Rarity stood outside the cave where Fluttershy still rested. The snow on the ground was light, and the chill in the air was mild, and the rays of the morning’s sun were soothing to a battle-weary Rarity, so she took the liberty of freeing herself from all of her sweat-soaked gear that she slept in.
Despite her recent violent encounter, despite still being in the middle of unknown territory, Rarity didn’t feel vulnerable as she stood naked in the woods. She felt safe, and while part of that feeling was due to keeping her belt of weapons on her, she couldn’t deny how much of that feeling was due to Fluttershy’s presence.
She had proven herself a valuable and trustworthy ally, far and away exceeding Rarity’s expectations of her. Quite honestly, Rarity felt like an absolute fool for having doubts about her in the past.
Hm. Not just her. Twilight as well.
No… no, not even just Twilight.
Lightning Dust was an interesting case. She was everything Rarity had always been warned that dragons were, and yet all Rarity could think about when she considered Lightning was how she was so unlike every other dragon Rarity had met in her life, even the ones who she had fought and killed.
The existence of Lightning Dust in no way justified Equestria’s bloody campaign of genocide, and Rarity had no choice but to sincerely stew in that truth.
Dragons really weren’t anything like what Rarity had been told. She had been lied to her entire life, and now— finally— she was forced to accept this as fact.
She was forced to accept that she was wrong about Fluttershy.
She was wrong about Twilight Sparkle.
A rumbling in the cave behind her made Rarity’s ears stand at attention, and she instinctively spun on her hooves and reached for a weapon, though she stopped just short of drawing one.
Rarity’s heart fell into her stomach as a massive dragon slithered out of the cave; with golden fur and pink feathered wings, the dragon’s towering body was serpentine like a giant snake… or a noodle.
It was only Fluttershy.
And yet Rarity couldn’t stop trembling.
As she stood face to face with a dragon that cast its shadow over her like a bird of prey might do to a frightened rodent, Rarity couldn’t stop fear from gripping her heart. She couldn’t stop her hooves from shaking, her panicked breathing from rapidly increasing in pace, or her heart from thundering in her chest.
Even though Rarity knew— at least in theory— that Fluttershy wouldn’t hurt her, seeing a dragon so close still made Rarity panic.
What was odd though, was the way this dragon shook. The way her legs quivered, her wings flattening against her side like they were pried shut, and the glistening in her eyes of… tears? More than any of that though, was the pained scowl of a woman who was terrified of what she was looking at, and all Fluttershy was looking at was Rarity.
Rarity couldn’t believe what she was seeing; a dragon shaking in fear. And of something so little, just a mere pony. And yet Rarity looked into Fluttershy’s eyes and was met with the same fear she was so accustomed to when thinking of dragons.
So much of Rarity’s life had been defined by fear of dragons— not only her own fear, but those of her parents’, of Rainbow Dash, of the citizens she protected, and yes even Celestia’s.
How much then had Fluttershy’s life been tainted by fear of the Slayers?
Rarity held out her hand, and the tiniest of gasps escaped Fluttershy’s lips. Rarity was tempted to recoil at the sound but she forced herself not to, simply extending her fingers to show that her hand was empty. That it was safe.
Fluttershy’s eyes flickered over Rarity’s hand, then back to her eyes. Fluttershy was biting her lip now, but her breathing was becoming steady. Rarity managed to control her own breathing as well, though she wondered if Fluttershy could hear the thunderstorm of her heart pounding in her chest.
Fluttershy lifted her paw off of the ground and now Rarity was the one who had to suppress a gasp. As Fluttershy’s paw— big enough to clutch Rarity’s head and crush it like a cherry tomato with little effort— inched closer to Rarity, she felt everything in her Slayer’s brain screaming at her to run, to attack, to defend or dodge or escape or do anything so that she wouldn’t be killed.
What she chose to do was take a deep breath and remain completely still, as Fluttershy gently touched her paw against Rarity’s hand.
It was almost comical; Rarity’s tiny hand wasn’t enough to cover even one bean on Fluttershy’s paw, yet Fluttershy held her paw there in compete serenity, not even wincing as Rarity pressed her hand closer Fluttershy’s soft pads.
A smile crossed Rarity’s lips. She looked at the ground. With her eyes focused on the snow melting into grass at Fluttershy’s feet, it was easy to get lost in the soft and comfy texture of Fluttershy’s paw, like the world’s coziest couch cushion.
But when Rarity looked up again, and saw that texture was connected to a massive, towering dragon, she completely lost her nerve and her blood ran cold. Her stomach sank and she stumbled backward, terrified scowl marring her face.
She turned and walked away. Unable to bear looking at… at her friend who she had scorned with her fear.
Rarity turned back to Fluttershy, who still had her paw raised, even as her lip was bleeding from the sting of her bite. Rarity took two bold and confident steps toward Fluttershy, then a third trembling and hesitant step as she dug her hooves into the grass in front of the dragon. Rarity held up her hand once more, and as Fluttershy moved her paw to touch it, Rarity shook her head.
Rarity pointed at her nose, and after a second of confusion, Fluttershy’s eyes lit up in understanding.
Fluttershy put her paw on the ground and breathed deeply in through her nose. Rarity unbuckled her belt of weapons and threw it away, into the woods. She wouldn’t need them.
Fluttershy leaned her head down, slowly, slowly, and slower still, until finally her eyes met Rarity on the same level, and Rarity could gently place her hand on the tip of Fluttershy’s soft, round snoot.
Rarity kept her hand on Fluttershy’s snoot even as her whole entire body shook with panic. Even as she locked eyes, unblinking, with the glistening, ethereal eyes of the dragon staring back at her. Even as everything in her was screaming for her to run, or to grab her weapons.
Her whole body trembled… until it didn’t.
After a moment’s time as Rarity’s hand relaxed into the soft fur of Fluttershy’s snoot, Rarity felt her breathing relax, her heart rate slow, and her legs cease their shaking.
Rarity smiled at Fluttershy. Rarity knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was safe with her.
Fluttershy smiled back; a gleaming, fanged smile. Bigger and brighter than Rarity had ever seen on Fluttershy before, and it made Rarity’s smile somehow grow wider still.
Rarity wasn’t sure from whose eyes tears fell first.
All Rarity knew was that while Fluttershy’s tears carried the sweet sensation of a woman setting down her burdens, Rarity’s were bitter and dark. She held onto Fluttershy’s fur for dear life as she sobbed, as she wept, for the absolute nothing that her entire life had been for.
She cried for the dragon whose fang still often adorned Rarity’s neck. Nothing could justify that woman’s ruthless attack on the village she’d lived in, but Rarity was now in doubt if that attack ever would have occurred without her intervention.
She cried for the dragon in Baltimare, who knew nothing of his own death, awakening from a trance bloodied and blinded, only to be executed without mercy by Rarity’s own hand.
She cried for Fluttershy, who Rarity had treated with cold indifference at best, and unforgivably arrogant bigotry at worst.
But most of all, she cried for Twilight Sparkle.
Her heart bled for Twilight Sparkle, a woman who had put her trust in Rarity, and on the worst day of her life, Rarity came to make it so much worse.
She wept for Twilight, who was forced to endure a woman she cared about so deeply look into her eyes with such hatred, to endure countless attacks and brutal wounds from that same woman, yet never once tried to fight back, shackled by her love that nearly led her to her grave.
She grieved for Twilight, who had done absolutely nothing wrong and yet Rarity treated with icy contempt. She cried for the moment they spent on the roof of the Neighagra Falls Inn, in which Rarity was almost brave enough to let down her defenses, only to snatch the joy from both women’s hearts at the last moment.
Rarity broke down. She fell to her knees as she dug her nails into her face, sobbing and wailing like there was no one in the world who could hear her.
But there was someone. Fluttershy heard her loud and clear, and she scooped Rarity into her arms and held her close to the chest— the massive, soft, fluffy chest— as her sobs and wails joined Rarity’s.
Not for one second did Rarity even think to consider that she was caught in the grip of a dragon.
All she knew, all she cared about, was that she was in the comforting and loving embrace of a dear friend.