I sigh and quickly concentrate, suppressing a grin as the blue glow of my magic grabs hold of her tail and stops her dead in her tracks. She lets out a yelp and goes limp. I don’t entirely blame her, having one’s tail pulled so suddenly is almost always uncomfortable, but it really is the easiest and fastest way to stop a pegasus.
“I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash. I don’t mean to hurt you, but this would be so much easier if you would just hold still.”
With some effort, my magic envelopes her entire body and I float her back over to sit in front of the vanity. I really should not have donned my costume yet, but thankfully she does not struggle much. It’s also quite lucky for me Rainbow Dash has such a lean and trim physique. Sweetie Belle I can lift easily enough since she’s still young, but lifting most fully grown ponies is beyond my abilities.
“I still don’t see why we have to go through this, can’t I just put on my costume?”
I sigh again, running my hooves through her short cropped, rainbow mane. A part of me has always wondered what she would look like with longer hair, but she refuses to grow it out. I can understand. A long mane could be quite a hazard during most of her stunts.
“Dear, we are not seeking candy door to door. We are going to a costume gala. That requires proper grooming.”
I gently and carefully start separating the different colors of her mane, reaching out with my magic to float over a brush. Short as it is, her mane is quite unique and I do envy it. I have to make liberal use of highlights or mine is a dull, flat indigo. Rainbow on the other hand, lives well up to her name with no effort whatsoever.
“Tell me again why I agreed to go?”
I gently pull the brush through each color, doing my best not to tug too hard on any tangles. Sometimes it’s hard to believe just how messy her mane can get after a day of flying. But it’s even more unbelievable that most of the time she still looks just as handsome no matter how bad her mane gets.
“Because Spitfire is going to be there, dear one.”
I can’t resist whispering that in her ear. I adore the way it flicks at the touch of my breath. As handsome as my dearest is, she is still a mare, and a mare at a gala needs to be beautiful, even in costume. My hooves gently lay the colors of her mane back together, careful to keep them separate and perfectly layered. Even without any cosmetics, the difference is striking.
“Oh yeah! I wonder what she’ll be dressed as?”
With her mane done, I switch my attention to her tail, separating and brushing each individual color again. I could simply leave it, as it will be hidden by the costume, but with Rainbow sitting still and docile for now, I can’t help but take the opportunity. At the very least, I’ll be able to reap the rewards later tonight.
“I confess, I don’t know. But I’m sure she won’t be hard to spot.”
I gently turn Rainbow around in her seat, looking her over. Once again, I am struck with awe at how beautiful she looks with only the most basic of effort. I’ve done nothing but had her shower and then brushed and gently styled her mane. Yet it takes me more than twenty bits worth of cosmetics to even come close to her natural beauty. I am so lucky she decided to share herself with me.
“Absolutely lovely, darling.”
I smile, gently stroking a hoof along her cheek. My heart melts as she smiles back. Her smiles always light up her face and make her so much more radiant.
“Now, I know how much you dislike cosmetics, but would you consent to a little lipstick? For me, dear?”
I flutter my lashes at her. It doesn’t always work, such is the price of falling in love with a mare rather than a stallion, but she is not entirely immune to my charms, so it is well worth the attempt.
“I dunno. I just don’t see the point, Rares.”
Ah, that nickname. When we first began dating, it caused me no end of grief. I simply could not believe she needed to shorten my name; it’s only six letters after all. But as time wore on, it became rather endearing; heartwarming, even. Now, it makes me smile to hear it.
“The point, is to draw attention, my dear. Not that you have difficulty with that most of the time, but for tonight, think of it as simply playing on a level field.”
As I hoped she would, she takes the metaphor to heart. I select a shade of dark crimson to compliment her coat color and hold her cheek as I apply it. She squirms a little as if I were tickling her, but I am most careful.
“Are you done? Can I get into my costume now?”
Her eyes stray over to her outfit as I give her another look over. I smooth out a few signs of the earlier scuffle with a fine coat brush, and gently set a few feathers back into position. I can’t help but find the irony in her complaints. With no cosmetics other than a bit of lipstick, and only a bare fifteen minutes of work to brush and set her hair by hoof, I would stake a week’s earnings that between the two of us, she would be judged more beautiful. I had taken the better part of six hours, fussing over every little detail, making sure that not a hair was out of place, not an eyelash was shy of mascara, not a single wrinkle marred my costume. All that effort, and I could not compete with the simple beauty of my beloved Rainbow Dash.
“Just about, darling. Only one final touch to your lipstick.”
I press my lips to hers. I am so lucky.
