The cave, despite being the home of a sea monster, a surprisingly well decorated.
Several shiny metal boxes decorated the wall while fishing poles were placed together to form several sculptures while fishing lines were hung from the ceiling and walls like streamers. There were also several pieces of regular furniture that were a bit battered such as two couches, a coffee table and a massive comfy chair. And that was from just what the girls could see.
"Oh my..." Fluttershy gasped.
"Well....ah sure as heck wasn't expectin' this..." Aj declared, wide eyed.
"huh...not too bad for a monsters lair..." Rainbow added, looking around.
"Well I certainly must give them props for their creative decorating skills." Rarity said, appraising the decorations.
"Now what in the world is going on here." A new voice added as a giant shadow fell over the girls. They turned, startled as the creature approached them. It was long, snake like body with purple scales with a lighter shading along one side. They had a long snout but the most surprising thing was their impeccably styled orange hair and mustache. They eyed the girls suspiciously and he waited for an answer.
Finally Twilight stepped forward and spoke up...
"Um.. excuse us sir...we were wondering..." She wasn't exactly sure how to go about this, until Rarity interrupted her.
"Oh my stars! I must say, you are simply marvelous! Oh just look at you! Such lovely luminescent scales."
The monster was taken aback. "I know."
"And your expertly coiffed mane."
"Oh, I know, I know." He said, nodding along.
"Your fabulous manicure."
"It's so true!" He gasped.
"Not to mention your knack for interior decorating!" She gestured around the cave.
"Oh yes! it's so hard to make do with such drab supplies but I manage to work with it!" He was smiling now. "Please excuse my manners. My name is Steven Magnet."
"Steven?" Rainbow asked incredulously. "Seriously?" She promptly received an elbowing the rib courtesy of Aj.
"My name is Rarity and these are my friends." She quickly introduced the girls one at a time. Once this was over, Twilight spoke up again.
"So..Mr. Magnet..."
"Oh just call me Steven sweetie."
"Ok..Steven. Are you the one stealing supplies from all those fishing boats?" She asked cautiously.
"I'm afraid so. Wait...were you the ones at the river edge just a few minutes ago?"
"Yesserooni!" Pinkie declared, not noticing the scathing looks the others were giving her.
Steven sighed. "Well, I must extend my sincerest apologies, I just thought you were some nasty beasts or something. They certainly turn up often around here."
"Oh thats alright darling. No one was seriously hurt. Now, why are you stealing these supplies?"
"Well...it is kind of hard to find proper decor at the bottom of the sea or in a spooky forest. And ever since I arrived here i've had no one to talk to or visit. I had to resort to taking whatever caught my eye. I am so sorry about that, I honestly just thought they were junk!"
The girls looked around and indeed they realized that most of what Steven had taken were shiny enough to be seen through the water.
"Oh and allow me..." Steven reached behind and pulled out Twilight's machine and Rarity's makeup case and handed them back to their respective owners. "Again I offer my sincerest apologies. I had no intention of stealing or scaring anybody. I just wanted to make this place feel a little more...homey."
Rarity, though happy to get her makeup back, couldn't help but feel sorry for him, realizing that he was lonely and just wanted to at least make his home feel comfortable. Her eyes lit up as an idea occurred to her.
"Steven, I might just be able to help with your decorating situation."
"How?"
"Just help us remove and gather all the stuff you've taken and I'll show you. They did just that and soon all the supplies were gathered, organized, and ready to be taken back to land.
"And now...to take this cave from drab to FAB!" Rarity quickly made several small diamonds appear and began her work. The others watched in amazement as she used them to decorate the walls, create small sculptures, string them around the cavern and even created a ginormous chandelier! By the time she was done, Rarity looked exhausted but the cavern looked amazing. It was now shiny and colorful and even the drab furniture looked newer.
"Wow..." Aj said in amazement.
"This...looks....FABULOUS!" Steven exclaimed, checking out his new abode. "The style, the feng-shui..."
"It's so SHINY!" Pinkie cheered.
"Yes indeed!" Steven turned to Rarity, smiling with tears in his eyes. "Rarity you are a miracle worker! In all my travels I have never come across anyone who can do all this!"
Rarity, catching her breath, replied, "It was no problem sir. Bringing out the inner beauty is what I'm all about!"
"Now that your home is finished...do you mind coming with us to return all the stuff you've taken?" Twilight asked.
"Oh of course! Just lead the way!"
After explaining his actions to the Mayor and apologizing to the fishermen he scared, Steven swiftly returned the supplies. Thankfully the fishermen didn't hold a grudge and quickly forgave him, as no major damage had been done. The Mayor even gave him permission to visit...provided he give a heads-up and try not to scare or steal from any more boats which Steven happily agreed to.
The girls decided to celebrate with a sleepover at Pinkie's house.
"Hey...Rarity?" Aj asked.
"Yes darling?"
"Ah just...wanted to apologize for the hard time ah gave ya earlier. Acusin' ya of being shallow? Ah had no right to say that. Your eye for beauty actually helped us out there."
"Yeah.." Rainbow joined in, a sorry expression on her face. "You actually managed to help us out today. Plus, your power is pretty cool. I mean, making diamonds and throwing them at monsters! How awesome is that!"
Rarity giggled. "Apology accepted darlings. Though there is something you two can do to make up for it.."
"What?" The two tomboys asked.
"Maybe...let me design you some outfits and model them at my next fashion show?" Rarity smirked while AJ and Rainbow looked panicked before sighing.
"Deal!" Both girls said before smiling.
"Excellent! Because while we were waiting earlier I came up with some outfits that are bound to fabulous on you two..."
While Rarity talked, Rainbow and AJ smiled at their friend, knowing that this was her way of expressing she cared about them. The girls had a good time and felt ready to take on whatever came next.