The next morning, the smell of pancakes wafted throughout each bedroom. Eager noses sniffed at the air and found themselves climbing out of their respective beds regardless of how tired they were.
All except one, of course. Pinkie Pie was, for all intents and purposes, dead to the world.
Half-conscious ponies stumbled across the living room and into the kitchen, which was the source of the heavenly scent. They found a yellow pegasus hovering around the counter tops, checking on the various meals being cooked simultaneously. When she noticed her friends, she smiled and motioned for them to sit at the dining table.
“When the sun rose, I instinctively woke up, and I couldn't get back to sleep. I kept thinking about my animal friends and whether or not they were okay, and if they were getting their morning meals... I got so worried that I rushed into the kitchen and began making food for all of you.” Fluttershy found some plates in a nearby cupboard and placed them in front of the tired ponies at the table.
“Is Pinkie still asleep?” the pegasus asked, looking at the ponies at the table.
Applejack yawned and turned her head. “Ah 'spect she'll be laid out fer a few more hours yet, the 'mount o' champagne she downed. Ah didn't have too much myself an' ah feel a little rough, plus my right foreleg feels like it's been hit by a truck.”
The yellow pegasus giggled a little. “I imagine that would be because of the punching game you and Rainbow Dash were playing.” Fluttershy began passing out pancakes, piling them high on each plate.
“Ah remember now.” The orange earth pony wore a smug expression and turned to look at Dash on the other side of the table. “That would be the punchin' game that ah won.”
Rainbow Dash merely shrugged, visibly favouring her left foreleg compared to the bruised right one. The cyan pegasus silently began eating her pancakes instead.
“An' here's me thinkin' that y'all hated losin'.” Applejack continued her needling, yet the pegasus seemed oddly calm throughout it. She didn't rise to the taunts, merely eating her pancakes with a calm, collected demeanour. After a few moments, the apple farmer got bored and started attacking her own pancakes.
“These pancakes are simply divine, Fluttershy,” Rarity, who was levitating a knife and fork to help cut up her breakfast, said. The unicorn dabbed at the side of her mouth with a clean napkin before continuing, “I can't imagine you get to cook for other ponies that often, so how do you do it?”
The yellow pegasus blushed and sat down at the table with a stack of her own pancakes. “Feeding the animals is a big job, so cooking for six isn't too different. I also have a lot of cook books at my cottage, I read them when I have nothing else to do.”
“Well aren't you the perfect little housemare,” Rarity replied whilst giggling.
“The library comes stocked with a wide range of books on cookery if you're interested, Fluttershy.” Twilight jumped into the conversation eagerly, the sudden mention of books had appealed to her specifically. Twilight was a pony who truly valued being valued by others, so if she worked to hard to help other ponies, those same ponies would view her as a helpful pony. Being seen as helpful would make Twilight feel better about herself. It was a trait she had picked up in Canterlot, during her personal tuition under Princess Celestia. Impressing and pleasing her was the number one priority, there wasn't any room to fail because if she wasn't impressive, she would get kicked out.
Or so she believed, at least.
When Twilight moved to Ponyville, that trait had stuck with her, only it had transferred from the Princess to her friends. Friends don't always stay friends, but keeping them happy usually keeps them being friends. Twilight had never had friends before, and she didn't want to lose them now that she had them.
“Oh no, it's fine, Twilight. I don't want to be a bother, I know how you like to keep your library tidy and organised,” Fluttershy became quieter and quieter as she spoke before finally filling her mouth with pancake to stop the noise.
From that point on, the five ponies ate in relative peace, keeping to their own plates and silently savouring the nicely prepared breakfast.
Thud... Groan.
The five ponies each looked up, facing the kitchen door before looking at each other. Confusion was shared between them.
“What in tarnation was that?” Applejack asked.
Thud... Groan.
“That sounds like-”
“Yup.” Rainbow Dash nodded, a knowing frown on her face. “Pinkie Pie's awake.”
When no one else would get up from their seats, Rainbow Dash sighed and walked over to the kitchen door, opening it slightly and peering through the crack. It was indeed Pinkie Pie, her curly pink tail was splayed over the side of one of the couches in the central seating area.
“Does she look okay?” Fluttershy asked, flying swiftly over to the door, taking a look herself. Her aversion to alcohol and its effects were battling with her innate kindness, the quantities of the latter easily toppling the former however. She flung the door open and flew into the living area, landing softly next to her hungover friend. The pegasus had lifted Pinkies head and laid it in her lap so she could best comfort her.
The others joined Rainbow Dash at the door, pausing for a moment before heading out as well, taking seats around the pink earth pony.
No one spoke as they watched Fluttershy holding her hoof against Pinkie's forehead, undoubtedly feeling for a raised temperature. When she found nothing in particular to worry about, Fluttershy merely began stroking her friend's mane, hoping that the comfort would at least coax her into waking up again.
“Ow.” That was all she said, she hadn't attempted to move anything save her lips.
It was enough to make Fluttershy chuckle however. “You shouldn't have drunk so much alcohol then, should you?” She looked up at each of her friends in turn. “Could one of you please see if there is any medicine around to help her?”
“Think ah saw some aspirin in the bathroom, ah'll jus' go make sure.” Applejack stood and walked away to fetch the pills.
“She'll need some water with that,” Rainbow Dash added, taking off herself.
Twilight and Rarity sat quietly, trying not to look at each other lest the situation become more awkward than it needed to be. Pinkie Pie's groaning was soon joined by Fluttershy, who was humming softly.
Soon enough, both Applejack and Rainbow Dash reappeared, bringing with them two small tablets and a large glass of water respectively. Pinkie's eyes opened slowly when Fluttershy nudged her up into a sitting position, and she held a hoof over them to stop the overly bright lights from burning her retinas.
“Come on, Pinkie, take your medicine,” Fluttershy said sweetly. She nodded her head towards Applejack, and the orange earth pony gave the tablets to Pinkie, who popped them into her mouth instantly. Rainbow Dash took the hint as well and passed her the glass of water. “Make sure you drink all of that water, it'll make you feel better.”
The pink pony didn't complain once, she merely followed the orders given to her to the letter. As she finished the last drop of water, she leaned forwards and placed the glass on the table before falling backwards, snoring.
“She'll be fine once she wakes up,” Fluttershy said with a smile. She flew off the couch and through a door on the side wall, emerging a few moments after with a blanket, which she draped over the sleeping form of Pinkie Pie.
Rarity used this quiet moment to gather her thoughts. “Now that we've all woken up and eaten something, I think we should give Pinkie Pie some peace by getting out of the hotel room and having a walk around the city. We have plenty of time before we have to get ready.”
“Rarity's right,” Twilight stated, “we need to start enjoying ourselves... erm, a little less rowdily than we already have done.” She ended with a sheepish smile, the ghost of a blush creeping across her cheeks.
With a rather small cheer, so as not to wake Pinkie up, the five ponies got ready and left the hotel room.
==
After being bowed out of the hotel by the overly nice receptionist, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Applejack unleashed themselves upon Manehattan. Albeit rather timidly.
Fluttershy was sticking close to Rainbow Dash and Applejack, looking even more scared than usual. Even the two usually brave ponies didn't look very confident. The earth pony's eyes darted back and forth, watching the ponies that passed by and making sure that they didn't try anything suspicious, while the cyan pegasus kept ruffling her wings. Her nerves seemed to be constantly on edge and, like Applejack, she was glancing about nervously. However, while Applejack stared down the passing ponies, Rainbow Dash looked at the surrounding buildings, the massive constructs towering above her like a cage. She shuddered, the city itself seemed to sap all of her energy, making her docile and compliant, both of which were unfamiliar feelings for the flighty pegasus.
Twilight Sparkle on the other hoof, she lead the group with an unsure smile on her face. The lavender unicorn didn't seem to mind Manehattan in the slightest, in fact she wandered randomly down the perfectly straight roads, staring at anything that caught her eye. Rarity seemed equally as impressed as Twilight, yet hid it well. “It may not have the class and sophistication that Canterlot does, but Manehattan holds a certain cosmopolitan charm.”
“Charmin' aint the right word, sugarcube,” Applejack added, looking away from the ponies on the street for a few seconds to confront the white unicorn. “Y'all shouldn't trust this place any further'n y'all can spit.”
Rarity laughed airily. “Considering that I don't intend to do any spitting any time soon, I'll take that as an order to enjoy myself rather than fretting over some silly memory from my past.” She turned her head and eyed Applejack with a teasing look complete with a smug smile.
Applejack scoffed, turning away and resuming her pony watching. “Aint just that... okay, maybe it is a li'l... Ah'm gettin' another feelin' though, in my gut.”
“I would imagine that's the alcohol, darling. You would insist on drinking like a sea pony.”
“Would you two please calm down for a few moments.” Twilight turned to the arguing pair and gave them a pleading stare, it told them that she wasn't angry, she just wanted them to listen. “We're here to see the city, aren't we? We're also out here giving Pinkie Pie some peace and quiet, so can we please focus on that?”
“I agree with Twilight.” A very small voice came from behind Applejack and Rainbow Dash, the pink mane visible above the pair being the only indicator that Fluttershy was there at all. The procession stopped as they all turned to face the timid pegasus, which didn't help her shyness.
Rarity sighed loudly. “I suppose you have a point.” At this, everypony started walking again, although a destination still eluded them.
“I suppose we could visit the Statue of Harmony whilst we're here. That seems like a tourist-y thing to do.”
Rainbow Dash had cheered up considerably upon their arrival at the edge of the city. There was a wide open expanse of land with nothing but the sky above them and the scent of the ocean on the wind. Looking out over that ocean was the huge copper monument in commemoration of the harmony between all ponies.
Despite her new found ease, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but get bored. “It's just a statue.” She hung in mid-air, her wings flapping lazily.
“This is an important historical statue, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said. “We need to learn from our history and apply it in our daily lives. This statue represents that.”
“Don't talk to me about harmony! I'm all about harmony, you could even say it's one the many elements of my personality.”
Twilight rolled her eyes and sighed. “Okay, you raise a good point, but the statue is still an important Equestrian monument. It would be like going to Canterlot and not visiting the castle, you'd be missing out on a great experience. Wouldn't you rather say that you have seen the statue of harmony with your own eyes?”
Rainbow Dash looked towards the statue again, at the torch raised high into the sky and nodded. “I suppose you're right. You know what, I'm still a little hungry.”
There was a smattering of laughter from her friends, causing Dash to look around at each of them in turn. “What's so funny?” she asked, somewhat accusingly.
“Nothin', Sugarcube.” Applejack wiped away a tear. “It's jus' nice t' see that y'all are back t' yer old self.”
“I don't think a quick bite to eat would be so bad.” Twilight put a hoof to her chin in thought. “I remember seeing a traditional Manehattan diner on the way over here, we could stop there before figuring out what we want to do next.”
Rarity was sitting awkwardly on the edge of her seat. Not that she was feeling suspenseful in any way, she just didn't trust the cheap plastic and its cleanliness. She pushed through it however, not wanting to make a fuss in front of her friends, especially in such a public place. “This place certainly has... character,” she said, looking around at the tacky decorations and glowing neon signs.
“Not everything has to be so-” Rainbow Dash put on a high pitched, whiny voice, “-cosmopolitan.”
“Dash has got a point, Rarity,” Applejack added, “Manehattan has more'n one side, aint gettin' the full picture if we jus' did fancy schmancy stuff all day.”
“That's not what I meant... okay it is, but I don't see why we have to immerse ourselves quite so much.” Rarity grimaced as she spotted a particularly nasty looking stain on the floor.
“Jus' order some food an' be glad about it,” Applejack muttered, her nose in a menu.
Rarity held a hoof in front of her mouth, looking disgusted. “I'm not very hungry, those pancakes this morning were more than enough to sate me.” As she took a breath to clear her head, she felt a tiny disturbance in the back of her mind, like the feeling you get when someone is watching you.
“Suit yourse- Ooh, they have chocolate cake!”
There it was, the feeling had passed and in its place was a very real, very alert Pinkie Pie. She was sitting at the previously unoccupied wall seat besides Fluttershy and looking at the menu. Rarity was at least glad to see she wasn't the only one who was surprised by the previously prone party pony's sudden arrival.
Twilight was the first to speak, although the term speak could be used loosely, she seemed to trip over her words in confusion. Rarity couldn't blame her. The lavender unicorn took a deep breath a tried to calm herself over Pinkie's giggles. “I thought you were passed out!”
“I'm not passed out, I'm Pinkie Pie, silly.” The pink earth pony tilted her menu so it was sideways and moved her head accordingly. “Four bits for a bowl of soup!? What are they trying to pull?”
“How did you find us?” Twilight was trying her hardest to stay calm, but there was something about Pinkie's blasé attitude to things like 'details' and 'sense' that always ticked her off. “Not that we don't want you here, it's just that we didn't exactly make it clear where we were going.”
Pinkie closed her menu and set it down on the table, she pressed her hooves together and narrowed her eyes into a serious expression. “Look Twilight, sometimes you just have to accept a good thing when it happens. Worrying about 'why' will only stop you from moving forwards.”
Twilight was taken aback, that was surprisingly lucid for Pinkie Pie. “Okay... I'm glad you're able to join us.” She smiled genuinely. You wouldn't guess from a first look, but Twilight had a lot of respect for Pinkie Pie's intelligence. There were different kinds of smart, and spending any time with Pinkie Pie will tell you that she knows more than she lets on.
With that in mind, Twilight began to peruse her own menu, finally deciding on a daisy sandwich. It wasn't long before her friends, with the exception of Rarity, had placed their orders and given them to the waitress.
“So exactly how much of last night do you remember, Pinkie?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I didn't drink that much and there a few hazy spots for me.”
“I remember when Rarity was washing Twilight's mane and then they started kissing, or did I dream that?”
Everyone looked at the pink pony with a raised eyebrow, then they turned to Twilight and Rarity who were understandably blushing with the embarrassing contents of Pinkie's dreams. “No Pinkie, that didn't happen,” Twilight answered.
“Okay then, there was definitely something about Trixie, that showmare from ages ago, she met with Twilight and then destroyed a lot of stuff and then Trixie changed colour!”
At this, everypony laughed.
Pinkie's face fell. “Don't tell me we just sat around and ate food.”
“Yeah, pretty much,” Rainbow Dash answered. “Oh, I also told a story and then we went to bed.”
“Damn.” Pinkie fell face first onto the table, turning her head to look at the other ponies. “Of all the times to forget to pack my party cannon.”
“Don't worry Pinkie,” Fluttershy said consolingly, rubbing her on the back with a hoof, “we'll have another party when we get back to Ponyville.”
“We always have parties in Ponyville, I wanted a party in Manehattan.”
Rarity cleared her throat, drawing all attention to herself. “I'm acutely aware that this won't be the kind of party you are wishing for, Pinkie, but this concert we are invited to is a high-class event. If there isn't a formal gathering afterwards, of course as guests of the Princess herself we would be invited to one, then I'd say that it would be a rather serious social faux pas.”
“There you go, Pinkie!” Twilight added encouragingly. “Any party is better than no party.”
Pinkie Pie blew away an errant strand of mane that had fallen into her eyes and sighed. “I suppose.”
“Now that I mention the concert-” Rarity looked away, a hoof over her mouth. “We'll all need something new to wear. Luckily, we just happen to be in one of the fashion capitals of Equestria.”
“Do we really need to dress up for this?” Dash questioned. “it's a concert, not a ball.”
Surprisingly, it was Twilight who answered. Rarity had opened her mouth to administer a long-winded response, but the lavender unicorn's interruption had taken all of the wind out of her sails. “I'm afraid we do, Rainbow. I went to plenty of these concerts with the Princess, back when I was studying in Canterlot. The upper levels, where the royal box is, are strict on the dress code. It's black-tie minimum, or you don't get in.”
“Then I'll go into the lower levels and watch from there.”
Twilight grimaced. “And separate yourself from your friends? I know it's a pain, Rainbow, but wearing formal attire is a small sacrifice for having a good time.”
“Fine,” Dash conceded, looking frumpy, “just as long as it isn't embarrassing.”
A smug laugh sounded from beside the two, they turned to see Rarity staring at the cyan pegasus with a superior smile. “Rainbow Dash, darling, I don't do embarrassing.”
–
A few hours, and more than a few boutiques later, Rarity and the others could be found in an up-scale store that was one of many owned by Hoity Toity. One would wonder how Rarity and the others had come about this nugget of information, but the answer was plainly clear upon entry when the greeter explicitly told them so before ushering them inside.
The drop of Hoity Toity's name had been enough to convince Rarity to stay, and her friends wouldn't disagree with her decision. Rarity had politely convinced the greeter to leave them alone whilst she browsed the designs, flicking through rails of clothing and looking rather bored whilst doing so. Every now and then she would fling a piece of clothing over towards one of the ponies following closely behind her with a cry of “this would look fabulous on you” or “this is perfect for your figure”. Things stayed like this until they had reached the last rail of clothing in the store, at this time, the owner of the boutique came over and asked them whether they needed any help.
“I'm perfectly fine with the selection, but could you be a dear and tell me where the fitting room is?” Rarity replied, her voice betrayed little sympathy despite her awareness of how demeaning a customer could be at times.
With a tired yet well veiled sigh, the owner put on a largely fake smile and directed Rarity to a big room at the back of the store. There were several stalls for the ponies to try on the various items of clothing that the unicorn had picked out for them. Rarity herself waited outside whilst everypony else tried on various outfits.
Rainbow Dash was the first to exit her stall, sporting a tight fitting dress and a frown. “There's no way I'm going to wear this. Ever.”
“Hmm... You might be right, try on the other one I gave you, I think you'll like it better.”
Several grunts came from Dash's stall as she presumably tore the dress off of herself. A few moments later she emerged once more wearing very little, in fact all she was wearing was a simple shirt collar to which a tie had been attached. “This is pretty good, I don't look half bad.”
Rarity allowed herself a wide smile. “I knew you'd like it, I only got you the dress because I wanted to see whether you'd actually put it on. Speaking of which, what's taking Applejack so long? I got her something similar to you. I knew you both wouldn't want anything too fancy, so I made sure what I got you was simple yet elegant.”
“Keep yer hooves on,” Applejack's distinctive voice came from one of the stalls, the curtain being pulled back a moment later. Like Rainbow Dash, the orange earth pony was wearing a simple shirt collar, but instead of a straight tie like the pegasus, Applejack was sporting a simple bow-tie. “It aint easy tyin' these things y'know.”
“You both look rather smart if I do say so myself, of course I'll need to do something with your manes before we leave, but it shouldn't take too long.” Rarity hushed the two ponies before they began any complaints and went on. “It won't kill you to style your manes every now and then. Especially for special occasions.”
Rolling their eyes in perfect sync, Applejack and Rainbow Dash stood either side of Rarity and watched the stalls. “So why aren't you trying your dress on?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I know my dress will look great on me. Besides, I need to stay out here and give my opinion on your outfits.”
“So basically, y'all are decidin' what we wear t' the concert?” Applejack replied.
Rarity pretended to think for a while before answering with a confident “Yes”. She smiled, and the earth pony raised an eyebrow before turning away. A brief silence gripped the room as the three ponies on the outside simply stood still and waited.
Two of the stalls opened at the same time, revealing Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie. Twilight was wearing a loose-fitting dress made of a thin material that looked more like a robe than anything else. The wide sleeves went down to a few inches above the floor, and there was a lot of room in the back so as not to impede her movement. Pinkie on the other hoof, she had emerged wearing a tuxedo, complete with cuffs and shoes on each hoof. The tails of the jacket hung over her rump and she even had a top hat perched precariously atop her head.
“Pinkie... I didn't give you that to wear.” Rarity was staring wide-eyed at the pink earth pony.
“What, this? It's just a little something I brought from home, isn't it fancy!” Pinkie turned a few times to show off her outfit, blissfully unaware of the real matter at hoof.
“But where did... you know what? Never mind.” Rarity took a deep breath and focused her attention on her fellow unicorn instead. “What do you think of your outfit, Twilight dear?”
Twilight had a reminiscent smile on her face. “This reminds me of what I used to wear in the castle, back when I was still taking lessons with Celestia.” She, like Pinkie, turned around a few times, watching the thin fabric trail behind her. “It looks really nice.”
“Okay, four down, just Fluttershy to go. Are you okay in there, darling?”
“Um...”
“Don't be shy, I'm sure you look lovely.”
The curtain to the only closed stall ruffled for a few moments before slowly sliding open, revealing the yellow pegasus with a bright red blush on her face. “I don't know...” she mumbled quietly, hiding in her mane.
Rarity gasped and smiled gleefully however. “Fluttershy darling, you truly are a living mannequin. Clothing just works on you.” The unicorn got up and began inspecting the pegasus at all angles, her roving eyes causing the pegasus to blush even harder than she previously was.
Fluttershy was wearing a simple, white dress that left little to the imagination. Regardless of the fact that Fluttershy spent most of her time naked anyway, when wearing clothes she suddenly became aware of how much she was showing through the fabric, and this dress was no exception. Her entire right hind leg, all the way up to the flank, was exposed. The left side wasn't much better, although it did at least cover her cutie mark and leave room for her tail to move freely. Below her tail however, there was nothing. It was also rather tight-fitting and left Fluttershy rather short of breath, it didn't matter too much, but she wouldn't be able to do much in the way of physical exertion for fear of passing out.
Speaking of physical exertion, she may be standing still, but under Rarity's gaze she felt like she had been running a marathon.
“Perfect. There's no other way of describing it, you are simply the perfect model. Now hurry up all of you, take your clothes off.”
Rainbow Dash snorted and Rarity gave her a stern glare, which caused the pegasus to immediately remove the tie and collar from around her neck. Applejack did similar to Rainbow, taking much longer on the bow-tie however. The other three went back into their stalls and began the long undressing process.
Rarity smiled as everything began to come together. Curiosity caused her to check a clock on the wall, the timepiece reading four thirty in the afternoon. “Only four hours to go!? Hurry up girls, we're on a schedule!”
==
Roughly three hours after leaving the boutique with their purchases, Rarity could be found in the bathroom of their hotel suite, surrounded by hair products and various lotions, the quantity and variety of which would make Zecora jealous.
After styling the manes of Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, the latter insisted that Rarity herself get some pampering time and set about following the alabaster unicorns strict orders.
Twilight Sparkle was wearing the outfit she had gotten that day. She was sitting in the living room and awaiting her turn when she felt a sudden and curious pang of nostalgia. Her dress, she surmised, was the cause, it did look strikingly similar to her old uniform. It certainly did look good, and Rarity really seemed to like it, so there was no reason not to get it, but not every memory Twilight had of her time in her old uniform robes were happy ones. Without really thinking about it, she stood up, turning to the other three ponies who were chatting amongst themselves. “I'm going out for some fresh air... if I'm not back before the carriage gets here, leave without me. I'll meet you at the concert hall, I know where it is.”
The conversation died as all three ponies turned to look at the lavender unicorn. “What's the matter, Twi?” Applejack asked, a look of quiet concern on her face.
The unicorn laughed mirthlessly. “I don't think my lunch agreed with me, I just need a bit of fresh air and perhaps a quick walk and I'll be fine.” Twilight hated lying to her friends, but even Applejack knew that bending the truth can be the most beneficial option in some scenarios. “I know Rarity will freak out when you tell her, but just keep her calm. I'll see you in an hour or so, I suppose.” With little fuss, Twilight turned tail and left the hotel room.
Minutes later, when Twilight was strolling out of the front door of the hotel, she heard something that sounded remarkably like Rarity when she gets angry. Now outside, she looked up to the top floor where she knew their hotel room was, and muttered a silent apology.
* * *
Sorry for being so slow when updating this, but there just wasn't a clear plan of what to write for this chapter, (I'm still actually surprised I managed to break 5,000 words on this one) so I just ended up having to worh through the small events and try to make them into something that could drive the story forwards a little. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long.