//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 - The Unexpected Choice // Story: A Work of Art // by Shiningblade-pony //------------------------------// For once the athletic blue pegasus stood idly among four close friends of hers, her eyes casually sweeping about a room that was decorated in a way she might have described as "too girly" or "gaudy". The walls, painted in deep shades of pink and purple, all appeared to be covered with some kind of detailed ornamentation. Every space she looked was festooned with ribbons, bows, and all sorts of flowery patterns, much to her disapproval. Of course, there wasn't much to do in a room with so little flying space, as Rainbow Dash realized when her patience began to ebb to dangerously low levels. She began to twitch her messy, rainbow-striped tail anxiously. Just as she was about to step forward and ask if Rarity was ready yet, her question was answered. "I'm reeeadyyyyyy!" a voice that rang with an overly-enthusiastic tone chimed from behind the door of Rarity's room, which soon after swung open to reveal the fabulous violet-maned mare that Rainbow and her friends knew so well. She smiled at the five ponies that looked back at her, though they mostly wore confused expressions. "So...what's been taking you so long?" Rainbow Dash asked after a few seconds of odd silence, trying not to sound too impatient. "Ah, yes, I was hoping you'd ask that!" she said, and took a leap back into the room before emerging once more, this time carrying with her magical blue aura something large--about the size of a pony--draped in a navy blue piece of fabric. She trotted out to the center of the room and set the mysterious object on the floor beside her, in front of her five well-known friends. There was silence for a short moment, a tranquility which was shattered by Pinkie Pie's shouting. "Ooh what is it? Is it a surprise? I LOVE surprises! You just never know what it might be even if it was given to you by your very best friend and even when you think you can figure it out and you sit down and think about it for a reallyreallyreally long time, you can never guess the right answer, or it won't be a super-fun exciting ultra-amazing surprise anymore!" she took a long, drawn-out, overly dramatic gasp and darted over to Rarity's side, her eyes shimmering with excitement. "And you know the very best part of a surprise?" "Um...what would be, dear?" she asked hesitantly, not quite sure what to expect from this spontaneous party-loving pony. "Finding out what the surprise is!" she exclaimed gleefully, leaping into the air. "SHOW US WHAT IT IS!" She hollered, still in midair. She then landed softly on the ground, her usual, small smile having politely returned to her face. Rarity laughed nervously, recovering from the anxiousness that came with Pinkie's spontaneity, she grinned amiably and proceeded to elaborate. "Well, as you all know, none of my recent fashion lines have been very successful in Ponyville." Her friends glanced at one another tentatively, then gave small individual nods, motioning for Rarity to continue. She sighed. "... Still, I'm not getting anywhere with my business and unfortunately, money doesn't grow on trees. So I've decided that if these ponies don't appreciate my taste in fashion, I'm going somewhere where they do. Girls, I'm going back to Canterlot!" Twilight was the first to react, bearing a suddenly startled expression. "But Rarity! Do you know where you'll stay? I mean, I know that the princess let you stay at her castle last time you were there but... I mean, you've planned this out with her, right?" "Why, of course I have this planned out, dear!" she said, giggling slightly. "You see, when I was in Canterlot that time all those months ago, I was talking to my new friends Jet Set and Upper Crust. Since I’d managed to make a good impression on ponies there, attending ponies’ parties and helping them out with apparel choices and such, they showed a surprising amount of dismay were when I told them that I’d be returning home soon—" “Aww!” Pinkie Pie shouted with sudden sympathy. “See, you’d almost think that those ponies with how proper and restricted and never-show-emotions-too-boldly about things would never think to do more than nod in their, uh, what's that word?--“dignified” way to respond to you saying you'd be leaving.” Pinkie took note to wrap up her comment swiftly as she glanced over at Twilight and saw her give a look that said “remember, it's Rarity we came here to listen to”. Still she smiled, and took a quick breath. “But I think it’s really sweet how they’re not afraid to show how much they really care about you! Almost like us! Except your Canterlot friends aren't as loud and talky-talkative-ish as me.” Rarity just grinned warmly, happy to have honest friends, as talky-talkative-ish as they were. She exchanged glances with Twilight, a unicorn who, too, would miss Pinkie’s unrestrained, rowdy nature if she were going to Canterlot. Then the white-coated unicorn continued. “As I was saying, Jet Set and Upper Crust informed me that I was welcome to stay at their house, for their house is quite spacious and includes an entire guest room. It sounds delightfully comfortable, and by the sound of it there will be enough room for a few ponyquins and such!” She giggled sheepishly at her sudden burst of energy. “So, uh... I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to gain inspiration and to immerse myself in the fashion world." Rainbow Dash huffed, straightening out from where she leaned against the wall while Rarity narrated a boring tale of city ponies. Not that the rainbow-maned friend hadn't been listening, but that was all she had taken from Rarity's speech. “So they just gave this to you, of their own free will? I mean... it's not like Canterlot ponies are the most charitable of ponies. Like, last time they were all scowling at us at the garden party." "Rainbow!" Twilight exclaimed. "You know very well these are Rarity's friends, and you should be happy for her that they offered her this!" Applejack’s rough, straw-colored mane bobbed slightly as she raised her head to speak. “Ya know, Rainbow, y’should speak a little nicer. Ya might think that Canterlot's nothin' more but a prissy ponyfolk city, but Rarity clearly wouldn't enjoy it so much if it were nothin' more." A look of consideration lay deep in the farmpony's emerald eyes. Twilight nodded confidently. "That's absolutely right. After all, Rainbow, we listen to you plenty of times when you're telling us about your newest flying stunts, even when you're downright bragging! We all enjoy different things, so let Rarity have this. This is great news for her." "Thank you, Twilight," said Rarity. "I suppose some ponies don't understand that there are some truly benevolent folks in Canterlot, and that it the city does have its charming aspects." She gave a hopeful glance toward a certain pegasus now hovering in the room of the boutique. The sky-blue pegasus looked on questioningly, her sturdy wings still flapping steadily. “Ah, right… That part. You see, I had a brand-new dress to bring to me while I was at Canterlot…” An aura of wispy blue magic whipped away the almost-forgotten dark fabric that covered that mysterious and pony-sized object. It in fact was the size of a pony, and fit for a pony, too. In the space previously concealed stood a ponyquin appareled with an sharp-looking dress of black fabric —the base was a simple and sleek form, and from below the hind legs there hung a long, rippled skirt of sorts made of a thin and elegant white fabric. Separating those two kinds of fabric was a wavy black lace trim, another decoration of the same sort creeping up from beneath the sleeves. There were black threads in a criss-cross pattern on a stripe of white down the center of the dress, buttons on each side of this design, and the collar of the dark dress looked like that of a polo shirt. This new design seemed different from most made by Rarity. Not that it didn't live up to the standards of a gifted designer like her. But perhaps it was the approach that was different—it was a more dark and audacious sort of design. The others may have picked up on this too, though they may not have realized it, the fascination in her friends’ eyes told Rarity that she had done something new and impressive. Even Rainbow, though stone-faced and unwavering in her apathy toward fashion, had to admit that it was cooler than most of her previous designs. “Wow, Rarity!” Twilight was the first one to speak, and with an interested look. "Is this the dress you'll sell at Canterlot? It's so...bold! And...black!" “Why yes, dear Twilight! This is perhaps my favorite part of an new fashion line I will be presenting there.” Her eyes swept around the room curiously. “Now, there is one thing I ask from you, my friends… See, it's a different style than I'm used to: flashy, bold... Though I could very well wear them myself, I don’t think these dresses quite suit me. There was only one pony on my mind whom I thought could pull it off. Someone bright, showy, intense, someone who could abandon my typical delicate, feminine standards of fashion. Of course, this would mean accompanying me to Canterlot. But that's all for the sake of presenting my hopefully-beautiful new designs!" Though none of Rarity's friends were quite as fond of Canterlot as she was, nearly none were entirely repulsed to the high-class city. And of course, anything could be made enjoyable to a friend of Rarity if they were by her side. Needless to say, any of the bunch were willing to go for the sake of their friend. But who would be best suited for it? Fluttershy, a close friend of Rarity's who did her best to accompany the unicorn on her trips to the spa and other get-togethers, scraped at the floor with an apprehensive yellow hoof. “Well, um, I know you’d appreciate the help, Rarity, but I’m just not quite sure I’d be able to pull of the outfits well. You know…they’re not really ‘my style’, as you might say.” “Ah, I understand, dear. Thank you so much for the consideration! Although… I do suppose there is one pony here who I have faith would wear the outfit, as well as a few others I have planned, quite well…” Her gaze wandered over to a certain pegasus mare who hovered in midair in all her intense and wild natural look—the strong, sharp-edged wings, the fur blue as the sky, the barely-brushed name that always managed to stay in that same, straight pattern with its jagged edges here and there in the heap of beautifully-colored rainbow-striped hair. Yes, her looks would contrast the deep black dress quite perfectly. This was who Rarity had envisioned modeling the fashion line she’d worked on for weeks. The question was, would she? ~ ~ ~ Of course, though Rainbow Dash had never been the most ecstatic about fashion--in fact, out of those five of Rarity's friends, Rainbow had been the one to most strongly resist wearing dresses and other fancy attire. But she couldn't just rudely refuse such an invitation of going to Canterlot. Though the pegasus might not have realized how important it was that she accompany her unicorn friend had it not been for a reprimanding glare from Twilight that said it all, Rainbow tried to keep in mind that she was doing this for a friend. It would not be her decision to surround herself with the type of ponies who held their heads so high that she was surprised their delicately-curled, paper-thin manes didn't fall off as they trotted without a sound much louder than that of a pin dropping. But apparently that was the plan that Rarity established after a somewhat quiet and polite, yet sort of long, argumentative and with an irritant nature, altogether awkward discussion involving dresses and trips and hints of all that lay ahead of the pair of contrasting mares for the next week. Now, the reluctant invitee walked carelessly over a dirt path close beside a mare who trotted carefully and somehow avoided staining her snow-white coat with the dust from the ground while her head was held happily high and her eyes closed cheerfully and contentedly. And the pony with the pale blue fur and the smooth yet unstyled, polychromatic mane had to hold back a sigh; yes, instead she had to try to remember for once what Twilight had said about not all favors being your favorite to do. "It will be over soon," she grumbled to herself, otherwise incomprehensibly. Another thing she didn't keep in mind, as she entered the door of the house where she and Rarity would plan and pack, was how her experiences on this trip might be worth more than she expected.