Last time on Rarity “Quest”:
 
        You rushed the remains of your favorite T-shirt to Rarity's boutique, only to be told your shirt was unable to be salvaged. Overcoming this monumental loss, you hired Rarity to make you a new outfit. She insisted that your outfit be free, citing a tradition of hers. You caved but on the condition that you treat her to lunch. She agreed, and the two of you shared a simple lunch together, finishing it off with wine and some cake. All in all a pleasant afternoon.
 
        But upon walking her back to her boutique, the two of you were ambushed by the rest of her family. You tried to excuse yourself, but Rarity's father put an arm around you, brought you back in, and the embarrassing questions began. In the end, Rarity flung a playful Sweetie Belle of your back and absconded with you to regain her composure. You reminded her about the importance of family subtly before Rarity made a slip of the tongue and ran back to her boutique for the day.
 
        It is now the next day, the day Rarity says your new outfit will be ready. She also said during the first day that the two of you should spend time together again in celebration of your outfit....
 
 
>After waking up in the late morning, taking a shower, and shaving, you put on some nicer casual wear to wear to Rarity's boutique. Nothing fancy, just a nice button up shirt and a decent pair of pants, one without holes or stains on them.
>You check your wallet for cash: This time around you're hauling a whopping 400 bits on your person. After skimping on lunch the other day, you want to make sure you can treat Rarity to a decent meal should the opportunity arise again today.
 
>You've got a few hours to kill before the estimated completion time for your outfit. You could head there to see how Rarity is doing, or you could grab some lunch first. Or maybe you'd like to kill time by wandering town and seeing if anything is going on.
 
>You decide to wander town, perhaps grabbing some lunch while you're there.
>You step out of your home into a nice sunny day, a cool cross breeze gently drifting through your hair as you lock your door and proceed into town
>The streets are filled with varying ponies and stallions, all laughing, talking, some working, but almost all with a smile on their face.
>Your stomach growls impatiently as you walk near Sugarcube corner. Despite your hunger, you decide to avoid the place. You aren't in the mood for anything sugary, and worse, messy.
>Instead you go to a little cart that has wraps for sale, purchasing a cheap 5 bit wrap from the smiling mare. She bats her eyes at you when your hand grazes her hoof, making you blush but smile in return. She's about to say something when there's a swift thud to your legs, nearly bowling you over!
>You manage to hang onto your wrap as you and the mare look down and see:
 
>Sweetie Belle
 
>You give a small chuckle as Sweetie shakes her head after the collision and ask her what the hurry is. She's wearing a little saddlebag that she ensures to dust off with a hoof before looking up at you.
>She blinks, standing back up with a little hop and a smile, "Oh hey mister! I'm in a hurry to the clubhouse right now, so I can't talk for long," she's interrupted when her tiny stomach growls rather loudly, making her lay her ears back and blush, "S-sorry about that, I still need to get lunch with the girls." Her eyes wander to the cart with wraps, then to yours, her little eyes glittering as she licks her lips, before shaking her head again to snap herself out of it.
 
 
>You've got cash to spare, and the hungry little filly's eyes tear at your heart.
>You ask her what her favorite kind of wrap is.
>"Sunflower, but why?"
>You ask who the other members of her club are, and subsequently their favorite kind of wraps.
>"Well, there's Applebloom who likes the spiced Apple wrap with peanut butter. And then there's Scootaloo, she likes the kind with banana, raisins and peanut butter."
>You buy each kind of wrap from the vendor, and slide them into Sweetie's saddlebag, giving her a wink as she gawks.
>"Th-thank you! The girls will love these!" She grabs your leg in a firm hug, so you ruffle her mane gently, making her giggle.
>"I bet you're going to see my sister, riiiiiiight?" She looks at you knowingly before continuing, "Well, I was just there. She's finishing your outfit. But she's hungry too, I....sorta made fun of her when her stomach growled louder than mine," she laughs again, "You should've seen the look on her face! She gets so embarrassed with her 'non ladylike behavior.'"
>Sweetie covers her mouth as she has a laugh before looking at you in mild terror, "D-don't tell her I said that, please! A-anyway, I've got to get going to my meeting. You could come, I bet the girls would like to thank you for the food and meet you. And then we could play! Wouldn't that be great?"
 
>The offer is tempting, but you'd like to get to Rarity's. And surprising her with lunch seems like a solid idea, so you ask Sweetie what kind of wrap Rarity might like.
>Sweetie puts a hoof to her chin as she thinks, a small "Hmmmm," floating in the air as you wait.
>"Something out of the ordinary, but pleasant. She's like that, you know? She probably would think wraps aren't very lady like-"
>This causes the wrap sales pony to harumph, interjecting, "Please, everyone can enjoy my delicious wraps," she looks at you and gives you a wink, mouthing "Especially you, handsome."
>Before you can say anything she hands you a wrap, "Give your snooty friend this and see what she thinks. It's leafy greens with an exotic flower blend, covered in a light dressing that's simply divine. I normally charge, but since you bought four already, I'll toss this one in free of charge."
>Sweetie pipes up, "Wow! That's real nice of you miss! Thanks!" She looks around, spotting a clock hanging on the outside of a nearby building before gasping, "Oh no, I'm late! I've gotta go, I'll make sure the girls thank you later!"
>And with that, Sweetie darts away through the plaza, leaving you alone with the wraps mare.
 
>You decide to play the role of gentleman and take the hoof of the wraps salesmare, bending over and giving it a kiss while thanking her for her kindness.
>She blushes, giggling again.
>Before she can say anything else, you insist you must be leaving and begin heading to Rarity's
>"Be sure to come back anytime," the salesmare calls out after you before sighing pleasantly to herself.
>Not much later you arrive at Rarity's boutique, wraps in hand.
>You give a knock on the door before heading in.
>The door opens and you wander into the boutique, mildly surprised to see Pinkie sitting on a cushion chatting with a working Rarity. She's standing in front of a human shaped mannequin with a set of clothing on it, no doubt yours.
>Pinkie gives a wave, smiling as Rarity turns, her hair a tiny bit disheveled. "Oh, hello! You're here a little earlier than I thought you would be. I'll be finished soon, please, have a seat if you like."
 
>Thinking quickly, you hide the wraps behind your back as you take a seat on a cushioned couch near Pinkie.
>Thankfully neither of the ponies seem to notice.
>"I was hoping you'd show up a little later, I wanted to surprise you all at once with this," Rarity sighs, "But that's alright! Punctuality is an important trait. Just let me finish this up and I'll be right with you." She turns back to the clothes, magically wielding a sewing needle and thread.
>Pinkie scoots over on her cushion, getting closer to you before speaking in her jovial tone, "Hey there! I figured this outfit was for you, since, you know, you're the only one I know who's shaped like that! So, whatcha up to? Do anything fun yet today? Not that visiting Rarity isn't fun, quite the opposite! But I'm getting ahead of myself, how are you today?"
 
>You converse lightly with Pinkie, telling her you're fine, glad to have Rarity making your outfit, and the weather is nice today.
>"It sure is, isn't it! Days like this make me want to just lay around in the grass in a nice sunny spot! But I thought I'd visit Rarity first and see how she was doing after yesterday."
>Pinkie's face suddenly scrunches up as Rarity's head whips around, making the sewing needle drop with a tiny ping.
>Sweat begins to bead on Pinkie's forehead as she looks at Rarity out of the corner of her eye, "Y-you know, lying around outside sounds like a good time right about now! I'll see you two later!" And as quick as a blink, she's out the door, though she makes sure to shut it gently before dashing off.
>You watch her run off through one of the windows, before returning your gaze to Rarity, who laughs nervously.
>She raises the needle again with her magic before her stomach erupts a loud groan, making her blush as she puts the needle on a nearby desk.
>"I'm terribly sorry about that, I've just been so busy I haven't had time to grab myself lunch yet..."
 
>You make a mental note to talk to Pinkie some time and find out what happened to cause her to check on Rarity today.
>"Well a birdie told me you were hungry, so I brought you this," You say as you produce the wrap you got for Rarity.
>Rarity gives a little gasp of surprise, her mouth forming a smile even as she does so, "What? Oh my! How thoughtful of you! But, a birdie? How did Fluttershy know I was hungry, and why is she sending you birds?"
 
>You laugh, perhaps a bit too loudly, before seeing the confused look on Rarity's face and calming down a bit to explain that it's just a figure of speech where you come from.
>"Oh! Haha, how silly of me!" Rarity sits on a cushion next to you, magically retrieving the wrap from your hand, "Surely you didn't get me one without one for yourself?"
>You reveal your own wrap, assuring her that the one you got her is all for her.
>"Well, thank you very much. Sweetie Belle was in here earlier being a bit of a distraction, so I didn't have time to make lunch AND work on your outfit. I thought I'd finish before eating, and then Pinkie showed up, and things just kept getting pushed back...."
>Her stomach growls again, causing her to blush yet again before undoing her wrap and taking a large bite.
>Her eyes go wide as she chews it slowly, looking at you, then at the wrap, then at you again before she swallows. "My word, this is delicious! Did you make this?"
 
>You tell her that no, you didn't make it. You bought it from a mare selling wraps from a cart in town.
>"Really? This is exceptional!" She hungrily takes a bite, less ladylike than before as her posture gives way to the effects of an empty stomach. Through a slightly muffled mouth she says, "You simply MUST show me where you got this from some time."
>You unwrap your own wrap, taking a bite, impressed at the crispness of the lettuce and tomatoes, the savory dressing giving it a rich tone. It's very tasty, and soon you're eating as ravenously as Rarity, neither of you saying a thing at the unruly eating habits of the other.
>Rarity is halfway through her wrap when she gives a light moan, "I cannot say it enough, this is wonderful! Here, have a bite. You HAVE to try some."
>You swallow the bite of wrap you were munching on and turn to find rarity effectively standing on her cushion, holding the wrap out for you to take a bite from with her hooves.
 
>You lean over, arching an eyebrow as you take a small bite for yourself.
>Your mouth explodes with flavor, the strange taste and texture of flower petals leaving a slight oily feeling to your tongue, a hint of honey caressing your sweet taste buds.
>It's quite a different flavor from your wrap, but just as good.
>"Isn't it marvelous?" Rarity asks, causing you to nod as you hold out your wrap for her to take a bite from.
>"Oh no, please, I have my own that you've so kindly given me."
>"Fair's fair, I insist," you reply.
>"Well, alright." Rarity leans over to take a bite, her hot breath rolling softly over the fingers of your outstretched hand as she leans in.
>She takes a small bite, chewing it over before nodding and swallowing, "Yours is good too. Whoever that mare is, she can consider me a loyal customer!"
>The two of you return to chomping on your wraps, soon finishing and feeling rather full.
>Rarity sighs happily, relaxing further into her cushion, "Thank you once again. That was marvelous. Though now I'm feeling a bit tired..." She sighs again, closing her eyes with a smile on her face.
>You're suddenly feeling rather tired too. Perhaps you ate too fast, or it's a "food coma" as your friends used to say.
>Rarity looks about ready to doze off on the spot.
 
>You stretch, your limbs feeling relaxed, a content feeling drifting throughout your body. A nap sounds heavenly right now.
>You put a hand to Rarity's shoulder, giving her a little nudge, causing her to groan a little as her eyes flutter open.
>You tell her she's falling asleep, though you can feel sleep trying to overtake you as well.
>"Yes," she says lazily, closing her eyes again, "I must have....worked myself harder than I thought. I'm so.....sleepy...."
>You nudge her again, trying to rouse her, but instead she puts a hoof over your arm and pulls you.
>Your relaxed body offers no resistance and you flop on the couch, Rarity lying in front of you, still holding onto your arm, which is now draped across her upper back.
>Some small voice in your head tells you this isn't like her, but it's soon drowned out by the comfortable feeling of her warm body against yours. And before you know it, you're asleep, clutching a warm, soft, gentle Rarity against your chest.
 
>There's a sudden bang, startling you awake as you whip yourself into a sitting position as your heart pounds.
>Rarity nearly flies off the couch in surprise, the two of you looking about in terror at the sudden noise.
>There's a cacophony of noise, though you can't quite process what it is until three hazy looking multicolored bodies bounce into view.
>They're tiny, and for a moment can't figure out what you're looking at.
>Then Rarity mumbles, "Sweetie..?"
>You rub your eyes, and sure enough one of the figures is Sweetie Belle. The others are a yellow pone with apple red hair and a pretty bow, and an orange pegasus filly with purple hair.
>They're looking at the two of you with smiles on their faces as Sweetie introduces the two you don't recognize.
>"This is Applebloom, and the orange one there is Scootaloo. They're the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders and I brought them here to say thank you for the food!"
>"Yeah! That sure was nice of you mister," the yellow one, Applebloom, says. "Yeah, you're pretty awesome in my book too!" Pipes up the orange one, Scootaloo.
>Oh thank god.
 
>You breathe a sigh of relief as you greet the the trio before looking at Rarity and asking if she's alright.
>"F-fine, just startled. Don't mind me! Haha...." She seems to be calming down from the initial fright.
>You ask the trio what the noise was, and Applebloom kicks the ground sheepishly, "I, uh, mighta kicked the door open a bit hard. I was just excited, is all."
>Scootaloo interjects, "Hey, is Rarity your special somepony? Looked like the two of you were-"
>Sweetie Belle puts a hoof to Scootaloo's mouth quickly, nervously laughing, "W-what're you talking about Scootaloo? We didn't see anything! R-right Applebloom?"
>Applebloom looks between the two, "Huh? See what? I was busy with the door, remember?"
 
>The trio begin stammering while Rarity hops up off the couch, trying to shoo them away or at least get them to quiet down.
>You have your suspicions about why you and Rarity got tired suddenly, but the trio don't seem to be tired at all. Could it be the two of you just ate too fast in a comfy spot? Could anyone in ponyville be so sinister as to drug a common food wrap?
 
>You get between Rarity and the CMC, getting both parties to quiet down.
>You tell Rarity you'll talk with the CMC, if she'd like to get back to work or at the very least recover from whatever hit the two of you.
>She thanks you before retrieving her needle and some gems while you turn back to the CMC.
>"So, you're Scootaloo, and you're Applebloom, right?"
>"You got it!" Scootaloo proclaims, "Nice to meet ya mister," Applebloom replies.
>"Well, would you kids like to go play this fine afternoon while we let Miss Rarity finish her work?"
>The trio giggle before Scootaloo pipes up, "You'd need a time machine for that! It's nearly night!"
>You quickly look out the window and see the sun setting in the distance, the sky a red orange as it descends.
>Crap.
 
>In a moment of panic you check yourself for scars, mind racing as you lift your shirt and check your sides.
>The room is silent as you breathe a sigh of relief when you find no scars or any evidence of tampering with your clothes or body parts.
>The trio are whispering amongst themselves, but from their snippets of conversation you gather it's about what you look like underneath your clothes.
>You look over you shoulder and Rarity looks elsewhere quickly, but it's obvious she was staring at you too.
 
>You put your shirt back on quickly, then cough nervously, your face burning red.
>"W-well, how about we get you kids home?"
>"Oh, you don't have to worry about that," says Sweetie, "We're having a sleep over here. Rarity said it was okay earlier."
>You turn to Rarity who nods, "It's true, they're here for tonight. But thank you. Now, I really must finish your outfit. With that little.....delay, I won't be finished until late tonight or tomorrow morning most likely."
>"Let's head upstairs girls!" shouts Sweetie, the trio bouncing towards the stairs that lead to the upper floor of Rarity's home.
>Sweetie stays at the base of the stairs as the other two head up, turning with a big smile on her face, "You two looked cute together!"
>Rarity drops the needle and gems she was handling with magic as Sweetie bounds up the stairs quick as a flash.
>Rarity stammers as she picks up her materials with her hooves, "I-I'm terribly sorry. I don't know what came over me earlier. How....uncouth of me."
 
>You're still a bit flustered, and your words aren't as smooth as you'd like. Not at all.
>"No, it's alright, it was nice." Shit. "I mean, we were both tired, right? I'm..I'm sure you didn't mean anything by it."
>Rarity freezes in place for an almost imperceptible moment. Almost.
>"Of course! I'm....glad you understand," She says, resuming her retrieval of materials.
 
>You ask if she'd like help with the CMC tonight, or if there's anything you can do for her.
>"I couldn't possibly ask you to do anything else for me today. You already surprised me with lunch, put up with my....less than appropriate actions, I couldn't."
>You insist that you at least check in on the CMC for her while she works or gets ready to take care of them or whatever she has planned.
>She sighs, "Well, I doubt I'll get to work much tonight otherwise. Alright, go ahead. But don't feel like you have to stay too long if you don't want to, I can handle them myself you know."
>You assure her you do know and head up the stairs to the upper floor of Rarity's boutique.
>You knock on the door to the room which the noise of the CMC comes from. After knocking, the voices suddenly fall silent before Sweetie asks who it is.
>You tell her it's you, and that you're seeing how they're doing.
>Sweetie tells you to enter and the door swings open, though you can't see any of the CMC in the revealed section of room.
 
>You slowly enter the room, looking left and right for the three fillies in the dim room. The only light comes in from a small window opposite you, and even that is fading fast. They must have turned the lights out before opening the door.
>You walk softly into the room, ready for them to jump out at you.
>Instead, the door shuts behind you with a click and you whip around to catch the one closing the door.
>But none of them are there.
>You wait for your eyes to adjust before wandering around the room, looking for Appleblooms bow, or any exposed limbs of the fillies.
>After a while, you randomly spin and point, calling "Found you!"
>A tiny eep can be heard from the closet next to the area you point, and you head there quietly before throwing open the closet and finding:
>Clothes.
 
>The sound of three yelling ponies fills the dark room as they leap from their hiding places and plow into you, nearly knocking you over.
>You manage to keep your footing, but all the ponies are clinging to a different limb or section of body, one on your right leg, while another is on your back, and the third is clinging to your left arm fervently, all of them still yelling as they shake and attempt to tickle you.
 
>The ones on your leg and arm are unable to tickle you effectively, but the one on your back is using her tail to tickle your underarms and sides.
>Your clothing protects you from the worst of it, but you can't help but begin laughing anyway. Both at their attempts, and at the occasional real tickle that gets through.
>You play along regardless, "Aaah! No, stop! I can't take it!"
>You playfully fall over on your side, the one without a CMC clinging, as the three laugh and holler when you topple
>They don't let up and soon you mockingly cry, "Help Rarity! Help!"
 
>Moments later the door is opened forcefully and the lights flare on as Rarity charges in, demanding to know what's going on
>Everyone drops silent as Rarity stands in the doorway, her mouth ajar as she sees the CMC crawling all over you.
 
>There's a tense moment as everyone has a stare down, before Sweetie yells "Get her!"
>The trio jump off of you with astounding speed, hurtling at Rarity with a collective giggle as Rarity stands in place, shocked.
>Before she can act the three are upon her, knocking her on her side and tickling her belly and neck mercilessly, making her face contort into a smile as she laughs out of control.
>All four of them laugh, Rarity being the loudest as she flails, trying to dislodge her "attackers".
>She's unsuccessful, and tears begin to stream from her eyes as she continues to laugh, "H-help, hahaha! He-heh-heh-heeelp!"
 
>You laugh before taking on a mockingly serious tone, "Unhand her you ruffians!"
>You walk over as the trio laugh, still tickling Rarity even as you grab all three, one at a time, holding Scootaloo and Applebloom in one arm, with Sweetie Belle in the other.
>Rarity begins to breathe more steadily, still laughing, even as the CMC squirm in your arms, giggling and attempting to free themselves.
>When it's obvious she can't escape, Sweetie calls out to her sister, asking her to help.
>"And, haha, why, why would I help you? So you can tickle me senseless again?"
>Sweetie bites her lip as she thinks, "If you help me....I won't tell mom and dad I saw the two of you cuddling on the couch!"
>The room is silent once more as you turn to face Rarity.
>You look at her. She looks at you.
>The next moment, Rarity is pinning you to the ground while the CMC scatter from your grip and begin trying to tickle you yet again.
 
>The night flies by in a torrent of games with the CMC and Rarity, the five of you laughing the night away and chasing one another through the upper floors of the boutique.
 
>When all is said and done, it's the early morning when the CMC are tuckered out and put to bed, the three of them lying together under a single large blanket, sighing happily as you and Rarity tuck them in.
>The two of you shut the door gently and Rarity quietly thanks you for your assistance before she yawns, covering her mouth and apologizing.
 
[cont'd]
 
>Despite the afternoon nap the two of you got, you're both freshly tired and ready to go to bed.
>It's with this in mind that you excuse yourself, saying you're going to head home.
>You manage to get a couple steps away before something tugs on your shirt collar, pulling you backwards.
>You turn around as soon as you're able to find Rarity using her magic to drag you to another bedroom.
>As you're dragged into the room you find yourself relieved that it doesn't appear to be hers. It's a simple room, relatively small, with a bed, a small desk and chair, and lamp. A guest room.
>”I can't have you sleeping in my room, and it's far too late for you to walk home, especially as tired as I know you are.” She uses her magic to put you in a sitting position on the bed as she stands in front of you, “So you can stay here for tonight.”
>You're about to say thank you when she quickly gives you a warm hug, rubbing her nose on your chest before she catches herself and lets go abruptly. “O-oh dear, I seem to keep making a foal of myself. I just wanted to say, Thank you. For everything today. I know you bought the three of them lunch, I found the wrappers lying around Sweetie's saddlebag. That was very sweet of you. The least I can do is offer you a place to rest for the night.”
>She looks as though she's going to say something else, but instead just relaxes her face, giving you a heartwarming smile before saying “Thank you,” one more time, then slowly leaving the room, shutting the lights off and gently shutting the door behind her.
>Before you lie yourself down, you hear a content sigh, muffled by the door, before the light footsteps of Rarity fade away into the night.
>You fall asleep nearly as soon as your head hits the pillow, warm thoughts of Rarity and the CMC coloring your peaceful thoughts.