//------------------------------// // The Same // Story: The Next in Line. // by gmoneywalker //------------------------------// “Face it kid, your entire life is a lie!” Your hooves tighten around the stallion’s throat, the rage in your face plain to see. “Shut your mouth!” He chuckles. “Or what? Are you afraid that I’ll ruin your precious reputation? Afraid that somepony’ll find out we’re the same!?” You’re practically seething with venomous hatred, your teeth bared and your muscles clenched as you lean in, eager to wipe the smile off his face. “You and I…are nothing alike.” He grins, his face contorted into an expression of mocking satisfaction. “Do you think she’ll feel that way?” You don’t know what he means by that, your grip on his throat loosens a little. You don’t know why, but you feel as if you’re being watched, you turn to look over your shoulder, but don’t see anything of note. “Darling…” You look back down, horror overtaking your features. “Darling…please wake up.” Lying beneath you, sputtering and gagging as your leg crushes her throat, lays Rarity… “See…just like good ol’ da-” ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… You awaken in a cold sweat, your heart thumping against your chest as you propel yourself upwards from the bed. The unicorn at your side leaps away in response, apparently not expecting such an energetic awakening. “Good heavens!” Rarity exclaims, gingerly stepping forward. “Darling, are you okay?” You look over towards where the unicorn stands at the side of the bed, sighing in relief once you do, she isn’t hurt…thank Celestia. “Yeah I’m fine.” You lie; you most certainly are notfine. You’d just had a nightmare where you were on the verge of killing her. “I was just…having a nightmare that’s all.” The unicorn’s shining blue eyes take on an expression of worry as she reaches out with a hoof, laying it tenderly on your shoulder. “Oh, I see…would you like to talk about it?” Her shining blue eyes are remorseful and kind, the warmth from her hoof eases your shaky conscience. It was just a dream…you’d never hurt her, ever. “I uh…” You start, before letting the words fade away in the back of your throat. “It’s nothing.” She pulls her hoof away, pouting her lip and cocking an eyebrow, you chuckle a little, apparently she wasn’t convinced. “Honest, I don’t remember it.” Rarity keeps up with the stare for a few painstaking moments, and you fear that you may have upset her, before she scoffs and rolls her eyes. “You are a terrible liar.” She states matter of factly, well; you can’t really say she’s wrong… “Well, if you don’t want to talk about it I won’t press the matter darling.” She waves a dismissive hoof through her silky purple mane, walking towards the dresser at the far end of the room, magically retrieving her perfume bottle and spritzing herself with it. You can smell the sweetened scent of fresh cherry blossoms as the delicate and feminine smell wafts about the room. “I’m sorry to wake you darling; I know you just got out of the hospital.” She puts the perfume bottle down and retrieves her makeup, adding some delicate pink blush to her cheeks. “And you need as much rest as you can get.” You roll your eyes and hop out of the bed, stretching your sore back and legs before walking over towards where she stands, ogling herself in the mirror. “I slept plenty Rare, don’t worry about it.” You can see the fashionista smile in the shiny glass reflection of the mirror. “Well, forgive me for being crass darling but…I think it’s safe to assume that neither of us had a full night’s sleep…” The comment brings a small blush to your cheeks, no…no you hadn’t. “Well I certainly don’t regret my choice.” You state, smirking. Sex or sleep? What stallion wouldn’t pick the former? Rarity laughs a little. “I certainly hope not. Our little session last night took a good deal of preparation. And I just now got finished cleaning everything up.” She shoots the disheveled bed a tiny unpleasant glance. “…Minus the sheets…they could probably use a good washing.” You nod your head in agreement…they most certainly could. “I’ll take care of it.” “Before you do, would you be a dear and cook up some breakfast?” Rarity asks, smiling at herself in the mirror before spinning around, satisfied with her new look. “I’m positively famished.” You smile at her, as radiant and as gorgeous as ever. “Of course, I’ll have something whipped up in ten seconds flat.” “Splendid, absolutely splendid, just come and get me when it’s prepared, I’m dreadfully far behind on my orders.” She sighs; her jovial smirk shrinks a little. “…maybe I should cancel a few, free up a little time.” You feel a pit of guilt form in your stomach, she’d spent the better half of the week by your side in the hospital, and there wasn’t a single doubt in your mind that her insistence to stay with you was the cause of her orders backing up. “I’m sorry Rarity…” You mumble, reaching up with a hoof and rubbing at your neck in shame. “I didn’t mean to interfere with yo-” The sentence dies in your throat as she places a silky white hoof against your lips. “Now I’ll have none of that.” She says, her reassuring expression filling you with warmth, replacing that dark pit of guilt in your stomach with a tightly wound ball of joy. “You’re more important to me than any of those orders.” That makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, your heart awash with the unicorn’s affection. You feel your lips crack upwards into a smile as she reaches up and gently kisses you, the tender gesture warms your heart, you sigh a little and lean into the kiss, she moans in delight when you do, but you refrain from going any farther. You both have work to do, and you know that if you do you’re both liable to spend the rest of the day…not working. She pulls away, a strand of saliva still hanging from the bottom of both your lips, connecting you. She blushes a little and bats it away with a hoof, you fight the urge to chuckle as she does so, she’s just so darn cute when she’s embarrassed. With a sparkling grin and a bounce to her step she turns towards the door, her horn lighting up as she opens it with magic. “I’ll see you in a bit dear.” She looks at you over her shoulder, batting her beautiful blue eye at you. “Just FYI…I’d absolutely love some fresh orange juice.” The door shuts with a gentle slam; you grin and shake your head. You consider Rarity many wonderful things, subtle, though, is definitely not one of them. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… We’re the same you and I… Afraid I’ll ruin your precious reputation? You think she’ll feel that way? You give your head a single violent shake, as if trying to knock that horrid taunting voice away. Trying to keep a clear head as you seize the nearby spatula, your mouth picking up the pale plain taste of plastic. You reach down and stir the hashbrowns in your pan, your nostrils filling with the delicious scent of frying potatoes, why was this happening now…now of all times!? I put all that behind me. You think, your expression becoming one of gloom as unpleasant memories begin to resurface, clawing out of the little shadowy holes you’d buried them in months ago. The circumstances leading to your departure…the reason you couldn’t live in Manehattan any longer, the pony that caused it all… *Snapop!* “OW!” You cry out, more from shock than actual pain, you run a soothing hoof up and down the fresh sore spot on your nose. Grease from the pan, ugh, why oh why were you born an earth pony and not a unicorn? You can’t so much as cook without sticking your face right into whatever it is you intend to make. You dab at the little red spot a couple times, it didn’t really hurt, you might not be the toughest stallion in the world, but it’d take a lot more than a little burn on your nose to keep you from finishing your breakfast for Rarity. But, still, you’d probably spent enough time fussing over the hashbrowns. You’d been lost in thought for a good five to ten minutes, and you’d been stirring them pretty much the entire time. Instead you decide to busy yourself with that orange juice Rarity apparently desired. You dig around in her drawers and refrigerator, discovering both a bag of oranges and a juicer respectively, you quickly set to work cutting and squishing the juicy fruits. But it doesn’t take long for this to become monotonous work. And, despite how much you don’t want them to, those dark little thoughts make an entirely unwanted return. What if it’s true? What if she does find out and decides…You can’t finish the thought, you love Rarity, and she loves you, and there isn’t a doubt in your mind about that but still…her reputation is very important to her. What if your heritage keeps her from achieving her dream? You know how petty and base upper class ponies can be. You’d spent the better part of your life around them after all…their kind look for any reason to stab each other in the back, and you didn’t want to ruin Rarity’s chances of becoming famous because of your…disposition. The orange in your hoof lets out a little squelching noise as you give it a twist. The succulent juices within spilling out and into the container below, you sigh and toss it aside, retrieving another. You doubt Rarity’s cold hearted enough to let something like that destroy her love for you. Especially considering it’s something completely and totally out of your control, you know what kind of a pony she is…she’s better than they are, but still… “Maybe I should tell her…” You mumble, voicing your thoughts for the first time since you’d entered the kitchen. Originally you didn’t think she really needed to know why you’d left your home. She didn’t seem all that curious about it, and Celestia knows you’d rather just forget about it but…well…what if she found out on her own? Would she feel betrayed, or upset that you hadn’t trusted her with something so important? Hell, even if you tell her now, there’s still a good chance she’ll feel that way. You refocus your attention on the orange, letting those paranoid thoughts fall away. You realize that this isn’t a decision you can make spur of the moment, right now your relationship with Rarity is doing just fine, minor hiccups like life threatening injuries aside, and you know from experience that it’s probably not a good idea to complicate things right now. You’d wait a while, try to avoid thinking about it, and…if the right time presents itself, you’ll tell her what she needs to know. “That should be good enough.” You say, putting the juicer in the sink and pouring its contents into a glass. “Mmm, what a splendid aroma…” You perk up at the sound of Rarity’s voice, snapping out of your contemplations. You feel a grin crawl across your face as she marches into the kitchen, right as you finish serving up her plate. It feels good to be helping her out again, after all the trouble you caused, making breakfast is the least you can do. You place her plate at the table and nod, signaling for her to take a seat. You march back towards the sink, gathering up all the pots and pans you’d been using previous and stacking them up inside. “Ah hashbrowns and toast, delightful!” The unicorn beams, you can hear her hooves clip clop against the white tile of the kitchen floor as she approaches from behind, a tingle creeps up and down your spine as she wraps her tail around your hind leg, pressing up against you while she reaches up with a hoof, sensually running it up and down your back. “Something on your mind Rarity?” You question, turning your head to look at her. She bats a sparkling blue eye at you, before reaching up and affectionately nuzzling your neck. Her sudden touch brings a blush to your face. “I’m just happy to have you back…” She sighs, leaning in and resting her head against your shoulder. You can feel the gentle thumping of her heart and that wonderful warmth in your chest returns as you bask in the delightful glow of her affection. “Mon etalon parfait…” There she goes again…you know it’s more than likely a compliment of some kind, but you still don’t understand the words themselves. “Don’t you have a breakfast to eat?” You chide somewhat playfully, your voice low as you press up against her, savoring the contact. The fashionista grumbles a little, her shining blue eyes rolling backwards as she turns her head just a little to her right, taking a quick look at the meal you’d just prepared. “Well, yes…yes I do but…” Her voice trails off, and you can feel her shift a little. “But?” You query, raising a playful eyebrow. You can see her nervously bite at her lip, her pearly white teeth shining in the dim light of the kitchen. “I’ve got the worst cramp…” “You have a cramp?” You ask, your voice filled with concern. “Where?” She moves again, her pale white cheeks burning crimson as she lets a cute diminutive groan slide past her lips, neat little lines of embarrassment worming their way into her expression as she does. “Well…it’s my lower back so to speak.” She says, wiggling her hind end for emphasis. “Like your spine?” Rarity sighs, pursing her lips and shaking her head. “Epasseur dirige…” You do a slight double take as the bitter words leave the unicorn’s mouth, okay that had to be insulting. You shoot the unicorn a tiny glare, letting her know that just because you can’t understand the words, doesn’t mean you can’t figure out the meaning behind them. Her previously irritated expression morphs into that of an apologetic grin. “Uh I mean…no dear; it’s my lower, lower, back.” It’s your turn to look embarrassed. “O-oh…” Several pleasant memories from last night filter their way into your mind, bringing a blush to your cheeks as you recall some of the…unique things you and she had been willing to try. “I guess that’s kind of my fault huh?” “Now don’t feel bad…” She declares her tone uplifting. “It was most pleasurable at the time, don’t get me wrong, but…I think I’m starting to feel the after effects.” The fashionista ‘tsks’ and casts a pained look towards her hind quarters, reaching back with a soothing hoof to rub at her aching rump. “I was wondering, uh, would you be opposed to giving me one of your wonderful massages?” She bites her lip as a blush stings her cheeks. “If you don’t mind of course…” You force down a chuckle, did she seriously expect you to say no to an opportunity to spend the next half hour touching her flank? You reach down, lightly pecking her on the cheek before responding. “Of course I will Rare.” You grin as her face lights up in relief. “But you should eat your breakfast first, it’s getting cold.” She huffs and gives you a wide eyed puppy dog stare. “Do I have to?” You chuckle and lean down, rubbing your nose against hers in an intimate show of affection. “Yes you do, you haven’t eaten anything all day. And I’m not going to stand by and watch you starve yourself.” The mare lets loose an exaggerated sigh before resigning herself to her fate. “Fine you big fat stick in the mud.” She shoots you one last impish grin before separating herself from you. Her luscious purple tail unwrapping itself as she lets the hoof she’d been tenderly running up and down your back slide away, you immediately find yourself sorely missing the contact, but somepony has to wash these pots, and it isn’t like she can hang off of you all the time, despite how much you’d like it if she did. “I love you too Rare.” You say turning your attention back to the sink, reaching out with your mouth and giving the cold steel handle of the faucet a yank, and you smile in satisfaction as water sputters free from the elongated head. Thick white plumes of steam spiral upwards as the hot water hits the dirty grease covered pan, you grab a nearby sponge and quickly get to work. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… “Oooh…” Rarity lets loose an ecstatic moan of relief as you rub your hooves over her sleek and curvaceous flank, her pale white cheeks, both pairs, flushing pink as she rests her head on her hooves. She shifts a little on the couch, stretching out her legs and giving you more of her body to work with. You repress the urge to chuckle, but don’t bother hiding your grin, she always makes the cutest noises when you do this. “Does it feel good Rare?” You ask, your voice coming out as a quiet whisper, you didn’t want to spoil her Zen with a rhetorical question. Her only response is another groan and a tiny ‘mhmm,’ as she closes her eyes, basking in the pleasure your skilled hoofwork is eagerly providing. You can tell she’s in desperate need of this, her muscles are strained and tight, specifically the spots near her legs, her upper shoulders are probably pretty bad too, and you make a mental note to take care of that once you finish with her lower half. She lets another strained groan slide past her lips as you work on rubbing out another ball of stress. Her muzzle scrunches up a little as well, another sign that she’s enjoying herself. Her horn catches your eye as it springs to life with a pale blue glow. The unicorn using her magic to retrieve a crochet pillow that lay idle at the opposite end of the couch, pulling it close and resting her head upon it. A lock of her silky purple mane falls over her eye as a look of pure bliss overtakes her features, her final discomfort now entirely eliminated. “Oh my sweet, sweet, gentlecolt…” She breathes, her voice filled with rapture. “Your massages are to die for.” You smile at the compliment, deciding to show her your appreciation by slowly working your way up the rest of her back; you can feel her fur stand on end in response. You lean down, steadily working out the kinks in her shoulders while planting several soft kisses along the nape of her neck, she moans a little and you feel her body loosen up, letting you know both verbally and physically that she’s enjoying it. “Mmm, dear…we don’t really have the tiiiime…” Her voice comes out strained as you give her right shoulder another pinch. You’d love to, you really would, and you doubt she’d actually put up any further protests…but you didn’t want to keep her from getting her work done. You plant one final kiss on her cheek, before pulling your lips up to her ear; it twitches a little as your breath dances across it in light puffy wisps. “Shh…” You hush her, your voice succulent and tempting. “I don’t want it…I just want you to feel good.” “Oh I do…” You give a hard pinch to her shoulders, she yelps a little in response. “Oh I most certainly do.” She shifts again, the cushions of the couch squeaking and creaking in response to the energetic movement. She reaches up with a hoof to push her luscious purple mane aside, exposing more of her neck for your hungry eyes and desperate lips. “Please…” She begs, you let out your own loving moan as you lean down and continue to kiss and suckle her silky smooth neck. She screws her eyes shut, her breath coming out in heated puffs…you’re going to pay her back for every single moment she spent with you in that hospital room…one massage at a time. You continue to service Rarity like this for another half hour or so. Eventually you’re forced to stop after your own cramps begin to surface, oh, and your mouth now tastes like a permanent mix of expensive perfume and shampoo, certainly not the most appealing of combinations, but at least you’d made Rarity happy. Rarity’s eyes slowly pry themselves open as you remove your hooves from her lower back and shoulders, and you grimace a little as your hooves snap and pop as you set them back on the soft carpeted ground below. You look down, letting a grin worm its way across your face as you look down upon the mare you love. Her beautiful blue eyes are open only in slits, glazed over as she stares at nothing, that’s how you know when you’ve done a good job. She takes several long deep breaths, her sides rising and falling in tandem with the sounds of her breathing. You stand by the side of the couch for a few moments, letting your beloved bask in the afterglow of her massage, eventually she seems to regain her senses, her eyes widening just a tad as they meet with your own. “Darling…” She mumbles, lifting her head from the pillow and shooting you a look of pure affection. “Can you do one more thing for me?” You nod, taking a step closer towards the couch so you can hear her better. “Of course I can Rare, what do ya need?” “You wouldn’t be opposed to…cuddling with me for a bit, would you?” She pouts her lips and widens her eyes, shooting you a puppy dog stare that practically makes your heart melt. You couldn’t say no even if you wanted to. At her behest you lay back on the couch, sliding up against the opposite end as she moves out of the way, giving you more room to maneuver. She smiles at you and motions for you to lay back with a twirl of her hoof; you do so, setting your head up against the armrest at the opposite end of the couch, turning it into a makeshift pillow of sorts. After a few moments of fumbling about you manage to get into a fairly comfortable position, the armrest isn’t exactly doing your neck any favors but you’ll put up with it for Rarity’s sake. You look up to see the unicorn staring at you expectantly, eager to begin your little cuddle session. You don’t really know why she’s being so touchy feely today, but it’s not like you’re about to complain. “Ready?” She queries, her smooth feminine voice making your heart soar. You respond to her question by reaching out with your hooves and gently laying them upon her shoulders. A beaming grin spreads across her face as you start to pull her downwards, tingles shoot out across your body as her silky smooth fur rubs up against your own, and you can feel the gentle thumping of her heartbeat as she lets out a heartfelt sigh. A look of contentment crawls across her face as she rests her head against your chest; you lean down, sucking in the delicious scent of her expensive shampoo and perfume. Rarity’s chest rumbles a little as she lets out a petite giggle, her eyes cracking open and a grin spreading across her face as she looks up at you. “Your breath tickles…” Her beautiful blue eyes practically melt your heart as you look down upon her; you smile and look away, not wishing to disturb her. Instead you reach out with your legs, pulling her into a warm embrace, she relents, settling herself into your chest and returning your heartfelt hug. You lay like that for a few moments, you basking in the warmth and companionship she provided, and her, basking in the warmth and security your hooves provided. Rarity’s smile grows as you begin to gently stroke her back with your hoof. “I missed doing this with you.” She whispers, her breath dancing across a tuft of fur on your chest, making it itch. “You had lots of opportunities to cuddle with me in the hospital.” You point out, craning your neck to look down at her. “Why didn’t you just ask?” She shifts a little in your embrace, adjusting her position. “Dr. Stable said that it might not be a good idea, they were worried that your bones might not have healed properly…” Her voice trailed off, dying in her throat as ill memories filtered back to the forefront of her. You frown, she always gets like this whenever your recent injury comes up, you’d seen it a few times in the hospital. You worry that maybe the whole ordeal had affected her on some kind of psychological or emotional level. “Hey Rare…” You reach out with a hoof, lightly cupping her chin and prompting her to look up at you, she does, her expression somewhat disheartened and her shining blue eyes sparkling with sadness. “If you ever want to talk about it, you know we can.” The unicorn lets the tiniest of smiles spread across her lips as she reaches up and gently holds your hoof in her own, sighing as she slides it up to her cheek, the touch makes your whole leg tingle and brings a blush to her cheeks. Suddenly that small smile is replaced by a devilish grin; she chuckles and pulls your hoof away. “Well you’re one to talk dear!” The fashionista starts, her tone and sudden shift in attitude positively destroying any semblance of the tranquil and romantic atmosphere that had just been built. “You won’t even tell me about one silly little nightmare!” We’re alike you and I “Oh and don’t even get me started on your life before you moved here!” The unicorn scoffs and shakes her head. Your entire life is a lie! “You won’t tell me about your parents!” Afraid that I’ll ruin your precious reputation!? “Or why you left Manehattan in the first place!” Afraid that somebody’ll find out we’re the same!? “Or even sign your last name on-ow!” We’re the same! “Darling please…your hoof…” The same! “Darling it hurts...” SAME! “Darling!” You snap out of your daze, only to find yourself staring back at a bewildered Rarity, your hoof is clutched around her own, squeezing it hard enough to turn it red. You immediately regain your senses, quickly loosening your grip and yanking your offending limb away. “O-oh Rarity!” You reach out with your leg again, but quickly yank it back, eager to console her but afraid that you’ll only serve to hurt her again. You look up, your expression registering both remorse and panic. “I-I’m so, so, sorry!” The unicorn soothingly rubs at her aching hoof. She sits up, fully removing herself from where she lay across your chest. Ice cold panic runs through you as she does, is she angry? Upset? Did she mistrust you now that you’ve hurt her? “I’m fine.” Rarity states, letting her soothing ministrations stop as she looks down at you with worry in her soft blue gaze. “Are you okay?” You don’t really know what to say to that, you’re most definitely not okay…that much you know for a fact. That nightmare from your past…it’s been eating away at you since this morning, and now you’d hurt Rarity because of it. What are you going to do? Tell her? Spill it all out in some kind of heartfelt speech? “I...” Your voice dies in your throat; Rarity’s gaze softens even further. “I don’t know.” The unicorn reaches out with her hooves; you shudder as they slowly wrap themselves around your head, cradling it as she pulls herself closer. She offers you a tiny comforting smile, and you feel yourself getting lost in her gorgeous blue eyes as she stares down at you, quelling your worries and fears with a single look. “It’s okay dear…” Rarity’s voice is deliberately soft and gentle, trying her best to calm you down; it seems to work, for the most part. “I…I don’t know what’s wrong with you. And I’ll never know if you don’t tell me what it is, but I can’t force you to, so I won’t, I’m sorry I said all those things just now. It was rude of me and I shouldn’t have brought it up.” You swallow hard, your shame visibly showing. “I’m the one who should be sorry…I just hurt you an-” She shakes her head, effectively cutting you off without saying anything. “Don’t worry about that, it’s nothing.” She giggles a little. “I’ve hurt myself worse with sewing needles dear.” You sigh, some of your panic and general unease flittering away with her joke. You still felt horrible, but Rarity’s doing a great job of alleviating some of that guilt. “Listen…” Her tone grows serious, but she keeps up with the smile. “I want you to know, that whatever’s bothering you, you can tell me about it.” You nod; gently letting your eyes close as you let your head rest in her tender grasp, this tiny show of submission seems to please her, as she lets another soft giggle slide past her cherry red lips. “I know Rare.” You start, opening your eyes to find her once again laying across your chest; you reach out with your hooves, tenderly wrapping them around her waist. “But…I’m going to need some time.” Rarity nods in understanding; she leans in, surprising you with a heartfelt kiss. “I understand, I’ll be here whenever you need me dear.” You smile, letting your head roll backwards. Your eyes wander off towards the clock on the wall, the time reading eleven thirty. “Ah crud…” You mumble, Rarity follows your gaze, she frowns in response. “I should probably get those sheets washed.” Rarity reluctantly unhooks her hooves from around your head, and you slide your own off of her waist. She sets herself up on the couch, now sitting on her haunches at the opposite end. “And I should probably finish some of my orders.” She states, shooting you another playful smile. “Back to work for the both of us it seems.” “So it seems.” You sit up as well, smiling back at her. “Anything else you’d like me to do after I take care of the laundry?” She puts a dainty white hoof up to her chin in thought, gently pursing her lips outwards. “Hmm, I’ll have to think on it. Don’t you have to run those books back to Rainbow Dash at some point?” Your eyes widen a little as the realization that you’d almost forgotten to return those Daring Do novels hits you full force. She’s right, you probably should get those back to her soon, Rainbow isn’t exactly the most threatening individual, but even you had enough sense to avoid ticking off one of Ponyville’s prankster duo, you had enough to worry about without having to double check every seat for whoopee cushions. “Right, thanks for reminding me.” Rarity nods her head, hopping off the couch. She winces as the hoof you’d been clutching touches the ground, you frown as she represses the pain…you’d hurt her worse than she’s willing to admit. “I’ll be in my workroom if you need me darling.” She says, heading for the stairs “Sure, talk to ya later Rare.” You wait for a moment on the couch, your ear twitching just slightly as you listen for the gentle slam of her workroom door. When it finally happens you let your head fall into your hooves. “Oh Celestia…what am I gonna do?” You’d been hoping that these nightmares and pseudo flashbacks would stop at some point; this isn’t necessarily the first time you’d been hit with similar issues since leaving Manehattan, but never before had they been this bad. You pull your hooves away from your face; they shake a little as adrenaline courses through your system. “I was just so…” They twitch again; you sigh and shake your head. “I was just so angry…” You don’t know why this is happening now, why these memories and feelings are making such a powerful resurgence. Maybe it was the accident? The trauma and the stress that came with it…maybe…maybe it’d done something to you. You don’t know, and you doubt you’ll ever actually figure out why this is happening unless you get a full on psychological evaluation. But you need to figure out a way to solve this…to get these flashes and these dreams to stop…or else. You lean back in the cushions; you can hear the gentle twinge of a violin in the air, Rarity’s music, it helps her concentrate. “I won’t let myself hurt you again…” You whisper, steel resolve coloring your voice. “I won’t let myself become that…I won’t let him be right.” You shift your attention towards the clock again as it cries out with several loud dongs, signaling the turn of the hour. You shake your head, trying in vain to clear your mind of these dark thoughts. You still had chores to do and errands to run, those are immediate problems and infinitely easier to solve. Your past can wait…for now. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… *Bang* *Bang* Your hoof strikes the hard wood of Rarity’s workroom door, politely trying to garner her attention rather than just bursting inside. You’d made that mistake once, she’d been so engrossed in her designing that she’d failed to notice you enter, you decided to earn her attention by giving her a little shake. As a result, you’d been thrown against the wall and blasted in the face with enough raw magic to light your eyebrows on fire. Turns out that sneaking up on a unicorn while she’s in the middle of using her magic is a horrible idea, you’d made sure to knock ever since. “Coming!” You can hear the fashionista’s muffled voice through the door, the music drops in volume by a notch or two before the doorknob begins to turn. Eventually the door swings open, Rarity’s standing there with a smile, ready to greet you, your eyes wander down towards her hoof, and the appendage is still red and swollen, already starting to bruise. “Hello my dear.” She smiles at you; if her hoof’s causing her any problems she’s doing a good job of hiding it. “Is there something I can help you with?” You shake your head, offering her a weak smile as you tear your eyes away from her injured leg. “Uh no, I just finished putting the sheets into the dryer, they should be ready in about an hour.” She smiles, her pearly white teeth practically glowing. “Excellent work my dear. But I take it you haven’t just come up here to give me a progress report?” You grin. “Maybe I just wanted to see that beautiful smile of yours.” Rarity giggles a little. “Oh please, we both know that you’ll have plenty of time to see me smile once our work for the day is done. What do you really need?” “Well, I’m thinking of running those books back to Ms. Dash.” Your expression becomes a little bashful as you rub at your neck. “And I uh…kind of need something to carry them in. You don’t happen to have any extra saddlebags I could borrow do you?” The unicorn’s face lights up with excitement. “Actually I’ve got something better!” She reaches out with her leg, draping it across your shoulder and giving you a tug. “Come in, I’ve got just what you need!” You see no reason to resist, instead opting to let the ecstatic unicorn tug you along. Despite your rather bitter mood you can’t help but smile, Rarity’s chipper attitude forcing away the dark thoughts you’d been entertaining previously. She stops you in the middle of her dimly lit workroom, placing a hoof to your chest and planting a sweet kiss to your cheek. It’s always the smallest kisses that make you blush the most… “Wait here; I’ll be just a moment!” You flinch as she gives your chest a single hard poke for emphasis, before she disappears into her nearby closet. You can hear her humming a jaunty tune to herself as she shuffles about the racks and stacks of dresses, shirts, socks, and other such articles of clothing. “Oh dear…this place is terribly messy, I simply must get in here at some point today and tidy it up.” You, deciding to disobey her order, take a couple steps closer and peek into the closet. You’re rewarded with the opportunity to catch an eyeful of your beloved’s wonderful posterior, hiked high into the air as she rummages about a pile of boxes, the gentle mounds of supple flesh swaying back and forth in time with her movements. You know it isn’t proper…but you find it difficult to look away. “So uh…find it yet Rarity?” You ask, averting your eyes and stepping away from the closet, doing your best to keep blood from rushing to somewhere other than your face. “Hm…I know I put it in here somewhere.” The unicorn mumbles in response to your question, before she gasps. “Ah! There it is!” You hear the ruffling of cloth and the thumping of boxes as she emerges from the seemingly bottomless depths of her closet. She reaches up with her bruised hoof to touch up the frizzes at the end of her luscious purple mane, her horn is alight with a pale blue glow and you can see the magical aura around something she’s keeping out of your view from behind. “So, what’ve ya got for me?” You raise a playful eyebrow. Rarity blushes a little and looks away. “Well, I’m willing to admit that it’s nothing particularly jaw dropping but…” “Oh come on Rarity, you made it, it has to be jaw dropping.” The unicorn shrugs her shoulders a bit, her expression filled with personal esteem. “Well I did make it, so naturally it’s still top of the line!” You’d say she’s being arrogant, if that wasn’t true, you’d been with Rarity for quite a while now, and you had yet to see her make something that you wouldn’t be proud to wear, except for the dresses of course, but that’s because you’re a stallion and didn’t really have the hips needed to carry something like that. “But again, it’s more of a personal piece. And I figured that something simple would suffice.” You can see the happiness in her eyes as she reveals the piece in question. “Here darling, this is for you.” You feel your lips curve upwards as you look upon the saddlebags the fashionista held in her magical grip. The burlap saddlebag is a brilliant shade of black, it reminded you of the suit she’d made for your date in Canterlot, and it was vaguely the same shade but didn’t look quite as smooth. The buckles and cinches are a pristine shade of bronze, polished and cleaned to mirror sheen. “Wow Rarity.” You reach out with a hoof, looking up and asking her for permission with your eyes, she gives it to you with a nod. You grab the saddlebag, running an appreciative hoof over the soft faux leather. “This is great.” Rarity waves a dismissive hoof in the air, brushing off your gratitude. “Think nothing of it dear, I just figured that my personal assistant couldn’t be seen bustling about town doing favors for me wearing any old pair of saddlebags.” She grinned. “Besides, now you’ll be able to do a little promotion for me.” “Whenever somepony asks, ‘where did you get those magnificent saddlebags?’ I should respond with ‘At Rarity’s illustrious Carousel Boutique, where everything is chic, sleek, and magnifique!’?” “Naturally my dear.” You begin fumbling with the straps and buckles. “Ah, ah, just one moment!” You immediately stop your ministrations, looking up and raising a curious eyebrow. “Look inside the right pocket.” You shrug, reaching out and clasping the edge of the pocket with your teeth. With a single flip of your head you pull it open, and you immediately feel your insides go all warm and fuzzy. “Aw Rare…” You turn back to the unicorn, your expression soft and grateful. The unicorn seems a tad embarrassed, reaching up with a hoof to play with a stray curl of her mane. “So, am I to assume you find it…cute?” You chuckle and look back at the little gift she’d sewn into the saddlebag. It was a picture of your cutie mark intertwined with hers, and the two marks were sewn onto the backdrop of a big red heart. It was obvious what that meant, and anypony that saw it would know what it represented, the lipstick was one thing, but this would be like walking around town wearing a sign with the words- ‘I’m dating Rarity’-on it in big bold letters. “Very cute…” You set the saddlebags down and approach the unicorn; she stops playing with her mane and looks up at you appreciatively. “Almost as cute as you are.” You lean down and bump noses with her, she giggles a little in response, and the angelic sound of her laughter makes your heart soar. “I’m glad you appreciate it darling.” You lean in, gently pressing your forehead against her own, after what you’d done a few minutes ago…you wanted her to know just how much this meant to you. “I don’t just appreciate it.” The pair of you grin as you stare into one another’s eyes. “I love it.” “Good…” She lets her eyes close, instead basking in the sensation of having her face so close to your own. “I made it a few days before our date, I’d have given it to you then but I was so caught up in getting everything squared away that I must have spaced it.” You see her cheeks redden a little. “And I apologize for waiting so long…” “Now there’s no need to be sorry.” You keep your voice low. “A great gift is a great gift; it doesn’t matter when you give it.” She smiles and pulls her forehead away, pursing her lips and gently kissing the spot between your eyes. “Thank you.” She pulls away, stepping towards a nearby table and retrieving her work glasses, her horn alight as she adjusts the red face wear. “I was thinking why don’t you and I go out to eat today?” She turns to look at you over her shoulder while magically draping a roll of measuring tape over her shoulders. “Nothing incredibly fancy, just a little date for you and me.” That actually sounds kind of nice. You wouldn’t mind dining at one of Ponyville’s local eateries; you hadn’t really had an opportunity to go to one since you lost your job a while back. Though, you’d admittedly feel a little bad having your marefriend pay for your meal, there’s not really a whole hell of a lot you can do about that though. “Sure Rare, I’d like that.” You give her your affirmative, reaching down and donning your new saddlebags at the same time. “Dining with my marefriend sounds like a wonderful way to spend the evening.” She smiles at you over her shoulder, magically stitching and sewing a piece of fabric at the same time. “Excellent my dear, I think I need a little break from all this work anyhow. What time do you intend to return?” You put a hoof up to your chin and give it a thoughtful tap, trying to calculate how long you’d be out running around town. “Well…I don’t think running those books back to Ms. Dash will take that long.” You put your hoof back down, nodding your head. “So an hour, maybe two, I don’t imagine it’ll take much longer than that.” “Excellent!” She exclaims, happiness coloring her tone. “When you return we’ll get a little freshened up then head out for some brunch.” “Good, I’ll be back in a bit Rare.” You turn and make for the door, only to stop mid-trot, you turn back towards her, your expression bashful. “Uh…Rare?” She turns away from her stitching, a shiny metal needle in her mouth. She shoots you a ‘yes?’ kind of look. You nervously rub at one leg with another, you didn’t really want to bring it up…but since you’d caused it you might as well see if there’s anything you can do to help alleviate it. “Do you uh…well, is your hoof bothering you?” You keep your eyes averted, so you don’t see her expression immediately morph into a saddened frown. She reaches up with said hoof, pulling away the needle in her mouth. “Yes darling, it’s a bit…achy.” Her voice is suspiciously quiet, and you feel a pit of guilt wad up in your stomach. “Oh…” You feel your voice die in your throat…you can’t believe you’ve hurt her like that. “Do you…do you want me to get you some pain medication?” Out of the corner of your eye you can see her smile weakly. “Yes dear, I would like that very much.” You hope she isn’t upset with you, though you can’t really blame her if she is. “O-okay…” You look at her face for the first time since you’ve started this conversation, you can see the pity and sadness behind her beautiful blue eyes. “And I’m sorry that I hurt you…I won’t do it again, I swear I won’t.” Rarity, besides herself, laughs a little. This display makes you raise an eyebrow in confusion. “Darling, please stop apologizing. I know you’re sorry, and I know you won’t do it again…just…” It’s her turn to avert her gaze. “Forgive me if I’m hesitant to hold your hoof for a little while.” You don’t know why…but that hurts, it hurts a lot actually. You’d lost a part of her trust with what you’d done, and you know deep down that you probably deserve losing more than the privilege to hold her hoof, but the knowledge that she was scared of what you might do if she did still hit you pretty hard. “Right…I’ll see you in a little bit Rare.” She smiles a weakly and turns back to her work. You take this as your cue to leave, and you slink out of the workroom with nary a sound to be made. With only your dark little thoughts and a pair of new saddlebags as company. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Rarity lets out a depressed sigh as soon as her workroom door closes. She turns and looks at the spot where you’d been standing only a few moments prior. Her hoof throbs in agony and she represses the urge to rub at it in a soothing manner. “I…I’m sorry…” The words finally stumble out of her mouth; she…hadn’t intended to be so callous about her response. And after seeing the hurt look in your eyes she could tell that she’d made a horrid mistake with her comment. You’re hurting right now, going through things she doesn’t quite understand, and you need her to be supportive…not frightened of what you might do. “I just wish you’d tell me what’s wrong.” She mumbles to herself as she reaches across the table for a piece of sketching paper, getting to work putting together ideas for her next order, Fancy Pants wanted a new dress for his marefriend Fleur de Lis. The fashionista had hoped that broaching the subject with humor would help you open up a little about your past, that maybe with a few laughs and a few jokes you’d be willing to let something slip. But instead…instead you’d shown her something that she hadn’t expected. Obviously, there’s a reason you haven’t told her…and that reason might be a little darker than she expects. “Ah! Merde!” The persnickety unicorn immediately presses a hoof up to her lips, her cheeks turning a little pink at the realization of what she’d just said. Swearing is so unladylike… “Ugh, first I upset my coltfriend…then I positively butcher this design!” The unicorn huffs and crumples up the paper, using her magic to toss it in the nearby trash bin. *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* The unicorn let loose an exasperated snort. She was already buried in work; she didn’t have the time, resources, or patience necessary to take new orders. Part of her wants to ignore whoever it is at the door, to shrug it off and pretend like she’s either too busy or not at home to answer, but she couldn’t really afford to be brushing off cliental, your hospital bills would be coming in soon, and every little bit she can get will help. She tears herself away from her designs and marches towards the door, resigning herself to her fate. Maybe, if she’s lucky, they’ll be gone by the time she gets there. Then at least she won’t have to deal with it and she’ll have an excuse for herself when she wonders why exactly she’s short on bits this month. *Bang* *Bang* Two more rough knocks adds a bit of speed to her trot, adding a newfound sense of urgency to each step. As she rounds the steps and heads down the stairs her trained ears pick up on a voice from behind the front door. “Hun are you sure this is the right place?” It sounds like a mare, though Rarity can’t quite place who it might belong to. Certainly not anypony she’s met before. “Of course, I’m ninety…sixty…fifty percent sure that this is the place.” The second voice, a stallion, deep and powerful though it carried a hint of joviality, again the fashionista finds herself unable to place who the voice could belong to. “Ugh, I don’t get why you didn’t just ask that wonderful little yellow pegasus for directions one last time. It wouldn’t have been that hard.” “Well I’m sorry dear but I don’t think it would have changed much. I could barely hear her the first time she spoke; I highly doubt she’d have gotten any louder come our second conversation.” Oh dear, these two must be married, or at least engaged. Nopony argued quite like that save for married or soon to be married couples. Rarity figures it’s best to intervene while she still can, lest she be forced to put up with more incessant bickering. The unicorn grips the door’s handle with her magic, giving it a twist and prying it open. She represses the urge to squint and frown as the sunlight filters in and hits her full force, spotting her vision and making it difficult to see the two ponies fighting on her doorstep. “Hello, welcome to Rarity’s Carousel Boutique. How may I help you?” Rarity does her best to sound upbeat and welcoming, though she feels anything but, her mood having long since been soured. “See, told you I didn’t need directions!” The stallion spoke up again, Rarity can hear his significant other scoff and feel the rolling of her eyes. “You’re Rarity aren’t you dearie?” The haze in Rarity’s vision finally clears, and she finally gets a good look at the mare standing before her. Her coat is a nice dark pink, fuchsia she thinks. Her mane is an almost sparkling blonde, it managed to catch the sunlight in such a way that it’s almost difficult to look at, it’s done up into a bun at the top of her head. She has a rather shapely figure, obviously a mare that takes care of herself. She had a beautiful pair of green eyes, they sparkled with life, yet something behind them told her that the mare had seen more than she’d ever say. The mare is beautiful, practically perfect in every way, save for one thing… That horrid scar…where on Equestria did she get that horrid scar? It’s gangly and long, stretching across her neck and up to her face, marring the beautiful skin and flesh. It lay poised there, curled up like a snake. “Y-yes, yes I am!” Rarity quickly exclaims, shaking herself out of her haze. “This is my boutique.” “Wonderful!” Said the stallion, a dark red unicorn with a brilliant hazel mane, he’s handsome, but doesn’t quite stand out as much as his companion. “I don’t suppose you know who we are?” The unicorn quickly racks her brain in an attempt to conjure up any memories containing the pair of ponies on her doorstep. She fails to find anything of note. “Uh, no I’m afraid I do not.” The two exchange an ‘I knew it’ kind of look. “Well I’m Spring Petal.” The mare lays a dainty hoof to her chest and smiles. “And this is my husband Garnet Canter.” She motions with that same hoof to the stallion at her side, who offered a smile of his own. “We are about to become very well acquainted.” The fashionista took a reflexive step back, the mare’s last sentence catching her off guard. “Pray tell, why exactly are we to become um, well acquainted?” “Why my dear?” Asked Garnet Canter, his lips still curved upwards into a disarming smile. “Because you’re dating our son of course!”