The following morning found Rarity busying herself with paperwork inside her boutique, shortly before opening hours. To any casual onlooker, Rarity was patiently sorting through forms that would bore anypony, with the exception of a certain princess of course, occasionally sipping from a nearby cup of tea.
But in actuality, Rarity was distracting herself from the impatience of waiting for Meteorite to show up for her second day of modelling, following on from last week. She was being harsh, she knew; after all it was still only quarter to, but that's when she arrived last time! Rarity flipped open her pocket watch and scowled at it, shaking it slightly, in the hopes that perhaps that's all Time needed to get out of its obviously current rut.
She glanced over at the boutique door, her breath bated in anticipation of it suddenly flinging open, but the door stubbornly remained closed. Frowning, Rarity turned back to her forms, their words becoming unreadable scribbles as Rarity paid no attention to what they actually said, instead her mind focused on wondering if Meteorite had forgotten to come, or worse, felt the need to avoid her for some reason.
Her worried thoughts were quelled a few minutes before the hour when the door slowly jingled open. Rarity looked up, perhaps a little too quickly, and saw Meteorite coming in, a smile on her face, giving Rarity a brief wave as she slowly approached. Rarity opened her mouth to greet her, but was momentarily struck silent by Meteorite's appearance.
"…Meteorite! L-Lovely to see you…!" Her gaze drifted up slightly. "Darling, your mane…"
Meteorite blushed as she turned slightly to show off her neatly styled mane. "Do you… like it? I um, had Flo help me this morning," she laughed nervously, "I would've been here sooner, but Flo insisted on not letting me go until it was perfect, heh…"
It wasn't perfect, not to Rarity's trained eye at least, as she could spot all the amateurish mistakes made in the styling, though in that moment she wished she couldn't, because what matter here was not how it looked, but the effort put into it. Rarity met Meteorite's eyes, and smiled gently.
"Darling… I have to agree. There's nothing more to be done!"
Meteorite's face lit up, her smile widening. "Y-You mean that?"
Rarity swallowed as she looked into Meteorite's hopeful eyes, and nodded. "A-Absolutely! You… look stunning, darling."
Meteorite's cheeks immediately became flushed as she broke eye contact, privately basking in Rarity's praise. "Thank you…" she said quietly, unable to stop smiling, "I'm… happy you like it."
Rarity fidgeted slightly, a faint blush on her own cheeks. "Well!" she said suddenly, nervously smiling, "Best we don't dally, wouldn't you say? We're not going to get anything done just standing around here!"
Meteorite blinked, suddenly remembering why she was there and drew herself up, trying to adopt a more professional attitude. "O-Of course!" she readily agreed, saluting and glancing over at the stage from last week. A nervous grin slowly spread on her face. "Um, heh… we'd probably get things done… standing over there."
Rarity glanced over to the stage, slightly confused before finally getting it, eliciting a surprised chuckle from her. "Yes, I suppose that is quite true!"
Both ponies walked over to the stage, both lost in their own thoughts. Meteorite being pleased that her humour was received well by Rarity, and Rarity noting that Meteorite appeared to be becoming more comfortable around her.
As well as she should! They were friends, after all, right?
The day proceeded surprisingly calmly for both mares; the light flirtatious banter of that morning was pushed aside as Meteorite focused on the dresses she was told to wear, and Rarity focused on refitting and adjusting them. Although Rarity had intended on pushing to find out a little more about Meteorite, she instead found herself engaging in idle chitchat with her. And to her unexpected delight, Meteorite appeared to happily engage back.
Maybe not today, Rarity thought as she smiled to herself. Today, we can just be two friends who enjoy each other's company.
The rest of the day not filled with pleasant conversation had been otherwise interrupted with a number of customers coming in and out of the boutique at a steady volume, or at the very least certainly more than Meteorite had seen last week. Enough that by the end of one transaction that afternoon, she was prompted to speak up about once Rarity got back to her.
"A lot of customers today, huh?"
"Has it been?" Rarity responded, slightly absent-mindedly, "I suppose so, now that you mention it. Still, it is the beginnings of Spring after all! Many ponies want to look their best for their special somepony!"
There was a heavy pause as Rarity's words hung in the air. Meteorite's suddenly solemn stare was met with Rarity glancing away and refocusing her attention back onto her work, trying to disguise her anger towards herself.
Why did I say that, why, why, why?! We were having such a lovely time!
Rarity heard a low murmur from Meteorite, followed by a soft sigh. "Well," Meteorite said with force cheerfulness, "I… suppose that would bring in a lot of customers…"
Rarity frowned as she apparently struggled with a stubborn hem, when she was actually furious that she had inadvertently caused Meteorite to swallow her feelings. Rarity's mind raced through ideas about how to deal with this situation, and ultimately she was faced with the decision to either let this be and continue on as per normal… or prod further now that the subject was out in the open.
Rarity took a deep breath, and prodded.
"So…" Rarity began casually, internally loathing herself for what she was about to say, "Hearts and Hooves Day is coming around soon. I'd imagine you'd have a lot planned, hm?"
Meteorite jerked back reflexively, drawing a foreleg up without thinking. "U-Uh! Um! Actually... no… not really," she admitted, her ears falling flat.
Rarity blinked as she lifted her head up to face Meteorite, looking surprised. "Really? I must say darling, that is hard to believe!"
"I-It is?"
Rarity nodded, gesturing towards Meteorite. "I mean, you are a rather attractive mare, anypony can clearly see that!" Rarity noted Meteorite's cheeks turning a deep red, before carrying on, "Are you saying there's nopony in your life right now?" Rarity mentally kicked herself, because she knew the answer and thus was just torturing the poor dear for no reason. She decided to not wait for a response. "At the very least, there must be somepony you have your eye on, no?"
Meteorite's pupils shrank as she hurriedly glanced away, suddenly becoming very interested in the ceiling. "Uhhh! Well! Uhh!" Her lips trembled as she tried to think of a way out of this. For some reason, outright lying never occurred to her as an option. "…maybe?"
Rarity's heart fluttered softly, surprising her. She hadn't expected a noncommittal half-answer to feel like a confession of love, but there it was. It slowed her down slightly in her line of questioning, but she now had a nice, warm feeling while she was doing it, and in fact, it even spurred her on to make sure Meteorite would feel the same way.
"Aha!" Rarity said victoriously, "There is somepony, yes?"
Meteorite nervously glanced back at Rarity, before quickly returning to inspect the ceiling. "…Maybe," she reaffirmed.
"Okay, so, this 'maybe' pony," Rarity carefully worded, "do they like you?"
Meteorite let her gaze slowly fall back down as she heavily considered Rarity's question. An ear flicked back as she stared off into the space in front of her. A slow smile spread on her lips as she quietly responded. "Yeah. I think she does."
Meteorite's eyes quickly went wide as she covered her mouth with a hoof, but she realised it was too late and instead quickly resumed her pose, her body stiff, and hoped Rarity hadn't noticed her faux pas. Which Rarity hadn't, until Meteorite reacted the way she had.
What was that for? What did she sa- "Ohhh…" Rarity said quietly as she realized, then once again, louder, "Ohh! Oh, I see…" she said slyly with a wink, "It's a mare."
Meteorite gave her a brief guilty look, but refused to say anything more. Picking up on the message, Rarity hummed slightly as she attended to the hem of Meteorite's dress. "Well," she said eventually, "I think that's wonderful."
Meteorite hesitated, surprised by the response. "Y-You do?"
"Of course, darling!" Rarity responded, looking at Meteorite with a huge smile. "Finding love somewhere unknown, or with somepony unexpected, somepony who truly cares about you no matter what," she sighed happily, "it's so romantic…"
Meteorite found herself caught up in Rarity's words, as she was left with a sense of calm warmth and a smile. "Yeah, I guess it is."
"So," Rarity said with a smile as she restitched the same stitch for the third time, "I guess the question is, this mare of yours… does she know you… like her?"
There was a sudden silence, causing Rarity to look up to see the smile fade from Meteorite as she looked back. Meteorite swallowed as her gaze drifted off to the side, and whispered, "I don't think so."
Rarity felt deflated as all her excitement was instantly drained from her. She attempted to say something encouraging, but all she could think was how stupid she had been, pushing as far as she had.
"W-Well… y-you never know, darling…"
Meteorite shook her head slowly. "No… I do. Besides…" she chuckled sadly, "now that I think about it, I'm… I think I'm not even sure I want that anymore."
Rarity sat upright, concerned. "What do you mean?"
"I mean…" Meteorite looked at Rarity, smiling sadly, "well, me and… her? We're… friends. I…" she looked down at her hooves, pensive, "I'm not sure I want to risk what we have with some stupid fantasy that'll never happen."
"It's not stup-" Rarity shouted, before catching herself and calming down, "I mean, it's not a stupid fantasy, darling. Have you even tried asking her? She could surprise you!"
Meteorite frowned and spoke sternly through her nervousness. "And what if she says no? What if… she laughs at me? What if she… never wants to see me again?" She shook her head. "I'm sorry… Rarity… but I value her friendship too much to risk it."
Nononono, Rarity's mind raced, she's going to block any chances we'll have! I… I need to do something! Tell her how I feel! Except… she's going to want to know why , and that'll reveal how I know about her feelings, and she's going to think Alexandra had something to do with it and she'll be right but for the wrong reasons and and-
Rarity closed her eyes and grimaced ever so slightly, before resuming a calm persona. "Very well. I suppose it is your decision, after all."
Meteorite slowly nodded. "I suppose it is…"
The following hours passed in silence, neither pony feeling up to talking, apart from general directing from Rarity. Rarity had wanted to press further but had no idea how to without giving herself away, so she resigned herself to the fact that maybe Meteorite was right in not going further.
I suppose it is for the best, after all, Rarity thought dejectedly, we would be moving too fast for any sort of lasting relationship to occur. Perhaps, a year or so later we can see how things are between us. I just wish she didn't already have spent six years waiting already…
The door jingled as somepony came in to the boutique, knocking both Meteorite and Rarity out of their somber thoughts.
"Hello, Rarity?" called Cheerilee, before spotting her and trotting over with a smile.
"Oh, Cheerilee!" Rarity greeted, "Welcome! What brings you here, darling? Something chic, perhaps?"
"Oh, I wish," Cheerilee sighed briefly, but still smiling, "I was actually hoping you had some spare scraps of fabric I could have, for my class to use for arts and crafts next week."
"Oh!" Rarity said brightly, clapping her hooves together. "That's a wonderful idea! Yes, I'm sure I have some for you! Be right back, darling!"
Cheerilee and Meteorite watched as Rarity cantered off to the back of the boutique, before turning to face each other. Cheerilee was the first to speak.
"Oh! You're… wait, don't tell me, it's Meteor, isn't it?"
"Meteorite, actually," she smiled, "but close enough."
"Oh, forgive me. It's stressful enough making sure I don't forget my students' names," Cheerilee laughed politely, covering her mouth with a hoof. "Say, I thought you worked on the farm with Applebloom? What are you doing here?"
"Oh, heh, I'm just helping Rarity out with some modelling."
"Oh, that's lovely," Cheerilee beamed. A few moments later, Rarity came back, magically holding a stack of assorted cloths.
"I do hope this is enough…" Rarity trailed off, noticing the two ponies before her. "Oh my goodness! I'm so rude! Cheerilee, this is Meteorite! Meteorite, this is Cheerilee!"
"Ah, thank you," Cheerilee said, "but we've already met once or twice before."
A slight tic on Rarity's eye went unnoticed by all present. Of… course. "Ah, my apologies!" Rarity floated over her gathered cloths. "So, will this be enough?"
"Oh my, yes!" Cheerilee said happily as she opened one of her side saddlebags for Rarity to fill up, "Thank you so much, Rarity! The children will have so much fun next week making all sorts of Hearts and Hooves displays!"
Rarity resisted the urge to glance over at Meteorite and merely smiled.
"It always warms the heart to see them get into the spirit of the holiday," Cheerilee continued, before subtly coughing and muttering to the side, "as long as they don't get too into the spirit." A few seconds later Cheerilee returned to her sunny disposition. "But anyway! I think the worst I have to fear this year is a few fillies and colts being embarrassed by their first kiss."
Rarity chuckled. "Ah yes, I remember my first kiss. It wasn't exactly what I had dreamed it to be like."
Cheerilee giggled in response. "No… I must admit mine was a bit of a disaster too."
Both of them fell silent briefly, before Cheerilee looked over at Meteorite, followed by Rarity. Meteorite shifted uneasily, pawing at the floor.
"Uh… I… uh… can't really say myself. I never had a first kiss."
With impeccable timing, both Rarity and Cheerilee's jaws dropped at the same time. Rarity's glasses slid askew.
"W-W-What?!" Rarity shrieked, causing Cheerilee to cover her ears. Meteorite cringed slightly.
"I… just never really had the chance…" Meteorite meekly explained. She looked up, thoughtfully, "I mean… I suppose the closest I got were these two g-" she shook her head, mentally adjusting her past, "these two colts who gave me a box of chocolates and a rose between them once… buuut, looking back I'm pretty sure they were just taking pity on me."
Cheerilee just blinked in disbelief, while Rarity was too stunned to speak.
"So… you never had a first kiss?" Cheerilee asked, a tinge of sadness in her voice.
Meteorite shook her head again. "Nope. I suppose it's my own fault really… Back when I was younger I thought…" Meteorite stopped, sighing at the memory, "I thought your first kiss had to be, y'know, special, with someone you really cared about. Not… just… anyone…" Meteorite hung her head slightly. "So I didn't really bother with dating… boy, that was a great idea, wasn't it?" Meteorite sighed again. "Oh well… that's life, I guess."
"Well… don't be discouraged," Cheerilee said with an uneasy smile, "I'm sure you'll meet somepony someday! Right, Rarity?"
Cheerilee turned to face Rarity, who was still flabbergasted by Meteorite, staring at her. Never had… wanted it to be special… not just anypony… they took pity on her…
Cheerilee frowned slightly. "Rarity?" Still getting no response, Cheerilee poked Rarity slightly, snapping her out of it.
"Oh, what, what is it? O-Oh, yes, absolutely, darling!"
Cheerilee gave Rarity an odd look, but quickly dismissed it. "Well, I should be going, girls! It's been… nice."
"Well, today was… something," Meteorite admitted, once both her and Rarity were ready to call it a day. Rarity nodded solemnly.
"Yes… it started out rather pleasantly too. I… do hope you won't be adverse to… maybe coming back again sometime?"
Meteorite tilted her head slightly, confused. "I thought you finished all the dresses I had to model today?"
"Well, yes," Rarity admitted, waving a hoof around slightly, "but, I may need your help in the future, darling." She paused, before giving her a smile, "Also, I quite like having you around, you know."
A very faint blush crossed Meteorite's cheeks. "You do?"
"Mmhmm," Rarity nodded, "so… if I need you again?"
Meteorite took a deep breath as she considered the question. "Sure… Sure! You can count on me, Rarity!"
Rarity smiled. "I had hoped as much."
And, Rarity thought as she and Meteorite were saying their goodbyes for the day, I think I've come up with the perfect plan for our perfect first date…