Assumptions VI: Try to Hide It
It was almost too easy, Rainbow Dash thought as she looked at the silk stallion bow-tie. It was truly a beautiful accessory, even if her knowledge of fashion was rather limited. Anyway, it’s not fashion that is important. It’s style. And she had obtained this bow-tie with style. Or rather, taking a cue from Rarity, she manipulated her way to obtain the prized object. Little did Scootaloo know that there was no such thing as a personal shopper cutie mark, but she was happy to get it for her nonetheless, no questions asked. Of course, Rainbow Dash was no monster, and after a successful mission (on her part anyway), they bemoaned the lack of cutie mark on the little filly’s flank and got some ice cream to soothe the emotional pain. Now all she had to do was to give it to Caramel. She took a deep breath and looked into the mirror. Cool as always. Just look unphazed, and he won’t even know you’re trying to apologize.
>>
Caramel had been Pondering Pinkie’s words ever since Friday morning. Sure, he’d like to tell Dash that maybe he overreacted, and it was better to leave the incident behind them and move on. Naturally, he didn’t know whether the loud, cyan mare would show her face. but like every morning, he prepared breakfast for two, and opened his window, hoping that the sweet smell would lure her in. He could have seen her at Applejack’s dinner party tonight, but of course, due to their recent confrontation, Dash had neglected to tell him when the dinner took place. Breathing a deep sigh, he took out a cookbook and began reading the “Quick lunch recipe” section.
It was almost evening, and the sun had already set below the rolling hills of the Sweet Apple Acres. Caramel had fallen asleep, his notebook now filled with notes about potential lunch dishes. However, a loud knock on the window woke him up. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he approached the window and saw a cyan pegasus, suspended in mid-air. He opened the window and Rainbow Dash quickly flew in.
“Hey, get ready, the dinner starts in an hour…” she said, annoyed.
Caramel looked at her again. There was none of that insecurity and regret in her eyes that he saw last time. Instead, it was the good, (was it good?) old Rainbow Dash, throwing a disapproving look at his dishevelled mane. He stuttered, but the filly cut him off.
“Cut me some slack all right. When I bumped into you, I knew for a fact that AJ and Mac would get you, I saw them running towards you, and I didn’t wanna cause them any worry, because I was a bit of a mess myself that night too.”
Once again, Caramel sighed, knowing that this was probably as good an apology as he was ever likely to get. He looked up at Rainbow Dash and asked nervously: “But what should I wear? I don’t usually wear anything…”
“You’re lucky, because I have something that will make you stand out for once,” she said and began to hover in self-importance. And without further ado, she presented to him the brand new bow-tie.
Caramel looked at the delicate object. It seemed almost unlikely that Rainbow Dash could ever own such a thing, and the fact that she was giving it to him seemed a little more than just off. “Where did you…?” he began, but his questions were cut short by his guest.
“Now look here mister. You’re a mess. Go fix yourself up and put this on before I change my mind and dash off by myself.”
Caramel, suddenly realizing the time he had left, quickly grabbed the bow-tie, stuttered an awkward thank you and disappeared into the adjacent bathroom. Rainbow Dash quietly landed on the floor and smiled to herself. Perfect. We’re still cool, and I’m still in charge here.
>>
The twenty minutes seemed like an awfully long time to Rainbow Dash. While she wasn’t exactly big on make-up or grooming, she did carry some basic supplies in her saddlebag. She was done with her eyes and mane in about five minutes, and spent the rest of the time preening her wing-feathers. By the time she was done, she looked quite spectacular. Her straight eyelashes extended and framing her large magenta eyes, her mane silky and smooth, falling down in coloured strands onto her face, and her wing feathers unruffled and shiny. Naturally cool and beautiful.
Almost as soon as she finished, the bathroom door opened, a small cloud of steam rolled out before she caught a glimpse of Caramel. He looked quite dashing, his mane combed and shiny, his beige coat gleaming. When he entered the room, he took a deep breath, straightened his otherwise slouchy posture and half closed his eyes. The elegant bow-tie now didn’t look all that out of place.
“And…?” he asked, his voice still trembling.
Rainbow Dash just stood there, unable to say a word. Her wings, however, had a will of their own. Already sensitive from all the preening, they raised themselves ever so slightly. Rainbow Dash, realizing her situation, blushed deeply for a split second and then started fluttering her wings, dispersing the last remnant of the warm steam emerging from behind Caramel.
“Phew. What shampoo did you use. It’s quite strong!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as her wings kept on flapping, even though she found it quite difficult to do so.
“It was just nettle shampoo. It’s really quite mild…” Caramel said sadly, looking at the ground and lowering his ears. Have I messed up again? Was I trying too hard?
“Whatever. I’m sure the walk to Sweet Apple Acres will get rid of any excess fragrance, ” she proclaimed, turning to leave.
At that moment, Caramel looked up and saw Rainbow Dash, groomed to the nines. As she opened the door to go outside, shivers ran down his spine, though it wasn’t only from the cold that was starting to set in in Ponyville.
>>
The trot to sweet Apple Acres was a quiet one. Rainbow Dash half-cantered, half-flew, seeming to put a lot of effort into actually moving her wings. Caramel just followed her, his head bowed down trying to ignore her silky mane glittering in the moonlight. As they approached the farm, Rainbow Dash had broken into full gallop. All the blood flowed to her leg muscles now, allowing her to regain composure, and by the time Caramel arrived, she was already standing by the front door, grinning ear to ear.
“Ladies first,” she said in a mock Canterlot accent, gave a deep bow and pointed at the door.
“Oh, ha ha,” Caramel retorted, his otherwise sarcastic tone betraying perhaps just a little bit of sadness.
Caramel took the large ornate brass knocker and into his hooves and banged it against the door the door. Just as he was starting to admire the old-fashion ornament, the door had swung open, and with it, a warm, sweet waft of apples and cinnamon.
“Howdy sugar cube!” Applejack greeted Rainbow Dash merrily. “Good evenin’ to you too sir,” she turned to Caramel and curtsied.
Caramel blushed visibly, still managed to stutter “G-good e-evening, Miss Applejack…”
“Don’t you go callin’ me miss, mister. Applejack’s fine,” she gave him a polite smile, and Caramel’s ears seemed to let out a little bit of steam.
“Don’t mind him,” Rainbow Dash cut in. ”He just sometimes switches off completely. And you can just call him Caramel. He’s certainly no sir.”
“Ah just jokin’ sugar cube. well come on in, yer letting all the warm air outta the house…” she said and ushered her guests inside. “Everypony’s here already, we’ve just been waitin’ fer you two…”Applejack said.
At this, Rainbow Dash blushed a little, but said “Well, it seems we are neighbors. I saw Caramel trotting along, so I thought I’d join him. After all, it’s dangerous for a girl to be out all alone after sunset.” Rainbow dash burst into a fit of giggles after this joke, but Applejack just looked at her in disbelief.
“Whatever ya say…” clearly not buying it. “Well then, take a seat.” Applejack gestured to a large table as they entered the farm’s spacious dining room. The old oak table was creaking under the weight of every imaginable apple-related treat, with the exception of about three large trays which were covered with pink-frosted cupcakes. At the head of the table, a little yellow filly with a scarlet mane, her right leg in a cast sat, giving the room a huge, self-satisfied smile. Next to her, her two friends, an orange pegasus and a white unicorn sat, also smiling, but occasionally looking guilty. There was, of course, the immediate Apple family and all of Applejack’s friends, but also an older zebra mare. Everypony was beaming at Apple Bloom, who was now explaining the finer points of hospital food to her two friends, their delight at her story only matched by the shock of what she was actually describing.
“An’ then Ah said to the nurse: ’Maybe if y’all let me cook here, Ah can get a cookin’ cutie mark instead’, but she just looked all funny an’ said: ‘Cookin’ cutie mark? Why ah never saw anypony in our hospital kitchen with one like that!’,” she finished, as her friends exploded with laughter.
Applejack smiled tenderly, and looked at her little sister. “Now settle down sugarcube. Yer very lucky it was just a broken leg. Ah sure hope ya learned yer lesson.”
“There is no such thing as a gravity cutie mark…” Applebloom sighed, but became distracted again, as Rarity started admiring her cast, and levitating a few small red rubies, attaching them to the cast to the general delight of the party.
“Now that’s right. Even yer great-great-great-great-great Uncle Isaac had a plain ol’ apple cutie mark, an’ he was the one who invented gravity.” Applejack finished her lecture and turned to her guests. “Ah hope y’all came on an empty stomach, because nopony’s going nowhere until everything’s gone.”
>>
During the dinner, Rainbow Dash and Caramel were separated. Caramel was seated in between an elder zebra and Big Macintosh, who in turn sat next to a timid, pink-maned pegasus. Rainbow sat opposite him, but was entirely absorbed in conversation with Applejack, and for some reason, Pinkie Pie, who did not even have an assigned seat, but seemed to have found a system of bouncing around the table and literally plunging her face into any morsel that took her fancy.
Unlike Big Macintosh, who was even more pensive than his usual self, Zecora had actually been an excellent dinner companion, even if her constant speaking in verse did irk Caramel ever so slightly, he had to admit it had a certain kind of melody to it. Her stories ware certainly interesting too. She had moved from the savanna, where she trained as a healer, to the north, where she hoped to further her extensive medical and botanical knowledge.
“In this land, controlled and neat, it’s hard to find plants I really need. In Ev’rfree forest I must stay, a place where nature has its way” she explained to Caramel.
“And what exactly do you do with these plants?” Caramel inquired.
“With some of them I brew a tea, to release their special property. They cure ailments of mind and body, but require further study. Other plants, I must admit, can be quite tasteful to eat. The forest is full of riches, and devoid of Zebra witches.” She proceeded to give a hearty chuckle.
Caramel remembered, that not so long ago, everypony would shudder with fear and hide at the sight of this exotic stranger, but that all changed some time ago. He was ashamed to admit that he had been one of the ponies that, at the time, fostered this irrational fear.
“How did you…” he began but froze-mid sentence. Surely, asking Zecora about how she overcame her obstacles was too personal a question.
But Zecora, true to her wisdom had sensed his hesitation. “I was very lucky, you see; a little filly reached out t’ me. To battle hardships to the end, you need to begin with one friend.”
Caramel pondered her words. He looked opposite him at Rainbow Dash, who looked a little uncomfortable talking to a marshmallow-colored unicorn. He wanted to reach out and thank her… Even though he had made acquaintance with the Apples before, was she his first true “friend” in Ponyville? Or was it that she just grew on him with time? Lost in his thoughts, he took another bite of an apple fritter, and delved into another conversation with Zecora, this time about his experience of working as a young candy maker.
>>
On the other side of the table, Rainbow Dash was not so lucky. Ever since she had entered the room with Caramel, her fashionable friend had been casting her suspicious looks.
“I must say, your escort looks quite dashing. Very minimal, but effective. If only he carried himself with more dignity…” she sighed, her eyes falling on Caramel’s neck. She smiled to herself, and looked up from her plate at Rainbow Dash, expecting an answer.
“Hello, Equestria to Rarity? He’s my downstairs neighbour. We met on the way? And… dashing? Who are you kidding?” Rainbow Dash answered, stealing a glance at the colt. Surely, he looked OK now, with an elegant bow-tie and all groomed, but her ideal stallion, needed to be… well, a stallion.
“You might not know this, but his look is quite the rage in Neighpony…” Rarity continued prying.
“I’m surprised. The first time I met him…” she lied without any hesitation, “I was sure he was an overgrown and not very well-proportioned filly.”
“Exactly. Plus I do love his get-up. So simple, so elegant. I must say, even if I am kind of a maximalist myself, it somehow suits him. I wonder where he got it…”
The pegasus’s cheeks started burning up… She looked around furtively, avoiding Rarity’s piercing gaze.
Rarity knew full well where the bow-tie came from. She could spot her own hoofwork from miles, and Rainbow Dash was the only one who actually stopped to look at her new line of bow-ties. But for the sake of their friendship, the white unicorn dropped the matter, instead focusing on the apple strudel in front of her. She looked at it and smothered it in a generous portion of cream.
“Say, Rainbow Dash, have you patched up those things with your new acquaintance?”
“Of course I have, and we’re still cool about it,” she replied as she shot a side glance at Caramel.
>>
After about two hours Apple Bloom declared she was full, and that she and the crusaders needed their sleep, so they can devise “new cast-friendly crusading techniques” in the morning. She then went around the table to thank everypony for coming and wished them good night. As she passed their spot at the table, Zecora whispered: “Good night little Apple Bloom, don’t let the mark become your doom. Just remember little dear, what you seek can be quite near…”
“Now why would ya say that Zecora?” Apple Bloom. “Ah wanna make sure Ah absolutely get the right cutie mark.”
“Sometimes it takes time to see, what’s meant to be your destiny…”
Apple Bloom threw her hooves up, but laughed. “Y’all grown-ups are all the same. Waiting... Humph... Goodnight everypony!” She waved one last time before all three crusaders walked up the stairs into her bedroom.
“All right everypony! This ain’t no Pinkie party, so there’s actual dishes than need cleaning. Now, In order to keep y’all entertained, Macintosh and Ah will take shifts behind the sink, but we’d really appreciate if anypony volunteered to help us. The faster we’re done, the faster we can all enjoy ourselves” Applejack spoke and stood up from behind her seat..
Caramel, seeing this as an opportunity to spend some time getting to know Applejack raised his hoof. Across the table, Rainbow Dash gave him a startled look, but raised her own hoof as well and whipered across the table: “I can use these babies,” she nodded her head at her wings “to dry the dishes in like ten seconds flat.”
Caramel just shrugged and stood up to follow Applejack into the kitchen thinking about pegasi wings, and why in Equestria Rainbow Dash liked to show them off at one moment, but would prefer to keep them under wrap the next.
>>
Applejack immersed her hooves in warm soapy water and gave a satisfied sight. “That sure was some dinner… What about you Caramel, enjoyed yerself?”
Caramel, treaded carefully and slowly. His back strained under the weight of the dishes he collected in the dining room. “Uhmm, yeah. I never really knew any of Rainb…, I mean, your friends very well. It was nice seeing everypony together, I guess.”
Applejack’s lips curved into a knowing smile. “Well, Ah’m gald ya had fun. Ah’m sorry ‘bout Mac. He’s a quiet one, but only rarely completely. If Ah’d known ya and Rainbow were comin’ together, Ah’d have y’all two seated next tah one another.”
A teacup from the top of the pile of dirty dishes on Caramel’s back slipped, perhaps perturbed by a slight, but sudden movement of its carrier. Caramel froze as the dainty piece of china accelerated towards the hard, wooden floor. The shatter of porcelain followed a split millisecond later.
“Must’ve been the teacup. That was the last one…” Applejack remarked in an off-hoof manner and continued splashing about in the sink…
“I’m… I’m so sorry. I just… It’s my fault… I …” Caramel quickly set down the rest of the plates and cups on the table, his chest started rising up and down quickly, followed by a quick succession of short shallow breaths.
Applejack turned to see Caramel sitting on the floor, staring at the ceiling and close to hyperventilating. “Oh, no sugar cube… That’s not Ah meant. T’was a gift from Rarity, some years back. Of course, porcelain like that ain’t got no place on a farm. Ah’ve always said so, but she insisted. T’aint nothing, really.”
“Really?” Caramel caught his breath and reached for the tiny white splinters.
The farmer pony, however, had been quicker. As soon as his extending hoof brushed against Applejack’s, he recoiled and turned redder than Big Macintosh. His hostess, however, remained unperturbed, her muzzle down at the floor as she squinted her eyes to spot any sharp fractions.
“Really.”
“By the way, there’s nothing between your pegasus friend and I. She just told me you invited me and then came to pick me in the afternoon, since she forgot to mention the exact time when she first told me.”
“Told ya? But Ah gave her all the invitations in envelopes. She was just supposed to deliver them.” Applejack scratched her head. “Well, anyhow, we can let these stay here for a while” she nodded at the dishes stacked neatly in the drying rack. “Rainbow and Macintosh will take care of the rest in a while.”
>>
The pink party mare was now bouncing in circles around her light-blue pegasus friend. Twilight and Zecora had been sitting opposite each other, Twilight’s quill frantically blazing across her notepad as the older zebra mare continued with some advanced botany lecture. Rarity simply sat on the divan in the corner, levitating a glass of red wine, her eyes half-closed, but slowly moving from one pair of ponies to another. Her eyes now focused on the couple of ponies in front of the fireplace.
The large red stallion was lying on his stomach, his eyes directed into the flickering flame. He held a book in his front hooves. On the side and just outside of Macintosh’s reach (if he were to extend his hooves to her, that is), sat a light-yellow pegasus, her long pink mane obscuring side of her face, but her head was nevertheless turned towards the glowing fire, her tail flickering to and fro nervously.
Rarity’s azure eyes suddenly stopped on Caramel. The wineglass she was levitating suddenly swirled slightly and pointed to him. Rarity threw her head back, her luxurious purple mane falling backwards, revealing her exquisite face. She pointed her white hoof at a wine bottle on the dining table. Caramel advanced slowly, carefully wrapped his hoof round it and brought it to her.
“Thank you dear, but it wasn’t at all necessary…” she said as the cork magically floated out of the bottle and the burgundy liquid started filling her glass.
“Seems like you enjoy the attention anyway. Just like last year…”
“Oh please. Tell me you’re still not upset that carriage thing.” She waved her hoof dismissively and took another sip of wine.
“I didn’t mind that part. More the part where the six of you disappeared for the entire night and we were stuck there waiting…” Caramel remarked bitterly.
“That’s not what I heard. Lucky said he had a great night out on the town…” the unicorn objected.
“Yeah well, Lucky got … lucky”
“You colts are all the same.” She gave a small contemptuous laugh. “Well except him, maybe…” he gestured towards the large red stallion staring into the fire. “So boring…”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. The two of them are so boring together” she pointed at the yellow pegasus who seemed to be shivering, despite her proximity to the roaring fire. “Don’t get me wrong, individually, and with other ponies around, they really can be quite charming, but together… there’s nothing there.”
“I seem to think it’s rather sweet. I didn’t know they were an item…”
Rarity let out a mean-spirited little cackle. “They’re not, and at this pace, they probably never will be. I do not know why exactly, but I think they have some irrational reason for holding back. But if you were to consider, let’s say Rainbow Dash ” She pointed at the cyan pegasus who was now rolling on the floor, surrounded by a fuzzy pink blur and Caramel felt his cheeks burn up. “And, oh, I don’t know, anypony? You’ll have a more interesting dynamic. Rainbow can only hold herself in for so long, and despite appearances, she is actually very caring… She’ll never let you forget she’s there. She’ll dominate everything. The power struggle is the spark. And it will always be there.”
“But what about them? What if not everypony needs passion? Maybe understanding is just enough” Caramel pointed at the quiet non-couple in front of the fireplace.
“I don’t know. But what would you want?”
Caramel looked around, his eyes once again stopping on his breakfast companion. He took a glass in his hoof and Rarity poured him a drink. “Both,” he said resolutely as he sat down next to Rarity and watched the other ponies in complete silence.
After a few minutes, the large red stallion stood up without making a sound, the two books that were between his hooves now laying on the ground. He lowered his head, his muzzle pushing the larger book towards the shy pegasus. He kept his head lowered for a while and took a deep breath. “Come now, Miss Dash, better finish the dishes”
The cyan mare stood up and saluted: “Yes sir!” and followed Big Macintosh into the kitchen.
Fluttershy stood up and looked at the tattered book by her side. Supernaturals: Household Pests. She picked it up and pressed it close to her heart, swaying to the side as she squeezed it, taking a deep breath. She then held the book in her muzzle and trotted happily towards the kitchen door. When she was about to open the door,she heard a loud giggle. Her eyes darted across the room. Everypony was still busy. She then pressed her ear to the door, the voices on the other side becoming clearer...
“It goes where?” Rainbow Dash’s voice spoke out, full of surprise.
“Miss Dash, ya must have done this before” Macintosh answered in his slow southern drawl.
“Only with Applejack once, but that was a long time ago”
“Maybe ya should focus on those hard-tah-reach spots, while I’ll stay down here. If yer unsure, just ask.”
“Thanks. Wow, this is big!”
“Well, if you want to fill twelve ponies till they’re bursting in seams, it has tah be…”
Fluttershy suddenly felt tears spring from her eyes. First Twilight in the library during broad daylight and now Rainbow Dash in the kitchen with all their guests behind the door. He really is no good. He’ll just break my heart. There’s no way a mare like me could ever satisfy a stallion like him. She turned around, tears streaming from her large turquoise eyes.
“What’s wrong Fluttershy,” Rarity spoke out across the room, noticing her friend’s distress.
“N-nothing” she whimpered and slowly trotted through the dining room.
>>
Meanwhile in the kitchen, the pegasus held a large black pot in her hooves. “So why exactly do you keep it all the way on the top shelf?” she asked.
“We hardly ever use it. Only once or twice a year during family reunion. Now, Miss Dash, next ya can take these fancy plates here and place them on display above there,” Macintosh pointed toward a long ornate shelf just below the ceiling.
The filly saluted yet again and started flying around the kitchen, stacking the dishes into appropriate shelves, while the crimson stallion placed the silverware in the drawers underneath the kitchen sink.
>>
“Fluttershy, are you sure you don’t want someone to walk you home. You know it can get pretty dangerous out there.” Rarity pressed yet again, as Caramel nodded behind her.
“You are too kind, really,” she replied, faking a smile as she turned around and opened the door, “but I can take care of myself”
“Macintosh is almost finished in the kitchen. I’m sure he’d love to go,” Caramel offered.
“N-no, I am sure he is quite busy with Rainbow Dash and I would not want to disturb them.” She let out a small squeal and disappeared into the night, her quiet sobs masked by the howling wind.
Rarity looked into the darkness. “This might be just what they need,” she mumbled to herself. “And this…” she said as she approached Caramel, “might be what you need.” The alabaster unicorn’s face approached his, her soft mane brushing against his neck. “Let me get a closer look…”
Caramel stood there, petrified. The cold December wind was rushing past his burning ears. He felt Rarity’s warm breath at the base of his neck. She was so close her long eyelashes brushed against him, leaving faint traces of mascara on his coat. He felt his blood rushing though his veins at an increasingly faster rate. Rarity slowly worked her way up, her eyes half closed, she leaned in and went for his ear. “Ask Rainbow where she got that bow-tie” she whispered.
At that exact moment, Rainbow Dash burst through the still-opened door. “I heard some commotion? Did Fluttershy just…” She stopped in her tracks as she saw her elegant leaning against Caramel. She blinked once… twice… three times.
“Hey Rainbow Dash, is everypony OK?,” a rich husky voice carried itself from the inside.
The pegasus mare just stood there, her legs shaking, unable to move, her tongue petrified.
“Dash?!”
“No... I mean yes, Applejack, they’ve gone home,” she shouted.
Rarity slowly withdrew from the earth pony and looked her friend straight in the eyes, a thin, dark smile playing across her face. What will you do now, Rainbow?