> Secrets and Lies, Love and Heartbreak > by DJ Variety > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Secrets > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carousel Boutique, home of Rarity. From the outside the building sat quietly as it always did but its stillness did not accurately reflect the feeling on the inside. Rarity was growing anxious, not from nervousness or excitement but rather curiosity. Time was pushing close to ten meaning Rarity had been up waiting for almost five hours at this point. Normally the fashionista would have only been up a couple hours at max but on this particular day her sleep had been cut short. Before Celestia even had the chance to raise the sun for the day Rarity had been awoken by a constant knocking coming from her bedroom window. At first the knocking had merged with her dream of a chivalrous prince coming to pronounce his love for her. After having slain the dragon and battling Rarity's seven evil ex's he had finally arrived to take her hoof in marriage, despite the bitter hatred their families had for each other. However, as Rarity opened the door to her prince the knocking still remained and grew louder and more impatient. It hadn't taken much longer for the knocking to turn into full on banging. Once Rarity had finally snapped out of her fantasy she had approached the window. Upon opening it she was greeted by a frazzled Rainbow Dash. Initially Rarity was mildly upset and was prepared to give a stern talking to the inconsiderate pegasus before her. Several points of decency had to be addressed; making a loud ruckus, waking some pony up so early, not using the front door. All valid points but before she was even given the chance to begin her lecture Rainbow Dash shoved her hoof into Rarity's mouth. After apologizing for waking her up Rainbow Dash proceeded to give Rarity a letter before blasting away into the pre morning sky while saying that she'd be seeing her soon. Since the morning's events Rarity had read the letter over once or twice and was left completely confused. Hey Rarity, it's Rainbow Dash, I'm gonna visit you today around 10. There is something I want to tell you but you've got to promise you won't tell any pony. Alright, cool, see you soon. Rainbow Dash It wasn't really the contents of the letter itself that left Rarity confused but rather the fact that nothing in it seemed urgent enough to warrant such an early morning delivery. Furthermore, why did Rainbow leave a letter, why not just tell her that she was planning on coming over later that day? And why had Dash looked so shaken? Almost like she was scared or nervous. Whatever the reason Rarity knew it couldn't be too critical, after all they weren't meeting till ten and Rarity was given the letter five hours before then. As time ticked by Rarity was growing more and more impatient. She was just dying to know what the big reveal was going to be. For the briefest of moments Rarity allowed her imagination run wild with what news Rainbow Dash would be bringing to her. Perhaps Rainbow had met a gentlecolt and was looking for dating tips, or maybe she had fallen in love with Rarity herself and was coming to pronounce her love. Had she gotten mixed in with the wrong crowd and was being framed for a murder she didn't commit and had come for Rarity's help at proving her innocence. Several other ridiculous thoughts ran through Rarity's brain before being cut off by the sound of knocking on her front door. "Rainbow Dash, dear, if that's you just come in. I've been waiting for what feels like forever." Rarity yelled out as she trotted towards her door. As Rarity approached the door opened and the before mentioned cyan pony came creeping in, glancing behind her shoulder before closing the door. "I am most interested to hear what it is you have to tell me. Please say you were walking down the road and a pair of shoes fell on your head and you got arrested and now you've got to go dig some holes until you carry me up a mountain to lift your family's curse and find some buried treasure." "Uhh.. What? Rarity, I think you've been spending too much time with Pinkie Pie," said Rainbow Dash very confused. "You seem a little hyper and no offense but rude." "Oh, yes, well," Rarity chuckled, "I have had a lot of coffee since you woke me this morning and my creative juices have been on the fritz of late as it were. I do apologize, would you like something to drink?" asked Rarity as the two made their way towards the living area of Carousel Boutique. "No, I'm okay," replied Rainbow Dash as she took a seat on the couch. "Okay Dash just as we practiced you can do this," she whispered to herself. "I'm sorry what was that?" asked Rarity as she sat herself across from her rainbow maned friend. "Make me feel beautiful!" announced Rainbow Dash. The room fell silent as Rarity stared, mouth open in shock at Dash who wore a face of determination. The determined look in Dash's eyes did not stay however as the silence started to grow awkward. "Please say something Rarity," added Rainbow Dash as a slight hint of panic hit her. "Darling, whatever do you mean?" asked Rarity puzzled. "You are beautiful, have you seen your mane? What has gotten into you, did something happen?" "You misunderstand Rares." Rainbow paused, thinking of how to word her next statement. "I know I'm not ugly or whatever but what I mean is do you think I could... model, for you?" There was another seemingly endless stretch of silence where Rarity stood there stunned. "You want to model?" slowly asked Rarity with doubt in her voice. "Not like in front of ponies but just for you. To be honest, I actually kind of enjoy wearing dresses," said Rainbow as she looked down at the ground clearly embarrassed by the statement she had just made. "There is nothing wrong with wanting to look your best Rainbow Dash. Seriously, every mare likes to look good. It's nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed of," responded Rarity, trying to reassure her friend. "We can try on any dress or gown you'd like." "Awesome!' exclaimed Rainbow Dash, "but you've got to promise that this'll stay between the two of use, okay?' "Promise," replied Rarity. "Pinkie promise?" added Dash, to which Rarity just rolled her eyes. "Yes yes Rainbow Dash I Pinkie promise. Flying and cupcakes in the eye and all that," said Rarity. "So shall we get started?" "OH Yeah! This is going to be so awesome," squealed Rainbow Dash to which Rarity smiled and giggled at her friend's crackling voice. Out of all the crazy possibilities that had ran through Rarity's mind earlier about what she'd learn from Rainbow, finding out that her athletic friend enjoyed dressing up was by far the least expected. > Lies > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Stand still Rainbow Dash, stop your fidgeting. Do you want to try on this dress or not?" asked Rarity as she struggled to get an elegant red dress onto Dash. The dress was one of Rarity's favorites. It was sleek and form fitting but loosened the closer it got to the tail and hind legs. A gold lace design trimmed the bottom of the dress as well as the hole for where a pegasus' wings would be. Rarity always wished she could wear the dress herself but without modifying it for a none pegasus it'd look ridiculous. "Are you almost done Rarity?" asked an impatient and restless Rainbow Dash. "I want to see how I look," she quickly added with the most forced smile she had ever mustered. Fortunately Rarity wasn't able to see her face. "Soon dear," chirped Rarity with a smile. Rainbow couldn't see the smile but knew by the tone of her voice that she was. As Rainbow tried her best to stand still and be patient she thought of the previous night and the morning that had followed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Up in her cloud home Rainbow Dash paced. It was late, or rather it was really early. "What am I going to do Tank?" asked Rainbow to her pet tortoise, who was already sound asleep and had been for several hours. "I have to tell her. I can't tell her. I should tell her. I won't tell her. Ahhh!" screamed Dash. "I have to do something." "I haven't been able to get hardly any sleep the last few days, it's getting worse," announced Dash to more herself then any pony else. "Think Dash think." Rainbow tapped a hoof to her head several times, increasing the force with each one. "Okay, I just need to see her. Normally I feel better after spending time with her. No need to rush anything." Rainbow dug through her mind trying to find any reason she could to spend time with the one pony on her mind. "I can't just show up at her house for no reason, that'd be weird. Let's see, normally when I'm with Rarity we're either saving Equestria or helping one of our friends. I suppose asking for the end of the world probably isn't the best idea. Come to think of it neither is trying to force a friendship problem. Twilight proved that. Maybe I should just ask her to lunch," pondered Rainbow as she shifted from idea to idea. After several seconds of internal debate Rainbow continued, "No way I can do that! I'm suppose to just walk up and ask her on a date? Yeah, like that'd work." As Rainbow continued to pace another idea hit her. "Maybe I could write her a letter. From like a secret admirer. I wouldn't have to tell her it's me and since she's so good at mysteries she'd eventually figure it out and come looking for me." The gears in Dash's mind were slowly starting to spin. "Yeah, and then she'll come looking for me. I'll be waiting by a pond surrounded by rose petals and chocolates and..." The gears came to a screeching halt. "And that sounds totally lame, and soooo uncool." "Besides, she'd probably think the letter was from a stallion and never find me. I'd just be waiting there with wilting flowers and melting chocolates." Rainbow sighed ready to give up before one last thought popped into her head. "What if I just spent time with her by trying on dresses? We've done that before." Rainbow was thinking it over in her head and decided it wasn't the worse possible idea but would Rarity even believe it. Rainbow had been so reluctant in the past. "Every time I've tried on dresses for her I've complained, but I've always used the excuse that it was uncool. I could tell her that I like looking nice but don't want other ponies to know because of my image." A smile started to form on Rainbow's face. "That might work. I can make her promise to keep it between us. Then I could spend the whole day with her." With a plan Rainbow decided to retire to her bed and get some sleep. After only a few seconds Rainbow popped back up, "I can't sleep now I'm to excited. A whole day with Rarity. It's going to be so awesome. Wait, what if some pony beats me to her house in the morning? What if she has plans?" From giddy to worried in less then ten seconds. Rainbow was once again pacing, a new problem plaguing her mind. "I'll just have to fly over there now and tell her. What time is it?" asked Rainbow as she glanced over at the clock which read a little past four. "It might be a little early. I know how much she loves her beauty sleep. I have to do something." Rainbow glanced around her room in hopes of finding anything that might give her an idea. As luck would have it on her desk was paper and a pencil. "I'll just leave her a note, it's perfect. She'll wake up, see it, and wait for me to arrive. She wouldn't make plans if I told her I was coming over." Satisfied with the solution she had thought of, Rainbow jotted down a quick note which was immediately crinkled up and tossed onto the floor. Several more attempts were followed by the same action. "This might be harder then I thought." Half an hour passed before she had finished her final draft of the note, it was short and rather vague. With the note in hoof Dash exited her cloud home and sped towards Carousel Boutique. It was a short and rather uneventful flight. Landing just outside of the establishment Rainbow Dash approached the front door and went to slide the note under the door. However, something in her froze her on the spot. A little voice rang in Rainbows head, begging her to just slip the note under the door and leave but there was another, louder voice. Go ahead and knock, see her. You know you want to. "I can't, it's way to early. It's still dark," Reasoned Rainbow to herself. Just fly up and peek into her room, she doesn't need to know. "No way. That's really creepy," protested Dash. Come on, no pony is here to see you. The voice made a good point and Rainbow desperately wanted to see her friend. Dash slowly flew up to Rarity's bedroom window and gazed in. It was dark, too dark to see. With out thinking Rainbow Dash started to knock on the window. There was some stirring from inside the room. She knocked harder. This time a shadow appeared to rise from the center of the room and start to move towards her. "Oh no I'm not ready for this," said a very frazzled Rainbow Dash. The window slid open to reveal a dazed and tired Rarity. Her confusion only lasted a split second as a disapproving look started to form on her face. Realizing that Rarity was about to give Dash another lecture on etiquette, Dash shoved her hoof into Rarity's mouth to silence her before she could speak. "Sorry for waking you so early Rares but it's important. Here take this," said Rainbow Dash as she handed the letter to Rarity. Not prepared for any form of objections or questions Dash jetted off into the night sky yelling over her shoulder, "See you soon Rarity!" Once back to her cloud home Rainbow Dash proceeded to pace some more. "Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh! Did I really just do that? Stupid, stupid" Rainbow berated herself for her actions. "I didn't even give her a chance to say anything and now I have to go see her. It's going to be so awkward. I didn't think this through enough." "You can't change the past Dash. Focus on the future. What do I tell her when I show up?" asked Rainbow to herself once again. Not only had she been doing this a lot tonight, but for the last several months. There seemed to always be a question she needed herself to answer. And they all seemed to be related to Rarity in some fashion. "Okay, calm down Rainbow we just need to think. We like wearing dresses, that's the plan. Even if it is a lie." After rehearsing several possible things she'd say she decided to hit the hay. It was nearly six and she was meeting Rarity at ten. Some sleep would be better then none. > What is the truth? > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "And viola!" exclaimed Rarity. "This is probably the best one yet don't you think so Rainbow Dash?" she asked as she slid a mirror in front of Rainbow so that Dash could see herself in the gown. It was simple yet bold, white with garnishing of gold. Regal, yet casual. "Wow! This one's actually really cool," said Rainbow truly surprised by her appearance in the mirror. Not only was the dress stunning on her but Rarity had even taken the time to style her mane for it. "What is that suppose to mean Rainbow Dash?" asked Rarity with a hint of sarcasm and false hurt "Were my other designs not up to your standards?" Rarity teased. "No, no. It's nothing like that. This once just extra good is all." quickly answered Rainbow. Rarity hadn't intended to spend her entire day dressing up Rainbow Dash, but it wasn't everyday she got to see her rowdy friend in elegant attire. It did seem strange however, it was Rainbow Dash's idea yet she seemed reluctant. There were times where out of the corner of her eye Rarity could see Dash looking annoyed or bored. However, any time Rarity actually turned and looked directly at Dash, Dash was exuberant. "Dash what's really going on?" Rarity finally asked. "What? Heh heh... What do you mean?" replied Rainbow with a nervous smile and sweaty brow. Rarity rolled her eyes. "You can't fool me Rainbow Dash. I know you're not enjoying yourself. It's pretty obvious to tell with you. Although it was fun putting you in all those dresses and watching you fake enjoyment. But again, what is going on?" re-asked Rarity. "Nothing, honest. It's not a crime to want to spend time with a friend is it?" said Rainbow Dash suspiciously defensive. "So you just wanted to spend time with me?" asked Rarity. "Yeah, and this dress isn't too bad. I actually like this one a little," replied Rainbow, trying to divert the conversation back towards dresses. "Just that one huh? So you don't actually like wearing dresses do you? And don't lie, you're no good at it. Worse than Applejack I'm afraid," said Rarity with a smile. Having seen right through her friend from nearly the get go she was eager to get to the real reason Dash was here. "So you wanted to spend time with me, may I ask why?" "Because you're my friend," answered Rainbow Dash softly, almost like a question rather than an actual answer. "Look dear, if you just wanted to spend time together we could have just gotten lunch or something. Instead you wake me up before the sun rises by banging on my window to give me a note with no real pertinent information on it. You later show up confessing a secret that I knew couldn't possible be true. Not to mention how strangely you've been acting for the last several..." Rarity was cut off by Dash's lips being pressed against hers. She froze in shock. "That's why I wanted to spend time with you." said Rainbow Dash after having pulled away from Rarity. Rarity stood there silent, not knowing what to say or do. "Dash..." she started. "Wow, look at the time. Got to jet. I'll ah... return your dress later. Bye." And with that Rainbow blasted out of the Boutique leaving Rarity alone. "Oh Rainbow Dash why?" Rarity said to herself as a tear rolled out her eye. > Is This Love, or Heartbreak? > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rarity sat quietly alone pondering the events that had just transpired. Why did Rainbow Dash kiss her? That question kept popping into her mind but Rarity knew the answer. Rarity wasn't a dumb pony and hindsight is a magical thing. It all made sense, Dash had been showing up more and more frequently the last couple of weeks. It seemed her visits were becoming more and more regular, and then the strange letter that morning, the unbelievable lie, her overall strange behavior. While Dash's antics were silly it was a common theme in several romance novels that Rarity had read. Making up lies and pretending to enjoy oneself just to be near somepony. The realization that Dash probably had a crush on her was painful. Normally Rarity would be flattered to know that others found her attractive, but it's always different with friends. To her knowledge the only other close friend she knew who had a crush on her was Spike but that didn't bother her too much considering how young he was. With Rainbow Dash it was different. While Dash could act immature at times and wasn't great with emotions she was old enough to know what her heart wanted. And that broke Rarity's heart. Rainbow Dash had left in such a hurry that she didn't give Rarity a chance to say anything. Rarity wasn't even sure that had Dash stayed whether she would have been able to conjure up anything to say anyway. "What am I going to do Opal?" asked Rarity to her feline companion. "I can't image how hard it was for Rainbow Dash to express herself in that way. She's not very open about her emotions and she took a huge step but... I don't feel the same." A tear rolled down Rarity's cheek. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt one of her friends. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Idiot!" yelled Dash to herself. "You've messed everything up! She probably doesn't want to even be friends any more! I'm such a fool." Dash was flying as fast as she could with her eyes shut tight trying to suppress her emotions. She didn't want to stop out of fear that she'd have to talk to somepony. She just needed sometime to be alone and collect her thoughts but fate doesn't always give you what you need. As Dash was berating herself she didn't see the other mare in front of her. The yellow maned mare had her head poked in a bag of mail searching for the next letter she had to deliver. Dash reopened her eyes and caught sight of the grey mail mare. "Derpy look out!!" shouted Dash as she tried to divert her path. While she was successful in being able to dodge the other pony at such speeds her brief moment of relief from not colliding with Derpy was broken by a sharp pain in her right wing. She plummeted. "Are you okay Rainbow Dash? Should I get help?" a voice asked as a dazed Rainbow Dash. "What happened?" asked Dash while she started to stand up. She could feel a sharp pain coming from her right wing. As she was pulling herself up her front left leg gave out under the pressure causing Dash to yelp in pain. "You clipped your wing on that tree and crashed really hard. Here let me help you up." said Derpy as she offered Rainbow a hoof up. "I think you should see nurse Red Heart. That wing looks pretty bad." "I think my leg might be broken," winced Rainbow Dash as she got up. Leaning against Derpy for support the two Mares made their way slowly to the Ponyville hospital. This wasn't the first time Rainbow Dash had hurt herself and ended up in the hospital but with the days previous events this was shaping up to be the worst day of her life.