//------------------------------// // Knock, Knock // Story: The Gemmed Satyr // by The Rarispy //------------------------------// This is odd… it’s been several hours, and absolutely no clients. I don’t think I’ve seen business this slow since the “formal nudity” years.   Those were dark times…   Hmm. I wonder if something’s happened that I’m just in the dark about. I’ve been sulking away for so long; I suppose it’s very plausible some big newsworthy event could be taking place I’m unaware of.   Well, at the very least, it gives me time to think about my situation; how I still haven’t found the stallion of my dreams yet, and how I still don’t have any more ideas regarding that venture.   Though, I haven’t actually been focus on anything since Fluttershy pulled that strange prank on me earlier…   I still don’t get it. Fluttershy doesn’t seem like the type that would just joke around with one’s sexuality like that, much less to me, her best friend. I can’t help but feel there’s something deeper there that I’m just not seeing. I wish I knew what it was.   I feel bad for yelling at her so much. I think this whole stallion-searching dilemma has left my stress levels on edge… and my temper. Perhaps I need to schedule a spa date.   Yes… and maybe I can invite Fluttershy and formally apologize for my outburst while we’re there. Of course, I’d still like a further apology from her, as well as an explanation.   Come to think of it, I should probably try to track down that other mare I yelled at back at the Chez le Pâtes Fantaisie, even if I still think what she did was even ruder and more unjustifiable.   Wait, I think I hear somepony coming now…   “I know, right? I never even told him that I was allergic to nuts! It’s like he just knows.”   Oh, it’s Sweetie Belle. Hmm, and she’s walking with her friends too. Mm, it’s a good thing she came home. I just realized something else that I need to confront my little sister about.   “Bye, Apple Bloom! Bye, Scootaloo!”   “See ya, lucky filly!” I heard Scootaloo call. I sure hope she just meant that as a childish expression, and Sweetie hasn’t actually gotten “lucky”. I’ll have to talk to her about that just to make sure. In fact, now might be an excellent time to have a sit-down and discuss the birds and the bees…   “Oh. Hey, sis.”   Well, that’s weird. She sounds… and looks more grim than when I saw her talking to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo a couple of seconds ago.   “Hello, Sweetums. How was your… day?”   What is that filly doing? She’s walking right past me!   “Oh… it was fine, I guess. See ya.”   “Hang on a second, Sweetie Belle! Get back down here this instant!”   With a long sigh, she turned around and came over to me. I wonder what’s biting her all of a sudden.   “There was something I wanted to ask you, little missy.”   “What’s that?”   “I was just thinking about yesterday, and how you asked me all those questions; what my opinion is of mare-amorers, and whether I’d date a mare who was one of my closest friends…”   “And?”   “And, you wouldn’t happen to have had anything to do with the little stunt Fluttershy pulled, did you?” “Oh yeah, I heard about that.” She heard about that? From whom? “Hey, why did you let down Fluttershy really hard like that? That was kinda mean, wasn’t it?”   “Let her down? What do you mean, ‘let her down’? Was I supposed to laugh at the end of it or something?”   She really isn’t making any sense here.   “Laugh? Well, no. But you could’ve at least told her tha—”   “Sweetie Belle, answer the question!” I’m getting tired of her trying to dodge the point. “Did you have anything to do with it, yes or no?”   She’s hesitating to answer, but I can see the guilty look on her face.   “Yes. Yes, I did. She talked to me about it, and I helped her out by telling her what you said about that stuff and gave her some ideas. Is there a problem with that, sis?”   “Sweetie Belle, I don’t believe you! How dare you assist Fluttershy in something like that! I knew all this talk of mare-amorers and stallion-swingers was too mature for your age!”   “Well, I was just trying to help…” she said, clearly trying to play the innocence card with her expression.   “Trying to help WHAT? Don’t you realize that all you’ve helped to do is making everything worse? I haven’t been able to think straight since that silly thing happened, and it’s starting to affect my business!”   “That’s not the only thing that’s affecting your business…”   “What was that?”   “Nothing.”   “Alright Sweetie Belle, that’s it.” I can’t believe I’m about to do this… “You’ve grounded, little missy.”   “What!? Grounded! B-But you can’t ground me!”   “Oh, yes I can! You live in my house now, thus I have to be just as responsible as mom and dad, and that means you’re grounded. You can’t leave home except for school for the next three days, and for the next whole week, you can forget about going over to see Spike.”   How could she say those things to me?   “HOW DARE YOU!”   “That was absolutely disgusting and revolting what you just did, Fluttershy!”   “After that shameful display, all you have to say for yourself is sorry?”   “HOW COULD YOU!”   This wasn’t supposed to happen.   I just wanted to let her know how I feel about her. It’s what I’ve wanted to do for the past three and a half years I’ve known Rarity…   That was a mistake. I should’ve never told her. I was better off being in the dark, and hoping that we had a chance.   Well, now I’m going to stay in the dark forever. The darkness and loneliness of my own cottage. And I’m never coming out again… figuratively and literally.   -KNOCK- - KNOCK-   “Go away!”   “Fluttershy, it’s us! Won’t you please come out and talk to us?”   “No! I’m never coming out again, Twilight! She probably hates me forever!”   “Rarity doesn’t hate you, Fluttershy. She just… got sort of… really mad at you, that’s all.”   “Spike…”   “I’m still not coming out!”   “But hon, nothin’s gonna get better if ya just sit and whine inside that dang cottage for the rest of yer life!”   “I already told you, I’m not coming out! Just go away!”   “Please please please, Fluttershy? Twilight and I just want to make you smile again!”   “…Ah’m here too, Sugarcube.”   “I SAID NO!”   Silence.   Did they leave already?   “…Come on guys, let’s just go.”   “Awwwwww!”   They must’ve left by now.   Ohh, I hate to be so mean to my friends, but… I just can’t talk to anypony right now. I don’t know who to trust anymore. Rarity used to my closest friend, and the one I looked up to the most apart from Rainbow.   But now the mare I thought I knew and loved is nothing but a complete stranger.   What good is love anyway? It hasn’t gotten me very far, just a whole life filled with blind caring and doomed hopes.   Well, I’m never going to fall for it again.   Who needs love?   Okay, this is genuinely concerning. Now an entire day has passed by.   And not… One. Single. Client.   Seriously, where is everypony? Is there just a complete lack of interest in dresses and fine clothing all of a sudden?   Oh, no. I don’t offend, do I? Is this new perfume really driving everypony away from me? Well, whatever’s happening, things had better look up soon, or I might need to start finding another way to make profits.   ...   Darn it all! Why can’t I stop thinking about Fluttershy? It’s almost as if there’s something really huge I’m missing and I just can’t figure out what it is!   -KNOCK- -KNOCK-   Hmm? Could it be? A customer, finally? A little late in the day, but any business is good business!   “Hello! Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and magni— R-RAINBOW DASH!?”   “You’ve got some explaining to do, Rarity!”