Step One: An Evening of Dancing and Fun
Rarity watched as the train pulled up to the station. She did not expect much of a reception, as many of her friends were still traveling or wrapping up their summer occupations. Truthfully, she only expected one at most, by virtue of having only told that one the time and date of her arrival.
She couldn’t quite say why she’d only told Pinkie. Well, in reflection she could. Three of her friends had forged a summer romance, and while she was happy for them, seeing them laughing and smiling and kissing and nuzzling was not something she was ready for. All it would do was further demonstrate to her the things life would not grant her. The fourth... may well have run at the mere sight of her. She definitely was not ready for that confrontation, even if she had tried everything she could think of to fix that mistake. Consequently, there was really only one friend her heart could bear to see right now, and in truth she ached for it. Perhaps it was unfair to burden Pinkie with her sadness, but Rarity’s days had been particularly dark and lonely of late, and she desperately needed something to smile about.
There was a sense of guilt about that, alleviated only slightly by the fact that cheering up a friend was something Pinkie lived for. Rarity had been down before, and had unashamedly accepted Pinkie’s joy and light to help her get through it, but this seemed too much for any one pony. She considered again the prospect of locking herself away in the Boutique and just staying there, but rejected it willfully. If she couldn’t have love, was happiness so much to ask? Surely not. And Pinkie could help her to find a little joy in life.
Pinkie continued humming her welcome song. She’d been humming it ever since she’d arrived at Ponyville’s train station, three days ago. It’d been nearly a week since she’d received Rarity’s letter, informing her that she would be arriving today. From the sound of things, Rarity’s summer had been hard, and she needed some cheering up. Pinkie lived for making bad times into good ones, and good times into great ones, so she had come fully prepared to give her friend the warmest, friendliest, most I-haven’t-seen-you-in-forever-and-I-totally-missed-you-iest welcome home her friend had ever seen!
Pinkie had been so excited to see her dear friend again that she’d pitched her travel-worn tent right in the middle of the platform. There was a chance that Rarity’s train might be a little earlier and she didn’t want to miss it! Pinkie had been a little disappointed when the security guards had politely, but firmly, asked her to leave a few hours later. They’d explained that the various ropes and stakes supporting the tent were a pedestrian hazard, and they’d had a few colorful phrases regarding her campfire. Pinkie couldn’t remember exactly what they were now, though. She’d been too busy humming at the time to really listen.
So she continued her song, and she continued watching the eastern horizon, where she knew Rarity’s train would be coming from, but above all else, she continued bouncing. Pinkie loved bouncing. Everything about it was fun. Sometimes, she’d spend all day with a new rubber ball, bouncing it on different surfaces around Ponyville, watching to see how high it would go and what kind of funny sound it would make as it rebounded. And it wasn’t just new rubber balls. Pinkie loved anything that bounced! She loved the way her curly, poofy mane bounced against her neck as she hopped through town. She loved trampolines. She especially loved those little balls that bounced over the words that let people know what to sing. But more than anything else, she loved when she bounced, and she’d been jumping in place for days now.
When all the jumping had broken the first wooden plank, it had briefly dampened her mood. Now the security guards were bound to come yell at her again, and Rarity would be coming back to a yucky, jaggedy welcome. Pinkie didn’t want that at all. This was the fanciest pony that she knew, after all, and she wanted the platform to be appropriately fashionable. But now, in her excitement, she’d ruined it.
Pinkie had fretted for a few moments before getting one of her stupendous ideas. Digging through her saddlebags, she’d pulled out a huge roll of stickers. Soon, the broken board had been covered in glittering hearts, sunny smiley faces, frolicking flowers, and romping kittens. She’d tied a balloon to each end of the broken board to add that special finishing touch that she knew Rarity would appreciate. Wasn’t Rarity the one who was always telling them that it’s the accessories that really bring an ensemble together?
That was two days ago. Since then, Pinkie had broken five more boards and nearly used up her roll of festive stickers. That was beginning to really worry her, since all that she had left were scratch and sniff. Pinkie certainly loved the succulently-scented stickers, but they didn’t have the sparkly, shiny quality that her other roll did. Rarity loved shiny things and Pinkie wanted her return to be as sparkletastic as it could be.
But finally, she’d heard the train whistle! Rarity was almost here, and Pinkie was beside herself with joy. She’d spent the long, hot summer travelling all over Equestria, but she’d missed her friends terribly. Besides a couple of hours with Rainbow Dash, she hadn’t seen any of them in months and her loneliness had been suffocating at times. The days apart were only enhancing this moment, though. Pinkie’s heart was hammering in her chest, and she was having a hard time choosing between humming and squealing with glee. She settled for humming in a much higher register, giggling at the funny way it made her nose vibrate. She couldn’t wait to see her friend again! Not only had Rarity said she was coming back. She’d said specifically in her letter that she wanted to hang out with Pinkie more than anypony else!
Pinkie had read and re-read that letter, just to make sure. In the past, it had sometimes seemed like Rarity was a little distant. Oh, they’d always had a good time and everything, but it’s not like Rarity had invited her over to the boutique all that often. In fact, the last time that she could remember, Rarity had asked if she wanted to come see her new fall lineup. Pinkie had been spending the morning snacking on cinnamon rolls, but hanging with Rarity had sounded like way more fun!
As usual, the dresses had been just gorgeous. Pinkie had been so moved by their taffeta shininess and sequiny sparkliness that she’d gathered them all up in a huge hug. Rarity had gasped in horror as half her new line had ended up stuck to Pinkie’s cinnamon-sugary hooves. The stains had proven to be remarkably hard to remove, and the dresses all vaguely smelled of spices, but Pinkie had thought that might be a good selling point. Though she’d told Pinkie several times that it was no big deal at all, Pinkie hadn’t missed the fact that Rarity hadn’t invited her back since.
But now she was planning on making that all up to Rarity today. She had a day full of fun all planned out, and all Rarity would have to do was sit back and enjoy the ride. Pinkie was determined to make this her friend’s best day ever, especially since it sounded like Rarity had had a rough summer. Her letters had seemed melancholy, and Pinkie didn’t like that at all. She firmly believed that melons should be sweet, not sad.
Nearer now, the train whistle blew, and Pinkie added a few tiny, scissoring leg kicks to the apex of each leap. Her hooves were tingling, and Pinkie was pretty sure what that meant. Her friend was almost here, and this was going to be the best day they’d ever had together.
And not a moment too soon! she thought as the board below her made an ominous splintering sound. I’m almost out of stickers!!
Rarity chuckled good-naturedly upon seeing Pinkie waiting patiently, or at least, as patiently as possible for the pink dervish of a pony. She hoped her friend had not actually camped on the platform as she had said she was planning to do. I wrote to her that I would be arriving Sunday, didn't I? I hope she hasn't been waiting too long. With a sigh she realized that may well have been the case. I suppose it's not really surprising for Pinkie. She watched the pink pony's head dart about, trying to spot the car she would be disembarking from. The train came to a halt, though Pinkie's almost manic searching didn't. She was already moving forward when the train finally ground to a halt, sending up a large cloud of steam from the engine.
Rarity didn't get up immediately when the doors opened, allowing most of the hustle and bustle to pass her by before finally exiting the train herself. She could hear Pinkie calling for her, possibly worried about being unable to find her. She watched Pinkie bounce around and was hit with a wave of emotions. She had smiled for the first time in a long while when she'd read Pinkie's letter, and again her face lit up merely seeing her friend happily bouncing on the platform. Pinkie Pie was perhaps the only one that could make her smile after the horrid time she'd been through, she simply couldn't help herself. She moved forward in a daze, dropping the veritable mountain of bags she always traveled with and headed straight for her friend. In a surreal turn of events it was Rarity that tackled Pinkie Pie in a hug, burying her face in her friend's shoulder and praying that she wouldn't start crying again. It wasn't until Pinkie gasped for breath that she loosened her grip somewhat, sniffing once and smiling ruefully. “Sorry, I really needed that.”
“Rarity!” Pinkie squealed, beaming as her hooves rapidly tattooed a steady rhythm of excitement on the boardwalk. “Oh, I’ve missed you so, so, so much! Oh, but I guess we won’t be needing that.” Pinkie wiggled her closely-pinned hoof vaguely in the direction of an enormous pile of pillows that were piled nearby. “After that pounce-hug bruised up Applejack a while back, I started taking safety precautions.” Pinkie giggled, trying in vain to cover her mouth with a hoof, but with her legs pinned by Rarity’s iron grip, she only succeeding in drawing the unicorn closer. “But you pounce-hugged me first! If this was a race to embrace, you’d set the pace for first place!”
Rarity nodded, having no other response to give. She supposed she was being terribly rude, but right now it was far too important that she just be here, with this pony. Her hug tightened once more. “Thank you. Your letters were appreciated... even if they were strange, and worrisome. I need you to be more careful with yourself, Pinkie. You would make a lot of ponies very sad if anything happened to you. Just... be careful.” She finally let go of Pinkie, smiling gently. “Well then, now that I have made a fool of myself, shall we go see about that spa treatment?”
Pinkie’s forehead furrowed and she untangled herself from Rarity’s surprisingly strong embrace. Well, she’s smiling, at least, but she’s not smiling here, she thought, reaching out with a hoof to gently trace the small lines that the summer seemed to have etched into the normally flawless area around Rarity’s eyes. Her own smile faltering a little, Pinkie cupped Rarity’s cheek in her hoof. “I know you said you were in those letters, but are you really okay, Rarity?” she asked.
Rarity hesitated at the frank question, wanting to reassure Pinkie. “I...I’m trying to be. That’s all I can say for now.” She wilted under Pinkie’s gaze. “I’ll tell you about it, Pinkie promise. It’s just too much at the moment.” She gave her friend another squeeze. “Right now, I want to spend some time with Pinkie Pie. We can worry about Rarity later on. Is that alright?”
“Well, I hope you mean a Pinkie Pinkie promise, and not Applejack-ride-outta-town-in-a-stagecoach Pinkie promise,” Pinkie said, grinning wryly, “‘cause until you’re happy again, I’m not letting you out of my sight! Or near any coaches.” Pinkie threw a leg around Rarity’s shoulders, squeezing. “In fact, I’m sticking right by your side! Now, let’s get out there and have the time of our lives!”
Rarity nuzzled against Pinkie’s cheek. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, darling.”
“I can’t believe it, Rarity!” Pinkie cried, running in tight circles around the unicorn as she tried in vain to open the spa’s door. “I’ve wanted to go here with you and Fluttershy forever! I mean, like, foreverever! And now, we’re totally going! And I don’t even have to be quiet because Fluttershy’s not here!” Pinkie briefly stopped to fish out two blow ticklers from her pack. Quickly thrusting the first one into Rarity’s mouth, she blew on the other with such force that all four of her hooves briefly lifted from the ground. Then, she was off again, circling Rarity rapidly. To anypony wandering by, Rarity seemed to be caught in a particularly festive pink whirlwind.
‘Caught’ soon became literal as Rarity enwrapped Pinkie in her aura, floating her gently to eye level, which was somewhat difficult as the mare continued to bounce for a few moments despite having nothing to bounce against. She opened her mouth to speak, only to have the blow tickler fall out. She caught it in her aura and put it behind Pinkie’s ear. “Darling, I’m not asking you to treat this like a library, but the spa is a place of relaxation. Ponies go here after a stressful week to let go of their tension. It’s certainly all right to be excited, but you’re up around an eleven; I need you down around a six for a little while. Then when we go to the bar we can really kick up our hooves, all right?”
At Pinkie’s slightly subdued nod, she let her friend back down, smiling happily. “Thank you, darling. I appreciate your enthusiasm, I feel much the same when I come here. I just don’t normally celebrate in quite that way.” Rarity let out a breath she wasn’t aware she’d been holding, She’d have to have a nice talk with her new spa companion about etiquette in the near future. But that was all right. She was home, she was happy to be around her friend, there was a spa here which would not violate her person based on a misunderstanding, and she was going dancing. Things were improving by the minute.
Pinkie’s eyes widened as she entered the luxurious spa. She’d only been here twice before, and only one of them actually counted. The other time had been more of a medical tongue emergency than a day off, and she hadn’t been terribly pleased with soaking her poor tongue in the soapy water. As she turned her head slowly to take in the understated elegance of the place, she suddenly felt underdressed.
“Hey, Rarity,” she whispered, cupping Rarity’s ear with a hoof. “Do you think I should put on a dress or wear a hat or something?” Pinkie tentatively pointed to Aloe, who was artfully reclined on a chaise lounge and working her hooves over with a rasp in the quick, confident strokes of a practiced professional. “Everything here looks so… cultured or something.” Pinkie sat suddenly, cupping her chin in her hoof and squinting her eyes in concentration. “Oh, I know!” she exclaimed, yanking open her saddlebag again. “Just let me find it...”
Aloe’s air of sophistication was temporarily shattered as she goggled at Pinkie, whose leg was plunged impossibly deep into a set of worn saddlebags. Up to her shoulder, the pink pony was in deep concentration, sticking her tongue out between her teeth. Aloe’s mouth dropped open as a dozen or so balloons floated lazily up from the open bag to gather festively in the rafters.
“Oh, where is it?” Pinkie mumbled, frowning. Twisting her body this way and that, she fished deeper into her pack, wincing as a loud clattering sound issued from somewhere within its depths. “Sorry!” she mouthed silently to Aloe, whose mane was bristling out in several directions. “Aha!” Pinkie cried, pulling her leg from the recesses of the old saddlebag. Clutched in her hoof was a construction hard-hat with a large red light mounted on top of it. To each side were metal loops with long, flexible straws connected to them. “Whaddaya think, Rarity?” Pinkie said, proudly thrusting the hat out in front of her. “It’s the hat for every occasion!”
Rarity boggled at the monstrosity in her friend’s hooves. “Where on Equestria did you... nevermind. Let’s save that particular piece of apparel for a better locale.”
“Oh, okay,” Pinkie said, turning her special hat over in her hooves and giving it one final, wistful stare before opening her packs to stow it away once more. “You’re the spa expert, but I’m telling you,” she continued, grinning, “that hat is the best! You can drink two glasses of fruit punch at once and let everypony know the party has started with this siren!” Pinkie gasped, her eyes growing wide as she turned quickly to her friend. “Rarity, I didn’t show you the siren!
Rarity quickly snatched the offending device from Pinkie’s hooves and tucked it back into the infinite depths of the pack from which it emerged. “I think it best we proceed with our treatment. The proper attire for the mud baths is a nice seaweed wrap. If you will follow Aloe here—” She gestured to the spa pony, quickly mouthing ‘I’m sorry, I’ll make it up to you,’ “—she will help you. I’ll join you once Lotus finishes preparing me.”
“Sure thing!” Pinkie said, grinning. “I’ll probably look like one of those alfalfa rolls at that sushi place we went to in Canterlot! I’m gonna be yummy!”
Trotting up to the desk, Pinkie waited patiently as Aloe attempted to retrieve her rasp from beneath the stylish reception counter. The sudden loud noises from Pinkie’s pack had startled her, and she’d accidentally thrown the rasp in her surprise. Flustered, she felt on the ground below her desk with one hoof while she tried to smooth her flyaway mane with the other.
“Just… just a moment...ah, madam,” she said, grimacing. For three years, she’d been greeting customers at this spa and attending to their every need. There was a rhythm to satisfactory customer relations, but she’d been completely thrown off. Finally, she gave up on the rasp and stood, putting on her best Smile of Bliss and Tranquility, which faltered immediately upon seeing the pink pony in front of her rubbing her face up and down the countertop. “Ah, miss, can—”
“Ooh, it’s so smooth!” Pinkie said, her laughter muffled as she slid her face back and forth across the reception desk’s lacquered wood finish. Aloe jumped slightly as Pinkie suddenly jerked her head back up. “If it were me, I’d slide on this desk all day! Do you do that? Is that why your skin is so smooth?”
Aloe’s eyes darted rapidly right and left, looking for any assistance with this bizarre pony. Why couldn’t this be Lotus’ day at the counter? she thought, sighing heavily as Pinkie stared at her blankly. Clearing her throat, she smiled once more. “Welcome to the Ponyville Day Spa, where you’ll find everything you seek in luxury. Now, what—”
Pinkie’s eyebrows shot up “Wow, everything?” she asked as a thousand rapid fire images of ermite lined party hats and golden punch bowls filled her imagination. “Okay, what about cake that comes on soft little pillows stuffed with marshmallows? Do you have that?”
Aloe closed her eyes, sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose momentarily. It was one of the benefits and curses of working at the spa; her lifestyle was so healthy that she rarely needed a sick day, and she was really wishing she’d taken one right now. “No, madam, I mean you will find all the things the spa offers,” Aloe said with practiced patience.
Pinkie cocked her head to the side, raising an eyebrow. “Really? What about your rasp? You couldn’t find that.”
Aloe eyes flew open as her tongue tried in vain to grapple with several sentences at once. “That’s not—well, it’s—how did you know—that’s my personal rasp!” she finished, pursing her lips. This is not going well at all, she thought, feeling a headache beginning to build behind her eyes.
“Good thing I found it, then!” Pinkie said, pulling the rasp from her saddlebags. “I guess you are right! You did find what you were looking for!” Pinkie beamed as she slid the rasp back to the flabbergasted pony.
Her hoof trembling slightly, Aloe pulled an aromatherapy candle out of the drawer behind her, lighting it with even, almost ceremonial movements perfected over the course of thousands of visits. It was familiar, and Aloe could feel the tension draining from her shoulders as she took a few deep breaths of the sandalwood-scented smoke that curled toward the ceiling.
“Yes, now let’s help you find joy, as well,” Aloe said, reaching deep within herself to find the tranquility customers had come to expect from her. “Which of our premium services have tempted you this day?”
“Oh, whatever Rarity’s having!” Pinkie replied, pointing back toward the door Rarity had disappeared through. “She’s asked me to ask you which room was ours and for you to make me sushi!”
“I-I’m afraid I don’t follow, madam,” Aloe said, feeling her forehead bunching. Sighing, she promised herself that she’d splurge on an extra-strength anti-wrinkle mask tonight, but first, she’d have to make it through this visit. “It saddens me to disappoint you, but we don’t offer food in the spa.”
“No, no, no, silly-billy!” Pinkie replied, giggling. “You’re supposed to make me into sushi!”
Aloe stood blinking, searching for some sort of context that would help this conversation make any kind of sense at all, or at least shorten it.
“You know, with the seaweed and stuff,” Pinkie prompted after several long seconds of silence.
“Oh!” Aloe said, relieved. “Yes, of course you wish to experience the luxury of our nutrient-rich wrap. Celestia herself has been here for it! If you would, please follow me.”
“Sure!” Pinkie said, bouncing behind the spa employee before pulling up suddenly. “Oh, wait. Rarity asked me to ask you which room was ours.”
“It’s the last room on the right,” Aloe replied, smiling. She was happy that the conversation had finally returned to something resembling normalcy. “You’re lucky, it’s the last one left.”
“Okay, the last one on the left, right?” Pinkie said over her shoulder as she headed to the door Rarity had disappeared into.
Aloe took a moment to replay the conversation in her head, frowning. “No, that’s not right. The right room is the last one left. The last one on the left is occupied, unless he’s left already…” Aloe trailed off, squinting at the ceiling as she tried to remember.
Pinkie sat and tapped a hoof against her cheek, trying to work it out. “So, then what’s left is left, right? Unless right has left, then right?”
“Uh...” Aloe groaned as she tried to follow the twisting patterns of Pinkie’s logic.
“Okay, great!” Pinkie cried, dashing over to the door to Rarity’s private changing suite. As Aloe sputtered behind her, Pinkie opened the door and poked her head in. “Ooh, fancy!” she giggled to herself as she eyed the rack of soft, fluffy robes nearby. “Hey, Rarity! You still in here?”
“Yes, Pinkie.” Rarity’s voice was muffled slightly. She was showering in preparation for her seaweed wrap.
“Okay, well that raspy pony at the front desk said our room is the last one on the left!” Pinkie said as she pulled her head back out of the room. “I’m going over to that sushi counter!”
“Sushi? What—” There was a pause, followed by a tiny giggle. “Right, sushi. Tell them to wrap you up snuggly.”
“Okay!” Pinkie called back as she shut the door and trotted back to Aloe, who was still trying to figure out where this visit had gone wrong, exactly.
“Oh there you are!” Rarity said as she peeked into the third room. She really needed to talk to Aloe about proper accommodations in the future. Granted it was wrong of her to expect her private room to remain private on an impromptu visit, but surely that could be changed now that she planned to come on a new day. Pinkie appeared to have taken her suggestion to heart and gotten the wrap, though it seemed she may have gotten overzealous, as she was covered in it entirely. It was all the way to the dome of her head, for Celestia’s sake! Still, she seemed relaxed at least. “There we are, that’s what I meant, just let yourself breathe and lay back for a bit. It can’t be good for a pony to be in constant motion, I think you’ll find this to be ever so soothing for a change.”
Rarity eased herself into the mud, letting out little coos as the surface shaped itself to her form. Three months away from this was far too long. Securely enfolded in the herbal mud, she let out a sigh of relief. “Oh goddesses! I needed this so badly. How are you doing over there, Pinkie?”
A confused and very muffled voice came back to her.
“That’s good, just let the bath embrace you.” Her heart plummeted for a moment at the word ‘embrace’, and she stifled a sniffle irritably.
Another muffled response came back from Pinkie.
“Hmmm?” Rarity angrily scrubbed a nearby sponge over her eyes to avoid any telltale tear tracks. “Oh, sorry. I’m fine, just... It’s been a long summer, Pinkie. I’m very glad it’s over.”
Pinkie appeared to be getting upset, and even more confused.
“Shhhh. Darling, it’s quite all right I assure you. It’s nothing I haven’t been through before. I... told somepony something I shouldn’t have, and it damaged a longstanding friendship. I’ve since apologized, and hopefully all will be well in time.” She put on a brave smile for Pinkie. “I will tell you about it. It’s just another little failure in a long line of failures. This one just hurt more, but in the end, it was not really much different.” Rarity let out a long, sad sigh. “You think you know somepony, you seek out a deeper connection, and they tear your heart to pieces. Ce la vie.”
Pinkie tottered down the hall, enjoying the creaking sound her legs made as the seaweed stretched and contracted. I sound like my squeaky rubber chicken! she thought, snickering. I wonder how many different funny noises I can make with this stuff!
Switching her stride to alternate her left and right legs together, she giggled as the pitch changed. Nodding her head back to laugh, she found that the motion added a third tone. Soon, Pinkie was skipping down the hall, accompanied by a squeaky-seaweed version of her welcome song. Wait until Rarity hears this! She’s gonna love it! she thought. Well, here I am! Pinkie grasped the polished steel door’s handle and yanked it open.
“Rarity, listen to—” Pinkie began before pulling up short and pointing a musically squeaky hoof at a pony so completely mummified in seaweed that they were unrecognizable. “Hey, who’s your friend? Was I supposed to bring somepony else, too?”
Rarity had covered her eyes with cucumber slices by this point, and perked her ears up at the entrance of an unknown pony. “Oh, errr, hello there. My companion is a bit wrapped up right now. This is one of my very best friends. You’d likely recognize her better had she not been quite so enthusiastic about the seaweed. This is Pinkie Pie. Pinkie, this is... “ She frowned, realizing she was missing something critical. “I’m sorry, who is at the door right now?”
Pinkie’s brow furrowed in C minor. “Wait, if she’s Pinkie Pie, then who am I?” Pinkie gasped and brought a hoof up to cover her mouth. “I’m not one of those mirror Pinkies, am I? Rarity, do I look clone-ish to you? Do I give you a clone-y vibe?” Letting out a cacophony of squeaks, Pinkie began to run in place, fretting “Oh! Oh, no! What if Twilight shoots me?!”
“Twilight would never shoot you! You are nothing like those... things.” Rarity lifted a cucumber slice in agitation, trying to make sense of her friend’s outburst. She looked at the pony wrapped in seaweed next to her, then did a double take as she saw Pinkie in the doorway. “What? But if you are there...” A look of dawning horror fell on her face. “Who is here in the bath with me?!”
“Well, let’s just see, huh?” Pinkie said, her voice adopting a tough edge. With her jaw jutting forward, Pinkie’s seaweed squeaked out a dramatic tune as she stomped over to the mysterious pony. As she loomed over the figure, it mumbled excitedly through the seaweed. “Who’s the pernicious Pinkie Pie pretender putting one over on my pal?”
In one swift motion, Pinkie firmly grabbed the seaweed at the figure’s crown and pulled. With a wet rip, it came away, and an elderly pony blinked up at her, scowling.
“Why, it was Mr. Waddle all along!” she gasped, needlessly pointing the aged pony out to Rarity. “What are you doing in there, Mr. Waddle?”
Mr. Waddle’s scowl deepened and he rose slowly from the mud bath with a disgusted sigh. “I was trying to have a relaxing day, and I’d have gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for you meddling fillies!” Snatching his towel from a nearby rack, he gave them both one last dirty look before wrenching the door open and exiting.
Pinkie winced as he slammed the door. “What’s his problem?” she asked, shrugging at Rarity.
Rarity stared at the retreating form of the aged stallion, before turning back to Pinkie. “But you—and he... it was him? What?!” She held her gaze on Pinkie, as if letting her friend out of her sight might result in Pinkie becoming somepony else. “Please tell me you’re not a changeling. Please? I don’t think I’m quite strong enough to deal with any more disappointments.”
“A changeling?” Pinkie said, grimacing. “I sure hope not! I think my legs would get cold with all those holes!” Pinkie smirked, eyeing the large pool of mud. “But I am about to change into a…” Pinkie leapt high into the air, curling her body into an impossibly tight sphere. “CANNONBALL!” she finished, with a ululating cry, but hung in mid-air as Rarity’s horrified expression caught her eye. “Oh, right!” Pinkie giggled, drifting slowly back to the floor. “Spa. Calm and serene. Quiet and relaxing.”
Rarity continued to stare at her for a moment, finally exhaling the breath she had been holding. “Y-yes. Quiet and relaxing. Thank you.”
Pinkie carefully dipped a hoof into the thick mud before breaking into a huge grin. “I didn’t think it’d be so warm, Rarity!” she said, letting her body slide into the bath. “This must be how a brownie feels when it’s cooking,” she sighed.
Calming down at last, Rarity’s mouth quirked up in a half-smile. “Warm, a little gooey, and your mind thinks brownies? I would have compared it to oatmeal.”
“You know, Rarity, I think this bath is missing something,” Pinkie said, thrusting a hoof into the poofy tangles of her curly hair. Sticking her tongue out between her teeth, she rummaged for a moment before pulling out a small rubber duck with a stethoscope. “A-ha!” she cried. “It’s just not bathtime without Dr. Quackers!” The duck gave two squeaks as Pinkie squeezed it before dropping in the mud. “Here comes Dr. Quackers!” Pinkie said, pushing the duck in front of her as she wiggled across the bath to Rarity. “He heard that you feel bad after your fowl summer, and he’s here to cure your terrible mallard-y!” Cupping a hoof to Rarity’s ear, Pinkie whispered, “Don’t worry, he won’t bill you.”
Rarity’s expression dropped again, and she pointedly looked away. “Don’t make fun! Not you, please. None of the others seemed to really understand how this impacted me. I don’t know if this is some misguided attempt to get me to open up to a rubber duck, but I don’t appreciate it! Just... have a care.”
Caught off guard, Pinkie looked away, her eyes welling as she pushed the duck back and forth in the viscous mud. “I-I’m sorry,” she said with a sniff. “I was just hoping he’d make you feel better. You see, when I’m sad, I take a bath with Dr. Quackers and I tell him what’s wrong. He never says, ‘Pinkie, that’s silly’ or ‘Pinkie, stop being ridiculous’. He just listens.” Sighing, Pinkie rubbed the mud from her duck and place him back in her hair. “I’d never make fun of you, Rarity,” she said after a lengthy pause. “I-I know what it’s like when people don’t take you seriously. They don’t listen. They don’t listen to me, anyway,” she continued in a small voice.
Rarity’s head whipped back, alarmed. “Darling? Pinkie I didn’t mean—Not you too! Please, no! I didn’t mean to offend you. I-it’s fine, I will talk to the duck, just don’t be sad because of me?”
Pinkie wrapped her legs around Rarity, leaning her head against her friend's shoulder. “Oh, Rarity,” she sighed. “You invited me to a super fun spa to hang out for the day. Most of me is so happy that I could just burst! But part of me, maybe the ‘k’ or the ‘n’, knows you’re still sad. I just wish you were having as much fun as I am.”
Rarity returned the hug, burying her muzzle in Pinkie’s mane. Somehow, despite the mud and seaweed, all she could smell was vanilla. “I’m trying. I want to be.” She pulled back, putting on the best smile she could muster. “Don’t mind me so much, darling. I will be happy again, I’ve just been dealt a few too many heart wounds of late.”
“Well, don’t you worry!” Pinkie said, perking up. “We’ve got a night of shaking our tails in front of us! We can boogie until we fall down! And when we fall down, we’ll start laughing! And when we’re laughing, we’ll probably start hiccuping or something, and we’ll need to take a break and drink some chocolate milk, but I’ll try and make it the best night, I Pinkie Promise! But first, we’ve got to get you nice and relaxed!” Pinkie gathered up a huge legful of mud, dropping it over the area above Rarity’s submerged body. Smoothing the mound with her hooves, she sculpted into a rough copy of Carousel Boutique. “And the more mud, the better, right?” Pinkie said, grinning.
Rarity nodded hurriedly. “Just be happy, darling. Don’t let me spoil your good time. I’ll do my best to follow your example.”
Pinkie poked her head cautiously into the darkened entryway as Rarity held the door for her. She’d planned on taking Rarity here to the bar ever since she’d received her letter, but now that she’d arrived, she felt nervous. Slowly scanning the room, she was surprised to see how… normal it all seemed. “Rarity, are you sure this is the right place?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow at her friend. “Mr Cake always said I wouldn’t like it here and that I should just stay away from places like this.” Pinkie swung her hoof in a wide arc, motioning toward the entire bar at once. “But this just looks like ponies talking and having a good time!” She looked over to Rarity, her brow furrowing. “What gives?”
Rarity considered for a moment before answering. “Pinkie... a bar is neither a good or bad place by itself. I think I agree that maybe it’s best you not come here by yourself, but with a friend you’ll have a good time.”
Stepping inside, Pinkie’s heart began to race. Even though Rarity had said it was okay, she still felt like she was doing something wrong. I-I don’t get it. Maybe Mr. Cake got the wrong idea about this place, she thought, nodding, a smile spreading across her face. Rarity wouldn’t want us to go to a bad place. Mr. Cake probably just came in when the owner was grumpy or something! Happy to have resolved things, Pinkie put an extra spring in her step as she trotted behind her friend.
Rarity led them inside, finding a table to settle them both. She returned her attention to Pinkie. “See? It’s not inherently evil, as it were. Why, look over there,” she said, gesturing. Off in the corner was Cheerilee, grading papers and occasionally taking a shot. “Quite a few of our friends come here after work to relax and unwind.” She waved a hoof at the nearest drink waitress. “A mudslide for my friend, please. I’ll give you my order momentarily.” In short order, a very chocolatey drink was plopped down on the table in front of Pinkie Pie.
Pinkie rested her chin on the worn wooden table, her huge eyes just inches away from the frosty glass. “So this a mudslide, huh?” she asked, swiveling her ears toward Rarity without breaking her gaze. Pinkie was captivated by the gently twisting eddies the different liquids made within the glass. “It looks so swirl-y and chocolate-y and yummerific, and it smells way better than that tackilla stuff in Fort Troterdale!”
Rarity snorted in amusement. “Tequila can be a fine drink, but it’s very harsh to drink unadorned. A “Strawberry Margarita” is quite good, for instance.” She paused briefly, motioning to their drink waitress. “One Strawberry Margarita, please.” She turned back to Pinkie. "You kept mentioning chocolate milk, so I thought you might enjoy this. It’s a heavy cream-based drink. Very sweet.”
“Okay, I know how to do this!” Pinkie said, standing and placing her front hooves on either side of the glass. Opening her mouth wide, she lowered her head to the glass, snatching it up with her lips. Tipping her head back until she faced the ceiling, she drained the cup with one loud gulp, then slammed it rather forcibly back to the tabletop, all without using her hooves. “How was that?” she asked with a wink.
Rarity blinked, taken aback at the display. “Um... while impressive, that’s not quite the way one enjoys a mixed drink. You see, they are made to taste pleasant.”
“Well, that’s how all the ponies in Fort Troterdale were doing it, but their glasses were those itty-bitty ones! Guess I’m a quick study, huh?” Pinkie eyes slide out of focus, and she stumbled for a brief second before she gripped the table tightly. “That glash wash pretty biii… uh, wash pretty… pretty…” Pinkie reached it to stroke Rarity’s meticulously coifed hair, but missed by several inches. “Rarity, your mane’sh alwaysh sho pretty…”
“Yes well, yours is nice too, thank you,” Rarity said, deftly casting a plane of force to help push her friend upright. She called the drink waitress over once more. “Another mudslide, please, but lets cut the Irish cream in favor of real cream. Oh, and if you would be a dear and ask the bartender to make my next Margarita a double shot? Thank you.” Rarity looked back at Pinkie, who appeared to be conducting her own personal orchestra. They chatted for a time, Pinkie going through two more of the mudslides, though by her reaction she seemed to think they were like her first. Rarity downed a few more margaritas she barely felt, eventually deciding the drinks weren’t helping. She had come here to dance and have fun, hadn’t she? “Well, my darling, shall we dance?”
Pinkie leaned forward unsteadily, alternately squinting at Rarity, and opening her eyes wide to blink. “But I left... all my sheaweed... back at the shpa,” she said, waving vaguely in the opposite direction they’d come from. “I can’t... play ush any mushic!” Perking up, Pinkie thrust a hoof into the air. “I know!” she exclaimed, beginning to slowly fall backwards. “I can shing for ush!”
“Well, that would be lovely, but there is a nice jukebox right behind you.” Rarity brought out a few bits and laid them on the table. “Why not pick a few songs for us to dance to?”
Pinkie’s eyes widened as she noticed the jukebox for the first time. Its neon lights were cycling through several pre-programmed sequences, and they were like a visual siren’s song, calling for her to come take a closer look. “I wanna... danshe more than anything, Rarity!” Pinkie said, slurring a little. “Jusht let me put on some mushic!”
Carving a weaving, wobbly path to the bar’s jukebox, Pinkie narrowly avoided ponies in various states of inebriation. As she stumbled by, she inadvertently slipped between several couples, earning a few stares and frowns, but she beamed at a rugged pegasus stallion who whistled as she stumbled by. Smiling, he turned to follow her.
Rarity’s eyes narrowed as she watched him. Was she really going to have to watch Pinkie being hit on? Yes, you will watch, and hope it goes well. Don’t be selfish. Rarity nodded sadly. Just because she had no luck with love should not mean she should begrudge any of her friends. Still, I can keep an eye out for her. No harm in that.
Pinkie placed her front hooves on the jukebox’s glass surface, enjoying its cool, smooth exterior. “Ooh, it’sh sho pretty!” she said, pressing her face against the glass to get a better look at the lights.
“It’s not the only one, babe,” drawled a voice beside her. Turning, Pinkie stared up at the stallion, who was leaning on the wall beside the jukebox. “You new here? I haven’t seen you around before.” He leaned in, placing his hoof on her shoulder. “What’s your name, cutie?” he asked, stroking the hair near her ear with his other hoof.
“I’m not new,” Pinkie said, her forehead furrowing slightly as she flicked her eyes up to the hoof hoovering near her ear. “I’m Pinkie Pie, and I’ve... lived in Ponyville for yearsh! I’ve just been… away for the shummer!”
“Well, that explains it!” the stallion said, sliding his hoof from Pinkie’s shoulder to her back. “I just moved here in June,” he leaned over, whispering into Pinkie’s ear, “I knew I couldn’t have seen you around before. I’d never forget such a beautiful face. I’m Slipstream.”
“Pffft! Beautful?” Pinkie snickered, pointed a hoof toward where Rarity was sitting. “She’sh the beautiful one! It’sh nishe to meet you!” she continued, pulling Slipstream’s hoof from her back and shaking it vigorously.
“Ooh, that’s quite a grip!” Slipstream said, comically massaging his hoof before grasping Pinkie’s elbow. “Come on, what’s say we get a drink, huh?” Pinkie stumbled as he began to pull her toward the bar. “You look like a pony who knows how to party! Let’s celebrate you coming home, eh?”
“Hey, hold on—where are we going?” Pinkie said, tripping briefly as she tried to keep pace. “You’re squeezing too tight!” Pinkie backpedalled and attempted to wrench her leg from Slipstream’s iron grip. “Let me go! I’m supposed to be dancing with my friend!”
“Aw, don’t be a drag, babe,” Slipstream said, yanking Pinkie off balance again. “She’ll be alright for a while.” Pinkie had time to shoot Rarity a frightened look before Slipstream pulled her behind the half wall partition that separated the tables from the bar proper.
Oh, no you don’t! You do not carry a lady off bodily. Rarity got up and stormed her way over to the offending colt. Spinning him around, she smacked him with the backside of her hoof. “I believe the lady indicated she was already accompanied,” she said coldly as she took Pinkie’s hoof in her own. “Come now, I believe somepony owes me a dance, love.”
Rubbing his cheek gingerly, Slipstream shook his head, trying to get his eyes to straighten. He looked up, ready to give as good as he’d gotten, when he saw the mare that this pink pony had pointed to earlier. He eyed the two mares with renewed interest. “Hey there, darling. I didn’t realize she had a marefriend. Did you two want some company tonight?”
Rarity tossed a look at him, quite scandalized. “We’re not...” She stopped, reconsidering. If she went along with his assumptions it might get him to back off peacefully. “I mean, she is with me, and we’re rather exclusive.” She smiled dazzlingly. “Still, plenty of other fish in the sea, this one is mine, understand?”
Pinkie gasped, her eyes opening wide as she turned to Rarity. “I’m… your fi—” she began before Slipstream pushed her aside. Grinning, he stepped in close to Rarity, attempting to force her back into the half wall.
Slipstream chortled heartily. “How ‘bout we hoofwrassle for her?”
Rarity’s mouthed the word ‘hoofwrassle’ silently, her anger boiling over. She’d just spent three months trying very hard not to be angry at an infuriatingly noncommunicative friend, and now stood before a far more infuriating stallion who apparently really wanted to be hit. So, she obliged him, decking him swiftly with a brutal right hook.
Slipstream folded like house of cards in a hurricane. A nearby bouncer, who had been watching the scene but had been too slow to break it up, quickly motioned for another employee to tend to the fallen pegasus.
Pinkie’s mouth worked wordlessly as her huge eyes swiveled from Rarity to Slipstream and back to her friend again. “Wow, you hit him, Rarity!” she said, her awed voice full of disbelief. Looking down, she rubbed her throbbing elbow. “He did squeeze me too tight, I guess…”
“He dragged you off without your consent, is what he did. Idiot stallions... Why on earth would that ever be considered acceptable behavior?” Rarity turned to Pinkie, looking her over. “I’m sorry you had to see that. Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I’m okay,” Pinkie said, stealing a quick look to the door through which Slipstream had disappeared. “I just… it’s...” Pinkie eyes began to shimmer as she inspected her elbow. A dark bruise from Slipstream’s grip was beginning to form there. “Rarity, he dragged me, and I was being nice and everything!” Pinkie dropped her gaze and rubbed one of her forelegs against the other. “Rarity,” she asked hesitantly, “Am… am I really your fish?”
Rarity sputtered, resulting in a coughing fit. When her breathing returned to normal, she smiled shakily. “Um... sorry, I suppose that was a bit possessive of me. You are nopony’s fish but your own, certainly not his,” she seethed, her eyes flashing dangerously.
“Oh,” Pinkie replied, lowering her ears with a little sigh. “Well, whoever’s fish I am, I’m glad you’re here with me with me.” Pinkie snorted out a laugh suddenly. “How come I’m the damsel in distress and you’re the knight, Rarity?” she asked. “You’re the one who looks like a princess!”
Rarity smiled hesitantly, cursing herself for handling the overeager stallion so badly. “Flatterer. Well, enough about him. You owe me some dancing. Go pick us a song!”
“Yeah! C’mon, Rarity!” Pinkie said, the sparkle returning to her eyes. “Let’s dance!” Bouncing merrily back to the jukebox, Pinkie slid a few bits in and punched buttons at random. As a strong bassline began thumping from the speakers, Pinkie’s body swayed back and forth in time. Skipping out to the middle of the dance floor, she rotated her shoulders and neck in swift, tight circles, limbering up. It had been a little while since she’d really been on a dance floor and she didn’t want to ruin Rarity’s night by pulling something.
Oh, it’s been forever since I really got down, and it’s been even longer than that since I danced with somepony else! Pinkie thought, her pulse quickening, matching the song’s beat. Dancing was on Pinkie’s short list of most fun activities ever, and she was ready to really let it all out tonight.
Taking a deep breath, she exploded into motion. Spinning on her rear hoof, she threw her front legs wide and arched her head back, soaking in the pounding rhythm. Welcoming it, she let the beat guide her through several complex step sequences.
The ponies nearby quickly made room, leaving Pinkie spotlighted in the middle of the floor. Pirouetting, she laughed, her face flushing with exertion. Spotting a glass of water on a vacated table, she strutted to it, making sure to stay carefully on beat. Arching her face toward the ceiling, she poured the water down onto her forehead, cooling herself and letting the water absorb into her curly, sponge-like mane. Twisting and whirling her way back to the spotlighted center of the floor, she gave her head an artful toss, sending a fine, prismatic spray of water into the air. As the droplets fell around her, they caught the light, enveloping Pinkie in a dazzling, shimmering cloud. “Well, what are you waiting for?” she asked, grinning at Rarity over her shoulder as the crowd burst into applause. “Come dance with me!”
“Just a moment, darling!” Rarity said as she drank the last of her margarita, relishing the chill as it slid down her throat and the warmth as it hit her stomach. She got up and strode onto the floor, doing her best to ignore their impromptu audience. She was accustomed to the slow movements of the ballroom dances, but with Pinkie there wasn't really any space for that, and this was clearly the wrong music. So she decided to 'wing it' as Dash would say. She stepped forward and was immediately swept off her hooves by her partner. She tried a pirouet and stumbled, only to be caught and pulled into a dual spin by Pinkie. She found herself laughing and threw back her mane which was sagging with sweat. As the song came to a close, Pinkie ran at her, full tilt. Wait... she can’t be...
“Rarity, catch me!”
Pinkie jumped up in a dazzling leap, leaving Rarity no choice but to stretch her hooves up, cushioning her friend’s fall in a combination of magic and upper body strength. The onlookers cheered, and Rarity and Pinkie looked at each other, each smiling and gasping a little at the exertion.
The next song started playing, and Rarity’s ears flicked in the direction of the jukebox. “Darling? Is there some reason you chose the tango?”
“I just chose stuff with cool sounding names,” Pinkie said, shrugging.
“So, you don’t know the steps, then?” Rarity frowned when Pinkie shook her head. “Oh dear, well, we could always sit this one out,” she replied reluctantly.
“What?!” Pinkie cried. “We just got out here! No way I’m leaving now!” Kicking her hooves out much more slowly, Pinkie began experimenting with the new rhythm. “Oof! It’s really hard to keep your balance when the music’s all slow like this,” she said, stumbling through a slow motion spin.
Rarity clucked her tongue anxiously. She drew Pinkie to her, placing her friend’s hooves in the appropriate positions. “No help for it then. Watch my hooves. We’ll take the first steps together.” She cast her eyes around the room, looking for a flower, finally finding a vase of dethorned roses off to one side of the room. She levitated one of them to her. “Clutch this in your teeth, do not eat it,” she said as she placed the stem between Pinkie’s teeth. “There we are, now, just follow along.”
Part of Rarity was nervous about this. She knew this dance inside and out, but was not used to leading. As she danced Pinkie deftly across the floor, she thought it horribly amusing that her first opportunity to use this knowledge was not with “Him” nor even with... her, but instead with Pinkie Pie. Which was not to say she wasn’t enjoying herself, she thought as she deftly spun Pinkie around and lead her back across the floor. It just wasn’t what she’d expected.
She leaned in closer to Pinkie, “You’re doing wonderfully, darling. Are you sure you’ve never tangoed before?”
“Uh uh,” Pinkie replied through clenched teeth. She was trying not to drop the rose Rarity had given her, but talking and holding the rose with her teeth was turning out to be a little tricky. “‘is is kinda like ‘ancing an’ ‘ugging at ‘he same ‘ime!”
“Well, you’re a rather quick study! Brace yourself just a moment...” The music dipped in tone and Rarity in turn flung Pinkie away from her, causing a brief look of confusion in her friend’s face, only to catch her hoof and bring her back into position. She guided Pinkie around, dipping her briefly. “Get ready to release the rose,” she murmured, bringing her mouth nearly close enough for a kiss, only to clench the stem in her mouth and pull it away. Odd, is she blushing?
W-we’re so close! Pinkie thought, a little unnerved at the way her heart was racing. Maybe this isn’t like hugging after all. Pinkie let her eyes travel the contours of Rarity’s face. Rarity’s large, half-lidded eyes were gazing at her with… what, exactly? Pinkie looked away, suddenly self-conscious. Why do I feel so hot? It’s only been two songs! Pinkie gaze dropped to the rose in Rarity’s mouth and her mind returned to the way her lips had felt as they had briefly brushed against hers. Unconsciously, Pinkie leaned in close, before jerking her head away. What’s wrong with me? she wondered as she peeked questioningly at Rarity’s horn to see if was glowing. Is this some kind of magic unicorn dance? Pinkie shook her head, attempting to get her emotions back under control. Get it together, Pinkie! This is Rarity’s night, and you’re probably making her feel weird!
Rarity pulled Pinkie back up and twirled her around, bringing her close once more, leaning forward to place the rose back to Pinkie’s mouth and releasing it back into the latter’s grip. “I should have known you’d be a natural. Do you have any idea how hard I studied?” She sighed in chagrin, and no small amount of envy. “Big finish coming, let’s wow them!”
Rarity danced Pinkie side to side, the pink pony never missing a beat or stride. She twirled, and Pinkie spun, every move Rarity made was matched perfectly. As the music drew to a close, Rarity dipped Pinkie lower than ever, and brought her back up in a tight embrace. The crowd around them cheered, and they both gave small bows of acknowledgement before returning to their seats.
Pinkie slid the mudslide she’d left on the table in directly front of her, thankful that the glass was so large. Her face felt like it was on fire and she didn’t want Rarity to know that anything was wrong. Grasping the long, flexible straw in one shaking hoof, she bent it sharply down and began to drain the glass. Mmmm! she thought. As she steadily drained the mudslide, she could feel her mind take a few, careful steps back from the emotional cliff she’d been on. This stuff should be in the wells. Who needs water when you’ve got chocolate?! Timidly, she leaned slightly to the left, and tried to check Rarity’s mood from around the glass. Did she notice? she wondered.
Rarity smiled demurely, motioning for another margarita from their waitress. “Well, now you can say you’ve danced the tango. Thank you, that was wonderful.” Her drink arrived and she took a nice big draught of it.
Pinkie’s ears perked up over the glass. “Really?!” she cried jumping up and leaning over the table. “Oh, Rarity, I loved dancing with you! I—” Pinkie covered her mouth with a hoof as her eyes swiveled slowly from side to side. Oops, she thought. Excited, she’d responded at full volume and everypony in the room now seemed interested in hearing where this was going. Slowly, sitting again, she swallowed hard, and turned back to her friend. “Rarity, that was so fun!” she whispered. “I can’t wait to dance the tangle with you some more!” Reaching down to grab her saddlebags, she began rummaging through them. “There’s more bits for the jukebox in here somewhere…“ she muttered.
Rarity placed one of her hooves on Pinkie’s, shaking her head. “The tango, darling, and there will be other times, I promise you that. Now, I believe... I made you a promise. I think I’m ready to deliver, if you’re ready to lend me an ear.”
Pinkie let her eyes drop to the tabletop and gave Rarity’s hoof a squeeze. “You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to,” she said quietly. “Not even to Dr. Quackers. But if you do want to, I’ll listen as hard as I can! See, watch!” Pinkie closed her eyes and swiveled her ears forward and locked them onto Rarity’s position. Soon they began to turn red, shaking slightly. After a few seconds she released her breath in an explosive gasp and her ears settled down. Looking up again, her eyes moistened, and she blinked rapidly a few times. “I… I’ve been kinda worried, Rarity. I tried to stuff as much fun as I could into those envelopes, but your letters were so sad…” she said, her voice dropping away as she searched for the right words. “It’s been hard,” she finished lamely, shaking her head against the frustration. Why is this so hard? she thought.
Rarity looked away from the intent gaze, unable to meet it. “Sorry, darling. I didn’t mean to do that to you. I should have just explained what was troubling me, but every one of your letters made me concerned for you...” She frowned, shaking her head. “No, that’s unfair. It sounds like I am somehow blaming you for my not being open with you. I’ve told all of the others, begged for their council.” She paused in self reflection. “I think... I was selfishly not telling you because I was more interested in your travels than my own troubles; while I was reading your letters, I could forget, for a time. They made me smile.”
“They did?!” Pinkie asked, beaming.
“Yes, they did—” Rarity said, returning the smile. “—but I was serious about worrying about you!” She finished, her expression growing pained.
“Huh?” Pinkie said, cocking an eyebrow. “Me? But you said my letters made you smile!”
“Yes, but you also worried me with one of them.” Rarity stopped, thinking of one in particular which lead her to believe Pinkie was imbibing unmarked potions which were giving her hallucinations. “Well, a couple of them, but I think I was just misunderstanding what was going on.”
She turned back to Pinkie, meeting her gaze once more. “The world has a serious lack of Pinkie Pies, and you were running around risking yourself as if you came in six packs! I’m happy you had fun but... well that idiot who tried to cart you off to his hotel, you seemed to have no idea what he was taking you there for. You could have been...” She stopped, realizing her breathing had gone ragged. “You weren’t. But it could have gone so badly!”
“Oh, you mean Frat Rush?” Pinkie said, waving a hoof dismissively. “He seemed pretty okay to me. Just a little wobbly and bobbly and sleepy. Oh, and he was sorta hard to understand. He sounded like his mouth was full of snow. Kinda… slushy, ya know? He said he just wanted to show me a good place to stay for the night, but he fell asleep on the way.” Pinkie giggled, covering her mouth with a hoof. “He fell in the bushes, and he was too heavy to move, so I just put newspapers on him in case it got cold!”
Rarity snorted in derision. “Oh yes, he would have shown you a good place to stay, his own hotel room. He would have brought you in, offered you a few more drinks, then suggested you come sleep on the bed. In short order he would have shown you a fun game for two ponies, which involved him mounting you. In the morning, he might have even made you breakfast.”
Pinkie gasped, blushing furiously. “Rarity, I don’t think—but, he—um…” she said, her heartbeats pounding in her ears. Pinkie’s brow furrowed and she looked down at her hooves. “But, maybe he was just being nice, Rarity! Twilight said I shouldn’t judge ponies, even though I was right about Gilda…” Pinkie sat silently for a few moments. “He seemed nice,” she continued in a small voice.
Rarity looked at her sadly, realizing she was quite possibly making the world a little darker for Pinkie with this revelation. “I’m sure he was a nice pony, I’m sure he thought he was being very nice by offering to bring you home for some fun. But that’s the point, darling. What he wanted... it can be very fun, but he likely thought you following meant you knew what he wanted. Your night could have gone a few ways. You might have fought him off, you might have just done what he asked, and had fun anyway. But the chances are very good you would have woken up feeling... broken, and disillusioned.” She took in a shuddering breath. “I... love that happiness you exude, if that light were to disappear...”
Pinkie’s eyes began to fill and she squeezed Rarity’s hoof with her own. “S-so I m-made you write sad letters because I w-wasn’t being c-c-careful enough?” Pinkie said, her voice hitching. She reached over with her free hoof, taking Rarity’s in both of hers. “I’m s-so, so sorry, Rarity! I didn’t mean to ruin your summer!”
Rarity’s eyes widened as she realized she had been completely misunderstood. She rushed around the table, pulling a chair next to Pinkie and enfolding her in a tight embrace. “Darling, no! You were a bright light of joy that helped me remember that happiness still existed in this dark and dreary world! I was worried because the idea of you being hurt in any way might very well have been the end for me. I... screwed up so badly, Pinkie. I may well have ruined a friendship forever, because I can’t keep my big mouth shut. Or, my horn writing, I suppose. You... helped me realize that I still had reason to want to go on.”
“I did?” Pinkie asked in a quavering voice. Grabbing a nearby napkin, she wiped the corner of her eye with it. “So I didn’t mess up your summer?”
“No, darling. I did. I may well have messed up my whole life. All you did was worry me, and even that was selfish of me. I was worried for you because you were... the pony I most wanted to see. I needed you to be well, and happy, so you could help pull me from this dark well that my life has become. Because I am too stupid to consider what the consequences might be for my actions.” Rarity touched her glass, her eyes wet with tears. “This, the contents of this glass, made me idiotic enough to ruin everything.”
“You’re not stupid!” Pinkie said indignantly. “You’re one of the smartest ponies I know. I mean, maybe not Twilight, can-write-a-super-duper-hard-to-understand-research-paper kind of smart, but you always know which fork is the right one, or which shoes look good with the hat. You never start up the music at a party and have all the ponies look at you with these weird looks on their faces just because it’s polka!” Pinkie leaned forward, inches from Rarity’s face. “Rarity, you’re smart about stuff that I can’t even understand at all!”
Pinkie clutched Rarity’s hoof tightly. “But, Rarity, what happened? You’re sad, Fluttershy hasn’t written to me since the middle of summer, and Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash are… I don’t even know what! They won’t tell me what’s going on, either!” Pinkie eyes fell away from Rarity’s, and she slowly scanned the bar as if the answers that she sought were hidden in the darkened corners. “Something happened to you all this summer, but I’m the only one who doesn’t know...” Pinkie’s voice trailed off, and the flame from the single candle on the table between the two ponies shimmered and danced in Pinkie’s overly bright eyes. “I just wanna help, but it feels like secrets and lies all over again,” she said, almost too quietly for Rarity to hear.
Rarity gave Pinkie another little squeeze. “You don’t have to worry about Twilight, Rainbow, or Applejack at least. Their worst problem is that Twilight might have to pass a new law allowing them to get married. I’m sure they’ll be very happy.”
“What?! Married?!” Pinkie gasped, nearly losing her eyebrows as they shot up into her hairline. “You mean like, to each other?! At the same time?!”
Rarity nodded, primly. “It seems a little distance made hearts grow fonder.” She put her head down on Pinkie’s shoulder and sighed, dreamily. “I quite envy them, you know?. The way Rainbow put it, I am shocked their letters didn’t set their mailboxes on fire. Applejack asked me to look into solutions for marrying multiple ponies. I couldn’t find many precedents. But then, if a princess wants something, I imagine it will happen.”
“But you haven’t even been home yet!” Pinkie said, leaning her head gently against Rarity’s plush mane. “Your mailbox is probably full of letters from secret admirers and stuff! No pony’s as pretty as you,” she sighed. “All I got was a bunch of catalogues from party supply stores, and an invitation from Cranky to help plan his anniversary party.”
Pinkie sat in silence for a moment before swallowing hard. “Rarity,” she whispered. “Can… can I tell you a secret?”
“Your secret is safe, darling. Cross my heart.”
“I got lots of letters this summer,” Pinkie said with a slight tremor in her voice. “Letters from my friends, who I missed more than anything. And do you know what they all said?” Pinkie stopped to clear her throat for a moment, then took a deep, shuddering breath. “They said, ‘Pinkie, we can’t wait to come back to Ponyville for one of your Pinkie Parties.’ It wasn’t ‘I miss you, Pinkie’ or ‘walks into town aren’t as fun without you, Pinkie’. It was just about parties, just like my letter from Cranky.” Pinkie turned slowly, her hooves shaking as she tightened her grip in Rarity’s. “Except your letters, Rarity,” Pinkie said, “You said you wanted to see me!” Pinkie suddenly burst into tears, burying her face into Rarity’s chest. “A-and… and it… I… it m-meant so much to me!”
“Oh,” was all Rarity could say, at first. “Oh, Pinkie, it’s not that they didn’t miss you! I missed all of you, terribly. I’m sure they missed you, as well. It’s just... you went out traveling for supplies for the best party ever, and we all want to support you in that.” Rarity hugged her friend a little tighter, wishing she could just take this sadness of Pinkie’s into herself. She’d gotten quite used to her own by now. “Applejack has her farm, Twilight is a princess. Rainbow is...” she hesitated. “Well, she was training to be a Wonderbolt. Fluttershy cares for animals. You and I?” She laughed a little sadly. “We make ‘frivolous things.’ You make parties and baked goods, things enjoyed once, then gone without a trace. I make dresses ponies wear once for an event, then store them in a closet. It can be hard for ponies who don’t share our passion to understand. But they try, even if it’s only by voicing their approval.” She nuzzled her friend gently. “When they say they look forward to your party, they very much mean they want to see you.”
“I know, I know,” Pinkie said, wiping her cheek with the back of her hoof. “But it’s kinda not the same. I didn’t say ‘Applejack, I can’t wait for you to get back so you can bake me a pie’.” Pinkie sniffed, turning away as her ears reddened. “I’m sorry, Rarity. I keep trying to make you feel better, but I’m messing it all up.” Taking a glass of water from the passing waitress, she draining it in three long pulls. “I know they want to see me. I really do,” she said, giving her friend a sad smile as she rolled the glass back and forth between her hooves. “But it just kinda sounded like all that they missed about me were my parties.”
There was a long silence as Rarity drunk in this revelation. She wanted to deny it, wanted so badly to say it was untrue for any of them, including herself. She thought back to why she had wanted so badly to see Pinkie, and realized her motives were much the same. She needed Pinkie. She looked forward to seeing her, but it was for herself, not for Pinkie. “I’m sorry," she said hesitantly. “I did miss you, but it was for... selfish reasons. I... wanted to hear those stories in person, I wanted to laugh with you, perhaps even sing with you,” Rarity admitted, feeling wretched that her intentions were so horribly self-centered. “I wish I could say it was altruistic, but I was selfish in wanting to see you. Now I see I am laying my burdens at your hooves, instead of being a good friend to you.” She shook her head sadly, tears in her eyes. “I’m horrible!”
“No, Rarity!” Pinkie said, slamming her glass down on the table hard enough to make several of the nearby patrons jump. “That’s what I keep trying to tell you! I want to know what’s wrong and maybe fix it if I can because you’re the pony that means the most to me!” She turned, grabbing Rarity’s shoulders in both hooves. “Something’s bothering you, and I’d be the horriblerest one here if I didn’t do whatever I could about it!” Leaning in, she closed her eyes and delicately placed her forehead against Rarity’s. “You’re not a good friend, Rarity,” she whispered, giving Rarity the gentlest of nuzzles. “You’re my best friend.”
Rarity started at that, feeling her will crumble and break. The tears fell freely, now. “Thank you. I have a severe lack of best friends right now; that position was vacated very recently. I will be glad to call you mine, as well.”
“Vacated?” Pinkie said, pulling back to look into Rarity’s eyes. “What do you mean?” Pinkie paused, gasping. “Did something happen to Fluttershy?! Is that why the letters stopped?!” Pinkie swallowed hard, gripping Rarity tightly. “She’s not…” she said, unable to bring herself to say it.
Rarity sobbed loudly. “I happened to her!” She slammed a hoof down on the table angrily. “Twilight, Rainbow and Applejack weren’t the only ones who wrote to somepony to make a confession, but mine... she... she must have felt sorry for me. I bet she pitied me like one of her animals. I should have known better!”
“Oh, Rarity,” Pinkie sighed, tracing her hoof beneath the unicorn’s eyes to catch her tears. “You know Fluttershy. She’s… well. She’s afraid of stuff. You’re the prettiest pony that I know and she was probably really scared that she wasn’t good enough or something.” Pinkie touched the corner of Rarity’s mouth, hoping for a smile. “Everywhere we go, ponies fall all over themselves over you! We all see it. You’re something really special, even if Fluttershy’s too scared to take it!”
“You don’t understand... She said yes! I asked her to... c-come over for some wine and... I was hitting on her. But she doesn’t even... Fluttershy doesn’t like mares that way. She just said it because she felt sorry for me, and I made an ass of myself planning out dates. Then I found out from Rainbow that she doesn’t... That was two months ago, Pinkie. She never mailed back.” Rarity loudly stifled a sob. “I r-ruined everything because I couldn’t just keep a secret, I don’t know if she’ll ever speak to me again.”
Pinkie drew Rarity into a tight embrace. “So that’s what happened,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “Rarity, why didn’t you tell me? I would have come up to see you instead of looking for all those fake parties that didn’t exist in Fort Troterdale!” Pinkie patted Rarity’s back gently, hoping it was a comfort to her friend as she cried. “It’ll all work out, you’ll see. Fluttershy wouldn’t hate you because you told her that she’s special to you. That pony just doesn’t know what she’s missing!”
The unicorn sniffled sadly. “I wish she hated me; at least then I could be angry with her. At least then we could have a nice little fight and get past it. She just... never wrote back.”
Pinkie released her friend, but kept Rarity lightly encircled with her hooves, allowing them to rest in the small of Rarity’s back. “If… if you want,” Pinkie said, hesitantly, “you don’t have to waste those plans… I think I know a pony who’d want to go on a date with you.” Pinkie looked away, turning a deep scarlet.
Rarity stiffened, unsure how to respond. “Um... darling, I... I think I may be misunderstanding you. Did you just...”
“You said I was your fish right before you hit Slipstream,” Pinkie said, fidgeting, her face filled with equal parts yearning and fear. “I-I’ve always wanted to be somepony’s fish. Maybe I… could be your fish?”
Rarity opened her mouth, then closed it again. She desperately wanted to say yes, her heart demanded she kiss this wonderful mare and never ever stop; but her mind sung with fear and self doubt. Things like this... didn't happen to her. “Darling, You can't mean that. I... I am grateful, but you shouldn't—can’t do that..."
Pinkie scanned her friend’s shocked face, then released her hooves. “I-I know I’m not the prettiest fish. Or the smartest. Or the fastest. I’m always jumping this way when the rest of the school is swimming that way, and I’m always eating lots and lots of cakes instead of plankton,” she said quietly, her voice breaking. Pinkie blinked rapidly, her eyes dropping to the floor. “But I’d try to be the best fish you’ve ever had!”
Rarity swallowed heavily. "Darling, you are the most adorable, perfect fish, never ever question that!” She reached out to lay a hoof over Pinkie’s shoulder. “It’s not that at all. I...well I had had my ‘pole’ broken, and I had sworn off fishing... and now you’ve jumped into my net, pretty as could be.”
She giggled suddenly, although it sounded more like a half-hysterical sob. “I think maybe we can drop the metaphor. I...I'm not saying no. But..I just let her go, in my heart. If I said yes... I… it's too soon." Rarity wrapped her forelegs around her friend, trying to squeeze out her own fears. "I want to be loved, but not because I am hurting and clinging to you. I love you, I do. Ever so much, in fact. I wonder if I ever really knew how much, until now. But I can't, not yet.” She drew in a deep breath. “But... maybe... maybe I could give you something, for being so brave and wonderful.” She grasped Pinkie’s head, turning it towards her. She leaned forward, swiftly, desperately pressing her lips to Pinkie’s.
Pinkie’s eyes flew wide as she straightened in her seat. For a heartbeat, she was frozen. Then she melted into Rarity, making up what she lacked in experience with enthusiasm. Cupping the back of Rarity’s head with her hoof, she leaned into the kiss hungrily, a tear trickling down her cheek.
Rarity shakily broke the kiss, gasping. “Sweet Sisters…” she said quietly. “Thank you, Pinkie.” Silence reigned, neither mare sure what to say. Rarity finally broke it, hesitantly. “Will you give me some time? I want to spend a lot of time with my best friend.” After a brief pause she added: “And maybe kiss her… when my heart lets me. W-would that be okay?”
“Yeah,” Pinkie said, beaming as she wiped her tear away, “I think everything’s going to be okay as long as we’re together!”
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Whoo hooo!
It's out!
~Skeeter The Lurker
Eeee! It's here!
Holy crap, this chapter... so long. I gotta put on my big-boy pants now.
Yes... "Hugging." That's what Tangos resemble...
3358480 Well, Pinkie has a hard time saying "Playing Twister" with a rose in her mouth.
3358527 I was thinking a different two-syllable present participle would do better as a descriptor, really
Incredibly sweet and heartfelt. Definitely put a smile to my face.
Now I have to read more of those letters so I can catch up on what's going on.
3358543 Baking? I don't think it looks like baking at all...
3358602 Now I know you're doing it on purpose
3358624 Well, to be fair, Pinkie does realize a little further along that it's rather more intimate.
3358630 True enough.
Wow Steel.....just wow. The feels are strong here. I'm very much looking forward to more of this, and I definitely can't wait to see the mailbox project finished! What a way to start things off. I also have to say that I can't get over how perfectly you write both Rarity AND Pinkie, especially Pinkie. You're able to keep her true to the fun-loving, hyper, sometimes over the top Pinkie that we are all used to but you don't portray her as an idiot like so many others do. Bravo good sir, thank you for sharing.
3359246 I'll take credit for Rarity, but Pinkie was all X.
3359286
Please make sure he knows how impressed I am with this. I know a lot of people admit to having trouble writing Pinkie and he did an incredible job here. Don't sell yourself short either, 'Green' gives us a fantastic Pinkie Pie as well.
Steel, you and xjuggernaughtx worked so had on this, and it really does show. You each have your characters nailed down perfectly, everything is natural and flowing, and there is the possibility of more to come. You both are amazing, your writing together is amazing, and I can not say enough good things about this or you both.
I know some authors have trouble when they try to collaborate, but you two were able to work together so well and make this amazing piece.
Just... Bravo.
You guys did an amazing job on this. Bravo. Bravo.
Wow. Just...wow. Perfect start.
3359420 Thanks so much for that and for reading this! I love writing Pinkie and I have very strong views on her. I think she's very pidgeon-holed and underestimated by a lot of authors. I like her to be her crazy, zany self, but she's a lot deeper to me than she usually allowed to be. There's a lot going on in her mind that she usually keeps to herself. With Rarity to talk to, it'll be nice to explore some of that.
You'll can be my fish anytime Pinkie
No, Rarity, you can be mine.
*Cue sax music*
You really like RariPie, don't you?
Perfect
Ok, that whole "your/be my fish" thing, was nothing short of amazing! Keep going dude(or dudette) I like it!
3361178 I don't know how we got on that 'fish' thing. Steel just threw it out when Rarity was dealing with Slipstream, and I decided it would be very Pinkie for her to fixate on this thing that Rarity just said as an offhoof remark. It seemed like a silly way to describe a very serious subject, and therefore very Pinkie.
Dear Steel Resolve,
Even though I'm a sucker for romance, I abhor shipping. I find it most bland, uninteresting and, to put it bluntly, just plain stupid. Your works, however, seem to avoid this rule of mine, being the complete opposite of what I just had stated, so give yourself a pat on your head, look into the mirror and say "Good job, you fucker!" and slap that ass, because fuck me, this is good.
With love, your favorite most important non-specific central nervous system inhibiting neurotransmitter,
Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid.
PS: If you mention this to anyone I will hunt you down and eviscerate your entire family.
3361394 Your secret is safe on this end. Of course your delivery method means you might need to slaughter many families
3360639 Its tied for my favorite. Pinkie and Rarity are just adorable together.
3361430 They are, aren't they? Btw, followed!
3361411
denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw8457-133588198154.gif
Squee! Happy happy happy.
3361284 The whole TwiBowJack thing is... well I have my own thoughts on that sort of thing, but its certainly not enough to keep me from liking this!
3361634 I can't speak to that. I just control Pinkie in these stories. I'm certainly very happy to hear that you enjoyed reading this, though. Steel and I really wanted to put our best foot forward!
3361581 Wow! Loeden has been lured from her lurker status!
3361735 I know, right?
Ah, seriously though, the transfer to a new jobsite got hectic when for a short bit I was working in both locations. I'm back now, ya-hey-hay! 
3361818 Let me be the first to say that we are thrilled to have you back!
3361828 Yay, thanks!
Oh, didja see that Present Perfect was reccing your Discord fic the other day? 
3361898 Yup! I follow that guy. I noticed he had reviewed Diary of a Silent Tryant and he assured me he was getting to Pliant Tyrant next. That was a relief. I like my first Discord story, but it's pretty old now. My writing has gotten better since then. I was really honored that he liked the story so much.
3361468 Thanks!
Five bits says I know why Cheerliee was doing shots while grading papers.
Also wonderful story, you nailed the pandora's box that is pinkie pie
3365577 Thank you very much! I have a great time writing Pinkie Pie. It was really nice to know that I could do some interesting things with her in this story and know that Steel would be right there with Rarity to make it work.
tinyurl.com/mbho6go
I am both happy and sad at the same time!
It's
Poor Rarity.
Yes, I can get behind this. Definitely looking forward to more.
It's a reference to Scooby Doo!
Are the grades in her class that bad that she needs to inebriate herself while grading their papers?
Missed opportunity here. Why no Berry Punch at the bar?
As soon as the story turned to Pinkie Pie and when Pinkie started talking, this story blew me away! I loved Pinkie Pie in this! It's a very interesting take on Pinkie Pie. She starts off almost uncharacteristically manic but as the story progresses she becomes deeper and more serious. It's cool to get deep inside Pinkie Pie; you don't see that a lot. Now I did read Rarity and Fluttershy's letters, and I guess I'm going to have to read everypony else's letters. (Especially to find out what the hay happened with Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow.
) Now, I'm very familiar with your story "Green", and I'm aware you have a mature Pinkie Pie/Rarity story, which I've not read because I don't really like mature stories. To a certain degree here and in your letters, you've brought these two concepts together. Rarity was in love with Fluttershy but just as in one of her nightmare scenarios in "Green" it turns out Fluttershy doesn't really like mares or her in that way. And know she's moving on to Pinkie Pie. 
I like how Pinkie Pie's feelings for Rarity grow subtly as the story reaches its climax. I also like that unlike in "Green" where Rarity and Fluttershy spend an almost agonizingly long time just longing for each other until somepony finally did something 
, Pinkie Pie just puts her cards on the table right away. 
Rarity at least gives her a hopeful answer. 
I look forward to seeing where this is going. Keep up the very good work.
P.S. Are the Mailverse Letters going to be published as a story or is just going to be in that group forum?
3387612 There is a collection coming, once the last letters are complete.
3387612 Well, thank you! I really enjoyed writing Pinkie Pie for this. Pinkie is such a versatile character, and I don't think people really explore what she's all about often enough. I'm thrilled that you liked where we took her!
Mother of Celestia, this is amazing! I especially appreciated the way Pinkie was portrayed. Pinkie Pie =/= Idiot!
Pacing was great, it felt like the show (but with some... References. Hint hint. Wink wink. Nudge nudge) lol-worthy comedy, and characters are definetely in-character. I can perfectly imagine Pinkie sliding her face on the desk like that in the show XD
Now I must read ze letters! :D
Liked and faved!
3391013 It means a lot to me that you enjoyed Pinkie in this story. I really wanted her to show some sides to herself that the other ponies don't get to see that often, alongside the funny stuff.
Normally, I can't envision Pinkie with anyone, but OMG this was amazingly done. I really think they were adorable and I wish I could read more. Please consider writing more and thank you for such a wonderful story.
3535896 Just so you know, we are in the process of writing a new chapter (which, at these lengths, is the same a new story), so you will have some more to read of this in the near future. I'm happy you enjoyed Pinkie in this story. She's very special to me, and I try and write her with care. I couldn't do it without Steel, though. His Rarity is tremendous and it give Pinkie something to lean against.
Yay! wh aren't there many RariPie ships?