FiMFriction

“And then, as it happened, she really ended up stuck beneath some rocks! And little Spikey Wikey saved her by throwing one of them down the monster’s throat!”

Braeburn laughed heartily, his head shaking slowly at Rarity’s tale. “Poor cous’, she never was cut out for actin’. She’s too dang honest to pretend ta’ be somethin’ she ain’t. Timberwolves though- that’s mighty dangerous.”

“To be fair, we weren’t expecting Rainbow Dash’s imitation to be perfect enough to attract real Timberwolves,” Rarity explained, quickly dabbing at the base of her brow. She took a moment to enjoy her work, feeling satisfied that at least one more dress had been completed. Only five more to go- though Rarity was not one to complain about dressmaking, especially with her new company. Braeburn had been nothing but a perfect gentlecolt, fetching her the supplies she needed, cooking dinner and breakfast for the both of them, and even offering to lift anything heavy despite her ability to do so more efficiently with the use of magic. Not once did the stallion complain about his place on the couch, nor did he have anything negative to say at all about the boutique or Rarity’s lifestyle. He was so similar to Applejack with his rustic and olden ways, and yet so different at the same time. The work ethic, honesty, and reliability were present in both, yet Braeburn was so much different than his cousin in regards to his respect for her dramatically different attitude.

He tolerated the unicorn’s prissy behavior- even going as far as to offer to release a spider outdoors when it had come out from beneath Rarity’s fabrics to terrify her to the point where her windows rattled from her shrieking. He complied when she had insisted he take a shower with only the finest of shampoos she had to offer, as well as using the conditioner that accompanied it. And he did it all with a smile on his face. One might even go as far as to say he was enjoying himself-

“Rarity? Everything okay? You’ve been starin’ at that dress fer a good minute.”

Rarity smiled kindly. “I was simply marveling about being blessed with such good company over the past twenty four hours. Are you sure you don’t need to stretch out your legs? I certainly couldn’t picture any member of the Apple family spending so much time indoors and enjoying it.”

“Ah would admit that some fresh air would do me a world of good,” Braeburn confessed, though the guilty smile he wore left the slightest indication that he quickly regretted his admittance. “But Ah ain’t complainin’! It’s been a hoot and a holler listenin’ to your stories- ‘specially when they’re ones Applejack ain’t willin’ ta tell.”

“Still, I suppose a bit of fresh air could do us both some good. It stopped raining quite some time ago,” Rarity said as she removed her red glasses and placed them onto her sewing table, their removal seeming to lift the weight of her work’s burden, if only for a moment. She turned to the door, motioning for the stallion to follow as she walked to make her leave. “How about a trip to Sugarcube Corner?” She offered We could share a banana split- my treat for all your hard work. And I do have some business to attend to with Pinkie Pie to guarantee Cadance’s victory again her husband.”

“Victory with what now?”

“Oh the silly dear keeps making wagers on the romantic involvements of me and my friends,” The unicorn informed him, eyes rolled as she relived the memory. “She bet him that at least half of us would have proper escorts to her Hearts and Hooves Gala, and let’s just say the conditions of their agreement would make it… rather unfortunate for either of them to lose.” Rarity sighed as she made her way down the stairs, rather embarrassed by the confession she was about to give her present company. “I agreed to help her, but it seems like such a silly promise now. I’m so busy with these dresses that I simply don’t have time to be out there searching for the most eligible stallions in Ponyville.”

“Ya’ mean ta’ tell me a beautiful, proper lady such as yourself don’t have a special somepony ta’ call your own?” Braeburn gaped slightly before cracking a disbelieving smile with a rough chuckle. “Why you’d be the stampede’s lead back in Appleoosa.”

“You’re quite the flatterer,” Rarity smiled, pleased at the compliments thrown her way. She swished her tail, flicking the tip of Braeburn’s golden snout with the last luscious curl of her violet tail, eliciting another satisfying blush from the rural stallion. “But even the taken ones were single at one point. They just don’t always remain that way,” She said with a whisper, intending to come off as coy to the still-blushing stallion. Her intentions were put on hold as she turned head on into Twilight Sparkle, the librarian unfortunately rounding the corner in sync with her flirtatious friend. Twilight’s bundle, in the form of a young dragon child, fell from his perch, the tile smudging as he landed with a groan. Collecting himself, Spike looked down and gasped.

“Ohmygosh! I’m so sorry, Rarity! I’ll clean it up right away!”

“Ah’ll take care of it later, little one,” Braeburn answered him with a wink, his gaze directing towards the stunned pearly unicorn. Reaching out with a hoof, he helped the seamstress up, allowing her to regain her balance as she rested against his vested chest. “Sides, it was an accident, sugar. Ah sure as heck made a bigger mess when Ah first came in here.”

“Wait wait wait!” Twilight interjected, recovering fully on her own with a few quick shakes of her head. “What are you doing here, Braeburn? Aren’t you supposed to be staying with your cousins and grandmother at Sweet Apple Acres?”

“Yeah, what are you doing here?” Spike asked accusingly, his eyes narrowing as he approached the cowpony with locked eyes and his claws at his hips. Braeburn stifled a nervous cough to prepare an answer, though his hostess proved this was unnecessary.

“Why he simply came over to deliver his cousin’s dress measurements,” Rarity replied with practiced ease, the social expectations of Canterlot’s elite shining through with her delivery. Spike relaxed his expression, evidently satisfied with the response the object of his infatuation delivered.

“And she dragged me in outta the rain, mud an’ all!” Braeburn continued, a slight pink beginning to tint his cheeks. He rubbed the back of his head nervously, not daring to make eye contact with the mare still clinging to his clavicles. “Why, Ah didn’t know how ta’ say thanks, so Ah thought maybe a nice home cooked meal would serve as a proper thanks. Only Ah didn’t realize it was plum rude of me to barge into her kitchen-“

Rarity’s polished hoof sealed his lips once again, bringing awkward silence as the Appleoosan realized just how close his fashionista companion was in proximity.

“I thought we agreed that it was an incredibly sweet, gentlecoltly, and thoughtful gesture and to leave it at that, Braeburn,” The dainty unicorn hushed in honeyed words. Twilight gaped in slight shock as she came to the realization of Rarity’s flirtatious behavior. Her purple eyes darted to the side in time to see Spike grinding his teeth in rage before giving the seamstress her full attention.

“The dear cooked for me and offered his assistance during the rest of his stay in Ponyville! Isn’t that wonderfully generous? It seems his dearest cousin wishes for him to relax during his visit here, and… well…”

“And Ah ain’t one for standin’ still, so Ah figure Ah’d make myself useful for somepony,” Braeburn finished with a shake of his head. His golden hoof took her flawless white one in its grasp, green eyes similarly taking ahold of her cerulean pools in a dreamy gaze. “Speakin’ of which, Ah think it’s time we got goin’.”

“O-oh, yes,” Rarity stammered, her face red from the unexpected flirtatious behavior Applejack’s cousin had reversed onto her. She certainly wasn’t used to dealing with her own techniques, much less in front of any observing peers. Her sapphire eyes drifted over back to Twilight and Spike, the former watching with wide eyes and the latter flushed with rage, his teeth and fists clenched. Rarity groaned inwardly- that was definitely something she would have to address in the near future. But for now…

“Twilight, did you need help with something, darling?”

The magician squirmed slightly, her uncomfortable position very conspicuous in answering the fashionista’s question.

“Uhm… nope! Just came by to visit and say hi!” She lied through a forced smile that almost seemed too large for her mouth. Rarity smiled sweetly, approaching her good friend and giving her a light embrace.

“Come find me later. You can tell me all about it, darling.”

Rarity broke the contact, her smile widening as she met Twilight’s eyes. The purple unicorn found herself smiling too, knowing her friend would be there to help her in such… awkward times. Her… interaction with Braeburn only further pacified the raging storm of worry brewing within the student’s mind. If anything, Rarity at least proved she had been successful and would no doubt assist her, as a good friend, to find romance of her own.

Twilight found herself at ease as cowpony and dressmaker walked out side by side, though the opposite couldn’t have been more true for her own companion. Spike quivered in rage, eyes misty with tears he refused to cry.

“I’ll show him!”

Twilight cocked her head slightly, confused by her assistant’s outburst. “Say what now?”

Spike stormed off, feet pounding on the tile. “I’ll be twice as useful and three times as romantic as Braeburn! Just you watch- Rarity will be mine!”

The librarian felt her ears pin back subconsciously. “Oh dear.”