//------------------------------// // A Most Memorable Evening… // Story: Rarity's Hearts and Hooves Daysaster // by Jatheus //------------------------------// “Alright then, Rarity,” she said into the air, “it’s time to go down there, by yourself, head held high. You just have to make an appearance. As soon as your friends see you, you can leave.” Taking a breath and filling herself with determination, the unicorn marched forward into the party area. Rarity mingled with the crowd but felt very much as if all eyes were on her. She knew this was only her imagination, but that fact didn’t serve to make it any less unnerving. The thought of anything sweet made Rarity feel ill, which was to be expected after the way she had raided her ice cream stores. As an alternative, the unicorn contented herself with some heart-shaped pretzels and hot tea. “Oh, Rarity, you look lovely!” Fluttershy said from the other side of the buffet table. “Why, thank you my dear,” the unicorn replied. “Something’s different… I have to ask, did you alter that dress since you last wore it?” Fluttershy nodded, “I thought it could use some lace.” “An excellent choice, I assure you!” “YEAH!” Bulk Biceps shouted, startling Fluttershy. Rarity smiled at them, her heart pounding after Bulk Biceps’ outburst, and continued to mingle. Now she just needed to find Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle, and then she could go. By the time she’d worked her way to the dance floor, the orchestra was taking a break, and Vinyl Scratch had begun working her musical magic with the much faster paced dance tunes. Rarity stood outside the rope line and looked in. Lyra and Bon Bon were absolutely ridiculous dancing together, but they were genuinely enjoying themselves. Before seeing anypony else she knew, Rarity spotted her parents on the other side, outside the dance floor. Her dad was dressed in a horrendous green suit with a yellow and blue checkered shirt underneath: most distasteful. Her mother wore a frilly white dress with no small amount of large gaudy red and pink hearts. Their gaze led her to the floor itself. Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane were dancing some kind of jig, but what really served to captivate the unicorn in the moment was spotting Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. The two little fillies were just beautiful in their dresses. Their dates were also well groomed, looking quite dapper. Rarity felt a smile creep across her face at the sight of them. This in turn brought back the sting that she had not been able to find a date. The weight of that sadness made her want to leave again. “Hey, Rarity!” Twilight Sparkle had come up on her left with Spike sitting on her back. She wore a simple pink dress with white frilly edges. It wasn’t elegant, but it suited the occasion. Spike wore a black tuxedo with a red cumber bun. Judging by Twilight’s labored breathing, it seemed that the pair of them had already been dancing. “Happy Hearts and Hooves Day,” Rarity replied, once again feigning cheerfulness. “Have you made it onto the dance floor yet?” the alicorn princess asked. “Oh, my no,” Rarity tried to sound bored at the idea of it, “I’m still dreadfully tired after that order I completed this morning.” Twilight smiled, “Well, Spike here has really taken to his lessons. He’s unstoppable out there.” Rarity raised an eyebrow, a bit amused at the thought. “You know it,” the little dragon puffed out his chest proudly. The unicorn let out a small giggle and said, “Now, that is something I should like to see.” Twilight smiled and replied, “Well, I’m worn out already. I was about to head to the buffet table.” “Another time, then,” Rarity said. “Why not now?” Spike suggested. “Spike, your date has already said she is tired. It would be rude of you to insist.” He looked at Twilight and asked, “Would you mind if I took Rarity out for a dance or two?” Twilight giggled and said, “Not at all.” Turning to Rarity, Spike made a little bow and said, “Lady Rarity, would you do me the honor of sharing this dance.” She didn’t really want to go onto the floor without a proper partner. It seemed rather pathetic to borrow somepony else’s date, but it would only serve to raise questions if she refused, and besides, he just looked so cute in his little tuxedo that she could hardly say no. “Alright,” she replied simply. The grin that overtook Spike’s face was adorable as he hopped down from Twilight Sparkle’s back. He led Rarity out onto the dance floor. The DJ put on something a little slower, but it was still upbeat. The unicorn was completely flabbergasted by the dance moves that Spike had learned. He did the medium tempo songs with ease. When the really fast music came, he took it in stride, even managing a flip or two with incredible coordination. Rarity, an accomplished dancer herself, may have never admitted it, but she was having trouble keeping up with the little dragon. When the orchestra returned, they began playing some much slower classical pieces, and Spike transitioned into them as if it were natural for him. It had begun as amusement to see him go, but then it was a challenge to keep up. Now, Rarity was genuinely having a good time. They moved in unison, her hoof in his claw, holding each other close. “Rarity,” the little dragon said wistfully. “What is it, Spike?” she asked. “I wish this could last forever.” Rarity felt herself blush at the compliment. Her mouth seeming suddenly dry, she finally said, “Oh, Spikey-wikey, you say the sweetest things!” “I mean it!” he asserted. “Maybe we can get Twilight to do a time spell or something.” Rarity giggled at the suggestion, “Well, if we weren’t certain that something dreadful would inevitably happen as a result…” “Oh, yeah,” he giggled. Becoming serious again, he added, “I guess we’ll just have to enjoy it while it lasts.” She was sure she felt herself blush once more. Rarity felt something she hadn’t expected to experience this night. She was genuinely flattered. He pulled her even closer and they continued dancing song after song. As the night wore on, some truly memorable things happened. Rainbow Dash, having accidentally torn her dress in some kind of over exuberant gyration, lent Thunderlane to Rarity for a few dances. He had a hard time recovering from that because he was laughing so hard. A seasoned athlete that knows how to prepare, the pegasus returned with another dress. Bulk Biceps and Fluttershy didn’t actually do much dancing, but they came out for the slow ones. It was funny to see how petrified that massive stallion was of dancing… or was it Fluttershy that made him so nervous? In any case, he moved very stiffly about the floor. On one of the faster songs, Twilight Sparkle had burst onto the floor with Rarity, Thunderlane, and Spike, and the four of them debased the art of dancing into complete silliness. At the buffet table, poor Scootaloo had accidentally laughed so hard at something Rumble said that punch came out her nose. Sweetie Belle helped her get cleaned up, but fortunately, the poor little pegasus wasn’t too traumatized. Rarity had seen them later, still dancing the night away, which is exactly what she ended up doing. As happens when one is enjoying oneself, time slips away, and hours pass as only moments gone. Before Rarity knew it, the festivities were ending, and the last notes of the final song echoed through the night. She was on the dance floor when it happened, one of the few remaining in fact. Probably two-thirds had already gone, and now the rest were leaving. “Wow, Rarity,” Twilight Sparkle said as she approached, “you are an amazing dancer.” Overcome by the perfection of the evening, Rarity lunged toward her and embraced the purple alicorn in a hug before recovering her sense of dignity and backing away. “Thank you for lending me Spike for the evening!” “Oh, it was no trouble,” Twilight said dismissively. “I just hope we didn’t keep you from your date too much.” Rarity giggled nervously, “Don’t be silly, dear! I always have time for my friends. Besides, your training paid off. Spike has become quite a fine dancer himself.” “Aww, shucks!” the dragon said with a blush. Twilight Sparkle chortled, “All right, Romeo, it’s past time for you to get to bed.” Spike let out a yawn, and it reminded Rarity just how tired she was. “Goodnight, Rarity,” the little dragon said, looking up at her. She smiled at him, then put her lips to his ear and softly said, “Thank you for a wonderful time.” As she began backing away, she planted a kiss on his cheek. Surprised by this, the little dragon went stiff for a moment, his arms and legs locking in position. The mares couldn’t help but laugh at his expression. It had immediately become astonishment and then melted into bliss as he let out a wistful sigh. “Goodnight, Rarity,” Twilight said with a smile. The princess magically levitated Spike onto her back. He was still awestruck. “Goodnight, Twilight,” Rarity said, filled with genuine joy from a perfect evening. She went back to her house at Carousel Boutique alone, the streets quickly growing quiet as everypony made their way to their respective homes. Now that she wasn’t dancing anymore, the cold night air made the unicorn shiver as she walked. It was somewhat odd to her that nopony seemed to have noticed her lack of a date. What was truly shocking was that she’d had such a good time, she had hardly noticed it herself. The next day, after a much needed morning at the spa, Rarity found herself in the Castle of Friendship again. She was in the library, and had pulled down a book, the cover of which was cracked and burned. She opened the friendship journal, quickly flipping through the pages that she and her friends had filled until she found the end of them. A gleam of tears could be seen in the unicorn’s eyes, and the warmth of joy still filled her heart. There, where the blank pages started, she began to write. ‘Last night I learned something new about relationships. I had been so caught up with my own preconceptions of what Hearts and Hooves Day was supposed to be that I had missed the point completely. It is about love, but not necessarily the romantic kind. I spent so much time trying to find a date so I would not appear to be alone that I had forgotten that. If I hadn’t been so caught up with appearances, I wouldn’t have worried myself so sick over something that nopony else cared about anyway. In the end, as long as you have good friends to stand, or sometimes dance, by your side, you really are in the presence of those who love you. And that is a magnificent place to be.’