Magically holding a teapot aloft, Twilight gently poured its contents evenly into a set of three matching teacups she had set out on the table. Fluttershy brought her nose over her drink and closed her eyes, taking in the warm, relaxing aroma while she waited for it to cool slightly. Feeling his cup carefully to check the heat first, James picked his up and sampled the smell emanating from it. He wasn't sure he would drink any, but he kept cradling the drink because the scent had a strong raspberry sweetness that was soothing. After she had poured her own drink last, Twilight slowly set the teapot aside and then lifted her own teacup with her magic. She blew some of the rising steam off of it and gave it a minuscule sip to test the heat. There was a moment of collective silence which for Fluttershy was a reprieve from her hard work but the others spent it deep in thought, occasionally looking at each other.
Eventually, Fluttershy gave a faint yawn before apologizing again for not being a more receptive host. The pensive two snapped out of their respective contemplations, reminding her that they had come over without prior notice and assuring her that she was doing beautifully given the circumstances. Humbled by their support, she told them both, "Thank you so much. I really appreciate it." When things returned to silence she began to feel like she was inadequately handling her hosting duties again. "Well, why don't we have a chat now while we're all resting?" she invited, trying to break the stillness.
"Yes," Twilight said, hopeful to keep things positive, "let's just have a pleasant, relaxing conversation." She nervously took another sip of her tea, catching a bit too much and slightly burning her lip.
"Oh..." Fluttershy became disheartened. To James she said, "I wanted to ask a little bit about you, and who you are... but if..." With it having been mentioned that he was the only one of his kind in Equestria she was unsure if her questions would be within the pleasant ground Twilight wanted. She didn't mean any trouble. She was mostly just curious. There was a new kind of face, a creature she had never seen before.
James began to express his comfort with the topic, but Twilight cut him off. "Oh, that," she hurriedly said. "It's... it's a little complicated."
"I mean, I don't even know what he-" Fluttershy pulled back a bit in embarrassment from speaking like he wasn't in the room. Turning to James to continue, she said, "Ah... what you are." She anxiously looked away, whispering an apology under her breath.
Again James started to say something only for Twilight to jump in first. She wasn't even sure what she specifically wanted to say, but she was desperate to keep the conversation from turning sour for Fluttershy so she was claiming the talking spot. "Oh! Well..." The tea in her cup swished about as she unconsciously whirled it in a small circle. Maybe she would have to give some information now just to placate her friend's curiosity, but she wanted to be utterly careful to avoid any of the gruesome details from James' side of existence. "He... he's from a far away place. A very far away place," she said, stumbling over her words. "It was that tower from the other day that's responsible for bringing him here to Equestria."
"It was an accident. I'm sorry," James sincerely interjected.
Fluttershy was confused as to what exactly he was apologizing for, but she was forgiving in her tone regardless. "It's alright," she expressed with genuine sympathy. "But... do you know what it was? And... why it...?" The tower took on the form of a monster in her memories, breathing destructive rays of energy, smashing creatures' homes and now apparently kidnapping others. Asking about it shook her nerves a little, as if thinking about a bogeyman could summon it to your side.
Twilight rushed in again. "You know, it's such a long story, and you're kind of tired, and, I mean, he'll be here a while, staying in Ponyville that is, so there'll be time to hear it, but maybe not now?" She quickly went to take another drink of her tea, catching herself and slowing down just in time to avoid another small burn. "Aheh..."
Caught between the trust he had been placing in Twilight since he arrived and the fact that now she was so actively working to keep the truth under wraps, James found himself glaring at her. It wasn't right. Fluttershy had clearly been hurt by the whole affair and at this moment she was yearning to know why. What did it protect her from, keeping her in the dark? She deserved an answer. Twilight's intentions were undoubtedly good, but it would raise his anger too much to try and abide by them. "I don't mind explaining it all right now," he said forcefully.
But Fluttershy, aware of Twilight discomfort, mollified the situation. "If it's a really long story, I don't need to hear it immediately. I don't want to spoil our tea time with more sad tales." She smiled politely and took her first sip of the tea. "Mm... I think raspberry might be my favorite," she said.
While Twilight sighed with relief, James leaned back into the couch. In frustration, he took a tiny sip of his tea. Actually, this stuff wasn't bad at all. He drew a big breath right over his drink a took another taste of it. Hm. Well, he supposed he could rest and enjoy the moment then. There will be another chance to explain. He embraced the relative silence and tried to clear out his head.
Outside, the animals continued their noisy chatter. Their combined voices formed a muffled roar when heard from the inside which James now consciously heard again, backed by the steady tick of the clock. This place was a compact zoo. "It sounds like you have an impressive collection of animals," he told Fluttershy.
"Oh, they're not a collection," the shy pony replied, "they're my friends. They're all a little chatty right now because of what has happened."
"Does that mean they're not your pets? Where do they all come from?" he asked.
Twilight reminded him, "Do you remember how I told you that we work together with the animals to all get by? They're the animals of Ponyville."
"Wait, this is all of them?" he asked, startled.
"Oh! Sorry, I wasn't being very clear," she corrected. "Of course this isn't all of Ponyville's animals here at the cottage. But that's where they come from."
Fluttershy took over the explanation. "The animals that live in Ponyville are free to come and go here. Some do choose to stay for awhile... at least until they find homes as pets or with other animal families that live around the area. And others are my pets because I adopted them myself." She seemed almost embarrassed at her last remark, thinking fondly about how some of her small friends were just so adorable it was like she couldn't let them go. "I love them all the same, though. They're all my special friends."
"So you see," Twilight said, "in a certain way, Fluttershy does take care of all the animals of Ponyville."
Blushing at the statement, Fluttershy responded, "I wouldn't say all. I usually don't take care of the ones kept on the farms... but I do love them too."
It was something different than a crazy cat lady type of situation, not that James was exactly expecting that. But this emphasized the point Twilight had been making earlier. The ponies had some way of really communing with animals, getting along with them in harmony. Here, the "wild" animals were existing right alongside the "domesticated" animals to the point that both words lost their meanings. He looked again at Angel. At the complex feelings hidden behind the rabbit's eyes. He pictured the face of the young, agonized squirrel, still asleep.
"That's not a surprise," Twilight laughed. "I've never seen an animal in Ponyville that you didn't love. And it's no wonder, since dealing with animals is your special talent."
"Talent?" James was reminded of something he and Twilight had talked about on the first night after their more serious discussion had cooled into casual conversation. The details were vague in his mind. "That tattoo thing..." he said, rolling his hand as if it would jog his memory. He looked over at the markings Fluttershy's side. It was a simple depiction of three butterflies. To him it didn't seem to point to a specific idea, but Twilight had mentioned that the image's connection to the pony's talent could sometimes be loose or interpretive. All he recalled was that somehow each pony develops some kind of unique skill or enhanced talent which then gets branded on their flank.
"Yes, cutie marks!" Twilight said. "Fluttershy's represents her deep connection with animals. As I recall, she got her cutie mark the first time she came down to the ground from Cloudsdale and saw all the animals living here."
Fluttershy warmly regarded the memory. "I'll never forget how wonderful it felt to see all their precious faces. How I really understood them the first time I saw them." She glowed with a delightful giddiness, bringing all the feelings back in her mind.
It sounded like a kind of magic, which given the precedent, was probably true in some facet. "So I guess you have a real empathic link with them. You can really understand them," he told Fluttershy.
"Well," she said, "I believe that anypony can understand animals. It can take a lot of work and patience, but you just have to learn how to listen. My little friends have feelings they want to share just like any pony. I guess it just came naturally to me."
"'Naturally'... in your nature." he whispered to himself.
Twilight remembered the first night. Being "in the nature of ponies" was her own conclusion to the question of why ponies might not have real war and violence to the degree that humans do. Or rather, it was more of a submission to a lack of a conclusion. Admitting that there was something that was different between the two species but having no clear conception of what that difference was. Now was it the same for their relationships with animals too? Do ponies get along so well with animals because of something that was "in their nature" which was absent from humans? Were there no people who, like Fluttershy, could deeply feel and connect with animals? Was the unknown variable inside of ponies the same thing that kept them from being violent? It was an aggravating stream of questions which didn't lead to any answers. In another way she was almost amused, however. Ponies have spent ages working closely with the animals of Equestria. Has the question of "why" really never come up before?
A soft yawn came out from Fluttershy as she went to take another sip of her tea, followed immediately by a flustered apology for the yawn.
Setting her own drink down after a final sip, Twilight stood up and said, "There's no need to apologize. In fact, I think we should apologize for keeping you up. Why don't we head out now and let you get some sleep?"
It had been an interesting topic but, like Twilight, James thought it was something to ponder over later. They wouldn't really be generating any answers here. Plus, each passing minute made it more and more apparent that Fluttershy was incredibly tired. She may not have even slept for the past two days. He set down his own teacup and stood to show his support for Twilight's suggestion.
"Oh... okay," Fluttershy resigned to the decision. She shook as she struggled to her hooves, using her wings to get a some extra support. "It was nice having you two over." She went over to check on the little flying squirrel, who was still asleep.
"Thank you for having us. It was great to meet you. And thanks for the tea," James said. Mom had always said it was silly to hate something before you tried it, and it looks like this time mother knew best. What had even happened in his life that made him decide to dislike tea anyway?
"Yes, thank you! Goodbye, Fluttershy. I promise we'll be back with the others to help out." With that, Twilight made her way out of the room followed by her charge.
"Goodbye," Fluttershy yawned. She watched them leave the room and then waited in the stillness as she heard the front door open and close. Fighting the urge to nod off while still standing up, she turned to her rabbit. "Well, what do you think, Angel?"
Angel twitched one of his lips and drooped an ear, shrugging.
Outside, James and Twilight had only gone on for a few yards before the violet pony came to a stop. "What was that responsibility thing all about?" she asked with concern.
James kept walking, waving dismissively with his hand. "Forget about it," he told her.
Twilight stood still, watching him walk on. She bit her lip and uncomfortably stamped the ground once. Suddenly, she got determined and galloped to catch up with him. "No, seriously, what was it about?" she asked demandingly.
"No, seriously, forget about it." He immediately regretted the tone he had taken and looked away shaking his head.
Twilight's sudden conviction left her at the harshness of his reply and she grew silent, looking ahead down the road.
"Look," he said after a moment, "you're not going to keep the details hidden from them forever, right? So they'll find out eventually."
That didn't really answer the question for her, but she glumly kept quiet and didn't poke any further.
There wasn't much said during the walk back to the library as the late afternoon began to wane, giving into evening. While there were a lot of unexpected turns, in the end Twilight supposed the day had gone fairly well. They at least accomplished everything they had planned to do and then some. Additionaly, nothing went seriously wrong with the meetings of all her friends. Maybe they could have gone better, but these things take time and effort to get right. That was always going to be the case. Now, hungry from an afternoon of walking and talking, she looked forward to getting back and having some dinner. There would be hard work tomorrow helping Fluttershy, and she still had some ambivalent feelings about the party Pinkie Pie was planning. Maybe, without any more surprises or distractions, she could use the quiet evening to have another conversation with James and clear things up.
This is why she was greatly annoyed to be surprised by Spike's presence when she opened the library door. He was sitting in a chair, holding a bowl full of gemstones and eating away. "Oh, hey guys!" he greeted them cordially, if a little unclearly from a mouth stuffed with precious rocks.
"Spike?" Twilight asked. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be busy all day at Rarity's."
"Oh, yeah," he said, swallowing his current mouthful. "She finished all her orders." He scooped up another handful, tossing the gems in the air and catching them in his mouth.
"All of them?" Twilight was stupefied. "She was complaining that she would have to work through the entire day to fill those orders! But now she finished before dinner?"
"I know, right?" Multicolored flecks sprayed from his lips as he insisted on talking while chewing. "But it was weird. She was in, like," he swallowed, "like some kind of trance." Spike tilted the whole bowl up over his face and shook it, catching even more gemstones to chew. "She really teared through them. I could barely keep up."
Twilight was still stunned. "She got through them all?" she asked herself rhetorically. The unicorn shook her head in disbelief then started to head to the kitchen.
James didn't have any idea what the size of Rarity's workload was, nor what was involved in making a dress for a pony, but it sounded like an impressive feat. Simultaneously amused, he offered up with a chuckle, "Well, she is a MAGICAL dressmaker."
Just before Twilight opened the door to the kitchen, Spike said, "Last I saw when I left, she was working on those clothes for James. In fact, she told me to tell you to send him over."
"What?" Twilight was holding the kitchen door open with a hoof and looking back. Now it was a battle between hunger and curiosity. "What does she need him for?"
"I don't know for sure," Spike shrugged, again flipping the bowl over his mouth. When no stones came out he stood on his chair and held the bowl out to the side, upside down, shaking it aggressively. The bowl spat out nothing but empty air. He tossed it aside with a grunt. "I think she wants him to try on what she's working on so she can double-check the sizing. I guess."
"Oh. Okay." Makes sense. Curiosity satisfied. Time to satiate that other need. Twilight marched forward into the kitchen.
Walking over to one of the bookshelves on the wall, James ran his hand along the books. He was hungry but he also wanted to just take a moment to rest since they would probably be heading out again to see Rarity after eating. That was a really fast turn around time on the clothes. Though presumably she wasn't finished but had something hastily thrown together to test the fit.
Spike observed him for a little bit before scratching his head and asking, "So... uh... how was your day, James?"
"Hm? Oh. Twilight sure has a colorful assortment of friends," James remarked.
"She took you to meet them all?" Spike asked while hopping down off his chair and heading over to the bookshelf. "So, what do you think?"
James rubbed his chin in reflection. They were all fairly different. In fact, he couldn't see what common thread would have united them as friends. "Colorful," he repeated. It seemed like the right word, literally and figuratively.
"Yeah. I always thought she should have a green friend, though. You know. To make the group pictures more complete," Spike commented.
"Hah! Yeah," James choked on a laugh. Maybe that was the common thread! Filling out a color chart.
The little dragon wanted to talk to the new house guest some more as he didn't really get the chance to speak with him earlier but James seemed too distracted. Not to mention that Spike himself was worn down from his rushed assistance to Rarity. If James was going to be around for awhile like Princess Celestia had implied then there would be other chances. So instead, Spike asked what seemed to be the only natural question. "Aren't you hungry?"
"Yeah," James lazily responded. He rested his hand on the shelf for a second longer before dropping it and saying, "You're right. Time to eat." It wouldn't be the best rest if it was on an empty stomach. He made his way over towards the kitchen with Spike following suit. James realized something and said to his company, "So you really do eat gemstones. That must be an expensive habit."
Several books came floating off the shelves as Twilight inspected them, considerately weighing their value as reading material for her guest. She had some time while she waited for him to finish his own meal in the kitchen, after which she wanted to head out to Carousel Boutique. Because of the effort Rarity had clearly put in, Twilight didn't want to appear ungrateful for her friend's generosity by keeping her waiting. Any books she pulled out she eventually put back, as she was just taking the waiting moments to get a start on a mental list.
There was a knocking on the library front door. Twilight set aside the books she was levitating and went to answer it. Perhaps Rarity had come to the library instead?
"Heeeeeeey Twilight!" Pinkie Pie shouted as the door opened, causing Twilight to jump.
"Oh! Pinkie Pie. Hi," Twilight said as she recovered.
Pinkie Pie gleefully smiled, bouncing in the air with excitement. She had a wicker basket around her neck that held several pink envelopes, each one tumbling about inside the basket at every jump. "I came here to give you your invitation to the big party!" She grasped one of the envelopes in her mouth and held it out.
"'Big' party? Pinkie, we talked about this," Twilight moaned. She really hoped her friend hadn't gone overboard this time, even after she had already agreed not to.
"I mean the small big party!" Pinkie Pie squeezed out through the sides of her mouth. The envelope flapped up and down as she vigorously shook her head to encourage the unicorn to grab the invitation.
With a glow of the horn, Twilight moved the envelope out of Pinkie Pie's grip. "Just checking, but you haven't set the party for right now or tonight, have you?"
"Oh, I wanted to!" Pinkie Pie insisted. "But I went to give Rarity an invitation before and she was all," the pony suddenly struck a more refined pose, raising her nose up a little and fluttering her eyes. The fluff of her hair almost seemed to take on the Rarity's curls as she did a charming, if inaccurate, impersonation of her friend's voice. "No, Pinkie. I'm too busy, Pinkie. I don't have time, Pinkie. I must get this assembled, Pinkie. Have you seen my twill tape, Pinkie?" She vibrated her whole body, head to tail, to drive out the pony impression that had taken her, returning to her bubbly form. "So I said 'Okay! We won't have it tonight!'"
Twilight stared, waiting for an indication of when Pinkie Pie was planning the party for. Her glaring was returned only with a silent, wide-eyed grin. "Well? When it is?" she finally asked impatiently.
"Why don't you read the invitation, silly?"
"R-right! Yes. I was going to do that," Twilight stammered, bringing the envelope in front of her face. She popped it open, drawing out the card inside and scanning her eyes across it like a typewriter. The word "tomorrow" stood out, if only because it was quickly scribbled above a crossed out "tonight". She sighed, returning the card to the envelope. "I hate to ask you to put it off some more, especially after all the work you've put into it, but we can't have the party tomorrow, Pinkie."
In the style of a cliff wall being battered by the waves of a raging coastal storm, pounded by the relentless assault of the ferocious waters, rammed by an unending torrent of the ocean's fury, Pinkie Pie was completely unfazed. "We can't?" she asked sweetly.
"No, we can't. I'm sorry," Twilight said with remorse. "You see, Fluttershy is really going to need our help tomorrow. She's had a sudden rush of homeless animals she has had to take care of and find new homes for, so I want to get everyone over there to help her out immediately." She slid the envelope back into Pinkie Pie's basket. "I hope you'll be able to come and help."
"That does sound pretty important!" Pinkie Pie gaily replied. "You can count on me to be there! I guess we'll just have to have the party on another tomorrow." She cocked her head quizzically, wondering if she was getting her timing right. "That's... tomorrow's tomorrow? Two-morrow?"
Twilight gave her a dry look. "The day after tomorrow. We'll go to Fluttershy's tomorrow and then have the party the day after tomorrow."
"Right!" the pink pony buoyantly agreed.
"Who have you already given invitations too?" Twilight asked. Organizing meetups can always be a pain since it's hard to track who knows what and when they know it.
"Just Rarity. I went to give it to her, but she said..." Pinkie Pie began to adopt Rarity's manners again before Twilight interrupted her.
"Yes, I know, you told me." She quickly formulated a plan. "Okay, Pinkie... if you're going to get invitations out to the others tonight, could you let them know about Fluttershy's situation? Tell them she needs help taking care of some stray animals and to meet at her cottage tomorrow morning if they can. I'll be going to see Rarity in a moment, so I can tell her while I'm there and correct her party invitation for you."
Pinkie Pie enthusiastically nodded, giving a delighted, "You bet!" Her smile lasted until she apparently crossed a wire and confused herself. "Wait... should I tell Fluttershy about Fluttershy and to meet at Fluttershy's tomorrow?"
With a hoof up against her forehead, Twilight groaned. "Tell the others. Fluttershy was really tired when I saw her today, so why don't you wait to give her an invitation when you see her tomorrow? She'll be at her own home anyway."
"Good thinking, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie joyously leapt into the air. Her smart friend could always be counted on to solve those real brain teasers.
"Alright. Thanks. I really appreciate it, Pinkie Pie," Twilight told her friend. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow at Fluttershy's then?"
Diving deep into the wicker basket to pull out a marker, Pinkie Pie confirmed, "I'll be there! First, I have some invitations to fix!" She walked off, fiercely swaying her head about in an attempt to get one of the envelopes to open so she could correct her corrections.
Rarity called them in without looking up as soon as she heard the knock on the door of her boutique. She was sketching away at a piece of paper mounted on an easel, drawing and erasing details rapidly, taking notes, and exploring ideas. She was harried, trapped in her own fervor, and it showed in her worn expression and trembling posture. Despite that she kept her perfectly groomed mane, ever the lady under pressure.
Twilight and James passed through the front of the shop and went straight to the work area. A good number of newly made dresses were scattered about, completed with a professional precision but hung or stored in a rushed way. When they walked into the room Rarity wasn't surprised to see them. Besides having told Spike to relay the message to them, she had no reason to see anyone else tonight. She was quick to open up the conversation before either of them could get a greeting out.
"Good, you're here," she said to them, barely taking her eyes off of her work. "I've made some progress on that special commission of yours. I want to check how it fits at the moment." Rarity finally turned to show them her full attention, but she was given pause upon seeing James again. "Ah... if you wouldn't mind trying on such a basic and incomplete thing. That is."
The collection of completed dresses was still stunning Twilight. "Wow, Rarity! I'm really impressed with how quickly you've done all this."
"Yes," James agreed. He couldn't particularly imagine what goes in to this kind of work, especially of the pony specific variety, but the whole room carried a buzz in the air. There was an indelible feeling that the space itself had witnessed something incredible. "You're really quite talented. Thank you for this."
Strengthened by the compliments, Rarity composed herself. "Oh, well, thank you. It was nothing for a dressmaker of my caliber. Now, if you'll come this way. Ah, please?" She lead them over to a folding screen on one side of the room, which had her work in progress draped over it. "Again, understand that this is crude and incomplete, so forgive how simple and pedestrian it is currently." Lighting her horn, Rarity lifted the clothing up and held it out in display.
James' breath froze. It was royal. Sure, there was a degree to which it could be considered basic. The sleeves and most of the pants were completely plain, made of a cottony fabric with a beige color. His eyes were drawn to the more decorated torso area. It was a double-breasted piece, with the broad right flap significantly overlapping the left underside. Colored primarily in a strong, emerald green, there was also a thin gold piping that ran around the waist, lined the flaps, encircled the connection with the sleeves, and crossed the shoulders to wrap the neck. The flaps were fastened by buttons that had small sapphires affixed to them. There was a single, larger sapphire in the center of the darker green waistband that separated the top from the pants. It wasn't overly complicated or screaming with detail, but it gave off a elegant beauty. Honestly, he had been hoping for something that would vaguely resemble maybe jeans and a t-shirt, so this was stunning in how far beyond his expectations it went.
Twilight recognized that it certainly wasn't the flashiest thing Rarity had ever produced, but she also enjoyed the practical charm it emitted. There was also an imaginative potential. The design could go lots of different ways from here, but it was already fully usable. By all accounts it was a fantastic start by Rarity.
The dressmaker's smile grew wider with confidence as she was reading their reactions. There was still concern about the fitting, though. She had faith in the measurements she had taken, but she had never designed something like this at this size so it was important to get a look at how everything fell into place when actually worn. "Would you care to try it on?" she earnestly asked.
He grabbed the top half of it out of the air, feeling a brief tug as Rarity's magic let go at the same time. She folded the floating pants and handed them off to him. The fabrics it was made out of felt soft and comfortable. He walked around the folding screen to get changed, doing one last check on the pants. Yes! Pockets!
"This is a phenomenal start, Rarity!" Twilight gushed to her friend. "I still can't believe how fast you've done this. I really owe you a lot of thanks." There was the sound of snow boots being set aside and Princess Celestia's mangled table cloth flew into the air and landed over the folding screen.
Rarity flushed with embarrassment at such praise for so elementary a start. "Oh, really, it's nothing at all. Just a humble beginning. As you've seen, it's not nearly finished yet. I've only gotten the shape down and have put some minor work into the torso. I still have an endless number of ideas to fix up this tacky little thing."
"Don't sell yourself short, Rarity. It's incredible even like this. I can't wait to see what you do with it."
"You're being too kind, really," she said. "When I'm finished with it I'll have taken it from basic to truly-"
"Beautiful," James said to himself as he looked himself over while stepping out from behind the screen. "This is a really magnificent piece of clothing." It was gentle to the touch and light to wear. It was easy to put on and likewise would be simple to take off. The waistband and buttons held things securely in place, despite a mild looseness to the fit. Clearly wherever Rarity made estimations she had cautiously erred on the side of being too large, but that was fine with him. He preferred loose fitting clothing to feeling stuffed and squeezed into something tight. He gave a shake to his legs and rotated his arms around to check for anything stretching or tearing.
"Sleeves are the right length... little too loose..." Rarity was murmuring to herself while walking around him to inspect every facet of her work. With all her knowledge and practice she had a tremendous power to be so near the mark with a only a few measurements and some guesswork, but it is getting the little details just right that makes things perfect in the end.
It was an interesting sight for Twilight. For the first time he seemed visually appropriate for his setting. No battered, strange clothing. No awkward, temporary wrappings. It had a tone and aesthetic that blended with the world he was now in, camouflaging him. Things seemed more natural.
Finishing her observation, Rarity said, "Well, only a small few adjustments are needed to make it fit perfectly. After that, I can complete the design with-"
"Actually, could I just take it like this?" James interrupted. "I could really use the clothes, and this is fantastic already. I think this is the nicest thing I've ever worn in my life." He wanted to be as complimentary as possible with the request as it was clear Rarity had bigger ideas, but he was still serious. He disdained some of the dress suits he has had to wear before. And ties. Ties were the worst.
"B-but... it's so... so..." Rarity couldn't finish her sentence. It was incomprehensible to think about somepony going around in this partially assembled apparel. Would you send the model down the runway before perfectly lining up her jewelry? His kind has some disturbingly bizarre attraction to wearing terrible things.
Twilight ultimately decided to back James' position and encouraged Rarity to let him keep it. Although she did honestly want to see what her friend would have done in the end and she had absolute faith it would have been fantastic, that wasn't what this was about. They hadn't gone to Rarity to get something for him to wear on special occasions. It was to get clothing to make him comfortable. So it seemed to Twilight that, if this is what made him comfortable, it was alright to let him have it. Maybe it was even better this way. He did look normal like this. Maybe something flashy would look great but stand out too much. Even though it didn't meet the seamstress' high expectations, it went beyond James'. "Nobody is saying you can't make new, complete ones," she told her friend. "Just let him have this one for regular wear. It still looks wonderful. I really mean it."
"Ugh..." Rarity moaned and sighed. She shook her head in resignation and then magically lifted something out of the corner of the room. "Here, I made these as well," she said, dropping a pair of shoes at James' feet. They were certainly meant to go with the clothes she had made, primarily being covered in the same green fabric as the shirt. There was a strong resemblance to ankle high slippers, lacking in laces or other bindings. The soles were sturdier and thicker to compensate for his lack of hooves. "Once I had settled on a design I was going to decorate them to match."
"Oh! Thank you." He tried them on and again her work proved sufficiently accurate. They fit snugly and were much better sized for him than the boots he had been wearing. He reached back behind the folding screen and grabbed Rarity's boots. They still had a layer of encrusted dirt on the bottom that he decided he shouldn't wipe off considering what had happened before. He handed them over to Rarity. "Sorry," he told her, "I tried my best to keep them clean."
"Yes... thank you," she responded with a strained smile. She took a reserved magical hold of the boots, but she couldn't bring herself to drop them down anywhere in their current state. There was just this irresistible urge to wash them first.
"Rarity," Twilight said, "I really want to thank you for this. You've been a big help."
Her smile eased into a more natural state. "You're welcome, Twilight. I'm glad to be of assistance."
"Before we get on our way," Twilight spoke with a sudden seriousness, "I want to talk with you for a second about Fluttershy."
When they arrived back at the library, Spike recognized what James was now wearing. He was a little surprised to see it being worn in the state it was in, but James would only say it was marvelous already and that it didn't need anything more added to it. Spike didn't have a disagreement there; Rarity had made it after all, so of course it was excellent. He did laugh after a moment of observing it.
"What's so funny?" James asked.
"It looked like you get to be the green friend who we thought was missing!"