I woke up the next morning having to talk to my boss on the phone and having him tell me that if I missed another day of work, I'm fired. I told him that I'm taking care of some guests at my house (which is true) and cannot make it to work until they leave. Which by the way is impossible since I'm heading back to Equestria once the whole field trip thing is over with. He cussed at me and hung up. "Bah, whatever." I scoffed. I hung up the phone, sat up and went through my morning routine, finally getting dressed and joining the others in the living room.

The ponies seemed to already have started eating breakfast, which I just shrugged off and went into the kitchen for a quick alternative of toaster pastries and some Alpine Blitz, making sure Pinkie Pie didn't see where I hid the remaining  cans. I ate quickly and proceeded to the living room, where Twilight was getting ready to transform Rarity. The white unicorn waved her off.

"Oh, not yet!" She said, interrupting Twilight's concentration. "I want to go out a little later, if that's okay with Mat." I thought for a second, remembering a few errands I had to run. "Sure," I said to Rarity, "Sounds great! I just have to go take care of a few things."

I grabbed my car keys and waved goodbye to everyone. As I walked out the door, Rarity jumped on the computer to do some last minute research towards her upcoming night on the town.

I returned home around noon and unloaded the small amount of groceries that needed to be picked up. As I walked into the room, I noticed that the living room was empty. The computer was unoccupied, the bed had been made, and worst of all, the ponies were not in the room anymore. The room was practically spotless.

"They're...gone?" I thought nervously.

Immediately, a wave of panic swept over me. I ran to the kitchen, only to find it as empty and clean as the living room. I ran to the back porch and saw no sign of them either. I bolted down the hallway towards my bedroom, screaming for them.

"They can't be gone." I thought, tears starting to form. "Not now."

I got to the doorway of the bathroom when I tripped over something large. I fell and tumbled down the hallway a good distance, slamming into the wall at the end. Disoriented and in pain, I looked back to see a yellow Pegasus running towards me.

"Oh, my goodness!" Fluttershy said, stopping right next to me head. "I'm so so sorry! It's completely my fault! Are you okay? Please say you're okay." Tears of her own started to form as she knelt down next to me to inspect him for injuries.

I sat up and winced, noticing that my head had made quite a hole in the wall. I was bleeding a little from my forehead, making the nervous wreck of a pony put her head in my chest, sobbing. I embraced her and laid his head on top of her flower-scented mane.

"It's okay." I said, trying to calm Fluttershy. "I'm just fine. I'm just glad you're here." I felt more tears start to build up, but keeping my manly composure, forced them back.

"What's going on out here?" A curious Twilight Sparkle called, poking her head out of the bathroom door. "We were getting makeovers and we heard a large crash and "AHH!" She saw my still bleeding head wound and the hole in the wall. Putting two and two together, she dashed towards me. "Are you two okay?!" She said panicky. She was also pulled into the slowly growing group hug.

"I'm fine." I said softly, stroking Twilight's mane. She quickly healed my wound with a new medical spell she learned and also pushed her head into my chest.

"Hey! I wanna hug, too! I love hugs!" Pinkie Pie bounced from the bathroom and joined the group hug. Rainbow Dash was next, then Applejack and finally Rarity. They sat and held the group hug for a minute until Rarity pulled away.

"Well then." She said, clearing her throat before she continued. "I believe it's time for us to go." I nodded and they all stood and followed the white unicorn back into the living room. They all decided that until they had their own clothes, the infamous hoodie and shorts were to stay in the living room on the end table closest to the computer. Rarity had donned the also infamous "Transformation Blanket" and announced that she was ready. I took a seat in the recliner while the others crammed onto the couch.

Twilight's horn began to glow and the familiar light shone from beneath the blanket. Rarity's shape changed right before everyone's eyes and the light died out. Rarity draped the blanket loosely around her, twirling in it like a new ball gown. Twilight looked and noticed something of Rarity's was missing. She gasped and pointed with her hoof.

"R-Rarity!" She stammered. "Y-your horn! It's gone!"

Rarity's eyes shot open and she felt around her forehead for her horn, only to find that Twilight was correct. She immediately dropped to her knees and began sobbing.

"It's not fair!" She screamed, pointing in Rainbow Dash's direction. "She got to keep her wings! Why can't I keep my lovely horn?! It's not fair!"

She threw her hands in the air, causing a sudden flash of blue magic and the coffee table to be vaulted a few feet into the air. It came crashing back down on its side, causing Rarity and the others to jump. She brought her hands back down and observed them. They were glowing with the same faint blue that her horn did. Rarity pushed a hand towards the table, and it levitated long enough for it to right itself. Rarity breathed a sigh of relief knowing that her and Twilight could use magic in their human form. She stood and levitated the clothes towards her and proceeded towards the bathroom to change.

Rarity emerged from the bathroom moments later, the hoodie seeming to droop over her modelesque figure. I slipped on my shoes and waved goodbye to everyone before grabbing my keys and walking out of the door with Rarity.

After a few minutes of driving, we arrived at the clothing store. Rarity ran into the store almost immediately after I threw the car into park. She went directly to the racks that had cute little summer dresses, holding them up against one of the mirrors to see which complemented her better. I stood off to the side, uninterested and bored. Rarity stopped looking at the dresses for a second to glance over at me.

"Darling, you really should pick out something nice for yourself." She said, moving over to the men's section. She held up a white polo shirt, giving it a thorough inspection. "What size do you wear?" She asked.

I sighed a little and joined Rarity at the rack where she currently was. I browsed over the other selections and pulled out a khaki, short-sleeved button up. I showed it to Rarity, who glanced at it, then back at me. She shook her head in disapproval. She handed the white polo to me instead. I checked the size and held it up to take a look to see if it'll fit, causing Rarity's eyes lit up something fierce.

"Perfect!" She squealed. She picked up one of the dresses that she was previously holding. It was also white, but with a few light splashes of lavender. "And this would simply make an excellent match!" She walked over and grabbed a white sun hat and a pair of sunglasses that were on sale for next-to-nothing. Afterwards, I introduced Rarity to the underwear section, where she picked out the most lavish bra and underwear set she could find. We then proceeded to the checkout, where we laid their rather large purchase.

"Are you sure this is no trouble at all?" Rarity asked, watching the cashier scan the items.

"It's no trouble." I replied. He handed the money over to the lady and started to walk out of the store. Rarity went to the store's restroom to change and quickly got back to the car. She sat down and saw that I still wore the purple t-shirt I had on and not the white polo.

"You're not going to wear your new shirt?" Rarity asked.

I looked at the shirt in the rear view mirror. After a moment of thought, I reached back and brought it up to the front of the car. I pulled my purple shirt off, my slightly toned torso catching Rarity's eye. She watched, or more accurately, stared, at my torso until the white polo covered it. Her trance was broken and she blushed a bright red. I put the car in reverse and backed out of the parking lot. The sky started to turn a light orange as we sped off towards the city.

The sun was beginning to set as Rarity ans I arrived in the city. Rarity had been talking about wanting to see the many fashion stores of the city, so I decided to pull into the parking garage that was beginning to seem all too familiar to me. We found a spot on the second level and parked. I led Rarity to the north exit of the parking garage, which in turn, led to the more high-end part of the city. It wasn’t too long of a walk before the two of us had reached our destination.

Rarity seemed to be floored by the amount of designer clothing stores that had appeared before her. The mass of people walking the area looked as if they themselves had just simply stepped down from the stores’ displays. Rarity grabbed Tristan’s arm, gasping from the sight of it all. She finally let out a squeal of delight as she took off running into the closest store, a helpless me in tow.

Once in the store, Rarity flew from rack to rack, inspecting every dress, blouse, skirt, and accessory. She checked the sewing, the patterns, the fabric, and made mental notes on what she could do to bring the fashion of this world back to Equestria with her. She smiled as she was time and time again struck with inspiration.

I, however, took a seat on a bench that was placed on the further end of the store. I never was one to really appreciate high fashion. My phone could only give me so much entertainment until it, too, became boring. I looked up at the clock that was placed tauntingly above the door to the shop, sighing as it seemed like it moved slower the more I watched it.

After a short while, Rarity approached me and informed me that she was ready to leave. I nearly shot up from my seat at the bench and pocketed the phone. On our way out, the saleswoman wished us a good evening, to which I simply waved. We stepped back outside and proceeded down the sidewalk. Before I could think, I felt myself being pulled into the neighboring store.

Night had fallen a little earlier than usual as Rarity and I exited the last store on the block. Rarity skipped out, filled with more ideas and possible designs than she feared she could hold. I shuffled behind her, my hands in my pockets. The two continued a little further before I felt a slight pain in my stomach. I figured that around this time, the others had probably already eaten dinner and cleaned up.

After walking another block, Rarity discovered a small, café-like structure. The closer we got, the more it began to look like a line was forming right at the door, occupied by hipsters and blue-bloods alike. I looked around the area for an eatery with a slightly less wait. Unfortunately for Rarity and I, no such haven could be found. I groaned, but my apathy was cut short by Rarity grabbing my hand and pulling me closer to the front of the line.

The host saw the two approaching and put a hand up, stopping them. He stood behind a dark oak podium and, in my opinion, dressed a little too seriously for his job.

“Do you have a reservation?” The host asked, his faux-French accent had me questioning just what kind of place this really is. I was beginning to get a sad, dark feeling in the pocket where my wallet sat. Rarity stepped in front of me and studied the host for a second, then gave him her most seductive smile.

“Oh, of course, darling!” She said, batting her eyelashes. I stood behind and felt my face get warm. Rarity continued. “It’s under Boulevaire.”

The host raised an eyebrow to Rarity and began skimming the list. Sure enough, the name was on the list, causing quite a surprise for both the host and me. The host quickly gathered two menus from the box on the side of the podium.

“R-right this way, Lady Boulevaire!” He stuttered. He quickly took off through the restaurant. Rarity began to follow, but noticed that I was still standing in front of the podium, jaw-dropped from disbelief. Rarity leaned backwards and pushed his jaw shut with her index finger.

“Come, darling, you’ll catch flies that way.” She said, still wearing her smirk. She grabbed me by the hand again and pulled me through the crowded café. I marveled at how much larger the inside appeared to be in comparison to the outside. It looked as if someone crammed a five-star restaurant into a donut shop.

Rarity and I were seated at the further end of the room and were asked for their drink selections. As the host hurried away, I caught Rarity’s attention.

“How did you do that?” I asked, my voice hushed.

Rarity looked at him, puzzled. “Do what?” She asked. I nodded towards the podium where the host stood. “Oh!” She said, “You mean how I got the reservation?”

I nodded furiously. “What did you do?” I interrogated, “Did you brainwash him? Did you read his mind or something?”

Rarity scanned her surroundings for any nearby eavesdroppers and motioned for me to lean towards her. I swallowed nervously and did so. Rarity also leaned over the table, our faces meeting inches away from each other. She raised a hand to my ear and whispered.

“I looked at the book.”

Rarity burst with laughter and fell backwards into her seat, leaving me still hovering above the table in disappointment. I sighed and sat back down, kicking myself for overthinking it. The waiter approached with our drinks, causing Rarity to force back her laughter.

He sat down two glasses of water and pulled out a small pad of paper and a pencil. Rarity ordered the spaghetti, and I, thankful that I could eat something other than salad for a change, ordered the same. The waiter nodded and, just as quickly as he had appeared, vanished into the kitchen.

Rarity sat her menu aside and focused on the boy across the table. I was too busy looking around the restaurant to notice her gaze. Seeing him dressed so decently and in such a lavish place, I almost seemed like a completely different person, and a handsome person at that. She giggled softly to herself and began to walk her fingers around the table.

Once I had given the room a satisfying overlook, I turned my attention back to Rarity, who was staring deeply into my eyes. Her fingers were like legs, seductively walking around her side of the table. I felt my face get hot (again) and started laughing nervously.

“A-are you okay, Rarity?” I asked, cautiously.

Rarity let out a relaxed sigh and giggled more, making me feel slightly uneasy. “I’m perfectly fine, darling.” She said dreamily. She straightened herself up in her seat and smiled at me. “You know,” She began, but was cut off by the return of the waiter. Steam rose from the plates of pasta as he laid them before the two diners. He refilled my water glass and took off again, without so much as a single word to either of them.

“This looks delicious!” I said, immediately diving into the spaghetti. Rarity nodded in agreement and began eating as well. After a few minutes of enjoying the food, I wiped my mouth with the dining cloth and spoke again to Rarity. “Was there something you wanted to tell me?” I asked, half curious and half nervous.

Rarity’s eyes widened, knowing exactly what I was talking about. Still, she tried to playing it off the best she could. “Oh, it was nothing!” She said, feeling that her fake smile and enthusiasm may be failing her. I decided to not press further into the matter, but instead, concentrate on the warm, Italian goodness that lay in front of me.

The waiter returned just as Rarity and I finished their pasta, bringing along with him a big bottle of…wine? I began preparing my “thanks, but no thanks” response in my head. But before the wine could be rejected, the waiter had poured them both a glass and placed the rest of the bottle on the table.

“Compliments of the owner.” He said to Rarity, almost with the same faux-French accent as the host. “He is a big fan of you and your husband’s charity work.”

I nearly choked on the forkful of spaghetti that he was chewing. Rarity shot a look at me, half delighted and half panicky that her “husband” may not make it through the rest of the conversation. I recollected my composure and wiped my mouth again. The waiter never took his eye off of me as he laid down the check and left. I picked up the bill and disdainfully shelled out enough to cover the bill and tip. I began to stand up when Rarity grabbed me by the arm.

“What’s the rush?” She asked playfully. “We have plenty of time! Let’s sit and enjoy a drink.”

I looked at my phone. We had roughly two hours before the transformation wore off. I sat back down and took my wine glass in hand and raised it.

“Okay.” I said, “One drink.”

I, being the responsible adult that I was, abided by my own “One drink rule”. Given that I was driving us both home, anyway, I had to remain sober. However, someone else enjoyed the wine just a tad too much.

Rarity stumbled down the sidewalk, using me as a living crutch and cackling to herself rather loudly. Passersby looked at us, bewildered by the purple-haired woman’s drunken ranting. I gave apologetic looks to anyone within earshot and fixed my grip on Rarity. "I know the wine was good," I thought to myself. "but did she really have to drink the whole bottle?"

After what seemed like forever, we had finally made our way back to my car. I helped Rarity into her side of the car and fastened her seat belt for her. During this, Rarity flung her arms around my neck and pulled my face into her chest.

"I'm so glad I have such a great friend like you!" She said, her words occasionally slurring. I tried fighting against Rarity's surprisingly tight embrace, but somehow could not break away from the inebriated iron grip long enough to gasp for air. She finally let go, giggling loudly as she fell in defeat against the seat's backrest. I ran around to the other side of the car and quickly climbed in. Checking my phone, I realized I only had half an hour to get Rarity home before she took on pony form.

I quickly threw the car in gear and peeled out of the parking garage as quickly as possible. Rarity threw her hands up and cheered as the car weaved through traffic and out onto the main highway. I checked his phone again and found that I may or may not barely make it back in time. I stepped on the gas and Rarity cheered again. She talked and giggled the entire ride back to my house.

I couldn't have timed it any better. As soon as the car pulled into the driveway, a light shone from next to me, signifying Rarity's return to her unicorn state. I noticed that sometime during the transformation, Rarity had passed out from a combination of alcohol and exhaustion from transforming.

"Great." I thought to myself. "How am I gonna pull this off?"

I decided that the best thing to do was to remove the summer dress she was wearing. Although she was no longer a human, I still felt extremely uncomfortable doing so. My intentions were good, but my conscious still carried a haunting sense of perversion. I attempted to shake my self-brought guilt by quickly completing the task and opened the passenger door. Rarity mumbled in her sleep as I walked around to her side and lifted her from the seat. I struggled against the weight of the unicorn, but managed to get a good hold on her and kicked the car door shut.

I waddled up the the front door of the house, noticing that all the lights were out and there were no noises coming from inside. I fished my keys out of my pocket and quietly unlocked the door to the house. I shifted Rarity around and proceeded through the door frame, pulling the door shut behind me with my foot and locking the door with my most free hand.

As predicted, the lights were all out and the ponies had went to bed early. I quietly kicked my shoes off and tip-toed over to the bed where most of the other ponies lay sleeping. The only excepting was Rainbow Dash, who lay kicked back in the recliner. It took all my strength to lower Rarity gently and without disturbing the others onto the bed. I took one of the blankets that lay unused on the floor and covered the white unicorn with it. I smiled to myself and leaned over Rarity.

"Good night." I whispered.

Rarity unconsciously stirred. "Good night, my prince." She whispered, and planted a long kiss on my right cheek before I could think to act. Then, as if nothing happened, Rarity passed back out on the bed, snoozing quietly while a dumbstruck me just froze.

"D-did she just...." I thought.

I rubbed my face and drug myself back towards my room, still in an intense state of shock. As I stripped down to my boxers and flopped onto his bed, I let out a sigh of confusion. Was Rarity dreaming of me? Or someone else?

Hopefully it was just the alcohol talking I reassured himself. Besides, nobody saw it happen but me. Just let it go.

I nestled down between the sheets of my bed, slightly more calm about the situation knowing that there was no conscious audience. I looked forward to tomorrow, where I would spend the day with Pinkie Pie, and maybe I could completely forget the events of tonight. I let the thoughts drift away as I drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, in the living room, a set of uneasy eyes lay wide awake, trying to make sense of what they had just witnessed.... Next Chapter: Chapter 9 - Feeling Pinkie Keen/I'm In Trouble Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 5 Minutes