Uncouth - Part 9

>Day 729 in Equestria. Let’s recap recent events.
>Two nights ago, you had mildly drunken sex with Rainbow Dash. Saying something along the lines of, ‘It was the best thing ever’ or ‘Now I totally find horses fucking hot’ is dumb. Not to say the sex wasn’t a blast and something your body dearly wanted, but drunk sex is far from best sex. It was nice to make love to something besides your hand though.
>And ponies are still ponies, and you’re still human. But before that night, thinking ponies as a… mate-able thing was weird and it didn’t happen often. It won’t be an issue except when your body gets bored of your hand again. You now realize you have more options. Great.
>So, those two changes honestly didn’t affect you much. All you did was wake up, go help, Rarity, then go home. You had an opportunity to have a quick chat with Dash during your lunch break.
>She couldn’t wipe the huge smile off her face the entire time.
>You think Thunderlane just got a little poorer.
>It still sucks Dash totally isn’t sharing those bits with you. Uncool, Dashie.
>Anyway, today is proceeding well. Which is nice because it’s the day before your two year anniversary in Equestria!
>Ha, some expect you to be all mopey about not being on Earth? Shiiiiiet, what will that do?
>Keep going and kick butt, as your father used to say.
>Your father was a little off, but he gave some decent advice every once in a while.
>Anyway, it’ll be a cool milestone.
>Back to today’s events. The Apple family order is finally being picked up by none other than Applejack herself.

>Rarity and Applejack are in the front room, chatting about girl stuff or something, while you’re in the workshop, checking for the fourth time to make sure everything is in the right box and correctly labeled. Checking twice was fine, three times was slight overkill, and now you’re annoyed. But this is a big order so…
>Eh, it’s easier to complain than reason with yourself.
>Just not out loud.
“Aaaand Applebloom. Size three filly... Price, fifty-nine bits…”
>It SHOULD be higher considering the materials and labor that went into it, but Applejack gets the ‘best friend also element of honesty’ discount.
>Set by Rarity.
>But hey, that was the last one! You begin stacking them up five high each stack, despite the fear that Rarity may make you check again.
>About five minutes later, it’s all ready to go.
>You pop your head out of the workshop to Rarity and Applejack still chatting.
>”An’ so I took that Timberwolf and smashed it bark skull in, savin’ the few sheep we have at the farm.”
>Rarity titters lightly.
>”My my, the BARK skull of the Timberwolf, you say?”
>”Ye-… Oh, heheha!”
>Oh… not so girly then.
>You give the wooden frame a quick knock, drawing the attention of the two mares.
“Everything looks good, Miss Applejack.”
>”Miss Applejack? Pff, when did ya get so formal-like?”
“… Rarity threat-“
>”AHA! Hahaha!” Rarity interjects. “Anonymous! Please take the dresses out to Applejack’s wagon for her, if you would.”
“You got it.”

>You move back into the workshop as Applejack turns towards the exit.
>Scooping as many boxes into your hands possible, you follow Applejack out of the boutique.
>You find her just outside, trying to hitch herself up to the cart parked in front of the door.
“Need any help there?”
>”I’d appreciate it. Jus’ drop those boxes in there real quick. Gently.”
>You motion to do as she says, but notice several decent sized burlap bags bunched up on one side of the wagon.
“What’s all this?”
>”Payment.”
>At that moment, Rarity exits the boutique, carrying two stacks of the dresses, and peeks inside the back of the wagon as well.
>”Er… Applejack?”
>”Yeah-huh?”
>”This looks to be a bit more than we agreed on.”
>”We didn’ agree on nothin’. You jus’ gave me a quote is all.”
>”But,”
>”No buts. I know you gave me a good price, cus’ we’re friends ‘n all, but I know both you an’ Anon put tons of effort into makin’ these. So here’s what I owe ya.”
>”Apple,”
“Wow! That’s very kind of you, Applejack!” You make sure to pour on the cheesy cheeriness.
>”Why thank ya, Anon. If one o’ ya could take those out, that’d be great.”
>”I’ll… I’ll take care of it. Anonymous, please continue bringing out Applejack’s order.”
“Yep!”
>With added enthusiasm, you lift the boxes Rarity brought out and place them in the cart while Rarity removes the big bags of bits from it.

>It takes about half an hour, but the transfer is complete! All the hard work has paid off. Literally. According to Rarity, Applejack paid just under three hundred bits more than she was quoted.
“Soooo… what are we going to do with our big tip? We’re splitting it, right?”
>”Hah, I wish I could treat this like a simple tip! I’m afraid what Applejack paid was just enough to make decent margin on the sale! It’s all going to the business.”
“Aaaand that means it’s going to you.”
>”Not entirely. Most of that will go to aiding me during these slow times. If I had more business at the moment, I’d probably take a short vacation to Canterlot with those bits!”
“Right.”
>You attempt to mask the disappointment in your voice. You know you’re supposed to be paying Rarity back and stuff, but you’re starting to feel like you deserve some compensation for your efforts.
>Rarity catches your tone, however.
>”But… it wouldn’t hurt to go somewhere nice tonight to celebrate. On the Boutique’s tab, of course.”
“Um… tonight?”
>Rarity’s eyes widen a little.
>”That’s not a problem, is it? We could reschedule if you’d like.”
>The issue is that you don’t really want to see Rarity after work. Like, running into your boss after work is one thing. Eating a nice meal with her is on a whole other level.
>But
>Dude
>Free food
>Free fancy food.
“I’m, uh… I’m free tonight.”
>”Excellent! Do you… Hm, I don’t remember if I’ve made you anything that would be appropriate.”
“What do you mean?”
>Too late, she’s already rushing towards her workshop.

>You follow her in seconds after she enters and already Rarity has a mannequin of you pulled out and set in the center of the room.
>”First, where would you like to go, dear?”
“Uhh…”
>”Hmm… ah, no. That idea is far too formal for anything we have here in Ponyville. What about… Nng, no.”
“Why… why don’t you decide? You know Ponyville far better than I do.”
>”Ooh, good thinking. I… aah, hm. I may be busy with this for the rest of the day. Would you mind closing the Boutique while I get started on this?”
“Really? Close it, just like that?”
>”Oh, yes. I do it all the time. Personal errands, babysitting my sister, saving the world. I have to do it all the time.”
“And… that’s it?”
>”Mhm. Now could I get some privacy? I want this to be a surprise.”
“Yeah, of course.”
>”Come back around sunset! We should be ready to go by then!”
>You hear sewing machines turn on the moment you exit her workshop followed by Rarity’s excited titters and ravings to herself.
>It’s funny. All ponies find their destinies and do what they enjoy for the rest of their loves. But never have you met a pony who loves her job, hobby, and destiny more than Rarity.

>You are Rarity.
>And you HATE everything!
>Inviting Anonymous to dinner was a good idea. Inviting Anonymous, alone, to an expensive dinner was FOOLISH!
>Every time you manage to pass an obstacle, another one arises. You finish deciding colors and form for Anonymous’ suit, you realize you have nothing that matches it. You go to make reservations, they’re already full. You also can’t forget you’re going to walk in to a respected establishment with Anonymous! There’s nothing wrong with him, not at all. But he’s no Prince.
>Well, he’s no prince if we’re not talking about Blueblood. Anyone is better than him.
>And now you sound pompous! You’re not better than him or anyone else! You’re… you’re… !
>Stressing out. But it’s time to stop.
>You’ve worked out a black suit with a hint of red would be great colors for the two of you, tonight. You’re still debating candy red face makeup.
>You whipped something up quickly for yourself in the same color family.
>You reserved a table for two at ‘The Canterlot Experience’ which is a mediocre attempt at being a five-star restaurant. The food is good and it looks nice, but a good analogy for the place would be a brick of aluminum painted gold. It’ll work. You’re the picky one, not Anonymous.
>And the Anonymous situation? You’re telling yourself that the worst thing that could happen is ‘Look at Rarity and the human’ which is more of an observation than a criticism.
>So… you can handle this. It’s only a little date. Or, um… what’s today’s date? Ha ha… you seem to have forgotten.

>It takes another hour, but you manage to meet your goal. Both yours and Anonymous’ outfits are prepared. You’d like some extra time to clean them up, but the small mistakes would be completely unnoticeable to the untrained eye.
>…
>Anonymous will probably be late anyway.
>You levitate a pair of scissors out of a nearby drawer and bring it to the first loose little string you see.
>Then you hear a knocking at the front door. Ooohh, drat!
>You sigh and place the scissors back in their place.
“Come in!”
>You hear the front door open and close as you make your way out of the workshop.
>Expecting Anonymous to be on the other side, you pass through the workshop door and… and…
>”H-hey, Rarity.”
>Thunder… something. Thunderlane. Right.Thunderlane, that perverted, sick, and horrible pony stands right in front of you.
>He looks awfully sheepish and avoids your gaze while lightly kicking the floor.
“Ugh,” You turn back to your work and try to avoid him. “I’m closed. Come back some other time and maybe—“
>”I came to apologize.”
>This doesn’t faze you in the least.
“You have plenty to apologize for! Heckling me, treating me like an object, coming on to me like a train comes onto a rodent on the tracks. Really, did you think you’d get anywhere with all that?”
>”Look, I’m sorry, alright!”
“Fine.” You pull away from your work and roll up your measuring tape. “So you’re sorry.”
>”Yeah. It was all Rainbow Dash’s fault, anyway. Go ahead and blame her for this stupid thing.”
“I refuse to believe Rainbow Dash made you look like a teenage horndog sending love letters for the first time.”
>”She’s the one who put me up to everything. Making stupid bets and stuff…”
>You sigh and roll your eyes under your closed lids.
“I understand that you’re sorry, but blaming others for your shortcomings doesn’t solve anything. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m very busy tonight.”
>”Yeah, but—“
“Ah, ah, ah.”
>You begin to magically push him towards the exit.
“It’s very rude to enter when you’re not invited, and moreso to overstay your welcome.”
>He voices complaints the entire way but you manage to push him to the door with relative ease. He lets out a sigh and begins to exit. Just before closing the door on his way out, he pauses.
>”… Tell Rainbow Dash… that I hope she enjoys her hundred bits and new man-toy. She can go choke on both—“
“Mmhm.” You respond before closing the door on him.
>Enough is enough. You hear him mumble a bit before taking off, then you finally manage to take a deep breath.
>Hmph, hundred bits. No wonder Rainbow Dash has been so excited all day.
>And… man-toy.
>Man… toy…
>You feel a hair pop out of place.

>You hear a rapid knocking at the door.
>I-it’s Thunderlane again. So you’ll just ignore it.
>And if it’s Anonymous… he can wait a minute. You can’t let him see your work in such horrible condition!
>You take a deep breath and try to concentrate on this one… single… STRING! You lower the scissors to the suit.
>Goodness, why can’t you keep it steady? Regardless, you attempt to snip the little string off.
>Just about there aaaaandd…
>The front door opens, causing you to jump and cut Anonymous’ sleeve.
“N-no!”
>”Rarity?”
>Anonymous!
>You can hear his heavy footsteps approaching the workshop. You have no time to fix this!
>Okay, Rarity. Let’s be calm about this.
>Breathe in.
>…
>And breathe out.
>As you finish your exhale, Anonymous barges through the door.
>”Something wrong? What’s up?”
>You spin on your hind legs and give Anonymous your best, mellow smile.
“Nothing at all, I was only thinking outloud.”
>”Oh… alright. Well, I’m here. Had to shake Dash off though so sorry I’m late.”
“Not at all! You’re actually a little early, to be honest. I was just finishing your suit up. Come, have a look. Not too close though.”
>Anonymous takes a few steps closer to look the suit over. He’d better like it! You’re quite proud of the red vest. It’s awfully dashing.
>”You made both of these in the few hours I was gone?”
>His gazes shifts over to your dress as he says this.
“Indeed I did!”

>”Damn, I can’t get over how good you are at this.”
“Swearing,”
>”I know, I know. Sorry.”
“I’ll let it go for tonight. Excuse me.”
>You levitate a needle and black thread over to the sleeve that needs to be tended to.
>Anonymous steps over to your own dress to look it over.
>You hope he doesn’t mind the ‘dark and edgy’ tone to the set. The Canterlot Experiece is a dark place with dull, orange lights. The outfits will be perfect in there, but the walk over may draw the gaze of a few disapproving eyes. You also hope he doesn’t mind the fact that your dress is… oh my. It’s made to draw some eyes, that’s for sure. Carbon black across the body with a bright red breast, but suited so it would show plenty of neck. The black and red would make your coat really pop for sure.
>But the thin, laced leggings probably weren’t necessary.
>”Is the place we’re going to gothic, or something?”
>…
>How did you not think of that?
>These outfits are so… incredibly goth!
>Don’t panic… dooooon’t get upset.
“Er… no, but it is a dark place.”
>”So no alcohol, cigarettes, and really underaged sex, huh?”
“Please, Anonymous. We’re not underaged.”
>You worry he would take that joke the wrong way, but his chuckle tells you otherwise.
>”Alright, as long as I don’t have to wear makeup,”
“Only if you desire.”
>“No thank you.”
“Good. You and makeup would make a horrifying combination.”
>”It’s nice to know I’m perfect as it is.”
>It’s your turn to laugh. It’s a good thing he made you do so just as you finished patching his suit.
“There we are! All done. Now we had better both start getting ready. We only have…”
>You glace at the wallclock.
“T-twenty minutes to get there.”

>You are Anonymous.
>Five minutes before Rarity says you need to be at the restaurant, you consider yourself ready, at least the mirror thinks so. The suit is pretty cool, you guess. Free too. Rarity is a kickbutt pony when it comes to tailoring and stuff.
>Speaking of Rarity, you can hear her scrambling around upstairs, trying to finish getting ready, herself.
>You exit the bathroom and wait at the bottom of the stairs for her.
>It’s about another three minutes before she comes galloping down the stairs.
>”How do I look? Does anything look out of place? What time is it? Should we just wait until tomorrow for this?” These are several questions she asks you far too quickly for you to respond.
“You look fine. Shouldn’t we get going?”
>”Yes, of cou-,”
>Rarity slowly adjusts her gaze to you.
“… What?”
>”Hmph! Come, we must get going.”
>As you follow her out the door, you fail to hear her whisper under her breath, “Fine, he says.”
>You heard SOMETHING though. Once the two of you are out in the cold, now dark outdoors, you can’t stop from asking,
“What was that?”
>”Ooh, nothi-BWAAH!”
>Her first step on the packed down snow, Rarity slips and lands face first into the ground.
>You rush to pick her up, but she springs back up like nothing has happened.
>”I’m fine! Don’t worry about,”
“You’re bleeding.”
>”WHAT?!”
>No joke, Rarity has gained a small little cut on her snout. It would probably be nonvisible if it weren’t bleeding.
>You squat down and grab a decent handful of snow and compact it into a somewhat solid chunk of ice.
“You have a handkerchief?”
>”Of course I do but,”
“Clean up the blood real quick.”

>Rarity promptly does so. As she pulls the handkerchief away, you bring the ice to the wound.
“Keep that there on the walk over to hopefully prevent some swelling. You can’t really see the wound behind the fur so you should be good.”
>”I… thank you.”
“No problem. Let’s go, we’re running out of time.”
>”We’re OUT of time. We have to hope they’ll keep our spots reserved for—NO!!”
“What?!”
>Rarity is looking at one of her lacy sleeves and it’s clear there’s a large gouge in it.
>”I-I have to… Oh, I can’t…”
“Rarity?”
>”Wh-“
“It’ll be fine. C’mon, I’m starving.”
>”Tsk, stallions and their food. Fine. I’ll just keep his hoof under the table the entire time. Now, we have to hurry!”
--
>Then minutes later at the restaurant.
>”What do you mean you gave away out reservation?!”
>Rarity is pissed.
>The two of you were late for your reservation. Not too late, but kinda late.
>It was too long for them though. It was busy tonight. They needed the space.
>”I-I’m sorry, madam, but we simply couldn’t wait,”
>”No! We’re only a little late! That shouldn’t make a difference!”
“Rarity.”
>”Everything tonight has gone wrong and I still managed to get here a decent time!”
“Rarity, let it go!”
>She turns and faces you.
>”I can’t! Tonight was going to be nice! Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had a nice dinner with a stallion?! Since gradeschool and that was under parental supervision!”
>Whoa. Too much info.
“Chill. Let’s just go somewhere else to eat.”
>”S-somewhere else?!” She’s calmed down a little, but still clearly upset.
“Yeah. As long as you’re still buying, I know a great place.”

>Reluctantly, Rarity agreed to let The Canterlot Experice go.
>Fancy food is nice and all, but that’s all it is. Fancy.
>You want something with some kick to it. Something with a little meat to it. Not literal meat. You’re with a lady here.
>Black Bear Diner. Decent prices for all sorts of finger… hoof foods and sandwiches.
>No reservation and you and Rarity were seated instantly.
>Rarity really didn’t like the place. At least not compared to her first pick.
>Right now the two of you are looking over the menus. Quite a few things look good tonight, but Rarity seems to be having trouble not flinching at everything on the menu.
“Sooo… the food doesn’t appeal to you.”
>”Oh… oh it’s not that. I’ve come to this place several times with my friends. It’s… I was expecting to have a really nice dinner d-… dinner.”
“This one can still be pretty good. Check it, we can get a couple beers,”
>”Not off to a great start.”
“Hey, attitude. We can get some beer to loosen us up, get us some sandwiches that wouldn’t be too heavy… and that’s about it. Maybe some dessert. Ooh,” You turn the page of your menu to the desserts section. “Mint chip ice cream on top of a slice of chocolate cake? Sounds pretty five-star restauranty, right?”
“I prefer my ice cream vanilla flavored. At that’s loaded with calories just like everything else on the menu.”
>God damn this mare is a total sad sack now. Close to the point of giving up, you close your menu and loudly slap it down on the table.
>Rarity instantly picks up on your signal.

>”Ooh, I know I’m being a wet blanket. I’m sorry. Things…”
“I get it, things aren’t going as planned. Don’t worry, I’m handling it from here. This date won’t be a complete bust.”
>Rarity’s eyes widen a little.
“Yeah, I didn’t forget what you said at The Canterlot Experience. Little weird you’d call this a date, but I guess all the evenings I spent with Dash out on the town could be considered dates, so whatever.”
>You fail to notice Rarity’s eye twitch.
>”Very well, if you’re willing to put forth the effort, I intend to reciprocate it!”
“Rad, so what would you like to drink?”
>”White wine, if they have it.”
“They do but,”
>”I’m not concerned with the quality, I’d prefer it over anything else.”
“… Then I’ll be getting the red wine.”
>A small smile spreads across Rarity’s face.
>Minutes later, the waitress comes by and takes your orders. The drinks come out a minute later, and that’s when the real fun begins.
>From the looks of it, Rarity is only using the alcohol to allow herself to loosen up a bit. She begins telling odd stories from work after a single glass. The whole scene is quite humorous. Here you have this haughty, high class, beautiful pony wearing gothic-like attire, sitting in a restaurant booth with the cushions being green with red and orange triangles scatters around. And this pony is telling you how a stallion wanted what was basically a pair of reverse assless chaps.
>Just imagining him explaining it to Rarity was the funniest damn thing to come across your mind in a week.
>”… And then he put them on right in front of me and I couldn’t… I couldn’t stop myself from laughing.”
“Ehehehaha! What did he ever need those…”

>You notice Rarity doesn’t look too amused by her reactions to the ass cover story.
“Something wrong?”
>”Oooooh… it was funny at the time, but I’m positive I lost a customer for life that day. He was awfully upset that I laughed at how odd he looked.”
“Eh, it’s just one.”
>”One of the ones. It’s little slip-ups like that that make me lose business. I do what I can to… to work hard and make sure to be the perfect mare for the job. But, sometimes we react in ways we wish we never did.”
“Of course we do. We’re only human—er… pony. Good enough.”
>”What?”
>Rarity pushes her glass to the side and leans forward a little.
>”What do you mean by that?”
“It’s an expression. When one says, ‘You’re only human,’ they mean you’re prone to mistakes. No human is perfect. No pony is perfect. I’d say it translates well.”
>”I suppose but…” Rarity sighs and puts her glass down. “I worry about work too much, don’t I?”
“Yep.”
>You leave the conversation off on a note as simple as that. The meal comes, and despite Rarity’s reluctance, she actually enjoys her fruit salad. Your veggie burger is pretty awesome too.
>With food as an excuse to keep your mouths busy, you and Rarity talk very little for the rest of the meal.
>Around the time it’s all over, you start to get a little drowsy. At that point, a couple things hit you.

>One, you think it’s time for Rarity to call all this shit even. You’ve helped Rarity out through her slow season and you think you’ve paid her back in the amount of labor you’ve done.
>Two, it’s your second year in Equestria tomorrow! Pinkie Pie slipped something about a party, so surely you’re getting one. Hell, Pinkie will use any excuse just to party. Oh man, you at LEAST deserve that day off.
>Waiting for a more opportune moment, you hold your comments until a little later.
>It isn’t long until the waitress picks up your empty plates and leaves you the bill. You pay it at the front so you and Rarity may leave now.
>As you and Rarity exit the diner, a wave of cold air hits the two of you. DESPITE her dress and all that fur, Rarity still looks much colder than you.
“Here,” You catch her attention by removing your jacket and throwing it over her back.
>”Mm, thank you. You,”
“Hey Rarity, quick question?”
>”What is it?”
“Weeeell…” You begin a slow walk back to her Boutique. She quickly matches your pace. “You know how tomorrow marks my second anniversary in Equestria?”
>”Indeed I do! It’s been a fine two years indeed! And I hope you’ve enjoyed them as much as we have. We,”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s been great. But, uh… you know. I was thinking… since I…”
>”Is something wrong, Anonymous?”
“… I think I’ll just come out and say it. Rarity, I think I’m done with this whole servitude thing.”
>Rarity flinches back a little and adopts a sour expression.
>”Servitude? Anonymous, I-“
“I know I owed you for what I did but… shit, Rarity. What about Rainbow Dash?”

>”Rainbow Dash and I arranged something else for her repayment.”
“Fine, but still.”
>Rarity sighs and looks away.
>”Let me ask you something first, Anonymous.”
>She looks back at you, no longer hiding whatever exhaustion she previously concealed.
>”Do you believe you’ve repaid me? Do you think after what you did, you and I are square?”
>She tried this on you before and guilted you into staying. But she was much more defensive the last time. Now, it feels different.
>And so do you. At this point, you feel as if you’ve done more than enough to repay Rarity, and you refuse to back off now.
“Yes, I do. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working from dawn to whenever you don’t need me, helping to the best of my abilities. I mean, you said it yourself. I was a big help to that Apple family job. Right?” Rarity agrees with a small nod. “Right, so I… I think… we can call it even. Let bygones be bygones?”
>Rarity prepares to say something, but your nervousness leaps ahead.
“I-I know I did some nasty damage to your house and I’m really sorry about that. And I promise I’ve learned my lesson from all of this,”
>”Anonymous.”
“Y-yes?”
>”What you’re saying is that you do indeed think that you have repaid me, am I correct?”
“Yes, I wasn’t being vague. Like, at all.”
>”Good.”
>You look towards Rarity as she shifts her gaze straight ahead.
>”Because I agree.”

“Seriously?”
>”I can rethink the matter if you’d like.”
“No! It’s just… I didn’t think it would be so easy.”
>”But it hasn’t! You’ve been working your non-existent tail off for weeks now! I would say you’ve done everything I could have asked for?”
“Really?”
>”… Now that you mention it, you could have toned down the swearing and been more punctual. I believe being able to deal with my more… artistic side when I get in one of my moods.” Rarity says with a titter.
“Great! So um, just like that, I’m done?”
>”Yes, yes. But, that doesn’t mean I want you to become a stranger. I’ve enjoyed your company  over the past weeks and I’d like to get to know you a little better without our slight animosity getting in the way. Besides, a friend of Rainbow Dash is a friend of mine!”
“Oh. Um, what do you mean?”
>”Awwuh, you didn’t think that over the time we’ve been working together, we haven’t grown to be friends?”
>’Sorta’ is the best answer you can give her, but you choose to remain silent.
>”And of course I do always try to treat my friends well. We can’t really do spa dates due to the… gender thing. A nice picnic with you and the girls sounds pleasant enough, but that’s more of a thing between the six of us. And since you’re so close with Rainbow Dash and still don’t come along I imagine,”
>She just goes and goes and goes. Rarity has just made a friendship declaration and without your consent, has already begun planning days far in advance.
>You’re hardly paying attention to what she’s saying, simply thinking of how off put you are by her sudden advances.
>But luckily, your salvation draws near.

>”I’m starting to think that the spa idea could work. I have quite some pull with the owners and perhaps I could,”
“Rarity?”
>”Mmhm?”
“My home is this way,” You point in the direction where the path splits off. “So-“
>”But wouldn’t you like some dessert tonight? Or, ooh, ooh! We could,”
“Thanks, but no thanks.” You inch closer to the path you must take. “I’m pretty wiped from… well, these past few weeks.”
>”Ah, but,”
“Don’t worry. We’ll do… something. Later.”
>”Tsk, very well. But I have one last question, Anonymous.”
“Shoot.”
>”I know I’ve asked this before, but there’s something in the back of my head that keeps telling me… Ahem, is there anything going on between you and Rainbow Dash? I wouldn’t condone it nor spread it around, if that is your concern.”
>Unlike the last time, you have to think about this one. Rather, you have to think about what happened the other night. Rainbow Dash and you are still friends. It doesn’t feel like anything more or less. Well… maybe more compared to the past few weeks…
>For now, you give Rarity the short, non-complicated answer.
“No. We’re just friends.”
>”… Very well.” Her suspicious glare turns into a gentle gaze. “That’s all for tonight then. Goodnight, Anonymous.”
“Night, Rarity.”

>You are Rarity.
>Home at last.
>The dark, cold interior of your boutique is a great relief from the chill outside.
>…
>None of everything that has happened tonight had gone as you hoped or planned. Anonymous tried to remedy the situation but… augh, it wasn’t what you wanted! You’re fine with not getting everything you want, but when so many things go wrong…
>And then he separated himself from under you at the wrong moment! You were going to do that tomorrow when you presented him his present!
>… Ah, that’s right! That’s one thing that can’t possibly go wrong!
>You rush upstairs, magically disrobing as you do.
>You’re tempted to toss the entire outfit in the trash, but you could always reuse the fabric for something else. Sewing bad memories into another outfit is bad luck, but you simply can’t afford to waste the supplies at this time.
>In your room, now nude, you lay the outfit on the bed before ducking below it.
>Under it lies that small square box. You pull it out and set it on top of the bed.
>The violin you bought for Anonymous’ second anniversary in Equestria. If Rainbow Dash was right, he’ll love this.
>But you can’t simply place it in his hand tomorrow. No, you have it all planned out.
>Late at night tomorrow, after most of the guests have left, you will casually sit on Anonymous couch and beckon him to it.
>Once he sits down, you will once again thank him for all of his hard work over the past weeks. You WERE going to break the news that he’s fully repaid you at that moment. Things don’t always work out, unfortunately.

>But, that’s the moment you will pull the violin out of its hiding place and give it to him.
>Being the secret virtuoso Anonymous is, he will silently squeal in delight before crudely unboxing this magnificent instrument and trying his hand at it.
>And perhaps one day, in a distant future, he will play a beautiful piece as a thank you, or something along those lines.
>Yes, it will be perfect. And absolutely nothing can go wrong.
>So long as Rainbow Dash manages to come through.