“I don’t know,” Twilight said. “Do you think it’s too much?”
Applejack sighed, and drummed her fingers along the old wooden table they stood next to in the dingy little antique shop. “Twilight, you’ve been making eyes at that brooch for like an hour now. I’m sure any girlfriend would be happy to receive that as a gift, and this is Rarity we’re talking about. She loves shiny rocks.”
Twilight pursed her lips. This wasn’t just any shiny rock. For the hundredth time that day, she ran her fingers along the smooth surface of the fire opal embedded in the old necklace. Someone like Maud could probably pick out any number of minute imperfections, but to Twilight’s eyes it was absolutely perfect. The deep red color that drew her in, an almost imperceptible radiance that shone with inner beauty, hinting at hidden depths. It felt almost warm to the touch, bathed in a dusty shaft of sunlight shining down through a crack in the ceiling above.
“When I look at this, I wonder if…” Twilight’s next thoughts caught up with her, and she felt her cheeks color. It was an embarrassing thing to say out loud, but she wanted to power through anyway. “I wonder if this gemstone is how Rarity sees other people. Like… she genuinely believes there’s beauty in all of us, and she’s always trying to help us be the best versions of ourselves, you know?”
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “I suppose that might be what she’s getting at sometimes. Some of that gets lost in the translation of all her fancy fashion trends and whatnot, though. Look, if that gem reminds you of why you like her, then that's all the more reason to go ahead and get it.”
Twilight bit her lip, and turned away. “I know that, but will she? What if she thinks its nothing more than a fancy rock, or doesn’t think it matches with the current fashion season, or—”
“Twilight.” Applejack raised up a hand to silence her, then pinched the bridge of her nose. “Look, I know you two have only been dating for a few months now, and you’re helping her run her business on top of that. You’re new to the whole romance thing. It's all confusing and scary and whatnot. But if you want Rarity to understand how you feel, than all you need to do is use your words. Come on, you know what I’m always saying.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Twilight sighed, and twirled the end of her ponytail around in her fingers. What was Applejack always saying again? “Uh, a snake in the hand is worth two in the bush?”
Applejack blinked, then scowled. “No, the other thing.”
“It’s country lickin’ good?”
“I’ve literally never said that in my entire life!”
Twilight burst out laughing, and the warmth that ran through her washed some of her worries away. “Sorry.”
Applejack shook her head, smiling. “The saying I’m trying to get at here is ‘Honesty is always the best policy.’. I mean, I ain’t exactly coming from a long history of romantic entanglements myself, but I do know people, and all the best couples I ever saw were the ones who were open and honest with each other and knew how to communicate. Figure there’s gotta be something to it.”
“Right.” Twilight took a deep breath, then lifted the brooch off of its display. “Of course, there’s not even a price tag on here, so I might be getting myself hyped up for—”
“Ah, that’s a very good choice, young miss,” said the doddering old shopkeeper from right behind her.
Twilight shrieked and jumped into the air, nearly fumbling the brooch in the process. She spun to face the little old man, smiling innocently. “I’m sorry! I mean, if I wasn’t supposed to touch this. I uh, would like to buy it though?”
The old man chuckled, and gently took the brooch from her hands, running his gnarly fingers across the gemstone. “This is a very magnificent piece indeed. And it has quite the history to it as well. I used to be a bit of an explorer, you see. Found this beauty when exploring old ruins in the deserts overseas. The locals said it used to belong to an ancient princess by the name of Somnambula.”
“No way,” Twilight breathed. She’d taken Rarity on a date to a museum not that long ago, and that particular historical figure had featured heavily in a new exhibit.
“Uh-huh. No way, I’m sure,” Applejack said, her tone dry. “That’s uh, quite the sales pitch you got there, feller. So how much this brooch gonna run her?”
The old man waggled his fingers, eyes twinkling. “It is a special stone, they say. One blessed with the spirits of good fortune. Normally, I would be cutting my own throat just to sell it to you for fifteen-hundred. But I can tell, you mean to give that stone to someone extraordinarily special. For you, I can sell it for eight hundred.”
Applejack let out a long, low whistle. “Shoot. Sorry, Twi, I didn’t mean to encourage you and all only for it to be—”
“I’ll take it,” Twilight said, slamming one hand down onto the table, causing a probably priceless vase to wobble precariously. She winced, caught it with her magic, and set it down gently.
“Twilight,” Applejack said. “That’s eight hundred bucks. I know this might be the perfect gift for Rarity, but y’all are trying to run a business together, and from what you’ve told me, it's tough going.”
“I know, I know.” Twilight held up her hand. “This will be from my personal funds, naturally. I have a lot saved up and I… well, my parents give me a large allowance.”
“Oh. Right.”
Twilight felt her cheeks heat up. She hated whenever these little reminders came up that she was so much better off than her friends, financially speaking. They never judged her for it, of course, but it made her feel like an outsider.
Of course, the way Rarity looked at her made her feel like far more than a million bucks.
Her blush deepening at the thought, Twilight shook her head to try and clear it away, then repeated herself. “I’ll take it.”
The old man smiled, then winked. “Very wise choice, miss.”
Rarity’s heels crunched through the snow as she made her way up to her front door. She paused for a moment, and checked her reflection in the window. Everything was still in place. Twilight was waiting for her, after all.
“Twilight, darling!” Rarity cried out as she pushed the door open to her living room. “I know you said you wanted to talk to me, but I didn’t expect you to beat me here! Well, I suppose I did give you a key. How are you?”
Twilight smiled, far too wide, something clearly making her nervous. A small box rested on the kitchen table. “H-hey,” she stammered.
Rarity raised an eyebrow. Something had her girlfriend on edge. But that wasn’t exactly uncommon. She made her way over, gave Twilight a chaste little peck on the lips that made her just a little bit giddy, then set her bags on the floor and hung up her coat. “I’ve had quite the day, I’ll tell you that much. More conversations with the bank about loans, so much paperwork. They’re always so obnoxiously condescending about teenage entrepreneurship. Makes me want to slap them in the face with our eventual success, you know?”
“Mmm. That, uh, sounds rough. Sorry you had to go through that.” Twilight looked away, then fidgeted in her chair for a bit. “I… I got you something,” she blurted out.
“Oh?” Rarity pulled up a kitchen chair and sat in it, facing Twilight with one hand resting on her chin. “What’s this now?”
Twilight licked her lips, then took a deep breath. “As you might already know… or maybe you don’t, but a few days ago it was actually our three-month-aversary? Well, not that anyone's counting.” Twilight smiled awkwardly, a bead of sweat dripping down her forehead. “Well, I guess I was counting, because here I am talking about it. And I guess Pinkie Pie was counting too, but that's mostly just because she’s Pinkie Pie, and occasionally texts me things like ‘hey Twilight, its been 62 days, 7 hours, and 23 minutes since you started dating Rarity! Do you want to throw a party?’ Because I mean you know her and oh geez I’m really rambling here, huh?”
Rarity burst out laughing. Twilight was such a sweetheart, and warmth spread through her chest. A small pang of guilt wormed its way in there too. The new business was taking up so much time, and she’d totally ignored Pinkie’s texts. Rarity leaned forward to rest a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “Thank you, Twilight, for thinking about me. I’m sorry that I didn’t get you something too, but I’d be happy to spend time with you, make an event of it. I’m free for the rest of day.”
Twilight swooned, wobbling in her chair, her eyes glazing over. “Right. Of course. So yeah. I um, got you this.” She reached around behind her and pulled out the box and held it out.
“Ooh!” Rarity took the box with delicate fingers, smiled at Twilight, and slowly began to open the box. She took out the lump of tissue wrapped jewelry, and slowly peeled it open. Her eyes widened, and she took in a sharp breath.
Tension hung in the air, with Twilight clearly waiting for Rarity’s reaction, but all she could manage to do was stare in awe.
After a few more moments, Rarity drew the brooch from its protective wrapping, and held it gingerly. The kitchen lights made the fire opal glitter, and its radiance reflected her gaze. “Twilight,” she breathed, barely a whisper. “This is… beautiful.”
Twilight let out a long held breath in a sigh of relief. “I saw it, and it made me think of you.”
Pale white fingertips grazed across the deep red opal in a stunning contrast, and Rarity continued to stare, entranced. “Twilight, I don’t think I’ve ever… this is beyond words. I, well, thank you.”
“I just think, that it's really beautiful, and I kind of think that's how you see beautiful. Beautiful people, I mean, because when you look at people they’re like… gemstones, I guess? That are people, but not beautiful. Not yet anyway, except to you they are, and…”
Rarity looked up, blinking. She’d only caught half of that to begin with, and doubted the missing bits added much clarity. “I um, don’t quite think I follow.”
Twilight cursed under her breath, pain in her expression. “Sorry. Give me a minute to collect my thoughts. I’m glad you like it, though.”
“Oh I do, believe me,” Rarity purred. “I supposed I’ll have to make it up to you with an exceptional date tonight.” With careful precision, she pinned the brooch to her collar, where it rested just above her magical geode. “I know just the outfit to wear it with too, and—”
Rarity’s geode flashed, then white light began to pour into the fire opal, sucked from the gemstone.
Twilight stared in horror. “What? No, it can’t… you’ve got to be kidding me!”
Bright light ripped through Rarity’s vision, then her sense of her body went limp, like a puppet with its strings cut. She floated, numbly staring out of her own eyes.
“Finally,” a voice came from her own mouth, echoing and distorted. “I’m free, I’m actually free! This world is… where is Somnambula?”
Twilight shook her head, eye wide. “Rarity? Are you in there? I’m sorry, I didn’t expect it to be cursed, I swear! What have I done?”
Well this was annoying. Rarity tried to wrest control of her body back, but it was like trying to climb a wall slicked in oil. “Do you mind?” she thought at the spirit. “This is my body you’re using here. The least you could do is ask first.”
“Silence!” the voice roared in her head. “I am Jazzar, grand vizier! There is treachery afoot in the court, and Somnambula is in danger! I must get to her!”
Grand vizier? More like king of blowhards. Rarity winced mentally. “I’m sure it's a very impressive title, darling.”
Jazzar turned his attention towards Twilight, vision hazed in red. “That gemstone you have there. Without it, I will not be able to sustain this form for long. Give it to me.”
“Uh…” Twilight looked down at her own geode, then back up at Rarity, now walking towards her with one arm outstretched. She clasped one hand over her geode protectively, and scrambled backwards. “No?”
“I said give it to me!” Jazzar roared, and lunged for Twilight.
“Oh no. Absolutely not!” Rarity tugged with all her might and managed to arrest her bodies momentum. They stumbled to a halt. “Messing with me is one thing, but I will not let you lay a finger on Twilight.”
“Let go of me, woman! I must—”
Twilight lashed out with her magic, purple light enveloping Rarity and throwing her back and up, pinning her against the ceiling.
Jazzar screamed, and thrashed and flailed in Twilight’s magical grasp. “Let me go! Do you know who I am? There isn’t any time to waste, she could already be dead!”
“No!” Twilight shouted. She paused for a moment, then narrowed her eyes. “And I don’t care who you are, let my girlfriend go!”
“Jazzar,” Rarity thought cautiously. “What is it exactly you said you wanted?”
“To do my duty.” Jazzar hissed. “Assassins stalk these halls, and Somnambula is in grave danger. When I tried to uncover the plot, I was sealed inside this gem. Please stop, every second might count here!”
Rarity nodded to herself. “I see. But you see, well. I suspect you may have been in that jewel a bit longer than you expected. A few weeks ago Twilight and I went on a date to the museum. We had a lovely time, but I was most interested in their exhibit on ancient fashions. Fascinating stuff, I got a lot of good design ideas from it. Erm, anywho. One exhibit focused on a girl named Somnambula. She had a great sense of style, but I’m afraid she’s been dead for over six thousand years.”
There was a long pause, the only sound the gentle hum of Twilight’s magic.
“That… that can’t be. You’re lying!” Jazzar roared, his voice like thunder in her mind.
“Rarity!” Twilight screamed, her tone desperate. Sweat trickled down her brow, and her feet slipped a little. Keeping her levitating this long was already taking its toll. “Please, tell me you’re in there. Tell me you’re okay!”
Rarity’s heart stung at the fear in Twilight’s voice. She tried to work her mouth, but still couldn’t find any purchase. It would all be okay. She just wished she could tell Twilight that. “I am not a liar. I’m sorry, Jazzar. But you’ve been gone for a very, very long time. It’s all faded into ancient history.”
“No…” A wave of despair washed through her, the spirit’s grief palpable. “Then I have already failed. All is lost.”
“I’m not quite sure.” She wasn’t exactly quite sure how she did it, but mentally, Rarity reached out a hand and put it on his shoulder. “Jazzar, it's all gone. The country, the people to rule over. All that's left is faded old ruins, the bones of a civilization left for historians to pick over, and speculate about what life was like back then. But as for Somnambula… Twilight might be able to remember more details than me, but she didn’t die in assassination attempt. She passed on as an old woman, surrounded by loved ones.”
Rarity felt her body go limp, all the fight drained out of it, still hung in Twilight’s magic. “That was all I ever wanted for her.” Jazzar mumbled. “If she could achieve happiness, than I suppose that is a form of bliss. But is it really? I wanted to share in that joy, that life, with her, and live by her side in the end. But it seems as if I did not deserve it.”
Of all the things Rarity had expected to be doing today, talking an angry ghost through an existential crisis was pretty low on the list. Although considering the general magical turmoil that disrupted their lives every so often, it still had a place on the list to begin with. “There’s no such thing as ‘deserve’ in love. I cannot speak for Somnambula, of course, but if she felt the same way about you, then I’m sure she shared your dreams for the future, and would’ve been happy living by your side. I wonder if I deserve Twilight sometimes. But all I can do—all you, or anyone else can do, is to try their best to be the best version of themselves that they can be.”
Her vision shifted back down to Twilight, still straining with all of her might. It seemed to regard her in a new light. “You… love this girl?”
Rarity hesitated. It wasn’t something she’d said out loud yet, but… “Yes. I suppose I do. I love Twilight Sparkle. She lights up any room she’s in. Her passion for her work is the kind that can move mountains, change the world. I often feel silly, making her help me with my work and suffer my attentions. What if by demanding all of her time I’m preventing her from curing cancer, or organizing a trip to Mars? But love is a little bit selfish, I suppose. I’ll keep asking her to be with me, and I’ll keep giving everything I can of myself back to her in return.”
Twilight crumpled to her knees, panting. Her levitation flickered, then winked out, dumping Rarity onto the floor.
Jazzar was unrestrained, but he didn’t make any motions to get up. “Thank you, for your kind words,” Jazzar whispered, his voice aching. “It does not do much to dull this pain, but I suspect only time will do that. Time I no longer have. ”
“I’m sorry for your loss. I can’t say I know much about how an afterlife does or doesn’t work. But maybe she’s still waiting for you, out there, somewhere. Or maybe you’ll find another chance. To try again. To do better.”
Feeling started to return to Rarity’s limbs, the terrible tingle of numb arms regaining blood. She twitched a finger experimentally.
“Perhaps you are right. I am… sorry, for interrupting the two of you. May you find more happiness in life than I did.”
The fire opal cracked, and a rush of air swept through the room like an escaping breath. And then he was gone.
“Oof,” Rarity grunted. Her tongue tasted funny. “You alright over there?”
“Rarity!” Twilight screamed. She scrambled across the kitchen floor, and scooped Rarity into her arms. Tears rolled down her cheeks inelegantly. “You’re okay, right? Please tell me you’re okay!”
Rarity smiled, and with more effort than she would have preferred, raised her hand to cup Twilight’s cheek. “It’s okay. I’m fine. It wasn’t an experience I’d care to repeat, but Jazzar and I were able to come to something of an amicable resolution.”
“Jazzar?” Twilight looked confused for a moment, then shook her head. “I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I could screw something up this badly. I just wanted to get you something nice and now…” She sniffed, hot tears splashing onto Rarity’s face.
It was hard to avoid rolling her eyes, but Rarity managed it with heroic effort. Twilight was a bit of an ugly crier, which in its own way, was kind of cute. “It’s fine, Twilight. Really. I don’t blame you.” Rarity wiped some tears away on Twilight’s cheek with her thumb, though they were immediately replaced with more. “It’s just a hazard of the world we live in. One of these days you’re going to get your brother a toaster for a wedding present and it’s going to grow arms and legs and start assaulting the guests with burnt toast.”
Twilight blinked several times, then burst out laughing.
Rarity joined her, though her awkward position and still recovering body made it more of a wheezy cough. “Now that’s a smile I’ll never get tired of seeing.”
“I…” Twilight’s cheeks colored, and she sighed. She ran her fingers along the now broken brooch, and winced. “When I saw this, it made me think of you. Not because it was because it was beautiful and you’re beautiful. Which I mean, you are. But because… because of who you are. Because you look at people every day, and you see a gemstone like that, waiting to be uncovered. And you work so hard, so that you can take someone’s inner beauty and transform it into their outer beauty as well, for the whole world to see.”
“Twilight…” Rarity breathed. She felt her eyes mist up a bit, and her heart flooded with warmth. She struggled, adjusting her position so she was sitting up a little more.
Twilight hung her head and looked away. “I just wanted to tell you that.”
Rarity turned Twilight’s gaze back towards her. “There’s something that I want to tell you too, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Hmm?”
“That I am very, very much in love with you.” Rarity closed the distance between them, and pressed their lips together.
“Yeah, wow.” Twilight stammered several moments later. “Me too. I mean, wait, crap! I love you too. Damnit, that was totally lame. I didn’t want the first time I said that to be lame.”
Rarity giggled, kissed Twilight again, then stood up, bracing herself on the kitchen table. “You already said it with your speech about inner beauty. Just in a few extra words. And believe me, it wasn’t lame.”
“Oh, right.” Twilight rubbed at the back of her head, a dopey smile on her face. “So, um, now what?”
“For now?” Rarity stretched, pulling her arms over her head, then removed the broken brooch from her shirt and set it on the kitchen table. “Well, it was quite an ordeal. I think I could use a nice, long bath, and maybe a nap afterwards.”
Twilight nodded, then glanced over her shoulder at the door, then nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense. I could probably use the same, to be honest. And we should probably tell the girls what happened. I guess I’ll see you later?”
Rarity rolled her eyes, then smiled one of her most sultry smiles. She stepped forward, and ran a finger down Twilight’s neck. “Twilight, darling. I didn’t say I wanted to do either of these things alone.”
“Oh.”
Twilight stared at her blankly for several moments, then her eyes widened.
“Oh!”
Author's Note
This was written for EFNW's Iron Author contest, with the prompt "Fire, Brooch, and Opal."
Monochromatic was sitting behind me at the time so I figured, what the hell, why not more Raritwi?
