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Body Language

by Jabbie

Chapter 4: Ch. 4 - Acceptance

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Rarity stood in the shade beneath a large green oak tree. She gently kicked at the gravel beneath her boots and tightly hugged onto her backpack. Her deep blue eyes traced the edges of the playground from behind her thick red glasses while dozens of children jumped and played on the variety of equipment. A young girl with freckles and a long blonde ponytail smiled and waved at her.

Rarity let a smile slip, then quickly shut her lips to conceal her braces, hesitantly waving back. "H-hello," she muttered, too far away to hear.

The blonde girl smiled and skipped back towards the other kids without a second glance, and Rarity hung her head, falling to her knees. Oh my... this isn't going well at all...

Suddenly she felt a tug at her dress, and she glanced up. Rarity squinted her eyes as she looked over a girl with flowers littering her long, messy pastel pink hair. "Hello there. My name ish Rarity. What'th your name?" She immediately blushed and pressed her hands over her mouth.

The messy-haired girl smiled and revealed her own braces. "Don't worry... you get used to it. And I'm Fluttershy."

Rarity lowered her hands and nodded. "Oh..."

"Can't hear you; I'm a lemur. Owwweeeeeeeoh!" Fluttershy dropped to all fours and scurried across the playground, leaping up onto the monkey bars and dangling upside down.

Rarity smiled again at the sight and lowered her arms, watching as Fluttershy reached out to a small squirrel sitting below her. What a strange girl... she thought.

She flinched as two older boys rushed past her towards the center of the playground, where they stood around Fluttershy and scared the squirrel away.

"Look at Fluttershy. She's pretending to be a monkey again," the child teased.

"I'm not a monkey. I'm a lemur, and I can't understand you unless you raise your tail to let me know that I can be part of your social community," Fluttershy explained as she fell off the monkey bars and landed on her feet.

"Yeah right. You're just a big dumb monkey, and you want to eat our parasites." Each kid began hopping in circles around Fluttershy and scratching their heads and sides. "Ooh ooh eee eee."

"That's not a bad monkey, but I think they might find such stereotypical behavior offensive. If you guys want, I can give you some pointers." Fluttershy smiled and knelt down next to the kids who continued hopping.

The taller of the two bullies glared and stopped hopping, then shoved Fluttershy to the ground. "We don't need pointers from you, loser."

"Yeah, loser!" Each of the two kicked gravel onto Fluttershy before pointing and laughing.

Rarity took a step forward and raised her fist, then froze in place.

"Hey! Back off!" A girl with rainbow colored hair dove into action. She forced herself between the bullies and Fluttershy, fiercely glaring at the two boys who were much taller than her.

"What are you gonna do about it, Rainbow Dash?" they asked in unison.

"You wanna find out?" Rainbow balled her fists and took on a strong stance.

Each boy glanced to each other, then scoffed. "I'm not afraid to hit a girl... but I have to go. You're lucky this time."

Rainbow ground her teeth while the two walked away, then she turned around and helped Fluttershy to her feet. "Hey, you alright?"

Fluttershy nodded and wiped her teary eyes.

"Flutters, you can't..." Rainbow placed her hand to her forehead and sighed. "You have to try and take it down a notch around these kids. They don't understand you, and dumb people try to hurt things that they don't understand."

Fluttershy bit her lip and nodded once again. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and hugged her friend. "I'll keep you safe. Don't worry about them."

Rarity stepped back towards the tree and sat down, hugging her knees and carefully watching how all the children interacted.

***

"Is it just me, or are you so sick of Sunset Shimmer?" Rarity asked as she finished typing up her paper.

Fluttershy shrugged and stretched out across Rarity's bed. "She's pretty scary, but I try to think that there's a little good inside everyone."

"Well if you ask me, I think she should just pack up and go to another school. She's been nothing but trouble ever since she showed up. I want to be Princess of the Fall Formal at least once before we graduate..." Rarity pouted and rested her chin on her keyboard. "Not a chance that'll happen."

Fluttershy pointed up at Opalescence, who was sitting on top of the bookshelf grooming herself. "Hey, look on the bright side. Opal seems to be enjoying herself."

Rarity glanced up at her pet and smiled. "Yeah. I think she's a lot happier already. I really hope that I'll be able to pet her how I want to soon without scaring her... I didn't realize cats were so sensitive about things."

"It's not just cats. A lot of different animals can be hurt by the behavior of people, even if the people don't really think they're being that bad... It can take a long time to recover. Sometimes those affected might never be the same again." Fluttershy smiled up at Opalescence and waved. "If I can help it, I'll make sure every animal I meet feels happy and accepted."

Rarity lowered her eyes and tentatively gripped her knees as she slowly rotated her computer chair back and forth. "Is that how you feel? Are you recovering from the things people have done to you?"

"I don't think it's that simple..." Fluttershy bit her lip and hid her face behind her hair.

"I always wondered why you became so shy after the first day I saw you. You can relate to cats, can't you? Maybe there are things I can do to make you feel safer and more confident in school." Rarity smiled and stood up tall. "I've got it. Yes. You see, Fluttershy, I'm quite savvy myself when it comes to human interactions and social situations. The same way we need to do things to make Opal lighten up, there are things Opal needs to do to stay a good house cat and receive the sort of attention she needs from us, right?"

Fluttershy titled her head and frowned. "I... I guess so."

"Yes. For instance, she can't bite us too hard, and she has to use her litter box, and we can't have her tearing everything up, can we?" Rarity paced her room and crossed her arms. "And in return for her house pet like behavior, I'm going to do my best to make sure she's a happy and loving cat too."

"All of that makes sense but what does it have to do with me?" Fluttershy frowned and shuddered.

Rarity turned and pointed her finger upwards with a wide smile. "You know why the other kids tease you? It's because we're all just animals too, and your body language isn't meshing well with the crowd. You look weak, and the strong girls are going to lash out at you like the ravenous predators they are, and what do you do then?"

"Run away and cry?" Fluttershy answered with a twisted smile.

"Exactly, and they walk away feeling like queen bees. You don't need to be a queen bee, Shy. What you need to do is not be target practice." Rarity took a seat on the bed next to her friend and lifted a lock of her hair.

Fluttershy wore a mirthful smirk as she sighed. "Rainbow Dash told me something similar once. I'm afraid I just don't have it in me to hit anyone, no matter how hard I try."

Rarity's eyes widened and she dropped the hair. "Darling, that's not what I had in mind. You're a lady, and a pretty one at that. Ladies don't resort to violence or other forms of brutishness. I wish that were true for most of our schoolmates, but sadly it isn't. What we need to do is rise above them and refuse to stoop to their level as to be offended by their petty insults."

"I... I don't stoop." Fluttershy narrowed her eyes and pouted. "I just don't like confrontations, and when you're insecure, meanness can really hurt."

"Aha! In that case we'll just have to work on that insecurity of yours. Which is mostly what I had in mind already." Rarity stood off the bed and took Fluttershy by the hand, guiding her through the bedroom door and into the bathroom. She faced her friend towards the full-body door mirror and stood behind her. "Do you think you're pretty?"

Fluttershy looked over herself. She saw a pale yellow girl with messy pink hair. Her eyes then wandered up the length of her body, over her cheap clothing and frayed skirt. She spotted a tear on her sleeve where an animal's claw had caught while she bathed it, then she looked into her own eyes before blinking loose a tear.

Rarity placed her hands on Fluttershy's shoulders and rested a cheek against hers. She reached around and wiped the tear, offering a reassuring smile through the mirror. "Don't cry, sweetheart. You're beautiful, and what's more is that you aren't wearing a drop of makeup. I've never seen someone so naturally beautiful before."

Fluttershy allowed her smile to return, and her eyes watched Rarity's hands through the mirror as they rubbed her shoulders. "You really mean it?"

"Every word of it." Rarity grinned as she watched her friends smile grow wobbly and her eyes begin to drift shut while she squeezed her shoulders. "You really like this, don't you."

Fluttershy nodded and placed her hand over Rarity's. "It feels really nice. No one's ever done this for me before."

"Is that so... Well you and I are going to the spa tomorrow. My treat." Rarity nodded and took a step back. "Go ahead and take a shower now. I'm starting to feel a bit tired and I want to get to the spa early tomorrow because Saturday is usually a busy day in the afternoon. I believe they open around ten in the morning, so we'll be ready by nine. Sound good?"

Fluttershy nodded and scratched her head. "Yes, but uhm..."

"Oh silly me." Rarity opened a cupboard over the sink and pointed. "Up here are some clean towels. You can use my shampoo and conditioner, because I just know you'll love it. I'll get things ready in the other room for you. Let me know if you need anything."

"I do need one thing... I can go get it." Fluttershy stepped towards the door and coyly pointed. "My change of clothes is in my bag."

Rarity nonchalantly waved her hands and pulled the door closed. "You get started, I'll go grab your clothes for you."

She smiled and walked back into her bedroom, where she found the green bag, unzipped and partially open. She glanced around and lifted it up before peeking inside. Her nose began to twitch, then she sneezed. "Ooph. My goodness... so much dander on this bag."

Rarity shook her head and carried it to the bathroom door, and quickly opened it up without knocking. Fluttershy sat on the edge of the tub still fully clothed, and Rarity's grin fell into a frown. "Here ya go. I'll be out here if you need me."

As she shut the door and stepped towards the front room, she heard a click and chuckled to herself. "Locked..."

Rarity sighed and silently scolded herself for her inappropriate thoughts, then opened up the hallway closet where she gathered up many blankets and extra pillows. She dropped them onto the floor and one by one decorated the couch into a cozy bed with the spare bedding. She took a seat atop the tucked blankets and flipped on the television, listlessly cycling through the channels with the remote in her free hand, and her ears focused on the bathroom door.

After several minutes of fruitless evening channel surfing, the sound of running water stopped, and Rarity crossed her legs. Several more long moments passed before Fluttershy opened the bathroom door. "Enjoy your shower?" Rarity asked.

Fluttershy nodded as she stepped out of the bathroom wearing a white tank top and cotton sleeping shorts. "Yes, thank you. Is this where I'll be sleeping?" she asked as she took a seat on the couch next to her friend, a towel wrapped around her head.

"I was thinking about it, but after testing it out myself, I discovered that it's terribly uncomfortable. I don't know how Sweetie Belle's friends share it so well." Rarity cringed at the thought and stood up, brushing herself off. "Come to think of it... gross. Who knows what kind of dirt and food and... whatever other disgusting things those three little pests have gotten all over it. This simply won't do. You'll have to sleep in my bed, and I'll sleep in my parent's room... or something."

"I don't mind, really. I don't want to be an annoyance for you. I'll sleep here on the couch just fine, or anywhere else you want me to sleep." Fluttershy nodded and put on a bright smile.

Rarity raised her eyebrow and placed a hand on her chin. "Well, if you're done with that towel, I'll take it now."

Fluttershy lifted the wet towel off her head and let her damp hair fall across her face and down her shoulders. It naturally waved back and forth and curled at the tips, glistening beneath the overhead light.

Rarity averted her gaze and balled the towel up, fiddling with it as she shifted her weight. "We'll figure something out. I'm going to go... I need a shower too. I'll be back. Let me know if you decide what you want to do while I'm gone."

Fluttershy nodded and blushed at the sight of her friend's own red cheeks. "I will. Thanks."

"Feel free to watch TV. If you're hungry you can grab a snack from the fridge. Really just make yourself at home." Rarity opened her mouth to add, but lost her thought as Fluttershy ran her hands through her moist hair and pulled it all over one shoulder.

"You're a very generous host, Rarity. Thank you so much." Fluttershy awkwardly patted her knees while Rarity stood silently, shaking the bunched up towel back and forth. "I'll go see what you have to eat. I can make you something too."

"Sure, I could go for a bite." Rarity lowered her eyes and watched her friend walk into the kitchen. "I'll have what you're having. Be back in a bit, maybe we can watch a movie before bed too," she said as she forced herself into the bathroom.

Rarity locked the door and looked herself over in the mirror. Girl, you are not getting a crush... she thought.

"Are you?"

Next Chapter: Ch. 5 - Snuggle Buddy Estimated time remaining: 39 Minutes
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