"Loyalty" Begins With an L

by shortskirtsandexplosions

iii

"Oh, bad Opal! Bad, deplorable, naughty Opal!" Rarity violently cooed.

The shivering cat clung to her, frowning over its shoulder at Rainbow Dash.

"No trips outside for a week!" Rarity levitated the cat as she trotted across the center-most fitting room. Snatching a towel from a nearby broom closet, she enshrouded the feline before planting her atop a stack of velvet pillows. "You need to learn some proper respect! How many times must one of my close friends endeavor to save your priceless, silken coat?!"

"If there's gonna be a next time," Rainbow Dash muttered. She fidgeted by the entrance to the Boutique, wincing. Her forelimbs were lined with scratch marks in several places and there was a light scar on her blue cheek. "Do they sell 'Beware of Cat' signs in the marketplace?"

"Rainbow Dash, I am most terribly sorry for the bodily harm Opalescence has dealt you." Rarity finished fussing with the persian and trotted over towards her friend. The room danced with kaleidoscopic bands of light from the rain-slicked windows stretching beyond. "Just look at you! You're like a survivor of some ghastly war zone! Do allow me to soothe your wounds, dear. I'm quite sure I have my first aid kit lying around here somewhere..."

"It's okay, Rarity."

"But I must insist!" Rarity planted a gentle hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "It looks as though a sociopathic cretin took a razor to your flesh—!"

"It's okay!" Rainbow Dash flinched from her, hiding a brief wince. "Seriously. I'm fine." She smiled crookedly. "I've gotten twice as many scrapes from a flight through Ghastly Gorge. I'll live."

"Hmmph... Well, if you're so insistent," Rarity said, leaning back. She smiled gently. "Your rough and tumble ways will forever astonish me, Rainbow. But I imagine they must serve as an advantage from time to time."

"Whatever."

"Oftentimes, I wish I had your tenacity," Rarity remarked as she trotted back to the other end of the Boutique where a tuxedo variant hung off a mannequin in mid-creation. "If I wasn't so frail and dainty, then perhaps I too could labor on things over extended periods without losing my train of thought."

"There's... uh... nothing wrong with being dainty," Rainbow Dash fumbled to say.

Rarity instantly produced a flighty laugh. "Oh, Rainbow. You almost had me fooled there!" She calmed her snickers and resumed assaulting the tuxedo on all sides with various pins, needles, and lengths of thread. "Regardless, if that was a veiled attempt at a compliment, I do greatly appreciate it."

“Uhm...” Rainbow Dash squinted from her end of the workroom. “What are you making? Looks like a suit.”

“Because it is a suit, darling! It’s a cocktail party ensemble for none other than the illustrious Fancy Pants! Oh, his exceeding charm and Canterlot connections have put my work on the map, and I felt I owed him a finely-pressed tuxedo as a means of expressing my gratitude since he helped make my tailoring skills known to Princess Mi Amore Cadenza! Oh, such a charming wedding that turned out to be. I truly am lucky to have been appointed as the fashion designer...”

“Uh huh...” Rainbow Dash nodded. “How long have you been working on this project?”

“Mmmmm... for the last three days, I suppose..”

“That long, huh?” Rainbow Dash said. She gulped, hesitated, and eventually uttered, “Is... uh... is Fancy Pants him?”

Rarity almost dropped the needle and thread right then. She turned and squinted at Rainbow Dash in the rainslick sunlight. “I beg your pardon?”

“Y’know. Is he... is he him?”

Rarity blinked, then squeaked forth a delicate laugh. “Ohhhhh no no no, Rainbow Dash. Heheh... Why, Fancy Pants is simply a business partner! Besides, he is far too straight-laced and regimental for the likes of me. I seek a stallion who is regal, and yet carefree. Somepony who is a romantic at heart, and yet is as concerned with feelings as he is with figures. Heheh...” She sighed dreamily and shook her head. “Alas, Rainbow, I shall be looking forever, I suspect. An artist such as myself has an eye for perfection, and perfection is simply impossible.”

“I... I didn’t mean to poke a weird subject.”

“Oh hardly, dear. I’m rather delighted that you would ask. It’s a topic most dear to my heart, after all.” Rarity cleared her throat and resumed sewing. As she did so, her face took on a much more rigid expression. "Still, perfection isn’t exactly everything that’s important in a pony. Sometimes, on rainy days such as this, I realize just how empty the Boutique feels. I suppose it can be said that beyond all the pretense of custom and courtship, in the end it's all about having somepony to share my talents with, to share my thoughts with, to share my fears and joys and—"

Rainbow Dash gulped and stammered, "You want somepony to come home to."

Rarity paused, blinking. "Why, yes." She smiled sweetly at Rainbow Dash. "That's precisely it, darling. To be perfectly frank, I had no idea that you could—"

"I gotta go," Rainbow Dash blurted.

"Huh?" Rarity did a double-take.

"Lots of clouds to push around the sky. I just remembered. So long, Rarity."

As Rainbow Dash opened the door to the rain and began flexing her wings, a bright glow of magic illuminated her from behind.

"Rainbow Dash. Wait just one moment, dear."

"Unnngh..." Rainbow Dash groaned and looked behind her. "I didn't mean anything with those last, sappy comments. I swear. I wasn't thinking—"

"Uhm... It's not that, darling." Rarity levitated a book over in front of Rainbow's face. "You will be flying around Ponyville for the extent of this afternoon, yes?"

"Didn't I just say I would?"

"More or less. Ahem." Rarity smiled with a pleading expression. "Would you be so kind as to give this back to Fluttershy? She lent it to me four weeks ago, and I’ve kept it for far too long. It's only best that she have it in her personal library once again."

"Yeah, sure, Rarity." Rainbow Dash nodded with a slight smile. "I can totally do that."

"You are loyal as ever, Rainbow Dash."

"Pffft." Rainbow Dash grabbed the book in her hoof. "It's just a simple delivery..." As she tried to take it, the magic tugged the item in place.

Rarity had Rainbow's full attention. She smiled under a glowing horn. "I'm ever so blessed to have a friend like you, Rainbow. If there was something troubling you, surely you would be comfortable enough to let me know, I would assume?"

"Uhhh..." Rainbow Dash nervously squirmed, tilting away from Rarity's warm smile. "Yeah. Sure. I guess." She took the book and aimed for the door again. "Well, gotta go—"

"Oh! And you will be attending the picnic tomorrow, yes?"

"Uhm... What picnic?"

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity looked hurt. "Surely you have not forgotten! Twilight herself arranged it the day we got back from Canterlot!"

"Ohhhhh... That." Rainbow Dash winced, clutching the book to herself. "Jee, I dunno, Rarity."

"Oh?" Rarity's ears drooped a bit. "But it means so much to Twilight and the rest of us."

"I know. It's just that..." Rainbow Dash gnawed on the corner of her mouth. "I... I've got a bunch of stuff to do. The Weather Commission has been putting me through the wringer lately."

"Hmmm... Yes," Rarity murmured as she gazed out the nearest window drenched with rainwater. "I can see that." She nevertheless smiled at her friend. "Well, see if you can clear some time tomorrow morning. We would be absolutely enamored to have you join us. Word is that Twilight's brother and sister-in-law have returned from their honeymoon." Rarity's eyebrows wriggled. "Could it be possible to make our adorable librarian blush more than the one time we stumbled upon Mr. and Mrs. Cake at the lake house during that late summer walk?"

"Yeah. I'm gone. See ya." Rainbow Dash zoomed out the door.

Rarity laughed and waved at her departing friend. "Try not to be a stranger, Rainbow!"

Comments

[nerevars]

no matter how tomboy a girl is, a girl is still a girl (a mare in this case)

[Csquared08]

The character tags tell me that she's going to end up talking to Lyra and Bon Bon about whatever it is that's troubling her. Or maybe Zecora. Or Thunderlane.

[SatoshiKyu]

1203201

Or all four at once.

But no, it's not rated Mature. Silly me.

[SatoshiKyu]

I can't believe I didn't catch that stealth Monty Python reference the first time I read this. Well played, sir!

[DrEggnog]

It's funny how so many characters similar to Rarity are so annoying (*cough*OliverandCompany*cough*), and Rarity herself is one of the most unpopular mane six, and yet she seems to work in fanfic a higher percentage of the time than any other mane six. She's just built for the written word I suppose.