“Thank you both so much!” Rarity stood outside her boutique, waving at Sandbar and Yona as they waved back and closed the door, already having wished her a great trip to Canterlot.
Making a torn decision and only bringing three suitcases to Canterlot this time around, Rarity had spent a lot more time deciding on what outfit to wear. She had wanted to wow the elites of Canterlot, as well as the Princesses, but what if Rockhoof thought she was overdoing it? Worse yet, what if he was put off by her style? Despite these thoughts pestering her at every given opportunity, Rarity had sent those thoughts on their merry way. To Tartarus if anypony was put off by it, she was going to look like a million bucks as she arrived at Canterlot. And any less would be simply out of character.
A baby blue dress with diamonds at the ends per Spike’s searching many years ago, paired up with blue eyeshadow, was the getup that Rarity had chosen to wear for her arrival in Canterlot. And as she walked out with her luggage pulled by her magic, Rarity stopped and put a hoof to her lips.
“Oh dear, he didn’t give me an address,” Rarity whispered. “Well, hopefully he knows to show up on ti-”
“Rarity?”
Rarity stopped in her tracks and glanced at Rockhoof, his wide blue eyes on her as he didn’t move for several seconds. Rarity blushed as she glanced away, lest she reveal the coloration on her face.
“Something the matter, darling?” Rarity managed to say.
“Aye, I’m going to look like a burlap sack next to you,” Rockhoof replied, causing Rarity to glance back at him. Rubbing his long mane with one of his hooves, Rockhoof’s face went red as he looked back at her. “No insult to your suits, Rare.”
“Oh but trust me, the suit will enhance your attractive features,” Rarity trotted to Rockhoof and placed a hoof on his foreleg. “And I better not hear you say otherwise about your appearance. Any mare would be lucky to have you.”
Rockhoof frowned as he looked away.
“Are you alright?” Rarity asked.
“Aye, I am,” Rockhoof gulped. “Let’s get going, I don’t think the Canterlot ponies would take too kindly to me being late.”
Rockhoof took up an entire bench inside the train while Rarity sat across from him, skimming the Canterlot newspaper and failing to read it in detail, glancing up every few minutes to see the beast of a stallion snoring away on the bench. Watching his chest rise and fall, his exhales blowing stray hairs out from his face, these were details that normally meant nothing to the mare. But now? Rarity's heart raced as she took him in, the memories of all his gifts and stories playing on repeat.
But he did frown when I told him any mare would be lucky to have him, Rarity thought to herself. Does he like somepony else, and maybe have doubts about how she feels? Stop it, this is just a favor for a friend, and soon I’ll just go back to my life of making outfits for other ponies. With no Rockhoof.
Rarity took a deep breath and sighed as she read about the latest restaurants in Canterlot, no longer bland crumbs on plates thanks to her and Pinkie. Pinkie, and the others. If nothing else, she’ll always have them to pick her up. Smiling, Rarity’s thoughts drifted from the stallion in front of her to the stories on the paper. The train stopped at Canterlot, and Rarity tucked the newspaper back in her suitcase before she hopped off her bench. Slowly stepping towards Rockhoof, Rarity lifted her hoof when Rockhoof muttered under his breath.
“R-Rarity,” Rockhoof whispered, his eyes closed shut.
“Yes, Rockhoof?” Rarity tilted her head. “Are you alright?”
As if the unicorn had flipped a switch, Rockhoof’s eyes flashed open as he lifted his head and took in the tall buildings all around their train. Turning back to Rarity, Rockhoof smiled.
“Oh great Celestia, good evening,” Rockhoof chuckled. “My snoring wasn’t too loud, was it? I’d hate for the other ponies to be given ya dirty looks because of me...are you alright, lass?”
“Y-Yes, of course!” Rarity stammered. “We better get our stuff settled in our room and get you all dressed up. Did you decide on which suit yet?”
“I mean, I might be leaning towards the brown suit,” Rockhoof snickered at Rarity as he got up from his seat. “I know, I know. It’s not that different from my old outfit, but I think that’s what I like about it. Plus, I could save the other two suits for another time-oh!”
Rockhoof froze as he got off the train, Rarity walking to his side with her suitcases when she saw Princesses Celestia and Luna standing tall with their flowing manes in the middle of the crowd. Ponies were clambering over each other to see them, asking questions about Twilight Sparkle’s upcoming promotion to the sole ruler of Equestria. Rarity rolled her eyes, like anything could possibly go wrong before then.
“Rarity?” Luna’s gaze broke from one of her citizens to Rarity as she stood beside Rockhoof. Flying above the crowd of ponies, Celestia and Luna landed beside Rockhoof and Rarity as they stared at the latter. “Out of all the possibilities, you and Rockhoof was not one I expected. Maybe Twilight and Starswirl, or Rainbow Dash and Flash Magnus, but-”
“Dear, stop there please,” Rarity covered her eyes with a foreleg as an intense blush came on. “We are...we are not a couple, honored as I’d feel.”
Rarity’s foreleg dropped back to the ground as her blood went cold, watching Rockhoof and the two Princesses staring at Rarity with wide eyes.
I just said I’d be honored to be with him! I mean, I would, but to say that in front of all of them?!
“I better get to the hotel room!” Rarity bolted away from the three ponies, using a spell to yank her suitcases in her direction as she ran towards the hotel.
After checking in with the hotel staff, Rarity galloped up the stairs with her suitcases till she could reach her hotel room and slam the door behind her. Even with Rockhoof saying her name while he was sleeping, could she be sure that meant he liked her? For all she knew, Dream-Rarity could’ve crashed into his dream in a clown suit to terrorize him. It couldn’t be her, of all ponies, it was always some other mare that was the main character in her own story. And Rarity would always be on the sidelines in their romance.
Knock knock!
“AH!” Rarity shrieked as she jumped off the door she was leaning on, catching her breath before using her magic to open the door. Rockhoof, the only other pony who would be here. At least they ended up with two beds and not one like in Rarity’s romance novels, thank Celestia. Rarity opened her mouth, already planning on trying to preserve their friendship from the ruins of her own words, when Rockhoof leaned forward and pressed his lips against her own.
Rarity’s eyes widened for less than a second before she closed them, a fire igniting inside her chest as the surprise and lack of surprise hit her at the same time. A filly could see the meaning behind it all, but Rarity told herself that it wasn’t possible. And yet it was.
She was finally the main character in her own story.
“Hopefully I understood you correctly, by you being honored and all,” Rockhoof winced. “Unless I didn’t, and I just kissed you for nothing?”
“Rockhoof, you understood me perfectly,” Rarity kissed him, as gentle as a flower petal landing on the water’s surface. “Get into that suit, we’re going to make sure this is the greatest night of our lives.”
“Yes ma’am!” Rockhoof grinned as he opened one of the suitcases, and Rarity giggled as he struggled to get into his tux. Rarity had expected this night to be the end, where Rockhoof went back to his routine and she went to her own.
But that night, where Rarity danced with Rockhoof underneath the stars after his performance, would be the beginning of many for Rarity and her dream prince.