The next morning Fluttershy had awoken, not sure if everything from the night before had been real or just a wonderful, beautiful dream… but when she had gone to breakfast that morning and seen Rarity, everything hit home for her. It had happened… and the happiness Fluttershy felt overwhelmed everything that she had ever dared hope she could feel. She had breakfasted with all of her friends that morning, but her eyes had only been for Rarity, and the white unicorn had been no slouch at making eyes across the table at her, either; enough that even Pinkie Pie and Twilight, who had been staring at nothing but each other since the group had gathered, mentioned something about it, causing Fluttershy to blush furiously and Rarity to giggle behind a hoof. Rainbow Dash had hardly noticed- her eyes had been out the window, one hoof beneath her chin as she’d stared up at the sky with a love-struck expression- and Applejack had seemed more worried about hiding the very obvious bite marks on her neck. Everypony at the table had been on her own individual cloud that morning, in her own way- even Applejack, who, when asked what had happened, refused vehemently to say and blushed furiously whenever it was brought up. Everything felt perfect, and Fluttershy for one had hoped that things would stay that way forever.
But nothing stays the same forever.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The sun blazed overhead in the deep cerulean sky, warming Fluttershy’s wings and coat so pleasantly that she couldn’t help but rustle her feathers and extend her left wing ever so slightly in an attempt to catch more of the sun’s golden warmth. A gentle breeze teased her feathers and mane, cooling her just enough that it made sitting in the direct sunlight not only bearable, but absolutely peaceful. With a content sigh she closed her eyes and leaned to her right, allowing her body to press a bit more firmly against the pony who lay next to her on the red-and-white checkered picnic blanket. Off to their far right, a large fountain gurgled merrily, casting a beautiful white noise into the world that, combined with the sizeable lunch she had just eaten, threatened to lull Fluttershy to sleep.
“It certainly is a beautiful day,” Rarity commented softly, taking a deep breath and sighing. “Absolutely gorgeous- the best day of the summer so far, I daresay.”
Fluttershy just nodded slightly, her gentle smile broadening just slightly. It didn’t seem to matter what Rarity said; just hearing her voice was enough to lighten Fluttershy’s heart.
The Pegasus heard a gentle clink, and cracked one eye open just in time to see Rarity set her teacup and saucer back down to the blanket; in spite of herself, Fluttershy felt her pulse quicken as she gazed at her marefriend. Rarity had chosen to pull her exquisite mane back into a ponytail today, the gentle wave of it falling across her glowing shoulders and down to her hooves, which were crossed daintily before her chest as she too enjoyed the incredible warmth of the sun. She was beautiful as always… but that wasn’t what made Fluttershy’s heart feel like it was going to leap into her throat. No; today, it was something besides Rarity that had set Fluttershy’s mind to spinning, even if the white unicorn had a good deal to do with it.
Today is a very important day, Fluttershy reminded herself. Very, very important… ooh… I hope I can say this the right way, like the Princess suggested…
But she had all day to talk to Rarity, and in spite of her nervousness, Fluttershy was more than willing to spend the majority of the day basking in the sun with the pony she loved. There was no rush… no appointments, no animals to take care of, no fashion fittings, no nothing; just the two mares out for the day, and Fluttershy couldn’t think of anything she would like better.
Next to her, Rarity tossed her mane and made a small, amused sound in her throat. “Oooh, look at this. It seems that our park is slightly less private than it was.”
Fluttershy opened her other eye and blinked in the bright sunlight as she followed Rarity’s gaze; and when she found what her marefriend had been looking at, she giggled in spite of herself. Across the park, two spots of color were making their way through the greenery, one purple with a tri-colored mane who walked sedately, the other bright pink with a curly, bouncy mane who seemed to be bouncing everywhere and anywhere she could; two ponies easily identified as Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie. The duo obviously had the same idea that Fluttershy and Rarity had; to get out and enjoy the beautiful summer day with their special somepony… and to spend it with only that somepony, because even though Fluttershy saw Twilight glance their direction at least once, their friends made no indication that they wanted company.
“I still cannot believe that those two are still together,” Rarity said lightly. “Honestly, I didn’t think that Twilight would be able to stand having Pinkie Pie for a marefriend for more than a week. I mean, honestly, she’s so quiet, and does enjoy her privacy… and Pinkie Pie enjoys exactly the opposite.” She levitated her tea cup to her and took a small sip. “However, one cannot argue with results. Here it is, almost six months after the wedding, and they are still as thick as thieves, even after Pinkie moved in with her. Honestly, I half-expected Twilight to have started going a tad stir-crazy with that party pony in her library, but they seem to be doing very well together.”
Fluttershy just nodded and leaned her cheek against Rarity’s neck; the love-lives of their friends were one of Rarity’s favorite topics of conversation, and even if nothing had changed in those relationships since the last time she’s talked about them, Rarity still enjoyed it… and Fluttershy was more than willing to listen to her gossip, occasionally helping flesh out a particular story that Rarity was vague on.
“Yes… they look very happy,” the yellow Pegasus said softly. “I admit that I’m surprised, too; but they are happy, and that’s what matters.”
Rarity nodded. “I would have to agree with you, but you must admit that they are not what you would call a “clear match”- in fact, if I had been choosing a special somepony for them, they are the last ponies I would have chosen for one another.” A sly smile stole over Rarity’s features as she gazed up at the sky. “Now, a couple that I thought for certain that we would see more of is Rainbow Dash with that fiery Pegasus… ooh, what was her name??”
“Spitfire?” Fluttershy offered helpfully, and Rarity nodded emphatically.
“Yes! Spitfire, of the Wonderbolts!” She sighed dramatically and brushed a stray lock of her purple-blue mane out of her face. “Oh by Celestia they made such a dramatic, dynamic couple. Rainbow Dash with her cyan blue, Spitfire with her burning orange… rainbows and fire, so full of zest! And they had certainly been attracted to each other.” She giggled. “Don’t pretend like you didn’t see them at the reception, Fluttershy- I know you did.”
Fluttershy blushed. There wasn’t any way she couldn’t have seen.
“Two mares, so brash and bold, blazing through the world at each other’s wingtips!” Rarity made a small squeal as she bounced her front hooves rapidly on the blanket. “So perfect!! And yet we haven’t heard anything about them.” She sighed, and after a moment turned one eye casually to Fluttershy. “You haven’t spoken to Rainbow Dash about it recently, have you?” she asked nonchalantly.
“Um… well, actually…” Fluttershy was still very good friends with Rainbow Dash, and there were some things that even Fluttershy’s meager curiosity could not help but pursue.
Rarity gave another small squee and turned rapidly, her hooves touching Fluttershy’s and her nose hovering so close that it brushed up against the Pegasus’ cheek. “Oh Fluttershy, you simply must tell me what you know!” Fluttershy gazed into Rarity’s eyes, and felt that same insistent fluttering in her chest that she’d felt for the better part of two years; when Rarity got excited about something, her azure blue eyes sparkled like the gems they so resembled, and the blue fire simply melted Fluttershy’s heart.
“Well…” she began softly. “I was talking to Rainbow the other day, and she said something about the Wonderbolts… and I did remember her with Spitfire at the wedding, so… so I asked her about it. She told me that they aren’t seeing each other.”
Rarity’s eyes widened and she actually raised and plopped her hoof back down onto Fluttershy’s as she gasped indignantly. “What?! But… but why ever NOT?! They were so perfect for each other..!”
“Well, Rainbow said…” Fluttershy cleared her throat; there was really only one way to say this next part, and when she spoke again she did a reasonable impression of Rainbow Dash’s voice- or what Rainbow would have sounded like if she’d suddenly become stricken by a horrible case of laryngitis. “She was nice and all, but she might be my boss someday. How weird would that be, having your marefriend as your boss?” She coughed lightly into her hoof and swallowed. “That’s what she said,” she concluded in her regular voice.
The unicorn sighed in vexation. “Hmmph. Well, they were still amazing together.” She gave a small growl under her breath. “Rrgh, that is just like Rainbow Dash- throwing something like that away for her future career!”
“Maybe… maybe it isn’t that Rainbow doesn’t want it… maybe it’s that she just isn’t ready for a relationship like that?” Deep down, Fluttershy felt like she knew Rainbow very well, and as tough as the blue mare was, there was simply no way that Rainbow would just throw away something like a chance at happiness with another pony.
Rarity seemed to think so as well, because she turned and smiled up at the sky. “Hmmm… I suppose that you could be right, darling. They do make such a gorgeous couple…” Slowly, her smile grew, and as it did, so did the wonderful feeling in Fluttershy’s chest; if there was one thing in the entire world that made Fluttershy feel alive, it was when Rarity smiled- really, honestly, truly smiled. Nothing could match her beauty when she smiled.
Ever so gently, the subject that Fluttershy wanted to discuss with Rarity tickled the back of her mind, encouraging her to broach the subject sooner rather than later… but Fluttershy only leaned against Rarity a little more, burying her nose in her marefriend’s mane and inhaling deeply of the beautiful lilac that infused it today. Rarity always smelled ever so lightly like fresh silk and spools of thread, but she also used an intoxicating array of perfumes that she purchased every time she went to Canterlot- and each seemed to be more amazing than the last.
Rarity nuzzled her in return. “I can only hope you’re right- everypony deserves to be happy.” She sighed. “And that reminds me… is Applejack still moping around her farm?” Her words may have seemed harsh, but her tone was one of genuine concern, and it made Fluttershy smile ever so slightly. One of the first things you had to learn about Rarity was that you had to listen to her tone, not her words- she often chose her words a bit coldly, but her intentions were always clear in her tonality.
“She’s doing a little better, but…” Fluttershy’s ears drooped. “…yes, she still is.”
“Ugh, that silly mare…” Rarity tossed her mane irritably, though it was clear her irritation was not with Applejack. “I told her she needed to leave that stuffy farm and come see us.” Her jaw clenched slightly. “When was the last time you saw her, Fluttershy?”
“Um… two days ago, when I bought my apples, I think.”
“Did she still have that silly picture beneath her hat?” Rarity asked quietly, as if she feared the answer. Fluttershy only nodded, and Rarity sighed loudly. “She needs to quit skulking on her farm, and either forget about him, or contact him; this… endless pining for that Pegasus is going to be the end of her. I mean, you’ve seen her, Fluttershy! The poor thing barely takes time to run a brush through her mane nowadays, then spends every ounce of her free time working by herself… nopony around but herself and her thoughts. That is not healthy for a mare, not in the least.”
Fluttershy shifted, gently drawing her right wing across Rarity’s back and coaxing a subtle shiver from the unicorn. “Does… she love him?” she asked quietly.
“Darling… of course she does,” Rarity said, giving her a sad smile. “I don’t think poor Applejack had any idea that she would feel so strongly for that dashing Pegasus, but love has a strange way of creeping up on you when you least expect it.” She sighed again. “Aimer et d'être aimée… Something so simple, yet so complex…” She gave a small giggle. “Although… I cannot help but wonder exactly what happened that night, between dear Applejack and… Soarin’? Is that his name?” Fluttershy nodded, and Rarity arched an eyebrow at her. “And don’t try to tell me you haven’t thought of it as well, Fluttershy- those dreadfully obvious marks on Applejack the morning after… one does not get those by simply helping a pony to his room, comprenez?” Rarity’s French was always superb, and it never failed to set Fluttershy’s heart pounding faster… which no doubt encouraged Rarity’s use of it.
“Oui,” Fluttershy said, blushing furiously both at the implication and the sounds of the beautiful language on Rarity’s most supple tongue.
The unicorn giggled again; then suddenly, her eyes went wide, and she clapped a hoof over her mouth. Fluttershy couldn’t help but giggle as well; that was the face that meant Rarity had just thought of something that she hadn’t before. Usually if Fluttershy saw it, it was in her Boutique, when Rarity had been stumped by something for hours on end only to be saved by a brilliant idea at the last moment- if it was outside the Boutique, it was safe to assume that it was something that would be considered scandalous in what Rarity called “finer company”.
“Oh Fluttershy… what if… oh Rarity, that’s almost too much… I really shouldn’t even think such things..!”
Translation- please, PLEASE ask me what I’m thinking!
“Rarity… what is it?” Fluttershy asked, trying to keep from giggling again; Rarity really was so easy to read, sometimes.
“Darling, I was just thinking…” She leaned closer to Fluttershy, her nose brushing gently against the Pegasus’ ear and causing her to blush deeper. “What if… Soarin’ had… well, gotten our poor Applejack pregnant?”
Fluttershy’s eyes shot open, and her entire face turned beet-red. “Oh… b-but he didn’t, did he?! I mean… oh my…”
The white unicorn rolled her eyes and shook her head, tossing her ponytail around behind her. “No, of course he didn’t, Fluttershy- we would have seen it before now if Applejack was pregnant. And besides, she has much more sense than to go around, bedding stallions that she hardly knows.” Rarity hmmph’ed delicately. “She and I may not always see eye-to-eye, but even she has more propriety than that.” But as quickly as it had arrived, the indignation at the insinuation that Applejack might do such a thing melted away, and Rarity’s eyes were bright with speculation again. “But if she had… oh, they wouldn’t be so bad together, would they, Fluttershy..? I cannot imagine how a Pegasus, so used to flying free in cities like Cloudsdale and Windsoar, would cope to being tied down in little old Ponyville… but they did seem to fit together rather well, didn’t they. And the foal, my word! Soarin’, so muscular and athletic; Applejack, so toned and strong… and their colors, dear Celestia… Why, if…” The unicorn trailed off, her eyes staring into a possible future that only she could see.
The mention of a foal sparked against the back of Fluttershy’s mind, and the topic she wanted to broach with Rarity suddenly surged to the forefront with a vengeance, as if to say She just brought it up! She’s giving you the perfect opening!!
And it was right, unfortunately. Fluttershy watched Rarity for a moment longer as the unicorn smiled excitedly up at the sky, as she often did when visualizing something, and before she could stop herself, the Pegasus gave her marefriend’s hoof a gentle squeeze.
“Um… actually Rarity… I wanted to talk to you about something… something like that.”
“Hmm?” Rarity only made this noise when she was very obviously distracted, and it was a dead give-away that she was most assuredly not listening. Fluttershy squeezed her hoof with her foreleg again, a little more firmly this time, and after a moment Rarity’s blue eyes finally returned to the present. “Oh, Fluttershy, what is it darling?”
The normally timid Pegasus felt her confidence begin to flee… but she looked deep into her marefriend’s eyes, at the love and patience she saw there… and she swallowed delicately. Now or never, Fluttershy…
“Well… Y-you were talking about a foal…”
Rarity’s eyes brightened again. “Oh yes, Applejack and Soarin’s foal! Darling, can’t you just see it! Such a handsome colt… or beautiful mare! I can’t decide which would be more becoming, a Pegasus or an earth pony…”
Fluttershy lifted a hoof and touched Rarity’s cheek gently, pulling the unicorn’s gaze back to her own. “Rarity… I don’t want to talk about their foal… I…” She took a deep breath. “I want to talk about ours.”
Rarity’s face slowly faded from peaceful curiosity to a subtle frown. “O-our foal..? Fluttershy… what are you-,”
“Please, Rarity, l-let me finish.” Fluttershy’s cheeks burned beneath Rarity’s gaze as she waited to see if the other mare would continue, but to her surprise Rarity closed her mouth and gave her a subtle nod, her eyes flashing a mixture of emotions so quickly that even Fluttershy could not catch them. The Pegasus took a deep breath. “Rarity… I love you… I love you more than anything in the world. We’ve been together almost six months now… a-and I want to… take our relationship… further.” She smiled and blushed even deeper. “I… I want to have a foal with you, Rarity…”
The unicorn’s mouth dropped open slightly, and Fluttershy was taken aback by the flash of shock she saw in Rarity’s eyes. “A… a foal, Fluttershy?” she asked incredulously. Rarity’s mouth opened again, then snapped closed; she was silent for a long moment, the look of surprise slowly fading from her features, and after a deep, cleansing breath she spoke again, her voice calm and collected. “Darling… if you haven’t noticed, we’re both mares. We can’t exactly have a foal. Well…” she paused, almost as if she were fighting herself on whether or not to continue. After a moment, she continued. “... well, unless we… I suppose that Twilight may know some kind of spell… oh, but no, I would not want Twilight to be involved…” Rarity shifted with what Fluttershy could only describe as mild discomfort at the thought. “And other than that… I suppose the only way would be to have a… a donor of some kind… but then it wouldn’t be…” She sighed harshly and thumped her front right hoof on the blanket. “Fluttershy, I work very hard to keep this figure, and having a foal would simply destroy it.” She turned her eyes back to the Pegasus, her lips pursed in what was most definitely a gentle pout. “Is that what you’re suggesting that you want, darling?”
Fluttershy shifted slightly, pressing a bit more up against Rarity- the unicorn’s amazingly soft coat soothed her nerves, and gave her the surge of courage she needed to finish… even giving her enough to overlook Rarity’s less than favorable reaction to the idea. “No Rarity, of course not… I-I’ve been sending letters back and forth with Princess Celestia for the last month or so…” She took a deep breath again. “…and after lots of paperwork… She has agreed to let us use the Foal Mirror.”
The unicorn’s eyes widened again, and understanding slowly blossomed in their depths. “The Foal Mirror…” she said, almost reverently. Fluttershy nodded, some of her earlier eagerness returning. The Foal Mirror was something that most ponies had heard of at least in passing, and as a unicorn Rarity had most certainly heard of it- Fluttershy had been told by Twilight that each and every unicorn learned about the Mirror as part of their magical studies, even if it was often nothing more than a point of interest. Rarity’s mind was working furiously, even if she managed to maintain her outward calm. “The Foal Mirror,” she repeated again, more softly this time. “I… I never thought in all my life that I may get to see it…”
Fluttershy leaned forward, unable to contain her excitement. “Oh Rarity, wouldn’t it be amazing?? To get to go with the Princess to the Mirror… to get to see it, to be in the room when the Princess touches it… To… to have a foal of our own…” She felt her eyes start to burn ever so slightly, and she blinked to try and chase it away. “To have a foal to raise as ours… together forever?”
Perhaps it was the tears in her eyes, or perhaps it was the sunlight blinding her temporarily… but she could have sworn she saw a flash of panic cross Rarity’s face at the word forever. She blinked extra hard, trying to rid herself of the offending tears, and by the time she could see again, Rarity’s face was carefully neutral.
“Well… I-I certainly cannot say that I haven’t thought about being a mother someday…” the unicorn said softly. “But… but isn’t this a little… soon, darling?”
Fluttershy’s face fell, and in spite of herself she felt her tears began to return. “Oh… d-does that mean… that you don’t want to..? I… I…” Somehow… somehow Fluttershy had never even considered that Rarity might say no; that after all the seemingly endless forms that Fluttershy had filled out in secret, that after everything she had asked the Princess to make sure that she could give a foal a good home that Rarity might not share her enthusiasm, her excitement at the prospect of bringing a new life into the world. She felt the tears in her eyes begin to overflow, their warmth slowly marching down her flushed cheeks.
Rarity’s face slowly began to lose its neutrality at the prospect of Fluttershy’s tears; finally, just when Fluttershy felt the first sob start to work its way into her throat, the white unicorn sighed again, a sound so soft that the Pegasus almost missed it.
“Please… don’t cry, Fluttershy… I’ll do it,” she said gently.
Fluttershy’s sob broke free from her chest, and the tears that had started out of disappointment suddenly surged forward with a brand new purpose; before she could stop herself Fluttershy lurched forward and tackled Rarity to the blanket, wrapping her forelegs around her beautiful white neck and pulling her as close as she possibly could.
“Rarity… oh Rarity…” she gasped, her tears flowing freely. “Thank you… I love you so much… thank you…”
After a moment she felt the gentle pressure from her marefriend’s hooves around her, pulling her close. The yellow Pegasus nestled against her, letting herself feel safe and secure in the arms of one she loved so dearly. Rarity sighed, the gentle warmth of her breath tickling Fluttershy’s ear.
“I love you too, Fluttershy,” she whispered, those five simple words that made Fluttershy’s life worth every hardship she had ever faced…
…but if Fluttershy had listened closely, she would have heard something different in those words, the seeds of which would grow to change everything she knew and loved-
-the subtle, wheedling touch of doubt.