//------------------------------// // One and a Half Date // Story: An Interesting Arrival // by Moongaze14 //------------------------------// One and a Half Date “We have to prepare ourselves!” Rarity declared as she galloped around Statice’s room. Somehow, the white unicorn had summoned her own fainting couch, as well as a special kit containing beauty tools that she was applying upon herself. Statice coughed up as Rarity sprayed enough hair conditioner to make a pink mist across the room. “It’s just a meeting, Rarity!” he protested angrily, sending a small pulse of magic from his horn to get rid of the mist. “It is an important meeting with the crème de la crème of Canterlot, Statice!” Rarity rectified him as she replaced her fake eyelashes with more luxurious ones. “Yeah, right,” Statice snorted. “You are close friends with all four princesses of Equestria. “Doesn’t that mean that you hang out with the crème de la crème of the crème de la crème?” “Well of course,” Rarity was brushing her mane with irregular speed, changing her hair style in a matter of seconds, frowning with each result, and resuming again. “But I don’t want to take advantage of my relationship with Twilight. I’d rather build my own reputation with my own merits.” “Said merits include lying about you dating me?” Statice asked in a deadpan voice. Rarity tittered nervously as she stopped brushing her mane, which was currently shaped in her original style. “We can always say that we are trying to go out on a friendly date?” “I don’t think that you made it look platonic enough out there,” Statice rolled his eyes at her. “Those two obviously see us as a couple. And sooner or later, you’re gonna have to see them again after this date. Are you gonna tell them that we’re still dating at the time?” Rarity groaned in shame and doubt. She couldn’t force him to pretend to be her coltfriend. What was she going to say to Fancy Pants and Fleur about it? I never thought I'd see the day when a former criminal would have the moral high ground over me. “I’m telling you this, Rarity,” Statice pointed a hoof at the fashionista. “If I’m dating somepony by the time you see them again, I’m not doing this farce a second time.” “You won’t,” Rarity promised. “I learned my lesson with Fancy Pants about not lying to him.” “Apparently not good enough,” Statice whispered low enough to prevent Rarity from hearing him. “I heard that!” Rarity cast an accusing hoof at Statice before gasping. “Oh my, I need to work on my hooficure!” “What the heck are you talking about?” Statice asked with a raised eyebrow. “Your hoof looks fine.” “Not fine enough for a dinner with the best couple in Canterlot,” Rarity stomped the floor with her hoof. “This is an emergency of the finest caliber!” “You look gorgeous,” Statice commented, causing her to blush. “I mean, look at me, I’m in this mess with you and you don’t see me worrying about my appearance.” Rarity stared at him with widened eyes. Her blush had disappeared, but the look was still the same. It was intense, focused, and detailed. From this close, Statice could see that Rarity was very beautiful with those elegantly shaped eyes of hers. Now I see why Spike has a crush on her. Kid’s got good pony taste. “You’re right,” Rarity walked up to him, making him flinch and step back from her. “You’re not worrying about your appearance…WE NEED TO FIX THAT RIGHT AWAY!” “What do you mean by that?” Statice asked before Rarity tackled him to the ground with all of her beauty tools aimed at him. I just had to open my big mouth! “This is ridiculous,” Statice protested as Rarity studied his new appearance. She took the liberty of combing his mane and brushing his teeth as she levitated the tools for the task. “Hush,” Rarity pointedly demanded. “You have to show up in pristine appearance. You can’t talk to a noble with dirty teeth and a messy mane. We also have to work up on your breath.” “What’s wrong with my breath?” Statice asked, feeling offended at being criticized for it. “It smells bitter,” Rarity scrunched her nose in disgust as she levitated mint spray and put its contents in the stallion’s mouth. “I shall give you a box of mints before the date starts. Make sure to eat them at least a minute or so before we enter the restaurant.” “I can’t believe you noticed my breath,” Statice pouted in annoyance. “How does everypony find out about it?” “Maybe the reason is that you don’t brush your teeth regularly,” Rarity suggested with a raised eyebrow. “It only takes an hour before the mint smell is replaced with that bad breath of mine,” Statice informed her, being so familiar with his breath that he was capable of recognizing it by the bad taste it left on his mouth. “That is quite a misfortune,” Rarity frowned in sympathy before it turned into a frown of concentration. “But we shall focus on that problem another day. For the time being, we have to focus on an ensemble that best fit us.” “What do you mean by…?” “I think that we are going to wear a suit and a dress with complementary colors,” Rarity answered the question that she thought Statice was going to ask. I was gonna ask you about what you meant when you said about another day. Do you plan on spending time with me again? “I was thinking of bringing a purplish-red dress for the date,” Rarity informed the green unicorn as she brought a dress in front of her. “I can put on some diamond earrings and the bracelets that you gifted me as accessories.” Statice turned his head away from Rarity to prevent her from seeing the blush that formed on his face again. Why did he have to be paired up with one of the hottest mares in Equestria? “I’m thinking of giving you an indigo suit to contrast my own dress,” Rarity informed Statice. “The indigo goes well with the strands of blue and purple. It complements the red, yellow, and white strands just the same.” “Thanks,” Statice said, not understanding Rarity’s fashion talk yet still feeling grateful about her advice. “You’re welcome,” Rarity nodded her head. “Now we have to focus on your hooficure.” “What did you say about my hooves now?” Statice stared at her in shock. “We can’t step hoof in the best restaurants in Canterlot if it’s not as presentable as the establishment,” Rarity rationalized as she brought her hooficure kit. “Hey, I put my hoof down on this one,” Statice pushed Rarity’s kit with his own magic. “I’m not letting you get near my hooves.” “Ugh, you’re just like Rainbow Dash!” Rarity groaned at the stallion’s stubborn nature. “Personal hoof care is something that should be treated with vital importance!” “I’m a grown stallion,” Statice narrowed his eyes at Rarity. “I don’t let anypony touch my hooves. Only I'm allowed to take care of them.” He focused his magic on the marble floor. The floor started to sink until it was deep enough to reach his ankles. He did his usual routine of covering the hole with ice and turning it into water until the water level was good enough. At that point, Statice placed all four hooves into his makeshift hoof bath, not even flinching at the cold water. “Are you going to give yourself a hooficure?” Rarity asked in shock. She always had her hooficure done at the spa, only doing the process personally in prolonged spa-free periods of time. Finding a stallion that actually bothered to make his own hooficure was quite unexpected…especially if that stallion was Statice. “A pony that takes care of his hooves is a pony that takes care of the path he chooses,” Statice recited a saying that he heard back in Hobuck as he brought a front hoof in front of him to file it. “That’s quite a good technique you have,” Rarity acknowledged in shock. “You must have been in charge of your hooficure for years if you have so much control.” “This is nothing,” Statice scoffed. “Levitation is all just a matter of thinking what you want stuff to do. Things like drawing, sewing, or even this hooficure turn way easier when magic makes your tools do EXACTLY what you want them to do.” “Be that as it may, it does take a good coordination to notice the details, think of the appropriate movements, and transmit it into your magic,” Rarity observed as the file let Statice’s hoof presentable, the obvious work of a professional. “My mother taught me how to do my own hooficure when I was a colt,” Statice informed her as he focused on his second hoof. “I took her teachings to heart.” Those are the only things of my mom that I can keep there. “Your mother must be a smart mare if she taught you that,” Rarity nodded her head with approval as she looked at Statice’s front hooves, free of any besmirches. “And I can see that she taught you well.” “She sure did,” Statice answered proudly as he continued his hooficure on his hind legs, not even bothering to look back. “Then again, practice makes perfect. All I need to do is to put on the hoof polish.” The green unicorn opened Hammerspace, extracting a green bottle from the portal and opening its content. It had a small brush that he used to apply the polish on all four of his hooves to finish his hooficure. “There you go,” Statice brought a chair to sit on so that he had the chance of drying off his hooves. “I took care of it.” “Impressive,” Rarity spoke with genuine praise as she noticed Statice’s hooves glimmering from his own care and technique before looking at her own hooves. “You don’t mind if you…” “I’m not giving you a hooficure,” Statice frowned, already guessing Rarity’s favor. “Please,” Rarity smiled at him. “No,” Statice deadpanned. “Please,” Rarity bended her head to the side as she smiled adorably at him. “No,” Statice answered, this time sounding more annoyed. “Please, please, please…” Rarity begged as she got closer to him with a wide begging grin on her face. “There is no way that you can convince me to give you a hooficure,” Statice glared at her with finality. “I can’t believe you convinced me to give you a hooficure.” Rarity had a smug smile as she was resting on her fainting couch. Her hind legs were stretched out on Statice’s lap. He was currently finishing with the polishing of her right hoof, already watching his reflection on it. “I’ve always been quite a charmer when I put my mind into it,” Rarity smiled, feeling proud of her accomplishment. “Whatever,” Statice grunted as he continued the job. “Now we need to work out about us,” Rarity spoke with a serious demeanor. “We need to know about each other if we are to take this double date to it working potential.” “How the heck will that…?” Statice was interrupted when Rarity’s left hind hoof tapped him on the snout. “I’m working on that, darling,” Rarity informed him with a chastising tone. “For the time being, finish this hoof while I explain.” “I hate you,” Statice told her as he moved her hoof from his snout and focused on finishing her hooficure. “I hate you too, darling,” Rarity smiled sweetly at him, somehow making a squeaky noise. The stallion sighed in defeat. It’s going to be a long night. “Now remember the manners lessons I gave you, Statice,” Rarity chastised the green unicorn as they entered the Ritzy Hay Bale. “I’ll admit that the lessons were in short notice, but I am confident that you can do fine in the meantime.” “I know how to limit my vocabulary so as to not sound crude in front of nobles, Rarity,” Statice replied, not too happy with taking the lessons in the first place. “I didn’t need you to spend until the sunset to teach me all of that stuff.” “Just try to behave, Statice,” Rarity growled at him with the corner of her lip so as to avoid looking bad in front of their fellow customers. The best table was reserved for them. It wasn’t very hard to find it considering that Fancy Pants and Fleur were sitting there in the first place. Upon seeing them, the couple was quick to call up to them. “It’s so nice to see you, Miss Rarity!” Fancy Pants smiled at the fashionista. “I am glad that you brought your beau with you.” Who the heck uses the word beau? “I am happy to be introduced formally,” Statice shook Fancy Pants’ hoof. “And I am delighted to see that you both came,” Fleur smiled as she exchanged cheek kisses with Rarity before offering her front hoof to him. For some reason, she extended her hind leg behind her as she extended her foreleg in front. Does she really have to pose for a hoof kiss? Statice thought as he followed with the tradition, his lips touching her hoof for a second before he retracted them. “Such a gentlecolt,” Fleur nodded her head with approval. “You have a nice taste, Miss Rarity.” “Thank you,” Rarity smiled awkwardly at Fleur. “How about we discuss on our seats while we wait for our meal?” Fancy Pants suggested. “I took the liberty of ordering the specialty for this table.” “Thanks,” Statice said before Rarity had the chance. “It’s really nice of you to order the specialty for us.” “You’re welcome,” Fancy Pants nodded his head. “You are both my-I mean our- guests in this evening. The least I could do is to share our accommodations with you.” Fleur nuzzled him in response for including her. “By the way, Rarity,” Fleur addressed the fashionista. “I heard that you were going to open a boutique in Canterlot. How are you doing so far with the preparations?” She is opening a boutique in Canterlot? Statice mentally asked himself, finding it a better alternative than verbally asking her about it. She didn’t mention anything about it. Then again…I didn’t pay much attention to most of what she said. “Oh yes,” Rarity raised her head dreamingly. “I made a huge bonus making costumes for Sapphire Shores in her Equestria-wide tour. All I need to do is get a manager for the opening.” To be honest, I’m still shocked she scored big with such a celebrity. I guess the Elements of Harmony settle for talent as much as they do with personality. “May I suggest you start with Sassy Saddles?” Fleur suggested with a glint of interest in her eyes. “I heard that she has worked in many boutiques in Canterlot. She can help you open up your boutique.” “Is she really that good?” Rarity asked with excitement, leaning her body forward to bop noses with Fleur. “Positively,” Fleur smiled reassuringly while a blushing Rarity got her muzzle away from hers. “I also have a few other suggestions in case your interview with Sassy is not up to your standards.” “While my date talks with yours, you don’t mind if we share a conversation, Mr. Statice,” Fancy Pants spoke to the green unicorn, who was more than happy to not listen to the mares talk about fashion or business. Oh great, now he wants to talk with me. Let’s just hope he speaks normally instead of all that fancy show-off conversation nobles like to have. “Do ask,” Statice invited him hurryingly, wanting to tune out from the conversation that Rarity and Fleur were having. “How is life outside of Equestria?” Fancy Pants asked with curiosity. “My position of wealth has allowed me to travel around Equestria. But I’ve never set hoof outside of it because of my responsibilities here.” Finally, a noble pony asks me a decent question. I might as well try to be sociable with him. Guys like him are very hard to find in his social class. “Must be hard to be the most influential noble in Canterlot,” Statice playfully jabbed at him, trying to follow Rarity’s advice to try to add a little bit of charm to his conversation skills. “It sure is,” Fancy Pants lamented. “I’ve heard of places outside of Equestria, but I only have small pieces of information. When I heard about you in that match of Arcanum Ball- which I may add was quite entertaining- I just had to ask you how was life outside of Equestria.” “Depends on what are your standards for conformity,” Statice frowned at the difficulty of the question. “There are some beautiful sights to behold outside of Equestria, but some places can be a little dangerous. You need the right set of skills and equipment to travel there.” Preferably, I suggest a ship strong enough to handle storms and big enough to have sufficient food to prevent everypony from fighting over it. Also, you better get a crew that is most likely to not hold a muteny in less than a week. “It appears that traveling outside of Equestria is going to be put on hold for the time being,” Fancy Pants concluded as he noticed Statice’s frown. “Still, maybe one day you can talk to me about it.” What the heck, he looks like a nice guy. I just hope I have enough material to tell him. There was barely anything good worth remembering out there. “Sure,” Statice smiled politely. “I am curious about the rules of this Arcanum Ball of yours,” Fancy Pants raised an eyebrow at him. “For what I see, it looks like an excellent sport filled with energy and athleticism for your body and your magic. I am interested in making it a sport for Canterlot and spread it across Equestria.” That statement put a frown on Statice’s face. “No,” he shook his head. “It’s not in my place to sell this game.” “You must be joking,” Fancy Pants was taken aback by the green unicorn’s refusal, shocked that somepony was rejecting his proposal. “No,” Statice shook his head. “This game was created by a friend of mine. If I were to sponsor it without his approval, it would be an insult to him.” “I guess you’re right,” Fancy Pants sighed in disappointment, feeling bad that he was not going to play the game but understanding the principles behind it. A true gentlecolt always gave credit where credit was due. He gave a nod to Statice to let him know that he was okay with his decision. At least this Fancy Pants guy has enough manners not to push it. Normally, this is the part where the noble tries to bribe me and then swears revenge or threatens me in some way or another. Statice turned his head around to see what was going to be Rarity’s reaction to his rejection of Fancy Pants’ proposal. Much to his relief, Rarity and Fleur were too busy talking to each other to even notice the conversation he and Fancy Pants had. A unicorn waiter came in with their orders, finally stopping the conversation between the couple and the other two ponies that were pretending to be a couple. The dish that was served was a quiche of vegetables. It was tasty and probably the only thing that made pretending to be a couple with Rarity worth the double date. This Fancy Pants guy is sure something. Now I see why Rarity has a shine to him. Then again, I don’t think that she’s into being friends with somepony for the privileges offered by association. After finishing the dinner, orchestra music was played in the background. A band of ponies were playing classic musical instruments. They were led by a light gray earth pony mare with dark gray mane that played the cello. She was a composed mare, playing with her eyes closed, and wearing a pink bowtie with a white collar around her neck. For some reason, Statice’s eyes were focused exclusively on her when he looked at the band. It wasn’t just how better she played in comparison to her colleagues, but there was some sort of sophisticated allure into her. Get ahold of yourself, Statice! You can’t make eyes at her when you’re on a date! Fake or not, it’s not cool to stare at another mare. Driving his eyes away from the orchestra, Statice turned his head around and saw that Rarity, Fleur, and Fancy were also staring at the band with appreciation gleaming in their eyes. The stallion sighed when he realized that they were too distracted with the music to pay attention to where he was looking. I’m safe. Better try to change the conversation. “Octavia’s compositions have always been one of my favorite music plays,” Fancy Pants nodded his head appreciatively to the cadence of the music. “Indeed,” Rarity closed her eyes to better enjoy the concert. “She played at Cranky and Matilda’s wedding not too long ago.” “I heard that she played a peculiar piece at that wedding,” Fleur noticed as she leaned forward to look at Rarity. “Do tell, how would you describe that composition? It was quite different from what she normally played at previous weddings.” “It was quite an unusual spin on the traditional wedding music,” Rarity tittered nervously. While she heard the music, she did it outside of the wedding ceremony due to being accidentally locked out with her friends. Fortunately for her, she was still on listening range of the music from outside the town hall, but was incapable of giving it the thorough analysis it deserved. “I wish I had assisted the wedding,” Fleur sighed in disappointment. “Fancy and I were very busy at Canterlot that day. Surprisingly enough, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna somehow managed to attend the wedding in spite of their schedules. Even Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor came all the way from the Crystal Empire to assist the wedding.” I wish I could have been there as well, Rarity frowned a little bit as she remembered herself and her friends outside and being unable to enjoy the wedding until after everypony got out of the building. “It appears that we are having a piece suitable for dancing,” Fancy Pants stood up from his chair and offered his hoof to Fleur. “Are you ready, my dear?” “Of course,” Fleur nuzzled Fancy Pants, nuzzling his cheeks and following him into the dance court. “We’ll be waiting for you to join us.” “Join you?” Statice and Rarity asked simultaneously, one of them shocked and the other annoyed. “But of course,” Fleur answered without looking at them. “It wouldn’t be a double date if you don’t dance with us.” As the couple got away from Statice and Rarity, both of them started talking in whispers, showing how distressed they were with the situation at hoof. “This is perfect,” Statice grit his teeth exasperatedly. “You didn’t say that there was gonna be dancing.” “I expected fine dining,” Rarity growled at Statice, not as pleased with the current situation as he was. “I didn’t think that they were going to ask us to dance with them. Fancy Pants is usually more of a talkative pony.” “I don’t know how to dance, Rarity” Statice groaned as he rubbed a hoof down his face. “As soon as we set hoof in the floor, we’re gonna end up making fools of ourselves in front of everypony here.” “Don’t worry,” Rarity pressed a hoof to Statice’s lips. “For what I see, this is going to be a waltz. It’s one of the easiest dances to learn.” Rarity pointed her hoof at the dance floor, showing many couples dancing. The green unicorn stared at the spectacle, noticing that all of them were embracing and pretty much moving in swirling motions. “These guys are dancing circles around each other,” Statice deadpanned. “How exactly does that count as dancing?” Rarity resisted the urge to scold Statice for his simplistic definition of the art of waltz dancing. “This technique is about elegance and nimble movements. All you have to do is to transfer it beautifully in a whirling movement. Follow me and I’ll show you.” The white mare took Statice’s hoof and led him into the dance floor. She stood up on her hind legs and motioned Statice to do the same. Before she gave him the next instruction, Statice placed his hooves on her hips. “Is it like this?” Statice asked Rarity awkwardly. The response he got was a muted gasp, a blush forming across her face, and widened eyes that slowly morphed into a very dark glare. Somehow, I feel as if I did a great mistake. I’ll take a quick look…okay…I’m pretty sure my hooves are supposed to be a little up. It’s a good thing nopony is looking at us. I just hope I didn’t make Rarity too mad at me. Rarity exerted all of her self-control not to slap Statice in the face for getting fresh with her. She used her left hoof to move Statice’s right hoof from her hip to behind her waist and then wrapped her right hoof around Statice’s left hoof in a way that made it seem that Statice was leading. Statice blushed for committing such a mistake with Rarity, feeling genuinely embarrassed at the venomous glare that she was giving him when she guided his hooves at the proper position. “Sorry about that,” Statice looked away from her. “I just assumed that you walk around in circles while hugging.” Subtly, Rarity used a hind hoof to pat Statice’s left ankle. “Step forward with your left hind leg,” she instructed him firmly. The stallion nodded his head and did as he was instructed. His reward was a couple of soft kicks to his right ankle, one from the right and one from behind. It was then that Statice noticed that Rarity was using some sort of code to tell him how to dance. That’s some balance she’s got. I’m kinda surprised nopony is noticing how awkward we’re dancing here. The process was slow and it took a few minutes. Fortunately, the dancers were so enthralled by the music that they didn’t notice how slower Statice and Rarity danced in comparison to them. “I think that you got it now, darling,” Rarity smiled at the green stallion after she helped him complete the sixth beat of their waltz. “Now all you have to do is repeat the process until the music is over.” “About time,” Statice complained with a forced smile as he noticed Fleur and Fancy Pants curtly greeting them. “My ankles are killing me. At least I have the pattern now. All I gotta do is to repeat it for the rest of the night.” “Statice,” Rarity frowned in awkwardness. “I hate to tell you this, but this establishment has a musical tradition. Each piece is made to complement a different dance style.” “What does that mean?” Statice asked worryingly. “The next song will require for us to use another dancing style,” Rarity informed him as she and Statice managed to do the motions of the waltz perfectly. “Are you kidding me?” Statice asked her in dismay. “I don’t kid when it comes to the finest things in life,” Rarity frowned pensively as the music came to an end. “Fortunately, I came here months ago and heard the orchestra back then. If my memory doesn’t fail me, the next music is one worthy of a tango.” Just as Rarity predicted, the next music was one suitable for tango. A different orchestra was used for the occasion. It consisted of a lead guitarist, a pianist, two violinists, and Octavia replaced her cello with a double bass. The fashionista smiled as her well-trained ears remembered the melody that was currently being played as the one she heard in her previous visit. She didn’t dance back then due to her date falling asleep, but now she had the chance of doing it with a more willing date. Then again…I AM forcing him to do a farce in the first place. Rarity sighed in disappointment at having such an intimate moment with somepony with whom she shared a mutual distaste. “What are we supposed to do?” Statice asked her nervously as he stared at their surroundings. “It’s okay,” Rarity reassured him calmly, already accustomed to high stress situations in her line of work. “Tangos are danced by couples one-by-one. All we need to do is a perfect example to replicate.” “I guess Fancy and Fleur are gonna teach us then,” Statice pointed at the rich couple as they made their way to the center of the stage. Just like the green unicorn predicted, the two white unicorns were already on the stage. Fleur started the dance with an intimate hug, making sure to extend her hind leg back as she embraced her husband. Fancy Pants stood up on his hind legs and pulled her in, causing Fleur to bend her hind leg into making a figure four shape. Both dancers were now on their hind legs, taking forward and backward steps in a way that appeared as if they were making crosses with their hind legs. Five minutes passed before the duo finished their choreography with each other. They were met with applause by their fellow customers, with the sole exception of Statice and Rarity. “I got an idea,” Statice started. “If it involves making a distraction through vulgar means, so help me…” Rarity spoke with a threatening tone before Statice placed a hoof on her mouth and whispered into her ear. “I got a plan on how to dance,” Statice whispered into her ear. “We just freestyle and use what little knowledge we have about tango to make our choreography.” Rarity gasped in shock at the suggestion. It was crazy at best and very risky at worst. She could ruin her social stand with the elite of Canterlot if things didn’t go as planned. Then again, it was her lies that started this whole mess in the first place. Giving Statice, a determined smile, Rarity gave her approval to the plan. “How should we start our dance?” It took ten minutes and two other couples having their dance for Statice and Rarity to finally reach an agreement. Once they were done, they spent another fifteen minutes watching couples dancing to gather enough instruction on how to perform the steps for their dance. “It’s show time,” Statice and Rarity gave each other facial expressions that were more suitable to soldiers going to war. This whole dancing stuff was a serious business for both of them. They were NOT going to fail. Going into the spotlight, the two unicorns stood in opposite sites. Statice was standing on quadruped position while Rarity was standing on biped position. Their opposite stances earned surprised gasps from the spectators. Statice’s stance had forelegs and hind legs spread out while Rarity’s stance had her forelegs over her head, her right hind leg bent, and her left hind leg as her standing limb. “What kind of tango will they show us?” Fancy Pants asked as he cautiously stroke his moustache. Similarly, Fleur hugged his chest, looking as if she needed her husband to hold her as she witnessed the spectacle. As the music started again, the dancers started. Statice used martial arts stepping technique, sliding his right foreleg and left hind leg forward in a slanted angle before repeating the process with the opposite legs. Rarity gracefully performed ballet moves, twirling on her left hind leg while stretching her right one. As the dancers closed the distance between them, Rarity changed her approach as she made an horizontal jump with her hind legs in a split. As she landed on a hind leg, she kicked out her other one to Statice’s head. I hope I get this right. Statice smiled as he ducked Rarity’s kick and stood biped style, grabbing Rarity’s waist and right hoof in his arms. The fashionista smiled sensually as she bent her leg behind Statice’s back to bring him into a more compromising embrace. The stallion smiled as he dipped Rarity until her back was nearly touching the ground before he spun around and threw her in the air next to him. Rarity squealed in delight as she spun in place next to Statice before he grabbed her by the waist and twirled her, dipping her again, and assuming the tango position. From then on, their movements consisted of sliding their hind hooves front and back, left and right, in circular motions until the music ended. It took five minutes for the piece to end and the spectators to give their verdict. A chorus of applauding stomps was the response that the couple obtained. Enjoying the triumph, Rarity gave a shrill scream as she hugged Statice’s chest. “Can’t believe they fell for that garbage,” Statice muttered to Rarity between clenched teeth. “Quiet,” Rarity also responded between gritted teeth, but still kept a winning smile in the process. The rest of the evening was fortunately uneventful. After the tango routine, Fancy and Fleur declared that they were too overwhelmed physically and emotionally so there was no need to do more dancing, much to the relief of Statice and Rarity. The two of them spent the last time of their double date talking with Fancy Pants and Fleur before parting their separate ways. To Rarity’s amusement, Statice led the way back to the castle with a blushing face after Fleur decided to say her goodbyes to them with a kiss on the cheek for each of them. She would have teased him about it if it hadn’t been for the fact that she put him on such a troublesome affair with her lies. “That’s the last time I ever date you,” Statice complained as they finally got back to his room. “It wasn’t that bad,” Rarity frowned defensively. “Whatever,” Statice rolled his eyes. “Just remember your end of the bargain, Rarity. You can keep the bracelets as long as you don’t tell anypony about Magic Kindergarten. Also, if you didn’t tell Fancy and Fleur the truth then I’ll keep it a secret until you come up with something. Just keep my secret. You understand that, right?” “I understand,” Rarity rolled her eyes. “And don’t worry about Fancy Pants. I already explained things to Fleur while you were talking with him. She'll explain that we're just friends and that this was just a platonic date.” “Good,” Statice nodded his head, trying to act stoic but inwardly sighing with relief and feeling like slumping on the floor. “I’m glad we’re finally on the same page. Good night.” Rarity’s response was to kiss him on the cheek, reigniting the blush on his face that Fleur gave him earlier. “Consider this a reward for your services,” Rarity smiled coyly at him. “It was a pleasure doing a transaction with you. I just hope that next time we can try it out as friends, Mister Aster.” Statice said nothing as Rarity closed the door of his room. For an hour, Statice stood there, speechless. He couldn’t even think of a sentence as his brain was trying to figure out what the heck was going on. He had gone out with her on an unintended date. He somehow had an intimate date with her. He got kissed on the cheek by two beauties, one on his way home and another when Rarity led him to his room. And now Rarity offered him another date under more amicable circumstances. After having stood there with a blank mind, Statice finally figured out what to say, glad that Rarity didn’t hear him. “I should have walked her to her room,” he chastised himself before going to bed. Maybe the next time he dated a mare he was going to do better than that. I better write Meadow Tails a letter about this. Walking to his desk, Statice took a scroll and a quill to write a letter. He dipped the tip of the quill in ink and started writing. He thought of all the good things and bad things that happened to him. He furrowed his brow and wondered what kind of stuff he was going to write to avoid making his brother worry. He decided that simplicity was going to be the key for this letter on this occasion. Dear Meadow Tails… How are you doing, little brother? I’m living in Canterlot. I’m finally living the good life, more or less. I got myself a date with a pretty lady. I befriended some big shots too. You better start doing well in school because I’m also doing fine at school. That’s right! You’re big brother decided to return to school to make up for lost time! I hope you’re doing fine. I’m doing better than ever. I can promise you that I will write you more letters promising you better news. Your big brother, Statice After proofreading the letter, Statice smiled and let it to rest on his desk. He was no expert in words. Even when writing was much easier to him than speaking because it made it less difficult for him to omit and edit the harsher aspects of his life, it was still hard for him to come up with the words to communicate. Taking a look at the short letter and not feeling sure if it was too little, Statice decided to let it rest for tomorrow.