RariJack - The Compilation of Prompts

by Titanium Dragon

78. Beautiful - by Astrarian

Astrarian

Beautiful

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Applejack didn’t deal in sudden changes. Things changed slowly. Some ponies thought that leaves budded or crops sprouted overnight – she’d run across them from time to time marveling over the sudden bloom of greenery in spring, tourists who’d obviously never participated in an honest, hardworking, hooves-in-the-dirt Winter Wrap Up. It was always worst when it was an earth pony from Manehattan, because it was hard to believe any earth pony could think life sprang out of the ground fully formed, as if it was made by unicorn magic rather than nurtured by earth magic, over time and with plenty of unseen effort.

But she couldn’t remember any gradual changes that had led to thinking Rarity was beautiful. It felt like it happened all in one moment, and it frustrated her because that was clearly a load of horseapples: ponies didn’t just find something beautiful when they hadn’t a minute earlier.

Of course she’d always known that Rarity was beautiful, in one sense, because all ponies were beautiful. Beauty had nothing to do with lookin’ good under a spotlight. External appearances didn’t matter, unless said appearance was a healthy, ripe apple, which told you everything you needed to know about the flesh inside.

But the first time she felt beauty could have something to do with looks as well as heart was – in Rarity’s words – certainly the unlikeliest of circumstances. Applejack herself was holding a posture, which she’d basically sworn she’d never do again after hightailin’ it out of Manehattan so many years ago. Rarity, meanwhile, was hollerin’ about repulsive filth on her hooves, by which she meant mud, though o’course it was typical that she couldn’t just say it.

Rarity’s attitude to dirt had downright infuriated her in the beginning of their friendship. Months later she could still hardly believe that anypony cared so much about something that washed off so easily. Maybe it said something funny about her that the moment Rarity looked certifiably worse than ever, covered in mud, was the moment when Applejack first found her beautiful. Or maybe it just made sense, because she wasn’t all gussied up… but Applejack had seen her like that before, without such a reaction.

She felt pride that Rarity had snapped out of her infatuation, and a bit of satisfaction that she’d helped her to do so. Happiness at seeing Rarity back to herself, even though that meant screaming about meaningless stains.

She felt all of those things, and she also felt a noticeable clench down in the very pit of her body. It was new to her, in a flash in the pan, unimportant way that didn’t matter the way reassuring Rarity and getting rid of Trenderhoof mattered.

She felt it again later though. Afterwards at the festival, Rarity was, well… a rarity, radiant thanks to a sparkle in her eyes as well as the sparkling gems on her gown. Nothing made a beautiful dress stand out like a beautiful mare wearing it – and maybe the knowledge of how terrible said mare looked while out of her mind in ill-fitting dungarees.

She’d remembered that, chuckling, and recalled all the earlier feelings, still chuckling, and then thought: Rarity’s beautiful. And she felt that tingle beyond her stomach again, and stopped laughing.

Applejack had made Rarity into a better pony, who felt able to stay true to herself, and didn't turn her nose up at mud and physical labour quite so much anymore. But Rarity had made Applejack into a better pony too, one who could love the pony Rarity actually was, rather than the pony Applejack had often wished she was. And that pony was beautiful, in dungarees or in a dress.

They’d changed each other...

For one thing, Rarity had changed her from a pony who’d always thought that feeling an attraction to somepony based on looks was impossible, into one that now knew it wasn’t, because it had just happened to her.

That sudden change to a lot of important outlooks, and the questions it raised, wasn’t something Applejack felt like dealing with right then. Or maybe ever. She grabbed a drink, wide-eyed, and went looking for Rainbow Dash, who was definitely not beautiful.

Hopefully she wasn’t, anyway.

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Next prompt: Gaffe

Comments

[Mojo12]

Wow, the prompt thread just resurrected itself, lets hope it stays that way.

[Titanium Dragon]

6784696
That it did. No objections here.

[Astrarian]

I would just like to say that my username has an r in it...

6784696 I hope the thread keeps going too. This was my first time trying a prompt, but I'd like to keep playing!

[Titanium Dragon]

6785099
Fixed!

[Hobbestc]

Yup, we need more Rarijack. Happy to see these popping up again.

[Titanium Dragon]

6785099
Incidentally, well done on this one.