Chapter 17

Fluttershy’s Cottage, Ponyville

Fluttershy hovered above her injured guest, fussing over every little detail. The poor sheep insisted she was fine but was covered in small cuts which were made all the more obvious due to her pearly white coat. Furthermore Ariadne’s coat was now sporting patches of black and brown, from all the smoke and grime accumulated from the accident. What further worried the buttery pegasus was the large gash along the ewe’s forehead.

Fluttershy frowned. “Oh no you have so many cuts! And that one on your forehead looks serious.”

“I-it’s not that bad really; I don’t want to bother you.”

“Yes it is. Now, you’re going march straight into the bath if I have to drag you there myself…if that’s alright with you.”

Ariadne’s ears flattened. “Well I guess I am a little dirty…”

“You call that a little? Your coat looks like it’s been dragged through a mine.”

The sheep’s eyes watered. “O-o-ok I’ll take a bath. I’m sooo sorry Miss Fluttershy! Not only have I inconvenienced you but I’ve offended you with my filthy body…*sniff* What a horrible ewe I am…*hic*”

Fluttershy bit her lip. She hadn’t meant to hurt the sheep’s feelings. Ariadne’s ocean blue eyes were on the verge of tears. Shy quickly trotted over to the ewe and wrapped her up in a gentle hug. Ariadne began to shake under Shy’s wings moistening her coat with fresh tears.

Shy rubbed the sheep’s back. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I just wanted you to get cleaned up, because if you don’t an infection might set in. I don’t want you to get sick.”

Ariadne sniffed. “I got a bit carried away…sorry. The crash was rather traumatic and I didn’t really get a chance to recover from it yet.”

“That’s completely understandable. Are you feeling well enough to walk?”

Ariadne took a few ginger steps towards the stairs and promptly fell on her rump with a loud squeak. “Oww I guess not…”

Fluttershy grabbed the ewe with her forehoves. “I’ll just have to fly you to the tub.”

Shy found that the sheep was extremely light, so she had no trouble getting her up to the bathroom. The pegasus deposited her wooly cargo onto the floor and began to fill the tub with warm water. She dipped her hoof in to make sure the water wasn’t too hot, otherwise it would burn her guest and make the cuts sting even more. Shy hoisted the sheep into the tub using the ends of her wings. She then grabbed a loofa with her mouth and began scrubbing the ewe.

Ariadne blushed. “Oh…you don’t have to do that. I-I can get that myself.”

Fluttershy smiled. “No it’s ok I bathe some of my animal friends all the time. At least you’re nice and calm unlike a certain bunny I know. Angel hates baths.”

“You have a pet rabbit? I bet he’s really cute.”

“Yes, but I actually have a lot of critter friends. I’m a veterinarian so I take care of animals all the time. In fact a lot of the ponies in town come to me if they have pet problems.”

“I see, that would explain why you’re so caring. I have a pet nightingale back home. His name is Gaius. He used to…sing to me when I needed cheering up. *Sniff* I’ve been away from home so long I miss Father and…*hic*”

Fluttershy stroked her cheek. “It must terrible to be so far away from home. But don’t worry if you need somepony to cry on I’m here. Would it make you feel better if you talked about where you’re from?”

Ariadne sniffed. “Sorry, I’ve always been a bit a cry-lamb. I came from the Fleece Islands; they’re a confederation of city-states ruled by a senate. It’s to the far south of Equestria, even past Saddle Arabia. I lived on the largest island that housed the capital, Baathens.”

“I’ve never been outside Equestria before, well except for the Crystal Empire. But I’m afraid I don’t understand what a senate is could you explain it…that is if you don’t mind.”

Ariadne’s ears perked up. “I don’t mind at all. Politics and government is something that Father taught me well and I umm…kind of like them too. Each city-state elects two senators to represent them, there are fifteen city states so that makes thirty senators total. The senate building is located in the center of Baathens. The senate itself elects two rams to lead it. One is the Chancellor and the other is the Viceroy.”

Fluttershy looked confused. “So they’re kind of like the two princesses?”

“Not quite. They’re elected not crowned. The Viceroy leads in place of the Chancellor if he’s sick or away. During normal circumstances the Viceroy has far less power than the Chancellor. We’ve had this system in place for at least two thousand years. Everysheep seems to be happy with it.”

“Umm you said that the Chancellor was elected. How long is he elected for?”

“Each Chancellor serves a term of exactly ten years. He may run for reelection as many times as he wants, so long as he has popular support. If the senate thinks he’s unfit to rule they elect to have him ousted from office.”

Fluttershy cleaned some of Ariadne’s cuts. “This might sting a little…sorry.”

“I’d rather have them sting for a little bit, than to have them become infected.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Good, all done. Your cuts weren’t too deep so they should heal quickly. You keep talking about your father, what does he do?”

The sheep shuffled her hooves. “I love Father very much, but…I don’t think I’m comfortable talking about that. His job makes him a bit overbearing sometimes…sorry Ms. Fluttershy I don’t really want to get into it right now.”

“Oh my I didn’t realize it was such a sore subject for you. I’m sorry. Oh and since you’re going to be staying here for the foreseeable future please call me Shy or Fluttershy. You don’t have to call me miss.”

“Maybe I’ll tell you once we get to know each other a little better.”

“Mhmm you just take however long you need. Now let’s get you dried off.”

Fluttershy lifted her out of the tub and used a towel to dry the sopping wet sheep. Unfortunately wool coats have the tendency to get very fluffy when dried too quickly. Ariadne in essence, became a living puff ball. The bashful ewe groaned in frustration, knowing that Shy would not have known how to dry her coat properly…but was still annoyed anyway.

Fluttershy snickered. “Oh sorry I didn’t mean to Pfffffttt hahahah! You’re so fluffy!”

Ariadne rolled her eyes. “I know…it’ll go back to normal within an hour.”

“Sorry I couldn’t help myself. I’ll tell you what, I’ll go get you a nice snuggly blanket and you can rest on the couch in front of the fireplace. After you get settled I’ll make some soup. How’s that sound?”

“I am kind of hungry, now that you mention it…ok that sounds good.”

Shy carried Ariadne over to the couch and wrapped her in an orange blanket which had floral designs all over it. Once the fire was stoked Shy trotted out the kitchen to heat up some leftover tomato soup she had from the day before. While Shy was heating up the soup, Ariadne snuggled into the blanket noting a faint scent of lilacs. The scent reminded her of the large gardens near her home back in Baathens. Fluttershy came back with two bowls of steaming tomato soup, topped with a small dollop of sour cream. The pegasus was using her wings to manipulate a spoon but realized that Ariadne had no such appendages.

“Oh dear I forgot that you don’t have magic or wings. Do you want me to feed it to you?”

“No I can eat it straight out of the bowl. Actually that’s how we eat soup back home anyway.”

“Hmm earthponies do something similar. You know a thought just occurred to me. How are you able to speak and understand Equestrian?”

“Sheep don’t normally speak Equestrian…at least in the home islands. We learn it primarily as a trade language, since the occasional Equestiran merchant ships visit our ports from time to time.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Thank goodness you do understand me. Otherwise it would have been very difficult to help you. Once you finish your soup try and get some rest. You need to give your body a chance to heal itself.”

Ariadne rested her head on the pillow. “*Yawn* Mmm a full tummy always makes me a bit sleepy. I shouldn’t need…too…much sleep…”

The ewe was fast asleep in seconds. Shy sat in a chair across from her, reading a mushy romance novel. As she read the pegasus could hear the soft, rhythmic snoring of the slumbering sheep. Momentarily distracted, Shy took a peek. She had to admit that Ariadne was one of the most adorable creatures she’d ever seen and this was coming from a mare that knew her cute, cuddly critters. The sheep’s ears flicked up and down as she shifted positions. It nearly gave Shy a heart attack. She looked so peaceful and…cuddly. Shy bit her lip, resisting with all the willpower she had not to cuddle the ewe.

Throwing all common sense out the window Shy gingerly removed the blanket from Ariadne and wrapped her hooves around the cuddly cotton ball. The sheep was so soft and warm that when Shy draped the blanket back over them both, she fell asleep as well. Two hours later Ariadne awoke feeling something incredibly soft on her back. She tried to move but found her waist was held still by a pair of buttery yellow hooves.

The sheep managed to roll over and found herself face to face with Fluttershy. Initially she was tempted to scream but opted to smile instead, since Shy looked content. The heady scent of lilacs assaulted her nostrils once again, as Shy’s grip tightened. Ariadne blushed realizing that the blanket had Fluttershy’s scent on it, not the flowers themselves. The sheep gently removed her yellow hooves and went into the kitchen to brew some tea. Once the tea was done she sat by the fireplace happily sipping her tea, waiting for Shy to wake up.

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The Blooming Lotus Hotel, Ponyville

Trixie and Carrot’s kiss lingered a bit longer than was feasible for an accident. Trixie was the first to pull away but she did so gently as not to upset the situation further. She noticed how red-faced Carrot was and was relieved that she wasn’t alone in her mortification. Despite her embarrassment the showmare hadn’t thought the kiss was the least bit repulsive or unpleasant.

Carrot’s ears flattened. “I-I that…wasn’t supposed to happen, it was an accident. I’m sorry for getting into it during the last part. You were such a good kisser and I was so lonely and…”

Trixie put her hoof against his lips. “You weren’t the only one buddy. I let you do that. I know we didn’t mean to do it but…I really liked it.”

“You…did? I mean I liked it too but why would you want somepony like me? Surely there are better looking stallions out there, especially for a gorgeous showmare like you.”

Trixie sighed. “While it’s true that I’ve dated my fair share of sexy stallions, you’re different from them. I mean that in a good way. You saw me as Trixie not another piece of plot. That…means a lot to me. Yeah I saw you checking me out earlier but you didn’t force anything and that is way more appealing than some toned flanks.”

Carrot blushed. “Oh…you saw that? Heh, well you are really hot after all.”

“I try my best to look sharp Carrot. But more importantly I’m a showmare, and I have audiences look at me all the time. It’s only natural that I would notice…and I might have done a few things to get you to look at me. I swear I didn’t mean anything malicious by it!”

“Ok but why would you go to all that trouble?”

Trixie pawed at the floor. “I needed to test you, to see if you were worth my time. You have to understand that I’ve been very lonely and depressed for the past two months. I needed somepony that I could be with who didn’t treat me like I was a celebrity. You didn’t make a big deal out of it, and that means a lot to me.”

Carrot smiled. “Thank goodness I was afraid I had creeped you out or something. You know when I kicked Cup out it broke my heart. We had been married for over twelve years, it seemed like yesterday ya know. I feel awful for trying to find another mare so soon but I’m not used to being alone.”

“Perhaps the reason our relationships ended wasn’t because of bad luck. Maybe it was so that we could be together.”

Carrot shrugged. “Fate does work in mysterious ways.”

Trixie blushed. “Hey umm if you don’t mind, would you want to ya know…try dating for a while. I mean if it’s not too sudden and only if you want to. I’d completely understand if you aren’t ready yet.”

“I’d more than happy to be your special somepony. Count me in!”

“You can be under one condition.”

“Uhhh what’s that?”

“Don’t ever call me your special somepony. That’s entirely too corny and outdated. It’s marefriend got it?”

“Heh well we are kind of old fashioned here in Ponyville, but ok no more special somepony.”

Trixie gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Good, I’m glad you understand. Now what shall we do next Studcake?”

Carrot scrunched his eyebrows. “Eh…Studcake. What the hell does that mean?”

“Oh it’s my pet name for you. Since you have the last name of cake, I decided to put something comical in front of it.”

“But I’m not even muscular what would even compel you to think of a name like that?”

Trixie poked him in the chest. “Hmm you’re right…that does sound a bit condescending. How about Sweetcake? “

Carrot facehooved. “That’s a little better, but I dunno can’t you just stick to Carrot?”

“What fun is that? Oh well I’ll think of something don’t worry.”

Aurora scoffed. “It’s about time you two hooked up, sheesh.”

“Anyway I better get back to Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie’s probably up to her neck in orders and not to mention taking care of the foals. Damn it I feel like such a lazy bum! I really shouldn’t have gone out and wallowed in self-pity.”

Trixie frowned. “Hey don’t say that. If you hadn’t we would have never met. Oh and don’t worry I’ll help you out with the foals if need be.”

“By any chance is it possible for you to teleport us there?”

“Teleport HA! Such a spell is foal’s play for me. Aurora hop on my back. Carrot you hold onto my hoof. Just make sure that you close your eyes first, earthponies have a tendency to get vertigo when teleporting.”

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Golden Oaks Library, Ponyville

Dusk paced back and forth. “Spike this is bad. REALLY REALLY BAD!”

Spike yawned. “Why are you so worked for?”

Dusk grabbed Spike’s face. “Don’t you understand what Molly did?”

“Uhhh no?”

“How can you not know!? She used some kind of spell on AJ and now she’s gone and created a scandal in town! Since she’s my marefriend everypony will associate me with her and by extension my reputation will go down the drain.”

“Sorry I haven’t really been paying attention to what’s going on in town. I was busy reading the newest issue of Ponyball Z.”

“Urrrghhhhh Spike this isn’t the time to be catching up on awesome manga!”

“Well duh sure it’s awesome, that’s why I’ve been reading it dude. Just chill out. Everypony knows Molly’s interesting…habits by now right? Just play it off as an accident.”

“But that’s just it Spike, it wasn’t an accident.”

Spike scratched his stomach. “Ok so did anypony get hurt?”

“No, but it was indecent.”

“What exactly was indecent about it?”

“She gave AJ and Briar necklaces that m-made them have…”

“Have what? Spit it out Dusk.”

“S-s-sex in front of everypony.”

Spike picked his nose. “Did they both enjoy it?”

“Huh…what kind of question is that?”

“A simple one, I assume.”

“I guess so…”

“Then I don’t see the problem. Besides it wasn’t like Molly forced them to have sex. You said the necklaces did that. So why would anypony blame you?”

“They wouldn’t but what if…”

“Dude stop asking what if all the time. Sure it’s not like a lot of the ponies in town needed to see AJ and Briar like that but it happened. The two of them have their own reputations to worry about, which judging by what you just said I don’t think they care that much. I mean didn’t AJ have a huge crush on Briar anyway?”

“Yeah since she was a filly.”

“Good then I’m sure both of them had fun. It’s not like AJ raped him. If anything I think we should be celebrating the fact that they’ve become a couple.”

Molly chose that moment to burst into the door. Her wings were spread to the maximum and she was wearing a leery grin. Her hungry eyes searched the room and locked on Dusk.

Dusk felt his stomach churn. “Oh hi Molly fancy seeing you. I hear that you uhhh helped out Briar and AJ. They’re a couple now huh? Well good for them I say! Hahahah….”

“Why yes dear, I believe they enjoyed themselves. We should be celebrating a couple that has the courage to copulate in the very streets for everypony to see.”

“I wouldn’t go so far as that…”

Molly smirked. “Dusk do you know what happens when I witness such a joyous act?”

Dusk gulped. “It makes you want to…congratulate them?”

“Tsk tsk after all this time you still don’t understand me. It made me so very…very horny. And not in the literal sense mind you. My wings have been aching for the last half hour, I can practically feel them pulsating.”

“Well w-why don’t you have a nice relaxing cup of tea? It’ll make you forget all about that pesky wing boner.”

Molly nibbled on Dusk’s ear. “Of course the wing boner isn’t the only thing. I’m so wet right now. Why if a certain stallion were to take advantage of me, he would slip riiiiight in.”

Dusk’s voice raised an octave. “YOU ARE!?”

“Spike dear would you mind taking care of the library for an hour? I have some business to attend to with Dusk…in private.”

“Yeah sure go ahead. It’s not like we’re busy right now. Have fun.”

Molly levitated Dusk in the air. “Come along sunshine we’re going to try some positions from the Kar-mare Sutra. Oooh maybe we can try my favorite pose, the dancing cranes!”