Soarin was a very manly stallion. Or at least he always thought so. They didn't let just anypony become Co-Captain of The Wonderbolts, right? Sure Co-Captain didn't exactly grant you a lot of perks, but a title like that still counted for something. It was a title that commanded respect. And more importantly, it was a title that brought the mares in droves.
Sure he hadn't exactly conducted himself wih dignity during The Grand Galloping Gala, but who could blame him? That pie was delicious.
That didn't stop his teammates from constantly teasing him. Soarin knew they meant no harm, but it got annoying after a while. It wasn't long before he started doing all sorts of crazy stunts in an attempt to prove his manliness. Many of these stunts often backfired on him, but Soarin either didn't know or didn't care about this.
"Hey Soarin. The Equestria Games are coming up. You gonna be there?" Fleetfoot asked one day during training.
"Perhaps. Perhaps not." Soarin replied "I don't really see what's in it for me."
"Maybe you'll find another stand that sells apple pies." Misty Fly chimed in "And you know how much you love pies."
"I do not!" Soarin snapped "It was one time. It didn't mean anything! I swear!"
"Sure, sure. You just keep telling yourself that." Fleetfoot said.
"I'm serious. You'd have done the same thing if you had that apple pie! It was one of a kind!" Soarin said, his temper starting to rise.
"Oh really? I don't see what was so special about it. I'll bet if I whipped up an apple pie right here and now, you'd act the same way you did at the Gala." Misty Fly stated. She, Fleetfoot, and the other Wonderbolts (except for Captain Spitfire) began to laugh.
"I've gotta think of something to shut them up." Soarin thought to himself. Then he got an idea, a very risky idea, but one that if it worked would show his teammates just how much of a stallion he was. Without saying a word he suddenly flew up into the sky, trying to gain as much altitude as his body would allow.
"What is he doing?" Fleetfoot asked.
"I have no idea, but I can't take my eyes off him. Something tells me though that this is gonna be good." Misty Fly said.
Soarin flew higher and higher, ignoring the stress on his body, and the screams for him to stop. At last he could go no higher. He looked down at his teammates, who now looked like ants. From what he could see all eyes were on him, just as planned. "Now they'll see that I'm not Co-Captain of The Wonderbolts for nothing. This should shut em up for quite a while." he thought to himself. But he knew that the stunt he was about to attempt was very dangerous. He could well remember one time where he'd almost landed himself in the hospital, simply by miscalculating the angle of that final turn. And if he messed this up he was likely to be the laughing stock of The Wonderbolts for weeks to come. But it was too late to turn back now. Taking a deep breath Soarin began his descent.
Fleetfoot and Misty Fly suddenly gasped. They'd only seen Soarin do this trick once before, and they could remember how harsh the crash landing had been. Sure Soarin had improved by leaps and bounds since that first attempt, but they were worried.
"Wait a minute Soarin! We take back all the jokes! We were only joking! You know that right?! Right?!" Fleetfoot called out.
"Don't do this Soarin! It's not worth it! You'll hurt yourself!" Misty Fly said.
Soarin took no notice and simply began an impressive dive. Just moments before he hit the ground he pulled up sharply, turning left as he did so. Gaining altitude he pulled off a few loops, and then dove back down again. Once again just before he hit the ground he pulled back up. This time turning to the right. After a barrel roll he flew straight up. Now came the grand finale! Soarin began to spin around as he once again descended. He then pulled back up and executed an incredibly small loop. He made one last turn upward, and flung himself into a nearby cloud. As he expected the force of impact turned the cloud into a slingshot, shooting him back across the sky, and landing him firmly in front of his teammates. "What do you think of that? Hot enough for ya?" he asked his teammates.
Fleetfoot, Misty Fly, and the other Wonderbolts said nothing. They just stood there, their mouths hanging wide open. Clearly they were stunned into silence. Just as Soarin had predicted.
"Now you know why Spitfire made me Co-Captain." Soarin boasted. Then suddenly he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Somehow he hadn't noticed this until just now, but he had managed to rip his flight suit pretty good. There were several spots were it looked like it was barely holding itself together. This wasn't good. He was not looking forward to explaining this to Captain Sptifire. The two of them might have been close friends, but the last time Soarin had ruined his flight suit Spitfire had chewed him out pretty good.
"You need to treat your suit with more respect Soarin." she had said "You know how expensive it is to have it dry cleaned. I can have cleaned in time for your next show, but the cost is coming out of your paycheck. Understand?!"
"Oh man, if Spitfire finds out about this I am so dead." Soarin thought to himself "But what am I'm gonna do? I can't just try to fix on my own. I don't know a thing about sewing. How am I gonna get out of this mess without Spitfire finding out?"
Misty Fly broke the silence "Are you okay Soarin?" she asked.
"Do I look o.k.?" Soarin asked.
"Easy Soarin, no need to get upset." Fleetfoot reassured him.
"This isn't upset, this is full on panic!" Soarin exclaimed "You've probably never seen Captain Spitfire when she's upset. But let me tell you she's anything but beautiful when she's angry. If she finds out about this she'll kill me!"
"She wouldn't do that. Just explain what happened and I'm sure she'll understand." Misty Fly suggested.
"How am I suppose to explain this to her?!" Soarin asked "She'll never believe me!"
"Well, what if you just took your flight suit somewhere to be fixed?" Fleetfoot suggested "Spitfire would never know."
"But where can I go? Spitfire knows just about every tailor in Cloudsdale! She'll know!" Soarin said.
"Not if you went to a tailor that wasn't in Cloudsdale." Fleetfoot said.
"But I don't know any tailors like that." Soarin admitted.
"Well I seem to recall a certain Rainbow Dash, who if I'm not mistaken danced with you during the wedding of Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor." Misty Fly explain "And I seem to remember you saying afterward that her dress made her look irresistable."
"And your point is?" Soarin asked.
"Well, a mare never reveals her sources. But let's just say I know this gal, who knows a thing or two about Rainbow Dash." Misty Fly went on "One of those things is that she's actually friends with a mare named Rarity. And get this, Rarity owns a place called Carousel Boutique. Which, as luck would have it, is in Ponyville."
"Does this Rarity know about pegasus designs?" Soarin asked.
"Probably if she has a friend like Rainbow Dash." Fleetfoot admitted.
"Then I've got to get over to that boutique, and I'd better do so now!" Soarin proclaimed.
Half an hour later Soarin reached his destination. He wasn't too happy to have to ask directions, but in his book it was far worse to get lost, and stumble around town like a complete idiot. Not to mention that would only attract attention to himself, and increase the chances of Spitfire finding out.
It was all too easy to see how Carousel Boutique got its name. The design of the building alone was a dead giveaway. Soarin looked around once, and then twice. Just to be sure nopony saw him, if they did his manliness would be shot. He sighed in relief when he saw there was nopony in sight. "Thanks goodness." he remarked, and went inside.
Soarin was amazed at the amount of detail present. It felt almost like he was another world. In fact if he didn't know better he would've thought he was in a store in Canterlot, not the middle of Ponyville.
"Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique. How may I help you?" a mare called. Soarin snapped his senses back to reality. In front of him stood a white unicorn mare, with sparkling blue eyes, and a curly indigo colored mane and tail. Three light blue gem stones were reflected on her flank.
"I don't just say this about every mare I meet, but she's beautiful. Even Spitfire's got nothing on her." Soarin thought to himself. But his thoughts quickly drifted to the reason for his visit, beautiful or not this mare was the only one who could help him.
"Are you okay darling?" the mare asked. Soarin just stood there, looking dazed, and potentially even surprised.
Soarin quickly spoke up "Huh? Oh yeah, yeah, sure. Sorry about that, don't know what came over me." he said, snapping back to reality.
"That's quite alright." the mare said kindly "My name is Rarity Belle, but you may call me Rarity. Tell me, what brings you here?"
"My name is Soarin, I'm sure you've heard of me, or perhaps even seen me in public." Soarin boasted.
"Oh yes, I was wondering why you looked so familiar." Rarity admitted "I saw you dancing with Rainbow Dash during that royal wedding. And I must say, that tuxedo you wore was simply gorgeous."
"I know, much better then my flight suit. Which brings me to why I'm here." Soarin said, changing the subject "As I'm sure you can see my flight suit is, for lack of a better term, 'tarnished'."
"Indeed." Rarity said, noticing the clearly visible rip marks. "Say no more, I can clearly see what the problem is. You require my expertise to get it repaired, corect?"
Soarin nodded "Right on the nose!" he said happily.
"Well, I've never really had the chance to work on an actual flight suit for a Wonderbolt. But I think I can make the necessary repairs. And it shouldn't take me long to do so." Rarity admitted, putting on her red sewing glasses.
"Great! How much is this going to cost?" Soarin asked "I'm kind of low on funds right now. But I'd be more then willing to make a down payment. My next paycheck is coming out any day now."
"Oh, this simple job won't cost you a thing darling. You clearly need this repaired as soon as possible, and I'm more then happy to do so free of charge." Rarity explained.
"Really? Are you sure you won't even accept the bits I currently have on me?" Soarin asked.
"This is clearly a fashion emergency! And it is my policy to never charge any customers when such emergencies show up." Rarity explained.
"Well I don't care what you say, I insist on paying you. And I won't take no for an answer." Soarin said.
"How bout we make a deal? This repair job won't cost you a thing, and in exchange I'll agree to owe you a favor of any sort. You can call it in whenever it's most opportune for you. How does that sound?" Rarity proposed.
"Okay by me, I guess." Soarin shruged.
"Good, that settles it. I shan't be long darling." Rarity said, and used her magic to levitate the ripped flight suit off of Soarin. She then headed over to her nearby work bench, and set to work.
True to her word the repair job did not take long at all. In only a few minutes she had not only fixed the rip marks, but she had patched them up so well you never would've guessed they were there in the first place. And that wasn't all, despite Soarin's insistance otherwise she had given the suit a slight touch up. It wasn't anything really fancy, it was mearly smoothing out some well hidden wrinkles, and generally making the suit feel more comfortable.
"There we go. Good as new." Rarity smiled, levitating the repaired flight suit to Soarin, who promptly put it back on without a moment's hesitation.
"Hm. I like it. Feels a lot smoother, and areodynamic." Soarin said, as he observed how the repaired suit felt.
"I don't really like to boast, but I pride myself on a job well done." Rarity said kindly.
"Thank you Rarity, you're a life saver! I don't know how to thank you." Soarin happily exclaimed.
"You don't have to thank me, I'm just doing my job darling." Rarity said honestly "I'm always happy to help a pony in need."
"No kidding." Soarin said "Rainbow Dash was right to sing your praises. I can't believe you don't have ponies beating down your door, begging you to make dresses and suits for them!"
"I'm more then happy with the customers I have. It never hurts to have more though. It just means that I have more clients that I can help in a time of need." Rarity explained.
"Don't forget about that favor you agreed to owe me. I'll call it in when I think of something good." Soarin said, and with that he left.
Rarity, for her part, was smiling. "He's such a nice guy. A pity Rainbow Dash isn't interested in him. A stallion like that is one of a kind. Oh well, her loss I suppose." she said to herself.
About a week passed and life mostly went back to normal for Soarin. Spitfire never found out about his little "incident" with his flight suit, and the teasing from his teammates finally died down a little.
But as the days rolled by Soarin found that he couldn't get his mind off of Rarity. He wasn't sure what it was about that mare, but he couldn't stop thinking about her. Her gorgeous looks, her charming voice, her generous nature, and those eyes. Oh Celestia, those dazzling eyes! No matter how hard he tried his thoughts kept drifting back to the elgent fashionista unicorn, and her humble little shop she called Carousel Boutique.
She was so much nicer then a lot of the mares that usually buzzed around him. They were only interested in him because of his title, and generally because they felt he was rich.
But this mare was different, she had an air of elegance, and grace. She conducted herself with dignity. And she seemed to truly admire him, for all the right reasons.
As Soarin sorted out his feelings Fleetfoot took action. One day, after a show for a sold out crowd in Fillydelphia, Fleetfoot pulled her fellow Wonderbolt aside for a friendly little chit chat.
"What do you want to talk about now Fleetfoot?" Soarin asked "You wanna rub it in my face some more about how you totally smoked me in that last derby?"
"Nope. I wanted to talk to you about something else." Fleetfoot said, a faint grin forming on her face.
"Oh good." Soarin said. He was ill prepared for what Fleetfoot said next.
"I wanna talk to you about Rarity. You know, the mare who runs Carousel Boutique, and fixed your flight suit if I'm not mistaken?" Fleetfoot stated.
Soarin was shocked, but tried to hide it to the best of his ability. "You wanna talk about her huh? Uh....okay. What about her?"
"I'm gonna cut straight to the chase." Fleetfoot said bluntly "I know you're in love with her."
"No I'm not!" Soarin shouted "I don't love her, I LOVE her!" he gasped upon saying that.
Fleetfoot smirked slightly "So you admit it? Good. That's step one out of the way."
"Step one? What are you talking about?" Soarin asked. He was pretty sure he knew where this conversation was going.
"I'm talking about my plan to bring you two together." Fleetfoot explained.
"Are you serious?! I don't even know if Rarity likes me back. For all I know she could have her sights on someone else." Soarin said.
"I believe she was single, last time I checked." Fleetfoot stated "And that was just recently."
"That may be, but from what Rainbow Dash told me Rarity's been looking for her 'prince charming'. She's obviously got high standards, how do I know I'm gonna meassure up?" Soarin asked.
"I can't tell you that, because I don't know the answer." Fleetfoot said with a shrug "But you'll never know unless you try. Just go out there, give it your best shot, and see what happens."
"You mean, you want me to, ask Rarity out on a, date?" Soarin asked. Fleetfoot nodded. "But I've never dated anypony before. I don't know the first thing about it."
"Then we'll have to give you a crash course on the subject." Fleetfoot said firmly "Starting now."
Over the next few days, whenever she found time, Fleetfoot would pull Soarin aside to practice various aspects of dating. What to wear. How to listen. Table manners. You name it.
Soarin, surprisingly enough, turned out to be a fast learner. It wasn't long before Fleetfoot could see signs of improvement. By the end of the week Soarin had learned everything that Fleetfoot could teach him about dating. He felt much more confident as well. Confident enough to finally ask Rarity out.
After a bit of consulting with both Fleetfoot and Misty Fly, Soarin set his plan into motion. He wrote a letter to Rarity, letting her know that he was calling in that favor she had agreed to owe him. He wanted her to spend a night with him. Where they went was up to her, as long as she was happy so was he. He carefully planned it so that the date would fall on a day when he would not have anything major to do, which would give him time to prepare.
It wasn't long before he got a response back. Rarity agreed, and was eagerly looking forward to spending time with the Wonderbolt Co-Captain. The news made Soarin very happy, and it took all that he had not to shout triumphantly.
The days leading up to the date passed quickly. Spitfire seemed to be puzzled by Soarin's extremly happy mood, but said nothing. The rest of The Wonderbolts didn't take much notice of Soarin's mood either. Though they did notice that he seemed to have a lot more energy then he usually did, at times they could barely keep up with him.
Before long the evening of the date arrived. Soarin had changed out of his flight suit, and had slipped into the tuxedo he had worn at the wedding of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. He made sure to bring lots of bits with him, he was going to make sure he could pay for everything that evening on his own.
Once he was certain everything he was ready he set off for Carousel Boutique. He arrived just as the sun was setting. Without a moment's hesitation he rang the door bell.
"I'll be right out." Rarity called. And sure enough she emerged a moment later. Soarin noticed that she was wearing the same dress that she had worn to the Grand Galloping Gala. "Well Soarin? Shall we be off?" she asked.
"Indeed we shall, Miss. Rarity." Soarin said, remembering the lessons Fleetfoot had given him he made his voice sound a bit more refined. Adding a touch of class to it.
"Oh Soarin, you don't have to call me that. You can just call me Rarity. You know me well enough to do so." Rarity replied.
"If you're sure that's what you want." Soarin said, his voice still maintaing that touch of class "Now come. Dinner awaits us."
One of the many perks of being a Wonderbolt was that you could pull a few strings every now and then. This was exactly what Soarin had done upon deciding to take Rarity out for an evening. He had managed to book a table for two in the V.I.P section of the finest restuarant in Ponyville. He had done this specifically to avoid the paparazzi that would certainly tail him if he took Rarity to somewhere in Cloudsdale, or Canterlot.
"Well, here we are." Soarin announced, when they had arrived at their destination "I hope you like it."
"Oh Soarin. You did this for me?" Rarity asked.
"Yup." Soarin replied.
"Why darling, you shouldn't have. Really." Rarity said, blushing slighlty.
"It was nothing. Besides a mare like you deserves only the best." Soarin said honestly.
Before long Soarin and Rarity were seated and had placed their orders. They had agreed to share an order of the hay fries, Rarity had ordered the finest salad on the menu, and Soarin had ordered a simple daisy sandwich. And for dessert the two of them had agreed to share an apple pie.
"So, what's it like? Being a Wonderbolt and all?" Rarity asked.
"It's fine. You make a lot of money by making other ponies happy. But that's not the best part, the best part is just being able to see all of Equestria. And even sometimes beyond." Soarin explained "There have been times where we've toured in the Griffon Empire, or the bad lands. And don't let the name fool you, it's not all bad."
"I see." Rarity said, listenly intently. Despite what you might think, Rarity had great respect for athletes.
"Well what about you?" Soarin asked "What's it like being a dressmaker? Do you design your own clothes?"
"You're actually the first stallion I know to ask me that." Rarity said honestly "In any case, sometimes yes. But there's more to me then just making dresses and suits. It's not easy running and maintaining your own business. It's a lot of hardwork."
"I thought so." Soarin replied "And not that I mean to sound rude, but being a Wonderbolt isn't exactly a walk in the park either."
"Never said it was." Rarity said.
"I know." Soarin nodded "So I understand that you have a sister if I'm not mistaken."
"How did you know about that?" Rarity asked, she was quite surprised.
"I have my sources." Soarin explained "I was an only child growing up, so I have to ask, what's it like having a sibling?"
"At times it's the greatest joy in the world. At other times it's a real pain." Rarity said honestly "But seeing the smiling face of Sweetie Belle usually makes it all worth while."
"Sweetie Belle huh? She wouldn't by chance be the same Sweetie Belle that was part of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, would she?" Soarin asked.
"Oh, you know about them?" Rarity asked.
"Sure do." Soarin said "They came to one of our shows on a class field trip once. And afterward they wouldn't stop asking me about how I got my cutie mark. It's like they were obessed with it. I finally got them to stop by telling them to go bother Spitfire."
"They gave you a hard time huh?" Rarity asked. Soarin nodded "Well I'm sure they didn't mean it. They mean well, Sweetie Belle especially, but they can at times be a bit of a hoofful."
"That's putting it lightly." Soarin said with a chuckle. Rarity couldn't help but do the same. She had to admit Soarin had a point.
Once their meal arrived Soarin and Rarity ate mostly in silence. Rarity herself was surprised by Soarin's table manners. From what Rainbow Dash had told her, Soarin ate like a slob. Were it not for his coat, and his mane and tail, Rarity would've thought she was talking to a Soarin completly different from the one Rainbow Dash claimed to know.
After paying for dinner out of his own pocket Soarin took Rarity on a walk through Ponyville Park. Luna's moon shone down brightly on the two as they walked side by side, holding hooves.
"You really didn't have to pay for everything Soarin. I would've been more then happy to share some of the cost." Rarity said.
"I said I would take care of everything and I meant it." Soarin repleid firmly "I don't want you to worry about anything Rarity. You deserve to just relax and enjoy what life has to offer."
"Do you really mean it?" Rarity asked. Soarin nodded happily. "Well that's very nice of you. I still can't see why a stallion like you isn't already taken."
"What can I say, I have standards." Soarin shrugged.
"But what about Rainbow Dash or Spitfire? Or one of your fellow Wonderbolts? Surely at some point you've had feelings for them no?" Rarity asked.
"Sptifire and I are childhood friends. And that's all we ever will be." Soarin explained "Misty Fly and Fleetfoot basically just tease me. And Rainbow Dash, well I don't think she's interested in me. I just have that gut feeling."
"Well, that's one question of mine answered." Rarity said.
"Yeah. Trust me when I say I wouldn't do this if I was already intrested in somepony else." Soarin admitted "I mean it when I say this, but although you've only recently become a part of my life, I can't stand the thought of not spending the rest of my life without you."
"Soarin? Are you saying, what I think you're saying?" Rarity asked.
"Rarity? I love you very much, and I want nothing more right now then to be your coltfriend. And perhaps someday, your husband. But do you love me back? Do you want to be my marefriend?" Soarin asked, popping the question right then and there.
"Well, gosh Soarin....I don't know. This is kind of sudden." Rarity said nervously.
"Just be honest with me." Soarin said "If you don't think things will work out between us I'll understand. If that's the case then I at least hope we can still be friends."
"I never said our relationship wouldn't work." Rarity replied "I just.....needed time to think is all. I suppose.... that if you really care about me that much, I will gladly be your marefriend. You do seem to be the 'prince charming' I've been looking forward. But"
"But what?" Soarin asked.
"I can tell that you're trying, perhaps too hard, to be somepony you're not." Rarity explained "There's nothing wrong with it, I quite like it. But the next time we go out on a date I'd like you to just be yourself Soarin. That's the pony I want to get know better, Do you think you can manage that?"
"Whatever makes you happy Rarity." Soarin said, and he promptly kissed Rarity's hoof. Rarity blushed slightly. The scene may not have been as romantic as she would've liked, but it still felt really special to her. After all, she had finally managed to find that "prince charming" she'd been searching for all these years.
She couldn't wait to break this news to her friends. Of course she knew Spike wouldn't take it very well, but she'd find a way to make it up to him. Perhaps even help guide his affections towards somepony else.
"So how did your little date with Rarity go?" Fleetfoot asked Soarin the next day.
"It was great. Rarity agreed to be my marefriend." Soarin said happily "She's already arranging for our next date. She says it's going to be very special."
"Good. I'm glad to hear that." Fleetfoot said "And someday, if you two ever tie the knot, do you think you could make me best mare?"
"We'll cross that bridge when, and if, we come to it." Soarin chuckled.
"I can't thank you enough for your help Spitfire." Rarity said "I'm really glad you kept those nosey gossipers away."
"Don't mention it Rarity." Spitfire replied "It's the least I can do. I'm just glad to see Soarin has somepony to call his own. Maybe now he'll be able to focus on his flight routines."
"Anything is possible." Rarity said "Oh, and before I forget. Thanks again for telling Fleetfoot about me. Otherwise Soarin never would've come to me."
"You're welcome Rarity." Spitfire smiled "But remember, Soarin must never know about this."
"Relax darling. My lips are sealed. Soarin will never know." Rarity nodded.
Author's Note
It is with great pride that I present to you all my first fanfic of this new year. And of course I'm glad I got the chance to finish this the day before "Rarity Takes Manehattan".
I doubt anyone has ever thought of this ship before. And even if they have I'm sure this ship is incredibly obscure.
As always, enjoy the story.
