//------------------------------// // Feather by palaikai // Story: Magic of Love: A Twidance Prompt Collab // by ArguingPizza //------------------------------// by palaikai ~~~ A heartfelt sigh echoed out of the changing room of Carousel Boutique. Rarity didn't say anything; there wasn't anything to say as, over the course of the twelve hours she'd spent in the company of the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle had made every huffy gesture in the book, and it was the mark of a good seamstress that they didn't comment on when their clientèle were acting like snotty little brats. Especially when said snotty little brat was: a) an important customer; b) a princess; c) one of her best friends; and d) preparing for a make-or-break date with somepony she'd been in love with for years. It was that last part especially that had prevented the unicorn from wrapping her hooves around the alicorn and wringing her neck until she pleaded for mercy. That, and it was unbecoming of a lady to throttle somepony. Even if they were being incredibly annoying. Rarity knew that she was capable of being a diva on occasion, but Twilight was currently giving even her a run for her bits. “No, no, no! Rarity, what were you thinking? This colour just doesn't go with my coat.” A dress, held in a magenta aura, levitated out of the changing room and dropped to the floor in front of Rarity. “They're the colours that we agreed best accentuate your eyes, darling,” Rarity said patiently, wondering what had happened to the sweet, demure Twilight she was used to dealing with. She snagged the garment in her own magical field and placed it back on the rack with the dozens of other rejected dresses. They'd all been shunned for quite random reasons: it didn't emphasise her cutie mark; it exposed too much flank; it didn't show enough flank; the corsage was too elaborate; the colour didn't match her eyes, coat, or the slightly darker hue around her cuticles; etc, etc, etc. With a look of irritation scrunching up her face, Twilight stepped out of the changing area and walked over to where Rarity was flipping through the many different items of apparel she kept on hand. “Do you have anything else?” “You've been through everything.” The unicorn shot her an annoyed look. “Twice.” Twilight winced at the note of exasperation that Rarity was barely keeping a lid on. “I'm sorry I'm being such a pain in the flank, but I just want everything to be ...” “I know! Every mare wants her first date to be perfect,” Rarity replied, thinking about how much time she'd spent freaking out when preparing for a night on the town. She understood what Twilight was going through, but she was trying to help, and it seemed Twilight was determined not to be satisfied. “But darling, while I can supply you with a pretty dress the most important thing to focus on is being yourself.” “If I was just being me, I wouldn't wear a pretty dress,” said Twilight with a wry grin. “But that wouldn't look very good at the Crystal Empire Ball now, would it?” Princess Cadance had invited her to a big shindig she was throwing to celebrate a year since the defeat of King Sombra, and while she was loathe to attend any big social gathering, it was at least a chance to spend some time with Cadance and hopefully see where they were going. They had been exchanging letters regularly since reconnecting during the Changeling invasion of Canterlot just over a year ago – so many that Spike had recently been complaining of indigestion, though Twilight wasn't sure if that was down to the quantity or the contents of the letters – and lately it seemed that both were ready to take their friendship to the next level, but with them being on opposite sides of Equestria it was so difficult to arrange to see each all that often. Cadance was just so … everything: beautiful, clever, sweet, funny, and such an enormous tease. Twilight was glad that the Ponyville water company charged for their service at a fixed rate otherwise her bill would've gone through the Castle of Friendship's roof every time one of her letters appeared. There was usually language contained within that even the raciest of erotic fiction writers would have blushed at. The Princess of Love, indeed. Twilight had thought that the title referred to her ability to foster amity wherever she went, not realising that Cadance was also schooled in love's more, ah, physical forms. Twilight turned to face herself in a full-length mirror; she let her wings unfurl and a look crossed her face as she examined the dull lavender primaries which, she noted dryly, were in dire need of a good preening. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had been trying to teach her proper wing maintenance, but in between everything else that had come with the ascension, to say nothing of the various crises that befell Equestria on a regular basis, it was difficult to find the time for grooming. “What is it?” asked Rarity. “It's … no, it's silly.” “And that's a reason not to tell me?” “Well,” Twilight's face shaded slightly to red, and she inclined her head in the direction of one of her still splayed wings. “While teaching me to fly, Rainbow Dash told me that, in ancient times, when pegasi sought a mate they would use their wings to make themselves look big and powerful. Later, some of the, ah, less-endowed pegasi started using feathers taken from large birds to make their own plumage even more impressive.” “Wing extensions?” Rarity was torn between looking incredulous and laughing out loud, though she had to admit that she was impressed that Rainbow Dash of all ponies had a knowledge of history beyond that of who flew the furthest fastest. Maybe it was an area of couture that she ought to look into? Surely there were a few shy pegasi out there who'd appreciate having their wings dolled up? “Celestia, Luna and Cadance all have quite remarkable wingspans, while I-” “You're still developing as an alicorn, Twilight, you have nothing to be ashamed of,” said Rarity, cutting the alicorn off before she could launch into one of her patented freak-out arias. She placed her hoof under Twilight's chin and lifted her sinking head up. “While you may lack the raw majesty of our other beloved princesses, you are every bit their match when it comes to beauty, poise and intelligence.” “Do you really think so?” asked Twilight, her mulberry eyes watering slightly. “I wouldn't say it otherwise.” “Thank you,” Twilight said, hugging the unicorn tightly. “I've been worrying so much about whether Cadance would think I was … pretty enough for her. That's why I've been so critical of all the dresses. I just want to look the best I can for her, you know?” “I can't claim to know her very well, but … I don't think she's the shallow type who is going to worry about a pony's outward appearance, but rather what is on the inside,” said Rarity, extricating herself from Twilight's embrace before she started rupturing organs. “If you stick to being your sweet, loveable self, you should be fine.” Feeling marginally better about herself, Twilight started looking through the racks again until she hit upon a quite striking dress; it was a deep purple colour, with shimmering white and violet bands encircling the waist. It was remarkably similar, in fact, to the one Rarity's doppelgänger had made for her to wear to the Fall Formal at Canterlot High School in the other world she'd visited through the Crystal Mirror. “Oh, yes,” said Rarity, noticing Twilight's interest. “When you told me about the creations my counterpart came up with, I just had to try my hoof at replicating some of them pony-style. I think it turned out rather well, don't you?” “It's beautiful,” agreed Twilight, reaching out to caress the silky fabric. “May I?” “Go right ahead.”