Bass Clefs and Sapphires

by Crispn

The Technician and the Dressmaker

Turning the knob on the wall, hot water poured out of the showerhead as I removed my jacket. I really needed this. Pulling off my shirt, I saw the full extent of the damage that AJ did with her full body slam to the bookcase. My body was covered in sweat and my feathers were all ruffled, some bent and torn. Bruises lined down my back from where it made contact with the wood shelves. It had been a long time since I had managed to receive a bruise, let alone get into a fight. I looked down at the coat laying on the floor, spattered in blood. I spat out into the sink and with great relief, the stem of blood has at least for the moment.

“I do wish you had listened to me and let me take you to the hospital. Those bruises look awfully dreadful.” I turned to see Rarity, leaning up against the doorframe to the bathroom. Her blue eyes focused down to the lower part of the mirror while she nervously shifted side to side. Smiling, I flapped my wings playfully, although the stiffness in the left wing was a little worse than I thought it would be. The knot still felt tender from the impact against a particularly sharp encyclopedia cover.

“It’s nothing.” I said reassuringly, “been in worse fights. Never landed in a hospital so far.”

Rarity walked over and picked up my coat from the floor. She ran her hand over the front of it, her eyes travelling over the deep red now attempting to permanently stain the fibers.

“It was not nothing. You were coughing up blood everywhere. I can hardly imagine what Twilight is doing to clean up everything. We need to get this clean before the stain completely sets.” She said. With a small wave of her hand, the blood ripped off of the fibers and floated eerily in a small amorphous blob. The bloody blob shifted slightly in her aura, specks flying off and reabsorbing in another part. Eventually, Rarity forced the blood into the sink and washed away the remnants of this morning’s fiasco down the drain. “I’m sorry.”

I perked up at this sudden confession. “For what?” I asked, genuinely confused.

“Maybe I should have just signed the paper when she confronted me at her home.” She mumbled, a tear slowly running down her cheek, “Maybe then, you would not have those bruises and Sweetie Belle would not be shaking in her room, worried about repercussions.” Rarity placed one of her hands on the counter, bracing herself as she raised the other, wiping away the single tear before it could fall. I really never would get used to seeing her cry. Calmly, I came up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist and my wings around her shoulders and pulled her close to my chest.

“You have nothing to apologize for. There was no reason to ever send Scootaloo away, and definitely no reason to keep her away. I know I don’t exactly have the full story, but based on what I had known at the time, we did what’s best for all of them. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and even Spike. You did what you thought was right. We all were doing what we thought was right.”

“Even Apple Jack?”

“Well, as convoluted as her ideals are about this, her heart was about protecting her sister. She had the right idea, but she went about it all wrong. She will come around eventually, but it may take some time.”

“How are you not terribly upset with her. I mean, look at what she did to you.”

“Like I said, this really is nothing. Didn’t break anything and this isn’t the first time I have spit up blood everywhere. Used to be an almost daily occurrence at home. Mad at her? Yeah, I’m incredibly pissed off at her, for a couple reasons. But it doesn’t really matter much does it? She doesn’t want anything to do with us right now and I am kind of content to let her come to her own realizations.”

I watched Rarity shift slightly in my grasp and felt the slight tug as she pulled the wings closer around her. I placed my head on her shoulder and looked into her eyes in the mirror.

“There’s something else.”

“Yes, Apple Jack seemed off somewhat. I have never seen her like that.”

“I think the stress of the situation got to her. I still think the best course of action is to let her anger run dry and then talk to her again when she’s calmed down. Might be a while but-”

“That’s what being her friend is about.” Rarity interrupted, turning around in my arms. “I never thought she would turn on Sweetie Belle like that. But what you did, it was reckless...but right.”

“Yeah, although I don’t think it was entirely legal. If she wanted to, she could technically go down to the courthouse and get another court order and restraining order. Wouldn’t doubt that a couple more names would be added to that list.” I said, pulling her in closer and nuzzling my face into her neck, “Although, I wouldn’t mind getting slammed into a wall again to see you all fired up like that.”

Rarity shot me a sinister little look, but after gave a devious smile. “You like when I am being passionate, don’t you?”

“What can I say? I like a girl that can get a little...wild, so to speak.”

Rarity softened her expression, bringing about a sultry feel to it. Leaning in close, she whispered in my ear. “If that’s something you enjoy, maybe I can be of assistance.”

She rubbed her hands on my back, bringing them close to the base of my wings. Taking a long finger, she traced along the muscle connecting my wing to the back. A cold shiver shot down my back as I stood straight up at attention and, once again, my wings slammed against the shower door and mirror as they rocketed open.

“Well, that is interesting to know.”

“Hehe, yeah. The base of the wing is one of the most sensitive part of a peg’s body.” I said, feeling the blush spread rapidly across my face. I could swear it was moving down into my bare chest. I hoped that Rarity didn’t know that this was actually a sign of a peg’s virility, but I had a feeling she liked it either way. She ran her hand along my left wing, her fingers lingering on each of the bent or broken feathers. I could see her twinge at every out of place feather or broken primary.

“It is astounding how damaged the feathers are.”

“Nothing a good preening can’t fix. I do need to shower though, I didn’t get a chance and to be honest, I’d like to wash the sweat off.” I said, letting Rarity out of my arms and taking her hand in mine. “I could use the help of someone with a incredibly discerning eye. Someone that can pick out the bad and let the full beauty shine.” I finished my little spiel with a soft kiss on her hand. Just watching the blush spread across her face was more than enough to make me happy. She was always the cutest when she got flustered.

“Of course...” she said slowly. She grabbed my arm in hers and pulled my in close and pressed herself into me, her lips sweetly embracing mine. “Maybe you will just get a little more than you bargained for with this.” She said, so sultry was the voice that if my wings were not already at full mast they definitely would be.

“You will be doing this preening in the living room, where I can see it.” Magnum’s voice reverberated off the tile of the bathroom walls and floor. Rarity smiled sheepishly in my arms and nodded into my chest. I could only imagine what she was thinking about, and a cold shower would probably be the answer.

“I will be out in a bit.” I said, pushing a deep red Rarity out of the bathroom. She smiled as she walked towards her bedroom, slightly giggling all the while. I stood shirtless in the door of the bathroom, watching her sway down the hall. I couldn’t help but...imagine certain things.

“I’m still right here, you know.” My eyes shot open as I quickly stood up straight and backed into the bathroom, closing the door behind me.

“Yep. Got it, yep yep.” As the door latched shut, I stood there, silently pressing my ear up to the door. I heard a small chuckle, and the tell-tale thump of the cane going down the stairs. I sighed heavily as I stripped down and finally hopped into a much needed shower.

Ten minutes later, wearing a clean shirt and pair of jeans, I ventured downstairs to one of the first preenings I had not done personally since Trixie left the farm. My wings were much larger now, so I think it may be a bit longer process than it used to be. My personal preening sessions usually only last a minute or two, just running my fingers over the wings, looking for misplaced or broken feathers. I did have a feeling that this was going to be much longer than it would take me even if I was attempting to be thorough. Rarity’s eye for detail was second to none, so I expected a small pile by the end of this.

Entering the living room, I noticed the couch had been moved back a few feet. The coffee table was placed against the kitchen wall and in its place, a large purple silk sheet and one of Rarity’s plush pillows. Rarity walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands off with a small towel. The air smelled just like her room did, lavenders and lilacs and vanilla.

“Going all out, aren’t we?”

Rarity gave me a slightly irritated look, but smiled sweetly. “Oh but this,” she said gesturing to the grand display in front of her, “is nothing.”

“Oh ha ha.” I replied sarcastically to her snide retort to earlier in the bathroom, “so what am I supposed to do here?”

“Remove your shirt, lay down on the sheet on your stomach and relax. Let me take care of everything.”

I turned around, flopping down onto the sheet. The silk felt almost like water against my bare chest. I could feel each little ripple in the fabric running along my skin, the cool sensation shooting through my body. My mind started to soothe and for once, I felt at peace. I mean, my brain wasn’t firing at all cylinders right now and I felt like taking a nap. It had been a long time since I had actually wanted to fall asleep without feeling exhausted. The scents wafting throughout the room infiltrated my nostrils, causing my head to swim into an almost serene state. I let my wings slowly unfurl to their fully open position. They almost melted as the feathers brushed against the sheets. I brought my arms underneath my head and closed my eyes.

“How are you feeling now?”

“This must be what a cloud feels like.” I mumbled, attempting to stay awake. Much harder feat than it should have been.

“Now this shouldn’t take long. Twilight was kind enough to send over a book,” she levitated a tiny little manual. “I should be able to take care of everything in a matter of seconds.”

Within seconds of her completing her little declaration of aptitude, I felt the faint vibrations of her magic encircling my wings. Tiny little pricks covered my left wing as broken and bent feathers gently vibrated out of their follicles. It wasn’t as uncomfortable as my personal preenings; I could definitely get used to this. Next was the right wing, and it was much easier than the left. Made sense, AJ is right handed so the damage to my left side would definitely be worse.

The magic spread over my entire body, lifting me and the sheet up into the air. Opening my eyes as I flipped over in the air, I noticed the sheet folding itself in the corner while Rarity moved towards the couch. She was wearing very short shorts, about halfway down her thigh. She never wore shorts. Even last night, she was wearing thigh high stockings when I found her asleep. I remember Dash mentioning her always wearing stockings or long pants, and now I could see why. A long dark scar ran along her the length of her right thigh, starting an inch above her knee and disappearing into the leg of her shorts. The left thigh had small scars going across. The dark scar tissue made a stark contrast against her pale flesh.

Instinctively, my right hand found its way to my left shoulder, running my fingers over the scars that were left from many different tools, the most notable a bullwhip. Rarity sat down on the couch and levitated me over to her. She gently set me down, placing my head into her lap. I could feel the scar on her right leg against the skin on my neck. I felt a twinge of pain as the magic surrounding me dissipated.

We sat there for what seemed hours, in complete silence. I let my left hand dangle in the air, gently touching her leg and circling her knee as Rarity ran her left through my hair, stroking my head. Our right hands intertwined over my chest. It was a calm moment, one that I imprinted into my memory. She didn’t have to say anything to make me feel wanted or loved. I could just see it in her eyes, her smile.

“Thank you.” I said, finally breaking the silence. “It’s been forever since I have had someone help me clean them.”

“Of course darling. I must say though, the amount of feathers that were damaged...” A pile of feathers about a foot high levitated in eyesight, “was astounding.”

“You know what’s more astounding?”

“What is more astounding than the pillow I could pack with the feathers you molted?”

“You wearing shorts, and may I say, what lovely legs.” I said, running my finger along her left leg. The look on her face drooped as she shifted, attempting to cover her thighs.

“They’re ugly. I detest my legs.”

“Don’t say stuff like that. There’s nothing wrong with scars.” I said, attempting to be reassuring.

“Yes there is, especially when they were given to you maliciously.”

“Can’t argue that,” Sitting up, I grabbed her and sat her in my lap, laying her legs so that they were stretched out.

“Do you know what it is like? Not being comfortable with your body?”

“Yeah.” I laughed, flapping my wings.

“Oh, right.”

“You made me realize that there are some parts of our past that scar us. Physically, emotionally. I mean, just look at me, my back is covered in tons of scars and my mind even more. I used to let it all dictate my life.” I took her face in my hands and placed my forehead against hers. “I’m here to help you, no matter what. And come on, your legs are just as beautiful as the rest of you.”

Rarity’s face flushed as I finished my own little declaration to her. Her smile perked up and she threw her arms around me. The cool sensation of water chilled my bare chest as tears flowed, her quiet shakes comforted in my arms.

“How did you always know what to say?” she mumbled into my neck, sending a small shiver down my spine. “With everyone you talk to... you have this sort of calming effect on them. It’s almost like Fluttershy with animals, but only with people.”

She had a point. The first person I met after getting my mark was Vinyl, and on nights where we panicked about meeting deadlines, we would calm each other down somehow. Usually music, sometimes booze, but I think just having each other be there was the important thing. I really did owe a lot to that girl. The first person in my life outside of Trixie that I considered a friend. I was really good at this kind of thing apparently. Dash, Rarity and even Scootaloo. All easily calmed down just by giving them a shoulder to lean on.

“Maybe because I have asked almost all the same questions before myself. I honestly never thought I would be here though.” I quietly said, nuzzling my own face into her hair, which got a playful slap on the chest.

“And what do you mean by that?” She said, pulling her face to meet mine, her sapphire eyes staring deep into my lavender ones. I rubbed her nose against mine, smiling, giggling.

“Why do you think? Now, come on. We have an hour before we are supposed to meet everyone for the festival. And knowing you, we are going to need all that time.” I said, laughing at Rarity as she scrunched her nose, joining in my laughter with her own sarcastic one. “Now, what will you be dressing me in tonight? Or do I get to dress myself for once.”

“No, I have a couple pieces that go with your scarf and coat, but these are special designs for the shop. There are lots of food and beverages that could stain this ensemble so please be careful. And when I mean nothing can happen to these clothes, I mean nothing, can happen to these. One stain.”

“And you’ll cut off my wings and drop me off a building?” Rarity stopped mid sentence, a slight embarrassed look in her eyes.

“N-no?”

“Someone has been taking too many notes from Dash.” I laughed as I ran past her, lightly tossing her hair with my wings as I did.

“You are going to pay for that, Crisp!”

“Nope.” I yelled down the stairs at her.

“Oh would you just have sex already?!” Sweetie Belle screamed, her head poking out of her room. She got her own blush as she stared at my half naked chest. “Oh, um... I’m... just going to uh... go back in here...” She said, her face reddening so dark it looked like a cherry. The door clicked shut slowly as I turned down the hall, but I swear I could hear it open again and felt a pair of eyes staring at my ass as I made my way to the room to get dressed for the festival.

Author's Note:

Sorry about the really long wait in between the last update and this one. A lot of things went down that I had to deal with.

Also sorry about this not being the chapter I promised, but this was the first half of that chapter and it became way too long to post, almost 7000 words.

Just a little bit of fluff, only one more chapter before shit really hits the fan.