Veiled Violet

“So, Noteworthy, may I call you Noteworthy?”

“Of course, Rarity.”

“So, I made this promise to a friend of mine. She's visiting from out of town, you see. I promised that I would find her a date for tomorrow night...”

“Rarity?” the stallion interrupted.

“Yes, Noteworthy?”

“You do know that I'm married, right?”

“Ah, no, I didn't know that exactly...” In truth the fashionista had been fully aware that the musician before had been in a long term relationship with a rather talented fiddle playing member of the Apple family.

She had actually lowered him to the bottom of a rather short list of eligible bachelors, just for that very reason.

She just hadn't know they had been wed.

But time was short and she absolutely had to get a stallion for the date she had promised Rainbow Dash. Who knows if she could ever convince her to let her try again? Now wasn't the time to be playing nice.

“Ah, well... I imagine that she wouldn't terribly mind loaning you out for the evening.”

“Huh?” the dark blue pony replied in an appropriately stupefied manner.

“I mean if you explain to her afterwards that it was just a favour between friends, I'm sure she'll understand. Besides! She should feel perfectly ashamed for keeping a big strong stallion like you all to herself.”

“I can't believe what I'm hearing.”

“Not that she has to ever know, necessarily. I mean we're all adults here and we can keep one little secret right?”

The stallion just stood there dumbfounded with a blush rising up his cheeks.

“You can count on us, if we can count on you.” The picturesque unicorn reached across the counter and pressed her hoof into his. She then employed her well practised eyelash flutter.

“Miss? I'm going to have to ask you to leave my shop and not come back till you've stopped being insane,” the apparently faithful husband replied as he pulled back his hoof. His blush looked near chronic.

Scowling the foiled fashionista made her exit from the music supply store.

Trotting angrily through the idyllic streets, Rarity crossed Noteworthy off the list. That was it. The last eligible, not so much a bachelor, in Ponyville.

It was infuriating. Though to be honest the total list had only a dozen names on it. The town had a rather painful shortage of males.

But if she was reduced to trying to seduce married stallions she could add more names to the list.

Carrot Cake came immediately to mind. The poor dear was in such denial about the brutal cuckolding that Cup Cake had put him through. He'd probably jump at the chance.

Rarity gave an angry sigh.

No. Noteworthy had been bad enough. She didn't have to go around actually trying to break up marriages.

There had to be another way. Somewhere in town there had to be at least one stallion in need of a romantic evening with a beautiful and exotic mare. Somepony who would understand the value...

Value. Valuables. Wealth. Money.

Rarity gave a shudder of revulsion as she realized that she knew one such stallion.

She felt cold, hollow as she returned to her boutique. It felt like a mistake, but she was running out of options. She genuinely hoped that she had remembered to throw out the trash in the past week.

But no, there it was. Under cash receipts and discarded patches of cloth. Still pristine and fully readable.

It was time to give Silver Stomp a visit.

* * *

The address didn't lead to a mansion or manor house as she had half expected. Instead it led to a small out of the way single story bungalow that was almost conspicuous in it's drabness.

Rarity passed the short white picket fence, her eyes looking for motion in the windows. She opened the little gate and let herself into the yard and trotted up to the door of the bland nondescript domicile.

She inhaled and rallied her nerves. This was business and she was a business lady. There would be no surprises for her behind this door. Simply a transaction.

With a sure nod, she knocked in the door.

She glanced behind her uncertainly. What if other ponies knew what sort of pony it was that lived here? What if they saw her standing here at his door? What if the jumped to the conclusion that she was here to accept his offer for herself?

The door opened.

“Why, hello Miss Rarity,” Silver sounded properly surprised.

“And good day to you Mister Stomp. It occurs that we have some matters to discuss. Please do invite me in.”

Apparently not one to leave a lady waiting the earth pony stepped back obediently and silently welcomed her into his home.

She ducked inside and out of sight.

He pulled out a chair for her at his drab table in his spartan kitchen.

After a week of uncouth stallions the difference in attitude Rarity found this change of pace might make this encounter almost tolerable.

She graciously took the offered seat.

“I'm kinda surprised you reconsidered my proposal.”

“As am I Mister Stomp. But this reconsideration includes some... adjustments.”

“I know that you're a high class gal and all but I actually can't pay more then I offered in my opening bid.”

“Oh, I do believe you,” the prim fashionista replied glancing around at her plebeian surroundings. “I actually have an adjustment of a very different sort, in mind. You see, I have a friend visiting from out of town this weekend that I would very much like for you to meet.”

“A friend?” he asked skeptically.

“She is in dire need of some entertainment.”

“You aren't just trying to pawn an ugly gal off on me are you?”

Rarity winced slightly. “I assure you that you will find her most satisfactory.”

“Fully Satisfactory?”

“I guarantee it,” Rarity grinned.

The stallion was silent for a moment. His brows apparently furrowed in thought.

Then he gave a nod a vanished into another room of his house.

Rarity fidgeted for a moment. That had felt like a sale. Should it feel like a sale?

The stallion returned with a large bag. He set it down on the table. It clinked.

She picked up the bag curiously and looked inside.

“The sign over your shop. It says 'money back guarantee,' right?”

“Indeed it does, Mister Stomp,” Rarity replied, wondering what exactly it was that she had just done.