//------------------------------// // What Feels Right (Part 1) // Story: Unfamiliar Patterns // by TheVClaw //------------------------------// Rarity couldn't stop smiling while she listened to her date during dinner. Even though Thunderlane was a nervous wreck back when he first picked up Rarity, he slowly became easier to talk to by the time they reached the restaurant. With the elegant décor and decadent (albeit very expensive) dining, Rarity was feeling a lot better about making this decision in the first place. And since the beginning of their conversation, neither one of them could stop laughing as they kept sharing stories about a shared interest: How insane their younger siblings were. Rarity was barely able to hold down her glass of ginger ale without laughing as she listened to Thunderlane's current tale about Rumble. Even though she barely knew the little colt who sometimes played with Sweetie Belle, Rarity had no idea that he would be such a rascal for somepony like Thunderlane. Since he was used to talking with Rarity by now, Thunderlane was a lot more energetic as he spoke from his side of the table, really selling his tale while he tried not to laugh himself. "I mean, it was everywhere! On the walls, on the carpet, all over the furniture! Heck, that kid even managed to get chocolate syrup up on the ceiling! He wasn't even able to fly then, so I still have no idea how he did that!" Clenching her eyes shut, Rarity could barely contain her giggling as Thunderlane continued, "But, that's not the crazy part! I managed to get upstairs, where I saw the trail of chocolate go straight to his room. Even though I was glad he didn’t touch my room, I was still beyond mad by then. Anyway, I go up, open the door, and… his bedroom was completely clean!" Rarity's eyes widened as she looked at Thunderlane. "Really?!" "Yeah!" exclaimed Thunderlane, not noticing he was catching the attention of the diners next to him as he kept speaking to his date. "There wasn't a single drop of chocolate syrup in his room, except right in the middle where he was! And… oh man! I mean, he was absolutely covered in it! I almost thought a different colt was there for a moment!" Thunderlane took another sip from his glass of root beer (something he was glad didn’t throw off Rarity) before he continued his story. "I was just… speechless! I literally couldn’t think of a single thing to say, and he was just sitting there on the floor, looking at me with the biggest stupid grin on his face. And before I could say anything to him, Rumble just held up the empty bottle of chocolate syrup and said, 'I want more!'" Rarity struggled not to laugh too loudly as she kept her eyes closed. After cracking up for a few moments, Rarity finally managed to calm herself down enough to speak coherently. "Oh, wow! I would hate to think how your parents reacted to that mess!" "Well," began Thunderlane, who was trying not to chuckle again at the memory of that day, "Mom screamed for like, five minutes straight when she saw the place. Of course, she calmed down when she realized the brown stains were just chocolate!" Rarity almost hit her head on the table as she tried not to crack up loudly in the restaurant. With Thunderlane joining in on Rarity's cheerful laughter, neither of them noticed at first when the waiter arrived with their entrées. While Thunderlane's laughter and smile slowly went away when he looked at his surprisingly small plate of… something, Rarity looked fairly pleased with her equally small plate of intricately arranged leaves. "Oh my," Rarity said in a happy tone as she levitated her fork up with her magic, "I'm already impressed with this place! It's always difficult for some ponies to appreciate the more stylistic elements of fine dining." "Ummm… sure." Even though Thunderlane wasn't as impressed with his own plate of arranged vegetables, one look at Rarity's smile was enough for him to keep his muzzle shut about any negatives. Instead, he waited until Rarity began eating her salad before he spoke. "To be honest, I've never really eaten in a place like this before. But I have to admit it's pretty comfortable." Rarity waited until she finished chewing her salad before replying, "Well, atmosphere is essential for places like this. And I have to say, I was quite surprised you would take me here for this date." Thunderlane's eyebrow skewed a little before replying in a more suspicious tone, "What's that supposed to mean?" "Oh, nothing!" assured the mare, noticing the slight change in Thunderlane's tone. "Nothing at all! It's just that… well… I was kind of worried about a mare like Rainbow Dash setting me up with a stallion from her weather team." Thunderlane stayed silent for a few seconds, thinking about Rarity's response a little before replying in a more understanding tone of voice, "Oh, well… I guess that makes sense. Rainbow Dash is a bit of a tomcolt. Honestly, it's kinda surprising that you're friends with her." "Well," Rarity said in a more upbeat tone while Thunderlane ate some of his meal, "I have to admit that we might not share a lot of common interests. But Rainbow Dash is still an amazing friend, and one of the most dependable ponies I know. There's a reason she's called the Element of Loyalty!" "Yeah, that's true," said Thunderlane after swallowing his bites of food. "Dash was even nice enough to lend me some gel to hold down my mane." "Which looks very nice, by the way!" Thunderlane started blushing deeply and looked away from Rarity with a smile. Despite being able to talk with Rarity normally, the Pegasus was still obviously bashful around her. Still pleasantly surprised to see the stallion like this, Rarity held her genuine smile as she added, "Although, I have to admit, the Mohawk style is starting to grow on me a little." Surprised by her remark, Thunderlane looked back to Rarity with a slightly skewed expression. "Really?" "Well…" Rarity took another sip of her ginger ale before she said, "I'm not saying it's good on everypony, but I think it fits rather well for you." "Oh, well… thank you." Still blushing, Thunderlane touched his slicked-back mane a little bit. "I'm… not sure what it is," continued the mare as she looked up to the ceiling in thought, "but I've gotten a lot more used to the concept. Maybe it's all the time I've spent with Zecora latel—" Rarity immediately stopped speaking as soon as she mentioned that zebra's name. Even with all her mental reassurances that everything was alright, the unicorn still felt a slight twinge at the very mention of her. With her lips pursed shut, Rarity quickly shook her head clear and looked back to her date. Not noticing her obvious blush or unease, Thunderlane kept a smile on his face in understanding. "Yeah, that zebra really rocks that look! I mean, I never thought a chick could pull off a Mohawk, but Zecora makes it work!" Rarity quickly nodded and forced a light smile. Not wanting to be reminded of anything that could mess with her date—like that one stupid kiss with Zecora—Rarity wanted to say something to change the subject. However, Thunderlane spoke first and carried a new, curious tone. "What's she like, by the way? I mean, I only met her once or twice, but I never really spoke to her." "Oh, well…" Even with her growing tensions, the question was enough to make Rarity think it over and look slightly less uneasy. "She… she's really nice. I mean… I used to be afraid of her like everypony else, but… She's honestly one of the nicest friends I've ever met." Thinking it over, Rarity's smile started to become more natural as she spoke, no longer feeling uncomfortable at the mention of Zecora's name. "I… I don't think I've ever met anypony as selfless or helpful as her. I mean, she's intelligent, funny, caring, and…" Rarity bit her lips together for a second, pausing as she felt the pressure from her teeth. Feeling how her lips were being pressed together for that brief moment, Rarity began to slightly blush before opening her muzzle once more. "And… she's really understanding." As Rarity looked down to the table with her mind still ticking, Thunderlane barely noticed the unicorn's changed attitude while he finished his plate. Before the Pegasus could reply cheerfully, Rarity finished her statement and looked back up to Thunderlane with a warm smile. "I'm… really glad to have a friend like her." "Hmmm…" Thunderlane waited until he swallowed before saying with a smile, "That's really nice, Rarity. She really does sound pretty cool." Rarity only nodded as she returned a smile to him. Sitting across from her date, Rarity started to feel a lot different as she tried to reset her focus on Thunderlane. Looking at the stallion, Rarity still felt rather happy to be talking with him; however, the unicorn couldn't shake a faint feeling that something was off. Unsure of what it could be, Rarity tried to think of something to say to break the silence. Fortunately, Thunderlane was first to regain conversation between them. He held a cucumber slice from his plate on his hoof. "Hey Rarity, pickles are cucumbers, right?" Not expecting the Pegasus to say something like that, Rarity sat in a slightly confused state for a few seconds. However, despite how odd Thunderlane's new topic was, Rarity didn't falter for that long before she replied, "Umm… I believe so, yes." "Yeah, that was what I thought." Still holding the cucumber slice in his hoof, Thunderlane stared at it curiously while Rarity sat with a dumbfounded look on her face. Before Rarity could ask what brought this up, Thunderlane said, "Because I always noticed that pickles are way smaller than most cucumbers. You think they shrink when they're pickled?" Blinking a couple times, Rarity was now really confused. Not sure of what was going through Thunderlane's head to prompt this kind of discussion, the mare looked around for a second to make sure there wasn't something funny in the air. However, before Thunderlane looked back to Rarity with a curious look on his face, the unicorn turned back to him before attempting to answer his question. "I… I really don’t know, Thunderlane. Honestly, I can barely even think about pickles without becoming queasy." "Really?" asked Thunderlane quizzically. "Why?" "Well, I…" Rarity's eyebrows raised up as she thought of her response, realizing how she could easily move to a less unusual topic. Realizing she hasn’t brought up the Relish Incident with Thunderlane yet—something she was actually surprised she hadn’t done—Rarity started to smile again before starting her story. "Okay, I think you might like this story. You see, my father is a sports announcer for professional hoofball games, so he travels around Equestria all the time with my mother. Well, one day, he decided to bring me and Sweetie Belle along for a game in Fillydelphia…" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Zecora started to shiver as she sat on the cold ground. Looking up to the dark evening skies, the zebra sighed as she stared at the stars above, taking a moment as she marveled at the vast array of constellations and arrangements within Luna's night. Breathing in, Zecora tried to settle down her building confusion as she closed her eyes. Even though she was somewhat grateful that she realized the reason for her tensions over the past week, Zecora was now overcome with a new wave of unease as she sat outside with worry. Despite knowing there wasn't anything she could do regarding Rarity right now, it didn’t stop the zebra from thinking about the unicorn and her current date. It also didn’t stop her from waiting outside Rarity's home. Looking around, Zecora made sure that nopony noticed her as she sat against the side of the Carousel Boutique. Groaning under her breath, the zebra cursed herself for doing something this impulsively stupid, knowing very well how insane all of this may look to anypony walking by. Readjusting the cloak she had on to keep her warm, Zecora really hoped that she didn't look like some crazy stalker like this. Shuddering from the evening cold, the zebra huddled a little more as she sat alone. Thinking everything over, Zecora couldn't think of a single logical reason why she was out here right now. Even though she realized that she had a light crush on Rarity (something she really hated admitting to herself), it certainly wasn't a valid excuse to not head back home before dark. Now with Ponyville stirring still within the nighttime, Zecora knew that she couldn't be able to head back to her hut if she wanted to. Knowing she was pretty much homeless until morning, the zebra felt even stupider about her split-second decision, still not sure of what the buck she was going to do tonight. Zecora couldn't head back to the Everfree Forest right now, so she was pretty much forced to be here; however, it wasn't like she even had anything planned. If Rarity was having a good time with that Thunderlane fellow, than Zecora would have no reason or excuse to intervene. And if Rarity wasn't having a good time, than what then? What the buck could she do if that happened? Breathing out in a low sigh, Zecora noticed a faint puff of steam escape her muzzle as her hot breath clashed with the chilly evening air. Seeing this, the zebra groaned before she muttered to herself, "What's wrong with you, Zecora? This is the worst thing you could start!" Looking around, Zecora made sure she was still alone right now. Even though she knew barely any ponies walked around Ponyville after dark, the zebra wanted to make sure she wasn't noticed by anypony who might be walking by or looking through their windows. Not catching any pairs of eyes on her, Zecora sighed once more and readjusted her seating by the Boutique. Closing her eyes, Zecora buried herself in her cloak and she tried to keep herself warm, still shivering slightly as the night grew colder. "Oh, curse you, Rarity," mumbled the zebra. "Why did you have to tear me apart?" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Despite the chilly night air, Rarity and Thunderlane were in high spirits as they walked side-by-side along the barren streets of Ponyville. All throughout their dinner, the two had been rather lively in their conversation, both bringing up many great stories and topics that were discussed with great appreciation. Keeping her smile, Rarity couldn't believe that she could've gone on a date that went this well. Thunderlane, on the other hoof, was starting to grow nervous again as he walked her back home. However, the Pegasus managed to keep his composure in check as he listened to his cheerful date. "… Luckily, I wasn't blacklisted or anything due to that incident, but that was when I realized how much of a buffoon Prince Blueblood really was." Chuckling under his breath, Thunderlane breathed a little easier as he replied, "You know, I heard something like that happened at the Gala, but I didn’t think it was you who threw cake on him." Rarity tried not to cringe as she blushed and looked away from Thunderlane. However, the Pegasus kept grinning as he continued, "Seriously, though, I don't blame you for doing that. I always had an inkling that guy was a jerk." ”Oh, he was!" Rarity looked back to her date with a new tone of annoyance in her voice. "I mean, you would think that being in royalty would allow for higher standards than that, but he was the most un-gentlecoltly pain I ever met!" "It sure sounds like it," said Thunderlane with an understanding smile. Before the two could continue, Rarity and Thunderlane stopped in their tracks when they saw a large puddle in the middle of the road. Under the moonlight, the puddle took up the entire width of the street and formed a large pool that was at least twelve feet long. "Oh, no," said Rarity with a disheartened tone, "When did this happen?" "I dunno," replied the stallion as he looked around, noticing a garden hose unrolled by the base of the puddle. Seeing that somepony forgot to completely turn off the valve connected to it, Thunderlane opened his wings and flew towards the source. With Rarity watching curiously, the Pegasus quickly turned off the valve while he hovered before he turned back to the mare with an optimistic smile. "Well…" Rarity said as she looked back to the large puddle in their path, "I suppose that solves the problem for ponies later, but how on Earth are we supposed to—" Before Rarity could finish, Thunderlane didn’t wait for permission and hovered over to the unicorn. Gasping in surprise, Rarity's eyes shot wide-open as she felt Thunderlane's hooves wrap around her back. In a matter of seconds, Thunderlane lifted the mare over the puddle, only flying a few feet off the ground before gently placing her on the dry ground on the other side. Stunned by the stallion's actions, Rarity was speechless as she was placed back on her hooves. As Thunderlane landed back in front of her, he noticed how disheveled Rarity looked, making him suddenly grow worried again. "Umm… I… I'm sorry. I just… I just thought…" While the Pegasus fumbled his words about in an attempt to find a fitting apology, Rarity breathed in for a moment before replying, "It… it's alright. I… I just didn’t expect you to do that so… suddenly." "I know," muttered Thunderlane as he looked away from Rarity in guilt, "I should've asked first. I'm sorry. It's just… I figured that would be something a gentlecolt would do…" Looking back to the puddle, Rarity realized what Thunderlane meant. Seeing how massive the puddle was, there was no way the unicorn would've went across without ruining her blue dress—unless she tried a water freezing spell of some sort, but even then things still could've went badly. Seeing what Thunderlane had tried to do for her, Rarity sighed and turned back to him with a calmer smile. Thunderlane, still looking away from the unicorn bashfully, tried to alleviate the tension as he said, "I mean… I would've done the whole 'place the jacket over the puddle' thing, but I don’t think it would've done any good…" Rarity giggled a little at his reply, making Thunderlane quickly look back at her with a surprised look on his face. Seeing that Rarity wasn't mad, the Pegasus started to look a little more relaxed and gave a light smile. Waiting until she made sure he wasn't looking guilty anymore, Rarity cleared her throat before saying, "It's alright, Thunderlane. I understand." Rarity took a second to check on her dress before she continued, "Even though I would've preferred that you asked permission first…" Thunderlane tried not to cringe at that part. Rarity kept her smile as she saw that no wrinkles or tears appeared on her dress, making her relieved as she looked back to Thunderlane. "That was still a very courteous thing to do. Thank you." "You… you're welcome," stammered Thunderlane as he attempted to give a weak smile. However, before he could say anything else, Thunderlane suddenly noticed a carriage. Two stallions pulling it galloped at high speed down the road . Seeing what was going to occur, the Pegasus instinctively pulled Rarity back, keeping her behind him as he stood out protectively. The carriage shot its way down the road, running over the puddle and sending a huge wave of stagnant water everywhere. However, while Rarity cowered from the oncoming splash in fear for her dress, Thunderlane's wings shot open as he faced the torrent. After a loud splash, Rarity flinched for a moment before realizing she didn’t feel any moisture on herself at all. Slowly opening her eyes, Rarity realized that she was completely dry; instead, Thunderlane was completely soaked, and now slightly shivering as his jacket and wings started dripping heavily. "Oh… Thunderlane!" Rarity quickly used her magic to pull off Thunderlane's jacket. "I can’t believe you did that! You're going to catch a cold!" "Oh, it… it's a-alright, Ra- Rarity…" With his teeth chattering, Thunderlane was barely able to muster out a statement as he kept shivering. "I… I'm p-perfectly—" With a loud 'sproing', the Pegasus's mane shot up in front of Rarity. Because he was soaking wet, the mane gel was no longer able to hold his Mohawk down, making it shoot up faster than a teenage Pegasus's wings during cheerleading practice. While Rarity stared at the sudden manestyle change with wide-open eyes, Thunderlane's warmth was slowly returning. All of it was going directly to his face as he blushed heavily. Before the stallion could say anything to alleviate the situation, Rarity struggled to keep her muzzle shut before she clenched her eyes and began cracking up. As the unicorn started laughing loudly, Thunderlane's blush grew even heavier before Rarity replied, "I'm sorry, but… oh, wow!" Rarity took another moment to finish laughing, holding her hoof up in case Thunderlane tried to say anything. When she finally managed to calm herself down enough to breathe, Rarity looked back at Thunderlane before giving a warm smile. "I'm sorry, but I couldn’t hold that back. But still…" With Thunderlane's jacket still in her aura, Rarity lit her horn before enveloping the garment in a bright, blue glow. After a few seconds, Rarity dimmed her horn again before floating the jacket back to Thunderlane. Holding it in his hooves, Thunderlane was shocked to discover that his jacket was now completely dry again. "It's the least I can do right now," said Rarity in a caring tone. "You didn’t have to sacrifice your health for me, but thank you very much." "Oh, ummm… you're welcome," said Thunderlane as he put his dried jacket back on, making sure his wings were dried before fastening the buttons. Looking in the direction that the carriage went off to, the Pegasus glared a little before he muttered to himself, "I can’t believe those guys just ran off like that!" "Oh, don't worry about that," said Rarity. "It's just a little water, and nothing to get too upset about." Rarity then pointed at Thunderlane's jacket before adding, "And I can get you a great discount at the dry cleaners, so you won’t have to worry about your jacket." "Oh, umm… thanks, Rarity." Despite his wet fur matting his features, Thunderlane still gave a warm smile to Rarity before holding out one of his wings. "Well, shall we continue?" Rarity smiled back and nodded. "Yes, Thunderlane. I would be happy to." With that, Thunderlane wrapped his wing around the mare, holding her in a warm grasp before they walked off together. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Even though the nighttime was getting colder, Rarity barely noticed it as she walked alongside Thunderlane. Despite only wearing a thin blue dress (not thinking to bring a jacket with her), the warmth she felt from under the Pegasus's wing was more than enough to make her feel warm. As she walked within his grasp, Rarity felt absolutely secure with herself, leaving her to appreciate the silence as she looked around the darkened streets of Ponyville. Underneath Luna's evening skies, Ponyville was absolutely still, with only the illuminations from the streetlights giving any semblance of life to the slumbering town. As Rarity and Thunderlane trotted in silence, the unicorn noticed their shadows as they walked underneath the various street lamps above them. Seeing the moving figures that were growing from beneath their hooves, Rarity smiled as she noticed the shapes they took against the streets and buildings. While her own figure was easy to discern from the moving shadows, Rarity's attention was focused on the figure beside hers. Looking at the black shapes that contrasted with the white and yellow lights above them, the unicorn smiled as she appreciated the figure next to her own shadow: a tall, slender build with a simple Mohawk. Soon enough, Rarity almost didn’t notice when the two finally made it to the block where her Boutique was. Focusing most of her sights on the shadows next to them, Rarity didn’t realize she was heavily blushing when she finally turned back to Thunderlane. Standing in front of her with a now mostly-dried coat, the Pegasus was now looking more nervous again as he attempted to speak. "Well, umm… w-we… we're here…" Seeing that her home was within seeing distance from them, Rarity smiled as she nodded to him. "I…" Slightly shaking from nervousness and building anticipation, Thunderlane bit his lip for a second as he tried to say the right words. "I… I really had a great time tonight, Rarity…" "Yes…" Rarity looked back to him with an equally nervous smile. Even with the warmth she previously felt from looking at the shadows, her unease was now coming back as she looked at the source. Even though Thunderlane proved to be a fantastic stallion (and quite a gentlecolt), Rarity couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn't right. But what? What could it be that would make her feel unsure now? Not wanting to get too lost in thought, Rarity shook her discomfort aside before focusing her attention on Thunderlane. "I… I had a really nice time too, Thunderlane…" When an awkward silence began to rear its ugly head, Thunderlane looked around sheepishly before he broke it nervously, saying, "I… I would really like to… you know… maybe do this again…" Blinking a few times, Rarity looked down to the ground and struggled to reply. Even with how great of a date this had been, Rarity still felt confused on what to say. Thunderlane turned out to be an amazing stallion, and definitely should warrant seeing again. Thinking it over, Rarity knew that this Pegasus really fit the bill for what she wanted in a stallion: caring, kind, funny, and very dependable… However… Looking back at the stallion, Rarity still felt like something was missing. Something obvious, yet something she couldn’t place her hoof on if her life depended on it. With her confusion building, the unicorn felt like she was dealing with one of those odd hidden-picture paintings, where the answer was obvious if she looked at it in a certain way. However, despite whatever theory she could ponder, nothing was clear or concise enough to explain her feelings of unease regarding Thunderlane. Knowing how much time she'd wasted before because of her high standards, the last thing Rarity wanted to do was let anything else keep her from ruining her chances of finding a good partner now. Taking a deep breath, Rarity managed to smile again before replying feebly, "Well… I… may have to look at my schedule, but…" Looking into the stallion's golden eyes, Rarity felt her heart tense up even more. The mare still exhaled calmly before she finished her statement. "I… wouldn't mind seeing you again." As Thunderlane's face lit up with an ecstatic smile, Rarity tried to keep up her own. However, it didn't change Rarity's tensions; in fact, saying that only made them feel even worse. But despite her growing apprehension, Rarity didn’t want to ruin this moment. Knowing how well this date had gone, she still stood her ground in front of Thunderlane, taking only a moment before she looked into his eyes again. Slowly, Thunderlane's eyes started to narrow on the unicorn's, looking at her nervously as he began to move in. Seeing his eyes slowly close in front of her, Rarity hesitated slightly at the realization of what was going to happen. Rarity tried not to falter as she closed her eyes as well. Lifting a hoof, Rarity used it to reach out to the stallion, taking a moment before it touched his upright mane. Feeling the surprisingly soft Mohawk in her hoof, Rarity felt calmer as she bent her head in some more, keeping her eyes closed as she began to feel Thunderlane's breath against her muzzle. With her heart thumping furiously, she detected the faint scent of the Pegasus's musky breath. Rarity's eyelids twitched a little before she began to reopen her eyes. Before her vision could completely come back through her opening eyelids, the sight in front of Rarity wasn't what she predicted to see. While the Mohawk in her hoof could still be felt, she no longer envisioned the stallion before her as the one in possession of it. Instead, Rarity's heart shot up in her throat as she saw what was in front of her: Zecora. Rarity quickly shot back and gasped, startling Thunderlane as he quickly reopened his eyes. Even though his lips were mere inches from touching hers, the Pegasus didn’t know how to react as he noticed how frightened the mare looked at that moment. Slamming her eyes shut and trying not to see that once again, Rarity shook her head violently as she tried to discern what the buck she was just thinking about. Meanwhile, Zecora, who was asleep at the side of the Carousel Boutique up to this moment, quickly reawakened when she heard Rarity's gasp. Getting back onto her hooves, Zecora looked from the side of the Boutique to see Rarity in the distance, who was looking rather disheveled as she stood in front of a motionless Thunderlane. After several seconds of panicked apprehension, Rarity reopened her eyes, making herself look guilty again as she saw how confused Thunderlane looked. Looking at the wide-eyed gaze from her date, Rarity exhaled deeply before she attempted to calm herself down. "I'm… I'm really sorry, I just…" Just what?! thought Rarity as she tried to think of a decent answer. Just what the buck was going through your head, Rarity?! You need to say something! Anything! NOW!!! "I… thought I saw something…" Zecora's head quickly shot back behind the Boutique, frantically hoping that Rarity wasn't referring to her. However, while Zecora's assumption was technically only half-right, Rarity breathed in once more as she felt her heartbeat begin to resettle. Looking at Thunderlane, Rarity bit her lip before speaking, "Sorry, I… didn’t mean to ruin the moment or…" Thunderlane only gave a warm smile as he looked at Rarity. Slowly, Rarity began to regain her composure as she stared at the stallion, feeling slightly happier before keeping a warmer stare on him. Keeping her eyes open this time, Rarity waited until Thunderlane began to move in once more, lifting a hoof as he gently placed it on Rarity's shoulder. Meanwhile, Zecora's eyes widened as she watched from the side of the Boutique again. Seeing what was going to happen, Zecora winced and shut her eyes, not wanting to see what was about to happen between Thunderlane and the mare she liked. As Thunderlane's head came closer, Rarity began to close her eyes again; however, her heartbeat wasn't thumping rapidly like it did the first time. In fact, Rarity didn’t feel nearly as much warmth from within her than she did the first time. With Thunderlane still in her line of vision, the unicorn felt a new wave of tension hit her like bag of bricks. As Thunderlane's muzzle came inches from her lips, Rarity couldn't take it anymore and turned her head away from him. Once again, Thunderlane looked confused as he reopened his eyes again. With the unicorn looking down to the ground with uncertainty on her face, the stallion took a breath before asking, "Wha… what's wrong, Rarity?" Hearing that, Zecora reopened her eyes again, surprised to see that the two hadn't kissed yet. Keeping her attention on the two—though it added to how much of a creepy stalker she looked right now—the zebra's eyes narrowed as she focused her hearing on the two ponies, twitching her ears as she heard Rarity's voice. "I…" muttered the mare as she kept her eyes away from him. Still feeling hesitant about what she should say, Rarity had no idea what she was supposed to do. Even with everything else that happened this evening, the unicorn couldn't picture herself kissing Thunderlane right now. However, since she knew she couldn’t say something that harsh to somepony who was this nice to her, Rarity took a second and another breath before she continued. "I… I just don't feel… alright… right now…" Even though he still felt a little unsure of what to say, Thunderlane knew better than to question her. Instead, Thunderlane cleared his throat before replying, "It's… alright. I mean, we don't… we don't need to… kiss right now, or…" "Oh, yes, I know," Rarity quickly responded as she kept her eyes on Thunderlane. Not wanting him to think he did anything wrong, Rarity kept an insistent tone as she added, "And believe me, this was an amazing date, I swear! I mean, I don't think I've ever had a night this nice with a stallion." Thunderlane's eyes widened a little at that statement, making him both surprised and grateful (albeit, still confused) as Rarity kept going. "I just…" Biting her lip, Rarity looked down at the ground between them, now feeling bad about dampening what should've been a very nice evening. However, the tensions in her heart just wouldn’t go away, making Rarity stick her ground as she looked back to Thunderlane with a more guilt-ridden tone in her voice. "I just think I need to… think some things over right now…" Hearing that, Thunderlane only nodded before mustering a weak smile. "It's alright," he said in a calm tone of voice. "I completely understand." Hearing that, Rarity managed to give a natural smile to the stallion. Even though she was glad that he wasn't going to pry on the reason, or attempt to kiss her again, Rarity still felt bad for letting him off like this. Knowing she had to do at least something before their date ended, Rarity placed a hoof on Thunderlane's shoulder before bending in and kissing his cheek. While Zecora stared from the side of Rarity's home, wide-eyed and unsure of that that meant, Thunderlane's face turned to a deep red from his instant blush. As Rarity pulled back, one glance of his reddened state made the mare giggle a little before she spoke with a smile. "Really, Thunderlane. I had a great time tonight. And you're quite the gentlecolt." With that, the two shared a light hug, which Rarity had to admit felt very nice. After letting go, and giving him one more light kiss on the cheek, the two made their goodbyes before Thunderlane headed off. As Thunderlane's figure began to disappear against the night skies, Rarity's smile quickly faded away as she looked down to the ground in confusion. Still not knowing what the buck to think right now, the unicorn grimaced a little before trotting back to her home. Zecora quickly darted out of sight behind the Boutique while Rarity took out her house key and opened the door. Stepping inside her darkened home, Rarity didn't even bother turning on the lights as she closed the door behind her. Still feeling a weight in her gut over all that happened, the unicorn had trouble focusing on anything. Even the simple task of taking off her dress with her magic was proving to be difficult for the mare, leaving her to slump down on her couch after finally getting it off. As she laid in the darkness, a billion different thoughts shot through Rarity's head, each one coming through crystal clear as the mare buried her head in one of the throw pillows. Why couldn't I kiss Thunderlane? Why did I feel so uneasy about being with him? Why couldn't I appreciate the first date I've ever had that was with a decent stallion? Why… Why the buck did I think of Zecora?! Rarity loudly groaned and shoved the pillow deeper in her face. As she desperately tried thinking too much about that last question, Rarity didn’t notice the sounds of rustling from Zecora outside. Standing outside Rarity's home, Zecora had no idea how to move forward. Even though she didn't want to alert herself in Rarity's presence—especially since she's supposed to be back in the Everfree Forest right now—the zebra really didn't want to leave her alone like this. After seeing how awkwardly that date ended, Zecora honestly felt obligated to do something. Taking a deep breath, the zebra closed her eyes as she thought her options over, not thinking of anything else as she stood alone outside Rarity's Boutique. After making her decision, Zecora opened her eyes and breathed out slowly. Knowing what she had to do, Zecora took a moment before she turned to Rarity's front door. Despite her heart thundering in her chest like tribal drums, the zebra tried her hardest not to show any hesitation as she lifted her hoof. Hoping that Rarity is good enough to at least answer, Zecora took caution to the wind and knocked.