//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Good Ponies Don't... Do They? // by bookplayer //------------------------------// The bell over the door of the Carousel Boutique heralded yet another unexpected interruption of Rarity’s already busy day. Looking up, she saw Twilight carefully approaching the spot where Rarity sat examining the fashion magazines that came in the mail that day. “Hello, darling! What brings you to visit today?” “Um, nothing important.” Twilight smiled and glanced around the shop. “I wondered if you had a minute to talk.” “Certainly.” Rarity closed her magazine. “I was just lamenting the atrocious hemlines that are going to be in style next season. But one can only lament for so long before developing frown lines, so a little conversation would be lovely.” “I’m sorry to hear about your hemlines,” Twilight offered. “But, I, um, heard you had a good time with Rainbow Dash the other night.” “Yes, Rainbow told me about her conversation with Applejack.” Rarity frowned and arched an eyebrow. “I don’t suppose I should expect the same from you?” “Of course not. And, Applejack doesn’t think anything bad about you either. She said Rainbow was calling us old fashioned, and you know how Applejack can be when a pony says something about her way of doing things.” Twilight rolled her eyes a little, still smiling. “I do.” Rarity returned the smile and continued gently, “And I hadn’t considered that you girls may have more traditional sensibilities. It’s… charming, in a way. I would have asked Rainbow to be more discreet, had I known.” “I’m kind of glad I found out about it, to tell you the truth,” Twilight said, using her magic to carefully stack Rarity’s magazines as she once again glanced around the boutique. “I have to admit, it’s a subject I’m curious about, and I didn’t know I was friends with somepony with firsthoof knowledge.” Both of Rarity’s eyebrows went up, but she carefully maintained her composure. “I will try to answer your questions, darling, but I don’t feel I should discuss details. I’m lady enough to not kiss and tell, at least.” “Oh!” Twilight’s eyes went wide, and her attention snapped back to Rarity as a blush grew on her cheeks. “That’s fine, I’ve read plenty of books about that part. It’s the emotional details and the decision making process involved, that I’m not sure I understand.” She bit her lip. “How did you know that you wanted to do that with Rainbow Dash?” “Well, Rainbow is a very attractive pony, you have to admit.” Rarity smiled, thinking of the slim, athletic pegasus. “Between her natural beauty and that rakish quality she possesses, the idea of enjoying her company for the night came to mind rather easily.” “So, it was only physical?” Twilight asked, seeming slightly let down. Rarity gave a shrug. “I suppose, though I think it would be silly to dismiss physical attraction as an afterthought. Surely you find Applejack attractive that way?” Twilight blushed again with a nervous smile. “Of course! Those muscles, that long blonde hair, the way the apples in her cutie mark just make her hips look so round and firm and--” Twilight coughed, her blush deepening. “Um, yes, I have a-- a physical appreciation of Applejack. But I’m not sure our relationship is ready for that, yet. I was wondering how you knew your relationship with Rainbow was at that point.” Rarity tried to suppress a smirk. “I suppose Rainbow and I are just not as good at delaying gratification. We knew each other well, and appreciated one another. That was as much as we needed to know.” “Really?” Twilight asked with the same hint of disappointment in her voice. “You seem to expect a different answer.” “Well, it’s just that it’s kind of… unladylike?” Twilight said, studying Rarity’s reaction. “I thought that if you were going to do something like that, you must have a more complicated reason for it.” “I see.” Rarity frowned. “Please don’t be offended!” Twilight added quickly. “I know you’re a good pony, Rarity. It’s just not what I expected from you.” Rarity glanced away and used her magic to straighten some already-straight dresses on a rack. “Well, to be perfectly honest, I never expected you to be concerned about waiting. It’s rather impractical.” “What do you mean?” “Twilight, darling, sex isn’t something that works the same way between any two ponies,” Rarity said, shaking her head. “Different ponies enjoy different things. It seems like a bit of a gamble to fall in love with a pony and plan to spend your life with them, and only then find out if you’re compatible in bed.” Twilight considered that for a moment, then looked at Rarity curiously. “So, for you it’s part of deciding if you love a pony?” “Of course.” Rarity shrugged. “If we weren’t compatible, it would be very important to know.” “I see…” Twilight nodded, then raised her eyebrows. “Wow, I hadn’t considered that. I mean, in books it always seems to work out… I hadn’t thought about how romanticized that might be.” “You might want to think about it.” Rarity said casually, though she was fighting to keep a tiny smirk off her face. There was something satisfying about offering Twilight the apple, as it were. Not that she’d lied in her suggestion in any way; she’d seen Twilight try out literally every quill in the shop before deciding on one, so why it never occurred to her to try out her lover before committing was beyond Rarity. But, there was something innocent about it, and Rarity’s better nature came through. She added, “Not that you or Applejack should feel pressured to do anything you aren’t ready for, of course.” “Oh, we won’t.” Twilight said, seeming deep in thought. “I’m still not sure if that’s enough of a reason… it is logical, but…” “Why is waiting so important to you? It must be more than simply being ladylike, if Twilight Sparkle is willing to overlook logic for it,” Rarity teased with a gentle smile. Twilight broke her train of thought and smiled at Rarity. “When Princess Celestia told me about sex, she told me that when it’s between ponies who are in love, it’s special. Love is magic, just like friendship, and connecting like that, sharing the parts of yourself that you’ve never shared before, with a pony you love, it’s a unique experience. Since that day, well, I never wanted to miss an experience like that.”   Rarity wasn’t sure how to respond. She nodded and half heartedly straightened her dresses again, watching Twilight out of the corner of her eye. “Did it feel like that for you and Rainbow? Was it magical?” Twilight asked, without a hint of smugness. Rarity just stared in the distance, blinking. Foalhood fantasies and romantic stories nudged hopefully at her mind, only to fade in the light of the facts. “No. It was not… special, the way that you mean it.” “I see. I have a lot to think about,” Twilight said, frowning to herself.   “...So do I,” Rarity answered quietly. “Good luck.” Twilight rose to leave and gave Rarity a bright smile. “And, we should double date sometime! That would be fun.” “Oh yes, it would be lovely. I’ll see you later, darling.” Rarity called as Twilight left. Looking around the now empty boutique, Rarity searched for something to busy herself with. Having already straightened the racks of dresses twice since Twilight came to visit, and having no more patience for her magazines, she walked into her inspiration room, hoping that inspiration might take the place of the other thoughts in her head. She selected some fabric and draped it over a dress form, pinning the hemline in the next season’s trends which had seemed so horribly dowdy to her before. Now she could see something demure and romantic in them, but she shook her head. Fashion was supposed to move forward, after all. She raised the hem, this time trying a skirt that was shockingly short. “That won’t do at all.” She pursed her lips and turned to Opal who was napping on a basket of ribbons. “Opal, darling, mummy would never wear a skirt like that, would she?” Opal opened one eye, then flicked her tail and turned up her nose. “Of course not. Displays like that aren’t for public, they’re for ponies who are… special...” Rarity trailed off with a frown. It was no use. Designing like this wasn’t going to work, she needed to talk to somepony. Fluttershy crossed her mind, before realizing that if Applejack and Twilight held to such traditional views, Fluttershy might have a heart attack from just the idea. Rarity huffed, allowing a moment to be jealous of how effortlessly ladylike Fluttershy was before moving on. Rainbow was the pony to whom she should be talking. But she somehow wasn’t sure it was proper to open herself up like this to her new girlfriend. Of course, given the other ways she’d opened herself to Rainbow, shouldn’t she be able to have a simple, heartfelt conversation with her? The fact that this sounded like a disaster was a harsh reminder that perhaps they had been too hasty. Still, maybe it was worth a try. If one wanted to know what intimacy was like with a pony before making a commitment, that should probably include emotional intimacy as well as physical. Rarity walked to the door, then out into Ponyville to track down Rainbow Dash. *** Rainbow Dash was making another sweep of the skies around Ponyville, making sure she hadn’t missed any sneaky clouds on her first pass. She was just flying over the park, when she noticed a bright white, perfectly shaped pony below her. She grinned; Rarity could always turn a pony’s head, and dating the hooves-down hottest pony in Ponyville made seeing her feel like she won something awesome. She flew low and landed next to Rarity, throwing a wing over her back. “Where are we going?” Rarity smiled, casting a sidelong glance at Rainbow. “I was going to find you. Now, we’re going someplace where we can talk in relative privacy.” “How about your place?” Rainbow smirked. “Not that private. That bench over there?” Rarity nodded across the park. “Sure,” Rainbow agreed, but her eyes were darting between Rarity’s face and anywhere else. She reminded herself to play it cool. She was awesome with words, talking was something she could do, and there’s no way she’d be in trouble with Rarity by the time they were done. They made their way to the bench, a safe distance from other ponies in the park. Rainbow sat down next to Rarity and fidgeted, poking at a knot on the bench, brushing her tail against the ground, rubbing the back of her neck. “So, uh, what’s up?” “I wanted to talk to you about… well, something personal.” Rarity studied Rainbow carefully. A thought came to Rainbow, and she said quickly, “Is this about you dying your mane? I saw the bottle in the bathroom, and your secret is totally safe with me. I didn’t even tell AJ!” Rarity pursed her lips. “I do not dye my mane! That’s simply a color booster, to make my natural color more vibrant. And that isn’t what I intended to talk to you about, anyway.” Rainbow furrowed her brow, trying to think of something else it might be. Nothing came to mind, so she shrugged. “Okay… so, what is it?” Rarity looked down and examined her hooficure for a long time. She glanced up, and Rainbow thought she might just get up and leave, but she finally turned to Rainbow and took a deep breath. “Was last night… special for you?” Rainbow smiled and let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “It was awesome!” “That is not what I asked.” Rarity frowned, prompting another confused look from Rainbow. “Let me put it another way: Do you feel that we have a special connection, Rainbow? That there could be something more between us than just… fun?” Suddenly the knot on the bench was really neat to poke with her forehoof. And the leaves of a tree nearby were interesting, they were really green. And Rainbow found that she could wrap and unwrap her tail around the leg of the bench. But Rarity was still looking at her expectantly. Finally, she realized that she was going to have to say something. “Rare, you’re one of my best friends. You know that’s important to me. But, isn’t it a little soon to be talking about lo-- connections?” “I see.” Rarity’s ears drooped and she sighed. “Rarity, come on!” Rainbow protested. “What’s got into you? You know I like you, and we had a great time the other night.” Rarity shook her head. “I was speaking to Twilight, if you must know--” “Did she call you a hussy?” Rainbow interrupted. “Because you’re totally not a hussy, no matter what AJ and Twilight say!” “No, she did not,” Rarity said, then she raised an eyebrow at Rainbow. “And while I resent that particular implication from your conversation with Applejack, I will also point out that Applejack and Twilight are not prudes, they simply expect something different from the experience than you or I do.” “Fine,” Rainbow said, more worried about the change in Rarity than in what her other friends thought. “So, if you’re not going all goody-four-shoes on me, what’s wrong?” “During our talk, Twilight asked me if what you and I did was… special. Outside of physical sensations. And it wasn’t, was it?” Rarity looked at Rainbow, then away. “I don’t know if there’s anything special between us.” “Does there need to be?” Rainbow asked with a crack in her voice. She was starting to feel like The Wonderbolts had suddenly added a bunch of egghead requirements and wanted her to prove she knew them right now.   Rarity looked at Rainbow again and gave her a smile. “I suppose not. Hearing Twilight talk about it reminded me of some silly dreams I used to have, and… well, not everything lives up to one’s expectations.” Rainbow threw up her hooves in exasperation. “I thought you said you had a good time!” “Not those expectations, Rainbow,” Rarity said, rolling her eyes. “Romantic expectations. Falling in love with a pony, feeling connected to them, the magic of true love. Those are foal’s stories, I know.” She sighed, and Rainbow Dash heard the rest of her thoughts in the soft sound. They started with But…  Nopony who was dating Rainbow Dash should have buts. Not about what happened in bed and not about being with her. The problem was that she didn’t know if she could offer Rarity magic and true love and that stuff. She could lie to Rarity, but… there was something in that sigh. Lying about this would hurt Rarity way too much, more than Rainbow would want to hurt anypony. Rainbow shook her head clear and took a deep breath, looking at the leaves of a nearby tree. “Rarity. I’m not ready to be all serious and stuff yet--” “I understand,” Rarity said, sadly. “No, hear me out.” Rainbow laid a hoof over Rarity’s on the bench. “I’m not ready to be all serious. But here’s what I know. You’re one of my best friends, and you’re one of the hottest ponies in Equestria, besides me. And… I’m gonna be a Wonderbolt and you’re gonna be a famous designer, so we both kinda know what that’s like, working hard and trying to get to the top. I feel like you can understand stuff about me that the other girls can’t… “I don’t know what that means, but being with you, on dates and in bed, it’s nice. I like it. So… uh… maybe this is how something special starts. I kinda hope it is.” Rainbow glanced at Rarity and saw those big blue eyes staring at her. “Rainbow Dash… that was almost romantic.” “I can be romantic.” Rainbow smiled and blushed. “Just, don’t go telling other ponies.” “Your reputation is safe with me.” Rarity leaned over and kissed Rainbow. Rainbow shifted and took control of the kiss, which Rarity gracefully allowed. It made Rainbow feel like the hero at the end of an awesome movie, like she’d fought a dragon to win the beautiful mare. She was always amazed at how Rarity did that to her, and more amazed at how awesome she felt being the hero, even when she knew that it was just something about the way Rarity kissed. When the kiss broke, Rainbow stared at the beautiful mare she’d somehow won today by saying stuff. She grinned. “You know, you should totally make sure everypony knows I’m dating you. That just makes both of us more awesome.” Rarity glanced at where the sun was starting to set on the horizon, then back at Rainbow with a seductive smile. “Perhaps you’d like to escort me home?” “Sure!” The ponies got to their hooves, and Rainbow puffed up as she moved close to Rarity, wrapping a wing around her. “This okay?” “I do adore the feeling of feathers,” Rarity said, giving Rainbow a nuzzle. “I know,” Rainbow whispered back with a smirk, as they started for Rarity’s place.