It really was a lovely evening. The wine-colored sky, the restaurant bathed in the golden light of dozens of candles, the plethora of ponies chatting about. Rarity noticed the vast majority of them were couples – why else spend Hearts and Hooves Day in such an establishment? If it weren’t for the empty seat across from her, it would’ve been a perfect evening.
It felt rude to check the time, even if she carried a time piece on her person. Besides, it was becoming painfully obvious to anyone not engrossed in their pleasant conversations what had happened to her.
She took a conservative sip of her red wine – the last thing she wanted was to become too tipsy when—she was still holding onto when—he showed up. As such, the glass was still three-quarters of the way full. It had a slight bitter taste to it, but Rarity wasn’t sure if it was her or her beverage.
“Ten more minutes,” she thought to herself. “He’ll show. I know it. He wouldn’t disappoint, not tonight.”
“Rarity?”
Rarity snapped from her thoughts, and if not from the ladylike grace all but melded into her being she would’ve lost her magical grip on her glass. She looked over the rim to see Twilight Sparkle on the other side of the table.
She composed herself and set the glass down gently – the princess frowned at the red contents. “Twilight, darling. Whatever are you doing here?” the unicorn asked politely.
“I could ask you the same thing,” Twilight said. “You seem well-dressed for somepony dining alone.”
Rarity glanced down at her wardrobe. Her makeup was only slightly above par, but the dress – the dress she had put a lot more effort into. It was made from the finest silk, dyed almost the same red as her beverage, with a black, lacy trim on both the hem of the skirt and the straps. It was designed to feel as good taking it off as it did putting it on and wearing it.
“This old thing?” Rarity asked, but the lie fell flat from the unamused look on Twilight’s face.
“Did somepony really stand you up? On Hearts and Hooves Day?” the alicorn asked.
Rarity winced at the word, and her eyes lost the strength to maintain contact. They fell to the tablecloth as the last illusions of hope faded. “Yes,” she murmured quietly. “Yes he did.”
“Mind if I have a seat then?” Rarity merely pointed a limp foreleg in the general direction, so Twilight took her seat, watching her friend with a mixture of sympathy and concern. “Do you… want to talk about it?”
“I suppose I should, shouldn’t I? At least it’s with you, and not one of the other girls. No offense to them, but you’re the most level-headed pony I know. You look at the facts objectively.”
“Well, we are missing a fainting lounge and a tub of ice cream,” Twilight said with a smirk in spite of herself. Rarity shot her a half-hearted frown, and the princess smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, that’s usually how you handle dramatic things.”
“Not in public, darling,” Rarity replied. “This stand up is hardly a surprise.” She took a breath to calm herself and lowered her voice. “I was stood up by Prince Blueblood.”
Twilight’s eyebrows shot up, but she caught herself before she could let loose an outburst. “Prince Blueblood?” she hissed instead. “That jerk of a stallion from the Grand Galloping Gala? Why in Equestria would you be seeing him?”
Rarity stared into her wine glass, lightly rolling the cup with her magic to stir its contents. “I’ll admit, it wasn’t my best idea. You no doubt heard the tirade I had that evening about him.” Twilight nodded. “But desperation makes ponies do crazy things, I suppose.”
The princess tilted her head. “Desperation?”
“Yes, desperation. Image is important here in Canterlot. It was always a question by those I mingled with whether or not I was ever going to be with somepony – and the more important the pony I was with, the better. I was always being set up with somepony’s relative, and I always declined – they always wanted something else from me besides companionship. Then I noticed my image becoming less and less present.”
Rarity took a sip of her wine, a larger, fortifying one. “I suppose word still got around once I opened my Canterlot boutique. Blueblood learned who I really was – or perhaps, what I could become. Image is everything here, after all.” She gave a weak laugh. “And what an image it would be, him and I. So, we started dating, just little public exhibitions to show we were a couple, nothing more.”
Twilight frowned. “That still doesn’t explain why he stood you up if image is everything.”
“Do you know what a side pony is, Twilight? I pray you never do.” Rarity shuddered and took another sip. “Being as invested in the grapevine as I am, it didn’t take me long to learn about Blueblood’s… other interests. One or two other poor mares he was stringing along.”
Twilight covered her mouth and shook her head. “Rarity, if you knew about it, why—“
Rarity raised a hoof, and looked at her friend with a hard look. “As an element bearer and as much trouble as we’ve been over the years, Twilight, you know how much of a fighter I am. I was determined to win Blueblood back, even if it was selfish of me. Well, I suppose it wouldn’t be – those other mares would find better stallions than him.”
“Rarity, there are fights worth fighting, and there are those that should be let go,” Twilight said. “Don’t you remember Starlight? This would be like if she and I had just kept time hopping through ruined Equestrias.”
Rarity smiled faintly. Twilight was a shy pony by all standards, princess or not. Despite the intervention of her and the others, she doubted much if that would change. But when she talked about her triumphs, her struggles, there was a certain posture that made Rarity understand why Celestia had crowned her.
“Much like you, darling, I had my trump card. Unfortunately, it didn’t play out quite as well as it did with you,” Rarity said.
“Which was…?”
“We had only been on public dates, just to show that we were a couple to the elite of Canterlot. Public displays, I suppose, would be a better description.” Rarity gave a shaky sigh. “Tonight, in my invitation to Blueblood for this date, I promised something more. Something worth earning, in my opinion.” She smiled weakly at Twilight.
They had been to every grimy corner Equestria and beyond had to offer, but the look of utter disgust on Twilight’s face was unparalleled. She was indeed as smart as she looked. “Rarity,” she said sharply, slamming her forelegs on the table. “That is unacceptable.” A few other patrons noticed the commotion. A few went back to their conversations, but a few picked up on who the commotion had been from and listened in.
“Desperation makes one do crazy things…” Rarity simply replied before taking another fortifying sip.
She blinked in surprise when magic other than her own pulled the glass away and set it firmly on the table. Twilight’s expression had hardened. “Crazy things, not insane things. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. And that’s just what this mess with Blueblood is – he let you down in the past, and he’s letting you down again!”
“At this point, I’m out of options. Ponies are going to notice I’m no longer on Blueblood’s foreleg, and that will hurt my image,” Rarity said, glancing around at the ponies around them. A few averted their eyes, but it was too late to not be noticed.
“Well, what if you found someone other than Blueblood? Somepony better?”
“That would be delightful, if such a pony existed, but there’s not a stallion nor mare in Canterlot who's interested in me, the real me, and not my image. Believe me, many have stepped forward, but I wouldn’t be the mare I am today if I fell for them.” She looked down. “Though I still managed to…”
“What if they weren’t in Canterlot?”
Rarity gave a short laugh. “Not to muddle the names of other ponies and where they live, but the Canterlot elite only care about the Canterlot elite, darling.”
“What if somepony cared about you though? Personally?”
“Darling, the only ponies who care about me that way are my employees, my family, and my friends, why…”
Rarity trailed off, noticing Twilight’s blush and averted gaze. It had significantly softened since Blueblood’s name had been mentioned. She glanced at the unicorn, then quickly away.
“Twilight, are you implying… yourself?” Rarity asked cautiously.
“I don’t have much experience with romance—real romance, not some book—but… I’ve always been attracted to you. And it’s not just your beauty. There’s so much more to you, Rarity. You’re a creative genius with an eye for color and design, and a savvy businesspony. You have the social skills I could only dream of having, and enough connections to be a princess yourself. And you’re my friend.” Twilight smiled softly. “And, if image matters to you, I am a princess.”
Rarity blinked dumbly, taking a moment to let the words sink in. She took in the meek princess before her, now looking even more bashful. Such intelligence and magical prowess, such an organizer and tactician, all wrapped up in a shy shell colored a delightful shade of purple. How had she not thought of it before? And she was a princess…
Rarity shook her head firmly, before smiling softly at the worried alicorn seated across from her. “You know what? Image be damned.” She levitated her wine glass up to Twilight. “Here’s to a real date, one we can both enjoy.”
Twilight beamed. She levitated what would have been Blueblood’s water glass along with Rarity and gently clinked it against Rarity’s glass. And with that, they both took a sip.
Perhaps this evening would be perfect after all.
Author's Note
Date of Creation (D.o.C.): 02/10/20
So you might be wondering why the sex tag? I said it was the faintest reference, but if you couldn't find it: what Rarity insinuated was that she had teased a night together to Blueblood to get him to show up. I figured I'd play it safe.
For this Hearts and Hooves Day, I challenged myself to write some romance stories, but not your typical fluff. Utilizing three thirds of the Mane 6, I came up with a trilogy of stories that, while not physically linked, I feel are linked in spirit. And also by ships. I unfortunately didn't get them edited in time to publish them on Hearts and Hooves Day itself since I had a lot going on, but here they are now.
The song I listened to for this one was "I Will Be There," the cover done by Magpiepony featuring PurpleRoselyn and MaryMedley. It's one of the strongest love songs I know.
-yours truly, with love,
The Legendary Bill Cipher, Equestria Enthusiast
)