Rarity woke up bright and early, long before the sun dared to rise. Grabbing the make up kit she put together the previous the night, the ivory girl prepared herself before setting out. She took a taxi to Twilight's and arrived at four twenty five, which gave her just enough time to pay the driver and briskly walk to the front door. After knocking, Rarity didn't even have to wait a minute for the door to open.
With a yawn, Twilight looked to a clock behind her and then back to Rarity. “Wow, four thirty on the dot. That's impressive.”
“Not even I would consider being fashionably late for something as important as this,” Rarity replied proudly. “Now, we must begin immediately!”
“Immediately? Do you want something to eat first?” Twilight asked.
“No, no. We must make haste!” Rarity answered excitedly as she grabbed her friend by the wrist and dragged her up the stairs.
The two entered Twilight's room, where Rarity sat the purple girl down on one of her chairs and opened her case.
“Let's see, we'll need to find the right foundation, eye liner, lip stick, blush. Then I'll do you're hair. I even brought some azure nail polish, just a shade off of Trixie's skin. She might notice without it being too obvious.”
“Um, I'm starting to have second thoughts about this,” Twilight muttered as Rarity listed off the various tools that she was going to use.
“Too late to back out now,” Rarity stepped in front of Twilight with an almost manic grin. “I already have my vision and there's no stopping it now.”
“O-OK,” Twilight chuckled nervously as Rarity got to work.
Twilight closed her eyes and placed her trust into her friend's hands. She felt her face prodded, brushed and tugged. At some point, because of the lack of sleep and keeping her eyes closed for an extended period, Twilight dozed off. It only felt like a few minutes went by when Rarity cleared her throat.
“Finished!”
Twilight woke with a start and nearly fell off of her chair. Rarity handed Twilight her glasses and a mirror. Twilight put on her spectacles and blinked a few times to recover her vision. Once she was adjusted, she looked into the mirror to inspect Rarity's handiwork.
With a gasp, Twilight admired herself. The changes were incredibly subtle. If she didn't know any better, she wouldn't even think she was wearing any make up at all. However, her face seemed much more bright and vivid. Her lashes were a bit darker, making her eyes more mysterious, even behind her glasses. A hint of lipstick caused her lips to appear more alluring and the blush almost made her glow. The next thing she noticed was her hair. Instead of her usual bun, Rarity had it down and slightly curled and held in place with some hair spray.
“I... I don't know what to say, Rarity. You did an amazing job. I can't believe this is me,” Twilight gushed as she continued to stare into the mirror.
“At the risk of boasting, I must say that that this may be one of my greatest works of art. Although, the canvas I was working with was already a great staring point,” Rarity smiled with pride.
Twilight blushed. “I'm not that pretty. Nothing like you at least...”
“You don't give yourself enough credit, darling,” Rarity scolded. “You're a natural beauty. And with this little touch up, I'm sure that Trixie will agree as well.”
Twilight giggled slightly. “Do you really think?”
“Of course. Now, we should head out soon unless we wish to be tardy for class.”
Twilight's head perked up. “Why? What time is it?”
“Six thirty,” Rarity answered.
Twilight's eyes widened as she realized that she had been asleep for two hours. As she stood, she opened and held the door for Rarity. “Would you like anything for breakfast?”
“Well, since you asked, I am a little famished.”
The girls, led by Twilight, descended down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Velvet was reading the morning paper and sipping some coffee.
“Morning Mom,” Twilight greeted.
“Good morning Twi- Oh my,” Velvet gasped when she looked up at her daughter. “You look stunning sweetie!”
“Oh, thanks,” Twilight smiled, slightly embarrassed. “Rarity did my make up for me.”
“Rarity?” Velvet asked, confused.
“Hello Mrs. Velvet,” Rarity waved as she peeked out from behind Twilight.
“Ah, Rarity, how nice to see you again. I didn't see you come in,” Velvet forced a smile.
Velvet didn't necessarily disapprove of what she suspected her daughter's preferences were, but the sudden appearance of this Rarity and the exponentially increasing amount of time she was spending with Twilight caused Velvet's motherly instincts to kick in. She didn't know much about Rarity and wanted to protect Twilight, but had no reason to think that the pale girl had any ill intent. So she decided to sit and wait and try to learn more about Twilight's friend.
“Yes, I arrived very early. I hope I'm not intruding,” Rarity replied, concerned.
“Never. I'm always happy to see my little girl with her friends. So Twilight, why the sudden change in appearance? Is there a cute boy you're trying to impress,” Velvet asked, keeping her eyes keen for her daughter's reaction.
Rarity and Twilight shared a quick look before the latter laughed nervously. “N-no. I, um, well, I have a presentation today! And I was nervous. Because it's my first at CHS. And Rarity helped. With my make up, but you knew that. She said it would help. With my confidence, I mean.”
Velvet took note of the shared look and the display in front of her. “I see. That was very nice of you Rarity.”
“Oh, it was my pleasure. I've been waiting to get my hands on Twilight for a while,” Rarity stated proudly.
Unfortunately, Velvet was taking a sip of her coffee at the time, which caused the older woman to choke.
“Are you okay!?” Twilight asked as she rushed to her mothers side.
“Yes, sweetie,” Velvet wheezed a bit as regained herself, “I'm fine. Just stunned at Rarity's... generosity. To come here so early and say that it was no trouble.”
“Yeah, I've never met someone more giving than Rarity,” Twilight complimented. “If there's anything I could do to repay her, I would jump at the chance.”
“Well,” Rarity started slyly, “you could stop by my place sometime so that I can finally get you out of that uniform.”
Twilight was about to argue, but was interrupted by a crash. Velvet had dropped her coffee cup and rose to her feet, her face much more stern than before.
“And what do you plan to do once you have my daughter 'out of her uniform'?” Velvet questioned, straining to keep her voice calm.
“Oh, I didn't mean to offend,” Rarity responded, concerned. “It is a lovely outfit. I just thought Twilight could do with some variety in her wardrobe.”
“Excuse... me?” Velvet asked, now confused.
“Rarity designs and makes clothes, mom,” Twilight explained. “She's been trying to get me to let her make me some new outfits. Although that isn't an appropriate way for me to repay you.”
“She designs clothes. Of course she does,” Velvet laughed a little to herself.
“Why? What did you think we were going to do?” Rarity asked innocently.
Velvet paled as she tried to come up with an excuse, Her eyes glanced to the floor. “Er, I should find a maid to clean this up and I really should get to work. Have a good day you two.”
The older woman rushed out of the room, leaving the two teens confused.
“What was that about?” Rarity asked as she turned to Twilight.
Twilight shrugged. “She's never done that before.”
“Hmm, doesn't matter. Now let's get something to eat and make your debut!”
Ever since they left the house, rode the bus and arrived at school, Twilight noticed many stares, normally directed more at Rarity, were aimed at her. However, this did more to make her feel insecure than give her confidence. As the entered through the front doors of CHS, the purple girl also could see many students whispering amongst themselves, while some of them even pointed.
“Looking good Twilight!” Roseluck called out as she passed.
Twilight was about to thank her when a sudden flash dazzled her.
“Beautiful!” Photo Finish exclaimed. “Zis will make a vunderful addition to ze yearbook!”
Twilight blushed as Rarity leaned in with a smirk. “You're already the talk of the school. Imagine what will happen when you know who gets a good look at you.”
Twilight's blush deepened as Rarity giggled.
“Hey Twi- whoa. Twilight, you look amazing.”
Twilight let out a deep sigh as she turned to look to Flash. “Hey Flash. Thanks.”
“You look even better than you normally do. Special occasion?” Flash asked.
“No, I, um...” Twilight tried to think of a way out of the conversation.
“I had an idea for a new look and Twilight volunteered to be my test subject,” Rarity lied.
“Cool,” Flash commented before he turned back to Twilight. “You know, with a look like that, we could go to a really nice restaurant tonight if you want to-”
“Sorry Flash, but Twilight's still helping me tonight,” Rarity interrupted.
Flash looked disappointed for a moment, but regained his smile quickly. “Sure. See you girls later.”
Twilight turned to Rarity as soon as Flash was out of earshot. “Thanks.”
“No trouble, dear, but you're going to have to be honest with him one day,” Rarity told her friend.
“I know,” Twilight sighed.
The duo arrived at their history class, which consisted of many murmurs and looks directed at Twilight. However class passed without incident and the girls packed up their things as the bell rang. It was then that Twilight came to a horrible realization.
“Rarity!”
“What is it, darling?” Rarity looked up to see her friends distraught face.
“I have gym next,” Twilight explained.
Rarity's face changed to mirror her friend. All of her hard work was about to be destroyed by sweat! Even if it didn't do too much damage, Twilight would also have to shower unless she wished to smell for the rest of the day.
“Oh no, this will not do. You'll have to skip it.”
“Absolutely not!” Twilight stated forcefully. “Even if it is gym, I have never skipped a class before and I never plan to.”
“Well we must think of something quickly,” Rarity almost screeched.
Thankfully, it seemed to be Twilight's lucky day as their solution came barrelling around the corner.
“Raaariiityyy!” A young girl yelled as she ran towards the duo, only to trip and fall on her face when she tried to stop.
“Coco?” Rarity asked as she helped the blue haired girl up. “What's wrong dear? Are you Okay?”
Coco Pommel, costume designer for the school play and a friend of Rarity's, rubbed her nose and squeaked. “I'm sorry for bothering you, but I need your help. It's an emergency.”
“Hold that thought. Is your nose bleeding?” Rarity took Coco's hand away to inspect it closer.
“I-i-it doesn't hurt that much,” Coco responded with a blush. “But that's not important!”
“Alright, it doesn't look that bad. So what's the matter, dear?” Rarity nodded, happy that Coco was alright.
“The materials I ordered for the costumes came in today, but they sent all the wrong ones!” Coco started. “If I send them back and wait for the new ones, I won't have enough time to make the costumes for the play. Do you think you can help me make something out of what I have? I can get Principal Celestia to write a note to excuse you from class.”
Rarity's mind clicked and she smiled. “I would love to. Do you think you could get a note for my friend Twilight here as well?”
Coco looked to Twilight and smiled, relieved. “Sure. It would actually be helpful if we had a model.”
Coco dashed off to the principal's office to get the notes.
“A model? I can't do that!” Twilight complained.
“Relax dear. We have mannequins. Coco probably just wants to make sure her costumes can be maneuvered in. It's that or gym class.”
“OK, I guess I can do it if it's just you two,” Twilight relented.
Coco came back and the trio went to the drama room, which was empty this period. Twilight spent most of the time sitting on the side while the two fashion experts discussed what they were going to do and eventually made up a couple of outfits. Twilight only had to try them on to show that they were fine before she changed back into her regular clothes.
“Thanks Rarity, you've been so much help,” Coco gushed.
“I'm happy to help,” Rarity smiled happily. “It's almost time for lunch. Would you like to join us?”
Coco blushed and traced her foot on the ground in little circles. “I'd like to, but I have permission to stay here all day to work on the costumes. I'd like to get a good head start on them before the day is done.”
“That's a shame, but I understand. Let's go Twilight,” Rarity waved as she and Twilight began to leave.
“Bye Rarity. Thanks for modelling, Twilight,” Coco called out to them.
“She seemed nice,” Twilight commented as they walked down the hall.
“Oh yes, Coco is a doll. And it was quite a stroke of luck that she needed us when she did,” Rarity replied.
“I couldn't agree more,” Twilight laughed.
By the time the lunch bell rang, the girls entered the cafeteria and were soon joined by their friends, who had their own reactions to Twilight's look.
Applejack whistled. “Gee Twi, you look prettier than a daisy in a dandelion field.”
The other girls nodded in agreement.
“Rarity did a really good job,” Fluttershy peeped.
“Trixie's gonna be stunned,” Sunset encouraged.
“Where is she, by the way?” Rarity asked, craning her head to look at the magicians regular table.
“Probably in one of the halls, showing off her tricks,” Rainbow guessed with a shrug.
Twilight simply nodded and smile as her friends talked, her mind busy going over dozens of scenarios. Most of them ended horribly while a few did have a pleasant outcome, but they all involved her next class and her silver haired crush. Before she knew it, the lunch period ended and Twilight heard the bell ring.
“Ooh, moment of truth,” Rarity squealed, “hurry up and start wooing. And I want all the details after school. Do your best to make sure they are good ones this time, darling. I'll keep my fingers crossed!"
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Come on Twi, let's get to class.”
“Um, OK,” Twilight waved to the rest of her friends before she went to go catch up with Rainbow and Fluttershy.
When the girls arrived to their class, Twilight almost sat in her regular spot until Rainbow urged her to sit next to Trixie's spot. Some of the students were whispering as she walked to the back of the class, but she did her best to ignore them. Soon enough, Trixie trudged into the room, ignoring the other students as well. However, they giggled rather than whispered. It took Trixie until she was about to sit down to realize that the seat next to hers was taken. Her eyes lazily looked up to Twilight, but shot wide open as she took in her appearance.
“H-hi,” Twilight greeted nervously.
“Sparkle... you look different,” Trixie commented blankly as she sat down slowly, never taking her eyes off of Twilight.
“Y-yeah, I, uh, thought I'd try a new look,” Twilight responded as she played with the pencil on her desk with both hands. “You said to try to impress you today, right?”
“Trixie did, didn't she?”
“Do you... do you like it?” Twilight asked, her eyes darting between Trixie and her desk.
“Trixie supposes she does, but why does that matter?” Trixie countered with her own question.
Twilight's brain scrambled for an answer. “Well, um, you see, er...”
“This isn't another prank is it?” Trixie's eyes narrowed.
“No!” Twilight quickly replied. “I just wanted your opinion. You're so pretty yourself, you must know a thing or two about appearances.”
Trixie blushed and looked away, but Twilight could see a smile on her face. “Trixie knew she was right to give you another chance. You have a good eye, but she does wonder where you got all that work done.”
“Oh, it was actually my friend Rarity. She's an expert on these kind of things.”
“I see, another Rainboom,” Trixie muttered.
Twilight took note of Trixie's tone. “Yes, but she loves doing this kind of thing. I bet she would do the same with you if you asked.”
“Maybe,” Trixie shrugged, “but Trixie is fine with her look right now.”
“Oh, sure,” Twilight said as the two had to quiet down, for class had begun.
Today, Mr. whooves gave a lecture for the entire class, which sadly left little time for Twilight to converse with her crush. However, at one point, Twilight caught Trixie staring at her nails, which were still covered in the azure polish. A moment later, the magician shook her head and Twilight swore she heard her mutter “Don't be dumb, it's probably nothing like that.”
The bell rang to signal the end of the class, starling Mr. whooves, who was lost in his own speech. He dismissed the students and left himself.
Twilight gathered her things into her backpack, but when she looked up, Trixie was already walking out of the door. The purple girl scrambled and nearly tripped as she rounded the doorway and found an amused looking Trixie.
“In a rush?” Trixie asked with a smug grin.
Twilight wanted to respond, but she was too embarrassed to make her mouth work.
Trixie chuckled as she walked off. “See ya around, Sparkle.”
Twilight's shoulders slumped as she sighed until she heard Trixie call back to her. “You look good, by the way.”
Twilight froze before she giggled to herself a little. It wasn't much and it didn't guarantee anything, but it was something.