It was as so many others had been, a fabulous day of fabulous fabulousness at fabulous Carousel Boutique…
Things had gone so well as for the day to be even called…
Kinda sorta good.
...Ish.
Rarity let out a content sigh, as she sat and ‘worked’ in her studio. The blinds were down, Rarity wasn’t expecting anypony, Opal was currently preoccupied with enough catnip to kill a mountain lion, Sweetie and the other Crusaders had been distracted by a cunning plan of introducing them to conspiracy theories and leaving the tin foil carefully almost hidden…
Truly, it was a good day for the mare.
Rarity sipped once more from her jug of absinthe. Just letting the copious amounts of ‘inspiration’ flow through her. She lounged back on her fainting couch with a content smile. Life was good...
Rarity groaned as the bell on the front door rang, signaling either her friends come to drag her on some half baked adventure and or that the end was nigh…
Again.
“...I swear, if this is another crisis Celestia and Luna could have solved a millennia ago with a simple sledgehammer… Then I’m calling it quits and moving to Prance. Obligations be darned…” The fashionista muttered to herself as she swiftly used her magic to pour her booze back into it’s bottle and hide her ‘muse.’ Within moments it once more rested in this ghastly bolt of plaid she’d used once for its intended purpose.
A quick sobering spell that made Rarity wish for a swift death as it forced her through the entire hangover in but a few moments and a well rehearsed fake smile later, and she was ready to meet the wretched interloper valued customer.
To Rarity’s surprise, her local fellow entrepreneur and nouveau riche that hid it for tax reasons, Mr. Cake was standing there. The normally yellow earth pony was looking quite a bit redder than normal.
Rarity blinked, her ‘smile’ forgotten at the rare sight, before making it down and greeting the thoroughly embarrassed stallion. “Mr. Cake, a pleasure… but is something wrong? You look a bit… flustered.”
Mr. Cake put a hoof in front of his mouth and let out an embarrassed cough. “...Evening, Miss Rarity…” He stumbled over the words, seemingly wanting to look everywhere but at the fashionista.
Rarity blinked once more. Such behavior from this particular married stallion usually meant one of two things… Since a wish to elope would mean a chance to get laid, something that seemed to be against the very will of the creator for the poor mare that was out…
So that only left the obvious. “...Has Pinkie ascended and you want me to run, but can’t think of a way to say so that can’t be interpreted as a joke?!”
Mr. Cake paled. “NO!”
Both ponies let out a breath of relief.
Mr. Cake seemed to have calmed from the revelation that things were nowhere near as bad as they could be, and decided to just get it off his back. The day Pinkie ascended would indeed be the day Tartarus froze over. “...Well, Miss Rarity… I’m going to be blunt. The Missus has gotten… bored.” The blush returned, with a revengeance. “...I’ll just ask to get it over with. Do you work in… rubber or latex and if so, how much?”
Rarity blinked and carefully bit back a laugh. “I must admit I have little experience with those materials…”
Rarity’s heart melted at the sight of the stallion sagging in defeat and quickly raised a hoof. “Still, as long as you won’t mind it not being my best work I wouldn’t mind a chance to…” Rarity failed to hold back a small burst of laughter. “...experiment, as the case may be.”
Mr. Cake, who for once was a brighter red then the mane of his wife or their ‘employee’ both he and his wife were seeing on the side, still managed a thankful nod.
The pair quickly settled into discussing price. As both were shrewd business owners, it was truly an epic battle of wills and greed…
Sadly, I, The Narrator slash Author is seemingly the only person in existence that finds fictional characters haggling fictional money over fictional goods intriguing, and thus this has been cut for your convenience.
...Philistines.
Anyway, the pair soon had a deal. Since Rarity was unsure of the materials and style she was willing to lower the price a bit, but since at the same time she would need tools and materials outside her normal ones a compromise of her usual rate was soon reached.
As with all good deals, both parties secretly thought ‘Sucker!’ at each other as they shook hooves and sealed the deal.
With practices ease, Rarity soon had Mr. Cake’s measurements and waved him off. “I won’t promise a deadline, but I’ll keep you posted, darling. You go tell the Missus a surprise is in the works.”
The embarrassed stallion waved back and left, leaving Rarity to her own devices.
Now, as a fashionista in a reasonably small town, Rarity was no stranger to risqué request. Saddles, bridles, lacy underwear, a fursuit or five, riding crops, spurs…
When you lived in the same village as Hugh Jelly, Clip Clop and Rainbow Dash very few things simply came as a shock or even a surprise.
Rarity had seen it all...except strangely latex and it’s ilk. She had simply thought the perversion fairy had left that bag at home when visiting Ponyville, but it seemed she had been wrong.
As a respectful enabler of sick and twisted things between agreeing adults, Rarity of course set out to tap a new market and make frankly embarrassing amounts of dosh correct this tragic gap in her knowledge.
She checked her own library of books, but sadly it seemed she had tragically neglected the proud field of things that go *squeak* in the bedroom. She had books on saddle making, whip making, The Language of Flowers, riding and many other utterly depraved thing… but not a single one that as much as mentioned what she was currently after.
Truly, it was a tragedy for the ages.
Rarity decided that there was really only one place to go for such eldritch forbidden knowledge no mare was ever meant to know... and decided to pay Twilight a visit.
...But first.
Rarity trotted over to the basement, lifted the trapdoor cunningly hidden under the welcome mat and stuck her head down. “Sweetie, you and your friends having fun?”
“IT ALL MAKES SENSE!” Sweetie shouted excitedly, a glimmer of metal just visibly in the gloom. “OF COURSE WE REALLY LIVE IN A HELIOCENTRIC SOLAR SYSTEM AND CELESTIA AND LUNA JUST FAKE IT ALL!”
Another gleaming head, this one with a few tufts of purple sticking out through the foil, started nodding vigorously. “YES! TRULY, IT EXPLAINS EVERYTHING!”
Apple Bloom nodded just as vigorously, smiling wide at Scootaloo and with her foil covered bow bobbing behind her head. “YES! SHE IS OBVIOUSLY IN CAHOOTS WITH THE SKIN MARES WHO ARE PLOTTING TO CONQUER ALL OF EQUESTRIA FOR THE HU-MANS!” She waved a newspaper clipping around excitedly. “IN THIS PICTURE, YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE HER BLINK… AND REVEAL HER REAL TINY, BEADY EYES BEHIND THE MASK!”
Rarity chuckled as the three fillies screamed in mock horror. “Good to hear. You three just bust the conspiracy wide open. I’ll be over at Twilight if you need any help ‘bringing the mare down.’”
Rarity only waited for a trio of cheery shouts of “OK!” before gently lowering the trapdoor and replacing the rug again.
Rarity just had to chuckle at the muffled words: “Cutie mark crusaders conspiracy theorists! Yay!”
With a song in her heart and chuckling from schadenfreude Rarity grabbed her saddlebags and headed for the Golden Oaks library.
Before Rarity knew it, she was at the library and giving the door a dainty knock. To her relief given the subject matter Twilight, not Spike, answered the door. “Hi, Rarity! What brings you here?”
Rarity sauntered in, relieved to be out of the sun. “Well, darling… I must admit I’d rather not say.”
Twilight blinked, before groaning and smacking her head. “...Another request that would make me want to risk a mind wiping spell?”
Rarity chuckled and winked at the Princess of Magic. “Got it one, Twilight.”
Twilight looked towards the heavens and let out a tired sigh, wings near dragging on the floor. “I know I’ll regret this… but since Spike’s visiting mom and dad I guess I can help without speaking in code for half the day. What do you need?”
Rarity let out a ladylike cough. “I’ve been asked to make ‘something in rubber or latex’ but I’ve never worked in those materials… Any chance you have encountered any books I could use?”
Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “...That’s it? Honestly, after the last time I was worried you needed anatomy and engineering textbooks to make a anatomically correct costume of a undead robot changeling or something…”
Rarity made a face at the reminder of Mayor Mare’s latest idea for a Nightmare Night costume, a skintight body-stocking that made it’s wearer look completely see through with illusions. Getting the anatomy correct had been… mentally taxing.
And of course the first thing the mare had tested with it… was eating a plate of noodles in front of a mirror.
Truly, there was something wrong in that mare’s head. Granted, to voluntarily run such a crazy place as Ponyville you almost needed that, but…
“Nothing so… gross this time, Twilight,” Rarity hasted to clarify. “Just a couple that wants a bit of excitement in the bedroom and a material I haven’t worked before. Any help would be greatly appreciated.”
Twilight tilted her head, thinking it over. “...I’m not sure, Rarity. This isn’t exactly the royal library in Canterlot. Even if I try. That’s a bit of an… odd subject. I’m not sure if we have any books about that…”
Rarity’s hopes fell, but she made herself comfortable by sitting down on the floor as Twilight flittered about among the shelves, looking for anything related.
It took long enough that Rarity had slightly dozed off, but Twilight finally flew over with an apologetic grin and only two books floating behind her in her purple aura. “Sorry, this is what I found…”
Rarity smiled at her friend and accepted the books. The first, Rare Fabrics And Their Uses by Silk Thread seemed a bit dry if promising…
The second though… “...Uh, Twilight? I can’t read this.”
The book was old. Bound in leather and with flowing letters in old Equestrian. It seemed more a spellbook, then a seamstresses guide.
Twilight blushed slightly. “...It’s a copy of the unicorn version of the Camel Sutra from before the unification war. The name isn’t quite right, but in modern Equestrian it would be called The Delights Forbidden. It’s a bit hard to read nowadays, but I distinctly remember a part about…” Twilight let out a cough and her blush deepened. “...the usages of fabrics in the bedroom. I know it isn’t quite what you're after, but perhaps there something in there your client will find… enticing?”
Rarity fought down a joke about why Twilight possible could have wanted to read such a book and instead opted for practicality. “...I must admit it sounds promising, darling… but I still can’t read this.”
Twilight held up a primary in a ‘one moment’ gesture, before daring over and grabbing another book. She opened the well worn book on a equally worn bookmark, before trotting back over and touching The Delights Forbidden with her lit up horn.
Rarity let out a impressed gasp as glowing letters formed over the book, spelling its title out in text superimposed over the cover in Twilight's purple magic. Experimentally, Rarity opened the old tome only to have the same effect happen on every page.
She quickly slammed the book shut as the spell started spelling out a quite lurid way to use ones telekinesis.
She made a note to check it out in private later, but the knowing look on Twilight’s face simply made Rarity blush too much to ever admit it out loud.
Twilight let out a giggle. “The translation spell should last a day or two. I would recommend being careful with any spells since it isn’t very exact, but it should be good enough for anything not to be used on a pony… Just be aware you might lose some fabric experimenting.”
Rarity beamed her brightest smile at her friend. “Thank you, Twilight! I’ll be sure to be careful.”
Rarity and Twilight waved farewell to each other, and Rarity set path towards the market for supplies.
Within the hour, she had her saddlebags filled to bursting with spools of various fabrics of the less normal kinds. Vinyl, latex, rubber… Truly, it was with mixed feelings Rarity headed back to her shop. On one hoof, it made her feel a bit silly… On the other, it was always intriguing to learn something new in her chosen craft.
...Even if it was more then a bit strange. Still, not like she’d be wearing the silly thing!
Rarity paused in the doorway to give the trapdoor a knock. “You girls still OK down there?”
Her response come from a bored looking Sweetie trotting out of the kitchen with a plate of sandwiches on her back. “Eh, we’re done. Sitting in a basement and screaming how ‘IT ALL MAKES SENSE!’ kinda got boring quickly…”
Inwardly Rarity swore over the loss of such a potent source of peace and relative quiet, but outwardly she just smiled. “I’m sorry to hear that, Sweetie…”
Sweetie waved a hoof vaguely at her side. “Well, it was a nice attempt…” She reached behind and grabbed a sandwich, offering it to Rarity with a hopefully smile on her face. “Want one? It’s lettuce and celery!”
Rarity took one at the burned sheets of carbon with something green and glowing dripping from in-between them and decided that she was no longer hungry. “Sorry, Sweetie… I’m simply not that hungry…”
Sweetie Bell pouted at her sister. “Fine! More for me then!”
Rarity’s smile got waxen as her sister slurped up the sandwich in one gulp.
Sweetie gave her sister a big and glowing smile, her teeth covered in bits of ash and the green goop. “Yummy! I love that blueberry flavor!”
Rarity’s ear flickered, her face still a waxen mask. “...I thought you said those are celery and lettuce sandwiches…?”
Sweetie waved her sister off again. “Details. They’re all fruits, right?”
Rarity did her best to flee in a dignified and ladylike manner as Sweetie reached for another of her crimes against the culinary arts.
Rarity breathed a sigh of relief as she sank down on the other side of her new bolted and barred studio door…
“Oh, yummy! Pie flavor! My favorite vegetable!” It came excitedly from behind the door. “I’m getting so good in cooking, I’ll have a cutie mark in it soon for sure!”
Rarity carefully floated a bit of fabric over and bit down on it. Then once she was certain her sister would not hear, she started laughing like mad.
Once Rarity had gotten the incredulity at her sister’s statement out of her system, she discarded the now ruined piece of cloth into the wastebasket and got to work.
Rarity started with the more mundane book, summing her fainting couch for a bit of comfort…
By the time Rarity awoke from the utter snooze pill of a book, it had long since turned dark. She carefully lifted the void of interest from her face, using her magic for a bit of light.
Rarity blanched a bit at seeing the page number ten. “...Well, I must certainly know which book to borrow next time I have trouble sleeping…” She muttered as she placed it back in her bags.
She hesitated at seeing the other book she’d been loaned before just shrugging. From the silence of the house, Sweetie had long since gone to bed and… well, this was hardly the type of book one read in the company of others. Doing it in the dead of night seemed… fitting somehow.
Rarity used a simple light spell to not need her horn while she read, summoning a simple ball of light just over her shoulder. Floating the book over was foal’s play… if not quite appropriate for that age group.
Humming interestedly, Rarity scanned the index. It was an… eclectic mix of content. Some stuff like tips about saddles were clearly marked up as if it was these utterly beyond the pale perversions, including heartfelt assurances by the author he had never tried this sick filth but simply including it for completeness sake… while just in the very next chapter the uses shaving could be put to entice your mate was discussed as if it was the weeks weather schedule.
Rarity had to admit it made her cheeks heat up, but it was slightly fascinating to notice that in even stuff like this there were trends. Truly, this book had climbed out of a forgotten age…
Granted, the short chapter about how to please your pegasi or earth pony concubines if you found yourself with such spelled that out in lurid if brief detail.
Still, Rarity fought down a playful little thought of ‘accidentally’ yanking Applejack’s braid, or brush against Rainbow’s wings just to see where it might lead… but as amusing the thought was, she didn’t want to risk her friendship so the point was moot.
“...Ah, here we are…” Rarity muttered as she found what she’d been looking for.
Her heart quickened as she took in the very first spell. It seemed to be a way to reshape cloth to make it take on the properties of other things. Images of silk sparkling like diamonds, velvet with the shine of gold and similar danced across her mind. If it worked as advertised, it would utterly change and refine her craft!
...But a frown swept across the fashionista’s face. What the buck, to be blunt, was this spell doing in a book like this? Surly just dressing in silk or whatever your particular perversion happened to be was the much simpler solution then magic?
...Perhaps with enough practice you didn’t need both materials?
That thought made Rarity’s hooves shake in excitement. Hard enough she had to put the book down next to herself.
She simply had to try!
However, just because Rarity wasn’t much of a mage, didn’t mean she was a bumbling apprentice either. She of course started this by reading the whole spell. Including its counterspell.
...However, all seemed to be in order…
Something that made the hairs on Rarity’s neck stand straight up. She’d been through far to many shenanigans these recent years not to smell a rat when such a juice gem of a spell was just sitting on the empty field with no dragons in sight, so to speak.
Carefully, she floated over a magnifying glass she kept on hand for the more detailed needlework and started looking for any hilarious fine print. Rarity had never understood why, but a certain type of mage seemed to love to make spells that turned their casters into horny coconuts for forever unless they had sex with a beer bottle in a busy road crossing with at least a gryphon, a minotaur and a pegacorn watching…
Not only would that be somewhat inconvenient, but Rarity didn’t even like beer.
Personally, Rarity blamed far too much time on their hooves and not nearly enough of it spent releasing all that pent up frustration and energy.
Besides, surely inventing a ‘summon horny mare that is both attractive, attracted to me and willing to be whisked away like this’ spell would be not only much more practical, but actually achieve the result they seemed to want?
Rarity spent a quiet moment doing her best to project thoughts of Take me! I’m single and that desperate!
...But alas, no sudden burst of light or magic slash dorky but lovable loser presented it or himself.
Again.
With a sigh Rarity floated the magnifying glass back to its spot. Her disappointment at her love life being drier than the Badlands aside, there seemed to be no ‘hilarious’ trap. The spell was seemingly on the level.
Rarity decided to risk her booze hidey-hole, carefully placing the bottle on her workbench and floating the dreadful blue, purple and orange plaid onto her left hoof. She wish she could claim drunkenness for the purchase… but truth be told it had been pity.
Carousel Boutique had not been the first resting place of this ‘cloth’, simply put. The owner of the cloth had simply been so happy somepony was finally looking for more than five seconds at her old shame from her apprenticeship that Rarity had simply not had the heart to tell to her face it was from morbid fascination rather than anything more positive.
...Still, Rarity mused as she looked at the dreadful atrocity of anti-fashion, it was hardly everyday you made a grown mare cry from happiness for the small price of a single bit.
...She wasn’t sure if the cloth itself was worth that much, but the happiness had been it.
Rarity floated over one of the small bundles of latex cloth and unfurled it over her other hoof. It was strangely smooth and cool compared to what she was used to working with, while still getting uncomfortably hot quickly as it rested against her. She couldn’t imagine using it in her normal work, but it seemed an interesting challenge at least.
The already shiny white cloth was nearly radiant in the light of her spell however, so Rarity had to admit to a few thoughts about that perhaps changing if this experiment turned out well.
Rarity checked and double checked the spell. She didn’t think Twilight would intentionally give her something dangerous… but it paid to be a bit paranoid when dabbling in new magic.
Being certain she’d gotten it right, Rarity threw her head back and cast.
What she had not counted on however, was the plaid losing its traction and gliding of the outstretched hoof from the small movement just as the spell finished.
A sudden burst of slight pain made Rarity wince and she quickly looked at her hoof in near panic…
Only to let out a sigh of relief as nothing had seemingly happened. She flexed and turned it, but nothing. The same hoof she’d always had had. “Phew… The spell must have fizzled.”
The sudden relief at not having utterly bucked herself in such a stupid manner flowed over Rarity, washing away what little energy she’d gained by her improper nap. She lifted a hoof to her forehead and groaned. “...Darn it all, I must be more tired than I thought. That should teach me to cast new spells in the middle of the night…”
Rarity got up from her couch, dismissing it with a thought and quick spell to its normal resting place of her attic. Normally she wouldn’t use her magic for something so quick and easy to just use your hooves on, but she wanted to get into bed as quick as possible so she floated all the stuff she’d gotten and used out of her bags and gently put it all on her workbench.
Rarity moved towards her bedroom, only to stop in the doorway and scratch absently at her hoof as she looked at the perverted spellbook. The book itself wasn’t going anywhere… but the spell Twilight had put on it did have a time limit… Would some light bedtime reading go amiss?
Deciding not to, Rarity headed out. It could wait until morning. Besides, she thought with a chuckle, I doubt I’ll get any sleep anytime soon if I read that book in bed!
Still softly chuckling at her own joke in the way you do when you’re way to tired, Rarity found her bed and climbed in. With a content sigh she put her sleeping mask on and crawled under the covers, happy over a good day…
Rarity was asleep before she knew it, just drifting off into a peaceful if dreamless slumber.
Totally unaware as her left foreleg gleamed in the moonlight, the smooth plastic replacing it creeping ever so slowly over her sleeping features…