The Adventures of the Tickling-Fixated Human in Equestria

by Unusually Delusional

Rainbow Dash 1

“Rainbow Dash is... hmmm... a bit... narcissistic.”

“A bit?”

“Okay, let us go with 'extremely'.”

The midnight-blue alicorn sat on her side on a cushion, waving her hooves around as she spoke. You still weren't sure exactly what insane scheme Luna had engulfed you with. The pony princess's interests paralleled your own, sure, but you were also feeling a bit sick at the pleasure with which you were considering the prospect of being asked – no, ordered – to go around tickling ponies. Luna seemed convinced that EVERYONE in Equestria had some sort of deep-seated issue that only the kid-friendly erogenous-ish activity of tickling could solve.

Whatever, you're probably overthinking this.

“Luna, I know I was being kinda sarcastic before, but – really, I have no idea how to approach the issue. Maybe pony society is different from humans, I dunno, but we don't really have people that are basically strangers walk into our houses and ask to tickle them.”

Luna glanced at you, her lips moving silently. She started, eyes coming into focus from wherever she had been – had she just been IGNORING you?

“Ah? Yes, excuse me, Tom.” She scratched her head with a hoof, a distinctly human and non-monarchical gesture that looked both comical and precious. “Well, along those lines, I have a few ideas.”

You waited a few seconds, and when no further details were forthcoming, you spun your hands around each other in a gesture for her to explain. “... Annnnnd?”

“Take a look at this, Tom.” Her horn glowed briefly, and you flinched unconsciously; however, it was merely to levitate what looked like a very thin newspaper – probably some local publication, or a school newspaper or something. It was dated a few months ago, so it was old news, but clearly it had some significance. You glanced at it. “What am I looking for?”

Luna scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Read the article on the front, Tom,” she said sardonically. You acquiesced. It seemed to be some gossip drivel written as if by some little kid, but the picture and the story caught your attention.

“Is that... Rainbow Dash gets pedicures?” You looked up at Luna, who was confused. Her scrunched-up face was adorable.

“You mean 'hooficures'?” Ah, yes, of course that would be turned into a pony-related pun.

“Sure, hooficures. We'll go with that.”

“No.”

You blinked and sighed. “Okay, I'm not following,” you admitted as you rubbed the bridge of your nose in an unconscious bid not to get upset. “Are you testing me or something?”

Luna giggled. “No, Tom, nothing like that. What I meant was, this article ISN'T true. Rainbow Dash didn't get a hooficure, never has, probably never will. She is a pegasus, and many of them don't really care about taking care of their hooves given how little they stay up on them.”

“So where are you going with this? Because that picture clearly shows her getting a treatment.”

“Ha!” Luna's exclamation was both triumphant and conspiratorial. “You have found the crux of the issue. You see, my dear Tom, this picture was taken by a particularly skilled photographer, at just the right moment. What looks like a relaxing Rainbow Dash is, in fact, a split second of her face appearing to be at ease – when, in fact, she was anything BUT comfortable.”

“I don't get it.”

Luna continued, her tone patient, sounding like a teacher lecturing a particularly dull student. “Well, discussing it with Princess Twilight, I found out that Rainbow Dash was there for a spa day with the entire group of the holders of the Elements of Harmony. Under pressure from her friends, Rainbow Dash agreed to get a hooficure, but at the very last moment panicked and flew away before the attendant could begin the task of filing.”

You shrug. “Luna, seriously, I feel like I'm pulling teeth here. Just get to the point, already.”

She frowned at you for a moment before moving on. “You see, according to the witness with whom I spoke, Rainbow Dash claimed that 'she doesn't like ponies touching her hooves'. That very well might be the case. But I also believe that this is due to an innate sensitivity to touch on her hooves – whether caused or exacerbated by her pegasus nature, I can not say definitively. One thing is for certain, however – Rainbow Dash does not like her hooves being touched.”

__________________________________________________________________________________________

The Ponyville Express sat at the station, running gear hissing a fine white steam, as you readied to board. Making one last check of what few things you were bringing – among them, your laptop computer, complete with an arcane internet adapter to allow it to, through means far beyond your understanding, access the human world's internet even here in Equestria – you hoisted the bag onto your back and prepared to board.

“Tom, a word if you please!” The voice was a stallion, slightly breathless as if winded. The truth of this was proven as you turned to see a member of the Royal Guard gallop up, then favor you with a small bow. “Her Highness, Princess Luna, bid me bring you this!” He reached into his saddlebags with his muzzle and, in the inexplicable manner ponies seemed to have, deftly removed a sealed scroll with his teeth and handed it to you. You took it, examining it curiously, but then tucked it into your bag.

The guard stood, looking a bit eager, as if he expected you to open and share the contents of the missive with him. Instead, he got a cool nod from you. “Thank you, sir,” you said respectfully, and the guard had little choice but to incline his head in kind and turn around, the slightest bit of disappointment apparent on his face. So be it – the less Equestrians who knew about your 'mission', the better.

Once safely aboard the train and stowed in a compartment of your own (the conductor insisted it was a courtesy for you being a guest of the Royal Family, but you suspected it had just as much to do with your... non-equine appearance), you withdrew the scroll and opened it as the train whistle shrieked and the car jolted to life.

“Dearest Tom,” it began:

A thought occurred to me which I wanted to share with you after you took your leave, and I meant to share it with you in your dreams; I know, however, that this would have been somewhat unsettling for you. Instead, I commit my words to paper, in the hope that you would find wisdom in them. I am aware that our – no, MY – machinations make you somewhat uncomfortable. I know that you restrain yourself from showing this too clearly, but as we spoke yesterday I was made painfully aware from your carefully-hidden expressions that our topics disturbed you on some level. It took me some time to form the thought, but I finally determined from context that the things I am asking you to do are analogous to rather-unspeakable crimes in the human world, in some instances.

Please, do not think this is the case.

My dear Tom, I would never ask you to do something that, in either of our worlds, is morally wrong. A line you spoke in jest this past day rings truer than you know: Yes, violation of somepony's physical boundaries is just as taboo in this world as it is in yours. However, I can also tell you this much in all honesty: a concept that you refuse to believe, although I can see it is a concept that appeals greatly to you, is that Equestrians are a people of emotion and joy. Perhaps, in the human world, it is wrong to get very close to many other humans of the opposing gender; here, though, we all open our hearts to friendship, and are welcoming to our acquaintances in all but the most dire circumstances.

So take heart, Tom. So long as you do not force yourself upon them, almost everypony in this world will allow you into their lives, and what I ask of you – why, it's little more than a hug between friends!

Your Friend
Luna

You winced at the -pony pronouns, and even more so at the end of it. It confirmed a revelation you had a while ago, but... it still just didn't sit right with you. According to Luna, ponies were touchy-feely all the time. True as this may be, would they allow someone who was NOT a pony to do this? As well-meaning as it was, all Luna's letter did was perturb you further, and you watched the scenery pass by in silence for the rest of the train ride.

You blinked... and realized you must have dozed off in the process; the train had stopped, you could see Ponyvillians exiting the car to meet loved ones, and there was a persistent knocking at the door. The wizened voice of the conductor called out, letting you know that the train had arrived – as if it wasn't blatantly obvious. You returned a vague verbal acknowledgment as you stretched, and listened to his hoofsteps fade down the corridor. Yawning, you gathered up your few things and departed the train.

This time ignoring the stares and gapes, you confidently strode towards town, making your way for the Golden Oak Library. Luna had recommended this as your first stop. Knocking on the door, your foot tapped impatiently as a voice called out something unintelligible, hopefully something along the lines of 'just a minute'. A minute did, in fact, pass, and you blew out a forceful breath through your nose as you angrily pounded the door again. The voice came again, still beyond comprehension, but the sounds were the same – clearly, the person within had said the same thing as they had before. Another minute passed. Gritting your teeth, you slammed your fist on the door.

It slammed open, revealing a lavender alicorn – much smaller than Princess Luna, yet a Princess nonetheless. “I SAID, WE'RE CLOSED!” the mare shouted in your face, eyes squinted at the strain. You took an exaggerated step back to mock the volume, and her violet eyes opened to glare at you icily – before widening in panic as they recognized you. “A-Tom!” Twilight Sparkle said nervously. “I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-”

“Of course not, Your Highness.” You had made a vague acquaintance with Twilight in the past, but this had been long before your erstwhile induction to the Canterlot court. “I'll admit, I didn't hear you properly, and thought you were coming to the door...”

“You don't have to call me that,” she said idly. She shook her head. “And, no, I wasn't coming to the door – I only came after you knocked the second time, so that...” she trailed off sheepishly.

“So you could scream at the person who was disturbing whatever doubtlessly-important task you were working on.” You shrugged. “Whatever, don't let me disturb you.”

“Well, would you like to come in?” she offered after a moment. “I was just in the middle of doing some reading, I'm sure we can talk about-”

“I just was calling on you to ask something,” you interrupted. “Namely, do you have any idea where I can find Rainbow Dash?”

You could see her expression fall a bit at that. Doubtless, she had intended to regale you with questions about human history. “Oh, Rainbow?” Her mouth twisted as she thought. “I think I heard her say something about going down to the lake for a day off... not that she really needs one,” she added dryly. You chuckled a bit; what you had gathered of Rainbow Dash's personality was that she wasn't much for a hard day's work.

“Could you point me in the lake's general direction?” you prompted Twilight. She nodded, pointing down the street.

“Just go that way, keep walking through the outskirts of Ponyville, and you can't miss it.”

“I imagine I'll be awfully wet if I do.”

Your quip brought a giggle to Twilight. “Hehe, I imagine you would, at that.” She cocked her head, looking almost wistful. “I'm sure you're busy, Tom, but... are you sure you don't have even a minute or two? N-not that I'm trying to tell you what to do,” she added hastily.

You sighed at that. “No, Highness, I'm afraid I'm a bit busy, really gotta talk to Rainbow Dash.”

“I suppose,” she said as she nodded her head, almost sadly it seemed to you. “But, Tom...”

“Yeah?”

“I'd love to talk with you at some point. There's so much I want to ask.” You had a cursory flashback to Luna's first meeting with you, where she had said much the same thing. “And call me Twilight, all my friends do,” she added, breaking your recollection midstream.

“Will do. Well, I can't say I've got a lot of free time...” you let the sentence dangle, the poor mare's face sinking as you spoke, and you decided to rid her of her misery. “... But I'll find the time in my schedule.”

“Really?” She beamed at that. You grinned back, hiding your thoughts. Hell, Luna was right, but still – it seemed ridiculous that everyone in this world practically threw themselves at you, almost as if there were some higher power specifically scripting your time in Equestria to interact with as many of its inhabitants as it could. In lieu of spouting all this at her, you nodded.

“Sure, Twilight. I'll keep you posted.”

“Okay!” she replied excitedly. Waving as you departed, you set off on your journey, making a note to tell Luna that you were pretty sure you knew exactly who the next beneficiary of her 'program' would be.

Twilight was right, you had to give her that much – it was rather hard to mistake the large body of water before you for anything else. You took a cursory glance around, expecting to have to spend a bit of time searching for...

Dear god.

A sky-blue pegasus, unmistakeable against the earthy tones of terra firma, lay in a reclining beach chair a few dozen yards away. True to her name, her mane and tail were beset with an array of colors roughly analogous to a rainbow, and true to her reported nature, she was lazily sipping on some fru-fru-looking drink, complete with umbrella. Repressing the urge to sigh, you walked towards her.

“No autographs right now,” the pegasus suddenly said, startling you. Autographs? Who did she think- “You still here?” She deigned to turn her head to face you, one eyebrow raised in mocking disbelief – before her jaw dropped in unfeigned surprise.

“I can't say I'd like an autograph, Rainbow.” You had decided, given that everyone told you to use shorthand anyway, to just skip the bullcrap of addressing them by their full names until corrected. “I would, however, like to chat.”

“Who are- WAIT! I know you!” In a blur, she whipped herself off the chair, pointing at you as she raised herself to a hover a few feet off the ground. “You're that freaky ape thing that the Princesses took in!”

“I'm sure some would use more tact, but... yes, that's the gist of it,” you said carefully, hiding your distaste. Screw her feelings, this chick had an attitude problem.

“Sorry, that came out a little harsher than I meant.” She settled back into her seat. “A little. So, tell me, how do you know my name, and what's yours?”

“My name is Tom,” you answered her first question, “and as for your other question, well, we HAVE met before...”

“Have we?” She scrunched up her face to try to remember. “I don't...”

“One word, and you'll know why you don't remember: Cider.” It had been one of your first nights here in Equestria, a night you intended to remember later... but the present was calling.

Rainbow had the wherewithal to blush, the red tinge easily noticeable against her blue coat, scratching her mane at the realization. The juxtaposition of arrogance and embarrassment was pretty cute – you could see that your efforts would have good results, if they succeeded.

“So, now that we each have one up on the other,” you went on, pretending not to notice her shamefaced expression, “You wanna know why Luna sent me?”

She nodded. “I suppose...”

You put your backpack down, extracting the computer. “Well, I wanted to show you something.” You began turning on the device, continuing the conversation as you went. “Do you have flying machines here in Equestria?”

“Flying... machines?” The question reeked so much of an ass-backwards civilization, it hurt.

“Like...” you frowned as you thought of a way to express it. “Something that ponies built that allow ponies who aren't pegasi to fly?”

“Well, there's balloons and airships...”

“Is that it?”

“Well, what else would there be?”

As the two of you spoke, you found the relevant link and clicked on it. The picture of a soaring F-14 fighter came up on your screen.

“Something like that, maybe?”

She looked at the screen, then did a double-take. Eyes widening, she cocked her head as she studied it. “It looks like... a flying... boat?”

You smiled. “Not quite. See the flames at the back?” You pointed, and she nodded. “Well, these are engines that produce a LOT of thrust – think what happens if you blow on a snowflake. It flies away, right? Well, now imagine that you breathe so hard that it actually pushes you – that's what one of these does. It pushes the plane through the air.”

“Uh.. cool.” It was clear from her tone that it was no such thing. “So... what does this have to do with me?”

Your hopes fell. Clearly, finding a common topic of interest wasn't in the works. “Well, I just thought you'd find it cool, you know, seeing as how you're the fastest pegasus in Equestria... supposedly...” The last word was intentionally spoken just within the range of her hearing. She took the bait.

“Supposedly?!?” She zipped out of her chair in an instant. “I'll have you know, I AM the fastest flier in Equestria, and I can prove it!”

“Relax, relax,” you said placatingly, gesturing downward with your hands. “I was just giving you a little grief.”

She eyed you suspiciously, but obediently landed on the grass. “Okay, so... what? You showed me pictures of your flying machines, on Princess Luna's orders... why?”

You shrugged. “I didn't really ask. It's just what she told me to do.”

“Uh... huh...” Shaking her head disbelievingly, she settled back onto the chair. “Well, whatever. Nice meeting you, I guess.”

That was brief.

“I actually... well, I also heard a rumor...”

She sighed, rolling her eyes. “What now?” she asked boredly. She stared at the sky, clearly willing you to go away with all her might.

You eased closer to her, within arms' reach. 'Everypony in this world will allow you into their lives,' you thought to yourself anxiously, as you extended your hand towards one of her rear hooves.

“They say you're really tough-” Careful, careful... “-And that you're not afraid of anything.” You paused, then realized you were on entirely the wrong track. Your hands came back in, and you stared at her pointedly until she realized your gaze was fixed on you and looked into your eyes.

“Sounds about right,” she answered smugly.

“I also heard,” you said, voice drawing down to nearly a whisper, “that you don't like your hooves being touched...”

Although you had (wisely) withdrawn your hands, she immediately drew her legs inward on reflex, and shot you a look that was equal parts horror and disgust. “And what would you know about that, weirdo?” she spat venomously.

“A little birdie told me.” Thankfully, the analogy seemed to translate, as she didn't seem confused at it; that said, she also retained the same contemptuous expression. “But I was just thinking, the toughest, fastest pony in Equestria... why is she scared of this little thing?”

“I'm not SCARED,” she replied angrily. “It's just... I don't like it, that's all. And who are YOU to ask? Huh?”

You held up your hands in surrender. “Sorry, Dash, I didn't mean to offend you. Just wondering out loud.”

She sniffed bitterly. “Well, wonder all you want, I guess, but keep it at that.”

You nodded sagely. “Of course. You wouldn't want anyone telling the world that the great Rainbow Dash is scared of having her hooves touched.”

“That's right, I wouldn-” You could see it click, see the moment the gears turned and the circuit closed – the moment the challenge was recognized. She looked at you fearfully. “You wouldn't!”

“Wouldn't I?”

Her face twitched between several emotions – anger, fear, anxiety – as she played it out in her head. Finally, her face settled... into an imploring cast.

“Please... come on, Tom, don't be a jerk...” Gone was the arrogant fighter-pilot-esque demeanor of before; now here was a pony whose cult of personality was in danger of being shattered. You felt the slightest bit of revulsion at yourself... but an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.

“Well, I know one way for you to keep my mouth shut.” You raised an eyebrow in challenge.

She shuddered. “Tom, look, it's not... I can't...”

“'Can't'? The fearless Rainbow Dash uses this word? I never thought I'd see the day.”

She growled a bit at that. “Ugh, no, I can, it's just-”

“Juuust...?”

Taking a deep breath and casting her eyes skyward, she searched for words. “I'm... I'm ti-” She paused, took another breath, then attempted again. “I'm tick...” She faded off into a quiet murmur at that, and you leaned in meaningfully.

“What was that?”

“I'M TICKLISH!” She screamed it in your face, and you rued your proximity to her mouth as a few beads of saliva impacted your face. Sitting back, you wiped your face off surreptitiously.

“Ticklish?” You snorted, then began laughing, the pony's face growing redder as you went. You figured that it would be some sort of pain or... something. You laughed, not at her, but at how fittingly this went along with your plans.

“Stop it,” she muttered angrily, and you halted as you saw her eyes filling with tears. You frowned. You hadn't meant to hurt her feelings, and it was clear she was having a massive crisis of emotion. Hesitantly, you reached out a hand and settled it onto her... well, shoulder, you guess. She knocked it away angrily. You tried again, this time getting your body a bit closer. She didn't bat it away.

“I'm sorry, Dash,” you said consolingly. She sniffed. “That was wrong of me, to laugh at that. I wasn't laughing at you, really, just... Well, I could explain it, but you wouldn't believe me.”

She snorted. “Yeah, sure. So, you off to tell the world? Should I start expecting ponies with feathers in their mouths to show up to all my races from now on?” Her tone was bitter, morose, and you found yourself saddened at the turn of events.

“Dash, I know we've known each other – soberly, at least – for all of half an hour,” you said reassuringly, “But I promise to you, I would NEVER betray your trust like that.”

She looked at you, red-eyed and sniffling, with a confused look. “Trust?”

You smiled – winningly, you hoped. “Telling me what you just did? Well, have you told ANYONE that?”

She paused, then shook her head. “N-No, I haven't. Why... why did I tell you? Why in EQUESTRIA did I tell YOU?!?” Her eyes began watering again, and you fought the urge to roll your eyes. Gently was the way.

“Hey, look,” you said quickly, reaching out your other hand to wipe a tear from her cheek. “We humans have an amazing ability to keep secrets, even more than ponies.” You shrugged. “It's in our nature, I guess.”

“So you're not gonna tell ANYONE?”

You shook your head. “Nope. My lips are sealed.” You patted her 'arm' reassuringly. “You can count on me.”

“Thanks, Tom.” Already she was drying up and cheering up. Oh well, you supposed you weren't gonna win every battle... as easy a battle as this could have been. “You're a pretty cool guy, you know that?”

“Sure,” you chuckled, standing. Stretching your arms above your head, you cracked your head from side to side to ease out the strains. “Well, I'm sorry to have ruined your day off, Dash,” you said regretfully.

She waved her hoof. “Nah, it's all right. I... It's hard to describe, but it felt good to tell someone that, you know?” She looked at you with a heartstoppingly-cute grin. “You're a good friend, Tom.”

You smiled in return, nodding. “And you, Dash. I'm sure we'll talk later about... other things. Maybe I'll see you at a party, I don't know.” Shaking your head slightly at your poor conveyance, you packed up your stuff. “Well...”

“Wait.” She sat up on her 'elbows', staring at you, her face settling into one of determination.

You rolled your head a bit, pursing your lips. “... Okay, you got me,” you said in resignation. “Wait for what.”

She took a deep, querulous breath. 'No way in hell,' you thought to yourself disbelievingly, 'I can't roll the dice and come up a natural winner on the come-out every goddamned time...'

“I gotta prove it.” Her jaw was set in grim resolve.

“Prove what?” You led her along, not wanting to believe-

“Prove I'm not afraid of my hooves being touched.”

You faked surprise, even though you had none at all. This world seemed eerily fit to your pleasure. “Wait, are you serious?” you asked doubtfully, looking at her. The slightest bit of contention lay in your expression, you knew, and it was certain to invoke her ire. Sure enough, she took the bait.

“Yeah, I'm serious!” she said in reply to your disdainful look. She looked down at her lower legs, letting them ease down the chair. “I'm serious,” she muttered, half to herself.

“You don't have to prove anything to me, Dash,” you assured her, knowing that doing so would cause her to do just that. “I won't tell anyone, you know that.”

“Yeah, but-” she groaned in frustration, throwing her front legs over her eyes. “Look, even YOU knowing is too much. I gotta prove this to myself, if nopony else.”

“Dash-”

“JUST DO IT ALREADY!” Her rear legs extended to their full length, beckoning to you; her hooves actually seemed to quiver a bit, and not from the strain – this was legitimately terrifying to the pegasus.

“Dash, come on, don't be ridiculous.”

“Oh, are YOU the scared one, now?” Did she- did she really just turn the challenge on you? She looked down from her place on the chair, smirking. Perhaps she thought reverse psychology would work – clearly, she didn't know that it was a one way road for you. “Don't want to touch a pony's nasty hooves, is that it? Well, I don't see why anypony would, anyway, buHUHUHUHT!”

'Well, Luna was right, pegasi do have soft hooves,' you thought as you struck without warning. Your fingers seized the opportunity gleefully, delving into the cushioned bottoms of one of Dash's hooves. Your other hand seized her ankle like a vice as it pulled away, keeping her hoof trapped within your reach. Dash's throaty, raspy laughter was music to your ears.

“NOOOOOHOOHOOHOOHOO!” She bucked, she squirmed, she wiggled – all that a tickling victim tended to do, she did. But you could tell this was much different – you had been going for all of ten seconds, and already tears streamed freely down her blush-filled cheeks, mouth opened in a rictus of laughter. This was unlike either Luna's full-bodied mirth, or Rarity's alternating giggling and guffaws – Dash was in hysterics with every stroke of your fingers, voice strained, making more squeaks and squeals than actual laughter. Her body still rocked with glee, though, so maybe she was just making noises that dogs could hear.

Her other hind hoof pushed into your gripping hand, trying halfheartedly to push it away. Like a predator guarding its kill, your tickling hand struck at it, one scrape along the 'sole' being enough to cause it to jerk away like your finger was made of lava. The other hoof flexed and bobbed in your grasp, trying and failing to keep away from its assailant. Dash had gone far past the realm of comprehension in her utterances – the random noises coming from her mouth were of a joyful agony, a merry excruciation.

You stopped, for a moment, to allow her to catch her breath. She was shaking her head frantically from side to side, whipping it around, her lips moving as she muttered. “No more, no more, no more, no more,” her mantra went, and as a test you poked – lightly, gently, with not the slightest bit of motion – the frog of her hoof again. She burst into a new round of laughter, at this slightest of touches, and you realized that, perhaps, you had overdone it a bit.

You released the ankle... and she didn't move, just kept shaking her head desperately. “No more, no more,” she pleaded, and you grew anxious.

“Dash,” you called, to no avail. Had you broken her? “DASH!”

She started, head shaking over, and stared at you with unfocused eyes. “That was...” Her eyes clicked into focus, and you released a breath you hadn't realized you had been holding. “Oh, that was terrible,” she said, wrapping her hooves around herself, shivering. Disquieted, you sat on the arm of the chair, wrapping your arm around her, pulling her to your chest; her fear was a tangible thing.

“I'm sorry, Dash, I didn't mean...” Your words trailed off. Didn't mean to tickle her? Hadn't that been the first thing on your mind? How could you tell her to trust you, then speak that lie?

She gave one last shudder, then lay still. You looked down at her, nestled at your side, and she looked up at you. “It's okay, Tom,” she said raggedly. “I asked you to do that. Just... bad memories, is all.”

“You wanna talk about it?”

She shook her head. “Not... not right now,” she said, looking away across the lake. You both fell silent. It seemed that here in Equestria, as in the human world, there were people who had a stigma about being tickled... and as often as not, that baggage was caused by some childhood trauma. It left no physical scars, but the emotional ones...

“I'm really sorry, Dash. I know you said not to worry about it, but-”

She waved a hoof at your apology. “Knock it off with the mushy stuff,” she said to your ribcage. “I'll tell you later, just... not now.”

“I underst-” You stopped mid-sentence. “Later?” you said questioningly.

She looked up at you, face smiling despite the dried tears on her cheeks. “You'll come hang out with me again, right? We can talk about your flying machines, I can talk about my issues, blah blah blah, everyone wins!”

You shook your head, blinking. “I don't-” What the bloody hell? Was everyone in this world gonna make you their psychologist? “You know what?” you said, shrugging, “sure. Why not.” Encouraged by this sudden – but, at this point, not unexpected – trust, you decided to find out what a pegasus's wings felt like; you had never dared to do so with Luna.

You reached out, stroking the feathers, and-

“Heehehe, knock it off, Tom.”

You stopped, then looked at her in amazement. “Wait, did you just...”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, duh, everypony knows pegasi's wings are ticklish, Tom,” she said, as if she hadn't just had a panic attack from her hooves being tickled.

“But I thought you hated being tickled?”

She giggled again, the sound sweet and joyful. “I never said THAT, Tom. I said I hated having my hooves touched... BECAUSE they're so ticklish.”

“Oh, I see,” you responded carefully. Slowly, you eased your hand out, digging into her down feathers...

She squirmed and laughed softly at your touch. As light as the feedback was, you had to admit that it was vastly preferable to the almost – no, literally – agonizing reaction she had had before. You were content to stroke her wings deftly, your fingers sinking into the soft fluff, the mare chuckling softly as she murmured insincere pleas for you to stop... yes, this was definitely better.

Man and pony fell asleep, then, both consigned to the warmth of the other's body. As you drifted into the bliss of the world of dreams, you had a momentary moment of panic... then recalled Luna's words.

Can't really cheat on someone if I never stuck it in them, you thought explicitly – yet truthfully – as sleep took you.

Comments

[Ephedianroyalty]

Oh my god I soooo need a tom now.