Monday, March 28, 2016 / Morning
Today's Horoscope (Virgo): A romantic interlude with someone close to you may take an unexpected turn.

Today, we'll be doing some shopping around town...

When I head out to the living room, I find Pinkie, Rainbow, and Sonata clustered together, talking quietly and giggling. As I enter, they look up, and the giggling intensifies. Rainbow blushes and gives me a little wave. I smile and wave back to her, then duck into the kitchen to see about breakfast.

Rarity's in the kitchen making omelettes. She looks up at me and smirks. "Well," she says, tossing her hair. "If it isn't the rooster in the henhouse."

"Flaaaaaaaaash," Pinkie whines from behind me. "Why didn't you tell me you were planning to spread the love?"

I facepalm. "Does everybody know?"

"Well it's hard not to, darling," Rarity says. "Rainbow Dash wandered upstairs naked, sweaty, and carrying her clothes, and then there was the smell..." She wrinkles her nose. "It was rather obvious, really." She smirks at me. "Oh, and she spilled the beans about your little...ahem...plan to clear the air, as it were." She folds the omelette in the pan. "I suppose you were planning to approach me next and oh-so-charmingly offer to deflower me?"

"Uhh..." Oh shit...I didn't even consider Rainbow telling the others about this...

Rarity looks me up and down as though appraising a dress. "I'll think about it," she says. "Though if...if...I agree, I expect a more romantic setting than the back yard." She plates the omelette and starts working on another. "And some nice scented candles, if you don't mind. Vanilla, I think. Or perhaps jasmine."

"I, uhh...I'll keep that in mind," I say. I head back to the living room, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights.

Rainbow gives me a sheepish look. "They dragged it outta me, dude," she says. "Sorry."

I shrug. "At least everybody's taking it well."

"I dunno about everybody," Rainbow says. "Fluttershy looked pretty disgusted, and Applejack just made some countryism about the whole thing."

Within minutes, everyone has gathered, and Rarity starts serving omelettes with sausage patties and orange halves. As we all sit down, Cadance says, "I know some of you want to go into town and do some shopping today. Who's going?"

We all raise our hands.

"Okay. We'll head for the mall in about..." Cadance checks the time. "An hour or so." She looks at Fluttershy. "Now. Important question." She glances at Applejack, winces, then says, "Err...what...do you want to do for your birthday tomorrow?"

"I don't really care," Fluttershy says. "You don't need to worry about me."

"Did you have any...plans for tomorrow? Anything specific?" Twilight asks.

Applejack frowns. "Whutever it is y'all are tap-dancin' around, jes' go on ahead an' talk about it." She stands up. "Ah'll leave th' room if'n y'all don't wanna let me in on whut's goin' on. Jes'...don't do this right in front of me. It's insultin'."

Most of us look down at the table. Twilight sighs. Rainbow grimaces.

Sonata writes something, then holds it up for Applejack to see:

If we told you what's going on, you honestly wouldn't believe us.

"She's right," Cadance says with a shrug. "It's...it's one of those things..."

Applejack tilts her hat back. "Ah seen some pretty weird stuff lately. Y'all bein' in one spot one second an' someplace clear over yonder th' next, that fire at that party hall, all them secret meetin's y'all keep havin' all over th' place..." She shakes her head. "An' th' way everybody suddenly hates Fluttershy, an' Ah can't quite figure that one out."

"They found out I'm the hacker that's been causing problems for everyone in the dorm since September," Fluttershy says. "That's why everybody's upset with me."

Applejack blinks and stares at Fluttershy. "Say whut?"

"Yeah, her and Sunset Shimmer," Rainbow says. "They've been screwing us around all year long."

Applejack frowns. "Huh." She peers at Fluttershy. "Now why you wanna go an' do a fool thing like that?"

Fluttershy looks away.

Cadance clears her throat. "The reason none of us told you about this is because so far, you haven't really been affected by any of it personally. And, well...you've got your own problems to deal with." She looks up at Applejack. "The situation is being handled. Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna know all about it. For reasons too complicated to go into, actually dealing with it has been left up to us." She frowns at Fluttershy. "Fluttershy isn't helping Sunset Shimmer anymore, right?"

"Right," Fluttershy says softly.

"And she's sorry for everything she's ever done to us and wants to help make amends, right?"

Fluttershy gives her a sullen look. "Don't push it," she says.

Applejack glares at her. "Hey now! That ain't no way t' talk t' Nurse Cadance!"

Fluttershy glares right back at Applejack. "Mind your own business."

Applejack stares wide-eyed at Fluttershy, her mouth working silently.

Twilight sighs. "Fluttershy, just...just stop," she says tiredly. "We're all getting sick of your attitude."

"Yeah," Pinkie says, her hair wilting. "We hoped...you know...you coming with us would..." She frowns. "Maybe improve your attitude. Instead, you've been..."

"You don't know anything about me," Fluttershy says. "You don't know what I've been through."

"That's because you won't tell us," Twilight says. "We just...we just want to be your friends..."

Fluttershy snorts. "Friends? None of you even trust me."

I trust you. Sonata gives Fluttershy a sad, pleading look.

Fluttershy sighs. "I just...don't want to talk about it," she says softly. She looks around at us. "Isn't it enough that...that I'm not helping her anymore? That I took out all the bugs in the dorm and fixed the security holes in all your laptops? That you can use your webcams without anyone watching, that I'm not recording every word everyone says?"

Applejack's eyes double in size.

"I just..." Fluttershy sighs. "I just..."

Nobody says anything for a long time.

"Fluttershy," Cadance finally says, "do you think Sunset Shimmer has something bad planned for you tomorrow?"

Fluttershy looks up. "I don't know," she says. "After I blew the whistle on that whole fake pregnancy thing, she went dark. I have no idea what she's up to now. Oh, except I know she's not in Canterlot right now. She's in Neighpon."

"Well that's a relief," Twilight says.

"Okay," Cadance says. "Let's...let's all get ready to go into town, and...and go."

Monday, March 28, 2016 / Daytime

The mall in Haytona is more than twice the size of the mall in Canterlot. We all split into groups; I go with Pinkie and Twilight. As we're exploring, Pinkie questions me about my evening with Rainbow, while telling Twilight about that little episode with Rarity in the kitchen this morning.

For her part, Twilight is greatly amused by this. "I think you bit off more than you can chew with that one, Flash," she says teasingly. She tilts her head. "So, any idea where you'll take Rarity if she wants to sleep with you?"

It's so weird to be talking about this with my girlfriend...s...

"I guess maybe that little outcropping we walked to the other day?" I shrug. "It's private, it's on the beach but there's not as much sand..."

"Don't forget to get the candles!" Pinkie says.

"You're enjoying this way too much," I say, giving Pinkie a sideways glance.

"What can I say?" Pinkie says, shrugging. "It's fun!" She grins, putting her hands behind her head. "To be honest, I'd kinda like to see the whole dorm just have one great big orgy. Even Shining Armor and Cadance. Oh, and Celestia and Luna!" She pauses, then adds, "But no orgy for Fluttershy. Not until she stops being a meanie-pants."

"I don't think I want to be in an orgy with my big brother," Twilight says, turning faintly green.

"I dunno, Twi-Twi," Pinkie says with a sly grin, "I bet he'd love to be in an orgy with you!"

"GAH! PINKIE!"

We spend most of the day wandering from store to store, looking for something for Fluttershy, buying souvenirs, and window-shopping in general. We spend almost an hour at the food court. By the time we're done, Twilight's bought Fluttershy a couple of animal movies, and I found a highly detailed model kit of a pegasus to give her. Maybe a hobby will settle her down a bit...

I also pick up some vanilla scented candles for Rarity and some lavender scented massage oil for Twilight.

Monday, March 28, 2016 / Evening

After leaving the mall, we head to a local buffet for dinner, then return to the beach house. At eight thirty, I get a text from Rarity.

New Message From: Rarity
Meet me in the foyer at nine.

Twilight leans over my shoulder and reads the text. "Have fun," she says, kissing me. She stretches. "I think I'll have a little alone time with Pinkie tonight." She tilts her head. "Mind if we use that massage oil you bought?"

"Just don't use it all," I say. "I want to use it with you too."

I put on something a little nicer than what I wore into town today, splash on some aftershave, slip my phone and a couple of condoms into my pockets, then gather up a blanket, the candles, and a matchbook in one of my shopping bags from the mall. At five minutes to nine, I head for the foyer.

When Rarity arrives, she's wearing a backless black evening gown and matching heels and holding a medium-sized shopping bag. She smiles silkily at me. "I'm ready for our little rendezvous, darling," she says.

"You look gorgeous," I say. "Aren't you a little overdressed, though?"

She laughs. "There's no such thing!" She bats her eyes at me. "Are we perhaps going down to the beach?"

"That's what I had in mind, yeah."

"Splendid," she coos. "Making love on the beach is positively romantic."

"And I know a good spot that's not too close to the water and fairly private," I say. I offer her my arm; she takes it, and we head out.

The bag Rarity is carrying is clinking gently as it sways in her grasp. "I must say, I'm quite..." She pauses. "Well...nervous, excited, intrigued...this is honestly something I was never expecting." She looks up at the moon. "I've been reading romance novels and...well..." She clears her throat. "Bodice-rippers since I was Sweetie Belle's age, and more than a few times, I've envisioned myself in exactly this situation...alone on a beach under the moonlight, about to offer myself to a dashing gentleman..." She glances at me. "Well, a moderately handsome lecher in this case, but given your, ahem, body of experience..." She coughs. "Especially seeing as you have taken the virginity of approximately half the dorm..." She glances at me and smirks. "Odd, that, considering you are supposedly in a steady relationship."

I laugh weakly. "Trust me, I'm well aware of how unusually lucky I am." I shake my head. "Especially since back in Seaddle, I'd never even really talked to a girl before. I mean...you know..."

"Yes, I know," Rarity says, laughing. "I suppose it's a consequence of living with so many attractive young women, seeing them at their best and at their worst, being their rock..." She smiles. "We've all come to trust you, Flash. Especially in light of this messy and bizarre Zodiac business." She takes my hand and squeezes it. "In all honesty, I...I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't feel I could trust you implicitly."

"Rarity..."

"Besides, I've had an excellent look at your body, and, well..." She smiles and licks her lips. "Rarity likes."

I slip my arm around her waist. "Not near as much as I like yours," I whisper into her ear.

She titters and rolls her eyes. "You're incorrigible!" She leans into me.

When we reach the outcropping, I spread the blanket I brought out on the smoothest patch of sand I can find, facing the ocean but with the rocks concealing us from the public areas of the beach, where we can still see some people partying. I place four stout scented candles near the corners of the blanket, burying the bottoms right in the sand, and light them. The tiny flames dance in the light ocean breeze.

Rarity sits down on the blanket and rummages around in her bag, drawing out a bottle of wine and two glasses. "I convinced Nurse Cadance to indulge a request," she says, her cheeks faintly pink. "Even after what she told us, I...well...I thought it appropriate, all things considered, to have a glass of wine together before we..." She waves a glass around. "She agreed, so...here we are. I did promise her that we would only have one glass each, of course."

I sit down across from Rarity; she hands me the wine and a corkscrew. It takes me a minute to figure out how to work it, but I uncork the bottle and pour Rarity a glass of wine, then pour one for myself. We toast, then drink the wine; it's quite dry, and barely leaves a trace as it goes down.

Once that's done, Rarity collects the glasses and the bottle and puts them back in her bag. "You, ahem...brought protection, I trust?"

"Of course."

"Thank you," she says. She slips off her shoes, placing them in the bag, then slides over closer to me. In a trembling whisper, she says, "I'm all yours."

Rarity's dress is the next thing to go into her bag, followed by her underwear...

We take our time, enjoying each other as the night wears on. When we're both finally exhausted, we lay down side by side on the blanket; I cradle Rarity in my arms as she starts to doze.

I'm getting a little sleepy myself...

Tuesday, March 29, 2016 / Zodiac

Author's Notes:

The LTE version of this chapter contains unrated bonus content.