//------------------------------// // This Is Our Big Night (part 2) // Story: The Truth About Girls (Vol. 3) // by TheMareWhoSaysNi //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash’s bedroom was in an unprecedented mess. The seven girls were positioned at each corner, on the bed, sitting at the desk, on the floor, even. There were makeup supplies, hair supplies, and it even floated a sweetish scent of perfume, powdered, fruity, floral, according to each of their preferences. It was the big night and the excitement was even more palpable than before. After the ball, it was planned they all went to a house that had been rented for the occasion by the Event Committee, who had collected money from donators, for another celebration, less formal. Thus, the night was going to last until very late. Of course, Rarity was the one in charge of everyone’s hair and makeup. If Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy could do this on their own, it wasn’t the case for the other girls, especially Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who were the ones with the hardest work. They both were likely to neglect themselves, even if not in the same areas. As far as the blond cowgirl was concerned, Rarity had spent a lot of time on her hair. Not because of colors that shouldn’t be mixed up, conversely to Rainbow Dash, but because her thick mop was dry and tangled. Thankfully, she wasn’t sensitive there, since she had to pull hard on the knots. As for Rainbow Dash, the problem came from a real ignorance of the art of makeup and her complete indifference to hands and nails care. She didn’t care after them at all, and it was hell on Earth to make something with them. It had reminded the young fashion designer of all the work she had to do on this part of her body during the Miss Teen Equestria beauty pageant. “Actually”, the young woman said as Rarity was insisting on doing her a manicure. “Soarin doesn’t care that my nails are cut unequally and that I don’t wear nail polish. You know, it’s already my boyfriend, right?” “So what? Darling, seduction is to be looked after!” “Which seduction? He already saw me many times puking my snack and with snot hanging at my nose. I think at Summer Camp, I even peed in the woods with him…” “Yes, back when you were five. But not since you two are dating.” “I was eight. And I don’t see what’s the difference.” In order to cut this conversation short, Rarity clucked her tongue in her mouth, before adding a last layer of transparent nail polish on her friend’s nails. Once done, she took a step back, and examined her finished look. No doubt. With her hair done like this, a beautiful makeup, and a decent manicure, she was prettier than she thought. A perfect complexion, silky hair, with these original natural hues… And what a waste to have such long lashes and to satisfy herself with one layer of mascara! Especially as she could afford to buy the best makeup brands! Soarin was going to fall head over heels. With the loosen curls at the tip of her hair, her subtle makeup, she was delightful, but Rarity had to admit it, the most dazzling thing about her was the dress she had designed especially for her. White, sleeveless and tight around her waist, to outline the thinness of it, it stopped above the knee and was puffy, embellished with rainbow-colored petticoats, perfectly matching her hair. She had created and sewn herself each of the dresses for her friends. Although she was very busy with the preparations of her very first professional fashion show, she insisted to the seamstresses she had hired for this occasion that she had to do these ones personally. For her own Ball, Rarity had done the same, and having a unique dress, that no one else could have, was the little bonus, she was sure, which had allowed her to become Queen of the Prom Ball. It was a memory as imperishable as what people said, and her wish was that her friends would feel the same way about this magical night. Time was passing by, and the moment when Soarin would arrive with the limo to drive the girls to CHS, where the other girls’ dance partners were probably waiting for her, was coming closer. In order to make sure everything was perfect, she reviewed her work on each of them. Sunset Shimmer and her red ruffled bustier dress, her loosen hair falling in a natural yet very calculated way on her shoulders. Fluttershy, her bun tight above her head, her long thin-strapped dress, with its muslin skirt embellished with subtle sequin which brought a touch of color to the whole. Applejack, her hair loose – it was impossible to make a sophisticated haircut without her saying it was nothing like herself – and her dress which top seemed to be a plain shirt but which was in fact long at the botton, slit in order to let appear her beautiful muscled thighs and legs. And Pinkie Pie, whose hair had been impossible to straighten but that Rarity had been able to dress with a bun, with her dress decorated with lacy flowers, with its plunging neckline and a skirt falling into cascades from mid-thigh to the back of her knees. If she had to be completely objective, she would admit Twilight was the one who had got the most extraordinary make-over. Her hair, ordinarily as straight as wooden fences, now formed gorgeous curls where the three hues of purple and lavender met. Her bustier dress, dark blue, touched the floor and were sewn with golden threads which dashed towards the bottom to form stars. She simply was stunning. Just like a dream. Rarity didn’t know who the boy with her would be, but she was certain that this lucky fellow wouldn’t regret it. In fact, the other girls all agreed with her, since Applejack couldn’t help making a comment that was very close from what Rarity had just thought. “Twilight, Ah don’t know who yar partner is, but Ah bet ya he won’t believe his peepers when he’ll see that!” “You truly are gorgeous!” Fluttershy added. The young woman slightly blushed, not really used to compliments which weren’t about her extraordinary intelligence, and took a glimpse at Sunset Shimmer, who rewarded her with her thumbs up. No one except Rainbow Dash had yet revealed who the person they were going with was. Twilight wanted to know, but she knew that if she asked this question, the girls would want to know who’d be at her arms as well, and she and this person had agreed to tell them at the right moment. Though she had been comforted, she kept on being scared of their friends’ reactions when they would learn about it. To make sure the conversation wouldn’t come to this topic, she asked Rarity to tell them about her Prom Ball with Shining Armor. In reality, Twilight knew this story by heart, but as the young woman started to tell, she told herself this idea was really good. All the girls seemed to be captivated by her words… Mentally, she looked all around the room, trying to figure out who would be with who. It wasn’t an easy guess. Yes, they were rather popular, but except Rarity herself, her friends hadn’t meddled up with a lot of boys, and they even were really rare in their conversations. It made no doubt they all would have a partner, but there was no way she could tell who would be hanging at their arms. This was very exciting… and a little scary, as well. A ring downstairs cut Rarity’s story short, and all the girls dashed out of the bedroom, while she was quickly gathering all of her supplies, throwing them in a mess in her vanity case, not to miss anything of Soarin’s surprise when he was going to see his girlfriend all pampered for him. When she reached the top of the stairs, Rainbow Dash had just opened the door. Her boyfriend was wearing a very sober tuxedo, black, with a white shirt. His hair wasn’t done in a particularly different way than usually, but the tuxedo was enough to make him look elegent, if not sexy. Anyway, Rarity thought, every man is sexy when wearing a tuxedo. His eyes widened a bit from the shock, then a large smile appeared on his face, from ear to ear. Even from where she stood, she could guess his starry eyes. She even thought she saw him swallowing. In his hands was a small plastic box inside of which there was a red fake flower. Traditionally, it had to be a real rose, but it was impossible with Rainbow Dash’s allergy to pollen. If she was standing here with no red nose, not unceasingly sneezing, it was already thanks to the antihistamine pills she was taking with zeal since the beginning of the week. “Wow! You’re… wow! I’m speechless.” “Then, don’t say anything before you’ll sprawl into the world of sappiness.” Soarin muffled an embarrassed laugh. Shortly after she told him about the ball, she had thought about specifying him through text messages that she didn’t want him to act too “sappy” when he’ll see her wearing her dress. When they were together, it was fine. In front of her friends, this was something else. Her ego, again and again. Inseperable from the real person. Bah, it didn’t matter much, that was the way he loved her, after all. As if suddenly noticing their presence, Soarin looked above Rainbow Dash’s shoulders and finally saw her six friends, in a bunch on top of the stairs, all eyes on the couple, watching each of their moves. He greeted them with a small wave, and they answered with a “hello” said at the same time. Suddenly feeling a bit outgrown for his tuxedo, Soarin started to open the plastic box, and took his fake rose. In fact, it was stuck to a satin bracelet, and it had taken a whole investigation to make sure the size of it would be right, not risking to feel like a tourniquet, or to float like ill-fitted clothes. After clearing his throat, he slipped the bracelet around his girlfriend’s thin wrist, who rewarded him with a radiant smile. No doubt, she truly was pretty! Even more when she wasn’t aware of it, which happened quite often and even once pampered in the most gorgeous dress. Once this little tradition was done, playfully, Rainbow Dash asked him one question, as if to specify there was nothing of their conversation she could forget. “Did you get all the cool stuff?” “I did! Limo and everything.” “You’re the best”, she claimed, pecking his cheek. “Ready for the big night?” he asked her and the girls gathered behind them. They all answered yes and hurtled down the stairs, while Rainbow Dash was waiting in order to lock the door behind them. Burglaries were rare in the neighborhood, where everyone had very reliable alarms and security systems, but a girl was never too cautious. None of the girls – except Rarity, of course – needed to be asked twice to climb into the huge black limo Soarin had rented for the occasion. The young woman thought he probably got this for a very reasonable price, thanks to his father’s connections. Right before joining everyone, Rainbow Dash took one last look at the house, lights turned off and now silent. She used to hate this place so much she even wished to see it burn to ashes, and had forgotten it hadn’t only been a place of misery, arguments and deep loneliness. Sometimes, there had been precious memories here, and even small breaks full of tenderness and happiness. Seeing what’s positive in everything. A lesson she swore she would never forget again. ------------------------------------- Rarity looked at the limo getting away from the house, a sweet smile upon her face. The event her friends were about to live was an indelible memory. For some, it marked the end of troubles, or the extension of humiliations, but whatever, nothing would never be the same after that. She knew each of the girls were aware of it. It didn’t mean the rest of the adventure wouldn’t be beautiful and delicious. It only meant the flavor would be a bit different. If she took stock of everything that had happened to her since she had left CHS, Rarity couldn’t say things didn’t go well. Alright, her love story with Shining Armor hadn’t resisted the difficult test of time, but in exchange, she’d been able to save a friendship with six young girls she loved with all her heart, at least as much as she loved her little sister, Sweetie Belle, even if her very ingenuous youth sometimes tended to irritate her. And, from a professional perspective, she wasn’t to feel sorry about. Her time at the Fashion Design School had proved to be conclusive, she owned her own boutique, she started to get a name for herself, and even drew Hoity Toity’s attention, who acted like a mentor. It didn’t stop her from feeling a hint of nostalgia when she was thinking about the girls on their way for the Ball. His delight of a fiancée wasn’t the vehement type, so Rarity was sure she would get upset if she called Shining Armor to talk about the past. It wasn’t as if feelings of love remained between them. All they felt for each other now was a tender affection, deprived of any sexual tension. She looked through her bag, and once her phone unearthed, looked for the young policeman’s name in her directory. After a few rings, he picked it up, probably surprised to see the name of Rarity written on his screen. “Is everything alright?” he asked, a bit worried. “Yes, everything’s fine, don’t worry. I’ve just let your little sister and her friends leave for the Ball and I was wondering… Do you remember our Prom Ball together?” There was a short silence, and Rarity even thought he had hung up without her noticing it, before he answered. “Of course, I remember. How could I forget?” They had met at his place, since back then, she still was a bit ashamed of her parents. Like the girls a bit earlier, Twilight and her parents were gathered on top of the stairs, watching the two lovebirds complimenting each other, and Shining Armor slipping the flower bracelet around Rarity’s wrist. The young man hadn’t rented a limo, but his father had lent him his gorgeous sedan and had asked a friend from his work to be their driver. They had spent the whole ride devouring each other with their eyes. The whole night had been gorgeous. Back then, they were at the very beginning of their relationship, the honeymoon phase where everything about the other is just perfect. Rarity thought Shining Armor to be the most handsome boy of the whole party, as she was the most beautiful girl in his eyes. They had spent a lot of time dancing cheek to cheek, not really caring about the buffet nor the punch. Then had come the ultimate recognition. Rarity had been elected Queen of the Ball. Of course, since he wasn’t in high school anymore, Shining Armor couldn’t be chosen to be the King by her side, but it didn’t really matter. This crown was also crowning her years spent in CHS, and recognized her not only as the prettiest girl in the room, but as a friend liked by everyone, the person students thought to be the best representative of their school. Then, they had gone to another party, organized by the football team. That was where, for the first time, they had gone beyond nice flirts and gentle kisses, just like many of the other students. This last part, of course, Shining Armor never told Twilight but Rarity thought it was clear the young woman knew. She wasn’t naïve and knew how to see beyond appearances… And she wasn’t the only one! After they shared their memories about this wonderful night, the conversation went to the ex-boyfriend’s little sister. She promised to send Shining Armor the picture she had takend after the hair and makeup was done, then “cut to the chase”. “I think Twilight is hiding something…" “What do you mean?” he answered, surprised. “I don’t really know, actually. But I’ve been noticing something for some time now… between her and Sunset Shimmer.” “Yes, they both are really close! But Twilight more or less has a boyfriend.” “Oh, Flash Sentry? Certainly, yes…” Rarity squinted, thinking she saw someone parking in front of Rainbow Dash’s house. It drew her attention away from the conversation she started herself. Who was that? Her heart started to beat wildly at the thought it could be a thief. If it was the case, she wouldn’t stay here, in the warm of the car, looking and not reacting. It was lucky she was on a phone with Shining Armor, a policeman, making her task easier. When she informed him about it, he ordered her to do nothing and to say nothing, and to warn him as soon as she saw something suspicious. That was when she recognized who the man was. He was staggering, yes, a bottle of champagne in his hand, but he wasn’t an intruder. It simply was Rainbow Dash’s father. And judging by his general state and the way he was looking for his keys in the pockets of his crumpled suit, he hadn’t spent his evening drinking soda.