Canterlot Date
The Gala was, I had to admit, a welcome reprieve from work. The Wonderbolts had successfully integrated rescue routines into our practice, and even though the bureaucracy of Cloudsdale protested and groaned at every change I implemented, at the end of the day I was the captain and leader of the Wonderbolts. I had too much control over the system to stop, and I was too popular to remove easily.
A part of that, I had to admit, was somewhat Rarity’s doing. It’s not like I never considered these sorts of things (I was well aware that public image and perception was a big part of being the leader of the ‘Bolts), but honestly, Rarity was just plain better at things like slapping my face on magazines, putting me in the best dresses and clothes and showing me off at events. It didn’t hurt that she was one of the Princess’s best friends as well, though I didn’t really sit comfortably with the idea of coasting off of Rarity’s fame.
Then again, I was also famous. We had, in recent times, become known as something of a power couple, and that was fair enough. Together there really wasn’t much we couldn’t accomplish.
Still, I was tired. The Cloudsdale Resources Agency hadn’t blocked me from getting access to a new training facility per se… they had just been woefully inefficient at getting it ready. The boxes still hadn’t been unpacked after months, and I was caught in a crossroads of nonsense where due to risk management I wasn’t able to unpack the stupid things myself and at the same time I couldn’t use it safely whilst the boxes were still there. It was ridiculous, and the whole situation had sapped my energy, among other things.
“This’ll be your first time at the Gala, right?” Rarity asked, but not to me. She directed her question at Sweetie Belle who had followed us this time around.
I… didn’t know where I stood with Sweetie Belle. On one hoof I wanted to get along with her well, because she was Rarity’s sister and I wanted Rarity’s family to like me, or at the very least get along with me. On the other, I felt awkward being a sort of spectator to their various arguments and spats, and didn’t feel like I could intervene on either side. So usually I just sat quietly and let them finish by themselves, and then Rarity would use me to work out some stress. Which, I should note, was a mutually beneficial arrangement in my opinion.
“Yup!” Sweetie replied, and twirled around in her dress. Blue and white caftan, patterned. I had spent long enough around Rarity to start paying attention to these things.
Rarity herself wore a luscious burgundy, which I had since learned was her favourite colour. I wasn’t sure what material it was. Rarity called it silk, but when I asked what kind she just sort of brushed the question aside. Apparently it was very rare, though, and I could tell by the way it moved and interacted with the air that it was so light that it was as if Rarity was barely wearing anything at all. She had a bright pink scarf made of the same material that floated like snowflakes on the breeze.
I was dressed in a slim teal suit. Rarity had decided she liked seeing me dressed with a hint of masculinity to me, which… well I deferred to her expertise on the matter. The colours harkened to my Wonderbolt uniform, which I did enjoy. I liked the uniform. Rarity had also encrusted me with so many jewels I felt like a walking diamond mine. She said that if I wasn’t the most beautiful thing in the room at any given time, or at the very least second most beautiful, she wasn’t doing her job right.
It was all a bit outside of my area of expertise, but I did enjoy letting Rarity play with dressing me up as much as she liked. It was sort of relaxing, and a little fun.
Rarity’s eyes glanced in my direction, and she tutted. Her hoof raised up to my mane and began sliding over it. “Captain Darling, your mane is poofing up again.”
“Yeah it does that,” I explained, not for the first time. “It’s the lightning clouds we fly through. Static, y’know?”
Rarity sighed. “Well at least you look gorgeous either way. But I spent a long time on that coiffure.”
I nuzzled her gently. “I know you did.”
This wasn’t my first Gala… not even close. I was used to the crowd of unicorns and Equestrian celebrities. I had been one for years.
“Shame it’s just us this year,” Rarity muttered. She breathed in. "And if I move to Yakyakistan I might not be able to make it next year either."
I sucked air in through my teeth, guilt stabbing at my gut. I was, after all, the reason Rainbow Dash wasn’t attending. Among the many other things that had sapped my energy recently, I had felt the need to send Rainbow away to Griffonstone.
There was a logic and strategy to my decision. As the Cloudsdale elite had been trying to set her up as a more ‘convenient’ replacement to me and stifle the changes I had been setting up, it had made two things clear. One, Rainbow Dash was a liability to me. The second was that eventually, when the old guard succeeded, Rainbow would be the one to take over the ‘Bolts from me.
I didn’t mind the idea of Rainbow taking over. Actually I liked it. I didn't like the idea of her doing it now. She wasn’t ready to be a captain; too naive, insecure and irresponsible. She also had no experience. Sending her to Griffonstone as an instructor sorted out two of my problems at once. It removed a piece that the Cloudsdale elite could use against me and gave Rainbow the much-needed experience she’d need when she came to take over the role of Captain after I retired.
I had told this to Rarity of course. She hadn’t liked it. Not just because I had referred to Rainbow as a ‘liability’, but because to her it seemed like I had resolved myself to an early retirement. Neither were things she appreciated hearing.
As a result, Rainbow Dash was unable to attend the Gala. Applejack had managed to injure herself farming, and so was putting her hooves up at home. Nopony knew exactly where Fluttershy and Pinkie were. They sent letters, Rarity said, but she didn’t know where they came from. Fluttershy might be in an alternate dimension with Discord; Pinkie was travelling somewhere with Cheese Sandwich.
That left Rarity and Twilight. Oh, and me I guess, but I still didn’t feel like I counted in that circle of friends. I still felt a bit like an outsider.
I guess I was just a bit gloomy in general. Rarity must have picked up on that; she leaned into my wing and pushed me forwards, in the direction of the grand double-doors to the hall.
“You know, the first time I visited the Gala, I was hit by a flying cake,” she said, giggling to herself.
I snickered. “I remember, actually. I also remember Rainbow Dash being a bit of a nuisance.”
“Yes, she was! I think we all were.”
We passed the entrance and into the lavish castle hall. Vast stairs led up to the residential suites, and standing at its base was the Princess herself, Twilight Sparkle. A small crowd approached her, waiting to see her and be shown into the party.
“You know, back then I considered asking you out at the Gala,” I went on. “But between Rainbow hovering around me and you and that pretty-boy prince…”
“Oh, don’t remind me. I still abhor that memory.” Rarity shuddered. “It would have saved me from embarrassing myself if you had asked me out.”
“Well at the time I didn’t realise you, uh, would have been interested. I mean, he was a stallion, I’m very much not...”
“I appreciate beauty in all its various forms, darling.”
“Sure but I didn’t know that.”
Rarity huffed in a playful manner. “Well if you had you could have saved me from becoming a cake display.”
As we trotted towards Twilight, the crowd parted and murmured a bit. As I mentioned, we were sort of a power couple. Pretty much everypony had read about our relationship at one point or another, and a lot of eyes were on us.
We reached Twilight Sparkle, eventually. I straightened and stood at attention, as I was supposed to in the presence of a Princess.
“Hello there darling!” Rarity exclaimed, rushing up to give Twilight a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “How has Canterlot been?”
I tried to relax a bit. Right. I wasn’t there as a captain of the ‘bolts, but as Rarity’s marefriend. I should play my part.
“Hey, uh… T-Twilight Sparkle, your highness, ma’am.”
“Spitfire, feel free to pick one of those,” Rarity teased.
“Right. Hello ma’am.”
“Not that one.”
Twilight giggled. “It’s all right. We don’t really interact much as just friends. It’s a bit strange for me too.” She flashed me a broad smile. “Just Twilight Sparkle is fine if you’d like.” She turned to look at Sweetie Belle. “Hey there Sweetie. How are the crusaders?”
“At home. Scootaloo is studying and Applebloom has to take care of Applejack. She sprained her leg.”
“Spitfire helped Rainbow get Scootaloo into a ground-based aerodynamics course,” Rarity said.
“It was nothing,” I said, more woodenly than I’d have liked.
The Princess nodded. “I’ll come by and say hello in a bit. I need to finish greeting the guests first. We’ll take a walk around the gardens?”
Rarity and I nodded and walked away. Rarity gave Twilight a little playful wave, and then nuzzled me. “You can relax around Twilight. She won’t bite.”
“I’m just a bit nervous that I might. I do tend to snap a lot…”
“I don’t mind a little biting,” Rarity joked.
I sighed. “I’ll try to relax.”
Rarity glared at Sweetie, who was approaching one of the busts of Princess Celestia. “And you could do with relaxing less! Don’t touch that, it’s priceless!”
Sweetie slid away from the statue. “Then it won’t cost anything if it breaks…” She trotted away. “I’m going to find Spike. I’ll see you two later!”
“Don’t do anything crusader-y!” Rarity called after her.
“I’m curious. How much trouble does Sweetie usually get into?” I asked.
“You’ve had to deal with Rainbow Dash?” Rarity asked.
“Ah, I see.”
The ballroom was as it always was; a refined band playing on stage, trays and trays of food, and wine. Lots of wine. I swiped a couple of glasses with my wing as we passed a table, and handed one to Rarity.
“Thank you, dearest.”
“Anytime.”
Rarity leaned in. “So, any tasks to clear whilst we’re here?”
“In Canterlot? No. This is purely pleasure. No business.” I took a long sip of wine. “I could use something purely for pleasure for once.”
“Well then, shall we mingle for a bit before meeting up with Twilight? I think I spotted some old friends over there…”
“Sure.”
“You don’t mind me showing you off a little?”
I laughed. “Never.”
As we approached, I overheard some of the discussion amongst the fashion giants of Canterlot. I knew only a little of them from my time listening to Rarity’s at time frantic ranting. Apparently they were not popular in the Carousel Boutique.
“...just as well she’s moving to Yakyakistan.”
“...if anything will end that mare’s career, it’ll be floundering trying to renovate yak fashion.”
I frowned, and glanced towards Rarity. My partner pointedly ignored them and shot towards a small gaggle of ponies, all orbiting a familiar stallion. Everypony knew Fancy Pants.
“Ah, Rarity! And her delightful partner in crime.” Fancy Pants trotted up to us and extended his hoof. “Glad to see you, ahem, found somepony to attend the event with.”
Rarity winced a little. “Yes, um, well.” She straightened. “How are things in Canterlot? Still desperately clinging to fashions from one-hundred years ago?”
“Still, yes. I feel like I live in a museum sometimes,” Fancy Pants said with a chuckle.
“Where’s Lee?” Rarity asked. “I can’t imagine him not attending the Gala.”
“Fleur has just stepped away for a moment. He heard that the Canterlot bestiary managed to acquire an Elder Widow.”
I raised my eyebrow. “A what?”
Fancy Pants opened his mouth, but Rarity spoke over him. “A very rare creature is all. Nothing to be concerned about.”
“They’re what spin the delightful fabric Rarity is wearing,” Fancy went on. “Extraordinary creatures, and quite la—”
Rarity leaned in towards Fancy Pants. “...maybe change the topic. Spitfire doesn’t like spi—…”
“I’m back,” Fleur dis Lee said as he emerged from the crowd. “It’s amazing, by the way. I heard Miss Fluttershy had it rescued from a wildfire and sent it over for safekeeping. I’ve never seen one that large.” He looked over at me and Rarity. “Oh, hello there. Miss Rarity.” There was a hint of superiority in his voice. “How have you been?”
“Fine,” Rarity replied, a little coldly. “How are you and Fancy?”
“We’re doing wonderfully. How are you and Spitfire?”
“Delightful. We’re practically made for each other.”
“You don’t say? Why me and Fancy—”
Fancy Pants coughed. “I heard that Miss Rarity has set up a boutique far in the north. In Yakyakistan.”
“Yes. I actually intend to move there temporarily to help set it up.” Rarity flicked her mane. “It’s very exciting. I know most fashionistas in Canterlot don’t see much potential in Yakyakistan but I think that’s a very shortsighted opinion…”
“I agree,” Fleur said. “Imagine the things you can do with those luscious manes of theirs.”
“Among other things,” Rarity replied. “Glad we agree on one thing.”
I watched as Lee and Rarity glared at each other for a while, before backing away and returning to their conversation.
“Spitfire doesn’t mind you leaving to go abroad?” Fancy Pants asked.
“Not especially,” I said. “We actually meet a bit less than most ponies think. We live apart, still, and are quite happy with our arrangement.”
“One of the things we decided when we started going out was that we’d never get in the way of each other's careers. I think that’s important to both of us,” Rarity went on.
“Well, there are a lot of ponies who’ll breathe easier with some distance between you and them,” Fancy said. “You’ve been gently squeezing the modern fashion industry and a lot of ponies are beginning to feel the pressure. They’re forced to innovate. Imagine that.”
“Well they should catch their breath whilst they can,” I said. “Rarity won’t be away forever.”
“I couldn’t possibly keep away,” Rarity replied, leaning into me. Between my feathers, my wine slipped and a drop fell onto Rarity’s scarf. “Oh, bother.”
“Sorry,” I said. “Shall I…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll ask Twilight for something to have that removed.” Rarity removed the scarf from her neck and passed it to me, magic tying it around my neck. “Nopony will see the stain if we turn it into a neckerchief, but a neckerchief simply won’t go with my dress.”
I raised my chin to allow Rarity to better adjust the knot. “All good?”
“Yes! Delightful.”
“It feels amazingly light. Honestly I don’t know where you get these materials.”
Fancy and Fleur Dis Lee glanced at each other. Rarity stepped back, admiring her handiwork. “Very good! Shall we meet up with Twilight?”
I nodded. “Yes. Let’s.”
As we trotted outside under the vast night sky of Canterlot, I leaned closer towards Rarity’s ear. “You and Fleur seemed a little frosty.”
“Him and I had a little discussion not long after I, ahem, tried to approach Fancy about, ah… Well. It was before we started going out.”
“Still a bit hostile, is he?”
“Just a little. I don’t know why; Fancy made it quite clear he wasn’t interested in me in the slightest.”
“Can’t say I’m complaining.”
“Neither am I. It was just embarrassing.”
“Worked out in the end, though, didn’t it?” I said.
We arrived at a small paved area with a fountain in the centre. Princess Twilight stood there quietly, looking at the water. When we reached her, she beamed like someone had just switched on the lights in a dark room.
“It’s so good seeing you again. I’ve been meaning to visit for a while but I’ve just been so swamped with setting up the new school and corresponding with Starlight…”
Rarity laughed. “I completely understand. Even when we lived in the same town it was often as if we only saw each other when something horrible went wrong.”
“Or one of our friends was causing trouble,” Twilight added.
“Or we were!”
I watched Rarity laugh and reminisce with her old friend. I felt just a bit jealous; although the side of Rarity I got to enjoy was one that I wouldn’t trade for anything, I did at times wish I had the same relationship with her as her Ponyville friends did. They seemed to have shared so many experiences and misadventures together. So many stories I wasn’t a part of.
Then again, I was the only pony Rarity had shared her ambitions, her ideas for the future, and her heart with. When things weren’t working out, we comforted each other. We were each other's safety net, I suppose. Or at least, she was mine.
Sometimes I felt like there wasn’t much I could do for Rarity. Other than stand still and let her use my body as a mannequin, realistically what was I able to provide her in practical terms?
A year ago I couldn’t have imagined wanting to mean something to someone more than wanting to secure the future of the Wonderbolts. I guess that’s why I was okay with the idea of an early retirement. It mattered less now that there was somepony else absorbing my interest.
It wasn’t really in the spirit of our agreement that we’d not get in the way of each other’s careers to think like that, but I couldn’t help myself.
“So, Spitfire…” Twilight began. “I hear you’ve been stirring up things in Cloudsdale.”
I nodded. “Yes I am. The ‘Bolts have been reformed as a more rescue-oriented organisation.” I gave a small bow. “With your permission, of course.”
“Naturally. I think it’s really admirable that the Wonderbolts are being used for something so noble.”
“Captain Darling felt very upset about failing to save me from danger all the time. I made a bit of an impression at the Junior Flyer’s Contest, you know.” Rarity chortled. “She still hasn’t been able to rescue me from anything yet, either.”
“Hopefully I won’t have to,” I replied. “Our ‘Bolts were engaged in a search and rescue operation last week. We saved two ponies.” I allowed myself a modest, smug smile. “Did it fast, too. A local record, apparently.”
“Any pony saved is a win to me,” Twilight replied. “I’m very grateful that you’re using your own experiences to save lives. Not just as a Princess, but a friend of ponies in general.”
“Well, the Cloudsdale leadership seem to think that two ponies isn’t a particularly big number,” I grumbled. “But to me, any pony could be somepony’s Rarity, so I’d like to have the Wonderbolt’s give it their all.”
A small crew of ponies wheeled by a large, pony-sized cake as Twilight and Rarity listened. I noted Rarity take a small step back from the gargantuan confection. Bad memories, I imagined.
“You never can tell when a cake will land on you. And this is a very expensive dress,” she explained, catching my look.
I giggled. Twilight smiled at me; I imagined she was happy that I was loosening up around her at last. I took a step back.
“I need to head to the mare’s room. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“See you soon, dear,” Rarity said.
The gardens were massive and labyrinthian. The hedges made up maze-like walls, and in this tight suit I couldn’t easily fly around them without risking tearing it. I decided walking would be safer.
Still, I wished that I knew where I was going.
“Damn it, if this keeps up I’ll just pee in a stupid bush.” I glanced around. “I don’t even know where Rarity and Twilight are. If only it wasn’t so dark…”
I passed a few trees and heard gentle tweeting. I realised that I must have taken a wrong turn at the statuary and made my way into the bestiary. This was where all sorts of domesticated animals were. I made a point of being careful not to step on something like a squirrel’s nest or something.
I passed a large, cage-like contraption the size of a small house. There was no gate; no animal in the bestiary was kept locked in except for health reasons, and were free to roam the bestiary at will. I peered inside. I wondered what kind of animal might live in there? An elephant, maybe? Or a hippo? No, hippos were dangerous animals, and quite aggressive. There was no way one would be kept in here.
“Well I can’t pee in a place where some animal might live,” I grumbled to myself. The breeze tugged on Rarity’s scarf, gently. The way it billowed really was impressive. It was warm, but almost weightless.
I looked around to try and see the lights of the castle and orient myself. So long as I circumnavigated the stupid maze I’d be able to make it back easily, I decided.
I took a few steps forwards and found my rear hoof failed to move. Caught on something. I looked down, but it was too dark to see exactly what I had gotten caught on. I yanked my hoof, and I heard an audible ‘twang’ echo through the night. My hoof came free.
“Hope I haven’t broken anything,” I grumbled, but at the same time I wasn’t that torn up about it. I didn’t like being stuck to things.
I took a few more steps and this time my foreleg got caught on something. Again, I couldn’t really feel what.
“What the hay?”
I tried to shake my hoof loose but it was like whatever I was on was glued to me or something. Irritating. I felt a flash of rage ignite in me; a familiar feeling when things weren’t going my way.
I braced myself back to give my hoof a good pull, but then I stepped in more of… whatever it was.
“Horseapples.”
Suddenly I felt a pulling sensation on my haunches. My heart leapt into my mouth. Something was picking me up. Magic? Was this a prank? On me?
“I don’t know who you are, funny guy, but when I find you—” I began, and twisted around. The things that had stuck to my foreleg detached as if on cue, and I was suspended in the air by my hind legs alone. A noticeable, glinting strand of string was what held me up, and it was lifting me higher, higher into the air, like I was heavy cargo being raised by crane.
“This is ridiculous,” I snarled. “I’m not kidding around here…”
Eventually I realised what I had been pulled up towards. Surrounding me like a net was a familiar shape made up of the same strands that held me up. My legs got tangled up in them, sticking to them like superglue. My heart began to race.
It looked an awful lot like a spiderweb.
I hated spiders.
I hated spiders.
A nervous chuckle escaped me. “I… ha ha… this isn’t funny any more…”
From the pitch darkness I saw eight bright, purple orbs emerge like distant, unknowable stars. They approached, expanding to invade the entirety of my vision. Mandibles the size of magnum wine bottles glinted in the starlight. Legs so vast their point of origin was out of sight drifted into my peripheral vision.
I screamed, and on the plus side, I didn’t need to go to the bathroom any more.
The rest of the evening, I confess, was something of a blur in my mind. I distinctly recall a lot of screaming, a lot of thrashing and wailing, and no small amount of crying.
I also recall that quite quickly Rarity, Twilight, some other spectators clustering around the bestiary.
“Don’t worry darling! It’s quite harmless, I promise,” Rarity called out to me.
In-between hoarse screams I managed to bellow back my most concise reply, which consisted of two-thirds crying and one-third ‘please get me down’. Then I snorted back snot.
I didn’t like spiders. I still don’t.
"Rarity! Get it away from me!" I shrieked. I'm not ashamed of saying that I shrieked like a girl. Firstly, I am a girl, and secondly, you'd shriek too if you were scared of something and a giant version of it had you trapped.
I did not appreciate the leisurely pace at which I was being rescued.
“Fascinating creatures actually. They feed off of moonlight and are really very friendly. I think your thrashing is scaring her,” Twilight added.
“She’s scared?!” I retorted.
I sensed movement through the web. It was moving. Oh horseapples it was moving! I thrashed to escape, but it was no use.
“Try not moving, darling! We’re getting Spike to fetch a ladder so we can get you down. The nice big spider is just curious is all!”
“I ju-hu-hust wanted to rela-ha-hax!” I remember sobbing.
The spider’s mandibles clicked together. They sounded like drumsticks hitting one-another at an unnatural frequency.
“What’s she saying, Twilight?” Rarity asked.
“She said she just wanted to relax.”
“I meant the Elder Widow.”
“Oh. Um… I think she’s trying to help Spitfire? I don’t know what with.” Twilight scratched her head. “This is strange. They’re usually very docile and friendly, and I don’t know why she’d spin Spitfire in a web.”
Rarity tilted her head. “All right, this isn’t going to work. Even when the ladder arrives Spitfire isn’t going to be able to get out. Look, the more she moves the more she’s getting tangled.”
“You want me to fly up there?” Twilight asked.
“No, probably better if I do it. Mind levitating me?”
“Of course.”
Legs like tree-trunks shifted around me, and with every tug at my suit and fur my breath caught and I couldn’t help but shriek. No amount of willpower could stop it. It was completely out of my control; a purely instinctive and visceral reaction to being stuck in an Elder Widow’s web.
My eyes were shut tight when Rarity floated up to me. I tried cringing and retracting my legs into my body, but they were all stuck and uncomfortably splayed out.
“Oh, do calm down. This is hardly the first time I’ve seen you tied up.”
“Spiders weren’t involved!”
“No but you were about as loud. Hang on, I’m going to get you… Oh, hello Miss Elder Widow…”
“What’s it doing?” I asked, and carefully opened one eye.
All I saw was the beginning of a massive, dark purple abdomen. I screeched and closed my eyes again.
“Getmeoutgetmeoutgetmeoutgetmeout—”
“I’ve figured it out!” Twilight called. “She’s wearing a spidersilk neckerchief, isn’t she?”
“It’s a scarf actually but yes, that’s right,” Rarity called back.
“I think she thinks that Spitfire was stuck in a web and was trying to get her loose. Try taking her scarf off. Oh, and… I guess your dress as well, now that I notice she’s slightly interested in that too…”
I heard brief sounds of a struggle.
“But it’s mine!”
“We’ll get it back! Just do it.”
I heard Rarity harrumph angrily, and after a few moments, felt her hooves approach my neck. I relaxed a little; at least it was the gentle touch of Rarity, and not the hard chitinous carapace of the Elder Widow touching me. My makeshift neckerchief loosened, and a tug of unicorn magic pulled it free.
“Here you go. You’ll be giving me my marefriend back then, won’t you?”
I heard that same monstrous clicking as before.
“Thank you!”
I felt Rarity’s hooves once again wrap around me, and one at a time, the points where my hooves had become stuck to the web came undone. As soon as I was able I wrapped every one of my legs around Rarity. I had virtually lost my capacity to either open my eyes or fly.
“All right, levitate me down, Twilight.”
I felt us gently descend. Once I realised we were on the ground, I gingerly stepped onto the grass. My eyes, however, remained shut.
“T-take-take me away from here…”
Rarity gently led me in a direction I was utterly unsure of. We passed a few other ponies… who I couldn’t tell. Spectators to my miserable display.
“We’re away. You can open your eyes, darling.”
I opened one eye, and saw Rarity. She was no longer wearing her burgundy dress. I suppose the Elder Widow must have taken it. We sat by the fountain again. Twilight was nearby and shooing away other ponies. I glanced down at my reflection in the water; snot and tears had streamed down my face. I don’t think I had ever looked worse. Not once. And I had gone through my fair share of crashes, especially back in my factory racing days, before getting scouted by Fire Streak.
“Why was there a giant spider in the bestiary?” I croaked, my voice all but gone. I tried to sound indignant but I was too exhausted. My ordeal had wiped me out. I kind of just wanted to sleep.
“She’s a rescue. Its home was destroyed in a wildfire. Fluttershy saved it and took it here.” Twilight sat down. “The caretaker called her Violet, because of her eyes and the colour of her carapace. She’s a bit scary but really very friendly…”
I snorted. It felt rude to reply ‘I don’t care’, so I didn’t, and instead just sort of sat quietly, stewing in my mixture of shock at having been caught in a giant spider’s web and relief that I no longer was. I shuddered. One of the good things about being a flyer was that as a lifestyle I didn't tend to come into contact with many spiders. Or any. Cloudsdale was not a friendly place for spiders, giant or otherwise.
Rarity wore a wan smile. “I’ve never seen you like that,” she said. “I didn’t know you were that scared of spiders.”
“I’m not usually…” I replied. “They’re not usually that huge…” I hiccupped. “Oh great. Now I’m hiccupping.”
“There there,” Rarity muttered, and pressed her head against the side of my neck. “We’ll get you some wine and everything will be better.”
"Well I suppose it is traditional for the Gala to go haywire," Twilight mused to herself. “Sorry about the whole mess. I thought Violet would just be absorbing moonlight at a time like this…”
Twilight looked off into the distance. I followed her gaze, and winced when I saw the outline of the Elder Widow’s gargantuan frame silhouetted against the moon. Utterly still. Terrifying.
Rarity nestled her nose into the fur of my chest. “Looks like I rescued you. That’s one-zero.”
“Oh hardy har.” I snorted. “I didn’t know you could be that cool-headed. It was a giant spider after all.”
“At first I was a bit scared, but when you look at something for a bit you can often see how beautiful something is. And Violet is quite beautiful, in her own way. Besides,” Rarity smiled. “I’ve been in scarier situations on my adventures with Twilight. Whenever I’m around friends I always know it’ll be alright in the end.”
I wiped my eyes. “That’s nice. Maybe you should have my job, and be the one trying to reform the ‘Bolts instead of me.”
“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly. Not enough fashion opportunities as a captain.”
Rarity, in my opinion, looked as radiant outside of her dresses as she did in them. I, by contrast, looked like an utter and total mess. If any of the ‘Bolts had seen me, I’d never have been able to live it down. I’d acquire a whole new nickname. Rarity was beautiful in every context; when she was making dresses, planning new ventures, laughing over dinner and wine, and when she was kissing me and being kissed. But there was more. There was the side that I didn't see as much; the side I missed because I didn't follow her on her adventures. She looked beautiful even when she was protecting me from a giant spider, or comforting me when I had made a mess of myself.
By comparison, I was just me. A captain on her way out, clinging to her manipulative plans, just preparing her job for the next pony to take it. Couldn't save ponies herself so she made an organisation do it for her. Barely enough for whatever task was at hoof.
I could learn so much from Rarity. Grace in all things. That'd be nice.
"Are you alright?" Rarity asked.
I sniffed. "Yeah. I think I'm just emotional or something." I breathed in. "I'll fix it, hang on."
"You don't have to fix everything. You can be emotional for a bit. Nopony's watching."
"Actually, I'm still here..." Twilight said, but was shushed by Rarity.
I closed my eyes, fatigue washing over me. “You know when you go to Yakyakistan?”
“Hmm?”
“I want to go with you.”
Rarity was quiet for a moment. “You’re just saying that because you’re still scared of the giant spider.”
“I’m serious. I want to be with you more.” I buried my nose into her mane and breathed in. I must smell like crap, like sweat and fear, but she smelled like flowers. No flower in particular. Just flowers, too many to name. She also smelled a bit of me; and I liked that. "There's so much more of you I don't get to see. I want to be close to that, too."
“It’ll be hard managing the Wonderbolts from Yakyakistan.”
“When Rainbow comes back she can be my deputy. I’ll take leave. I’ll find a way. Also I'm very fast. I bet I can make the trip for weekends or something.”
Rarity paused. “If you want to, I know you will find a way. But you don’t need to. You don’t need to do anything more than you already are for me to love you.”
“Ha.” I swallowed. “I could scream less, I guess.”
“I like it when you’re loud.”
“I'm still here,” Twilight repeated.
Rarity giggled. “Just make sure you don’t make things too hard for yourself. You’re not invincible.” She raised her eyebrow coyly. “Clearly.”
“Clearly.”
“Just do what you need to do. Always.” Rarity sighed. “Right. Let’s get you cleaned up. You’ve absolutely ruined that suit.”
“Just as well it didn’t come with trousers.”
“Hmm?”
“Nothing.”
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nice
10929011 No you're nice
10929018
i meant nice work
Well this was interesting, this chapter makes me think that this story is in the same universe as another story of yours.
10929062 Either that or I'm eco-friendly and recycle!
But yeah I the stories kinda had similar themes and ideas so... I don't mind them being linked, honestly.
Nope, i am with Spits here!
Everything with more than 4 legs needs to be kept far away from me or be burned out of existence otherwise!
10929089 I don't like spiders either.
I have a working relationship with one in my room; he kills my enemies (mosquitoes and other flying menaces) and in exchange I don't end him, but he has to remain in his spot and never ever leave or else we're going to have a serious problem.
10929091
The fuckers here are horrible little Trolls to me . .
I almost never see them, but almost every morning there will be a fucking net at face level in the opening of my bedrooms door . .
10929100 Yeah no nets in doorways is what I'd call a Serious Problem and boundaries will need to be set with extreme prejudice. If it's small enough and slow enough in my great generosity I will have them deported via cup and piece of card but any sign of trouble and I will declare war. In the worst of scenarios when they're too large to easily defeat I enlist a specialist cat who's quite reliable and thinks they're tasty.
10929105
Yeah, i miss my little tiger . .
who needs spiders if you can have an adorable cat eat all the insects and spiders for you?
Rarifire is my preferred ship name for these two. Sparity is obviously Spider/Rarity.
Yes, you read that right.
10929227
The true OTP I was too naïve and blind to see, under my nose the entire time.
Nice comeback
10929326 It pays to have a small selection of comebacks on hand for emergencies, and this isn't Sweetie's first rodeo.
10929247
It can crawl up your nose and onto your keyboard if you let it.
As if you have a choice.
If this is "Better Sparity", then would "Best Sparity" be Rarity X Sporticus?
10929227
Rarity and a creature that make the rarest and best silk in the universe? Yeah, that's the OTP alright. And here I was supporting Rarity X Tom!
10929451
Rarity x Spider x Tom is okay too.
No joke here when you said Lee my mind went to Rock Lee from Naruto.
Ah, so we'll be getting semi-regular updates of this, huh? :)
10935873 Hmmmmmm so long as it's only semi, sure. I'm not sure I can currently handle anything approaching a truly sensible schedule! My lab is not complying much with my demands for stability.
One of the things I really like about this story is that I've sort of kept it so that I only really need to update it when I've got a fun idea for it, but I think that if I'm still finding the story fun to come back to, I'll almost certainly keep coming back to it for a good long while.
My hope is that, even if it doesn't get updated, the chapters as they are still kinda/sorta work as a sort of anthology of a ship. A weird ship. That only two other stories' I've seen so far have approached. But there must be more, and I will find them.
10936010
That's perfectly legit. :)
Not a big fan with your Fancy Pants and Fleur.
But love everything else. Especially Twilight this chapter