Twilight ventured away from the cafe, wandering towards the Fashion District. After reading a nearby clock tower, she decided to take a stroll through the market.
Celestia, it’s been so long since I’ve had time to myself to just wander. Friends, the library, my studies, so many things that kept me occupied. As she continued walking through the market, she felt her eyes water at the memories it brought back. Not since before the Princess assigned me to Ponyville... she thought, as tears formed in the corner of each eye. She blinked them away. Not since I could spend the afternoon with Shining Armor when he was off-duty. Now he’s off on assignment somewhere, and I have no idea when I’ll see him again. She suppressed a sob and continued walking.
The sights and sounds of the market were all too familiar for Twilight, yet they held some air of difference. But the musicians still played the same music, the shops still carried the same items, and the ponies still talked about the same topics. It was as if Twilight was seeing a different side of the same coin. She sighed, pausing to stare at the scene before her.
It didn’t look any different, but it felt different. Deep inside, Twilight felt a tug of nostalgia. She ignored it, and slowly the rose-tinted lenses came off. It wasn’t just Canterlot and it wasn’t just her; Canterlot wasn’t her school or her home or her playground any more. It was the distant city she could see out of her window. It was spires of the Castle, visible from anywhere in Ponyville. It was the home of her memories and those she loved, but it was no longer home for her.
Am I just expecting everything to be arranged in a neat, logical order? she thought. Maybe I’m just used to Ponyville and everything about it. But I don’t want to lose Canterlot. My family, the Princesses, school, my entire childhood! It’s all here! But Ponyville... My friends, my adventures, maybe even my first love... Am I supposed to be this torn about it? They’re both so special to me. She shook her head and continued on, still weighed down by the conflicting emotions.
Her wandering went on for another hour, and she passed by the same bakery her parents would take her to, the same little quill-and-ink store that kept her study supplies fresh and well stocked, the same trio of musicians, strumming away at their instruments. Yet, none of them knew her anymore. The shopkeepers still stayed in business without her and the musicians kept playing their songs. Twilight could tell she was just another unicorn in the crowd.
But Rarity cares. She’s your friend. Celestia cares. Your parents care. You’re not alone by any stretch of the word, her inner voice chimed. Your memories are a link to the past. Don’t get weighed down by them. Instead, take charge, and make something new!
As she came across a shop selling decorative baubles, she paused to admire a few of the more colorful designs. I wonder if Rarity would like these? Come to think of it, I wonder if Rarity even feels the same way about me? And what if she doesn’t? I don’t want this to become some wedge that drives our friendship apart....
She nervously shuffled her hooves on the ground, mentally kicking herself. Twilight, you really can’t keep torturing yourself with this stuff. It can’t possibly do you any good.
Yeah, but what if? She argued back. What if Rarity just laughs at me? What if she just teases me about it like the fillies from school used to about my books? What if she just thinks I’m weird, or that she doesn’t even want to be my friend anymore? What if she goes around telling everypony, and they all turn on me? Then the Princess will force me to come back to Canterlot, and I might get sent back to magical Kindergarten! I might have to relearn all my friendship lessons, and get a brand new one on “not screwing up a perfectly good friendship with your own selfish desires!” And what will happen to the Elements? What if that destroys our special connection like when Discord brainwashed us? I’ll be threatening the safety of everyone in Equestria!
Twilight mentally slapped herself across the face. No! It doesn’t work like that! Rarity is your friend, and she’s not going to do that to you. Be reasonable.
A loud bell rang out through the city, drawing Twilight out of her thoughts. She looked up to the sky and sure enough, the clock had struck one in the afternoon. Ah, pony feathers! I’ll be late! She broke into a gallop, careful not to jostle her saddlebags too much while she headed for Hoity-Toity’s boutique.
Twilight slowed down as she came up to glass facade of Hoity-Toity’s shop and took several deep breaths to calm and steady herself. She gave her mane a little shake, and took her tiara, the Element of Magic, from her saddlebag before she gently set it on her head. With one last deep breath, she opened the door and stepped inside.
She was immediately greeted by Fancy Pants and Fleur-de-Lis, who seemed to have been conversing about some work-related topic.
“Ah, hello to you, Miss Sparkle. It’s good to see you again,” Fancy Pants drawled, flashing her a large smile. “Have you met my business partner, Fleur-de-Lis?” He nodded to his companion and turned back to await Twilight’s answer.
Twilight gave a little nod to Fancy Pants and extended her hoof to Fleur. “Fleur and I have not been introduced. It’s a pleasure to meet you. And it’s nice to see you too, Mr. Pants. But I thought this was going to be a more, um, private show?”
Fleur took Twilight’s hoof and gently shook it. “Charmed,” she said in what sounded like a combination of Percheron and Manehattan accents.
Fancy Pants spoke next. “Well, Fleur and I bumped into Rarity this morning at breakfast, and she offered us a chance to see her new line. I must say, I am looking forward to her work. Though, as one of her closest confidants, you must have far better an idea of what to expect, eh?”
Twilight managed a small chuckle, and she smiled weakly. “Yeah, she’s done amazing work. She even designed all of our Gala dresses last year. But I can’t say I know what she’s got planned, so I think it’ll be a surprise for all of us! Anyway, I should go find her, and I suppose the show is starting soon, yes?”
“Ah, yes, it should start any moment now. I believe the models had a little bit of trouble arranging the order of the pieces.”
The trio walked farther into the boutique, and spotted Rarity and Hoity-Toity chatting. Twilight sped up, outpacing Fancy Pants and Fleur. She came to a stop near Rarity and gently tapped the other pony’s shoulder.
Rarity turned around and gave Twilight a big smile. “Twilight! I’m so glad you made it! And don’t you look lovely?” she said, nodding to the tiara. “Oh, this is going to be exciting!”
Twilight smiled back and gave Rarity a quick hug. “Well, good luck. Not that you’ll need it, though.”
Rarity’s smile faded after a moment, before being replaced with a look of contented determination. “Thank you, Twilight. I’m really glad we could get together like this.”
Twilight nodded and settled down next to Rarity, while Hoity-Toity, Fancy Pants, and Fleur all sat off to the other side of the designer. She noticed Rarity was shuffling her hooves, while her eyes seemed to focus on the curtains at the back of the stage.
Rarity sure seems nervous. I can’t think of a reason why, except for pre-show jitters. Maybe it is just that. Or maybe my mind is just playing tricks on me. Twilight took another steadying breath, and focused on being next to the pony she loved. It’s alright, Twilight. Everything is going to be OK.
Soft notes from a cello came wafting into the room, and the lights began to dim. The stage lights went up and the curtains drew back enough to admit the models to the trotway.
Twilight watched as model after model strolled out and struck various poses. Some showed off the dresses that fell just-so off of their shoulders, while others highlighted their flanks. As she kept watching she noticed a pattern: a violet brooch with a white dress and indigo trim, an indigo tiara with a lavender dress and violet trim, a pink brooch with an indigo dress and white lace.
This is strange... Rarity’s dresses aren’t normally this... why are they this similar! There is usually so much variety... She’s so precise and careful and deliberate. What are her intentions? What’s going on? Twilight thought.
“Uh, Rarity, is it just me, or do all these dresses seem very similar?” she asked quietly, trying to keep calm while her heart pounded.
“The dresses, dear? I see nothing wrong,” Rarity replied, her head tilted and an eyebrow raised. Twilight could almost see a smirk on her friend’s lips, and she turned back to the runway.
Then she spotted the final dress in the collection, a flowing lavender gown with violet lace trim and a replica of the Element of Magic. “Well, then why are all the same? Why do they look like me?!” Twilight was on her hooves.
Rarity looked like she had been slapped across her face. “Be-because I wanted you here, Twilight. I wanted you to see these!”
“Why would you want to show me these? I just don’t understand,” said Twilight, an edge of confusion and irritation in her voice.
Rarity choked up before replying, “Because I thought you would see... see--”
“See what?” Twilight asked, waving her hoof around angrily.
“Y-you don’t see it? Twilight, I did this f-for you,” Rarity said, struggling to speak as she gasped for breath.
“For me.” Twilight deadpanned. “Do you even like me? Because it seems like you’re making fun of me! Models strutting around! My tiara on somepony else’s head! My cutie mark hanging off of some strangers neck! What is it then? What’s all of this?!” Twilight continued, keeping her voice even.
Tears formed in the corners of both ponies’ eyes.
Is she trying to hurt me with this? Am I not good enough for her? Would she rather be with one of these models or fashion moguls? I don’t know what’s going on, and that scares the Tartarus out of me, Twilight thought as she blinked the tears away.
“Twilight, I would never! Of course I like you! I... I--”
“You what? Thought I wouldn’t notice any of this?” She gestured towards the models still on the runway, frozen in shock with their jaws hanging loose.
“No, no, no, I hoped you would notice!” Rarity held back a few tears, but to no avail.
“Oh, so you are making fun of me!”
“Th-that’s not it at all!”
“Oh, right, just invite poor, nerdy Twilight to a fashion show ‘in her honor’. She won’t notice that the whole show is making a mockery of her!” Twilight yelled.
That was the last straw for Rarity. "I just wanted to make you see--" Rarity cut herself off, her bottom lip trembling. She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said, turning and galloping out of the room.
Twilight looked around to all the ponies staring at her, and she realized the music and models had stopped. Oh, dear Celestia, what have I done? Rarity’s career is ruined, all because I got so wound up about this! She doesn’t need somepony like me who will just screw up her life! I’m an awful friend.
Fancy Pants approached Twilight gingerly, and placed his hoof on her shoulder. “Twilight, my sincerest apologies. Fleur and I will do what we can to run damage control, keep this out of the press and whatnot. Celestia knows how those tabloids find out about these things. Nonetheless, our wishes are with you and Rarity. I do so hope you can work this out. I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding.”
Twilight nodded, but she couldn’t reply. The words just died in her throat as she tried to speak, and she simply gave up, hanging her head low. Fancy Pants and Fleur both patted her shoulder gently before taking their leave, leaving Twilight alone with Hoity-Toity.
The fashion mogul stayed silent for several moments, directing the models and musician away with a few gestures of his hoof, leaving him to tend to the crestfallen unicorn.
“To be quite frank, I think Rarity is wrong,” Hoity-Toity said flatly. “Well, wrong on two counts. Her first mistake was designing an entire line around a crush. Hmpf. Those work out splendidly. And of course, the other thing.” Twilight turned around to glare at him, but he just continued. “Hear me out. She’s wrong in the sense that she only wanted you to see these. I think she needed you to see these.”
Twilight’s glare faded into an expression of puzzled curiosity. “She... needed me to see these dresses? And she has a crush on me? I don’t follow.”
“Yes!” Hoity-Toity said, exasperated. “I really don’t know how you could miss it. Anyway, Rarity came to me last night with an urgent proposal, as she called it. She wanted this show to be special, as ‘somepony special’ to her would be attending. Now, at first I thought it was Fancy Pants, seeing as how he’s got a great many connections...” He paused for a moment, giving Twilight a thorough once-over.
“No, Fancy Pants told me that she just invited him this morning, so that can’t be right. But then that would make me the special somepony.” Twilight put her hoof to her forehead and rubbed firmly. “This is a lot to take in.”
“Yes, well, let me finish.... After seeing you walk in, I knew it had to be you. Now, I can’t say for sure why Rarity designed this line the way she did, but I suspect she’s trying to express her feelings through her art. And I suspect that,” he said, pointing at her tiara, “is a very special artifact for the both of you.”
Twilight’s jaw went slack at her epiphany. Of course! How could I be so... so irrational! Rarity, I’m so sorry! I’ve ruined everything for you.
“You should go after her. I’m sure she needs a kick in the flank right now,” Hoity-Toity offered. “I’ll clean up around here. And be sure to let Rarity know she’s always welcome back. Such a silly accident like today couldn’t possibly detract from her talent.”
Twilight smiled weakly, and muttered, “Sure. And thank you.” She took a few deep breaths and got up, before galloping to the door.
Twilight galloped straight to the hotel, pushing her way through the light crowd to the elevator banks. She skidded into one of the open elevators and pounded the button to her floor. She hopped about restlessly, waiting for the elevator to ascend.
“Come on, come on, come ON!” she muttered. Please tell me you’re in the room, and I can apologize.
As the doors opened, Twilight squeezed herself out of the lift and galloped down the hallway to her room. In her rush, she fumbled with the key, but managed to get it in to unlock the door.
“Rarity? Are you here? I want to apologize! I’m so, so sorry!” Twilight called, but there was no response. The room was empty, but made up. Twilight slumped against the wall, and her saddlebags slid off of her sides. She absent-mindedly tossed her tiara into one of the pouches and shut it in the closet.
“What am I going to do? I have to find her!” she cried, almost hoping the despair in her voice would draw Rarity from wherever she was hiding.
When no one came, she slowly got to her hooves and made her way back down to the lobby. Her eyes were shut for the ride down, and hot tears spilled down her face. When the bell dinged, she quickly wiped away her tears and pushed her way to the front desk. She heard some vague protests, but ignored them.
“Have you seen a light grey unicorn, with a long, curly, violet mane come through here? She’s got three blue diamonds for a cutie mark. I need to know, it’s an emergency,” she huffed, addressing the clerk in front of her.
“Non, mademoiselle. I ‘af not seen any pony by zat description. Per’aps you vould like to leave a message?” the clerk offered, handing Twilight a bit of parchment and a quill.
I’ve got it! Twilight cast her letter-sending spell on the parchment, and returned it to the clerk. “If you do see her, can you let me know? The spell I just cast, it will let you send this parchment to me anywhere in Canterlot as soon as you apply a seal. Can you do that for me?”
The clerk nodded with a disinterested look on his face, as if this was daily occurance. “Oui.”
Twilight gave a weak smile, and headed out of the lobby to the streets of Canterlot. She looked up and down the road, trying to spot Rarity and her distinctive violet mane. But the bustle of city ponies could hide a full-grown dragon, let alone a unicorn wishing to remain unseen. Twilight, you can’t despair now. Rarity needs you. Think, who can help you? Who? She prodded her temple with a hoof and looked up and down the road once more.
In the distance, she spotted the tall towers of the Castle. Princess Celestia, of course! She broke into another gallop, dodging through the traffic of the big city.
Once she arrived at the castle, traffic was blessedly light. She smiled at the guards flanking the entrance, and they let her pass uninterrupted. Twilight found her way through the grounds and to the main doors. She quickly trotted through the halls that lead to Celestia’s throne room.
A lone guard was standing outside the large, gilded doors of the throne room, and Twilight noticed that he wasn’t paying much attention. Pony feathers! she mentally cursed. He’s the one pony standing between me and the Princess!
After setting off an illusion of a filly crying for help and seeing the guard race around the corner, she slipped into the throne room.
Celestia was listening to a farmer drone on about water rights. While her normally calm demeanor looked perfectly normal to anypony else, Twilight could tell that the Princess was bored. As Celestia looked towards her at the back of the room, she could also see a nearly imperceptible smile on the Princess’s face.
Celestia dismissed the farmer after he reached a natural pause, and told him to make future arrangements with her assistant. When he left, she called Twilight forward.
This is your one chance to fix this, Twilight. You must get the Princess on your side!
“Ah, my most faithful stud-- What’s wrong, Twilight? You look like you’ve been galloping across Equestria!” Celestia said, the initial calm and joy disappearing from her voice as she got a closer look at Twilight’s tear-stained cheeks. With a simple, “Could we have some privacy?” she dismissed the court, and scribes and guards filed out of the room. Two remained behind to watch the doors, and they focused their attention away from the Princess and her pupil.
“Princess Celestia,” Twilight gasped as she gave a brief bow, before she tried to catch her breath to give the Princess a proper answer. One, she breathed in, two, she breathed out, three, she breathed in again. “I messed up, Princess. Rarity and I got into a very big, very public fight, and I embarrassed her in front of a lot of important ponies. I might have ruined her career as a designer, and I know how much that means to her.
“But, she’s run off and I can’t find her anywhere. I just, I just don’t know what to do!” she wailed, burying her face in her hooves.
“Ssshh, my dear student. Why don’t you tell me exactly what happened?” Celestia said, her divine radiance echoing in her voice. The words weren’t as much comfort to Twilight as the sound of her mentor’s dulcet tones.
Twilight nodded, and recalled the events of the afternoon, the show, the dresses, the important guests, and the entire argument with Rarity, including her parting words. She added Fancy Pants and Hoity-Toity’s advice at the end, hoping that every little bit could help.
“Why did you think Rarity was making fun of you? That certainly doesn’t sound like her,” Celestia probed.
Twilight hung her head again. I owe it to her, since she’s been so supportive of my study of friendship. Maybe she can help me study the magic of love, too? “I... I’ve been developing these... feelings for her. Romantic ones.” A deep, crimson blush came to her cheeks. “I think I’m in love with her, Princess. And I thought she knew. I thought even my mom knew. And maybe I wasn’t thinking straight, but... some irrational part of me just took over, and made the worst possible conclusion.”
Celestia gave her student a warm, welcoming smile. “Thank you for telling me that, Twilight Sparkle. I’m sure it must have been difficult for you to admit that.” She paused for a moment, carefully considering what to say next. “But Rarity is the Element of Generosity, not Spite. Did you perhaps consider that she’s expressing herself through her art? That perhaps you aren’t alone in these romantic feelings?”
Twilight tilted her head, arching an eyebrow at Celestia. “That’s crossed my mind. Hoity-Toity said she did. So are you suggesting that R-Rarity is also...”
Celestia nodded. “Rarity’s fashions have always been her creative outlet. And maybe this was her way of expressing to you how much she cares for you.”
Oh. Oh! Oh, sweet mother of Celestia! I’m a dunce! “Oh, what do I do? She must hate me now, not just for ruining her show, but for being so... evil!” Twilight stifled a sob, and she choked on the rest of her words. She could hear Rarity’s voice now, yelling out, Twilight, how could you?
Celestia came down from her throne and wrapped Twilight in a feathery hug as her wings wrapped around the smaller unicorn. “Twilight, the bond you share with your friends is an incredibly strong one, and one little fight isn’t going to tear it apart. If you and Rarity truly share such romantic feelings for one another, I’m confident that not a single force in Equestria could keep the two of you apart for long.
“And before you protest that you’ve ruined your only chance, you’re wrong. You care about Rarity enough to be searching for her. You care enough to break into the throne room of the highest court, without thinking of any consequences to yourself.”
Twilight’s face drained of color at the last sentence. She was about to beg forgiveness before Celestia interrupted. “That level of devotion, care, and trust is what will make your little crush blossom into a beautiful, fruitful romance.”
Twilight looked up at the Princess’s rose-colored eyes, and saw the truth of her words radiating from them. She choked back another sob, this time one of happiness and relief. She hugged Celestia and nuzzled her chest, mindful of the royal regalia. “Thank you so much, Princess. But can I ask for one little favor?”
“Of course, my star pupil.”
“I need help finding Rarity. I don’t think I can do it on my own.” Twilight shuffled her hooves anxiously, hoping she wasn’t asking for too much.
“Flint, Steel, come here please,” she called to the two guards at the very back of the room. Twilight hadn’t noticed them when she came in. Oh, pony feathers. They’ll never let me live this down.
“Yes, your Majesty?” Flint asked.
“You are to coordinate with Twilight and Sir Duke. We’re organizing a search party for Rarity, one of Lady Twilight Sparkle’s friends, and the Element of Generosity. We shall be pulling double shifts until the Night Guard arrive with Princess Luna, understood?”
“Yes, your Majesty!” both stallions shouted. They snapped into a smart salute before beckoning Twilight to come with them as they lead her through the palace to the guard’s headquarters.