//------------------------------// // Rarity the Go-Getter // Story: The Gemmed Satyr // by The Rarispy //------------------------------// Gerard Gelato, Fancy Pants told me his name was. ‘An old friend from the academy,’ as he called him. He explained to me that he and Gerard started out as roommates during one semester, and Fancy, the noble pony he is, even helped him earn his Cutie Mark.   He also gave me some other information, such as what his special talent and career actually are, as well as his general personality and upbringing, and his feelings towards… ahem, more private matters. Though he also advised me to pretend I didn’t know anything as I met him.   He even arranged a place for us to meet. So at around 4:30 that afternoon, I found myself awaiting my hopeful lover’s arrival at… erm, the ‘L'impertinente Polpette’. To be frank, I sort of regret seeking a translation of that title. Perhaps some mysteries are best left unsolved.   But nonetheless, I quietly and calmly stood in the restaurant foyer, waiting patiently for my suitor, all with the elegance of a perfect lady, not a worry in my head. ‘A serene grace’, Fluttershy would probably call it.   TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP!   “Ohhh, where is he? Why is it taking him so long to appear? Maybe he forgot! Or maybe he decided he doesn’t care!”   Okay, maybe I was a little worried…   “Oh, pull yourself together, Rarity! He can afford to be a few minutes late! You of all ponies should understand about being ‘fashionably late’. So just keep calm. He’s going to show up, and then you and he are going to have a nice, grand old time.   Yes… ohh, but what if we don’t have a good time? What if I mess up? What if he doesn’t like me? Or what if he himself doesn’t prove to be likable? This could end up being the worst, POSSIBLE…”   Ding!   “Excuse me there, but are you the Miss Rarity I was supposed to meet here?”   Okay, Rarity. Composure. Composure. “Why yes, I am,” I replied as I turned around. “You must be Ger… Geh… Gehh…”   The figure that stood before me looked like an angel.   His blonde, neatly-combed mane gleamed in the sunlight. His body was a slightly darker shade of yellow, and an impressive frame at that. His straight tail was a display of master strokes and even more handsome blonde hair. His horn had clearly been filed recently, standing sharp and bold atop his forehead.   But most of all, those eyes. Ooh, those eyes. Those shining, stunning, all-around magnificent mantis green eyes. Such perfection, such male beauty. All captured in a single individual…   “Oh, my stars.”   “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Rarity. My name’s Gerard Gelato, as I’m sure you’re aware.” Even his voice sounded so… so sexy. “Now, shall we find a table?”   “I… Oh, yes! Where are my manners? Come on, let’s go… Gerard.”   I have a good feeling about this one.   “…and that’s the gist of it. Since then, I’ve been keeping a stable job as a food connoisseur. I still specialize mostly in desserts, but with this, I can live a much more balanced and healthier lifestyle… and I still get to eat more!”   We both heartily chuckled. He had spent the past fifteen minutes discussing his life as we both ate some rather exquisite giambotta stew. It was so enthralling just to listen to him speak.   “Yes…" he continued. "Well then, that’s pretty much the best I can sum myself up. So what about you?”   “Huh?”   “Your own interests, family, friends, career… What is Miss Rarity’s life?”   “Oh… Um, oh dear. Where to start…?” Now I started to worry. Fancy Pants had told me so much about Gerard, but how much of me had Fancy told him? “Well… perhaps I should mention that I’m— that is to say, I don’t live in Canterlot and—”   “Oh, don’t worry about all that,” he interrupted. “Fancy Pants already told me about it. Personally, I think it’s quite charming, a fashion designer as classy as anypony else in Canterlot, yet she prefers the comfort of a rural town. And you’ve made a tight circle of friends there, which should say miles about how approachable you must be.”   Such a gentleman!   “Oh, stop it, Gerard! You’re going to make me blush!”   “Good. Because in my personal opinion, you look prettier that way.”   “Ohhh.” I let out a few giggles as I continued. “But yes, I love making dresses and outfits for ponies. I treasure my friends too, and my sister. Are you sure that’s alright though, being such a long way from Canterlot?”   “More than alright, it may be just what I need right now.” He looked down to the table, and I could see the sadness in his eyes. “I’ve had some, well… some rather bad experiences lately, and when my good friend Fancy Pants told me he knew somepony looking for a potential long-distance relationship… right now, it feels like my best option.”   “Oh. …I see.” I was about to ask what happened, but I decided not to pry any further. This is clearly something personal to him, and I’d best not hurt my chances by delving into something private. “Well, that was quite a meal.”   “Yes. Quite nourishing, wasn’t it?” He seemed to stare up at the ceiling for a few minutes, and then he looked at me again with a smile. “Say, Rarity… you didn’t happen to bring a ballroom gown with you, did you?”   “Why do you ask?”   “Because, if it’s all right with you… I’d like to take you out to a dance.”   “A-a dance? Why yes! Of course! I’d love to!”   A dance! That’s a good sign! Bless the stars, this might actually work!   “Okay. Are you ready for this?”   “I think so.”   “Good, because here we go!”   After bracing ourselves, Gerard lifted his hoof up. Taking my cue, I stood up on my hind legs and twirled my body underneath it, as my black dress glided in the air. Spinning around to his right side, I then leaned back as he took a step and leaned forward. A few couples sitting at tables nearby clapped as we finished our dip.   “That was fantastic, Rarity! Where did you learn to dance like that?”   “My mother started teaching me at a young age. She always told me it would be all I needed to impress a stallion.”   “Well, I can certainly say I love a mare who can do the moves. Splendid work.”   We continued to dance into the night. Eventually, it came to a slow song with a relaxing low pitch. I bit my lip and decided to ask about what had been on my mind.   “Gerard?”   “Hmm?”   “Can I… ask you something?”   “What is it?”   “Well, you mentioned that you were interested in a long-distance relationship because of some bad experiences…” His smile immediately faltered. “What happened?”   He exhausted another sigh, and cut off the dance. And he wouldn’t look back up at me. “I-I’m sorry. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”   “No… Fancy Pants told me about what happened between you and Prince Blueblood, and it wouldn’t be fair for a relationship if I wasn’t open about my own love life.” He stayed silent for a few moments. “Here, let’s sit down.”   “Well… it all started with my first girlfriend. Her name was Chell Copper.” He sniffled up a little. I levitated over a box of tissues, afraid this was going to get emotional… perhaps for the both of us. “She was the first one I ever loved.”   He fished into his saddlebag and pulled out a photo, which he then showed me. It must have been from a few years ago, because Gerard looked a little younger. But he was smiling, and so was the mare next to him.   She had shining golden hair, a light yellow coat, sharp purple eyes, and a warm, friendly smile. It was strange, but she almost looked somewhat familiar. I couldn’t help but feel that I had seen her somewhere before, even though I’m fairly certain I haven’t.   “We met at a Giving Thanks Day banquet a long while back. We fell in love then, but I soon found out she lived all the way out in Hayfield. We agreed to a long-distance relationship, and kept in touch via letters, like pen pals. And we would schedule an occasional meet-up, to see each other for real once more.”   “Were you happy?”   “Oh, yes. Our letters were very passionate, and I always looked forward to meeting her again every few months or so. It was the happiest I had ever been. Until…”   Then, he stopped, and closed his eyes.   “Until… what?”   He opened them again. This time, they were gleaming. He was about to shed tears.   “One day, perhaps a year or two ago, I received a letter. But right away, the hoofwriting was different. It was from her mother. She had written a letter to inform me, that—” He clenched his teeth and squinted his eyes again. He was really fighting back tears. “—that Chell had passed away, from radiation poisoning.”   “Oh… my.” I knew this story was heading towards a grim ending, but… I was expecting a breakup or something. I didn’t know she died. I guess that means I really haven’t ever seen her around. “Gerard, I— I had no idea. I’m sorry.”   “It’s alright.” He levitated a tissue towards himself and wiped his eyes as he continued. “It took me a year to get over her loss. After that, I tried to get back into the dating scene, this time with mares that lived a little closer. But… it wasn’t there. The passion. The thrills of waiting anxiously for the next letter. The excitement of seeing each other again every once in a while.”   “I see what you mean now,” I said, softly. “You were so happy being in a pen-pal relationship that an up-close one was too hard to get accustomed to again.”   “Indeed. That about sums it all up.”   We sat like this for a few minutes. Gerard had stopped tearing up, but still there was silence.   “Gerard…”   “We should get back to the floor.”   “I— Okay.”   The rest of the night went rather smoothly. Once we had settled back in, we were ripe and dancing once more. We carried on for perhaps an hour and a half before finally deciding to call it a day.   After a very quiet and peaceful night stroll through the park, during which we encountered plenty of gorgeous fireflies, Gerard and I finally arrived back at my hotel.   “Thank you so much, Gerard. I had a lovely time.”   “And I as well. Thank you Rarity, for a very pleasurable experience.”   He flashed a warm smile at me. That seemed all the assurance in the world, but… I still wanted to make sure.   “So…?”   “Hmm?”   “Have you thought about whether you’d like to continue with these dates, and be my special somepony?”   “Ahh, yes. I did think long and hard about that on the way home. And I’ve made up my mind.”   “And?”   “I’m… afraid I have to say no.”   My eyes widened. I couldn’t believe it. I thought for sure he was going to say yes.   I don’t understand… He seemed like he was having so much fun…   “But why?”   “Oh, please try to understand me, Rarity. It’s not because of you. I had a wonderful time today, and I haven’t felt so happy in a very long time. No… to be very truthfully honest with you, I don’t think I really am ready to start a new relationship yet. I still, haven’t gotten over… Well, you know.”   “Chell’s death?”   “Yes. It’s funny, actually. While we were dancing, I began to realize— I realized just how much you remind me of her, and how much I still miss her. ...Do you understand?”   “Yes… I think I do. It’s never easy to lose somepony. My grandmother passed when I was just a foal. It happened so long ago and yet— and yet I still miss her from time to time.” Now I was fighting back my own tears. “If that’s how you feel, I’m not going to force you into anything.”   “Thank you, Rarity.” He held his hooves out, and I joined him in a tender embrace. “Thank you so much… for everything.”   “I truly am sorry Rarity, that it didn’t quite work out the way you wanted it to. I never knew that sort of thing happened to Gerard. In all the years I’ve known him…”   “Well, I can see why he wanted to keep it private,” I confessed.   Fancy Pants and I were both walking to the edge of Canterlot, towards the train station. Since I had packed fairly light, I was able to carry all of my possessions in my saddlebag, rather than have a generous bellhop carry my stuff for me like I normally do.   “Forgive me for asking Rarity, but… what will you do now, once you’ve settled back home in Ponyville?”   “Oh. I’m not sure. I—”   “ATTENTION! ALL ABOARD!”   I looked up at the voice who said that… and was met by a gorgeous, ooh handsome looking stallion. He had a magnificent orange mane, and really dreamy blue eyes. Oh, so majestic, he even makes that tacky train conductor’s uniform look like the fashion choice of the year.   “Oh… I think I’m going to be just fine…”   The train whistled in front of us.   “Train’s leaving now. I’d better go.”   “Well, it was a pleasure to see you again, Miss Rarity. Feel free to come by Canterlot again some time again, I’ll always make time to see a friend.”   “And you too, Fancy Pa— Wait!”   “What is it?”   I ran back over to him. I had just remembered something.   “What about you?”   “Me?”   “Yes. You’re all alone, and single now. What are you going to do?”   He sighed, and looked up to the sky with a grin on his face. “Oh… don’t worry about me. I know I’ll find somepony. It might be hard, but I can do it. As the old saying goes, there’s plenty of fish in the sea.”   “Isn’t that ever the truth.”   “All aboard, m’am.”   “Oh… thank you, kind sir,” I replied, batting my eyelashes. I caught him blushing out of the corner of my eye. How delightful!   Once I found my seat, I opened the window and waved goodbye to Fancy Pants.   “Ta-ta, Fancy Pants!”   “So long, Rarity!” "Finally, I thought she'd never leave... He is a fool for still pining after m— I mean, her. Now, there's nothing standing in my way. Fancy Pants will become... mine."   ‘Disappointment haunted all my dreams’, as the song goes…   “I’m so sorry, lady. It’s just… you’re really not my type.”   “It’s… alright. I suppose it was worth a shot, anyhow. Be seeing you.”   Now I’ve gotten off the platform. Feels good to be home, I suppose. However, I’m not feeling any excitement. No, as it would happen, there’s only one thing on my mind right now.   Uncertainty.   Where am I going to go from here? So far, my hunt for the perfect stallion has turned up short to nothing, and I’m all out of ideas. It seems picking out one stallion, and then going out on one long date, isn’t working out as well as it should be.   I need to try something new. But what?   Hmm… picking out only one stallion… and just one long date…   Wait… of course.   That’s it! It’s perfect!   Oh, but hang on a minute. There’s still one problem. I would need someone to handle the—   Ooh! Speak of the devil! There’s Spike now, walking across town with a box of chocolates!   “Oh, Spike! Yoo-hoo!”   “Huh? Oh, hey, Rarity! What’s shaking?”   “Could you be a dear and pass a message on to Twilight for me?”   “Well… sure. I wasn’t quite heading back to the library right now, but yeah, I can stop there really quick. What is it?”   “Ask Twilight if she can meet me at the Chez le Pâtes Fantaisie tomorrow at… well, let’s say around two o’clock. …Oh, and tell her to bring a stopwatch!”   “Right… okay, got it.”   “Oh, thank you, my little Spikey Wikey. Now, I’d better get started hanging up some flyers around here. See you later!”   “Bye, Rarity!”   Ahh, off he goes. Just look at him, that cute little baby dragon with his big box of chocolates and th—   Wait a minute. Box of chocolates?   “Hey, Spike!”   “Yeah?”   “Those chocolates wouldn’t happen to have any nuts in them, would they?”   “I’m not sure. Why?”   “Well, she’s allergic to peanuts. Just thought you should know.”