Twenty Minutes Prior

Rarity tuned back in to Fancypants' story right as it ended. She was thankful for this, because it would allow her to formulate a response once he was finished jabbering to keep him unaware that she'd tuned him out in the first place. His constant talking coupled with the subtle back-and-forth rocking of the cab they were riding in had almost lulled her to sleep.

"And so I said, 'No sir, you may keep your store credit. You'll be hearing from my lawyer.' And so to that, he refunded me all my money right there." Fancypants finished his story with pride. Rarity felt a small tinge of disgust within her as he brought up the lawyer. The court case, while long-settled, was still a sore spot for Rarity. It reminded her of how powerless she'd been...And how powerless she felt now.

"Well, you surely made quite the stand there." Rarity said, putting all her effort into sounding at least slightly interested. However, a good amount of bored-to-tears deadpan came through as well. The honeymoon phase of dating the old object of her affections had faded two weeks into their courtship, and the unicorn couldn't be more bored with him. After saying what she did, Rarity turned back toward the window, lazily looking at the countryside as they approached Ponyville.

The mid-day date had gone well enough, and he'd treated her to a wonderful lunch, but she was ready to be home and away from him. Truthfully, the only pony Rarity wanted to see at that moment was a certain pink maned, yellow pegasus who had a sweet and airy voice. She'd been wanting to see her even as she was eating the meal Fancypants had bought for her.

"I like to think so." Fancypants said, interrupting her thoughts. Rarity became annoyed with him, but realizing there was no way he could have known what was in her head, she merely sighed her annoyance out. "Is something troubling you, my dear?" Rarity turned to him and shrugged slightly.

"I suppose I'm just not feeling very well, Fancypants." Rarity stated, thinking of different ways she could break up with him. There was no fear, no apprehension with the thought, just the begrudging dread that it was something she would have to deal with eventually. Her first decision regarding this was not to do it at that moment, as it would have the appearance that she wanted one last free lunch before dropping him. She figured the next day when he'd leave to return to Canterlot. "I think I just need to go to sleep."

"You can lay your head on my shoulder until we arrive at the boutique." Fancypants offered kindly.

"Thank you, but no." Rarity sighed, looking back out through the window. "I think I just need a bed." Through the window, she saw something that brought her a small jolt of excitement.

"Well, we could-" He began.

"Can we pull over here?" Rarity asked quickly. "My friend Fluttershy has some wonderful healing herbs that should do the trick." Fancypants, incredibly confused, shrugged and knocked on the carriage's door, prompting the ponies pulling it to stop where they were. Rarity, without much of a word, stepped out of the carriage and looked at Fluttershy's cottage. She knew what she wanted, and she was going to give it her all to get it this time.

"Uhmm, Rarity?" Fancypants called from within the carriage. "When can I expect to hear from you next, after tomorrow morning?"

"Oh, within the week, Fancypants." Rarity replied, turning to him quickly. "I'll see you in the morning before you leave." Without another word, Rarity shut the carriage door and moved toward the cottage.

'I have to tell her how I feel. I have to at least apologize...She may hate me for what I've done, but I absolutely have to try.' Rarity thought to herself as she approached the door to the cottage. Raising her hoof to knock as she closed her eyes and let out a breath, she brought the hoof down, and made contact with Rainbow Dash's head.

"Ow! What the hay-" Rainbow stopped upon seeing Rarity. The cyan pegasus was a bit flabbergasted at the sight. "Uh...Hey, Rarity." Rarity saw Fluttershy behind Rainbow, and she was blushing deeply at the sight of the unicorn.

"Hi, Rainbow! Sorry about that." Rarity said, giving a small laugh. "I was wondering if Fluttershy and I could have a word..." Rainbow looked back at Fluttershy, who nodded. This confused Rarity, and she wondered why it looked as if Rainbow was a sort of bouncer checking to see if she was worthy enough to see Fluttershy.

"Alright, I guess I can head on." Rainbow said with a small nod. "Rain check on that stew, okay? We'll save you some." With that, Rainbow took off into the sky. She left Rarity and Fluttershy alone together, to have a doozy of a conversation, she was sure. The flight home wasn't a strenuous one, the only thing that wasn't great about it was the chilly night air. Even that made Rainbow feel good, exhilarated, even. Suddenly a memory cut through that feeling. The night Applejack had screamed at her and told her to leave...When she was at the cottage with Fluttershy, drunk out of her mind...

She returned home, and went straight to her and Applejack's bedroom, not hearing the greetings of Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. She found her wife snuggled in bed, reading the first Daring Do novel. Rainbow Dash's heart melted at the sight.

"Hey, darlin'!" Applejack said happily, marking her place and closing the book. "You were right, Ah'm already hooked!" Without a word, Rainbow shot across the room, taking Applejack into a hug and pressing the book between them.

"What's this for?" Applejack asked, slightly strained, attempting to return the hug with equal fervor. Rainbow climbed up onto the bed and continued the hug, with Applejack noticing small jerks coming from her body. "Rainbow? Rainbow...?" Concerned, she brought Rainbow's head up and found that she was crying. "Baby...What's wrong?"

"I have something I need to tell you." Rainbow said evenly, despite her tears.

"What is it, sugarcube?"

"That night...That night that you told me you hated me..." Rainbow began. Applejack’s heart, which had been alight with love for her wife, sank slightly at the beginning of Rainbow's sentence. "You know how I went and got really, really drunk at Swingin' Manes afterward?" Applejack nodded.

"Yeah, Ah do."

"Well afterward, when I was at Fluttershy's...I...I kissed her." Rainbow uttered. "I wasn't in my right mind, AJ...I'm sorry." Applejack was filled with relief and pulled Rainbow into her for a hug. She’d feared Rainbow would confess to more than just a kiss. That would’ve still been understandable considering what the farm mare had put her through that evening. The pegasus let out a sniffle and buried her head further into Applejack’s chest, and the orange mare felt pure love for her wife. Even for something as innocuous as a kiss, she felt as if she’d betrayed her.

"Rainbow, Ah'd done the same and more with Caramel at that point." Applejack said soothingly. "There's no way in tartarus Ah'm mad at ya. Ah had hurt you...very badly." Applejack looked down, and Rainbow noticed a definite drop in her demeanor. She fixed it promptly, as Applejack was wont to do. "Like you said today, all that bad stuff's in the past."

"I just wanted to tell you, because when I went to talk to Fluttershy today, I realized that I never had." Rainbow explained, wiping her eyes. "I don't want there to be any secrets between us."

"Well, Ah will say, the finer details of these things can stay a secret." Applejack said with a small chuckle. "Unless you want to know exactly how far me and Caramel got. Because lemme tell ya-"

"Aaaadadadadada..." Rainbow blurted out loudly as she covered her ears, making Applejack laugh as she pulled Rainbow beneath her, kissing her deeply.

"Ah love you so much, Rainbow Dash." Applejack said between kisses. "And despite this huuuge secret you've kept from me, Ah still find myself wanting to spend the rest of my life with you." Rainbow giggled and kissed her wife.

"Good. Don't tell anypony else, but I'd be a mess without ya." Rainbow quipped, and Applejack nuzzled her.

"So what was wrong with Fluttershy?" Applejack asked, moving the book that was still in the bed with them to the bedside table. "Is she caught up with some stallion or somethin'? Or...some mare?" Rainbow Dash gulped quietly.

‘Geez AJ you are smart.’ Rainbow thought to herself before she laughed and shook her head.

"Nah, a favorite critter of hers just died, that's all." Rainbow lied, feeling a metaphorical rock land in her gut.

"Oh, no! Was it puffy? He was getting up in years." Applejack asked, prompting Rainbow to immediately nod.

"Yeah, you know, his time had come. Circle of life, all that." Rainbow said, and Applejack nodded in understanding. Still feeling that rock in her gut, Rainbow nuzzled into her wife's chest and Applejack responded by hugging her tighter. 'Well, I just lied to my wife for you, Fluttershy.' Rainbow thought to herself. 'I guess I am the element of loyalty.'

"Hi, Rarity." Fluttershy said as Rainbow left the two of them on her front patio. This slightly surprised Rarity, as Fluttershy rarely took the initiative in a conversation. "How are things with you and Fancypants?" Rarity laughed, blushing deeply and scuffing her hoof on the ground.

"That is actually what I wanted to speak to you about." Rarity said. "I...well, how exactly do I put this...I've discovered that I have no feelings for Fancypants at all. There was the initial excitement of dating somepony new, but then that quickly faded...So I wanted to tell you that." Fluttershy merely looked at her, nonplussed.

"Okay, thanks for letting me know." Fluttershy replied simply. "Is that all you wanted to say to me?"

"Well, not as such." Rarity sighed, looking to the side. "I wanted...I wanted to apologize to you. You must have felt like I was jerking you around, what with the 'I don't like you like that, now I do like you like that' and such..." Rarity let out a small laugh, and upon seeing how unamused Fluttershy was, decided to continue. "I felt like I had been up front about how I felt, being with you and all...But as soon as things got a little rough between us, I started dating another pony. I didn't say anything to you, I just assumed we were over...And assuming is a stupid thing to do when you're in a relationship." Fluttershy softened at Rarity's words.

"Well...You were in some very new territory...I couldn't expect you to make the most logical decisions." Fluttershy said, making Rarity smile.

"Right. I just wanted to say...That if you were open to trying this again, we could. I'm saying I'd be open to it." Rarity stated, smiling at her friend.

"Rarity...If you'd said that to me when we talked a month ago...I think I would've done it. You asked me how I felt, but you'd already made the choice to date Fancypants. I've put my heart out there with you...twice. Both times you broke it. I'm not saying you intentionally did that, but it happened." Fluttershy explained. Rarity nodded, a frown coming to her lips. "I feel like, at least in this way, I have to let you go. I just...can't get hurt like that again." The statement cracked Rarity's heart, and threatened to break it, but she had to keep on a brave face. She'd brought this on herself and she had to accept what she'd lost as a result.

"Well...That is sad to hear, but understandable." Rarity said, taking a breath. "In any case, I wanted to offer you a spa night, my treat...Just like old times. I...guess they could be considered old times now?" Fluttershy smiled at Rarity sweetly, making the unicorn's heart swell.

"That sounds wonderful." Fluttershy replied. "I've definitely been needing a hooficure."

"Oh hush, your hooves look perfect." Rarity said, feeling a lighter air come over the two of them.

"You flatter me, ma'am." Fluttershy replied as she walked out of the cottage, closing the door behind them. "But I can tell you're lying to me."

"Why, miss Fluttershy I am doing nothing of the sort!" Rarity said, giving off a dramatic scoff and putting a hoof on her forehead. "The kind of guff you get for giving out compliments around here, ugh, it's grueling."

"So...You don't think things between you and Fancypants are going to work out?" Fluttershy asked. Rarity had thought talking about him would bring back the heaviness they'd worked through earlier. She found it remarkably much more easy to talk about now though, much to her surprise. She felt that way especially now that they were together again, at least as friends.

"Yes, it was surreal for the first week or so...But it got old quite quickly. He lives such a boring life, but he treats it like he has so many adventures." Rarity scoffed. "If his days are what he'd call adventures, his powdered flank wouldn't last a second with our crew." Fluttershy laughed out loud at this and let out a small sigh.

"Oh, I missed you, Rarity." Fluttershy said, regarding Rarity with warmth. This in turn filled Rarity with warmth as well and she returned Fluttershy's smile.

"I missed you too, Fluttershy."

The remainder of the walk, however short, was filled with jovial conversation. Rarity gave Fluttershy the latest update on the Lotus Blossom affair. Lotus had made up with her stallion, and they were attending couples therapy, the last Rarity had heard. The news seemed to further brighten up the two mares' already merry evening together. They arrived at the salon and entered. Lotus Blossom just happened to be running the counter.

"Miss Rarity!" Lotus Blossom said happily. "Two specials, I presume, at your customary discounted rate?" Rarity gave a small nod.

"Please and thank you, Lotus." Rarity stated.

"How are you this evening, miss Fluttershy?" Lotus asked, leading the two mares to the back. “It seems like forever since I’ve seen that stunning pink mane.”

"Oh, I can't complain." Fluttershy said sweetly. "I was just telling Rarity that I needed a hooficure, but she doesn't seem to believe me."

"Because she's always had near-perfect hooves." Rarity stated, making Fluttershy laugh.

"Oh, I thought my hooves were perfect." Fluttershy said, raising an eyebrow at Rarity. "What is it that makes them not perfect? I'm curious to know." Rarity smiled at Fluttershy as they entered the main room of the spa.

"Microscopic things, my dear. Microscopic." Rarity said suavely. Platonic friend-date or not, Fluttershy felt something stir within her from the way Rarity addressed her. Rarity felt warm all over, as if this was what was supposed to be happening. This is what felt right. They sat in the large chairs, letting their back hooves rest in warm bubbly water as the two spa mares got to work.

"So...Why exactly was Rainbow Dash there with you when I came over?" Rarity asked, leaning her chair back and closing her eyes. Fluttershy, not wanting to put a damper on the good time they were having, thought for a moment.

"She'd just brought me some Sweet Apple Acres cider." Fluttershy lied the white lie, and it seemed preferable to explaining how Rainbow had talked to her about letting Rarity go as a marefriend. The prospect still made Fluttershy's heart hurt, but as long as they maintained their friendship with things like this spa trip, she foresaw the wounds healing much more quickly than she thought.

The hooficures came and went rather quickly, and despite what Rarity constantly said to her, Fluttershy could see the difference in their hooves. They decided to forego the mane wash they were offered, instead opting to sit in the jacuzzi set into the spa floor. Content where they were, they dismissed Aloe and Lotus Blossom so they could have the room to themselves. The two mares sat next to each other, enjoying the piping-hot water.

"I'm glad that Lotus Blossom is doing better." Fluttershy said. "Though, I have to say I'm a bit surprised he decided to take her back." Rarity let out a small laugh.

"Well, when you love someone, you tend to make every concession you can for them...Sometimes a pony will just...make a mistake." Rarity stated almost quietly.

"I know how that feels." Fluttershy said, looking at Rarity for a moment. When the pegasus realized Rarity had been looking at her as well, she became nervous and hurriedly looked down at the water. "I wish I had one of these at home."

"If you did, would I have use of it?" Rarity asked.

"Of course. Any time you'd want." Fluttershy replied, looking at her friend again, no longer feeling that nervousness within her. "Goddesses, we wouldn't even really have to come here anymore, huh?"

"I don't believe we would." Rarity replied. "And I could give you a wonderful hooficure."

"Oh could you?" Fluttershy asked, raising an eyebrow. "Over the spa mares who have been doing it almost their entire lives?"

"I could out-hooficure them, just give me a chance." Rarity said, sending a suave look to Fluttershy who giggled.

"I see no problem with it." Fluttershy said, still giggling. "I'm not Rainbow Dash." This brought another laugh out of Rarity. The two mares finished with their bath, drying off and taking a complimentary perfume spray on their way out. Rarity paid the spa mares and made sure to leave a generous tip, as she always did. She could afford it again, now that her boutique had been saved. That brought Fancypants, and the uncomfortable prospect of breaking things off with him back to her mind. However she only felt more resolute in that being what she had to do. She and Fluttershy exited the salon, both of them feeling refreshed and loosened up.

"Fluttershy, I'm really glad we did that." Rarity said, blushing. "I really have missed you."

"I've missed you too, Rarity." Fluttershy replied, feeling her heart rate quicken slighty as she once again became nervous. They began to walk in the direction of the boutique together. "The idea of us never doing this again was a scary one."

"Goddesses know that a spa date with any of the other girls wouldn't have been half as fun." Rarity stated, looking up to the bright stars and the even brighter moon. "As much as I love them..."

"I know you love them." Fluttershy sighed.

"But not as much as I love you." Rarity said, striking a chord within Fluttershy. There they went, those feelings again. Fluttershy stuffed them down and turned toward Rarity.

"Rarity...I feel-" Fluttershy was caught off guard by Rarity placing a kiss on her lips. The pegasus was shocked for a moment, letting out a small squeak, before her eyes slowly closed. She felt Rarity's hoof stroke her mane, coming to a rest to caress her head. Fluttershy's ears lowered and she moaned, deepening the kiss for a moment. Suddenly Fluttershy's eyes shot open and she slapped Rarity, making the white unicorn recoil, holding her face. It was the unicorn's turn to be shocked, as she felt the slight sting in her cheek start to fade. The slap, while not full-force, had been a slap all the same. Fluttershy's eyes were overflowing with tears.

"How...could you...?" Fluttershy uttered.

"Fluttershy, I'm sorry!" Rarity gasped. Her eyes widened and her mind began to spiral as she took in Fluttershy's deeply hurt expression. "I thought there were signals...I must have misunderstood..."

"You can't do this to me...." Fluttershy breathed, her voice trembling. "You can't pull me back in and hurt me again..." The pegasus began to leave, and Rarity immediately followed her.

"Fluttershy, wait!" Rarity said quickly, grabbing Fluttershy's shoulder. Fluttershy pulled but didn't seem to have the strength or the will to drag Rarity. "Please, just listen. Dating Fancypants has been awful. After the first week, all I could think about was you. How I wished his stupid, annoying, talking face was your beautiful, sweet one. I thought about that wonderful night we had together on the beach... Fluttershy, please, I've missed you so much."

"So you got tired of me, and then got tired of Fancypants and so now you're just looking to have me around until you decide that you don't want to date me again." Fluttershy said. Rarity's heart sank. The pegasus was speaking in anger now, which she almost never did. She was liable to say something she didn't mean...Or, a more terrifying proposition, something she did. Rarity's own eyes began to overflow with tears. What Fluttershy was saying hurt, but she didn't blame her for it.

"Fluttershy, no...It's not like that..." Rarity said quietly, suppressing sobs that were welling up through her throat.

"Even if it wasn't...I thought we were just doing this as friends...I thought I was finally starting to heal from you...Things were getting better." Fluttershy said, yanking her shoulder from Rarity's grip. "You may not know what you want, but you need to stop using me to figure it out. There is no chance for the two of us to be together anymore. You are the one who made that happen. If you can't do things like this seeing me just as your friend...I don't think we need to be doing this anymore." Fluttershy turned to leave.

"Fluttershy..." Rarity called after her, but she knew it was futile. There was no talking this out, at least for that moment. After a second or so, Fluttershy was gone and she'd left Rarity in the dark alone. Since she was alone, Rarity took the opportunity to drop onto her flank and cry for a few minutes. She'd ruined things with Fluttershy, and she could hardly blame the pegasus for seeing the situation the way she had.

"She's right...She's absolutely right." Rarity said to herself, her voice hitching as she watched her tears create small, wet circles in the dirt. "You're selfish. You dropped her the second he asked you out on a date. She hadn't broken up with you. You're in love with her and the second he asked you out..." Rarity realized the word that had just left her mouth and her sentence trailed off. A fresh wave of sobs came and she stood. Shivering slightly from the chilly air, the unicorn began to move back toward Carousel Boutique. The cold was almost too much, and she was pleased that it was such a short walk away from the spa.

She arrived back at Carousel Boutique, putting the key into the lock and turning it, discovering that it hadn't been locked. She looked at the knob for a moment, perplexed as she was positive that she'd locked the door when she'd left earlier. Shrugging, she walked in and turned on her lights. Fancypants sat in her living room, his eyes fixated upon her. Rarity cried out, startled at how he'd been waiting for her...in the dark. There was a bouquet of roses on the table, presumably for her.

"Fancypants!" She breathed, recovering from the small shock. She attempted to put on a happy face for the stallion she'd just then remembered she was going to break up with. "Not that I'm not happy to be seeing you, but why are you here? I thought you'd gone back to the hotel."

"I came back because I realized that I'd forgotten this bag." He said, his tone low and deliberate, his eyes not leaving her. He lifted the bag momentarily with his magic before letting it plop back onto the floor. She became quite uncomfortable under his gaze but she played it off well, or at least she hoped she did.

"How did you get in?" She asked, struggling to hide her nerves.

"The hide-a-key. Remember, you'd forgotten your bits inside a week ago and had me run in to retrieve them for you?" He stated. "I bought you these roses because I wanted to surprise you before I went back to the hotel for the night."

"Always the gentleman." Rarity said sweetly with a smile and a small laugh, which trailed off when she noticed no change in his expression. "Is...Everything alright, dear?"

"Truth be told, Rarity...I don't believe it is." He growled, his nonplussed expression melting down into a meaner one. "I saw you out there...Outside the spa." Rarity's face turned beet-red and she looked downward with shame.

"I suppose...I suppose I owe you an explanation, don't I?" Rarity asked, earning an incredulous face from Fancypants.

"An explanation? Oh, definitely." He said, standing and walking toward her. "But more than that, I feel that my stupid, annoying, talking face deserves an apology." Rarity began to sweat, as she hadn't known he'd heard everything that had been said. As he moved closer to her, she took steps backward, not only to create distance but because she could feel the anger emanating from the hurt stallion, and it brought her shame.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Fancypants." Rarity said earnestly, tears forming in her eyes. Slight annoyance welled in the unicorn, as she was incredibly tired of crying. "It's complicated...Fluttershy and I are very close...We always have been. We got closer at one point and I...I dated Fluttershy for a while. Things had been going quite well...Then there was that day you found us at Cafe Du Mane. I was so excited to see you, that Fluttershy became jealous. We had a fight, and she left." Rarity stopped for a moment, as her speech had become rushed and slightly garbled. She inhaled deeply through her nose before continuing. "That was when you came like a knight in shining armor...You offered to save the boutique. I found you attractive because I'd had a crush on you for so long. But it was puppy love...It wasn't meant to be anything more than that, and I used you to get what I needed. What's worse, I was too much of a coward to let you go when I realized we wouldn't work...all because I didn't want to hurt your feelings." Rarity looked downward again and breathed out, hard.

"So that's what happened. I know it doesn't excuse my actions, but I'm just trying to explain. I'm very sorry." Fancypants scoffed and shook his head, making Rarity's heart sink. She'd, in some sad fantasy, thought he would be understanding and that maybe he’d help her get Fluttershy back. But this wasn't a romantic comedy movie. She'd played with this stallion's heart and broken it.

"How could you do this to me?" Fancypants snarled, continuing to move toward her, Rarity continuing to move back. "You've played me for a fool! I saved your life, and you played me for a fool! You're heartless!" His tone turned to one of a berating nature, and his words were starting to be screamed. His normally calm and reserved demeanor crumbled completely. He clearly had felt real feelings for her. He was crushed...full of rage. Rarity could scarcely blame him.

"Fancypants, please, it wasn't like that!" Rarity countered, in a way that begged him to understand.

"Have you had sex? I’ll bet you have. Why get it from me when you’re getting it from her, right?” He growled spitefully.

“There was no-“ Rarity began before once again being cut off.

“What did I do to deserve it!? What have I done so wrong as your partner that you would do this awful thing?" Fancypants pressed on, now fully cornering the white unicorn. Her breathing increased and she began to hyperventilate slightly.

"Fancypants, I told you, it's my fault! You didn't do anything-"

"I will not be made a fool of by a heartless wretch!" He yelled in her face, making Rarity shrink back. The name hurt, but the feeling that she deserved it stayed ever-present in her gut. "I truly feel awful for you. Figure out what you want, but don't play with ponies' hearts like toys to get there!"

"i'm sorry..." Rarity almost whispered. She felt a victim, but knew she didn't deserve to call herself that.

"I lament the mare Sweetie Belle will become. With such an awful guardian, it's no wonder she's so stupid and whiny!" He'd gotten personal, which Rarity couldn't blame him for. All the same, the mention of her sister roused something within her, and she straightened up and looked at Fancypants in the eyes.

"What did you say about my sister?" Rarity asked, anger subtly welling up through her words.

"You heard me." Fancypants said. Satisfied that he'd hit a nerve, he pressed onward. "I couldn't stand listening to her whine day in and day out. She's got no hope once she comes of age and has to leave your care. As if there was any care to begin with." Rarity's anger flared and she snarled, throwing a small glass from the coffee table into the back of his head. Fancypants stumbled a bit and grabbed his head, groaning. Blood trickled from the wound and got onto his hoof. His eyes met Rarity's which were wide and full of tears. They spelled pure disbelief at what she'd done.

"I'm...I'm so sor-" Rarity was interrupted when Fancypants let a hoof fly into her face. Letting out a small cry, she fell onto her side, her eyes fixating on the roses that lay on the coffee table as her vision faded.

'Sweetie Belle! Where's Sweetie...' She thought. 'Oh right, she's with Applebloom tonight. Thank goodness...'. Rarity fell into unconsciousness and Fancypants gasped as his legs began to shake.

"I...I don't...I'm sorr..." He stammered, moving toward her and reaching a trembling hoof toward her face, pulling it back quickly when he touched her mane and realized she was unconscious. He began to hyperventilate and ran from the boutique, leaving Rarity laying on her living room floor.

Fluttershy burst into her cottage, shocking Angel awake from his slumber on the living room couch. The bunny was initially happy to see his mother, but shrank away when he saw her angry expression. She couldn't believe what had happened. She'd been trying to be understanding with Rarity for such a long time at that point. She'd gotten used to the prospect of having Rarity as a partner and she'd been happier perhaps than she'd ever been. Rarity had destroyed that, for her own personal gain, and because she'd just been feeling selfish. The bearer of the Element of Generosity had been so selfish.

"Why...Why can't you just..." Fluttershy growled to Rarity, knowing she couldn't hear her. There was something cathartic in it for her though, so she continued. "Why can't you just make up your mind?!" Fluttershy grabbed one of her dining room chairs and tossed it across the dining room floor, the chair hitting a wall loudly.

She was angry at Rarity, and she had certainly been hurt by Rarity, more than once. But above all, Fluttershy still wanted Rarity. She wanted the white unicorn with everything in her, and that kiss at the spa had reminded her of that. She was so angry at Rarity because she'd just started to forget just how much she wanted her. The kiss had brought all of that, along with the horrible knowledge that it would be destined to fail, crashing back down onto her. She let out a scream and used all of her strength to throw her dining room table over. To be fair, it wasn't all that heavy, but she threw it over all the same. Panting lightly at the exertion, Fluttershy dropped her head and cried. She didn't break down into heavy sobbing, she didn't crumble to the floor, she just hung her head and cried quietly.

Angel, who'd been scared by her outburts, had been watching from behind a corner. When she started to cry, he cautiously hopped over to her and nuzzled her foreleg. She looked at him and let out a small laugh as she picked him up and held him close to her. Her breath hitched as she took it in, and he put his paws around her neck in a hug.

"I'm sorry, Angel." Fluttershy said, surprising herself with the evenness of her tone. "I didn't mean to scare you." He let out a small squeak and nuzzled her again.

"Here, let me put this table and chair back to rights..." She put him down and stood up, looking down at him with a smile as she wiped her tears. "Then I'll put on some music and make you some carrot stew." Angel let out a happy squeak and Fluttershy giggled. With some effort, she was able to lift the table back to its proper position. She turned and saw Angel attempting to move the chair, making her laugh at the sweet display. "Sure can't wait to get to that stew, now can you?"

She was able to replace the chair where it was easily and she put on a record on her record player, deciding on some classic dance tunes. The music was lively and jovial, and the effect on her mood was immediate. Bobbing happily with the music, she put on a pot of water to boil with some vegetables to make the broth. From there, still swaying to the tunes,she gathered the ingredients from the cabinets and pots, assembling them on the counter. She cut them and mixed them, singing with the music, laughing with Angel as he hopped onto the counter and danced along with her. As the broth boiled, she added the ingredients and seasonings.

"We should do this more often Angel!" She said, having almost completely forgotten about Rarity. "I miss our times where it's just-" A loud, slow and deliberate knocking at her door interrupted her, making her turn toward the source of the noise. “Wait here." She sais as she turned off the music and the soup and moved through her living room, slightly annoyed at this unexpected interruption to her and Angel’s fun. She opened the door and was shocked to see Rarity standing there, shivering violently with a shawl around her.

"P-Please...M-May I come in?" Rarity asked. Fluttershy could tell something was wrong.

"Rarity, why are you here?" Fluttershy answered the question with another. Without a word, Rarity removed the hood, revealing a large bruise on the left side of her face, accompanied with a black eye. Fluttershy gasped loudly, her ears lowering as she immediately stepped to the side. Rarity stumbled into the cottage and fell to her knees, obviously dizzy. Straining, Fluttershy pulled Rarity up onto the sofa.

"Rarity...What happened?" Fluttershy breathed, struggling not to cry.

"C-Can you...." Rarity said, still trembling. "Can y-you hold me?" Fluttershy wrapped her forelegs around Rarity and held her close, not letting go as Rarity told her everything. Her heart which had been so full of happiness from her fun with Angel lit up with anger as each word Rarity spoke stoked that fire. The unicorn eventually cried herself to sleep. Fluttershy did not sleep a wink.

Author's Notes:

OOOH I told you guys that shit was gonna get wild! Did you expect that to happen? I did. Whaaaats gonna go down??? Well, you is gonna have to see! Keep an eye on the site, I’ll have the next chapter up within a week! Cheers!