//------------------------------//
// Rarity 
// Story: Death at a Party 
// by Joural 
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    Rarity picked her way through the crowded room, the loud voices and louder music fading to little more than a mumble as she fell into troubled thoughts.  She had, of course, seen the first signs of depression after Rainbow left—everypony had.  They'd helped her through it, though, and she was back to her usual self by just a few weeks later.  Hadn’t she?

Of course, Rarity could hardly deny that she'd failed to spend much time with Pinkie after they had "fixed" her temporary depression.  Sure, she'd gone to a handful of parties—nopony has skipped Pinkie’s "I'm not being a saddy-waddy-moppy-woppy pants" party, at least partly for fear it would undo the progress in getting her back to her usual self, and she could hardly skip any of her friends birthday parties, but still... she hadn't gone out of her way to spend time with Pinkie, and that was when she still spent much of her time in Ponyville.

It had, of course, started subtly, as such things are wont to do.  Ever since she'd met Fancy on a trip into Canterlot, she'd been invited to an ever increasing number of parties.  Sure, when it was discovered she'd lied about her friends, the number had... well, it had dipped, but Fancy and Fleur were still supportive, and Fleur even bought one of her gowns, and soon enough she was back on her way to being a pony to know, as t'were.  A garden party here, a ball there, and so much more business!

She was barely a month into her new-found career when she was asked—well, given the opportunity, if she was being honest with herself, but still—to design the gowns to be worn by the Canterlot Orchestra in the new year!  It might not have been as well viewed as more popular acts, such as sapphire shores, but the allure and glamor of designing something to be viewed by the very peak of society—Oh!

She had, of course, been given tickets in addition to her payment.  Six, to be precise.  And of course Rarity first considered her friends, but soon realized only two would ever see the value and enjoyment to be had in such a thing.  Given that, she offered Twilight and Fluttershy a ticket each, and kept the remaining three for those who had helped to launch her new found career.  Fancy and Fleur were delighted, of course, and Hoity Toity, despite how he griped about the trip, seemed to genuinely enjoy himself, in his own quiet and self assured way.  Twilight and Fluttershy had quickly separated themselves from the others, occasionally leaning toward one another to whisper some quiet joke, or obscure knowledge about the music being played, and occasionally seeming just a little too close together—ah, but she was being sidetracked, wasn't she?

After the orchestra, she did consulting work for a play or two, and Cadence even had her make a number of gowns for various outings.  Another month into her wonderful new job—she'd let Carousel Boutique out some time ago, and moved her primary operations into Canterlot to encourage greater traffic—and she even had her own summer line out, almost twenty different dresses, and a few articles of men's apparel, besides, which were showing huge successes not just in canterlot, but thanks to Hoity and his many connections, in Manehatten as well, when Rarity realized with some surprise she couldn't remember the last time she had visited Ponyville.  Sure, she could recall the date, but the actual events of the trip escaped her.  And so, with her not-so new found success buoying her spirits, she set out for Ponyville.

Oh, Ponyville.  What a wonderfully quaint and quiet town.    Rarity had, prior to living—oh, how strange a thought that was—in Canterlot, rarely appreciated just how calm the slow paced town really was—though, she supposed, it only rarely was so.  Half the time it seemed the town was under attack by ravenous monsters, or the entire town was being derailed or destroyed by the actions and words of a single crazed mare, but still.  Compared to Canterlot, the town was... peaceful.

First, she decided to visit her dear friend Fluttershy.  She made her way to the timid pegasus' house, greeting a number of familiar ponies on the way, though she had to admit, in the deepest corners of her mind, that she barely remembered most of them.

Eventually, she arrived at the cottage, and knocked lightly on the door.  The response was unusually immediate—a loud thump, followed by the sound of scrambling hooves and hushed voices.  Rarity blushed when she realized she'd accidentally interrupted... well, something.  Eventually the door slid open, and Fluttershy seemed to press herself into the space, her burning blush confirming Rarities suspicions.  She opened her mouth to greet her good friend, but was interrupted when Fluttershy began to talk loudly.  VERY loudly.  "Oh!  Rarity!  How good to see you!  How have you been?  What are you doing back in Ponyville?"

Rarity blinked.  Twice.  "Uuummm... I've been well, Fluttershy, I just realized how long it’s been since I last came home, and decided I simply HAD to come and see how you were all doing!  But tell me, Fluttershy, how have you been doing?"

Fluttershy's blush was quickly receding, and she returned to a more common octave "Oh I've been doing wonderfully, Rarity!  Come inside, I'll put on some tea and you can tell me how things have been in Canterlot... Umm... If you want to, that is."

"Of course, my dear.  I'm not interrupting anything, I hope?"

The blush made a triumphant return on Fluttershy's face, but "Oh... I couldn't give up the chance to catch up with a friend visiting from Canterlot, Rarity!"

Rarity paused at her friends wording.  Visiting from Canterlot.  Was she really such a rare sight around Ponyville that her visits should interrupt other's business?

Later in the same visit, after spending time with Twilight, Applejack, and what few of her old customers that she could still remember, she realized she'd forgotten to see the town's resident party mare.  Cursing herself for having forgotten Pinkie, even if temporarily, she made her way to Sugarcube Corner.

Once she had made it to the bakery, she promptly found herself on her back, with a ball of pink bouncing up and down on her chest.  "OHMYGOSH!  RARITY!  I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE HERE!  Oh, I haven't seen you in weeks and weeks and weeks, and now you're HERE, and I'm going to need to throw a great big party, and oh, everypony is going to want to come, and oh! How are you doing in Canterlot?  Have you been selling lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of dresses?  Have you gone to any more big stuffy parties with boring ponies in expensive clothes?  OH!  Now you're going to say..." Pinkie paused for an almost imperceptible fraction of a second, before resuming her speech with a more than passable impression of Rarity "'Pinkie, darling, if you want me to answer any of your questions you simply MUST give me a chance to speak!' and I'll be like 'well duh' and then you'll give me a look, ooh, yes! just like that—"

Having had quite enough, Rarity decided to go with her usual response to Pinkie's... exuberance: a withering glare and a hoof inserted directly into the offending pony's mouth.  "Pinkie, dear, please, slow down just a little?" Pinkie, her eyes still betraying a brilliant smile, nodded, and Rarity extracted her hoof.  "Now, to answer your questions—I've been doing quite well, thank you very much for asking, I've sold my share of dresses, and I have gone to several parties, some as prestigious as the Gala, or nearly so.  How have things been here in Ponyville?"

"Oh, things have been GREAT Rarity!  Pound and Pumpkin turned five a week ago and we had the BIGGEST party, oh they were so surprised and so happy, you should have seen them!  Twilight and Fluttershy left a little early, but they've been doing that a lot, oh!  And Big Mac proposed to Cherilee!  It was so romantic, and everypony is going to go to the wedding!"

"Pinkie, Darling, I already know about Big Mac, and I know when the twin's birthday is.  I was asking how YOU have been!" even as she admonished her friend, Rarity barely suppressed a twinge of irritation.  Of course she'd known about the wedding—Applejack had practically written it in the sky.

"Oh.  Well, I've been throwing a lot of parties, and I think things have been going well...

Rarity sighed, realizing that was the last time she had ever spoken to Pinkie.  Her later visits to Ponyville were marked by both accidental and intentional avoidance of her erstwhile friend.  She had never meant any harm, of course, but it still hurt to realize that she had consciously made a decision that hurt her friend, and helped to lead them to this tragic parody of a party, mourning Pinkie's passing, perhaps even the death of Laughter itself.

Tears began to glide down her cheeks, smearing carefully applied makeup with their passing.  Oh, Rarity, she thought, to think you prided yourself on generosity, and never thought to give that most basic of things, even to some of your closest friends—yourself.