//------------------------------// // 170. Heart Sealed Shut // Story: Azure Edge // by Leaf Blade //------------------------------// Rarity scowled as she picked up her gear to examine. Her clothes were still icky with sweat and filth, and she was in the incredibly unenviable position of deciding between putting them back on and feeling gross, or heading back to town completely naked. “What’s the matter?” Fluttershy asked softly as she entered the cave, Rarity turning back to look at her and feeling a warm smile spread across her lips as soon as she saw the noodly dragon. “Trying to decide whether to put my clothes back on,” Rarity hummed, giving her damp gear another cursory glance. “I could simply return to town in the nude, but I feel like I should charge people for getting a look at-” Rarity gestured to herself and swayed her hips a little bit, flashing a seductive smile at Fluttershy “-all this, you know?” “I do,” Fluttershy chuckled, paw up to her mouth. She leaned her head close to the ground and grinned. “I hope the fee isn’t too expensive, cuz I could look at ‘all this’ all day.” “Well,” Rarity dropped her gear and suddenly felt the need to give Fluttershy her undivided attention, walking up to the noodle and putting her hands on the dear’s soft muzzle, “I suppose for a friend, I can offer a discount.” Rarity leaned into Fluttershy’s snoot, and Fluttershy closed her eyes and hummed, but Rarity stopped short just as she found her lips barely an inch from Fluttershy’s nose. What was she doing? Was she— was she leaning in to give a Fluttershy a kiss? That’s certainly what it seemed like, but that wasn’t the kind of relationship she had with Fluttershy! Was it? Rarity awkwardly cleared her throat and stumbled backward, away from Fluttershy. But in her haste and embarrassment, didn’t notice a jagged stone behind her hoof until she had tripped over it, causing her to lose her balance and fall backward. And while she braced herself for her tailbone to collide with the rough stone floor of the cave, what caught her instead was the soft embrace of Fluttershy’s tail, and as Rarity opened her eyes she saw Fluttershy looking at her, eyes wide with concern for just a fraction of a second before relief washed over her. “Good thing I caught you,” Fluttershy laughed softly. “Yes,” Rarity said, her voice strained by the unbearable heat in her cheeks. “Very good thing.” Well. Things had certainly taken an unexpected turn. The last thing Rarity had expected when she had suggested this little outing with Fluttershy was to begin harboring a crush, and just acknowledging the fact that it was indeed a crush made Rarity feel a little nauseous. Was it because of lingering ill will against dragons? Was she embarrassed to be looking upon one and feeling not hatred or fear, but affection and— dare she say it— lust? No, that wasn’t it at all. It was because Rarity’s heart already belonged to another, and until she had made peace with that woman, she would not allow her heart to be opened again. But then again… Looking at Fluttershy’s soft smile bearing down on her, feeling her lithe tail wrapped around Rarity’s bare hips, feeling the plush fur of Fluttershy’s coat, and cooing at her tender paws, and her gorgeous fangs that peeked out of her mouth even when it was closed… it was hard to keep her heart sealed shut. “Well, ahem, anyway,” Rarity coughed and sputtered, pushing herself off of Fluttershy’s tail and returning her attention to her moist gear. “I suppose I had better-” Rarity groaned weakly “-get dressed.” Rarity desperately wanted to avoid slipping back into her clothes until she had the opportunity to properly wash them, and while she joked about not wanting just anypony to see her naked, the truth was a little more embarrassing. Being naked around Fluttershy was beginning to make her feel… vulnerable? No, perhaps that wasn’t the right word. Self-conscious maybe. A sort of… comfortable discomfort, but that comfortableness was uncomfortable. That didn’t even make any sense. The point was, if Rarity spent even one more minute with her naked body exposed to Fluttershy’s gaze, she was certain she would die from embarrassment, or at least heat stroke. “Would this help?” Fluttershy asked softly, as she held something out for Rarity by her tail. A mint green dress that wouldn’t exactly fit on Fluttershy in her current form. To say Rarity’s face turned bright red would almost seem redundant. Rarity had to consider for a moment if wearing Fluttershy’s dress would be more or less vulnerable than simply being naked around her, but only for a moment as she soon realized that if Fluttershy was offering something so intimate, Rarity would be foolish to refuse her. “Thank you, Fluttershy,” Rarity whispered as she took the dress in her hands. “This is perfect.” The dress was a little tight around the hips, though Rarity supposed most things were for her, and the trail in front fell nearly to the ground; it was a dress meant for someone a fair bit taller than Rarity, after all. But in Rarity’s mind, it was a perfect fit. “So I guess that’s everything,” Rarity sighed, hands on her hips. “Frankly, I can’t wait to leave this godforsaken forest behind for the rest of my life.” “Same,” Fluttershy grumbled. “Are you going to be okay walking back to town?” “Hm?” Rarity groaned and cricked her neck. That thought actually hadn't yet occurred to her, she was too swept up in the thought of leaving the forest that she forgot the trek back would be a killer on her ragged body. “Well, I’m a little bit woozy still, but I’ll manage.” “Um, you could um,” Fluttershy covered her face with her tail fluff, and Rarity tried to keep her heart contained within her chest. “I mean, if you want, you could ride me. Back to town. I could carry you.” Rarity’s eyes widened. Fluttershy absolutely did not have to ask Rarity twice. The rush of wind blowing on Rarity’s face as she gripped tightly to Fluttershy’s fur was exhilarating. It was like nothing she had ever felt before and she couldn’t stop herself from laughing like a woman who had become completely unhinged. In a way, Rarity supposed she had. But she didn’t mind. “Fluttershy, this is amazing!” Rarity shouted, making sure Fluttershy could hear her over the roar of the winds as they flied far above the ground. “You’re amazing!” “Oh, please,” Fluttershy chuckled, “I’m nothing special.” “I strongly disagree, darling!” A woman with Fluttershy’s grace and poise had no business being so humble, quite frankly. Though despite her supposed humility, the proud smile on Fluttershy’s face told another story. She was in her element as she tore through the skies. There was nothing out here bigger or stronger than her, and she was free to flex her wings and show off to her heart’s content. It was rather enchanting to watch. Though, as they say, all good things must come to an end, and eventually the pair reached the edge of the forest, where Fluttershy daintily touched the ground and settled into a soft landing. Rarity slid off of Fluttershy’s body with a sigh, one of both disappointment at the ride being over and of contentment for having shared the experience with her. Fluttershy transformed back into her pony form, and Rarity was suddenly struck by the realization that Fluttershy was completely naked. Like, of course she was naked as a dragon, but seeing a naked dragon and seeing a naked pony elicited very different emotional responses! Well… Perhaps not that different. “O-oh! F-Fluttershy!” Rarity blurted out, feeling rather flustered. “What’s the matter?” Fluttershy asked casually, like there was nothing odd about her being naked in front of Fluttershy, which… actually, Rarity supposed there wasn’t. Not unless Rarity was having some kind of uncouth thoughts about Fluttershy’s body, which uhh perish the thought! “Uh, nothing,” Rarity cleared her throat and managed to tear her eyes away from Fluttershy, even though gawd she was beautiful. “I was just, uh, I suppose I was just caught off-guard by your transformation is a—” “Like what you see, Rarity?” Fluttershy cocked her hip to the side and put her hand there, grinning devilishly at Rarity whose entire face turned red like an apple. There were only so many poetic ways Rarity could think to describe her blushing, but Fluttershy just kept having that effect on her. “Uh, w-well, I um—” “Cuz I gotta say,” Fluttershy hummed as she took a few seductive steps toward Rarity, until she was standing right in front of her, gently tracing her finger across the bottom of Rarity’s chin slowly and steadily tilting Rarity’s head up to meet her gaze, “you were pretty easy on the eyes yourself. Maybe we could be naked together sometime.” Rarity’s head exploded violently, leaving Fluttershy in a disgusting mess of blood and entrails. Okay not actually, but that’s certainly what it felt like! Rarity had just gotten over her fear of Fluttershy, and now she was flirting with Rarity?! And the most baffling part of it all was that Rarity really liked it. Rarity stumbled backward and fell right onto her rump in the snow. She wasn’t honestly sure if it was from Fluttershy’s flirting or her exhaustion, but it was almost certainly both. “Rarity!” Fluttershy called out, her earlier seductive air melting away into concern. “I’m okay,” Rarity giggled, but as she tried to push herself back up to her hooves, she realized she couldn’t quite make it, so she let out another awkward laugh. “Oh, uh… I guess I’m still a bit woozy.” “I’ll take care of you,” Fluttershy sighed, smiling in relief that Rarity wasn’t genuinely hurt. Fluttershy leaned down and, before Rarity had a chance to protest, picked Rarity up off the ground, Rarity instinctively wrapping her hands around Fluttershy’s shoulders as Fluttershy carried her bridal style. “I’ll carry you back to the inn,” Fluttershy said with a caring smile, and Rarity had absolutely no earthly clue if Fluttershy was flustering her on purpose at this point or was completely oblivious. “O-okay,” Rarity squeaked out. She wasn’t really in a position to say no, even if she wanted to. But more importantly, she really didn’t want to. “Thank you, Fluttershy,” Rarity said softly, relaxing in Fluttershy’s arms.