Our Illusion
by Monochromatic
X~X~X
Twilight liked official visits to Trottingham city.
Every so often, the King and Queen would send their eldest daughter to oversee the northern province for a few days. Truthfully, however, having Rarity go was merely a formality considering that Duke Fancy Pants, the king’s closest friend and advisor, would always be the one to actually do the overseeing.
So, more often than not, Twilight would spend the entire week reading books inside Duke Trottingham’s castle while the Princess, well, whined.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Even though Twilight’s ear twitched at the sound of Rarity rhythmically tapping her hoof against the windowsill, she did not look up. She was far too engrossed in her novel and far too comfy on the couch. Besides, Twilight knew that was Rarity’s call to attention, and she figured she could ignore it a bit longer until—
Taptaptaptaptap.
…Until it grew faster, at which point she had to acknowledge it or else the Princess would snatch her book away.
“Yes, Your Highness?” she asked, looking up and finding Princess Rarity staring intently at her.
“Twiliiiiiight,” came the familiar whine now that somepony was paying attention to her. Princess Rarity stood up from the window and made a show of sulking her way to the couch. “I’m bored.”
Twilight frowned. “Well, as I said earlier, you’re welcome to read my book with me.”
Rarity scoffed. “Twilight, please. Your book is about politics,” she pointed out. “It’s like you want to put me to sleep.”
Twilight turned back to her book.“I’m so relieved to see the kingdom’s future is in good hooves.”
“Hardy har har,” Rarity replied. “Why are you even reading? It’s not like you to be so relaxed! If an assassin barges in here and tries to kill me, I’ll daresay he might manage.”
Twilight snorted. “Right. With all the guards Duke Trottingham's posted around because of you, I’d like to see anypony even get to the front gate.” She read a full page of her book before Rarity’s lack of reply forced her to look up. To her surprise, she found the unicorn giving her an unimpressed stare. “What?”
Rarity arched an eyebrow. “There were at least a dozen different romantic replies to that, and you didn’t go for a single one. And, by the way, I can’t wait for the day you listen to me and stop sitting on expensive furniture while wearing your armor.” She turned around and trotted back towards the window, completely missing Twilight’s flushed expression. “Ugh! I don’t understand why father sends me here when the Duke doesn’t even allow me to attend his meetings!”
Twilight closed her book, having been guilted into leaving her comfort spot. “He’s just trying to make sure you have a nice time,” she replied, getting up from the couch and stretching. Other times she’d be suspicious of the fact a noble wanted to keep the Princess out of meetings, but… "It isn't as if the Duke is very subtle with his intentions, after all."
“A brick has more subtlety than him,” Rarity muttered, rapping her hoof against the windowsill again. “Let’s have the Princess be all nice and rested so she’s receptive to the courtings of his son.” She turned back to Twilight. “Honestly, I don’t know who’s more aggravated by the entire thing: Silver Scroll or me!”
Twilight giggled. “It’s not that bad.”
Rarity narrowed her eyes. “Oh, you would think that of course! You just stand there with your smug little smile while I have to pretend I have some semblance of a connection with him! But, ah…” She trotted towards Twilight and fluttered her eyelashes in an insolent gesture. “If I were sitting next to him and whispering in his ears, then you wouldn’t be smiling so much, would you?”
Twilight’s smile disappeared.
“You know what will cure my boredom?” Rarity continued, leaning in close and brushing her hoof against Twilight’s chestplate. “I ought to go looking for him. I’m sure there’s many places I’ve yet to visit in this castle, and who knows, maybe we might find there’s something there after all.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “You wouldn’t do that.” She then looked down at Rarity. “...Would you?”
“Well…”
Rarity leaned in further so that their lips were almost brushing. Twilight was about to lean in for a kiss, but Rarity suddenly and theatrically pulled back.
“I might!” she exclaimed, going back to the window and missing Twilight’s soft whine. “If I have to stay another minute inside this stodgy castle, who knows what foolish actions I’ll be driven to!”
“We could go for a walk?” Twilight suggested, knowing that the Princess wouldn’t be pleased if she went back to her reading. “The Duke’s botanical garden must look amazing during this season, and the staff gardener promised me a full tour last time.”
“I have a better idea,” Rarity replied, turning to her bodyguard with a devilish smile. “Why not take a walk through town?”
Though Twilight’s immediate instinct was to deny the request, she decided she would indulge her Princess’s fantasies if only so she could have more material to shoot them down.
“Take a walk through town?” she asked, smiling ever so curiously. “If that’s your desire, Your Highness, I’ll go and get the escorts ready, then.”
Rarity moved away from the window, and now Twilight could tell she was back to her little games. Hah! Fool a guard once, shame on the Princess. Fool a guard twice, however…
“Well, I was rather thinking we could… you know… do away with escorts this time,” Rarity suggested, lowering her voice to a whisper, sitting in front of her bodyguard and smiling devilishly.
Twilight kept smiling. “No escorts?”
Rarity nodded slightly, once again running her hoof up and down Twilight’s chestplate. “Mm-hmm… Just you and I…”
“Your Highness…” Twilight whispered, leaning in. “Absolutely not.”
Rarity’s whine must have been heard by the entire kingdom. “Twilight!” she said, pushing the guard away with her hoof before stalking away from her. “Why not?! Do you want me to be bored to death?! You do, don’t you?”
“We can go with your escorts, then,” Twilight flatly replied.
“But I don’t want escorts! They never let me do anything!” Rarity complained, stamping her forehooves on the floor. “I want to go undercover! Blend in with the commoners!”
“Because that worked out so well for us last time,” Twilight replied.
Rarity scoffed. “That was simply an unfortunate coincidence!” she said, flipping her mane. “I’m sure the thief picked me at random!”
“Right, because I’m sure there’s tons of ponies that try to pay for an apple with a golden bit.”
Luckily for the bodyguard, three knocks at the door interrupted Rarity’s retort.
The Princess jumped back, gasping. “Horrors, it’s Silver Scroll!” she whispered urgently, practically launching herself at her bed and getting under the covers, regalia and all. “Quick! Tell him I went to bed!”
Twilight arched an eyebrow. “At two o’clock in the afternoon.”
When the visitor knocked again, Twilight rolled her eyes and trotted towards the door, levitating her helmet and putting it on. Truthfully, she dearly hoped it wasn’t the Duke’s son come knocking. Whenever he came for Rarity, he usually stayed with her most of the day, and Twilight had no option but to trail behind them while he offered Rarity endless strings of insincere flatteries.
To her relief, however, a welcome stallion awaited beyond the door.
“Oh, Lord Fancy!” Twilight greeted, bowing down. She stepped away and allowed him entry into the room. “How was the meeting? Any progress with the East Commerce treaty?”
“Sadly, no. I fear this will take longer than expected. We're taking a fifteen minute recess.” He stepped into the room, looking around for a moment until his gaze fell on the lump under the bedsheets. “Going to bed already? There is such a thing as excessive beauty sleep, my dear.”
"I shan't spend another day with Silver Scroll!" Rarity's plaintive voice yelled from under the covers. "I shan't, I shan't, I shan't! I'll have Twilight fight the Duke if he orders his son to try and court me again!"
Fancy Pants let out a hearty chuckle. "My dear girl, Silver Scroll is only the first of many! The price of being the future queen of the kingdom, I fear. Until you wed, this will be a daily annoyance."
Rarity came out from under the covers, harrumphing. "What if I don't want to get married?! I don't need a king to take care of my kingdom! I can do so by myself, thank you very much!"
Fancy cleared his throat. "Your Highness, if I may, what does the East Commerce treaty entail?"
Rarity blinked. "Err… Commercial exchanges with the east, obviously!" she said with much more indignation that such a lacking reply warranted.
Fancy hummed. "You know, Twilight, it might be time for me to consider the unfortunate necessity of moving to the Zebrica kingdom once our dear king and queen pass on their duties to their heir."
"Lord Fancy! But—! Twilight,stop laughing this instant!"
Twilight stood up straight, trying hard to wipe the smile from her face. "I'm not laughing, Your Highness."
"Now, now, I do bring good news, Your Highness," Fancy said, driving Rarity's ire away from her still-giggling bodyguard. "Your presence won't be needed until suppertime, therefore you're free to do as you wish until then." He cleared his throat and made his way towards the door. "Personally, I would suggest you explore the gardens! They're quite the maze, and Silver Scroll would be hard-pressed to find you there. Be quick about it, though! His father was very eager to talk with him!"
The moment Fancy had left and closed the door behind him, Twilight was immediately assaulted by the Princess.
"Twilight, please!" she begged, grabbing onto Twilight's armor and shaking it for dear life. "If we take escorts, he'll know! He'll know!"
"Bu-But, Your Highness!" Twilight protested. "It's not safe! And you didn't even bring your cloak! We wouldn't even make it past the gate!"
Rarity bit down on her lips, at a loss for what to do. She buried her face in her hooves, letting out a plaintive whine until—"All right!" she exclaimed, slamming her hoof against the floor. "All right, all right! I'm so desperate, I'll consent to that forsaken spell you've always wanted to test!"
Twilight blinked. "Forsaken spell? Wait..." Her eyes sparkled and she clapped her hooves together. "The perception spell?! Really?!"
"Just get it over with before I change my mind!"
"I feel absolutely naked."
Hiding behind a bush near the castle's main gate, Twilight looked up from her spell book and stared at the mare sitting in front of her. Though she wanted to point out ninety percent of the kingdom's population never wore clothes, she had to agree with the irritated Princess. In order for the spell to pan out, Rarity and Twilight had been forced to leave their regalia and armor respectively back in the room. Twilight herself was wearing civilian clothes, which did a good job at hiding the chainmail and dagger under it.
"Princess, if you want this to work, you can't be walking around with your crown," she said, going back to her book. "And a fully armored guard following a regular citizen will arouse suspicion."
The perception spell, as Rarity had called it, was something Twilight had been working on for several months now. Based on ancient spells left behind by unicorns of old, it worked not by changing the physical appearance of a pony, but rather changing the perception of surrounding ponies.
Nopony would see the Princess as The Princess unless they knew she was under that particular perception spell.
"Okay, I have it," Twilight said, closing the book and stashing it into her saddlebags. She stood on the tip of her hooves, eyeing the two guards standing by the gate. "We need to pass by them as ourselves, first."
"What?!" Rarity shrieked, pressing a hoof against her chest. "You want me to waltz out in public looking like some common pony?! Isn't it sacrilegious enough that you want me to go through a spell that will alter my beautiful self?!"
Twilight withheld the urge to roll her eyes. "In that case, we can always go back to your room and wait for Silver Scroll to come and get you."
Rarity sucked in air through her teeth. "Very well, then."
After waiting a moment for Rarity to get over herself, Twilight followed her as they marched right in front of the guards. Just as Twilight had expected, the two stallions immediately stood up straight at the sight of the unicorn.
"Princess Rarity!" they exclaimed, bowing down to her.
"Ah! Er, at ease," the Princess quickly said, looking rather awkward.
One of them slammed his the bottom of his lance against the ground. "Shall we summon your carriage, Your Highness?"
Rarity laughed nervously. "Oh, er, no! No, no, thank you! I was simply taking my afternoon constitutional! Carry on!" she insisted, clearing her throat and trotting away. "Come now, Twilight!"
Twilight ignored the dirty looks the two guards threw her, knowing very well that her lack of armor would be the subject of gossip between the Trottingham soldiers. Head held high, she followed the Princess all the way up to another bush that hid them from sight.
Phase one seemed to have gone without a hitch, at least.
"Well, that did nothing." Rarity harrumphed, tapping her hoof against the ground. "Pray tell, what was the point of making me do that?"
"We don't want them to suspect anything," Twilight replied, taking the book out again and giving the spell one last read. "Right, we'll start with yo—" A polite but forceful cough interrupted her. "...Right. I'll use the spell on myself first, and then, after I've proven it's safe, as multiple tests in the past have shown, we'll use it on you."
Twilight stashed the book away and stepped back. She glanced around one last time to make sure nopony was watching, and then, lit up her horn and murmured the incantation. A bright flash of light left her horn and enveloped her body for a moment before disappearing.
"...Did it work?" Rarity asked after a moment, cautiously eyeing the unicorn. "You look exactly the same."
"Of course. You know I'm under the effects of the spell," Twilight replied. She smiled and lit her horn again. "Stand still."
Rarity bit down on her lip, taking a step back. "But… What if ponies see me as some ugly old mule? Can't you make sure I still look beautiful?" She sighed theatrically and looked towards the distance. "I suppose I should find comfort knowing the only pony that matters will still see me as I am."
Twilight's cheeks burned at that, and a smile pushed its way onto her lips…until she noticed Rarity was fondly sighing at her reflection in a nearby window.
"Oh, don't look so cross," Rarity continued, now looking at her pouting bodyguard's reflection and blowing it a kiss. "You know I'm only teasing."
Twilight giggled. "Sure you are."
Without another word, she took a deep breath and unleashed the spell, watching as the flash of light enveloped Rarity and… left her looking exactly as before. Both of them were now supposedly under the effects of the spell, though, so the only thing left was to put it to the test.
"This is the plan," Twilight whispered, eyeing the distant guards carefully. "We're two members of the castle staff—gardeners, specifically—taking advantage of our day off, which we asked for with three months in advance after filling in the appropriate paperwork and consulting with Trimmed Hedge, the head of the flora and fauna department. Unfortunately, unforeseen security measures brought about by Princess Rarity's visit have made it so that we were not informed the names of the two ponies substituting our tas—" She stopped, realizing Rarity was already halfway to the guards. "Wait, Your Highness!"
By the time she caught up to Rarity, the Princess was already reaching the guards. Rather than scold her for rudely walking away, Twilight simply stayed next to her, doing her best to follow her plan and hope Rarity would do so as well. Her chest tightened when the two guards glanced at them, and even Rarity slowed her pace, both of them nonchalantly trotting past the stallions.
"Hey," one of the guards said, prompting the two mares to freeze in place. He narrowed his eyes. "I've never seen you two before. What area are you from?"
Whereas Rarity stared at the guards, Twilight's eyes glowed. Ah-hah! The advantages of being prepared!
"Oh, we're new here! Trimmed Hedge gave us the day off, and—"
"Trimmed Hedge?" the stallion said, visibly relaxing. "Oh, you're just gardeners. I—"
"Gardeners?! Moi?! Having my hooves go anywhere near dirt?!" Rarity shrieked, turning to Twilight. "Well! Speak for yourself! I am a lady-in-waiting, thank you very much!"
That said, she harrumphed and proudly marched off, leaving the three other ponies to blink at her display.
"Sheesh..." the other guard said, rolling his eyes. "Talk about a snob. Who does she think she is? The Princess?"
Twilight giggled, walking off. "Something like that!"
She found Rarity waiting for her down the road, too occupied watching ponies passing by to notice Twilight sneaking up behind her. In the back of her mind, Twilight knew that this would be a good opportunity to teach Rarity a lesson on being aware of her surroundings, but…
But something wasn't quite right with the Princess.
She was staring the ponies down, almost as though she were daring them to recognize her, and the odd behaviour was enough to dissuade Twilight from her sneak attack.
"What's wrong?" Twilight asked, standing next to the Princess. Her stomach fell. Had the spell caused unintended side-effects? "Are you feeling sick?"
"They don't recognize me," Rarity replied, her eyes following a couple trotting past her. "They really don't see me."
Twilight couldn't help a snide remark. "Now you know how it feels to be me."
Rarity looked at Twilight and tapped the tip of her nose with her hoof. "I see you, silly filly. And frankly, that's the only thing that matters. You shou..." She drifted off suddenly, her brow furrowing as she turned her gaze back to the townsfolk trotting by.
"I should what?" Twilight asked, noticing Rarity's cheeks were now tinted red.
"We need fake names." Rarity replied instead, leaving Twilight's question unanswered. "Based off each other, perhaps? I'll be Lavender Star, and you'll be…" She finally turned to Twilight and hummed. "Eternal Beauty!"
Twilight gave her a playful look. "'Eternal Beauty?"
Rarity grinned. "Darling, I'm simply trying to be accurate! Now, come along!"
As they walked through the streets, a very odd sensation overcame Twilight. Much like Rarity had pointed out, nopony was looking at them. For once in practically all her time under Rarity's service, she truly had no reason to be afraid or wary. She could simply enjoy a walk with her… with the Princess.
Rarity, too, seemed unused to the situation. Much like before, she kept looking at the ponies trotting by, and that curious blush remained on her cheeks. Before Twilight could ask again, Rarity suddenly came to a stop, biting down on her lip.
"I… You're sure they don't know it's us, aren't you?" Rarity whispered, turning to Twilight and throwing ponies a cautious look.
Twilight nodded. "Your Highness, the fact that we haven't been mobbed yet should be answer enough. Why? Are you worried? We can go back if you'd like."
Rarity quickly shook her head. "It's… I want to try something, but..." She pressed a hoof against Twilight's chest. "You mustn't act out or anything of the sort."
Twilight frowned. "Act out? Why would I act out?" she cautiously asked, finding she was now afraid of whatever the Princess was planning. "What do you want to do…?"
The blush on Rarity's cheeks only grew. "Just promise me, Twilight."
"I promi—"
Twilight's reply never finished, interrupted instead by Rarity's lips pressed against hers. It wasn't a passionate kiss by any means, being much more a peck than anything, but it felt to Twilight like the entire world came to a screeching halt because of it. For a moment, she was vividly aware of Rarity's body pressed against hers, of the sounds of the ponies passing by, and the million panicked thoughts in her mind didn't actually enter her mind until Rarity broke the distance between their lips.
Twilight simply stood there, too shocked to lean away. "You kissed me in public," she said, finally, after a moment, her lips still an inch away from the Princess's. "In public. You kissed me."
And yet… And yet there were no gasps of horror around her, no nobles whispering, no consequences or threats.
"I did," Rarity whispered, and then she leaned in again to leave another longer kiss on the unicorn's lips before pulling away and giggling like a filly. "Did you like it?"
Twilight didn't reply, and instead fell to her haunches and buried her face in her hooves, convinced that the spell would wear off from the sheer intensity of her blush.
Dear Celestia, Princess Rarity had kissed her in public.
"Oh dear," a third elderly female voice said. "Is your friend unwell, young lady?"
Twilight froze for a moment. Oh princesses, had she actually melted the spell away?!
"Oh, it's nothing to worry about," Rarity's voice came, ringing with amusement. "My… My marefriend isn't quite used to dating me yet, it seems!"
The rest of Rarity's conversation with the stranger went unheard and uncared for by Twilight. The kiss was now long forgotten, and her entire being focused on the single word she'd never thought Rarity would use in reference to her.
She knew every step of the dance she and Rarity were constantly intertwined in, but to have it said out loud, to have it validated, was something she'd never dreamed of, and yet there it was. Perhaps in a few hours they'd return to the pretenses they dallied in day in and day out, but in that moment, Twilight wasn't the Princess's bodyguard, nor her secret lover.
She was her marefriend, straight from the mare's mouth, without risk of banishment, or exile, or death or anything.
"Twilight?"
The sound of her name jolted her back to reality, and Twilight looked around, finding the elder pony had apparently left. Her gaze landed back on Rarity, and she was unable to stop herself from mimicking the Princess's delighted smile.
"I can't believe I waited this long to let you try the spell!" Rarity said, turning around and looking around. She glanced back at Twilight. "Shall we proceed, or would you like to sit there in shock for another minute, hm?"
"Er, yes! I mean, no! Sorry, no!" Twilight blurted, quickly getting up and shaking her head as if to do away with the red on her cheeks. Her blush didn't fade, however, and only got worse when an excited giggle left her mouth. She trotted forwards, and feeling bold, nuzzled the unicorn before moving on. "Come on! The market should be near here."
The air changed between them, like electrostatic coursed through every word and every touch.
Rarity was her marefriend.
Princess Rarity, the heir to the throne and the most sought after mare in the kingdom was her marefriend.
Twilight didn't care about the town, or the walk, or anything anymore. As she walked through the marketplace, all that consumed her was the realization that Rarity—
Wait.
Rarity was gone.
Whatever bliss Twilight had been feeling quickly turned into unrestrained panic at realizing that her mare—her charge and the crown princess of Equestria—was nowhere in sight. She looked around, wanting to call her out by name, but the fear of exposing Rarity to a greater danger was too big.
She traced her steps back through the market, already planning the many ways she'd magically pulverize Rarity's kidnapper, until a familiar voice caught her attention. She turned around and relief drowned her at the sight of Rarity next to a stand, deep in conversation with another elderly mare.
"I think the filly's been spoiled by them nobles," the elder said, adjusting the glasses on the bridge of her nose. "Don't seem like she took after her mother, no sir."
Rarity's expression made it clear who the elder was talking about, and only this mellowed out Twilight's intentions of scolding the Princess.
"But—! But, you don't know that!" Rarity protested, barely cognizant of Twilight sitting next to her and intertwining their tails together in an attempt to pacify the Princess before she did something she'd regret. "Princess Rarity is an exemplary pony! Exemplary!"
"Really? Well, let me tell you, my grandson says she's a pretentious sno—"
"Lavender?" Twilight quickly interrupted, knowing it was in the best interest of the elder mare that she did not finish her sentence. "We're going to be late! We should lea—"
Rarity lifted her hoof in a silencing gesture. "In a minute, dearest!" she said, completely ignoring Twilight's pointed stare. "Let me tell you, Madame, that your grandson was clearly raised in a"—A flash of light enveloped her, and both she and Twilight were in an altogether different part of the market—"barn of… of… Twilight!" She turned to her bodyguard and slammed her hoof against the ground. "What is your problem?!"
"It's okay," Twilight said, smiling cheekily at her Princess. "You'll thank me one day."
"Thank you?! She was insulting me, and you're letting her get away with it!" Rarity protested. "She said I'd done nothing for Trottingham! Nothing!"
Twilight arched an eyebrow. "So, what have you done for Trottingham?"
Rarity hesitated. "W-Well! Bless it with my visits, for starters!"
At this, Twilight did not hide her eyeroll. "Maaaaaaybe," she said, leaning in and fluttering her eyelashes much in the same way Rarity usually did, "you could actually read up on the East Commerce Treaty and start with that?"
Rarity pursed her lips. "Oh, all right! I'll read your silly book on politics when we get back to our room," she relented, earning a nuzzle as a reward. "I still don't see why when you already know all of it. Why can't you do things and let me take credit for them?"
Twilight laughed. "Gee, thanks, Pri—Lavender," she said, shaking her head. "What if I wasn't here? Then what would you do? What if I quit my job and moved to Zebrica?"
Rarity lifted her hoof and brushed back Twilight's bangs. "Simple! I'd declare war on the zebras until you came back."
"Oh?" Twilight asked, completely forgetting about the world around them. "I'm sure the king would be glad to lend you his army for such a noble cause."
"Army? I don't need an army!" Rarity replied. "I have it on the best authority I'm quite a force to be fear—"
A loud clearing of the throat brought the two mares back to reality, and Twilight turned around to find a stallion smiling at them from behind his stand.
"Sorry to bother you sweethearts," he said, "but might you two be engaged?"
"What?!" the couple gasped in unison. "No!"
The stallion laughed, stroking his beard. "Ah, I thought you might've! Been goin' back an' forth like newlyweds for a while now!" He winked. "Fighting do the trick for you two, I'm guessin'? To each their own tastes!"
Before either mare could protest, the stallion reached under his stand and continued speaking. "I like you! It ain't every day good lookin' couples teleport right in front of my stand like that." He placed two silver rings on the table, which looked alarmingly like engagement rings. "There you go! Just for you."
The two now heavily blushing mares simply stared back and forth between the rings and the stallion.
"Come now!" the stallion encouraged. "The local pastry shop's holdin' a darn delicious cake tasting for engaged couples! Wheat Bun told me to send any soon-to-be hitched ponies her way, and I ain't seen a single couple except for you two, so hey, better than nothin'!"
"Ooooh, darling!" Rarity exclaimed, clapping her hooves. "That does sound enticing!"
"What? No, it doesn't!" Twilight protested, staring at the Princess like she'd lost her mind. "We're not engaged! We'd be lying to get free products, which is a crime!"
"Pshhh, nopony ever got sent to the dungeons for a little lie," the stallion said, waving Twilight's concerns away with a gesture. "Those rings will seal the deal, and 'side, what Wheaty don't know won't hurt her."
"He's right, you know," Rarity said. "What Wheaty won't know won't hurt her."
"No," Twilight said, stamping her hoof down. "Absolutely not."
"Please, step right through here."
A felony. That's what they were doing, and the Princess was smiling about it, trotting after the baker and into the large display room where dozens of delighted couples and delicious cakes were scattered about. Twilight trailed after them, thinking to herself how could it be that no matter how hard she tried to prevent it, the Princess always got her way.
Her and her irresistible puppy eyes.
Twilight's eyes drifted up towards the ring around the tip of Rarity's horn, and as much as she wanted to frown at it, she couldn't help a smile.
Missus Lavender Beauty, Rarity had introduced herself as earlier, and it was an almost guilty pleasure for Twilight to switch a few things around and hear a different name in her head.
Princess Rarity Sparkle the First.
Of course, by traditional standards, Twilight should be the one taking on her lover's last name, but what was the proper procedure when Rarity didn't even have another official name save for, well, 'Rarity' and "Twilight Rarity Sparkle" wasn't a very...bizarre name, truthfully.
"Sweetheart!"
Twilight blinked and looked around, noticing Rarity standing by a table and flagging her down. She quickly walked over to the Princess, and her stomach rumbled at the sight of the massive five tiered vanilla frosted cake. Every layer was decorated with caramelized flower petals, and at the top were two edible pony-shaped marzipan figurines.
And that was just looks! The smell was another thing entirely. It smelled rather fruity, actually, but Twilight couldn't quite tell if the scent was coming from the cake or from the collective ensembles of pastries surrounding her.
A portion of the bottom layer was gone already, eaten away by the other couples present. Rarity scooped up a piece using a nearby clean spoon and then levitated it over to her bodyguard.
"Open wide!"
Twilight giggled at this, but she did as told and tried the cake being offered. She hummed, narrowing her eyes and trying to decipher the ingredients of the dessert.
"Well?" Rarity asked, placing the spoon inside the little basket next the table, alongside other dirty spoons. "What's your verdict?"
"Strawberry with… peaches?" Twilight replied, licking her lips. "It's good."
"Just good? That's terrible!" Rarity said with faux-indignation. "I won't settle for anything but the very best for our wedding! Besides, everypony does strawberry wedding cakes." She scouted the area and pointed towards a blue three-tiered cake in the distance. "That one!"
"So, Miss Star," Twilight said as she followed Rarity through the plethora of ponies. "Shouldn't we have picked an actual wedding location before deciding on our cake?"
"We did!" Rarity replied, trotting towards the cake and taking the little card next to it. "Or, rather, you did. Spent years deciding on the best place. I honestly think you might have started before we even met!"
Twilight wanted to laugh, but some part of her felt shame burn through her at just what an accurate hypothetical scenario that was.
"Oh?" she said, nonetheless.
"Mm-hmm," Rarity continued, again scoping a bite of cake and giving it to Twilight to taste. "You picked the City of Fillydelphia."
Twilight licked her lips again. "Hm. Dark chocolate with a twist of lemon? Maybe too bitter, actually," she said, and Rarity resumed her scout for another cake. "And ooooh! I picked a great city! Will the wedding be inside the Gothic Cathedral? It's one of the more historical richer temples in the kingdom."
"Whyever are you asking me?" Rarity said, arching an eyebrow before trotting towards the next table. "You were the one who picked the location! Honestly, Twilight, I understand nerves can make one forgetful, but this is worrisome!"
"What about you, Your Hi—Lavender?" Twilight asked. "What were you in charge of?"
Rarity stopped and turned around, flashing her marefriend a grin. "The guests, of course! What else?"
"Of course," Twilight said. "Who did you invite?"
Rarity's smile grew. "Everypony!"
"Everypony?"
"Every single living being from the seven kingdoms!" Rarity elaborated, stopping next to another cake, taking a spoon and repeating the ritual they'd engaged in for the past minutes. "You approve?"
"Mm… Too much nougat," Twilight replied, and so did Rarity continue on to the next cake. "You do realize that's more ponies than can fit inside all of Fillydelphia, don't you?"
Rarity dismissed her with a wave of her hoof. "Details, details, darling! We shall simply have to exte..." She drifted off, the smile vanishing from her face as her eyes fixed on the table.
Twilight followed her line of sight and felt her heart skip a beat at what she found. There was another cake on the table, but it was unlike the others she'd seen so far. Rather than being made of several tiers, this was a very simple yet elegant one-tier white cake. The sides were decorated with a mix of lavender petals and rock candy in the shape of blue diamonds.
What struck Twilight, however, wasn't that so much as it was the cake toppers. Rather than the typical ponies in wedding attire, she found herself looking at little figurines of what seemed to be a princess and a guard.
"Princess," Twilight said almost immediately, turning to the still shocked mare. "Please tell me you didn't plan this because this is—"
"Hello!"
Twilight looked away and saw a mare wearing an apron approaching them.
"Congratulations on your engagement! My name is Wheat Bun and I'm the owner of this pastry shop!" she said, apparently unphased by the stunned expressions on the two mares. "How is everything going? Is there any cake in particular you like?"
"This cake..." Rarity finally managed. "It…"
"Oh! Do you like it?" Wheat asked, her eyes sparkling. She stepped closer and adjusted the topper of the princess. "It's a last minute thing I whipped up yesterday! I'd been thinking about it ever since Wednesday, when I saw Princess Rarity's arrival to Trottingham Castle. Her famous bodyguard was with her—you know, the one that stopped the assassination attempt from last year?—and I figure that's what love is about, isn't it? Being ready to protect the one you love with your life like a bodyguard!" She stepped back and let out an embarrassed giggle. "I'm sure Princess Rarity would be scandalized if she saw this, though."
"Oh?" Rarity said, turning back to the cake. "I think she'd love it."
Wheat Bun bowed her head. "I hope so! Anyway, please let me or any of my staff know if you make a choice! All cake orders are twenty percent off if you order them during the event!"
Twilight smiled at her. "Thank you! We'll let you know!" She watched as the baker trotted off towards the next couple before looking back to the cake and frowning. "Well, now I feel even worse about lying our way in here."
"Really?" Rarity asked, approaching the cake and adjusting the guard topper with her magic. "I can't say I share the sentiment in the least."
"Really? Because we're getting free cake?" Twilight teasingly asked.
"No," the Princess replied, still staring at the cake, and for a moment she sounded oddly subdued. "It's because this is the closest I'll ever be to attending wedding preparations with you as my betrothed."
To say the statement cut through Twilight like a dagger to the chest would be an understatement. The silly game they'd been playing had come to a screeching halt, and now the bodyguard found herself back into the terrible reality of their situation.
"Your Highness…"
Without a word, Rarity picked a nearby spoon and carefully scooped a bite of the cake. She turned to Twilight and offered a sad smile. "Last try, then?"
Twilight quietly acquiesced, allowing Rarity to feed her the piece of cake. It… It was hard to decipher what it was made of, because Twilight's thoughts had gone numb now, unable to focus on anything else but Rarity's statement.
"Well?" Rarity asked after a minute. "What do you think?"
Twilight licked her lips, her ears lowering. She wanted to reply, wanted to compose her thoughts and ask for another bite, but instead she leaned in to kiss Rarity. She didn't care if anypony was watching, if anypony knew, or if anything might happen. All she wanted and cared for was the mare in front of her.
When the kiss ended, Rarity moved in, nuzzling Twilight and allowing herself to be enveloped in a hug. With a heavy heart, Twilight rested her chin on the top of Rarity's head, and she wished things were different.
But they weren't because both of them were trapped in a world of illusions, and so, she spoke up.
"I love you, Rarity," she whispered, because maybe everything was pretend, maybe everything would be a lie for the rest of their lives, but at least that one simple thing would always be true and always be real.
"I love you too, Twilight," Rarity whispered in reply.
After what seemed like an endless minute, Rarity finally moved back and Twilight lifted her hoof to wipe away the tears staining her Princess's cheek.
"I do apologize, my darling," Rarity said, and so did her smile return, and what a beautiful smile it was, Twilight thought. "Eating cake always makes me so dreadfully emotional!"
The bodyguard snorted, leaning in again to kiss the Princess. "Silly," she said when pulling away. "I'm the one who's been eating the cake."
"Indeed! And you've yet to pick one for our wedding," Rarity pointed out, apparently wanting to go back to games of pretend. "How hard can it be, really?"
But, to her misfortune, Twilight had already decided then and there that she no longer wanted to play games.
"How about this," she said, "I'll decide when we come here for real. Promise?"
And Rarity smiled.
"Promise."
THE END
Author's Note
EXTRA ENDING ARTWORK by the wonderful Maxi.
Been having a rough month where several things pushed me into never wanting to write raritwi ever again because it honestly wasn't worth it, BUT THEN I REALIZED THAT'S JUST WHAT THE HATERS WOULD WANT SO I forced myself to write something new and
DEAR SWEET RARITWI FLUFF, I MISSED YOU SO MUCH, I'M NEVER LEAVING YOU AGAIN.
Also, if you find any typos, please let me know (preferably via PM)! Thank youuuu!
