Your groggy eyes slowly pry themselves apart as you wake up, lifting a hoof to your face as you yawn, suppressing the sound so as not to disturb the slumbering unicorn snuggled into you. You look down, blinking once or twice to clear the blur from your sight, smiling as you see her, a shaft of light from the nearby window cuts through the heavy gloom of the early morning, piercing through the dark blue of the curtains and illuminating her beautiful face.
“Good morning Rarity.” You whisper to the mare, you get no answer aside from the slight curving of her lips. “Any requests for breakfast?”
Rarity gives a tiny negative shake of her head. “I trust you.” She mumbles, sinking her head a little farther into your chest, sighing contentedly.
You chuckle lightly, gently trying to pull away from her embrace, she groans in aggravation and tries to hold you back. “Oh come on Rare, you know I can’t make breakfast for you like this!” You chide playfully, giving another pull to try and escape.
Rarity grumbles. “Oh, you could try.”
You chuckle at the unicorn and finally succeed in pulling yourself free from her grip. Sliding out of the cozy bed you’d been sharing with her. She cracks open one blue eye and glares at you, visibly displaying her discontent as you flash her an impish grin.
“Fine,” She huffs, levitating over your pillow and placing atop her own. “If you aren’t going to stay I’m going to steal your pillow.”
You laugh. “Go ahead I’m not using it anyway.”
“Oh be quiet and go make me some breakfast.” The fashionista does her best to sound annoyed, though the smile clearly shows she isn’t.
You take a deep bow. “As your majesty wishes,” Rarity gives another scoff and tries to hide her amusement, to no great avail. You knew for a fact that she loved every second of the way you treated her. Like the princess you knew she was.
You slink out of the room quietly, holding a hoof over your mouth to cover another yawn. Lifting up that same hoof and looking it over, checking over your new scar. Your eyes trace along the jagged line marring your skin, your cut had finally healed it seemed, but like you feared it left you with a rather unflattering looking scar. The first couple of days after nurse Redheart removed the bandages you’d felt slightly self-conscious over the mark, feeling that Rarity would disapprove due to her, ‘everything must be pretty’ kind of attitude. Much to your pleasant surprise she had put your worry to ease, saying that it made you look more, ‘ruggedly handsome’, to quote her directly. It was obviously just a compliment to make you feel better, but at least she wasn’t appalled.
You teeter slightly in the hallway as you head towards the bathroom, feeling a new wave of morning exhaustion washing over you, your body yearning for you to return to the cozy bed you’d been occupying for the last two weeks, and not to mention, the gorgeous mare sleeping in it. You sigh wistfully, mentally chastising yourself as you approach the bathroom door. You could hardly believe that two whole weeks had gone by and you still weren’t any closer to revealing your true feeling to her.
You didn’t really know why you were finding it so difficult. You had never been shy about this kind of thing before. Being outgoing was the only possible way you could have had as many marefriends as you did. Well, then again, this whole, admitting your love to the mare of your dreams, thing…was a tad different from buying a cute filly a drink or two. It was like…every time you wanted to say those three little words your brain just blanked. You didn’t know for sure whether or not it was because you feared rejection, sure enough there was that niggling little doubt in your mind of ‘but what if she says no?’ There was no escaping that dirty little black cloud, it was a problem for everypony, but again you’d learned to ignore that piece of doubt over the years, otherwise you’d have only gone out with a fraction of the mare’s you had at this point.
Fact is you didn’t know what the problem was. Maybe part of you was just waiting for the right time, holding that desire to be with her back until that perfect moment.
“Oh buck it…” You swear under your breath, bumping your head against the bathroom door, trying to forcibly knock those thoughts away. There was no point worrying about it; it was just a matter of you building up the guts necessary to do it.
The fresh scent of bathwater and soap hangs in the air, growing ever stronger as you make your way deeper into the spacious bathroom. You breathe the smell in, the combination of cleaning materials a refreshing change of pace from the soft flowery perfume Rarity typically wore. Not that you didn’t like her perfume, but two weeks of smelling it up close and personal made you kind of immune to it.
You approach the gigantic marble tub at the far end of the bathroom, quickly hopping inside and turning on the water. You allow the liquid a moment to get hot, before flicking the switch that rerouted the output to the shower nozzle built in. Filling up the entire bath would have taken much too long.
You quickly remove the nozzle as it begins to sputter out warm water, moving it around to thoroughly clean areas that would otherwise be unreachable. The smell of shampoo and steam brings back fond memories of your shared bath with Rarity, you can feel small tingles running up and down your spine as you recall burying your muzzle into her neck, and you can feel a welcome warmth from deep within your chest as you recall cradling her in your hooves.
It’s in the midst of this fond recollection that you realize something, the relationship between you and Rarity had changed. Changed for the better, as far as you were concerned, there was no denying the fact that you two were getting closer to one another by the day. From the small things like the smiles and the banter, to the large things like…well…sleeping in the same bed and the annual massages, really the more you thought about it, the more it seemed like you two were pretty much already in a relationship…
You squirt a dollop of shampoo into your hooves, working it through your mane and into your scalp, sighing contentedly as the warm water from the shower head runs down your body in thick rivulets.
What am I going to do? You think idly to yourself. You couldn’t keep these feelings bottled up, not for much longer anyway. By the end of this week…I’m going to tell her. You promise yourself, though only time would tell whether or not you’d hold true to that pledge.
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About fifteen minutes later you had finished your shower, and you were currently scrounging around for something to cook, after knocking about in the cabinets for a bit you pull free some bread and some eggs, figuring you’d make something simple this morning, eggs and toast. You plug in the toaster and retrieve a pan, the yellowish goop of the egg starting to sizzle as the metal heats atop the stove. In the middle of your cooking you can hear the bathroom door open and shut, signaling Rarity’s true awakening. You don’t rush your cooking, knowing full well she’ll be locked inside for the better part of an hour.
By the time you’ve finished the food and prepared the table Rarity has finally shown herself. She was the same as she was every morning, that is, positively radiant, her fur so clean it practically shined in the early morning light, the fresh smell of her expensive shampoo and her imported rose blossom perfume intermingled in order to create a scent so wonderful it was practically intoxicating, her shining blue eyes are warm and happy, filling you with comfort as they meet with yours.
“Good morning.” You say, smiling around the plate in your mouth, gently placing it down on the table.
Rarity returns your smile with one of her own. “And good morning to you as well,” She steps forward, you pull out the chair to make it easier for her to sit. She wordlessly thanks you with a nod of her head and takes a seat, you push the chair back in.
“I figured I’d make something simple this morning. I hope you don’t mind.” You say, simultaneously serving out equal portions for both you and her.
“Oh of course I don’t dear, simple is good.” She compliments, magically folding a napkin over her lap.
“Yeah, I would make something a tad more elaborate but…well; I’m not much of a cook.” You bashfully admit, seating yourself next to the snow white mare.
Rarity cuts a small piece from her egg and pops it in her mouth, thoroughly chewing before swallowing. Her face lights up with satisfaction as her taste buds explode with flavor. “Nonsense, you don’t give yourself enough credit. To be honest I’m glad you’ve started making meals for me, I hadn’t been eating correctly. Oh, all that junk food must have been terrible for my figure.”
You allow a rebellious eye to run over Rarity’s sleek and curvaceous frame. Well, if she hadn’t been watching her figure, it sure didn’t show.
There’s a brief period of silence as you two focus on eating for a bit, stuffing your stomach taking precedence over the need for idle chit chat.
“Oh, I need your help with a piece after breakfast if you wouldn’t mind.” Rarity breaks the silence.
You lift your head up from your plate, swallowing before you respond. “Are you sure about that Rare? You remember what happened last time you wanted me to help out with a piece.”
Rarity giggles in her cute little way at the mention of your last attempt helping her with a suit. She’d been attempting to help you learn how to sew and stitch, so you could take a more active role as her assistant, unfortunately it seemed fashion was a task meant solely for a unicorn, or at least an earth pony that was more coordinated than you were. You’d ended up with some, truly disastrous, if not hilarious, results.
“I don’t need you to help me stitch or sew dear. I need you to put something on.” She says, popping another chunk of toast into her mouth.
“Oh, I see, so who is it for?” You ask, Rarity had used you to test out a few pieces of clothing before, the occasional suit or saddle, nothing major.
Rarity smiles coyly and her eyes flash onto you. “Well, that would be spoiling the surprise.”
You fight away a grin, leaning back in your chair as it lets loose a gentle creak, you know exactly who it’s for.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
After the pair of you had finished breakfast you’d followed Rarity upstairs, you’d wanted to clean up the kitchen but she had insisted you try on the clothing first. You were surprised to find that she seemed, if nothing else, rather excited about this. Smiling giddily and shuffling about with an apprehensive air as she led you up the stairs with the excitement of a foal who had just realized it was Hearth Warming day.
“Again I must apologize for the mess; I haven’t had the time to tidy up my work room for several days.” Rarity says, swinging open the door leading to her workspace with a gentle push of her hoof, flicking on the lights with a spark of her magic.
“It’s okay Rare.” You reassure her, stepping into the cluttered workspace.
“Give me a moment would you? I have to get everything set up. Oh I’m so excited!” You smile as Rarity practically jumps across the room with joy. Whatever she had planned you were glad that it was something she was looking forward to.
As soon as the fashionista disappears into the back of the room you cast a studious gaze around the room, it was pretty much the same as the last few times you saw it, though now it appeared even a little more wrecked than usual. Discarded drawings of designs and fashions were lying about on the floor in crumpled heaps, some near completion, others only half finished, what you find extremely odd however is that nearly every piece of the ruined paper seems to be occupied by the same pair of designs, what appeared to be a dress and a suit of some lavish make. There were some minor alterations here and there on each piece of paper, but all seemed to be deemed unsatisfactory in one way or another.
You kick one of the scrap drawings out of the way as you move farther into the room, still looking around with a curious gaze. It was indeed rather messy, though you wouldn’t be caught dead telling that to Rarity. You’d offered to help straighten it up once or twice over the past two weeks, but Rarity had shooed you away. Claiming that this was her room of ‘organized chaos’, you find it odd that Rarity would be so focused on keeping every room in her boutique as clean and pristine as possible save for the one she spent the majority of her time in, but you never questioned it. Then again you probably wouldn’t question Rarity if she told you to go blow up a school.
Your eyes flick over to the back closet as Rarity calls your name, the excitement practically tingling in her melodic voice. This feeling of enthusiasm worms its way into your emotions and you find yourself eagerly trotting over to see what Rarity has in store for you.
“Do be quick about it dear! I can’t wait to see what you think!” You chuckle as Rarity pokes her head outside of the closet and beckons to you with a wave of her hoof.
You pull open the closet door, surprised to find that it is practically another room in and of itself. A room lined with racks and racks of clothing, everything from posh dance wear to beach bathing suits, the room was practically filled to bursting with designs that never quite made it or that Rarity had decided to keep for herself. At the very back of the closet was mounted a giant mirror, angled and split in multiple places so one could view themselves from every side. Sitting in front of it is Rarity, her bright face practically beaming and her hooves nearly shaking from the excitement.
As you step closer you see that next to Rarity is what you assume are two mannequins covered in a thick black curtain, whatever Rarity had placed on those mannequins was obviously something she wanted to surprise you with.
Rarity doesn’t say anything as her horn lights up with magic, the tarp covering the mannequins is pulled away. Your jaw goes slack when you feast your eyes on Rarity’s surprise. You run your eyes over it, again and again, incapable of believing what you see. Standing before you is quite possibly the single most amazing suit you’ve ever seen, accompanied by a matching dress. The suit was a dark black, almost as dark as the night sky itself, the collar a crimson red, matching the tie wrapped around the mannequin, hanging out from the suit for display purposes, what you find most impressive is that the material the suit is made from appears to be crafted from a silk so smooth and expensive that it shines.
Now, you didn’t really know a whole lot about fashion. You never really had the patience or the time to make sure you were always wearing the best and most popular outfits. But if there was one thing you did know, it was how to tell the quality of a suit, being the oldest son to the wealthiest banker in Manehattan meant you spent more time than you really wanted sitting in on boring business meetings and fancy dinner parties, this often meant that you had to look your best. And you typically looked your best when wearing a nice suit. And after a few years you’d gotten rather good at discerning the quality and make of many a piece of attire. And this one, was quite possibly the best you’d ever seen.
“Wow…” Is all you can say, stepping closer to get a better look, reaching out with a tentative hoof to stroke the tie, you were right, that silk is magnificent, it feels so light you could swear your hoof was going to pass right through.
Rarity’s grin is so wide that you think her face might tear in half. “Oh I knew you were going to positively adore it! Now why don’t you try it on for me?”
You stop fondling the tie, looking towards Rarity with a touch of curiosity. “Are you sure? I don’t want to mess it up.” Though you’d love to try it on, you didn’t want to run the risk of diminishing its value in any way.
Rarity nods her head. “Oh don’t worry about it dear, I need to make sure it fits.”
Ten minutes later and you have donned the exquisite clothing, and you were now in the process of looking yourself over in the mirror, failing to fight off a grin as you Run a hoof over the soft silk covering your body, by Celestia, not only did it look great it felt great too. Like it had been designed to match your body and size exactly, you wonder if Rarity had been taking your measurements when she had you try on those other suits, she’d told you they were requests made by a few business ponies up in Canterlot, but you think she might have been using that as an opportunity, or maybe an excuse, to see what she’d need to do to make an outfit for you from scratch. Not that you would be upset if she did, you just don’t understand why she didn’t just ask for your help.
“So, how does it feel?” Rarity inquires, just the faintest trace of worry in her voice.
You look at her over your shoulder. “It’s great! It’s the most comfortable suit I’ve ever worn.” You give yourself another approving glance in the mirror. “And not to mention it looks fantastic.”
Rarity’s happiness returns, smiling so wide you could swear you heard her face make a slight squeaking noise. “Oh and look I made a matching dress as well!” She quickly hops over to the dress sitting nearby, you’d been so marveled by your outfit that you failed to notice the other.
You watch as Rarity uses her magic to strip the mannequin and put the dress on herself. Once again you find yourself impressed by Rarity’s craftsmanship as you look her over in the brand new dress. It was clearly made to match your suit as the color scheme was more or less the same, the majority of the dress a dark black, with the fringe a deep crimson, a fine necklace was wrapped around the snow white unicorn’s neck, a gold chain accompanied by a bright red gem, a fire ruby it looked like.
You find yourself at a loss for words as you stare at the breathtaking mare, Rarity was certainly a prize on her own, but this was the first time you’d actually seen her wearing something so lavish and fancy. And, well, she looked down right sexy.
You can feel your lips curving into a gleeful grin as Rarity walks up and gently presses herself against you. Tingles shoot up and down your spine as she reaches out and clasps her hoof around your own. You can see her sigh happily as she looks deeply into the mirror, her blue eyes shining.
“Don’t we look fantastic?” She asks, pressing into you just a little more.
You smile, looking down at her. “Yes, we do.”
She sighs and squeezes your hoof just a little tighter. “Like we’re meant to be together?”
“Yeah…” You can feel your heartbeat drumming against your chest, and you can feel the words you’ve been longing to say forming in your throat.
“Rarity I-”
“Dear I-”
You both share a laugh at that, realizing you’d both spoken at the same time. “You first,”
“Well if you insist…” You see Rarity look away for a moment, like she’s contemplating what to say. “I’ve been…well, I’ve really been enjoying your company these past two weeks.” You look down at her curiously, your heart practically pounding against your chest. She wasn’t about to...was she? “And well, I think you’re handsome, and kind, and you have been a magnificent assistant.” You can barely believe what you’re hearing, if Rarity was doing what you think she’s doing… “And well, you’ve been a great friend as well…you know how to make me smile, you can cheer me up when I’m feeling down, you always know what to say.” Rarity’s blue eyes meet with yours; you lose yourself in her gaze, eagerly waiting for what else she has to say. “And, though I enjoy being your friend…I’d be lying if I said...I didn’t want to be more.”
You can feel the fashionista shift just slightly, though she doesn’t let go of your hoof. “So, I’d like to ask you. To accompany me to Canterlot for a…” Her voice hitches just slightly and you can see the red hue overtaking her cheeks. “That is I would like it if we…” She swallows, obviously terribly shy about asking this. “…If you and I were to partake in…”
Your body seems to work on autopilot, you feel fit to exploding with joy and you want nothing more than to scoop Rarity up, hug her close, and tell her just how happy she’s made you. But you can’t do that, not with how tightly she’s clutching your hoof, so you settle for a gentle kiss to her cheek.
She lets out a slight squeak at the feeling of your lips against her face but she makes no move to pull away. You stop the kiss and gently start to nuzzle her neck.
“Rarity, I would love nothing more than to go on a date with you.”
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
“Wow Rare, just how much did this cost?” You ask, looking around the wide boxed in chariot currently flying you to Canterlot. Everything about it screamed expensive, from the box of wine on ice that was provided to the soft velvet cushions of the seats.
You can feel a slight shake as Rarity giggles, her head lying affectionately on your shoulder. “Well, you might have a hard time believing that it didn’t cost me a single bit.”
You raise an eyebrow, incredulous. “Really? You’re right; I do have a hard time believing that.”
Rarity lifts up her head, giving you a coy expression as her horn lights up; the wine bottle floats over towards both of you. “Element of Harmony remember? I simply told Princess Celestia that I would need transportation to Canterlot and she sent over one of her best chariots.” There’s a pop as the cork capping the top of the wine bottle is pulled free. “Would you like some wine?”
You contemplate that for a moment, you’d been trying to dry out a little these past two weeks, you hadn’t so much as touched a beer for the entirety of that time. Because, even though alcohol was the reason you were sitting here now, on a date with the love of your life, you’d finally realized it had often caused you more trouble than it was worth. But, seeing as this was a special occasion and since you could take six glasses of Hardened Horseshoe whiskey before getting drunk, you figure one little glass of wine couldn’t hurt.
“Yeah I’ll have a glass.” There’s a trickling sound as the dark red liquid is poured into both glasses. “So, what exactly do you have planned for our, date?” You falter slightly at the word, still unable to truly believe that’s what you two were on right now, a date, well hopefully if you played your cards right tonight you’d be saying it a lot more often.
Rarity levitates your glass in front of you; you thank her and take it, awkwardly twisting your hoof around the bottom in order to keep a firm grip.
“Well, I was thinking we could go and see a show.” You lift up your wine glass and start to drink. “I hear Octavia Heartstrings is playing at the Royal Palace, visitors welcome.” You sputter and spit as you start to choke on your wine at the mention of Octavia, images of leather and whips flashing through your head like the flashbacks of an old war veteran. “Oh are you okay dear?” Rarity asks with concern as you pull away your glass in order to avoid staining her beautiful suit.
You give your throat a good clearing before you speak, the thickness of the wine clogging up your throat. “Uh, ahem, yeah just, went down the wrong hole is all.” You force out, putting a hoof to your face to cover the coughing. Here’s hoping that Octavia didn’t notice you in the crowd, lest she approach and suggest something along the lines of a threesome…yeah, she was that kinky.
“Here, let me get rid of that so you don’t spill any on your suit.” You can feel a slight pull as Rarity’s magic starts lifting away your still half full wine glass, refilling her own with what remained before returning the now empty cup to its place near the bucket of ice.
You clear your throat again. “Ahem, thanks Rare, I’d love to go see a show with you. Anything else you’d like to do?”
“Yes a few things.” She drinks down a portion of her now refilled wine glass, before pursing her lips and deciding she’d had enough, placing the glass near the other, apparently she wasn’t much of a drinker. “Do correct me if I’m wrong darling, but I heard you know how to tango.”
You blush lightly and rub the back of your neck. “Yeah, I’ve dabbled.” You learned over the years that ladies loved to tango; it appeared Rarity was no exception.
“Dabbled hm? From what I heard you are a ‘lean mean dancing machine’.” You smile at that, those last four words sounding odd coming from Rarity.
“Okay so you want to go dancing, I can deliver on that.”
Rarity holds her head up, satisfied with your answer. “Good, and I figure by then we’ll be ready for dinner.” You nod, dinner sounded like a good way to end your date. “But after that,” This catches your attention, what else could she possibly have planned? “There’s something very…special I want to show you.”
You cock your head to the side, clearly curious as to what this ‘special’ thing could be.
“And before you ask, no, I won’t tell you what it is.” She flashes you another one of those coy little grins. “That would spoil the fun darling.”
You nod. “Okay then.” If Rarity planned on doing something special to end your day out together you saw no real reason to spoil it, sure you were curious, but you figure whatever it is she has planned will be all the more amazing if you don’t know what it is beforehoof.
“Oh look at that, we’re almost there!” Rarity chirps, sitting up and craning her neck to get a good look out the far window.
You do the same, lifting your head up to peer out of the window, your eyes widen slightly at the sight you are greeted with. Now you’d never been to Canterlot yourself, your father would make a trip there on occasion when there was a big event he needed to attend or when he needed to visit with a fellow businesspony. But you’d never accompanied him on any of those trips, the closest you’d ever gotten to actually seeing what the royal city looked like was when he brought home some pictures for your younger sister. She always did love looking at the pictures he’d bring back after a business trip. That and the time you’d been arrested, but you hadn’t really had the time to go sightseeing then, you’d ended up spending the majority of the day in a cell.
The buildings were the first thing that caught your eye, naturally, far different from the gigantic skyscrapers of steel and glass that you were used to seeing, yet not in any way less impressive. For what they lacked in size and scope they made up for in appearance, they seemed to be finer, more deliberate, the laden stonework and spiraling towers made them appear more regal and fanciful in nature. Another variance you noticed was that the color palate was vastly different; everything back home was more of a black and grey during the day, giving everything a rather dreary and washed out look. While the building’s and streets of Canterlot appeared to be more mixed, awash with many different colors, giving the city below a more vibrant and lively feel. You wonder if the design and construction of the town had been the result of the direct involvement of the princesses, after all, this was their home, no doubt neither of them wanted to spend eternity looking over a town that was drab and boring.
“Quite beautiful isn’t it?” Rarity’s voice snaps you back into reality, your eyes falling back onto her. “I’ve been here multiple times and I still think it’s beautiful when seen from this height.”
“When seen from this height?” You query playfully. “So it’s not all that great when you get down there is what you’re saying.”
Rarity rolls her eyes. “Oh shush you.”
You can feel yourself rocked in your seat as the chariot finally hits the ground, jostling and rocking for a moment until it finally comes to a stop. There’s the distinct jingling sound of armor as one of the royal guards pulling the chariot removes himself from the harness wrapped around his body, you can hear his powerful hooves stomping across the ground as he walks towards the back of the regal chariot. The door opens with a creak and a large shaft of light filters in.
“Sir, Madam,” The white stallion says, his voice deep, authoritative, and powerful. “You have arrived at Canterlot Palace.” Canterlot Palace already? You didn’t think you’d be stopping right at the front gates, even if the first thing Rarity wanted to do was see the show.
“Splendid, thank you sir, we greatly appreciate your service today.” Rarity says to the stallion, who keeps a stoic face. “Well shall we proceed?” She gets up from the seat, waiting for you to do the same.
You quickly get up and hop out of the chariot, nodding a thank you to the royal guard for holding the door; again he doesn’t so much as blink. You hold up a hoof to help Rarity down, knowing full well it’s the treatment she expected, after all, she was a lady. You can feel those familiar tingles dance across your body as her snow white hoof touches yours, the contact warm and comforting, even if it only lasted a few brief seconds.
There’s a brief clacking sound as Rarity’s hooves come into contact with the smooth cobblestone of the street. She smiles at you and you smile back, it was clear that both of you were eager for this date to officially begin.
“And my sister says chivalry is dead.” The distinct voice from behind gives you a slight start, so engrossed in the thoughts of how joyous your date was going to be that you had failed to notice the approach of a pony from behind…or perhaps alicorn was the proper term.
“Princess Celestia, why, I didn’t expect you to greet us!” Rarity speaks, the startled edge to her voice showing that she was about as prepared for running into the Princess as you were. Both of you move to bow, before Celestia holds out one of her large and illustrious white wings, signaling that you shouldn’t.
You feel like an ant while standing before Celestia’s gaze, the very power and wisdom behind her eyes filling you with a strange sense of insignificance, thankfully this feeling is eased, at least in part, by the alicorn’s welcoming and caring smile. That same smile showing you that as a goddess she valued the life and existence of every one of her subjects, even if their purpose paled in comparison to her own. There’s also what feels to be an aura of strength and resolve surrounding her, perhaps it’s just in your head, or perhaps it’s a feeling garnered due to the immense and seemingly endless amount of magical power she contained, either way, you didn’t know.
You’d certainly met with nobility before, even a few distant members of the royal family, but that was only on a few rare occasions with your father. And you typically didn’t have to do much other than shake hooves with them and shovel out some brain-dead compliment that more than likely wasn’t true, this however…it was like staring into the face of a god…probably because you more or less were.
“Rarity, I am pleased to see you have found your way back to Canterlot after all this time.” You notice Rarity stand up straighter and hold her head a little higher as Celestia speaks, clearly trying to make herself look as good as possible in front of the princess, you didn’t blame her for that, you were pretty much doing the same thing. “May I ask what brings you here?”
“Of course Princess, well…” Rarity’s eyes flick over to you for a moment, a glint of nervousness showing, you do your best to return this look with a comforting smile, hoping to help put the unicorn at ease. It appears to work, Rarity seems to take a breath and her voice levels out as she speaks. “I am actually on a date your highness.”
Celestia’s face lights up a little. “Ah, a date, how grand!” The alicorn’s purple eyes flash onto you. “I take it this is the lucky stallion?”
You let out a nervous chuckle and scuff at the ground lightly with a hoof, though you don’t look away from Celestia’s gaze, feeling that it would be disrespectful. “Yeah, and lucky is right.” You steal a glance over at Rarity, a noticeable crimson hue overtaking the unicorn’s usually pale features. “Who would have thought that a unicorn as kind and generous as Rarity would see something in a guy like me?”
Rarity places a hoof up to her cheeks, trying to stop the flood of red overtaking her face. She’s obviously embarrassed, but you can tell that at the same time she’s flattered. You don’t expect her to reply with a compliment of her own, so you’re pleasantly surprised when she does.
“Well…you’re not exactly selfish yourself dear.” Her voice comes out tiny and, somewhat timid, but still you appreciate the compliment.
Celestia releases a tiny chuckle. And believe it or not that chuckle helps put you at ease, though you can’t really put your hoof on why.
“Ah young love, it is truly a sight to behold.” That makes both you and Rarity blush, like two teenagers who got caught passing notes in class by a teacher. “I take it you both have come to watch the performance?”
“Yes your highness.” Rarity speaks, shaking off her bashfulness. “I hear Octavia Heartstrings is playing today.”
“Yes she is, I’m pleased you heard. The mare is very talented.”
She sure is. If one is willing to consider torture a talent. You think to yourself, then your eyes flash open in worry. Celestia couldn’t read minds or something right? A brief scan of the alicorn’s face shows that, if she had read your thoughts, she wasn’t paying them any mind. Still, you figure it’s best to avoid thinking about the cellist at all, just in case.
“Oh that she is, I have many of her records. Her music can be very soothing.” Rarity nods her head, you faintly recall hearing music coming from her design room every once and a while, but it had been so faint that you never managed to place it as Octavia’s. “I presume you’ll be attending as well your highness?”
Celestia nods happily. “Yes, I shall be. It will be a pleasant break from my royal duties.” The princess lets out a barely audible sigh, a momentary show of disappointment. “It’s a shame my sister will be unable to attend, I was hoping to rekindle her passion for classical music, if only so she will stop blasting that, oh what’s it called? Techno? While I’m trying to sleep.”
Both you and Rarity exchange a sideways glance of disbelief. Luna, goddess of the moon, listened to techno? That sounded positively ludicrous.
“Techno?” Rarity asks, vocalizing the confusion written upon both of your expressions. “Why, that seems a little too…modern, for her tastes."
Celestia nods. “Precisely what I thought, don’t get me wrong of course, I’m glad to see she’s acclimatizing to the new time period, I would just have preferred she do it in a less noisy fashion.” Rarity seems to agree, you don’t really seem to side one way or the other. Techno or dubstep, whatever you felt like calling it, never really bothered you, it wasn’t your favorite form of music by any means, but years of frequenting dance clubs and the like meant that the electronic beeps and boops had eventually just become easy to tune out.
“Well the show is about to start. Would you both like to accompany me to the concert hall? If my sister won’t be attending you both can have her booth.” Your eyes widen slightly in surprise, that was quite the generous offer. You knew nobles who would kill for a chance to sit in a royal show booth.
“Why, we would be honored your highness, but, are you certain Princess Luna wouldn’t mind?” Rarity questions humbly.
Celestia laughs again. “Why of course she wouldn’t Rarity, my sweet sister Luna hasn’t even been inside it since she’s been back. She has very little patience for entertainment; I see no reason to let it go to waste.” Celestia turns, motioning for you both to follow as she starts towards the two towering doors that served as the main entrance to the castle.
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As both you and Rarity walk through the great annals and hallways of the royal palace you find yourself, surprisingly enough, growing increasingly at ease around Celestia. Despite being an immortal being that held more power in her hooves than any other living creature currently occupying the planet she had proved herself to be, well, remarkably normal. She would talk, laugh, and listen just like anypony else would. And you truly believed that beneath the calm and powerful position as the leader of Equestria, was a simple pony just like yourself. It was a strangely comforting realization, to know that such a warm and kind ruler watched over you as a subject.
“I take it you haven’t been to the royal castle before?” It takes you a moment to realize Celestia was speaking to you.
“Hm? Oh sorry your highness!” You quickly apologize, though your initial unease was gone, Celestia was still one of the supreme rulers of Equestria, and you certainly didn’t want to appear unmannered. “Actually…you could say I’ve visited once.” You mumble, recalling your unfortunate arrest by two royal guards, the case of mistaken identity between you and a different stallion, the stallion that had stolen the wheels of Celestia’s favorite chariot.
“Really?” It’s Rarity who speaks this time. “I had no idea you’d visited Canterlot. Was it on a business trip with your father?”
You contemplate your choice of answer for a moment. On one hoof, you could tell her the truth and have to explain your arrest to both the fashionista and Celestia, which was something you didn’t really feel up to, and on the other you could just agree and get on with your date. Naturally the latter was the one you decided to go with.
“Yeah, something like that.” You feel a twinge of worry travel up and down your spine, keeping your eyes roaming around the castle as if you were studying the surroundings, hoping that Rarity wouldn’t think much of your comment and would just let the whole thing drop. Thankfully she did.
“Just up these stairs.” Celestia motions towards a set of steps, leading up to the show booths for both her and her sister.
It doesn’t take you long to reach the top and by the time you get there you can hear that preparations for the show have already begun. You can make out the distinct velvety sound of Octavia’s voice as she tells a story from her foalhood about how she got her first instrument, she sounded significantly less intimidating when she didn’t have a whip in her mouth.
The three of you are greeted by a pair of doors, separated by a wall down the middle, one bore the symbol of a burning sun, the other a crescent moon surrounded by stars, it was rather obvious which booth was intended for whom. Celestia’s horn lights up with a golden glow as both of the doors swing open, before she turns back to both you and Rarity.
“Well here we are. I would offer you to accompany me so we could watch the show together, but I’m sure you both would like some time alone.” You and Rarity share brief glance that says, ‘yes we would’. “But if either of you need anything do feel free to ask.”
Celestia turns to enter her booth, before Rarity quickly stops her. “Your highness, there is actually something I would like to ask of you, if you wouldn’t mind.”
The royal alicorn turns towards Rarity with a smile. “Certainly, what is it?”
Rarity bites her lip and turns a pleading gaze to you, trying to send the hint that she’d rather ask this of the princess by herself.
“I’ll uh, just go get the seats ready.” You say, before heading into your own booth, slowly starting to shut the door behind you.
Just before the final sliver of the door is closed you can hear Celestia’s playful laugh one last time.
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Rarity’s blue eyes follow you through the door, her ear giving a faint twitch as Celestia giggles and the door you’d just closed shuts with a click.
“You’ve picked a fine young stallion Rarity.” Celestia says, drawing the unicorn’s gaze into her own. “He seems like quite the catch if I do say so myself.”
Rarity sheepishly grins. “Why thank you Princess, I’m glad you approve. He is…very special to me.”
“I can see that. So, what is it I can do for you?”
Rarity shifts awkwardly on her hooves, it was a lot easier asking the Princess for favors through the mail rather than face to face. “Well, your highness, I know you’ve already done quite a lot for me, what with the chariot and everything and I can’t thank you enough for that.”
Celestia playfully rolls her eyes, this being the fourth time the unicorn had thanked her for such a simple thing. Granted the other three were via letters, but still, she found the words unnecessary.
“And, I hate to ask this of you but, do you remember that room I used the last time I visited?” Celestia gently nods her head. “I was wondering, is it…available…for um, my use?” Rarity’s eyes shift towards the floor, a blush overtaking her face as Celestia giggles, already having figured out what Rarity wanted the room for.
“Why certainly Rarity, I’ll have it prepared for you by nightfall.”
Rarity’s gaze finally comes unglued from the floor, meeting the alicorn’s eyes with her own. “Th-thank you your highness,”
Celestia waves of the gratitude with a small regal motion of her hoof. “No need to thank me dear, you and your friends are deserving of everything I can give. Now go and spend some time with your stallion, I’m sure he’s eagerly waiting for you.”
Rarity bows her head. “Yes your highness, I’m sure he is.” The unicorn begins to leave.
“Oh and Rarity,” Celestia calls, stopping the fashionista mid turn, “Tonight, don’t be afraid to make as much noise as you want.” The regal alicorn lifts a hoof up to cover one side of her mouth, leaning low and dropping her voice to a whisper. “The bedroom is soundproof.”
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Your ear twitches and your lips turn into a smile as you hear the door open and shut, spinning around in your seat to find a red faced Rarity staring back at you.
“Are you okay Rare?” You question with concern.
Rarity’s blue eyes lock onto yours, and her white face grows into a deeper shade of red. “Uh, y-yes I’m quite alright, there’s nothing to worry about.” She slowly begins walking towards you, her hooves sliding over the thick black carpet below.
“Are you sure?”
Rarity climbs into the seat next to you, her face fading back to its original color. “Yes I’m fine.” The worried expression on your face shows that you don’t quite believe her. “But thank you for being so concerned.” She says, before leaning in to give you an affectionate nuzzle, causing soft tingles to shoot throughout your body. “I see the show is about to begin.”
You follow the fashionista’s gaze to the center of the large stage sitting in the middle of the atrium, the booth you had been so generously provided with giving you an excellent view of the performance. You’d seen the occasional noble in a booth of their own look up to the pair of you with a touch of scorn or jealousy in their eyes, upset that they hadn’t been provided one of the best seats in the entire house. Though you’re ashamed to admit it, seeing the upset looks on their stuck up faces brought you a twisted sense of satisfaction, you’d spent enough time around nobles to know that every once and a while they needed to be shown that they wouldn’t be provided special treatment just due to their good fortune.
This also puts your worries of Octavia noticing you to ease, figuring that she’d likely be too engrossed in her playing to take enough time to look all the way up here.
“And without further ado my dear fillies and gentlecolts, may the show begin.” Octavia’s voice rings throughout the room, aided by a microphone standing just a few inches away. She then steps back farther towards the center of the stage, picking up her cello and signaling to her fellow band members to do the same.
The room fades to black, and your barely able to make out the faint silhouettes of the many ponies on the stage below, you can feel Rarity snuggle up next to you in the darkness, twirling her hoof around yours and resting her head on your shoulder, the intimate contact makes you blush and your glad that she can’t see you through the blackness permeating the booth, then the sharp sound of Octavia’s cello cuts through the perpetuating silence that had grown, and with it signaling the spotlight above, a large shaft of bright white light cutting through the gloom and illuminating the group of ponies on stage.
The show starts out with a rendition of some classics, Beethooven and Bach being the most prominent of them, and then the band eases into their original pieces, all of which were of great quality, though somewhat difficult to hear all the way up in your booth. All the while the spotlights above flash and move in order to accompany the mood of the songs being played, dimming when the tune was low or dark, brightening up whenever it was happier or faster paced. The expert lighting was almost as impressive as the show itself, helping create the perfect atmosphere that really allowed you to get lost within the music.
You’d never been much of a fan of classical, your impression of it tainted somewhat due to it always being played in the background of numerous fancy dinner parties or other such events you were loath to attend. But sitting here now you realize that it was quite enjoyable, or perhaps you were just happy right now because Rarity was with you, that was always a possibility.
Speaking of Rarity you can’t help but steal the occasional glance down to look her over, finding her just as pleasing to the eye, if not more so, than the show itself. Her shining blue eyes were practically glued to the stage below, following every move made with a sharp gaze, smiling contentedly as she lets go of your hoof, leaning into you a little farther and resting her head on your shoulder. You understand her desire, and quickly move to wrap your hoof around her shoulder, you can see her smile widening as you do so.
You take a moment to savor the feeling of holding her so close. Something you had been looking forward to since you first realized how much you cared for her. You can smell her expensive shampoo as you gently rest the top of your head against her own, her silky smooth mane rubbing against your face. You can feel the heat coming off of her body and can sense the thumping of her heart. Oh by Celestia…everything felt so perfect, like you two were meant to be like this. One glance down at the unicorn’s beautiful expression of bliss and you can see that she feels much the same way.
You hold her like this for…you don’t really know how long, and quite frankly you don’t really care. Sitting here, like this, you wouldn’t mind doing it for eternity. As the show goes on you become increasingly aware of several unkind eyes from down below looking upon the pair of you with contempt and distaste. Clearly, such a display of affection in the most prized booth of the castle was not tasteful, if this had been any other time you might have been motivated to stop, but right now you just flat out didn’t give a damn.
The seconds morph into minutes and then the minutes into hours, and before you know it the show is officially coming to an end. The lights flash back on, illuminating the entirety of the theatre, the sudden brightness makes your eyes sting a little at first but after a few blinks everything starts to slide into focus. On the stage you can see Octavia gently place her cello upon its stand, walking forward and taking a deep regal bow, her fellow band members doing the same. A round of applause echoes throughout the room, a display of delight with the performance.
“My, that was a splendid show.” Rarity speaks, freeing herself from your embrace and lightly tapping her hooves together, quietly clapping.
“Yeah, it was great.” You agree, clapping yourself. You hadn’t really enjoyed the music that much to be honest, again classical wasn’t something you enjoyed listening to all that much. But seeing Rarity happy was all that really mattered, and besides, this was only the first part of your entire day together. That thought alone was enough to keep you practically overflowing with joy.
“Come on!” She says, grabbing your hoof and pulling you out of the chair, practically bouncing with excitement. “I can’t wait to tango!”
You repress the urge to roll your eyes, allowing your expression to morph into a playful grin. You were right, ladies loved to tango.
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“Velcome to Tanz-Salon, do you have a rezervation?” The mare standing out front of the dance parlor Rarity had eagerly brought you to asked, making a wide motion to swipe her wavy blue mane out of her face.
“Yes!” Rarity nods enthusiastically. “I should have a reservation for Rarity plus one.”
The mare looks down and flips through a pamphlet, humming quietly to herself as she checks for names. “Ah yez, mizz Rarity, ve at Tanz-Salon are pleased to tell you zat your private danze togezer vill be in ten minutes. Vould you like to request any drinks or perhaps a zalad as you vait?” The mare questions, smiling in a professional and charming manner.
“None for me thank you.” Rarity gives you a quick glance. “Would you like something dear?”
“Same, I don’t want to spoil dinner.” You answer.
The door mare nods, pointing a dainty hoof towards the door. “Very vell, head inzide, a vaiter vill show you to your table.”
Both of you thank the mare and step inside the parlor, as soon as you get inside the doors you can hear the clear sound of a violin, cutting through what would otherwise be nothing but the sounds of hushed whispers and clinking wine glasses, you can feel a cool breeze brush across your coat, sending tiny chills scrambling across your body, you can feel your eyes slowly adjust to the sudden darkness of the room, the low lighting and shadowy corners giving the entire parlor a sort of relaxed and smooth atmosphere.
“Hello sir and madam,” The voice of a waiter catches your attention, you look over to see a wiry young unicorn standing beside you. He smelled faintly of cologne and wore a frayed white shirt, his horn lighting up as he magically adjusted his blue bowtie. “Welcome to our fine establishment, I am Kellner, allow me to show you to your seat.”
“Thank you sir, that would be most appreciated.” Rarity says, stepping forward to follow the stallion, you quickly trot after her.
It doesn’t take Kellner long to find an empty booth, leading you towards the right side of the parlor and to a booth that gave you an excellent view of the dance floor, it was set up in a crescent moon shape, so you and Rarity could sit near the middle and be next to one another.
Kellner turns back towards the pair of you, bowing low and gesturing to the booth with a hoof. “Is this satisfactory?”
“Yes Kellner, thank you very much for your service.” Rarity says, approaching the booth and taking a seat.
Kellner nods once again and scurries off, you spy him heading towards the entrance once again, more customers must have arrived. You quickly enter the booth yourself, slipping up close to Rarity, following her gaze towards the dance floor, it appeared that a couple was currently in the process of performing the waltz while the band on stage near the back played music to suite the dance. You notice that the pair are dancing alone, despite the parlor being filled with plenty of ponies, all here with significant others, you figure this is what that private dance thing the door mare was talking about, apparently if you paid enough you could ‘rent’ out the dance floor for a bit.
After watching the couple dance for a while you decide to check on Rarity, she had been surprisingly quiet for how obviously excited she was, she practically hadn’t stopped smiling during the whole walk here. You repress a chuckle as you spy the completely entranced look on her face, her eyes glued to the dance floor as the couple continue to perform an eloquent duet, clearly she was eager to perform.
You also take a moment to admire her beauty, seeing as she was too distracted to catch sight of your roaming eyes. She absently reaches up and pulls a stray strand of her shining purple mane back behind her ear, the light cast from the candle resting idly on the table reflecting in her magnificent shining blue eyes, her crimson red lips a stark and beautiful contrast to her white face and pale features, the only other source of color being the pink splash of blush on both of her cheeks.
By Celestia…how could you not have fallen in love with her?
“So, we’ll be dancing in front of everypony?” You query casually, still admiring Rarity’s fine features, her makeup and dress exemplified in its beauty thanks to the lighting the parlor provided.
Rarity tears her eyes away from the couple at the center of the parlor, her blue eyes meeting with yours, you can see them practically sparkling with excitement.
“Why yes, I decided to pay a little extra so you and I could dance on our own. Naturally I couldn’t buy out the whole establishment so ponies will still be watching but, well, at least we’ll have our moment together.” Her cherry red lips form a smile as she giggles. “I suppose I should try and calm down a little…” You can see her tighten up and take a few deep breaths, trying to quell the reckless beating of her heart, before she starts to squirm and shiver in anticipation, her silence broken as she lets out a happy squeal and wraps her forelegs around your neck, pulling you into an unexpected, but not wholly unpleasant hug. “Oh but I can’t help it! I’m just so excited!”
You tenderly wrap your hooves around her hips and pull her away, chuckling while you do so. “Easy there Rare, I can’t dance if you strangle me to death.”
Though the unicorn relents she doesn’t let go, easing up just enough so you can look her in the eye. You can feel her hot breath on your muzzle, disturbing the fur with each warm puff, you feel that warmth in your chest return, as well as a faint urge to sneeze, and thankfully you manage to repress it.
Rarity giggles. “I do apologize, I’m being terribly unladylike.” She admits, though her spirits don’t seem hampered.
“Well…if you being unladylike means I get to hold you like this more often…” You grin slyly and give her hips a faint squeeze; she represses another giggle, though that one was no doubt involuntary. You’d learned that her hips were ticklish a couple days ago, giving her one of your special massages. “…I think I can put up with it.”
Rarity lets her laugh die down, shifting her gaze away bashfully and giving a slight tug to get away, you however hold firm, your eyes telling her wordlessly that she was fine exactly where she was. You can feel her let out a silent sigh of satisfaction as she starts to ease into your cuddle, her natural blush burning through the fake one as she allows herself a moment to adjust to the rather, public, display of affection.
“Even if you do, I am sorry if I appear overeager.” She says, her blue eyes flashing over towards the stage, the pair from earlier nearly finishing up their dance.
“Why are you so excited about this anyway?” You ask innocently, careful to make sure your voice didn’t give any false impressions, Rarity wanted to do this, and you wanted to do whatever made her happy. And letting her think that you secretly didn’t want to dance with her was not the way to do so.
“Well…” There’s a touch of bashfulness to her voice as she speaks. “It may sound a little, well, silly…but it’s something I’ve wanted since I was a little filly.” You give her an encouraging and calming look, trying to coerce her into continuing. It seems to work. “When I was little my mother used to read me a bedtime story every night, my favorite one was a fantasy about a gallant prince charming who wooed a beautiful maiden.” Rarity chuckles just lightly before she continues. “Of course he has to do many heroic things to win her favor but that’s not the part I always wanted to recreate. At the end of the story, he marries her, and they dance together under the stars.”
“So I’m your prince charming?”
Rarity looks into your eyes with a smile, reaching up with her hoof and running it affectionately across your face.
“Yes, you are.”
You smile at that, the compliment warming your heart.
“Would miss Rarity and her partner please meet upon the floor?” The voice sounds throughout the parlor, catching both of your attentions and effectively shattering the romantic atmosphere that had formed.
Rarity pulls her hoof away from your face, and secures it around your hoof, her face lighting up with pure excitement as she eagerly drags you out of the booth and towards the dance floor, shaking giddily the entire way. You can feel the amused grins and cheeky laughter of the ponies around you, but you don’t let that bother you. Rarity was happy right now, and that was all that really mattered.
Rarity stops when the pair of you hit the middle of the dance floor, spinning around to face you, a wide grin adorning her gorgeous face. Above you the lights grow dim, the chattering of the ponies surrounding you dies down, and you can feel several pairs of curious eyes fall upon you. For a moment the white of Rarity’s grinning teeth and the deep blue of her eyes are all you can see, the dance floor shrouded in deep blackness, then there’s a tiny *click*, followed by a beam of bright white light illuminating the spot where you both stood.
The shrill hum of a violin cuts through the fine silence of the parlor, the gorgeous sound of the instrument filling your ears, with one final nod you begin pulling yourself up, balancing on your two hind hooves. This causes quite a stir amongst the ponies in the crowd, a murmur of surprise making itself heard over the sweet sound of the music. You place your right hoof forward, then your left hoof backwards, steadying yourself, this new perspective and position just a tad awkward; ponies were not meant to spend large amounts of time on their hind hooves, or at least not like this, that made learning a dance like the tango, a dance based solely around standing on your hind legs, all the more impressive, and all the more difficult, to perform. Thankfully you had been doing this for years, so if your luck held true nothing terribly embarrassing would happen.
You can see an edge of trepidation creep into Rarity’s features as she slowly starts to do the same, teetering slightly as she rises to her full height, standing on her hind legs only a few short inches away from you. You smile comfortingly at her, holding out your hooves for her to take, she does so, sending tingles running up and down your legs as she grabs onto you tightly, her gentle swaying coming to a halt as she steadies herself.
You look her in the eye, her blue gaze sparkling with joy, her wide smile filling you with happiness. You feel a glowing sense of satisfaction growing from within, taking pride in the fact that you were making one of Rarity’s most cherished childhood dreams come true. You gently squeeze her hoof with your own, taking a deep breath as you relish in the moment, then, the dance begins.
You drop your left hoof down to Rarity’s waste, she quickly wraps her right around your shoulder, and the two of you begin to twirl and twist in tune with the music. The pair of you practically glide across the dance floor, moving with such grace that both of you shocked even the most skilled of dancers in the parlor that night, you were surprised with Rarity’s skill, it practically matched your own. You wonder just where she learned, or who taught her, the tango was a dance that was difficult to teach, and took many years to master. However you quickly realize that these thoughts are distracting and shoo them away, how Rarity had learned wasn’t your concern, what was your concern was making sure she had the best night of her life.
You hear Rarity laugh as you give her a quick spin, the sweet melody of her voice bringing a smile to your face, she quickly finds her way back into your embrace, and you can feel a tiny vibration run through your legs as she represses another giggle. You blush slightly as she reaches up and gives a tiny peck to your nose, a tiny gesture which causes a slight ripple of laughter to spread throughout the crowd of the parlor. Rarity flashes a grin before the dance continues, the pair of you picking up the pace to match the momentum of the music.
After another couple elaborate maneuvers you tug Rarity close, so she can hear you over the sound of the music.
“Everything you imagined it would be?”
Rarity grins. “As a matter of fact it isn’t.” She leans up and gives you another peck, this one aimed at your lips. The contact makes your mind go blank, a peck it was indeed, but it was still on the lips, a step up from your occasional kiss to the cheek. “It’s better.”
The dance continues, and you slowly start to maneuver your way towards the nearest table. Currently occupied by an older looking mare and stallion, deeply engrossed in a discussion, you quickly turn to ensure your back is to them, braving a glance backwards to make sure you were lined up with the glass vase in the middle of the table.
You grin devilishly as you thrust Rarity outward, the unicorn letting out a startled gasp as you crane backwards, stretching your neck out towards the rose inside of the glass vase sitting idle on the table.
“Excuse me!” You shoot out towards the older couple at the table, snatching the rose up with your teeth. The older mare lets out a startled gasp, your sudden appearance scaring her half to death.
You quickly stand back up, using Rarity’s momentum to spin her back around. Wrapping her tightly in another embrace, grinning widely and showing her your brand new prize, the fashionista’s eyes go wide in surprise before she returns your smile with a grin of her own, leaning in and snatching the rose from your mouth. The ponies in the parlor get a crack out of that one, letting loose several muffled snickers.
Rarity holds the rose in her mouth as the pair of you continue to dance, looking over you can see the violinist and his fellow band members slowing down, clearly about to end the song. You pull Rarity in one last time smiling as a devious thought overcomes you. As soon as the final stretch of the song begins you drop your hooves down to her slender waste and lift, the unicorn’s mouth widening in surprise as you propel her into the air.
You hold her above your head, grinning as you hear her startled cry morph into a happy laugh. You can see her spread her hooves out, like a bird trying to fly, your legs shake and your muscles strain under the effort, Rarity wasn’t heavy by any means, but the dancing had already tired you out, leaving you weaker than usual. You hold Rarity aloft until the final note of the song dies, fading away and leaving the parlor in silence, then you gently let her down, the pair of you once again standing on all four hooves.
To your pleasant surprise Rarity wraps her hooves around your neck, practically crushing you in a deep hug. “Oh that was simply marvelous dear!” She squeals, her grip tightening slightly.
Your only reply is a tired sigh and a muffled ‘yeah’. You can hear the quiet applause of the ponies inside of the parlor, all of which equally impressed. Though you were happy to provide them with a show, Rarity’s appreciation is the only thing on your mind right now.
“You’re choking me Rarity.” You say, suppressing a laugh, gently trying to pull out of the unicorn’s ever tightening grip.
“Oh, I do apologize.” She says, quickly removing herself from you. “That was, incredible!”
Normally you would have replied with something suave, something along the lines of ‘no, you’re incredible’, or something equally as cheesy. But right now all that registers in your mind is the gentle ache in your back hooves and the warm glow of satisfaction burning through your chest right now.
“Very good, very good!” You look towards the stage, the violinist now holding a microphone in his hoof. “I say, that was quite the dance you two. Could we get another round of applause!?”
You allow a grin to creep across your face as you hear an enthusiastic round of applause from the ponies in the parlor, waving a hoof around to acknowledge their appreciation.
“Excellent, now that was our last private dance of the night, so feel free to come on down and have some fun everypony.” The violinist speaks into his microphone; you can hear the clinking of glasses and the sliding of chairs as all the ponies in the parlor begin to make their way to the dance floor.
You feel a gentle prod at your side, looking over to see Rarity smiling back at you. “Come now dear, the night is still young, and I still have plenty in store for the both of us.”
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You feel a slight chill dance across your skin as a cool breeze blows by, drying the sweat on your body and ruffling your unkempt mane. You cast your gaze upward, admiring the setting sun off to the East, sinking ever lower and bathing the entire town in a haze of orange and red. It would only be a few moments now before the sun would go down and the moon would rise to take its place.
You look over at Rarity, who was walking beside you, the pair of you sharing a sweet smile as she leans ever so lightly into your shoulder. Neither of you had spoken since leaving the parlor, enjoying the quiet and peaceful atmosphere of the nigh on empty Canterlot street. You found this odd, the walk to the parlor had been quite the opposite, the streets had been bustling, ponies of every kind and shape running about, in many ways it had reminded you of home, the crowded walkways and roads of Canterlot incredibly similar to that of Manehattan, the sight had brought back a wave of home sickness, and made you long for a trip back home. Thankfully Rarity had been there to take your mind off of those thoughts; after all, she was the most important thing in your entire life right now.
“Awful quiet tonight…” You say, breaking the silence.
Rarity doesn’t reply, she just squeezes your hoof a little tighter and resettles her head upon your shoulder, which you took as a very romantic gesture telling you to shut up and enjoy it.
You stop for a moment at a crossroad, waiting for Rarity to tell you which way to go. A gentle tug on your hoof tells you to go left, so you do. In all honesty you had no idea where you were going, Rarity was still leading the way, after all, she was the one who had everything all planned out. Farther down the street you can see the royal palace, its large spiraling towers and golden gates unmistakable, even in the rapidly descending darkness. Rarity wasn’t taking you back to the palace was she? You had already seen Octavia’s performance, and you hadn’t heard about anything else happening there. You shoot Rarity a curious look, your raised eyebrow and questioning stare asking all the questions for you. She only smiles back; clearly she wouldn’t be answering any questions.
Eventually you reach the front gates of the Royal Palace, slipping by the open golden gates. To your surprise Rarity doesn’t bring you to the front door, instead she has you take a right and you start making your way towards another fenced off area of the royal palace. The closer you get to this fenced off area the stronger the scent of freshly cut grass and fallen leaves gets. And you can hear the sounds of chirping birds and buzzing bugs, this is when you realize you are on your way to the esteemed Canterlot Gardens. What on Equestria did Rarity have planned?
“Halt, by order of the Royal Guard.” A strict voice rings out, effectively shattering the peaceful atmosphere and stopping both you and Rarity in your tracks. You see a unicorn quickly emerge from the shadows cast by the hanging trees above, the dark sheen of his armor and charcoal color of his fur painting him as one of the night watch. “Access to the Royal Gardens is restricted.”
“Allow me to handle this dear.” Rarity tells you, the confidence clear in her voice, obviously the unicorn had been prepared for this. You flinch in surprise as she reaches a hoof into your suit pocket, the touch, though not unwelcome, was still unexpected. She retrieves what appears to be a slip of paper, as soon as she gives it a good look she hands it to the guard with a smile. “There you are sir, I’m sure you’ll see that everything is in order.”
The guard’s horn lights up with a pale grey aura as he levitates the slip of paper in front of his face, running a pair of scrutinizing eyes over it from top to bottom. A few moments pass by as he continues to do this, and you start to wonder if maybe the guard just couldn’t read. But this doubt is finally put to rest as he finally returns the slip to Rarity, who takes it and puts it back in your pocket.
“Very well, your pass seems genuine.” The guard grumbles, spinning around and opening the large gate barring access to the gardens with a flare of his horn.
“Thank you sir,” Rarity replies. “I hope you enjoy the rest of your night.”
The guard’s eyes flick over to you, then back to Rarity, the tiniest of smiles creeps across his face. “You to,”
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“This place is beautiful.” You mumble, more to yourself than to anyone else, casting an awed gaze around as you marvel at the beauty surrounding you.
The Royal Gardens, were, without a doubt, one of the single most amazing sights you’d ever seen. All around you the world was awash with color, from the brightest of greens to the darkest of blues, you’d never quite seen anything like it. The air was cold, though not uncomfortably so, a chilly breeze wafting through the air and sweetly caressing you, the gardens were deathly quiet, so still and calm, save for the occasional chirping of a bird or splash of water from one of the numerous ponds therein. This created an air of peace and tranquility the likes of which you had never experienced.
You hear Rarity laugh, grinning at your marveled expression. “Come on, there will be plenty of time to admire the scenery later.” She chides playfully, grabbing you by the hoof and eagerly pulling you along.
“Whoa what’s the rush Rare?” You question, trotting in order to keep up with the exuberant unicorn.
You see Rarity give a hard roll of her eyes. “Questions, questions, it’s always questions with you!” She goads, though you can hear the amusement in her voice. “I promised to show you something special didn’t I?”
“Yeah well you also promised me dinner.” You smugly point out, grinning as the unicorn lets out an aggravated groan.
“Well, pardon me for wanting to show you something breathtaking to finish off the night, rather than taking you out for a daisy sandwich and hay fries.” The playful tone is slowly dissipating, instead being replaced by actual annoyance. You immediately stop all pretenses of continuing the argument, you didn’t want to ruin Rarity’s special plan because you were in the mood for banter.
When Rarity finally slows down a little you approach her from the side, gently nuzzling her neck to show your remorse for upsetting her. “I’m sorry Rare, I was only joking.”
You can see a blush cross her beautiful features as she gives into the touch, sighing wistfully as you continue to rub your head against her. “It’s okay.” You see her eyes trail upwards, casting a worried glance towards the nearly set sun. “We’re just running out of time.”
You place a comforting hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder, offering her a comforting smile to help put her at ease. “Well, if we’re running out of time, then I guess we’d better hurry.”
Rarity giggles. “I suppose we should.”
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“Just up this hill dear.” Rarity says, slowly making her way towards the top of a large grassy knoll.
You quickly follow, taking cautious steps to ensure you didn’t fall or slip in the darkness, the sun had set about fifteen minutes ago, and Luna’s moon had arisen to take its place, and your eyes had yet to adjust to the change in light.
You look up to see Rarity eagerly motioning for you to join her where she sat at the apex of the hill. You redouble your climbing efforts, throwing caution to the wind and trotting the rest of the way.
“Whew, I’m out of shape.” You mumble to yourself once reaching the top of the hill, feeling a slight jump in your pulse and a bead of sweat run down your forehead, spending these past two weeks cooped up inside had really done a number on your stamina.
You quickly get a handle on your haggard breathing and join Rarity where she stood, her magnificent blue eyes glued to the sky, as if she was waiting for something. You follow her gaze, staring up into the deep blackness of the sky, the first few stars of the night beginning to appear, dotting the night sky with splotches of shining white. You admire the view, from atop this hill you could see the glory of the sky in its entirety, the etheareal blanket of blackness stretching on for miles, completely uncovered.
You don’t say anything as you take your place next to your beloved Rarity, you could tell from the air around her that she wanted absolute silence. She was calm and collected, though at the same time she seemed eager, awaiting whatever the night sky had in store. This silence stretches on for a few more minutes, when you see her smile and she leans against you, wrapping her hoof around your own as she lets out a contented sigh.
“It’s about to begin.” She whispers, barely loud enough for you to hear. You wonder just what she has in store, as it turns out, you wouldn’t have to wait much longer.
Out of the corner of your eye you see a flash, by the time your eyes fix on the spot it’s gone, and your left wondering if you had perhaps missed whatever Rarity’s special surprise was, then you see another, and another, dancing on the fringes of your vision. Your eyebrow raises reflexively, just what were these strange flashes of light?
Then you see it, meteors, everywhere, tearing across the dark night sky in a vibrant display of color and light. Your mouth drops and your mind blanks, stunned, your mind barely capable of registering the sight before you. The wave of meteors was so beautiful, so amazing, this was what Rarity had planned…you couldn’t thank her enough. Not once in your entire life had you seen something so amazing…so breathtaking, you fully expected to wake up at any moment now and realize that this was all some kind of brilliant dream, for something as amazing as this couldn’t possibly be taking place in reality.
But it was real; the stinging pain from a quick slap to your face had confirmed that. For a moment you simply marvel at the sight, incapable of thinking of anything other than the explosion of color before your eyes. Truly there was nothing more beautiful than this…or, well, you were thinking that, until you looked slightly to your right.
If the meteor shower was beautiful, then the mare sitting next to you was astonishing. Rarity’s bright blue eyes are as wide as saucers, drinking in the sight of the meteor shower; you could see the splashes of color and streams of light reflected in her gaze, making her eyes sparkle like diamonds. Her dress practically glows thanks to the brilliantly lit sky; you can feel her heartbeat thumping against her chest as she holds you close, basking in the glory of the meteor shower with you by her side. She is like a goddess sitting next to you, the goddess of beauty, the goddess of generosity…and she was yours.
You don’t know why you start kissing her cheek, or why you start caressing her mane, or why you’re desperately trying to pull her closer. It’s like there’s a burning need inside of you, a need to be close to her, a need to be with her…you can hear her moan hotly as you start trailing kisses along her neck, her grip around your hoof tightening to an almost painful degree, but right now that’s the furthest thing from your mind. Your heart starts to accelerate and you can feel adrenaline pumping through your veins, your so close to telling her how much you care for her, you can feel the words on your lips, desperate to escape the confines of your mind.
Rarity pulls away, wrapping her hooves around your neck and holding you close, you can feel her hot breath against your face as you stare deeply into her eyes, and you can see the longing behind them, the raw fiery desire. She wanted this…you wanted this…you both needed this. You can sense that the proverbial pot is about to boil over, all that built up tension and desire was about to explode, and that was going to happen as soon as you said those three little words…
“I love yo-” And with that Rarity rams her lips against yours, both of you moaning with delight as that tension is finally released.
You can feel her tongue wrestling with yours, you can taste the faintest traces of wine on her lips, and your nostrils are wonderfully assaulted with the sweet smell of her expensive perfume. The pair of you kiss and moan in a display of true uncaged emotion, it was anything other than clean, anything other than ladylike, but for some reason you got the impression that Rarity didn’t care.
You both break off the kiss for a moment, panting desperately for breath as you place your foreheads together, basking in the feeling of being so close to one another, you aren’t expecting it when the unicorn unhooks her hooves from around your neck and gives you a hard shove, you hit the grass with a thump, laying on your back, it probably hurt but right now you couldn’t register pain. Your mind was too busy trying to process everything that was happening right about now; you feel a weight on your chest as Rarity climbs atop of you, once again initiating a deep kiss.
You can feel the heat rushing to your face as her attack on your mouth increases in ferocity, her tongue wrestling yours down as she hungrily explored your depths. You slowly relent, submitting your struggles and allowing her to take the dominant position, sensually running her hooves over your chest as she clawed and tore at your undershirt, you can hear the snap of your buttons and feel the cool breeze caress your sweaty fur and skin as she finally succeeds in ripping away the thin fabric, her roaming hooves finally finding their marks. Rubbing against your bare fur and flesh feverishly, as if trying to desperately feel as much of you as possible.
Slowly Rarity’s attack loses steam, her lips breaking away from yours for the briefest of moments in order to catch her breath. This is when you launch an assault of your own, with a careful shove and twist you end up on top of her, failing to fight off a devilish grin as you relish in the delight of your newfound position of power. Rarity offers no protest outside of a tiny squeak, followed by another lusty moan as you start to nuzzle and kiss her beautiful neck. Just barely grazing your teeth against her tender fur and flesh as your hoof begins to roam up her lower leg…
“S..St…” She forces the tiny squeaks out in between her groans and moans. You fail to pay them any mind, gently massaging her lower thigh as you continue to kiss and stroke her neck.
“Sto…don…” You can feel a desire deep within, a need, a hunger that could only be sated by one thing…
Your hoof roams ever higher, your kiss grows ever more ferocious, you were so close to your want…to the ultimate prize.
“…stop…” The word is hoarse and whispery, barely audible over the sound of heavy panting and the thick drumming of your own heartbeat. Yet it’s still enough to shake you to the very core, causing an ice cold chill to run through your veins.
You quickly yank your offending hoof away, quickly rolling off of the unicorn below you and sliding away. Your face registers remorse, and you feel disgusted with yourself for what you almost did…
You look over the unicorn lying below you, her chest rising and falling in rapid succession as she attempted to regain her breath, her dress was clinging to her like a second skin, the fin fabric drenched in sweat, both yours and hers, and her eyes stared absently into space, like she wasn’t really all there.
Slowly she begins to sit up, trying to stabilize her upper body by placing a wobbly hoof on the grass below, you can see her look towards you, and you shift your eyes away.
“I-I’m so sorry!” You choke out, as short on breath as she was. “I-I didn’t know you didn’t want it I swear I th-thought that you…” You feel any and all possible explanations fade away, for there were none.
You see Rarity slowly crawl towards you, and you flinch as she wraps a hoof around your neck, gently placing her forehead against your own, holding you close. You can hear her giggle and see the smile forming on her lips, the cherry red lipstick now smeared and splotched.
“Oh, my perfect gentlecolt…” She whispers wistfully, and immediately you know everything's okay. “You’ve done nothing wrong…” She sighs, though it sounded more like a purr of sorts. “…you’ve done everything right as a matter of fact. You have no idea how much I want this.” Her lips get a little closer to yours, and you can feel her breath dance across your face.
“Then why did you?” You begin, before you feel a gentle hoof against your lips.
“Because I don’t want any interruptions, and out here, where anypony could find us…” There’s a playful tone there, and for some reason you think that she might not be totally opposed to the idea. “…so why don’t you and I, go find a nice quiet room, where nopony can cut our fun short?”
You smile, your eyes meeting as you give the mare of your dreams one last kiss. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
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Celestia held a hoof up to her mouth as she let loose a yawn, normally she wouldn’t stay up so late, but recently she had discovered a fun new game she could play with her brand new telescope. The same telescope that had been given to her a few short months ago during Cadence’s royal wedding. It’s original purpose was to provide a means of constant vigilance should any threat be made against the royal kingdom. But as she had discovered during the…consummation of said royal wedding, that the telescope had its…other uses.
“Ceecee, should you not be in bed dear sister?” The sun goddesses' sister asked, Celestia had been so engrossed in her private show that she had failed to hear her sister come in.
“Oh I’m just admiring your show Lulu, I’ll go to bed in a few minutes…or hours…we’ll see.”
Luna shook her head. “If thou insists, do try and give them at least a little privacy dear sister.”
Celestia felt her mouth curve into a grin. “Oh, they’ll have a little I assure you.”
The night goddess gave a hard roll of her eyes, turning to make her exit.
“Oh and Lulu, do be a dear and send up my beloved. I’m feeling a little…lonely tonight.” Celestia said, tearing her gaze away from the telescope, smiling sweetly at her younger sister.
Luna sighed. “Fine,”
There was a gentle slam as Luna shut the door behind her, Celestia quickly turned her gaze back to her telescope, her wings slowly starting to lift of their own accord as an ecstatic howl of ecstasy rang out, shattering the stillness of the night.
Celestia giggled. sound proof, yeah right.
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A/N Now I know what your thinking, Gmoney, why is this updated so soon, I thought you weren’t going to update for another week or two you two timing lying punk!
Well, a loyal reader of mine is shipping out for training in a couple week, and I guess this is sort of a going away present. So everypony give a wish of good luck to AntiquisDefensorADeo. Best of luck buddy.