//------------------------------//
// Not Alone Anymore 
// Story: Amor Fati 
// by BRyeMC 
//------------------------------//

	“Thank you kindly, Rarity! Ah appreciated it!”

“Oh, yes! Thank you for your kindness and letting us hang out here.”

“AND THE HOT CHOCOLATE!!”

Rarity smiled at them. “Not a problem, girls. You know I adore spending time with you. After all, you are my dearest best friends!” She took small glances each at Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie, and smiled greatly. 

Every four weeks, Rarity would invite them over to her house for either tea or hot chocolate, depending on the weather. What made today’s gathering between them more special, was that it landed on Christmas Eve.

“Ah do hate to make this short,” began Applejack hesitantly, “but ah promised Granny I would help her for our family gathering tomorrow. We Apples sure love Christmas due to an excuse to meet up again.”

“I promised to make sure the animals at the shelter are perfectly clean and ready in case of an adoption present for a family!” Fluttershy said excitedly, but with cautious eyes towards Rarity.

“And I have to help the Cakes decorate the shop for tomorrow’s free coffee and hot chocolate event!” exclaimed Pinkie.

Rarity lifted her hand and smiled. “Go on. I understand and don’t mind one bit. Enjoy the day and evening!”

“You too!” said Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie in unison before heading out of the kitchen and back into the store. Rarity heard the small chime when the shop door opened and sipped the rest of her hot chocolate, loving the taste and warmth it gave. 


“That’s awesome to hear. Did you make any friends yet?”
“Yeah, I did. My best friend and I joined the basketball team, too.”
“The basketball team? I guess I did make the right decision giving you the nickname of ‘Clyde’. You have passion just like him.”
“Heh, yeah, I’ll say.”


Moments after her friends left, Rarity heard someone charge down the steps and fly into the kitchen. She stared at Rainbow Dash who gave a smirk. “Sorry about that! I totally forgot where your bathroom was and had to wait for Sweetie Belle to get out of the shower!” Rainbow Dash looked around blankly and confused. “Where did everyone go?”

“They left a few moments ago, actually. Everyone is busy getting ready for tonight and tomorrow after all.” Rarity got up from her chair and gathered up the empty mugs and gently placed them in the sink. 

“Oh, well, that’s a bummer. We usually all go to the mall after our ‘tea party’,” said Rainbow Dash with disdain. 

“The mall was not an option today I’m afraid. It would have been simply chaotic in there with all those last-minute shoppers.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s cool then.” Rainbow Dash turned towards the curtain. “Well, I guess I’m off then. Thanks for the drink, as always.”

“Wait!” blurted out Rarity. Rainbow Dash turned around and raised an eyebrow. “I was meaning to ask you, but does it seem that Clyde is acting weird?”


“How are you guys faring? You carrying the team?”
“No, I’m playing the point so I don’t try to score unless I have to. My best friend Tyrone and this girl are the two main scorers. I’m just there to help the team as much as I can. We won our first game last night.”
“That sounds like Clyde to me. Also, you say a girl is on the team?”
“Yeah, Rainbow Dash. She’s amazing.”

“Clyde?” asked Rainbow Dash. Rarity saw her shift her eyes upwards and placed her finger over her mouth. “You know, now that you mention it, he does seem more ‘closed up’ than from when I first met him.”

Rarity frowned and put her hand on her heart. “Something must be troubling him.” 

“Probably. He still manages to help keep our awesome undefeated record though. He just doesn’t talk to anyone as much now. Not even Tyrone!” Rainbow Dash looked at Rarity and saw concern grow on her face. “He won’t talk to you either?”

“He does, but his replies aren’t filled with the joy I’m accustomed with. I have to figure out what’s wrong and fast. Christmas is tomorrow and I can’t live with myself knowing someone who I know is unhappy. I have to go visit him.”

Rainbow Dash saw the concern on Rarity’s face evaporate and turn into determination. “When? I can call up Tyrone and we can help you. He is our teammate.”

Rarity smiled, but put out her hand. “I think I can handle it myself.”

“If you say so...”

Rainbow Dash soon left and Rarity sat in her room thinking. Clyde began acting strange the day after he visited her for his tie. After that day, he seemed more depressed and less talkative than normal. Rarity frowned and quickly sent him a text.

“Good morning!” She sat there and waited for his reply. After ten minutes of silence, Rarity became discouraged. She thought to herself that maybe he didn’t receive it, so she quickly went to work typing another one. Before hitting ‘send’, she saw Clyde’s message.

“Hey.”

“You replied!” Rarity felt a smile grow on her face.

“Yeah.”

With a reply like that, Rarity’s smiled turned into a frown. “Clyde, whatever is the matter?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re not happy anymore. For the past few weeks, you haven’t shown a smile or laugh at all! It’s the holidays!”

There was a slight pause until his following reply, but when Rarity saw it she gasped. “I’m not celebrating the holidays. It’s a waste of time.”

“Why not!?”

“Look, don’t worry about me. Have fun with your family tonight. I’ll be fine.”

“But Clyde...” Rarity saw he read the message, but never bothered to reply. She sat there disheartened, knowing something was troubling him deeply. Instead of sitting there crying, she got up, ran down the stairs, and left through the shop entrance and got in her car.


“Amazing, huh? Does little Clyde have a crush?”
“W-What?! She’s a teammate and friend, but nothing more!”
“Haha, I’m kidding with you. I know you’re too reclusive to have a girlfriend.”
“Actually... I was just about to call a girl on the phone and ask her an important question before you called me.”

Rarity pulled into Clyde’s driveway and parked behind his car she loved sitting in. She walked up to his front door and gently knocked on it. She stared at the door, waiting for Clyde to happily look through the window, open it up, and smile at her. However, instead of her daydream happening, the door remained closed. 

“Clyde, please open up. I know you’re in there,” she said with worry, knocking on the door louder. She waited another minute and the result remained the same. She sadly turned around, but stopped at the sudden noise of the door being unbolted. Once the door opened, Rarity smiled. “Clyde!” Unfortunately for her, upon the first glance, she knew it wasn’t the same Clyde she knew for the past few months.

Clyde stared at her with an expressionless gaze. Normally, she would always see joy or happiness in his eyes when he saw her, but at that moment, it was as if Clyde’s eyes were devoid of spirit and lost of all hope in the world. “Hey,” he said frostily. His face was also darkened due to his new facial hair.

Rarity played with her hair to see if she could cheer him up, but his lifeless eyes remained glued on her and she felt uneasy. “How are you today?” she asked, feeling cautious. 

“I’ve been better,” said Clyde in the same icy tone. 

“What’s wrong then?”

“It’s nothing. I told you don’t worry about me.” A sudden cold blast of wind flew into them, causing Rarity to suddenly shiver. “You can come in if you want.”

“I will only if you promise me to tell me what’s wrong,” she ordered, holding her arms for warmth. Clyde looked away for a moment before opening the door some more. Rarity quickly entered his house and Clyde shut the door, leaving the cold air outside.

Clyde walked into the living room and sat down on the end of the couch Rarity slept on months ago, leaving her standing near the door. She looked around and slowly advanced towards the living room. She looked at Clyde again and sat down beside him on the couch, near the opposite end. She sat there waiting for him to say something, but realized he was watching the TV. She grabbed the remote beside her and turned it off. Clyde remained staring at the blank TV and Rarity sighed.

“Please, Clyde. Tell me what’s wrong...” she said sadly. Clyde turned to face her and Rarity saw tears in his eyes, something she never saw from him before.


“Oh really?”
“Yeah. We’ve been texting, talking, and hanging out for a few months now. She’s the greatest, prettiest, dramatic–the list goes on– girl in the world. Maybe you can meet her when you come home for Christmas.”
“I’m really glad you grew close to someone, not because I’m not there, but also for helping you through your transition to a new city. I’m still getting used to it over here too, but I wanted to talk to you about something. I would love to meet this girl and you for the holidays, but...”
“What are you trying to say?”


“My brother isn’t coming home,” said Clyde woefully. Rarity sat there in silence and watched Clyde’s eyes fill up with more tears. She knew he was refusing to cry in front of her with all the willpower in him.

“Clyde, I’m truly sorry...” she responded weakly. Clyde talked about the extra importance of this year’s Christmas, as he finally was able to reunite with the one person in his life that stuck with him through thick and thin. Clyde spoke highly of him when he could, but now that he wasn’t coming home, Rarity finally understood Clyde’s sudden attitude change. “Did he give you a reason?” she asked softly.

Clyde wiped his eyes with his arm. “He’s been deployed elsewhere. I don’t know if I can talk to him now for a year, maybe even two or three.” Rarity looked at him and saw his puffy eyes were filling up with tears again.

“Clyde, it’s alright if you want to cry in front of me. I can only imagine how heartbroken you are and sometimes, crying can ease the pain. I won’t think you are weak if you cry, even for a boy.” Rarity watched him wipe his eyes again.

“No... that’s not it. I promised myself I would stop crying over my fate.”

“Your fate?” asked Rarity confused, “what does fate have anything to do with this?”

“I finally understand now,” said Clyde nonchalantly, “my destiny chose me being alone most of my life. I’m bound to loneliness forever...”

“Clyde!” yelled Rarity, finally snapping at him for the first time. Even Clyde realized her anger towards him and broke out of his daze. “I can’t even fathom the pain you went through for your parents’ death and now this, but stop, please. You’re not alone! People do care about you! Your brother cares about you, the school cares about you, the team and Coach, Tyrone and your friends, even me! I care about you as much as I care about myself, which is a lot mind you, so stop saying you’re alone!” She slid down the couch to sit closer to him and lifted his chin up with her hand. While she had eye contact with his tearful eyes, she softly placed her forehead on his. “Please, you’re not alone anymore...” Rarity felt tears of her own begin to flow down her cheeks, but she refused to blink to show Clyde her meaning.

After gazing into each other’s eyes, Rarity felt Clyde move away from her and lift his hand up. She gasped when she felt his hands touch her cheek and with a single swipe of his thumb, wiped her tears and newly formed mascara line. “Don’t cry,” he said, “I don’t want to see those beautiful eyes sad.”

Rarity responded with a small smile and let him wipe the other cheek before saying anything to him. “Then will you stop your depression? It’s the holidays and people will be there for you!” Clyde slowly nodded and looked away briefly before reaching out and wrapping his arms around Rarity and pulling her into a sudden hug. Rarity felt warmness on her face, but returned it with no hesitation. Her arms were under his shoulders and she placed her chin on his right blade, leaning her head on his. 

The hug was perfect for her, that made waiting for it for so long even more amazing. Clyde didn’t hug her too tight nor too weak. It was snug, which made it more memorable and romantic for her as she figured Clyde wanted to show his gentle side and care for, and towards, her. The two of them remained in the embrace for a few more moments, until Rarity began the withdraw from him. She smiled when she felt Clyde’s hands run down her arms as she pulled away from him. 

“What was that for?” she playfully asked him.

Clyde looked out the window. “I wanted to thank you for coming here and talking sense into me. I waited all school year for the day I would wake up and find my brother sitting down here, waiting for me to charge down the stairs to open up a present, just like old times...” Clyde shook his head and glanced at Rarity. “So, thanks again. I’m really bad at words...”

“You’re not that bad,” said Rarity through giggles. “I’m happy I was able to return you to your original self that I love talking to!”

“You act like I turned into another person.”

“You did.”

“Really? I was that crestfallen?”

“Yes. Ask your friends or teammates. Also, lovely word choice, darling.”

Clyde laughed. “I spent that last few weeks reading books, listening to music, and trying to play this acoustic guitar I found in the attic. I think a few more days and I will able to play a full song!”

“Were you practicing to make me swoon over you?” asked Rarity with her sultry look. 

Clyde blinked at her. “No, I really wanted to learn how to play. I told you before.”

Rarity smiled. “Good, because you don’t need the extra effort. Although, if you did play a romantic song for me, that would be lovely.”

“I’m afraid you’re going to have to wait on that,” said Clyde sadly, “I’m still trying to learn the tabs to this one song before moving on to another one.”

“That’s quite all right. I can wait. I know you won’t let me down.” Rarity jumped up from the couch and stretched her arms above her head, making her shirt slightly lift with her, revealing some of her stomach. She noticed Clyde glance over at her and she smiled. “So, Clyde,” she said returning her arms by her side, “what are you doing tonight?”

“Tonight?” he asked defensively.

“No, at two in the morning,” she joked, “of course I meant tonight! I don’t want you to sit in this house by yourself.”

“I’m fine,” said Clyde looking away. “Tonight and tomorrow is a time to spend with family and loved ones.” He looked back at Rarity and saw her stare at him apathetically.

“You don’t get it yet do you?” she said as flatly as possible. Clyde responded with a grin and stood up. He walked over to her and grabbed her hand, causing her face to redden in shock. 

“Seems you’re the one blushing all the time now,” said Clyde.

Rarity didn’t respond to him. She continued gazing into his eyes with her own. There was one thing left to do to make the scene perfect for her, but the setting for her wasn’t perfect. Not yet at least. She felt Clyde let go of her hand and frowned. “I want you to come over to my house this evening so you can enjoy dinner with us.”

“A family dinner?” asked Clyde uneasily, “I’m not sure I will fit in with that.”

“Nonsense! You’ll get along with everyone, even Sweetie Belle if she decides to behave for once.”

Clyde rubbed his chin slowly to think. “I’m not sure...”

“Please?” asked Rarity with a pout and cloudy eyes. She stared at Clyde until she saw him shift slightly and sigh.

“Fine.”

“You really are the best!” she said in glee, this time giving him a hug of her own. The hug wasn’t as intimate as the last one, but it was a hug nonetheless and she knew they both enjoyed it. After Rarity withdrew from him, she saw his face of joy transform into worry again.

“Are you sure your family doesn’t mind if I come over? I feel like I’ll interrupt your family bonding time, plus, I don’t even know what to wear.”

“Clyde, stop worrying about it. You’ll be fine,” reassured Rarity.

“I sure hope so...”

“Trust me,” she said with a smile that went with her tone. She looked at him head-to-toe and tapped her finger on her mouth. “As for your attire, make sure it’s not casual, but also not too formal. Maybe wear what Coach makes you wear for away games? Except, you can leave the tie at home, or you could ditch the shirt and wear a nice sweater or something–” 

“See, this is why I don’t want to come over,” complained Clyde. Rarity ignored him and gave some more options for him. After a minute long lecture of outfits that would look nice, Rarity saw Clyde start rolling his eyes and she abruptly stopped talking. 

“Did I go on one of my fashion tangents?” she asked him.

“You did.”

“I greatly apologize for that.”

“You’re fine. Anyway, what time are you expecting your dinner will be?”

“Hmm, I think around six, so please try to be there a few minutes early if you don’t mind,” said Rarity sweetly. 

“I can do that. I guess I’ll see you tonight,” said Clyde with a smile.

“I better,” said Rarity with a serious face and attitude.

“I promise I won’t bail,” laughed Clyde. 

Rarity reached out and brushed her hand on his chin and cheeks. “Unfortunately, you should probably shave too, which is too bad, because I adore it so very much.”

“I can always trim it for you,” simpered Clyde. “Stubbles are cool anyways.”

Rarity returned his smile and left his house, entering her car. Clyde stood by his front door to watch her, but mostly, she knew he wanted to make sure she didn’t have car problems upon leaving. After giving him a wave, she pulled out of his driveway and cruised back towards her home, where her parents were home by now. Not only did she have to tell them about the new addition to their Christmas Eve dinner, she had one last present to wrap.



*	*	*	*	*







~	~	~






At five o’clock, Clyde put down the guitar and rushed to the bathroom to get ready. After a hot shower, he defogged the mirror to quickly shave. After feeling around his face, he noticed the razor didn’t shave perfectly, but it did shave cleanly enough to leave the stubble, which he wanted to keep due to winter, but mostly because he knew Rarity liked it.

After brushing his teeth, Clyde ran to his room to change into a suitable outfit of the evening. He wore his khaki pants he wore for away games, but instead of his dress shirt, he wore a black v-neck sweater with a white undershirt. He looked at himself in the mirror and thought he looked snazzy enough so he quickly sprayed cologne and walked downstairs.

Clyde glanced at the time once he reached the kitchen and saw it was half-past five. He sat down on the couch to put on his shoes and felt his phone light up with a message.

Tyrone now
Ey, yo, C! Start telling people that I’m throwing a New Year's party at my house. I’ll message the rest of the team and our lunch dawgs, but tell anyone you can! Merry Christmas too, dawg. Peace!
slide to reply

Clyde chuckled and replied with a simple “Gotcha.” He quickly tied his dress shoes and made his way to his car. He knew he was ahead of schedule, but that showed he didn’t mess around. He was responsible to lead a basketball team so it made sense to him he had to act that way outside of it, too.

He pulled along the curb, as usual, and looked at the time. A quarter to six. He turned the car off and saw the lights inside Rarity’s boutique lit up. As he got out of his car, he saw Rarity run out to greet him.

“You did show up!” she said happily. Clyde shrugged with a smirk and took notice of her outfit. Instead of her normal color scheme, she wore a black skirt and a red blouse. A belt with a gold buckle connected them and over her blouse was a black crop jacket. Her violet hair was in more curls than normal.

“I’m probably really early, aren’t I?” asked Clyde.

“No, actually. The turkey is in the oven and almost ready.” Rarity opened the door and waved her hand in front of it. “Won’t you come in?” Clyde nodded and stepped inside. He saw Opal sitting on the counter and heard a small ‘meow’ before she quickly ran into the kitchen. Rarity, too, began her journey there, but stopped and turned around. “Is there something wrong?”

“What? No.”

“Well, come with me so I can introduce you!” She grabbed his wrist and walked forward into the kitchen. Clyde gulped as the curtain pulled away and he saw two people he never talked to before stare at him. “Mother, father, this is our guest tonight, Clyde.”

The man sitting at the dinner table put the last knife and fork down and stood up. He walked over to Clyde and stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Clyde.” 

Clyde awed over his nice mustache and firmly shook his hand. The man was dressed in a posh maroon dress shirt, paired with khaki pants. “Nice to meet you too, sir.”

“Sir?” asked Magnum. He looked at Rarity and shook his head. “Damn it Rarity, you already told him to address us with titles? I hate ‘sir’. It makes me feel old.”

“I did no such thing!” retorted Rarity towards her father. “I never told him your name, so it makes perfect sense why he used ‘sir’.”

Magnum shook his head again and laughed. “You can call me Magnum,” he said to Clyde. Clyde nodded and felt a slap on his back before Magnum walked back to the table to set the remaining plates and silverware up. “Rarity, go get your sister.” Rarity gave a sigh, but followed her directions and left the kitchen to find Sweetie Belle upstairs.

“Oh, there he is!” stated Rarity’s mother, Pearl, after she checked on the turkey. Her attire was a dress with the same color scheme as Rarity. She walked up to him and placed her hands on his cheek, making Clyde embarrassed. “Rarity has talked about you to me many times lately, dear.”

“She has?” mumbled Clyde through squished cheeks. Pearl returned her hands to her side and Clyde coughed. 

“Indeed she has. I’m glad to meet you in person! I couldn’t examine you closely while watching you play basketball during the games!” Pearl smiled.

“Wait, wait?”

“I’m teasing,” she laughed. “Rarity was right about you. You’re easy to tease.” Clyde nervously looked away for a moment. “However, I’ll stop embarrassing you. You may call me Pearl. It’s nice to finally meet you.” 

“It’s nice to meet you, too.” Pearl walked away from him to check on food and Clyde stood there awkwardly. He decided to walk over to the table and sit down at a plate. Magnum looked over at him.

“So, how’s the basketball team faring lately? We haven’t been able to see any games due to last-minute shopping and all that fun chaos.”

“We are still undefeated. Most of that is because Tyrone and Rainbow Dash lead the division in scoring so the games aren’t really close.”

“What about you?”

“I think Coach said I lead the division in assists by a good margin, which is perfectly fine with me. I don’t like scoring unless I have to.”

Magnum stroked his mustache and nodded. “Seems like you’re doing great then. That’s what the school needed was a fantastic point guard who didn’t ball hog the ball.”

Clyde rubbed his head. “I’m not that good. I just like helping the team get better.”

“Ah, there he is with being modest. I was just like you with football. I told everyone after every game, I didn't do anything special. Sure I threw the ball for that touchdown, but my friend caught it and ran with it. Even through my modest ways, I became the best quarterback in the history of Canterlot High with stats to back it up.”

“There he goes with his high school quarterback days again...” called over Pearl with disinterest.

Magnum shot a look towards her. “Woman! I can recall my days as many times as I want!”

“I know, but maybe Clyde doesn’t want to hear about it?”

“Maybe he does? Did you ever consider that?”

“Whatever, dear. The turkey is almost done. I can tell you’re hungry.”

Magnum looked at Clyde and smirked. “Truthfully, I really am,” he whispered to him. Clyde laughed and heard footsteps roaring down a staircase. A few moments later, Rarity and Sweetie Belle walked into the kitchen.

Sweetie Belle skipped to the table and sat down across from Clyde. It took her a moment to realize he was there and she stared at him. “What’s this guy doing here?”

“Clyde is our guest tonight,” said Rarity politely, sitting down beside him. 

“What? We could’ve invited a friend over? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s because you don’t have any friends,” said Rarity with her eyes closed and chin in the air. 

Sweetie Belle gasped. “I totally have friends!” she squealed, “Mom! Did you hear her?! She just called me out!”

“I did not. You brought it upon yourself.”

Sweetie Belle and Rarity kept bickering, just like the last time Clyde was around them both. Magnum only shook his head at the arguments and Pearl was too busy giving the food the last touches. Clyde sat there and couldn’t help but crack a smile.

Pearl walked over and dropped the turkey in front of them in the middle of the table and everyone calmed down in harmony. She quickly brought over the mashed potatoes and gravy, bowl of vegetables, and some bread and butter. After every food item was placed on the table, she sat down and sighed in relief. “Well, go ahead.”

Magnum quickly piled food on his plate and let the others stare at him oddly. He gave a smile and shrug and began downing his food. Sweetie Belle was the next to attack the food while Clyde went last along with Rarity. Rarity gently placed food on her plate with delicacy while Clyde struggled getting meat off the turkey. He cut off the slab of meat and threw it on the plate before getting too worked up about it. He took a good amount of potatoes and even a sample of vegetables. He wasn’t a big fan of vegetables, but he also didn’t want to act rude.

Clyde mostly sat and ate without talking, overhearing what Rarity and her family talked about. Sweetie Belle would always try to say something about school, but Rarity would have a counter to it, causing her to get mad. Pearl would tell them to calm down because it was the holidays while Magnum continued eating food. 

After his third helping of food, Magnum leaned back in his chair and looked at Clyde. “So, I know you play and watch basketball, but how about football?” He saw Pearl and Rarity both give him a look of disapproval, but he ignored them.

“I don’t know about playing, but I do watch it every Sunday.”

“You got a favorite team?”

“Yeah, I’ve always liked the Nighthawks.”

“Oh. You’re one of those people...”

“What do you mean? Wait, don’t tell me you’re a–”

“Mustangs all the way!” laughed Magnum. The two kept the talk, starting with the rivalry, the stats, the better players on the team, the amount of championships, and all that other football talk the rest of the table didn’t know or care about. Rarity sighed and looked over at her mother.

“This is exactly why I didn’t want to bother with football players...”

“I understand you completely, dear.”

After dinner was over, Clyde joined Rarity on the loveseat couch in the living room beside the kitchen. Some movie marathon was on so they began watching it. Sweetie Belle sat on the lounger chair beside them, looking at her phone. After Pearl finished cleaning up, she and Magnum also joined and watched the movies. 

Until the end of the first movie that nobody watched, Pearl talked to Clyde and Rarity about school and how Clyde liked Canterlot so far. Sweetie Belle chimed in on some occasions, but Rarity didn’t yell at her. 

Once the second movie began playing, Magnum was heard snoring and Pearl shook her head at him. She turned the volume up so his snores weren’t as loud and focused on the movie. Sweetie Belle had earbuds in and was listening to either music or watching videos of her own so she remained quiet. As for Rarity, Clyde felt her lay her head on his shoulder, just like that night after the movies. She snuggled her head into his shoulder some more, mostly to move closer to him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her unto him. 

“Finally, you understand,” she said quietly and softly. She kicked off her boots and lifted both her legs on the couch. She fluently moved her head off his shoulder and on his chest and wrapped both arms around his torso, hugging him snugly. Clyde leaned back some into the couch so her head wasn’t on his chest at an awkward angle and placed his arm around under her shoulder. They laid there peacefully without either of them saying anything.

Halfway through the movie, Rarity fell asleep. Since she was on top of him on the couch, Clyde couldn’t move so he laid there and looked around the room. Sweetie Belle was still on her phone and watching a video or something, but she never bothered looking over to them. Magnum was still passed out on the other sofa in the room and Pearl was getting up from it. She gave a yawn and walked past Clyde and Rarity. She looked down at them and smiled. “Have a good night, dear. Thanks for eating with us tonight,” she said quietly.

“Thanks for having me. The food was delicious,” replied Clyde, trying not to speak too loud. 

“You’re too kind,” she said sweetly. “I’m going to bed now, so if Magnum wakes up, tell him he’s not allowed to come upstairs unless he stops snoring.”

Clyde gave a light chuckle. “I will.” Pearl gave one last smile before leaving the room. 

Clyde watched the rest of the movie in silence. Once it was over, he hesitantly began rubbing Rarity’s shoulder to wake her up. After a few moments, he heard her start groaning and look at him.

“Clyde,” she groaned, “why did you wake me up? That nap was heavenly.”

“I wanted to tell you I’m going to leave soon. It’s getting late.”

Rarity fully opened her eyes and a sad frown appeared on her face. “You don’t have to go! You can stay here tonight if you want!”

Clyde shook his head. “It’s fine. Everyone here is sleeping.”

Rarity pouted, but Clyde smiled at it instead of letting it win. “Fine. I’ll let you go home on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“You have to stay for a bit longer because there’s something I want to give you.” She quietly got off him and the couch and walked towards the shop. She beckoned him over and he followed her. After the lights of the room came on, Rarity told him to sit in the same chair she massaged his shoulders at and went to the counter. Clyde sat there unsure of what to expect. He saw Rarity walk over to him with a wrapped box and he shook his head.

“Here,” she said happily handing him the present, “I hope you like it!”

Clyde looked at the present blankly. The wrapping paper was shiny with all sorts of contrasting colors to go with many diamonds on it. There was a purple ribbon around the flat box and a purple bow that was near the gift tag, stating it was a present from Rarity to Clyde. He looked up at her. “I can’t accept this.”

“Why not?” asked Rarity sadly. 

“Because I didn’t get you anything and I would feel bad about letting you give me a gift without getting one for you in return.”

This time Rarity shook her head. “I don’t need a gift. I’d rather watch someone enjoy a gift I gave instead of receive one myself. It’s the same concept as basketball to you.” She sat down beside him on the cushioned bench near her shoe wall and looked at him with glee. “Besides, getting to meet and know you more was the only gift I needed from you this year.” 

Clyde saw the happiness and excitement in her face, waiting for him to open it. He nodded at her with a smile and carefully unwrapped the present. Once the paper was gone, he turned the flat box around trying to figure what it was. She kept her big smile as he struggled thinking what it could be. Once he found the flap, he ripped it open and smirked.

In the package was a white compression basketball arm sleeve, however, it did have some unique flair to it. The top section of the sleeve, where on one’s arm would be above the elbow and under the shoulder, had Rarity’s three light blue diamond patches embroidered into the sleeve. He rubbed his fingers over the diamonds and smiled. 

“Honestly, I have no idea what that sleeve is for,” began Rarity, “I walked into the living room one day and saw my father watching a basketball game on TV. I saw one of the players wearing one so I looked it up on the internet. Some said it helps with shooting while others said it was for fashion. Obviously, if it helps you more fashionable, I’m all into the idea.”

“It’s to keep the arm warm and prevent injury to elbows or arms, which is nice, because my elbow was starting to hurt as of late. It can also be used as a towel if you want,” replied Clyde.

“Well, you better not wipe your sweat all over your gift.”

“I won’t.” Clyde looked down at the sleeve and looked at the diamond patches again. “How long did you have this for?”

“Not that long. I ordered it a few weeks ago, but the hardest was embroidering the diamonds into the sleeve. I thought of the idea myself. Out of all the information, well, actually the only information I paid attention to in history class, was the fact that in the medieval era, a lady would tie a scarf around the arm of their favorite knight before a joust. I always thought that idea was adorable and romantic so I put my favorite insignia on your sleeve! Now you can always look down at your arm and think of me!”

Clyde laughed. “That’s extremely creative. However, I bet there’s another reason.”

“Hmm?”

“You probably did it so that when the team, cheerleaders, other students, or fans, see your diamonds, they know my heart belongs to you.”

Rarity looked at him blankly for a few seconds and slyly smirked. “You know me too well.” She gave him a quick hug in which Clyde returned with no hesitation. After they separated from each other, Clyde looked at her alluring eyes. 

“Thank you, Rarity,” said Clyde courtly. “You helped me again today.”

“Anytime, darling,” she said with lowered eyes. “I’m just glad I have my Clyde back.” She snuggled into his shoulder. He let her lean on him for a minute or two before speaking.

“Did you get any messages from Rainbow Dash tonight?” he asked randomly.

Rarity sat upwards away from him and gave him a confused look. “Rainbow Dash? Why?”

“Tyrone told me he’s hosting a New Year’s party and he was going to tell the rest of the team and our lunch table. I didn’t know if Rainbow Dash texted you yet about it.”

“She may have, but I haven’t checked my phone since you came over. It would have been rude to ignore my guest.” She winked at him, causing Clyde to smile.

“Well, he told me I could bring anyone I wanted, so would you like to come with me?”

“As your date?” asked Rarity excitedly.

“Yeah.”

“Then I would simply love being your date for this party,” beamed Rarity. “What time is it?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll find out closer to that night.” He stood up and yawned. “I think it’s that time...”

Rarity frowned, got off the cushioned bench, and walked towards the door. Clyde quickly ran in front of her to open it, which caused her to giggle at the memory of their movie date two months ago. Clyde got in his car and lowered the passenger window. Rarity walked up to it and leaned against it to stick her head in. 

“Have a good night, Clyde,” said Rarity, “thank you for spending time with me and my family. I hope you had a good time, too.”

“I did. It reminded me briefly of a Christmas dinner with my family many years ago.”

“I’m sorry...”

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong. I needed that feeling back.” Clyde started up the car and smiled at Rarity. “Merry Christmas, Rarity. Thanks for your present.”

Rarity smiled. “Merry Christmas.” 

She stepped away from the car and Clyde sped off down the street. He looked in his rear-view mirror, watching Rarity wave before the darkness of the December night shrouded the street, the only light came from the glow of the lone street light. Clyde looked at his new sleeve, Rarity’s gift, that laid in the passenger seat and could only smile. Maybe being alone wasn’t his fate after all.


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