It Would Work on Meby sghsthsthjstjsthjsChaptersWell, I suppose I could try itOf course! Rainbow Loves Romantic things!Rarity Begins Her Super Well Thought Out, Not Convoluted PlanWooing with the Wonferbolts and AJ Torments Rarity... Part OneWell, I suppose I could try itHmmm, no; that will never do... Rarity stood alone in the light of her inspiration room's lamp; she had a rather large order from Canterlot to finish with the Grand Galloping Gala coming up next month. No... not that either; it needs to be just perfect for this order. Working endlessly since she awoke the previous morning, the unicorn was trying to get every last detail perfect for the dresses that were in progress before she headed to bed. Eventually, after becoming half way satisfied with the results, she decided it was time to hit the hay (not literally, of course, that would be uncouth). I've worked all day long on this order, but I cannot seem to get it right. Rarity thought to herself, Perhaps it is time for a break from this; maybe it will be easier in after a nice sleep. Walking from her inspiration room, she decided a cup of tea was in order. Heading to the kitchen, allowing herself to daydream, she thought: This has all gotten so... drab. Perhaps I need something to give me inspiration for what these new dresses should look like. Maybe I should see if any of my friends have any ideas; Fluttershy could maybe help, since she's so good at making them. Oh, wouldn't it be nice if I could have somepony here to talk it over with; although, at this hour they'd probably have to live here... and well, probably be my special somepony to be willing to put up with me waking them now. And I know how well I do in the department of special somepoines... Walking into the kitchen, she was snapped away from her thoughts; momentarily forgetting why she was there, she then filled her tea kettle and turned the stove on. Settling down to wait for the water to boil, she resumed her thoughts. Thunderlane, gah; That was a disaster; we dated for less than two weeks and suddenly he thinks I'm “too controlling.” As if. Big Mac: Applejack wasn't too happy about that, but she wasn't mad for long; it can't be *my** fault if he just can't pick up after himself. I mean, honestly; it's as if he was raised on a... a... farm! Wait... oh, whatever. Then there's Blueblood...* the thought made her shiver; and not in a good way. He was just... no words can describe him. Although, I guess one night can't really be considered dating, but after the way he treated me... I was just so angry with him; I would swear I had steam blowing from my ears... in fact, I think I can hear it. Coming back to reality, the seamstress realized her kettle was whistling. She hastily levitated it off the stove and poured it into a waiting teacup and put the teabag into the boiling water. Well lets see, what would I want in my ideal stallion? Well, for starters, he needs to respect me; unlike that Blueblood pri... ahem, *ruffian*. And, what else? Oh, he needs to be brave; ready to leap into action to help if I'm in trouble... Strong to actually be able to protect me when he leaps into action, of course. He should also be tidy... but I suppose I could possibly do without that as long as he's not a complete slob... at first, at least. Maybe... He should have aspirations to do something grand. He should probably stop at nothing to achieve that goal; then he would understand my dressmaking and how much work I put into it. So lets recap: brave, strong, hopefully tidy, ambitious... what else? Oh! He should always support me and be loyal... wait a second, I think I know somepony like this. Brave, strong, ambitious, loyal... just then, her eyes wondered to a picture of her with all of her friends and one friend in particular stood out; specifically, one with a rainbow mane and a cyan coat. As this happened, her heartbeat suddenly sped up and a somewhat familiar heat entered her cheeks. Rainbow Dash? Wait... oh no. Realizing what this meant, she spewed her tea all over her table. Nononono, that can't be right; Rainbow is a great friend, but I like stallions; I'm not sure if you noticed this, me, but Rainbow is a mare. I know I just love stallions; you know, the way they're always so messy and... and... how they like to try to sleep with me right after the first date. Also, the way they LEAVE ME after less than a month EVERY. SINGLE. TIME... hmm... that didn't sound right. Well, me, perhaps I have been looking in the wrong place... let no one say I'm not open minded, and I know when I have some sort of romantic feeling when I have them... I could try it. I mean it is with a friend, so it should be fine... I mean sure it'll be extremely awkward if we break up or shes not into mares and could possibly destroy our friendship and strain my friendships with everypony else. Nothings ever simple is it? I really need some sleep. Yawning, Rarity decided it was best to get some shuteye. Deciding that she would clean the kettle up in the morning after the late night revelation, she headed upstairs to sleep and figure out what she wanted after a good night sleep. Rarity's slumber was a peaceful one; she hadn't slept like that for the last couple weeks with the gala coming up. It was harshly interrupted early in the morning, though, by a very worried filly. “RARITY, WHAT HAPPENED?!? WHAT'S WRONG???” Sweetie Belle yelled, bursting through the doorway to Rarity's bedroom. “AHHH!!! WHO...? WHERE? Huh? Sweetie??” Disoriented, and still rather tired from Sweetie's rude awakening, Rarity took a second to regain her bearings. Lifting her sleep mask and seeing her little sister in a distressed state she quickly started to worry, “Sweetie Belle, what in Equestria is the matter?” “Rarity!! What happened?? I though you got ponynapped or something!” Rarity gave Sweetie Belle a confused look. “Well... it's just that the kitchen's a mess; there's a dirty tea kettle on the table! You always clean up when you're done.” “Sweetie, I was just tired; everything is fine,” Rarity groggily (although still elegantly, as always) replied. “Let me go back to sleep.” “Oh, heheh... sorry.” Between being awakened by Sweetie about to head to school and having gone to sleep way too late, Rarity estimated that she had only gotten about four hours of sleep; definitely not an amount that would qualify as beauty sleep. Determined to always get her beauty sleep, Rarity tried to fall back asleep; but after being reminded of the tea kettle and what she was thinking about while drinking it, sleep eluded her. Ugh... why must you do this Rainbow Dash? I am trying to sleep; of course I can hardly blame her for me not being able to sleep... although I bet I could sleep better with her holding me, if the feeling I get while thinking about that is any indication. So I guess yes, then, I absolutely can blame her. Realizing that falling asleep was a lost cause, Rarity decided to do something productive. Awakening and washing up, she was ready roughly three hours later and in her inspiration room to continue her work on the gala dresses. After a couple of tries she was beginning to get frustrated. Hmmm... this will never do. It's much too dull. I know! If I just add this color... and this one, too. Oh! And this color... maaaaybe just one more. Great, now it's a rainbow... if I remember right this pony has a pink coat and this would look terrible. Guess I have to find something else to do since everything seems to be a rainbow today. Everything she tried to do always somehow ended with rainbows; realizing she could think of nothing else but Rainbow Dash, she decided that that was what she would have to work on. Well Rainbow Dash, you win; now what can I do to get her to go out with me? Lets see... what do I usually do? Well, I generally just sort of walk by stallions and look really, really, really pretty. I am awfully good at that. But then again, I've done that a lot around her and she has not once said anything about me or come close to asking me out like most stallions would. Hmmm, well perhaps I need to be the one to take the initiative. OK. Errr, how do I do this? Maybe if I... go and tell her she's pretty? That's not all that suave, is it? Maybe if I say something like “Did you make a tornado? Cause you just blew me away.” ...Wow, I think I need help. Realizing that she was not used to having to be the one wooing the mare, Rarity decided to ask her friends for help. But who would give the most useful information? Making breakfast, she thought about which of her friends she could ask for the best information; and better yet, it was only about 9 am, Rainbow would still be sleeping for at least another 3 hours; probably more. That meant she wouldn't get suspicious of Rarity visiting all of their friends for seemingly no reason. Going to Twilight would be a strong option; she would know how to research the subject and could give good, objective advice. She has also spent quite a bit of time with her, what with Rainbow training her how to fly. Pinkie Pie is another good option, since she probably spends the most time with Rainbow, doing Celestia knows what for their pranks. I know! I could prank her romantically, that couldn't possibly fail! I'll ask Twilight about that one later. Applejack? Oh my, no. She wouldn't mean to, but the entire town would know of my secret crush on Rainbow within a day; I swear, I *try** to spread rumors and I still can't get them to spread as fast as she can. Fluttershy might be good, though; she's known Dash for the longest and might know of some things that she might like. Well, then, it's decided; I shall consult with my friends today to see what they think about this situation.* Leaving her house and setting off for Twilight's castle, Rarity was in good spirits; she could gather information on how to woo Rainbow and then get help forming a foolproof plan to do so. Of course, though, nothing's ever simple, is it? Of course! Rainbow Loves Romantic things!Setting off for Twilight's castle, Rarity enjoyed the scenery of the early-ish morning; ponies were about completing errands or enjoying a nice break from whatever work that they had. It was a nice, sunny day in Ponyville and Rarity noticed some key things: although it was scheduled to be a sunny, cloudless day, there were, in fact, still many clouds in the sky. This showed that Rainbow Dash had still not awoken for the day (or, at least, awoken until her midday nap). The sun was still in the east; making it roughly 9 am. Ok, that still leaves me about 2 hours until I need to meet up with Fluttershy at the spa; that should be ample time to visit Twilight and ask her about this Rainbow Dash business. Then that just leaves Pinkie Pie after the spa, since she will likely know something about what Rainbow would like. And... maybe I will ask Applejack; I can't tell her directly why I need to know, but, well... I'll figure something out. Arriving at Twilight's, Rarity knocked on the crystal doors and yelled to Twilight; the sound reverberating across the castle. “Twilight!!! It's Rarity, I need to talk to you!” Soon after, Twilight opened the door to greet her friend. “Hey, Rarity; it's nice to see you. What brings you here?” “Well... I feel the need to ask somepony for some advice on a certain subject; do you have some time to talk?” Smiling, Twilight replied, “Sure, Rarity; there's not much going on right now. Would you like some tea?” “That would be lovely.” “So, what kind of advice do you need? I'm sure there something I can do to help; and even if there's not, we can look in my new library! You've seen my new library, right? This castle is so big, so I just sorta merged a couple rooms together and bam! Library! Right now it only makes up about twenty percent of the castle; I wanted to make it bigger, but Celestia said I probably shouldn't... in any case, I still might if I run out of room for books.” Letting Twilight lead her to the kitchen, Rarity listened to her ramble about various things; she thought about just telling her about her feelings for Rainbow Dash just to get her to stop, but thought it better to just wait until everypony was nice and comfy with their tea. At last, reaching the kitchen, Twilight instantly brought some water to boil and made tea for the two of them. “So, Rarity, whats on your mind? I'm always happy to help.” “Well, Twilight; the advice I am here to ask you for is a little bit private...” Twilight nodded her head seriously, “OK, what's it about.” “It is of a... romantic nature. I need advice on how I can make somepony interested in me.” Twilight stared at her, confused. “Romantic nature? Rarity, why are you asking me about this? I'm sure you know more about this than me, how could I possibly help you?” Rarity inhaled slowly, before saying, “Well, you see... I, well... I am not sure how to get this pony's attention because I have never been interested in a pony like her before.” “Oh... oh. I see... well I would say that I don't see any reason why it should be any different from getting a stallion to notice you.” “Yes, I suppose that's true; however, I've been around her quite a lot and she doesn't seem to have shown an interest... I suppose I'm planning on making a move on her, you see. In the past, stallions have always made a move on me, so I suppose I'm just not sure how to do it.” Twilight, intent on helping her friend, listened to Rarity... intently, before replying, “OK, I think I can help; you've seemed to be the expert on things like this in the past, why not just think of what you would've liked done for you and do that for this mare you're interested in?” Rarity's eyes lit up; of course! That's what she would do! She knew everything about romance, there was no way a mare would be able to resist; she would just have to use her knowledge and experience on Rainbow Dash and there was no way she could say no. “Twilight! Of course! I don't know how I didn't think of that, but it's perfect. If there is anything you need, I am in your debt” “Don't worry about it, I was just trying to help... by the way, though; mind telling me who the lucky mare that you're after is?” Rarity arched an eyebrow at Twilight, “Why sure, I'm sorry, I thought I did already. It's Rai-” Just then the kitchen door slammed open, revealing a very distressed dragon. “I swear, I don't know how she puts up with that rabbit; every time that I even glanced away for a...” seeing who it was who was visiting, his mood quickly changed. “Rarity, hey! What brings you around here?” Twilight just rolled her eyes and greeted him, “So I take it watching Fluttershy's animals while she was out doing errands went well.” “Ugh, it would've... that is, if Angel wasn't so... evil.” Spike replied, slipping back into his initial mood a little bit. “Soooo, whatcha both talkin about?” Twilight and Rarity gave each other worried glances. “Spike, darling, it is sort of... a private matter.” “Yeah, Spike; just mushy gossip, you wouldn't like it.” Spike gave the two unicorns a suspicious look. “Oh, ok; well I'll be in my room if you two need anything.” As Spike walked away, Rarity gave Twilight a worried look. “Hmm, I never considered Spike in all of this; I mean, I know he knows I've dated other ponies in the past, but we haven't all been together along with any of my coltfriends.” Twilight nodded her head; she know Spike might be sad for some time, but he was a baby dragon, after all, and for him to actually be with Rarity was unrealistic. “Not to mention what will happen with his and Rainbow's relationship if she agrees to go out with me... I mean, we'll all be toge-” After processing what Rarity had just said, the table in front of both mares became covered in the tea that was previously in Twilight's mouth. Recovering from a coughing fit Twilight looked back at Rarity (who was mortified that the tea almost got on her coat, tea stains would be a nightmare to get out). “Rainbow?! As in Rainbow Dash?” Surprised by this interruption, Rarity nodded, “Why yes, who else would I-” “Rainbow Dash. As in, Rainbow 'I like to destroy barns by running my face into them' Dash? You're going to try to... woo her by doing something ridiculously romantic?” “Well, yes; that's the plan... you know, what we just discussed. And... did she really destroy a barn with her face? Her face can take that much punishment? Oh my...” Rarity's eyes became unfocused as she had a quick daydream, causing her face to begin to blush. “Rarity, Rainbow Dash is into action and danger; I highly doubt she would appreciate any romantic gestures you might come up with, it's just not what she likes. Really, you should... Rarity, are you listening at all?” Looking at Rarity, Twilight noticed a vacant stare present on her face. “Rarity? Rarity!” Twilight waved her hoof in front of Rarity's face, bringing her back to reality. “What were you just thinking about?” Twilight asked, causing the white unicorn's blush to deepen. “Errr... the weather?” Sighing, Twilight facehoofed. “Let me guess, you didn't even hear a word I just said, did you?” “Well, I mean... no, I suppose not. Well, it was nice talking to you and thanks for the advice; but I've got to go or I might be late for my spa date with Fluttershy. Oh, and can you Pinkie Promise you won't say anything about this to anypony?” Still facehoofing, Twilight Pinkie Promised not to tell anypony. “Cross my heart and hope to fly; stick a cupcake in my eye...” “Thank you, darling. Ta~ta!” “Yeah... anytime, Rarity...” And with that, Rarity left for the spa. Alright, well; I would say that my visit to Twilight went well. I've got a good basis for my plan, now I just need to build it up... So, I wonder what kind of flowers Rainbow likes... Or maybe what kind of wine, perhaps. Of course, I guess wine would probably be best for the actual date, rather than now; if I gave her wine now, she'd probably think that I think she's an alcoholic or something... whatever; maybe I can write her a love song! Oh my, that would just be so great; I remember somepony doing that for me once, it was just so, so romantic... Anyways, I'm sure Fluttershy will have some good advice, she's known Rainbow for longer than any of us. Arriving at the spa, Rarity immediately spotted Fluttershy sitting in the lobby. “Fluttershy, dear, I always love these spa dates we have; we just have so much to talk about.” Startled for a moment, Fluttershy quickly recognized Rarity's voice. “Oh, um, hey Rarity; I love them too. It's always nice to catch up with you.” “Actually darling, it's not just that. You see, I need some... information about one of our friends. Lets get to our appointment first, though.” Rarity walked up to the counter. “Hello, Aloe; Fluttershy and I are here for our appointment.” Aloe's sister, Lotus, appeared from behind the door to the side of the front desk. “Ahh yes. Rarity, Fluttershy; this way.” Knowing that Lotus and Aloe make it a point to not gossip about things that their clients say, Rarity felt comfortable talking to Fluttershy about Rainbow Dash around them. “So, Fluttershy, I actually wanted to ask you some things about Rainbow Dash.” “Oh... she didn't, um, prank you again did she? Cause I know you might not like that, but she doesn't mean any...” “Oh, don't worry Fluttershy, I'm not mad at her or anything; quite the opposite, I would say.” Arriving at the massaging table, Fluttershy replied with a relieved look on her face. “Oh, ok then; what did you want to ask about?” Climbing onto the massage table, Rarity decided that she would like to ask her questions before telling Fluttershy about her now semi-secret crush on Rainbow. “Oh, you know... like, when you were in flight school, did she ever date anypony?” The masseuses started massaging Fluttershy's and Rarity's backs, eliciting a short eep from Fluttershy (she was startled). “W... well, not that I really remember... why did you want to know that?” “I'll... tell you later, darling.” After furrowing her brow in disappointment and thought, Rarity remembered her next question: “What is Rainbow's favorite kind of flower?” The question caused Fluttershy to look at her like she was crazy. “You... you want to know what kind of flowers Rainbow likes? “Yep.” “Rainbow Dash.” “Ya-huh.” “I... don't think she likes flowers...” The answer confused Rarity, causing her to open and close her mouth in shock as if attempting to reply. “Fluttershy, dear, you're not making any sense; how can somepony just... not like flowers? Especially somepony with such style; that just cannot be so.” “But... it's true, I've never see her show interest in any flowers before.” “Darling, that just can't be true... I wonder if Applejack would know...” “Why would Appl-” “No matter, I can just ask her later! I would also like to know what kind of wine Rainbow likes; she seems like she'd like red wine, but I can't be too sure. Also, whether she likes classical or country music... or possibly show tunes.” Rarity looked at Fluttershy expectantly; with this information she could begin to add to the structure of her plan. “Well... I... um, Rarity, why do you want to know all of this? And why can't you just ask Rainbow?” Rarity intended to tell Fluttershy everything eventually, but was hoping it could wait until she heard what she needed to hear; seeing that she probably wouldn't be able to do that, she decided to just tell Fluttershy everything. “Alright, Fluttershy, I wish to know this information because... I wish to get Rainbow to go on a date with me and I intend to first win her heart by showing her how much she means to me... which I've found is actually quite a lot.” The information that Fluttershy had just received was the absolute last thing she had expected from Rarity; she and Rarity had previously spent their spa date talking about various things, like whatever stallion Rarity had her eye on, or... dresses; pretty much one of those two things. But that Rarity was now interested in Rainbow Dash romantically? It was unexpected. Fluttershy usually just sat there to listen and comment on whatever Rarity was talking about; but to hear that Rarity is now after Rainbow Dash, her long-time friend... she didn't know what to think. “So... you plan to shower her in romantic gifts to win her heart?” “Yes, among other things, she will definitely receive a fair amount of gifts; flowers might seem like a cliché... but then again, the classics are always good...” It all still seemed strange to Fluttershy, but she supposed that Rainbow Dash did have a fair amount of qualities that she knew Rarity found desirable; of course, she wasn't sure that Rainbow would appreciate certain things that Rarity liked; flowers being around the top of that list. “...Oh! And I was also planning on writing her a song and I figured it should be something soothing; like possibly I could compose a song on the piano for her. Or I could write a song and get the Pony Tones to sing it!! It'll be great! My, I have such good ideas!” “Oh, um, yes; I suppose that could work...” “Of course it'll work; anyways, anything new with you?” The spa date continued with small talk for about an hour or so after that, at which point the two friends parted ways. Fluttershy to go back to her cottage and Rarity for a friendly visit to her dear, dear friend, with whom she never, ever argued. A visit for absolutely no reason (or so she'd tell Applejack). Walking to Sweet Apple Acres, with the clear sky overhead, Rarity took note of the gathered information for her plan: Well, all I really got from Fluttershy is that I should write a song for the Pony Tones to perform... while that's a good idea, its still not enough. I hope Applejack has something I can use, although getting it from her may be... problematic. Eventually she started down the dirt path to the Apple Family's house; she thought it was a shame to walk on the dirt right after a hooficure, but she felt it was for a good cause. The things she did for Rainbow that she would never even know about... her poor hoofs were really the unsung heroes in all of this. Walking to the house, she allowed her mind to wander to other things... of course they always seemed to wander back to Rainbow Dash. I really must get those gala dresses made soon... even with all of this going on, I still have a business to run. Maybe Rainbow needs a new dress, though... I mean, I doubt she would want to go to the Grand Galloping Gala again... also, I suppose I may be tempted to make it a bit more... racy now that I realize I find her attractive... But, in any case, it may get me in a mood to finish those other dresses... though if I make one for her- Part way to the house, Applejack, who was working in the orchard, saw her and called her over. “Howdy, Rarity; it's mighty nice to see you here, what brings you to the orchard?” “Ah, Applejack; what a coincidence. I was just out here for a nice, relaxing stroll. Nothing weird about that, wouldn't you say?” “Uhh, Ah guess...” “Quite, now that that's cleared and you're here; I'd like to ask you about one of our mutual friends.” “Alrighty then.” “Ok, I would like to know what kind of flowers Rainbow Dash likes; you grow flowers here on your farm, surely you... just what is so funny?” At the mention of Rainbow Dash and flowers Applejack burst into laughter. “Heh heh... its just that *snort* you said 'Rainbow Dash' and 'flowers' in the same sentence. Ya know, as if she buys flowers from me.” Rarity was in no mood for Applejack's uncouthy... ness. “Applejack, I insist that you start making sense; where else would she get flowers to decorate her house or put in her hair?” This just made Applejack laugh harder. “Bah-hahaa!! Flowers! And the... *snort* in her hair... hehe.” “Applejack, this is serious; I absolutely must know!” Seeing that Rarity was serious, she resisted the urge to laugh even harder in order to reply. “Uhh, why d'ya need to know? Hehe, you planin on buyin her a bouquet to show her how pretty you think she is? ...hehe.” Applejack was, of course, joking. Rarity knew this; however, it did not stop her face from blushing, nor did it stop her from having a short internal panic attack... all of which Applejack definitely noticed. “Uhh... Rarity? Is that actually what ya'd do?” Composing herself, Rarity replied with elegance and grace, as always. “I-I... what? Why would I want to d-do that? You know, I don't have time for all of your... your rudeness, right now, Applejack. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go... make dresses. Good day, Applejack.” “Really, though? Is tha-” “I said good day!” Leaving in a hurry, Rarity didn't really see how that could have gone worse; Applejack was now very suspicious of her behavior and would probably follow up by asking one of their other friends about her unusual behavior. Still back where she and Rarity had talked, Applejack said to herself, “Well, this ought to be interesting; I wonder if Twilight knows anything about this...” Well this day has pretty much gone downhill since Twilight's... well, in regards to my planning at least... hopefully my visit with Pinkie Pie will be a nice, informative, non-disastrous one. Yes, I'm sure that will happen... Walking into Sugar Cube Corner, Rarity saw Pinkie Pie sitting alone at a table. Ok, this is great; I'll go over there, ask my questions, and go back home to plan my course of action. Then, I will put it into action tomorrow! Cause that's what I do; I am a mare of action! Approaching the table, Pinkie Pie looked at Rarity and her ever present smile grew wider. “Oh! Hiya, Rarity! Want a cupcake!?!” “Err, no thanks, darling; I actually came here to ask you about some things pertaining to Rainbow Dash. Seeing as how you plan all of her parties, I figured you might know.” “Oooo, that sounds fun, but I figured you would be making dresses for that gala order thingy you have.” “Oh, yes; I still need to do that, but... I kind of got sidetracked; you see, I can't seem to stop thinking about... something. And I was hoping you might be able to help me with... something.” Shrugging, Pinkie Pie replied, “Oh, alright.” “Ok, well. This absolutely must be kept a secret, Pinkie Pie; I need you to Pinkie Promise that you will never speak of this to anypony... ever.” “Okey dokey lokey.” Pinkie Pie said, while doing the motions for a Pinkie Promise. “OK, so... ahem. I was thinking while I was making those dresses you mentioned and, well... it turns out that I may have... well...” Rarity whispered, “I have a crush on Rainbow Dash.” Also whispering, Pinkie Pie said, “Go on...” Sucking in a breath and exhaling slowly, Rarity replied, “I need to find out what kinds of things she likes so that I can woo her and get her to go on a date with me.” Pinkie Pie's smile somehow grew even wider at this and she started bouncing up and down, despite not actually moving any of her limbs. Sweet Celestia, What have I done? “WOWSIE, that's just... soooo super-de-duper, I bet you'll want some sort of party for when she says yes and then... then... THIS WILL BE SO MUCH FUN!!!” “What's gonna be fun Pinks?” Aaaand now Rainbow Dash is right behind me... well this could have gone better... “OH, RAINBOW DASH, me and Rarity were just talking about stuff, it was super fun; wanna join us?” **Much* better.* “Err, I guess so. What were you two talking about that was 'so much fun?'” “Oh, I can't tell you...” Looking around to make sure the coast was clear, Pinkie whispered, “It's a secret.” “Sooooo, you're not gonna tell me?” Pinkie Pie shook her head. Turning to Rarity, Rainbow asks, “OK, what about you Rares; what were ya talking about?” Rarity, still thinking about her current situation and what to do, just stared blankly at Rainbow. “Rarity? Hello?” “Huh? What? Ahem; oh, yes, the uhhh... weather, that's it,” she said, giving Rainbow an unconvincing smile. “The weather is what's 'so fun' and 'a secret,' really?” Rarity just continued to smile awkwardly. Crap, oh crap, whatever am I to do? I've got to get out of here. “Rarity? Are uhhh, are you alright? You're sweating... a lot. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen you sweat.” Of course, dresses! They've never let me down! “DRESSES.” Rainbow looked at her, confused, “Wha-” “I NEED TO GO MAKE DRESSES.” Galloping out of Sugar Cube Corner, Rarity made her way back home with what little information she managed to glean; however small of an amount it was, it would have to do. Ugh, what a stressful day... well, except for the spa, I suppose. In any case, it is time to plan out everything I'm going to do and to think of when the perfect time to reveal myself and ask her out is... or will be. Oh, and the perfect way to do so. Retiring to her inspiration room to plan for tomorrow, Rarity spent the rest of the day (and most of the night) brainstorming and planning. Tomorrow was the day her plan would go into action, so it had to be ready. Rarity Begins Her Super Well Thought Out, Not Convoluted PlanHmmm... yes, that will be just perfect. Sitting in her boutique, Rarity had just finished devising the final part of her secret-to-most-ponies plan. Flicking the switch on the lamp illuminating the room she was in, she decided to retire to her bedroom earlier than normal so she would have enough energy for the coming days. Walking to her bedroom, she couldn't help but get excited for what she was about to do the next day. Oh, this will be just grand! I never thought that doing romantic things for other ponies would be almost as much fun as having them done for you! I just hope that Dash will like them... oh, who are you kidding, Rarity? Of course she will!!! Setting her alarm clock to get just the right amount of sleep, she climbed into her bed to slumber. Knowing when Rainbow worked on this day was essential to Rarity's plan; Rainbow had to get up earlier than normal to clear the clouds, she had heard from various sources that today she would be awake at 8 am as opposed to her normal 12 pm. This game Rarity a fairly clear time to expect the pegasus back home; generally, Rainbow would start at 12 and be done at about 3, doing what took most pegasus about twice as long. Today, she had to get up at 8 am, though, meaning that she would be back at about 11 am. She would set up her first surprise for when she came back home to nap; having to get up early was likely not something Dash enjoyed, so what better way to cheer somepony up than to leave a nice bouquet of flowers at her door? Granted, this wasn't the most original idea Rarity had ever had, but she figured that she needed to start somewhere. Waking up at 6 to provide ample time to style her mane, Rarity stretched her legs, yawned, and climbed out of bed feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. “Mmmm, nothing like a good night's sleep before an exciting day, right Opal?” Opal just stared at her and licked her own paw. “Why yes, this is the day that I begin to woo Rainbow Dash. Can you just imagine how excited she'll be when she sees that bouquet on her doorstep?” Opal replied by standing up, stretching, then laying back down in a slightly different position. Rarity was happy for her enthusiasm and support and went back to finishing her morning routines. Alright, that went according to plan; flowers are set at Dash's house. Now I just need to pay Twilight a visit to inform her of her part of my plan. Stopping in front of Twilight's castle, Rarity knocked on the door three times, like she always did (it's important for a lady to be consistent). After a couple of seconds, Twilight answered to door. “Oh, Rarity, what brings you-” “Twilight, I must speak with you and time is essential; if I am not quick enough, there could be some complications in my plan.” Twilight was slightly confused by her strange behavior; it was unlike Rarity to interrupt somepony in such a manner. “Ummm... ok? Come in then, I guess.” “Thank you, Twilight.” Walking to Twilight's kitchen area, Rarity sat down where they had had their discussion the other day and beckoned Twilight to sit. Then, after taking a rather long breath, she said: “So, I want to talk to you about Rainbow; you see, the way I see it, talking to her friends is going to be the first thing she will do when she finds out that she has a secret admirer. But which friend will she confide in? Obviously not Applejack or Pinkie Pie; Applejack, the ruffian that she is, would probably mock her, whereas Pinkie would try to throw her a party. Fluttershy would be too embarrassed to talk about it... so that leaves you or me... it only makes sense that she would go to me for this sort of thing...” “Yeah... sure she would.” “...but I am not home at the moment. So... that leaves you, Twilight. I just wanted to let you know that she will probably be by any minute now; it would be nice, dear, if you could calm her down, since she is no doubt excited, and talk to her about it.” Twilight looked at Rarity cautiously, “So... you would like me to convince Rainbow to go out with you.” “Well... if you think you could....no, I should stick to my plan. I just want you to calm her down and... well... do you remember when I first started dating Thunderlane, how excited I was and how we talked about it for hours after he asked me out?” “Yes, but what does that have to do with-” “Well, I would imagine it'll be a lot like that.” At that, Twilight gave her a look of surprise and bewilderment, “...It'll be like that? How much time have you spent with Rainbow Dash?” “Well... I've invited her over on several occasions for tea... I also invited her shopping in Manehatten once...” “And?” “...she said she was busy; just because she is a busy mare does not mean she will not be excited about finding out she has a secret admirer; I do not appreciate your lack of enthusiasm, Twilight, this is an exciting time for Rainbow and me.” With that, Rarity turned her head up and away and gave Twilight her best offended pose. “Really, Rarity? Don't I get a say in this? You can't just show up and spring this on me with no warning.” “No warning? This is the warning! If I didn't tell you right now you would just find out from Rainbow in a couple of minutes. And I figured you would be happy to help a friend like me or Rainbow...” Twilight, clearly frustrated with the situation, massaged her nose with her hoof for several seconds before replying, “Rarity, I don't feel comfortable with this; what if Rainbow is... unreceptive in regards to your surprises?” After giggling for a second at Twilight's question, which couldn't possibly happen, Rarity started to worry that this may have been taking too long. “Oh, you worry too much... and... well... I'd hate to do this, but there's little else I can do. You Pinkie Promised not to tell anypony when we first talked... and you cannot just turn Rainbow away... so...” Seeing Rarity's point, Twilight admitted defeat with a sigh. “Yes, well; to be honest, I just assumed you would help me with this, Twilight. That may have been wrong of me, buuut, well...” Several loud knocks echoed through the castle, startling the mares, followed by a panicking pegasus's yells. “Twilight, it's Rainbow; open up, it's an emergency!” Now knowing that this talk took too long, Rarity acted on her contingency plan. “Soooo, does this castle have a back door, or something?” Twilight's horn lit up and a nearby window on a wall opened. “There you go.” “Twilight, darling, that is a window.” “Oh, really?” Walking to the window, Rarity stared to carefully climb out of it so that she could use the vines on the wall to safely get down the two or so meters the window was off the ground. “Hmpf, well then; I suppose it'll do. Thank you for your help Twili-aaahhh.” Rarity got about halfway out of the window before Twilight's horn lit up again to push her out the rest of the way. Twilight teleported to the door and opened it to an extremely frantic and paranoid looking Rainbow Dash, who was looking around with jerky motions in an attempt to see if anypony was watching her. Twilight just looked at her and said flatly, “Rainbow, what a surprise; is there some-” “Twilight! You're not gonna believe this... pony feathers, this is bad, Twi; really bad.” Rainbow pushed Twilight out of the way and galloped inside; Twilight just sighed at her friend's behavior. “Oh, I'm sure I won't... But don't you think you might be overreacting just a bit?” “No! I am not; somepony could have seen it!! I'd be ruined, I tell ya; ruined!” Once again sighing, Twilight replied, “Alright then, just tell me what happened.” “Ok... brace yourself, in fact, you might wanna sit down for this: It started just like a normal day; everything was just like always... but then...” Rainbow shuddered, “I got home... and... and...” “And what?” “There... on my door step...” Rainbow paused (for dramatic effect) “flowers, Twi; somepony left me flowers!” If this is how she reacts to flowers, I can't imagine what she'll do with whatever else Rarity has planned. Twilight thought, Well, I suppose I should try to calm her down... “Rainbow, this isn't that big of a deal; it's not like-” “What do you mean not a big deal?! What if somepony saw? What if they took pictures?!? I'd lose my daredevil license! I'd become the laughing stock of the weather team! The Wonderbolts would probably discharge me! I'm sure they have some sort of no flowers policy or something... I'd never-” “Rainbow! You're overreacting!” Twilight yelled to stop her ranting, “None of those things are going to happen, it just means that- wait... is a daredevil license actually a thing? Who issues such a certificate? You know, never mind. All the flowers mean is that somepony is interested in you, Rainbow.” Rainbow just looked at her like she was stupid, “Uhh, yeah, Twi... like, how'd ya figure that one out, read it in a book?” Twilight's eye started twitching as she looked at Rainbow, “You know, I'm done...” She said; then, in a louder tone, “Done with both of you!” Rainbow just snickered, “Done with what? Both of- yaahhh” Not having to worry about injuring Rainbow, since she can break solid rock with her face, Twilight flung her friend out of the window. “You know, I'm done...” Twilight said; then, in a louder tone, “Done with both of you!” Noticing Twilight's aura on the window, Rarity quickly started to climb down the vines on the wall. She barely made it out of the way in time before a rainbow blur flew out of the window. Gasp; she threw my pretty, prismatic pony out of a window; my Rainbow Dash! Oh, what if she falls and... Rarity saw Rainbow right herself and then fly away. Oh... right, she can fly. Since Rainbow was no long talking to Twilight, Rarity decided it was an opportune time to go to the weather office and set up the next part of her plan. Lets see here... who is in charge of clouds tomorrow afternoon? I know Rainbow works early tomorrow, so it's not her...who else? Oh well, I'll ask when I get there; but first, I need to grab some things from home. Rarity went back to Carousel Boutique to dawn some unique attire; she would have to do this aponymously, so she would need to use a special gift she had gotten for when she wanted to avoid attention... safe to say, she didn't use it often... or really at all. It was a slow day at the weather office; most of the work happened in the morning, after all; so nothing except paperwork really happened in the evening. An equine shaped being in a cloak stepped through the door and looked around for a moment. It seemed to glide silently across the floor and it was impossible to see any features of the creature under the mantle, save for it's shape. The receptionist at the weather office looked up briefly before looking back down at her magazine. The cloaked being strode over to the desk and cleared it's throat. “Ahem, can I speak to whoever is in charge of clouds tomorrow afternoon?” It said in an unrecognizable, yet clearly female voice. The receptionist looked up from her magazine and raised an eyebrow, “Maybe... what is it you need, miss?” “Oh, no; I wish to remain anonymous... can you just point me to where ever he or she is?” “I... I suppose so; you want Cloudchaser.” Letting out a short groan, Rarity quietly said to herself, “Of course it's her...” “Her office is back 3 doors on the left; I'll let her know you're coming.” Rarity walked down the hallway towards the room she was directed to. “Hmmm, that was easy... a little too easy...” Earlier that day... Cloudchaser felt good about today... felt like something big was gonna happen for her. It was usually a feeling reserved for times she knew she was gonna get laid, so she would have to do whatever it took to make sure whatever was supposed to happen, would happen. Unfortunately, she was stuck at work all evening long, in the very building she was now walking into. “You... uhh, receptionist-” “It's Carol.” “Whatever; if any strange mares come looking for me, send them directly into my office immediately.” The receptionist just stared at her blankly for a couple of seconds. “Err... alright... is there a reason why?” “What? Oh, nah. That just what I'm into.” “...Right.” Walking up to the door she was directed to, Rarity knocked on it three times. “Come on in.” was the reply she got. Walking into the room, she saw Cloudchaser sitting at her desk, filling out some sort of form before she looked up to greet the new arrival. “Hey, score; I thought she was kidding, but... wait... Rarity? Boom! Double score! I knew that-” “Huh- What?!” Rarity shrieked, “How did...how did you know who I was?!?” Cloudchaser just gave her a smug look, “Uhh, duh; I stare at your flank, like, every time that I see you, that cloak doesn't hide it's shape, you know.” Removing the hood of her cloak to reveal a strained smile and twitching eye, Rarity sighed. “Yes... well...” she said, “Look, I need your help, but I need you to never tell anypony about this... ever.” “Hmm, I see... yes...” Rarity stared blankly at Cloudchaser, waiting for her to continue, before saying. “So... will you hear what I have to say?” “What? Oh, I was just thinking of what you could do for this favor you're asking from me... but go ahead.” Groaning, Rarity reached a hoof into her cloak, “Don't worry, I've already got something in mind.” At that, Cloudchaser wiggled her eyebrows flirtatiously and leaned back on her chair with her forehoofs behind her head, “Oh?” Rarity rolled her eyes before she pulled out a large brown bag and threw it on the desk. “There's five hundred bits for the favor and-” Pulling out a smaller bag, she added, “fifty for your silence on the matter... and to forget you saw me here.” Cloudchaser seemed to start choking on something, coughing wildly. “Sweet Celestia!!! That's more than I make in a month! How much money do you make!?!” Rarity stood on her back legs and put her forehoofs on the desk, leaning closer to cloudchaser; in a quiet voice, she said, “Enough; now then, here's what I need you to do...” Sleeping is great... sleeping on a cloud is even better. Sleeping on a cloud after being forced to wake up early to clear the sky of clouds is the best. Especially if you don't have an overly bouncy pink pony yelling your name. “Rainbow Da~ash!” Tossing and turning on her cloud, Rainbow tried her best to ignore the unignorable. “Mmm, uhh... huh? Wha?” Now practically screaming, Pinkie Pie once again yelled, “Rainbow Dash!!!” Clearly irritated, Rainbow looked down at her Pink friend. “Ugh, what, Pinkie Pie?!” “Oh, you're awake! I think somepony is trying to get your attention...” Unamused at Pinkie's antics, Rainbow snapped back, “Oh really? Is it you?” “Nopey-dopey! Well... Yep-a-roony! But not as much as whoever did that.” Pinkie Pie pointed to the sky behind Rainbow Dash and smiled brightly. Turning around, Rainbow saw what she was talking about: a message written with clouds for everypony to see and surrounded by heart shaped clouds of varying sizes. “'Rainbow Dash, my love for you grows stronger by the minute and your beauty and elegance brightens everypony's day...' well then... it sounds like you've made an impression on somepony, Dashie.” Rainbow gawked at it for a few seconds before she took off for Twilight's to speak to her about the new development. Earlier that day... “So that's what you want it to say, eh, Rarity?” “Ya-huh, do you think you can do that? And she'll be taking a nap when she's done with her shift, so start then.” “Hmm... it's a bit long, don't you think? “Yes, well; I can request it to be five hundred bits long if I please... especially since I could just inform the mayor of our... transaction.” Rarity had, of course, already bribed the mayor; so it was an empty threat. “Long is good!! Nothing wrong with long; I love it long...” Cloudchaser wiggled her eyebrows once more. “I... I just... never mind... I'm leaving.” Wooing with the Wonferbolts and AJ Torments Rarity... Part One“Ah know ur lying... Rarity was actin awful strange last Ah saw her” “What? No I'm not, I never lie... Spike, I never lie, right?” Twilight looked at Spike expectantly while Applejack rolled her eyes, she was hoping that she could learn why Rarity was acting so starngly on her visit to Sweet Apple Acres. Spike, caught in the middle while re-shelving the library, looked nervously between the two mares. “Uhh... well-” *Bang Bang Bang* “That's the door! And it sounds pretty important, so I'll just leave you two alone.” Happy for the escape from the arguing friends, Spike made his way to the door. Opening the door, there was an extremely distraught pegasus on the other side. “Heya, Rainbow-” “Notime. NeedtofindTwilight!” Was the rushed response he got as he was knocked to the side, into a nearby closet. “Yes, Applejack, I happen to be very trustworthy! See these wings? Yeah, princess.” “Now that don't mean-” The door to the library room burst open, knocking down some of the stacks of books Spike was re-shelving. “Twilight!! It's worse than before!” Twilight and Applejack looked at her, startled, for a second before Twilight just groaned and face hoofed, “Stop being so dramatic, Rainbow; I'm sure whatever she did can't be that bad.” “No, this is much worse! So, so much worse... just... just look for yourself.” Rainbow pointed out a window high on the wall as she hovered up to it. Taking a quick glance at Applejack, Twilight saw her smirking in victory. Why is she making that face? Wait... I said '...whatever *she** did'!! ...Eh, I guess Rarity will likely get an unexpected visitor today...* She looked back at Rainbow. And at least Rainbow didn't seem to notice. Flying up to the window, Twilight attempted to calm Rainbow down... again. “Will you just stop overreacting, and I don't know what you expect me to see out the- ...Wow... that's... kind of impressive, actually...” Seeing what Rarity had done, Twilight was a bit shocked at the lengths she would go to to impress Rainbow. “Impressive, Twilight, really?!? Impressive how whoever is doing this is totally ruining my image, maybe; but why would anypony do this?!” “Rainbow, we already went over why; I told you it's because...” Ignoring her now arguing friends, Applejack decided to go pay Rarity a visit. Seeing that the two winged ponies in the room weren't really paying her much attention anymore, she let herself out with a quick farewell. “Well, Ah'm gonna head out now; see ya later, Twi. RD.” Alright then. I would say my cloud message went pretty well. So what next? Well, what makes something romantic? I just need to ask myself, “Rarity, what would you think is romantic?” I suppose if I did something somewhere that has a large amount of ponies that can see it happen, it would make it more romantic. Really, the more ponies that see a romantic gesture, the more romantic it is... Sitting at her kitchen table, she took a sip of wine to help her relax. Ok... where could I get Rainbow to go where there are a lot of ponies? Hmm... Well... there is a Wonderbolt Derby coming up pretty soon, isn't there? I'm sure I could get tickets to that if I called in a few favors. Of course I can't go with her to it, though... that would be too suspicious, and I don't want to reveal myself yet. Twilight getting tickets would be believable, with her being a princess and all... I can give them to her and she can invite Rainbow. Then, while they're there- The door chime snapped her out of her thoughts, signaling a potential customer, so she walked out of the kitchen to greet him or her. “Hello there, welcome to Rarity's Boutique, where every-” Seeing who the visitor was, she cut her usual greeting short, “Applejack? Why, hello; to what do I own the pleasure?” Applejack looked at Rarity for a few seconds, trying to gauge the unicorn's reaction to her being there. “Oh, nothin much, Rarity; just thought Ah'd stop by fer a nice, friendly chat.” Well... something strange is happening here. Applejack is here to chat. Applejack, who usually avoids my boutique like some horrible disease, has taken time to come here and chat. Rarity gave her an unconvincing smile, “Oh... yes, of course; that sounds delightful, darling. I'll go make some tea.” “Alright, sounds good.” Trotting back into the kitchen, Rarity tried to analyze the situation she found herself in: On one hand, Applejack could simply want to chat. On the other, she could still be suspicious from her... unsuccessful trip to Applejack's farm and want to know why she was asking those questions about Rainbow Dash. Well, no sense jumping to conclusions. Applejack followed Rarity into the kitchen and sat at the table. Eventually, Rarity brought two cups of tea to the table and sat down herself. “So, Applejack, what is it you wanted to talk about?” “Oh... not much... Ah just wanted to talk about Rainbow Dash...” With that, Applejack watched Rarity's reaction carefully, but Rarity saw that coming so she was prepared and didn't really give anything away. “I see... yes, I heard she has had an interesting couple of days.” Rarity replied with a chuckle. “Yeah... Ah'll say... well I really wanted to ask you something about her.” Still remaining calm, Rarity took a sip of her tea, “Oh? And what would that be?” Applejack smirked a bit before saying, “Isn't her mane just great? Ah mean, wouldn't ya jus' love ta style it?” That started an intense debate in Rarity's mind. Ok, this is clearly some sort of trap... Applejack talking about someponies mane? Never... unless she finally wants suggestions for her mane!!! Wait, Rarity, stop; this is exactly what she wants you to do... But then again, Rainbow's mane is simply marvelous! All of those colors! No! I can't give in! It's what she wants me to do! I must fight... think of something unfashionable: Ugh, leg warmers... fanny packs... I... I... can't resist... Applejack just sat there patiently while waiting for her to reply. Eventually, Rarity's face lit up as she started talking about her passion for fashion. “Oh my word, yes; her mane is just gorgeous! All of those colors, it really is a shame that she doesn't style it.” “Yeah, an' don't ya think her wings look nice, too? With how well she cares fer them an' all?” “Absolutely, such nice wings are a beauty in themselves; why, if she wore the right dress, it would extenuate them exquisitely and they would look perfect!” “Ah bet; an' what about her figure? With how much she works out, Ah'm sure she'd look great in one of yer dresses.” “Yes, with how lean she is, I am sure she would turn quite a few heads; I mean, she has such an attractive body, I'm sure many ponies would find her irresistible...” Seeing that Rarity was lost in her own little fashion world, Applejack decided it was the perfect time to strike. “And her flank, of course...” “Oh, don't even get me started, Applejack; I can barely stop myself from thinking about it most... of... the...” Rarity's face turned a shade of red as a look of horror and embarrassment became apparent on her face. “...time. Huh.” Applejack held a smug look on her face and a twinkling in her eyes. “You wouldn't by any chance just be a figment of my imagination, would you?” Applejack just raised an eyebrow at the question, before... “Pfffftttt....Bahahaha....” Rarity sighed as Applejack fell to the floor clutching her sides and laughing. “It's not that funny, you know... and stop laying on my floor, it's... unsanitary.” Applejack stopped laughing for a second to look at Rarity, before starting back up. “Not funny? Heheh, sure it ain't, Rare...” *snort* Rarity sighed again “So what do you intend to do now, Applejack? There is no longer any use in hiding my feelings for Rainbow from you... I suppose now you'll probably tell her who was behind all of her gifts now.” Mostly finished laughing, Applejack looked at Rarity with surprise. “Tell her? Are ya crazy? This is hilarious! Besides makin fun of you and Rainbow, nothin's gonna change. Well... Ah guess Ah already make fun of Rainbow, so besides makin fun of you, nothin's gonna change.” Once again sighing, Rarity figured she should make the best of her predicament and get the highest possible chance of Applejack keeping her mouth shut. “Well, I suppose I should be somewhat relieved... although, your track record for keeping secrets is not all that good, you know.” Applejack stopped laughing and gave Rarity an insulted look, “But... what? Of all the... I can't even...” “Shush, Applejack, you're much too honest to keep a secret very well, not that that's totally a bad thing... But, we all know it, so I am going to need you to Pinkie Promise you will try your best to not tell anypony about this conversation... ever.” Applejack tapped her hoof to her chin a few times. “Hmm... well... Ah suppose... but on one... no, two conditions.” Holding an extremely strained smile, Rarity could see she had very little choice at this point. “If you must, what are they?” “Well, Ah need help on the farm tomorrow, so Ah need ya to come help a bit.” Rarity gasped audibly at that ludicrous demand; her, working on a farm?! She would need to spend hours in a mud bath to get rid of all of that mud she would get on her coat! Alas, she had no choice. “Ok... what else?” “Ah get to tell all of our friends about the conversation we just had... after ya tell Rainbow about yer feelings fer her.” Rarity's strained smile broke for a moment back into a look of horror before being recovered. ”Deal.” She then replied through gritted teeth. Applejack proceeded to Pinkie Promise while Rarity sat there hoping for the best. “Well, Rarity; it's been nice talkin to ya, but Ah gotta get back to the farm.” Rarity bid her farewell and went to send a letter to Canterlot to call in a few favors. Stupid Twilight, refusing to help me... “Oh, you're overreacting, Rainbow!” Overreacting my hoof! Somepony must know, though... Stupid Cloudchaser was in charge of the clouds yesterday; she was the one that did that! Well... I doubt it was from her, she usually more... direct. But I'll bet she knows something! With a new destination in mind, Rainbow Dash altered her course towards the weather office. Once there, she made her way to Cloudchaser's office and bucked the door open. Cloudchaser's door slammed open with bang, causing her to yelp. “The buck!?! Dash, what the buck?” Rainbow flew up to her face and glared at her. “Anything you wanna tell me about, Cloudchaser?” “Hmm? Not really... I mean, it was basically just a normal day.” “...” “...Ohh, you mean the clouds!” “Yes, I mean the clouds! Why would you do that? Who asked you to do that?!?” Cloudchaser looked at Rainbow incredulously before chuckling. “Heh... you don't even know? Oh, you are one lucky mare, Rainbow Dash... I mean, I can't tell you who because, well... they gave me a lot of money not to, but to have somepony that looks like that do something like this for you, just... wow.” “Ugh... aren't you afraid of losing your job? How about I just tell Mayor Mare what you did? ...Unless you tell me who put you up to this, of course...” Dash, still hovering, smirked at her, thinking she had her. Cloudchaser just smiled back. “Mayor Mare? Nah, she's cool... in fact, I'm pretty sure she was in on it. Told me I did a good job and everything.” Rainbow fell to the floor with a look of disbelief before groaning. “Well, I'm doomed...” Rarity trotted to Twilight's castle with a spring in her step; the next part of her plan was coming together! All that she had to do now was get Twilight to take with Rainbow to the derby, which didn't sound all that hard. *Knock knock knock* Sitting at the door waiting, Rarity thought she heard a faint sound that sounded a little bit like Twilight yelling. “Spiiiike!!! If that's Rarity or Rainbow, tell them I'm not home.” After a couple of seconds, Spike answered the door. “Oh... uh, hey Rarity...” “Well hello there, Spikey-wikey; may I speak with Twilight?” Rarity said with a flip of her mane. “Ehh... heheh. She's not here right now...” Rarity fluttered her eyelashes at him. Spike pointed down the hallway. “She's in the library.” Rarity trotted into the library (which was quite big) and yelled to find Twilight. “Twilight!!! Where are you? I have a surprise!” Twilight looked out from an aisle and gave Rarity a chastising look and shushed her before whispering, “Rarity, this is a library; be quiet.” “Hmm? There's nopony else here, dear.” Twilight groaned softly and once again whispered, “What do you need now, Rarity?” “Well, I was sitting at home yesterday and I thought to myself: 'Rarity, you really should do something to apologize to Twilight'... you've helped me a great deal and I feel terrible for forcing everything on you without first asking, so I thought I would give you something to show my appreciation.” Rarity replied rather loudly while flashing Twilight a smile. Twilight looked at Rarity flatly as the fashionista levitated two tickets in front herself. “They're tickets to the Wonderbolts derby this weekend! There are two, of course, so you can invite one of your friends to go along... you know...” Rarity twirled her hoof in the air, “...in case you have a friend who likes the Wonderbolts....” Twilight, who was not amused, looked at Rarity before replying thickly with sarcasm. “Yeah, I think I'll invite Cadance; she loves the Wonderbolts.” Rarity chuckled dismissively, “Eheheh; Twilight, really. I'm sure our friend Rainbow would love to go more than anypony else.” “And let me guess... you set up some sort of surprise for her there, so I'm supposed to act like I know nothing about it when it happens.” “We~ell... perhaps. It is a surprise, though; so I can't ruin it... that is, if I do indeed have something planned." Rarity said with an innocent smile, "And remember, you and Rainbow should have a good time... just not too good of a time.” Twilight rolled her eyes. Rarity pondered something for a moment. “And don't sit too close to her... or look at her too much.” Twilight face hoofed Rarity pondered something once more. “And don't do that thing with-” Rarity found herself teleported in front of the castle door before yelling, “You're welcome, Twilight!!!” With that out of the way, she went back to her boutique to add a few more finishing touches to her plan. Stupid Rarity... “Oh, Twilight; I need you to do this for me. What's that? You don't want to? Too bad.” I'll show her... I'll invite somepony else! Yeah! Although, I honestly can't even think of anypony else who might want to go... Eh, whatever. Twilight landed on the cloud doorstep on Rainbow's cloud house and knocked on the cloud door. “...” Stupid clouds. “RAINBOW DASH!!! ARE YOU HOME?” Twilight heard a yell from inside. “YEAH,WHAT IS IT?” “I HAVE TICKETS TO THE WONDERBOLTS DERBY THIS WEEKEND!” “YOU HAVE WHAT?” For the love of... “TICKETS!!! TO THE WONDERBOLTS DERBY!!!” “...” “...” “WHAT?” Twilight hoofed again, “Sweet Celestia... what does Rarity see in her? ...COME OUT HERE!” “UGH, FIIINE.” The cloud door opened and Rainbow Dash leaned nonchalantly on the cloud door frame. “So... What's up?” Twilight levitated the tickets in front of her. “Tickets. Wonderbolts derby. This weekend.” she said in a flat voice. Rainbow's eyes widened and twinkled as she fangirl squealed, “Ohmygosh! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!” “You're wel-” Rainbow launched herself into Twilight and picked her up in a hug, doing multiple flips... “Wahhhh!! ...Oof” Before dropping her unceremoniously back on the cloud doorstep and continuing to do more complex stunts while holding the tickets. “Sheesh, you're welcome...”
Well, I suppose I could try itHmmm, no; that will never do... Rarity stood alone in the light of her inspiration room's lamp; she had a rather large order from Canterlot to finish with the Grand Galloping Gala coming up next month. No... not that either; it needs to be just perfect for this order. Working endlessly since she awoke the previous morning, the unicorn was trying to get every last detail perfect for the dresses that were in progress before she headed to bed. Eventually, after becoming half way satisfied with the results, she decided it was time to hit the hay (not literally, of course, that would be uncouth). I've worked all day long on this order, but I cannot seem to get it right. Rarity thought to herself, Perhaps it is time for a break from this; maybe it will be easier in after a nice sleep. Walking from her inspiration room, she decided a cup of tea was in order. Heading to the kitchen, allowing herself to daydream, she thought: This has all gotten so... drab. Perhaps I need something to give me inspiration for what these new dresses should look like. Maybe I should see if any of my friends have any ideas; Fluttershy could maybe help, since she's so good at making them. Oh, wouldn't it be nice if I could have somepony here to talk it over with; although, at this hour they'd probably have to live here... and well, probably be my special somepony to be willing to put up with me waking them now. And I know how well I do in the department of special somepoines... Walking into the kitchen, she was snapped away from her thoughts; momentarily forgetting why she was there, she then filled her tea kettle and turned the stove on. Settling down to wait for the water to boil, she resumed her thoughts. Thunderlane, gah; That was a disaster; we dated for less than two weeks and suddenly he thinks I'm “too controlling.” As if. Big Mac: Applejack wasn't too happy about that, but she wasn't mad for long; it can't be *my** fault if he just can't pick up after himself. I mean, honestly; it's as if he was raised on a... a... farm! Wait... oh, whatever. Then there's Blueblood...* the thought made her shiver; and not in a good way. He was just... no words can describe him. Although, I guess one night can't really be considered dating, but after the way he treated me... I was just so angry with him; I would swear I had steam blowing from my ears... in fact, I think I can hear it. Coming back to reality, the seamstress realized her kettle was whistling. She hastily levitated it off the stove and poured it into a waiting teacup and put the teabag into the boiling water. Well lets see, what would I want in my ideal stallion? Well, for starters, he needs to respect me; unlike that Blueblood pri... ahem, *ruffian*. And, what else? Oh, he needs to be brave; ready to leap into action to help if I'm in trouble... Strong to actually be able to protect me when he leaps into action, of course. He should also be tidy... but I suppose I could possibly do without that as long as he's not a complete slob... at first, at least. Maybe... He should have aspirations to do something grand. He should probably stop at nothing to achieve that goal; then he would understand my dressmaking and how much work I put into it. So lets recap: brave, strong, hopefully tidy, ambitious... what else? Oh! He should always support me and be loyal... wait a second, I think I know somepony like this. Brave, strong, ambitious, loyal... just then, her eyes wondered to a picture of her with all of her friends and one friend in particular stood out; specifically, one with a rainbow mane and a cyan coat. As this happened, her heartbeat suddenly sped up and a somewhat familiar heat entered her cheeks. Rainbow Dash? Wait... oh no. Realizing what this meant, she spewed her tea all over her table. Nononono, that can't be right; Rainbow is a great friend, but I like stallions; I'm not sure if you noticed this, me, but Rainbow is a mare. I know I just love stallions; you know, the way they're always so messy and... and... how they like to try to sleep with me right after the first date. Also, the way they LEAVE ME after less than a month EVERY. SINGLE. TIME... hmm... that didn't sound right. Well, me, perhaps I have been looking in the wrong place... let no one say I'm not open minded, and I know when I have some sort of romantic feeling when I have them... I could try it. I mean it is with a friend, so it should be fine... I mean sure it'll be extremely awkward if we break up or shes not into mares and could possibly destroy our friendship and strain my friendships with everypony else. Nothings ever simple is it? I really need some sleep. Yawning, Rarity decided it was best to get some shuteye. Deciding that she would clean the kettle up in the morning after the late night revelation, she headed upstairs to sleep and figure out what she wanted after a good night sleep. Rarity's slumber was a peaceful one; she hadn't slept like that for the last couple weeks with the gala coming up. It was harshly interrupted early in the morning, though, by a very worried filly. “RARITY, WHAT HAPPENED?!? WHAT'S WRONG???” Sweetie Belle yelled, bursting through the doorway to Rarity's bedroom. “AHHH!!! WHO...? WHERE? Huh? Sweetie??” Disoriented, and still rather tired from Sweetie's rude awakening, Rarity took a second to regain her bearings. Lifting her sleep mask and seeing her little sister in a distressed state she quickly started to worry, “Sweetie Belle, what in Equestria is the matter?” “Rarity!! What happened?? I though you got ponynapped or something!” Rarity gave Sweetie Belle a confused look. “Well... it's just that the kitchen's a mess; there's a dirty tea kettle on the table! You always clean up when you're done.” “Sweetie, I was just tired; everything is fine,” Rarity groggily (although still elegantly, as always) replied. “Let me go back to sleep.” “Oh, heheh... sorry.” Between being awakened by Sweetie about to head to school and having gone to sleep way too late, Rarity estimated that she had only gotten about four hours of sleep; definitely not an amount that would qualify as beauty sleep. Determined to always get her beauty sleep, Rarity tried to fall back asleep; but after being reminded of the tea kettle and what she was thinking about while drinking it, sleep eluded her. Ugh... why must you do this Rainbow Dash? I am trying to sleep; of course I can hardly blame her for me not being able to sleep... although I bet I could sleep better with her holding me, if the feeling I get while thinking about that is any indication. So I guess yes, then, I absolutely can blame her. Realizing that falling asleep was a lost cause, Rarity decided to do something productive. Awakening and washing up, she was ready roughly three hours later and in her inspiration room to continue her work on the gala dresses. After a couple of tries she was beginning to get frustrated. Hmmm... this will never do. It's much too dull. I know! If I just add this color... and this one, too. Oh! And this color... maaaaybe just one more. Great, now it's a rainbow... if I remember right this pony has a pink coat and this would look terrible. Guess I have to find something else to do since everything seems to be a rainbow today. Everything she tried to do always somehow ended with rainbows; realizing she could think of nothing else but Rainbow Dash, she decided that that was what she would have to work on. Well Rainbow Dash, you win; now what can I do to get her to go out with me? Lets see... what do I usually do? Well, I generally just sort of walk by stallions and look really, really, really pretty. I am awfully good at that. But then again, I've done that a lot around her and she has not once said anything about me or come close to asking me out like most stallions would. Hmmm, well perhaps I need to be the one to take the initiative. OK. Errr, how do I do this? Maybe if I... go and tell her she's pretty? That's not all that suave, is it? Maybe if I say something like “Did you make a tornado? Cause you just blew me away.” ...Wow, I think I need help. Realizing that she was not used to having to be the one wooing the mare, Rarity decided to ask her friends for help. But who would give the most useful information? Making breakfast, she thought about which of her friends she could ask for the best information; and better yet, it was only about 9 am, Rainbow would still be sleeping for at least another 3 hours; probably more. That meant she wouldn't get suspicious of Rarity visiting all of their friends for seemingly no reason. Going to Twilight would be a strong option; she would know how to research the subject and could give good, objective advice. She has also spent quite a bit of time with her, what with Rainbow training her how to fly. Pinkie Pie is another good option, since she probably spends the most time with Rainbow, doing Celestia knows what for their pranks. I know! I could prank her romantically, that couldn't possibly fail! I'll ask Twilight about that one later. Applejack? Oh my, no. She wouldn't mean to, but the entire town would know of my secret crush on Rainbow within a day; I swear, I *try** to spread rumors and I still can't get them to spread as fast as she can. Fluttershy might be good, though; she's known Dash for the longest and might know of some things that she might like. Well, then, it's decided; I shall consult with my friends today to see what they think about this situation.* Leaving her house and setting off for Twilight's castle, Rarity was in good spirits; she could gather information on how to woo Rainbow and then get help forming a foolproof plan to do so. Of course, though, nothing's ever simple, is it?
Of course! Rainbow Loves Romantic things!Setting off for Twilight's castle, Rarity enjoyed the scenery of the early-ish morning; ponies were about completing errands or enjoying a nice break from whatever work that they had. It was a nice, sunny day in Ponyville and Rarity noticed some key things: although it was scheduled to be a sunny, cloudless day, there were, in fact, still many clouds in the sky. This showed that Rainbow Dash had still not awoken for the day (or, at least, awoken until her midday nap). The sun was still in the east; making it roughly 9 am. Ok, that still leaves me about 2 hours until I need to meet up with Fluttershy at the spa; that should be ample time to visit Twilight and ask her about this Rainbow Dash business. Then that just leaves Pinkie Pie after the spa, since she will likely know something about what Rainbow would like. And... maybe I will ask Applejack; I can't tell her directly why I need to know, but, well... I'll figure something out. Arriving at Twilight's, Rarity knocked on the crystal doors and yelled to Twilight; the sound reverberating across the castle. “Twilight!!! It's Rarity, I need to talk to you!” Soon after, Twilight opened the door to greet her friend. “Hey, Rarity; it's nice to see you. What brings you here?” “Well... I feel the need to ask somepony for some advice on a certain subject; do you have some time to talk?” Smiling, Twilight replied, “Sure, Rarity; there's not much going on right now. Would you like some tea?” “That would be lovely.” “So, what kind of advice do you need? I'm sure there something I can do to help; and even if there's not, we can look in my new library! You've seen my new library, right? This castle is so big, so I just sorta merged a couple rooms together and bam! Library! Right now it only makes up about twenty percent of the castle; I wanted to make it bigger, but Celestia said I probably shouldn't... in any case, I still might if I run out of room for books.” Letting Twilight lead her to the kitchen, Rarity listened to her ramble about various things; she thought about just telling her about her feelings for Rainbow Dash just to get her to stop, but thought it better to just wait until everypony was nice and comfy with their tea. At last, reaching the kitchen, Twilight instantly brought some water to boil and made tea for the two of them. “So, Rarity, whats on your mind? I'm always happy to help.” “Well, Twilight; the advice I am here to ask you for is a little bit private...” Twilight nodded her head seriously, “OK, what's it about.” “It is of a... romantic nature. I need advice on how I can make somepony interested in me.” Twilight stared at her, confused. “Romantic nature? Rarity, why are you asking me about this? I'm sure you know more about this than me, how could I possibly help you?” Rarity inhaled slowly, before saying, “Well, you see... I, well... I am not sure how to get this pony's attention because I have never been interested in a pony like her before.” “Oh... oh. I see... well I would say that I don't see any reason why it should be any different from getting a stallion to notice you.” “Yes, I suppose that's true; however, I've been around her quite a lot and she doesn't seem to have shown an interest... I suppose I'm planning on making a move on her, you see. In the past, stallions have always made a move on me, so I suppose I'm just not sure how to do it.” Twilight, intent on helping her friend, listened to Rarity... intently, before replying, “OK, I think I can help; you've seemed to be the expert on things like this in the past, why not just think of what you would've liked done for you and do that for this mare you're interested in?” Rarity's eyes lit up; of course! That's what she would do! She knew everything about romance, there was no way a mare would be able to resist; she would just have to use her knowledge and experience on Rainbow Dash and there was no way she could say no. “Twilight! Of course! I don't know how I didn't think of that, but it's perfect. If there is anything you need, I am in your debt” “Don't worry about it, I was just trying to help... by the way, though; mind telling me who the lucky mare that you're after is?” Rarity arched an eyebrow at Twilight, “Why sure, I'm sorry, I thought I did already. It's Rai-” Just then the kitchen door slammed open, revealing a very distressed dragon. “I swear, I don't know how she puts up with that rabbit; every time that I even glanced away for a...” seeing who it was who was visiting, his mood quickly changed. “Rarity, hey! What brings you around here?” Twilight just rolled her eyes and greeted him, “So I take it watching Fluttershy's animals while she was out doing errands went well.” “Ugh, it would've... that is, if Angel wasn't so... evil.” Spike replied, slipping back into his initial mood a little bit. “Soooo, whatcha both talkin about?” Twilight and Rarity gave each other worried glances. “Spike, darling, it is sort of... a private matter.” “Yeah, Spike; just mushy gossip, you wouldn't like it.” Spike gave the two unicorns a suspicious look. “Oh, ok; well I'll be in my room if you two need anything.” As Spike walked away, Rarity gave Twilight a worried look. “Hmm, I never considered Spike in all of this; I mean, I know he knows I've dated other ponies in the past, but we haven't all been together along with any of my coltfriends.” Twilight nodded her head; she know Spike might be sad for some time, but he was a baby dragon, after all, and for him to actually be with Rarity was unrealistic. “Not to mention what will happen with his and Rainbow's relationship if she agrees to go out with me... I mean, we'll all be toge-” After processing what Rarity had just said, the table in front of both mares became covered in the tea that was previously in Twilight's mouth. Recovering from a coughing fit Twilight looked back at Rarity (who was mortified that the tea almost got on her coat, tea stains would be a nightmare to get out). “Rainbow?! As in Rainbow Dash?” Surprised by this interruption, Rarity nodded, “Why yes, who else would I-” “Rainbow Dash. As in, Rainbow 'I like to destroy barns by running my face into them' Dash? You're going to try to... woo her by doing something ridiculously romantic?” “Well, yes; that's the plan... you know, what we just discussed. And... did she really destroy a barn with her face? Her face can take that much punishment? Oh my...” Rarity's eyes became unfocused as she had a quick daydream, causing her face to begin to blush. “Rarity, Rainbow Dash is into action and danger; I highly doubt she would appreciate any romantic gestures you might come up with, it's just not what she likes. Really, you should... Rarity, are you listening at all?” Looking at Rarity, Twilight noticed a vacant stare present on her face. “Rarity? Rarity!” Twilight waved her hoof in front of Rarity's face, bringing her back to reality. “What were you just thinking about?” Twilight asked, causing the white unicorn's blush to deepen. “Errr... the weather?” Sighing, Twilight facehoofed. “Let me guess, you didn't even hear a word I just said, did you?” “Well, I mean... no, I suppose not. Well, it was nice talking to you and thanks for the advice; but I've got to go or I might be late for my spa date with Fluttershy. Oh, and can you Pinkie Promise you won't say anything about this to anypony?” Still facehoofing, Twilight Pinkie Promised not to tell anypony. “Cross my heart and hope to fly; stick a cupcake in my eye...” “Thank you, darling. Ta~ta!” “Yeah... anytime, Rarity...” And with that, Rarity left for the spa. Alright, well; I would say that my visit to Twilight went well. I've got a good basis for my plan, now I just need to build it up... So, I wonder what kind of flowers Rainbow likes... Or maybe what kind of wine, perhaps. Of course, I guess wine would probably be best for the actual date, rather than now; if I gave her wine now, she'd probably think that I think she's an alcoholic or something... whatever; maybe I can write her a love song! Oh my, that would just be so great; I remember somepony doing that for me once, it was just so, so romantic... Anyways, I'm sure Fluttershy will have some good advice, she's known Rainbow for longer than any of us. Arriving at the spa, Rarity immediately spotted Fluttershy sitting in the lobby. “Fluttershy, dear, I always love these spa dates we have; we just have so much to talk about.” Startled for a moment, Fluttershy quickly recognized Rarity's voice. “Oh, um, hey Rarity; I love them too. It's always nice to catch up with you.” “Actually darling, it's not just that. You see, I need some... information about one of our friends. Lets get to our appointment first, though.” Rarity walked up to the counter. “Hello, Aloe; Fluttershy and I are here for our appointment.” Aloe's sister, Lotus, appeared from behind the door to the side of the front desk. “Ahh yes. Rarity, Fluttershy; this way.” Knowing that Lotus and Aloe make it a point to not gossip about things that their clients say, Rarity felt comfortable talking to Fluttershy about Rainbow Dash around them. “So, Fluttershy, I actually wanted to ask you some things about Rainbow Dash.” “Oh... she didn't, um, prank you again did she? Cause I know you might not like that, but she doesn't mean any...” “Oh, don't worry Fluttershy, I'm not mad at her or anything; quite the opposite, I would say.” Arriving at the massaging table, Fluttershy replied with a relieved look on her face. “Oh, ok then; what did you want to ask about?” Climbing onto the massage table, Rarity decided that she would like to ask her questions before telling Fluttershy about her now semi-secret crush on Rainbow. “Oh, you know... like, when you were in flight school, did she ever date anypony?” The masseuses started massaging Fluttershy's and Rarity's backs, eliciting a short eep from Fluttershy (she was startled). “W... well, not that I really remember... why did you want to know that?” “I'll... tell you later, darling.” After furrowing her brow in disappointment and thought, Rarity remembered her next question: “What is Rainbow's favorite kind of flower?” The question caused Fluttershy to look at her like she was crazy. “You... you want to know what kind of flowers Rainbow likes? “Yep.” “Rainbow Dash.” “Ya-huh.” “I... don't think she likes flowers...” The answer confused Rarity, causing her to open and close her mouth in shock as if attempting to reply. “Fluttershy, dear, you're not making any sense; how can somepony just... not like flowers? Especially somepony with such style; that just cannot be so.” “But... it's true, I've never see her show interest in any flowers before.” “Darling, that just can't be true... I wonder if Applejack would know...” “Why would Appl-” “No matter, I can just ask her later! I would also like to know what kind of wine Rainbow likes; she seems like she'd like red wine, but I can't be too sure. Also, whether she likes classical or country music... or possibly show tunes.” Rarity looked at Fluttershy expectantly; with this information she could begin to add to the structure of her plan. “Well... I... um, Rarity, why do you want to know all of this? And why can't you just ask Rainbow?” Rarity intended to tell Fluttershy everything eventually, but was hoping it could wait until she heard what she needed to hear; seeing that she probably wouldn't be able to do that, she decided to just tell Fluttershy everything. “Alright, Fluttershy, I wish to know this information because... I wish to get Rainbow to go on a date with me and I intend to first win her heart by showing her how much she means to me... which I've found is actually quite a lot.” The information that Fluttershy had just received was the absolute last thing she had expected from Rarity; she and Rarity had previously spent their spa date talking about various things, like whatever stallion Rarity had her eye on, or... dresses; pretty much one of those two things. But that Rarity was now interested in Rainbow Dash romantically? It was unexpected. Fluttershy usually just sat there to listen and comment on whatever Rarity was talking about; but to hear that Rarity is now after Rainbow Dash, her long-time friend... she didn't know what to think. “So... you plan to shower her in romantic gifts to win her heart?” “Yes, among other things, she will definitely receive a fair amount of gifts; flowers might seem like a cliché... but then again, the classics are always good...” It all still seemed strange to Fluttershy, but she supposed that Rainbow Dash did have a fair amount of qualities that she knew Rarity found desirable; of course, she wasn't sure that Rainbow would appreciate certain things that Rarity liked; flowers being around the top of that list. “...Oh! And I was also planning on writing her a song and I figured it should be something soothing; like possibly I could compose a song on the piano for her. Or I could write a song and get the Pony Tones to sing it!! It'll be great! My, I have such good ideas!” “Oh, um, yes; I suppose that could work...” “Of course it'll work; anyways, anything new with you?” The spa date continued with small talk for about an hour or so after that, at which point the two friends parted ways. Fluttershy to go back to her cottage and Rarity for a friendly visit to her dear, dear friend, with whom she never, ever argued. A visit for absolutely no reason (or so she'd tell Applejack). Walking to Sweet Apple Acres, with the clear sky overhead, Rarity took note of the gathered information for her plan: Well, all I really got from Fluttershy is that I should write a song for the Pony Tones to perform... while that's a good idea, its still not enough. I hope Applejack has something I can use, although getting it from her may be... problematic. Eventually she started down the dirt path to the Apple Family's house; she thought it was a shame to walk on the dirt right after a hooficure, but she felt it was for a good cause. The things she did for Rainbow that she would never even know about... her poor hoofs were really the unsung heroes in all of this. Walking to the house, she allowed her mind to wander to other things... of course they always seemed to wander back to Rainbow Dash. I really must get those gala dresses made soon... even with all of this going on, I still have a business to run. Maybe Rainbow needs a new dress, though... I mean, I doubt she would want to go to the Grand Galloping Gala again... also, I suppose I may be tempted to make it a bit more... racy now that I realize I find her attractive... But, in any case, it may get me in a mood to finish those other dresses... though if I make one for her- Part way to the house, Applejack, who was working in the orchard, saw her and called her over. “Howdy, Rarity; it's mighty nice to see you here, what brings you to the orchard?” “Ah, Applejack; what a coincidence. I was just out here for a nice, relaxing stroll. Nothing weird about that, wouldn't you say?” “Uhh, Ah guess...” “Quite, now that that's cleared and you're here; I'd like to ask you about one of our mutual friends.” “Alrighty then.” “Ok, I would like to know what kind of flowers Rainbow Dash likes; you grow flowers here on your farm, surely you... just what is so funny?” At the mention of Rainbow Dash and flowers Applejack burst into laughter. “Heh heh... its just that *snort* you said 'Rainbow Dash' and 'flowers' in the same sentence. Ya know, as if she buys flowers from me.” Rarity was in no mood for Applejack's uncouthy... ness. “Applejack, I insist that you start making sense; where else would she get flowers to decorate her house or put in her hair?” This just made Applejack laugh harder. “Bah-hahaa!! Flowers! And the... *snort* in her hair... hehe.” “Applejack, this is serious; I absolutely must know!” Seeing that Rarity was serious, she resisted the urge to laugh even harder in order to reply. “Uhh, why d'ya need to know? Hehe, you planin on buyin her a bouquet to show her how pretty you think she is? ...hehe.” Applejack was, of course, joking. Rarity knew this; however, it did not stop her face from blushing, nor did it stop her from having a short internal panic attack... all of which Applejack definitely noticed. “Uhh... Rarity? Is that actually what ya'd do?” Composing herself, Rarity replied with elegance and grace, as always. “I-I... what? Why would I want to d-do that? You know, I don't have time for all of your... your rudeness, right now, Applejack. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go... make dresses. Good day, Applejack.” “Really, though? Is tha-” “I said good day!” Leaving in a hurry, Rarity didn't really see how that could have gone worse; Applejack was now very suspicious of her behavior and would probably follow up by asking one of their other friends about her unusual behavior. Still back where she and Rarity had talked, Applejack said to herself, “Well, this ought to be interesting; I wonder if Twilight knows anything about this...” Well this day has pretty much gone downhill since Twilight's... well, in regards to my planning at least... hopefully my visit with Pinkie Pie will be a nice, informative, non-disastrous one. Yes, I'm sure that will happen... Walking into Sugar Cube Corner, Rarity saw Pinkie Pie sitting alone at a table. Ok, this is great; I'll go over there, ask my questions, and go back home to plan my course of action. Then, I will put it into action tomorrow! Cause that's what I do; I am a mare of action! Approaching the table, Pinkie Pie looked at Rarity and her ever present smile grew wider. “Oh! Hiya, Rarity! Want a cupcake!?!” “Err, no thanks, darling; I actually came here to ask you about some things pertaining to Rainbow Dash. Seeing as how you plan all of her parties, I figured you might know.” “Oooo, that sounds fun, but I figured you would be making dresses for that gala order thingy you have.” “Oh, yes; I still need to do that, but... I kind of got sidetracked; you see, I can't seem to stop thinking about... something. And I was hoping you might be able to help me with... something.” Shrugging, Pinkie Pie replied, “Oh, alright.” “Ok, well. This absolutely must be kept a secret, Pinkie Pie; I need you to Pinkie Promise that you will never speak of this to anypony... ever.” “Okey dokey lokey.” Pinkie Pie said, while doing the motions for a Pinkie Promise. “OK, so... ahem. I was thinking while I was making those dresses you mentioned and, well... it turns out that I may have... well...” Rarity whispered, “I have a crush on Rainbow Dash.” Also whispering, Pinkie Pie said, “Go on...” Sucking in a breath and exhaling slowly, Rarity replied, “I need to find out what kinds of things she likes so that I can woo her and get her to go on a date with me.” Pinkie Pie's smile somehow grew even wider at this and she started bouncing up and down, despite not actually moving any of her limbs. Sweet Celestia, What have I done? “WOWSIE, that's just... soooo super-de-duper, I bet you'll want some sort of party for when she says yes and then... then... THIS WILL BE SO MUCH FUN!!!” “What's gonna be fun Pinks?” Aaaand now Rainbow Dash is right behind me... well this could have gone better... “OH, RAINBOW DASH, me and Rarity were just talking about stuff, it was super fun; wanna join us?” **Much* better.* “Err, I guess so. What were you two talking about that was 'so much fun?'” “Oh, I can't tell you...” Looking around to make sure the coast was clear, Pinkie whispered, “It's a secret.” “Sooooo, you're not gonna tell me?” Pinkie Pie shook her head. Turning to Rarity, Rainbow asks, “OK, what about you Rares; what were ya talking about?” Rarity, still thinking about her current situation and what to do, just stared blankly at Rainbow. “Rarity? Hello?” “Huh? What? Ahem; oh, yes, the uhhh... weather, that's it,” she said, giving Rainbow an unconvincing smile. “The weather is what's 'so fun' and 'a secret,' really?” Rarity just continued to smile awkwardly. Crap, oh crap, whatever am I to do? I've got to get out of here. “Rarity? Are uhhh, are you alright? You're sweating... a lot. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen you sweat.” Of course, dresses! They've never let me down! “DRESSES.” Rainbow looked at her, confused, “Wha-” “I NEED TO GO MAKE DRESSES.” Galloping out of Sugar Cube Corner, Rarity made her way back home with what little information she managed to glean; however small of an amount it was, it would have to do. Ugh, what a stressful day... well, except for the spa, I suppose. In any case, it is time to plan out everything I'm going to do and to think of when the perfect time to reveal myself and ask her out is... or will be. Oh, and the perfect way to do so. Retiring to her inspiration room to plan for tomorrow, Rarity spent the rest of the day (and most of the night) brainstorming and planning. Tomorrow was the day her plan would go into action, so it had to be ready.
Rarity Begins Her Super Well Thought Out, Not Convoluted PlanHmmm... yes, that will be just perfect. Sitting in her boutique, Rarity had just finished devising the final part of her secret-to-most-ponies plan. Flicking the switch on the lamp illuminating the room she was in, she decided to retire to her bedroom earlier than normal so she would have enough energy for the coming days. Walking to her bedroom, she couldn't help but get excited for what she was about to do the next day. Oh, this will be just grand! I never thought that doing romantic things for other ponies would be almost as much fun as having them done for you! I just hope that Dash will like them... oh, who are you kidding, Rarity? Of course she will!!! Setting her alarm clock to get just the right amount of sleep, she climbed into her bed to slumber. Knowing when Rainbow worked on this day was essential to Rarity's plan; Rainbow had to get up earlier than normal to clear the clouds, she had heard from various sources that today she would be awake at 8 am as opposed to her normal 12 pm. This game Rarity a fairly clear time to expect the pegasus back home; generally, Rainbow would start at 12 and be done at about 3, doing what took most pegasus about twice as long. Today, she had to get up at 8 am, though, meaning that she would be back at about 11 am. She would set up her first surprise for when she came back home to nap; having to get up early was likely not something Dash enjoyed, so what better way to cheer somepony up than to leave a nice bouquet of flowers at her door? Granted, this wasn't the most original idea Rarity had ever had, but she figured that she needed to start somewhere. Waking up at 6 to provide ample time to style her mane, Rarity stretched her legs, yawned, and climbed out of bed feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. “Mmmm, nothing like a good night's sleep before an exciting day, right Opal?” Opal just stared at her and licked her own paw. “Why yes, this is the day that I begin to woo Rainbow Dash. Can you just imagine how excited she'll be when she sees that bouquet on her doorstep?” Opal replied by standing up, stretching, then laying back down in a slightly different position. Rarity was happy for her enthusiasm and support and went back to finishing her morning routines. Alright, that went according to plan; flowers are set at Dash's house. Now I just need to pay Twilight a visit to inform her of her part of my plan. Stopping in front of Twilight's castle, Rarity knocked on the door three times, like she always did (it's important for a lady to be consistent). After a couple of seconds, Twilight answered to door. “Oh, Rarity, what brings you-” “Twilight, I must speak with you and time is essential; if I am not quick enough, there could be some complications in my plan.” Twilight was slightly confused by her strange behavior; it was unlike Rarity to interrupt somepony in such a manner. “Ummm... ok? Come in then, I guess.” “Thank you, Twilight.” Walking to Twilight's kitchen area, Rarity sat down where they had had their discussion the other day and beckoned Twilight to sit. Then, after taking a rather long breath, she said: “So, I want to talk to you about Rainbow; you see, the way I see it, talking to her friends is going to be the first thing she will do when she finds out that she has a secret admirer. But which friend will she confide in? Obviously not Applejack or Pinkie Pie; Applejack, the ruffian that she is, would probably mock her, whereas Pinkie would try to throw her a party. Fluttershy would be too embarrassed to talk about it... so that leaves you or me... it only makes sense that she would go to me for this sort of thing...” “Yeah... sure she would.” “...but I am not home at the moment. So... that leaves you, Twilight. I just wanted to let you know that she will probably be by any minute now; it would be nice, dear, if you could calm her down, since she is no doubt excited, and talk to her about it.” Twilight looked at Rarity cautiously, “So... you would like me to convince Rainbow to go out with you.” “Well... if you think you could....no, I should stick to my plan. I just want you to calm her down and... well... do you remember when I first started dating Thunderlane, how excited I was and how we talked about it for hours after he asked me out?” “Yes, but what does that have to do with-” “Well, I would imagine it'll be a lot like that.” At that, Twilight gave her a look of surprise and bewilderment, “...It'll be like that? How much time have you spent with Rainbow Dash?” “Well... I've invited her over on several occasions for tea... I also invited her shopping in Manehatten once...” “And?” “...she said she was busy; just because she is a busy mare does not mean she will not be excited about finding out she has a secret admirer; I do not appreciate your lack of enthusiasm, Twilight, this is an exciting time for Rainbow and me.” With that, Rarity turned her head up and away and gave Twilight her best offended pose. “Really, Rarity? Don't I get a say in this? You can't just show up and spring this on me with no warning.” “No warning? This is the warning! If I didn't tell you right now you would just find out from Rainbow in a couple of minutes. And I figured you would be happy to help a friend like me or Rainbow...” Twilight, clearly frustrated with the situation, massaged her nose with her hoof for several seconds before replying, “Rarity, I don't feel comfortable with this; what if Rainbow is... unreceptive in regards to your surprises?” After giggling for a second at Twilight's question, which couldn't possibly happen, Rarity started to worry that this may have been taking too long. “Oh, you worry too much... and... well... I'd hate to do this, but there's little else I can do. You Pinkie Promised not to tell anypony when we first talked... and you cannot just turn Rainbow away... so...” Seeing Rarity's point, Twilight admitted defeat with a sigh. “Yes, well; to be honest, I just assumed you would help me with this, Twilight. That may have been wrong of me, buuut, well...” Several loud knocks echoed through the castle, startling the mares, followed by a panicking pegasus's yells. “Twilight, it's Rainbow; open up, it's an emergency!” Now knowing that this talk took too long, Rarity acted on her contingency plan. “Soooo, does this castle have a back door, or something?” Twilight's horn lit up and a nearby window on a wall opened. “There you go.” “Twilight, darling, that is a window.” “Oh, really?” Walking to the window, Rarity stared to carefully climb out of it so that she could use the vines on the wall to safely get down the two or so meters the window was off the ground. “Hmpf, well then; I suppose it'll do. Thank you for your help Twili-aaahhh.” Rarity got about halfway out of the window before Twilight's horn lit up again to push her out the rest of the way. Twilight teleported to the door and opened it to an extremely frantic and paranoid looking Rainbow Dash, who was looking around with jerky motions in an attempt to see if anypony was watching her. Twilight just looked at her and said flatly, “Rainbow, what a surprise; is there some-” “Twilight! You're not gonna believe this... pony feathers, this is bad, Twi; really bad.” Rainbow pushed Twilight out of the way and galloped inside; Twilight just sighed at her friend's behavior. “Oh, I'm sure I won't... But don't you think you might be overreacting just a bit?” “No! I am not; somepony could have seen it!! I'd be ruined, I tell ya; ruined!” Once again sighing, Twilight replied, “Alright then, just tell me what happened.” “Ok... brace yourself, in fact, you might wanna sit down for this: It started just like a normal day; everything was just like always... but then...” Rainbow shuddered, “I got home... and... and...” “And what?” “There... on my door step...” Rainbow paused (for dramatic effect) “flowers, Twi; somepony left me flowers!” If this is how she reacts to flowers, I can't imagine what she'll do with whatever else Rarity has planned. Twilight thought, Well, I suppose I should try to calm her down... “Rainbow, this isn't that big of a deal; it's not like-” “What do you mean not a big deal?! What if somepony saw? What if they took pictures?!? I'd lose my daredevil license! I'd become the laughing stock of the weather team! The Wonderbolts would probably discharge me! I'm sure they have some sort of no flowers policy or something... I'd never-” “Rainbow! You're overreacting!” Twilight yelled to stop her ranting, “None of those things are going to happen, it just means that- wait... is a daredevil license actually a thing? Who issues such a certificate? You know, never mind. All the flowers mean is that somepony is interested in you, Rainbow.” Rainbow just looked at her like she was stupid, “Uhh, yeah, Twi... like, how'd ya figure that one out, read it in a book?” Twilight's eye started twitching as she looked at Rainbow, “You know, I'm done...” She said; then, in a louder tone, “Done with both of you!” Rainbow just snickered, “Done with what? Both of- yaahhh” Not having to worry about injuring Rainbow, since she can break solid rock with her face, Twilight flung her friend out of the window. “You know, I'm done...” Twilight said; then, in a louder tone, “Done with both of you!” Noticing Twilight's aura on the window, Rarity quickly started to climb down the vines on the wall. She barely made it out of the way in time before a rainbow blur flew out of the window. Gasp; she threw my pretty, prismatic pony out of a window; my Rainbow Dash! Oh, what if she falls and... Rarity saw Rainbow right herself and then fly away. Oh... right, she can fly. Since Rainbow was no long talking to Twilight, Rarity decided it was an opportune time to go to the weather office and set up the next part of her plan. Lets see here... who is in charge of clouds tomorrow afternoon? I know Rainbow works early tomorrow, so it's not her...who else? Oh well, I'll ask when I get there; but first, I need to grab some things from home. Rarity went back to Carousel Boutique to dawn some unique attire; she would have to do this aponymously, so she would need to use a special gift she had gotten for when she wanted to avoid attention... safe to say, she didn't use it often... or really at all. It was a slow day at the weather office; most of the work happened in the morning, after all; so nothing except paperwork really happened in the evening. An equine shaped being in a cloak stepped through the door and looked around for a moment. It seemed to glide silently across the floor and it was impossible to see any features of the creature under the mantle, save for it's shape. The receptionist at the weather office looked up briefly before looking back down at her magazine. The cloaked being strode over to the desk and cleared it's throat. “Ahem, can I speak to whoever is in charge of clouds tomorrow afternoon?” It said in an unrecognizable, yet clearly female voice. The receptionist looked up from her magazine and raised an eyebrow, “Maybe... what is it you need, miss?” “Oh, no; I wish to remain anonymous... can you just point me to where ever he or she is?” “I... I suppose so; you want Cloudchaser.” Letting out a short groan, Rarity quietly said to herself, “Of course it's her...” “Her office is back 3 doors on the left; I'll let her know you're coming.” Rarity walked down the hallway towards the room she was directed to. “Hmmm, that was easy... a little too easy...” Earlier that day... Cloudchaser felt good about today... felt like something big was gonna happen for her. It was usually a feeling reserved for times she knew she was gonna get laid, so she would have to do whatever it took to make sure whatever was supposed to happen, would happen. Unfortunately, she was stuck at work all evening long, in the very building she was now walking into. “You... uhh, receptionist-” “It's Carol.” “Whatever; if any strange mares come looking for me, send them directly into my office immediately.” The receptionist just stared at her blankly for a couple of seconds. “Err... alright... is there a reason why?” “What? Oh, nah. That just what I'm into.” “...Right.” Walking up to the door she was directed to, Rarity knocked on it three times. “Come on in.” was the reply she got. Walking into the room, she saw Cloudchaser sitting at her desk, filling out some sort of form before she looked up to greet the new arrival. “Hey, score; I thought she was kidding, but... wait... Rarity? Boom! Double score! I knew that-” “Huh- What?!” Rarity shrieked, “How did...how did you know who I was?!?” Cloudchaser just gave her a smug look, “Uhh, duh; I stare at your flank, like, every time that I see you, that cloak doesn't hide it's shape, you know.” Removing the hood of her cloak to reveal a strained smile and twitching eye, Rarity sighed. “Yes... well...” she said, “Look, I need your help, but I need you to never tell anypony about this... ever.” “Hmm, I see... yes...” Rarity stared blankly at Cloudchaser, waiting for her to continue, before saying. “So... will you hear what I have to say?” “What? Oh, I was just thinking of what you could do for this favor you're asking from me... but go ahead.” Groaning, Rarity reached a hoof into her cloak, “Don't worry, I've already got something in mind.” At that, Cloudchaser wiggled her eyebrows flirtatiously and leaned back on her chair with her forehoofs behind her head, “Oh?” Rarity rolled her eyes before she pulled out a large brown bag and threw it on the desk. “There's five hundred bits for the favor and-” Pulling out a smaller bag, she added, “fifty for your silence on the matter... and to forget you saw me here.” Cloudchaser seemed to start choking on something, coughing wildly. “Sweet Celestia!!! That's more than I make in a month! How much money do you make!?!” Rarity stood on her back legs and put her forehoofs on the desk, leaning closer to cloudchaser; in a quiet voice, she said, “Enough; now then, here's what I need you to do...” Sleeping is great... sleeping on a cloud is even better. Sleeping on a cloud after being forced to wake up early to clear the sky of clouds is the best. Especially if you don't have an overly bouncy pink pony yelling your name. “Rainbow Da~ash!” Tossing and turning on her cloud, Rainbow tried her best to ignore the unignorable. “Mmm, uhh... huh? Wha?” Now practically screaming, Pinkie Pie once again yelled, “Rainbow Dash!!!” Clearly irritated, Rainbow looked down at her Pink friend. “Ugh, what, Pinkie Pie?!” “Oh, you're awake! I think somepony is trying to get your attention...” Unamused at Pinkie's antics, Rainbow snapped back, “Oh really? Is it you?” “Nopey-dopey! Well... Yep-a-roony! But not as much as whoever did that.” Pinkie Pie pointed to the sky behind Rainbow Dash and smiled brightly. Turning around, Rainbow saw what she was talking about: a message written with clouds for everypony to see and surrounded by heart shaped clouds of varying sizes. “'Rainbow Dash, my love for you grows stronger by the minute and your beauty and elegance brightens everypony's day...' well then... it sounds like you've made an impression on somepony, Dashie.” Rainbow gawked at it for a few seconds before she took off for Twilight's to speak to her about the new development. Earlier that day... “So that's what you want it to say, eh, Rarity?” “Ya-huh, do you think you can do that? And she'll be taking a nap when she's done with her shift, so start then.” “Hmm... it's a bit long, don't you think? “Yes, well; I can request it to be five hundred bits long if I please... especially since I could just inform the mayor of our... transaction.” Rarity had, of course, already bribed the mayor; so it was an empty threat. “Long is good!! Nothing wrong with long; I love it long...” Cloudchaser wiggled her eyebrows once more. “I... I just... never mind... I'm leaving.”
Wooing with the Wonferbolts and AJ Torments Rarity... Part One“Ah know ur lying... Rarity was actin awful strange last Ah saw her” “What? No I'm not, I never lie... Spike, I never lie, right?” Twilight looked at Spike expectantly while Applejack rolled her eyes, she was hoping that she could learn why Rarity was acting so starngly on her visit to Sweet Apple Acres. Spike, caught in the middle while re-shelving the library, looked nervously between the two mares. “Uhh... well-” *Bang Bang Bang* “That's the door! And it sounds pretty important, so I'll just leave you two alone.” Happy for the escape from the arguing friends, Spike made his way to the door. Opening the door, there was an extremely distraught pegasus on the other side. “Heya, Rainbow-” “Notime. NeedtofindTwilight!” Was the rushed response he got as he was knocked to the side, into a nearby closet. “Yes, Applejack, I happen to be very trustworthy! See these wings? Yeah, princess.” “Now that don't mean-” The door to the library room burst open, knocking down some of the stacks of books Spike was re-shelving. “Twilight!! It's worse than before!” Twilight and Applejack looked at her, startled, for a second before Twilight just groaned and face hoofed, “Stop being so dramatic, Rainbow; I'm sure whatever she did can't be that bad.” “No, this is much worse! So, so much worse... just... just look for yourself.” Rainbow pointed out a window high on the wall as she hovered up to it. Taking a quick glance at Applejack, Twilight saw her smirking in victory. Why is she making that face? Wait... I said '...whatever *she** did'!! ...Eh, I guess Rarity will likely get an unexpected visitor today...* She looked back at Rainbow. And at least Rainbow didn't seem to notice. Flying up to the window, Twilight attempted to calm Rainbow down... again. “Will you just stop overreacting, and I don't know what you expect me to see out the- ...Wow... that's... kind of impressive, actually...” Seeing what Rarity had done, Twilight was a bit shocked at the lengths she would go to to impress Rainbow. “Impressive, Twilight, really?!? Impressive how whoever is doing this is totally ruining my image, maybe; but why would anypony do this?!” “Rainbow, we already went over why; I told you it's because...” Ignoring her now arguing friends, Applejack decided to go pay Rarity a visit. Seeing that the two winged ponies in the room weren't really paying her much attention anymore, she let herself out with a quick farewell. “Well, Ah'm gonna head out now; see ya later, Twi. RD.” Alright then. I would say my cloud message went pretty well. So what next? Well, what makes something romantic? I just need to ask myself, “Rarity, what would you think is romantic?” I suppose if I did something somewhere that has a large amount of ponies that can see it happen, it would make it more romantic. Really, the more ponies that see a romantic gesture, the more romantic it is... Sitting at her kitchen table, she took a sip of wine to help her relax. Ok... where could I get Rainbow to go where there are a lot of ponies? Hmm... Well... there is a Wonderbolt Derby coming up pretty soon, isn't there? I'm sure I could get tickets to that if I called in a few favors. Of course I can't go with her to it, though... that would be too suspicious, and I don't want to reveal myself yet. Twilight getting tickets would be believable, with her being a princess and all... I can give them to her and she can invite Rainbow. Then, while they're there- The door chime snapped her out of her thoughts, signaling a potential customer, so she walked out of the kitchen to greet him or her. “Hello there, welcome to Rarity's Boutique, where every-” Seeing who the visitor was, she cut her usual greeting short, “Applejack? Why, hello; to what do I own the pleasure?” Applejack looked at Rarity for a few seconds, trying to gauge the unicorn's reaction to her being there. “Oh, nothin much, Rarity; just thought Ah'd stop by fer a nice, friendly chat.” Well... something strange is happening here. Applejack is here to chat. Applejack, who usually avoids my boutique like some horrible disease, has taken time to come here and chat. Rarity gave her an unconvincing smile, “Oh... yes, of course; that sounds delightful, darling. I'll go make some tea.” “Alright, sounds good.” Trotting back into the kitchen, Rarity tried to analyze the situation she found herself in: On one hand, Applejack could simply want to chat. On the other, she could still be suspicious from her... unsuccessful trip to Applejack's farm and want to know why she was asking those questions about Rainbow Dash. Well, no sense jumping to conclusions. Applejack followed Rarity into the kitchen and sat at the table. Eventually, Rarity brought two cups of tea to the table and sat down herself. “So, Applejack, what is it you wanted to talk about?” “Oh... not much... Ah just wanted to talk about Rainbow Dash...” With that, Applejack watched Rarity's reaction carefully, but Rarity saw that coming so she was prepared and didn't really give anything away. “I see... yes, I heard she has had an interesting couple of days.” Rarity replied with a chuckle. “Yeah... Ah'll say... well I really wanted to ask you something about her.” Still remaining calm, Rarity took a sip of her tea, “Oh? And what would that be?” Applejack smirked a bit before saying, “Isn't her mane just great? Ah mean, wouldn't ya jus' love ta style it?” That started an intense debate in Rarity's mind. Ok, this is clearly some sort of trap... Applejack talking about someponies mane? Never... unless she finally wants suggestions for her mane!!! Wait, Rarity, stop; this is exactly what she wants you to do... But then again, Rainbow's mane is simply marvelous! All of those colors! No! I can't give in! It's what she wants me to do! I must fight... think of something unfashionable: Ugh, leg warmers... fanny packs... I... I... can't resist... Applejack just sat there patiently while waiting for her to reply. Eventually, Rarity's face lit up as she started talking about her passion for fashion. “Oh my word, yes; her mane is just gorgeous! All of those colors, it really is a shame that she doesn't style it.” “Yeah, an' don't ya think her wings look nice, too? With how well she cares fer them an' all?” “Absolutely, such nice wings are a beauty in themselves; why, if she wore the right dress, it would extenuate them exquisitely and they would look perfect!” “Ah bet; an' what about her figure? With how much she works out, Ah'm sure she'd look great in one of yer dresses.” “Yes, with how lean she is, I am sure she would turn quite a few heads; I mean, she has such an attractive body, I'm sure many ponies would find her irresistible...” Seeing that Rarity was lost in her own little fashion world, Applejack decided it was the perfect time to strike. “And her flank, of course...” “Oh, don't even get me started, Applejack; I can barely stop myself from thinking about it most... of... the...” Rarity's face turned a shade of red as a look of horror and embarrassment became apparent on her face. “...time. Huh.” Applejack held a smug look on her face and a twinkling in her eyes. “You wouldn't by any chance just be a figment of my imagination, would you?” Applejack just raised an eyebrow at the question, before... “Pfffftttt....Bahahaha....” Rarity sighed as Applejack fell to the floor clutching her sides and laughing. “It's not that funny, you know... and stop laying on my floor, it's... unsanitary.” Applejack stopped laughing for a second to look at Rarity, before starting back up. “Not funny? Heheh, sure it ain't, Rare...” *snort* Rarity sighed again “So what do you intend to do now, Applejack? There is no longer any use in hiding my feelings for Rainbow from you... I suppose now you'll probably tell her who was behind all of her gifts now.” Mostly finished laughing, Applejack looked at Rarity with surprise. “Tell her? Are ya crazy? This is hilarious! Besides makin fun of you and Rainbow, nothin's gonna change. Well... Ah guess Ah already make fun of Rainbow, so besides makin fun of you, nothin's gonna change.” Once again sighing, Rarity figured she should make the best of her predicament and get the highest possible chance of Applejack keeping her mouth shut. “Well, I suppose I should be somewhat relieved... although, your track record for keeping secrets is not all that good, you know.” Applejack stopped laughing and gave Rarity an insulted look, “But... what? Of all the... I can't even...” “Shush, Applejack, you're much too honest to keep a secret very well, not that that's totally a bad thing... But, we all know it, so I am going to need you to Pinkie Promise you will try your best to not tell anypony about this conversation... ever.” Applejack tapped her hoof to her chin a few times. “Hmm... well... Ah suppose... but on one... no, two conditions.” Holding an extremely strained smile, Rarity could see she had very little choice at this point. “If you must, what are they?” “Well, Ah need help on the farm tomorrow, so Ah need ya to come help a bit.” Rarity gasped audibly at that ludicrous demand; her, working on a farm?! She would need to spend hours in a mud bath to get rid of all of that mud she would get on her coat! Alas, she had no choice. “Ok... what else?” “Ah get to tell all of our friends about the conversation we just had... after ya tell Rainbow about yer feelings fer her.” Rarity's strained smile broke for a moment back into a look of horror before being recovered. ”Deal.” She then replied through gritted teeth. Applejack proceeded to Pinkie Promise while Rarity sat there hoping for the best. “Well, Rarity; it's been nice talkin to ya, but Ah gotta get back to the farm.” Rarity bid her farewell and went to send a letter to Canterlot to call in a few favors. Stupid Twilight, refusing to help me... “Oh, you're overreacting, Rainbow!” Overreacting my hoof! Somepony must know, though... Stupid Cloudchaser was in charge of the clouds yesterday; she was the one that did that! Well... I doubt it was from her, she usually more... direct. But I'll bet she knows something! With a new destination in mind, Rainbow Dash altered her course towards the weather office. Once there, she made her way to Cloudchaser's office and bucked the door open. Cloudchaser's door slammed open with bang, causing her to yelp. “The buck!?! Dash, what the buck?” Rainbow flew up to her face and glared at her. “Anything you wanna tell me about, Cloudchaser?” “Hmm? Not really... I mean, it was basically just a normal day.” “...” “...Ohh, you mean the clouds!” “Yes, I mean the clouds! Why would you do that? Who asked you to do that?!?” Cloudchaser looked at Rainbow incredulously before chuckling. “Heh... you don't even know? Oh, you are one lucky mare, Rainbow Dash... I mean, I can't tell you who because, well... they gave me a lot of money not to, but to have somepony that looks like that do something like this for you, just... wow.” “Ugh... aren't you afraid of losing your job? How about I just tell Mayor Mare what you did? ...Unless you tell me who put you up to this, of course...” Dash, still hovering, smirked at her, thinking she had her. Cloudchaser just smiled back. “Mayor Mare? Nah, she's cool... in fact, I'm pretty sure she was in on it. Told me I did a good job and everything.” Rainbow fell to the floor with a look of disbelief before groaning. “Well, I'm doomed...” Rarity trotted to Twilight's castle with a spring in her step; the next part of her plan was coming together! All that she had to do now was get Twilight to take with Rainbow to the derby, which didn't sound all that hard. *Knock knock knock* Sitting at the door waiting, Rarity thought she heard a faint sound that sounded a little bit like Twilight yelling. “Spiiiike!!! If that's Rarity or Rainbow, tell them I'm not home.” After a couple of seconds, Spike answered the door. “Oh... uh, hey Rarity...” “Well hello there, Spikey-wikey; may I speak with Twilight?” Rarity said with a flip of her mane. “Ehh... heheh. She's not here right now...” Rarity fluttered her eyelashes at him. Spike pointed down the hallway. “She's in the library.” Rarity trotted into the library (which was quite big) and yelled to find Twilight. “Twilight!!! Where are you? I have a surprise!” Twilight looked out from an aisle and gave Rarity a chastising look and shushed her before whispering, “Rarity, this is a library; be quiet.” “Hmm? There's nopony else here, dear.” Twilight groaned softly and once again whispered, “What do you need now, Rarity?” “Well, I was sitting at home yesterday and I thought to myself: 'Rarity, you really should do something to apologize to Twilight'... you've helped me a great deal and I feel terrible for forcing everything on you without first asking, so I thought I would give you something to show my appreciation.” Rarity replied rather loudly while flashing Twilight a smile. Twilight looked at Rarity flatly as the fashionista levitated two tickets in front herself. “They're tickets to the Wonderbolts derby this weekend! There are two, of course, so you can invite one of your friends to go along... you know...” Rarity twirled her hoof in the air, “...in case you have a friend who likes the Wonderbolts....” Twilight, who was not amused, looked at Rarity before replying thickly with sarcasm. “Yeah, I think I'll invite Cadance; she loves the Wonderbolts.” Rarity chuckled dismissively, “Eheheh; Twilight, really. I'm sure our friend Rainbow would love to go more than anypony else.” “And let me guess... you set up some sort of surprise for her there, so I'm supposed to act like I know nothing about it when it happens.” “We~ell... perhaps. It is a surprise, though; so I can't ruin it... that is, if I do indeed have something planned." Rarity said with an innocent smile, "And remember, you and Rainbow should have a good time... just not too good of a time.” Twilight rolled her eyes. Rarity pondered something for a moment. “And don't sit too close to her... or look at her too much.” Twilight face hoofed Rarity pondered something once more. “And don't do that thing with-” Rarity found herself teleported in front of the castle door before yelling, “You're welcome, Twilight!!!” With that out of the way, she went back to her boutique to add a few more finishing touches to her plan. Stupid Rarity... “Oh, Twilight; I need you to do this for me. What's that? You don't want to? Too bad.” I'll show her... I'll invite somepony else! Yeah! Although, I honestly can't even think of anypony else who might want to go... Eh, whatever. Twilight landed on the cloud doorstep on Rainbow's cloud house and knocked on the cloud door. “...” Stupid clouds. “RAINBOW DASH!!! ARE YOU HOME?” Twilight heard a yell from inside. “YEAH,WHAT IS IT?” “I HAVE TICKETS TO THE WONDERBOLTS DERBY THIS WEEKEND!” “YOU HAVE WHAT?” For the love of... “TICKETS!!! TO THE WONDERBOLTS DERBY!!!” “...” “...” “WHAT?” Twilight hoofed again, “Sweet Celestia... what does Rarity see in her? ...COME OUT HERE!” “UGH, FIIINE.” The cloud door opened and Rainbow Dash leaned nonchalantly on the cloud door frame. “So... What's up?” Twilight levitated the tickets in front of her. “Tickets. Wonderbolts derby. This weekend.” she said in a flat voice. Rainbow's eyes widened and twinkled as she fangirl squealed, “Ohmygosh! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!” “You're wel-” Rainbow launched herself into Twilight and picked her up in a hug, doing multiple flips... “Wahhhh!! ...Oof” Before dropping her unceremoniously back on the cloud doorstep and continuing to do more complex stunts while holding the tickets. “Sheesh, you're welcome...”
