//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: Interactions 6 // Story: Piece by Piece // by Eltirions //------------------------------// 10 December 1008 For all the… ‘’What?’’ Sunset shouted at whoever was knocking on her door. ‘’I’m busy!’’ ‘’Milady, I have the dinner you ordered,’’ the - likely a servant - answered from outside. ‘’Ughh…’’ Sunset teleported to the door and pulled it open. ‘’Thank you,’’ she snarled, grabbing the plate from the stunned pegasus before slamming the door closed again. ‘’Fucking servants…’’ she muttered under her breath as she walked back to her desk. She’d been granted a large apartment in the Crystaller Building, complete with two-pony bedroom, a luxurious bathroom, and a massive living room that had featured extremely luxurious and comfortable couches and chairs, plus everything a pony could need on his or her stay in Manehattan. Sunset had pushed all of that against the wall, placing the desk in the centre of the room with a single chair to sit on, while filling up the shelves, chairs and tables with books and other things she needed for her work. She wasn’t officially the Royal (or Imperial) Magician, but she practically served the Empress in that way, as the strongest and most knowledgeable unicorn in Nightmare Moon’s service.  Which was one of the other reasons she didn’t want to go to the Crystal Empire: she could do so much more here than up there! But Nightmare Moon had insisted, and Sunset wasn’t fool enough to fight the alicorn. Her duel with Twilight had been hard enough, and that hadn’t even been a true fight. Plus, she had to admit that the prospect of teaching an alicorn filly about magic had its appeal. Even if said alicorn filly resided in a frozen wasteland. Hard to believe the Crystal Empire was once the most powerful nation on Equus, she thought wryly as she sat down in her chair, placing the food in front of her after pushing away the book that had been laying there. She dug into the food without too much care for manners; there was no one to see her do so, and she was hungry. So, she downed the potatoes and hayburger in an impressive display of messy eating. Like I care. It’s tasty. Still, Sunset did know her limits, and so she slowed down a little, incidentally decreasing the mess she made of things. As she finished her food, she pushed the plate away and pulled the book towards her again. Because if she was going to have to go to the Crystal Empire, she was going to be prepared. The last time she’d ended up unprepared in a foreign environment hadn’t gone so well, after all, even if the Empire was less foreign than the world on the other side of the mirror had been. ‘’Right,’’ Sunset muttered under her breath. ‘’Let’s get back to reading.’’ And of course, there was another knock on her door at that exact moment. ‘’Sun fucking damnit,’’ Sunset cursed, before teleporting to the door again and pulling it open. ‘’What?’’ The Night Guard in front of her took a step back, eyes wide. ‘’I didn’t mean to disturb you, ma’am,’’ she blurted out, ‘’but the Empress has requested your presence in her solar-’’ Sunset didn’t catch the rest of what she said, as she had already teleported to Nightmare Moon’s solar. ‘’You asked for me?’’ Nightmare Moon raised one eyebrow at her. ‘’I did,’’ she confirmed. ‘’Please, have a seat.’’ Sunset all-but-collapsed into it. ‘’Tell me whatchu want…’’ Instead of doing that, Nightmare Moon gave her a concerned look. ‘’Sunset, are you alright?’’ ‘’Fine,’’ she dismissed with a wave, ‘’M’just tired…’’ ‘’Not just tired,’’ Nightmare Moon declared. With the grace inherent to alicorns, she got up from her chair and walked over to Sunset. ‘’The news can wait. You need rest.’’ Don’t wanna… |-x-X-x-| 10 December 1008 Twinkle blinked awake again a few moments, and blushingly sat back up again. ‘’Apologies,’’ he said. ‘’Are you alright?’’ Sweetie asked before she knew it. Twinkle turned to her and smiled. ‘’Yeah, I am. I was just surprised.’’ His golden eyes met hers. They’re kinda nice to look at... ‘’Ahem.’’ Wut? Sweetie’s head snapped towards a smiling Fluttershy and a smirking Discord. ‘’Oh, sorry,’’ she apologized. ‘’Oh, I don’t mind,’’ Fluttershy said. There was something to her tone of voice that made Sweetie a little suspicious, but she couldn’t place her hoof on what exactly it was. Discord chuckled - for some reason - and unwound himself from Fluttershy to stand next to her. ‘’Not to worry, my colty friend. I’ll make sure my child - or children - won’t destroy all of Equestria. At least, not permanently!’’ ‘’Discord!’’ Twinkle swallowed. ‘’Of course, sir.’’ ‘’Be nice,’’ Fluttershy scolded the draconequus, before giving Twinkle a reassuring smile. ‘’Discord’s just a bit of joker.’’ ‘’That I am,’’ Discord confirmed cheerily. Twinkle just nodded, and said nothing else. The rest of the dinner continued in a slightly awkward mood, which to Sweetie’s surprise seemed to affect even Discord. I knew he liked Fluttershy, but I had no idea it was this bad, she thought dryly as she watched the two interact. Soon enough the dinner was done. Both Sweetie and Twinkle offered to help with the dishes, but Discord fixed that problem with a snap of his claws, and so they left and headed back for the Boutique. ‘’So what happened back there?’’ Sweetie asked. ‘’Why did you faint?’’ ‘’Surprise,’’ Twinkle dismissed. Sweetie raised an eyebrow. ‘’I don’t think that’s it.’’ Twinkle didn’t say anything, nor did he look at her. After a few seconds, Sweetie sighed. ‘’Very well.’’ ‘’Do you believe what he said? About Crystal City and your sister?’’ Twinkle asked out of the blue. Sweetie took a moment to ponder that, then replied, ‘’I think I do. And I don’t mind staying here a few more days.’’ ‘’Okay.’’ By the time Sweetie crawled into bed, she was still thinking about the revelations at dinner. With those thoughts in mind, she fell asleep. |-x-X-x-| 10 December 1008 By the time a servant knocked on the door and asked if they wanted dinner, Rarity had almost lost her voice from all the reading and talking. Flurry had almost dozed off, slouching in her chair, and Rainbow wasn’t much better. Rarity hadn’t seen which of the two had done it first, and to be honest she couldn’t care less. By unanimous vote, it was decided that dinner would be had upstairs. And because Rarity agreed they could all use some more energy, she ordered hayburgers and chips for all three of them. Once they had been delivered, the three of them moved from the chairs they’d been sitting on for the past hours to the couch. Rainbow sprawled herself out on the left end and Rarity sat down on the right, while Flurry snuggled herself in-between them. ‘’Give the cooks a raise,’’ Rainbow ordered after taking her first few bites of her dinner. ‘’They made the chips taste good. That’s supposed to be impossible.’’ Rarity chuckled. ‘’These aren’t the same chips you’d get in a restaurant.’’ Rainbow eyed the chips. ‘’Look the same to me,’’ she declared after a few moments. She isn’t wrong. They do look nearly identical. ‘’Appearances can be deceiving,’’ Rarity intoned. ‘’What’s that mean?’’ Flurry asked. ‘’It sounds nice.’’ ‘’It means,’’ Rainbow explained before Rarity could even open her mouth, ‘’that ponies aren’t always who they look like. Take Fluttershy. You remember her? Yellow pegasus with a pink mane?’’ When Flurry nodded, she continued, ‘’Well, if you look at her she seems like she’d be blown away by a stray breeze. But I don’t think I’ve ever met a more determined mare in my life. If she sets her mind on something, it’ll happen.’’ ‘’Oh,’’ Flurry said, brightening a little and smiling, ‘’I get it. Thanks for explaining, Rainbow.’’ Rainbow gave the filly a soft smile back. ‘’Anytime, Flurry.’’ ‘’So,’’ Rarity said after a few seconds of comfortable silence, ‘’what shall we do after dinner?’’ She knew what she wanted, of course: rest. And the only task she had left for this evening was writing letters to the mayors of the five cities. ‘’I say we chill,’’ Rainbow offered. ‘’I’ve read enough books for the rest of the week.’’ ‘’I’m tired,’’ Flurry said, before yawning loudly. Rarity gave Flurry another pillow, so she had two instead of one. ‘’You’ve had a tiring day,’’ she said softly. ‘’Mmmyeah…’’ Flurry agreed. ‘’But it was also fun. I liked being with you.’’ Something bloomed in Rarity’s heart, and she could see that Rainbow felt the same. ‘’I- we,’’ Rarity corrected herself with a glance at Rainbow, ‘’like being with you too, Flurry.’’ She hesitated, then reached forward and gave Flurry a hug. After a few seconds, Flurry leaned into the hug, and then without prompting Rainbow joined it. Rarity placed her head on top of Flurry’s, while the filly buried hers against Rarity’s coat. Rainbow’s head, by logic, ended up next to Rarity’s, which the latter had no problem with at all. She didn’t know how long they stayed like that, but when they finally separated, the food was cold. ‘’I’m still hungry,’’ Rainbow decided after they had looked at the food in silence for about five seconds, and she grabbed her burger again. Rarity and Flurry followed suit. When they’d finished up their food, they had dessert in the form of the ice cream from two days ago, kept cold by Rarity’s fridge. It was, of course, still very nice. ‘’So what now?’’ Rarity wondered aloud when they’d finished the ice cream. ‘’Chilling,’’ Rainbow replied as if that was obvious. ‘’Yes, but…’’ Rarity tried to think of what to say, and came up short. ‘’I still need to write those letters.’’ Flurry and Rainbow both pouted.  ‘’I’m sorry darlings,’’ Rarity apologized, ‘’but I really do need to write them. I’m sure you can keep yourselves entertained. I won’t be long.’’ She got off the couch and walked over to her desk. Once she was sitting in her chair, she pulled out an empty piece of paper and a pencil and started to write. Dear Mayor Branch Good day to you. I write this letter to inform you that I, Governess Rarity Belle, shall be visiting Rainbow Falls as part of a tour of the Crystal Empire’s most important cities, together with Crown Princess Flurry Heart and the Commander of the newly-created Crystal Shadowbolts, Rainbow Dash. This visit shall occur from the morning of the 12th of December until the evening of the 13th of December, this month. We shall be arriving via train, but will require accommodations for our stay. If you have any questions, please send them to me as soon as possible, preferably with the courier that will be bringing this message to you, so that I can reply to you in a timely fashion. I hope to have sufficiently informed you. Kind regards, Rarity Belle, Imperial Governess of the Lunar Crystal Governorate Once that letter was done, she wrote four more for the other cities, and then collected them in her magic and walked over to the door. She opened it and looked at the guard next to it. ‘’Please take these letters to the Chamberlain, and tell him I wish for them to be sent with the fastest couriers available.’’ After a moment, she added, ‘’Also, convey to him my apologies for not showing up to my appointment in the afternoon.’’ The guard saluted as he took the letters from her. ‘’Right away, ma’am!’’ And he sped down the hallway. Rarity nodded to herself, then turned around and looked back in the room. Rainbow and Flurry were both still laying on the couch, with Flurry snuggled next to Rainbow. But while Flurry’s eyes were closed, Rainbow’s were open and watching her every movement. Rarity managed to keep her blush down rather well, in her own opinion. ‘’I’m done,’’ she announced as she closed the door and walked towards the couch.  ‘’I noticed,’’ Rainbow remarked dryly. ‘’But someone’s a little tired.’’ She nudged Flurry with her wing. ‘’Mmm…’’ ‘’I think,’’ Rarity noted with amusement, ‘’that it’s someone’s bedtime.’’ Flurry slowly opened her eyes. ‘’Can I sleep here?’’ ‘’You want to have a sleepover again?’’ Rarity asked back. ‘’Yeah.’’ Flurry snuggled even closer against Rainbow, who only looked more delighted by that. ‘’This is warm and nice. Don’t wanna walk all the way down.’’ Maybe… ‘’Would you like it if you moved into one of the rooms on this floor?” Rarity asked. Flurry’s eyes lit up. ‘’Can I?’’ ‘’Of course,’’ Rarity agreed. ‘’We can move your belongings tomorrow morning, and you can stay here tonight.’’ She turned to Rainbow. ‘’Darling, could you get Flurry’s pillow, toothbrush and…’’ ‘’And Whammy,’’ Flurry added. ‘’Sure thing.’’ Rainbow slid off the couch and walked over to the door to the balcony. She opened it, then turned around and grinned. ‘’Fifteen seconds.’’ And she was gone, only a trail of rainbow light indicating she was ever there. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve- Rainbow was back in the doorway, all the things Rarity and Flurry had requested on her back. ‘’How did I do?’’ ‘’Twelve seconds,’’ Rarity primly informed her. ‘’Awesome. Here you go, Flurry.’’ Rainbow hoofed Whammy to Flurry, and placed her pillow and toothbrush on the table. Flurry immediately cuddled Whammy close to her chest. It was an adorable sight. ‘’Thank you, Rainbow.’’ ‘’No problem, kid.’’ Rainbow laid herself back down on the couch. ‘’It was good to flex, even for a few seconds. Remember that.’’ ‘’I will,’’ Flurry promised. ‘’Do I have to go brush my teeth now?’’ ‘’Yes, you do,’’ Rarity answered. And Flurry dutifully did just that. Once she had brushed her teeth, Rarity tucked her into bed while Rainbow watched. ‘’Good night, Flurry,’’ Rarity said once the filly was snugly nestled under the covers in the middle of the bed. ‘’Good night,’’ Rainbow echoed. ‘’See you tomorrow, auntie, Rainbow,’’ Flurry replied. Rarity nodded, then turned away and began to walk towards the door. Rainbow was already standing in the doorway, watching her. ‘’Wait, don’t leave!’’ Both their gazes turned towards Flurry, who had sat up in the bed. ‘’We’ll just be in the living room, darling,’’ Rarity assured her even as she tried to figure out why Flurry was doing this. Flurry didn’t look convinced. ‘’And you’ll both come back, right? Please?’’ … Rarity didn’t know what to do, and when she looked at Rainbow she could deduce from the expression the pegasus had on her face that she didn’t either.  ‘’Please?’’ Flurry begged. The mental image of Flurry in her bedroom all alone, crying into her pillow, flashed through Rarity’s mind. ‘’Yes, we will both be there,’’ she declared. In one second Flurry’s expression went from scared and sad to elated. ‘’Thank you!’’ Rarity was still a little flabbergasted, so she just nodded and said,  ‘’Sleep well, Flurry.’’ ‘’Good night, Flurry,’’ Rainbow added, her own bewilderment clear in her voice. ‘’Good night, auntie, Rainbow,’’ Flurry said, before nestling into the bed again. After watching her for a few more seconds, Rarity pulled herself away and stepped out of the room, then closed the door. ‘’Leave it slightly open,’’ Rainbow whispered to her. Rarity caught her resolute look, and nodded. She pulled the door open ever so slightly, just enough that a small beam of light would shine through; but more importantly, enough that Flurry could still hear their voices and be reassured that they were still there. Once that was done, Rarity and Rainbow walked back to the couch in silence, both sitting back on their ends again. There wasn’t a lot of space between them, but it felt like a lot now that Flurry wasn’t there. They didn’t say anything for some time, which suited Rarity just fine. She needed time to think, to process all of what had happened today, and in the past days. ‘’I don’t think anyone would mind jumping into a bed with you.’’ She gasped, startled. ‘’Rainbow!’’ ‘’What?’’ Rainbow chuckled. ‘’It’s true.’’ Rarity fought a losing battle against her blush. The fact that she wasn’t sure if she wanted Rainbow to see it or not certainly didn’t help the defending side. ‘’Thank you, darling, for that compliment. But you don’t have to sleep here tonight. I can say you left in the night, or something.’’ Even to her own ears it sounded crude and unbelievable, and above all else, a lie. She didn’t want to lie to Flurry. The filly had already endured too much. ‘’So you don’t mind-’’ Rainbow shook her head. ‘’I don’t mind in the slightest. Flurry deserves some people in her life.’’ She waved her hoof dismissively. ‘’And besides, I meant what I said. You are beautiful.’’ So many times, so many ponies. Why is it this time that it makes me so nervous? Rarity chuckled and hoped it didn’t sound too nervous. ‘’As I said, you are beautiful too, darling.’’ Rainbow suddenly looked distinctly skeptical. ‘’Awesome? Sure,’’ she said. ‘’Sexy? Definitely. But beautiful? I dunno…’’ That won’t do. Rarity reached forward and put her hoof on Rainbow’s. ‘’You are beautiful, Rainbow, don’t ever doubt that. You may not think so, but I know that you are.’’ Rainbow stared at her in silence for a few seconds, then smiled. ‘’Thanks, Rares.’’ She sat up and gave Rarity a hug, which she was all too happy to return.