Hats and Things
It was a good day for a walk.
There was a light breeze blowing in from the white tail woods carrying the smell of the forest, damp from the previous night’s rain. The road was wet but not overly muddy, the sky had started to clear, it was a weekend, the streets were slightly populated with familiar faces, the smells of the morning market were beginning to come to bare. Truly there was never a better day to visit a friend.
Rarity walked the winding road that lead out of town at a casual pace, an umbrella attached to her saddlebags in the off chance that the waning rain clouds found a second downpour to release onto the small town. Not that Rarity minded the rain all that much anymore since her sleep over with Applejack at Twilight’s house all that time ago. The rain could muss up her mane and coat, she had realized, but it caused no lasting damage and if you looked for it, it might even supply an opportunity. No, she herself did not mind the light drops of rain that might come, but the passenger she carried on her back was renowned for her distaste of it.
Rarity cast a glance to said passenger now and was relieved to find that Opalescence appeared to have fallen asleep. She was laying carefully in a small bed that was nestled in between Rarity’s saddlebags. This particular set-up had been devised for the dual purposes of both keeping the feline safe as well as comfortable on the sparse occasions where Rarity needed to remove her from the comfort of the boutique. In addition to these rather simple purposes it also looked positively exquisite, as you would expect from the luminary of the clothing design circuit.
The purpose for today’s trip was to go to Fluttershy’s cabin for a check-up. This wasn't a necessary trip she needed to make, Rarity could’ve instead opted to simply go visit Dr. Fauna, the resident and employed veterinarian in Ponyville. Her reasons for simply choosing Fluttershy, despite the added distance, were simple. First was that Opalescence was very picky about who could handle her and she’d already spent a lot of time around Fluttershy. Secondly, it was always nice to catch-up with Fluttershy. They still regularly attended the spa together, of course, but there was something so… pleasantly plain about being around Fluttershy. She was understanding and straight-forward and she had been a constant unchanging companion in the past hectic years of their lives as the Elements of Harmony. Indeed, rarely was there a surprise to be had from the timid butterscotch mare and when there was she always seemed to bounce back rather quickly.
These thoughts of the unchanging nature of Fluttershy were still present in Rarity’s mind even as she knocked on the door to the quaint cottage that housed the aforementioned mare. They were even present, albeit briefly, as Fluttershy opened the door. Around the time this happened, however, they quickly evaporated. Rarity looked at Fluttershy with a raised eyebrow, as if trying to solve a puzzle.
Fluttershy returned it after a moment, asking simply “Rarity? Are you alright? You look... confused.”
The words succeeded in extracting Rarity from her reverie, where upon she blinked and smiled an empty, kindly, smile. “No Fluttershy I’m fine it’s just…” Rarity hesitated, walking through the open threshold as she stammered over her words. “Well dear it’s…”
“Mhm?” Fluttershy responded with long-suffering, oft-used, patience. She welcomed Rarity into the cottage as she waited for Rarity to figure out how she wanted to say what was on her mind. Fluttershy carefully detached the umbrella from the saddlebags of her guest and collapsed it before leaning it against the doorframe. As Rarity fell silent in thought, Fluttershy moved to the kitchen and retrieved the tea she had prepared. It wasn’t until she had put it down on the small table in the living room that, at last, Rarity found her voice.
“Why are you wearing Applejack’s hat, darling?”
“Oh!” Fluttershy said in realization as she looked up and saw the brim of the hat that she’d forgotten she was still wearing. “I forgot to take it off before I came down to greet you.” Fluttershy said simply, pouring two cups of tea as Rarity took off her scarf.
“Oh well darling,” Rarity said in a tone so thick with self-restraint you could cut it with a knife. “I meant more how did you get her to let you put it on in the first place? She’s very protective of that hat. It took an eternity for her to let me repair it and even then with the very strict rule that I not wear it. I haven’t the slightest clue how you managed to convince her.”
“Oh that!” Fluttershy smiled as she realized the question that Rarity had meant to ask. She paused a moment to help Opalescence out of the bed so that Rarity could at last remove her saddlebags. With that done, she continued in a soft, yet giddy, voice. “We’re dating.”
Rarity’s eyes went wide and Fluttershy took the opportunity to place Opalescence on a cat bed that was, effectively, her home away from home. When Fluttershy turned back to Rarity she saw the unicorn beginning to break into her slightly-insane, anxiety-ridden, surprised, laughter. “You’re dating?” She asked, her voice shaking.
“Oh yes.” Fluttershy confirmed with a nod. “Applejack’s upstairs resting right now, she told me I should wear her hat while she was napping. Though, uh, I’m not sure she was one hundred percent in her right mind when she said it. She worked herself to exhaustion last night preparing the orchard for the rain. She’s still sleeping it off.”
“She’s asleep in your bed?” Rarity asked in disbelief. It was rather forward for ‘we’re dating’.
“Oh yes, she showed up last night for our movie night but she was too tired to stay awake so I took her upstairs and let her sleep in my bed while I slept on the couch.” Here, Fluttershy faltered. “That was the right thing to do right? I’m not… great at being a marefriend. I haven’t really been one before.”
“No no, that was fine.” Rarity said, quick to reassure the judgement. “I just thought that’d you’d…” Rarity coughed. “Nevermind. It’s just that I’m rather surprised to be finding out about this now, or, well, at all really.” Rarity admitted. “Applejack never seemed like that kind of mare to me.”
“She’s not sure herself, she’s figuring it out. I’m trying to be supportive while she does. Though, umm… I do like being with her a lot, So I hope she does end up being interested in me.” Fluttershy admitted. “We were cuddling during the movie night and she’s…’ Fluttershy blushed, promptly ending her dialogue. “Nevermind.”
“She’s what?” Rarity prodded before catching herself, “I mean… if it’s not too much of a secret or embarrassing or anything” She continued, doing her best to balance her immense curiosity with her respect for her friend’s privacy.
“She’s so soft Rarity.” Fluttershy said with a voice like she was confessing a love of chocolate and a face that seemed several shades redder than it was supposed to be. “I didn’t think she’d be as soft as she is, since she works the apple orchard.”
Rarity had to admit to herself that she didn’t think of Applejack as particularly soft either but also had to admit that she hadn’t exactly tried to find out. As Rarity tried to process the sudden flood of information that had just been given to her the cottage quickly fell into an awkward uncomfortable silence.
“But umm… you came for Opalescence’s check-up right?” Fluttershy asked eventually, clumsily attempting to change the topic of the conversation.
Rarity, wise as she was, decided that it might be for the best to let the conversation change, given the atmosphere of the room. But made a note to herself to check up on the situation later, with the other half of the relationship if possible. “You’re correct!” Rarity confirmed. “Poor Opal, she's been rather moody lately, but I think it might just be the weather, you know how rain makes her-”