Sorry for this being a day late. Real life kinda happened, and I couldn't finish editing this until about 4 o'clock today. Please don't pelt me with e-rocks!

Knock knock knock

The loud knocking at your door starts the morning off rather unceremoniously. You force your eyes open to find yourself wrapped up next to Rarity in the loft. Her gentle breaths quiver her mane ever so gently as sunlight begins to stream into the room. A gentle ray of light hits her mane, making it glow with radiance.

However, more knocking cuts the peaceful scene short.

Knock knock knock

At this second wave of noise, Rarity’s eyes shoot open. You gaze at each other for just a moment as you begin to register your surroundings. “Sleep well, darling?" Rarity asks, shifting her mane in a way that makes your heart flutter.

Rather than reply, you reach over and caress her side in a way that says so much more than mere words. You hear more knocking, curling her head around and looking towards the door. Still half asleep, the two of you disentangle yourselves from each other's embrace and move to answer the door.

Knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock
"Oh for the love of Celestia," you mutter as the beating clatter of hooves threaten to shake the whole structure. "I'm coming!"
You half climb, half fall down the ladder and run to the door before whoever is making that noise breaks your door down.

You reach the foyer and throw open the door. In front of you stands the pink earth pony you met at the Pure and Petite several nights ago. She wore an enthusiastic smile and clenched an envelope between her teeth. "Shurprishe!" she muffles before spitting out the envelope.

You stare at the mare in confusion. "Um, I'm sorry. I don't really get what's going on. Did I win something?"

"No, you silly filly!" she replies. "This is an invitation to a 'hey-guess-what-Rarity's-got-a-coltfriend' party tomorrow! And you're the guests of honor!"

At this moment, Rarity trots up behind you, gently running a comb through her mane. "Oh, hello Pinkie." She levitates the invitation in front of her. "Oh my, a party for us? Dearie, you shouldn't have!"

"Well, I did!" replied Pinkie, bouncing slightly as she talked. "I really had nothing to do besides cameo in chapter seven, so I figured, 'why not?'"

Rarity can only shake her head. "Whatever you say darling. We would absolutely love to attend the party."

In a seemingly impossible move, the mare suspends herself in midair with a squee of excitement. "Yay! I was really hoping you'd say yes! Cause otherwise there would be no reason to have a party. Of course, I'd still throw one, but it just wouldn't be as good of a party without my best friend and her special somepony. Which reminds me, I really need to find a coltfriend. Not that I need one, but sometimes it just gets really lonely and I could use somepony else to keep me company during my work days-"

"Pinkie!" Rarity's voice echoes through the house, bringing the pony to a standstill.

"Oh, whoopsie daisies. Guess I rambled a bit, didn't I?" You both nod, feeling rather amused by her baffling behavior. "Oh, well," she says, the flair returning to her voice. "I'll see you silly fillies tomorrow!" Without a second thought, she turns sharply and bounces off, seemingly oblivious to the forces of gravity.

You close the door and lean upon it heavily, sinking to your haunches. "Goodness... I feel like I was just verbally assaulted." Although it was rather interesting to see, you still feel somewhat drained from the encounter. "I think I need to go back to bed."

Rarity yawns, agreeing with your suggestion without having to say anything. As the two of you make your way back up to the loft, you throw a sidelong glance at a clock on the wall. Its analog display reads 5:51 AM. You stand transfixed for a moment, pondering just how in Celestia's name Pinkie could have summoned the energy to be so... Pinkie-ish at such an early hour.

A nudging on your flank interrupts your mudled thought. You turn to find Rarity vainly attempting to push you up into the loft. "Do hurry," she said with a yawn. "I need my beauty sleep."

You comply, mustering the strength to haul yourself up into the loft. You help Rarity up a moment later. The two of you collapse in a heap in the middle of the room, swaddling yourselves in a blanket before falling fast asleep.

-----

"Wow. When Pinkie said that she was gonna invite everypony in town, I didn't think she meant it." You stare dumbstruck at the throng of ponies assembling inside sugarcube corner. The crowd spills onto the streets, occupying the entire block with ease. Most simply meander around chatting, enjoying the cool night air and friendly conversation. As you stare into the epicenter of the party, you note the massive strobe lights and a blaring bass drop resonating from the building itself.

"I assume we have to go in there," you mutter to Rarity, who stands beside you with her tail entwined with yours.

"Unfortunately, yes. We just have to stop in and say hi to Pinkie and the gang. Then, we can just relax outside for the rest of the night."

You take a deep breath, steeling yourself for the inevitable entrance. You never really liked these types of parties, but a chance to cut loose for a few minutes almost sounds like fun. Still, you know deep down that you will regret walking into this party one way or another.

"Oh well," you mumble, extending your hoof to Rarity. "Shall we?"

She takes it, nodding formally. "Let's." She pecks you on the cheek, and you begin picking your way through the crowd to the core of the party.

Not surprisingly, Pinkie has made herself the center of attention. Limbs flailing and head bobbing frantically, she looks like she's having a controlled seizure on the dance floor. However, as she notices you and Rarity approach, she stops in mid air, once again proving that she is immune to the pull of gravity. "Omaigosh! How are you? How are you liking the party?"

You strain yourself to be heard over the din of noise coming from the speakers. "It's very nice! If you don't mind, though, we're gonna head outside for a bit and get some air!"

Pinkie's mane deflated slightly. "But you can't leave without playing for us!"

A confused look crosses your face. "I'm sorry... I don't quite follow."

She lets put an exasperated sigh. "You play saxophone, right? Well, go play some!" she gestures to the DJ perched atop makeshift risers blasting music from a turntable.

You blush, not really wanting to play for such a rowdy crowd. The last time that happened, you lost your tuxedo along with most of your dignity, and you do not want a repeat of that. "Oh, no I couldn't!"

"Yeah, you can." Pinkie waves frantically at the DJ, who cuts off the music with a scratching of vinyl.

The throng of ponies raise their dissent at the lack of music. Knowing that you are the sole cause only intensifies your blush. "I-I don't have my sax-"

Pinkie thrusts your instrument into your hooves. How she could've possibly got it was beyond you, but you decide to forget about Pinkie for now, seeing more and more ponies start to stare at you with disapproving glances. Finally, you give in. "Oh, alright," you muster, hopping up onto the risers. The DJ levitates a microphone to your side, which you grab nervously. You see a lot of ponies out there, and you would hate to disappoint them. You take a breath and bring the mic to your lips.

"Howdy, everypony. It looks like you all want to dance. Am I right?" The crowd responds by stomping the floors beneath them, shaking the entire building in the process. "I'll take that as a yes," you reply, wincing. Here goes nothing. "One, two, three, four!"

You launch into an old dance piece you had learned from your early years. A quick, bouncy riff gives way to hard, punchy melodies. You notice with some disdain that the DJ has put a bass loop behind your music, but you choose to ignore it. The crowd appears to like it more this way. You watch as several colts near the risers throw themselves around wildly, throwing their hooves up and shouting. You spot Rarity actually dancing near the corner. Your lips curl up at the sight of the mare finally letting loose a little.

You refocus your attention to the music, blasting a sharp, staccato riff into the crowd. They are just eating up your performance! You thrust your head back and pour your soul into one final riff before holding a high note, signaling the end of the tune.

The crowd cheers voraciously for you, causing your cheeks to turn bright red. "Uh, t-thank you," you stammer as you stumble off the risers and back into the crowd. You immediately spot Rarity hustling towards you, a huge grin on her face. "Oh, dearie, that was superb!"

Your blush intensifies. "D'aww, you flatter me. It really was just an old dance tune I had learned a while back. Nothing special."

"Well, I don't care. You still whipped the crowd into quite the frenzy, let me tell you."

"Yeah, about that," You glance at the crowd, which is now growing in size and intensity.You glance over and see two rowdy colts throwing themselves against the riser, the DJ screaming something about the expensive equipment. Your eyes dance from the scene to the mass of inebriated ponies stomping around nearby. "We might want to go outside before this party turns into a riot."

Rarity nods, a slight worry creeping onto her face. "That would be a good idea." You both chuckle nervously as you begin to edge your way out of the store.

You don't look where you're going, however, and you bump into a pony behind you. "Oh," you stutter, "I'm so sorry, I didn't look where I was-"

Your blood turns to ice as the stallion you just ran into turns to face you, a malicious smirk going across his face. "Wull, lookie here. I didn't think you'd be dumb enough to show yur face around here again." You blink furiously, trying to wake up from the nightmare this situation has turned into, but to no avail. The stallion staring you down is the same stallion that pummeled you senseless in an alley hardly a week ago after you rescued Rarity. It just HAS to be him, you think. It just HAS to be the same, exact pony!

"Dearie, who's that?" Rarity's voice attracts the attention of the thug.

"Aw, is that little lady yur marefriend? Looks like I'll just have to beat the hay out of both of you now."

Your pupils dilate with a sudden, infuriating rage. "You do not hurt Rarity!" You turn to her, your anger subsiding for a moment. "Rarity, get back to the house. I'll take care of this."

A look of horror spreads across her face. "No, are you crazy? You might get hurt, or worse!" Genuine tears of sorrow begin to well in her eyes. "I won't leave your side. I ran from these hoodlums once, and you were beaten within an inch of your life! There's no way I'm leaving you alone again. We’ll take this ruffian together!" Her voice is full of determination and bravado, but her eyes betray just how scared she really feels.

You sigh heavily, a defeated feeling in your heart. "Then, I'm sorry, Rarity. I hope you can forgive me for this." She attempts to respond, but you cut her off by summoning a red aura of magic around her. You pick her up and hoist her on top of the crowd. "Take her outside!" you shout. The crowd, mostly oblivious to the fight scene developing, carries her out the door. You swear that you can hear her voice shouting at you for the briefest moment before she gets foisted out into the night.

You breath a contented sigh before turning your attention to your adversary. The stallion has watched the scene unfold with a stupid smirk plastered on his face. "Huh, ain't that cute. Looks like I only need to beat one of ya now. Then I'll find yer pretty little marefriend-"

You silence him, smashing you hoof into his jaw. A chorus of "oooh's" responds through the crowd. Almost instantaneously, a fight ring forms around you, blocking any chance of escape.

Your attacker begins to circle you like a shark. "Wull, looks like you just dug yer own grave, punk. Too bad your pretty little marefriend isn’t here to see the fun. I wonder what I’ll do to her after I find her later..."

Your rage returns tenfold. "You do NOT threaten Rarity. Ever!"

The stallion puts on a face of mock horror. "Oh, no, what ever shall I do? Oh, wait, I'll just beat you senseless. That'll work nicely." He laughs hardily at his own joke.

You move into a fighting position and prepare to attack. It doesn't help that you are scared silly by the thug’s mere presence, or the fact that you've never won a fight before in your life. However, with Rarity’s safety at stake, you feel compelled to fight not only for yourself, but for her as well. You growl menacingly, and shout, "Bring it on!"

Your attacker smiles maniacally. "With pleasure."

Dun dun DUHHHHH! Don’t you just hate cliffhangers? Anyway, thanks for prereading this Mr. Thefox. Part 2 to come soon-ish!!!