>"Bye, Twilight!" called Rarity. "See you later, darling!"
>Twilight waved back at Rarity.
>You walk with Fluttershy and Rarity back to the boutique.
>You stare at your shoes.
>You don't need x-ray vision, but you can see right through them.
"That was horrible," you mutter to yourself.
>Rarity gasped.
>"That was their best spa treatment!" she defended. "If you didn't think that was the most amazing thing, your standards are way too high."
>She turned away from you and stuck her nose in the air.
>You look at her and raise an eyebrow.
"What? No, not that."
>"So the spa itself, then? Well, I must agree. It isn't the most glamorous place, but-"
"Nevermind!"
>You go back to staring at your feet as you walk.
>Rarity looks you up and down before figuring it out.
>"Oh come now, Anonymous. This isn't about your toe nails, is it?"
>"I think it is," whispered Fluttershy.
"Yeah, it kind of is."
--
>"Oh, grow up," said Rarity. "I thought you were a sensitive stallion."
>"He is," defended Fluttershy. "He's really sweet, but can get a little bit cranky."
"I'm more annoyed that you told the spa ponies to do it despite my protests."
>The two best friends shared a giggle.
>"Well that's what you get for falling asleep on us," said Rarity.
"I wasn't asleep. I passed out from the horrible pain those ponies put me through."
>"That was a massage," said Rarity, flatly.
"She almost broke my spine!"
>"Have you never had a massage before?" asked Rarity. "The masseus said you were extremely tense."
"Yeah, from Fluttershy."
>"Ooh. Really now?" teased Rarity, smiling at Fluttershy.
"I meant a massage from Fluttershy..." you say, unamused.
>"Well there's your problem, Anonymous. You act like darling little Fluttershy here has the ability to massage a bear or something."
>Fluttershy shyed behind her mane and smiled.
"I guess. And I have a question."
>You direct your attention to Fluttershy.
"You're not pranking me because you're mad about me cutting my hair, are you."
>"No," she replys.
>You raise an eyebrow.
"You sure? You seem like it."
>"No. It's okay."
>You squint your eyes, trying to see through this yellow pegasus.
>You can't tell if she's actually being honest, or doing that one thing girls like to do to annoy you.
>Guilt trip, that's it.
"Hm... Alright then."
--
>A sharp whistle conjures the attention of each of you.
>You spin on your heel and spot a griffon waving you over.
"Oh, this'll be good," you say as you start walking.
>Fluttershy and Rarity follow.
>"Anonymous!" greets the griffon as he throws his forelegs around your shoulders.
>"My favorite customer!"
>You return the gesture and pat him once on the back before backing off.
"What's up?"
>"We got your order in this morning!"
"The smell-good spray?"
>"You got it."
"Awesome!"
>You turn around and pick Fluttershy up in a hug.
"Now we can go home and sto-"
>Rarity frowns at you.
"Er, I mean, now we can move out of Rarity's place and stop bothering her."
>"Oh, right."
>Rarity kicked the dirt.
>You drop Fluttershy and pay the griffon.
>A handshake and a thanks sends the three of you on your way.
>You toss Fluttershy into the air, laughing and whirling her around.
--
>As much as you enjoy Rarity's company, it was great to finally be able to go home.
>You have everything you brought in your arms, with Fluttershy carrying a few things as well.
"Woohoo!" you cheer as you jog a few steps from the building.
>Fluttershy trots out behind you.
>Rarity stands in the doorway.
>"Bye, Rarity. Thanks for everything," said Fluttershy.
"Yeah! Thanks, Rare!" you wave back.
>Rarity giggles at her nickname.
>Her smile quickly fades and she waves back to you.
>"Well, if you ever need a place to stay, don't hesitate to ask," she called after you.
"You got it," you give her a thumbs up.
>She cocks her head at the gesture, but then smiles and nods.
>Rarity turned and stepped back inside, closing the door softly behind her.
>Looking around the shop, she couldn't help but feel depressed.
>The sun was setting, darkening the building.
>She walked upstairs and lied down in her bed.
>Another night alone, she fell asleep.
--
>It's late, and you and Fluttershy are on your way home.
"I have the feeling there was something more sinister behind these little pranks."
>"I thought so too, but she never did anything real mean."
"Heheh. Probably because they backfired.
>"Maybe."
>Fluttershy giggles as well.
"I'm still trying to figure out how I failed to notice you grow so large. I must have really been out of it."
>Fluttershy blushed and hid her face behind her mane, looking away from you.
>You frantically motion your hands in front of you.
"Er, I mean, uh... Not like fat or anything. Just like, uh... you expanded. I mean-"
>Fluttershy began to laugh.
>Your face turned bright red.
"Hey look, were home," you say, quickly changing the subject.
--
>You drop everything on the living room floor and spray the odor eater around the house.
>Particularly around where the birds and smaller creatures sleep.
>"You sure that won't hurt them?" asked Fluttershy.
>You check the bottle.
"It says 'Non-toxic'."
>"Okay. That's good."
>You finish your work and inhale deeply.
"Let's go for a walk while this stuff kicks in."
>"That would be nice."
>The two of you turn and leave the house.
 
>The moon is actually rather bright tonight.
>Even the shadows were lit well enough to see if you concentrated.
>The moonflowers and nightshade were blooming brilliantly, basking in the moonlight.
>There was a light fog, but it did little to hinder your view distance.
>The air was rather chilly as well.
>The seasons are changing and it's becoming more noticable.
>The leaves of the trees are turning more than they were a few weeks ago.
>Any week now, it would be time for them to fall.
--
>A slight breeze sends goosebumps up your arms.
>You shiver and rub your arms to warm them up a little.
>"You okay?" asked Fluttershy.
"Just fine. Just a little bit chilly. Summer's gone, you know."
>She nodded her head.
>"Mhm. I have a question, if that's okay with you."
"Shoot."
>"Do humans, uh, grow winter coats, or something?"
"Uh... no, actually. We do not."
>"Then how do you stay warm? Do you hibernate?"
"Nope. More clothes. And I don't hibernate."
>"Oh, okay. I feel pretty silly for asking."
>You smile.
"You can't learn everything all at once. I'm sure you'll still find stuff about me years from now.">Fluttershy smiles.
>"Yeah, I guess so."
>You wait a minute or so before finally asking.
"So how do you stay warm in the cold?"
>"Oh, uhm... Well, we sometimes wear boots or ear muffs."
"Got it. Me too. Looks like I don't have to worry about freezing this winter."
>"Nope."
>It's silence from here on out.
>At one point, you turned off the main road and down a small winding path.
>Fluttershy wanted to question where you were going, but she trusted you knew.
--
>Fluttershy starts to become a little hesitant as the path becomes overgrown with foliage.
>After all, it's so late out.
>Who knows what creatures could be lurking in the shadows.
>But seeing you walk onward without flinching gives her enough confidence to follow.
>Fluttershy is right on your heels through the trees.
>The sound of crickets and various other insects fills the air.
>The gentle flow of water soon comes within hearing range.
>The path leads you around a large bend.
>On the other side is a small clearing.
>The opposite bank is full of tall grasses and flowers.
>A willow droops over the water.
>Torchbugs blink and the moonlight filters through the canopy in pillars of dim light.
>This is also, coincidentally, the same place you come to enjoy some quality fishing.
>Fluttershy has never been here, and her father is the only other pony to your knowledge who has been here.
 
>Fluttershy gasped and covered her mouth with her hooves.
>One particular pillar hits her face just right.
>Her eyes appear to radiate like the moon itself.
>Just seeing her like that is all too adorable.
>It drives you wild.
>You walk beneath the willow and lie down, facing the sky.
>Fluttershy lies next to you, curled into your side.
>You wrap an arm around her and pull her close.
>She in turn spreads a wing over you.
>She's warm.
>Warm enough to stave off the cool evening air.
>You have a sudden flash of deja vu.
--
"Huh..."
>"Hm?"
>You shake your head.
"Nothing."
>You turn on your side.
>Fluttershy withdraws her wing as you pull her close, her back to your chest.
>You keep one arm forward for the two of you to use as a pillow.
>You close your eyes and press your face into Fluttershy's mane.
>She smells so wonderful.
>You could fall asleep right now.
>In fact...
>You yawn.
>This would be the perfect time to nap.
>"Anon?"
>Or not.
 
"Yeah?"
>"Do you ever miss home?"
>You open your eyes in surprise.
>Where did that come from?
"Yeah, I think about it occasionally."
>"What do you miss about it?"
"I usually think about the times I've had, or my family."
>"Do you ever wish you could go back?"
"Sometimes."
>You lift your head over hers and kiss her on the cheek.
"But then I remember I have you to keep me here."
>She looks up at you and you smile.
>She returns the smile and lifts her head to peck you on the lips.
>You lower your head and meet her with a longer, passionate kiss.
--
>When it breaks, she rolls onto her back and you lie over her.
>You use your arms as support to keep your full weight off of her.
>She holds your cheeks with both hooves as you kiss once more.
>Soft coos escape her as you move down to her neck and belly.
>Using her wings as a hint, she lightly tugs your shirt up.
>You pull it off and kiss once more.
>She tries to undo your belt with her hooves, but fails.
>You undo that as well and kick your pants off, still locked in a kiss.
>Fluttershy breathes heavily and pulls your head as close to her as physically possible.
>The moans escaping her never leave the forest.
>You never go back home that night.