Rarity had learned everything she ever needed to know and more about cragadiles. Or at least, she was certain she would once she read the notes that Twilight had been taking at her request while she was telling Rarity about them.
Rarity had insisted on Twilight taking notes on the important parts of their cragadile conversation, and she was quite pleased that Twilight acquiesced with no argument. Rarity said she needed the notes on account of not having a great memory, and so that she could read them on the train so they would be fresh in her mind when she really needed the information.
And the second part of that statement was true enough, but the real reason she insisted on the notes was simply because she could not have been less interested in talking about cragadiles, for the only thing she could focus on was the radiant lavender unicorn sitting before her, who only became more beautiful and more interesting with each word she spoke.
In truth, Rarity had actually learned rather little about Miss Twilight Sparkle herself, for the librarian seemed loathe to discuss herself. Twilight had been much more keen on sharing not only everything she knew about cragadiles, but she had also gotten quite caught up in the book about swamps and wanted to share with Rarity her own thoughts, ideas, and insights on swamp-dwelling flora and fauna.
Rarity, of course, had never once in her life been remotely interested in learning about swampy plants and creatures. At least not until the moment Twilight Sparkle had begun talking about it, somehow making it the most compelling and fascinating topic Rarity had ever heard.
Twilight was much more than simply a pretty face—though she was absolutely that as well. She had a special talent for making anything interesting; during their conversation, Twilight had gotten distracted by a rather impassioned rant about rocks—ROCKS, for pony’s sake!— yet Rarity hung on each and every word with bated breath.
It was perplexing, even slightly frustrating! How in the world had Rarity—RARITY, who had so long ago mastered the art of composed detachment—managed to become so wrapped up in this unusual mare? How in all of Equestria was she sitting there, chin resting upon intertwined fingers, smiling like a smitten schoolfilly, while the librarian gave a sincerely enrapturing lecture about the differences between hard water and heavy water?!
By the way, neither type of water had anything to do with ice, and the librarian didn’t look terribly amused by Rarity’s incredibly clever joke about that. Apparently she’d heard that one before.
No, you see, hard water is water with high mineral content, formed when water percolates through deposits of limestone and chalk which are largely made up of calcium and magnesium carbonates, whereas heavy water has more hydrogen isotope deuterium than normal.
And no, Rarity had absolutely no idea what any of those words meant! But she would remember those facts, because the sunforsaken pony of the Golden Oaks Library somehow made Rarity care about said facts!
Rarity rolled her eyes, bemused that she could remember the damn differences between two different types of water, but not a bloody thing that she’d learned about cragadiles.
“Rarity?” Twilight must have caught her rolling her eyes, because she was now looking at Rarity with a pensive expression. “Are you listening?”
“More than you know, darling,” Rarity replied with a smile that satisfied Twilight, if the bright grin on her face was any indication. “Though, I must ask, where does this insatiable thirst for knowledge of yours even come from? I swear my mind feels like it’s going to burst from just our conversation, yet there seems to be no end to the well of information that you have!”
“Oh, um—” Twilight tapped her fingers against the edge of the table, and shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
Goodness, Rarity thought as she bit her lip, did I embarrass her?
“I don’t want you to get the wrong impression,” Rarity slid her hand on the table toward Twilight’s, “I am quite impressed! I’m simply curious because—well, because quite honestly, you have been rather tight-lipped about your own history, and I just find myself frightfully curious about you.”
Twilight blushed and she bit down on a smile. Good sign.
“I just find the process of learning—” Twilight shrugged, and though she looked up at Rarity, it was only for a fraction of a second before she turned her head toward the rows of bookcases, her cheeks’ lavender fur being tinted red. “I enjoy it. I enjoy the act of learning, not just the end result. So I try to learn as much as I can.”
Twilight fixed her eyes on Rarity, and once Rarity was sure Twilight wasn’t going to look away again, now it was Rarity who felt her cheeks burning. Twilight Sparkle had a curiously intense gaze, like everything else in the room melted away except her and the object of her fixation.
And her eyes were so pretty; like shimmering gemstones glistening against the light of the moon.
“Don’t you have something that you just love?” Twilight said, bright smile on her face and hands clenched into excited fists in front of her. “Something that doesn’t even make sense to anybody but you, but it doesn’t matter because you just—you just love it?”
Rarity bit her lip, and then wondered how many times had she done that today, thanks to Twilight. She wished she had a better answer to give, for her own sake as much as for keeping the conversation going with Twilight, but—
“No.”
“No?”
“No,” Rarity shook her head, “I’m afraid I don’t. Maybe you’ve heard this refrain before, but there is no life outside the Hunt.”
“That’s stupid,” Twilight huffed, crossing her arms and turning her head away with puffed up cheeks. Rarity couldn’t help but laugh at her tremendous lack of tact.
“Perhaps,” Rarity said with a broad grin that quickly faded as the somber tone of her words crept into her, “but for the sake of Equestria’s safety, I would sacrifice my own life a thousand times, and a thousand times again.”
Twilight was silent, and her eyes—that intense gaze of hers—suddenly seemed fixed on Rarity’s dragon fang necklace. So intense was Twilight’s stare that Rarity felt compelled to grab the necklace, then cover it with her hand, and only then did Twilight’s eyes meet Rarity’s again.
And there they were again; those eyes that Rarity simply could not get enough of. She saw so many things in those eyes; intensity, ferocity, wisdom, an insatiable lust for knowledge, but also kindness, sweetness, warmth and safety.
Safety.
Rarity couldn’t put a finger on why, but she felt safe inside the library, with Twilight Sparkle.
And that feeling compelled her to share something with Twilight that she hadn’t shared with anypony since she was a child.
“I wanted to be a fashion designer,” Rarity spoke, her cold words leaving her mouth almost unbidden. She dared not think about them as she spoke, for any second thought would smother them with her fear.
A moment of silence, and Rarity dared not look at the disappointed sneer that Twilight must have been giving her for such a meager and unexciting aspiration.
“I still do,” Rarity whispered.
And again, Rarity didn’t look up. Not until she heard the distinct cracking sound that accompanied Twilight’s teleportation spell, and she looked to see Twilight sitting there with a soft smile on her face, several books on fashion, clothing, accessories, and even famous designers of the past all floating around her.
“Maybe something in one of these could help?” Twilight offered warmly, and it took every ounce of willpower in Rarity to stop the tears that glistened in her eyes.
“Hey, Rarity!”
Rarity shot Twilight a horrified glare at the sound of Rainbow’s approaching voice, and frantically waved at her to get her to put those books away.
When Twilight took the hint and quickly teleported the books someplace else, humming innocuously and tapping her hands on the table, Rarity breathed a heavy sigh, and the relief she felt washing over her dwarfed even the relief she felt at escaping the Everfree alive.
“Rarity?” Rainbow walked up to the table, Spike groggily trailing behind her and rubbing a sleepy eye, and Rarity couldn’t help but think he looked adorable. Twilight thought the same, based on the way she smiled at him and placed her hand on her chest.
“How can I help you, Rainbow Dash?” Rarity said sweetly, offering a winning smile that was definitely not covering up the lingering distress of Rainbow possibly seeing and asking about those fashion books.
“I know Twilight is totally cool and all,” Rainbow’s statement made both women at the table smile, and Rarity wasn’t sure which one was more pleased, “but we gotta catch a pretty early train tomorrow.”
“Ah,” Rarity looked to the library’s window and saw complete blackness outside. She knew she had been talking to Twilight for several hours, but she could have sworn it was still daytime the last she looked.
Rarity stood up from the table, and Twilight quickly followed.
“I need to tuck Spike into bed and close up shop,” Twilight said, gathering the books strewn all across the table. “I hope my notes can help you though!”
Twilight levitated her notes on their cragadile conversation over into Rarity’s waiting grasp, and Rarity smiled brightly at her.
“I’m absolutely certain that they’ll be invaluable, my dear,” Rarity said, and she bit down on her lip one more time at the wonderfully adorable sight of Twilight’s widening smile and rosy-tinted cheeks.
“Ready to go?” Rainbow cocked her head to the door.
“I believe so, yes,” Rarity looked at Twilight, “I have everything I need.”
“Will you be coming back?” the sleepy voice of the young pegasus child attracted Rarity’s attention and she found herself regretting that she hadn’t been able to properly meet him yet.
“Absolutely,” Rarity responded without hesitation. “After all,” Rarity looked back to Twilight once more and while her cheeks warmed up again, the rest of her body shuddered in trepidation, “Twilight was going to help me read over some rather interesting books, wasn’t she?”
Twilight blinked, apparently having Rarity’s statement fly completely past her head, which left Rarity feeling rather cold and she tensed up her shoulders.
“Oh!” Twilight exclaimed, her ears flicking up in recognition. “Yes, yes I would love to,” she said with a bow.
“Then once I return from Haysead Swamp,” Rarity said, “you can help me with those.”
Twilight drew herself up, almost bit down a smile before letting it spread across her face unhindered. “It’s a date then.”
Rarity smiled softly and coyly, but inside she wanted to beam from ear to ear.
“It’s a date.”