//------------------------------//
// Returns and Revelations 
// Story: Hood Rat 
// by Twinkletail 
//------------------------------//

It was the longest train ride ever.

In truth, it probably wasn't the longest train ride ever. It was roughly as long as every single train ride Hood had taken between Ponyville and Canterlot, and she knew for a fact that there were plenty of other routes which took far longer. Hood was on a roll as far as lying went, though, and exaggeration was just another form of lying.

That didn't make the train ride feel any shorter though.

Thankfully, Hood had the happy memories of the party, no matter how brief they might have been, to reflect on as the train chugged along. Seeing Pinkie again had somehow managed to be even better than she had expected. She still couldn't believe her brazenness in leaning in and stealing that kiss. Fleur would have dreamed of that but never acted upon it. Hood, on the other hoof, was far more impulsive. Perhaps she would have to teach Fleur to work on that, because acting on that risky impulse had led to one of her most glorious experiences in recent history. Neither kiss was very long, but both were beyond memorable. Hood honestly wasn't sure which she preferred. The shock on Pinkie's face from the first one was magnificent, her beauty holding up perfectly in her surprise. But the utter joy she felt behind the second kiss was intoxicating, and the fact that Pinkie had been the one to initiate it made it that much better. They each had their benefits that made it impossible to choose, and Hood counted herself lucky she didn't have to. Both memories held an equally dear place in her mind and heart.

Hood's cowl was starting to bother her more than ever; a lofty goal considering how much she loathed its appearance. Right now, it was feeling less like a dusty, shoddy disguise and more like a dusty, shoddy prison, one that was holding her in the throes of a major conundrum. If police were indeed searching the area like the ponies she'd heard at the party had claimed, she wasn't quite sure which way would be best for her to return to Canterlot. If she came back in her costume, she would surely have the police on her tail. Mint was not one to forget a noteworthy piece of clothing, and surely she would have tipped the police force off to look for a pony in a hideous brown mockery of fashion. If she returned as Fleur, however, there would certainly be questions as to why she was on a train that had left Ponyville. Neither of those outcomes was exactly a situation that she wished to find herself in, but all things considered, perhaps arriving out of costume was the optimal choice. Surely she could come up with a cover story before the train arrived in Canterlot.

"Now arriving in Canterlot!"

Hood cursed dramatic irony as the train pulled to a stop. Truly it was her worst enemy at the moment. Fleur would have to wait to make her return until she had a moment of safety.

Hood kept a vigilant watch on the ponies as they departed the train, waiting for the perfect opportunity to blend in and make an inconspicuous exit. Attired as she was, there was little to no chance of fitting in completely, but maybe sneaking into the back of a larger group was possible. It took a few moments before Hood found her opportunity, as a large group of what looked like tourists walked by her seat. Smooth as silk, she slid from her seat and slipped up between two of their number. She received a few glances, but none of them seemed terribly bothered by her company; a staunch contrast from what would have happened if she had tried to inject herself and her awful shawl into a group of typical Canterlot ponies.

Hood's eyes darted left and right as she stepped off of the train, making sure to lower her head as she did so. While her height was helpful to her career, there were occasions where it was more a curse than a boon. A glance around the station revealed a lack of police, and Hood breathed a sigh of relief before splitting away from the group she'd merged into. She wasn't particularly interested in another chase, no matter how exhilarating the first one had been. In fact, if that one hadn't happened so recently, she might have been okay with going into a chase right now. It was so unlike anything she or Fleur had ever done before, and the thrill of running full-tilt from a threat and improvising a route across alleys and rooftops to the train station was...well, thrilling.

A corner was turned, and Hood's previous relief was quickly dashed as she spotted a pair of police ponies patrolling the area. Quick as a flash, she ducked back into an alley, rather positive but not entirely certain that she hadn't been seen. She held her breath for a good few seconds, keeping an ear out for any approaching hoofsteps. She considered poking her head out once she was sure she hadn't been spotted, but that hadn't worked out so well with Mint. More caution would have to be employed this time. A quick scan of the area revealed a small path between buildings that would have been perfect if not for how horrifyingly dirty it was. Fleur would have been more worried about this, but Hood was significantly less so. With a skillful bound, she began her gallop through the side path. She didn't even want to look down and see how dirty her hooves were getting. There would be time to grieve over that when she arrived home.

Of course, getting home involved being Fleur again. Surely somepony would be watching by her house to see if either Fleur or Hood were to return, and the former was far more acceptable than the latter. She kept her gallop up for just a bit longer, carefully weaving about on a path towards home. As soon as she was safe in the knowledge that salvation was a mere few blocks away, she slowed her pace to a stop and began the ritual of disrobing. An errant thought of wishing that Pinkie was around for this disrobing caused her a bit of pause, but didn't keep her from her task for too long. There would be plenty of time to disrobe for Pinkie in the future. Hopefully.

Fleur hesitated once her detestable tunic had been removed. She may have been Fleur now, but she was still carrying Hood's hood around, and that was sure to be a problem. Or rather, that was sure to be a problem for somepony who didn't think quick on their hooves. Thankfully for Fleur, there was nopony of the kind present. A bout of deft folding and finagling later, she was now in possession of a slightly shoddy-looking sack. She was no designer, but it was passable enough to work for what she needed. With any hope, the precaution wouldn't even be necessary.

Fleur poked her head out from the alleyway, now having found herself a mere block away from her home. As far as she could tell, the coast was perfectly clear. After one final look down the street in both directions, she stepped out of the alleyway, ready to find security in the comfort of her own home, where she could lie down in bed and dream of her pink wonder once more.

"Fleur de Lis!"

It didn't take a genius to know that the voice belonged to the pony who Fleur kept forgetting had wings. Why couldn't it have just been the police?

Fleur quickly glanced down at her makeshift brown sack. Mint was far too observant to be fooled by the cloak's hasty transformation. She would most certainly recognize it immediately. Without a second thought, Fleur tossed the tunic back into the alley. Once Mint was gone, she would return for it, but right now it had to be out of sight. Fleur took a breath, then turned in the direction of the voice, ready for whatever Mint had in store for her.

The hug certainly took her by surprise.

"Where in Celestia's name have you been?" the pegasus asked. The worry in her voice was palpable, far too much so to be faked.

"Mint, darling," Fleur responded, reaching a foreleg out to wrap around her back. "Whatever is the problem?" Her delivery wasn't spot-on with that one, but the fact that she was engaged in a genuine hug with Mint had thrown her for a loop. They had exchanged little social hugs before, but this was a hug of a different magnitude. This was nearly a hug of Pinkie proportions.

"Have you not heard?" Mint asked, pulling back to look her in the eyes. "I came to speak to you and found a prowler leaving your house! I chased the ruffian as long as I could, but they escaped on a train to Ponyville. As far as I could tell, nothing was missing from your home, but when I realized you were missing, I contacted the authorities to search for you. Where in the world were you?"

Even though this was all news that she had heard before, some of which she had been present to experience herself, Fleur still found herself touched by Mint's efforts. She had considered her a friend for a good while, but hadn't expected such an outburst of concern from her. Seeing this side of Mint made the fact that she had to lie to her again that much harder, but it wasn't like she was a stranger to lying at this point.

"I decided to stay with my parents for a while longer," Fleur said, feeling safe in the fact that Mint did not know her parents. "Did...did you say a prowler was in my house?" Perhaps the little hesitation was milking it a bit, but perhaps it wasn't.

"Yes!" Mint said, finally letting go of her. "A disgusting prowler in a hideous brown cloak. Thank goodness they did not appear to take anything, and thank goodness you did not have to witness the monstrosity in which they were attired. But I must admit, I am more thankful for your safety. I shall alert the police immediately and let them know you are safe and accounted for."

Fleur couldn't help but smile, despite her fib-induced guilt. She could get used to this side of Mint. A little bit of genuine care was just what she needed from her typically cold friend. Perhaps she would have to "have her home attacked" more often. She held one foreleg out and Mint took the invitation rather quickly, giving her another hug.

"Thank you, Mint," Fleur said, so soft that Mint wouldn't have heard it if not for their proximity. "You are a good friend indeed."

"And you are lucky to have me, dear," Mint responded, giving her another squeeze before letting go. Of course she wouldn't be the Mint Fleur knew without a comment like that here and there. Fleur chose to just smile, let out a small "mm," and hug her friend back.

Part of Fleur, a part enchanted by her friend's care for her, wanted to admit her secret right then and there. Part of her saw this new side of Mint and believed that maybe she had turned a new leaf. Maybe the attitude problems that Fleur saw from her on a near-daily basis were a relic of the past, lost to the sands of time. Perhaps it was finally time to tell Mint of Hood's existence and her raison d'être. With this new sweet and caring behavior, maybe she could even come in handy, supporting her and helping her figure out how to go about things.

"And of course the prowler jumped onto a train to Ponyville," Mint mused. "It does not shock me that a lowlife like that would be heading there."

Maybe it could wait.


~~~~~~~~~~


Fleur stared with disdain at her cloak as she walked through the streets of Canterlot. The morning sun shone on the garment and allowed her a clear view of the tear that upset her so. She wasn't sure if it had been created when she was reshaping the garment or when she had haphazardly tossed it into the alley. In truth, the answer to that question would not help her in the slightest. Knowing how the tear was formed would not fix said tear, nor would her own below-average sewing skills. There were only two mares she could think of that could fix it. One of them was Rarity, and it was probably best not to divulge her secret to her yet. That only left the other, whom she had to speak with anyway.

Mumsy and pop-pop would certainly be up at this time. It was rare of them to sleep in, even in their youths. Sure enough, it was only a few seconds after her knock that she could hear hoofsteps making their way towards the door, which quickly opened to reveal the smiling face of her mother.

"Princess!"

As Balmy Breeze pulled her into a hug, Fleur was reminded of why she enjoyed surprising her parents with a visit so much. Even though she was a full-grown mare, she found herself snuggling against her mother like a child and preparing her body for the inevitable bear hug when her father approached. Sure enough, it was only a scant few seconds later that she was picked up bodily by her father, the life being lovingly squeezed out of her.

"How ya doing there, Angel?" White Pine said, ruffling his daughter's mane in exactly the manner she hated—not that it didn't still make her giggle like a filly.

"Quite well, pop-pop," Fleur responded, playfully attempting to escape his grasp. Due to his strength, however, escape would only happen on his terms. He let her struggle for a good ten more seconds until her giggles reached a fever pitch, then gave her a kiss on the cheek before finally letting her go.

"Darling, do be careful with her mane," Balmy said with a grin. "You know how long it takes to care for it."

"Yeah, yeah," Pine responded, quickly running a hoof through her mane and taking delight in the little pout it created. "There, good as new and beautiful as always. So what brings ya here anyway?"

"It is...a long story," Fleur said, carefully fixing her mane. "Perhaps we could talk about it over brunch?"

"Of course, sweetheart," Balmy said, giving her daughter a gentle smile. "I will ask the chef to begin preparations immediately. For now, why don't we..."

Fleur watched her mother's eyebrow arch ever so slightly as she finally noticed the garment she was carrying around.

"...Princess?" Balmy asked. "Why do you have one of my old costumes with you?" Fleur smiled an awkward smile.

"Well...you see..." Fleur began. Exactly how much was she going to tell them? She was given little time to think about it before Balmy spoke up once more.

"We shall talk about it over brunch then," Balmy said, giving her an understanding nod.

"Yes, mumsy."


~~~~~~~~~~


Fleur thanked her lucky stars that her mumsy and pop-pop were so patient with her. If she were invited to a meal by somepony who told her that they had a "long story" they wished to talk to her about, but then said pony had spent nearly the entire meal avoiding the topic, she likely would have gotten frustrated. Her parents, however, did not. To their credit, if they were frustrated, they never let it show. While Balmy was an actress and well-practiced in masking her emotions, Pine was decidedly not. Still, he and his wife sat through and participated in all the idle chatter that Fleur brought up to delay the inevitable.

"So..." Fleur finally said as she watched the butler remove her plate from the table. "About the cloak."

"It doesn't appear to be quite your style, Princess," Balmy said, giving her a cheeky little grin.

"Well, no..." Fleur began.

"Gee," Pine interrupted. "If I'd have know you didn't mind the dingy look,I coulda saved a wad of dough on all the clothes I bought ya!"

Fleur hmphed and crossed her forelegs, puffing up her cheeks in frustration. It was a relic of her youth, a face and gesture that she would typically employ as a filly when her parents would tease her. Such actions would typically work against her favor, setting her parents off on how adorable she was and teasing her further. Thankfully for her, her parents simply smiled at her behavior and let the teasing slide.

"Okay, Angel, I'm sorry," Pine said, still grinning from ear to ear. "Let's hear what this is all about, alright?"

Fleur found herself at a crossroad once again. She had mentally prepared throughout the course of brunch for how she would approach this, and the brief bout of teasing had thrown her off her game. Her original plan of lying to her parents about the reason behind the cloak suddenly seemed wrong. They had been so patient with her, not only tonight but throughout her entire life. Could she really lie straight to their faces?

No. She couldn't.

"Well," Fleur began after a deep breath. "I have been using this cloak to sneak to the parties of a common pony in Ponyville. I have developed a bit of a...crush on her, and attending her parties in secret was the only option, so I used this cloak as a disguise and developed an entire persona in which to attend said parties."

The confession was only given a few seconds to hang in the air before an "awww" from the other side of the table caused Fleur to blush.

"Our little girl has a crush!" Pine cooed, giving Balmy a smile. Balmy, for her part, just chuckled softly.

"Pop-Pop!" Fleur said with yet another pout. "This is hardly the first time I have been interested in somepony!"

"That does not make it any less adorable," Balmy said, smiling gently at her. "But this still requires a bit more explanation. I do not quite understand why you had to sneak into these parties. Were you not invited?"

"Was my little Angel party-crashing?" Pine asked. "Didn't think you had it in ya!"

"Oh no, I was invited," Fleur replied, blushing lightly. "It is just that...well, she is not a mare of my social status. She is a wonderful mare, of this there is no doubt, but being seen at a party held by a mare of her social class could ruin my career."

Fleur bit her lip as she fell under the scrutiny of her parents' stares. She was sure she had worded things gently and never made it sound like her social class made her inherently better than Pinkie. What had she done wrong? He sound of her mother clearing her throat made her sit straight up. As a filly, when mumsy cleared her throat, not directing every drop of attention towards her meant trouble, and even though she was a full-grown mare, the influence still held strong.

"Princess..." Balmy said. "You do realize what you are describing, correct?"

Fleur knew better than to answer. This was one of her rhetorical questions.

"I had the acting world in the frog of my hoof at your age," Balmy continued. "I had endless opportunities, huge roles that demanded crowds from all over Equestria. I could have stuck to my social circles and only looked for romance from those as privileged as I. But had I done that, I never would have found the most wonderful, kind, and striking stallion the world had ever seen." She rested one hoof on Pine, who gave her a little grin.

"Ain't every day a plain ol' lumberjack like yours truly gets to hook up with Equestria's biggest up-and-coming star," Pine said, putting a foreleg around his wife and smiling as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I can't even tell you how many suitors your mom here had. Stallions and mares all over the place wanted her, and any of 'em coulda bought and sold me quicker than a hiccup. But she listened to her heart, I listened to mine, and here we are. And her career sure didn't end right then and there, I tell ya what."

Fleur could safely say that she felt like an idiot. It was a parallel that she really should have drawn long ago, but she hadn't even considered it. Mumsy and pop-pop were more in love than anypony she'd ever known, and they certainly did not come from the same social class. Maybe, just maybe, she was worrying about this a bit too much.

"So are you going to tell this mare your little secret?" Balmy asked. "I have every reason to believe she would jump at the chance to be with one as lovely and sweet as yourself."

"I think I will, mumsy," Fleur said, giving her parents a gentle smile. "I think I will."


~~~~~~~~~~


The sun's rays shine brightly that afternoon, but one could argue that its radiance could not compare to Fleur's own as she walked home. She was already calculating a bit of a plan as she made her way towards home, thankful that mumsy was able to repair the tear in her cloak. That cloak was to play a very important role in her reveal to Pinkie Pie, and it had to be in perfect shape. Or at least as perfect as such a repugnant garment could be.

Fleur felt her heart flutter once more as she saw a pink envelope sticking up from her mailbox. Her restraint allowed her to not charge towards it at top speed, but her pace certainly increased as she got closer. She barely even cared about the other mail as she plucked the invitation out of the box and hurried inside. Once the door was closed, she descended upon her couch like a mare determined, delicately opening the envelope and extracting its contents. While the invite for the previous party had seemed like a rather basic invitation save for her name, it became clear to Fleur as soon as she began reading that this one was tailored a bit more towards her.

Dear Hoodie,
I'm so so glad you came to yesterday's party! I wish you could have stayed longer, but we'll just have to make that time up at my next party on Friday night at 8:00 PM! I can't wait to see you there!

 Pinkie Pie

PS: This is what part of the alphabet would look like if Q and R were gone!

PPS: I know this isn't the same as the real thing, but hopefully I can give you the real thing again at the party, cause that was kinda my favorite part!

Just below the last words of the letter was a sight that made Fleur's heart melt: a powder-pink lipstick kiss print.

Fleur was, for lack of a better term, tickled pink. She read the letter over and over again, smiling more and more each time. Finally, she brought it to her lips and gently kissed the kiss print. It tasted...papery. But if she imagined hard enough, she could almost taste cotton candy. Friday could not come soon enough.