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Something About That Mare2,596 words
Planning in Pink2,307 words
Donning the Hood2,548 words
Party Time3,988 words
Post-Party3,279 words
Pink Dreams and Ponderings4,002 words
Colorful Companions, Perilous Pursuits4,417 words
A Party to Remember4,741 words
Returns and Revelations4,111 words
The Perfect Party Plan5,830 words
Rebuilding and Restructuring4,739 words
The Perfect(er) Party Plan4,039 words
The Perfect(est) Party Plan6,523 words
Epinklogue921 words

Post-Party

"Wowie! That had to be the best party I've ever thrown!"

Hood Rat couldn't believe her luck. She'd known that this party was a great one, but had no idea that this was actually the best party Pinkie Pie had thrown. She silently thanked her good graces that fate had conspired to deliver her to this momentous occasion. All the Pinkie parties that she could have ended up at, and she happened to be at the best party of them all.

"Oh, you say that about every party!" Rarity slurred as she and Coco walked past the two. Hood felt a bit of the wind deflate from her sails, but remained undaunted.

"That's because every party is the best party I've ever thrown!" Pinkie replied with a smile. A perfect little smile, one that melted Hood's heart. Being in the modeling business had exposed Fleur to plenty of attractive ponies, and Pinkie didn't fit in with them. She wasn't as tall as the typical model, giving up a good few inches to her, but Hood didn't mind stooping down for her. She wasn't slender like a typical model; actually, she was a tiny bit on the chubby side. However, the chub was all in the right places. It didn't look sloppy or out of place. It just gave her a delightfully curvy shape, one that honestly might have worked to her benefit in the modeling business. There were ponies who were into a mare with her body type–Hood quickly realized that she seemed to be one of those–and she could probably find a niche market to succeed in if she wanted to.

"And you!" Rarity suddenly exclaimed, thrusting a hoof in Hood's direction. Hood jumped in surprise, making sure her hood was still fully covering her face.

"Me?" Hood replied, just barely holding onto her altered voice.

"You," Rarity hissed, the smell of alcohol invading Hood's personal space. "Come come. We must talk."

Hood tilted her head, worried. She turned to Coco, but Rarity was already on top of that.

"Coco darling, please wait here if you may," Rarity said to her. "We will only be a few moments."

"Alright, Rarity," Coco said. She gave Hood a smile that seemed almost apologetic as Rarity headed off to the side of the building, waving for Hood to follow. Hood was hesitant, but followed anyway, her mind racing as to what Rarity needed to speak to her about. As soon as she turned the corner, Rarity was immediately in her face.

"I know your secret," Rarity growled, narrowing her eyes. "I've been watching you, and I know your little secret."

Fleur felt like her heart had opened up a small compartment in the bottom of her chest and made an immediate departure. She had been so very, very careful. How could anypony have caught on? She'd kept the voice up, made sure she was fully covered, even made sure to alter her mannerisms in case any of them had come off as too graceful for this type of party's attendees. Where had she messed up? Wherever it was, though, Rarity had caught on, and it was time to explain.

"I-I can explain, Rarity..." Fleur whispered, but Rarity didn't give her a moment.

"No need to explain!" Rarity said, shaking her head. Her lips curled into a wide, knowing smile. "I can tell when a pony has a little crush on one of my dearest friends. I saw the way you danced with Miss Pie." She gave her a gentle little nudge, giggling softly.

"O-oh?" Hood said, hoping that the utter relief in her voice wasn't immediately evident. She didn't mind revealing these feelings to Rarity, especially under the guise of anonymity. "Well...she's just so much fun, and such a pretty pony..."

"Aww..." Rarity cooed. "I'm so happy to hear that! Pinkie is such a sweetheart. She deserves to have a special somepony who will treat her well. Just be prepared, because as you've likely noticed, she's quite the ball of energy." She gave Hood a warm smile. "Just be gentle and patient with her, alright?"

"Of course..." Hood replied, grinning a grin that couldn't be seen. Rarity might not have known exactly who she was, but receiving her blessing for this endeavor was quite the rematch of fresh air, air which she felt like she was floating on.

"Oh, and one more thing," Rarity said. She leaned close to Hood's covered face, grinning a snakelike grin. "If you do anything to hurt her, the coroners will need that cloak to clean up your remains."

Hood had never taken Rarity for the threatening type. Perhaps it was the alcohol's influence, or maybe it was just that she'd never been around Rarity while the chance of hurting one of her best friends loomed so close. Either way, it was a sight that she never wished to revisit.

"Let's goooo, Coco Bean!" Rarity called out loudly as she scurried back towards the front of the building, joining back up with her marefriend. The two each gave Pinkie a hug before leaving as a slightly-terrified Hood made her return to Pinkie's presence.

"So what were you two talking about, huh?" Pinkie asked.

"I...prefer not to talk about it," Hood replied weakly.

"Ouh, a secret?" Pinkie asked, bouncing in place. "Okie dokie lokie! I'd never ask somepony to give up a secret!"

Hood could barely believe that Pinkie still had the energy to bounce around like that. Every pony at the party had been enjoying themselves and having fun, but Pinkie was easily the most active of any of them. As far as Hood had seen, Pinkie hadn't stopped moving for a second during the entire party. Hood would have to step her game up if she even dreamed of keeping up with her.

"So I guess you're probably heading home, huh Hoodie?" Pinkie asked, giving Hood a nice, warm smile. "Where do you live anyway?"

"Oh...yes, I probably should," Hood answered. "The train to Canterlot leaves soon, and-"

Hood realized her mistake in mere moments. Pinkie would never believe that somepony like her, an utter commoner, could possibly live in the upper-class city of Canterlot. It wouldn't be long before Pinkie caught on to her mistake and exposed her lies, and it was all because of a foolish slip of the tongue. A faint blush crossed Hood's cheeks as the term "slip of the tongue" swirled about her head in relation to Pinkie, but it was thankfully hidden by her wardrobe.

"Wow!" Pinkie exclaimed. "You live in Canterlot? That's super-cool! It's such a nice city, huh?"

"Yes...it is," Hood replied, still waiting for the other horseshoe to drop.

"Do you want company on the trip to the train station?" Pinkie asked. "All the other guests have left so I'm sure it's fine. Well, except Berry Punch, but she's passed out in the guest room and prooooobably won't wake up till tomorrow morning, so I can still walk you there if you want."

Hood tilted her head. Did Pinkie really believe that a pony as terribly dressed as she was could live in Canterlot? The thought made her smile from ear to ear. A pony as sweet and kind as Pinkie Pie could get around physical appearances to see the true sense of a pony's worth, something Fleur was often unable to do. If Fleur had seen a pony dressed as Hood was, she would have penned her as having crawled out of a gutter somewhere. Granted, she wouldn't have treated her poorly as Mint likely would have, but the judgment would have been made regardless of whether or not it was acted upon. Pinkie did no such thing, and that was just another part of her enchanting personality.

"Helloooooo?"

An adorable pink hoof waved in front of Hood's face. The leg it ended was delightfully shapely, and somehow the hoof itself was pristine despite how much it had been dancing about. Hood's eyes followed the hoof, waving as it was like a hypnotist's watch. Hood likely wouldn't have complained if Pinkie had intended to hypnotize her with that hoof. She would have gladly submitted to Pinkie's control...

"Hoodie?"

The hoof suddenly moved forward, gently and playfully knocking on Hood's forehead. The contact knocked her out of her brief trancelike state.

"Oh!" Hood exclaimed, nearly losing her voice. "I'm sorry..."

"It's okay!" Pinkie said cheerfully. "I'm just glad you didn't turn into a zombie or anything. You're really nice and I wouldn't want to have to fight you, though I'd have to if you were trying to eat my brain."

"I beg your pardon?" Hood asked, worried that the wording she'd used sounded too Fleurlike.

"You do?" Pinkie asked, amazed. "I didn't even think I had a pardon to beg for! Am I a judge?"

"No, no," Hood responded, giggling lightly. Pinkie was so utterly whimsical, and she adored it. "I mean...never mind. Of course you can walk with me."

"Goodie goodie gumdrops!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing into the air and landing at Hood's side. "C'mon!" The two began to walk, and a part of Hood wished that she didn't have to wear her shoddy cloak any longer. Pinkie was walking close enough for their sides to touch, and Hood wished she could make that body-to-body contact with nothing in the way. As much as she wished it, though, she knew that it could not be, at least right now. Going without her cloak meant giving up her true identity and putting her entire career at risk. She would eventually tell Pinkie the truth once it was safe to do so, but now was not the right time. Hood longed for that direct physical contact, but it was for the greater good that she kept that layer between them.

"So what did you think of your first Pinkie party?" Pinkie asked as the two walked along. She focused those big baby blue eyes squarely on Hood, smiling eagerly.

"I loved it!" Hood responded, trying her hardest not to melt under that gaze. "I've been to other parties before, but none as amazing as that one. Excellent job, Pinkie!" She grinned with satisfaction as she watched Pinkie's cheeks color a bit from the praise. She hadn't pegged Pinkie as the type to get blushy in this kind of situation, but seeing her cute embarrassed smile was worth admitting she was wrong about that

"Heehee...thanks, Hoodie," Pinkie responded. "But just you wait! The next one's gonna be even better!" Hood's heart raced at the mere idea of coming to another party and seeing that happy face again. It took a fair amount of self-control to not bubble over with joy, but she managed it. A supermodel like Fleur had to be in complete control of every facet of her being at all times, and Hood was thankful that her personality disconnect had not severed her ties to that ability.

"I look forward to it," Hood said. "When is it?" She finally tore her eyes away from Pinkie long enough to see that they had arrived at the train station. The walk had been much quicker than she remembered the walk to Sugarcube Corner being, but then again, she hadn't such wonderful company on that walk.

"I have no idea!" Pinkie chirped. "Why don't you give me your address so I can add you to the invitation list?" She passed Hood a quill and paper, leaving Hood quite confused as to where they came from. She decided to pay it no mind and quickly jotted down her address, then passed the quill and paper back.

"Wow!" Pinkie exclaimed as she gazed over the paper. "You write really fancy!"

Hood panicked to herself. A common street rat like herself likely wouldn't have such neat penmanship. The self-control she'd lauded moments ago had come back to bite her in the flank, her muscle memory proving too efficient to sully the quality of her writing. The panic was quick to fade, though. Pinkie had ignored or not even noticed her previous transgressions as it pertained to her masked social status. Surely she would pass over this as well.

"It's almost like you're secretly a super-fancy pony!" Pinkie laughed.

Fleur's eyes darted left and right, looking for the quickest and easiest escape route.one wrong move had blown her cover, and she needed an out immediately.

"Heehee..." Pinkie giggled. "That'd be crazy if it were true, right?"

"R...right," Hood agreed, canceling her intended escape. Pinkie had a way of keeping her on the tips of her hooves, whether she liked it or not. In many cases she liked it. In this case, the mood whiplash had left her a bit woozy.

The sound of a train pulling up behind Hood brought her back to her senses. The train to Canterlot had arrived with impeccable timing.

"There's your ride!" Pinkie said with a smile. "Have a great trip!" She stood on her hind legs, holding her forelegs out for a hug. Hood felt her heart skip a beat, and was more than happy to move forward. She felt herself wrapped in a beautifully warm hug, ensconced in warm, pretty pink. Hood melted into the hug, letting out a content sigh. The smaller earth pony had rendered her utterly helpless in that embrace. The only command her brain could give her through the sensory overload of warm hug and cloying cotton candy scent was to bring her hooves around and return the hug, and that was exactly what she did.

Fleur had experienced many moments in her life that she didn't want to see end. Her Cuteceanera, her first big modeling job...moments like those were what Fleur lived for, and she was often waiting for the next one to arrive just to see what different experiences her life had to offer. Hood had just experienced her first, and it didn't matter to her if she never experienced a different one again. She knew she would be perfectly content if every future momentous occasion in her life was just like this one.

"Aww..." Pinkie cooed. "Do you like my hugs that much?"

The thought that Pinkie could potentially be a mind reader briefly popped into Hood's head.it only took a moment to dismiss it as she realized she was nearly draping herself on Pinkie.

"They're nice!" Hood exclaimed as she began extricating herself from the embrace. As little as she wanted to leave that hug, it would be foolish to miss the train because of it.

"Well I'll be sure to give you more at the next party!" Pinkie sang as she let go of Hood. "See you then!"

"Yes...see you then, Pinkie," Hood said, beaming behind her mask. She turned, tearing her gaze away from the pink beauty long enough to ensure that she wouldn't walk into anypony as she stepped onto the train. She quickly found a seat and looked out the window, giggling softly as she saw Pinkie frantically waving to her. She waved back as the train began to move, and watched with a warmed heart as Pinkie galloped alongside the train and to the end of the platform. She let out a little sigh as the object of her desire became a pink speck in the distance, then faded completely from view.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was quite late when the train arrived in Canterlot. Hood was unsurprised to find that she was one of the only ponies on the train at all, and that made everything that much easier. Few other ponies meant few opportunities to be questioned on her choice of apparel or potentially discovered. If Hood could be honest, though, discovery was one of the last things on her mind. She had spent an entire night around a large number of ponies, most of which was spent in close quarters with Pinkie, and nopony had suspected a thing. Perhaps this ruse wasn't going to be too difficult to keep up.

Hood wondered how long she would need to keep it up as she walked home, thankful for a lack of ponies on her usual path as well. She flirted with the idea of telling Pinkie the truth at the next party, but quickly let it go. The next party was far too soon...probably. In truth, she had no idea when the next party would even be. Given the impression she got from Pinkie, though, it probably wouldn't be far away enough for Hood to come up with a gameplan for her trifold goals or continuing to attend parties, admitting her feelings to Pinkie, and figuring out a way to spin things to the public so that the idea of a prissy Canterlot supermodel attending common parties and dating beneath her social class would be accepted.

All of those, however, were things for Fleur to think about tomorrow. Right now, it was late and Hood needed to retire for the time being. Hood glanced left and right as she walked up to Fleur's door, making sure nopony was around to see her. Once she was confident in her solitude, she unlocked the door and hurried inside.

Fleur was quite happy to be free of the shoddy cloak as she removed it from her person. Never had she worn such an unattractive piece of clothing, and in most cases, she would never want to again. If it meant seeing Pinkie more, though, then this shoddy cloak had to be kept safe to be donned again. She carefully set the cloak near her washing machine, then headed upstairs to her room. She was far too sleepy to wash it tonight; it could easily be done in the morning.

Fleur sighed as she slid into her cozy bed. As much as she loved her bed and typically found it comfortable, its comfort levels had dropped in her mind now that she had experienced a proper Pinkie Pie hug. The idea of comfort was forever ruined in her mind from that experience, as she knew nothing else would compare to the sweet embrace of that lovely specimen. It was the recollection of being held in those surprisingly strong pink forelegs and against that lovably squishable body that lulled Fleur to a happy sleep.

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