Nestled outside the borders of Ponyville just on the cusp of the Everfree Forest rests Fluttershy's Cottage.  Home to the aforementioned Pegasus herself, this cozy little nook by the brook also houses a wide variety of woodland creatures in her care.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:33, Sat 14 Apr 2012.

Enter from Ponyville Town Square!

It took her a little bit of time to make her way all the way to the edge of the Everfree Forest, especially at her graceful and calculated pace, but it was well worth it. Rarity had been making weekly spa visits with Fluttershy for quite some time now, and even though they had a few missed ones during Fluttershy's modelling career, they've been attending religiously ever since then. Hopefully she wouldn't mind another pony joining them, especially an Alicorn as prestigious as Luna herself.

Humming a little tune, she made her way all the way up the path, over the bridge, and to the door of the little cottage. All around her was the sound of little woodland creatures, rushing water, and the gentle breeze of fresh air. What a lovely morning.

Knocking twice on the door, Rarity patiently waited for one of her closest friends to respond.

From beyond the door Rarity could hear a lot of noise following her knock -- apparently she'd startled some of the various critters that shared Fluttershy's home.  She could also hear her friend's melodic voice hurrying to try and calm them down.  It took a few moments of patience but soon all the hub-bub died away back into peacefulness.

"Oh, Rarity~!  Good morning.  I was starting to wonder if you hadn't gotten side-tracked.  Just a second." was the meek Pegasus' greeting as she pulled open her door.  She stepped outside and peered back indoors long enough to call "Now all you cuties be good while I'm gone, alright?  Don't let Angel hog the couch all to himself again."

With that, Fluttershy closed the door behind herself and turned to offer her friend a fond smile.  "It's almost time for our appointment.  Shall we?" she asked, though soon blinked curiously.  "You look really pleased... did something good happen?"

Rarity was a bit put back by the noise that her knock had caused, but it was a pretty common occurrence. How Fluttershy could ever live in a house with so many animals was far beyond what Rarity would be able to handle herself, not to mention the fur that would be absolutely -everywhere-, but the mare seemed to have herself well under control, and her cottage wasn't entirely disastrous.

"And a good morning to you, Fluttershy," Rarity responded with a bright smile, "I do apologize if I've been keeping you waiting."

As soon as Fluttershy indicated that they should get going, Rarity nodded securely and began walking, still keeping a bit of happiness in every step. She hummed lightly as they went, possibly prompting the question.

"Oh, it did! It did, it did, it did!" Rarity exclaimed bouncing up dramatically, "You see, I would have come earlier for you, but I had an appointment this morning with none other than Princess Luna herself! She absolutely adored one of the dresses I made for her, and paid me quite a bounty, though I adamantly refused, of course. Even better than that, she's staying at -my- boutique for a few days! Can't you just imagine my good fortune?! Now, everypony is talking about it. Absolutely everypony."

Fluttershy kept pace with Rarity and listened raptly as she spoke, though her expression shifted quickly.  Curiosity, being startled, piqued, then finally accepting and smiling once more.  The mention of Princess Luna had gotten her tail standing on end but she quickly calmed herself all the same.

"Oh my... I'm happy for you, Rarity.  Just think of what this will do for your business." the demure mare practically whispered as they trotted along.  It bothered her that Princess Luna would be staying in town though.  Well, she had plenty of food stored up... she could just keep away from Ponyville for a few days until after Luna left.  That would work out just fine.

"Oh, I have! I'm just glad that I finished my new pegasus line so soon. They'll just be flying off the shelves, as it were. You may pick an outfit for yourself, if you'd like, Fluttershy. Free of charge, of course!" Rarity continued to ramble on, hogging the conversation like she tended to do, unintentionally, "Speaking of business, I've been having a bit of trouble deciding what to do with the payment the Princess gave me for her ensemble. It is far too much to use for myself! I was thinking of something special for you and the girls? Did you have any ideas?"

Waiting for a response to her questions, Rarity took a moment to look over her friend closely. While her tone of voice and face spoke of the gentle mare that Fluttershy was, something was going on under the surface. Though Rarity's attention was almost completely focused on herself during her ranting, she did notice her friend's tail standing on end for a moment or so.

"Fluttershy, is everything alright?" she asked, pausing their walk for a moment and tilting her head questioningly.

The talk of business and money took Fluttershy's mind off her own anxiety, though she was put into an even more bashful state over the idea of somepony spending money on her or offering her free dresses.  Even if she and Rarity were best friends she never wanted to take advantage of the sophisticated pony's generous nature.  They'd all learned that lesson before with those hideous dresses they'd forced her to make... a thought which still made the Pegasus's ears droop shamefully when she recalled it.

"What?  Oh... um... I'm fine, Rarity." Fluttershy shook her head as she was put on the spot.  "I was just thinking, is all.  You shouldn't spend your money on us though.  It's really... well, generous... of you to offer, but I'm sure you could put it to better use than spending it on us."

She quietly pondered that notion for a moment, tapping her chin in thought.  "Maybe you could expand your shop, or replace your old sewing machine with something more modern?  Or if you really want to spend it on somepony, why not treat Sweetie Belle to a day out?  I'm sure she would be ecstatic to spend time with you."

Rarity paused for a moment, going over Fluttershy's suggestions in her head. While she did want to do something for her friends, it didn't have to be done with the money she had earned, or even have anything to do with her business. If she wanted to do something nice for them, she could just to something nice!... Though the timid mare was often very quiet, she possessed a wisdom that was beyond her years, at times, and had the unique ability to talk through Rarity's own ramblings and strike at the very heart of the unicorn.

"Well, maybe you -do- have a point," Rarity mused, putting a hoof to her chin in gentle thought before placing it down on the ground again, "As for my boutique, I believe it is the perfect size for my needs at the moment, and opening another shop would be much too much for one pony to handle all on her own. And!... Despite it's age, and, well.. antiquity!.. my sewing machine adds a certain charm that more... modern appliances couldn't hope to match. A personal touch, almost."

As her mind drifted to Sweetie Belle, she started to walk again with Fluttershy at the same relaxed pace, the two of them almost reaching the town. While she loved her sister immensely, she was very much a bother at more times than one. Always wanting to help, she'd often slow down projects or even outright ruin a few. However, she had been ignoring Sweetie Belle a bit lately with all of the work she had been going through, and the last time she saw her, she had gotten a bit snippy. Maybe Sweetie deserved a nice day with her sister!

"Sweetie Belle, mm..." Rarity pondered quietly to herself before exclaiming, "Yes, Fluttershy, that is an excellent suggestion! I'd have to think of somewhere she'd like to go, of course, but all the same. We could use some bonding time, I think. Ever since that Gabby Gums incident... things have been a tad distant."