//------------------------------//
// The Human's New Clothes 
// Story: A New Face in Ponyville 
// by MeowthRocket 
//------------------------------//

It took all of a minute for the 4 of them to arrive at the Carousel Boutique and by now, the teen was completely awestruck. From it's majestic pointed purple roof to the golden framed windows, he knew the pony inside had to be beyond fancy... which made him even more nervous to go inside covered in traces of mud and water.

"I... I don't know... this seems like a really fancy building..", Josh murmured, his voice faintly audible to the others.

"C'mon, don't be shy!", Rainbow Dash said, nudging his elbow, "I've gone in a lot messier... heck, you should see how Applejack goes in at times!"

"Applejack?", Josh quiried, turning back towards Twilight and Spike, "Is she another of your friends?"

"That's correct.", Twilight replied with a nod, "I was gonna take you to meet her after we got done here."

With a shrug, Josh raised his fist and give the closed boutique door a few knocks. Almost instantly, an elegant and posh voice gave them all a reply.

"Come in! The door's unlocked!"

With a smile of relief, Josh opened the door and found himself looking inside at a beautiful studio. Majestic gowns and outfits hung on mannequins, plans and designs for other outfits were pinned up on the wall in a straight line, there was even a set of full-length mirror in one section of the studio.

"With that, the last ideal of my conception of a pony kingdom is torn to shreds...", Josh whispered as he found himself spellbound by the beauty of all the clothing surrounding him. He never imagined they'd actually WEAR clothing here, but by now all his stereotyped images of a land of ponies had been torn away and replaced with images that were far better. It was then he heard a lovestruck sigh and, turning towards Spike, he found the dragon looking ahead at the unicorn working calmly at the sewing and crafting table with hearts in his eyes. It was a pure white unicorn, her coat as shiny as Celestia's, her mane and tail purple, velvety, and styled, her cutie mark of a set of diamonds almost glistening in the rays of the sun shining through the open window nearby. As she worked, Josh swore he could hear her humming... But the teen was almost scared to interrupt her work and Rainbow Dash couldn't help but groan as she nudged his arm again, trying to get him to find his voice and speak up.

"Hello?", Josh quivered, "Are.. are you the unicorn in charge here?"

Using her magic to set down the pair of dress scissors she had been using, the unicorn turned around softly. "Why yes I aAAAH!", she screamed in shock at seeing the creature before her soaking wet and with splotches of mud on his clothes. If it were any one of her friends, she'd have been annoyed for them not knowing better than to try and keep the boutique clean.. but she could tell this creature was different and definitely new. "Darling, what happened to you?"

Blowing a wet strand of hair out of his eyes and letting it fall back down limply, Josh finally spoke up. "Your friend, Rainbow Dash, and I had a bad encounter with a mud puddle... and Twilight said you could help me get clean?"

The unicorn gave a big grin and, to the teens shock, stood up on her hindhooves and placed her forehooves on her sides, looking at him in bemusement. "Oh sweetie, Rarity can do MORE than that! Come on, lets get you out of those wet clothes!"

It took all of a few minutes for Josh to get out of his wet shirt and jeans, the sight of him just in his wet pair of blue boxers making Rainbow Dash and Spike start laughing with even Rarity hiding a snicker, and now he was sitting on a cushion near the mirrors watching Rarity rummaging through her closet looking for an outfit for the teen to wear.

"How do you even have an outfit that would fit me?", Josh couldn't help but ask through his cold shivers, 'I didn't think any creature like me had ever been here before!"

"Ha ha, darling you don't become the number one fashionestria in Equestria without practicing making clothes for all sorts of species! I may have to do a little altering to get something in your size, but it shouldn't take too long!"

Josh gave a smile, but shivered from the coldness enveloping him from the mix of the water in his flesh and the fact he now only had on his blue boxers. Twilight could see the teen was freezing and she turned towards the searching designer. "Rarity, isn't there something he could wear while you're finding something for him?"

Rarity put her hoof to her chin, thinking for a moment, before she lit up. "As a matter of fact, there is!". Using her magic, she made one of her spa bathrobes float over to the teen. It was one she had designed that ended up being too big for her, but she had a feeling it would fit the human snugly. "Go ahead, try it on! If you like it, you can keep it!"

"Really?", Josh asked, holding the white terricloth robe in his hands, "I can keep this beautiful robe?"

"It's too big for me anyways and I have a dozen more in my size, including 3 in that same color!", Rarity replied with a grin, "Go on, try it!"

Looking to Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Spike for approval and getting a set of nods, Josh slipped the plush white robe on over his wet body. It fit perfectly and sent a warm cuddly feeling through his body as he moaned in pleasure.

"If this is a hand-me-down, I cannot WAIT to see how beautiful new fashions are here... this is magnificent!"

Blushing, Rarity turned back to the closet and rummaged around before pulling out a big white t-shirt, a pair of velvet sweatpants, and a set of fingerless black gloves, all items that left the four of them in shock.

"Rarity, where'd you GET that stuff?", Rainbow Dash blurted out.

"I had a Griffyn place an order for casual clothes, but he ended up changing his order after I made these, the rude thing!", Rarity huffed.

"I'm.. I'm sorry.", Josh said remorsefully. He knew he had nothing to do with it, but to see someone pull a switcheroo on such a kind designer hurt him.

"Darling, it's not your fault. There's just some species out there with no appreciation for good clothing."

"Actually, my name's not Darling...", Josh murmured softly, gaining a chuckle from the unicorn, "but I know all too well what you mean... in my world, people spent oodles of money on outfits and then throw them away after one wearing." It was then he had a faint feeling they didn't know what money was here and he began to open his mouth to explain, but Rarity beat him to it.

"It's sad that your kind is so frivolious with money. Here, we RARELY spend bits and coins on things we never plan to use. But what IS your name, sweetie?"

"Ok, NOW all my preconceptions are gone!", Josh thought to himself before he answered Rarity, "Joshua, but I prefer to go by Josh."

Rarity let out another giggle at Josh's unique name before she levitated the clothes onto the table and began to work her magic. "It may take a little time before I'm done with the altering.", she mentioned, "If you want, you can get in a quick nap in my bedroom. I'm sure you must be EXHAUSTED from your travels!". The way she said it made Josh almost think she WANTED him to rest in her bed as if to be able to say she had housed a foreign species, but in all honesty the teen WAS a bit drained from all he was processing so far and he turned to the others.

"Is that alright with you, Twilight? Rainbow? Spike?"

"Sure! Go ahead!", Twilight smiled, "It'll give me a chance to talk to Pinkie Pie about your party! You can just meet us at Sugarcube corner when you're all rested."

"Wait, WHAT party?", the teen asked puzzled.

"Knowing Pinkie Pie, she's probably already got one set in motion for you. She's given EVERYPONY here a party or two!", Spike replied as he and Twilight Sparkle began to head out of the boutique before he turned back to Rainbow Dash. He'd noticed the pegasus was looking at Josh fondly and hadn't made her move to leave. "Rainbow Dash? Ya coming?"

"Actually... I may stay here with Josh if that's alright with Rarity... somehow I get the feeling when he wakes up, he may want proof it's not all a dream."

"You know, that's something I'd have expected myself to say!", Twilight admitted before looking at Rarity.

"If she wants, she can stay. Just don't knock over the mannequins into the window again!"

This got a big laugh out of Twilight, Spike, and Josh, the dragon having to brace himself against Twilight's side he was laughing so hard. All the while, Rainbow Dash just looked away to hide the blush in her cheeks, still trying to forget when she'd broken the window 2 days ago when she'd gone to pick up an outfit for Fluttershy and had tripped on a bobbin, causing a hilarious domino reaction that ended with the window having a mannequin through it.

"Oh ha ha.", she laughed sarcastically as Twilight and Spike bade them farewell and headed out, leaving Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Josh standing there before the teen spoke up again.

"Um... miss Rarity, where is your bedroom?"

"It's that door right next to the full-length mirrors. That leads to the living area of my studio.", she answered hard at work on the alterations. With a nod, Josh and Rainbow Dash went over to the big door and opened it to reveal the stylish getup of Rarity's home. There was a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and even a couple bedrooms.

"Will this place ever cease to amaze me?", Josh wondered as he walked into the open bedroom, the other one with the novelty plaque reading SWEETIE BELLE, an item that he immediately noticed and turned to Rainbow Dash as if looking for an explanation.

"Sweetie Belle's her sister.", the pegasus replied as they entered the unicorn's giant bedroom with the teen falling backwards onto her big plush bed and basking in its comfort. Rainbow Dash noticed the teen fall and she couldn't help but look at him in worry. "You ok, dude?"

"Yeah, Dash, I'm cool... Just tired... and wondering what other surprises await me here... you know when I wake up from my nap, I half-expect this all to have been a beautiful dream... That's why I didn't object to you staying with me... it'll be nice to have a cool reminder that I'm in a genuine Ponyville...

The compliment earned him a grin from the pegasus who took a seat on one of the nearby chairs as she watched the teen crawl under the covers of Rarity's bed and bundle himself up beneath her plush sheets and in a matter of seconds, he'd fallen into a deep sleep. In spite of her tomboyish demeanor, she felt her heart starting to melt a little at seeing Josh resting under the sheet, his head laying back in Rarity's giant pillow, his hands resting onto his belly. Looking around to her sides to make sure no one was watching, she went to the bed and leaned down, whispering something into his ear. She didn't know if the teen could hear her, but from the small smile that went onto his face, she had a feeling it did. With a smile, she went back to the chair and sat back before closing her eyes and drifting off into sleep herself.
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"Josh! Rainbow Dash! Wake up!"

Opening the door to her bedroom, Rarity saw the pegasus and human both fast asleep and with a smile, she called out to them, watching as they both woke up. Josh looked around after rubbing his eyes and, after seeing Rainbow Dash and Rarity, he grinned.

"Heh, looks like this isn't a dream.", he muttered as he climbed out of the big plush bed, yawning and stretching out his arms before turning to the unicorn, "From that grin, I'd say-"

Rarity cut him off with a nod. "They just got finished, darling! Come and see for yourself!". With that, she turned and went back into the boutique. Shrugging, Josh and Rainbow Dash followed her into the giant studio. What they saw made their hearts pound.

"Oh... my... god...", was all Josh could get out. Resting on a big mannequin of a pony were two sets of clothes. One was his old set, now dry and ready to be worn again... but it was the second that took their breath away. The white T now was a thick golden color, streams of gems running down both arms, the sweatpants now with red stripes and emeralds in the kneecaps embroidered amidst the black velvet, the fingerless gloves sporting a small diamond on each back, and as a bonus, a pair of jet black flip-flops with a line of sapphire along the straps. Altogether, it could have easily fetched half a cool million back in his world, yet selling them was the LAST thing on his mind.

"What do you think? I thought since you're the first human to ever come here, I could whip you up something special."

"You mean you WHIPPED this up?", Rainbow Dash gasped, "Rarity, this is one of your best works yet! Even I'M wanting to try it on!"

Josh could only open and close his mouth similar to Twilight had when she first saw him and Celestia. "Rarity... miss Rarity... they look amazing! No, forget amazing... THEY LOOK MAJESTIC!"

At this, Rarity couldn't help but blush. "Aw, you're just saying that..."

"Let me put it this way... where I'm from, there's over 1,000 different designer wardrobes... and that one outfit alone puts them ALL to shame!"

The white unicorn had never been so flattered. This new species was absolutely fawning over her work... this was what she loved most about her profession. "Josh, you're too kind! Come on, try them!"

Eagerly, Josh went over to the mannequin and slipped on the shirt. It fit perfectly, like they were meant to be together. The same went for the pants, gloves, and flip-flops, they all slipped on as if they were made exactly for his size. Walking over to the giant mirrors, Josh admired his sparkling reflection, a look of pride in his face. "I... I look awesome!"

"There's just one more touch it needs!", Rarity smiled, "Hold out your arms."

Without wasting a second, the teen held his arms out at length as the unicorn used her magic to pick up the jacket, float it over to him, and slip it onto his back before she nodded to the teen to lower them again. As he lowered his arms, Josh had never felt so... so fancy.

"How... how much do I owe you?", Josh managed to sputter out, "This HAS to be expensive!"

"Yeah!", Rainbow Dash agreed, "This looks like one of your most star-studded outfits yet, even counting the Gala clothes!"

"Well I figure you don't really have any bits on you, right?"

Josh nodded, having figured out that bits were their equivalent to money. "Not a one..."

"This one's on me. Consider it a welcoming present to Ponyville and Equestria!"

Josh couldn't help but let out a big blush at this. "This is a WAY better present than what that EPA gave me!"

Those three letters made Rarity's blood run cold. "EPA... You don't mean the Equestria Pony Alliance... do you?"

"The one and the same...", Rainbow Dash groaned, "They were calling him some pretty bad names, telling him to get out of Equestria!"

Rarity sat on her haunches and rested her head on her hoof. "I know those pains all too well. They tried to recruit me because I come from a pure-bred bloodline... but I wanted nothing to do with them!"

"Really?", Josh replied in shock. He kinda expected someone like Rarity to be IN with them.

"Josh, darling, I know I look and act posh and fancy. But I'm certainly not bigoted! Anyone who wants to stay in Equestria should be allowed to... as long as-"

"They have good intentions!", Rainbow Dash and Josh chimed in unison with her, gaining a smirk from the unicorn.

"Celestia and Twilight Sparkle were talking to me about that same thing!", Josh admitted, "But I told her what I'll tell you. I prefer this my special secret and want to keep this place in its natural state... well as best as a human can."

Rarity nodded in agreement. "Yes, I'm figuring you may be teaching some of us a few things, including my Sweetie Belle."

"Speaking of Sweetie Belle, where is she anyways?", Rainbow Dash had to ask.

"She's out with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo seeing if they're not Cutie Mark Crusader Tire Swingers!", she replied, getting a chuckle from the teen. Immediately, she had a feeling she knew why he was giggling. "Scootaloo, right?"

Still snickering, Josh nodded. "I'm sorry, but that's just a really funny name! No offense to you guys."

"Nah, it's cool!", Rainbow Dash said before she turned to Rarity, "I think maybe me and Josh should head to Sugarcube Corner. We were gonna meet up with Twilight and Spike so he could meet the rest of the group."

"Very well. Feel free to come back anytime, you two!"

"Oh you SO know I will!", Josh answered as he fetched his old dried clothes and headed out the door with Rainbow Dash, waving to Rarity happily. But as she waved back, she couldn't help but shudder not at the teen, but at the EPA coming after him. He seemed like a nice guy...