Rarity was on a mission.
That statement was, in truth, a bit misleading. If she was being honest with herself, Rarity knew that she was always on a mission, and that mission was to continue designing clothes to make everyone around her—including herself—as happy as they could possibly be. She would never stop being on that mission, even if most of the time her friends didn’t even realize when she was on it.
But today, Rarity was on a very specific mission. A specific mission that involved one specific person, and her desire to try and make that person as happy as she possibly could while simultaneously designing an outfit for said person that would make them look stunning.
“Er, Rarity?” Twilight Sparkle shifted nervously from foot to foot, adjusting her glasses and swallowing down the sudden urge she had to run. “Why are you looking at me with that weird gleam in your eye?”
Twilight had not been informed that she was Rarity’s mission. It was still too early in the day to know if this had been a good idea or not on her part.
The other girl’s voice did, at least, remind the fashionista that she currently wasn’t alone and that she needed her friend to stay with her in order for her mission to be considered a success. The whole thing would fail from the start if Twilight became nervous and tried to leave, and that simply wouldn’t do.
“Because I’m thinking of how much you’ll enjoy yourself today, darling,” she soothed. “Shopping to expand one’s wardrobe is always enjoyable, especially when you do it with a friend.”
“… Is it?” Twilight asked, confused. She’d never really gone shopping all that much before she had transferred to Canterlot High; she’d always kept herself to what she’d needed, never really having an eye for specific clothing or fashion, and it had always suited her. And she’d never gone shopping with someone she considered a friend before. At most she’d gone out with her mother to get another woman’s opinion on practical clothing, and every now and then Cadance had gotten her something nice for a school event that had required dressing up to maintain Crystal Prep’s reputation.
But going out shopping just for the sake of it? For no other reason than to buy herself something nice? And doing all of that with someone that she could at least tentatively consider a friend? Twilight had never done anything like that before. She’d never had someone her own age who had wanted to do something like that with her before.
All of this, of course, assuming that Rarity was even her friend. She still wasn’t entirely sure of that, even after starting over in a new school and hanging out with the girls who could harness the strange magic that had leaked into their world. They’d sort of just taken her in, and they’d never really talked about it; were they all friends now? Was Rarity her friend? Could Twilight call her that? Twilight wanted to call her that. She hadn’t known the white-skinned girl for very long, but she didn’t need ‘very long’ to know that she was beautiful, and kind, and she’d had more patience with the new transfer student than most of the kids in Crystal Prep had had with her during her entire time there.
Twilight wanted Rarity to be her friend, even as a small voice whispered in the back of her mind with discontent at the label for some odd reason. It would be okay to consider her a friend, right? Rarity had said they were friends. That had to mean it was okay.
“Er… Twilight, dear?” Rarity snapped her fingers, and Twilight abruptly realized that she had become lost in her own thoughts. “Are you still with me? It wouldn’t do if I had to drag you to the mall.”
“I’m here!” the purple girl yelped, jumping back a little bit when she realized just how close to her the other girl had managed to get to her in such a short span of time. The jolt was so violent that she had to grab onto her glasses to keep them from falling right off her face, and she blushed as Rarity lifted an amused brow.
“Yes, I can see that now. I apologize for spooking you, but you weren’t responding when I called to you.”
“I… right. S-Sorry, just started thinking. You know how hard it is for me to stop.” Twilight smiled sheepishly, then paused as something clicked in her mind that she hadn’t noticed before. “Wait. The mall?”
Rarity blinked. “Of course the mall. Why not?”
“Well, I just… I don’t know, I assumed when we started with this you’d want to make me some new outfits or something.”
“I would like to, eventually.” She said it casually, as if everyone designed and made their own clothing, and it made Twilight smile despite herself. “But before I can start doing that, I need to know what you like! And I can only do that if we spend some time together and I can see what kind of clothing you prefer.”
That made her wince, and she adjusted her glasses again—at this point it was more of a nervous tic than anything that she actually needed to do in order to see. “You’re probably going to be disappointed,” she said quietly. “I don’t really… have anything that I prefer. As long as it’s practical I take it.”
The thought of sticking simply to whatever was practical and easy to purchase actually seemed to bring Rarity physical pain; she stumbled mid-step and clutched at her chest briefly, grimacing at the news, before she exhaled and fell back into her pace without missing a beat. “No matter!” she chirped, and before Twilight’s disbelieving eyes she rubbed her hands gleefully. “Actually, I’d say this is good news!”
“It… is?” Twilight asked, not entirely sure that she believed her.
“Of course it is, darling! Why, do you know what this means?” Rarity spun around mid-step and grabbed Twilight’s hands, continuing to walk backwards and not seeming to care that she couldn’t see what was in front of her anymore.
“… No?” Twilight squeaked, torn between meeting Rarity’s gaze and peeking over her shoulder to make sure she didn’t walk backwards into another person or a solid object. She’d never been particularly good at multitasking.
Rarity gasped and squeezed Twilight’s hands, before she spun back around and picked up the pace. “I won’t ruin the surprise for you!” she declared. “Come, you’ll see for yourself once we get there why this is the best news ever!”
Twilight wasn’t entirely sure that she would agree with Rarity, but the purple-haired girl had forgotten to let go of one of her hands as they picked up the pace, and she was content to remain silent and enjoy the warmth and softness of it.
… Well. Twilight wanted Rarity to consider her a friend, but she wasn’t stupid. When she was caught up in thoughts of how the fashionista’s hand felt in hers, she knew all too well that she wanted more than that.
In truth, Twilight had never actually been to the mall in town all that often.
It was embarrassing to admit, considering it wasn’t all that far from her house and only a short drive from Crystal Prep back when she had been attending; going to Canterlot High now, it was more or less within walking distance and a popular hang out spot for students who wanted to go somewhere after school and didn’t feel like heading home to start their homework or face their parents. But she’d never had any reason to go, herself. She’d had no friends to hang out with after school, and everything she had ever wanted to buy could be picked up at other stores closer to home for cheaper.
So this was an entirely new experience for her. And thankfully, the mall was—not small by any stretch of the imagination, but it wasn’t terribly large either. Twilight figured that as long as she was careful and she paid attention to her surroundings, she wouldn’t get separated from Rarity and she most certainly wouldn’t get lost. She didn’t need to keep holding on to the ivory girl’s hand.
She kept holding on anyway, because she was smart enough and selfish enough to admit privately to herself that she wanted to. Rarity didn’t pull away from her or tell her to let go, so at the very least Twilight figured she was okay with it regardless.
She would take what she could get. Having Rarity consider her a friend—that was good enough, at least for now. Twilight wouldn’t think about anything more right now, when things were still so new and uncertain.
“Twilight? Twilight, darling? I think you might have left me behind again.”
The sound of snapping fingers jolted the purple girl out of her thoughts and she winced, hissing out a breath between her teeth as she pushed her glasses up her nose. God, how did Rarity manage to get so close without her noticing? Sure, they were still holding hands, but that could only explain so much! She couldn’t possibly be that lost in thought!
… Could she?
“I’m here,” she sighed, smiling sheepishly at Rarity’s amused little giggle. “I’m sorry. I seem to be drifting off into my thoughts a lot today.”
Rarity giggled again, giving Twilight’s hand a squeeze. “Not a problem at all,” she said breezily. “I find it rather charming, actually.”
Twilight’s fingers froze around her glasses, her cheeks warming. “Wait, wh—“
“And we’re here!” Rarity chirped, sending her companion’s thoughts into another whirlwind and quite effectively changing the subject before Twilight could think of what she wanted to say. Sighing quietly to herself and accepting that she would just have to let it go, the purple-haired girl let her hand fall away from her glasses and looked at their destination.
She blinked once. Twice. Three times.
“It’s… very colorful?” She hadn’t meant for it to sound like a question, but it came out that way regardless as she processed the store in front of her.
It was a clothing store, that much was obvious from just a glance. Twilight didn’t bother to even read the name attached to it; considering how uninformed she was when it came to clothing in general, she doubted it would have been a name she was familiar with. The fact that Rarity knew of it and had brought her to it instead of diving immediately into making her outfits of her own said enough about her opinion of the place.
What Twilight hadn’t been prepared for—and this was at least partially because Rarity hadn’t informed her of it, probably for the sake of the surprise—was how colorful the store was. It wasn’t just the clothes that were on display in the windows, though that was certainly noticeable in and of itself. But bright lights had been weaved along the window displays and into the name, flashing a variety of colors in a way that caught the eye. The entrance to the store showed an abrupt change in floor coloring, a variety of multi-colored tiles that sharply contrasted with the uniform coloring of the rest of the mall’s floor.
“… Very colorful,” Twilight repeated after a moment, when it became obvious that Rarity expected more of a reaction than what she had previously offered. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much color in one store.”
“It certainly stands out! It was the first thing I noticed about it, to be honest. But you step inside and, well… it has quite the marvelous selection.” Rarity absently twirled a curl around a finger. “I figured if we were going to get started on discovering your preferences, this would be the best place to begin.”
Twilight had to resist the urge to wince; as it was, the only reason she hadn’t flinched entirely when her friend said those words was because she still had a grip on her hand, and the purple girl was determined to enjoy that feeling for as long as it would last until Rarity decided to let go. “Yes, um… I appreciate the thought, Rarity, but I’m not exactly… known for being colorful. I don’t know if this is a good idea.”
The concern rolled off of Rarity like water off of a duck’s back. “Nonsense, darling! I hardly consider gym clothes and a school uniform a good reference for what you’re known for when it comes to outfits.”
That made the former Crystal Prep student smile, despite herself. “I can’t fault you for your enthusiasm. It’s… very different.”
That made Rarity glance at her, lifting a brow. “A good kind of different or a bad kind of different?”
Too late Twilight realized how her words might have sounded, and she couldn’t quite stifle the panicked yelp that slipped past her lips. “Good kind!” she rushed to clarify. “Definitely a good kind of different! I didn’t mean it as an insult! I-I just meant it’s the kind of different where you’re really nice to me, and… well, people aren’t usually nice to me. And no one at Crystal Prep was really all that enthusiastic, either. It was always about school or sports.”
Rarity had been quiet as Twilight had explained herself—or rambled, if she was being completely honest with herself. She didn’t have much experience talking to girls her own age, and now was one of the times it really showed. She fell nervously silent, wondering if she should take the initiative and pull her hand away from Rarity’s. Before she could go further with that thought, though, the ivory-skinned girl’s fingers actually tightened against her own, and she gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
Twilight’s mind went briefly blank at the feeling.
“I, uh… I was rambling again, wasn’t I,” she murmured once she was able to form coherent thoughts and make them into words, hesitantly returning the hand squeeze Rarity had given her.
“Like I said, I find it charming,” Rarity hummed. “And I was teasing, Twilight—I know you meant it in the best way possible.”
“O-Oh. Well…” Twilight scuffed her foot against the ground, resisting the urge to use her free hand to adjust her glasses. “G-Good. I’m glad that was obvious.”
Rarity smiled, then let go of the other girl’s hand. “Well, come now, darling! We’re wasting precious daylight just standing here smiling at each other. There will be time later for emotional heart to hearts after we’ve chosen some new outfits for you.”
The new student chuckled despite herself, giving a small step to the side and a mock bow as she gestured to the store. “Lead the way, my lady.”
She wasn’t used to making jokes, and the ones she had attempted to make with her fellow students at Crystal Prep had usually gone over about as well as a lead balloon. This was a risk, and a part of her knew that, even as another part of her whispered that Rarity was nothing like the people back at her old school. But being around her made her want to try, at least, if nothing else.
And her risk paid off; Rarity giggled, a hand coming up to her mouth, before she gripped the edges of her skirt and returned Twilight’s bow with a curtsy. “Thank you, brave knight. I appreciate you escorting me this far and keeping me from harm.” She gave a little flip of her hair, and with one last smile over her shoulder at the purple girl as she straightened up, walked into the store.
Twilight straightened up for a moment and swallowed, unable to stop the brief, silly grin of delight that curved her lips. Rarity had liked her joke. Rarity had even played along with her joke. She’d taken a risk, and it had paid off in one of the best ways possible.
She should probably mind her luck. She should probably take this as a sign that this was the best place to cut things off, before she ended up trying something that would end up backfiring in her face. She’d had that happen enough times in Crystal Prep that she almost felt it in her bones. It had been a hard learned lesson, and one that she knew she still had to keep in mind.
But with how the day had been going so far…
Well.
At the moment, Twilight felt like maybe instead she’d like to push her luck and see how the day turned out.
She took one last look at the store itself, drinking in the interwoven colors of the lights and the clothes in the display window, before she took a deep breath and stepped inside to go and find Rarity. The fashionista clearly liked this store, and it appeared to have a wide selection—probably the reason why she had chosen it in the first place to get an idea of what Twilight liked.
If nothing else, it was a good starting point. Twilight just hoped her lack of knowledge when it came to fashion wouldn’t disappoint Rarity too much.
She was probably being optimistic.
The inside of the store, it turned out, was every bit as colorful as its outside displays had promised. In any other place, Twilight suspected, weaving so many colors together in clothing, along the floors and the ceiling, and even upon the very walls would have appeared to clash violently. It would have been incredibly unpleasant to the eye, to say the very least.
Had it actually looked like that at all, she suspected Rarity wouldn’t have been drawn to it to use as her baseline. But whoever had decided that using so much color was a good idea for store design at least seemed to know how to do it well; instead of clashing, the colors blended together in a way that caught one’s eye and held the attention, putting emphasis on the racks of clothing and other accessories that lined the walkway.
And there was a lot of clothing. The store certainly seemed to be bigger on the inside than it had initially appeared from looking it over outside—though Twilight had only glanced at it at all to please her friend. With so many colors and selections, it was easy to see why someone like Rarity would be drawn to this store for a reference guide for her own designs, or if she merely needed to buy the needed materials to continue creating.
Unfortunately, the fact that the store was so large and offered so many designs didn’t help so much when you ended up being the one who had to carry everything—though Twilight could admit that part was her own fault. It had all started when a shirt and skirt combo had caught her eye, a colorful combination with a minor floral pattern that she had liked the look of because of how different it was from her usual dull wardrobe. It hadn’t taken long for Rarity to latch on to that as a hint of what the purple-haired girl would like to wear once she had updated her wardrobe accordingly, and all too soon Twilight found that her one chosen outfit grew into several that she was now balancing in her arms. She could still see where she was going, at least, which she considered a small miracle in and of itself with the worrying gleam that had entered Rarity’s deep blue eyes once they had actually gotten into choosing outfits.
In her defense, Rarity was also carrying a few extra outfits that had caught her eye after Twilight hadn’t been able to hold anymore. She just didn’t happen to be holding nearly as many as the other girl was at the moment.
Twilight was thankful that she at least knew her size. If she’d had to deal with going to a changing room to try on all of these outfits—she’d given up bothering after the first two or three from the hassle—she might have very quickly changed her tune about the whole outing. As it was, they were now carrying their future purchases to the checkout, and Rarity had been gushing nonstop since they had been walking about the future outfits she could design for her friend based off of the preferences said purchases had established.
She didn’t understand a word of what she was saying, but she could appreciate the spring it put in the ivory-skinned girl’s step and the gleam it put in her eye. Had her hands been free, Twilight suspected that Rarity would have been gesturing while she talked—and gesture she did, once her load had been given to the cashier to be paid for. Twilight still listened though, paying for the purchases and trying not to wince when she saw what the cost came out to. She swiftly pocketed it so Rarity wouldn’t take a breath and notice; the last thing she wanted was for her friend to feel guilty when she was trying to help her.
In her own unique, Rarity way, but still.
And if nothing else, the whole outing seemed to have put the purple-haired young woman in a good mood. There was a spring in her step as they left the mall, and she’d been humming a little tune ever since they had exited the store.
Twilight’s wallet would probably never forgive her for the wounds that had been inflicted upon it this day, but her heart found she felt that was a worthy sacrifice.
“You’re going to be stunning, darling.” Rarity’s smile was radiant, and she seemed completely unbothered by the weight of the bags she was carrying. “All eyes will be on you during school, and I can’t even begin to imagine how the summer will go!”
“Will it help me fit in better, you think? The new outfits, I mean.”
“Oh, you’ll fit in fine—the girls and I will help you with that, don’t worry.” The radiance traveled now to dark blue eyes, and Rarity almost squealed. “And speaking of, now that I know what you like, I can make you outfits! They’ll be simply divine! Please tell me you’ll say yes and let me do this for you!”
It didn’t sound like a question, but the utter sincerity in her tone made Twilight smile anyway. “I’ll say yes now and save you the pain of worrying about it until later. Thank you, Rarity. I really do appreciate the offer.”
“I should be thanking you, Twilight, for letting my muse run wild! None of the others are half as willing to let me make them outfits.” Rarity pouted, then glanced at her. “And this will help terribly with the cost, I believe. I find that buying supplies to make outfits is usually cheaper than buying them from a store.”
Twilight couldn’t quite suppress the wince that came from that very specific statement; she’d been so sure that her friend hadn’t seen the cost, too. “I was hoping you would miss that.”
“You’re a dear, truly.” Rarity shifted the bags she was carrying slightly so that her hand could find Twilight’s, and the purple girl swallowed hard at how casually the affection came to her friend. “And thank you again, for letting me run with this. I know it’s not quite what you had in mind when we agreed to do this together.”
“W-Well, no, it wasn’t… to be honest I’m not even really that big on clothes or shopping in general.” Twilight shrugged, adjusting her glasses as best she could while balancing bags. “But it made you happy, so I don’t mind. And it was nice, doing this with… someone else. With my friend.”
She paused.
“Instead of myself,” she rushed to clarify. “Because I used to do this by myself most of the time, if I ever did it at all. Sometimes I had my mom or Cadance with me, but… you know. It wasn’t the same.”
She paused again. Resisted the urge to adjust her glasses as Rarity remained silent and her nerves began to rise.
“Because I wasn’t with someone who liked me. O-Or considered me a friend, I-I don’t—I don’t want to assume you like me, obviously—“
“Twilight, dear, you’re rambling again.”
“… Sorry.” Twilight didn’t quite wince, but it was only because she knew if she did Rarity would be upset about her beating herself up. “It’s just a habit, I guess. I’m still getting used to…”
You, she thought.
“.. All of this,” she said instead. “I’ve probably said this before, while rambling, but I’m getting used to people… liking me. To having friends at all, to possibly even liking someone more than a friend.”
Well, she hadn’t really meant for that to slip out, but it was out between them now and Rarity was simply listening, holding her hand still as they walked, and she wasn’t saying anything or judging Twilight for what she had said so far. That was good, right? And hey—at least she hadn’t let any names slip out. That was better than nothing at this point.
And miracle of miracles, Rarity hadn’t interrupted to ask her who she liked. Twilight would take it for what it was.
“And I’m not used to that, even though I’m getting there! So sometimes I start talking and I don’t really know when to stop, and…” Twilight sighed and took a risk, at least for her, giving Rarity’s hand a gentle squeeze. “And I appreciate you being so willing to put up with it today, because I know I’ve been doing it a lot when you’ve been trying to help me.”
Rarity smiled—both at Twilight’s openness and at her small show of affection—and squeezed her fingers back encouragingly. “I do recall saying earlier that I found it charming, Twilight. More than once, in fact.”
Twilight smiled sheepishly. “I remember.”
She paused as she also remembered what the other girl saying that the first time had made her think; a question she had never been able to ask because Rarity had changed the subject before she could think to put her thoughts into words. It would be all too easy to let those thoughts stay buried for the time being, to enjoy the day for the success it had been and to take this seed of friendship as a sign of what could come for them in the future now that they had something of a foundation to build off of.
“Actually, Rarity…”
So of course instead of doing any of that, Twilight went and opened her mouth and shoved her foot so far down it she was amazed she didn’t start choking on the spot.
“When you say you find that charming, um… I-I’m probably thinking way too much about it and seeing more into it than there is, but I’m just going to ask anyway outright and try not to ramble again.” She shifted her grip on her bags, more out of nerves than anything else. “You keep saying that, but what does that mean exactly? Is that just a friend thing? Am I thinking about it too much?”
Rarity hummed, giving Twilight an amused sideways look that had the purple girl blushing. “I don’t quite know how to respond to that, Twilight. What are you thinking that it means? You’ve clearly put some thought into this.”
“… That isn’t fair. I’m the one asking in the first place.”
“If you’re asking, it’s because you’ve thought about it enough to decide that it’s worth asking about at all.” Rarity’s eyes twinkled, gentle and playful. “And I promise I don’t bite.”
Twilight squeaked.
“Hard, that is,” the fashionista clarified.
Twilight squeaked again, her face going warm as blood seemed to rush from every part of her body to her cheeks. She made what one might consider attempts at starting a conversation, at trying to string words together to form a sentence, but her brain wasn’t being particularly cooperative at the moment. Rarity, for her part, didn’t seem all that interested in helping out her flustered friend—or did she want to be more? Was she hinting that she wanted to be more? Was she saying she’d be okay with being more? Twilight’s brain felt ready to explode at the mere thought of it—and was instead content to continue walking hand in hand with her, giving only a slight encouraging tug to keep the other girl walking when her pace slowed.
“Too much?” Rarity finally asked, when some time had passed during their walk and Twilight still hadn’t managed to say anything despite several tries.
“More like you’re having too much fun,” Twilight finally managed. The sting her words might have held was dulled by the fact that despite her racing heart and red face, she was smiling stupidly despite herself.
“I really can stop if it’s too much for you, darling. I do admit sometimes I forget myself.”
“No! I-I mean no, don’t stop! I like it! I do! Just… I mean, you know, when you say stuff like what you just said before about me charming, it kind of implies you like me? Maybe? As more than a friend?” Twilight hissed out a nervous breath between her teeth, rapidly shifting so her eyes were focused straight ahead; she couldn’t work up the nerve to look at Rarity right now. “A-And I know myself well enough to know that I tend to overthink things a lot as it is, and I don’t want to assume the wrong thing!”
In the back of her mind, it occurred to her that she had somehow managed to start rambling again. As charming as her companion—and that was a nice neutral term to use at the moment, all things considered—said she found it to be, it had to be annoying that she kept doing it. Despite the fact that she was able to talk now, Twilight still didn’t seem to have reconnected her brain to her vocal cords, and she’d always been prone to talking too much around people she was comfortable with as it was.
In some ways, she supposed, it was an odd combination of a habit and a defense mechanism. If there was one true lesson Twilight could claim she had learned from her time at Crystal Prep, it was that it was easy for a person to actually say something and an entirely different thing for them to actually mean it. It was best to get this kind of thing figured out quickly, before things went too far and too deep and feelings got hurt. If someone really didn’t mind the way Twilight could go on and on and on when she got nervous about something, then she knew for certain that they liked her.
There hadn’t been a lot of people who had liked her back in Crystal Prep, and Cadance didn’t count—she’d been a member of the administration that had just so happened to develop a soft spot for the school’s top student.
“A-And I don’t want to assume the wrong thing because uh, well, I’ve… I’ve done that before in Crystal Prep and I’ve usually regretted it, and I don’t…” Twilight trailed off as her brain finally caught up with her mouth; she might have considered it a miracle in and of itself if she wasn’t still caught on her tangent. “Like I said before, people didn’t really like me, so I guess I just… don’t want to assume and get my hopes up?”
The again portion of her question—and she really hadn’t meant for it to end as a question, she had been hoping to make it a statement, but Rarity just seemed to have that effect on her—was left unsaid, but the implication of it hung heavy and thick in the air. Rarity didn’t respond immediately, and when she gave Twilight’s hand a gentle tug to guide her off of the sidewalk and towards a nearby bench the other girl was surprised, but didn’t say anything. She fidgeted nervously when her companion took the time to carefully set down their bags, and immediately sat down when she was gestured to. She would have started playing with her skirt, but Rarity took her hands and that was the end of that thought.
And then Rarity gently turned her so they were eye to eye, and all of the nerves Twilight had felt settle started to stir again. “U-Um, Rarity? Is something wrong with my face?”
“There’s nothing wrong with your face, darling.” The fashionista found her hands again and held them gently, squeezed. “In fact, if I may be so bold right now, there’s nothing wrong with any part of you.”
Twilight’s breath caught in her throat. “Rarity—“
Another gentle squeeze of her hands silenced her, and she swallowed as she got the hint; the other girl had been listening to her talk pretty much the entire day, and now she wanted a moment to say her piece after she’d had time to think and process what she’d been told about Crystal Prep and the other students there.
And now, it seemed, she was ready to speak her mind on everything Twilight had let slip during those moments. So the purple-eyed girl stayed silent, and waited to see what Rarity had to say.
“I’ll be blunt,” she said at last. “I admit that yes, I wanted to help you with your wardrobe—fashion is part of who I am, and I won’t ever deny that. Designing clothes the way I do is fun, and I wanted to help you get a fresh start here with all of us at Canterlot High. But that wasn’t my only intention when I agreed to meet with you today and go to the mall—though with the way I’ve been acting all day, well.” She smiled, brushing loose strands of dark violet hair out of her eyes. “I won’t blame you for being as unsure as you have been. I doubt my teasing has helped much in that regard.”
Twilight swallowed hard and licked her lips, unable to stay silent as what Rarity said began to sink in. “So when you kept saying that you found my rambling charming…”
Rarity chuckled. “You weren’t thinking too much, though I admit I had perhaps a little too much fun teasing you about it. I’m sorry.”
“N-No! Please, don’t be sorry at all! I really didn’t mind it and, well, your teasing was nice, and…” Twilight trailed off as she realized what was happening, took a quiet breath and closed her eyes to count backwards from ten. “I’m not going to ramble right now,” she said. “Now really isn’t the time.”
That made Rarity giggle. “I’ll just be up front then and say I find it cute when you ramble, so you really don’t need to worry about it.
Twilight smiled sheepishly. “I appreciate the honesty, but I’m letting you talk right now. You wanted to say something to me.”
Rarity shrugged, giving Twilight’s hands another gentle squeeze; she didn’t seem ready or willing to let them go any time soon at this rate. “That’s really what I wanted to say,” she said. “You didn’t overthink what I was doing today—and I think the students at Crystal Prep never gave you the chance you so desperately deserved to have. There’s nothing wrong with you, Twilight, and I’ll be more than happy to prove that to you again and again.”
Twilight wasn’t sure what seized her at that particular moment—if it was some kind of courage, or maybe a sort of recklessness that came from the small surge of confidence this whole talk was giving her. But she held tight to Rarity’s hands and leaned in, just a little. “Oh really?” she asked, and she would deny from this point on that she was a little breathless. “How would you prove that?”
And it might have been a little bit much at this point—maybe it would have even been too much, for most other people. But Rarity wasn’t like other people, and Twilight’s question simply made her smirk in a way that was both confident and warm.
How she did that Twilight had no idea, but she felt she’d have the time to figure it out.
And then Rarity leaned in and—
Oh.
It was warm and chaste, soft and quick; if the warmth of Rarity’s lips hadn’t lingered on hers, Twilight might have believed she’d imagined the whole thing. Her grip tightened on the other girl’s hands, and she smiled shyly as Rarity’s own smirk softened, bumping their foreheads together.
“I think I’ll show you one day at a time, starting now. How does that sound?”
And to Twilight, it sounded perfect.