Speed Dating: Ponyville

by Lavender_Sigil01

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Nurse Redheart, Roseluck, Starlight Glimmer, Romance, Spa Ponies, Maud Pie, Human
Length: 5909

T has a dilemma. He feels loney and wants a marefriend... but he's shy. When Pinkie Pie finds out about his dilemma, she hatches a plan to cure his problems.

Pinkie Pie gets the bright idea to match T with every mare she can, but it has it's side effects. T is incredibly shy around people he doesn't know, so he must fight himself if he wants to meet some ladies.

Published 2020-12-18 16:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2020-12-18 16:30:01 UTC

Just Be Yourself

"But T... It will be fun!" Pinkie Pie said, trying to coax a response out of me.

"Pinkie, I know you're trying to help but-"

"But, what?" Pinkie Pie interjected, derailing my train of thought. "My sister goes to those to try and meet single ponies," Pinkie looked at me with a big grin forming on her face.

"Did she get dates from the event?" I asked with a concerned look.

"Yes she did- as a matter of fact," Pinkie Pie smirked at me and poked my chest. "-AND, I know you will be able to get some as well."

"I'm not going to lie, I am a bit nervous about this whole idea..." I said, as I moved Pinkie Pie's hoof off of my chest.

"You're WAY too nervous all the time. You need to relax more often," Her hoof moved to pick up her milkshake, which she had almost finished.

"I am a nervous person, but to be fair, you are the one who gets me into trouble a lot," I jokingly say back to Pinkie.

"bhhpphh!" Pinkie Pie spit a little bit of her drink out of her mouth. "Bahahaha!" Pinkie giggled. "If you got yourself into more trouble, then I wouldn't have to do it for you!" She smiled as she grabbed a napkin. "See? Problem solved!"

"So when's this thing at?" I asked Pinkie Pie, after laughing with her for a little bit.

"It's at the café... but also, it's tonight so we need to get you ready,"

I looked at her with a wide eyed gaze, shocked that I had no time to prepare for the event.

"Well Pinkie, maybe next week... I need time to prepare!" I tried to reason with her as I saw her master plan unfolding.

"Prepare, preshmare! Prescare... Sesmare-" Pinkie started to get lost in her own response. "ANYWAYS! Don't worry T, I'm calling in some favors... Y'know, workin' it... Don't you worry! Everything will be ab-so-lutely perfect," Pinkie told me as she was sliding all around me, making various faces.

"I guess if you're calling in some favors for me, I feel more at ease about the whole thing," I lied to pinkie pie, just going along with her idea.

"Good, we'll get you a mare partner in no time!" Pinkie exclaimed as she hugged me from behind. "The first place we will go to is Rarity's Boutique," She told me, directly in my ear.

Pinkie Pie dropped off of me and started hopping to her side of the table. She looked down at her milkshake and noticed there was a small portion of it left. The remnant milkshake stood no chance against the sugar addict, who sucked it down quickly and let out a small burp. I knew when I saw her start to finish that milkshake, I had to get up and follow her... or else I'd never see her again.

It was a nice afternoon in Ponyville, it was gently warm, with a breeze that kept the heat in check. Ponies were walking all over the town, children were playing, and many were out shopping or selling. It was the type of weather that made you miss it for the rest of the year. Today, Pinkie pulled me out of my apartment to save me from my studies. To her credit, I am quite glad she did. It's been a good day, although I'm starting to have a stomach ache from the ice cream I just had.

"Are ya ready, T?" She asked me, bouncing from side to side.

"I'm ready Pinkie, lets go," I said back, smiling.

I walked behind her, making sure to observe as much as I could along the way. Rays of light were poking through the gaps between buildings and leaving shadows in their wake. Some of the local residents were using the shadows to their advantage, taking a break from the weather. I focused in on a group that were by a flower stand. Two mares were sitting down in front of the flower stand, and it looked to be staffed by three mares.

"Can I get you some water, Ma'am?" The attendant asked, her eyes obviously concerned.

"Yes, please... this weather is too hot!" The customer responded, trying to fan herself.

When the first attendant moved to fetch some water for the customer, I saw the third attendant poke her head out. She had a lovely olympic white fur coat, with raspberry red hair, and green eyes. She looked up at me, but promptly shifted her gaze to Pinkie Pie in front of me.

"Hi Pinkie!" She yelled at Pinkie Pie, from across the row of merchants and houses.

"Hi Rosy!" Pinkie shouted back, both waiving at each other.

I looked at Pinkie Pie for a split second and looked back at the attendant. My inner conscience prodded me to do something to look friendly. The best I could muster was a smile and a wave. Rosy looked at me and smiled, waving to me as well; before getting back to work.

"You know, I really do wonder how you know everyone in Ponyville, Pinkie," I joked.

"Well, you meet one pony who knows a pony... Then you meet another pony who knows a pony, that means you know four ponies already..." Pinkie bounced to face me, and bounced backwards. "And then let's say you get invited to a party, and there's ten ponies you don't know. That's ten more ponies you now know, and they talk about their friends at the party. SO, supposing that they only talk about one friend each; which is really unlikely by the way," Pinkie Pie snuck up next to me. "-Cause, you know I'd never just talk about ONE friend at a party... It's unfair to most of my friends,-" Pinkie whispered in my ear. "That's twenty ponies you know right there!" Pinkie exclaimed, almost blowing my eardrums out.

I laughed internally, which only manifested as a grin on my face for her to see.

"Ahh Ahh!! Now, someone's getting it!" Pinkie Pie excitedly smiled, seeing my amusement with her antics. "By the way, that was Roseluck. She's a flow-er-ist"

"-Florist?" I asked, seeing Pinkie Pie Struggle with the pronunciation.

"Yeah! A flower girl!" Pinkie smiled.

Flower Girl? ...Like the ones at weddings? I asked myself, smiling and giggling along with Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie giggled and jumped back around, facing towards where she was trotting again.

I followed behind Pinkie Pie, towards Rarity's cottage. There were so many things to lend my attention to on this route she was taking me on. The houses themselves were nice, the design made me wonder if they were all built by the same architect. On the streets, a steady row of businesses paralleled between the houses and the streets. It was fairly busy, but there wasn't a big bustle like in a big city. I can see the appeal of the ponies who live here wanting to stay.

As I was looking around, I took the opportunity to peak at Roseluck before we passed by. I casually waltzed my eyes across the shops, waiting to find the opportune time to look. I sighted the buisness next to the floral stand, an apple stand. Big Mac was pulling the cart into position and a line was starting to form on the street. There were ten ponies already lined up for the apple stand. I figured now was as good of a time as it could get to look again at her.

My eyes shifted left, landing on Roseluck in one fair swoop. Roseluck's eyes were fixated on the line next to the stand, and a look of frustration was on her face. Her cheeks had turned red and she grit her teeth. Roseluck took in a big breath and shifted her eyes back to the flowers she was preparing. I could see she was obviously rattled by the difference in customers. She had only one browsing her shop, whereas Big Mac had ten and I saw more on their way. I felt bad for Roseluck, it reminds me of similar experiences in my own work.

As I looked on, I started noticing what drew me to her. Roseluck's colors were beautiful. The cream white color coat, with the raspberry red mane flipped some kind of switch in my head. One of the biggest adjustments for me in this world, was the looks of the mares here. They are very colorful and interesting; but I don't find a lot of them as attractive. Case and point, Pinkie Pie. Pinkie is a lot of fun to be friends with, but I don't think she's attractive. She's a big ball of pink, with poofy hair. I'm sure some would really think she's attractive, but not for me.

I was still observing Roseluck work, but my viewing time was almost up. My neck was almost fully extended to the left. Well I guess I should look back forwards now... I can't be more obvious than this. I decided to wait one last second before looking forward again. My gut feeling was that I was making a mistake by waiting. Roseluck was still looking down at her work. A sense of relief washed over me and I smiled.

Shit... I thought as I realized the mistake I made of taking one last glance. A pink mare next to Roseluck was looking at me right in the eyes. She promptly leaned next to Roseluck and covered her mouth with one of her hooves. Roseluck's face immediately lit up with a blush. I knew this was my cue to look away. See? You knew that was a bad Idea! What did you think was going to happen?

When my head finished its swivel back forwards, Pinkie Pie was waiting for me.

"You know they're talking about you now," Pinkie giggled.

"I figured. Let's just get to Rarity's," I stated in a deadpan voice.

"Haha!" Pinkie laughed. "T's got a crush on Roseluck!" Pinkie's laughter seemed to sink into my open wound.

I decided to let Pinkie have her fun at my expense for the sake of the trip. The last thing I want to do is fan the flames of Pinkie's banter. One good thing about having Pinkie Pie as a friend, is she makes you more resilient to bantering. It's not bullying, it's more of a prodding.

We turned the corner off of Merchant Row and moved right.

"Rarity's cottage is just up ahead! Race ya!" Pinkie threw at me, dashing off with little warning.

"Oh that one was dirty!" I shouted back, bolting after her.

***

"Eeek!" Rarity exclaimed as Pinkie burst into her shop. "Pinkie Pie! You can't just burst down the door whenever you want!" She cried in protest.

"Hahahaha!" Pinkie burst into laughter, collapsing on the floor.

"Pinkie pie, this is serious!" Rarity said with a big grimace on her face.

I was only a second behind Pinkie Pie, falling over her on the floor.

"Ah! Dammit!" I shouted, hitting the floor.

"-And you, T! Watch your language, you're in the presence of a lady!" Rarity said, lifting lifting her head up.

"I'm sorry Rarity, I didn't realize I said that..." I apologized, laying on the floor of her shop.

"Well," Rarity stopped to think for a second. "I accept your apology, T," Rarity gave a half hearted smile at Pinkie and I. "Now... why did you both burst into my shop?"

Pinkie Pie popped off of the floor instantly, landing on her feet without issue. She trotted over to Rarity, who was sitting at her work desk, and looked over her shoulder. I took the momentary pause to recover my stance and make myself presentable.

"Rarity, T needs your help," Pinkie told Rarity in her ear.

"Oh, really..." Rarity replied, reaching for her glasses. "What type of help requires you to bust down my door, Pinkie?" Rarity asked, fitting her glasses on.

"T is going to get a marefriend... TONIGHT!" Pinkie exclaimed. "See? He can't get a marefriend in that outfit... can he?" Pinkie asked Rarity, pointing directly at me.

"Marefriend!? Oh heavens, yes he can't possibly attract a mare in that outfit!" Rarity looked up at me, moving her hooves to cover her mouth. "I can see why you burst down my door, this was a proper emergency!"

Rarity snapped herself to work immediately, using her magic to pull up all sorts of premade designs for colts. I watched as the items swirled around her, feeling like a passenger on a runaway train.

"Rarity, you don't have to-" I protested.

"-Hush, hush," Rarity silenced me. "Who's the mare, where's the date?" Rarity asked me, still juggling plans.

"The Hay Café, sunset. Ponyville speed dating," Pinkie Pie responded to Rarity.

"Ok, so he needs to appeal to a wide range of mares... and their tastes," Rarity thought out loud. "T, what would you think about... these?" Rarity asked me, putting three designs in my face.

The designs were obviously for male ponies. They were all very similar, but with different accents. The one on the far left was a tuxedo and top hat combination, the middle design was a yellow suit with a red tie, and the one on the right was a blue sportscoat and silver tie. I was confused with the proposition of wearing so formal to the semi-casual event.

"So, what do you think?" Rarity asked me, breaking the silence.

"Um... I think these are a little to formal for the event," I responded. "Maybe something more business casual would work?" I suggested.

Rarity started muttering to herself under her breath and flew the designs back to their folders. Cabinets behind her bean opening and closing frantically, all with a blue glow surrounding them. Files flew out of the cabinets and fell at Rarity's desk, awaiting her observation. There were too many to count, all filling the air like a maelstrom. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Pinkie Pie jumping, trying to catch one of the files.

"Well darling, I can only seem to find business dress, or casual," She told me, looking from file to file.

"Oh, Ok... It's like a combination of both," I told her. "It's popular where I came from. A good look for situations like a casual date," Rarity looked up at me, with two files floating by her head.

"What would that look like for you then, Dear?" She asked me, confused.

"It's like a suit shirt and pants... but without the jacket," I responded.

Rarity took a second to think about what I told her. I could tell she wasn't fully understanding what I was laying out for her. She dropped the two files on her desk as Pinkie Pie was approaching a mannequin behind her.

"Business casual? What's the deal with that?" Pinkie asked the room.

"It's not proper etiquette for humans to go without clothes in public," I told Pinkie, trying to answer her question. "If I did that in my home country, I would go to jail for it."

"Jail?!" Pinkie cried. "I can't believe that you would ever go without clothes then!"

I looked back at Rarity, who was scribbling down on a blue sheet of paper. Rarity was frantically looking between the two designs to her left and right, then back at me.

"T, turn to your right. I need to see your side," Rarity commanded me.

I turned to my right ninety degrees, looking back at Rarity.

"A little more.." Rarity told me, motioning with her hoof. "Right there! Don't move a muscle!"

Rarity held her pencil in front of her and closed her left eye. She squinted with her other eye, trying to get a bearing on my human figure. The way she moved the pencil made me wonder if she had made an outfit for a different species like me before. In her magical grasp, Rarity flipped the pencil horizontally and squinted.

"Rarity, have you made an outfit like this before?" I asked her, as she was sizing me up with the pencil.

"I must confess, I haven't," Rarity muttered. "-But don't worry, I enjoy the challenge. It's good fun,"

"I know I would be clueless, clothes aren't really my thing," I said to Rarity, trying to continue a conversation.

"Oh, it's quite alright... Some ponies are good at other things," She responded, shifting her focus back to the drawing. "I'm sure you're quite skilled in other areas,"

Well I'm being very fucking interesting now. I think, seeing Rarity engulfed by her work. She's just working right now, you don't need to be all crazy. Rarity sat up from her desk and walked towards me; grabbing a measuring tape on her way. She stretched out the tape starting at my feet and extended it to my head.

"T, darling... I need you to be very still again for me," Rarity said, marking the numbers on the tape. "You are a tall one," She remarked as she shifted to measure my waistline.

"I'm only a little bit taller than the average colt," I said, moving my arms to the t-pose.

"I think what you meant to say was, slightly shorter than Celestia," Rarity laughed.

"Is it going to be a problem, Rarity?" I asked, laughing along with her.

"Of course not, T! I've worked on species larger than you before, darling," Rarity quipped back.

Rarity took the number from my waist and proceeded to make an indention on her tape. She then moved to put the tape around my left leg. I dropped my arms to my side and looked around the room to try and see what Pinkie Pie was up to. It didn't take long for me to catch her in my sight. She was over by the show dresses, holding them up to herself.

"Pinkie, how are you holding up? I asked Pinkie Pie from across the room.

"Oh I'm alright I guess, I'm just booredd!" Pinkie complained.

"Oh hush Pinkie Pie, if I remember correctly, you were the one begging for my help," Rarity snapped at Pinkie.

"Yes, but..." Pinkie Pie protested to Rarity.

"-When this measurement is finished, you can both get on your way," Rarity told both of us, finishing the final marking.
Rarity took the tape back from around my leg and rolled it back up. "Now T, come back about an hour before your event and the outfit will be ready."

"What will it look like?" I ask to Rarity, slightly concerned.

"You will just have to wait, dear. I promise that the mares will be all over you, T," Rarity told me as she was pushing me towards the door.

"Rarity, how much do I need to bring you?" I asked her with a foot halfway out of the door.

"One million bits," What Rarity said, making me gasp. "Haha!" Rarity laughed at me. "If you get a marefriend tonight, then it's free. Now you both move along, I've got some work to do!" Rarity said to both of us excitedly.

***

The wooden ceiling of my apartment was brightly lit up by the golden yellow rays of the setting sun. The paneling of the ceiling was beginning to bother me because not all of the grains were lined up. It was such a minor detail, but I guess the minor details are what annoy you whenever a big moment in your life is about to happen. After going to Rarity's boutique, I took the time to walk home and take a nap. Pinkie Pie followed me home because she had nothing to do today. I set an alarm clock to wake me up, but I think I woke up before the alarm.

"T?" I heard from another room. "Are you up?" Pinkie's voice called out.

"Yeah!" I called back. "Where are you at?" I asked.

"I'm in the kitchen, just making myself some dinner!" Pinkie Pie yelled back at me.

Right after Pinkie Pie told me what she was up to, my ears were filled with the shattering sound of a blender whirling up. My hands instinctively went for my ears to give them some padding from the awful noise.

"Well if I wasn't up a second ago... I am now!" I yelled back at Pinkie Pie.

"WHAT?" I faintly heard back from the kitchen, masked by the blender noise.

"NEVER-" My shouting was cut in half by the blender stopping. "-mind!" I said in a quieter tone.

I peeked in the kitchen to see what Pinkie was making. When I turned the corner, I saw Pinkie Pie in a sugar filled desert making rampage. Chocolate lined her mouth and hooves, but she didn't seem concerned about it. Puddles of milky liquid pooled all over the countertops of my kitchen, stemming from a large puddle under the blender. I looked at Pinkie Pie with a raised eyebrow. Pinkie Pie, ignorant of my presence, continued with her creation. She took the top off of the blender and added a heaping amount of whipped cream.

"Hmm! Hm! Hmm!" Pinkie hummed to herself as she sprayed the whipped cream on. With one final swirl of the spray can, she twirled around and saw me standing in the doorway. "T, what do you want on yours?"

"Uh, I'm ok Pinkie. Thanks though," I commented.

"Oh! That's right, you had a milkshake earlier! How inconsiderate of me," She replied, grabbing a long spoon from the drawer under the blender. "I'll bake you an apple pie!" Pinkie exclaimed, finding the solution to my dinner.

"Thanks, but I'm ok." I responded, watching pinkie lick the chocolate from her mouth in one motion.

"I get it T, you're nervous and don't want anything to eat," She reasoned to me.

"Yeah, something like that, Pinkie," I responded, going along with her logic.

"Well, more for me!" Pinkie exclaimed, dumping the entire contents of the blender down her throat.

I grimaced a little bit at seeing Pinkie Pie gulp down an entire blender full of her creation. How is she not dead of diabetes or obesity yet? I asked myself, in disbelief of her ability to consume sweets. I felt sick from the small size milkshake I had earlier at Sugarcube Corner, so there's no possible way that a pony smaller than me can take much more?

"I'm going to head out soon to meet up with Rarity, Pinkie." I told her.

"Ok, T," Pinkie said, with a mouthful of milkshake. *GULP* "My sister Maud is going tonight!" Pinkie Pie told me with a smile after gulping down the last swig.

"Oh, cool!" I smiled at her. "It might be a little weird to meet her for the first time at a speed date... but it will be cool to meet her,"

"Yeah! I've told you about her before. She's really nice and sweet, T," Pinkie told me, proceeding to lick the leftovers off her hooves.

"Just make sure to clean up, Pinkie. I'm going to wash up, then I'll get going." I told her as I turned around to walk to the bathroom.

I walked through the living room, moving to the hallway. I ducked slightly to fit through the doorway to the hall. The hallway was dark, but it wasn't a concern for me. I enjoyed keeping my house filled with natural light for as long as I possibly could. At the end of the hall, there were two doors. The door on the left was the bedroom, and the door on the right was my bathroom. I rounded the corner and turned on the light, then closed the door.

I took a moment to look into my reflection and see how presentable I was. It was very apparent that I needed to shower and shave. Black stubble had popped up all over my face, along with some facial oil that needed to be scrubbed off. I looked on the sink counter to find my bottle of mane conditioner. Using conditioner was my trick to get by in Equestria, since the ponies don't have a need to shave. The conditioner was soft enough for me to scrape without being afraid of cutting my face. I turned the hot water knob on and lathered my face with the conditioner.

So, Maud is coming tonight? I'm excited to see a more mellow version of Pinkie. From what she told me, Maud sounds a lot like Twilight. I wonder what she will think of me? My thoughts raced as I wet my knife and went to work on my face. I wonder if Maud would still want to be friends, even if she's not into me? All I could think about was the possibility of ruining my chances like I've done before. I hope it's easier here, I don't like being alone.

The warm water from the sink washed the last bit of conditioner off of my shaving knife, and I put it back into place. I took a quick look at my face to make sure I hadn't missed anything, then I moved towards the shower. The toilet! I thought, quickly raising my leg up and over it, to avoid tripping on it. I have trouble getting used to the pony toilets, often tripping on mine while I'm stepping to get in the shower. It's almost like a Japanese squat toilet, but different in some ways. If I'm not thinking about it, I'll step in the water trough and fall into the shower. Don't ask me how I know that's what happens.

What do I need to do? I asked myself as the warm water began to flow on me. There's got to be a key to getting a marefriend, Right? I grabbed the soap and started washing myself. How should I act around them? The pressure on my body was eased slightly by the warm water of the shower. I had planned for the shower to shape me up before the date I was thrust into. I need to get my head straight, it won't be much longer until the date...

***

I walked up to the door of Rarity's cottage, stopping just shy of opening it. For a moment, I stood there trying to swallow my nerves down my throat. I breathed in a few times and decided to try again. Damn! It works in the movies, but not here?! My disappointment grew, because I knew only my actions could save me from myself. With a sigh, I pushed the door open.

A bell attached to the door rang, lighting up the silent room. I looked across the room and saw Rarity's desk was empty. Huh, where is she? The room was at the mercy of the setting sunlight, that only lit up half of the room. I looked around for a trace of Rarity, but failed to find a clue. It looked like she had wrapped up for the day and went out to eat.

"Rarity?" I asked the empty room.

"Uh, hello?" An unfamiliar voice called back to me.

"Hi, I'm looking for Rarity." I said back to a white filly that appeared out of a curtain covered door.

"Ok, I'll go get her. What's your name, sir?" She asked back.

"T. Tell her T is here. Thank you, miss?" I told her.

"Sweetie Belle, I'm Rarity's sister," She replied, smiling at me.

"Thank you, Sweetie Belle. It's nice to meet you," I smiled, noticing some similarities between Sweetie Belle and her sister.

Huh, that's weird... I didn't know Rarity had a sister. I'm surprised I haven't heard Pinkie or Rarity talk about her. I could see the resemblance of the two right away, but I wouldn't have guessed right away that they were sisters. For one, sweetie belle has pink and lavender hair. Maybe that's what threw me off to begin with? The curtains threw open again, but this time Rarity walked through. Rarity's smile was the first thing to greet me, only increasing my nervousness.

"It's time for your transformation!" Rarity exclaimed, walking towards me. "Come in, darling. Sit, Sit!" She pulled up a chair, giddy with excitement. I began walking over to the chair, which she positioned next to the couch behind her desk. Rarity hasily sat down on the couch, with a mile-wide grin. "So, T... I came up with more of a casual design with business elements, and you'll simply gasp when you see yourself in it. It's a suit that instills confidence, but still hints at a playful nature. I think I truly captured something that goes well with your personality, T." Rarity touted herself at me.

"Well if it is as great as you're describing, I think I'll be a hit tonight!" I responded, smiling back at her.

"Of course you will be, darling! Just be yourself, and I know the mares will be dying to have you," Rarity told me, confident that her creation was sound. "Ok, now you need to go put it on. It's in the first dressing stall on the right."

"What about the clothes I'm wearing?" I asked Rarity, not thinking beforehand about what to do with them.

"Well, I could keep them here... or send them back to your apartment. Either-or," Rarity nodded to me.

"I'll think about it while I'm changing." I told her, getting up from the chair and moving to the row of three changing rooms.

There were three changing stalls obscured by blue curtains. I picked the rightmost one and pulled the curtains aside just enough for me to walk inside. A light at the top of the stall revealed the outfit Rarity had crafted for me. The outfit was laying on a chair, folded neatly for me to unpack. I took off my casual t-shirt and jeans, laying them on the floor. I shuffled through the layers of the outfit to figure out what I needed to dress first. From what I saw, there was a white suit shirt, dark brown pants, a light brown vest, and a red floral print bowtie as a finishing touch.

I began assembling the outfit, starting with the pants and shirt. Though the shirt was a bit tight, the two pieces fit well, being surprisingly comfortable. I took the bowtie and laid it around my neck, before moving down to grab the vest. The vest slipped smoothly over my arms and fell down in position. I moved my head up to look in the trifold mirror as I buttoned the vest. My eyes observed the outfit coming together, but one piece of the puzzle took the majority of my attention... The bowtie. The red floral print reminded me of a certain someone I had met today, on the way over here. The red was not a rose color, but a deeper red. I liked it quite a bit, but the color and pattern held my imagination.

"I'm almost done dressing now," I called back to Rarity from the stall, as I pulled the bowtie together.

"Ok then, let's have a look!" She called back.

I pulled the curtains open and walked down from the slightly raised platform. I noticed the outfit didn't restrict my movement as much as it did my posture. The vest pulled my shoulders together, making me feel taller than I really was. I rounded the corner and Rarity came into view. A soft smile formed on her face, as her eyes went all over me.

"Wow..." Rarity let out in shock. "...You look very dashing,"

"Thanks, Rarity!" I responded, seeing how big of an effect the change of outfit had on her.

"I think you're dressed for success now, darling,"

"I have to pay you something for this, Rarity... I can't believe how well it turned out!" I replied, pulling the vest down slighly to tighten it.

"No, I refuse. It's my gift for you, T," She rifled back at me. "If you'll sit down, I'll share some knowledge you need to know,"

"Ok, thanks a lot, Rarity," I said sitting back down in the chair across from her.

"The reason I wanted you to come early, was to give you some advice. As you might have guessed, not all mares are like Pinkie Pie. No disrespect to Pinkie Pie, but we both know she's a bit... energetic," I looked at Rarity with a puzzled face.

"I know, I only have an idea... The women here are very different, compared to where I came from," I responded, shifting back in my seat.

"Yes, which is exactly the reason why I wanted to talk with you," Rarity responded, grasping a teacup and a pitcher from her desk. "Most mares want a close friend. Somepony they can trust on their best and worst days. Most mares value friendship and security over anything else," Rarity explained to me, pouring herself some tea. "You can't buy love here, T. It must be earned,"

"How is it earned?" I asked, with a puzzled look.

"-By being yourself, dear. Us mares can spot insincerity from miles away. Be calm, mean what you say, and remember your promises,"

"Be myself?" I asked. "But what if I'm too nervous to be myself?" My nerves seeped into my voice, cracking it slightly.

"Being nervous is natural, Dear... It can also be quite adorable -depending on the situation of course. Be nervous, but not nervous enough to make you indecisive." Rarity's head cocked to the side and looked up, thinking. "I'd say just focus on the one that interests you the most, Darling,"

"Ok I understand now, Rarity... Thank you," I told her, thinking about what she was just telling me.

I guess I'm going to need to really get myself out there in order to stand out from the crowd... I thought, analyzing the information. How much do I want a girlfriend? I asked myself internally. My mind rushed to remember the days I spent alone, by myself, after most of my friends got married. The memories sunk deeply, like an anchor tied to my stomach. I want it... I tried lifting the weight internally, but right as I noticed I felt better... all the failures I experienced in my past life with women rushed back to me. The weight fell further down and harder. Memories of girls not paying any attention to me, burnt themselves in my mind.

"Awe, come now... it's not as bad you're thinking it is. Remember, the mares there are going for the same reason as you are," Rarity, reminded me. "As I said, be genuine and true to yourself." Rarity got up from her spot on the couch, and set down her teacup on her desk. She walked up to me and put a hoof on my shoulder. "It's time for you to go, T. If you want to talk afterwards about how it went, don't hesitate to knock on my door," Rarity told me, as I got up from the seat. We walked towards the door of her shop, stopping before the exit. "Now, I've given you the tools for your success... you need to use them," She told me, opening the door.

"Thanks again, Rarity... I'll swing by soon and tell you how it goes," I responded, smiling and hugging Rarity.

"Remember, just be yourself, sweetie," Rarity softly told me in my ear, pulling me into a gentle hug.