“Rarity! Help me, they’re all crazy!” shouted Twilight Sparkle as she burst into Canterlot Boutique. Her mane was frazzled and her eyes were wide as she panted heavily, holding a forehoof against her chest as she caught her breath.
“Darling… What in Celestia’s name has happened? You look absolutely…” Rarity paused, biting her lower lip.
“Fans. They keep coming to the friendship castle. T-they keep wanting to spend time with me, and... while I’m really happy they look up to me,” she tried explaining, as she hurried to lock Rarity’s door.
“You need some Twilight time?” asked Rarity, as she put a forehoof around Twilight’s barrel, as she gestured for her to come in and sit with her. “I can’t tell you how often the very same thing has happened to me. Sometimes you just have to tell them upfront. You are a Princess, but you are also a pony like them. And everypony deserves privacy.”
“EXACTLY. Oh Rarity. I hope I don’t upset them by hiding like this,” Twilight’s shoulders slumped slightly, and as she kicked a forehoof at the ground, she felt Rarity’s hoof lifting her chin up to meet her beautiful blue eyes. Twilight found she could get lost in her eyes. Rarity was beautiful, majestic, and fabulous. How did she deal with the pressure and anxiety that came with it? She seemed so graceful and serene in all that she did.
“Twilight, I know you value your friendships highly, but there is no shame in taking time to yourself. I mean I do it all the time. Why do you think I love going to the spa? It’s my “Rarity” time, and you need your time too,”Rarity consoled her, gently petting the top of her mane while nuzzling her cheek. “I just had a brilliant idea!”
“Oh and what would that be?” asked Twilight, with a slight rolling her eyes. Twilight felt she knew where this was going. She giggled at the thought; Rarity always had her way of keeping things interesting.
“We should go to the spa. Just think about it, you and me, with all the relaxation any mare could ask for!” Rarity squeed, clapping her forehooves together.
“The spa sounds great, but... I’d rather just stay here with you,” began Twilight. She looked right into Rarity’s bright, sparkling blue eyes.
“Are you certain, Twilight? It would be rather easy for either of us to teleport right to the luxury and warmth of being tended to in all the right ways,” asked Rarity, tilting her head to the side, raising one of her long eyelashes.
“I’m certain.” Twilight began. She heard the ponies outside of the Boutique, gathering around the place like a horde of rogue zombies. Twilight twitched, instinctively grabbing onto Rarity’s shoulders, her eyes widening almost pleading for this all to end.
Rarity pulled Twilight into her arms, and held around her, breathing smoothly
into her mane, running her hoof through her lavender locks, and shhhing her. Rarity held her tightly, allowing Twilight to be able to hear the rise and fall of her own heartbeat.
Twilight’s heart pounded rapidly, as she took long deep breaths, in and out attempting to calm down. Her shoulders slumped, as she craned her neck and nuzzled Rarity’s fur without thinking anything of it.
Rarity gestured to break the hold with a slight “ahem” to clear the air. She smiled slightly, as she extended her hoof towards Twilight, insisting quietly to follow her deeper into the Boutique. To the very back part of it, where all her gosh awful designs hung that weren’t ready to be sold. As they hadn’t been given enough time, care and love. She led Twilight to her sofa waiting for her to crawl upon it. Once she was seated, Rarity came up from the other side, so that their noses were practically booping against the others.
Twilight could still hear the fans outside, pounding on the windows with their hooves, begging to get in. She took a deep breath, and cast a silent spell around her and Rarity, so that the only pony she could hear, was the very pony who had calmed a rapidly beating heart. The more Twilight thought about it, Rarity always had been calm when it came to success and fame. In a way, Twilight looked up to Rarity as a role model, but it was more than that, as she tried to hide the blush forming upon her cheeks.
Rarity leaned forward, their noses pressing against one another, as she placed both her front hooves, onto Twilight’s shoulder. “See darling, isn’t this better?” She asked, nuzzling her. “You know you can always come to me, no matter what, and the others too.”
“Yeah… you’re right. This is really nice. I can always worry about my fans later. It’s not like they’re going anywhere,” Twilight cooed, leaning into Rarity’s hold once more, giggling.
“Twilight,” began Rarity, tenderly running her hoof all through her mane.
Twilight turned to look up into Rarity’s eyes. Her eyes sparkled as she saw the softness of her gaze looking back at her. She blushed, tilting her head to the side, admiring the fabric Rarity had laying to the side.
“Are you blushing?” Rarity asked, chuckling, as she shook her head. “Oh darling, you are just precious.”
Twilight’s cheeks darkened with/in a deep shade of red, ripe as a tomato on a warm’s autumn’s eve. “Yes…”
“Oh, Twilight. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. We’re friends after all. You know you can tell me anything. No matter how crazy it is, I’ll listen.”
“Well...it’s just I’ve always admired you Rarity. Your beauty, your work, the way you are able to handle the stress and anxiety that comes with being popular. How do you do it? How… please tell me your magic.”
“Oh, darling. It’s easy. All you have to do is embrace it. Let them stare, let them watch you as you prance down the path to success and flaunt. And then, all that anxiety, and stress will vanish as fast as a breath of hot air.”
Twilight panted heavily as she gasped for breath, her face now as red as it could possibly be.
“And never forget, Princess Twilight, no matter how many fans you have, no matter how much ponies want to know you, I will always be right here for you to come to, because I was there first. I was always your biggest fan, darling, you’re truly inspiring to us all,” Rarity explained reaching over and booping her snout.
Twilight lips curled upwards into a soft grin, as she giggled, and booped Rarity back. Realizing that things would always be crazy, but with friends by her side, she would be okay.
