A Shy for A Couturière
A Shy for A Couturière
Written by: Dusty Angel
Co-Written by: Malicious Badger
Edited by: Malicious Badger
Part 1 – Introduction
It had been 11 months since Rarity had signed that business contract with Hoity Toity. Back then, everypony used to love coming to Rarity's quaint Boutique shop. From there Rarity would work night and day making dresses for ponies all over Equestria. The best of buyers would come from the grand city of Canterlot, and everypony knew Canterlot ponies were the most fashionable, high class ponies around, and as such were offered only the most exquisite pieces of design! The daily customers helped spread Rarity's Ponyville Boutique into a grand chain of fashion stores all over Equestria, reaching from Canterlot all the way to Manehattan. Rarity's dream had come true; the attention from everypony made her the happiest pony ever, making her feel as renowned as the sun itself! She would also travel a lot and hold many interviews with acclaimed reporters such as Featherquill and Ink-Dot. Many ponies were jealous of her, she had anything and everything anypony could ever dream of; the fame, the fortune, the recognition! She had it all, until one faithful day, where it all started to fall apart.
The days started to converge until Rarity had to work even more than ever before. There was simply not enough time to satisfy everypony. The large influx of customers to Rarity's home run business was overwhelming and in heed; disastrous. She liked the attention, she loved the fame, and she adored the love and respect from everypony, but it was too much for anypony to handle. The unicorn pony was too tired to make these dresses, and business started to fail. She was aware she could have hired more ponies to help her make her outfits, but she also knew that the outfits simply had to be perfect, and nopony was as regal at making dresses, than the fair Rarity. The shops in Canterlot closed down, followed by those in Manehattan, which were followed by those in the rest of Equestria, the only one that remained was her original Boutique in Ponyville. It was back to square one. Rarity was relieved from all the stress, but she wasn't happy as she used to be.
Making dresses was her greatest gift, but it was also her greatest curse. It has been days since Rarity stopped making her dresses. She found herself home a lot cowering in her own depression; Opalescence being one of the only thing kept her moods up, at least from time to time. Because of the memories of recent events her Boutique gave, Rarity would also often find herself outside, walking, escaping the troublesome thoughts, giving her time to ponder over why she had allowed herself to take on such a big responsibility. Noticing her sudden lack of ambition and 'Fabulousness' in her routine, her friends tried to find the time to try and help Rarity overcome about her loss. Spike would often take her gem hunting, but that didn't satisfy her, even if she did have all the amber, rubies, topaz, and sapphires in the world. Fluttershy worried most for Rarity, and one day decided to try comfort her, seeing if there was anything she could to help.
Part 2 - Comfortshy
"Rarity, a—are you home?" Fluttershy attempted to gaze through the window, wondering as to why the blinds were closed. Maybe she's gone out; Fluttershy thought to herself. She does like taking long walks in the park, Fluttershy reasoned to herself, maybe that's where she'll be! But the park was closed to today due to a few certain complications with a grey and yellow mare being in charge of weather control. Rarity certainly doesn't like the sound of thunder, nor does she like getting wet. After deciding that Rarity was probably not outside, Fluttershy decided to check the upstairs room. She flew to the top of the marshmallow mare's tall house, and to her surprise found one window wide open leading way into Rarity's home and down a hall right next to the mare's door.
"Rarity?" said Fluttershy. Fluttershy knocked on her door. It was not too difficult to find where the room Rarity was in, all one had to do was listen for the crying.
"Leave me alone!" Rarity detested in a silent voice, dry due to her relentless weeping; Rarity was sulking in her bed, holding Opalescence beside her. "I don't want to be disturbed – I want to be left alone!"
"R–Rarity, it's me, Fluttershy, I just want to talk to you."
"Talk, Fluttershy? Twilight tried talking but that didn't seem to help, now didn't it?" Rarity replied with an angry grunt.
"But I can't stand to see you crying all day" said Fluttershy with a sad look on her face, surprised at Rarity's angrier than usual tone "Come on, open the door and let me talk to you."
A radiant glow enveloped the door, opening it slowly to Rarity's magic.
"Fine…" Rarity submitted trying to hold back her tears for a minute for the sake to face Fluttershy with what dignity remained.
Fluttershy slowly walked towards Rarity and sat beside her.
"Rarity, you have to forget about what happened before, it's not important anymore." Fluttershy put her hoof on Rarity's shoulder. "What's important is what lies ahead; everypony needs to move on with their life, even if –" Fluttershy paused for a slight moment before finding her next line of words, "something dreadful happens to them. Life is about moving on and finding new things, not dawning about the same thing forever – especially if that's what is making you such a somberpony."
"Why thank you darling," said Rarity as she floated an unusable piece of linen to blow her nose with, "you've always known the right thing to say to anypony in despair, I thank you for this, Fluttershy." Rarity expressed with a slight sniffle as she hugged Fluttershy and smiled.
"Tell you what, how about we get out of this dark and lonely room and go outside. The sun is shining bright and is calling for you to play in its beautiful arrays of warmth and light. Besides, your elegant hide is becoming quite pale in this dark and gloomy room." Fluttershy giggled.
Rarity let the sun in and looked herself in the mirror.
"Oh my, you're right." Rarity gasped, slightly mortified at her less than spectacular appearance "I should get out of this depressing room; I've been sitting in the shadows for days!"
They both trotted down the stairs while smiling and opened the door.
"So – um, where do you want to go Rarity?" Fluttershy asked shyly, not wanting to cause any provocations to the still emotionally unstable mare.
"Well, let's see, how about the park?" Rarity asked with excitement.
"Oh it – it's closed down for today, there seem to be thunderstorms and I know how much you don't like thunder."
"No, I simply hate thunder; it's atrocious. Wherever there's thunder, there's wind, and I don't want my beautiful mane to be all frazzled. I'm surprised that you know of this Fluttershy." said Rarity looking at Fluttershy "I keep this a secret from everypony; I don't like telling ponies of what I fear."
"I guess I just know these things." said Fluttershy with a gentle smile.
"Well, then, I'm afraid I am out of ideas, my darling."
"Oh, what about the spa? …Um, if it's okay with you that is..." she said excitingly but also with a hint of worry.
"Yes! Brilliant suggestion, Fluttershy! I can't believe that I couldn't have thought of that excellent idea myself."
"Shall we, then, darling?" said Fluttershy with a light smile mimicking Rarity's voice.
They giggled as they started walking down towards the spa centre.
Part 3 – The Spa
"Um, the usual, please," Fluttershy said, "for me and my dear unicorn friend here."
Rarity found this odd. Fluttershy was usually the one who let other ponies do the talking, due to inherent shyness. When it came to confronting something or somepony, she would cower or be extremely shy. How nice of her, thought Rarity, she really knows me well. The two ponies sat down on the tables. Aloe and Lotus began applying cream on their faces and cucumber slices on their eyes.
"I haven't been to the spa in such a long time; I forgot how pleasant and relaxing it is." Rarity remarked. "Thank you for taking me here, darling, it's really sweet of you to do so."
"Well I know how much you like being here, and it's really not a problem, um – I'm glad you like it." she said with hushed voice while smiling at Rarity.
"I am truly flattered, Fluttershy, nopony has ever shown such generosity to me before; this is absolutely endearing of you!" Rarity exclaimed as Fluttershy tried to hide her blushing face.
The two ponies got up and sat in the mud bath.
"Enjoying yourself Rarity?" Fluttershy queried.
"Oh my, yes, I haven't had this much time to wind down and relax since -- the time I had it at all." Rarity looked down, frowning as she started to recall some bad memories.
"Oh no, Rarity, don't think about what happened before, just try to relax."
"I guess you're right, darling." Rarity sat back and tried to relax, despite the grieving thoughts roaming through her head.
Rarity slowly started to discard the memories from before and was becoming happier than ever. Fluttershy re-ignited the spark in her life that made her a such a gracious unicorn. After a mud bath, horn filing treatment, seaweed bath wraps, and a relaxing massage treatment, the pair went to the sauna.
As they entered the sauna they were blasted away by heavy air and glazing heat, as it was still warm from prior use. Within the wooden confines of the sauna Rarity found herself sitting as far away from the heated embers as possible, being careful not to let her hair keel over and become frazzled, or otherwise mangled. With a room temperature nearing an immense 85 odd degrees Celsius, a good 15 degrees higher than usual, the pair was busy breathing deeply in the slightly oxygen deprived room, and opted not to talk. Rather than talking, Rarity simply smiled and gazed upon her nearby friend with a twinkle in her eye, that was masked by the sheer amounts of steam. Rarity found her eyes fixated on Fluttershy for longer than just a while; there was something that kept her eyes from straying. Unbeknownst to what was enticing her, Rarity tried to focus elsewhere – yet the barren walls of the surrounded room kept directing her gaze back to Fluttershy. The yellow mare was otherwise occupied with wiping sweat off her brow and attempting to keep composure with the added difficultly of not fainting. Rarity must have inspected the only other mare in the room at least twice over, with doing so started something of a feeling inside Rarity, what feeling it was Rarity did not know of it consciously. In her trance, Rarity noticed the sweat that dripped down Fluttershy's yellow flank and over her cutie mark,. The permeating heat caused Fluttershy to sweat intensively, oiling her body in a natural musk. The now shining Fluttershy was exasperating, taking deep breaths, the heat being slightly too much for the docile mare to handle. Rarity watched as Fluttershy heaved in and out, panting like a dog bathing in the sun. There was truly something captivating about Fluttershy's current form, something alluring; Rarity honestly baffled by it. Her thoughts were cut off as Fluttershy started speaking.
"Um – are you okay Rarity?" said Fluttershy, gasping intensively from the tremendous heat, realizing her friend was looking at her, with a stare that almost seemed to go through her, "Is there something on your mind?"
"Oh, um – uh," said Rarity, still shocked by the sudden start of conversation, "It's nothing really; I was just thinking how gorgeous your hair looks." Rarity attempted a very bad cover up, as she herself did not know why she had been staring at her in the first place.
"Oh, well thank you, your hair looks great too."
Rarity sighed in relief that she hadn't noticed anything strange. 'Good. I can't wait 'till tomorrow comes, this is getting too awkward for me. It is almost night time anyway, we should be heading home.'
"So – um, so did you enjoy yourself Rarity?"
"Fluttershy, I – I enjoyed spending time with you, today was really special to me." Rarity said, looking into Fluttershy's gorgeous mane, and beautiful eyes. The soft moonlight reflected off of her shining irises, seemingly illuminating the surrounding area in a green neon . She gently brushed up against Fluttershy, and whispered "Thank you". Fluttershy was delighted to have been able to help Rarity become somewhat happy again, relieving her of a lot of the sadness that was causing depression in everypony.
"Will I see you tomorrow dear?"
"Um – yes, of course Rarity. Whenever you're feeling lonely, just tell me."
They waved their goodbyes as Fluttershy headed on home. Rarity sighed softly as her friend left her alone, pondering over events prior.
Rarity felt like something was missing, a thanks and a goodbye wasn't enough. No. She had to do something more generous, a pony like Fluttershy deserved better.
'A dress! Yes! That will do perfectly!' Rarity thought to herself, creating a design in her head for Fluttershy. Something not too elegant, yet something that still captivates her gracefulness.
Rarity was too excited to go to sleep, so instead she decided to fashion Fluttershy's dress before morning. The Couturière gathered her best pieces of fabric and jewels that she could find and began sowing. Unfortunately it seemed that the marshmallow mare ran out of good quality amethyst that were needed to complete Fluttershy's dress. She apparently had used them all on her last masterpiece that depleted most of her diminishing gemstone stock. 'It will be fine; I don't need any precious amethyst or jewels.' She tried to convince herself as she continued to work on the fine dress she was sowing for Fluttershy. 'Oh – but it must be perfect! And this dress needs amethyst to be perfect, it just wouldn't be finished without them.' By this point, Rarity had started to become anxious. She couldn't go and search for gems at this time of the night; it was too dangerous – yet it was nothing a certain little reptilian couldn't handle…
Part 4 – The Need For Perfection
'Then it shall be done.'
Rarity began looking around for her saddlebags and used her magic to strap them onto her back. It had come time to visit Twilight's house, where she would ask for the help of the lavender unicorn and her little reptilian friend.
Rarity stopped in front of Twilight's door and noticed there was light coming out of the study. She knocked politely on the door, waiting for an answer, hoping Twilight wouldn't get upset by her disturbance at this hour.
"Rarity, what an unexpected visit, what in Celestia's name are you doing here at this hour?" Twilight said with a surprise look on her face.
"Hello, Twilight, may I come in?"
"Of course, is there something troubling you? I was just reading a book; it is a collection of quotes from famous philosophers such as: Thomas Neighgal, Denis Didetrot, R.M Mare, Nelson Goodpony, Philippa Hoof..." Rarity let Twilight trail on as she listed many great pony philosophers over the next few consecutive minutes. "What were we talking about again?" Twilight said confusingly, shaking her head and realising that she had been blabbering on for a quite some time now.
"Oh um – well." Rarity, trying to recollect her thoughts as to why she was here in the first place, said. "You see, I am on the verge of making the perfect dress, and everypony knows that a dress can't be perfect without gems, right?"
"A-ha – so why did you come here to me?" Twilight asked, trying to work out what connection there was between her and gemstones.
"That, my dear, is a good question!" Rarity exclaimed with an exciting smile on her face. "As you know, ladies – such as ourselves – shouldn't be walking out in the night alone, it's just not safe, so instead I –"
"Twilight..." A soft groan came from the upstairs room, "who are you talking to down there?"
"It's just Rarity, Spike, you can go back to sleep now, we'll be quieter." Before Twilight could finish her sentence, Spike had already jumped out of his bed and started running down the stairs.
"Ah, m'lady, what brings you here this fine evening?" Spike said, bowing down before the regal unicorn that was Rarity.
"Oh, Spike, I'm flattered, but you don't have to do that every time you see me." Rarity said, giggling at the baby dragon's remark.
"Ah, but a lady like you deserves all the respect in this town." Spike said, pointing out, trying to flirt even more with Rarity.
"That's enough, Spike; I believe Rarity had something important to say before you interrupted her." Twilight said with a hint of laughter in her voice.
"Right, of course, continue madam Rarity." Spike said, again bowing in front of the unicorn.
"What was I saying again –" Rarity said, trying to remember what she came here for in the first place, "oh yes – I wanted to ask you two an important favour."
Twilight and Spike wondered what in Equestria could be so important at this time at night.
"The reason I came here was because I need your help to collect amethyst for my new dress, and I need it by tomorrow morning!" Rarity exclaimed with a nervous look. She was sure Spike would agree to help, but Twilight might not, she doesn't exactly represent the element of kindness like Fluttershy, or the element of generosity, like herself.
"Oh, Rarity, I don't think –"
"We could refuse a mare in such a need of help!" Spike spoke, abruptly interrupting Twilight's sentence.
"What Spike here is trying to say is –" Twilight grinned her teeth at Spike, trying to finish what she was about to say, but Spike wouldn't let her.
"We will gladly go with you on this great quest to find the gems you desire!" Spike grinned at Twilight.
"Oh, splendid! Thank you so much, we leave right away then." Rarity jumped with excitement, flattening Spike's tail with each jump. Spike wasn't bothered, because his love was stronger than pain.
"I'll let you two get ready, do be dears and try not to take too long, I'll be outside, waiting." Rarity stepped outside and closed the door behind her.
"Okay, Twilight, I'll get your saddlebags and start packing, what do we need?" Spike went to find Twilight's saddlebags as she began creating a mental list.
"Alright, Spike, pack some snacks for the trip, and find me that book about gems, I forgot the author's name, what was it again?" Twilight pondered as Spike searched for the book in one of the upper shelves.
"Gemstones and other minerals, by Bigeo Purity?" Spike asked as Twilight levitated some items into her saddlebags.
"Yes, that's the one I was thinking of."
"Here you go, I got the book and some delicious cookies I made last night – what's that you're packing by the way?" Spike wondered, as he noticed Twilight packing a quill with an ink box and a stack of papers.
"Since it is night time, I might see something interesting in the sky that I'll want to report to Princess Celestia."
Twilight blew out the candles and the pair exited the house.
"I see you're well prepared, ready to go?" Rarity asked with a smile
"All set, Rarity." Twilight confirmed.
The three ventured down the road that lead south of Ponyville, with saddlebags all packed and ready. The road lead to the same place where they had encountered the diamond dogs, however it was the only place rich enough with gemstones, with a reliable chance of finding amethyst. Besides being tired, Spike was willing to stay up all night just for Rarity – even if he was just a baby dragon.
Part 5 – The Sale
Rarity had been working all night on the dress, trying to create the perfect masterpiece for Fluttershy. It was late, and she was tired. The skilled mare could not help but take short naps in between.
It was morning. All the shops were starting to open up, except Rarity's; she was still asleep after her tiresome night of dress making.
Knock, knock.
A sudden knock came at the door; quiet at first, but grew as an impatient pony awaited response outside.
Knock, knock.
Rarity squirmed slightly on her couch, being interrupted by the continuous knocking.
Knock, knock.
Rarity fell from her couch and awoke abruptly. She was very confused, nopony ever visited her Boutique anymore.
She got up to peek through the blinds to see who it is. She saw a golden chariot with the logo: H.T.G.D.I [Hoity Toity Grand Design Industries] and a dark grey stallion whom she couldn't recognize. The stallion wore dark glasses and a bow tie. He had his mane tied to his side, and his cutie mark was a hoof-fan.
"Hoity Toity?!" Rarity exclaimed. She was very surprised, as she had not seen this pony in over a year.
"Surprised to see me, Rarity?"
"What are you doing here?" Rarity gasped, confused by Hoity's sudden appearance.
"May I come in first?" Hoity asked back.
"Yes, alright, go ahead." Rarity said, as she let Hoity enter.
"Rarity, darling, I came here to see how you've progressed after you... quit selling dresses." Hoity smiled. "You concerned me ever since you stopped doing what you were best at."
"I am doing fine, thank you for asking. I am retired as you can see, my shop is empty. What do you want, Hoity?"
"Nothing, like I said, I just wanted to –" Hoity's response was ended abruptly as he could not help but notice the beautiful dress standing on Rarity's table. "Is that – did you make that dress, Rarity?" He asked.
"You – you mean this dress?" Rarity gasped slightly.
"That dress is the most magnificent masterpiece I have ever seen in my life! You truly know how to make the...BEST...DRESSES...EVER!" Hoity exclaimed with an enormous amount of excitement in him, hoping that he could coax Rarity into selling it to him. "I want to make you an offer, Rarity. And this is an offer only a crazy pony would refuse."
Rarity looked at him as Hoity took a deep breath.
"I want to buy this. Why, you ask yourself? Well that answer is simple! I own one of the biggest chains of shops in Equestria, and this can make you rich beyond your wildest dreams my dear!"
"You don't say." Rarity said, with a hint of sarcasm, noting her last experience.
"So what will it be, dear?"
Rarity stopped to hesitate for a moment.
"Your lips aren't moving, Rarity, I see no reason as to why you are so hesitant on this simple question that can only be answered with a –"
"Yes." Rarity spoke.
"Oh splendid! So may I take that dress back to Canterlot and make replicas?"
"Yes, you may. This is so wonderful of you! But allow me to add a finishing touch to it, and then you shall have it."
Rarity quickly ran to her desk, took out some amethyst, and carefully placed them on the dress.
"There you go, Hoity." Rarity said as she levitated the dress to Hoity.
"No – thank you. You are the one keeps my business running, dear." Hoity grinned. "I'll send money your way as soon as I arrive to Canterlot."
Rarity waved at Hoity as he left the shop and got into the chariot.
As Rarity went back into her house, she had a terrible thought in her mind. Oh no, what have I done! The dress I sold was a gift for Fluttershy, and I sold it to Hoity Toity and now I don't have anything to thank her. Rarity tried to come up with an excuse but then she realised she didn't need one, she never told Fluttershy about the dress, it was meant to be a surprise gift. I'll tell Fluttershy that I successfully sold a dress to Hoity Toity, and then I shall invite her to dinner and we can celebrate.
Part 6 – The Restaurant
She met with Fluttershy in the center of Ponyville, after arranging a meeting. It was a cold, but beautiful night. The stars in the sky shone over Ponyville and created the perfect mood that Rarity wanted.
"Ready, to go Fluttershy?" Rarity asked, amazed at how Fluttershy could look under the spell of the night sky; it's luminous moon creating a halo around her.
"Let's go." Fluttershy smiled contently.
The pair started down the road towards their restaurant. It was a restaurant chosen by Rarity as it had the most high class dinning within the Ponyville vicinity, and only the best should be served to Rarity's friends. Their restaurant etched into sight over a hill; it was a neo-classical structure that resembled architecture from the of the era of the third draconequis' reign, and the detail was impeccable. One would not be able to recognise it as a restaurant if not for the obvious 5 meter high sign a few feet up the road that blared neon lights stating the fact. Though the look on the outside of the building was curious to say the least, the inside certainly didn't hold the same reputation.
Entering the obtrusive building, the mare's faces opened in awe. Even with the awkward shape of the structure, everything seemed to flow more naturally then a river's meander. Hanging above the mares' heads was a magnificent chandelier made from a multitude of crystals. The gemstone giant hung many meters above the ground attached to the asymmetrical curvatures of the ceiling. There were numerous amount of seating arrangement and balconies that were occupied by some of the V.I.P guests. There was one balcony however that accommodated a string quartet; a mellow grey mare earth pony cellist, a mint green unicorn mare lyrist, a purple earth pony stallion harpist, and a turquoise Pegasus mare playing a violin. The quartet played music that relaxed and fitted the mild conversation of people, yet contrasted the obscene and wacky architecture they were surrounded by. The music was food to the guests' ears.
Past the entrance lay a hostess table, where a crimson mare stood with a face that lit up more and more as the two friends approached her. The mare didn't seem as classy as the place boasted their staff to be, she didn't even seem as classy as the hostess table itself, which seemed to be carved out of a single piece of mahogany and sculpted with eccentric patterns. Though it seemed her personality would make up for the setback.
"Welcome to The Draconequi!" she said excitedly, as if it was her first day on the job or as if it was the first time the restaurant had received any customers ever, "Do you have any reservation or would you care to wait for a table?"
"Fortunately we do indeed have a reservation, it should be under the name, 'Rarity'." Rarity replied, making sure to emphasize her name in the sentence, as if her astounding beauty was not enough to grasp the fact that she was 'Fabulous'.
Rarity herself had decided to dress up for the evening out, she was wearing a copy of a little custom piece that she had made a few weeks prior for some fashion crazed pony. The dress was a deep blue colour; a colour Rarity thought accented both her hair and eyes. The blue dress was very intricate with much lace and many stitches, the white of the lace being complimentary to Rarity's natural fur coat, where the stitches in the dress lined what were the most beautiful, and orange tigers' eye gems that provided the starkest contrast to the entire piece, and the mare herself. How anypony was supposed to put on such an elaborate dress was a secret only Rarity knew.
"Very well! It has seemed you have book yourselves balcony seating! Do please follow me." The hostess exclaimed, with the everlasting smile upon her face. Her expression was almost unbelievable, almost nopony was ever this giddy, nor happy, not even Pinkie Pie.
Fluttershy and Rarity followed the mare up a staircase to their own private balcony seating. As the two sat down they absorbed their surroundings once more, yet this time whilst hailing from a birds perspective. The most obvious of places to inspect first was the balcony in which they were seated. Balcony sizes seemed to vary from balcony to balcony; however the one they were seated in seemed to be about 3 by 4 meters in dimension, a generous size for ponies of their lengths. In the centre of their balcony, as was the same for every other balcony, was a circular table protruding from the floor covered in a patterned cloth that hid the irregularities of the wood. The pattern cloth matched the plush sitting pillows that lay on the ground. The pillow was as soft as the heavenly music; it felt as it was made from clouds. The red silk that encased the pillow only added to the delight of Rarity, as the touch of the silk made sitting feel like a royal event.
By the time that the two ponies had sat down, the mare that had led them up, left them to their own, so that they could decide what they would like to order. Rarity only caught sight of the flank of the mare as she scampered down the staircase, her cutie mark had apparently been a balloon on a silver tray. Once on their own the ponies looked down at the menus that were conveniently placed on the table beforehand. Rarity picked up her menu and held it in front of her face with the help of some magic, the thought of craning her neck did not go across well. Unfortunately for Rarity, the menu she held in front of her face did not only block her sight of Fluttershy, but in turn Fluttershy's view of her. Realising this made Rarity to lower her menu slightly, and set it at an angle that would not be strenuous. Lowering the menu revealed Fluttershy with a face highlighted by the glowing candle that stood in between them in the centre of the table. The luminous orange glow of the candle made none, but irregular shadows across Fluttershy's face, occasionally giving her a slight mysterious tone as she glazed over the menu.
Fluttershy was once again captivating Rarity, just as she had done so at the spa. It brought back those exact same feelings, the feelings she felt, in the sauna and at her house. Though the feelings were the same, this time they felt stronger than before. The feeling sent shivers through Rarity's body, as it was all very alien-like to her.
Somehow minutes seemed too past with Rarity again still staring at Fluttershy. Everything that was said by Fluttershy was brushed to the back of Rarity's conscience for a superficial response, an almost animatronic reflex, one Rarity was unaware of doing. Unlike the sudden conversation in the sauna, the fix on Fluttershy was broken, as a waiter; a brown unicorn stallion wearing a black vest that complimented his form, and the formal standard of the restaurant, had climbed up the stairs to the mare's secluded balcony, awaiting their food order. It was only by this point that Rarity had realised that she had not taken a single look at the menu. This in turn led to her frantically scanning the page looking for something appetizing, or at the very least; familiar.
After ordering, the two were now alone on the balcony, again. The moonlight faced directly through a window onto their seating, the blue moonlight shone, melding itself with the orange candlelight, the stark contrast illuminated the balcony, and accentuated highlights and shadows around the room, and in turn enveloped the two mares with a halo like effect. Fluttershy was nervous; she had never been in such a expensive and classy restaurant. Though she was happy Rarity was treating her to such a wonderful dinner.
"The night is beautiful, isn't it?"
"Yes, I have never experienced such a night like this one. The moon looks amazing today."
"While we wait for the food, let's look at the moonlight."
Rarity got up and took Fluttershy's hoof as she walked towards the end of the balcony. They stared at the moon that hung in the night sky across the balcony through the oval window together, with Rarity holding Fluttershy next to her. Rarity was starting to realise how much she loved Fluttershy – it was not a love for a friend, but it was more. Fluttershy felt slightly ill at ease, being held by Rarity, she didn't know why Rarity was doing this.
"Fluttershy, dear, I have to tell you something."
"What is it, Rarity?" Fluttershy asked.
"Today, I had a visitor who came knocking at my door. It was Hoity Toity." Rarity started with a slight bit of nervousness
"Really? What did he want?" Fluttershy wondered.
"Well, the night before I made a dress, which was meant for you." Rarity proceeded to become even more nervous.
"Oh, did you forget to bring it? I won't be mad if you did, you can give it to me after dinner." Fluttershy smiled.
"No – I sold it. I forgot it was a dress made specially for you, Fluttershy. What a fool I was, I never should have done that. I was so overcome by a second chance of getting myself back in the business. I was so blinded by his offer, I forgot what this dress meant, why I made it, and how much it meant for me to give it to you. Please don't hate me." Rarity said.
"Rarity, I could never hate you. It could have happened to anyone. Everyone makes mistakes in their life and they shouldn't hate themselves, or let others hate them for that."
"Thank you, Fluttershy, for a moment there I was quite worried." Rarity was relieved.
"There's nothing to be worried about, it's all okay." Fluttershy smiled at Rarity.
"You know, Fluttershy, it's nights like these that make me realise that there's more to life than just making friends and dresses, but also loving the ones close to you. Holding those close ones in your arms and being there for them. It's the best feeling in the world." Rarity held her head on Fluttershy's shoulder, gripping her tighter.
"Those are – um – beautiful words, Rarity." Fluttershy smiled awkwardly, secured within Rarity's grasp.
"Fluttershy, come with me, to my Boutique shop." Rarity held Fluttershy in her arms as she looked into her turquoise eyes.
"Now?" Fluttershy said with confusion
"Oh no, darling, after the dinner of course. There is a reason for which I brought you here." Rarity smiled as she assured Fluttershy.
After their meals arrived, the two sat down and started eating. They left the restaurant after the dinner and headed back towards Rarity's Boutique shop, where Rarity had a surprise for Fluttershy.
Part 7 – Brokenhearted
They entered the Boutique shop, exhausted from a delicious dinner at the restaurant.
"Fluttershy, I want you to stay here with me, I feel bad for selling that dress I made for you. Therefore, I shall make you a new one, and I want you to oversee its process."
Fluttershy took a seat on Rarity's lounging sofa, while Rarity prepared everything she needed to make a dress. Fluttershy sat in a 'draw me like one of your felt girls' pose, and watched Rarity create a dress.
"Is there anything I can help you with, Rarity? That dress is going to take some time."
"To tell you the truth, Fluttershy, you already have. And to be honest, there is a feeling inside of me that is compelling me to be something more to you, more than a friend. Fluttershy, darling, somehow – somehow I think I'm in love with you." Rarity finally expressed her true feelings towards Fluttershy.
Fluttershy continued to lie on Rarity's couch, dumbfounded by what Rarity just said. She blushed and hid herself behind a pillow, hugging it.
"Rarity I – I don't know." Fluttershy said in a timid voice.
"What is it, Fluttershy?" Rarity asked, slowly walking towards her.
"I thought you saw me as a friend, but I guess you want more -- I don't know what to say." Fluttershy didn't know how to react in this situation, so she continued to blush behind the pillow she was holding.
"Fluttershy, dear, please forgive me, I spoke too soon. What was I thinking, I've only known these feelings for 2 days and – and..." Rarity stopped to think what to say next.
"I think it's best I leave." Fluttershy stopped gripping the pillow and moved away from Rarity. Slowly walking to the door, she was pondering thoughts of what had happened over the past 2 days. It left her blushing and confused as she walked out the door, her emotions in a mess. Decisions had to be made, thoughts had to be concluded.
Rarity stood, watching her friend walk home, saddened and emotionally entangled herself.
"Perhaps you're right, darling...we were never meant to be together" Brokenhearted, she sighed and ran to her bed, crying into her pillow.
She could have just possibly ruined her only chance of being with the mare she thought she knew she loved.
Part 8 – Love
The next day Fluttershy came back to Rarity's house.
She was greeted by Rarity's voice.
'I love you, Fluttershy.'
A brief moment of silence passed.
'I love you, Fluttershy.'
'I - I, love you too.'
