Rarity finished sketching her latest design, smiling down on it with the satisfaction of a job well done. It was a lovely little thing with plenty of lace and buttons, and a few gemstones she was planning on sewing in just for fun. She set her quill down, getting up for a quick stretch.

As she walked past her work desk, her eyes were unavoidably drawn to the stack of envelopes, each individually addressed and stamped to go to the dozens of ponies she’d invited to the wedding. The wedding that was not to be.

Her hoof involuntarily felt for the earring with Pinkie’s cutie mark on it, as it often did of late. What she would have given to find it there just once...

It would have been lovely, she thought, averting her eyes and heading to the kitchen. She had a more pressing concern at that moment: She wasn’t entirely certain when last she’d eaten. Pinkie had been by yesterday and brought muffins and croissants, she remembered that much. Beyond that, it was just a long blur of cutting, assembling, and sewing gowns, with the occasional break for a nap or to get a new design down when it occurred to her.

Sweetie had been by at some point, babbling excitedly about a sleepover. She dearly hoped it was supposed to be at Scootaloo’s or Apple Bloom’s home, because she wasn’t entirely certain if she could cope otherwise.

It will be fine. For now, we should probably fuel the fires of creativity, she thought with a little smile. Though in truth, some of her best ideas were to be had while she was half-crazed with hunger. She’d once come up with an entire line inspired by the bowl of fruit she’d ravenously devoured after a three day work spree. There were downsides, of course; for instance, the last time she’d forgotten for long enough that she’d threatened a dress, but that had also led to a very pleasant morning with Pinkie Pie followed by many more wonderful months thereafter. So, all told, her track record was fairly positive, but it was likely best not to further test it.

She wasn’t entirely certain what she even had to eat, as her shopping of late had been sporadic at best. Fortunately, it seemed that Pinkie had placed the leftover croissants and butter from the day before in her icebox. She had planned on having a salad, at some point, but the lettuce and tomatoes looked a little bit wilted and soft, respectively, so salad was out. Still, croissants worked just fine.

She sat down, looking a little sadly at the unoccupied chairs at the table. Perhaps she would make an unscheduled visit to them both, collecting Pinkie on the way and then going to Fluttershy’s cottage. It had been too long since she’d seen both of them at once.

Yes, that could work. I wonder if Mother would mind whipping up a pasta dish of some sort... a casserole, perhaps. Thinking that, however, she was unavoidably reminded that her parents needed to be informed of the lack of a wedding. She put the croissant down on the plate, unbitten. She wasn’t very hungry after all. She stood up, putting the plate and butter back in the icebox.

What is wrong with you? You have everything a mare could want, and you keep thinking about what you don’t have. Be happy! You have a career, two wonderful marefriends, and a family that loves you. Most ponies wish they could be so lucky.

She shook her head ruefully. Of course that was true. She was being foolish and selfish.

Well, no longer. You march over to Sugarcube Corner, fetch Pinkie, and then go visit with Fluttershy. Then you can all enjoy each other’s company instead of you moping around like a poor filly who dropped her ice cream!

That might have been a little unfair. She wasn’t just upset about the marriage being called off for her own sake, but for Pinkie’s as well, after all.

For Pinkie’s sake? Pinkie, the marefriend who you’ve been mistreating? The one who nearly burst out crying because you demanded she stop mentioning the word ‘wedding’? No, you called it off for your own sake.

“Is it so selfish to want us all to be happy together instead of a married couple and their ‘friend who they sleep with’?” Rarity demanded to nopony in particular.

The fact that you even question that means you feel it is, at least a little. But this isn’t about the wedding. This is about enjoying their company, and you being there for them to enjoy. You’re taking all the fun out of the relationship by being so incredibly dramatic about it all. In the end, it’s a ceremony declaring what you already know.

“But it’s more than that,” Rarity said, frowning. “It’s about letting them both know what they are to me. It’s forming a bond beyond the romantic, or the carnal. A joining of souls.”

Goodness, but that sounds so very corny. You should read a few less cheap romance novels.

“They are not cheap! I have some very nice first editions—” Rarity stopped in mid sentence, her eyes widening. “Sweet Celestia, I am arguing with myself. I really need to go eat something.”

Well, then. How about you go and fetch something nice to eat at Sugarcube Corner? A pie, perhaps. You could get some food at the same time.

“Pie does sound lovely—” she blushed heavily. “Right, not only am I arguing with myself, I am guilty of bad puns. Well, food it is, then.”

She made a quick examination of the shop, checking on Opal’s food and water dishes and putting out the ‘Out To Lunch’ sign. The walk to Sugarcube was pleasant, at least. The birds had no special problems with multiple mates or whether or not those mates wished to have large elaborate ceremonies signifying a lifetime commitment. Indeed, if Fluttershy was to be believed, birds were quite scandalous when it came to mating, though they tended to raise their young in pairs. It seemed a little odd, though this was coming from the mare who wished to spend her life with two other mares, so perhaps it was a matter of perspective.

Arriving inside, she waved to Mr. Cake, giving him a questioning look as he rang up a line of customers. He shook his head, a surprised look on his own face, as if to say ‘I thought she was with you’ before his attention was reclaimed by the stallion in the hard hat demanding several boxes of his confections.

Having no particular interest in waiting in line when she could be visiting, she made her way around the crowd to the kitchen. She took a peek inside, hoping Mrs. Cake might know more, but found that she was a little busy as well. She said she did recall Fluttershy coming by, but had been busy for most of the day so didn’t know where either of them might be. They exchanged pleasantries for some time, but eventually Mrs. Cake asked Rarity to excuse her so she could focus on keeping up with the afternoon rush.

Hmmm. Perhaps up in her room?

A short climb up the stairs ruled out that possibility, though there was evidence to suggest Pinkie hadn’t been gone long. The bed was disheveled, and the sheets gave off a distinct odor that Rarity was well familiar with.

Fluttershy came by to visit, and the expected happened, she thought with a wry grin. At the very least, it was nice to know they were keeping each other happy despite her mopeyness. She did wish she’d been here to see it, however. There was something so incredibly satisfying about watching Pinkie pleasure Fluttershy... She shivered, resisting the urge to lay down on the bed and imagine exactly what Pinkie had been up to while breathing in the scent of their lovemaking. After all, it would be more fun to find them and see it in person.

So, she’s not working, not in her room. Fluttershy has recently visited her, so she likely didn’t go to Fluttershy’s cottage. Perhaps she went out on the town to say hello to all of her friends?

If so, she could be literally anywhere in the city limits. Rarity let out a little sigh of disappointment. Still, she could still visit with Fluttershy for the day. That would be more than pleasant. But she had hoped to catch them both.

Ah, well. Another day. You’ll just have to settle for snuggling with your best-friend-turned-lover, and hear her try to stammer out a detailed account of what she and Pinkie were up to, while attempting to reenact it yourself.

Really, when looked at in the right light, she had very very little to complain of.

It was just a matter of perspective.

Today was not turning out to be her day at all.

When she’d arrived at the cottage, not finding Fluttershy hadn’t been terribly disheartening at first. She’d actually been more than a little excited to try to find her darling. Perhaps she might have even caught her in the act, in flagrante, as it were. Then she would have just watched silently for a time, waiting for the opportune time to step out from her hiding space and pounce. The combined look of heavy-lidded lust and surprise on Fluttershy’s face was always a sight to behold.

That and being held is exactly what I was after, she thought ruefully, glaring down at her small fuzzy oppressor.

Her search had proved in vain. Instead, she’d only found Fluttershy’s ill-tempered pet, who refused to even give her a hint where Fluttershy had gone off to, being interested only in trying to drive her from the cottage.

“Look, I’m not here to argue with you, Angel. I just came by to see Fluttershy—” Rarity dodged, catching the carrot bucket in her magic. “Now that was just rude! You’d better believe she will hear of this bad behavior—”

Angel jumped up and slammed the door in her face, sticking out his tongue just before it closed.

“Why you little...” Rarity extended a hoof, tapping on the door insistently. From the other side, she heard various locks and chains being secured. “How... how can you even reach those?”

She was left glaring at the door, uncertain what to do. Fluttershy was obviously gone, or she would have chided Angel for his behavior by now. But having failed to find both Fluttershy and Pinkie, she was at a loss.

All right, so you couldn’t find either one of them. Sad, but hardly tragic. Back to the shop, I suppose.

She exhaled loudly, turning about to begin the walk home. It had been a nice thought, but it wasn’t fair to expect them to be available whenever she was feeling a little down, after all. Perhaps there were other ways she could distract herself. Pinkie and Fluttershy were important, but they weren’t the only ponies she knew.

There are, for instance, many many letters waiting to be mailed out on your desk right now. Letters to ponies you know very well who need to be informed of events that aren’t going to transpire.

She winced at the thought. So many ponies would be disappointed to hear the wedding was off. And while she had promised Pinkie that parties would still occur, explaining in letter form that said parties were to celebrate a relationship instead of a wedding didn’t quite ring as true.

Not for the first time (even for this week alone) she thought of just giving in to Pinkie Pie and getting married, because it was easier. But it felt so very wrong to celebrate a union that was not complete. Her modified vows had been full of revisions, carefully omitting phrases having to do with being faithful only to each other, as promising such a thing with Fluttershy standing there smiling in a maid of honor gown would have been the foulest lie she could ever imagine.

But even so, standing there at all without both of them had become an unacceptable idea. Selfish mare that she was, she couldn’t settle for that. Which wasn’t to say she didn’t love Pinkie to bits, but then there was her darling Fluttershy, so unassuming, wanting only what made her friends happy, and nothing for herself. How could she not love her? How could she not wish to give her everything, knowing that Fluttershy would never seek it for herself? Her shy pegasus lover needed her, just as much as she needed Pinkie, and Pinkie needed them both.

Part of her, the part that had been raised on a steady diet of romance (and molded by parents who had been perhaps a little too uncomfortable with sexuality), the part that respected what was proper and right, felt guilty for that. It had made her feel guilty for being attracted to Pinkie, and for ever considering inviting Fluttershy to her bed.

She had learned to ignore it, slowly. It still troubled her from time to time. But, oddly enough, here, it agreed with her. A marriage, even an oddish one between two mares, was meant to be one that lasted a lifetime. So the thought of a temporary marriage until the third member of their loving group got on board was anathema to it.

This realisation, that she didn’t have to fight with her own sense of morals on this one issue, had relieved her greatly, once she’d gotten over the difficult bit of destroying her dress of lies. That had been one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do, as it was denying one dream in favor of another, and worse, in favor of a dream that she had no real way to bring to fruition.

But there were still the letters, still that final step to perform, and it troubled her. Pinkie had long since given up on reminding her of them, for fear that it would sadden her. But Fluttershy, brave Fluttershy, would not let her forget them, even in defiance of Rarity’s stated wishes. They were the final nail in the coffin, or the last shovelful of dirt on the grave.

So morbid! It’s not an end, you silly thing. Simply a denial of something false, so that you can truly begin again.

Yes! Maybe she’d missed out on an afternoon of company and bliss, but she could do this for her brave darling. And how much better would it be to whisper those words to her? To tell her she’d sent them, and in her heart know it meant ‘I will wait, my love, until you realize how much you are loved, and on that day I will be truly happy.’

She kicked up her heels with a sudden squeal of happiness, feeling good for the first time in weeks. But those letters on the desk would never do, no no. Those were letters of sadness, letters that said she was not happy with the situation. Instead, she would write a glowing letter, informing all of their family and friends that while the celebration of one union was not to occur, that they were invited to a party of the beginning of another, greater still!

No... not letters. Invitations. Gold-embossed, on the highest quality card-stock. She wondered if it was too short notice to get Filigree Flourish of Canterlot to do them.

I’ll pay him triple. That should be enough. And if it’s not I’ll ask Fancy Pants to badger him into it.

A warm feeling of satisfaction grew in her heart, and she smiled at the world in general, stepping up her canter into a jaunty trot. She then immediately stopped and scrambled for a sketchpad as the perfect design for a gown for Fluttershy occurred to her.

The first thing she did upon arriving home was to gather all of the mopey, self-pitying things on her desk and throw them in the garbage. They would not be needed. Next, she went to her sketchpad and set to work. She wrote the letters in broad, sweeping calligraphy, with ornate flourishes just to show off. Then she pursed her lips, frowning, as she realized she wanted other ponies to be able to read important things like dates and times.

Oh, but it’s so pretty! she thought, hesitating further. Finally, with a sigh, she flipped the page, and tried again, this time using large, but legible, ornate lettering.

A loud growling echoed throughout the room, making her start in alarm. Opal poked her head out from the nest she’d made amongst Rarity’s fabric scraps, took one look at her, and hissed loudly.

“Opal! What’s gotten into you—” The rumbling returned, sounding like an angry bear having been awoken in the middle of winter. This time, Rarity found the source, and realized that in her efforts to find Pinkie and have breakfast with her, then her attempt to find Fluttershy and have lunch, she had in fact failed to find either, and thus had missed both meals.

She looked down at her work thus far, frowning. She was probably jumping the gun a bit writing out the invitation before properly deciding how she was going to word it, but in her defense, she had been very excited to get to work on them. She pursed her lips thoughtfully, and decided perhaps getting something to eat would be a good idea. While Sugarcube Corner may not currently have a Pinkie Pie, they did sell food there.

Granted, she would have rather had Pinkie, but since that option wasn’t on the menu, food might be pleasant—

Her stomach growled again, even louder, and Opal fled from the room with her tail puffed up.

Right. Food it is, then.

She got up, hastily putting her sketches in order, taking care to put the dress designs in her portfolio where they would be safe (a lesson she had learned painfully when Opal had decided an entire spring line’s worth of sketches would be excellent to sharpen her claws upon) and made her way out the door to Sugarcube Corner.

Upon arriving, she was immediately and undeniably reminded of how wonderful a donut could smell on an empty stomach. There was a little bit of a line waiting for orders, but thankfully not many. Mrs. Cake was cleaning tables, while Mr. Cake was taking orders. Rarity smiled at them both, and they gave her a friendly but questioning look, as well they might. This was, after all, the second time she’d been by today, and she was still alone. She shrugged helplessly, refusing to let it affect her mood. Wherever Fluttershy and Pinkie were off to, she hoped they were having a good time.

When she finally arrived at the front of the line, she was having difficulty not openly salivating as the sights and smells engulfed her senses. “Hello, darling,” she greeted Mr. Cake with a smile. “I... I don’t suppose, I mean I try not to overindulge usually, but—”

“A baker’s dozen?” Carrot suggested, “Glazed, I assume?”

“Errr, yes.” Rarity replied, blushing. “I missed a couple meals, you see, and—” she was interrupted by a thankfully relatively quiet growl this time. “Well, yes, please,” she finished quickly.

“Coming right up!” he replied with a grin. “So, have you seen them yet?”

She just looked at him, confused by the sudden change in topic. “Seen who, exactly?”

“Probably not, then. I won’t keep you.” He grabbed the donuts from his wife, letting them drop into her magic. “That’ll be six bits.”

She paid him, still not certain why he was smiling at her in that way, and feeling confounded by his refusal to elaborate. Efforts to question Mrs. Cake were similarly met with a mischievous smile and a complete unwillingness to cooperate with her demands to know just what in Equestria was so very amusing. She left in a huff, deciding her cat would be better company.

She rather liked them both, but she really didn’t appreciate such treatment. It was like they were privy to a joke at her expense and refused to let her in on the punchline. She was generally all right with pranks (one had to be when one had friends like Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie) but this behavior just seemed mean-spirited.

Well, perhaps I do them a disservice. They may just be aware of something they find amusing but are sworn to secrecy about— Oh, dear.

That did put things in a new light, didn’t it? She wracked her brain for clues to whatever she was about to step into, but had very little to go on. Mr. Cake had only said ‘them’, after all, so... that meant a party of at least two ponies that would see her soon... possibly three or more.

Wait... Sweetie said something about a sleepover.

She stopped in her tracks, eyeing her home in sudden trepidation. If Sweetie had meant to have her friends over, versus she going to them, that meant they’d be visiting in the Boutique.

She silently asked Celestia for the strength to last the night.

Right. So, three of them. She could do this. She would need food, and entertainment to keep them busy. Board games? No, Scootaloo had declared them boring the last time she’d visited. Perhaps she could interest them in a makeover party... Pinkie would eat the very idea up, actually... except she was not to be found. But surely she’d be back by this evening? Rarity would be able to cope far easier with Pinkie or Fluttershy there to help.

The Boutique looked suspiciously quiet. She eyed it with a wary look, almost as if she expected it to jump at her. That was silly, of course, buildings didn’t just jump... unless Discord was about. Then all bets were off.

All right, calm down. Sweetie and her friends are not nearly as troublesome as so many things you could name. It’s going to be fine, you even have something to feed them with this very moment.

She looked down at her parcel, relieved that she’d gotten more than she would personally have consumed in a single sitting. So, food was covered for the moment, keeping them entertained... She did have plenty of sketching paper, perhaps she could persuade them to draw quietly? It was worth a shot.

Giving her home one final sidelong glance, she began to walk forward towards it, satisfied that it wasn’t going to attack her after all. The three fillies potentially lying in wait for her, however, might be another story. As she got closer, however, she noticed something very... off about her home. After a moment, she realized what it was.

That’s odd. Did I draw the blinds?

A single brow rose in surprise. All of her blinds were closed! She never did that. Not even when she and Pinkie made love in the showroom! Something was definitely amiss.

That feeling did not go away when she entered, finding her showroom entirely dark save for the spot of fading afternoon sunlight entering from behind her. “H-hello?” she called into the shop. “Sweetie Belle? Are you and your friends playing some sort of game?”

Her panic rose as no sound of movement or voice greeted her. What if it wasn’t a game? What if something nefarious was going on? She peered anxiously into the dark, looking for any sign of movement, or failing that, a lightswitch..Just as her eyes had started to adjust to the darkness, her world was flooded with bright lights, and a sudden, alarming shout of: “Surprise!”

Rarity’s heart skipped a beat, and she tried and failed to understand anything that was happening. She closed her eyes against the lights, hoping whatever was happening would get on with it quickly. After a few moments of nothing, however, she opened her eyes to find Pinkie smiling one of the the biggest smiles she’d ever seen on the mare. “Pinkie? What... what’s going on? Where is Sweetie Belle?”

Pinkie’s smile dropped just a little, a look of confusion growing on her face. “Um... I dunno. I haven’t seen her.” Her ear cocked backwards, and after a moment the look of confusion cleared. “Oh, right! The surprise! Rarity, I need you to take this!” she said, holding out the engagement earring that Rarity had given back to her in one hoof expectantly.

“Pinkie...” Rarity began, looking down at the earring, then back up at her marefriend. She so wanted to take it and put it back on, just to see Pinkie smile, but she’d just finally made peace with waiting. “Pinkie, I’m sorry, I really am—”

Pinkie just smiled even bigger somehow, putting the earring in Rarity’s hoof and kissing her on the cheek. “It’s okay. It’s not an engagement earring, not yet. It’s just a promise.”

“A... a promise?” Rarity asked, still hesitating.

“Uh huh! It’s only the first part though. Take it. It’s part of a matching set, silly!”

Rarity looked at Pinkie in utter confusion, unsure what that had to do with anything. Of course it was a matching set, she’d purchased them herself. Before she could question her marefriend’s odd behavior, however, Pinkie had moved aside, and what was revealed did little to assuage Rarity’s befuddlement.

Fluttershy was behind her, crouched down, only not quite—

No, she’s down on one knee. Did she drop something?

Rarity glanced around at the floor, but saw nothing on it. She looked back at Fluttershy, even more confused.

Wait, she’s holding something up... a small box...

Fluttershy looked up at her, smiling hopefully, holding the box up and opening it with her other hoof.

Inside was a small earring. At first, Rarity almost mistook it for the mate to the one in her hoof. But a quick glance to Pinkie confirmed what her brain was squealing about like a small child being given exactly what they had always wanted. Pinkie’s earring was exactly where it always had been, in her ear, as she’d refused to ever take it out even after Rarity had called the wedding off.

In fact, in Pinkie’s other ear, another earring could be seen. Rarity whipped her head back to Fluttershy, and saw two similarly adorned ears, the gold sparkling in the bright lights. Four earrings, when there had only been two previously. Five, counting the one in her hoof. Six, counting the box.

The one in the small box is new, she thought, not quite daring to acknowledge what that meant.

“F-Fluttershy?” she asked, feeling incredibly nervous and excited simultaneously.

“Um... Rarity... Will... Will you...” Fluttershy took a deep breath, tilting her head up just enough to allow her hair to fall away from her eyes. “Willyoumarryme?” she said in a rush, refusing to drop her gaze despite the intense look of fear that had come over her.

Rarity could feel the wave of faintness threatening to overtake her, and she quickly pulled her chaise lounge to her, knowing that her knees would buckle soon. She managed to quickly sputter out 'Yes!', before surrendering to the sweet embrace of cushions and blackness.