A Darling Little Secret

by Gusto Starstorm

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Rarity
Length: 3850

During a trip to Canterlot, Rarity meets an eerily familiar pony, with an incredibly different personality.

It was a week before Nightmare Night, when Rarity decided to take a trip to Canterlot.

And while there, she meets a sweet, classy mare with a prismatic mane, and a habit of saying "Darling". But there's something about her that she finds just too familiar.

And as she'll learn, maybe there's more to this familiarity than meets the eye.

Update (4/8/2023): Now with a Dramatic Reading by Obab Scribbler

Author's Note (11/14):

Sweet Celestia.

Less than 24 hours live and this story has set three milestones for me. This is the first time I've had a story of mine be top of the Featured list, the first time I've had a story of mine get over 100 Likes, and the first time that a story of mine has reached over 1,000 views.

Thank you all so much. I am amazed.

Published 2022-11-13 14:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2022-11-13 14:20:01 UTC

The Meeting of Two Darling Mares

It had initially been a simple trip to Canterlot, meant to stock up on some niche accouterments for her own Nightmare Night costume. In previous years, she had been swamped with orders, as everypony in Ponyville needed a costume. Rarity was often working herself so hard that she rarely partook in the festivities. This year, however, she was ahead of schedule, in part because none of her friends had put in orders.

To be fair, one had SAID that they would, but that did not come to fruition.

After last year’s Nightmare Night was over, the daredevil among them had realized she’d gotten a hole in her Shadowbolt costume. Naturally, Rarity had offered to patch it up, and even offered to make it better for next year. At the time, Rainbow Dash had seemed so enthusiastic about it. Yet here it was, one year later with only a week before Nightmare Night, and she had been nowhere to be found around Ponyville.

Nopony had SEEN Rainbow Dash at all outside of her work hours. Unusually for her, she seemed to be keeping to herself lately, and nopony knew why.

Thus, as Rarity made her way down Restaurant Row, what she thought she had seen stopped her dead in her tracks.

Sitting there, at a cafe with some of Twilight’s old Canterlot friends, was a cyan pony, with rainbow colored hair. But there was something so off about this scene that Rarity found herself doing a double take.

Unfortunately, during said double take, she was spotted.

“Oh, Rarity!” Minuette called out, waving to the alabaster unicorn. “What are you doing here?”

“Greetings, Minuette,” Rarity said, trotting over to the table. “Forgive me for staring, darling. I thought I saw somepony I knew.”

“It’s alright,” Lemon Hearts told her, before sipping her tea. “We were just hanging out with our new friend, Rainbow Gleam.”

“Rainbow… Gleam?”

Taking a cursory glance to her left, Rarity saw the eerily familiar pony. However, upon closer inspection, the differences quickly became clearer.

For starters, before her sat an Earth Pony, lacking the wings of her dear friend, and possessing a different Cutie Mark. Her mane, as well, was far more well-kept, and almost reminded Rarity of her own in a way. Various shades of pink, orange, yellow, green, and blue, coming together to form a simply heavenly look. This was a pony who took care of herself, and Rarity could see that.

Still though, something about those magenta eyes…

“Hello there, darling,” the pony known as ‘Rainbow Gleam’ finally said. “It is nice to meet you.”

A small smile graced Rarity’s face. Rainbow Gleam certainly seemed polite.

“Charmed,” the unicorn said. “Are you new in town? I fear I’ve never seen you around Canterlot before.”

“I am indeed. The last few weeks have been utterly dreadful for me, so I have been looking for a change of scenery.”

Rainbow Gleam took a sip of her tea, then gestured to Minuette.

“Luckily for me, I met this lovely darling who took a liking to me immediately! We’ve been meeting up for tea every day for the past week.”

“Speaking of,” Twinkleshine interjected, “do you want to join us, Rarity? We’ve got an open spot. Moon Dancer had to dip out early, unfortunately.”

The fashionista nodded. “I think I can make a moment, girls. This would be a good chance to let you know how far your costumes are coming, anyhow.”

“How darling of you,” Rainbow Gleam cheered. “You’re a costume designer?”

“Fashion in general,” Rarity corrected. “But around Nightmare Night, I’ll usually take up the challenge of designing costumes for everypony. It’s a rather lovely change of pace.”

“Sounds like it! I do appreciate a well-crafted design myself.”

Rarity let out a small giggle of delight. From the little they have talked, Rainbow Gleam seemed like somepony she would get along with well. It would be nice to spend some time with another pony who appreciated fashion like she did.

And yet, when their eyes met again, something still seemed… off. That familiar magenta seemed to be toying with Rarity far too much.

“Something wrong, darling?” asked Rainbow Gleam.

“Well, forgive my asking this out of nowhere, but… you wouldn’t happen to have a relative named Rainbow Dash, would you? Pegasus? Has a similarly multicolored mane?”

Gleam’s initial reaction was shock, that much Rarity could tell. But then, an eager Minuette only added onto the issue.

“Oh hey, you’re right!” the blue unicorn exclaimed. “They do kinda look alike, don’t they?”

“Yeah, but the way they act is night and day,” Lemon Hearts said idly. “No offense to Rainbow Dash, of course. She’s very cool and all, I just… don’t see her hanging out somewhere like this, you know?”

The clear discomfort on Rainbow Gleam’s face made Rarity wince. If she were to wager, this was a bit of a touchy subject for the Earth Pony. A theory began to crystalize in her mind, but instead of voicing it, she decided to take a different angle.

“Well, nevermind that, dear,” Rarity said out of nowhere. “Silly me and my little notions. Tell you what, Rainbow Gleam? If you’d like, you could join me on getting some supplies. I’ll need to get back to Ponyville soon to finish the girls’ costumes.”

“O-oh… yes, I would love to, darling!” Rainbow Gleam said, a nervous smile visible. “Forgive me, girls. Not that this hasn’t been fun, but I think I will join Rarity on her little shopping spree.”

“Well alright,” Minuette answered, offering the warmest smile she could muster. “I hope you’ll think about joining us, though. Nightmare Night in Ponyville is so much fun!”

“I will consider it. For now, though, I shall bid you adieu.”

And without another word, the two fashion-savvy ponies left, heading away from Restaurant Row. However, during the walk back, something kept bugging Rarity, and one look at Rainbow Gleam only furthered that feeling.

She had to say something.

“Rainbow Gleam, I am so sorry for putting you on the spot there. I didn’t mean to upset you like I clearly did.”

For a bit, Gleam did not answer, her downtrodden expression saying it all. Rarity had clearly hit a sore subject, and that certainly did make the walk a bit awkward. And yet, she still couldn’t help but theorize. Had Gleam and Dash had a falling out in the past?

Well, it was none of her business, she reasoned. If Gleam wanted to tell her, then she would tell her.

“... Rarity, darling?” Gleam eventually spoke up. “You were curious if I had a cousin named Rainbow Dash, right?”

The unicorn nodded, and Rainbow Gleam took a deep breath in. She looked Rarity in the eyes, and smiled. The next thing that came out of Gleam’s mouth, though, shocked Rarity to her core.

“It’s that convincing, huh?” she said, losing the accent and sounding slightly raspier than before. “Remind me to thank Twilight later, will ya?”

Stunned silence was Rarity’s only answer.

“Heh heh… you’re not about to freak out on me, are you, Rare?”

Without a single word, Rarity’s eyes practically bored into her friend from how utterly flabbergasted she was. The silence was getting to be too much, and ‘Rainbow Gleam’ winced worriedly.

“Rarity, please, if you’re going to scream… could you not? I don’t wanna cause a scene in the middle of town.”

That seemed to get the fashionista’s attention, as she blinked a couple of times, before shaking her head. Taking in a deep breath to try and steady her nerves, Rarity quietly said the first thing that came to mind:

“Is that really you, Rainbow Dash?”

The pony in question giggled, whispering in kind. “Pretty good disguise, right? Twilight made a little spell for me. Though, I did style my mane myself. How’d ya like it?”

“Well, it’s quite fetching indeed,” Rarity admitted. “But that’s hardly the point. You’re telling me Twilight has been transforming you into an Earth Pony so that you can go to tea with Minuette and company here in Canterlot?”

Dash shrugged. “I mean, I’ve been doing other stuff too. Like I bought this really pretty dress yesterday. I should show it to you, I think you’ll like it.”

“Oh, and you’re buying dresses, too?” asked the unicorn incredulously.

“Why do you sound so upset, Rarity? I thought you’d be excited about this.”

“Under normal circumstances, I would be. However, I fear I’m just a tad confused about this whole thing. I’ve never known you to be so… well, so…”

“So much like you?”

Silence fell between them for a few seconds, but Rainbow Dash didn’t let it last long.

“Rarity, have you ever felt like you’re… not so good at showing ponies every part of you?”

That got the unicorn’s undivided attention. “Whatever do you mean, darling?”

“Well…” Rainbow looked away, lightly sighing before she continued. “I know what other ponies think of me. Everyone sees Rainbow Dash and thinks ‘sporty’, ‘daring’, ‘rough and tumble’, right?

“And don’t get me wrong, I totally get it. I’m awesome! It’s not like that’s a front or nothin’, I just… kinda wish I was better at expressing this other part of me. The girl who sometimes likes a good dress, who’d love to have tea and talk with a little more… um, ‘posh-ness’, I guess?”

“The word you’re looking for is ‘class’,” Rarity interjected. “But I believe I do understand what you’re saying.”

“Well anyway, I went to Twilight, and she gave me a little spell to help me do that. I’ve been having so much fun with it that I’ve been using it pretty much every chance I got.”

The two made their way to a small fountain. Rarity sat down by it, deep in contemplation. In the span of only a few minutes, she had gotten the answers to several questions she’d initially had, and a few she didn’t even realize she’d wanted to ask.

As well as a small unanswered one, which she voiced immediately.

“Why the name ‘Rainbow Gleam’, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Well, other than wanting to keep a part of myself while doing this,” the disguised pegasus propped her head up proudly, “it’s a little somethin’ Twi taught me about espionage. It wasn’t enough for me to look different or have a different name. I had to act differently, too. So, I tried to act like—”

“Me?” Rarity asked, a knowing grin on her face. “Even copied one of my verbal tics, it seemed.”

“Hey, cut me some slack, it was either that or ‘Dashing’. And I thought that would have been TOO obvious!”

The mares shared a laugh at that, before falling back to their thoughts. In this new silence, Rarity continued to contemplate the situation, now that she’d had a chance to digest the new information.

So, Rainbow Dash had a secret, and Twilight was in on it. The mare liked fashion, at least to some degree, and enjoyed acting like a refined lady from time to time. All of what they knew of Rainbow Dash was true—she was still the brave and daring stunt flier everypony loved. But she was also this pony.

And yet, Rainbow felt the need to disguise herself and travel to Canterlot in order to express this. She didn’t feel comfortable doing so back in Ponyville…

Rarity’s heart went out to her friend thinking about that. It could be difficult to go against others’ perception of one’s self, and it seemed Rainbow sometimes wanted to go FAR against ponies’ view of her.

Rarity wanted to help. She HAD to help.

“Hm… Rainbow Dash, have you ever considered doing this in Ponyville?”

“A couple times, yeah,” Dash answered. “Why?”

“Well, I just had a thought, dear. What if you went as this side of yourself for Nightmare Night?”

Looking up, Rarity could see the shock in her friend’s eyes. But from experience, she could tell it was not the ‘bad’ kind of shock; this was simply being blindsided by a question, but it was clear that the pegasus was considering it.

“W-well, I mean, do you think I could get away with that?” asked Rainbow Dash, her voice tinged with… if it were any other pony, Rarity would’ve thought it to be trepidation. “I mean, I know everypony dresses up on Nightmare Night, but I bet it’d be a shock for all our friends.”

“Let them be shocked, then. It’s all in good fun, is it not?”

Rainbow Dash looked to the ground, clearly deep in thought. Then, after a few seconds, she turned her head slightly, and put on an easygoing smile.

“I will need a dress for such a lovely occasion,” Dash said, slipping back into her alter-ego. “Would you be willing to make me one, Rarity, darling?”

To that, Rarity smiled. “I would be honored to, Rainbow Gleam.”

This was it. The big night.

As Rarity made her way out to the festival, she took great care in her steps so as to keep her blue pinstripe suit pristine. She looked into the reflection of a nearby window, adjusting her mask for the final time, before finally heading out. This would be her first Nightmare Night in a while, and the unicorn intended to have a good time.

As she reached the festivities, her eyes wandered, eagerly searching the crowds for a certain pegasus.

But try as she may, Rarity could not find Rainbow Dash. Unfortunate too, as the two of them had worked very closely to finish her costume on time. She was quite eager to see the reactions from everypony.

‘Oh, it’s fine,’ Rarity reminded herself. ‘She probably just got caught up in making sure her hair was perfect. She will be here… I hope.’

A small twinge of dread formed in the pit of Rarity’s stomach at the prospect of Rainbow Dash not going through with it. Of course, it was her friend’s call in the end, but still...

Nightmare Night was supposed to be a time of delight, after all. And Rarity wanted nothing more than for her friends to be delighted.

“Rarity!”

Turning around so fast as to risk whiplash, the unicorn’s excitement was slightly dashed upon seeing it wasn’t her rainbow-haired friend. Only slightly, however, as instead, she was greeted by four similarly familiar faces.

“Ah, Minuette!” exclaimed Rarity. “Lemon Hearts! Twinkleshine! And you must be Moon Dancer, correct?”

The bespectacled unicorn nodded, adjusting her glasses. “It’s nice to finally meet some of Twilight’s other friends. You’re… Rarity, right?”

“Indeed I am, and if you’re looking to meet Twilight’s friends, you shan’t be disappointed, dear. Why, even her friend Sunset Shimmer is making the trip to be here.”

“Oh, I remember her!” said Twinkleshine. “And she’s friends with Twilight, huh? Sounds like she’s changed for the better. Hopefully she’ll like our getup.”

“Hay yeah!” Minuette exclaimed, pulling out her fencing foil via magic. “Thanks again, Rarity. This ‘Three Buckaneers’ getup are the best costumes we could have ever gone with!”

“I wish you would have joined us, Moony,” Lemon Hearts said. “There was a fourth Buckaneer, after all.”

“Yeah, well… I didn’t want to force you guys to spend money on me,” Moon Dancer admitted, looking away in embarrassment. “This is my first Nightmare Night in years…”

“Aw, we wouldn’t have minded,” Minuette insisted. “But we do like your costume all the same.”

Rarity nodded. “It is quite the fetching librarian costume, my dear.”

Upon hearing that, Moon Dancer looked as though she’d just been insulted. “Librarian… ? Ugh! No, it’s not a librarian, it’s—”

“A.K. Yearling, darling. Author of the Daring Do books.”

The five unicorns all froze at hearing this new voice, but for very different reasons. Rarity was the first to turn her attention to the newcomer, hoping that her instinct was, in fact, correct.

And sure enough, it was.

Sauntering over to the party was everypony’s favorite pegasus, Rainbow Dash, grabbing the attention of those she passed with her outfit. Though, not that Rarity could blame them. Tonight her friend looked like a completely different pony. One with her mane brushed and styled to the side, wearing a deep blue sequin dress, and a beautiful necklace embedded with a single emerald.

And Rarity couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she saw her.

“Oh, silly me,” Rarity said. “How could I forget the author of my dear friend’s favorite books?”

“All is forgiven,” Rainbow Dash told her. “It’s quite a lovely little getup, darling.”

Moon Dancer looked away, flustered by the compliment. “W-well, thanks. It was kind of a last minute thing… I couldn’t even remember the spell to get my glasses the right shade of red.”

“Oh, pish posh,” Rainbow Dash answered, ignoring the shocked expressions of the other three unicorns. “Moon Dancer, was it? Regardless of the little details, you look utterly dashing. And if you’ve gone through the effort of dressing like her, am I right to guess you’re a fan as well?”

“I am, yeah!” Moon Dancer told her. “I didn’t think you would be, as well. Uh… no offense.”

“None taken, darling. Though why would I be offended by that?”

“W-well, I mean… I’ve heard a lot about you from Twilight and the girls, and…”

Moon Dancer didn’t get to finish the thought, as a light giggle came from Rainbow Dash. “Trust me when I say this: There’s far more to every pony than what she shows everypony else.”

“Yeah… I suppose there would be.”

Throughout this whole exchange, Rarity had been sparing passing glances at the ‘Three Buckaneers’, checking them for their reaction. But as that line hung in the air, there was a change. First, it was Twinkleshine, eyes going a bit wider, followed by Lemon Hearts, who raised a hoof to her chin in deep contemplation.

And last, but certainly not least, was Minuette. That knowing grin on her face said it all.

“Well regardless,” Rainbow Dash continued. “It’s wonderful to meet another pony with good taste. And since I’ve not seen your face around here, am I right to assume this is your first Nightmare Night in Ponyville?”

Moon Dancer nodded.

“Well, you’re in luck, Moon Dancer!” exclaimed Rainbow. “Rarity and I know where all of the best booths at the festival are. Stick with us, and we’ll ensure you have a darling night!”

“Aha!”

All eyes turned to Minuette, who looked as though she’d just uncovered some great secret. In typical Minuette fashion, she bounced forward, meeting the pegasus’ face. And before Rainbow Dash could get a word in edgewise, she found herself wrapped in a warm embrace.

“You did decide to join us after all, huh?”

Rainbow Dash smiled. “Suppose the jig is up, then. It’s delightful to see you all again.”

“Right back at you, ‘Rainbow Gleam’,” Lemon Hearts said knowingly. “Definitely explains the vague feeling of unicorn magic around you.”

Though definitely still happy, that line sent a twinge of guilt through Rainbow Dash. Looking to the ground, she took in a deep breath, contemplating what to say.

Eventually, though, she just spoke her mind.

“Listen, girls,” she told them, dropping the accent. “I’m real sorry about lying to you. It’s just I’m really not good at sharing this side of myself with others. Tonight’s the first time I’ve done it in Ponyville, and even then, it’s Nightmare Night. It’s just a costume to everypony else…”

“Then we’ll show everyone else this other side of you, together!”

Moon Dancer’s confidence caught everypony’s attention, Rainbow Dash especially. The determined glint in her bespectacled eyes could have cut through diamond.

“Rainbow Dash, I sympathize,” she said, a soft smile on her face. “I know how hard it can be to put yourself out there. I did it once, and when it didn’t go exactly how I wanted… I retreated inward. I regret that now, but it’s taught me a few things.

“I haven’t known you very long, but I want to help you with this. And I know the girls feel the same. This is a first for both of us, so let’s make this Nightmare Night the best one we can!”

Silence was Rainbow Dash’s only answer initially. But after a few seconds, as if letting the idea hang in the air, the pegasus met her new friend’s smile with one of her own.

“Sounds wonderful, darling,” she answered, slipping back into her ‘Gleam’ side. “I think I shall take you up on that offer. After all, Nightmare Night is always more fun with friends.”

“I concur,” Rarity chimed in. “Now, what say we go find the others? Probably easiest to start off with our friends, then work our way up to those outside the group.”

“Good plan, Rarity,” said Minuette. “Ooh! Let’s start with Twilight, then! I don’t know about you, but I’d like to meet Sunset Shimmer again. It’s been years!”

“You go ahead, then. Rainbow Dash and I will catch up.”

Taking that advice, the unicorn quartet headed toward the festivities. When they were out of earshot, Rarity and Rainbow Dash shared a contented sigh.

“Thanks again for doing this for me, Rare,” Dash said. “I’m so glad I went through with this.”

“As am I. For a second, I was worried you might back out.”

“Heh… I’ll admit, I DID have to give myself a pep talk before I left the house.”

“Well, whatever got you to come, I’m so proud of you for doing this, darling.”

A small smile graced Rainbow’s face, as she and Rarity began heading in the direction of their other friends. Together, they would have a wonderful Nightmare Night, that much was for sure. The first step was taken, and there was no going back now, not that either of them particularly wanted to go back.

Though, Rainbow Dash did remember one thing she did want…

“Before I forget,” she said. “I’ve been meaning to ask. What exactly is your costume, Rarity?”

The alabaster unicorn let out a small chuckle. “You remember that time I met Sunset Shimmer? Well, during that trip, she introduced me to something called ‘Team Fortress 2’...”

Author's Note

Because who says Nightmare Night fics have to be done BEFORE Nightmare Night, amirite :rainbowlaugh:

In all seriousness, this would have been done a long time ago, but I couldn't finish it before Halloween, and my usual proofreader went to a convention by the time I did get it finished. So, with all of those factors combined, it came out that I got this out NOW instead of THEN.

That being said, shoutout to PopMediaVagabond for helping me edit this solid feel good RariDash piece. Not my usual, but apparently I've been told I portray both of them rather well, so hey. And I think I did good with their dynamic here.

And of course, I hope you enjoyed. If you did, like, comment, all that good stuff, and I'm glad I finally got this out to you guys.

Until next time, my friends!