten. “A-are you certain, my beloved? I would love nothing more, but I don’t want you to rush into-” Again, further thoughts were thoroughly disrupted by the tongue inserted into her ear.

Fluttershy giggled a little at Rarity’s sudden lack of focus. “I’m very certain. I have never been so certain. But are you certain? We’ve been on a real date and I’ve met your parents, so we’re past ‘too soon’ now, right?” 

Fluttershy bit lightly into her neck, then whispered breathily into her ear. ”You see, dinner made me very excited. I loved kissing you and being fed by you. I’m either going to spend the night pleasuring myself, or pleasuring you. Which would you prefer I do?”

Rarity was positively drenched now, and not just because of the shower. She laughed a little frantically. “I think the whole concept of ‘too soon’ can be forgotten, my love.” She gasped as Fluttershy caressed her flank, then turned her head to face her lover and put on what she hoped was a serious face. “This is you now, isn’t it? I don’t want any artifice. I will not make love to ‘New’ Fluttershy or ‘My’ Fluttershy or any of that nonsense.”

Fluttershy tittered a little in embarrassment - but wasn’t embarrassed enough not to steal another kiss from the frazzled fashionista. “I don’t need them anymore. I’m just... me. I would really really like to do some of the things I’ve been dreaming about doing with you, if that’s all right.” She resumed nibbling lightly on Rarity’s ear as the water continued to pour over them.

Rarity closed her eyes and exhaled shakily. “Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!” She turned in Fluttershy’s embrace and kissed her passionately, her tongue exploring Fluttershy’s mouth in quick, darting movements before she pulled back to pant heavily. “Do you have any idea how much I have wanted to hear those words? I confess, I had even hoped that our massage might have led to a, how shall I put it, ‘happy ending’ earlier.”

Fluttershy leaned forward to redirect her nibbling to Rarity’s neck, humming happily. “Oh, you are a naughty filly, aren’t you Rarity? You should have told me... I wouldn’t have minded.”

Rarity felt her knees weaken. “Um... Fluttershy, as much as I am enjoying this... perhaps we should finish our shower and move to your bed? If you keep doing - aah yes, that, I am going to collapse. I should like for that to be on a bed, please.”

Reluctantly pulling apart, they finished cleaning up with only a bare minimum of teasing from the pegasus. After drying off they headed towards the bedroom, Rarity getting her own back by putting the tiniest extra bit of sway into her hips and lifting her tail high as she walked - which was very well received if the blush on Fluttershy’s cheeks was anything to go by. Satisfied that her love wasn’t getting it all her own way, Rarity lay down on top of the bed, more aware than ever of just how very naked she was. Oh my love, do with me what you will, make me yours!

However, no ravishment came. She looked up at Fluttershy in some confusion; the need was clear in her eyes, but no action was forthcoming. She seemed frozen in indecision... Oh, right, she’s never done this before either. Hmmmm. Well, no help for it then. “I am sorry my love, I suppose I expected you to take charge because of the sheer passion you have been showing tonight. Come, lay with me. We’ll discover our bodies together.”

And then came the pounce. Rarity quite suddenly found her mouth full of happy squealing pegasus tongue as forelegs wrapped themselves around her in a crushing embrace. She broke the kiss after a good few seconds of divine tongue-wrestling, gasping for air. “P-please my lovely, not quite so rough. I am excited as well but we don’t have to rush.” She re-initiated the kiss, but more lightly this time. “How would you like to progress matters, my dear? I will admit to never having been with another pony myself, but as an avid reader of romance I believe I know a few things at least. Or would you prefer to explore me for yourself?”

“Um... I think I want to... do that second thing.” Fluttershy smiled shyly, but not innocently. “Um... lie back please.” After she complied Shy began to trail hot, wet kisses along her neck. Rarity groaned at the sudden display of aggression, reveling in the sensations of warmth and wetness pressing into her fur, and shivered as the cool air wafted over those areas already lavished with  Fluttershy’s attentions.

“Y-yes darling, that’s wonderful. Do with me as you wish, I welcome it!” In truth she more than welcomed it; she hungered for it. She had been attracted to this mare for ages. Many had been the nights spent in lonely seclusion, reading about the scandalous romance of Princess Platinum and Private Pansy (hardly historically accurate but who was she to complain) and imagining the two of them playing out the same scenes - in full costume of course, ones lovingly created by her own hooves. Pity about her sheets, but she’d managed to get the stains out most of the time.

While she kissed Rarity softly about the chest and neck, Fluttershy’s hooves began to softly stroke her coat, drawing little circles on her belly fur. “Rarity, um... I sort of have a confession to make.” Shy kissed her lightly on the muzzle. “I’ve never been with anypony else, but... well, do you know Cloud Kicker?”

“Well, yes - weather team, very brazen as I recall. Likes to have relations with casual partn - Fluttershy, you surely don’t mean you slept with her?!” Don’t panic! She is clearly in love with me. I-it is okay if this is not her first time.

“Oh, oh no! Nothing like that! But she loved to make me blush by telling me the things she would do with mares... in detail. Um... I’ve never tried it myself but... I think I know a few things too.” She blushed heavily at this confession. Now Rarity will think I’m terrible for not being innocent! “Please don’t hate me...” Oh Fluttershy, you’re so loose.

Rarity leaned up to comfort her with a nuzzle. “Fluttershy, that’s nothing to be ashamed of! You hardly had a choice in the matter after all. I am minded to thoroughly chastise that mare for treating you so. I must admit I never expected you to be the more worldly of us, but this is hardly the first time you have surprised me. Very well, if you know the techniques I suppose now would be an opportune time to apply them. Please darling, make love to me, make me your mare!”

“Okay!” the pegasus chirped, smiling happily. She began to lightly caress Rarity with her hooves again, but then she remembered something Cloud Kicker had mentioned doing. Oh, that was so embarrassing! Steeling her resolve, she began to drag her wing slowly across Rarity’s thighs.

Rarity was quite enamored with the way Fluttershy’s hooves felt as they lightly stroked her chest, but when the wing touched her... “Oh!” She began to giggle madly. “Oh my, I -haha!- am sorry my dearest, I know that wasn’t likely the reaction you were hoping for but I am-” she laughed even more loudly, “-quite ticklish there!”

“Oh, um, sorry. Let me try something else?”

Recovering from her giggling fit, Rarity shook her head at their foolishness. “Oh this is silly. Here, let’s just kiss for a bit and stop trying to force the pace. I really don’t expect you to be a skilled lover my darling. Just love me, and that will be perfection enough.” She wrapped her forelegs around Fluttershy. “Come here, my lovely mare.”

The two began to kiss each other, slowly and tenderly at first, then more passionately as they warmed up. Rarity ran her hooves through Fluttershy’s soft pink mane, her tongue dancing and swirling around the other mare’s in a sensuous waltz. They broke the kiss, both quite breathless. “L-lie back my sweet, I believe it’s my turn to play with you for a while.”

Rarity suddenly had the utmost sympathy for Fluttershy’s earlier attack. Seeing her lying there so vulnerably, looking up with those huge aqua eyes full of nothing but love and trust, the unicorn just wanted to dive headfirst into a sea of passion and make her cry out with delight. She shivered with anticipation. This is no dream. My beloved is here before me, waiting to be made love to. She gave an excited little squeal of happiness. 

Hmmm, I see the reason Fluttershy seemed so indecisive at first; there are so many things I would love to try. The trouble is, I want to please her in the best possible way, and I have little practical idea of what to do. She recalled the romantic liaisons she’d read about in the past. ‘Flowering blossom of marehood’ indeed. Purple prose really does not help when you need to know how to go about pleasing your lover. Well, there is one source of information I do trust at least - thank you Mother.

Now, where did she say... Rarity began to kiss the leading edge of Fluttershy’s left wing, causing the pegasus’ eyes to widen in surprise as she gasped a bit. Hmmm, yes, on the right track then. Let’s try... Kissing further and further down, she reached and llightly nibbled at the base of the wing joint. Suddenly, her lover’s wings both snapped rigid. Oh! Yes, I believe we have a reaction! Hmmm... what about... Rarity gently massaged the inside of the wing, at a spot just below the coverts.

This time Fluttershy’s whole body went rigid, eyes scrunched shut and mouth open in a silent scream; then she melted into the bed, her muscles seeming to relax all at once as she turned to jelly. Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes and gazed up at her lover, panting heavily as her body came down from the ecstatic peak she’d just attained. “R-Rarity... um... d-do that again please?”

Rarity stared at her own hooves in shock. Oh... Mother you really weren’t kidding were you? Gradually she became aware of a familiar odor - a musky scent, one she had smelled many times on her own sheets. Smells like somepony is a bit excited! Hmmm... how did that scene go?

“Princess Platinum lay before Private Pansy, staring up at her lover. The pegasus mare smiled as she rested her head between the trembling white-coated legs of the princess, strong warrior’s forelegs spreading her thighs open. Platinum could feel the hot breath wash over her, sending shudders up and down her spine. A deft lick began at her cleft, and the princess quaked in both fear and anticipation...”

Hmmm, yes, I can see that; the hooves are more direct but licking would be softer and infinitely more intimate. She continued to gently touch and tease Fluttershy’s wings, revelling in the soft coos she coaxed from her lover’s lips. So focused was she on attempting to please her partner (and trying to decide on how to proceed further) that she scarcely noticed Fluttershy move - that is, until a very warm tongue began to lick her horn.

“What-”

“Shhhhh. Um, keep doing what you’re doing.” Fluttershy swirled her tongue around the ridges of the horn. It was interesting; it felt rigid, and she would have expected it to be cold, like a hoof. Instead however she found it was warm like the rest of her lover. The fashionista shuddered with each slow rasp of Fluttershy’s tongue along the fluted ridges. Fluttershy herself cooed again as Rarity nibbled on the base of her wing while caressing the sensitive coverts.

“F-Fluttershy darling, please-” Beads of sweat formed on Rarity’s brow as the pegasus continued to lick her horn. A small spark of magic appeared on the tip as her magic gathered and pulsed within it in reaction to the stimulation. Moisture began to gather at her thighs, and now the pegasus was not the only one throwing off a strong musky aroma, lacing the air with her own pheromones. She found her mind going blank again, her own movements slowing as her coordination faltered in the face of so much stimulation. Fluttershy began to lick in earnest now and, feeling more emboldened, she engulfed the horn in her muzzle and began to suckle it.

“Aah!” The fashionista had just gotten somewhat used to the licking when she suddenly felt the entirely new feeling of her horn being embraced in the warmth of Fluttershy’s muzzle. “Aaaahhh!” There were no words for this. The sensation was incredible, and Rarity’s focus was quickly lost in a sea of pleasure. She gasped in pure, unadulterated bliss as Fluttershy swirled her tongue around the horn once more, all the while keeping it firmly within her mouth.

All motion, all reason, all sensation was now focused on that one point that was surrounded by the warm wetness of her fillyfriend’s muzzle. She lay helplessly against Fluttershy’s chest, able to do no more than occasionally let out a gasp or whimper as the tongue did fabulous things to her.

Fluttershy continued to suckle the horn, pleased to see Rarity so very affected by what she was doing. She began to hum happily as she bobbed her head, occasionally running her tongue against the ridges - and in so doing, unknowingly increasing Rarity’s pleasure as the vibration of her hum travelled into Rarity’s horn. Her tongue was beginning to tingle a bit, the tickling increasing even as Rarity’s gasps seemed to grow more desperate.

“Fluttershy! Fluttershy!” Rarity was trying desperately to come up with some word after that but it was all she could manage to shout the name as she felt every point in her body pouring magic into her horn. The energy buildup surpassed that of any spell she had ever attempted, but it had no direction, so it merely continued to coalesce. Arcs of energy crackled along the length of her horn, faster and faster until finally, with no other means of release, the magic simply sprayed forth in a shower of rainbow-colored sparkles of light. With a moan of satisfaction she collapsed, exhausted, against Fluttershy’s chest.

Fluttershy squeaked in surprise as warm sparks flooded her mouth; the sensation was odd, but not unpleasant. She held her mouth steady around Rarity’s horn until the flow of energy trickled to a stop, before letting the horn slip out of her muzzle, a thin trail of saliva stretching from her lips to it as she did so. Um... I think I broke her. “Rarity? Are you okay?”

Quiet whimpering was her only answer for a moment, then the unicorn dragged herself up Fluttershy’s chest and planted an exhausted but still passionate kiss on her muzzle. “That. Was. AMAZING! Thank you my darling! Just g-give me a moment please, I fully intend to repay the favor tenfold... once I can feel my body again.”

They snuggled for a time, occasionally kissing and nuzzling while Rarity recovered. She had had no idea a horn could even do that! Apparently Fluttershy had known... somehow. Hmmm, should I thank Cloud Kicker for this, or rebuke her for making my love uncomfortable? Another tingle through her horn sent a shiver down her spine. Oh! Oh, she gets discounts for the next year.

“Rarity, it’s okay if you can’t do anything just yet. I was just so happy to satisfy you. We could just snuggle the rest of the night and that would be-” A deep prench kiss cut off the rest of the sentence as Rarity regained her senses.

“Oh no, you don’t get off that easily.” Rarity paused to blush heavily. My, that was an apropos double entendre, wasn’t it? “Err... what I mean to say is I will not leave you wanting after you have pleasured me so wonderfully . You have had your turn. Now please lie back, relax, and let me try to please you.”

“... okay.”

Rarity sat back on her haunches and gazed down at the lithe form beneath her, biting her lip. How can I possibly top... No, this is not a competition. Even if it is, I have already lost and won at the same time. I should focus on her. She caught another whiff of her lover’s arousal, realizing they were a bit past the foreplay stage now. Or rather, the foreplay needed to get a little more direct. Very well then, the best way to learn is to practice.

She slid herself slowly down Fluttershy’s body, nibbling and teasing along her chest and stomach as she did so. Gently she took hold of her lover’s hindlegs, wrapping a foreleg around each to keep them elevated. Fluttershy whimpered as Rarity kissed her inner thighs, licking and occasionally planting small love bites as she drew closer to her goal.

She was cautious at first, licking along the unparted folds, uncertain of just what to expect. The taste that greeted her was largely salty, but there was a subtle hint of sweetness that took the edge off. It took some time to determine exactly what the taste underlying the sweet sweat of her beloved was. The cider! Mmmm, intoxicating in more ways than one! She perked up an ear as Fluttershy’s whimpers grew more pronounced. Rarity smiled, and commenced licking in earnest.

Fluttershy’s outer lips had grown puffier now, and were parting of their own accord to unleash more of the fascinating scent to Rarity’s nostrils, along with rivulets of escaping moisture that dripped down to mat the fur of Fluttershy’s elevated rump. She was finding herself just as drenched. Patience Rarity, she chided herself, Fluttershy comes first. Literally. She shifted her attentions to lick directly inside the folds, smiling against the heated skin as the whimpers coming from above her turned into excited gasps. She felt Fluttershy’s hooves on the back of her head, pressing her deeper into the crevice, so she took the hint and licked harder, pushing her tongue past the folds.

Fluttershy gasped again and pushed Rarity’s head down harder, desperate to feel the release she knew was coming. This was so much different from when she had taken care of herself. Her hooves normally did the job, true, but Rarity’s tongue was wonderful. She still didn’t seem to be hitting the right spot though, and it was getting a little frustrating. “Rarity! H-harder!” she squeaked in embarrassment, unable to believe those words had just crossed her lips.

Rarity pushed her tongue ever deeper into the folds, trying to find the spot that would best please her love. Finally, her nose bumped into the button she had been searching for, which was given away by the loud (for Fluttershy) “Eeeeeeep!” that the contact drew forth. Rarity moved her muzzle upwards and licked it directly, alternating heavy swipes of her tongue with soft, teasing little flicks with the tip.

Fluttershy’s wings sprang open in a sudden spasm, and she let out a low, desperate cry. “There! There, oh please...”

Encouraged that she was on the right track at last, Rarity took the nub between her lips and suckled it, interspersed with light nibbles. She reached a hoof down and began to apply gentle pressure to the folds just below her mouth.

Fluttershy bucked her hips helplessly as the first wave hit. The pressure had been building in her loins for so long now... “R-Rarity! I’m-”

Rarity held on for dear life and continued to lick. As she felt her fillyfriend spasm she forced her tongue deep inside the hot, wet entrance and wiggled it about frantically.

Fluttershy bit into the pillow her head was on, desperate to stifle her screams. Every part of her sang in a joyful chorus as her body spasmed and shook violently.

Rarity patiently let her ride it out, nuzzling and licking after each buck to extend and intensify her lover’s climax. Eventually, after having to maintain her hold for three further violent spasms, the pegasus flopped limply against the bed-sheets.

Rarity untangled herself from the mare and happily crawled back up level with her face. “I would kiss you, but you know where I have been and-” Fluttershy kissed her hard, “-apparently you don’t mind!”

They both lay in each other’s forelegs, smiling with love and contentment. Rarity was now doubly tired from both her efforts to please Fluttershy and her earlier magical exhaustion. They kissed gently now, still passionately, but the urgency was gone. This night had been a long time coming for both of them, and having at last sated their desires they were both more than happy to simply bask in the afterglow.

After spending some time to recover, Rarity gently stroked Fluttershy’s sweaty pink mane, curling some of the strands around the tip of her hoof. “I hope that wasn’t too inept, darling - I only had the barest notion of what I was doing. Give me time, please, and I will learn.”

Fluttershy turned her head to meet Rarity’s eyes and shook it gently in chagrin. “No, don’t worry about that. With you, Rarity, I would be happy if all we ever did was kiss and nuzzle. What you did... was so much better. Thank you.”

Rarity laughed a bit. “I never had these issues in my fantasies you know. Everything was so perfect, every touch set me afire. Mind you this has been wonderful, but I did not envision any problems in figuring out the basic mechanics of making love to you.”

“I-I wouldn’t really know if you were doing anything wrong. It felt... nice. Really nice. Much nicer than I ever dreamed it would be when I-” The pegasus blushed at that confession. Somehow telling Rarity she’d been subjected to naughty stories by Cloud Kicker was less embarrassing than revealing that she’d had fantasies about Rarity involving similar activities.

“Oh? My shy, sweet pegasus was having naughty dreams about me, eh? Please, do share!” Rarity nuzzled her affectionately, gazing into her lovely eyes.

“W-well... we did all kinds of things. I mostly liked the kissing, but sometimes I would picture us doing the things Cloud Kicker talked about doing with mares and-” she looked far away for a moment, suddenly starry eyed, “then I had to wash my sheets.”

Rarity had to hide her shock. Fluttershy... while thinking of me... Her thighs were wet all over again. “Well my love, here we are. We have all night at our disposal, and I think I have one more round in me. What would you like to try?”

Fluttershy squeaked; her mouth formed words but no further sound emerged. “Shhhh darling, please don’t stress. This is meant to be a happy and loving occasion. Nopony will judge you here.” Rarity nuzzled her again. “We don’t have to do anything more if it makes you uncomfortable. There will be other nights, I promise you that.”

The pegasus took several calming breaths, then one deep one. “I want to try doing what you did, but, um, if we face each other we can both do it at the same time. Oh, I’m a naughty filly! I’m sorry!”

Rarity kissed and nuzzled her soothingly. “None of that now, never ever be sorry for desiring to be with the pony you love.” Face each other? But how would that- ohhh, I see now. One of us would need to turn around. “Now... h-how do we go about this?” Rarity turned the problem around in her mind a few times.

“Just lie down.”

Rarity did as instructed, looking up to find Fluttershy crawling on top of her. Soon enough her head was framed between her lover’s thighs, the hot breath of the pegasus tickling her own. This was a decidedly different vantage point from before, but she could see this would work. Fluttershy made for a very slight weight against her own body, her lithe form a warm and comforting presence. She clasped her forelegs around Fluttershy’s thighs to hold her steady, and began to gently nibble at her sex.

Fluttershy looked down at Rarity’s thighs, inhaling the mingled smells of expensive perfume and feminine arousal. She squeaked a little as she felt Rarity start to lick her, but her focus was elsewhere now. She was determined that Rarity would be made to feel every bit as good as she had just felt. She lowered her head and licked slowly at her lover’s pale lips. 

Rarity shuddered slightly as Fluttershy began; this was entirely different from the sensations of a hoof. The pegasus was softly and insistently parting her lower lips, nuzzling her nose and muzzle further inside to lick every trace of the moisture that coated her inner walls. This was an impossible task of course, as the juices poured forth ever more abundantly with every lick, but she seemed determined to try regardless. Bless her for trying. Oh please, keep at it my love! Rarity redoubled her own efforts now, delving deeper into Fluttershy’s moist folds to locate the center of her arousal once again.

Fluttershy’s wings sprang to attention as she felt Rarity hit just the right spot. Her mouth lolled open in a silly grin for a moment before she focused again on the unicorn. She licked harder, trying to force her way deeper into the velvety smoothness that was Rarity. Finally, she found a spot that went deeper, and from whence the juices appeared to be flowing heavily. She pushed her muzzle inside and began to lick the slick hole feverishly.

When it happened they both felt it - a slow-building, shuddering sensation that grew as much from the arousal of pleasuring the other mare as it did from being pleasured. Still they kept up with one another, determined that they would both feel the same satisfaction. At last, simultaneously, they both threw their heads back and screamed aloud. Fluttershy’s scream was so loud Rarity could almost hear it, but Rarity’s...





In the pounding rain outside, Angel lay huddled in his hutch. He hated the rain, all the more so for having trapped him in here instead of the warmth of the cozy home he shared with the Yellow One. An ear perked up suddenly as he heard a high pitched squeal of joy, followed closely by a booming, instantly recognizable voice.

“FLUTTERSHY!”

A flock of birds burst from the nearby tree in fright, and all the animals woke from a sound sleep to look around fearfully for predators. Finding none, they uneasily settled back down to sleep.

Angel flopped back onto his straw in disgust, grumbling to himself. Of all the bad luck, now they were mating! That meant the fussy one would be around even more.
> Green Chapter 22: True Blue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applejack was waiting by the window when Rainbow swooped in. They’d been sleeping together for a while now, but AJ still hadn’t quite gotten up the nerve to explain to her family that they were together. She hated lying, even by omission, but there was no other choice if she wanted to share a bed with Dash. Kinda wish we could spend the night in her place for once, but that would require unicorn help. It wasn’t that she thought Twilight wouldn’t help out, it was just a matter of explaining why she needed the cloudwalking spell cast on her.

Rainbow wrapped her forelegs around AJ and kissed her. “I missed you...” she muttered hotly as she began to kiss her lover’s neck. 

AJ nickered softly at the kisses. Somepony’s feeling frisky tonight! The farmpony just enjoyed the attention for a bit, then nipped at the base of Rainbow’s wing playfully; she gasped in response.

“Shhhh, not so danged loud, Dash. Yer gonna wake everypony up.” She giggled a bit as Dash got to her ears. “Mmmm, that’s nice. Mind if we lay down for this? Mah knees are getting a little wobbly.”

“Sure... Um, AJ would you mind—” Rainbow’s voice trailed off into inaudibility.

“Wanna run that by me again, Sugarcube?”

“C-could you do my wings?” Rainbow blushed heavily.

Applejack smiled. Never knew it was so danged embarrassing for her. Would explain why she moans when I do it... “Sure thing, Sug, just relax.”





Applejack was just about finished preening Dash when they both heard a quiet knock on the window. Annoyed, AJ released the wing and let her lover get up to see what was going on. A very red-faced pegasus fluttered just below the window ledge, trying to look anywhere but the window. “Um... boss, I am so sorry to bother you while you’re with her, but there’s a freak storm blowing through Ponyville. There’s lightning strikes everywhere... We’re doing our best, but we can’t keep up with the fires—”

“One sec, Icy...” Rainbow looked apologetically at the farmpony. “AJ, I hate to leave you hanging just as things are getting good—”

“Go on, Rainbow, they gotta be havin’ trouble if they sent somepony for ya in the middle of the night. I’ll be waiting for ya. Go play hero a bit.” The words stung her to say; she hated the idea of her special somepony out there at the mercy of the elements. Unpleasant images of seeing her laid up in the hospital sprung to mind. That was just her showing off; yer turning into a worrywart. She knew Rainbow would return to her safe and sound. Besides, she lived for moments like this. Maybe if I let her have enough of ‘em, she’ll finally forgive me for putting on that danged costume. Applejack snorted at the thought. Yeah, and pigs might start flyin’ again...  

“I’ll be back soon, then we can pick up where we left off.” Rainbow kissed her goodbye before climbing out of the window. Applejack watched the two weather ponies fly off into the night, trying not to worry. Don’t go doin’ anything stupid, Dash. 

The wind began to howl as the edge of the storm rolled over the farm. A blinding flash filled the sky; when her vision finally returned to her, she stared in shock at the sight of the tall shade tree just outside her home burning fiercely.

She ran out into the hallway and began to pound on her siblings’ doors. “Horseapples! Big Mac! Apple Bloom! Wake up! We got a fire outside!”





Rainbow wearily flew back to Sweet Apple Acres, feeling physically and emotionally drained after the long night spent fighting the flames and the storm. She should have been relieved; there was really no reason not to be relieved... Rarity was okay the whole time, everything’s fine! So why was her heart still heavy with this sense of dread?

This is so stupid! Not only was she okay, she and Shy finally hooked up! Rainbow squealed just a little bit again. So cute! She ignored the hollow feeling, flying resolutely back to join AJ. She’ll be up by now. Rainbow scanned the farm urgently. I-It’s not like I need her, I just... miss her. That’s all. 

Flying over the Apple Family’s barn, she spotted something that made fear clutch her heart in an icy grip. A tree not ten strides from AJ’s bedroom was blackened and bare of leaves. Visions of the whole farmstead on fire sprang to her mind, and she shook her head angrily. E-everything is fine! Nopony got hurt, I need to stop stressing over this! Ohh, where are you, AJ? 

Finally spotting Applejack, Rainbow dove quickly to meet her. She landed with a flourish and grinned her best ‘I’m awesome, I know it, and you know it’ grin. “I’m back! Sorry I had to leave so quickly last night, AJ, but we did it! We saved everypony!”

“Land sakes, Dash, that’s mighty good to hear. As y’can see, we had a little trouble out near the house ourselves.” She took off her hat and solemnly lamented. “Poor ol’ Linden. He was a good shade tree. Granny Smith planted him herself. We’re gonna miss him come summer.”

Rainbow took two steps towards her before stopping herself. “...You okay, AJ? I could, um... hug you if you wanted, but only if you want...”

AJ waved a hoof to placate her fillyfriend. “Ah’m fine. Sorry, Dash, ya know how it is. Ya plant a tree and watch it grow, ya can spend yer whole life tending to ‘em, but they’re gonna outlive ya. Ya get to thinkin’ ‘bout ‘em like foals, and it makes losin’ one like losin’ a member of the family...” She chuckled at Dash’s look of confusion. “Guess it’s an earth pony thing. Oh hey, did ya eat yet? We finished breakfast a while back, but there’s some leftovers in the kitchen. Granny made up some apple fritters.”

“No... I already had pancakes. Uh... so you’re sure you don’t need that hug? I don’t mind! I know it’s gotta be bothering you to lose a... tree.” Dash smiled weakly.

Gosh, she looks tuckered. Nice to know she cares, though. “Nah, Ah’ll be fine. You gotta be tired, Dash, you wanna go grab a nap at the house while Ah finish up here?”

Dash looked oddly disappointed. “...Okay. B-but if you need that hug, it’s waiting!” She sped off without another word.

AJ scratched her head. “Where in the hay did she get pancakes?”





Rainbow Dash flew desperately to the Boutique. The wind howled and wailed around her as if it was trying to attack her. She could make out the shop in the distance easily through the gloom, however. The hellish flames were spreading across the whole structure now, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Rarity opened with window and gasped for air. “Rainbow! Please, help me! I don’t want to die!” 

She flew faster than ever, but no matter how fast she flew the Boutique got no closer to her. “DASH! HELP ME!” The fire spread into the interior and backlit Rarity with dancing tongues of heat. First her mane ignited, then the rest of her, and she began screaming, and screaming, and SCREAMING! 

Dash woke with a start, realizing the screaming in her head was coming out of her own lips. She sat up in AJ’s bed, panting. It was so real! Why? She’s okay darnit!  The door burst open and AJ stood there, chest heaving. “Rainbow! What’s wrong?”

Rainbow clutched the blanket to herself and huddled underneath it. “I-I’m fine! Sorry I scared you, AJ. I’ll be okay. It was nothing!”

AJ stared at the shivering—almost cowering?—pegasus in her bed. That ain’t fine, that’s about the furthest from fine Ah’ve seen ya in a good long time. AJ lay down behind Rainbow and embraced her carefully. “Sugarcube, ya don’t sound fine. Ya think Ah can’t spot a lie this close?”

Rainbow shuddered again. “I-I’m okay, really! I just... had a bad dream.”

Applejack sighed into the multihued mane. Like pulling teeth. “Oh yeah? Sug, Ah ain’t never heard you make that much racket. What’s got you worked up? Ah won’t tell nopony but can Ah at least know what’s wrong?”

“Nothing! I’m really okay now. J-just leave me alone!” Without warning, Rainbow tensed her hind legs and kicked AJ out of bed, propelling her into wall and causing her to slump to the floor with a dazed expression. Dash’s eyes blurred with sudden tears. “I’m sorry! I... I have to go!”

AJ rubbed her head where it had struck the wall. “Dash...” She lay there for a moment, still dizzy and unable to follow her lover.





When her eyes finally realigned themselves, AJ wearily stood up and rubbed her head ruefully. What’s gotten into that girl? She shook her head in annoyance, wincing a little as it caused the pain to flare up again. Much as she loved her, AJ just couldn’t understand Dash sometimes. Something is up. Ah ain’t never had a dream that had me screamin’ at the top of mah lungs like that. 

I gotta find her. She may not want ta say it, but she needs somepony bad right now.... 

“...You okay, AJ? I could, um... hug you if you wanted, but only if you want...” 

“No... I already had pancakes. Uh... so you’re sure you don’t need that hug?” 

“...Okay. B-but if you need that hug, it’s waiting!” 

She facehoofed in frustration. Dangit, AJ, how’d ya miss that? Dash don’t ask when she wants a hug, she’ll come up and get it. She didn’t want one, she needed one! Too danged wrapped up in mah own self to see she was shook up about something. 

Ah can feel sorry for mahself later; right now Ah got a fillyfriend to find. Trouble is, Dash has wings. My options are kinda limited in the whole searching department. She could cover a lot of ground before she got tired, but that was just it; ground. She sighed. Having a pegasus fillyfriend wasn’t easy at times. If she don’t wanna be found, she’s probably up in the clouds somewhere. Dang it all, what I wouldn’t give for a set of wings right n— 

Well hay, there’s a thought! I bet Shy would help me find her! Satisfied, she grabbed her hat from the floor and set it back on her head. Hold on, Dash. Ah don’t know what’s eatin’ ya, but Ah aim ta help ya through it. She quickly trotted off to find Shy.





Just mah luck, she’s off gallivantin’ somewhere! She’d searched Fluttershy’s cottage high and low, but she wasn't anywhere to be found. Finally, Angel had taken pity on her and pointed towards Ponyville, annoyance clear on his little face. She waved in thanks and ran in that direction, only to realize she was no better off trying to search for Shy than she was searching for Dash, albeit Fluttershy tended not to roost the way Dash did.

Horseapples... Ah don’t have clue one where she might be. Granted, Shy’s more likely to be down here but Ah need to find Dash! Huh, need a new plan Ah guess... She still had to find some way to search the skies. Got it! Twilight’s balloon! She ran at full gallop towards the library. 

Arriving at last, she noticed some scorched branches high up on the house-tree. Huh, guess that storm was a real bad one. She looked around town, noting several buildings with signs of fire damage. Dang... Dash wasn’t kidding! Least nopony was hurt. Regaining her focus, she banged on the door with a hoof. “Twi, Ah need your help!”

She heard movement inside, followed by a crash and some muffled cursing. The door opened and a very tired-looking Twilight Sparkle stood in front of her. “AJ, what’s wrong?”

“Ah don’t have time to explain; can Ah borrow your balloon?”

The librarian gave her a look of concern and confusion, but did not waste time before answering. “Well certainly, but it’s still in storage and it’ll take awhile to reinflate it. What’s going on?”

The farmpony grunted in frustration. “Consarnit! Ah need to find Dash. She just flew off after having some bad nightmare. Ah’m worried about her. T’aint like her to run away like that.”

“...How did you know she had a nightmare?”

AJ blushed hard. “N-nevermind that, Ah need to find her! Horseapples, where’s a pegasus when ya need one...”

Twilight cocked her head to one side in bemusement. “Um... well, I have been practicing the spell I cast on Rarity—”

“The one that gave her butterfly wings?” Horrifying images of Dash laughing her head off ran through Applejack’s mind. Ah swear to Celestia, if you laugh at me, Ah’m gonna buck yer teeth in, Dash. Applejack threw herself down at Twilight’s hooves. “Please, Ah gotta go find her! Can you cast it on me?”

“Um... sure. Let me get the book out...”





AJ fluttered the wings at her sides in amazement. They were nothing like what she remembered Rarity having; they looked like normal wings, only you could see through them a bit, and for some reason they were blue. "Hay... these are kinda... well, they ain’t what Ah expected. What gives, Twi? You mess up?"

Twilight was trying hard not to blush. "No... the spell worked fine, AJ. I did some more research into the spell after I had a similar experience... it turns out the spell manifests itself a little differently for everypony."

AJ scratched her head. "Huh, okay. That's kinda weird."

Twilight nodded. "It creates wings as a sort of reflection of what you view wings to be. For most ponies it just ends up looking like a pair of normal pegasus wings with their own coloration, made of mist and magic. However, sometimes certain, um, differences show up."

"How do you mean?"

“Well, the magus major who created the spell was courting a very beautiful pegasus general. He wanted to flatter her, so part of the spell’s design lets your heart dictate how the look and coloration will come out...” Seeing AJ’s glassy look she grunted in frustration. "Okay, let me put it to you like this: when I cast it on myself I ended up with cotton candy pink wings, and for some reason they looked like they were made out of twisted balloons. Pinkie's were giant purple alicorn sized wings. Rarity's—I think she was thinking of something very specific when I cast it. You saw how she reacts to Fluttershy, right? Do you see the connections here or do I have to spell it out?"

The farmpony’s face was starting to resemble her brother’s in hue. "So wait... Rarity? Butterfly wings... she was thinking about Shy’s—” Then she somehow blushed even harder. “Horseapples... Did Ah just get outed by a spell?"

Twilight had the good sense not to laugh, but she couldn’t quite keep the smile from her face. “If it makes you feel any better, you’re only the second pony I’ve told about me and Pinkie. Also I’m probably the only pony alive besides the princesses who would know that you having blue wings means something.”

AJ blushed. “Sorry, Twi, A-Ah woulda told you awhile back but Ah was kinda worried about what everypony else might think. Mostly Ah was worried about Bloom and Granny. Ah just wanted ta keep mah mouth shut about it until Ah could get my head on straight—”

“AJ, it’s okay, I understand. I felt a little weird about being with Pinkie at first, too. We can talk about it later. You should go find Dash.”

The farmpony nodded gratefully. “Thanks, Twi.”





This... this is how Dash feels all the time. She’d been flying for several hours now, but still could not believe how freeing it felt. Maybe it was part of the spell, making her body feel like it was meant to be in the air, but it felt wonderful. It’s like the first time Ah bucked a tree and managed to get all the apples to fall. Like the first time Dash and Ah... okay, not quite that good, but Sweet Celestia... Just wish Ah could enjoy it properly. Getting dang near sunset, not gonna be easy to find her in the dark. 

She scanned the clouds below her, looking for signs of the prodigal pegasus until... There! AJ dove for one particular cloud and gently alighted next to her. Dash was sleeping fitfully, mumbling broken phrases: “I’ll save... No! NO!”

The farmpony shook Dash urgently. “Sugarcube, wake up!”

Dash woke with a start, looking around in confusion. “Rarity! Where... what? AJ?” At first she seemed happy, but quickly let out a frustrated groan. They were both standing on a cloud, and AJ had a pair of wings, so... “Awww, I’m still dreaming! This sucks!” She flopped down onto the cloud heavily. “I don’t want to dream anymore...”

Applejack lay down beside her and gently bit her ear.

“Ow! AJ, quit—” Dash rubbed her ear with a hoof in irritation, then stopped as a thought hit her. “Wait... that hurt. Things aren’t supposed to hurt in dreams...”

“You ain’t dreaming, Sug.” The farmpony kissed the top of her head softly. “Ah got worried about ya, so Ah went looking. You didn’t make it easy for me.”

“Sure, I’m not dreaming. So you just happened to grow a pair of wings?” Despite feeling the pain of the bite, Dash still looked skeptical.

“No, Ah got Twi to use the spell she cast on Rarity. How else was Ah gonna find ya?”

Rainbow turned and studied Applejack, her expression curious as she looked over the blue, ephemeral wings that fluttered nervously at the farmpony’s side. “Huh? I thought that made butterfly wings. Those look pretty awesome on you. Shouldn’t they be orange though?”

AJ laughed nervously and quickly changed the subject. “Uh, yeah, Twi kinda got it wrong. Must have had a cold or something. Look, Dash, much as Ah enjoy chatting about spells that definitely messed up and have nothing at all to do with how Ah feel about ya, Ah kinda wanted to figure out what had you screaming like a foal fer its momma earlier.”

Dash looked at her quizzically, but made no further comment about the wings. “I-I’m fine, just lemme get some sleep...”

“Sure, ya got a nightmare calling yer name, right? C’mon Dash, what’s bothering ya?”

“It’s nothing, everything was okay after all. She was fine!”

“Who was fine?”

“Rare.”

“Okay, Ah’ll bite; why would she not be fine?”

Dash mumbled something inaudible.

“Try that again?”

“Her house was on fire, okay?! I thought she was inside it. But she wasn’t.”

“Uh... yeah, let’s back that up a bit. What happened?”





Horseapples. Dash told her every detail of the night. How she found the Boutique on fire. How hard she worked to put it out. Dash shuddered a bit as she described the room, then she burst into tears. AJ held Rainbow tightly, soothing her with caresses and murmured endearments as she slowly calmed down. Dash went on, telling her about catching the cat and taking it to Fluttershy’s house, then about her complete breakdown in front of Rarity. “That’s why this is so stupid! Everything was fine. Rarity was with Shy the whole night!“ She angrily tried to wipe the tears from her face.

“Sug, let it out, it’s okay.”

Rainbow snorted, and fresh tears streamed out from her reddened eyes. “No, it’s not! I shouldn’t feel like this! She was okay the whole time! I-I worried for nothing!”

“It wasn’t nothing! You were pretty dang sure you lost her. It’s okay to be a little freaked out about that.”

Dash finally let herself cry freely. “She could have died, and I couldn't have saved her! I couldn't even stop the fire in time to prevent it ruining her home! What kind of friend am I? I caught her after she fell from five miles up, but I could have lost her because of a measly bucking lightning strike!”

A new and more horrifying thought struck her. “It could have happened to you too! That tree was all of ten strides away from your house. I couldn't have saved you either!"

AJ shook her head ruefully. "Don’t go thinking like that. Even y’all can't be everywhere at once!"

Dash sobbed into her shoulder. "I should be able to be! I’m the fastest flier in all of Equestria! What's that worth if I can't even save my friends?"

AJ was silent for a time, mulling it over. She wanted to reassure Dash, but it would just be false comfort. Bucking Element of Honesty. "Dash, I hate to say it, but... yer right."

Dash tilted her head up to look at AJ in confusion, and a touch of anger. "Right about what? B-being useless?"

"No, not that.” AJ stroked her mane gently, pushing the forelock from Rainbow’s face. “Fact is, one of these days something's gonna happen ta one of us. We live dangerous lives, Dash. Discord might get out, the Gates of Tartarus might break open. Heck, maybe Ah fall off’ve a roof and break my fool neck. Yer not gonna be able to stop everything that might ever happen to us. So Ah need ya ta do something fer me."

"...What?"

"Love us all while we're here. Don't take us for granted. All yer friends are alive and well today. Tomorrow, who knows? But ya got us right now. Make it count."

“AJ?”

“Yeah?”

“That’s the corniest thing ever.”

“Don’t make it less true.”

They were silent for a long time, just huddled together on the cloud. AJ finally broke the silence. “Ya asked me a question once, and Ah didn’t have an answer for you then. Ya asked me about that whole Mare Do Well mess. Remember?”

Dash rubbed her nose angrily with a hoof, not quite sure where AJ was going with this. “Yeah, I asked you why you went through with it. The other girls I guess I understood, but we were always pretty close, and I thought I knew you better than that. The rest I can get, trying to teach me a lesson because I was ‘going overboard’. But I thought you at least understood how a pony can get a little proud of what she does. I was a hero to those ponies, and you took that from me.”

AJ sighed heavily. “Sugarcube... do you know what happens ta heroes?”

“Sure, they get plaques and applause and all kinds of awards.”

“Well, sometimes all they get is a stone marker, and a lonely filly wondering why her parents had ta be heroes. A filly that wished she’d cherished ‘em a little more while she had the chance.”

Dash was stunned; she hadn’t expected to ever get an answer. The question was asked mostly to show just how hurt she’d been. I don’t get it. AJ never talks about her folks... “AJ, what happened to...?”

The farmpony stroked Dash’s mane absently. “Ah’ll tell ya sometime, Ah promise. Fer now, let’s just say Ah know how it feels to lose somepony, and have nightmares about how ya could have stopped it.”

She sighed, deep in remembered sadness. “Ya got this idea in yer head that ya can save anypony from anything. Yer good Dash, but yer one pony. Ah helped the girls with Mare Do Well because Ah needed ya ta stop trying ta be a hero all by yerself.”

Rainbow snorted in irritation. “I was doing fine! I didn’t need help!”

“Yeah, ya were, but eventually you were gonna get yerself hurt. Ya know how we showed ya up? Wasn’t because any one of us was faster, stronger, and smarter than ya. We worked together. Ah’m mighty proud ya want ta be a hero, but ya don’t have to go it alone. We’ll always back ya up, if ya let us. Ah’ll always be there. Make no mistake about that.”

Rainbow drew a long, shuddering breath. “I-I never knew. I always wondered if you just hated me showing off that much...”

AJ nipped at Rainbow’s ear playfully. “Nah, that’s part of yer charm. S’like we told Twi: it’s fine ta have talents, and ta be proud’a those talents. Ya just got a little wrapped up in praise. Heck, Ah went a little overboard once myself, if ya remember. Thought Ah could help the whole town and harvest the whole farm all by my lonesome. Didn’t turn out so well. Good thing mah friends were there.”

Silence reigned again for a time.

“AJ?”

“Yeah?”

“That costume...”

AJ chuckled and blushed a bit. “Still on about that? Ah guess Ah can dig it out if ya really wanna make out with Mare—”

Dash turned around and silenced her with a long kiss. She finally broke the contact and smiled. “Don’t need it. I already have a hero to make out with.”

The farmpony had no response for that.

Rainbow grinned cockily. “You know, we could settle something here. You keep going on about how nice it is to make love on the ground. Let me show you how soft a cloud is...”

Dash began to kiss her gently. This was very unlike their normal loveplay. That was two parts fight, two parts submission, and it was hard to tell who was doing what, when and to whom. This was sweet and gentle, but no less loving for it.

Applejack did not resist her in the least on this occasion, feeling that what Dash needed now was to make love to her, not to dominate or be dominated. Ah’m all yours Sugarcube. Just this once though; next time... yer mine. She returned the kisses passionately, but tried to hold back her urge to fight Dash for control, letting the pegasus decide the pace.

Dash rolled them both over, and Applejack found herself in a most precarious position - she was prone on her back, something she normally never allowed. Rainbow looked down on her, the gleam in her eyes very different from other times they’d shared a roll in the hay. This was more sultry, but there was a softness and a fire to it that spoke volumes.

AJ felt she should say something, and cursed inwardly that nothing romantic came to mind. Fine then, nothing more romantic than Celestia’s honest truth. “Dash Ah... Ah love you. Sorry if Ah don’t say it enough.” She leaned forward and kissed the pegasus, blushing hard.

Rainbow smiled triumphantly. “I finally got you to say it first. You keep leaving me hanging when I say it. I know you do AJ... but I like to hear it.” They shared another long kiss.

“I love you too,” Rainbow whispered softly into the earth pony’s ear. She began to lightly nibble the sensitive tips of the ears, while her tail wrapped around AJ’s own, both appendages quickly becoming wet with shared arousal.

AJ struggled against her instincts all the more. Every part of her wanted to match Dash’s aggression.

Never knew it was so danged hard to just lay here and be seduced. 

Yet somehow this was so much hotter than normal. 

Never saw mahself as one of them frou-frou princesses waiting on a knight ta come ta the rescue, but somehow being laid down and just... rutted feels so danged good! 

She moaned lightly as Dash tugged hard on her tail while nipping her neck.

Rainbow looked into AJ’s eyes and smiled. “Now, I don’t want to hear another peep from you for a bit, unless it’s the words ‘more’, ‘harder’, or ‘faster’!” She nipped her ear playfully, and with her wingtip began to gently tease Applejack between her thighs. They were slow, soft caresses, and Dash accompanied them with hot kisses and nips on her neck and chest. Surprising both of them, the wings at Applejack side sprang open. Dash stared at the wings; she hadn’t expected that.

Whoa... that spell is awesome!

Applejack blinked at the movements to her side, then gasped a bit as she felt the caress.

Whoa nelly. Little quick on the draw there Dash. Still, we did leave things unfinished last night. 

“M-more.”

Rainbow smiled and complied, inserting the wingtip gently into AJ. She began a slow rhythm of thrusts, gradually increasing speed and depth. The farmpony was rocked back and forth by the powerful pinions, and she began panting hoarsely. Her blue wings fluttered helplessly against the cloud. “H-harder!”

Rainbow kept her pace slow, occasionally shifting the remiges around inside Applejack. She began to put more of her weight into each thrust, forcing the primary feathers deeper inside. AJ began to whimper softly, biting down on a hoof to muffle it. Rainbow paused for a moment. “You okay AJ? I don’t wanna hurt you...”

Applejack momentarily lost her head and wrapped a foreleg around Dash’s neck, pulling her into a kiss. “Ah’m an earth pony! Ah can take whatever you got, hot shot. Now, for the love’a Celestia, please rut me!”

“That was more than a peep. Oh, it is on filly! You wanna be bucked? You’re getting bucked!” And now the thrusts came hard and fast. AJ’s rump was soaking wet, and the force of her being pushed into the cloud was making it drizzle on the ground below. Her fantasmal wings were at near full mast, showing the extreme state of her arousal.

AJ’s forehooves began to dig into the soft and pliable mist, desperately trying to find purchase. She moaned every time Dash’s wing moved, as it flexed and spread the heat in her loins through her body like wildfire. “Faster!”

Rainbow began to thrust even quicker; the nips had turned to sharp love bites that were nearly hard enough to draw blood. She leaned into the thrusts heavily, and AJ’s moans gradually became desperate screams. The earth pony’s eyes began to roll back in her head, and her nostrils let out desperate snorts of air as the intense pleasure built up in her lower half. 

Almost there...

In a last incredibly deep thrust Rainbow locked lips with her lover and forced her tongue inside AJ’s mouth, reveling in the feeling of the rippling pulses surrounding the wingtip. The wings on AJ’s back spread wide and locked in place. As one quake passed Dash pulled back and thrust again, bringing a scream to AJ’s lips that could be heard for a good half-mile around. Good thing we’re two miles up or that might tick off some of our neighbors, Rainbow thought with a mental smirk. 

She continued to withdraw and thrust, again and again, and each time the farmpony cried out gratefully. After several minutes of this the earth pony lay panting, finally spent and happy.
“Phew, you sure know how to make a girl work, AJ.” Rainbow pulled her soaked wingtip out and collapsed at her lover’s side.  She nuzzled AJ, wrapping a foreleg around her torso. “You convinced yet?”

Applejack gasped for air, letting her heart rate slow down gradually. “Ah still like a little soil under mah hooves. Ah mean, this is nice an’ all, but it’s gonna take more to for this earth pony to say fer sure.”

“Oh really? More, eh? You got something in mind?”

“Yeah... lemme see how it feels from this side of things.” She leaned up and shoved Dash onto her back, grinning predatorily. Applejack’s wings were tilted into a classic - if unconscious - attack position now, and Dash was only too happy to let AJ take charge. “Do you-” She kissed Dash hard on the mouth. “-have any-” She ran her tongue down the length of Dash’s wing from base to tip. “-idea-” She nibbled on the primaries that were still covered in her own juices.  “-how good that felt?”

Dash’s wings both unfurled and she groaned as AJ began to aggressively preen her, plucking damaged feathers and realigning others skillfully and lovingly. This went on for several minutes, with only occasional gasps and moans to mark the passage of time. When the preening was done Dash caught her breath, then grinned happily. “Uh... I’m guessing pretty good?”

“Good guess. Now hush up.” AJ locked lips with her, and began working a forehoof down the soft coat of her chest until she reached... Sopping wet. Dash gasped into Applejack’s mouth as the farmpony began to gently tease her, building up a nice rhythm before easing off slightly, each time bringing her closer to the edge.

Dash broke the kiss. “AJ... please...”

Applejack grinned salaciously. “Shhhh, lemme work here. Ah won’t leave you hanging, Ah promise.” A quick flick of her head launched her hat into the air to land squarely on Dash’s head.
Dash looked at her, then up at the hat on her head, confused and adorably cross-eyed. “What-”
“Hold onto that fer me, wouldya? Ah’d set it down but it would just fall. The brim kinda gets in the way.”

With that, Applejack shimmied down Dash’s body and planted her muzzle right inside those moist folds she’d been teasing a moment ago. She hummed with satisfaction as she lapped up every drop of the pegasus’ arousal. Dash moaned loudly and AJ noted with gratitude that she clamped a hoof on the hat to keep it from falling. 

Good girl! Now fer your reward.

She pressed her muzzle deep inside Rainbow and licked in long, deep strokes. Now it was Dash’s turn to try to stifle screams. She grabbed a tuft of cloud in a forehoof and bit into it, hard. AJ patiently licked and nibbled, holding onto Rainbow’s legs to get better leverage. She knew Dash was close, and intended to deliver as good as she’d just got.

Dash watched in half-distracted fascination as her lover pleasured her. Just as satisfying emotionally was the position of AJ’s wings; they were spread wide and conveying dominance to her in a way that every pegasus instinctively understood. In a language as old as ponykind itself they spoke to her, demanding obedience and respect. She was helpless to do anything but obey their commands.

This was incredibly hot to her, she’d always wondered in the back of her mind what it might be like to make love with another pegasus. It had been very hard to resist the urge to nip those wings at AJ’s side while she had been making love to her earlier. Rare’s burned up in the sun after all, so I’m pretty sure biting them would be bad. Yet even seeing them react to her efforts had added a whole new dimension to her pleasure. Now, admiring them majestically splayed out while she was being licked was getting her so very wet.

Dash bucked her hips and came, screaming out loud as she hit her first peak. AJ, though, rode out that initial spasm and each subsequent buck with ease. Feisty, but she ain’t got nothing on a bull, she thought slyly as she continued to pleasure the pegasus. At long last, Rainbow weakly gave one last buck, her voice nearly gone after screaming so many times.





AJ pulled herself up to lie beside Rainbow. They both snuggled into each other’s embrace, kissing tenderly. AJ’s wings had returned to her side, relaxed and furled. Rainbow extended one of her own wings and wrapped it around the farmpony. Together they watched the sunset, allowing the tranquility to calm them down. Ah... could get used to this. 

When she finally caught her breath, Rainbow leaned in for another kiss. “Convinced now?”

AJ smiled and returned the kiss. “Ah reckon so. Any place is home with you in it.” She lay happily in Dash’s embrace, deciding then and there that tomorrow night she would be sleeping in Rainbow’s cloud house.

> Green Chapter 32: Cleaning Up Nicely
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy was having a bit of a flashback as she was carried in Rarity’s aura. She patiently waited for an explanation, but one did not seem to be forthcoming. “Rarity, where are we going?” Her marefriend was marching down the hallways with purpose, but despite her quick pace, it soon became clear that she lacked any real direction and was searching randomly.

Rarity looked back in chagrin, smiling apologetically. “Sorry, love. Princess Celestia told me we would be welcomed in the royal baths; you can understand my excitement. However, it appears I should have asked for directions.”

Fluttershy smiled back, somewhat relieved. She had been worried Rarity might be catatonic again. “Okay, why not set me down, and we can find somepony who knows where they are?”

Rarity blinked several times, staring up at her marefriend as if seeing her for the first time. She shook her head with a grimace, wondering where her mind was today. “Yes,” she said as she slowly lowered Fluttershy to the ground. “I’m sorry, love. I don’t know what came over me.”

Fluttershy waited patiently until all four hooves were on the ground. When she was properly situated, she trotted forward and hugged Rarity. “It’s okay. I can understand how exciting that would be after spending all day in the muck.” She looked around, attempting to get her bearings. “We should go to the mess hall; some of the guard ponies there could probably give us some directions.”

The mess hall wasn’t difficult to find; even from a distance they could make out the rowdy laughing and shouting from off duty guards. Rarity scanned the room, looking for somepony she could bother very quickly that was not currently engaged in conversation with others.

To one side of the room, at a largely unoccupied table, she spotted a familiar face. The stallion was trying to disappear into a mug, which, judging by the smell, was filled with some sort of heavy beer. Rarity felt for him; it had been a rather grueling morning. “Excuse me,” she said as she sat down opposite him, Fluttershy settling down next to her. “I hate to be a bother, but I wanted to ask for your help.”

The stallion looked up in alarm. “Oh, it’s you. Nice work today, Sarge was impre—” He cut off as his gaze came to Fluttershy. “Sarge! What are—” His eyes squinted, looking again. “Oh. Oh! You’re... Right, you’re her. Not her, but her. Right.”

Rarity looked back and forth between the flustered stallion and her marefriend. Fluttershy was stifling a giggle behind a hoof. “Um... well, I suppose introductions are in order. Fluttershy, this is... oh dear. I’m terribly sorry, I don’t know your name.”

“What?!” The stallion said in alarm, his gaze having been fixed on Fluttershy. “Oh! Right, um, Corporal Stardust. Friends call me Dusty. Well, they will, when I make some. Right now they call me Rookie.” He grimaced, clearly frustrated by the nickname.

Rarity’s eyebrows rose. “Corporal? Goodness, that was quick! Congratulations are in order, I suppose?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Stardust blinked once and from the pinprick pupils he sported thereafter, he had to come to the conclusion that something wasn’t entirely right with the way the conversation was going. “I mean...” He rubbed the back of his neck with a hoof before giving her a look. “Nevermind, you said you needed help?”

Rarity looked askance at Dusty, “Well, it’s nice to see a pony who works hard move up. In any case, I was wondering if you might know how to get to the royal baths?”

Dusty nodded, taking a sip from his mug. “Oh yeah. Out the hall, take a left, up three floors. Then straight ahead. But don’t go sneaking in there. Last guy that got caught is still peeling onions for the cooks six months later.”

Rarity nodded curtly. “We’ll be sure to keep that in mind—”

Fluttershy frowned unhappily, cutting in with a curt opinion. “They put him in the kitchen for wanting a nice bath?! That’s terrible! Why would anypony be so mean?”

Dusty coughed up his beer, his eyes darting to Fluttershy as his cheeks reddened. When he was done with his coughing fit he pointedly looked down at the table, not able, or perhaps simply not willing, to meet her eyes as he spoke. “Yeah... he wasn’t trying to take a bath... The guy has a thing for wet manes...”

Fluttershy looked at him curiously. “What’s wrong with that?”

Rarity coughed uncomfortably. “Fluttershy... I believe he’s trying to tell you the stallion in question is a... peeper.”

“Oh,” was the only response Fluttershy could give at first, an uneasy silence grew between the three ponies as she thought about that. “Um...” she finally said, her cheeks burning, “Well, maybe that’s not so mean, then.”

“Well! I believe I have had my fill of information I didn’t want to know! Come, darling.” Rarity nodded to Stardust. “Congratulations, again. I’ll see you tomorrow, Dusty.”





“Ah, here we are,” Rarity said as they found the gilded entryway of the baths. She stepped forward eagerly, her heart unable to contain her joy at the idea of being clean once more. It spilled over into, and bolstered, her magic, almost ripping the doors off their hinges when she touched them. There was a sudden shock as her magic was overridden by another, followed by a pair of halberds which hacked her dream to pieces, crossing in front of her and denying her entrance to the promised land.

“Halt,” the guard on the left said. He was a unicorn stallion in ceremonial armor. Even distracted as she was she noted the armor was designed without the heavier gold plating inlaid with spells as she had been wearing during her testing. She backed away, turning to face the obstructing pony.

“I beg your pardon! I was given permission to enter these baths!”

Fluttershy, meanwhile, was busy trying to hide behind Rarity, though it wasn’t shyness alone that made her hide herself. The guard on the right was looking at her oddly, as if he knew her, and that usually meant the pony was a ‘fan.’

“Sorry, miss, but these are the private baths of the royal sisters. Nopony is allowed access,” the unicorn guard replied, unwavering in the face of Rarity’s mounting irritation.

“Don’t you ‘sorry miss’ me!” Rarity said imperiously. “I just spent two hours jumping, sweating, and crawling through muck.  I feel dirty and drained and ugly. Look at my mane! It looks horrid! It may never regain its proper shape again!”

Fluttershy was drawn from hiding hearing this. She rushed forward and hugged Rarity, murmuring soothing words to her.

The earth pony guard finally brightened as he realized who the pegasus that had been hiding behind the unicorn was. ”Shy-shy!”

Fluttershy looked up from in alarm. “Eep!” She ducked behind Rarity again.

“Hey,” the earth pony said, smiling. “Sorry if I scared you, been a while. What are you up to?”

Fluttershy peeked up again, curious. “Um... hiding?”

The earth pony chortled warmly. “Well, yeah, I can see that. But I meant lately. Last I saw you, you’d kicked my flank. I thought for sure you were gonna join up. Tried asking Sarge how you were but she just gave me a look, you know how she is.” He paused, shaking his head. “Dangit, Ward...” he said quietly. “I mean, of course you know, she’s your mom...”

“Um...” Fluttershy said, hesitantly. “I’m sorry, do I know you?” She blushed brightly. “I mean, I think I should, but I don’t remember—”

Rarity stomped a hoof impatiently. “I’m certain this is very interesting but perhaps we can have this discussion on the other side of the door where the nice hot bath is?”

The unicorn guard eyed her impassively, trying to assess whether she was going to be an annoyance or a threat. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could repeat himself, a bright green flash went off overhead, dropping a scroll from the ether. “Excuse me.” He unfurled the scroll, and found orders from Celestia herself to allow access to ‘Rarity, the Bearer of Generosity’ and ‘Fluttershy, the Bearer of Kindness’. “State your names, please?”

Rarity smiled triumphantly. “Rarity, and Fluttershy. That’s all this was, wasn’t it? You hadn’t gotten the order yet? Terribly sorry about being awful about this, but I badly need to get clean. May we go in now?”

The unicorn nodded, swinging the doors wide open. “Her majesty’s orders give you full access.” He stepped back to allow her to pass.

“Thank you!” Rarity squealed as she ran past.

Fluttershy looked once more at the stallion, before hurrying inside as well.





The royal baths were... opulent. Every fixture looked like it was made of (or at the very least coated in) gold, and Rarity strongly suspected the former. And every surface that was not gold appeared to be carved from a single piece of stone, hollowed out and shaped by the sort of magic that casually moved the skies themselves. The scale of the chamber was astonishing—but then, it would have to be to comfortably accommodate two alicorns. 

There was a large bath in the center, filled with hot water which constantly flowed, draining used water and replenishing with fresh. Off to one side was a cold dip tub, intended to close the pores after a long soak, and to the other an alicorn-sized massage table. 

Any staff that normally ran this very private room were off-duty at the moment, but there were more than enough beauty supplies here. From the various cards attached, they looked to be gifts from every corner of the world. The vast majority remained unopened, however, and given the sheer quantities involved they were likely to remain so for a long time to come.

Rarity nearly died on the spot at the sight of all this luxury. She wondered if any spa in the world would ever feel adequate again. She heard a high-pitched squeal, and fruitlessly looked around for its source for a few seconds before finally figuring out it had been coming from her own lips. “Yes!” she exclaimed with an excitement that had only been rivaled when she had realized the lips pressed against her own were in fact Fluttershy’s, and not another dream to be woken from with sadness.

“Oh my,” said the quiet voice of her marefriend. Rarity turned back to her, a brilliant smile emblazoned on her face. Fluttershy looked around with trepidation, looking for all the world like she was actually worried they were trespassing in such a genuinely majestic place.

“I... Words cannot express... Thank all that is good and right with the world!” Rarity breathed, eyeing the steam rising from the tub, her eyes wet with tears. In her mind, a heavenly chorus of voices sang.  She quickly snatched several bottles from the shelves. Soon she had shampoos, conditioners, soaps and pore cleansers—everything she would need to erase all trace of the filth she’d previously been slogging through. Her smile grew ever more, seeing the names of true masters of the craft upon the bottles. Why, any of these sell for enough to repair my kitchen. She mused, wistfully. And now she was going to use them on mere bathing? Oh yes, yes I am.

She stepped forward towards the tub, and the world decided that would be an opportune time to rise up and smack her in the face, or so it seemed. In reality, here in this place designed to relax, her body decided that it was going to do just that. Furthermore, it had apparently decided that it was going to do so now, with or without its owner's permission; her knees had simply buckled beneath her. She closed her eyes in resignation, detachedly noting how that floor was probably really going to hurt when it would finish its rapid ascent and kissed her chin.
 
After a few moments, she dared open her eyes again, and found the floor had stopped its treacherous attack on her person. She was being held by a pair of butter-yellow hooves, suspended in midair. Looking upwards, she found her marefriend hovering and looking down at her with evident concern.

“Oh, thank goodness!” Fluttershy exclaimed as Rarity opened her eyes. “Hold on a second, we’re going to set you down so I can take care of you.” 

Rarity was laid down, very carefully. As she landed, she glared balefully at the stone surface. Thought you could get me, did you? Better luck next time. “Mrgh,” she grunted irritably as she tried to thank Fluttershy for the timely rescue, only to find that her voice, too, was now betraying her. Still, the floor was pleasantly cool, and now that a truce had been declared between them, it actually seemed quite comfortable. She heard Fluttershy from somewhere that wasn’t down here where said comfort was, and then felt a tug as the pegasus began undoing her braided hair. She shuddered to think what her mane must taste like.

“It’s okay, I know,” Fluttershy said softly, working the braid loose, “just lie still, we’ll get you all fixed up.” She clucked her tongue in disapproval. “I told you this was going to be hard on you. I need you to be more careful.”

Rarity tried to explain that she’d really had no idea how exhausted she was before her legs had spontaneously collapsed, and also that she would indeed try to take it a bit easier in the future: “Murfle.”

Incredibly, this seemed to satisfy Fluttershy. She kissed Rarity gently on the nape of the neck. “Thank you. I’m going to help you into the tub now. Are you ready?”

“Mmmph,” Rarity replied, soon finding herself being lifted bodily with gentle hooves. The moment her body touched the water, every muscle melted into goop. Fluttershy propped her up against one side of the tub, grabbing a nearby showerhead. Glorious warmth flowed down Rarity’s mane, rinsing Celestia-knew-what from it in the process.

Continuing to hold the shower head over Rarity’s mane, Fluttershy grabbed the shampoo Rarity had chosen with her wing, squeezing out a generous dollop onto Rarity’s head. She massaged Rarity’s scalp as she lathered the shampoo, working it all through her locks, which were even then beginning to take the accustomed shape her hair was used to being in. Rarity groaned as Fluttershy continued to wash her hair while also giving a light massage through the tresses. 

“Goodness, so much tension in your shoulders... I wish Lotus were here, but I’ll try my best to help you relax.” 

Happy little groans were her only reply.

Fluttershy giggled; Rarity sounded so adorable. Then she got a very naughty thought: Nopony else is here... She eyed the massage table, blushing furiously. Rarity did say she wanted a happy ending...





Fluttershy eased herself into the tub next to Rarity, trying to ensure her marefriend remained upright while she did so. She pulled Rarity up against her chest, sitting the unicorn on her lap so she could easily reach every inch of Rarity’s flowing mane. 

Rarity let out a content sigh and sank a little further into the water, stopping as she came to lay prone against Fluttershy’s chest. This was everything she’d hoped for, and if she had had the energy to do so she would be jumping for sheer joy. The water was warm, Fluttershy’s chest was comfortable and she particularly appreciated the way her marefriend was tending to her mane. 

Fluttershy gave her a loving nuzzle while her hooves worked the soap out of her mane and daintily brushed aside a few wayward strands. Rarity simply murmured her appreciation. Fluttershy’s ministrations didn’t stop there, however: she also leaned over and pressed a kiss on the tip of Rarity’s nose, giggling when Rarity scrunched up her face at the ticklish sensation.

With Rarity’s mane done, Fluttershy slipped out from under the unicorn, carefully helping her out of the tub. Fluttershy picked Rarity up by wrapping her hooves around the unicorn’s barrel and then flew her over to the massage table. Said table gave the pegasus unfettered access to every single one of Rarity’s sore muscles; a position she quickly made use of, much to Rarity’s pleasure.

Finally able to get proper leverage, Fluttershy began to give Rarity a deep tissue massage, slowly working her way down the white-coated back but paying special attention to the shoulders. As she worked she snuck in the occasional kiss to each section, causing Rarity to give little gasps of surprise.

“Goodness, you really overdid yourself!” Fluttershy cooed as she leaned into a particular tense muscle grouping in Rarity’s lower back, leaning down to kiss the nape of her neck as she did so.

“Urgh,” Rarity groaned in response, unable to muster the energy for much else. The more Fluttershy massaged her, the more her body began to feel like so much wobbly jelly. Still, if she had this to look forward to she would be more than happy to climb any mountain purely for the purpose of shouting Fluttershy’s name for all the world to hear. 

“Let’s get the front now, okay?” Fluttershy said as she carefully rolled Rarity onto her back. 

Rarity expected to feel those hooves begin to massage her chest, but she was in for a start instead, as Fluttershy nipped Rarity's ear playfully and whispered into it, her hot breath sending shivers down Rarity's spine despite the warm air of the room. "You were so—" Fluttershy ran a tongue along the outer shell of Rarity's ear—"gallant and dashing today. I've been waiting all morning to reward you, and now I think I will." She giggled breathily, and Rarity's breath quickened as she felt Fluttershy's hooves go from massaging her back to caressing her in little circles. "You know... I could do anything to you right now. Would you like that?"

Rarity squeaked as Fluttershy’s hoof traveled idly down to her outer thigh, before slowly moving inward. Her eyes darted upwards to meet Fluttershy’s own, a knowing smile gracing the latter’s lips. Every fiber of Rarity’s being cried out in the affirmative, and she did her best to convey exactly that with the look she shared with her marefriend.

Fluttershy’s smile grew wider, her eyes smoldering. “Oh, you would? Hmmm, you know, maybe I shouldn’t do anything... You did make me wait this morning.” She put on a pouty face, with just a hint of a smile behind it, as her hoof continuing to trail lazily around without ever actually moving inward towards the source of Rarity’s discomfort at that moment. 

A drop of moisture that Rarity could only hope was sweat hit the table. A thousand things ran through her mind; She thought about all the things she could say, everything from apologies to passionate reassurances that nothing she had done had been intended to tease Fluttershy. The pouty lips came closer as Rarity struggled to make her voice obey her. Apologies were quickly rendered moot as Fluttershy’s lips moved in to claim hers.

At the last possible second, Fluttershy pulled back, causing Rarity to grunt in confusion.

“Do you see how that feels? Having something you want nearby, but you can’t quite reach out and take it? This is how I felt all morning.” Fluttershy darted her head closer once more, only to peck Rarity’s nose. She continued teasing Rarity by getting so terribly close, close enough to feel the warmth of her lips, only to plant a kiss on another part of Rarity’s face. Finally, when Rarity had given up hope, her lips were met with Fluttershy’s at last.

The kiss was passionate, albeit a bit more one-sided than Rarity might have liked. Which was not to say it wasn’t enjoyable, it was simply that she was quite unable to muster up the energy to return the kiss as she wished. This frustrated her at first; it made her feel quite helpless in the hooves of her beloved. 

Another feeling soon replaced that frustration though, as the tip of Fluttershy’s hoof lightly grazed her slightly parted labia, then traced little figure eight patterns around her nipples. Fluttershy really could do anything to her, and while that prospect sent a little tingle of fear down Rarity’s spine, she was actually far more afraid that her marefriend might make good on her threat to do absolutely nothing instead. 

When the kiss was broken at last, Fluttershy looked down into Rarity’s eyes with a hint of amusement. The hoof below continued to toy with her, lightly caressing her inner thigh and then briefly brushing along her increasingly wet outer lips. She gasped with every touch, her eyes pleading for more.

“Oh my, you’re getting all excited, aren’t you? I really really wanted to do this with you earlier, you know.” She paused and darted her head up to Rarity’s neck, running her tongue along it. “I think I might want you to do your hair up in that braid again sometime... Would that be okay?”

Desperate, Rarity managed a tiny, almost imperceptible nod. In truth, Fluttershy could have asked anything of her at that moment and she would have agreed.  A low whine built in her throat as Fluttershy went from teasing to actively stroking along her cleft. It was slow, and deliciously agonizing.

“Thank you. I’d really like that...” She gave Rarity a warm smile, and kissed her hard on the lips. “It wasn’t easy for me, watching you run around in that armor. I think I left a puddle in one of the observation seats.” She pressed her hoof deeper into Rarity’s folds, slightly increasing the pace of her strokes. “It was so mean of you, making me watch you like that. I had to make sure I was downwind from my father; it was so embarrassing!”

Rarity’s face flushed brilliant scarlet as she imagined Fluttershy squirming in her seat, much the same way she herself was squirming right now. Had she known her marefriend was quite this affected, it may indeed have proven difficult to follow through with her plans. Fluttershy did something with her hoof that made further introspection impossible as it caused Rarity’s back to arch back helplessly.

“Oh, your face just now! This is so exciting!” Fluttershy squealed happily as she pressed her hoof even harder into Rarity, repositioning herself over Rarity’s leg and using it to stimulate herself while she did so.

Rarity squealed as her back arched anew, then grimaced as the traitorous thing cramped up on her. Stars! Why now of all times? 

Fluttershy stopped mid-stroke and quickly dismounted, seeing the look on Rarity’s face. “Rarity? Did I do something wrong?” She looked down worriedly, holding her hooves against her face. “Oh, I just knew I was being too aggressive! I’m sorry! I’m such a horrible pony! How can I make it up to you?”

Through supreme force of will combined with a horrible need to reach climax Rarity somehow managed to croak out an answer. “You were f-fine—!” she said as she tried to move a hoof in the direction of the spot causing her pain. “Cramp!”

“Oh!” Fluttershy said, instantly laying hooves on the spot Rarity was trying to reach for. “Oh, I’m so sorry!” she blurted out quickly as she massaged the cramping muscle until it unknotted at last. She knelt down and kissed the spot, smiling hopefully back at Rarity. “All better? Can we start again?”

Rarity nodded quickly. “Please! I need—” Her sentence was cut off by a kiss, followed by a smiling Fluttershy returning her needy gaze.

“I know, me too.” Fluttershy scrambled down Rarity’s torso, wrapping her thighs around Rarity’s knee as that wonderful hoof returned to it’s former task. All further conversation ceased as the only sounds that emerged from their lips were near synchronistic moans of pleasure that steadily rose in pitch and frequency.

There was no real urgency as she had felt that first night. There was nothing to prove to herself or Fluttershy, no worries about being an inadequate lover. There was just the two of them, making love, and it was the most wonderful thing of all. She heard Fluttershy’s breath quicken, felt her thighs gripping her knee tightly as she ground herself into it, smelled the sweat from them both. Every sense seemed heightened as they drew closer and closer to that moment when it would all come crashing down.

It took her quite by surprise when it did happen. Fluttershy stopped moving, clenching her legs together, her mouth open but making no sound. That tipped Rarity right over the edge, and while again it wasn’t quite as intense as that first night, it was incredible nonetheless. Fluttershy collapsed forward, hungrily kissing Rarity, murmuring something which was most likely ‘I love you’ over and over. Rarity smiled around the kisses, wrapping her hooves around Fluttershy. 

This was what she wanted, what she’d ached for all her life. No words holding them apart, no more stolen glances or lonely nights. Fluttershy was hers, and she was Fluttershy’s, and all was right with the world. 

Fluttershy finally managed to drag her head up from Rarity’s chest, her breath heaving. “Did... Did I do good?” she gasped out at last.

Rarity hugged her tighter, kissing her nose. “So very good, love. Though I think another bath is in order.” She tried to extricate herself from Fluttershy’s prone form, only to find her marefriend had become dead weight. “Darling? Are you all right?”

Fluttershy yawned, a large sleepy smile on her face. “I’m fine...”

“I see. Well, would you mind getting up, please?

A quiet snore was her only answer.

Rarity stared up at at the ceiling, wondering if she had the magical energy needed to lift her marefriend off of her. She looked at Fluttershy in fond exasperation, briefly considering rolling her off, before deciding a small nap may not be a bad thing.





“Ward?” Brook asked after a good deal of time had passed in comfortable silence. “What were you talking about with that mare back there?”

Ward turned to his co-worker. “That was Sergeant Posey’s daughter.”

“Posey... Posey...hmmm.” Sergeant Brook’s eyebrows rose several inches. “Wildflower had a foal? When?”

Ward punched him in the shoulder. “She’s in there, and she has a marefriend. Do the math.” He shook his head, smiling in nostalgia. “Never would have believed it if I hadn’t seen it firsthoof. She went up against six of us, and took us all down; definitely her mother’s daughter.”

“Jeez... I remember the sarge filling out her armor a bit more at one point, but I just figured that stallion she married was a good cook.” Brook shook his head in astonishment. “I was stationed up north at the time, she’d been sent out on a scouting mission with her flight. She brought 'em back one by one. I think I told you about it, some kinda mess with the borders being badly defined and the local gryphon flight thought she was invading.”

“Hah, yeah. I was still in school when that happened. Papers said it took the princess a good few weeks to calm the gryphons down. 

“Don’t blame ‘em, she did a number on that whole flight. And she was pregnant at the time? How does her husband keep up?”

“Keep up, Twilight!” Both guards snapped back into proper guard positions as the pink dervish that had been terrorizing the castle all day rounded the corner. When she spotted the guards, Pinkie waved, a huge smile adorning her face. She ran on, giggling madly.

The aforementioned Twilight Sparkle was hot on her heels, showing clear signs of exertion. “Pinkie, we need to get ready!” She charged down the hall after her wayward marefriend.

They watched Twilight race by, remaining perfectly motionless. When the commotion had ceased, Brook let out a long-held breath. “Okay, that settles it. This makes five I’ve seen in person, and they’re all uniformly insane. The pink one more than the rest.”

“Five? I thought there were six Elements? Also, I only counted four mares just now.”

“I met the rainbow-maned one in Ponyville a few years back. She kept making faces at me. It was all I could do to not burst out laughing. Five out of six. I wonder if the farmer is crazy too...”





Ah must be out of my goldurned mind lettin’ her even try this, Applejack thought as she watched Rainbow flit back and forth trying to herd two dozen cats into some semblance of order. The animals were growing increasingly restless the longer their caretaker was gone, presenting an ever bigger problem for her marefriend. Even Applejack herself was starting to have trouble keeping all the critters happy.

“Dash, just quit it. You ain’t gonna get ‘em to mind you like that. Them critters can’t be reasoned with anyway. ‘S why Ah like dogs.” She whistled and took a step away from the filled food bowls, promptly making all the cats crowd around her. “Cats’ll only listen to ya if you’ve got food.”

“It’s not my fault that they don’t listen,” Dash groused. She glared at the cats crowding around the food bowls. “I’m giving up naptime for this. The least they could do is behave like they do around ‘Shy.”

Applejack barked a short, mirthless laugh. “Why would they? You don’t know ‘em like she does. Yer trying to get 'em to fall into line, she just asks 'em all polite like.” She stopped, seeing no comprehension in her marefriend’s eyes. “Dashie, Ah know yer tryin’, but you just don’t have the knack for this. Yer just not the nurturing type.”

Dash snorted. “I so am! Just lemme at something, I’ll nurture the stuffing out of it.” She spread her wings and looped around the inside of the cottage, coming to a halt inches from Applejack’s face. “What’s nurture anyhow?”

“...Just go take a nap, Dash. Ah got this.”

“Nah, I’m already late for weather duty.” Dash darted forward and placed a kiss on the bridge of Applejack’s muzzle before flying over to the door. “Catch you tonight, AJ.”

Applejack watched her marefriend fly off, her thoughts drifting back to her family. Caring for animals had nothing on caring for a young filly. Though, back then she had Macintosh and Granny to help her. Two caring ponies she had come to rely on. She wasn’t sure Dash would ever be able to do the same.

She sighed and shook her head. That’s gonna have to wait till later, there’s work to be done. She grabbed one more bag of food from the pantry to give to the squirrels who had been the most annoying creatures and therefore got their food last. After their bowls were filled she nodded to Harry and set off towards Sweet Apple Acres.





“Grannie?” Applejack called as she entered the house. “Mac? ‘Bloom?”

“Keep yer voice down, Jackie. Some of us are tryin’ ta rest,” Grannie said testily from her rocking chair.

“Ah’m sorry, Grannie. Jes getting back from ‘Shy’s place and checking in,” Applejack said sheepishly.

Grannie Smith peered at her. “It’s about danged time. Mac’s found Wither Root in the eastern fields, and he’s gonna need all the help he can get weedin’ it out.”

Applejack’s ears clamped to the top of her head in distress. “Ah’m on it!” she said briefly before ducking back out the door. She hadn’t stopped to ask which part of the eastern fields, but a quick stop to the hilltop would give her the vantage she needed to spot him. Cresting the treeline, she did find her brother, but she also wondered at the skyline, which looked completely bare of clouds.

Didn’t Rainbow say that she had work to do? Sky’s looking clear as ever. She looked around if she saw her marefriend anywhere, grumbled a little under her breath as she set off to the easternmost field. Once she dipped under the treeline she spotted something that had eluded her from up above: A rainbow coloured tail, hanging from the branches of one of the nearby trees.

Lazy good for nothin’... “Dash!” She reared up and shook the tree, trying to roust her snoozing marefriend.

The response was classic. Rainbow snored loudly, her tail swaying back and forth in metronome with the motion of the tree. Completely oblivious to her marefriend’s attempts at waking her up. 

“Dangit, Dash!”

Applejack stood back from the trunk, eyeing Dash’s relative position to her, and bucked hard. 

“Wh-a-oaa!” Rainbow came falling out of the branches, landing flat on the ground. She stood up shakily, looking askance at Applejack for the sudden jarring wake up call. “Ouch... um, what’s up, AJ?”

“Sure ain’t you, that’s for sure. Ah thought you had work?”

“I did! It’s done. We already had all the rainfall we needed for the last week so I only had to clear the skies today.”

Applejack’s ears twitched, somewhat mollified to hear Dash wasn’t shirking work. “Uh-uh, so you thought you’d take a nap instead of coming back to me?”

“Well, yeah. You asked me to, remember?”

“And Ah wouldn’t have said that if’n Ah’d known that you’d only be gone for ten seconds!” Applejack replied, glaring at her marefriend. “But seein’ as yer not working, Ah need your help. C’mon.”

“Can it wait?” Dash asked, looking up at the branch she’d be sleeping in. “I was having a nice dream.”

“No, it can’t,” Applejack said as she began moving again. “We got us a bad case of Wither Root over in the Gravensteins to the east.”

Rainbow took to the air, following Applejack closely as she tried to wipe the sleep crusts out of her eyes. “Um... so you have weeds in your gravestones?” 

Applejack let out a sigh and increased her pace. “No, Dash. The apple trees are gettin’ sick. We gotta kill them weeds quick before they spread.”

Mac was already hard at work, ripping out the root of the infecting plant on each tree and tossing it into a burning barrel.

“Mac. How’s it goin’?”

“Not good,” came the taciturn reply. 

“How can we help?”

Mac gestured to the nearest tree, “Start there.”

“I’m on it!” Dash yelled, zooming towards the tree and tearing into the ground like she’d been born a mole. 

“Uh... Dash?”

Rainbow Dash had already dug a pony sized hole in the ground before poking her head out to see Applejack giving her an exasperated look. “Yer only supposed to dig up the Wither Root, sugarcube.”

“Uhm... okay? So what should I be digging up then?”

Applejack pointed to the bright blue leaves attached to vines creeping up the base of the tree. “Tear 'em out of the ground at the base, and toss 'em in the fire. We can’t leave any of 'em or they’ll spread quicker than Fluttershy’s bunnies in matin’ season.”

Dash nodded, with a look filled with determination. “Gotcha.” She then continued digging until she found one of the deeper lying roots and tore a good section of it out of the ground when she took off, the root firmly held between her teeth.

“That’s the way, but not so quick. We want the whole root, not a trace left.”

Dash nodded in understanding, tearing into the next infestation with vigor and slowly pulling it out of the ground.





They went at it for a good couple of hours, working in silence while decimating the sickly looking blue vine wherever they found it. Mac was the first one to take a short break, leaning against a tree.

Dash looked around for more vines, but did not find any in the immediate vicinity. She looked around for Applejack, spotting her tearing out another section of vines. “Hey, is that all of em?”

“Nope!” Big Mac replied, gesturing south, where Dash could now see tree after tree with the blue vines growing up the bases.

Dash groaned. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. We’re gonna be at this forever!”

“Nah, couple days maybe. s’gonna take some doing though.” Applejack responded, grinning. “Ah’m real sorry Ah was cross with ya, earlier, sug. Just had some things on my mind lately.”

“No sweat, AJ.” Dash ripped another vine from the ground and coughed when one of the blue leaves broke off and got lodged in her throat. “Just tell me how much of my nap time I’m gonna lose for this?” 

Apple took off her hat, wiping the sweat from her brow. “Hate to say it, sug, but I don’t think we’ll have much time for naps for a while. We might even have to hire some help for a bit.” She called to Big Mac, who was still busily tearing the Wither Root from the ground. “Mac, ya think the rainy day fund can cover a little help, here?”

Mac paused in his work, thinking about the request. “Eeyup,” he replied at last.

“Alright then, Ah’m gonna head in town and see about getting a couple farmhands. Mac, be sure to grab some lunch, you’ve been at this longer.”

“So, can I take a nap now?” Rainbow asked testily. Her enthusiasm had been flagging for some time when it became apparent there was no clear end to the infestation.

Applejack felt a flash of irritation, picturing that same question when it was time to feed their foal, or bathe it, or any of the other time consuming tasks that came with raising a little one. “No!” Her voice softened as Rainbow’s ears laid back. “Dangit! Look... Ah know you’re tired, but these trees is like family, and when the chips are down you don’t take a nap when family needs you. Do you understand, sug?”

"Alright, alright. I got it," Dash groused, listlessly pulling another small vine from the trunk of a nearby tree.

“Thank you, sug. Ah... it means a lot that you’re here, helping out. Ah... love you.” Applejack said as she closed the distance between then, nuzzling Rainbow.

Dash’s eyes went wide, and she hissed softly. “Not in front of your family, AJ! You said yourself—”

Big Mac cleared his throat loudly. “Miss Dash, me an Grannie figured you two out weeks ago.”

“What?” Rainbow said, her voice very small and quiet.

“Eeyup. ‘S’long as AJ’s happy, we got no problem.”

“Oh...” Rainbow replied, blushing slightly. She turned back to Applejack and kissed her on the cheek. “love-you-too,” she blurted out in one breath.

Applejack smiled happily, nuzzling Rainbow again. “Ah know, sugar.” Nodding to Mac, she mouthed a silent ‘thank you’ to him, which brought a small smile to his lips. “You two keep at it, Ah’m gonna rustle up some help in town.”