Chapter 5
Pinkie Pie and Surprise arrived at the hotel. They had been the first of the group and checked in under their reservation.
Pinkie Pie had not realised until that moment how much expense Princess Luna had gone to until that moment. The Concierge escorted them to their suite, which had taken up the entire top floor of the hotel. Pinkie Pie’s jaw dropped right open. The suite was huge, eight bedrooms, each with their own bath. There was a kitchen, fully stocked with fruits and vegetables... and various meat products clearly intended for Schäferhund or Gryphon guests. These would be going untouched, actually, they would probably need to hide them, lest Fluttershy see them and have a panic attack.
Pinkie Pie opened one of the suite’s windows and promptly tossed all the meat products out the window, realising instantly that that had been a poor choice. From the street below, a voice in an odd accent that Pinkie Pie guessed belonged to a tourist from Welara called out.
‘IT’S RAINING MEAT!’
‘HALLELUJAH!’ called out another voice that sounded suspiciously like Vinyl Scratch.
Pinkie Pie promptly closed the window and hoped that no one had seen where it had all come from.
The main room was filled with a number of different incredibly comfortable looking sofas, each with an end table with a very fancy looking lamp on it. At the far end of the room was a giant television set. This had been the first time Pinkie Pie had seen one in person, they existed in Equestria, sure, but they were expensive, nopony in Ponyville was going to be able to afford one. She had seen pictures of one before in a magazine, but otherwise, that was it.
She promptly went over to it, turning the control dial to power it on. The television crackled to life, sound came out of box instantly, while the cathode ray tube took a few seconds to warm up. A monochromatic picture slowly came to life on the screen before her, Pinkie Pie sat down, having to get up and move back twice in order to comfortably look at it. Pinkie Pie didn’t understand what the people on the television were saying, it was all in Nederlands. She got back up and turned the dial again, hoping to catch something that she would understand. Lucking out, she had discovered something on a channel called “WBC,” which Pinkie Pie quickly discovered to be based in Welara.
‘...A combined Walish-Cheval force make haste for the Medius sea, hoping that swift response will put an end to the Said Canal crisis. The Misr government has so far, not issued a response to Welaran threats, this comes only a day after the Misr nationalisation of the Said Canal, the gateway to Bharat, and the closing of the canal to all but Misr shipping. A spokespony of the Cheval Republic had...’
Pinkie Pie promptly grew bored of the news programme and shut the television off. She looked up, having noticed that she had lost Surprise somewhere in the suite.
‘Surprise?’ Pinkie Pie called out. ‘Surprise!? Where did you go?’
Pinkie Pie trotted by a closet, not noticing that it was slightly ajar, Surprise burst from it, tackling Pinkie Pie to the ground. ‘SURPRISE!’ She shouted as she made contact.
Surprise had pinned Pinkie Pie to the ground, and having been startled, hiccupped loudly. She hiccupped again, and began to giggle, Surprise smiled widely at the event. ‘I made you smile!’
Pinkie Pie hiccupped again, nodding in affirmation, and took in a deep breath, within a few seconds, she released the breath to cure her hiccups. Surprise let her up and the two of them sat down on the floor and looked at each other.
‘Tell me what makes you sad’, Surprise said.
Pinkie Pie glanced down at the ground shamefully and let out a small sigh. Surprise had seen right through the mask that she wore. Pinkie Pie figured it was time to own up for it.
‘I’m in love with Twilight Sparkle’, Pinkie Pie said, her ears drooped, and she began to cry. ‘Ever since she came to town, I loved her, and then one day she starts dating my best friend. On one hoof, I’m happy that they’re happy... on the other hoof, I want Twilight to love me instead’.
Surprise wrapped her forelegs around Pinkie Pie and pulled her in for a tight hug. Pinkie Pie looked to the Pegasus and gave her a smile. ‘Thank you’, she said.
‘You’re welcome’, Surprise said softly. She continued to hold Pinkie Pie this way until the pink pony had stopped crying.
...
Fluttershy was nervous, to say the least. She had never been on a date before, not ever. Worst of all, Fluttershy wasn’t even sure if she liked mares in the romantic way. She brought this up to Rarity, who countered with the fact that Fluttershy didn’t know if she liked stallions in the romantic way either.
Fluttershy had to agree, Rarity had a point.
Fluttershy was already wearing her dress. Rarity had taken it upon herself into making Fluttershy look at her best, and had waited until just before they left to curl the Pegasus mare’s mane. Fluttershy was sure that if anypony else that they knew could see them now, that they wouldn’t have recognised her for how different she looked.
Rarity had put much effort into her mane, with her own take on a manestyle of a film actress native to the Low Countries, Auvergne Hoofburn, and was wearing a dress that was as equally blue as Fluttershy’s, though slightly longer, her reasons for choosing it being that she didn’t want to stick out, not this evening.
No, this night belonged to Fluttershy.
They met Katrijn outside de winkel. Her mouth fell wide open upon laying eyes on Fluttershy. ‘Geweldig!’ she cried out, causing Fluttershy to blush, she didn’t know what it meant, but she had a guess.
Katrijn was wearing a dress not unlike Fluttershy’s, but in black, and it had looked as if she had recently cut her hair short for the occasion. Fluttershy wanted to tell her that she looked beautiful, but found herself too scared to, at least until Rarity nudged her with a slight kick.
‘Katrijnyoulookbeautifultonight!’ Fluttershy squeaked in what looked like a single movement of her mouth to Rarity.
Katrijn smiled softly at the Pegasus, who was turning redder and redder by the minute.
‘Thank you, but I think this evening belongs to you, you are simply the most stunning mare I have looked upon’, Katrijn said, giggling slightly as Fluttershy had turned beat red.
‘Fluttershy surely is adorable when she is embarrassed, would you not agree Katrijn?’ Rarity asked.
Katrijn could only smile. ‘I believe she is adorable at all times’.
...
Upon making their way to a club it had become truly apparent that Fluttershy was so painfully shy, Rarity had noted that she had practically had to force her out onto the dance floor with Katrijn, Rarity watched as the two of them danced with each other, Fluttershy had finally started to relax, and Rarity could tell that she was having a good time. Fluttershy had clearly taken Rarity’s advice to heart, and was stepping outside her comfort zone, even going as far to rubbing up against Katrijn as they danced.
Rarity could only smile at how happy her friend looked, Katrijn was a beautiful mare and Fluttershy was very lucky, though Rarity preferred the touch of a Stallion.
‘You’ll have to pardon my saying so, miss, but you are far too beautiful to be here by yourself’, said a voice from behind her. Rarity turned her head slowly, batting her eyelashes at the newcomer. A pony stallion with an odd sort of accent, Rarity figured that he was a Welaran pony.
‘Oh, I am not here by myself, my friend has a date, she’s so painfully shy, I’m just making sure she doesn’t run off’, Rarity said simply.
‘Well, then’, the stallion said with a grin. ‘I suppose you won’t mind if I take a seat then?’
‘Not at all’, Rarity said, eyeing the stallion all over. ‘Not at all... I am Rarity’.
‘Tommy’, the stallion said with a grin. ‘First time in Trotterdam?’
‘Yes as a matter of fact’, Rarity said. ‘How about yourself?’
‘Third or fourth’, Tommy said. ‘I’m from Hoofsmouth, not too far, relatively speaking, quick pop off for the weekend that sort of thing... You’ll forgive me for asking, where you from Rarity? I can’t place your accent... Isle of Wright perhaps?’
Rarity smirked. ‘No, Equestria actually, little town called Ponyville, I’m here with friends for an extended holiday’,
‘Equestria?’ Tommy asked with a look of surprise. ‘Not expecting that, never met a filly from Equestria before’.
Rarity smiled and winked at him. Tommy smiled back and took a quick glance around the room. ‘Your friend, does she by chance have a pink mane and is wearing a blue dress?’
Rarity looked at him in confusion. ‘Why, yes! Why do you ask?’
‘Oh... just curious, she doesn’t look very shy to me’, Tommy said before turning back and ordering two drinks, one for him, and the other for Rarity.
Rarity looked out towards the dance floor. Her jaw dropped.
Fluttershy and Katrijn were making out.