A few days had gone by since my return to Equestria whereupon I’d also gotten my new job as a masseur at the Ponyville Day Spa shortly following. With my arrival back to my homeland, there were definitely some adjustments that needed to be made to the status quo I’d previously followed. First off was making sure that I woke up in time for work. This had been tough for me as the last time I’d previously held a real job was about 8 years ago and, as a result, I’d fallen out of the habit of waking up early.
Secondly, I was quickly reminded that Equestria didn’t have nearly as many of the technological advances that modern society back on Earth had. Therefore, certain amenities like cell phones, TVs, and computers among other things were practically non-existent here. That isn’t to say that Equestria was completely bereft of anything resembling modern technology; there were still turntables, speaker systems, arcade consoles, and carnival rides that I was sure must require some form of energy in order to run effectively.
In the last few days, Rainbow had been running me through some pretty rigorous training whenever I had the freetime in order to get me back into better shape. To say that my body was sore from the workout would be the understatement of the decade. From the intense wing-ups to the several dozen laps through an obstacle course she’d created just for the occasion, I didn’t know if my bones would ever be able to relax again for weeks.
At least on this day, I was meeting with Rarity at the boutique so that she could take some measurements in preparation for the Grand Galloping Gala. Being that the Gala itself was a little more than a week away, Rarity needed my measurements as soon as possible if she was going to get my new outfit done in time. Thankfully, measurements wouldn’t be anywhere near as tiring or bone-aching as Rainbow’s workouts had been.
After a quick breakfast from Sugarcube Corner, I swiftly made my way over to the Carousel Boutique, at least, as swiftly as I could without over exerting myself. Even my wings were aching from all the exercise they’d been subjected to. Reaching my destination, I knocked on the door in a little pattern that I’d adopted long ago.
Tap. Tap. Taptap Tap.
It was hardly 10 seconds after knocking before the door opened and I was greeted by Fluttershy.
“Oh. Good morning, David,” she greeted softly.
“Good mornin’, Flutters. Whachu up to here?”
It was then that a confused expression crossed her face before she replied.
“Don’t you remember? I volunteered to help Rarity out with her orders as well as taking your measurements.”
The spark of realization lit up my face as I recalled the moment from those few short days ago.
“Oh right! Sorry fer fergettin’ ‘bout that Fluttershy. Ah’ve jus’ had a lot o’ stuff Ah’ve been tryin’ ta 'just to as of late.”
“That’s perfectly fine. Um, would you like to come in?”
“Sure.”
Fluttershy moved over to let me through as I stepped into the boutique. Upon crossing the threshold, one particular memory came rushing over me. The last time I’d been to this boutique was when me and Savannah were trying to find answers as to why my friends were losing their souls and why I was slowly transforming full-on into a pony after absorbing their souls in order to protect them. I sadly sighed inwardly at that memory and the implications that came along with it: I’d been able to protect my friends, but, when it came to my wife and daughter, I wasn’t able to do the same. What did that say about me as a person?
“David!” Rarity greeted, snapping me out of my thoughts. “It’s soo good to have you here at such an early hour of the day. We’ve been waiting for you.”
Taking in the sight of Rarity with her red rimmed glasses perched on her muzzle and the roll of measuring tape she held with her magic, I could definitely tell that the latter statement rang true. Just how long they’d been waiting for me, I couldn’t quite guess.
“Please, follow me this way,” Rare continued as she and Fluttershy led me to one of the upper rooms which I quickly recognized as the formers bedroom.
This led to no small amount of confusion on my part. Why would she take me to her bedroom for measurements? The sight of several mannequins (pony-quins?) and mirrors only perplexed me even more.
“Umm… what’re we doin’ in yer bedroom, Rare?” I puzzled. “Ah thought we were supposed ta be takin’ ma measurements.”
“Oh we are, darling. My bedroom serves more than just one purpose you know. It doubles as an additional workspace for more personal projects such as when I’m busy making Gala outfits for my friends.”
“Ahh.”
Fluttershy then closed the bedroom door behind us before grabbing a notepad and pencil from a nearby table.
“Now, if you please, I’d appreciate it greatly if you would remove your clothes so we can get started.”
My pupils quickly dilated at Rarity’s request. There was no way that I could’ve heard that right.
“Ah-Ah’m sorry. Wh-wh-what was that?” I stammered.
“We need you to please remove your clothes in order to get started.”
“What in tha actual ass does takin’ ma clothes off have anythin’ ta do with whether or not we can get started!?!”
“Well you can’t very well expect me to get proper measurements with your clothes in the way, especially those baggy pants and leather jacket you’re wearing. You forget that I don’t have any human shaped models at my disposal so I’m required to go by whatever measurements I can get off of you and, in order to do so, the numbers absolutely must be as on point as possible.”
“O.K.,” I relented, “but can Ah please at leas’ keep ma boxers on.”
“If you must.”
“Trus’ me. Ah must.”
“Very well then.”
With those words of confirmation, I carefully removed my jacket, shirt, and pants til only my boxers remained. Both the girls were greeted by quite a sight as they gazed upon my exposed torso. Even with it only being a few days since I’d first arrived back in Equestria, thanks to Rainbow’s workout regimen, the extra belly fat was diminishing exponentially with the beginnings of a six-pack making their presence known.
“Oh my!” Fluttershy commented, staring wide-eyed as a heavy blush formed on her face. “It looks like all that exercise with Rainbow Dash has been paying off.”
“Indeed it does,” Rarity remarked. “Would you mind holding one of your arms out to the side?”
I complied as Rarity raised her measuring tape to find the length from my wrist to my shoulder.
“Fluttershy, please take a note: Subject’s arm length is 22 in. long.”
Pencil in mouth, Fluttershy began scribbling down the numbers she was given as Rarity continued.
“36 in. for the leg aaand… 40 in. for the waist. Now, if you wouldn’t mind turning around, I’d like to get some measurements on your wings.”
Doing as I was told, I turned my back to her and spread out my wings as Rarity resumed her measuring.
“I’ve got a measurement of 9 in. at the base with the bases of both wings being 6 in. apart from each other.”
Stretching out the tape to find out my wingspan, I heard Rarity let out a soft gasp.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” I questioned.
“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all, darling,” Rarity quickly added. “I was just intrigued by the measurements of your wings.”
“What’d you find out, Rarity?” Fluttershy posed the question, equally as curious as I was.
“That David’s wingspan is only about a few inches longer than his normal arm span.”
“Oh my! That’s still considerably long even compared to his arm length.”
At the comments that both Rare and Flutters were making about how large my wings were, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the last time I was in Equestria when those mares from the Crystal Empire were pointing at me and giggling amongst themselves when I’d visited to get Crystal’s dark magic (and the split personality that came with it) removed from me by the 2 sisters. It wasn’t until after I saw myself in a mirror, namely how large my wings were in my pony state, that I came to the conclusion that both of the Crystal mares had been commenting on my “wing size”.
“Well then,” Rarity began, “I’m quite sure that that’s all the measurements I need from you, David. You may put your clothes back on now.”
As I put my pants, shirt, and jacket back on, I winced at the soreness of my body from Rainbow’s intense workout routine. This didn’t go unnoticed by the 2 mares.
“Are you alright, David?” Fluttershy questioned, concern evident in her tone.
“Oh yeah. Ah’m O.K. Jus’ a lil sore from that regimen Rainbow’s been puttin’ me through as of late.”
“Oh Rainbow,” Rarity remarked. “I should’ve known her training would be too much for you. When is she ever going to learn that not everypony is on the same level as her when it comes to that sort of thing?”
“Oh Ah don’ mind it too much. Ah mean, if she hadn’t been pushin’ me as hard as she was, Ah might not’ve gotten as close ta gettin’ that six-pack you ladies saw earlier.”
“Your six-pack does look very nice,” Flutters started, “but, still, it seems like you need someplace to let your body settle and relax, give yourself a break from all that working out. Fortunately, I think I know the perfect place for you to do that.”
“Where’s that?”
“Sweet Feather Sanctuary.”
A look of confusion swiftly crossed my face before I spoke back up.
“Never heard of it.”
“It’s a beautiful and peaceful animal sanctuary that I had built near my cottage shortly after all of us got back from visiting you, Savannah, and Ariel in your world.”
That explained it. Based off of what Fluttershy had told me and my knowledge of the show before I’d stopped watching it, it sounded like the sanctuary hadn’t been constructed until sometime shortly after the start of Season 7 and I’d stopped watching the show after the Season 6 Finale. That would’ve put their visit with me and Savannah directly between those 2 seasons.
“The sanctuary is mostly meant to be a place for all kinds of animals with all kinds of illnesses or physical infirmities to come to until they can get back on their paws,” Fluttershy continued. “That being said, all of my friends are always more than welcome to go there should any of them need someplace to relax themselves. As my friend, you’re no different.”
“Wow. Thanks, Flutters,” I replied as I went over to hug her.
“Oh you’re welcome,” she smiled softly, accepting the hug. “You just take as long as you need to let your bones rest. I might just stop by there myself to check in on you after I’m done here.”
“Ah’d like that a lot.”
Even as Fluttershy smiled back at me, I couldn’t help but notice, for the briefest moment, a twinge of sadness in her eyes; her eyes lined slightly with age since I’d last seen her and my other friends.
“Quite I’m sure,” Rarity added. “In the meantime, I’ll just need Fluttershy for a little bit longer while I figure out what direction to go in with your outfit. Once that’s figured out, I should have it to you within the next 4 days or so, but I can assure you that it’ll definitely be ready well before the Gala.”
“Thanks Rare. Ah’m sure it’ll be fabulous as usual.”
“Oh flatterer,” Rarity giggled in response. “I’ll see you later, David.”
“Same here,” I followed up before turning to face Fluttershy, “‘n Ah’ll see you whenever yer finished up here.”
“Definitely,” Flutters answered back.
And so, with that business taken care of and a good rest of the day open for whatever, I made my way over to Fluttershy’s Sweet Feather Sanctuary for a little bit of R&R. As I made my way over to my destination, several thoughts were running through my mind. Strangely enough, all of those thoughts centered around one individual: Fluttershy.
First of all, I thought about how Fluttershy seemed to be looking for whatever opportunity she could to spend time with me, whether that meant helping Rarity out with taking my measurements or even now saying that she’d check up on me at the sanctuary once she was done. At first, I figured that it was just her trying to make up for lost time, but none of my other friends were going that far out of their way to hang out with me. They still made time once in a while, but Fluttershy was on a whole nother level when it came to the lengths she took towards spending time with me.
Secondly, I thought back to only a short while ago at the Carousel Boutique. Namely, after I’d removed my shirt to reveal the beginnings of my six-pack. In that moment, Fluttershy had blushed vividly. I hadn’t thought much about it at the time, but then she’d made a comment about how nice my six-pack looked shortly following my reveal. The thought then came to my mind: could Fluttershy possibly be crushing on me?
Finally, I thought of my own interactions with Flutters leading up to me exiting the boutique. In particular, one snippet played through my mind consistently.
…I might just stop by there myself to check in on you after I’m done here.
Ah’d like that a lot.
Ah’d like that a lot? Where had that come from all of a sudden? Even before said exchange, I’d gone up and hugged her tightly. Why did I do that? But thinking back on that hug, another realization came to mind: I’d enjoyed it! Not in the same way that I’d enjoyed the hugs from my other friends when I’d returned to Ponyville several days prior, but enjoyed holding her close to me. I’d not felt a sensation like this since before Savannah was murdered: the feeling of holding a girl I genuinely cared about close in my arms like that. I’d missed that feeling.
As I continued on my way to the sanctuary, a strange revelation dawned on me: maybe it wasn’t just a simple matter of Fluttershy crushing on me? Maybe I was just as easily crushing on her back?
* * * * * * * *
Not too much later, I was at Fluttershy’s sanctuary laying back on a hammock while enjoying the peace and serenity of my surroundings. The hammock that I was resting in was hanging from 2 palm trees over near a waterfall, the sound of which only added to the relaxing environment. As I lay in the hammock, I noticed several different animals who had taken up residence in this sanctuary.
Those that I could see were a giraffe, a couple of koalas, a family of raccoons, a wolf, a fox, several beavers, the occasional otter, and far more birds than I could name at the moment. Watching all of them from my perch, they all seemed to keep to themselves for the most part. In that moment, all I could think of was that even Walt Disney himself had nothing on this place. Bambi, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty? Fuck those movies! This sanctuary was the real deal.
Laying back in my hammock, I began to close my eyes when my attention was captured by the shadow of something small flying high above me. The shape of whatever it was looked like it possibly belonged to a dragon, but I couldn’t quite make out who it was nor were my wings in any state to fly up there and find out who it was. With that in mind, I decided to call out to the individual who owned said shadow.
“Hey wait a minute! Who are you?!?” I questioned out loud.
The mysterious figure apparently heard my call out to them as they stopped briefly before flying down to where I was. As the figure came in for a landing, I was greeted by an orange, female dragon with light gold ear fronds (honestly looking quite a lot like horns) and spines of a rich purple. This was a rather strange moment as the 2 of us got a good look at each other, both knowing that we’d never seen the other before.
“Yer… yer a dragon,” I finally uttered.
“Yeah? And what are you?” she posed the question, not out of malicious intent but genuine curiosity.
“Ah’m a human… at least Ah’m partially human. Tha other part o’ me is actually Alicorn.”
“Oh. That explains why you have pony wings and pony ears.”
“Yup. Tha only thing, though, is that nopony around here who remembers me bein’ here in tha past remembers me bein’ part Alicorn.”
“I can see how something like that must be strange to adjust to. Anyways, my name is Smolder,” she greeted, extending her claw to me.
“Ah’m Dayvid,” I replied as I accepted hers in mine.
After having stated my name, Smolder’s eyes grew wide out of disbelief.
“No way! You’re the same David that Headmaster Twilight and her friends talked about at the School Of Friendship! At least before she moved to Canterlot to rule Equestria. Back when the school was first opened, they told stories to us about how you defeated that hag who’d tried to take over the land. Of course, that was a long time ago, back when I was just a student there.”
Hearing Smolder’s recollection of my story being told to her and others at the school got me wondering about the possibility that my friends’ memories could’ve been altered and what might’ve altered them seeing as they had no memory of me being an Alicorn Prince.
“Just out of curiosity, Smolder, how did Twilight ‘n her friends say that Ah defeated tha hag?”
It wasn’t long after the question had escaped my lips that Fluttershy came flying up to join the 2 of us.
“Hi David. Hi Smolder,” she pleasantly greeted. “What’s going on?”
“Oh hey Flutters. Ah was jus’ talkin’ ta Smolder ‘bout tha stories you guys told tha students ‘bout me ‘n Ah was wonderin’ how you guys said Ah went about defeatin’ that hag from long ago.”
“Oh my. It’s been quite a while since anypony’s ever asked me to tell them about how you defeated the hag. They’d mostly ask our other friends to talk about it.”
“Do ya still remember tha details?”
“Oh of course I do. You sacrificed yourself to the hag for us when she wanted to steal our souls and, along with it, our magic. After your sacrifice and because you stood up for all of us, the magic inside each and every pony there was awakened and willingly given up, albeit briefly, in order to bring you back to life, allowing you to strip the hag of her own dark magic and banish her to Tartarus.”
Fluttershy paused for a moment before speaking back up, ears folded back and a twinge of pain in her tone.
“At least, that’s how we remembered it. With all that you’ve said to the contrary, I’m honestly not sure what to believe anymore.”
The same pained expression that Fluttershy bore crossed my face just as quickly. After a few seconds of awkward silence, I finally replied to Flutters with the only thing I could think of to say at the time.
“It’s O.K., Flutters. Yer not tha only one ta feel confused ‘n lost in all o’ this. Hopefully, we can find out tha truth sometime later on.”
It was then when a soft smile slowly made its way to her face at my words of encouragement before Smolder directed conversation back to me.
“I also remember them telling us about how you had a wife and a daughter at one point, but that your wife was murdered and your daughter taken from you long ago,” she stated, solemnly. “By Dragon Lord Ember, I’m beyond sorry for your loss.”
“Ah ‘ppreciate yer condolences, Smolder.”
“How long ago did this happen according to time back where you live?”
“Back on Earth? It’s been a little over 5 years since Savannah’s murder ‘n Ariel’s kidnappin’. Accordin’ ta Earth time, Ariel would’ve been ‘bout 6 years-old by this point. But enough ‘bout that. How long have ya been here in Ponyville fer?”
“Quite a while actually. It’s probably been a little over 20 years now that I’ve been living here since first starting school. Of course, I was just a kid at that time. Having wings definitely helps me get around a lot easier than just walking. Almost makes me wonder how it must’ve been for Spike to get around before he molted and got his own wings.”
“Ah can definitely vouch fer that. Ma own wings are a major convenience fer me ta get where Ah need ta go… at least when they’re not overly sore from workin’ out too much,” I chuckled.
“Have you at least been able to relax a little bit more here?” Fluttershy questioned.
“Oh yeah. Definitely. Ah could prob’ly see maself comin’ here quite a few times in tha near future whenever Ah might have tha time off.”
“That’s good to hear. Just know that you’re always welcome at the sanctuary.”
I smiled softly as I looked down and noticed an albino mouse, curiously coming over to check me out. Wanting to pick it up and hold it, I slowly extended my hand to grab it by the base of the tail. However, Fluttershy was quick to object.
“What’re you doing?!?” she blurted out, nearly startling me and the mouse.
“Ah’m sorry!” I quickly reacted. “Ah was jus’ gonna pick ‘im up ‘n hold ‘im.”
“Well you can’t do it like that,” Fluttershy softly continued. “You might handle rodents that way back on Earth, but things are different here in Equestria. If you want to pick up the mouse, you first need to hold your hand out in front of him so he can become familiar with your scent. After that, the mouse will decide for himself if he wants to climb into your hand.”
Following Flutters’ instructions, I gently held my hand out in front of the mouse for him to sniff. After a few brief seconds of sniffing, the mouse climbed into my hand where I gently lifted him up and used my other hand to stroke his soft, white, fluffy fur. He seemed to enjoy this a lot as I could feel him “purring”, for lack of a better word, in my hand.
“There. Now doesn’t that feel better?”
“Yeah actually,” I answered.
“Plus you don’t have to worry about causing him to stress out or panic from being picked up by the tail.”
I then giggled softly as the mouse began licking the hand I was holding him in. This didn’t go unnoticed by Fluttershy as she also giggled and smiled before continuing.
“Aww. Look, he likes you. Of course, with somepony like you, what’s not to like?”
At that comment, I couldn’t help but blush vividly while being reminded of my former ponderings of Fluttershy not long after leaving Rarity’s boutique to come here. However, I decided to keep those thoughts to myself, at least for the time being.
“So Ah take it that all went well with you ‘n Rarity?”
“Oh yes. It only took Rarity several minutes of sketching to come up with an idea for your outfit. After that, she said that I could go and that she’d call on me when she needed help with the more detailed elements of the piece.”
“Ah’m positive that, if there’s any pony other than Rarity who’d have as keen of an eye towards detail, it’d be you, Flutters.”
Now it was Fluttershy’s turn to blush at my remark.
“Thanks.”
“Yer welcome.”
“Well,” Smolder began, “if the 2 of you don’t mind, I’ve got an important get together with Ocellus I need to attend too. It was nice meeting you David.”
“Nice meetin’ you too, Smolder.”
And with a quick flapping of her wings, Smolder was off into the sky, leaving only me and Flutters alone with each other.
“Who in tha world is Ocellus?” I posed the question after Smolder had flown out of proximity and after placing the mouse down.
“She’s a Changeling who used to attend the School Of Friendship many years ago.”
“A Changelin’, huh?”
“Mhmm. Quite a lot has changed since you last visited here.”
“Apparently.”
“So how are you enjoying your new job at the day spa?”
“Pretty well actually. It’s just soo nice ta have somethin’ productive ta do with ma time, even if it has taken a little bit o’ time adjustin’ too. Plus, havin’ a steady flow of income is always a nice bonus.”
“Naturally,” Fluttershy giggled.
There was something about the way she giggled that awakened something inside me that was incredibly hard to describe. Simply referring to the sensation as “the warm fuzzy wuzzies” would’ve only been scratching the surface. What I was feeling at that moment ran much deeper.
“I was actually planning on visiting the spa myself sometime in the near future. It’s been awhile since me and Rarity have had a spa day together.”
“It’d definitely be nice ta see a pretty fa- uh Ah mean… friendly face at work,” I stammered.
What was I doing? I’d been able to talk to Fluttershy plenty of other times in the past without tripping over my tongue. Why was this moment any different? I desperately looked for something to change the subject.
“Well, Ah’d better get goin’ now.”
“Why?” Flutters questioned with a twinge of disappointment in her tone.
“It’s lunchtime.”
“Oh. Right. I guess I’ll see you later then?”
“Of course. Ah’m gonna be here fer quite a while so Ah’m sure that there’ll be no shortage of moments fer us ta hang out together.”
“Just the 2 of us?”
That question caught me off guard for a moment before I finally answered.
“Umm… sure. Ah don’ see why not.”
“Great! See you later, David.”
“You too, Flutters.”
As I flew back towards Ponyville to see about grabbing lunch, thoughts of Fluttershy kept swirling through my mind; in particular, our most recent interactions with each other. There was no longer any doubt that she harbored feelings for me. Anyone else could’ve seen that easily.
However, the more shocking revelation with possibly even less doubt associated with it was that I now knew that I felt the same way towards her. For the first time in 5 years, I felt like I’d finally found someone to love again. Even then, though, there was one problematic thought in the forefront of my mind: I’m a human in love with a pony!
* * * * * * * *
A few more days had passed since my interactions with Fluttershy, both at Rarity’s boutique and at Sweet Feather Sanctuary. Over those days, it was business as usual; Rainbow put me through plenty more exercises to the point that my torso was much more sculpted than when I’d first arrived and my new spa job was going along rather well. Every once in awhile, I’d go to check and see how progress was coming along on my new home. As much as I appreciated Twilight letting me stay in her old castle, where Starlight had apparently now taken up residence, I was intensely eager to have my own place to live in where I could have some sense of independence.
From the last time I’d checked on my home’s construction, I was quite impressed. The workers were crafting my home from polished marble and the sheer size of it was magnificent with a strong resemblance to a Gothic Cathedral like Notre Dame. The funny thing was that I had dreamed up something quite similar to this not long after arriving back in Ponyville. Part of me began to wonder if, with Princess Luna having stepped down from the throne with Princess Celestia long before I’d arrived back here, Twilight was now in charge of overseeing the dreams of her subjects? It seemed to make the most logical sense as there was no other way anypony could’ve known about the aforementioned dream I’d had. If so, I was quite grateful to Twilight for seeing to it that the workers built my house according to my designs.
Even with the past week having flown by the way it did, very little was able to distract my thoughts from the realization I’d reached only a few days prior: that Fluttershy held feelings for me and I secretly felt the exact same way towards her. What could’ve possibly led up to this? Why, after Savannah’s murder 5 years ago, did I only just now find somebody to love? And, most importantly in the forefront of my mind, why a pony?
As you the reader already know, it’s considered a very taboo subject to bring up relationships of that nature between a human and a non-human creature. Even as a Christian, I knew that bestiality was forbidden thousands of years ago when the Bible was first being written. As such, I’d never been attracted to animals back on Earth. That being said, Fluttershy (who had also been my absolute favorite pony from the show now that I thought about it) never seemed like any of the animals I’d come across for the first 20 years of my life on Earth nor did any other pony I’d met in Equestria for that matter.
Even when I’d first started watching the show 8 years before, my mind told me that I was looking at ponies, but, deep down inside, I felt like all of them were individuals no different than any human I’d ever come across in my life. They were much more real to me; humans who just so happened to be in pony form. However, if they felt more like humans to me than anything else, why was I still bothering over having feelings for a pony?
That singular thought kept running through my mind over and over those past few days with no sign of an answer coming anytime in the near future. At the current moment, I was far more focused on my work as a masseur at the day spa. Just as Rarity had predicted, I was in very high demand as the only masseur with fingers. This also proved to be quite a profitable career choice for me as I’d quickly amassed a sizable quantity of bits to make a decent living off of.
At that moment, I just so happened to be giving a deep tissue massage to Lyra; it was the 6th time she’d been to the spa since I’d officially started working there and she always made sure to set up her massage appointments with me. Every. Single. Time. I was pretty sure that Lyra only ever came to the spa nowadays because of her well-known fascination with humans and eagerness to receive massages from one any opportunity she got, but who was I to complain if I had a loyal, well-paying customer? It just went to show that I was clearly doing something right.
After a good few minutes of the knife-hand technique along her back to loosen up any remaining tightness, my session with her was over as she hopped off of the massage table.
“Great job as usual, David,” she commented. “Same time tomorrow?”
“Sure thing,” I replied.
“O.K. then. See you later.”
And with that, Lyra left the chamber rejuvenated as I called out for my next customer.
“Ah’m ready fer tha nex’ client,” I called out.
Within only a few short seconds of me making my announcement, the door opened as my next customer walked into the chamber. However, nothing could’ve prepared me for who happened to step through that door.
“Fluttershy?!?”
Sure enough, there she was, the same mare that secretly made my heart beat just that extra bit faster every time I saw her, here to get a massage from me.
“Hi, David,” she replied simply. “Umm… I heard you call out for the next customer so… here I am.”
After a brief several seconds of just staring at her in silent shock, my brain reset and I spoke up.
“Yes. Yes you are. Please, hop up on tha table.”
I was mildly embarrassed by the way those words had soo awkwardly and stiltedly come out, but Flutters didn’t seem to pay any mind to it as she got herself comfortable on the massage table.
“How ya doin’ today, Flutters?” I questioned, trying to make smalltalk.
“Oh I’ve been doing well,” she answered back, “just been looking forward to getting a massage here from one of my closest friends. Everypony’s been talking about how great your massages are so I finally decided I had to come here and experience it for myself.”
The foreknowledge that this was the first massage session that I’d ever performed on Fluttershy didn’t make me any less anxious as I shakily popped my knuckles and got in position to begin. As I held out my hands above her back, I found it impossible for me to lower them. My hands were trembling uncontrollably. Why couldn’t I do this? Why couldn’t I bring myself to massage her just like every other mare who’d come into the massage chamber?
Because Fluttershy wasn’t like every other mare that I’d massaged before. The feelings I had towards her were soo strong and overwhelming that I couldn’t bring myself to touch her in this way, even if just for a massage. Her body was sacred and I wasn’t worthy of laying even my pinkie on her in that manner.
“Is everything O.K., David?” Fluttershy asked.
When I struggled to come up with a reply, she turned her head around and noticed my hands trembling the way they were. She was quick to speak up about this.
“Oh my! David, you’re trembling. Here. Let me help you.”
Reaching her hooves over towards my hands, she took them in hers, gently, in an attempt to make the tremors stop. Sure enough, my hands gradually settled.
“Does that help?”
Speechless, I simply nodded before she continued.
“Now let’s try again.”
Guiding my hands softly onto her back, with some pretty damn impressive dexterity, she assumed the position on the table so that I could get started. With only a few seconds hesitation this time, I slowly began massaging her, gradually working my way into it. Before long, it was like the trembling had never happened as I soothingly ran my fingers along the base of her wings, working all the way down to her wingtips much to her moaning pleasure.
After finishing off her wings, I continued the massage from her shoulders down her spine to the base of her tail.
“Mmmm,” she moaned happily. “This feels beautiful, David.”
“Then ya’ll love this.”
Moving my hands back up her spine, I stopped at the back of her head whereupon I placed one hand there and the other on her neck directly where the spine meets the base of the skull. It was then that I massaged her neck and head while simultaneously running my fingers through her mane in the process. Her mane was soo long, silky, and beautifully maintained that it flowed through my fingers with little effort. As I tenderly caressed her mane, I could smell the ever familiar scent of lavender emanating from it almost immediately.
It was only a few minutes after starting said massage that I could feel that Fluttershy had completely melted into my touch. Any tension that she might’ve started out with was nowhere to be found.
“Do ya feel up fer ma karate chop technique, Flutters?” I posed the question to her.
“Uh huh,” she answered back in the affirmative. “Just… please be careful not to do it too hard.”
“As you wish.”
As I began the final stage of the massage, I was grateful that I’d had as much experience with the technique as I had, especially in the realm of exercising restraint when it came to handling Fluttershy. Come to think of it, I was also sure that Fluttershy felt the same level of gratitude for my restraint in the matter.
Before long, her session with me was over as she gently hopped down from the massage table.
“How’d ya like it?”
A soft smile came to her face.
“Honestly,” she began, “other ponies’ accounts of your massages just don’t do them justice. You truly do have a gift, David, and I’m glad that I got the chance to experience it.”
I could feel the butterflies in my chest and the heat rising to my face as I answered her.
“Why…,” I paused, “thanks, Flutters. Ya have no idea how much that means ta me, ‘specially comin’ from ma closest friend.”
Fluttershy blushed back deeply as she stroked one forehoof with the other before speaking back up.
“I guess I’d better be going. I’ll be sure to book my next appointment with you, whenever that may be,” she stated while turning to leave.
“Wait!” I called out, abruptly.
This caused Fluttershy to stop right in her tracks before turning back to face me.
“Yes, David?”
The two of us locked eyes and I couldn’t help but feel no small amount of sadness as I looked at the lines under hers. Where this sadness had come from I didn’t know, but I quickly tried to banish it from my mind, all the while struggling for a few seconds to find the right words I wanted to say to her.
No biggie. Just tell the most beautiful mare in all Equestria what you’re really thinking.
Finally, I spoke.
“Maybe…,” I fumbled, “Ah could… stop by yer place sometime… ‘n Ah could give ya massages then.”
Her eyes lit up with a light that I’d never seen from her before.
“I’d… I’d really like that.”
“O.K.,” I smiled. “Ah guess it’s a date then.”
No sooner had the words escaped my lips than I mentally facepalmed myself. A date? Was there really no better wordage I could’ve used? Flutters’ voice drew me out of that moment.
“I guess so,” she giggled, making my heart pitter patter even more. “Oh wait. I just remembered. Rarity wanted me to let you know that your outfit is nearly ready for the Grand Galloping Gala. She says you can come by the day after tomorrow to pick it up.”
“Thanks. Ah’ll remember that.”
“Well… I guess I’ll see you later then. Either before or at the Gala itself.”
“Yup. See ya later, Flutters.”
She smiled softly back before exiting the chamber. As I continued on the rest of my work day, giving massages to client after client, my mind was still strongly focused on Fluttershy. I now knew for certain that I was in love with her. All that “bestiality” bullshit I’d worried about before was shoved from my mind instantly. If loving her was wrong, I sure as hell didn’t want to be right.
With my thoughts dwelling so heavily on the mare that I loved, only one major question still remained: how would I go about letting her know how I truly felt about her?
* * * * * * * *
As sure as I’d stated to Fluttershy, I awoke 2 days after her visit to the spa remembering the need to drop by Rarity’s boutique to pick up my Gala outfit. I was quite anxious to find out what the 2 of them had come up with over the past several days since they’d taken my measurements, especially seeing as the Gala was now only a couple of days away. Knowing Rarity, there was no way that she would disappoint, whatever she came up with.
Before I could go over to the boutique, I knew that I needed to grab something for breakfast. With that thought in my mind, I made my way over to Sugarcube Corner to grab a quick muffin. Upon entering the court of confectionaries, I was greeted by Pinkie Pie at the front counter.
“Welcome, Davey,” she spoke up with eagerness. “What can I get for you today?”
“Hey, Pinkie. Ah’d like ta get one Lemon Muffin Surprise ta go.”
“Comin’ right up,” she replied, reaching into the display counter.
Retrieving the sweet citrus delicacy and putting it into a paper bag, she hoofed the bag off to me whereupon I handed over a few bits to her.
“Thanks,” I stated.
“You’re welcome.”
“Mommy? Who’s that?” a small voice came from over near the swinging doors of the kitchen.
Looking in the direction of the voice, I saw a little yellow colt with a frizzy pink mane and tail much like Pinkie’s giving me a quizzical look over. It wasn’t long before Pinkie spoke back up.
“Oh hey, honey. This is your Uncle Davey. He’s an old friend of mine.”
“Oh. O.K. Hi Uncle Davey!”
“Hey little buddy,” I spoke up before turning to Pinkie. “Ah didn’ know ya had a son.”
“Oh yeah. That’s Li’l Cheese, my and Cheese Sandwich’s little colt.”
“Good ta know. Well Ah’ve gotta get goin’ over ta Rarity’s ta see ma Gala outfit, but Ah’ll catch ya sometime later.”
“Okie Dokie Lokie.”
“It was nice meetin’ ya Li’l Cheese.”
“You too Uncle Davey,” he piped up. “Come again soon.”
And so with breakfast taken care of and a smile on my face, I made my way over to the Carousel Boutique, eating my muffin as I flew. My smile only remained on my face for a short period as, while flying over there, I thought a little more about the sadness that I’d experienced just a couple days ago, namely how it arose after noticing the lines under Flutters’ eyes. I’d tried not to dwell on it too much, but at that moment I finally realized why it was that that had been bothering me.
Thinking back on how much time had passed since we’d last seen each other, according to Earth time, it had been 5 years since that last visit, yet, for some reason, I looked no different now than I did back then. With Fluttershy, 20 years had passed by since she’d last seen me. Not only had 4 times as much time passed in Equestria, but she had also visibly aged in that time, quite possibly being several years older than I currently am. But if she looked that different since I’d last seen her while my appearance hadn’t changed at all, where was the explanation for that?
Suddenly, it came to my mind all at once. It was because I was part Alicorn! That was why I looked the same as I did when I’d first come to Equestria about 8 years prior. That was why my heart was soo panged at seeing how Flutters had aged in that period. When I first discovered that I was a descendant of Equestrian royalty, I hadn’t really thought too hard about potentially being immortal. I mean, I’d watched the show back home and heard a lot of the stuff that the writers had said about how, even though Twilight was an Alicorn Princess now, she would not outlive her friends.
However, with my most recent return to Equestria, I’d found this claim to be total bullshit. Yeah, Twilight had changed in appearance to look much more like Celestia, but she still looked unbelievably young for 20 years having passed by. There wasn’t even soo much as a wrinkle under her own eyes like my other friends had. If Flutters had aged that much in that period, how could I go about admitting that I love her if I only knew that I was destined to outlive her? Remembering that she’d also been my favorite pony in the show only made the situation all the more difficult, especially considering how long ago it was that I’d watched the show and how even more time had passed between now and then, creating even more pain for me in the process.
Banishing the thought from my mind for the time being and polishing off my muffin, I saw that I’d arrived at my destination. Coming in for a landing, I walked up to the door and gently knocked out the familiar pattern.
Tap. Tap. Taptap Tap.
“Who there?” an unfamiliar, gruff, but not unfriendly, female voice called out.
“Umm… it’s Dayvid,” I answered back. “Ah’m here ta pick up ma outfit. Flutters said a couple days ago that it’d be ready by ‘bout this time.”
“David?” an equally unfamiliar male voice questioned. “Like as in, David the savior of Equestria?”
“Ah guess so, unless ya know another Dayvid round here.”
“Uh sure thing. Just one moment, please.”
And so I waited patiently outside for a brief several seconds before the door finally opened up to reveal a couple individuals I’d never seen before. One of them was a greyish green stallion who had 3 turtles as his Cutie Mark. The other was a female yak who stood relatively taller than her pony partner. It wasn’t too much longer before Rarity made her presence known as she approached our little gathering.
“David!” she greeted, enthused. “Soo good to see you here again. I see that you’ve met my associates, Yona and her husband Sandbar.”
“Pleased ta make yer aquaintances,” I replied as I reached out a hand to each of them.
“Same here, brah,” Sandbar smiled while shaking my hand before I turned it over to Yona.
“Pleased to meet friend of Professor Rarity,” Yona spoke up as she shook my hand up and down rapidly.
It was then that I pulled my hand out of the shake before speaking up.
“Wow. That’s quite a strong grip ya’ve got there, Yona.”
“Thanks. Yaks best at hoof shakes.”
“It was nice getting to meet you, David,” Sandbar started, “but right now we’ve got some business to attend to. I assume you’ll be at the Gala in a few days?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
“Yay!” Yona exclaimed. “Hairless Ape David is coming to Gala!”
As she excitedly reacted to the news, she did a good bit of happy stomping that nearly shook me off my feet before Rarity spoke up.
“Actually, Yona, David here is a human… at least partially. It’s honestly quite complicated.”
“Well we look forward to meeting up with you there,” Sandbar stated. “See you then.”
“Thanks. You too.”
And with that, the couple made their way past me out the door before I turned to Rarity.
“They sure seem like friendly folk.”
“That they are,” she agreed, before changing the subject. “Anyhoo, I’m sure you’re quite eager to see your finished outfit for the Gala.”
“Ya know it,” I replied.
“Please do come in.”
Entering the building, the first thing to catch my attention was the mini stage set up with a curtain, no doubt to hide my Gala outfit until Rarity was ready to show it off. Sure enough, she made her way over to the stage where her horn glowed as her magic surrounded a pull rope for the curtain.
“Are you ready to see it?”
“As ready as Ah’ll ever be.”
And with that, she pulled the rope drawing the curtain back to show off my new outfit. At the sight of it, my eyes widened and my jaw dropped in disbelief. To say that I was surprised by the outfit that she’d come up with would’ve been a gross understatement.
Held up by Rarity’s magic, the outfit consisted of a white, button-up dress shirt that looked to be of fine silk covered mostly by a rich blue blazer. The blazer itself, upon further inspection, had bright silver buttons along the cuffs and front as well as 2 long slits in the back to allow for my wings to stick through it and my dress shirt with no trouble. The pants were of an equally rich blue, but, when I looked closer at them, I noticed on the thighs that Rarity had sewn an image onto both sides of them.
The image in question, just so happened to be of my Cutie Mark, sewn in painstaking detail that it matched my actual one to a “T”. I was awestruck by how well the sword’s blade, the Alicorn head grip, and the winged crossguard bore resemblance to the real thing. Finally, after a lengthy period of silence, I spoke up.
“Wow! Jus’... wow! Ya’ve really outdone yerself this time, Rarity.”
“You really like it?”
“Ah love this! Ah mean, Ah had no doubt that ya’d create somethin’ incredible, but this… this exceeded all o’ ma expectations.”
“You have no idea how happy that makes me feel to hear you say that, David,” she answered, her eyes shimmering with emotion.
“Ah’ve gotta ask, though, where did tha Cutie Mark design come from?”
“Fluttershy told me that it had come to her in a dream she had of you a while back and that she thought it would be a nice touch. Why do you ask?”
“No real reason. Just curious.”
Thinking for a moment, I found it rather odd that my friends had no memory of me being part Alicorn, yet this image of my Cutie Mark had just miraculously come to Fluttershy in a dream she was having. How was this even possible? Rarity’s voice drew me out of my ponderings.
“Would you like to try it on?”
“Sure,” I replied, taking hold of the outfit. “Where do Ah change?”
“Right behind the curtain,” Rarity commented, closing it around me with her magic.
Removing the clothes I was wearing, I carefully put my outfit on, not wanting to accidentally wreck any part of it. Such a piece as this clearly had a substantial amount of time and effort put into its creation and I was not about to risk it being damaged even slightly. With the full outfit on, I stepped out from behind the curtain.
“Why, David… you look… stunning!” Rarity gushed. “We might not remember you being an Alicorn Prince, but you definitely look the part of an Alicorn Prince now!”
Stepping in front of a nearby mirror, I took in the full sight of myself in the completed piece. It was very comfortable to wear and it fit well without being too tight. As I was admiring myself, the front door opened followed by a familiar voice.
“Rarity? Are you here? I brought the extra fabric you needed as well as some of my-”
Turning to face the door, I was greeted by Fluttershy who quickly froze at the sight of me standing there in my outfit. Her mouth was hanging open for quite awhile before she finally found her voice again and spoke back up.
“David? I… wow… I wasn’t umm… expecting you to be here… this early,” she stammered, redness rising to her cheeks in the process. “You… you look… in-incredible.”
“Thanks, Flutters,” I answered, my heart beating that extra bit faster at her presence there.
After a brief few seconds, Fluttershy snapped back to remembering why she was there.
“Rarity, I brought the extra fabric you asked for as well as some of my extra sewing accessories,” she stated, lowering her saddlebag near Rarity’s workstation.
“Oh yes,” Rarity followed up, “thank you, Fluttershy.”
“Well,” I started, “Ah best be changin’ back ta ma normal clothes ‘n makin sure Ah’m all ready fer tha Gala in 2 days. Ah still need ta make sure that ma +1 is able ta make it.”
“Umm…,” Fluttershy began, “if you don’t mind me asking, since all of us already have our own tickets to the Gala, who’s your +1?”