Chapter 3
The first few drops of rain began to fall as Rarity gathered up the summer dresses with her magic and placed each of them into plastic covers to protect from what looked as if it may turn into a heavy downpour. She was due to meet the girls at Twilight's house for lunch soon, where she would finally give her friends the gifts she had worked on all week. She could make dresses quickly, but she had taken her time with these. They were special, and were to be given to very special ponies.
She checked the mirror one last time before heading out. Every hair was in place, her make-up was flawless, and her coat was spotless. All was well as she bade her cat Opalescence farewell and left the boutique.
Outside, the storm began to pick up.
The young unicorn mare stood back to examine the shop. She had just purchased the building a month ago, and it had been in shambles then. Now, through hard work and determination, she had a beautiful boutique in which she could sell her dresses. The carousel design had been her idea.
"We're so proud of you, Sweetie," her father said as he put a hoof around her shoulders.
"My name's not Sweetie," Rarity said and made a show of rolling her eyes.
Her father grinned at her. "Well maybe we'll just have to save that name for the little one, if it's a filly," he said as he nuzzled her pregnant mother. The three of them shared strained smiles.
Rarity's decision to move out at a young age had surprised both of her parents. Though she could tell it pained them, they had supported her decision. She had become adept at dressmaking, particularly after her talent for finding gems had manifested itself. She had saved every bit earned from selling fashions over the years, dealing with more nicknames in the process.
Bit-Pincher. The Pretty Poverty Pony.
Now the first small step to fulfilling her dreams had finally become a reality. Years of hard work and dedication might finally trump years of insults and ridicule. She kissed her parents goodbye. They needed to go for a doctor's visit to check up on the little unborn foal. She magicked her luggage into the shop with her as she took her first steps into her new life outside the farm. She would make her name here in Ponyville.
She opened up one of the pieces of luggage and levitated the first dress out of the bag. It was the wedding dress she had stitched together as a filly, the one she was to wear in her royal wedding to a prince. The prince had never come, and there had never been a wedding.
Sighing, she walked into her new bedroom with the dress floating idly beside her. She opened up a door and was greeted by an empty walk-in wardrobe. She magically held the dress aloft for a few moments, admiring the stunning job she had done on it. With another sigh, she moved the dress to the very back of the wardrobe and hung it up.
Some day.
Rarity closed her eyes against the strong wind and heavy rain. The pegasus ponies had decided to go all-out this time to make up for a few missed showers from earlier in the month. Her mane and tail were soaked. She had been so busy worrying about keeping the dresses for her friends dry, that she had forgotten to bring an umbrella. She moved ahead blindly a few paces, but stopped in her tracks when she heard a sudden noise heading her way.
"Make way, ma'am!" a voice called out through the rain.
Rarity opened her eyes and was terrified to see a carriage careening through the mud towards her. She had just unknowingly wandered directly into its path. Not possessing Twilight Sparkle's ability to magically teleport, she had no choice but to leap out of the way. She turned and leapt back to the side of the road with moments to spare, but her hooves slipped and she fell onto her side in a muddy puddle.
After the carriage had passed, the unicorn stared miserably at her filthy coat and mane as she weakly stood up on shaky legs. Her eyes then fell upon the torn, dirty mound of clothes lying in the middle of the road. She must have lost her concentration and dropped the dresses for her friends when she had to leap to safety.
It looked as if the carriage had run them over.
Hanging her head in defeat, Rarity levitated the dresses out of the mud and slowly made her way towards Twilight's house. Mud and rain mixed with her tears as she anguished over what she would have to tell her friends.
Rarity was putting the finishing touches on the Town Hall decorations for this year's Summer Sun Celebration. She used her horn to cause a piece of yellow ribbon to float before her face.
"No," she began as she magicked it away and replaced it with a blue, then a green ribbon. "No, no, oh goodness no." She magicked the yellow ribbon back up as she reconsidered her options.
"Good afternoon," came a voice from behind her.
She held up a hoof to stall whoever was interrupting her. "Just a moment please. I'm in the zone, as it were," she told the stranger as she brought the red ribbon back up and added sparkles to it. "Oh yes! Sparkle always does the trick, does it not?" she said, hoping to impress her guest. "Why Rarity, you are a talent." She turned to face the stranger. "Now, how can I help you... waaahahaaa!"
The stranger's mane was styled in the worst possible way. Surely this tragic purple unicorn was mocked and derided on a daily basis with that kind of fashion sense. The poor dear.
"Oh my stars! Darling, whatever happened to your coiffure?" Rarity said, shocked.
The purple unicorn looked taken aback for a moment. "Oh, you mean my mane? It's a long story. I'm just here to check on the decorations and then I'll be out of your hair."
"Out of my hair, what about your hair?" Rarity asked with true concern. The poor mare's life must be miserable. She couldn't allow this fashion-senseless pony to live through one more day of what she'd had to go through as a filly. She moved and began to push the unicorn out the door of the town hall and towards the Carousel Boutique for an emergency makeover.
She didn't know it at the time, but a simple makeover was soon going to lead to one of the strongest friendships of her life.
There came a knock at the door.
"I'll get it, that must be Rarity," Twilight Sparkle said as her horn briefly glowed red and telekinetically opened the door. It swung open to reveal a soaked and muddy unicorn.
"Oh my. What happened to you, Rarity?" Fluttershy called with genuine concern in her quiet voice.
Rarity walked in with her head hung low. She couldn't bear to look her friends in the eye. She caused the ruined dresses to float in from the outside, and set them onto a table.
"They're ruined," she said, barely above a whisper. "I made you all the most wonderful dresses yet, and they're ruined."
"Aww, that's okay Rarity. We just want to know what happened to you. Are you alright?" Pinkie Pie said in a much more sombre tone than usual.
Rarity's friends gathered around her to learn what had befallen her. She finally lifted her head to look at them. Their eyes widened as they noticed her red, puffy eyes.
Rainbow Dash gasped. "Are you crying? Is she crying? What happened, are you hurt? Did somepony do something to you? Did they do that?" she said, pointing at the mud on Rarity's mane. "Those jerks! Who did it, Rarity? I'll show them! Mess with my friends, will they? I'll give 'em the old one-two and a..."
"Oh my goodness, come on over here and tell us what's wrong," Twilight said, pushing her friend toward the fireplace.
Rarity looked around at the concerned faces surrounding her. "I wanted to give you these dresses as a little thank you for being such wonderful friends. But I accidentally walked in front of a speeding carriage and had to jump out of the way. I... I lost my concentration, and they dropped, and they were run over and now... " she began to sob quietly once more.
"Hey, it's okay, sugarcube," Applejack said to Rarity. "We appreciate the thought with those dresses, but letting us see ya smile is the best gift I think you could give us," she said with a wink. The other ponies nodded in agreement.
Rarity looked into Applejack's eyes and knew she was being sincere. She was the Element of Honesty, after all. Her friends were all here, ready to help her with anything she needed. It didn't matter that her mane was a mess, or that she had tracked mud throughout the room. Her gifts didn't matter either. It was her well-being that her friends cared about.
She smiled a wide, heart-felt smile as she gathered her friends up in a big group hug. None of them complained about being smeared with dirt and mud. They were too busy being her best friends for that.
"How about we all go down to the spa once the rain settles down? It looks like we could all use a little more than a bath," Rarity suggested as she observed her friends who were now as dishevelled as she was. They all laughed together and agreed.
"Sold for three thousand, seven hundred, fifty bits!" the auctioneer called as he slammed the gavel down.
"Wow, that has to be some kind of record, Rarity!" Twilight Sparkle said with a smile.
Rarity nodded, but her eyes were on the dress that had just been sold. They took in every detail for what could have been the thousandth time in her life. Some lucky mare would be wearing that dress, the first that Rarity had ever made, to her wedding. A single tear escaped and rolled down her face.
"What's wrong, Rarity?" Twilight asked with concern.
Rarity's smile was genuine. "Nothing, darling. Just saying goodbye to an old friend. I used to think that it would be me wearing that dress someday, on the happiest day of my life."
"Oh Rarity, why did you sell it then?" her friend asked.
"Because someday came a long time ago when I met you and the others. The dress has served its purpose."
The two friends smiled at one another and shared a warm hug.
"Twilight?" Rarity asked.
"Yes?"
"Let's go have a picnic with the others."
Dear Princess Celestia,
Today I came to terms with an important lesson about friendship, and about life in general. Life can be difficult sometimes, and a rough childhood can be a real challenge to overcome.
On the one hoof, you can allow your past to take control of your actions in the present. This way of living can be destructive not only to yourself, but to those around you. You can fail to see the good that is all around you, and to appreciate those who have been there for you.
On the other hoof, you can choose to ignore the past and live only in the present. This choice might lead to less pain, but it can cause you to ignore the lessons of the past. These lessons, while painful, are critical in understanding who you are and who you wish to become. They play an important role in defining you as an individual.
I learned today that neither of the above paths are correct. A careful, balanced approach down both paths is required to truly appreciate my life, and the friends that take part in it. My past has hurt me, but no longer. It shall remain in the past where it belongs. I can't ignore it, it helped to mold me into the mare I am today. But I will no longer allow it to control where I go from here. That decision is best shared with those I love.
Yours faithfully,
Rarity