“Welcome to Carousel Boutique where every garment is chic, unique and magnifique” chimed the cultured voice in response to the tinkling of the bell that told her somepony had entered the shop. Barely had Rarity finished delivering her polished greeting, when she emerged from out of her workshop to meet the latest customer and hear their particular demands.
Her catwalk-perfect poise concluded with a well-rehearsed toss of the head, causing her mane to fall just so in an immaculately coiffured cascade of shimmering purple. The final movement of her greeting was to open up her dazzling blue eyes in a single deft action that would invariably stun all those being introduced to her for the first time, giving her an advantage over every stallion and mare alike.
Today, however, when she opened her eyes, it was she who spluttered to a halt and felt a sense of intimidation in the presence of her visitor, for standing in the middle of the sales area was the distinctive midnight blue form of a Royal alicorn, all alone with no guards.
Princess Luna faced the stupefied fashionista, not with the disdainful regal poise for which she had become renowned, but instead looking on her with a slightly uncertain gaze, appearing almost subservient.
“P-Princess Luna!” gasped Rarity in shock, her confidence visibly shrinking with the size of her pupils, “H-How can I help you?”
“We have been directed to thy services” she began in her austere, outdated tones, then coughed discretely and, making a noticeable attempt to sound softer continued, “We require a dress for a special occasion.”
“A dress?” Rarity queried, “But surely you have Royal dressmakers in Canterlot?”
“We do, but there are … certain difficulties with going to them. That is why we seek thine expertise in these matters.”
“Of course; it would be such a great honour to make a dress for Royalty …” said Rarity, ending with a nervous giggle.
“We are agreed then?” Luna queried expectantly.
“Yes, but you’ll have to tell me what event it’s for, as that will influence the style, the accessories … ” Rarity’s enquiry coming out more like a demand, as she instantly switched into professional dressmaker mode and lit her horn to summon her sketchpad in an ethereal blue aura. Before it arrived in front of her, she had already got as far as having chosen gold as the best colour to accent the contrasting shades of purple and blue that cried out to complement the Princess’ coat and mane.
Luna was taken aback as the dressmaker immersed herself in her sketches, roughing out a few pencilled lines, and only peering out over her sketchpad occasionally to check some detail or another.
“If I could take a few measurements?” she stated, completely taking charge of events. Before Luna could respond, she found a tape measure flitting around her body, apparently of its own volition, and flinched at the unexpected physical contact on parts of her body that nopony ever touched without her express approval.
“Now, up on the stage please” Rarity continued in her excitement, only stopping in her creative flow when she noticed that the Princess was not moving, but staring directly back at her, clearly shocked by the pace of events.
“Oh, so sorry …” she apologised, giggling nervously, “… perhaps a little carried away …?”
“We commend thine enthusiasm, Rarity” she deadpanned, “but find such overfamiliarity with our Royal person somewhat … ahem … indelicate.”
“Oh, oh, yes, of course” Rarity floundered, stopping in her tracks, “Yes, oh please accept my apologies, your Majesty …”
Luna took a moment to regain her composure and regarded the dressmaker, simpering awkwardly in front of her. Clearly, Rarity felt she had done nothing wrong and must have been behaving in accordance with the accepted norms of the times. Perhaps this was how ponies conducted themselves these days? It had been a thousand years since she had enjoyed any social interaction, so perhaps she herself had been a little too harsh?
“We apologise. We are unused to such intimacy. We appreciate thee meant no harm, so consent to continuing, but should appreciate a little less … ahem …” Luna trailed off, embarrassed to put into words how she felt.
“I am so sorry” said Rarity, “Of course. How silly of me. I am so used to …”
“Pray do not expend thine efforts on constructing apologies. We shall let the incident pass.”
Rarity heaved a sigh of relief. She had no intention of upsetting any customer, especially one who up until recently was as fearsome as Nightmare Moon.
“If you would care to climb up onto the stage, your Majesty, then I could see better how I need to make the new ensemble fit.”
Luna gave a shallow bow of her head in acknowledgement and climbed up carefully onto the stage, choosing to pretend she didn’t see Rarity looking at her body from angles that years ago would have been considered entirely inappropriate, and possibly even led to a stretch in jail.
“Thank you, your Majesty” said Rarity, “I have all I need now to modify a ponykin to your exact shape and should not need to bother you again.”
“Thank you” replied Luna, reproaching herself, “And thou hast no need to refer to me as Your Majesty whilst we are alone.”
Rarity was pleased that her client had made the first move in taking down the barrier that she had been building since her arrival, but was unaware as to how big a concession this had been for Luna, given the Godlike status she had enjoyed along with her sister in the olden days. It was however, a tentative first step in developing one of her very first relationships since having come back from the moon.
“If you would like to get down now” said Rarity, proffering a forehoof for support, “Let’s discuss what you want over a nice cup of tea, shall we?”
Luna hated tea. She liked coffee, but that was not what had been offered. She could see what a bad first impression she had made already and was determined not to compound the problem by being even more demanding, so accepted the offer with the nearest expression she could manage to a smile.
Having had no particular cause for happiness in a thousand years, the smile did look somewhat forced and would have probably fitted in better with trying to scare colts and fillies on Nightmare Night. However, Rarity too was concerned about the way her own actions with the Princess had been interpreted earlier, and took the smile as one of genuine compunction, even if it did look more like a grimace.
As luck would have it, the kettle was hot and so it didn’t take long to fill the teapot. While the tea steeped, Rarity arranged her finest china tea service on a silver tray and added a selection of delicate finger biscuits to complete the effect. By the time this was arranged to the satisfaction of her critical eye, the tea was ready, and she proudly levitated the immaculately presented tray out to where her guest was waiting.
“We are sorry for any misunderstandings …” began Luna, before being cut off by a gentle “tsk, tsk” from her hostess.
“So, what is it you want the dress for, if I may enquire?” asked Rarity, “You have the most beautiful body shape and the most exquisite colouring. Why, it would be every dressmaker’s dream to make something specially for you.”
“The reputation of thy generosity precedes thee, Mistress Rarity. Thou art one of twilight Sparkle’s closest friends, art thou not?”
“Yes, I suppose I am.”
“She is a fine mare and has earned our greatest respect.”
“Even after she … um …” Rarity began, before awkwardly slowing to a halt, not wanting to complete that particular train of thought out loud in the present company.
“Especially because she freed me from Nightmare Moon” Luna completed for her, immediately putting Rarity at her ease.
During the pause that followed, Rarity found herself sensing the vulnerability of the Princess before her, and began to appreciate the courage that coming to meet her would have taken.
For her part, Luna lifted her teacup, seeing that her hostess had already half finished her own. She had smelled enough of this wretched stuff from the close personal chats with her sister, but knew she could not put off the moment any longer; if she did, it would not just be foul tasting, but cold as well, and that did not appeal in the slightest.
Making sure the tastiest looking chocolate finger was within easy reach, she gently breathed out through her nose, so she didn’t have to take in the smell, and tipped the cup back in one so as not to prolong the agony. Immediately, she grasped for the biscuit and stuffed it into her mouth before even placing the cup back onto its saucer.
Rarity screamed internally at the unexpectedly coarse etiquette from a Princess no less, but her expression gave nothing away, and she politely offered another cup. Luna declined as politely as she could, preferring instead the prospect of having her mouth scrubbed out and her tongue scoured by whatever it was the cooks used to clean the dirtiest of cooking pots, but equally chose to withhold her feelings for the sake of politeness.
“So” said Rarity, “What special occasion has brought you to my humble Boutique?”
“Thou mayest find our reasons beyond thy understanding, fair Rarity, and we request thou keepest the reason to thyself.”
“Very well, I Pinkie promise.”
Luna looked at her, not understanding what a Pinkie promise was, but respected the sincerity with which it had been offered, "We have been imprisoned on the moon for a thousand years; a thousand years with no mementoes of the life we left behind, other than our regalia from Nightmare Moon and our bitterness to keep us company. Since we have been released, we have come to see another side to ourselves, not so much the vengeful warrior, but instead a mare who wants to celebrate her femininity and feel beautiful. Please … is that too much to ask?”
Rarity was stunned and went to speak, but something caught her words in her throat and instead she felt a stinging in her eyes; this poor pony just wanted to feel special, and by Celestia, she was going to do it!
“Of course” replied Rarity once she had been returned command of her voice, “Everypony deserves the right to feel special, and I shall make sure that every time you see yourself in this dress you will be the star of the show!”
“When will it be ready?”
“Come back two days from now and prepare to be wowed!”