Stars and Diamonds

"Oh, hello, Rarity. What brings you here?" Twilight Sparkle glanced up from her thick, musty tome and stared perplexedly at her unicorn friend, carefully removing a pair of reading glasses from her muzzle.

Rarity jumped and shut the library door behind her with a guilty smile. "Oh, I'm sorry, dear. I didn't mean to disturb you from your reading, I just came over to borrow a book and Spike assured me that you wouldn't be bothered."

The alicorn frowned - her dragon assistant was supposed to be keeping out visitors during Twilight's reading time - but her eyes quickly softened. Twilight could always make time for her friends, particularly Rarity.

Wait, why did I just think 'particularly Rarity'? I love all my friends... I don't have favorites... I'm the Princess of Friendship, for crying out loud! Favoritism is impossible!

Flustered, Twilight closed her book with a snap and nudged it over to the far end of the table, where it joined the sixteen other books that Twilight had managed to read in the past hour. "Uh, d-don't worry about it," she stammered. "I wasn't reading anything important anyway, just some basic ichthyology."

"Erm, yes. Basic ich... thingyology. Quite." Rarity stepped further into Twilight's library, noting with approval the neatly organized bookshelves that ringed the room, and trotted over to Twilight's chair. "You know, darling, those reading glasses looked simply fabulous on you. They really hint at your inner academician."

Twilight felt a goofy grin spreading across her face. Hearing her friends use such big words was a rare treat, and for some reason, Twilight found it incredibly adorable. Although that could have just been the twinkle in Rarity's resplendent sapphire eyes...

What's wrong with me today? I'm not behaving professionally at all. Rarity came here looking for a librarian, after all.

The alicorn shook her head hastily and cleared her throat. "Thank you," she replied primly. "Now, what book may I help you find?"

"Ah, yes. To business. I'm looking for Neighton's Principa -"

"You read Neighton?!" To hay with professionalism. Twilight had just discovered a fellow aspiring scientist, and it happened to be one of her best friends! "Oh my Celsestia! Have you done an in-depth analysis of his differential and integral calculus yet? I wrote a research paper on that for Princess Celestia a while back. It was my favorite assignment to date!"

The alabaster unicorn cracked a sheepish smile. "Sorry to burst your bubble, dear, but it's not for me. My father asked me to mail him a copy - to be returned, of course - because the copy at his local library seems to have mysteriously vanished."

Twilight flushed violently. "Erm, I may or may not have had an irrational panic attack a few weeks ago... and been completely convinced that every copy of Principa was going to be burnt by nonbelievers... and had all the copies in Equestria brought to my library for safekeeping..."

Rarity stared at Twilight in bewilderment for a second and then burst out laughing. "Oh, Twilight, you are a hoot," she giggled, wrapping a warm hoof around the alicorn's back. "Only you would do something like that."

The alicorn's flush deepened as she felt her wings slowly begin to flare out beneath Rarity's embrace. Oh, no no no no no! I don't want her to think I'm being stimulated somehow... because that's definitely not happening... my wings are just abnormally sensitive! Right?

With a supreme effort of will, Twilight forced her wings to her sides and reached up to pat Rarity awkwardly on the shoulder. "Um, you're probably right... let me just get that book for you... heh..." Desperate for an excuse to get out of the current situation, Twilight wiggled out from under Rarity's forelegs and skittered away. Her wings twitched again, but she forced herself to act normal. Bad wings. Stay down. Knowing instinctively where the book that Rarity had requested was located, she used her horn to levitate it down into Rarity's waiting hooves. "There you are. One copy of Principa, to be returned in three weeks... although I could let you have it for a little longer so that you can read it yourself before you send it off to your dad?" She smiled hopefully. "It would be lovely to have a conversation partner."

Rarity eyed the five hundred page book dubiously. "... Quite. Well, thank you, darling. I'm sorry I took you away from your book, but I'll let you get back to it now. I should be back at the Boutique before sundown, anyway. Oh, and I suggest returning the rest of the copies that you stole."

"I didn't steal them," Twilight protested, hurt. "I'm just trying to safeguard them in the name of academics!"

Rarity shrugged. "Semantics, dear." She flashed Twilight a parting smile, tossing her rich purple mane, and headed for the door.

The alicorn followed Rarity with her eyes as she walked daintily away, her ivory hooves kicking gentle swirls of dust motes into the air, her coiffed curls rippling around her shapely neck. Twilight knew that she was missing something here; feeling some emotion that she couldn't quite put her hoof on. She didn't know what she was feeling, but she did know that she didn't want Rarity to leave just yet. She wanted to hear Rarity's melodious, cultured accent float on the breeze as she described the latest fashions from Manehatten with the droll humor that only she was capable of.
She wanted to see Rarity's pearly smile and flashing blue eyes fringed by those graceful long lashes; she wanted to hug her and talk to her about trivial things while watching her out of the corner of her eye and pretending that she wasn't watching her.

Just, y'know, normal friend stuff, right?

Not giving herself a chance to hesitate, the lavender unicorn nervously stepped forwards. "Wait," she blurted out. "Rarity, I know you're really busy with your boutique, but... do you want to hang out for a bit tonight? I don't get to see you much outside of our time with the girls anymore, and I miss spending time with you. We could pick up some food and then watch the sunset and go stargazing. There are some amazing constellations I want to show you, you'd love it, it's so pretty out there with the night sky and the moon and-"

Rarity placed a tender hoof over Twilight's mouth, her eyes dancing with amusement. "Twilight, darling, you don't have to try to convince me. I was ready to say yes the moment you asked. Of course I'll come with you! It sounds simply divine."

Her genuinely warm smile almost reduced Twilight to a stammering puddle. She hadn't even realized that she'd been rambling - she'd just been so worried that Rarity would say no that her first instinct had been to keep talking until she said yes. That has basically been her tactic throughout her entire time as Celestia's student. It had annoyed the Princess to no end, but hey, it worked! "Y-you mean you don't have stuff to do at the boutique?" she stuttered, feeling unreasonably relieved. "No dresses to make or customers to tend to?"

Rarity waved an airy hoof. "Pish-posh! Friends are more important. Besides, when I don't come back, Sweetie Belle should realize I'm staying out late and put the 'closed' sign on the door." Her smile faltered a little. "Hopefully. Anyway, we should probably get going if we plan on watching the sunset." Her horn flared with magic as she used it to levitate her book onto a nearby table. "I can come back to pick this up later."

If it means we can spend more time together, then sure. "Of course," Twilight answered instead, beaming broadly.

Rarity narrowed her eyes. "Twilight, are you alright? You're smiling wider than Opal when she gets her little claws on one of my dresses."

Twilight laughed out loud. For some reason, Rarity was seeming extra funny tonight. "I'm fine! Totally fine! Just happy to be spending time with you, that's all."

"Awwww," the unicorn cooed, leaning forward to nuzzle her friend's forehead. "Aren't you just adorable?"

Twilight froze. Adorable. Starswirl's beard, she just called me adorable.

If Twilight had been left to her own devices, she could have stayed where she was until the end of time, replaying that moment in her head over and over again, but fortunately Rarity hooked a hoof around her elbow and dragged her out of the room before that could happen. Twilight stumbled alongside her with a slightly dreamy grin, but inwardly her mind was racing. What's happening to me?! I haven't read about this in any of my books... my brain feels like Jell-O! This was a little bit frightening for one so intelligent, but Twilight's gut instincts were telling her to just go with the flow, and as Rainbow Dash would say, "Your gut doesn't lie, unless you've been eating cheese before bed."

Rarity and Twilight breezed out of the castle and trotted down the front steps. By now, Twilight had recovered enough of her considerable wits to strike up a conversation, and the two of them had just entered into a passionate dialogue about the latest theater productions in Canterlot when they bumped into Fluttershy. "Oh, Fluttershy, darling!" Rarity exclaimed with a squeal of delight, stopping in her tracks and throwing her free hoof around her pegasus friend's back. "Fancy meeting you here!"

"Oh, um, hello, Rarity," the pegasus replied timidly, giving her best friend a soft smile. "Hello, Twilight." Her eyes brightened as she noticed the two of them standing hoof in hoof. "Oooh, are you going on a -"

"Yes, a stargazing trip!" Twilight cut in obliviously, her eyes shining. "We're going to get some food and go watch the sky for a while. It's going to be great!"

"Oh..." Fluttershy shrank back. "That's not what I was going to say, but, um, okay." I guess the two of them still haven't figured it out. Maybe I should give them a little nudge in the right direction. Fluttershy twisted her head around and gave a coarse brown knapsack slung over her back a gentle nip to open it. She closed her mouth around a couple of flowers and gently tugged them out. "I went flower-picking in the fields today," she explained in a slightly muffled voice. "I thought you might like some." She hoofed a pale flower with a deep purple center over to Twilight and a pink and lavender one over to Rarity, and then stood waiting with bated breath. Come on... figure it out... look at the colors...

"This flower is going to look wonderful on me," Rarity gushed. "Thank you ever so much."

"Yeah, thanks!" Twilight agreed with a kind smile. "This flower will look great in my... um... mane?" Not wanting to appear ungrateful, the alicorn tucked the flower behind her ear and offered the butter yellow pegasus a feeble grin. "See?"

Disappointment clouded in Fluttershy's eyes as the two of them completely missed her hint, but she quickly masked it beneath a murmur of admiration. "You both look wonderful."

"You're too kind," Rarity chided her teasingly, although Fluttershy noticed that her lips were curled in a tiny smile. "Anyway, the two of us had better be off, or we'll miss the sunset. Fluttershy, darling, I expect to see you at the spa tomorrow, do you hear me? I don't care which one of your animals is misbehaving; it's been far too long since we've had a spa date."

"Yes, Rarity," Fluttershy responded meekly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Twilight and Rarity waved and strolled off, leaving Fluttershy behind to stare at their receding forms in bewilderment. I don't want to be mean, but... how are they not realizing how perfect they are for each other? Even some of Fluttershy's animals were better at expressing their emotions to each other than those two were.

Shaking her head in pity, the shy young pegasus began to plod down the road in the opposite direction, her petite form hunched beneath the weight of her flower-filled sack. She needed to get back to her cottage and make Angel Bunny his flower salad before he threw a temper tantrum and started banging metal pots together until Fluttershy acquiesced to his demands.

***

Rarity and Twilight strolled through the Ponyville Marketplace with no particular destination in mind, looking for a place to pick up some food. Twilight's eyes settled upon a familiar orange Earth pony manning her apple stand, and she waved and trotted forwards, calling out a convivial greeting. "Hey, Applejack! Hey Dashie! Wait - Rainbow Dash?" She stopped in her tracks as her gaze fell on Applejack's marefriend, a lithe azure pegasus floating above the stall and holding an advertising sign. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, don't look so surprised," Rainbow fired back as Applejack chuckled below her. "I can help out my marefriend sometimes!"

"Don' let her fool ya," Applejack snorted, crossing her elbows on the counter. "She's only here 'cause Ah bribed her with cider."

"That's not true! I -"

"Alraght, hush up, sugarcube." Applejack ignored the pegasus fuming above her head. "No arguin' in front of our friends, y'hear? Now, what can Ah help y'all with?" she finished, turning to Rarity and Twilight and giving them a bright smile, her honest grass-green eyes gleaming with warmth.

"Well, Twilight and I are going stargazing, and we thought we might like to get some food first," Rarity exclaimed, her piercing sapphire gaze roving over Applejack's wares. "And I must say -"

"Wait. You're going stargazing?" Rainbow interrupted, oblivious to Rarity's annoyance. "As in, just the two of you? Together?"

"Yes, I think that's what 'Twilight and I are going stargazing' means," Twilight commented dryly.

Open-mouthed, Rainbow flapped down to the ground and folded her slightly ruffled wings to her sides. "Does that mean you two are finally -"

Applejack lunged forwards, her powerful body rippling with muscles, and clamped a hoof over her big-mouthed marefriend's muzzle as Rarity and Twilight watched perplexedly. "Finally spendin' some time t'gether outside of all our group meetin's!" she exclaimed loudly, trying to cover up Dash's muffled shouts of protest. "Yep, that's all she meant... heh..." She shot Rainbow a death glare, knowing that the two of them were intimate enough to be able to communicate by eye contact. What in th' hay do ya think yore doin'? Ya crazy pegasus, we can't go jumpin' t' conclusions! We don' know they're datin'!

Well, they should be! Rainbow's eyes flickered with irritation. Now can you let go of my mouth? Without waiting for a response, she mischievously swiped her tongue over Applejack's hoof. The Earth pony huffed with disgust and gave Rainbow a sharp swat on the flank with her tail before seeming to remember that they had an audience. "Oh, right. Uh, sorry 'bout mah idiot marefriend..."

"Hey!" the pegasus screeched, tossing her polychromatic mane in irritation and sticking her tongue out at AJ. "I'm not an idiot! I'm awesome!"

Rarity giggled. "You don't need to tell us, dear. We know."

Appearing slightly mollified, the pegasus shot one final glare at Applejack and turned back to her friends. "So. Going on a stargazing trip, huh? Me and AJ did that a while back. It's a pretty, you know, romantic thing to do... for a couple of ponies..."

Groaning, Applejack tipped her Stetson lower over her forehead in embarrassment at her marefriend's not-so-subtle comments. Fortunately, though, neither Rarity nor Twilight noticed anything out of the ordinary. "Well, um, I'm glad you two had fun," Twilight answered uncertainly, unsure as to why Rainbow had bothered telling her that. "Now do you think Rarity and I could get some food? I don't want to miss the sunset."

Applejack jumped back into action. This was her area of expertise. "Shore thing. What can Ah get y'all?"

"I'll take an apple and daisy sandwich, please," Rarity replied, pointing to the stack of sandwiches by Applejack's left hoof.

"Me too," Twilight said, without really thinking about it. If Rarity was getting it, then it was sure to be amazing.

Applejack's muzzle quirked in a smile and she flashed Rainbow a quick wink. Twilight's orderin' th' exact same things as Rarity. If she ain't head-over-heels in love with her, Ah'll eat my hat. Rather than expressing her thoughts aloud, she gently nudged the sandwiches into a paper bag and hoofed them over to Twilight. "There ya are."

"Oh, dear. I don't have any money with me," Rarity realized. "How much do I owe you?"

"4.52 bits," Twilight responded casually, having already calculated the price (plus tax!) in her head at lightning speed, as per usual. "But don't worry about it. I can teleport back to the library to pick up some bits." She was mildly annoyed at herself for forgetting to bring them in the first place. She was slipping up. Or maybe she was just deeply distracted by a certain fashionista unicorn.

"Oh no, darling, it would be très gauche for a lady to let her companion pay!" Rarity looked scandalized.

"So you're saying Twilight's not a lady?" Rainbow quipped devilishly.

The unicorn flushed bright red. "N-no, that's not what I meant at all! I was simply trying to -"

"Alraght, y'all are bein' ridiculous," Applejack interrupted firmly, having finally had enough. "Rarity, Twilight, there's no way Ah'm lettin' ya pay. This is yore special night out. Go on an' enjoy it."

"But Applejack -" Twilight began.

"Nope. Ah ain't hearin' it. Seein' mah friends happy is payment enough."

There was no arguing with the cowpony when she was in a mood like this - or ever, really - so Twilight and Rarity were forced to subside. "Well, thank you, Applejack," Rarity sighed, clearly feeling guilty but knowing better then to keep pushing the issue. "You're a dear."

Twilight chimed in with her thanks, but she was inwardly musing over Rarity's generosity. Most ponies thought that generosity meant sharing and altruism, but being around Rarity had taught Twilight that it could mean learning to let others have their way, too. Rarity had truly mastered generosity in all of its forms, and it was one of the things that Twilight loved about her.

But I love Applejack's honesty too! And Rainbow's loyalty... why am I singling out Rarity? Again?

"Twilight? Y'alright?" Applejack prodded her chest gently. "Ya look more distracted 'n Dash here usually does." Her marefriend gave her an annoyed shove, which she bore with a good-natured chuckle.

Twilight jolted out her reverie. "Oh! Yeah. I'm fine. I was just, um, admiring the sandwiches. They look amazing."

"Awww, shucks. Yore makin' me blush." Her cheeks tinged pink, Applejck doffed her hat to her friends with a broad grin. "Now go off an' enjoy yore evenin'!"

As Rarity bestowed a theatrical wave of farewell upon the competitive couple and headed off with Twilight in tow, Rainbow spun around to face her marefriend with her eyes wide. "Can you believe them?! They're completely blind! They are literally perfect for each other!"

"Don' Ah know it, sugarcube," Applejack sighed. "But it ain't our place t' tell 'em. Ah know Twi's got a crush on Rares somethin' awful, but Ah don' know if Rares feels th' same way, so we can't risk ruinin' their friendship by slippin' hints an' whatnot. 'T'aint right."

Dash twisted her lips into a pout. "I know, I know. I just... I really want them to be happy together. I know they would be perfect. I just know it."

"Me too, honey. But jus' let 'em figure it out for 'emselves, alraght?"

She let out a frustrated sigh. "Yeah, but... ugh, why can't they just figure it out sooner?!"

AJ scoffed. "This comin' from a certain blue pegasus Ah know who took two years t' tell me she loved me, an' another two t' actually ask me out?"

"Yeah, yeah, point taken," Rainbow fired back, rolling her eyes affectionately. "I just wish they would hurry the hay up and get together, that's all."

A sly smirk curled over the farmpony's muzzle. "Ah'll bet ya ten bits they git t'gether b'fore this evenin's over." She spat on her hoof and held it out to her marefriend.

Unable to resist the challenge, Rainbow spat on her hoof and smacked it against Applejack's, completing their special hoofshake. "Deal. You're so gonna lose. What makes you think something's gonna happen on tonight, of all nights?"

Applejack tipped her hat to an approaching customer, wiping her choppy golden locks with her other hoof, and shot Rainbow Dash a sideways smile. "Jus' a hunch, R. D. Jus' a hunch."

***

"What do you think about stopping at Sugarcube Corner to pick up some cupcakes?" Rarity asked Twilight. "I know I've been trying to diet, but... one simply must have some dessert in one's life, I think."

"We still don't have money," Twilight pointed out.

"Psssh. Pinkie Pie owes me a favor from yesterday... and tonight will be the perfect night to call it in."

"What did you do for her?" Twilight inquired with interest.

She let out a rather unladylike snort of laughter. "I agreed to make miniature dresses for a batch of cupcakes."

"What?! That makes no sense! Why in Equestria would she have you do that?"

"This is Pinkie we're talking about. Who knows why she does anything?"

"True," Twilight conceded. "You know, last time I saw her, she gave me a cupcake and told me it was cupcake flavor. Cupcake flavor."

Rarity held a dainty hoof to her mouth to stifle her laughter, and Twilight found herself grinning foolishly and unable to stop. I made her laugh! I made her laugh!

Turning her head to hide the jubilation that she was sure must be shining in her eyes, Twilight increased her pace in order to fall into step with Rarity. Then, as unobtrusively as possible, she turned it back again so that she could watch the alabaster unicorn out of the corner of her eye. I don't know why she looks so pretty today. I mean, she always looks pretty, but... this is different. Does her mane always look so... perfect? That flower from Fluttershy makes her look so cute... Are her eyes always so gleamy? And her flank...

Twilight's eyes widened as said flank accidentally brushed against her wings and they flared out, feathers bristling. With a barely stifled yelp and a great deal of effort, she snapped them back to her sides, blushing profusely. What was the deal with those wings today, honestly? This was a whole new level of sensitive.

It seemed that Twilight's instinctive reaction had not gone unnoticed. Rarity glanced over and arched a thin, perfectly angled eyebrow. "Twilight? Are you -"

"Oh, look, Sugarcube Corner! We're there! How lucky! Haha... um..." Twilight darted forwards and nuzzled open the door to the bakery, standing aside to let Rarity in. Twilight sighed with relief and wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead as Rarity shrugged and trotted gaily in, apparently having decided that Twilight was fine. She wasn't even sure why she was so embarrassed. After all, her wings flaring out was definitely, absolutely, certainly, totally, one hundred percent an accident.

"Well, hel-lo, ladies!" a cheerful voice greeted the duo as they entered the bakery. Pinkie Pie bounced into the room from... well, somewhere... wearing her usual wide grin. "What can I get you? A cake? Fritters? Brownies? Blondies? Pie? Smoothies? Juice? Ice cream? Popsicles-"

"SOME CUPCAKES, PLEASE," Twilight cut in over the racket the pink party pony was making. The only way to get a word in was to say it at the same time as Pinkie.

"Ooooooh, okay! How many? What flavor?" Pinkie whipped out a notepad and pencil seemingly from thin air, poised to take down their order.

"Two vanillas for me, darling," Rarity answered. "Made with nonfat milk, if you can." She primped her mane. "After all, I must try to watch out for my figure wherever possible."

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie winked and scribbled something down on her paper.

"Actually, you have to add 4 cups of whole milk to your diet a day in order for your weight to increase by a pound," Twilight informed Rarity, unable to resist the temptation of sharing knowledge. "So I don't think the milk quota in two cupcakes is going to have any adverse effects on your figure." Which, I might add, looks great as it is.

Rarity blinked. "Oh. Well, thank you, Twilight. That was, um-"

"Super helpful!" Pinkie interrupted. "But I actually already made two vanilla cupcakes for Rarity with nonfat milk. And I already made you two chocolate ones, Twilight!"

The alicorn's jaw dropped. "How did you know I was going to ask for two chocolate cupcakes? And - wait, does that mean you knew we were coming? How?!"

"I have ways," she said mysteriously, wiggling her eyebrows. "Waaaaaaaays." With that, she bounced away into the back room, returning a few seconds later wearing a giant fake mustache (which nopony blinked twice at, because this mustache made a regular appearance on Pinkie's muzzle each week) and holding a small box in one hoof. "There you go. And it would normally be eight bits, but I know I owe Rarity a favor from yesterday, so you get them for free! Yay!"

Rarity accepted the box and cast it a suspicious glance. "Wait. These aren't the cupcakes you put dresses on, are they?"

She giggled. "Of course not! I fed those to Gummy this morning. Dresses and all. He loved them!"

"Are you sure cupcakes are good for him?" Twilight questioned dubiously.

"Of course! He's a special pet for a special pony!"

"You can say that again," Rarity muttered.

"Okay! He's a special pet for a special pony!"

Twilight chuckled. "Right. Well, thanks for the cupcakes, Pinkie. See you later."

"Yupperooni! Bye, Twi-Twi! Bye Rarity!"

The pink pony watched her friends leave and then spun around to face Gummy, who was watching her patiently and unblinkingly from his perch on the dessert display case. "HOW ARE THEY NOT TOGETHER BY NOW?!" she screeched, zipping forwards at lighting speed until she was an inch away from the alligator's face. "By my calculations, they should have been holding hooves and making smoochy faces a month ago!!" She waved the notepad she'd been holding earlier in front of Gummy's eyes. It read: HOLDING HANDS - 0 TIMES, SMOOCHING - 0 TIMES, RARITY LOOKING AT TWILIGHT - 0 TIMES, TWILIGHT LOOKING AT RARITY - 8 TIMES. "What went wrong?! They only did well in one category!"

Gummy did not answer.

"Hmm, you're right. Maybe they haven't been talking to each other enough. You know, telling each other their feelings!" Pinkie thought for a while, standing stiller than anypony had ever seen her. "Well, how can I guarantee they get together tonight? The way I decorated my cupcakes might help, but..."

Slowly and deliberately, Gummy turned and plodded away down the counter.

Her face lit up even more than usual. "You're right! Gummy, you're a genius! If I just do that... and then... and if I bring them along... yes!!! That could work! This is going to work! Pinkamena Diane Pie, you are going to make this work!"

Pinkie Pie gave Gummy a quick smooch on the forehead, to which he responded by blinking one eye and then the other, and then zoomed out of the bakery in a blur of pink and stray confetti. "Spike, get ready to take a letter!"

***

"Come on come on come on come on! The sunset's about to start!" The two of them were at the foot of the tallest hill in Ponyville, a veritable mountain of gently rippling grass with a single wizened oak tree at the top. Ignoring Rarity's shriek of surprise, Twilight grabbed her hoof and dragged her up the hill. Wind hummed in her ears and ripped through her mane, but the alicorn paid it no heed, focused only on making it to the top of the hill in time.

Fueled by her eagerness, Twilight reached the top of the hill in just a few seconds, huffing slightly. Blowing her choppy bangs out of her eyes, she spun around and shot Rarity a broad grin. "We made it! We - oh..." her voice faltered. "I'm sorry... Your mane..."

Rarity's coiffed curls, usually arranged so artfully around her smooth forehead, were now a windswept, knotted mess, and Fluttershy's flower was being physically prevented from falling out by a jumble of rich purple snarls. Eyes wide, the alabaster unicorn lifted a trembling hoof to her mane and prodded it gingerly, noticeably wincing as corkscrewed tangles fell over her eyes. For one horrifying moment, Twilight thought she was about to burst into tears, but then the unicorn cracked a shining smile and intentionally ran her hoof through her mane to mess it up even more. "As long as nopony's watching, I suppose it doesn't really matter," she giggled. "It's rather freeing to, ah... let my hair down, so to speak. You don't have to apologize. Besides, darling, you should see your mane."

Twilight frowned. "Huh?" She effortlessly conjured a mirror and peered into it. "... Oh, good grief." Her normally straight locks were a mess of waves.

Rarity's grin widened. "I'm only teasing, dear. That style looks quite good on you."

Twilight opened her mouth to return the compliment, but the words died on her lips as her eyes met Rarity's. Despite the current state of her mane, the unicorn somehow managed to look as flawless as usual, her eyes gleaming with mirth and her muzzle creased slyly. Twilight actually felt her heart clench for a second, cowed into submission by Rarity's beauty.

But eventually, humor won out over awe, and Twilight let out a snort of laughter. "Your mane does look a bit funny..." she giggled.

"Oh, I'm sure." The unicorn grabbed Twilight's mirror and stared into it, raising an eyebrow. "Goodness gracious." She doubled over with laughter. "I look hilarious!"

Her laughter was infectious, and Twilight soon found herself giggling as well. Presently, Rarity was laughing too hard to stand, and she threw herself backwards into the grass beneath the oak tree with an abandon that Twilight had rarely, if ever, seen from her, still chuckling. Grass streaks appeared on her pristine white coat at once, but the unicorn hardly seemed to care. The cupcakes and sandwiches lay abandoned at her side.

Laughing fit to burst, Twilight lay down on the grass a couple feet away from Rarity. "Oh wow," she wheezed, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes, "I haven't laughed this hard since Pinkie gave Applejack a pear tart and told her it was apple..."

The thought of that particular prank sent the two of them into fresh gales of laughter. When their mirth finally subsided, both of their stomachs were aching, but they both knew that the pain had been worth the memory they now shared.

As the two of them recovered, Twilight stared directly into Rarity's royal blue eyes and felt a pang of... something. It felt like the happiness she felt whenever she did something with her friends, but... deeper. Less fleeting; more powerful. I don't know what this is, but I want to keep feeling it. And yet... I don't. For some odd reason, Twilight felt that she wouldn't be able to bear it if Rarity wasn't feeling the same thing.

Perhaps this strange feeling had been brought on by the sight of Rarity lying curled up in the grass, her graceful body shimmering slightly in the slowly darkening sky, looking bolder and more carefree than Twilight has ever seen her. This was a new side of Rarity, a more mischievous side - a side that she rarely showed. And if she were being honest with herself, Twilight found it kind of... cute.

The pang of 'something' increased until Twilight forced herself to inflict pain on herself by prodding her hoof into the sensitive spot next to her barrel on the underside of her wing. The pain sharpened her thinking somewhat, and she realized that she had been leaning closer and closer to Rarity with her eyes closed. What was I trying to do?! I must have looked so weird. She hastily drew back and glanced away, feeling discomfited, frantically searching for a distraction. Fortunately, one came in the form of the sky, now darkening rapidly. "Oh look! The sunset!" she practically shouted, her voice shooting up so high that she could have beaten Rainbow Dash in a squeakiness contest. "It's starting!"

Rarity got to her haunches along with Twilight and grabbed the sandwiches, passing one of them to Twilight. Together, they settled back against the oak tree, their eyes riveted on the sky ahead of them.

A single flash of bright white light came from Canterlot Palace, situated on a distant mountainside just barely visible from Ponyville, signaling that Princess Celestia's horn was now lit as she prepared to use it to lower the sun. Slowly but surely, the sun began its smooth downward arc, a great ball of fire approaching the horizon that would quench its light until the advent of the new day. The grass at Rarity's and Twilight's hooves flickered with crimson and orange sunlight like tongues of flame, and streaks of dusk painted themselves over the wispy clouds of burnished orange that surrounded the setting sun. Oddly enough, the sunset seemed to be colored with unusual shades of pink and purple tonight - almost the exact purple of Rarity's mane, and the exact pink of the streak in Twilight's mane. Yet Twilight barely noticed - there was something far better to marvel at sitting right next to her.

Rarity's eyes, swimming with wonder, were orbs of sapphire and citrine as they perfectly reflected the dying sunlight. Even her rich purple mane glimmered a faint orange. Twilight knew that Rarity would have called the combination of purple and orange an 'abomination of nature', but then again, there was no way the unicorn could see how amazing she looked right now.

Twilight unobtrusively wiped a tear from her eye as the sun breathed its final gentle farewell and slipped beneath the mountains, and the light of Celestia's horn faded in the distance. Sitting here, surrounded by pure beauty on all sides, Twilight thought that she had finally discovered the true meaning of happiness.

***

Hunkered down in a bush behind the oak tree, four mares and a young dragon were fixated on Twilight and Rarity, with varying levels of annoyance (and in the pink mare's case, enthusiasm). "Why are we here again?" Dash grumped, in what was probably meant to be a whisper but came out sounding more like a stage whisper.

"Because Rarity and Twilight are meant to be together but they just don't know it yet except we know it and so we're trying to help them!" Pinkie replied brightly.

"Ah thought ya wanted them t' 'hurry the hay up and get together', Dash," Applejack reminded her, slipping into a remarkably good imitation of her marefriend's voice. "What happened t' that, eh?" She entwined their tails together as much as she was able, grunting with pain as hers slapped against the sharp back leaves of the bush.

The pegasus sighed scratchily and flicked her tail against Applejack's. "I know, I know. I just hadn't counted on being dragged away from my dinner by a crazy pony babbling something about shipping and smoochy something-or-others." Applejack, Fluttershy, and Spike nodded sympathetically; they had all suffered similar fates. "And it doesn't help that you've got us all crammed in this bush tighter than a Wonderbolt barrel roll, Pinkie," Rainbow finished irritably. She glared at the offending party pony, who shrugged innocently. Well, as much as she was able to shrug with Fluttershy's head crammed against her chest, Applejack's rump draped over her back, Rainbow's forehooves pressing against her side, and Spike's scales poking into her belly.

The five of them were definitely more than a little bit squished, but since this bush was the only one on the hill, they didn't really have a choice. Besides, part of Pinkie's plan (which she still hadn't told any of them about) apparently required that she be as close to Twilight and Rarity as possible without being seen. Hence the hiding in a bush.

"Dashie, are you sure you just don't want to be here because you're worried that you might lose your bet with Applejack?" Fluttershy murmured with a tiny smile, in a rare moment of boldness.

Rainbow made a pouty face. "That too. I don't have ten bits."

Applejack raised her eyebrows and eyed Rainbow indignantly. "Is that so? 'Cause ya spent all yore money on cider an' hay fries again, is that it?"

"Well, maybe if somepony would just give me the dang cider for free considering I'm practically part of her family now -"

"Ah already told ya Ah can't have favorites - "

"Shhhhhh!" Pinkie Pie clapped a hoof over each of their mouths and narrowed her eyes at them accusingly. "They're gonna hear us, and then my plan will be ruined!"

As the two mares subsided into guilty silence, Spike turned to Pinkie, frowning. "Yeah, about that... can you tell us your plan now? Why do you need to be so close to Twilight and Rarity for the plan to work? And what was in those two letters you made me send to the princess?" Out of all five of them, Spike perhaps had the most reason to be annoyed, considering that the pony he was trying to hook up with Twilight was his crush of several years. But he had behaved like a true gentledragon throughout the whole ordeal, magnanimously offering to help Pinkie with her plan despite his true feelings. Although he knew he'd have to deal with a broken heart, the little dragon ultimately just wanted his friend and the pony of his dreams to be happy.

Pinkie Pie had resolved to give Spike a cupcake for his troubles.

"I guess I should probably tell you now," Pinkie conceded. "Well, I needed to be close to them because I brought... these." With a flourish, she indicated a pair of stage lights that definitely hadn't been there before (but nopony questioned it, because they were all used to such inexplicable happenings whenever Pinkie was around).

"Um, if you don't mind me asking... what are those?" Fluttershy prodded one of them with the tip of her muzzle and recoiled as it emitted a hollow pinging sound. "Um. Ouch."

"Mood lighting," Pinkie whispered dramatically.

AJ and Rainbow glanced at each other and shrugged, not bothering to ask for clarification. They knew they would get it when the time came. "But what about the rest of your plan?" Rainbow pressed. "Did you just send Princess Celestia some random doodles, or, like, was it part of your plan?"

"Of course it was part of my plan, silly willy," Pinkie giggled. "I sent her a letter asking her to change the colors of the sunset to pink and purple! So Twilight will look at the sky and go 'oooh it looks like Rarity and it's really pretty' and Rarity will look at the sky and go 'oooh it looks like Twilight and it's really pretty' and then they'll look at each other and go 'oooh you're really pretty' and then they'll fall in love and kiss! Didn't you guys notice the colors?!"

There was a collective 'ahhh' of understanding. Of course Pinkie had been behind that. Go figure.

"But... are ya sure that's gonna help' em fall in love?" Applejack queried dubiously.

"Trust me," Pinkie cackled. "I know what works. I always know."

Nopony could fault that.

"So you only sent Princess Celestia one letter?" Spike wondered aloud. "Who was the second one for?"

"Luna, of course," Pinkie replied with an exaggerated eyeroll. "Duh!"

Rainbow's brow creased. "Wait... what? Why? I get that Celestia might want to help her former student out, but... how could Luna help?" The prismatic pegasus looked genuinely confused, as did Applejack, Fluttershy, and Spike.

With a flash of a maniacal grin, Pinkie grabbed her stage lights and prepared to turn them on. "You're about to find out."

***

Rarity gave a sigh of pure contentment as they waited for moonrise to begin. "Oh, Twilight, I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed this little excursion. It was exactly what I needed. I've been working in the boutique so much lately that I'd almost forgotten what the sky looked like!"

Twilight chuckled. "I know the feeling." She reached over and scooped the box of cupcakes into her hoof. "Cupcake?"

"Celestia, yes. I'm ravenous."

The alicorn popped the box open. "Here you - wow..."

Arranged in a neat square inside the box were two vanilla cupcakes and two chocolate ones, as ordered. It was their decoration that was astonishing - the vanilla ones were barely visible beneath a mountain of frosting the exact same colors as Twilight's mane and body, and the chocolate ones were topped off by a neat swirl of frosting in Rarity's colors. One of the vanilla ones was frosted with the word 'Twilight' while the other one was frosted with a heart, and the two chocolate ones were similarly frosted with the word 'Rarity' and a heart.

"Awww," Rarity squealed, clasping her hooves. "Pinkie Pie is so sweet! Can you believe all that time she must have spent decorating these?" She carefully lifted a cupcake out of the box and daintily bit into it, taking care not to smudge frosting around her mouth. She may have had grass all over her coat and a messy mane, but poor table manners was where she drew the line. "Mmm. Delicious, too."

The smack of a hoof hitting a forehead emanated from the bush behind them. "How did they miss the hint?!" Pinkie hissed. "I spent a whole two minutes frosting those hearts! Which is a whole two minutes longer than usual!"

Fortunately, neither Twilight nor Rarity heard, as both were far too engaged in consuming the cupcakes. Twilight chomped her way through her dessert in a matter of mere minutes and then eyed the pile of chocolatey crumbs on the grass with a sigh. "I ate those way too fast."

Rarity's lips twitched. "You have some frosting..."

"Where?" Twilight poked her tongue out and slurped futilely around her muzzle. "There?"

"No, to the left just a tad... oh, let me get it for you." Rarity rummaged around in the cupcake box for a napkin (which, thankfully, Pinkie had thought to provide) and used it to dab gently at Twilight's lips. "There."

Twilight's skin shivered at the contact. "T-thanks," she managed to squeak.

"Think nothing of it, darling." Rarity leaned back against the tree again, popping the last of her cupcake into her mouth. "Oh, the moonrise is starting!"

Another flare of light that was identical to the one that had preceded the sunset flashed over the sky from Canterlot Palace, signaling the beginning of moonrise. From the other end of the horizon, the moon rose smoothly into the sky, its ghostly surface shining with ethereal light.

And that's when the party started.

Curly wisps of pink and purple light spiraled into existence on the moon's surface, weaving in and out of the darker craters. The stars, normally a faint hue of yellow-white, glimmered with shades of alabaster, soft rose, lavender, and dusky purple. Bands of color shimmered into being high above, shining in the silent sky like a rushing river, always flowing; dancing; changing. Unseen in the bush behind the oak, Pinkie Pie nodded with satisfaction as her companions watched on in openmouthed wonder. So that was why Pinkie had sent Luna a letter. As Raiser of the Moon and Guardian of the Night Sky, her magic was powerful enough to change the appearance of the heavens, as was Celestia's. And Princess Luna had really pulled out all the stops.

Beaming, the party pony flicked on her 'mood lighting' and directed it onto Twilight and Rarity. Pink and purple spotlights beamed onto the grass around the two mares, not prominent enough to be noticed, but powerful enough to give the surroundings a pink and purple hue.

"The Aurora Borealis," Twilight murmured in awe, her jaw hanging open. "I've never seen it before; I didn't even know it could be so bright..." She had no idea how these nighttime miracles were happening, but she wasn't about to complain.

Rarity's eyes swam with unshed tears. "It's beautiful," she breathed. "So beautiful..." Without warning, she lay down on her back, her mane rolling around her shoulders in waves of amethyst. Twilight followed suit, feeling her heart thudding against her ribcage as she realized that she was no more than a foot away from her friend.

The night air grew crisper and crisper as the two of them watched the light show above in peaceful bliss. After a time, Rarity's shoulder twitched in a shiver, and Twilight wordlessly and instinctively draped a wing over her stomach to keep her warm. It just felt... right.

"Oh, you two are so close to figuring it out... come on..." Fluttershy nibbled anxiously on her hooves.

With a sigh of relief, Rarity nestled closer to Twilight's side, allowing the alicorn's wing to fold around her back. Rarity glanced up into Twilight's eyes with a smile, prepared to thank her for her kindness, but her breath caught. Her heart fluttered, against her will but thrilling nonetheless. Curled up on the grass with her powerful wings outstretched and the multicolored heavens reflected in her eyes, the alicorn appeared a wise yet beautiful being, young but ageless, aloof but gentle. "Twilight..."

Then, suddenly, all at once, everything clicked into place in Twilight's mind. The strange emotion that she had been feeling all evening, the urge to hear Rarity laugh just one more time, to see her smile until it made Twilight dizzy from her beauty - no wonder the alicorn hadn't known what that feeling was. It wasn't something that you could read about - you had to experience it for yourself. And lying here on this grassy hill with one of her best friends at her side, staring into those sapphire orbs reflective of the wondrous hues in the sky above them, Twilight realized what that feeling was.

She was in love.

She wanted to hear Rarity's voice first thing when she woke up every morning. She wanted to admire her generosity, her patience, her kindness, her gentleness, while kissing her silly beneath the light of the stars. She wanted to spend the rest of her days with this mare - this beautiful, funny, selfless, impossibly perfect mare that was Rarity Belle.

Twilight knew what she needed to do.

"Rarity?" Twilight swallowed and licked her lips, suddenly feeling unspeakably nervous. She allowed her gaze to travel over the sky above: the pink and purple moon, the pink and lavender and ivory stars, the rose and amethyst Aurora Borealis that still danced over the dusky curtain of night, the ovals of pink and purple light that colored the grass as if from a spotlight. The alicorn had her suspicions about who had set all of that up - there was no way the night sky was supposed to contain so much pink and purple - but she couldn't think about it right now. No, now was the time for action. "Do... do you think that maybe the universe is trying to tell us something?"

Rarity's eyes wandered over the night sky. Pink and lavender, purple and white. Twilight and Rarity. Their manes, strands of which had become entwined as the mares lay down; interwoven colors. Rippling purple curls shot through with streaks of Twilight's pink and slightly darker indigo. A harmony that the unicorn could not ignore. Her pulse raced - excitement, fear. Anticipation. "Like what?" she whispered back, her voice barely audible, her heartbeat thrumming in her ears.

"Like this." Steeling herself, Twilight leaned forward and captured Rarity's lips in a gentle kiss. Her nervousness fell away the instant their muzzles touched, and she wrapped her wings and hooves around the unicorn's body, pressing deeper into the kiss. This was her first and last chance, and the alicorn wanted to make it count.

Both mares were completely oblivious to the activity happening in the bush behind her. Fluttershy's mane had acquired the texture of a sopping wet rag, thanks to Pinkie Pie bawling tears of joy into it. Not that the pegasus minded - she was far too preoccupied wiping her eyes, which were also overflowing with happy tears. Applejack had yanked Rainbow's tail towards her and was blowing her nose into it, which the pegasus would have taken offense at if she hadn't been too busy crying into Applejack's mane. Even Spike was sniffling a little.

Twilight prolonged the kiss as long as was physically possible and then drew back. "I -I'm sorry - I -"

Rarity placed a gentle but firm hoof on the alicorn's muzzle, effectively silencing her. "Twilight, you asked me if the universe is trying to tell us something?"

Her eyes were unreadable. "Um, y-yes," the alicorn stammered worriedly.

Without warning, Rarity threw herself forwards and locked their lips together again, running a hoof down the length of the alicorn's mane. Then she broke away and nuzzled her head against Twilight's chest, twining their hooves together and murmuring softly into Twilight's neck. "Well... I think you might just be right."

Author's Note:

This is my first foray into Raritwi, and I kinda enjoyed it, to be honest. ;)

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