FemmeFiction

by J Carp

Femme de la Femme

After Rarity woke up, she kept her eyes closed for a little while.  She figured, the longer she kept her eyes closed, the longer it would be before she had to look herself in the mirror.  She knew she wanted to stave that off as long as possible, but she didn’t know if it was because of her shame or because of how her mane and make-up probably looked.

When she finally couldn’t hide in the dark any longer, the first thing she saw was Trixie sprawled out next to her, somehow equally shameless in slumber as when she was awake, mane and make-up still looking fantastic.

Rarity sighed.  “I always have to go all-out, don’t I?” she muttered to herself.

“Have a pancakes,” Trixie said.  

Rarity sighed again, a bit more dramatically than the first time. 

“Pancakes don’t bounce, idiot,” Trixie protested. 

Rarity reached out and delicately shook her bedmate’s shoulder.  Trixie feebly waved her hooves like swatting at a gnat, then groaningly pried an eyelid open.  Her eye darted around the room aimlessly then settled on Rarity.  She glared.  “You woke me up.”

“I did, because…”

“I was having a great dream.  I was the pope of pancakes.”  She shlubbishly rolled off the bed and landed on her hooves in what was admittedly an impressive feat of agility.  “Ugg, hold on.”  Mumbling, she walked into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and stuck her face into the running water, holding it there for at least five seconds.

Thus refreshed(?), she turned off the water and walked back over to Rarity.  “Okay.  Hi.  What.  Why’d you wake me up?”

“I… just was…”

“Pancake four square!” Trixie suddenly yelped, as if realizing the answer to a difficult riddle.

Rarity just looked back at her, completely unable to think of a response.

“You know… four square?” Trixie explained.  “The game?”

“I think I’ve seen it?”

Trixie opened her mouth to speak, then paused.  “Huh.  It was one of those things where I was dreaming and there was pancake four square.  And I was like, ‘Hey, this is brilliant; everypony is going to want to play this! I need to remember this when I wake up!’  But… it doesn’t really make much sense in the real world, does it?”  She scowled at Rarity.  “Now I’m awake, and I don’t have a million-bit idea after all, and I’m hungry for pancakes.  Why did you do this to me?”

Rarity realized she was hugging the bedsheets to herself nervously.  She tried to relax.  “I simply woke up and realized I really should go back to my room to prepare for the day.”

“Yeah, you look pretty bad,” Trixie confirmed.  

“Yes.”  Rarity had known this would be the difficult part of the whole process.  All of their hotel rooms were in a row, with Trixie’s, then her own, then Fluttershy and Moon Dancer, then Starlight.  She had successfully maneuvered them into Trixie’s room the night before, so there was no danger of anyone hearing anything through the appallingly thin walls.  But finessing the dismount was proving tricky.  “So.  I was thinking I should go back to my room.”

“Uh, okay,” Trixie said. 

Rarity glanced at the door and then back at Trixie.  

“Bye,” Trixie said.

“My dear, you do realize that I am a lady,” Rarity began delicately.  “And as a lady, it would be terribly uncouth for me to simply walk out of somepony else’s hotel room.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow.  “So you live here now?”

“No, I simply wonder if there might be some more subtle ways to get to my room?  You’ve been practicing magic, and I heard you’re quite an accomplished teleporter.  Don’t you think you could…”  she waved her hooves around vaguely.  “...Poof us both over there and then poof right back?”

Trixie didn’t say anything for a moment; she squinted thoughtfully, as if considering Rarity’s suggestion carefully.  Finally, a blithe smile popped rather suddenly onto her face and she shrugged.  “Do you really want me to do that?  You know, every time you teleport, you die.”

Rarity blinked in surprise.  “I’m sorry?”

“Teleporting kills you.  I thought every unicorn knew that.  We can’t really teleport anything, so we just make a copy somewhere else and destroy the original.”

“I don’t…”  Rarity rubbed her temple.  “That couldn’t possibly be true.”

“Of course it’s true!  Ask Starlight if you don’t believe me.  Or whatshername, that friend of yours.  The princess with the wings.”

“You are clearly fooling with me.  I’ve seen you teleport.  You wouldn’t do that if it killed you.”

Trixie grinned.  “The Great and Powerful Trixie lives whole lifetimes in a single day!!, so I have nothing to fear.”  

Rarity crossed her front legs over her chest petulantly and humphed.  “I was hoping you’d be a gentlemare to a lady in distress.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow testily.  “You're ashamed for your friends to see you leaving my room. Why should I even want to help you?”

“I’m not…!” Rarity hopped out of the bed, unsure if she was alarmed by Trixie being appallingly on the nose or by her being appallingly incorrect.  “I’m not ashamed!”  

Trixie just nodded.  “Okay then, I’m going to go tell Fluttershy we just hooked up.”

“No, don’t!!” Rarity rushed forward to stop Trixie from leaving the room.  Trixie just rolled her eyes.  She had not moved.  

After a frantic moment, Rarity hung her head.  “Fine, then.  I am ashamed, but it isn’t about you.  I made some terrible mistakes last night with Coco Pommel, and seeking you out afterwards was not the most mature manner in which I could have responded.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t gonna ask, but yeesh.  Figured your date thing must not have gone well.”

“That’s an understatement, darling.  So couldn’t you humor me?  I’ve never had the knack of magic like teleportation, you see.”

Trixie glared for a few more moments and then sighed.  “Fine, fine, fine.  But I seriously can’t help. Think about it!  They enchant the walls; hotels can’t have ponies teleporting in and out of rooms.”

“One would think, if they cared about such things, they would also bother to make the walls more soundproof,”  Rarity muttered sourly.  

“Soundproofing walls kills you, too,” Trixie remarked.  “Being a unicorn is dangerous.”  Rarity really tried to keep from reacting to this, but she failed.  “Ha!” Trixie exclaimed.  “I made you smile.  That means I win.”

“I am not smiling,” Rarity insisted, not bothering to hide her smile.  She raised her nose in the air haughtily.  “And besides, if that’s the game, I’m still winning after last night,” she grunted, eliciting a gregarious laugh from her companion.

“Oh, whatever,” Trixie said, shaking her head.  “If it’s so important to you, I’ll go out in the hall first and scope it out.  If no one’s there, you can make a run for your room.”

“I suppose that’s the best we can do.”  Rarity trotted up and nuzzled Trixie briefly.  “Thank you.  For this.  And for last night.”

“Yeah yeah, sure,” Trixie replied breezily.  She walked to the door, but then she paused and glanced back.  “And sorry about that earth pony girl, last night.  Seems like you liked her.”

Rarity paused in surprise and then smiled.  “I feel a little better now.”

“Well duh, with such a generous and supportive friend around, of course you do!”  Without waiting for a response, Trixie grabbed the door handle with her magic.  “Ready to turn something as mundane as walking next door into an unnecessarily dramatic caper?”

“Oh please, darling.  I do that every day.”

Trixie pondered that for a moment.  “Me too, I guess.”  Then she pulled open the door and darted into the hallway.

“...Honey?”

Fluttershy looked up from her green tea, eyes dopey.  “Hmm?”

“Are you feeling all right?”  Moon Dancer took a sip of her (horrible, bland, corporate but very convenient) Starbucks espresso and tilted her head in concern.  

“Um.  Yes.  I guess.”  Fluttershy hunched her shoulders slightly.  “I have a teeny tiny bit of a headache, but I’m okay.”

“A headache?”

“Yes.”  Fluttershy’s expression was not quite pouty, but she was getting there.  “Just a normal headache.”

Moon Dancer raised an eyebrow.  “...are you hung over?”  

Fluttershy hunched her shoulders more.  “No.  Maybe.  Don’t make fun of me.”

Moon Dancer couldn’t keep from smiling and leaning in towards her girlfriend.  The nuzzle was accepted, but Fluttershy maintained a relatively sour expression throughout. 

"You know the worst part of a hangover is, right?" Moon Dancer asked. Fluttershy looked up, raising an eyebrow, and Moon Dancer smirked. "The ringing in your ears. The clangover."

Fluttershy lay her head, face down, on the table.

"Are you having a pangover?" Moon Dancer asked. "Like your head's being pierced by a fangover?"

Fluttershy moaned.

"I don't mean to harangueover. I'd hate to cause Sturm und Drangover."

"Stooooooppppppp." Fluttershy lifted her head with a pleading whimper. "You're. You're making me confused and upset at the same time. Honey, I'm confused and upset. Do you know I need now?" Moon Dancer frowned, already starting to curse her apparent misreading of the mood, but then Fluttershy answered her own question. "An interrobangover."

Moon Dancer had to clamp her hoof over her mouth to keep her laughter from startling other hotel guests. Fluttershy giggled, softly, proudly.

Moon Dancer realized she'd fallen in love again. “Okay, seriously, I have a spell I can cast on you, if you want.”

Fluttershy glanced around nervously: creatures milled about through various parts of the lobby, but the lounge area they occupied was empty.  She nodded, looking absolutely pitiful, almost certainly on purpose.  

Moon Dancer cast the spell.  Fluttershy glowed white for a moment and then visibly relaxed the muscles in her face.  “Thank you.”

“Of course.  I knew I’d probably have to cast it a few times this weekend, so I’ve been practicing.”  She sipped her drink and glanced sideways at Fluttershy.  “Though I didn’t think I’d have to do it from someone just having one glass of wine.”

Fluttershy stuck her tongue out playfully and took a relishing inhale of her tea.  “I guess I’m getting old.”

“Starlight’s older than you, and she’s going out all night.”

“Rainbow Dash used to make fun of me for always acting like such an old lady,” Fluttershy mused.  “Maybe I’ve always been old.  I just had to wait for my body to grow into it.”

Moon Dancer started to reply, but she noticed a small form hesitantly approaching their table.  “Oh, good morning,” she said, waving.

“Uh, hi,” Ocellus replied.  “I haven’t really had anything to eat since yesterday afternoon.  Is it okay if I hang out with you for a little bit?”

“Of course,” Fluttershy said, already fully in Teacher Of The Month mode.  

“Do you need us to be more lovey-dovey, or something?” Moon Dancer asked.

“No, just you two being together is fine,”  Ocellus answered, which Moon Dancer could not help but take as a compliment.  “It’s also nice to just be somewhere quiet after the crowds last night!”

“Did it go well, spending time with Buster?” Fluttershy asked.  “Are you any closer to reaching any conclusions?”

“Oh, Buster was great!” Ocellus said enthusiastically, before frowning and shrinking in on herself.  “But I don’t think I got any closer to what I was looking for.  Um…”  She looked up at them cautiously.  “Professor Fluttershy, what you were saying before about being old… is that true?  Can ponies be a different age on the inside, too?”

“Oh! Um, no, not really.”  Moon Dancer had really not seen much of her special somepony as a Patient, Confident Instructor, and it was not having a minor effect on her.  “It was just kind of a funny way of saying I don’t like excitement too much.”  

“That’s a relief,” Ocellus sighed.  “It’s been hard enough figuring out what I am already.  I don’t know how I’d even start to think about another dimension.”

Fluttershy nodded with sympathy.  “Well, have you considered that maybe you’re overthinking it?”

Ocellus gasped, looking appalled by the very concept.  Moon Dancer was distracted by imagining Fluttershy peering over the rims of small reading glasses, but she heard herself gasp too, just out of pure, automatic instinct, apparently.

“I know you prefer thinking about things,” Fluttershy clarified to Ocellus but glancing at her girlfriend.  “But that’s not the best way to solve every problem.  Maybe just try seeing what feels right?”

Ocellus frowned in thought.  “Well.  I do like to be in touch with my feelings…”

“And you’re very good at it,” Fluttershy hummed in such a way that Moon Dancer could easily imagine her using to praise all her very best students.  “Maybe just try doing that today and see if it helps.”

“Yes,” Moon Dancer agreed, not really knowing what she was agreeing with.

“I will,” Ocellus promised, nodding with sincere conviction.  She pulled her recorder out and clicked it on.  “Friday morning: Professor Fluttershy suggests I try just seeing what feels right.  As a result, I plan to spend the morning engaged in journaling, meditation, and meditative journaling.  More later.”  She clicked it off and smiled at them.  “Thank you!  I think I’ll go back up to my room, now.”

“Oh… are you sure you ate enough?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah.  Um.”  Ocellus glanced at Moon Dancer awkwardly.  “I’m pretty full, actually.”  She waved.   “Bye!”

Fluttershy waved.  Moon Dancer didn’t realize she should until it was already too late.

“Oh, I’m very proud of her,” Fluttershy mused.  “It’s been hard for her, transitioning from how things were with Chrysalis.  She…”

Moon Dancer abruptly stood up.  “We have to go back to our room,” she announced.

Fluttershy blinked in surprise.  “...What?  Why?”

“Because.”  Moon Dancer turned to her, eyes flaming with intensity.  “You’re a professor.  You’re Professor Fluttershy.”

“....yes?  I am?”  Fluttershy scratched her head in confusion.  “You knew that already.”

“Yes, I knew it.  But I didn’t know it.  Get me?”

“Not at all.”

Moon Dancer took a step forward.  “You are a professor.  Which means I can be your student.  I can demonstrate my knowledge.”  She paused.  “...And earn a good grade.”

Fluttershy’s blush indicated she figured out what her fiancee was talking about, but the blush didn’t stop her from smiling slyly.  “I suppose it might be time to… to have a surprise pop quiz.”  She paused, then nodded.  “Yes, that’s good, because I don’t actually do pop quizzes in my real classes.  It keeps things separate.”

“Uh huh,” Moon Dancer said.  “I can’t really listen to words right now, but yes.  Upstairs?”

“Upstairs,” Fluttershy confirmed, turning and heading to the elevator.  Moon Dancer followed behind, nerdy and grinning.

Rarity walked down the hallway as slowly as she could while still moving forward.  She had remembered that Coco’s building, although huge and ominous from the outside, was actually quite warm and inviting within.  The decor and colors were a mix of ultra-modern and quaint antique, funky  and odd without crossing over into kitsch.  The carpets were a rich garnet; the wallpaper displayed faded roses.  As urbane as Rarity had become, it was hard for her to imagine growing up in a huge city.  These details made it clearer.

Noticing all of this did not stop Miss Pommel’s apartment door from looming before her like a grizzly bear.  The very prospect of knocking on that door was terrifying.  Not quite as terrifying as it’d been to enjoy a pleasant date with an attractive pony she liked, but close.

Without thinking about it any more, she raised her hoof and knocked.

There was a pause and movement from the other side.  Rarity steeled herself, marveling she could be afraid of seeing such a small, adorable mare.  The door slowly opened.

Coco was much, much larger than she used to be.  She also wore sunglasses, and she had styled her mane into an impressive pompadour.  “Ah, Rarity!” she greeted.  “How delightful to see you again, despite the unfortunate circumstances.”

Rarity’s brain did not catch up to what was happening for at least three or four full seconds, but Hoity Toity did not seem to mind or even notice.  He stared off over her shoulder, chin high, waiting to be acknowledged.

“A...ah, yes!” Rarity replied finally.  She couldn’t think of anything else to say.

Hoity Toity raised an eyebrow.

“It’s wonderful to see you too, darling!” Rarity continued.  “I… must apologize; I did not expect to see you here.”  His eyebrow raised higher.  “Ehh, well, of course I had heard you were in Manehattan this month!  I had meant to thank you for stopping by Rarity For You; my entire staff was besides themselves with excitement!  I simply… had hoped to speak to Miss Pommel about a bit of a personal matter.”

“Indeed, indeed.”  Hoity Toity never turned his face directly towards her, and his face remained a pleasant smile, but somehow she knew that behind his sunglasses, he was staring intently.  “She contacted me early this morning, and I simply had to rush over.  She’s in quite a state.  Such a sensitive one, but then again, these outre geniuses often are…”

“Oh…”  Rarity sagged, feeling cold and cruel.  “Did she tell you why she was upset?”

“Yes, but to be honest, the whole thing was a bit incoherent.  I gathered that you were involved, however, so I’m quite relieved you’re here.”

Rarity heard a noise down the hall; she looked to see a pony leaving his apartment and walking away from her.  “Ah, is Coco inside?  I admit to feeling a bit awkward having this conversation in the doorway.”

“Yes, she’s in the other room," Hoity Toity replied, clearly not feeling the least bit awkward having this conversation in the doorway. "And I simply want to clear this misunderstanding up before we go any further.  Why, at certain points in our conversation, it almost sounded as if you led her on in a romantic sense, only to dash her hopes!”

“Eeeg,” Rarity grunted, ears flat on her head.  “Well…”

“I know, it would be such a scandal!” he exclaimed.  “Miss Pommel has become quite popular in our little community; she has many dear friends, and I include myself among them.  Why, if you had treated her cruelly, who knows if your career would ever recover.”

Rarity stared at him with wide eyes, but he laughed casually.  “Oh, don’t worry, I don’t believe it for a second.”  He leaned closer and spoke under his breath.  “Miss Pommel is delightful, but she is… innocent, yes?  A filly like that could easily misinterpret things.”

“Hoity T…”

“Tut tut, my dear.  It’s obvious what’s happened: a naive little mare got some foolish ideas in her head and confused your generous nature with interest, and…”

“Now, see here, Hoity Toity!” Rarity snapped.  “I simply won’t have you saying such things!  Coco was a delightful companion, and it was my own beastly behavior that ruined the evening!  And if you are truly her friend, you will not act like this behind her back!”

Hoity Toity didn’t respond for a moment; Rarity suddenly realized that he had probably never been talked to like that for his entire adult life; she wondered why she wasn’t afraid.  “Well then,” he said.  “How about that.”  And to her shock, he took a step back, gesturing with his hoof.  “Please come in.”

Too surprised to speak, she complied.  After closing the door behind her, he walked over to the bedroom and knocked.  After a moment, the door hesitantly opened and Coco stuck her head out.

“She didn’t do it,” Hoity Toity announced.

Coco sighed.  She looked at Rarity, then back to him.  “Did she even pause to think about it?”

“Not for a moment.”

“Of course not.”  Coco walked mopily out into the living room.  “Hi, Rarity.”

“Wait.”  Rarity looked around as if some detail in the room would clear the situation up for her.  “This was…”

“Hoity Toity said he would say those things to you if you showed up,” Coco explained.  “To see if you’d care more about your career than me.”

“I’m terribly sorry about the deception!” Hoity Toity added.  “It was all my idea.  I majored in drama, you see, but I never get the chance to actually do any acting.  I couldn’t resist!”

“This was… some sort of test?”  Rarity asked, blinking at Coco in bewilderment.  “You wouldn’t see me unless I defended you?”

“No, I was going to see you either way,” Coco interrupted sadly.  “I just…”  She sighed again.  “This would just all be easier if you weren’t such a wonderful pony.”

“Neither of us thought for a moment you’d do anything else!” Hoity Toity assured Rarity.  “Not that it truly mattered.  If romantic drama ruined fashion careers, Prim and I would have drummed one another out of the business a hundred times already!”

Rarity sat down on the floor, trying desperately to get her bearings.  “I must admit I’m…”  She glanced at Hoity Toity.  “Wait, you and Prim Hemline?”

“Indeed.  And your colleague Sassy Saddles, back when she was a model.  Fleur de Lis, of course, though admittedly we’d only have reason to drum one another out of the business three or four times…”

“You’re just bragging by this point, H.T.,” Coco remarked.

Hoity Toity placed a hoof against his chest in mock offense, and then he laughed.  Coco managed a giggle.  Rarity was not sure if she was more surprised by that or by the fact that one of Equestria’s most powerful fashion mavens was joking around like a normal pony.

“I believe it’s time to take my leave so you can talk,” he announced.  “Farewell!  Rarity, I deeply hope we get a chance to speak under more pleasant auspices very soon.”  He nuzzled Coco briefly, then walked to the door, somehow managing to pull it open without breaking stride.  “Ta!”

As the door swung shut, Rarity took her first good look at Coco: perhaps slightly disheveled, but certainly not the look of a pony that had stayed up the whole night weeping.  “My dear,” she ventured hesitantly, “I have to thank you.  I was terribly anxious about our… talk, but right now I’m not really able to manage anything but bemusement.”

Coco didn’t say anything, instead just casting a nervous look at the floor.

Rarity sighed.  “Well.  I suppose I should just get into it.”  She stood and walked a step closer to her friend, looking her in the eyes as seriously but as gently as possible.  “I came to apologize.  I treated you awfully last night, and I have no excuse.”

Coco nodded.  “Thank you.  I think I acted badly, too.  I put you up on a pedestal, and it wasn’t fair.”

“Coco…”  Rarity trailed off, feeling sorrowful more than anything else.  “I… don’t wish to argue about your own feelings.  But really and truly, you have nothing whatsoever to apologize for.”

Coco seemed to be shrinking, but she was holding her ground.  “Um.  Okay.  I just… with everything you meant to me after Suri, the way I liked you probably wasn’t healthy.”

“Oh, darling.”  Rarity felt herself smiling.  “If you didn’t see us as equals, then perhaps anything between us would indeed ultimately be doomed.  But last night, I never gave anything but my own neuroses a chance to interfere.”

She stepped forward and put a hoof against Coco’s cheek; it felt like the right moment.  “It seems I have a great need to sabotage myself, and I didn’t even consider that your feelings might be hurt as a result.  I’m ashamed because of that.”  She noticed that Coco was leaning against her hoof a bit too much and gently pulled it away.  “But even more than being ashamed, I’m disappointed.  I surprised myself by how much I liked you, once I opened that door.  But I couldn’t help but ruin it.”

Coco looked up, impossibly cute.  “You did like me?  It wasn’t my imagination?”

“No, darling.  Ah…”  Rarity coughed uncomfortably.  “I find you very attractive, although you understand if I prefer not to talk about it after last night.”

“Yeah.”  Coco blushed sadly.  “You should talk to your friend Fluttershy, by the way.  She said some things that made me think it’d be good.”

“She’s next on my list of shameful apologies,” Rarity replied.  She sighed, feeling sorry for herself, then shook her head to break out of it.  “But first things first.  I may not deserve your friendship, but I really do see you as a dear friend.  Because of that, I truly hope you can forgive me.”

“Rarity…”  Coco sighed, slumping her shoulders.  “We are friends, and I do forgive you.  Last night hurt, and… I am still a little angry.  But it’s not like I saw you as my one true love or anything.  I’ll be fine after some moping.”

Rarity tried a wan smile; it was not returned.  “Are you certain?  I feel just terrible, and I want to do whatever I can to mitigate what’s happened.    I’m leaving town after this weekend, but if there’s anything I can do to make things easier...”

Coco glanced off to the side and mumbled something.  

Rarity leaned closer.  “What was that, darling?”

Coco opened her mouth, then paused.  “...Never mind.  It’s stupid.”

“I’m sure it isn’t!” Rarity exclaimed.  “Just name it, and if it’s within my power, I’ll do everything I can.”

“I… no.  I shouldn’t have...”  

“Coco, really!  I’ll…”

“I want a date with Luna!” Coco blurted.  Then she blinked, an expression of complete surprise on her face.

Rarity froze, literally unable to speak or move.  It got uncomfortable, partly socially but partly because of her lack of oxygen, so she forced herself to inhale, trying desperately to pass the subsequent gasp off as a throat-clearing.  “Um.  I’m sorry, Coco, what…”

“You know Princess Luna, right?”  Coco had recovered from her surprise.  She was looking right at her, still very cute but suddenly kind of intimidatingly confident.  “I want you to see if she’ll go on a date with me.”  She deflated slightly.  “I mean, only if you feel comfortable.  I can’t believe I even said this.”

“I’d be happy to ask her,” Rarity said, almost automatically.  

Coco nodded, and was that a slight smirk on her face?  “I forgive you either way.  But if that’s the sort of thing you could do, then it’d go a long way towards keeping me from drumming you out of the industry.”

Rarity pulled back in surprise, then was even more surprised to feel herself relaxing.   “Hoity Toity was lying about Fleur de Lis, wasn’t he?”

“Oh yeah.  A hundred percent.”

They shared a laugh; it felt great.

“You’re so weird,” Coco remarked.  “I was completely terrified about seeing you, but it ended up being kind of easy.  How come you’re so good at this, but you were so bad at our date?”

“That’s the question, isn’t it?”  Rarity looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully and then shrugged.  “I’m not sure.  When you’re Coco my dear friend, I want to do everything right.  When you’re Coco the romantic partner, it all falls to ruin.  It’s a mystery.”

Coco nodded.  “We wouldn’t be designers if we didn’t have issues.”

Rarity laughed.  “Oh, how true!  Though I suppose we should be grateful we’re not models, or it’d be ten times worse.”

Coco smiled, and then she got an expression on her face that clearly indicated she wanted to hug but worried it might be terribly inappropriate (Rarity called it ‘The Fluttershy Grimace’).  She tentatively stepped forward and they nuzzled briefly, platonically.

“I… suppose I must be going,” Rarity said as she stepped away.  

Coco nodded and walked her to the door.  “Just to warn you,” she said, “I told you I’ll be fine, and I will.  But I am going to make some really screwed-up outfits because of all this.”

“Oh my.  Is it all right that I actually find that somewhat flattering?”  Rarity tilted her head thoughtfully.  “You truly are a fantastically talented designer, Coco.  I hope, the next time we see one another, we have more time to talk about that.”

“Me too,” Coco replied.  Then she glanced away, as if preparing herself for something.  “Um, before you go, could I ask a favor?”  Rarity raised a curious eyebrow; Coco had that steely cuteness again, but it was somehow vulnerable this time.  “Could you... not call me Coco?”

“Um…”

“It’s not you.  It’s everypony, even my close friends.  Especially my close friends.  I really prefer being called Miss Pommel.  Like… like a stage name.”

“Miss Pommel.”

“Mm-hm.  It makes me feel, um, older.  That’s a big deal, for me.”

Rarity slowly nodded.  “I can do that.  ‘Miss Pommel.’  It does have a dignity to it, does it?”

“I think so.”  Miss Pommel thought for a moment, then held up a hoof.  “You could also call me The Coco.  That’s what Photo Finish does.”

“Does she?”

Miss Pommel posed.  “I, Photo Finish, am going to get coffee!  Would The Coco like a non-fat mocha latte?!”

“I… think I’ll stick with ‘Miss Pommel,’ if that’s all right.”