//------------------------------// // A Party to Remember // Story: Hood Rat // by Twinkletail //------------------------------// Hood could feel the eyes of everypony in her train car follow her as they disembarked. Not that she could blame them, of course. Anypony who had made such a surprising entrance would have garnered the same, regardless of whether or not they were wearing something as shoddy as she was. In truth, Hood didn't want the attention. While Fleur would have basked in it–although her choice of apparel certainly would have been different–Hood just wanted to dispose of it completely. There was only one pony whose attention she desired, and that pony was not currently present. She departed the train station with expedience, ignoring the murmurs as she made haste towards Sugarcube Corner. Ponies would gossip, but they would have no idea who they were gossiping about. Hood wasn't sure if the walk from the train station to Sugarcube Corner had been this long last time. If she didn't know better, she would have been positive that some unicorn with ill intent had teleported the bakery farther away just to make the anticipation that much worse. She briefly entertained the idea of galloping at full speed, but after the chase earlier, she wasn't exactly yearning for another opportunity to run. Mint's actions had well and truly shocked Hood, now that she thought about it. Neither she nor Fleur had ever pegged Mint as the type to chase a burglar. Maybe if they were making off with her possessions, but even that was a maybe at best. Mint wasn't exactly the type to jump into such robust action with such little thought for herself. Or at least she hadn't seemed to be before that chase. Maybe both Hood and Fleur had underestimated her. The two of them led a double life. They appeared to be two different gemstones; one pristine and palatable, one tarnished and trashy. Nopony would have looked at one and expected them to actually be a facet of the other, but that didn't make it any less true. Perhaps Hood and Fleur had only been noticing the snobbish facet of Mint, and all that was needed was to approach her from a different angle. Pondering on that would have to wait, though, as Hood arrived at the front door of Sugarcube Corner. She sighed happily as she stared at that door, memories of the last party flooding back to her. She found herself hoping for a greeting similar to the one she'd received last time. Being pinned under Pinkie's beautiful curvy body might have been the best possible way to start that party–and, a naughtier part of Hood's mind thought, probably not a bad way to end a party either–and she found herself praying to be bowled over once more as she knocked on the door. This ended up not coming to pass once the door was open, but Hood could hardly complain as she stared into the lovely face of her pink dream once more. "Hi Hoodie!" Pinkie said, beaming from ear to ear. "So glad you could make it!" Before Hood could get a word out, she found herself pulled into a great big hug. Any words she might have wished to respond with were quickly forgotten as the twin scents of cotton candy and joy seeped into her nostrils. Hood had never known joy to have a scent until now, and it was heavenly. She returned the hug, sighing a very satisfied sigh as she basked in the presence of the one she desired most. A tuft of curly pink mane found its way into Hood's face, and she was more than happy to rest her nose in it. Being a unicorn, she had no idea what the texture of a cloud felt like, but if pegasi were to be believed, they had the most delightful soft feeling to them, fluffy enough to sink pleasurably into but with just enough give to retain a gentle springiness. Pinkie's mane was the closest Hood had ever gotten to touching a cloud, and she didn't care if she never got to experience the real thing. "Cat got your tongue, Hoodie?" Daydreaming once again...although Hood decided that she couldn't be blamed for this one. She would have dared anypony to try and resist the brutal combination of a Pinkie hug and a Pinkiemane pillow–although to do so would have meant that she would have had to allow others into a position that she wasn't exactly clamoring to give up. "Sorry Pinkie," Hood said with a smile. "I was just...thinking about..." Hood needed a cover story, and quick. Thankfully, she was a master of improvisation. "...Coconuts." Perhaps "master" wasn't the word she was looking for. "Ouh!" Pinkie exclaimed. "So was I! Or at least I am now. I wasn't before you mentioned them. What were you thinking about them? Was it about how good they taste? Or the fact that they make good cups? Or how hairy they are, or how if you hit two coconut halves together it sounds like hooves clip-clopping on a stone path?" Even if Hood didn't want to laugh, she couldn't have stopped herself. Pinkie's chipper, whimsical personality was such a wonderful departure from the Canterlot crowd. Some ponies were born with looks and some with charms. She and Pinkie were lucky enough to be born with both. "Perhaps a bit of all of those," Hood replied through giggles. "Cool!" Pinkie said, finally letting go of the hug. Hood watched as the fluffy manepillow that her muzzle had been resting on wafted away. She silently vowed to return to that mane at some point in the evening. "So what's going on tonight?" Hood asked. Her eyes wished to glance around at the rest of the party, but two big baby-blue beacons had their full attention at the moment. "Lots of stuff!" Pinkie responded. "So go on and have a blast!" Then she gave Hood a little nudge. "And thanks for coming. I had a really great time with you last time." Hood was certain that there was a little gooey puddle in the area of her chest where her heart typically resided. She wasn't sure whether she was reading too much into Pinkie's words and gestures, but she was quite happy with what they seemed to imply. "M-me too," Hood replied. She cursed the little filly-like stutter that had found its way into her verbiage, but recanted said curse immediately when she saw how it had made Pinkie smile. She would gladly make five words last five minutes if doing so made that smile light up her life. "Great!" Pinkie said, bouncing in place. "I gotta go serve up some of the refreshments! But make sure to catch up with me if you wanna do any more of that dancing, alright?" "S-sure," Hood answered. She wished she could truthfully claim that this instance of stutter was an intentional one to bring more of that smile out, but the fact that Pinkie seemed so eager to dance with her again had legitimately made it difficult for her to speak. If that wasn't enough, a second hug from Pinkie was nearly enough to leave her weak in the knees. She watched the pink party host pronk away towards the kitchen, a happy sigh escaping her lungs involuntarily. Part of her wanted to follow Pinkie and never leave her side, but logic won out. It would have looked odd if she did nothing but follow Pinkie, and even though Pinkie didn't seem like the type to get annoyed easily, she still worried that it might bother her when she was trying to entertain the entire party. She would find ways to entertain herself, making sure to join Pinkie's side intermittently. After all, absence, no matter how brief, did make the heart grow fonder. Hood's eyes finally found the opportunity to scan the room now that the object of their desire had left the room. As with the last party, there were so many ponies here that she had never met. This time, however, she did manage to notice her new group of friends. Minuette and Twinkleshine were busy "getting their groove on;" a phrase which Hood had gleaned from a popular magazine. Apparently it meant "dancing," and from the looks of it, the two were quite adept at it. Lemon Hearts and Saffron Masala stood nearby, laughing over something, while Moondancer was nowhere to be found. With all of the ponies in here, though, she was sure to be somewhere. Hood wanted to go right over and greet her new friends, but something was holding her back. It wasn't a bout of worrying over whether or not they would recognize her; she was quite confident that she was perfectly disguised. Rather, it was something that was physically holding her back. "Darling!" Hood turned around and was met with the smiling face of Rarity, Coco by her side. She made note of the fact that Rarity did not look quite as inebriated as the last time she'd seen her, although she could detect a trace of alcohol's scent on her. "Hi Rarity!" Hood responded, making sure her put-on voice was impeccable. "And hello, Coco!" "A pleasure to see you here again, Miss Hood," Rarity said. Hood noticed her eyes briefly zip down to her cloak before looking back up. "Is this your party gear, darling? You know, if you need something new to wear, I would be happy to whip something up for you some time." "Oh, it's fine," Hood said quickly, trying to move the conversation away from her attire. The less she thought about just what she was wearing, the better. "But anyway, how have you two been?" "Marvelous, simply marvelous!" Rarity responded, Coco nodding in agreement. Then Rarity leaned in, a sly smile on her face. "You know, Pinkie Pie has been talking about you quite a bit since last week." "She has?" Hood asked. Perhaps she had raised her volume a scoch too much, if Coco's folded ears were any indication. "Oh yes," Rarity responded. "I believe the term she used for you was 'The Mysterious Hooded Stranger Who Dances Like An Angel But Not Like She's Dead Or Anything Just Like Really Nice And Stuff.' It's a mouthful, but that's our Pinkie Pie for you." Now Hood's knees went weak. She quickly saved herself by leaning on a nearby table. Smooth as silk, as always. "Are you okay?" Coco asked. "Quite," Hood lied. "I saw you talking to her already," Rarity said with a grin. "She seemed quite happy. Well, she usually seems happy, but I could swear I saw her glowing for a moment." "That's wonderful..." Hood swooned. The two mares giggled softly and nodded to each other, causing Hood to blush a blush that was hidden by her mask. "Well, here's a little tip from one of her dearest friends," Rarity said. "Ask her to dance during the next Rara song. She adores her, and I'm sure it would mean a lot to her to dance with you during one of her songs." "Right!" Hood said. She found herself thankful that she was aware of the recent musical trends, or else such a suggestion would have fallen on deaf ears. "Excellent," Rarity said. "Have fun, darling! And don't forget what I told you last time." Hood's smile vanished briefly. She definitely remembered Rarity's words after last week's party. It would take a lot for her to forget those chilling words. "O-of course," Hood said. Coco raised a brow, but Rarity seemed to already be done with that topic of conversation. "Ta!" Rarity sang as she headed towards one of the many snack tables. Coco offered an awkward smile and wave before following her special somepony. Hood felt like she was about to faint. Whether it was due to the elation over learning of Pinkie's interest in her or the reminder of Rarity's threat was uncertain. A few deep breaths relieved her of that burden before she decided to go enjoy the party. Hood began to head in the direction of Minuette and company. Approaching a group of ponies that knew Fleur and spent time with her was a calculated risk, but her confidence in her acting ability was insurance enough. "Hi, girls!" Hood said cheerfully. If there was one thing she was certain of about this group, it was that they were friendly enough to welcome a new pony with open arms. "Hi there!" Minuette responded, giving her a big smile. "Guess we must look like a fun bunch if we're attracting others over, huh?" "Definitely!" Hood agreed. "You look like you're having a great time!" "We sure are!" Minuette said. "We noticed you at the last party too, but you seemed like you were really busy with Pinkie, so we decided to leave you two alone! I'm Minuette, and this is Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, and Saffron Masala!" "Pleased to meet you all," Hood said, giving them all a polite nod. "I'm Hood Rat." Being introduced to ponies whose names she already knew was an odd experience, and the urge to ask about Moondancer's whereabouts was strong, but Hood was strong too. "That is a very interesting cloak you are wearing, Miss Hood," Saffron said. A new urge to question Saffron's taste in fashion was quickly suppressed. "Thank you, dear," Hood responded. "And please, call me Hood. The formality is unnecessary." Hood smiled confidently, but said smile nearly faded as she saw Minuette's brow raise. She was quite good at reading facial expressions, and something about Minuette's rang of suspicion, although what it was over, she had no idea. Any hope for clarification was dashed by Minuette's uncharacteristic reticence. It was only a brief moment before her usual smile returned, but Hood still couldn't shake the strange feeling that something was wrong. "Of course, Hood," Saffron replied, giving Hood a little smile. "I seem to do that very often." "That's nothing to be ashamed of," Hood said, patting her gently on the back. "It just means you were raised well. Coriander did a great job." "Oh! Saffron exclaimed. "You know my father?" Hood felt like stuffing her hoof into her mouth. It was such an amateur mistake...but not unsalvageable. "No," Hood replied. "But I've heard about the restaurant you two run. I hear tell your food is delicious!" "You should totally try it sometime!" Twinkleshine chimed in. Hood nodded as Saffron smiled, thankful for the easy out. That could have easily been a disaster. Thankfully, Hood was a quick thinker. As much as she wanted to spend more time around her friends, she figured that she should keep her time with them sparse as well. She had already almost slipped up once; more opportunities would arise the longer she was around them. "I'll get back to you ladies," Hood said. "I should mingle a bit more. It was nice meeting you!" Hood gave the group a wave, then headed off towards the apple-bobbing station, giving a wave in Pinkie's direction as she watched her greet some other guests. So distracted was she by the sight of Pinkie that she only just barely avoided walking into another mare. "Goodness!" Hood said. "I'm terribly sorry." "Don't worry about it," came the voice of Moondancer. "It's a good thing we ran into each other, actually. I need to talk to you in private." "M-me?" Hood asked, suddenly frozen in place. "Are you sure you have the right pony? I don't believe we've met..." Lying was beginning to become a specialty of Hood's, a specialty that she wasn't terribly proud of. "Mhm," Moondancer responded. "Come with me please." Then she walked off. Hood watched her silently for a moment, then followed along. Moondancer was a nice pony. Surely she didn't have anything sinister planned. Hood followed Moondancer down the hall and towards the bathrooms, stopping short once Moondancer turned around to stare at her. "Okay Fleur," Moondancer said simply. "What are you up to?" "What?!" Fleur exclaimed. "I-I don't know what you're-" "Spare me," Moondancer replied curtly. "You're not totally giving yourself away to the average pony, but I like to think I'm a little more observant than the average pony. You still carry yourself similarly to how you normally do, you said the exact thing to Saffron about not calling you Miss as you did at the restaurant, and you might have fooled the others with that Coriander coverup, but you're not fooling me. So what's this all about?" Fleur was completely stunned. She was sure she'd been careful...she hadn't even noticed some of those things Moondancer had pointed out. In fact, she hadn't even noticed Moondancer at all. Feeling backed up against a corner, the disguised supermodel sighed and hung her head. "Yes, it is I," Fleur responded, slipping back into her normal voice. "I am sorry for being deceptive, but it was the only way I could come to Pinkie's parties without risking my status. I seem to have fallen rather hard for Pinkie and I desire nothing more than to spend time around her, but the ponies in my social circles are incredibly judgmental, and if word got out that I was here, I would become a laughingstock amongst them." Fleur frowned at how much of Mint she heard in those words, but just because she didn't like the meaning behind the words didn't mean that they lost all credence. "Please, I beg of you...do not tell anypony." Moondancer stared at Fleur, a long stare which set Fleur's nerves on end. Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses as she stared, her gaze cold and scrutinizing. Fleur weighed her options. She was still disguised, and nopony else was around. If she stopped down and begged for mercy, Moondancer would be the only one to witness her. "Fine," Moondancer finally said. "Just for the record, I don't think this is a good idea. But if this is what you really want, I guess I can be a good friend and help you out." "Oh, thank you so much!" Fleur exclaimed. It felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted off of her back. She would let the others know in time, but tonight was definitely not the right time for it. "Yeah, yeah," Moondancer replied. "Don't mention it. But like I said, I still don't think it's a good idea." "Why not?" Fleur asked. "Isn't it obvious?" Moondancer responded. Once it was clear by Fleur's silence that it wasn't, she continued. "When you're hiding who you really are for that reason, it kind of comes off like you're-" Fleur knew that not paying attention to what a friend was saying, especially when they were trying to help, was quite the social faux pas. Her attention, however, had been stolen by the opening chords of Rara's latest hit. "Oh!" Fleur exclaimed. "I am dreadfully sorry to interrupt, but I need to dance with Pinkie during this song! I shall return!" "But..." Moondancer tried to protest, but her efforts were in vain as the cloaked unicorn dashed off. Hood galloped back to the dance floor, eyes scanning the room until they found their target. She made haste through the sea of ponies, holding a hoof out to Pinkie once she made it to her. "Miss Pinkie," Hood said, glad that her bout of speaking as Fleur had not caused her to lose her Hood voice. "Would you care to dance?" She watched in quiet reverence as Pinkie stared down at her hoof, thankful for the fact that this latest Rara song was a slower one. Pinkie's already-present smile slowly grew, and Hood could swear she saw an extra bit of pink on those cheeks. "Sure," Pinkie responded, placing her hoof in Hood's. The fact that Pinkie's response had not been at her usual level of volume and exuberance might have worried Hood if it hadn't been for the ear-to-ear smile on her face. Hood's eyes left Pinkie for the briefest of moments as she led her onto the dance floor, catching sight of Rarity and Coco looking on. A wave of approval from Rarity only increased Hood's confidence further as she gently drew Pinkie close to her. Her other foreleg snaked behind Pinkie's back, and she shivered with joy when she felt one of Pinkie's hooves do the same to her. She began her slow, graceful movements, the ones that she had practiced so often during her ballroom dancing classes. Everything about this was perfect. The music was beautiful. The lighting was spot-on. The dancing was elegant and precisely on-beat. And Pinkie, of course, was beyond perfect. Unlike last time, she seemed rather content to let Hood lead the entire time. In fact, "content" was probably not the right word for it. A better word might have been "delighted," a sentiment which became especially evident to Hood when she felt Pinkie rest her head on her shoulder as they danced. Hood's heart skipped a beat, but thankfully her hooves did not as she led her happy partner around the floor. Hood prayed for this song to last an eternity, no matter how irritating that might have been for Rara to perform for the album. Three-ish minutes of pop music was not enough to sate her need for time spent with Pinkie. Disappointment threatened to spike as the song moved towards its end, but even its jab could not permeate the ecstasy that Hood was feeling at this moment. Making sure that her hold on Pinkie was firm, she leaned forward, tilting her dance partner for a perfect dip. The role reversal from the previous dance was not lost on Hood, but she had much more important things on her mind as she stared into Pinkie's baby-blue eyes, nose-to-nose with the pony who had spent the better part of the last week and a half pronking through her mind. Fleur was never really the impulsive sort. Fleur preferred to think every single potential action out to a logical conclusion rather than act upon the first thing that came to mind. Fleur carefully planned ahead, acted only after pondering the circumstances, and almost never let a sudden idea remove her from her gameplan. Hood was quickly reminded that Fleur was not currently present as she leaned in and placed a delicate kiss upon Pinkie's lips. Pinkie's lips were warm and tasted lightly of a mixture of cotton candy and cinnamon. The cinnamon buns at one of the snack tables were likely to blame for that. Not that said table existed to Hood right now; as far as she could tell, the rest of the party had melted away, save for the excited squeal upon the meeting of lips that sounded too much like Rarity to be anypony else. The kiss only lasted for the most fleeting of moments, yet it felt like forever. Hood gazed upon the stunned face of her dance partner as their lips parted, and for the first time since she'd near-involuntarily set upon that path of action, seeds of worry and doubt began to bury themselves into her brain. Their leaves began to sprout as Hood had a moment of mental panic. Had she gone too far? Was Pinkie ready for such a bold move? Had she just made a terrible mistake? Just as quickly as they had begun to grow, the seeds of doubt in Hood's head were met with a lethal dose of Weed B Gon as Pinkie craned her neck up to return the gesture. Another squeal from Rarity could be heard, but to Hood it sounded like it was miles away as she tasted Pinkie's lips once more. This one only lasted a second or two longer than the previous one, but time wasn't a concern to Hood at the moment. All that mattered was that it had happened. Hood slowly brought Pinkie back to a standing position, her heart racing a mile a minute. This time, the blush on Pinkie's face was clearly evident. A new song had already started, but neither pony got back to dancing. A small giggle escaped Pinkie's lips, possibly the most adorable sound Hood had ever heard. The two stared at each other for a good few moments before Pinkie finally spoke. "Heehee...wow..." Pinkie said quietly. "Mm...wow..." Hood responded, just as quietly. The two returned to silence, smiling softly at each other. Just when the tension seemed to be at its highest, Pinkie raised one hoof towards Hood's hood. Hood's heart began racing, but for a completely different reason this time. She wasn't sure she was ready for the reveal just yet...but stopping Pinkie didn't seem right. Panic raced through her head as the hoof moved closer, almost in slow motion. Hood's muscles seemed locked in place, unable to respond even if her brain had decided on a plan of action. "Did you hear what happened in Canterlot?" Hood's ear, still hidden under her cowl, turned towards the new voice that had entered her perception. It wasn't a voice she recognized; probably some random partygoer. "Oh yeah. A burglar in Canterlot? That's new." The second voice was unfamiliar as well, but his words rang true in Hood's ears. She knew exactly what they were talking about. "And a missing supermodel? Geez, never expected that kind of crime in Canterlot. I hear they've got police searching far and wide." Hood's muscles finally decided to activate themselves again as she suddenly pulled away from the incoming pink hoof. As much as she wanted to stay here with the lovely Pinkie Pie, she had to leave immediately. If gossip of Hood's burglar-like appearance and Fleur's disappearance had already reached Ponyville, things had to be defused immediately. "I'm so sorry, but I have to go..." Hood whimpered. "What?" Pinkie asked, tilting her head. "Is something wrong?" "Not at all," Hood responded hastily. "If anything, this evening has been more right than most anything in my life. I'll see you at the next party, alright?" She began to turn to leave, but then hesitated. One hoof snaked out and lifted one of Pinkie's hooves off of the ground, and Hood gave its tip a gentle kiss before letting it go. She stuck around just long enough to see the dreamy smile on Pinkie's face before absconding into the night.