Chapter Two – Fairest Canterlot
“Bit purse? Check. Spare quills? Check. We’re ready to go,” said Twilight.
She put on her saddle bags as Spike ticked off the final box of the checklist, rolled up the scroll and set it aside with the quill. The clock on Twilight’s desk let out nine small chimes to let her know it was time to leave. Taking one last look around to make sure everything was tidy, she and Spike left. On their journey to the train station, they talked about what they might do while in Canterlot. There didn’t seem to be much left to be done that they hadn’t already covered on their last visit. Perhaps Rarity would have some ideas. She probably knows Canterlot just as well as I do, Twilight thought.
As they approached the train station, Twilight began to speed up a little and her heart fluttered. She wasn’t normally this excited about going to Canterlot; however this wasn’t a normal visit. The more she thought about it, the more she looked forward to seeing her home town from another pony’s perspective. One who dreamed of being wrapped up in all of its culture. It was sure to be interesting from an intellectual viewpoint at least.
The pair purchased their tickets and stood on the platform to await the arrival of the last member of their party. After about ten minutes, Spike spotted her in the ticket office.
“Looks like she’s packed light,” Twilight observed: “Only two cases more than me.”
Spike hadn’t really heard any of this. He stood with a silly grin on his face, staring in her direction. She had opted to wear nothing but a decorative pale blue hat with an oversized rim and a white flower and meshing. It jaunted prettily to one side so that when she tilted her head the brim was almost level with her shoulder.
Twilight raised her hoof to get her attention: “Rarity! Over here.”
Rarity’s head jerked here and there scanning the crowd; she quickly spotted them and walked in their direction. She had a very elegant gait and set off by the hat, Twilight could see why she would easily fit in with Canterlot’s elite.
“Hello, Twilight, Spike. Shall we?”
The three showed their tickets to the train conductor and boarded, walking through a few carriages before settling in one with squishy green seats. Rarity stowed her luggage beneath two of the seats and sat down at the window. Spike immediately slid in to the seat next to her and Twilight, rolling her eyes, sat opposite.
They discussed the particulars of getting from the train station to the hotel. Rarity delighted them with tales of feather pillows and soft mattresses. That pony really loves a bit of luxury, Twilight thought.
Before long they heard the station master’s call ring out from the platform followed by a shrill whistle. The train shuddered to life and Twilight watched out the window as the scenery began to move. As the train picked up speed, trees turned in to blurs and whole fields rolled past in the blink of an eye. She turned back to Spike and received a brief smile before looking across to Rarity. She addressed her question to her:
“So what shall we do first?”
* * * * *
The journey passed in a haze of conversation and it seemed like no time at all had passed before they were pulling up to Canterlot station. They stepped out on to the platform with their luggage and some unknown force drew their eyes to look up at the splendour of the Equestrian capital. From their vantage point, a vast citadel appeared to rise out of the very ground on which they stood. Light glinted off of its many golden domes and spires. The white rock out of which it had been built seemed to shimmer with a kind of ancient magic. Even before they had entered the city through one of its colossal archways, they could hear the hustle and bustle of its streets.
Rarity took a deep breath and her eyes took on the appearance of saucers. Without warning she dropped her bags and began bouncing in circles around the other two.
“This is going to be ever so much fun,” she shrieked, “We have a whole day together before we even have to think about business.”
“Calm down, Rarity,” Twilight laughed, “first thing’s first: we had better check in to our hotel. We can’t walk around all day with a whole bunch of huge bags across our backs.”
Rarity nodded her head vigorously in assent and the three made their way through the winding streets towards the Blanket Stitch. Along the way, Rarity kept letting out little gasps and giggles. Each time, Spike took this as a cue to express his own admiration for whatever it was that had affected Rarity thusly. After the tenth time, Twilight rolled her eyes behind their backs.
Perhaps it was going to be more difficult than she had anticipated for her to see Canterlot through Rarity’s rose tinted glasses. She seemed to be absolutely enthralled by everything and everypony in it. Twilight, having lived there since she was a filly, knew that a fair number of the nobles were very boorish and obnoxious; nobles in name only as far as she was concerned. This somewhat ruined the fairytale aspect of the city for her.
Before long, they were passing through the fashion district with its many shops selling stunning bolts of fabric in reds and purples and golds and every type of ornamentation imaginable from feathers and flowers to ribbons and brooches. There were also a huge number of boutiques selling everything from dinner jackets and cravats for the discerning gentlecolt to beautiful evening dresses, fancy hats and expensive jewellery so that even the most stylish mare wouldn’t know where to look.
And she didn’t.
Twilight stared at her friend as she cantered from shop window to shop window, exclaiming at everything she saw. Spike stood with her forgotten luggage, unsure of what to do. It seemed to Twilight that she must have looked at every shop on the street in the minute she had stood there. Twilight allowed herself a small smirk before she decided that they had best get on. There would be plenty of time for this later.
“Rarity, come on, we’re here!” Twilight called back to her.
Rarity looked like she had been snapped out of a trance. She took one last look back at the shops and magically lifted her bags. She proceeded with great dignity towards the hotel. Twilight’s smirk turned in to yet another laugh.
“I’m sorry, Twilight, I got quite carried away just then,” Rarity said, tugging at her hat.
“No, I understand,” Twilight giggled, “We’ll come back as soon as we’re done unpacking.”
Rarity beamed at Twilight as they climbed the steps to the hotel doors. It was her passion, after all. She looked like a little filly again when she was perusing the stylish gowns of the Canterlot boutiques.
Ever the gentleman, Spike leapt to open the door for his two marefriends. Twilight stopped dead when she entered the lobby. There were huge ornate pillars holding up a second floor gantry which surrounded the main foyer. The floor was of black and white chequered marble with a thin line of deep red carpet leading to the concierge’s desk and then off both to the left and the right. Behind the desk was a grand staircase with balustrades of polished white wood and the centrepiece: a magnificent hanging chandelier of crystal which threw off light in every direction.
It was nothing compared to Canterlot Castle, however it was far more luxurious than any building in Ponyville.
“Rarity, this is... how can you afford this? You never mentioned any of this on the journey here. It’s just...” she moved her lips trying to think of what it was, but no words came.
“Oh, come now, Twilight. How could I have told you? It would have ruined the surprise. Think of this as a thank you for everything you’ve done for me,” said Rarity, “You deserve nothing but the best and the best is what we shall have.”
Twilight looked in to Rarity’s eyes. She was completely overwhelmed by the munificence of this act. She couldn’t remember anypony ever having given her such an incredible gift. Rarity returned her gaze and Twilight tried to convey wordlessly her appreciation. Rarity smiled and looked away.
They now approached the desk and Rarity gave their names to the concierge. He checked a list he had in front of him then reached under the desk producing two sets of keys: one each for Twilight and Rarity. A bellhop seemed to materialise out of thin air to take their bags. They were led to their room, up the main staircase and along a corridor to the right.
The bellhop stopped indicating their door and Rarity let herself in. Twilight and Spike followed her with the bellhop bringing up the rear. Rarity pointed to where she wanted her bags.
“And will Sir and Mesdames be requiring anything else?” enquired the bellhop in a very upper crust voice.
“No, that will be quite alright, thank you,” Rarity replied using her horn to take a couple of bits from her bag and place them in the concierge’s coat pocket.
“Thank you, madam. We hope you all enjoy your stay,” said the bellhop, leaving the room and closing the door.
After the opulence of the lobby, Twilight had prepared herself for the rooms and she was not disappointed. There were two ample bedrooms off the main sitting area, each with its own four-poster bed, free-standing armoire and dressing table all of which matched the decor which seemed to be reminiscent of French Rococo.
Twilight sat her bags at the foot of her bed and went back to the sitting room to wait while Rarity unpacked the various outfits she had brought with her, looking forward to the day ahead.
* * * * *
Spike had left them to their shopping trip, promising to meet them for dinner after a few hours. He had reasoned that there wouldn’t be any shops selling outfits for dragons. Rarity had promised to make something for him when they got back to Ponyville and he had been happy with that. Twilight suspected that he was simply agreeing to spend some time alone with Rarity – he hated fancy clothes.
So the two ponies were left alone, if one could call it that in such a busy town. True to her word, Twilight allowed herself to be taken by Rarity on a flight of fancy through the fashion district’s exorbitant boutiques and despite herself, she was thoroughly enjoying it. She had mostly watched as Rarity tried on dress after dress, posing like a model on a runway. Twilight invariably nodded her head in approval. It wasn’t like she could do anything else. No matter what she wore, Rarity always looked beautiful.
Soon enough they were back on the street, looking in windows and appreciating the bright sunshine of Celestia’s making. Rarity approached a very small building with white cladding and oversized windows with ponyquins in them.
“This is one of my absolute favourites,” she screamed, pointing at it, “Come on, let’s have a look.”
Twilight stepped forward and pushed open the brass handled door to this newest conquest. She was surprised when she entered. This one was unlike the others in that there weren’t a great many gowns. The outfits on display in here were considerably less occasional than the dresses they had been looking at earlier. Rarity walked ahead of her sorting through rails of sweaters, cardigans and saddles as if she were looking for something in particular.
Twilight wandered around a little, not touching anything. Just glancing at the clothes on the ponyquins dotted here and there. She looked over at where Rarity stood rifling through the outfits, then at the rail in front of her. Tentatively, she reached her hoof out and pushed some of the clothes to the side, making a gap in the middle of the rail so that she could see some more of what was on offer.
She had no idea what she was looking for as she moved the various items aside. There were some very beautiful things there, but nothing felt quite right. She moved along to the next rack, sneaking a glance at Rarity who now had a small pile of clothes across her back and was currently immersed in a hat display. Twilight hurriedly slid clothes to the side hoping to find something soon lest Rarity think she was being too picky.
At last, she found something and slid it off the rail to have a better look. It was a long mint green cape with an ornate silver clasp which would fasten at her neck. It had two layers to it with the under layer being slightly longer and wider, as well as being a few shades lighter. There was a great deal of visible needlework: that on the upper layer being in a thread the same colour as the under layer and vice versa. The length would only just cover the top of her tail and it was tailored such that the fabric would not touch the floor. The clasp was inlaid with several small amethysts that mirrored the colour of her eyes.
“Oh my stars, Twilight, that would look fabulous on you. You must try it on.”
Twilight had been so caught up in examining the cape that she hadn’t noticed Rarity watching her. She blushed and made to put the dress back on the rail but Rarity would not have it.
“Go on now, darling. You’ve been watching me try on dresses all day. At least let me see you in one. I don’t think that could suit anypony better than you,” she said, fluttering her eyelashes.
Twilight looked around. There was no pony else in the shop with them save for the owner and she was busy writing something. She took a deep breath and raised her head then trotted over to the dressing rooms. She leapt inside one and pulled the curtains closed.
She turned to face the mirror. Looking at her reflection, all she could see was a very plain lavender unicorn. OK, her eyes were quite pretty, but this wasn’t for her. This was for stylish young mares with trendy manes and the type of confidence that comes from knowing you’ll always be turning heads. She couldn’t wear this. She was just going to look silly. She turned away again, wishing she had just left the cape where she found it. However for Rarity’s sake, she had to do this. She unfastened the clasp and slid the material across her back, pulling at it so that it sat properly over her tail. She refastened the clasp and before she could lose her nerve, stepped out.
Hearing the curtain move Rarity looked round. Several long seconds passed with Rarity just staring at Twilight, expressionless. Her heart sank. She had known it was too much. She was just plain old Twilight: books and brains. She turned away, screwing her eyes up to hold back any tears.
“Twilight, what’s wrong?” asked Rarity, concerned.
“I look ridiculous is what’s wrong!” Twilight sobbed.
“No, darling, you look absolutely breathtaking,” Rarity whispered.
“Oh, you don’t need to pretend. I just can’t be glamorous like you can,” Twilight said.
“Whatever are you talking about?” Rarity demanded, exasperated.
Twilight heard Rarity drop her pile of clothes. She felt herself being pulled back over to the changing room. Rarity gently lifted Twilight’s head by the chin and pointed at the mirror.
“Have you even seen yourself?” she asked.
Twilight opened her eyes slowly catching her first glimpse of herself since dressing. That couldn’t be her. She looked over her reflection’s shoulder at Rarity who was still staring at her, but no longer with concern. Instead she had a dreamy smile playing on her face. Maybe she wasn’t plain old Twilight after all. She turned and started trotting around the shop, suddenly feeling like she wanted everypony in Equestria to see her
“See? It’s great fun, isn’t it?” Rarity laughed, “Is that why you’ve been avoiding doing this all day? Because you thought you couldn’t look fabulous?”
Twilight looked at her hooves, too embarrassed to admit that that was exactly how she’d felt. She had been enjoying watching Rarity, but she had clearly missed out on a huge part of the experience. Rarity put her foreleg across Twilight’s crest before hugging her firmly.
“Sorry, Rarity,” Twilight said, “I was just being silly.”
“Of course not, darling. But now that you feel better, we must find you some shoes to complete the ensemble,” Rarity said.
The rest of the afternoon passed too quickly for Twilight. They had found some shoes and she had tried them on to see the effect. Then Rarity had tried a few of the outfits she had picked. They had made trips to two more shops and tried on various styles and colours of dresses and hats and shoes. With each costume change, Twilight felt like she could understand better Rarity’s love of fashion and perhaps also her love of Canterlot. Twilight had clearly not experienced everything her home town had to offer. Her day out with Rarity had shown her something special that she would never have known about otherwise.
All too soon, dusk began to fall and they walked along to the cafe Rarity’s had suggested earlier. They met Spike who sat waiting for them at a beautiful candlelit table just off the street. There was a single red rose in a thin vase in the centre of the table. The pair sat down at opposite ends of the table, exhausted.
“So, did you ladies have a good time?” Spike enquired.
“Oh, Spike, it was magnificent,” Rarity answered.
She continued on, telling Spike about their day together. She didn’t skimp on the detail either. Every dress was described down to the last sequin. The only thing she omitted, thankfully, was Twilight’s little episode.
“You should have seen her Spike. She has... the magics!” Rarity said, doing a very good impression of Photo Finish.
They all laughed, but as Spike regaled them with the story of his day spent looking at the gems in the crown jewels, Twilight began to drift away from the conversation. Instead, she found herself looking across the table at Rarity. She was such an amazing pony. She was so generous, so insightful and so much fun. Twilight hadn’t had such a good time with anypony since the evening she had spent with her friends after the Grand Galloping Gala. Rarity was still engrossed in Spike’s story.
To think that some ponies think she’s frivolous. They think of her as the eccentric designer who spends all of her time drawing dresses and sewing and chasing after her silly dream of making it in Canterlot. Just like some ponies think I’m just the bookish librarian who spends all of her time reading and chasing after the silly dream of being the next Star Swirl. Well we’ll show them!
“Twilight, are you alright?” Spike asked.
Twilight snapped out of her reverie. She felt herself flush as Rarity looked at her.
“Yes,” she said quickly, “Just exhausted. I’ve been on my hooves all day after all. Perhaps we should have something to eat. Do they have daisy sandwiches here?”
Why did she suddenly feel so agitated?
“No, but they do make the most wonderful carrot and asparagus soufflé,” Rarity said, “Or I’m sure you would love the house omelette. It is to die for!”
There it was again.
“Oh, well I guess I’ll have the omelette then, since you’re making it sound so good,” Twilight decided.
What was wrong with her?
“You’re going to love it,” Rarity said.
Twilight’s heart raced. This was so strange. She had felt fine all day, yet now she couldn’t concentrate on anything. Maybe she was tired. It wasn’t all that late but she had been busy. That was it. She was tired and hungry. She would eat and they would go back to the room and she would be fine.
Rarity ordered the food and they ate. Twilight barely spoke except to agree with something one of the others had said. By the end of the meal, she had calmed down a little. It was nothing, just a bit too much excitement for one day. Twilight insisted on paying for the meal and they all stood up to leave.
“Well, where shall we go now?” Rarity asked, “The night is young, as they say. We could take a look around the castle grounds. Fluttershy is always talking about how beautiful the flowers are this time of year.”
“You two go on,” Twilight said, “I’m sorry. I do feel a little tired. I’d love to go with you. I hope you understand.”
“Of course we do. You did seem far away at dinner. If there’s anything we can do, please don’t hesitate to ask,” Rarity said, the look of concern back in her eyes.
“Just enjoy yourselves and don’t worry about me,” Twilight insisted, “If I’m awake when you get back, we can talk some more then.”
“OK, Twilight. I hope you feel better,” Spike said, before turning and hurrying off towards the castle.
“We won’t be too long, I promise,” Rarity said.
“I know,” Twilight replied, “Go on!”
Rarity hesitated for a moment before turning to follow Spike. Twilight watched her go until she had caught up to the little dragon, then walked back down the hill a little to the hotel. She trotted once more through the lobby and up the stairs to their room.
She walked through to her bedroom and began pacing nervously. Although she had been exaggerating her tiredness to Rarity and Spike, she now felt very weary. Despite this, she felt like she had to do something: something to calm her down. She opened her saddle bags and removed a quill, ink and some parchment, taking them through to the sitting room and sitting them on the coffee table.
She thought about her day and picked up the quill, then stopped, silently berating herself: of course she couldn’t write to Celestia. She had no way of sending the letter with Spike gone. She stared at the cream paper on the table. She had to write. It was no use trying to get to sleep just yet. She picked up her quill again and placed the tip in her ink, then on the paper. She couldn’t even think of what to write or even, for that matter, who to write to.
She could write to Rarity and apologise for leaving early, but that was nothing she couldn’t say in the morning. She thought about writing to her parents, but again, she had no idea how she would get it to them. She didn’t keep a diary. She stood up again and looked down at the street then up towards the castle, wondering what she was missing out on. Then looking over at the table, she rolled up the paper and went back through to her room, stowing it once more in her bag.
She looked in the other side of the bag, looking for a book to read, but nothing took her fancy. She wished she had brought some more light reading instead of textbooks. She couldn’t concentrate on studying. Frustrated, Twilight threw herself on to her bed and under the duvet extinguishing the gas lamp with her magic. If she couldn’t do anything else, she might as well be comfortable while her mind tormented her. She needn’t have worried though as within a few minutes, her exhaustion caught up with her and she fell asleep.
* * * * *
Twilight woke up to the sound of somepony humming. Light streamed in through the long curtains. She looked over to see Spike fast asleep next to her and closed her eyes again wondering what time it was. She must have been asleep for a very long time. She still felt a little out of sorts, but she pushed this feeling to one side. She needed to at least appear to be herself today. It was important that she be there for Rarity on a day like this.
The humming continued from the sitting room. She decided that if Rarity was awake, she had better be too. She carefully slid out of bed to avoid waking Spike and tip-toed out of the room. As she entered the sitting room, she saw Rarity had spread out her sketches on the same table Twilight had used for her failed letter writing. She also noticed she had been sketching something at that very moment but, as soon as Twilight entered the room, she stopped.
“Good morning, Twilight,” she offered, “Are you feeling any better this morning?”
“Yes, much better. Thank you,” Twilight responded.
“Excellent. I’m sorry if I woke you up with my humming. I’ve been awake for a few hours now and I’ve just been sorting through all of this for later on, though it’s not much later now.” Rarity indicated the mess on the table. She looked excited and terrified in equal measure.
“Oh, Rarity, she’s going to love these, don’t worry,” Twilight told her.
“Yes, well. I mean... But this is a huge business opportunity for me. Chic’s stamp of approval could mean big things for me here. Why if all goes well, by this time next month I could have my couture featured in magazines across Equestria. I may never get a chance like this again,” Rarity said.
“This is one pony. You’ll be fine,” Twilight insisted.
Rarity moved the drawing she had just been sketching to the bottom of a twenty-five strong pile then cleared the rest from the table in to one pocket of a stylish white leather portfolio. The pile, she put in to another pocket and she placed the charcoal she had been sketching with carefully into a compartment filled with art materials. She closed the bag and set it aside.
“There, ready,” she proclaimed, “There are still two hours to go until our meeting. That leaves us enough time to dress and relax a little before we head to the Chic’s boutique.”
“Dress?!” Twilight exclaimed.
She hadn’t thought about it, but of course she would have to wear something to go to this meeting. This pony would be expecting them to make an appearance. But Twilight hadn’t brought anything with her. Just books, paper, ink, quills, money and one scarf in case it got chilly.
“Yes, of course. We must look our best,” Rarity said.
“I’ll be right back!” Twilight didn’t wait for a response. She grabbed her bit purse from her bag and bolted from the room.
Why hadn’t it occurred to her to bring some clothes? She didn’t wear clothes very often, but this was an occasion that would certainly require it. She broke in to a gallop as she left the hotel making straight for the many boutiques she and Rarity had visited yesterday. When she got there, though, she couldn’t think of where to go. She stood rooted to the spot, eyeing all of the beautiful fashions on offer. There were too many choices.
After she had caught her breath, she began thinking more clearly and it occurred to her that there was only really one sensible decision. She made her way towards the white walled shop that had been Rarity’s favourite. To her great relief it was open.
Bursting through the doors, she looked around to see if she could find what she was looking for. The shop keeper looked up, raising one eyebrow: “Ah, hello again. Is your friend not with you today?”
“No,” Twilight answered, “This is an emergency! Do you still have the green cape that I tried on yesterday? And the shoes? I need them.”
“I do! And if I might say, I think they would be a most wonderful choice for you, my dear,” the unicorn behind the counter replied.
She went to fetch them for Twilight who waited, still annoyed with herself for not bringing anything with her to wear. When the owner returned, Twilight paid for the outfit and took it in a paper bag back to the hotel. When she returned to the room, Rarity and Spike were both in relaxing on the couches.
“Oh, there you are, Twilight,” Spike said, taking note of the bags she was levitating in front of her, “Rarity said you left in a hurry, what happened?”
“Oh, it was nothing. I just remembered that I had forgotten to pack any clothes to wear to the meeting with Chic Mode and I had to get something,” she said.
Rarity looked highly excited now: “Ooh, what did you get?”
“You’ll see,” Twilight replied.
It was perfect, she thought. Rarity herself had said so and that meant the world to Twilight.
* * * * *
“Twilight! Rarity! Come on! We have to get going!” Spike’s voice came from the sitting room.
Twilight had just finished brushing her mane and tail and was now making the final adjustments to her ensemble. She had laced the ribbon-like laces from her new green shoes around her forearms and canons so that they crossed over twice before knotting them gently. She looked in the mirror on the inside of the armoire, happy with her appearance and went to join Spike in the sitting room.
Moments later, Rarity stepped out of her room dressed in the outfit Twilight had liked from the sketches she had looked at with her back in Ponyville. The arms of the black sweater clung to Rarity’s slender forelegs, making them look more shapely than usual. Her fuchsia beret once again jaunted at a very attractive angle. Both ponies let out a shriek of joy when they saw one another.
Twilight hadn’t expected this. She looked more beautiful in that ensemble than Twilight had imagined from the pictures. Of course, the pony in the sketches had just been a line drawing with no features. It didn’t have Rarity’s stunningly curled mane or huge bright eyes. It didn’t have her radiant smile or her gently curved muzzle.
“I knew that must have been what you had bought, Twilight,” Rarity said, “You look beyond fabulous darling.”
Twilight blushed: “Thank you. You look amazing too.”
“It was actually you who gave me the idea,” Rarity smiled, “When you picked this outfit from all of the sketches I had drawn, it reminded me how much I loved it.”
Spike cleared his throat and reminding the two unicorns of the reason why they had dressed up in the first place.
“Yes, of course,” Rarity said to Spike, opening the door, “Let's go.”