//------------------------------// // Party Time // Story: Hood Rat // by Twinkletail //------------------------------// Hood Rat had never realized how long a walk it was between Fleur's house and the Canterlot train station. In truth, it wasn't a terribly long distance. The walk from the location of Fleur's earlier shoot to her home was only slightly shorter. The primary difference between then and now was the fact that Fleur hadn't been wearing the same ugly brown tunic that Hood was wearing now. Ponies in general were not accustomed to seeing one so shabbily dressed trotting about, let alone the high-society ponies who called Canterlot their home. The number of times that Hood found herself stopped and asked if she needed money was humbling indeed. But it was a necessary evil. Had Fleur approached the train station without a disguise, ponies would have been questioning where she was going. Had she answered, they would have questioned why she was going to Ponyville, and had she answered that honestly, her reputation would surely be ruined. Lying was an option, but she hadn't the forethought to come up with a good one, and right now, her thoughts were elsewhere. Visions of that pink delight danced in Hood's head as she hastened towards the station. Never before had she been so infatuated with a pony. Sure, there were her childhood crushes and her one-time interest in Fancy Pants, but she was positive that none of them had left her reeling quite to the degree that Pinkie Pie had. And it wasn't even just a single aspect of Pinkie that left her head over hooves. Her beauty was radiant, her joy infectious, her ebullience intoxicating. Fleur had received her first hit of that pink drug earlier today, and she was already hooked, desiring nothing more than to taste the boon of that beautiful, bouncy barbiturate again. Hood thanked her lucky stars that she was able to catch the train to Ponyville before it departed. The next one would not be leaving for a half hour, and arriving that late to this party was absolutely out of the question. Fashionably late was one thing; ludicrously late was another, and that was exactly what she would have been had she missed that train. She breathed a sigh of relief as she sat herself down in the nearest empty seat. That feeling of relief began to dampen when she observed the faces of the ponies around her. She was used to ponies reacting to her as the resplendent pony she was, and the looks of revulsion were entirely alien. Watching a pony get up to avoid having to sit next to her was nearly enough to make her cry. Still, she held strong. Fleur de Lis would get upset at the idea of ponies wanting to avoid her. Hood Rat would not. Hood Rat would see the ponies shunning her appearance and take it in stride. Hood Rat would be used to the high-society Canterlot ponies turning their nose up at her poor choice of apparel. Hood Rat would not need to worry about holding back worries, because she would not have a single worry to worry about. And so she didn't. As much as Fleur tried to get her to worry, Hood would not be swayed. Her fast-approaching goal was far too important. ~~~~~~~~~~ Hood was both thankful for and scornful towards the giant clock by Ponyville's town hall. Every second that ticked by reminded her of both the oncoming party and her lateness in arriving to said party. Had everything gone smoothly, she would have arrived right on time, or five minutes late at worst. As it stood now, she was already a half hour late thanks to a delay at the stop just before the Ponyville station. It was just her luck that a cow would choose to rest on the train tracks right then, and even though she was happy that the cow ended up safe, she still couldn't shake her frustration over being late because of her. Hood glanced down at the invitation, double-checking the address and directions to make sure she was heading to the right place. As she approached the large sweet-themed building, she figured that it had to be the place. Something about it just screamed "party central" to her, if for no other reason than that it looked about as far from the type of location for one of her usual soirées as possible. The social elite wouldn't be caught dead in a place like this, which was just more of an impetus for her to enter. Just the thought of Mint's face were she to even touch the doorknob of such an establishment nearly had Hood giggling to herself. This was a good sign to her; she hadn't even joined the party yet and she was already having a good laugh. And a genuine one too; far removed from the polite chuckles she offered to the ponies at her usual social gatherings who would regale her with stories of corporate buyouts or errors made by their cleaning crew. Hood could hear the sounds of loud music and raucous laughter as she approached the front door. For a moment, she hesitated. The sounds of jubilation were intimidating now that she was hearing them up close. She was so close to her goal, but now the idea of actually going in and finding Pinkie was beginning to become scary. What if Pinkie didn't pay her any attention when she couldn't see her beauty? What if Pinkie did pay attention to her, but didn't like her? Never before had she ever felt this insecure about herself. Or rather, Fleur had never felt this insecure about herself. Hood was a different story. As she had only come into existence recently, it was safe to say that at least 25% of her existence was spent feeling insecure about herself. That had to change now. If she wanted to win over a pony who exuded as much confidence as Pinkie seemed to on that day, then she would have to do the same. She took a moment to steel herself against her worries, then reached for the doorknob. Suddenly, the door burst open. Before Hood had time to react, she was barreled over by a pink blur. She found herself tumbling rump over tea kettle, thankful for her shawl's ability to keep her persona covered even through this intense physical activity. She finally came to a rest on her back, thumping the back of her head against the soft dirt. Before she could catch her breath, she felt the rest of the breath she had knocked out of her as the pony who knocked her over landed rump-first on her belly, then promptly flopped down so they were chest-to-chest. Hood desperately tried to catch her breath, but as soon as she caught sight of who'd bowled her over, that breath was taken away. "Oh my goodness!" Pinkie said, her nose mere inches from Hood's. "I'm so so sorry! I was just running out to check to see if there were any more party guests arriving but then I heard a really cool bird song outside so I wanted to run out and see the bird before it flew away and..." Hood couldn't even concentrate on what Pinkie was saying. She was currently lying down under Pinkie Pie, and she was having a hard time finding much to complain about, especially with her shawl stopping her coat from being sullied by the dirt under her. And her breath smelled enchantingly sweet, like that cotton candy-scented perfume that had been all the rage in Canterlot two seasons ago. She could probably just lie here under Pinkie all day, smelling her sweet breath like this... "...And then I thought, why get nectarines when I could just shave the peaches?" Pinkie giggled playfully, gently bouncing in place on top of Hood. "And so I guess I don't even know why I ran out like that! Heehee~!" Hood had no idea how the topic had moved to nectarines and peaches, but she couldn't say she had much of an issue with it. Her cheeks blushed with a blush that would never be seen by anypony as she lay under the object of her desire. Were she unmasked and revealed, she would have been terribly embarrassed at being pinned under Pinkie's shapely body, but in disguise, she soon realized that she had nothing to worry about. For the first time since she'd become a model, nopony knew who she was. "...Oh!" Pinkie suddenly exclaimed. "I should prooooobably get off of you, huh~?" Hood stammered, nearly falling out of the false voice she'd worked on. As much as she wanted to request that she stay right there, she couldn't really experience the party if she did. Her voice, however, refused to comply. "Sorry!" Pinkie said with a smile. She stood up off of Hood, thankfully not noticing the small mewl of disappointment from her. "I don't think I've ever met you before! Which must mean you're new to Ponyville! I'm Pinkie Pie! What's your name?" Hood cleared her throat as she got up, thankful that her shawl was still keeping her nice and covered. This was the big opportunity she'd been practicing for earlier. She took a breath, hoping that her nerves would allow her to play her role properly. "My name's Hood Rat!" Hood said. "And I'm here for your party, Pinkie!" Perfectly executed, she thought. Her voice sounded almost nothing like Fleur's. Her moments of self-satisfaction, though, was marred when she saw the suspicious, narrowed blue eyes staring at her. She gulped quietly. Had she faltered in her voice masking? She was positive that she'd gotten the voice perfect. There was no possible way that Pinkie could suspect her...and yet that stare, the glare from those lovely baby-blue eyes that were now piercing her soul, seemed to disagree. A few moments of tense silence followed, and Fleur felt just about ready to abandon the plan and flee the scene. Just as she was about to turn tail, Pinkie's entire expression lit up, her usual smile returning. "Nice to meet you, Hood Rat!" Pinkie sang. "Can I call you Hoodie? It sounds better than Ratty~" Hood let out a sigh of relief and nodded in the affirmative. Fleur typically liked to avoid nicknames, as she thought her name did not exactly lend itself to one. Hood, on the other hoof, was quite alright with them, especially when they came from Pinkie. "C'moooon, Hoodie! Let's party!" Hood felt Pinkie grab her hoof, and before she knew it, she was being dragged back towards the large building—Sugarcube Corner, according to the invitation. Only a tiny bit of dragging was necessary, as Hood was quick to begin trotting along, just as eager to party as Pinkie was to have her. Hood was left reeling from the sensory overload as she entered Sugarcube Corner's doors. She hadn't known what exactly to expect from Pinkie's party, but never on her wildest dreams would she have expected the experience she was presented with. The soirées she was used to attending were a far cry from this. A typical upper-class social event would have soft lighting, a live orchestra playing quiet background music, and guests standing or sitting calmly and conversing. Here, the lights pulsed in various colors, the music was blaring and sounded more akin to the rock music Fleur had heard about, and instead of subdued conversation, the guests seemed to be convulsing in a violent fashion. Her eyes danced about the place, observing the many ponies (and one cow, whom she was surprised to recognize as the very cow that had impeded her train's progress earlier) seemingly in the throes of pain. "Goodness..." Hood said, before catching herself. "I mean...wow." She looked to Pinkie, taking a moment to bask in her warm, beautiful smile before continuing. "Should I call a doctor? I believe those ponies are in the process of having seizures." "Haha! You're funny, Hoodie!" Pinkie laughed, wrapping a foreleg around her. Hood felt her cheeks color again, taking a moment to reflect upon things. Here she was, an elite Canterlot model, a stunning example of beauty who hobnobbed with the highest of the high, who could probably get anypony she set her eyes on. And here she was, blushing like a schoolfilly from the hug of a common-class Ponyville mare. But her hug felt so wonderful, she never wanted to leave it. "They're not having seizures!" Pinkie giggled. "They're dancing!" "Dancing?" Hood asked. "But they are not...they aren't dancing like anything I've seen." "You've never seen dancing like that?" Pinkie asked. "What dancing have you seen?" Before Hood could respond, she was suddenly bumped into from behind. She whirled around to see Rarity trying to regain her balance. Her gait seemed rather unsteady as she wobbled, smiling unevenly. Behind her was a cream-colored earth pony whom Hood was sure she'd seen before, but she couldn't place her name or where she knew her from. She fought off a gasp; she hadn't considered that Rarity would be here. Surely she would have some very insulting things to say about her choice of clothing. "Terribly sorry, darling~!" Rarity slurred, her breath smelling of alcohol. "I didn't see you there! Hahaaaa..." Hood zipped her lips. She'd never in her wildest dreams took Rarity for one of those kinds of ponies...she winced to herself as she realized what manner of negative connotations her thoughts had. It sounded like something Mint would have said, and that bothered her greatly. At the same time, she found herself relieved that Rarity had apparently not noticed her drab clothing. Perhaps she would have were she not so inebriated, but now was not the time for speculation. "Oh, I'm so sorry for her," the cream-colored mare behind Rarity said, stepping up next to her. "Rarity did a little bit of partying before she arrived." "The more partying, the better!" Pinkie replied with a smile. "Ouh, Hoodie, these are my friends, Rarity and Coco! Girls, this is my new friend Hoodie!" The name sparked Hood's memory instantly. This was the mare who had done the marvelous costumes for the production of Hinny of the Hills that she had attended last month. She turned to Coco to compliment her on her work, but was interrupted by Rarity suddenly wrapping her hooves around Coco. "Hooves off, she's taken~!" Rarity giggled, nuzzling the now-blushing mare's cheek. Hood smirked. The most decorated seamstress in Ponyville and possibly the hottest up-and-coming costume designer in Manehattan? This was a golden piece of gossip for sure. "Heehee...Rarity, c'mon..." Coco said, although it was clear that her protests were not terribly genuine. Before she could continue, Rarity silenced her, pressing their lips together into a deep kiss. Hood let out a small gasp at the sudden display of affection, and even Pinkie blushed a bit, although her pink coat made it hard to tell. Coco let out a little muffled squeak, but once again, her protests did not last very long, and she was soon melting into her lover's embrace. "Oooookay, let's leave them alone!" Pinkie said to Hood with a smile. Hood couldn't manage a response. Even though such public displays of affection were considered uncouth, seek Rarity and Coco like that only made her want to experience such things with Pinkie even more. Visions of being swept into Pinkie's forelegs and smooched as such flooded her mind and refused to leave. The logistics of the fantasy were not even important to her. It didn't matter that she was taller than Pinkie and that from a physical standpoint, it might have made more sense for her to hold Pinkie. She wanted to be held in those slightly-pudgy pink forelegs so badly... "Helloooooo?" Pinkie said, waving one of those pretty pink hooves in Hood's face. "Did you hear me, Hoodie?" Hood tilted her head. She had to stop spacing out like that, or Pinkie might get suspicious of her behavior. "Sorry," Hood said quickly. "I was just thinking about...something." "Ouh! Was it sponge cake?" Pinkie asked excitedly. "I have that problem a lot. Sponge cake has a way of absorbing my other thoughts like a...like a..." "A sponge?" Hood offered. "Ouh, that too!" Pinkie shouted. Hood let out a little sigh. She was so perfectly whimsical. Even when she thought she knew what Pinkie was thinking, she managed to surprise her. It was such a refreshing change from the Canterlot ponies. Fleur often found herself able to predict the exact paths a conversation at a Canterlot soirée would take, sometimes right down to the word. Hood was certain that this was utterly impossible with Pinkie Pie. "So let's go bob for apples!" Pinkie said. Hood found herself being pulled once again, this time towards a large half-barrel. She couldn't believe how much effort Pinkie was putting into sticking around her and trying to help her enjoy the party. Most ponies would probably feel uncomfortable about a hooded stranger approaching their door, but Pinkie had embraced her with open hooves. It was just further proof of how wonderful Pinkie really was. The ponies at her Canterlot parties would likely not even welcome a clean-looking stranger into their social gatherings, let alone one dressed as poorly as she. "C'mon, Hoodie!" Pinkie exclaimed, a hoof starting to reach towards her. "Let's take off that hoodie!" Hood let out a short gasp. As little as she wanted to avoid being touched by Pinkie, she was forced to dodge the incoming pink hoof. Her reputation relied on the safety of her secret. "No!" Hood shouted, louder than she could remember speaking in a long time. She nervously looked around to see if ponies had reacted to her like the ones at the Canterlot soirées would when a pony rose their voice. Nopony, however, seemed to have noticed. Nopony except Pinkie. Hood's ears fell as she realized that she had just shouted at Pinkie. She had certainly just ruined any chance she had with her. "Wow!" Pinkie responded. "That was loud! I'm impressed!" "...Thank you?" Hood replied. She was once again surprised, although upon further consideration, she figured that she shouldn't have been. Pinkie was a rather loud pony, after all. "Noooo problem!" Pinkie said, patting her on the back. "I guess you can keep wearing your cute little shawl!" "You...think it's cute?" Hood asked, taken aback. There were many adjectives that fit her current attire. Some of them even began with C. But "cute" was certainly not one of them. "Sure!" Pinkie responded. "I really like how it has that authentic messy look about it! And it totally reminds me of a potato sack, and I love potatoes!" Hood couldn't help but smile. Pinkie's comments might not have exactly been...complimentary...but it was clear that she didn't think that. Hood liked to think herself decent at reading ponies, and she could easily tell that Pinkie genuinely believed she was complimenting her. At one point, that might not have been enough for Fleur. Fleur would have heard those comments and been deeply offended by them. But the fact that Pinkie really and truly meant them in a positive sense, that Pinkie really wanted to make her feel good with her words, filled her heart with joy. Plus, even she had to admit that potatoes were tasty, albeit high in carbs. "Hmm...what to do instead..." Pinkie mused. Then her baby blue eyes lit up. "Ouh! I remember what I was saying before! You said ponies weren't dancing like anything you'd seen before, right? So what dancing have you seen?" "O-oh...right," Hood stammered. There was only one style of dancing that she was accustomed to, and the music currently blaring through the nearby speakers was hardly appropriate for it. It was far too loud and lively, and the tempo was a bit livelier than this type of dancing called for. It simply would not work. Hood quickly dismissed this thought. Such a thought was more of a Fleur thought, and she was not Fleur right now. Pinkie was a spontaneous sort, and if Hood wanted to win her over, then spontaneity it was. "Here, let me show you," Hood said, perhaps a bit too quickly. "I've been told that I'm quite the ballroom dancer." She held a slightly-shaky hoof out towards Pinkie, who smiled her infectious smile as she took it. Hood took a deep breath, finding her center, then gently pulled Pinkie close to her. She was used to letting others lead, but she was rather proficient at leading herself. In that moment, as she began to lead Pinkie through the motions, everything else vanished. The unfitting music didn't matter. The other ponies "dancing" in their own style didn't exist. Even the rest of the party might as well have not been there. To Hood, all that existed right now was her, Pinkie, and the art of the dance. She managed to take a look into Pinkie's eyes as they danced, feeling her heart skip a beat as she stared into them. There wasn't much that could make this moment better. "Oh!" Pinkie suddenly exclaimed. "I know this kind of dancing!" Suddenly, Hood's role as the lead was unceremoniously usurped. Pinkie was now in charge, and Hood found herself being pulled around like a plaything. Pinkie's style was fast-paced and forceful, but at the same time, Hood could feel the hints of real talent hidden in her rambunctious movements. Before she nines what was going on, Hood found herself suddenly spun around by her peppy dance partner. She whirled around like a dervish, unable to stop her momentum. It wasn't until those pink forelegs grabbed her once again that she was finally able to stop. She felt one leg snake behind her back, the other meeting one of her own. This was followed by the feeling of falling backwards, only to be held by Pinkie, whom she quickly realized had just expertly dipped her. She was left speechless as Pinkie held her, and the blush on her cheeks was burning brightly as Pinkie leaned towards her, noses meeting. Hood's head was still spinning, and it took every bit of self-control in her body not to pucker her lips. She found herself swooning, unable to speak as that wonderful little pony held her close. The scent of cotton candy invaded her senses once more, but it was a welcome invader. If this was what it meant to party with Pinkie Pie, then Hood couldn't think of anything she or Fleur wanted more.