Chapter 79- The Reveal
Me: Alright, I'm sure you'll all love this chapter; I know I will!
Tid: I'm with ya brother.
Me: Of course you are! As usual, I don't own the rights to Naruto Shippuden or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
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Rarity was the first to wake up the next morning, and I wouldn't wake up for another half-hour. When I awoke, Rarity was already showered and dressed. She had put on her makeup, looking just as wonderful as she usually did. I was awoken by her climbing into the bed next to me and giving me a gentle kiss on the forehead. The second I opened my eyes, I found myself face-to-face with a goddess of pure beauty, her magnificent blue eyes shining into mine.
"Good morning, beautiful," I said to her with a smile.
"Good morning to you too, my dear," She replied with a radiant smile of her own. I tore my eyes away from her and glanced at the digital clock that stood on her nightstand and saw that it read 6:35 AM.
"Why are you awake so early, Rarity?" I asked her as I looked back to her.
"Our train leaves at 8:15, dear. I need to make sure all of our things are packed, that you're showered and dressed, and that we are at the train station before 8 o' clock." She replied.
"Ah, that makes sense." I said with a single nod.
She mimicked the gesture and climbed off of me, allowing me to sit up. I used the back of my hands to rub the sleep out of my eyes and glanced at Rarity, noticing just how wonderful she looked today. She was wearing her Akatsuki dress, though today it seemed that the colors were a bit brighter than normal. Her mane was brushed and seemed to catch the sunlight as it shone on it. I also noticed she was wearing something new, something I hadn't expected to see on her: a headband. It caught the sunlight and a beam shone into one of my eyes, temporarily blinding me. I held my left hand to the eye that was blinded and tried to make out what was on the headband. It was on a deep-blue ribbon of cloth, and, from what I could tell, it was cut to the exact specifications of the standard headband from the Hidden Leaf Village. I noticed the Hidden Leaf Village insignia on the metal that decorated the ribbon, though there was no cut through the middle. The headband hung around her neck, tied in the back with the metal part hanging down almost to the hem of her dress in the front.
"You look wonderful," I managed to say as I lowered my hand; no longer blinded.
"Thank you. I see you've noticed my new headband," She said lifting it a few centimeters into the air using her magic. I nodded.
"When did you make that?" I asked her curiously.
"Oh it's just something I did in my free time. Do you like it? I tried to make it as much like yours as possible, though I just didn't have the heart to duplicate that unsightly scrape through the middle." She replied.
"That's alright, that scrape isn't on normal headbands anyway," I said to her. She nodded.
I then climbed out of bed and went to take a shower, taking with me a fresh change of clothes (though they didn't appear any different than the pants I was wearing at the moment (I didn't need a shirt because I wore my cloak and it covered my torso anyway)) and a clean towel. Once I had shut the door, started the water and undressed, my heart began to race from the sheer gravity of the situation. I was about to propose to my fiance, having been interrupted the last time I did so. Even though I knew what her answer was to be, I still couldn't help but feel a feeling of anxiousness spreading through my gut. It was a horrible feeling, one that I was sure would stick with me the entire day that day, and every waking second until the reveal on the following day.
I stepped into the shower, letting the hot water fall and wash over my body. There was something relaxing in this water, something that helped me to concentrate and just let the worries wash away. I began to wash myself, knowing Rarity wouldn't want me to waste time. When that was well and done, I stepped out of the shower and dried myself. I pulled my clothes on and then donned my cloak. Finally, I brushed my hair until it fell around my shoulders like it normally did. Then, I stepped out of the bathroom, releasing a large cloud of steam as I did so.
I walked down the stairs and found Rarity waiting with everything packed into two bags; one for me and one for her. She was sitting in an armchair, accompanied by her cat Opal, who sat purring at her hooves. She sat with one leg crossed over the other, a newspaper held before her with her magic, and a steaming cup of what I assumed was coffee in front of her on the coffee table. When she heard me coming down the stairs, she lifted her eyes from the paper and glanced at me.
"There you are. Are you ready to go?" She asked. I nodded. The scroll was tucked descretely into my inner pocket already.
"Very well then, let's get going." She said folding the newspaper and setting it gently onto the coffee table. "Oh, how rude of me. Would you like some coffee, dear? I'm sure it could do you well to wake up, wouldn't it?" She asked.
"Yes, please." I replied. She giggled.
"Oh you don't have to be that way around me, dear. I'm going to be your wife soon, after all." She said turning and walking toward the kitchen.
"Right, sorry." I said as I followed her into the kitchen. I looked around, but I couldn't see where Rarity's new line was.
"Er, Rarity, weren't we going to Manehattan to reveal your new line?" I asked her.
"Mmhmm," She replied.
"Then, where is it?"
"Oh, it's already in Manehattan. I had it shipped there on an overnight train last night. Don't worry, I always trust the same ponies to do this job for me, so I know I can trust them. They take such wonderful care of my dresses." She said with a faint sigh in her voice during the latter part of her response.
"Alright then," I said leaning against the counter.
"Now, one sugar, or two?" She asked.
"Just one, please." I said holding up one finger. She nodded and placed one cube of sugar into a cup of coffee.
"Now, what kind of creamer would you like?" She asked.
"This is fine," I said reaching for the cup.
"Really? You actually like black coffee?" She asked looking at me in bewilderment. I nodded. "Alright, I won't judge you." She said raising her front hooves into the air.
I chuckled and patted her head as I took my mug. She smiled at me and watched as I took a sip of my coffee. I could see in her face that she was still questioning how I could drink black coffee. When I had finished, we walked into the living room, picked up our bags, and walked out of the door.
After a short walk, Rarity and I arrived at the train station at around seven thirty. The train was at the station, though the conductor wasn't there. Steam was pouring out of the train's pipe that rose out of the locomotive. Rarity handed her bag to me and told me to load them onto the train while she turned in our tickets to Manehattan. I nodded and immediately approached the train.
As I was approaching, I noticed something moving in one of the windows. I slowed down temporarily to try and make out what it was, but it ducked under the line where the window connected with the metal. I kept my eyes trained on the spot where I saw the figure disappear, though it didn't reappear in the time that it took me to cross the distance between me and the train. I set my bag down and used my free hand to slide the door open, and when I did so I was tackled to the ground. All I could see on the way down was a blur of pink. I landed on the ground hard and barely managed to avoid hitting the back of my head on the concrete of the station. I had been temporarily stunned by this, and when my vision went back to normal, I could see that the pony that had knocked me down was Pinkie Pie.
"Pinkie, you're still not through with knocking me down?" I asked her. She giggled.
"Sorry! I was just really excited to see you!" She said. I sighed, then chuckled.
"Could you let me up now?" I asked.
"Oh, okay!" She said as if she had forgotten that she was supposed to let me up. She climbed off of me and I stood to my feet. I brushed the dirt off of my cloak.
"What are you doing here, anyway?" I asked her.
"I came to be there for Rarity's reveal!" She replied with a beaming smile.
"Really? Does that mean that the others are here too?" She shook her head.
"It's just me," She said.
"Ah, okay. Could you help me carry Rarity and I's bags onto the train?" I asked her. She nodded so fast I thought her head would fly off. She picked up Rarity's bag in her teeth and happily carried it onto the train. I followed her with my bag in hand.
Inside the train there were many seats that accompanied the windows on either side. There were metal poles that lined the walls and some of the spaces in between back-to-back seats to support the roof. The seats were long enough to seat two people on just one of them. It was set up so that two seats faced a table, and this design was repeated throughout the entire train. The seats had orange upholstery that I assumed covered foam and was attached to a dark wooden surface. The tables were made of a lighter wood with a glossy finish. The floor was covered in a thin gray carpet. Above the seats there was a rack that spanned the length of the room, presumably to store luggage on. A second later my hypothesis for this rack was proven correct when Pinkie thrust Rarity's bag with impressive force up next to a bright-pink duffle bag, which I assumed was Pinkie's. Aside from that, there was no one else on the train at all. I walked over to Pinkie and placed my bag next to Rarity's and turned to Pinkie.
"Thank you," I said to her. She nodded and bounced, literally, out of the train. She bounced so high I feared she was going to hit her head on the roof of the train. I followed her out of the train and Rarity came over to us.
"Why hello there, Pinkie. Did you come to wish me good luck?" Rarity asked when she stood before us.
"Yup! I can't wait to see what you're revealing!" Pinkie replied with a joyful bounce. Rarity giggled.
"Well I certainly can't wait to show you. Would you mind sitting with Tid and I? The train ride to Manehattan is dreadfully long, as I'm sure you're aware of." She said.
"Of course!" Pinkie replied. Rarity couldn't help but smile, and neither could I. There was always something about Pinkie that made me smile.
"All aboard!" I heard a stallion's voice call.
I looked over my shoulder, since my back was to the train, and found that a stallion in uniform had somehow appeared behind me and was calling for everyone to get on the train. I looked to the locomotive and found the conducter sitting in his seat with his arm out of the window, as if he'd been there the entire time; though I was sure he hadn't been.
"Well, you heard the man. Let's get going, we don't want to be left behind." Rarity said as if nothing appeared unusual.
"Er, right." I said still somewhat baffled by what I had seen. I followed the girls onto the train and noticed that there was still no one else on board, save for the stallion that had called us to board.
"Where is everyone?" I asked Rarity as we took our seats on the side of the train farthest from the station.
"I booked the train so no one but us could travel to Manehattan at this time," Rarity replied.
"Really? You can do that?" I asked. She nodded with a big, closed-mouthed smile.
"I can't wait until we get there!" Pinkie exclaimed. She was sitting on the opposite side of Rarity and I, closest to the locomotive. Rarity took my arm in hers and sat very close to me, practically leaning on me. Of course, I gladly accepted her.
"So, Tid," Rarity began.
"Yes, Rarity?" I asked.
"How many children are we going to have?" She asked. I blushed hard.
"Well, how many do you want?" I asked her. She giggled.
"Good answer." She said. Pinkie was holding a hoof over her mouth, trying not to laugh at my red face. I looked away and that's when she burst out laughing, seemingly unable to contain it any longer.
"Sorry, sorry, it's just... your face was priceless!" She said when she could finally breathe again. By this time my face had cooled considerably and I looked back at Pinkie.
"So, you're one of Rarity's bridesmaids, huh Pinkie?" I asked her. She nodded.
"Yup! I'm going to make sure your wedding is amazing!" She said.
"Wonderful! I'm glad to have your assistance with this wondrous occasion!" Rarity said with glee.
"Yup! If you'll let me, I'll take care of the after-party!"
"Why of course; who else would be fit for the roll?" Rarity asked. Then she and Pinkie giggled together.
"Oh yes, that reminds me, we need to figure out who all is coming," Rarity said turning her head to look up at me.
"Well, there's me, and then there's you,"
"I'm not talking about us!" Rarity said giving me a light punch to the arm. Pinkie couldn't help but burst into laughter again. I also burst into laughter.
"Okay, okay. There's going to be Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie, your mother and father, your sister, my brother, Itachi," I began the list.
"Naruto, Kakashi, that was his name, right?" Rarity asked for comfirmation. I nodded. She nodded and continued the list.
"Guy, Ino, Inoichi, and I suppose everyone could have a plus one." She finished. I nodded.
"Ooh! Ooh! Can I have a plus one too?" Pinkie asked in excitement.
"Of course. Who were you planning on bringing?" I asked.
"My sister Inky! She'd love to come to the wedding!" She replied.
"Oh it's been a while since we've heard from Inky. How's she doing?" Rarity asked.
"She's doing pretty good! I'm trying to find her a boyfriend though. She's been really lonely lately." Pinkie replied.
"Well that sounds wonderful. She's welcome to come." Rarity said with a nod.
"Yay!" Pinkie exclaimed.
Rarity giggled and nuzzled close to me, closing her eyes. I assumed she was going to sleep, so I asked Pinkie if she had any board games we could play on the way to Manehattan, and she nodded. She stood up and grabbed her bag with her teeth and pulled it down next to her. She opened it and pulled out a box that contained a chess board and two sets of pieces.
"Ah, chess. I love that game." I said with a smile.
"Me too!" Pinkie agreed with a bigger smile. She zipped up her duffle bag and replaced it back on the rack above us. She set up the chess board and I cracked my knuckles, trying not to move my left arm too much so as not to disturb Rarity.
"Let's do this," I said with a cocky grin. She just smiled back and waited for me to make the first move.
(Several hours later).
"Checkmate!" Pinkie said as we pulled into the station in Manehattan. I scanned the board and my jaw dropped. Then I sighed.
"That's fourteen to three," I said. She had won fourteen times and I had won only three. She giggled. I looked to my right and saw the Manehattan train station, filled with considerably more ponies than the Ponyville one. I looked to Rarity, who had fallen asleep and was laying her head on my shoulder. I shook gently to try and wake her up. Her eyes opened slowly, rising only to the halfway point before she sat up.
"Huh? Have we arrived?" She asked rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"Yes, we're here." I told her. She looked at me and smiled.
"Great, then let's get going, shall we?" She said standing up and stretching.
I nodded and stood, also stretching. I reached up and grabbed Rarity and I's bags, Pinkie grabbed hers, and we exited the train just in time to avoid the swamp of ponies that were piling onto the train as it prepared to make its round trip. We exited the station and emerged into a massive city. There was a large sign that stood next to the station that said 'Welcome to Manehattan!'. There were large buildings larger than any kind of building that I had seen before. I could imagine they were at least as tall as the Hokage Monument.
"This is incredible!" I said as I continued to marvel at the city of Manehattan. Rarity giggled.
"Come along dear, we have to check into our hotel." She said.
"Alright," I replied.
I followed her down the sidewalk that led from the train station to Celestia knows where. All the while that we were walking, I continued to gaze up at the marvelous buildings that towered overhead. I felt like I was in an entirely different world, and, in a way, I was right. After a long walk, we arrived at our hotel. It was a large, pearl-white hotel that stood at least twenty stories tall. In front there was a large awning that led to the glass double-doors. These in-turn led to another set of glass double-doors that then opened to the lobby. There were many windows in the lower half of the building, but from there on the windows started to get larger and larger.
"We're booked for the top floor," Rarity said as she noticed me admiring the windows in the higher portion of the hotel.
"Are you serious?" I asked looking at her in surprise. She nodded.
"I'm fabulously wealthy, so I might as well treat my fiance to the best of the best, right?" She said. Then she looked at Pinkie.
"Of course, you're welcome to stay with us if you like," Rarity said.
"Really? Thanks!" Pinkie said. She dropped her bag and hugged Rarity so tightly I thought Rarity was going to start turning a different color. When she let go Rarity took a deep breath.
"Let's check in, shall we?" Rarity asked.
Pinkie and I nodded and we picked up our bags and entered the large hotel. We walked through both sets of double doors and entered the lobby. Once again I was surprised by the luxurious appearance of the hotel. A red carpet large enough to fit Rarity, Pinkie, and I comfortably was layed out from the second set of glass double-doors all the way up to the receptionist desk. The floor was finely polished white marble; so finely polished you could literally see your reflection in it. The walls of the lobby were painted a bright white and held pictures of famous ponies throughout history on them. The receptionist desk was made of a dark-oak, with a black marble top. Behind the desk there was a white unicorn with a silver-and-white-mix mane. He wore glasses and a black uniform with the name of the hotel in golden letters over the left breast. He sat in a wooden chair in front of a wall that held many keys. Rarity, Pinkie, and I walked up to this stallion and he looked up from a paper that he was reading.
"Ah yes, you must be Miss Rarity," He said with a slight smile. She nodded returning the smile.
"I'm assuming you're here for the Queen's Suite on the top floor, correct?" He asked folding the paper and standing up from his chair.
"Yes, that's correct." She replied.
He nodded and turned around to the wall of cupboards that contained the keys. Surprisingly, he didn't reach for the top cupboard like I expected him to, but rather, took a key from his pocket and stooped down to a cupboard that I hadn't seen before. He used his magic to insert the key into the keyhole and turned it. He opened the cupboard and took a key that didn't look very different from the others and closed the cupboard again. He stood up and handed the key to Rarity.
"There you are, Miss. Have an excellent stay here," He said to her.
"Thank you very much," She said. She opened her bag and used her magic to take a large purple gem from within the depths of the bag. She then placed the large gem on the receptionist desk.
"It's not much, but it's the largest gem I have with me." She said. The receptionist stared at the gem with wide eyes.
"Thank you very much! Your generosity is truly unmatched!" He said with glee.
She giggled and picked up her bag again, leading Pinkie and I to the elevator. She used her magic to press the button that had an arrow pointing skyward and we waited. A few seconds later, the elevator door slid open and we stepped inside. The buttons were numbered with the floors, the first floor being the top-left button and the top floor being the bottom-right button. Rarity pressed that button and I noticed it was marked with the number 25.
This building is 25 stories tall. I thought in astonishment.
A few seconds later, the elevator doors slid closed and I felt a strange pulling sensation as the elevator began to ascend. Rarity, Pinkie, and I waited for several minutes before there was a ding. The doors slid open once more and we stepped out onto the twenty-fifth floor. Rarity lead us to the room on the farthest side of the floor, though there were only two suites on the entire floor. We had entered into a long hallway with one suite on the left and another on the right. Rarity led us to the one on the left, inserted the key into the doorhandle, and opened the door.
"Welcome to the Queen's Suite, my darlings." She said stepping into the room with a certain air of regality.
When Pinkie and I stepped into the suite, our jaws dropped. There was only one solid wall in the entire room, and that was the one that shared a wall with the hallway. The rest of the suite was three large glass windows, connected by something I couldn't even think to describe. On top of them sat a glass roof that covered the entire suite and gave a spectacular view of the sky above. The floor was a nice oak wood, finely polished. On our right sat two queen size beds with bright-white pillows and matching bedspreads. They sat along the solid wall and the farthest glass window. Next to each of them was a nightstand made from what I assumed was wood, though I couldn't be sure. Each nightstand held a small lamp, in case you would want to spend the night reading in bed.
About halfway into the room, there was a small set of stairs, about five stairs in all, that led to a lowered section of the suite. The stairs were a different material than the oak wood floor that spread along the upper-section. The lowered section didn't take up half of the room, but rather a fraction of the space. It was designed in a ten-by-twenty-five rectangle, and the stairs were designed in a similar fashion, though they had slightly larger dimensions as you went up. On the lowered section, there was an indoor-pool installed into the floor; small jets were installed in the sides of the pool for a massaging effect and were controlled with a remote that sat on a glass coffee table that stood not too farm from the pool itself.
On the left of the room, there was a built-in kitchen complete with cupboards that sat against the wall, a stove, and even marble-topped counters. A short distance from this kitchen, there was what looked to be a nice living room area. There were two sofas placed adjacent to one another, another nightstand sitting in their adjoining sides. A glass coffee table sat not too far away from these sofas and beyond them stood a large TV (which I had no idea existed until Rarity had told me so later on that evening) that stood as close to the glass wall as possible.
"This place is incredible!" I exclaimed dropping my bag and placing my hands on either side of my head in amazement. Rarity giggled.
"I had hoped you would say that," She said as she placed her bag gently on the bed farthest from the door. Pinkie picked up her bag (which had fallen out of her mouth) and happily bounced over to the bed closest to the door and set her bag on it.
"This is amazing!" She exclaimed finally. Rarity simply smiled at her.
"Well, before we do anything else, I'd like to take you both out to lunch. After that, we'll simply relax here for the rest of the day," Rarity said.
"That sounds good to me," I replied.
"Me too!" Pinkie agreed. Rarity nodded with a light smile.
"Let's get going then, shall we?" Rarity said as she walked toward the open door. Pinkie and I looked at each other and followed her.
Rarity, Pinkie, and I all exited the wonderful hotel that we were staying in and Rarity hailed a taxi for us. An all-brown stallion wearing a dark-blue driver's hat and a matching uniform was hooked up to a yellow cart with a black and white checkerboard strip running all the way around the body of the cart pulled up in front of us.
"Need a ride?" He asked tipping his head to us.
"Yes. Would you mind taking us to The Resevoir? My friends and I are going out to lunch." Rarity replied gesturing to us.
"Lunch? It's a bit early for that, don't you think? I mean, it's only nine-thirty," He said a little baffled.
"Well yes, it is. However, we'll be spending a little time there before we actually eat." Rarity replied.
"Ah, alright then. Climb aboard," He said with a simple nod.
She nodded back to him and stepped onto the cart, sitting in the seat and leaning back. I followed her and Pinkie followed me. When everyone was on board, the stallion began pulling forward. We rode through the city of Manehattan, gazing at the magnificent buildings that lined the street to our right. Many were shops, others were office buildings, and still others were restaurants or hotels. To our left, there was a large beautiful park. Multi-colored flowers lined paths that began from the four sides (it was a square-shaped park) and intersected in the middle in a large circle that surrounded a beautiful fountain. We continued to ride onward through the city, the park eventually disappearing from view.
A few minutes later, we came to a halt just outside of a single-story building that sat on the corner of two streets intersecting one another. There were chairs that sat outside on a red-brick floor, accompanying several tables made of glass. There was a large awning that shaded the front door and its accompanying windows, all made of glass. The material that the building was made of seemed to be black-brick, which I had never before seen; though I had to admit it looked very good. On top of the awning stood the name of the building, which was written in pink, fluid writing.
"Here you are, Miss." The stallion said as he stopped the cart. We all climbed out and Rarity turned to him.
"Thank you very much," She said to him.
Her horn was surrounded in a light-blue aura as she used her magic to pull something from her dress. A second later, a handful of shining golden coins appeared and Rarity placed them into the stallion's overturned hat. The stallion placed the hat back on his head and gave her a simple nod.
"Thank you very much, Miss." He said and trotted away, his cart in tow. Rarity turned back to us.
"We're here, my darlings!" She said gesturing to the restaurant. Pinkie and I turned back to the building. Rarity came up behind us and wrapped her arms around the both of us.
"What are we waiting for? It's even better inside!" She said excitedly. I looked at Rarity in astonishment. She rarely ever got this excited; and that was when she talked about her dresses. She glanced at me and noticed my expression.
"Is something wrong?" She asked me.
"Er, no, it's just, you rarely ever get this excited. It just got me wondering..." I said. She took her arms from around our necks and walked in front of me.
"Wondering what?" She asked me.
"I was just worried that I'm not elegant enough for you." I replied.
"Not elegant enough for me? What on earth are you talking about?" She asked, somewhat baffled. I didn't reply.
"What's wrong?" She asked with concern on her face. I said nothing but looked at the ground dejectedly. She got closer to me and lifted my head with her hoof until I was looking into her eyes.
"Tell me, what's bothering you? Don't you dare lie to me, Tid." She said. I could tell she was a little agitated. I tried to look away from her, but I couldn't do it, no matter how hard I tried. I could tell with every passing second she was getting angrier; and that wasn't a good thing.
"I... I can't..." I managed to choke out.
"You can't what? What can't you do?" She asked, the anger in her voice dissipating.
"Dance," I replied a few seconds later. She stared into my eyes, her mouth agape. With my Sharingan, I could see her pupils moving ever so slightly as she scanned my face; probably to see if I was joking or not. After a few seconds had passed, Rarity looked toward Pinkie.
"Pinkie, would you mind finding us a place to sit?" Rarity asked. I knew this was just to get Pinkie to go somewhere else, and Pinkie knew this too. She nodded with a smile and bounced away.
"What do you mean you can't dance?" Rarity asked when Pinkie was finally out of earshot.
"I can't dance. I've never been able to." I replied disparagingly.
"Your mother never taught you? Oh! Shoot!" She said when she realized what she had said. She covered her mouth with her hoof and I could tell she was silently cursing herself.
"No, she never taught me." I said; ignoring the fact that my mother had been dead before she had the chance to. Rarity took her hoof from her mouth and set it on the ground, staring at me.
"Why would you say that you're not elegant enough for me?" She asked.
"It's just... You always get excited whenever you talk about your magnificent dresses, or when we visit these wonderful places. I'm just afraid that I can't give you that same excitement, that I can't be as elegant as you are. I feel like you're going to be weighed down by me." I replied. She pulled me into a gentle hug.
"Tid... I had no idea you felt that way." She said. I hugged her back and held her.
"Tid, you are elegant enough for me. You may not have elegance in the traditional sense, but your elegance on the battlefield is truly something to behold." She said. I said nothing but continued to hold onto her.
"Besides, I don't care if you can dance or not. I didn't fall in love with you because you were an amazing dancer, nor did I fall in love with you because of how you carried yourself at the Grand Galloping Gala. I fell in love with you because I knew immediately that you had to be mine. You were the only man to ever make me feel that way, ever. Call it what you will, but I truly feel it was love at first sight." She said.
I held her at arms length, tears streaming down my face. Then, I kissed her. Somewhere behind us I heard what sounded like hooves stomping on the ground and cheering, but I didn't pay any attention to them. I just kept my lips pressed to Rarity's. Rarity's arms were wrapped around my neck, and my hands were on her cheeks. When we broke the kiss, all I could do was stare into her gorgeous blue eyes.
"That meant so much to me, Rarity. I couldn't even begin to describe it to you." I said. She smiled at me.
"I'm glad you're feeling better. Now, let's go find Pinkie. Ponies are starting to gather." She said. I nodded and followed her into the building.
Inside the restaurant was incredible, just as Rarity said it would be. The floor was tiled with white marble that was polished so finely that it seemed to shine all by itself. The walls were made of the same black-brick that I saw outside, which contrasted nicely with the pure-white floor. Tables were set up along the walls, every single one having the chance to view outside through a large window, save for the few that were stuck in corners. Above each table, a holster with a white candle was installed into the wall and gave a warm glow that felt romantic. The counter was made of a finely-polished material that appeared to be granite. Behind it stood a beautiful young mare with white skin, her mane a mix of purple and pink in colorful stripes that slowly curved as they went down to her shoulders, and purple eyes. She wore a beautiful white dress with a flowery lace. Above her was a menu of all of the possible choices, written in the same fluid writing that the sign outside was written in; though this time it was written in black.
I glanced to our right and saw Pinkie sitting in a corner seat, a menu placed before her. She met my gaze and waved at me, a big smile on her face. I smiled and waved back at her. Rarity noticed this and looked toward Pinkie. She smiled and we joined Pinkie at the table where she sat. The mare behind the counter noticed this, gathered two more menus, and quickly carried them over to us. She set them before us and gave Rarity and I a smile.
"How are you this morning?" She asked us politely.
"Oh I'm just wonderful, and you?" Rarity replied.
"Well I'm doing wonderful as well, thank you for asking!" The mare replied with a greater smile. I could tell this was a very friendly establishment.
"Can I start you off with some water?" The waitress asked.
"Yes please," Rarity replied. The mare nodded and quickly turned around and hurried toward the kitchen. Rarity turned toward Pinkie.
"So, Pinkie, what do you plan on doing tomorrow?" Rarity asked her.
"I'm gonna go visit my Aunt Violet," Pinkie replied with a smile.
"Oh yes, your Aunt Violet lives here in Manehattan, doesn't she? How's she doing?" Rarity asked.
"She's doing pretty good, I think. I haven't talked to her in a few months, so that's why I'm gonna visit her while I'm here." Pinkie replied.
"Ah, I see. Well, I hope you have a splendid time there," Rarity said with a smile of her own. Pinkie nodded. Just then the waitress returned and set three glasses of iced-water on the table in front of us.
"Can I get you anything else?" She asked.
"Not just yet. We're actually here for lunch," Rarity replied.
"Ah, alright. Shall I check back at around eleven, then?" The waitress asked.
Rarity nodded. The waitress returned the gesture and trodded back to the kitchen. After that Rarity, Pinkie, and I all sat around and chatted until it was already eleven o' clock. At that time, the waitress returned with an updated menu for lunch. She set the three menus down in front of the three of us and picked up the three previous menus.
"I'll give you all a minute to decide what you would like to eat," She said.
Rarity nodded and we all picked up our menus. I looked over each of the items in the menu, surprised to see that there were a few items that I'd actually eat on it. Aside from various salads, there was also a wondrous selection of stews and soups. Rarity gave me her personal recommendation: the spinach and cheese soup with a side of white cauliflower. I took her word and decided I would order that when the waitress returned. Rarity leaned against me and took my arm in hers.
"This is going to be a great reveal," She said with a smile and a sigh.
"Yes, yes it is." I replied with a smile.
The meal was incredible, just as Rarity said it would be. She paid for each of our meals and gave a generous tip to our waitress. We got a taxi ride back to our hotel and the rest of the day was spent lounging in the pool in our bathing suits. When I saw Rarity in her swim suit, I had collapsed on the floor from a nose bleed. Pinkie and Rarity had giggled when they saw this. A few minutes later, I came out of the bathroom wearing my swimming suit (which Rarity had so kindly bought for me some time ago) and Rarity whistled. I blushed and Pinkie laughed.
"You made him blush!" She said holding her sides. Her and Rarity were already in the pool at this point. I tried to shrug it off and walked toward the pool; I noticed Rarity kept her eyes on me the entire time. I stepped into the pool and sat down next to Rarity, leaning against the side of the pool. The water was pleasantly warm and perfectly clear; which I liked. Rarity smiled at me and I smiled back at her.
"I've never seen you in anything but your cloak before," Rarity said looking me over. She had, on several occasions, seen me without my cloak on, however, she never saw me wearing anything else. I shrugged.
"I've never seen you in a swimsuit before," I said. She giggled.
"That's true. I suppose you love what you see, don't you?" She asked. I nodded with a grin. Both Rarity and Pinkie giggled at this.
"Well, if I'm honest, I love what I see in you, as well." She said when she had finished giggling. I blushed.
"Thank you," I said looking away to hide my face. She leaned in close to me.
"Oh Tid, this is just wonderful. We finally have the chance to relax and not worry about anything. No prophecies, no wars, no fights.This is how life should be." She said with a peaceful sigh. I smiled and wrapped my arm around her.
"You're absolutely right," I said to her. I looked over to Pinkie and she smiled.
"Do you have a boyfriend, Pinkie?" I asked her. She shook her head.
"I'm going to see if I can find anyone at your wedding, though." She said.
"Ah, okay. Well, I hope you find someone you can be happy with." I said.
"Thanks!" She said with a beaming smile.
"Well, let me tell you an interesting story about a particular date that Tid took me on," Rarity began sitting up. I looked at her, panic spreading within me.
"Er, Rarity, she doesn't need to hear that story," I tried to persuade her.
"Oh, but I think she does," Rarity replied with a wicked grin on her face.
"You see..." Rarity began the story.
Several hours of humility passed, Rarity telling jokes and stories about previous dates that we had been on, as well as other things that had happened when she was around. She didn't finish until it was already eight o' clock at night, and we were all pruny from soaking in the pool for hours on end. When we got out, we were all waterlogged and ready for something to eat. After we had dried off and changed, we each prepared a small meal ourselves and then it was time for bed. Pinkie climbed into the bed closest to the door and tucked herself cozily under the covers.
"These beds are really soft!" She said sprawling out to allow as much of her body as possible to touch the very soft bed. Rarity giggled.
"The sheets and blankets are made of the finest silk in the world. The pillows are made of a special material that conforms to your head so that your neck is supported and it always stays cool. These are, quite possibly, the best beds in the world." She said.
"Really? That's amazing! Thanks Rarity!" Pinkie said with glee.
"You're very welcome, darling." Rarity said climbing into our bed. I walked over and climbed into the same bed as Rarity and tucked myself under the covers. She draped her arm over my chest and turned her body toward me.
"Night Rarity! Night Tid!" Pinkie called from her bed.
"Goodnight darling," Rarity replied.
"Goodnight Pinkie," I said. The lights had already been turned out, so no one needed to leave their comfortable bed to turn them out. Rarity and I remained silent until we could hear Pinkie's soft breathing as she slept.
"Say, Rarity, there's been something I've been meaning to talk to you about," I whispered.
"Oh? And what's that, dear?" She asked, curiosity playing across her face.
"Well, I've been thinking and... We need to invite Robert and Vinyl to our wedding," I replied.
"What?" She asked in utter bafflement.
"Listen, there's a reason for that," I put in quickly.
"I'm listening," Rarity said with upraised eyebrows.
"Look, I don't want them at our wedding any more than you do, however, you know as well as I do that Robert's gotten stronger. I mean, he almost defeated me in our last battle together." I explained.
"I see, so the reason you want to invite them to our wedding is-"
"To keep tabs on them, precisely." I finished for her. She pondered this for a moment.
"Rarity, listen, we can't let a power like that just wander around, especially when we're not going to be here for a few days. Think about it, Robert and Vinyl are unpredictable. That amount of power and unpredictability just can't be allowed to continue to go unsupervised."
"You're absolutely right," Rarity said. From her tone, however, I guessed she wasn't done.
"However, what's to say they won't try to kill me at our wedding? What's to say they won't ruin our special day?" Rarity asked.
"Don't worry, I'll have a special team of shinobi neutralize their power when they're in that world. Besides, if all else fails, the current Hokage is going to be there, and he's one of the strongest shinobi in the world. Not to mention, Itachi, Inoichi, and the others are all going to be there too. If push comes to shove, we've got the power to eliminate them easily, so I'm pretty sure they would think twice before trying to start anything," I replied.
"Ah, I see. You're right, I suppose I'll write an invitation for them too then," She said. I pulled her close.
"I'm sorry. I don't want to do it either, but it's the best thing we can do, for the sake of this country." I said to her.
"I know dear," She said. She kissed me on the forehead and closed her eyes.
"Now try and get some sleep, alright? We've got a lot of sites to see tomorrow," She said.
"As you wish," I replied and closed my eyes, eventually falling into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Rarity woke me up by shaking my shoulder. She was already dressed in her Akatsuki dress and, from what I could tell, already showered as well.
"Come on dear, we've got a lot to see today." She said. She practically giddy with excitement, which was made evident from her prancing around the side of the bed.
"Whoa, Rarity, is everything alright? You've been more excited these past few days than I've ever seen you get before," I said to her.
"I don't know what it is, to be perfectly honest. I think it might be because the biggest reveal of my life is coming up tomorrow, and I have so many butterflies in my stomach I could start a collection," Rarity replied. I sat up, stretched, and swung my legs over the side of the bed.
"It's alright, Rarity, you'll do absolutely amazing tomorrow, I can guarantee it." I comforted as I stood and pulled her into my arms. She nuzzled my chest, which she knew was my favorite thing for her to do, and I chuckled.
"I'll go get showered really quickly, okay?" I said to her. She nodded.
I released her and picked up my bag. I set it on the bed, unzipped it, and took out a fresh change of pants and made my way to the bathroom, which sat tucked away in a corner of the room, nearly hidden by the luxurious kitchen. I walked through the kitchen and opened the door to the bathroom and stepped inside. The inside of the room was wonderful, like the rest of the suite. The inside was constantly heated to a comfortable seventy-degrees, and could be adjusted to your personal preference using a device that sat on the wall next to the light-switch. The lights weren't too bright- they were bright enough so that you could easily see what you were doing, but not so much so that if you looked directly at them they would hurt your eyes. There was a shower located to the left of the door. It was a shower large enough to comfortably fit three ponies, if such a situation would ever become necessary.
I walked over to the shower, which was contained with a glass wall on one side, which had a slide-door that you entered through. I slid this door aside and turned on the water. After doing that, I took my cloak off, folded it and set it next to my pants on the sink. I then undressed completely and hopped into the shower. The temperature of the water was controlled by a small device on the inside of the shower that had a digital reading of the current temperature of the water, with two arrows on the same screen pointing in either direction. The current temperature was read at seventy-eight degrees, but this wasn't hot enough for me. I pushed the up arrow a few times and stopped when the temperature read eighty-five.
I finished my shower quickly, as I promised Rarity I would do, and dried off and dressed. I then opened the bathroom door and a large cloud of steam burst out into the suite. When I emerged from this cloud of steam, I saw Rarity looking at me in disbelief.
"How on earth do you generate that much steam?" She asked incredulously.
"I guess I'm just that hot," I replied with a small chuckle. She laughed. I walked over to the bed, grabbed a bag from under the kitchen counter, and placed my dirty clothes inside. I then set this bag next to the foot of the bed.
"Are you ready to go, dear?" Rarity asked when she had finished laughing.
"Yes," I replied. She turned to look at me.
"No," She corrected when she had seen my hair. She trodded over to the bathroom, used her magic to pick up a hairbrush, and walked back over to me.
"Turn," She said when she stood just a few feet from me. I obeyed and turned so that I was facing away from her. She then proceeded to brush my hair for me.
"Oh Tid, are you ever going to learn to do your own hair?" She asked wtih a sigh as she brushed my hair.
"No, I don't think I will," I replied. She chuckled.
"Fine, then I guess I'll have to be there every single time you get out of the shower," She said. I laughed.
"You're funny," I said to her.
"I'm serious, dear. I'll brush your hair for you, but I have to do it immediately after you shower. Every single time." She said.
"Oh, okay then." I said. She finished brushing my hair and returned the brush to the bathroom.
"Now, are we ready to go, then?" She asked when she returned.
"Yes, we are," I replied with a smile. I looked to Pinkie's bed and noticed it was empty.
"Where's Pinkie?" I asked Rarity.
"She's already gone to her aunt's house," Rarity replied.
"Oh, alright."
Rarity extended her arm and gave me a smile.
"Come now, let's take the world by storm." She said. I wrapped my arm around hers and returned her smile.
"Let's," I replied and we exited our suite, took the elevator down to the lobby, and exited the hotel.
Our first destination for that day was the incredible park that I had seen yesterday. As we approached, I noticed that there were statues that depicted gorgeous mares. Each statue depicted one mare, each with a beautiful dress and a horrified expression. There were four of them, one at each corner of the park, and each faced the center of the park. I nudged Rarity's shoulder to get her attention.
"Say, Rarity, what are these statues for?" I asked. She looked at them and then looked back to me.
"Well, allow me to tell you a story that was told to me as a filly." Rarity said.
"Alright," I said nodding. We walked through the park as Rarity talked, eventually settling on a bench next to the fountain in the center.
"You see," She began. "These statues are said to be the petrified bodies of the Four Maidens."
"Four Maidens?" I asked her. She nodded.
"The Four Maidens were the servants of the goddess Genesis, whom is said to have created the entire Pony Universe,"
"Ah, I see." I said.
"The Four Maidens each played a very important role in the natural balance of the universe, and had incredible powers. The first, Cynthia, was the Maiden of the Night. She had a responsibility similiar to that of Luna, though she controlled not just the moon, but the stars, and even the dreams of the creatures under her moon. The second, Pesanteur, was the Maiden of Gravity. She had the responsibility of keeping the planets together, as well as keeping the land and creatures of those planets where they belong.
"The third, Pyrexia, was the Maiden of Temperature. She had the responsibility of making sure that the temperatures of the bodies of the universe never got out of hand, never too hot, nor too cold, for their purpose. Finally, the fourth, and the most powerful of the Maidens, was Materia, the Maiden of Matter. She had the responsibility of keeping the entire universe together."
"Wow, that's incredible," I said to her when she had finished the tale.
"Yes, but there's more to the story than I've divulged as of yet," Rarity replied.
"Oh, then please continue."
"You see, these mares were forbidden from seeking mates, for doing so may cause them to abandon their duties. The Four Maidens understood this, and they did as Genesis told them. They forbade themselves from falling in love with anyone, often times keeping themselves in the Realm of the Gods to prevent any interactions with mortals whatsoever." She continued.
"I'm guessing things changed, though." I offered. She nodded.
"You see, Genesis had an enemy, named Apocalypse. He was a devious deity, one who sought only to bring torture and misery to everyone. One day, he noticed that one of the Maidens, Pyrexia, had travelled to the mortal realm to fix a problem that had occured in one of the volcanoes. Apocalypse saw this and took advantage of her, appearing to her as a stallion. Pyrexia knew better than to fall in love, but she had the weakest resolve of all of the Maidens. Apocalypse, however, was very tricky. He managed to persuade her to kiss him, and when she did so, she began to turn to stone. Horrified, she recoiled, and the last thing she heard was the laughter of Apocalypse." Rarity said.
"That's horrible. Did he manage to trick the others, too?" I asked her. She nodded.
"Pyrexia, having been turned to stone, couldn't return to the Realm of the Gods, where the other three Maidens, and Genesis, were waiting. Pyrexia's best friend, Cynthia, grew worried during Pyrexia's absence, so she travelled to the mortal realm and looked all over for her. When she found her near the volcano, completely petrified, she was horrified. She tried desperately to rescue her friend, but her efforts were in vain. Heartbroken, Cynthia reached out to the mortals to see if anyone knew how to cure her. Sadly, everyone she asked knew nothing about petrification, or how to reverse it. On the brink of abandoning hope, she visited one more town, hoping with every fiber of her being that she would find someone capable of reversing the petrification."
"Did she find someone?" I asked. I couldn't help it; when I heard stories like this, I was just like a little kid.
"I think you know the answer to that one, dear. One stallion knew how to reverse the petrification, and was willing to do it for free. She immediately brought him to Pyrexia's statue, pleading with him to reverse the petrification. Apocalypse, however, saw his opportunity. He invaded the mind of the stallion and convinced him to change his price, and also, to demand it up front. The stallion turned to Cynthia, and demanded that she give him her hoof in marriage. He refused to perform the service if she did not accept his terms. Cynthia, too panic-stricken to listen to reason, accepted. Of course, this led Cynthia to become petrified as well. Horrified at her transformation, she reared into the air, attempting to call out to Genesis, but her voice couldn't carry that far. She had broken the one promise she had been told to uphold, and she was being punished for it."
"That's not fair!" I shouted.
"Shh, please, Tid, this is a public park." Rarity urged.
"Er, sorry," I apologized.
"Anyway, after Cynthia had been petrified, Apocalypse had no more use for the stallion, and he knew he could reverse what had happened to her, so he killed him."
"Damn, that's just too cruel." I swore. Rarity nodded.
"Pesanteur was assigned by Genesis to look for the other two Maidens. They had been gone for nearly a month at this point, and Genesis was worried that Apocalypse might've gotten to them. Pesanteur travelled to the mortal realm and searched for her fellow Maidens, but she never found them."
"Were they hidden away?" I asked her. She shook her head.
"They were still located at the volcano, completely unharmed. She never found them because she met Apocalypse before she made it that far. Apocalypse knew that Pesanteur would be on guard, especially since she knew two of her fellow Maidens were missing. Knowing this, Apocalypse appeared to her as Cynthia. At first, Pesanteur was wary, so she asked him what he was doing in the mortal realm for that long. He replied that he had been searching for something, a special flower."
"A flower?" I asked her. She nodded.
"Pesanteur was very fond of flowers; she found them very beautiful and she loved their aroma. Pesanteur asked him what flower he was looking for, and he replied that he was looking for the Star-Pedal Lilly, her favorite flower. She offered to help him find it, but he conjured one up when she wasn't looking. He presented it to her, and told her that he, or should I say, Cynthia, had a secret love for Pesanteur. Pesanteur, overtaken with joy at seeing her favorite flower, and extremely moved by Cythina's apparent confession of love for her, caused her to fall in love with Cynthia. By now, you should know what happened next. She began to become petrified, and as she was being transformed, he revealed himself to be Apocalypse. Horrified, Pesanteur also tried to call out to Genesis, but she was silenced before she could."
"That's awful," I said staring down at the ground. Rarity nodded. "But, what of the fourth Maiden?" I asked her.
"Materia, being the sole Maiden that was left, was forbidden by Genesis to enter the mortal realm. This would guarantee Materia's safety. For a few years, Materia obeyed. She never once thought of disobeying Genesis, and she knew the consequences of what would happen if she did so."
"Wait, you said for a few years; does that mean that Materia eventually disobeyed?" I asked her. She nodded.
"Materia had detected a strong disturbance in the balance of the universe. Without the other three Maidens, the universe had been thrown into disarray. Temperatures were growing out of control, the gravity of the planets was beginning to fluctuate, and insomnia began to take over the populations of the universe. Unfortunately, Genesis could not take on the responsibilities of the three missing Maidens, as there was a surviving Maiden. You see, when the Four Maidens were created, and the responsibilites of the universe were divided, a sacred pact was formed, and thus Genesis could not take on the responsibilities of the three missing Maidens, as to do so would break this pact." Rarity continued.
"What would happen if Genesis broke the pact?" I asked Rarity.
"That I don't know. No one knows, actually." Rarity replied.
"Ah, I see. Well, please continue." I urged her. She nodded.
"Seeing that the universe was falling apart at the seams, Materia journeyed into the mortal realm, to search for her fellow Maidens. Now, Materia knew not to fall in love, and she had absolutely no desire to seek a mate, however, Apocalypse still knew how to defeat her. Instead of decieving her, Apocalypse confronted her face-to-face. Horrified that Apocalypse had manifested before her, she attempted to flee back to the Realm of the Gods, but alas, she wasn't quick enough to escape from Apocalypse's wrath. He turned her to stone. Thus, these statues were created. These are rumored to be the actual bodies of the Four Maidens, waiting for someone to purify them from the tombs of stone so they can once again look after the balance of the universe." Rarity finished.
"Wow, that's pretty intense." I said looking round at the four statues that decorated the corners of the park.
"Yes, it is." Rarity replied placing her hoof on my shoulder. I looked at her and smiled.
"Oh well, that was a good story. Thank you for sharing that with me, Rarity." I said to her. She nodded and smiled. Rarity and I sat in the park, relaxing, talking, and watching as couples strolled by. Eventually, noon rolled around and the both of us began to get hungry.
"Shall we head out for lunch? I have a wonderful place to take you afterwards." Rarity asked me as she heard the grumbling noises of my stomach.
"Yeah, that'd be great." I replied.
"Alright, then let's head out." She said standing up and taking my hand in her hoof.
We strolled out of the park and walked down the wide sidewalk for a couple of blocks. Eventually, we stopped at The Resevoir again. I didn't mind eating at the same place, and Rarity didn't seem to mind either. After lunch, Rarity and I walked through the city, visiting a couple of clothing stores that lined the streets.
"Oh Tid, you simply must try these on!" She said holding up a pair of black tights.
"You're crazy if you think I'm getting in those," I told her when I had seen them.
"Oh pleease? For me?" She pleaded sticking her lower lip out and batting her eyes at me. I managed to resist the look for a few moments, attempting to look away.
"Nope, that won't work." I told her.
"You won't try them on? Not even for your soon-to-be wife?" Rarity asked. I looked back at her, my arms crossed and a glare in my eyes. I walked up to her and snatched the tights from her.
"You're evil, you know that?" I told her as I walked past her into the changing rooms. She said nothing but chuckled.
A few minutes later I stepped out of the changing room, waddling. The movement in my legs was restricted and the circulation to my legs was cut off. When Rarity saw me, she burst out laughing. She fell to the floor, laughing at how ridiculous I looked.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. That's the last time I try something on for you," I said to her.
I waddled back to the changing room, Rarity still laughing. When I had changed and returned, Rarity had stopped laughing, though her face was still red and a great smile sat on her face.
"I'm sorry, I had to." Rarity said when she saw me.
"Yeah, right. Well, you've had your fun, so we should get going." I replied.
"Right. Let's get going. We have to meet Pinkie for dinner, anyway." She said standing up.
Rarity and I walked out of the clothing store and hitched a taxi that took us down a few blocks, to a restaurant named The Chuckle House. I use the term 'restaurant', but that isn't quite the word for it. It's more of a comedy club than anything, as denoted by the name. They simply served a few things such as Hayburgers, salads, and various desserts. Inside the building there were a large number of tables that were scattered all around the room. A wooden stage with red curtains sat on the side of the room opposite the door, and the walls were made of red-bricks. A lone microphone stood on the stage, which was currently vacant. To the right, there was what appeared to be a bar, with a single stallion standing behind the counter and a selection of alcoholic drinks sat on a menu above him. Pinkie was sitting at a booth in the corner of the room farthest from the door. When I spotted her I nudged Rarity's shoulder and pointed to Pinkie, and we immediately made our way over to her. Pinkie didn't notice us until we sat down, at which point she looked up and smiled at us.
"Hi!" She said as we took our seats next to her.
"So, how was your aunt?" Rarity asked her.
"She's doing great! She was really happy to see me there!" Pinkie replied with a great smile.
"That's excellent, I'm glad you were able to bring her such happiness." Rarity said.
Pinkie nodded. A mare came over and set down three menus. She then turned and left without a single word. We all promptly picked up the menus that sat in front of us and looked them over. Unfortunately, this restaurant's selection wasn't nearly as diverse as The Resevoir's. The only thing that a human could eat was the salad (and of course the desserts). I sighed and closed the menu, setting in on the table in front of me and crossing my legs and folding my arms.
"Is something wrong, dear?" Rarity asked when she noticed how disgruntled I looked.
"Well, I just hate how I can't eat the same things you girls can. I mean, I can't eat hay, that wouldn't be good for me. The only thing in this restaurant that I can eat are the salad and desserts." I replied.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot that this place isn't good for humans," Pinkie said sadly. She lowered her gaze and her ears drooped.
Shit, I made her feel horrible. I thought disdainfully.
"Listen, Pinkie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that you didn't do a good job in choosing a place to eat. I was just upset because I can't eat the same things you can, that's all." I tried to comfort her. She looked up.
"Really?" She asked. I nodded. "Okay,"
"Don't worry, dear. I'm sure the salad tastes delicious, anyhow." Rarity told me.
I looked at her and nodded. A few moments later, the mare came back and took our orders. I, of course, ordered the salad, while Rarity and Pinkie ordered two hayburgers. The mare wrote down our orders and walked back over to the counter where she gave them to the bartender, who then turned around and handed the order to the chef. When the orders had been finished, the same mare returned to our table, a tray with our food on it resting on her back. She set the food down and let us be. This place gave me a completely different vibe than that of The Resevoir, and I was uncertain about how I felt about it. Maybe I was getting too used to the luxurious life.
Perhaps it's because Rarity's been spoiling me. I thought. I shrugged and began to eat my salad.
As I ate it, I found that Rarity was right: the salad was delicious. Rarity, Pinkie and I finished our meals quickly, and stuck around for a few hours to listen to the comedy acts of various stallions and mares who all seemed like they had practiced their acts several times in advance. I had to admit, I laughed more times than I thought I would, and I wasn't alone in that regard. Rarity and Pinkie were laughing right along with me, most of the time. Of course, there were some jokes that went completely over my head, and Rarity had to explain them to me.
For a good four hours or so, Rarity, Pinkie and I had the time of our lives. By the time that we had had enough and had left the restaurant, it was already nine o' clock. We called a taxi and it took us back to the hotel. We travelled back up to our room and immediately changed to clothes that we were comfortable in sleeping in and crawled into our beds. Pinkie said goodnight to us and promptly shut off the lights. When we were certain that Pinkie was sleeping, Rarity turned to me in bed.
"Tid, how do you think I should end the reveal tomorrow?" She asked.
"You want me to give you advice on how to present your amazing dresses?" I asked somewhat baffled. She nodded in response.
"Well," I began, pausing to think a little. "I suppose you could wear the most gorgeous outfit in the reveal; a grande finale, if you will." I told her. She pondered this, placing one hoof to her chin.
"Yes, that sounds magnificent!" She said with excitement. "I think I'll do just that,"
"Great, I can't wait to see you in it," I said. She smiled and gave me a kiss. Then, it was lights out.
The next morning, Rarity didn't have to wake me up early. She didn't need to be at the display center until around four-thirty in the afternoon. When I woke up, it was only a few minutes 'till ten. Rarity was sitting in the living room space with Pinkie next to her. They were watching TV, though I had no idea what they were watching. I sat up in the bed and stretched before swinging my legs over the side of the bed.
"Good morning," I called to them. Rarity and Pinkie both turned their attention to me.
"Good morning my dear," Rarity replied with a smile.
"Good morning!" Pinkie said.
I climbed out of the bed and walked over to the living room area and sat down on the couch that sat adjacent to the couch Pinkie and Rarity were sitting on.
"There's some breakfast on the kitchen counter if you want some," Rarity told me.
"Thank you Rarity, but I think I'll wait a little while. I just woke up, after all," I replied.
She nodded and turned her attention back to the TV. I did the same and was astounded by what I saw. There were griffins standing in a square area that was raised a few feet off of the ground. There were four posts in the corners of the area, and ropes were tied around them and connected to other posts; they formed a perimeter around the center of the area. The griffons were moving about the ring, bouncing off of the ropes and launching themselves into each other. They appeared to be fighting, with a stallion standing in the ring with them. He was wearing a black and white stripped shirt and appeared to be the official in the fight. Every so often, one of the griffons would pin the other to the ground, and the stallion would begin pounding on the floor until the griffon that was pinned raised a shoulder from the mat.
"What is this?" I asked Rarity in utter bafflement. It was lunlike anything I had seen before.
"Oh, this is GWF, the Griffon Wrestling Federation." Rarity replied. "You see, they fight each other and attempt to make the other griffon submit or pin them to the ground."
"What's the purpose of this?" I asked her.
"Well, they mostly fight for personal glory, though sometimes there are championship matches." Rarity replied. "Not to mention, they get massive amounts of money for doing this."
"Championships?" I asked. She nodded.
"There are several championships that circulate throughout the GFW; and those would be the GFW World Heavyweight Championship, the GFW Tag-Team Championships, and the GFW Supreme Championship." She said.
"Er, okay," I said.
She proceeded to explain the rules of competetion, how said matches were won, and about the plot-lines of drama that existed in this particular show. When she was finished, my head hurt a little from all of the information she had given me. We continued to watch several big events that Rarity and Pinkie called pay-per-views until three-thirty rolled around. Then, the TV was shut off and Rarity began to get everything ready. We all packed our bags; after the reveal we would catch a late-night train back to Ponyville. When everything was packed, we shut off all of the lights and made our way back down to the lobby. I made absolutely sure that I had the scroll that contained the ring I would use to propose to Rarity with.
When we made it to the lobby, we walked out of the hotel and stood by the curb of the street while we waited for a taxi to pull up. Eventually, one taxi did notice that we were waiting for a ride, and kindly pulled to the side of the road, coming to a stop in front of us. We stepped on board, took our seats, and the stallion pulled forward and took us toward the display center.
We arrived at a large building that seemed to give off an aura of regality. This, Rarity told me, was where the best-of-the-best went to display their finest works, which Rarity was about to do. We disembarked from the taxi, Rarity promptly turned around and paid the kind stallion, of course giving him a generous tip. After that, we each entered the building and Rarity was immediately whisked away to a point we weren't allowed to enter. We were instead escourted into the main show room, where we were told to be seated until Miss Rarity was ready to see us.
We waited a good forty-five minutes before an assistant came out and told us that we were finally allowed to see Miss Rarity. By this time, the building was already filled nearly to its maximum capacity with stallions and mares that appeared to be of high society; and the show would start in just fifteen minutes. I was a little miffed that I hadn't been allowed to see my fiance as she prepared her show, but my anger dissipated as soon as I saw the beautiful works of art that Rarity had prepared. Several mares were placed into these fine dresses and they each chittered to each other excitedly. Rarity was busy getting the last mare outfitted into her dress. Pinkie and I walked over to her just as she finished.
"There, you should be all set, Wendy." Rarity said to the mare whom she had just finished outfitted.
"Thank you very much, Miss Rarity!" Wendy replied giving Rarity a hug. Rarity giggled.
"Please, just call me Rarity. Now, go ahead and stand with the others. I'll let you know when the show is about to start," Rarity said. Wendy nodded and joined the other mares. Then, Rarity turned to us.
"There you are," She said.
"We would've been here sooner, but they wouldn't let us back here." I told her.
"Yes, I know," She replied.
"What?! What do you mean you know?" I demanded.
"Tid, please, calm down. Listen, it's already stressful enough when I'm trying to get these girls outfitted, and I can't be looking after you while I'm doing it." She replied.
"Looking after me? What do you mean?" I asked her.
"Well, you tend to... get into things," She replied after a hesitation.
"Gah, whatever," I finished. She came up to me and gave me a hug.
"I'm sorry, but this is really important to me, and I want to make sure everything is absolutely perfect. I'm just really nervous," She said when she released me.
"Yeah, I'm pretty nervous too," I muttered under my breath.
"What was that?" Rarity asked.
"Er, nothing. I can't wait to see you in that dress," I told her. She smiled and nodded. Finally, the lights dimmed and Rarity immediately went into a panic.
"Oh, alright, it's starting! Ladies, get into your positions!" Rarity commanded as she ran over to the mares and frantically tried to get them into their positions.
A few minutes later, an announcer's voice, a nice beautiful voice from a mare that no doubt matched its beauty, announced the name of Rarity's new line: The Princess Collection. The red curtains were parted and the first mare walked out, sporting a dress that sparkled in a bright white light that shone down on the runway. The dress shone a brilliant blue, violet, and pink. The fabric seemed to be an embodiment of Princess Cadance, and shone with every color that could be found on her body.
"First up, the wonderful dress that embodies the Princess of the Crystal Empire, Princess Cadance!" The announcer's voice confirmed.
The mare strode down to the runway, amidst a chorus of 'Ooh's and 'Aaah's. She twirled around, the dress showing off its brilliance in the spotlight. Then, she walked back up the runway and disappeared behind the curtains once more.
"Following that magnificent display is the dress that embodies the Princess of the Night, Princess Luna!" The announcer's voice said.
This mare strode down the runway, wearing a deep-blue dress that had swirls of black that started at regularly-spaced points at the base of the dress and curled around to the opposite side of the dress before ending. This dress was embroidered with a lighter-blue that surrounded the neck and the waist of the dress. The same chorus played out, though this time it was a little extended and came with a following chorus of clapping; or rather, the stamping of hooves on the floor. She also did a twirl and then made her way back up the runway.
"Next is the dress that embodies the Princess of all of Equestria, Princess Celestia!" The announcer said.
As the mare strode down the runway, the brilliant light that shone upon the dress did something magical. It seemed as if the fabric itself caught the light and reflected back a spectrum of magnificent colors that blanketed the audience and the entire room. The dress also seemed to flow constantly, just as Celestia's mane did, though I knew the dress was actually stationary (albeit with a little movement from the mare parading down the runway). The dress was also embroidered with a golden lace that surrounded the neck and the waist. She twirled and walked back up the runway, leaving the audience in sheer awe.
"Second to last, we have a dress that embodies the Princess of Intelligence, Princess Twilight Sparkle!" The announcer announced.
Wendy, the mare that Rarity had been outfitting, stepped onto the runway. She was wearing a gorgeous violet dress that was decorated with a wonderful star pattern. The stars were various sizes, and tilted at various angles, though they were all magnificent. She strode down the runway, did a twirl, and then walked back up the runway. As she was doing this, I quickly went over to Pinkie.
"Pinkie, I need to ask a favor of you," I told her.
"You need me to shut off the lights so that when I turn them back on, you can propose to Rarity, right?" She asked. I took a step back, completely dumbfounded.
"Er, how did you know that?" I asked her.
"'Cause I'm Pinkie!" She replied as if this answered everything. I stared at her for a few seconds, then shook my head.
"Anyway, do you think you could do that for me?" I asked her.
"Of course, silly!" She replied.
"And now, the final dress, expressing her hopes of one day becoming a princess, a dress that embodies the fashionista herself, Rarity!" The announcer said.
Just before Rarity stepped out, however, Pinkie zipped over and shut off the lights. There were gasps and nervous chattering from the sudden change. I withdrew the scroll from my robe and rolled it out before me on the ground. I raised my thumb to my mouth and bit down to draw blood. I then placed my palm to the center of the scroll and released chakra to summon the ring. I then took the ring in hand and rushed over to where Rarity had been about to appear and got down on the traditional one knee stance.
A few seconds later, the lights came back up and I saw Rarity in the most gorgeous dress I had ever seen. The dress was made of white material that shone in the bright lights that shone down upon it. The entire dress was covered in glittering gems that sparkled in the light and gave off white light. Embedded in these gems were blue gems that made up a pattern that resembled Rarity's Cutie Mark that stretched all the way around the waist of the dress; these were made of blue gems while the rest of the gems were clear. The ring itself also caught the light and gave off a wondrous array of magnificent colors that blanketed the audience. When Rarity noticed what was going on she gasped, covered her mouth with her hooves, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Rarity Uchiha, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" I asked her when all were looking at us.
The audience gasped when they too realized what was happening, and each held their breath for her response. Rarity, to my dismay, hesitated for a moment or two. We all waited in agonizing anticipation and silence, everyone on the edge of their seats. My heart pounded in my chest, more nervous in this one moment than I had ever been in my entire life. Why was she hesitating? It didn't make sense to me. Then, an answer.
"Yes," She spoke. She spoke softly, so softly it was barely audible to my own ears.
My eyes widened at this response, my gaze meeting hers. She lowered her hooves and smiled down at me. Then, she repeated the word loud enough for everyone else to hear. There was applause, tears, and much happiness. I stood and threw my arms around Rarity, unable to prevent myself from crying. I had waited so long for that answer, not just when I asked her a few moments ago, but since I first asked the question to her. Pinkie came over, a big smile playing across her face. I raised a thumb to her and she mouthed the words 'Time for a party' back to me. I chuckled and nodded to her, feeling especially celebratory that night. Rarity and I released each other and I escorted her down the runway, everyone gazing in awe at her dress, as well as the ring that now adorned her horn. I escorted her back up the runway and Rarity immediately changed back into her Akatsuki dress, though behind closed doors.
After that, Rarity joined Pinkie and I backstage.
"So, how long have you been hiding it from me?" Rarity asked me when she had managed to wipe her tears away.
"Ever since it went missing," I replied simply. She gave me a punch in the arm. To my surprise, there was actually quite a bit of force behind it, and it ended up hurting.
"Ow!" I said to her as I held the spot where her hoof had impacted my arm.
"That's what you get for making me worry," She said. Then she kissed my forehead. "And that's your reward for making me feel like a Princess,"
"You know what this calls for, don't you, Rarity?" Pinkie asked with a grin on her face.
"Hmm, I have no idea," Rarity pretended.
"A party!" Pinkie exclaimed standing on her hind hooves and throwing her arms into the air. Rarity chuckled.
"Yes, of course. After all, this is truly an occasion to celebrate, is it not?" She replied. Pinkie and I nodded.
We continued to converse until a mare with a tied-back mane, which was a mixture of white and black stripes, approached us. She wore a light-gray dress that hugged her body, with a violet ribbon tied around the waist. She had gray skin and wore black spectacles.
"Hello there, Miss Rarity," She said with an accent that sounded a bit English to me.
"Hello, Mrs. Gloria," Rarity replied with a raise of her hoof.
"I must say, a marvelous display. I loved your dresses: I loved their intention, their designs, their overall beauty!" Mrs. Gloria said very enthusiastically.
"Well thank you, I worked very hard on each and every one of them," Rarity said blushing a little.
"Well it certainly shows! I've been in this business for over thirty years now, and never in my life have I seen such a wonderful display! Oh, and congratulations!" She said with a little wink to the both of us. Rarity blushed even harder and nodded.
"Thank you," She said. Mrs. Gloria nodded.
"I'd like to initiate a contract with you for two-hundered-and-fifty-thousand bits." She said.
"Two-hund-" Rarity was astonished to the point that she nearly fainted, falling backwards. I caught her and attempted to get her upright again. "Forgive me," She said when she had righted herself.
"It's quite alright. Now, what do you say? Do we have a deal? My store would love to have dresses from the finest seamstress in the world." Mrs. Glorai said.
"Of course!" Was all that Rarity was able to say in response to this offer. Rarity extended her hoof and the two shook on it. Then, Mrs. Gloria turned to leave.
"Also, I look forward to seeing your next works. I'm sure they'll be just as glorious as these," She said as she walked away. Rarity turned to me and fell into my arms.
"Rarity, are you okay?" I asked her.
"Yes, I'm just... exhausted." She replied closing her eyes.
I could understand how she felt; after all, this was quite possibly the biggest reveal that she had had thus far, and then she had been proposed to in front of the entire audience. Not to mention, she was also offered a contract for two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand bits; which, judging from Rarity's reaction, had been quite a lot of money. I stooped down and lifted Rarity's legs so that I was carrying her in my arms. She looked up at me with half-opened eyes.
"What are you doing?" She asked me.
"Taking you home," I replied. I then kissed her forehead. She smiled slightly and then closed her eyes, dozing off a few seconds later. "Come on Pinkie," I said turning to face Pinkie. "Let's go home,"
She nodded and we exited the display center, Rarity fast asleep in my arms.
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Me: Truly emotional, no?
Pinkie: Yeah! That was great! It made me cry tears of joy!
Me: Fantastic! I'm glad it had such an impact on you, Pinkie! Well, this was, thus far, my longest chapter. I do hope that you all will stick around for the chapter that is next, as it is exciting for more than one reason! See you all then!