CHAPTER 7

A Cute-ceñarea is an important event in the life of a pony. It is a party that celebrates the obtention of their cutie mark, the very representation of their special talent. In a way, it represents their growth, both in age and as a pony. Under usual circumstances, such an event should be partaken with the pony's many friends and close ones.

****

Sweetie Belle was sitting alone in her bedroom, fidgeting with her silver key to pass time. A couple balloons were floating along on the ceiling, and on a white banner above her bed, ‘Sweetie's Cute-ceñarea’ was written in one shade of purple. A vinyl recorder was playing lofi tunes on the bedside table. Despite the few party supplies, the room felt very empty.

Eventually, somepony knocked at the door. Sweetie jumped a little at the sound, still remembering her bad experience with a certain cat, but after taking a short second to breathe she went over to let her two guests in.

“Hey.” Silver Spoon waved as she came in with a box on her back. “I brought chocolate pie,” she said, motioning at the box.

“Are you sure you don't want to invite your other friends, dear?” Rarity asked her little sister worryingly while closing the door behind her. She carefully placed the gift boxes that she had brought on the floor. “This really is a once in a life-time event, you know?”

Sweetie Belle shifted uncomfortably on her hooves for a bit before answering. “I don't want to bother them with… all of this. Not even the Crusaders.”

Rarity nodded, though she was still concerned. “I only hope you won't shut yourself in because of it…”

The party went on in a mostly awkward silence, only sometimes interrupted by the occasional moments when Sweetie Belle tried to sing to the quiet background music. Her singing voice was still beautiful, but with an audience of exactly two ponies, she didn’t feel like going past the first few lyrics. Eventually, she just stopped trying to sing and simply sat silently next to the small buffet, drinking some punch.

It was apparent that a party with so few guests wasn't really fun. It almost didn’t even feel like a celebration.

Silver Spoon shifted her glance from Sweetie Belle to Rarity, who looked just as if not more concerned as she did. “Miss Rarity?” she called.

Rarity didn't look away from her little sister as she replied to the earth pony. “I didn't know that my cat…” she paused. “I'm sorry for your great-uncle.”

Silver Spoon shook her head. “Don't be sorry. I never knew him personally, and it was Oppression who killed him.” She stepped to Rarity and laid a hoof on her shoulder to try and reassure her. “You weren’t responsible for any of it.”

“I still took care of this… demon, as if she were my own child.” Rarity closed her eyes in regret.

Silver Spoon didn't want to make her feel even more guilty by talking about this, even though she wasn’t guilty of anything. They had already discussed that they will be visiting Silver Key's old home in the following days, and all those talks about demons during Sweetie Belle's party would only bring down the already low mood. But still, she felt the need to address something.

“Miss Rarity,” Silver said. “I know that you lost multiple finished products and equipment because of… these events.” She thought back to the state of Carousel Boutique. “I wouldn't mind giving you the funds you need for you to get back on your hooves and reopen your boutique.”

Rarity's eyes opened. She raised an eyebrow, blinked, then smiled and shook her head. “Oh, no worries. This won't be necessary,” she reassured the filly. “I already have a friend who should be willing to help me with this.”

****

That evening, in Canterlot, the charity gala at the garden of Fancy Pants's mansion was very lively. Many rich and well dressed ponies were gathered in small groups, discussing this and that. Some were talking about their businesses around the buffet, others were talking about their families over in the corner, some about how their children recently received their cutie marks. The largest crowd however was gathered around Fancy Pants himself.

This white unicorn with the blue mustache and the chic suit wasn't Canterlot's most popular pony for no reason. His sense of humor made everyone laugh, his gentle and pleasant attitude made him a pure source of joy and good vibes to hang around with, and, as one would have guessed from the many charities he created, Fancy Pants was one incredibly generous pony.

Rarity was very happy to be friends with him.

“Fancy Pants!” she called out from the back of the crowd.

The stallion turned his attention to the source of this voice that he recognized, and sure enough he saw Rarity in her gala dress waving at him.

“Ah, Rarity!” He waved back, all while readjusting his monocle with his magic. “It's so good to see you. How have you been doing lately, dear?”

Rarity looked away for a bit before replying. “Could we talk inprivate, please?” she asked sheepishly.

Fancy Pants glanced at his wife Fleur De Lis, the lean, pink-maned unicorn who was next to him. There weren’t any words exchanged, but Fleur nodded, which caused Fancy to smile and turn back to Rarity.

“Alright then,” he said, smiling.

Fancy excused himself from the crowd of ponies he had been talking with as he followed Rarity to someplace more quiet away from the party, next to a fountain.

“Sorry about that. I had to make sure that Fleur doesn't think I'm cheating on her,” he explained, chuckling.

If her frown was anything to go by, Rarity wasn’t amused in the least.

“I'm jesting, of course,” Fancy Pants reassured her. “Now, tell me what you wanted to talk about.”

Rarity sighed, letting that joke of poor taste slide. “I really hate asking for favors. But I am really in need of some help, right now.”

Fancy Pants nodded in comprehension. “But of course, dear. Ask away. What are friends for if not for helping each other out when in need?”

Rarity now felt more confident to ask her request. “Thank you, Fancy.” She smiled at him. “A few days ago, something happened in Carousel Boutique that was… rather destructive.” Her smile fell at the thought of that event.

“I see,” Fancy mused. “So you need monetary help, right?”

Rarity nodded.

“Alright then. That shouldn't be a problem.” He leaned forward. “Just tell me how much do you need?”

“You aren’t going to ask me for more details?” she asked, surprised.

“Now now. I already said we are friends, dear,” he reminded her. “I trust that whatever help you want from me is help you need.”

“If you say so…” Rarity replied.

“Although, now that you mention it,” Fancy Pants interrupted. “I am rather curious as to what happened in your boutique that would require you to need me of all ponies.”

“I… I don't think I am comfortable with sharing this information anyway,” she explained. “But I suppose I can tell you that this was rather tragic.”

Fancy raised an eyebrow at that, which made Rarity realize how odd her wording was. Saying ‘I can’ in this context made it seem like she wasn’t allowed to explain everything that happened. Which was true, in a sense, because the demons were meant to be kept secret from the average pony by the exorcists.

Whatever confusion Fancy seemed to have had in the moment however rapidly vanished as he started chuckling. “Well, whatever happened, I only hope that nopony was hurt.”

“Yes. No pony was seriously hurt,” Rarity muttered, with more venom than intended.

That was when Fancy Pants stopped chuckling. He seemed to have caught the stress on the word ‘pony’.

“Very well,” he said, having suddenly lost the jolly tone in his voice. “How much is it, then?”

“From my calculations, I think I would need a little under 2000 bits…”

“I will give you 4000,” he said flatly. “You won't need to pay anything back.”

Rarity gaped, having not expected that. “Are you sure? I mean, I could—”

Fancy raised a hoof to her mouth. “I insist.”

Rarity didn't feel easy with the tone of his voice. Still, she wasn’t going to refuse such a generous offer.

“Say,” Fancy said. “You live with your little sister, right? Sweetie Belle, I believe.”

Rarity nodded, not sure of where he was going with this.

“Well, I thought about inviting you and your family to a dinner party, one of these days. Would you be okay with that?”

“I don't know,” Rarity answered, slightly taken aback by how sudden the proposition was. “Someday, perhaps…?”

The two stared at each other in silence for about half a minute. Rarity started shifting on her hooves when Fancy interrupted the awkward pause.

“Why, would you look at the time!” he exclaimed, taking out a pocket watch. “We've been talking for a while now. My wife is going to kill me for sure.” He chuckled. “I will send you the bits tomorrow,” he said before excusing himself back to the party.

Rarity stood there without a word as Fancy Pants left. She looked at her reflection in the fountain's water and sat there like that for the rest of the evening.

‘It must have been my imagination,’ she eventually thought. ‘What was it with his face, though…?

Author's Note

You know Rarity is my favorite pony when I make her attend two parties in a single day