//------------------------------// // Chapter 8: Yoshi-Woshi and Auntie Rarity // Story: The Star Child // by Joeycrick //------------------------------// "Okay, is there anything else Yoshi needs?" Twilight asked as she strolled down the streets of Ponyville, checking a few items off her list. "Nah..." Spike replied with a strained voice. "I think he's set for the next five or so years of school." The dragon was carrying a comically large pile of shopping bags that wobbled with every step he took. All of the bags were stuffed full of various school supplies. Yoshi trotted alongside Twilight, also hauling a few bags on top of his saddle. "I think the only thing I need left is a saddlebag to carry my stuff in," the dinosaur told Twilight. "A saddlebag, hmmm?" Twilight answered back, bringing her hoof up to her chin in thought. "I think Rarity might be able to help with that. Clothes aren't the only things she designs, after all; she does accessories, too." "Hold up..." Spike interrupted as he came to a stop. "We're going to Carousel Boutique now?" "Yoshi and I will go," Twilight said as she rolled up her scroll. "Why don't you go drop everything off at the library? You can stop by the Boutique when you're done." "Ah..." Spike muttered as he buckled underneath the weight of the items he was carrying. "Alrighty then." Turning around, he began slowly trudging his way back to the library. Yoshi watched for a few seconds as Spike almost collided with a stallion who was rushing by. "Should we maybe give him a hand?" he wondered out loud. "He'll be fine," Twilight replied as she began leading the way to Carousel Boutique. "He's got pretty good arm strength for a baby dragon." I wonder how that happened... Yoshi thought to himself, a small amused grin on his face as he followed his mother. "Here we are!" Yoshi stared up at the building in front of them. "Carousel Boutique, huh?" he remarked. "I don't think I've ever been here before. This is where Rarity works?" "And lives," Twilight answered as the two of them approached the door. "She's an accomplished fashion designer, and she makes incredible outfits and accessories. She might be able to put together a great-looking saddlebag, made just for you." "Sounds pretty neat!" said Yoshi with a smile. "You think she might be able to come up with-?" *SLAM!* *CRASH!* "OOF!" "WAAAAHHHH!" Twilight gasped as the door swung open and a pony rushed outside, only to collide with Yoshi, knocking the both of them to the ground. "Omigosh, Yoshi!" she cried out as she rushed to the dinosaur and placed a hoof on his head. "Are you okay?" "Maamaaaa?" Yoshi babbled, his head and eyes rolling as stars circled around his head. "Agh..." the other pony muttered, rubbing her head. "Jeez, watch where you're going, dude!" Twilight narrowed her eyes. "The same could be said to you, Vinyl Scratch." "Yeah yeah..." the DJ answered as she levitated her signature sunglasses over her eyes. "Sorry about that, Spi-" But when she turned her head, she was greeted with the sight of Yoshi shaking his head. "Huh...?" Vinyl muttered, lifting her sunglasses and rubbing her eyes. "Jeez, what happened to you, Spike?" "Uh... what?" Yoshi said, raising his eyebrow in confusion as he held his head. "Vinyl, that's NOT Spike," Twilight answered with a frown as she helped Yoshi to his feet. "His name is Yoshi. And he's not a dragon, he's a dinosaur." Vinyl slowly got to her hooves and took a closer look at the young dinosaur. "Huh... ain't ever seen anything like him before. Especially with a schnoz that big. This dude some kinda alien?" "In a sense," said Twilight. "He's not from Equestria. He just showed up at my doorstep one night, so I decided to keep an eye on him." "Whoa. That's crazy." With a small grin, Vinyl approached Yoshi, extending her hoof to him. "Nice to meetcha, lil' alien dude. Name's Vinyl Scratch. Or DJ Pon-3, whichever you prefer." "Er... hi there, Vinyl," Yoshi slowly replied as he shook Vinyl's hoof. "What were you doing at Carousel Boutique anyways?" Twilight wondered out loud. Vinyl chuckled as she levitated her shopping bags. "Had to get some new duds for an upcoming show." "A show?" Yoshi repeated, his curiosity piqued. "Are you a performer?" Vinyl let out another chuckle as she adjusted her shades. "You're lookin' at the hottest DJ in all of Equestria, baby!" she declared loudly. "Nopony can drop sick beats and bass like DJ Pon-3 can!" Twilight smiled in amusement as she stepped up beside Yoshi. "Vinyl is an incredibly talented musician, mostly specializing in techno and pop. Though..." she added with a smirk, "she can get a bit carried away with it at times." Yoshi raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean, exactly?" Twilight rubbed Yoshi's head and simply replied, "Let's just say that anyone who lives with her will DEFINITELY need a pair of earplugs." Vinyl started rubbing the back of her head, laughing sheepishly. "Yeah... not everyone appreciates it when I crank the volume up all the way," she said before turning to Yoshi. "Anyways... why don't ya check out one of my gigs sometime down the line? Got an upcoming one in Ponyville a few weeks from now, if you're interested." Yoshi nodded his head eagerly. "Yeah, I'd like to see one!" Vinyl held out her hoof to Yoshi with a cocky grin. "Aw yeah, now that's what I'm talkin' about! Er..." Her grin disappeared as Yoshi shook her hoof again. "Dude... what are you doing?" she asked, raising her eyebrow. "Oh...!" Yoshi hurriedly let go of Vinyl's hoof, looking flustered. "I... er... um..." With a small chuckle, Twilight motioned to Yoshi. "Here, try this," she said, before turning to Vinyl and offering her a hoofbump. "Heh heh..." Yoshi chuckled nervously, before curling his hand into a fist and bumping Vinyl's hoof with it. "Sorry about that, Vinyl." "Eh, no biggie," Vinyl replied, adjusting her shades. "Anyways... gotta jet now. Stay cool, Yoshter." With a wave of her hoof, she grabbed her shopping bags. Levitating a pair of headphones out of one, she placed them over her ears and switched them on. Yoshi could easily make out the sound of an electric guitar screaming through them as Vinyl trotted away, singing "Just one guitar... slung way down low..." under her breath. "Well, that was interesting," Yoshi said as he watched the deejay. "And is it just me, or was that music she's listening to pretty loud?" Twilight let out a small chuckle as she led Yoshi towards the Boutique's entrance. "No music is too loud for her," she replied. "Let's just put it that way." The bell just above the door jingled as the two stepped into Carousel Boutique. Glancing around, Yoshi took notice of all the different outfits and accessories lining the sales floor and shelves, with the latest fashion trends prominently displayed at the center of the store. "This is where Rarity works?" Yoshi wondered out loud, his mouth agape at all the clothes around him. "And also where she lives," Twilight replied as she led Yoshi to the service desk. "If you need anything in the field of fashion, look no further than Rarity. Ooh... that looks cute," she added as she caught a glimpse of a nearby outfit. Yoshi couldn't help but giggle as Twilight took the outfit off the display and looked it over, before putting it back. "You have a fabulous day, dearie!" exclaimed Rarity as another satisfied customer left the service desk. Closing her eyes, she turned to the next guest in line. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is chic, unique, and magnifique!" "Hello, Rarity," Twilight said. "Twilight! It's a pleasure to see you, darling!" said Rarity. "May I ask what brings you here on this fine day?" "Actually, we're here for Yoshi," Twilight explained as the small dinosaur hopped onto her back. "Yoshi!" Rarity squealed as she leaned over the counter to pat his head. "My... adorable as ever, I see!" "Thanks, Rarity," Yoshi said with a blush. Gesturing around him, he added, "This is the first time I've been here in Carousel Boutique... I'm pretty blown away." "Why, thank you, dear!" said Rarity with a proud look on her face. "This isn't the number one fashion boutique in Ponyville for nothing, after all! I poured my heart into this place, eager to help everypony look as fabulous as they possibly can! Now then..." She leaned over the counter with a grin. "May I ask what it is that brings you here today?" "Well... Twilight just enrolled me at Ponyville Elementary," Yoshi said. "I already got my supplies, I just need-" "Hold it!" Rarity interrupted, placing her hoof over Yoshi's mouth. "I know EXACTLY what you're looking for! Sappho!" A green earth pony with a long, black mane covering one of her eyes approached the counter. On her flank was a cutie mark of what looked like two heart-shaped crosses. "Yes, Rarity?" she said coolly. "Can you be a dear and cover for me while I head into the studio?" asked Rarity as she levitated Yoshi onto her back and patted his head. "I need to help little Yoshi-Woshi here get ready for his first day of school!" "Sure thing," Sappho replied. With a smooth grin and a mane flip, she stepped behind the counter and turned towards Yoshi, winking at him. "'Sup?" "Er... nothing much," Yoshi replied with a bewildered look on his face as Rarity led him towards the back. Raising her eyebrow in confusion, Twilight followed the giggling fashionista. "Uh... Rarity...? What are you-?" "Oh, this is going to be exciting!" Rarity exclaimed, stars in her eyes. "Mark my words, Yoshi... Auntie Rarity will make sure that you look abso-LUTE-ly MAG-NIF-IQUE for your first day of school! Everypony will be swooning over you, you will be the center of attention! I've never designed outfits for a creature like you before... I have so many wonderful ideas! It'll certainly be tricky, but what do I say? I say, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!" "Wait, WHAT?!" both Twilight and Yoshi exclaimed, the latter's eyes shrinking to the size of ants. "Rarity, wait!" Twilight called out as she galloped up to the white unicorn. "We don't need outfits, we just need a saddlebag!" But Rarity was too lost in her excitement to notice. "Ooh! I just absolutely cannot WAIT!" she squealed as she opened the door to her studio and stepped inside. "I've got a bad feeling about this," Yoshi muttered to himself. "Oh dear..." With a look of worry on her face, Twilight followed the two into the back, the door closing behind her. The bell rang as the entrance to Carousel Boutique opened. Spike stepped inside, massaging his sore arms. "Jeez, Twilight," he grumbled. "You might as well have bought supplies for the entire class. Hopefully, I won't have to do more heavy lifting." He looked around the store for a sign of Yoshi, Twilight, and Rarity, pausing once he caught sight of Sappho sitting at the service desk. "Huh..." Spike approached the desk and tapped the bell with his claw. Her ears perking up, Sappho looked up from the comic book she was reading. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique, how may I help you?" she asked. "You wouldn't happen to know where Rarity is, would you?" Spike wondered out loud. "She's in the back with a client," Sappho replied. "If you're here to flirt with her, please come back after business hours." "WHAT?!" Spike shouted, a flustered look on his face as his cheeks turned a deep shade of red. "I... er... well, I... that's not what I- HEY!" Sappho let out a small chuckle. "Just kiddin'. Don't get your tail in a twist." Spike crossed his arms with a frown and a huff. "This client wouldn't happen to be Twilight and a green dinosaur with a large nose, would it?" he grumbled. "Yep," Sappho answered, gesturing to the back before continuing to read her comic book. "You're welcome." Taking a moment to stick his tongue out at Sappho, Spike made his way towards the back of the store. As he approached Rarity's studio, he could make out a series of crashing sounds, accompanied by panicked yelling and a familiar "WAAAAHHHH!!!" "Aw crap," Spike muttered, his eyes widening as he bolted through the door. "Well, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Twilight asked with a nervous grin. Yoshi just let out a sigh as he followed Twilight back to the library. "That was a bit... much," he answered slowly. "At least we got my saddlebags, though." Sure enough, a pair of white saddlebags were draped over his back, each one decorated with green spots. "And it was really nice of Rarity to give it to you for free, along with all the outfits she made for you," Twilight continued as she gestured to one of the bags she was carrying. Sticking out from inside was a red cap decorated with a small Yoshi egg in the center above the brim. "Yeah... whatever," Spike grumbled. His arms buckled underneath the weight of the giant stack of bags he was carrying, all of them containing various outfits for Yoshi. With a small chuckle, Twilight levitated a several bags off the top of the stack. "Sorry about that, Spike," she said, offering a few of them to Yoshi to carry.