"Come on, honey," you say as you unbuckle Sonata's booster seat. She rolls her head over in the seat away from you, giving you a little whine like she's still trying to sleep. She's pretty much been unconscious since you brought her home from the hospital, which makes it a lot easier on the babysitter while you're at work. Adagio and Aria are waiting for you on the sidewalk, excited smiles on each of their faces.
"There we go. We'll get you back home soon." Sonata falls limp against you as soon as you pull her out of her booster seat, seemingly going back to sleep right there in your arms.
"Can we go in yet, Dad?" Aria asks.
You grab the bag with your suit in it and shut the car door behind you. "Just a second girls."
You walk up behind them, struggling to keep Sonata up against you with one arm. They both have big, goofy grins on their faces as you walk up the path to the elaborately-designed building in front of you.
"Do you think she'll make us dresses?" Aria says in an excited tone. Adagio's beaming grin turns into a sly smile at that one.
"Did you just say you actually wanted a dress?" Adagio asks.
Aria freezes up for a moment when she realizes what came out of her mouth. "What? N-no. I meant that..."
"Big, tough Aria actually said she wants a dress?" Adagio asks again, her sly smile growing even larger.
Aria forms a little blush on her face as she gets frustrated at her sister. "I did not!"
You adjust Sonata against your chest as you walk up the path with them. "Girls, I don't want you two fighting in here, okay?"
"Yes, sir." Adagio nods to you. Aria just crosses her arms and sticks her tongue out at her sister. You open the door and let them in before you, and they both immediately adopt their wide smiles again and run in. "Hey! Don't run either," you shout after them.
You roll your eyes and follow them in. "Aunt Rarity!" they both yell in unison.
Once you get over the overwhelming smell of expensive perfume, the odd lighting, and massive amounts of bright colors adorning the boutique, you look over to see Adagio and Aria running over to Rarity as fast as they could. Luckily, Rarity saw them in time to lean down and meet them for a hug before they latched onto her.
"Girls!" she says with a smile. "It's been such a long time. You two have gotten so big! Adagio, you look like a proper young lady now."
Aria's mouth drops open as Rarity looks over Adagio, giving her all of her attention. With a furrowed brow and crossed arms, Aria gives a little grunt, clearly wanting a compliment of her own. "And Aria, you've definitely grown as well. I can tell you'll be quite pretty when you grow up," Rarity says. Aria's frown changes to a smile at the compliment.
Rarity stands up and brings her eyes to you, or more specifically, to the sleeping Sonata in your arms. "How is Sonata doing?" Rarity asks with a gentle smile.
"She's fine. She's just been sick over the weekend and needs as much rest as she can get before she heads back to school," You say, making sure Sonata is still secure against you.
You place your bag on a counter behind Rarity, trading quick, greeting smiles before her eyes focus back on Sonata. "Oh, well I hope she gets well soon. Anyway, it's so good to see you after so long. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
You take a second to look over her. She doesn't seem to have aged a day since you got out of college, though out of everyone you knew she was always the most obsessed with her appearance, so you're not surprised. "I'm sure you've heard about Fluttershy's wedding."
"Of course. I'm helping her with the decorations. She actually wanted to have it in Canterlot just so all her friends could make it."
"It'd be nice to see her again. How many years has it been?"
Rarity let a reminiscent smile cross her face. "I don't even want to think about it. Too many, to say the least."
Aria and Adagio get bored of standing between the two of you, so they go off into the shop somewhere as they talk at each other. "Anyway," you start, "I just came by to get my suit fixed. Once I got it out I saw the buttons were coming loose and the pants were tearing around the zipper," you say as you put the bag on the table beside Rarity.
"Well, that shouldn't be a problem. Let's just see what we have to--" Rarity raises an eyebrow as she pulls the folded cloth out of the plastic bag. She lets out a scoff as she examines the fabric in her hands as if she just had to dig through the trash. "Where did you get such an appalling suit?"
You let out a quick chuckle at the display. Rarity hasn't changed a bit since the last time you saw her. "Probably some department store."
"How have I not made you a better one before now?" Rarity asks.
You let out another laugh and shake your head. It was never through of a lack of trying if your memory serves you correctly. It seemed like every other week she'd want to dress you up like a life-sized doll for her men's designs. That was a long time ago, though.
"I've never really needed a good one before now."
Rarity shakes her head as she shoves the suit back into the bag. "No, this simply won't do. I can't have Sunset's husband..." Rarity blinks a few times as she trails off. A remorseful expression crosses her face as she looks over to you. "I... I'm terribly sorry, darling. I didn't mean to--"
You raise up a free hand to stop her. "It's alright, Rarity. Besides, I don't really have the money to spend on a designer suit."
Rarity waves you off. "Ah. Think nothing of it, dear. I'd be happy to make you something within your price range. You're basically family anyway."
You don't know how many of these offers you've refused in the past--your closet used to be filled with various designs Rarity had given to Sunset--but this time you can't say you'd be opposed to it.
"Are you sure? Last time I heard you had two other stores to worry about. I don't want to eat up too much of your time."
Rarity rolled her eyes. "Oh, those stores basically run themselves. I just have to make new designs every so often and have the girls at my other boutiques make enough of them. Right now I really don't have much of anything to do." Rarity perks up with one of her old idea faces. "Oh! I could make something for the girls as well! I assume you want to bring them to the wedding too?"
When you first read the invitation, the nightmare of trying to control those three at a wedding flashed through your head, but you know how mad Adagio would be if you didn't at least take her along. You didn't even think of what they might wear, though. "That's a lot to ask of you, Rarity. I'm not sure if--"
"Nonsense, darling. I assure you, I really don't have anything else going on. It'll be fun. And I'm sure the girls would enjoy it as well."
Your mind rolls back to just a few moments ago, when even Aria was excited at the prospect of a new dress. "Well, if you insist."
An excited smile crosses Rarity's face. "Oh, it's settled, then! One brand new, dashing suit, and three adorable little dresses. I can't wait to get started," Rarity says with a little accentuating bounce.
You wince as you hear the crash of one of the mannequins behind you. You turn around to see Adagio and Aria standing around it, sheepish smiles on their faces. You let out a sigh. "Girls, please don't break things in Rarity's shop."
"Sorry, Dad," they both say in unison.
Rarity waves it off. "Oh, it's quite alright. Those mannequins are quite resilient; it'll take more than a few falls to break them."
You sigh as you watch them attempt to tip the mannequin back up, only to have it fall over in the opposite direction. Rarity covers her mouth with her hand and lets out a little giggle at the display; it happened way too close to the window for you to get any amusement out of it. "Anyway, thank you for the offer. How much do you think it might run me?"
Rarity waves you off. "You don't have to--"
"Rarity, I think my family has already cost you thousands, at least. I insist on paying you something," you say, thinking of the mountains of dresses she'd made for Sunset for free over the years.
Rarity clears her throat. "Well, um, we can certainly discuss it once you and the girls come in for some measurements. I'm sure they've grown quite a bit since the last time I made something for them."
"That sounds good. We can--" Another crash makes both you and Rarity wince. A few seconds later you hear a meek 'sorry, Dad' coming from the other side of the store. You sigh again. "Well, we can make a date for it. Right now I think I should get Sonata back home to rest up, and get Adagio and Aria out of here before they tear your shop down."
"Oh, really, it's nothing. I've been meaning to order some wider bases for them," she says with a gentle smile.
You look back at the two of them. "Let's go, girls. Meet me outside. I'll be out there in just a second."
Aria looks up at you and pouts from across the room. "But Dad, we haven't even gotten to play with Aunt Rarity yet," she says. Adagio looks a little disappointed herself but doesn't say anything.
"Maybe some other time, honey. I'm sure Rarity has a lot of work to do today."
Rarity walks over to them and kneels down, putting a hand on each of the girls' shoulders. "I'm afraid he's right, girls. I wouldn't want our time together to be too brief, so it'd be better if we set a whole day aside for it, don't you think?"
Aria and Adagio smile at that. "Yeah!" Aria says, followed by weak "Yes, ma'am" from Adagio.
"Wait out by the car, you two. I'll be done with Rarity in a minute." They both nod to you and head out the door, leaving you and Rarity alone, or with a sleeping Sonata and a tipped over mannequin at least.
"Well it was nice talking with you again, Rarity. I'll be sure to call you and set up a day to get the measurements and everything," you say as you turn around to grab your suit.
Rarity adopts an uneasy expression, looking to the floor for a moment as if going over something in her head. "Could you wait for a moment, dear? There's something I want to talk to you about."
You adjust Sonata against your chest and turn back to face her. "Sure. What is it?"
Rarity lets out a sigh. "I know things may not have been easy these past couple of years, but I just want you to know that just because..." Rarity looks over at Sonata for a moment. "...just because she's gone, you shouldn't feel like you aren't welcome here."
Your friendly smile fades at the thought of her. "I know, Rarity. It's just, things have been busy, having to deal with everything myself. I haven't really thought about bringing the girls over. If you don't mind I'm sure the babysitter could use the break."
Rarity, let's out another soft sigh, looking away from you a bit disappointed. "I'm sure. If you ever need anything--"
"Of course. You'll be the first person I'll call."
Rarity reaches forward and moves Sonata's hair out of her face to get a better look at her. "It's been such a long time since I've really seen them. If you ever need some time to yourself, I'd be happy to look after them for a while."
You give Rarity a smile. "I'll be sure to." You look through the glass to see Aria with her hands on her hips and a sly smile on her face as she says something to Adagio. Better get out there before that argument gets too heated. "I really should get going, Rarity. See you later, alright?"
"Right. Well, you have my number. I look forward to seeing you again soon," she says with an odd smile. She looks like she wants something else, but you don't really have the time to ask her about it. You nod to her and walk out the door, adjusting Sonata yet again since you have to carry your suit in your other hand.
You shake your head once you see Aria's trademark, irritated glare. "I don't care if pigtails aren't cute. At least they aren't a rats nest like your hair is."
Adagio glares right back. "Just because my hair is curly doesn't mean it's a rats nest!" she shoots back.
"Girls. How about a quiet trip back home without any fighting?" you say as you open up the door to your car and put Sonata back in her car seat.
"But Adagio said my hair looked stupid!" Aria says.
Adagio scoffs. "I didn't say it like that, and you started it."
You motion for them to get in the car. "I don't care who started it, just stop it, okay?"
"Yes, sir," Adagio says.
Aria sticks her tongue out at her sister, eliciting an eye roll from Adagio.
"Aria..." you say, holding the door open for her with a stern look.
"Fine." You shut the door behind her as she gets in. What were you going to do with that girl? You ponder the various ways you might get her to start using "sir" and stop getting into trouble as you climb back into the car and head home.
The rest of the night went on to be pretty uneventful. You set Sonata down to sleep, and thankfully it felt like her fever was finally dying down. You expect you could send her back to school pretty soon, much to her dismay. Aria and Adagio went off to their rooms for the night, leaving you alone in the living room to stare at the blank tv and think about that bottle of whiskey calling your name above the fridge.
Just before you decide to have a shot before going to sleep, the doorbell rings, breaking you out of your thoughts as you wonder just who would bother coming over this late at night. Your eyes shoot upstairs at Sonata's room once you realize it might've woken her up. After a few tense moments, you let out a sigh at the comforting silence. You get up to answer the door, expecting to grumble at some neighborhood teenagers trying to give you a hard time.
Instead, you open the door to Rarity, who is staring patiently at the door frame when you greet her.
You blink a few times to make sure your eyes aren't deceiving you. Rarity looks like she's ready to head out to a fancy party with her smooth, black, designer dress clinging to her features, but really, you couldn't imagine a time when she wasn't.
"Rarity, this is a... nice surprise," you say, smoothing out your wrinkled shirt.
"I'm sorry for the late-night intrusion, dear. May I come in?"
"Oh, of course."
You step aside to let her in, and she brings a hand up to her mouth with some sudden dismay. "Oh, I really should have knocked instead. I didn't wake the girls, did I?"
"Well, their bed time has been extended a bit since the last time you were over, and I didn't hear Sonata wake up, so you should be fine," you say with a smile.
Rarity waits for a moment, surveying the living room in kitchen as you wait for her to say something. "I know this isn't the best hour for an impromptu visit like this, but I just felt..."
"Don't worry about it, Rarity. Was there something you needed? I didn't leave anything at the shop, did I?"
"No, nothing like that," Rarity says, pursing her lips with a sudden thought. "I just wanted to speak to you about something. Is it alright if we head up to your room?"
You raise an eyebrow. That's a bit of an odd request. The overtly male thought process of your brain jumps to a few quick conclusions, but you brush them off. "Sure, I guess."
Rarity doesn't say anything. She heads up the stairs as you follow. She knows where she's going. She's been around this house a million times with Sunset, and it's not like you've done anything major in the last two years. Once you get inside your room, Rarity shuts the door behind her and sits down on the bed. You cough awkwardly as she looks around the room at the dozens of pictures of your wife hanging up around the room.
"Look, I came over because I knew you wouldn't have invited me over any time soon. I think we should talk."
You raise an eyebrow at her. "Abou--"
"About Sunset," she says.
Your heart sinks at the sound of her name. You look down to the floor and away from Rarity. "I don't think that's necessary."
"I do," Rarity says sternly as she gets up off the bed and stands in front of you.
"Look, Rarity. I appreciate you dropping by, but it's getting late and I have to work tomorrow, so I think you shou--"
"She loved you more than anything in the world," Rarity says, making your breath catch in your throat. "Every time she'd come over to the boutique, all she'd ever talk about were you and the girls.
"Where you went out to eat that weekend, all those fancy vacations you promised her, every odd thing you two did in... here," Rarity says, with a roll of her eyes and a reminiscent smile. "It never stopped. It was like gossiping about her high school sweetheart every time I saw her. She was borderline obsessed, darling."
You fight back the lump in your throat as you watch her talk. You want to tell her to leave, that you don't need this tonight, but some part of you just makes you sit there and listen.
Rarity lets out a sigh and drops her gaze away from you and back towards all of the pictures you have up. "It was the sweetest thing I'd ever seen. I only wish I might someday I might have a relationship like that. As much as I wanted to shake her until she changed the subject sometimes, it made me happy knowing she found that fulfilling life she'd always been looking for."
Rarity walks over to the nightstand and picks up a picture of you and Sunset from back in college, on some spring break trip to a beach. You know that picture, and all of them, really, too well. You lose yourself in the smile on her face on quiet nights with nothing else to do, kinda like Rarity is doing now. "The rest of the girls and I never really thought you two would last. I mean, with how much time you spent with each other, you'd have to get sick of it eventually, right? I was happy to be wrong, though. I'd never seen a brighter smile on her face than the day you two got married." Rarity sets the picture back down and looks around the room, presumably for one of your wedding photos.
Once she finds one perched on a shelf, she walks closer to it and admires it. "You made her happier than I ever could, dear. I just want you to know that she treasured every second she had with you."
You clear your throat to try to push that lump away. It didn't work. "Why are you telling me this?" you say, trying to keep your voice from cracking. You can feel your eyes start to water as you imagine Sunset gushing to Rarity about you and the girls.
Rarity's eyes drift down to the floor, then back up to you. Her eyes are glistening in your bedroom light. She wipes one of her eyes quickly and covertly, trying to give you a smile despite the feelings passing through both of you. "It's been two years and I still think about her every day. She was my best friend for so long that I... I... I just don't want to forget her."
You close your eyes tightly for a moment, your mind flashing back to that moment with Cheerilee. "I don't see how anyone ever could."
"Back in the boutique today, I realized how long it had been since I'd even said her name. It's been months since I've even visited her grave. I know I still think about her, but it... hurt... to think she might just be slowly phased out of my life like that," Rarity says, trying to keep her composure. You can hear the hurt slowly peeking its way through her voice, and her eyeliner is already starting to stain her face a little bit.
Rarity clears her throat, then straightens herself up to meet your eye again. "I know it's been two years, and I'm sure you have your reasons for not seeing me--"
"Rarity, it's not like that."
Rarity holds up a hand to stop you. "I'm sure it's nothing malicious, dear. Busy with work, the girls, life, etcetera, but it's just been difficult not having such a close friend in my life any longer. Every time I talk to one of the girls from our old group of friends, or make a cup of that jasmine tea she loved so much, I..." finally, the first tear runs down Rarity's cheek, prompting another quick run of her sleeve across her face and a quick clearing of her throat to try and keep her composure. "I know how selfish this is going to sound, dear, and feel free to say no..."
"Rarity, anything you need..."
Rarity lets out a quick laugh. "I should be the one telling you that, darling. Anyway, with all of the girls moved off and living their own lives, I... I just need a friend. Someone that I can remember my best friend with." Rarity fiddles nervouslly with one of the pictures on the shelf. "Who better than her husband?" she says with an anxious smile.
You blink a few times, since you're not sure what to say to her.
The silence makes Rarity drop her eyes away from you and stammer for a moment. "I'm not asking for you to move in with me or anything. I just wanted someone to... hang out with, as it were. Do you think we could do that?" Rarity asks, looking back up to you with a hopeful smile on her face.
"Yeah, we could spend some time together," you say, finally pushing away that lump in your throat. "I know the girls would love to have you around more often. They've really missed you, if today is any indication."
"Yes, it's been too long since I've had my mannequins tipped over from a few little girls running around my shop," Rarity says with a playful giggle. She lets out a relieved sigh and takes another look around your room. "Well that certainly takes a load off of my mind. You wouldn't believe how often I hear 'I'm just really busy right now' or 'Maybe some other time'. The only people I really speak to anymore are uptight designers and the girls that work for me. A lady can get awfully dull with no real friends to talk to."
Her words hang in the air for a moment as the two of you search for something to say. Rarity looks over her shoulder to your closet and decides to open the door and lean on the frame after she flicks on the light. "You never got rid of them, did you?"
You walk up behind her and trace her eyes to the dozens of colorful dresses she'd made for Sunset. "It doesn't feel right taking them down."
"I know what you mean. I still have a pending order for a blue dress in her name. I can't bring myself to delete it..." Rarity takes a moment to let out another sigh, then turns around and looks up at you with a determined glare. "Promise me you'll actually do something with me."
You give her a smile at that cute, indignant expression. You can tell that these last two years have been just as lonely for her as they have been for you. You pull her close to you for a quick hug. "I promise, Rarity. I have the day off on Monday. You free?"
"Sounds like a date," Rarity says as she settles into you for a moment. She quickly realizes what she said, however, then pulls back and looks up to you with a sudden blush on her face. "Not that I'm asking you out or anything... I just wanted to--"
You let out a quick chuckle. "It's alright, Rarity. It'd be nice to have some fun with an old friend again."
Rarity settles back into the hug and wraps her arms around you. "That's just what I wanted to hear."