//------------------------------// // Un Model Por Mon Ami. // Story: The Case of Christian's Cutie Mark // by Chris-Cross13 //------------------------------// “Alright, where to next girls? More importantly, is it dangerous in anyway whatsoever?” Christian asks with a bit of worry in his voice. The crocodile and the possible minor concussion now has the stallion on edge with this whole escapade of ‘finding his talent’. “Heh heh, don’t worry Christian, this next job is completely safe!” Sweetie Belle says with a skip. Christian gives her a funny look. Huh, she seems to be in a good mood. What’s she got planned? Christian’s thoughts are answered by the tall building looming over him, looking like a tower to a place of some sort. He slowly starts scanning the building to the top and the moment his eyes met with the design of the top floor, he knew exactly where he was. “Carousel Boutique, son of a mare.” He says aloud, but the fillies take no notice to his exclamation as they are already entering the snazzy shop. Christian blows his mane out of his face in irritation and slowly follows behind his mentors. Inside, the three girls peer into the shop to see a mess of fabrics and designs astray everywhere: On the floor, tossed over mirrors, and slumped over chairs. The cause of the chaos is identified by the rapid white blur that occasionally ran through the main room, making some strips of fabric on a table nearby flutter wildly every time it flew by. But it is obvious to the group of who the blur was. “Uhh, sis?” Sweetie Belle chimes out. Rarity zips forward at a slower and frantic pace as she starts tidying up the area around the front door. “Sweetie Belle, I really don’t have time for this nonsense. I have dresses to make and I want to get my orders in early so I can relax this weekend. So please…” She nudges the three of them back toward the door. “GET OUT!” “Awww, c’mon sis!” Sweetie Belle moans as she tries to fight back her sister’s push. “This isn’t even about us!” Rarity stops pushing the group and looks at her sister with a confused look. “Then why are you here, interrupting me?” Rarity asks. Scootaloo and Applebloom immediately turn around and push Christian forward, who has a blank and unenthusiastic look on his face. “Hey Rarity.” He says plainly. Rarity continues to give the same stupefied look. “Why is Christian here with you three?” “We’re helping him find his cutie mark!” Applebloom yells happily. Rarity eyes suddenly become wide as she glances over to Christian’s flanks. “Oh my! Christian you don’t have your cutie mark? I had no idea!” Rarity exclaims, embarrassed. “Umm…Well…” Christian stutters to answer, but the white unicorn squeals one for him. “OHHHHH! And you think fashion is your talent don't you?!” Rarity starts prancing excitedly. Sweetie and the others glance at Christian with huge smiles on their faces. Christian is less than amused, but he doesn’t want to impose. “Uhh…Yea, let’s go with that.” He says with a bit of denial in his voice. Rarity starts jumping for joy again and starts pulling Christian inside, who is still a bit confused about the whole situation. “Now let’s just set you up with some designs so you can…” “Wait a sec,” Christian pulls away from the excited mare. “This doesn’t require using my hooves does it?” he asks, confused. “Of course it does! You have no horn, obviously you can not use magic!” Christian puts a hoof in between his muzzle and his temple and shakes his head. “Rarity, I can’t use my forehooves.” Rarity gives him a funny look before coming to the obvious realization. “Oh of course!” She lightly taps her head with a hoof forgetfully, “You humans and your thumbs and such! I guess design is out then?” She starts passing back and forth in front of Christian, who is watching her intently. The CMC’s meanwhile are rummaging through trunks of clothes in one of the corners of the boutique for some reason. Christian dismisses this and continues to watch the white unicorn ponder. “Let’s see…Not a tailor, can’t draw designs, hmm…” Suddenly, a thought pops into her head, signaled by a loud “THAT’S IT!” Moments later, a tape measure appears next to Christian’s body. Confused, Christian starts scooting over a bit. “What are you...?” “Hold still!” The tape measure starts extending and retracting all over Christian’s hooves, tail, and body. Rarity meanwhile is closely examining the lengths of each measure. Occasionally going, “Hmm…” and “Interesting…” After a few more clicks, the tape measure vanishes. “You’re perfect Christian!” Rarity starts shaking his left forehoof in congratulation. “For what?” “My new model!” Christian’s pupils dilate at the words. No way she just said that. “Model? Like a fashion model?” “Of course! I mean sure mannequins work fine, but real ponies show shape and girth. And you are the perfect candidate!” Christian beams with pride and happiness. He was going to be a model! Like one of those Abercrombie guys…but for ponies. Christian could already imagine the flashes from cameras, the barrage of questions… “But we will have to fix that gut of yours.” Christian’s brief moment of imaginary fame is cut off by the pierce of those words. He looks at Rarity angrily. “Excuse me?” He says sternly. Rarity frowns and awkwardly walks away. “Sorry Christian, that was a bit of a rude choice of words. But your pony body is a bit on the…Ahem…’Husky’ side.” Rarity was not kidding. Christian is utterly blindsided by the words she just said. “But do not worry! I have just the thing to help fix it!” She trots over to a clothing rack. Christian is still flabbergasting at what Rarity told him. Aren’t you supposed to be proper and fancy or something? What the hay?! He wants to shout at her, but what comes out of his mouth is: “What?” “She means you are fat!” Scootaloo shouts from the opposite end of the room as she erupts from a chest full of cloth. She is quickly followed by the other two, who start snickering at the remark. Christian shoots a deadly glare at the three fillies; who immediately shut up and slowly descend back into the fabric in a comedic style. Christian looks back toward Rarity’s direction to be caught off guard by another piece of fabric. It is white and resembles a cylinder of some sort. It has laces on one side and buttons on the other. The moment Christian saw it, he frowned. “You are not getting me in that thing.” He says plainly. “Oh come now Christian, most ponies I know wear corsets! It’s not only for mares you know!” Rarity insists. Christian rolls his eyes. “Oh please, those things are death traps with lace!” “Maybe for humans,” Rarity implies. “Have you ever tried one as a pony?” Christian raises a brow at her. “I’m seventeen in human years, no I have never tried one!” Christian debates quite loudly. Rarity rolls her eyes at his childish battering and gets behind him. Before Christian can say no again, the next thing he knows, he has the historical rib-breaker over his head and halfway down his body. With a tug, Rarity pulls one of the laces, making Christian’s eyes bulge and his torso groan with pain. Inside his body, his ribs squeeze up against his lungs, making talking quite hard. Rarity continues pulling. “See Christian…URP!...It Does not hurt that…much! Does it?” Christian can not answer, as he is pretty sure that by this time, at least three of his ribs have punctured a lung…and his liver. He can’t reply and continues to be at the mercy of the corset. With one final thug, Rarity tugs on the lace and makes the death trap shift his torso in by two inches. Christian cheeks puff up as he he’s ready to burst. Rarity gives him one of those ‘huge grins with cheerfully closed eyes’ while Christian is fighting for air. “Now we can get started!” Rarity turns around and starts looking through an assortment of clothes. Christian meanwhile is still suffering from the demonic chest wrap, but suddenly he starts hearing a ‘twanging’ sound. Seconds later, the corset snaps like a catapult and flings him across the room and into the same chest that the three fillies were in. A loud CRASH makes Rarity’s eyes become oceans of white as she turns to see even more clothes flung everywhere, turning the whole store into the same state as a teenager’s closet floor. Rarity puts a hoof on her head in disbelief. She groans, “Not a bigger mess…” “Oh yea! Because that’s your biggest concern!” Sweetie Belle yells hanging off from one of the tall mirrors. Rarity gasps as she then notices Applebloom hanging on a coat rack and Scootaloo tacked to the wall. Christian meanwhile, is still in the chest, his eyes spinning around like the spin cycle in the wash. “Oh dear, maybe that wasn’t the best idea…” The CMC’s and Christian haphazardly look at the white unicorn and scream simultaneously: “YA THINK?!”