Pinkie’s Boutique

by Tangerine Blast

Chapter 3

Rarity honestly could not tell what Pinkie Pie was doing. She had been following the Earth Pony for almost an hour now and her sense of purpose seemed completely random. Pinkie Pie was just… walking through town. Looking at things, sniffing flowers, entering any random shops that caught her fancy, the works.

“Perhaps,” Rarity muttered to herself, “she’s seeking inspiration?”

To Rarity, there was absolutely nothing in Ponyville worthy of inspiration or interest. She had lived in the same small town and had practically combed every nook and cranny for something to help her career years ago. She could not fathom what Pinkie would find so fascinating about the dingy little town. Rarity would give her right hoof to leave and make it big if the opportunity ever presented itself to her.

Even so, the other shop owner seemed absolutely enthralled with every little detail Ponyville had to offer. Rarity was about to call it quits when Pinkie wandered into the small town park and the commotion going on there.

In her excitement, Rarity had completely forgotten about the little celebration taking place this weekend. It was an anniversary of some significant event in Ponyville or something. Rarity could not be bothered to remember all the significant events. The park was all dressed up in streamers and snacks and ponies mingling about. A standard little fanfare for the standard little town.

Rarity watched as Pinkie’s eyes grew wide seeing the celebration. As if pulled by a force beyond her control she weaved into the crowd wearing a large grin.

With a startled gasp, Rarity realized she was losing her target among the other ponies. She tumbled out of the bush she had been spying from, quickly fixed her mane and coat, and followed Pinkie Pie into the fray.

Unfortunately, she was immediately stopped by a pony immediately forcing her into a conversation she was much too busy to participate in and much too socially aware to brush off.

“Rarity it is just so nice to see you today.”

“Oh, hello there Strawberry…” Rarity tried to peer around the yellow and red Pegasus to glimpse her target but it seemed Pinkie had completely disappeared into the crowd. Sighing with defeat, Rarity fully turned to engage with the new conversation. “How are you this evening?”

“Oh, I’m alright,” Strawberry Sunrise answered, a smirk playing on her lips that Rarity was all too familiar with, “I’ve heard some funny news around town lately. Apparently a new pony has moved in.”

“Really?” Rarity said, feigning surprise. Strawberry liked to gossip even more than she did and Rarity had learned she also adored being the first pony to know something. So she humored her. “I know ponies don’t move in everyday but this hardly seems like news, dear.”

“That’s the thing.” Strawberry pressed against Rarity’s side, guiding her through the celebration while keeping close enough they could talk without being too badly overheard. “This pony has some… interesting things about her. And she’s moved in on your street so of course it became my duty to inform you of them.”

If Rarity had any question in her mind about who they were talking it was completely gone now. “That’s true.” She leaned in close to her friend. Perhaps this was the better way to learn about her neighbor. Since following her seemed to be of little use. “Please, do tell Strawberry.”

“Well,” Strawberry continued, glancing around as if the pink pony was about to pop up at any moment, “The rumors are that she’s been living in five different towns in just as many months.”

Rarity’s eyebrows shot up at that news. She certainly didn’t know… well she didn’t know anything about Pinkie’s past, did she? “Really? Why is that?”

“No one knows for sure,” Strawberry said, her voice becoming quieter, “But some people think Mrs. Pie was run out of those towns.”

“What?” Well, that was obviously not true. Pinkie was one of the most delightful ponies Rarity had ever met. But that was simply the nature of the rumor mill. Some facts, some obvious falsehoods. “Why on earth would ponies think that?”

“I know,” Strawberry continued, rolling her eyes a bit, “I don’t take much stock in that either but it seems no pony can figure out exactly where she’s come from.”

If you don’t know where she’s from how do you know she’s moved so much? Rarity did not voice these thoughts out loud. One did not question the rumor mill outright. You had to prod gently. “But that seems like quite a leap to being run out of town, doesn’t it?”

Strawberry nodded, her eyebrows raised as if the two were uncovering some deep mystery together. “That does seem odd, doesn’t it? You know this is the first boutique she’s opened, right?”

Rarity was thrown, a bit, at the sudden shift in the conversation and so all she could do was nod. “Y-yes, why?”

“Doesn’t that strike you as strange?” Strawberry pressed, “The store is so professionally decorated and she has so much experience. But in all the places she’s traveled she’s never even worked at a shop before? How is that possible?”

“That… does seem a bit odd,” Rarity relented. She wasn’t really watching Strawberry, her eyes were still skimming the crowd for any glimpse at their topic of conversation. But there were too many ponies and every flash of pink turned out to be a disappointment. “But perhaps she has just graduated school or some other training?”

“And then there’s the way she acts,” Strawberry continued, either not hearing or not listening to what Rarity had said, “So awkward and shifty all the time, like she has something to hide. You’ve noticed it, haven’t you?”

“What? No?” Rarity asked, forcefully bringing her attention completely back to the gossip, “What in Equestria do you mean by that?”

“I’ve talked to her, once or twice now, and I’ve spoken to a few other ponies who have too,” Strawberry explained, waving a hoof in the air as if trying to summon the right words, “And she starts the conversation fine but she gets really quiet really fast. Or she completely changes the subject and leaves immediately. And she’s always tripping over her words, like she doesn’t actually know what she’s talking about.”

Rarity stared. She hadn’t noticed any of that at all. At least… not while she was talking to Pinkie Pie. It’s true that during her observation of pink mare she had seen a few conversations end with awkward pauses or quick getaways but she hadn’t thought anything of them, some strangers simply did not click right off the bat. But if that was happening with almost everypony Pinkie talked to...

“Hiya Rarity and Strawberry!”

The two mentioned ponies froze as a chipper voice greeted them and Pinkie Pie herself materialized out of the crowd and right in front of them.

“It’s so nice to see you girls here!” The Earth Pony continued, bouncing in place like she was a yoyo attached to the heavens. “Isn’t this great? I didn’t know there’d be a party!”

“Yes, it’s a festival.” Rarity regained her composure first and subtly stepped away from Strawberry so it looked just slightly less like they had been gossiping not a moment ago. “Ponyville has a couple now and again. Honestly, I think most small towns do in the summer months.”

“Mine sure didn’t!” Pinkie exclaimed. While she was talking to them, her eyes also darted around, as if they needed to take in every inch of the festival as quickly as possible.

“Oh?” Strawberry sensed an opening. She leaned into her prey and casually fluttered her eyelashes. “And where’s that, hmm? Some high fashion area, no doubt?”

Pinkie blinked, obviously caught off guard by the question, and her thousand-watt beam dimmed a bit. “Oh, uh, not really. I grew up on a rock farm, actually. Kiiiinda the middle of nowhere if you know what I mean.”

Strawberry froze. She had short-circuited by the ease withwhich that answer had come.

“A rock farm?” Rarity asked, picking the conversation back up so Strawberry could come to terms with the fact that she didn’t have to dig. “That’s quite unique. Did the atmosphere influence any of your design choices?” While Strawberry’s plan may have fallen apart, Rarity’s certainly had not. She would find and potentially use Pinkie’s inspiration and become a better designer from the rivalry she sowed!

“Sure, probably,” Pinkie answered distractedly, staring off at something over Rarity’s shoulder, “Oh oh! There are games! Come play one with me, Rarity.”

Rarity would have pressed more but didn’t get a chance to before the smaller pony was dragging her across the park, leaving the still frozen Strawberry behind.

When they arrived, Rarity couldn’t stop her eyes from rolling at the sight before her. “Pinkie, darling, these are foal’s games.”

“What?” Pinkie gasped as if Rarity had just insulted her ancestors. “Nuh uh! All party games are for all ponies. That’s the rule of party games.”

“I don’t know if that’s… quite right.” Rarity’s eyes scanned over the group of foals playing bean bag toss or swinging at a pinata, their parents watching to the side.

“Come on, Rarity. It’s fun if you try!” Pinkie quickly spun around before stopping when her eyes landed on an unoccupied game. “Look look! Pin the Tail on the Pony! That’s my favorite game ever.”

With nothing really better to do, since her plans had involved watching Pinkie Pie all day anyway, Rarity followed the skipping Earth Pony over to the game.

Pinkie grabbed the blindfold and tied it around her own eyes as if she’d done it a hundred times before. Then, properly blinded, she turned in the rough direction of Rarity. “Okay, now spin me, spin me!”

Rarity groaned in defeat but Pinkie Pie’s excitement was infectious and Rarity couldn’t help a smile from crossing her lips as she trotted over and gently pushed on the Earth Pony’s shoulders until she began to spin round and round.

“Weee!” Pinkie shouted in absolute glee as she twirled. After a few seconds of this Rarity stopped her and positioned the blind pony so she was in the rough direction of the board.

“Arlight, just walk forward,” Rarity instructed, watching as Pinkie, almost drunkenly did as requested. She stumbled up to the board and planted the pin with a flourish.

Right into the flank of the painted pony. A perfect mark.

Rarity blinked.

“Whooo!” Pinkie cheered when she threw her blindfold off. “That was great! Do you want to give it a go, Rarity?”

“Well, I…” Rarity hesitated, still staring at the completed picture of the pony, “I don’t think I’ll do quite as well as you, darling.”

“Aww, that’s fine. Winning really isn’t the point, ya know?”

Before she could protest further, the blindfold slipped around Rarity’s own eyes and she felt what she assumed to be Pinkie’s hooves, pushing into her side, encouraging her to spin.

She complied, trotting in a tight circle for a minute before she was stopped and positioned herself. The spinning had certainly worked as intended. Rarity had absolutely no idea which direction she was facing and felt as if all the blood was rushing through her ears.

But still, she couldn’t help but chuckle a little as she tried desperately to walk in a straight line. She probably looked absolutely ridiculous but in this moment she found herself honestly not caring. Placing the pin roughly where she thought her target was, Rarity took off her blindfold and examined her handy work.

The pin had pierced the picture right in the middle of the forehead.

Giggled came from Rarity’s side as Pinkie stood with her to examine the work. “Hehe, you made it a Unicorn, Rarity.”

Rarity snorted a very unladylike laugh that she quickly tried to cover up. “I did, didn’t I? Miss Pie, I must admit this was certainly a more pleasant endeavor than I had expected.”

“Parties are always fun,” Pinkie Pie said as if it was an undeniable truth about the universe. Then her expression dropped, just a bit, as she looked over the rest of the festivities. “I wish I could go more often…”

Rarity had no idea how to respond to the sudden mood shift and before she could even try Pinkie perked right back up again and went skipping off. “Thanks for having fun with me, Rarity! Enjoy the rest of the party!”

Rarity watched after her. The entire interaction had happened so fast, like a blur, and yet Rarity was feeling lighter than air.

What a strange pony.

Comments

[Wild Stallion]

“Oh, I’m alright,” Strawberry Sunrise answered, a smirk playing on her lips that Rarity was all too familiar with, “I’ve heard some funny news around town lately. Apparently a new pony has moved in.”

I love how you included Strawberry here. Nice to see some underrepresented characters getting some love.

“Really?” Rarity said, feigning surprise. Strawberry liked to gossip even more than she did and Rarity had learned she also adored being the first pony to know something. So she humored her. “I know ponies don’t move in everyday but this hardly seems like news, dear.”

This is a great character summary, and I like how you use this scene to elaborate on some of Pinkie Pie's past and personality. It's just a great scene overall.

If you don’t know where she’s from how do you know she’s moved so much? Rarity did not voice these thoughts out loud. One did not question the rumor mill outright. You had to prod gently. “But that seems like quite a leap to being run out of town, doesn’t it?”

Seriously I love the character dynamics in this series.

Rarity's interactions and social movements are on point here, and even the language used to describe her thoughts is as elegant as she is.

“Sure, probably,” Pinkie answered distractedly, staring off at something over Rarity’s shoulder, “Oh oh! There are games! Come play one with me, Rarity.”

I love how natural these characters feel here.

“What?” Pinkie gasped as if Rarity had just insulted her ancestors. “Nuh uh! All party games are for all ponies. That’s the rule of party games.”

This lecture is so quintessential Pinkie Pie.

Seriously, I have desperately missed stories like this. You nail these characters perfectly.

She complied, trotting in a tight circle for a minute before she was stopped and positioned herself. The spinning had certainly worked as intended. Rarity had absolutely no idea which direction she was facing and felt as if all the blood was rushing through her ears.

It's the little descriptions that help characterize a story, and they flourish in this chapter.

“Parties are always fun,” Pinkie Pie said as if it was an undeniable truth about the universe. Then her expression dropped, just a bit, as she looked over the rest of the festivities. “I wish I could go more often…”

All I can say is that I sincerely hope this isn't leading up to a 'Pinkie Pie's family were a bunch of jerks who discouraged her from going to parties' moment.

They just never struck me as the type, even in their first appearance

Other than that, the characterization is stunning, Rarity's chemistry with the rest of the cast is brilliant, and Pinkie Pie's aditude is every bit as warm, friendly, and down to earth as I could have hoped for.

I will enthusiastically await more.