We Are The Same But Our Lives Move Along
Professor Twilight Sparkle huddled under yet another canopy as she made her way down Fashion Row.
"This is stupid," she muttered, unable to hear even her own voice over the downpour that assailed Canterlot. "I'm a respected professor at an acclaimed university, I could show up in a dress I found at a thrift store and nobody would say anything about it. I don't have time to go shopping when there's real work to be done."
Still, old habits died hard, and as she waited for the rain to lessen, she glanced at the storefront she was hiding next to. As with all shops on Fashion Row, it featured a number of select items on display, intricate cloth designs flanked by some brand-appropriate backdrop. In this case, the silhouette of a city skyline enhanced the glamorous look of the dress draped on the lithe, lifeless model in front of her.
Twilight shook her head as she noted the overuse of frills on the shoulders, and the application of far too much fabric on what should’ve been an accent on the base of the dress but was now more of a dialect, if not a language. No designer still in touch with the industry would’ve allowed such a monstrosity to have been created and sold in this decade.
Before she had the chance to provide any more silent critique, she heard the clattering of water on pavement soften, and with another curse at not having brought an umbrella, she made a break for the next store on the lane. This would have been much easier if she knew which store she was looking for, but unfortunately, Fashion Row wasn't the type of place she liked visiting for a multitude of reasons.
The store she now found herself beside was no better. Again, the pieces on display were simply unacceptable considering the prices being charged. An abstract, artsy background could do nothing to lessen the gaudiness of a dress that didn't know the meaning of the word "subtle," with its wild mixture of colours across the entire rainbow haphazardly streaked across every inch of its considerable fabric — seriously, for such an avant-garde piece, the neckline was positively puritan.
Another mad dash ensued, sneakers squelching against dirty water that soaked Twilight nearly to the knee. Oh, how she wished she hadn’t torn her one good dress a day before her department's largest fundraising event. And how she wished she still had — no, that line of thought wasn't what she needed right now. She'd make do without any help in picking out her outfit. After all, she'd learned from the best.
A thunderous crack followed immediately after a blinding flash of lightning, and it seemed the clouds had decided to make up for lost time by completely drenching a now thoroughly-annoyed Twilight in enough water to irrigate the Sahara.
"That's it," she said. "I don't care if the next store is a crime against fashion, I'm buying something from this place and changing immediately."
Feeling like she'd gained at least an extra pound in her soaked outfit, Twilight looked up at the window displays of the next store. She froze, her heart skipping a beat at the sight of an elegant, silky black dress being worn by its plastic model against a wall decorated with images of riding horses on poles circling a central pillar.
Twilight bit off a curse as she considered her options. The rain was getting heavier, and this was the one place she was absolutely certain would have something worth purchasing. And yet...
She shook her head again. Statistically, the chance of her actually being at this particular Carousel store at this particular time of night was borderline astronomical. There was no rational reason to avoid shopping at the best fashion boutique on the street, especially if it was the one next to her in this pouring rain.
Taking a deep breath to calm herself after the minor shock, she pushed open the door, surveying the minimalistic showroom as the soft tinkling of wind chimes announced her arrival. Besides the rather meagre number of dresses on display, there was a counter to the side where two employees seemed to be engaged in deep discussion over a record book of some kind.
At the sound of the chimes, one of them looked up, almost as if on instinct. She was young, though old enough to look experienced, her short blue hair rocking a little at the sudden movement of her head.
"Welcome to Carousel Boutique!" she announced with a practiced air as she walked towards Twilight. "Where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique! How may I help you today."
"Hello," Twilight said politely. "I'm looking for—" her words died in her throat as the other woman by the counter glanced at her with familiar blue eyes.
"T-Twilight?"
Of all the rotten luck. "I—I'm sorry," she hastily said to the woman in front of her with a brittle smile. "I think I'm in the wrong store." She turned, preparing to leave and continue on with her life as if nothing had happened.
"Please, don't go!"
And yet. And yet, she could never deny that beautifully cultured voice anything.
Slowly, and cursing herself for her weakness even after all these years, she turned to face the woman she'd once loved for the first time in over half a decade. "Hello, Rarity," she said weakly. "F-Fancy seeing you here." She could feel her heart racing in her chest, and she didn't doubt that her smile looked as sickly as she felt as long-forgotten memories began to swirl in her mind.
"Twilight Sparkle." Rarity almost seemed to be saying the name to herself, as if confirming that she was real. "Is it really you?"
"Yeah." The whole world disappeared as Twilight searched Rarity's face for any sign of emotion, but outside of the initial shock, her ex-girlfriend had put on that mask of cool aloofness that Twilight had never been able to read. "It's me."
"I—" It was comforting to know that Twilight wasn't the only one at a loss for words. "What brings you to my store?"
"I needed a dress!" Twilight said quickly, her words tumbling out faster than her brain could process them. "The annual Physics Fundraiser is tomorrow and I ripped my only good one bringing it back from the dry cleaners because you know how much of a klutz I can be and I came to Fashion Row to pick up something but got caught in the rain so I went in the first store I saw and now I'm here."
Rarity raised an eyebrow. "I see." Her words were detached and professional, and Twilight hated to see her like this, even if she knew it was for the best. "Well, I'm sure Coco can find something suitable for you." She nodded to the other woman, who was eyeing them both warily.
"Uh, of course," Coco said. "If you'll come with me, I'm sure we can find something on the racks that'll fit you."
Twilight threw a desperate glance at Rarity as she allowed herself to be led into the back. Was that it? Was Rarity just going to pretend like they were acquaintances and ignore her after a simple greeting? Was that for the best? Or was it the worst possible outcome?
She saw the same turmoil on Rarity's face, followed by a flash of resolve in her eyes. "Actually, I think I'll help Professor Sparkle myself. Can you keep an eye out on the front, Coco?"
"Sure, Miss Rarity." Coco quickly found something fascinating to examine by the window as Rarity got up and walked toward Twilight. With each step, Twilight swapped between elation and dread at the thought of speaking to Rarity once again.
"Oh my," Rarity said, her eyes roving across Twilight's drenched form. "This simply will not do. Come, I think I have something that will suit you perfectly."
Twilight threw one last glance towards the entrance before following Rarity. Even if she could physically have run out the door, Twilight knew she was as trapped as any prisoner in this place, now that Rarity wanted to be with her.
In the backroom, Rarity led Twilight towards an enclosure of mirrors, grabbing a tape measure and pencil from one of the tables. "So, you happened to come into my shop by accident, hmm?" she asked, her voice betraying a tremor of nervousness.
"Umm, yeah," Twilight replied. "When the rain got bad I just walked into whatever shop I happened to be next to. You know, to get away from the rain." She paused. "I wasn't expecting you to be here either. Don't you have better things to do than to work the cash register at one of your stores?"
"Actually, I received a last-minute commission from a very important client and was just dropping it off so Coco could deliver it tomorrow, since my flight leaves in the morning," Rarity explained. A wan smile graced her lips. "It's been ages since I've been in the front on a normal business day. What are the chances that the one time I'm here is also the one time you come to replace your dress?"
"Astronomical," Twilight replied immediately. "It's almost enough to make you believe in fate."
Rarity laughed, but it was a hollow sound, and not what Twilight had longed to hear, after all these years. "Oh, my dear Twilight, if you didn't already believe in fate after a unicorn from another world brought us together, I truly don't know what to say to you. But if it does exist, then it's certainly making a statement right now, isn't it? Tell me, how has the academic world been treating you?"
At least that was an easy question to answer.
"Very well," Twilight replied, feeling a little bad as she continued to drip water all over the floor. "I'm the chair of the Department of Physics now, and I recently won a MacArthur Grant, which I'm using to fund my research into magic. I'm hoping to publish a paper on the topic in a few years once I have enough evidence to prove to the scientific community that it exists." As long as she stayed with facts and objective history, she could continue to detach herself, and not think about the past too deeply.
"That's wonderful," Rarity said. "You've done well for yourself."
"So have you," Twilight replied. "I see your designs on TV all the time. You even had President Blueblood wearing one of your suits! And there's a Canterlot Boutique in every major city where I've attended a conference, which is a lot of them!"
"The years have been... mostly kind to me." There was an awkward pause as they ran out of objective things to say. "Let me see if your measurements have changed."
Twilight stiffened as Rarity approached with her tape measure. "R-Right." She definitely wasn't ready to have her be so close again, but it was too late to back out now. She could smell the other woman's perfume, the same floral scent she used before, back when—
There was a clattering as the pencil fell to the ground. "Oh, silly me!" Rarity exclaimed. "I'm a little clumsy today, it seems!" Her hand barely trembled as she leaned down to pick it back up.
"We don't have to do this if you don't want to," Twilight said, her stomach beginning to feel sick at the thought of what she must be putting Rarity through. "I can go find another store and—"
"No!" Rarity shouted before calming herself. "No," she repeated much more softly. "There's no need to leave. We're adults. We can be adults about this."
"Isn't that what got us into this position in the first place?" Twilight nearly whispered, and Rarity smiled ruefully.
"I suppose it is." She stood next to Twilight with the tape measure, making a quick mark against the tape before motioning to Twilight to turn around. "We were both dreadfully good at being adults, weren't we? Making big splashes, becoming the talk of the town in our own ways, and advancing our careers by leaps and bounds!"
"And drifting apart as our work became more important than our relationship," Twilight added bitterly. "I think adults are supposed to be able to balance work and life."
Rarity's chuckle was equally bitter. "I suppose they are. Perhaps we really were just children playing at being something more. Perhaps we still are."
"The work I'm doing is important," Twilight defended, feeling an old, familiar indignation well up again.
"That it is," Rarity replied. "And do you regret the price we paid for it?" When Twilight didn't — couldn't — respond, Rarity continued. "I think, for me, the worst part of our whole affair is that we didn't even have a proper breakup. A woman like me, with such a flair for the dramatic, and our passionate tryst just... ends, with no fanfare or broken keepsakes. What a tragedy, n'est-ce pas?"
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Yes, because tearful breakups that descend into physical violence are the peak of healthy relationship dynamics."
"It's about catharsis, dear," Rarity said. "We never got to get over each other, and I never got to let go of the pain, of the thoughts of you that haunted me after we drifted away from each other. I think—" she paused. "I think you feel the same."
Twilight was quiet for a moment. "Yeah, I think I do." A wry smile tugged at her lips. "So, Miss Rarity, would you like to break up with me?"
Though she had meant it as a joke, Rarity's expression turned thoughtful as she grew silent. Finally, she smiled. "Perhaps. But not here." She glared disdainfully at their surroundings. "The backroom of a store is hardly the right place for a breakup. How about lunch at Savoir-Faire's tomorrow instead? We can have our dramatic fight, and then..." Another hesitation. "And then, maybe we could make up?"
"I—" Twilight's heart stopped and she grasped at the first thought that came to her. "Didn't you say you had a flight tomorrow morning?"
"I did," Rarity said, and a mischievous smirk graced her lips. "But maybe I'm tired of being a good adult. Maybe I want to see what it's like to have something besides my career to care about again."
Twilight Sparkle was drowning, and as she stared at her anchor — her lifeline — she didn't know if she dared take Rarity's offer. But the alternative — to walk out of her life once again — was unthinkable. "I'll meet you there," she whispered, and prayed that this lifeline wouldn't pull her down into the depths of despair.
"It's a date," Rarity said with a smile. "Now, shall we finish this fitting? After all, I refuse to break up with any woman who isn't properly dressed for the occasion."
"Sure thing, Rarity." And even though the sun had set and the rain showed no signs of letting up, the world seemed a little brighter as Rarity leaned over to wrap the tape measure around her waist.
