//------------------------------// // The Lover's Nuzzle // Story: Appledashery // by Just Essay //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash's eyes wandered across the branches and tree trunks of the darkening forest as she and her friend trotted along. She spotted the shadows of squirrels scurrying in the distance, and she briefly thought of the tiny serpentine statue lying in wait at her cloud home. “...Rainbow?” “Hmmm?” With a double-take, Rainbow snapped her gaze towards Fluttershy. “Yeah?” “Have you not?” “Not what?” “Seen... uhm... ponies do the 'Lover's Nuzzle' in public?” “You mean that neck-rubbing thing you and Big Mac just did.” “Ahem... yes.” “I dunno. Maybe?” “Mr. and Mrs. Cake do it all the time in Sugarcube Corner,” Fluttershy said. “I'm surprised in all the times you've hung out with me and the rest of the girls, you've not noticed.” “Come to think of it, I think I do recall them doing a silly neck-tango out the corner of my eyes.” “You see? It's not uncommon at all.” “Yeah, but—like—those two saps are married.” “Hmmmm...” Fluttershy smiled gently from cheek to cheek. “Yes, they are.” “Uhhh... are... are you and Big Maci—?” Fluttershy giggled lightly. “Don't be silly, Rainbow.” “Who says I was the silly one!” “It doesn't meany anything inappropriate,” Fluttershy insisted. “Well, then, you tell me! What does it mean!” “It's... erm...” Fluttershy bit her lip, stumbling slightly in her trot. “It's not so much a meaning as it is a feeling,” she said. “You see, when two ponies leave each other very very much—” “Uh oh. Do I have to be sitting on my wingtips in middle school while hearing this?” “Rainbow...” “Hee hee hee!” Fluttershy sighed, but nevertheless smiled pleasantly as she went on. “Couples reach a point of understanding where they would desire to express their deep and intimate love for each other in a way that words simply can't. For that reason, the Lovers' Nuzzle came into being. It's as old as time, predating even Equestrian civilization. Why, I'm certain even the likes of Princess Platinum and Clover the Clever were performing the gesture with ponies they cared about.” “What about Starswirl.” “Hmm?” “Starswirl the Bearded, y'know? Did he ever smother another pony with his beard?” “Uhm... I-I dunno. I think that's a question for Twilight.” “Heh... something tells me that Twilight's not the expert on this sort of thing.” “No.” Fluttershy gulped. “No, she isn't.” Rainbow blinked at that. Fluttershy went on. “Ahem. Most ponies first do the Lover's Nuzzle in private. But it's usually not a major thing until they perform it in public.” “What's the difference?” “Well, Rainbow, it's a huge step.” “Towards what?” Fluttershy smiled. “Towards sharing their love with the world. It's... uhm... a form of expression,full of shameless joy and contentment and—” “Seriously, though, why couldn't you two just resort to suplexing each other?!” “Rainbow....” “Heck, at least then the two of you would be making a sound, girl! You think there's any other way for Ponyville to notice what you and Big Mac's got going?” Fluttershy merely giggled. Rainbow glanced aside at her, smirking while in mid-trot. “So you guys like each other that much, huh?” “Y-Yes. Yes, very much.” “Enough to do this nuzzle thing in public?” “Uhm... well... almost.” Fluttershy gulped, her cheeks turning red for the umpteenth time. “You really... uh... weren't m-meant to see that.” “Awwwwwww, I'm sorry, Fluttershy...” “Oh, it's quite alright—” “Pegasus' gonna peg, y'know?” Rainbow shrugged with her wings. “Especially when there's a good lofty branch to laze away on. How was I supposed to know that you and Big Mac were gonna shuffle beneath me within open view—” She bumped into Fluttershy's fuzzy chest. The pegasus stared softly into Rainbow's eyes. “You're my best friend, Rainbow Dash. Of all my friends, I'm honored and happy that you would be the first to witness what you did.” “Uhhh... n-no problem!” Rainbow gulped. “I think...?” “I just... do hope that you approve,” Fluttershy said, fiddling with her mane hair while her eyes darted aside. “You mean of you and Big Mac doing this Lover's Nuzzle thing?” “Mmmmmhmmmm.” Fluttershy gulped. “In a few months—maybe sooner—we'll finally have the nerve to do it in public.” “Just like Mr. and Mrs. Cake.” “Hmmmmmmm...” Fluttershy smiled warmly into the gathering shadows of night. “Yes. Very much so.” “Just answer me one thing.” “What's that?” Rainbow squinted. “Why's Big Mac gotta be on top?” Fluttershy's cheeks went blood red. “Buhhhh?” “Nnnnngh...” Rainbow rolled her eyes and practically growled. “I mean his friggin' chin atop your head! What's up with that?” “Oh! Oh... uhm...” Fluttershy stirred slightly. “That is simply how we both feel it is to be.” “Feel what is to be?” “Who we are... and who we are together,” Fluttershy said. “Big Mac initiates the Nuzzle and I reciprocate. It... uhm... it reflects how we are in almost every other area of our lives.” “Why?” “Huh?” “Why's it gotta be that way, girl?” Rainbow shrugged. “Is it because he's a stallion?” “N-no! It's because—” “He's stronger?” “Rainbow, everypony knows that I'm not exactly the assertive one.” “Horseapples!” Rainbow Dash smirked. “I've seen you stare down manticores and teach dragons the business! You could totally out-nuzzle Big Macintosh to the floor!” “Heeheehee... this is not some sort of competition, Rainbow.” “Then what's the deal?” Fluttershy gave a long, warm sigh. She stared off beyond the tree trunks and murmured, “Big Macintosh has been quiet and shy all his life. And now that he knows me...” She smiled. “He's learned to come out of his shell. There was a time when he wouldn't say a single word to me. But now? He's like a regular poet, and every stanza laced with honey. My heart melts just to hear his words, to feel the warm breath of his whispers in my ears...” Rainbow blinked. “He's not the only one...” she muttered. Fluttershy continued, unfazed. “I've given him a way to express himself, to be alive, I suppose.” “And you?” Fluttershy gulped and glanced tenderly at Rainbow. “He protects me.” “From...?” “Everything.” Her voice took on a quiet, melodic tone. “Myself. My fears. My doubts. Even tears.” She brushed her bangs back and rasped, “Just laying in his arms, I feel warm... like I've found my home.” “You don't say...” Fluttershy nodded. “He... supports me, Rainbow Dash, even if I was the mare to show him that he has the power to do so. So, please, believe me... he's the one to start the Lover's Nuzzle.” “So, like, when it comes time to show off your love in public—” “His chin will be on top of my head.” Fluttershy giggled. “See? It's all really, really simple.” “Heh... if you say so...” “Oh, Rainbow...” “Pfft! You can have your fru-fru public dance moves!” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “If you ask me, it's an awful lot of goofiness for no reason.” “I wouldn't be so quick to make fun of it if I were you.” “And why not?” “Because...” Fluttershy smiled coyly. “There's no telling when the day will come when you will want to perform the Lover's Nuzzle in public, Rainbow.” “Heh... please.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “I'd rather be caught dead.” “Somehow I doubt that.” “You doubt a lot of things—well, at least before Big Macintosh showed up.” “Heeheehee!” “And even if I did...” Rainbow Dash smirked devilishly. “There's no way in Tartarus I'd let another pony's chin weigh down the top of my head!” Fluttershy abruptly stopped laughing. She stared straight at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow fidgeted. “Wh-what?” her voice cracked. Fluttershy stared. Calmly, she smiled, trotted forward, and rubbed her cheek against Rainbow's. “Rainbow, you are many things, but the least of which is the Element of Honesty.” Rainbow opened her mouth to protest. Nothing came out. She suddenly realized she was shivering. With a nervous gulp, she backtrotted a step or two, avoiding Fluttershy's gaze. Fluttershy almost looked apologetic. She pursed her lips, lingered, and said, “I'm not mad at you for watching me and Big Mac just now. I hope you realize that.” “R-right,” Rainbow stammered, nervously running a hoof through her bangs. “Just as we both realize why you'd be lying atop a tree in Sweet Apple Acres to begin with.” Fluttershy's muzzle lingered open. She cleared her throat and quietly said, “Everything about you is precious, Rainbow Dash. More than you'll ever admit. More than most ponies are blessed to know.” “Mmmmff...” Rainbow kicked at the blades of grass beneath them. “Uh huh...” “Rainbow...” A gentle hoof rested on the pegasus' shoulder. Rainbow gulped. She tilted her head up. Fluttershy's glistening eyes were a few inches above her own, yet another brief reminder—like so many others—of just how small Rainbow truly was. It almost matched how she felt. Almost. “I... I worry about you these days,” Fluttershy said. “Flying off to one place or another? Disappearing without a moment's notice? It feels almost as if... y-you've been drifting away.” “Drifting away?” Rainbow made a face. “Fluttershy, ever since Twilight rolled into town—” “Yes, I know. And I think what we girls have is spectacular.” Fluttershy smiled, but all-too-swiftly sighed. “But, even still, it feels like you've been part of the picture less and less.” “I'm the friggin' Element of Loyalty.” “Loyalty can work from afar, can't it?” Fluttershy gulped. “That's what's so beautiful and sad about it all at once.” Rainbow bit her lip. “And... and it almost feels like you've been keeping things at a distance. Ever since... well... ever since Gilda, really—” “What happened between me and Gilda was a fluke, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash snapped. “And besides...” Her ears drooped, along with her feathers. “That was... fr-fresh off the heels of Listing Breeze...” Fluttershy said nothing. “But...” Rainbow took a deep breath, her jaw clenching as she stood tall and proud. “I'm a lot better than the stupid pegasus I once was, Fluttershy. I know I may not be around quite as much, and that's just because I have a lot of stuff to do. But... but it's all for a good purpose!” “Is it?” Rainbow Dash blinked. “I know you're a different kind of pegasus than you used to be, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said. “But there are times when I think you're still punishing yourself.” “P-punishing myself?” “Yes. Each and every day. I really wish you wouldn't.” “Fluttershy, I'm as awesome and well-adjusted as it gets!” Rainbow snapped. “Just why the heck would I be punishing myself?!” “Because the one thing you want the most in life is that which you can't win.” Rainbow's face paled at that. Her face hung in a dull grimace, staring past Fluttershy. At last, she gulped and squeaked forth, quietly: “Maybe it's... n-not about winning her, Fluttershy... but making sure that she's the one who gets to win all the t-time?” Fluttershy stared softly, her eyes glossy. Rainbow gave a painful smile. “You see? In the end, it doesn't have to involve a silly nuzzle in public. Not always.” “I do see.” Fluttershy sniffled. “And it's beautiful.” She trotted forward and wrapped her arms around Rainbow's neck, nuzzling her close. “But it doesn't change the fact that I love you dearly, Rainbow Dash, and I worry about you a lot... especially lately...” “Hey...” Rainbow patted the mare's shoulder, keeping her voice straight. “It's alright, girl.” “Is it?” Fluttershy leaned back, her face long and sympathetic. “You deserve the best, Rainbow Dash.” “And I have the best.” Rainbow winked back. “I just... don't need to put it on the shelf.” Fluttershy blinked. “Heheh...” Rainbow tossed her mane and grinned calmly. “Not everything's a trophy, y'know.” “I... I-I don't understand.” “You don't have to,” Rainbow said. “You just need to get home safe.” Rainbow urged Fluttershy forward. Flapping her wings, she guided the mare through the forested darkness. “Come on, Fluttershy. And if any timberwolves attack us, I'll give them the Lover's Suplex. Just you see.” “Uhm... okay...”