All in all the meal ate up about an hour and a half. By the end of it Twilight was uncomfortably full and sleepy, her hooves dragging slightly with each step. Spike hadn’t ridden on her back on the way back into town, which slowed them even further.
“Food's all taken care of, next is weather.”
Twilight winced and stifled a burp, pausing to rub her stomach. “Ugh... I ate too much pie…”
Spike glanced over the itinerary sheet a little closer, squinting. “Hmm, there's supposed to be a Pegasus pony named Rainbow Dash clearing the clouds. Forecast is for clear skies all the way until Sunrise tomorrow, and then a light sprinkle.”
Twilight’s full belly was making her a little grouchy. She glanced upward at the clouds dotting the sky around them and raised an eyebrow. “Well, she's not doing a very good job, is she?”
Spike suddenly hopped back and waved at her, about half a second before a blue blur bodily slammed her into a mud puddle.
The pony rose to her hooves and shook herself off, chuckling sheepishly. “Uh… Excuse me…”
Twilight slowly rolled onto her hooves and struggled to rise. Whelp, not full anymore. Ew.
The pegasus laughed softly and reached out, pulling her onto her hooves. “Lemme help you.”
She tapped her chin thoughtfully for a few seconds, before taking off and sprinting into the sky. She returned within seconds dragging a cloud pregnant with rain, positioning it directly over Twilight, who managed to just barely begin to shape the words ‘don’t you dare’ before she kicked the cloud and the water rushed out to sluice the mud from her coat.
The rainbow-maned pegasus landed next to her, chuckling to herself as she took in Twilight looking like a drowned rat. “Oops, I guess I overdid it. Um, uh, how about this? My very own patented Rain-Blow Dry!”
As she chattered, she took to wing again and soared tight circles around Twilight, wind whipping in a cyclone and practically tearing the water off her body. As well as shredding her dress, and tousling her mane in all directions. The mare landed and rested a hoof against her chest, puffing up proudly. “No no. Don't thank me. You're quite welcome.”
She finally settled on the ground, fidgeting with signature pegasus nervous energy. When rose-colored eyes opened and took in the ragged mess of Twilight's mane and the dress hanging in tatters, the prismatic suddenly burst out into raucous cackling. This sent Spike over the edge, who had been barely restraining his own laughter.
Twilight rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Let me guess. You're Rainbow Dash.”
This put a lid on the other mare's composure, and the pegasus snapped upward and took to wing, puffing her chest out proudly. “The one and only! Why, you heard of me?”
Twilight glanced at the clearly clouded sky and back at Dash, raising an eyebrow. “I heard you were supposed to be keeping the sky clear. I'm Twilight Sparkle, and I'm in charge of the preparations for the Princess’ Sunraising tomorrow.”
Rainbow shook herself and settled down on one of the clouds, stretching out as if she were about to nap. “Yeah, yeah, that'll be a snap. I'll do it in a jiffy. Just as soon as I'm done practicing.”
Twilight raised a single eyebrow. “Practicing for what?”
“The Wonderbolts! They're gonna perform at the Celebration tomorrow, and I'm gonna show 'em my stuff!”
Twilight chuckled darkly. “The most talented flyers in all of Equestria?”
“That's them!”
Twilight smirked and shook her head. “Pfft! Please. Captain Spitfire would never accept a Pegasus who can't even keep the sky clear for one measly day.”
At the clear challenge, Dash suddenly snapped bolt upright, wings flared in an aggressive display. “Hey, I could clear this sky in ten seconds flat.”
Twilight's smirk grew, and her eyes narrowed. “Prove it.”
Half a second of staredown later, Dash erupted from her perch and burst the cloud in the process. The air shrieked shrilly but allowed her to pass. Twilight's jaw slowly dropped as the prismatic mare blasted through cloud after cloud faster and faster by the second.
Instead of slowing, the mare simply plummeted back towards Earth, snapping her wings out. She lifted herself in a few tight loops, bleeding off speed as quickly as it had been picked up. “Loop-de-loop around, and wham! What'd I say? Ten. Seconds. Flat. I'd never leave Ponyville hanging.”
Twilight blinked, her mouth hanging open dumbly as her brain clocked overtime working over the physics of what she'd just seen.
Rainbow laughed and gently closed her mouth, causing the unicorn to blush at the contact. “You should see the look on your face. Ha! You're a laugh, Twilight Dapple. I can't wait to hang out some more.”
Without another word, she tore back off into the sky and left a ripple of tortured air behind her.
Spike blinked slowly and peered at his older sister, who seemed locked in place. “Wow, she's amazing!”
He maintained his composure for all of three seconds, before reaching out a talon to bat at Twilight's windblown curls, stifling childish giggles. Twilight grunted and lifted the itinerary from him, trotting off in the direction of town hall. Spike chased after her.
“Wait! It's kinda pretty once you get used to it!”
They made good time to the town hall, and Twilight shoved the doors open with a frustrated burst of telekinetic might. They both stopped short at what they saw within.
Somepony with an exacting taste and eye for detail had attacked the gathering space. Silk was very much in evidence, and ribbons festooned wherever bunting didn't stretch. In short, it looked perfectly ready for the arrival of the Princess and the catering tables.
Spike broke the silence with a dreamy “Decorations. Beautiful…”
Twilight swallowed and glanced around. She didn't think anything in this town could compare to Sparkle Manor back in Canterlot, or the actual castle spaces she'd seen, but somepony surprised her by bringing a little of that royal opulence here and meshing it with smalltown charm.
“Yes, the décor is coming along nicely. This ought'a be quick. I'll be at the library in no time. Beautiful indeed.”
Spike shook his head and patted her shoulder, pointing at a mare murmuring to herself as she compared samples of ribbon. “Not the décor, her!”
Twilight froze. Her legs locked together, and she trembled. Spike said something to her that she didn't quite catch, and she slid him forward and tilted her chin up to inspect the ceiling. She dropped to her haunches to try and hide the dappling along her hindlegs.
Spike cleared his throat and mustered all ten years of manly courage he could muster. “E-Excuse me. My sister and I-”
The vision of pure beauty tutted. “Just a moment, please! I'm 'in the zone', as it were. Oh, yes!”
She selected one length of shimmering ribbon and tied it carefully into place. “Sparkle always does the trick, does it not? Why, Rarity, you are a talent. Now, um, how can I help yo-”
In speaking, she turned to face the pair. She noticed Spike, but her eyes slid right off him as she fixated upon Twilight with a yelp as if a rat had wandered in. “Oh my stars, darling! Whatever happened to your coiffure?!”
Twilight trembled and blushed helplessly as she was put in the spotlight. “Oh, you mean my mane? Well, it's a long story. I'm just here to check on the decorations, and then I'll be out of your, hah hah, hair!”
Rarity beatboxed briefly and snagged Twilight in an aura of telekinesis, dragging her along behind her as she made for the door. Her voice was still shrieky, as if Twilight had suggested that they scatter moldy hay over her hard work.
“Out of my hair? What about your hair?!”
Spike snickered to himself as he followed the pair at high speed back out into Ponyville.
“Wait! Where are we going?! Help!” Twilight struggled, but in her mild panic she couldn't quite break Rarity's grip.
Rarity's morning had started off normally enough. She'd risen, partaken in a light breakfast, and had cantered over to the town hall to begin her decorations. Naturally right when she was in the middle of a rather tetchy placement, the doors had burst open to admit Pinkie Pie.
At the best of times the younger mare was a rambunctious hoofful that reminded her sometimes of her frequently demonic younger sister. Today she was extra-excited and babbling rapidly about something. Five years of friendship had however taught Rarity how to handle the Pink.
On her next revolution, she caught the mare in a haze of aura and brought her close. She gently rested hooves on either of her cheeks, and gently applied nose to nose. Two pairs of sapphire-blue eyes peered into one another, until Pinkie's breathing matched that of the unicorn and she finally calmed down.
“Now, darling, please. Tell me what you need. Slowly.”
Pinkie took a deep breath and tapped her hooves together. “Okay so this morning I was at the station watching trains and I noticed that there was an extra red-eye from Canterlot coming in at six. I waited and it came on time and two ponies and a dragon got off and went towards the library and I went home but Missus Cake told me that I should go see if the book on thaumic physics I requested came in so I went to the library and I got there just as the younger one was coming out and it was her! The Duchess Everfree herself (the younger not the elder sadly passed these five years and not the Regent Sunset Shimmer either although she got off the train too) and RARITY SHE'S SO CUTE and she looks really really sad and lonely so I want to do something really really nice for her like show her all the ponies of her demesne like her and want her to be here and not just because she's here representing her name and the Princess so I. Hatched. A. Plot.”
Rarity stared for several seconds and blinked, until her train of thought caught up to Pinkie's. She mentally inserted pauses and excised excessive information- it was a consequence that one's own mind tended to run a little strangely and quicker than normal within the vicinity of the Pink. “Alright darling. What's the plan.”
Pinkie took another deep breath. “Okay so I zoomed super fast to the Acres and told Applejack to be right out close to the road because it'll be about brunch time when she gets there but Granny Smith'll be able to con her into eating with them since nopony can resist her fried chicken salad and then I told Rainbow Dash to do something and I left Fluttershy alone since she'll stall her by being Fluttershy but I need you to tie her up at your boutique until about four or so so that by the time she's done with Fluttershy it'll be getting dark and when she gets back to the library I'll have it all set up and ready and everypony in town will be there and we'll throw her the best Night Vigil party she's ever seen and she'll make lots and lots of friends and want to move into the library and be our best friend and we'll go on a ton of adventures!”
That was then. This was now.
The mare had arrived with the uncanny accuracy of a Pinkie prediction, just as Rarity was finishing up. Just as told, she was an absolute darling if a little shy. A lovely lavender shade of coat, with deeper spots sprayed across her snout and down the back of her neck. She rather looked like she'd sat in paint; splotches of near-black covered her haunches down almost to her knees on either side. She'd put on a rather theatrical fuss in ushering Twilight out of the hall and to her own boutique.
Armed with a near infinite number of failed and simply darling outfits, enough cosmetics and beauty equipment for a ballet company, Rarity could stall Twilight indefinitely. She led her around with a rapidfire patois, from the mirror dais back to makeup and mane stations, outfit after outfit, and found something ill-suiting with each one. Enough of a detriment to justify starting completely over from scratch.
“No, no, uh-uh. Too green. Too yellow. Too poofy. Not poofy enough. Too frilly. Too... shiny.”
Finally she settled Twilight into what she felt would be a decent replacement for the Amareni dress that had been hanging in rags off her when she’d entered. Her mane had been put back into perfect order, with a razor-straight fringe just millimeters off from those gorgeously expressive eyes of hers. Now that she was examining her more closely, Rarity noticed that what she had taken to be makeup was actually coat pattern- Twilight had rather fetching splotches around each eye that reached to her cheekbones and appeared as natural eyeshadow. Rather than cover up the dappling of the smaller mare’s coat, Rarity had chosen a simple blue and white dress set with a scandalously low number of gemstones with a matching necklace and bracelet.
“Now go on, my dear. You were telling me where you're from.”
Truthfully, Twilight hadn’t been able to get a word in edgewise and had endured the constant attention with what was either good humor or just plain shyness. She managed to squeak out something about Canterlot as Rarity was pulling the cords of the dress’ corset tight, and was taken by surprise when Rarity released them with a sudden gasp.
Rarity glanced briefly at the clock on one wall of the boutique, and took a gamble. Canterlot ponies came basically in three types. Actual titled nobility tended towards humility, thoroughbreds tended to lean on their names and fortunes in an attempt to emulate nobility, and the nouveaux riche tended to be uptight snobs. What little she’d gleaned from the society pages and Canterlot’s Whom’s Whom had told her that Twilight would be solidly in the first type. She took a deep breath as she prepared to send her on her way without appearing to do so.
“Canterlot?! Oh, I am so envious! The glamour, the sophistication! I have always dreamed of living there! I can't wait to hear all about it! We are gonna be the best of friends, you and I…”
She draped herself dramatically against Twilight’s side, and allowed her eyes to fall naturally upon the gemstone sewn at her throat. “Emeralds?! What was I thinking? Let me get you some rubies!”
Rarity chuckled to herself as she heard the sound of cloth being flicked away and the adorable little mare saying something to the rather charming drake as they sprinted out of her shop. She smiled softly as she began to clean up the detritus of the repeated makeovers.