Hood Rat

by Twinkletail

Pink Dreams and Ponderings

It was uncommon for Fleur de Lis to act in any fashion that was unbecoming of a proper lady. Every single move she made, from the grandest of gestures to the tiniest of twitches, was carefully and calmly calculated by the up-and-coming model to guarantee a constant air of elegance.

This did little to explain the filly-like twirling that found its way into this morning's routine.

Fleur had certainly been attracted to ponies before. Despite her stunning beauty and endless charm, she was a normal mare in the physiological sense. She had urges just like most other ponies, despite her desire to keep them from being too overt. She'd certainly had her fair share of crushes on other ponies, but none of them had caused her to spin around like an elated foal just from thinking about them. Only Pinkie Pie could make that claim–or at least she could were she privy to that bit of information. As it stood, Pinkie had no clue that Fleur was even there last night, let alone that she had completely and utterly fallen for her.

Fleur had replayed so much of last night's party in her head that she could likely recount every aspect of her part in it in excruciating detail. Not that she found any of it excruciating–save, perhaps, for her attire. From the opening moments of being pinned under Pinkie's lovely frame to that final parting hug, each scene danced through her head over and over like a best-of montage whose director was so in love with the entire reel that they just couldn't value any one part over the others. Every clip was a thing of beauty that deserved its own recognition, and Fleur had spent the better part of the morning giving them exactly that.

Perhaps a little too much of her morning, Fleur thought as she glanced at the nearby clock. She wasn't running late just yet, but she certainly would be if she kept this up much longer. If there was one thing that Mint simply detested–other than what she referred to as the "lower class"–it was tardiness. Thankfully, Fleur was almost never late unless it was fashionably so. Even more thankfully, while she was running a scoch later than she would have liked, said scoch wasn't quite enough to make her late yet. Luckily for her, she was a rather competent multitasker, and her thoughts of pretty pink ponies had provided a glorious soundtrack to her preparation ritual, one which she would not deviate from.

Childish twirling aside, of course.

It only took Fleur another forty minutes to finish preparing. This was a casual brunch with a dear friend, after all, and didn't require one to go all-out. Mint would likely be pulling out all the stops as if it were a full-on photo shoot, but that was simply part of Fleur's strategy. Little victories were essential for a pony like Mint, and if she felt like she'd worked more on her appearance than Fleur had, it would certainly put her in a better mood. Fleur knew that she was the lovelier of the two by just a bit, but if it meant stifling Mint's oft-abrasive behavior and putting a smile on her face, then she could stand a very minor defeat in her friend's eyes. She knew as she walked out of her front door that most eyes would be on her anyway.

"Hi Fleur!"

A less proper mare would have leapt into the air in surprise at the unexpected greeting. Thankfully for Fleur, her natural poise and grace prevented such an ostentatious and frankly unladylike display of shock. A raise of the eyebrows was all the sudden interruption managed to squeeze out of her, and even that was quickly quelled. The ebullience of the voice had nearly led her to believe that Pinkie had shown up at her doorstep, but her mind soon matched the voice to a different pony.

Minuette was a sweet pony, and her friends, Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine, were equally enjoyable. Perhaps they didn't always display the class that was to be expected of Canterlot ponies, but that didn't make them any less pleasant. In fact, Fleur considered them more pleasant to be around than Mint most of the time. The fact remained, however, that they were simply in a lower social circle than Fleur. It wasn't something she held against them; it just meant that they each had their own things going on, things which rarely intertwined with each other.

"Good morning, ladies," Fleur finally responded, a light smile crossing her face. "And how are you today?"

"Great!" Minuette exclaimed, beaming that big, toothy smile of hers. If Fleur didn't know better, she'd have sworn she was a relative of Pinkie's. "Just, y'know, going for an early spa trip with my besties! How about you?"

"I am on my way to a brunch with my...erm...bestie as well," Fleur said, nearly fumbling over the odd colloquialism. She made sure to take note of that word in her mental Rolodex for when she next donned the hood. Spending time around these three would likely provide some good material for that endeavor.

"Oh," Twinkleshine responded, frowning a little. "You mean Mint Vogue?" Her sentiment was quickly echoed by Lemon Hearts, although there was little that could pull the smile from Minuette's face.

"Remember that time she insulted your hat, Twinkleshine?" Lemon Hearts asked.

"And when she ordered you around like you were her personal maid?" Twinkleshine retorted.

"Or when she told Minuette her mane looked like toothpaste?" Lemon Hearts said.

"Well, it sorta does look like toothpaste," Minuette said with a giggle.

"But it's the way she said it!" Twinkleshine insisted.

Fleur sighed inwardly as she listened to the three talk about just how awful her best friend could be. Maybe Twinkleshine did have a somewhat drab taste in hats, and maybe Lemon Hearts did look like a member of the hired help when she wore that one particular dress, and perhaps Minuette's mane did look like it was styled by Coltgate. There was a right way and a wrong way to bring those things up–if at all–and Mint was certainly good at choosing the wrong way.

"Ladies, please," Fleur said, trying to defuse the situation. "I am terribly sorry for the way she has spoken to you three. You are all delightful ponies, each stylish in their own way. Please do not take her tone to heart."

"Aww," Minuette said, grinning. "You don't have to apologize for her, Fleur!"

"Yeah, you're nothing like her!" Twinkleshine chimed in, Lemon Hearts nodding in agreement. "But we accept the apology anyway."

"Good," Fleur said, smiling warmly at the trio. "I am glad this has not sullied your morning."

"Not at all!" Minuette told her. "I'm happy we're even awake at this time considering how late we stayed at Pinkie Pie's party!"

Fleur thanked her lucky stars for her ability to hide her emotions. Otherwise, the facial contortions that such a statement attempted to elicit surely would have come off as suspicious.

"Oh?" Fleur asked, doing her best to utterly obfuscate a tone of voice that would incriminate her. "You went to that party?" Her outward appearance was the picture of serenity, a stark contrast to the panic situation going on in her mind. What if one of them had spotted her there? She had been more than careful with her precautions, but there was always the chance that she had slipped up without noticing. The recognition of her slender frame, a glimpse at her poise, the chance of overhearing one of the times she'd slipped out of her practiced voice...opportunities for failure lurked at every turn, and if one of them had noticed any one of them, her reputation was...

"Of course!" Minuette said, beaming. "Pinkie's parties are the best! You should have come!"

Relief radiated through Fleur's body like the sweetest sedative. Minuette, while a delightfully sweet pony, was not the greatest liar. If she appeared to not have noticed her there, then odds were she hadn't noticed her there.

"Come on, silly," Twinkleshine said, rolling her eyes lightly. "That's not the kind of party a mare like Fleur would go to. No offense, Fleur."

"None taken," Fleur replied, her modest smirk a mere shadow of the huge smile she would have displayed had she less restraint.

"Psst," Lemon Hearts whispered, nudging Minuette's side. She pointed towards the clock tower in the distance. Minuette glanced in that direction, then gasped.

"Oh ponyfeathers!" Minuette exclaimed. "We're almost late! And we shouldn't hold you up from your brunch either! Can't imagine how upset Mint would get at that, huh? But it was great talking to you! We should all get together for lunch sometime. Us four, I mean. Maybe Moondancer too?"

This wasn't the first time Minuette had suggested such a thing. She liked these ponies a fair bit, but they simply didn't travel in the same circles, so polite declinations were necessary to keep her social status where it was. After the lengths she'd gone to making sure she wasn't recognized at Pinkie's party, she couldn't just risk her status so easily for these three. And yet at the same time, enjoying herself at that party had opened new doors for her. Minuette and her friends might have been slightly lower than her on the social ladder, but they were higher than Pinkie, and clearly she was worth her time. A public outing with them probably wouldn't hurt her status too much.

"How about Monday?" Fleur asked. Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine's jaws dropped.

"Wow!" Minuette gasped. "You actually said yes this time! Totally didn't see that coming! Did you hear that, girls? She said yes!"

Fleur kept her polite smile, but inside, a little part of her heart sank as she watched the three murmur. The degree of shock at her acceptance of the offer brought her pause. She'd had no idea that something like a lunch invite was important enough to them that one "yes" after a string of "nos" could bring such surprise and jubilation. A new feeling of guilt threatened to wash over her, and she did her best to stave it off. She decided it best to leave the scene before the chance could arise for her thick emotional shell to crack.

"I shall see you on Monday, then?" Fleur asked.

"Definitely!" Minuette agreed. "Monday at noon, at the Tasty Treat!"

"Of course," Fleur responded. She would have preferred a three-hoof restaurant, but she didn't feel up to disagreeing or putting down their choice of restaurants. "Ta-ta."

"Bye Fleur!" the three mares said in unison before scurrying off. Fleur waited until they were out of sight before letting out a soft sigh. Guilt was not a fun feeling, but a few moments of self-assurance allowed it to pass as she continued towards her destination. Maybe she had done something worth feeling guilty over, but she was making an effort to make things right, so she had nothing to feel guilty about.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Nearly late, Fleur. Do try and be more punctual next time."

It took a large amount of self-control to keep Fleur from rolling her eyes at Mint's statement and request. To fault her for being "nearly late" was absurd. "Nearly late," by definition, meant that she was not late, which meant that she was on time. However, she opted not to let her feelings on the topic be known. This wasn't a battle worth fighting with Mint.

"Mm," Fleur responded, sounding just barely agreeable enough to mask her displeasure without raising suspicion as she sat down across from her friend.

"I take it you are feeling well today?" Mint asked as she picked up her menu. "At least I would hope so. I cannot afford to catch whatever you had."

"I am feeling much better," Fleur responded as she glanced at the menu. "Thank you ever so much for your concern."

"Of course," Mint said simply. Fleur watched in bemusement as the mild sarcastic tone she'd employed wafted over Mint's head. Her eyes then turned back to her menu. Menus were a mere formality in this manner of establishment. One did not come to a place like this for their vast variety of dishes and flavors. It was simply a matter of ordering whatever the current trendy dish was. Even if one were to order something different–a major social gaffe, but still an option–the other dishes were nearly identical.

Fleur typically found this lack of variation to be more than acceptable. One had to fit in, after all. Today, however, she found herself thinking back to the myriad flavors that adorned Pinkie's snack tables. Every single bowl or plate varied in shape, color, texture, and especially taste from the one before it, and even more from the one before that. The memories of that delectable assortment made this restaurant's "selection" look like a litany of insipidity. How she longed to be back at that party, to relive that wonderful evening with that beautiful pink pony...

"Fleur de Lis!"

Fleur blinked a few times, looking up from her menu into the annoyed gaze of her brunch partner. This was not the first time that thinking of Pinkie Pie had caused her to miss something Mint said, and evidence pointed strongly towards the possibility of it happening again in the future.

"Are you certain you are feeling well?" Mint continued. "You are zoning out more than usual, and frankly I find it very rude."

"I assure you I am fine, Mint," Fleur responded, keeping an even tone. "I apologize for my indiscretion. I simply did not get as much sleep as I would have liked last night."

Technically, it wasn't a complete lie. Had she her druthers, she likely would have arrived home for sleep a bit earlier. The call of the Pie, however, was far too potent, and it persisted throughout the dreams she experienced during her very pleasant and satisfying sleep. A pleasant and satisfying sleep which Mint did not need to know about.

"Very well," Mint said, although she did not exactly look satisfied. "Just do not let it happen again. My time is valuable."

"I can assure you I shall do my best," Fleur responded. She set her menu down, not sure why she'd even picked it up in the first place. Despite her desire for something more palatable, she would be ordering the trendy dish, just as usual. With the lengths she'd gone to in protecting her image during Pinkie's party last night, she wasn't about to throw it all away on a choice of brunch.

"You missed the most fabulous soirée last night, Fleur," Mint said as she set her own menu down.

"Is that so?" Fleur asked. In her reverie over her evening, she'd nearly forgotten all about the soirée.

"Indeed," Mint confirmed. "Jet Set and Upper Crust were asking after you, as was Fancy Pants. I assured them that you were far too ill to attend. Frankly. I found their disappointment rather insulting, as I was still there, but one cannot account for another's taste."

"A shame," Fleur responded. A quick lift of the previously-rejected menu was necessary for her to finally relieve a bit of her inner frustration with a now-hidden roll of the eyes.

"Certainly," Mint agreed. "You would have had a ball there. High Roller regaled us all with a story about a mistake his butler made. You simply cannot find good help these days, can you? It does not take a rocket scientist to set the table properly for the arrival of a distinguished guest, but the oaf couldn't even get that right. Unbelievable, no?"

"Of course," Fleur droned. She had considered sounding more interested, but it was quite obvious at this point that Mint wasn't exactly paying attention to her tone. An errant thought about how she would typically join in on the laughter that would inevitably result from such a story nearly caused her to cringe.

"To be honest, Fleur," Mint said, giving her an uncharacteristically meaningful look. "I do wish you had been there last night. I have grown rather fond of your company."

Fleur was floored, although she held it behind her usual mask of calmness. Mint had paid her small compliments in the past, but they were usually backhanded or paired with a greater compliment to herself. As far as she could recall, this might have been the first time Mint had shown a legitimate display of affection towards her. She allowed her defenses to lower, smiling genuinely.

"I appreciate that greatly," Fleur said, deciding to try her luck. "Thank you...bestie." She smiled proudly, but that smile quickly faded as she watched Mint's sincere look dissolve into one of mild disgust.

"Bestie?" Mint repeated. "Did you pick that up from the commoners? What a ridiculous word."

Fleur felt her heart sink a bit, letting her natural defenses reactivate and fading back behind her mask. Despite not needing the menu, she picked it up as an excuse to disconnect herself from the conversation. Part of her was certain she overheard Mint talking down to the waiter over her order, but by that point she was so shut down that it went in one ear and out the other. That was just the way Mint was, and sometimes it seemed like there was no changing that.

~~~~~~~~~~

Fleur barely felt full at all as she walked back to her home. After indulging in a bevy of treats the previous night, somehow the minuscule "trendy plate" hadn't managed to satisfy her needs. Not that she would let anypony know that, of course.

"All in all, a delicious meal," Mint said as she walked alongside Fleur. "Despite the waiter's best efforts to botch it up."

"I am certain he was doing his best," Fleur responded half-heartedly. It may not have exactly been a good defense of the poor waiter, but it scratched the itch that had been building from not saying anything on the topic.

"I agree," Mint shot back. "And that is why he is where he is and we are where we are, dear." The snobbish Pegasus tossed her mane back, a haughty smirk crossing her face. "Now, I take it you will be joining me for lunch this Monday, hm?"

Fleur's eyes widened just the tiniest bit; a momentary loss of control that would have been problematic had Mint been looking at her. Mint had mentioned having a luncheon with a few other models a few days back, but as far as she remembered, a date had not been suggested until just now. Of course it would fall on the date that she'd made her plans with Minuette, Twinkleshine, and Lemon Hearts.

Fleur weighed the two options in her head. On one hoof, she had specifically made these plans with the others for that date, and seeing how happy it made them was a delight. Cancelling on them would be terrible. Sure, they would forgive her, but she didn't want to be in a position where she needed forgiveness. On the other hoof, cancelling on Mint was likely to raise her ire, but she had the excuse that she was given short notice on an exact date. But this luncheon was a chance to mingle with other models and possibly exchange tips and get some valuable networking in. If only she could decide...

"Fleur de Lis!"

Fleur looked up into the very angry eyes of her friend. It had happened again, and she quickly tried to recover, but Mint would not give her the chance.

"I am getting rather cross at your constant daydreaming," Mint said through gritted teeth. "When I speak to you, I expect your full attention. It is by my grace that you have made it in this business. You should be hanging on my every word. Now, you will be joining me for lunch this Monday, hm?"

"I am afraid I must decline," Fleur said confidently, decision having been made for her. "Mumsy and pop-pop wish for my company that day, and I had already agreed since a date for this luncheon had not been decided upon. I deeply apologize, but I promise I will make it up to you." Once again she silently thanked her parents for the acting classes that had made her into such a talented liar. Mint attempted to stare through her soul, but Fleur's cool, confident smile held strong.

"Very well," Mint said after a deep breath. "I suppose there is always next time."

Fleur kept that grin up for a few moments as they approached her house, until one glance at her mailbox forced it to break. Poking out of said mailbox, sticking out like a sunflower amidst a sea of cosmos, was a bright pink envelope with Pinkie Pie's cutie mark on it.

Fleur had never felt such a combination of joy and fear. Her heart fluttered at the idea of already attending another Pinkie party, but she could already see Mint beginning to turn in that direction. Quicker than a flash, she lit her horn up, rotating the envelope so it lay flush with her other mail. She breathed a sigh of relief as she realized that she had done it just in time.

"What are you looking at?" Mint asked.

"My house," Fleur replied. "Just thinking about how much cleaning my help has to do."

"Hopefully they are better than mine," Mint said. "Or else it might take the better half of the day."

"Mm," Fleur responded. "I shall see you later, hm?"

"Indeed," Mint replied. "Until then."

Fleur watched as Mint departed, slowly inching towards her mailbox. As soon as she was out of sight, Fleur pounced towards the mailbox, giddy as a little filly. She zipped into the house, envelope in hoof, and quickly opened it, making sure to still do it neatly. A lovely envelope like this had to be retained and cherished. She read the contents and squealed quietly. She hadn't expected to be attending her next Pinkie party so soon, but here it was, set for Monday evening.

Fleur found herself flopping happily onto her couch, holding the invitation to her heart like a smitten teenager. Hood Rat's next appearance had been determined.

Comments

[pulcheriopolis]

6991536 Did you mean to put everything in a quote?

[TheDriderPony]

Last I checked, a rolodex was an address book. I think the word you meant was 'lexicon'. Or maybe I'm uninformed and there's a dual meaning. Loving the story thus far!

[Mare Imbrium]

Wow, this pegasus besmirches the good name of my favourite herb. Fleur, is your status really worth dealing with this fool?

[PinkiePieFox]

[HeartShatter]

I think this is rather cute, should be audio read, by Scribbler. x3