“Slow and steady, Frederic, we’re in no hurry…” Orianne said, sidling up next to Frederic in case his strength left him.
“Mother, I’m fine, really,” Frederic repeated. While he was moving slowly due to his shortness of breath and the general soreness in his body, he otherwise felt alright.
“That’s what they always say before they collapse,” said Orianne.
Frederic paused. “...Mother, I don’t think that’s ever actually happened.”
“You say these things because you do not see them from a mother’s perspective,” Orianne reasoned.
Frederic was not eager to argue on that point, so he kept his mouth shut.
“Did you inform Rarity that they were discharging you? I would feel terrible if she showed up and you weren’t there,” Orianne said.
“I’m sure the hospital told them in advance about my expected recovery, the same as they told us,” said Frederic.
“I sincerely hope you’re right,” Orianne said. “Sometimes those hospitals say they’re going to do things but they never do, like this one time with your father…”
Frederic gave a small sigh, letting his mother talk. He knew better than to try and stop her when she went off on a tangent like this. To Frederic’s credit, Rarity had already been informed of him being discharged and at his request was sent ahead to retrieve the spare key for his mother.
Rarity approached the front door to Frederic’s apartment, looking for anything out of the ordinary.
“Oh, darn my memory, I can’t remember where he told me he put it,” Rarity grumbled as she checked everywhere she could think. She looked at the doormat, and brushed it off. Too obvious, he’d never put it there… she thought to herself. After a good ten minutes of searching, she gave up. “Where in Equestria did he put that key?” she wondered aloud. As she sat to think, Vinyl and Octavia emerged from their apartment down the hall.
“So it’s like I was saying, I’m trying to get more creative with my mixes. Times are changing and— is that Rarity sitting outside Frederic’s apartment?” Vinyl pointed out. Rarity looked up to the sound of her name.
“Oh, good afternoon, Vinyl!” Rarity said cheerily.
“Hey Rares,” Vinyl said. Octavia appeared a moment later, following behind.
“Oh, hello Rarity, what brings you by?” Octavia asked.
“Well, I had originally come by to get Frederic’s spare apartment key,” Rarity explained. “Have you always lived so close to one another?”
“Oh, just noticed it last month,” said Vinyl. “That was when things started to get, you know… weird.”
“Well, I daresay I can imagine. One minute there’s the beautiful sounds of the cello flowing through the wall, and the next there’s…” Rarity pondered for a moment. “Your music,” she said as gently as possible.
“That’s not the type of weird I meant. What I really meant was—”
“I’m going to have to stop you there, Vinyl,” Octavia said, covering Vinyl’s mouth with a hoof.
“C’mon Octy, Rarity’s a grown mare, she can handle a little dirty talk,” Vinyl said as she gently brushed Octavia’s hoof aside.
“‘Dirty talk’?” Rarity swallowed.
“Yeah, turns out things were a little awkward for Fredboy when we started getting frisky,” Vinyl said. Octavia hid her blush behind a hoof.
“Why do you always do this to me?” Octavia questioned.
“Because it’s cute when you blush,” Vinyl winked.
“Well… anyway,” said Rarity. “You wouldn’t happen to know where Frederic keeps his spare key?”
“Oh, yeah,” said Vinyl. “I have it.”
“You do?” Rarity asked, confused. “Is there a reason why you have Frederic’s spare key, if I may ask?”
“Well, remember how not long ago I kinda wanted to put the hurtin’ on Fred for yelling at Octy? Well, I slipped on his doormat and I found the key under it. I wanted to give it back to him but I kept forgetting,” Vinyl explained.
So he is that predictable… Rarity thought. “Well, if you don’t mind I’ll take it. I need to take it to his mother as she’ll be staying with him for some time,” she said.
“Oh, okay,” said Vinyl, nodding. Then there was a pause as her expression turned grave. “Oh. Oh. Ohhhh…”
“What are you getting at, Vinyl?” Octavia asked. Rarity remained silent, curious to hear her answer.
“She… oh no, the booze!”
“The fact that you are concerned about how much alcohol he owns is a bit worrisome,” Rarity said. “Celestia knows his mother doesn’t need to think he’s an alcoholic.”
“What do you suppose we do about it, though? We can’t just go into his apartment and dump his alcohol,” Octavia said.
“Sure we can,” Vinyl said, holding up the key. “It’s time for a raid!”
“I can’t say I’m completely comfortable with this…” Rarity expressed.
“We’re doing him a favor Rarity,” Vinyl explained. “We’re saving him grief from his mom…” she then shuddered at the thought of being reprimanded again. “We’re also making sure he doesn’t fall back on alcohol when the going gets tough. We’ve had a couple bad experiences.” She made a ‘you know what I mean’ face.
“I suppose you’re right… if it’s for his own betterment, then I’ll gladly help,” Rarity said, feeling better now she was able to justify in getting involved. Octavia nodded in agreement, and the three mares made for Frederic’s apartment.
“Careful now, we’re almost at our floor,” Orianne said, assisting Frederic up the stairs. Much to his chagrin, all the time he spent laying in bed had left him a bit weak, so he found himself leaning against his mother for support.
“There we are… almost there…” she encouraged. She looked up and saw Rarity there, smiling serenely. “Oh, hello Rarity!”
“I got the key, like you asked,” said Rarity, floating the key over to her.
“Merci beaucoup, mon cherie! You’ve been a big help,” Orianne said. She tucked the key away into her purse, Frederic finally making it to the top. To his shock, his apartment was wide open and the sound of liquid being poured into the sink as well as other things being moved around unsettled him.
“Why is my apartment open? Who’s in my apartment?” Frederic asked, slightly panicked. Vinyl popped her head in the doorway, having heard Frederic’s voice.
“Oh, hey Fred! Good to see you up and about,” Vinyl said. “We’re just taking care of some things before your mom—” Vinyl then noticed Orianne standing beside Frederic. She then faced back inside the apartment. “Octy, hurry it up! They’re here already!”
“The sink only drains so fast, Vinyl!” Octavia’s voice said from the kitchen. Frederic pushed past his mother, hobbling into his apartment as quickly as his body would allow. His jaw went slack as he saw the empty bottles of his liquor collection standing neatly in a row.
“What… in Celestia’s name… have you done?” Frederic asked incredulously.
“Now Fred, I get that this is a little tough to watch, but it’s for your own good,” Vinyl said. It was then that he saw Vinyl lift up a still-full bottle of scotch. A familiar bottle of scotch. A very expensive bottle of scotch. “Just this one left!”
“No!” Frederic exclaimed, lunging forward at Vinyl. “Stay away from that!”
He grabbed the bottle in his mouth, tumbling to the ground.
“Oh Celestia, he is an alcoholic.”
“This is a bottle of Hayland Islands ‘Earthwalker’ Single-Malt Scotch, imported directly from Scoltland itself! This scotch sat in a Scoltish sherry cask for twenty-five years and cost me over four hundred bits for this bottle alone! You can dump the rest of my collection but this one stays!” he exclaimed, clutching the bottle to his aching chest as if it were his child.
“Four hundred plus bits for scotch you’re never gonna drink? You got ripped off bud,” Vinyl said, shaking her head slightly.
“Just because I drink something other than cheap beer…”
“Right, right, I get it, you can taste the money.”
“This… bottle…” he said, huffing as he struggled to get back to his hooves. “Is not going anywhere.”
“Frederic?” called Orianne from the hall. “Is something the matter?”
“Everything’s fine!” said Frederic and Vinyl in unison. Orianne stepped into his apartment, and gasped at the sight of her recently discharged son trying to pick himself up off the floor.
“What in Equestria are you doing on the floor in your condition!?” Orianne exclaimed, immediately charging over to him, bowling Vinyl over in the process.
“Mother, I’m fine…”
“Don’t ‘mother, I’m fine’ me, young stallion!” Orianne chided, assisting Frederic back on his hooves. “Alright, cheries, I think it’s time you took your leave. Rarity, you may stay if you wish.”
“Why does Rarity get special treatment?” Vinyl asked. “And why does she keep calling us ‘cherries’?”
“Because she’s a darling young mare and I’m happy to have her around,” said Orianne, beaming at Rarity.
“Oh, my...” Rarity said demurely, blushing.
“Oooookay,” said Vinyl. “See ya around, I guess. C’mon Octy, let’s go before she calls us cherries again,” Octavia then made her way around the counter after washing her hooves of any spilled alcohol.
“It was a pleasure seeing you again, Madame Horseshoepin,” Octavia said politely. “I was actually going to ask you—”
“C’mon Octy, we’ve gotta go!” Vinyl said. “I know Fred’s got a hot mom and all, but we need to get the lead out if we’re gonna make it to the music store before it closes!” Vinyl then proceeded to whip Octavia lightly on the flank with her tail, causing the mare to jump in shock. Octavia whipped around, her teeth bared and her face contorted into a scowl punctuated by a fiery blush of embarrassment.
“You’re going to pay for that!” Octavia yelled as Vinyl charged off, almost laughing herself to death as Octavia gave chase.
Orianne watched as they left. “Colorful couple,” she said simply. “I wonder what Octavia was going to ask me…”
“Looks like we’ll never know,” Frederic stated flatly.
“Maybe that’s for the best,” Rarity suggested. “Is there anything else I can do to help while I’m here?”
“Just mind to Frederic while I use the restroom,” Orianne said, exiting the living room.
“Frederic, I am terribly sorry if I may have made you uncomfortable. I was only trying to be helpful,” Rarity said. “Your mother is such a wonderful mare and far be it from me to try and cross a pony I’ve only just met! I just never knew you owned so much alcohol...”
“It’s not more than anypony else…” said Frederic. “Not to mention a lot of it was just bottles I was collecting, they’re rather easy to replace…” It was then that Frederic felt his strength leave him, having over-exerted himself to save his prized bottle of whiskey.
Rarity caught him. “Frederic!”
“Could you put this back in the cabinet…?” he asked groggily.
“Let’s get you settled first,” Rarity said, sidling up against him and lending him her strength. “Easy now, don’t push yourself,” she whispered.
He settled into the chair, taking a deep breath. “Thank you,” he said, nodding. “I guess I just… lost my wind.”
“That is no way to exert yourself when you’ve just left the hospital.”
“You’re right,” Frederic admitted. He then lowered his voice. “To be truthful, I’d rather you be here than my mother, as much as I love her,” he said, causing Rarity to blush.
“Why thank you, Frederic. I appreciate the compliment,” Rarity said with a smile. Orianne then returned, seeing Frederic now seated in his chair, Rarity standing by.
“Frederic, you look rather winded, are you alright?” Orianne asked.
“I’m better, Mother. I just over-extended myself is all,” Frederic explained. “Rarity caught me before I fell.”
“I think we should get you into bed,” said Orianne.
“Oh…” said Frederic, flashing back to elementary school.
“Is everything alright, Frederic? You look rather peaked,” Rarity commented. “Would you like me to get you some water?”
“Mm?” asked Frederic. “Oh, sure. Of course.” Rarity then moved into the kitchen, carefully searching the cupboards for a small glass, pouring tap water from the faucet into the cup. She trotted back over to Frederic, gently passing the glass to him.
He sipped gently, commenting on how mares getting him glasses of water seemed to coincide with something related to booze. That probably means there’s a problem.
“Thank you again for your help, Rarity. I knew I could count on you,” Orianne smiled.
“Oh, don’t mention it,” said Rarity. “It’s the least I could do.” She then looked at the clock, seeing that it was nearly dusk. “Oh dear, I must be going. Sweetie Belle will be expecting dinner soon and I need to give Opalescence her daily brushing.” She then turned to Orianne and Frederic. “Please, do not hesitate to ask me for help.” Rarity drew a pad and quill, writing down her address. “You can find me here.”
“Merci et bonsoir, cherie,” Orianne said with a smile.
“Well,” said Frederic, taking another drink of water and stepping out of his seat. “I think it’s time for me to retire.”
“You have a splendid evening,” Rarity said. “Frederic, listen to your mother, she can only mean well for you,” she said with a wink.
Frederic elected not to respond, instead hiding his blush in his cup of water. Once Rarity had shut the door, Orianne spoke up.
“Ooh, I knew I liked her!” Orianne exclaimed happily.
Rarity trotted down the sidewalk back towards the Boutique, and spied Twilight and Spike headed back towards the Library. Spike found himself carrying a rather large stack of freshly printed parchment as Twilight used her magic to carry a stack of books that she had decided to have restored, now ready for recategorization amongst the countless others she owned.
“Why are we recategorizing everything again?” asked Spike, struggling under the weight.
“I told you Spike, I like to experiment with different organizational systems,” said Twilight.
“Good evening, Twilight!” Rarity called out, approaching them. “Oh Spike, here, let me help you,” she offered, a field of light blue magic surrounding a good chunk of the parchment and raising it off the stack.
“Gee, thanks Rarity,” Spike swooned, smiling widely.
“Well of course, my dear Spike. Far be it from me to not help a friend in need,” Rarity winked, following Twilight inside.
“Uh huh…” Spike murmured dreamily, entering the Library last. Once he set the stack of parchment down, he shut the door.
“So what brings you by? You’re usually at home at this hour,” Twilight pointed out, setting the books on the table in the common area. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, though! It’s always nice to have you over Rarity,” she said with a smile.
“Yeah, always,” Spike said, chuckling slightly as his emerald green eyes fixated on Rarity.
“Thank you darling, I was just on my way home from Frederic’s apartment when I saw the two of you outside,” Rarity said. Spike’s expression changed immediately to that of disdain, to which Rarity did not notice.
“How is he recovering? He got pretty banged up judging by what I heard from Applejack and Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said.
“It’s a slow recovery, but he’s getting better day by day,” Rarity explained. “Considering the nature of his injuries, he’ll be in recovery for some time. It’s a good thing his mother is with him now.”
“So I guess he won’t be needing your help anymore, then!” Spike said, trying to contain his excitement.
“Oh, quite the contrary Spike,” Rarity said, causing Spike’s freshly cultivated excitement to burst like a balloon. “His mother said she’d be needing my help whenever I was available. His mother is an absolute sweetheart!” she gushed, smiling. “Tomorrow she’s going to be doing grocery shopping for him so I’ll be looking after him until she gets back.”
“Oh? That’s good to know. Frederic seems to be a pretty nice guy, so I’d imagine he came from a good home,” Twilight mused, arranging the books on her table. “I wonder if he’d be able to help me categorize my music collection!” she exclaimed.
“Probably wouldn’t be interested,” muttered Spike through his teeth.
“I daresay if there was ever a pony to ask, it’d be him,” Rarity said with a small giggle. “But… he still has to recover and take it slow. His mother would throw a fit if he walked out of the apartment a day before he was ready.”
“Oh yeah, of course,” Twilight said. “I wouldn’t wanna exacerbate any of his injuries, and I don’t need an angry mom knocking down my front door,” she said.
“Ugh… I’m going to bed,” Spike snorted, twin puffs of smoke escaping his nostrils as he stomped up the stairs and into the bedroom.
Rarity watched him leave, confused by the drastic change in his mood. “Oh dear. Did he miss his naptime?”
Twilight merely stared at Rarity, wondering how she was the only pony oblivious to Spike’s crush on her. She then looked up at the bedroom door. I’ll have a talk with him later… she thought. With Spike now in bed, Twilight then smirked.
“So, tell me more about Frederic. You’ve been spending a lot of time with him lately,” Twilight said.
“Why Twilight, I never thought you would be interested in gossip!” Rarity gasped.
“I’m not, I just figured I’d try out ‘girl talk’,” Twilight shrugged, causing Rarity to shake her head, laughing to herself.
“Twilight, there are times where I find you simply adorable,” Rarity said.
“We’re not talking about me here, now spill it!” Twilight insisted.
Rarity then sat down across from Twilight, gathering her thoughts. “Speaking honestly, he’s a rare find. He’s thoughtful, intellectual, very cultured… he’s gentle, kind-hearted, he’s the textbook definition of a gentlecolt,” she described, smiling softly as she spoke.
“Wow Rarity, I haven’t heard you think, much less speak that highly about a stallion since Blueblood,” Twilight said.
“What makes you say that?” Rarity asked.
“You haven’t stopped smiling since I asked you about him,” Twilight pointed out.
“Oh… well...” Rarity said, blushing heavily, causing Twilight to giggle.
“Is there anything else you wanna add? I’m taking notes.”
Rarity then cleared her throat. “Well, he drinks a bit… His parents seem Prench.”
“How interesting, I wonder what region of Prance they’re from... does he speak Prench?”
“I know he understands it, but I have yet to hear him speak it,” Rarity said. “My Prench is very rusty. I was somewhat able to follow along with what his parents were saying when they spoke it but, well, I don’t think I could hold my own in conversation.”
“I could help you brush up on it,” Twilight offered.
“Oh darling, you know I don’t have the time to sit through classes again,” Rarity said. “I appreciate the offer just the same though.”
“Well, it sounds like you’ve run into quite the colorful fellow. He’s friends with Octavia, right?”
“As it turns out, he’s actually getting over her. She was the object of his affections up until he found out she was dating Vinyl,” Rarity explained.
“Ouch…” Twilight murmured. “Poor guy.”
“Frederic has suffered a good deal over her,” Rarity sighed. “Let me tell you about what happened at the opera the other day now that I have the chance,” she said. “Settle in, this will be a bit of a long story.” Rarity proceeded to explain the events of the entire day, including lunch, the conversation she had with Octavia, and the disaster at the opera. Twilight’s mouth hung open as she recounted the opera itself, unable to believe how bad it truly got.
“Well…” said Twilight. “That’s, uh… wow.”
“The poor dear came to my home the next day and dissolved to tears trying to explain himself,” Rarity said. “I’m confiding this in you Twilight. Promise me you won’t repeat this.”
“Believe me, I won’t. I have no reason to.”
“Thank you,” said Rarity.
“Well, it obviously goes to show that he trusts you, considering he told you how he felt about Octavia,” Twilight reasoned. “Maybe you two should go out on a date,” she suggested.
“Oh Twilight, I don’t think I’m ready for that yet,” Rarity blushed. “I’m still reeling from Blueblood, and—” It was then that Twilight scowled, causing Rarity to stop dead in her tracks.
“Look Rarity, I know Blueblood was a real jerk and hurt you pretty badly, but if you continue to let him haunt you, you won’t be able to move on. Frederic seems like a really good guy, and if you’re not careful, you may lose him. How would you feel if another mare came in and stole Frederic before you had the chance? I want you to really think about how it would make you feel,” Twilight stated firmly.
“I’m surprised you feel so strongly about this,” Rarity said. “Not to mention I’m surprised you’re so well versed on the subject of romance.” Twilight’s face shone a bright pink at Rarity’s remark.
“I… read a lot of romance on my free time…” Twilight murmured softly. She then shook her head, focusing again on Rarity. “The reason I feel so strongly about this is because I care about you Rarity. I want to see you happy, and if Frederic makes you happy, then I support it one hundred percent,” Twilight said, trotting over to Rarity and throwing a foreleg over her shoulders, pulling her close. “You’re one of my best friends, and I just want what’s best for you.”
“Thank you Twilight, that means the world to me,” Rarity said, returning the embrace. “I still need time to mull it over, though… maybe see what the rest of the girls think.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Twilight said. “I’m sure it’d be interesting to hear what the other girls have to say. Maybe we can catalogue them and have them vote! This is the perfect opportunity to have a vote-based election! We could have ballots, we can take surveys—” Twilight stopped short when Rarity rose her hoof.
“Yes, Rarity?”
“Are there other kinds of elections…?” asked Rarity.
“Yes. There are many different types. There are democratic, ballot-based elections, two-round runoff elections—”
“How very informative! Thank you for answering my question, Twilight.”
“...Was the sarcasm really necessary?”
“Have we met before?” Rarity said with a small giggle. Twilight merely shook her head. “Oh, don’t be like that darling, I’m sure some day you’ll find a wonderful pony who shares your love for… index cards.”
“Ooookay Rarity, I think I get the point,” Twilight said flatly, unable to hide a smile.
“Joking aside, it was lovely sitting and chatting with you Twilight. I daresay we don’t do this often enough,” Rarity said.
“It would be nice.... Maybe we can make it a weekly thing! I can make tea and we can just sit and chat,” Twilight suggested.
“While my schedule does change on the fly, the offer for tea is definitely tempting,” Rarity assured. “If you’ll excuse me I have to get home, Sweetie is waiting for me. Give my love to Spike, would you? I hope he feels better in the morning. Poor dear, being all cranky.”
“Sure Rarity,” Twilight said, raising an eyebrow as she walked her out. She shut the door behind her and sighed. “For somepony who can be so sharp most of the time, she can be really dull sometimes…”
“Y’know my flank still stings from where you kicked me last night…” Vinyl said, rubbing the sensitive area with a hoof.
“You earned it and you know it,” Octavia growled. “Whipping my flank in front of Frederic’s mother, what were you thinking!?”
“You know I was in a rush Octy, and you weren’t listening,” Vinyl huffed.
“The music store was going to be open whether we spent another five minutes or came here the following day!” Octavia protested.
“I’m not talking about the music store!” said Vinyl. “She’s intimidating.”
“His mother?” asked Octavia. “I should be taking notes, truthfully.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because it keeps you in control.”
“You wanna control me now? Like some kind of robot slave?”
“I think of it more like ‘regulating,’” said Octavia.
“But I am regular, Octy! I eat my fiber every day,” Vinyl said, looking at Octavia with a strange expression.
“Vinyl…” Octavia warned, her voice approaching a certain tone that Vinyl knew was not to be toyed with.
“Oh, whoops, I forgot,” Vinyl said. She then cleared her throat, and began to move mechanically. “Beep. Boop. Awaiting your command. Input required from Owner: Octavia.”
Octavia shot Vinyl a look so fierce it could have sent a rampaging dragon back in the direction it came from.
“Alright, alright, I get it. I’ll behave,” Vinyl said.
“As you should.”
“...doesn’t mean I have to like it…”
“What was that?”
“Nothing! Nothing!” said Vinyl, before adding under her breath, “Owner…”
The two continued to walk, Vinyl deciding to calm Octavia down by picking her brain about how her music worked.
“So… there’s no… sampling or remixing,” Vinyl said.
“Yes, Vinyl, for the third time,” sighed Octavia.
“No mixing at all.”
“None.”
“But that’s not true!” said Vinyl. “I’ve heard you do pop covers before, and I know they weren’t classical to begin with.”
“It’s not called sampling, Vinyl, it’s called quotation,” said Octavia. “Sampling is something you do with… your recording stuff.”
“So you decide you like a tune and you write a thing around it?”
“No, somepony else writes a ‘thing’ around it,” said Octavia. “Usually after getting the rights.”
“So if it isn’t you or any of your other buddies, then who writes it?”
“Usually we have Royal Riff arrange it.”
“So he arranges for it to happen with who?”
“No, he arranges it. As in he’s our arranger.”
“You’re not making any sense.”
“Please open a music dictionary sometime, Vinyl,” said Octavia.
“But you just said—”
The two became so engrossed in their conversation that they nearly bumped into Twilight, spooking her so much that she almost threw Spike off her back.
“Oh dear, I’m very sorry Twilight, I was so caught up in talking to Vinyl that I hadn’t watched where I was going,” Octavia said.
“Sorry Twi, you alright?” Vinyl asked.
“Oh, I’m fine girls, no harm done,” Twilight said, taking a moment to equalize her breathing. “How are you two doing?”
“Oh, can’t complain. Octy was just explaining to me how she samples music.”
“‘Sampling’ is not a term we use in my field,” said Octavia.
“Right, sorry Octy,” said Vinyl.
“You guys’ relationship makes for quite the interesting dynamic, you know that?” Twilight observed.
“We’re going to write a sitcom based on it,” said Vinyl absently. “So what’s got you out and about Twi?”
“Oh, well I promised Mister Grumpyscales back there to ice cream after what happened last night,” Twilight said, motioning to Spike, who seemed none too happy about life.
“What happened last night?” Octavia asked.
“Rarity came by,” Twilight said.
“Hrmpf,” grunted Spike, folding his arms and sulking. “I don’t wanna talk about it.” Twilight then leaned in, away from Spike.
“He’s got a crush on Rarity, and last night she talked about Frederic nonstop,” Twilight said, making sure to keep her voice low.
“...Can somepony explain to me why we keep getting caught up in love triangles?” Vinyl asked.
“You don’t get to play that card, Vinyl. You were the one that insisted on trying to find somepony for Frederic,” Octavia said.
“Oh… right… hey wait a second, you’re no different! I only did this ‘cause you were feeling bad for him, and you agreed to it!”
“Oh dear… I guess I did,” Octavia chuckled sheepishly.
“Don’t worry girls, Spike’s a tough little guy. He’ll be alright once we get some ruby cherry ice cream in his belly,” Twilight said, raising her voice just enough for Spike to hear.
“Ruby cherry?! That’s my favorite!” Spike chimed in.
“Told ya,” said Twilight, winking at the two. “Well, I’ll be seeing you later. Right now I think I owe a certain dragon some ice cream.”
“Okay, catch you later,” Vinyl said, waving as Twilight cantered off, Spike sitting on her back. Once Twilight was sufficiently out of earshot, she turned to Octavia. “Do you think she’s into mares?”
“What!? Vinyl, I’m right here!” Octavia asked, offended.
“You’re getting the wrong idea, Octy. I ask ‘cause she’s kinda cute and maybe…”
“I know exactly where you’re going with this and the answer is no!” Octavia said, her face alight with a bright blush.
“I was also thinking of Orianne. I mean, for a mare her age she’s got a rockin’ bod, buuut she’s probably straight and she scares me senseless, so…”
“You considered Frederic’s mother!?” Octavia said, unable to wrap her head around Vinyl’s words. She pictured it in her mind, and was horrified by what she saw. She opened her mouth to speak, but could not find words. “No. No. No. Just, no. There are things you do not do and lines you do not cross. This would be doing all of those things and crossing all of those lines.”
“Fine, be that way,” said Vinyl.
“I will be that way, in fact I enjoy being that way!” Octavia huffed.
“Geez, Octy, I get that you’re not into older mares, but you have to admit Twilight’s cute,” Vinyl commented. “I never pegged you for the jealous type,” she purred, to which Octavia turned a deeper shade of red.
“...I’m not much for sharing…” Octavia muttered, averting her eyes. “Monogamy is a thing, you know. And you’re going to counter with the word ‘monotony.’”
“Actually, I know that one. I use it to keep a beat.”
“Vinyl… that’s a metronome. They don’t sound remotely similar.”
“Pssh, I knew that. I was just testing you.”
“Right, of course,” Octavia said with a small smile. Even though Vinyl frequently found new ways to boggle her mind, there were times where she could not resist Vinyl’s charm.
“...So let’s say I didn’t know what ‘monogamy’ means,” Vinyl said.
“It means only two ponies in a relationship,” Octavia explained simply.
“Oh, yeah, I definitely knew that,” Vinyl said cooly.
“Sure you did,” Octavia said. “You know, I have to say, it is rather cute when you mix up words, even if sometimes I know you do it on purpose. I would’ve gone with ‘mahogany,’ though.”
“Dang, you’re right, that is a good one…” Vinyl said, to which Octavia shot her a look. “Oops.”
“So you do do it to irritate me!” Octavia said, aghast. “And to think I thought you better than that,” she said, feigning a tone of disappointment.
“Hey, hey, don’t be like that, I was just messing with you! You know I don’t mean anything by—” Vinyl stopped short when Octavia pecked her on the cheek.
“I know you don’t,” Octavia winked, causing Vinyl to turn a bright shade of pink.
“...it…” Vinyl finished.
A short time later, as Vinyl and Octavia were talking, Vinyl suddenly froze mid-sentence.
“Vinyl, are you alright?” Octavia asked, concerned.
“...I just got what you meant,” Vinyl said. “About things you don’t do, and lines you don’t cross.”
“Oh? So you learned your lesson then?” Octavia said.
“Yup, and it seems like I’ll be learning that lesson for the rest of my life. I can’t think of her without imagining—”
“I don’t want to hear it!” Octavia said, covering Vinyl’s mouth. “We ended that conversation already and I’d prefer it stayed that way.” Vinyl turned a sickly shade of green, shaking whatever horrible image her mind had forced her to see.
“We don’t talk about that ever again,” Vinyl said. “Never. Again.”
Fluttershy hummed to herself as she went about feeding the animals around her cottage. Acorns for the squirrels, millet seed for the bluejays, and some choice carrots for Angel. She heard the sounds of hoofsteps coming from behind her, turning quickly to see who was coming to visit.
“Good morning Fluttershy, I hope I didn’t startle you. How is your morning going?” Rarity asked with a smile.
“Oh, it’s going well so far Rarity,” said Fluttershy. “And you?”
“Splendid, darling. I was wondering if you had a moment to spare. I’d like to chat with you about something,” Rarity said.
“Okay,” said Fluttershy, getting up from her knees as Angel put on an annoyed look. The rabbit tugged on Fluttershy’s mane, stamping his foot on the ground and folding his arms. “Oh, I’m sorry Angel, I forgot your reward for being so patient and helping me with the other animals,” she said. She then turned to Rarity. “Just give me a moment to get him his snack and put on some tea for us.”
“Of course darling, I’m in no immediate rush,” Rarity said, following Fluttershy and Angel into her cottage. Rarity took a deep breath and exhaled. “I do so love to come visit you, Fluttershy. Your cottage always feels like home, even with all the animals you tend to.”
“Thank you Rarity, I love visiting the Boutique as well. You always make me feel welcome,” Fluttershy responded from the kitchen.
“You’re one of my closest friends Fluttershy, of course I want you to feel welcome,” Rarity said, taking a seat on Fluttershy’s couch as she waited for her to finish taking care of Angel.
“So what did you want to talk about?” asked Fluttershy, emerging from the kitchen with a box of carrot crisps. Angel’s face lit up and he did a little happy dance as Fluttershy presented him with the box.
“Well… how to word this…” Rarity said, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. “I wanted your opinion on something, or rather… somepony,” she elaborated.
“Ohh?”
“Well, it’s Frederic,” said Rarity.
“Ohh…”
“You’re my best friend Fluttershy, and I really value your opinion… what do you think of him?” Rarity asked, folding her hooves in her lap.
“Well, I haven’t had the opportunity to be around him one-on-one,” said Fluttershy. “He seems nice.”
“I suppose that’s true… darn,” Rarity said with a small sigh. “He’s a wonderful fellow, but… I’m not sure about how I feel. I spoke about it with Twilight, for no other reason that she got to me before I got to you. She gave me good advice for sure, but I wanted to hear what you had to say. Frankly, I would like to hear what all of you have to say about him before I make the choice to chase after another stallion…”
“Well, he’s handsome and he can play the piano very well… He seems well-spoken,” said Fluttershy, rattling some thoughts off. “How… old is he? I can’t really tell with that mane.”
“I’m not sure… he’s not that old,” said Rarity. “I know he went to school with Octavia. Twenty-five? Twenty-six?”
“Oh, then that’s not so bad,” Fluttershy said. “Does he make you feel happy?”
“He…” said Rarity. “Well, one of our outings ended a little… poorly.”
“I’m sorry Rarity,” Fluttershy said. “I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”
“But most of our other time together has been pleasant,” said Rarity. “He makes for good conversation.”
“Well, that’s good at least,” Fluttershy reasoned. “Did he apologize for his mistake?”
“Yes… and I felt terrible about it because I was rather rude to him at first. I had no idea at the time of course, but once he told me...” Rarity paused, giving a small sigh. “I won’t go into details, but believe me when I tell you I understand where he was coming from, and… it sort of hurt to see him like that.”
Fluttershy nodded slowly.
“I’m… sorry if this doesn’t make any sense.”
“It’s alright, if anything, I’m proud of you,” Fluttershy said.
“Oh? What for?” Rarity asked.
“Well… I’m proud of you because you’re taking things slowly. You’re giving it a lot of thought and trying to make the right decisions before moving forward. It’s what I would do,” Fluttershy explained. “When you had feelings for the Prince you just sort of jumped into it expecting him to be your white knight, and it really worried all of us. As your friend and somepony who deeply cares about you, it broke my heart to see the look in your eyes that night, because I knew he had broken your heart. He was nothing like what you or any of us expected, and he really missed out on something special with you.”
Rarity felt her heart hitch in her chest, touched by Fluttershy’s words. She quietly reached across the couch, pulling Fluttershy into a tight embrace, which Fluttershy openly returned.
“Thank you Fluttershy, you have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that,” Rarity said, pulling away from Fluttershy after a moment.
“If you want my honest opinion, I can give it to you. Would that be okay?” Fluttershy offered.
“Yes, of course,” Rarity said.
“Frederic is different. I get a good feeling from him. I guess the better term would be he’s ‘transparent.’ Is that right?”
“I get what you mean Fluttershy. What you see is what you get with him, is that what you meant to say?” Rarity asked.
“Yes, it is. From what I’ve seen so far, I think he’s good for you. I would like to meet him and get to know him a bit better, though…” Fluttershy admitted.
“That does sound like an idea… perhaps we can arrange a get together for all of us!” Rarity said, her eyes lighting up. “Oh Fluttershy, I knew talking to you about it was a good idea, thank you so much!”
“You’re welcome,” Fluttershy said demurely. “I’m always here to help.”
“Perhaps we can set up a movie night! The Boutique is more than large enough to accommodate everypony, and we can even have snacks! Oh, this is just a splendid idea!” Rarity said with excitement. “What kind of movie would you like to see?”
“Nothing scary, if that’s okay…” Fluttershy said meekly.
“Mm, I’m not much for the horror genre myself…” Rarity said. “Maybe we can go to the film shop and see if there’s anything new.”
“Oh, that sounds like a wonderful idea. Maybe a romance?” Fluttershy suggested.
“I knew we were best friends for a reason!” Rarity giggled. “Great minds think alike, after all.”
Fluttershy and Rarity left the cottage, making their way into town towards the film shop. They pushed the door open, the air in the room feeling very dry against their coats. There was minimal air-flow, giving the shop a very still feeling.
“Welcome to Reel Deals,” said the shopkeeper lazily as he flipped through a magazine.
“Good afternoon,” Rarity said as she approached the nearby box full of film reel tins.. “Are there any new arrivals?”
“New releases right over there,” he said, pointing to a nearby stand without even looking at it. Rarity raised an eyebrow, shaking her head slightly and moving towards where the stallion pointed, deciding to pay his lack of attention no mind.
“Okay, let’s see what’s new…” Rarity said, shifting the tins around to read the labels on their fronts. Fluttershy assisted her, shifting through another box nearby.
“‘Lost in the Breeze’...” Rarity murmured out loud. “I’ve seen this one before. A little old-fashioned, but still a classic.” She continued looking through the bin, finding a few others she had already seen. “‘Castilloblanco’, this one is definitely an option. I’ve heard wonderful things about it.”
“Oh my, this one seems interesting,” Fluttershy said, lifting one out of the box. Rarity cantered over, examining it.
“‘An East Side Story’… That one’s good, but a little too dramatic and violent for me,” she said. ‘Brunch at Tip Me’s’… I’ve heard good things about it. Let’s keep that one in mind.”
Rarity flipped through a few more, suddenly gasping in excitement. “Oh, I may buy this one just on principle!” She lifted the tin. “‘City Times!’ I absolutely adore the comedy stylings of Hardly Laughing!”
“Oh, I’ve seen Hardly Laughing before, he’s very funny,” Fluttershy said.
“Excellent! We’ll take this one then,” Rarity said, using her magic to move the tin over to the front counter. The two mares made their way to the front, addressing the stallion.
“Sir, we’ll be taking this one.”
“That’ll be four bits,” said the stallion in the same bored, lazy tone.
Rarity reached into her saddlebag and pulled a small satchel of bits, removing four for the stallion. “Here you are, have a nice day.”
“Thank you for stopping at Reel Deals.”
“Right… well, take care…” Rarity said, unsure if the stallion even heard her. She took the film reel, slipped it into a plastic bag and carried it out the front door. “This is splendid, Fluttershy! Let the girls know that we’ll be doing the movie night at the Boutique tomorrow. I’ll be sure to get snacks and drinks for us.”
“That sounds lovely Rarity, thank you for arranging it,” Fluttershy said.
“Think nothing of it, darling! If anything I should be thanking you for the idea,” Rarity said.
“Oh, it really wasn’t my idea, you just came up with it while talking to me…” Fluttershy said shyly.
“That’s plenty of contribution!” Rarity said.
“If you say so…” Fluttershy acquiesced.
“Wonderful. I’m going to head back to the Boutique to tidy up for a while before going back to Frederic’s. You’re welcome to come along. I’m sure he’d appreciate the company.”
“I would love to, but I have other things I have to take care of first. Maybe we can meet back up later?” Fluttershy suggested.
“Of course, go take care of your things and then just meet me back at the Boutique later,” Rarity said.
“Okay, see you then,” Fluttershy said, waving a hoof at Rarity as she spread her wings and took off back towards the cottage.
“Ta-ta!” Rarity said, waving in return, making her way back to the Boutique. She hummed contentedly to herself. She was feeling pretty fabulous, if she said so herself. Maybe I’ll get lucky and sit next to Frederic during the movie… she thought, giggling to herself. I wonder what types of movies he prefers...