The Ruin and Rescue of a Fashion Show
Rarity Belle, Baroness of Northern Canterlot, was currently having lunch with the most notable of nobles; her parents, the Viscount and Visdame Magnum and Pearl Belle, as well as Lady Octavia Philharmonico with her Uncle and Aunt who were also Viscount and Visdame Fancy Pants and Fleur. Rarity's younger sister, Sweetie Belle, was currently on a field trip for school and wasn't expected back until the afternoon. The nobles were discussing some of the upcoming celebrity events, one of which was Fancy Pants' Grand Featured Art Show.
The six nobles enjoyed their meal in the Belle Manor; each with a different drink, most being a type of wine aside from the blue haired noble who had a cup of Apple Cider which he had specially imported from a nearby town.
Rarity could hardly believe that it tasted all that great compared to some of the fine wines they had available; just as she was about to try to once again convince him to taste some of the wine instead of the cider from a small nearby town, a messenger strode quickly to the small group.
After handing a scroll to Fancy Pants, the carrier attempted to catch his breath while the noble read the message since he had run a good portion of the city to get the letter to the noble as quickly as possible. At his pensive frown, the others couldn't contain themselves any longer and politely asked what it contained.
“It seems that the studio where all the designers and artists were working was broken into the night before. All of our extra supplies were taken and everything that was going to be presented was destroyed.” Fancy Pants frowned as the others all gave small gasps at the news.
“Also, the main designer was there at the time of the break in and was badly hurt. He will recover, but not in time for our show.” Rarity and Octavia covered their mouths in shock, horrified that someone had been injured.
“Uncle, what will you do?” Octavia reached out and put a hand onto Fancy Pants' shoulder, concerned for what will happen. The long black haired noble had been enjoying her time of relaxation from Council duties but in face of trouble for her uncle cut the relaxation short.
“I suppose we'll just have to suspend the show...” Fancy Pants trailed off as he looked at the others at the table.
“Well, I suppose, I could offer my assistance.” Rarity shyly suggested as she looked at the Manehatten noble.
Fancy Pants raised a brow while Octavia, along with Rarity's parents, brightened at her offer.
“Indeed, our Rarity here is a wonderful designer. She'll be able to help tremendously at your show.” Magnum Belle chipped in with a proud smile at his daughter.
Rarity blushed at her father's praise as her mother nodded along with a smile. Fancy Pants was intrigued by the suggestion, especially as Octavia also voiced her support of Rarity's help and took the baroness up on her offer.
“That sounds like a splendid idea. But can you do so in time for the show to happen as originally planned?” Fancy Pants looked to the baroness who sat up straighter with a resolute nod.
“Indeed I can. Though may I see the report from the break in? How will you deal with finding the robbers?” Rarity asked as she held out a hand for the scroll which was given readily as the blue haired noble thought out loud.
“Hmmm, I suppose I'll have to gather a team of guards and detectives who will try and track down the perpetrators...” The Viscount from Manehatten starred into the distance, trying to think of top notch guards who would be willing to help.
“Perhaps I could suggest someone? Phoebe Wright?” Rarity questioningly raised a brow that quickly furrowed into a pensive frown as she looked over the report.
“The Ace Attorney... ? Is something the matter my dear?” Fancy Pants leaned towards the purple haired woman as she tapped a single finger to her chin in thought.
“Hmm? Oh yes, that's the one. She's a dear friend of mine who has an absolutely marvelous record of 'getting the perp' as she puts it. Viscount -”
“Please, call me Fancy Pants.” The Manehatten noble commented as he smiled warmly at the baroness.
Rarity flashed a small smile in return and dipped her head in acknowledgment.
“Fancy Pants, what does it mean by the designer was the only one hurt? Were there more in the building at the time?” Rarity turned her sapphire eyes towards the noble who turned pensive at the question.
“It was late in the evening when the burglars came in; they ransacked everything, scaring the other seven staff members away before getting to Orion who was just putting the finishing touches on his masterpiece that was to be the center of the show.” At this news, Rarity's eyebrows rose in surprise.
“Orion? The Orion of Vanhoover fame and not Sir Peter Moore? And how odd that the burglars didn't harm anyone else but him...” Rarity mused as she continued to watch the older noble.
“Yes indeed, very odd. A panel of judges and myself had samples of all the latest designers, and it was decided that Orion had the edge over the competition; though had I known you were a designer we would have asked for your own work as well my dear. I would ask the runner up, which was Sir Peter, to perhaps showcase something, but if you are sure you can do it in two days...” Fancy Pants raised a brow of his own, wanting to be sure that the young baroness would be able to make the deadline that most of the current society's designers would declare impossible. He wasn't sure this nineteen year old baroness was up to the challenge of the short deadline, though he was willing to give her a chance.
“Oh pish posh. Everything shall be ready in time, and it shall be fabulous! Just don't forget to have Phoebe on your investigation team.” Rarity wagged a finger towards Fancy Pants who lightly chuckled as he nodded along.
While everyone else wanted to have a relaxing lunch before Rarity became unavailable for the next two days, it was agreed that the two nobles would be better off seeing the damages done so far.
When they arrived, they found the whole studio in shambles, the supplies for the half-finished projects stolen while anything that was finished or nearly complete was destroyed; the pair walked through room after room where the artists were lamenting the loss as the nobles looked on. Just as they finished looking through the whole place, the team of detectives and guards had arrived and began to look for clues as well as a more thorough questioning of the witnesses.
“Ah, Phoebe Wright! How are you, darling?” Rarity asked as she stepped towards a young woman who wore a blue suit over a white shirt and pink necktie. She had her light brown hair cut short, with natural spikes along the back. Light gray eyes lit up in recognition at the sight of the baroness as their owner stepped forward as well and shook her hand.
“Rarity Belle! It has been a while, thank you for suggesting my services to Viscount Fancy Pants; hopefully I can be of some help to the two of you.” Phoebe Wright stated as she took in the appearance of the baroness before her as well as more of the surrounding area, noting that Rarity managed to keep her slim figure that she had since childhood when the two of them first became friends.
“Indeed it has been a while, darling, and I'm sure you will be extremely helpful! Though I must say, it is a shame that this had to happen to Orion, he was the only one of eight working that night who was injured. And he was to present his latest masterpiece to the world the night of the show.” Rarity trailed off as the spark of intrigue lit in light gray eyes as Phoebe put the information away for later use.
“Orion you say? The one from Vanhoover? Main rival of Sir Peter Moore from Baltimare?” Phoebe rubbed her chin as she peppered the woman before her with questions who seemed a little pleased that she was thinking along that train of thought.
“That is the one. But enough idle gossip, you will keep me informed of any breakthroughs won't you?” Rarity pleaded with a small hint of puppy-dog eyes, batting her lashes and pouting lightly.
Phoebe laughed loudly, causing some of the nearby workers and investigators to look at her in question before continuing their work.
“Oh Rarity, you never change! Sure I'll let you know what's happening; I'll bet you asked for my help just for that reason!” Phoebe laughed lightly once more as Rarity just gave a sly smile.
“I'll contact you later Rarity, have a nice day.”
“You as well dear. Thanks so much for your help.” Rarity politely waved goodbye as the team left the area after gathering all the evidence they could before starting their investigation.
As the young baroness turned away from the exiting team, she noticed that Fancy Pants was nearby, watching with interest at the scene though he was unable to hear what had been said.
“Oh, uhm, hum-hum. Is something the matter Fancy Pants?”
“Nothing at all, my dear. Are you ready to take over? Do you need anything?” Fancy Pants asked as he followed the baroness who gathered everyone into the main room.
“Yes, I am ready and I do need a few things....” Rarity began to recite a list of supplies as well as enough lunch for everyone who was going to be working a lot harder the next two days than ever before.
She had half the workers get more supplies on the double, helping pave the way with her own finances to speed up the process of acquiring the needed supplies, and the other half to gather the broken yet similar materials into various piles to be reused. Nothing was trashed if possible, and being in a giant pile of similar materials made it easier to see new possibilities and not old pieces of art.
She then invited the artists to look at all the bits and pieces left as well as what was being ordered and then had everyone go for a nice relaxing lunch with enough proteins and vitamins to keep up their strength for the next two days of hard work to catch up on lost time.
Even as the baroness was thinking of different ideas for designs and art, she spoke with nearly everyone eating; sharing ideas, giving encouragements, even just exchanging pleasantries to help them relax about being in a noble's presence. Once everyone had eaten, they got to work on the busiest two and a half day deadline they have ever tried to meet. Having seen all the supplies they were able to work with had inspired the artists and they set about their work with enthusiasm.
Rarity made sure that all the other artists were set up and working once more before heading to the fashion designer's room to see what could be salvaged. The clothing was mostly shredded, with only minimal parts that could be reused; a bow here, a neckline there, and so on. She looked at the damages with surprise, compared to the rest of the studio, it was as though the burglars knew to find and completely ruin Orion's designs.
Orion had tried to make all of the clothing at the same time, resulting in varying degrees of progress that was consequently destroyed. The only one dress that had been finished was his masterpiece, something that even from the shreds Rarity could tell was a breakthrough in fashion and would lead to whole new trends. The young baroness tried to find the original designs, but soon found a pile of ash in the nearby trash bin that had a few bits and pieces identifying the thing used for the 'fire' was the original clothing design sheets.
Rarity continued her search of the room and found a small binder hidden away behind some of the furniture; it was Orion's, he had tried to hide some of his designs from the burglars, making it possible for Rarity to try and create his masterpiece since he had put its design back after completing it.
After one last quick look around the room, the baroness called to other dressmakers to help speed up production as she created new designs using some of the remaining bits as well as Orion's masterpiece. Since they would still be a dress short, Rarity threw in her own masterpiece, though she was nervous about debuting as well as putting the rest of the show back on track.
Once the plans were finished, Rarity settled down to help with making the clothes; doing the more finer details and putting it altogether at the same time as getting requests and helping the rest of the staff with the details of the show.
By the time that most of the finer details of how the show would change and most of the other artists were into their own zone of creation, the other dressmakers had adjusted to a baroness making clothing and began to gossip amongst themselves. Rarity knew that dressmakers and arts were the best source of celebrity and noble gossip, since they needed to be in the know faster than some of the very ones talked about in order to keep up with the trends. The young baroness listened and offered her own gossip that took place as the others worked, while none slowed their efforts on the clothing that needed to be made.
The conversation traveled between this designer and that celebrity before settling on Sir Peter Moore, who seemed to be in an agitated state since the burglary.
“Hmm, so Sir Peter Moore has been staying in Canterlot for a while now?” Rarity asked with a raise of her brow, curious as to what could bring him to an extended stay.
“Oh yes. He's been in Canterlot since everyone was offered the chance to present their designs in this Grand Featured Art Show. Seems he's gotten more worked up, maybe he heard about the break in and is waiting for Viscount Fancy Pants to offer him the work instead?” One woman said from behind a sewing machine as others nodded along.
“I heard that he thought that his being a noble would grant him the position of head designer for the show automatically.” Another woman stated as she cut the fabric needed. A few more tutted as one leaned towards the center of the room to be better heard.
“I hear that when Orion won, Sir Peter threw a fit in his home here in Canterlot and swore that Orion would 'be sorry to ever try and enter into a world fit for the nobility only'.” At these words Rarity's brows shot up and she levitated a scroll and quill over to herself unnoticed by the others, writing a note with her findings to Phoebe who would be in need of such information.
“Seems Sir Peter Moore is having staffing issues too; he's hiring three more staff members for full time positions. It's been years since he changed anything in his staff, though I'm not sure if it's worth the pay to work for that snob.” Another woman who was making some of the smaller detailed items added before the conversation turned to another noble who was hiring.
Rarity added a note to check why Sir Peter would be hiring for staff when all of his previous ones had been at their jobs for more than a decade and sent it via express mail to the young attorney detective.
With full production happening in the studio, no one really left for much of anything; having all meals delivered and sleeping for only minimal amounts to ensure that their work was at prime condition. This meant that there was never a chance for the burglars to come back and finish the job, not that Rarity or Fancy Pants were going to risk it; they had some guards stand watch at all times and were even scheduled to stay for the duration of the show as well, since it seemed as though someone was trying to sabotage it.
Phoebe had written back to Rarity about how they found the burglars after following up on some leads that she had provided and were working on getting a court date and arrest order for a noble; making it one more thing Rarity had to worry about aside from the show. They had found a lot more in Sir Peter's place of residence in Canterlot, including threatening letters, scrolls detailing how to break in and hurt Orion the most as well as some designs that would work for the Grand Show had Sir Peter had been chosen to work for it. Rarity felt rather smug that not only was the show going on as planned, but that one of Orion's masterpieces would be presented that night as well, meaning that the burglars' work wasn't as effective as their backer would hope.
As the opening time came closer, Rarity found herself organizing more of the show than helping to make the clothing line, the dressmakers doing an excellent job of finishing as the head designer's attention was drawn elsewhere.
Soon enough the two days went by in a blur of busyness and it was time for the show.
While most of the audience enjoyed the pre-show of the displays of art as well as some appetizers, Rarity never left the back room as she organized from behind the scenes; making sure it was just right and that everything went perfectly. They made it through the pre-show without issue and were currently presenting the latest fashion trends when a disturbance came from the back.
Orion had awoken and was attempting to join the show in any way possible. He was a sorry sight, barely able to stand and heavily bandaged, with a nurse following close behind him trying to convince him to return to bed. He had snuck out somehow and made it through the city before anyone noticed his absence and tried to track him down. They only caught up with him at the show itself, and by then he had made a scene in the back room asking for Fancy Pants.
Fancy Pants was just entering and found the scene of trouble after being alerted that Orion was in the back trying to find him. He was slightly annoyed at how he was not told that the designer was awake and was prepared to try and make it up to him when he found Rarity already speaking with Orion in calming tones; whatever was being said set the designer at ease and he allowed himself to be lead to a seat in the audience.
When the young baroness had heard that Orion was awake and wanted part in the show, she mentally patted herself on the back for having planned ahead having expected his desire to have something of his presented; though she was concerned a little about his health, and tried to get him to calm down before explaining herself.
They were able to finish his masterpiece and it was to be the center of the show just as before, with a little speech about it and its creator. While Orion actually coming was a slight surprise, Rarity had a seat reserved in his honor in the front row which he accepted with great pleasure. The nurse followed to his seat and stayed for duration of the event to make sure nothing else happened to him.
Fancy Pants was impressed twice over, given how the young baroness had known how much it meant to Orion and to even have a seat set aside for him in his honor. He gave her a small smile and nod before turning back around to sit among the audience once more.
The rest of the show went perfectly, the two most talked about pieces being the two masterpieces from both Orion and Rarity. At the soirée held afterwards, meant to allow the artists to mingle with possible clients, Rarity stayed close by Orion as they spoke with their peers and members of the audience, wanting to be sure he got the credit he deserved and to make sure nothing happened to him.
In the midst of speaking with Sir Peter Moore who was giving grudging praise for the designer outfits, Rarity was approached by Phoebe Wright looking solemn and presented the baroness designer with a scroll which she quickly looked over.
She glanced back at the two rivals who had continued talking as the baroness walked away, noting the difference in the appearance and how others saw them. One was a young man with an elegantly styled short black hair and light blue eyes, dressed for all occasions in a neat suit with tie, with an obvious air of confidence that most nobles had these days. The other was a young man covered in bandages, his short light blue hair out of sorts and mostly hidden by the head wrap he wore, one arm in a sling with the other in a cast, sitting in a wheelchair with a dark-green bathroom hastily thrown on; and while he still had an air of joy and happiness that some of his work made it through the burglary, he was tired and weary, making him seem weaker in comparison with his main rival.
Rarity nodded to Phoebe who signaled to guards waiting in the side hallway and the two women strode back to the two men, wanting to get this sorted out quickly. The baroness did not want Sir Peter to come off as the better designer due to no fault of Orion's aside from being a victim of sabotage.
“My dear Sir, would you please follow me and my associate to the hallway?” Rarity asked politely in a lull of the half-praises that were being given by Sir Peter to Orion.
Sir Peter raised a brow at this unusual request and humphed lightly.
“And why would I want to do such a thing? I do believe I was speaking with my dear Orion about his... lovely... masterpiece.” Sir Peter turned back to the designer though he paused when Rarity cleared her throat softly.
“Hum hum. Please, let us not cause a disturbance in the guests' presence, if you would follow me to the hallway.” Rarity said with slightly more force than before as she gave a small wave to the side of the room where she wanted him to go to.
“My dear Rarity, I shall do no such thing. I merely wanted to say how pleased I am that Orion did not suffer too greatly at the hands of those ruffians...” Sir Peter turned away once more but was approached by members of the Guard as the young baroness waved them over.
“Sir Peter, it is not a request, it is a demand. These guardsmen shall escort you to a holding cell until proper judgment of your crimes can be reached.” Rarity watched for any signs of trouble from the noble who was surrounded by guards as she pulled Orion back from the situation.
“I beg your pardon!? For what am I to be apprehended by such methods?!” Sir Peter raised his voice slightly as he tried to stay out of the guardsmen's reach, attracting everyone's attention to the scene.
“You are being arrested for burglary, damage of nobility property, theft, and assault and battery.” The baroness stated with a raised brow, daring him to contradict her.
“I object!” Sir Peter began to try to defend himself when Phoebe gave a small frown and interrupted him.
“Hey, that's my line!” Rarity flashed the young attorney a soothing smile before turning to face the noble in front of her with a frown.
“The team of investigators has found plenty of proof. Here is the list of things found that prove it.” Rarity handed the upset noble the scroll which he rapidly scanned, with the crowd looking on and the baroness continuing to speak.
“The wonderful team led by Phoebe Wright found the letters of intent to do the crime as well as testimony from the burglars themselves who say you were their backer. It didn't help that you used members of your own staff to do such a crime, they were able to trace their original working location to you.
“We have eye witnesses who are willing to testify that you made threats against Orion and how you seemed to know that something was wrong with the show before the break in happened, staying in your Canterlot residence and having some of your work already designed and made with these models in mind. And how the most damage and actual physical harm was to Orion himself, showing that they knew who to aim for.
“Handling the situation in such a way is never proper; now please, remove him from any decent company.” Rarity watched with a small frown as Sir Peter Moore was led away by three guards as the fourth kept watch, shouting profanities at the two designers the entire time.
After saying goodbye to Phoebe who then followed the guards out, Rarity turned back to the crowd and apologized for the display. She soon found herself peppered with questions as to how she knew he was the one behind it all; to which she answered as though it was the simplest thing in the world, leaving her peers in awe of her ability to gather facts and leads for the team to do its work.
After some more time spent discussing what had happened as well as the show, Rarity went to make sure nothing else had happened while she was socializing.
Unbeknownst to the new fashionista, the two Princesses had come in without notice and had watched the entire show, as well as the resulting encounter with the saboteur. Both were greatly impressed and agreed silently, Baroness Rarity Belle would make a good addition to the Council of Harmony.
Princess Celestia, led by Octavia who had come to support her friend and family presenting the show, found the young baroness congratulating all of the staff and artists for a job well done in the back room. The immortal princess walked up to the purple haired baroness who was alerted to royal presence by the bowing and curtsying of everyone around her.
“Why, Princess Celestia! To what do I owe this great honor?” Rarity asked as she curtsied.
“I wanted to congratulate you on a wonderful show and how well you handled the saboteur.” The Princess said with a warm smile at the baroness who was a little flustered at the praise.
“Oh no, it was nothing really.”
“My sister and I both agree, you would make an excellent addition to the Council. Would you be willing to join the Council of Harmony as a Representative of the Arts, Rarity Belle?” Princess Celestia asked as the baroness stood up quickly at the offer.
“Princess Celestia offering me –ohh aa – a member of the Council – uhh ooh – of Harmony – ah ya waahh~” The young fashionista promptly fainted on a conveniently placed couch behind her with a large grin on her face.