//------------------------------// // Someone's gotta say it // Story: Two Simple Words // by Capriccio //------------------------------// *Sigh*…Do I really have to do this? Capriccio hesitated as he stepped in front of the door of Carousel Boutique. He knew what was waiting for him on the other side, and he knew that he had to go through with his apology, but his trepidation got the better of him for a brief moment. He paused to give himself a quick once-over in the window next to the entrance. Hmmm, I look pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. It had felt glorious to finally be able to take a shower and wash away the sweat and grime he’d accumulated over the course of the day. He’d managed to tame his mane a little bit; it had gotten a little shaggy since the last time he’d had it cut, but not nearly as bad as Rarity had suggested, and he’d styled it to the point where it looked rather presentable. Plus the changing of the seasons had considerably lightened it from the usual winter light-brown color to the shining golden blonde it took on during the summer months, which he felt always made it look better. He checked his hooves; they were neatly filed and completely free of any dirt stains. His goatee, while still very much present, had been lightly trimmed to remove any unsightly frizziness. And the tux doesn’t look half-bad, either. He chuckled to himself; that was really an understatement. The tuxedo Rarity had made for him was immaculate. The jacket fit him to a tee, the shirt was spotless and neatly pressed, and the vest he wore matched his dark-green coat perfectly. She had even gone so far as to make him a little golden segno pin for his lapel that perfectly matched his cutie mark. His tie rested in his left pocket; he’d never learned how to tie a bowtie properly—another reason why he’d so adamantly protested wearing one—but he figured somepony could help him with that later. Apart from that, he looked like a regular sharp-dressed stallion, like somepony straight out of Gentlecolt's Quarterly. I have to say, for all the grief she’s given me, Rarity did a fantastic job. He sighed to himself at that thought, a pang of guilt rising within him. He’d thought about everything Twilight had said while he was getting himself ready, and it had really resonated with him. He’d come to realize that most of the arguments he’d had with Rarity over the course of the week, including the most recent one, had been just as much his doing as they were hers, and he knew he owed her as much of an apology as he felt she owed him. Well, no time like the present, I guess. He gave the door a push and stepped inside the boutique. …Wow. He froze in his tracks when he laid eyes on the five ponies gathered in the room, chatting idly with each other. Each one of them looked simply breathtaking in their individually designed gowns. Twilight’s stellar ensemble was a perfect fit for her, as was Pinkie’s confectionary creation. Fluttershy looked divine in her pastoral gown, and even Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who regularly professed to hating formal attire, were absolutely stunning in their personally themed dresses. Capriccio could only stand there, unable to keep himself from staring. Rainbow Dash was the first to notice his arrival. “Hey, speak of the devil! Glad you finally decided to join us, Capriccio!” She grinned as she walked up to greet him, but he didn’t seem to notice her. “Helloooo?” She gave him a light knock on his skull. “Anyone home in there?” “…Huh?” Capriccio shook himself out of his momentary trance and looked at her, still unable to completely focus. Rainbow Dash gave him a puzzled look. “…I said, thanks for showing up.” “Oh! Yeah, I’m…here, I guess?” He gave another shake of his head and snapped back to reality. “Sorry I’m late, I hope you weren’t waiting on me for anything.” “Oh, it’s really no trouble at all.” Fluttershy gave him a reassuring smile. “We’re not quite ready to go just yet.” Rainbow Dash gave him a little thump on his shoulder with her hoof. “Yeah, we were just talking about where you might be right before you walked in, that’s all.” “Ah, I see.” Capriccio nodded in understanding. “You’re lookin’ mighty fancy in that get-up of yours.” Applejack grinned at him from her seat. “Thanks, AJ. You girls look…” He laughed nervously, trying to find the right words to accurately portray how incredible they looked. “Well, you look perfect! That’s the only way I can describe it. You girls look absolutely perfect.” The girls each voiced their thanks, throwing in a few compliments on his appearance as well, and then continued to mill about the room, eagerly anticipating their departure. Capriccio was a little more restless than them; he knew the sooner they had departed, the sooner he would be done with what it was he’d resolved himself to do before he arrived. The only problem was… “Hey, uh…where’s Rarity?” He asked, a hint of anxiety in his voice. “I’m coming! I’m coming!” Rarity shouted from beyond her dressing room doorway. “I just have to make some last minute adjustments to my coiffure, and then we can be on our way.” Capriccio bit his tongue, doing his best to hold back a snide remark. He knew he shouldn’t say anything, but she was making it almost too easy for him. He looked around at the others in the room, catching Twilight’s eye, and she gave him a quick “don’t you dare” look. He raised his hooves defensively. “Not saying a word,” he silently mouthed to her. “There, all finished!” Rarity announced triumphantly as she stepped out of her dressing room. Capriccio smirked at Twilight one more time, then turned to face where Rarity had entered the room. Finally, I can apologize to her and we can lea...oh, dear Celestia. Capriccio’s jaw nearly hit the floor as she gracefully made her way into the main room. She looks…she looks… “Perfect” wasn’t nearly good enough to describe it. Her gorgeous pink gown, trimmed in gold and decorated with an array of sparkling gemstones, complemented her pristine white coat exquisitely. The golden and ruby-colored studs adorning her ears made her sapphire-blue eyes shine even more brightly than usual. The tiara resting on the crown of her head was the perfect touch, giving her a divinely regal appearance. And her mane…he decided on the spot that he would never again mock her for spending so much time on it. Capriccio stood there in stone silence, unable to think of anything to say. He felt like something had tripped a circuit in his brain, and he was desperately searching for the metaphorical fuse box. She was an absolute vision; he couldn't not stare and take in all her beauty, no matter how hard he tried. Unbeknownst to him, though, Rarity had briefly caught him staring at her out of her periphery, but she turned her head away from him before they could lock eyes. Why is he ogling me like that? she thought to herself, a small blush appeared on her cheeks at the thought of him staring at her. She quickly suppressed it before anypony else could see; she couldn't let on that she might enjoy Capriccio presumably admiring her appearance. She was supposed to still be mad at him, anyway. The memories of the arguments they'd had still hung fresh in her mind. Why, after some of the things he said to me this week, I can't believe he'd have the nerve to stare at me like that. She huffed quietly to herself, a new flame of anger burning within her, as she strutted away from the mesmerized stallion towards the center of the group. "Now then, is everypony all ready to depart?" Her inquiry was met with acknowledgments in the affirmative from the rest of the party. She turned to look at Twilight. "Is our transportation in order?" Twilight nodded and smiled. “Our chariot’s waiting for us outside.” “Well, what are we waiting for?” Pinkie Pie shouted, hoof raised in the air. “Let’s go!” She raced towards the door, followed by the other more reserved, but still equally excited ponies. Except for one. Capriccio hung back from the group just for a moment, gazing at the white unicorn who’d taken up her position at the rear of the procession making its way outside, doing his best to muster up any amount of courage he could. He had to say something to her, otherwise he'd probably spend the whole night stewing in his guilt, certainly not the way he'd want to pass the time at the Grand Galloping Gala. He had to apologize to her here, if only he had the guts to do so. Come on, Capriccio. He dug down deep, searching for the courage to approach her. It's now or never. He raised his head resolutely as he made his way toward the door. “Hey, Rarity! Can I talk to you for a second?” Rarity twisted her head in the direction she heard name come from. Oh no. What could he possibly want now? She felt herself tense up as he approached. She felt she had a pretty good idea of what he wanted to "talk" about, and she sensed that there was going to be much more yelling than talking. She wanted to ignore him, sprint out the door and into the carriage where she could use her friends as a buffer zone between her and him. But that would merely postpone the argument to a later point in time, and did she really want that? Would she want the high of the best night ever tarnished by another silly fight? No it was better to get any of their grievances out right here, right now. Besides, perhaps she could defuse the situation instead of letting him rile her up again; that would make everything alright. At least, I hope so. She turned to face him directly and forced a smile, doing her best to keep her words civil. “Yes, what is it, Capriccio?" Her self-righteous anger pounded in the back of her mind, but she managed to subdue it. “I, um…” Capriccio's mind went blank, his moxie totally abandoning him. He stumbled along with his words, trying to remember what it was he wanted to say to her, but all that he could think about was how radiant she looked. “I…wanted, um, to...to...” "Is something the matter, dear?" Rarity was surprised; this was completely unlike him. Usually Capriccio was very quick on his hooves, but he seemed visibly shaken and at a loss for words. She'd never seen him have so much trouble trying to put a thought into words; all he could do was stutter along, shaking his head ever so lightly, his emerald eyes staring into her sapphire blues. She thought she could detect a hint of fear in his eyes, which made her begin to feel anxious. Clearly, he had no intention of insulting her in any way; he would never be afraid to do that, and he'd have no problem finding the words to do it. But since that was obviously not the goal, she was completely clueless as to what he could have to say, which only heightened her nervousness. “I wanted to say..." Capriccio sighed, finally breaking the gaze he held on her. It was the moment of truth. How would she respond? Would she forgive him? Would she get even more angry with him, or would she laugh in his face? And would she apologize to him? He felt like she definitely owed him one as well. But right now, it's my turn to apologize. Whether or not she wants to is up to her. He took a deep breath and locked eyes with her once again, feeling his unusually flighty mojo return for just a brief moment. Now or never. "...I’m sorry.” All at once he felt the tension melt away, and the words came flowing out of him like the air out of a popped balloon. “I’m sorry for arguing with you so much this past week. I know all you were doing was trying to help me, and I really should have been more grateful, especially with all the work you put in on my tuxedo. I didn’t mean to insult you like I did. I was pretty mean to you, and I apologize. I didn’t mean to start all those fights with you.” It was Rarity's turn to be at a loss for words. She was absolutely stunned; not since they had first met had Capriccio ever apologized to her for anything he'd said, usually dismissing it as “just a joke.” And yet here he was, delivering a truly sincere apology to her. And all over the arguments that I... Rarity mentally slapped herself; she couldn't possibly be feeling guilty because of their fights, could she? It wasn't like she had started any of them. She replayed that day's tiff in her head again. All she'd done was ask him to not lay in the grass, and she'd merely pointed out to him how messy he looked...and told him he obviously didn't care about his appearance...and insulted him for being a Fillydelphian... Oh my, I've been just as awful to him as he was to me. I have to apologi... Another mental slap. She couldn't apologize to him; it was simply unthinkable. There were a lot of things Rarity disliked: dirt, the rain, the color green. But above all else, Rarity absolutely abhorred admitting that she was at fault for anything. It was just unladylike. A true mare of the upper class always adhered to the highest standards. She never did anything she was not supposed to, and therefore never had reason to apologize for anything. Admitting any sort of guilt would be a huge blow to her ego. Besides, she hadn't exactly been wrong about his appearance. He clearly taken most of the advice she'd given him earlier that afternoon. She had to admit, she was surprised by how well he cleaned up. A little attention to detail did him a world of good, and she could finally see what a handsome... One more mental slap. She couldn't believe she was letting herself think of him like that. She chalked it up to it being a side-effect of her momentary feelings of guilt, and she did her best to shake those thoughts from her head. She wasn't attracted to him, she wasn't feeling guilty about anything, and she was not going to apologize to him. She frowned. ...Even so, that doesn't mean I shouldn't forgive him...if I can. Rarity sighed; forgiving somepony else, while easier than apologizing, was not a simple task for her either. Seldom was she willing to let go of her resentments towards somepony else; to her a grudge was just a reminder that somepony had wronged her, and she could probably count on them to do it again at some point. Rarity wouldn't call herself a cynical mare, but she knew when to be guarded against any sort of treachery from somepony else. Why should she treat Capriccio any different? It wasn't as if today was the first time he'd ever insulted her; that had begun almost since the day they'd met, and she was sure he would do it again in the future. She stared into his eyes, the embers of her anger threatening to reignite themselves, but what she saw doused them completely; Capriccio's eyes were clouded with desperation and remorse, and they were pleading with her to forgive him, else he should lose her as a friend. Rarity's anger dissolved completely. She couldn't stand to see him so internally distraught, especially after he'd expressed his heartfelt contrition over the entire ordeal. Her earlier whispers of regret began to creep into her mind once again, but she fought them back as best as she could. She wouldn't apologize, but she simply had to let him know that he was forgiven. She took a small step towards him, and briefly looked away, composing herself. She lifted her head with a sincere smile. "It's alright, Capriccio. I...I forgive you." The words flowed from her lips more easily than she had imagined they would. She smiled a little more brightly. It may not have been much, but it was her honest-to-goodness forgiveness. The fear that had occupied Capriccio's eyes disappeared. He couldn't remember having felt so relieved ever before in all his life. She had forgiven him, and it was a huge weight off his shoulders. He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off. "What do you say we forget about this whole ordeal and just enjoy our night? Besides, we don't want to keep everypony else waiting any longer, right?" Rarity chuckled half-heartedly, not so subtly shifting her way towards the door. Her positive feelings from forgiving him had begun to dull slightly, and her guilt was trying to push its way to the front of her mind with renewed fervor. She wasn't sure how long she could fight it off, but she hoped that the Gala would provide the ultimate distraction, and she wanted to get there as soon as possible. Capriccio nodded at her and smiled. "I think that's a great idea, Rarity." He followed her as she made her way out the door and towards the chariot, and he took his place next to Spike on the perch on the front of the carriage as she joined the other five ponies already seated inside. Spike looked up at him with an eager smile. "Are we ready to go, Capriccio?" "You betcha, Spike. Let's hit the road!" he replied, just as eager to get going as Spike was. Caramel and Lucky, who were harnessed to the chariot, took that as their cue to set out, and before they knew it, they were on the main highway leading from Ponyville to Canterlot. Capriccio smiled to himself as he watched the sun setting off in the west. He had been successful. He'd apologized to Rarely as earnestly as he could, and she'd given him her sincere forgiveness. That's all he'd really wanted. Well, that...and perhaps an apology from her. He wondered why she hadn't given him one as well. He felt she owed him at least a quick one, although he certainly wasn't going to demand it from her. He figured she'd been a little caught off guard by his apology; that had been pretty obvious by the look on her face when he spoke. And she was probably really nervous about the Gala like Twilight had said earlier that day. That had to be the reason why she hadn't apologized. He could understand that; he was growing a little anxious about the night as well, wondering what might be in store for him as a composer after his music was performed. Still, it would have been nice to hear a 'sorry.' He sighed as he continued to watch the sun descend toward the horizon, trying to forget about everything that had happened that week. He hoped Rarity was right about the Gala being a good way to put everything behind him. A few stray fireworks from a city on the approaching mountain snapped him from his thoughts. It wouldn't be much longer now until they were in Canterlot. He straightened himself up in his seat, adjusting his outfit to make sure he looked his best. More fireworks exploded in the sky above them; these were bigger, louder and more colorful than before He heard a few "oohs" and "ahs" from the carriage below, with an occasional rogue cheer from Pinkie Pie coming every so often. It was impossible not to share in their excitement; they hadn't even arrived yet and already they were partaking in the Gala's festivities. Capriccio couldn't help but feel a little optimistic. Who knows, maybe this will be the best night ever.