The rays of light shone through Rarity’s windows, her temporary living space illuminated in the beautiful natural light from the outside world. She hummed away, a sewing needle in a light blue aura stitching the last bit of decor onto the dress, her smile brightening as she quickly looked over her design. She had forgone the headpiece, seeing that it was a bit too much for her friend. But what she had made in the end, felt more like what her friend would truly wear.

Comets streaked across a pale deep blue tinge that marked through the bright magenta and dark lavender colors that made up the entirety of the ensemble. And to add a bit of her own touch, she had also sewn faint bright blue stars that resembled diamonds, bringing out what she predicted to match Twilight Sparkle well. “And there. That should do it,” Rarity murmured as she set down the sewing needle.

Stepping back, she wiped her brow with a hoof, taking a moment to gaze at her newest creation. From her earlier attempt at the first sketch of her friend’s birthday dress, she imagined the two designs side by side, shaking her head at the first version as she frowned at all the features that simply would show better on her, rather than looking amazing on her friend. Then she turned her attention to the newest creation, and the more celestial-like approach screamed her friend’s name.

“My, what a splendid piece of art. I can absolutely see Twilight enjoying an ensemble such as this.” The process of creating this dress had taken quite a bit of effort over the past couple of days. It was tiresome, of course, having to work on this project when she could. Not only was this part a bit stressful, if not necessary, but she had also made it a point to attend the high class parties and get-togethers her noble friends had put up, from art displays to even a christening of one of Fancy Pant’s flying yachts.

Though they felt more like a free period of relaxing than work, she had to admit that after organizing how much time she had worked on Twilight’s dress and had spent at these parties, Rarity felt like she had managed this quite well. Yet she smiled and turned to face Opal. If it weren’t for Opal’s constant and annoying meow, Rarity did not know if she would have been able to finish Twilight’s dress. ‘But I am glad she is here. Otherwise I may not have even worked on the dress at all, and possibly even got in trouble for that.’

Speaking of her Persian cat, she looked back to face Opal, her furry little friend yawning and she stretching her legs out. “Opal, dear,” Rarity said. “What do you think of my latest creation?” she asked as she stepped aside and let her cat have a full view of the ensemble.

Opal looked over the seams and lines of the dress, tilted her head here and there, murred quietly, and rubbed against the dress. “Oh, thank you, Opal! You are a true dear, aren’t you?” Rarity said, walking up to her desk. She wrapped her magic around a few of her items, opening a few of her bags and placing the scissors and needles in their appropriate places.

A knock on her door echoed into the room. Rarity looked up to the entrance. “Oh! I have company. Be right there!” She hurriedly stowed her other utensils away, then trotted into her bathroom and fixed her mane. Her eyes never left the mirror once until she nodded, fine with how her hair looked. Rarity walked back to the door and opened it up. The smile she wore seemed to brighten as she saw who stood at her door. “Twilight! It is so good to see you,” she greeted her friend with a hug before pulling away.

“Hello there, Rarity,” Twilight replied. “Just came to see how you were doing.”

“Excellent, darling. And you are just the mare I was wanting to see.”

“Why is that?” Twilight asked as Rarity ushered her into her room.

“Because I have a surprise for you.” Rarity let out a giggle before asking, “Now, would you be a dear and close your eyes for a moment?”

“Why? What’s this surprise you have for me?” Twilight asked as she did what her friend instructed. Rarity levitated a blindfold up to Twilight’s eyes, gently wrapping them around her friend’s eyes. “I have my eyes closed, Rarity; I promised I wouldn’t look.”

“But I don’t want you to spoil the surprise, Twilight.” Rarity giggled before grabbing her friend’s hoof, leading her to the dress. “Now, I shall remove your blindfolds, but promise me that you shall not try and take a quick gander, okay?”

Twilight let out a groan of annoyance. “Of course. I promise that I won’t try to see what is so important that you have to have me be blindfolded.”

Trusting in Twilight that she would keep her word, Rarity untied the cloth, placing it on the desk behind her. “Alright, you can look now.” She watched as Twilight opened her eyes, a glimmer sparkling in her pupils as a smile grew on her muzzle. “So… what do you think of your birthday ensemble?”

“This is the dress for my birthday?” Twilight took a step back, her smile fading slightly. “Rarity… I, I don’t know what to say…”

‘Oh no. Did I accidentally over do it again?’ Rarity brought a hoof up to her muzzle, fidgeting slightly as panic began to set in. “Twilight.” Rarity sighed. “You can be be completely honest wi--”

“I love it!” Rarity’s eyes lit up as she regained her smile, hearing Twilight say those words was a huge weight off her shoulders. “Oh, I can’t thank you enough! This is so beautiful.” Twilight wrapped her hooves around Rarity as she let out a tiny squee of excitement.

Rarity couldn’t help but giggle at her friend’s joy. “You cannot believe what a relief it is to hear you say that,” she murmured to herself. Clearing her throat, she asked, “Would you like to try it on?”

“Of course. I’d be happy to.” Twilight encased the ensemble in a raspberry-colored aura, moving it close to her right side.

“You can go ahead and use my bathroom if you wish.” Rarity ushered Twilight to her to the other room at the far right of her bedroom. Twilight went in, closing the door behind her. As the door shut, she breathed out. “Okay, Rarity. You have been doing well so far. We must not let Twilight know that I… well, have feelings for her. Just take a deep breath” --she breathed in and slowly breathed out-- “and you should be just fine.”

The bathroom door opened, and her friend stepped out. “So what do you think, Rarity?” Twilight asked.

She turned around to face Twilight, her mouth dropping open as she let out a quiet gasp. If beauty had any type of physical form, then Rarity would swear that she was seeing her right now. The dress was absolutely perfect on her, showing off her friend’s beautiful curves and looking stunning over all. “You look… amazing…” Rarity murmured. ‘Amazing? No that is not even a good beginning to describe what Twilight looks like.’

Twilight blushed at Rarity’s comment, looking at the ground. She returned her attention to her friend, raising an eyebrow. “Uh… Rarity? Are you alright?” Rarity did not heed her words. Her smile softened. “Hello? Are you there, Rarity?”

The words finally broke through the haze enveloping Rarity, shaking her head before her cheeks slightly flushed. “Oh, I am terribly sorry, Twilight. I guess I must have lost my focus for a moment.”

“It’s alright.” Twilight smiled, giggling as she asked, “But what was with the face? You were looking really strange there.”

“My face? What do you mean my… oh.” Rarity’s cheeks grew brighter at the mention of how she was possibly staring at Twilight. “Oh, I um… why there’s a perfect explanation for that,” she said, biting her lip as she thought. “You see, I just… oh, I just fell into a daze. Yes… that’s the exact reason.” A quiet giggle escaped from her lips. “That of course… heh, is the reason.”

Twilight could only tilt her head quizzically. Rarity looked to her left and right before chuckling nervously. But Twilight’s faint frown was replaced by a smile as she giggled. “I can tell that you’re pretty tired. Maybe I can come back when you're ready for my birthday party here in Canterlot.”

Knocked out of her daze, Rarity shook her head before smiling. “Of course. I shall see you in a bit, darling.”

As Twilight walked out of the room, waving to her friend, she stopped before fully exiting Rarity’s temporary living quarters. “I almost forgot. Thank you for the beautiful dress, Rarity. See you later.” The door shut with a low click, and the room filled with silence once more. She continued to wave her hoof until she turned to look at it. She sighed and put it back on the ground.

Rarity lost her smile, a faint frown on her muzzle as she groaned out to the room, “Why do my emotions have to play such a horrible game with me!?” She fell onto her bed, which buckled slightly under her body. “Oh, Twilight. How you managed to steal my heart, I shall never know. But why?” She looked to Opal. “Please tell me, Opal,” Rarity pleaded. “Why has Twilight Sparkle taken my breath away from me?”

Her cat just stared a deadpan expression as Rarity sat up, blinking for a moment until she giggled. “Oh, right. I cannot understand you like Fluttershy would, nor have you ever been in such a predicament as this.” Her frown returned as she groaned again. “But still… the way she looked in that dress… oh, how a mare as herself looked so dashing. So astonishing that I could never imagine how she does it.”

She could not help but gush, resting her hooves on her cheeks as she let out a long sigh. Rarity let out a giggle, for the beauty of her friend she knew of had all but costed the words in her mind. “Yet she has driven me to the point where I look, even sound like a babbling buffoon in those romance novels.” Another little chuckle echoed in the room. “Oh, Rarity… whatever are we going to do?”

But she stood back up, looking out the window. She shook her head and raised a hoof to her chin as she thought of this “romance” she could only see in her mind. “Well… if I am truly in love with Twilight, then… why not try? I did say I would experiment with this adoration of my friend.” A faint smile broke the frown on her muzzle. “Maybe… it might not be as tragic as I have sought to label it in this type of light? If this works… then I may have found my Prince Charming after all!” She proclaimed, giggling again until she tapped a hoof on her chin. “But she is not a stallion… so not a ‘Prince Charming’ at all. Maybe a ‘divine princess?’ Yes, that works. My divine princess!”

It was a good approach, and one that might get her closer to understanding the full potential of this new love. ‘I wonder what else I can dig up from this? This may lead me somewhere, maybe even to Twilight’s own heart.’ Although she had discerned that this would be indeed the mare of her dreams, she needed to know more. But she could shelve this situation for the moment, for there was something else she had to solve. But how? Which party did she need to attend the most? ‘Well… it is my friend’s birthday party after all. And I cannot afford to miss it. However, I need to keep my image up with my up and coming friends of the Canterlot nobility.’ She hummed, tapping her chin for a moment. “Well… maybe I can go to both parties? Or at least do my best to make it look like I’m not switching from one party to another?” With the plan in mind, she was set and ready for whatever these festivities would throw at her tomorrow.

Author's Note

Thanks to my two awesome proofreaders, the story is going along well. And I am also glad for anypony who takes their time to read this story as well.