The party was perfect. Rarity admired her work as she trotted breezily among the waving streamers, complete in shades of shimmering silver and glimmering gold, strung delicately from the rafters. A large, extravagant banner striped in bright blue and pink announced the purpose of the get-together in lettering not too large but not too small, elegant but not elaborate, hung directly in the center of the room, low enough so that it could clearly be seen by all ponies attending, but not so low that it would brush the top of a guest’s head as they headed under it. The tables were set in perfect symmetry on each side of the room, complete with bowls of flavorful pink punch and small plates of even smaller cupcakes with large dollops of chocolate frosting that seemed almost too big for the cake itself (but they weren’t; Rarity had tested this against her own willpower, and then three or four more, just to be sure).
Yes, everything was splendid. Stunning, even. And soon the guests would begin to arrive. Inhaling and exhaling, Rarity made a quick sweep of the room just to make sure not a speck of dust was out of place; none were. Her eyes flicked up to the clock. A minute until three. One more minute to herself.
One more minute to think.
Try as she might, Rarity could not get her mind off of the party she had planned. It was most certainly the magnum opus of all parties she had ever thrown; though she didn’t throw many. But this was special, a special event that deserved a party of its own. Her lips curved in a faint smile.
The hand on the clock hit twelve, Rarity used her light blue levitation to swing the door open, and the guests swarmed in like a throng of parasprites, heads whipping anxiously back and forth and mouths moving faster than the speed of light.
Rarity moved backwards quickly, eyes widening in shock as they stampeded past her and dispersed into all directions, some heading for the food, some heading toward the corners to talk quietly with their friends. Her first thought was of all the perfect party preparations the ponies were ruining, but she discarded the thought quickly.
She had to find Coco first; knowing her, she would be more alone than her other target, and so off Rarity bravely headed into the panic, head held high and gaze determined. As she marched in, she was swept up in a world of bodies, noises, and memories, and against her will, they swept her away.
The scene opened on a frantic unicorn scurrying about her boutique, eyes wide with panic, using her levitation to quickly sort through her things. Watching her is a yellow pegasus with equally wide teal eyes, though not in panic, but in shock.
“I’m so sorry, dearie,” the unicorn stuttered, tossing a stuffed duck back into a pile of discarded things. Before the pegasus could question why there was a stuffed duck in her friend’s kitchen, Rarity had continued. “I had no idea you were coming over this afternoon; if I had had some sort of intuitional sense I could have prepared tea for the both of us – oh, and cucumber sandwiches, too! Now I’ll have to whip some up while speaking to you, which, while not unpleasant, is undesirable, to say the least.”
“It’s fine, Rarity, really,” Fluttershy said kindly, jerking out of the way as a pan came flying towards her head. What was the unicorn looking for, anyways? “I just wanted to ask you some things and then I’ll be out of your mane.”
“But you simply cannot come over without having a nice cup of tea!” Rarity finally seemed to find what she had been digging for – a silver kettle, not as large as a regular kettle but not incredibly small, either, polished to the point of perfection – and triumphantly began her work, levitating all necessary ingredients around her as she worked.
“Alright, then. If you insist.” Fluttershy smiled; she could not ignore the fact she did like a nice cup of tea, and Rarity made the best she knew.
They waited a few more minutes, the only noises being the bubbling of the water and the occasional humming noise made by Rarity. Fluttershy took a tentative seat and stared off out the window, allowing herself to get caught up in the birdsong. It was quite a lovely day out, and so her friends seemed to feel the need to announce that to the whole world, which she was quite fine with; they had much improved since they were little chicks, and their songs were quite beautiful.
Rarity broke into her thoughts with a loud click of her tongue. “So, Fluttershy, why have you come here today?”
The pegasus shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Well, it’s a little…personal.”
The unicorn levitated the kettle, eyes not leaving her work. “I can keep a secret.”
“A really, super, personal secret?”
Rarity smiled, eyes leaving the tea. “A really, super, personal secret.”
Fluttershy bit her lip and looked away, down at the ground. “So you know Coco Pommel?”
“Of course!” Just hearing the name of the younger designer seemed to make Rarity’s face light up with joy. “Such a sweetheart, that one. She continues to send me letters telling of her adventures as a designer for Bridleway!”
“That’s the thing.” The pegasus ducked behind a piece of her long, rosy mane, face suddenly flushing with a bright scarlet. “She’s been sending me letters, too.”
After a very quick bout of confusion, a knowing smile came onto Rarity’s muzzle; she continued to distribute the tea, allowing a hint of understanding to slip into her voice. “We haven’t seen her for months! How long has this been going on?”
Fluttershy squeaked and didn’t answer, the silence hanging suspended in the air like her words were drops of water that had frozen halfway and had become icicles, hanging and motionless.
The unicorn opened the cupboard and began sorting through her tea packets. “Come now, Fluttershy. Do tell.”
A soft sigh tumbled out of Fluttershy’s mouth. “A-About two months.”
“Two months?” Rarity’s jaw dropped. “You and Coco have been exchanging letters for two months and I haven’t been informed?” She selected the two tea packets and slipped one each into the still bubbling water, carefully levitating the cups and heading over to the table where Fluttershy, skin as dark red as Big Macintosh, sat trembling like a leaf. “You need to tell me these things more often, darling.”
“I, well, I…” The pegasus looked down, sideways, up – anywhere but directly at Rarity. “I kind of…I mean, I think I…” She squeaked and breathed, barely a whisper, “I think there’s more.”
Rarity’s ears pricked forward, and her whole body followed suit, causing the cups of tea to do so as well; the unicorn yelped as she attempted to catch the boiling water in a suit of magic but with no such luck; the tea splashed onto the table. She yelped.
“So sorry! So, so sorry…please do forgive my little slip-up.” Another burst of pale blue magic and a towel appeared; Rarity scrubbed frantically. “Do continue?”
Fluttershy curled her mouth into a small smile, and then she spoke.
“Excuse me, pardon me. Oops, sneaking past you there! Ah-ha-ha-ha, just going to slip right by…”
“Rarity!”
She jerked her head up to see a bright pink face and pretty blue eyes staring intently into her own. Pinkie Pie’s muzzle was close enough to hers that she could feel the breath coming out in short, excited puffs. “This party is totally fabulantastic!”
Rarity tilted her head to one side, pride for the former compliment overtaken by confusion from the second. “Is that…is that even a word?”
Pinkie snorted. “Probably not, but in my Official Pinkie Pie Dictionary it is!”
The unicorn lifted a sarcastic eyebrow. “Official Pinkie Pie Dictionary?”
“Indeed!” The earth pony hooked a foreleg around Rarity’s shoulders and pressed her cheek to her own, staring off almost in a dreamlike fashion into the distance. “Just imagine it! A lexicon filled to the brim and maybe even overflowing with beautiful words that make absolutely no sense at all and make everypony say ‘Pinkie Pie, how do you come up with these words?’ and of course I would say ‘Well, duh, silly filly, I just made them by combining some of the words that I found outside of the fourth –”
By this point, Rarity was no longer listening; she had taken advantage of Pinkie’s momentary spacing and was now hurrying as fast as she could towards the back of the room, towards the darkest, most lonely corners, where she knew the shy Coco Pommel would most likely be found.
And her instincts rung true once again, for there was a young mare with a tan coat and a short blue mane, wearing a neckpiece of purple and red and scuffling one hoof against the ground, looking completely and utterly out of place. Rarity called to her, a loud, excited call, and she glanced up, pale blue eyes full of hope. When she saw who was speaking she let out a squeal of delight and dashed to her. The designers embraced; Coco’s grip was gentle but firm, like being wrapped in a warm blanket, and Rarity had to contain herself from squealing in delight.
“I can’t believe you made it!” she managed to croak after the hug broke apart.
Coco laughed, a sweet sound. “H-How could I not? After I got your letter, I knew I had to attend, or I’d never forgive myself. I can’t believe you thought to invite me!”
“But of course I would invite you! A fellow designer – a friend – would have to attend the magnum opus of all Rarity parties!”
Her guest gazed around, eyes shining. “It is certainly lovely, isn’t it?”
Pride welled up inside Rarity’s chest. “Indeed.”
They stood and admired the décor for a moment longer; if Rarity knew Coco half as well as she thought she did, she believed that both of them could have stood there for hours picking apart the finest details of the decorations, but there was something else…something bugging her…something at the back of her mind. And all of a sudden she knew.
A wide grin burst onto Rarity’s face as she remembered the alternative reason she had invited the young earth pony. “Actually,” she said matter-of-factly, “it wasn’t just my idea. To invite you, I mean.”
Coco tipped her head, blue eyes showing intrigue. “Oh?”
“Oh, yes.” Rarity’s grin, if possible, widened. “Do follow me, dearie. If I’ve calculated right, she’ll be over this way.”
Back into the mob they went, back into the wave of bodies, noises, and memories that swept her away yet again; Rarity simply flew with the tide, and she remembered, and she smiled.
“I think there’s more to the letters. As of recent, both of us have been writing more, and maybe including pictures, and sometimes going on and on about what we love about the other, and she’s started using nicknames for me, cute little nicknames that make me blush all over, and Rarity, I’m not sure, but…” Fluttershy bit her lip. “Could I maybe be…” The remainder was a pitiful squeak, but Rarity was well aware of the content of said squeak. She grinned as she mopped up the tea spill.
“Falling in love?”
Just the three words made Fluttershy’s face turn the color of Apple Bloom’s mane, more than enough to confirm her answer.
“Well, though falling for another pony by means of exchanging letters is interesting, it is certainly not unheard of, to say the least,” Rarity mused, trotting over to the sink and wringing out the wet rag she had been using with magic. “And your actions for each other through these lovely messages seem to be quite expressive. I would indeed say that yes, you very well could be falling in love.”
The pegasus’ wings furled and unfurled at her side; though her face was still bright red she allowed herself to take a breath, smile, and continue to speak.
“But I feel like I’d like to know her better before I keep on sending more letters. You know, because it’s kind of strange. I feel like I’m…well…really, really in love with her, but I’ve only seen her muzzle-to-muzzle once, you know?”
Though the wording was somewhat awkward, Rarity did know. She nodded at Fluttershy, a little tip of the head, carefully sliding the mare’s cup of tea over to her and enveloping her own in her light blue aura.
“So that’s where you come in.” Fluttershy was getting excited now, Rarity could tell. Her teal eyes were starting to brighten, and her breathing was slowing – a sign of Fluttershy calming down, which normally meant she was excited. It was a strange little circle that truly didn’t make much sense, but Rarity had learned to live with it. “I mean, to help me and all.
“So, I was wondering, if you could possibly put together a party and invite Coco along so that we could talk a little bit? Pony to pony, I mean.”
Rarity took a sip of her tea and considered the question. “But why have me throw the party? You and I both know that is much more of Pinkie’s profession than my own.”
“Yes,” Fluttershy agreed, “but her parties tend to be louder, more rambunctious, and both Coco and I are very, very quiet. I don’t feel like either of us could have a calm, quiet, patient, typical conversation with Pinkie constantly asking us how we’re enjoying everything and getting in our way.” She winced. “Was that a little harsh? I’m sorry, Pinkie!”
Rarity did a double-take, glancing from side to side. “Fluttershy, Pinkie isn’t here.”
“Oh, yes.” The pegasus ducked down lower. “I…yes, I know. Instinct. I’m sorry!”
“No need to apologize, no need.” Rarity shook her head. “I actually do think that’s quite a fine idea myself. I’ve not hosted a party in quite a while, and it could mean an opportunity to display some of my newest color combinations.” Clearly lost in thought, she trailed off from her last sentence, mumbling under her breath about hues and accents, and was only jerked back into reality when Fluttershy coughed softly.
“I’m very happy you want to go through with the party idea,” she said, grinning. Fluttershy was not a mare that grinned often, especially not at the prospect of speaking with a Manehatten designer she had only met muzzle-to-muzzle once. Rarity found herself grinning as well. She was so in love. It was so pure, so sweet, so adorable.
“Of course, dear. I promise the party will be perfect just for you and Coco, though of course I’ll invite others as well.” Rarity bit her lip. “And…one last thing. I won’t watch when you two kiss.”
Fluttershy squeaked so loudly the birds across town could hear it. “What? Don’t you think you’re moving a little fast?”
Rarity just smiled and shook her head.
They finished their tea, said their goodbyes, shared a last hug, and parted ways, Rarity’s mind spinning with ideas of shimmering silver and glimmering gold, Fluttershy’s with a tan coat, a short blue mane, and gorgeous, round blue eyes.
They ducked out of the crowd gasping; it was somewhat silly, and Rarity laughed in spite of herself. “I had no idea so many would show up,” she admitted quietly to Coco, as they fell into step along the east side of the building.
“It’s not a terrible amount,” Coco responded quietly, glancing back at the crowd. “I’ve seen many more while working on Bridleway.”
“But of course! You only design costumes for the musical tours in all of Equestria!” the unicorn burst out, a little bit overzealously, then quickly put a hoof to her mouth. “Oh! I’m sorry.”
But Coco seemed unfazed by the little outburst; she even laughed a bit. “No, it’s fine. It’s fine.” The younger mare turned back to the table and licked her lips. “Say, those cupcakes look splendid. Are they good?”
Rarity blushed, remembering her extra helping of mini-cupcakes before the party had started. “Delicious,” she moaned, putting a hoof to her stomach. “Would you like one?”
Coco nodded. “If it’s not too much trouble…” Her gaze flitted up to Rarity’s horn, and now it was her turn to blush. “Ah, yes…I knew that.”
Rarity winked and trotted back over to the table, where she began to levitate a cupcake but found her magic overruled by another unicorn, one clearly much more powerful than herself, with a magenta aura. There was only one pony that could be.
“Oh, Rarity!” Twilight Sparkle said in surprise from the opposite side of the table. “I didn’t realize you were getting one too. Sorry about that!” Her wings ruffled against her side awkwardly. “You can have this one, if you want it.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Rarity responded patiently. “I can choose another.”
Twilight openly relaxed, allowing a genuine smile to appear on her muzzle. “I’m glad.” She took a small bite of the cupcake, visibly sighing at the delightful taste; she popped the rest into her mouth without question, and Rarity winced. Be careful, Twi, or you’ll end up like me. These five won’t sit well on my stomach in the morning, that I can be sure of!
“Are you enjoying the party?” she asked kindly.
Twilight levitated a napkin to wipe off her muzzle and nodded. “The décor is beautiful – stunning, even! How long did it take you to set it all up?”
Rarity shrugged, heat rising to her cheeks at the kind compliment. “Not all that long. Perhaps a few hours, no more, no less.”
“Quite a long time to spend on setting up a party,” Twilight commented, levitating her second cupcake over and taking a large bite.
“Says the mare who takes five hours sorting every book in the Ponyville Library every week for fun,” the unicorn pointed out jokingly.
Straightening up proudly, Twi swallowed her bite and grinned. “And proud of it!”
Both mares went into fits of small giggles at this before trailing off into an awkward silence (Twilight was rapidly devouring delicious cupcakes, seemingly against her will); Rarity found her mind wandering back to Coco.
Oh, Coco!
Quickly levitating a small cupcake for the earth pony mare, the unicorn called a hasty goodbye to Twilight and zipped off to find the tan mare standing a small distance away from a dancing pegasus, staring with blue eyes wide and intent. Rarity followed her gaze, and grinned to see that the mare was exactly who she had been hoping for.
“Go talk to her,” she encouraged, hoofing over the cupcake. Coco ate it lopsidedly, eyes still firmly fixated on the graceful pegasus.
“No, no,” she whispered, voice choking up. “I…I don’t think I can…”
“She wants to talk to you, too,” Rarity whispered in her ear. Coco turned and stared at her, shock clearly reflected in her eyes.
“She does?”
The unicorn smiled. “Yes.”
Coco turned back and watched again. Fluttershy was doing her calm, steady dancing, graceful and elegant, slow and careful not to put a hoof out of place. The young designer swallowed a seemingly large lump in her throat. “She’s very beautiful.”
And indeed she was, Rarity had to agree. Even when there was nothing in her mane, or she wasn’t dressed in a magnificent gown, Fluttershy seemed to have an aura of beauty about her, radiating through her entire being and shining, shimmering, sparkling in the air for all to see and admire.
“She thinks you’re lovely, too.”
Coco gasped, a very sharp, quiet gasp. “How do you know?”
“She told me about the letters.” Rarity had no shame in admitting this at first, but seeing Coco’s face flush bright scarlet afterwards, she almost wished she hadn’t. “How did you get her address, anyways?”
“I asked her,” the earth pony whispered. “Before you l-left on the train. I just went up to her and…and I asked. And she gave it to me, and we both blushed, and then she left.”
Rarity’s smile was as large as it could possibly be; radiant and thrilled. “Coco Pommel, you are head over hooves for her,” she stated matter-of-factly, as if this was just another everyday happening.
Coco’s blushing and stuttering both increased quite a bit. “I-I wouldn’t say t-that…”
But her words were lost on the unicorn, who had already shoved her forward, sending the earth pony skidding across the floor and coming to a neat stop directly in front of Fluttershy, who looked up and let out nothing but a very soft ‘meep!’
Both of their faces burned as they stared at each other, each one taking the other in. Coco looked as if she had just stepped into a filly’s fairy-tale land, like she was a princess entering her dream. Fluttershy just looked like she was going to faint, fall backwards any second and rely on Rarity, who was watching with heart thudding, to catch her.
Coco spoke first. “H-Hi.”
Fluttershy smiled.
Dear Coco Pommel,
It is my great honor to invite you to the Grand Party of Rarity, hosted by none other than Rarity herself! The party shall take place at 3:00 P.M. this Friday, inside the Town Hall, and all of Rarity’s closest friends are guaranteed to be there*, so, of course, she would love to have you attend as well~!
Please respond A.S.A.P.,
Rarity
*this means Fluttershy
Dear Rarity,
Wow! You have no idea how excited I am to go! And the fact that you managed to schedule the party right on my break day? Genius! I don’t know how you do it, but you’re amazing, Rarity. Thank you so much. I’m so excited.
Also, I have a kind of strange question to ask you. Does…does Fluttershy know I’m going to be there? And if she does, can you ask her if we can talk at some point?
Thanks,
Coco
Dear Coco,
You’ll have to wait and see for yourself!
Can’t wait to see you,
Rarity
They had been talking for about an hour. Rarity was getting slightly impatient, though she decided she was not going to show it, but would continue to look presentable and make sure all of her guests were doing alright (and that they weren’t too upset by the fact this party was supposed to be hosted by Rarity and she had hardly spoken to any of them at all since they had arrived).
She had tried to listen in on their conversation once, but could hear nothing. Perhaps they were talking of dresses or designs; Rarity knew Fluttershy had an interest in sewing. Perhaps they were speaking of the letters they had exchanged for months. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps…
And there it was. The lightest brush of a hoof on a cheek. Both mares’ faces flushing bright red as they leaned closer; Fluttershy wrapping her wings closer and pressing them against Coco’s body until their muzzles were less than an inch apart. Rarity had to bite the inside of her cheek quite hard to stop herself from squealing – the cuteness of it all was just too much for her to handle; she even did a little dance right there and then.
What did you say to Fluttershy, Rarity? You wouldn’t watch them kiss. It’s just rude. Sooooo rude. So turn around now. You don’t have to see this. Come on, Rarity…turn around…
Aww, forget it.
So when the mares closed the gap between them, Rarity was watching, a grin spreading across her face, a grin larger than any grin yet.
After all, nopony ever said it was rude.
Dear Rarity,
Thank you so much.
Your extremely happy friend,
Coco