Once at the boutique, Rarity gently pushed the pegasus mare behind a curtain with a deep maroon dress, covered in frills and perfectly shaped sapphires. Once Moon Struck had gotten herself into the tight fitting dress, she stepped out for Rarity, and the already dressed up Twilight, to see.
"How does it feel?" Rarity, wearing her work glasses, asked as she continued to make small movements on Twilight's dress, pinning and marking spots that needed quick stitches.
"Tight," Moon Struck managed to barely breath out. As she let out the air she had been holding in, the dress made a small ripping noise as the wing slits widened, tearing the silken fabric. "Oops," she whispered, blushing furiously at what she had done.
Rarity frowned, stopping what she was doing with Twilight and walking to look at the now damaged ensemble. She could not hide her frown or the slight pout of her lips as she saw just how badly the dress had ripped. A simple stitch could not fix this damage, she thought to herself as she sighed. "Go back in and take the dress off, I will set it off to the side to... fix later. Here, try this one instead," Rarity sighed again, floating a different dress onto Moon Struck's back with her unicorn magic, before walking back to Twilight, trying to hide her unhappiness as best she could.
Once hidden behind the curtain again, Moon Struck smacked herself in the face with her wing, though careful not to rip the dress further. "Wonderful; they become your first friends, invite you to the Gala, and even offer you a new beautiful dress. And what do you do? You destroy the dress and make a fool of yourself. C'mon Moonbait, get it together." She said to herself as she gently pulled off the dress. She took a good look at the now ruined dress, frowning at the tears. "Couldn't even rip on a seam, could it." Placing it back on a hanger, she glanced at the new gown she was given to try. It was a sky blue with pastel yellow trim ballgown. There were layers of tulle in varying shades of white and light grays like the fluffy clouds in the sky, and a high collar jeweled with golden beryl in a sunflower shaped pattern. Moon Struck couldn't help but recoil from the bright and sunny day monstrosity. After already disappointing Rarity with the first dress, she sighed and slipped the dress over her head. This gown had no wing slits, so at least she wouldn't damage it necessarily. The skirt length was longer than the previous one though and she couldn't manage to take a step without her back hoof catching the edge.
"Is everything alright in there, Moon Struck? Do you need some assistance getting the dress on?" Rarity called out to her.
"Everything is fine. I was just... admiring the beautiful design you created." Moon Struck lied.
"Oh isn't it just. I was out for a stroll, a one of a kind hat I had created the day before upon my brow, because although some sun is a wonder for the complexion, too much is just dreadful. Anyways, looking at the beautiful blue sky, I passed by Rose's stall, and she had just the most beautiful sunflowers swaying in the gentle breeze. The idea for the gown just sprouted in my mind, and I immediately set off to gather the materials to bring the magnificence to life." Rarity rambled, having finished the last touch ups to Twilight's dress. "Oh Twilight, you look simply stunning! I knew those changes were a good idea." She said as Twilight turned and looked at herself in the mirrors.
"Its beautiful Rarity. I cannot thank you enough for these wonderful dresses every year." Twilight replied, smiling at her. Moon Struck managed to step out from behind the curtain, trying to hide her slight frown at the idea of the summer styled gown. Twilight saw her face and turned from the mirror to face her completely. "Moon Struck! That dress looks amazing on you!" She said with a nod.
"Oh darling! Simply superb! I knew that dress would compliment your mane. And it accentuates the deep blue of your eyes so well too! I am a genius, aren't I?" Rarity giggled as she pranced over to Moon Struck. "Alright, now give us a twirl, I want to make sure it fits perfectly for you." She finished, magicking over her pins and tape measure. However, as Moon Struck tried to turn around, her hoof caught the edge of the fabric again and she tripped and fell into Rarity.
"Ugh, stupid dress frills," Moon Struck whispered as she tried to untangle herself from the mess she created.
"Stupid?!" Rarity shrieked having heard what Moon Struck had said. "I thought you said the dress was beautifully designed. You... lied to me?" Rarity was fully pouting now, tears welling in her eyes.
"I... I didn't lie! I do think the dress is beautifully designed. It's just, it's not my style of dress. It's too poofy and too bright and... and I'm sorry!" Moon Struck finished untangling herself, then rushed out panicking and scared of how she hurt Rarity.
"Moon Struck, wait!" Twilight called out, but the crying pegasus had already disappeared out the door.
Rarity looked down heartbroken. "Why didn't she just tell me she didn't like that dress? We could have found something she preferred in the rest of the boutique. I mean, it's not like she had her own... Oh, oh dear. What have I done?" Rarity stalled, turning to look on a rack near her, where Moon Struck's original dress sat in a bag, having not even been opened and looked at, or even tried on by Moon Struck for Rarity to truly appreciate. She pulled the gown from the bag and floated it onto one of her pony mannequins.
The dress was a flowing silver, with deep blue accents around the waist and edges, and embroidered with dark green vines with white and blue lilies and pale green leaves along the train of the skirt which was just long enough to reach a touch above the floor when worn, but not so long as to trail and drag. The wing slits were embroidered with twirling vines and small leaves like the edges of the skirt. The collar sat fairly low, but not so low as to be crude or unrefined. It managed to instead give an air of playful elegance. Rarity walked slowly around the mannequin, taking in the whole beauty and glamour of the gown Moon Struck had brought with her, and was taken in by how well made the dress was. As she looked at it she couldn't help but feel even worse. "This dress is perfectly suited to Moon Struck. I can't believe I simply brushed it aside in favor of my own dresses for her. What a selfish thing of me to do. Oh, I need to find her and apologize. She went ahead dressing up without a peep for her wants just to try to make me happy. She must think of me as such a silly filly." Rarity cried as she ran from the boutique to find Moon Struck and say how sorry she was.
"Rarity! Wait for me," Twilight shouted after her, while pulling her own dress off and hanging it up before chasing after Rarity and the long gone Moon Struck.
Moon Struck had run back to Twilight's castle. Once inside she found a room she could take the dress off in and set down gently so as not to ruin another one of Rarity's creations and upset her even further.
"Oh she must simply hate me now. I destroyed the first dress, and couldn't keep my big mouth shut about the second," she glanced down at the blue and yellow flowing piece of sky. "it's not as if this one is all that bad, I just wish it wasn't so bright. If the blue was darker, the yellow a white or silver instead, and the pieces of gemstones replaced with opals or pearls, then I think it would be perfect for me. Of course some of the tulle would need to be removed, maybe shorten it just a touch so I don't trip again, and knock somepony else out." She sighed, " I guess I won't be going to the Gala after all. I mean, how could they ever want to take a nuisance like me with them. I would just ruin the Gala too with my luck. Oh Moonbait, why can't you do anything right?" Moon Struck cried, sitting down, her tail wrapped around her hooves.
"Why did you call yourself Moonbait?" A voice called from the door. Moon Struck turned in time to see Pinkie Pie bouncing towards her. "I thought your name was Moon Struck. Oh oh oh, is it actually Moonbait and you're really a super secret spy trying to sneak into the Grand Galloping Gala so that you can find out Discord's secret identity? Because I can tell you that his only identity is a mystery!" She squealed, laughing.
"Uhm, hi Pinkie. My name is Moon Struck, but well..." Moon Struck sighed, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Moonbait is... it's a nickname sort of. When I was a filly back in Vanhoover, I didn't really have any... friends. Because I didn't like to play out in the sunlight, but instead preferred to run around at night, the other ponies didn't like me. They thought I was weird. When I was out in the day, I had a cloud with a rope tied to it that I would use like an umbrella, to keep the sun off me. In school, all my projects were about the night, and the moon and stars. I even did a project about the Mare in the Moon. That one got me teased even more than my odd play hours. But the thing that got the name was," Moon Struck sighed again, looking away from the now concerned looking pink pony. "I always respected Princess Celestia. She raised the Sun, she raised the Moon. She was the pillar of both night, and day. I was amazed by her magic, and the balance she created. I took a trip with my parents to Canterlot even, to try for an interview with the princess, or at least to be allowed in the archives to further my research on the Mare in the Moon. Well, I did get a chance to talk with Princess Celestia and that was when I found out the truth. She told me the real story of Nightmare Moon. How she was actually her younger sister. And how she was the true Princess of the Night. This news broke my heart; I felt like I had been lied to my whole life. I eventually did accept the reason she did it, and that she was only trying to protect both her sister and all of Equestria, it was just such a shock. I admit, when I did present my project in school, I may have been a little teensy bit rude and insulting towards Princess Celestia. I was a filly, and I was hurt. But after that, the other ponies would purposefully insult the Mare in the Moon around me, and try to goad me into anger by insulting the night. Every time I took the bait. Hence, Moonbait." Moon Struck finished, looking downtrodden.
"Wait, what? Why did Celestia just tell you about Nightmare Moon? She didn't even tell that story to Twilight until after she was turned back into Princess Luna. And if the name Moonbait was an insult to tease you with, why would you refer to yourself with it?" Pinkie sat stumped, confused by the story.
"Heh, well as for the story, I kind of, sort of, maybe just a bit, begged and whined at Princess Celestia, crying and pleading with her to tell me everything she could about the old pony's tale. She had warned me before telling me that it was not a pleasant story, and one she much preferred to keep hidden, but that maybe, just maybe, having one other pony to share this with would help hold her sorrows until the time was right. I hadn't understood what she meant back then, I figured it out when Princess Luna returned though. As for the nickname, I use it as a reminder that no matter what anypony says to me, no matter how they call me, I am stronger than the insults they throw at me. I may be weird to them, but I will stand up for the things I love no matter what them or anypony else says." Moon Struck replied, her lullaby voice strong and proud as she finished her explanation.
"Wow, you are super duper courageous. I don't know if I could go through all that bullying alone, but you did it and came out stronger in the end! You are one amazing pony!" Pinkie giggled.
"Thanks Pinkie. I just hope that I can fix the mess I made this time." Moon Struck sighed again.
"Anywho, why would you think Twilight would take back her invitation to the Gala? It's not like you did something super unforgivable or something, right?" Pinkie asked.
"Uh well, I sort of tore one of Rarity's dresses, fell on top of her, and called this dress stupid after telling her how much I loved it; then I basically stole the dress when I ran out of the shop after having been caught in my lie. I didn't really lie though; I mean, I do like the dress and I do think it is really pretty for other ponies, just not for myself. But I didn't want to hurt her feelings telling her I didn't like the dress she picked out for me, especially after I had ripped up the first dress I tried on, and I know that one will be really hard to fix since the tears aren't even along a seam. She might even have to completely remake the dress with how I destroyed it!" Moon Struck wailed, throwing herself completely on the floor, covering her face with her hooves. "Oh she must hate me now. So why would Twilight ever want to bring somepony like me to the Grand Galloping Gala as her guest?" She groaned.
"Well, why don't you just bring her dress back and apologize to her?" Pinkie said, as if that was the obvious thing to do.
"But what if she won't talk to me? What if she shuts me out or sneers at me? What if... what if she won't forgive me?" Moon Struck whispered, eyes tearing up again.
"Rarity isn't like that. If you just tell her what you really think, I just know she will forgive you in a hoofbeat. You just have to use that same super duper amazing courage you used against your filly-hood bullies, and go straight up to Rarity and apologize. After all, that is what any friend would do when they make a mistake, and everypony makes mistakes. I make mistakes all the time, hee hee hee" Pinkie giggled and snorted, "one time I even made a bunch of Pinkie Pie clones, and they trampled all over Ponyville. I, that is the lots of me, ruined Apple Jack's barn raising, messed up Rainbow Dash's relaxation time, hurricaned through Rarity's boutique, and even trashed Fluttershy's critter picnic. When I saw the trouble the lots of me had caused everypony, I was so sad. I couldn't even tell if I was the real me anymore. Twilight gave a real hard test of watching paint dry to find the real me, and send the duplicates back to the mirror pond. It was hard, but I just had to get my friends back, I just had to! And after all that mess, I apologized to everypony for everything I did and helped clean up all my many-me messes, and everypony forgave me for it. So I say you just go up to Rarity, give her dress back, and tell her exactly what you told me. I just know she will forgive you and even help you find a dress you will truly love." Pinkie bubbled, pulling Moon Struck from the floor and pulling her into a big squeezing hug. "Trust me, just be honest with her."
Moon Struck smiled halfheartedly at Pinkie Pie and looked back the dress sitting next to her. With a final sigh, "You're right Pinkie. Friendships can't be built on lies. I need to tell her my true feelings about the dress. Maybe I can even get her to at least look at the dress I had already picked for myself, and if that one won't work, maybe she can at least use that as a guide towards something that will work." Moon Struck picked up the sky dress and tossed it up on her back. She gave Pinkie one last hug, "thanks Pinkie. I wasn't too sure of your super hyper personality at first, but you really know how to put a smile on a sad pony's face. I am glad I met you." She said, pulling away.
"I'm glad I met you too, Moonbait!" Pinkie chortled, before bouncing out of the room.
With that, Moon Struck set off towards Rarity's boutique again, to both apologize, and be honest with her new friend. When she arrived at the boutique, though, nopony was there. Stepping inside, she saw her dress up on the mannequin and was confused. "Why is that up there, I left it inside its' dress bag when I left I thought." She said, bewildered. She got Rarity's dress set back on a hanger and hung up properly before walking up to her own dress and admiring it. It was just as beautiful as when she had found it in a small corner shop in Las Pegasus. Unlike the other dress shops she had found there that were filled to the brim with overly ostentatious gowns, covered in too many sequins and frills, this shop had been much more simple and much more suited to her tastes. The dress wasn't too expensive, nor was it too cheap. But she had only one chance while there to wear it before she moved again. She couldn't bear to part with it, knowing that the likeliness of wearing it again was slim at best, for how could somepony with no friends like her ever get to go to something that would let her dress up?
"Moon Struck! I am so glad I found you. I just simply had to apologize for my atrocious behavior earlier. I was being simply selfish, not letting you wear the beautiful gown you already owned. Would you ever forgive a silly pony such as myself?" Rarity had walked into the boutique, surprised to see the pony she had been searching for standing in the middle of the room.
"I actually came back to apologize for the mess I made and for not being completely honest with you. I was being a terrible friend after we had only just become friends even. I'm sorry I ripped your dress, and stole the other one. Although, I did bring it back with me to," Moon Struck said, gesturing to the dress rack where it was hanging. "I just couldn't bear to tell you that it didn't suit my tastes after I had destroyed the first one. I looked at it and saw that it couldn't be fixed with just a simple stitch and I was just so upset that I had ruined something you must have worked extremely hard on. And then when I saw the second dress you had picked for me, I did think it was pretty and very well made, but well... I don't like those kind of bright and sunny colors. I'm not even usually awake during the day. Today was an exception because I just got to Ponyville and needed to give my greetings to Princess, err I mean, to Twilight, and find out who I needed to talk to about my new job here and where I could find that pony, as well as finding out who to talk with about housing arrangements. After I had finished those tasks, my plan was actually to find somewhere to stay for the day and get some much needed sleep before my night duties. But then Twilight said I could go to the Gala and meet Discord, and even meet Princess Luna, and I was just so excited I couldn't help myself. What I am trying to say is, I'm sorry for not telling you what I really thought of the dress." Moon Struck stared at the floor as she finished rambling, afraid to look up and see Rarity's disapproving look.
But Rarity wasn't disappointed; she was smiling, touched at how kind Moon Struck had been trying to be to her. "Moon Struck, I am so sorry. I had been pushing the things I liked onto you, without once asking your opinion. I didn't even look at the dress you had brought with you until I had already messed everything up myself. If I had simply just thought of you first, and not myself, then we both wouldn't have made such foolish mistakes. I hope you can forgive me, as I forgive you for trying so hard to be a good friend." Rarity said, walking up to Moon Struck and placing a hoof on her shoulder still smiling. Moon Struck looked up and smiled back.
"You know, Pinkie pie was right about you. You are a lot more forgiving than I gave you credit for. I'm sorry for ever doubting you. I just, I'm kind of new to this whole friendship thing. But thank you for giving me the chance to learn." Moon Struck said.
"Alright, now that we have all that dress nonsense cleared up, why don't you head on into the back and get a nap. We wouldn't want you to have horrid bags under your eyes for the Gala tonight, would we?" Rarity said, pushing Moon Struck towards her bedroom.
"But what about a dress for tonight? I still need one." Moon Struck stopped, looking back at Rarity.
"Of course you don't darling, you have the perfect dress right here," Rarity motioned with one hoof to the silvery blue dress that Moon Struck had originally brought with. "Now go take a rest in my room, I will wake you up later to get ready. You can keep the curtains closed and I promise they will block out the sunlight so as not to keep you awake. Oh, and don't mind Opalescence, just... don't try to pick her up. She is a bit particular about that sort of thing." And with that, Rarity finished pushing Moon Struck off to bed.
As Moon Struck lay down in the unfamiliar room, darkened by the closed curtains, the cat Opal curled up on one side of the bed, she couldn't help thinking how lucky she was that her first friends were such kind and caring ponies. Drifting on to sleep, she smiled, finally having found a place she was truly happy to call home.