Brad looked at his reflection in the shop window. His mane was plastered to his head but not in an appealing way. His jawline looked as if it were jutting out of his head more than normal. Sighing, he observed his gray fur which had specks of mud and grime. His brown jacket looked more like a pathetic paper bag. His tail wouldn't even move due to how damp it was. His wings were a little more torn but at least no more feathers were missing. Yes, this was totally the way he wanted to see the fashionista.
"You've seen better days," a sarcastic voice said from behind. Brad turned to see his competition for Rarity's affections, Spike. The small purple dragon looked just as scrawny and pathetic as the last time Brad had seen him. "I'm sure that'll impress Rarity. Do you have some wilted flowers to go along with that new look of yours?"
Brad smirked and stood upright. He puffed out his chest and flexed his muscles. "At least I have muscles!" he exclaimed. "And I'm tall! Taller than you at least." The two locked eyes and glared. Neither wanted to lose this ongoing battle for Rarity's love. The two sized one another up. Both were wet. Both were covered in muck. Both looked just as pathetic as the other. The two suddenly began to laugh at their appearances, realizing that today they were on equal playing ground.
"What do you say we set our differences aside for one day?" Spike smirked.
"Not a chance," Brad grinned.
"Well at least we're in agreement on something." The dragon pulled out a bag full of rare gems. His stomach growled just looking at them. At least seeing Rarity smile would make this worth it. "What have you got?" he asked Brad
"The best thing I could give anypony: me," the proud stallion replied and trotted into the shop, making sure to shut the door on the small dragon. He couldn't take the chance of Spike foiling his chances again. All the years of fighting had taught him a lot. He locked the door and left Spike to face the thunder. Brad then turned around to see the dragon's emerald eyes in the doorway. The lightning flashed across the sky and the rain beat down on the beautiful gems. Not even the bounty hunter himself was that heartless. If he was going to beat Spike he was going to do it fair and square. It was nothing personal after all. He opened the door and let the dragon inside. The two smirked and waited for their favorite pony.
Rarity emerged fashionably late. Her mane wad done in perfect curls. Her stunning eye shadow enhanced her blue eyes as well as the diamonds on her flank. Spike caught Brad eyeballing her hindquarters and swatted at him, narrowing his eyes. The unicorn didn't seem to pay any mind to her fan club. She was too busy working on a dress. "Spike, darling! I've been waiting for forever for you to…" She turned and saw Brad and stopped speaking. Then a large smile formed on her lips. "Oh my! You look dreadful but you're just in time!"
"Always," Brad said with a triumphant smirk.
"Yes, apparently your work has become so popular that a customer wants a very special item." She put a doll on the counter. "I haven't been able to do what she said but if you wouldn't mind modeling I'd appreciate it." She fluttered her eyelashes, making both boys nearly drool. A towel drifted towards Brad. "Go freshen up," she requested. "I'll be waiting for you so please hurry. I hate to keep a good customer waiting."
After making sure that he looked his best, the pegasus quickly made his way back to Rarity. He stood upright, flexing a bit as she crafted the doll. "You wouldn't want an autographed doll yourself, would you?"
Rarity sighed in annoyance. "No, but I would like you to hold still and quit moving your tail around. So sorry Darling, but I'm in a bit of a rut today. All of this black is wearing my patience thin. This shop is starting to look like a funeral home."
Brad's eyes traced the shop. It was unusually grim. Black lace, velvet, silk, and other fabrics he didn't recognize hung about. Black hair bows and other accessories were placed on the dresses. He had never seen anything so grim and yet so oddly appealing. He pictured Rarity wearing one of the black ruffled dresses and began to swoon; her eyes would look even more appealing offset with black.
Seeing Brad obviously fantasizing made Spike sick. He wasn't any more thrilled that the stallion was modeling for Rarity. The dragon took this moment to carry his bag of jewels to the unicorn. "I gathered them all and made sure that the rain didn't mess them up!" He smiled brightly and resisted the urge to stick them in his mouth. His stomach let out a small growl.
"Oh my! Thank you!" Rarity exclaimed, and dropped the doll for a moment to look at the gems. She used her magic to shift them around until she found some rose-colored ones and some onyx. "Unfortunately this is what the customer requested." She looked grimly at the clothes before her. "The customer is always right I suppose. Perhaps there is a way to liven up the gloom somehow." She placed the small gems on the dresses.
"That looks better, but it's not really the same style," Brad noted out loud.
"I agree," said Rarity. "I have always admired your eye for fashion." She looked at his torn overcoat and gasped. "Darling, I just remembered! I made a new custom coat for you ages ago! I can't believe I forgot to send it!" She ran to the back and retrieved it. She then put a miniature one on the doll. "There. Now the next part is actually mildly creepy," she winced. "The customer asked me to get some of your mane and tail for the doll. She wanted it really exact."
Brad smirked. "Ah, fandom." He lowered his head, allowing the unicorn to retrieve some. "Just don't take too much."
"I only take what's needed," she replied and sewed it onto the doll. It was a very good replica of Brad. It looked exact accept for the cute button eyes. "This is a very old customer. She used to go to magic academy with me." Rarity sighed and looked down. "She was a bit of a troublemaker. She never seemed to fit in." The rain beat down harder outside. The water was starting to rise above ground a little.
"Why was that?" asked Brad.
"She was always so promiscuous," Rarity giggled like a schoolfilly sharing a dirty secret. "Soon her cutie mark even got a red A in the middle. It was bad enough that it was already a spade," she continued. "She had a way with stallions… and mares… in general. She really knew how to work a room and her magic would dazzle you! She could probably do this better than I could should she take the time to learn how to sew."
"A red A?" Brad looked at the ace of spades and his heart sank. Was Rarity somehow involved in this? Did she know who this pony was? Brad could hardly believe it. "Did you see your friend when you visited the Crystal Empire?"
"No. She wasn't there," Rarity smiled. "I saw that one pony pass me in a hideous purple cloak. The lace on the bottom made me think of her, but she never worn an ounce of color in her life." She gave Brad a serious look. "So you're going after the pony who's causing the rain now? Is that what you're doing in Ponyville?"
Brad's heart skipped a beat seeing her blue eyes fill with worry. She was so cute. This might finally be his chance! "Yes. I'm going to bring sunshine back to the Crystal Empire and to Ponyville," he replied, flexing once more. "You won't have to worry anymore! The muck and grime will all be gone soon."
"Stop!" Rarity suddenly gasped. Her eyes grew wide remembering the look on Fluttershy's face after the incident. "Stop now. I didn't witness but I heard. You can't go through with it. I would hate to lose one of my dearest friends."
"Oh, well. I'd hate to lose you too," Brad smiled reassuringly. His heart and his pride took a shot but he wasn't going to let her know that. "I'll be careful. I won't end up like Shining Armor." He looked at the clothes and was almost certain he'd caught the culprit. Instead of facing one of Rarity's friends in front of her he decided to be sneaky about it. "You know, these dresses are pretty fancy. I suppose all lolita dresses look like they belong at a masquerade."
A ball didn't sound like a bad idea. He could easily lure an ugly childish unicorn out of a ball with his charm and corner her. Twilight's castle was all that remained. He was adding the puzzle pieces in his head up carefully. Twilight was the last pony to see anyway. He might as well ask to host a party. He looked at Spike whose heart looked completely sunken into his chest and smirked at him. He wasn't going to be a sore loser. It wasn't his style. "Look after her," he bequeathed.
Spike knew what those words meant and nodded. No hard feelings between the two sounded like a great way to go. "Yeah," he said softly. "Take care in that rain."
Brad turned back to Rarity hopefully. "You don't need me for anything else?"
"Not at all," she replied and looked at her friend with the same worried expression. "Just don't rip that coat. I worked hard on that."
"I promise I'll try not to!" Brad smirked again and trotted outside. A nice flight was just what he needed to take his mind off the heartache. He spread his wings and flew upwards against the downpour. His eyes narrowed. Adrenaline was pumping. It still hurt to lose. He'd solve this case and beat the snot out of anypony who would dare do this to Equestria! He would become even more famous and feared than Dashing Knight herself! Maybe that would restore some of his pride...