(2) The Shy
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(2) The Shy
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Long green palms swayed beneath the hot mid-day sun, the gentle crash of waves on the lagoon shore mixing with the sound of haggling voices and the clopping of hooves on wooden planks and gritty stone-grain streets. The smell of a hot grill loaded with spiced vegetables permeated the air and one small shop after another offered a variety of trinkets and wares.
Fluttershy found it was exciting, but also all a little overwhelming.
"Oh, um, it is very pretty... but thirty bits?"
"Only have two left, and this is best one by far!" The salespony before her certainly didn't seem worried by all the noise and passersby. The slim, dark maned earth pony lifted the necklace in question in the air, calling out, "Jewelry! Hoof crafted! Best deals on the island!"
"Oh, wait, please." Fluttershy pleaded meekly raising a hoof in protest. She noticed a few mares in the marketplace take at least a passing look at the necklace that had caught her eye. Colorful and finely woven with beads and slivers of beach combed abalone shell, it looked so different from anything she had seen in Ponyville; it would be a great souvenir.
But thirty bits?
She hadn't even gotten a souvenir for Angel Bunny, yet!
"Better decide quick, Miss," the salespony insisted. He put the necklace back down on the counter of his stall. "I always sell out quick when boats come in."
"Oh, um..." Fluttershy couldn't help but feel this whole situation was somewhat familiar. "Well..."
"Blast it all!" a voice growled from behind her. "Do watch where you're going, you simpleton!"
"Hey! Not my fault you were behind me! Be more careful next time!"
Fluttershy shrank back a bit as two stallions, both earth ponies, glared heatedly over some sort of misunderstanding. She could see a saddlebag on the ground, the contents partly spilled out from the open latch. One of the ponies, the larger one with a white coat and silver-rimmed glasses, seemed to be staring down his smaller counterpart in a festive shirt. With an indignant snort, the shirted pony turned and stomped off without apology.
"Ill-bred, manner-less, mule," the big stallion grumbled, and with a grimace, tried to duck down and collect the bits and pieces of metal that had fallen out of his bag. Most of the passerby ignored him, but he clearly wasn't having an easy time of it with just his -
"Curse these hooves," he muttered, just loud enough for her to overhear. "I have half a mind to..."
Whatever he had half a mind to do, or say, he paused with surprise as a pair of butter yellow hooves helped gather up the fallen gear. It looked like pieces of a compass and some strange metal strips marked with chicken-scratches. Delicately picking the pieces up, Fluttershy offered them back.
"You're helping me?" he asked, wary, holding his opened saddlebag a little more tightly. "Why?" His eyes narrowed slightly in thinly veiled suspicion. "What do you want?"
"I just... I thought... you could use some help," Fluttershy explained, and the stallion's shoulders lost some of their tension. He opened his bag and she carefully put the slightly sandy pieces of - well, she wasn't sure what they were - but at least they were back inside this poor pony's bag. He didn't seem quite so handy with his hooves, especially since he was an earth pony.
He still seemed baffled by her assistance, taking a few seconds to compose himself.
"You just thought I could use the help?" he asked, and suddenly the look in his eyes seemed to imply 'either you're lying, or you're crazy.' "...That's it?"
Fluttershy nodded, each movement of her head meeker than the last.
"Oh. Well... thank you..." He bit his lip, as if expressing gratitude took some work on his part. "Miss?"
Suddenly, her urge to help a pony-in-need satisfied, Fluttershy's terminal sheepishness returned in force. She blushed behind her long pink mane, scuffing the ground with a hoof as she looked away. She tried to tell him her name, but of course he barely seemed to hear her. She tried again, and his response was a firm: "What now? Hmm? Speak up, would you please?"
"F-Fluttershy," she finally managed to roar, though it came out as barely more than a squeak.
"Miss Fluttershy," he said, to be sure he had heard correctly. She nodded, and noticed a certain tightness in his eyes as he got another look at her. Shrugging, he affixed the loop of his saddlebag and clipped it back in place over his barrel-like torso.
"A distinct pleasure to meet you, then, Miss Fluttershy," he said, holding out his hoof to help her up.
"Oh, um, thank you." She took his hoof as he effortlessly pulled her up to stand. "Pleased to meet you, too..."
"Bellargus Blue," he said quickly. "Just a simple earth pony here on vacation."
He noticed her staring back at the market stall from before and at the salespony there, still enticingly dangling the necklace she wanted. Excusing herself, Fluttershy started back over. A resigned sigh followed as she craned her neck to pick out her purse. Thirty bits. If that was what she had to pay, then that was just what she had to pay.
"Pardon, Miss Fluttershy." Bellargus trotted boldly up, holding out his leg to stop her. "But how much do you intend to pay for that bauble?"
"Thirty bits," she answered, shrinking back a little at the look of effrontery on his face.
A look swiftly turned on the salespony.
"Thirty bits?" he snapped, turning up his nose.
"Thirty bits," the dark maned salespony insisted. "Good deal!"
"Oh, I see. I must be mistaken," the tall stallion realized, nodding to himself. "You are quite correct. It is a good deal. For at least one of you."
"It-"
"Why, that trinket is not even real abalone," Bellargus said with an exaggerated nod of approval. "Those beads... are they supposed to be coral? Because they're wood. Truly a wonderful deal you offer her, as I would not pay five bits for such workmareship! I would hesitate to insult a pony by even giving it to them as a gift! Perhaps it would have some use as a source of stress relief, since it will inevitably break anyway. Or it could even suffice as a gag item at a fair."
"H- how could...!" The salespony sputtered, his eyes shooting guiltily over to Fluttershy to see if she believed anything she had heard. "Miss, do not listen to this one! This is very good deal! Um. If you have twenty bits-"
"Oh ho! Twenty bits now?" The stallion asked.
"Fifteen bits! Is same price I paid to have it made!"
"Then why sell it for that?" Bellargus snapped, unafraid to slam a hoof onto the counter of the market stall. "Are you so eager to be rid of it?"
"I - I uh..."
"Disgraceful. The nerve. The effrontery!" The big earth pony turned around. "Come with me, Miss. I know a shop with real mother-of-pearl. Let this foal scam some other mare."
Fluttershy was not immune to anger or indignation of her own. Not by a long shot. Even if she hadn't quite been sure what to think at first, the way the salespony had so quickly settled for half the price he had demanded she pay still managed to get under her normally forgiving skin, like a thorn biting deep one too many times. This pony had tried to swindle her out of at least fifteen bits. Probably more.
"S-sorry," she said, and mustered enough assertiveness to stick up her chin, snubbing the greedy salespony. "But no sale!"
Feeling rather good about herself, Fluttershy followed the large earth pony. He seemed quite sure of himself as he navigated the maze of beachfront marketplaces, occasionally pointing out shops with worthwhile merchandise. He didn't even have to pause to ask for directions or check a map. He just strode through without a moment's hesitation or doubt.
"Bellargus?"
"Hm. Yes?" he asked, leading her up a flight of wooden steps.
"Have you been here before?"
"Once," he answered. "Years ago."
"Another vacation? Is that why you know your way around?"
"Something like that." His answer was evasive, so she didn't press for details.
She did, however, notice his cutie mark. "I... oh, I think I've seen that cutie mark before!"
He stopped, mid-step. "R-really?"
"Daring Do has that cutie mark!" Fluttershy said, happy to have remembered. Rainbow Dash loved those books so much! Fluttershy wasn't much of a fan herself, things could get too violent in them for her tastes, but she had seen many pictures of the fearless and resourceful pegasus on her friend's book covers.
"She does, doesn't she?" Bellargus Blue mused, resuming his pace. "Daring Do." He chuckled, very quietly. "We're almost there, Miss Fluttershy. This way."
There were fewer tourists here on the upper level of the marketplace, closer to the island's village. Instead of market stalls, there were also quite a few wooden huts. The ponies here all had darker manes and tails combined with pale, sun bleached coats. She watched as one of them, a mare, walked by with a stack of woven rugs on her back. Another one stood at a large shack, drying and beating a curtain of roasted sea-grass.
Bellargus led her to a small jewelry shop next to a larger store, speaking a few words with the salespony in both Equestrian and a local tongue. Fluttershy noticed right away that much of the jewelry here was simpler looking, at least from a distance. The salespony suggested a few pieces but otherwise left her to browse. She soon found a necklace to her liking, with delicate round beads of pink the same color as her mane. Carved pieces of iridescent shell marked the sides, lining up with her shoulders and collar.
"Forty bits?" Fluttershy stammered at the price. "B-but that's more..."
"Quality comes with cost," Bellargus Blue told her and laughed as he fished out his coin purse. "Allow me to pitch in. Just this once."
"Oh, you don't have to! Really." Fluttershy objected, though she couldn't help but admire the expensive riviere.
"Correct. I really don't have to," the stallion agreed. "But your company has me in an unusually good mood. Think of it as me repaying your kindness earlier."
"You don't have to repay kindness," Fluttershy told him. "But, um, if you really want to..."
Before long, Fluttershy had her vacation souvenir safely and securely in her bag and a piece of baked sea-grass wound around a stick to eat. It was peppery on the outside and salty on the inside and, best of all, she’d made a new friend. Bellargus Blue was nice enough to escort her around the market to help her find anything else that struck her fancy, though he refused to pay for anything else. She also learned that he was from Equestria when he let slip that he had family in Canterlot.
"Ah, so you really came for the undersea excursion?" he asked as they walked down the rocky, volcanic beach. The dusky sand was hot enough that they both had to wear hoof-slippers.
"Yes. I was really looking forward to swimming with all the fishes and seeing the reef up close." They were on their way over to one of the chartered boats taking ponies out to the lagoon.
"The trip out to the water was why most ponies came here, I suppose." Bellargus pointed to the rather long lines outside the ships.
"You wanted to see the reef, too, didn't you?"
"Among other things," he answered with an easy, confident smile. "I actually have my own ship chartered to take me out to... a special part of the lagoon."
Fluttershy slowed, falling a bit behind as he walked past.
"Mister Blue," she said, as he also slowed to see what was bothering her. Fluttershy fixed him with a serious look. "Are you a smuggler?"
The big stallion blinked, dumbly.
And then he laughed, tossing back his sunray yellow mane. Fluttershy's own serious expression morphed into a pout as she realized he was laughing at her question. It was a different laugh than the slightly mean chuckle he had shown before when dealing with ponies in the marketplace. This one seemed freer... more genuine. Still, he was laughing at her! She felt her face heat up as her body tried to decide whether to be angry or embarrassed or indignant or whether she should just fly away and hide in the fronds of a palm tree.
Reining herself in, Fluttershy very gently stomped a hoof on the sandy ground.
"I was being serious," she said, and the action only prompted him to laugh again.
"That, my dear, is why it was so funny!" He walked around to face her, ducking his head a bit until he was eye level. "I am far from a smuggler, Miss Fluttershy. I doubt I could be accused of smuggling, even if I tried."
"What does that mean?" Fluttershy asked, briefly taking to the air as he circled around and headed back towards the berthed ships.
He didn't answer, but driven by curiosity and more than a little concern, she tagged along. The alternative was waiting in line for hours to get onto a cramped boat, a thought that wasn't very appealing to the shy pegasus. Bellargus hadn't been lying when he said he had chartered a ship just for himself. It was smaller than the others, but still crewed and fully staffed. They let the stallion on without fuss, having expected him. His guest was less expected, but no less welcome.
"Bellargus isn't your real name, is it?" Fluttershy asked, making a few last minute checks on her swim gear, especially the swimfins that had been attached to her back hooves.
"What makes you say that?" The stallion answered with a question of his own, adjusting the goggles over his eyes.
"Bellargus is the name of a butterfly... a blue one. Bellargus Blue doesn't sound... right."
"Just because of that you think I'm using an alias?"
"Now I really do, um... since you, you know, you called it an 'alias'... Ohh!"
Fluttershy fell back into the water, holding her respirator up to her mouth. A little push into the lagoon was one way of ending a conversation, and very quickly, she forgot about her suspicions. Below the chartered boat was a whole new world! A rainbow of colors in coral and sponges spread out beneath her and all across the reef, broken by patches of green leafy sea-weed and sea-grass, drifting against the undersea currents.
She saw giant clams on the sea bed, schools of fish in a kaleidoscope of colors, and even a curious sea turtle cruising by. Swimming gracefully over to the large green reptile, Fluttershy reached out to touch its hard shell. The marine turtle seemed to almost smile at her, letting her hold onto it as it paddled slowly through the sea. The only problem, one she had very much expected, was that she couldn't actually talk to any of the creatures underwater. A sea snake soon came by, wrapping around her foreleg before uncoiling and heading into shallower waters.
A flash of light caught her attention and Fluttershy spun around to see Bellargus and two other ponies in the water. The big stallion had some sort of underwater camera assembled. It was partly contained in a magical field, allowing it to operate much like it would on land. Fluttershy had a camera of her own, of course, but as far as she knew nopony had one that could work in the ocean. She swam closer as he took another picture with her and the sea snake.
It was impossible to talk underwater, but as she got close, he gestured down.
Together with another earth pony, he dove deeper and Fluttershy followed. The trip wasn't hurried; there was plenty of time to take in the many natural wonders of the reef. Even without her voice, the animals seemed to sense who she was and that she was a kindred spirit, coming in close to examine the strange swimming pegasus or flocking around her to vie for her attention.
A small school of dolphins zeroed in on the swimming ponies in short order, circling and investigating the visitors to the reef. Fluttershy giggled to herself as one of the nudged her side, looking for food. It was likely that quite a few of the local sea creatures had grown used to getting handouts from pony divers elsewhere in the lagoon.
To her delight and surprise, Bellargus soon retrieved a small bag of fish from the other earth pony swimmer with him. Holding one of the fish out, he let a dolphin snap it up, running a hoof along it's back as it twisted and rolled away. It squeaked happy at the treat and Bellargus gestured for Fluttershy to swim over so she could join in.
It was a bit of a cheat, using food, but Fluttershy often fed her animal friends back home once they had gotten used to her. Most animals had a natural, innate connection with ponykind, but even then it occasionally needed a little nudge. It was just a shame that none of her friends had wanted to come and swim with her. There were so many wonderful new animal friends out here!
A small shark, more wary of the circling dolphins than the strange ponies, gobbled up a dangling fish before heading off at high speed. Fluttershy smiled, happy to be able to share the moment with somepony. Bellargus had seemed a little concerned by the predatory fish, but he was clearly comfortable enough among the dolphins and other species that came to check them out. He had given most of the food to Fluttershy and idled nearby while she enjoyed herself.
Feeding her last treat to a particularly friendly dolphin, Fluttershy shrugged and dangled the empty bag. The marine mammal nosed the empty sack, swam in a circle and rubbed affectionately against her wing. The others, noticing the party was out of free snacks, began to form up into a pod to move on.
The one who nuzzled her wing lingered, getting a little too affectionate.
"Oh dear." Fluttershy noticed that her new friend was a bit more excited by her then she was comfortable with. At least now she knew it was a he.
"Um, sorry," she muttered into her respirator, bubbles escaping from around her cheeks. She gently tried to swim away. "I, um, don't... that is...I only like..."
To her relief, Bellargus swam by, taking her by the hoof. The excitable young dolphin made a little cork-screw dive, turned around and headed back to his pod. Still red in the face, Fluttershy saw the big stallion laughing behind his breathing mask. He reached down to his midsection and wiggled his flanks. Fluttershy's embarrassment quickly became laughter and she batted him playfully on the side as she swam past.
With her delight in the aquatic wonderland momentarily sated, Fluttershy kept close to Bellargus and the earth pony mare with him. They swam further and deeper down, past fields of brain coral and branching, skeleton-like reef structures. Down a large crevasse, they turned and began to search for something.
Fluttershy wondered if it could be sunken treasure, her mind racing with all sorts of strange possibilities. She couldn't help but remember how Bellargus had laughed when she asked if he was a smuggler. Was it possible: had she been at least close? Maybe he was a treasure hunter! He had seemed to pause when she had pointed out his cutie mark and how it resembled Daring Do's.
No sunken ships seemed to be around, though.
The other mare with him, whose name Fluttershy hadn't gotten before, pointed to something amid the overhanging coral. Carefully swimming to her, Fluttershy saw the ragged entrance to a cave of some sort. A grotto, maybe? It was large enough, once found, for a good sized pony to enter through.
Bellargus swam over and some kind of bright light appeared over his head...
It took a few seconds for Fluttershy to realize it wasn't a light over his head - it was the glow of his horn. He was a unicorn? Seeing her surprise and directing the light out in one direction, Bellargus turned to her and held his hoof up to his lips: the universal sign for 'ssssh, don't tell anypony.' Then he turned to the cave, newly illuminated, and entered.
The earth pony mare he had brought along didn't seem surprised by her boss' sudden transformation from earth pony to unicorn. She nodded to Fluttershy and remained outside, holding some kind of device in her hooves. Not quite sure what to expect, her natural timidity at odds with her growing curiosity, Fluttershy made up her mind and swam into the cave entrance.
She could see Bellargus - or whatever his name really was - up ahead, his horn bathing the dark cave in radiant light. It may as well have been sunlight, it was so gentle and powerful. It made him easy to follow and helped to ease Fluttershy's trepidation. She even had the time and presence of mind to look around.
The walls of the cave seemed... too straight... to be natural.
The cave quickly turned upwards but kept to the same dimensions. Abruptly, Bellargus Blue stopped and pointed to one of the walls. He held up his magically enchanted camera to take a picture and in the light of his horn, Fluttershy could see what looked almost like a carving of a trio of dolphins. They were close together, but still three separate etchings. Their orientation reminded her of the typical three-base arrangement of a cutie mark, her own being a prime example.
They swam on until the cave jutted sharply up, leading to a larger grotto. There was no light inside the cave and as a result, little plant or animal life. Even then, some smaller to medium sized fish had taken to using it as a safe retreat. A small green eel retreated into a crack in the wall, reminding Fluttershy of the much, much larger cousins it had infesting a quarry near Ponyville.
The undersea grotto was otherwise bare, except for a few more carvings on the walls and some sort of tablet on the floor. Bellargus carefully went over the open area, taking pictures and occasionally putting down metal markers to give a sense of scale. Finally, he used rolls of some sort of parchment, clearly water resistant, to make a rubbing of the carvings. Fluttershy immediately wondered why he was ignoring the tablet - it was just sitting there - until she swam close enough to read it. Instead of just strange marks, it also had two lines in Equestrian and a picture of a pony, one hoof raised in greeting.
Breaking the surface a half hour later, Fluttershy lowered the respirator from her mouth to suck in a few long gasps of fresh air. Bellargus and his two compatriots emerged moments later. They at least seemed to be genuine earth ponies. He was still a unicorn.
And she knew who he was.
"You probably want to talk," he said, swimming past her to climb up onto the ship.
- -
"I thought I recognized you." Fluttershy didn't like how upset she sounded, but she had expected him to be covering up his name. Not... just not this much.
They sat alone in the cabin of the ship, motionless and stationary over the lagoon. It was surprising how much heat a pony lost swimming even in warm water, so Fluttershy had a voluminous blue blanket wrapped around her shoulders and back. Her pink mane and tail were still a little wet, but at least she'd gotten her wings dry enough to fly. She didn't feel or look like a wet dog.
"I recognized you, too." Bellargus - or as she now knew, Prince Blueblood - sat on a plush couch in the cabin. His enchanted camera rested on a table nearby.
He leaned forward and made a googly-eyed face.
"You're going to love me," he declared in a bored monotone before leaning back to relax. "Celestia's light, what a night that was."
"Rarity told us about you," Fluttershy said, sitting down, willing to be civilized but still cautious around him.
"Given her reaction to me during my airship christening, I'm sure her ‘Prince’ wasn't what she expected," he replied, sounding just a bit too smug.
"You really made her feel bad," Fluttershy told him, her voice becoming stern enough to shed the normal stutter or stammer. "She waited so long to meet you. As long as I've known her. And you spoiled all that in one night."
For just a moment, he looked like a young colt who had been scolded.
"I'm sure it wasn't that bad to have... to - to show her..." He gritted his teeth, fighting against being chided. Eventually he gave up, his only defense coming in the form of a groan. "Urrgh!"
"Why would you even-"
"I've been brushing off would-be Princesses since I hit puberty," he snapped, though it was more a grumble than an actual outburst. Nothing like the pique he had shown to the shopkeeper earlier in the day. "You know the only way I can get out of the castle?"
He held up his hoof to his horn, and in a sparkle of magic it vanished.
"Instant earth pony," he announced with a little flourish. "Let me ask you, Miss Fluttershy: do you think your friend would've chased me around at the Gala if I was like this? Or would she have ignored me to try and track down Celestia's eligible, rich single nephew?"
"Rarity is a wonderful pony," Fluttershy insisted, having none of it. "You never gave her a chance."
The surly Prince chewed his lip, still refusing to acknowledge his mistake.
"You should apologize when we get back to the ship," she insisted.
"Me? Me! Apologize?" Blueblood seemed scandalized. "Surely you jest!"
"I most certainly am not," Fluttershy replied, narrowing her eyes a bit so he could see how upset all this had made her, and through her, all of Rarity's friends. "Maybe you both had the wrong approach to things that night, but I know Rarity is a good and caring pony, and I think you are, too. When you want to be."
"Hmf!"
Her glare intensified. "I bet you're sorry, too, you just don't want to admit it."
"Celestia's flanks! ... Fine. Maybe I... just fine. I'll apologize." He quickly amended, "In private! I'd rather not make a spectacle of things. And don't expect me to be too nice - she's not my type and I don't think I'm hers."
"Good." Fluttershy nodded, smiling in triumph. "That wasn't so hard, now was it?"
"Well, I haven't done it yet." He rolled his eyes but smirked at her. "I'm sure the actual apology will be like chewing glass."
"The Gala wasn't... um..." Fluttershy blushed a bit at the way he was watching her, minus the tide of indignation to keep her afloat. "It wasn't anypony at their best. But... I think we should all try and forgive each other and move on."
Blueblood didn't reply with words, he nodded once and glanced away, out to the cabin window. He had a towel beneath him and draped over one shoulder, but his coat was still moist and his blond hair fell over his face. Fluttershy could privately and secretly see why Rarity had gushed about him - before meeting him face to face, anyway. He was an extremely attractive stallion.
How often had her friend whispered about how she had dreamed of being held against that broad chest, staring into deep blue eyes, running her hooves along that long, thick horn -
"Oh. Oh dear." Fluttershy squeaked and hid her face behind her hooves. "This isn't good. This really isn't good!"
"What isn't?" Blueblood asked, his attention now back on her, full force.
Beet red, the shy pegasus curled into a ball on her couch seat.
"Anyway," the Prince continued, and she couldn't see his reaction to her mortified state. "Since we're still on the water and I've had my fun, do you want to try diving somewhere else? The first mate mentioned a kelp forest on the eastern rise, I'm sure you..."
Before he could continue, Fluttershy peeked out over her crossed forelegs.
"That cave we went to," she said, struggling to fight her embarrassment raise her voice enough to be heard. "Are there, um, others like that?"
"Oh, that. I'm sure there are," he replied, sucking in a deep breath. "Somewhere. But I haven't found any, and I'm usually quite adept at finding things." He raised his right flank and briskly patted his cutie mark. "Special skill and all. I found that one years ago when I first came here on royal business."
"That tablet?" Fluttershy asked. "You left it behind."
He nodded. "I did. I guess this little patch of ocean's been well and truly abandoned. At least there's the dolphins. That one really liked you, Miss Fluttershy. Do you always have such an amorous effect on animals?"
"No!" She jumped up, but quickly squeaked and tried to hide her face again. "I mean, no," she muttered. "That was the first time. Well... except for a dog... and this one bear..."
One of Blueblood's eyebrows arced. "A bear? Oh ho ho."
Mustering just enough courage to raise her eyes from hiding, Fluttershy knew she had to ask just one other thing. One question. The most important one.
"You seemed to... um... do you..."
"Do I...?" he prompted.
He had seemed quite happy and comfortable around the animals underwater. Moreso than when he had been with ponies on land. Plus, he had picked an animal for an alias. Maybe...
"Do you," Fluttershy took a breath and just said it, "Do you like animals?"
- - -
NEXT:
(3) The Dash
- - -
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What have you done?
yay another story!!
TwilightxSoarin?
FluttershyxBlueblood?
Talk about ya crack pairings ^^
Can't wait for more
Fluttershy and Blueblood.
FLUTTERSHY and BLUEBLOOD.
Well, interesting. It took me a while to figure out Soarin', but I got there in the end, mainly because of 'Distance Flight.' Blueblood just came out of nowhere. Cool!
First i saw the picture then i said "yes this will be a good story" now i have been proved right can't wait for more....mush.
There we go! I'm always worried about stories like these, because just about every pairing has been done. The last one has at least two prominent serials that I can think of, which did nothing to belay my fears (although it was quite good), but HERE there be dragons.
Good work.
You monster!
<3
Is there going to be a way to get Blue Blood get mauled(if not eaten) by sharks in the incoming future?
BearShy, wait I mean BlueShy is a great new ship. Unless I misread it, I assume Bluey is trying to track down some seaponies?
I can't believe this, but partway through this, you somehow got me almost liking Blueblood a bit, without massive character change over story! Wow!!!
Funny thing is, the more I think of it, I'm honestly surprised that I haven't seen more Fluttershy/Blueblood...It seems like if anypony could possibly make him a little more tolerable, it would be her.
You're going to have one hell of a time finding an original crack pairing for Dash. She's been shipped with pretty much everything out there.
YES! Blueblood and Fluttershy! Very nice pairing, though, she'll ease his rudeness and he'll make her even more assertive (the HORROR)
THANKS
YEEEEEESH!
Oh man you made me spit my drink
BLUEBLOOD!! OUT OF FREAKIN NOWHERE!!!
>Fluttershy reached out to touch it's hard shell
Just a passing note. So far, so good.
I knew I sensed sleaze in 'Bellarus'! Espcially when he refused to pay for anything else for Fluttershy. I'm a bit wary of this pairing.
I enjoyed the chapter for the most part, though.
Except for
A sea snake soon came by, wrapping around her arm before uncoiling and heading into shallower waters.
Arm? WhatisthisIdon'teven.
It wasn't until the very end did I realize that Pegasus was Soarin'. Blue Blood I recognized immediately. I guess he just has that stink about him
Blueblood as something other than the scum of Equestria? Heresy! Heresy I say! Shun the non-believer! Shuuuuuuuuuuuunnnn!!!!
To be fair to Blueblood, at the Gala Rarity did come across as extremely vapid and shallow. She didn't show even the slightest hint of interest in him as a pony and basically assigned him a personality that she felt a prince should have. He probably assumed she was just another gold-digger after his status/power/wealth, and to be honest that doesn't seem entirely incorrect.
The guy is almost universally reviled by the fandom, but I think he gets a bad rap. This version of Blueblood is going in my head-canon. He's confident and intelligent, but still smarmy and slightly jerkish.
Hah! As soon as he gave his alias! Very well done, actually giving a believable reason for Blueblood to be about four degrees less douchebag than we saw at the Gala. One has to imagine years after years of fighting off obvious Canterlot gold-diggers would make him turn up the repulsors 110% as soon as he saw
Oh, the dolphin. Somehow I knew that was coming.
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Fluttershy x Blublood?...that's new. Also the way of portraying Blueblood. Though, 'd rather ship Fluttershy with...yeah..the dolphin
Great now you have gone and made him seem resonable for his total douchebaggery. Thanks alot.
Rarity and Princess Blueblood are going to make a mess of your house for this one! ;-)
Damn! I could have sworn it was Doctor Whooves X Fluttershy at the beginning!
Wow, you suprised me even more this time !!
Well fuck... this is the first story that actually made me fond of Blueblood. I can understand acting like a giant douche if you're trying to avoid people who only want you for status or money. So congratulations I now hate blueblood about 20% less now because of this.
BLUEBLOOD IS ACUTALLY NICE!!?
Damn, and you made it convincing, too!
FLUTTERBLOOD?!
...
Fluttershy =
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I was hoping for Doctor Whooves.
I loved the horny dolphin!
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Finally, a story where Blueblood isn't a douchebag!
>Bellargus Blue
>Blueblood
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These are by far the most interesting pairings I have ever layer my eyes on. Wow. I mean that in a good way!
not an asshole blublood?
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...so I'm reading this story. First chapter is kind of out of nowhere, but not too crazy. Twi-Soarin' is rare but not too crazy. But second chapter... Fluttershy and Blueblood? I feel like I've been hit by a bus. @_@ Wow. THAT was out of nowhere.
Keep up the good work! *moves on to the next chapter* xp
Okay, this was a crack ship to end all crack ships...
... and by Celestia, you make it work! Blueblood comes off quite well and in an entirely believable fashion, and him inviting Fluttershy on the diving trip was perfectly gentlemanly. Onwards to the next chapter; I can't wait to see who's the unlikely pony you've dig up to pair with Dash!
my reaction upon finding out it was blue blood
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That works somehow...i can still see teh arrogance in Blueblood, yet, i enjoy this pairing!
I am totally tine with TwiXSoarin, that's not a crack paring at all.
This one is a crack pairing, yet, I APPROVE
Chapter 2: The Shy
Another great chapter! This pairing took me bu suprise... even more so that I could actually see it working within the context described within this chapter.
You were very descriptive in this chapter, and I was somewhat enthralled by Fluttershy's underwater adventure. I can see you did some research (or perhaps simple know a thing or two about marine live) and it really adds to the flow of the chapter.
It's been said here before, but... a reasonable explanation for Blueblood's behavior? Shocking! And... very enjoyable.
Lots of funny moments, like the Smuggler remark, the dolphin (and Blueblood's reaction to it), and the exchange between Fluttershy and Blueblood come to mind.
There were a few typo's, but they didn't really take too much away from the story to be a bother.
Again, my only complaint is that the chapter cuts off just before any real relationshipping can begin, though once again, this was a splendid hook... and at least there was more to it then with Twilight and Soarin.
when he said curse these hoovesIi thought it was going to be Dr. hooves I was not expecting blue blood but your explaination of how he acted that night seemed legit except for the fact that it was Blue Blood that made the first move and approached Rarity
My friend was
about this (his first shipping fic)...
This isn't even pure evil sensuality. It's heartfelt, well written and just plain cute.
He stopped reading it... and then I showed him the mature content filter... and he turned it off.
This is a great story... will read it all.
never in my life would i have guessed this one. well hidden. even with the full physical description it just did not even enter my head as a possibility.
as crazy as these pairings are you really have a way of making them sound good. also this actually makes me like blueblood abit more, shows him in a new light, his actions kinda seem a little understandable now.
I like your characterization of Blueblood. Nicely explains why he was such a dick to Rarity, and makes it so he's a character that's not detestable. (My thought for most fics that contain Blueblood where he isn't worthless. "He's competent in this one?")
This can't end well.
Wow prince blueblood and fluttershy.... lol.... thats about as random as it gets. You really weren't kidding when you said this was a crackfic. Good Job, looking forward to rainbow dash.
these are some of the most unlikely pairings i've ever witnessed and i love it!
Now I feel incredibly dense for thinking it was Fancypants until his name was revealed...
http://www.sodahead.com/entertainment/who-should-play-ana-in-fifty-shades-of-grey-movie/question-2647655/
Is this for real?
I could see Fluttershy x Blueblood working in a fic where Blueblood gets turned into a BEAST or a FROG by a witches spell and the only thing that can turn him back to normal is for someone to love him for who he is. And then Fluttershy comes along and helps him become a better person and they gradually fall in love with each other, and then Blueblood turns back into his regular pony self and he and Fluttershy get married and live happily ever after together.
Knowing he wasn't an OC, and was a wealthy Canterlot stallion, the only candidates were Fancypants and Blueblood. The "blue" in the name was a bit of a clue.
I hope you ship somepony with Pony Joe! I would have favored Twilight, but you did good by her.
576159 I think you're right. While I have no doubt that Prince Blueblood is a snob, when you really think about it, he isn't that much different from a lot of the other ponies living in Canterlot. Look at Jet Set, Uppercrust, Hoity Toity, Photo Finish, ect. Look at the way they act and compare it to Blueblood. They really aren't that different.
And I also agree that there is a strong possibility that Blueblood was only acting like that during the Galla because he knew Rarity was probably just another mare after him for his looks, money, and royal title. Also keep in mind that HE didn't ask Rarity to attend the Galla with him. SHE just sort of started hanging out with him during the Galla and just assumed he would treat her like she was his date.
You are a brilliant writer. I'm pretty sure you could make me approve of any ship. Hell, you made me actually like Flutterblood! Both this story and the Twilight's were amazing. Your EXTREME talent for characterization and pacing is what really draws me in. I will be following you closely and reading all future stories
I'm so excited to read Dash's story that I'm literally giddy