The lights flashed, the pop and click of cameras nearly deafening as eight of the most beautiful mares in all Equestria strutted in time to swelling music. They each wore dresses that were arguably just as lovely as the ponies that wore them, the fabrics draping over their bodies elegantly and shimmering with each movement. One by one they came to a halt and posed to another wave of camera flashes and mixed ‘oohs!’ and ‘aws!’ from the crowd of fashion industry and high society ponies.
The last mare moved to the very end of the runway and tossed her head back, her short pink mane catching the light like fire as she reared up into a graceful pose. The music came to a perfectly timed crescendo, the last notes hanging in the air as the supermodel Fleur di Lis lowered herself back onto her hooves. She countered the cameras with a flash of her smile and her horn lit up with a thin thread of arcane energy, amplifying her voice until it reached the very back of the grand ballroom.
“Fillies and gentlecolts, thank you for attending the Carousel Couture Review in lovely Canterlot!” Fleur bowed lightly to the thunder of applause, her smile shining even brighter as a low tone of a single cello started to play. “I hope you’ve all enjoyed yourselves, because I know that we have enjoyed showing you these wonderful designs. But now we have reached the end of our show, and tradition dictates that the designer comes forward to your grateful applause and we all mingle in the after party.”
Fleur turned and winked towards the waiting orchestra and the grey earth mare playing the supporting single note music. “And as much as I would like to do so, I’m afraid, this show is a Rarity show. And Rarity is never one to hold to traditions! So, without further ado, allow me to introduce our designer and two very special guests!”
All the lights in the room went dark simultaneously, the lone note from Octavia continuing, stretching out the dramatic moment to the breaking point. Just as it seemed it couldn’t go any further, the lights came back on and silvery confetti mixed with golden glitter rained from the ceiling, while a powerful spotlight fixed on curtain that lead to the backstage area. Instead of the curtain parting, there was a wave of powerful magics and three ponies, standing abreast, appeared there. In the middle was the famous Rarity of Ponyville, dressed in a flowing sash of chiffon and featherweight lace that accentuated her hair and curves equally, posing regally. On either side of her, flanking her like glittery walls of silk and sequins, were the Princesses. Each one sported yet another one of Rarity’s designs, complete with jewels and intricate feathered headpieces.
Princess Luna was a vision in obsidian and polished moonstone, her dress long and flowy with a sparkly shawl so light it seemed to hover more than rest over her wings.
Princess Celestia, on the other hoof, shone like the sun itself in an amber colored ensemble. Rough cut citrine gems hung from impossibly light golden chains that played through her mane and over her wings. The gems glinted in the bright light, flashing almost as wildly as the many horns and cameras of the gathered audience.
The applause and cheers was a solid wall of sound as the three ponies posed and strutted their way down the runway until they reached the very end. Fleur di Lis bowed deeply to the trio, surrendering the spotlight to them and strolling gracefully back towards the orchestra. Rarity smiled, pausing a moment to wipe tears of joy from her eyes, and stood up on her hind legs to wave and address the crowd.
“Thank you one and all!”
A few hours and endless rounds of schmoozing later, in the backstage dressing rooms…
Rarity sighed dramatically, falling back against the door as the last of the industry ponies finally left and plunged the large room into blessed silence save for the swishing of cloth and jingle of jewelry from the Princesses as they disrobed. “Finally! I love these shows and networking with other ponies in the industry...but give a mare her space!”
She sighed again, the drama from a moment before gone and drained from her. With just the Princesses present, Rarity let her fatigue show plainly in the set of her ears and the sag of her shoulders. Dropping back to her hooves, she walked slowly toward the enlarged vanities and started removing her body-hugging dress.
Princess Celestia smile comfortingly in the mirror at Rarity. “You look...winded.”
“Oh don’t be so delicate, Tia.” Her sister Luna waved her hoof dismissively as her horn lit up and started to remove her ornate headpiece. “Our little pony is exhausted, dead on her hooves! She has worked tirelessly and it shows. Rarity is in need of a shower, a hot meal and rest.” Luna grinned, turning her head to face Rarity. “And you shall have that, and more, tonight at the castle!”
“Oh, but Princess, I can’t!” Rarity stepped back, eyes widening in shocked surprise. “That offer is simply too generous! I would, of course, love to accept your offer, but I’ve imposed upon you both far too much this night already.”
“Nonsense! I enjoyed the diversion your show offered us.” Luna chuckled and turned her headpiece over in her magic in front of her eyes. “And I am quite enamored of these designs of yours. I am sure most of the city is now as well, if the blinding wave of photography was any estimate.”
“But…”
“No buts! Our mind is made, you shall stay the evening at the castle and make use of the animenties.”
Rarity opened her mouth to protest more, but paused when she noticed Princess Celestia shake her head minisculely. She closed it with a snap a moment later and bowed gracefully. “Well then...as the Princess wishes.”
“Excellent!” Luna nodded her head to punctuate her point. “Since it is also well into the evening, my sister can see to it personally that your needs are met, fair Rarity. While I would like to do so myself, the Night Court needs me to perform my duty now that this fun diversion has concluded.”
Rarity sighed for a third time and took her seat, letting the soft cloth support her as her magic removed her make-up and extended lashes. Her dress floated off of her and folded itself neatly before falling into one of the trunks of clothing that accompanied her everywhere. By the time she halfway out of her stockings, Luna was already completely disrobed and already pulling on her standard royal regalia.
“And I am off! Thank you once more, Rarity. We really should do this more often. Modern fashion could use a bit more such events!” There was a flash of light and the faint odor of ozone where the moon princess had stood, leaving Rarity alone with Celestia.
Rarity rubbed her eyes, blinking away the after images of the sudden teleport. “My...Princess Luna certainly has become far more...commanding in recent times, hasn’t she?”
“You have no idea.”
Rarity snorted, turning back to the remaining royal. “I too have a younger sister that is coming into her own with a new cutie mark and another year of school done. I know how they can get…” Rarity blinked again. “Princess, are you alright?”
“Hmmm?” Celestia froze, her horn glowing softly with her telekinetic magic delicately holding the citrine and gold chain webbing that adorned her mane partially away from herself, though her rainbow colored locks refused to let go. “I am...alright...just a bit stuck, it seems.”
“Oh!” Rarity hopped out of her seat, her fatigue momentarily put aside. “Let me help you with that, your Highness! There is a clasp in the back…” She bit her lip, walking around behind the larger alicorn and reared up to open the tiny jewelry lock. It came loose with a click noise.
“Thank you, Rarity!” Celestia giggled softly, levitating the finery away onto the desk in front of her. “It was so lovely, I didn’t want to accidentally damage it by pulling too hard. You put a lot of work into this outfit. I still find myself amazed at the intricate details and craftsmanship that went into something only I could ever wear.”
“Pish posh! It’s no less than the effort I would put into an dress for one of my friends. A bit more so, I dare say. It’s not every day one gets to craft clothing for the Princesses of Equestria.” Rarity giggled, pausing when she noticed she was still touching Celestia’s back and fell back onto all four hooves. “Uh...well, making outfits for Twilight, um...notwithstanding, of course.”
“Of course.” Celestia smiled again and started to carefully slip off the rest of her outfit. “And I suppose it was Twilight that gave you my measurements?”
Rarity rolled her eyes cartoonishly, returning to her own seat next to Celestia’s. “Obviously. You know how she is. The dear poured over pictures and old documents until she was certain she had the right sizes for you and Princess Luna both. I suggested she just ask, but…”
“But it’s Twilight.”
Rarity nodded. “Yes! However...she is my friend, and I’ve learned that sometimes it is best to just leave her to her own devices and check back once the dust has settled.”
“That’s probably for the best.” Celestia chuckled quietly. “I’m well aware of how intense Twilight can be once she starts studying something. Though, I must commend you both, the dress and jewelry fit like dream. It’s been a very long time since I’ve had something so fine crafted purely for me that also feels nice to wear.”
“Oh Princess! You’ll make me blush from all this praise!”
“You do rightly deserve it.” Celestia smiled, her horn glowing with the effort to fluff out her mane and brush her own coat smooth. “I shall have to manufacture some reason to wear it again. The Gala, perhaps.”
“I would be honored.” Rarity relaxed in her seat, looking into the mirror at herself. “Though perhaps you and Princess Luna are right. I should let myself be pampered for an evening. I can see bags forming under my eyes already. It has been a long day at the end of what feels like a very long week.”
“Nothing that a hot bath, dinner and some rest cannot fix.”
Her first thought, when she opened her eyes to the golden light of dawn streaming in through the high windows of her castle suite, was that the Princess’ words rung true.
Rarity felt refreshed. Rested. Alive.
After the wind down from the show’s after party, Princess Celestia had treated her to Celestia’s own personal staff and spa. Calling it a ‘bathroom’ would have been an insult. There was an enormous bath, of course, but there was also a massage area and a lava rock sauna. Exactly what any Princess or Goddess would long for after a trying day.
And it was hers for a night.
Rarity grinned at the thought and stretched in her suite’s opulent bed before pulling back the sheets and slipping out onto her hooves. The carpeting was so soft, it was almost like getting out of one bed only to get into another. She stood there for a moment, breathing in the surroundings, soaking herself in the sheer ‘royalty’ of it. It was the sort of place her fillyhood dreams had been made of. The closet was filled with dresses from designers all over the world. The furniture was made from the best materials. Even the vanity was stocked with the most elite of products.
Rarity plodded quietly over to the vanity, her eyes scanning the vials, bottles, tubs, and jars filled with every type of beauty product she could imagine, all of it fresh and unopened. A gift to her from Celestia.
More like an enticement really. Rarity opened one of the makeup cases, her eyes dancing across the rainbow of colors available. The brush lifted up, touching down in the light blue eyeshadow. Incentive to come here more often. As if I needed that.
Long practice and mastery guided her telekinetic grip, one eye closed as the blue was brushed in over the white of her coat. The other eye turned toward the bed she’d vacated a moment ago. The sheets were messy, tossed about, but they still mostly covered the form of Princess Celestia. Rarity could hear the larger pony breathing peacefully.
She wanted her benefactor to rest as long as possible. Letting Celestia sleep in was the least she could do after her already amazing night took a turn for the legendary. Blame the spa treatment, the stream of compliments, their closeness...blame the attraction she’d always had for the finer things...but when the ruler of her country asked to spend the night in her bed, Rarity was not one to refuse.
Not that they got much sleep either.
So in the early morning hours, before she’d passed out, Rarity had extracted herself from that warm hold of hooves, and gone to the other Princess to make a small request. Raise the sun and lower the moon, to allow Celestia the rare opportunity to sleep in.
Luna happily agreed.
And so she found herself now, alone with the still resting Celestia, doing her morning routine. But her thoughts were anything but routine. The things they did, the words they’d spoke to each other with nothing but cool air between them. Did she dare accept the offer? To be more than a friend? She had no idea what it might mean for her other friendships. Or what it might do to her career. Celestia claimed that nothing need change. That their lives would...could...continue unabated.
It was the only time she could recall the Princess ever telling a lie.
Maybe from the perspective of an unaging Goddess, it wasn’t a change worth mentioning. I t was to Rarity though. There was risk involved. Hardships too. It wouldn’t be romance without those, though, would it?
She finished applying her makeup and gazed at her reflection. She looked like perfection given form, to steal the Princess’s wording from last night. Rarity, darling, it comes down to choice. Do you take the safe way? Do you walk out the door and go off to the next show? Or do you walk over to the bed and wake a sleeping Princess?
Rarity took a deep breath, steadying herself. The way she saw it, the smart thing would be to leave. Celestia was immortal and an adult. She would understand. There would be time again later for a relationship. It’s what most ponies would do.
“As much as you should,” her reflection inclined its head forward, “I’m afraid, you are Rarity and Rarity is never one to do what most ponies would do!”
Celestia groaned quietly on the bed, turning in her sleep as consciousness approached of four white hooves.
It was strange to roam around someone else's kitchen past midnight. In fact, Rarity had barely entered the room when she realized that finding a glass of water to drink might prove difficult in this specific case.
She'd never seen a kitchen this large in any house. The room was at least double the size of the living room in the small apartment she rented, for one thing. The furniture was mahogany, the floor was marble, and a curious look into a couple of drawers revealed silverware that could probably finance a family car. Thankfully, she had found a glass before she could stumble across crystal wine glasses or diamond-inlaid chopsticks.
With her glass of water in hand, she leaned against the counter, idly wondering how wrong it felt to drink tap water in a kitchen like this.
But this was exactly the problem, wasn't it? She was tap water, and Mayor Celestia was the kitchen. Or rather the silverware.
Of course she had heard rumors of Celestia's wealth. Everyone in Canterlot knew some of the history of the youngest mayor in their history. Eldest daughter of a family dynasty stretching back to the medieval period, enrolled in university at only sixteen years old, graduated with honors in political science, sociology and psychology. Worked for the city court for two years, before becoming the mayor at twenty-four years. And she had governed one of the largest cities of Equestria for ten years to basically universal approval.
And here she was. Rarity, upstart seamstress with a degree in fashion and no real-world experience. Who just happened to be dating said prodigy.
She usually had no problems with self-confidence. Among her friends, only Rainbow could match her in that respect, and at least some of that was bravado. But with Celestia, she wondered if they really had a future together. Not to mention if Celestia even wanted a future together. Was she just a momentary fad, a pretty face to entertain for a while?
What did she have to offer to someone like Celestia?
She was tired, but the thought of going back upstairs, into that bedroom, to join in the canopy bed next to that amazing woman...
Speaking of whom.
She could hear the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. Fitting that even her footsteps would be even and elegant.
Rarity put the glass aside as Celestia appeared in the door. She had seen her share of models, but even the prettiest of them barely held a candle to the sight that greeted her. Celestia, wrapped in her blue velvet bathrobe, her polychromatic hair falling over her chest in a tight french braid Rarity herself had made before they went to bed.
"Hey", she said, closing in on Rarity, but stopping just out of arm's reach. "Did you have trouble sleeping? Was I moving around too much?"
"Don't worry, darling. I was just a bit thirsty." Rarity smiled and extended her hand.
Celestia took it carefully, letting the younger woman pull her into a hug.
Rarity was never one to believe in destiny. Even at her most romantic, the idea of true love was something she desired, but never imagined would actually exist. But here, in Celestia's arms, head tucked under the taller woman's chin, her own arms wrapped around a body that just seemed made for it...
She felt safe. Completely protected, wanted, loved.
Celestia began rubbing circles on Rarity's back. When Rarity arched into the touch, she leaned back a bit, so she could look into her eyes.
And Rarity felt tears fall. All the worry, all the fear of losing this, that it would just be like so many relationships she knew about, came to stab her in the chest in this moment.
"Rarity? W-what is the matter? Are you unwell?" Celestia released her hurriedly, checking her for any kind of physical damage she could see while preserving Rarity's modesty. "Should I call the doctor? I know a good physician, and I can get her here in a few minutes..." She looked around in a panic.
Before she could run off for the phone, Rarity held her arm. "No," she said, voice quivering. "Just a little worry, darling. It's... It's nothing you have to..."
Another bout of sobs cut her off, and Celestia was there, took hold of her hand. When Rarity pulled herself close again, fists bunching up in Celestia's bathrobe, the older woman wrapped the free arm around her, whispering "It's okay, Rarity. I am here for you, whatever you need."
Eventually, Celestia's embrace and soothing whispers calmed her down enough. She allowed herself to be led back to the bedroom and under the covers, Celestia keeping a bit of distance, but watching her attentively in the dim light of the little lamp on the night stand.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked carefully after a few silent minutes.
So Rarity did. She was not usually anxious, but she did worry: If she came on too strong, too clingy... what would Celestia think of her? Would she end their time together? Would it reveal that Celestia always intended this as a short relationship, a single dish in the multi-course dinner that was life?
As she had ended, Celestia was silent. She did keep her hand in Rarity's, which seemed like a good sign, or at least not a bad one.
“Rarity,” she finally began. “I… We’ve only known each other for a few weeks, but I care about you very much. I am a workaholic, as you and my sister love to point out. My days are spent at the office, and otherwise I am home to eat, sleep or shower. But after we met, I found myself wanting to have a life for the first time in…” She grimaced. “For the first time I can remember.”
She lifted Rarity’s hand to her lips and pressed a lingering kiss to the knuckles.
“You make me remember that it is okay to think of myself sometime. To want things, not because they are good for everyone, but because they make me happy. And you showed me that it is good for me to express my feelings. To not keep things bottled up for the sake of a polite smile.
“I can’t promise you this will last forever, as much as I want to. People change, and so do relationships. But… maybe we’ll change together, and this will be what makes us last.”
She smiled, and for Rarity, it was as if the sun had risen early.
“I love you, Rarity.”
In this moment, even after reading dozens upon dozens of romance novels, Rarity found herself shocked breathless. She had always dreamed of a romantic confession, a heartfelt speech, to herald the beginning of her relationship with her true love. Of course, she figured she’d rather be realistic. She did not expect it to happen outside her novels, so she scaled back her expectations.
But the pure joy that rose in her chest, both from Celestia’s smile and her confession, eclipsed even her wildest dreams. The pleasant, fluttering feeling in her stomach, her wildly-beating heart, not to mention the burst of warmth flooding her entire body, they all came together, and Rarity knew that she would remember this moment for the rest of her life.
She didn’t trust her speech. She didn’t want to ruin the moment by incoherent babbling, so she surged forward, meeting Celestia’s lips with her own, clearly surprising the older woman. They had exchanged chaste kisses before, but this kiss, filled with need, with happiness, with pure bliss…
Somewhere, she felt Celestia’s arms wrapping around her, pulling her closer, but she barely took notice. Her entire existence, in that moment, was the soft, sweet contact of Celestia’s lips moving against hers. Maybe it was not the most elegant kiss. Maybe it could have been better. But Rarity, in all her romantic being, could not even pretend to care.
She opened her eyes. She could not even remember having closed them.
“That was…” Rarity could not find words. She stared into Celestia’s eyes shining in the dim light, and she got lost. The only possible reply came not from any rational part of her mind. “I… I love you too.”
Celestia laughed, a bit shakily, and moved in for another kiss, a bit less needy, but just as loving, just as gentle. After long seconds, they parted, but not much, leaving a breath between their lips.
She just held her hand on Celestia’s cheek, and kept her eyes on her love.
She realized, in that moment. Celestia was caring and kind. She would not rush Rarity. She would be by her side, as equals. She could teach Celestia to think of herself, to life happily. And Celestia would be the voice of reason, the one who kept Rarity grounded. Who could inspire and believe in her. Who would never judge her for her theatrics, but stop her if needed.
But she would tell her that tomorrow. For now, there was only one thing she had to say.
“Goddess, I love you too.”
There was wetness, tears of joy. Who had shed them? It was not important. Rarity knew, in her heart, that they had found one another. She had no doubt that their relationship would last. Not when they fit together so perfectly.
Author's Note
Misago also wrote a prequal to his entry for the Rarlestia Crackship and published on his account as a stand-alone story.
Misago presents:
I May or May Not Like You
