The following days seemed to stretch themselves out, almost as if Princess Celestia was postponing the lowering of the sun on purpose. But eventually, the first morning of the next week began, and Rarity found herself pacing back and forward in her boutique, making sure everything was ready for the day to begin. It was, but she still checked it all again, for the third time.
"Everything's prepared," she muttered to herself anxiously, "I've got my designs, I've got dresses ready to be altered, ready to open, just need for her to show up, but it's still too early for that haha, don't need to be nervous Rarity! You don't need to do anything, you've done all you can, it's up to her to… 'make a move', haha yes, this is just business until then!"
Rarity slowed to a stop and ran a hoof down her face.
"Oh, sweet Celestia…" she moaned, "Why did I think this would be a good idea?"
Rarity shook her head and took a few deep breaths. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't slowly been getting worked up about today in particular, and the fact that she had invited somepony who was in love with her to spend the entire day there. Still, it had to be done. No sense in leaving their next meeting to chance.
Once Rarity had calmed herself down, she levitated her pocket watch to check the time. Quarter to, she noted. She put the watch away, when she heard a faint jingling from her front door. Looking over, she saw a meek-looking Meteorite, poking her head through the slightly ajar door.
"Um… G'morning," Meteorite said timidly, "Hope I'm not too early…"
Rarity waved her hoof up and down, smiling broadly. "Oh ho ho, no! Of course not, dear! Well, maybe a little, but I was just getting ready to start the day myself! Come in, come in!"
Meteorite slowly slunk in, letting the door close behind her as she made her way over to Rarity. Rarity tilted her head slightly as she watched Meteorite; there was something different about her from how she remembered, but she couldn't put her hoof on it. She definitely noticed the submissive behavior Meteorite seemed to have fallen back into though. She'd have to do something about that.
"Well, since you're here now, would you care for a cup of tea first?" Rarity smiled, "We can discuss what you'll be doing today as well."
Meteorite looked up at Rarity with a faint smile, her posture straightening slightly. "Yes please. I'd like that."
Later, as the clock tower in town signalled the hour, Rarity was leading Meteorite back into the main area of the boutique, and towards the staging area.
"Alright dear, I already have a few dresses ready for you to put on. All I need from you is to stand still, and stand up straight, as I make further alterations. I may require you to move and hold a pose as I do so." She turned around to face Meteorite, "Do you think you can do that, darling?"
Meteorite instinctively straightened her posture and nodded. "Y-Yes… ma'am…"
Rarity fought back a small smile. "Darling, please, call me Rarity."
"Y-Yes, Rarity…"
"Very good," Rarity levitated a neatly folded dress from a small pile over to Meteorite, "put this on, and let's get to work, shall we?"
Meteorite held the dress in her hooves, feeling herself blushing. She may have been here for six years and learned to cope with life as a pony, but clothes still reminded her that she was in fact not wearing any at the moment. What was worse was that she was expected to put it on right there and then in front of Rarity, because of course, why would that be an issue? Still, Meteorite closed her eyes, exhaled the breath she was holding, and slowly started to unfold the dress.
After a few minutes of figuring out the layers of the dress, with some minor assistance from Rarity, Meteorite stood up on the staging area, the dress proudly displayed upon her body. Rarity appraised the look as she put on her glasses.
"How does it feel, darling?"
Meteorite wasn't sure how to respond. She looked down at herself, at the front of the dress, at the slightly puffy sleeves covering the top of her forelegs. She looked back, seeing the dress, feeling the silky fabric of it all over her back. She caught her reflection in the nearby mirror, not knowing until then that she had a faint smile on her face.
"It… feels wonderful," Meteorite said in awe, still looking at her reflection. "Like I'm about to go to a gala…"
Rarity gave a sympathetic smile. "Darling, I was asking if it was too tight or loose."
Meteorite froze briefly, before sheepishly turning to face Rarity. "Oh heh, no, it's… it's fine."
The next few hours passed swifter than either pony had expected, with Rarity working diligently on making sure each dress was perfect before moving onto the next, and Meteorite silently obeying each of Rarity's instructions, her mind occasionally drifting off to a newly founded fantasy of being at a fancy ball of some kind, everypony in awe of her and her dress. Sometimes, David Bowie is there dressed as Jareth, causing Meteorite to suddenly jerk back to reality, and giving rise to several introspective questions.
"Well darling," Rarity began, looking at her pocket watch, "noon is almost upon us. Shall we take a break, hm?"
Meteorite's response was cut off by a sudden jingle from the storefront. Both mares turned to see a brown earth pony mare with a short yellow mane entering, looking around the store. It didn't take her long to spot the two across the room and once she did, she broke into a huge grin and rushed up to the stage.
"Ohmygoshohmygosh!" she gushed, placing her forehooves up on the stage and looking up at the pegasus, "you look amazing Meteorite!"
Meteorite blushed as she smiled and gave a small wave. "Hey Flo…" she greeted. Flo, as she liked to be called, was one of the hired workers that worked and lived alongside Meteorite. Meteorite had initially, and some part of her still does, suspected that her coworkers were OCs like her. But with only the first two seasons to go off on, she couldn't actually prove it one way or another. Regardless, over time she'd gotten to know and befriend them, so that particular issue slowly no longer remained a pressing matter. Meteorite looked at Flo with some slight confusion.
"What are you doing here?"
"Oh come on!" Flo said giddily, flopping a hoof at Meteorite, "You tell me you're going to be modelling for Rarity and I wasn't going to come down on my lunch break to check you out?"
Meteorite rolled her eyes. "Of course."
Rarity meanwhile was watching the two, a little bemused by the sudden interruption. Meteorite caught her out of the corner of her eye, and panicked slightly.
"O-Oh! Rarity! T-This is my friend, Sunny Flora!" Meteorite quickly introduced, "Flo, Rarity. As you already know."
Sunny Flora turned to look at Rarity, seemingly just noticing she was there. "Eeee!" she squealed, hopping from hoof to hoof. "Miss Rarity! I love your designs! They're so gorgeous!"
"Oh! Well, thank you darling," Rarity said graciously. Sunny Flora's eyes lit up.
"Have you ever considered a garden theme?! Oh, what am I saying, I bet you have!"
Meteorite cleared her throat pointedly. "Flo…"
Sunny blinked as she looked back at Meteorite, before turning back to Rarity, laughing awkwardly. "Ahaha, sorry… I guess I got carried away."
Rarity smiled. "It's quite alright, er… Sunny, was it?"
"Oh pft," Sunny began, as she flopped her hoof, "call me Flo! Everypony else does!"
Because you keep telling everypony to, Meteorite snarked to herself, as she rolled her eyes.
"Er, alright," Rarity said with an amount of uncertainty, "Flo it is!"
"Eeee," Flo quietly squealed, as she placed her hooves on her cheeks, her eyes sparkling, "Miss Rarity called me Flo!"
Rarity took a half-step back, her hoof still raised as she glanced back at Meteorite, who could only smile and shrug apologetically. Rarity looked back at the still-idolizing Flo.
"Well, how about I let you two catch up, hm?" Rarity offered as she picked up her sewing kit and stepped past the earth pony. Once Rarity was a few steps away, Meteorite leaned down to her friend.
"Flo, you're embarrassing yourself."
Flo turned to Meteorite, grinning. "Probably!"
Meteorite sighed with a smile, as Flo looked Meteorite over again.
"But seriously, you look so pretty, Meteorite! You're like a princess in that outfit!" Flo gushed. Meteorite felt her cheeks blushing as Flo went on. "And what did I tell you?" she admonished, lightly hitting Meteorite on the hoof, "your mane looks amazing as well! I told you you just have to brush it!"
Rarity's ear perked up from across the room as she slyly stole a side-glance at Meteorite. That's what was different about her today. It wasn't brushed enough to change its usual style, but enough to throw somepony off-track if they weren't paying attention to it.
"Yeah, I know…" Meteorite mumbled, embarrassed as she pawed at the stage slightly.
"But oooh, I'm so jealous!" Flo went on, smiling widely at Meteorite, "I can't believe you get to wear Rarity's latest fashion before anypony else!"
Meteorite smiled despite herself. "Yeah… it is pretty nice." She looked over at Rarity, who seemed to be engrossed in organising her fabrics. "I… wasn't sure how today was going to go, but… it's been nice so far. I'm glad I came."
Flo beamed at her friend when the town clock tower rang twelve, and she glanced back at the entrance.
"I should probably get back to Sweet Apple Acres," Flo said with a sigh, "and grab something to eat before I do."
Meteorite chuckled lightly. "Yeah, probably. See you later tonight, Flo," she waved as her friend made her way towards the door.
"Seeya Meteorite!" Flo waved, before turning towards Rarity, "Bye Miss Rarity! I really enjoyed meeting you!"
Rarity looked up at Flo, and offered a courtesy wave and smile, "Goodbye darling! It was very nice meeting you as well."
Flo simply let out a tiny squeal of delight as she reluctantly made her exit. Rarity kept an eye on the closing door as she walked back over to Meteorite.
"So," she began, "she seems nice."
Meteorite chuckled awkwardly as she rubbed her neck. "Yeah… she is. Sorry 'bout all that; she's just a big fan of your work."
Rarity turned her head and looked at Meteorite over her glasses, with a deadpan expression. "Really. I hadn't noticed."
A small laugh escaped Meteorite for just a moment, before she nervously clamped her mouth shut, her snout scrunching up in the process. "S-Sorry!" she stuttered, hoof over her mouth, appalled at herself, "I wasn't laughing at you! I-I! I just…!"
Rarity removed her glasses, looking straight into Meteorite's eyes. "Darling, relax. It was a joke."
"…O-Oh! Yes! Of course! Aha…" Meteorite spurted out, before she realised she wasn't fooling anyone, least of all, herself. She bowed her head. "I'm sorry… I just… I don't know why I act the way I do sometimes…"
Rarity paused for a moment as she considered Meteorite. "It's alright my dear," Rarity said softly, "We all get like that sometimes. Now come, take off that outfit. We're already running late for our break as it is."
Rarity quietly sat at her kitchen table, her lunch of a small salad with a glass of water before her. Meteorite had gone out into town, hoping to find a café of some sort to eat at. Rarity idly stabbed at the salad with a levitating fork, her mind unsure what to make of Meteorite.
She was nice and friendly, surely. And she genuinely wanted to make a good impression on Rarity; that much was obvious, but she seemed to fall into a state of paralyzing fear if things didn't go right. Rarity frowned as she took a bite. She knew that kind of fear herself, much as she didn't want to admit it. It made Rarity feel terrible about this charade she was putting her through, pretending she wasn't aware of how Meteorite felt.
Rarity decided she had to put her new friend at ease when she came back.