//------------------------------//
// 6. The one that definitely has Fluttershy (kits) 
// Story: The Sky Is a Lady and She Is Gay: A RariTwi Exquisite Corpse 
// by SigmasonicX 
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Twilight dodged under another plume of steam from a leaky pipe. "Are you sure this tunnel leads to Fluttershy's cottage," she asked. "We've been walking for a very long time." She'd had to renew the light spell on her rock twice. It wasn't a great way of keeping time, as the duration varied with mineral composition, but it had been some hours since their escape.

"Quite sure, darling." Rarity grimaced as she plucked at a stand of her hair that had stuck to the side of her neck. "Though I do wish it weren't quite so damp in here. This humidity is ruining my hair."

Twilight slipped her arms around Rarity, pulling her into a hug from behind. "Is the great Sequined Specter worried about ruining her 'do?"

Rarity leaned back into the embrace, her lips curling into a smile. "Well, we can't all have your natural beauty, grace, and, dare I say it, astoundingly good hair." She twisted in Twilight's grasp, to give her a light kiss on the nose. "We are getting close. The tunnel continues quite a bit beyond Fluttershy's."

Twilight frowned in thought. "And that's so anyone who finds it can't figure out where the end-points are, right?"

Rarity giggled. "Just so! You seem to be adapting rather quickly to all this. And look! There it is!" Rarity broke from their embrace and practically pranced up to a section of wall that, to Twilight's eyes, looked no different from the miles of corridor they'd already traversed.

Rarity turned to beam at her, bouncing on her heels in excitement. Twilight rolled her eyes and made the comment Rarity was obviously waiting for. "It doesn't look like much of a door."

With that said, Rarity manipulated something on the wall and a whole section sunk into the floor, revealing a ladder up and, presumably, out. Rarity flashed another grin, eliciting a matching one from Twilight, before heading up the ladder.







"Yo, Pinks!" Rainbow Dash swooped down to glide alongside Pinkie Pie. "I didn't know you were into running. We should totally do that marathon next month together."

"Can't. Talk," panted Pinkie Pie. "Running. From. The fuzz!"

Rainbow lazily rolled in the air and looked backwards at the older woman giving chase. "Since when is 'the fuzz' after you? Did your party cannon cause that explosion?" 

"Worse!" Pinkie rounded a corner then pulled Dash into a convenient alleyway. "That's. Twilight's Mom! And she. Knows about. Rarity!"

Pinkie PIe took a moment to catch her breath, then inhaled. "She knows about Rarity and her non-dress-making hobbies, and she also knows about Twilight and Rarity and their dates, and she knows that we know about Twilight and Rarity and about Rarity's non-dress-making hobbies and that we knew about those before there was anything to know about Twilight and Rarity and—"

Rainbow placed a hand over Pinkie's mouth. "I get the picture." She rolled her eyes. "So what's she mad about? Rarity stealing that artifact or dating Twilight without her knowing?"

"Both." The voice from the end of the alleyway drew the two girls' attention. Twilight Velvet’s suit was in disarray, but the thing that captured their attention was the pistol she held leveled at the two of them. "Now, I'm only going to ask this of you once more, Miss Pie. Where has the Sequinned Specter taken my daughter?"

"We are so boned," Rainbow moaned.

"Aw, cheer up, Dashie! At least we're boned together!"

"God dammit, Pinkie!"







Twilight stumbled over a large bag full of yarn balls. While Rarity's secret entrance had been hidden inside a toybox in Sweetie's room, Fluttershy's end let them out in her overstuffed craft room. Twilight struggled to stand without toppling any of the other supplies or tangling herself in theyarn.

Ahead of her Rarity had already worked her way to the door. "Fluttershy, darling! Are you in? We have some very important and somewhat pressing news to share." If there was an answer, Twilight didn't hear it. "Fluttershy? Are you-- Oh my!"

The alarm in Rarity's voice spurred Twilight to action. With a muttered word and sweeping gesture, her magic pushed all the clutter to the sides of the room, opening a clear path, which she practically sprinted down. "Rarity!" She cried. "What's wrong!" Turning the corner into the main hallway, Twilight was forced to stop short as she nearly bowled Rarity over.

In the living room, Fluttershy sat on the loveseat alone. She "wore", for lack of a better word, magazines and newspapers fashioned into an approximation of overalls. In the middle of the room, curled around a trio of free floating lamps, was Discord. The draconequus was dressed in a full bridal gown, which he wore upside down, made out of what looked like red solo cups. On the couch, sat another Fluttershy, wearing an old twister playmat. 

Twilight blinked. But all three figures and their strange choice of clothing remained. She tried to speak, but couldn't decide on which question to ask first. Fluttershy, the one on the loveseat, broke the silence first.

"Oh, hello, Rarity. Hello, Twilight. We weren't, um, expecting you?" She gave them a hesitant grin. Her eyes darted towards the other two, then back to Twilight and Rarity, and she jerked her head causing her hair to slide forward, covering half of her face.

Discord spoke up next. "But where are our manners? Do come in! Come in!" He flipped in mid air and gestured to the floor. Loveseat Fluttershy made a noise that sounded like a squeak and a pair of seats, an unfolded step stool and a large plastic bucket, materialized. 

Twilight stared at the seats as if she'd never seen either item before.

The second Fluttershy spoke. "You'll have to forgive, um, him. This is our weekly ABC tea party and, well, you've come, um, dressed."

Twilight's mind finally sorted a singular question to the top of the list. A safe question that was least likely to result in a cryptic answer or give her migraines. "ABC?"

Loveseat Fluttershy drew her hair back away from her face, and with the same small smile Rarity used when she was teasing Twilight, said "Anything but clothes." Fanfair rang out through the room causing the other Fluttershy to let out a small squeak as Discord spun in place, several dozen trumpets vanishing behind him. 

"And there are two of you, why?"

"Oh!" said Flutter-two. "That's because I wanted to try having tea with myself."

Twilight had more questions, but Rarity had finally recovered her powers of speech.

"Fluttershy, dear," Rarity addressed both Fluttershies in turn, "I know you value your time with your friend, and I'm very sorry to interrupt, but this is fairly important."

"I think Black Raven blowing up your boutique rates at least 'very' on the importance scale, Rarity." Twilight let more sarcasm into her voice than she meant to. Dealing with Discord tended to bring out the snappish side of her tongue.

"What!?" cried the couch-Fluttershy. "Somec—" she coughed. "Someone blew up your store!" 

"Sky pirates blew up her store," said Twilight. "Oh, and also kidnapped your brother." 

"Well, that's certainly a way to inform her," muttered Rarity.

Discord's eyes narrowed. He raised two hands  and a bare foot. A trio of snaps, a bright flash of white, and Twilight found herself and Rarity seated on the loveseat across from both Fluttershies on the couch, and Discord floating above it. "Tell us, everything," he said.







"So all we have to do is rescue your brother, fence the artifact, and get Mrs. Raven to back off." Twilight took a sip of her tea as Rarity finished filling the trio in on their recent adventures. It was somehow still warm. And tasted like banana.

"And I'm sure you'll figure out a great way to do two of those things!" said Discord. "In the meantime, I think that we," he stretched an arm impossibly to wrap around one of the two Fluttershies, "shall rescue my— good friend, Zephyr Breeze, while you and Fluttershy take care of the sky pirates." 

The second Fluttershy gave a small squeak as Discord slid her cushion through the air to hover next to Twilight.

"Are you sure?" Rarity was addressing the Fluttershy now thoroughly entangled by the slinky that had been Discord's limb.

"Yes, yes." Discord spoke before Fluttershy could even open her mouth. "Squeaky and the Chaos noodle can certainly handle rescuing one sibling. Tata!" 

A flash of light and all of Twilight's objections died on her tongue as she found herself, Rarity, and Fluttershy standing outside of the cottage.







"Do you think she'll be okay?" Discord asked Fluttershy as they watched the trio converse through a window.

"Certainly, my dear," said Fluttershy as she began stuffing items into a backpack that spontaneously appeared next to her. "She does this sort of thing all the time with her friends. I dare say she'll be instrumental in resolving this pirate problem."

Slinging the backpack on her back, she started towards the kitchen. "Now, what say you that we rescue this brother of yours? We should be able to finish in time for biscuits if we hurry."

"Um." Discord's horns grew floppy and swung down to cover his face. "Do you think that, maybe, we could swap back before we go out?"

Fluttershy's mouth curled into a smirk, she raised her hand and snapped her fingers.