Scootaloo eased open the box, gingerly reaching inside, feeling something like thick paper laying flat in the box.
She felt the smooth surface of the paper, chuckling as she pulled it out. “What are these?”
Rainbow Dash answered, “Two tickets to an opera showcase in Canterlot.”
Scootaloo’s head tilted in thought. “Opera? What’s that?”
She heard Rainbow’s chuckle. “It’s some kinda high-class concert thing. I don’t know much about it, but I’ve been told it’s pretty neat. So I figured…it’s a new flavor of sound we can both learn about.”
At once, Scootaloo broke out in a grin, finding the idea of learning about and hearing a new type of sound every bit as exhilarating as it was when she first gained her sense of hearing.
“Thing is…” Rainbow Dash trailed, “we hafta dress up for it.”
Scootaloo’s heart jumped to her throat. “Uh…we do?”
“Yeah.” Scootaloo could hear Rainbow’s apologetic smile. “I know you don’t like wearing clothes, but like I said, it’s a high-class event. So…we need to look our best.”
Lip in her teeth, Scootaloo thought over the prospect. She hated dressing up, but she didn’t want to pass up learning about something that sounded so cool. She ran her hoof over the tickets, her desire to spend an evening listening to new music with her sister beginning to outweigh her disdain for clothing.
It was just for a few hours, right?
“Okay,” Scootaloo sighed. “Are we going to Carousel Boutique?”
Rainbow Dash gave her sister a small smile she couldn’t see, the filly trying but unable to hide the unease on her face. “Actually,” she answered, “I have a meeting with the Wonderbolts this afternoon, so it’ll just be you at the boutique.”
Scootaloo’s mouth twitched. “But…don’t you need a dress, too?”
“I’m gonna wear the same dress I wore to the Gala,” Rainbow explained. “I’ve only worn it that one time, and I don’t need another fancy dress.” She smirked, “You, on the other hoof…”
“I can wear the dress I wore at the wedding,” Scootaloo offered.
Rainbow Dash couldn’t hide her snicker. “That little thing won’t fit you anymore. You need a new dress, Scoots. Besides, you never know when you’ll need one.” She smirked, teasing, “Like…Rumble could ask you out to a fancy dinner date, or something.”
Scootaloo’s face erupted in a furious blush, the filly hiding her face in her hooves. “Rainbow Dash!” she whined.
Rainbow reached over and tussled her sister’s mane. “I’m just teasing,” she relented. “But seriously, everypony should have at least one nice outfit.”
“Even a super cool tomcolt of a Wonderbolt?” Scootaloo smirked, peeking out from her hooves.
Rainbow let out a bark of laughter. “Yes, even a super cool tomcolt of a Wonderbolt. It’s like…the only thing me and Rarity agree on.” Scootaloo felt a hoof in her mane. “Rarity’s reserved the boutique just for you today, okay? No pony else will be around, just you and Rarity.”
Scootaloo felt a weight she wasn’t aware of lift off her shoulders. “That…makes me feel better than I thought it would.”
Rainbow Dash chuckled, pulling Scootaloo into a sideways hug. “Good! Everything will be fine, Scoots, I promise.”
Scootaloo’s hoof bumped the corner of the entrance to Carousel Boutique, and stepped right in, the plush carpet brushing against her frog smelling like fresh cleaner.
The bell jingled as the door closed behind Rainbow, and Scootaloo’s ears quirked at the drag of hanger hooks on a metal bar.
“Welcome, darling!” Rarity gushed, and Scootaloo’s breath catch in her throat as she was suddenly pulled into a hug, nervously chuckling off her surprise as she patted Rarity’s shoulder in return.
“Hey, Rare!” Rainbow greeted. “Ready to work some magic?”
“Ah, as if you have to ask, darling!” Rarity let out a haughty little giggle.
“Great!” Scootaloo could hear the grin in her big sister’s voice. “I leave her to you, then.” A delicate, comforting wing draped itself around Scootaloo’s shoulders and pulled her into a loving embrace, the oh-so-familiar muzzle nuzzling her mane. “I’ll see you soon, Scoots. Can’t wait to see what you two come up with.”
Her returned smile hid well her trembling heart. “Me, too!”
Rainbow let her go, giving a final wave to Rarity before leaving the store, making sure the ‘Closed for Personal Business’ sign was square in the window before taking off for Cloudsdale, Carousel Boutique quickly shrinking away behind her.
Back inside, Scootaloo inquired, “Where’s Sweetie Belle?”
“She’s out with Button today. They’re at the arcade.”
“Again?!”
She immediately felt bad for her response, as if Sweetie were there to hear it. She had been dating Button Mash for almost six months now, and the young stallion had yet to take Sweetie out on a “proper” date. With Sweetie being the socialite pony within their group, Scootaloo could understand not wanting to be out in public a lot. But even she had her limits to being considerate towards one's partner.
Not that she had any experience.
“I know,” Rarity sighed. “I’ve been trying to tell her she needs to put her hoof down, same as the two of you, but unfortunately she is having a hard time being more assertive.”
Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah, I get it. She wants it to work, but if he’s got so much social anxiety that he refuses to go out to dinner, then…” she trailed off, waving a hoof to get her point across.
Rarity nodded. “Quite right, darling. But enough about that, we have a dress to make!” The excitement in her voice pulled a gentle smile from Scootaloo’s unease, and Rarity took her hoof and guided her onto the Diaz in the middle of the room.
“Now,” the fashionista began, “I have a few swatch dresses for you to try on. Just for you to feel what’s comfortable. We’ll add to things from there.”
The layout of events eased a tension in Scootaloo’s shoulders, and the young mare pushed out a sigh as she nodded. “Okay. That sounds good.”
Rarity’s eyes lit up as she donned her sparkly red reading glasses, her magic lighting up and pulling the swatch made from broadcloth. With a helping hoof and a quick adjustment with clips, and Scootaloo stood in a basic white draping. Curious, she explored the dress stand-in, moving her legs to feel how it brushed against her, her muzzle crinkling a little bit.
“What are you thinking?” Rarity prompted. “It’s okay if it’s not the right fabric for you, there are dozens of options we can choose from.”
Scootaloo finally released her feelings with a sheepish smile. “Yeah…It feels really stiff.”
Rarity nodded, undoing the clips. “Yes, broadcloth is very breathable and light, but sacrifices a little bit of comfort. Let’s try this one.”
A simple dress of silk rested against Scootaloo’s fur, and she ran her hoof over it. “I like how smooth this feels, but it’s getting kinda hot under the lights.”
Again, Rarity nodded thoughtfully. “I had a feeling you would say that.” She opened up the clips, her mind already churning out color compliments for the filly. “What about this one?”
Soft fabric brushed over her fur, settling comfortably over her back. As she felt it, the light ease in which she moved instantly put a few fears to rest, the sample skirt flowing gently around her flanks and reminding her a bit of a cloud.
“I really like this one,” she smiled, giving a little twirl. Rarity watched as her brain ticked over, pulling forth shades of yellow and mentally comparing them to the shades of her fur.
“It looks wonderful on you, darling!” Rarity grinned. “Believe it or not, that fabric is made from bamboo.”
Scootaloo’s mouth dropped open. “No way! How do you do that?!”
The adorable reaction drew a polite little giggle from the dressmaker. “No idea, if I must be honest. My talent is in making dresses, not fabric.”
The two shared a quiet chuckle, the whistle of Rarity’s aura growing as she picked up bolts of fabric. Scootaloo held perfectly still save for her rotating ears as it got closer and farther in various directions, Rarity finally settling on a shade with a little “Aha!”
Her hoofsteps drew closer as the gathered whistles congregated and sailed away. “Alright, now. What kind of skirts do you prefer?”
A thoughtful hum buzzed Scootaloo’s throat. “I…I don’t like ones that drag the floor, but I don’t like the idea of half my tail poking out. Maybe down to my fetlocks? And I like them flowy, because they don’t catch at all when I walk.”
Echoing her own, Rarity rubbed her chin as a piece of the design came together. “And the sleeves?”
“About the same,” Scootaloo replied. “I like feeling them flow, but I don’t like too much touching. One of the dresses I tried on before felt like a bunch of tiny hooves trying to get my attention. I jumped really bad when Rainbow touched my shoulder.”
She didn’t hear a response this time as Rarity nodded. “I see…” Silence reigned between them, and Scootaloo awkwardly felt as of she should give more, before she heard her magic spring to life again. “I think I have just the thing!”
It only took an hour to make the base of the dress. The bodice was first, before Rarity gave shape to the skirt under Scootaloo’s guide to where it felt the most comfortable, and she smiled as she came out with a full skirt, fluffed by the young mare’s tail but just long enough to allow her to step backwards without fear of tripping herself.
The sleeves were next, and a bit trickier. Faux sleeves were pinned to the bodice as Scootaloo wore it, stepping around the store and up and down the diaz, even giving a few basic dance steps. Little by little, changes were made, scrapped, and tried again. Finally, Rarity felt her heart soar as she sewed down the cuffs, flowing just past Scootaloo’s chestnuts and tapering up to the front of her shoulders.
Now standing back on the diaz, Scootaloo’s confidence began to wane a bit, knowing what came next.
“Oh, darling!” Rarity gushed. “This yellow is simply divine on you!” So caught up was the fashionista in her own zone, she didn’t notice Scootaloo’s already-strained face fall.
Rarity levitated over a length of pink ribbon. “Pink is a natural complement, of course; and it adds a wonderful contrast to your fur. And the light yellow of the dress will make your mane pop and bring out your eyes.”
Scootaloo’s brow furrowed, her mind racing as she tried to keep up with what Rarity was saying. Her ears flicked as the unicorn paced behind her, the whistling of her magic holding at least four items.
“Now, which shade works best with the ensemble?” Rarity hummed in thought, rubbing her chin. “Hot pink is too close to the intensity of your fur, but I feel like blush fades too much into the yellow. We want complement, after all.”
Scootaloo opened her mouth, about to ask a question, before Rarity continued, not noticing her client’s confusion and anxiety rising as she fell into her tangent.
“Rose? No, too orange. Punch? Oh, too red. Hmm, perhaps fuschia? No, no, too much purple…Oh, I know! How about–”
“Stop it!” Scootaloo shouted.
Rarity stared up at the filly on the diaz, her concentration completely shattered. Her shock turned to worry when she saw the tears welling in Scootaloo’s eyes. “Darling, whatever’s the matter?”
“I want it off,” Scootaloo stressed, stepping down and hoof moving to find how to take off the unfinished dress. “Take it off, please!”
“But, darling, you look stunning! Why on earth would you want to–”
“I don’t know what you're talking about!” Scootaloo cried, tears dripping down her face. “I can’t understand half the words you say! You keep saying ‘complement’ and ‘contrast’ and I just…I can’t…Rarity, what are colors?!”
Rarity pulled in a sharp breath, realizing with terrible clarity what the problem was—and the mistake she’d made. “Scootaloo, I’m so sorry. I didn’t even realize…”
Scootaloo’s face fell. “It’s fine, okay? I just…I hate the idea of wearing something because I don’t know how it looks. I don’t know what looks good on me, and I don’t know what colors are supposed to go with what because I can’t see them. So…” Scootaloo rubbed her foreleg, head ducking down to hide from Rarity’s view as much as she could.
Rarity took a breath, and sat down in front of the teenager. “Give me your hooves,” she instructed softly.
Scootaloo paused, sniffing before she complied, sitting in front of Rarity and giving her her hooves.
Rarity held Scootaloo’s hooves so that they rested on top of her own. “I want you to imagine you’re walking in a flower field.”
Scootaloo’s eyes blinked, the cloudy lavender searching only a moment before they finally closed as she concentrated. Rarity moved her hooves back and forth in a soft sway. “Can you feel them? The soft velvet flower heads brushing against you as they blow in the breeze?”
Scootaloo hesitated, imagining various little petaled heads brushing against her forelegs and hooves as she felt them. She nodded, and Rarity continued:
“Now, as you’re walking through, you hear a nightingale’s song.” She watched Scootaloo’s head tilt the slightest bit. “Can you hear it?”
Scootaloo let herself get lost in the mental sensations, internally giggling at the song her mind’s nightingale was singing her.
“While you're walking through, you disturb him. He erupts from the field, and sends petals blowing in the breeze.” She watched Scootaloo’s barest hint of a sway before she asked, “Can you hear his wing beats? Can you feel the wind brushing leaves and petals over your fur?”
She watched Scootaloo hesitate, and then nod once again.
Rarity smiled, bringing her face closer to Scootaloo’s. “That’s what you look like.” Scootaloo’s face rose a bit, mentally looking up at Rarity.
The unicorn brought her hooves to Scootaloo’s mane, holding her face. “You’re beautiful, darling.” Scootaloo’s eyes blinked open, allowing new tears to fall from them. “I’m so sorry I got lost in my own little world. Today is for you, and I promise to make this dress perfect.”
As Scootaloo gave a small smile, Rarity felt the all-too-familiar spark of inspiration, her own mental walkthrough providing her with the exact solution she needed. She leaned back from Scootaloo, taking in the dresses dips and curves. “And I know exactly how to finish this dress.” She helped Scootaloo up. “Bear with me for a little longer?”
Scootaloo hesitated, giving a small nod. Smiling, Rarity pulled her close for a moment before walking her up the diaz, and Scootaloo felt a small breeze on her hind legs as Rarity fluffed out the skirt.
“Now, let’s see…” Rarity’s hooves trotted off to Scootaloo’s right. “Ah! Perfect! I’ve been waiting ages to use these appliqués, but they’ve just refused to work for anything else!”
Scootaloo’s ears flicked as she heard the lilting whistle of Rarity’s magic, seeming to pass in a wave over to her as she couldn’t pinpoint exactly where the magic was coming from. Rarity trotted back over to her, and Scootaloo felt the magic wave move to the skirt. A series of the tiniest of swooshes rose to her processors, the skirt moving ever so slightly to help Rarity with whatever she was doing.
“Aha! Perfect!” Another wave of magic, and Scootaloo felt the skirt jerk with the smallest bit of weight before the sound of levitation magic died away.
Her curiosity getting the best of her, Scootaloo reached back to feel what Rarity had done. “Ah, ah, ah!” Rarity nearly sang, Scootaloo’s hoof tingling with a magic that stopped it mid-reach. “No feeling until they’re all properly stitched on. I don't want you catching your hoof on a pin.”
A small ‘poof’ and the dress was off, the complimenting repetition of the sound popping up to Scootaloo’s right.
“Wait just a moment, darling. This will take a few minutes.”
Scootaloo took a seat on top of the diaz, her flustered shame fading into embarrassment. “I’m sorry I snapped,” she apologized. “I usually don't mind when ponies forget I can’t see. I actually take it as a compliment. It’s just…different when it comes to dressing up. It’s the only thing that’s completely visual that I haven’t been able to navigate or recreate with my sense of touch. It just…doesn’t work.”
Rarity smiled in sympathy. “I understand, darling. But…” she took Scootaloo’s hoof, pulling the dress toward her, “I hope this comes close to what you want to experience.”
Scootaloo’s hoof was guided down, grazing a small tingle of magic before her hoof brushed against the light, soft fabric of the dress. Rarity’s magic aura disappeared, and Scootaloo ran her hoof along the fabric, feeling a small flake. Brow furrowed, she felt the extra piece of fabric, rounded and curved as only a couple stitches held it in place on the dress.
“Is this a petal?” Scootaloo breathed.
“Yes,” Rarity answered. “And there are many more. Keep feeling.”
Scootaloo left the petal alone, her hoof moving only a couple inches before she found another. Smiling softly at the appliqué, she continued on, finding petal after petal in an increasing concentration until finally she felt as if her hoof was resting in a small puddle of scattered petals. She added her other hoof, skimming them over the flaked fabric, and smiling as she felt as if her mental image had come to life.
“I really like the way this feels,” Scootaloo grinned. “Is it like this on the whole dress?”
“It’s in a gradient rising up the skirt,” Rarity explained. “Right now, you’re right at the hem, but as you go up to the hip area, there’s less and less concentration.”
Nodding to herself, Scootaloo moved her hooves in the opposite direction, feeling the cluster of petals getting steadily further and further apart from each other as she grazed her way up the skirt.
“Do you like it?” Rarity asked hopefully.
Scootaloo grinned. “Yeah. It feels just like what you were saying earlier.”
She heard Rarity give a low chuckle. “Good. I was hoping you would say that.”
Nervously, Scootaloo asked, “Can I try it on?”
“Absolutely, darling.”
The dress shifted, and Rarity instructed Scootaloo as she helped the pegasus into the dress once again. The teenager shifted a bit, poking her little wings through the holes, fluttering on instinct to move feathers back in place.
Rarity tugged on the sleeves, and Scootaloo heard her magic light up again, the skirt moving around to her side. “Do you want to feel it again?”
“Yes, please.” Scootaloo reached back a hoof, feeling the dress fall over her hips before she found the first petal. Smiling to herself, she eased her hoof down, following the dip of the skirt as her hoof passed petal after petal, the curled fabric growing closer and closer together until she finally reached the hem of the dress.
She traveled back up, feeling the way the dress fit her figure. The soft fabric flowed in a way that reminded her of the wind, which only added to the tactile experience she was having.
Rarity felt her heart soar as she watched Scootaloo feel the dress. The light yellow base easily helped bring out the colors of the petals, the cyan, purple, pink, and red intermingling wonderfully and bringing out Scootaloo’s natural beauty.
“Do you like it?” Rarity questioned, feeling she already knew the answer.
Scootaloo beamed, tears pricking her eyes. “I love it,” she breathed.
Rarity grinned, pulling Scootaloo close. “I’m so glad you do.”
Scootaloo squeezed the older mare. “Thank you so much.”
“Of course, darling,” Rarity smiled. “But we aren’t quite done yet.”
“Hmm?”
Rarity held Scootaloo out, humming as she thought, looking at the purple mane. “Let me see what I can do with your mane to match.” Scootaloo sat patiently, letting Rarity run a hoof down the side of her face, following the curl of her mane.
Scootaloo felt Rarity’s hoof hesitate. “Is it alright if you take your processors off? They’re a tad in the way right now, but you can put them on again as soon as I’m done.”
“Oh, sure!” Scootaloo gave Rarity a smile, tugging away her processors and transmitters, the familiar silence filling her mind.
Rarity carefully took the external components of her cochlear implants, and after a moment, Scootaloo felt a comb running through her mane, the light tingle of magic and the soft press of hooves separating strands of her mane, gently pulling them a couple different ways before Rarity seemed to decide on what to do.
Scootaloo felt a piece of the front of her mane move forward, the strands tugging as she felt careful magic twist her mane together, the beginning braid was around her ear as it was formed, before it met her mane again at her neck. Strands were added little by little as Rarity went, and Scootaloo felt the braid sit comfortably on her neck as it was brought around to her left shoulder. One more movement, and it fell onto her shoulder, the ending curl tickling the base of her neck.
Another moment, and Scootaloo felt a hoof on her ear. Rarity’s hoof tucked the processor around her ear, the microphone dipping a bit into the braid. Scootaloo felt a hesitation, before the transmitter was slid across her skull until it jumped back into place, and she heard Rarity’s voice:
“Uh, can you hear me alright? I didn’t realize the braid was a bit in the way of your, um…”
“Yeah, I can hear you fine,” Scootaloo smiled. “The microphone has some touch resistance, so my mane rubbing on it won’t affect it too much.”
“Okay, good,” Rarity sighed in relief, replacing the other processor. “Would you like to feel it?”
Nodding, Scootaloo felt the twisting bumps of her mane, carefully taking in how it pressed against her hair at her neck and made its way around her head. The other side of her mane was pulled down a bit to join the braid, a smaller leftover strand curling up from her forehead.
“I never thought I’d like my mane like this,” Scootaloo said absentmindedly. “I’ve never really cared about how it looked.”
“Well it looks stunning,” Rarity complimented, making the filly blush. The unicorn looked Scootaloo up and down once more. “Though, I feel like something’s missing…”
Rarity stepped back a bit, rubbing her chin in thought. “Ah, I’ve got it!”
Scootaloo once again heard the mare trot away, and a drawer opened. A whistling of magic, some humming from Rarity, and her hooves came back, her aura touching the side of Scootaloo’s face.
The braid was moved a bit at the base of her ear, before Scootaloo felt the round and curled something brush against the left side of her head as it was placed in her mane.
Rarity’s hooves stepped back. “Ah! Perfection!”
“What is it?” Scootaloo asked.
“Why don’t you feel it?” Rarity encouraged.
Scootaloo felt her braid, following it to the new item. She brushed into a similar shape to the petals on her dress, and followed the shapes all the way around and to the center of the round object.
“A rose?” she questioned.
“Yes!” Rarity gushed. “And feel a little lower.”
Scootaloo obliged, moving her hoof to the bottom of the rose and finding something soft and thin brushing her hoof. She ran her hoof over the smooth surface, what was clearly a feather hanging from the rose clip. She found another, the two feathers dangling delicately over her braid and down to her jaw.
“How does that feel?” Rarity asked, loving how well the red and light brown popped amongst Scootaloo’s orange and purple.
“Really cool, actually,” Scootaloo admitted. “It’s…like a nightingale in a flower field.” The young pegasus smiled, her heart swelling as the picture was completed, Rarity having done the one thing she was never able to do for herself.
“Splendid, darling!” Rarity cried out. “It looks wonderful on you.”
Scootaloo felt a blush creep into her cheeks. “It feels pretty good, too.”
“Now we just need shoes,” Rarity picked up. “I think simple flats ought to do the trick.”
“Um…okay, but not on my front hooves,” Scootaloo requested. “Shoes make it hard for me to feel anything.”
“Oh, of course, darling!” Rarity called back. Several moments of buzzing sewing machines later, and the dressmaker returned with a simple pair of flats, cut from the same cloth as the dress to perfectly match it. Rarity guided Scootaloo’s hooves into the shoes before she beamed, bouncing a bit on her hooves. “Alright, darling, give us a twirl!”
The pegasus filly on the dais stepped into a graceful, skirt billowing turn, the petals catching the motion just right as the skirt undulated in the faux breeze Scootaloo created for it, giving the illusion of a young mare dancing among a bed of flowers. A silly little grin seemed forever plastered on Scootaloo’s face as she came to a stop, unknowingly not facing the way she was before.
“Darling,” Rarity breathed, “you look…you look simply divine!”
A rose-colored blush accompanied Scootaloo’s grin, and she ducked her head amidst her sudden bashfulness. “Really…?”
Rarity gave a haughty little scoff. “Darling, Rainbow dash won’t have the words to say when she sees you in this. You’ll turn every head in your vicinity!”
The color in Scootaloo’s cheeks only darkened as the filly couldn’t help her mind wondering about just who she would wind up grabbing the attention of.
As if reading her mind, Rarity giggled politely, slipping her glasses off the ridge of her muzzle. “If Rainbow Dash lets you out of her sight for a small while, you may even come home with a coltfriend, looking like this.”
The fashionista couldn’t help her giggle as the filly’s cheeks betrayed her cool facade. “Rarity!” she objected. “Rainbow already gives me enough grief about Rumble, not you too!”
“Oh? Who’s Rumble?”
Rarity raised a curious eyebrow as the filly before her clamped her mouth shut, her blush rising to her ears and a squeaking sound escaping her. Rarity resolved to save her the rest of her dignity with a gentle hug and a soft chuckle. “Enough of that for now. Let’s talk about how you want to reveal the full vision to your sister.”
Rarity opened the door twenty minutes later to a hopeful Rainbow Dash. “Ah, Rainbow, darling! How was your meeting?”
“Great!” Rainbow grinned. “How’s Scootaloo doing?”
“Why don’t you come see for yourself?”
Rarity’s grin put some of Rainbow’s trepidation at ease, and she let the fashionista lead her to the back, where a curtain hid the diaz from view.
“Is Scootaloo back there?” Rainbow questioned.
“Yeah!” came her little sister’s voice. “Can you see me yet?”
“She hasn’t pulled the cord yet, Scoots,” Rainbow laughed.
Rarity gave a polite chuckle as she took up her position. “Get ready, darling!” She cleared her throat.
“Presenting…the beautiful and elegant Scootaloo!” She pulled the cord, parting the curtains and revealing a bashful filly in her gorgeous new dress.
Scootaloo’s ears strained, thinking her processors had suddenly turned off when she was met with silence. After a small moment, she asked, “Well?”
There was a step, and Rarity giggled. “I believe this is what we call in the world of fashion, ‘flabbergasted’.”
“Hmm?”
“She’s speechless, darling!”
Scootaloo shrunk in on herself a bit. “Is…that a bad thing?”
Another silent moment, Scootaloo’s heart racing and anxiety growing.
“You…” croaked Rainbow’s voice. “Scoots, you’re gorgeous…”
A small smile crept up Scootaloo’s face, and she felt a blush rising in her cheeks. “Really…?”
“Yes,” Rainbow Dash insisted. With Rarity’s help, she guided her little sister down off the diaz, her hooves feeling the fabric and the petals. “Rarity, you seriously outdid yourself this time.”
“Oh, darling you say that every time,” Rarity gushed as she flipped her mane.
Rainbow grinned, “That’s because every time I think you’ve done your absolute best, you show me something even better.”
Caught off guard by the sincere compliment, Rarity experienced what she imagined Scootaloo had felt earlier that day as her face erupted in what she knew was an embarrassing shade of crimson. “Oh, stop it, Rainbow Dash. Flattery will get you nowhere with me.”
A smirk found its way up Rainbow’s cheek as she finally found a way to use one of the many lines she;d heard at the many stuffy parties she’d attended with the Wonderbolts.
“It’s not flattery if it’s the truth.”
Rarity jerked in a very unladylike fashion. “Rainbow Dash! How dare you use my own line against me?!”
“Oh…that was yours?”
Scootaloo giggled. “Maybe you should let me do the talking at the showcase.”
“Uh huh? And let you talk to a pole while you’re at it?”
“That was one time!”
Rainbow chuckled, having to stop herself from ruffling Scootaloo’s mane, instead pressing a quick kiss to her temple, leaving her filly to grumble to herself as she tried her hardest to get Rarity to charge her what she was truly owed.
Scootaloo placed the needle on the record player, the crackle from the bell making her ear twitch. She sighed to herself as the first opening piece began, her hooves stepping to the rhythm as the memories of her magical night with Rainbow came flooding back, her mental hoof reconstructing what had been described to her.
“It’s a little taller than the Cloudominium,” Rainbow detailed, “with these columns going up to the top, and the roof is domed. There’s a circle window at the top, and…there’s a chandelier shining through it.”
The filly gradually stepping into a dance of her own design couldn’t help but send her giggles to accompany the chords of the music, the soft duet a gentle introduction into the operatic world of Equestria, grinning as she recalled the double introduction as Rainbow and she discovered the recent news of the community.
“Oh, wow!” Rainbow breathed as she flipped through the pamphlet, hoping to find more information on what they would be listening to tonight. She had found that and more.
“What is it?” Scootaloo whispered, leaning in to hear her big sister better.
“According to this thing, the Capriccios are taking a five-year break. Tonight’s their last performance until then.”
“Oh, really? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah! More than okay. Turns out the daughter, Rhapsody, is about to give birth to twins!”
“Woah, really? That’s uncommon.”
“Yeah, and they’ve been working really hard to keep it on the down-low. They don’t want a lot of media surrounding them the moment they’re born.”
“Yeah, I get it. They deserve some alone time with their grandfoals. Maybe when they come back, they'll have their own part in the concerts.”
“Maybe! Seems like music runs in the family, wouldn’t surprise me at all.”
Scootaloo’s heart leapt at the memory, anticipation surging through her chest as the next song queued up, recalling the same swell of emotions as the two waited for the Capriccio family to make their appearance onstage, only to find out the stallion of the family had been conducting the entire time.
The pegasus filly snickered to herself as a familiar, and now very recognizable voice, picked up the next song, taking a seat as she panted through a break, her hoof continuing to tap along with the beat making up the skeleton of the tenor aria.
She let her mind wander as she reminisced on the three other songs the stallion would sing, seeming to take up the entire show for himself, before a trio of stallions would put on a show of stealing it out from under him. She wound up having to cover her microphones for a moment at the audience's laughter and cheers as the four voices harmonized together into a spectacular final chorus before the first (quite literally, according to Rainbow Dash) bowed out of the show, leaving the stage to the trio for two more songs before they, too, took their leave.
A winded chuckle passed through Scootaloo’s lungs, and she removed the record as it came to an end, feeling for and placing the fourth and final record on the player. Two hours had passed with ponies showing off their musical gifts, leaving Rainbow and Scootaloo to wonder why they hadn’t heard of such a thing before, and why it wasn’t as popular as they believed it should have been.
The tap of the needle, and a new sound began, that of a harp. Instantly, Scootaloo’s mind was transported back to the scene, her ears straining to hear the quiet beauty of the harp warming up.
“Here comes Rhapsody. I think…I think that’s her Mom down there on the harp. And…Oh! Her dad was the conductor!”
Scootaloo could still feel the way her back relaxed into the chair when the mare began to sing. Even carrying twins, her vocal talents were unparalleled, each and every word pulling the pegasi’s hearts as the song guided them through what Rhapsody herself had to have been feeling in that moment, where she sang out her temporary goodbye to the audience before her, promising a quick return.
She sighed as the song drew to a close, the emotions within the music every bit as strong through the record as they were in person. She shuffled up to the player to remove the record and replace it in its cover.
“You practicing for tonight?”
Scootaloo nearly jumped out of her skin, a yelp shooting from her throat as her hooves left the ground. Hysterical laughter from her adopted sister triggered her playful pout as she whirled towards the sound, lashing her tail to regain her bearings within her room. “Rainbow!”
Rainbow Dash swiped a tear from her eye. “Sorry, Scoots,” she said amidst her dying chuckles. “You looked great!”
“Thanks,” Scootaloo blushed, pulling away a strand of mane stuck to her cheek. “Is it time to go already?”
“Yeah, just about. Can’t keep Spitfire waiting, you know how she is.”
Scootaloo nodded in the affirmative. “Let me talk to her if we’re late. I’ll just bat my eyelashes and she’ll cave.”
Her sister’s snort made her smirk. “That only worked when you were a filly, kiddo. She’s a lot harder now.”
The blind filly’s shoulders rose and fell. “Eh, worth a shot.”
Rainbow chuckled, her voice closer before her sister’s nose brushed against her own. “Go ahead and get ready while I get your dress. Then it’s all aboard the Rainbow Express.”
This time, it was Scootaloo who snorted. “Alright, I’m going.”
Two hours later, in a hotel in Canterlot, three ponies prepared for the summer Wonderbolt gala. A tense sigh flew from Rainbow’s throat as she tied off Scootaloo’s mane, grateful for Rarity’s instructions on braids. Her fetlocks ached from having to redo the thing three times, but couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride when she managed to twist the purple locks into place. She fluffed up the rose before spraying it down with mane spray, making Scootaloo cough.
“Sorry, Scoots,” Rainbow apologized, “I don’t want this to go anywhere.”
“It’s fine,” Scootaloo replied as she cleared her throat, passing a hoof down her skirt and grinning as she once again felt the petals. “I’m really excited.”
Rainbow grinned, “I can tell. Excited to show Rumble, huh?” She laughed as her little sister’s face ignited in a blush.
“Rainbow!” Scootaloo ducked her face away, mind racing to defend herself, but finding she didn’t need to as Rainbow pulled her into a tight hug.
“I’m just teasing,” the mare conceded. “But seriously, you look gorgeous.” She snickered as unintelligible, flustered splutters answered the compliment, and she kissed Scootaloo’s temple. “Ready to go?”
Scootaloo nodded as the redness in her cheeks died down. “Yeah. Is Soarin here already?”
“Not yet, I haven’t seen him.”
“That’s because you’ve gotta work on your tunnel vision.”
A shock ran down her spine as she heard her sister giggle, “You jerk!” A barked laugh escaped her as she heard Rainbow’s hoof connect with his shoulder in a thump.
“What can I say? Can’t blame me for being quieter than you.”
Scootaloo groaned, rolling her eyes. “Ugh, please spare me the sounds of your flirting.”
Soarin snorted. “Like you’re one to talk, Scoots. Where’s your own lover boy?”
The only response he received was a further blush from the filly, and his girlfriend’s snicker.
“Speaking of,” Soarin continued, “can't keep the public waiting, yeah?”
Rumble tugged at his collar, his mouth quirking to the side in his discomfort.
“‘Wear the suit’ he said,” he muttered to himself. “‘It’ll make you look like a gentlestallion’ he said.” He scoffed, wrenching at his collar. “More like it’ll make me itch until I scratch off my fur—yeah, that’ll look great!”
“Hey, Rumble!”
The familiar voice of the rainbow-maned mare pulled his attention. On the way to meet her eyes, his own landed on the young mare accompanying her.
All at once, his itchy collar was the furthest thing from his mind.
Rainbow smirked to herself as Rumble’s face gained a pink tint. Scootaloo giggled as she excitedly bounced in place. “Rumble?”
Her prompt shook him out of his shock, and Rumble forced himself forward. “I’m–” he cut himself off by clearing his throat, his voice cracking. “I’m here, Scoots. You…you look, wow, um…new dress?”
Scootaloo bumped Rainbow when she snorted. “Yeah, it is. Rarity made it for me, and I wanted to wear it here. Does it…look okay?”
Rumble had to clear his throat again. “Yeah, it looks amazing on you, Scootaloo. Um…” His ear twitched as the orchestra inside began to tune, saving him from an awkward pause. “Wanna dance?”
The beam radiating from Scootlaoo made his heart flutter. “Of course!” She trotted over to his voice, and waited patiently for him to take her foreleg and escort her into the ballroom.
Rainbow felt a breeze behind her and looked to see Soarin alighting upon the entrance, immediately offering a hoof to his fillyfriend. “Rainbow, elegant as always.”
A scoff escaped the mare's lips as she took his hoof. “One night of the year, babe. Better enjoy it.”
Soarin grinned, leading her inside. “Oh, I plan to.”
Inside, as Rainbow and Soarin flirted their way to their table, Rumble situated himself and Scootaloo at a corner of the dancefloor, the orchestra beginning their first selection of the night.
Through his fluster, Rumble couldn’t help but feel as though Scootaloo were the one leading him through the dance, her talent shining through and her natural elegance only heightened by the way her dress flowed through each turn and flared with every spin.
The world seeming to fall away around them, the two danced through every selection, time simultaneously speeding by them and halting as they shared their prolonged moment of peace.
As the orchestra finished yet another peace–they had both lost count–Rumble’s ears turned at the chime of the bells signaling 7 o’clock. His eyes widened at the time, knowing what was about to come next, and remembering Scootaloo’s request from the first time she had heard fireworks.
“You, uh…you wanna go to the garden?” Rumble questioned breathlessly, his heart still cantering as the orchestra seamlessly picked up the next selection. “The…the fireworks are gonna start soon.”
Scootaloo blinked as she realized the time, barely a catch of her breath. “Yeah, that’d be great! Are there flowers blooming?”
A glance out the window answered in the affirmative, but Rumble grinned. “Yeah. Bet you won’t be able to name them all.”
Challenge crossed her face, and he felt his heart skip a beat. Maybe three. “You’re on,” she said, brushing up against him and taking his arm. “Lead the way.”
Rainbow gave a moment’s glance at the couple as they made their way to the door, a turn from her partner unable to hide Rumble’s beat-red face as he escorted Scootaloo out to the courtyard.
“What is it?” Soarin strained his neck to see what his girlfriend was looking at.
“Nothing.” Rainbow continued in the well-practiced steps. “I just have a feeling we’re gonna have an awesome story by the end of the night.”
Outside, the crisp chill revived a bit of Rumble’s stamina, and his lungs drank in the fresh air. Words came automatically as he guided the young mare on his arm down the stairs, and she leaned comfortably into him as they stepped into the garden, Scootaloo’s nose already working before they were even fifty meters away.
“Ooh, the roses are really nice this year!” She picked up with a grin.
Rumble tried to respond with more than a chuckle, but he once again found words slow coming. It wasn’t so much he didn’t know what to say. It was more…there was too much, and they were clogging his throat as they tried to come out in any way other than a tangled mess of random verbiage.
“Yeah…pretty,” he finally squeezed out, his face burning with internal panic on whether or not she would take it as a compliment. Confusion flashed through his mind as his heart sank when he realized she didn’t.
‘What is wrong with me?’
Scootaloo lifted her head to the sky again, taking a deep breath through her nose. “Is that lavender?”
His eyes could barely spare the arbitrary flora a second’s-long glance. “Uh…yeah, yeah, it is.”
She giggled, and he swore the stars burned brighter. “That must’ve been Princess Luna’s idea.”
“Uh-huh…”
Intense relief poured into his brain at the first flash of light from the fireworks, washing the world below them in a brief red before the almighty bang shot through their ears.
He mentally kicked himself as Scootaloo gasped, pressing against him as her ears flattened. “Sorry, sorry!” He apologized, steadying her and reaching for her processors, gently shushing her as he turned down the input volume, the filly visibly relaxing in his hold.
Scootaloo breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks.” Her easy smile held his attention through the next couple flashes of light, her ears merely flicking at the resulting booms that followed. It only faltered after a moment, and Rumble realized with a start that his hoof was still in her mane.
He yanked it back, eyes unable to leave her. “S-sorry…”
Purple braid quirked to the side as she tilted her head at him. “Are you okay?” She asked.
No, he most certainly was not okay. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” His mind scrambled for a response that didn't feel half-lame. “I was just…thinking.”
“About what?”
The question, although simple in nature, stumped his mind far more than he could have ever anticipated. Too many things were running through his head. Memories of him and Scootaloo dancing were suddenly brought back to life in sharp clarity, as if they had happened merely moments ago. The knots stirring in his chest were given new meaning as each of their encounters, every event, summer, and holiday they had had together all began to culminate into the young, radiant mare standing before him in this very moment.
A golden firework erupted above them, awashing her in angelic light, and at once, a single thought broke through the traffic jam.
“I…I think I want to kiss you.”
Finally, he seemed to see the same sort of conflict he had been feeling all night slap itself onto her own face. Orange fur became tinted in red as blood rushed to her cheeks, her eyes for once stilling in their everlasting search for light, unintentionally staring at him as if he were what they were looking for this whole time.
For a horrid, terrible moment, Rumble felt the world give way from underneath him, and he wished it would swallow him away. What would she think now? Had he ruined everything they had together? Would she ever see him the same way again?
The response she gave brought him back to the cruel, harsh present, and patting a bit of life back into his brain.
“What’s stopping you?”
He swallowed a dry mouth, snapshots of moments flashing across his vision, the universe itself uncertain of what the next seconds would bring, but knowing it would all end in the same outcome, one way or another.
“I…myself, I guess.”
Scootaloo’s ears flicked at another blast of vermillion, and a soft chuckle escaped her. “Close your eyes.”
His lungs stilled as he did as she asked, slipping himself into darkness. His soul ached as he briefly caught the thought of this being Scootaloo’s daily experience, before it and every other thought clouding his motor cortex was blown out of the water at the soft pressure of another’s lips on his own.
At once, breath returned to his chest, and he stepped back, his eyes flying open to gaze upon the heavenly vision before him.
His muse blushed, her smile faltering as her own moment of courage ended in a way she had not expected. “I…I’m sorry, I—“
He refused to let her finish the thought.
Hoof wrapped immediately around her neck, he pulled her close into a second kiss, whatever she would have said ending in an adorable little squeak. Only the tiniest of hesitations passed, a boom from above bathed them in pink light, before her hoof found his face, tracing his features as they took in every detail of the moment passing between the two love-struck dance partners.
For once, Scootaloo forgot about the horrid booming in the sky from the fireworks, simply enjoying being lost in the bliss of the moment with Rumble. Even as it passed, the following moments spent in his hold was elysium to the two hearts that had grown deeper together.
And like the best moments of history, one always had to break the silence.
“So…are you my fillyfriend now?” asked Rumble, earning a snorted little bat of the hoof from the filly.
“I…I guess so,” Scootaloo responded, hiding her face from his gaze so he wouldn’t see the heat that had erupted all over her cheeks.
Rumble couldn’t help his chuckle, ducking his face to nuzzle her cheek. “I…I think I love you.”
Scootaloo gave up the fight of hiding her face as she finally looked up, the cool of the night doing nothing for her burning cheeks. “I think I love you, too.”
This time, as the fireworks popped overhead, she felt no fear in Rumble’s hold.
Scootaloo tilted her head at the knock on her door, and she fixed her processor back properly onto her ear. “Come in!”
Her door clicked and shuffled open , and Rainbow’s light steps approached. The bed rose on her end as Rainbow sat down, Scootaloo smiling for her sister as she waited to hear what she had to say.
She could hear the smirk on Rainbow’s face as she teased, “So…how was your first kiss?”
The two would talk about colts and stallions all afternoon, what drove them up the wall and what made them melt at mere thought. The older of the two would freely give sage advice, the younger would blush as her imagination ran wild.
But first, before any of that…
Rainbow laughed through a face full of pillow.