Sometimes I wake up in shivers in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat. I always have this strong strong sense of fear when I do, and I look around the room, just certain something is trying to hurt me. It's embarrassing when I'm not alone in bed, and I have to explain myself like some kind of mental case. It's the hate and the fear festering in my subconscious memories. Repression isn't a cure for post-traumatic stress, but instead simply an animal instinct to keep me moving forward. Waking up and facing the humiliation of being pitied is still preferable to waking up in tears, alone.

I woke up alone last night. I knew Applejack was only across the hallway, but some combination of fear and pride had kept me from getting out of bed, not to mention the fact that Rainbow Dash was probably there too. I just stayed there hugging my spare pillow and staring at the vague, pony shaped shadows near the wall. I'd have given anything for Applejack to happen to want to come check in or something. Truthfully, more than anypony else, I wanted Pinkie Pie to be there with me. Even at my worst, I'm certain she could have made me smile.

Exie rested in her bed, tightly clutching her pillow. She yawned as the dim orange rays of light beamed out over the horizon, and she shoved the soft cushion onto the floor. With a deep huff, she slumped off of the bed and lazily slid her boots onto her weary hooves. The groggy mare wiped her eyes and made her way downstairs, where she eyed a slowly brewing coffee pot. A big red stallion sat at the kitchen table, watching the carafe fill one drop at a time.

"Hey. What time does Sugarcube Corner open up?" Exie asked, her voice dry and cracky.

"'Bout six. Should be open now." Big Macintosh avoided making eye contact, his gaze fixed on the coffee pot.

"Cool, thanks. Tell your little sister I said hi, and that I'm sorry for not taking her to school." Exie shoved past the screen door without a response, letting it loudly bounce shut behind herself.

The cranky mare wiped her eye again before yawning, her head aching and her stomach rumbling. She watched the road as she trotted into town, her mind wandering, fixating on the previous evening. Reality began to blur as she thought, and she carried on down the street listlessly, her mind elsewhere.

She leaned in towards Pinkie Pie, their muzzles touching, and her heart fluttering like a filly with a crush. Blissful pain flowed through her body as she smiled, pressing forward. The pink mare wrapped her forelegs around Exie's neck, their bodies pressed tightly together forming a single aura of warmth between them.

"First times last... forever?" Pinkie asked, her lips a mere inch away from her friend's.

Exie nodded and tilted her head, parting her lips and moving in. Pinkie Pie swallowed hard before gritting her teeth and accepting what the other mare offered. Their lips touched, and Pinkie's heart erupted. Her limbs fell limp for several moments as their lips remained interlocked in curious passion. She lifted her back leg over Exie's haunches and pressed against her flank, pulling her closer.

They each hugged and pressed themselves against one another, grinding intimately as they kissed. Exie parted her lips further, sucking Pinkie's bottom lip into her mouth and letting it gently slide between her teeth. Feeling bold, the young party pony flicked her tongue out, almost tentatively. Exie tasted her inexperience, and placed her hoof on Pinkie's cheek as they shared tongues. Pinkie kissed sloppily and greedily, saliva trailing down her cheek and onto the grass. She heavily inhaled through her nose, her heart racing and her body tingling.

Exie smiled widely and pulled away, deeply gazing into Pinkie Pie's stunning blue eyes. The pink mare stared back at her friend with a goofy, blissful smile of her own. "Exie, you were right. Kissing feels really good."

"I knew you'd love it. Honestly, we're designed to love it." Exie ran her hoof down Pinkie's chest and rested it on her thigh. "There are a lot of hormones and chemicals and stuff involved that work together to make this kind of affection feel great. It's happiness at its finest, purest form. It's love."

Pinkie Pie slowly let her smile slip away, looking up at the mature mare with gleaming eyes. "Love?"

Exie smacked herself in the face, snapping back into reality. Looking up, she pushed through the bakery doors and trotted up to the register. Pinkie Pie stood behind the counter, resting her cheeks on her front hooves with a giddy grin.

"Pinkie, can we talk?" Exie lowered her ears and glanced to an empty table behind her.

The party pony nodded and noted the empty bakery. She skipped around the counter and locked the front door, glancing back at the clock before flipping the sign to 'closed'. "Okay. Let's go upstairs and chat."

Exie nervously gulped as her friend stepped up the stairs, turning back and winking as she went. As they reached Pinkie's bedroom, she stopped and looked into Exie's eyes, her own fluttering partially closed as she grinned even wider. "So, Exie, is this about what I think it's about? You know, about what we talked about?"

The redheaded mare bit her lip and averted her gaze, spotting an open bathroom door down the hall. "Uhm, I need to use your restroom. Be right back."

Pinkie Pie frowned, then shrugged and trotted into the bedroom as her friend shut the bathroom door behind herself. Exie turned on the sink water, splashing it into her face as she stared into the mirror. "What did you get yourself into... You can't break her heart, Exie. You can't."

"Well I call it love. Other ponies call it a crush, or infatuation, or whatever else. All that matters is that this is the happiest feeling in the world. Just laying here with you like this is amazing, kissing you is amazing. Don't you feel great right now?" Exie brushed her muzzle against Pinkie's and lightly pecked her cheeks and lips.

The pink mare closed her eyes and drifted off deeply into the warmth of another mare, her heart racing with excitement. "It does feel great. Want to..." the young mare glanced around, then whispered into Exie's ear. "Want to go back to your place and... do it?"

The Manehattan mare shrugged, still smiling like a little schoolfilly as she kissed across her friend's muzzle. "We could. I'd like to... to..." She gulped hard and began to frown. "Wait, Pinkie, I... uhm. Crap..."

Pinkie Pie leaned up and rested on her elbow, her smile absent com her face. "What's wrong?" she asked, her eyes wide and glistening.

"I don't know." Exie cringed as she looked down between Pinkie Pie's legs. "Have you ever, like, played with yourself?"

Pinkie Pie blushed deeply and glanced around. "That's silly, Exie. Why do you want to know? Are you one of those weird ponies that like to watch?"

"Pinkie, I would love to watch you play with yourself... Like, you don't even know. Can we go do that?" Exie bit her tongue and smiled pleadingly.

Pinkie Pie stood up and shook her head. "It's okay, Exie. You don't have to lie to me. I know I'm not as pretty as other mares around here. I'm chubby and my mane's a mess, but I like myself anyway."

"Whoa-ho-ho there Pinkie Pie. I never lied to you... I may have before but whatever it was, it doesn't matter anymore. Sure you've got some plumpy hips and a bit of a belly, and, uhm, your mane is kinda frizzy. What kind of shampoo do you use?" Exie asked, scratching her chin and shaking her soft, silky ponytail back and forth.

Pinkie Pie frowned and looked down at her hooves.

"Wait! Ignore those things I just said! What I'm trying to say is that you're still really cute. Actually, those things make you even more adorable. Like, you're somepony's kid sister or something, like a... like a fantasy thing. Oh my god what am I saying? Look, I don't want to have sex with you because you're a virgin. Okay?"

"But..." Pinkie's lip quivered as she began flattening her mane down. "But what about when you said that we felt love?"

Exie gently pushed Pinkie Pie's bedroom door open and winced as the naive little mare laid sprawled out across her bed, one front hoof propping up her cheek and her other one resting on her hip.

"Stop it, Pinkie. We should chat." Exie trotted up to her and sat on her bed, scooting her pink hooves over the edge.

Pinkie leaned up and nodded with a goofy grin. "Okay."

Exie sighed and placed her hooves over her face. "I shouldn't have talked to you the way I did. I manipulated you into wanting to have sex with me, and I don't have any strong feelings for you. I think you're beautiful and really fun to hang out with, but I don't want to give you the wrong impression. I don't want to end up breaking your heart."

"Exie, that's just silly. You're silly. Silly filly." Pinkie covered her mouth and giggled.

"What? What's silly about what I just told you?" Exie narrowed her eyes.

"You don't have be so worried about stuff. Just say what you mean. Can we kiss more? I liked kissing, and I know I don't love you, that's crazy talk. We just met! I love kissing you though," Pinkie explained as she leaned forward, puckering her lips.

"Okay fine. And... I can't believe I'm saying this, but no more talk about sex, at least not for a while. Deal?" Exie smiled and leaned back onto the bed as Pinkie climbed over her.

"Deal. But I just had a fun idea that you might be okay with." Pinkie winked and raised her eyebrows, and Exie gulped.

Rarity begrudgingly crossed her forelegs as two beautiful spa ponies applied an exfoliating paste to her back hooves and began rubbing. "I'm telling you dear, I knew that mare was trouble from the moment I spotted her. And it's no surprise that she's the owner of that dreadful... Sew Fine shop," she spat the name out with the utmost sense of disgust.

As a soft blue mare with a gentle pink mane preened Fluttershy's left wing with a small wooden comb, the pegasus took a deep breath and shrugged. "She seemed... I guess, nice."

"Nice?!" Rarity shouted as an earth pony with a blooming lotus for a cutie mark poured a ladle of water over hot stones, filling the room with a plume of steam. "Are we talking about the same mare here? Have you seen Apple Bloom prancing around town in those ghastly leg-warmers? This morning, my dearest, most precious sister asked me to make her a pair of black socks. Socks! This mare is a bad influence on top of everything else!"

Fluttershy ducked behind her mane and frowned. "Oh my... I'm so sorry, Rarity."

"Sew Fine is the tackiest little establishment to spring up from the slums of the worst city. The first of which opened in Fillydelphia, I might add."

"Oh dear." Fluttershy covered her mouth and glanced down at Lotus, who was adamantly polishing her lower hoof with an oiled towel, then the two shared a mutual shrug.

"We need to get rid of her before the whole town becomes a bunch of poorly dressed scamps." Rarity pouted her lip and huffed.

Fluttershy nodded, then shook her head laying down on a soft cot in the relaxation room. "But don't you always complain that you have to make so many costumes each year? Maybe this could help... lighten the load."

Rarity placed a hoof to her chest and gasped. "Fluttershy! You can't expect the good ponies of this lovely town to settle for a... for a lower standard! Nightmare Night is a time when one can show off their innermost brilliant styles and tastes in fashion that one couldn't on any other day. With this... Exie around, Nightmare Night will stop being fashionable! Ponies will all be wearing mass factory produced sexual outfits and... and cat ears! It's too awful, I can't bear to imagine it!"

Flinching at her friend's overly dramatic shouting, Fluttershy lifted her hoof to offer a suggestion. "Well, Rarity, if this really bothers you so much, maybe you could just stay inside my cottage with me and pretend we're not home. Like I do every year. Then afterwards Exie and her store will be gone. Right?"

"Oh Fluttershy, I only wish it were so simple. The horrid truth is that Sew Fine will plague our town every year from now on." Rarity sighed and fanned her face with a front hoof. "Aloe dear. Fan please."

The spa pony slowly wagged a leaf over Rarity's body, who took a deep breath an cleared her throat. "Unless of course, her business doesn't do well enough to turn a profit. Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Fluttershy?"

"You'll..." The timid pegasus gulped and recoiled. "You'll sabotage her?"

"Fluttershy!" Rarity gasped.

"... Sorry," the shy pegasus squeaked.

"I'd never lower myself to such an unladylike act of brutishness. No. I'm a fashionista, a designer of haute couture, and I will defend this town from the crime against fabulosity that is Sew Fine in the only way I know how." Rarity proudly lifted her nose and placed a hoof to her chest. "These ponies want a sexy Nightmare Night? Then I will give them a sexy Nightmare Night done properly, and you, my dearest, closest friend, Fluttershy, are going to help me."

The pegasus gulped and hid her face behind a wall of silky, pastel pink mane, her heart beginning to race. "I can't help. I'm sure that there's a different pony much better suited for the job. I don't know anything about being sexy... I mean, except for the things you told me about. Oh... oh my... No no no, this won't work. I'm sorry Rarity."

"Trust me, love. You're the perfect pony for the job. Just relax." Rarity took a deep breath and leaned back on her cot, glancing over to the open door to the steam bath. "Aloe, Lotus, I think my friend and I are going to require your special services this afternoon. I'm terribly stressed as of late."

"Oh, I'm fine!" Fluttershy blushed and closed her legs.

"Nonsense my dear. It's my treat, I insist. Unless you truly, honestly don't want to. In that case you're welcome to go, but bits are no issue, and I do enjoy it when you receive the service with me." Rarity leaned back and relaxed her limbs as the spa twins shut the doors and lowered the curtains.

Fluttershy looked down at the two ponies dimming the lights and flipping signs. "Well... Okay."

"Want to hold my hoof?" Rarity smiled softly and reached out to her friend, who bashfully blushed and smiled as their front hooves interlocked.

The spa sisters glanced to each other and mutually nodded, trading places and approaching the mares in front of them.

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZT

Pinkie pie leaned up and wiped her slobbery mouth, panting for breath, then shook her head and hopped off of Exie and rushed downstairs. The other mare laid blissfully in bed, her body numb and her hooves laying limply over the edge of the bed. "... Where'd ya... go?"

Exie leaned up with a wide, goofy smile and chucked, the butterflies in her stomach fluttering around like a swarm of lovesick parasprites. She fell back onto the bed and ran her gloved front hoof down her stomach and between her legs, turning and burying her muzzle into Pinkie Pie's pillow. "Mmmmm..." she hummed as she took a deep whiff.

The party pony pranced downstairs with the widest smile she could have worn, her heart racing and her body tingling. She headed into the kitchen and silenced the large oven, grabbing a pot holder with her teeth and pulling out a batch of freshly baked treats. "Mmmmm..." she hummed as she took a deep whiff.

A sudden tapping noise stole her attention as she carried the tray to the display case. Two mares stood outside with eager faces as the aroma drifted through the door. Pinkie hopped over the counter and unlocked the front door, welcoming her close friends in. Rainbow Dash trotted in behind Applejack, then received a tight hug from her affectionate pink friend, who ran her hooves up and down her back.

"Howdy." Applejack rolled her eyes and pushed the two apart. "Ya know that I'm datin' Rainbow now, right?"

Rainbow Dash frowned and tilted her head. "Pinkie, you smell... different. What have you been doing?"

Before the baker could respond, Exie trotted downstairs and yawned, her mane messy and her coat ruffled. "Hey there guys."

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eye and glanced back and forth between the two mares. "Exie, come have a chat with me outside. AJ, go get us some breakfast."

Exie gulped beneath Rainbow's harsh voice, then stepped past Applejack, who shrugged with a worried frown. As the two stepped outside, Rainbow led her to the corner of the building.

"Dash, what is this about?" Exie asked just before the pegasus shoved her against the side of the establishment.

"The hay do you think you're doing? Huh?! You can't mess around with Pinkie, alright?! She's not like other mares and you're gonna mess her all up!" Rainbow quietly shouted, ensuring her unstable friend didn't hear her as she forcefully placed a hoof on the mare's chest.

Exie frowned and smacked Rainbow's hoof away. "You can't tell me what to do. There's nothing wrong with Pinkie, and we're both adults capable of making our own choices."

"Pinkie was a virgin! Damn it, Exie. You can't just go around sleeping with the whole town and expect nopony to end up pissed at you!" Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth and stomped the ground. "Pinkie Pie wasn't supposed to..."

"Supposed to what? Get involved with a slut like me? And I don't like you talking about her like that. Just because she's different doesn't mean she doesn't deserve the intimate affection of another pony. You know, the only pony I've had sex with since I've been here is you. And you threw yourself at me an hour after we met, so don't judge me. As far as Pinkie goes, I just kissed her because she had her heart broken by you, and I wanted to take her mind off of it." Exie bit her lip and shook her head. "Dash, I really like her, but I haven't and I don't pan to take things any further..."

The pegasus scoffed and shook her head. "And what do you mean 'she had her heart broken by me'?"

"Okay, maybe heart broken is a little strong, but she was really torn up over you and AJ, because she wanted you." Exie raised an eyebrow and placed her hooves on Rainbow's shoulders. "But you're great with AJ, so no second thoughts. And if you ever shove me again, you're fired."

"I'm sor... pushin...mmm," the pegasus mumbled, glancing back towards the bakery.

"I accept your very humble apology." Exie rolled her eyes and stepped back towards the bakery. "You know what?"

"What?"

"I think it's cute that you're looking out for Pinkie Pie like this, but you should take it down a notch. I want to be your friend, but will me kissing that cute little mare really cause us problems?" Exie looked back over her shoulder with a woeful frown.

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and flattened her ears. "Don't... hurt her."

"Forget about it. I already planned to not hurt her." Exie flipped her ponytail back and forth as she trotted back into the bakery.

Rainbow followed close behind, spotting Applejack nibbling an apple fritter with lowered eyebrows. "Ya done?"

The pegasus nodded and trotted up to the table, snatching up her breakfast and taking a big bite. "I'll explain later."

Exie leaned over the counter and rested her cheeks on her hooves, one back leg lifted as she puckered her lips. Pinkie Pie gracefully carried another tray of baked goods to the display case, leaning back and giving Exie a quick peck on her way.

"Would ya look at that... Exie's goin' through all of us, huh?" Applejack chuckled and took a greedy gulp of orange juice.

Rainbow Dash frowned and tapped the table. "No, she's stopping at Pinkie. The other three would never go for her, especially not Twilight."

"You mean, especially not Rarity? That unicorn's got somethin' against her, and she down right refused to talk to me about just because she knows we're friends." Applejack dropped her smile and looked up in thought. "Huh, kinda rude actually, even for her."

Rainbow Dash chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "Unlike us, Rarity doesn't like a challenger stepping on her turf. She's the queen bitch around here, and she wants Exie to know it."

"I beg yer pardon, Dash, but I don't think that's it. Maybe Rarity just doesn't like her boots. That's the impression I got when they first met. Not to mention the fact that Exie's kinda klutzy around her, and you know how judgmental Rarity can be sometimes." Applejack shrugged. "We've had our share of... not seein' eye to eye," Applejack said as got distracted by high-pitched giggling while Exie and Pinkie took turns poking the tips of each others' noses between kisses.

"Anyway, I always hear about you two fighting, but you always seem cool when I'm around." Rainbow Dash flicked the bangs from her face and grinned. "Speaking of Rarity, I had this crazy idea earlier, if you're ever feeling adventurous..."

"No." Applejack glared across the table as she slowly chewed her food.

"Fiiiine," Rainbow groaned. "Keep an open mind though."

Applejack scoffed and flicked her hat down. "Yeah right. This is Rarity we're talkin' about. Even if I did want to do what I know you're talking about—which I don't—she'd never agree to it anyway. She's so formal and traditional, I doubt she'd even be comfortable talking about such a thing, much less actually doin' it."

Rarity lay panting, Fluttershy laying tightly pressed against her side as Aloe and Lotus each wiped the mares clean and nodded to each other. "That'll be the usual fee. Leave the rolls on the cot, and enjoy the rest if your day."

Rarity laughed quietly to herself as she stroked Fluttershy's mane. "Aren't those two just the greatest. Now come with me."

Fluttershy covered her mouth and giggled, her cheeks flushed and body still quivering. "I just did..."

Rarity slid onto her hooves and glanced back with a raised eyebrow. "Oh you." She reached forward and helped her friend off the small cot they shared. "I'm being serious though, Fluttershy. We have quite a bit of work to do if we're going to compete."

Fluttershy looked down and fell behind her mane yet again. "About that... I appreciate you wanting my help, and I'm grateful for the... services, but I'm afraid I won't be able to help you. What do you need me for anyway? Whatever it is, I'm sure I'll just mess it up."

"Absolute nonsense. Don't you worry about a thing, darling. I really need your help with this, because honestly I'm just so pressed for time. The Nightmare Night season has already started, considering the holiday is next month." Rarity reached forward and pulled Fluttershy's head against her chest, deviously stroking her mane as she contemplated the days to come. "We're going to revolutionize not only Nightmare Night costumes, but all of late-autumn fashion. Carousel Boutique? Say hello to The Boutique Horrifique. A temporary name change, of course."

"So Pinkie, wanna help me throw a 'Grand Opening' party in a few days? It'll be fun!" Exie asked as she nuzzled her friend from the other side of the counter.

"I'd love to! Throwing parties is kind of my thing ya know," Pinkie said as she merrily swayed her hips.

"So I've heard. And I'm going to help with this, because we have to really cater this thing to the interests of the potential customers. That means no foal games or confetti." Exie widened an eye and smirked.

"Gotcha. Speaking of catering, we cater." Pinkie Pie pulled a small pamphlet from behind the counter and opened it up. "You get a discount if you promote the bakery with a banner at your event too. Win win, am I right?!" Pinkie winked and bumped her friend with an elbow.

"Yeah cool. Let's set it up. Hopefully the short notice is okay." Exie smiled as Pinkie nodded.

"This is gonna be the best grand opening party ever! And this time I really will invite the whole town!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"And this time it'll make sense to." Exie nodded and turned back to face the other two mares in the room. "You guys coming too? Oh, Rainbow, I could use your help. Can you be there?.

"Count me in," the pegasus said as she saluted her employer and Applejack nodded.

Exie took a deep breath and leaned against the counter. "This is gonna go perfectly, no matter what."

Author's Notes:

Rarity has a tough role in this story, but I absolutely love her.

Anyone'll tell you that Rarity contrasts her element more often and more severely than any of the other cast by a landslide. I love her so much though. She's my favorite character and I absolutely adore writing her.

I personally feel that this is how she'd behave in this situation. She feels threatened and is lashing out due to her friends seemingly siding against her.

If any mare is capable of overreacting and blowing things out of proportion, it's Rarity.