Pinkie Pie the Trip Sitter

by oblivion2k

Rarity - Fly Agaric Mushrooms

“Alright darling, I do believe I have just about all the topaz I’ll need for my latest ensemble. Again, thank you ever so much for your help!”

“Anytime, Rarity.” Spike shot Rarity a wide grin. He may have outgrown his childhood crush on the elegant white pony, but that didn’t mean they had to stop being friends. He was more than happy to offer his services when she mentioned an upcoming trip to Ghastly Gorge to collect materials for her new dress line. It meant spending a weekend with a friend, after all. And it certainly didn’t hurt that Rarity always sent him home with a bag full of less desirable gemstones. Spike salivated at the thought. He didn’t care what the gems looked like; a topaz was a topaz as far as his taste buds were concerned.

Rarity trotted over to their supplies, pulling out a basket containing their lunch. “Shall we take a break and eat before we journey home? I don’t know about you, Spike, but I am positively famished.”

“Oh, sure! But you don’t have to worry about feeding me, Rarity.” Spike picked up his bag of rejected gems and slung them over his shoulder before joining Rarity at the picnic blanket. “I’ve got all the food I need right here.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Now Spike, I’m not going to let you gorge yourself on gemstones just because Twilight isn’t here to say no. Do you really want to make the return trip with an upset stomach?”

Spike shrugged. “Eh, it was worth a shot.”

***

Celestia’s sun was nearing the horizon as they made their way through the Whitetail Woods enroute back to Ponyville. Rarity thanked the dense branches above for providing protection from the worst of the heat. However, that coverage came at a cost; the filtered sunlight provided barely enough light to guide their way through the forest. She carefully watched her steps as she walked over and around the myriad tree roots peppering the ground around her.

Rarity glanced up to see Spike. The young drake was happily bobbing around the forest on a set of leathery wings. Rarity felt a pang of jealousy before recalling her last experience with flight. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she returned her gaze to the forest floor just in time for something to catch her eye.

“Oh-ho-ho! What a brilliant mushroom! Spike, dear, wait a moment please.”

Spike doubled back and swooped in for a landing beside the unicorn. “What’s up, Rarity? Oh wow, that looks neat!”

Rarity gathered several of the mushrooms growing in a bundle beneath a decaying log, gently lifting them out of the dirt, and brought them closer to examine. The cap was a vivid red patterned with white dots. The colors reminded her of the picnic blanket from earlier that afternoon. The underside of the cap was laced with cream-colored frills attached to a similarly-colored stem.

To the fashion-minded pony it was a brilliant example of the inherent beauty of nature. Her mind was already conjuring designs for next year’s Spring catalog.

She brought the mushroom to her nose and lightly sniffed, but was disappointed when the candy-colored fungus smelled like any other mushroom she had encountered in the wild: Dirt, with a hint of mold.

“Rarity, shouldn’t you be careful with that? Twilight says a lot of mushrooms can be poisonous.” Spike maintained a distance, eyeing the bundle warily.

“Well yes Spike, I’m certainly not going to eat any old mushroom I find along the ground. But a smell won’t hurt me, even if the scent is slightly disappointing.” She opened the pouch resting against her side and tucked the colorful caps inside. “No darling, I’ll take these to somepony who can help me identify them first.”

Spike cocked his head. “Like who?”

Rarity smiled at him before resuming her walk. “Oh, I might have an idea.”

***

The bell above Sugarcube Corner’s door chimed as Rarity stepped inside the next day. The bakery was packed with ponies, as it always was during the lunch rush. Rarity joined the back of the line, glancing over the various baked goods. She made her decision just as she reached the register and the pink pony behind it.

“Heya Rarity! What can I get for ya?”

“Hello darling.” She leaned over the counter for a brief nuzzle, which Pinkie Pie happily returned. “Two cranberry muffins, please. Are you going on break soon?”

Pinkie bagged up the muffins and glanced up to the clock on the opposite wall. “It’s a little early, but it should be fine.” She stepped back to the kitchen, presumably to ask the Cakes to cover the register, then returned and stepped around the counter.

Once the pair had set down at one of the few remaining empty booths, Rarity pulled the muffins out of the paper bag with her magic and floated one over to rest in front of Pinkie. “One for you, and one for me.”

“Aw, thanks Rares! Always so generous.”

“Oh, pshaw!” Rarity scoffed and rolled her eyes. “You won’t even let me pay for these delectable treats. I can hardly be considered generous for sharing something given so freely!”

Pinkie giggled around a mouthful of crumbs. She swallowed and wiped her mouth. “Of course I’m not going to charge my friends, silly! Besides, that’s not the point; you thought of me when you got two muffins, and everypony knows that it’s the thought that counts.”

Rarity sighed before returning Pinkie’s knowing smile. “I do suppose you have a point, darling. Very well then, onto the next matter.” She opened a flap on her saddlebags, pulling out a paper bag and laying it on the counter. She reached in with her magic and levitated out one of the mushrooms she had found the previous day, laying it on the table beside Pinkie’s empty muffin wrapper. “I have it on good authority that you might be able to identify this for me. I think I have a good idea of what I’m looking at, but I wanted to consult an expert first.”

“Oooh!” Pinkie picked up the mushroom by the stem and closely examined it. “Yellow gills, red cap, convex and slightly depressed in the center…yep! It’s fly agaric. Nice find, Rarity! I didn’t think these were in season for another month or two!” Pinkie paused for a moment, then tilted her head to the side. “Wait, you said you knew what this was?”

Rarity placed the fungus back into the bag before returning it to her saddlebag. “Well darling, I’ve seen a thing or two in my time working the fashion circuit. We are artists, after all, always searching for that next inspiration. Some of my colleagues seek that inspiration in less-” She twirled a hoof in the air, looking for the right word. “-Conventional means. As you can imagine, gossip travels in those circles. Why, my dear Coco told me just last week that she had spent most of the previous evening trying to convince a friend of hers that he was hallucinating. Apparently the stallion had taken mescaline and was seeing pony skulls floating through the air! The poor thing was frightened beyond belief.”

Pinkie visibly cringed. “Yeesh, must have been too high of a dose.” She shook her head in sympathy. “So you’re looking for some of that kind of inspiration, even after hearing stories like that?”

Rarity shrugged. “Well…I know it’s not always like that, and every substance is different after all. Hoity Toity was actually the one that first told me about these magic mushrooms. He said they were a fun way to relax after a busy week, and one experience he had actually inspired the interior design of his boutique.”

Pinkie nodded in understanding. “That’s not too surprising, actually. I came up with the idea for my Chimicherrychonga when I was tripping on mushrooms. Wait a minute, that reminds me…” Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “How did you know that I knew about all this stuff?”

Rarity chuckled. “Pinkie, it’s as I’ve said: word travels fast. Ponies say your special parties are not to be missed.”

“I bet Rainbow told you, didn’t she?” Pinkie wasn’t mad, of course, just curious.

“Now darling, a lady doesn’t kiss and tell. But then, you’d know all about that, isn’t that right?” Rarity teased, wiggling her eyebrows as Pinkie’s already pink cheeks darkened in tone considerably.

Pinkie coughed. “C’mon, Rarity, we’re just friends, and she was rolling hard.”

“Of course, dear. Whatever you say.”

Pinkie blew a raspberry. Rarity could be relentless if she caught scent of a juicy bit of gossip. It was easier to just change the topic. “Moving on…do you really want to do this, Rarity? Even if you don’t have a bad trip, the nausea can be pretty intense. And you’ll be out of it the next day, so you’ll need to plan a whole weekend around this.”

Rarity thought for a moment, weighing her options, before she nodded. “I’m sure, Pinkie. At worst, I’ll have a close friend comfort me through a rough evening, and then it’ll be over and I can move on. At best, I’ll have a wonderful time and maybe find some new ideas for my Spring ensemble. I’m ready.”

“Okie-doke! Let me borrow the mushrooms and I’ll dry them out. I’ll come over to the Boutique next Saturday and we’ll have some tea.”

“Special tea?”

Pinkie winked. “Yup! Pinkie Pie’s Specialty Special Tea!”

***

The next weekend arrived quickly. At the Carousel Boutique, the door’s sign was flipped to ‘closed’, and the curtains were drawn shut. Inside, Pinkie Pie and Rarity were sitting in Rarity’s workroom. Normally, this area was cluttered with half-finished projects and cloth samples on every available surface, but Rarity had done what she could to make her usually private inspiration room more hospitable for her guest. A spare dining table had been pulled out of storage, its surface nicked here and there over the years, but its cedar surface still shined with a glossy finish. A pair of violet sofas were brought in from the showing room, alongside Rarity’s infamous chaise lounge chair, or ‘fainting couch’, as her friends liked to call it.

Pinkie Pie pulled a stopwatch out of her mane. She glanced at it and nodded in approval. “Okay Rares, the tea has probably steeped for long enough now. Remember, slow sips, or your tummy will make you regret it. Speaking of, you didn’t eat lunch today, right?”

Rarity gently lifted the mug in her magic, taking a cautious sniff. It didn’t smell much different than when the mushrooms were freshly picked last week. Perhaps a bit muted. “Of course not, Darling. You did warn me, after all. Now relax, won’t you?” She waved a hoof at the matching mug in front of Pinkie. “Enjoy your own tea. I’m a big filly now, I can take care of myself, promise.”

Pinkie’s imagination conjured an image of a much younger Rarity saying that line, and she giggled. “Sure, Rarity. Whatever you say.”

***

An hour later, Rarity was tossing upon her chaise lounge. She uttered a groan and rolled again. “Pinkie, you weren’t kidding about this nausea, it’s positively dreadful!”

Pinkie Pie lifted her head from the armrest of a nearby couch to face her. “I know Rarity, don’t worry, it should be over soon. Other than that, how are you feeling? I think it’s starting to hit me.”

Rarity rolled onto her back and stared up at her ceiling, focusing on her body. She felt…very relaxed, like she had just stepped out of a long bubble bath. Every muscle felt rested. Even her back, ever punished from long nights hunched over her sewing machine, felt like it would after a massage at the spa. “Apart from my stomach, I feel lovely darling. I don’t know if it's…hitting me yet, but…”

As if on cue, Rarity noticed something. As she stared at her eggshell-white ceiling, she saw colors creeping into the corners of her vision. Attempting to focus on the colors was like trying to look at the small dark blotches one occasionally sees floating in their eyes. As she tried to catch one in her vision it would dart away, staying out of reach and closer examination.

As Rarity gave up and returned her gaze to the ceiling, she swore the ceiling was moving. Waves would ripple out from the center, like a pebble thrown into a still lake. She traced one wave and watched it travel to the corner of the room and down the wall before disappearing behind a closet.

“Pinkie…Pinkie, are you still there?”

The pony in question was chuckling softly to herself. Laid on her back, she was waving all four limbs in the air, trying to catch tiny creatures that only she could see. “What’s up, Rarity?”

“Pinkie, the ceiling is moving.”

“It is?” Pinkie lowered her legs and directed her eyes where Rarity was pointing. “Huh, it sure is. Neat!” With that, Pinkie resumed her mission to catch the parasprites floating just out of her reach.

Satisfied that her friend had been made aware of the odd behavior of the ceiling, Rarity let her gaze drift lazily around the room, looking for anything else out of the ordinary. As she fixed her gaze to another corner of the room where two walls met the ceiling, she saw a small purple thread worming its way out of the wall. It was closely followed by a red thread, then a green one, until all colors of the rainbow were represented by dozens upon dozens of interweaving cords of color. They criss-crossed across her ceiling, spreading endlessly from one end of the room to the other, bobbing in and around each other like the universe’s most complex stitching. Patterns formed, disappeared, and re-imagined themselves endlessly, leaving Rarity breathless. Gasping in realization, Rarity rolled off of the couch and onto her hooves, and moved on wobbling legs toward her work table.

Pinkie’s mind came back into focus at the sound of movement, and she sat up, keeping an eye on Rarity. When Pinkie saw a pair of fabric scissors glow in Rarity’s magic, she moved to intervene.

“Rarity! Put the scissors down. You’ll hurt yourself.”

“But DARLING!” Rarity whined. “My muse has arrived! The magic, the inspiration! I must create! I MUST!”

Pinkie smirked. Inebriated or not, Rarity’s theatrics could land her a role on Bridleway any day. “Hold your horses, Rarity, just give me a second…Ah ha!” She spotted Rarity’s sketchbook and picked it up along with several colored pencils and a piece of charcoal, and led Rarity back to the seating area. She laid the drawing materials out on the dining table and helped Rarity back into her seat. “Here you go, Rarity! You can draw to your heart’s content, and leave the scissors and sewing needles for tomorrow.”

“Pinkie, you’re a genius! Thank you ever so much.” Rarity picked up the charcoal and got to work right away, hatching lines and shades into her sketchbook that would eventually become a line of dresses that would turn the fashion world upside down.

“Of course, Rarity. Have fun!” Pinkie went to the kitchen to grab them each a cup of water. It seems the night wouldn’t be over anytime soon.

***

Rarity’s nose twitched as she was pulled out of her slumber by the scent of hay bacon and eggs. Her stomach grumbled, and she was reminded just how long it had been since her last meal. Returning fully to consciousness, she stood from the sofa and took a moment to stretch out her back. While her chaise lounge was comfortable, it was a poor substitute for her bed upstairs. Satisfied for now, she made her way into the kitchen to see Pinkie Pie hovering over the stovetop.

Pinkie’s ear twitched, and she turned her head to face the white unicorn dragging herself through the doorway. “Good morning, Rares! I hope you don’t mind that I made us breakfast.”

“Do I mind? Pinkie, that smells heavenly!” She stepped forward to wrap a hoof around the pink pony’s withers. Pinkie returned her greeting with a nuzzle.

“Great! Have a seat at the table and I’ll be there in a minute, just need to finish plating everything.”

Rarity began to make her way to the other side of the kitchen before remembering that she had moved the dining table into the workroom last night. She pivoted, returning to the workroom and retaking her seat. Settled, her gaze fell on her open sketchbook laying on the table. Her memories from last night were a little…hazy, but she assumed she must have divined a new design or two during last night’s adventure. Flicking her tail in anticipation, she turned back a page, then another, and yet another, her face twisting in confusion at each new scribble.

That was the right word, wasn’t it? These weren’t design sketches, they were foal’s doodles. Colored lines swiped from one side of the paper to the other without rhyme or reason. Several pages were torn when the pencil was pressed much too firmly into the paper. One page simply had the word ‘Universe!’ written repeatedly from top to bottom, a different color chosen for each iteration.

As Pinkie Pie set their plates down, Rarity looked up to her in confusion. “Pinkie, did you draw in my sketchbook?”

“Nope! That was all you. You were so excited for your new designs! How do they look?” She walked around to Rarity’s side of the table and looked at the page. Her shoulders started to bounce with barely-restrained laughter.

“-snrk- Oh, Rarity, that’s wonderful! Hehe, you’re truly a master of your -pff- craft!” Pinkie lost her composure entirely and fell onto her back, doubled over in laughter.

“Oh ha, ha, Pinkie. Laugh it up.” Rarity rolled her eyes at her pink friend’s shenanigans. Still, the laughter was contagious, and she couldn’t fight a smirk developing on her face. “I really thought I had found something incredible, too. Oh well, can’t blame a mare for trying.

After a few more giggles, Pinkie recovered and rolled to her feet. She wiped a tear from her eye before she returned to her breakfast and started to dig in. “Sorry for laughing, Rarity. Don’t feel bad, maybe you’ll find your inspiration next time.

Rarity set her fork down and brought a hoof to her chin. “Hmm…maybe I will, Pinkie. Maybe I will.”

Author's Note:

Hope you all liked the tea pun, I was rather proud of that one

Fun fact that I learned while researching for this chapter: Fly Agaric is not commonly called a 'magic mushroom' like Psilocybin mushrooms. Apparently people just call it Fly Agaric, or Amanita mushrooms. I figured all hallucinogenic mushrooms fell under the 'magic mushroom' umbrella.

Let me know what you thought of this chapter, I love the feedback.

Applejack is up next, stay tuned!

Comments

[OF29]

Calling it now for AJ; Peyote.

[Ponka]

I would've thought Rarity was gonna have cocaine with the high class connections and all that. But a natural hallucinogenic - not something as 'crass' as a synthesised one - to enhance creativity fits just as well.

I like how she was a lot more confident and knowledgeable than the rest of her friends, Rarity's been around. Her teasing was pretty funny too

[oblivion2k]

11666746
I was really happy with how I portrayed Rarity in this chapter, glad you liked it too!

[GreySlime]

Amanita minute to appreciate that perfect Raritea pun, it's just tearrific !