//------------------------------// // Part Two by TheLandgrave // Story: Beautiful: Rainbow Dash // by Nom_deCheval //------------------------------// So here we are, dripping wet under this pavilion, just kinda standing there. She’s still pressed against my side, which is cool, I guess. I mean, it’s kinda cold out, and she’s gotta be nearly freezing, with the whole ‘not waterproof’ thing. It must suck not being a pegasus. I almost put my wing across her back again… to help her warm up… because she’s cold… and lonely, which doesn’t even make sense. I mean, come on, she’s probably got stallions lining up around the block who want nothing more than to keep her company. I bet she could do anything, and they would find it ‘sexy’, or… whatever. I bet, even if she did something completely stupid and embarrassing, they’d just applaud and tell her how talented she is. It’s so dumb! How can a mare like her look so lonely? Just look at her. She’s everything a mare is supposed to be. She’s lean and tall, with a long, delicate muzzle… She’s probably the prettiest mare I’ve ever seen. I bet she does all that yoga stuff for hours everyday and only eats celery or something. No thanks. I’ll keep my hayburgers. Anyway, she finally pulls away. My wing twitches when she does, and I have to keep it from reaching out to pull her back. She’s still soaked, after all, and it’s night time and cold, and all I have is my wing or this dress to offer. Only one of which will keep her warm. “My apologies,” she says, for some reason. It’s not like she did anything… well, okay, she did do some things, but come on, that was like forever ago. “Thank you for bringing me…” she glances around, trying to look through the waterfall of rain pouring off the roof. “Well, I don’t know where we are.” “Ah, don’t worry,” I say, shrugging. “You were having a bit of a rough time, so I swooped in for the save.” I turn to face her and put on my trademark grin, letting my awesomeness shine through. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that just being close to awesomeness makes you feel awesome too. And she looks like she could use a little awesome right now. “It’s kinda what I do.” She finally looks my way and stares into my eyes. I meet her gaze, of course, being my normal, charming, confident self. I can tell its working because she relaxes a bit. Score one for the Dash. She keeps staring, like she can’t believe what she’s seeing. I get that. It is pretty unbelievable just how great I am, and I’m used to being the center of attention. I bet she is too. I mean, there’s no way she doesn’t draw every stallions’ eye the moment she walks into a room, probably some mares too. Fluttershy did the same thing when she did her stint as a model. Hers was different though. She was like, cute, or something mushy like that. This mare, she’s, like, the mare. She’s what every mare wishes she could be. Slender yet curvy, radiating sexiness the way I radiate awesomeness. I bet they’re all jealous of her. I bet they stare at her picture in magazines, hating her for being so much prettier than they are. I know what that’s like… sorta anyway. I mean, everypony wishes they could be as awesome as me, because, I mean, duh. But… I don’t know… It’s different… but not? Whatever. She finally breaks eye contact and takes a step further to the side before sitting down. It’s weird. She doesn’t just sit, she like… flows down to her haunches, wrapping her tail protectively around her flank. “Well, nonetheless, I feel I owe you a debt.” She gives me a small—Rarity would probably call it ‘coy’, or something—smile. I bet it’d make all the stallions weak kneed. I’ve tried that kind of smile, but I can’t pull it off like she can. “Though I cannot be indebted to someone that I don’t actually know. My name is Fleur de Lis. What is yours, if I may ask?” “Uh, well, you did just ask.” I roll my eyes. What is it with fancy ponies and announcing what they are about to do? “But sure! I’m Rainbow Dash!” I take off to hover just below the rafters, and strike a pose in mid-air. “Maybe you’ve heard of me?” “Sorry, no,” she says with an amused smile. Amused! What about that was amusing? “But I don’t think that we travel in the same circles.” “Save the world a few times, but does anyone recognize me? Heck no.” I plop down to the floor beside her, grumbling under my breath. Not like I care, or anything. I know how awesome I am. I don’t need everypony to recognize me. But, seriously! It’s like ponies don’t even look at newspapers anymore. “Saved the world? Does that mean you are one of Princess Twilight Sparkle and Rarity’s companions? One of Rarity’s Ponyville friends?” “Whoa whoa whoa! You know Twilight and you know RARITY, but you don’t know me?” “Well, the way you say it, it sounds bad. I know of your exploits via association, isn’t that good enough?” “I saved the Wonderbolts, you know! Got a Silver Medal at the Equestria Games! I’m staying with Princess Celestia! By invitation!” I just glare at her, waiting for her response. It’s not what I expect. “Rainbow Dash, if you don’t mind me asking, what were you doing down at that rather...colorful bar?” I grunt and cross my forehooves over my chest. What kind of a stupid question is that. Like it even matters. “You mean besides getting drunk?” “Yes, besides that. I believe that part was covered thoroughly in the bar itself.” “Just, you know, hanging.” I turn to look out at the rain. Yeah, that’s it… to watch the rain. Man, it’s really coming down out there. I didn’t think Canterlot got storms like this. Ponyville needs them occasionally, what, with all the farms and woods and things. Canterlot, though, all they have are tiny parks like where we are right— “By yourself? Seemingly wanting no company?” Is she still talking about that? I peek at her from the corner of my eye. Why does she look worried? I’m not the one who ran out on her tab. I’m not the one struggling not to shiver in the cold. I’m good… cool. There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m the one who should be worried about her. “I find that hard to believe,” she keeps saying. “You can tell me the truth. I will not judge you.” Gah! She really wants to know? Well… “Fine. I had an—a bad date with an—a stupid stallion who couldn’t handle my awesomeness. And I wasn’t ready to go back to my room. Happy?” “You have my deepest condolences. I can only conjecture the pony in question was of far less than equitable mien.” “Uh…” I blink, the fire fleeing from my voice at her smile, “maybe? If that means he was a jerk, then yeah. He was a huge jerk.” “What did he do to you? Nothing improper, I hope.” “Huh? Oh, heck no!” I almost wish he’d tried, then… “I’da kicked him hard enough to make sure his kids felt it! Nah, this was just a stallion with a stupid name who wasn’t able to handle all of this!” I spin back into another pose, using my forehooves to gesture to my, well, everything. “Excuse me, but by chance you were not courted by Copious Assets were you?” “Courted? Phht. Not hardly. He even made fun of my dress.” I look down at the… well, at what was left of the dress. It was… not in good shape. Still, even I knew it looked good on me, no matter how much it restricted my movement. Aww, ponyfeathers. “Rarity knocked herself out making this! … and she’s gonna kill me when she sees what happened to it.” “Well, I can assure you that Copious Assets is a spoiled whelp. You are far better off without him. And, by the way, what did happen to your dress?” “That was just a...thing. Well, sorta my thing. I mean…” I take a breath, not entirely sure why I’m telling her. But, whatever, Twilight says I need to stop holding things in, and I guess Fleur’s as good as anyone. “Okay, it’s like this. My friend Rarity set me up on this date, right? For some reason she thinks that I need to get out more and find a stallion outside of Ponyville, and since she’s such a good friend, I figure why not? I’ll indulge her a little.” I rub the back of my head, unsure what to tell her. “So she gets me to put on this dress, which is way, way too tight for someone like me. I mean, seriously, watch this.” I twist, doing one of the warm up stretches they taught us at the Wonderbolt Academy. The dress doesn’t take it so well, a few more of the seams ripping. “See? I mean, it’s no surprise that it ripped when I…” … tried to show off inside a fancy restaurant while wearing a dress that Rarity told me not do that in. I stare at the ground. “What? When you did what?” I keep looking down, taking a deep breath before saying, “Okay, so I was out with Doofus Dumbname and he took me to this nice restaurant, uh, The Closet Club or something—” “The Clover Club. Yes, I know the place.” “Did you know that place doesn’t even serve hayburgers? I mean, what’s up with that?” I ask. It’s only when she nods absently that I remember I’m talking to somepony who grew up around this stuff. “Oh, but yeah, the dinner. So, we were sitting at this fancy table and there were, like, seven or eight forks in front of me, and he was sitting across from me and I was trying to figure out why somepony would need more than one fork, and he orders some food for both of us. Stuff that I can’t even pronounce. “When it shows up at the table there’s a plate that has four or five tiny vegetables on it, and this tiny bowl of water that they told me was soup. I think there were more forks than food, to be honest.” I toss my mane, finishing the destruction of all the work Rarity put into it. “Then I look over at him, thinking I might get a clue, and… and he’s staring at the mare at the next table! “So, I kinda cleared my throat. Reminded him I was at the table. You know what he does? He looks at me and apologizes, telling me that he was distracted by her delicate beauty or something like that.” I smirk at the memory of what happened next. “Hey, I might not be like you or Rarity, but I sure ain’t somepony you just ignore. Especially when we’re on a date—even a crummy one!” “I totally agree,” Fleur says, blushing for some reason. Weird. “There…” I almost start to tell her everything, but I stop myself just in time. She wouldn’t understand. She’d act just like they did, like I was in the wrong, like everypony el… no. Just no. “There were some things said, and some things done. It doesn’t matter. I tore my dress and the date ended badly. So, I got outta there and just started wandering the streets. I saw it was about to rain and spotted the bar, and… well, here we are.” “He is an idiot, and one that you shouldn’t give any second thought. The mere fact that he does not recognize your unique beauty is his loss.” “Exactly!” I shout, jumping higher into the air. “Not all mares are made of fluff and stuff. No offense.” “None taken.” Wow, that felt pretty good. Maybe Twilight was right about that whole ‘sharing your feelings’ thing. “Your turn.” “My… I… what are you talking about?” I almost giggle at her surprised expression. Priceless. “Just that it’s your turn. I told you why I was at the bar, now you gotta tell me why you were there.” Grinning, I plop down right beside her. I keep my eyes locked on her while she takes a few breaths. She’s a little scared, but that’s okay. I get it. Fluttershy is always a lot scared, and all I have to do is pick up the slack until she’s ready. “I don’t suppose you know who I am, do you?” she asks, finally, and I shake my head. I feel kinda bad. After the crap I gave about not knowing me and all. “Well, I am married to one of the most wealthy and influential stallions in Canterlot. He is a fine, revered member of Canterlot elite. We met many years ago at a social function. I was working as a model at the time and was lucky enough to catch his eye. We spoke, things progressed, we dated, and less than a year later I wed him in a very extravagant and acclaimed ceremony. It was covered in all of the social columns and publications. We were the talk of Canterlot.” “But...that was a long time ago, right? I meant why were you there today?” She flinches, and her ears droop a bit. Ah, horseapples, I said something stupid. “Yes. It seems that it was indeed a very long time ago. Time makes an old mare of all of us, Rainbow Dash. I am older than you, but I do not believe there are many who would call me...mature. I work hard to look like I do. Yes, I was gifted with good genetics, but it is with effort that I maintain my appearance. I’m sure you understand. You surely have to work to maintain your looks as well, yes?” “Uh… sure.” I nod. I mean, I guess. I just kinda do my thing. AJ would definitely have something to say about calling it ‘work’ though. “Then let me share with you a secret that I discovered far too harshly today. No matter how hard you work, no matter how hard you try to hold on to your beauty, it ultimately doesn’t matter.” Is… is she done? I must be missing something. I just don’t get it. I mean, yeah, everypony gets old… well except the princesses. Heck, most Wonderbolts retire before forty, or at least stop flying in shows. Rarity would be a better judge, but she’s got to have like, a decade or more before any of that even starts to show. Plus, she’s already married the stallion of her dreams, working her dream job… How am I supposed to know what to say if I don’t even know what’s wrong? “If all you have to offer is your looks, then you will surely discover that there is always a younger mare than you. Someone trim and fit, with a dusty coat and dark mane that….” She cuts herself off, squeezing her eyes shut. Oh… oh, no. She’s not going to cry. Please don’t be about to cry. “Uh, are you okay?” “Of course I am.” She blinks a few times and seems to recover. “I was at home. I encountered my husband in a… compromising… manner and left. Like you, the rain caught me and I entered the building. Discovering it was a bar, I had a few drinks and…. Well, as you phrased it, here we are.” I gape at her. It’s all I can do. Words… there are none. All I can see is Fleur and… and… It’s all I can do to keep from flying off blind and half-saddled. “Where is he?” “Who? My husband?” She waves a hoof at me, a spark of fear in her eyes as she tries to calm me down. “No, no. That’s...not your concern.” “Of course it’s my concern! You’re my friend! And nopony gets away with treating my friends like that.” Just tell me where he is so I can show him what I think of dirty, no good, cheating— “It’s not a matter of how he treated me, it’s more… It’s complicated. I’m not… I’m just not the mare I used to be.” “Not the mare you used to be?” I pull back a bit, shocked and a little offended. “What’s that supposed to mean?” She shrinks back, almost like she’s afraid of me. Which is ridiculous. I’m not mad at her, I’m mad at her jerk husband. “It means that I’m old. That he’s always had an eye for youth, and that I… This is Canterlot.” “I… that doesn’t…” I groan, grinding a hoof against my temple. “Gah!” How can somepony seem so smart and be so blind? “You’re not old. You’re gorgeous! Any mare would kill to look like you.” My voice falters, “To be graceful…” “Yes… gorgeous. I thought that exact same thing earlier. And you have no reason—no pony has any reason to want to be like me. You… you move far more dynamically than I could ever hope.” I slouch and look away. “Tell that to all the stallions back in Ponyville.” “I shouldn’t have to, but if somepony needs to, they should.” Her hoof pulls my chin and forces me to look at her. “You are very special, Rainbow Dash. Any pony that does not see that… Well, they don’t deserve to see it, then.” “Heck yeah, I’m special. I’m awesome,” I say, but I can’t keep the bitterness from my voice. Sighing, I kick at the wood floor. “For all the good it does. No stallion wants a mare like me. They want mares like you and Rarity. Beautiful and elegant and charming…” She laughs. It’s not a ‘funny ha ha’, more a ‘you’re being adorable’ type laugh. I’m not sure how to feel about that. “Stallions have no idea what they want most of the time. We think we can tell them, but, in truth, they never make up their minds. They are always fickle beasts. A wise stallion would gladly look at you and be thrilled.” Her eyelids slid halfway down. “And so would many mares, for that matter. You underestimate yourself. Sometimes, we all do.” I swallow, which was stupid because my mouth is super dry now. “That… uh… that doesn’t change that your husband deserves a good flank kicking,” I say, trying to find my bearings. “To what end? He will have his way, ultimately. Money has a way of bringing power. He will never understand what it is to have to endure doubt. He can buy his pleasure. Though he will never have the pleasure of being in the position I am at this moment.” She leans in, close enough that I can feel her breath on my muzzle. “His loss.” Her lips touch mine before I realize what’s happening and I freeze. I don’t… She’s so much softer than the stallions I’ve kissed, gentle, our lips pushing together only enough to create a seal. My forelegs slip under hers, cradling her as I push back. When she starts to tip backward, my wings flare out, catching us as I set her down on her back. Everything becomes a blur of sounds and scents and tastes, all playing to the background of the storm still raging around us. It’s the first rays of sunlight peeking through the clouds that wake me up. I almost think it all some dream until Fleur shifts against my side. We’re still under the pavillion, laying side-by-side with my wing draped protectively over her back. For a few minutes, all I can do is smile. It’s super early. I wouldn’t normally be awake for hours yet. But I think I’m okay with that. My smile becomes stupid and goofy as I think back about what happened, all the things I never thought about doing before… not to mention with a mare… or a mare as hot as Fleur. Unfortunately, I can’t help but recall some of the things we talked about too. I wait for her to look at me before I ask, “You gonna be okay?” Her smile falls a little, and I want to apologize, but she answers before I can. “Right now? Yes. Later? Time will tell.” Stupid mouth ruining the best morning I’ve had, like, ever. And here it goes again… stupid mouth. “What are you gonna do?” “What any good Canterlot wife would do,” she says like it’s as obvious as the sun in the sky, “nothing. I will go on with my life, playing the role that I have set for myself as the female figure of our household, smiling and hoping that the smile is genuine each time. He will figure out that I know, and he will do nothing. We will live our lives together—apart.” “Wow. That’s really messed up.” I mean, talk about depressing. I pull my wing back, letting it drawn along her back as it does. “You don’t have to do that, you know,” I say, hoping she understands what I’m trying to tell her. “You can do anything you want.” “Thank you. Not only for those words, but for giving me something that will help me to maintain a genuine smile.” She takes a breath and smiles more genuinely than a moment before. “And I can have my dalliances, too, can’t I?” “I guess,” I say as I stand and turn away. I don’t want to be mad at her, but it’s hard, you know. It’s like she’s not even thinking about it. Like it was just… like it didn’t…. “Yeah, the weather ponies are clearing everything out. We should be good to go.” “And where will you go?” It’s a stupid idea. I know that. Still… I sigh. “Rarity is probably chomping at the bit to find out where I’ve been. Guess I’ll have to go give her the bad news.” “About your date?” I glance over my shoulder and giver her a questioning look. “What? Heck no! Glad that’s over, and it led to a great evening anyway.” I put on the best smile I can, which she returns. “I just don’t want to tell her about the dress.” She looks down at the dress haphazardly tossed to the ground. “I want to buy it from her. From you.” “You what?” I nearly shout as she picks it up in her magic and walks up to me. She can’t seriously… I don’t… I know we’re not… but… “You want to pay me for—” “No!” she shouts in a panic, putting a hoof on my lips. “No. Nothing of the sort. I could never think that way of you. And I hope you would never think that of me.” I blush a bit. I can’t believe I even thought that of her. “I want to purchase this dress. It caught my eye in a most delightful manner, and I refuse to let it go. Please inform Miss Rarity that I request her presence at my home so that she may alter the dress to fit me accordingly.” “If I go back without the dress, then Rarity—” “Tell her whatever you like. A charity auction at the restaurant. That I was an annoying piece of wealth who pestered you until you relented. The important thing is that this dress… that the mare who wore this dress is important to me, and I wish to have it with me during any further difficult times.” I can’t take it anymore. Pawing at the floor again, I say, “Uh, you could just kinda have that mare, maybe.” She gives me that same smile Rarity does when I say something she thinks is silly. I know what she’s going to say before she does, with only makes it worse. “No. We both know that can’t happen. What would I do in your world? How long could you endure mine? This was… lightning. We caught it this once, but I do not want to tempt it burning me with a second try.” I slump. “Yeah, you’re right.” “And you, dear,” she leans in, her lips warm and moist against my cheek, and gone all too soon, “are wonderful.” It helps, though. Makes me feel a heck of a lot better at least. With a flap of my wings, I rise up. “Wonderful? I’m awesome!” “Yes, I suppose you’re that, too,” she says with a light laugh. That’s the last we say for a bit. I don’t think she really wants this to end either. I know she doesn’t really want this to end. But we both know that it has to. I break first. I’m not sure if that means I won or lost… or if it even matters. “I guess I’ll see you around.” She nods. “Always.” With that, I take off, bolting out into the parting sky. It’s weird, the further I get, the easier it is to keep going. I doubt I’ll ever not regret how things ended… But it’s a new day, and, for the first time in awhile, I really feel as awesome as I’ve always known I am.