Chapter Four
The Saturday of the shopping trip approached rapidly. I’d spent the week complaining about the amount of homework I had to get done, but Rarity had found time to draw extensive concept artwork and measure my (slightly thinner) self so she could fit the dress properly.
“Make sure it’s not too tight fitting. I want to hide my excess weight,” I complained, but Rarity just ignored me.
Our diet had been going well and I hadn’t touched any snacks, despite feeling hungry almost all of the time. Miri had found it harder, but every time she’d looked weak I’d been able to stop her.
A problem arose on Saturday morning though. Fly had ended up getting totally drenched during a physical education session in the rain; she was terrible at catching the ball and the teacher refused to let her go inside until she improved. So on Saturday morning, Fly was sneezing and blowing her nose every fifteen seconds.
“I can’t really go anywhere today...” Fly said, sounding as bad as she looked.
“I’ll get the nurse,” Miri said, displeased to have been disturbed but concerned about Fly’s wellbeing. Within minutes, Fly had been moved down to the medical ward so she could recover without infecting everypony else.
“Are you sure you still want to go? There’s always next weekend?” I asked Rarity as she pulled on some boots.
“I need at least two weeks to prepare everything,” she said. “It doesn’t matter, we can not go if you don’t want to?” She looked at me, blinking a little.
“No, I don’t mind going, I just thought you might need Fly there.”
“Oh no, I have her measurements and everything. I can get everything I need without her, the poor dear.”
The weather was frosty and the cold was biting, so we made sure we were bundled up before going anywhere. Since we were getting the all-day ticket, we went for a slightly longer walk to the nearest tube station to the school, which would take us directly into the heart of Maneminster.
“So where first?” Rarity asked as we found two adjacent seats on the near-deserted train.
“We’d better sightsee first. Then we’re not carrying bags around.”
“Good plan.”
I pointed out the stop we needed, which was Ponyloo. She nodded and counted the number of stops.
“We can walk up past the river from Ponyloo and take in all of the sights, before getting lunch in Griffontown.”
“Is there where all of those lovely shops are that sell exotic food?” Rarity asked, excited. “I’ve always wanted to try them.”
“Yes, it is. Then after that we get the tube to the shopping markets, then we can see how much time is left.”
“I only need to go to Coltven Garden and Oxmare Street.”
“Coltven Garden might get busy later on... better go there straight after lunch.”
Rarity counted off all of the stops whilst I stared at the floor. All of the advertising posters whizzing past in the stations made me sick.
I felt much better when we emerged from Ponyloo. “Okay so remember we need to get to Trottenham Court to get back,” I told Rarity.
“Of course. Oh my, this is lovely! I don’t think I’ve ever been south of the river,” Rarity said, excited. She stamped her hooves a little, making a kind of excited happiness noise that only she seemed to be able to make.
I led the way towards the river so we could cross. As we stepped onto it, Rarity gasped.
“Oh my! Look!” she pointed her hoof towards the Palace of Maneminster, which was illuminated by the weak winter sunlight. The brown and murky grey river carried on straight past. I smiled as continued walking so as not to hold anypony up. I’d seen everything before, of course, but it was always nice to sit back and sightsee occasionally.
“You get much closer on the other side of the bridge,” I told my friend, laughing a little as she stepped up her pace.
Once safely across, we headed through Princessment Square and on towards Trafalicorn Square on the other side. Rarity gawped at the famous clock tower of the Palace of Maneminster. It was nice to see her having such a good time looking at everything.
“What’s that they’re building over there?” she asked, pointing towards a construction site on the other side of the river.
“Some kind of giant wheel, I think. It’s been delayed so many times I don’t know if they’ll ever finish it.”
I would have preferred to walk along the riverside where the air was a bit cleaner, but most of the attractions were in the city.
“Which way next?” Rarity asked, finally tiring of the clock tower.
We stopped next to the statue of Britannia, the pony who had helped unite the country many years ago, and worked out a route. Then we headed for Buckingham Palace, passing by Westmanester Abbey where the Princesses had been crowned as rulers of the country. Rarity squee-d a lot when I told her that. She got far more excited at Buckingham Palace though, running around like a foal at the thought of royalty actually being inside that building.
We worked our way towards Griffontown, passing through the famous Trafalicorn Square with the fountains, although it was a bit cold on this particular day. We didn’t progress very quickly because Rarity had questions about nearly everything, only about half of which I could answer. Once we were near Griffontown, we just followed the spicy and delicious smells, passing by hundreds of small carts selling everything from classic Maneminster dishes to vegetables I’d never even seen before. There were Griffons everywhere, from the rooftops to the street, and I just hoped we could find out way out again.
“What do you want to eat?” I asked Rarity as we passed another of the giant theatres in the district.
“I’d like to try something new...” she replied, eyeing a stall labelled in Griffon script.
“Shall we try this one?” I suggested, pulling some bits out of my bag and scanning the food to see what was available.
Rarity took forever to decide what she wanted. I had a vegetable salad with a spicy sauce (which was delicious) and Rarity eventually settled on a hay-salad. We ended up sitting on a wall near the overground railway, overlooking some of Griffontown.
I tucked into my food whilst Rarity talked about school.
“So, I think you can improve in history. When we have mocks in March, you’ll be in trouble if you don’t pass,” she explained, looking at me. I didn’t really want to think about it. “I don’t mind helping you.”
“Thanks, but I think I might fail,” I said, shrugging. “But I’ve got three other subjects to focus on.”
“Don’t think like that! I know you can pass if you put your mind to it,” she said, trying to sound convincing but not really achieving it. “Anyway, what do you want to do... in the future?”
Buckingham offered A-Levels because they were the easiest way into a university. I needed to study music so I could make a living out of playing the piano. Otherwise I’d have to take a job in a shop or something, which didn’t sound very appealing.
“I suppose I want to study music,” I eventually said. It struck me that Rarity might not want to go to a university and so we might be apart, which made me feel a little sad. “What about you?” As much as I dreaded the idea of not seeing her for years, I couldn’t not know.
“Probably open a boutique in Ponyville. There’s a really good opportunity coming up to buy the building soon, and it’ll mean I’m close to my family.” The look in her eyes had excitement, but also some sadness which I attributed to her not being with her friends from school. “Of course, I need to showcase my glamorous designs. It’s simply a crime for them to go unnoticed.”
An urge to beg Rarity not to go welled up inside me, but I fought it down by changing the subject. “So, what are you getting for Fly’s outfit?”
That did the trick and Rarity began talking about how Fly was difficult to choose colours for but she’d found a cute ensemble that matched her mane. I didn’t understand most of it, but it meant I could finish my dinner and try to keep my mind off the future.
Once we were finished, we made our way over to Coltven Market, ignoring tempting-looking boutiques containing the finest dresses Maneminster had to offer.
“I have a list, so don’t worry,” Rarity reassured me, heading for the indoor market stalls. “I need to get some fabric but you’ll probably get bored, so just go and look around if you like.”
“Oh no,” I protested. “I’ll go with you. I want a preview of my dress.”
Rarity smiled happily. “Okay, well, you can make sure I don’t spend too much.”
I was useless when it came to the process of haggling and buying. I just hung back and held whatever Rarity asked me to hold. She was in her element though, practically glowing as she negotiated criminal bargains from the sellers. If I’d had more money I would have asked her to get me something super-cheap. There were all kinds of nice ornaments that I had my eye on, but I needed to save my bits. It amazed her how Rarity was so generous, spending a few bits here and there to make her the perfect dress, for nothing in return. She was definitely a special pony.
Weighed down with bags of fabric (which I found was surprisingly heavy), we headed for the tube station.
“I’m glad I managed to get everything I needed, something they’re sold out,” Rarity said, trotting along beside me. “A quick stop on Oxmare Street and we can go home.”
“It’s starting to turn cold,” I noted as we rounded the corner towards the station. “I’ll be glad to get back in the warm.”
Our all-day tickets whirred through the barriers and we stepped onto the waiting train, heading through the underground system to the Oxmare Street station. Rarity was staring at the map, counting off the stops when the train pulled out of the station, but we had only been in the tunnel for about a minute when the train brakes squealed terribly and all of the lights went off.
“What’s going on?” Rarity asked, her voice coming through the pitch-darkness from beside me. I felt her hooves wrap around my leg, so I leant a bit closer.
“I don’t know...”
Murmurs were erupting around the carriage as the emergency lighting came on. It barely lit the carriage, but it did enough to show that we weren’t moving and that everyone looked scared. Some loudspeakers crackled into life above us.
“I regret to inform passengers that there has been some kind of power failure, so the train can’t move until power is restored. The emergency lighting has been switched on but will only last ten minutes. After that period we will begin evacuation prodecures. Thank you.”
The idea of evacuating didn’t do much for my nerves. Rarity’s eyes were wide, glancing around the carriage and squeezing her hooves more tightly.
“It’s probably a minor thing,” I said, trying to reassure her. “We’ll be on the move again in a minute.”
“Has this happened to you before?” she asked quietly.
I shook my head. “But it’ll be fine. Trust me.”
She nodded and moved a little closer. Somepony was shutting the ventilation to stop it getting cold, which cut off a nasty draught that had developed near the doors.
Just as the ten minutes of lighting was about to expire, the driver’s voice crackled through the carriage again.
“We’re awaiting some rescuers who are in the tunnel now and on their way. As such, I would like to ask all passengers to simply be patient and wait in the carriages until they arrive. Thank you for your co-operation.”
No sooner had he said it, the lights switched off and returned the carriage to darkness. We could see some torchlight in other carriages, but nopony seemed to have it in ours.
“Well, at least it’ll make a good story for Fly and Miri,” I said to Rarity. “Fly will be glad she didn’t come with us.”
“That’s true.” Rarity sounded fine but I could tell she wasn’t.
“Are you claustrophobic?” I whispered to her, moving my head so it was close to her ear (or at least where I hoped her ear was).
“No... I just don’t like being stuck here.”
It struck me that this was Fly’s worst nightmare, being stuck in the dark, and I had a wave of relief that she wasn’t with us.
“It’s okay Rarity. We’ll be out of here soon,” I tried telling her, but she didn’t reply. “You just need to keep your mind off things.”
“Yes. I should think about fashion, that usually helps.” She sounded unconvinced.
“Well, you can tell me about the spring fashions. I’ll be useless as usual and probably buy everything wrong.”
“Oh no darling, spring is easy! You can’t go wrong. Autumn now, that’s another matter. There’s a reason for the autumn sales, it’s because they’re trying to get rid of all the unfashionable stock.”
“So don’t buy in the autumn sales?”
“Oh no no no Cat, you should, but only buy things that are neutral. Anything too bold will just look tacky.”
I giggled. “I’ll try to remember that.”
“Once I’ve opened my boutique I’ll be able to finally educate some ponies about fashion. I mean, you and Fly and Miri are okay, but you’re slow learners.”
I heard her laugh and affected a pout, but she couldn’t see it. “How nice of you to say so.”
“It’s okay, you’re getting there with my guidance. Miri not so much, but then she does insist on dyeing her mane that awful colour. If she let it grow out she could wear so many different colours.”
Miri had been dyeing her mane since our first or second year at Buckingham. Before it had been a kind of pale green which I thought was nice, but she hated it and religiously kept it red.
“At least it’s nicer than my mane,” I complained. “Black is just... useless.”
“Black never goes out of fashion, darling. And it goes with practically everything, except yellow of course. Unless the bee look is the one you were going for,” she giggled. “I admit though, it would be nicer if it would hold some volume.”
“It’s so horrible. And none of the sprays ever seem to work.”
“Oh, some probably will, but I expect they’d be expensive. If I ever get one, I’ll let you try it.”
I smiled at her, not that she realised. “Thanks.”
“Okay, so this train is starting to freak me out,” Rarity suddenly said. “It’s too dark. I can’t even see my hooves.”
“Now, just close your eyes. Then it’s no different to going to sleep,” I tried.
“But I can’t sleep without my eyemask. It’s scary.”
Her voice pained me to hear. She’d gone from her normal, confident self to a pony who I knew was really frightened. “Well, the other ponies will be here soon, and we’ll be able to see everything and go to the station and get back to Buckingham.”
“I don’t like being here.” I could feel her hooves quivering. I put my hoof around her, pulling her into a kind of awkward half-hug. She moved her hooves from my leg, and shifted but I couldn’t tell where to.
“It’ll be okay.” I held her tight and tried not to think about her shaking or the darkness pressing in on me. I closed my eyes and felt a little better.
“Cat?”
“Yes?”
“Can I ask you something?” Her voice was shaking very gently.
“Of course.”
“Why do we always leave the curtains open in the dorm?”
“Huh?” I wasn’t really sure why she was asking. Everypony opened the curtains during the day.
“I mean at night. You’re always the one who shuts them but you never shut them completely. You were doing it before I got to Buckingham, but I’ve never thought about it until now.”
The real reason was of course, Fly’s deepest secret. She’d made me promise never to tell anypony about it, but now Rarity was asking me. I couldn’t think of any plausible lies.
“It’s a secret,” I said as quietly as possible. “I can’t tell you.”
“Oh. Okay.” It was impossible to tell if she felt left out or understanding.
Suddenly the emergency lights blinked back on, illuminating the carriage. It took a second for me to adjust to the new light, but when I did I realised with a jolt that Rarity had unknowingly shifted so that her muzzle was inches from mine. We looked into each other’s eyes for a moment, feeling like startled rabbits, before springing apart suddenly. My face grew hot and I knew it was going red, and her cheeks were doing the same.
“Uh... at least the lights are back,” she said, sounding as embarrassed as I felt.
We didn’t say anything else until some burly-looking maintenance ponies in hard hats appeared and helped us all down from the carriage. It was a ten minute walk through the tunnel to the station.
“Excuse me sir, but is the power back on?” Rarity politely asked the pony who helped her climb down from the carriage to the track.
“No. We’re running this train on some batteries at the moment. All the power is out across Maneminster, I’m afraid.”
The station was dark so I couldn’t read the name, but we followed the emergency lighting to the exit, climbing our way up a long stationary escalator. It was a surreal experience, like being underwater or something.
The road outside was deserted and dark, since there was no street lighting and none of the office buildings had lights on.
“We should try and get a taxi...” Rarity suggested, looking around in vain for one.
“It might be difficult, since none of the traffic lights will be working. It’ll probably be gridlocked,” I told her. “We might have to hoof it towards the outskirts and try and find somewhere with the traffic still moving.”
We picked a direction and walked. I spotted a policepony on a street corner, and tapped his shoulder.
“Excuse me, do any of the districts of Maneminster have power?” I asked. If any did, we could try getting a taxi from there.”
“Not as far as I’m aware. Maybe the far north does,” he replied. “You’re best off heading east though, the traffic flows a bit better there.”
“Thank you so much,” I replied as he pointed us in the right direction.
We passed streets of gridlocked carts, some of which had been abandoned by their owners. Most ponies seemed to be going in our direction, which made navigating easier at least.
“I’m glad I’m here with you, Cat. If I was by myself I think I would just panic,” Rarity said, smiling. “Probably would still be searching for a taxi.”
We found an operating taxi rank but the queue stretched around the corner, as many as a hundred ponies. When a driver did turn up, he told everyone that he could only do some particular locations since the traffic was so bad, and it would take hours. We kept moving.
My hooves started to ache when the street signs told us we were out of central Maneminster and heading for the east part of the city. I knew the river went on a bend here, so we headed for it.
“But why do we need to find the river?” Rarity asked as I peered down a dark alleyway.
“The river heads out to sea in the east. If we follow it we’ll be heading roughly east.”
“Which direction is Buckingham?”
“It’s north of Maneminster, so it’ll be quite a long way back. But if the traffic is solid going north, we might have to walk all of the way back.”
Rarity didn’t seem enthusiastic about this idea. “The river it is.”
The river was strangely beautiful. The winter sun had well and truly set, and the crescent moon was reflecting off the rippled surface, making it look like a ribbon of silver in the darkness.
“Wow. I wish I could take a picture of this,” my friend said. “It’s amazing.”
“It’s a sign. We should follow it.” I said, laughing a little. “We can’t go wrong, and even if we do, it’s worth it just to look at.”
We managed to skip the bend in the river, and so we made our way out of the recognisable areas of Maneminster and ended up in residential areas, just sticking to the riverside.
“I’m cold,” Rarity said, pulling her scarf around her neck. “I wish we could just find some traffic that was moving, not like this lot.”
“Me too. Can you keep walking?”
“For a while. This has totally ruined my hooficure.”
Mercy came in the form of an elderly stallion, pulling a cart along the pavement and ignoring disgruntled pedestrians.
“Excuse me sir, do you know if the traffic is moving up ahead?” I asked him, since he seemed to know where he was going.”
“Oh my! You’re a little young to be wandering around here at night,” he said, peering at us. “The traffic is solid right up to the city outskirts, I’m afraid.”
“Oh no,” Rarity said, sinking down and sitting on the pavement.
“No taxis running?” I asked.
“Not one.”
“Oh well. Thank you sir.” I turned around and went to sit down next to Rarity, but the old stallion just kept looking at us.
“You know, you two are the same age as my granddaughter, I reckon. I’ll give you a ride.”
“Really?” I smiled at him. “That would be great.”
“Hop in. I might be a little slow but some of my unicorn magic should do the trick.” Rarity practically galloped over to the cart and jumped in.
“Where to, ladies?” he said, beginning to move forwards at a snail’s pace. His horn glowed green and suddenly the cart sped up a little.
“Do you know Buckingham?” I asked.
“Of course. Bit of a long way from here though.”
“You can just drop us wherever’s nearest.”
“Oh, no no.” He looked at me, and I realised he wasn’t actually pulling the cart. It was moving by magic. “I don’t like the thought of you two wandering the streets. I’ll take you right there.”
“That’s very kind of you.”
Rarity was enthralled by the river as we passed it, turning north and towards home.
“You’ll never see it like that again,” the old stallion said. “No power with such a moon. Once in a lifetime view, this is.”
“Have you seen it like this before?” Rarity asked, her eyes not moving from the ribbon of silver.
“Yes, I’ve seen the silver river before, but it wasn’t beautiful then.”
“Hmm?” I wondered how the river could possibly not be beautiful when it looked like this.
“Not beautiful?” Rarity asked as the river disappeared from view. The old stallion hadn’t given it more than a second glance. “Whatever do you mean?”
“Last time I saw the river like that, it was during the blackout. In a few hours, I’d be hiding in a metal shelter and listening to griffon bombs raining down on Maneminster. I wouldn’t ever go back to that, and so I don’t care for the silver river,” he said in a sombre voice. “A murky grey suits me just fine.”
Rarity and I were a little humbled by this.
“That must have been frightening,” Rarity said quietly, her experience in the tunnel earlier coming into perspective.
“It was, I don’t mind telling you. I have never been so scared before or since,” he said honestly, glancing at us. “The moonlit nights were the worst. I still can’t go out in them without shivering.”
He guessed that his speech might have darkened the atmosphere a little, so he changed the subject and asked us about our school. He said his granddaughter was also a schoolpony, but she lived somewhere far away.
“Buckingham is nice, isn’t it Cat?” Rarity told him, nudging me. “Of course, I used to live in Equestia, so I’ve only been here the past few years.”
The stallion grunted acknowledgement, like Rarity had just solved an annoying puzzle.
“I hope the power is back on though. We were trapped in an underground train when it went off,” I told him.
“Doesn’t sound very pleasant. Anyway, what were you two doing out in Maneminster?”
Rarity filled him in on the detailed, and he snickered.
“Oh, a shopping trip? When I saw that it was just the two of you, I originally thought you might have been on a date.”
I blushed furiously. “Oh no, nothing like that.”
“I see that now. I thought you ponies were always in gaggles, four or five at a time. Just idle speculation.”
I looked at Rarity, who looked away as soon as our eyes met. I could just make out the tinge in her cheeks. The stallion chuckled when he looked back at us.
“For two ponies who aren’t on a date, you two do act like you are.”
Rarity fell asleep as we skirted around the north side of Maneminster. I took the opportunity to look over the quiet and dark city, or at least I pretended to. There wasn’t much to see except occasional glimpses of the river. Really I was thinking about what the old stallion had said. I mean, Rarity and I were just friends. But would ‘just friends’ go out together, just the two of us, and have such a wonderful day? I hadn’t had that much fun on a day out for... well I couldn’t remember the last time.
And then of course there was the thing on the tube. Her muzzle had been so close to mine, surely she had to realise? Was she blushing because it was a mistake or because I looked surprised? I couldn’t decide. And we’d shared that ice cream. I thought that was just an innocent way of sharing the cost, but I’d smelt Rarity’s breath. Maybe she was trying to tell me something and I was being too blind to pick up on it? I didn’t even know if I felt the same way about her.
“Bit for your thoughts?” the old stallion said as we trundled through a quiet park. “This place is a bit eerie and I’d rather hear something other than phantoms and shadows.”
I shrugged. “Nothing really. Just admiring the city.”
The stallion humphed, as if he knew I was lying. “Nice place, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Make a change from the countryside, where my parents live.”
Another humph. “You know, your friend is asleep. You don’t have to keep anything from me.”
I didn’t reply.
“In an hour or so you’ll be back at school and I’ll never see you again. Plus it’s better to get your secrets out in the open sometimes,” he said, without looking at me. “Stops them becoming too much to bear.”
Shifting so I was sitting up at the front of the cart, I watched his magic make the wheels go round and round. He smiled warmly and I instantly felt much better.
“So, what’s eating you? Something at school?”
“I suppose so.”
“Is it bullies?”
I paused. “No, it’s not bullies. What made you think that?”
“A hunch. Sorry. Do continue.”
It took me a few moments to gather my courage, and a few more to check Rarity was really asleep.
“It’s about Rarity.”
“Ohhhh.” His knowing look made me squirm. He’d seen straight through me. “Sorry cupcake. When you’re as old and wisened as me, you’ll be able to do exactly the same. Now tell me what it is about Rarity that’s worrying you?”
As I formulated the next sentence in my head, it occurred to me that if he already knew, I didn’t need to tell him. My secret was out, so to speak. But I still wanted to talk about it. And since when did it become a secret?
“After what you said... I’m not sure about my feelings for her. Or her feelings for me.”
He laughed, but I could only smile. His laugh was infectious. “One thing I’ve never been able to work out is how mares are feeling.”
“I’m just not sure what to say to her. Or how to act around her.” I chewed my lip nervously.
The stallion just carried on walking. “I think that as long as you act like yourself, then whatever will happen, will happen.” He fell silent and left me wondering what in Britannia he’d meant.
“But-”
He interrupted. “This is something you need to think about more carefully. Affairs of the heart are the most painful, and an old fool like me is nopony to be putting your faith into. Don’t ask me for advice, but maybe I can be a good listener.”
And that’s how I found myself pouring out every private thought I’d had about Rarity into the ears of a total stranger. I told him about the ice cream, and about the dresses, and about how generous she was. He didn’t reply and just let me continue, only letting me know he was taking in every word with occasional nods of his head. So I told him about our near muzzle-bump on the tube and how she'd once walked in on me in the shower. And about how I wasn’t sure whether today had been a date or just friends out shopping and whether if thinking it might be a date made me a terrible friend.
He kept on listening.
I slumped down in the back of the cart, watching signs for Buckingham going past. Rarity was still asleep, her soft white coat rising and falling rhythmically, puffs of condensation coming from her mouth like the dragons in the stories. Her long lashes lay still and I wondered what she was dreaming about. She certainly didn't look as troubled as I felt.
A rogue impulse told me to kiss her. Kiss her?!? Where did that come from? Friends kissed friends, of course, on the cheek. But this urge had been to kiss her on the lips. My friend's mouth was there, and she was asleep, so it couldn't hurt, could it?
I sat in silence, staring. Of course it could hurt. If she found out she might never talk to me again. And nothing was worth losing her friendship over.
But if I didn’t do it now, I might never get another chance.
Rarity is my friend. If I do something so stupid and betray her trust, I couldn’t live with myself.
So soft and warm...
If it were me sleeping, would I want Rarity to just lean over and kiss me like that?
Yes.