Chapter 1

Thread by Thread
by Cosmic Waltz

The threaded needle danced through the fabric with the grant of magic, gliding with precision only possible with years of practice. Rarity knew she could just as easily use her trusted sewing machine, but for a project as important as this, she would settle for nothing less than absolute perfection. Having traced the layers of cloth around the torso of the mannequin, she gave it one last tug, drawing the garment-in-design together.

She stepped back, looking over her work. The upper portion of the dress was coming along well. Deep, dark blue cloth fit snug to the mannequin, frilled slightly over the shoulders to accentuate the wearer's form. Silver piping graced the curves of whichever lucky pony wore the dress even more, drawing the eye from shoulder to hip. It was far from complete, still lacking the flowing cloth over the hind-quarters of the mannequin, but it was beginning to take the obvious shape of a lovely gown.

"My, my, Rarity!" the fashionista spoke to herself aloud. "I must say this is becoming one of your very best designs!"

It had to be. She had more reason than ever before for this dress to be the best she had ever made. It was for a very special pony, after all.

---

It had been just yesterday. Rarity sat with Twilight in the parlor of her boutique. Twilight had agreed to help the glamourous unicorn to work on a new spell. Though magic was obviously a tool more at the scholarly pony's disposal, Rarity would always take the time to learn new things to help with her own work.

Twilight laid a sheet of coarse, red fabric between the two of them. "Okay, now you give it a try!"

Rarity had just witnessed the spell performed by the talented unicorn, and had read over the method many times to truly understand its casting. Still, magic was not her strongest suit, despite it being what drew her to her destiny in fashion. She focused on the simple cloth, magic glowing around her horn. The glow encircled the fabric as well, lifting it off of the floor. Levitation was a trick almost every unicorn could learn, but what they were practicing was something all the more difficult. Rarity bit down, closing her eyes tightly as she forced all of her magic into changing the material before her. Beams of light peaked from her horn as the glow intensified, finally rolling over into the satisfying pulse of alteration.

As the powerful surge crested, slipping back into her horn, Rarity opened her eyes. Now, still levitating in front of her, was a red square of silken, glossy fabric!

Rarity burst into exclamation at her success. "Yes! Yesyesyes! I did it!" She rushed over, hugging the unicorn who had been tutoring her over the past few hours. The foalish joy of her revelation quickly snapped away, and she drew back into her modest elegance with a nervous chuckle. "Thank you so much, Twilight! I'm sure this will help me greatly in my work!"

She leashed back words she wanted to say. She had summoned the unicorn to her boutique for more than just training. If she was really in need of learning the magical feat, she could have easily taught herself from one of Twilight's many books. What she needed the unicorn for was something much more intimate, but despite her best attempts, the conversation never moved nearer to her target.

Twilight smiled at her friend. "It's no problem, Rarity. If you ever need any help, feel free to ask!" The purple unicorn turned, heading towards the shop entrance.

A small panic fluttered within Rarity as her friend moved away, screaming for her to interject however she could. "Wait, Twilight!" She hadn't intended to sound nearly as emotional as she had, a pleading breaking into her voice.

Twilight looked back, facing her friend. "Is something the matter?"

The posh unicorn recoiled again trying to find reason for her outburst. "I just... Well..." As she attempted to cross the barrier in her mind, her tongue took leave of her control, saving itself from the awkward situation. "I was wondering if you would like for me to make you a dress!" It hadn't been the thought on her mind.

Twilight lit with a reserved excitement. "Oh, Rarity, you don't have to do that. Besides, I hardly have anything to wear a dress to!"

Rarity quickly assessed the new direction of conversation. "Oh, but darling, a pony with your looks deserves something just as fabulous!" She felt a warmth run through her as she let the flirty compliment ring out. "It's not a problem, and I will not take 'no' for an answer!"

"Well, if you insist." Twilight blushed slightly, a sight that sent a shiver bristling through Rarity's coat.

"Of course I do, Twilight." The white unicorn moved to her friend's side, guiding her back onto the shop floor. "Now, let's get you measured. It's been nearly a year since last I got your size."

The two walked to a platform in one corner of the shop. Twilight stood on the raised plane, mirrors surrounding her on all sides, while Rarity quickly went about gathering the supplies she would need. She procured her rope measure, levitating a quill and sketchbook behind her to mark the numbers.

Secretly, Rarity had asked Twilight over for much more than a new spell and a dress. Over the past months, she had felt a fondness growing in her for the magically-inclined unicorn, spreading far beyond where she had felt it should. The purple unicorn filled her head, and she often found herself distracted from work. She had thought up grand reasons to go out of her way to visit the library, even checking out a book on sewing basics needlessly. The feelings that reveled within her heart were past that of friendship, she knew, entering a new, exciting, and anxious territory; she worried that she had fallen in love with Twilight. She had to confront the perplexing emotions, but every time she found the nerve, the moment was long behind them. Today, she decided, would be different.

"Twilight?" she asked, the measure wrapped with her magic about the unicorn's midsection. "What would you say, if, say, I said you have a beautiful figure?"

"Oh!" Twilight giggled coyly into her hoof. "I'd say thank you, Rarity."

The fashionista blushed, a light pink radiating on her cheeks. She marked the size on an open page of her book, moving the rope to around her friend's haunches. "And, what if I said you have such a gorgeous, shimmering coat?"

Twilight's own blush began to glow. "I'd say I'm flattered."

'Great start, Rarity,' the designer reassured herself. 'You can do this.' She marked another number down, moving the measure away from the rear of the pony before she found herself more distracted. She moved it to over the shoulders, aligning it for another measurement. "And, if I said you have the most enchanting eyes?"

Twilight shifted slightly at the last comment. "I guess I'd say, I know where you're going with this."

Rarity shot back, shocked by the reply. "W-what?"

"I mean, I love your work," Twilight continued, defending her words, "but I just don't think I could model for you. I'd be so nervous."

Rarity felt the tension fade back. "Oh! Oh, modeling! Of course. Heheh." She was glad the unicorn hadn't caught her true intention behind the abundance of compliments. The moment was gone again. "Well, it's just an offer, if you ever reconsider. You are such a gorgeous, gorgeous pony."

She continued her work, putting aside the thoughts of confession for the time being.

---

Rarity looked over the dress. So much work still needed to be done, but her mind was far too preoccupied with the emotions swirling within her.

How had she fallen in love with a mare? She was Ponyville's premier bachelorette, whom every colt fawned over. She was practically swimming in potential suitors, all strapping and handsome. Why, then, did she find herself swathed in mad emotion over a mare? And of all ponies, why Twilight? Was it because she was cultured, having lived in the most elegant Canterlot? Perhaps it was her connections to the royalty she so admired? She would like to pretend it was that shallow, but she knew it was something more intense drawing her to the naive scholar. Her grace and charm could rival that of nobility, and even her social inexperience was adorable. She was something altogether wonderful, which Rarity could never explain, but at the same time, could never ignore. But why? Why was she so enamored with her? With a mare!

Rarity resigned herself. She would only make mistakes in her work if she didn't take a break.

"Perhaps I should see what Fluttershy is doing. It would be simply divine to have a friend I can talk this entire ordeal over with."

---

Rarity slipped beneath the steamy waters of the sauna bath. Tiny bubbles escaped from the fur of her coat, sliding in ticklish traces across her skin to the surface. She nestled down into the scented water, her chin resting just above the level, hair neatly tucked into a towel wrap.

"This is why I love a good spa-day, Fluttershy." She spoke in a singing voice, letting the gentle heat prickle against her skin. "You simply can't beat this kind of deep relaxation after a stressful day."

Across from her sat Fluttershy, her long pink mane allowed to soak in whimsical curls along the surface of the bath. "You've had a hard day?"

Rarity rose, sitting proper. "Well, not really a hard day. More..." She looked up in thought, trying to find the words she needed. "Well, it's hard to explain..."

Fluttershy must have noticed the change in tone. "Do you need to talk about it?"

She did, but she didn't know how. Better to start slow, she thought. "Fluttershy, we've been friends for a long time."

"Oh, yes," the quiet pegasus responded, leaning forward slightly.

Rarity leaned in closer as well. "And, I feel I could tell you anything."

"Of course you could."

"So, what if, we'll say, I needed to confide in you?" Rarity looked around, making sure the room was indeed empty. "If I had something very personal to tell you?"

"Well, I'd do my best to listen."

This was it, Rarity thought. Time to let somepony in on her secret crush. "Well, okay... You see, there's this pony I'm interested in."

"Yes?"

"But, this pony doesn't know that I'm interested."

"Go on."

"We both know this pony very well. A friend, even."

"Okay."

Here goes nothing. "And this pony, as it turns out, is a mare..."

Fluttershy pulled back from the pony before her, a scared look on her soft features. "Oh. Oh! Oh, Rarity, I, I mean, I just, well, it's just that, oh, well, I-I mean-"

Rarity stared with a plain face at the panicked pegasus. "It's not you, darling."

Relief blossomed across Fluttershy. "Oh, that's great. Not that I don't like you! Of course I like you, as a friend, I just never thought of a mare that way."

"Fluttershy."

The pegasus continued. "I just don't think I could be with a mare. Not that there's anything wrong with that! Not at all! Mares with mares are perfectly fine, as are stallions with stallions, it's just not for me."

"Fluttershy."

"Not that I'm judging! I would never think less of you, no matter who you were with. I just don't think of you that way. But you're a good pony, don't get me wrong, it's just-"

"Fluttershy!"

Rarity's raised voice broke the rambling apology. The pegasus let out a soft squeak, sinking into the bath, the water just beneath her bottom lip. "Oh, I'm sorry."

Rarity had grown accustomed to her shy friend's ways. "It's Twilight, dear. I have a crush on Twilight."

Fluttershy raised back up, continuing the conversation with her friend. "But I thought you were into colts! You were so interested in that 'Prince Blueblood' pony."

Rarity winced at the memory of her 'dream stallion.' "That... that was my own delusion. I wasn't interested in him. Never. I was interested in what he represented; royalty, chivalry, luxury. I guess it didn't matter who he was. Meeting him, however, put that in perspective." Pushing away the shame of her shallow behavior at the Gala, she continued. "Don't take that the wrong way! I've felt for stallions before. Just, there's something new now. A new flame. For a mare. I'm not sure I could explain it."

Fluttershy looked on curiously. "Are you sure you haven't just been reading too many romance novels?"

Rarity stared blankly at her friend again.

The pegasus sank into the waters. "I'm sorry, that was rude."

The glamorous unicorn chuckled softly. "Nonsense, darling. To be honest, I don't know what it is. I just feel like every part of me wants to get closer to her. It's just... so strong. Like how I felt when I saw my first gemstone. That burning desire inside, screaming 'this is what you want.'" Warm thoughts flushed over her again as she thought of the scholarly unicorn. She wished she had asked Twilight to join them at the spa today. Images of the Twilight's purple coat, damp from the sauna's steam danced briefly in Rarity's mind, raising the blood to her cheeks.

Catching herself, she glanced to Fluttershy. The pegasus smiled, almost seeing into the white unicorn's thoughts. "Then, maybe you should tell her."

Sound advice, Rarity thought, but advice that was much harder to take. "Oh, Fluttershy, I've tried! She was right there! I was so close! And I just couldn't do it! That pony is just far too naive to take a hint!" She lowered her face into her hooves in frustration at the cautious banter she had skirted around earlier with the mare of her eye.

Fluttershy thought for a moment. "Well, perhaps you need to be more direct."

Rarity looked up from her dramatic pose. "What?"

"Oh, you know," Fluttershy began, shying away from the attention she had just drawn. "Maybe you should just tell her. If I were you, I'd go to her and say exactly how I felt." Her confidence seemed to shrink more, and she backed down into waters again. "But, um, I'm not you. I would probably just get scared, and maybe start crying..."

Rarity could tell that perhaps there was a more personal interest in this sagely advice from her pegasus friend. "Fluttershy, let me ask you; are you interested in any colts?"

Fluttershy couldn't meet Rarity's eyes. "Well, maybe one..."

She had expected as much. The topic of Rarity's own romantic woes placed away, it was now time to gossip over the pegasus' love life. "Oh? Who is he! Tell me!"

"Well... I sorta like Caramel."

"Caramel?" Rarity only knew the pony loosely, mostly from his work as a delivery pony, and his frequent errors each Winter Wrap-Up. He was always very timid, if not a bit clumsy too. An almost too perfect match for her friend. "Oh, darling, you two would be so cute together!"

Fluttershy blushed slightly, before retreating under her veiling mane. "But, I don't think he's even noticed me."

Feeling her hooves pruning, Rarity slipped out of the bath, levitating a bath gown around herself with magic. "Have you spoken with him? Perhaps he doesn't know you're interested."

The pegasus followed suit, putting her gown on without magical abilities. "Oh, well, I want to, but..." She didn't have to answer. She was Fluttershy. That was the reason.

"Well, he'll never know if you don't speak up, darling." That was all Rarity needed to realize what she had to do herself. She knew she had to speak with Twilight. For now, though, the pair were due for a massage.

---

Rarity paced beside the Ponyville library. She knew Twilight was just inside, diligently pored over a large book. It wasn't intuition that led her to this belief, so much as her frequent spying through the window throughout the past half hour as she tried to psyche herself up.

"Come on, Rarity," she told herself in a hushed voice. "You're a strong mare. You can do this. Just walk in, sit her down, and tell her how you feel. It's easy!" A heavy, cold sensation twisted in her gut. "Or, maybe it isn't..."

Whether her nerves would cease to rattle or not, she had been gaining quite the critical glances from ponies for her odd behavior. She entered the facility at last.

Just as she had confirmed from outside, Twilight sat with her face buried in a large tome. The purple unicorn broke her gaze from the book, looking instead to her friend now. "Oh, hi, Rarity!"

Rarity felt the warm flutter of emotions within her, battling against the anxiety from before. Every part of her wanted to smile. She fought to keep a serious demeanor. "Twilight, I have to talk to you."

Twilight's expression turned solemn, sensing the importance behind her friend's words. "Sure thing. Is it something about the dress?"

Rarity felt her knees tremble as she tried to force the confession. "No, I'm afraid. What I need to say is much more important, Twilight." She paused, drawing a breath. "You see... I wanted to say I..." She felt her nerve wavering. "I really like..."

Twilight listened intently, her purple eyes filled with a compassionate concern.

Rarity blurted the words out. "I really like how the dress is coming along!"

What? No! That wasn't what she had meant to say at all!

Twilight looked to her friend quizzically. "Oh. Well, that's great! I thought you said it wasn't about the dress though?"

Unwarranted panic gripped Rarity again. "Hmm? Oh, well, I... I think I left my sewing machine on! Gotta go!" Before Twilight could answer, the white unicorn charged from the library.

---

"UGH! I was right there, Fluttershy! Again! Why can't I just say it!"

Fluttershy walked back from the kitchen of her cottage, a tray with two cups of tea held in her mouth. She placed the tray on a small table in front of the unicorn. "Rarity, it's okay. Maybe it just wasn't the right time?"

Rarity sank into her hooves in a defeated posture. "I told her I 'left my sewing machine on.'" She raised, holding out her hooves in a dramatic fashion. "How sad is that! Why is it so hard to just say 'I love you, Twilight?'"

Flutterhy placed a hoof on the tortured unicorns shoulder. "You'll be able to tell her when the time is right, Rarity. Just try to relax."

'When the time is right,' she reflected. When will that be? The emotions fighting within her threatened to burst her into flames if she didn't find a way to get them out. Telling her friend had only spritzed the heated inferno of raw emotion, but had not provided nearly the relief she desired. She knew that the only way to quench the fires would be to admit her feelings to the pony that ignited them, but she just couldn't do it!

She sipped her tea, hoping it would at least steady her nerves. "Perhaps you're right. I just wish I could tell her."

The two sat in an understanding silence as Rarity finished her tea. Placing the cup back on the tray, she stood. "As relaxing as this has been, darling, I think I'm going to go out and look for gems. Maybe that will clear my head some."

Fluttershy put down her own cup. "You're going alone? But isn't it dangerous? What if the Diamond Dogs show up?"

Rarity scoffed as she headed out the door. "Those ruffians? Ha! Last time, they were dealing with Rarity the Lady. They do NOT want to mess with Rarity the Stressed!"

---

Rarity walked back through the streets of Ponyville. The small saddlebags on her hips were filled with various gems she had found in the mountains just beyond the town's edge. Normally, this would have filled her with joy, but today was different. Thoughts of Twilight still filled her mind. She felt no better now than she had earlier. Why was telling the unicorn of these new emotions so important? Why did it have to haunt her like this? Why couldn't she be happy with what they already had? The past hour of gem hunting had been filled with these rhetorical reveries, and had grown quite tiresome.

"Maybe, Rarity," she spoke to herself, "you just need to catch some beauty sleep."

She entered her boutique, levitating the gem-filled bags off of her sides and hanging them by the door. That was when she noticed the pony standing in her shop, eyeing the dress she had been working on.

"Oh! Twilight!" she called with a start. "What are you doing here?"

The purple unicorn looked over the dress in awe. "Rarity! This dress is so beautiful!"

Rarity blushed. She was always so weak to being complimented. "Thank you, darling, but it's hardly ready yet. I still have big plans for this piece!"

Turning from the unfinished garment, Twilight looked to her friend. "Actually, Rarity, I came here for a reason. Fluttershy paid me a visit. She said we needed to talk."

"Sh-she did?" Rarity stuttered. "Well, I can't think of why."

"She said you would say that," Twilight replied in a straight tone.

"Oh, well, maybe I did need to talk over a few elements of the gown, haha!"

"She told me it had nothing to do with the dress either."

Fluttershy knew her all too well. "Ugh, just what did she tell you?"

Twilight paused, looking to her hooves. "She said to ask you about 'us.'"

Rarity sighed. "Of course she did." She walked passed the unicorn, moving to look over her earlier work on the gown. "Twilight, how do you feel about our friendship?"

Twilight sat down, thinking over the strange question. "Um, well, I like being your friend, if that's what you mean."

"Well..." Rarity continued, occupying herself by running her hooves over the frilled cloth. "What if I said I like you as more than a friend?"

The tension in the room grew, like a wire being pulled taut. "Like... a best friend? I thought Fluttershy was your best friend?"

Rarity looked to her hooves. "No, dear... More than that."

"A... super best friend?"

There was no need in stalling any longer. The time was now. She turned to the unicorn, peering deep into her purple eyes. "Twilight... I like you. I feel I love you. Romantically, I mean. I love you." She spun around, no longer able to connect her gaze with that of the other unicorn's. "There, I've said it. It's out, and now I can get over it."

Twilight stood speechless for several seconds, a startled look on her face. She finally found her voice. "Oh. Oh, Rarity. I... I don't know..."

Rarity let out a half-defeated laugh. "Fluttershy had the same reaction when she thought I meant her. It's all right, darling, I understand if you don't feel the same." The burning fires of love were subsiding, but a new feeling of hurt and loneliness was welling in their place.

Twilight backed to the door slowly. "Rarity... I'm sorry, but I have to go study. Now."

She could understand her friend's reaction. "It's quite all right."

"I promise," Twilight added as she reached the door. "I promise I'll be back tomorrow." With that, Rarity was left alone, Twilight leaving to presumably head back to her library.

Vicious silence hung in the air. It was far too unsettling. "Well, Rarity," she spoke aloud to herself, finding her voice a comforting change in the stillness. "You just had so say something. You wanted more, and I'm sure you lost her as a friend in trying." She fumbled with a lace of ribbon, tying it around the back of the dress in front of her. She didn't even feel like using her magic to tie the band at the moment, using her hooves and teeth instead. "She might not want to see you again. How could you be so foalish..."

She dropped the rolled spool of ribbon on the floor, and fell into a seated position beside the mannequin. She felt like she was slowly being drained of all her energy. "Well, are you still going to finish the dress?" She had no drive left. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and forget she had ever said anything. Maybe Twilight would forget too, and they could put it all behind them again.

Something sparked within her when she thought of the unicorn. Whether or not they would have anything more between them, she was still Rarity's friend. "Of course! Twilight was so excited about her gown when she saw it. What kind of fashion designer would I be if I left a project unfinished?"

The silence again pierced the shop as she got her supplies ready. There was a lot of work still to be done on the dress.

"Even if she won't be back for it..."

---

A night of restless sleep had done little to help the normally fabulous pony. She felt more stressed than ever today, and it was reflected in her appearance. Still, she had a business to run, even if she didn't feel up to it. Luckily, it had been a slow day, with few ponies stopping by.

It was almost time to close for the day. She felt relieved to be able to crawl back into bed soon. Still, she had been hoping to see Twilight today, having finished the dress the previous afternoon. She glanced over to the veiled dress, keeping it covered for Twilight's eyes first.

The bell over the entrance rang throughout the shop.

Rarity looked lazily to the door. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique, how can I..." She then noticed just who had entered the shop. "Oh, Twilight!"

The scholarly unicorn walked across the shop, a book held by her magic hovering behind her. "Rarity, I need to say something."

The posh pony zipped around to her friend's side. "I'm sure you do, but we have a dress to reveal first!" She wanted to at least show her friend the work she had done before the knowingly awkward conversation began.

"No, Rarity, we really need to talk," Twilight insisted as she was pushed to a covered stand in the back corner.

Rarity ignored her for now. She used her magic to lift the veil, revealing the gown she had made for her friend. "Ta-da!"

Twilight froze still, looking over the garment. "Oh, Rarity, it's..." There were no words for it. Dark and royal blue fabric mixed beautifully, accented by silver stitching and glittery ribbons. A flared collar around the neck gave it a mystic, caped look. The bottom of the dress was truly a treat, sparkling with small, brilliant nodes of light. Twilight could recognize some of the patterns. "You made it look just like the night's sky!"

"Actually," Rarity replied, flattered by her own work, "that is the night's sky. I used the alteration spell you taught me to change the fabric, and with some personal research into projection magic, I was able to make the cloth always show the stars. It was just something I thought up." She decided to leave out just how difficult the spell had been to perform, but she would have nothing but the best for her friend.

Twilight couldn't take her eyes from the magnificent garment. "It's so beautiful." She then shook her head, remembering why she had come to the shop that day. "But, Rarity, I have to tell you something!"

Rarity sighed. She had expected this, and couldn't press it off any longer. She sat back on her haunches. "Of course, darling..." She closed her eyes, bracing for whatever her friend would say.

Twilight hovered the book in front of her, opening it to a marked page. She cleared her throat, before reading aloud. "'Would you like to go to dinner tomorrow night, my Lady?'"

Rarity's eyes fluttered open, looking incredulously to Twilight. She quickly snatched the book away from her friend, giving the cover a read. "'Courting: A Beginner's Guide to Romance'?"

Looking back to Twilight, it was easy to see the unicorn's heavy blushing. She kicked her hooves in embarrassment. "Did I read the wrong part? I thought I had marked the lines for the first date. I'm sorry, maybe I need to finish a few more chapters first..."

Rarity couldn't help but smile. Of course the bookworm had to study yesterday. She had to study dating! "You did perfectly fine, darling. But how about dinner tonight? I know the perfect little bistro!"

Twilight smiled, blush intensifying across her cheeks. "That sounds great. And, can I..." She looked over to the incredible outfit recently gifted to her. "Can I wear the dress?"

Rarity leaned in to nuzzle the pony gently. "I would be honored, Twilight."

The flames of love had reignited within her, warming her throughout. She had Twilight; a gem far too rare to ever let go.

---

Fluttershy flew around her busy home, placing small amounts of seed at each birdhouse. The drawback of having so many animals living with you is the maintenance, but she was hardly bothered by it. The only animal she ever got a problem from was Angel, and even she could coax him into eating. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

With the recent events, she had expected Rarity to be the pony on the other side. Instead, she found a familiar mail carrier on her step. "Oh! Caramel!"

The tan earth pony wiped the sweat from his brown mane with his hoof. "Got a package for you. More a letter, I guess, but somepony insisted it be delivered by package post."

He handed the pegasus a small envelope, with "Read immediately" scrawled in elegant writing across the front. She sat, opening the letter with her hooves.

Dearest Fluttershy,

You surely did NOT think you would get off the hook for telling Twilight about my feelings for her, did you? I simply had to get you back for your terrible meddling! I mailed all of my own mannequins to myself, so Caramel is without a doubt simply exhausted from carrying all of the cumbersome things throughout my boutique. I've also made an extra note to ensure this letter reaches you at the end of his route, so there's nothing left for him but to go home. Now, invite the pony in for tea! Can't you tell he's had a hard day! And if you don't, by Celestia, I will drag him back there and lock the two of you in until you have had a lovely conversation! I hope this provides a good lesson to never cross Lady Rarity!

P.S.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, DARLING! THE DATE WAS FANTASTIC!

Sincerely, and with all intention of carrying out such threats,
~ Rarity

Fluttershy giggled, closing the letter. Caramel had begun walking back to his empty cart at the bottom of the hill. Rarity had done a lot to make this moment, so even if she was horribly nervous, she had to give it a shot. And of course, she fully expected Rarity to keep her word if she didn't.

"Oh, Caramel?" she called. The earth pony turned to look back up to the cottage. "Um, you look awfully tired. Would you, um... would you like to come in for some tea?"

Caramel smiled to the pegasus. "That sounds great, if you don't mind."

Fluttershy tried to conceal her reddened cheeks. "Not at all! I hope you don't mind a few animals joining us, though."

"You have pets?"

"More like family to me."

As the conversation unfolded, the two entered the simple home.