Ribbons and Lace

Celestia had not yet risen to begin her daily duties when Rarity stole through the western fringes of Ponyville, wrapped in an improvised cloak of dark fabric against the notice of any early risers. She suspected she was up even earlier than Applejack, for once, but she avoided the borders of Sweet Apple Acres all the same. Instead, she trotted across the meadows that lay between Ponyville and the Everfree Forest, her second letter rolled scroll-style and tucked securely under the hood of her cloak.

Dear Fluttershy,

I fear my first letter may have upset you, and for that I apologize. I had hoped to see you gleeful and smiling, but I seem to have caused you distress instead. As you might have guessed, I was out and about last night, when what should I come upon but a gentle angel clad in a fragment of sunset lingering long past nightfall! I feared my heart might burst in my chest, but my enthusiasm was dimmed by your fretful demeanor. It was not my intent to make you uncomfortable, and if perhaps my heart got in front of my sense, I can only implore your forgiveness. However, I must beg indulgence for a little longer. I have no desire to bother you against your will, and I am afraid that my advances may shortly become more unwelcome.
For you see, I contacted you thus in ignorance; I have never known you to display your romantic inclinations publically, and so I have no idea whether a mare like you might be kindly disposed toward a pony of the feminine persuasion. That is to say, I too am a mare. If that fact would exclude me from your consideration, or indeed if my continued attention is for any reason displeasing to you, pray do nothing and you shall never hear from me again.
But if, perchance, you should see your way clear to invite further dialogue between us, simply wear this red ribbon amid the glorious waterfall of your mane, and I shall be sure to see it.

Signed,
Your Secret Admirer

She wasn't sure about the glorious waterfall bit, but if one couldn't be a little effusive in a love note, when could one? Rarity paused in the cover of a tree some yards from Fluttershy's cottage, careful to keep the cloak over her horn as she floated her letter to the mailbox. It was bound with the aforementioned ribbon, a length of the cheapest, most common wool grosgrain she had on hand; using anything more scarce would instantly lead back to her. There was no sign of alarm, or indeed any activity, from the house as she closed the mailbox again. Rarity raised the mailbox flag and set off back the way she had come as quickly as a dignified walk could carry her.

However much she'd have liked to contemplate her romantic pursuits, Rarity still had work to do. Fluttershy would probably need some time to decide her response, anyway, and keeping busy prevented the unicorn from dwelling on questions like what if she says no?

The mayor's new collar was done and delivered by noon. It was a small victory, and later in coming than she would have liked, but Rarity's spirits were buoyed all the same. She was back on track and making up lost time. Well... at least, losing no more ground. She was an artist of sorts, after all, and one couldn't begrudge an artist their moods.

The unicorn exchanged a few pleasantries with the mayor and headed back toward her boutique. She couldn't help but keep her eyes open for a yellow pegasus with a red ribbon flying proudly in her mane, but the sky was disappointingly empty.

Except for a single puffy blot of low-lying cloud, topped with a wild rainbow-colored mane. Rarity grinned. "Oh, Rainbow Da-ash!"

The lazy pegasus flopped over on her front and waved a hoof before letting it plop back onto the cottony cloud. "Oh, hey, Rarity. What's up?"

"Have you seen Fluttershy today?" she called.

"Nope," Dash replied. Not that she'd see anything with her eyes closed, Rarity added mentally. "Why? Got a new lead about her secr--"

"Hush!" Rarity snapped, cutting the pegasus off before she could blurt out the private matter at the top of her lungs. Dash gave her an embarrassed smile as Rarity continued primly, "And no, I was just wondering how she's doing."

"Sorry, no dice. Want me to tell 'er to stop by if I see 'er?"

"That won't be necessary, but thank you for the offer." The fashionista turned to trot back toward her shop. Halfway across the town square, she was surprised by the rustle of feathers behind her. For the barest instant her heart leapt, but of course it was Rainbow Dash again.

"Hey, Rarity? Mind if I ask you a question?" the speedster asked, dropping down to trot beside her.

"Not at all, darling!" Rarity replied, then added with a playful smirk, "You may ask another if you'd like."

Rainbow Dash just rolled her eyes and plowed ahead. "Look, I was just kinda thinking about Fluttershy's, uh, you-know-what... " Her ears went back in embarrassment and she paused, then started again. "Would you-- I mean, there's this pony I know--" Her usual bravado gradually crumbled away as she stopped and started, her expression growing angrier with each false start.

Rarity paused, watching her friend curiously. Rainbow's red-violet eyes flicked back and forth, skipping past the unicorn as if trying not to look at her.

"Do you think it'd be weird if... well..." There was a moment's more hesitation before the brave mask of "Rainbow Dash, Best Young Flyer" snapped back into place with an almost audible click. "Y'know what? Never mind. Later!" A blast of wind knocked Rarity's hair askew, and a rainbow trail corkscrewed up into the sky.

The unicorn watched her go, a faint grin tugging at her muzzle. 'There's this pony', is there? Then I wish you luck, Rainbow Dash. Perhaps my little subterfuge will benefit more than just myself and Fluttershy! ...assuming, of course, that it does benefit us... The grin stopped tugging.

The rest of the day passed in a haze of diligent tedium. Rarity looked out her window to find the day at its end without any sign of Fluttershy. That was not precisely unusual per se, but she had rather expected the shy mare to call another meeting and share her new message.

Well, perhaps she's been busy today, the fashionista thought as she trotted into the kitchen to assemble a light mesclun salad for dinner. All the same, perhaps I'd best drop by tomorrow rather than waiting on random chance...

Though she had already spent the great bulk of the day indoors, Rarity decided to pass the evening stretched out on the divan with her new books. She doubted she would make good company in any case; gossiping and speculating about Fluttershy would only serve to wind her up like a watch spring, and her mind was already quite full of the pegasus these days. No, the best thing she could do was to distract herself and let time take its course.

Rarity glanced between the two books. Other Mares called to her with the lure of the unknown, but Heart of a Pegasus looked, at least from the cover, comfortingly familiar. Still feeling faintly embarrassed of the slim gray book, she opted for the latter instead.

Pinch Penny was dying.

Kelly Green stood among the rest of the staff, watching without tears as the sole gentlepony in residence at Periwinkle Glen breathed his last. There was a low, rattling gasp, then silence, and the doctor scratched a time in his notebook and pulled up the sheet over Pinch Penny's face. Kelly hadn't bothered to learn the doctor's name, nor the previous three, who like him had failed to cure the old pegasus of age. She suspected this one would have been sent away as well, had Pinch been able to draw the breath for it. The staff slowly melted away, returning to their duties without comment.

Lowly servant girl, new master of the house. Got it. Rarity skipped ahead.

...breathtaking black pegasus, rippling with muscle but flinty of eye. He glared about as if the picturesque old mansion had somehow insulted him. "Are you a gardener?" he barked at Kelly. "There is ivy climbing up the walls. My grand-uncle might have been lax about such things, but you will find my father quite strict!"

"I'm sorry, sir," the earth pony mare said quickly. "But I'm a house-maid. I'll fetch the head groundskeeper immediately, though."

"See that you do," he snorted.

"Honestly, Silkyshine," Rarity said tartly. "Pride and Pegasus meets Black Beauty and the Beast? You could at least be subtle about it."

She opened the book to the middle and skimmed. A garden, a stolen kiss, gasped objections, heaving flanks...

Rarity closed the book and stared at the cover for a long time. This was... her old dreams. All her former ambitions and wild fantasies compressed into paper form and bound in softcover. Trappings aside, she had read the story a hundred times over with different names and faces, and told herself the same story a thousand times more with herself as its star.

"I'm not you anymore," she whispered to the book, levitating it over to the trash can. "That's not my dream. I have a new one now." Thunk. "And Celestia send that I can live it."

She dreamed of Fluttershy again. The unicorn woke before it went as far as the previous night, but having the soft, warm coat and the clinging scent of flowers snatched out of her grasp still left her miserably clutching her pillow to her chest. In the dark, silent hours, just struggling up through the veil of sleep, the silence of a home unoccupied by anypony else seemed vast and crushing.

Rarity dragged herself out of bed and staggered into the bathroom to wash her face, moving through the blue and silver shadows of the moon's glow rather than turn on any lights. Then, without goal or destination, she wrapped her black cloak around herself and tiptoed down the stairs. It wasn't as if anypony would have cared if she danced down them while singing at the top of her lungs, but the dark and silence seemed to insist on stealth.

A low, padded thump made her pause. There was a glint of light in the darkness, two faint gleams staring at her from the back of an unoccupied dress form. "Mama's going out, Opal," she whispered. The cat made no reply, but simply jumped to the floor and melded once more with the darkness.

The black-clad shadow swung around the south end of Ponyville, walking between the river and neat rows of apple trees rather than risk a trip past the early-rising bakers at Sugar Cube Corner. Rarity let her hooves steer her, though she knew where they would take her all the same. The Everfree Forest loomed ahead, huge and dark even against the night sky, but just short of the wall of shadows stood the little treelike cottage on its hill; the spot that seemed to draw Rarity like a needle to a magnet. Her dark cloak merged with the moon-shadows of trees and bushes as she moved to the back of the cottage, then simply paused and stood staring up at the second-story window.

She's just there, the unicorn thought, briefly wishing for the wings to hover at the window and glimpse the shy mare in the peace of sleep. That was the sort of thing that creepy, obsessed ponies did... and yet... Oh, what am I even doing here?

Rarity had levitated a pebble without even realizing it. She stared at it for several seconds, rotating slowly in her magical grasp, then looked up at the window again. It would be so easy... So easy to send the rock tapping against Fluttershy's window... to call her out into their own private night, far from town, with the sinking moon only giving texture to the darkness. To say the words she had only said before to a darkened room, let the darkness swallow them up and deliver them to the only ear that should hear them...

The pebble fell. Coward, the silence hissed in her ear. Then, like an avalanche started by that single pebble, it went on. And on. And on.

Hiding behind false names and false writing and false smiles.
Coward. Liar.

Laying hooves on her with indecent intentions. Would she let you touch her if she knew?
Coward. Liar. Pervert.

Is this to make her happy, or you?
Coward. Liar. Pervert. Selfish.

She fled, then, choking back sobs as she galloped across the little bridge, racing past Sweet Apple Acres and all the way back to her own door. But she couldn't exceed the speed of silence. It was always waiting. Behind her. Ahead of her. In her bedroom.

Inside her head.

Rarity spent an hour weeping into her pillow, begging the stars to overlook her sins, but all the while knowing she didn't deserve forgiveness. Because once the sun rose, she would go right back out and keep up the charade. Because she was a coward. And a liar. And everything else.

And then she took herself to the bathroom and spent another hour washing away the signs of travel and anguish, primping, perfecting her appearance. (Liar.) Then she trotted into town as the sun barely crested the horizon. This time she headed straight for Sugar Cube Corner; the scent of fresh bread and sweets drifted in the air, drawing early risers for blocks around.

"Have a good day at work, Mister Beam! Good morning, Creme! What can I get for you?" Pinkie was as chipper as ever. It was hard to tell whether she was a 'morning pony' or a 'night owl'; she seemed to run at the same frantic pace no matter the time of day.

The pink pony gasped as she caught sight of the unicorn, her energy level seeming to double in an instant. "Rarity! You're up early!"

"Good morning, Pinkie Pie!" she replied lightly. "Yes, I suppose my body just decided it was done sleeping, so here I am!"

The earth pony grinned broadly. "What can I get for you? We've got apple fritters, bear claws, cinnamon rolls, doughnuts, eclairs, French croissants (I had to cheat a little on F), granola bars, hot cross buns, iced cupcakes (sorry!), johnny cake, kolaches (which are kinda like danishes with a really fun name)--"

"Coffee and a croissant!" Rarity interjected frantically, her head already spinning with the alphabetized menu.

Pinkie's ears folded back. "Aww, you didn't even let me get to 'muffins'," she said, then perked right back up as she trotted to the display case. "Coming right up! Cream and sugar?"

"Yes, thank you." She wasn't so sure she needed the coffee on top of a dose of raw Pinkie Pie, but it certainly wouldn't hurt after interrupted sleep for two nights running.

While her curly pink tail bobbed behind the counter, a harried-looking Mr. Cake came in from the kitchen with a tray of zucchini bread. "Has she been doing this all morning?" she murmured to the skinny stallion.

"She made us bake wild blueberry scones," he replied tiredly. "I wondered why she was so insistent about where the berries came from."

"Order up!" Pinkie piped from the other end of the counter. "Have a good day!"

"Thank you, Pinkie!" Rarity replied, floating out a few bits. "Same to you, I'm sure!"

The encounter, though dizzying, did succeed in making Rarity smile. She forgot her troubles for a few minutes as she nibbled on the croissant and tried to imagine what Pinkie had in store for 'V'. 'Vegetable' something?... violet... vinegar... ah, of course, 'vanilla'. But what about 'X'?...

The musings lasted until she reached Fluttershy's cottage. Rarity hesitated down the lane a bit, waiting to see the pegasus out and about. It wouldn't do to arrive too early -- Fluttershy would feel obligated to entertain her, which would disrupt her usual morning routine, and really, the whole point of the exercise was to see if she would put on the hair ribbon, wasn't it? So Rarity positioned herself where she could see the cottage door and sipped her hot coffee as the morning sounds of commerce got underway.

The coffee was long gone before Fluttershy's door finally opened and the lovely yellow mare emerged. She wasn't wearing the ribbon. By Celestia's shining mane, she wasn't wearing the ribbon! Still, Rarity comforted herself, it's only been a day. She's probably still thinking it over. She watched for a few minutes, shifting slightly farther behind the greenery. Not spying, exactly, merely hanging back until an opportune moment. There were nuts and kind words for the squirrels, a basket of greens for the rabbits in the fallen log by the stream, then fish and gentle encouragement for the bandaged otter beneath the bridge. Rarity wrinkled her nose, making a mental note not to kiss Fluttershy in the morning until she had rinsed out her mouth. As terrible as fish smelled, she couldn't imagine the taste. At last, the pegasus got around to filling the bird feeders, which looked like her last task. Rarity finally emerged from her hiding place. "Good morning, Fluttershy!" she called as she trotted down the road.

The other mare jumped so badly that she dropped the box of birdseed. She spun around like she'd been bitten, relaxing only once she recognized her visitor. She waved as she descended and started scooping spilled birdseed back into the box, offering a strained smile.

"I apologize for coming over so early, but I didn't see you at all yesterday and I wanted to make sure that you were all right..."

Fluttershy glanced away, unable to do more than squeak something in the back of her throat.

The unicorn's brows knit. "Darling... is something the matter?"

Fluttershy sighed and bobbed her head twice.

"Is it... another secret admirer letter?"

She hunched her shoulders and nodded again, sending Rarity's heart plummeting to join her morning croissant.

"That bad?... May I see it?" she asked gently.

The other mare shook her head quickly, emphatically.

"Er... okay...? What did it say?" she pressed.

Fluttershy averted her gaze again, biting her lip and maintaining her silence.

Rarity felt something inside her give, some reserve of patience running the slightest bit dry. "Was it laced with poison joke?" she asked with a trace of acerbity.

The pegasus finally relented. "No..." she sighed, scuffing a hoof at the turf. "I just don't want to talk about it."

Awkward silence fell for a few moments. How could she find out Fluttershy's reaction, or even advise her, if she refused to discuss it at all? "As you wish, then," she said with a smile, which grew strained as Fluttershy continued to sit, gazing at her hooves. "Ehm... I don't mean to keep you from your chores," Rarity said, moving to leave before the awkwardness rose to toxic levels.

"Oh! No, you're not," the pegasus said quickly. "I'm sorry, I was just... thinking..."

"You seem dreadfully out of sorts, Fluttershy... I know it's not our usual day, but perhaps you would feel better after a treatment at the--"

Fluttershy interrupted -- interrupted! -- with a worried, "Oh, no! I couldn't, I can't! I, um, have so much to do today. Maybe tommorrow, or... the next day... after that..."

Rarity rubbed one leg with the other hoof. Well, an opening is an opening... Putting on a guileless, wide-eyed smile, she replied, "If you're that busy, perhaps I could help out and we'll get it all done in half the time!"

"You don't have to do that!" the other mare objected hurriedly.

Rarity insisted, "It would be my pleasure."

"It'll probably be really dirty," she said more quietly.

"I've been known to put up with a spot of mud or two when it's important," the unicorn replied, throwing her chest out heroically.

Fluttershy shrunk down a little, murmuring, "And really boring..."

"Not when I'm with a good friend," Rarity countered, putting subtle emphasis on the last word.

"Okay..." Fluttershy whispered, though her expression said she thought this was a sentence only slightly more desirable than jail time.

Selfish.

Fluttershy balanced a basket of gardening implements on her back and one rabbit on her head as she started for the door. "I was going to ask Applejack to help divide my agapanthus plants, but since you're here, we can do that now," she said as she led Rarity to a stand of tall stalks tipped with bluish-purple flowers. "This should only take a couple of hours of digging in the dirt, out here in the hot sun."

The purple-maned unicorn nodded and steeled herself. A little sweat and dirt would not defeat Rarity, no indeed! She narrowed her eyes and levitated a short spade. "Just show me what to do," she persisted. Fluttershy let out a tiny huff.

It took a little over ten minutes to carefully dig out the first plant's root ball and shake the excess dirt free, with Fluttershy explaining each step in careful detail and finally cutting the tangled roots apart from those of its neighbors with a few sharp stabs of the spade. Rarity levitated it up out of the hole, already speckled with bits of dirt; though she was using her magic to keep the dirt, as it were, at arm's length, a certain amount of flying dust was unavoidable. Dripping clods of soil, the perennial drifted across to the hole Fluttershy had prepared for it and settled in, with Rarity maintaining her grip until the other mare finished patting down the soil around it. Such a beautiful façade to show the world, yet utterly filthy beneath the surface, she thought. Who does that remind me of?

Thankfully, the task demanded enough concentration to keep her from reflecting too deeply. After the first couple of plants, the fashionista felt confident enough to continue on her own, digging out and moving the plants Fluttershy indicated while the pegasus dug out new holes to give each flower plenty of space to grow. She had to admit that there was something refreshing about working out-of-doors that wasn't quite matched even by flinging open all the windows in her home. In the end, she used a trowel to pat down the soil around the last agapanthus well short of the two-hour mark. The two of them cooperating made the task almost easy, to say nothing of Rarity's magic.

"Well, that was... invigorating," she said, resisting the urge to wipe sweat from her brow with a grimy hoof. "What's next?"

Fluttershy gave her a glance that seemed almost disappointed, but gamely pointed to the front of the cottage. "Aquatic therapy with Mister Otter. He needs to work that sprain a little each day or it'll stiffen and get weak. Oh," she said, obviously feigning dismay. "I hope the water doesn't ruin your mane..."

"A swim sounds delightful just now," Rarity said. Fluttershy just made a chagrined little 'tsk'.

The otter rode Fluttershy to a broader, deeper section of the river a short way to the north. The yellow mare waded down into the water until the otter could swim off her back, then turned around and stuck out her hooves toward the sleek animal. He pressed his little paws against them and started to swim against Fluttershy, who bobbed backward with graceful strokes of her wings. "Easy, now," she cooed, "Slow, even strokes. That's right."

There didn't seem to be much for Rarity to do, so she took the opportunity to rinse the dirt and sweat from her coat. She would have preferred her own bathtub, of course -- warm water, scented soaps, and that most glorious of all pony inventions, conditioner -- but simple cool water did the job admirably. She waded down to neck depth, then plunged her head underwater, shaking her mane out as she came up and trying to rub the worst smudges out of her alabaster coat.

Unfortunately, her ablutions were done long before the otter's exercise session, leaving Rarity far too much time to think.

This is your life if you keep going, she told herself, watching the pink-topped head drift slowly downstream, then back up, trailed by the little splashes of her patient. Out here in the dirt and the mud and the rain, if need be. It's sprains and broken bones and occasionally even blood and death. She tossed her heavy, lank hair back and pushed herself out into the sluggish current, then rolled onto her back and spread her legs out to float with her eyes closed. I think the most blood I've ever seen was when I stuck myself with a needle. Am I ready to deal with all the mess and fuss of her animals and her job?

A warm body bumped her hoof, making Rarity look up. "Oops! Excuse me..." Fluttershy said, quickly turning to back her way upstream again. The unicorn felt a smile trying to curl her lips, and let it. And would I ever forgive myself if I gave up on such a flimsy excuse? She put her back hooves down, touching bottom while her front hooves drifted weightlessly in the river. Love... will find a way. She stood there for a long time, her mane fanning out behind her and waving as slowly as the minute hand of a clock while she watched the mare. She would find a way. They would find their way, together. ...Perhaps she could somehow learn to enjoy mud.

"Mud," Rarity said again, staring into Applejack's pigsty. Her mane and tail already hung heavy and straight, long enough to drag in the dirt and dust without their usual bouncy curls, but this... was something else altogether.

"I know it's really messy and really muddy," Fluttershy agreed, "But Applejack's pigs need their annual vaccinations."

Unable to break eye contact with the mud, Rarity shakily asked, "Isn't... isn't that a job for the veterinarian?"

"Oh, well, she could do it, I suppose," the pegasus replied as she opened her little medical box and extracted a hypodermic needle and a small brown bottle. "But it's just a little jab, and somepony has to round them up either way. They're usually a little bit less grumpy if I give them the shots."

Rarity's procrastination was cut short when the barn door banged open and Applejack trotted out with a long pruning hook in her mouth. She stopped as soon as she caught sight of the two mares, walking over with a faintly confused smile.

"Well, howdy, Fluttershy! An' Rarity too! What brings y'all out here this mornin'?"

Fluttershy, for once, took the lead. "Good morning, Applejack! I'm here to vaccinate your pigs. And Rarity's going to help me, so you won't even have to get dirty!"

"Wait, what?" Rarity squeaked, turning to stare at the pegasus.

Applejack rubbed her chin with one hoof. "Really? I thought that wasn't 'till Tues...day?" She trailed off at a frantic gesture from Fluttershy. The farmer raised an eyebrow. "But... I reckon I was mistaken?" she amended dubiously. Her eyes flicked from Fluttershy to Rarity and back, then understanding dawned in her eyes -- along with a rather sadistic smile. "Oh... oh! This I gotta see," she chuckled.

Rarity cast a glower at the orange mare, grim determination glittering in her eyes. "I shan't dignify that with a response," she said primly, focusing on the boar wallowing just on the other side of the fence from her. She planted her hooves firmly, then sent her magic up into her horn and out, wrapping it around the pig.

Oh, goodness, that's heavy, she thought, straining to levitate the animal. It gave a surprised squeal, but the glow winked out without lifting it a single inch. Chuckling snorts echoed around the pig pen as Rarity panted from the effort.

Applejack was doing her best not to join in the laughter, but her best wasn't very good. "Nice try, 'Twilight'," the blond mare snickered, "but maybe ya oughta start with th' Porka Minors." She gestured toward a few piglets piled up beside their mother.

Rolling her eyes, the unicorn focused on one of the piglets and lifted it into the air. Its squeals roused the big sow, but Fluttershy soared over to the hovering piglet with the needle gripped in her teeth. "Sorry, Miss Pig, this will just take a second and I'll give him right back to you..." The little pig squealed louder when she pricked it with the needle, but the process took only a few seconds before she was slapping an adhesive bandage over the poke, and Rarity lowered it back to the angrily snorting mother. Fluttershy returned for a fresh needle, and they repeated the process four more times -- jab, squeal, slap. Jab, squeal, slap. By the end of it all, the sow was watching Fluttershy with furious eyes. "I'm really sorry," the pegasus said, "but this will make sure none of your little piglets get sick, okay?" The sow just gave a low snort and huddled her piglets close. "I'll... just do yours last, then..."

And that was the last of the easy ones. "Well... what now?" Rarity asked, dreading the answer.

"Now ya gotta get in there an' hold 'em all down fer their shots," Applejack confirmed. "Easiest way is t' grab 'em 'round the neck," she mimed putting a pig in a head-lock, then hurled herself over the imaginary swine like a pro wrestler. "Then ya just throw 'em over an' hang on 'till Fluttershy's done!"

Rarity stared at the muck inside the pen with increasing trepidation. Now she wasn't just supposed to step in that, but throw herself bodily into it, too! Ugh... the things I do for love, she thought, carefully climbing over the rail fence and clenching her eyes shut as her hooves sank into the slippery, squishy, slimy sty-sludge. She could feel it tug at her dragging tail, sending a shudder up her back. The fat hogs watched Rarity with malevolent glee in their piggy little eyes. "You're quite sure you can't simply ask them to comply?" she asked hopelessly.

"Nah," said Applejack, resting her elbows on the top rail. "These're the orneriest hogs in Ponyville, an' I've got the blue ribbon t'prove it!"

Rarity squared her shoulders. "Very well," she replied, pushing aside her distate for the filth and concerns for her appearance. Rarity had kicked a manticore in the chops. Rarity had faced a dragon in its own cave. Rarity had come through kidnapping and enslavement without bending a single inch. Was Rarity going to let some mud and a few filthy beasts stand between her and her true love?

Hay no.

She took a few deep breaths, narrowing her focus down to the task at hoof. When her eyes opened, they flashed like diamonds. She sucked in one more breath.

"Allons-y!" she shrieked and hurled herself at the nearest boar. Her speed and ferocity must have surprised it, because it merely stood stunned as she hooked her arm around its neck and vaulted over its back, throwing it into the mud with a squashy splat. Along with herself.

There was a moment of shocked silence. Fluttershy's mouth hung open in a stunned gape and Applejack's eyebrows were trying to crawl up under her hat. "Well?" Rarity prompted, scrambling to her hooves and putting her weight on the pig to keep it down. Without a word, Fluttershy picked up the needle and glided over. Jab, squeal, slap. Rarity let the porker up and turned her adamant gaze on the suddenly-more-respectful residents of the pigsty. "Who's next?"

A smaller sow was the next victim, chosen through the misfortune of being the next closest pig. Rarity launched herself at it with an inarticulate battle cry, hurling it off its feet while it was still trying to get traction in the slippery muck. Jab, squeal, slap. The unicorn leaped for the next pig as soon as Fluttershy was clear, but surprise had worn off. This one lunged forward as she jumped, surprisingly fast for its bulk, ducking under Rarity's leap so that she had nothing to grab but smooth porcine backside. She slid off without slowing and planted her face straight into the mud. Snorting laughter rounded the pen once more.

A thoroughly-coated Rarity rose like an angel of muddy vengeance, but she only provoked more chuckles as her hooves slipped and she sprawled in the muck again. The heat of her anger and embarrassment should have dried out the mud instantaneously. "Oh... It. Is. On!"

"N-now remember, sugarcube, yer not tryin' ta hurt 'em," Applejack called, but Rarity was already in furious motion. She managed to take down another by kicking two of its legs out from under it, giving her just enough time to grab it around the neck and flip into the mud. She managed two more, amid many misses and slipped holds, by abruptly changing her target whenever another pig got close enough. Still, the unicorn wasn't cut out for this kind of work, and she found her stamina flagging.

Panting from the effort, Rarity squared off with the big boar that, until now, had lurked far from the action and chuckled loudly at every failure. The King Pig, as she had come to think of him. He was every inch of her own size, and grossly obese. Rarity dug her hooves in to get firm purchase and threw herself at him.

Everything went wrong in an instant. Not only was the boar big, he was strong! When her arm slid around his neck, the pig tossed his head... hard. Rarity's muddy arm slipped right off the flexible rolls of fat, and for a moment, she was airborne. Then there was a tremendous crash, and the next thing the white pony knew, she was pulling herself out from under a small pile of wood.

"Land sakes!" Applejack cried, helping pull her to her hooves. "Are you all right, Sugarcube?"

She coughed once, trying to suck in breath with the wind knocked out of her. "Yes," she wheezed, "In a moment..."

The cowpony nodded and set her hat aside, holding out a hoof toward Rarity. "Tag me in, sugarcube. You've made a right proud showin', but this 'un takes a bit o' doin'." Rarity wheezed something that sounded like "Thank you," and clopped hooves with the orange mare.

Applejack flew into action, planting both hooves as she wrapped her arms around the King Pig's neck. He tried to shake her off, but Applejack was ready for it and had braced against the move. Slowly, she leaned farther and farther into the King Pig's shoulder, straightening her legs and levering him up, up, his trotters flailing helplessly in the air. Then, finally, he fell over with a decidedly underwhelming squish of mud.

Jab. Squeal. Slap.

And that was it. Applejack took care of the last couple of pigs, then paused to bind the fence rails back in place with a spool of baling wire while Fluttershy flew over to fetch the hose. She only had a little mud around the hooves. Whereas Rarity was... was... coated from horn to hoof in thick, sludgy muck. She could feel it dripping down the bridge of her nose and crawling against her scalp, coating her ears and squishing under her tail.

The revulsion she had suppressed in the name of love came roaring back and exploded out of her mouth in a long, piercing scream of horror.