Piece by Piece

by Eltirions

Chapter 20: Preparations 8

11 December 1008

Dinner was, in one word, disorganised. Flurry and her friends held their own conversation, completely separate from the one Rarity was having with Lilac. It was quite different from the dinners of the past days, and Rarity wasn’t sure if she liked it, but Lilac and she had a lot to talk about.

‘’So, Rainbow Falls is first, right?’’

‘’Indeed it is,’’ Rarity confirmed. ‘’Our accommodations have been arranged; we’ll be staying the Ilnarian Resort, a private resort owned by the Crown.’’

That was something she’d discovered about a month ago: the Crown owned several retreats and resorts throughout the country. Chief of those was the Westmarester Palace in Quebuck, the only actual palace in the Empire outside the Crystal Palace, but there were many smaller holdings too.

By some spot of luck or cosmic grace, all of the cities that they would be visiting had a property owned by the Crown, and Rarity had already ordered all of them be prepared for habitation.

The one in Rainbow Falls might not be finished by the time we arrive, but the others surely will be.

‘’I see,’’ Lilac said. ‘’Are there any plans for the visits themselves?’’

‘’We - meaning Rainbow, Flurry and myself - have looked through a guide on the cities,’’ Rarity replied. ‘’We’re still working on picking the right places to visit, and Rainbow and I had planned to talk about that tonight. Would you mind joining in?’’

‘’I’d be delighted to help,’’ was Lilac’s answer.

Of course, they’d be discussing more than attractions tonight, but they both knew that already.

‘’Auntie?’’

‘’Yes, Flurry?’’

‘’When we get back from the trip, can my friends come for a sleepover?’’

Rarity smiled kindly at Flurry. ‘’Of course they can,’’ she said. ‘’In fact, they can come over anytime they want.’’

After all, what harm can four foals really do? When they’re not looking for their cutie marks, of course.

‘’Really?’’ Flurry’s eyes lit up. ‘’Thanks so much, auntie!’’

‘’You’re welcome, Flurry.’’

Dinner was nothing truly special, and neither was the small talk Rarity made with Lilac. The real conversation would be reserved for later, on the train.

As the servants took the plates and cutlery away, Rarity cleared her throat. ‘’Darlings,’’ she addressed the others in the room, ‘’I think Flurry, Rainbow and I should pack. So, I’m afraid this is goodbye for now.’’

‘’But my friends can come wave goodbye to me, right?’’ Flurry asked with pleading eyes.

‘’They can, if their parents allow.’’ Not that Rarity doubted it would be allowed, but asking was the polite thing to do.

‘’Yay!’’ Flurry, Swift Hoof and Star Glitter all cheered together, while Jewel Heart grinned brightly and Moon Tower cracked a small smile.

Seeing Flurry so happy did wonders for Rarity too. She truly had been stupid.

Lilac and her niece decided to wait downstairs, and so it was just the three of them that made their way back to Flurry’s room.

Shampoo, comb, brush, soap, toys of course, Rarity listed off in her head. What else do we need?

Whatever they needed from Flurry’s room, it would be easy to find with how thoroughly they had cleaned the room. Once inside, they quickly collected all the items Rarity had thought of, as well as Whammy and a few other stuffed toys. All in all, one pair of saddlebags was needed for all of Flurry’s items, which was not at all bad.

‘’I have an idea,’’ Rainbow said suddenly, just as Rarity was opening the door of Flurry’s room again so they could make their way upstairs. ‘’Rarity, can you get our stuff yourself? I’ll wait with Lily and Flurry.’’

There was something to Rainbow’s tone that seemed suspicious to Rarity, but it was probably nothing. ‘’That sounds like a splendid idea, darling,’’ she remarked. ‘’Do you mind, Flurry?’’

‘’No, auntie!’’ Flurry chirped, and that was that.

|-x-X-x-|

11 December 1008

Applejack would have something to say about this, Rainbow reflected as she and Flurry flew/walked back through the hallways of the Palace to Fountain Square.

She didn’t like lying, much less to any of her friends; but she wanted to find out more about Lily Merrimare and her niece. Something about them didn’t sit right with her. There was something off with the way they acted that Rainbow couldn’t put a feather on, but it was definitely not right.

Of course, she’d rather not have Flurry with her, but such were the risks.

‘’So, what do you think of Lily and Sugar?’’ Rainbow decided to ask Flurry. She was, after all, a pretty smart filly. Maybe she’d noticed something Rainbow hadn’t. Unlikely, but there was always a chance.

‘’Lily’s nice, I think.’’ Flurry sounded a little uncertain, though it didn’t detract from her skipping. ‘’I dunno about Sugar. She didn’t say much during dinner.’’

That was certainly true. ‘’You’re going to be seeing Lily a lot,’’ Rainbow remarked. ‘’Do you know what her job is?’’

Flurry nodded. ‘’She helps auntie Rarity with her work, right?’’

‘’Right in one,’’ Rainbow complimented. ‘’Very good.’’

‘’Thanks, Rainbow!’’

It was a little reminiscent of Scootaloo, except with less hero-worship. Rainbow didn’t mind the hero-worship, but it was quite obvious in Scootaloo’s case. Flurry also had some of it, but a lot less.

Lily and Sugar were, as agreed, waiting in Fountain Square. To be more precise, they were seated on one of the benches that were lined around the main fountain.

‘’Princess Flurry Heart,’’ Lily bowed her head respectfully as they approached, ‘’Commander Dash. Is everything packed?’’

Sugar Petal, pointedly, did not even look their way, continuing to look at the fountain. Rainbow was insulted.

‘’Rarity is getting her stuff and mine,’’ she replied. ‘’How about you?’’

‘’The Chamberlain had servants take our bags to the train when we arrived at the Palace,’’ Lily answered, and that did sound like something Tight Ship would do. ‘’How long do you think Rarity will need?’’

Rainbow made a dismissive gesture with her wing as Flurry jumped up and settled herself on the bench next to Lily. ‘’She can take a while,’’ Rainbow said, ‘’but we have a deadline, of course, and Rarity is also punctual.’’

‘’I see.’’

Rainbow kept close watch on Lily as she placed herself on the couch between Flurry and Lily. She was not going to put the filly in any more danger than necessary, thank you very much.

An awkward silence settled in the room, broken only by the faint echoes of hoofsteps from servants and guards from other areas of the Palace and the sounds of the fountain the room was named after. After a minute or so, Flurry snuggled close to Rainbow, and Rainbow of course put her wing around the filly protectively.

‘’Looks like someone’s tired,’’ she noted softly.

‘’Hmmm…’’ Flurry murmured. ‘’Not yet.’’

Rainbow chuckled, unable to look away from the adorable sight of the filly. Whoever even dreamt of disturbing such a sight?

‘’Darlings!’’

There you are.

Three pairs of eyes settled on Rarity as she appeared on the staircase, a scarf wrapped around her neck and a pair of elegant embroidered saddlebags hanging from her back.

And maybe that’ll still happen. The memory of some of the conversations they’d had in the past days flashed through her mind.

Not now. Rainbow shook herself, and grinned. ‘’Took you long enough!’’ she quipped.

‘’Tut-tut, darling,’’ Rarity chided without much heat as she descended the staircase. ‘’Packing requires time. Especially given that I had to pack for you as well.’’

She’s got me there.

‘’Now, shall we head for the station?’’ Rarity asked as she arrived in front of the bench they were all sitting on.

‘’Let’s,’’ Rainbow agreed.

They made for the main gate of the Palace, where Captain Darkheart and his hoof-picked group of soldiers awaited them.

‘’Princess, Governess, Commander,’’ he said as he saluted. ‘’We are ready for deployment.’’

‘’Very good, captain.’’ Rarity gave the entire group a look, then discreetly nodded at Rainbow, who took the cue.

‘’Listen up!’’ she barked at the group as she stepped forward. To their credit, none of them were taken off-guard. ‘’You’ve got one duty: protect these two,’’ she pointed at Rarity and Flurry, ‘’from anything that’s stupid enough to try and harm them. Now, if something gets past you that means I have to deal with it. You don’t want that, because that means I’ll kick your flank too after I’ve finished kicking the flank of whatever got past you. Got that?’’

‘’Yes sir!’’ the guards, with the exception of the captain, all said.

‘’Good.’’ Rainbow gave Captain Darkheart a salute that he returned, then turned back to Rarity. ‘’Done.’’

‘’Inspiring, darling,’’ Rarity replied with a wink. ‘’Let us go then. We’ve a train to catch.’’

Crystal City had one train station, located on the edge of the city, both because there was not enough space further in the city and because it was easier to connect to the Crystal Stadium for the 1003 Equestria Games. That did mean it was quite a distance away from the Crystal Palace, however.

Rarity, of course, had arranged something for that. One quick car ride later, they were in front of the Crystal City Station, which was one of the largest train stations Rainbow had ever seen, almost as large as Manehattan’s or Canterlot’s.

‘’You locked down the station for this?’’ Rainbow teasingly asked Rarity.

‘’Only for half an hour,’’ Rarity rebutted. ‘’And nobody takes the train at this hour anyway. This isn’t Manehattan.’’

That was very true.

The station was, except for its size, not actually that different from any other train station Rainbow had ever visited. All the important bits were still there and recognisable; the rest didn’t matter. Rarity would probably vocally disagree if she voiced that thought aloud, so she didn’t.

‘’Flurry!’’

Her four friends, it appeared, had gotten there before them. They were accompanied by their parents, who each looked just as Rainbow had expected them to look, and were not really worthy of note.

‘’Guys!’’ Flurry rushed forward towards them. ‘’You’re here!’’

As the foals started to speak with each other, Rainbow approached the train. It didn’t look too different from any other train Rainbow had ever been on, except for the curtains all being closed.

‘’Darling, don’t take too long!’’ Rarity called out after a few minutes, after loading her and Rainbow’s saddlebags into it. ‘’We’ve got to go!’’

‘’Okay, auntie!’’ Flurry called back. ‘’Goodbye, guys!’’ Rainbow heard her say.

It was absolutely adorable to see the five foals give each other a group hug, before slowly but surely separating. Flurry walked over to Rarity and then got on the train after throwing a final look at her friends.

‘’Come on, let’s go,’’ Rarity said after a moment.

‘’Goodbye, Flurry!’’ Flurry’s friends all waved at her, and the other filly waved back.

The train was, all in all, not much different from a normal train, that much was evident to Rainbow as soon as she entered. Cabins on one side and the corridor on the other. Those cabins dominated most of the carriages, and a peek inside one of them revealed they were quite spacious. Certainly big enough to comfortably sleep in for some nights.

The train started moving a few seconds later, giving a shrill whistle that Rainbow could have done without, if she was frank. She made her way back to the others to see Rarity and Flurry were waving out the window.

Once they had left the station, the two stopped waving. ‘’So, time for bed, I think,’’ Rarity said with a smile.

Half an hour later, Flurry had been put to bed, and Rainbow could finally have the talk she’d been promised. The table the four of them were sitting at was very comfortable, she had to say.

‘’So.’’ Rainbow put her hoof on the table. ‘’Talk.’’

Rarity and Lily exchanged looks, while Sugar just looked away. That was not good.

‘’Darling?’’

‘’I…’’ Lily hesitated. ‘’I’ll just show you.’’

Show-

The pegasus burned away to reveal a changeling.

In an instant, Rainbow had leapt over the table into the changeling.

Or, that had been the idea. Instead, she was suspended in Rarity’s magic, hanging above the table.

‘’Rarity, let me go!’’ Rainbow shouted. ‘’They’re changelings!’’

‘’Rainbow!’’ Rarity snapped. ‘’Lilac and…’’

‘’Ocellus,’’ Sugar Petal said, before she revealed herself to be a changeling too. Of course she did. Rainbow was going to launch them both out of the fucking window.

‘’Lilac and Ocellus,’’ Rarity continued, ‘’are friends. They are refugees, and they are anything but supporters of Chrysalis.’’

‘’Like Tartarus they are! They’re changelings!’’

‘’Rainbow!’’

‘’What?!’’

‘’I’m not letting you down unless you’re willing to listen to Lilac’s story,’’ Rarity said sternly. She took a deep breath. ‘’And then, once we’re done with that, I’d like to ask you something else.’’

Rainbow stared at Rarity, who had definitely gone insane. Still, she couldn’t contain her curiosity. ‘’What?’’

‘’Well…’’ Rarity hesitated, and blushed a little.

She wouldn’t.

‘’I would like to ask if you’d like to go on a date tomorrow evening, after dinner.’’

Author's Note:

We are done with December 11th! Alicorns be praised!

Now, Ch 21 will be out eventually. I wrote the majority (as in, ~1900 of the 2200 words) in the past two hours, which the lads over on the EaW Discord can attest to, and I am never doing that again. Gods.

Go read this: https://www.fimfiction.net/story/504874/a-perfectly-normal-day-in-ponyville and this: https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/966869/schedule-and-plans-for-the-rest-of-the-year

And have a nice day/night!

Comments

[Arez]

Rarity definitely didn't do Rainbow any favors by asking her out on a date after the changeling reveal.

What was that lady thinking!

[shining paladin]

awesome chapter mate keep it up cant for the next chapter

[The Great Scribbly One]

That might not have been the best moment to ask that question, Rarity...