> Horn Care
>  by Cytotoxin
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Horn Care
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

		Horn care.

Finally. It was done. Over. Completed to perfection. Rarity trotted back slightly, admiring the last out of seventeen dresses she had to finish by Tuesday. Big commission - many bits. And Rarity loved when she could fulfill her obligations to the tee. The feeling of accomplishment was nothing short of euphoric. Three days early, too! It was only Friday. Now she could devote the weekend to her friends and family and recreation and creativity... She took another step back to admire dresses better. And just in time, Fluttershy would be here any minute now, and they could both go to spa... She took another step back.

That step was definitely one step too much, she decided as she felt something bumping into her hind leg. Unable to stop momentum, Rarity shrieked, her hindlegs buckling as she firmly planted her plot on the ironing board. Which promptly tipped over, and slipped from under her, leaving fashion mare to flop ungraciously on her rump. Board clattered on the floor next to her. "OW!" - she opined firmly on the mishap. But it was not over yet - Rarity`s scissors were on the other end of the board, and as she flipped it over, scissors flew into the air. Rarity had no idea they did, but she most definitely became aware as they fell down on her head.

...Scchuk. At first, she didn`t feel any pain, only the sharp blow to the head, just at the base of the horn. Her front legs buckled as well, instinctively, as she grasped her head, falling flat on the floor. For a few moments, she did not move. But then... she felt something warm and liquid drip over her eyelash. Drip. Drip. Tapping her snout with hoof carefully, Rarity dabbed some of the liquid, and brought it to her eye. Red. Coppery. BLOOD. Blood?

And with that realisation, she felt the pain. Sharp throbbing pain. Bad enough to make her cry out in distress and shock. Forcing herself to keep it together, Rarity mulled things over. She was bleeding. Something struck her on the head, and she was bleeding. She was also in pain. Trying to move as gingerly as possible she turned her head just enough to look on herself in the mirror. What she saw there, however, horrified her beyond any reason. Scissors fell on her head blades-first, and were still there, one of the points lodged firmly in the base of her horn. A trickle of blood run down over her left eye, and she could plainly see the angry sparkle of magic around the gash on the horn. This was a biggie.

She screamed out again, partly in surprise, and partly in pain, not sure if anypony could hear her. Apparently, somepony could. She heard frantic knocking on the door, and quiet distressed voice from outside - "Rarity? Rarity, it`s me, Fluttershy! Are you OK there?" She willed herself to respond - "...No, no, I`m NOT OK! Fluttershy, help!" Hearing her own voice spooked Rarity even more - she was not even aware her voice could sound so rasp with distress. Fortunately, Fluttershy understood. Yellow pegasus floated in through the skylight.

"Rarity, Rarity... OHMYWHATHAPPENED?!" - she exclaimed, her hooves over her mouth as she saw the unicorn clutching her head. Fluttershy could see the scissors sticking in Rarity`s head clearly, and that sight filled her with horror. "Help me!" - asked unicorn, her eyes now tightly shut. Still hoof over mouth, Fluttershy dashed off to the corner where Rarity kept bolts of cloth. She had some experience treating her animals for one injury or another and, although scared stiff, still knew what to do. She knew Rarity had gauze among her selection of fabrics, and having had quickly located it, she urgently ripped off a large sheet. Folding it, she floated back to Rarity.

"Rarity, I need to wrap your head up!" - she implored urgently, hovering over the prone unicorn. "Are you sure? Are you going to pull the scissors out?" - Rarity was panicking now, - "I`m scared!" That scared Fluttershy even more, because she knew the answer - "Sorry, I can`t... Rarity, please, put your hooves down.... if it`s not too much trouble... please." Unicorn knew she had to, but she still was scared her head would split right now if she took hooves off it. With great effort of willpower and whimper, she slipped her forelegs low enough so Fluttershy could at least drape the gauze over her wounded head. Pain kept getting worse.

Still, two minutes later, she was standing. Very wobbly, and very unsure, but she was standing, as Fluttershy, who was now crying along with Rarity, finished wrapping the makeshift bandage on her head. Pegasus tried her best not to touch the scissors, but still the whole ordeal was nothing either of them would ever want to endure again. Worst yet was still ahead, as Fluttershy started leading Rarity out, keeping her upright and guiding her. Thankfully, clinic was practically next door. Still, even though Rarity walked out of her boutique on her own, into the clinic, she was half-led, half-carried by Fluttershy.

Nurse saw them right at the door, and a pony with scissors stuck in her head was most definitely an urgent case. Immediately, Rarity was helped onto the gurney and wheeled away into trauma section. And not a minute too soon as she was blacking out from shock already. Fluttershy followed the gurney with her eyes, panting heavily. "I...is she going to be OK?" - she whispered a question to nurse Redheart. "We`ll do our best to make sure she is." - offered nurse, as she quickly trotted into the clinic`s depths. Fluttershy heaved a sigh and fainted quietly, quite overwhelmed with the traumatic events of today.

She woke up a while later. Somepony had moved her onto the visitors futon and placed a wet towel over her head. Fluttershy lifted it gingerly and shook her head, clearing the cobwebs. "Oh, you`re awake already." - apparently, nurse was already back - "We were worried you`re also injured." Fluttershy stood up cautiously and trotted over to the nurse to return the towel - "No, no, I`m... um, OK. Just, just... is Rarity OK?" Redheart smiled at her - "Yes, your friend is alright. It looked much worse then it really was. In fact, you can go see her now. She`s in the room over there." Yellow pegasus turned around, and smiled faintly, following the direction nurse`s hoof was pointing at - "Yes um... thank you!"

No matter what the medical opinion said, Rarity was quite far from alright. In fact, she felt abject misery about the whole ordeal. Her head had to be stitched up. Her horn was seriously damaged. She was still in pain. At least, doctors were kind enough to return her her scissors, after pulling them out of her head. For that, Rarity was grateful - professional-grade scissors were hard to come by in rural Ponyville. But then again, scissors being what they are had caused the whole trouble to begin with - while common iron tool would`ve just bounced off her horn, weight and keen edge of phosphor bronze made the impact of scissors so damaging.

"Waah. This is the... Worst. Thing. Ever." - she breathed out softly. Truth to tell, Rarity would have had loved to have herself a little fit about the whole ordeal, but after all was stitched and done, her bandaged head reacted very negatively to any movement. What worried her the most is that she could feel the dull throb of magic. She already injured her horn once, when she was but a filly, and the memory of the accident was incredibly unpleasant. And back then, she merely cracked the tip. Now, she had a deep gash running from the middle to the base and likely into her skull itself. Which was WORST THING EVER she could imagine. Until that crack healed, she`d be unable to use magic. Well, unable to use it effectively, in any case. She supposed that she could cause a whole gamut of unpredictably wacky hijinks if she tried to cast any spell, but... she was not in mood for wacky hijinks.

Rarity`s mood, however, was significantly warmed up as she heard the door opening. She even attempted to smile, as she motioned shyly peeking Fluttershy into the room. "Come on in, come on in. My savior." - she exclaimed, - "I`m so grateful you were there, darling. I`d simply die if you weren`t there to help me." Now, that was most likely an exaggeration... But then again, maybe not. Without the use of her horn, and half-blind from pain and blood, Rarity would`ve definitely had hard time dealing with her injury without Fluttershy. In any case, she felt particularly thankful to Fluttershy at the moment.

Blushing, yellow mare turned her face away, mane concealing it as she mumbled - "...you`re welcome..." Rarity mentally clicked her tongue, and shook her head. Gingerly, she stretched her leg and tapped Fluttershy`s side with hoof - "Don`t be so shy, darling. You`re a hero. My hero!" That, unfortunately, only served to intensify Fluttershy`s blush. Luckily for her, nurse came in, saving her from further nice but oh so embarrassing thanks unicorn was so full of. "How do you feel, miss Rarity? Is your head still sore?" - Redheart questioned.

Tapping her cheek with hoof gingerly, Rarity paused for a second. - "Well... I`d say that most of pain is gone, yes. And I think I`m feeling generally fine... Except for the horn." Nurse came closer, examining the visible part of horn intently - "Yes, about that. We`ve just got the X-rays of your horn, miss Rarity. I have good news and bad news for you. What would you like to hear first?" White mare heaved a sigh, and again poked Fluttershy`s side encouragingly - "Let`s hear the bad news first." Redheart nodded, and held the sheet to the light. Rarity shuddered, as she saw a black spot across the lower half of her horn. "You`ve got a split horn here, miss Rarity. Most likely, you`ll be deprived of all but the most basic of magic for a while. Before you ask - no, I don`t have a good figure for exactly how long while is. Could be a week, could be a month. That`s the best estimation we can offer." - she explained.

Fluttershy gasped softly and looked on her friend with pity. Rarity, however, took the news in stride - she had already suspected that much. "Well, I guess it`s as good a reason as any to take a vacation." - she remarked wryly - "What about the good news?" Nurse smiled - "Although it came very close, you didn`t damage horn marrow, miss Rarity. Meaning that you won`t experience any permanent loss of magic ability, and that you could probably speed up the horn restoration process with Calcium Equum. Don`t forget to pick up a tin of it when you`ll be leaving." That did improve Rarity`s mood quite a bit. Still, she had to inquire - "Calcium Equum? Isn`t that a foal medicine?"

"Not quite, miss Rarity. Normally, yes, Calcium Equum is used as food additive for foals. However, it`s also used by grown-ups as a salve to treat chipped hooves and cracked horns." - explained Redheart. Fluttershy peeked from behind her mane, adding softly - "It`s... not that bad, Rarity." Unicorn, however, was not quite sold on the idea yet - "Wait, salve? So, I have to, uh, rub it into my horn?" Smirking slightly, nurse nodded - "Well... yes. I can see how that can be uncomfortable, but - if you want your horn to heal up quick, you`ll have to get used to it." Throwing her hooves up, Rarity exclaimed - "This is. Worst. Thing. Ever." As soon as she did, though, she shrunk back, whimpering and holding her head. "Ah-ah-ah, no sudden moves, miss Rarity. Try and avoid disturbing your head too much."  - nurse admonished, - "You`ll feel much better tomorrow after a good night sleep."

"Good night sleep? Surely, you jest. I couldn`t imagine I`d have any today." - Rarity replied sourly. Nurse cocked her head to the side, looking quizzically at Rarity - "Why, what`s the matter? Are you in pain? Or something`s bothering you?" Unicorn opened her mouth.... and closed it with a sigh. "All and nothing." - she replied after a brief pause, - "Not to disparage your fine clinic, but... I have problems sleeping at unusual places. Especially, after such a quandary." Medical mare merely chuckled, however - "Oh, is that all? Don`t worry about that. You don`t actually need to stay in clinic for the night, if you don`t want to. Given you live nearby, I don`t see any problem with letting you go home now. You`ll just have to come every other day for checkup until bandages come off."

Again, Rarity perked up - "Oh, really? Are you sure I can?" Nurse shrugged slightly and looked on still covering Fluttershy - "Well, if you were alone, I`d advise you to spend the night here. With miss Fluttershy taking care of you, however, I`m quite assured there`s no problem." Fluttershy shrunk even further with soft eep. She`s been smiling, however, and Rarity couldn`t help but smile back - "Splendid. Will you please help me then, Fluttershy?" "..Um yes, of course." - came soft reply.

___

She supposed she should be thankful for not being injured far worse, or, shudder, losing an eye. Still, the whole situation made her feel quite raw with emotion. Tuesday came without a hitch, and she had just seen off Hoity Toity and his cadre of fashion drones. She`d love to say it went smoothly, but... Well, it had gone smoothly from business point of view, Rarity supposed. Hoity Toity was quite appreciative of the complete set, and parted with the sum of bits Rarity deemed adequate without fuss. However, she couldn`t help but wonder just how much her success with this venture hinged on the fact her head was still quite obviously bandaged and that she wore a mismatched hat for the sole purpose of concealing her injuries. No doubt Hoity Toity noticed. She briefly wondered if that would impact any further business with modeller.

Weekend was mostly spent in bed, nursing her aching head and wallowing in self-pity. That actually let her do so much wallowing that by Monday she was sick of it and raring to do some work. Unfortunately, without magic, she had very hard time with dresses. So after spoiling a couple yards of perfectly good satin, she gave up and focused her attention on house chores. Which, she had quite a lack of, as she noticed with alarm. Boredom had prompted her to attempt to bond with Sweetie Belle by the time evening rolled about - which went all fine and well for about an hour, at which point Rarity`s boredom-fueled hyperactivity had worn Sweetie Belle out to the point where she had to be put to bed, lest she collapse right there and then.

Arranging her business had occupied Rarity for the best part of Tuesday, for which she was immensely grateful.  But that could not last all day. Thankfully, and regretfully, this was also the day when the bandages were to come off. So there she was, sitting on her haunches on the clinic floor, afraid to twitch errantly as Redheart unwrapped the gauze wrapped around her head for the last time. Small gash left by scissors was healing over quite nicely, and today was the time to remove two silk loops that stitched Rarity`s head. Unicorn had quite a bundle of mixed feelings about this. From one side, she was relieved the stitches were to go, from other, she`s been afraid of how it would feel to remove them. So when Redheart`s hooves touched her bare head, Rarity couldn`t help herself but twitch.

"Oh, my, I think my azaleas are drooping." - nurse exclaimed suddenly, her gaze directed toward window. Surprised, Rarity looked there as well, staring at potted azalea flower in slight irritation. Here she was, practically getting brain surgery and that nurse cared more about her house flooooooooowe... ow. What the? Rarity`s hooves flew to her head instinctively, stopping half-way when she realised she`s been duped. Azaleas were not drooping, but nurse had deftly cut and pulled out silk thread out of her head while Rarity was so distracted. And it didn`t even hurt all that much. Rarity had pricked herself worse with sewing needles. Redheart turned, her hooves holding tweez between them, and carefully deposited thread on the platter. Rarity was intrigued and disgusted in the same moment - this thread was just threaded through her, like she was a dress in need of mending. That thread... was also very disgusting to her eyes, caked in blood and even less pleasant fluids that tend to accompany just about any wound.

Fashion pony shuddered and looked away. "...Thank you, nurse Redheart." - she muttered softly, now fully cognisant of the necessity of distraction. Surely, if she were aware of such a vile thing being pulled out of her, she`d be reacting much less favorably to it. She`s been thankful, however, that seeing such unpleasantness had firmly put her mind off the feeling of uninvited pleasure of Redheart`s hooves running over her horn. Nurse pony was likely very well aware about the intricacies of unicorn horns, so her examination had been reminiscent of her destitching - very quick and very to the point. "You`re quite welcome, miss Rarity. Now, remember - let your scalp breathe freely, lest you want to develop some skin condition, and do not put on Calcium Equum until the evening."

Nodding thoughtfully, Rarity ventured - "Will I, Celestia forbid, get a bald spot?" She winced when nurse gingerly poked her head with hooftip and announced - "Not likely, if you stick with my recommendations. Try and avoid wearing hat for the first few days, however. Just in case. And remember, only put on Calcium Equum before bed. If you put it on in the morning, it will cake up in the sun and that would make it useless." Unicorn nodded, committing it to her memory. She`d have to be very careful - having an open scar on the head would be just ever so unseemly.

___

"AAArgh, this isn`t working!" - Rarity was frustrated. She simply could not handle the salve properly. Even standing right in front of mirror, she just couldn`t direct her hooves to horn properly - salve would always end up on her snout, mane, neck, head, but never where she wanted it to go. Letting out a long irritated sigh, she trotted off to the bathroom to clean up a bit. Suddenly she was very grateful she had put Sweetie Belle to the bed already, as her looks at the moment had been nothing short of indecent. Drying her mane with towel, she suddenly heard the front door creak. A visitor. Grand. And that`s after her quite public announcement on Monday that she`s taking a sick leave. And a very noticeable sign "Closed" on the doors of boutique. BUCK IT!

She stomped out, towel draped over her head, meaning to give whoever came in so late a piece of her mind. However... as soon as Rarity saw her late visitor, her irritation evaporated like snow under the hairdryer. It was just Fluttershy. "Hello there, darling. What brings you around so late?" - she inquired. Usually, Fluttershy tended to visit her in the business hours, so this evening visit perturbed Rarity slightly. The fact pegasus looked slightly out of breath didn`t improve the situation either.

"Huffle... Um, hey, Rarity... I, I just wanted to... congratulate you about... um, bandages coming off..." - yellow mare offered, cowering a little behind her wings. Aforementioned Rarity found that absolutely adorable. "Ahh, thank you, Fluttershy. Why, yes, I`m quite fine, thank you for your concern. But, what happened to you? You look like you ran here." - she offered, smiling at pegasus. Fluttershy peered at her, smiling slightly - "Oh my.. I... I was running late because I forgot to get appleseeds for birds and had to run to Sweet Apple Acres to get more. Puffle... S.sorry for being late."

Rarity shook her head decisively, and attempted to reach out with magic to close the door after Fluttershy, habitually. "Well, do come on in, darl....AAAIE!" - apparently, magic was not quite under control yet, as both of them had to duck from the couch that`s been flung at the door. White mare clutched her eyes and stiffened, preparing to hear the loud crash, but... it was pretty quiet. Daring to look at the mayhem she may have caused, she had to gawk. Errant magic had picked her couch and placed it directly after the door, securely barricading it. Not a thing was ruffled otherwise - neither on couch, nor anywhere in the room.

"Aah, this is the WORST. THING. EVER!" - exclaimed Rarity, flopping on the cough, and putting her hooves over her eyes - "I`m soooo pathetic..." Fluttershy pattered closer, murmuring - "It`s not so bad, Rarity. It`s not like you, um... broke the door or something..." Unicorn merely sighed, hugging herself, and offered resolutely - "I need to get well as soon as possible!" She sat up, feeling decisive, and then slumped down as the realisation dawned on her - "..If only I could put the salve on properly."

"...Well, um, I can put it on for you... um, that is, if you want me to." - offered Fluttershy softly, peering at Rarity with concern. "Darling, I couldn`t possibly impose on you like that." - returned unicorn, though it was obvious the rebuff lacked in conviction. Pegasus caught on the uncertainty quite fine, - "..It`s no trouble at all, Rarity, really... I`ll help." Rarity felt conflicted. From one point, she`s been well aware just how sensitive her horn would be, from other, she knew that putting the salve on resulted only in spiteful mess all over her head and hooves. Finally, making a rationalisation that Fluttershy of all the ponies would be the best choice to ask that, she nodded - "Well, alright. If that`s not too much trouble, dear."

Rarity slipped off the couch, and sat on her haunches, leaning her head forward so Fluttershy could reach her horn easily. Whom, in the meanwhile, had retrieved the tin of salve from the shelf, and stood over unicorn. Rarity couldn`t help but feel a little indisposed as Fluttershy brought her hoof down on the base of Rarity`s horn, gently smearing the medicine over it. It felt... unusually nice. Rarity had to summon all her restraint to sit still - she was torn between the subtle pleasure of touch and urgent desire to get the embarrassing procedure over with as soon as possible. Fluttershy, however, was very thorough and careful in her ministrations, and although that made Rarity grateful, it also drove her into slow burn, teeth clenched, sweatdripping tension.

Finally it was over. Rarity didn`t dare to look up for a few more seconds, her breathing short as she tried to cool down from the experience. Fluttershy, on her own part, misinterpreted Rarity`s reaction as suppressed pain, and was feeling quite apologetic. "Um, I`m sorry, Rarity. I didn`t mean to hurt you, really." - she offered quietly, covering again. Rarity finally gathered enough of resolve to look up, however, enough to form a reply - "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. No, my dear, you most certainly didn`t hurt me. It just... just feels really weird. Oh dear, you`re going to get the salve all over your face. Why don`t you go wash that nasty gunk off?"

Nodding timidly, yellow pegasus disappeared in the bathroom. Rarity watched her retreat, then peered on herself in the mirror. Her horn was smeared from top to bottom in yellowish salve. Most unseemly, she decreed, just like her reaction. 'Seriously, Rarity, get a grip. You don`t want to... commit that kind of indiscretion right in your best friend`s face, now do you?' - she thought sarcastically, and turned away from mirror resolutely. Good thing she put some safety covers on her pillows.

___

Wednesday evening. Although she expected that knock on the door, it still jarred her senses. Sighing, white unicorn stepped up to the door, and pushed it open. "Come on in, Fluttershy. Good timing, I just got everything." - she offered somewhat curtly, stepping back to make way for shy pegasus. Yesterday, after a bit of conversation and reassurances, Rarity had secured a promise from Fluttershy to come over every evening to help her salve the horn, and it seems that yellow mare came to deliver on promise. Rarity still felt quite miffed about not being able to do it herself, but.. Since she couldn`t, she had to make piece with the fact Fluttershy is probably the best kind of pony to entrust with the care of something so sensitive. If anypony wouldn`t hurt her, that would most definitely be Fluttershy.

She sat on her haunches again, and concentrated on ignoring the feelings as much as she could. As a precaution, Rarity had taken a bit of cold shower just prior to arranged time, but she doubted it would help her much in the situation. She`ll just have to sit back and think of Equestria. Fluttershy approached slowly and dipped her hooves into tin, running the first smear over Rarity`s horn. Salve definitely helped, unicorn had to admit, as today the feeling of magic pulsing through her was much less haphazard. With any luck, she wouldn`t have to endure more then a few more days of salving. That thought, although rationally pleasing, was tinged with a hint of inexplicable regret.

Fluttershy leaned closer, peering intently on Rarity`s horn. She`s been doing her best to avoid getting the salve all over Rarity`s mane, mindful of unicorn`s love of good looks. Horntip was practically at her nose, and every now and then Rarity would twitch, poking Fluttershy`s nose with rounded tip. Pegasus didn`t really mind. She was quite worried about Rarity`s twitching - it looked like no matter what she did, it disturbed Rarity a lot. Could it be her horn was damaged more then she wanted to admit? Lost in thought, Fluttershy`s hooves kept running up and down the horn, smearing the salve into the spiral surface. She could feel the edges of crack, and the throb of magic from within Rarity - faint but everpresent. Suddenly, that throb became much more noticeable, Rarity gasped, and the tip of Rarity`s horn suddenly flashed, sparks shooting right into Fluttershy`s nose. She yelped and fell back, grasping her nose with both hooves.

After a second of silence, Fluttershy removed her hooves gingerly. Despite the surprise, she was not hurt at all - in fact, sparks had left her nose tingling, and that felt unusually good. Probably, just a bit of good old magic, she thought as she looked up on Rarity. Rarity, on the flip side, was quite distressed with the whole thing - she had just magicked her best friend in the nose. Awkward much? "Oh, dear, I`m so sorry, Fluttershy." - she offered humbly, looking down in shame. Yellow mare suddenly giggled softly, as she rolled over and stood up. "Oh dear... So surprising." - she muttered, - "I`m not hurt, Rarity, really, it`s OK."

Some minutes later, Fluttershy departed, amidst the apologies still issued forth by Rarity. She wanted to just wave off the issue, but... As Fluttershy trudged away from boutique, she thought about Rarity`s actions. White mare was always a bit high-strung and overdramatic, but she seemed to be excessively embarrassed for the last few days, especially when Fluttershy was putting salve on her horn. Come to think of it, both times Rarity was blushing and panting and sweating, and being generally unsettled. Probably, something about horn-salving unsettled her greatly. But what?

Having made up her mind, Fluttershy turned and started moving in different direction. She needed to visit Twilight Sparkle and ask her about proper horn care for unicorns. Twilight would be sure to know, and maybe there`d even be a book in the library on the topic. Yellow mare almost felt like bucking herself for not reading up on it sooner. It was so obvious in retrospect - to find out about the exact bodypart before trying to play doctor with it.

Fifteen minutes later, she was there, knocking on the doors of Twilight`s library. Shortly after, Spike opened the door and invited her inside - "Hello, Fluttershy. Fancy seeing you here in the evening. Did something happen?" Fluttershy shook her head slowly - "Hi, Spike. No, no, nothing happened, I just want to talk to Twilight Sparkle. Is she in?" Spike thumbed in the direction of ladder - "Go right ahead, I`m sure she already heard you." Indeed, Twilight did, as she had just appeared on the top of the stairs - "Hello there. Come on upstairs, Fluttershy."

Pegasus waited until they were safely sequestered in Twilight`s room, before venturing softly - "Um...Twilight? Could you please tell me about unicorn horns?... If you don`t mind, that is..." Purple unicorn blinked and stared on Fluttershy for a second - "Well, I certainly can, but... why do you want to know?" Fluttershy looked down and let out a little sigh - "Um... It`s for Rarity, you see. I`m helping her with her medicine, and she is terribly unsettled each time I put the salve on her horn. So I wanted to know, maybe I`m doing something wrong?" Twilight`s face lit up in understanding - "Oh, that explains it. How`s Rarity, anyways? I`ve visited her on Sunday, and oh dear, how upset she was about that whole accident."

Yellow pegasus nodded and looked up again - "Oh, Rarity is getting better. Do you know bandages came off yesterday?" Librarian smiled and nodded enthusiastically - "Oh, that`s good news, indeed. I was worried. Alright, so what can I tell you about horns?" Fluttershy pondered for a moment - "Well, Rarity`s acting really, really, really tense when I put salve on it." "Salve? Can you explain that a bit more? Why would you need to put a salve on for Rarity?" - asked Twilight curiously. Fluttershy paused for a second, getting answer together, then offered - "You see, her horn was split in that accident. She has a crack in it now, and can`t use magic properly. Nurse told her to salve it with Calcium Equum, but Rarity can`t put it on without big mess, while her magic does not work well. So, um, I offered to help her."

Twilight nodded slowly, as she processed the information. She offered pensively - "Well, then it`s to be expected. You see, unicorn horn is pretty sensitive. Normally, whenever unicorn casts a spell, a series of magic-induced vibrations travel over the length of the horn. That`s both a way and a byproduct of resonance amplification of the spell when we consciously cast it. Now, when you rub the horn like you described, Rarity would feel like she`s about to cast the spell, but she is not casting anything. That tends to make unicorns tense." Fluttershy covered a little, asking her next question - "But... does it hurt?" Purple unicorn paused as she thought about it - "Hm... Not that I know of, no. In fact, books and my personal experience tend to suggest it`s rather pleasurable feeling. Though, mom always said it`s impolite to rub your horn... So I guess that`s what Rarity is upset about."

"Impolite? Oh my... Well, I don`t mind, seeing as it helps Rarity and all..." - muttered shy mare, peering on Twilight from under her mane - "Uh, but, I wanted to ask you something else too. I was um, salving Rarity`s horn, and it, um... shot sparks right in my nose. Is that dangerous?" Twilight blinked and rocked back and forth on her hooves as she mulled the answer over. Finally, she gathered her thoughts together - "Sparks, huh. Well, that is called induced discharge. When unicorn attempts to discharge magic without casting any specific spell, it becomes a spray of sparks shooting from the tip of horn. Often happens involuntarily if horn is being rubbed. It`s usually entirely harmless."

"Um... usually?" - ventured Fluttershy, determined to cover all bases. Twilight paused again, then shrugged dismissively - "Well, ostensibly, sparks are dependant on unicorn`s feelings. So, I suppose, if somepony were to get caught in a discharge of magic from unicorn who hates them, they`d be hurt, yes. But, you know, I don`t think you`ll ever face that kind of danger from Rarity. She adores you." Blushing profusely, Fluttershy meeped. That was true. She could not imagine Rarity hating her, ever. Nor she could imagine hating Rarity for any reason. "Well, um, thank you, Twilight. That really helps." - she offered, trotting to the door slowly. Twilight nodded, already lost in a thought - "Sure, no problem. Glad to help out."

___

Thursday was stormy. Cyclone from the far north had brought an abundance of rainclouds in - so much it was deemed unfeasible to remove them from Ponyville sky. Besides, crops could use a good downpour. Therefore, a storm was scheduled for the whole afternoon and evening, stretching far into the night, so Ponyville could be treated to a particularly fresh Friday morning. Rarity sighed as she watched the rain fall down, gusts of wind bunching separate drops into huge sheets of falling water. Little by little, she started regaining control of her magic, and she almost managed to levitate a tin of salve today. Just a few more days, and she wouldn`t need to embarrass herself in front of Fluttershy so.

At least today she`d be given a respite from that embarrassment. She had no doubt that Fluttershy would not brave the rain just to put salve on her horn. That gave her some time to think about what she was doing with her best friend. Rarity felt dirty for getting Fluttershy to help her. Pegasus obviously had no clue about the intimate nature of what she was doing for Rarity. And she magicked her best friend in the nose. Way to thank her, Rarity. Unicorn shook her head and stamped on the floor in frustration. It was just... wrong. Wrong to take advantage of Fluttershy like this, while she`s completely unaware. She briefly wondered how would Fluttershy react if she knew what exactly she was doing to Rarity.

Clatter of the door distracted Rarity. She looked, and... there was Fluttershy, dripping wet and panting, her wings spread as she tried to get in, finally popping in like a cork and flopping on her belly disgracefully. "Oh my Celestia, are you alright, Fluttershy?" - she cried out, as she galloped to the door, pulling Fluttershy away from it, and closing the door securely, keeping the storm outside. Pegasus was drenched completely, her wings still spread in awkward pose. "Um....Hi, Rarity." - she offered sheepishly from the floor, water dripping as she laid still. Rarity broke into a gallop again, coming back with a huge stack of towels. As she threw one over Fluttershy`s neck, pegasus smiled at her - "Sorry. I, um, didn`t mean to make a mess."

"Fluttershy, why are you here, what happened?" - Rarity asked, as she threw more towels over Fluttershy to soak up the excess water. Yellow mare shifted uncomfortably - "Um, I came to put salve on your horn... That is, if you want to..." Rarity dropped the remainder of towels. "You... went into that storm just for that?" - she asked incredulously, - "Goodness, Fluttershy, I don`t know what to say. You really shouldn`t have had done that." Pegasus shook her head - "It`s... nothing, really." Rarity poked her wing with hoof - "Nothing, you say? Then why are your wings still sticking out like that?" Blushing, Fluttershy attempted to fold them, but she couldn`t. Stress and strain had locked them in full spread. "Meep... Help?" - she asked, looking up on Rarity. Unicorn couldn`t help but admit she looked overbearingly cute.

"Oh dear. Well, I know just the thing to help you." - she muttered softly as she dried Fluttershy with towels. Soon enough, Fluttershy was acceptably dry and standing up, but her wings were still in full spread and refused to fold. Rarity clicked her tongue as she looked over the awkwardly spread pegasus. "Well, that just won`t do." - she opined quietly - "But I think I know how to help. Fluttershy, darling, why don`t you lie on your back. I believe I know how to unlock your wings." Blushingly, Fluttershy obliged, awkwardly flopping on her back. Unicorn smiled encouragingly, as she circled around Fluttershy and approached her right wing. She started to rub carefully, from the wingtip to the shoulderblade, making shy mare whimper and shiver. But it worked just fine, as Fluttershy`s wing started to relax, and before long it was comfortably folded half-way. Rarity moved to the other side, giving left wing the same treatment - and, predictably, with same results. Soon enough, she was done, and stepped back, letting Fluttershy turn over and fold her wings completely. She wondered briefly why yellow mare looked so flustered. After all, it was just a soft massage. Probably, she realised it was silly to come over through that terrible storm.

Fluttershy`s heart raced and her mind was utterly blank as Rarity rubbed her wings. She could only think about how good it felt like. Almost subconsciously, her hindlegs rubbed together as she tried to pry her mind out of quagmire of pleasure. She haven`t had a wingrub in... actually, scratch that. That was the very first time anypony ever did something quite like that to her. Thankfully, it was over just as Fluttershy thought she`s going to burst. She was grateful, yet oh so regretful it was over. It was an intimate thing, sure, one usually allowed only between mates, but she didn`t mind. Rarity was helping her to feel better, that`s all. Speaking of which, now it was her turn to help Rarity feel better.

"Um...uff... Thank you, Rarity." - pegasus let out, her voice barely a whisper, as she looked on Rarity bashfully. Unicorn smiled encouragingly - "Anything for a friend, darling." For her, it was quite true, being the element of generosity. Sometimes, Fluttershy couldn`t help but wonder how does one give so much? How does one keep on giving and never runs out of it? She couldn`t figure that one out, but she had long ago decided to return the favor as well as it was possible. "Come on, Rarity. Time to salve your horn." - she offered softly, shaking her head at the thought. Rarity blanched a little - "Oh my goodness, I forgot why you came here through all that awful weather. A moment, please, I`ll get the, eeh, supplies out."

Two minutes later, Rarity was sitting on her haunches, eyes shut and facing the floor, as Fluttershy worked her hooves over her horn. She could not make sense of her emotions, of the situation, of the pleasure she kept receiving from Fluttershy. So... perverse. From one side, she certainly couldn`t turn Fluttershy down, not after the timid mare braved that storm just to help her get better. From other, she was oh so ashamed to have Fluttershy do something so arousing to her, without even letting Fluttershy know what she was doing. Rarity was so engulfed in her inner conflict that she lost track of her physical condition. And that would be just perfect - except her body just went ahead with it. Sudden jolt of pleasure brought Rarity out of her reverie, her heart jumping so hard she could`ve sworn it lodged itself in her throat. The thump of magical pulse through her horn was unmistakable, and Fluttershy`s hooves slipping up and down rhythmically left her no time or chance to protest or even announce her feelings. With a soft gasp and shudder, she felt the familiar tingle and deep relief as the sparks burst forth from her horntip. Just before the flash, however, she could`ve sworn something soft and moist enveloped her tip.

Fluttershy backed off slowly from panting and blushing unicorn. Armed with knowledge from Twilight`s advices, she felt bolder today, now that she knew Rarity wasn`t hurt. She still couldn`t explain what possessed her to clamp her lips around the tip of Rarity`s horn just as it started to glow. Still, that`s what she did, and she was positively gleeful she did that. That gulp of magic was incredible, making her tingle from inside oh so pleasantly. "Rarity, are you OK?" - she whispered softly, smiling. It took distressed unicorn a couple minutes to gather her thoughts. "I... I think. I`m so sorry, Fluttershy. That`s the second time I blasted you with magic, didn`t I?" - she offered apologetically, looking on the floor. Soft giggle was her answer - but not the one she expected.

"It`s OK, Rarity. I know you didn`t mean to. Twilight explained everything to me yesterday." - she volunteered, shaking her head - "I know now that it won`t hurt me, so I don`t mind." If anything could make Rarity more distressed, it was this exact admission. "You... what? Twilight told you ...what!?" - she breathed, staring at Fluttershy wild-eyed. Fluttershy couldn`t help but giggle at that expression. Still, she had to explain, and so she tried - "I was worried yesterday, because you were all tense after I put the salve, and those sparks... So, um, I went to Twilight and asked her to explain about unicorn horns. She told me about induced discharge and how it would feel to you." Rarity`s mouth opened and closed and then opened again. She tried to speak, but couldn`t find the words. Twilight? Twilight was so brazenly perverted to speak freely about this? And then the realisation hit her like a ton of bricks - just like Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle had not even thought about it as a sexual thing. Which upset Rarity even more. 'Am I the only one perverse enough to entertain that kind of thoughts?' - she thought dismally. Still, that gave her some sense of closure. At least, Fluttershy was now aware of why she acted like she did.

Tearing her attention from the unfortunate problem, Rarity ventured to clarify more pressing matters at hand - "Darling, I insist you spend the night here. Weather is positively atrocious." Fluttershy nodded shyly - "Um, yes, alright... if that`s not too much trouble..." Obviously, she was not keen to brave the elements for the second time as well. Nodding with satisfaction, Rarity trotted off to prepare a bed for Fluttershy. One thing unicorn was sure of - she would have interesting dreams tonight.

___

Friday was most decisively fresh. Just like Rarity`s mind. She despised herself for getting so fresh with her friend, even though it was only in her mind. Still, the idea weighed heavily on her mind as she contemplated the events. Even though Twilight`s explanations clued Fluttershy in somewhat, it was quite obvious pegasus was still quite unaware that what they were doing was only inches away from kinky sex. Yellow mare left about an hour ago, leaving Rarity to contemplate the hows and whys of their suddenly oh so complicated relationship. And that contemplation gave her the willies. She was SO disinclined to have her friendship with Fluttershy disrupted... But also oh so scared to explain her perverse thoughts on the matter.

Shaking her head, Rarity pushed those guilty thoughts out of her mind. Today, she was taking Sweetie Belle and her friends to the fair. Sweetie Belle was quite obviously surprised by the offer, but what foal of sound mind would turn down an offer of the whole day at the amusement park? She grabbed the offer with all hooves, naturally. Rarity, from her side, hoped that watching over three overly energetic fillies would give her some respite from the plague of sexual guilt that just loved to linger on her mind.

And you know what? It almost worked. Or at least, Rarity wanted to believe it did, ruefully, as she ushered exhausted Sweetie Belle into boutique. But still, an adult pony like her had much more of energy in reserve then ever-exuberant foals. They had lots of fun at the fair, and white mare almost managed to leave her ruminations in the far corner of her mind and just have fun. But everything must end eventually, and by the time sun entered third quarter descending, Cutie Mark Crusaders found themselves languid with tiredness. Rarity had no choice but to announce the time to return home. None of the fillies protested much - the day was well and truly spent.

But now, in the dusk, Rarity was left alone with her thoughts again. She tucked Sweetie Belle in, and leaned to her, planting a soft sisterly kiss on her cheek - "Sleep tight, Sweetie Belle." Sweetie Belle smiled sleepily and turned over, nuzzling into pillow, as she muttered - "Good night, sis." Rarity trotted out, closing the door carefully behind her. She went downstairs and brought the tin of salve out. Her magic was almost working, and she was relieved. But in the same time, she felt a twinge of regret - some perverse dirty part of her downright enjoyed Fluttershy`s ministrations. She knew it would be awfully uncouth to receive care from Fluttershy longer then strictly necessary, yet... Yet she could not lie to herself - she enjoyed the touch, enjoyed it way more then a proper ladymare should.

Right on cue, light knocking announced Fluttershy`s arrival. Greetings were exchanged, and Rarity positioned herself on her haunches again, as Fluttershy began applying the salve to her horn. However, something was subtly different this time. Rarity could not figure out what, but... something changed. Something... became unrestrained. And then she gasped, as she felt Fluttershy`s lips wrap around her horntip, suckling softly. Rarity shuddered. She wanted to stop Fluttershy, to stop this... this debauchery, but she could not. Her body betrayed her, apparently, becoming weak and pliable under Fluttershy`s touch. She moaned softly as she felt Fluttershy gobble up more of her horn, her wet tongue running over it. There was no question about it now - Fluttershy was giving her a hornjob. So... perverse. So... good....

Pegasus, herself, was quite astonished by her own boldness. Again, she had no idea what prompted her to do that to Rarity. She acted on some kind of guttural instinct that told her to commit with the action. She almost expected Rarity to stop her indignantly, to inquire what was she doing, slobbering all over her horn. But unicorn never did. In fact, Fluttershy could tell with certainty that her actions pleased the other mare greatly - sounds Rarity made were certainly sounds of pleasure, not pain. So she kept suckling, her mouth engulfing more of Rarity`s horn. She could feel the chalky tang of medicine as she suckled more, but she paid it no heed - taste wasn`t all that unpleasant, and the shiver of mare below her gave her all the incentive she needed to go ahead. A little rivulet of saliva formed as she bobbed her head up and down, coaxing the magic out of Rarity. And as on cue, it burst forth again, sparks filling Fluttershy`s mouth with exquisite tingling. She pulled back slowly, suddenly bashful, as she realised just what she had been doing to her best friend a moment ago.

Slowly, Rarity looked up, her cheeks tinged with shame and embarrassment. "...Fluttershy. What have you done?" - she whispered softly, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, - "Why.... why did you do that?" Yellow mare immediately realised she`s done something... wrong. Really wrong. Or not wrong? Or just gut-wrenching? No matter, she tried to explain herself. But no sound came out as she opened her mouth. Finally, she squeaked out - "I..." Rarity shook her head angrily. "I can`t... can`t deal with that right now. Fluttershy, please, leave." - she said, hoof over her eyes as she gestured toward the door. Pegasus let out a soft frightened meep, but unicorn remained unfazed, her hoof pointing to the door. "Now." - she said with finality. Letting out a scared whine, Fluttershy disappeared behind the door. Quick staccato of hooves against the pavement told Rarity that yellow mare run away. Slowly, she walked to the door, and locked it. As she turned around, her emotions overwhelmed her, and Rarity sunk to the floor sobbing, her back against the door.

Fluttershy run toward her cottage, eyes tearing up. She couldn`t understand what was wrong. She thought Rarity would be pleased. Who knew that pleasure could hurt so much? But what was it that upset Rarity so? What? Perhaps, she knew the answer already, but yellow pegasus refused to acknowledge it yet. She could not go there. Would not go there. Not of her own volition. She shook her head, trying to hold back the tears as her cottage loomed ahead. Window was glowing, invitingly. She could not recall if she left a candle lit when she left for Rarity`s boutique, or if somepony was waiting for her. She didn`t care much.

As it turns out, her visitor was nopony else but Twilight Sparkle herself. Who was looking somewhat perturbed as well. Fluttershy tried to smile as she greeted purple unicorn, but it was obvious her heart wasn`t on it. "Hey, Fluttershy. Sorry about a late visit. It`s just that... I realised I forgot to tell you something when you came over the day before yesterday. Couldn`t recall what, so I read up on unicorn anatomy again to refresh my memory. And..." - Twilight paused, and sighed - "I guess there`s no easy way to tell this, so I`ll just say it bluntly. What I forgot to tell you is that touching horn is very intimate for us unicorns and most consider it sexual activity. There are obvious exceptions to this, like medical care, but... that`s the most likely reason why Rarity was feeling so embarrassed."

As soon as Twilight finished her explanation, she realised it was not such a good idea. Apparently, Fluttershy was not ready for that tidbit, she decided, as yellow mare put her hooves against her face, flopping on the floor with distraught moan. "Oh Celestia.... What have I done!?" - she sobbed. Patiently, Twilight trotted closer, and poked Fluttershy`s side with hoof gently. "Come on now, Fluttershy. No matter what kind of thing you think you`ve done, I don`t think it could be that bad." - she offered softly. But Fluttershy shook her head ruefully, refusing to look up. "No, Twilight, you don`t understand. I think I... I think I just raped Rarity." - she choked out.

That most certainly caught Twilight`s attention, but now Fluttershy became flatly unresponsive, just shivering and rocking slightly, as she curled up in a ball of abject misery. Quickly figuring out that she could use some help, Twilight trotted over to the door, imploring Fluttershy to stay where she was. She needed some help. Which... just arrived. Purple unicorn stared in surprise as the other three members of mane six approached the cottage quickly. Pinkie Pie in front, followed closely by Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, hey, am I glad to see you." - offered Twilight, her ear twitching, as she looked over others - "But.. um, why are you here?" Applejack nodded at Pinkie Pie - "Ah reckon Pinkie Sense is ta blame for that one. She done woke me up, she did." "Me too." - complained Rainbow Dash from above, trying to smooth her disheveled mane - "Wouldn`t tell us what`s up either, just kept telling us her Pinkie Sense`s going off something crazy." "Twilight, Twilight, Twilight! Is Fluttershy OK? Does she need help? What`s wrong with her?" - Pinkie was most certainly not inclined to lose time. Twilight sighed, and shook her head - "I guess I shouldn`t be surprised. Rarity and Fluttershy had a... well, a misunderstanding, I hope."

Pinkie shook her head, her mane unusually straight tonight - "But she`s terribly wrong, I can feel it! Pinkie Sense never lies." Pausing for a moment, Twilight sighed, then spoke softly - "Yes. Yes, she is. She thinks she raped Rarity. I can`t estimate the percentage of truth in that statement, as I haven`t been able to examine Rarity`s account as of yet. And in any case, a part of blame lies with me anyways, as I`ve omitted providing an important fact in timely manner." Ponies exchanged puzzled glances - "What?"

Heaving another sigh, Twilight began again - "Rainbow Dash, you and Pinkie Pie stay here and keep an eye on Fluttershy. Don`t let her go anywhere, she`s not in the right state of mind to be alone right now. Applejack, come with me, we need to talk to Rarity urgently." Pinkie nodded resolutely, and Dash gave her a salute as both of them filed into Fluttershy`s cottage. Twilight began quick trot toward the boutique, Applejack falling in step with her after a second of puzzlement.

"Do y`all mind telling me what the hay`s going on?" - she quipped as they trotted toward Ponyville. Twilight thought for a second, then offered - "Do you remember how Rarity got her head nicked last week?" "Do ah evah. Gave us all a scare, she did." "Well, she also had a split horn. That`s usually treated with Calcium Equum, but Rarity had troubles putting it on without magic, so Fluttershy volunteered to help. She was asking me about it, too, and like a dork, I forgot to tell her that touching unicorn`s horn is... Well, a kind of sexual interaction." - explained Twilight, shaking her head ruefully, - "Knowing Rarity, she was bound to overreact sooner or later, really. I should`ve thought about that sooner."

She paused her explanation when she realised Applejack was no longer following her. Twilight stopped and turned around, to see Applejack staring at her in shock. "...Twilight. Against mah bettah judgement, how the hey does one forget about somethang bein` sex?" - she asked incredulously. Twilight facehoofed. "It`s... professional deformation." - she offered glumly, - "Professional mages are channelling energy through the horn at all times. It`s not hard to forget other unicorns might think of it as special thing." If anything, that explanation left Applejack even more shocked - "Yah mean yer..." Twilight sighed again - "Look, it`s... different for me, alright? Those with talent for magic are trained to control that kind of thing. It`s been a long while since that kind of thing stopped being an issue for me, and I forgot it never stops being an issue for most unicorns."

She turned around and started trotting toward Carousel Boutique again, briskly. Still bewildered, Applejack followed. Upon arrival, they encountered the first problem. Door was closed. And Twilight could clearly hear the sobbing just behind it. She pushed the door, but it wouldn`t budge more then an inch. "GO AWAY!" Apparently, Rarity was not in hospitable mood at the moment. "Rarity? It`s me, Twilight Sparkle. We need to talk." - she offered, tapping the door with her hoof. "No, we don`t! Go awaaahay....<sob>" As much as Twilight would like to solve this diplomatically, she wanted to get the whole thing sorted out as quickly as possible. So she stepped away from the door, and nodded at it. "Applejack. We need to get in.... ASAP. Rarity`s not in the right state of mind at the moment." - she whispered urgently. Orange pony looked on her dubiously for a second, then nodded resolutely. She trotted to the door, sized it up, then turned around and bucked it forcefully. Rarity yelped as the door flew open, sending her sliding over the floor ungracefully.

Twilight trotted into boutique, and tapped Rarity`s side gently. "I apologise for that, Rarity, but you don`t leave me much of choice here. Fluttershy is very upset, and it looks like you are as well. So, what was it that got both of you so distraught?"  - she offered gently but assertively. Rarity scurried away from her, refusing to look her friend in the eye - "Get away from me. Please, get away from me. I don`t deserve friends." Twilight expected that much, and she poked Rarity again - "I don`t think so, Rarity. Why don`t you tell us what bothers you so much?" "Yah. I reckon yer gonna feel bettah if ya tell us `bout it." - agreed Applejack as she trotted over to stand by Twilight. Suddenly, Rarity lashed out at them, weakly, her hooves falling just short. "Get away, for pity`s sake, get awaaaaay. I`m a molester, I don`t deserve being a friend to anypony...." - she screamed, covering her face with hooves.

Clicking her tongue, Twilight changed tactic. She could figure some stuff out on her own. "Very well." - she said - "Then I will speak for you instead. You think you`ve taken advantage of Fluttershy, don`t you?" Her ear twitched again, as she heard something resembling "Yes." among the sobs. "Strange, but Fluttershy thinks exactly the same thing, only in reverse." - she continued, poking Rarity`s side again, - "Rarity, she thinks she raped you. And I think she`s gone catatonic from that idea." A second later, Rarity suddenly shot up on her hooves, looking at Twlight incredulously - "WHAT!? What are you talking about? I took advantage of her, I never told her what she`s dooooing... Ahahah....<sob>" Applejack cued in - "Yah know, ah think ya need to talk with her. Ya know, clear the air and stuff."

Rarity shook her head, still not able to look on her friends - "Noo, I couldn`t. She hates me now, I`m certain of it. OOh, Fluttershy... what have I done?" Twilight facehoofed again, and spoke, her voice much sterner now - "Rarity, you really need to come with us and talk to Fluttershy. This is a big misunderstanding and I`m sure neither of you is guilty of taking advantage of other." Still, Rarity shook her head - "I.. I can`t. I can`t face her after this." "Honestly speaking, Rarity? Yah got no choice here. As a decent ladymare, yah simply hafta face the music." - chimed in Applejack, - "It would be downright cruel not to." That caught Rarity`s attention well enough. "I... alright." - she agreed quietly, her eyes downcast, - "I owe her that much, don`t I?"

Quietly, and somberly, trio of ponies left the boutique. It was a short walk to Fluttershy`s cottage, and even though Rarity was still crying quietly, they made it there without obstruction. While still some distance away, they could hear Rainbow Dash - "No, no, no and no, Fluttershy! I refuse to believe that. It`s all one huge misunderstanding, as Twilight said. Just wait till she`ll get back and everything will be sorted out." Apparently, Fluttershy had regained some measure of motor activity, thought Twilight, as she hastened her steps. At the cottage, they were met with a scene that would be hilarious in other circumstances. Panicked Fluttershy was flying in circles around Pinkie Pie, who was holding the end of her tail with teeth securely, Rainbow Dash circling around in pace with Fluttershy trying to persuade her to stop running.

Twilight briefly considered facehoofing again, but she could feel her face hurting a little from all the facehoofing she`d already done. "Dash? Can you bring Fluttershy down? Carefully, that is?" - she asked. Dash smirked - "Watch me." Much to amazement of everyone else she simply sat on Fluttershy. Who immediately began losing altitude with every circle, until she was just running on the ground. Realising escape was impossible, yellow pegasus stopped, her face hidden by her mane as she looked on the ground. Dash fluttered up from her back, and Pinkie let go of her tail, both of them moving back as Twilight nudged Rarity forward, softly but insistently.

Uncertain, but determined, Rarity stood in front of Fluttershy. "Fluttershy?" "Rarity?"... "I`m so sorry I took advantage of you..." Neither could realise who said it. Apparently, they both said it in the same time. Rarity was the first to come to her senses. "Nonsense, darling! You`ve done nothing wrong. It was me who didn`t tell you a thing about it..." But Fluttershy wasn`t about to give up so easy - "But I was the one who sucked on your horn!" "Yes, and I misled you into thinking it was innocent." "But you didn`t say anything..." "But I didn`t say anything!" "But..." "But..."

Both of them raised their eyes simultaneously, looking at each other. Both shivered at seeing other`s tear-stained face. Both extended their hooves in the same time, embracing and crying softly. Other ponies gathered a bit away, as Twilight summed up the events in a few sentences. Pinkie Pie was the first to react, and react she did, in a predictable way. "Well, that calls for the party." - she announced cheerfully, - "Rarity and Fluttershy are friends again party!" Rarity and Fluttershy parted slightly, looking on each other, smiling through their tears. "Friends?" "Friends." Neither was in a hurry to let other go however, so they just leaned to each other, emotionally and physically drained. 

"Ahem." - everyone turned their head to look on Applejack, who just shook her head. "Ah hate to break the mood here, but... In all honesty, can yah two look on each other the same way again?" - she offered, - "Yah both gone and done more then friends should do." Rainbow Dash was the first to break the shocked silence that followed - "...What are you talking about, AJ? Of course they can look at each other." Orange pony shook her head somberly - "Well, yeh, but is that the same look? Face it, yah two. You`ve gone and done become more then jus` friends. An` by the sound of it, both of ya liked it as well."

Rarity blinked. She understood what Applejack was telling, but it... sounded just a mite too... too good? She looked on Fluttershy. Shy mare looked back. "Is... is she right, Fluttershy?" - asked white unicorn, her voice cracking slightly. Hot blush spilled over Fluttershy`s wet cheeks, as she nodded, and whispered softly - "...Yes." Rarity leaned her head on top of Fluttershy`s, softly, and sighed. Unlike the others, it was a happy sigh. But then, Fluttershy stirred in her embrace and muttered softly - "But, um... What about you? Are you, um... OK with the idea?" Rarity let out a soft chuckle - "In a trade like mine, darling... It`s practically expected to be a fillyfooler."

"RARITY!.... Oh, you...."
> Wing Care
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

		Wing Care.

"...Thread by thread, stitching it together..." - today, Rarity was in far better mood, all things considered. Of course, it had a lot to do with the fact she could finally use her magic without fear of some unfortunate mishap. So she returned to her work with gusto, reading glasses perched on her nose as she put finishing touch on the first dress she made since the accident. That one was for her, a little confirmation of her skills coming back. She intentionally made it a sleek sexy number, both a test of her capability and a possible garment to wear on a date. Date. Oh dear. Try as she might, she kept thinking of what had happened last night between her and Fluttershy.

She was very glad that things were resolved, that neither of them did anything... villainous, as it were. However, after a good night sleep, she had to admit to herself that the decision they had reached yesterday was quite a rash one. Not that she regretted it, oh no. But now, when the shock and awe of revelation were gone, she could ask herself - 'Rarity, are you ready for this relationship?' All things considered, her most honest answer was - 'Yes, but only barely so.' In her fillyhood she had some... adventures in school, so the concept of dating another mare was not that alien to her. The concept of dating Fluttershy, however? That raised the ante. Significantly so.

Rarity understood with crystal clarity that letting Fluttershy down now would be incredibly, abysmally, outrageously stupid thing to do, and that meant that she, Rarity, must put some good honest effort and thinking into making good with this. Thankfully, she was more then up to the task of taking the fabric of raw passion she`s been handed and tailoring it into exquisite art of love. At least, she hoped so. Turning around, Rarity took her glasses off and walked to the middle of boutique to admire the dress she just finished from afar. This time, she took plenty of precaution to make sure not to stumble into anything - one mishap was more then enough.

Nodding with satisfaction, unicorn put her glasses on again as she levitated a scroll of paper and a quill. Extra important situations, like this one, required some planning, and while she was not Twilight, some important plans she preferred to work out on paper. Sheet was quickly adorned with - "TO DO:" on top. Rarity paused, nibbling on the quill tip as she pondered the order. Primo, she needed to visit library and ask what Twilight knew of pegasi anatomy. Since Fluttershy took care to find out what makes her tick, Rarity felt she had more then enough reason to find out a bit of this and that about the secret spots that would make pegasus melt and moan. That was jotted down on paper quickly.

Secundo... Secundo, she needed to talk to Spike, since she`d be in the library, anyways. Rarity was quite aware little guy had a crush on her, and that needed to be addressed. Given she just got in relationship with yellow mare, the least she could do is to face Spike personally about that. She hoped he`d be reasonable about that. That was jotted down quickly as well. Tertio... Tertio, she needed to see Fluttershy in the evening. Pinkie mentioned something about the party, and Rarity had a distinct feeling she should really catch up with Fluttershy before the party. Knowing Pinkie Pie, she`d be likely less then considerate of finer points of their feelings toward each other. But that was the Pinkie they`ve grown to love - spontaneous, merry and oblivious to embarrassments and insecurities other ponies had.

List could probably use more entries, but so far, Rarity decided to do what was already on. Conversations with Twilight tended to be longwinded sometimes, and it was early afternoon already. She looked on herself into the mirror and smirked - "No time like present, Rarity, old filly. Time to get going." And so, she put her glasses away and trotted out of boutique, closing the door behind her. Luckily, Applejack didn`t buck it right off the hinges, but... she paused, then turned back and quickly levitated scroll and quill one more time to write on the very bottom - "Get a carpenter to fix the door properly." Done with that, Rarity hefted the door close and locked it with her magic, setting into light trot toward the library.

Library was quiet this time of day. Ponies tended to avoid lingering in the library, as a general rule - anypony sane preferred not to linger longer then reasonably necessary in the abode of practicing mage, really. Still, occasionally, library could be seen positively crowded, usually right after Cheerilee assigned some kind of research paper. Spike opened the door - "Who... oh. Hello, Rarity!" Habitually, she pretended to be oblivious to the lovesick stare he tended to sport whenever she`s been around. "Hello Spike, dear. I`d like to talk to Twilight, if she`s in." - she offered warmly. Still gooey-eyed, Spike merely nodded and thumbed in the direction of ladder.

"Hello, Rarity. What brings you here today?" - Twilight Sparkle felt moderately curious. She had some ideas as to why fashion mare would want to visit her, but... Best to hear it from the pony`s mouth, so to speak. So, she waited for an answer to be provided. "Well... Fluttershy did came over to ask about unicorn horns, didn`t she?" - offered Rarity, her face pensive, as she suggested - "So I think I need to learn a bit more about pegasi, myself." Thoughtfully, Twilight nodded - "Well, that`s certainly a rational idea. However, I`m not quite sure just how much of help I`ll be in this situation. Maybe you`d like to check out a book on pegasi anatomy?" Rarity shook her head - "I remember enough from school to know we`re not so different on the inside. Well, aside from having horn and wings respectively. I`m more of after... eh, you know."

Twilight merely shook her head, somewhat bemused - "Actually, no, I don`t. So, what exactly are you after?" Rarity glanced to the side, then to the other, her cheeks tinted red as she hastily murmured - "I want to know if pegasi have... special spots. Special, as in pegasi-only special kind." "Oh? Well, the obvious answer would be that wings are as special to pegasi as horn is for us unicorns. However, if you`re asking about what specifically makes them all hot and bothered, like what happens to us when horn is rubbed? That much I do not know, sorry. Haven`t ever read a book that`d detail on that." - she replied, thoughtfully. Rarity looked down, a bit downcast - "Well... thanks anyway." But Twilight wasn`t done - "One second, Rarity. I do not know about that, that`s true, but I`m most certain that Rainbow Dash will. Her being a pegasus and all."

Rarity`s face reflected an uncomfortable mix of emotions as she considered that suggestion. "My, it`s true. She would... But it would feel oh so embarrassing to ask her." - she muttered, - "Probably just about as embarrassing as it was for Fluttershy to ask you... Alright, I guess I`ll ask her about it. If anything, I can rely on her being quiet about it, at least." Twilight nodded thoughtfully - "Well, that much is to be expected from the element of loyalty, no? Speaking of which... Rarity, I wanted to talk to you about elements." "Elements? What about them, Twilight? Is there some reason to believe we`ll need to use them again soon?" - Rarity questioned, wary of possible answer.

"No, not quite. It`s not about us using elements, per ce. Rather, it`s about how are we used by elements." - offered Twilight, - "I`ve been thinking about it lately... And in fact, I`ve conferred with Celestia herself on the topic. I sort of wish I didn`t." Now, Rarity was quite worried - "Oh dear... What was it Celestia told you, then?" Looking away, Twilight sighed - "Well, the crux of the issue is this... Elements are very likely to influence our thinking and personality. Granted, they were given to us with respect to our strong traits, but still... The way Celestia put it, elements might amplify their respective focus in a bearer beyond what would normally be deemed reasonable."

Rarity stood up, walking over to Twilight - "Well, I think we were all aware of that, to an extent. What`s the worst that can happen?" Purple unicorn looked out of the window, - "Well... A lot, to be honest. Pinkie Pie`s the one at most risk, I think. She`s already... on vague terms with reality, so to speak. It`s not that hard to see her going completely insane. For that matter, same could be said for me." White unicorn blinked - "You? Come on, Twilight. You`re not crazy. Neither is Pinkie, for that matter. She`s just... uh, special." Magician chuckled softly - "That might be so right now, but you can`t deny I`ve had a couple episodes that would be appropriately labeled as mental. That debacle with Mr. Smartypants comes to mind. Anyway, that`s not exactly what I wanted to tell you. Rather, my point was that all six of us need to practice some form of element control, so to speak. Apply reason to our urges."

Tapping her chin, Rarity nodded thoughtfully - "I can see what you`re telling me, yes. But what exactly would you suggest? It`s not like we can get together for yoga session once a week to keep a lid on that, now can we?" Twilight turned around to look on Rarity again - "Actually, that might help. Well, not specifically yoga session, but conferring with other elements before committing to some major decisions. Act as sounding board for each other. I do understand that some topics are... less then comfortable to discuss, but given the alternatives, it might be still a better choice." Ever the mood-conscious, Rarity caught up to unspoken note that was contained in Twilight`s words, - "You think that what happened yesterday had something to do with my and Fluttershy`s elements?"

Twilight sat back and run a hoof over her face. Suddenly, Rarity realised how tired purple unicorn looked. Likely, she had been hitting the books all night long. "Yes. I don`t really want to think about you and Fluttershy in those terms, but the facts fit." - she offered, shaking her head, - "I imagine you have some objection to that line of thought... So let me voice my theory and then tell me what sounds off, alright?" Rarity nodded. She sat across the table from Twilight again and prepared to listen. "The way I see it, the whole thing was started by Fluttershy`s urge to be kind. When you got injured, it was quite natural of her to want to help you, and... well, that`s exactly what happened. She started helping you. Purely innocently, you understand. Then she, just as innocently, noticed how your body reacts to her help, and went to ask me about it. And I told her that reaction is an expression of pleasure. I believe you can connect the dots here - which explains why Fluttershy did... whatever she did to your horn. What did she do, by the way?"

"Twilight!" - exclaimed Rarity, scandalised, her cheeks marred by blush, - "I... You... What kind of question is that?" "What? I`m curious." - answered Twilight simply, - "You don`t have to answer if you don`t want to, but I assure you, my interest is purely academic." Shuddering, Rarity suppressed her embarrassment and awkward arousal enough to answer quietly - "...She sucked my horn." "Oh. Well, that is certainly... intimate." - opined Twilight, her own cheeks getting just a hint of blush before she quickly skipped ahead - "Anyway, what I`m getting at is that this kind of thing matches your elements quite well - Fluttershy`s kindness compelled her to make you feel pleasure, and your generosity compelled you to give yourself, as it were, to that pleasure, regardless of your personal ideas of propriety on the topic."

Rarity stared at Twilight incredulously - "You mean to tell me that element of generosity can turn me into a... slut?" Magician blenched at the crude word - "Well, not quite like that, but...Yes, I suppose that element of generosity can incline you to be more generous with your body then you`d normally want to be. No joke intended." Rarity leaned back, mulling over the new information. That was certainly disturbing, and cast some shadow on what she experienced with Fluttershy but she was certain her feelings run deeper then that. "You`re not quite right about that, Twilight." - she answered finally, - "I think... I think element DID have some influence in this, but not nearly as much as you make it out to be."

Twilight Sparkle nodded, her expression hopeful - "Well, that`s what I want to verify, Rarity. That it`s not just elemental magic pushing you together like two dolls in foal`s hooves." Heaving a sigh, Rarity stood up - "I hope so, Twilight. I really hope so. It would be just too cruel otherwise." Purple unicorn looked away - "Rarity, listen... Just in case it is just elements playing havoc with us. I can make you two forget everything. Wipe all of that from your minds, like it never happened." Rarity stomped her hoof, her anger suddenly spiking - "Sun`s glory, NO. Just no, Twilight. Whatever happens, whatever it may be, I`ll never consent to forget. Be what may, but I will cherish those memories, no matter what."

Twilight suddenly stared at her, grinning - "You have no idea how reassuring that sounded." Perplexed, her anger dissolving just as quickly as it came, white unicorn looked on purple one - "What do you mean, Twilight?" Magician tapped her ear with hoof - "Haven`t you just heard yourself? You got angry at mere suggestion of forgetting what you had with Fluttershy. I`m not an expert on love questions, Rarity, but even to me it sounds like you care profusely." Slowly, Rarity nodded - "I... see. Well, I suppose I`ll go look for Rainbow Dash. Oh, by the way, can I borrow Spike for a few, Twilight? I think I need to... ahem, talk to him. Settle some old scores." Twilight looked down and sighed - "...Yes. Yes, you should. I hope he won`t take it too hard."

Descending by the stairs slowly, Rarity looked around. Spike was sitting at the library counter. Or more precisely, napping on it. She chuckled. Little guy was so cute when napping. White mare trotted closer, tapping Spike with hoof. With a snort and flail, little dragon woke up - "I`m awake, I`m awake... Oh... Hey, Rarity. Do you need any help?" He was practically beaming with hope... and that made Rarity sad, because she knew what she had to do. "Spike, darling, would you walk with me? I`m afraid I need to talk to you." - she offered demurely. Spike was only too happy to oblige.

They walked out of the library. Rarity was not sure where to talk to him, and eventually settled on the park. Dragon, on his part, was quite unsure about what was going on, but felt content just to tag along. Quietly, they reached the destination. Rarity led them to a bench slightly off the track, where it was quiet and shady. "Spike? We need to talk." - she offered resolutely, tapping her hooves as she took a seat on the bench. "Of course. What is it, Rarity?" - he asked hopefully. That hope made Rarity`s task all the harder, but she knew she had to. "Spike. I am quite aware you had a crush on me for a while." - she offered quietly, - "And while I`m quite flattered, I just don`t feel right leading you on any longer."

Little dragon visibly deflated. He ambled toward the bench, and hopped on it, slouching, his head resting on his arms. "That`s OK, Rarity. I`ve realised long ago that it`s not something I can really pursue." - he offered glumly, - "You`re a pony, I`m a dragon. It`s just not... not feasible, as Twilight says." Rarity reached out, and put a hoof on his back - "I`m sorry about that, Spike. I really am." He shook his head, letting out a soft sigh - "To be frank, I was aware of that pretty much all the time." "Oh?... Come on, Spike, don`t be so hard on yourself. You`re a perfectly lovable dragon." - objected Rarity. To her surprise, Spike chuckled softly - "Oh, it`s not that. I mean... Eh... I`m a dragon, you know. By the time I`d be actually old enough to do something about that crush, you`ll be about as old as granny Smith."

Rarity blinked, then shoved him playfully - "You little lecher, you. Here I was worrying about wounding your feelings, and it turns out you`ve been lusting after me all that time." Spike raised his hands defensively - "Whoa, hey, I didn`t mean it like that! Well, OK, I did, but more from the point of actually being an adult more then anything." Rarity chuckled softly - "That`s alright, Spike. I`m not offended. We all have indecent urges. It`s not having them, it`s acting on them thoughtlessly that is offensive." He nodded slowly - "To be honest, I`ve been thinking about it lately. Twilight`s been reading up on all the psychology last few days and I guess some of what she read about stayed with me." Rarity sat up straighter - "Heh. So, did you came to conclusion that it`s some other feeling that urges you on?"

Spike stared at her for a second - "How`d you know?... Well, yes, anyway, I was thinking a lot about it, and, well... We dragons are naturally covetous, you know. Not for some purpose or feelings, just... covetous. Show a dragon something precious, and he`ll covet it, no questions asked. So well... that." Rarity put her hoof to her lips, as she giggled - "My, my, Spike. Am I precious, now?" Little dragon blushed, but nodded - "Well, duh. So anyway.. I hope you don`t mind if I`ll covet you and Fluttershy every once in a while. I swear it`s innocent... well, as innocent as dragons go." She gasped - "How did you know?" Spike grinned - "Twilight told me yesterday. Well, she didn`t really mean to, but I`ve overheard her muttering about it and just had to know." Recovering from shock, Rarity sighed and smiled back - "I suppose that`s fair. As long as you don`t try to add us to your hoard, that is."

___

Rarity looked up with a bit of trepidation. Rainbow Dash better be at home, she thought. She only had about an hour left before she`d have to abandon everything and go fetch Fluttershy so they could attend Pinkie Pie`s party. So if Rainbow Dash were to choose this exact moment to be scarce, it would mean she`d have to locate blue pegasus some other day instead. "Rainbow Dash?! Are you at home?" - she inquired loudly enough to be heard in the cloud home Dash lived in. Apparently, she was. Some kind of noise was heard from the cloud, increasing in volume with every second, until it suddenly reached its peak as rainbow-haired mare literally fell off the cloud. She flapped her wings, missing Rarity by mere inches, and landed after a graceful backflip. Apparently, Rainbow Dash had been napping.

"...Yawn. What`s up, Rarity?" - she muttered, still groggy, - "And what just happened?" Rarity straightened up and offered - "Well, you just fell off your cloud, Rainbow Dash." Pegasus looked up and shrugged - "So I did. That`s what I get for sleeping in the open. Is it time for Pinkie`s party yet?" White mare shook her head, as she answered - "No, it`s still a while till it starts. I just wanted to talk to you." Dash treated her to a scrutinising glare. "It`s not about styling my mane, is it?" - she asked warily. Rarity shook her head a little - "No, no, nothing of a sort. Although, you could use a bit of a trim, come to think of it. And maybe just a little curling for the ends..." "Rarity..." - apparently, Dash had little patience for fashion.

"Oh.. Pardon me, please. Getting carried away, here. I actually wanted to ask you some questions about pegasi." - Rarity offered cautiously, looking down as she could feel the embarrassment creeping up again. Rainbow Dash fluttered up a bit, looking puzzled - "Me? Why me, Rarity? Ask Twilight, she`s got all those smart books and stuff." Rarity heaved a sigh - "I tried. It was her who suggested I`d ask you, to be honest." Dash landed again, this time without any tricks. She`s been intrigued - "Huh. Well, alright. If Twilight herself thinks I`m the best pony to ask, I must be just that awesome, ne? So spill. What can the wise and all-knowing Rainbow Dash tell you about pegasi?"

Fashion mare looked up in irritation. Dash was just as bad as Pinkie were when talking about anything serious. No, scratch that, much worse. Always clowning about and tooting her own horn. She was almost about to turn away and leave... but... but... but Fluttershy. So, Rarity took a hold of her embarrassment and bit down on it. "Not here. Can we go to my boutique, Dash? I don`t feel comfortable talking right on the street." - she offered. Blue pegasus looked up at her cloudhome. It was pretty obvious she contemplated the merits of nap vs the merits of visiting Rarity. Finally, loyalty won out, and she nodded - "Alright, but if you try to use me as mannequin again, I`m leaving."

Trip to the boutique was brisk and quiet - Rainbow Dash was still in process of waking up, and Rarity simply didn`t feel like talking at the moment. Walking into boutique, she cast her magic around, bringing together a pot of tea, cups and some snacks, levitating them on the table. Dash perked up significantly. "Ooh, cookies?" - she squealed, flopping down next to the table. Rarity took a seat across, treating both of them to a cup of tea. "Well... what did you want to ask me about, Rarity?" - offered pegasus, now much more alert and attentive.

"Well... Here goes." - Rarity muttered, setting her cup down, - "But first of all, Dash? Promise me to keep out conversation to yourself." Dash raised her brow, offering dubiously - "Ookay. It`s gonna be THAT kind of talk?" Unicorn took a deep breath, and plunged in with question - "I`ll just ask straight, Dash. I want to know about special spots pegasi have." That was not what pegasus expected to hear - "Special... spots? What do you mean?" Blush spreading across her cheeks, Rarity explained - "I mean, do pegasi have any places that... make them hot and bothered?"

Dash leaned back - "Uh, Rarity? Didn`t they cover that kind of thing in sex-ed lesson?" White mare was turning pink with embarrassment by now, but nonetheless pressed on, knowing full well she had already burned all bridges - "I know that. I`m asking about spots only pegasi have. Like horn for unicorns." Rainbow Dash leaned back further, her hoof across her mouth as she snickered - "Oh Celestia... So THAT`S what yesterday was all about!?" Rarity snapped. "YES!" - she screeched, looking on Dash crossly - "Yesterday, Fluttershy sucked my horn and it felt wonderful! So how do I make her feel wonderful too!?" As soon as she was done with outburst, unicorn realised what she just blurted out, and pressed both hooves to her mouth, eyes downcast as she experienced the worst kind of mortification in her life.

Dash did nothing to help the situation, of course. In fact, she was on her back, hooves flailing in the air as she laughed her guts out. Rarity sighed, her head falling on the table with soft bump. Why, oh why she thought it would be a good idea to ask Dash about that? Not like she`d ever understand, anyways. Well, buck it. Rarity stood up, intent on asking Dash to leave - and ended up face to face with surprisingly serious Rainbow Dash. Who just as seriously asked - "So you want to know how to make Fluttershy feel good?... Fine, I can roll with that." Which, of course, left Rarity blinking incredulously. Blue pegasus pulled back, surprisingly coherent after her laughing fit - "So sit down. This is going to need a little show and tell."

"...What was that about, Rainbow Dash?" - she finally asked, looking on pegasus in confusion and irritation - "One second you`re laughing your head off, then..." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes - "That`s how my element rolls. Don`t get me wrong, you and Fluttershy are hilarious. In a good friendly way. And I`m pretty sure you two will make me laugh more then a few times. But my bucking element just loves to apply a hoof to my flank as soon as I remember how anypony can take the laughter the wrong way. So, yeah... Let`s get down with your questions so I could stop feeling guilty about laughing, OK?"

Still miffed, but figuring that`s as close to an apology as she would get out of cocky pegasus without some serious guilt-tripping, Rarity asked - "Twilight suggested that wings are likely to be sensitive. Is that true?" Dash nodded thoughtfully, as she extended her wing. "Ok, look here. First thing to remember - don`t rub a wing across the feathers. That feels awful and you might even tear out a feather or two. Not lethal, but real unpleasant." - she started explaining, her hoof pointing - "This is where the wingbone ends, and it`s the first sensitive spot. A lot of feathers connect here, and that makes it sensitive to the touch. Sometimes, when I fly in the cold, it feels good to put wingtips in warm water, but generally, those are best left alone."

Rarity habitually fetched her glasses with magic as she leaned to investigate. "So, this is a bad spot to touch?" - she offered thoughtfully. Dash nodded - "Yes. Stepping on wingtip is a sure-fire way to piss off a pegasus, by the way." Rarity nodded - "Well, that`s good to know, but I wanted to know where it`s good to touch, not where it`s bad to touch." "Patience. You don`t want to hurt Fluttershy by accident, now do you?" - quipped Dash rhetorically, - "No? Then take notice." Rarity sighed theatrically and used her magic again to fetch her a scroll and quill. Dash giggled - "Well, maybe not so literally. OK, next... See where the bone curves? This is where the muscle starts. Rubbing from this curve to the shoulderblade is good. Just don`t do it in public - touching someone`s wings like that is pretty intimate thing to do."

Rarity looked closer. "So... From here to here." - she pointed. Dash nodded - "Now, here`s the sweet spot - right where wing connects to the shoulderblade. This is where the wing muscles mostly are, so that`s where we get most cramps and hurt if we overdo flying. A good firm rub just between the wings will get pretty much any pegasus soft and mellow as a cloud." She tapped her side just under the wing and continued - "Same goes for underside just here. A good rub right under the wing and over the lower part feels great." Rarity briefly considered writing this down, but then decided it would be superficial. She intended to put the knowledge to use soon and use it often enough to keep it fresh in her memory.

"Well, OK, but what about intimate spots? Does that go for whole wing, or how?" Dash shrugged - "Generally, the closer you get to the body, the more intimate it gets. Poking someone with wingtip feathers is nothing noteworthy. Sticking a hoof under someone`s wing? That`ll get you slapped, unless you`re lovers or best friends ever." Rarity nodded thoughtfully - "Well, that just about covers it, I think. I have just one question left, Dash." She was naturally up to the challenge - "Oh yeah? What is it?" Rarity sighed and put her hoof across her face - "Did you talk to Twilight in the morning, or she used some kind of magic to brief you on the fly?"

Dash almost stumbled, as she turned to Rarity abruptly - "....How... I mean, no... Agh, buck it! How did you know!?" Rarity rolled her eyes - "It`s kind of obvious, Dash. You`ve been way too restrained and helpful. And that lecture on wings? Come clean, Dash, being discreet really isn`t your forte." Blue mare paced quickly from wall to wall a couple of times, her wings fluttering. "I can`t believe you just... went and figured me out like that." - she finally offered, looking on Rarity - "Yes, Twilight told me about how elements can make us think weird stuff and how we should keep a lid on it. I think she talked to Applejack too."

Rarity nodded slowly, her own suspicions solidifying. "What about you, Rainbow Dash? Do you think Twilight Sparkle is right about elements slowly driving us insane?" - she offered, cocking her head. Dash shook her head resolutely - "Twilight never said they do. I do believe her about elements affecting how we think, yes, but... I don`t think it`s as bad as "drive us insane" kind of thing. Celestia wouldn`t just hand them to us if they were that dangerous." Rarity, however, wasn`t so convinced - "Well, think about it. You, me, Twilight - everyone realises elements affect us. Are they really that benign?" Dash looked her square in the eye - "Don`t forget they`re elements of good things. Is it so bad to be a little better then other ponies? A bit more honest, more loyal, more generous? I don`t know about you, but I don`t have beef with it. Yeah, I`m awesome, I know it, and I`m gonna keep doing that. And not just because it`s awesome to be awesome, but because sometimes you just have to be better then anypony else to make things better for everypony."

Well, that certainly put a fresh twist on the issue Rarity had been grappling with. Ever since the conversation with Twilight, she`s been concentrating her thoughts on the fact her element influenced her, and haven`t even paused to think if that`s influence is undesirable or not. But she had to note that any of the elements could`ve propelled them to do something insane, if certain circumstances were to arise. "So you`re not afraid that elemental influence will force you into some kind of undesirable situation?" - she questioned, more for her own peace rather then any curiosity. Dash shrugged - "I don`t think much about it. Sure, being good can sometimes put you in awkward sitches, but it`s not like I haven`t had my fair share of those before element, y`know? The way I see it, so long as we remember we have the elements, we`re gonna be fine."

Rarity nodded thoughtfully. And then smirked, as she had an idea. A sneaky underhanded but oh so amusing idea. "Oh, and Dashie, dear? I think I`d like you to model a dress or two, after all. You won`t abandon me here all alone, now would you?" - she quipped, batting her eyelashes for good measure. Sproing. She watched with great amusement as Rainbow Dash`s wings sprung up, as blue pegasus turned toward her indignantly - "...You cheater! You said you wouldn`t... aargh!" Rarity gave up and laughed. Her tittering apparently relieved pegasus` fear of clothes, as after a few huffing seconds she joined in.

___

Cottage loomed just ahead. 'Good timing, Rarity, old filly.' - she thought, as she cantered toward the rustic house. Fluttershy should be in - by that time she was done with animal care and usually could be found reading or doing some minor housework. At least, that`s what Rarity usually encountered when she needed to visit the shy pegasus in the afternoon. She expected she`d be doing a lot more visiting, now that aforementioned pegasus was also her marefriend. Marefriend, heh. Rarity still struggled with the novelty of word in its application to Fluttershy. Who`d have thought that kind of thing could happen?

Truth to tell, Rarity was thinking about Fluttershy throughout her whole day. And while advice both from Twilight and Rainbow Dash gave her some peace of mind, she knew that the true calm and quiet would come only from Fluttershy herself. But first, Rarity just had to meet up and see where they stand now. How far did they move, how much closer, or Celestia forbid, farther, they`ve became. And so, she raised the hoof and knocked on the door resolutely. After a few moments of silence, timid voice inquired - "Hello?.." Rarity shivered. She did not expect that to happen - but just hearing that voice seemingly awoken a gaggle of butterflies in her belly. She haven`t felt that way since school. Most surprising and unsettling - she was not aware she could experience being lovestruck again. Apparently, she could.

"Ahem.. It`s me, Rarity." - she offered, momentarily surprising herself with timid notes in her own voice. Door opened. Fluttershy let her in, smiling at the unicorn gently, her cheeks flushed. "Hello. Is it time for Pinkie`s party already?" - she offered softly. Rarity shook her head, as she trotted into the cottage, letting Fluttershy close the door after her - "Not quite yet, it`s at six. I`ve came a little early to talk and.. ahem." She was not sure what else she came for, but she was most certain there was some other reason she visited Fluttershy aside from talking. "Oh, I almost forgot." - unicorn mentioned, as she reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a package, - "I brought you some saffron leaves."

Yellow pegasus smiled wider at that - she was quite fond of the taste of saffron, and Rarity knew that quite well. "Um.. Thank you, Rarity. I.. I`ll make some tea." - she offered, trotting off to the kitchen. Rarity followed her with eyes. She had to admit, those swaying flanks suddenly made her mouth dry. Not like she haven`t seen Fluttershy walking before, but... Having had 'unlocked' the notion of viewing Fluttershy from sexual point of view, suddenly all that pegasus did looked alluring.

Shaking her head, Rarity hastily sat down next to the table, unwrapping and putting saffron on the table. She was partial to those herself, and having a marefriend to share them with was such an... interesting prospect. Fluttershy reappeared, setting the mugs of tea on the table. Smiling, Rarity leaned over, and tapped Fluttershy`s side just as she sat them down - "Come sit with me, dear." Fluttershy suddenly blushed brighter, but nodded, gingerly sitting down next to Rarity. That... was not quite what Rarity expected, however. Up close, she could clearly see that Fluttershy is tense and unsure. That... harshed the mellow, so to speak.

"Fluttershy?" - she began softly, as she took a cup and sipped it gingerly - "Mmm... chamomile, wonderful... Mm, yes. How are you, my dear? I understand the yesterday was quite stressful, and I was hoping you feel better now." Shy pegasus merely nodded, her eyes glued to her cup which she did not dare to lift. Rarity sat the cup down, and continued - "Which makes it necessary for me to ask you... What`s wrong, darling? Because you`re trembling like a leaf in the wind." When that only inspired a squeak from suddenly terrified pegasus, Rarity felt it was time to attempt more direct approach.

She leaned closer and put her foreleg around Fluttershy, hugging her softly. "If you`re nervous about me, you should not be, darling." - Rarity offered softly, - "When all is said and done, I`m the same Rarity you knew yesterday. So... talk to me, my dear. Tell me what worries you." Fluttershy meeped softly, her tension increasing as she struggled to get the words out. Finally, she managed - "I`m alright... Just, um... nervous." That was absolutely endearing, the cute look when she said that, the soft blush... Rarity felt her own cheeks heating up as she blushed in return. Still, she was the worldly one in this relationship, so it would be her duty to make things nice.

"Talk to me, Fluttershy." - she offered, as she moved her hoof a bit, running it over Fluttershy`s back, - "One lesson we definitely learned yesterday was that it`s best to communicate... Lest we want to be miserable because of miscommunication." After a few more tense seconds, Fluttershy finally choked out - "I, um... I`m not sure what marefriends should do." That made Rarity giggle yet again - "Dear, look... it`s not some kind of ritual we just have to do. We are who we are." She levitated a leaf of saffron to Fluttershy, holding it in front of yellow mare closely, - "Here. Have a bite, relax."

A few more tense seconds later, Fluttershy finally reached out and nibbled the leaf. Rarity let out a silent sigh of relief. "There. Now, I understand precisely what you are feeling right now, darling." - she offered softly, taking another sip of tea - "I have same kind of thoughts, I suspect. The whole gaggle of doubts, really." Seeing Fluttershy`s expression drop a little, she added quickly - "No, not the doubts about you, dear. Doubts about me and how should I handle this precious precious connection we suddenly have." Yellow mare smiled again, her nervousness easing up as Rarity confessed to her own doubts.

"I...um, can I ask you something, Rarity?.." - she ventured, looking up on unicorn. Rarity nodded eagerly - "By all means, darling. Communication is the order of the day." "Well, um... I wanted to ask you about... what we um... did yesterday. Do we have to... um, do it every time we... oh, no, I... No, nevermind..." - pegasus trailed off, her gaze again downcast. Rarity blinked. Then leaned back, and offered thoughtfully - "Have to? No, dear. Of course no. Ponies do...ahem, intimate things not because they have to, but because they want to, normally." "So... um... You wouldn`t be upset if I... um, didn`t do it today?" Rarity heaved a little sigh and smiled ruefully - "Fluttershy, dear. Physical intimacy is a boon of relationship, not a mandatory part. And yes, I am most certainly not going to demand you do something of that nature. It`s not a duty, it`s a gift."

Fluttershy, however, saw the rueful expression just fine - "But you do want me to, don`t you?" White mare shrugged, her hoof slipping off Fluttershy`s back as she did - "Of course I do, darling. Just like you want me to bring saffron leaves. I`d be delighted if you would, but wouldn`t be upset with you if you didn`t. Speaking of which, have another one?" She levitated another leaf in front of Fluttershy, waiting for her to nibble it up. Pegasus did, her face thoughtful, as she thought things over.

"But... you want to." - she mused, licking the taste of saffron off her lips - "And that`s OK. Would you like me to... um, do it?" Rarity pulled back, somewhat offput by the idea. "Dear, don`t get me wrong, but... Not right now. Pinkie`s party is quite soon, and coming to party with wet horn would be just... uncouth. " - she responded quickly, - "Besides, I would like to try something else, today." Fluttershy blushed heavily - "Um... Something else?" Unicorn nodded, as she stood up and moved behind pegasus - "Yes.. You see, I`ve been thinking it over, and decided you shouldn`t be the only one bringing gifts of physical pleasure."

"Um, wait, Rarity, what are you... um... going to... ah... oh... mmmmmm...." - whatever objection Fluttershy had, it dissolved into a sound of content as Rarity ran her hooves over yellow mare`s back, rubbing between her wings softly. A few quick strokes later, wings started unfolding partially, as Rarity rubbed their bases firmly. Fluttershy let out a soft moan - "Oh...um...Rarity. A little lower, please." White mare obliged, her hooves trailing over pegasus`s back, up and down, up and down. She could see Dash`s tips working out magnificently, draining the tension out of shy mare. A little while later, all tension was gone, and two mares were sharing tea, saffron and gossip freely, giggling at particularly juicy tidbits.

As she offered yet another piece of hearsay, Rarity couldn`t help but feel awkward feeling of forgetting something. She quickly mulled over the events of the day. Something she meant to tell Fluttershy... Oh. Right. Twilight`s warning about elements. Sighing, white unicorn slumped a bit, looking into the cup. Broaching this subject with Fluttershy would be... awkward, to say the least. But she had to - if Fluttershy were to find this out from another source, Rarity`s integrity would be quite rightfully doubted.

"Fluttershy, dear? There`s one more important thing we should talk about." - she ventured seriously, setting her cup down. Pegasus frowned slightly, her worry returning as she looked on Rarity seriously. Fashionista shook her head and ventured boldly - "I`ve been talking to Twilight earlier, and she said something that...That I think you should also hear." Yellow mare nodded thoughtfully - "Well, if Twilight told you, it must be important..?" "Sort of. She`s worried about elements of harmony, dear. According to what she found out, elements tend to influence our thinking subtly." - explained Rarity pensively, avoiding Fluttershy`s gaze - "She told me that our respective elements might have played a big role in... arranging our current relationship."

"Elements?..." - pegasus echoed, mulling the idea over. It was obvious she hadn`t given that idea any thought before. Unicorn nodded slowly, continuing her explanation - "Twilight did suggest that all of that started when you volunteered to help me with horn care. Though, to be honest, I am quite sure you would`ve offered to help with or without element, dear." Shy mare nodded back, as she caught the idea - "I see... Well, um, I don`t really think my element did much in all of this. But what about your element, Rarity? I mean, it could... oh my." Wincing, Rarity nodded - "Yes, that`s exactly the point Twilight made, too. Said I just might be compelled by element to be more "generous" with my affections then expected. I`m pretty sure she disproved the idea, though." "Oh? Disproved?" - that notion perked Fluttershy up noticeably, and in return, Rarity`s mood elevated sharply as well. She chuckled - "Twilight said she could cast a spell that would make us forget all that happened, let us just get back to being just friends as we were. And, by golly, you wouldn`t believe how much that idea angered me."

Seeing surprise and bewilderment on Fluttershy`s face, she hastened to explain - "It would be simply atrocious to forget that what happened between us, darling. I`m quite sure I will never forget what had happened, nor will I ever consent to forget. Be what may, but I will treasure those precious memories." Blushing profusely, Fluttershy leaned closer, mumbling something not quite decipherable. Rarity leaned closer, trying to figure out what was said, their faces just inches from each other. Cloooooooser...

They leaned back from each other slowly, blushing as their lips parted. Neither had a conscious notion of leaning into kiss when they did, nor conscious notion of pulling out of it, when they had it. Wearing matching expressions of happy blushing bedazzlement, both heaved a small happy sigh, smiling at each other. "Sweet..." - muttered Rarity quietly, as she leaned to Fluttershy, putting a leg around her again. This time, pegasus didn`t shy away from gesture, but extended her own hoof to hug Rarity back, echoing - "Wonderful..."

Time passed quickly while they made out, and by the time they realised it`s time to actually go to Pinkie`s party, the best they could manage was "fashionably late". Not that it bothered either of the ponies in question much. At least, it would not be a loud party with lots of people, as Pinkie Pie initially insisted. It took some effort and argument, but eventually Rarity was able to persuade party pony that what went on between her and Fluttershy was not a subject to public celebration. So the party was meant for the six of them to catch up and relax over the finest baked goods Pinkie Pie and Applejack could produce.

As they trotted out of the cottage, it was dusk already, sunshine dimmed enough to see the stars appearing, one by one. Rarity looked up curiously, as her eye spotted something unusual in the sky. She pointed with the hoof, nudging Fluttershy - "Look! Look! A falling star! Make a wish!" Both of them stared upwards, transfixed by the multicolored trail... until they realized just how close the falling star was getting. Sky blazed with unearthly colors as the streak of celestial matter crossed the sky above Ponyville. Windows clattered and air trembled as the falling star struck the ground somewhere deep within Sweet Apple farm orchards.

Unicorn and pegasus exchanged quick glances, and broke off into gallop. That.. was most definitely a cue for them to join the party.