Step Four: Two Steps Forward...
Rarity busied herself around the boutique, setting up tea service and making sure the boudoir was immaculate. It was very important that she not think. Allowing herself to think would mean allowing herself to panic, and there was nothing to panic about. Her... friend of many years was coming over to talk to her. That was all. Tea would be had and certain faux pas would be addressed, and hopefully the whole messy business would be put behind them at last.
She refused to think about how hurt she felt when she thought about that... friend. It was not helpful to think about that. She needed to be serene, and perfectly poised. After all, she was also going to be telling her friend about her new relationship, and whatever sins had been committed between them, she would very much like that revelation to go well. Unlike other revelations she had made which had distinctly not gone over well. But then, that was something she wasn’t going to think about.
So she busied herself, checking and double checking everything in the room. And she did not think, because thinking did not help.
Pinkie had said noon. The clock said it was two minutes till. Two minutes. It was going to be fine. She would greet her friend, apologize for being such a mule, and life would return to some semblance of normalcy.
She heard a knock on the door, and definitely did not hide behind the chaise lounge. That would be foolish, and foalish, and she was neither.
Being neither a fool nor a foal, she stood up from behind the chaise lounge that she had not been hiding behind and walked calmly to the door. Her magic sparked as she tried to open it, which was odd, but not a sign of nervousness. Seeing her marefriend and former best friend waiting on the doorstep, she definitely did not faint. The last thought going through her mind as she pulled her chaise lounge towards her was that this was an opportune time for a nap.
“Oh, come on, slowpoke!” Pinkie said, giggling as she doubled back. Bouncing down the path again to where Fluttershy trudged, she could barely contain herself. Today was going to be great; she just knew it. “What’s with all the lagging and hoof-dragging? We’re gonna be late!”
Fluttershy tried to look up from the path, but didn’t quite meet Pinkie’s eyes. “I think I forgot to leave food out for Angel. I’d better—”
With a final bound, Pinkie landed next to Fluttershy, grinning. “Don’t be a silly filly, Fluttershy! You left him two salads, remember?”
Fluttershy bit her lip and looked back toward the cottage. “Oh. Right,” she said, already turning back. “But the chickens—”
“—are in the coop!”
“And the bear has a cold that—”
“—that he’s sleeping off in his cave with the warm blankets we brought him.”
Fluttershy broke into a trot. “The stove’s on! I just know it! I’ll just—huh?” The pegasus stared down at her hooves. They were moving but she didn’t seem to be getting anywhere.
“Fluttershy, it’s gonna be okay,” Pinkie said, spitting out the pegasus’ tail. Leaping forward, she wrapped Fluttershy in her most friendly hug. “You’ll see. Rarity can’t wait to make up with you over all of this, and then I can throw you both a big You-Girls-Wrote-Some-Weird-Letters-And-Did-Some-Maybe-Not-So-Great-Things-But-You’re-
Totally-Making-Up-Because-You’re-Best-Friends party!” Releasing Fluttershy, Pinkie hooves were a blur as she ran in place. “Oh, it’s been so long since I’ve thrown one of those!”
Fluttershy’s brow furrowed. “You’ve had one of those before?”
Pinkie sat, putting a hoof to her chin. “Well… no, I guess. But never is a long time, right?”
“Well…”
Pinkie leapt back to her hooves, her ears perking up. “See? It’s all working out superdupergreat! You two will get to make up, and I’ll get to throw a new, special, one-of-a-kind party! Oh, it’s gonna—”
“Pinkie?” Fluttershy said softly.
Pinkie looked up, alarmed. Fluttershy’s voice wasn’t smiling. It wasn’t even trying to grin. It was the kind of sad, scared voice that only comes out when lower lips were trembling and eyes were tearing up. Maybe not right at that moment, but somewhere in a pony’s mind, they were crying when they used that voice. Pinkie swallowed hard. “Yeah?”
“I-is it really going to be okay?” Fluttershy began to tremble. “I-I know you said that Rarity wasn’t actually mad, but what I did… I, um...”
Pinkie ran her hoof through Fluttershy’s mane, pulling back the curtain of hair that the pegasus so often hid behind. “You’ve been friends with Rarity forever, silly-billy!” she said, smiling encouragingly. “You don’t just throw out a friendship like that over some silly old letters.”
Fluttershy jerked back, her wings flapping reflexively. “But they weren’t silly, Pinkie!” she said, her voice quavering. “Mine were horrible and hers… hers were just frightening and angry and sad! I-I just c-can’t, Pinkie!” Fluttershy flapped harder, rising into the air. “She won’t forgive me! I don’t deserve to be forgiven, and we both know it!”
Pinkie leapt, clutching onto Fluttershy’s rear hooves as the pegasus rose. Inch by inch, they sank under their combined weight. “Shh. It’s okay,” Pinkie said, holding Fluttershy as she cried. “It’s all going to be better soon, I promise. Here, watch!”
Pinkie released the pegasus and stepped back, solemnly placing a hoof on her heart. “I, Pinkie Pie, do swear that Rarity and Fluttershy will be best friends again. Cross my heart and hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye.”
Fluttershy looked up, wiping a tear off of her cheek. “You Pinkie Promise it’s going to be okay?”
“Yup,” Pinkie said, smiling broadly. “You worry too much, Fluttershy. You girls will be drinking tea and rolling around in the mud again in no time!”
Fluttershy’s mouth twitched in what Pinkie took to be a sincere attempt at a smile before faltering again. “Oh, well if you really feel that strongly about—wait. Rolling in the mud?”
“You know, at the spa.” Pinkie screwed up her face and squinted at the sky. “Or at least, that’s what I do in there! Rarity’s more into rubbing her temples and apologizing to the staff, I guess.” Pinkie threw a hoof wide and cocked her head to the side. “Why don’t you guys roll around more? It’s a humongous pit of mud!”
Fluttershy took a deep breath and held it. In that moment of stillness, she could feel the fears and doubts within her. They were always so overpowering, threatening to drag her down. Demanding that she run and hide.
But I can’t this time! she thought, focusing. Her heart was racing, and she could feel her legs trembling violently. I-I don’t want to be scared of Rarity! I want things to be the way that they were.
Fluttershy closed her eyes and sent her mind to the meadow. It was a place that she visited when things were frightening. A mental location of absolute tranquility, where she could lay in the sun amongst the wildflowers, surrounded by bees and butterflies. It was warm there, and the breeze was light. It was a place where nothing startling ever happened.
Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy filled her heart with that tranquility, allowing it to radiate out into her whole body. Soon, the tremble in her legs eased, and her heart stopped beating quite so alarmingly hard. Taking another deep breath, she could feel the sun’s warmth spreading through her again.
“Fluttershy? You okay?” Pinkie said, her hoof hovering uncertainly between them. She wasn’t sure whether to disturb whatever this was or not.
Slowly, Fluttershy nodded. “Yes, I-I’m ready.”
“Well, that’s good,” Pinkie said, beaming. “Because we’re here!”
Fluttershy looked up, panic spreading like wildfire across her face. She’d been so wrapped up in her fear that she hadn’t even noticed that they’d arrived. “Eeep!” she cried, taking to the air once more.
Pinkie rolled her eyes, grabbing the pegasus’ tail in one hoof while knocking on the door with the other. “Rarity?” she said, throwing the door wide. “Hey, Rar! Fluttershy’s here and—oh!”
She had a just a second to meet her love’s eyes before Rarity fainted, collapsing heavily onto her chaise lounge.
Rarity’s consciousness returned to her body slowly and grudgingly. It’d had a rough time just now, and wasn’t quite sure it wanted to come back just yet. The pony that Rarity had just seen made it very nervous. Eventually it settled down, making her eyes open and flutter in confusion. The eyes darted around the room, seeing something pink first, which was calming, then something yellow. Seeing the yellow, her consciousness fled once more for a quick breather.
Pinkie tilted her head to the side, shrugged at Fluttershy. “Huh. She seemed so…” Pinkie twirled her hoof, searching for the word “...awake before. She was up all last night, walking around and around. Poor Rar. She’s all worn out!” Perking up, Pinkie plunged her hoof into her mane, sticking out her tongue in concentration as she rummaged around. “Aha!” she cried, pulling out a large cookie. Turning, she gave Fluttershy a wink. “Sometimes, when I jump too high in Sugarcube Corner and hit my head on the ceiling, Mr. Cake uses these to bring me around again. Here, hold Rarity’s head for me.”
Fluttershy retreated a few steps, edging behind the lounge. “Um, Pinkie. I’m not sure—”
“Oh, Fluttershy,” Pinkie said, rolling her eyes. “You two are being ridiculous, and that’s kind of my job.” Looking up, she gave the pegasus an encouraging smile. “This is gonna make you feel all better, remember?”
For a moment, Fluttershy stood, trembling. Nothing would make her happier than to have things like they were before. To somehow erase the whole summer and just start over like it had never happened. But even the sight of Rarity made her heart race in precisely the way that she hated. It felt trapped, like an animal in a snare. “Pinkie, I… I…”
Pinkie sat next to Rarity, running a hoof through those spectacular curls. “I know it’s hard for you, Fluttershy,” she said quietly. Smiling gently, she traced the contour of Rarity’s cheek, marveling for the millionth time at how perfect the unicorn was. Every detail was a masterpiece. “It’s hard for Rarity, too.” Her eyes welling, Pinkie dropped her voice to a whisper. “And for me. She’s hurting, Shy. She’s hurting so much.” Pinkie looked up, her lip trembling. “You both are. I… I just can’t stand it. I just want everypony to be happy again.”
Fluttershy looked away, biting her lip. Swallowing hard, she inched out from behind the chaise lounge and slowly knelt down beside Pinkie. Her hooves shook as she worked them underneath Rarity’s head, lifting it to gently cradle the unicorn. “O-okay. What now?”
Pinkie sighed, her muscles relaxing. “I knew you could do it!” she said, giving Fluttershy a quick squeeze. “Now watch! This works for me every time. Lift her head up a little bit.” Placing the cookie just under Rarity’s nose, she broke it. Leaning forward, she gently blew the delicious aroma into the unicorn’s face. “I hope this doesn’t take to long!” she said, her eyes twinkling as she looked over at Fluttershy. “Nurse Pinkie Pie’s about to eat this patient’s prescription!”
Coming to for the second time was no easier. The yellow was still there, and as her eyes opened wider the yellow resolved itself into a yellow coated pony. The words ‘yellow pony’ drifted around in her head for a while, looking for a word to connect with.
Concerned, she thought, satisfied with the word.
A pink shape stood next to the yellow pony, after a moment she decided that it was a pink pony, and the best word to connect to it was ‘surprised’.
All this progress! Soon, with any luck, she would be able to form coherent sentences. She furrowed her brow, and decided to try her hoof at something simple at first. This pony, this concerned and yellow pony, had a name. What was the name?
“Fluttershy?” she said aloud, giving it her best guess. The name seemed to fit. Success! That was a sentence! Granted, it was one word, but it was a sentence nonetheless! It was time to really push herself. Multiple words now. “You came?” Mentally, she gave herself a gold star. Two words, brilliant.
Fluttershy gave a small squeak, whipping her hooves away as though Rarity had suddenly caught fire. “Um, I… um.” Reaching out, she gripped the back for the chaise lounge tightly and took a deep breath. “Yes. I-I did.”
Pinkie clasped her hooves under her chin. “This is so great, you guys!” Jumping up, she trotted to the kitching. “I’ll just make us all a little snack while you two talk things over.”
Fluttershy leapt into the air, hovering above the lounge. “But you said you’d hold my hoof! You said you wouldn’t leave me alone!”
Rarity, who had been supported by those yellow hooves only moments before, thumped back down onto the chaise lounge, causing the poor piece of furniture to creak in protest. Fortunately, its designer had been appraised of its purchaser’s propensity for some serious swooning fits, and held up under the strain.
Pinkie rolled her eyes. “Shy, I’ll be back in just a minute! I’m just going to make us all some of those teeny-tiny party sammies and hot chocolate.”
Sitting up unsteadily, Rarity eyed the hovering pegasus with apprehension. It would seem she wasn’t the only one having second thoughts about this meeting. Well, one of us has to be the strong one here, and she’s never been the hardiest of ponies. “Come down, darling. I promise I won’t bite. Not even if you ask nicely.” She eyed the entrance of her boutique, realizing this was not the setting she’d wanted for this meeting. “Follow me, I have tea ready in the boudoir.” With that, she got up and walked calmly to the other room, dragging her lounge behind her.
Fluttershy wavered in the air uncertainly. She hesitantly followed Rarity, her nerves screaming at her to break for the door. Halfway there, she remembered Pinkie and set off for the kitchen, only to look over her shoulder at her best friend. As she watched Rarity struggle to push the lounge through the doorway, Fluttershy suffered such pangs of regret and longing that she forgot to keep her wings pumping. With a small cry, she dropped to the floor. “Ow…” she said, rubbing her rump.
Rarity turned back in surprise, nearly falling herself as the lounge finally got past the threshold of the doorway. She regarded the creature that had filled her with such apprehension, sheepishly rubbing her sore bottom after having apparently fallen from the air for lack of remembering to flap her wings. Something about this whole situation struck her as hilarious, and unable to stop herself, she began laughing uncontrollably.
Fluttershy craned her neck, checking to see if she was bruising. “I-I don’t think it’s very funny,” she said, not quite daring to look up at Rarity.
Rarity worked to stifle her laughter, managing to get down to a quiet chuckle. “Sorry, darling. I didn’t mean to laugh at you so much as us...” she gestured to the two of them. “The two of us, walking on eggshells. Lo and behold, one of the shells just cracked!” She giggled anew, walking to Fluttershy and pulling her gently back to her hooves. “We’re better than this, aren’t we? Come, I have some lovely infusions ready.”
“Um… okay.” Fluttershy hung her head and followed, throwing one final glance to the door Pinkie had disappeared through. Swallowing hard, she stopped at the threshold, peeking inside. Rarity was there, by a small, well-appointed table, beckoning. Oh, Pinkie, where are you? she thought, her eyes darting to the corners of the room, looking for dangers that she knew weren’t there. There was only one monster in the boutique, and it had yellow wings. “Rarity, maybe this… Maybe I shouldn’t...”
“Sit,” Rarity responded, firmly. “This is long overdue. But first, we’re going to have some tea, and then I want to hear a little about your summer.” Rarity began to pour hot water into a teacup, looking up at Fluttershy as she did so. “Chamomile, two sugarcubes, and a dash of cream if I recall? Sorry, it’s been a quite awhile..” she trailed off uncomfortably as she remembered that she was the reason for that, smiling weakly.
“Oh, um…” Fluttershy took a deep breath, forcing her hooves to stop shaking as she pulled the cup and saucer toward her. “Yes. That’s perfect,” she finished with a ghost of a smile. Steeling herself, she finally met Rarity’s eyes.
She regretted it immediately. Rarity’s eyes usually shone brightly. They sparkled and twinkled and laughed. She could hold entire conversations with the twitch of a single eyelid. But now, her friend’s eyes were careful. They were eyes that had been hurt, and they told Fluttershy that the unicorn was scared and hurting still.
Fluttershy careful set down her cup and got up. “I-I’m so sorry, Rarity,” she said. “I… I’m…” she began creeping backwards toward the door. “I made a terrible mistake, and I think that you’ll just be better off without me.”
Rarity’s horn flashed, holding the door in place. “Darling, please… I know this is horribly awkward, but don’t give up on us. Just… just sit and let’s talk like we used to? I miss that. Tell me anything. How are your animals doing? Is… Angel all right? How is Harry’s back doing?”
Despite herself, Fluttershy smiled weakly. “Oh, Rarity. You should have seen Angel. We left for the summer, and he was so fussy. I kept telling him that there was lots of nice clover in Whinneypeg for him to eat, and that I’d made sure that the grass at the cabin was just the height that he likes to run around in, but you know Angel...” Fluttershy climbed back into her chair, picking up her teacup without realizing it. “But when it came time to leave, I practically had to pull him away from the cabin. He fussed the whole way there, and then he fussed the whole way home!”
“Oh, Opal was the same way. I put her up in a luxury suite at the best animal shelter I could find.” She gestured to Fluttershy with her teacup. “Well, save yourself, of course. She snubbed me for a solid week after I went to get her. I tried her favorite foods, catnip, yarn... Nothing worked!”
Fluttershy nodded. “She can be a little testy sometimes when I’m grooming her, but I just keep telling her what a beautiful cat she is and how nice she’s going to look. She’s really very sweet once she understands how pretty she’s—”
“Hey, girls!” Pinkie said, checking the door with her hip as she swung a large tray of small sandwiches and cups of cocoa through it. “So who wants yummy beecumber snackwiches? Shy, I know you love beets, and Rarity can’t get enough cucumbers, so I just put ‘em together!” Setting the tray down on the table, Pinkie curled up beside Fluttershy, taking her hoof. “So,” she said, grinning broadly, “whatcha talkin’ about?”
“Fluttershy was just telling me about how fussy Angel was during her trip. I think I admire you sometimes, Pinkie. You have such an... uncomplicated relationship with Gummy,” Rarity said, smiling as she took one of the sandwiches from the tray. Beets and cucumbers... She eyed the sandwich dubiously, glancing up at Pinkie. Well, I’ve heard of stranger combinations that worked, she thought idly as she bit into the sandwich.
Pinkie pointed at the snackwich. “Oh, and I put frosting in there, too! ’Cause I like that!”
Rarity, feeling her teeth sink into the aforementioned frosting, stopped mid bite. She lay the sandwich down and picked up a scone instead. “You know, I think perhaps I’ll have something a little lighter. But thank you, love. That was very thoughtful.”
Pinkie shrugged. “You don’t know what you’re missing!” Bringing her hoof down smartly against the edge of Rarity’s plate, she launched the snackwich into the air. Leaning back and catching it in her mouth, she chewed with lusty abandon. “Mmmm. Buttercream.”
Fluttershy used the distraction to claim a sandwich, trying not to draw attention to herself as she scraped off the thick layer of creamy frosting. “Gummy’s complicated in different ways. He’s… a little hard to understand sometimes. Just when you think you might, he does something… well, he’s just hard to read.”
Rarity laughed, a real, unabashed laugh. “You have such a flair for understatement, darling! I think the only creature more inscrutable than Gummy is his owner.” She took another dainty bite of her scone, taking a sip of tea to wash it down. “But I suppose you’re right. He is a bit of an enigma. Part of his charm.”
Topics for small talk temporarily exhausted, the three ponies ate and drank, two of them studiously ignoring the giant elephant in the room. Still, it did feel good to laugh and chat again, even if it did not solve any long term rifts in the friendship of the two in question.
“So... tell me a bit about Whinneypeg,” Rarity said finally, desperate for any discussion that might stave off the questions that had been mounting in her mind all summer. “Surely you did more there than suffer Angel’s fussiness and be whistled at by idiots?” Rarity blanched, realising the topic of Fluttershy being hit on was dangerously close to certain topics she was trying to avoid. “I-I mean, that is, I only got one letter from you that wasn’t about trying to placate me after I screwed up so badly—” Alerts went off in her head. This was a direct breach of etiquette. Abandon topic, repeat, abandon topic. “F-forget the letters, I just want to hear how your summer went!” she finished quickly.
Half of Fluttershy’s tea sloshed onto the table as she started, and the cup chattered against the china saucer while she struggled to set it down. “Y-you?” she said, staring at Rarity in shock. “You didn’t mess up. You just tried to tell me how you felt! I’m the one that messed up! I was so s-scared of disappointing you, and you needed me to be brave!” She looked down, ashamed. “But I’m not... I’m not a brave pony. N-not like I should have been.”
Pinkie looked back and forth between them, a hesitant smile forming and dissolving as her two dear friends fell more deeply into the discussion. Well, there they go. But this should be more huggy and laughy. She swiveled her head from side to side as they spoke in turn. But they’re not hugging at all… Squeezing Fluttershy’s hoof, she picked up a snackwich, chewing thoughtfully as she watched Rarity. She knew the signs, and as polite as Rarity was acting, she was teetering on the edge.
“Darling, no! I was selfish and stupid for bringing up something so personal in a letter of all things! I should have told you ages ago, in a quiet environment, but I was just so...” Rarity trailed off. Well, here it was. The elephant would not be ignored, time to address it. “What I don’t understand is why you would lead me on like that.” she said, after a moment. “I begged you to let me down easy, asked you to come over for tea to talk it over. Why would you break the promise we made? We Pinkie Promised to be honest with how we felt!”
Pinkie’s jaw dropped, looking at Fluttershy closely. A broken Pinkie Promise was no laughing matter. “Wait, my hooves get hot when ponies break a Pinkie Promise, and I didn’t get hot hooves!” She cocked an eyebrow at Rarity. “Are you sure?”
Fluttershy stared down at the floor, silent.
“Darling, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“I… I didn’t lie.”
Rarity’s eyes snapped up, uncomprehending. “I’m sorry?! Please, don’t run away again, but I asked you over for wine and you said you would like that. Did...did you not know what I meant?”
Fluttershy seemed to wilt under Rarity’s penetrating gaze, slowly sinking down into her chair. “I... knew. I read each of those letters over and over and over.” She looked away, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I knew.”
Rarity stammered for a moment, not daring to speak. “I don’t… Rainbow said you didn’t… I’m sorry, I have to ask, are you straight or not? I mean, if you just didn’t feel the same, I appreciate the sentiment, but I wasn’t looking for a one night stand, darling!”
Silence loomed over the trio like a scything blade.
“Rarity... I... I love you. I told you that.”
Pinkie gasped, a cold, trickle of fear piercing her heart. Wait, she loves Rarity, too?
“I love you,” Fluttershy continued, “but not like that. And I don’t... I don’t feel that way about mares, or you. But you wanted me to be brave, didn’t you?”
“Darling, I never, ever would want you to—”
Trembling, Fluttershy traced the stitching on Rarity’s fine cloth napkins with a hoof. Squeezing her eyes closed, she took a deep, shuddering breath. “I was going to c-come over. I was going to drink with you. And, um… see what happened.”
Rarity barely registered the shattered teacup as it fell from her hoof. Her eyes wide, she rose, scrambling back a few faltering steps. “What?!”
“I’ve—I’ve never felt like that for anypony, Rarity. I mean, sometimes... I watch Big Macintosh working, and I feel… something, but not like what you talked about. I just thought... maybe it would work? If I was just brave enough, maybe it would be okay. But then you wanted to go on dates, and I couldn’t make myself say I wanted that. I… if it was for a night, I might have been okay. But I can’t… I’m so sorry, Rarity, I just can’t…”
The last traces of Pinkie’s smile finally disappeared completely as she watched the blood drain from Rarity’s face. “Uh, girls—”
“You were going to…” Rarity stared at her friend as if seeing her for the first time. And perhaps she was. “So… what then? Lay back and think of Canterlot?”
Fluttershy shrank away from the accusation, her ears laying flat. “I didn’t think…”
“Hold on,” Pinkie said, putting up a placating hoof. “Let’s—”
“No, no I don’t think you did, did you? “ Rarity demanded, shame and self loathing thick in her voice. She had driven her friend to this, driven her to feel like she had to submit herself like some sort of bizarre sacrifice to the sick lusts of her best friend. But the darker parts of her mind explored this farce to the bitter end. “Were you going to tell me on our first date? I suppose we would have gotten our first kiss out of the way by then—”
“Rarity, I couldn’t tell you—” Fluttershy said, pleading for her to stop.
Pinkie’s heart began to pound. No! This is all wrong! This isn’t how it’s supposed to go!
“And why was that? Do you have so little faith in our friendship? Did you think my heart so frail? How about when I proposed?” Rarity pressed her friend, as Fluttershy stared steadily at the floor.
“Still no?” Rarity’s voice was becoming shrill with building confusion and anger. “On the marriage bed as I consummated our union of lies?”
“I… I…” Fluttershy choked back a sob as she tried to come up with some answer to the barrage of questions.
“Tenth anniversary, then? When, Fluttershy? When were you going to tell me?!” She screamed the last sentence, glaring at this creature she’d called friend for so long.
Pinkie looked back and forth in panic, trying to decide who to calm down first. Her mouth was suddenly so dry that she could hardly speak. “Please, you guys! It’s not supposed to happen like this!” she whispered. “I promised Shy that it wouldn’t…” Shuffling in place, she realized that her hooves were burning like mad.
“I’m sorry!” Fluttershy whispered back, scrambling out of her seat and bolting out of the boutique like the demons of Tartarus were hot on her tail.
Rarity watched her go, breathing hard and feeling like she wanted to throw up. She wanted to kick, and scream, but the one she was angry with had fled. To think it could have gone so far, it was everything she’d feared. And Fluttershy had been prepared to simply let her!
Pinkie’s steps were small and uncertain as she made her way over to Rarity. Her marefriend had been so angry that her horn had begun to spit sparks of magic, burning several small holes in the tablecloth. “Uh, Rarity…”
“She was just going to… to…” Rarity trailed off, still unable to comprehend it. Without somepony to focus on, her anger ebbed, leaving her feeling drained emotionally and physically.
With a shaking hoof, Pinkie tentatively reached out and wrapped her leg around Rarity, drawing the unicorn to her. Burying her head into Rarity’s lush mane, she inhaled. As always, the curls smelled wonderful, alive with just the right hints of wildflowers and exotic spices. Pinkie gently snuggled the unicorn, allowing herself to sink into those plush curls. “Oh, Rarity,” she whispered. “What happened?”
Rarity only shivered slightly, throwing her hooves around Pinkie and clutching her as if she never intended to let go.
Pinkie watched the open door swing lazily in the breeze. We tease her about being a scaredy-pony, but I-I’ve never seen her run like that before. Wrapping her legs more firmly around Rarity, she guided her to the chaise lounge. “Let’s…” She paused, taking a moment to still her quavering voice. Her hooves were still shaking. “Let’s just…” Pinkie looked to the door again, blinking back the tears.
Taking Rarity’s face in her hooves, she kissed the unicorn, and then again, more deeply, relaxing as Rarity began to respond to her. “Rarity, you know that I love you, right?”
The unicorn nodded into Pinkie’s chest, snuffling quietly. She didn’t feel very lovable right now, but that was one truth she did not question when the rest of the world seemed ready to burn down around her as it did right now. In the morning, the sun would rise, and Pinkie would love her.
Pinkie looked down, clasping Rarity’s hooves in her own. “A-and you love me, too, right? Like, for really?”
“W-with all of my being!” Rarity whispered fervently.
Pinkie used the back of an interlocked hoof to wipe her eye. “I-I just need to hear it sometimes,” she whispered. “I messed this all up, Rarity.” Swallowing hard, she sagged, slowly burying her face into Rarity’s curls again. “I made you girls meet up when you weren’t ready ’cause I thought it would be all better. I-I thought I’d make it right again!” Her voice began to crack as the tears flowed more freely. “I promised her it would be okay, but it wasn’t! I promised!”
Rarity’s heart skipped a beat. Broken promises were a serious matter for Pinkie. “Darling, please don’t blame yourself! All blame is between her and I. We shouldn’t have tried this meeting.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Rars! None of this would have happened if I hadn’t have pushed so hard for it,” Pinkie answered. “I messed this up, but I won’t mess us up.” She squeezed Rarity, relishing the reassuring contact, the solidity of her marefriend. “I’m gonna work extra hard from now on.”
A breeze caught the door, and both mares watched as it creaked open again. Their friend had fled through that doorway, yet here they were, still huddled on the lounge.
Rarity was silent for a time, merely holding and being held by Pinkie. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she reached out toward the doorway with her magic, closing it. She would not be following after Fluttershy, not the way she felt right now. But that didn’t mean Fluttershy should be left alone. “Pinkie… Fluttershy… she… she deserved some of that tirade, but perhaps not… not all of it. She’ll need a friend.”
Pinkie looked at the door, then around the room, taking in the scene again. A tablecloth pulled askew. The broken saucer and teacup. Fluttershy’s chair, sitting on its side several feet away. And finally, the door which had formerly been left swinging in the wind. All evidence of the pegasus’ panicked flight from the boutique. Pinkie nodded, turning back to search her marefriend’s eyes. “But what about you?”
“I’ll... I’ll be fine,” Rarity said, trying to keep the waver out of her voice.
Pinkie stretched out her tail, coiling the end around one of the unicorn’s fine cloth napkins and bringing it to her hoof. Delicately, she dabbed at the Rarity’s mascara, which had just begun to run. “Okay,” she said, moving to the other eye, “I’ll go find her, but I want to make absototally sure that you’re gonna to be alright while I’m gone.”
“P-Pinkie Promise, darling. Please, go be her friend, she needs one right now.”
Pinkie held the cloth napkin up to Rarity’s nose. “Now blow!”
Rarity blew her nose loudly, all decorum disregarded for the moment.
Rising, Pinkie set the napkin on the table. “Don’t forget about these snackwiches,” she said, lifting the nearly full tray for Rarity to see. “The frosting will get all stale if you don’t eat them soon.” Righting the chair, she pushed it back into place. “And you guys never even had the hot cocoa I made.” Kneeling down, she scooped up the broken saucer and placed the fragments on the table. Finally, she tugged the tablecloth back into place, just the way Rarity liked it. “Rarity?” she said, trotting back to her marefriend.
“Yes, love?”
“I love you so much.” Pinkie leaned in, nuzzling Rarity and streaking her mascara again. “I’m s-sorry that I messed this up. I’m gonna fix it somehow!”
“You didn’t. This had to happen eventually. I... I just wish I hadn’t lost my—”
Pinkie pressed her hoof to Rarity’s lips, silencing her. “Shh. I’ll be back for dinner, and after that, I want some us-time!” Pinkie kissed the tip of Rarity’s nose. She tried to smile her best, happiest smile, but it broke apart halfway through, collapsing into a pained grimace. “I-I kind of need it,” she whispered before galloping after Fluttershy. Speeding out of the room, she left a Pinkie-shaped hole in the air that blew a kiss to Rarity before collapsing with a little pop.
Rarity laid her head down on her forelegs, allowing herself to weep openly. She kept telling herself she was fine, because to be anything but fine was to break a promise to her beloved. And so, being perfectly okay, she cried like a foal.
Usually, Pinkie was perfectly happy to be an earth pony, but not today. I’d trade all the cupcakes in the world for a pair of wings! she thought as her hooves pounded on the hard-packed dirt path. Or even one wing and a bunch of balloons to tie onto me so I’d be all floaty. Or maybe half a wing, and a whole big bunch of balloons and two or three of those cupcakes back...
She’d searched everywhere, but Fluttershy had just vanished. There was no answer at the cottage, and nopony in town had seen her. Pinkie had even run through the Everfree Forest and over to Fluttershy’s favorite picnicking meadow, but the pegasus was nowhere to be found.
Pinkie shook her head, trying to clear her vision as her eyes began to tear up again. This is all my— Pinkie grunted, accidentally veering into one of the bushes that lined the road. Tumbling headfirst through it, she startled several rabbits who’d been napping inside. “Sorry!” she called after them. Sighing, she tried to free her tangled tail from the foliage. “I’m sorry for lots of stuff today…”
Scowling, she tugged at the branches, but her tail was hopelessly tangled. Wrapping both hooves around her tail, she yanked with all her might, giving a surprised squeal as the branches broke. Tumbling end over end, she rolled back out onto the path, covered in dirt and small leaves.
Pinkie stared at the broken bush, her heart sinking. “I-I can’t even run on a path right, and now look. I messed up those bunnies’ home.” Her lower lip trembling, Pinkie broke into a gallop, craning her neck to try and look everywhere at once. If I could just find her! If I could just talk to her!
At a fork in the road, she chose left without giving it a second thought. This wasn’t a right kind of a day. She’d been trying to make things right, but every time she thought she had her hooves around the problem, it just squirted out like that funny water weenie thing that Rainbow got her for her birthday last year. Every time you thought you had it, it just slipped right out of your grip. She’d thought it was hilarious at the time. Not anymore, though. Today was too weenie-ish for smiling.
Okay, maybe the cottage again! she thought, her breath now coming in ragged gasps. I’ve been everywhere else. She’s probably just not answering because I broke my promise. Pinkie’s eyes threatened to tear again, and she bit down on her cheek. No! No more crying! I’ve already destroyed a perfectly innocent bush. Well, I guess it was innocent. Pinkie looked over her shoulder, squinting down the way she’d come. Maybe it jumped out at me…
Reaching Fluttershy’s gate, Pinkie leapt into the air, hurdling it. She had no time for latches, and the only other option was to run through it. She’d done that to few walls at Sugarcube Corner when there were fresh fritters, but repairing the holes always turned out to be a whole lot of work. By the time she was done, the fritters were always stale.
“Fluttershy!” she called, pounding on the door with her hoof. “Fluttershy, are you in there? Please, open—eek!” Pinkie’s eyes flew wide as Applejack yanked the door open.
“Y’all better have a real good reason for this,” Applejack growled, thrusting her nose directly against Pinkie’s. “I just spent the last two hours tryin’ to get Fluttershy to put three words together at a time without cryin’, and from the little that I could get straight, you and Rarity got somethin’ to do with whatever it is.”
Pinkie backed up a step, crossing her eyes as she stared down at her flattened nose. Closing her mouth tightly, she blew, and her nose re-emerged with a satisfying pop. “Oh, Applejack, it’s all my fault!”
Applejack frowned, but some of the angry lines around her eyes smoothed. “Well, that’s a promisin’ start. Now why don’t you come on in here and tell me what the hay is goin’ on. And try to keep things down to a dull roar. I just finally convinced Fluttershy to go take a nap.”
“O-okay,” Pinkie said, creeping into the cottage. With excruciating care, she lifted one hoof and took a step. Sweating, she scanned the floor. Every board suddenly seemed fraught with danger. With all the control she could muster, she slowly put it down several inches over the threshold.
Squeak.
“Sorry!” she whispered as the board creaked beneath her hoof. Dropping her head, she stared through her legs at her rear hooves. Slowly, she lifted one of them, teetering as she inched it forward.
Applejack rolled her eyes, grabbing her friend by the scruff of the neck and dragged her into the room. “Oh, for pony’s sake, Pinkie! Would you just get in here and give me the rundown?!”
Pinkie hung her head. “Sorry. I just keep going left.”
Applejack blinked a few times. “Huh?”
“Nothing,” Pinkie replied, looking away. “It’s just that kind of a day.”
Applejack pushed her hat back, scratching her mane. She was used to Pinkie’s unconventional approaches to conversation, but she had to admit that she was lost at this point. “Sugarcube, can you please just tell me what happened? I was just on my way to the market with a load of apples when Fluttershy came barrellin’ down the path and ran smack into me.” Sighing, Applejack climbed up into Fluttershy’s overstuffed chair. “Her face was a mess ’cause she’s been cryin’ her eyes out.”
“Yeah, running and crying is kinda dangerous. It scares bunnies.”
Applejack just decided to let that pass for now, adding it to the bottom of her long list of questions. “Anyway, I walked her on back here, and she wasn’t makin’ much sense. She just kept goin’ on about how horrible she was and how she ruined everything. I finally just made her drink some of that tea she likes and told her to take a nap.” Applejack squinted, leaning forward. “But we both know Fluttershy wouldn’t hurt a fly. In fact, if she saw a hurt fly, she’d probably tuck it bed and make it some bug soup or somethin’. I was sittin’ here tryin’ to piece together what little she gave me, and then here you come, lookin’ like you been cryin’, too.” Applejack crossed her legs tightly over her chest. “Honestly, you look guilty as a fox in a henhouse, so what gives?”
“Oh, Applejack!” Pinkie wailed before slapping her hooves over her mouth. “You’re so right,” she continued, dropping her voice to a whisper. “I’m totally foxy right now.”
Applejack squeezed her eyes closed, massaging her temples. “Pinkie, could you just get a move on?” she said through gritted teeth.
“O-okay.” Pinkie picked up one of Fluttershy’s soft cushion off the floor, gently placing it with the others on the couch. “If I just hadn’t stuck my nose in it, she’d probably be right here, snuggled down in these pillows with a good book or something. If you’d just smooshed my nose in earlier, everything would have been different. I couldn’t have stuck it anywhere. You see, when we were all gone over the summer, something happened. Something between Fluttershy and Rarity.”
“I, ah…” Applejack licked her lips, fidgeting. “I heard about that. A little.”
Pinkie frowned, smacking the couch with her hoof. “You did?! How come I’m the only pony here who didn’t know what was going on?”
“Well, it ain’t like I really knew much, Pinkie. Shy and Rarity wrote once or twice sayin’ that Rarity had, uh… well, that she’d said some stuff about maybe wantin’ to be a little more than just friends.”
Pinkie dropped her eyes, staring at her hooves. “Both of them told you?”
“Uh, well… Yeah, they did, Pinkie.”
“They didn’t tell me,” Pinkie finally replied in a small voice. “Nopony tells me anything.” Wiping her eye with the back of her hoof, Pinkie took a deep, shuddering breath. “Anyway, I guess it didn’t go so well, and when Rarity got home, she was pretty upset. I tried everything I knew to get her to smile, but it would always fade away.”
Pinkie swallowed hard, her hooves trembling. “You know, AJ, I always thought having a special somepony would be different. Like, that it would be like a big party everyday. I thought we’d be outside, running around and laughing, or… or that we’d be staying up all night, telling ghost stories and then hugging the scares out of each other. But… it hasn’t really been like that.”
Hopping off the couch, Pinkie began to pace. “At first, I was all Flutterized. Whenever I’d get through to Rarity, she’d go all stiff. I thought maybe she didn’t really like me at all. Like, maybe I was just around until she got things all worked out with Fluttershy.”
“Oh, sugarcube, you know better,” Applejack said, jumping up to embrace Pinkie. “You know Rarity wouldn’t hand a pony a raw deal like that.”
Pinkie tapped her forehead with hoof. “Yeah, I know that here,” she said before moving the hoof to her chest, “but I didn’t know it here.” She offered Applejack a weak smile. “But I do now. I was just being a scaredy-pony because I didn’t want Rarity to leave. I… AJ, I know I’m a silly pony sometimes. I hear them in town sometimes, when they don’t think I’m listening. I know I don’t fit in, but…” Pinkie looked away, trembling. “I’ve never had something like her,” she whispered. “Somepony who just likes me for me. Somepony who wants me around.”
Applejack held her friend at hoof’s length. “Now that’s just a load of hooey! What’re you talkin’ about? Everypony here wants you around, especially your friends!”
“Then how come you girls never told me anything about what was really going on?” Pinkie said, stomping a hoof. “How come you all knew about this love stuff you were all going through? Everypony knew ponies were falling in love, or not falling in love, but me!”
Applejack flushed, her eyes darting away. “Well, I… I guess we thought maybe you wouldn’t be, uh, too interested in that sorta thing.”
Pinkie sat, taking Applejack’s hoof in her own. “I know I’m a little silly sometimes, but I’m not a foal. I love you girls, and I just want to be as big a part of your lives as you are in mine.”
“Oh, sugarcube, I…” Applejack stopped, her mouth working wordlessly as she watched her friend’s shoulders sag. “It’s not like that, but I guess it might look that way. C’mon.” Applejack pulled over to the couch, climbing up onto it and leaning on the pillows. “Sit on down. We’ll get it all worked out, but I got to admit that I’m more lost than when you got here.”
Pinkie plopped down on the couch, leaning her head on Applejack’s shoulder. “Why didn’t anypony tell me?”
Applejacks signed, frowning. “Pinkie, this whole mess was kinda tough for us. We were fussin’ at each other through these letters, and then here you come, all smiles and songs and amazin’ tales of adventures. It’d… well, it’d be like Rainbow comin’ to a Pinkie Party with a big ol’ stormcloud. It’d just ruin the whole thing. For a while, we had five miserable ponies, and one happy one. Why make it six?”
Pinkie squeezed Applejack’s hoof. “’Cause maybe I could have made it better somehow?”
“Sugarcube, sometimes things just take talkin’ and a whole bunch of time. That’s all we needed. We weren’t trying to single you out. We just wanted you to be happy, and not run all over Equestria tryin’ to put out the fires that we couldn’t seem to stop startin’.” Applejack lowered her head, looking up into Pinkie’s downcast eyes. “Does that help? I swear it’s the honest truth.”
Pinkie nodded, pulling out a handkerchief from her mane. “Yeah. Rarity told me that, too, but I guess it’s just hard. I-I just want to be there for you girls like you’re always there for me. That’s… that’s why I came here to talk to Fluttershy. I wanted to make it all better, but I guess you girls were right. Maybe nopony should have told me.” Pinkie’s hooves twisted around each other fitfully. “I would have messed it all up.”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Land’s sake, I wish one of you ponies would just spit it out! Fluttershy says it’s all her fault. You think it’s all yours. I’m guessin’ Rarity thinks she’s to blame. Could one of you just tell me the story before I get old and grey?”
Pinkie took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to find the right words. “Well, like I said before, Rarity was still all sad about Fluttershy. I tried and tried to make her happy, but she was just all pokey inside.” Pinkie looked over to Applejack, unusually serious. “AJ, do you know what that’s like? To… to watch the mare that you love just aching, day after day? I couldn’t stand it, and so I kept on telling her that she had to make up with Fluttershy. I thought it would be the only way.”
Pinkie took one of the plush pillows, squeezing and releasing it repeatedly as she spoke. “I finally talked her into a meeting, and I was so happy!” She tried to give Applejack a smile, but it died before it could fully form. Lingering briefly on her face, it slipped away like a ghost. “I ran over here as fast as I could and made a date with Fluttershy for them to talk.”
Applejack’s brow furrowed. “Well, that all sounds pretty good, Pinkie…”
Burying her face in the pillow, Pinkie’s hitching sobs were muffled. “AJ, I p-promised Fluttershy it’d be okay. I told her I’d hold her h-hoof and that it would be all better after they talked. I was so sure!” Pulling her face from the cushion, Pinkie stared down at the tear stains she’d left there. They looked for all the world like deflated balloons.
“But it wasn’t okay, AJ,” Pinkie whispered, flipping the pillow over. “Something happened. Fluttershy said something and Rarity just started screaming.”
Applejack leaned in, her eyes widening. “What’d she say?”
Pinkie looked away, her hooves twisting around on another. “I-I don’t know. I was kind of busy eating these scrummy snackwiches that I whipped up. They were getting along really well, so I wasn’t really paying attention, and then… then...” Pinkie swallowed loudly.
“It’s like that sometimes, sugarcube,” Applejack said, rubbing Pinkie’s leg. “We all love each other, but sometimes friends just fight. It happens.”
“AJ, you don’t understand!” Pinkie said, slapping the cushion with her hoof. “I promised Shy it’d be okay! I Pinkie Promised her! She only came because she trusted me, and I messed it up bad. I should have been paying attention. I should have—”
“Pony’s sake, Pinkie!” Applejack said, scowling. “You can’t control everythin’! So you made a promise and it didn’t work out. Did you mean for Rarity to get upset?”
“N-no…”
“Well, Pinkie Sense or no, you can’t see the future.” Applejack shifted, moving alongside Pinking and throwing a leg around her shoulder. “Pinkie, I want you to hear me out. This is a long time comin’, and unless you get a handle on it, you’re gonna be in a world of hurt one of these days.” Applejack pushed her hat back and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. She wanted to make sure she had her friend’s full attention. “You ain’t responsible for everypony’s happiness, okay? We all love that you want to do right by us, but not if it’s gonna tear you all up inside. You hear me?”
Pinkie looked away, shrugging half-heartedly.
“No, I’m serious,” Applejack said, giving her friend a little shake. “We’re all mighty grateful that you’re here to lift our spirits, but you can’t make it a reflection of how much you're worth. Fluttershy probably knows that you did all you could, but here you are, rippin’ yourself apart about it without even talkin’ to her first.” Applejack took off her hat and sat it beside her. Squeezing Pinkie tightly, she didn’t want the brim smacking her friend in the head. “Sounds like you did what you thought was best, and yeah, maybe you shouldn’t go makin’ promises that you don’t know if you can keep or not, but pony’s sake, Pinkie! Sometimes I don’t understand how you do what you do, but you ain’t a superhero! Quit tryin’ to take on the whole world!”
Pinkie wiped her eye, nodding. “But, my promise—”
“Oh, Pinkie, it’s okay.”
Pinkie jumped, falling off of the couch. Whirling, she saw Fluttershy’s head poking through the banister at the top of the stairs.
Applejack scowled, jamming her hat back onto her head. “Don’t nopony here ever listen to good advice? I thought I tucked you in for a nap!”
Fluttershy looked away for a moment. “Well, y-you did…” she said, biting her lip. “But then there was all this pounding and yelling. And… and I heard a board squeak by the door. And then a whole bunch of crying and, well, it was kind of hard to sleep through.” Creeping down the stairs, Fluttershy climbed up onto the couch, motioning for Pinkie to join them. “I think maybe we should talk a little, Pinkie.”
Hanging her head, Pinkie squeezed up between her friends, wiggling until Applejack moved over a foot or so. “I’m so, so sorry, Fluttershy. I… Rarity…” Pinkie squeezed her hooves together so hard that the blood was forced from them momentarily. She watched as they turned bone-white before slowly fading back to pink again. “I thought we’d just all be friends again,” she finally whispered.
“We would be,” Fluttershy said softly, “if I hadn’t ruined it. I shouldn’t have told her. It only made things worse.”
“You?” Pinkie said, her head snapping up. “I’m the one who messed up!”
Applejack shook her head. “You two,” she said, massaging her temple. “Or three, I guess.” Cocking her head to the side, the fell silent for a moment. “Pinkie, how’s Rarity doin’?”
“She’s, um, pretty upset… ish,” Pinkie answered, wincing as Fluttershy quailed. “I wanted to stay with her, but she said Shy needed me more. I-I didn’t know what to do, exactly. I was so worried about you,” she said, turning to squeeze Fluttershy’s hoof, “but Rarity was doing that thing where she falls on the couch and stays there for the rest of the day, crying.”
“Sh-she was?” Fluttershy said, her eyes growing wide.
“Yeah,” Pinkie answered, her voice dropping down into a husky whisper. “I was a little scared to leave her, but she was pretty insistent that you should come first.”
Applejack hopped off the couch, adjusting her hat to fit just right. “You know what, Pinkie? Why don’t you stay here for a bit with Fluttershy and l’ll go check on Rarity. I think maybe somepony who’s a little more removed from this whole mess might help out a little.”
Pinkie bounded off the couch, tackling her friend with a tight embrace. “Oh, would you, Applejack?! I hated leaving her there by herself, but I also hated Fluttershy being all by herself, and then the two hateds sort of pushed around back and forth for a while like those sumo ponies and I got salt sprinkled all over my imagination and—”
“Okay, okay!” Applejack said, pushing her friend away with a grin. “I get it, you’re worried. We’re all worried, and I’ll go check up on Rarity for you.” Trotting to the door, she stopped for a moment, looking over her shoulder. “Just, um… Just give us a little time, huh? Sometimes talkin’ to a pony outside the situation helps, but it might take a little while, okay?”
Pinkie nodded, then reached into her mane again for her hankie. With an explosive blast, she blew her nose and stuffed the handkerchief back into wherever it had come from.
“Alright, then,” Applejack said, opening the door. “I’m off. See y’all later. And Pinkie?”
“Yeah?”
“Think about what I said. The six of us are a team, but you’re takin’ on too much. You can’t make yourself responsible for everypony’s happiness all the time. You’ll go crazy thinkin’ like that.”
With a tip of her hat, Applejack closed the door.
After a good cry, Rarity got up and made her way to her inspiration room. She thought it might help her focus, but after several minutes of staring at the blank drawing paper, she turned away in disgust. She couldn’t get her mind off of worrying about Pinkie and Fluttershy, but at the same time, she was still furious with her friend for what she’d tried to do. What if Rainbow hadn’t made that chance comment? Would they be together even now, Fluttershy loathing her every touch but saying nothing?
It made her shudder. Fluttershy was just that sort of friend. She was always just going along with Rarity, never protesting unduly. But doing that was too much. At least, when she had no interest in mares. Rarity had been in a very unsure moment when she’d suggested they try to experiment, but apparently not so for Fluttershy.
In a way, she envied her friend. For Rarity, it had never really been a certainty. She’d been raised on tales of princes marrying princesses, her mother and father were deliriously happy together, so obviously finding a prince was the way to happiness. But, thinking back, Fluttershy was not the first mare she’d been attracted to, but she was the first Rarity had been unable to ignore as being an attraction.
She supposed, if she was being totally honest with herself, that she had Fluttershy to thank for her ever getting closer to Pinkie. Perhaps... perhaps fate worked in its own way.
Well, that’s all well and good, but I still need to somehow make things right with Fluttershy.
Sitting down on her coach, she eyed the teapot dubiously, knowing the water would be cold by now. She picked up a sandwich, forgetting all about the frosting on the inside... and found it delicious.
Pinkie, you were right again. Sorry for doubting you, love.
She made quick work of the sandwich, feeling guilty for enjoying such a thing. Frosting in a sandwich... it was unheard of.
Her ear perked up as the chime on her front door announced a visitor. “Pinkie? If that’s you, come join me. If it’s a customer, I’m going to have to ask you to come back another time, please.”
“It’s me, Rarity!” Applejack called out from the front room. “You doin’ all right? Pinkie asked me to come check on you. You want some company?”
“Applejack! Well, of course, darling. I’m in the boudoir.” Rarity called back. She settled herself on the chaise lounge, popping another scone into her mouth.
Applejack tentatively stepped into the room, scanning. Well, it ain’t as bad as I reckoned it’d be, it bein’ Rarity and all. No sign of suitcases. That’s good, I guess. Trotting over, she hugged her friend, patting her several times on the back. “You okay, sugarcube? Pinkie’s over with Fluttershy right now, but she’s worryin’ herself to death thinkin’ about you.”
Rarity hugged Applejack back, gesturing for her to make herself comfortable, which Applejack did. “Oh, I’m just fine! You remember what I wrote you? You know... about Fluttershy saying she returned my affections? Well, as it turns out, she never felt that way about me.”
“Uh, well, Rainbow did mention somethin’—”
“Oh, but it gets better. She planned to come over here, drink with me, and just let… what is the expression? Oh yes, let ‘nature take its course.’” Rarity laughed half-hysterically. “And I, in my infinite poise and wisdom, screamed my fool head off at her for even thinking about it!” She gestured at the sandwiches on the tray. “Would you like a sandwich? Pinkie made them. They’re quite good.”
Applejack absently scooped up one of the tiny sandwiches and tossed it into her mouth. “Wait, hold up. You’re sayin’ that Shy was just gonna, uh, go with… whatever? That sounds like a bad...” Applejack mumbled from around the appetizer. Screwing her face up, Applejack’s chewing slowed, then stopped. “Rarity, what the hay is in this thing?”
“Cucumber, beets, and buttercream frosting. I know it’s odd, but somehow it works.” Rarity picked up another sandwich, biting into it. When she’d finished chewing, she began waving the sandwich around for emphasis. “She’s not attracted to mares at all, and she was just going to… let me have my way with her!”
Applejack’s eyes travelled around the room as she considered that. “Rarity, I think you might be blowin’ this a little out of proportion. I guess I can’t say for sure, but you know Shy. She’s as timid as a newborn lamb.” Screwing up her face for a minute, she squinted at the snackwiches before popping another one into her mouth, chewing noisily. “Maybe she thought she’d do that, but once the time came, she’d’ve skedaddled on up outta here. It woulda been too weird for her. ’Sides, it ain’t like it actually happened or—”
“Well, of course I know none of it really happened. The point was...” Rarity trailed off, looking forlorn. “I don’t even know anymore. I just don’t appreciate being lied to.”
Applejack scooped up another sandwich, plopping it into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully. “Well, it ain’t exactly like lyin’ in the traditional sense, Rarity. Could be that she wasn’t so sure herself. Maybe she was thinkin’ about tryin’ out some new things. I, uh, well… I guess I could relate a little if she did.”
“Fine, fine! She didn’t lie so much as not tell me how she really felt!” Rarity pointed the sandwich at Applejack. “We promised each other after that whole mess with Photo Finish that we would not do this again! I asked her to tell me if she was uncomfortable, or didn’t feel the same! A lie by omission is no better!”
Applejack nodded. “I’m with you, Rarity. I really am. Not just comin’ out with it ain’t the right thing to do, but Fluttershy ain’t exactly bold, you know what I mean?” Applejack looked down at her hooves, sighing. “We all got flaws, Rarity,” Applejack continued, poking her friend lightly in the ribs. “Even gems like you. Shy’s are just more out in the open. She’s awful timid when she’s cornered. She does the easy thing instead of the right thing sometimes. I-I ain’t sayin’ that I’m behind that, ’cause I ain’t, but I sorta… well, I guess I expect it a little bit. I just try to keep that in mind when I’m workin’ with her.” Applejack frowned, her brow creasing. “What I’m tryin’ to say here is that, yeah, you been done wrong, but it’s what’s behind that wrong that’s important. Do you really think Shy was tryin’ to hurt you?”
Rarity opened her mouth, getting ready to be very upset again, but she just didn’t have the energy. “Of course that wasn’t her intent. I know that. But it doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt me all the same. Knowing she didn’t mean to only makes me feel worse.”
Applejack cocked her head to the side. “How do you mean?”
“Well, I should think it obvious; if I hit you with a teapot because I became excited by something and it flew out of my grasp, does the fact that I didn’t intend to do it make it hurt less?” Rarity picked up the teapot, and for a brief moment Applejack was ready to duck in case this example got a little literal. She sighed in relief when it was merely put back down. “Fluttershy never means to hurt anything. So I can’t even blame her for it! It’s infuriating!”
Applejack pushed her hat back, momentarily narrowing her eyes as she watched Rarity. “Okay, so you’re mad that you can’t get mad, least not real proper mad. Makes sense, I guess. Celestia knows I feel that way about Rainbow sometimes. Well, maybe a little more than sometimes...” She nodded her head, standing up. “Okay, c’mon.”
“Errr, where are we going, exactly?” Rarity said as she stood as well.
“Remember when I said I’d be there for you if things went south? Well, this is about as south as it gets.” Applejack held the door open with her hip as she shooed Rarity through it. “We’re gonna go get a drink, or maybe a whole bunch of ’em. What’s your poison?”
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Oh man! I was crying through most of this chapter, then this line happened.
Need to read and comment on the new chapter, just want to say I can't believe I never knew that this was a sequel-thing from another story. >.< Did you just add that tag or have I missed it since this stories inception? I will have to read through now to get a better understanding of exactly wth happened to Rarity during her time away.
4193336 That is why I love writing Pinkie Pie. I get to do things like that.
4193723 It has always been a sequel to The Mailbox Letters, but the letters were only recently put into a story compilation, rather than just a series of discussions in a group forum.
Well, there it is. Now we can start picking up the pieces.
An excellent though heart wrenching chapter. I was wondering did Bookplayer or Churchy help out on this?
4196092 All of the Pinkie, AJ, and Fluttershy is done by X. The characters were written to stay in character based on the letters. Bookplayer did go over the AJ, and gave it a thumbs up.
4193885 Me, too. And I truly admire the ways you and Steel Resolve characterize her. And, well, not just Pinkie, actually. This story has touched me in so many ways, and I'm genuinely grateful to the both of you for this.
4197467 Well, I'm very happy to hear it. This is my all-time favorite Pinkie that I've ever written, so it means a lot when people respond to it. I know Steel loves this story and his Rarity, so we are both dedicated making as good as we can make it.
The title of this chapter is rather misleading. This seems like more of a step back than two steps forward... Oh wait.
Once again, xjuggernaughtx shows the real depths of Pinkie Pie. This time the depths of despair.
This chapter was so sad and funny. It's like Pinkie Pie in a nutshell.
For a story about Rarity and Pinkie Pie hooking up, there's a lot of Fluttershy in this story. Of course, she is the source of main conflict here so she's necessary.
Either way, I enjoyed this outing, and I look forward to more. Keep up the good work you two.
4199611 My thinking is that Pinkie and Rarity can never truly be happy together with this specter of Fluttershy hanging over everything. Rarity will never be able to emotionally open up while she's still nursing the wound. Pinkie can feel this, and so she's desperate to get things resolved so that she's properly un-Flutterized. Too desperate, it would seem...
*Tear
Beautiful.
Had me rolling with Pinkies antics and pulling my Lyra with those scenes.
Equestrian happiness, all on the back of one mare.
There would be no end to the madness fair.
The sacred promises watched over by Pinkie, still can go a stray.
4338119 I actually had more Pinkie silliness in there at first, but Steel and Karrakaz pointed out that she was being too ridiculous when seriousness was called for. I agreed and toned her down a little bit, but I'll just let you know that at one point she got her tail stuck in a bush and had an argument with it.
4348435
Lol that bush would of derailed some thought.
O3o sounds like a bloopers reel -- would read
Still it was enjoyable. Catching a laugh in the middle of that storm.
Nice job
Letters-And-Did-Some-Maybe-Not-So-Great-Things-But-You’re-Totally-Making-Up-Because-You’re-Best-Friends party!”
_____________________
Did you mean "Rare" as in "Rares", or is it is on the tin and pronounced "rawr"?
_________________
Move down a line.
______________
Rares
_____________
You
[Y'all = you all, and is a second person plural pronoun (a plural you). Much like Youse, Yintz, or You-uns is up north.]
________________
They all need to get together and huggle. Mixing the powers of a FlutterHug, and a PinkieSnuggle with a sprinkle of Rarity's classiness .. or on her fainting couch. It'd make them feel all better. Possibly a Kamikaze, Ft. Gordon Creme Soda*, or a Royal Equestrian** thrown in for good measure.
*: Ft. Gordon Creme Soda: 1/3rd Pepsi, 1/3rd Mountain Dew, 1/3rd Banana Rum.
* Royal Equestrian:
1 oz. Kahlua
3/4 oz. Bailey's Irish Creme
1/2 oz. Cake Flavored Vodka
1/2 oz. Frangelico
[Can be taken shaken or stirred.]