//------------------------------// // Live Up to Her (part 4) // Story: The Truth About Girls (Vol. 3) // by TheMareWhoSaysNi //------------------------------// Now that most of the guests were gone, the big house looked very empty. Some would never forget this party, and some had probably forgotten most of it, thanks to their advances state of inebriation. What was sure was that the party had been a success. Rainbow Dash couldn’t be happier. Everything had been just the way she hoped and dreamed. Especially as this time, Pinkie Pie hadn’t finished the night with her head in the toilet bowl and Rarity hadn’t spent more time flirting with one of her beaux than having fun with her friends. The pictures and videos they made would fill their accounts on SNS for quite some time. What happened now was the lesser fun part of it: cleaning up the mess. The amount of empy bottles of beer to pick up caused vertigo, but there also were plastic champagne flutes, paper plates, streamers and traces of footsteps everywhere against the marble floor… Thankfully she wasn’t alone to do this titanic of a task. Her friends were still here, for the traditional after-party slumber party, but were also here Soarin, Cheese Sandwich, Big Macintosh and Zephyr, backups until everything was back into place. Before cleaning the floor, they had to pick everything up, inside and outside, all around the swimming-pool. Armed with gloves and wide trash bags, the bunch was busy at their respective roles. Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich were in charge of streamers, which were many, Rarity was taking off the decorations, Twilight and Sunset Shimmer worked together at getting rid of disposable dishes and bottles, Applejack would put the furniture back into place, and Fluttershy would be the mop responsible. As far as Zephyr and Big Macintosh were concerned, they were in charge of the swimming-pool. Not only did they pick up what had been left around it, but also clean it the best they could. Soarin, finally, was the one who had to clean the garden. Or at least, this was the official version. Because, though he really took care of that task, there was a reason why he had been the one chosen for this, and nobody else. Rainbow Dash was examining the many floors, making sure nothing had been moved or worse, damaged. Like she suspected, some had entered into the guest bedrooms, and even in hers, in order to flirt or to have privacy. That was why, this year again, she had locked up the master bedroom, as well as her father’s office. When she got down after cleaning up her part, she could only note how hard the girls had worked. This house, detestable as it was, was huge and even with seven girls and four boys, she doubted they would reach such a result in so short an amount of time. Evidence indeed that they were able to accomplish great things when they were together. But now, Rainbow Dash was left with nothing else to do. She might be a first-class lazybones, all the same it bothered her to see her friends busy putting the place she lived in in order while she was watching them, standing idly. “Isn’t there one little thing I can do with you?” “Darling… Of course, there isn’t. Let us take care of everything.” “But…” “Rar’ is right” Applejack cut her short. “Go and ask yar bae instead.” “The boys are with him, and…” This time, it was Pinkie Pie who cut her short by bouncing in front of her. In a few expert handlings, she made Rainbow Dash turn around, then shoved her back to the exit. And she locked her up outside – so did she lock up Big Macintosh and Zephyr at the same time but that was a necessary evil. The message was clear. Her pals didn’t want her to be inside. Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but wonder what they had in mind, this time. Maybe Pinkie Pie and her curly-haired sidekick had another idea to mark the occasion. Yet, when she looked inside through the huge picture window, she saw everyone was busy doing their thing, cleaning. Shrugging, she skirted the swimming-pool where Big Macintosh was collecting leaves (among other things) floating at the surface of the water, while Zephyr complained because he wanted to be the one doing this small midnight dip, and she went to the back of the garden, where Soarin was. Obviously, since he was nowhere else to be found. Rainbow Dash jolted from surprise when she felt a hand grabbing hers, but quickly discovered it was no one else than her boyfriend. “Come on, I have to show you something…” Without another word, she followed him, though she didn’t really have the choice. They passed by hays of purple and pink rhododendrons, behind which her mother had settled a small wooden terrace, in the shades of a huge peach tree, in bloom at this period of the year, where lied an outside lounger. It used to be Firefly’s favorite place of the garden, and even in the whole house, as well as Rainbow Dash’s. Already gorgeous in broad daylight, it became enchanting at nightfall. Especially as tonight, a cloud of tiny lights bathed the whole with an aura of waking dream. When Soarin let go her hand, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help herself and stepped forward, trying to catch one of the small insects. Her marveled face, he hadn’t seen it that often since they reunited, and the fact of being able to witness it twice the same night was an amazing gift for him. “What’s the name of these creatures, already?” she asked innocently, her eyes staring at the sky. She had asked. There was no way he couldn’t answer. And it was a bit related with the reason why he had brought her here. “Fireflies…” Immediately, he saw Rainbow Dash closing her eyes, her hand entrapping one of the insects that landed upon her palm. It was clasped around it, the way she did each time something was too much to handle for her, which let Soarin think maybe he had been so wrong to say the name, although it had been a question from her. “You really miss her a lot, don’t you?” “You don’t even know how much… Each day, something happens that I’d like to tell her about. I always think about what she would have said, what she would have done… I’ve wasted too much time, on too many things. Today, I’d like her to be proud of me, although I know she can’t see me, and she can’t hear me, but even if only for that everything she taught me hadn’t been taught in vain.” She opened up her palm, and the firefly captured inside flew away under their eyes. Soarin took a step in her direction, after he had picked up what had been hidden under the lounger – his gift for her, that he promised to give her once they’ll be all alone. But when he heard her speaking again, he stopped right behind her. “I’m going to stop saying the future doesn’t matter to me. Life’s too precious. I want to do something with mine. For me, and for her. I’m ready”, she finally stated, turning her face. “Yes, you are”, he answered in a whisper. Rainbow Dash completely turned around in front of Soarin, and spotted the wrapped gift in his hands. She outlined a smirk, tempted to put an end to this moving episode with a touch of her usual sarcasm. “What’s in the box? Is it my gift or only a clue about when exactly I’ll get it?” “Uh, uh, very funny. What d’you think?” Like often, she burst out laughing in front of the blasé look on his face. In reality, he surely loved when she teased him this way. She couldn’t see any other reasons, since he was still with her. Unless he was completely masochist, but she would have noticed by now. They both sat on the lounger so that, finally, she could discover which was the gift her boyfriend had for her eighteenth birthday. The gift for their one-year anniversary had been the plane trip, which had been full of lessons to learn for Rainbow Dash, about what she was able to accomplish… If she had been capable of overcoming her worst phobia during fifteen minutes, she was capable of many other things. That was why she thought that Soarin had plenty of reasons for staying with her, and that masochism wasn’t a part of it – or maybe just a little bit. They had complementary characters, balancing one another. He was able to channel her, and she pushed him to optimize his abilities. Rainbow Dash admired the way he was in peace with everything he was, his honesty towards himself and the others, his kindness, his open-mindedness, his altruism and had a lot of fun with the way he had of always putting his foot in it. He surely was right, although it sounded a bit sappy: they were meant to be. “Happy birthday, my Dashie. This time it isn’t a hairclip!” “Oh no. I’m so disappointed. How will I ever recover?” “Come on, open it, instead of being a smartass. Like usually.” “You really want to sleep on the floor tonight.” “When I think that I also wanted to offer you my body”, he said, laughing, when she finally decided to untie the knot of blue silk on top of the box. She could have made their exchange last for a long while… Especially as, if it was really planned they would sleep together, first she had her slumber party with the girls and he’d be forbidden to come in her room or even to come around it during all the time it would last. Which made her think, while she was opening the box coming from a gift shop from downtown, that her boyfriend really was the most patient and adorable of all boyfriends of the world. Not that she had so many boyfriends before or that her stories of the past had particularly shone by their beauty… A gasp of admiration escaped her lips when she discovered what was inside the box. It was a notebook, but not any notebook. Its leather cover was engraved with patterns representing the nine muses of Greek mythology, and it could be closed thanks to a suede link and a small key matching a silver padlock. With it, there was a beautiful fountain pen which brown shaft reminded her of the notebook’s cover. Her fingers slipped along the leather, as if it was a piece of silk. “It’s gorgeous…” “Conversely to what it seems, this isn’t a private journal. Well, in fact, it is, but… I thought that instead of only thinking about all those things you’d like to tell your mother; you could write them to her.” Rainbow Dash wasn’t in the mood of teasing him anymore. This gift was one of the most beautiful she ever got, and yet her father always bought her very expensive things, like famous designers’ dresses, the latest fashion in technological gadgets, and even speedsters. It only confirmed what she had always thought… Money helped being comfortable, but comfort was only a tiny part of what composed happiness. The real presents, the meaningful ones, in the end, they always were those coming from the heart. Those who were unforgettable, deep, and not only exclusive. She looked up to Soarin, her eyes teary, and rewarded him with a tender smile. Their hands intertwined between their two bodies on the lounger, and she felt that here, sheltered from prying eyes and ears, for this perfect occasion, it was about time to tell him. Since she had faced everything else, she could face this as well. “I love you.” Only three little words. But meaning so much. Every day, she tried hard to show it to him through her actions, yet she knew that these three little words meant a lot to Soarin, even if only to make him stop doubting, at least when it came to her feelings. As an answer, he leaned over and put a tender kiss on her lips. One year ago, it also was how everything had begun. Sitting on her bed, they had kissed, their hands intertwined. One year ago, she had discovered one person could never get enough love. ---------------------------------- “So, did ya give it to her?” Big Macintosh asked Zephyr, who was back from the back of the garden. His plan had been to give his heart’s desire her gift after or before the boyfriend did so, and then, beating him hollow thanks to a jewel mounted with a real diamond. When he’d seen Rainbow Dash going to meet Soarin, the young man had thought this was going to be his chance at last to get rid of his opponent once and for all. He was sure of it: whatever might be the present the other boy had decided to give to Rainbow Dash, it would never be as meaningful and powerful as his, a real declaration of love. Following them hadn’t been that simple, because of all the plants. But he did it, and, hidden behind those useful rhododendrons, he had waited for the perfect timing to give the final stroke. This moment never happened. “I didn’t”, he answered, staring at the box in his hands. “And I’ll never give it to her.” Zephyr sighed and threw himself into one of the rattan chaise longue around the swimming-pool, right beside his coworker and now best friend. While he was watching them, as their conversation went on, he had realized something he was trying so hard not to notice during all this time. The way they looked at each other, their displays of tenderness, even their little verbal fencings… Everything was sweating with love and devotion. Finally, he could see what was obvious to everyone else. Rainbow Dash would never fall in love with him. Soarin was the one she loved and her feelings didn’t seem to be about to change, no matter what jewel he could offer her, no matter what amazing outing he could propose, no matter who had been the first with a crush on her, once blot out the fact that they were childhood best friends. “She’s not in love with me”, he confessed to his friend, shrugging. “Too bad. She doesn’t know what she’s missing! I’ll give this diamond ring to the girl who’ll love me for real, and she’ll probably regret it, but it would be too late.” Big Macintosh had doubts Rainbow Dash would regret anything about Zephyr, except maybe not punching him in the face for playing pippin’ toms as she was alone with her boyfriend. Yet, he kept this to himself. If lying to himself this way could help Zephyr to suffer less, then it was best not to add anything. The most important thing was that he had learned that feelings weren’t to be forced and couldn’t always be shared. Something Big Macintosh had prepared himself as well, aware that Pinkie Pie didn’t seem to see him as anything else than a good friend. It wasn’t what mattered. What mattered was for the one you loved to be the closer possible to happiness. Wasn’t that the thing everyone should wish for the persons that were dear to them?