About halfway through Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle had sat down next to the fountain with the intent of drying her hooves. As she sat focusing on the wind spell, a stray thought went through her head as her fetlocks puffed out and dried. She had absolutely no idea where Cheerilee’s mother lived. Straining her face, Twilight grunted as she rocked back onto her hooves. Sure, she could extrapolate where she had seen Cheerilee come from with the general fatigue she had when she came through the library’s front door. She only needed to gauge Cheerilee’s movements with the amount of sweat and she’d get a good idea for how far she walked. Sadly, she was interrupted from thinking about Cheerilee’s sweaty body by somepony else.
“Twilight!” a familiar voice called. Turning, she smiled as her friend Rarity trotted up towards her. “What a pleasant surprise to see you out and about tonight.”
“Hello Rarity,” Twilight greeted. Immediately Twilight brought up Ponyville’s landscape in her head, and realized that Rarity was walking from Carousel Boutique, rather than to. However, she didn’t get to dwell on it. Rarity’s eyes sharpened as she looked her friend up and down without hesitation. “Um, is there something wrong?”
Rarity looked into Twilight’s eyes, forgetting herself. Laughing deflectively, Rarity waved a hoof in front of her. “Oh ho ho, no, Twilight..” she trailed, meeting Twilight’s deadpan gaze. “Well, to be frank, yes,” she relented. “You look an absolute fright. You have black running down your face and your fetlocks are, for lack of a better phrase, like Big Macintosh’s after winter.” Twilight gave her hooves another cursory glance. The drying spell had left them completely frayed out in every direction, but she suddenly found herself reluctant to say that she didn’t like the look. “What did you get on you, Twilight? Have... have you been Smoozing? Dear, I shouldn’t be the one to tell you that drugs are not the way to go.”
Blinking, Twilight stared at Rarity before she realized she had completely forgotten to actually cast the spell to remove the ink Cheerilee had hugged into her. Casting her spell, water spouted out of the fountain and washed across her face, pulling the ink right off her and sending it straight at the ground. Usually, she would just place it back in one of her inkwells, but she hadn’t time to keep a floating orb of darkness around her until she happened upon one. “It’s ink,” Twilight explained. However, she had no time to speak further before she was suddenly assaulted by a brush and comb in the magically adept care of Rarity, her hooves subjected to much prodding and brushing. Twilight struggled against her friend but to no avail. “Rarity!”
“Oh just hold still Twilight, this will only take a second. A lady should not be caught out at night looking like she came out of a tumble dryer.” Rarity paused what she was doing a moment as she looked Twilight in the eye. “Dear, what are you doing at this hour, anyway?”
“I could ask the same thing! But I was looking for Cheerilee’s mother,” Twilight stated flatly, offering her hoof to Rarity to do as she pleased with instead of struggling against it.
Rarity hesitantly took Twilight’s hoof in hers, brushing it gently. “What is it that you want to do with that harlot?” she asked. “Twilight, you aren’t going to–”
“No!” Twilight rolled her eyes, “Why does everypony keep saying that? And what are you doing out so late? Shouldn’t you be doing that new order you got from Canterlot? And where did you get these combs? You don’t even have any saddlebags.”
Rarity smiled, letting Twilight’s hoof go and giving the others a quick nod of satisfaction. “I am working on the order. Or rather, I was. You see, I was working in my shop earlier when you wouldn’t believe who walked in and invited me to dinner at the Blue Mare.” Twilight was busy inspecting her hooves to answer right away. Until she had been brushed, she had no idea that her fetlocks had grown so long. They easily reached past her hooves and to the ground. The fact they had been so tangled up around her hooves disturbed her. Looking back up at Rarity, Twilight realized she was literally waiting for her to guess a pony.
“Oh, uh, Fancy Pants?” Twilight responded, watching Rarity deposit the brush and comb into the nearest open window with a dumbfounded stare.
“It was!” Rarity gushed. “How did you know?”
Twilight looked around, tapping her hoof to her mouth as she started to remember the stallion who had shown up earlier. “He stopped by earlier with a message for me, but I was busy and...” Twilight trailed, her mind suddenly latching on to what she had asked him earlier. “The Blue Mare!”
Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Sweety, I don’t think I can take you to my business date.”
“No, I mean, I asked him to tell him to meet Cheerilee’s mother at The Blue Mare!” Twilight facehoofed. “Cheerilee and I were going to meet her, but–”
Rarity stopped her short. “You and Cheerilee were going to meet with her mother? Why would...” she trailed off, her eyes bulging slightly. “Twilight! Have you been dating Cheerilee?”
Twilight nodded slowly. “For a couple months? We started at the end of Summer after we got back from my brother’s wedding.” Rarity looked away, her hoof on her mouth. Twilight suddenly tensed up, realizing her serious faux pas. “Oh no! I thought everypony knew by now! I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, I forgot I hadn’t!”
“Mm?” Rarity mumbled, her eyes refocusing on Twilight. “Oh, it’s not a problem, dear. I’m happy for you!” However, both ponies quickly looked toward the courthouse, taking a look at the new clock that adorned the top story. “Oh dear, I’m going to be late.” Twilight nodded.
“I guess we’re both going to the Blue Mare then. Hopefully, Cheerilee’s mother is still there with Fancy Pants, but I don’t see why she’d stick around.” Twilight turned to look at Rarity, who had a strange look on her face. “Sorry Rarity, but I’m gonna have to tag along.”
Rarity looked back at Twilight’s fetlocks, but she hid her disapproval as best she could. “Yes, I suppose you must. Let’s go then, you can tell me all about you and Cheerilee along the way.”
-o-0-o-
“Scarlet, you really have not changed!” Fancy Pants chuckled, taking a very small sip of wine as he laughed with the maroon earth pony. “I suppose if motherhood couldn’t, neither could age, yes? How are your daughters, by the way?” He asked. He decided not to include the fact that, while he had delivered Twilight’s news with the utmost haste, he did not impart that he had seen Scarlet’s daughter covered in ink on the floor of Twilight Sparkle’s library.
Scarlet Letter smiled, taking a much longer drink from her wine than her compatriot. “Mm, talking about a woman’s age, are we Fancy? For shame.” Winking, she joined in on his laughter. “My daughters are doing very well, as you know. That mare Cheerilee’s with, Twilight Sparkle, she’s quite the unicorn.”
“Mm, yes, She’s a very unique mare. I saw her at a garden party with Rarity– she’s a seamstress in the area. Unparalleled work, I must say.” Fancy Pants looked Scarlet in the eye, a knowing smile on his face. “You do know Rarity, don’t you Scarlet?”
She smiled, nodding. “Well of course,” Scarlet motioned over her dress, which was a lovely ensemble. It was a very calming blue, giving the mare a very hot and cold appearance. However, a red letter A adorned her flank on the dress, so she would never be without her cutie mark. “I commissioned this from her, years ago when my little Cherry was in her glam rock phase.”
“How terrible,” Fancy said, “the glam rock, of course. Not the dress. You still look stunning.”
“You flatterer, you.” Scarlet Letter waved her hoof. “Don’t think I’m not on to you, Fancy. I know a stallion like you would know the craftspony behind my dress.” Scarlet raised her head slightly, looking off into the distance. “I didn’t save your business because of my looks– Although I certainly could have.”
Fancy Pants leaned back in his chair, his face calm. “Yes, I can never quite thank you enough for what you’ve done for me, Scarlet.”
Scarlet smiled, her eyes still not trained on Fancy. “Well, you repaid me more than enough with the dresses you supplied my girls. The Red Letter really shined with your designs all over my floor,” she laughed aloud, Fancy Pants blushing at the mention. “Oh, how is my old stomping grounds these days, Fancy? I have nothing but residuals to go by, but my-my they aren’t what they used to be...” she trailed slightly as her head moved away from the conversation, Fancy Pants finally taking a glance behind him.
Rarity and Twilight Sparkle had arrived. “Fancy Pants?” Rarity greeted, trying to make sense of Scarlet Letter and Fancy Pants talking with each other. “I didn’t realize this was going to be a group meeting.”
“Neither did I, but we must be open to whatever fate has for us!” Fancy mused, his hoof outstretched towards Scarlet. “This here is Scarlet Letter. She’s the founder of The Red Letter bro—.”
“I’m quite aware of who she is!” Rarity said, her voice rising, “I just didn’t know you knew her as a business partner.”
Fancy Pants smiled disarmingly. “Never judge a book by its cover, Rarity.”
Twilight coughed under her breath, breaking the conversation. Rarity, Fancy Pants, and Scarlet Letter all turned to look at her. “Um, sorry, but,” she looked around the restaurant, “could we sit down maybe? I don’t mean to force ourselves on your conversation, but I’d like to get out of the aisle.”
“Of course, where are my manners.” Fancy Pants quickly moved to another pillow towards the wall, giving Twilight and Rarity room to sit down. “I didn’t expect to see you come, Twilight. Is Cheerilee quite alright?”
“Yes!” Twilight answered, perking up. Scarlet raised an eyebrow. “She’s in the bath right now washing off, but I thought I’d come and see if her mother was still here. And... she is!” Twilight chuckled nervously. Any words she might have rehearsed in her head quickly fled the scene as Cheerilee’s mother gave her a once over. Then a twice over. Then a thrice over. And stared much too long at her flank.
“Capital.” Fancy smiled, looking over to Scarlet. “You can imagine my surprise when Scarlet was the pony who was waiting for me.”
“Yes, Fancy here had no idea my little Cherry grew up to be such a beautiful mare,” Scarlet teased.
"I'm sorry if I kept my knowledge of your schoolmare to myself, Twilight," Fancy began, "But it's not unheard of that another mare might be named Cheerilee. Last I heard, Scarlet, that daughter was in Canterlot." Twilight didn't really think about the fact that Fancy had given the air of someone who had simply walked into a roomful of strangers. However, she didn't really have time to think as the large stallion had decided to keep talking. "And I'm sure that under all that nasty black ink is a stunning beauty."
“Hooves off, Fancy." Scarlet winked. "She’s taken.”
“I would never,” Fancy retorted without missing a beat, taking Scarlet’s hoof and kissing it gently, “Not when I have such company.” Scarlet giggled like a schoolfilly, prompting Rarity and Twilight to exchange uncomfortable glances.
Twilight leaned over to her friend, her voice a low whisper. “I thought Cheerilee’s mom only liked mares.”
Rarity coughed, bringing a napkin up to her mouth. “Twilight, the first thing you should know about Fancy Pants is that the stallion knows how to sell everything. His company, his contacts, and when the situation calls for it, himself. Nothing is impossible with his charisma.” Putting the napkin down, Rarity gave the rest of the table a smile.
“Excuse me,” the waiter asked. “Can I get you anything?” Twilight looked in horror as the waiter had snuck behind them during their exchange, likely hearing every word. But really compacted her terror was that the same green unicorn from her last visit was staring at her with the most bemused smile. “Wine?”
Twilight gave Rarity a look and quickly readjusted herself on her pillow. “N-no wine for me, thanks! Do you have any cactus water?” The waiter nodded, completely unable to hide his growing smirk as he wrote down Twilight’s drink. Rarity didn’t even pause before simply asking for whatever it was Fancy had ordered to drink.
“Would you like to order now, or would you like your new guests to have some time?” the waiter asked.
“I’m fine with ordering now,” Twilight offered. “I’m surprised you haven’t eaten yet. You’ve had to be here for hours now.”
“I wasn’t expecting to meet with an old friend,” Fancy Pants smiled, before looking over to the waiter. “Your spaghetti, please,” Fancy ordered. He glanced over to Scarlet, his horn glowing and picking up a fork and placing it in front of him. “I’ve always had a weakness for simple things.”
“I’ll take the spaghetti as well,” Rarity chimed in. Twilight and Scarlet also ordered the spaghetti, the former giving both white-coated unicorns a long look. “Simplicity can often be the best designs. Form and function are very important.”
“Quite right,” Fancy Pants agreed. “No doubt a lesson learned from Twilight’s dress?”
If Rarity could have blushed from her cheeks to her tail, she would have. “Riii-hi-hiiight,” she laughed, losing eye contact with Fancy Pants as she locked eyes with Scarlet across the table. “It’s important to leave on the dress, otherwise we’d all just be leaving them on our floor.”
Scarlet flashed her own menacingly sweet smile. “Mm, yes, you are right Miss Rarity. I’m sure you’ve never had the opportunity to leave a dress on the floor.”
Rarity’s cheeks puffed out. “We both know that isn’t quite true.” Twilight raised an eyebrow, looking for some intervention from Fancy Pants. The look on the stallion’s face as he pleasantly sipped his wine spoke volumes.
“Oh yes, I seem to recall something now,” Scarlet raised a hoof to her chin innocently. Rarity’s eyes bulged. “Mmyes, it was so long ago, I had nearly forgotten. She really does like unicorns, doesn’t she?”
Rarity put her hoof on the table, standing up. “I say! I have had too much to drink, I need to use the little fillies room.” Looking over to Fancy Pants, she gave a strained smile. “Excuse me. I’ll only be a minute.” Trotting off, Twilight Sparkle watched her go, mouth agape.
“But we haven’t even got our drinks yet–” Twilight started, but Rarity had already made her escape. “What just...” she breathed.
Scarlet laughed. “Some mares are just like that, Twilight.”
Twilight blinked, matching gazes with Scarlet. “Rarity isn’t. Not usually.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she huffed as she put her forehooves on the table.
Fancy Pants finally put his drink down, taking some time to adjust his monocle. “It’s sadly to be expected. Rarity is not used to the nature of Canterlot noblespeak. It’s a sad sort of compliments-laced-with-insults and even less thinly veiled ones. Even my current mare-at-home has difficulty keeping her tongue from making a disgrace of her otherwise truly regal class. As such, I try not to make many appearances that are not my own events.” Levitating his monocle, he brought up a small lens cleaner, wiping the glass clean. “I should hope you refrain from flustering my dinner guest any more than you have, Scarlet.”
With a wry smile, Scarlet Letter agreed. “A little fun from the old days, Fancy. I swear I’ll be on my best behavior from now on. Not the first time I promised it for this night. Whoopsie.” With a wink, Scarlet turned back to Twilight. “Speaking of promises, I was looking quite forward to our dinner tonight, even if my daughter is conspicuously missing. Are you here for just me?”
“Yes!” Twilight sighed, finally to be on track for once in the evening. “I wanted to talk to you alone, without Cheerilee. I feel it would just complicate things if she was here right now.”
Fancy Pants really couldn’t be sure if he should be around for this situation, but seeing how the mares were looking quite intensely at each other, he deemed it far more dignified to hold his silence. Furthermore, he had inadvertently trapped himself between them, so holding his tongue was the best course of action.
“Would it, now?” Scarlet hummed, her eyes once again trailing Twilight’s body. This time, Twilight was fully aware of it, a slightly sickly feeling stemming from her chest. Unlike every other pony there, Twilight already was undressed, so it didn’t leave much for Scarlet to imagine. And that made it worse. “Tell me, Twilight, is she being good to you?”
“Cheerilee? Of course! She’s wonderful!” Twilight beamed. “We stay up late and discuss E.E. Cloppings and J.K. Chestnutmare! And don’t get me started on the ramifications of The Last Human. The idea that mythological creatures might not have the same capacity for emotions like we ponies do—” The glazed over look Scarlet Letter was giving her was enough for Twilight to stop in mid-sentence. Fancy Pants ahemed softly, coming to her rescue.
“Yes, the idea that creatures like humans aren’t capable of love or regret unless acted by an outside force is intellectually striking,” he said, winking at Scarlet. Scarlet gave the two a bemused stare, which was cut short by the appearance of the green unicorn waiter.
“I have your dinners ready, everypony,” he announced, juggling the four plates of spaghetti and drinks for the whole party in his magical grasp. Placing the food around the table evenly, he made triple sure that Twilight Sparkle was not one of the ponies getting the wine. “Will your last guest be returning?”
“Ah, yes,” Fancy Pants spoke up. “She just went to the restroom to freshen up. She’ll be back before long. You’re free to leave her plate, my good man.”
“Well then, if you need anything else: dessert, refills” a pregnant pause as he looked to Twilight, “more wine– feel free to ask.” With a smile, he returned to the shadows of the restaurant, where he met with his other servers with an obvious chuckle. Fancy Pants looked on, mildly disgruntled.
“I say, I believe that stallion was insinuating something insidious about your character, Miss Sparkle.” Fancy was overwhelmed with the interest of writing a negative comment card but thought better of it. Perhaps it was nothing.
...And perhaps he didn’t reach his status in Canterlot without being able to read basic body cues and obvious word stresses, but the Miss did not seem too flustered. “It’s fine, he’s just joking around. I’d look for a little fun too if I served other ponies all day.”
Fancy Pants nodded sagely. “Well put, my dear. Well put indeed.”
Scarlet Letter busied herself with attempting to spin a fork in a hoof, a task not easy to do when one lacked a horn. Still, between her two hooves, she had a fairly good grasp on the idea of eating spaghetti. Twilight gave her a sidelong glance, her head turning slightly. She didn’t want to get into the exact reasons why she was here in front of Fancy Pants, so small talk would have to do. “So, how do you and Fancy Pants know each other?”
Scarlet put her fork down on the side of her plate, regarding the question with some thought. “We were students at Canterlot University at the same time, dear. Good friends, all of us. What a good group we had, Fancy.”
The monocled stallion nodded. “Yes, I would be disingenuous if I said I didn’t miss the old days. The late study nights, the camaraderie. You don’t get the same feeling when you get as old as we are.”
Scarlet laughed, “Maybe you and your high society don’t, Fancy.”
“Exceptions always exist to prove the rule, and I must say you have grown to be one brilliant exception, Scarlet.”
“Oh ho, enough with the charm, Fancy!” Scarlet swooned, “Or don’t. Mm, I’ll always be happy to have you be my exception, Fancy.” Scarlet laughed with him, although Twilight was left coughing in her little corner. Scarlet put her hoof on her mouth and reached over, patting Twilight’s hoof with her own. “My apologies Sparkle, you’ll forgive me if I get a little caught up in the past.”
Twilight was finding it much more difficult to drum up the vindictive rage she had built up for Cheerilee’s mother the more she talked to her, but she kept her marefriend’s warning in mind. This was just part of her plan to get her to bed, and she wasn’t about to allow it. “It’s alright,” Twilight said carefully, trying to come off as friendly and not at all interested. “But please, call me Twilight.” A little first name familiarity, but on her terms. Everything was according to plan.
Scarlet smiled, taking her fork in hoof and beginning to spin it once more. “Oh, I would, but you remind me too much of another Twilight I used to know to call you by anything else,” she said. Twilight Sparkle pulled her mouth to one side, trying to maneuver around this. “She wasn’t a Sparkle in the sky, like you.” Suddenly, Twilight felt a twang in her chest that made her sick. Not the compliment, but the familiarity. She heard that before. “She had a —”
Twilight felt her mouth moving without her will, “Voice like Velvet.”
Scarlet stopped spinning her fork. “Yes... how did you know?”
Twilight swallowed hard. “It’s just... something my dad says to my mom...” Fancy Pants nearly dropped his monocle, deftly catching it mid-flight with his magic. Scarlet, on the other hoof, was already bending her fork with her hoof.
“Night Light,” she seethed with barely contained rage. “That rapstallion! That was my line.” Fancy Pants took a moment to rearrange his napkin so that any flying sauce that would fly through the air might have a chance of not ruining his suit. “That horny little colt used my words to steal her heart—”
Twilight raised her hooves, shaking her head violently. “Bu-but my Mother is straight, Scarlet!” Cheerilee’s words echoed in her mind, which she was doing her best to ignore.
Scarlet breathed deeply, putting a hoof to her chest. Exhaling, she pushed her hoof away as she did so. Fancy Pants nodded in approval of the motion, Twilight for her part was utterly lost. Retaking her fork in her hoof, Scarlet put the spaghetti wrapped around it up to her mouth. “Oh Twilight,” she said in a tone that made her brain break. “So is spaghetti, until it gets hot.”
A bloody, violent conflict erupted within Twilight's brain as soon as those words left the older mare's lips. To say Twilight's natural curiosity was piqued would be a supermassive understatement. On one hoof, Twilight’s dream of studying was born from her mother only talking about her academic achievements when the subject of her college days came up. On the other hoof, if her mother, Twilight Velvet, was an old acquaintance of Cheerilee's mother, then there was likely a very, very good reason that she never went into any personal details.
Of course, there was the problem that Scarlet was still talking. “Mm, but that’s neither here nor there. I suppose Cheerilee got it all from me, I’m sad to say. My looks, my charm, my absolute adoration for unicorns and their... special talents. Cherry Blossom, on the other hoof– completely different pony.” Inwardly, Twilight’s mind was screaming to vacate the premises, but a more primal instinct was to sit and watch. Fancy Pants, for his turn, seemed much more interested in his meal than actively participating in the mental deconstruction of Princess Celestia’s prized pupil. Or, he was just so practiced in allowing Scarlet her due. “I still remember her first unicorn! A groupie for her band in high school, terrible as it was. The fashion was awful, but... Oh my. That’s right, she’s in fashion now, isn’t she?” Scarlet asked, looking meaningfully at the empty seat next to Twilight.
Luckily for Twilight Sparkle, she already had the equal to the blueprints of the establishment to get to the little filly’s room– previous experience and conveniently placed signs. Trying not to expedite the scene at a full gallop, Twilight removed herself from the table with a, “Oh my I think I've had too much to drink please excuse me!”
As Scarlet and Fancy Pants sat in the sudden silence, the former couldn’t help but note, “You know, I don’t think either of them drank anything before coming here.”
Fancy adjusted his napkin, giving his old friend a suitable wink. “With you, Scarlet, any attempt at drinking fluid is a risk. And I mean that in the best possible way.”
-o-0-o-
Twilight Sparkle entered the restroom by very nearly tearing the door off its hinges. Rarity’s eyebrows raised in alarm as Twilight locked eyes with her. Stepping with purpose toward her, Twilight breathed evenly. “Cheerilee.”
Rarity coughed nervously, her gaze fleeing towards everywhere that wasn’t purple. “Oh, has she showed up? Or—”
“Cheerilee.”
Rarity smiled, her chest puffed out in one last attempt to deter her friend from going any further. Twilight took another step closer, mouthing the name of her marefriend at her. Deflating, Rarity nodded, defeated.
“Oh, Fluffnutters.”
Huh. I guess Twinkle and Scarlet did go to school together. I'm sure they got into all sorts of wacky hijinks, enough to fit it's own sidestory! Wouldn't that be a thing? Ha ha pleasedon'tgetyourhopesup.
Massive thanks to Gravekeeper, again, for his help with this chapter(he's also the only reason this story exists, so thank him for that, too).
I like the idea of humans being mythological creatures in Equestria. In any case, I am referencing Beagle's work, The Last Unicorn, which was brought to my attention by PatchworkPoltergeist, who is, coincidentally, working on a much better fic than mine called The Last Human.
Her cutie mark is the Scarlet Letter?
Edits:
Her name is Scarlet Letter!?!?
How the Buck did I miss that?!
3.bp.blogspot.com/_srOhGcGHvik/Sn_O6xjmfpI/AAAAAAAAC5g/Ui5IOZY_sYo/s800/scarletLetter.gif
It all fucking makes sense now.
Scarlet had a thing with Twilight Velvet?! What bizzare, unfathomable universe have I enter?!!
Well well well we finally get a name. Scarlet Letter, how deliciously appropriate. Applause to you good author, that was ingeniously clever. Add to that the connection to Twilight's and I can safely say this is my favorite chapter of the whole story thus far. I do believe you are on a roll with material like this Hidden. Keep it up you magnificent bastard.
There are a couple of major typos and its / it's errors throughout, and the ending line is incredibly weak-- Really kills any impact the situation had. Even if fluffernutter were a decent replacement for an actual obscenity or oath (and it's absolutely not), the word is just that-- Fluffernutter. The type serves to take away even more impact, which is pretty impressive given how easily even the correct version would ruin that moment. Still a solid chapter on the whole, but it felt short and seemed oddly unpolished.
Commence read.
Some interesting insight with Scarlet and Fancy.
Consider it brain fog on my part, but I don't get the 'Scarlet Letter' joke.
Damn, so Twilight isn't Scarlet's half-daughter. In any case it'll be interesting to hear how Rarity got to hating Scarlet from cheating with her on Cheerilee('s bed).
Twilight can't possibly be mad at Rarity can she?
Then again, in isolation that piece of knowledge probably wouldn't make her all that upset, but in combination with a cheeky waiter, an annoying mother and too many revelations to count it might... possibly be the straw that brke the camel's back, as it were.
Whoo boy, Awkward as all buck.
please continue.... soon.
Very soon.
2216606
It's a literary allusion with negative connotations for the person wearing it.
So Scarlet was with Twilight's mother, and Cheerilee was with Rarity at some point? Oh dear.
For a moment I thought my story was featured, I guess someone would easily make that mistake when they use the same cover art. On that related note: I almost forgot I had this on my list, I have a lot of chapter to catch up on.
2216526 A universe that looks surprisingly much like ours.
Why is it for some reason I really loathe Scarlet Letter?
And Rarity+Cheerilee... well, it was in the past, Twilight shouldn't hold anything against Rarity. Although, she did cheat on her with Cheerilee's mother...
2216440 you are evil. shame it would be a great story, maybe make it a chapter or two when Twilight get her parents drunk/casts
a truth spell on them to sate the curiosity burning in her after this lovely little dinner.
Excellent chapter.
I suspect Twilight might be rather broken after all that.
2216644
Rarity allowed herself to be seduced by Scarlet, which drastically hurt Cheerilee. Why wouldn't she be upset with Rarity?
Fun fact kiddies: Unless we're talking chemical intoxication, there's no such thing as 'I couldn't help myself'. Just that the person saying so was weak-willed.
And, that's crossed the line for me.
Good luck on the rest, I won't be following it any longer.
You insulted Glam!? I dress like that (yes, as in current)! No! You do not insult the greatest music genre/look.
Alright, so let's review. Twilight just found that 1) Her mother is bisexual, 2) Her mother and her marefriend's mother (presumably) slept together, 3) Her marefriend's mother/her mother's sexual partner is a lesbian whoremonger, 4) One of her closest friends used to date her marefriend, 5) Said friend cheated on said marefriend with said marefriend's mother. Possible conclusions based on lack of further evidence - Twilight's mother might have been a whore (meant in the literal sense, not the potentially insulting colloquial sense). Also, by the transitive property, Rarity and Cheerilee have both slept with Twilight's mother. Shut up, math totally applies here.
I've a sudden desire for Rarity to accidentally mention the t-word to Twilight, and then we all just sit back and watch the world burn.
2216875
She should be upset at Scarlet instead.
Two things:
"camaraderie" over "comradery"
"groupies" over "groupees"
Side note: it took me three passes to get what the deal was at the end with Twi and Rares. Any chance you could try and make it just a little less oblique? Other than that, I'm definitely loving this story.
2216875 Apparently I'm dense as lead...
I must say, Bravo. This Fic has definitely caught my attention completely.
A few missed words and spelling errors and its/it's and all those wonderful sorts of fun things here and there, dire need of another proof reading.
Solid chapter, felt a bit crunchier than the other chapters, I got confused several times about who was referring to who a few times due to the nature of bisexual innuendo but-
Fun read, Scarlet Letter is a brilliant double meaning for a teach-whore to have, and Fancy Pants was marvelously dapper, old bean.
Jeez, I haven't seen this in so long. I really need to get back to reading it, since I only read the first chapter.
Her cutie mark is the scarlet letter? That is AMAZING.
EDIT: Oh Celestia her name is Scarlet Letter. My body was not ready.
I really dislike Cheerilee's mom, but not in a way that I don't enjoy reading her.
It's more of a 'love to hate' kind of thing.
2216875
wait, Rarity and Cheerilee? how did I miss THAT??
lmao i thought that speech about 'her first unicorn' was still talking about Twilight's mom...
2217099 this right here...
.
one of those 'too's really shouldn't be there, choose one for EXECUTION
Elegantly punned, my dear
2217178
2216555
As amusing as it is that I made the mistake once in dialogue(usually the one place where it's almost always the case where you use "it's", but I wasn't thinking), there is only one case of its/it's confusion(that find/replace can find) this chapter. Thank you for pointing it out, but don't blow it out of proportion here. As with every chapter, I don't have an editor or a proofreader, so it's a fair bit difficult to find errors in my own writing, and I'd rather keep going than spend a week going through it myself and picking out the errors. It'll be cleaned up eventually~!
2217099
Amusingly, less dense than you realize. Which is it's own form of dense, but in a good way.
2216884
What in particular crossed the line for you, if you don't mind me asking?
2217313
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=MIZbGSXeWWE&feature=endscreen]
/Sarcasm
Again, you also missed little words like 'of', the its/it's was just a thing I noticed in conjunction to everything else.
2216644 there are several very good reasons for Twi to be mad right now, but I'd be surprised if she wasn't merely hurt instead.
As for Rarity, knowing Scarlet like she did, I'm surprised she didn't try to divert Fancypants away from her the instant her name came up.
In other news, I despise Scarlet.
nice!
2217333
Borrowed from a skype conversation I've had about the subject:
Alright, so let's review. Twilight just found that 1) Her mother is bisexual, 2) Her mother and her marefriend's mother (presumably) slept together, 3) Her marefriend's mother/her mother's sexual partner is a lesbian whoremonger, 4) One of her closest friends used to date her marefriend, 5) Said friend cheated on said marefriend with said marefriend's mother. Possible conclusions based on lack of further evidence - Twilight's mother might have been a whore (meant in the literal sense, not the potentially insulting colloquial sense). Also, by the transitive property, Rarity and Cheerilee have both slept with Twilight's mother.
It's interesting to note that Twilight's mom apparently left Scarlet for Night Light, whom she married and (presumably happily) spent the next 20+ years with raising a family... And from her reaction to Twi's dad, it seems Scarlet hasn't gotten over that. So she can't have any mare she wants, apparently. Perhaps Twilight is getting closer to figuring out why Scarlet seduces mares away from her daughter after all.
2217063 2216875
I don't think Rarity was seduced by Cheerilee's mom... It's stated that Rarity was a groupie of Cheerilee's high school band, and Cheerilee said the first marefriend of hers that her mother stole was her college girlfriend. I suppose its possible that Rarity was in a relationship with Cheerilee for years, but that'd be a pretty major relationship, whereas the groupie thing suggests a simple fling.
Edit: okay, in looking at the previous chapter, Cheerilee says the first was when she *started* college, so I suppose that if she and Rarity started dating when they were seniors that could possibly line up... Although HiddenBrony's response as I was writing this edit make me think otherwise,
Scarlet Letter is brilliant. She can just wield the past as a weapon.
2217382
Points to the man who was paying attention!
2217338
I have a hate/hate relationship with the word 'of'. It burned me when I was young and I'd rather forget about it. Thank you for bringing up such painful memories.
But yeah it needs editing but I'm having too much fun to stop and smell the roses. Even if the roses are a new color called blurpkle and smell like something called bice.
2217400
But how do you feel about... wheels?
Can we just pretend everypony (except Twilight) has slept with everypony (except Twilight again) at this point and move on? XD
2217313 Huzzah, I'm anti-dense!
2217382 That being the case, she'd probably consider seducing Twi a sort of double whammy.
2217361
Ah, okay. Sorry to have bothered ya.
2217400
I don't know if you were referring to the first part of my comment or the second, but I have to applaud the amount of crazy, unresolved issues you've managed to give Scarlet this chapter and the implications for poor Twilight.
If Scarlet did love and was hurt by Twi's mom leaving her for someone else, then Twilight is in the dead center of Scarlet's possible converging motivations: "protecting" Cheerilee by proving lovers can't be trusted to stay faithful, any impulse to get back at Twi's parents for breaking her heart, and quite possibly the transference of lingering attraction to Twilight Sparkle, (who aside from a palette swap is pretty much the spitting image of her mother,) and also healing her bruised ego by proving able to steal a Twilight back.
That is one scary big bullseye painted on a relatively small purple pony.
Wait, I don't get it, where is this allusion that Cheerilee cheated on Twilight with Rarity? I got the allusion that Rarity and Cheerilee used to date, or at least banged way back, but what business is that of Twilight's?
2217512
It's hard to gauge what emotion Twilight will land on, but I think it's fair to say that it's a pretty major shock to suddenly learn that one of your best friends may have more intimate knowledge of your girlfriend than you do. Logically, sure... there's no reason to be upset since it's well in the past (although Cheerilee might have mentioned a fling with one of Twilight's closest friends in order to avoid breaking the unicorn's brain if the revelation came out at the wrong time) but it's definitely the kind of information that can throw anyone off their game.
This has turned even more wrong...and I didn't even think that was possible!!
2216555 you pretty much summed up most of what I felt. The few things omitted were that I had to read the last exchange a few times before it made any sense. It also feels like Twilight is making a giant leap of assumption which to me really cut the knees out of the intensity. She has no proof Scarlet isn't simply fucking with her. Scarlet herself also comes across as suddenly taking a complete 180 in personality with no explanation whatsoever.
This is a good chapter but it's the weakest one by far.