Fool Moon, Part 22 (There will be water...)

>You look down at Fluttershy in her hospital bed, and she immediately eeps and covers her face with her mane.
>You smile at her and sit partways on the bed, getting yourself comfortable.
"Sure thing. Let's talk. How are you feeling?"
>She peeks out from under her hair and mumbles something.
"Uh...say again?"
>"I'm okay."
"Your wing isn't...isn't bothering you? Did they manage to, you know..."
>You trial off, grimacing, as you point towards the wings held in by her back.
>Fluttershy notes your expression and smiles softly at you.
>"Oh, they're perfectly fine now. The doctors fixed me right up. They just had to, um, reset a...bone."
>She trails off and shudders at the last bit, and you grimace.
"Fluttershy, I'm sorry. You should never have been in that position to begin with. If I'd told the truth from the beginning..."
>She gives you a soft smile, and you quiet yourself.
>"Anonymous, it's alright. I'm alright. How are you doing?"
>You raise an eyebrow at her, confused.
"Me? Fine, perfect, even. I'm cured! Well, sort of. I guess, maybe, I'm not sure, but I'm not morphing into a monster and attacking ponies anymore, so I count that as cured."
>Fluttershy giggles, which you count as a good sign.
"Yeah, I'm good. Great, even."
>"That's...nice."
>She smiles at you, and you smile back at her.
"But enough about how I'm doing. What's on your mind, Fluttershy?"
>She looks down at her hooves and starts rubbing them together, worried.
>"I...well, I wanted to...um...talk about you."
"Uh..."
>"About you and Rarity."



>God damnit.
>Et tu, Fluttershy?
>You sigh, trying not to let your irritation seep into your voice.
"You don't have to start, Fluttershy. Rainbow and Applejack made everything perfectly clear to me. I think it'll be better if I just-"
>You start to leverage yourself up when you see the expression on Fluttershy's face.
>She looks terrified, worried, and most of all, confused.
>"Wha...what? Applejack and Rainbow talked to you? About you and Rarity? About...about me? What did they say?"
>Oh shit.
>You get the vague, uneasy feeling that you had just stumbled dick-first into a potential minefield.
"I...well, about how you...ya know...about Rarity..."
>You trail off when you see Fluttershy's distressed expression.
>"They know!? Oh my goodness oh my goodness oh my goodness..."
"Fluttershy?"
>"And they told you!? You must hate me now! I didn't want you to....oh my goodnesss..."
>Tears form in the corners of her eyes, and Fluttershy starts mumbling to herself in a sort of terrified fit.
"Fluttershy!"
>You reach out and grab her, careful not to alert the other ponies to Fluttershy's little terror-fit.
>You give her the gentlest of shakes, trying to calm her down.
"It's okay! I don't hate you, alright? How could I?"
>She freezes up.
>"You...you aren't mad at me?"
"Hell no. You're my friend, Fluttershy. You like who you like, right? Honestly, with the speech AJ and Rainbow gave me I thought you'd be the mad one."
>She furrows her brows, confused.
>"Anon, why would I be mad at you?"
"Because...you know...Rarity."
>She smiles.
>"You make her happy, Anon. That's all I ever wanted."


>You withdraw from Fluttershy, a bit confused.
>Rainbow made it sound like you'd torn a hole in her chest and shat on her heart.
>Yet here she is, smiling at you.
>It's a sweet, indulging kind of smile, like you'd said something incredibly stupid.
"But I...I mean Rainbow..."
>You trail off, confused and lost.
>Fluttershy blushes and taps her hooves together.
>"You make her smile. You did even before...before the, um..."
>She flutters her once-injured wing.
>"I'm her friend, Anon. But just her friend. She's smart, and brave, and..."
"Beautiful?"
>Fluttershy blushes, and you smile.
>"And graceful."
"And kind."
>"And generous."
"And confident, can't forget that one."
>"Oh no, I wouldn't dream of it!"
>The pair of you glance at each other, and you give each other a wide smile.
"She's great, isn't she?"
>Fluttershy remains silent, blushing and nodding her head.
>Eventually, after a pleasant silence, Fluttershy looks up and smiles at you.
>"I don't, um, I don't even think she's into...mares."
>The last comes out as a squeak, and Fluttershy gives you a nervous smile.
>That's what starts it. You let out a snicker, and Fluttershy starts giggling.
>Before you know it, the both of you are laughing to yourselves, ignoring the confused glances of some of the other ponies in the room.
>As your little insane case of the chuckles calms down, you and Fluttershy smile at each other.
"So...still friends?"
>"Of course!"
>You lean over, and Fluttershy wraps her butter-colored hooves around your shoulder in a hug.
>You pause a moment, before wrapping your arms around her in a grateful hug of your own.


>You let go of Fluttershy, still chuckling a bit.
"Fluttershy, I owe you."
>"For what?"
"For being...well, Fluttershy. For watching me. For trying to stop me that night. For this."
>She gives you another soft smile.
>"What are friends for, Anon?"
>You snort.
"I'm the wrong guy to ask. Just wish AJ and Rainbow saw it the way you do."
>She pats you on the shoulder with a hoof.
>"They'll come around."
"I don't see that happening."
>She frowns.
>"They've got to. Rainbow can be stubborn, but she'll see what the rest of us do, I promise."
"Thanks Fluttershy. So when are you heading home?"
>She flaps her wings a little bit.
>"I'm not quite sure. The doctors said they wanted to do a few more tests before I, um, get out. But I should be going home today."
"Tests?"
>Fluttershy shrugs.
>"They said it won't take long. But I'm glad all my friends stopped by to see me."
>You turn and look at the ponies behind you.
>Rarity's eyeing you anxiously, while Pinkie and Twilight strike up a conversation next to her.
>Rainbow and AJ are...well they're glaring at you. Big surprise there.
>You look back at Rarity, then back at Fluttershy, who smiles.
>"I'm glad we talked, Anon. Thanks again for, um, stopping by. And, um, no matter what anyp0ny else says, I'll always be your friend."
>You smile and give her another quick hug before getting up.
"I'll come by to see you when you're out, Fluttershy. And again, thanks."
>She smiles at you, and you turn to go, ignoring the furious stares of a certain blue bitch and her apple-assed sidekick as you make your way to Rarity.



>Rarity's anxiety seems to clear up as she notes the expression on your face.
>True to form, she doesn't exactly give away what she's thinking, eyeing you up and down and quirking an eyebrow.
>"So...what did you and Fluttershy talk about?"
"Stuff."
>"...Stuff?"
"And things. There were things, too."
>Rarity lets out an exasperated sigh.
>"I think I feel that headache coming back on."
"I'm just messing with you, Marshmallow. We just talked. Nothing to worry about."
>She leans around you and looks at Fluttershy.
>"You just...'talked?'"
>You freeze.
"Do I detect...jealous paranoia?"
>Rarity jumps a little, glaring up at you.
>"No, I-"
>She stops when she sees you grinning.
>"You are insufferable!"
"Yet you suffer me, don't you?"
>You see her open her mouth to retort, and you forestall whatever she was about to say by leaning down and giving her a quick kiss.
"No need to worry. There's only one gir-mare. There's only one mare for me."
>Her expression of annoyance slowly melts into a wry smile.
>"How noble of you. Well, come along, Fluttershy's doctors are on their way back. I suppose it's time we head back home."
"Where's Sweetie?"
>"She and the Crusaders left to go have another one of their little soiree's."
>You start walking as you talk, telling Pinkie and Twilight goodbye, and giving AJ and Rainbow the cold shoulder.
>Rarity trots up next to you, eyeing you curiously as the pair of you make your way out of the hospital.
>As the doors to Ponyville General close, Rarity whirls on you.
>"Alright, Now that we're out of earshot of a certain pair of ponies, care to tell me what you and Fluttershy were REALLY discussing?"



>You shrug a little uneasily.
"Just...talking, Rarity, relax."
>"Talking about why Rainbow and Applejack look like they want to buck you into next week?"
"Something like that. Rainbow took the, uh, incident a bit personally."
>Rarity groans in annoyance.
>"I have HAD it with those two. We've been over this, back and forth, for days? Why can't they just let it go?"
"They're afraid. Can you blame them?"
>She glares up at you, still upset.
>"Yes. I most certainly can."
>You laugh, and Rarity grins at you.
"Can't argue with that, can I?"
>"Not on your life."
>The pair of you walk in silence for a time, until you note that Rarity's path isn't taking her back towards your shared home.
"So..."
>"Hmmm?"
"Sweetie Belle's off with her friends. We've got the rest of the day to ourselves."
>"That we do."
"So, how should we spend it?"
>She hums to herself.
>"A relaxing hay shake in the park sounds relaxing, does it not?"
>You frown at her.
"Not quite what I was thinking."
>She smiles at you and flicks you with her tail.
>"Oh, I know what you were thinking, and the answer is no, you filthy ruffian. Honestly, Anonymous, what kind of lady do you take me for?"
>You stop and gape at her, your brain struggling to find a way to rectify your mistake.
"I wasn't...I mean I didn't...that's not what I..."
>She giggles.
>"Lighten up, Anon."
>She walks past you and smirks over her shoulder.
>"I was just messing with you, after all."
>You scowl at her, and she has another fit of giggles.
>"Really though, I know the perfect way to work some of that tension out."
>You grin.


"Ow."
>Another hoof slams into your back, and you wince.
>This was NOT what you had in mind when she said removing tension.
>At all.
>"Anon, don't be such a baby!"
>You glance over to where Rarity lies, a town on her back and cucumbers on her eyes.
"Easy for you to say. You must be -Ow- used to having -Ow- hooves jammed into your -OW- spine."
>You wince again as the mare working on your back, Aloe or Vera or something like that, tsks and hits you again.
>You had no idea how this was supposed to be relaxing.
>If you wanted hard blunt objects slammed into your backside, you could have just stayed home and join the family busi-
>Thought leaves you as the pony behind you jams another hoof into your back.
>You hear a crack, and pain lights up every one of your senses.
"WHAT THE FUoooooh."
>The pain melts away, vanishing as if it was never there.
>With it goes tension, worry, old hurts, sucked away like poison from a wound.
>You stretch out, like a cat, and sigh as the pony continues to work your back.
>This was.
>Damn.
>DAMN.
>You open your mouth and let out something that might have been the bastard child of a groan and a laugh, and Rarity giggles at you.
>"See, I t-told y-you t-this w-would b-be f-fantastic."
>She continues to talk to you through the other pony working on her back, which you find amazing.
>If you tried to speak, you're pretty sure you'd just drool at this point.
>It feels like you've been running for years, and just found a feather bed for the first time.
>This was....
>Perfect.


"I'm not getting in that."
>Rarity frowns up at you from her place in the mud bath.
>"Why ever not?"
"It's a pool of mud. HOT mud. Why in God's name would I get in that?"
>She leans backwards, putting her head against the edge of the pool near your foot.
>"Because it's relaaaaaxing, that's why!"
"Why would you...you're the biggest clean-freak I know, human or pony. Why are you trying to convince me, a CLEAN me, to jump into a pool full of liquid dirt?"
>Rarity sighs.
>"Must we really go through this at every spa treatment?"
"Well, yeah. Not like I've ever been to a spa before!"
>You didn't even know what one was, but you'd be damned if you'd let her know that.
>"Please?"
>She pushes out her lower lip, giving you a pair of wide eyes.
"Nope."
>Rarity sighs.
>"Very well, then."
>You shove your hands in your bathrobe and grin.
"Good. Glad you see things my-WHOA!"
>At the last possible moment, you see the blue glow on Rarity's horn as your feet are literally pulled from under you.
>You whirl your arms through the air, struggling to grab on to something, anything, as you fall on your ass and get PULLED into the pool of mud.
>You hit the mud with a gigantic splash.
>As the mud settles, you surface, glaring at Rarity.
>The white mare grins sheepishly at your mud-spattered face.
>"Well, that was less....graceful, than I had planned."
>You open your mouth and spit out a thin stream of mud.
>"Anonymous, that's disgusting!"
>You raise an eyebrow at Rarity, and then look down at the pool of mud.
"...Really?"
>"Yes, really!"
>She was right though, this was relaxing as hell.
"This is terrible."
>"You're welcome."


>You sigh as you put your clothes back on.
>The spa ponies had washed them, dried them, even repaired a bit of torn stitching.
>They really went all out with this crap.
>You felt...great.
>Better than great, actually.
>Perfect.
>You felt clean, and happy, and relaxed. Those little knots of muscle in your arms and back had vanished.
>Spots of tension you hadn't even felt had been loosened.
>You'd be damned before you'd admit you enjoyed it, though.
"That was awful."
>Rarity hums to herself as she pays the spa ponies and trots out the door ahead of you.
>"No it wasn't, and you know it."
"Really, after the back massage thing, it just went downhill."
>"Really, Anon, who are you trying to convince here?"
"I think that might be the worst thing I have ever experienced."
>Rarity stays ahead of you, talking over her shoulder in a sing-song voice.
>"That's not what you said when we were in the bath togeeeether!"
>You close your mouth, fuming.
>So you'd gotten a bit TOO relaxed in the bath, what of it?
>Who cares if you'd spent more time kissing than actually getting clean?
>The spa was still awful, and you hated it forever.
"Well, at least that's over. The park next?"
>She nods.
>"The park next. Tell me, Anonymous, have you ever had a hay shake?"
"Uh...no."
>"It's fantastic. Hay and ice cream and a little bit of milk all in one drink."
"...What's ice cream?"
>She gives you a look of shock, then darts her eyes around, suddenly terrified.
>"Don't let Pinkie hear you say that. It's....well it's like frozen, sugary milk, or cream."
>.....
"I want a hay shake."


Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRF4Rz8vhJk
>Now this was terrible.
>It was a drink made of sugary grass.
>Rarity notices your look of distaste as she sips on her shake.
>"I take it that hay isn't part of the human diet?"
"When you said hay, I didn't think you meant...well, hay."
>You grimace at another sip before setting the drink aside.
>Then you lean back on the grass, hands behind your head.
>Rarity lies down near you, hooves curled under herself.
>The pair of you had decided to spend the last parts of the afternoon in the park.
>Watching the sun set.
>Rarity stirs at your side, shifting her hooves under herself.
>"Anon?"
"Hmmm?"
>"Will this work?"
>You turn your head to look at her.
"What?"
>"Will this...will WE, work?"
>You look at her for a while, and she looks back. You know what she's thinking.
>You're as alien to her as she is to you.
"I knew a guy once, back home. Old fisherman, used to always hang out in bars. He had this saying."
>Rarity's brows draw together in a silent question.
"There'll be water if God wills it. I always thought that saying was weird, but he loved it. Said it meant not to worry, that things would work out."
>She grows a soft, sad smile, but you continue.
"He had another that I was more fond of. If you're thirsty, you can pray for rain all you want, but make damn sure you're digging a well while you're doing it."
>"Anon, I don't think..."
>You cut her off.
"What I'm saying is...we'll make it work, okay? Whatever it takes, we'll make it work."
>She smiles at that, and then she leans forwards.
>Your lips meet hers, and the sunset is forgotten.


That Night.
"Wait, let me get this straight. You made ALL of them a dress? As in FREE clothing? And they whined about it?"
>"Well when you put it that way..."
>She trails off, chuckling, as the pair of you make your way back home.
"I hate your friends."
>She gasps.
>"Anon!"
"Except Fluttershy and Pinkie. They're okay."
>"Anonymous, that's not fair!"
"Nope, hatred."
>She scrunches her nose and glares at you, and you give her a little peck on the snout.
>You both smile as you straighten back up and open the door to the Boutique.
>Rarity smirks at you.
>"Oh, how gentlemanly of you. Ladies first?"
"Nope."
>You dart inside and close the door, to Rarity's frustration.
>You chuckle as you reopen the door and let her in.
"That's for the mud."
>"Oh get over it, will you?"
>She laughs, and you make your way to the couch, stretching out and sighing.
>To your surprise, Rarity hops up onto the couch with you, laying her head on your chest and sighing.
"What do you think you're doing?"
>"Getting comfortable on my fabulous new pillow."
"So that's what I am to you, a pillow?"
>"Indeed."
>You scowl, and she gives you a quick kiss on the cheek.
>For a while,t he pair of you just lie there, content and warm.
>Rarity breaks the silence, jumping slightly as something occurs to her.
>"Oh, Anonymous! I almost forgot. I have to take Sweetie Belle home this weekend."
"Home?"
>"Back to Mother and Father. I simply have to escort her to the train, but I was wondering...."
>She trails off, and gives you a pointed look.
>"How would you feel about a visit to Canterlot?"