Fleur sat alone against the wall, fighting tears.
She'd always been a more bookish sort of girl, hiding in the corner of the library behind her textbooks and extra credit work. The Canterlot social scene was her mortal enemy, during her parents' parties she would retreat to her room with the cat and a romance novel.
And it was all coming back to bite her in the flank. Hard.
Now she was relegated to a folding chair near the punch table, watching the other girls show off their boyfriends to one another. She felt sorry for the boys, herded around like sheep.
She never had a problem with being single. The only times she really wanted a boyfriend were when she was at the school dances, which she wouldn't have gone to at all if she wasn't forced to by her mother, who insisted she be more social.
In her romances, the heroine always started out as an under-loved teenage girl like her. Maybe, just maybe...
She nipped the fantasy in the bud before she got her hopes up too much.
She rested her head in her lap and let the tears flow, letting herself slowly burn out. Just let it out, then she could put her facade of too-cool-for-this boredom back up until it was time for them to leave.
"Hello, there."
She jumped. A stallion had walked up next to her without her noticing. White coat, blue mane and tail, three crowns for a cutie mark. She stared up at him with watery eyes.
"Aren't you going to tell me your name?" A smile twinkled in his eyes.
Fleur continued to stare open-mouthed until she realized he had asked her a question. "Oh, um, I-I'm Fleur. Fleur de lis."
"Fleur de lis. That's a lovely name." A real smile graced his features and made Fleur blush. "I'm Fancy Pants. Just call me Fancy, though. I find the name incredibly dusty."
Fleur raised a hoof to her mouth to hide her giggles. "I like your name."
"By the way, your mascara is running." He gestured to the area around her eyes, where her makeup had indeed ran all over. Her blush darkened, and she withdrew a small handkerchief from her tiny handbag, swiping awkwardly below her eyes.
"Does that look better?"
He laughed. "You know, you're rather pretty without it." Fleur's blush was full-on red now instead of pink. He thought she was actually pretty. As in pleasing to the eye.
"You're...rather handsome too." They both stared at each other for a moment that felt like a minute, both hearts racing in an awkward staccato beat. Eventually both their ears pricked when the music changed to a slower instrumental song. He took her by the foreleg and raised her up, Fleur being too bewildered by the special treatment to object.
"Shall we dance?"
"I...um...I..." Fleur was frozen. She wanted to dance, really...
Except she didn't know how.
"Is something the matter?" Fancy looked genuinely concerned.
"No, it's okay, it's just...I've never danced." Her eyes darted around the room like those of a scared deer.
"Then, I'll teach you." He placed a foreleg across her back, gently guiding her in a slow circle in time to the music. It felt nice, dancing with him. He was strong yet gentle, and they barely noticed when Fleur tripped up. She felt graceful, beautiful even, in his presence. The rest of the world began to fade to a blur.
Eventually the song ended, and they stopped dancing as a peppier song took the stage. Fleur adjusted her glasses self-consciously as she noticed a few other girls giving her odd looks. She and Fancy slowly retreated back to the corner where they were previously talking.
"I've seen you in the library before." Fancy mentioned off-handedly. "What do you like to read, other than schoolbooks?"
"I like Neighponese manga." Fleur said, pushing up her glasses again. "It's kind of hard to follow if you pick up the fifth or sixth in the series, so it's best to start from the beginning..." She was surprised at how easy it was to talk to him. With his relaxed demeanor and casual tone, Fleur could tell he wasn't one to judge. He didn't even seem to notice the smirks and odd looks that were shot at the dork and the socialite. Fleur liked that. She was easily sucked into the popularity game.
"Fleur?"
"Hm?" She glanced at her new acquaintance. "Sorry. I was just thinking...you're so easy to talk to. And you're so famous in the elite circles...I have to say, I'm surprised."
He laughed. "I'm doing my best to distance myself from the other elitist putzes. I think I'm doing a good job."
They both laughed. They continued talking about everything under the sun, from books to magic to the Canterlot elite circles. He was beginning to feel less like an acquaintance and more like a friend.
Eventually, to Fleur's dismay, the dance had to end, and the students were shepherded out to their waiting parents. Talk and laughter filled the air as Fleur returned to her parents, who had some questions for her.
"We saw you walk out with some colt. Who was he? What was his name?" Her mother inquired as they made their way back to the carriage.
"His name was Fancy Pants." Fleur answered, catching a last glance of him before slinging herself into the gilded vehicle.
"And? Do you like him?" A sly smile teased at the corners of her father's mouth.
Fleur thought for a few minutes. "I don't know if I like him, like him, but he's definitely very nice. And I admire him. A lot."
