Drawing Out Plans
Rarity struggled to lie down comfortably as she sat within the darkened room of Zecora's hut. Even though she was grateful that the zebra was insistent on letting her sleep in her cot for the night, Rarity was finding it increasingly harder not to let the discomfort get to her. Used to lying in her own king-sized bed for most of her nights, it just didn't feel right, though she tried to readjust herself on the old mattress on the floor.
Despite how badly she wanted to improve her sleeping situation and get her well-deserved beauty sleep, Rarity knew there would be no use in complaining in the middle of the night. Even if she did try to talk to Zecora, who was sleeping in the main living space in the hut soundlessly, she knew that the zebra wouldn't be able to do much, since going out into the Everfree Forest after dark would be extremely dangerous.
How in Equestria can she possibly sleep like this? thought the mare as she tossed herself on the mattress for the twelfth time. That poor zebra's back must be hard as a rock from this kind of bedding!
Through a mix of defeat and exhaustion, Rarity slumped back down on the bedding and sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to get much sleep tonight. As she looked around the room, her gaze was drawn to all the various decorations and artifacts Zecora had strewn about her walls. Even though she used to think the zebra's décor was creepy to say the least, Rarity had come to understand how rude it would be to say something like that. Besides, despite how odd some of the items looked—especially that mask by the doorway, which she could swear was staring at her—she had to admit that all of the decorations seemed to make a consistent theme around the bedroom. Zecora may have had unusual tastes, but the unicorn could still tell good taste was there.
Eventually, Rarity's gaze went back to the bedside table, peering in closer as she tried to discern what was there in the darkness. Looking closer, Rarity was able to see only a few small items on the table by her cot: some small bottles for potions, a small figurine of something, a worn-looking rag, a very antique-looking alarm clock…
And also, a couple of quills.
Looking at the writing utensils, Rarity's eyes opened as she got a new idea. Looking back to her saddlebag by the foot of the bed—something she almost forgot she had—the unicorn used her magic to open the front flap, using the light illuminated by her magic to find what she was looking for. Happily, Rarity was quickly able to find the sketch pad stashed at the bottom, making her feel a little better about her situation as she pulled it towards her.
Well, if I can't sleep tonight, she thought as she readjusted herself on the bed, sitting upright on the wall as she pulled a quill from the table, then I can at least try to keep my mind occupied with something else.
Despite being in the middle of the Everfree Forest, Rarity knew that she had nothing to really worry about. Knowing how long Zecora had lived out here, she felt more than alright to trust the zebra in regards to her safety.
As she flipped the sketch pad open to a clean page, all she could think about was what she had envisioned earlier that day. Remembering how out of it she was when she was slowly coming back to consciousness (and back when the bed was actually comfortable to her), Rarity recalled all the odd swirls of colors and stripes she imagined in her drowsy state.
Even though she still felt a bit uncomfortable sitting on a mattress on the floor like this, the last thing Rarity wanted was to forget those images before morning. If there was one quality a dressmaker needed to possess in her line of work, it was the ability to get her ideas written on the spot. And with the moonlight illuminating the darkened room, along with the added light from her horn, Rarity made a few quick lines on the sheet and started to draw the basic outline of her new creation.
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As the morning light began to shine through into the hut, Zecora laid still as she dozed. Usually awakened by her clock, the zebra had come to adjust her sleeping habits to become more tuned-in with the forest. With all the noises outside this hut, Zecora had learned to sleep through pretty much everything, only to wake up when her alarm went off next to her bed. However, as the zebra slept on her blanket on the floor, her muzzle began to twitch as she felt one of her senses start to stir awake.
Due to learning to ignore outside noises while asleep, Zecora's other senses weren't as well-trained when it came to keeping her asleep. Clenching her eyes shut, Zecora slowly began to become aware of her surroundings as she breathed in, catching what was lingering in the air. After another moment, Zecora opened her eyes and breathed in again, slightly confused as she realized what she was smelling this early in the morning.
Coffee.
"Well good morning, Zecora!"
Hearing the cheerful tone of the mare's posh voice, Zecora closed her eyes again as she stretched, slowly remembering that Rarity was still here. As the zebra got to her hooves, her eyes reopened as she looked forward to the kitchen, making her eyebrows raise in surprise as she saw what was happening.
Standing next to her stove was Rarity, who carried a surprisingly cheerful look on her face as she levitated a metal coffee pot over the flames. While one wave of her magic aura held onto the pot as it boiled the coffee inside, another one was levitating a bowl while a spoon mixed within it. While Zecora was confused as to why Rarity was so cheerful this early in the morning, the unicorn didn't notice her groggy state as she spoke while mixing.
"I hope you don't mind, but I simply cannot get anything done in the morning without a latte." Rarity then looked in the bowl for a second, smiling in satisfaction before she focused her attention on the steaming pot. "I have to admit it was a tad difficult to get this prepared differently from my usual routine, but I think I managed to make the mocha just right."
Even though she wanted to ask something and wake herself up, Zecora didn’t say much as she walked toward the mare, looking in surprise as she saw what was in the mixing bowl. Using several of her cocoa beans and other sweeteners in her pantry, Zecora realized that Rarity really did manage to make a chocolate syrup mixture for her coffee. While Zecora preferred her coffee straight black, she had to admit how impressive it was for Rarity to get everything prepared like this.
"Well Rarity,” began Zecora as she spoke in an attempt to wake herself up, "I have to say, you sure know how to start the day."
"Well,” Rarity said as she levitated two cups from the cupboard behind her, "I wanted to show my appreciation for helping me so much yesterday." Rarity then placed the two cups on the counter before pouring the coffee into each one, waiting a moment before she levitated the bowl of mocha back into her grasp.
"Besides,” continued the unicorn as she began adding the mocha into one of the cups, "if we want to get those gems, we have to be at tip-top shape."
"Wait, what?!" Rarity almost lost her focus on her aura at Zecora's sudden outburst, making her look back to the zebra as she continued, "You want to go today? Even though you were almost prey?"
"Well..." Even though she understood Zecora's hesitation completely, Rarity only waited a brief moment before she replied, keeping an insistent tone in her voice while pulling a jug of milk from the zebra's fridge. "I know how utterly absurd it sounds, but I can’t really think of a better time for me to help. I have several clients to make garments for in the next few weeks, and I know my schedule will be too cluttered to try anything outside of work."
Putting the mixing bowl aside, Rarity then poured a splash of milk into the mocha-added cup of coffee as she continued, "And before you say anything, I think I have an idea about how to make this work for both of us…"
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Zecora sighed as she stood alone by the edge of the swamp. Even though she understood Rarity's plan enough to know it was probably the best option, the zebra still didn't like how she was barely doing much in comparison to yesterday. Instead of being out in the swamp and picking up the gems through a net like yesterday, Zecora was now merely acting as lookout while Rarity did most of the work.
Standing at another part of the swamp in a pair of stylish shades and a sunhat, Rarity's horn was shining brightly as she lifted gem after gem from the murky water with her magic. Confident that they would avoid any danger with Zecora acting as security, the mare kept a smirk on her muzzle as her aura collected as many gems as she could see through her magic.
Looking over to the large burlap sack next to Rarity, Zecora was shocked to see how many the mare managed to get in less than twenty minutes. In what usually would've taken Zecora hours to do with only her net and no magical assistance, Rarity managed to not only collect over half the swamp's worth of gems, but also found the net she lost yesterday. Seeing how full the bag was getting, Zecora managed to smile again before she spoke up to Rarity.
"Well, I must say, your plan worked very well!" Hearing the zebra's praise, Rarity turned to Zecora with a smile as she kept going. "I think I have enough gems from your spell."
"Well, that's a relief!" Rarity levitated the last of the gems in her grasp over to the bag, placing them inside before releasing her magic aura. "I was getting worried about my coat being stained from being out here so long."
Hearing that, Zecora sighed as she remembered who she was dealing with. Despite her generous nature and excited manner when it came to assisting her, Zecora almost forgot about how high maintenance Rarity could really be. However, after seeing how many jewels were inside the sack, Zecora couldn't really complain at the moment as she pulled it onto her back.
While Rarity walked at a somewhat careful pace to protect her hooficure, Zecora kept the same speed as she trotted beside her, keeping a smile on her muzzle as she realized how much work she could manage to complete from getting everything gathered so quickly.
Before she could say something to show her appreciation, Zecora heard the sound of several voices in the distance. Realizing they were coming from her hut, Zecora picked up the pace as she realized who it had to have been.
"Raaaaaarrrrrityyyyyy!!!!" shouted Rainbow Dash as she tried to peer in through the windows of Zecora's hut, looking even more irritated as she saw the inside was empty.
While the other four mares walked around the hut in an attempt to notice anything, the cyan Pegasus became even more aggravated as she banged on the front door once more. "HEY! Zecora, you better not be napping in there!"
"Rainbow!" Hearing her voice, Rainbow Dash turned to Twilight Sparkle, who was trying to keep a stern look on her face despite the worried tone in her voice. "It's obvious that Zecora isn't inside."
"Well, where is she, then?!" Dash trotted towards her with an upset look on her face. "Rarity was supposed to be here yesterday, and now neither of them are around!"
"I know! Just… let me think!" Not wanting her worries to overtake her, Twilight Sparkle turned away from Dash and paced in front of Zecora's hut with unease. In an attempt to calm herself down, the Princess breathed in a few times before she turned towards Fluttershy, who was keeping a nervous look on her face as well.
"Fluttershy,” Twilight asked, "are you sure Rarity said she was supposed to be here?"
"Y-yes, she did." Despite her concern over her friend, Fluttershy’s voice still came out rather timidly as she tried to clarify, "She said that Zecora was wanting her help, and that she would be back before nightfall, but..."
Before any more words could come out of her muzzle, Fluttershy grew silent and looked down to the ground, looking extremely guilty as she tried to avoid thinking of anything bad that may have happened. Just as Twilight was about to try to get more information out of her, Applejack spoke up as she looked around some the trees nearby the hut.
"Girls, Ah'm sure that there's a perfectly fine reason for all this happenin’." Even though she was just as worried as the others, Applejack managed to keep her composure as she looked at some of the eerily grey trees. "Rare's not the kinda mare ta go out here alone. If she's somewhere out here, then Zecora's probably wit' her."
"But..." Despite knowing that Applejack was probably right, Twilight still didn't feel right as she failed to see either one around. Even though Zecora was experienced out in these woods, the idea of either of them being in trouble still plagued the Alicorn's mind. "But what if they're hurt? What if something like a Cockatrice got to one of them?"
"Or a timberwolf?" added Fluttershy as she turned to Applejack with a scared look on her face.
"Or one of those four-headed dragon things?" said Rainbow Dash as she tried to peer in the windows of the hut again.
Before Applejack could try to calm them down, Pinkie Pie's head popped out from inside a hole in one of the trees next to the mare, scaring her while the pink pony added her own input.
"Or maybe some intergalactic spider-thing disguised as a super creepy clown, who tries to lure them to their doom by offering them floating balloons?!"
"Pinkie, Ah'm su—" Applejack's train of thought veered off as she turned to Pinkie Pie with a baffled look on her face, trying to figure out what it was the pink pony just suggested. "How… where the hay did you come up wi..."
Despite her confusion at Pinkie's theory, Applejack shook her head clear before she started talking again. "Ah'm sure that Rarity and Zecora are fine! That zebra's been out here in these woods for a long time, so Ah have no doubt Rarity's in capable hooves."
"And I must say,” said Rarity in a happy tone as she came into view from the trail, "you are absolutely right!"
Once they saw Rarity, the other five mares didn't hesitate at all as they all ran toward her, almost tackling her as they held her in a group hug. Even though she felt slightly suffocated at the massive squeezing around her, Rarity didn't falter as she hugged them back, holding her friends tightly while Zecora showed up from the trail. Knowing this was probably a personal moment for Rarity and her friends, Zecora stayed silent in the distance while Twilight spoke in a relieved tone.
"Oh Rarity,” said Twilight before she let go of the mare, "we're so glad to see you're alright!"
Of all five ponies who were gathered around Rarity, Fluttershy looked more guilty than relieved as she spoke in a worried rant. "And we're really sorry we couldn't get to you sooner! I mean, by the time I realized you were late in picking up Opal, it was already too dark to go into the Everfree Forest! And the—"
"It's quite alright,” Rarity said, putting a hoof up to calm Fluttershy. "Luckily, I was fortunate enough to have Zecora help me out." Looking back to the zebra, Rarity kept a grateful smile on her face, making Zecora feel especially happy as she heard the mare continue.
"Honestly,” said Rarity as she turned back to the other five ponies, "I have to admit I was in a fairly bad scuttle involving a Timberwolf, bu—"
The five mares immediately gasped at hearing that, making Rarity hesitate a little before she kept speaking.
"… But Zecora managed to treat my injuries amazingly well, and I couldn't be more grateful for that."
Hearing her statement, Zecora grew a warm smile on her muzzle, really appreciating how thankful the unicorn was as she stared back at her. Before the zebra could say anything, Twilight stepped up to her with a smile and spoke in a caring tone.
"Zecora,” Twilight began as she put out a hoof to the zebra, "thank you so much for helping out. We couldn't be more grateful to have a friend like you."
Zecora merely nodded and smiled as she shook the Princess's hoof, waiting a moment before she replied, "Well, Rarity has been quite a good friend to me. And how she handled that beast was something to see."
Pinkie Pie immediately jumped up to Zecora in her usual energetic state, noting the sack of jewels on the zebra's back as she spoke gleefully.
"Ooh, ooh, ooh! What did she do to the Timberwolf? Did she take all the gems it had after whining enough to make it run away?"
Hearing that, Rarity groaned and face-hoofed, struggling to believe she would actually say something like that. Looking back at the unicorn, Pinkie kept a quizzical look on her face as she continued, "What? That was what you did when you got those jewels from the Diamond Dogs."
"That… might be true,” Rarity said as she tried to explain the sack Zecora was carrying, "but—"
"And you needed a bunch of jewels and stuff for Sapphire Shores, right?"
"Well, yes I did, bu—" Rarity's head bent back a little as she looked at Pinkie Pie in confusion, taking a few seconds before she tried to comprehend the mare's words. "What… what does Sapphire Shores have to do with this?"
Applejack peered in on the conversation as she spoke to the unicorn. "Whaddya mean? Ah thought ya had an appointment wit' her today. At least that's what Ah thought when Ah saw her at yer Boutique today."
Rarity froze in place after Applejack's statement, her eyes becoming as wide as Frisbees before she slowly turned towards her. Now slightly shaking from shock, Rarity's voice came out in a very faint whimper as she tried to clarify Applejack’s words.
“.... What?"
"Ah said that Sapphire Shores was wantin' ta talk wit' ya about a new ou—"
"WHAT!?!" Rarity grabbed Applejack by the shoulders. "SAPPHIRE SHORES IS AT MY HOUSE RIGHT NOW?!?!"
"Ah… Ah thought ya knew!" Applejack managed to get the panicked unicorn off her before she continued, "We told her we was just about to look for ya, and she said she would wait if—"
Rarity gasped as she put her hooves up to her face, trying to hide her shocked state as she tried to muster out a statement.
"Are… are you telling me that a world-famous pop star is at my house, and you made her wait there alone for me?!”
Not wanting to deal with an enraged breakdown, Rainbow Dash stepped forward as she spoke to her. "Rare, are you seriously mad at us right now?! We were freaking out all night because we thought you were Timberwolf-chow, and all you're worried about is some namby-pamby pop star at your place?!"
Before Rarity could snap at the Pegasus for describing Sapphire Shores like that, Pinkie Pie intervened and put a hoof around Rarity’s shoulder. Not noticing how upset Rarity was getting, Pinkie Pie spoke up in a chipper tone and tried to calm her down.
"Dontcha worry, Rarity! She's not waiting there alone! Your Mom and Dad wanted to ask you for something, so they're waiting at your place with her right now keeping her company! Isn’t that great?"
Rarity's head zipped over to Pinkie Pie so fast, there was an audible crack heard from her neck. Staring at the cluelessly happy mare with a look of pure terror, Rarity's face started twitching like crazy before she spoke shakily.
"My… my parents… are alone with the Pony of Pop… at my house?!"
"Uh-huh!" said Pinkie cheerfully as she nodded, not noticing how mortified the unicorn was getting as she kept talking. "We asked them to keep her company while we looked for you, so they got out this big album of your baby photos to sho—"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
That terrified scream was the last notable noise any of them were able to hear before Rarity shot out of the forest, running faster than she did when she was being chased by the Timberwolf. In less than a second, the unicorn left all of them in a cloud of dust outside Zecora's place as she zoomed back home, leaving everyone speechless for a moment as they tried to comprehend what just happened.
Finding her ability to speak first, Applejack turned her attention to Pinkie Pie as she spoke in an upset tone. "Pinkie… did ya have to tell her that?"
Pinkie Pie only blinked a few time in silence before she answered, “Why? Was that bad?"
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Sapphire Shores + Rarity's parents x Rarity's baby pictures(Sweetie Belle) = TWPT!!!!!
good chap.
A true tragedy has occurred!
Sir, I compliment you. You get me to read romance that's out if my comfort zone. Thank you
Classic Pinkie...
Also, I could totally hear Rarity's scream...
Rarity may be a drama queen, but I totally understand the embarrassment of your parents showing a world famous celebrity your baby photos
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"Tim Curry, you get out of Equestria this instant young man!"
vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/stephenking/images/e/e4/Ir-pKv63.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20171226203328
I just watched 'It' last night