It may have been well into the night, but that didn't matter to the city of Manehattan. There were always plenty of ponies (and non-ponies) out and about after dark, which meant lots of clients for all sorts of businesses. One of them was a locally owned diner. And it was here that a very particular stallion was working on his latest story. He had a brilliant gamboge coat, brilliant gold eyes, and a buzz cut mane and tail that had locks of dark grayish brown, grayish gamboge, and light amberish-gray, as well as a cutie mark depicting a pencil and pad, which is what he had with him at his table.
Rarity was currently chatting with this stallion, largely because of why he had wanted to meet with her. "So it is my understanding you wish to do an article on my new Manehattan boutique, Mr..." She inquired of her guest.
"Lede. Buried Lede," The stallion replied. "You just successfully broke into the fashion scene here in Manehattan, Miss. Rarity, and they're already saying you're the hottest thing here since Prim Headline. Most ponies might wonder what it feels like. So here's how it gonna be. I'm gonna be conducting a series of interviews with you, your friends, and your 'business partner' as I understand you call him, so I can paint a picture of how it all came together. A word picture mind you, not an actual picture, I flunked out of art school. So, any questions?"
Rarity opened her mouth, only for Lede to cut her off. "Good, then we can begin," He declared, immediately proposing a question. "I'll start with the obvious question: Miss. Rarity, you've got shops all over Equestria. But this was your first foray into Manehattan. So, what made you think you could pull it off? Succeed where others had failed?"
"Well actually, I don't have shops all over Equestria," Rarity modestly corrected. "I just own two successful boutiques. One in my home town of Ponyville, Carousel Boutique. And one in Canterlot, Canterlot Carousel, run by another business associate of mine named Sassy Saddles. If you want the full story on that, I suggest you read Cosmare's article from a few months ago. Never the less, although it wasn't my intention to open a third shop so soon, when I laid eyes on it I was nothing but confident."
Lede soon found out, however, that nopony else in Rarity's group shared such feelings. "I would say it didn't quite go as planned, there were more than a few 'hiccups' along the way," Fancy Pants commented. "Though to be fair, no opening ever truly runs according to plan. And when you've got such dedicated friends as I have, there's really no need to worry. They seemed to have everything covered."
"If we're being honest, I've had royal guard training sessions go more smoothly than that boutique opening," Shining told Lede. "I'm actually surprised things went even half as well as they did. And for a while there, I wasn't sure we'd pull it off."
"Um, let's just say that if I could choose," Twilight added a short time later. "I probably wouldn't do it like that again."
"Well... it wasn't exactly the funnest party ever." Was all Pinkie had to say.
Braeburn gave off a nervous laugh. "Uh, do you want my honest opinion on the matter? Because, well... let's just say things did not go smoothly."
Big Macintosh barely found the words he wanted to say. "To put it simply, I'd say it was a fluke everythin' worked out okay in the end."
Applejack was quite blunt about what she thought. "It was a plum puckered, pig pushin' disaster! I can't believe the store's still open."
"Hey, after a lifetime of awesome, I think everypony's allowed to mess up every now and then," Rainbow Dash confessed, before she looked across to Lede and nervously asked him. "Wait, are you actually writing this down?"
"I can't believe we just found the solution to all the problems just in time," Soarin told Lede. "It feels like one of those occasions that just defies all logic for how it happened."
"I... suppose maybe things could've worked out better," Thunderlane sheepishly confessed. "Still, I think we were able to get a good handle on things before they really got out of control."
Fluttershy was the last to chime in about how she felt. "Um, it... didn't go exactly the way I hoped but um, it... started out okay." She remarked.
From there, Lede began to ask just what had happened, and why. And slowly but surely, the more questions he asked, the more details started to be added. Soon, he had a pretty good feel for how events had played out. And this was the narrative he'd settled on:
It was a fine Summer day in Manehattan, the perfect day to pay a visit to the soon to be newest addition to Rarity and Fancy Pants' fashion chain, a store they'd opted to call Rarity For You.
And the location of the store was very important, as Fancy Pants and Rarity were explaining. "Here we are, Fashion Row," Fancy Pants called to his friends. "This is where fashion trends are born and thrive in the city of Manehattan. Only the best of the best make the cut."
"And with any luck, Rarity For You will someday soon join the ranks!" Rarity fondly exclaimed! "At the least opening day should run more smoothly than it did for Canterlot Carousel, that could've gone so much better."
"Well, if it's truly the fashion capital of Equestria, then where's Stinky Bottom's Discount Hat Emporium?" Applejack asked. "It's the only place around these parts where a girl can get a hat for a decent price."
Rarity shook her head. "I'm afraid such a chain would never be welcomed here, Manehattans are a tough crowd to please. One must be at the top of their fashion game if they hope to even survive. Needless to say, deciding to open a shop here is quite the risky venture. It's why I've waited so long just to secure a location."
"So, where it is exactly?" Shining Armor asked Rarity. "No offense, but it feels like we've been walking around for hours."
"Not to worry, everypony," Rarity said with a wink. "Here we are."
It turned out that the shop was merely located on the first floor of a multi-story structure. And the shop itself seemed very old if the dust was any indication. Were it not for the display window and the ponyquin, one would've thought this place was abandoned and ill suited for business.
"It's most unfortunate that this was the only place available, but there's little room for upstart businesses in a city already overpopulated with them," Fancy Pants commented. "Which is why we're not going to be open for at least another season. There's still a lot that needs to be done if we're going to make this place work."
"But, with time, love, and care, this shop will stand proud with the other boutiques," Rarity beamed happily. "Thank you all again for agreeing to come with me. It'll make all the cleaning and prep work go much faster."
"Of course, Rarity, we'd be glad to help," Twilight smiled. "Just tell us what we need to do, and we'll do it."
Just then, a voice called out. "Ah, Rarity, so good to see you! Your store is going to be a very good place, I think!" The owner of the voice revealed itself as a chubby earth pony stallion with a coat the same white as Rarity, Fancy Pants, and Shining Armor. He wore a navy blue jacket with white stripes on the front legs, a lighter blue scarf that was currently wrapped around his neck, and a gold medallion that hung from a similar colored chain on his neck. His eyes were a moderate magenta in color, and his mane and tail were moderate violet with grayish indigo highlights, which also held true for his goatee. On his flank, was a cutie mark depicting three purple-pink striped stars.
Rarity knew who that was.
"Mr. Stripes owns the building my boutique is located in," Rarity told Buried Lede. "He's actually a fairly pleasant landlord once you get to know him. Although, he can be pushy at times. Okay, all the time, but my point still stands."
Fancy Pants didn't think nearly as highly of the landlord, for he told Lede. "If not for the fact that there were no other options, I wouldn't have bothered entering into a lease with Mr. Stripes. Not only is he pushy, but he sets a bad example for his daughter."
"Oh, Mr. Stripes, this is a pleasant surprise," Rarity greeted. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I was merely stopping by to wish you luck on your first day of business," Mr. Stripes replied to Rarity with a smile. "After all, fliers you put out said today was day you open."
Rarity's eyes grew wide upon hearing this, as did Fancy Pants'! "Wait a minute, what are you talking about?!" Fancy Pants demanded! "What flyers?!"
Mr. Stripes hoofed Fancy Pants one of the flyers and told him. "The ones you put out on street to advertise your store. Hardly my fault if you no check them for errors."
Sure enough, printed on the flyer were the words: "Rarity For You, opening on the last day of this season."
Fancy Pants could hardly believe his eyes! "I thought I told the printing company we were not opening for business until the last day of next season?!"
"Like I said, hardly my fault," Mr. Stripes told Fancy Pants. "You only pay me rent, not to correct mistakes on your part. I assumed words on flyer were intentional."
"But, there's absolutely no way we can get everything ready in time! We haven't even hired all the sales associates yet!" Fancy Pants protested. "Heck, we haven't even cleared away all the dust!"
"Leave it to me, I'll get out there and make sure ponies know the truth!" Soarin offered. "This store's not open for business today, they'll just have to come back when it is open."
But Rarity shook her head and protested. "No no no, we can't do that! We should've caught this error much sooner, if we correct it now, the damage to our store could be irreversible. We'll just have to work extra fast to clean up and be ready for when the customers arrive this evening," With a sigh, she added. "It's a good thing I picked today to start accepting applications for sales associate. And that I already found one. With any luck, she'll be here shortly to lend us another set of helping hooves."
"Which brings me to the second reason for visit today," Mr. Stripes said to Rarity. "You've met my daughter, Plaid Stripes? The apple of my eye, the hay in my hoof. You will let her work with you, no?"
Rarity looked across to Plaid Stripes. She was a young earth pony mare with a light orange coat, deep red eyes, a somewhat curly/somewhat bushy mane and tail that was moderate purple and grayish mulberry in color, and a cutie mark depicting a plaid-colored heart. She also wore braces, a pinkish fury scarf, and a plaid shirt colored light blue and yellow. She hardly seemed like the kind of pony one would want working in a fashion store. So, she politely told Mr. Stripes. "Well, it's just, I'm dreadfully busy preparing for tonight's grand opening, as you can see."
Mr. Stripes was not deterred. "Rarity, there are only two things I love more than being pushy," He firmly told her. "One is my daughter, the other is miniature doll furniture. And I would sell my entire mini-furniture collection to make my daughter happy. You understand?"
Rarity still refused. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stripes. But I just don't think it's going to work. Perhaps if there was more time before the opening, I might be willing to give her a shot. But if she wants to submit an application, I'll gladly look it over when I find the time."
"Perhaps I was not clear earlier," Mr. Stripes commented in an ominous tone. "Let me say another way, a way you'll understand. Hire her, or I raise rent until you no can afford."
Having overheard this conversation, Shining Armor stepped in. "Now wait just a minute there, Mr. Stripes. Maybe you weren't aware, but what you just said sounded an awful lot like extortion," He quickly warned. "You wouldn't be thinking of trying to extort money from one of my friends, within ear shot of the prince of friendship, now would you? Because if you are, that could present a problem. I could blow the whistle on you, and you might find yourself in hot water with the judge."
But Mr. Stripes just cracked a smile, as he said to Shining. "Oh, prince, it is hardly extortion. I thought it goes without saying, when rent must be raised if Rarity turns down offer, it is because of 'protection'. 'Protection' from bad accidents and such. After all, security does not come cheaply."
'Protection from bad accidents'? What are you implying?" Shining glared at Mr. Stripes. "I don't take kindly to those who threaten my friends. Explain yourself, or back off!"
Mr. Stripes' smile only grew wider, as he explained. "Oh, you care about your friends, prince? You consider them like family?" When Shining nodded, Mr. Stripes added. "Well, without higher rent cost, I no assure your friends are protected from bad accidents. And I would be devastated if someone in my family suffered bad accident because they were not protected. So, either your friend takes my daughter on and all is well. Or she refuses, and I raise rent to insure she and her store are 'protected', assuming she and her boss can afford to pay. You see I impose reasonable standards. But if you insist on legal challenge, I will present my case in court."
Before Shining had a chance to decide, Fancy Pants spoke up and told Mr. Stripes. "There's no need for such actions, Mr. Stripes. Your daughter gets the job, we could use another sales associate."
Mr. Stripes smiled happily. "Excellent!" Turning to his daughter, her told her. "Now you be good and uphold family name, sweetie. And if you are not being treated fairly, give me a call. Now, I shall depart to check on other tenants. I trust all will go well tonight."
"I still can't believe Fancy Pants would just up and accept Mr. Stripes' terms like that," Shining complained to Buried Lede. "I'm pretty sure he had no legal right to do what he did there. I have a feeling I know what he really meant by 'bad accidents'."
Fancy Pants had another view of it. "Although Mr. Stripes' daughter has some 'interesting' ideas when it comes to fashion, I wasn't going to risk an argument with him," He explained to Lede. We really were starving for more workers, and any help was better than none. With time, I think she'll make a decent sales associate, and if it keeps Mr. Stripes from driving up the rent, I'm not going to complain. All the same, his remarks do leave me a bit concerned. I can only hope they haven't rubbed off on his daughter too much."
After Mr. Stripes had departed the building (and Plaid Stripes was brought onboard as a sales associate), everyone quickly set to work on cleaning up. However, some problems soon presented themselves.
When Rarity went to the back stock room, she soon let out a shriek and called out. "Fluttershy! If you please! Your assistance is required in the stock room, post haste if you please!"
Fluttershy entered the room, to find a family of raccoons had set up residence there, much to her surprise. "Oh, hello there." She greeted to the creatures.
Rarity was more frightened than curious. "B-but what are they doing here?" She demanded. "You're the animal expert, please tell what these trash loving animals are doing in my stock room."
One of the raccoons spoke up, and Fluttershy translated. "Smoky made too much noise eating garbage, so Softpad's mother made them all move out of the trashcan."
The raccoons had taken a shine to Fluttershy, and she had allowed them to come with her to her interview with Buried Lede. She even told him their story. "Then Smoky Jr. found a nice new home in the crawl space behind the building. But Mr. Stripes demolished it, so they were all temporarily camped out in the back until they found a new place to live. Isn't that right, Softpad?" She asked the raccoon off to her right.
Said raccoon just chittered in what seemed to be a happy tone of voice.
Unfortunately, the raccoons were a no sell for Rarity. "No, no, no. I simply can't have a family of rubbish-scented raccoons living in my boutique!" She complained. "They'll have to move, or they'll frighten away all the customers, assuming the health department doesn't shut us down first," Then from upstairs came the sound of what sounded like dance music, and the chandelier began to creak ominously. "Uh, did you all hear that?" Rarity asked her friends.
"Hard not to, in fact, we felt it," Braeburn commented. "Sounds like... party music."
"Party music?!" Rarity exclaimed!
It was indeed party music, and Rarity remarked to Lede in an annoyed. "Well, it turns out, there's a Club Pony Party Palace upstairs."
Pinkie Pie eagerly testified to the same! "Turns out there's a Club Pony Party Palace upstairs! Can you believe our luck?!"
Rarity went upstairs to check on the source of the music, and discovered that the top floor of the building was occupied by a party hub known as: Club Pony Party Palace.
And as luck would have it, the club was currently hosting DJ-PON-3, the most popular DJ on the club circuit. So the music was playing nice and loud, and patrons were pouring in by the minute.
Rarity wanted to march right up to the DJ and give her a piece of her mind, only to be stopped by a security guard. He spoke not a word due to the earplugs he was wearing, but his body language made it clear he wasn't going to let anyone enter the dance floor without a good reason.
"I'm terribly sorry," Rarity apologized as best she could, hoping to get her point across. "But I'm from the residency downstairs, Rarity For You, and the loud music is distracting my work. Could you please ask her to turn it down, just a little?" There was no reply, Rarity pressed harder. "Could you ask her to turn it down, please?" But again there was no reply, and Rarity pleaded loudly. "Turn it down, please! Oh, please! I'll do anything if you just get her to turn it down!"
But the security guard didn't reply, and in fact he only lifted the velvet chain rope to allow two more club patrons to enter. It was clear that there would be no chance of talking to DJ-PON-3 while she was working the turntable.
"I swear, foals today listen to their so-called 'music' far too loudly," Rarity grumpily told Lede. Then she giggled as she added. "I realize that probably makes me sound like an old mare..." However, she then added in a serious tone of voice. "But this is business! Honestly, would it kill those club patrons to sound proof the walls and floors?!"
Meanwhile, downstairs, the loud music and vibrations were proving to be a hassle to all trying to clean up.
"Man, I wish we were having as much fun as they are!" Soarin complained. "They get to dance to their heart's content, and we're stuck sweeping."
Twilight chimed in. "Well, sweeping can be fun too. Just watch," She twirled her broom, and then began chanting to the beat. "Sweep, sweep, sweep, sweep. Sweep, sweep, sweep, sweep, sweep..."
Shining Armor found himself unable to keep from laughing when asked to discuss his sister's "sweeping" song. "I swear, sometimes it's like that little filly I used to know never truly grew up," He giggled hysterically. "I think our mom rubbed off on her too much. Twily, if you're reading this, I'm so sorry. But just the idea of you, making up a dance remix for sweeping. It's too funny!"
Rainbow Dash and Applejack thought the same way, as Rainbow chimed in. "Hah, only Twilight could make up a dance remix about sweeping. She's such an egghead sometimes. I mean really, how lame is that? Sweeping in time to dance music?"
"Yeah, and it wasn't even catchy." Applejack teased.
"Nope, not at all," Rainbow replied, hoof bumping Applejack. "But, we were bored, and there wasn't anything else to do. So... yeah, we joined in."
"It actually wasn't so bad, it kind of grew on ya after a while." Big Macintosh simply commented.
Twilight's "sweeping" remix did help the cleaning go by faster. But by the time it was done, Rarity had come back down with bad news. "Apparently, DJ-PON-3 is being hosted at the club upstairs, but security won't even let me speak to her. Had I known I'd be setting up shop beneath such an environment, I wouldn't have signed those lease papers."
"Maybe they'll listen if I talk to them," Fancy Pants offered. "I'm sure if we use reason, we could get them to lower the volume just a little."
Rarity only shook her head. "Not a chance. We'll just have to think of someway to work around that. Or with any luck, the party will be over by tonight, and things will quiet down," Just then, a loud honking noise rang out. "Aah!" Rarity cried out! "What in the name of Celestia was that?!"
"Plaid Strips, I'm afraid," Thunderlane sighed. "She decided to install one of her dad's antique horns to replace the store's bell."
"And you just let her?!" Rarity complained! "Do you realize what this could mean for the boutique?!"
"I tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted the store should have something with a little more 'pizzazz' as she put it," Thunderlane replied with a shake of his head. "That mare has some really crazy ideas."
"And it gets worse," Fancy Pants added. "The merchandise shipment from Ponyville for the window display arrived a short time ago, but..."
Rarity didn't bother to hear the "but" part, she immediately dashed over to the boxes. Only to be dismayed at her discovery! "It's completely disorganized! Oh, of all the things to go wrong today, this has to by far be the worst!"
"You sure we can't still call off the opening for tonight?" Twilight asked Rarity. "No offense, but it seems like this isn't working out. Maybe it's time to just cut the losses and go back to the original plan."
Rarity again shook her head. "Everything must be perfect, Twilight! No exceptions! If ponies believe the store's opening tonight, we can hardly afford to correct them now! I'll.. I'll think of something, some way to make this all work out! I just need some time!"
Just then, a sharp "Achoo" caught everypony's attention. There was Coco Pommel, except she didn't really look good. Her eyes had bags underneath them that indicated a lack of sleep, and her nose was bright red. Not to mention the fact that she was sniffing.
"Ah yes, Miss. Pommel," Fancy Pants greeted. "Glad you finally showed up. I hate to have to had more to your already overwhelming plate of responsibilities, seeing as you're still the only full-time sales associate we have at the moment. But due to a misprint, it looks like we're going to have a lot more to do before tonight than we first thought. That's not going to be a problem, is it?"
But in a stuffy voice, Coco protested. "Actually, that's what I came here to talk to you about. I... achoo! I can't work tonight. I've come down with a terrible case of hay fever."
"Oh dear," Fancy commented, as he looked at Coco's disfigured appearance. "Well, we certainly don't want you spreading that to the customers. You just go home and get some rest, and we'll manage without you. Get better soon, my dear."
"Will do, boss. Thank you." Coco replied, and then departed (though not before blowing her nose).
"Okay, so to recap, we have to deal with opening night tonight, when we already have to deal with: Car horns, disorganized clothes, and loud dance music," Rarity commented to herself, as she sat down on the floor. "Am I forgetting anything?" At that very moment, the raccoons came rushing past, prompting Rarity's right eye to twitch as she cried out! "What am I going to do?!"
"I know Rarity tends to be a bit on the... dramatic side of things to side the least," Twilight told Buried Lede, as she recalled that crucial point earlier in the day. "All the same, opening a store in Manehattan is a pretty big deal. It's natural that Rarity would be a little bit stressed about how it was going. Since it wasn't going well at all. Still, I think she handled it all right. Probably better than I would've handled it."
"I'm still not sure it was best to keep goin' after that point," Big Macintosh commented. "Even growin' up on a farm, we learned that there are times when the job's not gonna get done when you originally planned it, and it's not gonna do you any good to keep tellin' yourself it will. But Rarity was quite determined we go through with the openin', and so, well, things took quite an unexpected turn from there."
"Well, I think we can still pull this off if we all work together and do our part," Fancy Pants suggested. "But time is of the essence."
"Fluttershy? Thunderlane? You're absolutely sure you can manage those... strong-smelling raccoons for me?" Rarity asked.
Both ponies nodded. "Of course, you leave everything to us." Thunderlane promised.
"Just leave Plaid Stripes to me," Applejack suggested. "Big Macintosh can just listen to her 'good ideas', so she'll feel occupied. And if she tries to do anythin', she'll have to run it by me first."
"I think Pinkie Pie and I can work on the music problem up at the club," Braeburn offered. "Pinkie's got some connections on the party circuit that should come in handy."
"And I'll have tons of fun, and eat some cake and set off party cannons and—" Pinkie began, before Rarity cleared her throat. "And then make them be quiet." She added in a reluctant tone of voice.
Looking at the boxes of clothes, Twilight commented with a smile. "I'm pretty sure I know somepony who wouldn't mind organizing this merchandise shipment for you, Rarity," When there was no reply, she explained. "I'm talking about myself of course," But Rarity only looked at her with an odd glance, prompting Twilight to plead. "Oh, please, let me organize it! I haven't been able to organize anything lately!"
"Well, this all sounds splendid," Rarity commented to her friends. "But there's still the matter of hiring. Somepony has to take charge of that in my absence."
"Well, why don't Soarin and I take a crack at it?" Rainbow Dash offered. "It can't be harder than any of the other things we've tackled."
Soarin was a bit more skeptical. "I wouldn't go that far."
But those concerns fell on deaf ears for Rarity, she was relieved that everything would hopefully work out okay. "Oh! This is it, my dears. If you can handle all these problems, I'll focus on the designs for the front window display. We'll show Manehattan what Rarity For You is all about! Oh, what would I do without you?"
"What would she do without us? Huh. Lemme think," Rainbow Dash commented to Lede, before she began to imitate Rarity. "'Oh darlings, I'm absolutely doomed, doomed, doomed!'" Giggling in her normal voice, she remarked. "Heh, I sounded just like her there," Before she noticed Lede scribbling on his pad and she asked. "Hey, you're not writing this down, are you? I was only joking. If Rarity finds out about this, she'll kill me!" But Lede didn't reply.
Soarin spoke next. "Everything seemed to start off okay, as we all went off to do our assigned tasks. I should've known it was just the calm before the storm."
Pinkie Pie and Braeburn made their way upstairs to the club, the party was already in full swing by the time they arrived.
"You ready to do this, Pinkie?" Braeburn asked. But much to his surprise, Pinkie found herself feeling rather conflicted.
"Oh, I can't really stop a super fun party in the middle of mega-happy fun times, can I?!" She asked herself, before she added. "Come on, Pinkie, think! Think, think, think!" But when no answer came to her, she only groaned! "Oh, what would Rarity want?!" She then imagined a shoulder angel and devil version of Rarity, appearing on both sides of her.
"Keep that party going 'til the break of dawn, Pinkie!" The devil Rarity insisted.
"Really?" Pinkie asked, as the angel Rarity appeared.
"Indubitably! And as for the roof, get jiggy! Raise it, Pinkie! Raise it like you've never raised it before!" The angel Rarity encouraged.
Satisfied with the answers, Pinkie got up. "Oh! Well if you say so!" But she was suddenly reigned in by the devil Rarity.
"Oh, please, Pinkie Pie. Never in a million years would I say such balderdash!" The devil Rarity commented, before she and the angel Rarity disappeared, leaving Pinkie to sigh in defeat.
"I just can't win!" Pinkie mentally complained. But she had to what she assumed her friend wanted, and if that meant ruining a party, so be it. "Okay, I'm ready, Braeburn," She told the stallion. "Just follow my lead."
Reluctantly, the two ponies approached the security guard, who raised up a hoof to stop them. Braeburn told him. "DJ PON-3 only plays the sickest of beats you know. And Pinkie here has the latest music to hit the party circuit, you can't host a party without it."
Waving a record in front of the security guard stallion, Pinkie added. "Exactly. I'd hate for you to be the one who kept DJ-PON-3 from missing out on the coolest new music straight from the back-alley underground, zip-zap party scene!" With the record in tow, she made her way up to DJ-PON-3 and told her. "I'd play the whole thing ifIwere you, no matter what other ponies think. You'll thank me later."
DJ-PON-3 examined the record and hesitated for a second. But if Pinkie told her this was the latest music on the party circuit and it was what club goers wanted, the DJ very well couldn't argue with the tastes of her clients. She wasn't payed to be critical of musical choices, she was just payed to play what the crowds wanted. So, she popped it in.
The music changed from happy, bumpy party music, to rather boring shopping mall music, much to the displeasure of the party goers. Pinkie and Braeburn quickly exited the scene in shame.
Rainbow Dash and Soarin had lined up all the potential sale associates who had shown up. As it turned out, only three had come, and they were quite surprised to learn that if they were hired they'd be going to work in less than half a day.
Still, it was better than nothing, so Rainbow spoke to the job applicants and told them. "Rarity For You is only hiring the best of the best. And to me, that means the fastest. Now, uh, before we begin, uh..." She began to hesitate though, and said to herself. "Wait, am I doing this right? What would Rarity want?"
"Everything okay, Rainbow Dash?" Soarin asked, looking across to his hesitant partner. "I'm all set to put these associates through whatever training exercise you think is suitable."
Nervously, Rainbow replied. "Um, actually, change of plans!" She quickly zipped over and presented a small piece of fabric as she then asked the associates. "Who here can be the first one to tell me what fabric this is?"
A blue coated mare immediately told Rainbow. "That's organza. It's a thin, plain weave. Sheer fabric traditionally made from silk."
"I... see, but... are you sure?" Rainbow asked the mare. "Maybe just... look at it more closely, can you do that for me?"
"Dash, what are you doing?! How is this supposed to help?!" Soarin thought to himself. But he knew that he lacked the knowledge about fashion to question Rainbow's judgement. Maybe she knew something he didn't?
Back in the store, Plaid Stripes was chattering on and on to Big Macintosh, who did his best to look interested. But eventually, she grew bored of not being acknowledged, so she went over to Applejack instead. "Hey, Applejack, I've got an idea. And I was told I had to run it by you first," She spoke up, approaching the farm mare. "Your brother seemed to think I might be onto something, but he just said 'Eeyup' when I asked him if I should talk to you about it. Now, what are all clothes made out of?"
"Uh, fabric?" Applejack guessed.
"Bingo!" Plaid Stripes smiled, before she shook her head. "But not in this store anymore, nu-uh!"
"Oh no? And whyever not?" Applejack innocently asked.
"Two words: 'Spoon Clothes'," Plaid Stripes smiled at Applejack. "From now on, all clothes will be made out of spoons! So, whadya think?! Great idea, right?!"
Applejack wasn't so sure. "What would Rarity want?" She asked herself. Then after thinking for a little bit, she looked at Plaid Stripes and told her. "You know, I kinda like you, Plaid Stripes. And if it were up to me, we'd have a spoon clothes store right next to Stinky Bottom's Discount Hat Emporium. But it ain't up to me, it's up to Rarity, so I'm afraid the answer is no."
Plaid Stripes began to tear up, and Applejack tried hard not to feel guilty. "Way to stick me with a tough decision, brother!" She angrily thought to herself.
"I'm sorry, sis," Big Macintosh thought to himself, upon noticing his sister's disapproving glare. "I tried to hold out, but her ideas are so out there. Even to a stallion who's not very knowledgeable about fashion, they don't sound like winning ideas. Who knows? Maybe she's onto something I haven't thought of?"
Applejack seemed to think so, as she told Lede. "Well, personally, I think spoon clothes ain't such a bad idea. Useful, too. Eatin' soup, stirrin' gumbo, diggin' little holes. You get the idea."
Twilight was busy organizing the clothes, and soon she was done. "All nice and organized, just the way I like it." She happily beamed.
"Well, do you think it's what Rarity would want?" Shining Armor asked his sister, looking over the organized display. "After all, she's the one who's going to be using it."
"I hadn't thought of that, but you make a good point, B.B.B.F.F," Twilight pondered. "I remember the time I thought I'd help you out by reorganizing the library shelves, only to find out you already had your own filing system and I'd unintentionally messed it all up. I should've asked Rarity how she likes it organized, because I don't know if she'd like it sorted by color. Guess I have to start over!"
"Would you like me to go ask her? I'm sure she wouldn't taking some time off from the window display," Shining offered. "And it seems like our friends have everything under control here, so it's not like I have much else to do."
Twilight shook her head. "You can help me re-reorganize this display so Rarity can understand it. She's working hard enough as it is on that perfect window display, no need to bother her with questions when she's 'in the zone'." And with a great deal of reluctance, she began to undo her perfectly organized display. But at least this time, her brother was helping her, so the work would get done sooner.
Thunderlane and Fluttershy, however, weren't having much luck with the raccoons in the stock room. Mostly because Fluttershy was the only one who could understand them.
"Hello, Smoky, Softpad, Smoky Jr.?" Fluttershy called, attracting the raccoons' attention. "I have some... interesting news. I, oh... I'd like you all to stay here forever, but..." She found it hard to decide how she should say what needed to be said. And so she asked herself. "What would Rarity want?" Soon, she found what she believed to be the answer, and told the raccoons. "I'm sorry, you have to move out! Please don't hate me!" She sobbed.
The raccoons didn't take kindly to that request though, they began to shriek and chased after Fluttershy and Thunderlane, driving them out of the stock room!
As it turned out, they weren't the only ones having trouble completing their task. Rainbow Dash was still struggling to decide how to pick out the best qualified sales associate. "I don't know which one of you to hire! Just... keep guessing fabrics!" She stammered, throwing a whole bunch of them over the three candidates!
Plaid Stripes had complained to her father about Applejack shooting down her idea, and Mr. Stripes was currently giving Applejack an earful! "Spoon clothes is good idea! You will listen to my daughter!" He demanded of both Applejack and Big Macintosh.
And even Braeburn and Pinkie Pie were suffering a set back, as a new blend of party music could be heard coming from the floors above them. "She didn't-" Braeburn began.
Pinkie just groaned! "Oh, no! Not a shopping music mashup! Any other time it would be great, but why now?! Why the one time where it's a problem?!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Fluttershy apologized, as the raccoons chased after her!
Amidst all this chaos, Fancy Pants exited the window display, and was incredibly dismayed at what he saw! "What in the name of Celestia is going on here?! I thought things were under control!" He demanded of his friends!
Just then, the door knob to the window display began to turn again! Shining immediately leaped into the air and dove for it! "Rarity can't see what a train wreck this is turning into! She deserves to have something go right for her today!" He thought to himself! And as luck would have it, he was able to reach the door and effectively lock it before Rarity had a chance to get out.
"Yeah, locking Rarity in the window display was not something I wanted to do, ever," Shining shamefully told Lede. "But she would've taken one look at the mess unfolding in the store, and had a nervous breakdown. That's the last thing anypony needed."
Fluttershy added a short time later. "Um, when you get around to writing your story, Mr. Lede. Could you maybe just skip over the part where we locked Rarity in the window display? Please?" She asked with a nervous chuckle, but her request was not acknowledged.
Rarity continued to fumble with the door knob, unaware that a huge chair was propped up against the other side, blocking the exit. "Uh, hello? Anypony there?" She called to her friends. "The door appears to be stuck!"
Nervously, Twilight called. "Uh, yes, we know. We're... we're workin' on it! Just... get back to working on that window display and we'll let you know when it's fixed."
"Okay, now somepony please tell me what the heck is going on here!" Fancy Pants demanded. "How did all of this happen?"
One by one, everypony confessed to what they had done, and how they believed it was what Rarity had wanted.
Fancy Pants just sighed, and shook his head. "Well no wonder things are in such a mess, you really shouldn't have assumed Rarity's way was the way she wanted you all to do things. If it was, she'd have to tended to all the problems herself," He then added. "But we can still fix this. Doing things our way is what Rarity wants. It's not too late. Let's all dig in and seen if we can't at least make things better, before Rarity has to see this calamity with her own eyes. So, listen up. Here's what you're all going to do."
Fluttershy and Thunderlane approached the raccoons, and Fluttershy apologized to them. "I'm sorry I asked you all to leave earlier. The place is yours if you wanna stay, just as long as you clean up after yourselves. Though I would like to ask you all just one favor if you wouldn't mind."
"It's not anything big," Thunderlane added. "But let's just say, your staying here comes at a price."
Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie went upstairs to talk to DJ-PON-3 at the club. "I'm sorry I ruined the party and made you play that un-fun, super boring music. Though I greatly admire how you remixed it into something really good."
"But if you're up for it, Miss PON-3 or whatever your real name is," Braeburn offered. "Pinkie and I have an idea on how to make the party even better! You up for it? It could be just the thing to boost your career."
Back downstairs, Rainbow Dash said to Soarin. "Okay, I know I don't get fabric. But what I do get is speed."
"Ah, now you're thinking!" Soarin commented, as he told the sales associates. "You all seem to know your way around fabrics and fashions pretty well. But what this store needs is a sales associate who's fast on their hooves! Somepony fast enough to tend to all the customers! So... first one to the river and back gets the job! Better put your backs into it!"
Inside the store, Applejack was talking to Mr. Stripes. "I owe your daughter an apology. She's got good ideas, and I reckon I should at least give 'em a chance" She apologized to him.
Mr. Stripes smiled. "Ah, you see what I was seeing with my daughter's spoon clothes idea."
Big Macintosh nodded. "Eeyup. And here's what I'm thinkin' we could do."
And while all that was going on, Twilight and Shining Armor worked as fast as they could to properly organize the merchandise in the way they felt Rarity would be expecting.
Unaware of what was unfolding in her boutique, Rarity simply used her time locked in the window display to put up the perfect dress for the ponyquin to wear. At last, her work was complete, and just in time. "The customers will be here any minute," She thought to herself. "And if that door won't open on its own... well, I'll just have to make it open!" She backed up and ran full tilt towards the door, expecting to have it force the obstruction to move! But as it turned out, the door now opened on its own, so Rarity overcompensated, and fell flat on her face on the floor of her boutique.
"Wow, looks like we fixed that door just in time!" Twilight awkwardly commented. "Sorry, should've said something a little sooner."
Rarity just picked herself up, and got a good look at her boutique. Everything looked spotless, far better than how it had been when she'd last laid eyes on it. "Oh! What's all this?" She asked with eyes all aglow.
"It's nothing short of a miracle, Miss. Rarity," Fancy Pants smiled. "But thanks to our friends, everything is ready, and just in time."
Twilight proudly told Lede. "Well, I needed a little bit of help from my brother, but with our combined magical powers, it was a snap. The whole place organized by style, cross-referenced by size, and reverse-indexed by fabric. She'll be able to find anything in three seconds flat! Not that I mean to brag, but it was definitely some of my best work. Just ask my brother if you need any works to use for comparison."
"It's true," Shining added. "Twilight and I put together one heck of an organized system. And best of all, it'll make it easy to see when you're starting to run low on something."
Rarity smiled, and looked at her friends as she happily told them! "Oh! I knew I could count on you! All right... I suppose this is the moment of truth. Oh. I hope that car horn was removed..." And sure enough, when the door opened, the traditional jingling bell rang out loud and clear. Happily, Rarity declared! "Rarity For You is now officially open for business!"
A huge crowd of ponies were waiting outside, much to Rarity's surprise! Word had spread fast about her shop's opening! "Oh, dear. I wasn't quite prepared for such a crowd. How will I handle them all?" She asked herself. "I didn't have time to get more sales associates."
But Rarity needn't have worried, because a mare called out. "Hello there, my name's Blue Bobbin. I'll be your personal shopping assistant this evening."
Rainbow was quick to encourage. "Right this way, everypony, and one of our talented salesponies can help you out!"
"Well, if I'm being honest, they were all pretty slow," Rainbow commented to Lede. "But they still finished the race, and they knew more about fabric than me. So I decided 'Oh what the heck, might as well hire them all.', a good call on my part."
"Would've liked to see more hustle from those sales associates we were interviewing," Soarin remarked. "But they were the only candidates available, and after they'd hung around so long they deserved something. Rarity and Fancy Pants can probably train them better than I could."
Customers soon discovered that this grand opening was unlike any other for two reasons. One was the fact that raccoons were running about, all cleaned up and in tuxedos, tending to customers. And another was the presence of electronic party music, courtesy of none other than DJ-PON-3, which all entertainment magazines had touted as an up and coming musical talent! She was there for all the greatest social scenes, and booking her as a headliner was hard to do!
It turned out that Pinkie had played a role in getting the DJ to come down to the boutique, instead of staying up at the club. And Fluttershy and Thunderlane had bathed the raccoons, then trained them how to tend to to customers without a fuss.
"Well, the way I see it," Pinkie commented to Lede. "Rarity designs fashion, and DJ PON-3 designs beats. So what better combination than a boutique/dance club? It worked out pretty well if I do say so myself."
"I gotta admit, I wasn't too sure Pinkie's idea would work out," Braeburn confessed. "But I was more than happy to be proven wrong. In fact, I think gettin' DJ-PON-3 to perform for the openin', went a long way towards ensurin' the night's success."
Even Plaid Stripes' spoon clothes proved to be a useful idea. The guests appreciated being able to enjoy hot soup without worrying about spilling it on their fine clothes (for those that couldn't use unicorn magic to grab silver ware).
Rarity and Fancy Pants occupied themselves with taking orders and assisting customers with trying out clothes, or working the cash register. By the end of the night, they had gotten more sales and more orders than they knew what to do with. And after it was time to close up shop, the raccoon butlers proved quite adept in helping to clean up (they'd also been facility trained, which was a big plus).
"Ah, so that's how it all went down," Buried Lede commented to himself, once all the interviews had finished. "Most impressive. I get the feeling this is going to make quite the scoop. Ponies will eat up this article like hot cakes! And soon, all will know the name of Buried Lede, the greatest free-lance journalist there ever was!"