Hood Rat

by Twinkletail

Rebuilding and Restructuring

Frowning was terrible for one's complexion. It created unsightly lines, and the last thing that anypony who truly cared about their appearance wanted was an onset of lines ruining their lovely visage. As such, frowning was a no-go for supermodels.

Crying did awful things to one's face. It reddened eyes and caused makeup to streak, makeup which was often very carefully applied over a length of time. Wasting time and ruining one's looks were bad ideas in general. As such, crying was also a no-go for supermodels.

Feeling miserable and lacking confidence in one's self was ill-advised. A pony whose profession relied largely on their looks and ability to display said looks needed to have a positive attitude and a more-than-healthy degree of self-respect to get ahead in their profession. If a supermodel was not confident in themselves, it tended to show in their work and make it that much harder for others to believe in them.

Fleur de Lis was not feeling much like a supermodel today.

Last night had been an unmitigated disaster. It had started out so wonderfully, but then spiraled into one of the worst experiences of Fleur's life. Had it gone terribly the whole time, she could at least take solace in the fact that it seemed destined to fail. As it stood, all she had to concentrate on as she stared up at her bedroom ceiling was the fact that everything was going perfectly until she ruined it. She could still see the image of Pinkie flat-maned and crying, fearing it to be seared into her mind forever. Had she been in a more positive state of mind–something which the overdramatic part of her mind worried would never happen again–she might have considered asking Pinkie just how she managed to flatten such a curly mane so quickly. Such a fashion tip would have been more valuable than gold to some ponies she knew. It was safe to say, however, that this was one of the farthest things from her mind at the moment.

Fleur listened to the birds singing outside her window as she wallowed in her own misery. It wasn't fair that the birds got to sing and be happy while she was stuck in here feeling worse than she could ever remember feeling before. She was having a difficult time even understanding the concept of happiness at the moment, let alone the idea of others experiencing it while she was so despondent. Perhaps it was a tad overdramatic, but that was just the way she was.

The sound of knocking at the door only just barely registered in Fleur's mind. Company was probably the last thing she wanted right now, but her manners wouldn't allow her to leave the door unanswered. With a heavy sigh, she pulled herself from the bed for the first time since arriving home last night and dragged herself to her front door. She made a weak attempt to put on a smile for whoever was there as she opened the door, but her usual ability to act seemed to have abandoned her at about the same time her happiness did.

"Fleur!"

Even in her current lethargic state, Fleur managed to find the wherewithal to step out of the doorway as the ponies in front of it flooded into her house. Although part of her felt like she deserved to be trampled, she still wasn't keen on the idea.

"What happened last night?" Minuette asked. Her trademark smile was nowhere to be found, replaced by the same look of concern that adorned the faces of Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, Moondancer, and Saffron Masala. Before Fleur could even have a chance to answer, she was grabbed in a hug by Minuette. "You've been crying! Oh my gosh, you poor mare! I'm so sorry for whatever happened!"

"Minnie, come on," Lemon Hearts said, shaking her head. "You haven't even let her speak yet."

"Well I mean isn't it obvious something terrible happened?" Minuette asked. "I mean look at her! She's a mess! She looks even worse than Pinkie did last night, and Pinkie looked miserable! I've never seen her look so sad!"

Being called "a mess" normally would have been enough to upset Fleur on its own, but hearing about a sad Pinkie was the straw that broke the camel's back. Thankfully for her, the entire group of mares was quick to join in on the hugging and comforting when the waterworks began anew. In a way, releasing her emotions like this instead of hiding behind a mask–mostly figurative but occasionally literal–felt oddly freeing. She wasn't looking to make it a regular occurrence, but maybe the occasional display around only her closest friends was acceptable. By the time the tears finally slowed down, she had been escorted to and sat down upon the nearest couch and had blubbered the entire story to her friends.

"She was so terribly upset with me," Fleur whimpered, making ample use of the tissues that Saffron had retrieved for her. "I was just trying to tell her the truth...I thought that would make up for all the deception."

"Well yeah," Moondancer said. "It is important to tell the truth. But it's the way you said it that messed things up."

"But I tried to tell her that I no longer thought that way!" Fleur insisted.

"Sure," Moondancer replied. "And it's good that you don't. But you have to understand that Pinkie takes her parties very seriously."

"As seriously as Pinkie can take anything," Minuette added.

"Exactly," Moondancer said. "She puts so much effort into her parties, they're basically an extension of her. And when somepony, especially somepony who's got a crush on her and who she pretty obviously has a crush on as well, tells her that they had to disguise themselves so as not to be seen at her parties, then yeah, she's going to take it hard."

"Why did you think that way anyway?" Twinkleshine asked. "I mean, you hang out with us, and we're not members of the upper crust or anything. What got you thinking like that?"

"I believe I can be blamed for that, actually."

All eyes turned towards the door to meet those of Mint Vogue.

"My apologies," Mint said as she approached the group. "I was coming to speak to Fleur and the door was open." She gave a look around the room at the other mares and hummed to herself. "Fleur, darling, I had no idea you were friends with these ponies."

Despite her current state of mind, Fleur found herself preparing to go on the defense. A snide comment from Mint was surely incoming, and after everything she had been through, she was in no mood to deal with Mint's attitude.

"Now see here, Mint..." Fleur began. A raised hoof from Mint stopped her in her tracks.

"Allow me to finish," Mint said simply. "I have been thinking things over ever since the incident with the prowler...which, if I have understood the situation correctly, turns out to have been you in disguise."

"That is correct," Fleur said, still ready to protest if Mint said anything she found to be offensive.

"I never would have guessed," Mint said. "That shawl certainly did not seem like your style. But I suppose it makes sense given the reason you had for wearing it." She cleared her throat and sat next to Fleur on the couch, the other mares backing off to give the two their space. "Anyway, I have been thinking since that day. I was terribly worried about your well-being that day, and it seems that at some point, I have stopped looking at you as simply a travel partner and started seeing you as a friend."

Fleur felt another bout of tears threaten to beset her cheeks, albeit for a different reason this time. She worked to hold them back and was thankful in her ability to succeed.

"Thank you, Mint," Fleur said.

"I am not quite done yet," Mint insisted, stopping Fleur in her tracks. Mint's own mask of calmness began to erode as she looked down sheepishly at the ground. "In hearing about your problems with Pinkie Pie, I have come to realize that perhaps I have been a bit...unreasonable with my comments towards you and your endeavors."

"Oh?" Fleur asked, raising a brow. "How so?"

"I fear that I was unfair in telling you what I believed you should and should not do," Mint replied. "And in insisting that your career would be at risk if you attended Pinkie's parties. The more I think about it, the more I feel like I was trying to keep you from making other friends and leaving me behind."

To say that Fleur was stunned was a gross understatement. Mint was continuing to surprise her at every turn, and she found herself thankful that the surprises all tended to be positive.

"Mint..." Fleur said, placing a hoof on her shoulder. "You are my friend. Just because I have made other friends does not mean I would abandon the ones I already have." She held her forelegs out for a hug, and Mint was quick to reciprocate. A quiet "aww" from Minuette was met with a grin from Fleur.

"Thank you, Fleur," Mint said quietly. "I apologize for the troubles I have caused you. And while I still believe that you could do better, I respect your decision to court Pinkie Pie. And if anypony tries to speak down to you or belittle you for your decision...they will have to answer to me."

Despite her sorrow, Fleur couldn't help but smile as she hugged her friend tightly. The support of Minuette and the others was already invaluable, and getting Mint on her side was that much more of a relief.

"Thank you ever so much, Mint," Fleur said. "That means the world to me." Then her brief moment of happiness gave way to crushing disappointment once more. "Although it might be a moot point now. I doubt Pinkie would wish to see me again."

"Not so fast!"

The group was quick to notice that Mint had left the door open as they turned to see Rarity and Coco standing in the front hall.

"Seriously?" Moondancer muttered to Saffron as she watched the two shuffle into the increasingly-full room. "Are we the only ponies that knock nowadays?"

"Rarity? Coco?" Fleur asked as the two approached. "How did you know where I live?"

"I got your address from Pinkie," Rarity responded.

"Oh," Fleur responded. "That makes sense..." Then, within an instant, she let go of Mint and backed up frantically against the back of her couch. "Stay back! Back, I say!"

The mares that filled the room all looked at Fleur as if she had grown a second head and put a hat on it that didn't go with the rest of her outfit.

"Good heavens!" Rarity exclaimed. "What in the world has gotten into you?"

"You said that if I did anything to hurt Pinkie, the coroners would need my cloak to clean up my remains!" Fleur cried. Now all eyes were on Rarity, with Coco's eyes looking particularly annoyed.

"You said what?" Coco asked. The fashionista's cheeks turned from white to a brilliant crimson.

"Ahahaha..." Rarity chuckled nervously. "I fear I might have had a few too many drinks that evening..." She held a hoof out to Fleur, smiling lightly. "I promise I mean you no harm. Sorry if I came off a little...strong with that. I tend to say things I don’t mean when I’ve been...partaking."

It took a little while for Fleur’s heartbeat to return to a normal cadence, perhaps a bit longer than she would have liked.

“Well...what are you doing here, then?” Fleur asked once she was certain she wasn’t going to be eviscerated.

“I wanted to come and hear your side of the story,” Rarity explained, finding a place to sit. "Poor Pinkie Pie was so distraught last night, and it took quite a while after the party had ended to convince her to tell me what had happened.”

“She hates me now, doesn’t she?” Fleur asked, sinking further into the couch. “I have ruined any chance I have with that beautiful mare…”

“Um…” Coco spoke up. “I’m pretty sure Pinkie isn’t capable of hating anypony or anything.”

“Coco’s taken the words out of my mouth,” Rarity said, getting up and moving over to Fleur’s couch. “She certainly wasn’t happy in the slightest, but she couldn’t possibly hate you.” She sat down on Fleur’s other side, patting her on the back. “Might I offer some advice?”

“Why would you want to give me advice?” Fleur asked, genuinely perplexed. “I have hurt your friend terribly.”

“That may be,” Rarity agreed. “But everypony makes mistakes, and I can tell just from how guilty you are about the whole thing that your heart is in the right place. So I’ll ask again: might I offer some advice?”

“Thank you, Rarity,” Fleur said, touched by her kindness. “And I would very much appreciate whatever advice you may have if it would help fix things with Pinkie.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Rarity said, smiling lightly. “Tell me, are you still interested in being with her?”

“More than anything,” Fleur replied. “But even it that is not possible, it would satisfy me to simply put a smile back on her face.” A little “aww” spread throughout the room, causing Mint to roll her eyes and Rarity to raise a hoof in an attempt to quiet the audience down.

“Very admirable,” Rarity told Fleur. “Now, I know Miss Pie rather well, and if you ask me, I wouldn’t rule courting her out just yet.”

Fleur felt her heart attempt to leap into her throat. Had it not been for all of those silly organs and muscles and such, it very well may have succeeded. As if she sensed Fleur’s excitement, Rarity touched a hoof to her shoulder and took a deep breath, motioning for Fleur to do the same. Fleur followed suit, trying her best to calm herself down.

“You know what you did wrong, correct?” Rarity asked.

“Indeed,” Fleur responded. “I made her feel like I thought I was better than her and her parties. And I swear that I do not feel like that at all.”

“Then you need to truly show her that, darling,” Rarity said. "She's going to be throwing another party tonight, somewhat of a cheering-up occasion. It’s going to be a small affair, but I believe that if you were to come with a different approach than last time, you might be able to fix things.” She gave Fleur’s shoulder another pat. “Be yourself, Fleur de Lis. Show her your heart and perhaps she’ll give you hers.”

Fleur couldn't help but smile at Rarity's words. If one of Pinkie's dearest friends had confidence in her ability to win Pinkie's heart, then perhaps there really was still hope.

"I shall, Rarity," Fleur said softly. "I shall." Then she paused, humming lightly. "I am surprised that she would be throwing another party tonight if she is feeling so down."

"Oh, yes," Coco chimed in. "She probably wouldn't have, actually. But Rarity and I asked her for one since we knew it would help her out of her funk."

"And far be it from Pinkie to deny somepony who asks her for a party," Rarity added.

"I see," Fleur mused. Then her eyes went wide as she was struck with inspiration. She stared off into the middle distance, a smile slowly but surely growing on her face.

"Um...is everything okay, Fleur?" Minuette asked.

"Quite," Fleur responded. "For I believe I have a plan."

~~~~~~~~~~

Tonight's train ride to Ponyville was the first in a good while that garnered Fleur the kind of attention she enjoyed. The stares of derision at Hood's attire were a thing of the past as she basked in the excitement and awe of her fellow passengers when they recognized her. She was more than happy to take pictures with anypony who asked, and more than more than happy to let them know the purpose of her trip when they asked. She was met with a surprised look here and there, but most of those who asked reacted quite positively. Perhaps she had been worrying over nothing after all.

The walk from the train station to Sugarcube Corner felt shorter than ever before. Fleur attributed it to her eagerness to enact her plan, although equal credit was likely due to the long strides she was taking. Although she supposed the blame for that could rest on her eagerness as well, so maybe there was only one major contributing factor after all.

A fleeting moment of self-doubt threatened to impede Fleur's progress and wither her spirit as she approached the door to the bakery-slash-party center. The memories of just how much she had hurt Pinkie last night descended upon her like a swarm of gnats. The image of Pinkie near tears was one that would stick with her forever, and the memory of her angry shout tore through her like a hot knife through butter. A weaker mare would have likely lost her will and fled for fear of hurting that sweet pony once more. Fleur, however, was feeling far from weak. A hurricane would be needed to pull her from her intended task; even then, she wouldn't have gone down without a fight.

Despite her desire to enter the building as soon as possible, Fleur knocked on the door. The urge to walk straight in was strong, but thankfully not overpowering. Pinkie would most likely still be upset with her; bursting into her home unannounced would only exacerbate things. Time seemed to freeze as she waited for an answer, staring intently–and, she had to admit, a tad nervously–at the cloyingly pink Dutch door and waiting for it to open. She listened closely for the now-familiar sounds of partying as she waited, but was met with a far more muted version than she was used to. Rarity had said that this would be a smaller affair, and that certainly seemed to be the case if her ears were to be believed.

Fleur's heart raced as she heard the top half of the door creak open. She was expecting to see either Pinkie or Rarity answer the door, so the sight of a rainbow-maned pegasus threw her off. She was vaguely aware of this pony and knew she was a good friend of Pinkie's. In fact, upon further inspection, she was rather positive that she was a Wonderbolt. Fleur wasn't exactly a rabid fan of the Wonderbolts, but fame knew fame, and the mane did tend to stand out. She smiled politely at the pegasus, undaunted.

"Hello," Fleur said. "Might I-"

Fleur was only able to get a brief glimpse of the scowl on the pegasus' face before the top half of the door was unceremoniously slammed on her. Fleur's heart sank as she assumed word of her actions last night must have already spread to Pinkie's other friends. She found herself idly wondering if it was possible to defeat the idiom and feel even lower than dirt. Perhaps "as low as bedrock" might have covered it better, although she could probably aim a bit deeper. Part of her wanted to leave in shame right then and there, but the rest of her would not allow it to happen. She would stand in this spot until she was forcibly removed if that was what it took.

The sound of muffled voices from the other side of the door drew Fleur's attention immediately. She couldn't make out a word they were saying, but their tones were quite clear. The first sounded like Rarity and seemed to be reprimanding the second, who she assumed to belong to the pegasus. The volume of the second was thunderous, and Rarity's volume soon rose to nearly match it. To hear a cacophony from this building wasn't strange in itself, but the noisy outbursts tended to be far more cheerful than this.

Both loud voices instantly quieted down when a third voice entered the conversation. Fleur immediately recognized this voice as Pinkie's. It took a large amount of willpower not to press her ear against the door. As Fleur felt the hard painted wood against her cheek, she realized that she might not have possessed quite as much willpower as she had thought. This new position unfortunately didn't do as much as she'd hoped in clearing up the dialogue, but she stayed there regardless, too anxious to do anything but.

Pinkie's voice sounded quieter than the others, but the sound of it managed to still Fleur's heart far more efficiently than the shouts of the other two. Despite not being able to make out a word of what was being said, Fleur could tell that the pegasus did not agree with whatever Pinkie was saying. Despite her resistance, however, the words of both Pinkie and Rarity seemed to win out as Fleur heard her emit a distinct sigh of defeat. Fleur let out her own sigh, but hers was one of relief as the argument had come to a close. Her relief was short-lived as the door opened, and Fleur found herself now regretting having pressed her ear against it as she tumbled into the building. Any sense of grace and style that she typically possessed went out the window as she collapsed in a heap on the floor of Sugarcube Corner. Had she been in the right mind to think about it in an allegorical sense, she would have likely appreciated how symbolic it was of her fall from grace last night. At the moment, though, she was too busy thinking about the bump she'd taken to the head. She looked up at the faces of the three ponies in front of her and was met with three different emotions: nervousness from Pinkie, concern from Rarity, and joy from the pegasus as she bawled with laughter at Fleur's misfortune.

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity exclaimed, elbowing her in the side. Rainbow quickly stopped laughing, and her scowl from earlier returned. Three more faces showed up behind the three, one of which Fleur recognized as Princess Twilight Sparkle. None of those mattered to her right now, though. The only face she was worried about was Pinkie's, which now held a strange mix of trepidation and frustration. Seeing the distinct lack of smile tore painfully at Fleur's heart, but she would not be stopped now as she picked herself up and dusted herself off.

"Hello," Fleur said, her voice cracking ever so slightly. "I understand if you are still mad at me, Pinkie..."

"And she should be!" Rainbow shot back, before the hoof of the orange earth pony behind her covered her mouth.

"Yes...perhaps she should," Fleur said, ears falling but spirit remaining strong. "And that is why I have come here not as Hood Rat, but as myself." She turned her attention back to Pinkie and attempted to make eye contact, but was met with reluctance. "I am terribly, terribly sorry for hurting your feelings, and I truly wish that I could take it back. I do not, in any sense of the word, believe myself to be better than you or your parties. In fact, if I may be frank, I think you are ten times the pony I could ever dream of being."

Fleur watched as those baby-blue eyes finally turned back towards her and made contract with her own. A good sign, but she could still feel the uncertainty behind her gaze.

"My feelings for you are true as well," Fleur continued, keeping more space between herself and Pinkie than she would have liked. "You enchanted me the moment I saw you at Carousel Boutique, and I have been happily and helplessly under your spell ever since. You are beautiful in body, mind, and soul, and your energy and exuberance has absolutely captivated me. But I understand if you cannot look at me in such a way after how I hurt you. It would make me the happiest mare in Equestria to be allowed to court you, but I could live without that for the rest of my days if only to see you able to smile in my direction once more."

Fleur found herself worrying that her speech sounded too forced, as if ripped from a romance novel. Not that she could help it; those were the words that her heart had chosen, and she was confident that no other words could have captured just how she felt about Pinkie. The sound of Rarity, Twilight, and Fluttershy–Fleur had no idea Pinkie was already friends with a former model–cooing softly at her words only added to Fleur's confidence. Still she waited on Pinkie's reaction, unconsciously holding her breath in anticipation of whatever words Pinkie had in store for her. A tense few seconds passed in sheer silence before the slow upturn of the corners of Pinkie's mouth sent a wave of relief and joy through Fleur's body.

"Thanks, Fleur," Pinkie said quietly. "That's really sweet."

"I meant every word," Fleur responded. As much as she didn't want to, she resisted the urge to move in for a hug. She would take things at whatever pace Pinkie wanted. "Now...I know I am in no position to ask for a favor, but please hear me out on this." A quick glance at the once-again upset face of Rainbow Dash and the unsure gaze of the orange pony behind her–Applejack was her name now that Fleur thought about it, recognizing her from some ads for her apple orchard–told her that she was treading on potentially unsafe grounds, but she had to stay the course.

"What is it?" Pinkie asked. Fleur could sense Pinkie's slight hesitance, and if she could be perfectly honest, she couldn't blame her.

"If you want to decline, I completely understand," Fleur said. "And I would not begrudge you for it. But if you would be so inclined, I was wondering if you would arrange a party in Canterlot this Saturday, at the Stellar Eclipse Banquet Hall."

"Excuse me?!" Rainbow shouted, apparently unable to hold her tongue any more. "After what you said to her, you seriously expect her to-"

"I'll do it!" Pinkie exclaimed, silencing Rainbow immediately.

"You will?" Fleur asked, ears perked eagerly. Even she was surprised by the answer.

"Of course!" Pinkie bubbled. "I've wanted to throw a Canterlot party ever since the Grand Galloping Gala!"

"Excellent!" Fleur responded, her heart performing joyful flips in her chest. "So Saturday night, then?"

"Saturday night!" Pinkie replied. Fleur couldn't help herself and moved in for a hug, but stopped short when she caught sight of Pinkie's apprehensive gaze. Perhaps it was a bit too soon for that kind of thing. As much as she wanted to wrap her forelegs around her anyway, she relented. If there was one way to lose a pony's trust, it was to not respect their personal boundaries.

"Thank you so much, Pinkie Pie," Fleur said, bowing her head in a mix of thanks and reverence. "I truly hope this is the first step towards regaining your trust. I shall leave you ladies to your party. Thank you for allowing me this second chance; I will do everything in my power to make sure you do not regret it."

With that, Fleur bowed her head once more and turned to take her leave. She only made it a few steps before the urge to look back at Pinkie once more overwhelmed her. She turned her head and was met with the sight of Pinkie staring right back at her. Fleur was almost certain that she caught a hint of longing behind Pinkie's gaze, but she didn't want to get her hopes up too much...although the demure looking away and slight blush that followed from Pinkie were quite a good sign.

Truthfully, Fleur didn't want to leave the party. She wanted nothing more than to stay with Pinkie for as long as she would allow. Leaving was a necessary evil, though. She had to give Pinkie her space to show her how much her happiness and comfort meant to her, or else she could risk losing her completely. Besides, now that the party was set for Saturday, she was quite confident that everything would fall into place.

Comments

[The mike]

Booo, I wanted to read the part where Rarity's head explode when discovering who hood rat was. It felt too rushed, specially the part about vogue mint. She was like "oh, you were that thief? Sorry for attacking you. I've been a horrible friend. No problem, go get you girl, see you later". Oh well....

[Merndy]

[Shpoople96]

7464644
This. You kinda skipped over their initial reactions too easily.

[Mare Imbrium]

"... she was quite confident that everything would fall
into place."

Fleur is decidedly not a genre savvy pony.

[Blewfire]

One of the award scene that I would have no idea how to write myself. I think you did a pretty good job and I am looking forward to the next chapter.

[MidnightFMare]

WHY CAN I NOT UPVOTE MORE?!