Building bridges
Fleur de Lis was sitting with Rarity eating breakfast, and reading the morning paper that she had beaten the purple maned unicorn to (the price of taking an hour to get ready for the day, she said), the smallest frown on her face, having just read about a charity set up to help victims of the changeling attack from the year before going under.
She looked across the table to her gracious, if at the moment slightly displeased, host and asked “So, what do you have planned for the day, Rarity?”
“Well, at nine, I have my weekly spa date with Fluttershy, which I was hoping you would come along for and I should get get started on an order I got this morning, but other than that my schedule is completely free.”
The mention of possibly going on a spa date with Rarity and Fluttershy had piqued Fleur's interest. She asked, “About this spa date. Is Fluttershy expecting me to come?”
“No, but I don't think she'll mind you coming along,” Rarity said, snatching the newspaper away from Fleur's magical grasp. Rarity knew that Fluttershy didn't much like Fleur after the pink maned unicorn's ignorant remarks about her special talent, but thought that a relaxing trip to the spa together might be a good way for them to patch things up.
Fleur wasn't so sure, but realized that the worst that could happen was that she would shoot off her mouth again and Fluttershy end up hating her more than she already seemed to. She said, “If you're sure, I'll be happy to go. Celestia knows I could use a massage and a hooficure, at the very least.”
“Wonderful,” Rarity said with a bit too much cheer.
“Yes, wonderful,” Fleur said, doing her best to hide her sudden concern about Rarity's reaction.
As the two unicorns approached the spa, Fleur couldn't resist saying, “Wow, the doors are the right size here.”
“Yes, I'm not sure why Old Ponyville has such low doorways,” Rarity said.
When they entered, they found Fluttershy waiting for them in the lobby. She sat up and gave the two a very obviously forced smile, which they returned with forced smiles of their own while taking a glance at each other as if to highlight the awkwardness of the moment. Still, this didn't slow Rarity down much as she told Lotus, “The usual, and the same for Fleur,” while gesturing towards the taller unicorn.
Lotus smiled, and led the three ponies deeper into the building, always happy to serve her best clients, even if there was some tension between them.
The first stop was the steam room where the three mares sat and relaxed on the wooden bench, Rarity purposefully placing herself between her two friends. They made small talk for the first few minutes, before an idea sprang to Fleur's mind. While giving Rarity a preemptive nudge to get her to play along, She said “So Fluttershy, I was thinking about getting a pet and Rarity said you might be able to help me find one.”
Fluttershy's reaction to this, while far from enthusiastic, was much warmer than Fleur expected, considering her reaction to seeing the both of them when they arrived. “Oh? What were you thinking of getting?”
“Well, when I was a filly I had a sweet little black and gray tabby named Max. Adorable little thing,” Fleur said, using her past as a springboard for further improvisation.
“And you want a cat like Max?”
“If you have one, but I'm fine with any pet you can give me as long as it's not as mean and grumpy as Opal.” Fleur was very reassured that Fluttershy didn't get annoyed when she heard this, though the nasty glare that Rarity was giving her did give her pause.
As much as she loved Opal, Fluttershy knew how badly the white Persian reacted when around other ponies so she wasn't particularly bothered by Fleur's remarks about the cat. Of course, even if said remarks did bother her she wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to find one of her animal friends a good home, even if it was with somepony she didn't particularly like. She said “Okay, that's good to hear. When you have time, I have a few animals animals you might like at my cottage.”
“Can you tell me a little bit about them?” Fleur asked, realizing that talking about animals would probably be a good way to get Fluttershy to start opening up.
Rarity, despite enjoying the fact that the two pink maned ponies were getting along much better than she hoped, said “Sorry to interrupt, but I believe it's time for us to get our facials.”
As the three ponies moved to the next segment of their beauty treatment, Rarity wondered if the fact that the two other ponies being on seemingly good terms was just a function of Fleur hitting on Fluttershy's favorite subject or if Fluttershy had decided she actually liked Fleur.
As it turned out, the former was the case. After talk of a pet for Fleur died down, Fluttershy, who was obviously trying to be friendly despite Fleur's presence, said less and less, and more and more of what she did say was directed at the purple maned unicorn, rather than the pink maned one, until the point where Fluttershy was only speaking when spoken to.
We pick up the action at the mud bath, where Aloe had just informed her three clients that, since it was only her and Lotus working that day, one pony would have to wait for their massage until somepony else had theirs.
“I'll let you two go first,” Fluttershy piped up before the other two could speak.
The two unicorns, after having heard Fluttershy say this, glanced at each other, looking confused, but, rather than question Fluttershy's quick statement, quickly climbed out and followed the masseuse to the next room.
Now that they were alone, aside from the generally silent earth pony twins massaging them, Rarity decided to ask a question of her new spa partner. “Fleur, do you think you could have told me about your idea for getting a pet before you tried to drag me into it?”
“My apologies. I was just acting in the spur of the moment, and hoping you would play along.”
“So you didn't plan that? Because it sounded an awful lot like you did.”
“No. I just had an idea for how to make Fluttershy open up, and acted on it. You know I would have warned you if I had thought of it ahead of time.”
“Well, if you really just improvised all of that, you should teach me how sometime, because that was amazing.”
“Merci.”
A short silence fell over the room, broken by Fleur who asked, “So, considering how things are between Fluttershy and I, do you think there would be any way for me to actually befriend her?”
Rarity thought for a moment before giving her answer. “Well, she is a sweet and kind mare, who I doubt could hold a grudge for too long. Just give her time and show her the respect she deserves and I'm sure she'll come around.”
“I hope you're right. The last thing I want is yet another pony hating me so soon after what happened in Canterlot.”
“I'm sure, though I don't think getting on her good side is going to be a problem, if you give her some time.”
The two ponies passed the time with small talk, mostly about Fluttershy and Fleur's housing options, until Rarity's massage was done. She got up and walked out to the hot tub to wait for the other two. Fleur stayed behind, because she still needed some time to get the rest of the kinks out of her back.
As Fluttershy walked in, Fleur flashed a friendly smile, which the yellow pegasus responded to by giving Fleur a very subdued and still somewhat forced smile of her own. It's an improvement, at least, Fleur thought, as she watched Fluttershy lay on the massage table next to her.
However, based on the way Fluttershy was pointedly staring at the wall and making no attempt to speak, Fleur assumed that there was still some bad blood on her part. Deciding to break the ice anyway, Fleur asked, “So, how have things been, Fluttershy?”
“They've been okay,” Fluttershy said, in a tone that said, “I don't want to talk.”
Picking up on this unspoken cue but not wanting to let silence reign, the unicorn asked, “what's the matter? You seemed much more talkative earlier.”
“It's nothing. Really,” Fluttershy said. Internally, she was saying was saying, I wanted to wait so I wouldn't have to deal with you! Why couldn't you be done first?
“It's not nothing. I know that.”
“...I don't want to talk about it.”
“Why not?”
“I just don't.”
“It has something to do with me, doesn't it?”
Fluttershy briefly debated answering the question before saying, “Yes.”
“Is it because I insulted your special talent?”
“Partly.”
Hearing this simply served to confuse Fleur. She thought over all the times that they had spoken before today, trying to find some other time where she may have offended the pegasus. Unable to think of anything, she asked, “So, what else is the problem?”
Fluttershy briefly hesitated before saying, “I hoped you wouldn't come”
“Why? Because of my remarks?”
“Because I wanted to spend time with my best friend and away from you.”
“I see. I guess it would be prudent, however, to point out that Rarity asked me to come because she didn't think you would have a problem with me coming along. If I had known, I would have stayed at the boutique,” Fleur said.
There was a small but noticeable change in Fluttershy's demeanor when she heard this, much to the surprise of the pink maned unicorn. While she did continue to stare at the wall, she did seem to have warmed up slightly when she spoke again. “Oh, I thought you had talked her into letting you come.”
“No. I didn't even know you two did this as a regular thing until she mentioned it this morning.”
Fluttershy didn't respond, but Fleur was starting to become convinced that she was making inroads with the pegasus. Still, she knew not to start counting her chickens just yet. After a few moments of silence, to try to divorce them from the previous subject, she asked, “So, what is it like living in Cloudsdale? I remember Rarity mentioning that you're from there.”
“It's...nice.”
How very vague, Fleur thought. Not wanting to press the point, and earn Fluttershy's ire, she said, “I see.”
After letting silence reign over the room for a few more minutes, Fluttershy decided that, no matter how she felt about her, talking to Fleur would be more interesting than just staring at the wall saying nothing. She asked, “What does your cutie mark actually represent?”
“My mastery and love of Prench etiquette and cuisine. If I recall, you mentioned that yours represented your skill with animals?”
“Yes.”
“Interesting.”
A few more moments of silence, before Fleur spoke up again. “So, if you lived in Cloudsdale, how did you discover you talent with animals?”
“I fell, and was saved by butterflies who helped me to the ground and I found it there.”
Fleur was convinced she was lying because there was no way that even a small pegasus filly could be saved by butterflies, but decided that calling her out on it would likely do more harm than good. Instead she went with, “Butterflies? Really?”
“Yes. A large group of them caught me before I fell to my death.”
“But how would butterflies, in any amount, be strong enough to catch even a young filly?”
“I don't know. They did it though,” Fluttershy said.
“And that's how you found your special talent? By being saved?”
“No. There was a large explosion that scared all the animals after I reached the ground. When I tried to calm them down, it appeared.”
“Wow. That's quite the story.”
“It's amazing, isn't it?”
“Oui. Mine is much less interesting I have to admit,” Fleur said.
“Oh? How'd you find yours?”
“Well, I was cooking something for my sick mother one day and practicing my Prench mannerisms when I felt this tingling in my side. I looked down at my flank and there it was, plain as day.”
“That's it?” Fluttershy asked, obviously expecting something more exciting
“Oui. As I said It's a bit dull, but not all of us can have an exciting or terrifying moment where we realize what our destiny is.”
“Yeah, that's true.”
At this point Fleur's massage was done, while Fluttershy still needed a few more minutes. The unicorn got up and walked to the hot tub to meet with Rarity. As Fluttershy watched her leave, she noticed for the first time the white streak running through the other pony's pink mane and tail.
Upon arriving, Fleur climbed into the hot tub and settled in beside Rarity. As she worked herself into a comfortable position that would still allow most of her body to be submerged she said, “Fluttershy told me the unbelievable tale of a horde of butterflies had saved her from falling to her death when she got her cutie mark.”
“I believe it. I've heard of butterflies do some amazing things under her direction, including lifting Pinkie Pie onto my fainting couch.”
“Well, yes, but Pinkie...doesn't make sense.”
“No, she doesn't,” Rarity admitted, “but that doesn't mean Fluttershy is lying. Everything I've heard suggests that she really did fall from Cloudsdale, and, seeing as she was scared, she probably couldn't use her wings to save herself, so something had to have saved her.”
“But being saved by a butterfly cushion?”
“Stranger things have happened, even away from Pinkie.”
“I guess...” Fleur said.
“Just trust me on this. Fluttershy isn't the type of pony who would lie about something like that.”
A brief silence descended over the two, before Rarity asked, “So, judging by her telling you her cutie mark story, I assume that you got her to open up?”
Fleur opted to describe their meeting to Rarity, and when she go to the point where Fluttershy explained why she didn't seem pleased about the presence of a third pony, Rarity facehoofed, cursing herself for doing this to her friends. Almost as soon as she finished, Fluttershy entered the room, though the other two didn't notice this, allowing Fleur to jam her hoof in her mouth once again, though in a way that was more awkward and embarrassing than anything.
“...Oh, and don't tell Fluttershy this, but on the way out of the room I remember thinking 'My those are some lovely flanks, and to think they're attached to a very sweet and lovely mare. Too bad she doesn't seem to like me much.'”
At this point, just a little too late, Rarity noticed Fluttershy in the doorway. She said, “Oh, hi Fluttershy,” and used her magic to make Fleur turn in that direction. Fleur's reaction to seeing Fluttershy in the doorway and assuming (correctly) that she had heard what she had just said was to blush furiously. As for Fluttershy, despite feeling like her body was betraying her as her wings tried to unfurl and various emotions ran through her at the speed of light, she was managing to keep a facade of calm that surprised even her.
“Oh, hi Fluttershy, I didn't think you were quite done yet,” Fleur said, still blushing like a madmare.
The pegasus didn't speak, but began walking towards the hot tub, eyes straight in front of her, never wavering from her goal.
“Well, this is awkward,” Rarity said, not helping things at all.
Fluttershy got into the hot tub, and purposefully sat away from Fleur and Rarity, never speaking, though her facade was starting to crack. Specifically, despite the warm water, her wings started to slowly unfurl, and redness slowly spread over her face while. internally, she screamed at her body for betraying her and making her look like a fillyfooler.
While this was going on, Fleur was slowly starting to get her embarrassment under control. When she trusted herself to speak without getting yet another taste of hoof she said, “Okay, maybe I should have kept my thoughts on Fluttershy to myself.”
“It would have saved you a lot embarrassment,” Rarity said, watching Fluttershy's slowly unfolding reaction. At this point, the yellow pegasus' wings were about halfway unfolded and her face was slightly pink all over, but it was obvious she was now successfully fighting off the embarrassment Fleur's remarks had caused her. Rarity thought Fluttershy's doing a great job of keeping her reaction under control, but why didn't she ever tell me she was a lesbimare?
“Well, can we agree never to speak of this again? So I can at least pretend I didn't embarrass myself this badly?” Fleur asked.
The two other ponies in the hot tub immediately answered in the affirmative, also wanting to put this behind them.
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Oh, and I'm sure you've noticed the new cover art. There's quite the tale behind it, and it deserves to be told juist so you know how amazing it is that I go it at all. Back when I was working on the final chapter or two of Luna's Power and Rainbow's Love, on Equestria Forums we had a secret Santa. Everyone who participated was to make one thing based on three things of someopne else's choosing. I did so (the three words I was to use were Derpy, Vinyl, and Rainbow Dash, mine were Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy Pink Floyd (alternatively camping)).
In the end, seven people including me delivered gifts but did not get gifts of their own, so Dashell (our wonderful quirky admin), AbraKadbra, and another user who's name escapes me at the moment all agreed to make gifts for tose who gave but not recieve, with Abra taking on five of the seven themself. Since I could, I asked for three different things (Fluttershy, Fleur de Lis, Ponyville (aternatively: love)), and when mine was done, as the last one (I ain't complaining) that was the result. I love it.
If I have one major criticism of this so far, it's that you spend a lot of time telling the audience things rather than showing them.
For example: '“Can you tell me a little bit about them?” Fleur asked, realizing that talking about animals would probably be a good way to get Fluttershy to start opening up.'
You didn't need to tell me that Fleur realised that the topic would make Fluttershy open up. You could have showed me that by having Fluttershy get enthusiastic about animals, and by having Fleur be happy when she saw this enthusiasm.
Nice to finally see an update
Fleur still isn't as tall as you make her sound. I mean, Big Mac gets around just fine