//------------------------------//
// Third:  Horny Things 
// Story: A Pair of Rare Shies 
// by shortskirtsandexplosions 
//------------------------------//

	"Fluttershy, darling..."  Rarity cooed, half of her limbs draped off her bed.  "I really must be getting up for work—"

"Heeheehee—not yet!"

"Mmmmmff..."  Rarity grumbled and smiled at once.  "Honestly, dearest—"

"J-just wait!"  Fluttershy crawled out from under a cavernous set of sheets.  She propped herself above the unicorn as Rarity laid on her back.  "I have to see something," she said, smiling.

"Do you not already see it?"  Rarity wryly smirked, her forelimbs curled before her chest.  "It's an insufferable amount of bed-hair, and all because we decided to let you stay overnight.  Usually I put my mane in curlers, so I'm sorry for how unkempt it must appear—"

"Heehee... hush, silly pony."  Fluttershy reached in, tilting Rarity's bangs back.  "It's not your hair."

"Then..."  Rarity blinked.  "What is—?"

"Shhhhhhh..."  Fluttershy leaned in, squinting.  "I wanna see it up close."

"See what?"  Rarity squinted.  "You mean my horn?"

"It's... so... shiny..."  Fluttershy's eyes glistened as her lips pursed.

"And sharp."  Rarity gulped.  "I mean it, darling.  Be mindful of yourself.  Many young unicorn siblings have to endure eye surgery on account of—"

"I'll be safe!  I promise!"  Fluttershy tilted her head sideways, gazing at the structure sticking out of Rarity's skull.  "I can almost see my face in it!"

"Well..."  Rarity bore a brief, proud blush.  "I am quite good at polishing it on a regular basis."

"You really do that?"

"It's all part of regular unicorn hygiene, dear," Rarity said.  She pointed upside-down at her vanity in the morning light.  "I have some horn polish right over there—"

"Really?"  Fluttershy gasped.  "Oooh!  Let me do you this morning!"

Rarity laughed, her legs curling.  "Do... hahah... do you even hear yourself half the time, Fluttershy?"

"I mean it!"  Fluttershy grunted, reaching off the bed, licking her lips and straining to reach the vanity.  "When was the last time you had somepony else polish your horn for you?"

"Erm... when I was in grade school.  My mother..."  Rarity's eyes narrowed, staring straight into Fluttershy's chest.  "Mrmmff... really, darling, I can do it myself—"

At last, Fluttershy grasped the canister.  "Let me at least help you this time!  Please?  It's the least I can do for your hospitality."

"Ahem..."  Rarity avoided her gaze, smiling playfully.  "You... m-more than reciprocated last night, dearest—"

Pop!  Fluttershy plucked the lid loose.  "Oooh!"  She shivered slightly.  "Hehe... such an intoxicating smell!"

"Well, most horn polish is meant to be fragrant.  Doesn't that make sense?  The bloody thing's residing directly above my olfactory senses, after all..."

"So, run me through what needs to be done."

"Fluttershy—"

"So I will do it right!"  Fluttershy paused to give Rarity's a loving peck on the forehead.  "Then I will be out of your hair—er... horn!"  Her turquoise eyes sparkled.  "I promise!"

Rarity gazed at her... and eventually caved.  "Unnnnngh..."  She rolled her eyes.  "Oh, alright."

"Yaaaaay."

"St-stop doing that!"  Rarity fanned herself.  "You know what effect that has on me."

"So..."  Fluttershy stuck her hoof into the canister.  "How much should I gather?  Is it like applying ointment on a pig?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Sorry."  Fluttershy blushed.  "Animal caretaker.  First analogy I could think of."  She cleared her throat.  "You do know that pigs are twice as clean as any sapient equine—"

"Right.  Whatever.  First of all."  Rarity pointed upside-down.  "You'll want to gather a liberal amount on your fetlock.  About two dollops will do—"

Gunk!  Fluttershy raised a hoof that was dripping with perfumed goop.  "Like this?"

"Uhhhhhh..."  Rarity blanched, her ears drooping.  "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."  Her eyes flicked between the slimy scoop and Fluttershy's innocent smile.  A gulp, and the fashionista wheezed, "Sure, darling!  Now... uhm..."

"Which part of the horn?"

"Start from the base and swipe upwards," Rarity said.  "If you do it the other way, then there's a greater risk of the material sliding off and collecting in one's eye."

"Uh huh..."  Fluttershy gently stroked Rarity's horn, applying the ointment in a smooth coat.  "And that's a bad thing, right?"

"It's most preferred that it doesn't happen," Rarity said.  "This one time in middle school, I got up in a hurry.  My hooves slipped and... well... I couldn't read magazines for a week."

"Oh dear..."  Fluttershy briefly frowned while stroking Rarity's horn.  "That had to have been awful."

"Yes."  Rarity sighed.  "And it was the anniversary month of Cosmarepolitan too.  Alas..."  She writhed slightly.  "N-not so fast, dear."

"Oh!  I'm sorry!" Fluttershy winced.  "Does it hurt?"

"No.  Just... don't want you splashing the lotion elsewhere."

"Soooooooo..."  Fluttershy stroked the horn slower and slower.  "You don't feel anything?"

"I'm afraid not, dear."

Fluttershy tapped the very end of the horn.  "Not even that?"

Rarity giggled.  "What are you even doing?"

"You know..."  Fluttershy smiled.  "The tip isn't as sharp as I thought.  Heehee... I bet I could nuzzle it and still not be hurt—"

"Don't you try it!"  Rarity frowned.  "I'm not even remotely close to joking!"

"I read you loud and clear, Rarity."

"Bad things have been known to happen around the tips of horns," Rarity said.  "Ever heard of Prince Blueblood's infant niece?"

"Uhm... no..."

"And the Royal Family would like to keep it that way."  Rarity cleared her throat.  "You have no idea how many times I've... h-had to bandage my posterior from making the horrible mistake of standing in front of Sweetie Belle in queue lines at Trotts Berry Farm."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh..."  Fluttershy nodded.  "Is that why you came back from Spring Break last year wearing long skirts for a full week?"

Rarity sighed.  "Yes," she eventually admitted.

"Heeheehee..." Fluttershy smiled, continuing to stroke the mare's horn.  "It's looking even shinier!"

"Thank you, dearest."

"Hmmmmm..."  Fluttershy squinted.  "One... two... three..."

Rarity blinked.  "What are you counting?"

"Heehee!  The rings!"

"Rings?"

"Erm... the lines..."  Fluttershy motioned circularly with her hoof.  "You know... the grooves that go around and around?"

Rarity giggled.  "It's all one groove, when you think about it, darling."

"Yes, but... it's so pretty and... and swirly."

"Heehee.... I would certainly hope so."

"How... uhm..."  Fluttershy fidgeted, still stroking.  "The coat's pretty thin now.  How will I know when I'm done?"

"Let me find out."  Rarity licked her lips and—

Flash!  The horn glowed, causing Fluttershy to gasp.

—Rarity exhaled.  "Seems just about perfect!  Thank you, Fluttershy!"  She smiled.  "You see, there are small crystal granules in the polish that are capable of enchantment.  One's leyline can sense if they're collected too thickly on one's horn—"

"Do that again!" Fluttershy exhaled.

"Hmm?  What?"

"Make your horn glow!"

"But you've seen it glow, darling."

"But not up close!"

"Unnnff..."  Rarity rolled her eyes and smiled.  "Suit yourself."  She channeled magic into her horn again.

"Heeeeeee..."  Fluttershy smiled.  She rested her cheek on the bed, her bedazzled eyes reflecting the glowing horn.  "It's soooooo pretty..."

"Thank you.  I've... lived with it all my life."

"I adore the color," Fluttershy cooed. "It matches your eyes."

Rarity squinted aside.  "It's a few shades lighter, darling."

"Even still!"  Fluttershy sat up again, pointing.  "It's like a little piece of you being made manifest in the world!  Even when you pick up things!"

"It's a trick we learn to identify ourselves—"

"You mean you learn to make it that color?!"  Fluttershy's jaw dropped.

"Why, of course!  What did you think?"

"I imagined it happened naturally!"

"Magic isn't an extension of one's eye color, darling.  We learn in magic kindergarten to master the spectrum.  It's a very simple spell, really."

"That's so..."  Fluttershy smiled, her wingtips twitching.  "So incredible!"

"Mmmm... indeed.  Take this for instance..."  Rarity bit her bottom lip and concentrated.

Swirly blue and black colors strobed up and down the grooves of her horn.

Fluttershy giggled like a filly and clapped her hooves.

"Mmmfff..."  Rarity exhaled, panting slightly as the glow stopped.  "That's... one that... we used to do a lot at recess."  She winked.  "It's good at angering squirrels... mangy little tree rats."

"That's so adorable!  I didn't know you could do that!"

"Wow."  Rarity blinked.  "You must be smitten if you ignored my snide remark on forest rodentia."

"Just how many spells do you know?"

"Oh... goddess..."  Rarity's muzzle scrunched as she stared up at the bed's canopy.  "Sometimes I forget half the time.  Not as much as Twilight, of course."

"Of course."

"Let's see... uhm..."  Rarity fidgeted, thinking hard.  "There's color spells... illumination spells... master level illumination spells..."  She smirked aside.  "That's how I perform the light displays at my fabulous runway shows."

"Heehee!  You're right!"

"Then—of course—how could I forget the jewel-finding spell.  That's how I found my cutie mark."

"Do all unicorns get their cutie mark from performing their first spell?"

"Oh!  Hardly!  Many of us do numerous spells before we earn our marks.  Take Sweetie Belle, for example.  She got a cutie mark from doing a high-hoof with her friends."  Rarity sighed.  "...I'm still trying to get over that one..."

"Well, I think you've got the shiniest, prettiest horn," Fluttershy said, leaning down once again to admire the thing up close.  "And you perform the shiniest, prettiest spells."

"Heehee... well naturally you would think that."

"I mean it!  Your fabulosity goes a long way!"  Fluttershy touched the sharp tip once more.  "And the more I look at it... it's sooooooo cuuuuute..."

Rarity cleared her throat.  "I'd... rather settle for 'beautiful,' in all honesty."

"That too."  Fluttershy pressed the horn, then let go.  She gasped as it vibrated to a stop.  "Oh goodness!  It wobbles!"

"Yes, Fluttershy."  Rarity chuckled in a dull tone.  "It wobbles."

"I... I-I thought it was attached to your skull, or... or—"

"Goddess, that would be dreadful!" Rarity exclaimed.  "And it would certainly give neurosurgeons the run for the money!"

"So, it's... cartilaginous, or—?"

"Partly, I suppose."  Rarity cleared her throat.  "I'm no biology major, but I was always taught that a tough outer shell—like keratin—protects the inner alicornia, the latter of which—of course—is the enchanted material responsible for transferring synaptic commands into mana generation."

"If the horn is made of something like keratin, does that mean it can grow back?"

"You mean if the horn broke?"

"Exactly."

"Indeed."  Rarity smiled.  "You see... nature isn't always cruel."

"That makes me so happy..."

Rarity giggled.  "What?  Do you think I'm going to be ramming my horn into any brick walls soon?"

"N-no..."  Fluttershy nevertheless gulped.  "But it makes me happy.  I can worry about you a little bit less, now."

"No... horns are durable things," Rarity said.  "I learned that from my father."

"Oh dear."  Fluttershy placed a hoof over her muzzle.  "Dare I ask?"

"He had a unfortunate accident with a pair of hedge clippers one day—"

"Oh!"  Fluttershy writhed all over.  "Ow ow ow ow ow!"

"Hehehe—the stallion recovered.  But it took a few months for the horn to grow back fully.  During that time... erm... he had to file for temporary magic disability.  It was quite stressing—seeing as he was an avid hoofball player... at least in the amateur leagues.  So he switched to being a spectator and... never left the stands since, really."

"Is that why he gained so much weight?"

"What?"

"Ahem."  Fluttershy coughed, then leaned in towards Rarity's forehead again.  "So... uhm... magic spells."  She tapped the sharp tip again.  "Do you just... think and then spells happen?"

"It's... a bit more complicated than that."

"How so?"

"Well... it's like having a fifth limb, really."

"A... fifth... limb?"

"Oh come now, Fluttershy."  Rarity smiled.  "Imagine how I must feel around pegasi.  Those wings of yours are like extra limbs, but you don't see my mind getting blown at the notion!"

"Yes... but wings and feathers are all physical things."

"Magic is no less real.  It's only that it's unseen."

"I suppose that's an interesting way of thinking of it."

"It's the only way of thinking of it," Rarity said.  "Unicorns are all taught to feel around them with their magic... to treat the sense like an extra hoof!  Only... a great deal more delicate and precise.  For instance..."  She aimed her head off the bed.

A jar of perfume lifted off the vanity.

"What do you see, darling?" Rarity asked.

"Uhm..."  Fluttershy looked over.  "A jar of expensive Vanilla and Chamomile spritz floating in the air."

"Please, Fluttershy.  You were practically drooling over it earlier."

"Oh!"  Fluttershy giggled.  "That lovely color of yours!  It's... enveloping the jar."

"Precisely."  Rarity let loose a calm breath and placed the jar back down.  "Consider that illumination as an extension of myself.  It's surrounding the perfume bottle in much the same way as your wings might grasp a saddlebag or... or a pair of hooves lift a book."

"So... y-you're gripping it?"  Fluttershy blinked.  "With your own aura?"

"That's one way of putting it.  Once we have the object in our 'grip,' we then proceed to lift and manipulate... like one might flex a muscle!  Precision and strength varies from unicorn to unicorn."

"Sooooo..."  Fluttershy tapped her chin.  "...for a brief moment there, you were basically surrounding the bottle with yourself."

"In a manner of speaking, that's almost entirely accurate!"

Fluttershy grinned.  She held her forelimbs out.  "Do me."

Rarity blinked.  "Huh?"

"Heehee..."  Fluttershy blushed slightly.  "Please?"

"I... don't exactly understand the request, dear..."

"Enchant me like you just did the bottle."

"Erm... no offense, Fluttershy..."  Rarity bit her lip.  "But I'm not entirely sure I could lift you."

"And I'm not asking you to.  Just enchant me for a quick moment.  Please?"

"Very well."  Rarity rolled over until she was on her belly and aimed across the bed.  "This might take a few seconds..."  She breathed... breathed... concentrated... and—

Fl-Flash!  A bright blue aura surrounded Fluttershy.

"Heeeeeee!"  Fluttershy tossed her mane and tilted her chin up.  "You're hugging meeeeeeeee!"

Rarity blinked, then broke into giggles.  "Heeheehee... I... I-I suppose I am!"

"Yaaaay!  Magic hug!"

"Oh..."  Rarity squinted.  "I can do much more than that—"

The blue light concentrated on Fluttershy's soft yellow tummy.  The mare yelped, flinching all over.  "Guh!  St-stop!  That... I-I'm ticklish!"

"Mmmmmm... don't I know it..."

"Heehee—Rarityyyyy!"

"Aaaaaand..."  Rarity's forehead tensed.  "Mmmff..."

Fluttershy's eyes bugged as she found herself lifting up off the bed by a good two feet.  "Oh goodness!  Oh m-my goodness!"

"Nnnnngh-guh!"  Rarity's horn flashed, the light going out entirely.  The mattress flounced from Fluttershy landed back down.  "Heheh... c-can't say I didn't try."

"Oh wow..."  Fluttershy sat up right, tangled with the duvet.  She blew her pink bangs out from in front of her face.  "You almost h-had me flying for a second there!"

"Darling, you're always flying," Rarity panted.

"Yes.  Hehe... but that time it was extra special because you were hugging me at the time."

"I assure you, Fluttershy, if we ever go flying together, I'd be hugging you the whole time."  Rarity gulped, still catching her breath.  "Out of sheer terror, no doubt."

"I'll... try to keep that in mind."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh..."  Rarity swiped her forehead and frowned at the moisture collecting on her fetlock.  "Now look!  You made me sweat."

"Wouldn't be the first time."

"I've got sooooooooo much work to do today!"  Rarity rolled over again, feignin faintness with a hoof draped over her pale forehead.  "Ohhhhhhhh Fluttershy.  At this rate, your adorable curiosity is going to be the death of my fashion career!"

"I... thought you didn't have a client for over five hours."

"Even still!"

"Heehee... oh Rarity..."  Fluttershy crawled over.  She kissed the mare's forehead.  "You're not that sweaty."  She felt the mare's muzzle.  "Nothing that a refreshing shower cannot fix."

"Which is precisely why I wanted to wait before applying the horn polish—"  Rarity suddenly found her lips pursed.  "Mrmmfff... Fluffdrshhhh?"

"Heeeeee!"  Fluttershy pressed Rarity's cheeks together.  "Omigosh!  Omigosh!  Rarity, your cheeks are soooooooo squishy!"

"Mmmmff... smsshhhy?"  Rarity's ears drooped.

"And your fuzzy ears too!  Heehee... you're like a marshmallow!"  Fluttershy leaned in to rub noses with her.  "My adorable glamorous marshmallow!"

"Mmmfff... Fwfffdsshhyyyy..."

"My little marshmalllowwwwww..."  Fluttershy hummed as she nuzzled-nuzzled-nuzzled her close.  "Aaaah-aaah-aaah—"

"Grnnghhf—Fwwwdssshhy!"  Rarity flailed, protesting as the two tipped over.  "Duh beddfh!"

"Aaaaaaie!" Fluttershy yelped at the last second, and the two went plunging to the floor with the loose comforter rippling after them.

THWUMP!