Or: Fluttershy, Stop Spacing Out!
The rusty little shower handle gave a small creak in response as my sore and battered wing gave it a twist. My whole body trembled as I stood there in silence, nothingness but achy muscles, my wings weary from the most flying I’ve probably ever done since little filly flight camp.
All of a sudden, I remembered exactly why I only ever use the little wooden bathtub in my cottage. Torrents of icy wet daggers flowed over my mane and coat, soaking me to the bone and stabbing me in my poor, poor heart. I yelped! Loud! Without thinking about it!
I stood there in my little shower stall shivering to the bone, before the water finally warmed past lukewarm and I let out a grand sigh. Ugh, where was my jasmine petal soak when I needed it? ‘Thank Celestia…’ I muttered to myself.
I jumped again, my hooves fighting for traction on the wet tile. They lost the fight. I came tumbling down onto the soapy floor, the warm water trickling over my pathetic heap of a body. Idly, I rubbed at my eyes, squinting at the entrance to the shower stall. Was it the warm water or were my cheeks just really hot all of a sudden?
A big light blue blob stood with a shock look painted all over her face. Her goggles hang loosely from her neck and her mane was all disheveled and sweaty the way it always was after a hard day of training. It was all the same as the day Rainbow Dash saved my life, when I was just a little filly at flight school.
“Flutters. Flutters? Flutters!”
I shook my head, apparently I had lost my hearing. Or maybe I just didn’t notice her voice. The mare in front of me tilted her head in confusion and I meekly reached a wing out to turn the shower handle. Mr. Shower Handle gave a small squeak in response and the water cut off. Now I felt shameful, cold, and very very wet. Gasp!
“Uh… hello, Equestria to Fluttershy? I thought I heard you sc-” I stood up with all the force my teensy little butter colored legs could muster, placing a hoof on Dash’s muzzle. She scrunched up her face, like if she just ate one of Pinkie Pie’s super duper ultra sour-dour candies.
“Oh… I’m alive,” I stammered out meekly. “T-the shower was cold. I stood under it before it heated up.”
“Wow, you really are an egghead, aren’t you Flutters?” I felt my cheeks heat up and I looked away from her big red eyes, at one of the Wonderbolts branded soap. Why did the Wonderbolts bathe with soap that had a portrait of their face carved into it? That seemed weird. She nudged me with an elbow. “Well, I’ll uh, get out of your mane. Since you’re you know… all wet and showering.”
You know what? I didn’t even care that I was currently naked or that my soft pink mane was dripping puddles onto the floor. Rainbow Dash was one of my bestest friends and I’ve known her practically my entire life, or at least the part of my life that mattered anyways.
“No,” I blurted out. Without thinking. Like the absolute dumby I was. I sat my rump right down on the tile, putting a hoof over my mouth. I wanted to slink away down the drain a little. “Stay. You need a shower, sweaty.” Oh, Celestia.
Rarity sat down on the beautiful cedar wood bench. Her horn started to softly glow a gentle blue color as she levitated the ladle into the bucket of water. The bowl part of the spoon slurped up the water, before it was whisked away to the hot coals. The instant the water touched the hot, hot coals, it exploded into a big cloud of steam. My inner pegasus genes were always drawn to the “making the steam” part of the sauna. As soon as the expanding cloud of steam fanned out over my coat and mane, I let out some kind of mumble-sigh.
“Ahhh…”
“Oh, darling,” Rarity spoke, “You look like you really need that. Your muscles are so tight!”
Oh bucking Celestia, I thought, internally kicking myself for such a daring inappropriate thought. Fluttershy didn’t think such things in the presence of the generous and polite Rarity! Anyways, err, my face was definitely hot and it was definitely not from the steam. I felt the same electricity I did when I did that little obstacle course like 50 times with Rainbow Dash. Even though I was absolutely terrible at it. Oh goodness, think about Rarity, not Dash!
“Flutters- hello, darling,” her beautiful, trans-marelantic accent prodded into my little storm cloud of an inner psyche.
“Oh, sorry, I just have a lot on my mind.” It wasn’t exactly a lie but it wasn’t really the whole truth either. I felt my body move on autopilot snuggling up against the white mare, even though she was all sweaty and toweled up. I didn’t care, I was sweaty too.
“Deary, you simply must relax, all that stress is not good for your mane and hooficure, you know.”
“I know… I know…” I slinked further down along the warm bench. I would need a second shower of the day already after this, but the warmth and the sweating felt so good on my aching wing muscles. They were nearly ready to break off me and start beating me up for abusing them like that so hard. I caught myself staring at her beautiful pools of blue, buck that sounds cliche but you know what I meant! She blushed a little, and so did I, and, and… we kissed? A-at least that’s what I thought it was! Her muzzle was up against mine and, and, oh sweet Celestia and Luna we definitely kissed.
“I- I-... is it okay to love two ponies?” I felt a white colored hoof, hooficured to perfection hold up my cheeks. I’d never gotten so close to her before. Even though we literally just kissed a paragraph ago.
“Whatever could you mean darling? I love my little sister Sweetie Belle more than anything in the world and I also… I also love you.” Okay. That. Got me good.
“N-no, not like sisterly love I mean like-“
“Love love. Do you love another pony?”
This was my favorite spot in all of Equestria, to be honest. I could have flown there, like any normal pegasus, but instead I decided to take the short stroll through the forest in order to find it. The forest is the best place to be. I can hear the songs of birds, and the chattering of animals, and some ponies have called me crazy but my gift is that I can understand everything they are saying.
A bluejay was singing a love song for his lover, a squirrel was complaining because some other critter dug up his stash of caramel nuts, and a fox was taking a nap while snoring quite loudly. The animals were my wingponies today, and I would need them. The sunlight filtered through the trees and while everything around me was perfect, I knew I wasn’t perfect. Inside. I was going to meet with the two of my most bestest friends ever, and confess my feelings for both of them and then- and then I’d have to choose.
I almost considered asking Twilight for her excellent list making capabilities. I made a mental note of basically everything I’ve ever done with the other two ponies. Celestia was teasing me with the threat of lowering the sun and ending this big day of mine.
Rainbow Dash taught me how to be more assertive, and without her I would have never been able to break out of my meek little shell as much as I have. She even got me to help all of Ponyville that one time by joining the rest of the pegasi in making a tornado to bring water to Cloudsdale. Without her help that day, my help that day, Ponyville wouldn’t have had nearly the wingpower to get that critical water from the reservoir up into the sky. Rainbow Dash was like my rough and tumble, but loyal side.
Rarity taught me how to be even more kind and generous than I already was and really complimented my role as the element of kindness. More than any other part of my week I was always so excited for her little tea parties, and spa days, always leaving me more refreshed and calmer than ever before. Rainbow Dash was… uh… hot, but Rarity was beautiful and pretty. Oh hoofness, both choices were just too good to ever be able to pick between them and-
“Flutters?” Both voices said in unison. Apparently I had reached the clearing a lot earlier than I thought I would have. I sat my butt down on the beautifully outstretched picnic blanket. Rarity had a nice straw hat on, her mane and tail perfectly pristine after our spa day, while Rainbow Dash was in her usual chillaxing sunglasses, mane all rowdy and chaotic just like her.
“Man, you’ve really been spacing out a lot lately, you egghead.”
“Be nice, Rainbow!” Rarity shot the light blue mare glances that could probably kill. We both shrugged. I didn’t really mind it. It was true. I had been spacing out. I was probably spacing out right now, a bit of drool dripping down my muzzle and oh hoofness I was. “Darling, we’re mere ponies you know, and not bedazzling works of art to drool over.”
“Heh, speak for yourself Rares. I’m pretty hot myself.” Dash smugly said, and we both nudged at her. Rares kissed her. On the cheek but she definitely kissed the rainbow Wonderbolt. But I didn’t really feel jealousy, no, just a faint blushing on my cheeks as the realization set in.
“Wait… you guys are already dating each other?”
“Yup!” They both chimed on in unison. I facehoofed. Hard. Dang, I’m a really oblivious filly, aren’t I?
“Oh hoofness…”
“Don’t worry Flutters. My love for Rarity doesn’t make me love you any less you know. I’ve known you since flight school! I might have…” Rarity nudged her, again. Rainbow dash winced and let out an overplayed groan. “I might have had a crush on you since I was a filly.”
“Why didn’t you say so Dashie? Oh Celestia, I love you two so much…~”
I grabbed the both of them in the tightest embrace I could muster with my very weakened wings. All the events of today were tiring. But it was the best day ever, and I got to share it with two of the bestest mares in the entire world. We embraced each other while the sun softly fainted over the horizon. Eventually, it got dark, and it was time to go back home to sleep. I told Angel all about my escapades and giggled as I read my little magazines in bed. Today was nice. I didn’t need a proper ending to this story because it wasn’t the end! I got to keep both my mares. So uh… as Rainbow Dash once taught me to say:
Yay…!