There were a great many reasons why Rarity went to Canterlot every other weekend. Promotion of her fashion house, socializing with both friends and business contacts, improving her reputation in the upper echelons of society, and she couldn’t forget the fantastic performances put on by the Canterlot Philharmonic, the likes of which simply couldn’t be found in Ponyville, as lovely as the town was.
But there was one attraction in Canterlot that she loved to go to, though you wouldn not find it on any visitor’s guide, or have it mentioned in any tour of the city. It was a very exclusive event, and ponies only got invited through word of mouth, or by accompanying a member to it. This elite club of ponies did not simply accept walk-ins, and indeed, very few of the Canterlot upper society actually knew that this club even existed in the first place. Rarity knew that what this club did was not exactly considered ‘proper’ or perhaps even ‘dignified’ for those who wished to climb the social ladders, but she came back every time. It had been Fancy Pants who had introduced the fashionista to this island, this oasis of madness contained within the pit of vipers that was Canterlot. And yet, Rarity found it strangely carthartic, for all of its supposed bad image.
The club itself was run out of a bar, set slightly to the outskirts of the central Palatial district of the city – just enough out of the way to ensure that nopony was ever going to wander in accidentally, but close enough that none of the members who lived in Canterlot would have to endure a massive trek, but simply seemed that they were going to their favourite bar. And to its credit, Rarity had found that the bar in question, The Gilded Shoe, did actually serve a wide and varied selection of drinks that one could simply not find in the rest of Canterlot.
Rarity trotted up to the bouncer at the door to the bar.
“Hello, my dear.”
“Rarity,” was the single word reply from the bouncer, and the massive earth pony nodded as Rarity trotted into the bar, and immediately made for the bar. There, she ordered a glass of her favourite red, and taking the glass in her magic, made for a set of stairs set in a dark corner, with a sign above the entrance proclaiming it to be ‘Members Only’. The stairs down were well lit, the walls were well kept and thick carpets dulled her steps. At the bottom of the stairwell, a velvet rope stretched across the exit of the stair well. There were no bouncers down here, because tghye weren’t needed. Rarity’s magic lifted the rope, and she entered the room proper. Had she not been a member of the club, the enchantments on the rope would have done her a considerable amount of harm, and she wouldn’t have been able to enter.
She entered the club, and immediately spotted Fancy Pants and Fleur de Lis waving her over to their section of the bar.
“Am I late?” asked Rarity, settling down across from Fancy Pants, her wine glass setting down on the table.
“Not at all, my dear. It’s just about to begin, actually.” As Fancy Pants spoke, ponies were moving around, clearing a wide space in the centre of the room, and a well dressed stallion took the floor.
“A small announcement before we begin. Firstly, we must offer a well deserved congratulations to Rarity Belle, as her newest line of haute couture has been picked up by several of the Canterlot nobles.” There was a steady amount of applause, as the ponies in the room all clopped their front hooves together in appreciation. Rarity raised her glass to the room in thanks, and the well dressed stallion continued on.
[Time]
“Now, I know that all of you ponies are veterans of the club, but a quick reminder of the rules: No messing with anything that is legally binding, no refunds, no exchanges, and any information about anything discussed tonight should be shared-we are here to have fun, not tread on each other.” A round of agreements went up around the room, and the stallion nodded.
“As an additional reminder, all bets on Twilight Sparkle with anypony are still in play under the new name of Princess Twilight Sparkle, and that Vinyl Scratch and Octavia have now been permanently removed from the list of available bets.” There was another round of nodding.
“Then, welcome to Ship Club, and let the shipping begin!”