And Now, Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming
Unexpected Confessions
Chapter Twelve
And Now, Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming
“-Love you Rarishee... Wake up! Rarisheeee!”
The first thing Rarity became aware of was a horrible headache, the second thing was that her wife was shaking her forcefully. She shook her head, trying to clear it of all the cobwebs and cotton somepony had stuffed in it. She tried to open her eyes, but the light shining down threatened to blind her, so she clamped her eyes shut. What is wrong with Rainbow? Why in Equestria is she shaking me? She forced an eye open, trying to see through the blinding light. “D-Dash?”
“Yoo’re okay!” A yellow and pink blur tackled her to the floor and peppered her with kisses. “I wash... sooooo... worried.” It said, the words broken up by pecks around her face.
“Wh-What happened? I remember... I remember...” Rarity’s words trailed off as she tried to think about what she had just been doing. Rainbow Dash? It concerned her. At that moment, her brain re-engaged, attaching a name to the blur that had tackled her. Fluttershy? Fluttershy! She gently pushed the pegasus, who was still kissing her, away to get a better look at her. She stared at the cream-colored mare in front of her while her mind screeched to a halt. How? I remember... Oh, Celestia, my head. Images and emotions came flooding back to her She struggled to sit up, pressing a hoof to her head as her mind tried to reconcile the pegasus sitting before her with the events of the past months. “What happened, dear? How... How long was I unconscious?” She asked in an effort to buy herself time to think.
“Well...” Fluttershy paused, looking down and counting silently to herself. “I don’t really know... I was turning on the... the waters. Then, I... um... falled in.” She scrunched up her face in concentration. “I got out, and... uh... came down here, and there you were!” She glanced around, but found her vision blocked by her wet mane. She decided then and there that the best way to get it out of her face was to shake her head vigorously, flinging water all over the room. She looked around at the now wet walls and floor. “Oopshie.” Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment, and she ducked to hide behind her mane.
I... How did I get here? Rarity wondered, although the pounding pain just under her horn made coherent thought difficult. The last thing I remember is... Bits and pieces came back to her. Canterlot. Rainbow Dash. A wedding dress. She tried to think further back, remembering a funeral and Fluttershy’s death before that. But... This all has happened already. Hasn’t it? She recalled hitting her head the night her marefriend had died. I... hit my head, yes. But... it all seemed so real. So much time passed... Rainbow and I- Oh Celestia. She pressed a hoof to her forehead as scenes of Rainbow Dash and her in bed flashed before her, each one punctuated by another wave of pain. She looked up and realized her marefriend was still shielding herself behind her mane, afraid that the unicorn would be upset about the water she splashed everywhere.
“It’s quite alright, darling.” Rarity pulled the other mare into a tight hug. She... she really is here. Alive. While a minor alcoholic haze still clung to the edges of her mind, the adrenaline coursing through her system, combined with the rapidly escalating pain in her head, sobered her up immensely. Was it... could it have been a dream? Some sort of vision? She closed her eyes, listening to the beating of Fluttershy’s heart as though it were the most magnificent symphony ever composed. Rainbow Dash’s voice floated through her mind. “So you just left your drunk marefriend alone while you were worrying about some stupid dresses?”
Her eyes fell on the dresses, laying across the back of a nearby equinniquin. A fresh wave of guilt rolled over her. How could I have been so foolish? It could have cost me... Her emotions welled as tears pooled in her eyes. She buried her head in the other mare’s mane, letting the tears stream from her eyes. She struggled to control her breathing and held the pegasus tighter, to the point that Fluttershy began straining to breathe. The image of a casket slowly lowering into the ground filled Rarity’s mind, threatening to send her over the edge, but she was pulled out of the depths of her mind by a noise from upstairs. “Darling, did you turn the water off before coming downstairs?”
Fluttershy cocked her head to the side, angling an ear up to the bedroom door. “Water?” She put a hoof to her chin. “What water?”
“Oh, dear.” Rarity climbed the stairs, forcing the image from her mind and leaning against the wall for support, and heard a telltale splash of water hitting the ground. She trotted into the bathroom and lit her horn reflexively. It felt like an ice pick had been driven into her skull. She twisted the water spouts closed before clamping her hooves to her head, a hiss of pain escaping her. “Perhaps...” She paused, taking a calming breath. “I am not as fine as I thought.”
“Yoo’s hurt.” Fluttershy walked into the bathroom, wavering dangerously, and galloped over to the sink. She opened the medicine cabinet and swept up all of the contents in her forelegs. She made her way back across the room unsteadily, on only her hind legs, extending her wings for balance. Her hoof landed in the puddle of water next to the tub, sliding a bit and upsetting her diminished sense of balance. She stumbled forward, then leaned back before falling to sit across from her marefriend. “Don’t worry, Rarishee. Momma Fluffer... Momma Flusher...” She stopped as her drunken state once again precluded proper pronunciation. “I’s gonna make it allll better.” She dropped the items from the cabinet on the ground in front of her.
“I appreciate the effort, dear.” Rarity smiled as her marefriend surveyed the materials before her. “However, I do not know how you plan to fix my head using the makeup from my medicine cabinet.”
“Um...” Fluttershy picked up a tube of lipstick. “I could, um...” She dropped it and grabbed a loose eyeliner pencil. “Maybe thish could... no.” She put the pencil back on the floor, tapping a hoof to her chin as she looked over the remaining beauty products. “Oh, I don’t... aha!” She picked the tube of lipstick back up and opened it, leaning forward to smear some across her marefriend’s lips and up her muzzle. She darted in and kissed the other mare on the lips, giggling as she pulled away, then stood up again and planted a light kiss on the unicorn’s forehead. “There. I can just kish it and make it better.”
Rarity opened her mouth to respond, but fell silent as the kiss sent a light wave of warmth through her. It may not be the most helpful course of action... She smiled as her marefriend took her silence for consent and peppered the injured area with kisses. But it certainly doesn’t hurt. The kisses slowly made their way downward, journeying along her muzzle before arriving at her lips. After half a minute or so, the unicorn pulled away from the kissing. “Thank you, dear, but I-” Her words were cut off as Fluttershy started making small whimpering noises and pouting.
She shook her head, a bemused smile on her face, and pulled her marefriend into another kiss. The other mare resumed her journey south, moving down the unicorn’s neck and onto her chest. She reached down as the trail of kisses passed along her stomach and pulled the pegasus’ head back up. “Darling, your kisses are helping a great deal, but I believe an ice pack might make them even more effective.” She prodded at the sore area below her horn, searching for any significant damage. She let out a sigh of relief as she found her horn to be intact.
She stood up, putting one hoof to her pounding head and using the other to brace herself against the bathtub for balance. A small splash of water fell to the floor, drawing her attention to the full tub. “Fluttershy, dear, could you get me one of those towels?” She pointed with a hoof to a rack of towels across the room and the pink-maned pegasus trotted off to grab one. Meanwhile, Rarity reached a hoof down into the tub, sending another wave of water over the edge, and fumbled around for the drain plug. After several seconds of searching, she found the chain and gave it a pull, opening the drain.
“Hmph mph mmm.” Fluttershy came up beside her, carrying one of the towels in her mouth.
“Thank you, dear.” Rarity grabbed the towel and using it to dry her foreleg. She wiped it across her face, inhaling sharply as she hit the tender spot below her horn. “Come, darling, let’s head down to the kitchen and we can get an ice pack.” She lowered the towel to see her date vanish through the doorway. Oh Celestia, the stairs! An image flashed through her mind of Fluttershy lying on the floor, her legs and spine twisted and bent at unnatural angles. She threw the towel to the ground and ran after the cream-colored mare, skidding to a stop as she passed through the doorway out of her bedroom. She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw her marefriend still on the staircase, slowly making her way to the kitchen. She followed her date down the stairs and into the kitchen.
“Icshe...” Fluttershy trotted around the kitchen, pulling open various drawers and cabinets in her quest for an ice pack. “Icshe... Icshe...” She dug into the cabinets under the sink, shoving aside various household cleaners as she searched.
Rarity leaned against the doorway and watched the pegasus explore the kitchen with a disbelieving smile. She’s back. She’s alive. I... I can’t believe it. After a minute, she cleared her throat. “Darling, perhaps you should try the freezer if you are looking for ice.” She pointed a hoof to the refrigerator.
“Hmm?” Fluttershy pulled her head out from under the sink and followed the direction of her friend’s hoof. She stared at the refrigerator for several seconds, blinking. “Oh, yesh. Icshe.” She trotted over, stopping for a moment to grab a loose towel from the counter, and pulled the door to the freezer open. After several seconds of rummaging, she backed out from the icebox, holding a carton of ice cream in one hoof and licking her lips. “Mmm... Icshe cream.”
“Um... darling?” The unicorn grabbed the other mare’s attention. “What happened to the towel?” The pegasus simply stared at her uncomprehendingly. She pointed to her forehead. “Towel. For ice, for my head.”
“Oh, right.” Fluttershy ducked back into the freezer and emerged a few moments later with an ice-filled towel in her mouth. “Hrrr ooo guu.”
“Thank you, dear.” Rarity took the ice pack in a hoof and pressed it to her forehead.
“Now, off to beds with yoo, young lady.” Fluttershy pointed a hoof out of the kitchen dramatically. “No excushes.” She added when the unicorn opened her mouth to protest.
“Darling,” Rarity persisted, trying to distract her marefriend from sending her off to bed like a foalsitter. “Before we head off to sleep, would you care for a cup of tea?”
“Ooh.” Fluttershy perked up at the suggestion, her earlier stern demeanor completely forgotten. “That does shound nicshe.” She placed a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “Yoo s-sssit there and I’ll get everything ready.” She turned and pulled open a random cabinet, rummaging through it and emerging with a medium-sized iron pot. She trotted over to the sink and filled it with water before dropping it on the stove. After a minute of drunken fumbling and hitting, the pegasus managed to light the stove.
Rarity stood up. “Actually, dear, the tea kettle is...”
“Shh... Just ss-sit down and let me take care of it, okay?” Fluttershy wheeled around, the tip of her tail passing through the flame of the stove. The end of her tail caught fire, burning with a tiny flame that slowly grew as it crept up the hairs.
“Your-” Rarity froze as she saw the fire on her marefriend’s tail. “Your-”
“Shh...” The pegasus raised a hoof, trying to calm her date. “It’sh okay.” The flame on her tail grew.
“Your tail is on fire!” Rarity screeched.
Fluttershy turned her head and stared at her tail, taking a few seconds to realize it was, in fact, on fire. She turned around to look at it, but glanced around in confusion as her tail disappeared. She looked behind her and spotted her tail again. “Ooh... pretty.”
Rarity jumped up from her seat and ran to the stove. She grabbed the pot of water in her mouth and moved behind the other mare. She turned the pot over, dumping water onto the floor and the flame. It went out with a sizzle, sending up a trail of smoke.
Rarity dropped the pot to the floor with a clang and grabbed her date by the shoulders to turn her around. “Are you hurt, darling? Did you get burned?” She trotted around her marefriend, inspecting her singed tail and looking for any further injuries.
The cream-colored mare flicked her tail around to look at it. “No. I’m okay.” She noticed the pot on the floor and picked it up, filling it at the sink and placing it back on the stove as though nothing had happened.
Rarity sat back down and watched the scene before her unfold, shaking her head slightly. I can’t believe she’s not hurt. Her eyes flitted down to the blackened end of her date’s tail. Thank Celestia. She watched her marefriend searching through another set of cabinets and emerge with a pair of water glasses. Oh, the tea cups were right there! She bit her lip, wanting to let her date take care of her. She let out a quiet sigh of relief as the inebriated mare successfully found the container of sugar and brought it to the table.
“Tea...” Fluttershy stepped into the pantry, followed shortly by the sounds of jars and bottles clinking together. She emerged after several seconds of searching with two small bags in her teeth. She walked back over to the table and dropped one bag in each water glass.
Rarity chewed on her lip, hesitant to say anything. “Darling... this isn’t tea.” She lifted the packet out of her cup and examined it for a moment.
“Hmm?” Fluttershy leaned in and squinted, staring intently at the packet. “Insh... Inshtant Oats... Oatmeal. Oh.” She kicked a hoof on the floor. “Um, where ish the tea?”
“It’s on the middle shelf, left-hoof side.” Rarity explained.
“Left... left...” Fluttershy stared at her hooves for a moment, looking back and forth between them. “Middle shelf.” She trotted back to the pantry, rummaging through it noisily. After another minute of searching, she reemerged with two tea bags clenched in her teeth. “Rrr thee thmm?”
“Yes, dear. That’s the tea.” Rarity took the bags from her marefriend in a hoof, dropping one in each water glass on the table. Meanwhile, Fluttershy walked back over to the stove and picked the pot up in her mouth. She balanced it carefully on the way back to the table. She tilted her head above each cup, pouring a generous helping of the boiling water into them. A splash of water flew out of Fluttershy’s glass, landing on her hoof.
“Ow!” She yelped in pain, letting the pot fall toward the floor.
Rarity grabbed the pot with her magic reflexively, which sent a spike of pain through her head. The aura of her magic wavered as the pain made her concentration falter. She released the pot as the pain grew to feel like her head was splitting open. She pressed the ice pack more firmly against her forehead so that the ice could numb it. “Are... are you alright, darling?”
“Mmm fhmm.” Fluttershy replied, the burned portion of her hoof in her mouth. “Hmph rrr yph?” She pointed her unburned hoof across the table.
“I’m fine, dear.” Rarity grimaced as the pain in her head reduced to merely a pulsing ache. She watched her glass as the tea bag floated on the bottom and the water slowly changed color. She picked up the spoon in the sugar container and sprinkled a small amount of sugar into the glass. Her gaze frequently drifted up to the pegasus sitting next to her, afraid Fluttershy would disappear at any moment. After a minute, the steam rising from the glasses reduced to small wisps and she lifted the cup to her mouth with both hooves. She took a sip of the tea, letting out a satisfied sigh. “Mmm... a wonderful job, dear.” She took another drink, glancing over to the other mare, and immediately spit the liquid out in a fine spray, followed by a mixture of coughing and laughing.
Fluttershy looked up from where she was bent over her own glass, lapping at her tea, just in time to be sprayed by her marefriend. “Whassat?” She wiped a hoof along her face, sending droplets of tea falling to the table and floor. “Wha... wha’s wrong?”
“Why-” Another bout of coughing interrupted Rarity’s question. When it subsided, she tried again. “Why were you drinking your tea like that, dear?”
“Huh?” Fluttershy tilted her head to the side in confusion. She stared at the glass in the unicorn’s hoof for a moment. “Oh, yeah.” She placed a hoof on each side of the glass and picked it up, bringing it to her lips. She tilted it back to drink, but it turned too far and spilled some tea along her muzzle. She tilted the glass back down and dropped it on the table. “Oopsh.” She mumbled, wiping a hoof across her face.
Rarity chuckled and sat back to take another sip of her tea, reveling in the warmth as it traveled through her body. She nestled deeper into her chair, letting her eyes close momentarily as the calming nature of the tea took effect. “It’s fine, dear. Just finish your tea and then we can go to bed.”
“Ooh... I like bed.” Fluttershy smiled, with a blatantly suggestive tone, before going back to lapping at her tea. When the liquid got too low for her to reach, she gripped the glass in her teeth and picked it up off the table, tilting her head back to dump the rest of the tea in her mouth. She swallowed the tea and dropped the glass on the table. “Ahh... that was tashty.”
Rarity lifted her own cup and drained the remaining liquid, letting out a satisfied sigh. “Are you ready, dear?”
“Mmm, yesh.” Fluttershy purred. She hopped down from her chair and sauntered around the table. She leaned in and nuzzled her marefriend’s neck for a moment before planting several light kisses trailing up to her ears. She turned and walked away, heading for the staircase and swaying her hips.
The pair exited the kitchen and ascended the stairs again, somewhat awkwardly due to the pegasus’ inebriation and the unicorn walking on only three legs to hold the ice pack to her head. When they reached the second floor, Fluttershy meandered over to the bed while Rarity trotted into the bathroom to throw the ice-filled towel into the sink. A nagging thought pulled at the unicorn’s mind as the ice settled in the sink.
Rarity fixed her eyes to the tile floor, her brain resuming the internal battle she had been having ever since she realized that Fluttershy was alright. She’s... alive. She really, truly is here. She closed her eyes, and the hauntingly familiar image of the pegasus lying limp and still floated before her. Could it... could it have been a dream? A resurgent throbbing in her head certainly lent an amount of credence to that theory.
“Rarishee?” Fluttershy called from the other room.
“Coming, dear.” Rarity tossed the towel over the edge of the bathtub and walked back into the bedroom. Her marefriend was lying on the bed, patting the spot next to her. She climbed onto the silken sheets warily, leaving a space between them. She extended a hoof cautiously, afraid that this was the dream, and that the pegasus would vanish at the lightest touch. She shook her head and scooted closer, laying down next to her date and running a hoof through her still slightly damp mane.
“Mmm...” Fluttershy let out a contented sigh and leaned forward to nuzzle the unicorn. “I love you, Rarishee.”
“I love you too... Fluttershy.” Rarity pulled her marefriend into a hug, and a sudden wave of emotion threatened to bring tears to her eyes before she corralled it. “I... I’ve missed you, so much.” She whispered, feeling Fluttershy’s ear twitch in her direction. She nestled into the bed, content to merely hold the pegasus, if just to remind herself that she was real. The fog of sleep encroached on her, only to be driven away by an unforeseen sensation. She startled as her marefriend kissed her neck and began trailing upward while a hoof simultaneously wandered down her side. “Darling?”
“Hmm?” Fluttershy pulled away reluctantly, a barely concealed desire smoldering in her eyes. “Wha’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong, per se.” Rarity chewed on her lip for a moment, searching for a way to dissuade the other mare gently. It would be so much easier without this accursed head- she mentally facehoofed at the obvious answer. “You see, dear, I am not feeling terribly well.” She pointed a hoof at her injured forehead, where the red welt was darkening into a purple and blue bruise. “Perhaps we should simply go to sleep.”
“Oh no.” Fluttershy looked up at the afflicted area, scrunching up her face in concentration. She perked up as an idea struck her. She craned her head up and kissed the bruise, just as she had earlier.
Rarity smiled as the wave of warmth from before passed through her. She lay on her back and motioned for her marefriend to curl up next to her. The other mare obliged, and slid over to snuggle, laying her head on the unicorn’s chest. Rarity leaned down and kissed her marefriend on the forehead, making her tilt her head up so their lips could meet.
Fluttershy shifted, rolling onto her stomach and reaching a hoof up to lay it on her marefriend’s shoulder. She stretched up, pressing into the kiss and increasing her tempo as her partner reciprocated. Her tongue darted out, wiggling between the soft lips pressed against her own for a moment before they parted. A moan slipped out of her as a hoof ran through her mane. She tried to return the favor and trailed a hoof along the other mare’s ribs, smiling as a shiver of pleasure ran through her body. Her hoof continued its journey downward, briefly flitting across the white flank below her before being pulled back.
Rarity pulled the yellow hoof back up and trailed her own down her marefriend’s side, smiling as tensed up and let out a series of giggles between kisses. They lay together for a time, content to merely hold each other and steal the occasional kiss. Every few minutes one of Fluttershy’s hooves would wander too far down, forcing Rarity to pull it back up and redouble her efforts to distract the inebriated mare with kisses. Eventually, Fluttershy’s movements became slower and uncoordinated, and her head would droop as her eyes slid closed.
Rarity pulled away from their latest kiss, drawing a disappointed whine from her marefriend. “Are you tired, dear?” She leaned down and kissed the pegasus on the nose. “Would you like to get some rest?”
“I’m not really tired yet.” Fluttershy protested halfheartedly, trailing a hoof down the alabaster mare’s stomach. She yawned cutely and rubbed at her eyes.
“Is that so?” Rarity smiled and reached down to pull the covers over them. She ran a hoof through her marefriend’s mane and started humming “Hush Now, Quiet Now.” She felt the other mare nestle deeper into the bed, and after barely a minute had passed, the sleeping pegasus let out a small, dainty snore.
Rarity lay back and stared at the ceiling for a moment before closing her eyes. She waited for sleep to take her, but her mind refused to shut down. Something was missing, but she couldn’t put her hoof on it. She shook her head, being careful not to wake Fluttershy. What could possibly be missing? She’s back. She’s here, in my hooves. I... I have a second chance. Despite her mental assurances, she couldn’t shake the feeling of emptiness that plagued her. Something is missing... but what?
You have your marefriend sleeping next to you after a wonderful, if unorthodox, first date. What more could you ask for? Her mind questioned.
That’s just it... I don’t know. Rarity sighed. I have everything I could have hoped for, and yet... Next to her, Fluttershy stirred, wiggling around for a few seconds before settling back down with a small sigh. It still feels... empty. She thought idly as she leaned down to kiss her marefriend lightly on the forehead.
Maybe it’s just exhaustion?
Maybe... Rarity closed her eyes. But with this goddess-forsaken headache, I fear sleep may prove elusive. She pressed a hoof to her temple, the introspection was making her headache worse. She took a free pillow from the bed and put it in her mouth, biting down, then focused her magic to grab a bottle of pills in her medicine cabinet. The pain in her head doubled as she floated the bottle into the room and over to the bed, causing her to bite down harder. As it floated closer, her concentration faltered, breaking the spell and letting the bottle fall. She quickly re-wove the spell and stopped the pills inches above the floor. She grasped the container as it drifted into her reach, letting go of her magic and fighting to keep silent as she spit out the pillow. She popped it open and dumped a few of the pain-relieving pills into her hoof before tossing them into her mouth and swallowing them. She placed the bottle on her nightstand, then turned her attention back to the ceiling as she waited for them to work. She brought her free hoof to her mouth to cover a yawn as her eyes slid closed and she fell into the peaceful realm of sleep.
*
“Morning. How’re ya feeling?”
Rarity rolled over, draping a foreleg over her eyes. It’s too early for this. She grabbed a pillow and put it on top of her head. “Ugh... my head. What time is it, Fluttershy?”
“Rares...” The voice sounded infinitely sad.
Several things registered for her at once. The softness of the bed. The lack of sheets. Her eyes snapped open and she turned to face the source of the voice. “R-Rainbow?” She breath caught in her throat. “Oh goddesses, it was a dream after all.” She leaned forward embracing her wife with a foreleg.
Dash returned the hug for a moment before pulling back. “What was it about?” She asked, cocking her head to the side.
Rarity rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. “It was...” She hesitated, realizing it the truth would hurt Rainbow as sure as it had hurt her just now. “It’s not important, love.” She reached down to hold one of Dash’s hooves. “I had a dream, and I woke up a little muddled... and with a terrible headache for some reason.” She pressed her free hoof to her temple. “Did we have wine last night?”
“No, we didn’t.” Rainbow brought the hoof she was holding up and kissed it lightly. “So, what did you dream about?” She asked again, a little more insistently.
“Please, love, let it go. It was a dream. That’s all it was.” She rolled onto her side and draped a foreleg across the other mare’s shoulder. “Now, come here. I want to kiss my wife good morning.”
The kiss didn’t last long enough, not nearly long enough.
“It was about Fluttershy, wasn’t it?” Dash asked after she reluctantly pulled away.
“Wha-” Rarity’s eyes flew open. “N-No! Why would-” She stopped, trying to tone down her reaction a bit. “I’m sorry, throbbing headache. No, dear. It was nothing important. I’ve already forgotten it.” She moved to the edge of the bed and hopped to the floor, experiencing a moment of vertigo as she sunk into the cloud surface slightly. “Come now, let’s get some breakfast. You really wore me out last night.” She looked back over her shoulder, winking.
Rainbow smirked, but didn’t get up. “When you woke up just now, you asked ‘what time is it, Fluttershy?’.” She patted the spot next to her on the bed.
“Oh...” Rarity’s ears folded back, and her cheeks flushed with color. She climbed back into the bed and lay down.
“How do you know?”
Rarity raised an eyebrow at the question. “How do I know what, exactly?”
“How do you know it was a dream?” Dash propped herself up on an elbow and ran a hoof along the unicorn’s chest and stomach.
Rarity closed her eyes, smiling as the feather-light touch sent a shiver through her. When it passed, she opened her eyes again, gazing lovingly at her wife. “Because... What I have here, with you love, what I feel for you... that is real. The dream...” She dropped her gaze to stare at the bed. “It was just my mind wishing for things.”
Rainbow reached down and lifted the other mare’s chin. “Are you sure?”
“That I love you?” Rarity asked, searching desperately for a way out of the conversation. “Oh yes, love. I am very, very, sure.” She did her best to impersonate Dash’s predatory grin.
Dash smiled, but tapped a hoof on the other mare’s stomach in annoyance. “Stop deflecting, Rarity. Are you sure that it wasn’t real, and this is?”
“A-As sure as I can be.” Rarity shifted uncomfortably, a knot of worry forming in her stomach, yet a corner of her mind wondered if her partner was right. “Why are you doing this? I just want to forget-”
“No!” Rainbow pounded the mattress with a hoof, sending up small wisps of cloud. “Don’t forget her! Never even think about forgetting her. We both love her.”
“Well, yes.” Rarity admitted. “But, she’s... gone.”
“Are you sure?” Dash placed her hoof against her wife’s muzzle. “What if she wasn’t? What if it was real?”
Rarity didn’t answer for a time, and her voice was small and shaky when she finally did. “Th-That would be... horrible.”
Without warning, Rainbow drew her foreleg back and slapped Rarity across the face. The unicorn flinched, but there was no pain, only the same nagging headache that had been present when she woke up. She stared at the pegasus, her emotions rapidly fluctuating between hurt and angry. “What did you do that for?”
“Because you needed it.” Dash replied flatly. She placed her hoof against the spot she had just hit, rubbing it gently. “Did it hurt?”
“Well, no.” Rarity looked at the other mare warily, unsure where the conversation was headed. “I don’t see what-”
“Doesn’t that seem you as a little, I don’t know, weird?”
Rarity gently pushed the hoof rubbing her cheek away, her mind working feverishly. After a few moments of silence, she arrived at the only conclusion that made any sense, but immediately discarded it. “Please, stop this. I love you, Rainbow. Don’t... don’t do this.” Her vision grew blurry as her eyes filled with tears.
“Rarity...” Rainbow smiled sadly. “You already figured it out. This isn’t...” She drifted into silence, as though finishing the thought was physically painful for her.
A single overwhelming thought filled Rarity’s mind. “Why?”
Rainbow lowered her eyes. “Did you think I was worth marrying?” She asked, her voice wavering.
“O-Of course!” Rarity lifted her wife’s head to look into her eyes. She gazed into those rose-colored orbs and memories came flooding back to her. Their first kiss. The first time Rainbow said that she loved her. The proposal. Dash standing up to Blueblood at the wedding. “How can you even ask that?”
Dash smiled and leaned into the hoof pressed against her cheek. “Then isn’t she, the real me, worth fighting for?”
This time, Rarity looked away. “But... she doesn’t...” Her words were silenced by a cyan hoof.
“You didn’t think that ‘Shy did, either.” Rainbow tapped the unicorn on the nose. “You had to work up the courage to ask. Now come on, you have to go back now. ‘Shy’s waiting for you.”
Rarity felt tears spill over from her eyes, trailing down her cheeks, and she choked back a sob. “But... Rainbow, th-the real one... she doesn’t love me.”
Dash pulled the alabaster mare into a hug, wrapping her wings around the unicorn. “She just doesn’t know what to look for yet. Give it some time. She’ll love you, just like I do.”
Rarity buried her face in the prismatic mane before her, trying and failing to slow her tears. “B-But... what about you?”
“Don’t worry about me.” Rainbow ran a hoof through her wife’s mane. “If you ever need me, I’ll be right here.”
*
Morning came after a fitful night’s sleep. Rarity jolted back into consciousness with a start, the feeling of Rainbow’s hug lingering in her mind. She opened her eyes as sunlight tried to force its way through her eyelids. She looked upon the still sleeping form of the love of her life, torn in indecision. That feeling of something, or somepony, missing was back, and she was doing her best to ignore it. She shook her head, being careful not to wake Fluttershy. “What could possibly be missing?” She voiced the question aloud, unable to ignore it any longer and keeping her voice low.
You know exactly what’s missing, Rarity. She scolded herself. You’re just afraid that admitting it will somehow soil or diminish this, even though you had a dream that told you everything you would care to know. Coward.
“It’s a perfectly rational fear.” She bit her lip and looked out the window, gazing at a patch of cloud as it languidly floated past her window. “Rainbow and I forced Fluttershy to choose between us. She didn’t want to, but we made her do it. We made her hurt one of us. Now I suddenly want to tell her it was all for nothing? What would they think of me?”
She grimaced, feeling the combination of headache and hangover squeezing her head like a vice. She shut her eyes, and a pair of rose-colored eyes floated in her vision, their beauty marred by a haunting pain. She squeezed her eyelids shut tighter. None of that happened! None of it! A knot of tightness formed in her chest as she continued along the train of thought. It wasn’t really Rainbow. It was a construct that my mind... made up. That’s what I have feelings for, not the real Rainbow Dash.
“But, are the two really mutually exclusive?” She wondered aloud, thinking back to the reasons she had fallen in love with Rainbow in her dream and comparing them to the real Dash. “They’re all there. She just has... other tendencies that get in the way.”
Rarity opened her eyes, if only stop the memory of Rainbow’s gaze from hovering in her vision. “Memory...” Her ear twitched as a bird chirped outside. “Is it still a memory if it never happened?” Next to her, Fluttershy stirred, wiggling around for a few seconds before settling back down with a small sigh. Keep quiet! She rebuked herself, waiting for a sign the pegasus was asleep before continuing. Several seconds later, she heard a soft snore from the mare in her hooves, and her mind drifted back to her dreams. Not that all of this makes a difference. She sighed and leaned down to kiss her marefriend lightly on the forehead.
A niggling thought at the back of her mind forced its way to the front. Of course it makes a difference, fool. She chided herself. Just look at why you didn’t agree to the trinogamous relationship when Fluttershy brought it up.
Rarity snorted, not looking forward to revisiting that particular event, then checked to make sure her date was still asleep. She sighed and stared at the ceiling, thinking back to when Fluttershy suggested the three-way relationship. “In order for it to work, Rainbow and I would have to be... together. I wasn’t sure if I could do that. I was in love with Fluttershy, and I... never thought that I could truly love another pony, much less at the same time.” She whispered.
Well, problem solved, no? She asked herself. I’m in love with Rainbow- She stopped herself from completing the thought. No. Don’t think that. She pressed a hoof to her temple, the introspection was making her headache worse again. She glanced over to the nightstand, where the bottle of pain-relieving pills sat. She reached out with a foreleg, stretching as far as she dared without waking her marefriend, but the bottle sat just out of her reach. She strained to extend the last few inches, but Fluttershy stirred lightly, mumbling in her sleep.
She edged back to her original position, snuggling up to her fillyfriend. Though, I... am right, in a way. The Rainbow in my dream may not have been the real one, but... She turned her head to watch the sunlight crawl across the floor. Even though I love Rainbow, she was also opposed to the idea, rather vehemently.
A wry smile pulled at her lips as she got an idea. Well, I could always hit her over the head, knock her out, and hope that she has a dream like I did and wakes up in love with me. She rolled her eyes, bringing her free hoof to her mouth to cover a yawn. Yes, I’m sure there’s no possible way that could backfire. She giggled as an image of that scenario played through her mind. Her gaze was drawn back to the mare laying in her hooves. “Perhaps I should go talk to her.” She sighed, running a hoof through the pegasus’ mane. “It seems so unfair. Dash loves her as well, after all. We could be so happy, just like I was.”
She frowned as she realized she had used the past tense. “I... was, but am I still?” She watcher her marefriend sleep for a moment, her smile returning as the other mare mumbled in her sleep before sneezing. “I am, but it’s... different now. Before, I was ecstatic being with Fluttershy. Now, though?” She went back to staring at the ceiling, her grin faltering slightly. “I’m still happy, but I know how much better it could be with Rainbow here.”
Would she even consider it? She wondered. Could she ever accept such an offer, or would it just be cruel to even ask?
Rarity bristled. “I want her to be happy as well.” She whispered, a bit of vehemence creeping into her voice. “So what if it wasn’t really her? The Dash in my dream was every bit as loyal and loving as she is in the real world.”
Even so, that doesn’t mean that she’ll say yes if I ask her to give me- us, give us a chance.
She sat up, a fiery determination burning in her stomach, and flinched as Fluttershy rolled over, mewling something unintelligible. She glanced down at her fillyfriend, making sure she was still asleep. I have a second chance here, a fresh start. I’ll just have to make her fall in love with me. She nearly clopped her hooves in excitement as she got an idea. Oh! I could beat her to the punch on the proposal this time!
Doubt tugged at her thoughts, eroding the confidence she had in her own words. Life doesn’t work like a romance novel. You can’t just tell somepony you had a dream and now find yourself in love with them. She lay back down, pressing herself against Fluttershy’s back and wrapping a foreleg around her. She held in a snort of laughter as the pegasus’ wing twitched, sending the feather tips brushing across her stomach, and laid her chin on the sleeping mare’s shoulder.
“Actually, why not?” A spark of hope lit in her chest. “Love is inspired by so many things. Rainbow is a wonderful friend, one who has saved my very life without hesitation not once, but twice, and that’s ignoring the various times she has saved me indirectly. Dash has a very big heart. Just look at how quickly she forgave all of us for the Mare-Do-Well incident, not to mention how much she cares for Tank despite the fact that he can’t fly without his heli-pack. I just hope that she can find room for one more pony in there. Besides, it would make Fluttershy happy as well, I see no downside.”
She was immediately confronted by a glaring flaw in her logic. The downside is that if she refuses, we’ll be no better off. She followed that line of thought, the knot of worry in her stomach growing. If she refuses... There may be only one way to make her happy. Could I make that sacrifice?
She blanched, as much as an already white unicorn can blanch, anyway. The fear took root in her mind and she looked down at Fluttershy.“G-Give her up and let her be with Dash?” She swallowed nervously.
If you love them, it may be the only way you can make both of them happy.
Her attempt to wrap her mind around that possibility was interrupted as the mare laying on her chest stirred.
*
Fluttershy woke up slowly, her head once again pounding in the vise grip of a hangover. That’s it. I’m never touching alcohol again. She brought her free foreleg up and draped it over her eyes to shield what little sunlight filtered through her eyelids. Her hoof landed on an expanse of soft fur, and she belatedly realized her head was lying on the same coat of fur. Hazy memories of the previous night came back to her. The last thing she remembered clearly was Rarity persuading her to have a drink of wine, everything after that was fuzzy. She vaguely recalled falling down a lot, and something about a bathtub.
“Good morning, darling.” Rarity cooed, smiling lightly as her marefriend cringed from the sound. She felt her own hangover pulsing at the back of her head, but it paled in comparison to the resurgent pain in her forehead. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I’m sorry. Are you hungry?”
“Ugh...” Fluttershy’s stomach flipped at just the thought of food, but she hoped it would help her hangover. She struggled up to a sitting position, waiting for the accompanying wave of nausea to pass. “Kind of, um, if you are, too.” She cracked an eye open, but shut it again as the sunlight seared her retina. “So bright...”
“Allow me, dear.” Rarity offered, holding in a chuckle. She lit her horn, sending a minor surge of pain through her head, and tried to pull the curtains around the closed. She focused, but the curtains remained where they were. She concentrated harder, but only succeeded in giving herself a worse headache. She moved to the edge of the bed and hopped to the floor, walking around the room and pulling the drapes shut. She climbed back on the bed and lay next to the other mare. The pain’s not as bad as last night. She lifted a hoof to probe her forehead, wincing as she poked the bruised area. Although, it will be weeks before this heals properly.
“Oh my goodness, what happened to your head?” Fluttershy stood on the bed, ignoring the pounding her head caused by the sudden movement. The room swam around her, and she fell back to the bed. She paused to take a deep breath and pushed herself back up. “Are you okay? Does it hurt? We need to get some ice on it.” She trotted to the edge of the bed, but was held back by her marefriend’s hoof.
Rarity smiled apologetically. “It’s alright, dear. We iced it down last night, and I took some painkillers. It just needs to heal now. Speaking of painkillers, do be a dear and grab that bottle, won’t you?”
Fluttershy turned to the bedside table, spotting a bottle of pills on it. She scooted to the edge of the bed and grabbed it, bringing it back to her marefriend.
“Thank you, darling.” The unicorn took the container and popped the lid off, dumping a pair of pills into her hoof before handing the bottle back to the pegasus, who dropped it back on the table. She tilted her head back and swallowed the pills. “Could I interest you in some breakfast? I believe I could manage some scrambled eggs and toast.”
“That sounds nice, thank-.” Fluttershy pressed a hoof to her mouth as her stomach threatened to empty its non-existent contents at the thought of food. “On second thought... maybe not. I think I should just head home, if that’s okay with you.” She dropped her eyes to stare at the bed, glancing up occasionally to gauge her marefriend’s reaction.
“That’s quite alright, dear.” Rarity moved to the edge of the bed and hopped down, heading for the bedroom door. She made her way down the stairs, looking back over her shoulder every few steps to make sure her friend was still following her.
Fluttershy stepped out of the bedroom, raising a foreleg to shield her eyes from the light streaming through the many windows on the ground floor. “Nnng... bright.” She moaned, fighting the urge to get back in bed and bury her head under a pillow for a few hours. She stepped to the edge of the staircase and leaned against the wall, sliding along it as the went down the stairs.
“Here, darling.” Rarity held out a wide-brimmed hat and a pair of sunglasses as the pegasus reached the bottom of the stairs. After the other mare had donned them, the pair made their way slowly toward the front door.
“Thank you for last night.” Fluttershy said as they reached the entryway of the shop. “I had a really nice time. I’ll... see you around?” She reflexively tried to hide behind her mane, but her hat obscured her face as she ducked her head.
“Of course, dear.” Rarity lifted her marefriend’s chin with a hoof and leaned it to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. She pulled the door open and stood aside to let the pegasus pass. A small portion of her wanted to walk the other mare home, but she knew that it was unnecessary. As Fluttershy began her trek home, Rarity couldn’t help but call after her. “Be careful, darling.” She immediately felt foalish and closed the door, turning to trot into the kitchen for a light breakfast.
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It begins... Again.
encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQe6_94_KZovwvr3KfsDpwP6lLvYQFNvQAk5EHoAkik-ScgnWMJmw
Commence read.
Rarity what is your brain up to?
You guys didn't really think I would let the story end like that, did you?
Yes, it was a dream. Yes, it may have been a teensy bit long (Fun fact: the first draft of the dream was 1,700 words, the final version was just over 10,000), but come on... killing off a main character in a story with no Sad or Tragedy tags? Congrats to those of you that figured it out, and "Sorry" for those of you that didn't.
The wedding was missing a bride anyway, so let's try this again. Don't worry, we'll take things a little slower this time around.
Yeah, I knew it. I'm just glad it's got some baring on the actual story.
Mmm, Raridash... Now if only Dashie were open to the idea.
Exactly as planned.
Considering the word budgeting blowouts that have plagued the last couple of chapters, it's not perfect. I give you plenty of credit for sticking to your guns and carrying through though.
I'm still here, I'm still enjoying it and at the end of the day, this is still one of those stories that keep me moving from one day to the next.
Carry on. I'm enjoying the ride.
You earned back the thumbs up I took away last chapter.
you blew my mind. that was a good twist
Much better than the previous chapter. I did recognize that as a dream sequence that would help Rarity realize she could be happy with Rainbow Dash too, I just thought it could have been executed without pissing off a lot of your readers.
I noticed one mistake though, or at least something that seems like a mistake:
Shouldn't that line be "It may not be the most helpful course of action"? It just seems kind of awkwardly worded without the "not".
Let the hijinks resume! Does this mean we'll transition to more FlutterDash scenes?
1868642
You Inception bastard.
A dream within a dream that's not really a dream.
Yesssss. Yesssssss.
Yes now the seeds of FlariDash have been planted and soon they will grow into a glorious Flower of Feels
Oh, I hope that this works. It would be amazing to see these three
together, and these two 
together and this one doing her own thing. 
Have the good times roll, or not, whatever you pick. 
I imagined it was a dream, I had my doubts thought, since the dream sequence ended up being longer than any of the previous chapters.
Yeah, that usually tells a big change, then again, it was a big change...
You just blew my mind with that one.
For a short moment I was not sure what is dream and what is real (if you had stop there it would have been a nice cliffhanger ;-)). The 12k of the previous chapter was worth reading nevertheless and I would like it if you can continue to insert references to it in further chapters – but that's not a must.
Keep up the good work!
"It may be the most helpful course of action": is there a "not" missing?
"emerge with a pair or water glasses.": or → of
"opposed to the idea, rather vehemently..": "." too much
I knew it couldn't be real. not because of the death itself, but because it would have been a terrible ending by trowing away all the tension it had built up to this point, and the cause of the death was incredibly lame. I give you my thumbs up (Again).
Now it's just waiting before we get to the threesome!
And what will happen to Applejack? I hope it ends this way
But a sixsome is fine too.
I can see this going well.
Next few chapters should be fun.
I am a big fan of tragedies, and am infamous for not reading tags so I woulda believed if that had been real. However it just moved too fast (yes it was the biggest chapter) the Raridash just flew by so fast after the death scene so I felt something was up. Since I like tragedies however I got pissed when this chapter first started, however most people were probably relieved to no end.
Oh, it was that kind of thing. Ok that makes sense. The mind is a wonderful thing ain't it? Anywho, things should get really interesting next time.
Please no more drunk fluttershy
1869795
Fluttershy concurs
Well...I like where this is heading.
1869423 YESS. FEEL THE FEELS.
1868642 No need to be sorry. I thought the previous chapter was great; however I figured the story would have continued from that point on.
After reading this chapter, I wonder if Rarity will in fact talk to Rainbow in regards to possibly rekindling the prospect of a threesome. Also, I want to apologize for my many salty messages earlier.
So... You faked us out last chapter, then almost faked us out again... You brilliant bastard.
However, Rainbow Dash is... RD so if Rarity proposed an idea...
This will be fun
Oh thank Christ, no more 18k word chapters.
Scrambled eggs, what the hell?
...good, Rarity didn't have the burden of choosing between two realities.
Awaiting further releases.
1869489>>1869093 Thanks, it's always those little ones that slip through.
thank fuck it was just a dream
also damn you for making the cutest drunkard ever
Thank the god's it was just a troll chapter
wow that date arc. I can't wait to see how Rarity tries to win over Rainbow Dash's heart
Oh, you. Screw you.
i believe this to an error of incorrect qualities.
1869904 I have to agree that even though Fluttershy's drunkeness has lead to a few unforgettable mishaps, she still tries her best to help out or alleviate the situation.
I find that admirable in many ways.
Yay 'twas but a dream! Also how much would it cost to genetically engineer a Fluttershy so I can give her a couple glasses of wine? Rarishee ha brilliant!
It's the only solution. XD
1871095
No problem, it was my pleasure :-).
Meh, the second dream talking to her about her first dream is just a bit too Deus Ex Machina for me. I still see nothing about why Rarity had the first dream, or specifically, her dreaming about RD and marrying her; there was just no indications that I caught in the story that Rarity unknowingly had a crush on RD. So I'm mixed on this, it has been a decent story till this point, but the Rarity and RD connection feels a bit forced to me.
1874160 Even Rarity is aware that what she felt is not love for Dash so much as her perception of Dash. All this did was open her eyes to the fact that she had missed something. Which is not to say Dash is suddenly the pony of her dreams, just that she is open to the idea.
1874160 As for why she had a dream at all, she smashed into a wall at top speed while trying to see if shy was okay. She had a nightmare which slowly turned into something more bearable because of support of her friends, and one friend in particular. The second dream she was a bit more coherent (read he brain was not swelling anymore) and she figured out fairly quickly what was happening
Hooray! The last chapter wasn't a 'eh, buck it' ending!
1868642 I was hoping this was how things would play out, but I admittedly had my doubts. I've just had one too many authors disappoint me and pull the aforementioned 'buck it, protagonist dies, story over' for my own good as a reader. Now I've gone from 
to 
.
Now that there's more story to read, I really like how you set up the last chapter. The realism and conflicting feelings were vivid enough to expose Rarity to feelings she either didn't know she had or refused to acknowledge. Also, the self analysis that Rarity went through as a result of the dreams was well thought out; she didn't just pull a 180 and say "Fluttershy dear, let's invite Rainbow over for tea and an indecent proposal."
1869423 As far as a successful Flaridash ship goes (and I love that term by the way) It's a good thing that Rarity is the element of generosity. But is Rainbow loyal enough to her friends to be able to love two? We'll have to wait and find out!
The only critique I can offer you after this chapter is: I would have probably waited until I had both the last chapter and this one done if I was in your boots so as to avoid the inevitable reader butthurts, but to each his own. You're a very talented writer, and I look forward to the next installment.
Loving the story overall, but I must ask. When will we be delving back into It Takes Three to Tango again?
1874814 As to that, the reaction was mixed when the first one was released, and with good reason, with the story up in the air about who shy would choose, it only makes things worse to know shy is fantasizing about both. I would imagine more will be coming on that front
1874952 yep, you win.
1868642 When I read your blog, I thought that "some faith" referred to faith that the time I spent plodding through 10000 words of obvious (if somewhat inadequately signaled) dream, wondering how any author could think that trying to get me emotionally connected to the events therein could be a good idea, and hoping that every new paragraph of dream would be the last, would pay off in some way that would not be possible with a more reasonably sized dream sequence (or at least that there would be an honest attempt), and I decided to give you that faith. (After all, the alvíssmál is pretty funny if you make it to the punchline, so it is possible, even if it is "challenge yourself as a writer" material.)
After this comment, I do not read it that way anymore.
I will continue to read, and regard that particular time as wasted, just as I intended before I read that blog.
You are not entitled to ask me for "some faith" anymore.
1875218 Aye, moved on to the next chapter after commenting, I see now what you were doing. Honestly I can't complain; often when the dream plot device is used, the dream is too short to really give any feel for why the character would wake up with feelings for the one their dream-self wound up with. It was good that it went on so long if only because it actually makes the reader feel for Rarity and RD as a couple, and gives us a reason to feel like Rarity should have feelings for her and to hope they'll be able to come together apart from the stock happy ending for love triangles. I feel like the brief dream with Dash in the latest chapter was kinda wish-fulfillment to give Rarity closure, but whatever. Sometimes sappy stuff is acceptable even when it's way out. Rarity's got enough on her plate without missing dream-Dash lol.
1875240 I am very sorry you feel that way. The previous chapter was an attempt to get you, the reader, emotionally invested in the fact that Rarity saw a side of Dash she had never seen before, and consequently was now not only open to a 3 way relationship, she actively wants it. I apologize if establishing character motivations caused you any inconvenience. I can promise you there are no more head injury induced marriages coming in the story.