I watch the guests slowly file into the hall without any interest or emotion. It is far from my normal behavior; they are the elite of Canterlot and Equestria arriving here to witness this royal event. In a different life, I would be out there socializing to make contacts and promote my business. Today they are beneath my notice as I sit in regret over my selfish cowardly decisions these past months. I feel a gentle nudge on my shoulder and I turn to meet Fluttershy’s worried eyes. She asks me a question but I don’t hear what she says and simply nod absently in response.
It is Princess Twilight Sparkle’s wedding day and I should be happy for her right? That's what friends should do for each other. I am not a good friend and I cannot be happy as I watch this event unfold. Not when my heart aches for the mare who will soon arrive.
My feelings for Twilight grew so slowly I didn’t even realize I was falling. Oh, I'll admit that my clumsy new book loving friend was cute right from the start. There was an adorable innocence to her that caught my attention and I was glad to have her as a friend. In no time at all, she grew into a stunningly beautiful mare and she captured my heart without my knowledge. Ascending to become an Alicorn only further enhanced what she had already become.
When she came to us and announced she was engaged to be married out of the blue I joined our mutual friends in expressing surprise and enthusiasm. I gladly promised to make her wedding dress before she even asked but underneath the surface, I was strangely hurt and confused. Twilight Sparkle couldn’t be getting married so suddenly could she? I couldn’t figure out why this was bothering me so much. I invited her over for tea the next day and confronted her about her absurdly sudden decision.
“I didn't want to pry in public but this makes no sense. How in Equestria are you engaged to somepony so quickly, Twilight? You haven't ever been on a date!”
She was defensive. “Rarity, I went out with him for dinner the last time I was in Canterlot. He was kind, sweet and I enjoyed his company. I was so surprised when he proposed!”
“On the first date? You said yes to a marriage proposal on your first date ever?! You don’t even know him, darling!”
“I'll get to know him in time; it's not like I have stallions beating my door down,” she said firmly. “What's wrong with getting married now that somepony is actually interested in me?”
“You can't remain single, so of course you just up marry the first stallion to shower you with compliments and a ring! Is this what you really want your life to be Princess?”
“He offered something I never expected to have in my life” she replied tersely. “So I accepted his proposal. You were happy for me yesterday. What is your problem Rarity?!”
“My problem is you've never tested the waters before you decide to dive straight in. You've never even kissed somepony before have you darling? Not even your fiancee.”
Her response was defensive in the face of my unexpected question. “No, I haven't. Why does that matter?”
I slid off my chair and walked slowly over to her. My body was moving bereft of thought as I closed the gap between us. I stared into those purple eyes, marveling at their depth and color. Those warm pools of purple watched me with care as their owner tried to discern my purpose.
“I'll show you why," I whispered as I leaned in and stole her first kiss.
I had kissed a couple stallions in the past but their efforts couldn't compare to this moment. The instant our lips me I felt a spark burn through my mind erasing all thought. I briefly watched Twilight’s eyes widen with surprise and then close as she leaned in to reciprocate. My eyes closed while I did my best to ignore what I was doing. I knew this was wrong and yet I couldn't stop myself. The kiss went on and on sending a tingling feeling down my spine.
When the kiss finally broke, Twilight’s eyes stayed lidded for a moment as if savoring the unfamiliar sensations. Then her face blushed bright red and her eyes flew wide opened as her mind finally caught up and realized what we had done.
“I have to go!” she gasped and then she was gone in a flash of light, leaving me alone to contemplate my foolishness. A single word escaped my lips as my voice filled with confusion.
“Twilight . . .” Don't go. Please.
Here comes the groom in his suit ready to take the hoof of Twilight Sparkle. Weeks ago I might have found him handsome but now he simply exists as a mere flickering candle blotted out by the brilliant sunshine Twilight brings when she enters a room. I watch this faceless, unrecognizable stallion climb up onto the stage and try to figure out why Twilight would be marrying him. This unmemorable fop is the one who she is going to wed for life? Horror threatens to overwhelm me so I turn back to my memories before I scream out loud.
I sat on that couch for half an hour lost in thought. Fearing I had alienated my friend but also basking in the feel of that one kiss. Thinking about it for even a moment made me giddy but at the same time, my heart fell when I remembered she had fled. There was no solution to this puzzle that I could see.
I was pulled back to reality by a quiet knock on my door. I opened it with my magic without getting off the couch or even looking to see who it was. I ignored the approaching hoofsteps but a flash of lavender drew my eye and I looked over to see Twilight walking slowly in. She hesitated when our eyes met staring at me as if seeing me for the first time. She began moving towards me one step at a time, her gaze never wavering. I felt my heart begin to pound as the gap between us narrowed.
“Why?” she whispered as she moved towards me.
I had no coherent answer to give her as my usual eloquence abandoned me. I just murmured her name.
“Twilight . . .” I don’t know but I want to kiss you again.
She stared at me as her eyes softened and she came to a decision. She continued her slow walk and hopped up on the couch next to me. With a barely audible whisper, she responded in kind.
“Rarity . . .” I shouldn’t be here but I can't make myself leave.
Our lips were together an instant later and any worry we had evaporated with the contact.
Princess Celestia walks through the grand hall and up onto the dais. I see her scan the audience and for a brief moment, our eyes meet. Celestia’s eyes seem to widen when she looks at me and I wonder if she senses the pain I carry deep inside. Then the moment passes and I let my mind drift again.
Right from the first day, I knew this wasn't right. Twilight was bound and determined to see this wedding through and I couldn't make myself contradict her. If I pushed too hard the spell would break and I would lose these intoxicating moments. We had to stop, it was my responsibility to push her away and it was her duty to leave me.
I knew it as clearly as I saw those beautiful purple eyes scant inches away for the hundredth time. I should have reminded her about her engagement to keep us apart instead of drifting closer. Even as I think it, she stares at me, her eyes filled with desire and guilt as we fail to stop. Our eyes close and all I can feel is her warm breath on my face, mixing with mine just before our lips meet. Sparks fly in my mind as we settle into another deep long kiss.
My mind is lost in her touch and for a brief moment, the guilt is lost. I feel her wings wrap around my shoulders and I pull her in closer with my hoof. An eternity later we break the dizzying kiss and we both gasp for breath as we open our eyes and gazed at each other. We whisper to each other saying nothing and yet everything in a single word.
“Twilight . . .” I wish you would stay here forever.
“Rarity . . .” I can’t stay but I can’t make myself leave.
There are so many words we have never spoken to each other, so much more I could say. We snuggle and kiss for hours that seem like brief moments when they pass. Our contact brushes against the line of lust but never crosses. I think of words I could say to her, declaring my affection and desire but silence is my only action. Somehow we convince ourselves that this limited restraint in word and deed is enough to assuage the guilt brought on by our actions. I feel joy from being close to the pony I desire and sorrow knowing that she is committed to another.
If only her scent was less appealing, her lips less sweet and her body less desirable. Alas, it is not and when our lips meet again all the worries vanish from my mind.
Music fills my ears, dragging my mind out of memory and back to the present, blushing from the mere memory of her touch. Sweet Celestia my heart can’t bear to watch what is coming but I can’t force myself look away. She walks through the door the picture of perfection iced with the dress that merely enhances her hidden grace. She walks slowly down the aisle, with deliberate calm steps. She stares straight ahead as if in a trance, perhaps fearing what she will see if her gaze wanders. She passes me without wavering leaving my heart aching. My mind involuntarily drifts back to the last day we spent together a mere week earlier.
“I still think you're rushing into this Twilight . . .” I don't want to lose you.
“I can't back out now Rarity. The date is set. This is the way things have to be."
She looked radiant in the wedding gown I was making for her. I was making the final adjustments even as I fought against its purpose. I would give her nothing less than my best work even as my heart was breaking. Still, I stomped my hoof on the floor, furious at her attitude.
“You shouldn’t be forced to do this! This is nothing more than an excuse Twilight!”
She whirled around on the stage and glared at me; her eyes narrowed with an unreadable expression.
“An excuse for what? To possibly find love, happiness and stability for once in my life? If I don’t follow through with this engagement what will I have left? What would you have me do Rarity?”
I cowered back, faced with a fury I had never seen in her eyes. The soft purple was as hard as diamond and I knew I had crossed the line. I wanted to tell her everything; confess my true feelings; tell her she was the light of my life and so much more. Alas, months of forced silence left me to take the coward’s way out and all I could do was whisper.
“Twilight . . . “ I'm sorry darling. Forgive me. Please?
She stared at me silently; her eyes full of pain waiting for me to continue. When she concluded I had nothing more to say, she sniffed and turned back to the mirror without speaking another word. I felt my heart break a bit more as I lifted the needle and thread in my magic to make the final alterations. No more words passed between us but my heart ached with desire for the mare on the pedestal. For the sweet caress of lips, I would never kiss again.
Half an hour later I had finally finished the alterations. I remember my eyes were brimming with tears as I watched her leave and I opened my mouth to speak but I withered when I saw the expression on her face. It made me want to curl up in a ball and disappear. I couldn't muster one single word as she walked away for the last time so I turned and closed the door behind me. Twilight was long gone by the time I knew what I should have said.
"Twilight . . ." I would have you stay choose me instead.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today too . . .”
With every word Princess Celestia herself unwittingly drives another nail in the coffin of my heart. My heart races as I witness the moments slip away with growing speed. Celestia's words pass through my mind without revealing their meaning or purpose while I stare at the stage. I see Twilight glowing in her dress while she watches at the plain and unremarkable stallion across from her. Her face is a mask of calm but I can clearly see a storm cloud in her eyes. Her expression screams out in pain yet nopony else notices, not even the empty witless stallion standing mere inches away from her. Celestia drones on but the words begin to have meaning again.
“. . . If there is any pony out there who objects to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace.”
Fear holds me in a tight unrelenting grip and locks me in a silent stupor alone with my guilt but to my surprise, a voice echoes through the vast hall in response to Celestia's question.
“I OBJECT!”
It is my voice that reverberates through the grand hall with surprising passion and power. The eyes of everypony burn across my fur as I step out into the middle of the hall; my knees almost buckle under the weight of their growing displeasure. A quiet murmur runs through the assembly but their words are of no importance as I focus my attention on Twilight alone. She stares back at me as the confusion on her face becomes recognition and realization. Her fire filled expression wilts my unheralded confidence and leaves me bereft of wit and words.
“I . . .”
“Why Rarity?” she asks. “Why do you object to this wedding?”
“Twilight . . . Please . . .” I want to tell you something but I'm afraid.
“Answer me! Why?” she repeats with a sharper tone. Her eyes narrow at my hesitation and my voice is stuck in my throat.
“I – I . . .”
“WHY!?” she roars, using the Royal Canterlot voice. It echoes off the walls and ceiling and I shatter in the face of her fury.
“BECAUSE I LOVE YOU TWILIGHT!” I scream back.
I clap my hooves over my mouth in horror as the murmurs die away into a horrible silence. Twilight stares at me with broken despair and her eyes shimmer with new tears. She looks as if her mind had gone askew and she has lost her ability to speak. I open my mouth to speak again but I can only muster the will to pour my emotions into one single word.
“Twilight . . .” I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I'm sorry I said it. I'm sorry for everything.
My vision blurs with the tears filling my eyes as I turn tail and gallop away from the explosion of chaos that erupts in my wake as I flee the scene of my crime.
I blindly gallop through the streets of Canterlot, leaving the wedding and my broken heart in the dust. Ponies are leaping out of my way, shouting at me to watch where I’m going but I ignore them. Soon I'll be on a train and I’ll be able to hide away in my home to mourn what I have lost and ruined. I round the corner to the station entrance and nearly crash into a mare blocking the doorway. I lose my footing as I try to stop before I collide with the stranger. I trip and begin to tumble towards the ground but before I hit, I find myself floating in a pink magical aura that gently places me on my hooves.
I take a deep breath and look up to thank the stranger for their kind salvation but my heart stops when I see the pony standing in front of me. Twilight Sparkle stares at me with unreadable eyes, tears streaking her fur and still perfection in her wedding dress. Her expression demands that I speak and I oblige her.
"I'm sorry I ruined your wedding Twilight . . ." I shouldn't have said anything.
I look at the ground and stand to accept her judgment as she speaks in a quiet commanding voice.
“Why didn’t you tell me Rarity?”
My voice was small and sad as I spoke to the cobblestones at my hooves.
“You were seeking love and stability from your fiancee. I was ruining that with my foolish behavior.”
She is silent, considering my response while I contemplate the simple stone below. Her voice is one of pain and regret when she finally replies.
“I want to love and be loved. Nopony has ever said they love me with such passion. I thought it was only a dalliance for you to prove a point. I once asked you what would you have me do Rarity. Did you mean what you said in the hall?”
My heart stops and I raise my head to view her her face at last. My gaze slides past her tear-streaked fur and furrowed brow on its way into those purple eyes once again. Eyes that were now filled with something new. I stare at those captivating eyes as I speak the words I had refused to admit a week earlier and through the days of our desire.
“Twilight, I love you . . .” and I wish I had told you sooner.
Her eyes soften as her fear fades away and the first real smile I had seen in ages appears on her face.
“Rarity, I love you too . . .” and I'm glad you were brave enough to speak.
The gap between us closes and our lips meet again for the very first time. This is more than the clandestine kisses we shared over tea in my shop and the regret-filled snuggles on my couch. It is a kiss without guilt, a statement of what we had failed to acknowledge for months since our first kiss and years since we first met.
Contact between our lips break and our eyes reflect the others love while we think about the inevitable mess in our near future. A wedding hall filled with guests, a noble stallion abandoned at the altar, confused friends, and disappointed family. It would be a painful test of our affection and of our love that could cost us everything. As I gaze into the eyes of my love, none of that matters as long as she will be with me. We meet again for another kiss that becomes an unspoken promise, a silent apology and an implicit vow.
No matter what happens, no matter who stands in our way, no matter what challenges hide in our future, Twilight and I will face them all.
Together.
Author's Note
This story has become an experiment in tense use and point of view. I'll be very curious to hear your thoughts on the result! 
So yeah, I'd like to think I don't have any specific pairings I favour but Rarity x Twilight just seems to be drawing me to write these days. This is a particularly personal story for me since it is inspired by real events I unfortunately witnessed many years ago. Thank goodness the reality didn't get as far as a wedding though.
If you're curious, in my mind Twilight’s decision to go forward as far as she did with this unknown stallion stems from a strange mixture of stubborn obligation to keep the promise made when she accepted his marriage proposal and fear that she will be alone if she turns away from him. The specifics really doesn’t matter anymore than the identity of the poor stallion Twilight left behind.
Thank you for reading!
