(Twilight's POV)
At least the decorations were nice, at least those were my thoughts at first. They were OK, I guess, if you liked that sort of thing, but it just seems a little too showy to me. But that was fine, it all looked fine. I'll just check in with the head designer and be on my way. There she must be now.
"Hello, miss Rarity?" I asked uncertainly.
"Yes darling, how may I be of service?" She wasn't really looking at me, she seemed more focused on the different coloured ribbons that floated about her head.
"I'm Twilight Sparkle," I need a name tag, "And I'm here to supervise the Summer Sun Celebration. Your decorations appear to be almost complete."
"Why yes, they are, and everything is going to be fabulous," Let it be known that the word fabulous should only be uttered by gay fashion designers and comedians. No word, so ridiculous, should exist in a dictionary.
"Yeah, great, well, if that's all I guess I should be going then."
"Oh no, no, no, no, no, you simply must stay and tell me exactly what the Princess would want for her Celebration!" Miss Rarity exclaimed.
Ugh, I don't have time for this, I need to get back to my studies and this woman would complicate matters. I guess I could just freeze her for a few seconds and make my escape, but Celestia would say something like, 'Now Twilight, you know you're not supposed to use that sort of magic on innocent civilians.' And she would look disappointed in me and I really cant stand it when she does that.
"Oh darling!" What could she possibly be shouting about now? "You look simply hideous, and that robe is simply awful." I take offence to that, Spike made this for me on my 16th birthday, he put a lot of work into it. "Now you must come with me, I insist." This was going to take far longer than I had anticipated.
"Spike?"
"Yes?"
"Do you know who took a bite out of this here?"
"Umm, Twilight?"
"Twilight? Took a bite out of my crown ruby?"
"Yes?"
(Back to Spike)
Twilight exited the Carousel Boutique several hours later wearing a little slip of a strapless violet dress that went down to her ankles. A slit on the right from ankle to hip allowed for easy movement and showed off an impressive amount of leg. Her hair was lightly curled and cascaded about her bare shoulders. Fortunately, after several falls, Twilight had convinced miss Rarity that she did not, in fact, know how to walk in heels.
"Ok, last is music, organized by one miss... How do you even pronounce that? Nevermind." A short walk would take her to the gazebo where they would be practising.
"How are you able to sleep like that?"
"The weather team works 24/7 and since I'm the only supervisor for the region that means I have to be rested and ready for anything day or night, you get used to taking naps whenever possible."
"Seems kinda like a pain."
"You get used to it."
"Didn't I teach you better than to sneak up on you betters?" Her face was inches from mine, but I had her dagger hand held in my left hand and her throat in my right. Smiling manically I rubbed at her throat with my thumb.
"On the contrary, you said never sneak up on them unless you have a backup plan." Her breathing grew more ragged and her eyes began to dilate as she rolled off me. I released her dagger and reached down to my left hip, grasping at air. 'Damn, no weapons.' Fleuretta touched her throat, smearing the blue paste that I had put there. My grin grew wider, showing off my fangs as my claws extended slightly.
The forest whispered as I charged forward and leaped into a flying spin kick that she easily ducked, even in her drugged state. I knew not to turn around when I hit the ground and instead tucked into a somersault that took me out of range of the flashing dagger.
Standing and spinning I saw my mistake. Fleuretta took the now empty vial from her lips and shattered it against the ground. She had anticipated my anticipation, damn. That was a recursive thought process which could drive even the smartest people insane. "Nice trick." Her soft, sweet voice floated to me on the light breeze, seemingly slower than sound should travel. I had barely heard it before she was right in front of me, restraining my hands above my head and pressing me back into a tree. She darts her head forward but I turn in time. The kiss still burns the skin on my cheek, and I mean that literally. Poison lip gloss, totally unfair in my opinion.
My right leg raised high and I use the tree as a brace as I push her back. I want to wipe the gloss away but that would just spread the burning. She had her dagger out again and I held my claws out in front of me, I'd win this time for sure. I'd learned something since the last time we'd met.
Left hand forward, ring finger at 90 degrees, middle knuckle of middle finger at 45 degrees, grumbling roar. The bright green flame coalesced in my palm as I pointed it at my former poisons instructor, "Give up?" She simply smiled and reversed her grip on the dagger, holding it by the blade, ready to throw.
"Miss Eng-stel-ig?" My sister's voice came from just outside the woods, "Are you in there? I'd like to have a word with you." Fleuretta and I looked at each other for a second before my fire and her dagger disappeared. We began walking, side by side, out of the woods. She didn't even comment on my presence, either dismissing what i was doing here or it made some kind of weird sense to her that I would be with the music organizer in the woods at least a 5 minute walk from the gazebo where the orchestra was practising.
"It's pronounced en-stel-ly, if, if that's ok." Fleuretta whispered. I just raised my eyebrows at my sister's new dress and hair style.
She gave me a dirty look but spoke sweetly to Fleuretta, "Yes, well, will you show me the music for tomorrow please?"
We walked toward the gazebo and on the way I thought to myself that my instructor had changed since I had last seen her nearly 6 years ago. She was taller now, perhaps a hair taller than Twilight, and she had filled out a bit more, though Celestia knows she didn't need it. What was she sporting now, double d's? How does someone with those things on their chest manage to pirouette around a sword thrust? I chuckled under my breath, 'Maybe she uses them as counterweights?' But that voice, the kind of quiet, whispering voice that you wanted to sing you to sleep. Getting sidetracked. I had a little crush on her when I was younger. Of course, that was before I had to spend 3 weeks in the hospital because I thought she had used powdered lily-of-the-valley when in fact she had used concentrated ficus to poison our afternoon tea and I had taken the wrong antidote. Yeah, she was never my favourite teacher.
She still wore her voluminous yellow sweater over soft brown pants. She wore her hair loose now, some swept forward over he left eye, which I though was a big improvement to the severe bun she had kept it in while teaching me. Hiking boots and fingerless brown gloves completed her ensemble.
She cleared her throat and tapped the small black wand she had picked from the music stand, bringing the band to full attention. "Now then everyone, from the top if you please?"
The music was quite good, classical with a slight bit of jazz mixed in for the saxophones. Over all, I think Celestia would appreciate the style, though Twilight clearly didn't. She was always more of a smooth jazz and slow waltz fan. Though I think it has more to do with how you dance to the music than the music itself. Let's just say that Twilight could sway and follow concrete steps... and that was it. I can still remember he 20th birthday, even Celestia's composure cracked when one of Twilight's favourites came on.
Twilight was ready to leave after only a few minutes but I convinced her to stay in the hope that it would help her get her mind off her studies... It didn't work, but at least the band was good. When we had heard the intro, closing, and 2 or 3 of the dance numbers Twilight insisted that it was starting to get dark and that we needed to get to our accommodations. Fleuretta saw us off with a timid smile and a small wave. I couldn't help but smile and wave back before I sighed and looked away. She could have been Celestia's number one assassin and poisoner but, I hesitate to say unfortunately, Fleuretta was one of those genuinely nice people that you meet once in a lifetime, she almost vomited in horror when she found out that she was to teach an eleven year old poisons and it was only because Celestia promised to let her retire from the Royal Camelot Herblore division that she eventually agreed.
I smiled at the old memories, it had been nice to see an old friend, even if just for a day.