//------------------------------// // Fame - Rarity & Rainbow Dash // Story: Table for Two // by KitsuneRisu //------------------------------// A silver tumbler sat on the table, gently perspiring beads of water that glittered and glimmered like jeweled sand strewn upon a metallic shore. It was pure silver, too. Rarity insisted. It was the only way to drink a drink of such terribly fine composition, a drink befitting her and her alone. It was a blended mix of irish cream, orange blossom water and cinnamon extract all shaken together and layered over a concentrated cold brew coffee made with fresh spring water. Luckily, The Owner just happened to have all those ingredients in stock – including the silver cup. They had just come yesterday, he claimed, and Rarity was lucky. The coffee itself was about as regular as any other coffee, but it wasn’t always about the taste. It was about the fact that she was drinking it. She lifted the cup to her lips with both hooves and took in the memory. “Hey! Hey! Look who’s arrived!” a voice came from above. Rainbow Dash threw her chair aside and deposited herself into it. Rarity lowered her cup back to the table. “Mmm. Hello, dear.” “I have!” Rainbow claimed, pointing to her own chest. “Have what?” “Uh… arrived! You know? Like… ‘look who’s arrived!’ and it was me, and…” “Yes, I… understood, dear.” Rarity gave Dash her best piteous smile, the one she used on Sweetie Belle when she was being ‘charmingly precocious’. “So, uh… yeah! Whatcha drinkin’ over there?” “They call it Oriental Dawn. I read it in this month’s issue of Canterlot Trotter. I’m rather surprised they have it here, in fact!” “Yeah, I dunno. This place always has what you want,” Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her neck. “I guess they’re super serious about coffee or something.” “Indeed. And this drink, my dear, is stunningly smooth. Floral notes and a touch of sp–” “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Does it taste good?” “I… ah… y-yes. I suppose it does.” “Over here!” Dash said, reaching out and snatching the cup. “N-no. Hold it with the tips of your hooves. You’re touching the cup far too much...  it will warm up and…” Rainbow, took a big gulp. “N-no! Sip, Rainbow. Sip it! It has complex flavours!” Rarity held her hoof out. Rainbow banged the cup down on the table. “Eh, tastes like coffee.” she shrugged. “Brute! Absolute brute!” Rarity pouted, pulling the cup back toward herself. “Hey, I like things simple,” Rainbow said. “Horrible! Uncouth!” “Yeah. Ya done?” Rainbow asked, smiling impishly. “Yes. Yes I am.” Rarity settled back into her seat and raised a hoof to the cup. “It’s… ah...” “Yeah.” “You should try to appreciate it more. It was concocted by a famous mixologist, don’t you know.” “Uh…” “It was made by a pony who does drinks good.” Rarity rolled her eyes. “Right.” Rainbow tapped her hoof on the table. “Just tastes like coffee, though.” Dash said. “That’s not the point! It’s… it’s the chance to revel in creation! It’s a chance to partake of another pony. It’s an opportunity to… to be enthralled in fame.” “Uh… so. Drinking a drink made by some whatever pony makes you feel special?” “Well. Yes. Of course.” Rarity replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Why?” Rarity blinked. "Why?" “Yeah. Why?” Dash asked, unimpressed. “W...hhhhy?” Rarity repeated, echoing Dash. “Yeah! Why? I mean… you’re just drinking some thing some other guy did. So what?” “Because he’s… he’s a known culinarian! He’s…” “Yeah?” “He’s famous.” “You know, I never really got that. It seems like it’s stupid to wanna drink something just because the pony who made it is famous. I mean, what makes him famous anyway? Is the drink any good?” “Well, I mean… it’s the same as dresses, isn’t it? Why do ponies wish to wear the latest designs? Why do they wish to purchase the big Canterlot names? Of which I am not one, but I really ought to be, and…” “I dunno.” Dash shrugged. “Another thing I never really got.” “I…” Rarity said, holding up a hoof. “I mean… it’s obvious, surely…” “So… wearing a famous dress makes you… feel happy?” “Yes!” “Why?” “Because… other ponies look at you and go ‘Oh! She’s wearing the latest Haymani! She’s so exquisite!’” “Yeah but that… that really means that they just kinda like your dress, doesn’t it?” “Yes!” Rarity nodded. “Not… you.” “Well… no.” “So if you were the same pony, and you wore a whatever dress one night, and the next night you wore some…  I dunno. Whatever thing. Does that change who you are?” “Yes. Absolutely!” “So you’re… saying that you’re a dress?” “Yes! No! I mean… oh!” Rarity flailed. “A bit of the fame… sort of carries to you, you see. You wear a famous dress and you become famous.” “That’s… stupid.” “No, it’s… I mean…” “How do you become famous just by being around famous?” “I don’t know. I really… I really can’t explain. But that’s… that’s how it is. Everypony wants to be the center of attention sometimes, don’t they? And this is one of the ways to do it.” “I guess I just don’t get it. I mean… why would you even wanna be fake-famous for?” “Fake?” “Yeah, right? Because it ain’t real.” “Then what would you consider to be real fame?” “I mean, it’s like, you gotta do things for yourself, right? Like, if you wore a famous dress, isn’t it just whoever made the dress that’s famous eventually?” “Well, they already are, dear. That’s why we want to wear them.” “I think I’d prefer to be the one who makes the dresses.” Rainbow shrugged. “We all do, dear. We all do.” Rarity sighed. “See… it’s like… I wanna be famous too, right? But it’s like, I wanna be famous for me. I wanna be a wonderbolt. I wanna fly around and do stuff and have ponies know me. There’s only one of me. Nopony else can take that away, or copy it, or wear me and pretend to be famous.” Rarity thought for a while. “You’ve always wanted to fly next to the Wonderbolts, haven’t you? In a show.” “Yeah! You got that right!” “Why?” “What do you mean, ‘why’? Because it’s awesome, that’s why.” “No, I mean… why would that make you famous?” “Because! It’s the Wonderbolts!” “Why couldn’t you do it alone?” “No one’s gonna look at me if I’m flying alone! Besides, it’s just… the wonderbolts!” “Dear, you might at least try to explain.” “Fine!” Rainbow moaned. “If you’re invited to fly with them, it’s like… it’s like an honour, right? They’re the best. So if you’re next to them, being allowed to be with them, it’s like saying… you’re just as good. You can keep up. And that’s awesome. Because then you know you’re good.” “So everypony who’s ever flown with the Wonderbolts are just as good as they are?” “Nah, of course not. Wonderbolts are in a class of their own. No one’s as good as them.” “But it’s still an honour to be thought to be as good as them.” “Yeah, duh.” “Even though that may not be reality?” “I suppose so. Yeah.” “Sounds stupid.” “What?” “I mean… how do you become famous by being around famous?” Rarity smiled. “Hey.” “Hmm?” “Hey, that’s what I said!” Rainbow stopped, tilting her head toward the table as she furrowed her brow. “How’d you do that?” “I really wanted to win the argument.” Rarity sipped her drink. “I… huh.” Rainbow continued to mutter. “I mean, but… if you said that, then… you see…” “Don’t think too hard. I think it’s rather simple, really.” “Yeah?” “I think in the end, we all just want to be better than we are. Some ponies work towards that. But there are some ponies who just don’t have the opportunity or the skill. So… they dream. And there’s never anything wrong with dreaming, is there?” Rainbow’s lips curled up into a half-smile. “No, I guess there ain’t.” “Especially when it allows me to sell more dresses.” “What was that?” “Hmm? Nothing, dear.” “Miss Rainbow Dash?” The Owner said, stopping suddenly by. “You appear to have had time to consider. Can I take your order?” “I dunno. What are you guys famous for here?” “Coffee, Miss Rainbow,” The Owner replied. “I’ll take a coffee then.” “Very well, miss.” The Owner bowed. “I’ll be back momentarily." Rainbow looked out of the window absentmindedly, not really thinking about anything at all. It was just a mood she was in. “You know, I really always just thought that it was kinda dumb to just go with famous things for no other reason. I guess I was wrong.” “Maybe not,” Rarity shrugged. Dash looked over, raising an eyebrow. “To be completely honest,” Rarity said, pointing to her cup, “this is actually quite distasteful.” “I’ll share mine with you,” Rainbow said. “I’d appreciate that very much, dear.” Rarity gave a tired smile, pushing the drink away.