Rarity stepped outside. Small pools of water still lingered on the balcony floor, remnants of the afternoon rain. As the light diminished, the autumn colours became muted. The world lost contrast, save for the moon against the night sky, and a hounded lit windows against dim stone walls. Listening to the sounds of the party going on inside, Rarity couldn't help but wonder how many other parties were going on out there. However many there were, their lights were indistinguishable from the lights of regular life. Distance made it unknowable. Neither could she know how many ponies had stepped outside, onto their balconies, to catch a moment of respite. To get some room to think. She knew that this line of thought was just an attempt to distract herself from the more pressing dilemma, but she nevertheless allowed herself to indulge in it for a few more moments. She considered herself to be a mare of excellent work ethics, somepony who had experienced firsthand the price and rewards of hard labour. This was different. Making choices, sadly, was more complicated that fulfilling tasks. Having to make choices had an unequalled ability to sour opportunity. Fancy Pants' offer had been remarkably generous, both financially and in terms of how much trust he has placed on her. To represent Canterlot (and Ponyville), as a member of a cultural delegation to friendly realms. A trip from Maretonia to Saddle Arabia, lasting almost a year before they made their return to Equestria. A chance to prove herself as an artist and a socialite. A chance to be the well-travelled icon she had always hoped to be, and not the small town girl she knew she ultimately was. And if it had been a task, something she truly had to accomplish, she knew she would have done it without question. But she had been given a choice, and that made it all so much harder. Most of all, she worried about her friends. The problem was not that she didn't think she could leave. If the feelings were mutual, and she was convinced they were, she knew that they loved her too much to keep her from leaving. What she had issues with was the feeling that she was robbing her friends of their closeness to her. That her leaving would be akin to taking without giving back. As it stood, it was the unfortunate truth that it would be easier to make herself happy if they weren't friends. Was it healthy that she hesitated so to do something that ought to make her happy? Had they gotten so close that they couldn't afford to be more distant? Deciding that the last question might not be one she wanted to answer, she let herself be distracted again. She returned her attention to Canterlot's night lights. How many choices were being made right now, inside crowded rooms and on solitary balconies? How many were committing to decisions that to them seemed all-encompassing, but for all the rest of the world would forever go unknown? She let herself sigh audibly, taking some comfort in her own dramatics. This was supposed to be a chance, how had it become a problem? The painful fact that she could, in reality, just ignore it altogether. Just as she had decided not to let her questions about the nature of her friendships come to their logical conclusion. In a sense, this was the real dilemma. Choose not to choose, and live with the consequences. And though they might seem harsh now, knowing that for all the rest of the world, they mattered as little as whether or not her windows were lit in the autumn night. At a distance, both decisions left it impossible to know what was on the inside. She could be like a trickling stream, flowing down the path of least resistance. Wouldn't that be nice, for once? To live in the moment, and make no last-minute attempt to set it all straight. Just as she had postponed her choice by stepping outside, by watching the lights, she could postpone it forever. Until it went away. She didn't have to go back inside. It seemed easier to just linger here, forever. The door opened behind her. "Rarity, are you okay? It's been a while since anypony saw you". Rarity let herself relish inactivity for just another moment. Then she turned around, ignoring the Canterlot lights. Twilight's outline a clear contrast against the indoor lights. Rarity stepped back inside.