Chapter 15: The Twin Hearts
“I hope Rarity is feeling a lot better,” Applejack said as she slowly made her way to the Canterlot Boutique. It was now the following morning since their arrival in Canterlot.
“I’m sure she is,” Coloratura said as she walked beside her friend, “When I left her last night, she seemed determined to finish the dress.”
“I suppose that’s a good thing,” Applejack said.
“We’ll find out soon enough,” Coloratura nodded. Though Coloratura had wanted to stay by Rarity’s side, she had been unprepared to work a full night. Several times she had fallen asleep on her feet before Rarity insisted she leave and get some rest.
“So what does this new dress look like?” Applejack asked.
“I can’t say,” Coloratura replied, “I only managed to cut out the patterns before I started to fall asleep.”
Applejack let out a small laugh and then smiled at her friend. “I really do appreciate you helping us out on this.”
“It was no trouble,” Coloratura said, “Although, I am curious. How do you know when you’ve completed a quest?”
Applejack smiled again. “Your cutie mark will tell you. That’s how the map lets you know when you’re done.”
Coloratura took a moment to look at her flank. Although it was hidden by the dress she wore, she did not feel anything yet. A part of her wondered if she had succeeded in helping Rarity. Was there something more she was expected to do? Did she miss something? Rarity seemed confident enough when she left. What if something happened that broke that confidence.
“Here we are?” Applejack said.
Coloratura faced forward again and looked at the Canterlot Boutique. For her, it was time to find out if her words had reached Rarity. Was she able to finish the dress, or did it turn into an abomination. “Um. Do you think you can come with me this time?” Coloratura asked.
“Well…” Applejack said as she scratched her head. She knew Twilight was adamant about her not interfering. However, Applejack didn’t like the idea of avoiding a friend.
“I think a friendly face could help Rarity,” Coloratura replied.
Applejack gave a small smile. “Guess a quick hello can’t hurt.”
Coloratura smiled. She then walked up to the front entrance of the boutique with Applejack in tow. Coloratura then knocked on the door. She expected to see Rarity answer the door, but instead it was quickly answered by Sassy. “Hi Sassy. I brought-“
Sassy placed a hoof on her lips to signal Applejack and Coloratura to be quiet. “I’ll need you to be silent when you enter,” she whispered.
Coloratura and Applejack shared a look with each other before turning to Sassy. “Is something wrong,” Coloratura whispered back.
Sassy ushered the two ponies in and closed the door. “Sorry, but Rarity is asleep now. She spent all night working on that dress and then she collapsed.”
“Is she okay?” Applejack asked in concern.
“She’s exhausted,” Sassy replied. She then gave a gentle smile with tears of joy. “But I think she’s happy.”
Coloratura then looked to the back room. “What about the dress?”
Sassy’s demeanor brightened noticeably. “She wanted to show you this as soon as you arrived,” Sassy whispered. She then started to lead the two ponies into the back room.
The room had been straightened up overnight, most likely by Sassy. No longer were there any of Rarity’s ‘stress projects’ scattered around. In one corner, Rarity slept peacefully curled up on the floor using a roll of fabric as a pillow. However, the appearance of the room or Rarity’s condition was not the first thing that caught Applejack and Coloratura’s eyes.
It was the dress.
The two ponies could only stare in awe at the amount of work and craftsmanship that had been put into the garment. Even Applejack, who was never a big fan of fancy clothes, could easily see that Rarity had put her heart and soul into her work and had crafted something truly spectacular.
There was something about the dress that seemed to say it carried strength yet maintained beauty. Its primary color was a lavender shade that faded into an emerald green near the base of the garment. A series of rainbow gems lined the base trim. Along the back of the dress was a type of transparent cape that that was emerald green in color and gave the dress appearance that it had fairy like wings folded along its side. However, the one feature that stood out most on the dress was the fire ruby that was surrounded by a golden lace around the neckpiece. It wasn’t the same fire ruby Spike had given Rarity, but it was shaped in a heart and would appear on the chest of the pony who wore the dress.
“It’s…amazing,” Applejack replied.
Sassy was pleased by their reaction. “Rarity gave all she had to make this dress,” Sassy whispered, “She was hoping to show you it when you came in this morning.”
“Although I would have preferred you would have woken me up when they arrived,” a voice groaned in response.
All ponies turned to see Rarity trying to get to her feet in the corner.
“Rarity!” Applejack rushed to her friend’s side and assisted her in standing up. Applejack then gave a quick glance over Rarity’s condition. “You look you’ve worked in the barn all day,” Applejack joked.
“I suppose I do look a little…‘frazzled’,” Rarity said as she straightened her appearance a little. She then looked to the dress. “But it was worth it.”
Coloratura gave Rarity a pleasant smile. “I think it’s wonderful.”
Rarity nodded her approval. “I call it Les Coeurs Jumeaux.”
“Les Co-ur Jun – what was it again?” Applejack asked as she tried to pronounce the name.
“It means the twin hearts,” Rarity translated, “This dress represents the love shared between two individuals who share the same heart.”
“Kind of like you and Spike,” Coloratura replied.
Rarity nodded. “This is my way to show the world that a dragon and pony can be together. To show what Spike means to me.”
“Wait…So you plan to tell your actual feelings in front of the entire audience with this dress?” Applejack asked in surprise.
“I do,” Rarity said as she faced her friend. She then turned back to the dress. “I always wanted to build my own fashion empire. But I also wanted to share it with that special someone who would be by my side.” Rarity then looked to her friends. “After all, ruling from the top can be quite lonely,” she added.
Coloratura smiled in response.
Applejack still had her doubts. A part of her worried that such a plan could back fire. “Are you sure about this?”
Rarity nodded. “I don’t want Spike to be my dirty little secret anymore. I need to show everyone who I am and what Spike means to me,” Rarity replied. She then looked at the dress. “No more running.”
Applejack could see the resolution in her friend’s eyes. If ever there was a chance to undo the mess created by the gossip in the media, it was now. “Is there anything I can do to help?” Applejack asked.
Rarity turned to her friend. “I need you to bring everyone here. Especially Spike. I would very much like them to witness this event.”
Applejack nodded. “Consider it done!”
Sassy then stepped forward to address everyone. “We still need to register the dress into the fashion show. We’ll also need to create a summary to tell about the dress.”
“That will be my job,” Rarity replied, “But we still need to find a model.”
“It won’t be easy on such short notice,” Sassy said, “I think we’ll need a pony that looks like you to truly show the dress off.”
Rarity agreed. Although the dress could be designed with any two color schemes in mind, Rarity had chosen these particular colors to reflect Spike. For a white pony like herself, the dress would match her coat easily. A pony like Sassy would probably switch the color scheme to black with grey trim while a pony like Applejack would probably choose a red with a yellow trim. Rarity had made sure the design was versatile so it would not suffer the same fate as the Princess Dress and that each dress made could be made to match its owner’s coat.
“You know,” Coloratura began, “I may not be a fashion model, but I do have experience standing on stage.”
All eyes fell on Coloratura.
“Are you volunteering?” Sassy asked.
Coloratura looked at the dress. “I would like to try it on. What better way than being your model.”
Rarity took a moment to scrutinize Coloratura’s looks. Not surprising, Coloratura did have the same build as her own. Even their eye color was almost the same. The only real difference between Coloratura and herself was the shade of their manes, the shape of their eyes, and that Coloratura was an Earth Pony. However, Rarity still had her doubts as she considered who her model was. “I’m not so sure. It’s not that I don’t trust your abilities. It’s more along the lines that I want ponies to see the dress and not a famous diva on stage.”
Coloratura understood what Rarity was saying. Her appearance on stage might draw the attention of ponies if she was recognized. Ponies would focus on her rather than the dress and what Rarity wanted to say – That is unless she disguised herself. “If you dye my hair a different shade of lavender, it might cover my identity. The dress will also cover my cutie mark.”
Sassy pondered the idea for a moment. “There are a lot of ponies that try to make themselves appear like Coloratura. If we do dye her hair and change the hair style a little, she could easily pass as one of them.”
Rarity took a moment to consider the plan. “All right. We’ll do it,” she replied, “But we’ll also need to change your name as well on the register.”
Coloratura nodded in agreement.
Rarity then looked back at the dress. “I think that covers everything. We should…we should…” Rarity started to lose her footing the next moment.
“Hold on there!” Applejack said as she rushed to Rarity’s side to help her stand. “I think you should get some rest.”
Rarity looked to Applejack. “But…”
“You’re exhausted. Let us take over for now,” Applejack replied.
“We can take care of all the necessary arrangements. I’ll also fill Coloratura in on the proper way to handle herself on stage,” Sassy added.
Rarity sighed heavily at her inability to stay awake. She wanted to make sure everything worked out perfectly. She then looked to Coloratura, hoping her friend would support her in continuing on.
Coloratura approached Rarity. “You’ve done your part. Now let us help you.”
“Besides. We can’t have you falling asleep at the fashion show,” Applejack added.
Rarity conceded after some thought. It would take all her strength to address the audience at the fashion show. “Very well. I will…I will…”
Before Rarity could finish, she fell asleep again.
Gently, Applejack slowly placed Rarity back in the corner where they had found her. As Rarity was laid to rest, the three ponies gathered around and watched as she snored in contentment.
After a brief moment, Applejack then turned to the others. “Come on. It’s time to make Rarity’s dream a reality.”
X==X==X==X==X
The next day, the lights lit up the night sky of Canterlot as dozens of ponies made their way to a theatre that was hosting the Canterlot Fashion Show. The crowd was a mix of photographers, journalists, and the elite who had come to view the newest trends that were to be showcased that night. Many patiently waited to be ushered into the building, however in one section of the line, a small drama was playing out.
“Way in the back!” Rainbow Dash cried as she looked at the ticket in her hooves. She then looked to Applejack. “Couldn’t you find anything closer?”
“It was the best I could do on such short notice,” Applejack replied.
“I’m just grateful we got tickets. I’m very excited to see Rarity’s new dress,” Fluttershy said in her normal voice. “Yay.”
Rainbow Dash was not impressed by Fluttershy’s cheer. She then looked back at her ticket. “But the back? Come on,” Rainbow groaned, “I mean Twilight here is royalty! Shouldn’t she at least be allowed to sit with Princess Celestia, along with us?”
Twilight rolled her eyes at Rainbow’s comment. Though she probably could have used her status to get better seats, it wouldn’t have been right to remove other ponies from their assigned seating.
“I wouldn’t worry!” Pinkie shouted happily. The next moment, she raced away in a flash. When she returned, she had a pair of binoculars in her hooves. “I have secret stashes of binoculars all around here!”
Everyone looked to Pinkie Pie in surprise.
“For real?” Rainbow Dash said in surprise.
“Yep!” Pinkie smiled happily.
Applejack only gave a shrug. “This is Pinkie Pie we’re talking about here.”
“That’s true,” Twilight smiled. No matter what the situation, Pinkie Pie always seemed to have whatever they needed on hand. Twilight just wished she could scientifically explain how Pinkie Pie managed to come prepared in such situations. The concept boggled her as much as Pinkie Pie’s twitching senses.
Twilight then looked to her side at the only one who did not seem excited about the upcoming fashion show. Standing next to her was Spike who only appeared to be staring at his ticket. “Are you okay, Spike?”
Spike looked up at Twilight. “I guess,” he said, though his voice lacked its normal enthusiasm.
“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked.
Spike let out a deep sigh. “I’m…I’m just a little worried.”
“About Rarity?” Twilight asked, though she knew the answer already.
Spike nodded.
“Don’t worry,” Twilight replied, “I’m sure Rarity will come through.”
Applejack walked up to join Twilight. “She’ll come through,” Applejack assured the little dragon, “I may not know much about fashion, but I know hard work when I see it. And Rarity put a lot of work into that dress.”
“It’s not that,” Spike replied, “I’m just worried she might succeed.”
Twilight and Applejack shared a look. They then looked at Spike. “What do you mean?” Twilight asked.
“Well it’s…How do I explain this,” Spike sighed in frustration, “On the one hand, I want to see Rarity succeed so she can get her business back and be happy again. But if that happens, does that mean I’ll need to stay away from her to keep her safe? I don’t want ponies to criticize her over me, but I want to be with her,” Spike rambled.
“Well…um,” Twilight stuttered.
“And if she fails, that means ponies may not shop at her stores anymore. Then she doesn’t have to worry about other ponies seeing us together. But she won’t be happy,” Spike continued. He then let out another sigh as he rubbed his head. “I feel like I’m the bad guy no matter what I hope for.”
Applejack could only snicker silently at Spike’s flawed reasoning. She could see Spike wanted to be with Rarity, but at the same time wanted to protect her like any dragon would want to protect its own treasure. Applejack had not explained Rarity’s plan in order to keep it a surprise. She only mentioned Rarity needed everyone’s support, especially Spike’s. “I wouldn’t worry your little head off. Rarity has something special for you.”
Spike looked at Applejack questioningly, “What do you mean?”
“You’ll see,” Applejack smiled.
Spike could not deny he was anxious to find out how things would play out that night. Based on what Applejack said, it sounded like Rarity did have a plan. But could she fix things so the two of them could be together. Spike only sighed heavily as he was forced to await the outcome.
“Don’t worry, Spike!” another high pitched voice cried out, “We got your back as well!”
For a brief moment, everyone was surprised by the sound of Sweetie Belle’s voice. Immediately they turned toward the source to see Sweetie Belle, the other Cutie Mark Crusaders, and two other ponies approaching them from the side.
“Sweetie Belle?” Applejack said in surprise as she turned to face them. “Apple Bloom!” she said a moment later when she saw her sister, “What are you doing here?”
Apple Bloom gave a smile as she and the others approached. “We’re here to help Rarity!”
Twilight stood perplexed as she looked at the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Help her? How?” she then looked to the two ponies who were following behind them. “And who are these ponies?”
For Spike, the two ponies who followed the Cutie Mark Crusaders seemed familiar. He was sure he had met them before, but could not place his claw on it.
“I’m Sandy Fashion and this is Cherry Pie,” Sandy introduced herself.
“We are the writers of Filly Fashion!” Cherry Pie continued.
Spike’s eyes lit up the next second as the realization hit him. “You’re the ones who published that article!” he shouted as he pointed an accusing claw at them.
“Huh?” Twilight said as she looked down at Spike in surprise.
Spike turned to face Twilight. “They are the same ponies who interviewed Rarity and me at that ball and published that gossip column that started all of this,” Spike explained.
Both Sandy and Cherry Pie cringed slightly as they heard the accusations. “Um…Yes,” Sandy confessed, “We are the ones who wrote that article.”
Rainbow stared down angrily at the two ponies as she hovered in the air. “Do you know how much trouble you caused?” she demanded, “Especially for Rarity!”
Sandy Fashion and Cherry Pie looked each other for a moment then turned back to Rainbow Dash. “We do,” Cherry Pie said, “And we’re sorry.”
“I also got photographed in a wedding dress because of you guys!” Rainbow added.
“Rainbow!” Twilight said as she tried to calm her friend, “Let’s hear them out. At the very least, I want hear what they have to say.” However, Twilight could understand why Spike and Rainbow were angry.
“Hmph!” Rainbow Dash crossed her arms and waited for an answer from the two ponies.
“We do apologize for all the trouble we caused,” Sandy Fashion answered.
“We were just desperate for a story,” Cherry Pie confessed, “We needed something to get our magazine off the ground.”
“When we saw how it was damaging Rarity’s career, we discontinued it,” Sandy Fashion continued, “We did not mean to cause so much harm.”
As Fluttershy looked at the Cutie Mark Crusaders and the two other ponies, she began to remember a similar even from their past. “It sounds like how the Cutie Mark Crusaders were writing those Gabby Gums columns,” she said.
“That’s exactly it!” Apple Bloom replied.
“Actually, these two drew their inspiration from our Gabby Gums columns,” Sweetie Belle said.
“And…kind of made the same mistakes,” Scootaloo finished.
“We are sorry,” Cherry Pie chipped in.
Twilight and her friends looked at each other as they remembered the problems that arose from the Gabby Gums Columns. It was hard to believe that such an incident could repeat itself and cause even more trouble. “So, why are you here now?” Twilight asked the two ponies after a moment of silence.
“The Cutie Mark Crusaders asked us to,” Sandy replied, “They wanted to see if we could make an article about Spike and Rarity that shows their point of view.”
“We only want to undo out mistake,” Cherry Pie continued.
Twilight could see in their eyes that the two ponies were looking for redemption. However, what they were asking for was something she could not give. Instead, Twilight looked down at one of the only two who could make that decision. “Spike? What do you think?”
Spike admitted to himself that he was not happy to see these particular two ponies. However he did see that the two ponies had made the same silly mistakes that the Cutie Mark Crusaders had made. A part of him wanted to voice out all the trouble they caused. But at the same time, Spike wondered if he should give them a chance to redeem themselves. Maybe they could help get him and Rarity back together. “I guess,” Spike said cautiously, “If Rarity agrees to it, I would be willing to.”
“Thank you!” Cherry Pie cheered, “We promise to do everything we can to help!”
Sandy Fashion then noticed some movement in the corner of her eye near the entrance to the theatre. After taking a quick glance in the general direction, she then turned to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Looks like we better get in line. They are letting ponies in.”
Twilight and the others looked in the same direction Sandy Fashion had and saw ponies were slowly being admitted in. Twilight then looked down at the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Wait,” she asked, “Do you have tickets to get in?”
Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom all nodded and held up their own tickets in unison.
“Sandy Fashion and Cherry Pie were kind enough to give us seats next to them,” Sweetie Belle cheered
“Unfortunately they are in the sixth row back,” Scootaloo added.
“The sixth row?” Rainbow Dash said in surprise, “We got stuck all the way in the back! How did you get seats so close?”
Sandy Fashion laughed nervously, “My cousin has connections,” she replied.
Rainbow turned to Twilight the next moment. “See!” she called out, “If you had used your connections with Celestia, we would have had better seats!”
Twilight only moaned in response.
X==X==X==X==X
The scene was utter chaos as fashion designers back stage rushed to prepare their line-up to be viewed by the hundreds of ponies that had gathered to see their work. Many of the models sat in front of mirrors making final touchups to their appearance while they waited to be called onto the stage. The ponies who were debuting their work for the first time were in a slight state of panic as they rushed to prepare their presentation.
For Coloratura, the scene reminded her of how stage hands would rush around in a panic to prepare for one of her concerts.
“More eye shadow!”
Coloratura closed her eyes instinctively and felt the makeup being placed on her eyes.
“No! Maybe less!”
Coloratura remained still as some of the makeup was wiped off. For her, sitting in front of a mirror as ponies applied makeup was not uncommon. She wasn’t fond of the procedure, but knew it was necessary. Especially in this case since she wanted to conceal her identity.
Rarity took a moment to scrutinize her work for a moment. “So…What do you think?”
Coloratura opened her eyes and examined herself in the mirror. Once again, she found her natural beauty was hidden by layers of makeup. Her hair color had been dyed so that the teal stripe in it was no longer visible and the lavender was a lighter shade. Her hair had also been stylized to look more like Rarity’s hair style rather than her own natural curls. For Coloratura, she looked more like someone trying to impersonate Rarity rather than a pony trying to impersonate herself. “I think we almost look like sisters,” Coloratura teased.
“Really?” Rarity moved her head next to Coloratura’s and compared her reflection to her model. She then gave a shrug. “I already have one sister and she’s a hoof full.”
Coloratura giggled at Rarity’s comment. “I’ll try not to be too much trouble.”
“Well. At least I don’t think anyone will recognize you,” Rarity said. She then looked down at the robe Coloratura was wearing. “How does the dress fit?”
Coloratura stood up from her seat and pulled the robe off that she had used to protect the dress. She then walked in a small circle to show it off to Rarity. “I think it’s beautiful. I might have to keep it.”
“I suppose I could consider that for your services,” Rarity replied. She then gave a heavy sigh. “I guess it’s almost time.”
Coloratura turned to face Rarity. She then placed a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “You can do this, Rarity. I felt the same way before I went on stage in Ponyville. Just let the audience know who you are.”
Rarity took a moment to remember that fateful day. After her famous song in Ponyville, Coloratura had become even more popular than before. However, she was able to drop her ‘Countess’ title and be more like the pony she wanted to be.
But Rarity wondered if she could pull off the same miracle. She hoped so. She wanted an end to this nightmare and to rekindle the love she had with her Spikey-Wikey. She only hoped that ponies would be willing to listen to what she was going to say. “In truth, I wish Spike was here now,” she sighed, “He would always cheer me on in such situations.” Rarity then let out an awkward giggle, “He always did like to flatter me.”
“You’re the best, Rarity!”
Rarity was caught by surprise for a moment by the deep masculine voice Coloratura made. She looked at her model in total surprise.
“Is that what he would say?” Coloratura asked with a teasing smile.
Rarity mockingly pointed her nose in the air. “Your voice was completely off. Spike’s voice has a deeper base sound to it. He would also say it with a more romantic feel,” Rarity criticized. She then gave an amused smile at Coloratura, “But I suppose it was close enough.”
Coloratura giggled at Rarity’s reaction before replying. “I’m sure he’s out there,” Coloratura assured her friend.
Rarity smiled as she heard this. It gave her strength believing that Spike was at least among the crowd outside. But was she ready to pour her heart out in front of everyone else to let them know the truth.
“Five minutes Ms. Rarity! Five Minutes!” a stage hand shouted.
Rarity took in a deep breath. “I guess this is it.”
Coloratura looked into Rarity’s eyes. “You can do this, Rarity. Just believe in yourself.”
Rarity smiled at her friend’s confidence. No matter what, she was determined to fulfill her dream.
To Be Continued…