//------------------------------//
// Beauty 
// Story: What is Love? 
// by Undome Tinwe 
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Rarity looked forward to the day she could stop taking commissions.

Granted, her current situation was far, far better than the early days, when she did not have the luxury of being selective with the work she could take on. Unless a client was unlikely to pay, Rarity would have little choice but to accept the work in order to keep Carousel Boutique afloat, and deal with their inane, unfashionable conditions and meddling.

Now, with the Carousel brand having a presence in every major city in Equestria, there was no reason for Rarity to design a specific dress for a client just for the money. However, the right celebrity or public figure wearing one of her creations was still a good boost for her business, and so, when certain individuals came to her asking for an ensemble, and Rarity knew she could hold onto her creative freedom, she would oblige them.

Still, some clients were easier to work with than others.

"Ah, c'est magnifique!" Fleur De Lis exclaimed as she spun gracefully around in the fitting room, taking in the sight of herself clad in Rarity's latest masterpiece from all angles. "You have outdone yourself once again, Mademoiselle Rarity."

The consummate socialite was a dream to work with, in addition to being one of Rarity's oldest friends in Canterlot. Her slender body made for a wonderful frame to display the more diaphanous and sweeping numbers that spun around in Rarity's imagination, and her soft palette served as a wonderful canvas for a variety of colours that Rarity had enjoyed experimenting with over the years.

But more than her physical appearance was her kind and generous nature, a moral core of steel beneath her ruthlessness. In a world of sharks, Fleur could swim and fight with the best of them, but she fought for a better world, used her connections to host grand charity galas and lobby for legislation that helped everypony, not just the elite.

And it was this inner beauty that Rarity sought to bring out with her design. The billowing layers of pale fabric projected an aura of lightness and ephemerality, while the yellow and red accents hinted at the idea of flames, making Fleur look like an angel ready to defend the defenseless with all the grace and elegance she was capable of.

"It is exactly as I dreamed it would be," Fleur gushed. "Merci beaucoup, mon amie."

"I could not have done it without you, Fleur," Rarity replied sincerely. Creating a dress was a collaborative process, and Rarity valued allowing her clients to provide input and ideas on the styles they desired.

And Fleur was both accommodating and creative, in addition to having her own flair for the dramatic.

"Marchons, marchons! Qu'un sang impur abreuve nos sillons!" Fleur struck a pose as she sung, before giggling to herself and beginning to undo the straps holding up her dress. "Let me remove this now lest I damage it before the grand event."

"Of course." Rarity helped her doff the dress, carefully undoing the various bindings that kept it on her body. "I daresay you shall steal the show and be the center of attention with this."

Fleur waved a hoof dismissively. "Oh, nonsense, Rarity. All eyes will be on you and your fiancées." She smiled. "A Wonderbolt, the High Princess of Equestria, and the great Rarity herself. How could the crowd wish to look elsewhere?"

Rarity tittered. "It is quite exciting, I must admit. I'm glad you'll be there for the wedding."

"With such a lovely dress to wear, how could I not?" Fleur teased before her expression grew more serious. "Truly, I am honoured to be invited, mon amie."

"And I am honoured to have such a good friend," Rarity replied, giving her a quick hug before she carefully placed the dress back into its protective sleeve. "Will you be taking this home now?" she asked.

"Oui." The dress floated up in Fleur's magic. "Thank you once again, Rarity. And my congratulations once again on finding love. It truly is the most beautiful thing in the world."

They exchanged their goodbyes, and soon enough, Fleur took her leave, and Rarity quickly tidied up her store as she waited for her next two clients. Her heart fluttered at the thought of them even as she sighed dramatically and draped herself over the couch.

Not everypony was so easy to work with as Fleur, unfortunately.

The chimes on the door sounded, and Rarity smiled as her beloved paramours stepped into Canterlot Carousel. "Hello, my darlings," she said, standing up and trotting over to press quick kisses against Twilight and Rainbow's cheeks. "You're early."

"I rerouted the path for our morning flight so that we'd end here," Twilight replied.

"We figured you'd need the extra time," Rainbow added with a smirk.

Rarity rolled her eyes. "How considerate of you. Come on, now, I have the first versions of the dresses ready for you to try."

"Great!" Twilight beamed as she followed Rarity, with Rainbow trailing close behind her. Despite her frown, Rarity could also sense her excitement as well— the mare liked to look good, and Rarity was the best at making a pony look their best.

"Et voila!" Rarity pulled away the curtain in her office as Twilight and Rainbow stepped inside.

"Wow." It never failed to make her heart soar when she could make Rainbow's jaw drop with her art. "That's... wow."

"Despite the... unique aerodynamic challenges presented, I was able to bring our vision to life," Rarity explained. "As terrifying as the process may have been."

"Hey, you were the one who wanted to see what each kind of fabric felt like at mach one." Rainbow's cocky grin grew wider as she slipped on the dress. "And I know you loved it by the end. Or do you want me to stop taking you up for a free fall?"

"I will admit, it was quite exhilarating once the terror subsided." Rarity used her magic to adjust the final straps locking the ensemble into place.

Rainbow Dash's wedding dress was sleek, a narrow number made entirely from aerodynamic fabrics that had required Twilight to perform fluid dynamic calculations in order to optimize. Somehow, Rarity had still managed to evoke the idea of a flowing, lacy, traditional wedding dress, in a design that she was reasonably sure had come to her in a fever dream after weeks of artist's block.

"Wow, I look good." And of course, Rainbow was ever the laconic one in delivering her assessment. "Okay, time to test this baby out!"

Before Rarity could admonish her, the passionate pegasus bolted out the window, becoming a polychromatic blur in the skies as she traced out complex patterns in the air. "Well, I never!" Rarity exclaimed, shaking her head.

Next to her, Twilight wore an amused grin as the two of them watched their beloved stress test her wedding dress. "She really does look good in that," she said. "I love how the fabric makes her shimmer when she's in motion."

"She wears it quite well." That was the secret to Rarity's success. She understood the secret to making a pony truly beautiful. It wasn't about their body shape or the color of their mane or proportions of their facial features— those were the things only an amateur looked at. While Rarity took those factors into account when deciding which types of styles might work best, she knew that a pony was at their best when they were allowed to shine, to express their passions for all to see.

After all, Twilight was never more attractive that when she threw her entire self into solving a problem with calculated intensity, and Dash was most desirable when her confidence in her flying abilities shone through her demeanour. And it came down to one thing, one life-altering revelation that Rarity had experienced long ago:

Love made a pony beautiful.

Rarity had realized long ago that her purpose was to create the clothing which allowed ponies to embody what was most important to them. In this case, it was designing an aerodynamic dress that embodied Rainbow's love of the skies, while still making it a wedding dress and thus projecting the athlete's love for Rarity and Twilight.

And now, seeing the dress in motion, Rarity knew she had succeeded.

"I can't wait to try my own dress on," Twilight said, excited curiosity brimming in her voice. "It looks like you really did manage to recreate the style of wedding dresses from the Diurnal Era."

"Your notes were of utmost importance in my creative process," Rarity replied, warming at Twilight's praise. How wonderful and strange that she had found two souls so different from herself, but who could still appreciate the passion and craft that went into her trade. Truly, Harmony was a force with a sense of humour.

"I was a little worried that Needle Eye's descriptions of the Everfree Dress wouldn't be detailed enough, but you translated the intent really well." Twilight beamed. "I'm so lucky that I get to marry someone who can make my dream wedding dress!"

"And I am fortunate to have such a lovely vision to create from." Rarity leaned over to press a kiss against Twilight's lips, and in that moment, it didn't matter how much blood, sweat, and tears she had poured into these dresses, how many revisions of the designs had been required and how many "requests" had been made — it was all worth it to see her brides-to-be smiling.

Love bloomed in Rarity's heart, and it was the most beautiful feeling in the world.