Sneaking a Peek
By: Mr Apathy
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The bell chimed as Twilight walked into the Carousel Boutique. Rarity came downstairs a second later and regarded her with a warm smile.
“Ah, Twilight,” said the unicorn, “punctual as ever, I see.”
“Of course,” replied Twilight. “So what did you want to show me?”
Rarity motioned toward the work room. “A sneak peek at my latest fashion line. I know you don’t usually have much interest in such things, but I have a feeling this particular line might speak to you in some way.”
“Really? How so?”
Rarity didn’t answer. Instead, she turned around and headed over to her work room, with Twilight following close behind.
Four mannequins were set up in a row, each with their own dress. The first thing Twilight noticed about them was how each one was mostly dominated by various shades of purple. There were some other colors thrown in, like white or pink, but they served to emphasize the purple more than anything. Not only that, but most of it was lavender, the same as her coat.
“You know,” Rarity started, “a thought occurred to me just the other day: out of all the colors in the spectrum, very few come close to being as expressive as purple. So light and soft one moment, then dark and moody the next. Not a lot of colors can pull that off. And do you which shade of purple is my favorite, Twilight?” She fixed the alicorn in question with a strange half-lidded gaze and an equally strange smile.
“Uh…” Twilight’s gaze darted back and forth between her friend and the dresses a few times before answering, “Is it lavender?”
Rarity’s smile widened a touch. “Indeed it is.” She began to move toward Twilight at a deliberate pace. “I can’t think of a color more perfectly balanced than lavender. Such a mixture of softness and vibrancy could never be copied by any other. You should consider yourself lucky for being born such a color.”
At this point, Rarity’s muzzle was mere inches away from Twilight’s. The alicorn gulped.
“G-gee, that’s very nice of you, Rarity. T-thanks.” She looked away for a moment. “So, um, why did you only want to show me your new dresses?”
“Actually, I was planning on showing all of our friends at some point, but I’m also planning on making an announcement when I do.”
“An announcement for what?”
Rarity sighed and lit her horn up with magic. “You’ve found my behavior these last few minutes rather off-putting, yes? My fixation on lavender, how close our muzzles are to touching, this scarf I’m wrapping around our necks.”
Twilight was about to respond when she felt something silky drape itself across the back of her neck. Sure enough, a pink scarf encased in the light blue aura of Rarity’s magic wrapped itself around the two mares’ necks.
“Why the scarf, though?” Twilight asked.
“It just felt appropriate. To be perfectly honest, it’s always been one of my fantasies to share a scarf with somepony very dear to me.” A hoof lightly trailed up and down the alicorn’s neck.
“Wha-what do you mean, though? Are you trying to tell me—”
“I think you have enough evidence to know exactly I mean.” At those words, Rarity slowly pulled away, causing the scarf to fall to the floor. “I know it’s not fair of me to expect an answer right away, so I’ll give you some time to ponder all this. When you are ready, let me know. I’d be more than happy to answer any of your questions until then.”
“But—”
“Well darling, it’s been a pleasure seeing you today, but I must return to my work. Do you need anything before you go?”
Twilight opened her mouth, then closed it. After a moment of silence, she said, “No, I’m fine. I’ll… I’ll just go now. Great seeing you, Rarity, and thanks for showing me your new line.”
“Anytime, Twilight.”
The two stood in silence for a good minute before Twilight slowly made her way out the door. Many questions needed asking, no doubt about that, but she decided it was best to gather her thoughts and save them for later.
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