//------------------------------// // Chapter 1:14 - The Mastercraftsmare // Story: Camaraderie is Sorcery // by FireOfTheNorth //------------------------------// Chapter 1:14 – The Mastercraftsmare Rarity sauntered home through Ponieville with a smile on her face. She had good reason to be joyous, for things were going well in her life right now. Her tireless efforts leading up to the Battle of Martenford two weeks past to repair the White Tail army’s barding had paid off both immediately for the military, and in the long run for the exhausted mare. Because of her work, the line of ponies didn’t break and run after the first volley of arrows, and she’d received personal expressions of gratitude from many of the lords of White Tail. Word of her accomplishments had spread, and business had been steadily rising since she’d returned to Ponieville, both from ponies within the town itself and those from surrounding areas who were curious if this mare would live up to the rumors. That wasn’t the only good news for Rarity, either. Mayor Mare had been pleased with the gown she’d made for her—so pleased, in fact, that she’d requested another. She wasn’t ready to give up her tailor in Cant’r Laht completely just yet, though, but she’d implied that further pleasure with Rarity’s work would lead down that path. If this next dress went well, she would request Rarity make her a gown for the upcoming summit and Grand Galloping Gala, and if that was a success, then the blacksmith could look forward to designing and producing all clothing for Ponieville’s governor. That was exactly what Rarity desired, at least as the first major step to greater things. If all went well, she could become a clothier full-time, and no longer need to do smithing jobs; she was good at it, but it wasn’t her passion. For now, though, her work would involve making horseshoes and nails just as much as stitching and sewing. Her long absence in White Tail Wood had resulted in a long backlog of items that needed to be made at her forge, but they could wait for another minute. When she returned to her shop, Rarity offloaded the bolts of cloth she’d been carrying on her back. Many of the lords of White Tail had bestowed gifts of coin upon her along with their gratitude, and she’d used much of that money to buy new equipment for her business. The rest had gone into purchasing finer fabrics, this time shipped from Balte-Maer, since trade with Los Pegasus was somewhat tentative at the moment after the brief war. One of the bolts of particularly high quality had originated in Neighples, all the way across the Shimmering Sea. There was more than enough fabric here to make Mayor Mare’s new dress, but Rarity didn’t have plans for most of the rest. There was one thing she wanted to do with this exquisite fabric, though. “It’s really happening, Opalescence,” Rarity said as she set different bolts of fabric next to her rough sketch of a gown and tried to imagine how they’d look, “With a dress of my own design, how can I fail to catch the eyes of important ponies at the Grand Galloping Gala? Perhaps it will begin a courtship with a minor lord, or gain me business in Cant’r Laht, as a first step to being recognized in that shining city!” The fat, alabaster feline she’d been addressing didn’t respond, content to lie perfectly still near the window and soak up sunlight (and magic). Rarity’s bustling around as she stowed the cloth safely away eventually disturbed the cat enough that she moved from her perch, making sure the mare knew she was being an inconvenience. The cat’s antics didn’t bother Rarity any, as she was too wrapped up in her fantasies of dancing with the nobility. The Grand Galloping Gala will be my finest hour. What could possibly stand in my way now? *** Twilight Sparkle’s mind was on the gala as well as she approached Rarity’s shop, along with a great many other things. The sorceress’s mind was never still for a moment, and it churned endlessly as she and Applejack made their way through the streets of Ponieville. The Battle of Martenford and subsequent clashes between Equestrian and Los Pegasus troops as they retreated home had destroyed the Los Pegasus army entirely. Queen Helianthus had had no choice but to accept peace, though she’d played her cards well. The Kingdom of Los Pegasus had lost their army, but they were by no means defeated. Concessions would be made, but nothing major, for the country was still strong at heart. Even if Celestia did raise a fresh force to invade, the losses they would take to reach the city of Los Pegasus itself would be unsustainable, and they would never hold the capital for long. Queen Helianthus had further lowered the concessions she would be expected to make by offering something that had little value to her, but which Celestia couldn’t possibly refuse. The queen of Los Pegasus would attend Celestia’s summit in Cant’r Laht in the spring, along with the prominent nobles of her land. Her announcement had prompted Prince Braid of Stalliongrad to follow suit, bringing the total number of Equestrian heads of state attending (including Celestia) up to five. Only Duchess Seaspray of Balte-Maer and King Hadish of Manehattan hadn’t confirmed their attendance. It was a good step forward for Celestia, but limited what she could take in the peace treaty. In the end, all that the Dominions of Cant’r Laht gained from the war were exclusive toll rights to the bridges spanning the Equestry River, an island fort where the Gulf of Sirens met the Blazing Ocean, and the guarantee that a few minor nobles of Los Pegasus would send their younger children to Cant’r Laht as hostages. Better than losing White Tail Wood, to be sure, but nothing that would shift the balance of power. That would be a matter for another war, but with Los Pegasus subjugating the Westerlands and pushing Vanhuv’r territory back, Cant’r Laht would have to do something soon if they didn’t want to have their lands gobbled up too. By the time Twilight had returned from White Tail, the books she’d requested from contacts in Cant’r Laht had also arrived. What she pieced together was disturbing, though less surprising than she’d thought such a revelation would’ve been. The red priest had been right, or at the very least, there was compelling evidence that what he’d said had most likely occurred. The College of Winterm, a name rarely mentioned even in educated circles of sorceresses, had been the premier institution of knowledge in the time after The False Winter. If anypony had even heard of it, all they could say was that it had disappeared mysteriously sometime around the early third century of the Fourth Age, taking with it all records of the preceding millennium. Until recently, The Church of One’s archives had also had a gap in that time period, so knowledge of what had really happened around the time of Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion, the False Winter, and Celestia’s Descent on Cant’r Laht had fallen into myth and legend. After examining the records that did exist from shortly after the college’s disappearance, and cross-referencing them with the different speculations and stories, it was clear to Twilight what had happened. In the middle of one of the coldest natural winters in Equestrian history, in the midst of a blizzard, the college had burned down, consumed in a blaze so hot that the very stones of the college had melted like wax and the grand archive had been reduced entirely to fine ash, along with all the ponies within it until not even their bones remained. That wasn’t something that occurred naturally, and no dragon of suitable power and size had been in the area at the time, so the only explanation was sorcery. The only sorceress with the power, brashness, and motivation to do such a thing had been Celestia. She had wiped from the face of Equestria all mention of her and Luna’s reign, and of her sister’s eventual betrayal. Whether she’d done it out of a desire to protect her sister’s reputation, or a need to wipe away her mention to thwart the True Faith and Children of Night from using it to spread, or simple anger at the betrayal, Twilight didn’t know. It seemed more and more likely, however, that Celestia was at the center of a massive cover-up. She had destroyed the College of Winterm, and with it the largest stash of historical documents on the Third Age. The Church of One, cowed by this ruthless act, had agreed to lock away their own records on the subject, and had kept them locked away until Luna’s return. Of course, there were other records out there, and Celestia hadn’t been willing to let them just slip away. Twilight had recently found another journal by Golden Oak in which he’d decided to write more about his quest to acquire records pertaining to Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion and less about his theories on crop rotation or the unique flora of the Everfree Forest. He’d found the same things Twilight had turned up in her own investigation: records on the Third and early Fourth Age were incredibly rare, because fear that those who possessed them would meet a fiery death, just like the hundreds of ponies at the College of Winterm. Golden Oak had discovered records of ponies burning great stacks of books and scrolls to ensure their town didn’t meet the same fate. So, Celestia may have started the cover-up, but through one act of sorcery she’d brought the entire population unwittingly in on it. However, that wasn’t something Twilight Sparkle wanted to think about right now. She had nothing but respect for her mentor, but it was still unsettling to find out something like this about a pony she was so close to, even if she did have a ruthless reputation (and it was now much clearer why). Currently, the sorceress’s focus was on the Grand Galloping Gala, which was why she was going to see Rarity. Her work on the gambesons for the White Tail army had been extraordinarily impressive; when she’d finished, they were almost as good as real armor, and Twilight would’ve expected them to be enchanted had she not known for a fact that Rarity had no sorcerous talent whatsoever. She also had not forgotten the dresses she’d been presented with by the eager blacksmith on her first day in Ponieville when she’d first received word of Celestia’s summit and the accompanying gala. They were of high quality, maybe not quite as high as Cant’r Laht standards, but certainly beyond anything one could expect in a town as small and remote as Ponieville. With an existing gown from Cant’r Laht to start with, Twilight hoped that Rarity could work wonders, just as she had for the White Tail soldiers. “Do you think she is in?” Twilight asked as she and Applejack entered the blacksmith’s shop. The front door had been open, but there was no sign of life in the front room of the shop other than a rather large cat lounging on the counter, who would be quite in the way if Rarity had to pass anything over to a customer. “She’s prob’ly out back by th’ forge,” Applejack commented, leading the way back out and around. Both times Twilight had been here before, she’d been into the back rooms, so she knew there was a quicker way to the forge through them. Even so, it wasn’t terribly polite to go barging through somepony else’s home when they weren’t there, even if you were friends. Applejack had been right; Rarity was hard at work at the forge, trying to catch up on the many orders she had to fill. Horseshoes were stacked neatly on a bench, and Rarity added another after cooling it. Oh, hello Twilight, Applejack,” Rarity said as she looked up from her work and saw her two friends watching her, “What brings you here?” “I need some nails an’ fittings for th’ palisade,” Applejack spoke up first. Over a month had passed since the latest attack by the White Procession, but the Apples were still putting things back to normal. Harvest became more of a priority as the seasons shifted, and Twilight stealing Applejack away for weeks to White Tail Wood had increased the workload on the other members of the family. There had been little time to work on rebuilding their home and the fence around their homestead that kept out the wild beasts and monsters of the nearby Everfree Forest, but they'd put what little time they had to good use, and slowly the restoration neared completion. It had cost them, though; all the money Applejack had received from the mayor for killing the criosphinx had been used up. “There you are, Applejack,” Rarity said after giving her the bundle of supplies she had requested, “Now, Twilight, how can I help you? If you’ve come for a social call, I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. There’s too much work I need to catch up on.” “Actually, I came with a proposal for you,” Twilight Sparkle said, “But perhaps it would be best to discuss it inside.” “Oh?” Rarity said curiously. She decided that it was time to take a break from the forge anyway, and led the way into her shop/home from the back. Apparently, Applejack also wanted to know what was going on, since she followed Rarity and Twilight inside. She had nothing to do with this, but Twilight felt it would probably be rude for her to ask her to leave. If Rarity wanted her gone, then surely she would ask herself. Twilight and Applejack waited in the shop as Rarity excused herself upstairs to her living area. When she returned, she had traded her leather jacket for casual but stylish dress and had wiped the soot from her face. “Now, what kind of proposal do you have?” Rarity asked with anticipation, knowing that if the prominent sorceress had come to her with a special request, it probably had something to do with tailoring an outfit and not forging horseshoes and nails. In reply, Twilight pulled a dress from her saddlebags, confirming Rarity’s suspicions. She’d had the gown commissioned several years earlier for a banquet to which she’d been invited by Celestia. It had cost a small fortune then, and Twilight had gotten little use out of it, as the occasion rarely called for its use. However, with a few updates and improvements, she felt it could be fitting attire for the Grand Galloping Gala in the spring. And, after seeing the fine work Rarity had done on the White Tail army’s barding, she was confident that if anypony could bring it up to snuff for such an important event, it would be Rarity. “This is the dress I am planning to wear for the gala next spring, and it could use some alterations,” Twilight explained her predicament, “It does not really seem worth it to send it to my normal tailor in Cant’r Laht when you are so much closer. I will pay whatever you think is fair, especially considering you will need to ship in materials for this to be fit for the Grand Galloping Gala. Do you think you are up to the task?” “Oh, yes, of course, darling,” Rarity said with slight hesitation, “And don’t worry about paying for the work. You’re my friend; consider it a favor.” “What is the matter?” Twilight asked, sensing her friend’s reluctance. “Well, I wouldn’t want to tell you of all ponies, a unicorn of Cant’r Laht, what you should do, but …” Rarity said with reticence, then continued with increasing boldness, “It simply won’t do to wear the same dress you’ve worn before—probably in some of the same company—at such a monumental event, even with some alterations. You must have a brand-new dress designed especially for the occasion. I would gladly design and make it for you, and my offer to do so for free still stands.” “Oh, no, I could not allow that.I have dabbled in trade economics, and I know how much it would cost you to make a gown fit for the Grand Galloping Gala. I could not do that to you,” Twilight said, pleasantly surprising herself that her motivation truly was Rarity’s well-being and not a fear that her work wouldn’t be good enough for Cant’r Laht standards. “Don’t worry about it, Twilight.With my recent influx of cash from the White Tail nobility, I’ll be fine, and I even have some fabric that I know will look perfect on you.” “Still, I cannot let you do this without paying you something.” Twilight protested, more weakly this time. “Not another word on the subject,” Rarity said with finality, “I insist on making your dress for the gala as a gesture of friendship alone.” “Then, you have my great gratitude, Rarity,” Twilight said as she inclined her head in a gesture of thanks and respect, “I look forward to seeing your craftsmareship when you are not rushed for time and packed into the back of a wagon.” I should have known I would lose out in my protests against generosity from the Element of Charity herself. “Applejack, what are you planning on wearing for the gala?” Rarity asked as she noticed the poor farmer admiring Twilight’s dress. “Oh, I figured I’d pull somethin’ t’gether, when the time comes,” Applejack said sheepishly, knowing she could never afford something that would truly shine in a gathering where kings and queens would be present, “There’s still plenty o’ time, after all.” “Applejack,” Rarity said seriously, placing a hoof on the farmer’s shoulder to gain her full attention, “You want to impress the merchants of Equestria and gain business for your family, do you not?” “O’ course; that’ th’ whole reason I wanted t’ go t’ th’ gala in th’ first place.” “Well, you certainly won’t win their trust and respect with something you just ‘pulled together.’There’s only one solution,” Rarity said, somewhat more dramatically than Twilight felt the situation really called for, “I shall make you a gown for the gala in Cant’r Laht.It would be my pleasure, and you needn’t bother paying me either.” “’Twould be a great help, but are y’ sure about this?I wouldn’t want t’ be a bother,” Applejack said, but her protests were just as useless as Twilight’s had been. “Don’t you worry about it,” Rarity assured her, “I rarely get to tailor dresses, so this is as much a pleasure for me as it is for you.” Rainbow Dash chose that moment to walk into Rarity’s shop.Four of the Brave Companions all in one room. If Celestia contacted me now, at least I wouldn’t have to hunt most of my friends down. The Hunter looked like she’d come fresh from a hunt, blood splattered over her armor, not all of it from other creatures, and a wildness still dying in her eyes.Her barding was rent in several places, and bloodstained bandages could be seen underneath. “Hey, Rarity, I need some more thread to fix up my …” Rainbow Dash trailed off as she saw that Twilight Sparkle and Applejack were here too, “Did I miss another call to arms? Do we need to round up Fluttershy and Pinkamena?” “The greatest idea has just come to me!” Rarity announced, confusing Rainbow Dash even more, who was under the impression that the Brave Companions were needed for another important task, “I shall make all six of us dresses for the gala! All eyes will be upon the Brave Companions; we shall need to look our very best.” “Wait, dresses? What’s going on?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking back and forth between the other ponies searching for an answer. “Equestria is not in danger,” Twilight assured Rainbow Dash first. Well, not in any more danger than usual, and there’s always a fair bit of that. “Rarity intends to design and create dresses for each of the Brave Companions for the Grand Galloping Gala in the spring.” “A dress? I don’t think so. I can’t meet Spitfire in some prissy gown,” Rainbow Dash scoffed, though like Applejack and Twilight before her, her protests would ultimately prove pointless. “I suppose you were planning on wearing your armor?” Rarity asked. “Well, yes,” Rainbow Dash said, before looking at the state it was currently in, “I’ll clean it up first, like for Duchess Periwinkle’s banquet. Nopony complained then.” “That was a tournament feast in the woods during preparations for war; this will be the Grand Galloping Gala, a celebration attended by Equestria’s royalty, a fête with a long history of extravagance. Even the leader of the Wonderbolts would not attend such an event wearing the same armor she battles monsters in every day,” Rarity lectured, and Rainbow Dash looked to Twilight for confirmation. “She is right,” Twilight said, “Though Spitfire will likely don a freshly scrubbed and polished set of armor for the summit, at the gala she will be formally attired.” “Well, I suppose if it’s good enough for her,” Dash said with only minor reluctance, “Just … don’t make it too prissy.” “Have no fear, Rainbow Dash. The garment I make will be tailored to fit you, not just by measurement, but also by your personality and preferences,” Rarity assured her, earning a slight smile from the Hunter, “Now, you said you needed some thread?” “I’m goin’ t’ ask one more time, just t’ be sure,” Applejack said as Rarity returned from fetching the thread from the back of her shop, “Are y’ really okay with this? I can’t imagine makin’ six unique dresses fittin’ Cant’r Laht standards’ll be cheap or easy.” “Put your mind at ease. I wouldn’t take on anything I wasn’t prepared to do,” Rarity assured her, “Besides, like I said, it will be a joy for me to do this for you all. And worry not about the cost, for by a stroke of providence, I just so happen to have already purchased fabric that I know will be perfect for each of you.” “Then, thank you again, Rarity,” Twilight said, feeling that gratitude needed to be given once again for such great generosity, “I know I, for one, will be waiting expectantly to see what you can do.” *** And so, Rarity set out on her ambitious project. She had nearly six months before the gala, but once inspiration struck, it was very hard to focus on much else. Work on the Brave Companions’ attire proceeded rapidly, in between all the other tasks Rarity had to undertake. Her forge was abandoned more often than it should have been as she worked indoors, sewing and cutting cloth as rain pelted down outside. Yet, despite the fact that many ponies did not receive their goods on time, there were few complaints. The inspiration and joy that Rarity had taken in her other work had improved the quality of what the blacksmith was able to forge, and ponies spoke of craftsmareship they’d never seen before. Instead of business declining, it picked up, as more ponies wanted items made by the talented mare, even if it would take them longer to receive them. The townsponies began to say what Rarity held felt for years, that her talents were wasted on only making the simple things that Ponieville’s residents needed, that she ought to become a jeweler, a silversmith, or a goldsmith, but there was even less demand for that in the tiny town than for her tailoring skills. Her fellow smiths in the area began to grumble against her, that she was able to gain business while doing less work, and there was talk about forming a guild to oppose her. But, it was unlikely that the two ponies could convince Mayor Mare to grant them the letters patent required, and nothing came of it. Meanwhile, Rarity continued to work away passionately at her project. The sketches and designs she’d drawn out were coming to life before her eyes. For Twilight, an elegant gown that would put her finest sorceress robes to shame, and highlight her prominent position as a powerful sorceress in her own right and the favored apprentice of Celestia herself. For Applejack, a dress that would show off a conservative care the merchants would respect, and a style that would dazzle them. For Pinkamena, a true troubadour’s outfit that would allow her to revel to her heart’s content without holding back. For Fluttershy, a gown that seemed to flow out of nature itself, as if the wearer had emerged from a forest pool to dance among the trees or greet a worthy champion. For Rainbow Dash, a spiffy and serious base with overlapping robes and cape to highlight her martial ability while also making her look quite dashing. A week passed, and though the fall was still setting in, Rarity was ready to present her friends with the attire she’d made for them to wear in the spring. She had cleared out the back room of her shop, moving many things upstairs into her living space, in order to make room for her big reveal. Five dummies arranged in a semicircle wore the gala clothing, but were covered at the moment by cloths to protect the surprise. Gasps went up as Rarity removed the cloths with flourish, revealing the beautiful garments beneath. However, the initial excitement that caused the gasps was a short-lived phenomenon. The dresses were quite clearly and objectively exquisite, rivaling even the work of tailors in Cant’r Laht, but still disappointment seemed to creep in. It was so soon after Rarity’s generous offer that the dresses had been on everypony’s minds frequently leading up to this, especially as they were reminded by Rarity taking their measurements. Everypony had an idea in their head about what they’d be receiving, and this just … wasn’t it. There were no reasons to dislike what Rarity had presented them with, but these weren’t what they’d been expecting. “Well, what do you think?” Rarity asked excitedly, looking at the faces of her five friends as they tried to maintain their initial joyful exteriors, “Be honest. I want you all to be completely satisfied with them.” What to say? What to say? Twilight Sparkle wasn’t sure what to do. She out of all the ponies here could most appreciate how much grander these dresses were than anything else that could be found in Ponieville, yet she too found herself underwhelmed. The dress is magnificent, but I pictured something a bit different.Would it be okay to say that to Rarity? She clearly worked very hard on this, and it’s not like I’m a customer paying for it; this is a gift given out of a desire to please friends. “No mare ought to look a given horse in the mouth,” as the saying goes, and it ought to apply to dresses just as much as it did to slaves in the southern isles where it was coined. “They are very … nice,” Twilight said, trying to muster some enthusiasm. “Yeah, nice,” Rainbow Dash said, with just as little enthusiasm. “What’s the matter?” Rarity asked plaintively, “I can see something’s wrong. Don’t you like them?” “No, they are clearly very beautiful …” Twilight trailed off, searching for the right words. “It’s obvious y’ put a lot o’ work int’ them an’ we’re grateful …” Applejack said, she too trailing off as she tried to think of a good way to break the news to the enthusiastic tailor. “It doesn’t really look like what I wanted,” Rainbow Dash said, “But still, it’s very good.” “I suppose we all had an idea in our minds of what they would look like, and these … well, they are just not it,” Twilight summed up what everypony was thinking. “Oh,” Rarity said disappointedly as the others nodded to confirm Twilight’s statement, “Well, that’s all right. I can take another pass at it and try to get you what you really want.” “There is no need for that, Rarity,” Twilight said, “You already worked so hard on these, and they really are exquisite. I am sure that in time we shall learn to love them as much as you hoped us to.” “Yes, you don’t have to put yourself through this again, Rarity. They’re fine as they are,” Fluttershy piped up. “I want them to be better than fine, and you shouldn’t need to learn to love them,” Rarity said, “If I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it right, and you shall all receive exactly what you wish for the gala. It’s the least I can do.” “But it’ll be so much more work for y’,” Applejack said. “Nonsense.I wouldn’t take no for an answer before, and I shan’t now,” Rarity said firmly, “I’ll do whatever it requires of me to make sure you all are fully satisfied with my work.” After thanking Rarity again for her generosity, and asking her repeatedly to reconsider, the five ponies filed quietly out of her shop. Very carefully, she removed the gowns from the dummies where she’d so lovingly placed them and tucked them away. These would not be worn by the Brave Companions at the Grand Galloping Gala, but surely somepony else would appreciate the thought and care that had gone into them, though in Ponieville she’d probably have to sell them for far less than their value. It was a shame they hadn’t worked out when they’d seemed so perfect in her mind, but sometimes things didn’t go as you wished. Rarity never did anything halfway, and this would be no exception.Her friends were going to receive the perfect attire for the gala, even if it killed her. *** And so, Rarity began again, starting from scratch with each dress. Fortunately, she still had plenty of fabric left over to create the new gowns for each of her friends. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t last forever, and Rarity soon began to fear that forever was how long it would take to get everything as everypony wanted. Already behind on her other work, soon she fell even more behind, and this time there was no accompanying rise in quality to placate those who waited for her goods. The inspiration was no longer as bright as before, as the seamstress’s ideas were torn down by her friends and replaced by their own expectations of their dream attire for the gala. “You wanted to speak with me, Rarity?” Fluttershy asked as she stuck her head into the blacksmith’s shop one morning, pulling back her hood now that she was inside. “Ah yes, Fluttershy, glad you could make it,” Rarity said as she immediately dropped the work that somepony was actually paying her for, “I’ve completely redesigned your gown, and I think you’ll be satisfied with the results. Come, let’s have you try it on.” Off came the plain robes of a druidess, and on went the exquisite ensemble Rarity had created. This gown, while still embracing nature and springtime, had a more pastural than forested feel to it. Rarity was nearly as pleased with this design as she had been with the original. However, as Fluttershy stared at herself in the polished bronze mirror without reaction, Rarity’s heart began to sink. “You don’t like this one either, do you?” Rarity asked sadly. “Oh, no, I do like it, Rarity,” Fluttershy said with energy that was obviously feigned, “It’s very … nice.” “I already told you, nice isn’t enough,” Rarity said, “I want it to be perfect.” “It is perfect for me, and very beautiful too.” “You’re lying,” Rarity said with a frown, “Do you think I’m made of glass, that I can’t take criticism? Tell me what it is you don’t like.” “No, I-I couldn’t,” the timid druidess withered beneath Rarity’s press for the truth. “I can’t fix what’s wrong unless you tell me,” Rarity said, not realizing that though the words were sensible and comforting, her tone was quite confrontational. “You’ve already done so much.This is more than enough,” Fluttershy said as she began to physically retreat, though there wasn’t far to go in the shop’s back room before she was up against the wall. “You must tell me what’s wrong!” Rarity demanded as she advanced on the cowering druidess. Fluttershy had no way to escape this situation.She couldn’t run or fly away, especially not through town in this fine dress. She couldn’t avoid Rarity forever, and she was relentless. Summoning all the courage she could, the druidess stood up. “Well, if you must know,” Fluttershy said, her quavering voice starting to stiffen through sheer force of will, “The fabric sits unnaturally on my frame; it’s too back-heavy. The shawl is a nice touch, but it pins my wings in too much. It’s too tight on my barrel, too loose on my neck. The train is too long, and forces my tail down. The shoulders have too much volume, and the overall design is too much a mimicry of nature and not enough of the actual thing.” Rarity stood shocked. She hadn’t expected to receive such a long list of things that Fluttershy disliked about the dress. And that wasn’t all; it was clear that she had even more to say, but was holding back because she was too polite to go on any longer. “But, other than that, it’s fine,” Fluttershy said, returning to her usual timid demeanor. “Well, I suppose I have some more work to do,” Rarity said, still recovering from the deluge of deficiencies Fluttershy had named, “Thank you for your honesty.” *** “Now, incorporating stars into the gown was a good idea, but I think we can improve upon it,” Twilight said as she and Rarity sat down to plan out her gown with typical Twilight overpreparation, “Spike, bring in my star charts.” Her page obediently carried the heavy volume he’d carried all the way from Golden Oak’s laboratory into the room, laying it down on the table between the two ponies with a loud thud. He wanted nothing to do with this, knowing what Twilight had in mind and thinking it to be a bad idea. However, there would be no deterring her at this point. He’d lived with the sorceress long enough that he knew there would come a moment when he could point out the flaw in her plan and she’d realize her error, but that moment was not now, so he sat in the corner of Rarity’s shop and paged through a smaller book of Equestrian legends (in High Equestrian, to help him practice the language that Twilight insisted he learn to read and write). “A random array of stars simply will not do, unless it is meant to represent a known dense cluster,” Twilight spoke to Rarity as she paged through the vast volume of the night sky, “However, I think we ought to stick to known constellations to really catch the eyes of other sorceresses.” “Right,” Rarity said warily as she looked at the star charts Twilight was pointing out. “Perhaps we could also add some bells to the dress,” Twilight said excitedly. “Bells?” Rarity asked with a raised eyebrow, seeing no possible reason to even consider the possibility. “Yes, according to legend, the great sorcerer Star-Swirl the Bearded wore robes adorned with bells,” Twilight said gleefully, “The fashion comes and goes in Cant’r Laht as tribute to him, and I know it has been out for several decades at least by now, but perhaps if I wear them to the Grand Galloping Gala, I could bring them back! I am no longer just Celestia’s apprentice, but also the Element of Sorcery, so surely there is a chance my attire could influence Cant’r Laht fashion, isn't there?” “That is true,” Rarity admitted, though she wasn’t so sure she wanted any part in brining bells into fashion. *** “I don’t know,” Pinkamena said critically as she stared down the outfit where it rested around a dummy, “I think it could use more colors.” “More colors?” Rarity said incredulously as she looked painfully at what she’d created. The dress was already far too busy, becoming more and more of a patchwork monstrosity with each change. She would never have made something like this without the constant prodding of somepony else that she desperately wanted to make it perfect for. But, she had devoted herself to making these dresses exactly what each of her friends dreamed of, even if it was more of a nightmare for her. The overall idea and execution, that’s what’s important for a successful dress. However, it was becoming harder and harder for her to convince herself of that as time went on. “You know, more is not always better,” Rarity tried to temper her friend’s enthusiasm, “So many colors are difficult to pull off for even the most stylish pony, and you don’t even have the advantage Rainbow Dash does, where a tastefully arranged spectrum highlights her mane.” “Hmm, no,” Pinkamena said thoughtfully, “It definitely needs more colors. I need to stand out among all the bards present!” Oh, you’ll stand out all right. *** “These shoes seem too … dainty,” Applejack commented as she examined yet another iteration of her dress, “Wouldn’t th’ mud ruin them?” “Cant’r Laht’s streets are paved, though it wouldn’t matter, since the gala will be entirely in the castle and surrounding gardens,” Rarity explained wearily. “But what if I meet some merchants, an’ we decide t’ go have a talk elsewhere in th’ city, an’ it’s rained?” Applejack asked. “I’m sure for such a momentous occasion, Celestia will have pegasi clearing the skies,” Rarity said patiently, “It won’t rain.” “Right, but if it does, I’d rather have some sturdier boots than these,” Applejack replied, and Rarity sighed, admitting defeat. *** “Rainbow Dash, are you going to just sit there silently or are you going to tell me what you want?” Rarity asked with annoyance. The Hunter apparently had nowhere better to be at the moment, and had decided to sit and watch Rarity work on remaking her dress. At first, the seamstress had thought it to be a great plan—she could get impressions in real-time rather than changing something only to find out the next time the intended recipient visited that they wanted something else—however, Rainbow seemed to be there only to watch. She hadn’t even been paying attention when Rarity had spoken and had to rouse herself and try to figure out what was going on and why she was being stared at. “I mean, it’s just not quite there yet,” the Hunter said, “I’ll let you know when it is.” “It would be much more helpful if you told me what it is you’d like changed,” Rarity said tiredly. “It needs to be—I don’t know—tougher, more befitting a Hunter like me.” “Are the colors not to your liking?” “They’re fine, just not quite perfect,” Rainbow Dash, sitting up straighter since Rarity clearly intended to make this an extended conversation. “What about how the fabric sits? Do I need to make adjustments for your wings?” “No, it’s fine, it’s getting closer to what I want, but it’s not quite there yet,” Rainbow said, staring at the outfit thoughtfully, “I’d say, you’re about five-sixths of the way to perfection.” Rarity turned back to her work, exasperatingly wondering how one quantified something like this. *** Another week had passed since the first reveal, and Rarity was more exhausted than ever. After spending almost all her time designing and making, then redesigning and making her friends’ outfits, she was confident that it was finally over. The dresses were done, though they were nothing like her original vision. But, what was important was that her friends liked them, right? She prayed that they would be satisfied with this reveal and she could go back to the forge (something she’d never hoped for before). With all six of the Brave Companions reassembled in the shop before a semicircle of dummies, she removed the cloths once more, though with less enthusiasm and flourish this time. Any joy that she would gain from this would come from her friends’ reactions, and their joy was abundant this time. Their eyes lit up as they saw their dreams before their eyes, painstakingly stitched together by an overworked mare with no more passion for what she’d been doing. But, they were happy, no matter how dreadful the dresses were to Rarity’s eyes. Twilight’s dress was covered in star patterns and celestial bodies, interrupted here and there by equations or writing in the Language of the Horns.She had gotten her bells, both around the train of her dress and hanging from the completely out-of-place ruff around the neck.The rest of the dress was also a mess, with all kinds of styles that the sorceress was fond of stitched together without much thought for the bigger picture. Sadly, Twilight’s dress was probably the least horrible. Applejack’s gown had morphed into a rough cross between the terribly outdated things that Mayor Mare had considered “quite fancy” during the start of her reign (complete with the tall, pointed hat she still wore) and spiffed up work clothes.In this, Applejack would look less ready to make business transactions and more suitable to attack the Cant’r Laht sewers with flair. Pinkamena’s dress, despite Rarity’s attempts to temper her, had become a patchwork hodgepodge, with bits of fabric flapping completely freely in some places just because the bard had wanted them like that. It was an affront to the eyes, but it would surely make her stand out, which is what she had wanted. Rainbow Dash had turned the simple outfit Rarity had designed into an exaggeration of qualities fitting both armor and dresses. Parts of it actually had mail incorporated, despite Rarity’s protests, and the helmet would better suit a zebra legionnaire, if it weren’t for the multi-colored crest matching Rainbow’s mane. The train stretched out far longer than necessary, nearly twice the mare’s length, and strangely enough, the pegasus had also buried her wings in overlapping ribbons. Fluttershy’s dress looked like it had been torn straight from a bog, real branches adorning it in some places, and a garland around the head that would need to be replaced in the spring. Her legs would be completely enveloped by fabric and leaves, and Rarity wondered if she’d even be able to walk. At least her wings weren’t covered and she could fly, if the dress didn’t weigh her down too much. “They are perfect Rarity,” Twilight said as she placed a reassuring hoof on the tailor’s shoulder. “Aren’t they great?” Pinkamena asked as she went nose-to-nose with Rarity, “Are you as happy with them as we are?” “I’m … pleased that you all love them so much, and that I’ve finally finished,” Rarity said, choosing her words carefully, “Why don’t you all try them on, so you can be sure they truly fit.” As her friends excitedly changed into her gifts for them, Rarity heard a rapping coming from the front of the shop.Steeling herself for complaints from ponies who hadn’t received their goods from her smithy, she left the room to explain and apologize. The stallion who was standing in front of the counter, however, was somepony she’d never seen before, and he was clearly not from Ponieville. The earth pony was bedecked in dazzling attire, a strand of jewels around his neck advertising his wealth. He held his head high, and his gaze seemed to place everypony beneath him. “How might I assist you?” Rarity asked as she strode forward. “Yes, is this the shop of the seamstress Rarity? I’m looking for her, you see,” he said haughtily, in an accent similar enough to Twilight’s that Rarity placed him as coming from Cant’r Laht. “You are speaking to her,” Rarity said, inclining her head toward the stranger, “Once again, how might I assist you?” “You are she?” the stallion said, looking her up and down, though he seemed to be eyeing her attire as much as he was sizing up the mare herself, “I am Hoity Toity, the usual tailor for the mayor of your … fine town. I was on my way through the area, and decided it was a perfect opportunity to see who it was that managed to convince Mayor Mare to forego bringing her business to me twice in a row.” “Well, what do you think?” Rarity asked, thankful she was wearing one of her nicer dresses and not her outfit for working the forge. “Hmm, yes, she may have acted wisely,” Hoity Toity said thoughtfully as he continued to size her up, “You have talent, perhaps even great potential. With a bit of higher training, you could do spectacular things. If the rest of your work is of comparable quality or better, I might even consider offering you an apprenticeship in Cant’r Laht.” Rarity’s heart soared; to become a truly great seamstress of Cant’r Laht was her dream! She’d assumed her whole life that she’d have to slowly work her way up, and would likely not make it even if she tried her hardest, but here was an opportunity she’d never expected! If Mayor Mare ordered her dresses from him, then surely he was a well-known tailor in Cant’r Laht, but not the greatest. Still, it would be a tremendous step forward for Rarity. Then, her dreams were all crushed in an instant. Her heart plummeted as she heard her friends walk through the doorway behind her … wearing the most horrible things she’d ever designed. Hoity Toity’s eyes widened as he took in the spectacle. “Thank you so much for making these for us, Rarity!” Pinkamena exclaimed as she grabbed the emotionally imploding mare in an impress, “They’re just the best!” “Aha ha ha ha ha ha!” Hoity Toity laughed uproariously, and continued to chuckle as he tried to talk, “Perhaps we don’t have anything to discuss, after all. Oh, to think I actually thought there was a chance that I’d lose the mayor’s business to you permanently. I see I have nothing to fear here. Ponieville, you’re always good for a laugh.” “What was that about?” Pinkamena asked obliviously as Hoity Toity departed Rarity’s shop, still laughing. Rarity, already on the verge of tears, broke at this. All her hard work, her vision, her dedication, foiled by her generosity and accommodation to her friends. It was just too much. In the last two weeks, she’d soared to the peak of joy and gradually dropped in disappointment, and then the same thing had occurred in the matter of minutes, except she’d fallen much faster and harder than this time. Breaking free of Pinkamena’s grasp, she ran sobbing upstairs to her living area and shut the door, refusing to come out despite her friends’ pleas. Eventually, they had to abandon their attempts to draw her out and leave, trying to piece together what had gone so very wrong. *** “Rarity, please come out and talk to us,” Twilight Sparkle plead through the door to her home. When no explanation had been forthcoming from Rarity the day before, immediately after the incident, Twilight had launched a determined investigation. She now had a good grasp of just why the mare had run out of the room sobbing while the rest of the Brave Companions stood flabbergasted in the outfits she’d made for them. She had no acquaintance with Hoity Toity herself, but had heard the name mentioned back in Cant’r Laht, and after discovering the identity of the mystery stallion from Mayor Mare, things made much more sense to the sorceress.Here was a well-known tailor from Cant’r Laht, somepony that Rarity probably idolized, and he’d laughed in her face upon seeing the clothes she’d made at her friends’ requests. Twilight realized that they hadn’t been easy on the seamstress the past week, making all kinds of demands for their dresses that probably sounded bizarre, but she had gone along with them for their satisfaction. To see all that hard work laughed at by a pony who had the power to fulfill the mare’s dreams of running a business in Cant’r Laht or crush them underhoof, no wonder Rarity had run away crying. “I can’t come out!” Rarity made an actual reply for the first time, “All of Ponieville will know of my disgrace, and soon Cant’r Laht will as well! All my plans, all my dreams, ruined! Just … leave me alone.” “Any luck?” Rainbow Dash called up the stairs, and Twilight descended to the main floor of Rarity’s shop with a shake of her head. “This is bad. I’ve never seen Rarity so upset,” Pinkamena said with concern. “What can we do?” Fluttershy asked. Rarity would probably recover from this, and she’d have to leave her home eventually or else waste away without food or water, but that wasn’t good enough. If it was necessary, three of the Brave Companions had the ability to break her door down, but Twilight hoped it wouldn’t come to that. What can we do? These interpersonal problems were still very new to her, a sorceress who’d lived a sheltered life in Cant’r Laht until just four months earlier. Twilight paced as she mulled over the situation, and wandered into the back room of the shop. The dresses that had caused the commotion the day before were still draped across the dummies where they’d been left by the stymied mares. Mine looks fine, but the others are outrageous affronts to the eyes. Do the others feel the same? Could we have been wrong? Twilight investigated the room, looking under piles of discarded cloth and in cabinets until she discovered the original outfits Rarity had made, tucked lovingly away. There were all as exquisite and beautiful as Twilight remembered them, and though the dress on the dummy was exactly what she’d asked for, the one intended for her tucked away here easily outshone it. Accompanying the original dresses was a design Twilight hadn’t seen before.Clearly it was a dress made to fit in with the other five, but for Rarity to wear. It was beautiful and so fitting for the mare it was intended for, but had never been made. Instead, Rarity had toiled away at fulfilling all her friends’ wishes without a thought for her own, and then they’d taken away possibly her only chance at fulfilling her greatest dream. “We have all made a terrible mistake,” Twilight said, extracting the design and dresses from the cabinet, “Instead of accepting the gifts given to us as the treasures they were, we pushed for our own vision, and what do we know about dressmaking? We should have trusted Rarity.” The mares silently looked down and considered their actions, coming to the same conclusion as the sorceress as they marveled at Rarity’s original works in contrast to the fruits of their own imagination, which had badly strayed from any semblance of style. “That’s a nice lesson and all, but unless nopony told me, our life isn’t a fable,” Rainbow Dash spoke up brashly after a few minutes, “So, how do we fix this now?” “I might have an idea,” Twilight said, looking at the dummies. *** While Twilight put her plan into action, Rarity was upstairs, wallowing in misery, or pity, or whatever it was ponies wallowed in when they were sad. Really, things had been hardest the night before, and she was beginning to bounce back, but she didn’t feel up to leaving. She knew she would have to come out eventually. Despite her disgrace, ponies would still be counting on her to forge and sew for them, and she’d put off that work for far too long already. She hoped to never see those terrible dresses again, that she’d worked so hard on only to have them turn out as miserably as they had. Part of her wanted to blame her friends for not being satisfied with her original work, but she also knew that some of the blame fell squarely upon her withers. She had been the one who’d insisted the dresses be perfect, and hadn’t accepted when they told her that the original dresses she’d made were good enough. Perhaps it was time to come out and talk to them. Rarity’s nose wrinkled as she smelled smoke. She dashed quickly to her bedroom to make sure she hadn’t left a candle burning, but the smoke was not within her home. She could still smell it, though, and trotted over to the window and pulled back the heavy curtains. Behind the shop, out by the forge, were her friends, assembled around a fire. Within the flames, she could see bits of the final dresses that had yet to be consumed. Rarity rushed downstairs and outside to the blaze. “What are you doing?” she asked the five ponies as the fire consumed their dream outfits, “Those outfits were exactly what you wanted.” “Yeah, but they were, well …” Rainbow Dash said. “Awful,” Fluttershy finished for her. “We were so fixated on what we wanted that we didn’t let y’ keep us from makin’ mistakes,” Applejack added. “We should have trusted your judgement, Rarity,” Twilight said as she stepped forward, “The first dresses you made us were perfect. We only made a mess of things with our ideas.” “You all really feel this way?” Rarity asked, and was met with nods all around the semicircle. “We are, and we are truly sorry about all that we put you through. I wish we could do something really spectacular for you, like create the magnificent dress you designed for yourself, but, unlike you, we are not mastercraftsmares … clearly,” Twilight said, glancing at the fire, “So, we thought the least we could do would be to destroy those monstrosities. Those original gowns you designed shall be our attire for the Grand Galloping Gala.” “Oh, thank you!” Rarity said after a stunned few moments, and began embracing her friends, “At least we shall have that.” “We actually do have one other thing for you to help make up for the fiasco with Hoity Toity,” Twilight announced, “However, we will need to move quickly.” *** “Twilight Sparkle lives here, you say?” Hoity Toity asked Spike as they stood outside of Golden Oak’s laboratory, “Well, it’s not a conventional dwelling, but sorceresses have their peculiar tastes, don’t they? Why did she want to speak with me, again?” “She has something she thinks you need to see before you continue on to Balte-Maer,” Twilight’s page told the Cant’r Laht tailor. Hoity Toity stared suspiciously at the laboratory door. Since finding him, the young dragon had been very nonspecific about exactly why Twilight Sparkle was requesting his presence. Hoity Toity had had plenty of experiences with sorceresses in Cant’r Laht, and knew that vague and urgent summons rarely worked out in the summoned pony’s favor. However, to ignore a summons from Celestia’s apprentice would be unforgivable, so he really had no choice in the matter. Reluctantly, he opened the door to the laboratory and stepped inside. “Oh, it’s you,” he said as he saw Rarity standing in the laboratory’s entry room, “No wonder my scaly companion was so insistent on talking about you and your work. So, what I saw yesterday was not indicative of your usual quality? That only proves you are not worthless, though you are still quite foolish. My offer is still withdrawn, and that’s the final word. I’m here to speak to Twilight Sparkle, not to you.” “The reason I summoned you here was to see the true quality of Rarity’s work,” Twilight said as she emerged from her bedchamber, “I beseech you to give her another chance, to see what she is capable of when it is her inspiration and work that drives creation, and not others’ wishes.” Twilight Sparkle trotted carefully down the stairs, wearing the gala dress that Rarity had designed for her. This dress was inspired by the night sky, just as the one Twilight had helped design, but the execution was leaps and bounds better. The stars were tastefully arranged to draw the viewer’s eye up to the sorceress’s face. A slight gradation across the dress transitioned it around the edges to the color of the sky just before dawn, the color of twilight. A jeweled sun radiated silver filaments from around the sorceress’s neck, highlighting her position as Celestia’s personal protégé. A simple circlet sat upon her head, further emphasizing her stature as both an important sorceress and the Element of Sorcery. Hoity Toity had to admit that the ensemble was quite stunning, better even than many of the pieces he himself had designed for Cant’r Laht sorceresses. “Very well, then,” Hoity Toity said, pulling up a cushion and taking a seat, “Let’s see what you have to show me.” Applejack emerged next, strutting confidently in the clothes Rarity had designed to catch the eye of the merchants she hoped to speak with. It was a very formal gown, simplistic and straightforward with reserved tones, apart from the edges and around Applejack’s neck, where color and flourish burst forth to make ponies do a double take. She looked quite respectable, a formidable business partner. Out of the bedchamber next came Pinkamena, bounding along and causing her gown to bounce with her. But, through it all, everything stayed in its proper place. Knowing how excitable and active the bard was, she had designed her attire to accommodate her movements. The front half hung close to her body, flaring out in just the right places, and the back was free to move as it wished, a must since she would likely spend non-negligible time on her hindhooves while performing. The dress’s colors fit well with both the mare’s coat and the tone of her trusty lute, which was slung across her back. At the bottom of the stairs, she paused to strum a few bars, proving that the dress looked radiant from every angle and position. As Hoity Toity was still finishing up his evaluation of Pinkamena’s dress, Rainbow Dash emerged from the bedchamber, and glided down instead of taking the stairs. Her movement was fluid and completely free of interference as she descended, the tight-fitting base of her outfit showcasing her skill and strength. As she landed, the attached robes and cape billowed out dramatically before settling around her form, the colors lining up perfectly to complement each strand of color in her mane and tail. Fluttershy was the last to emerge, timidly trotting down the stairs, as she was uncomfortably the center of attention. Her dress was bright and verdant, flowers and leaves featuring prominently (though not real ones this time). She seemed to glide along as she descended, the gown flowing gracefully about her hooves. It was quite mesmerizing, and the shimmer of her movements brought to mind a dryad, free of the forest for a brief moment that nopony wished to miss. Silence reigned as the ponies finished presenting themselves, and they all looked expectantly at the stallion seated before them. Hoity Toity’s facial expression rarely changed, and this occasion was no exception, but he was clearly impressed. He seemed to mull something over in his mind before standing and giving the assembled mares a slight bow. “Perhaps we have something to discuss, after all,” Hoity Toity said to Rarity, “I would like to see more of your work, but haven’t the time now. The next time you are in Cant’r Laht, we should speak.” The stuffy stallion turned and left, amazement still sticking with him, and once he was gone, the other Brave Companions clustered around Rarity to congratulate her. He wants to speak to me in Cant’r Laht! My dream may yet become a reality! Everything good and bad that had happened to her in these last few weeks had happened because of the friends around her. Without them, she wouldn’t have experienced such exhaustion and failure, but neither would she have had the opportunity to so thoroughly dazzle Hoity Toity and ensure herself a way into Cant’r Laht. They may have brought both fortune and misfortune, but she wouldn’t trade these five ponies for anything in the world.