Rarity sat at her computer desk and adamantly typed away, while Fluttershy sat up against the headboard on Rarity's bed and gently brushed Opalescence's gleaming white fur coat with a soft brush. The cat purred loudly as it stepped in circles between Fluttershy's legs, arching her back and wiggling her haunches.

"This is going a lot more smoothly than I thought it would." Rarity smiled and saved her document. "I think I'll be finished tonight."

Fluttershy smiled and bowed her head. "I'm glad to hear that. It sounds like a tough class, though."

"Yeah well I can handle it." Rarity proudly puffed her chest out and span around in her computer chair. "So... do you think I can pet Opal for a while?"

"Of course you can." Fluttershy pulled the brush away and scooted back while Rarity leaned over the bed and rested her face by Opalescence's.

She smiled at her pet and gently scratched behind her ear. "That's a good girl, Opal. I love you." Rarity smiled up at Fluttershy, who nodded with her eyes closed. She then climbed onto the bed and ran her hand down the cat's back, repeating the strokes as Opalescence arched up and purred, stepping in circles.

Fluttershy lifted a finger and bit her lip as the cat began to flick her tail from side to side, still purring and stepping around, apparently content. In an instant, the cat jumped away and hid herself behind a pair of tall green boots in the corner of the room, and Fluttershy quietly giggled. "I knew that was going to happen."

"What did I do this time?" Rarity groaned and rolled her eyes.

Fluttershy fell over onto her hands and crawled in front of Rarity. "Remember that Opal isn't just your pet, she's a predator too. If you get her too worked up, then she's going to spring away so she can cool down for a while and collect her senses and stay aware of her surroundings. She's more comfortable with me because I've never scared her before, but you scare her everyday, so you have to take it easy with her for a while."

Rarity scoffed and shook her head. "I've never scared her before... not on purpose anyway."

"I know. Here, pet this pillow like you'd pet Opal, and I'll tell you what you're doing wrong." Fluttershy lifted a cushion and held it out to Rarity, who smiled and sat it back down.

"What, you're not going to pretend to be a cat anymore?" Rarity chuckled and raised her eyebrows.

Fluttershy blushed and looked down. "I'm sorry about doing that earlier... I know it's weird, and... I don't want you to think I'm weird."

"Oh don't you worry about that. It's done, and it's very weird, but there's nothing wrong with a little weirdness now and then in my book. Keeps things fun. So don't be embarrassed or ashamed of who you are." Rarity confidently nodded and crossed her arms. "You may be a bit strange at times, but you're my friend. I accept you for who you are, and I don't want to see you change for anyone."

Fluttershy smiled and peeked up through her hair. "You really mean that?"

"Every word of it." Rarity winked and looked into her friend's eyes, who quickly lunged across the bed and wrapped her arms around her. Fluttershy squeezed tightly for a moment, and before Rarity lifted her own arms to return the hug, Fluttershy pulled away and blushed yet again.

"I'm sorry... thanks!" she squeaked and shook her head. "It's just that..."

"Don't worry about it, dear. I understand. Now where were we? I have some cat-petting techniques to learn about, right?" Rarity cleared her throat and sat back with her hands on her knees.

Fluttershy grinned and nodded. "Yes. I think we can teach each other a lot given the chance. I can teach you about cats, and you can teach me about... acceptance."

Rarity tilted her head and tapped her legs, shrugging as Fluttershy crawled back up in front of her, gently pawing at her with curled fingers.

"Mmmhh, I want to be pet," Fluttershy mumbled, still pawing at Rarity's knee.

Rarity took a deep breath and stroked her hand across her friend's pastel pink hair, her fingertips grazing the tops of her ear. She began to scratch in small circles as she ran her fingers through the soft, silky hair, slowly rubbing them down the back of her head and repeating the process.

Fluttershy tilted her head against Rarity's hand, her eyes closed with a wide, wobbly smile. She arched her back and bit her lip, wiggling her shoulder blades as she slowly opened one eye and looked up at Rarity.

"But I thought..." Rarity scratched under Fluttershy's chin and shrugged again. She ran her free hand in between her shoulder blades and rubbed up and down the shirt, curling her fingers as she began to scratch.

Fluttershy lifted her head, causing Rarity's hand slide along her neck while her other hand slid down her back. She then wiggled her rear and curled herself up into a ball. "I don't like how much you're touching me right now. Mew."

Rarity immediately backed away and her white cheeks turned red. "I'm so sorry! Oh dear, I swear I didn't mean to cross the line. It's just that you were pretending to be a cat and I-"

"Uhm..." Fluttershy raised a finger and interrupted. "I'm still pretending to be a cat. I don't mind you touching me at all, but if I was a cat I would. You were stroking all the down my back and you touched my neck and chest. If I were a small predator that was also prey to larger animals, I'd begin to feel a little wary if I didn't completely trust you."

Rarity stared wide-eyed at Fluttershy, covering her mouth with her hands. "Oh... of course."

Fluttershy scratched her head and sat up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get carried away as a cat. I thought you wanted me to."

"Oh no not at all. I mean yes, I wanted you to, and no you didn't get carried away. I just got a little confused because I thought I was... crossing a line, so to speak," Rarity explained with a huff.

Fluttershy smiled and fell back down on her hands. "I'm not really a cat, silly. You can pet me all you want and I won't actually get scared."

Rarity raised an eyebrow and placed her fingers in her chin with a smirk. "I'm not so sure that's entirely true, which is why I was a bit worried a minute ago. I thought maybe you were getting a little uncomfortable. Or what was it? Overstimulated."

"Purrrrr... I trust you, Rarity. You can pet me and show affection all you want." Fluttershy cat-crawled across the bed and rested her head on Rarity's lap.

Rarity chuckled and glanced around her bedroom, hesitantly lifting her hand. "If you say so."

Fluttershy took a deep breath, breathing across Rarity's thigh. She closed her eyes and smiled softly while her friend ran her fingers through her hair. With a slow exhale, she rolled the tip of her tongue against the roof of her mouth, mimicking a purr as she nuzzled Rarity's leg. "That feels... nice."

"Do you wish you were a real cat?" Rarity asked, lifting Fluttershy's chin with two fingertips.

Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes and looked up through her bangs at Rarity with a slow nod. "I like the way it feels getting pet."

"Would you mind petting me for a moment? I'd like to feel it too." Rarity laid down and rolled onto her stomach, scooting her head beneath Fluttershy's chest.

"I... okay, sure." Fluttershy sat back on her knees and carefully pat on Rarity's voluminous, bouncy hair. "You have nice hair. So much softer and shinier than mine."

"Credit my amazing conditioner. You can use it if you'd like to give it a try." Rarity closed her eyes and rested her chin on her crossed arms. "Pet me?"

Fluttershy gave a determined nod and ran her hands along Rarity's head. Her palms dragged across the silky purple hair while her fingertips parted it. She reached in deeper and flexed her fingers in small circles, massaging her scalp as she slowly lowered her hands towards the top of her neck.

Rarity bit her lip and hummed. "My my, Fluttershy. That does feel good. I might have to pretend to be your cat from now on."

"I'm glad you like it. I think I'm quite an experience pet petter. Maybe even the world champ." Fluttershy's burst of confidence was short-lived as Rarity rolled over and grabbed her hand.

"You think you're better than me? Lay down, you. I'll show you how people like to be pet." Rarity pulled down of Fluttershy's hand, laying her face down on the bed. "Here, use this pillow."

Fluttershy widened her eyes and blushed as she hugged onto the pillow. "Uhm... what are you doing?" she asked as Rarity straddled her, sitting upright on her knees.

"Shush, if you want me to stop then just say so, but I think you'll like it if you like to be pet." She began rapidly rubbing her hands together while Fluttershy took a deep, calming breath and pressed her face into the pillow.

Rarity licked her lips with a grin, then ran her friction-heated hands down Fluttershy's shoulder blades, pushing her palms against them in circles. She then grabbed onto the tops of her shoulders and rubbed her thumbs against the tender muscles, slowly working her way inwards to the neck.

Fluttershy's eyes partially fluttered open while her grin grew wobbly. "That really does feel good..."

Rarity gave her back one last quick stroke as she stood off the bed. "Just a little something I learned from my days at the spa with my mom. You know, you and I should go together sometime. If you liked what I just did, you'll love the professionals. And this is the least I can do after you've been so helpful with teaching me how to better care for Opal. You've been so kind and this is a bit of a thank you, I suppose."

Fluttershy shrugged and looked into her friend's eyes. "I'd love to join you sometime, and... you still have a lot to learn. Does that mean I'll get a lot more thanks?"

Rarity raised her eyebrows and laughed. "If you want to. I'm no master masseuse, but I'll show you what I can do anytime you'd like."

"In that case, let me give you your next lesson." Fluttershy sat up and let her feet dangle over the edge of the bed. "You know what would make Opal a lot less skittish? Let's clear off some shelf space and buy you a cat tree for the corner over there where my boots are."

Rarity placed a finger to her chin and glanced around. "The cat tree I get, but does opal really care about my cluttered shelves?"

Fluttershy giggled and shook her head. "No, but it's important for cats to be able to explore most of the room without touching the floor if you want to build confidence."

"I don't really understand, but I'll take your word for it." Rarity stepped to her bookshelf and began organizing them onto different shelves.

Fluttershy ran her hand along the bedroom wall, tracing an invisible line across it as she walked to the corner. Opalescence crawled out from behind the boots and rubbed herself up against Fluttershy's legs, circling around them as she purred. Fluttershy looked back at Rarity, who was sliding a pile of clutter from her desk into her backpack, then she knelt down by Opal and rubbed her chin. "Hey," she whispered. "She's trying her best, okay?"

Opalescence looked up into Fluttershy's eyes and blinked twice slowly before looking back down. Fluttershy returned the gesture and lowered her shoulders. "People... people are harder to understand than we are. I mean, than you are..."

"You two having a conversation without me?" Rarity asked as she zipped her backpack up and sat it behind her desk.

Fluttershy kissed the cat on the forehead and stood up. "Nope, just relaxing. I think she's okay now. Let's give her a few minutes alone and see if she explores your shelves. Something tells me she's been dying to."

Rarity glanced to her computer screen and tilted her head. "Ooh, an email."

Fluttershy glanced away and sat down at the foot of the bed and watched as Rarity took a seat at her desk and opened the message. She watched her friend's smile slip into a crooked frown as she read over the email, then she deleted the message, staring at the blank screen for several moments.

"Is everything alright?" Fluttershy asked as she fiddled with her fingers.

Rarity placed her hand to her brow as she shook her head. "It's nothing. It seems that yet again Pinkie Pie doesn't want me helping her decorate. I really wanted to be a part of the Fall Formal's design this year too... I don't know what happened between us. We used to be decent friends. But of course you already know that."

"It's not your fault, Rarity. That girl can't take anything seriously. Hmph." Fluttershy crossed her arms and pouted.

"'Hmph' is right. We don't need her anyway. You're my best friend now." Rarity narrowed her eyebrows and span around to face Fluttershy with a grin.

Fluttershy smiled and tilted her head. "You're my new best friend too. You accept me for who I am, and that means the world to me."

"It's not as though you're a hard person to accept, Fluttershy. I'm the one who should be thanking you. I know I can be a little..."

"Mean?" Fluttershy interrupted.

Rarity raised an eyebrow and frowned. "Well... I wouldn't say that. Maybe more..."

"Rude..." Fluttershy covered her mouth and shook her head.

"If I'm rude then you can just leave!" Rarity pointed to the door with a scowl.

"I just mean at first! You're actually very nice and understanding, and you so very generously offered to give me massages... I... I didn't mean it. Honest." Fluttershy's eyes widened and watered over. "You're my best friend right?"

Rarity winked and wagged her finger. "Settle down, you. I was just kidding. Yes, we're best friends. That means you have to learn a thing or two about my personality, and I'll do my best to learn about yours."

Fluttershy blinked several times and shook her head. "Oh... you were joking. I'm sorry. I... I'm sorry, I don't mean to say that I'm sorry so much, it's just that I'm so used to being able to read the thoughts of animals by how they act, and people are so confusing. I'm learning..."

Rarity stood up and pulled Fluttershy into a hug. "You and me both, sister. We have a lot to learn; cat's, boundaries, who our real friends are..."

"And each other. We have to learn about each other," Fluttershy added.

Rarity closed her eyes and rubbed her friend's back with a slow nod.

"Let's learn together."