Rarity stared down at her cold cup of tea barely able to see it in the dim light from the kitchen window, although she was too lost in thought to notice. The ticking of the clock was the only recognizable sound in the room, so repetitive that Rarity all but forgot how many hours had she had spent sitting there.

A slow, small creak of a door suddenly jolted Rarity from her thoughts. She heard it close and waited on the edge of her seat in anticipation. There were a few more seconds of slow, heavy steps coming down the hall before she saw her husband enter the kitchen doorway. His whole body seemed ready to slump to the floor as he slowly trotted over to where she sat.

Staring at him with wide, hopeful eyes, she suppressed the worry in her tone and asked, “So? How did it go? Did you-“

“-It’s over….Rares,” Doughnut Joe interrupted, sitting down with a thud. He placed his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hooves.

“It’s over,” he repeated moanfully, “All of it is gone, they left nothing. I’m shopless, penniless, and hopeless.”

Rarity leaned forward and said urgently, “Don’t say that Joey! We just need to try a different angle, that’s all, we-”                                                                      

“I tried everything, Rarity!” Joe screamed out in frustration, lifting his head to look at her squarely for the first time. His eyes we bloodshot and panicked. “I’m telling you, there’s nothing more I can do. That anyone can do,” he trailed off, more softly.

As silence rung deathly in the air, Rarity felt that her heart had never been so heavy in all her life, and for once, she was speechless.

Joe ran his hoof through his dishelved mane and muttered quietly, “After fifteen years of business, it ends like this.”

Rarity gently placed her hoof on his and said in her softest tone, “Joey….I…know…how much it means to you, to lose your life’s work. So please don’t take this the wrong way, when I say that, if you’re worried about finances, I’m…sure the Boutiques will be more than enough to sustain us.”  

Joe ran his hoof over his eyes before looking at her. With mixed expression, he said, “Oh Rares, money isn’t what matters to me, you know that. It’s never been about the money; it’s about the art. You’re an artist, you know that not creating what you love…it’s like stifling your very soul. My passion is to make pastries. After all, I’m a college drop out- I’m not good at much else.  Not to mention it’s too late for me to learn any new skills.”

“Joe, you’re only 36,” Rarity pointed out.

“Touche. But you know that, if you were in my hooves, you’d feel the same. A part of me will always be empty unless I’m doing what I love, and now…that’s all but been destroyed,” he finished, his voice cracking with emotion.

Rarity had never seen him cry and she wasn’t about to see him break his streak. Frantically racking her brain for an idea, she said, “ We just need to build you a new shop then! I’m sure selling one of my boutiques would more than pay enough for it!”

Joe shook his head. “And let them shut that one down too? No Rares, I’m never going to make anything here again. Besides, I couldn’t let you sell one of your businesses. You’ve worked to hard to give it up just for me. “

“Oh, pish posh, one store won’t mean a thing. And you know I’d do anything for you Joey,” she said earnestly.

Joe gave her a half smile and replied, “I know you would. You’re not the element of generosity for nothing. But that won’t be necessary. Canterlot has nothing left to offer me.”

A light bulb flashed off inside of Rarity. “Then we just need to think outside of Canterot!” She exclaimed. “We need a new change of pace, somewhere to grow new roots. Someplace where they won’t even dare to think of shutting you down! And I know just the place!

“Ponyville?” Joe asked, cocking his head.

Rarity nodded curtly.

Joe wasn’t convinced.

“But Rares…that means moving from Canterlot. You know, the place you’ve been dreaming of living in for years?”

Rarity brushed the idea away with her hoof and said confidently, “That’s nothing compared to your dream of running your own shop. And it would be downright selfish of me to deny you the opportunity to fulfill that dream once again, just because I like the style of living here. Besides, Canterlot may have its perks, but I miss being close to my friends and seeing them with their families growing up. For a long time, I’ve felt like I’ve been missing out. So by moving there, I believe it will work out for both of us.”

Joe looked at his wife, so full of pride, relief, and love, as he asked “Are you sure, Rarity? Is this really what you want?”

“Yes, Joey,” she said, mirroring his gaze.

Rarity watched in surprise as Joe’s eyes started to water, then drop tear after tear, until he broke down into a hiccuping sob. Lifting his chin, she said in alarm, “Joey!? Joey, are you alright?”

The stallion smiled through his tears, chuckling between the sobs, before choking out, “Never been better, Rares. Oh, Rarity, how did a wonderful mare like you ever come to love me?”

Before she had a chance to reply, Joe leaned his wet, blushing hot face in and kissed her passionately. Rarity didn’t fight it but melted into it, ready to stay like that forever.

When they finally did pull away happy, sappy, and breathless, Rarity sighed with a coy smile, “Well, for one, you’re a pretty good kisser.”

“Well, I guess I’ve got that going for me then, huh?” Joe chuckled, hanging his head a little.

Rarity gently rested her forehead against his and felt him lean into hers. Both were silent for a moment, the only sound being their steady, rhythmic breathing.

“Just know, Joey, where ever we end up living, I’m home where ever you are,” Rarity whispered.

“ I know, Rares, I know.”

———————————————————————————————————-

Can heart-breaking angst and touching romance be written all in the space of 1,059 words?

Apparently.

(Seriously, why is there not more Romance written for these two?)

Most of the story was explained in the Dialouge, but for those who may not of read it, or gotten the jest of it, here’s the black and white version of the story here:

After about 16 years of living in Canterlot with Joe and easing their rambunctious daughter Sonata, tragedy hits the family, especially for Joe. In just a short time and with little to no warning, his entire business is ripped out from under his hooves. Was it a corporation? Was it city demands? Was it an act of vengeance and bitterness towards Joe? I’ll leave that up to you. Either way, he loses everything and after trying anything to get back on his hooves, Joes comes up short and depressed.

Cue this scene. It is decided by the end of this conversation, that the best choice of action would be to start over in none other than Ponyville, for reasons explained in Dialouge. Shortly after, the family pack their bags and move to a nice town house in Ponyville where Doughnut Joe also re-opens his shop.

Now, you may be wondering, how does Joe succeed while the cakes are still in business? Simple. The cakes are more involved with…well..cakes. Doughnut Joe simply serves what they do not ( for the most part). Not to mention, a lot of Ponyville ponies know and enjoy his confections, so his business quickly grew. As for Rarity, life went on as normal for her, only now she could spend that time being with her friends.

The only thing left to answer, is how did Sonata take the news about the move. Well, I plan to leave that one as a surprise for later.

Also, this post also wraps up RariJoe week. I know it wasn’t a whole lot, at least not compared to SoarinDash week, but trust me, I’ve Cheesepie week to make up for it.