Twilight watched as Rarity sipped from her teacup. She was talking about the new order she had received from Fancy Pants for a new dress design for Fleur’s birthday. Twilight noticed the shimmer in her eyes. It wasn’t the one that was normally there when she talked of fashion and designs. It didn’t hold the usual excitement in it. No, this one was more of pent up tears and a stone façade that was ready to break at just the right word.
Twilight knew the right word, too. “Rarity,” Twilight interrupted Rarity’s thoughts on whether or not to use gems on the dress with the whispered word. Rarity stopped midword, closing her mouth and looking deep into her tea. “How are things with Thunderlane?”
Rarity clenched her teeth together and shook her head. Twilight teleported next to Rarity, white hooves surrounding a purple neck nearly instantly. Rarity pressed her face into Twilight’s neck as she sobbed hard enough to shake them both. Twilight ran her hoof through Rarity’s mane, whispering soft words into the other mare’s ear.
Once Rarity was doing nothing more than sniffing, she pulled away. “What is wrong with me, Twilight?”
Twilight was shocked at her friend’s words. “Nothing. I’ve told you before. There is nothing wrong with you.”
“There must be something,” Rarity replied. "A stallion has never stayed with me long. I must be really horrible. I don’t know why you girls have kept me around. Don’t tell me there is nothing wrong, either. I used to believe you. But now…Twilight, they keep getting shorter. Do I focus too much on my shop? What's wrong with me?“
Two hooves wrapped around Rarity’s face as Twilight forced the white mare to face her. "There is nothing wrong with you. The stallions are just…”
“See, dear,” Rarity said. “You can’t even say there was anything wrong with them. Do you know Thunderlane is the fifth stallion I’ve dated since Winter Wrap Up alone?” A mirthless laugh escaped her throat. “Of course you do. You’re always the one who notices first. Of course, I do know what’s wrong with me. It is obvious, isn’t it? Blueblood was horrid, of course. But then there was Ace, Caramel, Baratone, Cherry Fizzy, and even All Aboard. It’s just me. No stallion wants me.”
Tears streamed silently down Rarity’s face. Twilight shook her head, tenderly wiping away the tears. “That isn’t true,” Twilight said softly. “You really don’t see the way stallions look at you, do you. You walk into a room and heads turn. Once somepony gets to know you, they can’t help but love you. I’ve never seen a pony more beautiful, outside or in. The problem with those stallions, Rare, is simple. They don’t know how to handle such beauty.”
A small smile spread across Rarity’s lips. “You always say the most wonderful things when I’m like this.” Despite her unsure tone, her eyes sparkled with a happiness.
Twilight simply smiled back. “I don’t say anything that isn’t true. The pony that catches you will be lucky indeed.”
A soothing quiet settled between the pair. Rarity returned to her tea. Twilight walked back to her seat. Rarity smiled again as she glanced at Twilight. “As I was saying, I simply cannot decide if I should use the topaz or leave them off.”