It had taken maybe two hours to get everything in place. A record, if I do say so myself.
My mane was positively shining, my hooves were freshly done, and I had spent more time than normal with a curry comb to make sure my coat was as inviting as possible. My makeup was impeccable, every last touch in place. Everything was perfect as I could make it.
Now I just had to make it out the door.
That was always the hard part. I've been trying for months to work up the nerve to go and talk to her, but I always had something to distract me. A new contract, opening a boutique, or simply trying to spend time with Sweetie Belle. If it wasn't an excuse, it was a friendship mission or simply cowardice.
You are better than this, Rarity, I tell myself, standing tall and stepping out from the door of my home, making my way confidently down the streets of Ponyville. Faking confidence was easy because I was the only pony that knew I was nervous. Anypony that saw me would simply assume I was out for a constitutional or on my way to see a friend. Possibly an errand or two.
Nopony would know that I was about to admit my deepest secret to my dearest friend. To lay my long-standing admiration out in plain view.
My steps slowed as I thought about what I was about to do. We all wear masks, after a fashion, and I was about to remove mine. I should have done it long ago. But masks serve a singular purpose - to hide and disguise - and I had done a fabulous job constructing mine.
Always talking about my prince, about how the perfect stallion would sweep me from my hooves and carry me off into the high society. I still chuckle at myself sometimes at such dreams. My place in society would never replace the simple comfort I found in a picnic with my friends, and I had three boutiques that were performing smashingly. I had been thinking about seeing about opening one in Baltimare recently, even.
The perfect stallion never arrived, because a mare exceeded all my expectations. She embodied so many qualities that made me simply weak-kneed sometimes. She could match me in generosity and inspiration, wasn't afraid of a little hard work, and had built herself up to where she was by simple determination.
The fact that we shared tastes in so few things made everything a bonus when planned get-togethers went well.
I came up to the turn to her home, and I stopped. My last chance to turn away and push the reason for my trip back inside the deep recesses of my heart and mind again. My fear started to spew out reasons not to go through it once again, and I lost my confident stance for a moment, glancing back the way I came.
I shook my head fiercely. No, today I was going through with it. I made my way the rest of the way down to the door and raised my hoof to knock.
And immediately put it back down. My heart was beating so fast I felt like I might pass out. I took several deep breaths to steady my nerves.
"Steady on, Rarity," I whispered to myself. "She's your friend, and even if she doesn't return your feelings, you'll be a far sight better for admitting them."
But I still didn't raise my hoof.
What would the others think? What about Spike? How would he feel, the little darling?
I half turned as doubts and the hushed whispers of fear began to overwhelm my determination. Then her face rose up in my thoughts and I felt calm again. I could trace every line of her face, every last hair of her mane, and the deep purple of her eyes.
"No more," I whispered. "Today is the day I confess it all."
I faced the door and squared my shoulders. I gave my mane a light toss and raised my hoof to knock...
And turned away. My fears had caught hold of my senses and I turned and began to walk slowly for home, my head hanging just a little lower than normal. I had made it to the bend in the road when I heard a voice calling out to me.
"Rarity, wait!"
I stopped and turned to see Twilight trotting up. She fell into place beside me and smiled that brilliant smile of hers.
"I'm sorry, I must not have heard you knock," she said. "Spike had bolted the doors during his O&O game last night to keep some of the bandits getting away and forgot to unbolt them this morning."
"It's ok, darling," I said, my mask slipping back on. "I didn't have anything important to talk about that was time sensitive."
She gave me an odd look, one of curious disbelief. She opened her mouth then turned away hurriedly.
But not before I saw the flush on her cheeks.
"Rarity," she began.
"No, no," I said waving a hoof. "It's alright. Things just happen, and I know from that one time I stayed for one of Spike's games they can get out of hand." Carousel Boutique loomed close at hoof. "Seeing as how you've come this far, you simply must stay for tea."
"That's nice of you," she said, tilting her head down again. Her cheeks were still a little red. Was she that embarrassed by Spike's mistake?
As I sat the tea set down, offering one of the cups to her, she glanced at me and gave a nervous smile.
"Your mane looks nice today," she said softly. "Did you do something different to it?"
Out of reflex, I gave it a little primp with my hoof. "Oh, no, darling," I said, tramping down the feeling of pride that she had noticed. "Just trying a different way of curling it. I'm not entirely sure I approve of the length of time it took."
"You always look so refined," she said, her head tilting down and away. "I wish I could say the same."
"Twilight," I said, lowering my cup. "You simply cannot think you don't look refined. It may not be in the same way, but you have a refinement all of your own. You're a princess! Even without knowing it you carry yourself so regally even I get a touch jealous. You have the look of an academic, of course, but it suits you as nothing else would."
She frowned sadly at that.
"Is that all I have going for me, then?" she asked softly. "Regal princess or egghead?"
"Not at all!" I said as the tinge of pain she displayed tugged at the mask. "You are an amazing pony, Twilight Sparkle! You are kind and generous, many times over. You always take time for your friends and you have made us all better for it. Look at Rainbow Dash. She used to be a simple braggart. Yes, she could do half the things she claimed, but you helped her realize some humility. She told me the other day that if it weren't for you she never would have made it into the Wonderbolts."
"I just helped her with her studying," Twilight said, a corner of her mouth twitching upwards for a moment.
"Or Applejack," I continued. "You think she and Fluttershy would have gotten along so well if you hadn't helped each of them when they confessed to you their feelings?"
"They were both trying too hard, it was obvious to see that they..." she hesitated. "Was that really me?"
I nodded. "On our last spa day - you simply must join us next time, by the way - they both credited you with helping. They're still trying to sort out some of the rough details, but they positively beaming."
A faint smile tugged at her mouth, the shine in her eyes starting to come back. I could feel my heart start to pick up its pace.
"And who helped Pinkie organize all the things she needed to throw that festival last month? The poor dear was simply over her head trying to do everything and fight off that cold."
"I am pretty good at organization," she said. "I am the all-team organizer for the wrap-up, after all."
"And it goes beyond that," I said, setting my teacup down and fiddling with my hooves. "Behind that analytical mind is a large, terribly kind heart. Even after finding out what the Crusaders were doing when you were tutoring them, you didn't get angry. You were disappointed, yes, but you never lost your temper."
I smiled as my mind flew back through the memories.
"You never let your status as Princess of Friendship change who you were," I said. "Yes, you have more duties to attend to now, and we all wish that we could spend more time with you, but we understand. And you make every effort to see that we still have picnics together like we always have."
I saw her smiling laugh as she walked along the woodland trail to the picnic hills.
"You know so much about the world but you still find simple things enjoyable," I said, almost more to myself than her. "And it all comes naturally to you. You're gracious to those you meet, and you always believe in the bright future that could be no matter what. You've helped countless ponies here in Equestria and..." I frowned for a moment. "What did your friends across the mirror call themselves?"
"Humans," she said, her smile becoming more evident.
"Humans, of course," I whispered. "You helped them with the handful of problems they had, even including your own counterpart's assimilation into their circle." I blinked as I realized a few tears had formed in my eyes.
"Rarity?" she asked, seeing them too.
"You are without a doubt the most wonderful mare I have had the fortune to know, Twilight Sparkle," I sniffed. "Everything about you that I love comes naturally as breathing to you, things that I had to practice." I glanced down momentarily. "I just wish I had some of the courage you have."
"What do you mean?"
"I was going to talk to you today and tell you something that I've been trying to for a while now," I said, feeling the fear creep back up. "But my nerve failed me again. I never even knocked on the door, I simply turned away."
"I'm not following," she said, confused.
"Ever since you came to Ponyville, things in my life have changed," I said. "And I tried to tell myself it was just a silly infatuation. I wanted a stallion of high society to whisk me away and give me all the things I could want."
I looked up at her. "But they could never give me the things you have," I said. "Such amazing friends and encouragement, simple pleasures like our picnics. Even all of our adventures, no matter how ghastly they get. I would never trade that for a noble station in Canterlot."
I saw her purple eyes and met them with mine.
"Or the love I feel for you," I whispered, turning my head away as I felt the fire in my cheeks.
"The love..." she stammered.
"It's silly," I said. "All these years I've been telling myself that it wasn't love, that I was just fond of you because of how good you are. But I can't deny much more. It's not your title or the fact that you came from Canterlot and were the Princesses own student. It's the way you stick your tongue out when wrapped up in studying or the excited way you talk about something you just discovered. It's the childlike glee when you find a new book to read and the dogged determination to help anyone, regardless of who they are. It's all the little things that add up to make the complete picture of you that I love."
I rose and turned, lifting the tea service in my magic. "And I can understand if you can't return my feelings," I said, fighting back the tears as I took the pottery into the kitchen. I stood at the counter for a second, trying to get a handle on my emotions.
I heard a soft hoofstep behind me. "Rarity," Twilight whispered. "Was what you said true? That you love me?"
I nodded, not facing her. "For all my faults, yes," I said, tilting my head up to try and stem the tears. "And I was a fool to wait so long to admit to them."
I felt a wing slide over my shoulders, causing an electric tingle slid up my spine. She leaned in and nuzzled me gently.
"I'm glad you told me," she whispered. "I couldn't find the way to tell you."
And my heart ignited. "What do you mean?"
As I glanced at her, she blushed and turned her head slightly. "I've been struggling with some of the same things," she admitted.
And my memories flared, seeing now the furtive glances, the shy laughs when we were together, and especially the shyness she had when we were alone.
Laughing, I put a hoof on my forehead. "What a pair of fools we are," I laughed. "So worried that we couldn't see the forest for the trees."
She laughed as well, that marvelous, wonderful laugh.
"I couldn't have said it better," she giggled.
I took a step forward and rested my cheek alongside hers.
"I'm sure you could have, my academic beauty," I whispered.
"I'm sure you could."
Author's Note
When I wrote Unrequited, I felt that I could go either way. Rarity going through with it or letting fear make her say "Maybe tomorrow" instead was a simple coin flip.
This is not canon for anything I know of, though I can think of a few things that I could make stories from in here.
But longer projects first.
