//------------------------------// // Rules Are Made to Be Broken (RariDash) // Story: Friends and Lovers // by Donnys Boy //------------------------------// "Rules Are Made to Be Broken" (RariDash) The first rule of hero work is simple. Smart. Sane. Don't fall for the damsel in distress. Oh, sure, you see that rule broken all the time in the movies and in books and stuff. But that's because all those ponies are amateurs. It's a total rookie mistake. It's not something you'll catch any of the pros doing. I mean, do you ever see Daring Do get involved with any of the mares or colts she saves from certain fiery doom? No! Well, okay. Okay. There was that one unicorn in the second novel … and that earth pony in the fifth one … but that's not the point. It's not like she declared undying love to any of them, right? She just had a little fun. That's different. Completely, one hundred percent different. At least, I thought it was different. It felt different, anyway. It's not like I was taking Rarity out to some fancy pants restaurant with a bunch of violins and tiny little appetizers and romantic junk like that. I saved her, like the totally awesome hero I am, and she wanted to thank me. So she made me dinner. No big deal, right? Right. Just a bit of food and chitchat between two old friends. Except … except it wasn't until I was in the Boutique that it really hit me that Rarity and me don't really talk that much, not the way I hang out with Pinkie or she hangs out with 'Shy. That's kinda a weird thing to realize. But we talked over dinner. She told me how all her dresses and stuff were going, and I told her about all my super awesome tricks, and I was pretty much bored out of my skull and I could see she was pretty much bored out of her skull too. But she was trying. Y'know? She was smiling really big and pretending really hard that she cared about my tricks, because … I don't know. I guess it was all part of trying to say thanks for saving her from becoming a pony pancake. And somehow, somewhere along the line, as I was telling her about the Filly Flash, I realized I was smiling too. I shut up, right about then, and just looked at her. It wasn't romantic. There wasn't any candlelight or flowers. But it felt weird anyway. I don't know why it did, but it did. I asked her what the heck the difference was between a gown and a dress. I don't know why I did that, either. She just blinked at me for a few seconds, like I'd caught her off guard, and then laughed a little. It was that fake laugh of hers, the high one she uses when she's trying to flirt with some of the stallions in town. "You don't want to hear about that, surely," she said. I just shrugged. "Tell me anyway." So she did. She told me all about how to make a dress, from sketching to cutting to sewing to fitting, and she was right. I didn't really want to hear about any of that. But then she got this look in her eyes, kind of a far-off look, and her voice got softer. She told me about how it felt to have ponies look at a dress she designed, to admire it, to want it, and how it was like those ponies were seeing right into her soul. And before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "Me, too!" And then I was telling her all about learning new tricks, winning races, pushing myself to go harder and faster each day than I'd gone the day before. The entire time I was talking, that look stayed in her eyes, and when she laughed again, it was real. I don't remember everything we talked about. At some point, I think we just said some stuff about looking forward to Pinkie's next party. But she kept smiling at me, and I kept smiling back. It was pretty late by the time she walked me to the door, where we stood facing each other on her stoop. Neither of us were saying goodnight. I'm not sure either of us wanted to. Then, she was leaning forward, just a little, and batting her eyes at me. Suddenly it felt like my entire body was on fire—like I'd just gone ten rounds with the Flaming Lava Monster in the third Daring Do book—and it was hard to breathe. It took me a second to figure out that it was because Rarity was flirting with me. I'd seen her flirt a dozen times, a hundred times, but it'd never been me she was flirting with. Y'know? It's different when it's you. When you're the one getting that look, when it's your chest she’s brushing up against. She licked her lips and asked if I had to work early in the morning. I shook my head and told her that I didn't. She asked me to stay. She'd never looked more beautiful, and I'd never wanted a pony as bad as I wanted her right then and there. And it would've been fine, I know. That wouldn't have broken any rules. Just a one-night roll in the hay between two good old friends, no muss, no fuss, and then I'd get out of her hair in the morning. It would've been fine. Just a little harmless, meaningless fun. I told her no. I told her no and then, when she stopped smiling, I said that maybe we could have dinner again sometime instead. My treat, since she cooked for me this first time. So, yeah. Yeah. I've gone and blown it. I broke the first rule of heroing, and I'm pretty much a total disgrace. I went and fell for the stupid damsel in distress. I can't beat myself up too bad over it, though. Every time I try to, I keep remembering the way she looked at me that night after I’d asked her out, when she told me that yes, she'd go out with me. Or I keep remembering the way the smile slowly came back to her face. It wasn't that fake smile that meant she was humoring me or that flirty smile that meant she wanted in my saddle. To be honest, I'm not really sure just what that smile meant. But I'm sure as heck gonna find out.