Inferno hummed to himself as he got dressed to help out Rarity. Her name's pretty dead-on. Not many girls have inner beauty to match their outside looks. I guess her element suits her really well too. It was awfully generous of her to let me move-in and work here. Good thing I made plenty of bits during my rockstar career. And yet she still goes and pays me. Well, at least it lets me keep some pocket money. There's got to be some way I can pay her back. She likes gems, and she talks about how much she enjoys a day at the spa. Maybe I could get her something related to either of those two things. Inferno walked into the boutique's business area and saw Rarity working on her gala dress. while her cat was struggling to keep all the supplies in its paws. "You sure know how to catch people's eyes."
Rarity smiled. "Why thank you darling. I take great pride in every piece I make." Rarity then let out a fond sigh. "I love it when my work can make people happy. That's what I love most about this job."
"Job? This is your passion. I can tell by how much dedication you've put into every piece.", Inferno said with a grin. "My mom knew what she was doing alright." Rarity was confused.
"Your mother?"
Inferno chuckled. "Well as you can see, I'm an avatar. My mom was an avatar too. Her name's Cinder Flare. She's the alicorn of passion. Whenever soemone has a dream, goal, or talent that they really love, she ignites that spark within them. She found one who lit her own passions when she heard my dad singing and playing his electric. See, my dad was a rock star. And rock music is all about passion and energy. Needless to say, my mom was his muse. He played and sang his heart out for her every time he got on stage. But one day, he put that all aside and settled down with my mom. Turns out, they had a new passion. Namely because my mom was about to have me. Soon enough I came into this world, hid my wings, and discovered the same love of music my parents had. I even took up being a rock star just like my old man. But I got tired of that lifestyle, and here I am. And I've gotta say, I like where I'm at." Inferno snuck a glance at Rarity. "And there's plenty of reasons for me to stay." Rarity smiled as she returned to her work. It was then that Applejack swung the boutique's door open. "Shhhh!", Inferno hissed before pointing to Rarity. Applejack nodded as she and Twilight approached Rarity.
"What's she makin'?", Applejack whispered.
"Looks like a dress.", Twilight noted.
Applejack smiled sheepishly. "That makes. This being a dress making shop and all."
"Is there something I can help you with?", Rarity asked.
"So sorry to trouble you Rarity. But I have a quick favor." Twilight reached into her pack and pulled out a dress. "Could you please fix a button for me? It's my dress for the Grand Galloping Gala." Rarity looked at the dress and gasped.
"Oh no no no no! You can't wear this...old thing! You need a glamorous new outfit for the gala! And I'll make it for you. No problem at all."
"That's really sweet of you to offer Rarity. But I can't let you do that. It would be so much work. This dress is fine."
Rarity put a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "Twilight Sparkle. I insist on making you a new dress."
"But-"
Rarity wagged her finger. "Not another word! I won't take no for an answer."
"Well in that case..thank you for your generosity Rarity. Knowing your handiwork, I'm sure it will be absolutely beautiful.", Twilight said with a smile. Rarity then looked to Applejack with an unamused expression.
"Let me guess Applejack. You don't want a new gown either."
"Gown? Shoot. I was just gonna wear mah old work duds.", Applejack answered.
Rarity gasped. "You can't possibly be serious Applejack! You absolutely MUST wear formal attire!"
"I won't be." Inferno interjected. "Heck, the guys and I are going casual."
Rarity nearly fainted! "But...but this is one of the most distinguished of events!"
"Well I actually want to be able to move freely.", Inferno said with a shrug. "The only time I'll ever wear a suit is my wedding day."
Rarity sighed before returning her attention to Applejack. "What if I just spruce up your eh..duds for you a little bit?"
"Eh..sure. Why not? Just don't make 'em too 'fru-fruy'."
"LOOK OUT BELOW!", Rainbow Dash screamed as she crashed through the roof!
Inferno sighed. "I'll fix that as soon as you're finished with your business."
Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Heh heh! Sorry about the ceiling. New trick. Didn't quite work."
A lightbulb went off in Rarity's head. "Ideeea! I'll make you an outfit for the gala too Rainbow Dash!"
"...For the what now?"
"I'll make one for all of you! Oh! And of course Pinkie and Fluttershy too! And when I'm done, we can hold our very own fashion show!"
Twilight smiled. "What a great idea! If you're sure you can handle it."
"Oh, it'll be a little bit of work. But it'll be a wonderful boost for my business! Plus, fun!"
"Fun?", Rainbow Dash asked. "I love fun things!"
Rarity beamed! "Then it's settled! We'll have a fashion show starring us!" The girls cheered while Inferno looked at Rarity with a worried expression.
I hope she doesn't forget about her own dress in all this excitement... Inferno thought.
"So...all you have to do is make a different, stunning, amazing outfit for one, two, three, four, five, plus yourself, six people lickety-split?", Applejack asked.
"Oh Applejack! You make it sound as if it's going to be hard!" Rarity then got to work on making the outfits for the gala, and began to sing as she did so. Inferno watched in amazement at how much care Rarity poured into her work. He couldn't help but smile at how much Rarity was enjoying herself.
Kind of reminds me when I really enjoyed playing. Inferno sighed fondly. I never felt more alive than when I strummed on my electric guitar. Rock's my passion. Fashion's Rarity's. No wonder I like her so much already. The two things we do go hand-in-hand in some cases. If I still had that life, I'd be sure to only accept her work. Half the things she makes would put the costume designers my band hired to shame! Soon enough, Rarity had finished the gala outfits and gathered the other girls.
"That's it. Keep them closed...don't look...okay you can look now!", Rarity said proudly as she revealed the dresses she'd made. The girls gasped! "These are your new outfits!" Rarity then pointed to each of the gala dresses she'd created. "What do you think of your old duds now Applejack? Pretty swanky are they not? And Twilight! I made this dress for you and I designed each outfit themed to perfectly reflect each person's unique personality! Oh, it took me forever to get the colors right on this one Rainbow Dash. But I did it! Oh, and it turned out beautiful don't you think? And I know you're going to love your's Fluttershy! It just sings spring! And Pinkie Pie! Look! Pink! You're favorite! Aren't they all amazing?" Rarity then looked at her friends. She noticed they were all still speechless.
"...Wow! They're...", Twilight began.
Rainbow Dash scratched her head. "Yeah, they're..."
"They sure are, uh, something!", Applejack said with a nervous smile.
"Yes! Something!", Twilight noted.
"I love something! Something is my favorite!", Pinkie said with a nervous grin.
"It's...nice.", Fluttershy said with a frown.
Rarity was troubled by this. "What's the matter? Don't you like them?" Inferno was watching the scene unfold. And he couldn't stand it.
"If you five aren't happy with what Rarity made, then just say it's not what you wanted.", Inferno said flatly. Rarity was shocked at how up-front Inferno was! "Don't try to hide it. Tell her what you really want." Inferno then looked to Rarity. "You'd better write what they have to say. Client requests and all that." Rarity recovered from her shock, and grabbed her sketchbook.
"Don't mind Inferno girls. There's plenty more where these came from." Rarity faked a smile. "They were only a first pass!"
Inferno sighed. "If you really say so Rarity. Sorry for being so blunt. You want your friends to be happy. I guess I'd do the same for the guys if I were in your position. I had no right to interfere like that."
Rarity smiled. "Thank you darling." She then turned to her friends. "Not to worry! I'll re-do them all!"
"Oh, Rarity. You don't have to do that.", Fluttershy said.
"Oh, darling! I want them to be more than just fine! I want you to think they're absolutely perfect!"
"Are you sure?", Applejack asked. "We wouldn't wanna impose..."
"Oh, it's no imposition! Really, I insist!"
Twilight scratched her head. "Well...in that case...thank you again Rarity." As Twilight and the others left, Rarity's facade fell.
"What have I gotten myself into?", she asked herself. Inferno looked on as Rarity began throwing herself into re-doing all the dresses she'd made for Twilight and the others. Her hair started to get ragged as a result. She had called in Twilight and the others to get their opinion on their new outfits. Sadly, none of Rarity's modifications were what her friends had in mind. And when they did tell Rarity the ideas they had, Inferno noticed how the ugly the designs would turn out! What upset him most of all was the fact that Rarity was starting to tire out.
This whole mess has the potential to go from bad to worse. An idea then came to Inferno. And I've got the potential to fix it! Inferno noticed Rarity was starting to doze off, and took this as his opportunity to set things right. He gently nudged Rarity to wake her up. "Wakey, wakey sleeping beauty." Rarity was startled before she regained her drained senses.
"Oh...darling. Thank you for (yawn) snapping me out of that.", Rarity said with an exhausted smile.
"You're looking pretty stressed. Let me help with that..." Inferno set to work rubbing Rarity's back. "...Feel any better?"
Rarity sighed. "Yes darling. This is just what I needed."
"How about I take over from here?", Inferno asked. "You've mostly finished the designs. All that's left is a few stitches. I know my way around them from having to repair some of my performing outfits by myself."
"Oh, Inferno...you really don't..."
Inferno put a finger to Rarity's mouth. "I'm not taking 'no' for an answer. You go rest. Everything's going to turn out perfect. I promise."
Rarity yawned. "Thank you darling. I do believe a nap sounds quite nice..." Rarity hugged Inferno before heading off to her bedroom. Inferno smiled as he pulled out the box that had Rarity's original gala outfits inside it. He then set to work replacing the new designs with the originals.
"I'm sorry Rarity. I know you want to make your friends happy. But you worked so hard on these. These weren't your 'first pass'. They were meant to be your final products. At the very least, Twilight and the others should try them out. See what other people think." Inferno smiled once his task was complete. It was then that Inferno saw Twilight and the others gathering outside. He went to the door and answered. "Rarity's taking a nap. Poor girl was working herself pretty hard to make you all happy. But I promised her that the dresses would be ready by tonight. No matter how unhappy your requests made her..."
"Well that's good to hear!", Twilight noted. "So can we see them?"
Inferno shook his head. "Rarity said she wanted them to be a surprise." Inferno then noticed Spike running in their direction. "What's up Spike?"
"You won't believe this! You knwo Hoity Toity?"
"The big-wig fashion critic?", Twilight asked.
Spike nodded. "I happened to mention Rarity's fashion show to him! He'll be showing up tonight!"
Inferno smiled. "Then he's gonna be blown away! You all better get rested. See you all tonight!" Inferno breathed a sigh of relief. "Those girls are good friends to have, but they still have a few things to learn about friendship." Inferno then went to check on Rarity. He smiled when he saw that she was sleeping soundly, and left Rarity to her slumber. "Heh. Knowing Spike, he'd have probably applauded anything to do with you. That little drake's got a lot to learn about love." Inferno sat down and put his headphones on. "Now all I need to do is wait." Soon enough, night arrived and Inferno took great care in coming up with a plan. Rarity had woken up, and Inferno told her the news. "Rarity? It looks like the finishing touches on the new outfits didn't go as planned."
Rarity gasped! "Oh no! No no no! This is dreadful! I can't stand to show-off an unfinished piece!"
Inferno grinned. "Then it's a good thing I found THESE lying around!" Inferno unveiled Rarity's original outfits. "Better to show them something rather than nothing. Even if it's not what Twilight and the others wanted."
Rarity swallowed her anger and regained her composure. "I'll chat with you about this later Inferno. Right now? We have a show to put on." Rarity and Inferno soon met up with Twilight and the other girls. "I'm sorry girls. Inferno miscalculated the time for the finishing touches on your new dresses. However, we can't go up there with nothing." She then handed each of the girls their original gala outfits. "I hope you're not too disappointed." Rarity then shot a glare at Inferno. "Go get changed girls! It's almost show time!" The girls went backstage, and changed. Rarity peeked out from behind the curtain and noticed Hoity Toity. She then looked back at Inferno. "I do hope you know that you're responsible for what ever happens next." Inferno pretended to be hurt by her words and nodded. "Good." The lights then dimmed, and the fashion show began. Twilight and the other girls walked out onto the runway, and the crowd cheered for their outfits! Hoity Toity's jaw dropped when he saw Rarity's work! As soon as all Twilight and the others were all together, they noticed how much everyone loved Rarity's designs. And they felt pretty ashamed that they'd not even tried them on. Rarity was in awe at how much everyone loved her designs!
Hoity Toity then stood up and applauded! "Who is the genius responsible? I must know!"
Rarity felt Inferno nudge her. "This is your big shot. Better get out there." Rarity simply smiled as she went out onto the runway and took a bow before the audience. Inferno looked on with an approving nod. "Just as planned." Backstage, Twilight and the others met with Rarity.
"We're sorry Rarity.", Twilight said sadly. "We should've let you handle the designs for our outfits. These designs are perfect. And we didn't even have the courtesy to try them on. If Inferno hadn't made that mistake, you'd probably be a laughing stock!"
Rarity smiled as she and the girls engaged in a group hug. "I'm just happy you girls love what I made for you." Rarity then frowned. "I suppose I should apologize to Inferno for being so harsh. His mistake was quite the blessing..."
Inferno chuckled. "Mistake? I wouldn't say that." Rarity and the girls were surprised to see Inferno approaching them. "From the reactions I saw out there, I'd say my plan went off like clockwork." Inferno snapped his fingers for emphasis.
Rarity was in shock! "Inferno....you planned this?!" Inferno nodded. "But...but why darling?"
"I saw how unhappy you were and how much you were tiring yourself. So, I decided to step in and potentially make things better.", Inferno said with a smile. "And I know how much this means to you Rarity. Consider this repayment for your generosity." Inferno then looked to Twilight. "Plus, your friends all learned a valuable friendship lesson in the process." Inferno was surprised by Rarity hugging him.
"Thank you darling.", Rarity said with a smile. "Now if you'll excuse me, Hoity Toity is calling me over." As Rarity left to talk with the fashion big-wig, Inferno gathered Twilight and the others.
"There's one last stage to my plan. And I'll need all of your help.", Inferno whispered. "Follow me..."
The next day...
Rarity was sleeping soundly in her bed until she heard a knocking on the door. "Rarity? It's me. Inferno. There's soemthing you really need to see outside!" Rarity got out of bed and opened her door to find Inferno waiting. "It's just outside. Come on!" The two hurried outside and Rarity's jaw dropped when she saw her friends displaying her gala dress!
"Oh my...." Rarity inspected the dress carefully. "You girls did all this? For me?"
"Consider it an extra apology.", Applejack said. "We helped, but Inferno's the one who did all the heavy lifting."
Rarity then looked at Inferno and smiled. "You're just full of surprises aren't you?"
Inferno shrugged. "Just making good use of my potential."