//------------------------------//
// Sticky Situation 
// Story: Unfamiliar Patterns 
// by TheVClaw 
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For the next week, things went surprisingly well over at Rarity's Carousel Boutique. Even though she felt rather swamped with getting her dresses completed, Rarity still had enough time in her schedule to at least get breakfast ready for her sister before walking with her to the schoolhouse. 

Around the time Sweetie Belle finished classes, Zecora would already be at the Boutique, mostly to make sure Sweetie Belle wouldn't bother Rarity for a large part of the day. Fortunately, due to the filly's insistence to spend most of her time with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, Zecora spent a surprisingly low amount of time really doing anything. Aside from making sure there were no fires or fillies screaming out "stranger danger,” Zecora had a fairly relaxing week while at Rarity's, which made her brew workings back at her hut that much easier to complete at night.

By the time the week was over, Rarity was pleased at how quickly she managed to get everything completed. Even with having to make breakfast and dinner for Sweetie Belle between the times Zecora would be around, the unicorn was still able to get Sapphire Shores's orders finished earlier than expected.

After looking over the dresses one last time, Rarity sighed in relief and collapsed on her bed, finally savoring a moment of peace as she lost herself to the comforts of her bedding. After taking a deep sigh of relief, Rarity opened her deep blue eyes once more as she admired her work from her bed, smiling as she saw how amazing her new designs really were. Even though she never would've expected to make something like this a week ago, her time over at the Everfree Forest really helped to fuel the fire to the unicorn's creative abilities.

Realizing what helped to inspire her latest creation, Rarity took a quick mental note before closing her eyes again, hoping to remember to do something especially nice for Zecora later.

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"So… what do you think?"

Despite the booming confidence she had in her dresses earlier, Rarity still felt like a jackhammer was rattling in her chest as she stood before Sapphire Shores now. With all five of the requested garments out on display, the unicorn kept on an anxious smile to cover her worry while Sapphire stood before them. Looking at the dresses with unbridled fascination, the pop-star's eyes widened in excitement as she saw the final product, making her grin especially wide before she turned back to Rarity cheerfully.

"I absolutely LOVE it, baby! These look perfect!"

"YES!" shouted Rarity, not realizing until too late that she had hoof-pumped herself in self-celebration. Looking back to Sapphire Shores (who kept an amused smirk on her muzzle), the unicorn blushed and looked away with a sheepish smile. "Um… sorry about that."

"Oh, don't worry,” said Sapphire in a confident tone as she looked back to the dresses, "if I made something that nice, I'd be cheering for myself as well!"

Rarity giggled as she looked back to her dresses, smiling in satisfaction before she replied, "Well, I can’t say that it was easy. I had to make all of these while looking after my little sister this week."

"Ooh, really?" said Sapphire Shores with a look of surprise and light cringe as she looked back at the unicorn. "If I'd known that, I would've asked for them a little longer than a week."

"Oh, don't apologize!" assured Rarity as she put up a hoof in solidarity. "I agreed to look after her after taking the job, so if anything, any fault that could've occurred would have to be from myself. Plus, I had some very helpful assistance this week."

“Oh? You mean the zebra at the corner?"

"Why yes, the ze—" Realizing what was just said, Rarity's head zipped over to the stairway of the Boutique, looking wide-eyed in surprise as she saw Zecora at the bottom steps. Looking with surprise herself, the zebra's eyes were glued on the dresses made for Sapphire Shores, seeing for the first time what it was the unicorn made for the pop-star.

All five dresses were of the same style, boasting heavy seam lines that made wild zig-zag patterns along the length of the body. Each dress carried two different colors, all of them very bright, neon shades, which shone against the white walls of the Boutique like sirens. With all the wild hues of pink, yellow, blue and other colors, it was no doubt that Rarity wanted to give an "untamed" feeling with her design.

However, despite how out-there the dresses looked, it didn't take Zecora a second to see what kind of pattern was used for these garments: while each dress had different types of zig-zag patterns along the bodies of the mannequins, it was apparent they weren't just made for aesthetic looks or a randomized idea brought to life.

Those were quite obviously zebra stripes.

Seeing how stunned the zebra looked at seeing the dresses, Sapphire Shores kept her smirk as she looked between her and the dresses. Catching the pattern as well, Sapphire looked back over to Rarity as she spoke in a more sassy tone.  "Well, I guess I don't need to ask where you got this idea."

Quickly realizing what she was referring to, Rarity's blush grew even deeper as she tried to stammer out a statement between Sapphire Shores and Zecora. "Oh! Well, I… I-I just got an idea to make something with… well… stripes…"

Embarrassed, Rarity looked away from both Sapphire and Zecora as she tried to hide how red her face was getting. Chuckling a little under her breath, Sapphire turned her attention back to Zecora as she spoke. "So, I'm guessing this is your first time seeing these?"

Realizing she was being spoken to, Zecora stirred herself back to reality as she looked away from the dresses. "Oh, well… yes. This is the first time I've seen these."

Taking one more look at the dresses, a faint smile appeared on the zebra’s muzzle as she noted how nice the dresses really looked. Hoping to alleviate Rarity's embarrassment a little, Zecora turned over to the unicorn as she spoke graciously. "And I gotta say, you sure know how to please!"

Hearing the zebra's praises, Rarity slowly turned back towards Zecora, looking with surprise as she continued, "I don't normally rave over dresses and such, but I have to admit I like them very much!"

Looking over at Zecora, Rarity saw nothing but pure sincerity when she looked at the zebra's warm smile towards her. Seeing how she really meant those words about her work, Rarity gave a caring smile back towards Zecora. While she didn’t realize it at the time, Rarity still had a light blush on her cheeks as she kept her smile on the zebra for a few seconds more. 

However, that feeling quickly went away as soon as Sapphire Shores spoke up, helping Rarity shoot back into reality as she immediately listened.

"I don't know where you found this mare,” said the pop-star in a joyful tone as she looked at Zecora, "but she definitely knows good taste when she sees it!" Looking back to the dresses, Sapphire smirked again as she took note of the pattern before continuing, "I never would've thought of using stripes like this, but it's gonna look perfect for my tour! You should be lucky to have a girlfriend like her to inspire you."

"Well, the inspiration was merel—WHAT?!"

Catching what Sapphire Shores said, Rarity's heart shot up to her throat as she tried to comprehend how she could assume something like that. Looking back over to Zecora in a panicked manner, Rarity saw that the zebra looked just as surprised as she was, making them both put their hooves up to Sapphire Shores as the unicorn tried to set the manner straight.

"No, no, nonononono! Miss Shores, Zecora isn't my… I mean… she's just…"

Seeing the light panic she caused, Sapphire Shores's blush started to stick out against her powder-blue mane while she carried a look of slight embarrassment. Before she could muster out an apology, Zecora opened her muzzle and spoke to the pop-star.

"I was just foal-sitting for her sister this week. There is nothing between us for which I can speak."

Not wanting to insult either mare from her little comment, Sapphire cringed a little and looked away. "I'm… I'm really sorry,” muttered the mare in a guilty tone, "I shouldn't have said that. I just thought—"

"It's quite alright,” assured Rarity as she put up a hoof, "we all make mistakes, and I won’t hold it against you. She really is just foal-sitting Sweetie Belle for me."

Thinking of her response a little, Rarity turned back to Zecora when she realized she hadn't heard much from her sister. "Zecora, where is Sweetie Belle? Is she with her friends or something?"

"Actually, the girls have been upstairs all day. They haven't made much noise, so I let them play."

Blinking a few times, Rarity stayed silent as she let Zecora's words sink in. Looking up to her ceiling, Rarity's eyes widened as she realized how eerily silent her sister had been with her friends. Knowing how much trouble Sweetie and her friends usually get into, Rarity was usually a lot more comfortable when she can actually hear what they're doing.

While she wasn't a mother herself, Rarity still knew that silence was usually a bad sign in regards to a filly, making her especially worried as she turned back to Zecora slowly. "Are you telling me… that those three fillies… haven't made any noise… all day?"

Not catching Rarity's growing dread over what might be happening upstairs, Zecora kept a cool tone as she replied, "Well yeah, the three have been pretty quiet. It's not like the—"

Zecora's eyes shot open when she realized what Rarity was getting at, making her immediately stop her rhyme as she rushed back upstairs. With Sapphire looking up to the ceiling in curiosity and Rarity looking up the stairs in fear, only the sound of Zecora's thundering hooves could be heard above them. It wasn't until the two heard a door open upstairs that they heard the zebra cry out in the Boutique.

"SWEET CELESTIA, WHAT DID YOU GIRLS DO?! AND WHERE ON EARTH DID YOU GET SO MUCH GLUE?!"

Quickly looking back at Sapphire Shores, Rarity's wide-eyed stare was more than enough to show her discomfort as she tried to speak.

"I…" began the unicorn as she tried to speak in a “totally-not-freaking-out” tone of voice, "I think I should check on them."

"Yeah,” uttered Sapphire as she slowly nodded, keeping her attention on the ceiling above her. "Go right ahead."

Rarity immediately zoomed up the stairs fast enough to nearly leave a fire trail. With the pop-star downstairs, the entire Boutique erupted in a loud shriek as Rarity cried out in pure terror.

"OPAL!!!!"

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With all the commotion that occurred within the Boutique, Sapphire Shores was quick to leave with her garments after leaving her payment, allowing Rarity to focus her attention on the latest actions of Sweetie Belle and her friends.

Sitting alongside each other in the living room of the boutique, the three fillies looked down to the floor in shame as they anticipated their punishment. Of the three members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders sitting on the couch, Apple Bloom seemed the most worried as she heard her older sister in the other room. As Rarity's voice could be faintly heard from the kitchen explaining their latest antics, Apple Bloom cringed as she heard Applejack's voice cry out.

"They did what with the cat?!"

The sound of hoofsteps could be heard as Applejack quickly walked into the room, carrying a look of confusion and disappointment as she stared at Apple Bloom. With Rarity behind her, Applejack had no idea what to say to Apple Bloom or her friends.

Knowing they screwed up big-time with their latest idea, the three fillies kept their gazes to the ground before they said in unified guilt, "We're sorry."

Knowing that they were legitimately shameful for their actions, Applejack groaned and tried to think of what to say to the three. Keeping her attention on Apple Bloom, she readjusted the Stetson on her head for a second before she spoke in a bewildered tone of voice.

"Apple Bloom, wha… what… what the heck were you girls thinkin’?!"

Despite noticing the upset tone in her sister's voice, Apple Bloom still managed to reply—albeit in a faint and ashamed tone—as she kept her gaze to the floor. "Well… we thought that maybe we could get our cutie marks in glue testin'."

"But the cat?!" Applejack exclaimed, not noticing how angry Rarity was as she looked away from them. "What made ya think that was a bright idea?!"

Before Apple Bloom could respond to her sister, Sweetie Belle looked up to the mares as she tried to explain. "Well, we wanted something that could wiggle, so we would know if the glue could really hold something to the ceiling."

At the end of the couch, Scootaloo perked her head up, looking to the other two as she spoke in a more optimistic tone. "And considering the cat's still up there, I think we can say it worked really we—"

"Scoot!" snapped Applejack as she pointed a hoof at the filly. "Now is not the time!" Looking back to Rarity, who was still fuming at what the fillies did to her cat, Applejack winced a little before she tried to calm her down. "Rare, Ah'm really sorry about this, Ah really am. And you can believe me when Ah say that Apple Bloom's gonna be in big, big trouble when she gets home."

Looking back to the frightened filly on the couch, Applejack's quick glare at her sister was enough for Apple Bloom to know that her statement was one-hundred-percent genuine. However, Rarity still kept her gaze away from the fillies, not wanting to even look at them before she replied sternly to Applejack.

"Applejack, I greatly appreciate that, but right now I don’t want to think of anything except how to get my Opal down from the ceiling."

While Applejack looked away from the unicorn, seeing how upset she was about all this, the sound of hoofsteps could be heard from the stairs, which caught their attention. Carrying a large mop and bucket in her pink aura, Rarity's mother carried an exhausted look on her sweating face as she spoke to her daughter. "Well, I think I got most of the glue cleaned from the floor and walls. Your Dad and Zecora almost got the ceiling taken care of, so hopefully Opal will—"

Before she could complete her statement, Pearl was interrupted as the sound of loud ripping could be heard from upstairs, quickly followed by another noise.

RRRRRROOOOOWRRRRRR!!!!

"GOT IT!" shouted Magnum from upstairs. "We got your cat down, Rare!"

Looking back upstairs, Pearl kept a slightly relieved look on her face before putting down the mop and bucket. Taking a second to catch her breath, Pearl picked up the nearby cat-carrier with her aura before she spoke to her daughter. "I'm gonna be sure to get your kitty to the pet salon first thing in the morning, I promise. After she gets groomed and pampered, you won’t even notice any of her missing fur!"

Despite still wanting to strangle the fillies on the couch in front of her, Rarity managed to calm herself down enough to only make a light sigh before looking up to her mother with a faint smile. "Thank you, Mother, I… I really appreciate that."

With a warm smile on her face, Pearl kissed her daughter's cheek before walking back upstairs with the pet carrier. Feeling slightly better, Rarity took a deep breath before turning back to Applejack, who was just about to leave with her sister and Scootaloo.

"Ah'm pretty sure you're still awful sore about everything,” said Applejack as she looked back to Rarity, "so Ah'm just gonna get these two back home so you can calm yourself down a bit, okay?"

"Alright,” muttered the unicorn as she tried to keep her attention on Applejack and not the fillies next to her. "That might be best. Thank you."

With a quick nod in approval, Applejack trotted off with her sister and Scootaloo as they left the Carousel Boutique. Now sitting alone on the couch, Sweetie Belle looked even guiltier as she looked away from her sister. Before Rarity could look over to see how shameful the filly looked, Sweetie Belle's voice came out faintly as she spoke with remorse.

"I'm really sorry, Rarity."

Hearing her sister's genuinely saddened voice, Rarity sighed before she looked at her on the couch. Still looking away, Sweetie Belle kept her eyes to the floor as she added, "I promise I'll never glue the cat to the ceiling again."

"You shouldn't glue the cat to anything!"

Growing frustrated, Rarity closed her eyes and rubbed her temples with a hoof in an attempt to calm herself down again. Before she could say anything to her sister, Rarity heard the sound of several hoofsteps as her parents walked down the stairs with the cat carrier in their aura. 

Despite the fact that both their magical grips were holding the pet carrier in place, it still shook around violently as Opal's paws clawed out from the caged front, slashing at anything that came near her. Despite not wanting to get scratched, Rarity still walked over cautiously to the cat carrier before speaking faintly. "Oh, Opalescence, I am so sor—"

RRROOOWWWRRR!!!!

With a quick slash from her claws, Opal made sure that Rarity took several steps back from her cage. Realizing that any efforts to calm down her furious (and partially hairless) cat would be fruitless, Rarity sighed before she spoke to her parents. "Thank you so much for helping out like this."

"Oh, don't mention it,” assured Magnum with a smirk on his mustached face. "This isn't the worst thing we’ve dealt with, remember?"

Knowing how much trouble Sweetie Belle had made over the past few years, Rarity could only nod as she mustered a weak smile. Hoping to alleviate the situation, Pearl pulled her daughter in for a quick hug before speaking in a more optimistic tone. "Now Rare, you just gotta think positive, alright? Opal's gonna be alright, no permanent damage was made to the house, you just finished your big order for Sapphire Shores…"

Looking over to a corner of the room, Pearl smiled as something caught her attention, making her tone more cheerful as she finished her statement to Rarity. "And it looks like she gave you a little gift for your troubles!"

Looking over to the end table at a corner of the room, Rarity's eyes widened in surprise as she saw her mother was indeed right. Sitting next to the particularly large bag of bits from Sapphire Shores on the table was a tall box wrapped in bright pink wrapping paper, which made Rarity feel slightly better while her parents made their way out.

"We're gonna get out of your mane for now,” said Magnum as they made their way out with Sweetie Belle. "And we'll be sure to get the cat back here by tomorrow, okay?"

Looking over to her parents, Rarity merely nodded as she gave a small smile. With their shameful filly in tow, the unicorns gave a warm smile back before they left the Boutique. Waiting until they closed the door behind them, Rarity sighed in relief before she turned her attention to the payment and gift left by Sapphire Shores.

Walking over to the box, Rarity lit her horn as she removed the wrapping paper, barely noticing the hoofsteps behind her as Zecora finally came down the stairs. With her striped fur slightly matted with sweat, the zebra looked fairly exhausted as she made her way down to the ground floor, stopping at the base of the steps as she noticed what Rarity was holding.

Seeing what it was that Sapphire Shores left for her as a gift, Rarity was fairly surprised that the pop-star would give her something like this. Within her aura, Rarity was sure to be careful as she held the large bottle of champagne in her magical grasp, holding it up as she read the labeling. Looking at the brand, the unicorn knew that this was a very expensive bottle of strawberry champagne, and one she never actually had the chance to get before.

Before the mare could decide whether or not to keep this bottle for later, she noticed a small note that was tied to the neck of the bottle. Lifting it up with her aura, Rarity groaned a little as she read what Sapphire Shores wrote for her.

Rarity,

Here's a little something for you and your—

The next word was quickly scratched away with an ink pen, with a quick addition added over the blotch before the rest of the statement on the card.

FRIEND, to enjoy for the evening. Have fun!

Sincerely,
Sapphire Shores

After everything else that happened today, Rarity almost forgot about how Sapphire Shores thought she and Zecora were marefriends. And considering how ludicrous that idea sounded, the unicorn almost would've found it funny right now if it weren't for the Cutie Mark Crusaders' little glue adventure. However, despite that little misunderstanding, Rarity was still able to chuckle under her breath before hearing Zecora speak behind her.

"I think we got most of the glue scrubbed away."

Looking over to the zebra, Rarity gave a faint smile to show her appreciation. Before she could thank her for helping get the room cleaned, Rarity wasn't able to open her muzzle before Zecora finished her rhyme in a more morose tone.

"And I'm so sorry for everything today."

Hearing that, Rarity's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting the zebra to say something like that. "Wha… what are you talking about, Zecora?"

"I should've paid attention! I should have known something was wrong." Looking to the ground, Zecora kept a guilty look on her face as she avoided the unicorn's surprised gaze. "But I didn't, and that cat was up there for who knows how long."

"Oh Zecora,” began the mare as she started to look more saddened by Zecora's shameful attitude, "you shouldn't blame yourself! Believe me, Sweetie and her friends have done a lot of bad things before, so this was sort of unavoidable."

Zecora looked back up to Rarity with a skeptical look on her face, not really believing her usage of the word "unavoidable" in regards to Opal being stuck to the ceiling like a giant booger. However, Rarity still kept her insistent attitude as she kept speaking in an assuring manner to the zebra. "And just so you know, those girls were a LOT less of a nuisance this week than they usually are, which I greatly appreciate."

Looking away from Rarity for a second, Zecora's eyebrows rose as she realized Rarity had a fair point. Aside from today, Sweetie Belle and her friends really did behave alright for most of the week.

"And because of you,” continued Rarity as a smile came up on her face, "I was able to finish that order for Sapphire Shores, and get a rather nice bottle of champagne out of it!" Holding the bottle up with her magic for the zebra to see, Rarity kept a smirk on her face as she saw Zecora look less guilty for everything today.

Looking at the bottle, Zecora slowly grew a faint smile on her own as she saw how cheerful Rarity was looking. After a quick ponder, Rarity shrugged her past plans regarding this bottle as she looked to Zecora and spoke.

"Well, I don't know about you, but all I want to do right now is sit down and have a drink." Walking over to the couch, Rarity kept the bottle in her grasp before looking back to Zecora with a light smile. "Would you like a glass?"

"Oh…" With the strong memory of Sapphire Shores's assumption still on her mind, Zecora was slightly hesitant as she realized Rarity was offering her to stay for a drink. Despite knowing this was just something innocent, Zecora still seemed uncertain as she looked away from the unicorn. "… Gee, I don't know. I think I'll just go."

"Oh, come on,” Rarity pleaded as she sat down on the couch, "I just dealt with a stressful week making several dresses, which I have you to thank for…"

Remembering those stripe patterns, Zecora smiled a little as she looked back at Rarity, not noticing that she had a slight blush under her cheeks.

"Also,” continued the unicorn, "you were a really helpful foalsitter, despite that whole glue thing, and it would be rude of me not to offer you a drink after this week!"

Biting her lip, Zecora looked away again and pondered her answer. Even though she wouldn't mind having a drink after cleaning off all that glue and cat hair, she was still unsure of what to think about drinking with Rarity. As the zebra stayed lost in thought, Rarity sighed before she added to her offer.

"Zecora, come on! I just had to deal with my pet being used like an arts and crafts project, so I really need a drink right now! And I really don't want to drink alone, so I would greatly appreciate your company."

Thinking about it, Zecora breathed in as she realized Rarity had a good point. Not wanting to see somepony like Rarity drink alone, the zebra sighed before she finally responded, "You know, my week will be awfully busy…"

Seeing how Rarity was pouting like Sweetie Belle when she was denied a cookie, Zecora gave a light smile before she finished her rhyme.

"Oh, what the heck! I'll have some of the fizzy."

"Fabulous!"

With a new smile on her face, Rarity made room on the couch as Zecora sat beside her, keeping a smile of her own as the unicorn used her magic to pop open the bottle.