The Fine Art of Dressmaking
Twilight and I headed down to grab some breakfast before we had to check out of the room. Although I hate getting up early, food was definitely a worthy cause. The Prench toast here was amazing, by the way. Anyway, I was pretty stoked about Twilight wanting to hang out with me at the gala. Not that I could blame her!
The gala was coming up, and soon it would be time to put on those fancy-shmancy dresses and strut our stuff in front of every snooty 'nose-in-the-air-type' pony in Equestria. Heck, if it weren't for Pinkie and the Wonderbolts, that whole thing would be a giant snore-fest.
The dining hall was already filled with construction ponies setting up for the gala. I guess they started setting up sooner than I thought.
"So, you ready to stand in front of Rarity for hours while she takes your measurements?" I teased. I knew Twilight liked it about as much as any of my other friends. Except Fluttershy. She could absolutely hate something, but you wouldn't know it.
"Oh, it's not so bad if you bring a book to read while you wait." I probably should have seen that coming. After breakfast, we checked out of the room and stood in the gardens outside of the castle. Not much grows on clouds, so being down where the flowers bloom had its advantages. Thankfully, there was no cab waiting for us.
"So, you just gonna walk home this time?"
Twilight giggled. I've gotta admit, I don't hate it when she does that.
"No, I think I'll just teleport." She turned to me. "I've got room for one more if you don't want to fly."
Let's get one thing straight. For me, there's no 'don't want to fly' anywhere in my vocabulary. But... I did want to get to know Twilight a bit better, and I'd already taken her for a flight, so I might as well check out how she got around.
"Okay, I guess trying it wouldn't hurt."
"Great!" She was beaming at this point. Was this all it took to make this mare happy? "Just come over here and set a hoof on my shoulder."
I did what she said to do, and waited for her to start before she shared this gem with me: "Try not to open your eyes during the spell or you might get sick!"
"Wh—" Before I even had time to question it, the two of us were rocketing through some kind of multicolored tunnel. Colors I could never begin to describe zipped past us and swirled all around us like I'd just eaten the wrong kind of mushrooms. I felt like I was traveling faster than I'd ever flown before. Weirdly enough, the entire trip took less than one second, but it felt a lot longer. Before I knew it, we were standing in the middle of Twilight's library.
"Well, that wasn't so bad—"
I promptly bent over and hurled right in the center of Twilight's floor. "Spike! Get the mop!" I heard Twilight shout as I caught my breath. Sorry, Spike. I'll get you... something for your trouble. Maybe a lock of Rarity's mane.
"I guess we're even now, huh?" I asked.
Even though I just puked on her floor, Twilight was still pretty cool about it. "Yeah, I guess we are."
After I borrowed some mouthwash from Twi, I figured it was about time I got the whole 'dress' thing out of the way. "So, when are you going to Rarity's?"
"I was planning on getting it out of the way today if she had the time." I guess there's no time like the present, right?
"Mind if I tag? I might as well get it over with now," I said, finally keeping my stupid cheeks under control.
"Sure!" she replied, "Be sure to bring a book, though."
Egghead.
"Right, see ya, I gotta check on Tank." I took off through her window and headed back to my place to make sure the old fella hadn't fallen through my house. "Later, Twi. I'll meet ya there!"
I certainly admired Rainbow's energy. No sooner had she emptied her stomach onto my floor than she was out the window, flying like it'd never happened! Spike was not as impressed as I was.
"C'mon!" he protested, filling the mop bucket up with water. "There's a trash can right there!" Well, it probably wouldn't hurt to save Spike the hard labor. One levitation spell later, and the refuse was in the refuse bin, where it belonged.
"I know. Rainbow probably wasn't happy about it either." He gave me one of those cute pouts. I hope he never outgrows those chubby little dragon cheeks!
"Then why isn't she mopping the floor?"
"Because she isn't here." I moved to the couch and reclined. Ugh... nothing will ever be as soft as that bed in the castle. Comparatively, this couch felt like it was made of granite, and I love this couch! Furniture envy aside, I figured it was about time to wipe the sour expression of my assistant's face.
"Buck up, Spike." He mumbled something, which I assumed was something to the effect of: 'Of course, Twilight!' "We're going to Rarity's as soon as you're done mopping." That put some pep in his step. Although I was expecting his 'I heart Rarity' tee shirt, this time he decided to switch it up with the jeweled bow tie she had made for him. Dashing, if I do say so myself.
"Floor's done! What are we doing at Rarity's?" he asked, rising and falling on his toes.
"Well, we're gonna get you fitted for your tux, and I'm getting fitted for my dress." Of course, that was all it took. Spike ceased being a grumpy dragon, and we set out towards Rarity's boutique. This time, I decided to walk. As we did, I thought back to last night. We did a great job of casting the aurora—the princess said so herself! But, something's been absent for a while.
I don't normally let my emotions cloud my judgment, but lately I've been feeling... well, like I'm just going through the motions of my life. Like there's something I should be doing, studying, or researching, but I just can't figure out what it is. It's... it's a kind of emptiness that only creeps in when I'm trying to sleep, or have idle time. It's like a nagging hollowness that no amount of studying or field research could fill, and yet... last night it was conspicuously absent.
As we were settling in for a good night's rest, I waited, dreading the inevitability of my overactive mind keeping me up with all sorts of errant thoughts.
Did I leave the kettle on at home? Is Spike doing okay by himself? When's the next time Owlowicsious will drop a dead mouse on my doorstep saying 'I love you' in what I assume is some bizarre owl custom?
These are the kinds of thoughts that keep me up at night. Unimportant, I know, but try telling me that at three in the morning while I re-read Trotstoy for the third time, simply trying to outlast my tired brain.
What was different about my night at the palace, however, was that as I lay ready to drown my overactive mind with a sleeping elixir Zecora had concocted for me (which was highly effective, though left me somewhat drowsy the morning after), a most curious thing happened. I slept! Completely enveloped in the REM stages with no untimely waking!
It. Was. Glorious.
I had to wonder what had induced my sleep so soundly. I could only assume it was simply exhaustion. Casting such a spell took a lot out of me, but it wasn't as though I was falling asleep standing up. In fact, after I had gone on a marathon of reading and taking notes on the subtleties of the ancient religious texts from the Coltalonian empire, I was arguably more tired than last night.
Maybe it was Rainbow...
"Maybe what was Rainbow?" I nearly bucked Spike off my back! Looks like I was thinking out loud again!
"Oh, uhm... she left her book in my saddlebag," I said quickly. "She'd forget her wings if they weren't on her back!" Spike didn't look convinced, but I didn't have time to worry. We had apparently been standing outside Rarity's for a few minutes already. I hate getting lost in my thoughts sometimes.
"So, are we going to go inside, or...?" Spike certainly had a smart mouth on him today. Pushing into the showroom, the small bell above the door announced our entry.
"Welcome to the Carousel B—oh, Twilight!" Rarity called from the corner of the room where a grumpy looking Rainbow Dash stood, clothed in a partly completed dress. "And my handsome young dragon, Spike." If he hadn't hopped off my back, I'd swear he would have melted right then and there. Oh, to be a lovestruck baby dragon...
Rarity set her measuring tape down, trotting over to her desk and making a few marks. "So, am I to assume you're here for the same thing as Rainbow Dash?"
"That's right," I replied, taking a seat on her fainting couch. "The gala's only a few days away."
"Well, I certainly hope you're in a more... sporting mood."
"I've been up here for too long already!" Rainbow fired back from atop the platform.
"Darling, please. It's been ten minutes at the most."
"Ten minutes too long..." Dash grumbled. For all her bravado, she certainly looked cute trying to deny her own femininity. I mean, she could deny it all she wanted, but when you look good in a formal gown, you look good in a formal gown. Applejack was like that too, though at least she kept an open mind.
"Twilight, can you lend a horn?" She asked, gesturing to Rainbow.
"No problem," I said. "Always glad to help!"
"I appreciate it." Rarity sighed, turning back to Dash. "I'll be finished a lot faster so Ms. Impatience here can finally stop standing still."
Okay, so truthfully, I came straight to Rarity's after I left Twilight's. I wanted to try and get this out of the way so I could see what kind of dress Rarity had in mind for Twi. Not that I care about how good she looks in a dress. She does, but that's not important.
I would just as soon go naked to the gala than wear something that brings out my mane and eyes so well. Seriously! Anyway, I had to have been close to being done before Rarity called Twilight over to help.
"Where do you need me?" she asked. Rarity gave her another string with measurements on it, and she took a spot on my other side.
"If you could get a measurement on her withers..." she asked as I felt her magic tingle across my back. That's something I think a lot of unicorns don't realize: having magic used on you can take some getting used to. "Thank you, dear."
Rarity moved back to her desk to make a few more marks while Twilight held her string. "Anything else you need me to do?" she asked.
"Actually, I want to see how different palettes contrast with the... unique hue of Rainbow's mane." She turned to me, like my permission meant anything at this point. "You don't mind, do you?"
"No..." I sighed.
"Wonderful!" If there was one thing about Rarity I admired, it was how much she loved fashion and designing and all that girly junk. I mean, it's not my thing, but she didn't half-ass anything dress related. "Twilight, be a dear and hold these pieces of fabric against her."
Of course, I couldn't care less what color she picked, but I trusted her. "How's this?" A series of whites, blues and light greens came and went while I stood trying not to die of boredom. I know Twilight told me to bring a book, but one thing she forgot was that I had no way to hold it. My wings aren't long enough to hold a book in front of my face, and I need four hooves to balance.
"Lovely," Rarity replied. "Now, drape these pieces over her shoulders, but hold them tightly. I want to see how her figure looks in this shade." This was a part I wasn't really prepared for. Instead of using magic, Twilight just walked behind me like a stallion that'd seen something he liked and threw the fabric over my back. On top of that, she then threw herself on my back to keep the fabric stretched! Now, having Twilight on my back was like wearing a hat—hardly noticeable for a jacked pegasus like myself. But, no matter how hard I tried to block it out, one thought stayed in my head.
Twilight was on top of me. For Celestia's sake, I could smell her mane from here! It smelled amazing, by the way. Most ponies would assume she smells like lavender, because she's a similar color, but I think that's racist. I remember one stallion at the bar one night told me I smelled like rain. Rain! Can you believe that? I mean, what does rain even smell like? It's water! Anyway, Twilight shifted on top of me as she swapped out the different color sheets. I was screaming at my wings to stay put, but they never listen...
I made it to the last color before I couldn't hold them back any longer. I had to let 'em fly.
"Oh... uhm... Rainbow, is something the matter?" Rarity asked as my shame stuck out like two extremely sensitive sore hooves. Why couldn't I have used one of those fabric sheets to cover my head?
I took a deep breath. They'd be gone as long as I don't think about anything sexy. Especially not that dream I had last night—damnit! Unsexy thoughts, Rainbow! Unsexy!
Granny Smith and the preacher pony on a cold day, Granny Smith and the preacher pony on a cold day...
I felt my primaries begin to loosen. Thank Celestia for small miracles. "Sorry about that, Rainbow. I wasn't really looking where I was putting my hooves," Twilight apologized. Honestly, I knew she wasn't the type to cop a feel, so I knew she had no idea what she was doing.
"It's okay." I tried to play it off, but it was tough, even for me. "Is that all?" I asked, turning to Rarity as my wings finally began to get flexible again.
"Yes, the captive is free to go." Rarity made a final mark on her design desk before setting her glasses on her forehead. "The dress will be ready the evening of the gala."
"Got it. Later, guys!" With that, I left the same way I came in: through a window. Doors are for suckers. Anyway, now that that huge embarrassment was over with, I still had to make sure Tank hadn't fallen out of my house. Again.
"Well, somepony was certainly flustered," Rarity giggled as I stepped up the the stage. "Spike, will you be a dear and fetch me some gems from outside?" With a quick salute, Spike was outdoors digging holes in the street. Looks like I'd be getting another letter from the Mayor.
Rarity began to measure my forelegs and shoulders as we made small talk. "Oh, I'm sure it was just the whole 'standing still' part of getting a dress made." I reasoned. "You know how much Rainbow hates not moving unless she's asleep." We both shared a good-natured chuckle, but Rarity apparently noticed something I hadn't.
"Come now Twilight, don't be so naive."
"Naive?" I asked as she trotted back to her design desk and make a few notes. "What do you mean?"
She raised an eyebrow over the rim of her red glasses and stared at me as though I were a imbecile. "I've been making dresses for that mare for the past few galas, and she's never had any wing... indiscretions before."
I scoffed. One time out of many isn't proof of anything. It's a fluke, an outlier! "And what is that supposed to mean?"
She laughed softly. "Think about it, Twilight. Has she done anything else unusual around you lately?"
"No!" I said quickly. Though, the more I thought about it... "Well, she and I are going to the gala together—"
Rarity interrupted me with a joyful squeal. "I knew it! I knew it was just a matter of time!"
"What? She didn't want to go alone, so she chose to go with me!" I snapped back, pawing at the ground.
"No need to get defensive, dear." She took down another measurement before striding back towards me. "I simply think it's cute Rainbow finally mustered the courage to ask you."
I was not impressed with Rarity's theory. "So, just because a friend doesn't want to go to a formal event alone automatically means she has the hots for me?"
"Hmm... I think I'll have to make your dress and Rainbow's coordinate—in light of recent revelations—"
"Rarity!"
"Oh! Sorry, of course the two of you could just be going as friends," she said sarcastically. "All I'm saying is, she would have seen us all at the gala anyway, so what reason would she have for inviting you as her 'plus one'?"
I opened my mouth to reply, but closed it after realizing I didn't have one.
"That's... a good question."