Rarity looked out her window at the orange clouds illuminated by the setting sun. Street lights were flickering on one by one. Rarity walked over to her calendar, two more weeks until the first annual Royal Eclipse Festival. She once again looked over her designs, they were perfect, if she hadn't made such a simple mistake she could have created art that would have been immortalized by the princesses themselves. She could have left her mark on the world in a way that would never be forgotten. Suddenly she heard a buzz, someone was at her door. She walked over to the intercom, switched on the monitor. There on the camera screen stood Twilight Sparkle staring up at the camera, her eyes wide and twinkling.

Rarity pushed the intercom, "Oh Twilight I completely forgot about our plans, I'm so sorry."

"It's alright, um, will you let me in now?"

"Oh of course I will dear, please hurry in." Rarity buzzed her in.

Twilight headed through the lobby, walking past a sleeping receptionist. She stepped into the elevator, almost forgetting which floor Rarity lived on. It had been nearly a year since Rarity moved into this new apartment, and this is only the second time Twilight had been here. As soon as the elevator door opened, Rarity jumped in to greet Twilight with a tight hug.

"Sorry Twilight, things went horribly wrong for me today, and well, I simply forgot about our little date."

"Don't mention it Rarity, its fine."

"So then, what brings you here, did you need to see me about something?" Rarity questioned as she led them back to her apartment.

"No I just thought I'd drop in, I haven't seen you a pretty long time, and well to be honest, I've missed you lately." Twilight watched her hooves as she spoke.

"Oh Twilight, I've missed you too, I've missed all my friends lately. I feel like all I do is work and work all day long." Rarity seemed to be complaining.

"I know what that's like. Believe me."

Twilight stood there looking around her home, making sure to avoid eye contact with Rarity. She wasn't sure why, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"I thought maybe we could, talk. You know, catch up on things." Twilight couldn't figure out why she felt so nervous.

"That's an excellent idea Twilight, and look, you even brought me a snack." Rarity looked at Twilight's bag with delight.

"Uh, yeah help yourself." Twilight sat the bag down on Rarity's table.

Twilight looked up slowly at Rarity, she looked at her front hooves rubbing together, her horn engulfed in a white aura as she levitated the fork in front of her face. Twilight looked at her face, her eyes were closed as she enjoyed the the snack. Rarity opened one eye and smiled at Twilight while she chewed, she let out a light giggle.

"Why are you staring at me like that, it's making me feel awkward Twipie."

"I think I should be going now." Twilight got up and headed out the door.

"Wait Twilight I'm sorry, was it something I said? I thought you liked Twipie!" Rarity whined out to Twilight trying to convince her to stay.

Twilight looked back at Rarity, she was standing there, looking absolutely devastated. Her bright blue eyes staring deep into Twilight's heart. She was always a sucker for those eyes, she couldn't help but allow them to bend her to Rarity's will.

"Rarity, I'm not sure why I'm here, I thought I wanted to see you, but I now feel like being alone. Perhaps we can talk later."

"Well I'm sorry you feel that way Twilight, but I'd still like it if you stayed."

Once again Twilight found herself staring into Rarity's beautiful eyes.

"I guess I can stay if you really want me to Rarity."

Twilight walked past her and sat in her front room. Memories of the last time she was in this room filled her mind. Rarity walked in and sat next to her with a big grin on her face. Before Twilight could ask what she was smiling about Rarity quickly took another bite of Twilight's leftovers. Twilight fiddled with her hooves and stared at the floor, thinking of something to say. She looked up at Rarity who simultaneously looked in the other direction. Rarity looked back over to Twilight who then simultaneously looked back at the floor.

"Well I should be getting off to bed soon, I have to pick Applebloom up in the morning." Rarity decided to break the awkward silence.

"I need to be getting up early this morning as well, I have a class to teach earlier than usual this morning." Twilight lied, her schedule was normal as usual.

She stood up and headed toward the door once again, but before leaving the room she saw a photograph hanging on the wall. It was Rarity laying on a piano that was in the the recreational room of the apartment they once shared. She was stretched out, holding her head up with one hoof, resting on her elbow. Her lips were puckered and her eyes were partially closed. Twilight couldn't help but laugh at all the memories that were tied to this hilarious and beautiful image.

Suddenly Twilight found herself feeling a vast assortment of emotions. She put her hoof up to her mouth and took deep breaths in order to control her emotions in front of her old friend. Rarity walked up behind Twilight and put her arm around her.

"This old thing, it, it really makes you miss the good times we shared doesn't it." Rarity pulled Twilight in close.

Twilight blushed and closed her eyes for a moment. Then led Rarity back to the couch where they sat together.

"Remember way back when we first came together?"

Rarity's snow white cheeks turned bright red, her eyebrows raised.

"To Canterlot I meant, you know what I meant!" Twilight was now blushing just as much as Rarity was. She playfully pushed Rarity over on the couch.

"Still a gutter minded mare I see." Twilight joked.

"I'm sorry Twipie, it was funny though. By the way I do remember when we first came here, how could I forget. I remember all of our outings and adventures. Those truly are the highlights of my life."

Twilight smiled at Rarity. She rested her head on her shoulder and began to laugh and joke with her old friend about all the fun times they shared together. The trouble they got in, the loved they experienced, they recalled every bit of the wonderful relationship they once had.

Twilight felt herself wake up, but she wasn't quite ready to open her eyes. She lifted her hoof up slightly, feeling Rarity's soft mane against her arm. Twilight opened her eyes to look at the subject of her recent infatuation. When she did, she met Rarity's gaze, those immaculate sapphire eyes seemed to carry all her worries and regrets away.

"Good morning sunshine." Twilight spoke in near whispers.

Rarity pushed her face into Twilight's chest and wrapped her arms tightly around her.

"Please don't make me get up Twilight, I'm still so sleepy."

Rarity looked back up at Twilight making her eyes as wide and sad as possible, her lips pouting. Twilight knew no matter what this mare asked of her, she could never say no.

"We'll do whatever you want to do Rarity." Twilight spoke in a state of bliss.

"We'll do whatever I want to do you say? Well in that case maybe I don't want to sleep after all." Rarity had a devious grin on her face. Twilight waited eagerly for what Rarity would do or say next.

"I'm starved, lets get breakfast."

Twilight felt disappointed, but agreed. This would be a good chance for them to walk around the neighborhood and get familiar with the area. They took showers and prepared for the day ahead. They headed out, surveyed the surrounding areas, and spotted a reasonable diner. They sat across from each other and ordered their breakfast.

"Oh Twilight, isn't it so sad?"

"What do you mean Rarity?"

Rarity pointed over to their waitress, "Look at her cutie mark." She whispered to Twilight.

It was a serving plate with smaller plates resting on it. A cutie mark signifying that her special talent was waiting tables.

"How awful that must be, I suppose we can't all be so lucky."

Twilight found it difficult to stay focused on anything other than Rarity. "You're right Rarity, not everyone can be so lucky." She smiled and gave Rarity a quick wink.

Rarity smiled at Twilight, suspecting that Twilight was referring to herself as being the lucky one. They ate their breakfasts, occasionally feeding one another, giggling about random things like little school fillies. They left soon after and went back home.

"What should we do with all this spare time, neither of us really have any work in store til after the summer is over." Twilight wondered what to do with their extra time.

"Well we can have fun Twilight, this might be the last chance we get to simply do whatever we want. We'll be so busy once we start our work."

"I agree, what should we do?" Twilight asked excitedly.

"Well, tonight we'll go out, we'll experience the city life, we can do things we never dreamed of doing in Ponyville here." Rarity was feeling as excited as Twilight.

They did research on all the places near them that held any sort of interest. Eventually they headed out into the night. They walked down the elegantly lit streets of Canterlot, it was everything they'd imagined and more. This part of the city was far away from where Twilight once lived. This was a dream come true for them both. Limousines pulled into red velvet carpet clubs, paparazzi lurked around the area hoping to catch a photo or two of a celebrity. Flashing lights and crowds, mesmerized the two young mares. They walked into a huge concert hall, they weren't sure who was playing but it was clear they were important. They walked up to a ticket booth, of course any decent seat was sold out but their curiosity got the better of them. The ticket master held out a glowing glass tablet with a small circle in the center. Twilight touched her horn to it, magically transferring funds from her bank account to cover her purchase.

They settled into their seats surrounded by a higher class. The theater was soon silent as the orchestra began to play, they opened with a soft symphony, a particularly talented grey cello player was emotionally captivating all the ponies in the audience. Rarity smiled at Twilight, she was enjoying their first night out together. She put her hoof on Twilight's, stroking it before interlocking them. A few minutes later a pianist entered the stage. He was an old stallion that obviously had many years experience doing what he did best. He began to play a soft tune, filling the hall with resonating vibrant pitches as he played his fluid scales. Rarity was particularly moved by the number. She leaned over to Twilight and whispered.

"I never knew how much I loved the piano."

Twilight smiled and held her hoof even tighter. The show went on and came to an end. They found it was still early on in the night and there was still much to do. They soon found themselves in club of sorts. Heavy bass filled the room as a blue haired DJ scratched some vinyl.

"Lets go dance Twilight!" Rarity dragged her reluctant partner into the center of the dance floor.

They held one another up as they stood on their back hooves and began rhythmically spinning, swaying, and hopping around. They let themselves get caught up in the night, their sense of time dulled by the fun they were having together. They were both exhausted when they finally got home, but that didn't stop their excitement. Rarity led Twilight into their room, she climbed on the bed, sensually gesturing for Twilight to join her. Twilight blushed at Rarity's forwardness, but worked up the confidence to join her. Rarity pulled Twilight in closely and gave her a passionate kiss. Twilight lost control of herself, she climbed on top of Rarity, making sure not to break their first kiss. Opal gave them a growl and put her head under her pillow, hoping to drown out their noise.

Days and nights like these came and went, Rarity and Twilight couldn't have been happier. As time went on, they only grew closer and more intimate. Soon Rarity began working, she converted the second room of her apartment into a work room for her dresses. Twilight began her training on becoming a professor at the University. Their days became busy, but they still found time for one another every night.

They were headed back from a late night dinner, the streets nearly silent in the early hours of the morning. The only sound was the echoing laughter of the two as they trotted down the sidewalks hoof in hoof. As they reached an unusually dark corner, a young grey stallion with a short creme mane jumped out from behind a trash can in a dark alley. A shoddy knife hovered in front of Rarity, shrouded in a grey aura.

"Just give me your bits and no pony's gonna get hurt." Rarity looked cross eyed at the knife.

Twilight acted almost immediately, suddenly the young grey stallion found himself surrounded by a deep purple aura, his knife whizzed out of his reach as it spiraled, crashing into the building next to them, a streak of purple magic left in it's trail. The knife's blade had completely pierced the wall, all that remained was the handle diagonally protruding from the bricks. Twilight's horn appeared to have burst into flames of the darkest purple, as deep purple embers were falling off of it, hitting the ground. She forced the small stallion up against the brick wall in the dark alley, slowly walking towards him, small cracks were forming in the bricks behind him. Her eyes began to glow an off white color as she looked into his eyes, choking the life out of him. Rarity got a grip on the situation, she ran up behind Twilight putting a hoof on her shoulder.

"Its okay Twilight, you can stop now, I mean look at him he's still just a colt."

Twilight took a couple steps back, then lowered the small stallion to the ground. He was choking and gasping for breath.

"Now what would compel you to do such a thing?" Rarity asked with genuine concern.

"I need bits... my dad lost his job and my mum is sick. If we can't afford to get her medicine she won't get better."

"Ha, likely story. How about you go to The Flats where you belong kid." Twilight shot him a menacing glare.

"Run along now child, you'll find an honest way to raise your bits. Perhaps if you had only asked rather than attacking me, I'd have given them to you. Keep that in mind the next time you attempt to steal." Rarity patronized the already humiliated stallion. He then trotted off in the alley, mumbling under his breath.

"Well that was an ordeal."

"To say the least Twipie." Rarity smiled and hugged her saviour.

"Twipie? Where's this coming from?"

"Oh its so cute and suiting for such a sweet pony as yourself, don't you agree?"

Twilight didn't mind the cheesy pet names, what was really on her mind was rather or not she would have killed that stallion if Rarity hadn't intervened. They continued on their way home, their night came to an end, as they soon found themselves once again locked in an endearing embrace as they slept in each other's arms.

Nearly a year had gone by since they moved to Canterlot. Twilight was resting her head in Rarity's lap while they watched TV. A letter slipped through their mail slot. Twilight grabbed it, it was from Applejack. She read the letter to Rarity and they agreed to deny her request. A few more days came and went.

"Twilight, I've been crunching some numbers and I've decided we can help Applebloom enroll with Sweetie Belle this year after all."

"I'm sure we can, but then we'll be broke for the next three months, won't we?" Twilight was curious about Rarity's sudden interest in helping Applebloom.

"Yes and that's why I'm proposing Applejack pay for only half of the first years tuition, I'll cover the rest myself." Rarity looked nervous as she waited for Twilight to speak.

"Well that's quite generous of you Rarity, I'll write Applejack a letter now."

Rarity smiled and nodded her head.

The next day she headed back to Ponyville to retrieve Applebloom. Upon meeting Applejack there, Rarity couldn't help but allow those old spiteful feelings to return. She looked around at Applejack's tattered house and thought about how awful it must be for poor little Applebloom to be stuck living here. After saying some spiteful things to Applejack, Rarity immediately began to feel some signs of remorse. She turned around to apologize for the sudden hatefulness that had taken over her actions. Applejack had already shut the door, and the carriage driver was impatiently waiting on her. She decided to make up with Applejack later and returned on her way to Canterlot.

"So Applebloom, on our way home I'll be preparing you for your arduous interview with the student administrator."

"Okay Rarity, lets get started then." Applebloom spoke with confidence.

"I can tell this isn't going to be too hard for you, you're a very capable young filly." Rarity felt a sense of pride as she went over the basics with Applebloom.

They soon arrived home, Applebloom aced her interview the next day, and Rarity paid the hefty bill. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom were more than happy to see each other as they explored their new school together. Then a couple weeks later, Rarity received an invoice noting that a large sum of money had been deposited into her account. This was quite a bit more than she expected, but more than anything she was relieved Applejack came through.

A few more months had gone by, everything was going smoothly.

"Rarity, I have something for you in the rec room." Twilight woke Rarity up from a nap, then trotted away.

"Right now Twilight?" Rarity drearily replied, not realizing yet that Twilight had already left the room.

She eventually forced herself up and made her way to the recreational room near the lobby.

"Surprise!" Yelled Twilight, along with a few acquaintances and co workers.

Twilight was sitting at a piano. She then created a few orbs with her magic which she used to play the piano quite elegantly. She played a song that greatly resembled the one they had heard in concert nearly a year ago. Rarity felt her heart sink deep into her stomach as she listened to the beautiful music Twilight was creating for her. Twilight finished flawlessly.

"Oh Twilight I love you so much." Rarity's words echoed in Twilight's mind, this was the first time she used those words.

"I.. I love you too Rarity." Overwhelming glee wrapped around Twilight's heart as she blushed.

"That was just beautiful, I didn't know you could play the piano."

"Well I couldn't, but I've been learning at the academy. I wanted to surprise you, so I came up with this song. It's the first song I've ever written, so I know it wasn't very good." An extreme sense of modesty washed over Twilight.

"Are you kidding Twipie, it was astounding." A few of the guests chuckled at the pet name.

"Well anyway, happy anniversary Rarity. We've been living together for a year now, and I fell in love with you the very first night." Twilight spoke quietly, not sure how to place words to all the emotions she was currently experiencing.

Rarity and Twilight mingled with the guests for an hour or so, Rarity laid on top of the piano and Twilight took her picture. They soon saw the guests out and went back to their room.

"I don't even want to talk about what happened next." Rarity laughed trying to keep herself from blushing. It wasn't working.

Rarity and Twilight once again found themselves sharing the comfort of one another's warm embrace.

"Why did we grow apart Twilight, I really can't come up with an answer no matter how many times I think about it."

"Rarity, our relationship was affecting our careers, and we made a choice that it would be best to separate." Twilight looked back down at the floor again.

"I regret that decision Twilight, tonight is the happiest I've been since you left my side." Rarity spoke to Twilight as she held her hoof with both of hers.

"Same here Rarity." Twilight smiled again, unable to control her blushing.

"Twilight, stay with me tonight please. You can come to Ponyville with me in the morning too."

"I suppose I can call my substitute in for a day." Twilight was more thrilled with the idea than she let on.

"That's wonderful news Twilight." Rarity didn't try to hide any bit of her enthusiasm.

The two ponies continued sharing their favorite memories from their past relationship. Eventually they fell asleep together on the couch. They needed some sleep, they had a long trip ahead of them.