//------------------------------// // Rarity // Story: Like You, Love You // by ChillyKitty //------------------------------// "What's wrong, Rarity?" Fluttershy asked the mare. Rarity turned to her, "Darling, it's simply dreadful! I've got to get a dress order down tonight and, for whatever reason, the fabric and the manikin aren't agreeing." She shook her head in disappointment as if the two objects were her rowdy foals, "I thought that it might go smoother if the manikin was a living, breathing model. So, of course the first pony that came to mind was you, Dear." "I don't mind helping but, well there's a few critter's here I'd like to keep an eye on..." She said, glancing to bird who slept in her nest, dawning a white bandage wrapped around her wing. Lonely didn't notice her before, but she wasn't surprised being that Fluttershy almost always kept the injured creatures in her cottage, "And I already left them alone once today." "I see..." Rarity said, likely trying to figure out a way to get Fluttershy to help her anyway, "Now that I think of it, there's another problem." "There is?" Lonely tilted her head curiously. "Yes, I- Well, I was in such a rush that I forgot something rather important, one of the dresses has to have a tight fit around the waste with no room for wings..." She rubbed her chin as she attempted to find a solution. Lonely stifled a sigh and completely gave up hope at any attempt to get to the castle before Twilight did, she slowly raised a hoof, "I can help." "Oh!" Rarity gasped, "Thank you, Lonely! You're a life saver!" "I'm glad it all worked out." Fluttershy smiled, "But, Lonely... what I was saying before..." She glanced at Rarity, who seemed confused by Fluttershy's sudden tone shift, "I think you should tell Rarity what you told me, she's better at giving advice for this sort of thing." "My, whatever's the matter?" Rarity turned her attention back to Lonely who proceeded to swallow hard as she was backed into a figurative corner. "This morning," she succumbed to the fact that she'd have to tell Rarity now, "I told Twilight that I liked her." She traced a circle into the ground with the tip of her hoof. "You did what?" Rarity blinked in shock, Lonely shrugged instead of responding. Fluttershy cleared her throat and nudged Rarity with her wing, "Oh- Oh, I'm sorry, it's just that I was helping Twilight with the school earlier. Pinkie, Applejack, and Fluttershy, of course, were busy so I had to cover for them but I still had enough time to talk to Twilight and.." She shook her head to stop herself from rambling, "I just thought she would've told me." "I guess not." Lonely mumbled, "It doesn't matter though, she turned me down, I'll move o-" "She did what!?" Rarity gasped, raising her hoof to her forehead and falling into Fluttershy, who had to rush to catch her. "She turned me down." Confirmed the lonely unicorn. "My poor romantic heart! You put you're love out there! Confessing your most secretive and loveliest feelings to your one and only! And she turned you down?" Rarity swooned dramatically. "You're not helping." "Rarity." Fluttershy seconded Lonely, "Listen, we don't know if Twilight turned her down." Lonely rolled her eyes at Fluttershy's false hope, "She apologized and left, what else is that supposed to mean?" "That she's sorry she needs a moment to compose herself before she makes her own declaration of love?" Rarity said weakly. Lonely just stared at her and raised her eyebrows at the fellow hopeless romantic's desperateness. "Oh, fine, I see you're point." Rarity sighed. Fluttershy giggled, "Why don't you give Lonely some advice while you're working on the dresses?" "I would love too!" Rarity turned towards the door. Lonely followed, "I guess you're forgetting that I got my cutie mark from match making?" she asked, "I know stuff." "No, darling, of course not." She opening the door with her magic and stepped out, "I suppose you're forgetting that I have succeeded in getting dates before." She stepped out the doorway, "Touché." She said, glancing back to Fluttershy, "Thank you for inviting me, the tea was delicious." "Oh, I'm glad you liked it." Fluttershy said softly, "Good bye." "See ya." Lonely called over her shoulder as Fluttershy shut her door. Rarity trotted with a hum, "If I were an extremely nervous princess, how would I be wooed?" She said. "Not by a student, that's for sure." Lonely kicked a rock as she followed Rarity. "We don't know that. What exactly happened?" She glanced back and slowed her pace to walk side by side with Lonely. The green unicorn huffed out a breath before telling the story. She stared at the ground and let her hooves drag as she spoke of how she quite possibly ruined her own life, which she honestly should've expected from herself at this point. "Don't be dramatic, Darling!" Rarity gasped, "If there really is no hope for romance, you'll certainly stay friends. At the very least, you'll still be her student." "But what if she doesn't want that? I made things awkward, I screwed everything up, I wouldn't be surprised if she just wasn't comfortable teaching me any new spells ever again." "Dear, you're still talking about Twilight, right?" Rarity asked, "When has she ever not wanted to explain spells to somepony, especially if there's some complicated history involved?" "There's almost always complicated history involved." she huffed with an eye roll. It wasn't long before they came upon Carousel Boutique. Rarity quickly ushered Lonely towards the two dresses she seemed to be working on. "These are lovely," Lonely gasped at their detailed designs, she knew a bit about fashion due to her old roommate, Sky Beam. One was pink and magenta layered over each other with a few ruffles that traveled over the manikin's flank. The under layer was a dark blue, as were few of the accents, like the sash that tied around the waist and the embroidered hearts. It was a beautiful dress. Lonely made a mental note to commission something similar from Rarity if she ever had a fancy event to go to. The other was wonderful as well. With dark blue and purple layered fabrics, as well as light pink accents. Despite the differing colors, it was clearly made to match and compliment the other. However the ruffles were swapped out for a much lighter fabric and the hearts were swapped for stars. This one, unlike the other, had a more closed back with no space for wings. "What do you think of them?" Rarity asked. "They gorgeous." Lonely spoke, still mesmerized with the designs, "Who are they for?" Rarity hummed and smiled, "Two ponies in love, though I've sworn to secrecy on who they are exactly." Lonely nodded, "I supposed it's a gift from the one mare to the other." she smiled sadly, "It must be nice." "Now, now, Darling." Rarity shook her head as she walked up to the blue one and started taking it off with her magic, "You mustn't get jealous, we shall figure out exactly how win Twilight's heart." She levitated the dress over to Lonely, who took it wordlessly, "Do be careful, there are a few pins in there." She said and Lonely took it behind the foldable screen to change. "Will do." She said, tossing her scarf on top of the screen. She stepped out to reveal herself in the dress. She looked in front of a mirror, seeing that Rarity was right, the dress seemed to look even better when on a pony and not a manikin. She carefully trotted toward Rarity, who now dawned her glasses and a pin cushion on her hoof. "I just need to sew a couple things in place." Rarity mumbled, slowly putting a thread through the eye of her needle, "Just hold still." Lonely did as she was told. The fashionista stepped around her, sewing things and removing pins. "So, how to woo Twilight..." She said, tying a knot in her tread, "Is it possible that she didn't realize you meant like like?" "Judging by her response, she realized." Lonely spoke. "Hmm.." There was a long pause from Rarity as she focused on some bit of the dress, "Maybe you should try again, this time get flowers and chocolates and wear a nice, pretty dress like this one?" "Is this you just trying to get me to buy a dress?" Lonely jokingly asked. "Of course not, Darling, it'd be free of charge due to the extremely special occasion." Lonely did want the dress, what mare wouldn't? Well, Applejack maybe, but she wasn't Applejack. However, she'd have to confess again. If the first one didn't ruin her life, this one would. "Tempting, but no." She sighed. Time passed in between each idea and question as Rarity put most of her attention into the dress. At some point she switched out her needle for a bigger one and started on embroidery 'touch ups' on the other dress. "Wouldn't you normally do the embroidery before sewing everything together?" Lonely asked. "Well, yes, it is bit tricky to do this way, but it's better now then never." she huffed back, likely a bit annoyed at her past self for not embroidering sooner. Rarity eventually finished with the other dress and quickly stepped to Lonely again. Stepping around the dress with a needle gripped in her levitation. Lonely was a bit grateful that she'd stopped giving her advice and started putting all of her attention to the dress. She mumbled quietly as she worked quickly and precisely, completely enveloped in her art. "And done." She breathed after having just finished the details on Lonely's chest. A bit of a proud smile showed on her face. "Cool, can I see it?" Lonely started turning towards the mirror. "Oh! No! Um.." Rarity spoke, "I'm sorry, if you were to see the symbol, you'd know who it was for." She apologized. "Oh, okay then. If your done, I'd better get going-" "I'm not done!" Rarity gasped. "But you said..?" Lonely tilted her head. "Yes, yes, but I forgot something." She fiddled with the dress. "And that is?" Lonely's eyebrow furrowed. Why was it that Rarity was reminding her so much of how Applejack was earlier? "Um.." Rarity hummed, trying to look busy as she circled the dress and adjusted things that didn't seem to make any difference. "Rarity?" Lonely asked cautiously, "Who are the dresses for?" "Why, Darling, I already told you I've been sworn to secrecy." Rarity laughed and readjusted the glasses that sat atop her head. "Right..." Lonely said, "I'm sorry, I'd better get going, I haven't eaten dinner yet." She lifted a hoof and started fidgeting with one straps to get it off. Her hoof was stopped by a blue aura, "No! Dear, please, I'm almost done."