Where My Heart Lives

by D4ftP0ny

Acciaccato- Pt. 1

Half an hour later, Rarity thanked the taxi driver who had brought her home and tipped him extravagantly before turning and making her way towards Fleur’s front door, a faraway smile upon her lips. He was lovely, she thought absently as she hurried up the front steps, her hooves feeling as if they were barely touching the ground. Her whole body felt light as air and everything in her mind was awash in bright rose-colored light, its corners stuffed full of Octavia and all things related to the cellist and, if she hadn’t seen the cab’s meter for herself, she would never have believed that it had taken thirty minutes for her to arrive back home. It certainly doesn’t seem like it’s been a half hour since I’ve seen her, Rarity reflected as her magic lit up the front door and opened it, allowing her to move into the house gracefully without having to stop. And yet it feels like forever since we parted!

Once inside the foyer she turned elegantly about, her motions perfectly smooth as she twitched her horn and shut the door quietly behind her. It wasn’t late, to be sure, but the last thing she needed to do was upset the whole household just because she was in a good mood. She lifted her front right hoof in the middle of the turn and used her momentum to spin herself back around, her mane and tail flowing around her artfully as she pivoted in the center of the room until she faced the staircase once more. Her heart felt lighter than it ever had before and, with a happy sigh, the unicorn leisurely climbed the stairs, her hooves gliding over them as if she merely floating over the tops of them on unseen wings.

I can’t believe I did that, she thought dreamily as she ascended, her mane swaying gently as her eyes stared past the house and into her recent memories involving the cellist. Touching her face in such a way! A shiver teased its way up her right leg as she remembered Octavia’s soft, meaningful touch. And to have her respond like she did, it’s almost like something out of a romance novel! The unicorn giggled softly to herself as she reached the top of the stairs and turned towards her room, her hoofsteps light and unhurried as she swayed from side to side in the hall. She found herself humming the song that Octavia had played that day, the melody caressing Rarity’s heart and soothing the sudden ache that she had in her chest to see the earth pony again as she made her way to the door of her room. Oh Octavia, Rarity thought as she gently bit her bottom lip, her hoof rising to the doorknob. I can’t wait to see you on… what day was it again?

Her hoof stopped atop the knob and her expression of sublime bliss slowly melted into a frown of concentration. What day WAS it? She thought. I’m certain we arranged our next date, didn’t we? She felt concern rise into the fluffy cloud of her happy emotions as she wracked her brain for a date or a time when the two mares would meet again, but to her supreme horror, the longer she dug through her memories the more obvious the dreaded answer became: the two had not, in fact, decided when to meet again. She felt her elation fold in onto itself and threaten to collapse into her stomach as her mouth dropped open in disbelief. I… no, I can’t believe it, she thought desperately. I’ve barely maintained my composure even WITH knowing when I was going to see her again! Without a date to look forward to… Rarity’s ears folded back against her mane and her bottom lip quivered as a wave of unbelievable despair and sadness enveloped her, her emotions fluctuating wildly as she fought to keep herself afloat in the maelstrom of her inner workings.

Just when it looked as if the bleak riptide would drag her under and kill her exuberant mood, a brilliant ray of hope suddenly lanced through the murkiness and lifted her skyward once more. Her ears slowly rose up and her tail flicked once eagerly as one singular thought rose among her myriad of others: She still has to pick up her dress. Yes, yes that’s it! She still has to pick up her dress and, to do that, she HAS to come to the shop! Her pout melted away into a determined smile as she repeated that thought to herself a few times, the hope within those simple words burning away the despondency that had quickly filled her before. Don’t worry your pretty head, Rarity – you’ll see that pony again, she told herself finally with a firm nod. Her hoof tightened on her doorknob. And when you do see her… Rarity giggled again as she pushed her door open and hurried into her room, closing the door behind her firmly before rising to her back hooves and pressing her back against it with a wistful sigh.

“When you do see her again,” she whispered, her hooves rising and crossing tightly over her chest, “you can tell her how you feel.” The simple thought of confessing her feelings to the object of her affection brought another fit of giggles to Rarity as she squeezed herself tightly, her excited laughter filling her room as she bounced from hoof to hoof in nervous elation. “Oh, won’t that be amazing?” she said to herself after her giggles had subsided. “Looking deep into those gorgeous eyes, reaching out and touching that sleek, velvety coat, and telling her that I…” Her hooves flew to her face as her cheeks flushed deeply. “Oh, th-that’s quite far enough!” She giggled softly, the heat from her face warming the pads of her hooves. “Calm yourself, Rarity. If you’re going to confess your attraction to another pony, especially this pony, you’re going to have to be calm and collected.” She took a deep, steadying breath and dropped back to all four hooves, her heart pounding in her chest even as she tried to force a calm expression on to her face. “You’re going to have to tell her poetically, perfectly, and, somehow, not trip all over yourself in the process,” she muttered. With a determined sigh, she closed her eyes and gave her head a small shake. “A pony like her will settle for nothing less, so you must make it fantastique and magnifique...”

She opened her eyes and stepped away from the door, but as she did so, her gaze alit on a piece of her dress making supplies that she kept here at the house instead of at the shop. It was, of all things, a fishing tackle box sitting next to her closet door at the far side of the room. It was not something she used for its intended purpose, of course, but rather it was something that she had purchased on the advice of a fellow designer a few years ago for the storage and organization of all of the small knick-knacks, tools, and paraphernalia that were required in the most delicate and precise of all a designer’s tasks: the making of coordinating jewelry to go along with a client’s ensemble. Inside the unassuming green and white plastic box, she kept every last ring, cord, chain, setting, and backing that she would need for any of her jewelry making endeavors as well as all of her pliers, tweezers, and, most importantly, magnifying glasses that allowed her to work in any size or shape. It was one of her favorite items in her arsenal of dazzling talents and, as she gazed upon it, her eyes widened and her smile grew until her cheeks began to hurt.

“…and most importantly, bring her a gift! Of COURSE!” she exclaimed. “WHY didn’t you think of that EARLIER, Rarity?!” With yet another giggle, she leaped forward, her horn igniting brightly as she magically grasped the tackle box and lifted it from the floor. With a deft flick of her horn, the unicorn whisked the box over the side of her bed to land gently atop the checkered quilt that lay pulled taut across her mattress. Rarity released the tackle box from her magic and turned it next to her closet. The folding doors flew open with a loud snap as the unicorn trotted around her bed and began to rummage through the dark space inside, tossing clothing and shoes and luggage about as she muttered to herself. “I know I left it in here,” she grumbled as she shifted an entire mountain of scarves to the side, her eyes darting to and fro in the crowded closet. “I just brought it back from the shop two days ago after I finished the last dress with gemstones, so how in the name of Celestia did it get buried so deep… AHA!” Her magic flared brighter as it wrapped around a box quite a bit larger than her tackle box and, with a grunt of exertion, Rarity backed up out of her clothes depository, pulling with her the pièce de résistance of her entire dress making supplies: the wooden chest in which she had brought all of her gemstones to Canterlot.

The unicorn gritted her teeth as she carefully maneuvered it towards her bed as well, turning her body as gently as she could manage without sudden movements one way or the other. Lifting small things was easy with magic, but the larger an object was the easier it was to lose control of it with a quick jerk of one’s horn and that was the last thing she needed to do right then. The chest floated serenely across the open air and settled gently onto the quilt, causing her bed’s box springs to creak in protest against its weight as she removed her magical support. Rarity grinned broadly as she moved back to the right side of her bed, her eyes sparkling with possibilities.

“Very well, then – what kind of stone should I use?” She muttered, reaching her hoof up and pushing the lid of the chest open. “It should be something that can be worn whenever, but something that should still be able to dazzle.” She gave the lid a shove and, as the modest light from Rarity’s ceiling and bedside lamps fell into the chest, its contents gave it back tenfold, sending sparkles and motes of light dancing out to paint the eggshell white walls of her room a myriad of ten thousand colors. Gems of every shape, size, color, and quality glimmered and sparkled inside of Rarity’s chest and, without exaggeration, Rarity knew that she could easily buy Fleur’s home with this box full of jewels, but at that moment the unicorn wasn’t concerned with cost. To a pony who could find such gemstones on a whim they became almost utilitarian instead of extravagant and Rarity had become immune to all but the most dazzling and impressive of stones.

Muttering softly to herself, she used her magic to gently lift the gems out of the chest one by one, her deft control allowing her to levitate them close together into a constantly moving line of stones that came out of the chest, floated past Rarity and her discerning eye then up and onwards in an ever-widening spiral of gems that quickly encircled the unicorn and filled the room with suspended gems that glittered and twinkled, turning Rarity into the center of a miniature galaxy.

“Hmm, not quite right,” she said as she squinted at the constantly moving gems. “Too few facets on this one… oh my, too many facets on that one…” She blinked diligently, forcing herself to do so every three gems so that her eyes did not dry out and miss some minute flaw that would turn her gift from perfect to worthless in a heartbeat. “Too blue, too red, my goodness, can you imagine that with her eye color?” Rarity snorted gently as the parade of gems continued onwards and onwards and soon one minute became five, and five became ten, and then ten became twenty as the unicorn looked and looked.

“No… no… n-WAIT.” The procession of gems halted in mid-air, the entire line shuddering precariously as Rarity leaned forward, her eyes darting over every corner and facet of the gemstone in front of her. “Hmmmmmm… the shape is perfect,” she muttered, her muzzle darting from one side of the stone to the other as she scrutinized it. “The color? Divine. The cut? Flawless.” Slowly, the unicorn sat back and held out her hoof. With perfect precision, she allowed her magic to drop just that one particular gemstone out of its grip while still holding on to the hundreds of others that she had passed by and, as the stone hit the pad of her hoof, she knew that she had chosen the right stone. It was a diamond shape, almost exactly like that of the diamonds in her cutie mark, but its color was a perfectly clear amethyst – easily the clearest she had seen in her chest thus far. Its facets were wide and immaculate and, as she rolled it in her hoof, it caught the light from her lamp and blazed to life with purple fire, burning like a violet star.

“THIS is the one,” she declared proudly. Her magic flared in the room and, as the train of gemstones reversed its movement, the gems streamed back into the chest as the gentle clacking of stone against stone filled the room. What had taken her twenty minutes to construct took her mere seconds to destroy and, in the span of several heartbeats, the string of gems had returned to the chest. Rarity’s magic took hold of the lid and closed it with a loud thump before taking hold of the entire chest and levitating it back to her closet, but so enthralled was she with the gemstone that she had found, that she didn’t bother to be too terribly careful with the chest. She cut her magic without a thought and unceremoniously dumped the chest back into the closet with a thud that shook her portion of the house as she turned to her vanity, her eyes almost as wide as her smile.

“This stone is going to be perfect!” She gushed as she moved to the wide, wooden piece of furniture, her gaze never leaving the gem. “Now, I just have to decide what to DO with you, my lovely little gemstone!”

Ideas had just started to form in Rarity’s mind when frantic hoofsteps in the hall drew her attention and, before she could even move to her door, it burst open to admit Fleur, her brow creased and her eyes worried.

“Rarity!” she exclaimed, her magic dying as the door swung wide. “What on earth was that noise?!” The designer blinked at her blankly for a heartbeat before her conscious mind finally caught up with her and, when it did, she at least managed to blush gently and look sheepish for her hostess.

“Oh, that… I’m terribly sorry, Fleur, but I was putting my gem chest away and, well, I suppose I was less than careful when returning it to the closet.” Her ears drooped. “Please, do forgive me. I didn’t mean to upset the household.”

Fleur’s eyes narrowed at her slightly, but after a moment the older unicorn’s features lightened into a benevolent smile. “You didn’t upset anyone,” she replied with a roll of her eyes, “But when loud noises make the walls of my dining room shake, I tend to hurry into action.”

“Again, I apologize,” Rarity said humbly, her wild creativity slowly coming back under her control. You have to remember that this is NOT your home, Rarity, and that if you start throwing things and putting holes in walls, it is not coming out of YOUR pockets! She chastised herself. Honestly, worrying Fleur like that… but, even as she finished rebuking herself mentally, her forehead creased into a frown as she raised her eyes back to her friend. “But why were you in the dining room?” she asked after a moment. “You only go in there to eat.”

“Well, that IS what a dining room is for, Rarity.” Fleur chuckled lightly as she stepped into Rarity’s room and shut the door behind her. “And I was in the middle of supper when it sounded like something exploded up here.”

“You were having supper at this time of day?” Rarity’s frown deepened, her magic lighting up once more as she picked the gem off of her hoof and lifted the tackle box from her bed at the same time. “It seems a bit early to have supper, but I suppose there’s no reason not to.” The box and the gem both floated to the unicorn who trotted to the vanity and began to eyeball the items strewn across its top. I’m going to have to clear this off so that I can have ample space to work! Next to the door, Fleur rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Rarity, do you know what time it is?” she inquired. “Because it seems to me that you may have lost track of time.”

Rarity raised her right hoof to sweep the vanity of the items cluttering its surface, but at Fleur’s question, she paused and blinked at her friend, her hoof suspended across her chest. “Do I know what time it is?” she repeated. “Well of course I do, darling. It’s–” her eyes darted to her bedside table where her alarm clock sat, or had sat, until recently. The unicorn winced inwardly. Note to self: timepieces do not make the best projectiles. “–it’s, um,” she held her pose for a long moment as she warred with herself as to whether or not she should simply make the best guess that she could or if she should admit that she had, indeed, completely lost track of time, but, after several long, silent moments, the latter won out. “I have no idea what time it is,” she finally admitted, dropping her hoof back to the floor and giving her friend a sheepish look. “Is it truly suppertime already?”

“It’s actually past suppertime,” Fleur admitted with a gentle shake of her head. “It’s almost 7:30.” Rarity blinked in surprise.

“7:30?” she muttered before giving her head a small, disbelieving shake. “But that’s impossible. I only got home thirty minutes ago!”

“Actually, you got home over an hour ago,” Fleur corrected. “You came in the door at six o’clock on the nose.” The other unicorn arched an eyebrow at the designer and the look was one of such sisterly reproach that Rarity’s ears drooped lower against her head. “I was standing in the foyer when you came in and I tried to speak with you, but, while you were physically here, you were clearly somewhere else mentally.”

“Oh dear Celestia,” Rarity murmured with a wince as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. “I honestly don’t remember seeing you there...”

“Well I’m not surprised. The smile on your face was so blissful that it was a wonder you knew where you were to begin with.”

Rarity sighed shakily and pressed on as her ears twitched under Fleur’s gaze. “B-but I promise there is a reasonable explanation for my behavior. You see, it was–” suddenly, Fleur’s hoof shot up between them, stopping the flow of Rarity’s words as her hostess’ face slowly blossomed into a smile so full of knowing that Rarity’s blush deepened in spite of herself.

“Oh, I think I know what it was,” Fleur said, her eyebrows rising as her lips pursed. “I’d know that vacant stare anywhere, though I’m surprised I didn’t notice it earlier.” The taller unicorn reached her hoof out and poked Rarity gently in the chest, her eyes squinting conspiratorially as she grinned. “That bedazzled smile, that bright, faraway gaze? There’s only one reason in the world that you would have a look like that on your face, Rarity.” Fleur bit her lip and leaned back as she removed her hoof from Rarity’s chest and dropped it back to the floor as the cadence of Rarity’s heart pounded out a march in her ears. With a soft chuckle, Fleur tossed her mane casually before turning her focused gaze back onto Rarity and, when Fleur spoke, her words were calm, conversational, and deceptively light. “So tell me, Rarity. How is Octavia doing tonight?”

The simple mention of the earth pony’s name made Rarity’s heart pound in response and, after a moment, her ears began to ring, signaling to the unicorn that her blush had increased in magnitude from ‘slightly embarrassed’ to ‘caught red-hoofed’. She opened her mouth to say something snide and witty about having no way of knowing Octavia’s state of well-being, but the heat in her face evaporated her words and left her with her mouth hanging open like a fish out of water. This is proving to be more difficult than I thought, she thought with a sigh. She gave her head a gentle shake and forced herself to swallow before attempting to speak again. Come on, Rarity! You can do this! Just ‘play it cool’ as Rainbow Dash would say. She steeled herself and opened her mouth again to say something in her defense, but as her eyes met Fleur’s gaze she stopped. In her friend’s eyes she saw no judgment, nor teasing or disappointment. Instead, she saw curiosity sparkling in Fleur’s violet eyes – curiosity and an eagerness to be excited about the things Rarity herself was excited about – and, after a moment, the unicorn smiled and sighed happily.

“Octavia is… wonderful,” she whispered, her ears dipping bashfully towards her mane as she dropped her chin demurely.

“And is it safe to say that she is the reason you floated up the stairs as you did?” Fleur asked just as softly. Rarity nodded slowly in response and brought her eyes back to her friend, biting her lip as she did so.

“Yes… yes it is..!” she giggled. “I… I am…” The words rose in her throat, shoving everything else aside as they rushed forward to finally be said aloud: “I am completely in love with her, Fleur!”

Silence filled the room for a moment as if those words carried such weight and gravity that they had cleared all other sound from the space, but, as one heartbeat became two, the sound rushed back to the world in the form of Fleur’s own excited giggle.

“Oh Rarity – I knew it, I just knew it!” she gushed, shifting daintily on her hooves in her excitement as she grinned broadly at Rarity. “Since the very first day you mentioned her I knew that you were interested, but to hear you say it… Oh I’m just so HAPPY for you!” She hurried forward and hugged Rarity across the neck as the pair giggled happily together. Rarity leaned into the hug whole-heartedly, burying her face into Fleur’s baby-soft coat and silken mane as the taller unicorn’s support for her made her entire day burn even brighter than it had before. After all, it is one thing to realize that you’re in love and quite another for somepony to be happy for your love.

“Thank you, Fleur,” Rarity said after a few moments, pulling herself out of the embrace with a bright smile. “I just came to the realization earlier today at Octavia’s rehearsal so it’s all very new to me and I haven’t even told Octavia yet.” She twitched her horn to the right and the gem shifted into Fleur’s view, still shimmering in Rarity’s magic. “Don’t worry about that, though – I’m going to tell her very soon! But I decided that I just had to make something to give her when I do.” She turned back to her vanity and sighed wistfully. “After all, what mare wouldn’t love a beautiful gift along with a profession of love?”

Fleur’s smile dimmed slightly. “So, you didn’t tell Octavia?”

“Well no, not yet – but, as I said, I plan to do so very soon!” Rarity gave her a winning smile and a wink. “When she comes in to get her dress in the next week I’m going to tell her as well as give her something for her to wear – something that is just as beautiful as she is.” The unicorn giggled again as she took the remaining step that separated her from her vanity, raised her right hoof across her chest, and with a single swipe knocked the few odds and ends that had occupied the vanity’s top onto the floor. Her hairbrush bounced across the room and a few mismatched pairs of earrings and her glasses careened this way and that as she cleared her workspace. With a flick of her head, she brought her tackle box sailing over her to settle squarely in the middle of the now-empty space. She released the small box from her magical grasp and stepped up to the vanity, the gem levitating down and settling gently in front of the box full of supplies as Rarity sighed, her ears lowering slightly against her head.

“And besides,” she continued softly, “I don’t know exactly how I feel yet. I mean, I know that this feeling – this wonderful, bright feeling inside me...” She smiled and lifted her hoof, placing it tenderly over her chest as she turned her gaze back to Fleur. “I know that this is love, but I barely know her, Fleur, and…” She shook her head. “And I would rather have a few days to let this fire burn down to embers before I go professing my love to somepony. Does that make sense?”

Fleur watched her for a moment her expression unreadable, but just as Rarity’s ears decided that they may be better off nestled in her mane the taller unicorn’s face broke into a proud smile.

“It does make sense. In fact, it’s very mature of you, Rarity,” she said, giving Rarity a nod.

Rarity smiled winningly and gave Fleur a small, humble nod in return. “Thank you, Fleur. I do try very hard to be,” she said as she turned back to her vanity. Her magic grasped the box and unclasped the lid and, with slow, careful movements, the unicorn pushed the top open, ensuring that the multitude of sliding trays inside would not jostle and spill their contents.

“Now, if only you extended your maturity to how you clean off your workspaces,” Fleur muttered as she glanced at the floor, kicking one of Rarity’s wayward earrings away from her hoof as she did so. “What a mess.” Rarity finished pushing the top of her tackle box open and allowed her magic to go dark before turning to face Fleur again, her brow furrowed as a flash of irritation sparked behind her eyes.

“Don’t worry about those trinkets, Fleur,” she reassured the other unicorn. “I’ll be picking them up as soon as I’m done with Octavia’s gift, I promise.” A process that would be going much better if you were not critiquing my work habits, she thought with a silent sigh. She opened her mouth to ask Fleur politely to leave her be until she was finished, but before she could do so Fleur’s eyebrows knit and she stooped low to the floor.

“What is that?” The other mare’s horn lit up brightly and, after a moment, she stood up straight, bringing with her a small business card. Rarity blinked at the find and Fleur brought it closer to herself in the aura of her gentle pink magic. “Hmmm… what is The Magical Hat?” she asked after a moment, her gaze darting over the top of the card to Rarity. The designer frowned as the words fell over her. They were familiar, but for some reason she was having a hard time remembering why. It was as if they were screaming at her from behind a large glass wall – she could see them and felt as though she should know them immediately – but she was having a hard time recalling their significance.

“The Magical Hat…” she mused aloud and that was all it took. Her eyes widened as the face of Vinyl Scratch flashed through her mind, the other pony’s broad sunglasses and unreadable smile appearing before her as if she had been thrown back in time to that very moment in the Boutique when the DJ had given her that card. “Three days… eleven o’clock…” muttered Rarity, her words hushed and incredulous. “Dear Celestia I’d completely forgotten!”

“Forgotten what?” asked Fleur as she levitated the card back to the top of the vanity. Rarity stared into space for a moment more before she gave her head a firm shake and turned back to her friend, mild shock and surprise written all over her face.

“A client of mine, Vinyl Scratch, gave me that card three days ago and told me that I should go to that club tonight at eleven o’clock.” She picked the card up with her hoof and gazed intently down at it. “It was one of the two big events that I had been looking forward to, but with the revelations of earlier today I simply forgot.”

In truth, while Rarity did certainly feel bad that she had forgotten such an interesting and mysterious event in her daily life, she was having a hard time mustering anything beyond mild disappointment at the prospect of not going to it. The elation she had felt earlier with Octavia was still very much alive inside her and the desire to complete something as a gift for the cellist was a great deal stronger than any interest that she may have had in going out on the town. I truly should just stay home, Rarity thought as she placed the card back onto the vanity. My thoughts wouldn’t be there, anyway, and it would be rude to go somewhere only to ignore everything going on. She sighed gently, but just as she was about to voice her thoughts on the matter, Fleur’s words cut through the quiet in the room.

“A club, you say?” she mused, smiling craftily as she touched her hoof to her chin. “Well that would certainly help you relax, I’m certain of that much. I think it sounds like a wonderful way to spend an evening.”

Rarity let out another sigh, this one much sharper than the last. “Honestly, Fleur – again with this nonsense?” she muttered with a roll of her eyes. “As I told you before, I have no interest in running amok amidst the nightlife of Canterlot.”

“And I recall you saying such a thing,” Fleur acknowledged with a nod. “But I would like to re-open this debate, si vous plaît.” She smiled slightly at Rarity as the designer shifted her hooves on the carpet and turned away from the vanity slightly so that she could glare more directly at Fleur and her perfect Prench.

“Si nous devons,” grumbled Rarity as she settled her hooves firmly into the carpet. Fleur’s smile quirked at the corner as the taller unicorn gave her head a gentle shake, allowing her beautiful mane to shimmer around her shoulders.

“Oh we must, Rarity.” Fleur arched an eyebrow at her as she lifted her hoof and poked the business card atop the vanity. “I know that I’ve talked to you about going out a few times in the past weeks, but this time I think you truly should. You were specifically invited out by a friend and given a specific time to be there. It would be terribly rude to refuse, wouldn’t it?”

Rarity winced. And there is the elephant in the room, as it were, she thought with a silent sigh. Vinyl DID invite me out specifically and who knows for what reason. It’s possible that she’s going to be playing there and is looking forward to seeing me outside of my official capacity again. Guilt welled up inside her pushing her elation aside as it surged into her throat. I’d feel awful if that were the case. She bit her lip uncertainly, but, after a moment, she swallowed and forced the guilt back down into her stomach where it belonged before looking back to Fleur.

“Normally I would agree with you, Fleur,” she said, doing her best to keep any exaggerated emotions out of her voice, “But today has been a bit of an extraordinary day and, given my emotional state at the moment, I’m not certain that I’d be very good company.” She turned her gaze back to her vanity and couldn’t keep her lips from forming a soft smile. “Besides, I want to get this done for Octavia, and I want to have it done tonight.”

“It’s not even eight o’clock yet,” Fleur countered smoothly. “That gives you over three hours to finish this accessory that you’re making – two if you’d like to be there on time.” Her smile became almost reproachful as she arched an eyebrow. “Not to mention that I’m certain you’re going to need to eat something before we go, considering that you haven’t eaten a bite since lunch.” Rarity’s eyes narrowed and she felt irritation flare along her shoulders.

“And how in Equestria do you know that?” she grumbled, her ears drooping. “Perhaps I grabbed something on the way home, or–”

“Oh come now, Rarity, we both know better.” Fleur rolled her eyes. “With the state you were in when you came into the house, it’s a miracle you remembered my address.”

Rarity gasped in indignation and turned to face Fleur more directly, her irritation quickly swarming into her head to ignite a fire behind her eyes. She knew that she shouldn’t be angry at Fleur – she was just trying to look out for her, after all – but the roiling emotions that were bubbling inside her seemed ready and willing to take whatever stimuli that came Rarity’s way and amplify it tenfold. “What a ridiculous thing to say!” she began sharply. “I’ll have you know that I–”

At that exact moment, however, her stomach decided that it’d had enough of being fed solely on unwanted emotions and let out a long, angry statement of its own, a guttural gurgle so loud that it cut Rarity’s tirade off mid sentence and so lengthy that both unicorns had time to share several awkward glances before it was finished. After what seemed like forever to Rarity, her irate internal organ fell silent, though the gnawing sensation that suddenly welled up in her midsection made certain that she would not forget her stomach’s proclamation. She blinked into the silence and, as she watched Fleur’s smile quirk upwards at the corners, she felt her anger fizzle and fall away leaving embarrassment and hunger to dominate her.

“W-well, perhaps I should eat something,” she muttered sheepishly as her cheeks began to burn with an entirely different kind of heat than before.

“And?” Fleur pressed, leaning forward slightly. “You know that I’m right, Rarity. Getting out will help your emotions cool and that is what you want before you make any decisions about how you want to approach Octavia, is it not?” Rarity’s ears drooped against her mane and she sighed again.

“Yes… yes it is,” she admitted reluctantly. “I suppose that visiting this club would be the best thing for that.” Her ears perked up slightly. “Perhaps I’ll get to see Vinyl again – she has a way of distracting a pony from her problems.”

“That’s the spirit!” said Fleur as her smile became a happy grin. “All right, it’s decided then. We’ll leave the house at 10:30 so that we can arrive at this club before 11.” Her eyes narrowed playfully. “And you, my dear, are going to accompany me downstairs right this instant for a late dinner.”

Rarity’s gaze darted to her vanity, where her jewelry making supplies sat untouched. “Um, right this instant?”

“Yes, right this instant,” Fleur reiterated with a roll of her eyes. “You’ll have plenty of time to make whatever beautiful trinket you’d like for your fair lady after you have a bit of sustenance.”

Rarity’s stomach grumbled loudly again and this time Rarity couldn’t keep herself from smiling. “I loathe leaving a project unfinished, but it would seem that I am out-voted.” She pried her gaze away from the amethyst on her vanity and gave her head a small shake before looking back at Fleur. “All right, lead the way! Hopefully I’ll be better able to create once I’ve eaten.”

“And then?” asked Fleur, her eyes gleaming. Rarity rolled her eyes at her as she stepped away from her vanity and towards the door which Fleur opened with her magic.

“And THEN we can go to The Magical Hat,” Rarity conceded, a defeated smile touching her lips. “After I finish this project for Octavia, of course,” she added as she stepped out into the hallway, her side brushing the doorframe as she moved around Fleur. “And perhaps you’re right,” she admitted as Fleur shut her door behind them. “I’m certain that a trip out of the house will do wonders to soothe my spirit.”

Fleur nodded in agreement and started down the hallway towards the stairs, leading the way back to the dining room. Rarity followed closely, wincing to herself as her stomach grumbled even louder than before in the quiet space. Maybe this really is for the best, she thought as the pair turned right at the end of the hall and started down the stairs, their hoofsteps echoing softly in the foyer. I’m certain that I wouldn’t have been able to keep working with my stomach eating itself.

Even as Rarity’s hooves touched the floor at the bottom of the stairs, however, she knew that it was more than just her hunger. The flames that had enveloped her heart for the better part of the day were still burning brightly and the rational part of her knew that she wouldn’t be able to make calm, unemotional decisions while they did so. And when it comes to making decisions that include the pony of your affections, it is imperative that you make calm, rational decisions, she thought. The two mares moved from the foyer to the hallway on their right at the base of the stairs and, as they headed towards the dining room, Fleur turned and gave Rarity a happy wink. Rarity smiled in return. Not only that, but I believe Fleur is correct – getting out of the house and allowing my focus to turn to something else will do wonders in helping me think clearly again. Even making the decision to go to this club that Vinyl had suggested had brought her focus away from Octavia and back to the mysterious way that her friend had dealt with the subject three days ago and, as Rarity and Fleur entered the dining room at the end of the hall, the unicorn couldn’t help but wonder once more why her friend had been so furtive about it. In fact, she was just about to start pondering it full-force when the delicious aroma of perfectly prepared food wafted to her from the table. In a heartbeat, every thought that wasn’t about food became unimportant and Rarity made the executive decision not to think about anything until her belly was full.

Besides, she thought as she hurried to the table with Fleur, her eyes wide and her stomach growling, all of my questions will be answered tonight and I’m certain I’ll have fun once I’m there!

Comments

[HeartfireFirebrand]

What's the bet Octavia is there with Vinyl talking about their past.

[Texus]

In her friend’s eyes she saw no judgment, nor teasing or disappointment. Instead, she saw curiosity sparkling in Fleur’s violet eyes – curiosity and an eagerness to be excited about the things Rarity herself was excited about – and, after a moment, the unicorn smiled and sighed happily.

Thank you that it hadn'T to be another teasing moment, not sure if the teasing annoys me that much, or if it is the fact that there are so many stories in which the main char get's teased and I start to hate something that happens to often. Well it feels like that is often the chase.

“Since the very first day you mentioned her I knew that you were interested, but to hear you say it… Oh I’m just so HAPPY for you!”

I like this moment, but I feel like saying again, that I think it is stupid how they think they always knew the truth.
I could actually believe that it is just Rarity being interessted in their clients since she has that little gossip side on her.

“And besides,” she continued softly, “I don’t know exactly how I feel yet. I mean, I know that this feeling – this wonderful, bright feeling inside me...” She smiled and lifted her hoof, placing it tenderly over her chest as she turned her gaze back to Fleur. “I know that this is love, but I barely know her, Fleur, and…” She shook her head. “And I would rather have a few days to let this fire burn down to embers before I go professing my love to somepony. Does that make sense?”

I like that.

I fear that Vinyl could try to hit on Rarity and for some reason some authors would actually write it in a way that either makes Vinyl not stopping when she get's told to stop, or Rarity fallig in love with her too for some stupid reason. I just trust you.