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Chapter 11: The Surprise

With the use of her magic, Rarity didn’t have a problem bringing her luggage back to the boutique, but she was still tired when she walked in. She decided it would be best to get some shut-eye and save the unpacking for the morning. She left her luggage on the ground floor and went up to her bedroom. The clock on the wall said 1:00 AM, and she groaned. Rarity was definitely not a night owl, and she thought she would pass out immediately upon lying on the bed.

She turned out to be right. She lay in the bed and shut her eyes, and when she woke up it was 10:30 in the morning. Still groggy, but not as tired as she had been before, she stumbled into the bathroom to take a nice hot shower. When she turned on the hot water and stepped in, she immediately felt soothing relief and a sense of rejuvenation. Rarity had always believed that hot water had a magical healing property, or at least it seemed that way, and she silently thanked the pony that had invented the furnace.

While her thoughts were free to roam in the confines of the shower, she found herself anticipating reuniting with her friends. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, they may have been a little uncouth, but they were the most loyal and dependable ponies Rarity knew, and it would be a great joy to see them again. Pinkie Pie was always good for enlivening spirits, and Fluttershy was there to provide a calming balance to the equation. But then there was Twilight, a friendly pony who was nevertheless reserved and, as a result, quite enigmatic.

What did Rarity know about Twilight? Well, she had a handle on her personality. Diligent, hard-working, but also neurotic and a perfectionist. Rarity had to admit that she had similar qualities, especially when it came to designing clothes. And of course, Rarity knew Twilight’s brother and royal babysitter, who both seemed friendly, but she didn’t know those ponies well enough to make any further evaluation.

But what of Twilight’s hopes and dreams? Her aspirations? Of that, Rarity knew very little. Surely a mare with such gifted intelligence didn’t dream of becoming a librarian in a small town like Ponyville. Rarity always thought that, under the tutelage of Princess Celestia, Twilight would achieve great accomplishments in her lifetime, but she didn’t know when that was going to happen for her. And she didn’t even know if that was what Twilight wanted.

How had she never thought to ask her such questions? Maybe it was because Twilight’s reserved nature didn’t really invite such personal conversation. Around her, Rarity was always comfortable sharing her dreams of becoming a top fashion designer in Canterlot, but Twilight offered little about her own dreams. What Rarity wouldn’t give to get to know that mare on a more personal level, to find out what made her tick.

So caught up was she in this train of thought that Rarity finally remembered towards the end of her shower that she was supposed to reveal to her friends her role in a pornographic film. Considering how well they had responded to the news of the photo shoot, Rarity was not looking forward to having this conversation with them. But they were her friends, and Twilight had assured her that they understood how poorly they reacted and promised to never do it again. If Rarity were to reveal the truth tonight, she would have to bank on that promise.

Shower over, Rarity stepped out to towel off when she heard a knock on the door. If it were a customer, she didn’t want to present herself with her fur soaked as it was, but if it were a friend, she didn’t want to keep them waiting. Rarity compromised by wrapping her mane up in her towel, walking down stairs and to the door, and asked who had come calling.

“It’s me, silly!” chirped a voice that was unmistakable.

“Pinkie Pie!” Rarity cried, opening the door and giving her a hug. Pinkie happily returned the embrace with so much enthusiasm that after a while Rarity found it difficult to breathe. It used to be that she would have to sputter and gasp to get Pinkie to let go of her, but Pinkie now knew when to cut off the embrace. She stepped back and beamed at Rarity.

“How did you know I was here?” Rarity asked.

“Because every day since you’ve left I’ve come here and knocked on your door, just so I was sure not to miss you when you came back! And today is finally the day! We all really missed you a lot and now everypony’s going to be so excited you’re back! How’d it go?”

“It was...interesting,” Rarity said, which wasn’t entirely a lie. “Definitely stranger than I expected, but all-in-all a good time.”

“Did you get to meet any super-famous ponies on set?” Pinkie asked.

Rarity considered carefully how to answer and decided to remain ambiguous. “You’ll have to wait and see,” she said. Pinkie’s bubbly persona seemed to deflate slightly, but she quickly recovered.

“Hey, I know you only just got back, but do you want to come to Sugarcube Corner around, say...8:00 tonight?”

“Why? Are you planning a welcome back party?” Rarity asked with a knowing sneer.

“Shoot!” Pinkie said, stomping the floor. “What gave it away?”

“Because you were the one asking,” Rarity said. “If Fluttershy had greeted me and asked to go, I would have thought of it as a nice evening out. But coming from you, it could only really mean one thing.”

“You know what?” Pinkie asked, placing a hoof on her chin thoughtfully. “Getting Fluttershy to ask probably would have been a better idea. Except nopony else knows you're back yet, and I was kinda hoping to invite them all to Sugarcube Corner so they’d be surprised to see you. But maybe that’s not gonna work out after all...” Pinkie frowned and slumped on the floor. Rarity ran a hoof through her mane.

“It’s all right,” she said. “I’m sure we’ll have a good time regardless. One question, though. How many ponies are going to be at this party?”

“Oh! Well, I wasn’t sure if you would want everypony in Ponyville to go or if you just wanted it to be between close friends. There’s good things and bad things about both. If we had a big party then everypony in Ponyville could have a good time, but it’s a lot more work to prepare for it, and since it’s so last minute it’s less likely that they’d be able to come. A party with just close friends would be easier to plan and more likely that everypony can make it, but it won’t be as much of a party as it is a get-together and I was kinda hoping for a big party.”

“Well, if you’re asking for my input,” Rarity started to say, but then caught herself. “Did you want to hear what I would prefer?”

“Whatever you want. You’re the guest of honor.”

“Let’s just make it between us girls.”

“And Spike, too?”

On this, Rarity was uncertain. Not that Spike wasn’t a dear friend of her’s, but she had been hoping to reveal the truth to her friends, and she didn’t want Spike hearing about that at his age. Then again, to say no to Spike specifically might arouse suspicion.

“Of course Spike can come,” Rarity said.

“Okay! I’ll let everypony know, and I’m sure they’ll be able to come, because they’ve all been waiting so long to see you come back. Especially Twilight. She knew I was coming to your door every morning and every time I saw her she asked me if I had seen you. Not sure what’s up with that.”

“Me neither,” Rarity said. This seemed to only add to the enigma that was Twilight.

“Well, gotta run! Have to get Sugarcube Corner ready for tonight and get the invites out. See ya tonight!” And without a further word, Pinkie Pie bounded away very quickly, taking Rarity aback quite a bit.

“Let’s see,” she thought aloud. “I should probably clean the boutique, get it ready for customers. And then I’ll have to allot at least an hour to get ready for the party...” She continued making the schedule in her head as she got to work.

***

It was about 8:03 when Rarity left the boutique to head over to Sugarcube Corner. She was always one to be fashionably late. Nevertheless, she didn’t want to keep her friends waiting any longer than they had to. Except for Pinkie Pie, none of them had seen her in weeks.

As she made her way over, a knot in her stomach was threatening to sabotage the evening’s enjoyment, and when she realized what her revelation might do to the mood of the party, she started second-guessing her decision to reveal the truth to her friends. After all, it can wait a day, can’t it? Let loose, have fun tonight, try to relax. You don’t have to tell them at this very moment.

So it was that by the time she arrived at Sugarcube Corner’s front door, she was combating a sense of impending dread. This will never work. They’ll know something’s wrong and then I’ll have to tell them. Oh, what will they think of me this time?

Rarity opened the door slowly and winced. The bell rang but aside from that there was dead silence inside, and the bakery was blanketed in thick darkness. It was still around late summer, so there was no way that was a natural darkness. That’s probably Twilight’s doing, Rarity thought. She anticipated the lights coming on and her friends yelling “Surprise!” even though it wouldn’t be a surprise at all. She cantered inside and shut the door, bell clinking behind her.

Sure enough, as expected, the darkness vanished. Five ponies and a dragon all shouted “Surprise!” and Pinkie fired confetti from the party cannon at Rarity. Some of it fell in her mouth and she had to spit it out, but Rarity appreciated the gesture all the same.

“I know it wasn’t really a surprise,” Pinkie said, dragging Rarity over to the group of friends, “but I still wanted to do that. But when you didn’t let us know when you were coming back, we had to do it this way instead. I wish we could have really surprised you.”

“It doesn’t matter, Pinkie,” Rarity said, freeing herself from Pinkie’s grip and smiling at all of her friends. “I’m ever so delighted to see you all again.”

“Man,” Dash chimed in, “you would not believe how quiet it was without you here. It was really boring.”

“There was nopony to go to the spa with,” Fluttershy said softly, “so I stopped going until you came back. I didn’t want you to miss out.”

“How sweet of you, Fluttershy,” Rarity said. “Thank you.”

“Ah guess Dash has a point,” Applejack conjectured. “There weren’t really anythin’ to talk about while you were gone. No gossip, no ‘how is your day’ or ‘good morning.’ I guess it was pretty...dull.”

“I wasn’t bored!” Pinkie cried, playing the host and getting everypony an apple cider, fresh from Sweet Apple Acres. Only Spike’s had no alcohol in it. “Then again, I’m almost never bored. But I did miss talking to you. Every time I knocked on your door and nopony answered, I got a bit more lonely. But now I don’t have to feel that way anymore!”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Rarity said, popping the cap off of the bottle with her magic and taking a delicate sip. The taste was surprisingly strong, but Rarity didn’t give that too much thought. Twilight and Fluttershy took small sips as well, but the other three ponies took full gulps, and Applejack had to jab Dash in the side to keep her from downing the whole bottle all at once. Dash shuddered as she let the bottle out of her mouth and chuckled. On the other end of things, Spike tasted his cider and looked almost disappointed.

“Now, Spikey,” Pinkie said, “I can’t let you get all tipsy-wipsy. You are a baby dragon, after all.”

“Don’t remind me,” Spike said glumly. Twilight chuckled nervously and hid her face by taking another sip of cider.

“Well, Twilight, Spike,” Rarity said, looking them square in the eye, “you two have been awfully quiet. Is something the matter?”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing,” Spike said. “We’re just...so glad you’re back that we’re speechless. Right, Twilight?”

“Um...” Twilight said slowly, as if she were pondering something. She sighed, took a deep breath, set the cider down on the table, walked over to Rarity, and gave her a hug.

Though she was taken aback a bit, Rarity returned the hug. She was surprised at how warm Twilight’s fur was against her own. It was like being wrapped up in a blanket on a cold winter’s night, reading a good book by candlelight. The feeling brought back a sense of nostalgia to Rarity, and she smiled as she settled her head on Twilight’s shoulder.

“I’m really glad you’re home, Rarity,” Twilight said, in a whisper only Rarity could hear. When Twilight pulled away, she was blushing profusely, and she returned to her drink and took a more generous sip from the bottle.

Spike gave Twilight a knowing look. Twilight balked and gave him a firm stare back, which made him look away.

“So what was it like?” Pinkie asked.

“Oh, Pinkie, I don’t even know how to begin to describe it,” Rarity said. She always had a flair for the dramatic, though, so she described in detail all the parts of filming that wouldn’t give away the truth.

“You think while you’re watching a television show that you’re looking into a normal house with normal lighting,” she began, “but in fact, the lighting they use on stage nearly blinds you.” Rarity held a foreleg in front of her eyes. “It’s a task simply to keep yourself from squinting, but after a while I got used to it.”

Rarity’s friends were all listening intently, fascinated by an experience so foreign to their lives.

“And then there’s all the ponies in the studio,” Rarity continued. “You only ever see the main actors on screen, but there are directors, camera operators, ponies in charge of audio and video, and even key grips.”

“What’s a key grip?” Pinkie asked.

“To be honest, I still have no idea,” Rarity said. Everypony in the room chuckled.

“Sorry,” Pinkie said suddenly. “Keep going.”

“Yes, well, those are only the ponies in the studio. There are also producers working behind the scenes to fund the filming, editors working in a control room parsing together all of the film and turning it into a coherent television program. Whenever I watched television, I was always amazed at how many names appeared in the credits, but now I think I understand why there are so many.”

“Yeah, but didn’t you say you were just an extra?” Dash asked.

“That is what I said, yes,” Rarity responded, that knot in her stomach growing again. She took a generous sip of her cider.

“So what did they make you do, like, walk around in the background or something?”

Another gulp, and Rarity was starting to feel her head start swimming. What did Applejack put in this cider?

“Applejack,” Rarity asked. “What kind of alcohol is in here?”

“Oh, about that,” Applejack said. “The party was kinda on short notice, so ah had to borrow some whiskey from my brother. It’s a little strong, but ah was hopin’ the cider flavor would make it easier to take.”

“Oh, well, do warn me next time, won’t you?” Rarity asked. “I have a low tolerance for alcohol, as it were, and I don’t need to be getting intoxicated.”

“Whatever,” Applejack said, taking another gulp from her cider. She seemed to be handling it fine. Fluttershy had barely touched her’s, but Pinkie Pie was a bit glassy-eyed and Dash looked a little off-kilter.

“You haven’t answered my question,” she said firmly, so she wasn’t as off-kilter as she appeared.

“Oh yes, about that...” Rarity said. A part of her was screaming for her to lie, but a firm voice told her it was best that the truth come out now. She would have to make it up to Spike somehow, because he was about to become very confused.

“I have to make a confession,” Rarity said.

“Wait, seriously?” Dash asked. “I asked a simple question, and all of a sudden we’re going straight to confessing. What gives?” Dash floated up in the air with her back straight.

“Take it easy, Dash,” Applejack said, coaxing her back down into her seat. “Don’t mind her,” she then addressed Rarity, “it’s the whiskey talkin’.”

“Well, I’m not sure how you’re going to all react to this,” Rarity said, “but when I said I was filming a television show, I was only telling a half-truth.” Everypony in the room was silent, waiting for Rarity to continue. She cleared her throat. “Well, I was filming something, but it wasn’t a television show...”

“What was it, then?” Twilight asked gently in an attempt to ease Rarity’s growing anxiety. Rarity took those words in and let them calm her demeanor. She took a few deep breaths to ease her discomfort and decided it was best to come out and say it now.

“I was the lead actress,” she stated, “in a pornographic film.”

For a few seconds the room was dead silent. Rarity glanced at all of her friends’ faces. Most of them looked confused, as if they hadn’t quite understood what she said. Spike, however, was the most confused of all. He looked up to Twilight for some kind of explanation, but Twilight was staring at Rarity, trying to fight the horribly lewd thoughts creeping in the back of her mind.

Rarity couldn’t stand the tension any longer, so she began to blurt out some kind of explanation.

“It was after the photo shoot,” she stammered, “and I got a letter from the director saying how impressed he was and that he wanted me to be in this film. I was...well, I suppose I have to tell the whole truth now. I was in dire financial straits, and I needed some form of income to tide me over, and they’re going to pay me a generous amount so it was absolutely worth it. I’m sorry if you don’t approve but I did what I had to do to pay the bills and I’ll stand by this decision till the day I die. I won’t let—”

Rainbow Dash put a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. She was smiling kindly at her, and Rarity fell silent and grinned nervously back.

“It’s okay,” she said. “We’re not mad.”

“Just a little, um...” Fluttershy added, “surprised, is all.”

“Ah know ah reacted horribly about the photo shoot,” Applejack said, “but ah’ve gotta support whatever you do, even if ah don’t agree with it. Sure, it’s a bit exotic, but it was a great opportunity and ya made the most of it.”

“Can we see it when it comes out?” Pinkie Pie blurted out. Everypony in the room started laughing except for Spike, who still looked woefully lost, and Twilight, who’s face was as red as a beet, trying to hide her growing arousal.

“Well, I can’t say no, Pinkie,” Rarity said after the laughter had died down. “You’re free to do what you wish. Just be aware that you might not think of me the same way after you see it.”

“Oh, come on. I bet it’s super hot!” Pinkie cheered.

“Who’s the director?” Dash asked.

“I’m not sure if you’ve heard of him. His name is Hard Core.”

“Are you kidding me?” Dash asked, shooting into the air. “That’s my favorite director! I’ve got like all of his movies!” Everypony gawked at Dash, and she smiled sheepishly and sat back down. “Never thought a good friend of mine would ever be in one of those.”

“Ah don’t think ah’ll be watchin’ it,” Applejack said, “but ah’m sure you’re wonderful in it. Ah really am sorry for the way ah treated you after the photo shoot.”

“It’s all right,” Rarity said. “No, really, you have no idea how relieved I am. I was having fits debating whether or not I should tell you tonight or tomorrow or three weeks from now. But you’ve all come together to support me, a far cry from that photo shoot, and I’m so grateful.”

“Well, we learned from our mistakes,” Dash said. “We were real jerks about it before. Not something you do twice.”

Amidst the conversation, Spike nudged Twilight with his elbow. Twilight turned nervously toward him looking quite ill.

“Whoa, are you okay?” Spike asked.

“Oh, it’s just the cider,” Twilight said. “What about you?”

“I know they have magazines, but what do they put in a movie?”

Twilight heaved a sigh. “That’s...an explanation for another time. I think Rarity can explain it to you better than I can, but don’t ask her now.”

“Okay, I won’t,” Spike said. “But I’m still really confused.”

“I’m sure you’re not as confused as I am,” Twilight said.

“What?”

“Nothing, just talking to myself.”

Now that her biggest burden had lifted, Rarity was glowing and enjoying all of the company. Five ponies were now chattering amongst themselves about their curiosities. Twilight did her best to join the conversation but felt incredibly awkward and found it hard to contribute, so she ended up just taking gulps of her drink in silence. Spike eyed Twilight warily and wished there was something more he could do for her. He would have helped if he knew what was wrong. In the meantime, he was doing his best to ignore the explicit conversation going on around him.

“...and that’s when they told me I’d be tied up and gagged,” Rarity said. “And...hold on. Twilight, dear, is everything all right?”

Being suddenly singled out, Twilight started to fly into a panic. Her breathing got heavier and she felt abnormally hot in the admittedly stuffy bakery. She smiled in a way that convinced nopony she was all right and finally threw in the towel.

“I think I have to go,” she said curtly, downing the rest of the bottle of cider and using her magic to dispose of it. “Are you coming, Spike?” she asked in a way that sounded more like an order.

“Of course,” Spike said, eager to help his friend but also to find out what the heck Rarity and the others were talking about.

“I’m really sorry,” Twilight said on the way out. “Enjoy the party!” The door shut behind her and the bell tinkled once again. The five remaining ponies looked at each other warily.

“Do ya think somepony should go check up on her?” Applejack asked.

“If anypony should do it,” Rarity said, “it should be me. Clearly it was my revelation that bothered her, and I have to set it right.”

“But it’s your party!” Pinkie said. “What are we gonna do if you leave?”

“I don’t know, Pinkie, but I really think this is something I have to do,” Rarity said. “I’m sorry if this means we’re cutting the party short, but I think Twilight needs...she needs a friend to help her, and I want to be that friend.”

“We understand,” Dash said, already helping Applejack put the remaining cider away. “Sorry, Pinks. Maybe we’ll have a make-up party when everypony starts to feel better.”

“Oh, okay, that’s a good idea,” Pinkie said. “Oh, I hope Twilight’s all right.”

“Hopefully she’s just sick from the alcohol and needs to sleep it off,” Applejack said. “I prob’ly shouldn’t have spiked the cider with whiskey in the first place.”

“Maybe, Applejack,” Rarity said, “but I think it may be something more...”

Everypony glanced at Rarity worriedly.

“Well, I’m going to find out, and I’ll let you know the moment Twilight is feeling well. Thank you for the party, Pinkie Pie. It really was quite lovely.”

“You’re welcome,” Pinkie said, but Rarity was already walking out the door. The four remaining ponies were left standing awkwardly.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Fluttershy said. “Let’s not worry about it. Rarity will take good care of Twilight.”

“You’re right, Fluttershy,” Applejack said. “It’s up to those two to work things out.”

“Well, I hope they do work it out,” Pinkie said, beginning to sweep up the confetti. “I just want all my friends to be happy.”

“I think we all want that,” Dash said. “Let’s hope Rarity can make it happen.”