Thwarted explorations
Rarity awoke the next morning from one of the best sleeps she had remembered having in ages. The pleasant sensation of another pony curled up against her, sleeping contently with its hooves wrapped around her in an embrace, made itself known to her senses.
“Mmm, this does indeed feel pleasant. I don't think I've woken up in another pony's hooves like this since I was a foal. Pity it hasn't happened more often... A few more moments couldn't hurt...”
Rarity kept her eyes shut against the mid morning light, and attempted to go back to sleep in order to enjoy the moment for a while longer. Unfortunately for her, her body was feeling mutinous and refused to listen to her mental urgings to go back to sleep. Rarity reluctantly extricated herself from Twilight's nocturnal embrace and sat up.
“I would have enjoyed sleeping longer, but oh well. A mare could get used to waking up like this,” she thought to herself as she stretched and slid out of the bed to go about her morning routine.
Rarity turned back in time to see Twilight shiver. Rarity's leaving the bed had left the covers disturbed. Gently she tucked them back in around her friend. She paused to look over the sleeping mare. She was slack with sleep, freed from the anxiety that she had unconsciously showed throughout her hospital stay.
“Twilight is rather adorable asleep, perhaps more so than when awake?” She thought to herself with an affectionate smile.
Rarity sincerely meant what she had said the other day. If Twilight would expend even a sliver of the effort she expended on her studying onto her appearance, she would have suitors beating down the door of the library to beg for her attention. Strangely, the thought of Twilight being courted by some strange pony left a sour taste in her mouth.
Rarity went about her daily ritual. While in the middle of her routine, her thoughts wandered. “Why haven't I ever become serious with any pony? I haven't exactly abstained from the dating game as far as it exists in Ponyville, even if my exploits are not nearly as prolific as some others seem to believe. Maybe once I return home and things stabilize a bit more, I will put some serious thought into the idea. Mother will be pleased to hear it, if nothing else.”
Still, Rarity's heart wasn't much into the idea. She had her boutique, which boasted clients from all over Equestria, thanks to Hoity Toity and Fancy Pants; she had the pleasure of knowing that she had helped save the world twice, in the most literal of fashions; and she had her close-knit circle of friends, which was more than enough for her. She had always thought so since that fateful Summer Sun Celebration two years ago, when they had all come together for the first time.
She thought over the last night and smiled. “None of my romantic engagements, short or long, have ever had the camaraderie and warmth that last night had, or that I've ever had with any of my friends for that matter. I've always been content with my relationships as they are, and there seems to be no reason for that to change.”
Rarity continued thinking, hooves working on auto-pilot. She was just beginning to wonder if she couldn't slip off to her room to grab a few of her beauty products when a cry of fright from the bedroom grabbed her attention. Heedless of her less-than-perfect state, she charged into the bedroom.
Twilight had tumbled off the bed in a jumble of limbs and blankets. “Twilight! Are you alright?” she asked as she came up to her friend. Rarity did what she could to help untangle her from the twisted sheets.
Twilight blushed and struggled to her hooves. “I was having a dream... I woke up when I fell off the bed. It shocked me. I'm sorry, did I wake you?” Twilight asked as she began to smooth the blankets back out onto the bed out of unconscious habit.
“No, I was awake already. I was just making myself ready for the day when I heard you. I'll admit that for a moment you had me worried. No harm done though, right?” she responded, a grin overtaking her face as she watched her friend. “Shall I help you brush out your mane? The sleep-tousled look is cute on you, though perhaps not the best idea for an all-day fashion.”
Rarity was shocked at herself mentally even as the words left her mouth. “When did I become so flirtatious with my friends?! What is going on with me?”
Twilight blushed brighter, sheepishly lowering her head. “Well... If you want to...” she said before giving into a yawn.
The pair moved over to the vanity in one corner of the room. Rarity began to work, while standing perhaps a touch closer than was strictly necessary. “Rarity,” stated Twilight, “I really appreciate all of this, but don't let me be a burden on you, okay?”
“Oh don't be silly, dear, I want to help,” said Rarity, while she concentrated on smoothing out the mussed mane before her. “It's only been... what, two days since the accident? I know you're a very self-reliant pony, but it's going to take you a little while to fully get back on your hooves. If anything, I should be telling you not to humour me too much. So please, if you need space do let me know, as being a bother to you would be the last thing I'd ever want.”
Twilight let out a wistful sigh. “No, you're probably right, Rarity. I spend too much time with my own thoughts as it is, and that was before all this happened. You haven't pressured me into anything at all. I'm being silly, at least I feel I am, and I don't know why I'm being this way.”
Rarity had just set down the brush when Twilight turned around, not quite pulling her into a hug. They were quite close, not even a full inch separating the two of them. The air between them felt positively electric. Rarity felt a blush colour her alabaster cheeks. She drew in a short breath, which only heightened the sensations as it carried Twilight's soft natural scent in with it. The whole situation set Rarity's heart racing.
Rarity wasn't sure what to do or say, her mind working at a breakneck pace to process all that was going on at the moment. “Should I? Is she? She smells... nice. No, nice is too generic a word. What is the word I want? Maybe it will help if I know what I'm feeling. So what is this? Why do I feel this way?”
Rarity was on the verge of realising just what her emotions actually were when the moment was shattered by a knock on the door. A member of the palace staff entered the room a short moment later.
“Miss Sparkle,” began the servant, “breakfast is ready as soon as you wish it. As soon as time permits, Her Majesty's ophthalmologist wishes to see you as well.”
Rarity stepped away from Twilight after the other pony finished speaking. “Ah! Well, darling, shall we go to breakfast?” Twilight nodded, unaware of Rarity's disconcerted state. The two of them headed off to breakfast in the hoofsteps of their guide, whose carefully-schooled features betrayed nothing of what she had seen upon entering the room.
Twilight and Rarity sat together over breakfast, talking over inconsequential things. They didn't linger too long, mindful that the doctor was waiting for Twilight. As they stood to leave, Twilight spoke. “I was gonna go see the doctor on my own. I'm sure you have a few things you want to get done. No need to stay with me the whole time.”
“Very well, Twilight, if you're sure,” said Rarity. She took a moment to make sure Twilight was being safely guided on her way by one of the palace staff before going her own separate way. Now that she was alone, Rarity decided to get out of the castle for a bit. Perhaps some fresh air would straighten out her thoughts a little.
-*-*-*-
Rarity wandered the streets of Canterlot, window shopping as she went. She made her way down the boulevards. Nothing particularly caught her eye, though she did spy several things that she thought Twilight would simply adore. As Rarity went about her shopping, she accumulated several bags from various shops and a few new bolts of cloth that she knew from experience were difficult to acquire in Ponyville.
Rarity had just turned back to return to the palace for the evening when her route took her by a small and nondescript book shop nestled into the corner of a modest square. “I wonder if they have any books Twilight might enjoy. I don't think I have ever seen her happier than when she is buried in a new book. I'm sure the thought of a book waiting to be read will make her happy, if nothing else.” A warm, fluttering feeling overtook her, settling her decision to stop into the book store. Her nose was greeted with the smell of parchment as she entered the modest shop.
“Hello!” called out an elderly stallion, most likely the proprietor of the book store. His voice warbled. “What might I help you find today young lady?”
Rarity smiled at the owner. “Well, I'm not sure,” she answered the shop keeper. “I stopped in on impulse. I guess I'm shopping for a friend more than myself. She absolutely adores reading; it is her favourite past time. She was injured recently, and, well, I thought that something new to read might help cheer her up.”
A sudden realisation brought Rarity pause. “Now that I think of it, I am terribly remiss in my duties as a friend. Why, I don't even know what Twilight's favourite genre is! Oh, I do hope I don't end up getting her something she has already read, or worse yet something she doesn't like! That would be just the worst possible thing of worst possible things!”
The older stallion peered at her over his half-moon glasses with a warm smile. “Is that so? Let's see...” Slowly, he began to walk around Rarity in a wide circle, sizing her up from every angle, almost like she would when gathering ideas for a customer's outfit. The old stallion grinned. “I think I know what you are looking for, but let me be sure. This friend you have in mind, would you say you are close to her? And would you say that this gift might be an expression of feelings?”
Rarity gave the stallion a quizzical look. She found his questions a little odd, but nevertheless thought on them for a few moments before responding. “Well, she is a very dear friend of mine; perhaps not as close as some friends are, but yes, I would say we are close. And, well, aren't all gifts an expression of feelings of some sort between the giver and receiver?”
The shop owner laughed softly. “I see, I see, and you do make a good point. Please feel free to browse around a moment and see if there is anything else you'd like. I have a book in mind for you, though it may take me a moment to locate it.” Before he had even finished his statement, the old shop keeper had started heading off deeper into the shop to search for this book he believed Rarity would want for Twilight.
Rarity browsed up and down the cramped and somewhat dusty aisles. She spotted a book on fashions that she wasn't familiar with. While it was aged, maybe it could help inspire her with her newer creations. After that, she found a few more contemporary novels that could serve as back-ups just in case this promised book proved to be way off the mark.
Shortly thereafter, the shop keeper returned, wiping dust off of a well-loved leather-bound tome. There was no title on it that she could see. She set her other choices on the counter next to the book that had been chosen for her, and graciously paid the surprisingly-reasonable price for them all.
“Thank you, kind sir,” Rarity told the shop keeper as she made her exit. “When my friend is feeling better, I will be sure to send her here to look for herself.”
-*-*-*-
Back at the palace, Rarity sought her friends out, Twilight foremost among them. It seemed all of them, save Twilight, had returned to the theatre to help salvage what they could of the pageant. Rarity felt a twinge of guilt upon hearing this. She knew that she should probably join them and help, too, but it sounded like such a dirty and unpleasant job. She also wanted to check on Twilight as well; the urge to be near her for even a little bit more was quite strong. She asked after Twilight, and learned through a thoughtful message left with the palace staff that she had finished with the doctor and was in her chambers. Spike had finally made his way in from Ponyville as well.
Rarity made her way through the halls of the palace, pausing only to drop off her bags in her own room. She kept only the paper bag that held the books she had picked out for Twilight. After that she quickly made her way down the hall to Twilight's room. Inside, Spike and Shining Armour were both hanging around talking to Twilight, who was laughing at something that had just been said. The bandages which had been obscuring her face were gone, replaced with a big pair of dark-tinted sunglasses. An odd platinum ring had been situated around Twilight's horn.
Rarity had hardly stepped into the room when Spike hopped up. “Rarity! You're here!” He ran over to her, and Rarity ruffled his head affectionately with her free hoof. “Twilight said you'd gone out but didn't know when you'd be back.”
“Hello Spike, Twilight, Captain Armour,” she greeted them all, before moving to take a seat on the bed near Twilight. She set her package at the foot of the bed for later, not wanting to interrupt this reunion too much. “Yes, I went out into town to do a little shopping while Twilight was with the doctor. It ended up taking longer than I expected.”
Shining Armour chuckled softly, a low sound to compliment the tinkling of his uniform regalia. “Please don't be so formal, any friend of my sister's is a friend of mine. Just 'Shining' is fine. Besides, you were at the wedding, weren't you?” He peered at her for a bit, struggling to remember for a moment and clearly a bit embarrassed. “Sorry, with what went on and the incident with Queen Chrysalis some of the details are a little blurry.”
He turned back towards Twilight and hugged her softly. “Well Twily, it's been good talking with you. I promise I'll stop by again soon, but duty calls; I've probably already spent too much time away as it is. Some days it feels like the entire guards corps would fall to pieces without someone there to dot every I and cross every T. Make sure you talk to mum and dad, I'm sure they'll want to hear what happened.” He broke the hug and stepped away, pausing at the door. “Love you, Twily”
Twilight beamed a smile back at him. “Love you too, B.B.B.F.F. And don't worry, I'll be sure to see mum and dad while I'm here. Go back to your duties, I'll be fine; I have Rarity and Spike here if I need anything, along with the whole palace too.”
Shining Armour left the room, leaving the three together. Spike sat on the other side of Rarity, leaving her sandwiched between him and Twilight.
“So, darling, how did things go with the doctors today?” asked Rarity. As she reached for the paper bag full of the books she had recently purchased, a sudden thought struck her. “Oh drat, books? What was I thinking, she can't read yet! What should I do?”
“Things went well,” answered Twilight. “Dr. Bright Field went over some of what they had learned in more detail with me, though she didn't really have anything new to tell me. If everything goes as planned I should begin treatment within the week! Also, she gave me this.” She motioned to her horn and the ring wrapped around its base. “This device uses magic energy propagation to measure the arcane resonance and refraction of barriers and other possible impediments in my immediate vicinity, allowing for rudimentary sightless navigation without unduly straining my precarious physical recovery.” Twilight just smiled.
“Well, obviously,” Rarity thought, bemused.
Spike furrowed his brow. “It does what to the who now?”
Twilight stopped smiling. “This should help me get around without bumping into walls and things while I walk, so I won't have to be guided by the hoof everywhere. What about you Rarity? What did you do with your day?”
“Is that so dear? That's wonderful, but don't forget I am here to help you with anything you need; all you need to do is ask. As for what I did, oh nothing special really. I wandered about Canterlot, did a little shopping, and just enjoyed the sights and sounds of the town. We'd been so busy with the pageant that I hadn't really had a chance to get out and about, so I took advantage. I picked up some wonderful bolts of cloth and a few things here and there that were just too lovely not to buy...”
“And went to a book store too, it seems,” chimed in Spike, as he reached for the paper bag where the corner of a book could be seen poking out. Rarity slid it out of his reach on the other side of her. Grinning sheepishly, guilt washed over her as she saw the mixture of emotions flowing across Twilight's face at the mention of books.
“Ah, and yes a book store too. Heh, you see well I thought... Well, I know how much you love to read, and thought that, since you can't right now, that maybe if you like... I could read to you? If you want?” said Rarity, covering her thoughtlessness quickly.
Twilight instantly brightened at the suggestion. A wide grin spread across her face. “You'd really do that? Oh thank you Rarity!” she said, hugging Rarity tightly with glee.
“Maybe the stop at the book store was a better idea than I thought,” said Rarity to herself as she returned the hug.
Spike picked up the bag containing the books. “So what kind of books did you buy Rarity?” He rifled through the bag's contents without bothering to wait for a response. “Ooh, is this one of the new Daring Do expanded universe novels?
Rarity looked over at the novel in the young dragon's claws. She didn't recall consciously choosing that one, but there it was. “So it seems it is, but I'm going to insist on Twilight getting first pick of what to read,” she said. She pulled all of the books out of the bag so she could announce their titles for Twilight's approval.
Twilight chose at that moment to lean over, sticking her head under Rarity's chin in order to smell the new books. Their scent begat a contented smile. “Mmm, I do love the smell of new books... but, uh... Why don't you pick, Rarity? Surprise me?” Twilight asked.
Rarity tensed as Twilight leaned under her like that. She could feel Twilight's breath softly once more, throwing her thoughts into complete disarray. Rarity tried to re-order her thoughts so as to come up with a coherent answer, but couldn't. Thankfully, she was saved by the door opening unannounced and Pinkie Pie bouncing her way into the room.
“Hi Twilight, Rarity, Spike! We're all back now. I came by to see how you all were doing? Oh also the princesses said they wanted to do dinner together with everyone. That should be soon now, so we should head down!”
“Thank goodness Pinkie Pie arrived when she did,” thought Rarity. Twilight moved her head and Rarity shook hers to clear it some. “Dinner with every pony sounds delightful, doesn't it, Twilight dear?” asked Rarity. Twilight stepped off of the bed, Spike hopping into his customary place on her back.
“I guess we should get going,” said Twilight as she headed towards the door. “We don't want to keep any pony waiting on us, now do we? Especially not the princesses.”
“Of course dear. Just let me get these books put back in the bag, I wouldn't want to leave them lying scattered about,” called Rarity as she gathered the books together, ordering them neatly by size before sliding them into the bag. Twilight exited the room and Pinkie grinned broadly.
“So how did things go today between you two, did you ask her? Oh wait no I bet that's what the books are for, silly me! You have to tell me how things work out!”
Rarity just gave Pinkie a quizzical look. “I'm not entirely sure I understand what you mean, Pinkie. Did I ask her what?” she asked as the two headed out of the room themselves, trotting a bit to catch up with Spike and Twilight.
“Ohhhhhh! You haven't... Oh, I see. Okay then! Don't worry, you'll get it later! Let's worry about dinner first. Food always makes ponies think more clearly. It's why I work in a bakery! That reminds me,” said the bouncing pink Earth pony, who then sped up to catch up with Twilight. “What's your favourite kind of cake so I can bake you a ginormous get-better-quick cake Twilight?”
Rarity continued to give Pinkie a puzzled look as she bounced ahead of her, leaving Rarity trailing some ways behind the group. She tried to decipher the strangeness of her friend, before giving up as she had so many times before. Filing the effort under “futile,” she decided to just go ahead and enjoy dinner with her closest friends.
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An update?dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Bonbon_OMG_LOVE.png
YES!!!!dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Sweetie_happy.png
Not bad for an unedited chapter, almost looks like the final copy with the same typical grammer and speeling errors.
Hehe Pinkie seems to have her Pinkie senses in full effect.
I like it. Keep it up amigo.
HI thanks. and I'm sorry for the long delay between chapters. RL circumstances and some illness have conspired to rob me of my muse these past few weeks. Thankfully with the return of the new season my muse decided to show back up again and i have been writing again. no promises on when the new chapter will be up but i have not forgotten or abandoned this story by any means.
i cant wait for this to continue
Awwwww, this sounded interesting, but it's been so long since the last chapter.
and for the long wait I greatly apologize. I am still attempting continue the story but I've hit a majors patch of writers block. which coupled with real life events (for example having to work two jobs) has severly curtailed my ability to write for this. I do apologize. I am not calling it dead yet. I will prevail! until then I apologize and understand anyones disappointment with me.
2691369
. No need to apologize for the wait, especially since you're busy. Looking forward to when you update though.
Take your time
I don't want to pressure you but how is it going with the story? I just found it and it almost painful it doesn't continue...