A Piece of Cake
Ponyville was pleasant this time of year. Most ponies have decorated the town with seasonal garlands and foal's pictures, many of which contained drawings of the Princess of Friendship herself, stuck to even the most tucked away cafe windows. It was getting joyously close to the day of friendship, and Rainbow and Rarity had decided to meet together to talk about their many accomplishments. This was a routine of theirs that was special to them specifically. What was once a disappointment due to their other marefriends not being able to make it (what with all the festivities), turned into something special just for the two of them. Much of the time afterwards, delightfully to both mares, it’d end with a lull, a time of thinking and peace that they both just didn’t get much of anymore. Rainbow watched how the pegasi flew about in a frenzy to catch the runaway clouds overhead. Very inexperienced, she noted. She sighed and stifled a knowing laugh, reverting her attention to the tea cup she had no intention on drinking.
“Remember when we used to get up to all kinds of nonsense?”
Rarity looked away from her tea and smiled at her. “If by nonsense you mean getting hurt in various different ways, why yes, I do remember that very well.” She rolled her eyes. “Exciting.”
Rainbow snorted. “Come on, it was fun. It felt like…” she circled the air with a hoof, “something…”
Rarity, placing her tea cup she has yet to sip from back on the small dotted saucer, smiled. “Well, It was nice to have more time in our days dedicated to frolicking with one another.” She looked at the swirls in her cup, and breathed in the milky smells. Over her shoulder a few younger mares laughed heartily and play wrestled on the grass. It made her wince how they had no regard for their manes, but it also, above all else, made her smile warmly at the scene. Had it really been that long since they’ve all gotten together and done something ridiculous? She thought, reminiscing on the times that a younger her would’ve much rather dressed her friends up for oncoming events (some of which they snuck into) than find themselves lost in a forest with creatures Equestria at the time had no clue existed. “Hmm…” She hummed.
“Wanna get walking?” Rainbow piqued up, breaking Rarity out of her staring spell. The white mare blushed a deep crimson red, feeling like it could’ve been rude from an outsiders perspective. And nodded.
The two walked slowly by shops and eateries, not yet deciding where to eat for the night, as per tradition of these meet-ups. More like not agreeing, for the most part, also a tradition they had no intention of letting go of. But one specific shop caused Rainbow to stop abruptly, and Rarity to bump against her rear.
“Must you?” She asked, rubbing her snout, annoyed.
“Rares. Check it out.” Rainbow pointed towards the display of messy pony cakes in the front of the counter. A young baker stallion waved brightly towards them. Rarity wasn’t so much interested in the messy cakes, dotted of yellows and browns, drooping of messily placed frosting and icing, but the beautiful well-thought out ones. She looked up at the sign and realised they had found their way to Sugar Cube Corner.
“Oh! Let’s go in! Like old times!” She squeaked happily heading for the door. Rainbow slowly followed, her gaze still on one cake in particular.
The bell on top the door stayed the same all these years. Adorably so. It was bright and golden and rang as the two mares pushed the door open.
Rarity immediately walked up to the counter. “My, Cheese, Dear! You are an excellent baker…” she mused, eyeing the different cake designs protected by clean glass.
“Oh! I didn’t make these. Sometimes I hire out random ponies to design the cakes… and sometimes I bribe them to bake them.
Rarity, ignoring that confession, looked at the display of beautifully made fondant flowers and actual pearls that aligned the cakes individually. And they must’ve tasted only slightly better than they looked. Her mouth dared to water, just a bit. Then she spotted the holy grail of it all. A purple and white cake with blue details such as flowers and genuine diamonds aligning the fronts, and on the top, her eyes sparkled with delight! Stars shown in her pupils. A less than perfect but still quite flattering sculpted figure of her!
“My aren’t you beautiful!!” She said, pressing her nose against the glass.
“Oh, why, thank you Aunt Rarity!!” Lil Cheese said bashfully. Rarity smiled politely and quickly averted her attention to Rainbow, who was marvelling at a all colourful dappled cake, covered in blue icing, and on the top…
“A HERO!!” Rainbow yelled excitedly. She marvelled at how they had her figure holding up a sword, and she had a cape, and was standing on a ginormous lightning cloud too! “No… way…”
“They did make you look much more heroic, didn’t they?”
Rainbow slanted her eyes. “Much more?”
“Well of course. You aren’t battling Minotaurs, are you?” She smiled at Rainbow. “At least… not anymore.”
To this, the blue mare scoffed.
Rarity smiled, and looked at her cake once again. The small price tag read 25 bits… each…
“When did things become so expensive…” she said to herself. Gaining her composure, she straightened up, and smiled softly at the young yellow stallion. “Very lovely. Your mother should be very proud.”
Lil Cheese blushed a bright pink. “…yeah!!”
Now how would she be able to afford such a thing? Perhaps Lil Cheese wouldn’t mind if she borrowed it? No no, that couldn’t work. She did have a big order coming up… then again, it’d only cover less than half of the price of such an exquisite cake… I wonder if Flurry will be getting married anytime soon…. She was positive that they could someday afford one, at the very least. Someday that is.
Rarity turned around sharply, brushing against the blue mare to signal for their leave.
“I look awesome…” Rainbow said, still lost in a trance.
“Oh that’s nothing, look at me! Cheese dear managed to capture my beauty in almost it’s complete essence!!” She squealed with such delight, it shook Lil Cheese's mind and made his eyes go wobbly.
“Yeah yeah, look at ME! I could easily have so many MORE foul books made about me.” Rainbow touched the glass, thinking the cakes were there, and blushed a bit at her blunder. Lil Cheese chuckled softly in his hoof.
Rarity flipped her hair back and turned around. “Ha!! Whatever you do will never be close to my array of mesmerism!”
“I don’t even know what that word means, but I know you’re wrong!”
“Am I though? Countless orders, designs? Some schooling for the most high class and fortunate ponies?” She inched closer to the hot faced mare and pressed her nose against hers. “I hardly even have time to rest.”
“Bleh! It’s all just covering the very basics. And it’s not like you can’t rest. You just choose not to.” Rainbow swatted the idea away like a thick cloud. Rarity therefore gasped, almost seeing the cloud of idea that her job was much harder dissipate. “Imagine training hundreds of colts and fillies a day and still making it to show practice for royalty afterwards.”
Rarity, now red in the face (a colour her friends called “Tomato Rarity”) hardly breathed.
“You are WRONG!!” She said, her voice almost turning into that of a yell. She cleared her throat and took a sharp deep breath, but it stopped in her chest when she saw that Rainbow was smiling as if she had won. “Besides, it’s not like you’d survive a day in my perfectly pointed shoes.”
“I don’t like shoes. And I so can, and ace it too. But you’d never make it getting your hooves dirty during flight training.” Rainbow almost laughed. And Rarity was hot with not wanting to be wrong. Both of them completely disregarding her lack of wings.
“Is that so? Easy to say “ready, set, go,” all the time.”
Rainbow growled.
“Hey, can you two ladies help me out with the oven. I think it’s on fire.” Lil Cheese whispered, occasionally looking up the stairs, he then opened the oven only for flames to burst out.
Rainbow quickly looked at the cakes, then back at Rarity. “How about this, Mrs. Rarity” she said with the same voice her posh relations say to her routinely. “You spend a morning doing what I do, and-“
“You spend an evening doing what I DO!” She specifically chose the busiest times for boxing orders and greeting ponies, but suspected it would prove a bigger point. She pictured Rainbow so fazzled and stumped that she quits a few ticks of the clock in.
Rainbow smiled, with eyebrows arched. “Deal!” She put her wing out, and Rarity smiled uply, shaking it with her magic.
The blue mare brightened up. “And the winner has to buy one another the cake of their choice.” Rarity nodded her head quickly, almost forgetting about the cake completely in midst of such an argument.
Rarity knew this was going to be an easy win. And she already figured out ways to convince Rainbow to eat her perfect cake with her at a cafe of her choice as well.
‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ◊◊◊ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ◊◊◊ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
The walk home was filled with such grumbling and determination from either pony, that others dared not come too close. They ignored the hellos and good days of each mare and stallion, head full of yearning to prove the other undoubtably wrong. Finally, they arrived at her boutique. Rainbow blocked the brightness and shininess of it from her view a little. “Have you thought of not waxing it every day?”
“Every morning.” Rarity said, unlocking her door with an equally as shiny giant golden key. “And every evening I ask a cleaning stallion to do it.”
“Of course you do.” Rainbow grunted, following her friend into the boutique and seeing everything perfectly placed, as it usually is. In the corner though, sat an array of opened boxes - all empty.
“Well! How about we start with boxing deliveries, something easy.” She snickered at the end, holding her hoof underneath her chin as she looked at the displeased Rainbow.
“Boring, right?” The white mare asked.
Rainbow's frown curled up into a smile. “Easy,” she stated, going to a few empty boxes. She plopped down before them, and grabbed a few of the gowns, folding them perfectly, each edge meeting the other, and placed them into the box. Rarity stood with her lips pursed. “Well! You have 15 more!” She said, levitating boxes into Rainbow's arms, creating a tall and toppling stack that wobbled from side to side.
“Simple enough.” Rainbow said. Rarity couldn’t see the smirk she had on her face, but she knew it was there by the way she so confidently enunciated the words.
After five minutes, every box was filled, and Rarity grabbed her red eyeglasses and looked them over thoughtfully, hoping to find one mistake to make into a larger one. Is that cheating? Sure, but everything MUST be perfect after all. Her job is no easy task! She’s a renowned fashion pony! But there were no mistakes, no creases in the dresses, nor any in the suits. She only saw how the imintes of the boxes were all perfectly placed, even the accessories! Rarity huffed and sharply turned around. “WHEN DID YOU GET SO GOOD AT THIS??” She said, her voice showing more anger than appreciation for Rainbow's skill.
Rainbow smiled and lifted her head high. “We get a lot of messy fillies at the school. Someone needs to take care of it. Plus,” she said, placing one more item of clothing into the “Royalty” box. Again, perfectly. “Discipline is easily gained when you do simple manual tasks.”
Rarity couldn’t be upset for long. She started to appreciate her current Rainbow's maturity on these topics. A sharp contrast from the bumbling and lazy mare she had grown up with. She softly smiled. “Well then,” Rarity walked up to her platform. “Let’s see how you do when you’re actually me”
“Oh? That’s easy!” Rainbow jumped up onto the platform and batted her eyes. “Greetings, I’m Mrs. Rarity,” she swirled and batted her eyelashes once more. “I make dresses for allllll of Equestriuh!! Oh! I mustn’t get my hair messy… oh no no no-“ Rarity stuffed a piece of cloth into the mare's mouth. “I meant … dressed like me.”
Rainbow spat the cloth out onto the ground. “Oh.”
And upon seeing the fiery look in her friend's eyes, her eyes began to widen.
And before any of the beautifying happened, Rarity, almost so cruelly, took her time getting her supplies of makeup from her room, and all of her curlers, her straightener, curling wand, and 200 mane pins, which she did in fact count.
“Is that all necessary.” Rainbow stated, she knew what the answer would be, but it didn’t stop her from showing at least a bit of sass. She needed to cope somehow.
Not answering, Rarity, finally having gathered each product and placed it excruciatingly perfect next to one another, (brushes by size, powder by colour), hair pins lined up just because she wanted to, she then started pinning the blue mare's mane down, only for the pins to pop off and fly everywhere. Rainbow smiled proudly, and Rarity tapped her chin, then took out Opalescence's claw clippers, many unused, and fashioned Rainbow's frazzled mane down with those. To Rainbow's dismay and surprise, it worked!
“Now, let’s work on curling that mane of yours, yes?”
“Curl? Why is THAT necessary!”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Rarity pressed her snout to Rainbow’s. “You’re supposed to be me, are you not?”
Rainbow groaned.
It took a lot of patience on Rarity's end, and possibly even more on Rainbow's, but she soon found a way for the mane straightener to straighten Rainbow's mane in a way where it didn’t poke out sillily, so much so that Rainbow took it upon herself to make clown jokes for most of it, unless that is, the joke was that she was the clown. Then it wasn’t funny anymore and the jokes ceased.
Next were the curlers. Which did wonders on Rainbow's mane. It fell so perfectly on her shoulders, like a cascading waterfall. And when that was in place, Rarity, gathering a few sparkling beads of sweat on her forehead, started to do what she knew would be much simpler; the makeup. Not her forte, but she was aware of simple looks that worked for naturally pretty mares; like Rainbow.
First was the blush. And she had debated using red, but Rarity thought Rainbow had a pretty good natural blush for her complexion, it didn’t hurt to make it a slightly lighter pink though, and so she did. Happily the look was starting to come together. Her eyelids were powdered a light pink, and her eyelashes were made longer with the usage of Rarity's favourite black mascara, by no other than her favourite mare-makeup artist; Powder Rouge. At the moment that Rainbow finally stopped talking, Rarity added a light pink lipstick to the mare's upper lip.
She sprayed on some setting spray, and then took out something else that sent alarm bells in Rainbow's head. She hadn’t reacted too defensively with the other stuff, but this was unbearable. “It smells AWFUL!” She yelled, holding her hooves to stop Rarity from committing acts of terrible offence with the flowery sweet perfume.
“It’s lavender! It should be your signature smell.”
“My signature smell is whatever nature does to me, and I’m fine with that. Why try and hide it?”
Rarity rolled her eyes, knowing her friend couldn’t understand the beauty and allure of signature scents and smells of flowers like marigold and roses. She thought she was going easy on choosing something slightly lighter, like lavender.
Nonetheless, she sprayed it quickly on the coughing and gagging pony. “So dramatic…” and finally, she was the one to say it about another mare!
“My… you look stunning!” Rarity awed, fluffing Rainbow's soft pillowy curls.
“Well, you’re the makeup mare…” Rainbow said, her head hanging low with tiredness and some disgust.
“No no, my makeup skills only go so far. This is mostly natural beauty, dear.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue in a disgusted manner. “Don’t make me gag,”
“But I’m ever so serious!!” Rarity prodded, fluffing up Rainbow's Rarity-like curls and fitting it just right against the blue mare's gentle face.
“I’m getting old, Rares. Who cares about that stuff,”
Rarity scoffed dramatically. “No one is ever too old to be seen as a true beauty!” Rainbow had a lurching feeling the white mare was mostly referring to her own beauty in this case. “Plus,” she spoke while applying a steady and powdery foundation to Rainbow's cheeks. “You never really cared about “that stuff” even while young!”
Rainbow smiled. “Yeah, even less so now.”
The silence that now filled the room was uncomfortable to Rainbow, though she wasn’t aware as to why, but it may have something to do with her marefriend's constant staring and squealing. She looked around and noticed five cups of coffee on the countertops next to Rarity's faithful sewing machine. She really refused to ever upgrade to something better. Sewing machines, yes, think of that instead of how dolled up you are. Rainbow thought.
“ You know dear, if only you showed off your assets you’d be one of the prettiest mares in this village. You know that.” Rainbow scoffed, and Rarity busied herself with something behind the blue mare that she couldn’t quite see.
Rarity zoomed back with a diamond encrusted mirror and levitated it in front of Rainbow's dolled up face.
The vision she saw was no longer a rough and gruff wonderbolt Sargent, but a mare who looked exactly like one of her best friends. A perfect spitting image, and then some. Her hair was curled exactly like Rarity's but somehow, and much to Rarity's slight tinge of jealousy, better and more uniform. It was also increasingly much easier to do than her own three times a day, even if she had told Rainbow many times how tough her hair is.
“Am I done yet?” Rainbow asked.
Rarity squinted her eyes and pouted. “NO !!” She stepped back. “Why no it isn’t. There’s more! Yes much more.”
“Such as?”
“Here’s your dress!” Rarity squeaked excitedly. Rainbow looked at it and recoiled. It was a bright flowing pink with more glitter than dress. “that? Don’t you have something more me?”
“No I don’t have any suits at the moment darling,”
“I can wear dresses too, Rares. I just meant, something less … fancy.”
“Plus” rarity said, ignoring Rainbow's protests. “I made this one especially for you.”
Rainbow scrunched up her nose and sighed. She grabbed the dress with her teeth, and earned a bop on the nose from Rarity. “Don’t ruin it! Put it on properly.”
“But…” Rainbow looked around. “Usually you or Twi help me put on dresses… and…” she looked down. “Clothes on in general. How am I going to do this myself??”
Rarity snickered. “Hard isn’t it?”
“Not fair Rares!! You’re a unicorn!”
“Use your wings! Imagine the horrors earth ponies must go through!”
Rainbow growled, and tried stepping into the dress while holding it with her wing. But all for naught, she was jumbled about in it in three different ways. She looked like a poorly wrapped Christmas present. Rarity, having gotten a quick laugh, put it hastily onto Rainbow, who sighed a thank you and stood exhausted on the platform.
She looked closely at Rainbow's hair, and predicted the curlers have done an extra precaution she thought the iron and wand and alone could not do. She took them out of the mare's hair, and to little surprise, it worked out even more perfectly. “Now you look JUST LIKE ME!” Rarity smiled wide with sparkling eyes, and Rainbow frowned. “Yay…”
“Now the shoes”
“The WHAT”
After all was done, and many dress checks to see if it had wrinkled from Rainbow's confusions, she was all dressed, and done in general. And Rarity felt proud to see one of her best friend's in such beautiful garments. She made a note to get Apple Jack to do the same. Soon.
“How is this even ethical..” Rainbow whispered.
“Nevermind that, You look like a ball beauty!!”
Rarity sauntered behind Rainbow to assess the dress situation further. She smiled as she checked it. Rainbow wore a gown that Rarity very quickly sewn together in the case that a situation like this might just happen. A little less a challenge such as this one, but a grand event nontheless. Sure she skipped breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a restful nights sleep, but it was all worth it! The gown in question being a sparkly pink slip dress that tailed behind Rainbow beautifully, and the pearls she had attached around her neck were the perfect length. The boa, adding a bit of a fanciful nod to ages ago when it was a statement in fashion to constantly do. And the pointed heels, not too high, for Rainbow's comfort, that pulled the look together. And made her fairly short friend all the taller.
Rainbow sighed. “Is that all? Boxing dresses and suits for royal ponies, spending hours on looking good?” She smirked. “What a hard hard job you have, Rares.”
Rarity frowned. “As if that’s all! Now stand still, your dress must be perfect.”
“For what?”
Rarity smiled. “How about a walk around town?”
☾٠･｡⭑･ﾟ ☾٠･｡⭑･ﾟ˗ ˏ ˋ 💎ˎˊ ˗ ☾٠･｡⭑･ﾟ ☾٠
The walk was uncomfortable at most, and Rarity felt very confident that her friend would forfeit and throw off the uncomfortable heels, even before getting to the part of mingling with high status individuals. She could picture it now.. Rainbow gagging on the many fanciful pony's perfumes, and flying quickly to get the cake of question that Rarity so desires. Just so she could finally end it all! She snickered in her hoof, watching as how passerbyers tried their hardest to avoid the stumbling mare, or perhaps, the awkwardness that she so exuded.
Some ponies laughed, making jokes about Rainbow's awkward stride. Many ponies were some of Rarity's fashion acquaintances. High titles, and thus, the feeling of importance in their high opinions. She narrowed her eyes at the haughty ponies, and trotted to Rainbow's side. Bet or not, she couldn’t stand here and let her friend be embarrassed by such shallow individuals. “You must put your head up high dear!! You have natural beauty, so use it!”
“I’m trying here, Rares. This is much harder than it looks.”
Rarity almost wanted to yell out an I told you so, but kept it inside, and instead trotted far in front of Rainbow, and walked ahead. “Like this, dear. As far as I’m aware, you do NOT have two left hooves, so come, saunter, let that dress shimmer.”
Rainbow grunted a few times, trying to follow the rhythm of Rarity's. Rarity looked back, expecting to see a falling bumbling Rainbow. But instead of tripping and giving up, Rainbow stood up straight after one too many falls, took a hard deep breath, looked at Rarity who cocked her head to one side curiously, and she took a few steps forward, awkwardly at first, then a few more, and more, until she walked with the confidence in the light pink glistening heels she could muster. At first she very well stumbled with each step, but the more she walked, the better she got. And stallions and mares alike would whistle at her as she went, the attention only stroking the mare's confidence, flaming it into a bigger uncontrollable fire inside of her head. Her bouncing curls only adding to the stride. Falling on her shoulders each time it was lifted with a trot.
“Beautiful…” Rarity smiled, looking softly at the newfound confidence in Rainbow's stride.
“Hey Rares, is it this easy?” She said flashing a grin. Rarity groaned as they passed by the drooling herd of stallions. Some of which almost fell over with trying to get a good look at the dazzling blue mare.
“Some of you are married!” Rarity hissed lowly, causing them to stumble back and run the opposite direction.
It was clear that the blue mare was getting too confident. And the realisation that there was still a bet in place filled Rarity's head.
Rainbow winked at passerbyers, and smiled at foals so cooly, like only she could. She even attempted a twirl, and succeeded on her first try! Rarity had to make the stakes bigger, she just wasn’t sure how.
A sign she passed by may be just the answer she was looking for. “Look! The spa is having a best friend's discount off!” She pointed firmly.
“Yeah? Don’t you get enough of a discount that it’s technically free anyways?” Rainbow said, not stopping her walk even for a second, one hoof step not being skipped. And not one few ponies ceasing their whistles.
“YES BUT!” Rarity pulled Rainbow roughly aside, almost causing her to lose both heels in the process. “How about you see how I relax? Those heels do look awfully taxing…”
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Uh.. they are… I guess…” And without further words exchanged between the two, Rarity dragged Rainbow to the spa entrance. This was it. She knew Rainbow couldn’t stand having her hooves touched, nevermind a full body spa up.
“Oh my!” the twin ponies exclaimed in unison, looking at Rainbow, then Rarity, then Rainbow, and permanently back to Rarity. “Mrs. Rarity,” Aloe spoke with gentleness. “So great to have you here! Really!” She ended her sentence in the same sing songy tone the twins were known for, but with a bit of added desperation. Rarity hadn’t made much time to visit the spa in Ponyville, usually spending many luxurious days in Canterlot happily surrounded by expense. It was nice to visit and see the girls, and most of the time, it was primarily just to make them happy. She never wanted to act too high up for ponies, especially such kind small businesses. She smiled at them both and nodded at Rainbow towards the seats where the pampering will begin.
“B-bring it ON!” Rainbow proclaimed, setting herself down on the soft cushiony bright red chair.
“Outstretch your hooves please!” Lotus beamed, Rainbow huffed and pushed out a hoof, nearly kicking Lotus in the face. She grumbled a little, but smiled when Rarity gave her a nod, and went to work cleaning Rainbow.
“Feeling good, dear?” Rarity said, lavishing in the facial expressions of terror that overcame Rainbow. She should be forfeiting anytime now. Rarity thought, levitating a couple slices of cucumbers back onto her eyes. What? She might as well feel EXTRA good about this win with a full spa treatment.
Rainbow, seeing such a smug expression, bit her lip and sat straight, allowing the pamper ponies to take both of her bottom hooves, finally. “Of course. Who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by ponies who touch them constantly...” She said the last part with discomfort and unsureness. Rarity smiled brightly.
Though there were some complaints, after the initial huffing and puffing, they were minimal, and Rarity found Rainbow having done a fairly good job. Especially during the preening. She started to get nervous as the sun casted large shadows and lights in all directions, though wobbly. It felt more like the flicker of an unstable flame. She hadn’t realised that most of their time was spent in the spa. Perhaps Rarity had enjoyed it a little too much. The sun flickered from her, to Rainbow, in a sort of unsure dance.
“Twi's doing good I see.” Rainbow snorted a laugh, looking brightly at the sun. She looked down at her heeled hooves, then the sun again, then Rarity, who pouted immensely as the light got dimmer and dimmer. “Guess I win?”
“YOU WIN NOTHING!” Rarity yelled, but gathered herself when a few ponies nearby scrunched their noses in disagreement.
“Yeaaah, you’re right, Rares.” Rainbow leaned in close. “…Can’t wait to see how you do tomorrow.”
“Grrrr… You’ll still be wearing the dress in its entirety!” Rarity called out, as the Pegasus lifted into the air and headed for the clouds, one heel slipping off and falling to the ground. Rarity picked it up and pouted the entire way back to the boutique. The cake is feeling a lot less likely. And even more so… her pride!!
☁︎.𖥔 ݁ ˖☀️ ☁︎.𖥔 ݁ ˖☀️ ☁︎.𖥔 ݁ ˖☀️ ☁︎.𖥔 ݁ ˖☀️ ☁︎.
The morning came briskly, and the air smelt warm with rains during the early hours of sunrise. Rarity spent her three and a half hours doing her makeup, and having an easy breakfast of hayflower muffins and lemonade she made a few days prior. She felt great, better than great in fact. Though the last day had tired her out significantly, she was now filled to the brim with newfound confidence over getting Rainbow to forfeit, and getting through whatever crazy shenanigans Rainbow has in store for her.
She left the boutique with a shining glossy mane, though it was different this time. It was deliberately messy, yet of course, still flowing. And her mascara extra thick. It was her time to show Rainbow that nothing is as hard and difficult as being Equestria's number one fashionista!
A short trot later, she found Rainbow standing in the middle of a crowd full of ponies, setting things up. Rarity smirked, she was about to open her mouth about the clothing, but found Rainbow had already had them on, and the heel too. But just the one. She rolled her eyes, trotting near the busy mare, and levitated the missing pink heel back onto her forehoof. It fit like a glove. She then took out some hair care products, and started to spray them over Rainbow's mane, it was still perfectly curled, yet had a few red hairs daring to stick out, so she sprite it, to get it back to its Rarity-esque shape. “Now isn’t that delightful?” She asked, although a bit sarcastically.
Rainbow turned around with annoyance. “Would be cool if when I’m working on something you wouldn’t spray me with water!”
“Not water, dear, but elixir!”
Rainbow smirked. “Now, check this out!” She stepped back and revealed a very beat up wooden ramp. Rainbow turned to Rarity. “Do you know what this is?”
Rarity looked at it, squinting her eyes for further examination, stood back, and said “no, not at all.”
Rainbow cleared her throat, and with a clack of her heels she stepped towards the ramp. “It has a little something to do with the sport you’ll be participating in.”
It would’ve been quite the interesting contraption if Rarity wasn’t getting increasingly impressed by Rainbow having all of her accessories (none missed) on, including the heel. And the pearls of all things. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“What?” Rainbow asked. “It’s safe! SkyGuard guaranteed!”
“No no no, not that, plus I know everything you bring me into is inherently unsafe, but I’m surprised by the dress and accessories still intact, and your makeup almost.”
Rainbow rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “Y-yeah, huh?”
Rarity smirked. “You couldn’t get it off could you?”
“No.”
She playfully hit Rainbow on the shoulder.
“Humph!! Now,” Rarity looked around at the busy streets of the village. Ponies trotting from shop to shop and street to street. She whipped her wild hair back over her shoulder. Rainbow smiled. “That’s your attempt at looking like me?”
“Oh heavens no!! I’d never!!” Rarity spoke. But upon seeing the hurt look in Rainbow's eyes, she cleared her throat. “I mean… it’s my sort of way of seeming like a sports pony is all.” Rarity took a few steps towards the wobbly ramp, it dared to move much more than it should’ve when she pressed a slight hoof to its edges. “Where’s the tight rope?”
“The what?”
“The, you know..”
Rainbow shook her head. Confusion painting her face.
“Where I’m supposed to do my mystifying acrobatics???”
Rainbow stared for a bit at the big blue trembling eyes of Rarity, then let out a loud series of laughs. “ACROBATICS!!” She guffawed. Rainbow stepped backwards as she laughed, not being able to control herself as it bubbled upwards and out of her mouth. A small stallion walked by looking at them stunned, only for Rainbow to grab him and laugh pointing at Rarity. “She thinks we’re doing acrobatics!” The stallion smiled weakly, sweat appearing on his forehead before Rainbow let him go.
“No no no no!” Rainbow started, a few snorts still daring to escape her mouth and nose. “We’re doing things on my terms.” She smiled evilly.
“Your... erm…. terms? Well surely I’ll be doing sports.” Rarity smiled weakly, then used her magic to lift a hidden tennis racket, her smile got bigger, remembering her younger years of playing the occasional (once her entire life) tennis.
“Pfff, no,” Rainbow took it with her mouth and threw it on the ground. “I’ve got something else in mind...” She looked around, and saw a small bumbling colt attempting to skateboard, but failing and falling on his face. Rainbow ran towards him, and for a moment Rarity smiled, knowing the mare would pick the colt up and help him. But she took a few bits out from her the front of her pink slip on dress and gave it to the colt, coming back smugly with a skateboard in her wings.
“This.” She stated, placing it on the ground.
“It looks.. great..” Rarity hissed.
“It’s supposed to imitate flying. I think. That’s what Scoots says anyway.”
“Scootaloo rides this unheavenly contraption??” Rarity pushed it back and forth with her hoof. How was such a thing even possible? She was sure no pony in all of history has ever successfully raced with such an awful thing. Rainbow folded her arms, smiling, the pink lipstick still staining her upper lip.
“Oh fine! How hard can this be! If a young filly such as Scootaloo can do it, then why not Rarity! World fashionista! Seamstress! Fashion icon! Nobility's favourite fabulous mare-“ Rainbow put a hoof to her mouth. “We get it, Miss Perfect. Now hop on!”
Rarity took one hard gulp, and a foot on top of the skateboard, only for her to flip and fall on her face.
Rainbow lifted Rarity onto her hooves. “Wow, and I thought that colt was bad…”
“Why don’t YOU try it then!!” Rarity huffed, brushing off her scratches with a blue handkerchief.
“This is YOUR challenge, not mine. I already did mine, and well at that.”
Rarity growled. She hopped onto the skateboard, wobbled for a few moments, and looked at Rainbow. “And now what?”
“Now you move,”
“Move?? MOVE? On this? You want me to move? PAH! Unlikely.”
Rarity squinted her eyes at rainbow, who then gave Rarity's rump a little push, causing her to move on top of the skateboard.
“Oh!!” She squeaked, as she passed the ramp and onto the main road. Then passed a few clothing stalls, then passed a couple walking their foal, then passed an old stallion holding tight onto his cane.
“Uh, Rares, turn back! The ramp is this way!”
But Rarity hardly heard, or perhaps she didn’t listen. How could such a small object make her feel so utterly weightless..? Soon she was passing by ponies who stopped in surprise, and cafes, and homes, and “OH MY!!” She exclaimed, a smile daring, taunting to spread across her face. Soon she made a sharp turn flipping the other side around, and rolling back up the street she came from, the same few ponies now forming into expecting crowds. She couldn’t deny that the attention made this all the better. “What a THRILL!”
And Rainbow? Well she was slightly impressed. Though she had only tried riding a skateboard a few times (and found it pointless), even she couldn’t retain the speed Rarity was going. Soon she passed by the ramp once more, and near Rainbow, who couldn’t wrap her head around how such a mare, who declined every sport imaginable, was doing so good. The slight impression became a bigger and greater one. As Rarity whooped and Hollered down the streets.
She then made her way back to Rainbow with a quick swoosh. Rarity stuck out a tongue at the dolled up mare as she passed her by. More and more ponies were attracted to such a stunt, and stopped from stalls, diners, and other such busy pony places just to watch who one pony dubbed: “the amazing Rarity” pass by foals, fillies, and many many tourists who definitely didn’t expect to see such a thing on their trip to Ponyville. A trip well worth it thanks to “the amazing Rarity”. They gawked, some smiled, others hooted and hollered. And Rarity blew them a kiss as she went, only stumbling sometimes. Yet even that was incredibly outstanding.
Rainbow paused, was the glamorous pretty mare actually letting herself loose for once? And on a skateboard of all the things!
The skateboard rolled faster, and more daringly, with slanted eyes, Rarity with one leg urged the board to move at a quicker pace. Yes, she finally got the hang of it, and she was riding on that high - quite literally!
“I'M A STUNT MARE!!” She yelled, as many ponies watched in amazement at the idea, the vision, of their gorgeous fashion designer of world class fame rolling so quickly down the line of bewildered or amazed ponies. Gawking.
“Go Rarity!!” Derpy yelled, one hoof in the air. Rainbow only smiled in her own unique kind of amazement, heels clicking to get closer to the crowd. She shoved and pushed until she was at the front, next to a large bearded stallion with messy wild hair. “Woah,” the stallion said, smirking in an obnoxious way. “Didn’t know they let beauties like you out…” Rainbow growled at him and he quickly moved away, hoofs up in defence. She flicked her curled hair over her shoulder and stared on at the oncoming Rarity making her way back to the main crowd.
Though everyone was cheering her on with words of encouragement that were badly placed, getting to the fashionistas head, Rainbow noticed a slight fault of her projectory. The skateboard was coming on too fast, and leaning a bit too much to the front, and Rarity was far too over confident.
“It’s almost like I’m flying, Dear!!” She yelled once more, a big smile flashed across her face and the fury of determination in her eyes. Rainbow was startled.
“Rarity you dork!!” She yelled, positioning her hind legs and taking off in a flash of rainbow sparkles.
“You’re going to get yourself killed like that!!”
But Rarity was too busy taking in the shouts and laughs of children and grown ponies alike, fascinated by her skill. “I HAVE WINGS!!” She yelled out. Then she felt it, something bumped onto the bottom of the skateboard, and before she knew it, she was flying off into the air. Yet, she didn’t have wings at all, and it couldn’t save her from the oncoming hard rocky dirt floor she was heading towards. Suddenly, something quickly pulled her from her fate. She looked up to meet the bright and tired pink eyes of one of her most dearest friends.
“Rainbow…” she whispered, her hoofs against the mare's chest. She looked even more radiant, and not just because of the beautiful dress she adorned that sparkled against the bright sun, or her Rarity-esque features.
Rarity was soon set down near a meadow with a quaint looking stream. And she hadn’t felt thankful in such a way in so long. She smiled at her tired and frazzled friend who sat next to her, breaking off twigs and throwing them in the stream only for the water to push it away.
“Thank you, dear… really…” Rarity spoke. “I guess I got a little too carried away.”
Rainbow snorted. “Just a little.”
“I did well though, that’s for certain.” She leaned closer to Rainbow, enough to smell the lack of lavender in her fur, replaced with rain water, and something else less pleasing.
Rainbow shook her head. “Not even close. You knew how to pick up speed yeah,” Rainbow scooted closer. “But you didn’t know how to stop while you were ahead. That parts difficult. Letting the rush and adrenaline go to your head is easy. You need to learn how to contain it, use it at the right times, to your advantage, and stop before it becomes too much, no matter how good it feels…” she looked Rarity in her big dazzling blue eyes. “Really.”
Rarity pouted. Then sighed, looking at the blinking sun over the horizon, and the moon oddly next to it. Everything was quite tranquil at this point. She opened her mouth to speak, but Rainbow beat her to it.
“Now can I take this stupid dress off?” Rainbow kicked her legs back, to shake the heels off of her hooves.
“Yes, yes you may. But you must agree I was a very convincing Rainbow Dash.”
“That’s Sargent Rainbow, and I’d think you were more of a recruit.”
Rarity smirked, and gave her best friend a punch on the shoulder. And it actually kind of hurt this time.
“You know, maybe there’s a reason there’s only one Rainbow Dash in all of Equestria.”
Rainbow snickered. “Pshh, more like in EVERYwhere.”
And Rarity gave her friend a very disapproving look.
Rainbow smiled. “And though we’ve met many prissy ponies all across Equestria… there’s no one who can do it so seemingly effortlessly like you, Rares.”
The two sat in silence for a little while more. No need for apologies, nor anymore blush inducing praises to be traded back and forth. The appreciation of one another's craft was all that was needed to be shared. They were both very happy to have a friendship day to themselves.
Breaking the silence, save for the stream that trickled across twigs and weeds - Rainbow let out a noisy stretch and turned to her friend. “Hey Rares?” Rarity looked at her lovingly. “Why don’t we just buy one of the messy cakes instead?” Rainbow looked away. “And share it?”