//------------------------------// // Color of Strawberry Lemonade // Story: Misplaced Hearts // by MyEmpyrean //------------------------------// Oh no. Oh no no no no no. Curse you, Sassy Saddles! Rarity's ecstatic expression withered into a deep horrific scowl. Why would you lock me out of my OWN BACKROOM of my OWN FASHION BOUTIQUE?! Pinkie Pie finally snapped out or her frenzied mutterings. "What's up? Why do you look so down?" Rarity breathed. In, out, in, out, in.... Don't hyperventilate, the apocalypse is not nigh. It's Just Pinkie Pie. Your friend. She glanced at the Master of Shindigs, who gave her a wide grin that practically stretched pass her cheeks to her ears. A smile of a sociopath. She cocked her head at her, "Rarity, don't look so scared! Do you see something freaky?" Oh, no worries, darling, it's just you, Rarity shook her head to banish these dark thoughts. No, she's your friend. You're the one being unfair. "Oh! Do you want to do something fun?" Pinkie Pie began to bounce in place. Rarity backed away despite herself, managing to warp her face into a tiny simper. "That sounds nice, Pinkie. What do you have in mind?" "Hmm... lemme think," She pondered for a world-record of two seconds before gasping aloud and galloping out of her boutique to who knows where. Just when the cream white unicorn dared to believe that finally, she gave up; a blur of excitement bowled her over. "Pinkie!" Rarity protested, "You'll mess up my wonderful new haircut!" "Oh, I'm sorry," She had the audacity to look abashed as she sheepishly untangled herself from Rarity. "I just had the bestest idea ever and I just had to go and ask Laffy-Saffy-" Rarity cocked her delicately plucked eyebrow. "Who is this Laffy-Saffy?" "Oh no! I almost gave it away! Come on, let's go go go!" Pinkie Pie crouched down and stirred up some dust, miming a car at a starting line. "But I don't understand-" "Vroom vroom!" She insisted. Rarity sighed. It's pointless to argue with a mare, the likes of which even Discord, chaos god himself and devious prankster, respects. Convincing her to drop her determined interest was like asking about the weather to a rock. If it actually repiled with a legitimate response, you should turn around and high-tail it somewhere in the opposite direction. "Alright," Rarity amended. "Lead the way." A thunderous roar of her jovial death sentence: "hooray!" echoed in the fashion mare's ears as Pinkie latched a hoof on hers and dragged her at back-breaking speeds. Even the prestigious Rainbow Dash would be slightly "jelly" at this athletic display. A peaceful morning, ruined, Rarity huffed to herself. "Slow down!" Rarity demanded as the dynamic duo zigzagged through the streets of Canterlot, barely sidestepping elite couples and million-mares. Harsh yells exclaimed from passersby made the unicorn embarrassed of the wreckage they left behind. She hoped against hope they would not recognize her and still invite her to lavish tea parties. "Okie-dookie!" Pinkie Pie halted in her tracks, rubberbanding Rarity straight into a wooden door, a very soft, totally-not-coma-inducing emergency crashlanding. Rarity slid down the unforgiving surface into a heap of misery. "Ouch." "We're here!" Pinkie sang while spreading her hooves wide, an expectant hug from nopony. The air, maybe. A dark shadow consumed Rarity as the door creaked open. She blinked in the sudden solar eclipse until she gazed upward; the cause of morning midnight revealed as a vibrant orange earth pony mare with frizzled dreadlocks. "Saffron Malasa?" Rarity mumbled. She recognized her dimly as a far-off mirage. Saffron nodded slowly, "I didn't expect you to arrive so... eagerly." "Me neither," Rarity grumbled. Stars dared each other to see which one could blind her first as her vision swam. Saffron offered a hoof to assist, but Pinkie stepped in with an outstretched elbow, which the disgruntled unicorn accepted. Gladly. "Didja set up our reservation yet?" Pinkie winked conspiratorially. Saffron returned her excited smile. "Oh, both of you are always welcome to our restaurant. After you helped us-" "Wait," The frazzled unicorn interrupted, "Are we really... this cannot be... surely, this is not a romantic endeavor." Tapping her chin, Pinkie replied, "I don't know what you mean. I can't hear you over the sound of my rumbly-tumbly belly! Let's chow down!" "Is this a-" Rarity found herself once again tugged like a dead corpse across the restuarant toward nearest available booth. She tried to protest, but the energetic earth pony straight-up chucked her on the seat and plopped herself next to her. Saffron supplied the menus and waited for their drink order. "Give me lemonade!" Pinkie chirped, "Oh, and give Rarity with the absolutely most finest tea! "Well, we have Earl Gray and-" "Whatever the best one is!" Pinkie hollered, which sent Saffron scurrying away. Rarity froze. She didn't know what to do anymore. She just stared at the mare beside her, who busied herself with fluffing her hair and checking her breath. Suddenly, she snapped back to Rarity, her smile a bit dimmer than before. "So... uh. How about that hoofball game?" This is a riveting conversation, Rarity felt her heart wilt. "Oh! Tell me about your latest fashion line!" Pinkie slapped a hoof on her back, a squawk escaping the living unicorn statue. "I bet it's so awesome, like-like-like, better than a double-decker napoleon ice cream cake!" Sounds like a heart attack. Nonetheless, Rarity managed to mumble a reply: "Well, apparently there's this wonderful celebration going on in Ponyville, so I switched my fashion line out with more informal, fun dresses to reflect a hometown festival-" "Here comes the drinks!" Saffron placed down a translucent cup of lemonade, complete with a half a lemon on rim, and a steaming mug of tea. Which, by the by, smelled like death liquidified. "It's a special family recipe from my home," A distant twinkle of faroff memories misted Saffron's eyes, "I hope you will enjoy the variety of Saddle Arabian spices and tangy flavors-" Pinkie screamed, "Drink it before it gets cold, Rar-silly!" "That's not my name-" "Drink it!" With a world-weary exhale, Rarity lifted the mug to her mouth and took a delicate little sip, perfect and poised in the table manner. Even if she didn't look the part, she did not want to stoop to such levels of barbarism. She had standards. A sudden, thick wash of colorful zest drowned her in a sense of euphoria like a pungent chocolate fountain. Her first instinct, to gag and spit and plea for mercy, she did not give into due to the aforementioned indecency of such an action. She forced herself to swallow. "Did it taste good? It tasted really good, right?!" Rarity squirmed nearly in pain. She still could not dissect the full intensity of this drink. All she knew that it did burn her throat some, but... "So, it was that bad?" Pinkie's smile deflated. Rarity sniffed her tea, "I think that it's certainly... an acquired taste." "That's probably the best words I would use to describe it," Saffron chuckled. "But- didja like it?" Leaning further into Rarity's personal bubble, Pinkie regarded the drink with a puzzled glare, ready to drop-kick it into a sun if the fashion mare's response consisted of any negative opinions. The unicorn hesitated, suddenly aware of how her quote un quote "friend" had infiltrated her space. Usually, she hated when stallions practically breathed on top of her, but when her friend did it... Energy coursed through her limbs in sugary boosts. Pink and white almost brushed together as Pinkie switched her gaze to her, a gentle smile on her face. Rarity wanted to advert her eyes, but at the same time, she wanted to stare. "Well... I do believe I enjoyed it quite a bit," The words spilled from her before she could halt them, and she prayed that Pinkie wouldn't interpret it as a God-forsaken FLIRT- Pinkie grinned wide. "I'm glad! Trying new things can be scary, but it's also fun! I remember when I first tried Saffron's family tea-" Huh? She blanked the rest of her story. Several questions whirled through her head at once, chasing each other into a detemented tornado. What just happened? Did she just refuse her accidental advances? Or did she flat-out didn't care- Rarity slapped herself. No, don't torture delicate brains like hers in this manner! Not that she expected anything that made sense when it came to Pinkie Pie, especially in romance, but STILL. Her meticulously concocted flirt that just accidentally escaped her mind... and just met with this? Just ask her. Oh sweet Celestia, this is so difficult. Ask her what this is about. Use the d-word. With a gulp, she positioned herself directly in front of Pinkie and placed her hooves on her shoulders. The thrilled storyteller halted mid-sentence to blink at her, her usual grin caught suspended between disbelief, glee, and befuddlement. Say it! Rarity tried to match that smile, but it felt false. Plastic. Why did she have to ask now? Why can't she just enjoy this tender time with Pinkie, her friend through thick and thin threads, ready to spin yarn just to bring a guffaw to ponies all around... Remember doomsday. Hearts and Hooves Day. The day of this uncertainty and stalkerish behavior began. Rarity did not want to believe that Pinkie truly felt that way about her... With a pang in heart, she wondered how her friend will even take the question. Silence would be the worst, Rarity decided. It's just a delayed affirmation. Channel your inner Pinkie, Her mind conjured images of boundless parties, saccharine cakes, and beautiful smiles. But most importantly, she remembered one of Pinkie's biggest traits. Her rock-hard stubbornness. "Darling, do not be afraid to tell the truth," Rarity assured. "Is this... a date?" She went quiet. Not good. Her heart lurched into her throat with a secret aim to assassinate Rarity Belle for her misdeeds against friendships. No... we can move past this. It's only a little crush! She hoped. Pinkie Pie swayed side to side in thought, a pink pendulum measuring the seconds to their blossoming friendship. Her smile never left her face when she said; "Of course not, Rar-silly! We're friends, remember?"