//------------------------------// // Presentation // Story: Organized chaos // by Soya //------------------------------// Pinkie hummed to herself as she trotted towards Carousel Boutique. Weeks of preperation and hard work would finally pay off in Town hall that night. She knocked on the door with poorly contained excitement. A couple of frantic door-rapping minutes later Rarity's magic let her in. "Up here, darling." Trotting through the boutique Pinkie noticed how her hoofsteps almost echoed in the macuiletly cleaned space. It was if somepony had cleaned all day. She set her curiosity aside as she pushed open the fashionista's bedroom-door. "You ready to go host the best party ever?!" Rarity sat on the floor, her back to the door. At the silence the party-mare stepped further into the room. "Rarity?" "Pinkie Pie?" The mare turned around and sighed deeply. "I'm afraid I can't be there." "WHAT." Rarity cringed at her volume. "It's simply that- that is to say, I-" Her words trailed off, eyes focusing anywhere but at the mare before her. Glancing at Pinkie's display of shock and panic she looked down as tears filled her vision. Rarity sniffled. "I always knew I'd have to host a party one day; that is simply what you do in high society. I was uncertain I could organize it properly and create a good time for everypony, so when you offered to host one with me I thought I could learn how, with someone I trust and who makes every experience one worth remembering." "So what's changed your mind?" Rarity had never heard Pinkie's voice come out so small. "What if it doesn't come together how we expected it to?" Rarity whispered. "What if the clothes I've sent the guests and the mystery you've thrown together don't match for instance? Should we have been more involved in the other's work? On the other hoof, considering the lackluster decorations, less involved from the start? And what of Lyra, Octavia and Vinyl Scratch? What were we thinking?!" "A successful party is more than the sum of its' fun. They'll notice how much work and fun intention we've put into it and enjoy it for what it is, no matter what exactly it is." Pinkie's eyes softened. "We made it together so we should host it together." "I only have one chance to get this evening right. I don't know if I can face the potential humiliation if I don't..." "If you don't go you won't figure out what worked and didn't til next time." "Next time?" "Rarity? You would make a fantabulous hostess who could throw legendary parties but how will you throw them if you don't throw this one cause the guests will be disappointed and will never trust you to throw one ever again and you won't ever throw your first party!" Pinkie fell to her knees and sobbed at Rarity's hooves. "PleEeEese come!" Rarity smiled lightly at Pinkie's dramatics. "I suppose it makes sense that it would be cancelled if I didn't show up." "Oh absolutely! I need the style to my fun there cause I wouldn't be able to pull off that balance by myself!" "We can't have that, now can we?" Rarity said with her usual confidence. Pinkie sighed silently with relief that the Rarity she knew was back. Rarity offered Pinkie a hoof with which the earth pony stood up and they embraced. "Pinkie Pie? Would you not leave my side for the evening?" "We could be attached at the hip if you want?" she responded, pulling out some superglue. "That won't be neccessary." ▪︎▪︎▪︎ Taking a deep breath Rarity stepped into Town hall. Immidietly every eye present turned to her and she forgot how to breathe, the mask feeling too heavy upon her face. In a matter of seconds Pinkie had put a foreleg around her shoulders. "Please give a warm welcome to the mare responsible for this one of a kind-Pinkie party!" Pinkie spread her left foreleg dramatically outward to the heavens to the crowd's thunderous applouse. Rarity waved and smiled bashfully. Pinkie tapped her shoulder. Looking Pinkie in the eye the earth pony nodded to the crowd with an expectant and encouraging smile. Rarity had come to associate happiness and safety when witnessing that one constant of the pink pony. Grinning more confidently at the crowd Rarity stood straighter. "Thank you everypony for coming! As you no doubt can tell a tremendous amount of work has been put into this evening, from both of us. All Pinkie and I wanted to accomplish is to make a special evening for you all. Our friends and our community in Ponyville deserve the best we have to offer, and I hope you will all have an unforgettable evening!" She finished by spreading her right foreleg upwards and putting her left around Pinkie's shoulders, mirroring the earth pony's earlier pose, the other mare doing the same. Another wave of hoof-stomping responded and Pinkie took a hold of Rarity's hoof to excitedly lead her into the crowd. Standing by Pinkie as she mingled with some guests Rarity looked around nervously. In the dim light the decorations' clashing shades could hardly be seen. She would be honestly shocked if anyone but she noticed. Letting go of one nagging worry she heartily joined the conversation. As the two walked around to greet their guests, asking how they were enjoying the evening, and recommend games or nourishments, Rarity realized music was playing. Curiously it didn't sound terrible. Excusing herself to investigate Pinkie did the same, giving her a wink on the way to the stage. Rarity winked back. "Girls?" Rarity asked the seemingly peaceful musicians who a month ago had given more back-hoofed insults and stares that burned holes through the back of heads than she had ever witnessed in high society. "Whatever happened this last month to create such harmony between the three of you?" Lyra grinned. "Vinyl and Octavia had some things to get off their chests, that's all. It was smooth sailing from there." The mentioned mares glanced at each other and then quickly turned back to their instruments, small smiles gracing their features. Pinkie whispered something in Rarity's ear and the unicorn gasped in shock, staring at her fellow hostess in disbelief. "What?" Pinkie asked innocently. "They totally did!" Rarity made a mental note to catch up on that perticular piece of gossip, perhaps with Lyra since she seemed the most aware of the situation besides the two mares themselves. Satisfied that the music had been saved regardless of the reason behind it Rarity returned to the guests and Pinkie followed. The walking and talking beginning to take a toll on her Rarity approached the table of refreshments. Pinkie helped herself to her own creations and Rarity daintily nibbled on her one chocolate-covered strawberry for the evening. Pinkie offered an apple-chip but Rarity shook her head. "Pinkie dear, I must think of my figure." "Why?" Rarity blinked rapidly, face blank, racking her brain to remember why she had started her routine of a maximum of one sweet a week. "I have an image to maintain." The excuse sounded bad even to her own ears. With the clothes Rarity designed she could bring out the beauty in everyone, regardless of size. "I don't get image, but look!" Pinkie sat down next to the unicorn and swept Rarity's legs from under her so she fell onto her rump with a yelp. Next she took Rarity's head between her hooves and angled it to look between them. "I'm not big right?" "Well, no..." "And you're smaller than me, which means you're even less big! But being Pinkie-sized isn't a bad size to be! Is it?" "Of course not dear. It's just that..." She fiddled with her hooves. "You, Rainbow and Applejack are extremely active, Fluttershy doesn't eat much since she shares her food with her animals and Twilight doesn't seem able to gain weight no matter how much she eats! Do you think I want to be the only one with a fluctuating figure?" "Me and AJ can eat so much without becoming balloons and floating away because we move around all the time! If you eat this chip I worked so hard to make we can dance after and that way there's no way you'll be bigger than me!" Watching Pinkie with her ever-optimistic smile Rarity felt one of her own grow. "I'll take you up on that deal." They ate one apple chip and four chocolate cubes respectively before Pinkie offered Rarity a hoof and lead her to the dance floor. Her smile hadn't left and neither had her co-hostess'. Holding her firmly, Pinkie guided Rarity across the floor. Looking like she did, smokey black and a mask covering her pink features, Rarity could've sworn she was dancing with a mysterious, dark and handsome gentlecolt. Now that she thought of it, as caught up in the project as she had been Rarity had never questioned why Pinkie wanted to host a masquerade ball of all events different from a pinkie-party in the first place. Looking into the softly smiling eyes of the earth pony before her she thought she understood. Sly mare, Rarity thought.