[I’d like to thank LeOdd for doing the translation work for this part]
[Spoiler: The scene involving Green Paddock and the song he sings about Berry Punch was originally a Flogging Molly song rewritten by Coffeebean in his fic “Drunken Lullabies”. We did a collab of sorts and borrowed parts from each other]
“It’s okay Rarity; it’s not going to hurt you.”
Despite your reassurance, she was still skittish about the whole thing.
“Do I have to, darling? I mean, a lot of people don’t like to get dirty. It’s not like it’s a problem…”
“You jumped around to avoid mud puddles all the way here and screamed when I almost splashed you. Are you sure it’s not a problem?”
Things hadn’t been going so well with Rarity’s therapy sessions as of lately. Her first few sessions went well and it looked like she’d been done in a few weeks. But now, she was having difficulties and it seemed like it would take months. The short and sudden rainstorm gave you the idea to help Rarity get over her fear of getting dirty, but that seemed easier said than done.
“Just put a hoof into the mud and try it out.”
Rarity inched slowly towards the edge of the puddle and hung a hoof over the edge. She looked quite worried. “Okay, okay… You can do this, Rarity. Just think of it as mud bath at the spa.”
Her hoof finally touches the mud puddle, making her visibly shiver in disgust. “Oh dear lord… It’s crunchy. Why is it crunchy?!?”
“Maybe some loose gravel? A bug?” you say with a shrug “Come on, now the next one.”
Her voice begins to cracks “I don’t know if I can do this…”
“You can do it. The only thing stopping you is yourself.”
Rarity inches her other hoof towards the puddle, but stops halfway. “I can’t do this!” she cries as she pulls her other hoof out and shakes it violently.
You curse under your breath “Verdammt… And so close, too.”
The cognitive therapy wasn’t working and the behavioral therapy was getting you nowhere.
I don’t understand it. She was doing so well. What’s changed? you wonder.
“I’m so sorry for wasting your time, darling. As much as I want to get better, I just can’t bring myself to do it.”
That’s when it clicked.
“Risk versus reward…” you think aloud.
“Might I ask what are you talking about?” Rarity asked confusedly.
“I think I might have a way to help you, although, it’s pretty unconventional. Just follow me on this: Say you want a child to do their homework. How do you motivate them?”
“Well…” Rarity put a hoof to her chin “Ms. Cheerilee gives Sweetie Belle gets gold stars for turning in her homew-wait a minute… Are you comparing me to a child?!?”
You put a hoof up defensively “No! Well… Sort of,”
Rarity glares silently at you, not too keen on the comparison.
“What I’m trying to say is that you need some sort of motivation; a ‘gold star’, if you will. You want to get better, but that’s not enough to make you go against years of compulsive behavior.”
She nods thoughtfully as she begins to understand what you were trying to say..
“So, what’s going to be my reward? Do I get a gold star on my report card?” Rarity asks sarcastically.
You admit you hadn’t thought this far. “Is there anything specific you want?”
A small grin starts to form on Rarity’s face. “Does a… date sound fair? I mean, nothing serious, just two adults enjoying a night together?”
At first, you’re against the idea, but you realize there was no harm in having dinner with a patient, as long as it didn’t turn into anything more.
“If that’s what you really want, I see no problem with it.”
Rarity’s eyes light up.
“Now, if you can get into the puddle without-”
Before you could finish, Rarity hops into the mud puddle, covering her hooves and splattering her coat. She begins to grimace and you half expect her to scream at any moment, but she instead takes a deep breath and somehow manages to smile.
“There. Not so bad.”
You were quite shocked at this display. It was a complete 180 from how she was acting just a few minutes ago.
“Are you sure Rarity? I don’t want you pushing yourself. On a scale of one to ten, what would you rate your anxiety level?”
“Four, five at the most. Honestly, it’s not that bad… I just really want to get cleaned off,” she says as she shakes some mud off of her hoof.
“Okay. As I was going to say, I don’t want you doing anything that you’re not comfortable with, okay?”
“Of course, darling. Now… About that date?” she asked with a mischievous grin.
You hold up a hoof. “Not so fast. Now tell me, you were so scared of this puddle just a few seconds ago and now you’re standing in it. Why did you let it get the best of you?”
Rarity blinks a few times. “I… I don’t know. It seems sort of silly now, doesn’t it?”
“Now that’s the attitude I want to see. You are in control of your compulsions, not the other way around. What’s your stress level now?”
“Two. I can’t believe I let something as simple as a puddle stand in my way!”
“That’s great, Rarity. That’s one more thing you don’t have to be afraid of.”
Rarity smiles and stands a little taller, proud of achievement.
“So, do you think you’re ready for the mud wrestling competition I signed you up for?”
Rarity’s eyes nearly bug out of her skull at the question. “You’re kidding, right? I don’t have to mud wrestle as part of my therapy, right?” she asks nervously.
You try to keep a straight face, but you can’t hold. You begin to laugh, making Rarity gasp aloud.
“Oh, that was mean!” she says snidely.
“Oh come now, you should know me better than that. I’d never sign you up for a mud wrestling competition.”
Rarity lets out a sigh of relief.
“Well, without asking you first,” you say with tease.
“Ha. Ha. Very funny,” she says sarcastically “let’s get back inside so I can clean up.”
You follow Rarity back inside the Carousel Boutique, making sure to wipe your feet off at her request.
“I’ll be just a minute. I need to rinse off,” Rarity takes a glance at her dirty coat and frowns “…and maybe a shampoo as well… Just make yourself comfortable, okay?”
Rarity disappears upstairs and the sound of running water soon follows.
You look around the Carousel Boutique show floor for something to keep you occupied. Wandering over to one of the counters, you find a pile of magazines and idly flip open one entitled ‘Ventasso’s Secret’. You feel a warm flush creep up your face as you find yourself staring at all sorts of mares who were dressed in exotic lingerie and splayed out in suggestive positions. You close the magazine and try to find another to keep your interest.
Well, it sort of makes sense for somepony who makes clothes to have these sort of thi-
You feel your entire face go bright red. Was not expecting this... You think as you pull out a riding crop. You set it back down and feel around, only to suddenly trigger something that made the entire drawer vibrate.
"What did I do? What did I do?"
You feel around and hear an audible click, signaling the end of the vibrations. Your entire face turned bright red once you figured out just what you triggered. The sound of Rarity coming down the stairs causes you to panic and almost slam the drawer. You walk forwards and try to act as casual as possible.
“Ahhh, that was nice.”
You shift around uneasily and try to stop yourself from staring. Rarity’s coat was still dripping wet and she didn’t care to grab a bath robe.
“F-Feel better?”
“Much so. Now that I’m all cleaned up, what about that date? What would you like to do?”
“Well… I planned on going to The Gilded Lilly tonight,” you say as you collect yourself “Have you ever been there?”
“Isn’t it that little restaurant on the other side of Ponyville?”
You chuckle a bit under your breath. “Well, restaurant isn’t exactly the word I would use… Just be ready tonight. I’ll pick you up around six.”
Rarity begins to grin from ear to ear and claps her hooves together.
“Oh darling, I’m so excited! It’s my first proper date in a long time! Is there anything specific I should wear?” she asks excitedly smile
"Fräulein Rarity, deine Schönheit ist alles was es braucht, um diese Nacht perfekt zu machen."
[Translation: “Miss Rarity, your shining beauty is all that is needed to make the night perfect.”]
You gasp inaudibly as the words leave your mouth. Oh dear Celestia, why did I say that out loud? Can she speak Mecklesh? Please don’t let her be as clever as she is cute…
“Doctor, I didn’t know you could speak Mecklesh.”
Oh this is bad.
“What exactly did you say?”
You let out a sigh of relief and manage a sheepish smile “W-well, I said you should wear something casual. It’s not a fancy place, really.”
“Alright then, I think I have something in mind. I just have to make some alterations to the dress”
“I’ll see you tonight, then. If you need me, you know where I am,” you say as you make your way out of the Carousel Boutique. You can’t help but smile as you hear her sewing machine start up and stop as you reach the doorway.
“Rarity, I want you to know I’m very proud of you.”
She looks up from her sewing machine and drops the pins she held in her mouth. “Y...You’re proud of me? For what?”
Instead of answering her, you make your way out of the Carousel Boutique, leaving Rarity to her work and to ponder your words.
* * * * * * *
Surprisingly, today wasn’t as busy as you thought it would be. Ever since Pinkie Pie told the town you were also a couple’s counselor, you had been up to your neck in ponies needing your help. But now things have slowed down and given you some free time. Leaning back in your chair, you prop your hooves up on your desk and make yourself comfortable.
I may even be able to knock off early you think with a content sigh. A loud knock startles you just as you begin to doze off. Acting quickly, you sit upright in your chair and grab the newspaper on your desk.
“Come in,” you say idly as you pretend to read the newspaper. You look up as you hear the door open and begin to smile when you see your old roommate walk through the door. Your elation doesn’t last long as you watch Rainbow Dash follow him into your office, hanging her head low to the ground.
The white unicorn sighs heavily and takes a seat in front of you next to Dash. “Fritz, I need your help.”
“Dear Celestia, Bones! What’s going on?”
“I’m fine.” Dash says crossly.
“No, she isn’t. She’s depressed.”
“I am not depressed!”
“Dash, you haven’t been out of the house in days. ”
Rainbow Dash opens her mouth to say something, but you stop them from going any further.
“Okay, this is getting ridiculous,” you say as you bring a hoof up to your brow “I’ve had to wrestle the information out of every pony who’s been in here for counseling. Bones, as your friend, just be honest with me and tell me why such a loving couple like you two are in here.”
He sighs heavily and looks to Dash. The look told you all you needed to know. He was worried. “Dashie, why don’t you tell him?”
Rainbow Dash starts to shift around uncomfortably in her seat. “I...I don’t know. It’s embarrassing.”
“Rainbow, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about while you’re in my office,” you say with a comforting smile “Now just tell me the goddess honest truth; why are you here?”
Dash begins to stutter as her eyes well up with tears “I...I... I just can’t take it anymore! This whole wedding thing is way too much for me! Please don’t be mad!”
“Please Dashie, don’t cry. I’m not mad. I’m just worried. What’s happening?” he asks.
“I... I don’t know... I just want to be with you more. The girls keep dragging me away to get ready for the wedding and my parents aren’t too happy about me not marrying another pegasus and....”
“And you feel so overwhelmed that you just start to panic.”
Dash nods meekly.
“Yeah... I just...I just want things back to the way they were.”
“Dash, as overwhelmed you might feel, you need to buck up and get your head in the game. You’re not alone in this.”
She still doesn’t look convinced. “I...I dont-”
“Dash, you don’t have to be scared,” he says as he reaches out for Dash “I’ll always be there for you, no matter what. We’ll face each challenge together and overcome.”
Dash wipes away her eyes with her foreleg. “I feel like such a foal...”
“You’re not a foal, you’re a beautiful pegasus who’s going to marry the luckiest unicorn in Equestria,” he says as he nuzzles up to her “and every night, I’ll give you all the attention you need, I swear.”
You can’t help but chuckle as Dash’s face become bright red.
“Dash, as bad as things are right now, you have to remember you’re never alone. You have your friends and a wonderful husband right behind you. If you can’t find the time to be with him, then make it. If your parents aren’t happy with who you're marrying, then tough. You’re in love and if your parents can’t see that, then they’re blind.”
Dash gets to her hooves defiantly. “You’re right! I’ve been rolling over for everyone when this should be MY special time! And if my folks can’t be happy for me, then it sucks to be them!”
“Now THAT’s the fireball I asked to marry me! Fritz, I gotta say, you’re a miracle worker.”
“Come on, Bones. You know as well as I do it’s the patient that does all of the work. We just set the healing motion in process.”
Dash gives you two an odd look. “Hey... Why do you call each other those nicknames? I just noticed.”
“It goes back to college, Dash. I call him Bones because he wanted to be a surgeon.”
“And I called him Fritz because he’s from Mecklenberg.”
“Uhh... I guess that makes sense...” Dash says with a shrug.
“Well, if we’re done here, then I think I should take my leave. I’ve got to get ready.” you say as you grab your jacket from the coat rack.
“Ready? Ready for what, Fritz?”
“I’ve got a date,” you say as walk out of the office.
* * * * * * *
You stand outside of the Carousel Boutique, making sure you were ready. You were wearing a pair of dark brown trousers and a light brown jacket over your white t-shirt.
Clothes clean, mane combed back, contacts in, wallet... Yup, I’m ready.
You reach out and knock on the door.
“I’ll be right there~!” you hear Rarity call out.
You back up from the door and do a final once over to make sure you looked alright, but stop yourself half way. Why am I obsessing over how I look? It’s just dinner between two adults, nothing more.
You watch as the front door opens and you feel your jaw go agape as Rarity steps through the threshold.
"Guten Abend, mein Schatz. Wie seh ich aus?"
[Translation: “Good evening, my darling. How do I look?”]
Rarity was wearing a traditional Mecklenberg dirndl. You venture a guess that she was the one who made it and can’t help but be amazed by the amount of detail that went into it. The black and red colors of the dress accented each other quite well and you couldn’t help but stare at the intricate weaves of the bodice. She even braided her mane into two pig tails that made her look...
“Wunderbar...”
[Translation: “Wonderful...”]
“Are you going to stare all night or are we going?” Rarity asks with a tease.
You snap yourself out of your daze and try to act as if nothing had happened.
“So...Uh... Nice dress.” you say with a stammer.
“You think so? I figured you might like it, since you’re from Mecklenburg and all...”
You look at Rarity, quite surprised.
“How did you-”
“Your accent gave it away, darling. I’ve had orders for dirndls from Mecklenburg before and there’s always something to a true Mecklenite’s accent... It’s got this dominant tone to it. It’s quite appealing.”
“So, I take it that’s how you leaned Mecklen?”
Rarity nods. “Yes, but I can only understand a bit and speak a few different sentences. I really want to become as fluent as you, though. And I must say, your English is perfect.”
“Danke,” you say bashfully “I’ve had a lot of practice.”
[Translation: “Thank you,”]
“Do you think you can teach me one of these days? Maybe not a year’s worth of study, but like a crash course.”
You begin to chuckle under your breath. “Rarity, you’re about to get that crash course sooner than you think.”
“What do you mean?” she asks curiously.
* * * * * * *
“WELCOME TO THE PAINTED LILLY!” the overly excited mare declared “TABLE FOR TWO?”
“Could we get a booth, Hush-Hush? And maybe some Tomatenteigtaschen?”
[Translation: “...tomato dumplings?”]
“CAN DO!”
Hush-Hush leads you and Rarity through the crowd of people to a both in the back of the room. Rarity looks around the room, taking in all The Painted Lilly has to offer. “My, this is certainly different. It feels so rustic...”
“It’s a more traditional Mecklenburg style. I’ve been coming here for as long as I can remember.”
“How did you find this place?”
Hush-Hush walks over to your table and puts a bowl of dumplings that sat in a tomato sauce and sprinkled with cheese. “IT’S GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! I BET YOUR PARENTS ARE GOING TO BE JUST AS SURPRISED AS I AM!”
“Parents?” Rarity asks with a gleam in her eyes.
“OH HE DIDN’T TELL YOU? HIS PARENTS RUN THE GILDED LILLY! HIS MOMMA COOKS THE FOOD AND HIS DADDY BREWS THE BEER!” Hush-Hush looks to you and then Rarity and smiles. “YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE LOOK ON THEIR FACE WHEN I TOLD THEM YOU HAD A MARE-FRIEND!”
You feel yourself blush “Oh, this is bad,” you say under your breath.
On cue, you begin to hear the sound of galloping hooves. Looking up, you see two earth ponies, a mare and a stallion, barreling towards you with goofy grins on their faces. The mare had a deep brown coat, much like yours, a white mane and was wearing a stained apron. The stallion’s black mane almost obscured his deep blue eyes, both much like yours and balanced a tray of drinks on his back, even as he ran. The mare grabbed you and wrapped her forelegs around your neck and hugged you roughly.
"MEIN KLEINER SPATZ HAT ENDLISCH EIN PONY GEFUNDEN, DAS ER LIEBEN KANN, ICH BIN SO STOLZ!"
[Translation: “MY LITTLE SON HAS FOUND HIMSELF A PONY TO LOVE, I’M SO HAPPY!”]
The stallion slaps you on the back and grins slyly. "Du hast dir da ja nen ziemlichen Hingucker geangelt, mein Sohn! Ich erwarte viele Enkelkinder von euch beiden!"
[Translation: “You found yourself a quite a looker, my son! I expect many grandchildren from you two!”]
“Mom! Dad! Stop! It’s not like that!” you yell.
They stop praising and look at you perplexedly. “What you mean ‘not like that?’” your mother asks.
“She is a patient,” you say slowly “I am just taking her out for some dinner.”
Your parents let out a disappointed sigh.
“And here I think mine son will marry beautiful mare and have many children!”
Both you and Rarity blush heavily at your father’s words.
You bury your face in your hooves out of embarrassment. Dear goddess, send me to the moon now.
"Dad, ich könnte jetzt echt nen Drink gebrauchen."
[Translation: Dad, I could really use a drink right now.”]
“Yes! Drinks! Would the little lady like something?”
“Uh, no thank you, I’m quite alright.”
Your father cranes his head back and grabs a tankard of ale from off of the tray on his back and sets it down in front of you. You reach out and take a deep swig of the bitter drink and let the beer wash away your embarrassment.
Your mother grabs two menus from Hush-Hush and gives them to you and Rarity. “What can I get you two?”
“I’ll have the sauerkraut chowder.” you say without looking at the menu.
Rarity takes her time and peruses the menu. “I guess I’ll have the buttered carrots and brussels sprouts.” she finally says.
“Good! Your dinner should be ready in few minutes. In meantime, drink and be happy!” your mom says with a smile.
“I’ll drink to that,” you say as you take another swig of your beer.
“Uhh... Darling?” Rarity asks nervously “I really think you should go easy on the alcohol.”
“Pshh! I can hold my own.”
By the time your dinner arrives, you’ve finished your tankard and started to feel a little tipsy.
“How’s your dinner?” you ask after swallowing a mouthful of chowder. Rarity takes another bite of her dinner and makes a weird face. “I like it... It’s just there’s this weird taste I can’t nail down.”
“Ah! That’s the ale!” you say with a smile “My ma likes to baste the vegetables in it. Old family recipe, or so she tells me.”
You go to take another sip of beer, but stop as the lights begin to dim. You watch Hush-Hush begin to take the stage and clear her throat.
“WELCOME EVERYPONY TO THE GILDED LILLY!” she cries “THE GILDED LILLY IS A PLACE ALL ABOUT FUN AND DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT FOR A CHANGE!”
You watch as your father takes the stage and stands next to Hush-Hush. “When my wonderful wife and I move to Ponyville, all we want is to make ponies happy. Food and drink okay, but sometime you need entertainment!”
Now your mother gets on the stage. “Recently, a pony by the name of Paddock came to us. His own bar burned down. He needed beer so he wouldn’t lose his business. We had much beer to spare, so in the end, we gave it to him, free of charge. He wanted to pay us back, but we turn him down.”
Your father points to the back of the room “So instead, he play piano now! Until he gets back on hooves, he plays here once a night for special game.”
Paddock stands up from behind the piano. “That’s right, mate! But, first, I’d love to sing a little ditty for you all, would you like that?”
The crowd begins to clap in approval, but you can hear Rarity groan in disapproval. “A dirty song? Oh dear.”
“This tune, is a little something I wrote for a very special mare in my life. She’s out there, in amongst you all tonight. Her name is Berry, and, well, I love her very dearly. Here’s to you, sweetheart.”
“Aww...” Rarity says aloud “Well, it can’t be that bad if it’s for somepony he loves.”
Paddock runs his hooves up the scales before finally easing into the song.
Raised on songs and stories, heroes of renown
The passing tales and glories that once was Cloplin Town
The hallowed halls and houses, the haunting foal’s rhymes
That once was part of Cloplin in the rare ould times
Ring a ring a rosey, as the light declines
I remember Cloplin City in the rare ould times
My name it is Green Paddock, as Cloplin as can be
Born hard and late in seventy-two, in a house that ceased to be
By trade I was a barman, lost out to fire, you see,
Like my house that fell to the flames, my trade's a memory
And I courted Berry Punch, as pretty as you please
A rogue and child of Celly, from the rebel Liberties
I saved her from a unicorn chap, with skin as blue as sky
When she kissed me for the first time, she taught my soul to fly!
Ring a ring a rosey, as the light declines
I remember now Ponyville, in the new and better times
The loss done made me bitter, the smoke it dimmed me brain
Cause life keeps on changing, and nothing seems the same
But at least I still have my love, of lovely purple mane,
Her smile like a summers day, makes a smile of my frown
Paddock finishes the song and looks up to the crowd with a smile. A roar of applause fills the air and you join in.
“That was so sweet!” Rarity yells as she claps her hooves together.
Your mother and father get back onto the stage, holding onto each other. “Beautiful, Paddock! Simply beautiful!” he says before planting a kiss on your mother’s cheek.
He reaches over to a table and grabs a tankard of ale and lifts it into the air. “I propose a toast! To Green Paddock and Berry Punch! May they have many happy years together!”
The crowd lifts their own glasses into the air and yell “Here here!”
“Now it’s time for the audience to get piece of action!” your father yells “We are going to make a Cloplin drinking song on the spot! Now, we’re going to need four ponies to come to stage!”
You don’t know what possesses you, but you get to your feet and make your way to the stage.
“Where are you going?” Rarity asks.
You turn to her and point to the stage. “I’m going to go sing a song.”
Three other ponies join you and you’re all standing in front of the crowd. To your left was Big Macintosh, a pony who came in every now and again to just talk. He didn’t really have any problems that he wanted to deal with, he just wanted talk, which always struck you as odd. To your right was a caramel colored earth pony stallion with a brown mane and standing next to him was another earth pony, except this one was just a bit shorter than Big Macintosh, had his white man cropped short, and had a dark, rust colored coat. The caramel earth pony gave a wave to a pegasus in the audience, who waved back.
“I know my son when I see him, but who else is here with us tonight?” your father asks the three.
“Big Mac.”
“Caramel.”
“Snapshot”
“The rules are simple,” your father begins “They sing one right after another and make up song as they go. Song ends when a pony can’t add anything or when I say so. Now we need topic,” he says as he turns to the crowd “Name me something that would happen to you that you want to keep secret.”
“Lobotomy!” somepony cries out.
Your father gives the audience an odd look, but shrugs.
“Lobotomy. Let’s hear the lobotomy drinking song. Take it away, Paddock!”
Paddock begins to play what sounded like a generic Cloplin drinking tune.
Big Macintosh clears his throat and begins. “I had a lobotomy,”
You panic for a second and say the first thing that came to mind “and now I’m not so nuts.”
“They took away half my brain,” Caramel said with a chuckle.
“and now I eat cigarette butts.” Snapshot said, making the whole crowd laugh.
It goes back to Big Mac. “I am not too bright,”
“Now I’m kind of sane.”
“I am really stupid.”
“Hey is that the rain?”
All four of you begin to sing together “Oh aye de di de di de di de di de di”
Big Mac remains quiet, so you fill in for him. “I used to go down on the streets.”
Caramel continues the song “I used to have a scar.”
“Now I ask for money.”
“And I chase carts. WOOF WOOF!” Big Mac says with a grin.
“But when I come into your town.”
“I like to shout a lot.”
“I run around scream:”
“Wow, this is hot!”
“Oh aye de di de di de di de di de di”
It was your turn and you come up with nothing, but luckily Caramel fills in for you.
“Oh I feel so much better.”
“I think I’ll go back home.”
“And after I’m finished,”
“I’ll marry a lawn gnome.” you say with a giggle.
“Boy that’d be so beautiful,”
“as happy as can be.”
“Cause I don’t care so much, you see,”
“For my lobotomy!” you yell.
“Oh aye de di de di de di de di de di”
Caramel lets Snapshot begin this verse. “Oh I really need a job now.”
“I look in the paper.”
you shrug “But I can’t find nothin’.”
“I have a scraper.”
“But I’ll keep on looking,”
“I’ll look until I can’t see.”
“If you want someone who’s nuts,”
“Be a host named Paddy!”
“Oh aye de di de di de di de di de di de diiiiiii”
Paddock stops playing and laughs aloud with the crowd, who applauded for all of you. You look to the others, shrug, and take a bow before heading back into the crowd.
You sit besides Rarity, who was still giggling at the show you and the others put on. “My, my darling, you’re just FULL of surprises. Funny, smart, multi-lingual, singer-”
“Thirsty.” you say before reaching for your drink. Rarity stops you just as you grab a hold of it. “Maybe you should slow down. You’re already looking rather tipsy.”
You shrug and pull the beer away from Rarity.
“I’m fine, I swear! What’s the worst that can happen?”
* * * * * * *
You open your eyes groggily and moan aloud. “Oh my head... What happened?”
You shift around in your bed, but immediately knew something was off. First off, this wasn’t your bed. Second, it wasn’t even your room. You quickly realize that this was Rarity’s room and her bed. You wrack your brain and try to remember the night before, but you come up with nothing.
You jump slightly as you feel a hoof run through your mane. Rolling over, you find yourself muzzle to muzzle with Rarity. “Good morning, darling. Did you sleep well?”
Finally, the night before comes rushing back to you.
* * * * * * *
You stumble through Rarity’s door, holding onto her support. “But I’m fine!” you yell out drunkenly “I can get home.”
“Your door is locked, remember?” Rarity asks crossly “I can’t believe you let yourself go like this! And now I have to take care of you while you sober up!”
Rarity’s words seem to cut through you and you start to feel horrible for your actions. “I-I’m sorry...” you say with a sniffle.
She looks to you, hurt. “Oh darling, I’m sorry. Please don’t cry. Come on, let’s get you to bed and we can talk about this in the morning.”
Rarity helps you up the stairs and catches you when you begin to stumble. When you finally make it to the top, she sighs heavily.
“The guest room is quite cold around this time. And if I remember correctly, alcohol and cold nights don’t mix...” she bites her lower lip, debating something internally.
“You’re going to have to sleep with me. I’ll keep you warm tonight.” she says bashfully.
You reach out and wrap your forelegs around her neck and hug her tightly. “Awww, that’s so SWEET of you! I love you!”
Rarity’s face goes bright red and she loses her ability to talk and instead stutters unintelligibly as she leads you to the bedroom.
You fall down on the bed and let out an elated sigh. “Wow this is comfy! Come on in! The mattress is fine!”
She slowly gets into the bed with you and curls up besides you. “W-Well, goodnight.” she say shakily.
Rarity rolls over onto her side, facing away from you.
Reaching out, you wrap your forelegs around her waist and bring her closer.
“W-What are you doing?!?” she yells.
“I’m cold.” you say in a childlike voice.
“O...Okay.”
You lay there in silence, unable to fall asleep for some reason. The booze addled your brain, but kept you wide awake.
“Do... Did... Did you really mean it?” Rarity asks suddenly.
“Mean what?”
She rolls back around to face you.
“Did you mean it when you said you love me?”
You suddenly feel very embarrassed lying here with her. “Well I... You see, I...” you let out a deep breath and collect yourself. “Yeah. I did mean it. But you’d never love a pony like me! I’m too... Caring, apparently.”
“What do you mean ‘too caring’? Who told you that?”
“Last five mares I dated,” you say grudgingly “One of them dumped me when I told them they were a nymphomaniac and needed help, the other when I tried to counsel them, then there was one that with the...the point is, they dumped me because I cared too much for them. Because I saw that they needed help.”
Tears begin to fill your eyes. “Because I tried to help them. And the same would happen to you.” You look away from Rarity, ashamed you were crying like this.
You feel Rarity’s hooves brush against your mane. Turning to her, you see her eyes streaming with tears.
“Darling, I love how you’ve been there for me. How you’re trying to make me a better pony. I love you and everything about you. That’s why I’ve been trying to find some way to be with you. Why I came on so strongly before... I thought that if I well... I thought you’d want to be with me.”
You and Rarity stare at each other for the longest time before you start to draw closer to each other. Your lips touch and you begin to kiss deeply. You force your tongue into her mouth and feel her tongue meet yours. You kiss like this for what feels like the longest time and finally pull away. Rarity’s face is bright red and her eyes seem almost glazed over.
“W...Wow...” she says breathlessly. She collects herself and looks at you intently.
“You...You’ll still be here in the morning, right?” she asks nervously.
You draw her closer and hold her tight. “Only if you’ll be here with me.”