Tickling Somepony's Fancypants

by TheTalentlessPony

Rating: everyone
Tags: Spike, Rarity, Fleur de Lis, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Fancypants
Length: 10427

When Rarity decides that enough is enough and it's time to get her own special somepony, she heads to Canterlot, calling upon her friend Fancypants to help her find someone perfect. Will she always be blind to the truth?

Being just about the only pony in town without somepony to call her own, Rarity decides that it's time to take action and gets on the next train for Canterlot, determined to find the perfect stallion to courtship with.

Even with her friend Fancypants by her side though, can she really just meet somepony and fall in love?

...Or is there something that she's been oblivious to all this time; never taking notice, and never taking action?

A FancypantsXRarity ( Fancity / Raripants ) fanfiction.

Published 2013-11-02 00:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-11-13 22:48:28 UTC

Doomed?

Oh, the perfectionist ways of a fashion designer...

"NO, NO, NO!"

A loud cry emitted from a building in Ponyville. It was known as the Carousel Boutique; probably the most upper-class abode in the whole village. Living in said-building was the Element of Generosity herself: Rarity.

"Ugh! This simply won't do!" she shouted as she paced about, glaring down each and every dress she passed by.

"Lacking," she muttered as she glanced at one of them.

"Misplaced," she commented as she trotted beside another.

"Hideous," she growled as she angrily whisked her hoof over the hem of one of the dresses.

Promptly grunting in annoyance, she then shut her eyes tight and stomped her hoof to the ground.

"HORRID!" she yelled.

Upon hearing footsteps behind her, she turned her attention to Spike, who was standing a few meters away. He had chosen to stick around earlier after helping her set up a few things. Looking closely, one could tell that he had certainly matured somewhat from when she first met him, being slightly taller and less-kidish. He was still the Spike she knew so well though.

"I dunno what you're talking about, Rairs," he commented, mindlessly feeling the fabric of one of her dresses. "They all look pretty awesome to me."

"Ugh. You don't get it," Rarity muttered with a sad sigh, sitting down and carelessly rubbing at the floor with her hoof. "They're nothing compared to my previous work..."

"What do you mean?" he questioned, raising a brow as he glanced over at her other designs. "They look the exact same as your older dresses."

Rarity shot him a glare, which made him jump back slightly. "W-wait! I-I mean, I didn't mean-"

"It's not your fault, Spike," she admitted, her harsh gaze dissipating as she sighed. "An untrained eye would be incapable of noticing such details, I suppose."

"Untrained eye?" he asked. "You mean... 'cause I don't make dresses like you do?"

"Sort of," Rarity replied. "It's that, along with the fact that you have no real interest in fashion, however much you may assist me while I work."

"Oh," Spike muttered, grinning sheepishly; how long had she known that he had helped her despite the fact that he didn't care for dresses?

"You see, Spike... ah..." Rarity put a hoof to her snout to think of an example. "...You know how Twilight organizes her books? And how you always comment about how you never see why she gets so worked up about it?"

"Yeah," Spike said, nodding his head.

"And yet when you do cleaning around the library, she never gets why you become so ecstatic when she praises you?"

He nodded again. "Mmhm."

"It's like that," she added, placing her hooves on one of her older dresses. "Notice the finesse~ The style~ The grace!" she exclaimed, getting excited just by sliding her forelegs across the fabric.

"Now, take a close look at this one..."

Her excited expression diminished as she trotted over to one of her newer dresses. "Notice how it doesn't have the spark like the other does. Notice how there's something missing," she told him.

"Like there's less effort in that one than the other?" Spike asked, tilting his head curiously.

"Correct," Rarity answered, her face showing signs of guilt as she frowned at the piece of clothing. "Oh, I'm so sorry, dearies~ I tried to do my best, but I just couldn't work on all of you like I could with my other designs..." she admitted with another sigh, closing her eyes. "Everytime I tried, I just couldn't... get into it, I suppose."

"So... you don't have the motivation?" Spike asked.

Rarity's eyes shot open at that, and she directed her hoof at him.

"That's it! That's precisely right!" she exclaimed, happy that Spike was at least able to pinpoint the word she was looking for.

"Motivation... I'm lacking motivation..." she murmered, trotting over to the stand where her models would pose. "But why... that's the question..." she told him, sitting down miserably and putting a hoof to her cheek.

"Aw, Rarity..." Spike muttered, walking over and sitting next to her. "C'mon, cheer up. You'll figure it out."

"Thanks, Spikey-" Rarity refrained from finishing her sentence; he was older now, after all. "I-it's just... hard to even think now. I haven't been this dissapointed since the mishap at the Gala..."

"The Grand Galloping Gala?" Spike asked to confirm. When Rarity nodded, he pushed the question further. "You mean, when that Blueblood guy turned out to be a total jerk?" he questioned, gritting his teeth as he thought back to how she had described the experience. The nerve of that guy, treating such a lovely mare that way.

"Yes, that," Rarity replied. "I know you probably never understood what I meant by my true love and everything, but-"

"Oh no, I totally get it now," Spike interrupted.

"You do?" she asked, looking at him with a surprised expression.

"Yeah. I mean, I-" He paused for a second and blushed, then quickly adjusted his sentence as he stared at the ceiling. "Twilight, has been spending so much time with her coltfriend ever since they met. I've seen how they interact, so I get why you wanted that so badly," he explained. Getting only silence in reply, he looked over at her and flinched slightly, seeing her sad expression. "W-wait a sec! I didn't mean to-"

"No, Spike. That's alright..." Rarity muttered. Upon remaining silent for a few moments, a spark suddenly came to her eyes. "Actually..."

Spike raised a brow. "Hm? What?"

"I think you might be onto something!" she told him, smiling slightly.

"I-I might?" he questioned confusedly.

"Yes! That must be it!" she exclaimed, standing up. "The majority of Ponyville had been pairing up so much over the last Hearts and Hooves Day! Even all of my friends have gone and gotten a mate! It's left me so lonely! It's made me lack..." she paused for a moment as her eyes sparked in acknowledgement. "...motivation..."

"You... really think that's it?" Spike asked, a bit of nervousness in his tone.

"Absolutely! The thought would not have stirred me so much otherwise!" she answered. However, upon thinking some more, she saddened and plopped back down to the floor. "But... oh dear. All of the stallions in Ponyville are taken... Pinkie Pie was even talking about that last time I saw her..."

Spike, though hesitant, walked up to her and nervously twiddled his thumbs. "So... what are you gonna do?"

"Good question."

Staring around the room, Rarity attempted to grasp some sort of idea. Seeing a picture of her friends on her desk, she smiled. "That's it!"

Getting up, she focused as her horn began to glow. "Uhh, what are you doing?" Spike questioned.

"Twilight wanted to try out a new spell, and asked many unicorns for help in testing it. I offered, of course." she explained, not struggling at all with channeling the necessary power.

"What kind of spell?"

"It's a special unicorn-only communication spell. She started asking the unicorns from Ponyville, but if she went to Canterlot too, then I should be able to..."

KRK

Spike jumped slightly as Rarity's horn began to spark.

"It worked!" she cheered.

"...Hello?" came a voice, sounding as though it was coming from her horn.

"Fancypants!" she exclaimed, looking at her horn happily.

"Ah, Miss Rarity. Nice to hear from you! I should have expected that Princess Twilight would ask you for assistance in her spell as well."

"Well, she is one of my best friends, Fancy," Rarity told him. The two had grown closer since their first meeting, so they were able to become less formal in talking to to each other.

"Quite. So, what have you called me for? Anything important?"

"Very important actually! You see, I've grown so very lonely over here in Ponyville. I have no stallion to call my own!"

There was a small silence on Fancypants' end at first, but he replied after a short moment.

"...I see... so what do you intend on doing about it?"

"Well, I'd very much like to take a trip to Canterlot to search for the perfect stallion! However, I don't have a place to stay, and-"

"-Say no more! I shall have an escort to pick you up and sweep you off to my mansion in no time!"

"B-but, Fancy. I... I wouldn't want to impose-"

"-Nonsense! The only problem is asking you to leave your Boutique behind until you manage to find someone that you like!"

"O-oh? Is that all? Well I-" Rarity paused suddenly. She hadn't thought about having to leave her business behind.

Who could possibly-

"L-leave it to me, Rairs!" Spike exclaimed, looking to Rarity confidently, though his voice did faulter for a split second.

She turned to him. "Spike... I mean, are you sure-"

"Hey, in worse case, I'll get Fluttershy over here. But I won't have to, cause I'll take super-good care of this place. Promise," he told her confidently.

Rarity smiled at him, then focused back on her conversation with Fancypants. "Did you hear that, Fancypants?"

"Of course." She could sense his smile over the call.

"Haha! Then get ready, Canterlot stallions!" she exclaimed, standing on her hind legs and posing.

"Ponyville's top designer is on her way!"

Relaxation?

"Keys?"

"Check."

"Design Plans?"

"Check..."

"...And what about-"

"RARITY!"

Spike impatiently tapped his foot as Rarity smiled sheepishly. The two were standing outside of Carousel Boutique, and the white mare had been heckling Spike for what felt like hours, checking to make sure that everything was right in the world before she took off.

Don't get her wrong though; Rarity really did trust her assistant. She wouldn't of been doing all this if she hadn't. However, as she always said, "One can never be too cautious or too fabulous; though, I come pretty close in the latter. Ha~"

"I know, Spike, I know. But-"

"-Rairs, c'mon; that fancy-guy is waitin' for ya. I got everything under control, promise!"

Rarity stared at the dragon with a shaky hoof, then nervously turned around, a stunningly-white carraige waiting for her only a few meters away.

"Well..."

Upon thinking for a moment, she stood up straight with a sudden burst of confidence and nodded to Spike.

"Alright; I trust you," she told him with a small smile. Spike just nodded in reply and gestured towards the carriage with a claw, not wanting to delay her any longer. Though hesitant, she eventually picked up her luggage and walked towards the carriage, the driver looking over at her with a smile.

"Shall we be on our way, Miss Rarity?" he asked.

"Ah." Rarity paused at first, then nodded. "Y-yes. Yes, of course!"

With that, she hopped into the carriage, and it took off. Rarity waited until Spike was out of view, then finally let herself breathe a deep sigh.

"Something troubling you?"

"E-eek!"

Rarity jumped a bit, glancing over to the other side of the carriage. It was Fleur De Lis, Fancypants' star model.

"O-oh, Fleur... you frightened me!" Rarity said in surprise.

"Sorry, Rarity." Fleur De Lis giggled a bit. "But you seemed so distracted. It's not like you," she told her.

"Why are you even here?" Rarity asked, completely straying from her friend's question.

"Fancypants didn't want you being alone for the whole ride, so he asked me if I could hop in the carriage right before it left to get you.

"O-oh... that was nice of him..."

Fleur De Lis nodded, then chuckled a bit, knowing that Rarity had still not responded to her.

"So?"

"...So...?"

"Your sighing, dear! What's troubling you?" Fleur De Lis asked, sliding her hooves over Rarity's foreleg in an insistent manner.

"Ah... that,"

"Yes. That."

"Well." Rarity took a moment to breathe before answering any sort of question. "Honestly, it's a bit complicated."

"Tell me anyway." Fleur De Lis was persistent.

"Firstly... I don't know if Fancy's-" Rarity took a short pause as her friend giggled at Fancypants' nickname. "-told you at all, but I'm looking for my one true love; a stallion who can completely steal my heart away!"

Fleur De Lis made a face that Rarity couldn't place, but she continued on with her explanation anyway.

"Ponyville's absolutely overrun with stallions who are already taken, so I decided to talk to Fancypants about moving up to Canterlot for a while; just until I find somepony. He was kind enough to let me stay in his wonderful abode, but..." The purple-maned mare looked downwards, mindlessly caressing the seat with a hoof. "I don't know. I always try to stay confident and fabulous-"

"Of course," Fleur De Lis cut it with a giggle.

"-but I worry that I'll become a burden for him if I stay too long. Not only that, but what if I can't even find a nice stallion? I left Spike with taking charge of the Boutique, and if he has to stay there for weeks on end, he'll get overworked. Then-"

"Rarity," the pink-maned mare interrupted, sounding a bit strict.

"Y-yes?" Rarity squeaked, a bit surprised at the sudden tone in her friend's voice.

"Forget about all that for now, alright? I know that I'm not as close to you as Fancypants is, but I do know that you're an extremely generous pony. You give so much, and have been doing nothing for yourself lately. Maybe it's time you relax, stop worrying, and start thinking about what's best for you."

"You... you think so?"

"Mmhm. Absolutely."

Rarity leaned back against her seat, staring at the ceiling. Thinking about it, she realized; she felt tired. She was exhausted. Her hair had split ends and she had been working so very hard lately. The workload she had been giving herself had been too much; she was just too giving to notice.

Finally, she let out a sigh and closed her eyes. "I think... I think you're right, Fleur."

"Good." She felt a gentle hoof pat her foreleg as Fleur De Lis spoke to her. "Now, how about getting some sleep?"

"Mmm. Sleep sounds... nice." Rarity let out a tired groan and laid down on the seat; the best bits could buy, she assumed, as it was fuzzy and comfortable.

"Now rest... I'll wake you when we arrive in Canterlot."

"Yes... Canterlot... My... my perfect stallion."

There was a small silence, but Rarity was drifting off so quickly that she hardly noticed.

Fleur De Lis' voice of mixed emotions was the last thing she heard.

"Yes... your perfect stallion. You'll... you'll find him."

Planning?

"Rarity..."

"..."

"She's not waking up, Miss Fleur De Lis."

"She's more exhausted than I thought. Perhaps we should have someone carry her in?"

"Do you think she'd approve? She might complain that we didn't try waking her hard enough."

"Mmm... she might be a bit pouty about it at first, but I think she'll calm down once she has some lunch."

"Are you sure?"

"No."

"..."

"Well, I can't be completely positive all the time, sir. Now please, if you'd just-"

"Is there a problem?"

Rarity stirred.

...Fancypants...?

The seat beneath the purple-haired mare creaked slightly as she pushed against it, groggily sitting up and looking around. Glancing outside the door, she noticed the driver and Fleur De Lis, with Fancypants standing not too far away.

After blinking for a short moment, Rarity realized what was going on and gasped, quickly leaping out of the carriage.

"I-I, um... sorry!" She grinned sheepishly, blushing in embarrassment; how tired had she been anyway?

"It's fine, Rarity," Fleur De Lis assured with a smile. "We all have those days where we just can't seem to wake up."

"Indeed," Fancypants agreed, promptly turning to the driver. "As for you; your pay..."

The sophisticated stallion reached back and pulled out a hefty bag of bits; Rarity nearly gasped at the size of it.

"Thank you, sir," the driver said, taking the bag from Fancypants before heading off with the carriage.

Fleur De Lis smiled, then turned to Rarity and extended her hoof outwards. "Well, welcome to Canterlot!" she exclaimed.

Rarity squealed a bit at the sight. Canterlot was just as nice as she had remembered!

"The city for the highest class of ponies! Marvelous!" she cheered. Remembering how she had just been sleeping though, her hooves suddenly went upwards, frantically rubbing against her mane. "Ah! I don't have a horrid case of bedhead, do I? I simply must look proper for my future love, whoever or wherever he may be!"

Fancypants chuckled. "Now now. No need for that," he told her. "You look absolutely lovely, as always."

Rarity didn't seem so sure. "W-well, yes, for Ponyville maybe, but this is Canterlot! I need to get my hair done! I need to redo my makeup! I need-

"There will be time for all that after we've had lunch," he told her.

"L...lunch?" she questioned, calming down somewhat as she stared at him. Fancypants nodded.

"Yes, lunch. My chefs have prepared a wonderful meal for all of us, so I hope you'll at least come inside and eat a little before charging out like you do so often."

"Um... well, of course," Rarity said, though still sounding a bit nervous. "Lunch sounds... lovely!"

Fancypants and Fleur De Lis smiled at each other, then turned to a mansion behind them and began to walk towards it.

Rarity was a bit overwhelmed though, walking a little slower than they were as she gazed up at the vast palace. "T-this is where you live?" she asked.

"Yes. I've just upgraded recently," Fancypants explained. "Hopefully it pleases you?"

"O-oh, yes! V-very much so!" Rarity quickly chased after the two as she realized that she was lagging behind. It was difficult adjusting to the gigantic buildings of Canterlot when the houses of Ponyville were always so... average.

Getting inside, Fancypants raised a hoof, and at least five servants suddenly rushed to him. Rarity's jaw dropped slightly. Not just because of how fast they had been, but Fancypants had looked as though this was a daily occurrence.

"She's here. Bring her to the table immediately, if you'd please," he told them. The servants nodded, obeying with great haste as they brought Rarity into the dining room.

"W-whoa!" She was sat down almost immediately, sitting in front of a delicious-looking plate of food. Fancypants sat next to her, while Fleur De Lis seemed to disappear to who-knows-where.

"Eat up," Fancypants told her. She scrunched her snout slightly. Odd for someone so high-class to say something like that.

Nevertheless though, she turned to her plate and ate at it. It was probably the most delicious thing she'd eaten in forever, but she refrained from absolutely freaking out over how good it was; it wouldn't be lady-like.

"Now... Rarity."

Her head jerked up to stare at him. His tone sounded strange; a mixture between nervous and serious.

"I know you would've prefer to do this kind of thing yourself, but I wanted to help you," he began to tell her.

"What did you do?" she asked, growing a bit concerned over what the stallion could've planned.

"I've gotten some of my closest friends-" Rarity had to wonder about his tone there. "-together and invited them to have dinner with you tonight," He must've noticed Rarity tense up, because he quickly added, "J-just a single meal. They were all pleased to give their assistance, as they were looking for someone themselves."

"So... like a blind date?" she questioned. Ugh. It sounded so desperate...

"I suppose," Fancypants looked up from his plate and stared at her, almost apologetically. "I-if you'd rather not go, I could always-"

"No no no!" Rarity leaned forward, her right hoof supporting her while her left hoof stretched out to Fancypants. "I appreciate it, a lot! Really, I do! It must've been so much trouble to ask all of them to do this, so I'm positively ecstatic to give it a try!" she assured. It wasn't a complete lie, but 'ecstatic' wasn't exactly the word she had wanted.

"O-oh," Fancypants uttered before gazing back down to his plate. "Wonderful. I'll have Fleur find you a wonderful outfit to wear when the time arises."

"Lovely," was all Rarity responded with. Truthfully, she was drifting off slightly.

Not because she wasn't interested; she was. But, when Fancypants had spoke those words to her, he was sounding so uncertain. His tone was one that she couldn't recognize; on him anyway. She had heard it come from other ponies before, but Fancypants? Never.

She didn't mention it though, only staring at the plate's reflection of her face. The tone had been subtle; nearly unnoticable. Only a true friend would've noticed it.

He sounded more than nervous. He sounded scared.

Fancy... is there something you're not telling me?

Dating?

"Fleuuur..." Rarity whined as she was pushed towards the entrance of a restaurant.

"You said you'd do this, Rarity," Fleur De Lis responded, stopping and looking up at the fancy sign above the entrance.

"I-I know, but-" the purple-maned mare sighed, her ears going down dejectedly. "I'm just sorta nervous."

"Why's that? You're such a fabulous pony after all," the pink-maned unicorn reminded her. Rarity squinted, knowing that she was overexaggerating just to please her; and horseapples, it was working...

"Well, yes, I am," she boasted. "But I haven't been in Canterlot in so very long."

"And?" Fleur De Lis questioned, urging her to go on.

"I'm simply not ready to handle all these sophisticated ponies! I need more time to prepare!" Rarity admitted. Her dress certainly looked nice enough, but it was a bit difficult for her to completely get out of 'I'm-from-Ponyville mode'.

"You'll do fine. I'm sure of it," Fleur De Lis insisted.

Rarity frowned. Deep inside, she knew that the statement was correct. All these stallions had come to meet her, and Fancypants had even promised to wait at a table across the room in case things didn't turn out alright; she calmed down a bit remembering that fact.

"A...alright," she finally agreed after a moment of hesitance.

"I wish you luck," Fleur De Lis said with a smile. Rarity smiled back through her nervousness, then turned away and headed inside.

"Miss Rarity?" the stallion at the host stand questioned.

Rarity nodded to confirm, and was bought to a table not too far away; right near the door actually. She figured that Fancypants' friends knew what she looked like, and could just sit right across from her as they saw her.

She breathed deeply, then recalled the instructions that Fancypants had given her.

According to what he had said, her table would be given two appetizers for each stallion that came in; one for her, and one for the stallion himself. After the stallion's appetizer was eaten, that stallion would leave, and the next stallion would come by.

Seems simple enough...

Admittedly, she had a bit of her own set of rules; she'd take a bite out of her appetizer whenever the stallion talked about something she didn't approve of, or had a quality to him that she didn't like. If it was gone by the time the stallion had left, she knew that he was certainly not the one.

Rarity nodded her head in satisfaction at her plan, then gazed across the room. Fancypants sat at a table far away, like he had said. He looked kind of cute digging his snout into a menu, trying to conceal himself, but she tried to avert her gaze to the door so she wouldn't draw attention to him as his friends arrived.

And, as fate would seem to have it, someone walked through the door the second she looked at it. At first, she wondered if it was one of Fancypants' friends, but she didn't have to wonder for long as the stallion sat at her table.

"Miss Rarity, I presume?" he asked, his expression showing no emotion. Rarity immediately took a bite out of her appetizer as a waiter set it down for her.

"Y-yes. You're correct," she muttered.

Sweet Celestia, this is awkward...

"You've dressed up nicely." Rarity knew that he was trying to compliment her, but his tone gave off no emotion whatsoever. She took another bite and cleared her throat before responding.

"You do as well." A lie for a lie. Seemed fair.

She huffed on the inside. The stallion had placed his forelegs on the table; not having a care in Equestria for manners.

She took a bite again. If this was any sign of what was to come, it would be a long night.

The conversation didn't go anywhere after that; not because she didn't respond to him, but because she had nothing to respond to. The stallion was just quiet, as if waiting for her to say something.

Eventually, he got fed up and left; even going as far as to take the appetizer with him.

Rarity's ear twitched in irritation, and she slowly pushed her empty plate to the side. Turning to a small notepad she had kept in a pouch slung around her side, she hastily wrote:

|Bad manners. Certainly not a conversation starter.|

After doing so, she gazed back at the door, where another stallion came in and sat across from her. His hair was a bit unkempt, and his outfit showed signs of being torn, but Rarity tried to stay optimistic; perhaps something happened on the way?

"...Good evening," Rarity said, though not with as much enthusiasm as she had intended.

The stallion stared at her for a minute, then gave her a cocky smirk that she wasn't too fond of. "Hey there."

First bite already, here we go...

She considered what to say. The 'what do you like' conversation always seemed a bit cliché to her, so she tried something different.

"So, you seem like a rich stallion."

If the bits hanging out of your shirt pocket are any indication... hmph...

She took another bite before continuing.

"I'm curious; how'd you get all that?"

He grinned at the question, then pulled out a piece of paper and held it out to her. With it being shoved in her face so fast, it took a second for her eyes to adjust to it. As they did though, she immediately became displeased.

"A lottery ticket...?"

"You bet!" the stallion told her. "I'm so lucky that I win everytime! Just stick with me and we'll be set for life!"

Rarity deadpanned at the stallion. Someone so dependant on luck (not to mention so very confident about it) wasn't so likely to end up good financially.

"You... should finish up quickly then," she told him. "There's a lottery going on right now down the road."

It wasn't a total lie. She had noticed it earlier on the way in, but she hadn't paid it much mind; could've been anything.

With her words, the stallion had already taken off, not even bothering to finish his appetizer. Rarity sighed as she moved another empty plate to the side; perhaps Canterlot stallions weren't all that great after all. It had only been her second, but she was starting to become discouraged. She wrote on the second line of her notes:

|Never earned his way to the top.|

Despite her sudden negativity though, she was looking forward to the next stallion. It was most likely only a select few that were bad. Yeah, that sounded right.

...But I feel as though it's wrong somehow.

She was quickly brought out of her thoughts as another stallion sat down in front of her. She thought he looked fine at first, but-

...Is that... lipstick on his cheek?

He stared at her for a moment, then suddenly gave her a flirty grin that she most certainly did not approve of. "See something ya like?"

Before she had even realized, two bites of her appetizer were gone.

"A-ahem. Ah..." She tried to think of a conversation starter, but the stallion had already been one step ahead of her.

"You're a cute one, aren't cha?"

She reeled back somewhat. "C-CUTE?"

He nodded. "Mmhm. Just as stunning as all of my other marefriends."

She blinked for a moment, then scowled.

So he's one of those ponies...

She grimaced, almost wanting an extra appetizer to bite off of; hers was already gone.

However, she was quickly drawn to his. Fancypants had said that the stallion's appetizer needed to be eaten before said-stallion could leave. He hadn't said who had to eat it.

Hastily, she lifted his appetizer and shoved it into her mouth with as much force as she could, leaving sauce surrounding her snout.

The stallion jumped, suddenly looking at her with disgust.

"Is there a problem?" she questioned, raising a brow irritatedly.

Needless to say, he was quick to leave. After getting the sauce off her cheek, she pulled her notepad back out and rested her head on the table.

|Any stallion who can't be happy with one mare deserves none.|

She gave another sigh. Was this going to be a pattern? Was she too needy, and not focusing on the stallions' good sides?

...Maybe, but she couldn't be sure.

She then lifted her head from the table as she heard someone sit down.

"Having a bad day with all the other stallions, miss?" he asked calmly.

Her ears shot up.

"No need to worry; I'm here now." It was an overly-confident statement, but he at least carried it well. He was even dressed up pretty nicely.

"Well, I..." She tried to relax; her hopes were lifting far too fast. "I-I'm glad you are then."

The stallion smiled at her, then didn't hesitate to ask questions. "So, what occupation are you currently under?"

She blinked, not expecting this. But... okay, she'd play along. Granted, it was a bit rude to get straight into jobs, and to ask the lady questions first, but she let it slide for now.

"I'm a designer; I design dresses," she replied.

"Ahh. Always nice to see someone with a good job on their shoulders." He nodded his head.

"I-indeed," she stuttered. Well, he certainly seemed like a nice guy.

Now it was her turn though. "So, what about you?"

The stallion raised a brow. Had he twitched just then? "What about me?"

"Well... do you want children?" Her eyes widened slightly as the words left her mouth. She hadn't meant to ask that question right away. Though, thinking about it, she didn't regret it. It was important to know that sort of thing.

However, the stallion suddenly jumped at her question, looking appalled. "Ugh! Absolutely NOT!" he shouted.

Rarity winced slightly. "I-I beg your pardon?"

"Those little troublemakers do nothing but suck our pay dry. Best to leave that whole subject behind and never EVER think about it."

She wanted to be mad and fling her plates at him, but she stopped herself before she could. She dejectedly looked downwards, staring at the white fabric covering the table.

These stallions didn't want a lover for love; they just wanted one to make them look good. That meant that they didn't want her; they just wanted her physical being next to them.

"I... I like children."

The stallion huffed. "I see I'm wasting my breath here then."

Rarity didn't bother to watch him leave, only continuing to stare downwards. Her little sister was a child; if her stallion wasn't at least open to the idea of having kids, she was far from interested in him. No one should hate her Sweetie Belle just due to age.

|Not open to new suggestions.|

She stared across the room, gazing at Fancypants. He looked apologetically at her, but she put on a brave face and waved. She would finish this, if only for him.

Looking back to the door, she squinted as another stallion walked through, taking a seat almost immediately. Just by the way he had walked in, she knew it wouldn't be pleasant.

Do it for Fancypants... do it for Fancypants. He went through all this trouble...

"You must be the 'Rarify' mare I've heard about."

She scrunched up her snout in annoyance. "Rarity," she corrected. If the stallion had heard her, he showed no sign of it.

"Well, you know, I had to ride nearly a half mile to come here! So much of my time, and I'll never get it back! Do you know how busy my schedule gets? But anyway, let's make this quick, as I have things to do. You see, I'm-"

She stopped listening after that. Her appetizer had been gone before he even spat out a full sentence. The way he dressed said the whole story; the guy carried a lot of pride and confidence, but never had the guts to back it up if given the oppurtinuty.

Sort of reminds me of...

Suddenly, she felt far more irritated than she had only a few seconds ago. She was ready to cry out in anger and send that stallion on his way.

Before she could however, the stallion's appetizer was suddenly lifted from the plate, shoved into his face with great power.

She was shocked and turned to her side, eyes wide. "F-Fancy..."

He had been standing there with a glowing horn, glaring at the stallion. On her notepad, she quickly recognized Fancypants' hornwriting.

|Not one of these stallions should have such a proper lady.|

He glared at his friend, releasing his magic as the sauce from the appetizer fell all over the stallion's suit.

"Get out."

Comforting?

"Is something bothering you?"

Rarity jerked her head up to Fancypants, looking confused suddenly. "H-huh?" The two had just been on their way back to the mansion, and the sophisticated stallion hadn't spoken until now.

"You're quiet," he muttered, gazing ahead with a rather guilty expression on his face.

"Oh. Um... yes. I suppose I am," Rarity said, gazing at the ground below as she walked. "I was just thinking about Spike at home."

"Spike," Fancypants repeated, letting the name roll off of his tongue for a moment. "That's your little dragon assistant, right?"

Rarity smiled at him. Though looking all... well, fancy, on the outside, he always seemed to slip out of it a bit whenever they were alone. "Yes. That's right."

"Anything wrong with him?" Fancypants asked. Rarity scrunched up her snout and giggled a bit in response.

Aren't we nosy all of a sudden~

"Well, not really," she replied. "I was just thinking about how he was doing. He's watching over my Boutique while I'm gone after all."

"Ah. I see..."

Fancypants went silent after that. Not wanting to say nothing for the entire walk, Rarity tried pushing the conversation onward.

"H-he has a crush on me you know!"

Admittedly, she jumped a bit at her own words; she hadn't meant to say that of all things.

Fancypants didn't verbally respond, despite stiffening up somewhat.

"Y-yeah... he..." Rarity drew her gaze to the ground once more.

Well, the words are already out...

"He's a sweet little guy. Honestly, he's helped me out more times than I could ever count! He would even abandon Twilight just to rush over and lend me a... um, claw." She didn't even bother to check if Fancypants was still listening; she was too into her story at this point.

"The whole time, I knew he had an infatuation with me. I knew that he was absolutely enamored with me. But... the fact is, it's not what he thinks it is." She let out a sigh.

"The first time he looked at me, I knew; it was lust, not love. He had fallen for me even before we had looked into each other's eyes. He fell for me for what I was; not who I am."

"It's been years since then..." Fancypants suddenly spoke. "Do you think those feelings have changed?"

Rarity frowned slightly at the stallion's words; not because of the words themselves, but how he had said them.

He seems conflicted... I wonder why?

She decided to continue regardless though; it would've been rude not to answer. "I do. They have. However, they haven't changed much. He's fallen a bit more for what I really am, but in the end, it's still my body that he's in love with." Her expression showed that of hurt as she continued. She hadn't though that just telling such a story would be so painful.

"Don't get me wrong. He's an excellent helper, and I appreciate everything he does! But..." Another sigh escaped her lips. "Sometimes, I wish he wouldn't come by. He serves as a reminder."

"Reminder?" Fancypants asked, raising a brow.

"Yes. That, despite all my talk about true love and romance, there will still be ponies who lust for me; craving me only for my body, and nothing else."

It was Fancypants' turn to sigh. He averted his gaze from her, then noticeably frowned.

"I...I apologize for tonight."

Rarity was quick to react. "No no! Fancy, please don't feel like this is your fault! You couldn't of known!"

"Perhaps we share a similar dilemma..."

Rarity blinked at the stallion. He had always been so positive, but his smile had been faltering throughout the day. And what did he mean by 'sharing a similar dilemma'?

"A-ah. There it is!"

She was brought out of her thoughts as Fancypants directed a hoof towards his mansion in the distance. "Let's get inside, shall we?"

Rarity followed hastily as he practically rushed inside.

The stallion hadn't bothered to call his servants, choosing instead to lead Rarity into the living room and offer her a seat on the couch.

"Um... thank you," she mumbled awkwardly, trying to get comfortable with her dress on.

"Feel free to take it off if you're uncomfortable. Set it on the table and I'll have it picked up for you," he told her.

"O-oh, wait!" Rarity called, but Fancypants had already left.

Mmm. Well, he's probably coming back.

She then shrugged before shifting again to remove her dress. Upon setting it down on the table, she turned her head to see Fancypants return, though she gasped somewhat as he did.

"F-Fancy... your suit!"

"Yes?"

"You're not wearing it! You don't even have your monocle!"

Fancypants deadpanned for a moment, then chuckled. "I don't need to wear them all the time, do I?"

Rarity put a hoof to her mouth. It wasn't that; most certainly not. It just seemed so odd when he wasn't wearing anything.

"W-well, I suppose not."

He smiled at her, and she returned it. However, that smile suddenly faded as he pulled out a box that had been resting on his back.

"Is that..." Rarity paused, leaning towards the stallion to get a better look. "...a box of puzzle pieces?"

Fancypants nodded, setting it on the table. "I know how much you like to organize; I thought you'd have some fun with it."

"Oh, absolutely!" she exclaimed. "I love puzzles! Let's have a go at it!"

He blinked obliviously at her. "Y-you mean... together?"

"Of course! Take a seat and we'll each complete a side!" She was insistent, using her magic to sit him next to her.

"A-alright then!" Fancypants said as he opened the box up and tilted it over. The puzzle pieces scattered across the table and made all sorts of noise, but Rarity was already sorting through them to find her side.

"I'll take the right if you take the left," she told him, cautiously eyeing the picture on the box to confirm what the final piece looked like. He nodded hesitantly and joined her in sorting the pieces.

After clicking a few pieces together, the two were already too caught up to notice one of Fancypants' servants come in. As the straight-faced pony placed a small batch of cookies on the table though, Rarity turned her attention to it.

"What are those?" she questioned, her hooves still mindlessly fumbling with a few of the puzzle pieces.

"A-ah. Well, t-they're oat and honeysuckle cookies," Fancypants responded, his tone somewhat shaky.

"Honeysuckle!? Those are my absolute favorite!" Rarity gasped. She then looked at the cookies more closely, raising a brow despite her earlier excitement. Some of the cookies were burnt at the edge, while others were a little deformed.

Cautiously, she lifted one from the plate and took a small bite; just enough to get a proper taste.

"Mmpf..." she mumbled as she chewed it. Fancypants was giving her an anxious look, but she tried not to stare at it for too long.

She then swallowed, smiling sweetly. It wasn't prepared well, but she still enjoyed it nonetheless; she could taste the love put into it.

"Who prepared it? I'll have to thank them," she told him.

"W-who?" Fancypants stuttered. Upon thinking for a moment, he gave a light shrug. "I-I have far too many servants to remember names properly, so I'm not really sure!"

"Oh? That's too bad..." she said with a frown. She brightened up quickly however and stared at him. "I'll just have to thank you then!" she exclaimed. "Thanks a lot~"

Fancypants opened his mouth to say something, but found that he couldn't. Rarity didn't seem to notice though, as she had already returned to putting her side of the puzzle together, the rest of the cookie sticking out of her mouth.

He got back to his own side as well, but was surprised as he actually finished before her.

The reason became evident quickly however. Rarity scanned under the table frantically as she swallowed her cookie, but sighed when she couldn't find what she was looking for.

"It seems like we're missing a piece," she said sadly.

"Seems so..." Fancypants muttered, sharing her expression. "I suppose you technically won though. You were done with all the pieces you had before me after all."

"I suppose." Rarity placed a hoof to her cheek in mild frustration. Being a bit obsessive, it was somewhat irritating that she couldn't finish properly.

He noticed and placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll find it," he promised. "Be it today or tomorrow, I'll find it."

She gazed at his curiously. He had sounded so determined. Sure, she was upset at the incomplete puzzle, but in the end, it wasn't that big of a deal.

"Well... alright. If you're sure," she told him, not wanting to reject his determined statement.

He smiled at her, then relaxed against the back of the couch.

"Wonderful. But for now, let's relax, shall we?"

Rarity nodded, copying his pose with great accuracy. She gently lifted another cookie to her mouth and bit into it before letting out a sigh.

"Fancy?"

"Hm?" He jerked his head to her, instantly noticing her suddenly-sad tone.

"...What if I never..." She paused, staring at the ceiling. Someone had come in and dimmed the lights, but she paid whoever it was no mind.

"Never what?" Fancypants questioned.

"What if I never find him?" she asked. He didn't have to wonder who 'him' was. He was sure.

"Why the sudden doubt?"

"It was hard; sitting through those dates... a-and don't be sorry! It's not your fault! But... it did make me realize some things. One was the fact that it wouldn't be as easy as I made it out to be. I was living a fantasy because I was so hyped-up. I dove in head-first like Rainbow Dash, more excited than Pinkie Pie, but I forgot to be realistic like Applejack, or as calculating as Twilight. Fluttershy would've wanted me to wait for him to come to me, but I simply couldn't stand the thought of being alone for much longer."

She hadn't even bothered to finish her cookie at this point. She set it back on the plate, looking sad that her stomach was no longer in the mood for such a treat. Fancypants looked at her sympathetically, but didn't know how to properly respond. As such, he asked a question that had been on his mind instead.

"Rarity... does it get lonely down there in Ponyville?"

She straightened up suddenly, ready to yell out "Of course not!" or "How could you say that!? I have my friends!", but something stopped her. She pondered the question for a moment before replying.

"It does. It really truly does. I know I shouldn't say it, but it's the truth. Regardless of how often my friends are there for me, they can't be with me like a husband can. They can't hold me like he can. They can tell me that I should wait, but I feel like I'll go crazy if I just sit around and wait for years upon end."

Fancypants was silent, biting his bottom lip as though holding back a statement.

"...Is that my problem, Fancy?"

He jumped slightly, not expecting Rarity to ask him such a question.

"Am I too greedy? Am I too impatient? I've been searching for someone to match me for so long; someone perfect for me. Is it my fault that I can't find him?"

He reacted much faster this time. "A-absolutely not!"

He quickly pulled the mare close to him, his forelegs resting on her back. Rarity didn't respond verbally, but her body stiffened to his touch.

"...Do you want to know my opinion?" he questioned. She was quiet at first, then nodded.

He frowned. He hadn't actually meant to ask that; but it was too late. He had already said it, and was already opening his mouth to say something even more.

"Someone to match you perfectly; you won't find him," he told her. He heard her gasp slightly, but just tightened his grip. "You won't find him because you're too perfect. You're too kind, too generous. No stallion could possibly match the greatness that you have. You're a rarity; one that can't be equaled to another."

She was silent suddenly, and he feared that he had said too much. Eventually though, he felt her forelegs come around his waist as she embraced him.

"Thank you," she whispered. He nodded.

"And look; if you're still concerned about finding someone, then I'll tell you what. There's a special ball tomorrow. Even some non-Canterlot ponies will be there. I'll have Fleur De Lis take you; I'll even give you my invitation. You might find someone there," he explained.

"Would you really do that? For me?"

Fancypants hesitated at his response.

"...Yes. We are friends, after all."

"Then I'd love to. It sounds... sounds..."

He blinked. Was she drifting off?

"...nice," she uttered before falling asleep right then and there. The last thing she felt was a pair of strong forelegs holding her, and a large blanket being draped around her.

The Ball?

Rarity stood there, frozen at the doorway to the ball. A few days ago, she would've been excited, but at the moment, she was just nervous.

"Rarity," Fleur De Lis muttered sharply, grabbing the purple-maned mare's attention.

"Y-yes?" Rarity questioned, jerking her head to her friend.

"I thought you liked balls?" Fleur De Lis asked in reply, smirking somewhat.

"I-I do! ...The kind that you play catch with! Those are fun, and not at all nerve-racking in the-"

"Rarity."

She flinched at first, then sighed. "I know, I know. You promised to come in with me, right?"

"That's right. I'll be right across the room if you need anything."

Doesn't this feel familiar...

Rarity gave a hesitant nod, then turned around and went inside.

Scanning the room, she noticed a few stallions and mares who were slow-dancing together; obviously, that wasn't the reason she was here, so she kept her eyes moving.

Eventually, her gaze fell upon the buffet table. Stallions were gathered around it, conversing about... whatever stallions converse about. She grinned wide, but tried her best to contain her nervous excitement as she walked up to them.

"A-ahem. Good evening, sirs," she greeted casually as she half-closed her eyes.

"Good evening," they muttered plainly.

She pouted. They were clearly too absorbed in their conversation to even bat an eye at her.

Best take things elsewhere I suppose...

She frowned dejectedly and began to walk off, but halted as she heard one of the stallions speak to her.

"Hm! You're that one mare, aren't you?"

She turned and raised a brow. "I-I beg your pardon?"

"Yes, yes!" another stallion said. "The mare at the garden party! We heard about you!"

Rarity blushed slightly. She hadn't expected anypony to remember that nowadays.

"Your friends caused a huge ruckus and nearly destroyed the entire party!"

She squinted. "I'll have you know that my friends had never been to such an event before. They weren't used to the experience!"

The stallions huffed. "Clearly."

She was tempted to glare at them and bite back with a good yelling, but resisted; it wasn't ladylike, and she knew that she would only attract negative attention that way.

"Well, regardless, they're still my very best friends, and I'll stand by them no matter what!" she told them.

"If I were you, I'd never talk to them again!" one of the stallions said.

"I'd never even be seen with them again!"

That was it. Rarity knew that the stallions here were not even close to what she was expecting.

"I see. There's no point in me wasting my time talking to you then," she muttered, moving past them to search for more stallions.

The nerve of them, I swear... insulting my friends like that!

She was becoming irritated. Her disappointment was growing by the second, and she had only run into a few of the stallions here!

Would one decent stallion be too much to ask for?

She frowned as she gazed at a table in front of her. Four stallions and a mare were sitting there. She debated on what to do at first, recalling her experience from only a minute ago, but then decided to go for it anyway. That's what she was here for after all, right?

She approached the table cautiously, jumping slightly as the only mare at the table looked over to her.

"A new face," she said softly. The stallions then turned their attention to Rarity, who tried to keep her cool.

"Y-yes, that's right. See, I haven't been to Canterlot in a long while," she explained.

"Are you here because you were invited?" a stallion questioned.

"Correct again~" Rarity told them, pulling out her invitation. Technically, it wasn't a total lie.

"Take a seat then. We were just talking about the latest designs."

She grinned. Perfect; that was right up her alley!

She hastily took a seat next to one of the stallions, gazing across the table at the mare. "The new suit changes, I assume?" she questioned.

"Indeed. I heard that they're thinking about changing the fabric they use! Isn't that the most ridiculous thing ever? My husband tried the new clothing himself, and he was absolutely appalled by how it grazed against his skin! Completely unacceptable!" the mare ranted.

"Absolutely!" Rarity joined in. "Changing fabric is something that is simply not done! The customers would be utterly confused when they buy the new apparel and find that it's different!"

There was a short silence before one of the stallions raised a brow at her. She smiled sheepishly.

"W-well, as a designer myself, I know these things," she told them.

"Ohhh. A designer, hm?" a stallion asked. "Where have you set up shop?"

Rarity grimaced. Out of all the questions they had to ask, why that one?

She considered her response at first, then sighed and lowered her head, gazing at the floor. "...Ponyville."

There was another short silence, but it was quickly interrupted by the sound of the ponies around her leaving the table. Thinking about it, she could've always played the 'I'm friends with Princess Twilight' card, but she knew that no one would believe her anyway.

Another hit-and-miss for Rarity.

Her ears went down. At this point, she didn't know why she kept getting her hopes up. Every stallion seemed the same.

"One decent stallion... just one," she muttered halfheartedly. "Someone like Fancypants maybe."

She blinked dully. Yeah, Fancypants. A stallion like him would be perfect; or at the very least, better than all of her recent finds.

And speaking of recent finds...

"You," a familiar voice said. She lifted her head, meeting eyes with a stallion she recalled all too well.

"You," she huffed back. It was the stallion who had flirted with her when she was on Fancypants' idea of a 'speed-date'.

"I'll make this quick," he told her. "I don't like being fooled."

Rarity jumped a bit, remembering what she had done when she had been with him; shoving his appetizer into her mouth so he had to leave. Was she caught? "W-wait. How did you-"

"Anyone invited here must have incredible manners; much better than the 'elegance' that you had on our little date."

She bit her bottom lip. She really was caught...

"W-well, I-"

"I'll make this easy on you. Perhaps if you'd be willing to take a visit to my abode for a little while, I'll forget that our earlier encounter ever happened."

Rarity glared at the stallion, holding her ground. "And if I choose not to?" she asked.

She immediately regretted saying that. The stallion's gaze suddenly turned to one of rage. She had dealt with ponies like this before, and unfortunately, they weren't very pleasant experiences.

"How dare you!" he spat. She flinched, then quickly scrambled off of her seat and galloped away as he gave chase.

Oh no, oh no, oh no!

She ran up the stairs of the stage, running past the musical ponies as she tried to swerve around them. She had hoped to lose the stallion that way, but she only heard the sound of ponies getting knocked over, the noise of rapid hoofsteps still ringing in her ears.

She then dashed for the buffet, where the stallions standing there glared at her. She tried not to focus on them though and ducked under and through the table, promptly knocking it over. She headed for the door, but the enraged stallion wasn't affected by the tossed table dumping food all over him. He just kept chasing.

She was becoming frantic at this point. She changed direction and rushed towards the crowd of ponies who had been dancing before. She pushed through them, hearing a lot of 'Hey!'s and 'Watch it!'s, but she knew that she didn't have a choice. She hoped to confuse the stallion this way.

She turned left, right, and all around before exiting the crowd and running out the door. She still heard the hoofsteps behind her, but they were much more quiet now; he had probably almost exited the crowd however.

Thinking on her hooves, she looked around for a place to hide. Unfortunately though, the area around her was near-barren besides a lone fountain.

A lone fountain...

...Ohhh! I REALLY don't want to do this!

Closing her eyes with great reluctance, Rarity took a deep breath and jumped into the water. Her ears stuck out slightly, but the walls of the fountain were tall enough to hide them. Using them to her advantage, she listened closely for the stallion's hoofsteps. They got louder at first, stopped, then slowly got quieter after a sharp huff from the angry pony.

Whew. I think he's gone.

She mentally breathed in relief, then slowly began to get up. As she heard more hoofsteps though, she quickly ducked back in. A pair of gentle hooves reached into the fountain, and she was suddenly pulled out, surprised and drenched.

"Oh, Rarity! You're alright!"

She coughed a bit at first before directing her attention to the source of the voice. "Fleur?"

Fleur De Lis smiled at her, nearly in tears. "I was so worried that he was going to hurt you! I tried chasing after him, but he was way too fast for me!" she explained.

Rarity was silent for a moment, staring into her friend's eyes, then lowered her head and sat on the fountain wall, letting out a sigh. "Well, don't worry; I'm alright."

Fleur De Lis frowned. "R-Rarity..."

"I suppose I should just give up. This whole experience had caused nothing but disappointment for me. Maybe I'm just not meant to have another pony to love," she muttered, closing her eyes. She felt Fleur De Lis' presence next to her, but didn't react in the slightest.

"But aren't you always telling me that everypony has a special somepony?"

"I was wrong."

Fleur De Lis frowned, then slowly placed a hoof on Rarity's. "...I'm sorry..."

Rarity confusedly stared over at her. "You didn't do anything..."

"Yes. I did," she whispered, her tone full of guilt. "He... he told me not to tell you, but I simply can't watch him or you suffer anymore..."

Rarity blinked in response. "Fleur, what are you talking about?"

Fancy a Puzzle?

"It's Fancypants. Fancypants, he..." Fleur De Lis paused to gulp somewhat, as if trying to hold something back.

"Fancypants? Is there something wrong with him? What's got you so tense?" Rarity asked, gingerly tapping the model's foreleg. Was there some sort of secret that Fancypants never told her about? Honestly, she felt a little hurt just thinking about it!

"Well, it's just that, when you were talking to Fancypants with your unicorn magic, I noticed that he was getting flustered, so I just had to ask him about what was up, and he-"

"Fleur. Get to your point, if you please!" Rarity begged, growing anxious.

Fleur De Lis stared at her for a moment, then sighed.

"He loves you! He really, really loves you!"

Rarity deadpanned. "I... I beg your pardon!?

Fleur De Lis grimaced. "Yes; he had wanted to tell you for so long, but he could simply never muster up the courage to!"

After a short silence, the pink-maned mare grinned. "You're surprised? Because it's true. Fancypants, THE Fancypants, couldn't muster up the courage to tell you what he's been wanting to all this time!"

Rarity gasped in shock. "B-but, I mean... I thought-"

"-That he wasn't interested in having a wife?" Fleur De Lis asked. She chuckled. "Wasn't it you who told me that everypony wants a special somepony of their own?"

"But he never even-"

"-Showed interest in you? Don't tell me that you never saw the signs, Rarity! You know, for someone who always talks about love, you're completely oblivious when it's being directed at you!"

Rarity grew silent. Had she really not seen it? Had she been blind to Fancypants' emotions because she was too consumed by her own goals?

Suddenly, it hit her. The way he would pause when she talked about finding someone. The way he tensed up when she got close to him.

And those cookies; he had made them. For her. She had just assumed otherwise because she couldn't imagine him truly loving her; so much so that she had completely ignored his nervousness around her.

"O-oh... oh..." Rarity brought her hooves to her head and closed her eyes. She felt guilty. She had pushed all of her troubles onto him, and she was causing him trouble because of it.

"Don't feel bad, Rarity," Fleur De Lis muttered, wrapping her forelegs around the purple-maned mare. "You didn't see it. It's understandable."

Rarity sobbed somewhat. "B-but-"

"That's enough, Fleur De Lis. I think you should go."

The two mares jumped, turning around to see Fancypants standing behind them, looking stoic and serious. He didn't seem angry, but his gaze made Rarity shiver slightly.

Fleur De Lis got off of the fountain wall and walked towards him. "F-Fancypants. I-I just wanted to-"

"You've said enough," Fancypants told her, turning his gaze towards the ground.

"You can't just ignore your feelings!" Fleur De Lis yelled, her nervousness suddenly turning to anger. "It's tearing you up inside! I know it!"

Fancypants glared at her. "I refuse to let my emotions get in the way of Rarity's happiness. No matter what I may or may not feel, she deserves the very best," he explained.

"You're the very best," Fleur De Lis told him. His eye twitched for a moment before he directed a hoof towards the carriage behind him. "Go."

Fleur De Lis huffed at first, then dashed away from the stallion, jumping into the carriage and practically slamming the door behind her.

Fancypants promptly turned his attention to Rarity, who slowly approached him, trying not to look so guilty.

Apparently though, it didn't work.

"Do not give me that look, Rarity," he told her. "I'd prefer not to have your pity."

She frowned, hurt by the stallion's words. Why would he think that what he felt didn't matter to her?

"...What are you doing here?" she asked, not knowing what else to say.

He suddenly stiffened, then looked away and sighed. "Honestly? I... I came to check up on you." He knew that he was found out; there was no point in hiding his true intentions anymore. "And..."

Rarity watched as he reached into his pocket. When he turned back to her, he held something in his mouth. He magically lifted it out and presented it to her.

"I found your missing piece."

Rarity blinked. It was the puzzle piece she had needed earlier. He really was telling the truth when he said that he'd find it for her. Would this have been his excuse for coming if Fleur De Lis hadn't spilled his secret?

She held the piece in her hooves, staring at it as if it would have the answers she wanted. After a moment, she dropped it and leapt at Fancypants, embracing him.

"R-Rari-"

"You're my missing piece."

Fancypants stiffened, absorbing Rarity's words.

"I-I-"

"I'm sorry," Rarity interrupted. "I'm sorry I didn't notice. I'm sorry that I was blind. I..." She tightened her grip on him, earning a surprised gasp from the stallion. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I didn't realize my own feelings. I was so caught up in finding the perfect stallion that I didn't see it. I was even comparing every one of my choices to you, but I failed to realize that my perfect stallion was you all along, because I couldn't even comprehend the idea of you wanting a mare of your own."

Fancypants didn't respond at first, making Rarity nervous, but she quickly relaxed as he suddenly began to run his hooves across her mane. He gently kissed her cheek, and the two smiled at each other.

"Forgiven, forgotten."