//------------------------------// // The Perfect Party Plan // Story: Hood Rat // by Twinkletail //------------------------------// "What do you think this is all about?" "You've asked that ten times so far, Minnie," Lemon Hearts said, giving a look in the direction of the others and hoping for an empathetic eye roll from at least one of them. As usual, she found solace in Twinkleshine. "We still don't know. And asking more won't change that." "I know, silly," Minuette responded. "But it's something to talk about!" "I actually think I might know," Moondancer said. As all eyes fell on her, she regretted saying anything. "But if it's what I think it is, I can't say. It's her place to say it, not mine." "Not even a word?" Twinkleshine asked, leaning forward on her chair. "Not a single hint? I promise I won't tell anypony." "Oh, that'll be the day," Moondancer replied. "You gossip more than any of us." "I do not!" Twinkleshine shot back, before glancing at the others. "Do I?" The gentle murmur from Minuette, Lemon Hearts, and Saffron managed to answer her question in just the way she didn't want to hear, causing her to grumble and cross her forelegs. "So where is she anyway?" Saffron asked, glancing towards the door as she had a number of times in the past few minutes. "I'm sure she'll be here any minute," Minuette replied. "I mean, this is when she asked us to meet, after all!" "I do hope you're right," Saffron said, glancing at the time. "I don't have much time left on my break, and father gets very cross if I take too long." "Cross does not even begin to cover it," Coriander said as he walked by the mares' table. "Do you know how much of a pain it is to wait on customers and cook all the food? Because you will once it is my turn for a break!" "It will only be a little while longer, father!" Saffron insisted, trying to convince her father just as much as she was trying to convince herself. Granted, it was only a couple of minutes past the time that Fleur said she wanted to meet, but every minute counted when one had a deadline. "The pretty pony had best arrive soon if she hopes to speak with you," Coriander muttered as he walked into the kitchen. As if on cue, the Tasty Treat's door swung open, allowing Fleur passage. Her attempts to appear cool, calm, and collected proved to be only semi-successful as she searched the restaurant for the table her friends had occupied; an easily-accomplished feat as soon as Minuette began to wave eagerly in her direction. "I am terribly sorry for my tardiness, friends," Fleur said as she sat down in the chair left for her. "To be perfectly honest, I have been stressing over the news that I have called you all here to tell you about, and I completely lost track of time." "It's fine, Fleur!" Minuette insisted, resting a comforting hoof on her back. "We all lose track of time sometimes! Well, not really me, but hey, if the mare with the hourglass on her butt couldn't keep track of time it'd look pretty weird, huh?" "Perhaps," Fleur said, glancing awkwardly at Minuette's cutie mark before looking back up. "So what is this all about anyway, Fleur?" Saffron asked. "Is something wrong?" "Oh no, far from it," Fleur replied, smiling appreciatively at her concern. "In fact, it's very much the opposite." "So something's right?" Lemon Hearts asked. "That's good!" "Indeed," Fleur said, setting her front hooves crossed on the table. Such table manners would have been viewed as uncouth were she at one of the soirées that she hadn't attended in quite a while, but she hardly figured this group would fault her for it. "So come on, spill the beans!" Minuette said, looking for all the world like her physical well-being depended on hearing this news. "Very well," Fleur responded, taking a deep breath. "First off...I must admit that I have not been entirely forthright with you all. Moondancer has figured this out already, and I feel it is only right that I inform the rest of you as well." She looked across the table at Moondancer, who gave her a nod and a smile of approval. "Ooh, this sounds juicy!" Twinkleshine exclaimed, blushing a bit at the smirks she got from the others. "I suppose it could be described as such," Fleur said. She glanced around the table, taking a deep breath. She was used to being the center of attention, but the eager states of her friends somehow managed to shake her a bit anyway. Still, she gathered her strength and pushed through. "You see...when you were all going to Pinkie Pie's parties and I claimed to have other plans, I have actually been attending them in secret." "What?" Minuette exclaimed. "No way! How could you have been there without us seeing you?" The words were like sweet music to Fleur's ears. To see them so baffled meant that she had truly done a splendid job of hiding herself. Perhaps deceit wasn't exactly the best thing to be proud of, but a job well done warranted at least a modicum of pride. In a slick little maneuver that she had admittedly been practicing since deciding to let the girls in on her secret, she whipped the cloak out of her saddlebag and deftly slipped into it. Every move she made matched the grace that was expected from her as she equipped the beastly little number, even adding a little flourish at the end. "Hi," Hood said, nodding to the astonished mares. "I'm Hood Rat!" Lemon, Twinkleshine, and Saffron let out tandem gasps, while Moondancer just nodded knowingly. Minuette was so happily surprised that she even gave the revelation a round of applause. Fleur may have been the showmare of the two, but that didn't stop Hood from basking in the attention. "I can't believe we saw you there and didn't even realize it!" Minuette bubbled. "I realized it," Moondancer chimed in. "I can't believe most of us didn't realize it!" Minuette corrected herself without missing a beat. "I have taken a fair amount of acting classes," Fleur said as she lowered the hood, thankful that they had procured a private table as she had requested. After so many calculated risks, revealing herself to the public right here and now would have been a mistake of tremendous proportions. "And it shows!" Minuette responded, holding one hoof in the air towards Fleur. Fleur stared at the hoof, unaware of what she was meant to do with it. It took a bit of gentle coaxing from Twinkleshine for Fleur to engage in the unfamiliar art of the hoof bump. Regular ponies had such odd customs. "So what's with the sneaking around anyway?" Lemon asked. "Were you not invited? I'm sure Pinkie would be happy to have you there anyway." "Oh no, I was invited," Fleur said, an awkward smile crossing her face. "It is...a rather long story. But suffice to say, I needed to hide myself at the time. Now, however, I would like to reveal myself to her, because..." The hesitation was more than obvious. Fleur knew this for a fact. She hadn't meant to hesitate, but something about the eyes of her friends boring holes into her had caused her to lose the words she was about to say. The more she thought about Pinkie, though, the stronger her resolve became. Every vision of that wonderful mare, beautiful inside and out, reminded her of just how strongly she felt for her. Every thought of being held in those slightly-chubby pink forelegs stood as a happy reminder of just what it meant to her to show her true feelings. The desire to taste her lips once more served as a blissful needling to tell her friends just how she felt about... "Fleuuuuur?" This was beginning to become a regular occurrence. Fleur could hardly blame herself, though. Pinkie just had a way of leaving her speechless. "My apologies," Fleur said. "You see, I was rather distracted with...well, thoughts of Pinkie Pie. As far as my feelings towards her go, I would not go as far as to use the word..." "Fleur loves Pinkie Pie!" Minuette exclaimed, looking about ready to defy the laws of physics herself and rocket out of her chair. Fleur's face quickly took delight in its new resemblance to Pinkie's as the excited murmurs of her friends heated her cheeks. Every "aww" and joyful coo made it worse, although her little smile never left her face the entire time. "L-let us not be hasty," Fleur said, an unfamiliar stammer jostling her cadence. "I believe it is far too early to claim love...but I am quite enamored with her." "Awwwww!" Minuette squealed. "That's so adorable! Oh my gosh, you two would be the cutest couple!" Then her eyes lit up. "Now it all makes sense! Pinkie couldn't stop talking about how Hood Rat kissed her at the last party! Oooo, you've already got your in, Miss Fleur!" "I do hope you are right," Fleur said, helplessly smiling at the thought of Pinkie feeling the need to let everypony know how happy she was about their kissing. "But I need help from you ladies in order to tell her in just the right way." "Us?" Moondancer asked. "What could we possibly do to help?" "I need you to create a distraction at tonight's party," Fleur told them. "Anything that will keep others away from her so I may speak to her privately." "Why privately?" Moondancer asked. Fleur opened her mouth to respond, but was quickly interrupted. "So she can have her alone time with Pinkie, of course!" Twinkleshine sang as Lemon giggled along. The blush on Fleur's face was never more evident. "We will be happy to distract the others for you, Fleur," Saffron assured her. "Definitely!" Minuette agreed. "Just consider us your wingmares!" "But none of you have wings..." Fleur responded. "It's a phrase, silly!" Minuette said, patting Fleur on the back. "It means that you can count on us to have your back, no matter what! That's what friends are for, right?" "Indeed," Fleur replied, putting her foreleg around Minuette. Everything was falling into place. Her plan was absolutely, positively perfect. ~~~~~~~~~~ The evening couldn't have been more perfect. It was a cool evening, a fact for which Hood found herself thankful. Her choice of apparel did not exactly lend itself to warm weather comfort, and any slight drop in temperature was welcomed with open forelegs. The train had been mostly empty, freeing her of the leering eyes of passengers who disapproved of her ratty appearance. And with the confidence of her parents in her heart and the willingness of her friends to back her up, plus the promise of finally letting Pinkie know her identity and her feelings, tonight was looking to end beautifully. Even the walk to Sugarcube Corner felt perfect. There was nothing about the walk that really differentiated it from her other walks, but the feeling of difference remained regardless. Perhaps it was just the anticipation of admitting everything to Pinkie that colored this particular walk in a different light, but Hood honestly didn't care what the reason behind it was. It was a beautiful kind of different and Hood was quite alright with everything about tonight being beautiful. Although she had to admit that nothing, even Fleur, could match the beauty that Pinkie Pie held. Hood knocked lightly on the door to Sugarcube Corner, her heart beginning to race and defy her otherwise-calm demeanor. Even though she had the utmost confidence in tonight's plan, that didn't stop the twinge of nervousness that traveled from her chest and down her spine. It shook her, but still she welcomed it. It added to the thrill of the situation, and while Fleur didn't tend to engage in much thrilling behavior, this was Hood's forte. Hood lived life on the edge, risking life and limb to get what she wanted. Compared to her penchant for dangerous chases, life-threatening rooftop dives, and death-defying cliff side bungee jumps, this was cake. As Hood waited for the door to open, she quickly remembered that the whole "bungee jump" thing was a fabricated part of this persona she had created. Perhaps she needed to blur the lines between Hood and Fleur a bit less. "Hoodie!" The singsongy sound of Pinkie's sweet voice brought Hood back to earth. She had little chance to respond before she was grabbed in a tight hug by the mare of her dreams. Pinkie always seemed excitable, but it was evident simply from the energy behind this hug that she was even happier now that Hood was here. Hood sighed dreamily and hugged her back, more than happy to hold that wonderful pony for as long as she would allow. "I'm so glad you came!" Pinkie bubbled as she squeezed Hood like a badly-dressed tube of toothpaste. "I mean I figured you'd come because I invited you and stuff but still! I'm sooooo happy you're here!" "And I'm happy I'm here too," Hood said, dizzy from Pinkie's affectionate words. Or perhaps it was the lack of oxygen from how tightly she was being squeezed. The former was a bit more fun. "C'mon in!" Pinkie said, finally releasing Hood from the grip that would have given her an hourglass figure had she not already pretty much possessed one. "I've got so much planned for tonight, it's gonna knock your socks off! Or maybe it already has since you aren't wearing socks on those pretty little hooves of yours!" Hood giggled lightly. She could listen to Pinkie talk all day, especially if it pertained to her and how pretty she was. Perhaps she should have worn socks...she blushed lightly at the thought of introducing Pinkie to the sight of her in some of her favorite stockings. Thankfully, the blush went unseen. Hood glanced around as she entered Sugarcube Corner. As hard as it was to take her eyes off of Pinkie, she needed confirmation of her friends' attendance. Searching through the many partygoers took some time, but the sight of Minuette's easily-recognizable mane soon filled her with relief. The gears in her head began to turn as she looked towards her friends. Part of her wanted to enact her plan right away and reveal herself to Pinkie, but part of her figured it might be best to wait a little while. Pinkie might have been the main attraction by far, but there was still more of the party to enjoy. This was definitely her mindset. It wasn't nervousness over the impending reveal at all, no matter what her mind tried to tell her. "Pinkie?" Hood said, garnering her attention. "I see a few friends of mine over there. Is it okay if I go talk to them and meet back up with you in a bit?" She bit her lip, hoping that Pinkie wouldn't be terribly offended at her wishing to speak to ponies other than her. He last thing she wanted to do was hurt her feelings. "Of course, silly!" Pinkie said with a smile. "It is a party, after all! It would be kinda mean of me if I said you couldn't do stuff without me!" She gave Hood the tiniest of smiles and fluttered her eyelashes. "You will come back to spend time with me though, riiiiight?" Flirting. Unabashed flirting by that adorable little minx. Hood didn't know she had it in her, and yet here she was employing it masterfully; blatant enough to make her intent known but subtle enough to leave her wanting more. Every bone and muscle in her body threatened to liquefy on the spot, her brain demanding that she devote the rest of her night to the bubbly pink delight that had managed to captivate her with no more than the slightest of attempts. Yet she had to resist. Absence made the heart grow fonder, and if she was to succeed in her goal, she had to be prepared. "O-of course!" Hood stammered, her practiced voice cracking like that of a prepubescent filly. "Wowie," Pinkie said with a giggle. "That worked pretty well, huh?" She gave Hood the cutest of winks before turning to chat up some party guests. Hood knew it was rude to stare, but she was sure she saw the slightest shake to Pinkie's step as she trotted off. She took a quick breath to center herself and fish her wandering mind from the gutter, then turned to head in the direction of Minuette and company. "Hood Rat, darling!" The unmistakeable voice of Rarity grabbed Hood's attention and stopped her in her tracks. She turned to face Rarity and was met with a smile that nearly rivaled Pinkie's, Coco's smile only a bit less intense. "Hi, Rarity!" Hood said. "And hi Coco!" An attempt to ask how they were doing was quickly shut down by a hug from Rarity. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you!" Rarity gushed. "You are?" Hood asked. Of course Pinkie was happy to see her, but Rarity being this overjoyed was unexpected. Had Fleur been present, she wouldn't have been surprised in the least that so many ponies were delighted to see her, but the concept was new to Hood. "Oh, absolutely!" Rarity replied. She let go of the hug, and Hood watched her smile briefly fade as she got a good look at the dusty residue left on her coat by Hood's cloak. A quick dusting quickly brought her smile back. "How could I not be, Little Miss Kissyface?" "Oh..." Hood replied, giggling softly as her hood hid her blush. "I thought you might have seen that..." "Oh, everypony did, darling!" Rarity said, grinning from ear to ear. "Well, nearly everypony. But trust me, the ones who didn't certainly heard about it from Pinkie! It was so romantic, I nearly died on the spot!" "it really was," Coco added, giving Rarity a wink and a playful rump bump. "And Pinkie wasn't the only one who couldn't stop talking about it, was she?" "Oh come now, Coco Puff!" Rarity exclaimed, a sheepish grin crossing her face. "It wasn't that much! And you know that I think you're the most romantic pony there is!" "Do you?" Coco asked, a sly little twang to her voice. "I do!" Rarity answered. "You're my beautiful, romantic, sexy little Coco Puff." "And you're my sweet, lovely Rarebear," Coco cooed back, now nose-to-nose with Rarity. "I love you," Rarity whispered. "I love you too," Coco responded. Then the two met in a tender kiss. Hood didn't mean to stare. Staring at two ponies kissing was a bit rude and more than a bit awkward. If she were a petty mare, she would have called this revenge for the two of them—not to mention most of the ponies at the last party, apparently—watching as she and Pinkie kissed. Revenge, however, was the last thing on Hood's mind. As she watched the two kiss, she saw everything that she wanted for herself and Pinkie. The cute little nicknames, the displays of affection, the constant closeness...that kind of relationship was precisely what Hood...no, what Fleur wanted with Pinkie. And Fleur couldn't have that kind of relationship with Pinkie until Hood let her free. She could enjoy the rest of the party later. Right now, her perfect plan needed to get underway. "If you'll excuse me, ladies," Hood said, stepping around them, "I need to see Pinkie immediately." She wasn't sure whether or not they heard her; if they had, then they'd clearly decided a response wasn't necessary. Hood strode confidently towards her group of friends. Minuette was the first to notice her and tried to greet her with a wave, but Hood barely seemed to notice it through her determination. She rose a hoof to her horn, then gave a pointed salute to the group. Not a word needed to be said. The agreed-upon signal was more than enough. "Hey everypony!" Minuette shouted out, her voice amplified by a well-timed spell from Moondancer. "I bet none of you can beat me at limbo!" She gestured with a grin to a long limbo pole that Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine were now holding. "And whoever can get the lowest will win a free meal at the Tasty Treat!" "Dessert included!" Saffron added, waving to the crowd that was rapidly forming around the bunch. Hood grinned as she watched the party gravitate towards the impromptu limbo cutest. She had left her friends to figure out on their own how to distract the entire party, and it had worked with flying colors. Perhaps a little too well, she thought, as she watched Pinkie begin to head in that direction. She had to act immediately. "Pinkie?" Hood asked, placing a hoof on her shoulder. "May I speak with you in private?" "Right now?" Pinkie asked, eyeing the crowd. "I'm great at limbo! I can totally win that free meal!" Hood hummed, then inspiration struck as she leaned in close to Pinkie's ear. "I need to speak to you right now, Hood purred into Pinkie's ear. "In private." Pinkie's ear perked, and the faintest of blushes colored her cheeks. "Okie dokie!" Pinkie responded, the promise of future free food forgotten. "C'mon! We can talk in my bedroom!" Hood wasn't positive whether or not Pinkie had realized he ramifications of such an invite. She had shown such variation in her approaches that both a flirtatious advance and an innocuous suggestion were equally possible. That was the adventure inherent in being smitten with Pinkie Pie: one never knew just what to expect. The trip to Pinkie's room was nerve-wracking. It was a walk that Hood hoped to be taking more often after tonight, but that all hinged on her being able to reveal her secret in the most perfect manner. Hood felt confident one moment and nervous the next, but no matter how she felt, this needed to be done. Pinkie needed to know, and come hell or high water, she would know. Pinkie's room was just as Hood had expected it to be. It was mostly neat, but with just enough of a mess to be noticeable. To find her room completely free of clutter would have shocked Hood. Pinkie was so whimsical that at least some mess was to be expected, and Hood found herself thankful that it was only a pile or two of clothes and party supplies that adorned the floor near her bed. Too much of a mess might have been too much to bear, but this degree of disorder felt just right, perfectly Pinkie Pie. "So!" Pinkie said, leaping onto her bed and bouncing lightly on the mattress. "What did you want to talk about?" Staring at Pinkie lying on her bed brought Hood a brief bout of pause. Her carnal desires were begging her to join Pinkie in lying on that bed, to snuggle up next to her and enjoy the soft warmth of her body. And yet she fought those urges. There were important matters to deal with. Perhaps snuggling after, but business came first. She sat demurely on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath. This was, quite literally, the moment of truth. "Pinkie Pie," Hood began, yet to look back at her. "I have to admit that I haven't been entirely truthful with you." "What do you mean?" Pinkie asked. Hood felt the mattress shift and assumed Pinkie had sat up. "Well..." Hood said. "As you might have guessed from last time, I've been coming to your parties not just because I'm interested in them, but, well...because I'm interested in you." a gentle giggle from behind her briefly interrupted her speech. "Uh, yeah!" Pinkie responded. "I kinda guessed that after the kiss! Unless you just kiss ponies all the time or something!" "I don't," Hood said, chuckling lightly. "The part I have been lying about, though, is my identity. "You see, my name is not Hood Rat." "Phew!" Pinkie exclaimed. "That's a relief! I mean it's not a bad name or anything but I was kinda wondering if it would be insulting to call you Ratty." Hood shook her head and chuckled again. Even in moments of seriousness, Pinkie could always find a way to lighten the mood and make her smile. It was a testament to just how wonderful she was. "Maybe a little," Hood responded. "But regardless...now that we're alone, I'd like to show you who I really am. May I?" "Sure!" came Pinkie's reply. The mattress creaked once again, and Hood felt the weight on it shift as Pinkie moved closer to her. Her heart raced as Hood slowly lifted her forelegs, hooves reaching towards the edge of the hood. Time around the two seemed to stop, waiting with anticipation equal to Pinkie's as Hood carefully pulled her horn from the hole atop the garment. The cloth gradually receded from her head, letting her long pink locks flow freely. The bed creaked in response through the otherwise-soundless room as Pinkie leaned even closer. One more deep breath permeated the silence before Fleur finally turned to look at Pinkie, revealing her face for the first time. The moment hung in the air as the two locked eyes, and for the briefest of times. Fleur began to worry about what Pinkie would think. That brief time was quickly shattered as Pinkie's eyes lit up. "Fleur de Lis?!" Pinkie exclaimed, looking for her audience of one like she had been utterly floored. "The famous supermodel?!" Apparently, Pinkie had learned a bit about her since the Carousel Boutique meetup that had ignited Fleur's infatuation. Either that or she had been very low-key about it back then. It didn't matter to Fleur either way; the smile on Pinkie's face spoke volumes. "Indeed," Fleur said, slipping back into her regular voice. Her own smile was colored with both glee and nervousness, but the former was beginning to vanquish the latter. "I can't believe it!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing slightly in place. "I never would have guessed, except for the fact that you were pretty tall and slender and you were a white unicorn and there was one moment where I saw a bit of pink mane poking out of your hood but I decided not to say anything about it! But there are lots of tall white unicorns with pink manes so I still probably wouldn't have guessed! This is amazing!" Fleur's heart filled with joy as she watched Pinkie's reactions. Her elation was about the best she could possibly ask for, save for a sudden bout of activity that a naughtier part of her mind was secretly hoping for. "It is, isn't it?" Fleur asked, brimming with happiness. She reached down and took one of Pinkie's hooves, staring into her eyes. "I am sorry for keeping this a secret for so long, but I simply had to." "Why?" Pinkie asked, staring right back at her with those beautiful baby-blue eyes. "I had to keep it a secret, I really did," Fleur said, her stare deep and meaningful. "I feared that my career would be in jeopardy if I was seen attending a common party instead of a fancy soirée." She beamed as she pulled Pinkie's hoof close to her chest. "But that is all in the past! Now we can be together!" She held the hoof tightly, more than content in the knowledge that she would never have to let it go. Everything had gone perfectly, and she knew there was no way she could possibly be happier. "Excuse me?" Fleur tilted her head. Perhaps she hadn't spoken clearly enough. "I said that I feared my reputation would be at stake if I was seen coming to a party like this," Fleur told her, regarding her cute little hoof fondly. "But I no longer–" "So you think you're too good for my parties?" Fleur suddenly found herself no longer in possession of Pinkie's hoof. She looked back up into Pinkie's eyes and was startled at what she saw. Those big, happy eyes didn't look too happy anymore. "Wha...?" Fleur uttered. "N-no, I..." "But that's what you said!" Pinkie said, scooting a bit away from her. "You were hiding your face to come here because it would ruin your reputation!" "But..." Fleur tried to interject, but she was swiftly cut off. "Why couldn't you reveal yourself in the party room, huh?" Pinkie not so much asked as demanded. "Too ashamed to be seen in public with me?" "Not at all!" Fleur replied. Things were getting scary. She'd had no idea that a sweet little cinnamon bun like Pinkie could get this terrifying. "Well then why did you say those things?!" Pinkie shouted. A fire had entered her eyes, and Fleur found herself shrinking back into her cloak. "I..." Fleur squeaked. "I just...it's not that..." Fleur's ability to speak completely gave out on her at the same time that the curls of Pinkie's mane did. Fleur covered her mouth with a hoof as she watched the formerly-poofy mane fall flat. She croaked quietly in another effort to speak, wanting desperately to verbalize but completely incapable of such endeavors. Looking into Pinkie's eyes did nothing to help matters. The anger was still quite present, but was beginning to give way to something even worse as the first tears began to form. "Well you know what?" Pinkie said, trembling a bit. "I-if you're too big and important to be seen at a common party with a common pony like me...th-then the door's right there." Her last words lacked the fire of the ones preceding them, but there was still plenty of emotion behind them. Fleur felt her heart shatter as she saw the first tear fall from Pinkie's cheek. This was not okay. This was a million shades of not okay. This was supposed to be a beautiful moment. Pinkie was not supposed to be sad; sad and Pinkie just did not go together. Worse yet was the knowledge that it was her words that had made this happen. That mere thought was nearly enough to spiral Fleur into misery, but she couldn't break yet. She needed to save this. "Pinkie...please, just let me..." Fleur began. "Go!!" Pinkie shouted, nearly knocking Fleur off of the bed by the force of her voice alone. Fleur attempted to speak again, but her words seemed to solidify in her throat, taking residence alongside the lump that had firmly lodged itself there upon seeing Pinkie start to cry. "Just...just go," Pinkie muttered, slumping down onto the mattress. Her sniffle echoed that of Fleur's as the two sat in what was otherwise a painful silence. Broken and deflated, Fleur finally got up from the bed, seemingly having no other choice in the matter. She considered going out without her hood, but she did not feel like she deserved to look beautiful. One more look was cast in Pinkie's direction, and the sight of those watery blue eyes was almost enough to slay her on the spot. "...I'm sorry," Fleur said, her voice soft and shaky. Pinkie said nothing. It was one of the few times Fleur had ever seen her be silent, and it tore her apart. Whatever had happened between Fleur leaving Pinkie's room and finding herself on her way back to the train station was a blur, but it didn't matter. She thought she might have heard a faraway voice call for Hood, but she couldn't be certain, and it didn't matter anyway. Hood had caused this all, and... No. It was pointless to pass the blame to a persona. She had caused it. As the tears soaked her cheeks and were absorbed by the accursed cloak, Fleur knew that she couldn't blame anypony but herself. Everything needed to be perfect, and yet nothing was.