Chapter 4: Duality

Hope is such a wonderful thing. It's a constant reminder that things won't always be bad. Many ponies like to play on the word by adding 'false' in front of it, just to make it easier to accept or disregard. Why would they? If I didn’t have hope, what would be the meaning in anything I do? If I couldn’t go to sleep hoping that tomorrow would be a better day, I don’t think I could drag myself out of bed in the morning.

No matter how bad things get, you cannot give up on hope. It exists for a reason. It's there to be the light that guides your actions into a better existence. At the same time, I can see how it can be a sore topic to those who can't see it.

I hope one day I will be able to help others find hope.

"Mmmhmmm"

So comfortable, I don’t want to wake up if it means having to actually get up.

Wait, this isn't normal. I am smelling this delightful aroma that I'd swear that it smells like rain. Rain during a thunderstorm. The scent of water soaked blades of grass, mixed with the pure smell of ozone. It's so entrancing.

I open my eyes to reveal a wonderfully light blue mare wearing a delighted smirk on her face. She was asleep and so at peace.... And very beautiful. I had never seen this before. She almost looked happy. Wait, why am I seeing this?

As I started to regain my faculties, I slowly began to realize that I was completely entangled with Fae. My heart started pounding. What? Oh my Celestia, did I sleepwalk again? How am I going to explain this? I can't explain what happened if I don’t know what happened! Sleep Clarie strikes again.

I just need to carefully unwrap myself. Maybe she has been asleep this whole time and doesn’t know that I ended up in her bed. Please let that be the case!

I slowly started withdrawing my limbs, almost as if they were navigating an unseen labyrinth. I successfully managed to free an arm and a leg. The unlocking of half of the restraints caused Fae to show signs of life.

"Umhphmm" Fae murmered.

OHCRAPOHCRAPOHCRAP

I paused myself and attempted to let her regain her usual deep sleep state.

After a few minutes I continued. Just one more.....

As I freed my remaining leg, I felt my back lose support from below. I slid back and touched down on the floor with a powerful *THUD*

Panicking, I shot up to see if Fae had awoken. Wow, she isn't even close to awake, though her smirk had been replaced by her typical expressionless face. For a pony with so much trouble falling asleep, she sure has no problem staying asleep.

That was close. I don’t think I could have explained this. I'd be better off if I just pretend this never happened.

My name is Clarion Days, but I just go by Clarie. Just a few weeks ago, after eating through most of my money staying at the Ponyville Inn, I decided I should look for an apartment, but by the time I found a suitable roommate, I had very little money. We worked it so that my rent is 200 bits. Leaving me with a net worth of 40 bits.

My roommate is Fae, a light blue mare with gorgeous blue and teal streaks in her braided mane, which is crazy long. I don’t think I have ever seen a mane that long. She is abnormally quiet, probably because she lives in her head. But I swear she is the nicest pony I’ve ever met. She is just socially awkward. I’ve made it my mission to get her to open up. I know I can do it!

I managed to find work as Pinkie Pie's Party Planning Assistant. As soon as I arrived in town, within 5 seconds of seeing her, she tackled me and told me that I was perfect to be her apprentice. That pony is ridiculous, but in the short time I’ve known her, I really admire her. I wish I could be more like her. I’ve had some uh... Booboos when it comes to trying to be wacky and zany. I’m just never going to take it that far again.

It's only 5:17 AM. I know this because I have a very accurate biological clock. For some reason, I always know what time it is. I'm not sure why, but I never questioned it.

Now, how should I mess with Fae today? Hmm... Oh I got an idea.

I crept over to the cabinets, I pulled some carrots, potatoes, broccoli and noodles out silently, lining them up on the counter. In ninja mode, I started slicing and dicing each vegetable, while preparing the noodles. I had to do this just right.

Once finished, I placed the noodles in a pan with the other ingredients and set them to a low simmer and stirred in the secret ingredient, peanut butter.

5:57 AM I have a little time left. Making sure that the concoction was safe to leave unattended, I crawled across the floor and pulled myself under Fae's bed. This was going to be AWESOME!

Now I wait...

6:30 AM...

She sleeps so much! *pouty face*

My boredom got the better of me and I started looking around while I was down here. Ooh, I found munies! I slid the bit out to the open so that Fae would find it on the floor in front of her night stand.

What else? I found a spare blanket, a block of wood, a few articles of clothing and I also found a magazine stuffed under a box. It was kinda dark and hard to see. I couldn’t really make out the title...Bar...Barely....Barely Mares? I have never heard of this one. Couldn’t really see the image on the front, so I peeked inside.

I could feel the surface temperature of my face begin to skyrocket. It was incredibly difficult and required a lot of eye straining, but I was able to make out some very shapely figures. I quickly closed it and returned it to its hiding place. I feel so ashamed. I shouldn’t have snooped through her things, but it gave me something to think about for the next 45 minutes. Despite how hard I tried not to.

There came a faint scratching noise from above.

Finally, movement! Not much movement but a little. The aroma of the food was filling the house for quite some time now. I am so hungry, I should have eaten some first.

"Mphughh... We have food?" I heard a struggling voice fighting off sleep from above. Zombie Fae is so cute!

No! Clarie, stop that! Focus! This is what you’ve been waiting for!

A few moments go by after the movement ceased. Did she go back to sleep? Darn her!

It started back up and appeared to be heading off of the bed.

"Need... Fooood"

IT'S TIME! I prepared myself both mentally and physically for the mission at hand.

*THWACK!!!!*

Fae slammed down on the floor face first! Oh my, that looked painful. I haven't seen it from this angle before, but she appeared to try and break her fall with her face. Come to think of it, when I was cleaning up the other day, there was a good amount of dried blood around that area. Mystery solved.

Movement stopped momentarily. When it resumed, She was starting to lift herself up. The moment she brought her face a hairs width off of the floor, I lunged with all my strength and shot out head first.

"GOOD MORNING FAE!!!!!!!!!!!" I shouted

Fae let out an incredibly shrill scream as she pushed off the floor with enough force to land her on my bed. Mission accomplished. I stood up and dusted myself off with the widest grin I could muster. Fae was wrapped up in my blanket, that was fast. Only the top of her head was poking out. Something was on her face though. Affixed to her forehead was the money I had re-positioned. Oops…

"Good morning" I repeated.

After a few moments her eyes lowered and she removed my comforter.

"How long?" She asked in the dullest of voices.

"About 2 hours!" I was very proud.

She got quiet for a minute. She does this a lot. She is in her head right now probably trying to decide how to respond. Now she will avert her gaze, and trot off like this never happened.

"The smell of food was a nice touch. You scared me half to death," she unpredictably spoke.

She wore a slight smile that was very different from her usual one. Was this one was real? I think it's real!

This is what I wanted! Every fiber of my being brimmed with unbridled joy. I would have gladly waited for 2 months if it got me this reaction. I've been living with her for two weeks. It took me two full weeks of hard work to get this smile!

"BII'IIG HUGG" I pounced on her and squeezed with all my might.

"No hey, Stop it! Put me down! Cut it out! Damnit Clare!" Fae struggled rather well. If I wasn’t so elated right now, she might have been able to get away.

After a minute or so, I relinquished her and inspected her face. Despite claiming that she didn’t want that, she wasn’t expressionless. I would be willing to bet that she secretly loved that. That filly is so easy to read if you know how. I'm learning pretty quickly, mostly through trial and error.

"I made breakfast. Let's go eat!"

“Y-Yeah. Let me go fix my hair first.” Fae was totally obsessed with her hair. She often plays with it when she thinks she’s alone. Well… she think she’s alone because I’m hiding and waiting to surprise her a lot. She caught me most of the time for the first week, but I adapted pretty quickly.

Fae trotted into the bathroom, but this time, she didn’t close the door. This was slightly different than normal. She usually has a routine and never breaks it.

Curiously, I peeked inside. A sharp looking horn emerged from her head as her eyes became bright. Her hair magically began to lift and fold as she braided it with expertise. My heart sank. Her magic knocked her out for 4 days last time she used it.

Even if she didn’t use it as ferociously as before, it had to still be taxing. Earth ponies can’t do magic. They shouldn’t, it's not natural. Who knows how it is affecting her. What if the more she uses it, the more it drains her in a way she will never recover.

As I stood there looking at her, she noticed me and looked my way.

“What’s wrong Clare?” Fae's face was showing the slightest bit of concern.

My eyes did feel kind of funny. Was I… Crying? Oh no, now she’s going to worry about me. I could lie and play it off, but that would only cause problems. Honesty is best.

“Is that Really OK? Using your magic?” I managed to squeak this out.

“You already know I can do it, it would just be wasted effort trying to hide it from you now.” Fae misunderstood me. Maybe I’ll just bring it up later, I don’t want her to think that I hate her magic.

Knowing her secret and that she trusted me with it was enough to cheer me up. I just wish it were under different circumstances. There is a lot I don’t know about Fae. I want to though. I just don’t know how to go about it. The last thing I want is to push her away. With her, it almost seems like if I do something that she hates, she will disappear from my life in five seconds. Then forget about me forever in the next two. Maybe I am being paranoid, I haven't had a friend before and maybe this is just me being scared.

She turned to the mirror. “Oh, hey a bit! Luna damnit! It’s the same one from before.”

Heheheh, my bad. The bit came flying out of the bathroom, landing with a *dink* and rolling across the floor.

I went over to the stove to prepare us some plates. Oh, I hope Fae likes it!

“Wow, that was really good Clare! I didn’t even know we had food and you managed to scrape things together to make an incredible dinner... For breakfast.” I liked it when she complemented me.

“It's no big deal, I’ve had to cook for myself for a long time. I’m just happy that somepony else actually likes my weird foods.” After all, I’ve been alone my whole life. No, don’t think about such things! Fae is able to read me too well.

“I usually just get something delivered and make it last a week.” Oh no, Fae's voice dropped back to its usually somber tone. Do something!

"Well why don’t you cook?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"It is unnecessary. I don’t have to impress anypony and this way is easier." Fae sounded defensive.

"I can teach you how." I was just trying to find something for us to do together.

"I am not an idiot. I know how to cook...Probably. It's not rocket science." Fae's pause was slightly shorter than normal. If I'm learning to read her right, that means I just struck a nerve.

What do I say now? Do I apologize? Or maybe try and explain that I just want to do something with her? Think Clarie! You’ve already paused for longer than is normal and she is going to deconstruct this whole conversation and read way too into things!

Owie! Thinking hurts!

Don’t think, just do something!

I grabbed my plate, shoved the rest of its contents in my mouth and gave her a big bulging smile.

…Smooth….

“Right…” She appeared to be restraining a laugh, but that’s probably wishful thinking.

I admit, I panicked. So far, I think I have learned that her biggest pet peeve is questioning her intelligence, even if not directly. I guess that’s not all bad though, that means she does have feelings and is not a robot. She is more like a plant that doesn't want you to know that its not a robot. A young plant, a sapling. If i care for this plant just right, one day it will grow into a mighty banana tree. When the culmination of her repressed feelings manifests, it will be in a delicious bundle of emotions. I shall blend these emotion fruits together with some milk. As Celestia as my witness, I WILL drink a Fae milkshake.

Oh no, I can’t chew.

“Inmf goa oh chack da mayall. “ I sophisticatedly stood up and excused myself. I broke out into a sprint for the door, quickly exiting the apartment. I emptied the contents of my mouth behind a bush, drawing many strange looks.

“DO NOT…(pause for dramatic effect) EAT THE NOODLES!”

There, that should confuse them a good bit, teehee.

I should check the mail while I’m out here though. It was my excuse for running out and all.

I lifted the latch to our mailbox. Yay mail! *squee*

It appeared to be a postcard of sorts. Let’s see here.

Something, something, party, something, invited.

Good enough for me! Parties are a great way to make new friends! And one day I want to beat Pinkie's high score in friend count! Maybe Fae will go with me. Probably not though. I don’t want to force her to be social, but maybe I can persuade her to in a way that’s her decision.

My face scrunched up as I rubbed my chin. This is my scheming face...

I trotted back to the apartment. As I walked inside, Fae was nowhere to be seen.

“Fae, did you leave?”

…

“Oh well.” I dropped the card on the table and began to look over the empty apartment. My eyes locked onto the nightstand. Fae's necklace was laying on top. This was curious. Would Fae really leave without it? She loves that thing.

*Sniff* *Sniff*

Fae's scent. I can smell it. I never really noticed that smell before today. I followed it to the bathroom.

I closed the door behind me and trotted to the sink.

*Sniff* *Sniff*

“You’ve got to try harder than that if you want to scare me Fae” I said victoriously. The scent I just recently become intimate with was a dead giveaway.

I heard a quiet “Damnit!” From behind the bluish green shower curtain, followed by a flash of aquamarine light.

I pulled back the shower curtain to reveal… Nothing. Fae was gone! Stupid non-unicorn arcane trickery.

How can she think that didn’t witness that?

While brushing my teeth, I couldn’t help but wonder if I should have let her scare me. I didn’t want to discourage her from trying to connect with another pony… or would it encourage her?

Man, I wish I was smarter.

I stood there for a minute just looking at myself in the mirror. I got lost looking at my mane, it was pretty messy. I try to brush my hair once a day, but right after I do, you wouldn't be able to notice that I did. I just stopped trying, it always looked the same anyway.

Remembering just how much Fae liked hair, I wondered if I should attempt to maintain mine a little better. Maybe this messy hair was hair for a friendless mare. I need a new look for a new life! Spotting a few ponytail holders on the sink, I grabbed them and attempted to style my hair for the first time in my life.

This was not an easy process. I started getting more and more annoyed with each failed attempt at placing a ponytail holder in my mane.

How can any non-magical creature do things with their hair? It took me a little over 15 minutes, but I finally got it. I think I like it. I look so different now! I'm not sure if anypony else will like my new golden twin tails, but I sure do. They were higher on my head than normal pigtails are, almost pointing diagonally up and arced from the top corners of my head.

There were a few stray hairs that I just couldn’t get in the holders. In an attempt to quickly make it look slightly better, I ended up just plucking them out.

Well let’s see if my first friend likes them.

As I stepped out of the bathroom, Fae was doing dishes. FAE WAS DOING DISHES!? That’s new, something is up. I wonder if I should inspect them later to make sure they don’t self destruct?

She hasn’t noticed me yet. Does that mean it doesn’t look good?

As my eyes fell to the floor in my depression, I hear a plate shatter. I quickly looked to see what happened and saw that Fae was standing there with her eyes trying to eject out of her face, jaw hanging low.

Oh, does she really hate it that much?

“I'm sorry, I was just trying something new, I’ll take them out.” I turned to go back into the bathroom in a state of gloom.

“N-no!... You look so amazing! I love you!” Fae blurted.

!!!

“I mean, I love it! Your hair… I love what you did with it. The hair… I love... the hair and what happened to it. I mean, I don’t like how it was as much as I do now. I mean it's better than before! Not that it was bad before, it just is better now. That is why I said love. Your hair, that is... I… Hair… Please don’t take them out.” Fae was utterly flabbergasted. Teehee! I didn’t mean to break dinnerware, but I like this response. That’s probably the most I’ve ever heard her speak. And this time, she didn’t have that pause before each thing she said. I can tell she didn’t overthink anything this time. Or think at all, haha!

As much as I enjoyed this response, I don’t think I should milk it anymore.

“Are you sure? I don’t think it looks very good.” I lied.

OK, maybe a little milk.

Longer pause than normal, looks like the effects of my mane wore off.

“That’s because it's so hard to have the tails be neat when you do attempt to handle such tasks without magic.” Fae slowly began to stumble closer. Something was different about her. Her eyes looked so menacing. I felt like I was in the presence of a gorgon/demon hybrid. My limbs were stricken with fear as the hair on the back of my neck stood. The air around me seemed to increase in density. The pressure filling the room was enough to drive a pony insane. What was this? This fear...

Somehow, I overcame the obstacle of silence and managed to squeak out “That’s okay I’m sure I’ll get better with practice.” Too late, her horn was a really starting to form and 3 separate brushes and a comb were already floating out of the bathroom past me.

“Eeep!”

She was already frightening enough without that razor sharp lance poking out of her face.

I didn’t want her to use her magic! Time to flee!

As I started to bolt for the door, I saw a blue aura form around me as the floor fell from below.

“No, really its fine!” I pled in vain, suspended in mid-air.

“Hehehehehahahaa” Holy crap! That is the most sinister laugh I have ever heard coming from behind me. It was the sound of the universe screeching to a halt. The room began to fill with darkness.

The world spun around me until there was a madmare with an azure fire in her eyes somehow staring down on me from above, despite the fact that she was below me. The pitch black windows behind her briefly flashed with lighting as the room shook with thunder.

“Fae you are scaring me!” I screamed in futility.

That diabolical laugh turned into one of the most sadistic villainous voices I have ever heard.

“Shhh… I’ll make you perfect.” SO CREEPY! Her movements were that of a doll, almost as if she was playing puppeteer to her own body of a medium. Her face was emanating a creepy joyful smile that seemed to stretch beyond her illuminated, unblinking eyes, void of eyelids.

Ding ding~ dong~... ding dong...

Ding ding~ dong ding dong dong dong~~

Was that a music box? Where did that come from? And what's with this tune? It's macabre melody felt like it was slowly ripping my soul from its host. That eerie chiming was haunting. It sounded like a chorus of the damned.

“It will all be over soon…..” I didn’t just hear that statement, I felt it. I had no trouble believing it either. Her body swayed from side to side as she approached me with sporadic movements.

Am I going to die? I don’t know what I did to deserve this!

Please somepony help me! What? My voice, I can't speak! As I float there in mid air, Fae began to flicker as she reached the halfway point.

In one last flicker, she disappeared. Where did she go? I began to frantically flail, but to no avail. I was stuck in midair, dangling in the middle of an empty field of darkness.

Abruptly, the music stopped. The last note continued to ring inside my mind, cracking the solidity of my sanity.

There is no more fighting it. I am dead. That has to be it, nothing on earth could ever be this horrific. That is what is wished for, the true terror in my mind was not had transpired, but what had yet to be.

As I came to this realization, I heard the shriek of a banshee as Fae reappeared instantaneously in front of my face. Her eyes were lacking pupils, instead they were bleached white.

I blacked out...

I came to with Fae holding a mirror in front of me.

I'm alive? WHAT WAS THAT?! Was that a dream? To call it a nightmare would be an understatement. All of these thoughts stopped the moment I saw my reflection.

“No way!” It was flawless. My hair was amazing. Not a single strand was sticking out. All my split ends were gone. No, not gone. Restored. There was absolutely no curls in my currently straight hair and it felt… Different.

“What was that!? I don’t think I have ever been so scared in my life!” I was still shaking.

"What was what? As soon as I grabbed the brushes, you fainted. You appeared to be ok, so I figured I would go ahead and finish your hair." Fae's explanation sounded genuine, but the terror I experienced was real!

"What exactly did you do?" I was still trying to grasp the concept of reality. I think it would be in my best interest to lock that experience in my mental vault. Then throw away the key.

“First I used a restoration spell to restore your dead ends, then I used a straightening spell. Heh yeah, there is actually a spell for that. Then I hit it with another spell I made myself. I call it mane-shield. Now your mane is protected from water, fire, ice, electricity, acid, most offensive forms of magic, and even your own scalp oils. It also increases your hair strength 500 times. Not only that, but it can now withstand high impact ballistics and small to medium scale explosions. Plus, it also refracts light giving a minor twinkle and shine. It is an incredibly high level spell that I don’t know if many others could ever understand, let alone cast!” Fae rambled off sporadically.

“That… uh… wow. That is so impressive," but Fae. She looks worn out. “I'm grateful, I really am. It's amazing and so much more, but you look tired. Was that too much magic?”

Fae was sweating, and breathing heavily, but that may have been from her speech. Her eyelids were drooping, but she also looked happy. That's not a sight I am often privy to.

“Nah, it's fine. It's nothing a little sleep won’t fix. I do it all the time to my hair”

“Fae, please don’t. I don’t want you to strain yourself because of me.” I couldn't help but let my eyes sink to the floor.

“Clare, it's fine really. Please let me do this.” She regained her breath. “There’s not a lot of things I am willing to put effort into, but please let me do your hair for you.This is the first thing in a long time that I’ve actually wanted to do. Your hair is the most amazing I’ve ever had the privilege of working with. Almost like an untapped resource." The fire in her eyes was burning bright.

Fae began to scratch her cheek and look off to the side. "If it helps, you can just see this as something I am doing for myself. I like how you look and I would like to continue to see this... Since, y'know we will be seeing one another quite often."

This must mean a lot to her. She likes hair more than I thought. If she likes to do hair so much, who am I to stop her? Besides, I don’t think I’ve ever looked as good as I do now. Something about Fae getting excited when she sees me is just too great to pass up. But, I feel guilty about all this. Maybe I can find a way to work this into a good thing for us.

“Fine. On three conditions.” I tried my best to sound adamant. “1) you never overdo it. Please don't overexert yourself. 2) As payment, you let me cook for you every night. And 3,” I pointed to the table. ”You have to go to that party with me tomorrow night”

“Sure. Hell yea and WHAT?” Fae sounded distraught. “I don’t do parties. I don’t think I even have the capacity to party.” With a sapphire tincture, the invitation floated at eye level in front of her.

“Are you old enough to drink?” she asked almost whimsically.

“Of course I am” I didn’t lie. Technically I am old enough. Even if I just turned 21. Even if I do look like I’m still 15 and sound like I'm 12. I am kinda small for my age. And I am a little immature. And I do have my hair done up in a schoolfilly fashion. And my speech can be childish. And sometimes my voice squeaks. And I….

“Oh I didn’t mean anything by it, I’m sorry!” Fae must have read my face again. I’ve got to stop that. "I was just curious. I’m just not exactly sure how old you are.”

“What about you?” I am pretty certain she is older than me, but I wonder what answer I’ll get.

“I am old enough, I just have not drank before,” Fae admitted.

“Really? Why not?” Now I’m more curious.

“I've never had a reason to. I don’t need alcohol to live and it costs bits.” Fae confessed, but it wasn’t bad logic. It actually made sense. “But I guess I can give it a shot. Might make people more tolerable. Heh. Let’s see, Lights and Sounds Festival tomorrow night 8pm Ponyville fairgrounds. Live performances by DJ Pon3 and Octavia, Neon lights, Bringers of Bass, Liquid Ear Candy, Electric Mayhem, and fireworks by The Great and Powerful Trixie. That last name is in bold and underlined. Alcohol consumption encouraged. Followed by a hoof-drawn picture of Octavia yelling the name Vinyl.”

“Wow really? That sounds like so much fun, we have to go!” I actually like many of these artists. I don’t really like alcohol all that much, but it should be fine so long as I don’t overdo it. I’ll have to make sure I look after Fae seeing as though she has never drank.

“Yea… fun… Sure, I’ll go with you….*grumble* If you promise you will let me do your mane from now on?” She stuck her hoof out in the air towards me.

“Deal”

*hoof bump*

You know, it's really hard to play pranks on her in a one room apartment if she never leaves. In fact, she doesn’t even drink when she is thirsty. She has a bottle that she fills with soda 3 times a day. Sipping on it a specific intervals as if she is calculating and limiting the number of trips to the bathroom she takes. As much laziness as she possesses, she does some pretty insane calculations, which I am convinced takes more effort than just doing the things she’s avoiding.

She could probably do my taxes in no time at all. I wonder what all she could be good at if she applied herself?

I have to keep changing up the methods and execution of all my surprise attacks. I ran out of tactics a few days ago, but I’ve managed to keep creating new ones on the fly. This is way too much effort. Oh jeez, almost two weeks with her and she is already rubbing off on me.

I went to the market to buy some supplies for dinner. Being a dummyhead, I forgot to ask what she likes. I’ve got about 20 bits left after purchasing supplies for my pranks, so I need to cook on a budget. Shouldn’t be too hard though.

As I walk down the dirt street, I can't help but notice all the mares looking at me with envy, stallions either tripping or colliding with stationary objects while looking at me, or wives yanking their husbands ears. I’ve never been pretty before. The effects of Fae’s handiwork are clearly having an effect on everything around me.

About the time I was purchasing some loaves of bread, I heard a very elegant “Oh my word! Darling, your mane is absolutely marvelous!”

I turned to see who those words belonged to. She was a very pretty marshmallow white mare with long flowing purple hair that curved as much as it shone. Her flank was adorned by a cutie mark of 3 sparkling diamonds. On top of her head, sat a pure white bonnet that matched her features to a T. She also carried with her a saddlebag that only hugged one side of her glamorous body. It was white with light purple frills and embroidered with the same symbol she bore on her flank.

“Oh, hehe thank you, miss?”

“You may call me Rarity, dear. I’d be simply delighted to learn your name, along with your stylist's.” Rarity gleamed with excitement.

“Oh, umm, my name is Clarie. Actually I’ve never thought I had pretty hair until my roommate forced me into submission and styled it.” I tried my best not to remember the events leading up to such an encounter. I must take great caution not to poke at the vault!

“It sound to me as if you are a very lucky mare, miss Clare.” Rarity sounded twice as envious now.

“Actually it's Clarie, if you wouldn’t mind.” I hate Clare.

“Of course, my apologies Miss Clarie. I can assure you that it won’t happen again.” Rarity's voice sounded so naturally regal.

“Oh it's fine, really.” No sooner than I’d said it, a businesspony was trotting by with a cardboard housing for four cups of coffee in his maw. Having been too busy looking at my new hair, he tripped, sending multiple piping hot cups of coffee flying. They landed right on the back of my head, searing the back of my neck. The sensation of burning flesh was intolerable.

"Ow ow ow ow tsss ahhh" That really burned.

Oddly the only part that burned was my neck.

As I sprinted in place, Rarity was delivering some very harsh words to the businesspony.

“How could you be so careless as to ruin a lady's mane when she is obviously having a terrific hair day?” Rarity seemed as if he had spilled the coffee on her instead of me. Wait, was she only concerned about the hair?

“I am so so sorry miss, let me run and fetch you a towel.” The assailant said apologetically.

He quickly dashed off in search of something to help me.

“Oh my stars, dear! Your mane!” Her eyes became emboldened.

“Oh no, did it ruin my hair! Fae put so much work into this.” I was starting to panic, the pain on my neck I could deal with, but Fae strained herself to give me perfect hair.

“Not at all dear!” she said with a pronounced crisp. “It is just as lovely as before!” Rarity practically pounced on me to get to my mane.

The coffee had mostly had bounced right off with the rest falling right out as if there were no adhesion.

“Come to think of it, my head doesn’t burn, just my neck,” I realized.

That mane-shield really worked and saved me from a good deal of pain. Though, I guess it may have been the cause of the coffee ending up on me to begin with.

“Why, it appears your mane has been imbued with some form of magic. This is extraordinary! To think that such a magic exists. You simply must introduce me to this “Fae” immediately! I run the Canterlot boutique, and now that I see this roommate of your's master craft, I would love to have a pony on call to add to the exuberance of the dresses and gowns that I create.”

Oops…

“Well, I can say something to her, but she’s not a very sociable pony. Actually I don’t think that she wants me to tell anyone she is the one who did it.” I think I messed up.

“Social or not, it would be a crime to let this individual not style hair as a professional under my employ. I beg of you, please promise
me you will ask her to come by my boutique. Now that I’ve been made aware of such artistic genius, there is just no way I can ever be satisfied if I didn’t at least speak with the pony responsible for this work of art.” She had a very desperate tone to her voice.

“I promise I’ll say something to her just as soon as I get home, miss Rarity. I can't promise anything though.”

“In addition, if you get her to come, I would be happy to make the both of you some fashionable garments, free of charge.”

“That’s very generous of you. I'll do everything in my power to send her your way.” I don’t know if it will happen, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.

“As much as I’d like to discuss this matter further, I must take my leave. I have other matters to attend to.” She spoke with both sincerity and regret.

“Alrighty, it was a pleasure to meet you miss Rarity. I look forward to seeing you again!”

“As do I, dear. Ta-ta!” She trotted away with the grace of a princess.

Did Fae just inadvertently make me a new friend? She is awesome! Thank you, Fae. You have just been upgraded to best friend status.

“Umm, miss… I’m so sorry about that, here please take this towel.” Business pony came back and hung with head low, holding out a freshly purchased towel.

“Don’t worry about it, it's not a big deal. Thank you for the towel, mister.” He expressed relief in this.

“It was the least I could do. I have to excuse myself, I am going to have 4 angry ponies with the power to fire me if I don’t get back soon.” He didn’t even finish talking before he started to run off.

Now I've got to make her something amazing for dinner. While looking around at all the various stalls lining the streets, I made my way past them, carefully scanning for anything that looks good. A produce stand caught my attention. On the other side of the stall was a scruffy looking stallion that appeared very bored. Having noticed me, he immediately straightened his posture and gave me his undivided attention.

"Good afternoon young lady. Can I help you with anything?" Despite his appearance, he sounded rather professional.

"Um... Hello. I was just browsing around looking for something to make dinner with."

"We have only the finest produce in all of Equestria."

After a little debate, I decided to pick up some sweet potatoes, walnuts, milk, flour and various spices.

"That will be 8 bits little lady." That didn’t sound right, surely that amount is far too low.

"Umm... Is that right? I think it should be closer to 16 bits." I don’t want him to undercharge me.

"I've never seen you around. Most of my business is from repeat customers. So everytime I see a new face, they get a nice discount. It helps bring them back. But to be honest, you look so cute, I thought I would cut you a bigger deal" OMYGOSHOMYGOSHOHMYGOSH, I've never had something like this happen to me before.

"Oh, thank you mister? I'm sorry what was your name?" It was taking everything I had not to just start squealing with excitement.

"The name is Market. Market Place." He said with a hint of irony.

Wow, that pony's parents really hit the nail on the head with this guy.

"That’s very fitting Mr. Place. Thanks a bunch, and I promise I will become one of your best customers!"

"That’s what I like to hear!" He said as he started bagging my newly purchased groceries. "What are you planning on making with these?"

"I think I am going to try and make a soufflé. I've never made one before but I need this meal to be special." I said with determination in my eyes.

"My, my. You wouldn’t be trying to impress a special somepony would you?" He asked with a grin.

"What??? No no, what? No. I just want to make dinner for my roommate. I mean I do want to impress her. I mean I just want her to like me. Er... my cooking! That is." This conversation was getting away from me.

"Woah, calm down." He waved his hooves back and forth in front of him. "I was just teasing. But this mare must be something special if she made you fly off the rails like that." He gave me a reassuring pat on the head "So long as you try your hardest, I'm sure whatever you make she will like, regardless how good it is."

"Thank you, Mr. Place. I was really worried that I wouldn’t be good enough." I put on the biggest smile I possessed.

As I grabbed my bag, I began set out, back to the apartment.

"Such a sweet and innocent filly. I'll have to remember to ask her how her date went." Market said to himself with a chuckle.

The sun had already started to descend by the time I reached the house. I guess I spent a little to much time at the market today. The lights to the apartment were all off. I wonder if Fae is asleep yet?

I entered my abode to see a lump curled up on Fae's bed under covers. As I flipped on a light and sat the bag of food things on the counter. I had a weird feeling, something was off...

I quietly sneaked over to Fae's bed and peeled back the corner of the covers to reveal that underneath, there were a few pillows sleeping peacfully.... I see... I went back to the kitchen and silently maneuvered my way on top of the refrigerator. I was a master of sneaking, after all. I reached down to open the refrigerator barely opening it before withdrawing my hoof.

The door flew open and out sprang Fae "SURPRISE ATTACK! What?"

The ambushing pony stood still in confusion. GO TIME!

I leapt off the top of the fridge performing a belly flop on my ambusher, as I yelled "Cross-Counter"

Moments after my crash landing on Fae. We remain on the floor. As I lay on top of her, I could feel that she was really cold. Really, really cold.

"How long?" I asked with sadness in my voice.

"T-t-t-two hours." Fae teeth were chattering as she spoke.

"I'm sorry I took so long." I re-positioned my body so that more of me was in direct contact with her and remained there in an attempt to warm her up. "I am really impressed at your conviction though."

Fae was shivering. Oh my, she must be colder than I thought. Wait, this wasn’t shivering. Was this... nervous jittering? She is cute when she is nervous.

Maybe a little more milk...

I lowered my muzzle to her and whispered "I'll warm you up."

And with that her, whole body seized and I ended up flying off of her, rolling across the kitchen, smacking my face on the table.

Ouchies! Milk only makes bad things happen!

"Clare? I'm so sorry, I didn’t mean to do that!" Fae's voice shook with concern.

"It's fine, I had it coming," I said holding my nose that was dripping with blood.

Fae's forehead started glowing and out came that celestial horn of hers. Fae took a couple steps closer and bent down just far enough so that her horn was just barely touching my nose. With a quick flash, the pain stopped and blood disappeared.

"Fae! You didn’t have to do that!" I objected.

"Yes I did, it was my fault." Wait, her nose was bleeding as well.

"Did you hit your nose too?" I asked.

"What? She dabs her nose with her hoof to inspect it. "Oh this, no it's something else. " she started to blush as she said this.

"Does it hurt?"

"No no, I just get nosebleeds from time to time." Now she was really blushing and now avoiding eye contact."So, ummm..... How did you know I was in the fridge?"

"Oh, it's simple. After I knew you weren't in your bed, also that you had tried the shower ambush already. The empty fridge is literally the only place you could hide." I explained while gesturing to the empty apartment.

"Oh right... Mark my words Clare! I will get you sooner or later. You will let your guard down one day, and that shall give rise to my victory!" Fae spoke as she would be attempting to ambush me forever until she succeeds.

"Well until then, I need to get started on dinner. Please, no ambushes while, I am holding a knife." I said as I began removing groceries from their thin plastic prison.

"Yea, that sounds like a smart move. So tell me Clare, what do ponies do at parties?" She stood on the other side of the counter watching me as I started preparing ingredients. She propped her head head up on her forearms, crossed on the counter while leaning over.

"What do you mean?"

"I dunno, we go to the party listen to music and sip on cider, but is that really enough to be considered fun?"

"Well there is more to it than that. There is also dancing, usually some games, lively conversation and perhaps my favorite, watching drunken ponies make fools of themselves. Teehee."

"What do I wear, do I have to dress up as something?"

"It's not a costume party," I said with a chuckle .

"Cut me some slack here, I've never been to any form of party before!" Fae took the defensive

"Not even a birthday party?"

"My parents tried to throw me one every year, but I was always able to get out of it. After a few years, they stopped trying." She spoke as if parties are bad things.

"Well, we will change all that tomorrow. This is a festival, it's like a huge party for the whole town. I'm sure there will be great food, music, and games galore! As far as dress code, there isn't one, haha."

I finished preparing the food. Now to just throw it in the oven and let the heat handle the rest.

"I still don’t know about this...."

"Don’t worry, I promise I'll be right by your side the whole time. And if ponies try to force you into a conversation, I can jump in and pull you out," I protectively stated.

Fae's face was still expressionless, but I think I'm getting better at reading it, because I'd swear that she just perked up.

"Really? You'd do that?"

I affirmed with a smile and a nod

Her eyes met mine and locked. Her eyes are so beautiful. As if they were crafted from the highest quality emerald and surrounded in the purest ivory.

Snap out of it, Clarie. You have stuff to do. Rushing to return to my work, I accidentally knocked the partially empty container of milk on to the floor. With a loud *KSHH* the glass bottle split into a dozen pieces, creating a huge mess all over the floor.

"Oh no!" I cried.

Fae got up and walked around the counter that was separating the kitchen from the rest of the apartment.

"Here let me help you with that."

"That's okay, I got it." I didn’t want to step in any of the milk or broken glass so I spread my hind legs out and lowered down on my front ones so that I could wipe the floor with a towel. That milk was taking forever to get up. "Fae can you hand me another towel" I lowered my head and peered through my legs seeing the world upside down at Fae. My tail kept getting in the way so I had to sway it back and forth.

Her face was red. She looked like she just saw a ghost. Not only that, but it appeared her nose was starting to bleed again.

"Fae?"

Fae quickly snapped out of it and ran to the bathroom saying "I've got to take a shower"

In an instant the bathroom door shut and the water started.

"Weird, she's weird." I shrugged and continued cleaning the mess caused by my clumsiness.

After dinner, Fae kept complimenting my soufflé, even though I felt that it didn’t turn out that well. She must really not eat a variety of food. Either that or it was really that good. I guess an artist is their biggest critic.

After my shower, we stayed up late, talking to each other about our likes, dislikes and successfully finding some common ground between the two of us. I've had more fun with Fae since i moved in, than I have in my whole life combined! Well, I guess I am exaggerating a bit. But I have enjoyed it more. I got really lucky in finding her.

"We should get going to bed, it's already 3 in the morning" I said sleepy yawn.

"It's amazing. Your ability to tell time." Fae looked tired as well.

"Nighty night" I said while flipping off the table lamp.

"Goodnight Clare," Fae said as she lay back with her elbows in the air hoofs under her neck.

I can't believe I made such an amazing friend so quickly after moving to Ponyville. As I cuddled with my body pillow, my body started to get warmer and warmer the more I thought about this. It prevented me from sleeping for a good while.

Just before I fell asleep, I heard Fae get up and start digging around. Then I heard her make her way to the bathroom.

ZZZZzzzzZZZZzzzz

***Clarie slides out of bed with her eyes remaining closed.***

Author's Note

Thanks for reading and I hope that you enjoyed it :3