Now that things were finally completely back to how they were before Parasprites, Ponies started focusing on the upcoming Grand Galloping Gala. One pony in particular was really looking forward to it. She was in fact looking so forward to it she even volunteered to make dresses for her friends Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash in addition to the one she had already started making for Naruko. It probably wasn’t the best business decision when she decided not to charge her friends, but she chose this because they had given her so much inspiration.
She was even going to host a fashion show featuring her friends’ dresses as well, though she hadn’t told any of them yet. She had just recently started working on them after making sure to get all of the details right in the dress sketches. Word had started getting around to all of the right ponies for such a show surprisingly, but the date wasn’t officially announced and her friends were clueless about the Fashion Show for the moment.
Rarity was currently excitedly singing to herself as she worked on the gala dresses for her friends. She had come up with unique and wonderful ideas for them all that she felt fit each of their characters. She was even more excited because she had heard Hoity Toity was coming to visit Ponyville because of her fashion show. It was going to be her big chance to debut into the fashion world and her friends’ dresses would be perfect for it. She even knew her friends would be great models as well and eager to help her out, though Rainbow might take a little convincing just so she would feel it was acceptable to model despite such a thing being so girly.
Rarity gave a refined giggle. “Rainbow Dash can be a bit silly at times. She always tries to play it cool, but I know she really likes so called girly things as well to an extent,” she thought to herself with a smile. She made a quick change to Rainbow’s dress design that would perfectly accentuate this part of her fast flying friend while still being ‘cool’.
She had made a wonderful dress with a nature feel to it for Fluttershy.
Applejack was more focused on selling treats at the Gala, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t still be stylish. In fact, it was more important for her to be stylish as a means of helping draw in a crowd.
Pinkie was Ponyville’s party planning pony and Rarity made sure her dress expressed this in a very fun and brightly colored way.
Twilight’s dress had a star design since despite magic being her talent one of her biggest passions was astronomy. Rarity figured that was why her cutie mark had stars in it.
The fashionable dressmaker was putting in a lot of extra time to get the dresses right, but that wasn’t a problem for her. Dressmaking was easy for her because she loved it so much. Her keen eye for detail didn’t hurt either. She was making these dresses for her friends, so a little extra time wasn’t too much to ask in her opinion.
{-} {-} {-}
Rarity gathered most of her friends for their dress reveal. Naruko and Twilight were currently meeting with the princesses about something in Canterlot. From what she gathered, it was something they were supposed to have done sooner, but the Parasprite mess interfered with that. Still she had already scheduled a fitting for them so they would get to see the masterpiece dresses she made for them soon enough.
Despite two of her friends not being able to make it, Rarity still called over the other four to reveal their dresses. She was excited to show what she created just for them. She had the dresses behind a curtain on her center podium which could serve as a stage if needed. “Good to see you darlings,” she greeted her friends.
“I’m really excited to see what you created for us, Rarity,” Fluttershy said in her usual voice.
“Then wait no more!” Rarity said as she revealed the dresses to her friends with a flourish. She was really excited she just knew she could hear their cheers… “Why aren’t they cheering?” she thought to herself as she looked to her friends. “Well. What do you think?” she asked.
“Ummm…” Applejack said.
“Is something wrong?” Rarity asked.
“It isn’t that…” Pinkie said.
“Did I mess up the dresses?” she asked more to herself as she looked at the dresses with a critical eye checking off all of the details.
“Well. The dresses are fine but…” Fluttershy said quietly.
“Mine’s not as cool as I thought it would be,” Rainbow said not beating around the bush.
“Rainbow…” Applejack said in lowered voice.
“What? She asked…” Rainbow explained.
Rarity was feeling real nervous now. She felt like she was failing her friends. “It’s okay… I can redo them,” she said with a strained smile. She could, but she wasn’t looking forward to all of those work hours again. She would have to put off making her own dress even more and the Gala was coming quickly in her mind, but she really wanted to make her friends happy so she would do the extra work… again...
Her friends dismissed themselves not really seeing how stressed Rarity was at the prospect of redoing the dresses. She also had a feeling they might be more nosy about them this time around and get involved in the actual process. She was concerned about that despite loving her friends.
{-} {-} {-}
Rarity gave a sigh as she finally took a short break from her dress making. She had wanted to do something more to get ready for the fashion show, but that hadn’t worked out. She hadn’t even gotten the chance to ask all of her friends to perform in the show yet. She hadn’t even gotten Twilight and Naruko in for fittings yet. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Applejack kept making drastic changes to their dresses. She had to scrap designs two or three times each. They simply couldn’t make up their minds on anything.
Pinkie kept wanting balloons, then cupcakes, then candies, then sprinkles before then wanting both cupcakes and balloons alone. Then there was the whole streamers thing.“Streamers! On a dress!” Rarity thought in horror.
Fluttershy kept changing her designs as well and she was actually extra picky and who knew she knew so much. “Not much about dressmaking, but tons about sewing and stitching,” Rarity thought with a whimper. She kind of regretted getting her best friend and spa buddy to admit what was on her mind. She only pushed because it was Fluttershy and while she was better at asserting herself, the pony still needed a little push here and there.
Rainbow Dash was Rainbow Dash and it was extra annoying when it came to dress making. “Really?! 20% cooler?! What does that even mean?!” Rarity growled a little to herself before again whimpering. Her designs were being bastardized before her very eyes and there wasn’t anything she could do about it.
Applejack was probably the worst. “Galoshes! In case it rains?!” Rarity said with a dramatic whine. Many would think it was overly dramatic, but in this case, it was just the right level of dramatic. Her career was ruined! She just knew it. She hadn’t even had a chance to work on her own dress apart from the design. She wasn’t even getting paid for these atrocities. “It feels like it was all for naught!” she cried as she laid down while thinking over the first dresses again and how she was really going out of her way for her friends.
{-} {-} {-}
Rarity wasn’t sure how long she had been laying there, but it couldn’t have been for too long when she heard the bell to her shop ring. She woke up quickly and looked at the time. “Hello?” Twilight called from below. “Do you think she’s asleep?” she heard Twilight ask somepony, probably Naruko, quietly.
“Coming! Just give me a minute!” Rarity called before she tried to quickly fix her appearance with little success. She was at least passable, but that wasn’t the usual for Rarity. She figured and hoped Twilight and Naruko wouldn’t mind though. She needed to get their fittings finished finally. She gave a horrified shiver at the thought the two of them might make complaints and design changes as well. Rarity shivered a little more at that thought before shaking her head and trotting down stairs.
“Hello… Darlings…” she said sounding just as tired as she felt, but far more tired than she cared to sound.
“We didn’t wake you, did we?” Twilight asked a little cautiously.
“We can come back another time if you want,” Naruko said with some concern.
“NO!” the fashion pony said more forceful than she wished. Rarity cleared her throat and straightened up. “I mean no. Don’t worry about it. Things have just been really busy for me lately. Let’s get your fittings done, shall we?” she asked. She really hoped they liked her designs at least. She wasn’t sure if she could handle either of them wanting revisions.
“Okay!” Twilight said sounding rather excited. Naruko looked excited but said nothing.
Rarity gave a mental laugh to herself. Naruko was also one to sometimes avoid things girly and cute. She was sometimes just as bad or worse than Rainbow, but other times she was the exact opposite. After all, Naruko was the one who called Kyuubi, Kyuu the most and could be surprisingly huggy even by pony standards at times. Rarity did think it was a shame Naruko changed her tail style, but sometimes Naruko would wear her mane in what she called Twin tails, because pig tails were short and not as ‘cool’. Fortunately, when it came to her dress Naruko assured Rarity she would be wearing her mane in her usual loose flowing style.
“Oooo… I can’t wait to see your dresses, Rarity!” Twilight said with a squeak while clapping her front hooves in excitement.
“I’m actually a little excited as well,” Naruko admitted with a smile trying to hide just how eager she was to see the dresses.
Rarity would have loved their reactions a lot more if it hadn’t been for the way her other friends had behaved after seeing their dresses. Instead Rarity gave them a smile and just kept leading them to where she had the dresses.
She was too tired to even try and be her usual energetic self when it came to fashion. She really needed to get more rest, but that was pretty much impossible with everything going on at the moment. She swallowed a lump in her throat fearing after this fashion show she might have too much free time for resting.
It really was hard being an element that kind of went against your own self interest so much at times. Maybe she needed to figure something out there, but what could she do? Generosity did kind of fit her fairly well in many cases, but at times like this it was difficult.
Naruko and Twilight looked over their dresses before standing up on Rarity’s fitting platform. Naruko was looking her dress over and seemed kind of surprised in a good way by it. “I didn’t expect you would go with my favorite color. Everpony always kept telling me it was an eyesore and clashed horribly and so on. Thanks,” she said with a bright smile.
Rarity gave a more genuine smile to that compliment. “It does clash in way, but! I am Rarity Dress Wondermaker!” she laughed as both Twilight and Naruko did as well, even if it seemed like there was something on Twilight’s mind. “Besides Kyuubi kind of inspired me when you appeared in that pillar of flame to rescue Twilight after the uh… ticket fiasco… and before that, your fight with Nightmare Moon. Hence the flame motif and the mixed in black and dark red.”
Rarity pinned some parts of the dress that would need some readjustment and made a couple of notes on other places to fix. She was actually surprised Naruko was slightly slimmer than she thought at first. It made sense given all she was going through with the Ever-Free Patrol, but even with that taken into account Naruko’s body was better toned in all the right ways without being overly so than Rarity thought it would be. It was a surprise because the white unicorn prided herself on how well she could figure out a pony’s sizes usually. Part of her business pride was how few fittings ponies usually needed when they got a dress from her versus most of the competition.
Twilight was being fitted now while Naruko stayed there next to her still wearing the dress Rarity made her. Rarity was using pins and making notes as she asked, “How do you like it, Twilight?” She felt a little fearful asking, but she had to know.
Twilight hummed in thought as if she was thinking of something but afraid to ask it. Naruko gave her friend a small frown. She then sighed. “Twilight…” Naruko said getting an eep in response from the other unicorn. “As cool as you think it would be for a dress to have accurate constellation designs…”
Rarity froze in horror about to have a panic attack to those words without either Naruko or Twilight noticing.
“It isn’t practical and not exactly pretty. Besides no one else would really appreciate such a thing. Do you really want to constantly lecture bored noble ponies on the importance of constellations all night?” Naruko continued.
Rarity wasn’t sure how that would make a difference. Twilight loved lecturing and teaching ponies.
“Not to mention how bulky it would have to be,” Naruko then said.
Twilight gave a nervous laugh in response and closed her eyes for a moment and grimaced. It was as if the pony was playing out that scenario in her head. Twilight then gave a small twirl just as Rarity moved out of the way. She would have to redo the pins, but seeing Twilight’s smile as she twirled again and her purple eyes light up, was worth that in the dressmaking pony’s mind.
“Ohhh… I love this dress, Rarity!” Twilight said with a huge smile. “Look, Naruko!” she said and twirled again. Naruko liked it as well. “I love the way the stars twinkle in the light as I move and it feels so light and easy to move in!” Twilight gave a giggle in delight as she said, “I might even try dancing some instead of just staying with Celestia the whole time.”
Naruko gave a smile and then sighed, “I only hope I can actually get a break from dancing…”
“Why?” Rarity couldn’t help but ask.
Twilight snickered and answered, “Naruko doesn’t mind dancing, but is always so stiff when it comes to Ballroom dancing. Celestia told her she will just have to keep dancing until she gets over it. Naruko may have a natural grace, but it doesn’t translate well to the dance floor in most cases. Plus, all of the nobles love getting their friend or cousin or son or anyone else to dance with her so they can brag about how well Equestria’s Contracted Guardian hit it off with their family at the last event.”
Naruko let out another sigh. “There’s also the fact it’s known I’m not in a relationship or anything and I do have to get used to such dances. I am still relatively new to the whole Political Canterlot Elite. I can’t really afford to say ‘no’ to too many of them yet when it comes to a dance.”
“But haven’t you been more or less surrounded by it all? You and Twilight kind of acted like that was the case when we first met and talked about that stuff,” Rarity said.
Both ponies sighed to that and shook their heads. Twilight then gave an actual answer, “I was born into all of that stuff it will probably still be another 10 – 20 years or saving all of Equestria five more times, before I am considered ‘still young but at least not a filly’, by them. Naruko has her position, but she’s been in all of that stuff for only about four years, if that.” Naruko nodded in agreement.
Rarity kind of frowned to that revelation. It sounded kind of stupid to her. How many of those ponies could say they’ve faced Nightmare Moon and fought her evenly? She wasn’t as inclined towards the Political Elite so much anymore, but Prince Blueblood wasn’t just political elite. He was social elite as well! He was also still so dashing she was sure of it. The whole ponce blueblood thing was just Naruko and Twilight misunderstanding him.
Twilight then gave another snicker, “I at least don’t have to be obligated to dance with them.”
Naruko gave a frown and scoffed to that as Twilight giggled a little more. Naruko then gave a mischievous smile as she said, “At least I’m only a little stiff when it comes to dancing. Miss Hooves all over the place!”
Twilight scoffed this time as Naruko giggled. Rarity laughed as well. These two were so much fun at times. Twilight thrust her muzzle into the air and said, “I’m just free-spirited.”
Naruko laughed out loud and asked, “That’s what you’re calling it now?” Twilight was silent. Rarity looked to Naruko questioningly. "Twilight tried taking ballroom dance lessons as well once she learned I was taking them. She didn’t want to be out studied by her best friend in anything after all. She knows the steps but gets way too into her own beat in her head and her instructors all deemed her unteachable.”
“The nerve of them! I happen to be Celestia’s number one studious student. Thank you very much!” Twilight said. Her tone caused both of her unicorn friends to laugh.
Naruko then stopped laughing as she said, “I actually find it kind of cute in a way how she can’t dance.” Twilight blushed and smiled to that.
Rarity would have “Dawwed” at that as her mind went to places of romance like it often did, but she was still too tired from everything. She was relieved and really happy Twilight and Naruko at least loved their dresses. She realized that she was running short on time as she happened to glance at the clock on her wall. She was able to quickly fix the pins needed for Twilight’s fitting before putting away the dresses.
Rarity gave a smile that was much more Rarity than she seemed earlier as she led her friends to the door. She saw these two as possibly her saving grace and maybe she wouldn’t be completely run out of the fashion world and business after all. She was about to ask them about her fashion show, but she heard Twilight speaking to Naruko.
“I really can’t wait until Thursday!” she said. Naruko looked excited as well.
“Thursday? What’s going on Thursday?” Rarity asked.
Twilight looked a little guilty as she said, “Sorry. I probably shouldn’t have said that out loud. Naruko and I are taking the day off to spend it with each other completely. We’ve both been really busy lately and missed having time to ourselves just the two of us. Sorry…” She didn’t want to accidentally be exclusive of her friends and usually wouldn’t mind extra company, but that wasn’t the case in this instance.
Rarity’s heart sank at those words. Thursday was the fashion show. Her two best hopes weren’t even going to be there to make it. She hadn’t gotten to ask them sooner and now it was too late. It seemed as if this was something they had both been planning for a long time. She didn’t let her smile slip as she said, “Oh, darling. Don’t be sorry. I can understand that. I was merely curious is all. I’ll get in contact with you both once your dresses are ready. I’m really glad you both loved them. It was good to see you both again, since I’ve also been busy and will be until the end of this week. We should try to get together sometime after that to relax and let it all out.”
Twilight smiled to that. “That sounds wonderful. Of course, your dresses are lovely. You’re amazing at dress making. Sorry about my terrible almost idea from earlier. I should have looked closer and realized what Naruko did. Really… constellations on dresses… What was I thinking?” Twilight let out a genuine laugh to that as Naruko snickered a little and patted her on the back.
Rarity gave them a smile as they left. When they were out of sight, she wiped a tear from her eye. She was really happy they liked her dresses, unlike the others. She would at least know two of her fabulous creations were appreciated, even if Hoity Toity dooms her at the fashion show. She tried her best with what her friends demanded, but there were just some disasters that couldn’t be fixed. This was even worse than when that show mare messed up her mane. That at least washed out and the magic faded before the end of the day.
“But really… Galoshes in case it rains…” Rarity laughed even if it wasn’t a laugh filled with humor. She shook her head. She at least could distract herself a little longer with making the alterations to improve the fit on Twilight’s and Naruko’s dresses. She would at least have her dress ready in time for the Gala once this was all over since she would be cast out of the fashion world and have too much free time. That is… if she even decides to go after the horror that will be the Thursday fashion show.
{-} {-} {-}
“Do you think Rarity will be okay?” Twilight asked Naruko.
Naruko shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean she seemed really tired, but she did say she was really busy this week. We know how those kinds of weeks can go.”
Twilight nodded. She decided she might try to visit Rarity again before Thursday and bring something refreshing with her for her friend. She wished she knew how to help with dress making, but that wasn’t something she ever thought to learn. There was no way she could be of any help in time this week, but maybe she would be able to help out sometime in the future if she learned a little bit.
{-} {-} {-}
Sadly, the rest of Rarity’s day wasn’t as enjoyable as it was when she was fitting Twilight and Naruko. Her other friends had made yet more changes to their dresses. Really what was up with them? She was doing this for free for them and yet they kept going on and on about how their ideas were better than hers! She was the dressmaker not them. Rarity sighed, “Get it together Rarity… The customer is always right… even if they don’t know what they are doing.” She muttered the last part of her thought.
{-} {-} {-}
It was Wednesday. Rarity wasn’t even sure when exactly she fell asleep last night. All that mattered was she had to have everything finished by tonight and her friends weren’t helping. “More revisionsss….” She whined. “Get it together, Rarity! You can do this,” she tried to encourage herself.
The dressmaking element of generosity was busy doing all she could. Her friends still weren’t leaving her alone to work on their hideous creations. These were not her dresses anymore. There wasn’t any semblance to her original ideas and creations left in these things.
As she continued working, she heard the bell to her store ring after a knock. She let out a whimper. “Come in…” she said with little enthusiasm. “Who is it this time? Pinkie wanting cupcake sprinkle cookie streamers? Applejack wanting her already outrageous hat to be even bigger? Rainbow Dash claiming I still haven’t reached the 20% cooler mark yet? Fluttershy with some extra picky obscure stitching request?” she wondered.
She let out a sigh and turned to see which friend it was. She blinked and her eyes shrunk a little as Twilight smiled at her. “Twilight?” she asked.
Twilight looked at her and said, “Hello, Rarity.”
“Is something wrong with your dress after all?! Did you not like it?! Do you want to cast it into the fiery pits of Mount Neighroom?!” Rarity asked not hiding her panic as she started hyperventilating.
Twilight was really concerned now. “No. The dress is perfect… I just thought you could use a little refreshment.”
Rarity calmed down as she let out laugh in relief. “Glad to hear. No time. No time for tea! No time for food or sleep!”
Twilight then said softly, “It’s Earl Grey… From Canterlot…”
Rarity paused what she was doing. “Well I suppose a cup or two wouldn’t hurt…”
Twilight led Rarity to a table where the dressmaking pony plopped down in a very unladylike and very uncharacteristic manner. Twilight poured them each a cup and hovered one to Rarity. Rarity gladly inhaled the scent and took a sip. “Are you doing okay, Rarity? You seem… stressed.”
“I’m not okay… I need to finish these dresses tonight! They keep making changes and alterations… I’m sorry for how I acted earlier. I feared you were one them with a new demand. I shouldn’t have freaked out like that on you,” Rarity apologized.
“No. I should apologize to you. I should have been clearer about my reason for visiting you or let you know in advance,” Twilight apologized in return. “What kind of demands are they making?” she asked.
Rarity gave a whine. “Simply awful ones! And they are all over the place! And Fluttershy is being extremely difficult with her, for lack of a better term, Freakish sewing knowledge. It doesn’t translate well to actual dress making though. Maybe if the steps were described to her in detail she might be able to make a dress, but left to her own devices it is most assuredly a disaster.”
Twilight took a sip and asked, “Why do you need to finish them by tonight? The Gala is still a way off.”
Rarity sighed. She wanted to shout the truth and beg for Twilight’s and Naruko’s help during the fashion show tomorrow, but that would interfere with their plans. Instead she gave a partial truth with a heavier sigh. “I just want to get them finished as soon as possible. I plan on getting my beauty sleep for at least two days once this is over.”
She then gave a dreamy sigh as she took another sip of the delicious tea. “Followed by two days of the Rarity package at the Spa.”
Twilight gave a giggle. “They gave you your own package?”
Rarity smiled and nodded. “Aloe and Lotus Blossom are wonderfully nice ponies and they are miracle workers.” Rarity said ‘miracle workers’ in a dreamy voice.
“That’s good to hear. I’m glad you have a goal of relaxation to work towards. I didn’t start having those until Naruko talked about such things and how they gave even more encouragement to see a project until the end,” Twilight said with a fond smile.
“Oh… I need it. I deserve it after all of this,” Rarity said not bothering with trying to keep her usual couth manner intact at the moment. She was too exhausted.
Twilight frowned in concern. “I really wish there was something I could do to help you out, Rarity.”
“I do too…” Rarity said in a barely audible voice. She then spoke louder as she asked, “I don’t suppose you know how to clean up a dress design studio really well do you?”
“I can try. You might have to tell me if you have any particular order to things that can’t be easily figured out from looking around the room,” Twilight said.
“Usually I wouldn’t dare dream of such a thing. My inspiration can’t be contained in such a manner at times,” Rarity said. “However… this time I can work with that.” Rarity explained where some of her things went she felt Twilight needed to know and her friend took mental notes.
{-} {-} {-}
After their tea break, the two ponies were in Rarity’s studio. Rarity was busy working away while Twilight cleaned and occasionally gave something to Rarity the pony asked for. Twilight looked around at the dresses on display and frowned. These things weren’t Rarity’s designs anymore she could tell. They looked terrible. She might have said something to Rarity, but the unicorn was busy muttering to herself as she worked.
Twilight looked around for a second and saw four dresses seemingly packed away. They were beautiful and she could immediately pick out which one was for which of her friends. They were perfect for each of them! Applejack’s had a lovely hat and boots. Pinkie’s had candy designs and was frilly and colorful with a little white hat. Rainbow’s matched her mane’s color and had gold hoof shoes and a wonderful hair decoration to go with it. Fluttershy’s had a very light and breezy feel to it with butterflies just like her cutie mark. Fluttershy loved butterflies.
The purple unicorn looked at the current dresses and even she grimaced at them. She wasn’t a very fashion conscience pony, but she could tell they were bad. She guessed if those were the dresses her friends wanted then they would be happy, but she wasn’t sure about it. They weren’t even paying for the dresses and they didn’t really know much about fashion. Pinkie also didn’t usually seem to be able to make up her mind unless it was for a party. Her newest dress reflected this in a not very flattering way.
Rarity was busy working away hard and seemed to be even more worn down than Twilight first thought. She was about to say Rarity should just tell her friends to calm down and back off, but the window opened and Fluttershy flew inside. She went straight to Rarity and said, “French haute couture, please.” Rarity replied with an exhausted and slightly disgusted sigh.
Twilight wanted to say something, but Fluttershy was surprisingly vocal about her newest revisions. The butter yellow pegasus didn’t even seem to know the other unicorn was there. Twilight helped the best she could for a little longer before she had to go.
Before she left, Twilight noticed a picture of another dress. “This one must be Rarity’s” she thought. She looked around the studio again and even in the closet with the other dresses. “I don’t see it,” she thought. She felt bad Rarity hadn’t completed her own dress yet, but she wasn’t about to dare and mention it to her friend at the moment. Rarity was far too busy with the others for better or worse. Twilight made a copy of the picture using magic to take with her. She would use it when she had a talk with her other friends after this whole dress fiasco was finished for the week.
“I have to go… Rarity… Are you going to be okay?” Twilight asked yet again.
“What?! Oh yes. Fine fine,” she replied. She then turned to Twilight and gave a tired smile. “Thanks for the tea. It was much needed. Your company was much appreciated as well and your help was wonderful. Bye.” She gave a slow and tired wave to Twilight as she left.
The Friendship student left feeling even more concerned and disappointed in herself. The more she thought about how she first wanted her dress changed the worst she felt about it. She had almost ended up as bad as her friends were behaving now. She owed Naruko another one for having talked some sense into her while they were getting their fitting.
“I’m having a very serious talk with those four soon. They should not have gotten like this,” she thought with certainty. She would meet with them now, but she figured they were all too caught up in this dress business to listen to her. She hoped Rarity could handle it all. Dressmakers should always be ready for very busy work weeks, but it seemed as if something else was really going on making it particularly tough on Rarity. The fashion unicorn was usually calm under pressure and could handle things. That might not be the case this time.
{-} {-} {-}
Despite her concerns about Rarity, Twilight couldn’t help but feel excited when she woke up Thursday. She was finally going to get to spend some time with Naruko alone. Spike wasn’t even coming with them. He and Kyuubi were going to look after the house and even talked about inviting Big Mac over since the Apple family stallion said he had some free time today.
After she showered, she took in a deep breath and inhaled the wonderful scents of breakfast. She was really surprised when she saw it was in fact Naruko cooking breakfast today. “Morning Twi,” Naruko greeted as she prepared some omelets and grits with toast. Twilight’s mouth might have watered a little.
“Smells good…” Twilight said a little dreamily causing Naruko to chuckle. “What did you put in them?” she asked.
“Mushrooms, peppers, cheese and tomatoes,” Naruko replied her eyes showing just how hungry she was herself. “I also made some gem encrusted toast for Spike to have.”
“Alright! You’re the best!” Spike said as he entered the kitchen. He then looked a little nervous and said, “I mean you’re also the best…
Twi… Just you know. Gem encrusted toast with omelets and grits!”
Twilight let out a laugh as she smiled at Spike and gave him a tight hug, much to his supposed displeasure. “I get it, Spike.”
“So, where all are you two going today?” Spike asked.
Twilight answered since Naruko was concentrating on breakfast with her tongue sticking out just a little bit. “We’re actually going to Canterlot for a while before coming back here. Princess Celestia got us a chariot for there and back. We’re going to a nice restaurant for lunch and then going to a couple of shops and places before heading back here. We should be back by late afternoon.”
“Wow. You two got a chariot just for your trip?” Spike asked in surprise.
Twilight giggled. “Yep. Benefits of being Celestia’s students and Naruko’s status as Contract Guardian.” Twilight then sighed. “I still wish I remembered how it was I managed to teleport us all back from Canterlot when we had our night out with Fluttershy.”
Naruko gave a chuckle. “I believe you decided you could just do it. And we were all a bit of a mess afterwards though we didn’t care at the time.”
“Oh yeah... your Girls Night,” Spike said with a yuck face. The two snickered at him.
Before Spike could get upset at a joke he was missing, Naruko said, “Alright! Breakfast is ready!” She then severed out their meals and they all dug in to enjoy it.
{-} {-} {-}
Twilight gave a smile as she let Big Mac in the door. “I’m really glad you had time off Big Mac. Spike really likes getting to see you from time to time."
Big Mac gave a nod and said, “Eyep.”
“You shouldn’t have to worry about too much. Kyuubi is also here and if anything does happen and Naruko and I are needed he can get in contact with us right away,” Twilight said as she led the way to where Spike and Kyuubi were waiting.
“Eyep,” Big Mac again replied before chuckling and replying, “I still find it impressive he talks after all this time.” He wondered what Winona would say if she could talk. “Probably something along the lines of play, play, hungry and pet me!” he thought to himself.
“Hey Big Mac!” Spike greeted excitedly.
“Hello Big Mac,” Kyuubi greeted as well in his far too deep for such a small animal voice.
“Howdy, y’all” Big Mac replied before sitting down with them.
“Well, its time for us to go,” Naruko said after greeting Big Mac and teasing Kyuubi a little.
“Just one more thing-,” Twilight was cut off as Naruko dragged her away. Twilight had already said everything she needed to say at least a dozen times this morning and if she was left to it they wouldn’t leave until after lunch. Twilight protested for only a minute before smiling brightly and trotting after Naruko happily.
“So, what do y’all reckon we do first?” Big Mac asked.
“I want to get right into that game! Ogres & Oubliettes!” Spike cheered. Kyuubi contained himself, but the others knew he was also excited to play the game.
Big Mac gave a chuckle as he got the things they needed from his saddle bags. “I figured as much.”
His character was Sir McBiggun he was a unicorn barbarian with a massive broadsword. He was going to change it up for their next adventure, but O and O games could last a really long time.
Kyuubi was a ninja Fox Kin. It was a custom class the talking fox came up with, but it worked really well into the rest of the game. It wasn’t too overpowered and it wasn’t too weak.
Spike was a summoner called Spike Beard! His character was a bit of a mess because he tried to make it into a character similar to Naurko. Sadly, summoners in this game weren’t as close to Contract Guardians as he thought.
Kyuubi had told him to make a custom class and he would help him, but Spike insisted on doing this himself and decided custom characters were too difficult. He tried to make up for it through leveling even if it was kind of slow going. Granted if they made it into really high levels his character might be really good, even if it was an odd build. He did at least still get to have some awesome moments in the game.
{-} {-} {-}
Naruko and Twilight were enjoying lunch at a wonderful café in Canterlot. It was a new place to them. They originally had a different restaurant in mind, but lately some of the restaurants were becoming rather samey. The original place they wanted was currently undergoing changes it turned out and from what they heard it sounded as if it was going for the same route as these others. Some ponies were blaming the changes on some new food critic pony in the area, but there were still several options available. Most of the ponies who actually cared about the food they ate instead of the place where they ate it, were just moving around to different restaurants and fearing eventually all of the restaurants would be just like the others. Many felt this was preposterous and decided the restaurants were just going through some fade or trend that would eventually die down.
“I really can’t wait to try that new magic shop!” Twilight said with a broad smile as they left the restaurant.
“You know most of those shops are gimmicky right?” Naruko said.
“Yes of course they are! But you can still sometimes discover genuine finds in them and they’re lots of fun,” Twilight said not at all deterred by Naruko’s comment.
They made their way to the store Twilight was talking about. It was a place called Ping Tok’s Exotic Magics. Twilight let out a squeal before they entered. Naruko had to admit she really liked seeing Twilight excited like this at times, she just wished it was over something cooler than a magic junk shop, as she called them. The two ponies entered and looked around the store. Naruko had to admit she still kind of enjoyed the atmosphere of these shops oddly enough, even if they only sold junk. Twilight was already zipping from “artifact” to magical “artifact”.
Shortly after they had been in there Naruko brought up her guard when she heard Twilight shout in a worried manner. “What is that?!” Naruko looked over to see Twilight pointing at something and a confused almost worried store keeper sweating a little bit.
Jall Ping Tok was actually a little worried when the purple unicorn pointed to what he got as a show piece because of its “History”. He had been so sure the history was as accurate as the prescription for his glasses, meaning non-existent, so he didn't mind buying it.
Jall watched as Twilight seemed to pull some magical reference book out of thin air. It was actually a spell Twilight had created after learning about Naruko’s storage scrolls. It worked similarly but was a sort of pocket dimension she created for her truly most important reference books. These weren’t books in the “Every book is really important” category. These books were books even Celestia and Naruko would agree were very important.
Twilight flipped through the pages to the right one as the store owner swallowed a lump in his throat and sweated nervously. He was worried he had actually stumbled across something truly dangerous instead of something hyped up to be much more dangerous than it actually was for the sake of selling the story.
Twilight narrowed her eyes. Naruko got ready to take action if needed and immediately secured any exits the shop owner might use to escape. “This is the alicorn amulet, isn’t it?” she asked accusingly.
The store owner’s eyes widened and his mouth hung open as his ‘reading’ glasses fell to the counter top. “It’s real?” he squeaked out in shock.
Twilight nodded. “And very dangerous.”
“I-I-I wasn’t going to ever sell it I swear! I just thought it was a fake piece of jewelry with a really good story. I only bought it to get customers interested in the shop. I swear!” he defended.
Twilight pulled out a scroll and started writing down on it quickly. She was going to send an emergency letter to Celestia about this dark artifact. She could use a teleport scroll spell this close to Canterlot Castle.
Naruko looked at the shop pony dangerously. “Where did you find it? Who sold it to you?”
“It was a trader that I’ve worked with before… He said it was a fake artifact and gave me a good price for it claiming he was tired of carrying it around in his saddle bags… His name is… Swinn Del Sale I believe…” he was too nervous at the moment to think clearly on details. Swinn was actually pretty reputable despite his name.
“It doesn’t matter…” Twilight said as she received an immediate response. “Inspector BlackHoof is on his way to confiscate it.”
“I-i-inspector BlackHoof… Who are you two ponies?” he said in even more shock. Inspector BlackHoof was both famous and infamous in the magical shop and pawn businesses. He was seen as both a hero and a villain, but all of them begrudgingly agreed he and his agency were necessary for Equestira and their business. The fact these two ponies were able to more or less summon BlackHoof was really saying something.
Twilight and Naruko kind of ignored his question. “There will also be a full investigation in to this matter,” Twilight continued.
“Please…” he started to beg. “I-I-I just opened for business… an investigation could ruin me…”
Twilight raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes. “You should have thought about that before you bought dodgy artifacts from sellers. BlackHoof keeps his investigations quiet. I’m sure a pony such as yourself already knows this.” He gave a sigh and slow nod. These two ponies were serious and they weren't going to give him a break.
“I didn’t do a full scan, but it seems like everything else here is harmless,” Naruko said to Twilight who nodded.
After Naruko’s words the store’s bell rang as two stallions walked in led by a unicorn stallion. The stallion who was the leader wore a long coat that was both fashionable and functional. He also wore a dark colored stylish hat. He had a grey coat on his body with golden eyes and a dark green mane styled in a respectable business fashion. “Naruko and Twilight. I should have known you two would be the ones to come across this,” he said in a friendly manner with a deep baritone voice that many mares and stallions found themselves drawn towards. He gave a chuckle as he said, “If you weren’t in the Ever-Free Patrol, Naruko. And you weren’t on assignment from Celestia in Ponyville, Twilight. I would have recruited you two both into the agency.”
He then morphed into a business manner as he approached the artifact in question. “Did you two find anything else out before I arrived?” he asked. They had found dangerous things before and that was how he has come to know them.
“He said the pony who sold it to him was called Swinn Del Sale. He claimed to not have known what it actually was and thought it was just more or less a fancy looking trinket,” Twilight said.
“I secured all exits, but he didn’t even show a sign of trying to bolt. He seems cooperative. I think he honestly didn’t know it was dangerous,” Naruko said as Twilight nodded in agreement.
“That is good to hear. If he keeps on this path the investigation should go well and be finished soon enough,” BlackHoof said.
The two obviously incognito guards with BlackHoof took the artifact and left back to the palace. “Celestia will send you confirmation once we have dealt with the amulet,” one said as they left the shop.
Jall Ping Tok was relieved they seemed to not be angry with him. He intended to fully cooperate with the investigators. Perhaps his Grand Pappy was right to criticize his father for loosening up on thoroughly checking artifacts and dealers he did business with. Jall had always been a bit worried about his dad while growing up, but the stallion was still alive today so that said something about him. He had managed to always keep him and his sisters fed and their mother happy, but Jall decided he was going to be much more thorough with dealings from now on and would also have other investments outside of the shop as a safety net if nothing else.
While Jall was talking to BlackHoof, Twilight continued looking around the shop. She gave a gasp of excitement as a book caught her eye. She zoomed over and looked at it longingly. “Is this really the 7th edition of ZapMane’s Magical Laws and Theories?!”
Jall and BlackHoof paused in their discussion as the shop owner looked over towards her. He gave a smile. “Yes it is! The Ping Tok family have always been collectors of magical books. They are usually an investment that doesn’t begin to pay off until a generation or two later, but we know how to get good deals on them. Schools are always eager and willing to sale out of date textbooks so they can both make room and a little money,” he said proudly. He was hoping today wouldn’t be to much of a bummer after all.
“Can I check it?” she asked almost reverently.
“Of course, you may, milady. Our family have the best preservation runes and spells you could ever find. In the past we would even take contracts from the government itself because of those skills,” he said. He actually loved it when customers checked their books. All of their books were legit and never forgeries. It was rather satisfying when a pony did all they could to check the books and realized they were the real deals. They also sold at a pretty price as a result.
Twilight checked it and was speechless for a moment or two. Naruko shook her head smiling at her best friend. Twilight seemed to come back to reality after a moment. “Do you have editions 24 and 13 as well?” The shop owner just smiled.
{-} {-} {-}
Twilight burst out with a loud squeal of excitement as she left the shop with Naruko. She had bought not one, not two, not even three, but four rare editions of books. “I told you there were interesting things to find in shops like this!” she said to Naruko.
“Yes. Yes, you did,” Naruko said with a smile. She had bought something herself. She was quiet about it so she could get a good deal, but it seemed she actually found a ninjutsu scroll in the shop. The owner said it was something one of his ancestors bought from a so-called seer pony who claimed to have seen beyond to other civilizations across the stars. Naruko was glad Twilight not only recognized what she had, but also managed to contain herself as well. It sill cost a decent amount of bits, but the price was nothing compared to what this scroll was actually worth, even if it was a mystery how it got here of all places.
It turned out that so-called seer pony, was actually a seer pony. She had told the truth, but that truth was so hard to believe that no one thought it remotely possible. Naruko had in her hooves a genuine Uzumaki seals scroll to study. She had come to a land of Ponies and already found more about her family than the old man had ever bothered to tell her while she was in Konoha.
“Naruko.” Kyuubi’s voice boomed in her mind.
“Yes? Oh! You will never believe what I found while I was here Kyuubi I found-”
“You and Twilight are needed here in Ponyville. Try to end your trip a little earlier,” He replied as he cut her off.
Naruko’s sapphire blue eyes widened. Twilight looked to her with concern. She knew their fun trip was over way earlier than they originally planned. Twilight was saddened by this, but she knew it was something important.
“We’re needed back home…” Naruko said as Twilight nodded and teleported them to their waiting chariot.
“Make it quick boys,” Twilight ordered as the guards nodded and smiled to each other before putting on the speed.