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Endings, Old and New [END]


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Inkbrand supposed it was high time he resigned himself to the fact that he was going to be spending this Hearth's Warming holiday very, very confused.

Resigning himself and actually getting used to it, however, were two entirely different things. Which was why the grey Earth Pony was, in fact, gawping at the white Unicorn who'd come trotting into his home like nobody's business - and well, that wasn't entirely honest either, because part of the gawping came from said Unicorn being one of the hottest pieces of flank he'd come to recognize around Ponyville and lands beyond, and another, much greater part, came from the truncated greeting the purple Princess had given before zipping off to the restroom.

Because yeah, he'd seen her at a distance a few times, but that confirmation of friendship with Princess Twilight only cemented what his brain was already trying to tell him - namely, another bucking Element of Harmony standing in his living room ready to vaporize his entire being into nonexistence.

"Er yeah, the name's - " the tattoo-clad stallion began, but his voice trailed off as the white Unicorn whipped her head back around towards the orange filly, as if whatever introduction he gave was of no consequence to her at all. Despite himself, Inkbrand couldn't help the sneer that formed over his features as he made some rude gestures towards Rarity's backside, safely hidden away from the Unicorn's eyes.

Alright alright, so maybe he wasn't being all that generous. After all, Inkbrand wasn't sure how he himself would handle a friend-turned-foal sitting in with a rugged but decidedly handsome stallion - in fact, he'd probably demand to take said friend to his home own. But given Applejack's lack of memories over her adult life, clearly indicated by the contrary statements of recognition the two ponies were giving each other, the small filly probably wouldn't take a sudden change in management all too kindly. Especially when said management was a complete stranger to her young -

- oh. Oh rot, a stranger.

If Inkbrand had had any more brain processing power to take in everything happening at once, he might have questioned the orange filly's sudden uncharacteristic shyness, words stammering from her mouth as if she was suddenly afraid to be herself. As it was, there was only so much a stallion could handle at once, and the sudden threat to what could possibly be Applejack's fragile state of mind kicked him into action, much more than any strange shift fun behavior could.

"Her name's Rarity Apples, didn't you just hear her?" the grey stallion loudly interjected, smoothly moving to position himself next to the orange filly to drape a companionable foreleg around her shoulders. "Real nice of her to introduce herself to us, eh? Us not knowing her 'n all," he stressed, golden eyes boring into Rarity's own blue ones as he tilt his head as subtly as he could down towards the orange filly. "You're so lucky to live in Ponyville Apples, just. So many friendly neighbors here."

Buck...maybe having her friends around re-introducing themselves might actually help Applejack? A bunch of far off memories might trigger her own into returning, if the purple Princess and now this Rarity kept badgering her about them. Hay, maybe this entire situation was an Elements of Harmony type deal...even if a force that had saved Equestria several times over seemed a bit much for an aging spell gone awry. But...she'd turned into a foal, and only had the memories she'd had during that same age, as far as he could tell. So did she even have the memories to remember, or had they been hidden away until she turned back into an adult, like the other victims of this spell?

Inkbrand didn't know, he didn't, bucking, know.

Buck. If his home was demolished in a fiery eruption of rainbows and prisms, August would never let him hear the end of it.
 

 

 

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Rarity blinked in surprise at that. What? Just... what? She took a step back as Inkbrand stepped forward, then looked over as Twilight headed off to the bathroom. Oh, she had seen the princess in here. Good. She took a step forward again. For a moment, she had thought that maybe she'd got the wrong house, and that this filly was just... very similar to Applejack. 

 

Well, it appeared as if something even more drastic had happened while she was away, even more so than Rarity thought. What had happened? She stared at Inkbrand with an expression that could only be described as 'complete and utter lack of information and surprise at the lack thereof' or some sort like that. "I... uhh... yes. I am Lady Rarity and... Applejack I'm your friend. Don't you... uhh... you know Rarity, right?" she wondered, looking from Applejack to Inkbrand, rather confused. 

 

And oh dear, the poor thing was embarrassed. Clearly talking to a stranger... Rarity felt a little bad... her ears flattening and sighing slightly. "I... suppose not. Well then... uhh," she began, looking up at the grey stallion. "I suppose, an explanation would be terribly helpful to me right now... mister... uhh... I am sorry, I didn't catch your name just then."

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The Princess ran off and if Applejack wanted to think about it maybe she could have pieced together why, but at this time nopony could confuse her for a genius. She was overwhelmed and unable to process much beyond the surface. And on the surface the Princess just had to check up on the bathroom really quick. Was she the Princess of cleanliness? That would be a bad Princess position. Applejack didn't want to be a Princess because she was starting to believe that there were bad roles in Princehood. Like cleanliness. Was there a Princess of Fun? She could be the Princess of Fun! Now why wasn't there a Princess of Fun?

Or for that case, of embarrassment and confusion? Applejack was both in regard to this stranger. So she was also named Rarity? Huh. And here Applejack thought names were generally unique. She knew a rarity. That was the cute filly in school she was intimidated by. And it made sense that of course an older pony named Rarity would be equally intimidating, but beautiful instead of cute. The only thing that was reassuring was the hoof on her shoulders and Inkbrand's words, which made her feel as though she was at least right about this stranger being a stranger and that this town was sure full of nice ponies. That's why Applejack loved it so much! “Y-yah, we're ahlwahys nice here in Ponyville. B-best town ever, Ah reckon,” she mutered in response, starting to hide behind him a little. By now, she might as well have been called Blushjack.

“W-well mah'ahm, Ah know ah R-Rahrity. She's this cute unicorn in mah school. A-ah don't talk much on ahccount of her bein' ahwfully pretty ahn...umm...ya know, sortah scahred ahn' ahll, but she seems nice! Jus' like you ahre! A-ah meahn in terms of bein' nice, not cute- uhhhh, yer ahwfully pretty a-a-a-a-a-a-ah meahn yeah beahutiful ahn' ahll but not like her, she's jus' cute but not like I like 'er...” Applejack mewed pathetically in consternation and embarrassment as she looked down at the ground, not trying to make eye contact.  

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Didn't catch his name, huh? Wonder why the buck not.

Still, old and present-day habits kicked in almost immediately from the stimulus of a gorgeous mare asking for his name, causing a cocky grin to lift up Inkbrand's mouth as he leered at the Unicorn. "It's Inkbrand," he introduced, "best bucking Tattoo Artist in Equestria. Ever think of getting one?" the grey stallion couldn't help but ask, even though he wasn't expecting any sort of confirmation. Just her primly curled manestyle made Inkbrand certain of the mare's aversion to marking up her body with something so base as a tattoo.

Real shame, that. White coats were his favorite...just a few little sparkles of light blue to trail down her shapely legs...

Oh wait, right. Fantasizing later, explanation right now. Which, was going to be real bucking hard to do, given Applejack's painful attempts at conversation near his hooves. It was becoming exceedingly obvious that the filly was awe-struck by Rarity, so much so that all her outgoing southern charm had literally dissipated like smoke in the wind, replaced with an attempt by Applejack to hide - hide - herself behind his front legs. If he wasn't witnessing it at that very moment, Inkbrand would've been hard pressed to believe it from anyone else.

So the mare-turned-filly swung that way, huh? Tsst, that was another shame. A stallion could get lost in a mare like Applejack - and by lost, he meant get bucking set straight by the mighty power of her lasso and insane farm-raised strength.

"Say Apples," the tattoo-clad stallion cut in, mercifully stymieing anymore stuttering the small filly might have continued rambling on with in her embarrassment, "why don't you get Miss Rarity here some hot cocoa - er, the powder's in the cabinet next to the fridge," Inkbrand was quick to instruct, and mentally congratulated himself on his quick reflexes.

Aside from an Alicorn keeling over in his home, the very next to last thing he needed was for another mare to pass out in his home.

The leftover water Applejack had boiled earlier would undoubtedly still be hot, meaning he wouldn't have a lot of time. As soon as the orange filly was out from under his hooves and inside the kitchen, Inkbrand whirled back towards the white mare. "Long story short," he started, speaking in a hushed and urgent tone, "group of ponies got turned into little foalies. Bucking Unicorn magic, I don't know. Rest of 'em ending up turning back into adults, but Applejack didn't, 'cause - "

...Hrm, that wasn't important.

"Just 'cause. She'll be back to normal in two or three months, but she doesn't remember anything about her adult life. And," Inkbrand stressed the word, with a poignant look at the white mare, "she thinks her parents are still alive." A quick glance around to make sure the orange filly was still occupied in the kitchen, before Inkbrand felt comfortable enough to back up a step, running an aggrieved hoof through his mane. "We managed to convince her that her family had to take care of some urgent farm business up north, or summat," he finished, with an aggressive sort of shrug of his shoulders as he barely stopped to think about what "we" he was talking about. "Buck, what else could I say?"

Buck. Who knew - maybe by the time the purple Princess finished up in the restroom she'd have figured out a way to cancel out the tattoo on her flank. She seemed to have had an idea before she'd rushed off, offering to...enhance his tattoo work. Tch. Erase it, more likely. And Applejack had agreed to it.

Things would finally go back to normal. In a few short moments everything would work itself out, and Inkbrand would be free to - to spend the rest of his Hearth's Warming at home.

Yeah.
 

 

 

[[ OOC : Applejack was moved around with permission. ]]


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Rarity raised an eyebrow once again. The poor mare was having a hard time grasping what she was hearing. A cute filly who looked like her? Sweetie Belle? They sort of looked alike. The poor filly was having a minor breakdown of embarrassment by the sounds of things. It didn't really make much sense to Rarity. Applejack was speaking in the context of a different time, and Rarity was very puzzled. Surely Applejack wasn't embarrassed to think Sweetie Belle was cute? Or indeed, to think Rarity was pretty. They were friends, she could have told her any time.

 

Still, Inkbrand shooed Applejack off to the kitchen which gave him the chance to explain. "Oh..." she said, frowning a little. "My that is unusual. I... well," she said, unsure of what to say. "Magic is as magic does I suppose. Hopefully she will be back to normal soon," she remarked, shaking her head. Now that she knew what was going on... well... things made a little bit more sense. In fact, if such things were true, it was good Applejack was away from her family. There would be no sense in putting the filly through the death of her parents once again. Rarity faintly remembered offering her condolences the first time. Sometimes, a little trickery was kinder than the truth. Though it pained Rarity to hide such a thing from her friend, she knew the filly would be back to normal once again.

 

Wait... what? If the filly Applejack had been talking about wasn't Sweetie Belle... who was it? She could make a guess, knowing her classmates back then. But still, had she somehow stumbled upon her friend's foalhood crush?

 

She put the thought out of her head, directing her attention to Inkbrand once more. "Well, a pleasure to meet you Inkbrand. And thank you, for helping my friend," she said with a smile. Rarity made sure Applejack was out of earshot once more before whispering to Inkbrand. "She was... well... a broken filly when it happened. You did the right thing, besides. Soon, she will be back to normal." Raising her voice once more, she switched the conversation to another matter. "Anyway, as a matter of fact I used to have two tattoos," she said with an idle chuckle. "Punk was very much 'in' back then, a very odd chapter in the fashion world that I joined in. I got them removed shortly after. I never much cared for them anyway. Though I will admit, they did look rather striking."

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Applejack was saved further embarrassment by the quick thinking of Inkbrand, who was one step closer to saving her bacon from being the most embarrassed filly in the whole wide world. Making more hot cocoa was one of the easiest tasks she could ever hope for though, and who didn't like it? Everypony had to. She was pretty sure it was law. And she was also sure that she had ti make it just as good as last time, even if this time Mr. Inky did tell her where the powder was. Huh, why didn't she see it before? Well, it was always in the last place you looked. Which made sense, since if you found it and then continued looking you were just being the ultimate fly in the ultimate ointment.

Back on task. Back in the kitchen, she had some warm water still sitting all nice and warm-like on the stove. She got the fire back up and going quickly. This hot cocoa wasn't gonna suffer just because this pretty as all get out mare came after official cocoa time. She got into the cupboard and acquired the most important ingredient of all, the cocoa powder. Now this wasn't like the sort of powder that the Apples used which was pressed and squeezed and otherwise retrieved from their very own cocoa trees they kept on hoof for the Zap Apple Chocolate Pies they made once a year, but it would do. After a minute or so the water was good and going again, and Applejack turned it off. She quickly went about her task- cup, pouring, powder, coughing because her snout got a little too much powder on it, stirring- and it wasn't long before she was done.

As she carried it into the living room, she had a little one on one time with herself. Okay, she was awfully pretty but was being a stuttering, muttering, stammering little filly any way to treat a guest? Sure this wasn't her house per se, but as long as she was staying with Mr. Inky she owed it to him to treat any of his guests with as much respect and kindness as she could. So now that she had gotten all the weak kneed silliness out of the way, maybe she could be a nice little lady and not make a fool out of herself anymore. A few deep breaths, a wipe of the face, and she was out and about once more. You couldn't keep a good filly down!

“Here yah go, Mah'ahm,” Applejack said when she returned, giving Lady Rarity her hot cocoa and then finding a nice place on the couch to sit up strait on all fours. Oops, she forgot to ask! “Oh, do yah like tha hot cocoah? Ah think it's probahbly better thahn what Ah mahde eahrlier, but it was still reahl good!” shifting around, small talk, “so, when'd y'ahll move tah Ponyville? Do yah like it here? Where'd y'ahll come from? Cahnterlot? Whaht's Cahnterlot like? Are there lotsah eahrth ponies there? Is it bigger thahn Ponyville? Do you like Heahrthswahrmin' Eve? What do yah do speciahl like for it?”

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Yeah yeah, he got it, it was all his fault, he was a horrible excuse for a pony, he should be ashamed of corrupting poor innocent little -

Er -

Wait.

...What?

Inkbrand struggled to regain himself, but it was a pretty bucking tall order, considering that the derisive commentary he'd been mentally bracing for was, according to his ears, nowhere to be found. In fact, the white mare was taking all the information rather calmly, accepting that magic was bucking magic and could royally screw up and they just had to deal with the consequences from time to time and...and, agreeing with him on his course of action, especially concerning his decision to keep Applejack in the dark until she turned back into an adult.

...What?

Where were the glares? The cutting comments? The accusations about his plan to dismantle the Elements of Harmony by keeping one of the Elements prisoner in her own tiny body? They were nowhere to be found, leaving Inkbrand to gape rather unattractively as Rarity continued to strike up a completely cordial conversation with the strange stallion inside his strange home taking care of her stranger friend and she holy rot did she just say what I think she said.

'Holy rot. I think I just fell in love.'

No wonder Apples had been all tongue-trippy with the white mare - if Inkbrand had been making an admirable effort beforehoof, all his attempts at sociability were completely lost as his eyes automatically dropped down to Rarity's flanks and legs, mind helplessly and wildly conjuring up fantasies about sparkling blues and deep purples all along her creamy skin, except they hadn't been only fantasies at one point in this lifetime because she'd actually gotten tattoos stamped all over her glorious backside. Who the buck had gotten his ink onto one of the most prissy-looking mares he'd ever seen in his life?

He actually felt jealous.

Inkbrand wanted to say some sort of variation on What the buck, but he managed to constrain himself, golden eyes resting back on deep blue. "You...you don't say," he said a bit hoarsely, and admiraly attempted to pull his mind out of the tattoo-filled gutter it had immediately sunk into upon hearing Rarity's words. The grey Earth Pony knew absolutely nothing about the fashion industry, but he did know that any fashion hopefuls had to keep up with the 'in', no matter what it was. If 'in' had been edgy and punk at one point or another, it wasn't surprising to learn that a pony with aspirations of the catwalk had conformed to it.

Except that it was surprising, because for all he didn't know anything about the white mare, Rarity's mere manestyle, the way she'd seemed utterly disinterested in his presence, had had her pegged as a wine-sipping, upper class socialite that turned their noses up at things. To have presumably been so wrong about his first impression...

Either Rarity was one of a kind, or his world was imploding.

Probably the latter.

Until Inkbrand realized he was bucking standing around like a school nerd on the playground, and immediately sought to rectify that fact.

"Never too late to get another one, though," the tattoo-clad stallion commented slyly, tone dropping a bit as a slightly flirty grin stole over his face, "just a little something to...accentuate. You could even make it a temporary one, just to get the feel of it," Inkbrand added, as a selling point this time rather than a casual afterthought. Despite his disdain for them, temporary tattoos were his ticket for the more hesitant client. It made them much more agreeable to at least trying out a tattoo, knowing it would be gone in a few months - or hay, even trying out multiple ones. He had a couple of regular clients that came in every few months to get new and different temporary tattoos, just 'cause.

Before Inkbrand could make any further pitches however, Applejack chose that moment to come wandering back in, a mug of hot cocoa clasped carefully in her grasp. The grey Earth Pony tried to be as surreptitious as possible as he leaned over to sneak a peak into the mug, attempting to ascertain its edibility. Drinkability? Whatever. The point was that the cocoa was much more frothy and pleasant than the roiling mass her other batch had been, causing the stallion to let out a soft sight of relief.

Which, abruptly reminded him of the other house guest he was currently entertaining, which in turn was enough to make Inkbrand grimace. Yeah no, dead Alicorns, not okay. "Take a seat," the tattoo-clad stallion instructed with a toothy grin towards Rarity, before throwing a quick wink at the orange filly, "and the two of you can get to know each other better, hmm? I'll go check on Princess." Hopefully she was still alive. If not, he'd have some real 'splanin to do, to...

Well. The entire bucking world, that's who.

The hallway was a short one, and the bathroom door was shut tight as Inkbrand approached, one eyebrow raised warily. There was no way she was simply lying in wait to drag him into the bathroom for some sort of magical exchange of his soul for the removal of Applejack's tattoo, right?...still, this was his own bucking house, and after only another moment of hesitation, Inkbrand rapped his hoof against the door, two times in quick succession. "Doing alright in there, Your Royalship?" he called out, not really trying to keep his voice down. "You need an escort back home to sleep it off? I can call the REA."

Say yes, say yes. Oh, please say yes.

 

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Oh dear, it appeared the stallion... Inkbrand? That was it. Yes, it appeared Inkbrand had momentarily malfunctioned, causing the white mare to raise a questioning eyebrow. Worse, he quite obviously was leering at her flank. The mare pouted a little, most disgusted with his base behaviour. Stallions should not leer and stare at a mare's flank. Or perhaps he was trying to work out what kind of tattoo she'd had... For his sake, she was going to assume the latter.

 

After a few moments she snorted irritably, "Yes dear. My eyes are up here, thank you," she said quite to the point. Perhaps it would be better if Applejack stayed with her after all... he was... somewhat unsavoury after all. Nonetheless, he seemed to have his mind out of the gutter for the moment. "Maybe I will," she remarked, matter of factly. "I used to have an intricate blue diamond pattern running along my legs, though it was somewhat... mmm... garish?" she remarked questioningly. "It had all sorts of swirls, and for a while it was nice, but soon after the trend was over I regretted the decision. It was rather expensive to have them removed," she remarked with a sigh. "And to think for a while some ponies were using them as alternatives to makeup. Still... maybe I was wrong. A temporary tattoo seems interesting... I suppose I will browse the parlours if I get time. Perhaps I will want to have something stamped on my body once more," she supposed with a shrug.

 

Right then, Applejack came over, barraging her with questions. The purple maned mare blinked a little, trying to keep up with the filly and taking a sip of the hot chocolate. Delicious. Oh dear... personal questions. Well, how much should she fib? "Yes," she remarked with a smile. "My family comes from Canterlot, but moved to Ponyville for a quieter life," she only half lied. That much was true, though Rarity was just a newborn then. "I started a Boutique in town and my sister often stays with me. Ponies... often say we look alike, perhaps that is the filly at school you mistook me for?" she half lied again. Oh, but the best lies were always mixed with the truth. "Still, Canterlot is nice, and there are a lot of earth ponies there. More unicorns maybe, but it's about an even split between all three ponies. As for Hearthswarming? Me and my family usually like to spend it together, though I personally spend a lot of time helping those less fortunate," she remarked with a smile, taking another sip of hot chocolate. "For Hearthswarming, I take a week off and make nothing but thick blankets and winter wear for ponies who can't afford them and I hand them out to anypony who needs them, so they won't be cold in the winter weather. I do all the work at a small loss, helping out a Canterlot charity for the poor. It isn't the most creative work, but it is necessary, and I love to see ponies light up with hope again."

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It was only a few minutes that Twilight Sparkle spent in the bathroom as her stomach waged war against her, but it felt like she'd been there a day! What was in that hot cocoa that caused such a violent reaction? Well, there was the cheese quesadilla incident, but she'd rather not talk about that! She was waiting for her stomach to calm down in the safety and silence of the room before she heard a knock. While the Princess didn't want to occupy this throne room and deny others the chance, she hoped to stay there enough for things to calm down. 

 

"Doing alright in there, Your Royalship?" he called out, not really trying to keep his voice down. "You need an escort back home to sleep it off? I can call the REA."

 

Why did it have to be him at the door? She was still steamed about what he did, but it was a nice gesture to ask. 

 

"I'm fine. I think it was... whatever Applejack gave me. I don't need to go home yet. I'll be out in a minute." 

 

She didn't like being curt but her stomach wasn't allowing her to carry a friendly conversation. True to her word, she did exit the bathroom, looking a little disheveled as she approached the stallion. 

 

"I assume that Rarity is still with Applejack? If so, can we go somewhere in this home where we can talk in private?" 

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Well, that all seemed pretty reasonable as far as Applejack was concerned. Who wouldn't want to move from Canterlot to Ponyville? Talk about stepping up in life. Those big cities struck Applejack as so big and stuffy that you couldn't find your way to school without a map, or go grocery shopping without directions from four or five locals. It was so intimidatin' that she wasn't sure if everypony who lived in a big city would rather just move to small towns like Ponyville. Of course then the small towns would become big towns and the cycle would repeat. So after further thought, hopefully only some ponies moved to Ponyville. It would be really hard to keep track of everypony who moved here otherwise, and Applejack liked to know most people who lived in Ponyville.

But there was more to digest. So her sister and her looked a lot alike? Family members of course shared traits, but Applejack could only chalk this up to...dunno, delayed twins? They had the same color everything and the cutie marks and everything. Talk about apples and trees and whatnot! So was this how she was gonna look when she was older? Oooo laaa laaa! Well, that was good to hear. And there was a new boutique in town? Oh, so that was that newfangled fancy looking place. She had just chalked it up to somepony with a love affair of those weird carousel things but if you had to show off clothes, then it made sense. All of this was very, very intriguing.

“Ahh, you must own thaht there cahrousel plahce! Ah's wonderin' where it popped up from. Now it makes all sortsa sense! Ah bet yer gonna love it Ponyville. Why, we're tha most friendly town in all of Equestria!” She said excitedly, then started to ponder. “So, y'all look tha same....” her eyes lit up, “her name's Rarity too! Ah just never ahsked her 'cahuse she got 'er cutie mahrk ahn Ah don't wahnna be ahll improper like, gotta get mahn. An' than Ah can ask'r ta tha ice cream social thingy!” Applejack said proudly. They'd have a real ball of it, too! In theory, anyway. In reality Applejack never did summon up the courage to do so before events transpired to separate her crush from her overwhelming responsibility at home.

And it didn't hurt that this Rarity, who Applejack would call Lady Rarity and the one she had a crush on Filly Rarity, was super generous. She operated at a loss this time of the year for the poor and unfortunate? Well, that was super and it meant they had something. “Aww, that's so sweet of yah. Ponyville don't hahve the sortah problems them big cities have, but just one pony goin' hungry or cold is one pony too much. What we do aht Sweet Ahpple Ahcres- that's where Ah live with mah, pah, mah granny ahn big brother- is tahke ahll of our extrah stock onceah month and give'm tah thah shelter. Pah sahys we do it anony mouse lee 'cahuse we don't like tah be fahmous or nothin'. We just tahke all our extra ahpples, fruits, veggies, breahds, what have yah. It feels real good. But...err, don't tell anypony else that. S'posed tah be ah secret an' ahll,” Applejack out a hoof to her lips, telling her to shhhhhhhhhhush it up.

One last thing.
“Ah wahs thinkin' of getting yer sis an ahpple bahsket. Think she'll like it?” Applejack asked. And indeed she would- if Rarity remembered that hearthswarming eve, Applejack had given her a small basket of apples and apple products. “Or would she rahther get ah dress or somethin' from yer shop?”

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Whelp, there went that plan.

At least the toxic juice she'd slugged had seemingly made her less liable to bite his head off, so there was that. Inkbrand raised a rather unimpressed eyebrow as the purple Alicorn made her way out of his bathroom, leaning against the opposite wall as he gave her a once over. The Princess was still able to stand on her own two hooves, which was a good thing - or not, depending on how he looked at it. Either way, the mare made it clear she wasn't inclined to leave just yet, which was just enough to tug an aggrieved sigh out of Inkbrand's mouth.

Great. The Princess of Reprimands wanted to talk to him privately. Did he have time to detour and pick up a pair of earplugs?

Trying his hardest not to feel like an adolescent foal being called to the principal's office, the grey Earth Pony cast a glance down the hallway towards the living room, where the sound of Applejack's excited babble was paired with the back of her head, no doubt aiming star-struck cow eyes up at Rarity. Yeeeeah, Inkbrand was fairly certain the orange filly was going to be occupied for a while, prompting the tattoo-clad stallion to wordlessly turn back towards the Princess and toss his head towards the room behind him and opposite the bathroom, before he lead the way himself.

And buck, no matter what happened at the end of all this, at the very least he'd be able to brag about how he'd gotten an Alicorn into his bedroom. He wouldn't need to mention that the circumstances had been the most decidedly un-sexy way possible.

Much as he disliked the invasion of his private space under these circumstances however, there wasn't really any other option. His house was small alright, a regular bachelor's pad and temporary home for his prolonged stays in Ponyville. The kitchen slash dining room, living room, bathroom and bedroom, that was it - oh, and a small closet, but Inkbrand had the sneaking suspicion that the purple Princess wouldn't really be amendable to being squashed up against him in a tiny enclosed space.

In fact, Inkbrand doubted that he would be oaky with it right now, and if that wasn't an indication of how incredibly messed up this whole situation was, Equestria was doomed.

"Private enough for 'ya, Princess?" the grey stallion half-asked, half-mocked as he settled himself very purposefully on his bed, flouncing backwards to lock his forelegs behind his head. There was a desk and a chair in his bedroom as well, but Inkbrand deigned to invite Princess Sparkle to sit, assuming she'd probably be spending her time pacing. Or stomping, either or.

The urge to say something stupid, like 'So, what's up?' or 'Come here often?' rose in Inkbrand's head, but he managed to beat it back before he got a horn to the eye for his efforts. Already his body was on the defensive, tensed and rigid even as he gave off an air of nonchalance, ready to again be blamed for the latest happenings he'd happened to wander into.

He knew he should've just left that gaggle of foals at the water fountain, bucking called it.
 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Rarity blinks at the filly's renewed enthusiasm, sipping at her hot chocolate. Well, it was certainly odd, talking to a younger version of your friend about a part of their life you only semi knew about. Rarity almost didn't know really what to say. It was very weird, but for her friend, she could at least play along and even learn a little more about her friend's life. And even her own life, from a new perspective. Few got that chance.

"Yes, Rarity is the name. My sister and I are so similar, our parents decided to name us the same too," she bluffed, hoping the filly would roll with it. "But yes, my boutique is Carousel Boutique, and as it's name suggests it looks like a carousel. You are quite right," she enthused. "But still, some ponies don't want the attention. They don't want to do a good deed for the recognition one can give, and donating anonymously can help a pony like that." Her parents had been good ponies, certainly. A shame they weren't around, but Rarity kept her expression stoic to spare the filly.

Then it came to the question of the apple basket. The white mare cast her mind back, way back, back to her fillyhood. She had received a basket from Applejack one Hearthswarming, right? Yes... she remembered it now. Applejack had seemed a little nervous about it, so perhaps she just needed a little push and some encouragement. "Oh I'm sure she'd love that dear," she enthused, smiling at the filly. "Rarity is quite fond of apples, and your family's apples are the best. Or so I hear. Tell you what, why don't I bring my little sister to Carousel Boutique for the weekend and you can give her the basket then, and afterwards you and her can spend a little time together to get to know each other a little better? I am sure I've heard her mention you and I'm quite positive you would get along." Granted, Rarity had never paid Applejack much mind in her fillyhood years. She had often enjoyed her company though, when they'd been together.

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Rarity was a smart pony for sure! Donatin' anonymously was still something Applejack would be a bit askew about. She would rather just encourage everypony to donate by showing that a Ponyville staple wasn't gonna shy away from their own responsibility. But she supposed it also made sense to be humble about it. "Ah guess yer right. Pah's ahlwahys going on 'bout being ahll humble. Makes sense an' ahll," Applejack conceded, then scratched her ear with one of her hind legs because it was in the best position to do so. "So, y'ahll make all sortsah clothes, Ah reckon. Whahts yer favorite type tah mahke? Mahke ahny nice work clothes? Dresses? Ah'm growin' up too fahst, so Grahnny Smith sahys. My lahst fahncy getup tore itself up reahl good along mah shoulders. Ahny gahloshes?" Applejack queried, thinking that having somepony who made good clothes in town couldn't be anything but a good idea. Besides, they probably needed the business.

Speaking of business, the business of fillyhood crush was in full swing when Big Rarity pushed forward a new idea, the likes of which wouldn't have occurred to the shy-in-love little filly's brain. Duh, go and meet Rarity at her sis's business and give her the gift then! Why, no doubt she'd be so impressed by the size of the gift basket and the juiciness of the apples that she would think Applejack was the bee's knees. "Wha, really? Yer really gonna set all that up for me? Shucks, that sounds all sortsa nice!" Applejack blasted forth with such excitement, pronking around without worry. "Rarity's gonna love it! And then she's gonna think Ah'm tha best pony in all'h Ponyville!" She said, stopping briefly to look at Big Rarity with big, starry eyes. "Do yah think she likes me?!"

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There was no doubt about it, Princess Twilight Sparkle was still upset seeing her friend as a filly. Ok, so maybe it wasn't Inkbrand's fault for changing her friend, but still he wasn't off the hook for good. But the Alicorn was in no shape to argue much with him after her stomach revolted against him. After pondering about where to go, Inkbrand nodded towards a door near the bathroom before going in. To her surprise, it was a bedroom, his bedroom. She felt a little uneasy invading another pony's personal space. She certainly wouldn't let just anypony enter her private chambers! And she could just picture now Inkbrand with his friends gossiping this fact. 
 
"Private enough for 'ya, Princess?" 
 
"Uh... yeah, that's fine," Twilight said as he beckoned her to sit on the chair. Thankfully it wasn't the bed. Despite his comments she could see that he was very defensive. The last thing she wanted to do was be a threat to him. 
 
"Look, I think we got off on the wrong hoof, and most of that is my fault. But you have to understand that I care for my friends, all of them. We've been through much together, plenty of good times but some not so good. I made a vow to myself that I would try to help my friends as much as possible, but when I see Applejack as a filly and you telling me that the ink that you don't know what it's made of is preventing her from changing back to normal I..." 
 
She stopped as she felt that familiar anger boiling inside her, letting her thoughts cool down, "Sorry. You have to understand as well as I'm the pony who wants to solve problems, especially now that I'm a Princess. But it seems that... I can't help my friend this time, not without knowing what's in the ink." 
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Well well well, color him surprised. 

 

Much as he'd experienced with Rarity, Inkbrand was momentarily flummoxed when the expected tirade against his evil-doings was found lacking, instead replaced by an admission of guilt and sheer jumping to conclusion...ness. Of course, the purple Alicorn had already given her tirade from the moment she'd laid eyes on him, blaming him entirely for the situation her friend was in - and then proceeded to follow her up apology with a blatantly passive-aggressive attack on the very tools he needed to live and breathe each day because he wasn't a fancy Princess who had ponies serving him up a four-course meal for breakfast - 

 

Pfft. Like tacking 'With all due respect,' on to the beginning of statement made it a-okay to say whatever the buck he wanted. 

 

Alright, so that apology blew chunks, but even still, Inkbrand felt his stance relax marginally, sharp golden gaze softening a bit as he shifted on his bed to regard the Princess more closely. Yeah, okay, he'd probably be panicking too is a friend of his suddenly showed up as a small and defenseless filly...but it wasn't like it was permanent. Applejack's life wouldn't be screwed up if she had to stay out of commission for a couple of months, Ponyville would be fine.

 

...Unless something catastrophic happened, a.k.a, the purple Alicorn in front of him royally screwing up yet another spell that caused a town-wide panic while she gave him the stink eye for making a mistake, bloody hypocrite. 

 

"Do you know how Pegasi can move around a cloud and make it throw down lightning bolts just by stepping on it?" the tattoo-clad stallion questioned abruptly, now turned on his side with his head propped up against one hoof. "Or why I know how to till farming soil, without ever having touched the stuff?" Inkbrand gave a small, careless shrug, the movement made a bit awkward with his longing position half on one side. "Unicorn magic's as foreign to me as Unyasin. I could tell you how that stuff works as easily as you could tell me how I use my magic." 

 

His magic. It was a funny thing to think of, what with the lack of a horn and all. Really, with their ability to actively manipulate the world around them, magic had become so codified as a singularly Unicorn trait that it was often jarring to remember that all pony species were inherently magical, and all of them actually used magic...just not as actively as Unicorns did. Inkbrand could no more understand the intricacies of a Unicorn levitating some small object than he could understand exactly how far the sky stretched out into the distance. 

 

It just was.

 

And that was all there was too it, really. "Like I said," Inkbrand continued after a short moment, once again flopping onto his back to lock his forelegs behind his head, "you'll need to track down my buddy if you want to fix this mess ahead 'a schedule. Or, you know, the Unicorn that actually caused this mess by screwing around with magic spells." The grey Earth Pony hoped to holy Taurtarus he was putting enough emphasis on his words, because really, being lectured about messing around with magic he didn't understand by a pony who was positively infamous for her several magical blunders around Ponyville and beyond would be enough to set grate on anyone's good senses, Princess or no. 

 

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Oh gosh, now that was a question. What exactly was Rarity's favourite thing to make? This gave her slight pause, drinking the hot chocolate. She didn't rightly know herself, she'd always simply made what had come to her. If the order was for work clothes she would make work clothes, and if the order was for a fancy dress, then she made a fancy dress. It was hard to tell what her favourite order was. "Well," she began. "I like making clothes for ponies which fit them. Clothes they love, and clothes they adore. But it's that special thing which makes that pony shine. That's what I love dear, and that is my favourite article of clothing. While I adore the elegance of dress design and the challenges of hard work clothes, it's... well... those special pieces of attire which make a pony look their best. That's my favourite I suppose, which isn't much of an answer I expect. But, that's the truth of it."

Still, the conversation moved along to this meeting with... herself... and Applejack. Well, it was getting a bit surreal for Rarity. Still, she couldn't help herself but smile at the filly's concern. "I know she does," Rarity enthused. "And I'm sure the pair of you will be good friends, if... well... She can be a bit of a perfectionist, and a neat freak, and she knows that. You just... need to be a little tolerant when she is," she advised her. After all, that had been the biggest thing that drove a wedge between her and Applejack. "Still, I would be perfectly to set that up for you dear. I'll let your parents know and we'll arrange a date."

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Well, even though the answer wasn't any sort of surprising it was still plenty appreciated. Artist types could be so caught up in what they were capable of and what appealed to other artists that they forgot that most ponies had their eyes set a few paces south of Canterlot or a few fields high above Cloudsdale. But as far as Applejack was concerned, the best type of clothing was the sorta clothing that you wore only when needed, since it was better to just be naked besides that. Heck, looked like Rarity would just be happy to make her clients happy, which made Applejack feel like the smaller version of her had her priorities set right by her big sis. Or at least she hoped. "Well, Ah think thaht's ahwful smahrt of yah! Ahrtists cahn get so fussy fiddlin' 'bout whaht they do. Nothin's finer thahn a fine pahir of work gahlloshes when thah rahiny seahson's on," she said, only vaguely paying attention because something more exciting was being planned.

A date! An honest to Celestia date. Big Rarity spoke of friendship and such but Applejack thought that if she did like Applejack as much as it sounded then she'd be an even better fillyfriend. Either way, it put her in the camp of super excited just to know that the little Rarity didn't think trhat Applejack was some ugly little farmer on the edge of town with freckles and a funny accent. The fact she was a perfectionist wasn't a big deal because Applejack had yet to find a flaw and wasn't really going ahead and looking for one just yet. "A dahte? Well Ah'll be! It's ah dahte! Y'all don't hahftah tell me 'bout bein' neaht ahn' such. Why, Ah cleahn mah room every week ahll pretty like! Ah bet she'll love how neaht Ah can be! It's ah dahte! Ah gottah go 'eahd and tell Inky ahn' you cahn go ahn' set it up with mah pahrents and it'll be the best Heahrthswahrming Eve week dahte ever!" Applejack blasted about excitedly before deciding she needed to get to the telling.

She charged off towards where the other voices in the house. She galloped over and- door. Okay. no need to open it, being all private like. She couldn't interrupt the privacy by opening the door but- "AH HAHVE A DAHTE WITH RAHRITY!!!!"- just telling them what was up would keep their privacy, how loud sout echoing around the house and even outside.

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Well that apology went well. Twilight was not very good with apologizing, even when she was a filly. There was always a need for her to justify her actions and words, but in the end it always led to making it sound like she once again was admonishing somepony! She could tell that Inkbrand was not moved by her apology, but he wasn't more upset either.

Do you know how Pegasi can move around a cloud and make it throw down lightning bolts just by stepping on it?" the tattoo-clad stallion questioned abruptly, now turned on his side with his head propped up against one hoof. "Or why I know how to till farming soil, without ever having touched the stuff?" Inkbrand gave a small, careless shrug, the movement made a bit awkward with his longing position half on one side. "Unicorn magic's as foreign to me as Unyasin. I could tell you how that stuff works as easily as you could tell me how I use my magic." 

"You're right. our magic in ingrained in us, and I know it's hard for you to explain how Applejack became a filly or how that ink is keeping her like that. I assume the ink interacting with her cutie mark caused something in the aging process. After all, getting a cutie mark is an important step to becoming an adult. Maybe because a tattoo was drawn of her cutie mark it confused her body's natural aging process."

There she went again with the science and magic bit, but her quest to help her friend was still heavy on her mind.

Like I said," Inkbrand continued after a short moment, once again flopping onto his back to lock his forelegs behind his head, "you'll need to track down my buddy if you want to fix this mess ahead 'a schedule. Or, you know, the Unicorn that actually caused this mess by screwing around with magic spells."

"You're right, I should do that. I'm really really sorry I yelled at you. Very un-Princess like, huh? I know applejack is happy with you taking care of her, but I'd like her to be her old self too. Can you tell me what the unicorn looked like that cast this spell or the name of your friend? I promise I won't yell at your friend, i just want some answers."

Before Inkbrand could reply, Twilight heard Applejack shout from the other side of the door, "AH HAHVE A DAHTE WITH RAHRITY!!!!"

"Wait, what?"

Spoiler

Ship ahoy!

 

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Well well well, color him surprised. 

 

No but, like. Really, this time.

 

Inkbrand was vaguely aware that he should be annoyed at how easily these mares seemed to induce cranial blood loss, as he was aware that his jaw was hanging open for the second time in as many minutes. It was difficult trying to get his motor functions back in order, though, what with the bucking Alicorn Princess apologizing to him - and without the bullrot, passive aggressive stuff this time. Actually, seriously, apologizing, admitting that she'd been wrong, admitting he'd been right, admitting that he was the handsomest stallion in all the lands and that she'd be introducing him to the darkly-colored expanse of delicious flank that ruled the night skies so he could paint his ink all over that glorious backside -

 

Buck, he really wished he was a Unicorn right now. He wanted to just, pause this moment and savor it.

 

But he really couldn't do that because buck Unicorn magic, and also, it was his turn to do something similar for the purple Princess, instead of, you know, gaping at her like she'd just grown a second head. "Er, yeah. Right," Inkbrand managed, voice a bit gruff, and turned his head away so he could cough and clear up his throat a bit before he felt it safe to face the Alicorn again. "I mean," he continued, abruptly springing his upper body off the bed so he could press his back against the wall, one hind leg raised upwards to affect a casual pose, "no, I get it. I guess, I would freak out a bit if that happened to a friend of mine," he conceded, with a helpless gesture of one hoof towards the general direction of the living room. "It's - " Inkbrand sucked in a deep breath, and released it in a great big woosh! of air. "It's fine." 

 

Well. It really hadn't been, but it was fine now.

 

Princess Twilight Sparkle seemed more determined than ever to clean up this mess now, and the tattoo-clad stallion almost felt comfortable enough to raise an eyebrow, without any sarcasm at all as he shuffled a bit to converse more easily with the other pony. "Well, that's the thing, Princess Twilight Sparkle," Inkbrand said, words flowing less reluctantly from him as a spark of mysteriousness touched his voice, "we've got no idea exactly who started this whole mess. There was, literally, just a gaggle of foals in the middle of Ponyville, with no one around to claim 'em." The grey stallion still remembered it clearly, meandering through Ponyville and minding his own business, until he'd stopped minding his own business because who the buck let foals run rampant around a water fountain with little to no adult supervision? And him, being the totally responsible adult that he was, had taken charge like a boss. 

 

...Sort of.

 

"...Oh," Inkbrand exclaimed suddenly, one hoof coming downwards to smack into another, "but we did try finding some help. Thought a strong-enough Unicorn could just cancel out whatever spell was turning adults into little kiddies." The tattoo-clad stallion's forehead furrowed slightly, trying to remember the exact details the mare had given him. He hadn't exactly paid too much attention, because given his status as an Earth Pony, all her information had basically amounted into 'there's absolutely nothing you can do'"By the time I found someone, they'd all turned back into adults, 'cept for Apples there," he extrapolated. "She said...that the spell, whatever it was, was drawing strength from their future cutie marks to revert them back to normal - like, the spell needed to age them back up by forcing there cutie marks to appear. But, uh..." Inkbrand trailed off a bit here, warily glancing back at the purple Alicorn in case she decided she needed to be angry at him again. "When it came to Apples, and my tat inked right over her flank...basically, Princess Twilight Sparkle, the spell needs to have the required flank space to force up her cutie mark, and it can't do that while my tat's in the way." 

 

Pretty much that, yeah. 

 

The purple Princess' request for the name of his enchanting friend, although a bit off-putting, was an expected one, what with her seeming determined to put everything back into order right away. What the hay - maybe she'd be able to fly out to Maretonia and back within the same evening, and then his house would be devoid of any and all mares. And one little filly. 

 

Hmm. 

 

"His name's Enchanted Incants" Inkbrand acknowledged, and bit down on the burst of laughter that always threatened to spill from his mouth at the sound of his buddy's full name, "but he goes by Chance. Like I said, he went home to Maretonia for the holidays. Dunno where exactly he lives, but his family works on one of the Kastrot islands...House E'athr, I think. You can - " 

 

- bloody cover her ears against that high-pitched squealing -

 

"Wait, what?" Inkbrand said incredulously at the exact same moment Princess Twilight Sparkle did, body automatically shooting up from its position against the back was so he could walk over to the door, flinging it open wide. Applejack's freckles and fitting to burst face stared up at him, prompting Inkbrand to poke his head out further to stare at the white mare still in the living room. "You setting up dates with little fillies, lady?" the grey stallion questioned dubiously, and only half-joking. He sincerely doubted Applejack had meant it that way - more than likely, the infatuated filly had probably misinterpreted something Rarity had said and proceeded to babble about it posthaste - but...well.

 

He wasn't quite sure how to feel about that. 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Rarity... honestly wasn't sure quite what to make of Applejack's country drawl, and she was used to it after so long. From what she understood, the filly was claiming that she could be very neat when she wanted to be and saying that her and Rarity would get on well together because that was the case. Strange to hear, since Rarity knew the reality had been far from perfect. They'd fought at times, even gone to the point of not being friends anymore. They'd always stuck together though.

Hang on... wait... what? Date. "Ahh... no... darling... darling!" she called after the foal, to no avail. Oh dear, there was going to be some explaining to do... 

She smiled at Inkbrand, looking down at the filly. "Dear I said date as in... playdate. Time date, not a date date. I'm sorry dear," she apologised with a chuckle. "I'm not too sure little Rarity is ready for something like that. Besides, you should always get to know a pony as a friend before you date them dear," she advised her with a smile, wondering slightly at the inference. Did Applejack... like her? At this age? Did she still like her? Oh my... the awkwardness suddenly hit her and she involuntarily blushed. 

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Applejack couldn't help but imagine all the great things that she could do and then, in a fit of fire, feel as though it all burnt down in front of her. Though she had to guess that it was never going to happen, and she was just wrong. wrong, wrong for thinking otherwise. She could be the best filly in all the world but Big Rarity had a point. You should only date a pony after you got to know them. Probably. Applejack had never dated a pony! She'd never even considered it before, except for Little Rarity. In the end she figured it made sense. Her ma and pa would be ashamed if she brought home somepony they didn't know except for her occasional excited ramblings.

Maybe Rarity didn't like to wrestle or do a barnyard dance or talk about farming or any of the really fun activities she liked. Better to do recon first! Recon like a playdate. Still, she couldn't but feel disappointed, and her ears drooped back and her eyes cast downward told the tale. "Oh. Ooh, Ah get it. Sorry ahbout thaht, guess Ah shouldah known better," she sighed with a small sigh. And then absolutely immediately afterward she perked back up. "But a plahy dahte'l be loahds of fun! Ah bet she'll love all sorts of gahmes and fun things and if she wahnts tah tahlk about clothes and such Ah cahn totahlly nod my heahd along with'r! Ahn' then..." Applejack trailed off as she trotted about the house, lost in imagination as she came up with games and ideas for what she and Little Rarity could together on their super fun, absolutely not awkward playdate!

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Twilight couldn't respond to the fact of how Inkbrand found Applejack and the others as foals. Nor could she respond to him giving out the name of his ink supplier. No, the Princess was stunned by Applejack's statement. Was she really thinking about dating Rarity? This obviously was a mistake, as Twilight still remembered the time the two had a slumber party at her house and having it almost end in disaster! She looked over for a brief moment at Inkbrand who expressed his surprise at the exact moment she did.

"Err... Applejack, I don't think you know what it means to date somepony..." she said trying to soften the blow but correct her. Then Rarity came upstairs and heard the same thing.

"Dear I said date as in... playdate. Time date, not a date date. I'm sorry dear," she apologised with a chuckle. "I'm not too sure little Rarity is ready for something like that. Besides, you should always get to know a pony as a friend before you date them dear,"

The awkwardness of the filly's comment was not lost on Rarity as she blushed. Oh Twilight knew that this moment would stick in the unicorn's mind for a long time after Applejack returned to her old self.

Oh. Ooh, Ah get it. Sorry ahbout thaht, guess Ah shouldah known better. But a plahy dahte'l be loahds of fun! Ah bet she'll love all sorts of gahmes and fun things and if she wahnts tah tahlk about clothes and such Ah cahn totahlly nod my heahd along with'r! Ahn' then..."

"Phew!" Twilight said relieved that it was all a misunderstanding... she hoped for Rarity's sanity, "I'm sure you'll have a great time with Rarity on her playdate Applejack. Maybe you could play dress up with her."

True, Applejack wasn't one to be all frilly as a mare, but maybe as a filly it could occupy her time.

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Not sure if believe, or...

 

Well. Peering shamelessly at Rarity with eyes narrowed in suspicion was not going to make him suddenly able to read her mind, or get a grasp on the sincerity in her voice. As in, if it was sincere or not. Seemed like it, and well, it's what Inkbrand had first suspected anyways, that Applejack had misconstrued something the white Unicorn had said. Playdate, huh? Bucking Taurtarus, Inkbrand hoped to high Equestria Applejack was fixed before that. He didn't think he could stand babysitting a pair of google-eyed fillies as they sipped pretend tea and made believe House. 

 

Plus, they'd probably force him to play the grumpy old grandpa and make him yell at ponies to get off their lawn while waving around a cane.

 

In any case, Applejack seemed to spring back from the momentary disappointment of not getting an actual date with Rarity (and what the buck, what kind of filly thought about dating at that age) and rocket back into the main section of the house, looking as if she were getting ready to ransack his place in order to make it playdate worthy for Rarity. Er, a miniRarity. Which, in turn, left the three adults standing a bit awkwardly in front of his bedroom door, and Inkbrand seriously hoped Wicked Rhythm never got word of how he had a beautiful Unicorn and a straight-lacked but still kind of hot Alicorn right outside his bedroom and didn't get anything warmer than a placated smile from either of them. Such a bucking tragedy. Inkbrand only wished he had a camera on him - then at least he could just snap a picture and make up the details for his friends later. 

 

Though, Inkbrand thought as he continued staring at the white mare with a raised eyebrow, he did have to wonder how embarrassed Rarity was feeling, at the moment. Must be kind of weird, hearing your friend spew their love and affection for your younger self, especially if you hadn't had any inkling of that crush at that age. She'd probably start wondering if Applejack still felt that was an adult, or if it was only a temporary crush her younger self had on the other, or what. Buck, if a filly Mistral came up to him and started proclaiming declarations of love, he'd probably jump out the nearest window and head for the hills.

 

...Buck, the awkwardness was getting a bit stifling. There was only one thing to do.

 

"Who's hungry?!" Inkbrand yelled abruptly, and didn't wait for an answer from the two mares as he strolled out after Applejack. The two of them probably had Friend stuff to talk about anyways, or something. "Apples, hungry?" The orange filly was still mumbling to herself about how to set up the perfect playdate, prompting another mane ruffling as the tattooed stallion passed her on the way into his kitchen, sweeping up all of the grocery bags. "Think you can set up some more of those decorations while you're planning, sweetie?" Inkbrand inquired, with a quick nod at the myriad of shopping bags still littered on the living room. They'd been sitting there since their...interruptions. "And I'mma get started food. It's Hearth's Warming - gotta have food, and lots of it!" 

 

Didn't he know it. Hearth's Warming food comas were the best.

 

The bags were unceremoniously dumped onto the kitchen counter as Inkbrand began putting the colder items away - something that probably should've done as soon as they'd gotten home, but meh. Everything else was left sprawled in disorganized chaos on the surface, as the grey Earth Pony pulled out the only cookbook he had, plus some taped-together recipes Blitz had pulled together for him after some piteous head shaking. 

 

Hmm...holly and cilantro caserole? Check. Hay rolls? Check. Cinnamon flavored sweet yams? Ugh. According to the recipe, they needed to soak for a while before baking, but not for too long, otherwise they'd get every more soggy than they were suppose to. Cooking alone was hard enough, but...well, Inkbrand had never exactly mastered the multi-tasking his Mom was the bucking rodeo champion of. 

 

...Whelp. No time like the present. Without any further ado, the grey-colored stallion bent over to rummage around under the counter space, the clanking of pots and pans soon filling up the kitchen. 

 

"Heart's Warming Eve, I've got to sneeze, here take this bee, stop these bells please!" 

 

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Awkward? This was beyond awkward. Rarity had no idea Applejack was so smitten with her at this age. In fact, she'd pretty much ignored the filly back then, only sharing the occasional polite conversation with her when needed. Over time, Rarity guessed she had simply given up the pursuit of the mare. After all, their life had led in two different directions until Twilight brought them together once again and they had become friends proper. 

Rarity and Applejack had always had disagreements though. She'd never even considered the mare in that way, certainly not. Did she even like other mares like that? Rarity didn't rightly know. She shook her head to clear that thought, having stared into space for a few moments while she thought things over.

Suffice to say, this was a mess. A mess Rarity quite rightly wanted a respite from so she could think things over. She looked up at Twilight a slight nervous smile crossing her lips. "Well, dear. I... feel I should be going," she remarked, turning around to look at Inkbrand. "Thank you for indulging my curiosities, and for... much more," she remarked, turning to Applejack momentarily and nodding before looking back at the stallion. "Should you need anything, I will be at my Boutique in Ponyville. You are always welcome to stop by."

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Twilight Sparkle may be a Princess of many things but apparently knowing what made the hearts of little fillies flutter wasn't one of them. Geez, dressing up? Rarity may be a fine lookin' filly with a penchant for nice clothes but a playdate meant you played, right? Rarity would want to have fun playing! Getting active, running around, playing games. All ponies liked them! Gettin' rough and tumble so you could then go head and take a relaxing bath. And she liked baths! So really, playing dress up? Nah. Besides, being in stuffy old dresses made her feel fat and tight and not at all fun. She had a royal tailor and all that probably. Not her fault she couldn't understand what it was like for the fillies of Ponyville to find things that didn't make her look like a bull in a foal shop.

"Nah, who would wahnnah hahve a dress up for a plahydahte? Ah'm sure she'll wahnnah go aheahd ahn' plahy some REAHL gahmes!" Applejack laughed waving off the idea entirely, "Ah think thaht Ah'lll get thah clubhouse up ahn' goin' with mah pah ahn' then we cahn plahy ahll sortsah gahmes without mah big brother being ahll silly like he is 'round filly folk. An' then Ah cahn show her mah top notch wrestling moves, like this!" She said before ignoring all royal decor and launching herself at Twilight's rear legs, trying to bend them back so she could put the Princess in a sleeper hold! She was the strongest filly in all the world or so her ma said, so the Princess better tap and tap fast!

As she tried to subdue the Alicorn one leg at a time she got some rather sad news. Big Rarity was leaving! Well, she wished that Big Rarity would stay so she could stay and share in the bounty but she reckoned that Big Rarity probably had a stallion or somesuch waiting for her. A mare like that didn't get away from a holiday like thus without sharing it with a special somepony very often, after all. Maybe she could come back in a few days for a visit or even just hang out during the playdate? Big Rarity could give Applejack the four-one-one on what to do with Little Rarity. Together they could ensure she had the very best time ever!

"Bye bye Big Rahrity! Ah'll mahke sure tah come by so we cahn set up for thah plahydahte!" Applejack said, waving as Bg Rarity left. As she waved, dreams of submitting the Alicorn to the Cojija Hold fell to the wayside. Then Big Rarity was gone, and Inky stole her attention. "Sure, Ah could go for some grub. Princess Sparkle, y'ahll wantin' somethin'?" She asked before he gave the request to set stuff up, "sure! Ahn' when it's done, Ah bet tha food'll be set ta go all grubby like," she said as she took the last of the decorations out and started to go to work. There wasn't a single thing wrong with multi-tasking but there was a lot left to do to make the house just right.

She hung the tinsel from door frame to the room frame and around, green and red and blue and white, all pretty like! Then there was trying to make sure that she didn't overdo any one thing. Bells on every door? Nah. The front door, the back door, and the door to the bathroom- all useful places for bells. She tossed a green garland on the Princess, a blue one on Inky, and saved red for herself. Piece by piece she did her best and put forward her best hoof, jumping from place to palce with uncanny athleticism. Why from one door frame she could swear she could drop one heck of an elbow on Inky's head. Speaking of, he started to sing. 

Applejack laughed. "Thaht's a good'n! How 'bout, dahncin' bells, vahmpire fruitbahts smell, and Mahretildah lahid ahn egg! Our ahpplecahrt lost its wheels and thah timberwolves got ahwahy, yahy!" she jumped up, losing her footing and tumbling off the couch, her head smacking into the ground with a loud thud. She stood up slowly, wobbling to her feet with a small trickle of blood from her nose and eyes circling in their sockets. "Thaht's ah doozy," she replied weakly before rubbing her forehead. 

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