//------------------------------// // 18. Plans // Story: A New Impetus // by Zykov //------------------------------// Soul sat by candlelight and tapped the cold stone floor to ensure it was solid, his IM book was open and the name Mineral Tint was centered at the top. He pulled a quill and ink closer, dipping it then began to write. "Hey Mineral, are you awake?” It didn’t take long till a response appeared on the page. “Hey Soul! Not a chance. Just got back home from dinner with Olivia and Truffle, and getting asthma medicine.” Soul blinked and gave a hum to himself then wrote his response, “You’re friends with them nowadays?” The page lit up again adding additional text, “We got to know each other better after you and Noble left for Canterlot. Those two are a riot! Anyway, what’s up, sis? This is the first time YOU contacted me outside of work.” “I need somepony to talk to,” Soul wrote but as a thought hit his mind, he cracked a small smile and erased a bit, replacing it with, “I need somepony to brag to.” The text vanished again and soon a laughing smiley appeared on the paper, soon following by more, “I’m listening. If it’s gonna be as interesting as the princess story, I need to start looking forward to these c: ” Soul smiled and moved the quill quickly, “It kinda is.” he wrote faster as his only regret with this was the fact that he wouldn’t be able to see Mineral’s face as she heard the news. “You will never guess where I'm sleeping tonight and with whom.” A moment passed before dots appeared for a moment and were quickly replaced by words. “OH MY GOSH, YOU AND NOBLE FINALLY HOOKED UP?! :3333” The stallion paused, looking at the page with a flat expression. He gathered himself and scratched in his reply, “Seriously? Where did that come from?” The dots appeared on the page and quickly changed, Soul could practically hear Mineral’s voice in his head. “You two are just so shippable. Yes, that’s a word now, sis. Plus I get personal kicks out of it.” Giving a sigh and a shake of his head he dipped his quill in the ink and furthered along. “...Have you been drinking?” The penmanship in the book became slightly larger and worse. “A bit… But it’s a great icebreaker to the next level!” Soul could only close his eyes and open them slowly, although his eyebrows twitched he stopped and couldn’t help a small turn of his lips as they moved toward his ears. “Can I expect this for the future…?” Large letters filled the entirety of the page in the quickest reply yet. “Heck yes!” Soul paused for a moment, blinking at the page. “Okay…” “And I’m not ashamed even one bit!” Her writing was still large but dots appeared under the text. The stallion read the text and exhaled slowly. "She could've really used that amethyst mug...", Soul thought to himself. The font shrunk this time and was slower as Mineral had started to compose herself. “But now seriously, what’s going on with you?” “Well, let’s say this day has been quite eventful which lead me and Noble to a place where your lungs would fail immediately and where a risk of getting killed seems to be pretty casual.” He looked at what he wrote and drew a line under Mineral’s name to send it over to her. Mineral sent over three dots during her pause, “Soul, what in Equestria have you gotten yourself into?” “Make yourself comfortable, this is gonna be long… Try to stay awake and remember it all.” He dipped his quill and lifted it high. Before Wild Soul could say anything else Mineral’s text appeared, “ROFL, don’t promise a mare more than you can offer.” Soul smacked his forehead and hung his head giving a long groan. A gentle breeze blew through a lavender decorated window, scattering a stack of papers across the room but they didn’t make it very far till they were nipped up by a blue magic. In a flash, Rarity went to close the window and took the papers back to their original place on the table. ‘’Ugh… my head! Why can’t I come up with anything! I should already start making this commission this week!’’ Rarity said, rubbing the sides of her aching forehead. She tapped her head with a pen before putting it on the table and sitting down on her beanbag chair. Soul, who sat on the other beanbag chair across the room, turned his gaze toward Rarity stretching his legs as he yawned. “At least it’s just one commission. Try advertising agency life; multiple commissions with short deadlines is not uncommon.” He let out a long, high pitched sigh. Rarity turned around leaning at the table with a sigh. “Oh believe me darling, for a pony who has numerous important contacts like myself, it’s nothing unseen either. Yet it’s always just as stressful.” Soul levitated a red thread spool over to him and gave a smile as he furrowed his eyebrows. “I don’t doubt that one bit.” Rarity nodded and put a hoof over her mouth, letting out a yawn and then rubbed the side of her head by her left eye. “At least I can appreciate the peace and quiet now that my little sister and her friends aren’t here meddling.” She stretched and stood up, putting a hoof over her head. “This simply cannot be healthy. I really need a cup of tea and fresh air. How about you?” Rarity asked as she walked over to the door. The stallion frowned as he yawned again. “No, not tea. Coffee,” he barked but immediately shook his head and stood up, putting down a piece of fabric he had. “I mean, if it’s possible to have coffee, that would be uh, nice.” He rubbed his neck and followed Rarity downstairs. “Sorry, I’m not the best in the morning...” Rarity looked at Soul, smiling, “Oh that’s quite alright. That’s nothing compared to some of the… uhm, episodes, I’ve had--- Actually, nevermind you don’t want to know!” She forced out a light laugh as they entered the kitchen and she went to turn the stove on. “Though I am curious to know if there’s something else causing your current sour mood?” Soul sat at the table and leaned against his hoof, “Well, if you have never met a pony who hates mornings so much he throws an alarm clock through his friends window, well here’s the first one.” The artisan turned to look at Soul, her eyes and mouth gaping in a gasp. “Excuse me...?” Soul nodded and looked out of the window, rubbing his neck. “Yes… in an extremely non-lucid state, I… happened to throw a ringing alarm clock into Noble’s room.” The blue magic flickered as Rarity almost dropped the kettle. “Oh my… Why in Equestria would you do something like that?” she inquired as she placed the kettle on the stove. Soul put his hooves together and stretched. “I’m just not a morning person and I guess this wake up was worse than the others so…” He gave the mare an awkward smile and shrugged. “You never know what might be coming at you when the sun rises. It’s not impossible to pull off something like that with adjacent windows...” Rarity listened carefully as she opened the pantry door on her left and took a couple of white cups with blue flower patterns on them. She placed them on the table and turned to look at Soul after he finished. “Well that is still a bit... absurd. What happened then? What about his window?! Is it broken? You haven’t lived even a week there, I don’t want to hear about requesting for your landlord to come fix a window like that. I didn’t judge you too soon back in Canterlot did I?” A white forehoof was raised and Soul gave an embarrassed laugh. “No, no. His window is perfectly fine. He had luckily left it open for the night. And when it comes to Noble… well he didn’t exactly like that but of course I apologized and such.” “Oh, that’s a relief! I suppose that’s one way to begin your day,” Rarity said and chuckled, opening the upper cabinet. “Hmm… now where are those coffee packages? Oh right!” She closed the door and walked over to the cabinet next to the window, opening it with her magic, “Have you ever had French Press?” Soul immediately sat up straight and shook his head. ”No, never.” “That must be fixed immediately!” Rarity smiled as she took the coffee grounds, and poured it into the French press maker. “Honestly, not even once?” “Too time consuming for my taste,” Soul responded while shaking his head. Rarity chuckled and walked over to the table, leaning in. “In that case consider this a special privilege.” She placed her forelegs on the table and turned them up, putting her hooves together and resting her head on them looking at the stallion. “So, now that it has been a few days since you first arrived; how are you adapting?” Soul rose his hooves and placed his chin on them, giving a cough. “Can I be honest or do I need to lie?” The mare drew back from the table and flipped her ears. “I… uh… surprise me?” Soul fixed his posture and cleared his throat, closing his eyes as he began, “Well what I can say at this point is that your boutique is horribly ugly, you are awful and mean tutor, Ponyville is horrible but I like how you can’t get everything you want from a store nearby, I hate Sugarcube Corner’s sweets and absolutely love Pinkie Pie.” Upon hearing the remark Rarity glared, she opened a sewing basket by the table and an unfinished pillow with the needle still piercing through it appeared. She placed it on the table and pulled the needle through and pointed it at Soul. “Alright darling, now you’re in position where you must give me a reason to not make you a pincushion right now.” His hooves rose into the air and the stallion leaned back, a slivering smile on his face. “You wanted the lie! Plus it would be the first ugly thing you made and you don’t make ugly things.” “You can be assured of that?” She waved the needle at him before placing it neatly on top of the pillow and placed it on the side of the table. Soul nodded and placed his hooves back on the table, his smile becoming more relaxed. Rarity stopped glaring and stood up from her seat. “Aww look at you, you’re starting to know me.” She walked over to the kettle and took it off, and poured the water into the press, and squeezed all the ingredients. “How are the different stitches coming along?” He paused and half of his mouth drooped along with his shoulders and he tapped and slid a hoof over the table as he spoke. “I’m halfway done. The tricky ones are causing a bit of a hard time but I’ll live.” With a warm smile in his direction, Rarity grabbed the pan and levitated it over Soul’s cup, pouring it but leaving room for cream. “Oh I’m sure you’ll do fine. If not, then we will simply practice more. There is no need for you to stress darling.” The stallion nodded as thanks and poured some cream into his coffee. “I won’t, no worries.” After pouring some for herself, the mare placed the pan back in its place and joined Soul. “Oh, by the way, what’s the situation with the Mayor? Have you started the project she has for you?” Soul lifted his cup and nodded, taking a sip and gave a pleased sigh that blew through the steam coming off as Soul relaxed placing his elbows on the table. “Already got the full brief.” The mare stared at the stallion with fluttering eyes and turned her head leaning in waiting for more but when nothing was coming, she leaned in with a smile. “And…?” Soul ran a hoof over his mouth like a zipper. “Sorry, professional secrecy. Though what I can tell is that it’s… well it’s a much… larger project than I expected.” Rarity giggled and waved a hoof forwards. “Well, considering you are now crafting a commission for a Mayor, it should only be expected.” Soul scratched his head and looked outside. “I had a feeling it would be more than a simple logo or poster or self mailer.” He gave a small grin and leaned back, turning at the mare again. “But yeah, my lips are sealed. We can talk about anything but that. I’m passing the ball to you.” Rarity’s ears flipped and she stirred her coffee, tapped the spoon on the edge of the glass. “In that case I could tell you about this very interesting plan of mine I’m going to do today.” Stopping mid sip, Soul turned back and gave a nod as his ears perked up and he made eye contact. “I’m all ears.” “Well…” A smile spread over Rarity’s face, she sat up and lifted her chin up. “I’m going to explore the old castle of the royal sisters that is thousands of years old, in a chaotic forest with Fluttershy who’s been locked in her home for a few days, so I am trying to get her out to help me try to find old tapestries to restore to their former glory.” The stallion’s eyes widened and he placed his hooves under his chin where he rested on them. A small smirk dotted his lips. “Oh that’s lovely and I got 50 bits from tooth fairy.” The mare sat there sitting up straight without a word but her eyes spoke volumes. The intensity of her gaze pierced through the stallion. Soul averted his eyes from making eye contact and tilted his head and frowned, rubbing the side of his mug with a hoof. “Wait, you’re serious… Okay then...” he said and scratched his chin. “Tapestries, huh?” Rarity looked around the room then leaned her head in as if this were a big secret. “Yes, valuable tapestries. A couple days back I was contacted by a pony who is passionate, bordering on downright obsessed with collecting tapestries and asked if there was any chance I could find some from the castle and restore them for her.” Soul scratched his head and leaned back. “And... I assume that won’t get you into any trouble? I mean yeah, I know the castle and its history, and that it’s abandoned but isn’t it still kinda the property of royalty?” The artisan nodded with closed eyes, her horn glew as her mug floated up by her.. “Oh I have a feeling if there was anything left that the princesses wanted, it would’ve been retrieved by now.” She inhaled over the mug, enjoying the aroma before letting out a sigh and giving the cup a nudge, her lips curled up through the entire sip. “If you say so.” Soul stretched and then put his hooves behind his head, stretching upward and opening an eye to look Rarity in the eye. “You sure are ready to go to extremes for a customer...” Rarity rose her snout and put a hoof on her chest with an air of sass about her.. “Absolutely! Anything for a happy client and to make a living doing what I love. Are you saying you aren’t?” Soul dropped his forelegs and cupped his coffee before he gave a nonchalant shrug. “As long as it doesn’t involve fire or hights, I don’t suppose I would have a problem.” He brought the cup up drinking some more. “That is most understandable, I’m just the kind of mare who sometimes needs some sort of spark of... thrill to keep me going.” She put her mug down but her horn kept glowing and flung the windows open, letting a flush of tepid fresh air pour inside. “It's a bit nasty trick but I think that's what Fluttershy needs at this point too; a good little thrill to make her heart pound so she gets some courage to show up at Ponyville again... Though knowing her it pounds wildly all the time except when she sleeps… most likely.” The stallion covered his cup as the breeze flushed through the kitchen. He let go, then tilted his head and crossed his hooves with an eyebrow raised. “Have I missed something or should I know her from somewhere? You do realize that I have no idea who this Fluttershy is, right?” Rarity’s ears fell back and she hunkered down a little, wearing an apologetic grin. “Pardon me! I almost forgot that you’ve only been here just less than a week!” Quickly recovering, she sat up and put a hoof on the table leaning in. “You see; Fluttershy is one of my friends. Well, just between you and me, the dearest friend actually. A rather timid pony but extremely kind. She’s the one who I took Opal to for her trauma care.” Soul was giving nods through the explanation. “Right, I remember you talking about the care after the whole fire incident.” He lifted a hoof and tilted his head. “The pony who loves animals?” The mare gave a dip of her head and brushed her hair out as if tossing it to the wind to push it away. “Yes, that was Fluttershy I was talking about all along. Though there’s no chance you would’ve seen her lately...” Soul placed one hoof on top of the other and gave a raising twitch of an eyebrow. “Yeah, locked herself in her cabin huh?” The mare laid her forelegs across the table, her eyes grew wide, her voice high but full of emotion. “She’s like her own prisoner… She had this rather ridiculous encounter one day. I don’t know the whole story, but she was most likely tending to the forest animals, she was so comfortable that she began singing which she has extremely stage fright over; although somepony saw her. The poor thing flew off and was worried to death. Even I learned about her singing by accident one day. Soul’s eyes grew wide, his heart skipping a beat. He couldn’t believe his ears. “Um, Rarity...’’ he rubbed his neck. “I might actually know her after all...” The mare composed herself in an instant, sitting up and tilted her head. “Unless you’ve stalked her that is simply not possible.” Soul shook his head, he kept his head down but faced his teacher the entire time. “No, not me, but… Well no pony has stalked her, but remember when Noble mentioned that 'angel' he saw a few days ago?” “Yes, I do. What about tha--- OH, WAIT!” Rarity’s eyes lit up as she sat up and gasped, a big smile spreading on her face. She jolted forward, and held herself over the table, she almost pressed her head against Soul’s causing him to lean backwards. “That was Fluttershy?!” While he had pulled himself back and retreated his hooves close to him while giving small nods with gritted teeth. “Y-Yes, I’m pretty sure it was her. ...Uh… would you mind…” Soul glanced at Rarity’s hooves and flicked a hoof at them in a shooing motion. Rarity’s eyes drifted to her hooves. “Oh right... Pardon me.” She backed away and coughed, trying to act like it was nothing, even though her cheeks were rosy. "So it was Noble who heard her singing that day…?’’ Soul grinned and rubbed one of his his temples. “Yep…. I’m sorry to announce, as awkward as it is, that your friend is Noble’s current love obsession… or at least one of them.” With a large squeal the mare clopped her hooves together. “Why that is perfect!” “It is?” His eyes were large and he kept his mouth open slightly as he leaned in with eager ears. “Fluttershy; Noble! Let’s take Fluttershy to the farm before her and I head to the castle!” She beamed at her own idea and noticed her coffee again and pulled it closer with her hooves. Soul immediately frowned and waved his hooves while his head shook. “Hey hey, hold it right there, I’m not gonna start pairing anypony up.” Rarity chuckled, covering her mouth and shook her head. “No, that’s not what I was thinking silly. I want to help them break the ice. I remember you explaining how those crushes are usually fleeting once he meets the pony and becomes disillusioned, correct?” “More or less...” The stallion’ tapped the edge of his lips while his eyes peered upward. “But yeah I get what you’re chasing here.” Rarity nodded and looked out of the window with a sigh, pulling her cup close to her. “Oh I don’t dare to even imagine how long it would take till Fluttershy would agree to come out of her cottage again. We just need to have them meet and do away with this problem.” Drifting his eyes back to his teacher Soul nodded and with a sigh explained, “I understand and to be honest, Noble hasn’t been exactly easy either. One way or another we end up having the same one hour conversation where I need to convince him to move on, till he remembers again and the loop starts over.” Rarity launched up, slamming her forehooves against the table. “Actually! That’s precisely how it is with Fluttershy too! Most of the time she just worries about the pony that saw her singing. It’s become a nuisance to simply have a nice discussion with her.” She sipped the last drop from the cup, and pushed the empty mug to the side. “So I think it’s about time for them to encounter, don’t you agree?” “Yes, absolutely,” Soul said. “I have to bring Noble’s lunch to him anyway so this played out nicely. This will be... interesting.” He took and turned up his cup, drinking every last drop before hooking Rarity’s mug in his magic and taking them to the sink. “Oh, excellent dear. Now that we’ve made plans and have had a spot of coffee we can practice your stitching more.” She walked over to the doorway and extended a hoof for Soul to go first. At the mention of more stitching his ears drooped a bit and he walked by her slowly. “Let's see if I can make them any better this time...”