... Was It Love At First Sight?

She skips out the shop with a cheerful smile, her saddlebags laden with only the most important things like streamers, party hats and balloons. She heads onward into the dark of the evening, glancing up at the stars. The sky is clear and it's a beautiful night. The stars twinkle and Pinkie Pie giggles before movement draws her gaze and she looks back down to the ground.

There is an alabaster unicorn, wrestling with a cart, growling at it angrily and trying to cram another bag into a space that it clearly won't fit into.

It looks like a Pinkie Pie problem!

She diverts her course across towards the unicorn and spends a moment taking her in before deciding that she's definitely never met this mare before. She'd remember somepony with a mane as pretty as that.

“I told them I needed a bigger cart!” The unicorn mutters. She looks kind of stressed and stress meant a sad pony and sad ponies weren't happy ponies and happy ponies were Pinkie's absolute favourite type of pony. She arrives at the mare's side unnoticed and glances to the overflowing cart and the bag that's wrapped in a glow of magic and being battered ruthlessly into the pile of luggage.

“Hello?”

The mare screams in shock, Pinkie's ear itches at the tip and she jerks back instinctively and then there is only pain. She recoils with a yelp, throwing her hooves up over her face and clenching her burning eyes shut as she falls onto her back. Pepper spray! Oh the most terrible of pony inventions ever! This was the third time it's happened and it never stops hurting! Why did Pinkie sense never warn her sooner.

“Ow ow ow ow owwwww....”

“Oh dear...”

Pinkie wipes the tears from her eyes on the back of her hooves and coughs a tad before squinting up at the other mare who looks rather horrified. Her wide blue eyes dart to the can of pepper spray hovering beside her head then she throws it away with cry of disgust. Pinkie Pie can't really make out many details, everything tends to get blurry when you take that spray to the face, but she can tell that the rest of the unicorn is just as pretty as her mane.

Her blue eyes look back to Pinkie and she grimaces guiltily yet nevertheless quite daintily.

“I am... soo terribly sorry, darling. Are you alright?” She asks worriedly and she gently helps Pinkie onto her hooves.

“It's okay. It's not the first time and Pinkie sense tells me it won't be the last...” She replies smoothly as she wipes away more tears. “Though I kind of can't see too well and it's a little tricky to breath good.”

“Should I help you to a doctor? I feel simply awful, you must allow me to get you to some proper medical care.”

“Don't worry. I think I just need to wash my face. You didn't get me too good. You might want to work on your aim,” Pinkie returns, her tone turning more serious and the unicorn blinks at her. “Well, I could have been a really nasty pony and even if I hadn't have jumped back, I probably wouldn't have stayed down long! A pretty mare like you, alone at night, is bound to run into trouble!” Pinkie explains then she coughs a few times, her eyes watering again and she flops onto her front. The unicorn is silent for a moment.

“I'll get you some water!” She says hurriedly and she darts off into the shop, nabbing a jingling bag of bits from the cart as she goes. Pinkie remains on the ground, coughing and internally cursing her stealthiness for getting into this mess in the first place.

Pepper spray really sucked.

Pinkie couldn't be friends with something that mean even if it was sentient.

She's tried but pepper spray wasn't interested.

The pretty unicorn returns with two bottles of water, one of which she gives to Pinkie as she sits up and the other of which she uses to dampen some cloth out a bag. It looks a little too fancy to ruin like that.

“I'm sorry for sneaking up on you,” Pinkie says after she takes a drink and then the cloth is dabbing at her eyes and soothing the stinging burn. She closes her eyes and sits as still as possible whilst the thankfully very understanding unicorn wipes off the spray.

“Not at all, dear. Don't be ridiculous. It was entirely my fault, I've been on edge all day. Why my parents thought giving me a can of pepper spray was a good idea, I'll never know...” She returns and she pulls away the cloth then smiles apologetically at the earth pony. Her blue eyes sparkle like the stars shining above. Pinkie smiles back at her effortlessly.

“Like I said, I could have been a really mean pony and then it would've been a super good thing!” She reasons logically and the unicorn opens her mouth to reply, maybe to argue, but then she sighs, smiling again.

“I suppose so...” She says and Pinkie beams then offers a hoof.

“I'm Pinkamina Diane Pie but you can call me Pinkie. What's your name?” She greets and the unicorn takes her hoof. Pinkie shakes it with less vigour than usual. This unicorn seems a little bit more delicate than most ponies.

“Rarity Starshine,” The pretty unicorn replies in a voice that is as pretty as the rest of her. Starshine? Well, wasn't that just the most appropriate name ever? Also, has Pinkie mentioned yet how pretty she is? “It's lovely to meet you, Pinkie. I do wish it'd been under better circumstances,” She adds regretfully.

“Well, I'm pretty sure it could've been under worse circumstances! Besides, we got the chance to talk, didn't we? And if you hadn't have got me in the face then we probably wouldn't have!” Pinkie replies with a cheerful smile.

Rarity returns her smile with a soft one that makes Pinkie feel all weird and fuzzy.

“I do believe you're right,” She agrees and Pinkie Pie grins.

“Ponies are usually surprised by it but I'm actually right quite a lot,” She replies with a nod. “Would you like me to help you, Rarity?” She adds, hopping up to her hooves and the unicorn quirks a brow at her.

“You want to help me? Even after...” She says, trailing off in disbelief.

“Of course I want to help you. I'd have to be crazy to not want to help somepony as nice as you!” Pinkie returns and Rarity smiles at her again in that soft way. Pinkie bounces on the spot, her heart going all weird so that she can't bear to stand still. “Can I walk you home?” She quips and Rarity looks over to her discarded bag leant against a cart wheel, her ears drooping and eyes narrowing at it slightly in annoyance.

“That would be lovely, dear... If I could just get that bag in,” She says.

“I could just carry it for you?” Pinkie offers and Rarity shakes head then gazes off down the street with a sigh.

“Everything is being difficult today...” She mutters. “Thank you but really, it wouldn't be right at all too-” She adds, looking back to Pinkie but when she does, she's hitched in the cart and hopping between her hooves.

“But then you'd be doing me a favour if I wanted to, right? And doing favours is nice so how about I pull the cart, you can have the bag, you can keep your pretty coat shiny and I get to talk to a new friend!” Pinkie Pie says with another smile. Rarity gazes at her for a moment silently. “You might have to help me a little, my eyes are still kind of fuzzy but what do you think?” Pinkie adds and the unicorn returns her smile then picks up her bag in a telekinetic grip.

“That sounds lovely,” She agrees sincerely and they head off down the empty and quiet street, side by side with just the sound of their hooves and the wheels to fill the silence.

“You're really pretty, y'know!” Pinkie chirps idly as she gazes around then she glances over to her new friend. Her face is a little bit red. Maybe carrying bags is strenuous to unicorn magic? Pinkie doesn't know a lot about unicorn magic but it sounds possible.

“Why erm... thank you, dear...” Rarity says and she pauses a moment before speaking again. “You're rather pretty too...”

And then Pinkie's heart does something really weird. It does the thing it did when she saw the pepper spray coming at her, except she isn't feeling horror and it doesn't hurt afterwards; her heart jumps crazily around her chest. She smiles wider and her face heats up.

Huh...

It must be contagious.

Author's Note:

Raripie is kind of adorable with it's irrationality as a ship...

Anyway, I wrote this in one go and only did a quick proof read so do forgive me if there's any errors I missed and don't hesitate to point them out in the comments.
I do so love comments.

Have an awesome day,
Nick Chip.

Also, no. 'Starshine' isn't a canon name but I think it suits Rarity. I believe it was used in another story. If anybody knows of it then let me know and I'll add a link.
Thanks for reading

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