Chapter Fourteen

The First Rays of Morning

The living room bore all the signs of a hasty departure. A half-finished glass of water sat on the coffee table beside Fluttershy’s saddlebags, which she had obviously forgotten in her flustered state. Angel’s stare was accusatory as Trixie trotted dejectedly downstairs, winding a scarf slowly around her neck.

On an impulse, the unicorn seized the saddlebags in a magical grip, reasoning that Fluttershy might need them in the wintry morning. Moving quickly into the kitchen, she took a few of the enchanted heat-orbs that Twilight had given to her friend, before her sudden bout as a recluse. She dropped them into the bag, alongside Fluttershy’s mirror, brush, and a woolen hat that would doubtless come in useful for the cold return journey.

In truth, even without the hint provided by the tracks in the snow, Trixie knew where the pegasus had gone. Now, more than ever, Fluttershy would need to think. She would not speak to her friends; her friends would only want to reassure her, and irrational guilt cannot be assuaged by rationality. There was only one place the pegasus would be; perhaps it was that she knew, subconsciously, Trixie would come to find her.

Unconsciously, Trixie redoubled the speed of her preparations. The timid mare’s confession had ignited a warm, inextinguishable glow of contentment in her chest that burned even now despite the leaden worry that lay alongside it. She needed Fluttershy to know that she had no reason to be ashamed or apologetic, and that Trixie felt every bit as strongly for her in return.

Even so, her stomach seemed to shrivel a little at the thought of how awkward this meeting was likely to be.

As the mare walked towards the door, she caught sight of herself in the mirror above the mantelpiece. Her mane was somewhat bedraggled, and she looked almost shell-shocked. The fruity sting of Fluttershy’s kiss was still fresh in her memory, and even now, it seemed utterly surreal for everything to have changed with such painful abruptness. The scar on her lower lip was not so livid by this time, but she suspected it may never fade entirely.

She shook her head, looking away and wrenching open the front door; she could not afford to waste time.

Without a backward glance towards the ever-irate Angel, she wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck. Pulling the door shut with a snap behind her, she trotted briskly out into the snowy fields, heading for the hills.

Despite the cold, Trixie’s flanks were shining with sweat as she approached the hilltop where—what seemed like a lifetime ago—she and Fluttershy had spent so much time. She had taken much of the journey at a canter and was a little surprised by her own endurance. Her time in the Everfree had rendered her physique lithe and willowy, although it was nowhere near the athleticism of a pony like Rainbow Dash, who had been able to supplement exercise with a good diet. Still, it was more than capable of carrying Trixie cross-country without too much difficulty.

Even so, the unicorn was panting as she neared the brow of the hill, hoping against hope that Fluttershy had indeed chosen this place as her sanctuary. She had lost the pegasus’s hoof-prints along the slushy pathways, and if Fluttershy had decided to visit Rarity or some other friend, rather than remaining in solitude, Trixie’s journey would have been an absolute waste.

Will she even want to talk to me? Would she rather I just left her alone?

The nagging, paranoid questions picked at the unicorn’s brain. She halted for a moment, trying to compose her thoughts before revealing herself. It was, however, no good; her head was swirling with countless fears that could only be allayed or confirmed by facing the pegasus. There was little point in lurking here, casting around for some kind of non-existent composure.

With a few determined strides, Trixie crested the brow of the hill, looking around for a primrose silhouette.

For a horrible moment, she thought the hilltop lay deserted, as no figure met her searching gaze. Then, with a pang of mixed relief and nerves, she caught sight of Fluttershy, lying cradled amongst the roots of the bare oak tree that clung to the hilltop’s edge. The mare was hunched, her face turned away from Trixie, obviously unaware of her presence.

As the unicorn approached, she saw that the pegasus was not crying, but seemed somehow deflated, as if the timid joy she normally took in the world had, for the moment, abandoned her. A mess of crumpled green fabric lay at her side, and Trixie realized that the pegasus had hastily pulled off her dress, and dumped it into the snow as though hoping it would eventually be buried there.

Trixie knew that if she crept up on the pegasus, or called out, she would startle Fluttershy out of her skin. However, she did not want to simply stand there, watching, until the yellow mare turned and caught sight of her. In the end, she decided upon a compromise.

Heart beating rather fast, she approached the prone mare. She knew that Fluttershy must have heard her hoof-falls crunching in the snow. The pegasus did not turn her head, but her ears flattened themselves in a subconscious gesture of shame.

“Fluttershy,” Trixie murmured, tentatively, once she was a few feet from the mare. Her tone was gentle, but Fluttershy cringed away from the word as if expecting Trixie to strike her.

The unicorn knelt down in the snow, keeping a respectful distance from the pegasus. “Fluttershy, I…”

Fluttershy was not looking at her, and Trixie could see a hot flush creeping along the shy mare’s neck. Her body language suggested that she wanted to speak to the unicorn, but sheer embarrassment was preventing her. “Are you alright speaking to me? I mean, I can… I can understand if you don’t want to, I just—” She broke off. Fluttershy had nodded minutely, stretching out a forehoof to the unicorn, before giving a little squeak and jerking it back to her chest, as if her nerve had broken.

Trixie sighed, resigned to conducting a one-sided conversation with the mortified mare’s profile. “Fluttershy, I’m sorry.”

To the unicorn’s surprise, Fluttershy turned her head at these words. Her eyes were only a little bloodshot, but self-disgust was etched in her face. “You’re sorry?” she whispered, looking stricken. The moment she tried to give voice, her words became choked. Her cheeks reddened blotchily, and she turned away from Trixie again, unable to look her in the face. “What must you think of me, Trixie?” She buried her muzzle in her forehooves again, muffling her next words. “I’m an inconsiderate, drunken idiot… I’m meant to be t-taking care of you, not taking… advantage of you.”

At this, Trixie moved forwards, and rested a comforting foreleg over Fluttershy’s back. The mare did not shy away; instead, she seemed to huddle unconsciously a little closer. The unicorn noticed that her mortified friend was shivering a little in the bitterly cold morning. Her mind was racing; this simply did not add up. Fluttershy had drunk nowhere near enough to have forgotten the previous night’s details, and yet she was acting as if she expected Trixie to consider her behavior repugnant, even though the unicorn had made the reason for her refusal quite clear at the time.

On reflection, Trixie supposed that the pegasus was so horrified at her own behaviour that she might almost want Trixie to hate her for what she had done. Every aspect of her attitude indicated that the mare felt herself deserving of some kind of punishment or loss, not to have her actions rewarded by acceptance.

“Fluttershy,” Trixie whispered seriously. “You know I don’t mind, I told you that…” Her voice tailed nervously away, but she swallowed, and ploughed recklessly on, feeling the heat rise in her own cheeks. “Refusing you last night was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.” The words came out in a rush, and she took a second to ensure that her voice was intelligible before continuing in the same rapid, slightly panicked tone. “I… Fluttershy, I feel the same way about you. I don’t think that’s ever going to change. I just thought, if anything were to happen between us, I would want it to be something we could both look back on as… as something beautiful. Not something we’d both regret.”

She felt another, stronger shiver pass through Fluttershy’s body, although whether it was due to the cold or to some illegible emotion, Trixie did not know. The pegasus tried to reply, but her teeth were chattering from lying in the snow for so long.

“Here,” Trixie murmured. She reached a tendril of magic into her saddlebags, withdrawing one of the rough glass spheres, and dropped it into the snow between them.

Immediately, there was a sharp hiss, and both mares closed their eyes as a billowing column of mist rose up into the air around them, obscuring their vision. For an unpleasant moment, Trixie thought they would be burned by the spell’s heat. However, it seemed Twilight had done her magic well, for all she felt was a wave of pleasant warmth as her snowy coat dried out. She heard Fluttershy give a little sigh at the pleasurable sensation.

Then, as quickly as it had begun, the air cleared. The mares were left lying in the centre of an invisible bubble filled with the heat of a summer’s day, gazing out over the whitened town beneath them.

Their eyes met for an instant, and then Fluttershy looked away again. Trixie caught an unmistakable glimpse of yearning in her momentary gaze, but it seemed the pegasus was too embarrassed to act on it. Her muscles were tense and her breath a little ragged.

“Hey,” Trixie whispered. Fluttershy was biting her lip, still curled up in an attitude of contrition. “You don’t need to be ashamed.”

“Trixie, I…” Fluttershy broke off, unable to force out the words, the pink flush creeping up her neck. She reached out with a hoof to touch Trixie’s neck, but the motion felt fearful and tentative. “I’m sorry, I’m such a coward. Everything I said, all those things I did… you know me; of course I’m going to be ashamed of that.”

“Shh,” soothed the unicorn, nuzzling the mare’s scarlet cheek. “You’re not a coward. I’m sorry for not being able to stop myself sooner.” She wanted Fluttershy to relax; she needed to be sure, to know once and for all that Fluttershy’s feelings were not simply a product of drink, or some purely physical urge. Deep down, of course, she knew perfectly well that the pegasus’s feelings were genuine, but her paranoid side demanded that final confirmation.

“D-don’t you apologise,” Fluttershy replied, shakily. “You know the w-worst thing?” She turned, and nestled her head under Trixie’s chin, drawing in a deep breath. “I hate myself for what I did; for losing control like that, but… I c-can’t regret it. I want to regret it, but… ohh…” She shivered, but this time Trixie knew that it had nothing to do with the temperature. Her breathing had grown faster, and she buried her blushing face into Trixie’s neck, as if hoping to suffocate the desire that she considered such a mark of shame.

“I don’t know what to do,” the pegasus whispered. “Everything I did, it should have let you down so badly…” She pressed her lips against Trixie’s neck, kissing impulsively at the warm fur, again and again. Trixie stifled a tiny gasp at the unexpected, pleasurable sensation. “Everything in my head is telling me that this is wrong, that I’m weak for feeling these urges, and worse for g-giving in to them.” She nuzzled with a strange compulsion against the unicorn’s shoulder, seeking reassurance, or perhaps some kind of vindication. “I’m… I’m an idiot; I know you feel the same way, but I still feel so dirty, even though we both…” Her voice trailed away.

“Fluttershy, I’ve told you,” Trixie said, her voice quiet but firm. “Feeling that way about somepony… it doesn’t make you weak, or dirty, or any of it. If it does, then I am the weakest pony I know. I did enough damage by letting you go so far last night. I should have headed you off sooner, but I… I couldn’t resist you. I’ve never been able to resist you, right from the start.”

Trixie could tell that the pegasus was burning to make her own admission, but some combination of shame and inhibition was holding her back. She was clearly too skittish and nervous to trust herself with anything so complex as words.

An idea suddenly came to the unicorn, and for a second time, she reached magically into the saddlebags on her back, withdrawing Fluttershy’s round, wooden mane-brush. It was a simple pleasure that they could share; a reminder of less complicated days.

Fluttershy pulled back a little and caught sight of the brush. Trixie could have sworn a small smile flickered across her lips, although a deep-set embarrassment still burned in her eyes. She nodded almost imperceptibly, and rose a little from her curled position, leaning back against the supine Trixie’s chest. The unicorn let out a low sigh, breathing in the unidentifiable floral scent of Fluttershy’s mane as she magically removed her saddlebags, leaning them back against the trunk of the tree.

On an impulse, she wrapped her hooves around the pegasus’s belly, relishing the remarkable heat that the mare seemed to give off. Fluttershy squeaked, but made no attempt to pull away, instead resting her forehooves on Trixie’s, her eyelids flickering momentarily closed.

Gradually, diligently, Trixie began to run the magically-clasped brush through Fluttershy’s tangled bed-mane. She ensured that each stroke of the brush was slow and luxurious, and rested her chin on Fluttershy’s shoulder as she worked, so that she could see the expression on the pegasus’s face.

With extreme care, she worked out each knot and twist, feeling Fluttershy’s tense muscles begin to relax. Slowly, gradually, the pegasus’s breathing began returning to normal, and she leaned in closer to Trixie’s ministrations. She no longer seemed at risk of hyperventilating, which the unicorn took to be a good sign. Deftly, Trixie tucked a lock behind Fluttershy’s ear, stroking the brush back through the strands to keep them in place. Unable to resist, the azure mare nuzzled at Fluttershy’s neck as she worked, drawing a low hum of contentment from the pegasus.

“There’s no point in waiting any longer, is there?” the unicorn whispered. She had not planned to speak, but the words slipped out almost of their own accord as she lost herself in Fluttershy’s presence.

Trixie felt a slight pressure against her ribs, and looked down with a small smile to see Fluttershy’s primary feathers spreading, her wings rising a little of their own accord. The pegasus flushed violently, trying to tug the appendages back to her sides, but Trixie nosed reassuringly at her cheek. “Let them go,” she murmured. “You don’t need to hide anything from me, and you have beautiful wings…” She caressed the brush with a quick twist through the longest strands of Fluttershy’s carnation mane, curling them into their signature flick.

Letting out a little sigh of surrender, Fluttershy relaxed, leaning back a little further and letting her wings unfurl with the slow grace of a flower blooming. The feathers brushed Trixie’s chin, and the unicorn forced back the urge to lean down and kiss the downy expanse, knowing full well how intimate such a gesture was amongst pegasi.

Fluttershy seemed unable to stay fraught and tense when Trixie was holding her in this way. Somehow, without her frantic, skittish fear of her own actions, the pegasus seemed able to understand that Trixie did not blame her, or indeed think any the less of her for her actions the previous evening.

“I never want you to be ashamed for what happened last night,” Trixie said, still brushing the mare’s mane in long, soothing strokes. “Today’s what matters, and who knows how long we’d have spent torturing ourselves, if you hadn’t spoken up yesterday.”

She had moved the brush up to the top of Fluttershy’s head, and was shaping her mane carefully around her ears. The pegasus seemed to be chewing her tongue, as if playing out some painful internal struggle. Her wings were shivering, communicating her state of mind far more effectively than the timid mare was able to articulate in words.

At length, Fluttershy mumbled something, her cheeks turning scarlet again, but her voice was too quiet for Trixie to make out the words.

“I… I didn’t catch that,” Trixie said, smiling as she nuzzled at the pegasus’s velvety ear.

The pegasus bit her lip, and when she spoke again, her voice was an urgent little whine, still barely audible due to her own timid nature. “Kiss me.” She rolled over quite suddenly, resting herself on top of the unicorn, her wings spread wide. Fluttershy’s face was a perfect mask of nerves, her cheeks burning as if she could not believe her own audacity. “Y-You're right… there's no point pretending." Her eyelids flickered. "Kiss me, Trixie…”

Trixie was barely breathing. The pegasus’s eyes were closed, her lips pouted a little awkwardly, and Trixie had to fight back a sudden, insane urge to laugh. She wanted nothing more than to giggle with relief, with joy, with delight at the sheer absurdity of their situation.

Instead, she contented herself with obeying Fluttershy’s timid command.

At first, their lips barely brushed together as Trixie leaned up, testing, ensuring that the pegasus was indeed happy to continue along these lines. When she met with no resistance, she leaned closer into the kiss, letting the brush fall to the grass as her horn’s light flickered and died. The contact was slow, lingering, and exquisitely gentle. Fluttershy moulded her lips searchingly against the unicorn’s, catching a tiny, timid moan in the back of her throat.

Trixie did not know for how long they lay there, joined at the mouths. The unicorn could feel Fluttershy’s lips tugging at her own, applying experimental pressure here and there, inexpert but impossibly sweet. Slowly, Trixie picked up the brush again, and as they kissed, she began to sweep it gradually through Fluttershy’s mane once more, dragging a fresh murmur of pleasure from the pegasus.

Eventually, after what must have been several minutes, Trixie pulled slowly away. Fluttershy let out a little whine of protest, her eyes still closed, and her lips still moving against the empty air for a brief moment. Then, her eyelids fluttered open, her expression reminiscent of a pony waking from a trance.

“I…” Fluttershy blinked several times, her lips slowly curling into a small, shy smile. “That was…”

“Let’s call that our first kiss, shall we?” Trixie asked in a low voice, as Fluttershy began caressing her neck with one forehoof, the other touched to her own mouth, a half-disbelieving little smile tugging at her lips.

“Mmm… let’s,” Fluttershy purred, turning her head a little to examine her extravagantly flared wings. Her cheeks flushed again at the sight, but she fluffed up her feathers with a playful giggle, and raised them a little, the better to let Trixie see the effect she had on the pegasus. Made brave by this uncharacteristically suggestive display, she grinned embarrassedly, and leaned down to lavish another warm kiss on her lover’s lips.

Lost in the moment of surprising assertion, Trixie made to lower the brush that still rested in her magical grasp, but Fluttershy caught it with a hoof, steering it away from her mane, and directing it towards the primrose fur of her neck. “Keep going,” she murmured, breaking the kiss for an instant before darting back in, suckling gently on Trixie’s lips, one after the other.

The unicorn tried to focus, but it was a losing battle; being kissed by Fluttershy was an exceptionally distracting experience. The pegasus was growing a little more adventurous, letting one forehoof fall to caress Trixie’s side. The unicorn responded in kind as best she could, sweeping the brush along the curves of Fluttershy’s neck, and moving her hooves in small circles on the pegasus’s back, just beneath her wings. As the now-familiar prickling heat grew between her haunches, it was becoming ever more difficult to concentrate.

Suddenly, Trixie pulled away again, flipping Fluttershy over so that the pegasus was resting back against her once more. Fluttershy gave a little squeak at the sudden motion, but it dissolved into a sigh of contentment as Trixie began sensually brushing the fur of her chest and shoulders. Biting her lip, the yellow mare squirmed instinctually backwards, so that the bases of her splayed wings ground up against the unicorn’s shoulder.

The dock of her tail was resting tantalisingly against Trixie’s thigh, and the mares let out simultaneous, low moans as Fluttershy pressed herself backwards again, rubbing her quivering wings up against the unicorn’s coat.

“This isn’t wrong,” gasped the pegasus, her eyes flickering blissfully shut. “It… it can’t be.”

“It isn’t,” Trixie replied, simply.

“Can… can we…” Fluttershy blushed, clearly not used to making suggestions in such intimate situations.

Trixie rested her chin on the mare’s shoulder again, so their cheeks pressed together. She feathered a reassuring kiss against the edge of Fluttershy’s lips, and smiled. “Mhm?”

The pegasus giggled, resting a hoof on the unicorn’s free cheek. “Can you kiss me, like we… um… the way we did yesterday?”

Trixie also laughed quietly, more in reaction to the awkwardly-phrased question than anything else. She could not honestly tell if she preferred this mare as a seductive, self-assured goddess, or as this timid, stumbling filly. Each side of her was so deliciously endearing in its own way. “I think I can manage that,” murmured the unicorn.

Eyes locked with Fluttershy’s, she swung her hind leg playfully across the pegasus’s hips, rolling the pair of them over in the grass until they were both lying on their sides. Fluttershy’s mouth was open a little in anticipation, but Trixie decided to let her anticipate for a few moments longer. Teasingly, she ducked under Fluttershy’s chin, and dragged her tongue in a luxurious curve up the length of the timid mare’s neck.

The action had its desired effect; Fluttershy let out an impatient huff, tangling her hind legs with Trixie’s and pulling the teasing unicorn closer. Trixie stiffened as she felt Fluttershy’s retaliatory tongue tracing along her cheek, and she let out a sound halfway between a groan and a giggle. The pegasus blushed at her own audacity; it was remarkable how timid she could be, even when they were locked together closely enough for Trixie to catch the sharp scent of the mare’s excitement on the air. Some things, it seemed, could never change.

Wasting no further time, Trixie pressed her still-parted lips to Fluttershy’s, dipping her tongue slowly and cautiously into the other mare’s mouth, offering her every opportunity to refuse her entry, should she feel overwhelmed or uncomfortable. Far from refusing her, however, the pegasus gave an urgent moan as if electrocuted by the contact, closing her forehooves around Trixie’s back and rolling the pair of them over yet again, so that the unicorn found herself resting a little dizzily atop her partner.

As before, Trixie felt as if the contact between their tongues had reduced her insides to a molten mess. She suckled greedily on the pegasus’s mouth, relishing being able to take such pleasure in their early morning rendezvous, free from the guilt that had so soured their kisses the previous night. Fluttershy’s breaths were rising in warm, throaty moans as she responded to Trixie’s enthusiasm, and the unicorn could feel her partner smiling broadly into the kiss.

Fluttershy’s technique was less aggressive and insistent than the previous night, and her tongue was no longer flavoured by berries and drink. Trixie could not identify the subtle, natural taste that had replaced it, and in truth she was far too addled to attempt any such cohesive thought, although she fancied she caught a hint of apricots. Fluttershy’s tension had quite abandoned her, and as the kiss stretched onwards, she rested back against the grass in a gesture of indolent contentment.

The mares fell to clutching and pawing at each other in the grass, neither seeking dominance so much as exploration. Trixie could feel the radiant heat from Fluttershy’s marehood washing over her nearby thigh, and she was sorely tempted to flip the timid mare over and help relieve her obvious frustration, but at that moment she could not quite summon the nerve.

Then, after their playful struggle had lasted for a few delicious, infinite minutes, they broke apart. The fur of Fluttershy’s muzzle was wet and glistening, and Trixie realized with a slight pang of embarrassment that, this morning, she was the one who had proven messy and over-enthusiastic in her technique. Both mares were panting. Fluttershy licked her lips slowly and deliberately, maintaining eye contact with her lover, her gaze half-entranced and half-seductive.

The unicorn’s blood was running hot; she needed this beautiful, unfathomable, awkward little pegasus. At that moment, she felt that if she was forced to choose between Fluttershy and oxygen, her life expectancy would not reflect well upon her choice.

“We’ve got so much to talk about,” Fluttershy whispered, wonderingly.

“Let’s talk later,” begged Trixie.

“I like that idea.” Fluttershy grinned. “I guess we’ve got all the time in the world now.” The pegasus seemed momentarily overcome by the reality of the situation, and as she leaned over to kiss her lover again, her expression looked almost disbelieving. She reached out a hoof, stroking Trixie’s cheek with the attitude of bottomless affection that the unicorn found so unutterably beautiful.

Something triumphant was expanding in Trixie’s chest. In spite of her every mistake, in spite of her unsavoury past, in spite of her own fear and second-guessing nature, she had somehow attained the unattainable. Somewhere inside her head was the knowledge that, to this mare, she was worth more than the sum of her many failings. The thought made her eyes well up with tears again, and she buried her face in Fluttershy’s neck, biting back a sob. She had wanted more than anything to be cool, collected and romantic with this confession, but the words refused to be contained for an instant longer.

“I… I l-love you, Fluttershy,” she choked out, her voice muffled and shaking.

Fluttershy was nuzzling at Trixie’s mane and chin, kissing urgently at every inch of fur she could reach. For an instant, however, the unicorn’s words made her freeze. Then, Trixie felt the mare’s lips close around the tip of her ear, Fluttershy’s hot breaths rising with a nervous rapidity. “I love you too…” The pegasus moaned the words in that warm, honeyed voice that Trixie had come to find so enticing, and the azure mare felt as if a small explosion had taken place in the pit of her stomach. “I just… I love you so much, Trixie.”

“Fluttershy, I—ohh…” Trixie’s voice melted away into a gasp as the pegasus flicked the very tip of her horn, once, with a soft stroke of her tongue. The action sent a lightning-bolt of pleasure shuddering along her spine, and she met Fluttershy’s gaze with a surprised delight.

“See? You make me feel so brave,” Fluttershy whispered, almost apologetically, resting her forehead against Trixie’s. For a few long moments, both mares relaxed, letting their urgency slip away as they lay, folded together on the hilltop. Arousal still fogged the unicorn’s mind, and if Fluttershy’s unabashedly displayed wings were anything to go by, the pegasus too had every intention of exploring further into these newfound delights. However, suddenly, the urge was more manageable. As Fluttershy had said, they had all the time in the world to love one another. There was no need to rush.

Equally, there was no need to wait.

“Fluttershy, does… does anypony ever come up here?” Trixie asked, flushing. “I mean, if somepony found us like this, it’s probably not the best way to announce…” Her voice tailed away, and she blushed a little.

The pegasus grinned, and shook her head. “There’s only one path up here, and nopony uses it anymore.” She reached up with a flared wing, stroking it along Trixie’s cheek before dragging the feathers teasingly down her lover’s neck. “We’re a little off the beaten track, which means I’ve got you all to myself.” She wriggled a little beneath the unicorn as she repositioned herself, extricating a hind leg and entwining it tightly around Trixie’s flank.

Trixie smiled at the uncharacteristically assertive gesture. “Somepony’s feeling a little frisky.”

Fluttershy bit her lip. “I’m… I’m not normally like this, but you just make me feel so…” She sighed, questing up with her muzzle and tracing a line around Trixie’s lips with the tip of her tongue. “I know I made a foal of myself last night, but… oh, I'm being stupid, aren't I?" She grinned." "Besides, right now, I love that you do this to me.”

“About that...” Trixie’s heart was pumping rather rapidly, and she felt suddenly extremely nervous. “I kind of stole last night from you, didn’t I?”

Fluttershy’s expression was reassuring. “It’s okay, Trixie, I understand why you—” Her eyes widened a little, her voice breaking off, and she smirked as she caught up with Trixie’s train of thought. “Actually, I suppose you did, didn’t you?”

The unicorn leaned down, this time kissing at the very top of Fluttershy’s jawbone, leaving her lips millimeters from the mare’s ear. “If you’d like, I can make it up to you now…”

Fluttershy’s cheeks were bright pink now, but she kept up her act of coyness and pouted a little, her eyes glinting mischievously. “Well, if you feel you owe me, I’m sure we can work something out.”

Trixie chuckled, touching her lips to Fluttershy’s forehead. The pegasus squirmed out from underneath her, rolling over in the grass to lie on her front, near the edge of the bubble of warmth. She turned her head; one eye obscured by her mane, and flashed the unicorn a smouldering glance. Her eyes were half-lidded in a natural, languid attitude of seduction, which could easily have seemed forced or overly well-practiced in other ponies. “You never did finish brushing me, you know,” she remarked, lazily.

The sapphire mare knew that Fluttershy was trying to appear nonchalant, and to mask her own inexperience and timidity. Certainly some of her fears and inhibitions would have been buried by her excitement, and her trust in her partner. However, Trixie was quite aware that, beneath the pegasus’s newfound air of courage and flirtation, she would be as much of a bundle of nerves as ever, and the unicorn resolved to go about this as gently as she was able.

“Before I do,” she murmured, resting a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder, “I just want you to know that I’d never want you to do anything you weren’t comfortable with. You know that, right?”

“Of course I do,” whispered the pegasus. “If I didn’t, do you really think I’d have trusted you enough to go as far as we’ve already gone?” She leaned over her shoulder, touching her nose to Trixie’s, her eyes suddenly serious. “I want this,” she affirmed, gently. “I want it to be special…”

“You’re… you’re sure it isn’t too soon?” Trixie asked, softly. She felt as if she were stalling, but she needed to know beyond any doubt that they were not rushing into a liaison they would later come to regret.

“Trixie.” Fluttershy turned again to meet the unicorn’s eyes, her gaze reassuring and more than a little sultry. “You know as well as I do what you do to me.” She ran her tongue over her lips again. “But it’s not because I just want your body; I want you. I trust you, because I know you; I’ve all but been you. But it’s more than that… I know you, but you’re still such a puzzle; you’ve got so many little parts and pieces that you’re still hiding away. I’ve never known a pony who makes me dream up so many little fantasies…”

She puckered her lips, blowing a languid kiss towards the wide-eyed unicorn. Any doubts Trixie had harboured were long since overpowered and evaporated. “Do you need me to make myself any clearer?” Fluttershy pulled in a shaky little breath, eyelids flickering a little. “Besides, I think I’ve waited long enough. Last night, I… last night was the first time I’ve ever kissed anypony.”

Trixie’s eyebrows darted upwards in surprise. Fluttershy was clearly less than well-practiced in the art of romantic activities, but the unicorn had never expected that she had not so much as shared a kiss before.

So this really is her first time doing anything like this.

Admittedly, she had expected Fluttershy’s intimate experience to be limited, but on hearing it confirmed, she suddenly felt an altogether greater weight of responsibility to make this morning a memorable one.

Don’t be silly; she loves you.

“I’d never have believed that,” Trixie replied after a moment, teasingly. “You’re kind, you’re gentle… you’re beautiful. Surely ponies have been queuing up for a chance with you?”

Fluttershy smiled shyly. “I think you might be a little biased,” she mumbled. “But really… well, I say it was my first kiss. There was that one time with Thunderlane back at Flight School, but that was more a… collision. We were both foals; I don’t think either of us were very good at it, and I could never look him in the eye afterwards.”

The unicorn giggled, leaning in over the pegasus’s shoulder to press a warm kiss against Fluttershy’s smiling lips. “I think you’ve got some catching up to do, then.”

“Definitely.” Fluttershy returned the kiss, dragging out the contact for considerably longer than Trixie had done.

Trixie nosed playfully at her retreating mane, breathing in sharply as a few stray locks whipped at her cheek. “I could just lie here and kiss you all day.” She trailed a hoof lazily along Fluttershy’s spine, her gaze wandering a little lower. “But I’ve not given your coat nearly the attention it deserves.”

“You’re so rational sometimes.” Fluttershy smirked. “You’re as bad as—” She broke off, her expression flickering with an emotion that could have been nothing other than guilt. For a split-second, an uncomfortable silence fell, then she hastily smiled again. “You’re right; my coat could definitely do with a bit of attention.”

Trixie paused for a moment, but put the unintelligible little instant from her mind, and applied herself to her task. With a lilac tendril of magic, she scooped up the brush from where it had fallen in the grass, and positioned herself beside the prone form of Fluttershy, unable to resist letting her gaze linger over the mare’s curvaceous form.

Fluttershy glanced back over her shoulder, and spotted the unicorn’s gaze hovering over her flank. She smirked, blushing a little at the attention, and flicked the unicorn’s chin with the tip of her tail. “If you’re that into watching butterflies, you should’ve brought a net,” she quipped with a sudden confidence.

Trixie’s cheeks flushed equally pink at being caught, but she grinned, rolling her eyes. “That was terrible,” she returned. “But… maybe next time,” she added teasingly, resting the brush between Fluttershy’s shoulder-blades. The pegasus let out a contented sigh, resting her head on her forehooves and stretching out her back. Trixie began to run the brush gradually through her primrose fur, circling coyly around the bases of her wings, before attending lovingly to the timid mare’s lower back, and the sides of her belly.

Fluttershy let out another, longer sigh. Her wings, which had drooped a little during the hiatus in their kisses, rose slowly back to attention once more. Trixie deftly moved upwards again, working tantalisingly towards her lover’s wings, before darting away after just encroaching against the base. The action had the desired effect; Fluttershy was shifting restlessly, reaching back with her wings as best she could.

The unicorn giggled, magically edging the brush lower, smoothing the fur of Fluttershy’s flanks. Still committed to her teasing progress, she traced a circle around each of the pegasus’s cutie marks. At this, Fluttershy whined a little pleadingly, shuffling back towards the unicorn, whose smile widened. Quite suddenly, she swept the brush directly over the butterflies adorning the silken yellow fur, and Fluttershy let out a moan, closing her teeth reflexively around her forehoof to muffle the sound. Trixie could not suppress a smirk at this familiar action.

“Look who’s sensitive,” she purred, interrupting her progress for a moment to press a lingering kiss against the uppermost butterfly, prompting another twitch and gasp from the pink-cheeked pegasus. Fluttershy’s tail instinctively raised in an attitude of invitation, the lips of her marehood just visible, flushed and a little parted with her obvious arousal. Trixie bit her lip, resisting the magnetic urge to simply push her muzzle into those lovely folds and abandon any attempt at subtlety. It would almost have been worth it, but she knew that continuing to tease and coax in this way would make the eventual payoff all the sweeter.

She continued lower, sweeping the brush in long, sensual motions down the length of each hind leg in turn, tracing its progress with trails of pursuing kisses. Fluttershy was pawing at the ground with her forehooves as Trixie paused her progress at the backs of her knees, lingering over the smooth, thinly-furred patch of skin. The unicorn found the reaction elicited by that particular sweet spot to be quite delightful. “I love exploring you,” breathed the unicorn, in-between nuzzles. “You’ve got so many little hidden treasures.”

She nuzzled at the supple skin behind Fluttershy’s knee again, and the pegasus gave a miniscule moan of delight. “Keep exploring,” Fluttershy mumbled, now biting down on the tip of a hoof to muffle the sounds of her sensitivity.

Rosemary used to like being kissed behind the knees too, didn’t she?

Trixie froze, unsure where that particular thought had sprung from.

You learned those sensitive little spots well, didn’t you? She was a good teacher.

Fluttershy gave an impatient little moan at the sudden halt in Trixie’s ministrations. The unicorn shook herself mentally, and put the intrusive thought out of her mind, focusing on the task at hand. Trixie’s exploration had affected her as much as it had Fluttershy; a heated ache was growing between her haunches, demanding relief in ever-more-insistent tones, but now was not the time for yielding to temptation. With gentle hooves, she turned Fluttershy over into a supine position, and met her gaze with a sultry glance that the pegasus returned with interest.

Positioning herself between Fluttershy’s hind legs, she slid with a slow deliberation up the length of the pegasus’s body, drawing a full-throated groan from the mare’s lips. Fluttershy’s coat was peppered with perspiration, her head tipped back a little with a delicious abandon. She shivered at the barrage of sensations, as their bodies pressed together in what felt like a hundred different ways. Their eyes met, and Trixie smiled.

“You’re so beautiful,” she whispered, not caring in the least how trite the words sounded.

“You make me feel beautiful,” returned the pegasus, suddenly timid in her actions as she leaned up to suckle tentatively on Trixie’s lower lip.

Trixie sighed, bathing in the sensation for a few delicious moments. “I want to make you feel like a goddess,” she whispered, leaning down to offer the pink-maned beauty another tender kiss.

“You’re so cheesy,” breathed Fluttershy, giggling as they broke apart.

Trixie flashed her a grin. “Oh, am I really?”

In a swift, supple motion, Trixie curled herself back around Fluttershy’s body, so she was resting on her side behind the mare, propping herself up on one foreleg, the other still closed around Fluttershy’s belly. Her hind legs were entwined smoothly around the right side of the mare’s body, following the curvature of her hip, and she smiled as Fluttershy ran a hoof gently through her fetlocks, tugging her legs in a little closer with a tiny, suggestive giggle.

Trixie felt Fluttershy shiver as her forehoof began a teasing journey, edging down over the velvet curve of the pegasus’s stomach.

The pegasus stiffened a little, her breath catching slightly as she realized Trixie’s intention. The unicorn quickly halted her progress, resting her chin on Fluttershy’s shoulder, tentatively awaiting assent or rejection. The bridge of Fluttershy’s nose was scarlet; she was not smiling, but her lips parted slightly, her expression almost enraptured. Her eyes were closed, but she seemed to sense Trixie’s tentative gaze, for she gave the tiniest of nods. “I taught you to dance…” she murmured, not meeting the unicorn’s gaze. “M-maybe you can do the same for me.”

“And you call me cheesy,” joked Trixie, breaking into a timid smile. Her tone was light and teasing, but she struggled to keep the sudden pang of mingled relief and arousal from distorting her voice.

“Trixie, I… please…” Fluttershy’s voice was half-whine and half-whisper, and she reached her muzzle blindly back over her shoulder to catch the unicorn in a warm, reassuring kiss.

Trixie could feel Fluttershy’s urgent breath in her mouth, and although her hoof was only resting on the timid mare’s lower belly, she could plainly feel the heat radiating up from the pegasus’s pouted lower lips. She had not previously realized the degree of desire that had been ignited in Fluttershy by her playful explorations, but seeing it spelt out so plainly was the final incentive her courage required.

Gently, with exquisite care, Trixie traced her hoof once around the inner edge of each thigh. Then, her heart hammering, she dragged the tip of her hoof leisurely over the stiff little nub of Fluttershy’s sex. The mare gasped sharply into their kiss, her eyes shooting wide open. Her thighs jerked together slightly, pressing against the unicorn’s fetlocks, and for an instant Trixie feared she had gone too far. However, the pegasus’s eyes flickered shut again, and her held breath released into a warm, unrestrained moan as Trixie edged a little lower, deftly parting her outer lips and moving her hoof in soft, sensual circles.

Fluttershy broke the kiss as Trixie settled momentarily into a rhythm. Her enraptured face tipped skywards, and her hips began impulsively to sway in concert with the unicorn’s gentle hoof. Each of her breaths spilled out as a high-pitched, breathy moan. She was chewing once more on her lip, evidently relishing the sensations that could only be achieved by the ministrations of a more practiced hoof than her own.

“Ahh! T-Trixie…”

The unicorn could feel her hoof growing slick with moisture, and the scent of arousal in the air redoubled. Simply watching Fluttershy’s blushing, ecstatic face was a delight in its own right, although as Trixie felt a warm droplet roll and dissolve into the fur of her own hind leg, she knew that she herself would be begging for reciprocation before long. She felt every shiver and moan as it rippled through the angelic mare’s body.

“I—oh! I l-love you,” Fluttershy moaned, her hooves clutching behind her and coming to rest on the unicorn’s hind legs.

“I love you too,” Trixie replied in a heated whisper, nibbling gently at her lover’s neck.

Acting on impulse, Trixie edged her dampened hoof upwards to caress Fluttershy’s most sensitive spot once more, simultaneously leaning her head down and burying her muzzle amongst the pegasus’s downy feathers. She knew that pegasus wings were exquisitely sensitive, the better to enhance the preening rituals that had been a part of pegasine romance since time immemorial. This particular pegasus did not disappoint; she let out a long, honeyed ‘mmm’ of delight, arching her back and pressing her wings roughly against Trixie’s searching tongue.

Trixie was lost in the cool, wild-berry scent of Fluttershy’s feathers as she circled her tongue around the base of each wing in turn, ensuring that she kept her hoof moving in a steady rhythm, careful not to overwhelm the uninitiated pegasus.

“P-please…” Fluttershy panted, resting her forehooves over the azure-furred hoof buried between her thighs, and pressing it more firmly between her soft lips.

Trixie grinned to herself. On reflection, it seemed as if Fluttershy wanted to be overwhelmed. In a single, swift motion, she withdrew her slick hoof, and pulled her snout out from the quivering primrose down. Fluttershy gave an admonitory whine, but before she could speak, Trixie sashayed around in front of her, met her eyes with a smouldering half-lidded gaze, and pushed her back into a supine position with a gentle forehoof.

The time for teasing was over; now was a time for statements made in broad strokes. Before Fluttershy had the chance to let her arousal ebb, Trixie had lovingly spread her unresisting thighs with a barrage of soft nuzzles and kisses, and plunged her tongue insistently between the pegasus’s firm, flushed outer lips.

Trixie could not remember the last time all five of her senses had been so deliciously overwhelmed. The moment her tongue pushed into Fluttershy’s slit, the pegasus let out a harsh, throaty groan of pleasure, her eyes rolling back a little as she shivered. Her hind legs caught Trixie’s head in a vice-grip, forcing her snout still deeper. The unicorn felt her muzzle dampening, as she traced her tongue in sharp flicking motions from side to side. The scent here was intoxicating, and the taste was sharp and tangy. In truth, the flavour could have been a little unpleasant had its context not been so indescribably sweet.

She knew that Fluttershy would likely offer to reciprocate, but she could not stand the near-volcanic need boiling in her own haunches any longer. Holding her hindquarters a little above the ground, she reached underneath her belly with a free forehoof and set about addressing the demands of her own desire. She let out a sharp moan of relief into the pegasus’s soaking folds, hearing it echoed from above as the vibrations of her voice sent a fresh wave of pleasure through the timid mare.

Do you realize how badly you let her down?

A spasm of panic crossed Trixie’s chest; she knew that voice all too well, but could not fathom why she had chosen this moment to reappear. Aside from a momentary paralysis, however, she did not halt. Nothing was going to spoil this experience, and Fluttershy’s education in these matters was so lacking that Trixie considered it her duty to make this morning a truly memorable one.

What do you mean? We both need this; we love each other, and we’ve kept our secrets for too long now.

I’m not talking about this one.

Trixie shifted her tongue upwards, searching out that delicate rosebud she knew elicited such delicious reactions. Her forehoof was still rocking against her own marehood, harder and more insistently now.

Her name is Fluttershy, and I don’t want to talk to you.

Fluttershy let out a sharp squeal as Trixie twisted her tongue tightly around the tiny button; the timid mare’s moans now far higher-pitched, almost transitioning to screams as she rode out the pleasure of each caress.

Rosemary was the one who taught you all these little tricks, remember? You didn’t know a thing back then; she took you by the hoof and taught you all the steps of the dance. Remember how she tasted?

Stop it.

This one’s louder than she was… I guess that’s ironic, huh? Remember the way she used to squeak when you—

Leave me alone; do you think I’m proud of the way you manipulated me into letting her down?

The insistent strokes of Trixie’s tongue had grown almost aggressive now, and she felt moisture running down her chin as Fluttershy reacted delightfully, clinching Trixie’s head tighter between her thighs.

Do you think you’ll ever forget her? She always saw the best in everypony, and you broke her belief in you. You let her down again and again, until she couldn’t take it any more; do you think she was ever able to trust again?

When she left, you mocked her; you called her a whore.

Did I? Or was that just what you wanted to hear, because you didn’t dare face up to the pain? You were too much of a coward to open your eyes and see what you’d done, so I just helped you out. Can you tell me you didn’t like hearing my voice?

Trixie could feel a tightness building in her chest, as if a dam somewhere inside her were in danger of breaking. She continued to ride against her hoof, now slick with her own excitement as well as her lover’s. The mounting sensation was heated and roiling, nine parts pleasure and one part anger.

You exploited me, you took advantage of me when I was weak, and you stole half of my life from me. We’ve had this conversation before.

Because you’ve always been so exploitable. Cowards always are.

Why do you keep coming back? Do you really need me that much?

You only ever faced up to that guilt in the Everfree, after you pushed me out; you saw what you did to her. Do you really think you’ll ever stop feeling that? Do you really think you’ll ever be able to forgive yourself?

It was as if a switch had been thrown inside Trixie’s brain; for a moment, she felt stunned. Fluttershy’s urgent moans had become peripheral, as she continued her intimate explorations. Even her own irrepressible pleasure felt marginal for the briefest of instants.

I have to. Oh Celestia; I need to learn how to forgive myself.

You really think that’s all it takes?

Yes. Because that’s what you do, isn’t it. You search for any little thing that makes me weak; any loose thread, so you can pick at it, unravel it, and slip into the gap it left behind. You need me to have failings, because you can sell yourself as the solution. Every little weakness, you dart in and start whispering that you’re the only one who can make me strong again.

Trixie pressed enthusiastically into the mare she loved, swirling her tongue in ever-widening circles and clutching her spare foreleg around Fluttershy’s waist. The mare squealed, rocking her hips impulsively against Trixie’s muzzle.

For my entire life, I’ve been a big enough fool to believe you, but I’ve beaten you once, and now I know how you work. What I did… what we did to Rosemary was terrible, but after all this time, I can forgive myself for it. I have to forgive myself, because otherwise all I’m doing is poisoning myself. Hating myself for what we did isn’t healing; it’s stasis and it’s self-pity. It doesn’t help me, and I can’t help her. It makes me weak, and that’s what lets you dig your claws in deeper.

The pleasure rising in the unicorn’s haunches was reaching boiling point, and judging by the ragged, full-throated quality of Fluttershy’s moans, she was equally close to the edge.

Of course I loved her; I suppose somewhere inside I still have feelings for her. She was innocent; she never deserved to be let down in that way, but there’s nothing I can do now except make sure I never let you in again. For her sake. So yes, I’ll still feel guilty sometimes. I’ll remember her, and it’ll make me sad. But that’s natural, and I’m in love now, so I need to be able to move on. And I’m telling you this now; you will never, ever use her against me again. Do you understand me?

I…

Trixie did not wait for a response. Clenching her thighs, she ground her hoof roughly against her own heated slit with a final, emphatic buck of her hips, and felt herself begin to tip past the point of no return. As her orgasm struck, she wrapped her lips closely around the centre of Fluttershy’s pleasure, suckling and licking at the engorged nub in an all-out assault that could be nothing other than a finale.

She knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this was right to pursue this. She had fallen irrevocably in love, and no jealous, lonely, pitiable creatures in her mind were going to steal this away from her. Not this time.

She felt the muscles in Fluttershy’s legs clench, and the pegasus let out a breathy scream, her spread wings quaking. Waves of pleasure surged through Trixie’s body, wiping out all rational thought apart from the knowledge of the angel clasped in her embrace. Her muzzle was positively soaked as she fell back from the mare’s sex, her work done.

The unicorn wrapped both forehooves blindly around Fluttershy’s waist, pulling the cooing, shivering pegasus down on top of her, her breath catching in delight as their perspiration-beaded coats pressed together. The mares rode out their climaxes clasped tightly together, and Trixie could feel every moan and twitch that passed through her lover’s form.

“Trixie…” Fluttershy sighed out the unicorn’s name as the ripples of pleasure slowly ebbed. Then, all was silent.

For a few long minutes, the mares lay in a heap, too tired and too euphoric to attend to the arduous duty of determining whose limbs were whose. The only sound was that of slow, contented breathing. Trixie reflected to herself, in the small part of her brain that was not hazed with endorphins, that she could quite happily have lain entwined around this mare for the rest of her days. Once again, her mind was quite her own.

Slowly, lazily, Fluttershy nestled closer to her lover, giggling a little awkwardly as she saw the mess she had made of the fur around Trixie’s mouth. Apparently uncaring of where Trixie had recently been, she leaned down and kissed her marefriend warmly on the lips. “Oh my goodness…” she whispered in apparent awe as she pulled away. “Th-that was… I never thought… thank you.”

Trixie smiled, cradling her in a gentle embrace. “That was beautiful,” she whispered, nestling her muzzle into the fur of Fluttershy’s neck.

“Celestia, it was…” Fluttershy shivered a little at the memory. “I never thought I’d actually be able to go through with something like that,” she admitted in a small voice. “But I know I can trust you… I suppose you just have to find the right pony, in the end.” She let out a long, drawn-out sigh of contentment. “You know, sometimes in the mornings, I’d catch myself thinking… well, you know; imagining… us.” Her cheeks coloured a little at the admission.

“Did you, now?” Trixie teased, biting her lip in a mock-scandalised attitude.

“For what it’s worth, I… I didn’t do you justice,” mumbled the pink-faced pegasus, sounding every bit as punch-drunk as she had the previous night. Her eyes suddenly widened, and she rested a hoof on Trixie’s chest. “Oh! I’m… I’m sorry, I forgot! I… guess it’s your turn now?”

Trixie shook her head gently, wrapping the pegasus in a fresh embrace. “It’s okay…” She grinned, a little awkwardly. “I… I took care of it myself. This morning’s about you.” She bopped her lover ever-so-gently on the nose with a hoof, eliciting a light giggle.

“I’ll make it up to you next time,” promised the pegasus, smiling a little suggestively. “I can’t exactly learn without first-hoof experience, can I?”

“True…” Trixie sighed, relaxing back on the grass, embraced in the hooves of the mare she loved.

“I’ll always remember this, Trixie,” Fluttershy murmured, her eyes drifting closed. Her lips curled into a wide, delighted smile, and Trixie felt that now-familiar explosion of happiness taking place in her stomach. “I just… oh Celestia, we just made love…” She let the words stretch out luxuriously, as if savouring their taste, and taking time to confirm their reality.

“I think we did,” Trixie replied, giggling at her lover’s endearing awkwardness. She sighed, snuggling into the pegasus’s silken fur. “You did mean it, didn’t you?” she mumbled. “Earlier, when you said you loved me… I mean, I know we were fooling around, and—”

“I love you.” Fluttershy cut her off, her voice steady and unabashed. “Sometime, I’ll tell you all the little reasons, but right now, I just… I love you.” She pressed her lips to the top of Trixie’s head in a gesture that was almost motherly.

“Well, that’s good, because I love you too,” murmured Trixie. She grinned into the fur of Fluttershy’s chest, uncaring of how stilted and awkward her words had sounded. “I never stood a chance, did I?”

“It’s so strange,” Fluttershy said, suddenly. “Looking at us now, I never…” She shook her head in wonderment. “That night, I thought you were just another lost little creature I brought in from the cold.”

“I am,” Trixie whispered, simply and truthfully.

For once in her life, she felt euphoria untainted by guilt or regret. Another small piece of acceptance had clicked into place in her head; another part of this gentle panacea had begun its gradual, healing work.

She smiled. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that she had won two victories that morning.