In the Moonlight
Twilight Sparkle had a crush on Rarity. No matter how hard she had tried to deny it, she just simply couldn't do so. Now, as she sat in her library, she thought back on the events leading up to her discovery of her crush. She had always considered Rarity to be a beautiful pony, just not in the way she now thought of her. And now there wasn't a day that passed when Twilight didn't think of her. They had just grown so close over the last couple years. All the adventures they had been on together had forced them to rely on each other so much. And then there was the fact that Twilight needed something more, something that had always been missing, a special somepony. She had never given romance much thought, if any at all, but now she longed for it.
She had never been very comfortable talking about romance, and telling Rarity how she felt would undoubtedly be difficult. Now that she had actually given some thought to it, it would be a daunting task indeed. She hadn't even considered that Rarity probably wouldn't be into mares. That, along with countless other possibilities, worried her.
She had decided that the best way to tell her would be to ask her out to dinner, or something similar, and then ask Rarity some questions to 'test the water'. Then depending on her reactions to those questions, Twilight would tell her how she felt, and after that everything would be in Rarity's hooves.
Twilight looked out the window of her bedroom. It was late-morning, the sky was clear and the sun shining. Fall had started three weeks before, and the trees were all sorts of oranges, yellows, and reds with the changing colors of the leaves. Ponyville was truly quite beautiful this time of year. She looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was nearly eleven. She decided to go tidy herself up a bit before going over to the Carousel Boutique to ask Rarity out to dinner.
As she stood in front of her mirror brushing out her mane, she couldn't help but feel that Rarity was out of her league. Twilight knew she couldn't even come close to matching Rarity's beauty and sense of fashion. But still she hoped, for that was really all she could do.
She walked down the stairs into the library and checked to see that everything was in order. Normally Spike would take care of things when she was gone, but he was currently on a trip to Canterlot. After she was satisfied that everything was well, she left the library, closing the door behind her. She tried to focus on how nice the weather was as she walked to Rarity's place, trying to keep her nerves from getting the best of her. There was just the slightest hint of a chill in the air, and so feeling the warmth of the sun on her coat was quite pleasant. The air was filled with the songs of birds on their way south for the winter. Today was indeed a beautiful day.
She crossed the bridge over the stream that ran through Ponyville as she neared Rarity's shop. She knew that Rarity had been quite busy recently and with all that going on, she would probably appreciate an opportunity to get out for awhile and blow off some steam.
Twilight, upon arriving at Rarity's shop, was as nervous as she could be. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she was starting to question whether or not she was ready to go forward with her plan. Don't be silly Twilight, what's so hard about asking Rarity out to dinner? I've done it before without being this nervous. Of course, Twilight had never asked her out to dinner before for any reason other than just eating a meal with a friend. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself. Ok Twi, you've got this. Just stay calm, act normally, and ask her if she'd like to eat out. Twilight knocked on the door and nervously awaited a response.
Rarity was busy working on a dress for an important client. As the light from the morning sun came through the windows, she thought, Goodness, I've been up all night and the dress still isn't finished. And it has to be finished tomorrow! What am I to do?! Just as she finished her thought, she heard somepony knock on the door. She stopped what she was doing and went to answer it. After seeing that it was Twilight, she said, "Oh! Twilight, darling. What can I do for you?"
Twilight could only stand and stare. Rarity's normally immaculate mane was quite disheveled and she looked exhausted. "H-hi, Rarity. I just came over to ask if you ... uh ... Rarity, did you not get much sleep last night? You look ... tired." Twilight had just saved herself from saying that Rarity looked like a mess, which she did, but Twilight didn't want to hurt her feelings.
"Oh, I've been up all night working on this dress and I just can't seem to figure out how to finish it,” Rarity said as she pointed at a pile of fabrics strewn all over the floor of her shop. “Now what is it you were going to ask me?"
"Uh, well, don't worry about it,” Twilight said, “I'll just come back later.”
“Twilight, there's no point in you having come all the way over here to ask me a question only for you to leave without doing so,” Rarity said. “So, what is it?”
Twilight blushed a little as she stared at the ground in front of her. She just couldn't bring herself to keep eye contact with Rarity. "Uh ... do you want to, uh, have d-dinner with me tonight?" she asked, stumbling over the words a little and the uncertainty clear in her voice.
"Sure, that sounds absolutely delightful,” Rarity answered, without a moment's hesitation. She seemed to have not noticed Twilight's nervousness. “What did you have in mind?"
"Just stop by the library at ... maybe 7 or so."
"Great, I'll be there. I'll see you later, Twilight."
As Twilight walked back to the library, she couldn't help but think that this was going pretty well. Rarity had seemed very pleased and happy about the invitation to dinner. Not to mention that she had managed to actually accomplish what she set out to do. She still found it hard to believe that she had a crush on Rarity and she wondered if Rarity had the same feelings for her.
Rarity decided that it would be nice to finally get some sleep, so she tidied up her work area a little bit before taking a nap. Ooh, this dinner tonight will be so nice. I haven't been out to eat in forever, and making this dress has me all stressed-out. This is exactly what I need. Rarity curled up in bed and fell asleep instantly.
..........
Rarity woke up that afternoon and worked on the dress for a little bit before starting to get ready for the dinner tonight with Twilight. She took a nice long bath and spent at least an hour doing her mane afterward. She put some makeup on and just a tad of perfume. She made sure that Opal had enough food and water for the evening and after looking herself over in the mirror one last time, she decided that she was ready and left to meet Twilight at the library.
Meanwhile, Twilight herself had been getting ready and she had one mission in mind; she wanted to impress Rarity with how amazing she could look. She had a book on mane-styling out and had gone through the whole book before giving up and deciding that her usual mane-style was good enough. She was in the middle of debating about whether or not to wear some perfume when she heard Rarity come in.
Twilight turned to meet her and was caught speechless. Rarity's mane was so perfect and her coat was so well groomed. And then there were those beautiful blue eyes. Twilight didn't know if it was natural or not, but Rarity simply radiated beauty. Twilight could feel herself blushing and she looked down at the floor to try and hide it.
“Something the matter, darling?” asked Rarity, a smile on her face. She stood there, playing with her mane, waiting for Twilight's response.
“N-no, n-not at all, it's just … you look, well …,” she paused. Come on Twi, it can't be that hard. “You look nice.” There, said it.
“Why thank you, Twilight,” said Rarity. “You look very nice as well.”
"Thanks, Rarity," Twilight said, blushing even more now. She was worried that Rarity would notice. “How would you like it if we were to eat dinner here?”
“Here? I had expected us to go out, but if that is what you want, then that's fine.”
“I just wanted us to … you know … spend some time together,” said Twilight. “We don't get the opportunity to do this often, busy as our lives are.”
Rarity thought for a moment. “Hmm, yes, that sounds quite nice. May I ask what we're having for dinner?”
“I was thinking salad, if that's fine with you.”
“Sounds good to me.”
They sat down at the table to eat and talked about life. They talked about Spike's trip to Canterlot, Sweetie Belle's performance in school, and a whole slew of other things that seemed to go by unnoticed in their busy lives. After they had finished eating, Rarity started to get up from the table and said, "That was a very nice dinner, Twilight."
"Thanks, Rarity. I was wondering though, would you … um ... would you in any way be interested in going for a walk with me tonight?"
"I suppose that would be nice," Rarity said. "Where to?"
"Nowhere in particular, just around. Maybe to the park or something."
After cleaning up a little bit, they left the library and walked through the now empty streets of Ponyville. The night was quiet and still, and the air was cool. The moon was full and everything was bathed in bright moonlight. They entered the park and walked through the trees, enjoying the peaceful calm and each other's company.
They came to a small hill overlooking the town and stood there, admiring how beautiful everything looked. It was a clear night and even dim stars could easily be seen. Rarity looked up and said, "Twilight, the stars are absolutely beautiful tonight, aren't they?"
"Yes, they are, Rarity." But not nearly as much as you.
They looked up, admiring the beautiful night sky. Then Twilight looked at Rarity and thought about how beautiful Rarity looked in the moonlight. The light played off of Rarity's body, and to Twilight she looked absolutely gorgeous. There was just a whisper of a breeze, so faint it was almost unnoticeable. Twilight caught a hint of the perfume Rarity was wearing, but the scent was gone in an instant. She loved how good it smelled and wanted to smell it again. She eased closer to Rarity until she was standing right beside her. Before she realized what she was doing she was nuzzling Rarity. For just an instant, Twilight’s nose was buried in Rarity’s soft coat, and Twilight loved it.
Rarity jumped in surprise and yelled, "Twilight! What in Equestria's name are you doing?!"
Twilight backed away, blushing and frantically searching for something to say, "Rarity, I-I'm s-so sorry, I mean, I-I didn't e-even realize, I-I mean, oh Rarity, I'm so sorry. I d-didn't even know what I was doing."
Rarity looked at her suspiciously and said, "Twilight, were you trying to ... to cuddle with me??!"
"N-n-no I was ... it was ... it was just ... I mean I was just ... and before I know it, I ... well, you know ... I-I'm sorry, Rarity. P-Please, you have to understand, I wasn't trying to cuddle with you." Twilight's face was a deep red, and her eyes were moist as though she was about to cry.
Rarity calmed herself. "I shouldn't have snapped at you, Twilight. I'm sorry. It's alright, really, it is." She pulled Twilight in for a hug. “I'm sorry, Twilight.”
"Rarity?" Twilight asked, feeling better now.
"Yes?"
"I think we should be getting back."
"Yes, I suppose we should, darling." They walked back in silence and when they got to the fork in the road leading to their homes they told each other goodnight and went their separate way back.
Lying in bed, Twilight couldn't believe that she had lost her self control earlier like she did. She was glad though that Rarity had forgiven her rather easily. Today had been an interesting day for her. She still wondered if Rarity had a crush on her, but she realized that she couldn't rush it. It will come in time, perhaps she just needs some time to get used to the idea, she thought to herself. She then fell asleep, ready to try again tomorrow.
The events of the night were the last thing on Rarity's mind, with the exception of Twilight nuzzling her. She was worried about the dress, for it still needed to be done by tomorrow. Rarity decided that a good night's sleep would do nothing but help, so she crawled into bed and was soon sound asleep.
..........
The next morning, Twilight woke up and went about her morning routine. Everything was fine except for the events of last night. She tried everything to take her mind off Rarity, but try as she might, no amount of reading worked. It was getting to the point where she was afraid that she would lose her sanity if she didn't do something. So, she had decided that today would be the day. She was going to tell Rarity how she felt about her. She took a long time getting ready, fixing her mane, she even used just a tad of perfume. She wanted to make sure that she looked her best, to impress Rarity, and hopefully make this a little bit easier; she knew it wouldn't be.
After she had gotten ready, she left the library and slowly made her way over to the Carousel Boutique. Today was a beautiful day. The sky was clear, the birds sang in the trees, the autumn air was crisp. All this beauty went unnoticed by her, however. As she walked, she thought about what she was going to say. She wasn't exactly sure how she would tell Rarity what was on her mind, but she figured that hopefully she would know when the time was right. Before she knew it, she was there, and more than just a little nervous. She really had no idea how Rarity would react. She took a deep breath, calming herself down, and knocked.
Rarity answered, "Oh, hello Twilight." Her greeting lacked it's usual flair.
"Hello Rarity." Twilight saw that the inside of Rarity's place was a complete mess, with fabrics thrown here and there. "Busy?"
"Yes, and terribly so.” Rarity sighed in frustration. “I still haven't finished that dress. I'm almost done with it, but it's just … missing something.”
The two of them stood in the doorway for an awkward length of time before Twilight spoke up. “Can I come in? I uh, I have something to tell you.” Her heart was pounding in her chest and whatever confidence she had was gone.
“Sure Twilight, what is it?” asked Rarity, motioning for Twilight to come in and then closing the door. “Do you need help over at the library?”
“No, it's nothing like that. It's more … personal.”
Rarity's demeanor changed from impassive to concerned in a split second. “Is everything alright? Whatever it is, I'll do my best to help you get through it.”
“It's nothing bad, everything is alright.”
“Well, what is it then?”
Twilight took another deep breath. She was starting to fear that she wouldn't be able to do it. That all her preparations were for nothing and that Rarity would only reject her. She snapped out of her when trance when Rarity put her hoof on her shoulder.
“I'm not going to pressure you, Twilight. You can tell me whatever it is whenever you feel ready.”
Twilight let out a sigh before she finally spoke up. “Rarity, I uh, I have to tell you something about … us.” She paused, looking for any expression Rarity might have that would give her a clue about what was on Rarity's mind. There was none. Twilight continued, nervously, “I really don't know how to say this, but I guess this is good enough.” Almost there Twi, just say it. “Rarity, I have a … a crush on you.” Twilight looked away. She was hopeful, of course, but she still had no idea of what Rarity's reaction would be. When she turned back, Rarity had a look of surprise and disbelief on her face.
Twilight's ears flattened against her head and she turned and started to leave. She had hoped for more of a reaction than that. As she was walking out the door, Rarity finally spoke. “Twilight, I ...” she said quietly, before Twilight closed the door.
Twilight felt miserable. As she walked through the streets of Ponyville back to the library her mind was a whirlwind of emotions. She hated Rarity for not feeling the same way about her, even though she knew it wasn't Rarity's fault. She also hated herself for ruining their friendship by being so selfish. And on top of that, she was heartbroken because she knew that the two of them would never be together. When she got back to the library, she ran up the stairs to her room, closed the door and lay down in her bed. She couldn't hold back her tears anymore. All the pent-up emotions she had were released all at once, and she cried.
After Twilight left, Rarity had stood there confused as she could be. She certainly hadn't expected that. But she knew that Twilight had been hurt by her lack of a reply, so she left her shop and ran through the streets of Ponyville, not caring what the other ponies of the town thought of her running frantically toward the library.
After several minutes had passed and Twilight had calmed down some, she heard a knock on her door. Twilight got out of bed and trudged over to the door and opened it to see Rarity standing there, sweating and out of breath. Twilight lowered her head and quietly said, "Go away, Rarity. I just need to be by myself, to ..." Twilight started crying again. She turned and went back to bed.
Rarity climbed into bed beside her, stroking her mane. Then she gave her a hug and said, "Shh, everything's going to be fine.” She wiped the tears from Twilight's face and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Twilight was surprised by the kiss. “W-what does that mean?” she asked with uncertainty.
“Twilight,” Rarity said softly, “you never gave me a chance to speak earlier. It took a few minutes for what you said to sink in.” She played with Twilight's mane. "After I knew what I was going to say, I ran all the way over here."
“I guess it was kinda stupid of me to just run out like that,” Twilight said, embarrassed. “I'm sorry.”
“Don't worry about it. I thought about this on my way over here and I want to tell you that I would like to give 'us' a chance.”
Twilight looked into Rarity, tears of joy in her eyes. "Do you really mean it?"
Rarity brought her lips into contact with Twilight's and they shared a kiss, content to be lost in this little world of happiness that they had made for each other. That was all the 'yes' that Twilight needed.
The End
