Expect the Unexpected
~♡♡♡~ Good Things Come in Threes ~♡♡♡~
----------
Fluttershy paced back and forth in the cozy living room of her cottage, only stopping to take another look at her calendar. The page of dates that was normally left unmarked, save for reminders of when her friends' birthdays were, was now filled top to bottom with the same two names. Lines and arrows drawn in pen, scribbled out names and many other marks made the page appear like it belonged to a mad pony. She looked away from the taunting collection of paper and returned to her nervous pacing.
It was hard to believe she would end up in such a situation. Well, she knew exactly how she ended up in it: she couldn't ever bring herself to say no to somepony she cared about. What confounded her was the fact that Twilight and Rarity had enough of a romantic interest in her that they both asked her out in the first place. A week apart, no less! She always figured she was that quiet friend who melded into the background without much notice, but she should toss that idea out the window. Just like her ability to actually take a chance to relax.
It all began simply enough when Rarity asked her out on a date. Though her heart may have felt like it was going to burst from her chest, she did have a wonderful time. They had gone to the best restaurant Canterlot had to offer and Rarity had made a special dress for her to wear just for that very occasion. Everything about it felt somewhat overwhelming, but she still had a good time, nonetheless.
They hadn't told anypony about the date, of course. It was just the one to start, they weren't sure everything would work out in that way, so they had used the excuse of checking on Canterlot Carousel and Rarity needed some help carrying a few things. The excuse definitely appeared to work, as just a few days after they got back, Twilight came to her door and made her heart do familiar, yet much more nervous, spins inside her chest.
She knew then that the responsible thing to say in such a situation was 'no,' but she couldn't bring herself to let down one of her closest friends while she was standing right there in front of her. In that moment, she had allowed her mind to justify her answer with the thought that she and Rarity had only been on the one date and weren't entirely sure if they wanted to be serious about their relationship or not. It felt terrible banking on the sad idea that one of the two relationships would just fall away before anything happened, but while Twilight was standing there in her doorway, breaking her heart felt like an even worse option.
Her first date with Twilight was much less lavish than what Rarity had planned, but that definitely suited her better. The two of them took the train to Rainbow Falls and had a simple day of trotting by the colorful rivers and lakes, followed by a simple dinner in the restaurant attached to the inn they spent the night in before returning home.
Both of those trips made her feel special, and though she knew it wasn't fair to either of the two, she couldn't bring herself to let either of them down. Did she even want to? Both of them were able to make her heart race just from their mere presence alone, and asking her to choose between who she enjoyed the company of more was an impossible task. The task made all the more difficult when she factored in that she had been keeping this precarious balance for well over a month. It felt as if the ship had already sailed on her opportunity to get out of the situation in any clean manner.
She stopped her pacing and stared at that calendar that she was sure was now more ink than paper at that point. Her next date with Twilight was the very next day, followed by one with Rarity the day after. Fluttershy wondered if she should ask Rarity if they could postpone their date for the day after that. Twilight's dates often ended up with them getting home the day after and she still had no idea what had been planned since Twilight often liked giving her surprises.
A knock came from the door, prompting her to tear the calendar off the wall and throw it into a nearby drawer. “Aah! I mean, who is it?”
A familiar little giggle came in through the door. “It's just me, no need to be scared. I was thinking since tomorrow's date wouldn't be anything too special, I wanted to spend a little extra time with you tonight instead. If that's okay, of course.”
Fluttershy's heart jumped back into a full sprint the moment Twilight's voice hit her ears. She hurried to the door and pulled it open to find the smiling face of her marefriend. Well, one of them.
As she stared at Twilight, another reminder came for why her situation felt so difficult to dismount from: that feeling of warm calm that washed over her each time she was with either of them. It made the storm that had been previously raging in her head that much easier to quell. Once she had regained enough focus to take in her surroundings again, she realized she had been awkwardly staring at Twilight for a touch longer than was normally considered 'comfortable.'
“Oh! Uhm, of course that's okay! I just got done with feeding the animals not too long ago, so we should have the night to ourselves,” answered Fluttershy, stepping out of the way to let Twilight inside.
Twilight made her way right for the nearby green sofa and sat herself down, patting the spot next to her with a hoof as if to invite her over. The motions paused and a pinkish magic corona picked up a purple pillow with white tassels hanging from each corner that easily stood out among the much more simple ones. Fluttershy's heart almost sank, but it stayed just where it was once a giggle came from Twilight. “Is this new? I don't think I saw it the last time I was here.”
Fluttershy cantered over to the sofa and took the offered spot right up against Twilight. “Oh, uhm, Rarity's been thinking of starting a line of 'fashionable pillows' and she gave me one of her test pieces.”
Another giggle came from Twilight who used her magic to set the pillow back down where she had gotten it. “Well, it's definitely unique, I can say that much.”
Fluttershy felt her body relax enough to let a small giggle join Twilight's. “It is, isn't it?”
Twilight took a breath and smiled, letting her eyes take on a more suggestive look to them. “I didn't come here for that kind of pillow talk, though.”
“What do you – oh my.” Fluttershy's cheeks flushed with a bright blush that shone orange through her yellow fur as Twilight leaned in closer to her. Twilight's lips pressed onto hers for a deep kiss that made her heart skip a beat. She let her eyes close as she fell further into that wonderful moment, the feeling of a pair of forelegs wrapping around her only adding to the warmth coursing through her.
In that moment, everything fell away from around her and all she could feel was Twilight's soft, warm fur against hers. The feeling of a gentle hoof running through her mane and along her her cheek made her heart skip once again.
A knock came to the door, causing the world to rush back into Fluttershy like a very unwelcome tidal wave. She remained frozen for a couple ticks on the clock as her body caught up with her mind.
Twilight pulled away from Fluttershy with an annoyed little breath out of her nose. “Oh Celestia dammit.”
Fluttershy shakily sat up and slid off the sofa to answer the door and hopefully shoo off whoever it was while Twilight patiently awaited her return. She only got the door open a crack before a corona of light blue sparkles took hold of it and opened it the rest of the way for her. Rarity just about wrapped her up in one of her usual tight embraces, but she stepped back once she remembered who was behind her.
The hug at the air nearly caused Rarity to stumble over onto the ground, but she was able to catch herself just in time with a hoof on the door frame. “Oh my, is something the matter, sweet – “ Her words paused with a glance over Fluttershy's shoulder, causing her to straighten herself up immediately and clear her throat with a hoof over her mouth to stay polite. “Oh, good evening, Twilight! What a wonderful surprise to see you here.”
“Oh, hey Rarity. Fluttershy and I were just preparing our usual weekly tea,” replied Twilight in a tone that carried just a hint of edge to it.
Fluttershy gave a glance back at Twilight who did her best to give a subtle gesture to hurry. She turned back to Rarity and tried to think of an excuse to gently convince her to head home, but before she could say a word, Rarity was already stepping around her.
“Oh, that sounds lovely! I came here to steal Fluttershy away for a little help with one of my latest designs since she makes such a lovely model, but I wouldn't want to take her from your tea,” stated Rarity with a little chuckle. “Though, while I'm here anyway, would you all mind if joined you?”
The momentary sense of relief Fluttershy was able to reach faded away just as quickly as it had appeared. She could sense the shift in Twilight's mood at being so interrupted, even if the effort to hide it was strong.
Despite the annoyance Twilight must have been feeling, she appeared just as stumped in how to dismount Rarity from the situation in any way that didn't seem suspicious. Eventually, Twilight took a breath and forced a smile on her face. “Of course you can join us. The more the merrier, right?”
Fluttershy felt a little kick to her hind leg, a glance confirming her suspicions on the kicker's identity. Upon spotting Angel Bunny looking up at her with the annoyed expression that she recently began to think was his default, she gave a nervous frown. After a quick check on the two conversing in her little seating area, she leaned in to whisper to Angel. “Oh, do you know of any way to get out of this?”
Angel returned the question with a flat stare that made Fluttershy frown nervously. Though rabbits typically didn't make much in the way of sound, she could still easily sense just what he was trying to tell her.
“I can't tell them what's going on. It would hurt them both so much.” Fluttershy had a hoof to the side of her head. “I know it's my fault for letting it get this far in the first place, but that only makes it harder.”
Angel crossed his little arms in front of himself before turning to hop away. This one distinctly felt like 'you've dug your own grave,' or something similar. That definitely didn't make things any easier.
“Fluttershy!” Twilight called, snapping Fluttershy's attention towards her in time to see the others trotting to her kitchen.
With her mouth glued shut by nerves at what could possibly be her worst nightmare of the past month and some change possibly coming true, Fluttershy caught up with them. Since neither of them looked particularly cross with her, she could at least confirm that they hadn't said anything to each other to hint at anything important. She paused in her tracks, heart leaping into her throat. What if they did say something and they just don't want to ruin the tea?
She found herself getting lost in her own worries that she hardly even noticed Twilight using her magic to put the tea kettle on her stove for her. Images of one or both of the mares she cared for so deeply ran through her head and crushed her soul into tiny pieces and only made her that much nervous to continue with the charade of a tea time. At least when they had a little adventure to go on, whatever crazy thing was happening would be enough to keep them distracted from the topic of dating. But when it was just the three of them alone, the weight of her guilt and worry washed over her like the coldest bucket of water from one of Rainbow Dash's pranks.
“Is something the matter, darling?” asked Rarity who had taken a seat at her small kitchen table, across from Twilight to leave the middle chair open for her.
The words caused Fluttershy to snap from her unpleasant daydreams and instead focus on her two marefriends who were giving her stares of faint worry. She tried to speak, but instead all she could muster was a soft shake of her head before taking her seat at the table. Due to her positioning, she couldn't see both of them at the same time and that somehow made the entire situation that much worse. Like she was getting circled by a pair of timberwolves.
Twilight leaned over the table with a little frown. “You just seem a little distracted. Is there something on your mind?”
“Bottling up your emotions isn't good for you, darling. If there's anything you wish to tell us, we'll listen,” added Rarity. Though the words remained gentle and caring, they only made that sense of pressure close in even further.
Fluttershy closed her eyes to escape the two pairs on her in some hopeful attempt to calm down. Luckily, she managed to eventually find her voice. “No, everything's okay. Really.”
The words made the duo relent and gave her the space she needed to breathe again. Even if she had to constantly tell herself that everything was fine. She was definitely getting used to that by that point.
“So, Rarity, if I may ask, what kind of outfit are you working on today?” asked Twilight, the sudden shift in attention taking a load off of Fluttershy's shoulders.
Rarity perked up and smiled. “Oh! It's nothing too special, it's actually more of a personal project than anything I plan to actually sell. It's for a date I have in the coming days!”
Just like that, the entire weight, and a little extra for good measure, crashed right back down onto Fluttershy once again. If it had been any more powerful, she could swear it would have actually flattened her on the floor like a pancake. Though, maybe being a pancake was preferable at that point in time.
Twilight leaned in with interest. “Oh, a date, huh? Who's the lucky stallion?”
Rarity held a hoof up to hide away a playful giggle from the others. “Well, I don't want to give away their actual identity. We've agreed to keep things hush-hush until we're really sure things will work out. It keeps things from getting messy, just in case.”
Twilight giggled. “Oh come on, you're with friends. Maybe just a little hint?”
Rarity used her magic to daintily lift a cookie from the plate at the center of the table. “A lady never breaks a promise, Miss Sparkle. However, if you must know, they're actually a mare.”
Twilight sat up straighter with a hint of surprise on her face that quickly faded, replaced by a playful little smile. “Oh really? I never thought, as Applejack put it back when my little preference came out, 'your barn door swung that way!'”
Rarity responded with a little wink, waiting until her mouth was no longer filled with cookie to speak. “There's plenty about a pony that you can learn by simply asking, darling. I'm honestly not too secretive about that side of myself.”
Twilight giggled once again before taking a cookie for herself. “Fine, fine. But, while we're on the topic, I should come by your boutique and get a dress made, myself. I'll pay, of course. I just would like something nice to wear on a special date of my own I have coming up soon.”
“A date as well? My, aren't we both lucky little ponies lately?”
Fluttershy began to shake in her chair, forehooves vibrating against the table as her heart threatened to pop like an overfilled water balloon. Images of one breaking and telling the other just who their date was flashed through her head, making an invisible pressure build from the inside.
Twilight giggled once again. “We sure are! Though, like you, I agreed with her to not tell anypony about us until we were sure. Her friends can be pretty excitable about this kind of thing.”
The duo continued their giggles while having fun with their coy little banter while Fluttershy felt more and more like a pressure cooker that needed to have its vent opened. Her eyes darted back and forth between Rarity and Twilight, completely unsure of who she should be putting her focus on. Now that was a much more unexpected problem, but it only added to that pressure all the same.
A loud piercing whistle struck Fluttershy's ears like a dagger. If it weren't for Twilight turning to use her magic to pick up the teapot and turn off the stove, she would have sworn that sound was coming from her ears themselves to relieve the buildup of steam in her own head. She could only watch in silence as the pinkish magic corona levitated the teapot around the table to fill up the three prepared cups before setting it down on a nearby hot pad.
Fluttershy couldn't bring herself to go for her tea. Her hooves were probably shaking far too much to handle the little cup without spilling all over herself anyway. Instead, she remained silent in hopes of a turn in the conversation, or that her silence would keep her out of the spotlight at the very least.
The room was quiet for the moment it took her marefriends to prepare their tea and sip to make sure everything was up to their tastes. It was a comforting reprieve from everything swirling around her. Nothing unfortunate could come out if nothing was said, after all.
That nice silence was soon broken by the clinking of a glass teacup against its saucer. Rarity was leaning forward with a pouty expression anypony who knew her long enough could easily decipher the meaning of. “Oh, Twilight! You simply must tell me who it is who swept you off your hooves! I know asking after what I just told you is rather hypocritical of me, but it's such a sweet and romantic story and I must know!”
Fluttershy jumped in startled surprise, no longer bothering to fix any wandering strands of mane that fell into her eyes. In a nervous and jittery motion almost akin to a wind-up toy, she turned her eyes towards the unamused face of Twilight.
“Oh, I'm not sure, Rarity. It's not fair to her if I just blab her name,” replied Twilight with a little frown coming to her muzzle.
Rarity took another sip of her tea and set her cup back down again. “Well, it's just the three of us here. You know how well I can keep a secret, I know how well you can keep one, and I doubt Fluttershy here will tell a soul. How about we do it at the same time? We can just say a name, no need to go further if somepony we're not familiar with comes up. I simply must have my curiosity sated, darling!”
Fluttershy slowly looked down at the table in front of her. Amid the thoughts racing around her head like pegasi lifting water up to Cloudsdale, one managed to beat out the rest for her attention. Namely, the question of how hard she would need to slam her forehead down in order to render herself unconscious.
Twilight set her own teacup down and sighed. “Fine, I think that sounds fair enough. Though, you absolutely swear not to tell a soul until we're ready to announce it ourselves?”
“I swear on my very fabulosity, darling.”
It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Fluttershy knew exactly was was happening, what she was about to witness and the soon to be horrifying outcome of it, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Despite that, as the two before her started their countdown, she couldn't take her eyes off of it. She couldn't even get her legs to listen to her just enough to run away from the incoming chaos.
She forced her eyes shut to hide behind her mane, chair shaking in an earthquake that only affected her. Time slowed down as she witnessed the countdown to her ultimate demise and all her mind could think of were time frames of just how long Rarity and Twilight would hate her for after that night.
Rather than her doom, when that simultaneous call of 'one' came from her marefriends, a pair of kisses came to her cheeks and forced her eyes open in utter surprise. Her cheeks burned with that same orange blush from before Rarity had appeared. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out besides stunned silence. Everything in that moment stopped. Not only did the storm in her head quiet down to complete silence, but her string of thoughts stopped entirely. She could only sit there and wonder if she had actually succeeded in knocking herself out and was now sitting in a dream of some sort.
“You think we went a little too far?” asked Twilight with an amused giggle.
The words broke Fluttershy out of her stupor just enough to allow her to turn and give each of her marefriends a glance. It took a few ticks of the clock in silence, but she managed to pull enough strength in to speak the one question on her mind: “You, you knew?”
Rarity laughed. “Oh, darling, it was so dreadfully obvious to the both of us by week two.”
“We didn't say anything, hoping you would open up about it on your own. When you didn't, we felt like we needed to punish you a little bit,” Twilight clarified, a similar laugh coming from her as well. “We figured it would be a good opportunity to teach you a little lesson on communication.”
Fluttershy's brain nearly overheated from what she was being told. She expected to get yelled at and told how horrible she was for being so secretive. “You mean, you're not angry with me?”
“Oh, we were a little peeved when we first realized it and talked about it together,” Rarity started, glancing towards Twilight to allow her to finish the explanation.
“But, you see, the more we spoke about it and thought it through, we both have too many feelings for you to let you go.”
“And quite frankly, neither of us are actually bothered by the knowledge that you're with the other. So, we don't mind sharing our little strawberry lemonade sweetheart. It's clear you don't have any troubles seeing the both of us at once.”
A few more ticks of the clock passed before Twilight began to snicker. “You actually call her that? That's so cute!”
Rarity flipped her mane with a hoof. “Oh, and you're telling me you don't have any pet names for her?”
As the two started to playfully tease and push one-another, Fluttershy never stopped staring at the spot of the wall her eyes had focused on after receiving the dual kiss. All ability to focus on what was happening around her remained on hiatus and instead, a single question fell out of her mouth. “What?”
♡ ♡ ♡
Fluttershy's eyes slowly creaked open, a beam of sunlight filtered in through a window she had forgotten to close the curtains of the night before and shone right onto her face. Other than a strangely relaxing fuzz in her head, it felt like any other morning for her. Though, that lately meant it was just going to be another day of worrying and hiding things from the two ponies she loved the most. At least she was fortunate to have such a surprisingly good dream. There was no way in her mind that what had just so suddenly happened before heading to bed was anything but a figment of her imagination.
However, as she moved to sit up, she found herself firmly held in place. With her mind steadily waking up further, she could now feel two pairs of forelegs holding onto her from each side. On her right lay a peacefully sleeping Twilight, and on her left, an equally slumbering Rarity. She just about sprang out of their grips in shock, but the memories of the previous night came back to her little by little.
They had revealed to her that they knew she was seeing them both for a while. Though she was still in shock that they wanted to both stay with her despite her secret keeping, she eventually had been able to relax and enjoy a nice night of talking. She could remember how Twilight and Rarity spent a surprising amount of time going over how they would like to approach the situation before broaching the subject with her. They came to the conclusion that the other also receiving Fluttershy's affections didn't bother them. Not to mention, she knew for a fact that she held genuine feelings for them both.
She was used to hearing stories of cheating ponies getting thrown out, and all she could think of during the previous weeks was that she deserved the same. Maybe she was just lucky, but it still never even occurred to her that such a thing could exist; the same pony seriously dating two others. She still had plenty to learn, it seemed.
As she felt her two marefriends shift against her, a soft smile grew onto her muzzle. She had plenty to learn, but she would be more than happy to get there. Without a care put towards the light still shining onto her face, she closed her eyes to settle in again with a larger smile. Her life was going to get a lot more complicated, she felt, but she could cross that bridge when she came to it. All she knew for sure in that moment was just how much she wanted to relax in the comforting warmth of the two ponies she loved and let the stress of the past month melt away.