Diamond Tiara stared at the invitation she had been handed. It was Pinkie's invite to her annual Holiday party. Of course she was invited. She was invited to everything, but this invite was common. Everyone was invited to Pinkie's parties.
As usual the invitation was far too gaudy, with glitter and crudely drawn pictures on it. On top of that the handwriting was atrocious, lacking even the tiniest bit of elegance. Normally Diamond wouldn't bother with such a gathering, but despite the childishness of its host Pinkie's party would be the social event of the season. In other words she had to go, even if it was just to show the rabble how much better she was.
Of course she had to bring a date. No self respecting Diamond would be seen alone at a party. It couldn't just be any date either. It had to be the perfect date. Someone who would make her the envy of everyone who saw her. This narrowed it down to the seven students who had saved the school on a few occasions.
Pinkie was out of the question. Not only would she be busy hosting, but her uncouth manners would leave a bad impression. She quickly discarded Rainbow, Applejack, and Fluttershy as candidates. Rainbow was boorish, Applejack was a farmer so who knew what she touched, and Fluttershy lacked confidence. She got rid of Rarity next. She was elegant, charismatic, and confident. Which was the problem. She wanted people to think 'There's Diamond Tiara and her amazing date.' not 'There's Rarity and Diamond Tiara is also there. '
Which left two remaining, Sunset and Twilight. Both were confident, elegant, and charismatic. Sunset was more exotic having come from another dimension, but there was something about Twilight.... She shook her head, Her decision had to be based on social structure not the strange emotion thinking about Twilight gave her. That said Twilight was more mannerly. So she was clearly the better of the two.
There were a few obstacles she'd have to overcome no doubt. For starters she was a freshman and Twilight was a senior. Dating an older girl would be no easy task, but that was what made the whole thing so perfect. The clout she'd gain would be significant.
The next problem was her friends. Diamond had no problem with them per say, but getting Twilight alone to ask her would be problematic. She had to ask her alone. Diamond didn't know why, but the idea of asking Twilight in front of everyone made her knees shake. It didn't make any sense to her. She was Diamond Tiara. She didn't get nervous about asking people out. People got nervous about asking her out.
"Diamond Tiara? Are you feeling okay?" A voice asked. She shook herself from her thoughts and saw that Silver Spoon was looking at her with concern. She must have been talking to her. She chastised herself. She was a Diamond. She knew better than to let herself get that distracted.
"Of course I am! I was just deciding who should get the honor of being my date." She told her. Perfect now it didn't look like she'd been lost in thought.
"Ooh tell me!" Silver Spoon pleaded.
"I'm going to ask out Twilight." She announced confidently.
"But isn't she a Senor?" Her friend asked.
"Are you saying I can't get an older girl to date me?" She challenged.
"Um... no of course not! I was just surprised is all." Silver Spoon told her, a nervous grin on her face. It was clear she didn't think Diamond would be capable of doing it. She felt ever so slightly offended by that.
"Well don't be! Twilight is the perfect date. She's smart, strong, and pretty. Not to mention one of the most popular girls in school." She explained.
"Wow Diamond Tiara if I didn't know any better I'd say you liked her!" Silver spoon exclaimed. Diamond started. Her? Like Twilight? I mean sure she was amazing but that just made her the perfect date. It had nothing to do with emotions right?
"I was only explaining my thought process Silver spoon. It's not my fault you took it out of context." She told her, desperately trying to ignore the lingering doubt she was starting to feel.
"Okay. So are you going to ask her now?" the silver hair girl asked.
"Are you kidding? I can't ask at lunch!" Diamond exclaimed, surprised she even suggested that.
"Why not?" Her friend asked. She had to push down her frustration with her friend. This wasn't something she should need to explain.
"We're eating Silver Spoon. Not only that we are eating school food. It's hardly the right atmosphere to ask for a date." She explained.
Silver spoon shrugged. "I think you're overthinking it but it's your choice. So what are you planning to wear? I found the most amazing black and white checked dress!"
She rolled her eyes. "Again with the black and white colors. How are you supposed to stand out?"
"Simple, everyone else will be wearing bright colors. So I'll stand out by contrast." The silver haired girl replied.
"And where exactly did you find this dress?" She asked.
"At the Carousel Boutique. Ooh I know! We should go there after school to pick your dress out."
So it was decided. Diamond Tiara would never admit it, but she spent the rest of the day thinking about what kind of dress she wanted to wear. She wanted her choice to seem effortless. Like she hadn't tried too hard. So it needed to be elegant but simple.
They arrived at the Boutique and Diamond began to try on dresses immediately. The first she tried was a light blue with ruffles. It was cute on her, but she thought it might be a bit much. The second was red to match the season. The color made her look pale. The third was a flowing gold dress. She loved it, but it didn't really fit the party's theme. She decided to buy that one for other occasions.
Diamond Tiara wasn't sure how many dresses she tried on and it didn't matter. What mattered was what she ended up with at the end. So after an hour or so she finally arrived at the perfect dress. It was long and flowing like the gold dress had been, but this was a sparkly silver dress. Like tinsel or decorative snowflakes. It stood out brilliantly yet it was simple enough that no one would think she had spent so long picking it out.
"It looks great on you Diamond Tiara!" Silver Spoon complimented. She had already grabbed the monotone checked dress she talked about earlier. Despite Diamond Tiara’s Initial skepticism she had to admit it looked good.
"Your dress suits you surprisingly well too! I don't think anyone else could pull it off, but on you it looks sophisticated. I wonder if your glasses have something to do with that?" Diamond commented.
Silver spoon beamed. "I was hoping you'd change your mind! Now are going to check out?"
She was about to agree when she heard the sounds of Rarity talking. A smirk lit her face. "In a minute, you up for some eavesdropping?"
A matching smirk fell onto the silver haired girl's face. "Always." The two followed Rarity's voice through the store until they spotted her tell tale purple hair. They quickly hid behind the nearest clothes rack. Rarity was talking to a fitting room stall. Well she was talking at a fitting room stall, obviously someone was inside.
"Oh come on darling it's going to look fabulous on you I just know it!" The fashionista was saying.
"I don't know Rarity, isn't it a bit much?" Twilight's voice came from behind the door. Diamond couldn't believe her luck. She was going to get a glimpse of Twilight's dress! She tried to ignore the fluttering in her heart she felt at the thought.
"Nonsense darling I designed it with you in mind. I love to see you in it." She recognized the tone Rarity was using. It was the pleading tone she used to get what she wanted.
"Well...Okay." Hesitantly Twilight left the fitting room. Diamond Tiara didn't hear what she said next. In fact she didn't hear anything. Her heart began to pound in her ears, its sound overwhelming all others. She was sure Twilight could hear it. She was sure everyone could hear it.
Twilight was wearing a beautiful long sleeved winter blue dress. The skirt part of it had a darker blue gauze with a snowflake pattern layered over it. A central snowflake sat in the middle of the upper half of the dress. It went down to her ankles and she wore silver socks and winter blue flats.
She looked breathtaking. Diamond had a vague sense that someone was calling her name, but she didn't think it was that important. Until it repeated, then again, by the fourth time Diamond was well and truly prepared to give the person a piece of her mind. "What?" She finally responded.
"You finally heard me. I've been calling your name for the last minute." Silver Spoon sighed. "What happened?"
"I just got a little distracted." She admitted.
"By Twilight? Are you sure you don't like her?" The silver haired girl asked.
"Of course not!" She replied, but later that night when she was trying to sleep, she heard Silver Spoon's question over and over in her mind. Did she like Twilight Sparkle? She was starting to believe she did. That was...problematic. How could she know for sure that she had chosen the objectively best date if her emotions were involved?
Her parents had always told her that successful people treated their life like a business. That they always made the most logical choice, ignoring any emotions involved. So if she liked Twilight, could she really be the best pick? She brushed her doubts away. Even if she did like Twilight all the reasons she had picked her out in the first place still stood.
The only emotion flaw she could find in her plans was the idea that she couldn't ask Twilight out in front of her friends. That was clearly driven by a fear of rejection. If she was going to treat this like a business deal then she had to ignore that. She decided to ask her out tomorrow friends or no friends. After all, the longer she waited the more likely someone would beat her to it.
The next day she strode into the school confidently. She could feel the eyes of several students on her as she approached Twilight's group. They were chatting and seemed surprised when she walked up to them. Diamond could hear her heartbeat in her ears as she stopped. She was nervous, but that didn't matter. She had to treat this in a neutral manner. She opened her mouth. "Twilight Sparkle you have been given the honor of being asked to be my date for the annual Holiday party. Should you accept the limo will arrive on Friday at 6:30 precisely you are expected to be on time."
She waited with baited breath. There it was, the invite. What if she said no? That was ridiculous. She was Diamond Tiara. Anyone would be glad to go out with her right?
"Of course I will. It'll be fun." Twilight answered.
She said yes? Of course she did. "Very well then. I will see you in three days." She walked away. The moment she was out of everyone's sight she let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. Thank goodness she said yes. She didn't think she could handle a no.
The next three days seemed to drag by. School was never fun but those three days it was torture. She felt excited every time she thought about her upcoming date. Even though she was supposed to view it as strictly business she knew in her heart of hearts it was more than that.
Finally the night of the dance arrived. Diamond put on her flowing silver dress, matching flats, and periwinkle purple socks. She adjusted the tiara on her head, which was bigger than the one she wore to school, and entered the limo at 6:15. They arrived at the prearranged time. She saw the door open. As usual Twilight's timing was impeccable.
Her breath caught as her date exited. She was wearing the gorgeous outfit she'd seen previously, but this time her hair was in a stunning French braid bun. Her chauffeur let Twilight in. "So, are you excited for the party?" She asked her.
"I am. Pinkie's parties are always fun." She replied.
"They can be a little overwhelming though." Twilight admitted.
"Not for me. I thrive in social situations." She bragged, and so their conversation continued. What plans they had for the Holiday season. What they hoped to get present wise. What traditions their families had. Twilight’s traditions sounded fun. Her parents usually only spent the first two or three hours with her. Then it was back to business. She had to admit, she was a little jealous. It was an enjoyable conversation and all too soon they arrived at the party.
They entered to find the house was decorated with garlands, ribbons, wreaths and tinsel. Along with a variety of balloons. She swallowed. Okay she was here now what?
"We should go dance." Twilight suggested.
She wanted to, but what if she got too wrapped up in the whole thing and forgot to act properly? Did it matter if she did? Her social standing could be ruined if she let her guard down. "No thank you."
"What's wrong?" Twilight asked. Had she been that obvious? She chastised herself. She wasn't supposed to be that easy to read. She was a Diamond. One of the social elite. she should be above such mistakes,
She opened her mouth to say everything was fine but found herself telling the truth. "My parents tell me if I want to be successful, I have to treat my life like a business. If I dance with you I might forget that." Why did she show weakness like that? Was this what her parents meant about emotions ruining your image?
Twilight smiled at her understandingly. "I used to be all business too. I thought having fun and hanging out with other people was a waste of time, but it isn't." She was still unsure. “You need to let yourself have fun Diamond Tiara. You’ll be a lot happier if you do.” The older girl held out her hand. "Diamond Tiara would you share this dance with me?"
She thought about it. If she took Twilight’s hand that was it. She’d be giving into her emotional desire, and all pretense that this was nothing more than business would vanish. Could she allow this? People would see her. That didn’t stop just because she dropped the act. Her parents would tell her it was a mistake, but as she looked into Twilight’s eyes it didn’t feel like one. With a release of tension she’d been unaware of she decided to just go with it.
She smiled lightly and took the offered hand. "I'd be delighted." They joined the group and began to dance. She had to admit it was fun to just go with the flow of the music. To not worry what she did or said, what people thought of her. She let herself go to the dance. She didn't care how ridiculous she looked. How much her parents would disapprove. All that mattered was that she was having fun.
The song ended and another, slower song started. Twilight gave her a smile. "You up for another one?"
"Of course." She replied, a blush on her face as the older girl held her around the waist. She led her through a second dance, but this one felt different. The first had been all movement and visceral reaction. This was a duet and their movements synced wonderfully. She found herself lost in the moment, the closeness of the girl she was now sure she had feelings for. Twilight was elegant and beautiful.
She was easy to follow too. Sometimes Diamond would have dance lessons. She’d often struggle to read what her lead asked her to do. Not with Twilight. Every move systematically led to the next. They couldn’t have danced more beautifully if it had been choreographed. That was something she liked about Twilight. She was so organized, and seemed so in control of her life. Diamond wanted to be like that too.
All too soon the song ended. She was tired out, but before she could ask to go to the refreshment table Twilight smiled and pointed above their heads. She glanced up, there above them was mistletoe. She swallowed and blushed even harder. Twilight cupped her face and gave her a look in askance. She nodded her approval and closed her eyes as their lips touched. It felt amazing, like she was floating on air. After a moment Twilight drew back. "Happy Holidays Diamond Tiara."
She smiled back. "Happy holidays Twilight."