This story never happened. I just wanted to make that clear at the top. The events recounted here are nothing but fiction. How could it be otherwise? For who would believe that the Element of Generosity not only betrayed both the mare she loves and the mare whom she considers her dearest friend, but that she continues betraying them every chance she gets to this very day? Now perhaps, my imaginary reader, you've found these pages in, say, an envelope affixed to the underside of a drawer in the dresser you bought at an estate sale or an antique shop or something similar. So you might or might not be familiar with the names Rarity and Fluttershy. As things stand, however, even if it's hundreds or thousands of years in the future, you undoubtedly know who Princess Twilight Sparkle is. So let's begin this entirely fictional story with Twilight Sparkle's arrival in Ponyville, an occasion that began so many varied things. Rarity's first impression of her? A disgruntled, disheveled, stuffy, and overworked low-level royal retainer. Rarity therefore did her best to relieve Twilight's discomfort but was not at all surprised when Twilight bolted from the Boutique as if every fiend locked in Tartarus was snapping at her fetlocks. In my line of work, one becomes all too familiar with rejection, after all. Or rather, in Rarity's line of work, she had become all too familiar with it... But you know, now that I think about it, I must admit that what I just wrote is a lie. Of course, [u]everything[/u] here is a lie. And the underlining serves to emphasize the word "everything." The truth of this entirely fictional story—"verisimilitude" is the word, darling; feel free to look it up—is that it began the moment Rarity first saw Fluttershy wafting through Ponyville, an event that occurred several years before Twilight came clomping into both their lives. Depending on when these pages come to light, my imaginary reader, it's possible that you never saw Fluttershy. But if you were so fortunate, then you witnessed true beauty. I mean, I scrape and I slather and I festoon and I prune, and on my best days, I manage to manufacture a look that possess perhaps a quarter as much sheer beauty as Fluttershy radiates without even running a curry comb over her hide. Her proportions from her jawline to her neck, from her neck to her withers, from her withers along her flanks, from her flanks to the glorious subtle swaying of her hips and the intoxicating flow of her tail— I seem to have forgotten where I was going with that thought... But the instant Rarity beheld Fluttershy trotting along the street that led to the center of town from the outskirts, the joy the pegasus exuded, the unpolished elegance, the stomach-tightening, chest-wobbling, mouth-watering perfection of her, Rarity knew that she had to meet her, had to speak to her, had to intertwine their lives in a major way. Fortunately, Rarity was so awe-struck by that first sight that she behaved more quietly and less flamboyantly than was her wont. With an inadvertence that she later came to see as the hoof of destiny stepping in, she comported herself in the exact manner that would keep Fluttershy from bolting in fear. She approached and spoke to her as one might speak to a butterfly that had alit upon one's— Oh, but that's such a cliché! Especially when I'm talking about a mare who has butterflies as her cutie mark! Let's say instead that Rarity slipped toward her as slowly and carefully as one might toward a soap bubble, afraid that any too-boisterous move might cause the simple shimmering gleam to shatter and irrevocably vanish. That, of course, proved to be the only proper way to approach her. And once Rarity had her on the hook, as my father would say, she began reeling her in. At first, Rarity had thought to prevail upon Fluttershy to model the clothing Rarity was at that point beginning to design. Half an hour in her company, however, revealed the impossibility of that notion. As her subsequent flash pan career showed, Fluttershy was ill-suited to the runway. And the more time Rarity spent in her presence, the less inclined she grew to share the gorgeous creature with anypony else. It proved remarkably simple to keep her contained, as a matter of fact. She fled from most contact with others, after all, while Rarity had become her valued confidante and only friend. Rarity also began teaching Fluttershy the ways of her trade: the differences between a backstitch, a topstitch, and a traditional blanket stitch, for instance, or how to tell prêt-à-porter from true haute couture, something that came back to bite Rarity in the flank at least once... But the goal was to draw Fluttershy closer, closer, ever closer. Rarity would shower her oh so gently with attention and would draw her step by step away from her cottage and the forest and the wild creatures she cared for. She then planned to move Fluttershy into the boutique as her assistant, then continue moving her up the stairs, down the hallway, and into her bed. And the dreams Rarity had as the process was unfolding! She and Fluttershy were visiting the spa together regularly by then, so Rarity was well acquainted with the sweet curves of that backside, with the deep, rich scent of her, with her moods and her humors and the way her eyes could light up when she was well and truly excited. Rarity would lie in bed and imagine Fluttershy beside her or below her or between her hind legs, and she would know that their pairing was inevitable. Her patience would most certainly pay off in dividends more orgasmic than anything she could manage on her own. Except, of course, that [u]that[/u] was when Twilight Sparkle came to town. The moment that Fluttershy first set eyes on Twilight, that was the end for Rarity. Because, yes, she could compliment Fluttershy and make her feel warm and cozy. But Twilight? Twilight brought her a commission from Princess Celestia herself casting the royal imprimatur upon Fluttershy's relationship with her precious animals. And immediately after that? Twilight brought Fluttershy a baby dragon. Spike was all Fluttershy talked about as she and Rarity were getting ready for Pinkie's party to welcome Twilight to Ponyville the evening before the Summer Sun Celebration. And when everything went wrong at the celebration, it was Twilight who took charge, Twilight who led them all, and Twilight who brought Fluttershy so many more sights and sounds and experiences—taming a manticore, helping to solve an ancient mystery, being an integral part of the team that returned Equestria's long-lost younger princess to her throne! Is it any wonder that Fluttershy fell in love with Twilight? No, it is not. And all Rarity could do was watch it happen. "Oh, Rarity!" Fluttershy would happily exclaim, wriggling with excitement in the spa's tub beside her. Not that I can recall her exact words— But I don't [u]need[/u] to! This is fiction, is it not? Fluttershy never said any of this; Rarity never said any of it; Twilight and Discord and the others, they never uttered a single sentence that might even resemble the things I'm going to say that they said! So— "Oh, Rarity!" Fluttershy began to say more and more often during their spa dates. "Isn't it wonderful, the things Twilight's done for us all since she moved to Ponyville?" And after Twilight gained her wings? "Oh, Rarity! Isn't Twilight wonderful and strong and brave and so very much a princess?" And after Twilight gained a castle? "Oh, Rarity! Wouldn't it be wonderful to be Twilight's special somepony? I'd never ever be afraid again if a beautiful, powerful pony like Twilight had her wings and legs wrapped around me!" Yes, all right, dialogue like that's straining credulity even in a work of fiction... Still, the admiration Fluttershy expressed for Twilight's gentleness and kindness and growing physique increased as Twilight's other and undeniable virtues also continued to expand. And Rarity simply could not think of a way to insert herself into the path of Fluttershy's ever more fervid gaze. What was even worse? Rarity had considered declaring herself right after they'd brought an end to that longest night, had been halfway convinced that she needed to plant her stake in Fluttershy—as it were—by announcing her feelings in no uncertain terms. But, well, I can't deny that Rarity's feelings could largely be summed up in the phrase "obsessive lust." Yes, she valued Fluttershy's friendship. Yes, she respected the strides she'd made toward overcoming her almost-debilitating shyness. Yes, she applauded her opening her animal sanctuary and admired the technique she brought to teaching her classes at the school. But mostly? She just wanted to feel Fluttershy's tongue licking various parts of her. She wanted Fluttershy to feel her tongue licking various parts of [u]her[/u]. She wanted Fluttershy to spread herself over her like warm butter and wanted to wrap herself around Fluttershy like a flour tortilla. Gracious. Perhaps I'd best take a break for lunch. And few other bodily necessities... [hr] Much better. But we left off with Rarity falling farther and father behind Twilight when it came to Fluttershy's affections. And what could she do? Twilight was literally a larger-than-life figure, a fairy tale unfolding in real time. Competition was completely and utterly out of the question. But was Rarity disheartened? Well, yes, she was a bit, especially when Celestia and Luna retired and named Twilight to become sovereign monarch over all Equestria. For of course Fluttershy waxed rhapsodic on the topic for weeks. "Imagine, Rarity," she would gush, Rarity trying not to inhale deeply of the exotic and excited aromas wafting up from multiple parts of Fluttershy's anatomy, "being held gently against the breast of the one pony who keeps the sun and moon on their courses, the one pony responsible for maintaining all life in Equestria!" Fluttershy would then wriggle her gorgeous self in a way that seemed entirely designed to make Rarity gnash her teeth, but Rarity had long since learned how to gnash her teeth without anypony noticing. Still, Rarity would've been fine with this— Well, all right, not [u]fine[/u]. But she could've accepted it, I suppose, if Fluttershy had just declared her love for Twilight, moved into Canterlot Tower, and become the Princess Consort. Because she deserved to be the Princess Consort, deserved to be cherished by the most powerful pony on the planet, and deserved every good thing that could possibly happen to her! Equestria with Twilight Sparkle on the throne could only be a bastion of light, happiness, peace, and friendship, and with Fluttershy at her side? Add love, beauty, and kindness to that list. But, well, this is Fluttershy we're talking about here, isn't it? And as meeting followed meeting of the new Friendship Council onto which Twilight had appointed her five closest friends as advisors, Rarity kept waiting with a mix of trepidation and anticipation for Fluttershy to make some sort of a move. Or if not a move—as I said, we're talking about Fluttershy—then to at least ask Twilight if they could speak after the meeting, or if Twilight was free for lunch sometime in the near future. Something, at any rate! She didn't even manage to cast soulful glances in Twilight direction, or drape herself picturesquely with many a sigh and wavering eyelash over any of the available divans or davenports! She did sigh ever so slightly as each meeting broke up, Rarity noticed, but as much as I value Twilight as a friend and ruler, she's not the sort to catch the meaning of anything smaller than a pebble flicked against her forehead. Even worse? Once Rarity and Fluttershy were back in Ponyville, oh, how bitterly Fluttershy would cast recriminations upon herself! "I'm a failure!" she would moan, sinking into the baths at the spa till only the tip of her muzzle protruded above the water. "If only I could summon up the courage to tell Twilight how much I love her, then my life would have true meaning, and all would be well!" And even if those weren't her exact words—and they weren't, for as I may have mentioned previously, none of this ever actually happened—it was truly hideous to see her so distraught. So what else could Rarity do? She wanted Fluttershy as much as if not more than Fluttershy wanted Twilight, but overriding every other consideration? She wanted Fluttershy to be happy. And, well, was Rarity the Element of Generosity, or wasn't she? Yes, she was. You can go look it up at the library if you're unfamiliar with your history, I suppose... But it all meant that Rarity needed to form a plan. To form this plan, she needed some more information. And to get that information... At the end of the next Friendship Council meeting while Twilight was gathering up her notes, Pinkie was helping Applejack wake up Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy was emitting her tiny, tiny sigh, Rarity sidled up to Twilight and said, "You know, darling, I've been having a few thoughts about ways to spruce up your administration, as it were, and show all of Equestria that there's a new princess in town." Twilight blinked at her. Twilight regularly blinked at her, she'd found, usually when Rarity was attempting to explain fashion or other related concepts. Twilight's a wonderful mare, don't get me wrong. I wouldn't be the pony I am today had I never met her all those years ago— Though considering the tale I'm telling, becoming a different pony might not have been a bad thing... Except that this is entirely fictional, remember? I don't know why I keep forgetting that little detail! But when it comes to matters of culture and refinement, Twilight has an insouciance about her—there's a third or fourth word you can look up, my dear imaginary reader. She wasn't openly dismissive of such things as certain [u]other[/u] ponies in Rarity's friend group were, and she was always willing to listen and think and learn about ideas and processes with which she had no natural familiarity. That was one of the reasons Rarity considered Twilight to be perhaps her best friend among all the others. Not including Fluttershy, of course. As you may perhaps have gathered from our narrative so far, Rarity by this time considered Fluttershy to be much, much, much more than a friend. Which was why various parts of her brain were now shouting at her to step away from Twilight and not broach subjects that could result in Fluttershy ending up ensconced firmly and finally within Twilight's embrace. Bah! Enough of this shilly-shallying! My hesitation to record what happened next ill becomes a mare of action such as myself! As I wrote earlier, Twilight blinked. "Spruce up my administration?" she asked. "Whatever could you mean, Rarity?" Not her actual words, of course, "Well!" Rarity said with exaggerated heartiness. "Celestia and Luna delivered quite splendidly on the 'virgin princess' front, reigning from their thrones high above the regular concerns of their little ponies. But your brand is 'the friendly princess,' more down-to-earth and relatable rather than perched on a pedestal." "That's true," Twilight said, something she always said when Rarity was right. It was another reason the two got along so well. "Have you more brilliant suggestions as to how I can burnish that image?" "I have!" With growing effort, Rarity squashed the shouting in her brain. "I was wondering what your reaction might be to the word 'romance.'" At which point, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie all began to hoot in their own inimitable ways. "Whoa, Rarity!" Applejack exclaimed, for instance. "You bucking for a promotion from the Friendship Council?" Rainbow, not to be outdone when it came to scurrilous innuendo, snickered with unmistakable glee. "Emphasis on the 'buck,' am I right?" She wriggled her hips in a rudely suggestive manner. "Wow-sa-rooty!" Pinkie began hopping in place. "That'd be a hum-dum-dinger if Rarity and Twilight got together!" Fluttershy said nothing at all, frozen and staring as if she were experiencing some sort of nightmare. In hindsight, Rarity should've expected exactly these responses, but she'd been too busy kicking her own worst instincts down multiple internal stairs. So she quickly waved her front hooves at her other friends and blurted, "Oh, no, no, no! Not [u]me[/u]! I was merely curious if there was a type of stallion or gentlemare to whom Twilight feels attracted! After all!" And here she returned her lightly scattered attention to Twilight herself. "Now that you're Equestria's ruling monarch, if there's any pony—any pony at all—whom you'd like to see sitting more closely at your side, well! You're the world's most eligible bachelorette, aren't you?" The silence that followed her statement seemed to stretch and stretch, a larger and larger portion of Rarity yearning for the ability to drag the words back and stuff them down her clenched gullet. But Rarity held firm. Knowing what sort of romance Twilight wanted, after all, was the only way to resolve this entire issue. Because of course Twilight wanted Fluttershy! Rarity couldn't imagine a sapient being in the entire cosmos who didn't want Fluttershy! And getting Twilight o admit it here and now would be the first step toward getting Fluttershy what [u]she[/u] wanted! It was the only way! Except, of course, that nothing's ever that easy... "Ah," Twilight said into the emptiness of that long, long silence. "You see, Rarity—and the rest of you girls as well, I guess—I...I'm incapable of carrying on any sort of a romance. That's actually the term for me: aromantic asexual." She turned about half a smile around the room. "I've never felt any need for romance in my life let alone felt any sort of sexual stirring. It's just the way I am: the perfect Princess of Friendship." A much shorter and less fraught bit of silence occurred, then everypony was crowding around Twilight, assuring her of their continued care, respect, and friendship, so that was certainly heartwarming. Rarity's ears, however, more closely attuned to such things than others in that room were, could clearly hear the tiny tinkling clatter of Fluttershy's heart breaking at the news that her love could never be returned. [hr] Now, if you knew nothing about Rarity or Fluttershy, I suppose you would be gladdened by this turn of events. "Fluttershy can never possess the love of her dream mare!" you might cretinously crow. "This will be Rarity's perfect opportunity to gently soothe Fluttershy's heartbreak, console her with caresses, with cuddling, with kisses, and at last, Fluttershy will turn her tear-stained face toward Rarity and realize the love that's been biding by her side this entire time!" To which I can only respond, [u]How dare you?[/u] Fluttershy's love for Twilight was deep and wide and spiritual, not mutable and tawdry in any way! And Rarity's love for Fluttershy— Yes, well, I suppose that was a bit more tawdry. Much more physical, at any rate, more red than white, shall we say, more passionate than pure... Which is to say that it drove Rarity nearly to the peak of madness to see Fluttershy fall into listlessness and despair after their return to Ponyville from Canterlot. "She can never love me," Fluttershy would murmur, slumped in the tub at the spa. "I suppose...I suppose I'll simply have to accept that and somehow learn to live a life without love." And for Rarity to attempt to sully the profundity of that love with some sort of intricate, long-term scheme? Do you feel that Rarity had so fiendish a mindset that she could weave yet another careful net around Fluttershy in the hopes of ensnaring her on the rebound as it were? Is [u]that[/u] what you think? Well, to be honest, it was more that Rarity could no longer restrain herself. Seeing Fluttershy day by day slowly and figuratively curling in around herself like the petals of a dying flower, Rarity felt that she had no choice but to act. This situation needed to be swiftly and firmly addressed before Fluttershy pined away to nothing. Unfortunately, Rarity had no idea [u]how[/u] to address the situation. She wanted Fluttershy body and soul, but, well, that soul seemed doomed to remain ever out of reach. So perhaps she could offer herself to Fluttershy as a means of simple physical relief? Arrive at Fluttershy's cottage bearing supper, commiserate with her over the meal, sit with her in the parlor stroking her hooves and mane, then partially confess her feelings. She would assure Fluttershy that she understood love to be completely off the table, but as the Element of Generosity, she could not allow her to endure yet another sad and lonely night and would therefore happily perform any and all actions that might satisfy Fluttershy's baser needs. She could only bring Fluttershy that rough sort of joy, but it would cheer Fluttershy up, she would state unequivocally. And if Fluttershy denied that she had any baser needs? Insisted that she needed no physical relief? It didn't bear any thinking about. Rarity would surely go mad if Fluttershy turned her away. She'd been dreaming and planning for so many years that failure was not an option. She would convince Fluttershy to accept her lustful entreaties, or she would die trying! Grabbing a 'to go' order from Timothy Hay's restaurant, Rarity marched in all her determined glory through the early evening's gloaming out to Fluttershy's cottage. The arguments in favor of Fluttershy using Rarity to slake her various thirsts crackled through her head like electrified lightning bugs, and she knocked on the cottage door with a self-assuredness that she only partially felt. Several moment went by, and nopony answered. She knocked again, calling out, "Fluttershy? Darling, are you home?" "No," came an all-too-familiar baritone, "she's not. And I find I don't care for it one little bit!" The door flew open—quite literally, little wings appearing on it that flapped it up and out of the way—to reveal Discord standing there with his arms akimbo and his expression so sour, the scent made Rarity flinch. "What's going on with her lately, anyway?" "Discord?" Rarity asked unnecessarily. I mean, it wasn't as if any other creature could or would look like him, was it? Fortunately, Discord seemed to be too upset to notice a faux pas he otherwise would likely have greeted with some biting bit of commentary. "This afternoon," he continued, sounding even more peevish than usual, "I arrived for our semi-weekly edible card game and get-together, and what's she doing?" He turned from the doorway and stomped into the house, several more arms bursting from his sides so he could wave them in consternation. "Moping! With intent! And in my general direction, too!" Which was exactly when, I'm going to say, that an idea began bubbling in the unhappiest parts of Rarity's brain. The more restrained parts of her whirled to glare at the idea in disdain, but then they actually saw it, took a few pokes at it, and began to consider it. "She gave me," Discord was going on, "the saddest, wannest, sorriest excuse for a smile that it's ever been my displeasure to observe, apologized to me, and said that all she wanted to do was to go for a walk alone in the woods! Rather than spending time with me! Can you imagine such a thing?" His whining words whisked over her—My goodness! What alliteration!—but too much was going on in her head for Rarity to pay him much notice. "I'll tell you," she vaguely registered him saying, "I don't shock easily, not after everything I've seen and done in my multi-millennial lifetime. But Fluttershy's behavior this past moon or asteroid or comet or whatever unit it is you ponies use to dollop out time, it's been more than shocking! Moping! In the presence of a being who's devoted the entirety of the aforementioned multi-millennial lifetime to anti-mopery in all its forms!" "Yes!" Rarity shouted, the idea springing into full spectacular flower to fill every ounce of space below her ears and behind her eyes. "You're absolutely right! And it's something only you can assist me in alleviating!" His head twisted all the way around backwards on his body so he could blink at her. "Alleviate?" Various sorts of leaves sprouted all over him. "I know she always talks about wanting to be a tree, but—" "No!" Rarity had to restrain herself from leaping forward so she could grab him and shake him. "She'd remain the same! It's [u]me[/u] you'd transform!" He did some more blinking. "Into a tree?" "Into Twilight!" Nagging details began trickling out the end of the plan. Rarity hastened to mend them. "Not permanently, of course: no, you'd have to devise some sort of a device that I could trigger to bring about and then dispel the transformation!" "You know..." His head remained in place, his body slowly creaking around like a rusty gate till his entire front was pointed at her. "I'm the one who's supposed to be gibbering incoherently, and I don't take kindly to amateurs pulling my shtick." "It's simple!" And it was, too, so amazingly simple that Rarity couldn't understand why it had taken her so long to see it. "Fluttershy's fallen in love with Twilight, but Twilight's announced herself to be incapable of receiving or returning any sort of romantic feelings! That's why Fluttershy's been so out-of-sorts lately! She's been utterly frustrated by her inability to make sweet, creamy love to the mare of her dreams! It's unbalanced her in every possible way!" "Unbalanced?" Discord narrowed his eyes. "A lot of that going around, it looks like..." "But!" Ignoring him, Rarity thrust onward with her burgeoning plan. "If you'll arrange for a way that I can change myself into an exact replica of Twilight, I can appear secretly to Fluttershy and tell her that I, Twilight Sparkle, have been overwhelmed by hitherto unknown feelings inspired by her perfect beauty and kindness! I'll beg her to begin a relationship with me, a relationship that must ever be kept clandestine for her safety and the safety of the world, and I will lavish my affections upon her in the guise of the pony whose affections she longs to experience!" By this time, I hardly think I need to mention, Rarity was shouting, shrieking, nearly swooning—Gracious! Now we get an example of sibilance! But to her way of thinking right then and right there, it was the perfect solution. She would satisfy Fluttershy's desires while simultaneously satisfying her own. Everypony would win! All she needed to do was— "Interesting," Discord said, tapping his chin with one of his eagle talons. "Although it might be easier for me to simply root around in Twilight's brain and get her to actually feel—" "Out of the question!" Rarity leaped forward and wrapped her forelegs around Discord's arms. "Consent is vital in all forms of romance! Forcing Twilight to feel something she doesn't will only hurt both her and Fluttershy! But with me—!" Realizing that she'd grabbed him, Rarity pulled away, dropped onto all fours, tried to modulate her tone, and actually succeeded in more or less doing all three. "I love Fluttershy with a passion that I find almost inexpressible. Letting me visit her as Twilight will bring her so much happiness, Discord! I promise you!" And since she knew her audience... "I further promise that she will return to her former state of being and will once again be able to focus on her friendship with you." She batted her eyelashes. "That's the most important thing, after all, isn't it?" His eyes narrowed again, and Rarity almost thought that she'd gone too far. But— "Fluttershy's happiness and my own do seem to be wadded together like so much chewing gum." He pursed his lips and blew out a bubble swirling with pinks and greens. It popped, coating the entire lower half of his face before it sank into his skin like water into sand. "And all you need, you say, is some sort of a—" He snapped his lion paw, and something like a small hair clip, the exact purple shade of Rarity's mane, appeared floating in front of him. "A device?" he finished. Her magic feeling slick and sweaty, Rarity reached out her hornglow and gingerly took the object. "You'd wear it," Discord was saying, "at the base of your mane right where the roots emerge from your hide. When you wish to take on the bepurpled form of our oh-so-friendly princess, you'd merely need to reach up and tap the device with your hoof." As if in a dream, Rarity levitated the item to the spot where her mane began sprouting from her neck, buried it in the hair there, and clipped it into place. Then, ever so gently, she gave it a tap. Heat enveloped her for an instant, and her view of the room around her shifted as if the ground had risen ever so slightly beneath her hooves. Twilight was a bit taller than her, after all. And when she brought her hoof around from the back of her neck, it was a light shade of lavender rather than its familiar ivory. "Yes." Discord's face appeared on the other side of her hoof, one eye squinted and the other wide. "It's got the tiniest possible shard of changeling magic embedded inside it, nothing big enough to set off any detection spells or like that, and I've set it to respond to your touch only in case Fluttershy gets groping around back there at some point." He blew out a breath. "I've seen how intent you ponies can get when you start pushing your various body parts against each other." Rarity felt that she should say something in defense of groping body parts, but the idea that she might very soon be engaging in that very activity with Fluttershy dried her throat and quickened her breath too much for any words to emerge. Discord moved to peer at her from one side, then the other. "In a similar way, only you should be able to remove it, but you'll need to leave it in place while you're wearing Twilight's shape or you'll turn back into yourself." He blew another breath, but this time, it buffeted Rarity like a sudden gust of wind. "It also shouldn't come undone to any force smaller than a chair being slammed across you, and if that happens, well, I imagine you'll have bigger things to be worried about." Bending her neck, a sensation that felt simultaneously both like and unlike what she was used to, Rarity tightened muscles along her back, twitching her wings till she found the proper combination to flex them open and closed. "I don't know," Discord said, answering the question Rarity hadn't managed to ask. "You might be able to fly with them, but I'd recommend against it." One of his eagle talons came up and poked her nose. "The more important thing is—" Something rattled across the room, and Rarity looked up to see the front door settling back into place, its wings vanishing with multiple pops. "Fluttershy," Discord more whispered than said, "is at the bottom of the path right now and will be opening that door in mere seconds. Can you honestly say that you'll get her back to her old self?" Shivering, Rarity didn't turn away from the door. "Come back tomorrow," she whispered in return, "and you'll find her in the best mood of her life." A snapping sound behind her caused the room to become suddenly a great deal less crowded. And then the door swung open. [hr] "Twilight?" Fluttershy asked, stepping from the evening darkness outside into the light of her front room. "Is...is everything all right?" And the feelings that crashed in and out of Rarity, how can I begin to describe them? Fear, of course, dominated, almost blinding in its intensity. But the sight of Fluttershy in all her exquisite perfection drove away any possibility of blindness. Certain practical matters also clamored for her attention. Twilight's voice, for instance: did it come included with the body, or would Rarity have to attempt to modulate her own voice to Twilight's accents? The story she was going to tell Fluttershy as well ebbed and flowed, sloshed and bubbled at the base of Rarity's tongue. She was only going to have one chance at this, after all... Seizing hold of her fear, Rarity let enough of it show in her face so Fluttershy would know her next statement was a lie. "Everything's fine, Fluttershy." She let her voice crack, too, but the three words emerged from her mouth with Twilight's plain vowels and steady consonants rather than her own rounder and more florid tones. So that was [u]one[/u] potential problem removed from her list. Fluttershy's ears fell, and she stepped further inside. "Something's wrong, isn't it?" she asked quietly. "Not wrong," Rarity said, emphasizing the second word. "Just...complicated." She gestured with a wing, very proud of herself for the smoothness of the motion. "Could you please close the door?" "Oh!" Shivers rattled up and down Fluttershy's spine, and Rarity had to stop herself from leaping over to kiss each and every one of them away. "Of course! I...I'm sorry!" Turning, she nudged the door till it clicked shut. "Is..." She came back around much more slowly. "Is it very bad news?" A calmness came over Rarity's mind, and she suddenly know exactly what she was going to say and do next. "I'm hoping it'll be very good news." She gave the sort of half smile she'd seen many times on Twilight's face when she was being cautiously optimistic. "It's really going to depend on you." "Me?" Her eyes opened wide, the salty-sour scent of fear coming into her usual fresh rainwater aroma. "I...I don't understand..." "I'm sorry." Rarity took a breath and blew it out while sweeping her right foreleg away from her chest. "I told myself I was going to do this a lot more smoothly, but I'm just so nervous!" She put some strain into swallowing so Fluttershy would be able to see her do it. "Can...can we go in and sit?" "Oh!" Fluttershy blurted out again. "Of course!" She scrambled in that endearingly flustered way toward the side of the room with her sofa and fireplace. "I'm sorry! Can I get you some tea or some—" "It's fine." Knowing she was being daring, Rarity reached out a purple hoof to touch Fluttershy's shoulder as she rushed past. Fluttershy froze, though of course she was quite the opposite of frozen against the frog of Rarity's hoof, her hide wonderfully warm and supple. "I brought food." Rarity nodded toward the bag. She'd actually forgotten during the discussion with Discord that she'd stopped to get take-out, but fortunately, moving to reach Fluttershy's shoulder had shifted her position enough to see the lovely cream-white paper bag sitting on the floor where she'd set it: ah, the wonders of serendipity! "But what I'd really like," she went on as quietly as she could manage while trying not to burst into song celebrating the way I was actually and openly touching Fluttershy, "is if we could sit together and...talk about some things..." It's quite extraordinary how expressive Fluttershy's face is. I mean, [u]everything[/u] about her's extraordinary, but her face is in a class all its own. The story being told by the vibrations of her ears, seemingly undecided about whether they wanted to perk or fold, and the hundred little twitches pulling at her mouth and eyes couldn't have been clearer. She was both ecstatic and terrified at the thought that Twilight had come to declare her love. "Please," Rarity said, hoping that the magical Twilight Sparkle mask she was wearing would show at least a fraction of the yearning she felt. For an instant, Fluttershy neither moved nor spoke, but her face...her face...her ecstatic and terrified face... And then— "All right," she murmured like a pony half asleep and dreaming. More drifting that stepping, she began to make her way across the room toward the sofa. Rarity grabbed the bag in her hornglow, almost dropped it when the aura seizing it was pink instead of blue, then grabbed it more firmly when the color was exactly right. She was being Twilight Sparkle, after all. Following Fluttershy to that part of the room also caused Rarity to almost act precipitously. For a delicious sway had come over those perfect hindquarters, and it took a great deal of effort for Rarity not to leap forward and demonstrate the depths of her appreciation. She resisted, however, and Fluttershy climbed gracefully up to sit on the sofa. Rarity set the bag on the coffee table, took half a step toward the sofa to join Fluttershy there, then realized that Twilight would most certainly rather pace were she in as much emotional turmoil as Rarity wanted to convey. "Again," she said, beginning what she hoped would be an appropriate back-and-forth on the other side of Fluttershy's table, "I'm sorry for how disjointed this all is. I made note cards, but I couldn't risk anypony finding them, so I had to construct a small vault under my bed where I could lock them away. And then?" She shrugged her wings and gave a sheepish grin. "I forgot to bring them with me when I came." Fluttershy's blinking was almost audible. "Do...do you want me to wait while you go get them?" "No." Rarity put a determined look on her face. "I've waited too long to do this already." She took a breath and stopped pacing to face Fluttershy. "A few weeks ago at our last council meeting, Rarity asked me about romantic attraction, and I, well, I kind of panicked. I'd never really thought about before, and I just gave the first answer that came into my head: that if I hadn't ever thought about it, it must be because I'm not interested in things like that." With another large and visible swallow, Rarity let her voice get a bit huskier. "But that night and every night since then, I...I have must definitely thought about it. And I've come to realize that I'm very much interested in things like that. When it comes to one very specific case, I mean..." "Oh, my," Fluttershy squeaked, the blush that came over her cheeks turning them the must adorable shade of orange, She brought her front hooves up to cover her mouth. Rarity forced her growing excitement to express itself as concern. "I know this must be very sudden and maybe a little alarming, but Fluttershy, would you please consider becoming my special—" "Yes." Fluttershy's hooves were still in front of her mouth, but the word emerged as clear and ringing to Rarity's ears as the chime of a tiny crystal bell. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes." An odd tugging at Rarity's back made her realize that the wings of her disguise had opened and flared, and she made a quick note to thank Discord most profusely for the detailed nature of the spell he'd crafted for her. "You...you mean it?" she asked even though she already knew the answer. Fluttershy's nod almost shook her off the sofa. The sight of Fluttershy affirming her love, so long desired, made Rarity take several steps forward. But she was being Twilight Sparkle, wasn't she? And Twilight would never do anything without triple checking. "Then...can I come sit beside you on the couch?" More vigorous nodding, Fluttershy's eyes wide and shimmering. "And please." She lowered her hooves, Rarity physically unable to look away from her gorgeous lips. "Would you...touch me...the way you did earlier?" With more effort, Rarity didn't vault the table and plunge into Fluttershy's glorious depths. Instead, she continued forward even more gingerly and pulled herself up onto the sofa, never breaking eye contact with Fluttershy—and never, in fact, wanting to break eye contact with her again for the rest of her life. She slid along the cushions, Fluttershy's miraculous, quivering face getting closer and closer, reached out a hoof, and touched the cheek of the most beautiful pony to ever grace the wide, wide world of Equestria. Fluttershy closed her eyes, rubbed her face against Rarity's hoof— And they never did eat that night. At least, not the food Rarity had brought with her. [hr] Lying sated beside Fluttershy in her bed an hour or so before dawn, Rarity forced herself to take the final opening steps. Most somberly while stroking a purple hoof through that heavenly pink mane, she told Fluttershy that no creature must ever know of their relationship. That was the reason Celestia and Luna had kept secret the identities of their special someponies: it was the only way to make sure they remained safe. "So even when the Friendship Council meets," she concluded, "we can't let on that we're intimate in any way. For I would tear the very sun from the sky to destroy any threat to you, my love, and, well, I don't think the royal astronomers would appreciate that..." Fluttershy giggled, cuddled closer to Rarity, and it took every ounce of Rarity's willpower not to allow their activities of the previous evening, night, and early morning to continue. With one more kiss, Rarity promised to call upon Fluttershy again in two or three evenings. Fluttershy promised that she wouldn't breathe a word even to Angel Bunny about any of it, and Rarity then performed what she'd know all along would be the most difficult part of the whole affair: she teleported herself away. And yes, she only got as far as the row of lilac bushes a few yards from Fluttershy's cottage, but that was certainly farther than she'd ever teleported before: I assume it was the power of her finally-fulfilled love that allowed it. It was enough, at least, to let her tap Discord's device and return to her own shape before creeping her way homeward in the pre-dawn darkness. She ate, bathed, slept, bathed again, ate again, did a little distracted sewing, then made her way back to Fluttershy's a few hours before midnight to tap her device and teleport in for another several hours of pure, unadulterated bliss. The two of them quickly worked out as schedule—Rarity [u]was[/u] being Twilight, after all—and somehow, impossibly, it's all worked out so far. Discord even made a few improvements to the original device, he was so happy with the change in Fluttershy's mood. For her part, Fluttershy never made even a glancing reference to her love affair, not to Rarity when she was wearing her own skin at the spa nor at any of the Friendship Council meetings that followed. She never winked at Twilight, never tried to give her a secret gift, never made any sort of a comment that might imply that there was anything going on between them. Rarity kept waiting and waiting and waiting for it all to collapse around her like so much ill-constructed patio furniture, but three, sometimes four nights a week, she abandoned herself and took on Twilight's form to receive the love that was meant for Twilight. Often she hoped that it would all collapse, that her foul betrayal would be discovered, but it hasn't been up till this very moment, the fifth anniversary of her first touching Fluttershy's lips with her own. But how could she stop? In fact, she'd often feared during those years that she would grow tired of the masquerade, grow tired of the arrangement, grow tired of Fluttershy. But every night from her first touch to her last, the experience is transcendent, so far beyond any dream she ever had that she knows she can never give it up, never turn away, never declare the truth. And as far as I know, she still never has. Not that any of this actually happened, of course...