Chapter 10
“You sure you don’t want me to foalsit your sister while you two go?” Rainbow Dash looked around for some avenue of escape as she, Rarity and Twilight entered the spa. “Got any enemies you need beaten up? Maybe I could get a jump start on doing your taxes?”
“Oh, shush!” Rarity led Rainbow to a massage table. She nodded to the owners, a pair of pink and blue earth ponies. The twins came over and started gently massaging Rainbow’s back.
As Rarity had figured, the massage was so relaxing that Rainbow couldn’t make her muscles respond to her commands to jump up and leave. Soon, Rainbow didn’t even want to. “Aww, yeah, this is the shtuff….” Her voice slurred as she all but melted into the table.
“Now darling, was that really worth all that fuss?” Rarity tittered.
Rainbow let out an inarticulate groan that could’ve meant anything or nothing.
“I thought as much,” Rarity continued. “Oh, you are going to be such a marvel once we’re finished! Why, there won’t be a stallion or mare whose eye won’t be drawn to your bedazzling features. Who knows? Maybe you’ll catch the eye of that magnificent stallion from last night.”
Dash’s response was too slurred to make herself understood, which was probably just as well.
“He is rather dashing, pun not intended,” Rarity chuckled. "He looks like he stepped right out of a storybook."
The twin spa attendants shared a look and repressed a giggle. Twilight looked like she wished she could be anyplace else.
Rainbow Dash managed to raise her head and shoot Rarity a glare of such pure protective annoyance that the unicorn in question actually felt her coat growing warm. “Oh, hmm, perhaps that isn’t the most appropriate topic for discussion.” She cleared her throat and found something else to focus on. She bustled Twilight into a robe and a mud and cucumber mask. Even in her relaxed state, Rainbow didn’t let Rarity near her with one of those. “Tell me dears, what’s Canterlot like?” Rarity breathed dreamily. “I imagine the sunrises from atop Mount Canterhorn are simply divine!”
“They are really nice.” Twilight hesitantly dipped her hoof in the spa pool. “I did get a pretty good view when I was pulling an all-nighter at the observatory tower.”
“What’re you doing there all night?” Rainbow asked, fighting to stay conscious.
“Stargazing, mostly.” At Rarity’s encouraging expression, Twilight waded in deeper. “I liked the peace and quiet. There usually wasn’t anypony else around that late. It let me get a lot of extra studying done.”
Rarity offered a smile, “Yes, that does sound lovely. Though I must confess that there are other aspects of Canterlot night life that appeal to me beyond stargazing.”
Twilight’s ears perked. “You mean like comets? I like those too!”
Rainbow and Rarity traded a brief glance. “Not quite, though I’m sure that’s quite a sight to behold.” Rarity sat back in a seat as Aloe scrubbed her hooves. “Have you ever attended any of the theatres? The operas, restaurants, galleries?”
“You mean like the Museum of Pony History?” Twilight asked eagerly. “They have a new exhibit on ancient pony artifacts found in the dragonlands!”
“Riveting,” Rainbow mumbled. “Still, sounds better than going to another gallery opening. If I have to listen to somepony like Praiser Pan go on about how this one painting is awful but another near-identical one is genius, I swear I’ll put him in a museum.”
Rarity settled in. “I can’t very well speak to that, but I can assure you that details matter. Why, the wrong choice of material or even a slightly altered color can drastically impact the entire work.”
“If details are so important, why do so many ponies in Canterlot like everything to be the same?” Rainbow challenged. “You go to one Zesty Gourmand-approved restaurant and you’ve been to them all. No joke, everything about them is the same. I swear that one waiter is either quintuplets or is somehow even faster than me.”
“I just liked Donut Joe’s,” Twilight confessed. “Even if it wasn’t the healthiest food, it was good for all-nighters.”
Rainbow’s ears perked up. “I know that place! He’s a pretty cool guy—always saves me the last jelly donut.”
“At least you’re bonding over something.” Rarity sighed. “Would it have been too much to ask that you had a shared love for Canterlot culture?”
“Please,” Rainbow snorted. “Canterlot needs to actually develop a culture first. Right now all they do is latch onto what one influential pony thinks about something and then just repeat it over and over again. There’s like, maybe ten ponies with an actual opinion or idea. The city’s just one big echo chamber.”
Seeing Rainbow was about to go off on a tear against the city she adored, Rarity gave a quick nod to twins, who began redoubling their massages. Rainbow’s focus slipped away. She hovered in between a state of wakefulness and snoozing, dimly aware of Rarity wrapping herself up in an embroidered robe behind a screen and dipping her hooves into a warm pool of water next to Twilight.
The next hour was a whirlwind, even for the fast flying pegasus. Steam rooms, mud masks, hot tubs, brushing, preening, cleaning, drying … she had practice sessions with the royal guard that weren’t this exhausting. At the tail-end of their session, Rainbow was having her coat brushed by the Spa twins while Rarity and Twilight stood behind a nearby changing screen.
Better her than me, Rainbow thought to herself. As she worked, Rarity was finishing up some fashion story to the two of them. Rainbow wasn’t really listening, but couldn’t help comment: “I never got what the big deal is with fashion and stuff,” she waggled her hoof vaguely. “It’s just not that important—to me,” she added at the last possible second. It was too little too late though.
“Honestly!” Rarity exclaimed, poking her head out from behind the screen. “What you wear is practically another form of communication, telling everypony about who you are and what you care about. That makes it extremely important!”
“Uh huh. Even though Queen Celestia, the most important pony ever, walks around without clothes?” Rainbow raised a questioning eyebrow. “What’s that say about the importance of fashion?”
Rarity flinched. “Y-yes well, I’m sure the Queen is just…” she coughed as she ducked back to finish working on Twilight. “Anyway, it isn’t just about impressing ponies.”
“It’s not, huh?” Saying Dash was skeptical was a bit like saying the sun was warm.
“Allow me to show you!” Rarity boldly stepped out and gestured to Twilight. “Darling, if you’d care to step out?”
Rainbow could spot Twilight fidgeting even from behind the divide. “I don’t know…”
“Pleeease?” Rarity implored. “I promise everypony will love it.”
With an audible gulp, Twilight slowly stepped out from behind the divide, looking as tentative as a foal taking her first steps. Rainbow blinked as she got a look, barely recognizing Twilight. She was wearing a pleated yellow sundress decked with small green and blue gemstones. Her mane and tail had been brushed and curled. Before, she couldn’t picture Twilight outside a library. Now she could actually see her fitting in at one of the Canterlot balls. “Whoa…”
Twilight blushed and flashed a smile. “So, um, it looks nice?”
“It’s wonderful!” Aloe spoke up in her lilting accent. “Like a flower that just bloomed!” The spa staff came over to surround and compliment a confused but suddenly beaming Twilight.
“That is what fashion is meant to be about,” Rarity murmured to Rainbow. “Showing a pony’s true inner beauty to the world. I imagine the poor dear’s spent more than a few days with her head hung low and feeling like everypony else in the world is special apart from her.” She waited for Rainbow to nod before continuing. “You’d be amazed how one’s attitude towards oneself can change after some time spent with a friend: shopping, doing makeovers, finding just the perfect outfit—to have them look in a mirror and not recognize themselves!”
“So you think ponies can be made happy by having them not be themselves?” Dash asked, not comfortable with the idea. “They should print that on Hallmare cards.”
Rarity hmphed. “That isn’t it at all. It’s about being able to see their eyes fill with tears as they see themselves looking at an image of themselves they didn’t know existed and couldn’t conceive of existing. It’s not about changing themselves, it’s about helping ponies find their own true inner beauty, by seeing just how special and amazing they can be. And then they realize that it wasn’t the clothes that made them special, it was there inside them all along. It builds confidence and self-assurance, the true key to success. I imagine you’re acquainted with the importance of that.”
Rainbow couldn’t argue that. “Yeah. There’s some old pony—I forget his name—who said that confidence or courage was the first virtue. You’ll never get anywhere if you don’t have that, no matter how nice or skilled or smart you are at other stuff. That always stuck with me. Ponies like to talk about pride going before the fall but if you don't have any pride then you're never going to rise in the first place.”
“Indeed.” Rarity nodded towards Twilight, who was looking more comfortable, relaxed and happy than Rainbow had ever seen her be. “That is what I want to bring out with my outfits: the possibilities inside each of us, even the ones ponies may not be able to see for themselves. They just need a little reminder and that’s where my couture comes in. It’s what I do and why I love doing it.” She reached up and gently pulled away her mane, revealing a small, perfectly cut eight-sided gem on a silver necklace. As it moved, it shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow. “My grandmother gave me this after I made my first dress. She said that outer beauty can’t be anything but a reflection of the inner beauty that lies inside. Ponies with an ugly core who try to hide it behind a glamorous facade will never go far in the end.”
Rarity pursed her lips as she regarded her own flank. “I suppose that’s what my cutie mark is about. I love making clothing and wonderful outfits! But an outfit just isn’t special unless it’s being worn and if it doesn’t make the wearer look good. I remember back when I was making costumes for a school play. It wasn’t until I found some gemstones after an explosion of light that I found how I can make the outfits for the actors just ‘pop.’ I saw the awe that filled the crowd, and even if it wasn’t for me per se … it was wonderful.” Her eyes grew dreamy. “That’s when my cutie mark appeared. It’s always been my dream to make everypony as happy and beautiful and fashionable as possible. Who knows, one day I’ll even design an outfit worth of Queen Celestia herself!”
Rainbow Dash felt a flicker of appreciation for Rarity’s obvious drive and ambition, even if she still really didn't get fashion. But her hoof falling asleep garnered her attention. “Can I get up now?”
Rarity hesitated. “Well, unless I could persuade you try on this lovely bit of makeup I—”
“No.”
“Just a little…?”
“No.” Rainbow Dash frowned at her. “Massages and steam rooms, yeah I’ve done those before. Brushing my mane and coat, not my thing, but it does help keeping me streamlined, so fair enough. Makeup doesn’t help at all and I’m not interested. Of course,” she added as an afterthought, “you could always let me try doing something with your hair. I’ve got this method for drying hair I called the Rainblow Dry...” Her grin was toothy and ruthless.
Rarity cleared her throat daintily. “Well! All you had to do was ask! Then yes, we’re done. Now, tell me what you think!” She held up a mirror for Rainbow.
As much as she hated to admit it, it wasn’t bad. Her mane felt silky and each strand fell straight and softly. Her wings had been massaged until they felt nice and springy and her coat practically shimmered a bright blue. She looked, well, awesome. Good looking without being overly fancy. “It looks … cool,” Rainbow allowed.
Beaming, Rarity dipped her head. “All in day’s work. Now if you’ll excuse me...” She dipped her head to Twilight as she headed over, “I have some inspired decorations to assemble! I hope the two of you have a simply fabulous day! We must do this again sometime. Ta ta!”
“Yeah, good luck with that,” Rainbow Dash said under her breath, but stopped from saying anything more.
Twilight was still beaming, thanking Rarity profusely until she was out of sight. “She’s so nice! That was just about the nicest break I’ve had since before my post-pre-midterms!”
Rainbow didn’t exactly know what those were, nor did she want to find out. The two of them walked out of the spa only to be met by a loud whistle. Looking for the source, they saw Applejack waving at them from a cafe on the other side of the street.
“Well, howdy do!” Applejack tipped her hat to them. “You ladies look all nice and gussied up!” She grinned, inspecting Dash. “Durn. And here I thought Rarity would’ve made sure to put some of her pretty makeup on you,” she teased.
Rainbow glowered but then flashed a wicked smile. “I convinced her to save it all up for when she takes you to the spa next week.”
Applejack paused, shaken. “Y-you didn’t really … didja?”
Rainbow gave an enigmatic shrug and turned to Twilight. “So, what’s next?”
Twilight consulted her list, though Rainbow suspected she had the thing memorized. “Let’s see. After catering, weather, decorations, the last thing is musical accompaniment. It’s being taken care of by Fluttershy and—hey!”
Rainbow Dash had grabbed the checklist out of Twilight’s hooves. “Fluttershy is performing? In front of the Queen?! No way! She’d totally have a panic attack and freeze up!” She looked over to Applejack and Twilight. “Don’t get me wrong, she’s got a really sweet singing voice, but there’s no chance she’d ever perform herself!”
Twilight looked panicked. “Oh no! If she won’t perform then the entire celebration will be ruined! The Queen will be offended, Shining Armor will be disappointed in me—they might even blame him and strip him of his rank! It’ll be chaos! It’ll be chaos!” She started to hyperventilate as Applejack and Rainbow Dash traded mirroring expressions of concern.
“Sugarcube, you’re gettin’ all worked up over nothing,” Applejack said as she saddled up next to Twilight, draping a leg across her back. “We don’t even know that Fluttershy isn’t performing yet. And if she ain’t we’ll just find somepony else. So stay calm, take a deep breath.” She took one herself and waited until Twilight took a breath herself. “There we go, nice an’ easy.”
After a few deep breaths Twilight seemed more composed. “O-okay. I think I’m okay.” She pushed some stray hairs back into place in her mane. Twilight looked at the ground, her face flushing. “I’m sorry.”
Rainbow, feeling responsible for her freak out and remembering what Shining Armor asked her to do, made her way over and gave Twilight a small pat on the back. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s no big thing.” Seeing the shy unicorn manage a small smile, Rainbow Dash returned it with a bigger one as she gently nudged her ahead. “C’mon, let’s go see Fluttershy and find out what’s up.”
The three mares walked together in silence, Twilight flanked on either side by her worried companions. The long walk to Fluttershy’s cottage eventually made the silence an awkward one. And Rainbow had never been big on contemplative silence.
“So, Twilight what’s up with what just happened?” She ignored the stinkeye Applejack was giving her, shaking her head and waving her hooves as if to say: Stop! Cease! Desist!
Twilight looked away and mumbled. “Nothing. I like things to be … organized.”
“You’re one of those obsessive-compulsive types?” Rainbow asked, missing Applejack facehooving.
“Not exactly … well, maybe a little.” Twilight ducked her head down. “I—we need to focus on the task at hoof. We should probably get to your friend’s house and find out what’s going on.” She picked up her pace a little.
Seeing Twilight throwing up a wall, Rainbow didn’t press her. She traded another look with Applejack, who shook her head, encouraging her to let it go for now. She was probably right, Rainbow sighed. Prying too far too fast could make some ponies just close up for a long time. Fluttershy was a lot like that too, come to think of it. Maybe she could help Twilight with … whatever was going on with her.
Rainbow went a little faster to catch up with Twilight. “Well, how about you watch me kick Applejack’s flank in a race?”
“Pff. Dream on sugarcube, you’ll be eating my dust!” the farmpony returned easily.
Rainbow waived her objection off. “Not a chance! You’re too bulky. It generates too much drag.”
“Are you callin’ me fat?!”
Rainbow Dash smirked. “Well, if the horseshoe fits, Ampleflank...” She immediately leaped out of the way and started running.
“Why I oughta—get back here and take your whoopin’ like a pony!” Applejack shouted as she ran after her.
Twilight rolled her eyes, not quite suppressing a grin as she trotted after them. “Why is it that I always end up chasing after you two?”
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Well, it's nice that Rainbow and Twilight enjoyed the spa, though Rainbow needs to learn to just let things go. Bringing up Twilight's panic attacks is not really going to win her any points with anyone.
Probably because you're behind them you appreciate the view?
Honestly, the best part of this chapter was Rarity's monologue. That's the kind of characterization she needs more of in the show.
"a such marvel" seems to be a typo for "such a marvel".
9592423
Fixed, thank you!
And cue Benny Hill Theme!
REALLY good job on this chapter. I loved Rarity's talking about her philosophy and motivations as well as Rainbow's grudgingly admitting the spa crew did a really good job. And, yeah, I also really liked how Applejack tried to help Twilight calm down following her most recent panic attack as well as how Rainbow tried to recover from her mistake of pressing the issue shortly after said panic attack.
Anyway, the exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up are all well done in all the right places.
Actually, its a set of quintuplets who are all as fast as you, Rainbow, my dear.
Yeah but this is Rainbow, so "fitting in at one of the Canterlot balls" is usually a bad thing ....
So naive, Rarity
I like Rarity's little spiel, there. As for Rainbow... I guess it's my own view coming through, but seriously ease up on Canterlot's population.
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Remember that Rainbow sees Canterlot through her own lens. She is at the top, where it seems like the only good ponies are pushed down. Or Celestia. Maybe Fancy Pants, but I doubt Rainbow would notice that much when most of what she sees and pays attention to is negative.
Or even just negative in her eyes, like learning manners, etc.
(Though I hope the story doesn't only focus on Canterlot's negative aspects like so many other fics.)
That reminds me of Starlight's equality philosophy.
Rainbow Dash: Certified Public Accountant!
*well-suited. Also, an unnecessary space before ellipses.
The innuendo…
Praiser Pan. A reference to the comics, I think?
A bit ironic, isn’t it? Rainbow latching on to what Celestia thinks about Canterlot and repeating it to Rarity and Twilight. Pot, meet kettle?
First time I read through this paragraph, I was confused because I didn’t quite understand what type of screen it was supposed to be. As I continued reading, I picked up on additional context, and it became clear it was supposed to be a fold-out changing screen. But it took me a minute to get there. Possibly could be improved by making that a little clearer up-front? “Screen” is a pretty generic term that can mean a lot of different things.
“Better her than Rainbow, she thought to herself.” — The phrasing here is a little awkward. Better would be, “Better her than me, Rainbow thought to herself.” That way, it doesn’t come across like Rainbow is thinking about herself in the third person. (Or is it third pony…?)
I like Rarity here. Obviously, this is a tricky thing, building a relationship of mutual respect between her and our newly minted protagonist, Rainbow Dash. The two of them just have nothing in common. Outside of a couple episodes of the show, they probably have the least interaction out of any two members of the Mane Six as well. Rarity doing a good turn for Twilight puts her in a good light and bespeaks her generosity, and making the conversation about confidence and self-assurance gives her some common ground with Rainbow.
Another glimpse of Rainbow’s formal education shining through. I have to wonder whether she really doesn’t remember this pony’s name, or if she’s purposely playing dumb so as to not come across as too much of an egghead. Seems like the kind of thing she would do.
She does do a good job of it, though!
It wouldn’t be Twilight if she didn’t do a little Twilighting from time to time.
All in all, this chapter is a definite improvement over its counterpart in the 2012 version, and Twilight is a big part of the reason why.
In the original, Twilight wasn’t present for most of the spa scenes; in the rewrite, she goes to the spa along with Rainbow and Rarity, and that’s a big help—specifically, because it gives Rarity another character to play off of.
It’s clear enough in the original, Rarity’s overtures toward Rainbow Dash aren’t appreciated, generous though they are. Rainbow just doesn’t have the same interests as her, so when Rarity insists on taking her to the spa, insists on the importance of fashion, insists on having her try on makeup, it comes across as pushy… which in turn prompts Rainbow to be defensive and combative. In the end, both characters come across a bit unlikeable.
With Twilight in the scene, Rainbow doesn’t have to be Rarity’s unwilling victim anymore. Rarity can shower her generosity upon Twilight, who’s actually receptive to it. This gives Twilight a shot of self-confidence and allows Rainbow to admire Rarity and find common ground with her, all while Rarity comes off smelling like a daisy. Rainbow isn’t under the gun either, so she’s far more civil about her opinions and interactions with Rarity. The original chapter felt a lot more like an interview, ticking the box on Rarity’s character before the start of the Nightmare Moon arc. This feel altogether more organic. It’s a realistic scene between budding friends.
10364861
Woo, you're one-third of the way through!
Yeah, this was a chapter I'm really proud of because Rarity (and Rainbow's attitude towards her) is pretty important since Rarity is the closest thing to a representation of everything Rainbow had to put up with, and hates, about Canterlot; the one most unlike her. I had to really dissect what is it Rarity does and what her career/cutie mark/Element of Harmony are really about and I think this is as good as I'm capable of capturing.
As for Dash and her intelligence, could be (though I couldn't think of a pony-fiction of Socrates and thought it'd be a stretch for Rainbow to name-drop him anyway). I was half-tempted to borrow the characterization of Zaphod Beeblebrox for Rainbow Dash.
“One of the major difficulties Trillian experienced in her relationship with Zaphod was learning to distinguish between him pretending to be stupid just to get people off their guard, pretending to be stupid because he couldn't be bothered to think and wanted someone else to do it for him, pretending to be outrageously stupid to hide the fact that he actually didn’t understand what was going on, and really being genuinely stupid. He was renowned for being amazingly clever and quite clearly was so—but not all the time, which obviously worried him, hence, the act. He preferred people to be puzzled rather than contemptuous.”
Yes, Praiser Pan was a comic character; another typical snooty Canterlot unicorn type.
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Also, just an aside, but I HATED that scene in the 200th episode. That entire trope of "let's take the character who doesn't prefer relying on their feminity and force them to play the seductress" needs to die and go to hell. Especially when Zephyr Breeze acts like a creepy stalked obsessed with Rainbow and she's being forced to -encourage- that behavior in him. This was one of the most unlikable portrayals of Rarity in the whole series I freaking hate this scene. The rest of the episode is pretty good, but that one bit is just UGH.
10364960
Hockrates?
Between this comment and Rarity's focus on Shining's horn, I'm kind of getting the impression that Rarity is...shall we say, going through a dry spell.
Pony nudity taboos are baffling.
One of the reasons why I like Equestria Girls is that I could never really decide between Spike x Rartiy and Applejack x Rarity; since Spike is a dog in EqG it means that I lean more towards the latter there (as did the show's makers if Rollercoaster of Friendship is any indication), leaving the former free for the main show.
10663121
A true gentlestallion would not inquire =P
And yes, yes they are.
Sweet revenge