Snoring.
The snowy unicorn doubted that there could be anything more unladylike in all of Equestria. Seriously, how hard was it to be respectful in sleep? It was horribly misfortunate that her ears had to be subjected to such torture at this hour of night.
What purpose did snoring serve, anyway? She obviously got along without it just fine, despite the horrible lies that Sweetie Belle had been spreading.
There was no way that she would do something so uncouth. Ever.
She tried to shove her hooves further into her ears to block out the offending noise, but to no avail. If anything, it just made the sound rattle around inside of her head even more than it had before.
The unicorn rolled onto one side, then the other, trying to force herself back into the soundless bliss of sleep. Her mattress, however, suddenly seemed unbearably thin on the cold floor of the boutique. Rolling back and forth was unable to yield a position of comfort, every lump and dip in the floor seemingly amplified as she attempted to lie down.
“If only I was in my own bed,” Rarity sighed, abandoning her search for comfort. Shrugging the blanket off of her, she slowly sat up.
Her eyes first fell upon the forms of her five slumbering friends, snoozing peacefully on couches and mattresses around her. Though she didn’t feel like admitting it in the slightest right now, it had been her idea to have a slumber party in the first place.
Hindered by the darkness, it took a minute for the pony's eyes and ears, working together, to identify the source of the disturbing noise.
Applejack.
Of course. Of all the ponies to involve themselves in such activities as snoring, she would be the one. The orange pony was sprawled upon a large mattress on the floor, limbs and blonde mane hanging limply over the side.
Rarity directed a glaring gaze of disapproval toward the oblivious slumbering pony. She shouldn’t have expected any better from that uncultured farmer. It was almost as if she existed to ruin the perfect world that she struggled endlessly to create.
Now it would be impossible to get any beauty rest, and the unicorn feared that, come morning, her physical appearance may very well mirror her disheveled emotional one.
Be it mud, sweat, or now, snoring, that earth pony could cause problems.
“I just wish she would be more........”
The orange pony shifted loudly under her blanket, bringing Rarity back to her senses. She had been thinking far too much considering the hour of night, and it certainly wouldn't do to tax her brain any more than it already had been.
Trotting into the kitchen , Rarity spotted the exact thing she needed in the dim light cast by several candles lining the walls. A pot of her favorite tea, leftover from the party, sat on the edge of the counter next to an assortment of other cooking ware. This would be just the thing to calm her nerves until she could fall back asleep. Besides, it was a horrible waste to leave such a delicacy wasting away.
Crossing the room and magically scooping the liquid into a sparkling clean glass, she took an expectant sip.
Her nose wrinkled instinctively at the taste. What it was, she had no clue, except that it was hardly the finest import from Saddle Arabia. It actually didn’t resemble the taste of tea much at all, even the positively horrid substance that Twilight considered drinkable. The unidentified liquid swirled in her mouth, its flavor becoming more distinct and sour as it continually insulted her taste buds. Come to think of it, it really tasted a lot like.....
Dishwater.
Immediately upon this realization, the offending liquid was unceremoniously released back into its container with a loud splash, a feeling of repulsion pulsing through her veins.
A much closer look revealed that she had been correct in her initial assumption, the actual tea sitting innocently in an identical container slightly behind the first one.
It took fifteen minutes, but the unicorn had finally rinsed her mouth to the point where she could no longer taste the unsanitary substance.
Visibly shaken, and not to mention fairly agitated, Rarity left the kitchen for the dark living room. The stairs across the room became her goal; her plush bed would be welcoming after such a hard night.
Tiptoeing lightly across the carpet, the studious pony become aware of the frazzled state of disrepair that her mane had fallen into due to her recent battle with germs. Maybe a bit too aware.
“This is just disastrous” , she moaned quietly. “It will take hours to get my mane back into a presentable condition. And I was so looking forward to going to bed!”
Unfortunately, this distraction caused a rather catastrophic collision with a certain object on the floor, sending Rarity sprawling off her hooves onto the ground.
She barely managed to contain her scream, only a small "Ouch" escaping. Except for some slight pain in her knees, the damage was minimal.
The first thought to invade her mind was how much longer her mane would take to re-style after this new turn of events. Maybe it would be beneficial to wait till morning, after all. Her appearance could wait, just this once.
Slowly retrieving her scattered limbs into a less awkward position, the pony turned to face the object that had caused her un-graceful fall.
She was met with a pair of emerald green eyes staring back at her.
"What'n the hay, Rares?" The orange pony whispered.
Immediately snatching herself off of the disgruntled earth pony, Rarity scrambled to her hooves. Applejack continued to lay on the mattress with her head raised in confusion, hooves pulled defensively to her chest.
“ I... I .. I’m ever so sorry, Applejack, “ The unicorn stuttered, gaining confidence despite pink cheeks. “I wasn’t looking where I was going and tripped over you in the dark. As you can see, the condition of my mane is absolutely horrifying, so...”
She was cut off but a shake of the orange pony’s head.
“What were ya doin’ up...” She began loudly, before glancing around at her slumbering friends and bringing her voice to a forceful whisper.
“What are ya doin’ up at this hour a’ night?”
“Well, “ Rarity began, indignation rising. “I may still have been peacefully slumbering if it wasn’t for y-” She stopped short of saying what had really woken her up. It simply wouldn’t do to be so insulting to Applejack after having been the pony to wake her from her sleep as well.
After a second to compose her thoughts, she began again, “ I couldn’t sleep, “ was all the response that was given. Hopefully it was all the response that she would need.
The emerald green eyes of her fellow pony drilled into her, and Rarity winced as if she had been scanned for honesty. Quickly turning away, Rarity’s eyes found the floor an interesting subject of study.
She couldn’t meet Applejack’s eyes, she had never been able to. It was one of those funny things that she could never wrap her mind around. Something soft and caring radiated from those green orbs, something that turned the her knees to jelly every time she looked into them. It was terribly awkward, especially for a mare of her beauty and grace to be so completely taken by something as superfluous as eyes, to be left stuttering and winded. It was odd really, but something that she didn’t let trouble her too much. Troubling things led to contemplative thought, and that only led to drama. The bad kind of drama, as there apparently was a difference despite her inability to perceive it.
“How come? Floor to rough for ya?”
Daring to take a peek at the eyes still locked onto her, Rarity struggled to come up with a response.
“No, darling. I just haven’t been tired all night, so I decided to head upstairs and … um.... read! Yes, that is what I was going to do upstairs. Reading helps me to fall asleep, and I have just the book that I have been absolutely been dying to peruse.” She grinned, gaining confidence in her concocted explanation as she slowly fed truth into it. “I’ve heard that the new Marelock Homes is quite fascinating, a real page turner as they call it.”
“Oh, well alright.” The earth pony replied, bringing her gaze off of Rarity’s face and onto the floor, her eyes gazing quizzically as if lost in thought.
“Good night Applejack,” she grinned, “I once again apologize for this incident.”
“Nah, its s’all good Rares,” the earth pony mumbled, shuffling on the mattress in a vain attempt to find comfort.
With her victory finally secured, the snowy unicorn turned to the stairs, finally putting this ordeal behind her. After all that had happened, she deserved this night’s rest in --”.
“Rarity wait.”
She froze in her tracks, victory up those stairs so close that she could practically feel her plush bed, and yet so impossibly far with this cursed voice pulling her back.
“Yes, darling?” She whirled around, putting on her brightest and most artificial smile as she did so.
“Well, Ah was wonderin’.... “ The orange pony trailed off, shuffling her hooves nervously.
Blushing, she continued, “ Ah was wonderin’ if ah could maybe read it with ya? Ah hate ta’ admit it, but Ah’ve been followin’ the series for a while now; read em all up to the newest one. And ta be honest with you, I can’t really sleep after ah wake up once, I guess it comes from gettin’ up bright an’ early on the farm. Ah guess we have that in common,“ She trailed off sheepishly. “ That must sound a mite silly to ya’, but ah’ve been looking forward to reading it and all.”
“Why of course, dear,” Rarity agreed automatically, not giving her brain a chance to process what her unfortunate conversation partner had said.
Thinking it over, she found it quite odd that Applejack had such a fine taste in literature. More importantly however, her chances for a peaceful night’s rest had once again been skewed by the pony in front of her. Controlling an eye twitch, she bit her lip carefully.
“How bad can it be, Rarity?” she thought to herself. She cursed her stupidity. If only she could have paid a bit more attention...
The exhausted unicorn became aware that her earth pony companion was already standing. Turning, Rarity began her journey up the stairs, attempting to prevent her precarious trot from betraying her agitated mental state. The expectant sound of another ponies trotting hooves followed her ascent.
A candle lit with magic revealed the whole scene. Quills, ponyquins, fabric, thread, and all other fashion supplies imaginable available lay strewn about the floor. Only a pathway to the pony’s bed lay free of clutter. It may not have looked like much in the way of proper sleeping quarters, but it was here that Rarity’s designs came to life. As such, she had every right to keep it the way she liked it; that was indisputable.
Of course, leave it to her most annoying guess to make the attempt.
“Sweet Celestia Rares’ “ Applejack muttered, candle light reflecting off of her eyes in the dim space. “ This here’s quite the
Rarity glanced at her companion and sighed. It was no use to try to explain the room’s role in her inspiration. She wouldn’t understand.
Navigating items strewn about, she reached an old bookshelf in the far corner of the room. With no rummaging necessary, she pulled out the shiny new book. It wasn’t hard at all; every other novel in the case was noticeably worn to the point that even Twilight might have thrown it out.
Another eye twitch at the thought. Maybe she did read these silly romance novels a bit too much.
No, nonsense.
Dismissing the thought, she returned to the center of the room, placing the candle and book on the wooden floor at the foot of her bed, magically shoving fabric and designs this way and that to make room. Lying down and folding her hooves under her, she watched Applejack do the same next to her, staring intently at the novel.
Physically ready, she opened the book. Applejack, however, was quick to bring up something that Rarity had overlooked.
“So are we readin’ it out loud, or just to ourselves?” she asked quickly, before Rarity could start on her own and leave the orange pony behind.
“Well of course, considering the late hour, to read it to....” she began to say “ourselves,” but stopped herself.
Truth be told, Rarity very much enjoyed being read too. It was something her parents had done when she was a filly. Since then, of course, there had been no one around to do it, so she had forgotten about the pleasure it brought her. Maybe, just maybe, now would be a good time.
Putting on her sweetest smile, she turned to Applejack.
“How about you begin reading out loud, my dear. I would love to listen.”
“We’ll okay, if’n ya’ll say so” the other pony responded, grinning. The golden light of the candle reflected around the room, causing an adorable twinkle in her emerald eyes.
Rarity smiled. And for the first time since she had woken up, it was sincere.
Sliding closer to Rarity so as to see the book more clearly and flipping past the table of contents to the first page, Applejack began to read.
Chapter 1
It was a cold day in the city of Trottingham, the wind blew through the narrow streets like a freight train, causing anypony still outside to shudder and clutch their belongings tighter. It was the kind of wind that stole umbrellas and overturned chairs at the cafe. A signpost over an old pub had one hinge blown off, and it creakily hung over the entrance to the run down looking establishment.......
Rarity’s eyelids had closed, picturing the scene in her mind. Just like when she was a filly, hearing the words presented verbally allowed her to immerse herself more fully in the story.
Only one pony was foolish enough to be standing outside on such a day. She was an earth pony, dark grey coat and stunning black mane blending in with the industrial backdrop of the city. The pony glanced left, then right, making sure that nopony was watching. Wrapping her billowing scarf more tightly around her neck, she scampered into the open door of the pub.....
Rarity could picture the town, its dismal streets empty of ponies, its air reeking of industry. The story was barely started, and yet the scene was perfect for a mystery with a hint of romance.
The door creaked slowly as it shut behind the entering mare. Spotting what she was looking for, she made her way to the back of the almost deserted establishment. At a corner booth sat an ancient looking stallion. He was a pegasus, but was similar in coloration to the grey mare. He sat, sipping a drink, staring straight ahead in thought......
Rarity blinked contentedly as Applejack continued reading. Drifting back and forth, she began to perceive less and less of the story, and more of Applejack’s voice. Her adorable country accent made the story seem more warm, more enjoyable to read. In fact, it complemented the flickering light to make the whole room seem brighter and more welcoming. The orange pony continued to drone on, as much into the story as her unicorn companion was out of it.
It was funny, the way an accent could do that.
Rarity looked up from the page where she had been staring, lost in thought, as the earth pony’s hoof moved to turn the page. She glanced up at Applejack, who had immediately continued reading. Her emerald green eyes traced back and forth along the lines of text, light gleaming off of them as she happily continued the story out loud.
It was funny, how she could tell so much about the pony’s good nature and mirth from her eyes. And her mouth, too. She smiled as she read, noticeable despite her lips forming the words as she spoke them.
Another thing that got to her. The unicorn slid ever so slightly closer to the earth pony, wanting to take part in the good feeling that seemed to emanate from her. Eyelids blinking drowsily, she concentrated more on the sweet voice.
“So, what’d ya think of chapter 1, Rare’s?” Applejack asked happily. Rarity became distinctly aware that the earth pony’s unassuming eyes were on her. Jerking upright, she quickly resumed eye contact, hoping her slight blush couldn’t be seen in the dim light.
Maybe she should have been paying a bit more attention to the story.