Everypony Knows About the Wet Dream

by Late_To_The_Party

The Nightmare Continues

After some much needed relaxation, Rarity slept peacefully and awoke feeling well rested. A half remembered dream involving Princess Luna was bothering her at first, but she quickly put it out of mind. She prepared for the day with newfound optimism. Yesterday had just been a one-off, she reasoned, and today would surely be better. While she carefully applied her makeup, she tried to convince herself that there was some kind of 24-hour bug sweeping through Ponyville and it was making everyone behave strangely except for her, because she had been closed up in the Boutique at the time everyone was infected. By now they’d all be back to normal.

Her hopes were destroyed when, after breakfast, she stepped outside. The stares and whispers continued. No one would speak to her. Every pony she passed by went quiet when she got close, but as soon as they were behind her the whispers started again. She tried not to grind her teeth in frustration and went in search of one pony she was sure would be honest with her and explain what was going on. At that time of day Applejack would either be in town selling apples, or on the farm picking them.

On her way to the market, Rarity saw another pair of ponies up ahead. Two pegasi; Snowflake and...um...one of those sisters who worked with Rainbow Dash. Rarity could never remember which one was which. Not that she could quite remember either of their names at that moment. She only remembered Snowflake's name because she made it a point to remember the name of every stallion she'd turned down when they asked her out. She felt it was the least she could do. It wasn't because he was unattractive; just looking at those muscles made Rarity a little weak in the knees. The problem was that his...wings...were too small. Some would argue that it's not about the size so much as the skill, but honestly, with wings that tiny it's a miracle he could fly at all.

When Rarity got close to them, they looked at her and fell silent, just like all the others. She swallowed a half-formed 'good morning' and trudged on to find Applejack. They started whispering behind her. She'd had enough. She spun to face them and made it clear in no uncertain terms that she was most displeased with the way everypony was acting around her, and that it was quite rude to be whispering. If they had something to say, they should just say it.

Rarity heard a high pitched noise she couldn't place at first. It was only when it decreased in volume coupled with the sight of Snowflake running as fast as his incredibly muscled legs could carry him that she realized he was screaming like a little bitch. Rarity had always thought that to be a rather odd expression; she'd never heard Winona scream like that. She took a second to be glad she hadn't agreed to date him before she noticed Flit—uh, Cloud—the other pony backing away slowly, trembling.

"I'm sorry, please don't have us banished!" she shouted before she turned and flew away.

Rarity stood frozen in place, her mouth hanging open.

"What in Equestria...?" she whispered as the frightened pegasus disappeared in the distance.

They showed no sign of coming back and Rarity was left even more confused than she had been before. She resumed her search for Applejack.

---

Upon seeing that Applejack was at the Apple family stand in the marketplace, Rarity felt relief wash through her body like she hadn't felt since the previous night shortly before she put the book away. Or when Pinkie Pie stopped saying 'chimicherry, cherrychanga' because they'd finally gotten home. Applejack saw her and a smile hinted at forming, but was quickly replaced by a tight-lipped glare which would strike fear into the hearts of...if not the toughest, at least some manticores. Of course, those manticores hadn't been friends with Applejack for years, so Rarity, though shaken, didn't turn and run away.

The same could not be said for the few ponies who had lined up to buy apples when Applejack turned her terrifying gaze away from Rarity, since it ended up pointing at them. To their credit, none of them screamed or fainted, but within five seconds none of them were anywhere to be seen.

Applejack groaned and turned back to Rarity. "Now look what ya done! Ya scared my customers away!"

"Me? You're the one who looked like you wanted to murder them! And why were you giving me that look, anyway?"

"I think ya already answered your own question," Applejack growled.

"What?" Rarity staggered backwards as though Applejack's words had been a physical blow. She tried not to allow tears to well up in her eyes. "W-Why do you want to murder me?"

"I—" Applejack sighed heavily and turned back to look at her nonexistent customers. "I don't. Not really. But right now I'm none too happy with ya."

"Why? What did I do?"

Applejack let loose a single, harsh laugh, but said nothing.

"Just tell me what I did wrong!"

"Look, ya ain't done nothin' wrong. It's your time, ya spend it doin' whatever ya want."

Rarity furrowed her brow, trying to think of what she had been spending her time doing that Applejack could be upset about. She couldn't think of anything. "All I've been doing is making dresses! I'm sorry I haven't spent any time with you girls lately, but I have been ever so busy with these important orders! I told you all what I would be doing before I started, so I really don't see what there is to get so worked up about."

Applejack scoffed. "Sure. Fine. Your dressmakin' ain't none of my concern, so I don't need to hear nothin' about it. Particularly not out here where I'm trying to work, so would ya kindly move along? Go back to your dressmakin' if ya like."

"Maybe I will! At least the dresses aren't angry at me for no reason!"

Rarity stormed off, fuming. Usually it was no problem getting a straight answer out of Applejack, but now her best hope for an honest answer was gone. No matter, she would simply have to turn to her second best hope: Fluttershy. They had a spa appointment that afternoon; surely Rarity could find out what was going on from her.

---

When Rarity arrived at the spa, she expected to find Fluttershy waiting for her. Fluttershy was usually early to their appointments out of fear of being late. Lotus was waiting, but Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen. Rarity failed to notice a newspaper in the waiting room with her own picture on the front, and also didn’t see another newspaper with a picture of Twilight and Celestia on it.

“Is Fluttershy here yet?”

“No, Miss Rarity,” Lotus said. “We weren’t sure if either of you were coming today. You haven’t been consistent with your appointments lately.” The way she spoke was half condemning, half conspiratorial.

“Oh, well, I’ve been busy,” Rarity said, trying to sound flippant.

“So we’ve heard,” Lotus said with a wink.

Rarity stiffened. “And what, exactly, have you heard?” she asked through clenched teeth.

Lotus raised her forehooves in a placating gesture. “Nothing, nothing. Just... nothing.” The bell over the door jingled to announce a new arrival. “Oh, here’s Fluttershy now!” Lotus said, visibly relieved. Rarity turned around to discover Fluttershy frozen halfway inside, her eyes wide. She started to slowly back out of the building.

“Fluttershy, darling!” Fluttershy flinched and stopped trying to escape. “You made it!”

“Um, yes,” she said softly.

“Shall we?” Rarity asked, gesturing into the spa.

“Um, yes,” Fluttershy said, even more quietly than before.

“The usual,” Rarity sang out to Lotus, who smiled and dashed into the spa to prepare their session.

A few minutes later, Rarity and Fluttershy sat in the sauna while Lotus ladled water onto hot rocks and eagerly listened for any gossip.

“So sorry I had to cancel our last two weekly get-togethers.” Rarity took a deep breath of steamy air. “I was so very busy trying to satisfy my clients.”

Fluttershy blushed. “Um, yes,” she whispered.

“Fluttershy, are you alright?”

Fluttershy tried to say ‘Um, yes,’ again, but the only sound she made was a soft squeak.

“Well,” Rarity said awkwardly, “I have a question for you.”

Fluttershy nodded, but was unable to say anything.

“What is the matter with everypony?” Rarity screamed, then cleared her throat and laughed awkwardly. “Sorry. It’s just that they have all been acting so very oddly the last couple of days, and I simply don’t understand why. Can’t you tell me?” She gave Fluttershy her best puppy-dog eyes.

Fluttershy shook her head, not making a sound.

“Please?”

Fluttershy shook her head again. Rarity was about to ask again when Fluttershy spoke. “So how did you like the book I gave you did it help you relax like I said it would?” She was clearly panicked, but Rarity couldn’t imagine why. Of course, since it clearly had to do with why everypony was treating her so strangely, if she could imagine why, she wouldn’t have to ask Fluttershy about it. She decided to play along for the moment.

“Oh so very much, darling,” Rarity said, playing it up. “I enjoyed it ever so much. Did you say you had more?”

Fluttershy smiled and nodded. “I have the whole set. Well, all of them that are out so far. Even one that isn’t out yet.” She smiled mischievously.

“The whole set, you say?” Rarity asked, faking astonishment. “Just how many of these books are there?”

Fluttershy giggled. “Twenty-seven.”

Rarity gasped loudly. “Twenty-seven? My goodness, that’s a lot of books!”

Fluttershy smiled and hid behind her mane.

“And...just how is it you came by a copy that isn’t out yet?”

Fluttershy’s smile disappeared in an instant. “Oh. Um...my agent said I shouldn’t say,” she whispered.

“Your...agent?”

Fluttershy eeped and turned away.

“Fluttershy,” Rarity said, laying a hoof on her withers. “Did you write these books?”

Fluttershy nodded, her eyes shut. “Promise you won’t tell anyone,” she whispered.

“I promise.” When Fluttershy opened her eyes Rarity made the appropriate motions for a Pinkie Promise. Fluttershy was satisfied, forgetting that Lotus was in the room as well and had made no such oath of silence. Within thirty-two point seven hours every adult in Ponyville would know that Fluttershy wrote erotic novels. And yet, most of them wouldn’t care; there was a much juicier rumor going around than one shy pegasus making dirty things up and writing them down. Rarity was about to try again to discover just what that rumor was.

Aloe spread a mud mask across Rarity’s face.

“So, darling,” Rarity said, after waiting for the mask to be applied, “Have you heard any interesting gossip lately? Anything that would interest me? I have been so busy recently I haven’t heard a thing, after all.”

“Um, no,” Fluttershy said quietly, looking away. It didn’t take the Element of Honesty, who Rarity didn’t want to think about at that moment, to realize she wasn’t being entirely truthful.

“Fluttershy,” Rarity said, calling Fluttershy’s attention back. “Nopony is as good a friend to me as you are.”

Fluttershy looked at the floor. Rarity, of course, had cucumber slices on her eyes and couldn’t see her.

“Nopony.”

“W-Well...I...” Fluttershy stammered, then lapsed into silence.

“I just want to know what’s happened! Why is everypony treating me so differently? I haven’t done anything recently that I haven’t been doing for a long time now!”

Fluttershy blushed again. “I-I...um...”

“Tell me!”

“Um...”

“Tell meee! Tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me!”

Fluttershy eeped again and slipped away, silently apologizing. Rarity didn’t see it, because she still had cucumber slices on her eyes.

“Fluttershy?” Rarity uncovered one of her eyes and looked around. Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen. Lotus walked back into the room to begin Rarity’s massage.

“Lotus, dear, have you seen Fluttershy?”

“I believe she had to leave,” Lotus said. “Now, why don’t you tell me all about what you’ve been up to lately, Miss Rarity. You know I am always available to listen.”

“Why, I’ve been making dresses, of course!”

“Oh.” Lotus’ ears drooped. She started massaging Rarity’s back. “Of course.”

---

After a rather pleasant conversation about dressmaking—despite the fact that Lotus seemed to be quite distracted—Rarity returned to the Boutique, trying once again to ignore the stares and whispers of the townsfolk. She tried to focus on her work and convince herself that whatever was going on would pass. Much like when she had become a laughingstock after the fashion show displaying the worst dresses she had ever made. She didn’t think about how it took another fashion show to redeem herself from that.

There was a knock at the door. It didn’t sound like a hoof. The bell over the door announced that whoever it was didn’t wait for an invitation—not that they needed one with the door unlocked during business hours. The footsteps didn’t sound like hooves either. They did sound like they were in a hurry.

“Rarity!”

“Spike? Is that you?”

Spike ran up to Rarity and paused to catch his breath.

“Darling, is everything okay?”

Spike shook his head.

”Is something wrong?” She asked with concern.

Spike nodded.

Rarity’s brow furrowed in annoyance. “Could you give me a hint?”

“It’s Twilight,” he said, still somewhat breathlessly. For a dragon who ran around as much as he did, he didn’t seem to have much stamina. Which had nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that Rarity did nothing about his interest in her. Regardless, the fact that there was something wrong with Twilight brought Rarity’s full focus to the situation at hoof.

“What’s wrong with Twilight? Does this have anything to do with the press conference she went to?”

Spike blinked in surprise. “You know about the press conference? How’d you hear about that?”

“Never mind that now.” Rarity waved her hoof dismissively. “What was the press conference about?”

“I...” Spike looked at the floor. “I don’t know.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know? Didn’t you go with her to Canterlot?”

“Well, yeah.” Spike shuffled his feet nervously. “But she wouldn’t tell me what it was about and when we got there she made me stay in a guest room until it was over.”

“I see. Well—”

“But I think it had something to do with you,” Spike said.

Rarity couldn’t speak. A press conference in Canterlot and it had something to do with her? It must have something to do with the reason everypony was treating her so strangely. But if the press conference was in Canterlot, just how many ponies knew about...whatever it was? Was there anywhere in Equestria she could go to get away from it? She had to find out what the press conference was really about. Conveniently, she could try to help Twilight at the same time. Of course, it may not have anything to do with her at all. Spike did already admit that he didn’t know what it was about; he wasn’t there for the event itself, and Twilight wouldn’t tell him about it.

“What makes you say that, Spike?” Rarity forced a smile. “You do seem to think an awful lot of things have something to do with me, not that I mind, of course. It’s quite flattering.”

“No, this must have had something to do with you. When Twilight read the letter from Celestia telling her to come to Canterlot, the only thing Twilight said was ‘Rarity?’ just like that, but when I asked her about it she said not to worry about it but we had to go to Canterlot for a press conference right away so we left as soon as we could. Everything seemed to go okay but then ever since the press conference Twilight won’t say anything and she just kinda stares and now she locked herself in her room and won’t talk to me or anything! I thought maybe if you had something to do with all this maybe you could fix whatever’s wrong!”

“Oh, my.”

---

Rarity and Spike stood just outside Twilight’s room. Despite the rushed nature of the trip to the library, they had just had the most pleasant conversation she’d had in quite some time. Everypony had been treating her so differently for the last couple days, and for two or three weeks before that the only conversation she’d had was with Princess Luna. Spike acted the same way he always did around her, an endearing sort of infatuation that if he wasn’t so young or a dragon she might pursue. Okay, maybe if he wasn’t so young. Rarity realized he was getting older, maybe in a couple years...

Rarity was pulled out of her wandering thoughts by the sound of someone knocking on a door. Spike had just knocked on Twilight’s bedroom door and was gesturing at it as though proving a point. Sure enough, there was no sound from inside. He tried to open the door and, as he had said, it was locked.

Rarity magically unlocked the door—after all, she's a unicorn and can do that sort of thing. For Spike to get in he would have to burn a hole through the door. Twilight was very unhappy with him the last time he did that—and entered, closing the door right behind her to keep Spike from coming in. If Twilight wanted to keep him out, Rarity would make sure he stayed out. Twilight probably wanted Rarity to stay out as well, but if this had anything to do with the strangeness of the past couple days Rarity wasn’t about to let something like a door keep her from learning the truth.

Twilight was lying on her bed, staring at the wall. Rarity took the stairs to stand next to Twilight's bed. Twilight didn’t react at all to her presence. Rarity could feel she was moments away from understanding what was going on, but was a little worried about what she might discover. She took a deep breath before the plunge, as it were.

"Twilight?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

Twilight didn’t look at Rarity, and for a moment Rarity thought she hadn’t heard her at all. Then Twilight spoke.

“Princess Celestia... she...”

Comments

[Zocarik]

GAAAH! Why did you leave us at a cliff hanger?

[Late_To_The_Party]

2697499 Because that's the perfect way to end a chapter!

[Varsitywrestler]

2697515 DAMNIT!!! IT REALLY IS!!!

[grimmred]

i have to say: the way you ended that was great! i could totally see the screen go black and the ending "friends" song

[CommisarSilver]

huh, so two chapters of rarity trying to find out whats happened and no-one can tell her?

Great friend AJ is I see.