Planescape: Equestria

by Applechaser

7

You’re on your way out of the grand ball room when Pinkie Pie goes comes bouncing past and does an exaggerated double take, her midair progress somehow arresting itself to send her crashing facefirst to the floor at your feet. She’s back on her hooves in a moment, entirely unhurt, fixing you with a stern glare.

“Anon! What are you doing here! You’re the guest of honour, you are NOT supposed to be hanging around while everypony’s getting things ready.”

“Hey Pinkie. Don’t fret, I was just leaving. I was giving miss Octavia here a little help with her unloading, but we’re all done. We’re on our way up to the suite to relax for a bit until things kick off.”

“Oh! Hi ‘Tavi. That’s great! I -told- you you’d make a bunch of new pony friends in no time, Anon. Dashie seemed super bored up there just hanging around while Rarity was getting ready, so you guys can keep her company. But you better not have peeked at the decorations, mister.”

“No way.”

“Okie dokie lokie! See you later!”

Off she bounces, and you proceed up to your suite with Octavia. You enter to find Rainbow Dash sprawled on the big couch, her hind hooves and tail draped over the back of it as she lies on her head. She doesn’t move as you come in, but her eyes track sideways to follow you and Octavia.

“Hey Anon… woah, that was fast.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, Rarity shoots you down and ten minutes later you’ve already found a new mare to creep on?”

“Oh, right.” You turn to Octavia, who seems torn between embarrassment and indignation. “Octavia, do you know Rainbow Dash? Don’t mind that ugly edge of spinster-ish envy to her tone there; we should try to be tolerant of those whose own experiences of life have warped them into loveless, embittered husks.”

You grin at Rainbow, who just stares blankly at you for a moment before erupting with a snort of laughter, collapsing into a heap on the couch. "Pffft, you’re such a sleazeball.”

You give a heedless shrug and smile at Octavia. “So… a drink? What would you like?”

“Oh… umm…” she still seems pretty flustered. “Sparkling water would be lovely.”

“You sure? I can make you something more interesting than that, y’know.”

“Nothing alcoholic,” she says firmly. “I need a clear head for my performance.”

“Sure. I have just the thing; trust me, you’ll love it.”

“Oh, very well…”

You root around in the bar’s well-stocked fridge and cupboard and come up with ice cubes, tomato juice, carrot juice, lime, cucumber, celery, hotsauce and a black pepper mill.

“Erm… Miss Dash…” Octavia awkwardly begins, “I hope you understand, Anonymous only offered me a drink in his suite as a friendly gesture, since downstairs is all in chaos with the preparations for the party. There is no impropriety…”

“Oh, suuuuure,” Dash responds with a devilish grin. “That’s what he -wants- you to think. Maybe it looks innocent to you now, but just wait. He’ll be all over you like a fly on fresh dung, just give him the chance.”

“I’m afraid she’s correct,” you remark. Octavia whips her head to face you, eyes wide and cheeks burning. “My appetites are legendarily insatiable,” you continue in an offhand tone. “Why, just last night I turned a polite Canterlot dinner party into a debauched orgy.”

“You wish,” Dash scoffs.

You grin, putting the final trimmings on three glasses of piquant, refreshing juice. You add a generous dash of vodka to one of them, setting it aside from the others.

“Anyway, if you are quite finished discussing the towering extent of my virility, Dash, do you want a kick in yours or what?” You shake one of the glasses at her, rattling the ice cubes, to make it obvious what you’re talking about.

“Oh, err… yeah.”

She peers at you, nonplussed, having obviously not expected the offer of a drink. You add vodka to her glass as well and then hand one to each of the ponies, giving Octavia the unadulterated glass.

“Thank you,” Octavia says politely as she takes it.

She’s still rather discomfited, but it seems like she’s starting to relax a bit; you take that as a sign that your efforts at parrying Dash’s sallies weren’t entirely wasted.

“…yeah, thanks,” Dash says, eyeing you with open suspicion as she accepts her drink. She gives it a wary sniff before tasting it.

Octavia tastes hers with better grace and gives you a smile. “That is rather pleasant.”

“It is, isn’t it?” you agree as you take a sip of your own drink.

“I guess I’ve had worse,” Dash concedes after slurping from her own glass.

You remain on your guard, but it seems like you have won at least a temporary reprieve from the cyan pegasus’s hostilities, and the three of you enjoy your drinks in something almost approaching civilized companionship. Although Rainbow’s small talk still leaves something to be desired.

“So Octavia, you’re, like, some kind of bigshot fiddle player or something right?” she asks casually.

“…that might be said to be roughly accurate,” Octavia replies in a pained tone. “Although the term ‘fiddle’ more commonly refers to a violin than my own instrument, the cello. And it implies a certain… rustic… character to the music which my own performances lack.”

“Yeah, whatever. Pinkie said something about you playing with Vinyl?”

“Yes, we have been collaborating recently; it has been an interesting challenge to incorporate her very modern style with my own more traditional musical background.” She takes a dainty sip of her drink.

“…uh huh.”

“Prior to this project with Vinyl Scratch, you may have heard me in concert with the Royal Canterlot Philharmonic Orchestra.”

“Err, nah. Not exactly my scene. No offense, but if I can’t dance to it, I’m not interested.”

“Well, I have been known to play for dances and the like as well. And I believe my performance this evening will satisfy.”

“It’d better. I’m in the mood to cut loose. That dancefloor isn’t gonna know what hit it.”

“Woah there,” you put in. “Nobody doubts that if you wanted to hit the dancefloor, Dash, you could hit it hard. Shattered masonry, roofs caving in, groaning, twitching bodies everywhere. Carnage. But, you know, we’re all going to be trying to enjoy ourselves, so can’t you spare us the demonstration?”

Dash glares at you. “Is that you trying to be funny, or what? I’m an awesome dancer.”

“Seriously?”

“Of course! Why shouldn’t I be?”

“…err, I don’t know. I kind of just can’t stop picturing you racing around the dancefloor like an overbuffed faerie dragon on pixie dust, leaving total destruction in your wake.”

“I don’t know what the buck that is, but I don’t like your tone, buddy. I’m tellin’ ya. I’m an awesome dancer.”

“If you say so…”

“What, you think you can do better? How do humans even dance, do you flail those skinny arms around the place or what?”

“Well, you’ll see soon enough. I’m a little rusty, but I’m pretty sure I can still out-dance anybody with four legs.”

“Oh yeah?” Dash leans forward to fix you with a challenging stare. “That’s big talk. How about a little competition?”

“What, a dance-off? Any time.”

“Right!” There’s a rattle of ice cubes as she slams her glass down on a side table, and almost faster than you can follow she’s in your face. She spits on her hoof and holds it out. “Dance-off, tonight, punk. You’re going down.”

“It’s on.”

You bump your fist against her spit-moistened hoof, not breaking eye contact. She gives a slow nod and backs away with slow beats of her wings, eyes still locked on yours until she’s comfortably seated again and looks away with unconcern.

“…so you’d better bring your A-game tonight, Octy,” she says.

Octavia gives a sniff, obviously disapproving of the excessive familiarity.

“It’s the only one I would ever consider bringing to a performance, Miss Dash.”

“That’s what I like to hear. Anything less is just letting yourself down, right?”

Octavia’s answer, if any, is cut off as Rarity’s door opens and the white unicorn pokes her head out, her mane done up in curlers. "Rainbow Dash, I simply can’t believe – oh!”

She sees Octavia and stops mid-nag, glancing briefly between her and you.

“Octavia!” she recovers swiftly from the surprise. “Darling, I didn’t know you were here, I would have put in an appearance sooner.”

“Hello, Rarity,” Octavia says, smiling warmly, fidgeting with her hooves. “That’s, umm, quite all right. You have to get ready for the party and all, don’t you?”

“Well yes, but that’s hardly an excuse for neglecting a friend. I trust at least you are being looked after?”

Again she looks quickly between the two of you; you give her an easy smile.

“Oh, yes,” Octavia says. “Anonymous was an enormous help to me in setting up for the show, and he’s fixed me a rather delicious drink…”

“Well! Good. Good.” Rarity smiles – late, maybe, by just the blink of an eye. “I fear I really must return to my preparations if I am to be at the party in any reasonable time frame. Oh, but that reminds me. As I was saying - Rainbow Dash! I simply cannot believe that you are lounging around here, making no preparations. The party begins in scarcely an hour! We’ll have to make an appearance by two hours’ time at the latest! And you’re not dressed, not washed, haven’t done a thing with your mane – darling, I simply -demand- that you get this situation under control, I will not have you modelling one of my creations without proper care taken over the rest of your appearance.”

Rainbow Dash just looks at Rarity, unimpressed.

“Yeah, whatever. Chill out. After I’ve finished this drink. I’ll handle it.”

Rarity glares at her for a long moment as the pegasus blinks impassively.

“Oh, fine,” Rarity sighs. “I can’t very well force you, now can I? Just remember, darling, I’m counting on you. And Anonymous, you as well. Fix your mane – your hair, I mean. A more dramatic look to match the outfit, yes? I trust you. Octavia, we must, must catch up – after your performance, or tomorrow: at any rate, before I leave for Ponyville.”

“Yes, that would be nice,” Octavia smiles.

“Well. Ta ta for now, then.”

With a wave of a hoof, Rarity disappears again to resume her toilette. Octavia takes her leave not long after, wanting to be back at the ballroom in plenty of time to run the soundcheck as promised – and possibly also wanting to avoid any more of Rainbow Dash’s company, you would speculate.

You walk part of the way back with her, intending to follow through on your earlier intention of a walk in the gardens.

“I hope you weren’t too bothered by all that screed when we came in,” you venture once you’re away from the suite. “Seems like Rainbow just has a chip on her shoulder; I didn’t mean to put you in the firing line.”

“Yes, well…” the faintest of blushes comes to Octavia’s cheeks and you smile to yourself. “You’re not responsible for her behaviour. Although you did make some rather inappropriate comments yourself, you know.”

“Did I?”

“Yes. Er, well. Not that I would want anypony to think me too stuck up to engage in the occasional bit of banter or repartee, mind you. But, there are limits…”

You just smile.

You turn a corner into a dim corridor, one side opened up to the gardens by tall windows that run its length. The summer evening sunlight, patterned by the trees outside the windows, dapples the scrubbed wooden floor with patches of golden light amidst deep, twining shadows.

Up ahead, you catch a flicker of movement in a darkened doorway. You tense immediately, one hand finding the handle of a blade as your other shoots out to arrest Octavia’s forward progress. She turns to you, a question forming, but you silence her with a finger pressed gently to her lips. She seems a little put out, but if she’s going to be indignant, at least she has the sense to be quietly indignant; she must sense something of the gravity of your concern.

Swiftly you beckon her and turn on your heel, leading the way back towards the suite. You don’t get further than the corner of this corridor when a door opens and another figure steps out, sealing your path of retreat. The form is equine, of course – slim and lithe, moving with a fluid grace and… flicking her… sugar-pink mane?
“…Fleur?”

She steps from the shadows and your guess is confirmed, but somehow you’re not the least bit reassured. She blinks slowly, her lilac eyes meeting yours with steely intensity.

“Good evening, Anonymous.”

Comments

[GreenZebra]

Interesting story, but I'm not really sure where it's going. The planescape angle sucked me in at first, but the last few chapters after meeting with Celestia just seem to be about the protagonist mingling and getting laid, with almost no visible plot development.

[Applechaser]

1783565

Thanks for your patience! And your continued support. With any luck, there won't be any more waits like that in the immediate future.

1783624

Giggle at the ghostie, laugh at the Lady.

1783762

Thanks!

1799694

I do believe the next chapter may change your mind; although, if fimfiction would let me tag this story as both Adventure and Slice of Life, I would do so. It's my continued intention to have quite a heavy focus on Anon hanging out with ponies/fucking ponies/having drama with ponies, in between and alongside the plot development. If that's not your thing then... sorry that you had to read 50k words to find that out, I guess.

[Templar Pony]

Another good chapter. Continue please

[TheTownCrier]

The plot thickens. No pun intended.