Nothing is Ever Quite So Simple
Exploring the Depths of Kindness
Benjamin Hearthgrove laid back in bed, watching the ceiling fan spin; listening to the muted whoosh-whoosh of the blades as they passed. He breathed in. He breathed out.
He was bored.
Then again, lazy days were like that--boring. Wake up, eat breakfast, knock out whatever stupid homework assignment was due Monday, and then...relax?
He sighed. He certainly didn’t feel relaxed. If anything he felt...out of place. Again.
He jabbed the button on the front of his phone, the screen coming alive with a bright glow. A few more jabs entered his passcode and he opened his photos, scrolling through them until finding the one he wanted.
There he was. Short-ish brown hair peeking out from under a tan cap. Breezy shirt and shorts flapping in a coastal wind, as he grinned, holding up a large fish he'd fought to reel in. There he was, in sharp focus and detail, looking real. Or at least as he knew “real” to look.
How long had it been since that picture was taken? A year, maybe?
He let the phone flop to the mattress and stared back at the ceiling. He raised his hand, rolling it left and right and left again. It looked flat, no matter how he turned it. Sure felt three dimensional, but always looked like a damn cartoon--outline and everything.
How had so much happened?
A car buzzed by outside his window.
Ben dropped his hand and it fell with a flop onto the mattress.
It wasn’t all bad, he guessed. At least in this world there were other humans, even if they were a cartoonish kind of sort. Heck, they even had parallels of technology he was used to.
So compared to the pony world he first found himself in, this place was great!
Not that there was anything bad about Equestria! Not in any way that really counted! The place and ponies were more than welcoming and friendly, and it honestly was a very nice place! But as a place to suddenly and inexplicably find yourself after having your boat capsized in a storm, it was....quite a shock.
And just not for him.
For starters, to enter a building, he had two options: duck, or forget to duck and end up slamming his forehead into the door frame. Pony houses were not designed with tall bipeds in mind.
Secondly, they weren't at the level of technology he could enjoy. Not that he couldn’t go without his phone, or computers, or cars. As an avid hiker and outdoorsman, he was well acquainted with not having those amenities, and enjoyed it to a certain extent. But regardless, he was still a modern man, and appreciated those modern luxuries.
So to find himself in a world where technology had taken a back seat to magic, he was quite the hapless, magic-less fool to suffer.
But even that wasn't the final straw. That honor went to the toilets. Ponies weren’t entirely without plumbing and sewage. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was design when it came time to take care of matters that couldn't be taken care of standing up...and a distinct lack of toilet paper.
He could only take so much.
So yeah, Equestria was nice, but wasn’t an ideal fit.
Fortunately when he explained all this to Celestia in an audience, she had been more than understanding. Apparently his complaints weren’t entirely unfamiliar, as minotaur ambassadors shared in some of his frustrations. Unfortunately, due to the unknown means by which he came to Equestria, nobody knew how to get him back to his Earth. And so she offered him a few other options.
The first was to transform into a pony. This was met with a poilte, but resounding 'no'. Celestia had looked a little disheartened by the snap refusal, but didn’t begrudge his reasons. After so much change all ready, he wanted to keep some things the same, or at least similar. Plus, learning how to use and care for a brand new body didn't really appeal to him. She had tried pleading with him, promising that he could be made a unicorn. That tempted him but in the end, as cool as magic was, it was a lot of work to learn to use it, even for simple things as levitation and telekinesis. Seeing that he already knew how to use his hands and was pretty attached to them, the topic was dropped.
Her next suggestion was to move to Minos, the land of Minotaurs. They too were bipedals and had facilities that accommodated that kind of body shape. At first, he had been pretty interested! Meet a new species! Try new foods! See exotic places! As with most things though, all that glitters is not gold, and this idea was shot down in turn. He didn’t have anything against the minotaurs personally, but being surrounded by creatures far larger and far stronger than himself sounded like a good recipe for getting crushed. And probably by accident. Minotaurs were pretty nice and respectful on the whole, but one bad trip on a rock or mislaid object and he would be a regretful--and messy--human pancake on the sidewalk.
For the third, and last option, Celestia brought him an ancient looking mirror and explained that through it lay a parallel world to their own that was passingly similar to my own in one particular regard--other humans. He jumped on the chance and popped over as soon as the next portal opened.
The transition was...less smooth than hoped. First, his body, while distinctly humanoid, had changed. Back in Equestria, he still appeared as his old self--which looked really strange amid a bunch of pastel cartoon ponies and not just to him; several others complained about headaches if they stared at him too long. Now he was cartoonified. And younger. Like...five years younger or so.
Princess Sparkle, Equestria’s resident expert on basically everything--or at least the basics of everything--had tried to explain the reasons behind the transformations and fountain of youth effect, but most of it had flown over his head. To sum it up though in terms he did understand though: Magic portal does magic things; here’s your new body!
And so here he sat. Back on Earth he was a full-time fisherman, and part time fishing guide. As soon as he could, he was going to find a coast here, buy a boat, and start back up. He loved the smell of the ocean and the sun beating down on his face and the spray of the water. Hell, his desire for the ocean was getting so bad, he was starting to miss the smell of fish guts, if that made any sense.
But no matter, Celestia had recommended he get a highschool diploma here. Not only would it give him the bare-bones certification needed to work, but allow him some time to learn and question his new environment in a way that wouldn't appear too odd. After all, asking a teacher how the government works might make you seem stupid, but asking a stranger on the street will make you seem crazy.
Regardless though, when faced with the prospect of going through highschool again, saying he was a senior was the quickest route out. It wasn't like he needed too much guidance.
During his registration to Canterlot High, the school principal had been incredibly gullible throughout the process. She'd sat there so patiently while he pondered over simple questions like, "How old are you?" Dammit, he'd wished he had payed more attention when Twilight was telling him all this stuff.
Not that the age he reported was a bold-faced lie. He figured that eighteen was a close enough guess and allowed him some legal autonomy, conveniently skirting the whole 'parents' issue. Granted, he missed being twenty-four and therefore old enough to buy a beer from time to time after a long day.
After it was all said and done though, he was successfully enrolled, despite his sudden appearance, supposedly dead parents--the best cover story he could like of--and complete lack of records. Hell, she had even helped him find some cheap apartments and gave him a job working as the librarian's assistant. It didn’t pay much, but it paid enough to cover the rent...and food...and he mysteriously got small bonuses that gave him just enough to go out with friends once in a while...
His eyes narrowed at the ceiling.
...and then there was the mysterious packet of identification papers and complete life history that he'd found slipped under his door one night...
Ben smacked a hand to his face realizing that it was indeed he who had been the gullible, if not down-right stupid, one.
Princessipal Celestia had to be in on the secret with her horse counterpart. There’s no other way.
He sighed as he dragged his hand down his face. Not that it really mattered. They never asked for a thing in return beyond his freely given gratitude.
But no matter the good fortune, and his thankfulness for the benevolence his was shown, the nagging feeling in his gut wasn’t subsiding. He was out of place. And there wasn’t a damn thing to do about it other than man up and suck it up.
Which was easier said than done.
His phone chirped and vibrated.
He fumbled around blindly feeling for his phone on the bed, welcome for the distraction from his less welcome thoughts. A text sat displayed on the screen.
'Fluttershy: Are you busy?'
He paused before replying. He’d learned to regard that sort of question with a healthy measure of skepticism. It was a code of sorts. A precursor to asking the actual question.
Well, unless it was from Pinkie Pie. Then it could be assumed to be an invitation to a party or get-together.
But back to Fluttershy’s text. It wasn’t uncommon for the girls to ask him for favors, typically of a manual labor sort of nature. Afterall, what was the use of having a strong, physically fit friend of the male persuasion if you couldn’t get them to lift heavy things for you?
He shrugged and tapped out a quick reply.
'Not really. What’s up?'
*Sent*
He didn’t begrudge them in the least for the occasional work request. When he had popped over, those six were familiar-ish faces and had accepted them into their friend group with open arms. Other than them, the only other face that he know was Celestia and despite “pal” being at the end of her job title...it’d be a questionable friendship from an outside perspective if he was randomly leaving to do projects at her home.
He grinned as an old rock song flitted through his head involving a certain height of temperature for your educational instructors.
This world certainly seemed more innocent than Earth, but he didn’t think it that naive.
*Ding-ding*
'Fluttershy: The roof of my chicken coop needs replacing and a new paint job. My poor hens are having a most terrible time roosting at night. So if you wouldn’t mind…'
The corner of his mouth upturned. Fluttershy never was the best at asking for things straight out, unlike Applejack who, despite meaning well, tended to give orders like “We need an extra hand for east field. Come over.”
His fingers danced along the screen.
'I’ll see what I can do. Be over in a few minutes.'
*Sent*
He rolled out from his sheets, throwing off his shirt and shorts in favor of an old set of jeans and a shirt that wouldn't be missed should anything happen to it.
*Ding-ding*
'Fluttershy: I...um...I’m already waiting outside…'
Ben’s eyes narrowed and he peeked out from behind the shades of his window. Sure enough, there she was sitting in her car, red-cheeked and waiting.
A good-natured huff escaped his mouth as he smiled and slid on a pair of leather work boots.
Ah...leather...couldn’t find that easily in Equestria. At least not without raising some ethical questions. That and hamburgers.
He locked the door to his apartment and hurried down the flight of stairs to her car. He slid into the passenger seat and shut the door.
“Am I really so predictable?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Fluttershy only smiled softly and shifted into drive.
Ben laughed and relaxed into the seat. Fluttershy wasn’t much of one for much talk, preferring to either let the radio play, or let others dominate the conversation. That was just the way she was. Demure, quiet, and content to listen. She lived up to her name, that’s for sure. Well, except for the Flutter part.
Ben’s face scrunched up. Ponies, and their human-esque equivalents, tended to do that. It was the damnedest thing too and led to some interesting results.
It also made him wonder why any parent would name their offspring something unfortunate like “Pipsqueak” or “Snails”. Afterall, if names were destiny, why wouldn’t you name your kid anything other than, “Supreme Overlord and Ruler”? Or if you wanted to be malicious, why something so tame? Why not, “Sharkbait” or “Falls-Down-Stairs-A-Lot”? Otherwise it just seemed like a dick move.
It also made his name a point of confusion for others as his didn’t follow the naming convention. How does one “Benjamin” a “Hearthgrove”? It just didn’t work. Of course he-
“Um...Ben?” Fluttershy waved a hand in front of his face.
He shook his head and blinked. “What? What’s up?”
Fluttershy giggled. “We’re here.”
“Oh.”
He got out of her car. “So show me what you were talking about with the chicken coop,” he said as they rounded the corner of her house.
The afternoon passed quickly as Ben labored over the hen house. Fluttershy hadn’t been kidding when she said the roof needed replacing. The rotting plywood had sprung holes and fell apart with the slightest provocation of a hammer. If he were to gander a guess, the wood hadn’t been treated and thus decayed as the weather beat it up.
The frame was a different story, being made up of solid, treated two-by-fours, and the sheet-metal sides were in good shape too, protected by a layer of paint, but was certainly due for a new one.
All said and done though, Ben stood with his hands on his hips admiring his afternoon’s labor. The hen house looked almost brand new and would continue to serve Fluttershy well for a few years to come.
Provided nothing fell on it in this cartoon-ish world. Clichés happened with alarming frequency since he’d left Earth.
A cool breeze blew over his glistening chest, whisking away the heat; his discarded shirt draped over the fence.
“Oh my.” Fluttershy’s gentle voice practically whispered behind him.
Ben looked over his shoulder, smiling with pride. “Looks good doesn’t it?" He gestured with a thumb at the refurbished hen house. "Used treated wood this time and painted over it. I figure it ought to last a bit longer this time around.”
Her cheeks reddened. “Oh! Yes! That! I’m sure the chickens will truly appreciate that!” she said hiding her face behind her hair.
Fluttershy stepped closer to Ben, and nudged his sweat-slick shoulder, offering him a glass of water.
“Thanks.” He nodded and took a long appreciative sip. He “ahh”-ed and lowered the glass. Only to see two ovals of blue staring at him intently.
“You okay there Fluttershy?” he asked.
“You’re sweaty and stink.” She said absently.
Ben laughed as her mind caught up with her mouth, her hands flying to cover it and a new rosy blush spread from her cheeks across her face.
“I’m-so-sorry-I-didn’t-mean-it-like-that! I-”
He put a hand on her shoulder, and laughed. “It’s okay! If I can smell myself, I’m sure I do.”
“Still…” Her hair fell to hide her face. “...sorry.”
“Don’t sweat it!” Ben said, a corny smile on his lips.
“Please stop.” Fluttershy said. The only person that could rival Pinkie in a contest of puns was Benjamin. She didn’t mind clever puns, but the kind that those two generally thought up hardly even approached the word.
“Um...if you wouldn’t mind...you could use the shower inside to clean up some before I take you home…” she offered.
Ben looked down at himself. Speckles of paint, dirt and grime from the chicken pen were mixing with his sweat to form a mud-like layer on his skin. While he didn’t mind as much, he wasn’t sure Fluttershy would appreciate him fouling up her car like that.
Still, it would be more than a little awkward if her parents came home to find him showering. But that was if. And they rarely came around.
“One condition,” he said. “Only if there’s something masculine smelling. I’m not coming out of a shower smelling like peaches or lavender.”
She smiled. “I think I might have something.”
And something she did. Fluttershy left the bathroom after showing him around and giving him a bottle of men’s bodywash hidden away in a cupboard. Ben stripped down completely, setting his filthy clothes in a pile on the floor. The knobs squeaked as he turned them and hot water poured over him.
He groaned as it ran over his shoulders and down his back. A warm shower always did feel better after a good day’s work. In fact, it felt so good that he almost didn’t hear the bathroom door open. Almost.
But hear it he did and peeked his head out from behind the shower curtain to see Fluttershy halfway through the door.
Ben wasn’t an easily embarrassed individual, but privacy, especially when enjoying the sacredness of a warm shower, was something he appreciated.
“Can I help you?” he asked, a slight edge to his voice.
Fluttershy eeped and looked anywhere else but the shower frantically. Her eyes came to rest on the pile on the floor. “I came to get your clothes!” She picked them up, holding the dirty items at arm’s length. “I’m going to wash them!”
And with that she disappeared out the door.
Ben resumed his shower, shrugging it off. Sure, she was acting a little weird, but then again he might be too if the situation was reversed. And it wouldn’t be unlike her to do something kind like that. Besides, it was Fluttershy! The girl was made up of nothing but good intentions!
And he probably just embarrassed the hell out of her.
Ben hung his head and sighed, resolving to apologize once he got out.
He lathered up his body and started to rinse when an odd sound tickled his ears over the sound of the water. He cocked his head towards the door and turned the pressure down a little.
It was faint, ever so faint, but he could make out Fluttershy...arguing? He stuck his head out of the shower again and listened more intensely.
He couldn't make out what she was saying, except for his name a few times, but she seemed to be arguing with herself, oddly enough. Her voice would alternate between panicked and plying.
His curiosity burned. He started to step out of the shower when Fluttershy’s footsteps came heading back to the bathroom. He ducked back behind the curtain and turned the water back up. As loud and powerful as it could go. He couldn’t hear a thing over the din of the water splashing against him and its rumble on the tub.
A ruffle of the curtain and a brief blast of cool air was the only indicator that something entered the shower.
He turned his head slowly, uncertain. He froze; his eyes locked with Fluttershy’s. Then he began to notice other details with his peripheral vision.
Things like the beet-red blush that spread across her entire face.
Things like the hesitant, shaky smile that appeared and disappeared on her lips.
Things like the fact that she had no shirt on.
...that she didn’t have anything on.
Her eyes flicked down, eyeing him up.
He did the same, his gaze falling to her chest. There sat two perky, shapely breasts. The only coloration amidst the beautiful protrusions, were the petite nipples resting on the small, pale pink beds of the areolas surrounding them.
His eyes continued down, drinking her body in. Her firm stomach, her slender waist. The water trickling down her like an arrow to the bare lips of her womanhood.
“Uh…” he said eloquently.
Fluttershy’s eyes drug themselves back from their own excursion of his body and locked on his. “Yes?”
Now that the shock of her nakedness had passed, Ben noticed that she looked a little older; more mature. Not in a bad way either, but a certain allure that he couldn't quite grasp.
He also noticed that she was shaking and shivering, despite the heat of the shower. Her eyes chancing the occasional dart back towards the door.
Mild, timid, scared-of-her-own-shadow Fluttershy, was now stood exposed before him, in the shower. No wonder she was shaking. Mentally he whistled. Where had this courage come from? Surprising him in the shower was a bold statement. And left little doubt to the imagination as to where it might lead.
At this time, the small, rational, and typically correct voice in the back of his mind spoke up: Sleeping with a friend, especially one in such a tight knit group as theirs could end in trouble.
However, a much larger voice of desire argued that there was no way he could pass this up. Here was a cute, beautiful, sweet girl surprising him in the shower, wearing nothing but a blush, and, if the look in her eyes was anything to go by, very interested in him. And dammit if he wasn’t interested in her too.
Ben reached forward slowly, gently, until he touched her arm. He caressed it and pulled her towards him, pressing her chest to his; her soft breasts warm and tender. His tip briefly touched along her inner thigh and flower, a teasing glance of what could be.
He could feel her shaking uncontrollably. He brought his other hand up, cupping her burning cheek, and kissed her. It was a light, tender thing, but the shakes subsided a little.
Her eyes stayed locked on his, happiness stained with fear pouring from their depths.
This would not do.
He leaned in again, dropping the hand on her chin to her waist, pulling her closer, kissing her more deeply. Her body conforming to his, melting into him. His member rose in greeting to her entrance, but stopping upon the threshold. He becoming more acquainted to the feel of her voluptuous slit. She with the sensation of being parted slightly and the warmth of his member upon her sex.
His kisses moved away from her lips, and down her jawline, planting small little pecks as he went.
He continued to her ear and whispered, “I hope I don't still stink.”
She laughed and her arms wrapped around him; her nervous shivers subsiding a little. "You're fine."
“My dear, you are the one who is fine.” he nibbled on the lobe of her ears, pinching it softly between his teeth. "Do you want this?"
He felt her nod up and down, her cheek running against his.
“Tell me. Tell me what you want.”
“I-” she faltered. Her arms wrapped a little tighter around him as she back her head up to look at him. “I-” she breathed heavily. “I-”
She closed her eyes, and darted forward, pressed her lips to his once more. The kiss broke, her pulling away, but just enough to whisper, "I want you. All of you."
Ben grinned and leaned his forehead against hers. “Well I don’t think a shower is the best place for that.” He winked and picked her up. "How about somewhere more comfortable?"
She squealed and laughed they left the bathroom, her in his arms, dripping wet and plodding down the hall.
“Which room is yours?” he asked, now realizing he had no clue where he was going.
She pointed at the door at the end of the hall, but hesitated. “Um. Can you put me down and wait a second?”
He complied, but cocked his head.
She leaned in for a quick kiss. “It'll just be a second.” She practically skipped away and behind her door.
He took the time to admire the view before it disappeared. It was indeed as good from the back as it was the front.
The sounds of muttering and rustling could be heard. Her closet door opening and shutting.
Ben chuckled. He’d probably be doing the same thing if he was about the bring some girl into his room. Flying the mad dash to hide and clean up as much as possible.
“Okay! I'm ready! Come in!” her voice rang out.
He turned the knob and looked at Fluttershy’s lithe body resting on the bed, her half-lidded eyes telling him to come hither.
Yes ma’am I will~
He walked over, his dick hardening with every step in anticipation of the act to come. He lowered himself next to her.
“So~” he grinned, “How do you want to do this?”
She eyed him uncertainly. “I...um...however you want too.”
He propped an eyebrow. “Well, how about this?” He shuffled so that he was behind her, her eyes following his every movement. "Here, kind of rest on your knees and elbows." She complied and with tender hands, he guiding her waist back to his groin. She mused over how this felt kind of natural. She could feel him waiting once more at the entrance, parting her ever so subtly.
She looked down at the bedspread, spread before her soon lover. "Whenever you're ready Ben."
He pressed himself forward, slipping into her folds. Her heartbeat raced. New sensations tingled down her spine and through the whole of her being.
Suddenly, he stopped.
“Um. Fluttershy, quick question.”
“Yes?”
“Have you ever...had sex before?” he asked as delicately as he could.
“Oh.” She bit her lip. “Uh...no.”
Ben froze for a second. He’d been raised on Earth to treat virginity as something seriously. Or at least with respect. To loose it to someone you trusted and genuinely liked. Maybe it wasn’t as big a deal to some, but to have someone give theirs to him? To choose him as their guide for their first excursion into the carnal world, it made it a little special.
“I’m flattered, but I want to make sure that you’re sure you want me to do this.” he asked, rubbing her lower back.
Fluttershy took a deep breath and pushed herself back. She felt a brief tug of resistance, and squeaked as the hymen tore.
Not a word further was said as he continued his slow advancement into her. She gasped and squeaked the further he went, becoming intimately familiar with his girth and length inside her. Finally, he stopped, hilted in her, his balls resting against her.
Ben smiled as he backed out a little, and jerked forward again. Fluttershy gasped at the sensation and he did it again. Again. And again. Each time she reacted.
“Does that feel okay?” he asked.
“Oh yes,” she breathed.
He retreated further back this time and repeated the process. In. Out. In. Out.
He went faster and faster. His shaft becoming coating in her own silky secretions, lubricating him as he drove him into her. Fluttershy herself, fell forward as her eyes rolled into her head, lost to the experience. Her own heady scent filled the air as Ben's administrations drove her into the mattress.
Ben, now in a rhythm, began to give more force to his thrusts. The sound of his hips and balls slapping against her filled the air and he gave into his lust, driving himself deeper into her depths.
Fluttershy moaned and squeaked and yelped in pleasure.
“Slap my ass!” Fluttershy screamed unexpectedly.
Ben stopped, buried in her tightly as her muscles clamped onto his member, tugging on it, pleading for it to stay and continue. He’d never heard her--dear sweet Fluttershy--drop even the most baby of swears. “What?”
She looked back at him, panting hard and her brow furrowed. “I said, ‘Slap my ass.’” Her eyes grew wide. “Oh dear! Is that not what you say while doing this? I’m so sorr-”
He cut her off by thrusting deep into her and followed with a firm slap of her ass cheek, resulting in a loud yelp from her and an faint outline of his palm upon her cheek.
“No, that’s pretty normal.” he chuckled. “Just didn’t expect it from you. Or this.”
She smiled as the waves of ecstasy flows over her.
A familiar pressure began to build behind Ben’s length. “Fluttershy, I got to pull out.”
“No.” she breathed. “Don’t.”
He stopped a second time. “Look, you’re great, but I’m not ready for kids. Not yet.”
She reached down and took hold of his hand, squeezing it tight. “Ben, I’ve already thought of that.” She smiled at up at him. “It's all taken care of.”
He looked down at her. There was nary a tremor in her hand. He nodded. If she said it was good, then she be.
"Can I ask one thing of you?" she asked.
"Of course."
"I want to look in eyes when you finish."
Ben pulled himself from her, his dick wet and shiny. "Roll over."
She flipped and Ben pulled her to the edge on the bed, he now standing over her, placing her legs on his shoulders.
"I'm almost there Fluttershy. So you sure about this?" His voice wary.
"Please." She nodded and smiled sweetly. "Cum inside me. I want to feel you inside me. Please."
Reaching down, he cupped his shaft, guiding the tip to the waiting lips of her nethers, embedding himself once more.
He panted as he threw himself into her harder and harder, each thrust followed by a fleshy slap as their bodies met. His panting and groans punctuated by Fluttershy’s broken screams of “Do it!” and moans as she rocked back and forth from his exertions.
The pressure grew and grew, begging for release. We locked eyes with her. His full of passion and wild. Hers loving and begging.
He held back for as long as he could until it burst forth against his will. He buried his cock in her as deeply as he could, rocking in place as he rode out his orgasm. The muscles of her womb shivered and hugged it, milking it for all it had to give, coaxing the hot streams and bursts of his seed further back into her, filling her womb with a small pieces of him.
It wasn’t until the last bit of semen dribbled from his tip that out that he pulled out, collapsing on top of her, her legs sliding off his shoulders. She didn’t mind though as she drew his face to hers and kissed him deeply. Her tongue spilling over his. After what felt like minutes, they broke apart breathless, their lungs burning, but hearts yearning so the closeness. Their legs tangled together, basking in the afterglow.
The room smelled like...well, them. The spunk of sex permeated the bedsheets and clung to them. She breathed deeply of the pungent and sweet smell of their lovemaking.
They lay like that for a time, Ben's tenderly rubbing her breasts, tracing the erect nipples or playing with her hair. She on the feeling on fullness and gentle heat of her loins.
She wanted that moment to last forever. But it couldn't. It never could.
Didn't mean it couldn't last a little longer.
“Is now a good time for a shower?” Fluttershy whispered.
Ben snorted softly. “Yeah, I think so.” He hauled himself off of her, extending a hand down. “Care to join me?”
She took it, her heart fluttering. “I’d like that.”
And they washed each other clean. Rubbing their hands over the other's body, still learning the way it felt, it way it reacted, where the other was ticklish.
But they couldn’t stay in the shower forever. The grandfather clock in the living room rang out eight times.
Ben glanced at Fluttershy sadly. “I’d ask to stay, but it’d probably be a good idea for me to get going.”
She nodded, leaning forward and kissing him deeply once more. “I know.” She reached behind him, shutting off the shower. “Get dried off and I’ll drop you off at home.” She wrapped herself in a towel and tiptoed away, pausing at the door.
“I-” she bit her lip. “I think I love you.”
Before he could reply, she was gone.
He couldn’t stop the dopey grin on his face as he toweled off. He didn’t know that this was how today was going to turn out. Hell, even that out-of-place feeling was gone. Then again, he knew exactly where he wanted to be now: wherever Fluttershy was. She breathed a new life into him that he hadn't felt before, and filled the emptiness that haunted him.
There were unexplored layers to her. A hidden strength that lay beneath the timid shy face she showed the world.
He couldn’t wait to get to know the rest of her.
He stepped out of the bathroom to find Fluttershy, already dressed, hair in a towel, and holding his freshly cleaned clothes. He smiled graciously, dropping the towel in front of her and sliding into his clothes.
She still blushed, despite all they’d done. It was sweet.
The drive back was quiet as usual, but Ben wasn’t sure much else needed to be said. It was also much shorter the second time around.
He opened the door, and paused. He turned to Fluttershy, drawing her into one last kiss. He must have surprised her, because she jumped a little before relenting into it.
He broke it off in a grin. “Also, I think I love you too.”
And he was out the door.
*****
Fluttershy rested on the new, clean sheets. They felt good against her skin, but part of her wanted to curl up in the sex-stained and scented ones. They smelled like him, mixed with a little of her.
A hand traced along her bare stomach. She smiled, content with the warm feeling deep within her. Therein, was also a twinge of guilt.
Keys jangled in the lock of the front door. It opened and shut; the gentle click of the lock being latched once more. She didn’t move, listening as the footsteps came to the bedroom.
The knob turned, and her doppelganger stepped through it, collapsing at the foot of the bed.
“Thanks for changing the sheets.” she said, her voice tired.
“Oh, no problem. I’ll wash those-” Fluttershy pointed at the balled up blankets. “-later too.”
The doppelganger’s face scrunched up. “You can...either burn those or take them with you can you go back to Equestria.”
Fluttershy nodded. She understood. “So about…” Her eyes darted to the closet. “You know…sorry”
This world’s Fluttershy frowned a little. “The closet wasn’t the most uncomfortable part. Watching and hearing myself do...that! That was. ”
Equestrian Fluttershy wilted a little. She and Ben had been pretty loud.
“Did you really have to come over here to do this?” Fluttershy pointed at the place on her bed where she had made love for the first time.
“Oh...um...yes.”
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow waiting for an explanation.
Fluttershy tried to hide behind her hair, but it didn’t work as well as her mane did. “You see, over there, I’m a regular pegasus, but he is still a human. A different kind of human.” She stretched her neck. “And uh, when we are like that, we aren’t, um...genetically compatible.”
“So you came over here, where you are both should be.” Fluttershy finished.
She nodded meekly.
Fluttershy sighed. “He thinks I’m you, you know.”
She nodded again and watched her rub the bridge of her nose.
“I know you like him, but I don’t. At least not as like you do.” Fluttershy flopped back on the bed, groaning. “He kissed me too. Before he got out of the car." She glanced over to Fluttershy. "Sorry. He just...did it.”
Fluttershy waved it away. It didn’t stop the pang of jealousy, but she had already done so much to give her this night. It would be unfair to hold a kiss of mistaken identity against her.
“He also said that ‘He thinks he loves you too.’ Just passing that along.” she said.
Fluttershy’s own dopey grin grew on her face. She couldn’t hold it back. That feeling in her heart that made it feel like it was flying, all on its own. “Thanks.”
Fluttershy stared at her Equestrian counterpart, trying to imagine going to the lengths she went through, to get to this point. She’d heard of people travelling across the country to meet with their supposed true loves. Jumping realities was a whole new level.
She watched her continue to rub her belly lovingly. “Do you think it...worked?”
Fluttershy looked down at her taut abdomen. She had waited until she was in season and in heat back in Equestria, in hopes that she’d still be receptive over here too. She’d counted herself lucky that her heat had lined up with the moon cycles so well.
“I think so. I won’t know for certain for a few days, but I think so,” she smiled. Call it instinct, but she could swear she felt the spark of new life taking root within her womb, beginning its slow growth. It scared and excited her all at once. She’d never given motherhood much though until she met Ben. Then it was all she could think about.
“He’ll have to know someday.” Fluttershy said in that gentle, yet chastising tone she knew so well. “And I can’t promise to keep up the charade. He’s a good friend, but I don’t love him. That’s all you.”
Fluttershy nodded.
“I hope this is all worth it.” Fluttershy sighed.
They turned off the lights and slept. One of being a pony again, playing with her foal, proud as any mother. The other dreamt of nothing, hoping only for the strange love triangle she’d found herself in to be over.
And in a different part of town, a man dreaming a long and happy future with the kindest girl he'd ever known. To grow and bloom, in whatever soil she planted him.