"I hope you don't mind me saying this," Starlight was saying, "but I think I'd be rather interested in joining you on your little expedition. The treasures in that cave will surely bring out my fabulous qualities to extents that even I couldn't imagine!"
Daring considered resisting the urge to slam her face against the table, but she decided to indulge herself in her exasperation. "Lady, I think you misunderstood. Going past the first eighth of a mile, the cove hasn't been explored in hundreds of years, meaning there could ... no, there will be all kinds of dangers in there. Not to mention that Ahuizotl and his goons are probably still down there, waiting for me to bust through all the obstacles before swooping in and grabbing the treasure for themselves. And that's assuming Blackmane and the Hide-Taker aren't myths! You've heard of leather, haven't you?"
"Really, Daring Do," the unicorn huffed, "I think you underestimate me. Surely you don't believe a lady like myself can't hold her own in the heat of the moment, do you?"
Daring slapped her.
"Oof!" She led out an unladylike growl. "Why, what in the name of—"
"Did that hurt?" the pegasus asked, drawing back her hoof.
"It certainly did! And why should you be concerned about whether you caused pain when you deliberately attacked me?"
"Because that doesn't even count as an attack. Compared to the stuff I go up against every day, that's practically a tickle."
"Are you implying only thick-skinned brutes like yourself are capable of adventure?"
"I'm saying that you're not used to a rough-and-tumble life like I am. Why should you try to be something you're not? Trying to improve your image isn't a good enough excuse."
"I'll thank you to listen when I'm trying to talk to you, Rainbow Dash!"
Rainbow's blinked. She reread the passage, failed to see any mention of her name there, and set the book down in confusion. A feminine grumbling caught her attention, and with perked ears she made her way over to the window, leaning against the cloud windowsill as she looked down.
She nearly gaped at the sight. The sunlight was an impressive sight by itself, soaking the sky in a rainbow of golds and pinks and purples; yet it couldn't hold a candle to the fashionable pony on the grass below. Her white fur caught the light in a way that made her positively glow, while her sleek mane and tail shone gently in the dying day. Indeed, the entire shape of the unicorn radiated a marvelous aura that drew the eye, but not in an obtrusive way. It was more of a gentle beauty, quietly blooming in a garden of comparatively mundane flowers.
Rainbow stared for a good long while. Rarity stared back.
"No," Rainbow said firmly. She punched herself in the jaw, and the world righted itself in a burst of pain. "Rarity isn't pretty."
"I beg your pardon, Rainbow Dash?"
"Augh!" She blanched. "I didn't mean to say that out loud! I mean ... you are pretty, I guess, but not in a distracting way. But if you were distracting, it'd be the kind of distracting that causes carriage accidents."
Rarity's frown deepened.
"No, the good kind of carriage accidents! It's like where you strut around being all 'look at me, I'm fabulous,' and then ponies all over Equestria look and have to agree that you're fabulous, because Celestia knows what we'd do if you weren't around to be a pony-shaped can and hold all the fabulousness in Equestria. That's when everypony would crash, because you have all your curls and stuff. They'd be too busy watching you to pay attention to anything else."
Rarity was unimpressed.
"I mean ... ugh, forget it. I'm not gonna make it any easier on myself by talking."
"Rainbow," Rarity said uncertainly, "have I come at a bad time?"
"What? Nah, I just talk to myself sometimes." A giggle escaped her throat, and a magenta eye twitched. "Everypony does at some point or another, you know?"
"... Right." Rarity shook herself. "Ah ... how are you coming along with that book?"
Rainbow beamed, relieved that her awkward ramblings had been swept aside. "It's pretty great. Daring's arguing with this Applewood star pony, and she's making it pretty obvious that she has to be herself. I mean, Daring's making it obvious for Starlight. But Starlight's pretty lame, so I don't think it'll stick."
"So you finished reading through the sewing guide already?"
She considered those words for a moment, and her ears drooped. "Huh. That was a thing. I knew I wasn't remembering something."
Rarity buried her face in her hoof. "Surely you can't be serious."
"Hey, if anypony's sure about anything here, it's me being sure that I'm awesome! And don't call me Sirius."
"It's been five days," the unicorn continued, pointedly ignoring that nonsense, "and from what I can tell you haven't even touched the book I lent you. I thought you were actually interested in sewing, but apparently you've simply been pulling my leg for reasons only you can fathom."
"But I am interested in it. Even though it's boring. It's just that Daring Do is pretty much more awesome than sewing in every way. How was I supposed to give that up?"
"Now there's a question I can't answer." She shrugged. "I suppose if you really wish to lose the bet, that's your prerogative. I'll just book that spa appointment, then, if you plan to back out so early."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Rainbow darted from her window and swooped down, landing in front of her friend with a thump. "I didn't say I wasn't going to do it. I'm still making that costume. I just don't have to worry about it since I can get it finished before Applejack can say 'slow down, sugarcube.'"
"If you say so." Rarity smirked. "Though I must admit, I have my doubts."
"Yeah, well, you know what you can do with your doubts. Are you good with me coming over right now? I bet I can come up with an idea before I need to catch up on my beauty sleep ... I mean, my awesome sleep."
Her brow furrowed, but she sighed and let the slip pass. "If you don't mind that Sweetie Belle and her friends are having a game night there, then certainly. But just what are you going to do there if you don't have a plan?"
"Hey, that's easy. I'll do it Rainbow Dash style."
Rainbow wasn't sure why Rarity looked terrified. After all, if she went out of her way to do dumb girly things while doing her best to be her normal self at the same time, the process of getting rid of the demon would be a snap. Then she'd be out of Rarity's gorgeous mane — no, she wouldn't fawn over that giant parrot disguised as a mane — and she could get back to her real life.
It's not like anything could go wrong, right?