The Lion and the Lamb

by CrazyChickenLady


Chapter Thirty-Six: Just Go With It

Chapter Thirty-Six: Just Go With It

Feeling she had won, a broad smile painted itself across Rarity’s face. She would make sure Fluttershy’s first date went perfectly, even if the winged pony herself exhibited some reluctance. Her friend would thank her in the end, she was sure of it.

“Moving right along. How are things going with Chenoa?”

“Things are going fine.” Fluttershy allowed herself a smile, a bit of relief washing over her now that the subject had been changed. “She’s becoming far more active and curious than I expected! She’s just babbling all day - she says Mama a lot, but she’s still learning to speak.”

“That’s nice. She’ll be getting herself into mischief sooner than you think. Sweetie Belle was always getting into trouble when she was a foal. She still does from time to time.”

Fluttershy giggled.

“That’s true. She and her friends are always getting into mischief. Sometimes I wonder about them…” She shook her head, sighing. “It’s… actually rather obvious on what they’re good at, but they’re so… blind to it.

“I wonder if Chenoa might start doing any of that? She’s a griffon and… won’t get a cutie mark… Do you think that might not stop her from trying?”

“I don’t think so. If you explain to her she cannot get a cutie mark, she should refrain from trying to get one,” Rarity replied. Truthfully, she didn’t know. It seemed logical, but her younger sister didn’t always follow logic.

“I think she may understand. I don’t know. I…” The pale yellow pegasus gave pause, dropping her eyes to the mud. “I don’t want to see her hurt, of course. Just thinking of all the things she might get into makes my heart want to stop. But, at the same time, I… I don’t want to. Foals need to experience, learn, and grow. Sometimes letting them see the world for themselves would actually be better than trying to protect and shelter them.”

The alabaster unicorn nodded in agreement.

“That might be something Smokey will need to learn. When I see him with Chenoa, he seems awfully protective of her. Not that it’s a bad thing. He just comes across as… clingy.”

“Really? I… didn’t notice that…” She went quiet again, tilting her head back to fixate her eyes on the ceiling and slinking further into her mud bath. As she reminisced, she came to a realization that the other mare’s observation had merit. He did, at times. “Now that you mention it, he… he actually does. Though… I can’t blame him. If I had been through what he had been through, I would be the same way…”

“Hm?” Turning to her companion, Rarity arched a brow with an inquisitive look in her eyes. “What has he been through?”

The pegasus turned her attention back to the other pony, before her eyes went wide. Smokey had told her, but he never told anyone else. She felt guilty that she almost let something very personal that had been kept between her and the draconian.

“Uhhh…” She hadn’t meant to admit that. What would Smokey say? “He’s… had a hard life. Being a dragon. You know, with what happened when he was in town.”

It wasn’t a total lie. As long as she didn’t reveal what really happened to him in his youth.

This didn’t really sound like an elaborate explanation for Smokey’s behavior. Did Fluttershy even know? Or, was it too personal that she felt she should keep between herself and the dragon until he was ready to talk about it to everyone else?

“Is it… personal?”

“It is. I’m sorry, Rarity, but… I really don’t want to say anything. I don’t want to upset Smokey. If he finds out…” She shook her head. “I’d rather ask him before letting anypony else know.”

Nodding in comprehension, Rarity offered a smile.

“I understand. You don’t want to ruin your relationship with him before you even get the chance to take it to the next level.”

Fluttershy’s eyes opened even wider at this statement.

“… N-next… level…??” she sputtered, her mind immediately flooding with images. Her wings unfurled with significant force, tearing through the seaweed bindings and flaring open with an audible FOOMPH!

The snow-pelted mare’s own eyes went a little round as she stared for a moment at the now stiff wings. It took the duration of that moment for her to process what had just happened. She had never seen Fluttershy do that before! Eyes returning to their original size, she couldn’t help but giggle a tiny bit.

“Goodness! Fluttershy, I’ve never seen such a reaction from you! I sincerely didn’t mean anything like that.”

The feathered equine was beet red in her face, her hooves on both cheeks as she tried to mentally command her wings to curl back up.

“Oh, goodness, no! I… I didn’t think you meant to imply that…” She was unable to force the image out of her head. Just the thought of her and Smokey nuzzling each other was enough to fluster her.

“Well, maybe something will happen during your date,” Rarity said. “Maybe Smokey will want a goodnight kiss.”

“A… a k-kiss?” Fluttershy squeaked, her wings still stiff and twitching somewhat. “Like… a… full on… the lips kiss…?”

“Of course! It’s the perfect way to let a man know how much you enjoyed the date. The best way to get the message through to them, actually. That’s just how they are. If they don’t get a kiss at the end of the date, they might get the idea they did something wrong.”

“Gee… I never… I never thought of that. I… This is all so sudden! I never knew about any of this!”

“I’m glad you asked for advice, Fluttershy. I would just hate for something to go wrong.” Rarity offered another smile. “Of course, he might not ask for a kiss.”

“I thank you for the advice.” Fluttershy drew her legs closer to her body as she gave a squeeing smile. “I just… never thought about this. This is really the first time something like this ever happened.”

“Think nothing of it, darling. Just know, if he doesn’t kiss you, he is most likely too nervous. Like I said before, boys tend to be shy when it comes to impressing a lady.”

The pegasus calmed down a bit with that information. As it was, Smokey was nervous and jittery at times around her. He seemed… hesitant. Shy, almost, as Rarity put it.

“You know, he…” she ventured. “Acts like that around me already. You don’t think…?”

Fluttershy had a point, Rarity mentally mused. The large reptilian sometimes did act shy around her. Whenever he wasn’t, he was quite playful with her.

“Yes, he does. I’ve noticed he can be very playful and affectionate as well.”

“He is. He’s nice and quite sweet.” She stopped to giggle fondly. “And quite the gentle colt. Er, dragon.”

“I’m assuming the animals have grown fond of him?” Rarity queried. While she had visited the cottage when Smokey was present on several occasions, she didn’t really pay much attention to how Fluttershy’s animal friends reacted in the scaly creature’s presence.

“They’ve gotten used to him,” Fluttershy relayed, rubbing one hoof over the other. “It took a while to accept him, but even Angel bunny seems to tolerate him!”

“That’s wonderful! It’s a start, but if your animals can accept Smokey, then I’m sure Ponyville will do the same in time.” Rarity was confident in her words, however, animals tended to be more accepting, lacking the judgmental quirks of sentient beings. “When did you two schedule your date?”

Fluttershy’s ears flattened against her head a second time.

“We were hoping… sometime in the next week or two.”

“Excellent! That’ll give me plenty of time to create outfits for the both of you!” Rarity clasped her hooves together with a delighted grin. She could hardly wait to get started.

“Yeah… Great,” the pegasus said, trying to hide her unenthusiastic tone and expression. While she was appreciative of her friend and her efforts, she wasn’t entirely sure if Smokey would care for this either.

In a way, she wished he was there, since she wasn’t certain what else she could say to object that wouldn’t offend or upset Rarity.

Some time later saw Fluttershy - refreshed and looking far more groomed than she had earlier - walking out of the spa with Rarity. While she had gone to relax, she hadn’t gotten much relaxing done, her mind still focusing on the situation that her royal purple-maned friend had presented. Having broken off with her - sure she wanted to get started on the outfits right away - , she cantered off aimlessly, unsure of what to do or where to go now.

Idly scanning the skies, she noticed that it was a particularly cloudy day. Rainbow Dash would surely be getting around to clear the skies anytime.

That got her thinking. No, Rainbow Dash probably had never been on a date, but she couldn’t help but wonder. She possessed a personality that couldn’t be any more opposite than Rarity. What would she do?

She resolved to ask her, mainly for no other reason than to satisfy her morbid curiosity. In the meantime, she pondered. Perhaps one of her other friends might be able to tell her. If Rainbow Dash might have some advice, then perhaps the rest of them might have some ideas, too.

Just as luck would have it, the prismatic-maned mare herself emerged from one of the largest clouds, utilizing her body to tear it apart. Breaking and whirling around, she charged at one of the pieces that had broken off. Kicking out with her forelegs, the puffy blob dispersed into nothingness. After that, she moved on to the other pieces, not even noticing Fluttershy below her.

Spotting her fellow pegasi, Fluttershy extended her wings and gently pushed off of the ground, intending on approaching her, but halted and watched her work with a smile. Observing her lithe, sleek body dash from one cloud to the other, she couldn’t help but admire her prowess.

Taking a small breath, she called out to cheer Rainbow Dash on. As usual, it came out soft. There was no way the cyan pegasus would be able to hear her meek voice. She paused for a moment, but as the other pony kept going, she tried again. - though, it still couldn’t reach her. Inhaling again, she tried again to the best of her ability, flying higher and waving her hoof to flag the mare.

Moving from cloud to cloud, Rainbow Dash kicked and bucked them into oblivion. It wasn’t until she was finished when she finally noticed Fluttershy. Speeding toward the sunshine yellow pegasus and coming to a swift stop in front of her, she greeted her with a wide grin.

“Hey, Fluttershy! Ya need something?”

“Uh… yes. I do. Would you mind if I asked you something?” She nervously pressed her front hooves together. “It’s a bit… personal.”

“Sure thing. What’s up?” Rainbow Dash asked, her intonation softening up a little bit in concern.

“Um…” Fluttershy glanced over to a somewhat secluded area between a couple of buildings. Motioning for Rainbow Dash to follow her, she glided over to the small alleyway where they could afford some semblance of privacy. “I was just at the spa with Rarity a short while ago and we… got to talking. Thing is…”

She gulped before explaining what was happening - how Smokey mentioned wanting to spend time together and how she agreed, and also how Rarity took it to mean a date, all of the “advice” she was dispensing, and the lengths she was willing to go.

“… And… I don’t want to upset Rarity, but I don’t think it’s necessary. It’s really just a get-together, but I don’t know what to DO. I still feel… confused.

“… What do you say? What… should I do, Rainbow? I want your opinion.”

Rainbow Dash blinked, her mind processing what the other pony had just relayed for her. Lifting a hoof to rub her chin, she rolled her eyes up in thought. While she didn’t have much experience in the subject herself, she felt the need to say something helpful.

“I guess you gotta go through with it if you don’t wanna hurt Rarity’s feelings.”

Fluttershy’s ears flopped down.

“That’s what I thought… I just thought I’d ask, if you were in my position.” A pause. “You’ve… never been on… a date before, right?”

“Kind of, I guess… It was more like hanging out.” The rainbow-maned equine shrugged her shoulders. “Just relax and keep the guy entertained.”

“That’s what I was thinking of it to be, really. Thanks, Rainbow Dash,” said the butter cream mare with an grateful smile.

“No problem!” Rainbow Dash held her head high, proud that she was able to help her friend out. After a few seconds, her expression changed, the element of mischief curiosity entering her magenta eyes. “Do you actually want to date Smokey sometime?”

“Well, I, um…” Fluttershy blushed, not having expected such a sudden question to be asked. “Eep…

“… I… don’t… Maybe?” she whispered, looking incredibly unsure.

Smirking, the sky blue pony leaned in, placing a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder.

“Personally… I think he likes you.”

“You… you really think so?” the rosy-haired mare questioned, gaze locking with Rainbow Dash’s with the blush still prominent.

“Yeah. I think he totally digs you. You guys are raising a kid together. You already look like a couple,” she proclaimed.

Fluttershy went quiet, her lips curling slightly as Rainbow Dash confirmed exactly what Rarity had said earlier,

“I guess. Rarity said the same thing. Thanks, Rainbow. It really means a lot to me that you helped me with this.”

“Sure thing! Y’know, it might even turn out to be an actual date,” Rainbow Dash added with a wink.

Growing uncomfortable and uncertain of what else to say, she turned her body towards the alley’s exit.

“I… I gotta get going now. Thanks again, Rainbow.”

“Yeah, sure. See ya, Fluttershy.” Rainbow Dash’s smile faded just a tiny bit, her friend’s urgency to leave throwing her off a little. Shrugging, she dismissed the matter and zipped off to another portion of the sky that needed tending to.