//------------------------------// // Chapter Four // Story: My Little Humie: Fanfiction is Social // by SwiperTheFox //------------------------------// Twilight magically held the dress up, wiggling it in the air besides her shoulders. Rarity waited with baited breath, hardly able to move. Twilight's eyes scanned across the long, flowing red fabric to the silver sashes and over to the lines of golden glitter. Rarity watched Twilight stand up, the dress moving over in between their faces. She has to like it. She has to like it. She just has to. Rarity almost bit her lip in anticipation. Twilight needed to appear "bold", her words and not Rarity's, and the fashionista had let her imagination open up. Rarity finally went with the full seductress look that she had always wanted to use on Twilight. I've seen that beautiful mare with a frumpy bookworm exterior for too long. "Rarity, this is--" Twilight shook the dress a little. "Yes," Rarity replied, trying to keep down her panting. "It's just--" "Yes!" She called out. "It's simply, exactly--" "Yes!" "It's everything that I could have dreamed of!" Twilight hollered, rolling the dress around her back and smiling. Her blushing purple face look like one of the most adorable things Rarity had ever seen. "Squee!" Rarity hopped over to Twilight's side. She danced across the floor for a moment in happy, fuffy Pinkie Pie-like style around Twilight. The mares held hooves, giggling. They gazed into each other's grins for a moment, both of them holding up the dress between them. "Oh, Rarity, I'm so happy," Twilight commented. She held the smooth fabric up against her cheek. "It feels so wonderful. It looks so beautiful. It's perfect for such a great occasion." "The occasion," Rarity repeated, suddenly taking on a more neutral expression. Twilight held the dress close, stepping backwards. She glanced out the window, still smiling widely. "Yes, yes, it'll be such a great moment. You and me." Her eyes fluttered as she imagined the scene. "Walking there side by side on the long carpet. There, at the Cineplex this Tuesday, the two of us taking our seats right in the front row. Derpy will be there looking right at us before she announces the first public showing of Young Colts. Not all glitz, no--" Twilight pressed her hooves against the window. "But an intimate atmosphere. Friends with friends." "Friends with friends," Rarity repeated, making a tiny frown. She stepped over behind Twilight, a sinking feeling coming through inside her. "And you've been so helpful with me as I resolved my, uh, issues relating to that book," Twilight turned around, looking face to face with the other face, "I can't wait to see what you're wearing to the showing, too." "Twilight, I..." Rarity took a gulp. "I... just..." "Something in a lighter red, a shimmering pink?" Twilight asked, wandering over to the racks of fabrics upon the wall. "Oh, isn't it funny, too--" She chuckled. "They shortened the movie's name to Young Colts from the books full name of Young Colts, Tight Bondage. Still obviously not a thing for foals, of course. Isn't that crazy? What parent would mistake such a romantic drama for some idiotic corporate-made foal's programming like My Little Human or Gooby Floopy Pancakes?" Idiotic? Twilight, you'll-- you'll-- you'll never understand. You can't understand. Rarity opened her mouth, but she said nothing. She simply walked over and put a hoof around Twilight's shoulder. "Something's wrong?" Twilight asked, looking totally confused all of a sudden. "Sweetheart, about that showing-- that offical five o'clock showing-- I need," Rarity began. She immediately stopped. Twilight's cheeks seemed to turn a purple-ish green mix, her mouth scrunching. "Of course," Twilight sputtered, eyes narrowing. She magically folded the dress up. "Twilight, please, it's not what you think!" Rarity commented as Twilight walked back over to the window. It looked dark and stormy outside-- far from great weather for a movie premier if things kept up. "Oh, sure, sure," Twilight retorted, waving a hoof in the air dismissively. She put her back against the window, staring down Rarity. "It's just you being you, isn't it." "Me being me?" Rarity sniffed, the insult cutting deeply. "It's not like that at all." "There you are, going off like an underworld spy with your Hoofington friends and your Canterlot friends and your Coltsville friends and everypony else. I get it. I really do." Twilight face seemed to burn, but her eyes looked like they barely held back tears. "They're better than I am. Faster. Richer. Smarter. Better connected. I understand." Twilight sat down, pressing the dress closely against her chest. "Oh, sure, I'm working with Princess Celestia. I've got my brother married to another Princess. But that's just me being phony, pretending to be a mare that matters by clinging to others." No! Twilight, no! Rarity wanted to holler at the mare, but she wouldn't dare stop the monologue. Please, Twilight, I hope you'll let me explain sometime. A few tears made it through. "I'm more like a potted plant in the stupid corner or a... a... a... painting on the wall," Twilight muttered. She stepped over to the door. "I get it, you can't go with me. You've got plans with better friends than I am. I won't get--" She snorted, tears dripping a bit more heavily. "I won't get in your way." *Creak!* Twilight turned her head, bowed it down low, and nudged open the door. She magically placed the dress over onto her back. Rarity sped over, barely able to think. "Wait!" Twilight looked back up. Rarity hovered just a few inches away, the mares coming completely face to face. Rarity couldn't think of how to even begin, mouth hanging open in such an uncouth way. Oh, darling, you don't understand the problem at all! It's those stupid ponies at EPBS. They changed their whole episode schedule. Progress Is Scientific's new season-ender, with Peter finally maybe just making it into the main band and Katie choosing her man, got moved over to Tuesday afternoons. It's a two-parter for crying out loud. "Rarity, what is it, then?" Twilight asked, putting on a blank expression. She held up a hoof and brushed some tears away. "Darling, I just have to do something for some friends--" Rarity saw Twilight frown at the mention of these other friends. "But it's not that I place them over you at all. It's, uh..." I have to tell the truth. I'll just be vague when I need to. Rarity took a deep breath. "It's my other friends here from Ponyville." Along with other PISfiction humies around Equestria. "It's that my friends are counting on me to watch something else with them." We'll watch Won't Get Fooled Again Part I and Part II on our pPads together. "I can't wait to watch it later because it's a co-operative livestreaming and commenting." I've promised for months now to do the 'Pre- and Post-Episode Fiction Context' as well as the 'PISfiction Conversation' event. Everypony is counting on me from Todd_the_not_so_human to One_room_Stallion to MisterMare to The-Big-Humie and more. TBH most of all, I can't let him down right before what's essentially our first date! "Livestreaming?" Twilight repeated. She seemed more confused than angry, although she had slumped down to the floor. "Long story short, I will just happen to be slightly predisposed for around half of the actual show," Rarity said, putting a squeaky tone to those two words. "That certainly will not keep me from your side during the climax and the after-show party. I promise that I'll be there." After all, Parts I and II are only about forty minutes long. Ten minutes or so happen in between for commercials and announcements. That's hardly even an hour. I can't be kept from the whole entire movie just from watching the show, even though they start at the same time. Twilight said nothing, just sighing. Rarity took Twilight's hooves in hers, and she made a content smile. The other mare kept on sitting down as still as a statue. "Rarity, I, don't," she started to say, standing upright. She looked more defeated than anything. "I don't understand you sometimes. What is it that you spend all this time on the Ponynet for? It's almost creepy." "What you mean, 'all this time', Twilight?" Rarity stepped back, swishing her mane around evasively. "I like to be a connected mare. I have to be for my job, least of all." "What time--" Twilight retorted, sticking a hoof into Rarity's chest. "Did you get to sleep this morning?" "Why, darling, it was around," Rarity started to stay. Her expression began to melt, and her voice became weaker. "Maybe in the range of 4am or so." She frowned at herself as Twilight stood up right over her. "That's not normal." Oh, please! You're the mare that thought that masturbating with a test tube mixer was a good idea. Don't lecture me on what is or isn't 'normal'. Rarity kept herself quiet. She paused and simply shrugged. "Rarity, I don't know what's with you anymore." Twilight touched the door once more. "Why aren't you doing things with your friends here? Fluttershy, Rainbow, Pinkie, Spike, and everyone else?" She rubbed her head up against the wall for a moment. "Seriously, I can't believe that I'm saying this, but you're either here in your boutique all cooped up or else you're off in places where nopony sees you, going town to town. I spend even less time in my library." She closed her eyes. "What changed so much just a few months ago?" Rarity wanted to scream at Twilight. She wanted to say that she had discovered a wonderful world unlike anything in Equestria. She wanted to say that these figures meant for little foals had won over her heart, and she treated this gang of weird, bipedal, and almost-hairless creatures from a cartoon as like family. She wanted to say that she had learned so much about science as well as the power of love and friendship. She knew that Twilight would laugh at her face if she did. "Twilight, I... I've been doing things here and there online. That's not the problem." "Problem," Twilight repeated. She began to tear up a little bit more. "Would it make a difference. Would everyone else truly 'miss me', or would they see me as a passing thing in their life. One of those 'little nice things' like a painting on the wall or a potted plant in the corner that you like but you don't care, deep down, as it comes and goes?" Rarity suddenly realized something as she flashed back to the last episode. Twilight had the same fears, the same worries, and the same troubles that she had gone through. Only, Rarity relied on her ponynet friends for support. Twilight had her friends that she saw everyday. Oh... dear sweet Celestia... I've been forgetting her. I've been pitting my online friends against my real friends. Rarity let out a gasp. "Twilight, darling, I promise that I'll see you mid-show. It'll work out great. I really promise, and I really mean it," Rarity said, opening up her eyes wide. She peered into Twilight's teary, pretty eyes. The other mare leaned back, and she smiled. "See you there," she replied. She turned around, and she started out the door. Rarity breathed easy for the first time in a while. Twilight kept the door open a little bit, pausing. "I should say that I'm sorry. I can't believe I called you 'creepy'." "That's perfectly fine-- just a slip of the tongue." "It's just that I'm so happy with this dress, and it's really important to me that I'm there, with you." Twilight nodded. Rarity nodded back. They had seemed to come to some kind of deep understanding and appreciation, and Twilight trotted off down the street. Rarity took out a huge breath, enough to suck in a butterfly or bird if she had been outside. She went over to the kitchen and nabbed a new tray of teas. She felt like spicing things up, and she pulled over a mini-cabinet filled with exotic mixes. She mixed in a little 'Elegra's Clover' and sat back down at her familar table inside her boutique's main room. "Well, I had thought that... now would be the moment I'd..." she said to herself, pulling out her pPad. She clicked it on, but she simply stared at the main screen. "Time for PISfiction, then?" Is this really normal? She slowly clicked the fateful application. I'm spending so much time with these humies and this fandom that... it's gotten to the point that I'm compromising with my friends about our favorite things. She sipped her tea, going deep into thought. What if this was something else? What if I spent this much time eating? Ponies would call me a glutton and say that I had a problem. What if I spent this much time hanging out in a bar? Ponies would call me an alcoholic and say that I had a problem. "This is a drug," she said, holding up the pPad with both hooves. "And I'm addicted." She leaned back in her chair. "Well, is that really such a bad thing? As long as I compromise, things can work out. After all, Twilight's happy. I can make both TBH and my online friends happy too." She finished her tea. Elgra's clover had already started working her way through her system and relaxed every inch of her body, mane drooping down across her shoulders. "It's about love. I love them as much as the rest of my friends." She started on a second tea. She pulled up a document file from the desktop. Rarity gazed at the message from Lulu himself, a wonderful response saying that she'd love to hold a huge private party on the roof-top area. The music, the lighting, the intricate decorations, and everything else would have a romantic touch, helping Rarity out with her quest for TBH's heart. Lulu, Twist, Strawberry Dawn, and the rest of that family have such big hearts. Their fluffy pink manes might as well as be... *Pop!* "What?" Rarity clicked on the side of the screen. "Another update? 'Software Version 4.55ii Addition', eh?" She frowned. "Blast you, Grately Gates and your stupid operating system. Stop pestering me!" She downed her second tea. She went back to PISfiction, stopping for a moment to straighten herself in the chair. Her muscules already felt a bit rubbery from having so much spiked tea in one sitting. Wow, I can hardly believe that Celestia lets Elegra's Clover stay legal. Not to mention the 'Milk of Amorous Clover' that she supposedly has in gallons. Goodness help whatever stallions Celestia doses up with relaxant juice while she fills herself with stamina-building juice! Rarity logged into the website. Messages: 5 Notifications: 32 "That's fabulous! More messages!" Rarity called out. "Dear sweet Celestia, I can't believe I have so many at one moment!" MapleJack101: Thanks for your invitation. I look forward to seeing you face to face at Lulu's, and I hope the party goes very well. I'm glad that you're being so discrete. "Well, I'm glad that I'll be able to see who you are," Rarity muttered. So tough, so strict, and so intolerant of other ponies' opinions as well as so insistent on proper language use... I wonder... Fran_the_Fran: Us pervs need to stick together! See you at Lulu's! Pervs? Me? Rarity rubbed her hooves against her shoulders. Well, I write intelligent stories involving realistic sensuality filled with emotional passion for ponies with tastes for that sort of adult-centered material. She took a breath. I suppose one might call that "perverted" if one has a narrow mind. No_Limit_Coltcuddler: Well, I've heard through the grapevine that you'll be ripping off some author's masks soon. Sounds bucking fun. Count me in, sweet drawers. "Sweet-drawers?" Rarity sputtered. "Who-- who-- even talks like that?" She felt as if her stomach had become coated with molten metal. No! Why does that parapsrite have to show his or her awful face! 700-Degree-Mare: Lookin' forward to seeing those uptown fagets at your party. I expect I'll be all hipster and show up like one hour early or something. There had better be alcohol. P.S. No, seriously, this is an awesome idea. I can't believe I didn't think of this myself. I don't even like your writing at all, but I'm truly happy to see this happening. "Those 'uptown fagets' will be happy to see you as well, surely," Rarity sarcastically muttered. I guess if I keep the stupider guests away from the main crowd, things might work out. Big_Mac's_Hat: I'm glad to say that I'll be able to make it, sugarcube. I also have to say that, well, you'll be in for one huge surprise. Not me-- but another surprise about somepony else. I won't say anything more. I can't wait to see your face when you get your mind blown. "Surprise?" Rarity clicked over at the notifications. Almost all of them notices of fics being uploaded to groups or else her own fics being favorited, she opened up the hoofful of comments to respond to. She leaned back, magically lifing over one more tea. Surprises for my party... well, I'm starting to have a very bad feeling about this whole thing. She downed the tea, Celestia's relaxant clover coursing through her system. I just have to plan ahead. Lulu and I will be there from beginning to end. "I'll just sent a little note that--" *Thump!* Rarity passed out, legs poised over on top of the table. To Be Continued...