//------------------------------// // 8. Rarity Plays to Win // Story: RariTwi: Love is War // by SigmasonicX //------------------------------// During their months together, the student council president and vice president both used various methods to force the other to admit their love. Gala tickets, sports, monster attacks, contests. But, there was one strategy the student council vice president was unable to take full advantage of with so many prying eyes around. One that would ensure her absolute victory: outright seduction. Rarity knew of her reputation as a flirt, and she knew the student council president knew too. She was famed for her ability to turn anyone into putty with a half-lidded glance and a touch of her finger to her lips. Under normal circumstances, flirting with Twilight would be an obvious sign of interest, but during spring break, Twilight would have no reason to interpret it as anything other than Rarity amusing herself, making a toy out of the only other person around. And if Twilight ended up falling for her as a result, she would have no one to blame but herself. But Rarity still had to move carefully. Too strong a push and she risked a strong backlash. She needed to start small, and thus… Rarity wore a sleeveless red dress with a slit in the skirt that went up past her hips, black opera gloves, and red high heels. Her hair was made up in a way such that one eye was covered, and she wore crimson lipstick. She sat in a chair and bent one leg so that it was fully uncovered—and made it impossible to tell if she indeed had anything on under the skirt—and looked to the side with puckered lips. A camera clicked several times, and then Rarity smiled and got up. “OK, Sweetie, just one more set.” Rarity’s sister, Sweetie Belle, looked at her with a bored expression as several pictures fell out of the instant camera she held. Sweetie had tan skin like her sister, but her hair was puffy and had two purple tones, both lighter than Rarity’s own hair color. As a middle schooler, she was roughly two heads shorter than her sister. “Can I finally look around town after this?” “Yes, yes, fine.” Rarity bent over, putting her hands on her knees. “Now just take some pictures here.” “Here?” “Closer. No, Sweetie, get closer.” “Right in your donkeroos?” Rarity sighed. “Yes, yes, right up in there.” The camera flashed and Sweetie looked at the picture with narrow eyes as it developed. “I literally can’t even see the dress in this.” Rarity swiped the photo out of her hands. “Yes, well sometimes the absence of the dress is important to modeling it. And honestly, Sweetie, ‘donkeroos’? Call it a heaving bosom like a civilized lady.” Sweetie rolled her eyes as Rarity walked behind a changing screen and quickly stepped out in a white casual top and purple pants, with her hair restored to her normal style. With magic, she gathered all her photos into a pile then slotted them into an empty photo album. Rarity had told Sweetie she needed help with a photoshoot, which was true, but she neglected to mention it was for an audience of one. She would ask Twilight for feedback and sit there with a pure and innocent expression as the album kindled her imagination. Then by watching her eyes, she would keep in mind what excited her most and incorporate that into the upcoming days. “Now, then, I’m off to my student council work.” Sweetie huffed. “Rarity! I wanted to spend time with you during spring break, and not just by taking boring pictures. Why are you still doing student council work?” Rarity sighed dramatically and tossed her hair. “Alas, things have proven more busy than any of us could have expected. I promise that I will spend more time with you later, before the break ends.” “Pinkie promise?” Rarity’s eyes widened. “Goodness, you know about that too? Very well, I Pinkie promise. Now, please be a good girl in town. And remember—” The sisters spoke at the same time, “Stay away from the kitchen.” Rarity smiled with her eyes closed. “Splendid!” Twilight sat at her desk, twirling a pen in her fingers. As one would expect from the princess and student council president, her mind was frequently concerned with deep and introspective thoughts. A question of great weight occupied it now. Now that Rarity and I will be alone for a while, what term of endearment should I use for her? For months, Twilight was captivated by the way Rarity addressed everyone as “darling” or “dear”, or various other affectionate phrases. She once spent a day or two charting out what circumstances called for what term, but determined that took the magic away from it. This led to an idea, however: Twilight could try out a term of endearment while it’s just her and Rarity, then Rarity would grow used to it, and then become jealous once she started using it on other people. Plus, Twilight just found something exciting about the idea. Choosing what to use proved to be more difficult than she expected, though. Was it best to just use “darling” too? No, that could be perceived as mocking. Plus, she just couldn’t say it the same way Rarity could. “Baby”? “Sugar”? “Sweetheart”? No, no, those were all too presumptive. “Buddy”? “Dude”? No, those were far too casual, and carried the feeling of completely rejecting a future relationship. Twilight crossed her legs and sighed. Maybe something more unusual? Some use “duck” and “possum” as affectionate. No, that would just confuse her. She tapped her cheek with her pen. Perhaps something about her physical appearance? Yes, of course. Rarity is complimented for her looks all the time. Surely Twilight doing the same wouldn’t come off as strange, and wouldn’t give the appearance of any romantic attraction, while not closing it off. Twilight pumped her fist. Yes, this was the right direction. But now to choose the right one… Minutes later, the door swung open and the woman in question appeared with one arm spread out, the other holding a book of some kind. “Good morning, darling!” Twilight smiled and winked. “Hey there, gorgeous.” Her greeting hung in the air for what felt like several minutes, Rarity staring at her with an unchanging expression. Twilight maintained her smile, not sure what else to do. Rarity stepped back and softly closed the door. The princess then heard something fall to the ground and fast departing footfalls. Twilight stood up and exclaimed, “What?! Why?!” Rarity fiddled with her keys and eventually got her room door open. She ran inside, slammed the door behind her, and sank to the ground, breathing heavily with a flushed face. “She… called me gorgeous... “ she said to herself, her head spinning. Her senses were so overcome by the experience that she didn’t notice the beeping smoke detector, nor the billowing plumes coming from the kitchen. Sweetie Belle poked her head out of the smoke. “Rarity? You’re back already?” Rarity sighed. “Yes, well, I just, uh, learned there wasn’t really much to do at school after all.” Sweetie smiled. “That’s great! Want to go out to town together?” Rarity smiled back. “Sure. That sounds lovely.” Twilight sat in a side chair and considered what to do with the book Rarity dropped, rocking it with her wrist. Rarity left it behind and still hadn’t come back for it, so was it a gift? But after the way she was clearly insulted, was it right to even accept it now? Though perhaps the book contained some clue about her reaction. Curiosity getting the better of her, Twilight opened the book, discovering it was in fact a photo album. The first page featured Rarity wearing a lovely blue dress with a puffy skirt, and she posed in various cute ways, often winking. Twilight turned the page and saw her wearing another dress, this time with yellow stripes. Ah, she must be modeling her dresses. It makes sense she’d do it herself with everyone out on break. Probably not a gift for me after all, then. Smiling, Twilight continued flipping through the album, admiring Rarity’s handiwork. She had done a bit of research into dressmaking since she met Rarity, of course, and the skill needed to make these was plainly on display. So focused on the dresses was Twilight that her mind didn’t parse the areas lacking dress at first. This detail slowly creeped up in her thoughts, then she reached the last page and her brain finally caught up with her eyes. The student council president fell to the ground, blood spurting from her nose. In the end, both women got something positive out of the day. However, their springtime tryst came to an unceremonious end, as neither Twilight nor Rarity visited the student council room again until classes resumed.