//------------------------------// // 248. Collective Power // Story: Azure Edge // by Leaf Blade //------------------------------// “Is this okay?” Fluttershy asked tepidly as she dipped her claw in the refreshingly hot water of the Crystal Empire’s mountain hot springs. The Crystal Empire had quite a few spas and other such things, leaving the natural mountain springs mostly deserted by ponies, so they were a good place for the Empire’s miniscule dragon population to relax. The dragons in the Empire were commanded to stay in pony form within the city limits, but even the ponies who made those rules knew it was impossible for a dragon to stay disguised indefinitely, and so a small chunk of the mountains were reserved for them to use to regain their strength, and these hot springs were part of that deal. It was very sweet of Rarity to go out of her way to find a place where Fluttershy could be relaxed and in her true form, which basically meant the mountains surrounding the Empire and not much else. That said, Fluttershy was still worried. When was she not? “Darling, I need you to relax,” Rarity sighed, already getting a head start on the relaxation as she lounged in the hot spring, her arms resting on the ledge behind her. “We’ve all had a rough go of things lately, and as I have explained to what feels like at least fifty people, we’re not on any sort of time crunch. “Diplomacy requires a gentle touch, so we should very well be at our best, and our most relaxed, before we make any serious attempts at it.” “I suppose you make a good point,” Fluttershy giggled and put her paw up to her mouth. It felt surreal being in her dragon form without needing to look over her shoulder constantly. Granted, she had to make sure she understood the rules of the Empire crystal clearly— hehe, that was a pun— and she had to double and triple and quadruple check with Twilight to make sure she was okay to transform in the mountains. But at the end of the day, Fluttershy was safe showing off her dragon form in the mountains, and it felt really good to return to it. Fluttershy dipped her paw into the hot spring, and then after a deep breath, she slunk into the water, careful as she could not to make a big sploosh, and as she rose her head out of the water she looked over to see Rarity completely drenched but laughing despite that. “I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said, trying to hold back her laughter; she couldn’t deny that Rarity looked pretty silly with her wet mane completely covering her face. “Don’t be,” Rarity let out a small chortle and parted a window in her drippy mane to look at Fluttershy. “Truth be told, if I can have a moment of absolute selfishness, another reason I’m glad you agreed to come relax with me is because I wanted to see your utterly stunning dragon form in its full glory.” “Hehe, I am pretty magnificent, aren’t I?” Fluttershy grinned ear to ear, blushing from Rarity’s compliment. “Darling please,” Rarity said, “you are enchanting! Enrapturing even! You’re one of the most beautiful creatures I’ve ever seen!” “Rarityyyy,” Fluttershy whined and covered her face with her tail fluff, only to yelp in surprise because she forgot it was all drippy and wet. “You’re gonna make me blush!” “Fluttershy sweetheart, you’re making me more than just blush, if you catch my— waugh!” Fluttershy dove underneath the water, and sure enough Rarity was more than just blushing down there. Fluttershy poked her head up and laughed, and Rarity laughed alongside her but it wasn’t lost on Fluttershy that Rarity’s face was fiery red, and Fluttershy doubted that was from the hot springs. “Rarity, do you mind,” Fluttershy licked her lips, “if I have a taste? I promise you haven’t even begun to feel pleasure until you experience what a dragon’s tongue can do to a pony’s body.” “W—Fluttershy!” Rarity said breathlessly, hand over her heart. “Where did this sudden jolt of confidence come from? Not that I’m complaining, mind you! I am a huge fan!” “I guess it’s easier to be confident when I’m like a hundred times your size,” Fluttershy shrugged. “So how about it, Rarity?” “Be my guest,” Rarity said eagerly, and Fluttershy wasted no time diving down and getting to work. Rarity couldn’t move. She was panting, just barely holding herself up off the ground on her hands and knees, sweat and water and other fluids dripping off her body onto the stone ground beneath her. If that was what a dragon’s tongue could do, Rarity couldn’t wait to experience the rest of the dragon’s body. She felt Fluttershy’s tongue lick her behind and she nearly screamed; she had taken about as much as she could, and though she desperately wanted more, she needed to slam the brakes before her body exploded or something. Well, exploded again, but you know. “Fluttershy,” Rarity panted, “I need to—” “Do you need a break?” Fluttershy asked concernedly, and Rarity just nodded her head. Fluttershy crawled up onto the dry land and curled around Rarity, gently carrying her body so as to nestle it in Fluttershy’s fluffy fur in such a way to maximize her comfort; despite just emerging from the hot springs, Fluttershy’s fluff was completely dry, as if by magic. Oh, well, probably literally by magic. This aftercare was something that Rarity was still getting used to experiencing, but it was almost better than what had just come before it. “There is a reason,” Rarity said softly, “why I’m not yet willing to speak with Gladmane, or especially with Shining Armor.” “And what’s that?” Fluttershy asked. “Twilight wishes to be present for both meetings,” Rarity said, feeling cold as she thought about Twilight’s breakdown earlier and how there was nothing Rarity could do to help her, “and she asked me for a bit more time. I didn’t have the heart to refuse her. “Though perhaps that’s just me justifying myself, for if I were being brutally honest, I would rather put off both meetings as well. I fear I’m not quite cut out for diplomacy. I was raised a warrior, and killing is all I know how to do.” “Perhaps, we need to take a different tactic,” Fluttershy hummed and nuzzled against Rarity’s cheek with her big dragon snoot, and Rarity couldn’t help but erupt into a fit of giggles and cuddle her back. “We can’t expect everything to change overnight. And I think you’re underestimating a crucial skill that you’re quite good at.” “What’s that?” Rarity asked curiously, getting comfortable in Fluttershy’s embrace despite her weary heart. “Bringing people together,” Fluttershy said sweetly, and Rarity didn’t know how to process that statement. She felt flattered, but almost undeservedly so. “If it weren’t for you, the six of us may never have—” “You can’t possibly give me all the credit for our little friend group coming together,” Rarity laughed. “I’m not giving you all the credit,” Fluttershy said. “But I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough. What I’m saying is that no one pony or dragon alone has the power to reverse the tides we’re fighting against. The only way we can succeed, is through collective power.” “So it’s not enough for just me and Cadance or Twilight to simply talk to Shining Armor and Gladmane,” Rarity bit her thumbnail and pondered that. “If we want better conditions for everyone, everywhere, we’re going to need to talk to more than just them.” “You’re still thinking too small,” Fluttershy shook her head. “Shining Armor may have some influence over the dragons here, but he’s one man, and he doesn’t speak for them. We need to understand what they want, understand their feelings. We can’t build a new world where we simply follow blindly behind new leaders. We need a world where leaders don’t need to exist, because the power isn’t held by a few, it’s held by all of us.” “That’s… a lot,” Rarity said. If Fluttershy was trying to comfort her, Rarity regretted to say that she wasn’t doing a terribly good job, because now Rarity felt even more overwhelmed than she had before. “Mhm oh yeah, it’s not something we can do all on our own!” Fluttershy laughed, which admittedly helped Rarity’s frayed nerves somewhat. “That’s sorta the whole thing about collective power, it requires a lot of people coming together. “What’s nice though is that our power can spread to someone else, who can then share their power with another, and then another. We can’t do anything on our own, but we can start something massive. And I know in my heart that we’re not the only ones in this world trying to make it a better place for everyone. “No matter what happens, we aren’t alone in this world.” Now there was some food for thought. It made Rarity feel ridiculous now that she’d realized it, but it honestly hadn't occurred to her that there may be other ponies and dragons fighting for the same thing that Rarity and her friends were fighting for. It really and truly did feel like Rarity and the others were fighting this uphill battle all on their own, but of course that wouldn’t be the case. Everywhere injustice existed, there would always be those who rise to combat it. What Rarity, her friends, and everyone else who was working for that better world needed to do was to make sure those who fight that injustice have the power to succeed in that battle. And that kind of power… could only exist collectively. “I think I understand,” Rarity said, breathing a sigh of relief as she felt an enormous weight falling off her shoulders. “And I think I know where we need to start.” “Oh yeah?” Fluttershy smirked. “What are you thinking, my darling?” “We’ll start here, in the Crystal Empire,” Rarity said. “We’ll start by getting to know the local dragons, and perhaps even the local ponies. We’ll make connections and understand the hearts of the people who we will be fighting alongside. “So basically,” Rarity laughed despite herself, knowing how almost silly she was about to sound even though she was speaking the truth from her heart, “we’re going to light the sparks of our collective power… with the magic of friendship.”