Collection of RariTwi drabbles of varying lengths, subjects and genres.
What initially started as a challenge to complete fifty Rarilight one-line stories has become a general project of writing as much rarilight stories of varying lengths as possible, from two line stories to stories that just don't reach that minimum 1000 word limit to be posted as a stand-alone.
Stories range from all the available categories, from funny to sad to romance to etc…
The Seamstress and the Librarian 25 of 50 by Monochromatic
#01 - Catch
“Rarityyyy, come on, it’s just one quick flight above Ponyville. I’ll be careful,” Twilight insisted, flying a few feet above Rarity and waving her hoof in a beckoning motion. Ever since she’d overheard the unicorn express a certain nostalgia towards that one time she had been given wings, Twilight had become determined to let her somewhat relive that experience. “It’ll be like when you had wings, remember?”
“I also remember plummeting to my certain death shortly afterwards,” she dryly remarked, raising an eyebrow as she looked up at the alicorn. “I’d rather not relive that experience, thank you.”
“I promise I’ll catch you if you fall.”
Rarity observed Twilight for a few seconds, deep in thought, before finally saying: “You know, if you hadn’t just admitted to the possibility that you may indeed accidentally drop me, I might have said yes.”
#02 - Hero
Even after everything Twilight Sparkle had done for Equestria, the citizens of the kingdom all continued to treat her with the same indifference they had always treated her with; while Twilight herself didn’t particularly mind, it was Rarity who was deeply offended by it.
Trotting their way around Canterlot, the unicorn glared at all the insultingly disrespectful ponies around them. What, did Twilight have to wear a banner that said “MY FRIENDS AND I SAVED ALL YOUR LIVES MULTIPLE TIMES” in order to get a shred of recognition? “Honestly,” she began, “after all you’ve done for these ungrateful ponies, they should be worshipping you like the hero you are!”
Twilight couldn’t hide her blush as she turned around to look at the unicorn. “Rarity, please, it really doesn’t matter. They’re all starting to stare…”
“Well, let them!”
“Rarity….”
#03 - Breathe
Twilight found the entire world to be different following Rarity’s positive reaction to being her very special somepony; stepping out of Carousel Boutique and trotting off, it felt to the alicorn as if even the air was different: maybe it was the smell of cupcakes wafting out of Sugarcube Corner, or maybe it was the flowers, or maybe it was just that everything smelled sweeter now that Rarity liked her back.
#04 - Ring
“Twilight, sweetheart, you had no way of knowing Opal would eat the cupcake with the ring inside,” Rarity soothed, sitting down and nuzzling the absolutely miserable Twilight.
The alicorn — having spent the last hour sitting at the table, face buried in-between her hooves — muttered to herself that she was never going to follow Pinkie Pie’s advice ever again.
#05 - Box (cont. of #04)
“Oh Rarity, I’m so sorry,” Twilight apologised for the tenth time, a day later, when both mares found themselves reluctantly staring at Opalescence’s freshly used litter box.
Rarity replied by putting on plastic gloves and saying, “Darling, it doesn’t matter, c’est la vie — I just hope you understand that I won’t be putting it on until it’s been soaking in disinfectant for at least a week…”
#06 - Wings
When Twilight had just recently ascended to princesshood, Rainbow would frequently spend time in the library with her to give the alicorn tips on dealing with the new wings. One such time, Rarity had barged into the library without notice, startling Twilight’s wing into splaying apart.
Rainbow noticed the instant reaction, and though she knew Twilight had truly and honestly been spooked by the unicorn running in asking for a book, she couldn’t resist teasing: “Woah, Twi, I know you like Rarity, but I didn’t know you like her that much!”
“R-RAINBOW DASH!”
#7 - Gravity
The rays of Luna’s moonlight filtered through the windows and into Rarity’s room inside Carousel Boutique, where Rarity and Twilight already lay snuggled up in in bed. The seamstress was lying on her back, a pink sleeping masked placed neatly over her eyes, and her forelegs crossed on top of her chest. Twilight, on the other hoof, kept fidgeting around. Lying down on her side, she kept twisting her head around and glancing back at the unicorn, biting down on her lower lip in an attempt to stop the sneaky smile on her face.
"Twilight, it’s midnight," Rarity said all of a sudden, breaking the silence in the room. "Please, try to go to sleep, won’t you? We need to wake up early."
Twilight was quiet for a brief moment before turning around on her side and facing Rarity. “Sorry, I was just thinking about something,” she apologized, observing the unicorn. “It’s just that—” Her sneaky smile returned. “I was reading this really interesting book about anti-gravity.”
Rarity lifted her hoof to stifle a yawn. “That’s nice, darling,” she murmured, putting her forelegs back on top of her chest.
"Yeah," Twilight said before giggling and adding: "It was impossible to put down.”
Rarity was very still for an entire minute before slowly reaching over to take off her sleeping mask and turning to stare at Twilight. “You woke me up for this?”
Twilight started giggling again, biting down on her lip and reaching over to take one of Rarity’s forelegs. “Oh, come on, it’s really funny!” she said, shaking Rarity’s foreleg slightly.
Rarity raised an eyebrow at her. "Yes, awfully funny with an emphasis on the awful."
"Okay, maybe not that funny,” Twilight admitted, a little smile still painted on her face. “Sorry I kept you up with my ‘awful’ jokes."
Rarity rolled her eyes playfully before embracing Twilight and planting a kiss on her forehead. “You know," she murmured, idly brushing Twilight's mane with her hoof, "life without you would be like a broken pencil.”
"A broken pencil?" asked Twilight, looking up.
"Yes," Rarity grinned. "Pointless."
"Oh my gosh, and you say my jokes are awful!”
#8 - Hurricane
When Rarity realised just how deeply she had fallen for Twilight and what it meant for their relationship, it felt as if she had inadvertently stepped inside a hurricane — but yet, despite the entire spectrum of emotions whirling inside her, Rarity wanted nothing more than to be at the center of the storm.
#9 - Critique (*)
The entrance lobby of Canterlot's theatre house was bustling with excited ponies, all ready to see the grand premiere of "The Phantom of the Stable".
"Rarity, I will walk out if you do it again," Twilight warned, standing in front of the entrance to the theatre room. "Last time I was barely able to hear what they were saying."
Rarity rolled her eyes, groaning. "Twilight, it was only three times! Honestly, you're acting as if I had made a remark about every single costume!"
"You did! I felt like I was watching a live version of Fashion Police!" Twilight exclaimed, stomping her hoof on the floor. "I'm not going through that again!"
"But, Twilight, some of those thi—"
"Rarity, I swear I'll start very loudly singing along to the songs!" Twilight threatened, only for Rarity to look confused by her threat.
"Is that supposed to be a bad thing?" she asked, blinking at the alicorn. "You have a very lovely voice, darling. In fact, you should sing! Perhaps they'll ask you to audition, and I can sneak along as your manager and have a stern talk with whoever is behind those disastrous costumes!"
"Rarity, that's not what I— oh gosh, just forget it..."
#10 - View
Sitting on one of the highest balconies of Twilight’s castle, Rarity and Twilight admired the magnificent view they had of Ponyville. The sun was beginning to set in the horizon, and it was these moments that made Twilight miss her old home a little less.
“You know, Twilight,” Rarity suddenly said. “ I think this may be my all-time favorite view.”
#11 - Line (cont. of #10)
Twilight turned to Rarity, intent on agreeing with the statement, but found the unicorn looking right at her; realizing that she herself was Rarity’s “favorite view”, Twilight turned her head back towards the horizon, blushing slightly and rolling her eyes. “Geez, Rarity, from which one of your cheesy novels did you steal that line from?”
#12 - Lies
As long as Spike held feelings for Rarity, no matter what their intensity, Twilight Sparkle would never dare try anything with the unicorn; as such, everything she did was deceitful: loving gazes were passed off as casual curious glances, lingering hugs were just “trying to figure out what scent shampoo Rarity wore”, frequent visits to Carousel Boutique were just a “growing interest in fashion design”.
She had thought she was alone in that respect, until the day Rainbow Dash jokingly asked Rarity if there was “somepony special” in her life, to which the unicorn replied by very subtly glancing at Twilight before laughing and shaking her head. Twilight didn’t know if it was comforting or depressing to know that she wasn’t the only one living in lies.
#13 - Fire (cont. of #12)
Spike wanted to hate them both. They thought he hadn’t noticed, but of course he had, and he wanted to hate them for it.
He wanted to hate Rarity for gripping his heart and wanted to hate her for letting her own heart be taken by somepony else. He wanted to hate Twilight for being said somepony else and wanted to hate her for letting herself fall for Rarity — but he couldn’t. How could he hate them when it was them who loved him so much they’d rather deny themselves of each other than hurt him?
It almost felt like it would hurt less if they were just honest with him and let the fire inside him burn out, instead of unknowingly trying to put it out with alcohol instead of water.
#14 - Cover
When a friendly picnic between the six best friends was interrupted by an unexpected downpour, Rarity — not wanting her new dress to get wet — scrambled to cover herself from the rain.
“H-Hey, Rarity, my wing isn’t an umbrella!” Twilight exclaimed, watching as the unicorn sheltered herself under her feathery appendage.
“But Twiliiiiiight…”
#15 - Dream
After Rarity made the choice to go live in Manehattan for a few years, everypony supported her; after all, it was her lifelong dream to make it big in such a bustling city, and though they were all sad, they sent her off with a smile — yet, despite this, some part of Twilight couldn’t help but feel that Rarity going away for so long wasn’t so much a dream as it was a nightmare.
#16 -Silence
Twilight was always able to handle fights with Rarity: she could deal with the screams, the whining, the complaining and the shrieking. What Twilight could not stand, however, was the rare times where Rarity expressed her anger with complete and utter silence, mindlessly agreeing with everything Twilight said just to avoid talking. Yelling meant that Rarity was just being her dramatic self, but silence meant she had really upset the unicorn.
She turned to look at Rarity, sitting on the couch with her nose buried in a fashion magazine she was probably only pretending to read. It was with difficulty that Twilight swallowed her pride and said: “Rarity? I’m sorry.”
Rarity was quiet for a second before answering: “All right, Twilight.” With that, once more did silence find its way into the room and making Twilight painfully aware of the implications of its presence.
Who knew that silence could be so loud?
#17 - Dense
Rarity had known for a while that the day was coming. All those flustered smiles Twilight would give her, all those hugs that were five seconds longer than the ones the alicorn gave the others, all those little signs that meant so much more than Twilight probably cared to show.
Rarity always tried to make it obvious that she knew what Twilight felt; she tried giving off signs of her own, but Twilight was as adorably dense as ever. Goodness, it sometimes felt like a lost cause until that moment when it would look as if Twilight had caught on, only to completely misinterpret what Rarity had done or said.
#18 - Liquor (cont. of #17)
It happened on a particularly beautiful night, right as they were walking back from one of Pinkie’s more intense parties. Since Twilight wasn’t all that good at holding her liquor, Rarity had tasked herself with making sure the alicorn would get home safely, lest Ponyville finds their princess snoring away in a bush the next morning.
Rarity had been watching the starry sky as they walked, listening to the sobering Twilight’s ramble on how she was “never having five glasses of Pinkie’s Special Brew again”. Her speech was interrupted when a shooting star flashed across the sky, prompting Rarity to excitedly stomp her hooves against the floor.
“Oh! Make a wish!” she interrupted, closing her eyes and making a wish of her own.
Twilight, on the other hoof, simply stared at the spot where the shooting star had appeared and stated: “That doesn’t work,”— she clutched her head —” and don’t scream so loud.”
Once they arrived to the castle, Rarity opened the door before turning to Twilight and asking: “So, what was your wish? Did you wish for somepony to fall madly in love with you?” she teased, grinning slightly.
“I didn’t make one,” Twilight replied, the blush on her cheeks giving her away. “Besides, that sounds more like your kind of wish.”
Rarity was quiet for a minute, considering her reply before finally saying: “Darling, I don’t need to make such a wish! I already know the pony I like happens to like me back?” Another brief pause before taking the plunge and adding: “Don’t you, Twilight?”
Rarity had never seen someone sober up faster.
#19 - Forever (cont. of #18)
Forever was the promise Rarity made to Twilight that night under the twinkling stars; forever was the lie Rarity had to face when Twilight broke up with her under the scorching July sun; forever was the amount of time that blood would drip down Rarity’s cracked heart as she heard a teary, blissfully happy Twilight whisper ‘I do’ to somepony else.
#20 - Mask (cont. of #19)
Rarity had become quite adept at wearing a mask to hide her true feelings. A veil was necessary, after all, in her industry where everything was sewn together by the thread of secrets and false appearances. A princess’s wedding was no different than a fashion show: everypony parading around in designer gowns and suits, some simply wanting to celebrate and others with hidden intentions — like Blueblood, talking to Twilight over there in the distance. He had been going on and on about what a wonderful friendship he had with Twilight, and how he had always been there for her.
Disgusting. I ought to throw my tiara in his face.
"Excuse-me, miss?"
Rarity turned around to find a handsome unicorn stallion smiling at her, his cheeks tinted pink. Grinning, he bowed down as if though she were Princess Celestia herself. "May I have this dance?"
She glanced back up towards Blueblood, and though he had moved on to conquer the good favours of Twilight's partner, the alicorn princess herself was looking back at Rarity with a rather undecipherable expression.
For the first time, Rarity wasn't able to look past Twilight's own mask, and for the first time, she was glad she couldn't.
#21 - Smile (cont. of #20)
And then, Twilight offered her that damnably adorable smile; and then, her carefully constructed mask started to crack.
Why was Twilight smiling? Was she encouraging Rarity to accept the stallion's invitation? It wouldn't be surprising if the alicorn thought that was the best way to encourage Rarity to get over her, but the action only filled Rarity with indignation. How dare she try and "help" her move on?
Or…
Or maybe that smile was just that: a gesture of kindness. Maybe there was no underlying meaning, no hidden message, only a way to say "I'm glad you're here" — that was worse than the other option. How dare she be oblivious to the pain she had caused? What, did she expect Rarity to smile back? Well, she didn't want to smile back. She wanted to ignore Twilight and show how angry she was — but she didn't.
So she mended the crack in her mask and grinned back because, as much as she hated the alicorn, she loved her a million times more.
#22 - Run (cont. of #21)
Several knocks at Rarity's door in the middle of the night woke her up. She knew who it was before she had even come down to open the door. Another fight between Ponyville's princess and the love of her life, no doubt. Minutes later, and after taking a deep breath, Rarity opened the door and lo and behold, her prediction had been correct: there was Twilight, looking down at the floor with reddened eyes and a most pitiful expression.
Rarity wished the sight still didn't break her heart.
"Sorry," Twilight sniffed, hoofing at the ground and rubbing away her tears. "It's just that I knew you'd be up," she lied, because she knew perfectly well Rarity always went to bed early. She also knew, however, that Rarity would always open the door for her.
"It's alright, darling. I was finishing up a dress, but I was nearly done with it, anyway," Rarity played along, extending her arm and wrapping it around the alicorn who gratefully accepted the gesture.
"Why don't you tell me what happened over a warm cup of tea, hm?" she continued, feeling the alicorn nod against her.
Another night of consoling Twilight; another night of watching the alicorn fall back in love with the one who'd hurt her; and another night of sleeping in the spare room, knowing morning would come, and Twilight would run off to somepony else. She wasn't able to hold back a soft sigh.
"I'm sorry, Rarity."
Sorry?
Sorry for what? For always coming to Carousel Boutique when the lights of Pinkie's room in Sugarcube Corner were always lit until early morning? Sorry for hurting her by knowingly seeking her comfort, knowing the unicorn would never turn her away?
After all, when Rarity had said 'forever' that night long ago, Twilight knew it hadn't been a lie.
#23 - Cold
Despite being inside Sugarcube Corner, the cold winter air still made its way into the establishment and surrounded the seven friends gathered there. Twilight was grateful she and Spike had decided to wear warm scarves and boots, but she was concerned to see Rarity wasn’t wearing any sort of winter clothing. She was only sitting there, the tip of her now blue nose shaking slightly along with the rest of her body. Twilight used to believe the unicorn would rather be caught dead than out and about on a winter’s day without her fluffiest boots, warmest scarf and cutest earmuffs, but it turned out she might have been wrong.
Once the unicorn had let out a little sneeze, Twilight finally took measures. “Rarity.” When the unicorn turned towards her, she extended her wing and invited her to take shelter — invitation which Rarity gladly accepted, cuddling up to the alicorn as Twilight enveloped her wing around her.
"Geez, Rarity, you should just start calling Twilight your portable blanket,” Rainbow Dash teased, playfully rolling her eyes and adjusting her own scarf.
Still tightly wrapped in a warm winged hug, Rarity turned to Rainbow Dash with an air of indignation. “Well, wouldn’t you keep your marefriend warm if you noticed she’s cold?” she asked receiving another eyeroll from Dash, who then went on to finish her previous conversation.
Twilight, meanwhile, turned down to look at Rarity, frowning slightly. “Rarity, you’re going to catch a cold at this rate. I don’t mind keeping you warm, but this is the sixth day in a row you’ve forgotten your scarf! It’s almost like you’re doing it on purpose.”
Fluttering her eyelashes, Rarity innocently replied: “Me? Never.”
#24 - Gratitude
The morning after a ghastly day in Canterlot, in which a rather renowned designer had completely destroyed Rarity’s newest spring line, the unicorn was absolutely inconsolable. Hugging the pillow of her hotel bed as if her life depended on it, she couldn't stop thinking about how the review must have already been printed in all the up and coming fashion magazines for all of Equestria to see.
Exile was the only solution.
Her grim thoughts were interrupted by three knocks on the door. She miserably dragged herself off the bed, and upon opening the door, she was both surprised and relieved to see Twilight on the other side.
"I… I read what that jerk said," Twilight confessed, a copy of a fashion magazine sticking from out of the bag she was carrying. "I thought you shouldn't be alone right now. The others are coming by train, but I flew over because it's faster. I hope that's oka--"
Rarity didn't let Twilight finish her sentence, silently thanking the alicorn by rushing over and hugging her with all her strength.
#25 - Fall (cont. of #24)
Tears stinging at her eyes, Rarity buried herself in Twilight’s chest and thanked her over and over for coming, to which Twilight replied by holding her closer and whispering, “Hey, I promised I’d always catch you if you fell, didn’t I?”
Prompt word: Prince Genre: Romance, comedy, sappyness?
Twilight had noticed that, whenever Rarity made up a fairytale for Sweetie Belle, the ending would change drastically depending on recent events in the unicorn’s life. More often than not, they ended with the beautiful heroine (who just happened to have a white coat and a magenta mane) living happily ever after with the dashing, handsome prince.
Some other times, the story ended quite differently. The day after the infamous disastrous evening at The Grand Galloping Gala for example; Twilight had been invited over to Carousel Boutique for a cup of tea and found she had a hard time not laughing at the ending of that week’s fairytale.
“— and so, the beautiful mare shot down the diabolical prince — who wasn’t even remotely as handsome as she had been told — and saved the kingdom without the need of any bratty snob who had his ego shoved so far up—”
“Rarity! Can I have more tea, please?”
One might wonder why Twilight had been listening to so many of her friend’s stories, but truth be told, Rarity’s tea-time invitations had increased as of late. Not that Twilight minded, of course, seeing as she was enjoying Rarity’s company more and more with each visit.
“And then what happened?” Sweetie Belle asked, nodding along to that day’s story.
Twilight listened along with interest, idly stirring her still full — and cold — cup of tea. Rarity had been weaving together a quite fantastical tale where Rarity… err, the heroine had befriended a “dazzlingly beautiful princess” from a far-off land in order to defeat a terrible villain. To be honest, and for a reason she wasn’t ready to admit, the alicorn had started feeling a tinge of jealousy whenever Rarity — err, the heroine — always ended up in the forelegs of the dashing and handsome prince.
“And so, now that she and the princess had bested that dastardly monster, Ra—Gemstone was aghast upon realizing they would have to part ways,” Rarity rambled on, caught up in the suspense of her own story. “All the times they had spent together, the challenges they had overcome, the villains they had defeated; those events had bonded them together, and it was only in that moment, when it was far too late—” She paused for dramatic effect, relishing the silence as her sister impatiently waited for the revelation (and unaware of Twilight’s intense stare) “— that Gemstone realized she had fallen for the princess!”
“But it could never be!” she continued, putting her hoof dramatically over her chest. “The princess was needed in her kingdom! She was the star pupil of King Solaris—”
Twilight furrowed her brow, her heart hammering in her chest. That sounded familiar.
“—She was the most talented magic alchemist in the land; and she was so unabashedly unaware of Gemstone’s feelings. Whyever would Princess Twi—iiiinkle? Yes, why would Princess Twinkle fall for Gemstone?”
“Gemstone fell in love with a princess? That’s never happened in your stories before!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, clearly delighted at the twist. She tapped her hooves impatiently against the table and questioned: “And did Princess… Twinkle? like her back? Did she?” She suddenly paused and her face turned into one of horror. “Oh no, are they gonna kiss?! Ewwwww, she’s gonna get cooties!”
If Twilight hadn’t been completely and utterly concentrated on Rarity, trying to bite down an excited grin, she would have explained to Sweetie Belle that “cooties” were not an actual illness.
“Kiss the princess?” Rarity asked, having been pulled out of her fantasy world. “I…” Rarity glanced over at Twilight and stared at her for a moment, almost as if picturing the kiss, before quickly turning back to her sister, her cheeks a noticeable shade of pink. “I, err, I suppose you shall have to find that out in… next week’s story! Oh dear, you’ve almost finished your tea!” she stammered, levitating the still full cups in the air and trotting over to the stove, very obviously avoiding eye-contact with Twilight.
"Next week?" Sweetie put her chin in between her hooves, ears dropping slightly. “Aww...”
“It’s okay, Sweetie Belle. I know how the story ends,” Twilight announced, folding her forehooves over the kitchen table and smiling at both the filly’s excited expression and Rarity’s sudden silence. A blush crept its way unto her cheeks, but she continued nonetheless. “Princess Twinkle, who had witnessed the kindness and generosity of Gemstone, revealed that she had also fallen in love with Gemstone. And then, now that they knew eachother's feelings, they shared the longest,”— she leaned in closer —“most passionate kiss in the history of recorded kisses.”
She then leaned back, a pink tint on her cheeks and smug smile on her lips, unable to make up her mind on what was better: the completely disgusted “Ewww!” from Sweetie Belle, or the sound of Rarity cursing under her breath at having dropped a teacup to the floor.
Based on the prompt: "I bet Rarity would swoon if Twi talked to her in french or something"
Whenever Rarity and Twilight found themselves lying on a beanbag together in Twilight's room, it usually meant they were reading or reading and sewing. Sometimes, however, they were perfectly content with just lying there and focusing on each other's presence.
Twilight was on her back, left hand resting on her chest and right hand at her side. Rarity was lying on her side, supporting her head with one hand and using the other to idly trace circles with her fingers on Twilight's stomach, leaving patterns on her shirt.
"Don't you have class in like one hour, Rarity?"
Rarity looked away from the cat she was drawing on Twilight's shirt and turned to look at her girlfriend. "It was cancelled, I'm afraid. Professor Silk Sombrero had a meeting at the foreign embassy or something of the sort."
Twilight raised her eyebrow. "Isn't this the third time this semester that he's cancelled class?" she asked. "Maybe you should go speak with someone about it. That's really not professional at all."
Rarity giggled. "Ay dios mio, you can be awfully dramatic, sometimes." When she finished speaking, she noticed Twilight was looking at her quite intently, lips curved into a small smile. "What are you smiling about?"
Twilight's cheeks turned slightly red. "Nothing. I just…" She looked away from Rarity, lowering her hand and taking Rarity's. Her blush increased when she confessed, "I like it when you speak in other languages."
"Oh, do you?" Rarity asked, smiling slyly at the blushing girl. "Shall I whisper 'I love you' in your ear in various languages, mon amour?" When Twilight's flush somehow increased, Rarity lied down properly next to Twilight and pressed her forehead against the side of Twilight's head. "Ich liebe dich. Or maybe ti amo? Or te amo, which could be either spanish or latin. Or aishiteru, too. Or my favorite, je t'aime."
Twilight laughed, turning her head so as to face Rarity. "Geez, Rares, did you learn how to say 'I love you' in every single language or something?"
Rarity leaned in to kiss her before whispering, "Oui."
Twilight was quiet for a moment, apparently deep in thought. Tightening the grip of her hand around Rarity's, she smiled and whispered, "je t'aime trop, tu sais?"
It wasn't only that Twilight had just said 'I love you too much' that got to her, but there was something so completely irresistible to Rarity about hearing her girlfriend speak french with a perfect accent and pronunciation. Before she could stop herself, she was overcome by a fit of flustered giggles and bit down on her lip in an attempt to stop them.
At receiving such a reaction, Twilight grinned and continued with her verbal attack. "C'est ridicule combien je t'adore, Rarity." She would have gone on for several more minutes if Rarity's lips hadn't imposed themselves on hers.
Once Rarity broke the kiss, she pressed her forehead against Twilight's and sighed. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"
“Rarity, you’re being ridiculous,” Twilight called, rolling her eyes upon hearing yet another shrill scream coming from the adjacent room. She knew her marefriend wasn’t really all that fond of insects and the like, but there was really no need for her to be screaming her lungs out because of a cockroach.
“Ridiculous?! The bloody thing is practically the size of Opalescence!” Rarity screeched back, her almost painfully high-pitched voice followed by the sound of something being thrown against a wall. “Why are these things so fast?!”
Twilight let out a deep sigh and put down her book, rubbing her forehead with a hoof. “Rarity,” she called again, looking towards the door to the other room. “Just use your magic to put it outside! Or teleport it, even!”
“Hah! If you think I’m going to let my magic go anywhere near that filthy thing, you are terribly mistaken, Twilight Sparkle!”
Twilight swallowed down the urge to point out that Rarity was the only pony being affected by the cockroach’s presence, but for the sake of peace and quiet, she reluctantly got up and trotted to the other room. Inside, she found Rarity standing atop a chair, a magazine floating next to her and pointed menacingly at the small, harmless insect on the wall.
“Fine, I’ll do it,” she said, taking aim with her horn.
“Ooooh, my princess in shining armor!” Rarity cooed playfully, lowering the magazine and blowing the alicorn a kiss when she looked her way. She then looked back at the wall and her face turned to one of terrified confusion. “Wait, where did it go?”
Looking back to the wall, Twilight realized the cockroach was nowhere to be found. She took a tentative step forward. “It can’t be too fa—“ Her voice was cut off when she felt something land on her extremely sensitive ear, and Rarity’s absolutely horrified look told her what it was. Before she could stop herself, Twilight let out a shrill scream. She desperately swatted away at her ear, backtracking and clutching onto the unicorn, using her marefriend’s body as a makeshift shield against the bug.
Almost an entire minute of silence followed, broken only when Rarity cleared her throat and teasingly said, “My hero.”
Twilight knew that, despite appearances, Rarity was only a pony and was just as victim to insecurities as the rest of Equestria. Though it baffled Twilight that somepony as beautiful, funny, talented, and intelligent as her marefriend would ever feel unworthy of Twilight, it happened sometimes that she’d feel that way.
"Rarity, care to explain what’s going on?" Twilight asked, stepping into the unicorn’s room and finding a large white blanket draped over Rarity’s mirror. She glanced at the curled-up pony on the bed for a moment before making her way towards the mirror and peeking under the drape. It didn’t seem to be broken, and she couldn’t find anything visibly wrong with it.
"Don't take that off!" Rarity’s shrill-voice snapped, watching Twilight all the way from her bed. Once Twilight had let go of the cover, the unicorn placed her head back on the bed and resumed her pouting. "I don't want to look at my hideous body..."
Twilight raised an eyebrow and inspected Rarity with her eyes, trying to find just what was 'hideous' about her while trotting towards the bed. To Twilight, she looked just as perfect and beautiful as always: her silky mane Twilight loved to smell; her soft coat Twilight loved to caress; her eyes that Twilight could get lost in for hours… The only difference between then and always was that Rarity wasn't wearing any makeup. The princess, though, would be quick to insist Rarity looked just as beautiful — if not more — without it.
“Hideous body?” Twilight asked when she reached the bed, hoping for further explanations. “Where?”
Upon noticing Twilight's lack of comprehension to her 'hideousness', Rarity sighed dramatically and placed a hoof over her stomach. "Don't you see?! I've gained so much weight! I look horrid!" She turned to look at Twilight and pointed an accusing hoof at her. "And you look so beautiful, and slim, and the special somepony of a princess should look like a princess herself!" She rested her head on the bed again and closed her eyes. "It’s terrible, just terrible..."
Twilight rolled her eyes at her marefriend's antics. No matter how hard she tried, she failed to see any of the weight Rarity had supposedly gained. Rather than argue from afar, she knew intimacy worked best with the other mare. She climbed on the bed, settling herself next to the needlessly distressed unicorn and nuzzling her lovingly. “Rarity, you're being ridiculous," she whispered, leaving a kiss on the other’s neck and giggling at the fashionista’s attempt to turn a pleased sigh into a frustrated one.
"I am not!” Rarity retorted, her ear flicking involuntarily when Twilight's string of kisses reached it. “I bet everypony thinks I’m not good enough for you! Even I don’t think I’m good enough…”
Twilight leaned back, assessing Rarity's 'pudgy' stomach. She lifted her hoof and brushed it against the unicorn's stomach, feeling Rarity voluntarily suck her tummy in at the touch. Upon closer inspection, Twilight realized that if you looked really closely, the unicorn had indeed seemed to have gained a very slight amount of weight.
Thankfully, Twilight sometimes had no tact whatsoever, saying: "Well, you have a bit of a tummy, but you know..."
"It's dreadful!" Rarity completed theatrically. "I knew it! You think I'm an overweight slob now!"
Twilight giggled and rolled her eyes. "No," she whispered, going back to cuddle her properly and draping her wing over the unicorn, gently tickling said chubby tummy. "I think it's cute, actually."
There was silence for a minute until Rarity turned around to face Twilight. She spoke up again, her voice barely above a whisper: "You really think that?”
Twilight nodded without any hesitation. “And, if anypony ever says you aren’t good enough, I’ll teach them a lesson,” she declared, blushing at Rarity’s half-amused, half-skeptical look. “I mean it, I will!”
It was then that Rarity went quiet, lifting her hoof and tracing circles on the alicorn’s chest. “You’ll fight anyone who think I’m not good enough?” she asked quietly, and before Twilight could answer, she looked at Twilight and continued: “Even if it means fighting me?”
Twilight blinked before allowing her lips to dissolve into a smitten smile. She scooted as close as she could to the unicorn, so much so that their noses brushed together. “Well,” she replied softly, tightening her wing’s grip around Rarity and holding her hoof, “I can think of a really fun and exciting way of ‘fighting’ you…”
Twilight closed her eyes, breathing in and then out, her thoughts focused on the steady beat of her heart. She was sunk in darkness, but she still felt completely calm, completely at peace, like if a new life was starting.
Which it was.
She felt something brush against her, and her thoughts drifted towards that sensation, towards the hoof roaming her sides in a curious, but most of all, loving gesture. There was no rush, nothing to keep them apart, and everything to keep them together. She imagined the hoof to be paintbrush, tracing red lines on her coat .
She'd read somewhere — she didn't quite remember where or when — that ponies from Eastern Equui believed that everypony was connected to their soulmate by an invisible red string that could never be severed. She wondered how tangled they both were in their string of fate, and she couldn't help but feel like she wanted to get tangled in it even more.
The hoof roaming her body traveled upwards, brushing against her neck and pulling her mane away, leaving her neck uncovered. She felt a chill at the air brushing against her neck, but it was quickly dealt with when she felt a pair of lips press themselves against her sensitive coat.
She exhaled.
She turned around, perhaps a bit too quickly, and she searched for the eyes of her lover in the darkness of the room. She couldn't see them, at first, but it didn't bother her for long since she was quickly distracted by the lips brushing against hers.
Now it was her turn to explore, and she lifted her hoof, stroking the body of the unicorn — a way to bring her close. When the kiss ended, and when both let out a breath of air, she gently nuzzled Rarity, leaving a kiss on her lips, on her chin and then softly pressing against her so as to leave a kiss on the crook of her neck.
She wasn't trying to start anything, nor was it meant to be a sensual gesture. It was more like she felt the need to show her devotion through simple quiet gestures. Rarity said nothing at first, as if waiting to see what waiting would lead to, but when the kisses had reached her neck, she relaxed and let out a soft hum.
Eventually, Twilight made it so their lips met again, and she let out a soft laugh, almost nervous, because it still felt so new, so… so right, was the only word she could find to describe.
Three words hung from the tip of her tongue, waiting to be confessed, but she held back. Maybe it was too soon. Too soon to tell Rarity how deeply her attraction ran, too soon to whisper the three words that would be the same as giving Rarity the most precious thing she had.
“Twilight?”
Twilight didn’t reply immediately. She was quiet, processing everything to be processed. In the darkness of the room, where she couldn’t see her partner, it was easy to imagine Rarity.
But hearing her voice, hearing it in such an intimate place, hearing it whisper her name in such a soft, loving fashion — that sent shivers down Twilight’s spine as it sunk in that it was Rarity indeed lying there besides her, and it was Rarity’s hoof now stroking her cheeks.
“Yes?”
Silence followed afterwards, and Rarity’s hoof stopped its idle stroking. Just as Twilight was about to prompt Rarity again, the unicorn finally spoke in a measured tone:
“I love you.”
It seemed as if they were both aware that was the first time either of them had said those three words. Twilight always thought they would come from her first, because she’d fallen hard and Rarity had, for some wonderfully odd reason, merely indulged Twilight’s desires.
And so, when they came from Rarity first, when Rarity gave herself entirely to somepony who’d yet to offer the same, Twilight realized she had not been prepared. She blinked once, twice, at the darkness besides her, completely disarmed by the suddenness and honesty of the statement, and she asked a question:
“Why?”
Rarity giggled. “Why?” she repeated, and Twilight could almost see her raising an eyebrow. “Only you would ask such a question now of all times.”
In retrospect, Twilight realized it seemed like a very egocentric thing to ask Rarity to spell out why she loved Twilight, but that could have not been further away from the truth. Twilight needed to understand everything, comprehend every detail and factor of their relationship so she could continue doing whatever it was that Rarity loved about her.
“I don’t know why I love you,” Rarity replied, her childish giggling proving to make the statement even more confusing that it already was. “I just do.”
Twilight blinked again.
She didn’t know? How could she not know? Twilight could make an endless list of things that made her love Rarity, and yet she still hadn’t confessed, but Rarity had confessed and yet she had no idea of why she’d done it.
“Oh,” Twilight replied, and she could not hide her disappointment. “I see.”
“Twilight,” Rarity said, cuddling closer and looking for Twilight’s hoof under the covers. “I only said that because, if I were to list all the reasons I’m so utterly taken by you, we’d be here until the day-after-tomorrow.” She leaned in to kiss Twilight, before adding, “And we both have to wake up frightfully early tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” Twilight replied unceremoniously, her cheeks heated up and her heart fluttering. She leaned in again to kiss Rarity, before finally snuggling up to her, closing her eyes and yawning.
“Goodnight, darling,” Rarity said, wrapping a lazy hoof around Twilight and tracing circles on her back.
Twilight was about to reply in kind, but something nagged at her. Three words she wanted to say, but didn’t feel confident enough to say them yet. Except, it was only right to reciprocate Rarity’s gesture, wasn’t it?
“Uhm, Rarity?”
“Mmm?”
Twilight took a deep breath. “I… Er…” She felt her cheeks heating up, and she pushed herself closer to Rarity, wondering if she’d been spending too much time with Fluttershy lately. “I love you too,” she finally blurted out, and her blush did not wane when Rarity giggled again.
“Oh, darling, really? Heavens, I must have missed the signs between all those times we stare at each other like lovesick fools! How dense of me!”
Now, finally, Twilight giggled. “Oh, ha ha ha…” She leaned back and found Rarity’s lips, silencing the unicorn’s mirth with a kiss. “Well, now you know, smarty-pants.”
Rarity merely sighed contently in reply, snuggling up to Twilight and whispering again, “Goodnight, Twilight.”
Twilight closed her eyes, letting sleep take over. “Goodnight, Rarity.”
Twilight rolled around on her bed, wishing she could erase the memory from her system. She didn't even understand why it was bothering her so much! Rarity having said that to one of their friends wasn't unusual at all! Rarity practically said 'darling' every other word! But... she had only ever used the possessive pronoun for Twilight.
She felt selfish, actually. Rarity had said it to Fluttershy during a special moment between the two of them, and Twilight had no reason to feel... like less because of it, but she did! She did and she hated it!
Why did she even care? It was just a word. In fact, wasn't it a bit demeaning? It was! Acting as if Twilight was something to possess, and to love, and something that was solely Rarity's, and in return Twilight was solely...
A sound.
The door opening.
Twilight was still doing her best attempt at looking asleep despite it being, what, like five in the afternoon? Well, she had been studying a lot, and she was a nightowl, and naps were scientifically proven to help with mental endurance! She’d read it in several books, and given a minute, she’d have an entire dissertation about it.
The intruder didn't announce their presence, but instead Twilight felt the weight on the mattress shift, the figure moving closer and closer, the scent of familiar perfume revealing her identity.
Go away, Twilight wanted to say, but she couldn't.
Rarity, as if she'd done nothing wrong, because she hadn’t, cuddled up against the bundled figure, letting out a long content sigh and wrapping an arm around her.
"Are we done sulking now?"
"I am not sulking," Twilight replied, inwardly cursing herself for revealing she wasn't sleeping. She heard Rarity giggle and nuzzle against her, and she had to bite down a smile.
"Yes, you are," Rarity said at length. "Spike told me all about it, you silly filly."
That traitor.
And now did Twilight feel her cheeks heat up, because that meant Rarity knew why she was upset, and she probably found it silly and dumb and childish.
"I had no idea it bothered you, Twilight," Rarity continued. "It's just an expression of affection."
Twilight's blush became more prominent. "I know that," she grumbled before reluctantly turning around to face her marefriend. Her ears pressed themselves against her skull and she whispered, "I just... It was..." she petered out. "Nevermind."
"Twilight, those two words aren't reserved solely for you," Rarity said, and Twilight felt her heart sink. But, before she could turn around again, Rarity leaned forwards so their lips would brush. "But the way I say it is something completely yours."
And it was true, wasn't it? Fluttershy had simply received an affectionate expression, whereas Rarity's eternal throwaway sign of endearment always took on a different meaning when Twilight was there. It wasn't even the words that mattered, but how softly Rarity always said it, how she'd stroke Twilight's cheeks, brush her lips against hers, and with expressions but not words show that it wasn't Twilight that belonged to her, but that she belonged to Twilight.
Rarity closed the distance between their lips, and moments later, when they broke apart and Twilight finally allowed herself a smile, Rarity asked again.
"Are we done sulking now, my darling?"
"Yes..."
Rarity giggled, lifting her hoof and brushing away Twilight’s bangs. “I love you,” she said, and her smile was soft and loving and Twilight felt like she could melt in it.
“I love you, too,” she replied softly, relishing the moment when Rarity leaned down to kiss her again.
Fin
Rarity's Wedding [Bodyguard AU / Drama / Non-Canon]
The celebration would be grand, wouldn't it? Ponies gathering from all over the earth to attend the party of Prince Blueblood, held in the Castle of Queen Rarity. The best of decorations, the best food, the best company, the best of everything.
Anypony invited would be a fool not to attend the ceremony where Rarity and her would-be fiance would be the center of it all.
Nobles had gathered all around, elegant music wafting through the ballroom and guiding ponies along the dancefloor. There were two thrones at the end of the large room, fitting for a Queen and her… potential king,
Because that's what she needed, wasn't it? A king, and not another queen, and certainly not…
Rarity shook her head.
No, those thoughts had died a long time ago. Died alongside the tacit rejection, the painful loss and after fighting so hard to end them, she could not allow them to resurface. If they did, all they would bring would be the memories, painful memories, of Twilight choosing… another over her.
She turned around to look at Prince Blueblood, the stallion who'd traveled to Equestria with a proposal just for her. A perfectly (well, maybe a bit snobby) kind and attractive stallion, who'd been endlessly kind, and who would bring her pleasure and riches in more ways than one… wouldn't he?
She did not love him, but she could grow to do so.
She could grow to love his smile, love his eyes, love the idea of being intimate with him, of letting him shed her of all her barriers. She could grow to long for his forelegs wrap themselves around her, hold her close, pro… protect her soul and body from any danger, just like…
Just like a bodyguard would.
Rarity looked away from him; looked away because no matter how hard she tried — and she tried very hard — she would always see somepony else. In those fantasies that kept her up at night, consumed her thoughts, she was still unable to picture a stallion, a prince or anything else. She'd repel those thoughts unwillingly, and she would only be able to picture… her.
She looked around and saw her bodyguard standing closely by, keeping a careful watch of the party, unaware of the pain tearing away at the queen's heart by flooding her with unwanted memories.
Memories of holding Twilight in her forelegs as she cried because Celestia had wanted another. Was it cruel of Rarity to wish those tears had been for her? Was it horrid of her to wish Twilight felt so strongly, so passionately, so rawly about her as she did Celestia?
She hated it.
She hated it how Twilight still affected her, how deep her influence ran.
She hated how she'd moved on, yet… yet a single stray thought, a single smile could swiftly crush the barrier Rarity had been carefully constructing for months and months.
How would Rarity hope to stop her forsaken feelings?
Maybe… Maybe once the engagement was officially announced, maybe once it was all set in stone… Maybe then her heart would finally listen, finally let go.
She wondered sometimes, in the dead of the night, if she had been right not to get a new bodyguard like she'd intended. If she had been right not to have assigned Twilight to some other distant place, and gotten herself another protector.
She was still a bodyguard and nothing more, and Rarity was still her queen and nothing more. Nothing more, not before, not now, and not ever. She was her boss, her job, and… and as these poisonous thoughts seeped into her soul once more, Rarity fixed her gaze on Twilight.
And then Twilight just had to look her way; had to smile brightly at the queen; had to remind Rarity of how pleased Twilight was to see the queen betrothed. How silly she'd been upon announcing the idea of an engagement to Twilight, hoping with every fiber of her heart that Twilight would be horrified. That Twilight would forbid it, would tell Rarity that no one but her was worthy of the queen, that she would never let anypony else take Rarity but her, the bodyguard who knew her better than she did herself.
How silly.
How stupid.
How completely idiotic.
So Rarity smiled backed from behind her mask of pain. Smiled back because she was supposed to smile, wasn't she? Because she was supposed to be thrilled at the idea of marrying Blueblood and living out the dreams she'd had once as a foolish filly.
Rarity did feel thrilled.
Rarity would feel thrilled.
One way or another, she would assassinate her lingering feelings for Twilight Sparkle, replacing them instead with unrelentless love for Prince Blueblood.
One way or another.
And so the night went on, slowly, the party still moving along at full force in the midst of drinks, laughter and dancing. The bitterness in Rarity's soul drowned out by the tanginess of her fifth — or sixth? — glass of wine.
"Your Majesty."
Rarity smiled. "Ah, Celestia!" she greeted, smiling brilliantly at her most trusted warrior. "And my dearest Fluttershy!" she added, noticing her beloved friend meekly but happily standing next to the beautiful warrior.
Small talk was exchanged. Formalities and the like, conversations that didn't really mean anything but were said regardless. Much like… Much like Rarity and Twilight have been doing for so long, haven't they? Gestures and actions that, in the end, meant nothing at all.
A quick glance towards Twilight, more out of worry than curiosity, and Rarity was happy to see the unicorn looked… content. Not crushed by her unrequited crush as she once had been.
Rarity envied her.
"Ah, Twilight, you must be just as exhausted as our majesty from all of Prince Blueblood's parties," Celestia teased, receiving a smile in reply.
"If the queen wishes to stay up until dawn every other weekend, I have a duty to accompany her," Twilight replied, throwing Rarity a good-natured smile — the kind that left Rarity's heart melting in her chest.
Blueblood laughed, all of a sudden, and for a second, Twilight's smile faded away completely.
"Well, soon Queen Rarity might have somepony else protecting her, won't you, Rarity, darling?" he asked, winking at the queen.
Rarity smiled politely and offered a small laugh. She said nothing, because everything she could and wanted to say would not be words one should tell the pony they're going to marry. She noticed, however, a small scowl on Twilight's face, and it made her smile.
Perhaps she did not own Twilight Sparkle's heart, but she at least had her devotion.
But one day, one way or another, she would be content with just having devotion, and she would stop longing for Twilight's kisses and long for Blueblood's.
For now, she grew tired of sitting, because she would never admit she'd actually grown tired of his presence.
"I think the time has come to mingle, darling," she announced to Blueblood, getting off her throne. "Your company is lovely, but I'm afraid I'm getting rather tired. Best wake myself up a bit, no?"
Blueblood simply nodded, turning to speak to an approaching noble.
Step by step, Rarity descended towards the waiting crowd, and step by step, she heard hoofsteps following her, her everpresent shadow and companion.
In a way, she should be happy Twilight didn't love her, shouldn't she? What would that make her if she did? A consolation prize? The left-over reward? Plan B?
No. She was a queen, and if she hadn't been Twilight's first option, then Twilight Sparkle didn't deserve to have her as an option at all.
Twenty minutes went by, spent mingling with unimportant nobles over unimportant affairs, while Twilight constantly shadowed Rarity, occasionally smiling to the kinder nobles who acknowledged her presence. There were, as per the norm, some rather unpleasant nobles in the crowd, and Rarity secretly delighted in catching Twilight rolling her eyes at most of them.
Every queen needed her rest, though, and after a while, she excused herself and trotted away towards her private gardens. Trotting off towards peace and quiet, where she could be just with herself, away from those who distracted her thoughts.
Usually, leaving the castle or even a room implied many things. It implied heavy security in the shape of five guards and Twilight Sparkle trailing after her, but… but, in the gardens, complete and utter safety was assured.
She could even dismiss Twilight if she so wished.
But she didn't. She never would, and perhaps never could do so.
She stepped out into the fresh air, not paying too much mind to Twilight closing the door behind them, and making it a point to ignore the faces of nobles, pressed against the windows and trying to spy on the pretty bodyguard and the pretty lonely queen.
The gardens, full of life and color under the moonlight, served to relax Rarity's senses. Their beauty was enough to make her forget her worries, her pain, and allowed her to focus on what was really important.
"Tired, Twilight?" she asked, trotting deeper into the garden, away from prying eyes.
"You'd think I would be with all the partying," Twilight replied almost teasingly, her usual composure slipping under the seams, under the sudden intimacy and lack of needing to keep appearances. "Are you, Your Majesty? Tired, I mean."
Rarity smiled, stopping to admire some roses and waving her hoof in a dismissive motion. "Not yet, but I fear I'll have to start acting as though I am in a bit. I'm growing dreadfully tired of the crowd."
Twilight smiled amiably. "Would you like me to let the guards know you've retired for the night? I'm sure ponies can cope without your presence for twelve hours."
"But, if I leave now, that means we won't be able to talk what with you sitting outside my bedroom door! You know how terribly thick it is," Rarity replied teasingly, glancing to Twilight and winking. It felt so natural to talk that way with Twilight, even after how the bodyguard had hurt her. It was like she was incapable of… not being smitten.
The queen turned her gaze towards the roses once more. "We haven't been able to talk much as of late, have we? With all the preparation and the parties, and Prince Blueblood's insatiable love for keeping everyone awake at all hours."
Twilight grimaced, and Rarity couldn't help but giggle affectionately.
"You don't like his parties, do you?" she asked, and though Twilight didn't reply, her blush said enough. "You don't like him, do you?"
Twilight looked uncomfortable suddenly, shifting in place. "Well, I… My loyalty lies with you, Your Majesty," she lamely replied after a minute of stammering.
"In other words," Rarity said, fluttering her eyelashes, "You're only standing him out of duty."
"No, that's not—! I don't—! I..." Twilight petered out, her cheeks flushing as she looked away like a child caught misbehaving. "Yes, Your Majesty..."
Rarity giggled. "Darling, don't look so ashamed," she said. "Half my kingdom feels the same way, I'm afraid. He's not very popular."
Twilight snorted. "I'm not surprised. We all can't wait for him to go back to his own kingdom."
Rarity paused for a moment, tilting her head to the side, carefully measuring her next words. "Whatever do you mean, Twilight?"
Twilight blinked. "What do you mean 'whatever do I mean'?" she asked, furrowing her brow, until it seemed like realization hit her. "I… He's not staying here, right?"
Rarity was thrown back, unsure of whether Twilight was joking or not.
"Twilight, you do know why he came here, don't you? I haven't hidden it from you, have I?" Rarity asked, carefully. "He came here for an alliance."
Twilight rolled her eyes, and in a very insolent fashion, Rarity thought.
"I know that, Your Majesty," she replied matter-of-factly. Her horn lit up, and a scroll appeared next to her. "But alliances don't require for the foreign party to stay in the kingdom for more than a week! All you have to do is sign the alliance treaty, and he can go back! Why extend his stay?"
Rarity blinked. When... When had Twilight even researched all of that?
"Well, Twilight," Rarity replied, taking the scroll and rolling it up. "That's the procedure for a normal alliance, yes, but Blueblood isn't here to form a diplomatic alliance with our kingdom. As I thought you knew, he's interested in merging our kingdoms through marriage."
"I also know that, Your Majesty," Twilight replied, starting to look rather annoyed and once more unfurling the scroll. "But after you reject his proposal and offer the diplomatic merger, as I outlined here, he has no reason to extend his stay."
"What makes you think I'm rejecting him?"
If anything Rarity said so far seemed to have an impact on the unicorn, it was that carefully stated sentence. She stepped back, ears flicking backwards, as if she'd just found out her calculations had been wrong.
"What... What do you mean?"
"I'm not rejecting him," Rarity replied matter-of-factly. "The second he proposes, which I expect he should soon, if not tonight, I will accept."
"No, you won't," Twilight shot back.
Rarity raised her eyebrow, her voice dropping to a chilly tone. "Pardon?"
Was Twilight Sparkle honestly telling Rarity what to do with her love life? Now that was rich.
As if realizing her faux-pas, Twilight took another step back, her cheeks flushing. "Your Majesty, what I meant is that—"
"Blue Blood's kingdom, politically speaking, is the perfect choice for uplifting our kingdom's public image," Rarity interrupted, keeping her voice calm and steady. "Though his personal life has issues, his political career is all but impeccable, something that can't be said of many other princes nowadays. A marriage with him would only benefit my kingdom."
"But it wouldn't benefit you," Twilight exclaimed, raising her voice and the edge to it. "Marrying him would be as smart as plunging your head in the toilet! You can't honestly want to marry him!"
And now this.
Now this was the last straw.
"First of all, let me remind you, Twilight Sparkle, that you are my bodyguard. You are not my advisor, you are not my council, and you certainly aren't somepony to be telling your queen what to do," she said at length, her voice as icy as her heart felt.
In the pits of her soul, Rarity hated her own words.
She hated seeing Twilight step back yet again, and she hated herself for telling Twilight she was nothing, when on the contrary she was everything. She was everything that ever really mattered, and it was because of this that Rarity was so enraged.
Because not only had Twilight Sparkle taken herself away from Rarity, but she now had the gall to keep cutting out Rarity's desperate attempt at happiness.
"Secondly, now that I've had to go through the unpleasant experience of reminding you of your place, you should know that political marriages are nothing new to the kingdom," she finished. "Have I made myself clear?"
And Twilight, rather than step back, instead took a step forwards, her ears perking up and her frown deepening as she said, "I don't care."
Rarity blinked.
"Excuse me?"
"With all due respect, Queen Rarity, I don't care if this marriage helps our kingdom. As your bodyguard, it is my sole duty to protect you and your well-being, which means that I cannot allow you to marry Prince Blueblood," Twilight said diplomatically.
"Hah! And I suppose you know what's best for me then?!" Rarity shrieked derisively, shoving her hoof in Twilight's chest.
"Yes, I do, actually," Twilight replied. "I know you better than anypony in this entire castle, and if anypony knows what you deserve, it's me. And if you marry that creep, you'll only end up with a broken heart!"
"A broken heart?! From him?! There are far worse ponies that have broken my heart, Twilight," Rarity shot back. "In fact, I can think of one that completely ravaged it for months!"
Twilight was taken aback. "Wh... I didn't... You never told me..."
"Of course, I didn't! You of all ponies should damn well know that a queen isn't allowed to show what she feels or get her way! A queen has to do what's best for her subjects, even if they leave her without a heart to care for!" Rarity snapped, finding some strange relief in... somehow telling Twilight the pain she'd caused.
"But--! But who?! You're the Queen, Rarity!" Twilight blurted out, almost flabbergasted. "You could have anypony you wanted!"
"I could?! I COULD?!" Rarity snapped, so loudly she was sure the entire castle had heard. "That's rich! Let me force them to love me when they're in love with somepony else, then?! Tell them that they should dump their crush off the face of the earth and elope with me?!"
Twilight stamped her hoof against the floor. "Well, if they're blind enough to not realize you're in love with them, then honestly I wish you would make them resign from whatever position they're in because they don't deserve even being near you!"
And before Rarity could stop herself.
Before she could stop the words from leaving her mouth.
She exclaimed, "Well, if that's the case, I expect your resignation letter tomorrow at Captain Silverhoof's desk!"
Silence fell.
Twilight's expression went completely blank.
"What?"
And now Rarity felt fear like she'd never felt before.
Resisting the urge to clamp her hoof against her mouth, she let out a very awkward and very nervous laugh. "I-I me-mean, I expect your resignation letter tomorrow be-because you cle-clearly have no idea what's good for me!"
"You... You..." Twilight said, clearly not having heard Rarity's reasoning, which she repeated again.
"Tw-Twilight, listen, I don't--! You're--"
"Why didn't you tell me?" Twilight asked, clearly forgetting who she was and who Rarity was. She stepped forwards, stamping her hoof against the floor. "Why would you keep this to yourself?!"
"Because you loved Celestia! Don't you remember how much you cried about her?! In my arms, no less?! And you expected me to just declare my love for you, without a care for being second best or the fact that I'm a queen and your—"
"I know that! That's why I was devastated, Rarity! Celestia was my second choice, and even her I wasn't allowed to have!" Twilight shot back, tears bordering her eyes. "She was my second choice, because my first choice wasn't an option in the first place, because I know the stories of kings and queens disgraced and exiled for pursuing relationships with commoners, and I told you, over and over again, Rarity, that I would rather die than allow you or your reputation be harmed."
"I… I didn't know..." Rarity said, the roles reversed, her hoof on her chest, and feeling like she was the monster, she was the one who'd broken her beloved's heart.
"Of course you didn't," Twilight said, stepping back, blinking back tears. "That's why you couldn't replace me even if you wanted. No bodyguard is better than one who's in love with you."
"Deareeeeest~! Rarity! Are you here, darling?"
And just like that, any expression from Twilight's face vanished, and she stepped back, tilting her head enough that her helmet covered her tearstained eyes. Rarity looked back and found Blueblood waltzing towards her, and never in her life had she detested his timing more than she did in that moment.
"Rarity, you've been in this dreary garden for far too long," Blueblood said, a glass of wine floating behind him. "But fret not, I am here to brighten your night." He looked around, taking a long breath of air. "Ah, quite romantic, is it not? It makes one feel daring enough to ask risky questions."
And Rarity knew, then and there, what he was planning.
"D-Does it?" she asked, regaining her composure and taking a step away. "I don't see how, but I do agree I've been here for too long! I think I should retire to my quarte—"
"Rarity, you know why I'm here, don't you?" he asked, turning to her, solemn. "This trip wasn't just a simple visit. I've been thinking..."
"Have you?"
"Yes," he continued, taking a step forwards as she took one back, Twilight following suit. "Rarity, you are the finest queen in the land, and I can't help but feel that you and I…" He took another step. "I think we would make the perfect pair in all of Equestria, darling… I know you want a simple political alliance, but I want more than that…" A small box floated from behind him and ended in front of the queen. "Darling, dearest, let me make your kingdom greater than you could ever imagine."
Rarity stared at the box, silently so as the two other ponies waited for her answer, for her next move.
If she took that box… If she took that box, she'd be wedded off to a prince, like her parents had wanted. Her personal treasure would gain more riches, and she'd never risk her reputation or her heart again, because she would never love Blueblood no matter how many years went by. She would be safe, protected, in every sense of the word.
But if she rejected it…
If she rejected it, she'd be submitting herself to the chance of being hurt, of starting a torrid affair with not a prince or princess, but a commoner who loved her more viciously than life itself. She'd be putting everything she had on the line, all for who knows how many moments of bliss in the embrace of the mare who consumed her every dream and desire.
Though Twilight secretly delighted in Rarity's constant attention, she would never admit it. Especially when Rarity kept bothering her during her extremely important reading for Celestia. It was because of this that when Rarity nuzzled against her and became very distracting, Twilight rolled her eyes for good measure.
"Rarity, I really need to finish this."
"There's only fifty-three days left," Rarity whispered in a sing-song voice, nuzzling against Twilight and leaving a trail of kisses down her cheek and jawline.
Even if her cheeks grew red, Twilight didn't give in. "Rarity, I can't believe you're counting the days until our anniversary trip," she said, turning around to look at the unicorn.
Rarity giggled softly and kissed Twilight. "Darling, I only know that because you are the one counting down the days in your calendar. And with the most adorable hearts, too."
Twilight's face flushed and she turned around, whispering under her breath, "You weren't supposed to see that..."
Flowers
It was a traditional social norm that when visiting somepony that had fallen ill, one should always brings flowers along with one's well wishes. Rarity had always done her best to coax Twilight into getting more used to those social etiquettes, particularly now that she was a princess, but it could sometimes prove to be difficult when Twilight kept forgetting.
As such, after she'd fainted from illness and had been taken to the hospital, she felt justified in scolding Twilight when the alicorn burst in with no flowers, no chocolates, and no get well cards — only tears of relief when she saw Rarity was well.
"I don't care, Rarity," Twilight had replied to Rarity's scolding, burying her face in her beloved's neck and holding her close. "I don't care that I forgot to bring flowers."
Night had fallen over Equestria several hours ago, but Twilight found she could not sleep. Weeks ago, her insomnia was due to the sheer excitement of knowing that she’d soon call herself a mother, but now? Now it was the realization that she would be a mother. It felt like the sound of her pacing matched her quick heartbeat, her mind flooded with all kinds of worried thoughts.
She’d been reading book after book on motherhood ever since she’d found out, but what if she was missing something? What if there was an extremely important detail that wasn’t in any of her fifty — no wait, fifty seven — books? What if she—
“Twilight?”
Twilight stopped her mindless circular path, turned around and found a sleepy Rarity standing under the frame of the door. Even with her disheveled mane, bags under her eyes, and a rather big belly, she was still a stunning sight to behold for the alicorn. Regret washed over her when she realized she had probably woken up the unicorn.
“It’s three am, darling,” Rarity continued, using a hoof to cover her yawn. “Can’t sleep?”
Twilight winced, ears flattening against her head. “No,” she confessed. “I.. I, err, I’m worried about my lecture this weekend.”
“Lecture?” Rarity asked, trotting towards Twilight. “Surely you don’t mean the one you’ve been repeating so much, even I could give it, now do you?” she asked, looking at all the open books scattered around the room. “I could hear you talking as I trotted here, and I must ask: What’s the relation between teleportation techniques and cognitive exercises for foals?”
Twilight felt her cheeks heat up and refused to answer, even when Rarity reached her and nuzzled against her.
“Twilight, you’re worrying too much. Might I instead suggest you stop carving a groove into the floor with your trotting, and come to bed?”
Twilight sighed, relenting at Rarity’s request. “Alright…” She glanced around at the mess and added: “Let me pick up the books, at least. Why don’t you head to bed without me?”
Rarity laughed, tearing herself away from Twilight. “So you’ll go back to your pacing the second I step out of the room? Tsk, tsk.” With a crackle of magic, her beloved fainting couch appeared on the other side of the room, and she made her way towards it. “I’ll wait until you’re finished,” she announced with a cheeky smile, lying down on the couch and idly resting her hoof on her stomach.
Twilight playfully rolled her eyes and got to work. One after another, she levitated the books and neatly stacked them together in alphabetical order. Halfway through, she could have sworn she heard an “oh!” coming from Rarity, prompting her to quickly stop her arranging and turn to the unicorn. “Rarity? Is everything alright?”
Rarity’s ears were completely perked up, her brow was furrowed and she had both forehooves on her stomach. “I…” she drifted off, turning to look at Twilight. “Twilight…”
“W-What’s wrong?” Twilight asked, a zillion hypothetical catastrophic replies zooming inside her head. “What is it?”
“I…” Rarity turned to look at her abdomen again, pressing her hooves against it. “I think I can feel the foal kicking!”
Not a second.
It didn’t take Twilight a single second to teleport herself next to Rarity and gently press the side of her face against Rarity’s stomach, trying to be careful despite her sudden excitement.
“Really?!” she asked, her eyes glittering as if she’d just found the lost library of Saddle Arabia. “You know that means the foal can hear us? He or she is responding to our voices! Actually, according to research, this means we could theoretically start educa—”
Her ramble was suddenly interrupted by a string of soft giggling, making her look up to find the source. When she did, she found Rarity looking back at her with an absolutely smitten expression, biting down on her lip in what looked like an attempt to stop giggling. At any other time, Twilight would have offered a smitten grin of her own, but this time, she lifted her head and offered a deadpan expression.
“You didn’t feel the foal kicking, did you?”
“No, I did not,” Rarity admitted, laughing a bit and running her hoof through Twilight’s mane. “But how can I resist a white lie when the way in which you get excited is so ridiculously adorable?”
Twilight blushed, rolling her eyes. She then gently brushed her hoof against Rarity’s stomach, smiling in a rather adorkable fashion. “I can’t wait,” she whispered, eliciting another round of giggles from the unicorn.
“Me either,” Rarity replied, putting her hoof on top of Twilight’s. “Admittedly, I’m not looking forward to your panic attacks once the foal actually gets here,” she teased, grinning when Twilight’s blush increased.
Twilight laughed. “Well, I’m not looking forward to your mood swings, honestly,” she teased back.
Rarity gasped at this. “Why, I never!” she exclaimed, looking away in an attempt a seeming extremely offended. Her offense was short-lived, though, when Twilight moved over to nuzzle against her, and she wasn’t able to stop herself from smiling.
“We’re going to be a disaster, aren’t we?” Twilight asked, burying her muzzle against the crook of Rarity’s neck.
“Oh, absolutely,” Rarity replied, resting her head against Twilight’s and sighing. “I can’t wait.”
Rarity stepped into the room, using her hoof to cover a rather unladylike yawn. Truth be told, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had to take Day Dreams to school herself. Twilight was always up at such ungodly hours that she took their daughter to school while Rarity slept her morning away.
Twilight was already up and about by the time she got home, pouring herself in the research she’d stayed up nearly all night doing. She looked up towards Rarity and smiled brightly.
“Good morning!” she greeted, and Rarity couldn’t help but smile as she sat down next to her beloved.
“Good morning, my darling,” she replied, looking over the papers scattered on the table before turning to Twilight and giving her a much needed morning kiss.
She intended on getting up to get some breakfast, but the most curious of things stopped her: a flustered Twilight giggling and looking away.
“Twilight…?”
Twilight bit down on her lip and turned to her research. “Mm?”
“Everything alright?”
Twilight’s flush seemed to intensify as she meekly noted. “I really like you.”
Rarity laughed. “I should hope so! We have been married for nearly seven years, after all.”
Twilight giggled again, nearly letting out a wistful sigh. “Yeah…” Her ears then shot up and she turned to Rarity with a serious expression. “You really like me too, right?”
“Twilight Sparkle! What kind of a question is that, silly pony?” Rarity asked, rolling her eyes and brushing back Twilight’s bangs. “You are my world entire,” she continued, leaning in to give another kiss before once again witnessing the alicorn let out an unabashedly smitten smile.
“Thank goodness Dreams isn’t here, or else she’d be chastizing us for being so affectionate,” Rarity noted.
Twilight sighed and nuzzled Rarity. “We have a daughter…” She let out another giggle. “Wow.”
“Twilight, really, what has gotten into you?” Rarity asked, hugging Twilight and laughing once more. “It’s like I’ve gone back to our first week of dating!”
“Shut up,” Twilight playfully said, leaning up to kiss Rarity. “I just love you.”
“Honestly, who wouldn’t?” Rarity asked, and when Twilight rolled her eyes so far back she could probably see her skull, Rarity giggled and added, “I love you, too.”
The whirring of Rarity's sewing machine filled the room, her newest commission coming along nicely. Despite the occasional nausea and cravings, the most her pregnancy had affected her work was the fact that her large belly prevented her from standing as close to her machine as she'd have liked.
The machine's setting were at the lowest speed, however, but this was mostly due to the fact that the unicorn wasn't fully concentrated on her work. She was waiting patiently for the inevitable moment when, again, for the fifth time that past hour…
"Rarity?"
There she was!
Standing under the edge of the door was Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship and surprisingly worrisome mother, come once more to check on her wife.
"Twilight?" Rarity asked, even though she knew very well why Twilight was there.
"Are you feeling all right?" Twilight asked, tentatively stepping into the room. "You're sure you don't want to lie down for a bit?"
Rarity didn't turn off the machine, but directed her beloved a loving smile. "I'm feeling quite alright, my darling! Not much has changed in ten minutes, but I appreciate you taking the time to check up on me."
Twilight's ears lowered slightly. "But, you know rest is important, and—"
"And I will get plenty of it tonight, Twilight," Rarity gently pressed, adjusting her glasses. "Don't worry about me."
Twilight seemed unconvinced — disappointed almost — but she did not insist.
"All right, then," she said, throwing Rarity one last glance before disappearing into the hallway.
Rarity bit down a smitten smile before turning back to her dress. Though she knew it would be in her dress's best interest that Twilight didn't come back for another checkup, Rarity would be lying if she said she didn't revel in the attention — especially when Twilight was so eager to offer it. The alicorn had become especially fond of nuzzling Rarity and her overgrown belly, and it was honestly an adorable sight for Rarity to behold.
A dozen minutes went by; long enough Rarity wondered if Twilight had actually gone back to work. For a moment, she flirted with the idea of stopping her work and going to check on Twilight herself, but her momentary deprivation of Twilight came to an end when Twilight's head poked into the room.
"Rarity?"
Rarity giggled, turning to her machine. "My darling?"
"Are you sure you still feel all right?"
And finally, Rarity relented.
"Actually..." She stopped the machine and theatrically placed her hoof on her forehead. "I… I think perhaps a rest is in order."
"I knew it!" Twilight blurted, jumping into the room, brow furrowed. "You shouldn't over-exert yourself!"
Rarity sighed. "I know! I'm simply awful!" she said, trotting towards Twilight and nuzzling her. "Where would I be without you, I wonder?"
"Feeling very sick, probably," Twilight sternly replied, ever so endearingly missing Rarity's loving sarcasm. Well, it wasn't really sarcasm because Rarity would be a sorry mess without her Twilight there with her every day, but that was besides the point.
Rarity made her way to her bedroom, Twilight following close behind, and once she was sufficiently close, she lay herself down on the bed, closing her eyes stretching for good measure. She counted in her head; one, two, three, four and on five, she smiled when she felt the familiar nuzzle against her belly.
"It's alright, sweetheart," Twilight whispered, "I won't let your mother work you and herself silly."
She then moved over and nuzzled Rarity herself, ignoring the latter remark over how Twilight was supposed to be working, wasn't she?
The bed shifted under Rarity, and moments later Twilight's foreleg had become her makeshift pillow, the alicorn holding her as if she were the most precious of treasures — which she was, thank you very much. Twilight, finally content, it seemed, sighed and placed her chin on Rarity's sides, a silly pleased grin decorating her face.
What a silly, silly pony, Rarity playfully thought, resigning herself to the fact that she'd probably be there for at least two hours before Twilight allowed her to go back to work.
She should probably stop indulging Twilight.
"Rarity?"
"My love?"
Twilight giggled at this, and her cheeks turned a fierce shade of red.
"I love you," she said, and an embarrassed smile followed the statement.
Rarity closed her eyes again, snuggling closer to Twilight. Well, maybe she didn't have to stop indulging her quite yet.
It was a frosty December evening as Rarity and Twilight made their ways through the city streets. The cold air nipped at Twilight, forcing her to hide her delicate hands inside the pockets of her jacket.
“Darling?” Rarity said quite suddenly, “Could you hold something for me, please?”
“Of course,” Twilight said immediately, taking a hand out of her coat and looking towards her girlfriend. She’d been expecting to hold a purse or a cellphone, but a rosy hue coloured her cheeks at the sight of a smiling Rarity offering nothing but her hand. “Um…..”
“Twilight,” Rarity said after a minute, fluttering her eyelashes, “I can appreciate you love the gesture, but rather than staring at me like a smitten kitten, could you actually hold my hand? It’s getting cold.”
“RIGHT, RIGHT, I’M SORRY.”
An Unorthodox Proposal [Imagine your RariTwi 1/???]
It was, I admit, a rather unorthodox way for it to go about.
I would like to say that I don’t remember what we were doing, but that would be a bald faced lie. I remember exactly what we were doing, as I do with all things involving you. We were lying on my bed; I was entertained with finishing a design for a client, and you were reading one of the romance novels I had lying around.
I remember putting the sketch down, and turning to look… No, that’s not the word. I didn’t simply look at you; I admired you—as one should do when gazing at a princess. We weren’t doing anything grand or romantic. In fact, we had only exchanged a few words in the past hours you’d been there, your tail occasionally brushing against mine.
And yet, in that silly moment, it never felt like I’d been more in love with you. This was the life that awaited us if I so chose. Your constant presence around me, never overbearing, never anything but simply there, always close even if we were each lost in our own world.
You glanced up at me. Your ears twitched, and your eyes inspected me for a moment until a smile graced your lips. I remember thinking you looked beautiful. I remember wanting to spend the rest of my life with you.
“What’re you thinking about?” you asked me, curious as ever. You never liked it when I kept my thoughts away from you. It had been our policy from the start, to be honest with our thoughts and emotions. You would gladly indulge my theatrics so long as you knew why I was being theatric.
I hummed. “Twilight Sparkle,” I said, taking on an accusatory tone. “What gave you the right to steal my heart?”
You giggled in that insultingly adorable way you do when you’re pleased with yourself. Or with me. Both.
“I don’t know,” you said, and frankly, neither did I. I remember very well the day you confessed you loved me, frantically reading off cue-cards as you tried to recite your silly speech about love and friendship and loving friendships.
You were absolutely hopeless, and I was hopelessly in love.
“You don’t know,” I repeated.
You smiled again.
You were so beautiful. You were so silly. I wanted to be with you for the rest of my dreary life.
So I told you as much.
“Perhaps I should take my revenge by stealing your last name, then. Would that be agreeable?”
The words had left my mouth unbidden, but there they were, said aloud. Granted, I couldn’t truly fault you for not registering my words at first. I’m sure that you’d never imagine that I would propose to you in such a casual fashion. I’m sure you expected a grand sweeping event, with flowers and violins and a dramatic declaration of love befitting of Ponyville’s own drama queen.
You giggled again. Looked down at your book.
“It would.”
And I stared at you. I stared at you for about a minute I’m sure, wondering if you had in fact just accepted to marry me, or if you had completely missed the message, or thought I was joking. I sat there for the longest time debating what to do.
And then, you turned a page and stopped midway.
Your eyes widened.
I smiled. Ah, there it was. Your brain catching up.
You looked up.
“Did I just agree to marry you?” you asked.
“I believe you did, darling,” I said, and looked back to my sketch, politely deciding to ignore the flush on your shocked face. “How does a summer wedding sound?”
One week later, they realized it was strange to be home.
Strange for Lavender, having lived in Equestria for two months, and strange for Rarity, for the first time having glimpsed a future she’d long thought discarded. Her and Twilight, together with their daughters, a family that had somehow made it work.
Mother and daughter silently glanced out of the carriage windows while Sweetie Belle slept, their bodies in Saddle Arabia but their minds far, far away in Equestria. Thinking, missing, and perhaps even regretting.
Rarity’s ear twitched at the sound of a sniffle, and her heart cried when she turned around to find her daughter wiping her eyes.
She fell silent when her mother raised a foreleg. Without protests, the filly scooted over and buried herself in Rarity’s embrace, sniffling as Rarity kissed the top of her head.
“I miss Amy…”
“I know, my heart,” her mother whispered, stroking her daughter’s mane and dearly wishing her other daughter might be there with them. The hole in her heart she now couldn’t unfeel now that it had been filled for a precious few months. “I miss her, too.”
“I miss mom,” Lavender whispered next, a silent confession, and so did Rarity feel inclined to confess the same, but she could not. To confess it would be to admit she had made the mistake not once now, but twice.
Twice, twice, twice, she’d let Twilight Sparkle walk away, or perhaps Twilight had let her walk away, or perhaps it didn’t matter anymore.
It was as she’d said, wasn’t it? No sense in playing the blaming game anymore.
The carriage eventually came to a stop in front of their house, Sweetie Belle yawning awake alongside it.
“We’re home!” she exclaimed, having noticed the sullen faces of her two companions and thus trying to brighten the mood. She opened the carriage door and stepped out. “Can’t wait to get into my bed.”
When Lavender made no attempt to leave, Rarity gently nuzzled her.
“I’ve a wonderful idea,” she said. “Why don’t I set up the projector in my room, and you and I curl up in my bed and watch Rules of Love for the millionth time, mm?” When Lavender nodded, she got up and walked out, her daughter following after her. “Very well, then.”
While Rarity walked over to pay the ponies that had carried them there, Lavender noticed her aunt had yet to go inside. In fact, she was planted firmly in the street, staring at something.
Lavender looked to where she was pointing and was surprised to see a chariot parked nearby, two clearly Equestrian armored ponies standing by.
“All right!” Rarity exclaimed, walking towards them. “I’ve paid our drivers, and—What are you two gawking at?”
“Rarity, look!” Sweetie said, urgently. “Look!”
“There’s an Equestrian carriage!” Lavender added next.
Rarity blinked. “My word, so it is. What is—Wait.” Her eyes widened, and a forehoof found itself on her daughter. “Those are royal guards.”
The world came to a stop in that moment, Rarity’s implication getting lost on Lavender but not on Sweetie Belle.
A wide-grin plastered itself on the younger mare. “They didn’t.”
And only then did Lavender understand; understand her mother’s nearly paralyzed expression, her aunt’s glee, and the implication of royal Equestrian guards tied to a chariot.
So she stepped back. Stepped back again, and again, and again until she wasn’t walking, nor cantering, nor trotting, but galloping into her house, two names burning her throat.
“Mom?!” she called out, pushing the front doors open and running into the lobby, frantically looking around. “Amethyst?! Mom?!”
When a sound caught her attention, she made her way to Rarity’s workshop and found none other than her reflection standing on a chair and pasting sketches on the walls, joining the dozens of drawings their mother had drawn.
“Hi, sis!” greeted the filly, looking over her shoulder briefly to grin at her sister before pasting another sketch on the wall. “Do you like them? I drew them on the way here!”
Lavender fell onto her haunches, unsure of what to say for the longest time until somewhere, somehow, she found the words to speak when her sister prompted her again.
“Well? What do you think?”
“...They’re a bit squiggly,” she pointed out, and a teary laugh left her lips at her sister’s offense.
“The chariot was moving!” she defended. “We were going really fast because we had to catch up to you guys!”
And while a little filly rushed to embrace her sister, somewhere else a mare stood outside her house, terrified to go in.
Terrified because years ago… Years ago, she’d planned for what to do if Twilight Sparkle came after her. Years ago, she’d been ready to drop everything if Twilight was ready to do the same.
But this time?
This time, Rarity the unicorn had no plan.
This time, she hadn’t expected Twilight to come after her.
This time, she had no choice but to steady her nerves and walk into the lobby, only to find it empty, like some sort of cruel joke.
Had… Had they not come?
Was it all just wishful thinking, wishful hoping, burning regrets that desperately sought to be redeemed? It would be easier if it was a mistake. No having to figure out an international romance, no having to learn to live with each other again, no nothing but the future they’d told themselves they wanted.
Things would be easier if it was a mistake, and yet there she was, already mourning the loss of this unwound fut—
“Ra...Rarity.”
Her eyes welled with tears, and her heart with relief as she turned around and there she was.
There was Twilight Sparkle, standing in her lobby, tears in her eyes.
She’d come after her. She’d done it.
And Rarity didn’t know what to say.
“I… I…” The words tumbled out of Twilight’s mouth, and the more Rarity looked at her, the more she realized Twilight was afraid. More terrified than Rarity had ever seen her before.
And yet there she was, regardless, so painfully Twilight Sparkle as her horn lit up and hastily written cue cards floated from her saddlebag. A silly moment, silly gesture, silly thing that reminded Rarity of a younger unicorn reading off cue cards, desperately trying to keep it together long enough to propose.
Eventually, the cue cards fell to the floor.
“I don’t know what to say.”
Rarity stared at her, as perplexed as she was fascinated.
“You don’t know what to say.”
Twilight shook her head.
"I don't have a plan, I just came here, and I thought I'd have a speech by now, but I don't, and I don't know what to say, and I can't even read my cue cards because I can't understand my writing, but did you know that the train you took here is actually the slowest train? The Equestria Express is actually out-dated but ponies assume it's the quickest one because of the express in the name, and so psychologically, it induces them to--"
“Twilight.”
Twilight’s rambling stopped dead in its tracks, her eyes fixed on Rarity’s. The fear was still there, yet it was overshadowed by the determination in her eyes.
“Twilight,” Rarity repeated, “why are you here?”
She didn’t even have to think about it.
“Because I don’t want you on the other side of the world. Because I—”
The words caught in her throat, the tears falling anew, and yet she pushed through as she had when faced with monsters, and spirits, and changelings, and the risk of losing the love of her life yet again.
“Because I miss you,” she said, “and I miss your theatrics, and your voice, and our daughter, and being with you, and even arguing with you, and I—”
She drifted off after that, caught up in her emotions and the fact that Rarity had moved to her, was now standing so painfully close, so close it would be easy to lean in and kiss her.
“Because I still love you,” she confessed, prepared for the worst but hoping, desperately hoping for the best.
She waited, terrified, for Rarity’s reply and when it came, it wasn’t with words, but with actions as the unicorn moved in, a hoof brushing against Twilight’s cheek as their lips finally met again for the first time in years to kiss her.
Kiss her because it seemed that foolishness and senselessness did not go away with age, and because life was hard, and terrible, and awful, but if Rarity had learnt something from the mistakes of her youth, it was that living without Twilight made life so, so much worse.
It wasn’t until they finally pulled apart that the tears in their eyes were ones of joy, pairing nicely with Rarity’s laughter as Twilight rushed forward and nearly toppled her to the ground, burying herself in the unicorn.
“Oh, my darling,” Rarity whispered, holding her tight, for the first time in years adding the possessive pronoun to her throwaway word of endearment. “Oh, my darling, dearest, sweetheart, there’s no need to cry,” she whispered, even as she herself betrayed her words when she turned around to find their daughters standing by, both of them holding back from crying like their mothers.
With but a gesture from their mother, the two sisters ran to their parents, joining in their embrace as their aunt watched, similarly moved to tears. They cried, and cried, and then tearfully laughed and did noises of disgust when Twilight leaned in to kiss Rarity again, and again, and again.
“Twilight,” Rarity asked her, when they pulled apart, “how are we going to do this? An international romance? How in Equestria--”
“We’ll figure it out,” Twilight promised, earnest, determined not to lose this all again. “Somehow.”
“We’ll help!” Amethyst exclaimed, grabbing onto her mothers.
“We’ll do anything!” Lavender said next.
“But what if it’s hard?” Rarity asked, because to lose this again would devastate her. “What if—”
“I don’t care,” Twilight interrupted, leaning in to kiss her, their roles for once reversed because it was silly to her, silly to be worried about logistics, and planning, and what-ifs when none of that mattered. Stars, none of it mattered. “I don’t care, I don’t care, Rarity, I don’t care. We’ll figure it out, I promise.”
“Oh, my darling,” Rarity whispered, nuzzling her beloved, desperate for her, “Oh, Twilight Sparkle, don’t you dare let that be a promise you can’t keep.”
And it wasn’t.
It wasn’t for come hell or high water, come Saddle Arabia or Equestria, come whatever may come, this time…
This time they wouldn’t let it go without a fight.
