As the sun reached its zenith for the hour of noon, Midnight was walking with his friend and teacher, Twilight Sparkle, to Carousel Boutique.
“So, why exactly do you need to see Rarity?”
“Oh, I’m hoping she can take some time from her busy schedule to do me a favor,” Twilight said, nudging the saddlebag she wore.
“I have a dress with a bad button I hope she’ll repair. I’m wearing it for the Grand Galloping Gala.”
“That’s getting to be just around the corner,” Midnight recalled. “I wonder if Rarity has any suits for stallions, I really don’t have anything to wear.”
“Well, I’m sure she can help you out,” Twilight assured, “here we are.”
Carousel Boutique, where everything was chic, unique, and magnifique, as Rarity advertised her store, which doubled as her home. Midnight knocked on the door but when no one answered, he said, “Do you think she’s home?”
“She should be, these are her business hours,” Twilight answered, nodding him to go ahead and open the door.
He did so and called out, “Hello, Rarity! Are you here?”
“Shh!”
Twilight pointed towards the seamstress, obviously at work, her eyes furrowed as Twilight whispered, “Can’t you see she’s trying to concentrate?”
Rarity was focusing her magic on some thread and needles, directing the stitch-work of her latest creation, Midnight whispering, “I wonder what she’s working on…”
“Looks like a dress,” Twilight observed.
“Well, duh!” Midnight sighed, “I mean, what’s it for?”
Growling, Rarity turned to them, a smile betraying her shortening patience as she asked, “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Oh, so very sorry to trouble you, Rarity,” Twilight apologized as she pulled out a red garment from her bag.
“But I need a quick favor: Could you fix a button for me? It’s my dress for the Galloping Gala.”
The minute she heard that after seeing the garment, Rarity gasped, “Oh no-no-no! You can’t wear this… old thing. You need a glamorous new outfit for the Gala and I’ll make it for you. No problem at all, it would be my pleasure!”
“Oh that’s so kind of you to offer, Rarity, but it would be so much work!” Twilight politely declined, “This dress is fine.”
“Twilight Sparkle, I insist on making you a new dress.” Rarity said firmly, Twilight about to debate the matter when Rarity waved her hoof, “Not another word! I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”
“Well… In that case, thank you for your generosity, Rarity,” Twilight smiled, “Knowing your handiwork, I know it will be absolutely beautiful!”
Then Rarity gave Midnight a once-over, asking, “And you, ol’ chap? What are you wearing to the Gala?”
“Well… I don’t exactly have anything,” Midnight admitted, “I suppose I could just put on a bowtie and hat-”
“Ah-ah-ah! You cannot be serious, Midnight,” Rarity chuckled, “A bowtie and hat? So bland and simple, I insist on making a suit for you.”
“Well if you’re certain…” Midnight hesitated, “Just… don’t make it… frilly.”
Before Rarity could respond, they all heard a “Look out below!” from outside, and in crashed a certain rainbow-maned pegasus, who landed in Rarity’s mannequins.
“Oops, sorry, new trick. Didn’t quite work out.”
“Hmm,” Rarity regarded the interloper before gasping, “I-DEA!!! I’ll make you an outfit for the Gala too, Rainbow Dash!”
“A… what for the what, now?” Rainbow was stumped.
“Oh, I’ll make gowns for you, and you, and the rest of the girls, and suits for the gents too, ooh!” Rarity was getting giddy.
“And when I’m done, we can hold our very own fashion-show!”
“What a great idea!” Twilight agreed, but added with a raised brow, “If you’re certain you can handle it.”
“Oh it’ll be a little bit of work,” Rarity waved it off as she levitated out rolls of fabrics, “but it will be a wonderful boost for my business. Plus, fun!”
“Ooh! I’m into fun,” Rainbow was starting to want a piece of the action.
“Then it’s settled,” Rarity agreed, “A fashion-show, starring… us!”
“Uh, no offense, ladies.”
Everypony turned to Midnight, “But I’m not the kind of guy to show off, and while I’m certain Big Mac and Thunderlane will appreciate the suits you’ll make for them, Rarity, I don’t think they wanna show themselves off either.”
“Well… I was hoping to show off some work for stallions,” Rarity drew out the comment, making Midnight feel increasingly guilty.
The number of raised eye brows slowly increased to the point where Midnight just had to teleport out of there!
“Phew!” Midnight was relieved to be out of that though he hoped Rarity or the others wouldn’t take it personally. He had teleported out to the park but decided he needed some male advice.
“I wonder what the guys will have to say.”
“Rarity’s making us suits for the Gala?” Thunderlane was stoked. “She’s so generous! We’re lucky to have such a great friend.”
“Eeyup!” Big Mac agreed.
The three of them were sitting at a table at the local pizza parlor, Pepper Pony’s, enjoying a mozzarella pizza, topped with sun-dried tomatoes and breadsticks with marinara dipping sauce.
“Well, she is the Element of Generosity,” Midnight reminded them as he bit into a slice.
“I kinda wish I could bring a date to the Gala,” said Thunderlane. “Though I wonder if one of the girls would…”
“Ah’m just gonna help AJ with her apple-stand,” Big Mac stated, “Celestia knows we could use some extra cash for th’ farm.”
“I just plan to have a nice evening,” Midnight added, “though I have to say, I am looking forward to the suits Rarity’s gonna make for us! Although, I hope she doesn’t take it personally when we decline being a part of her fashion-show.”
“Not my style,” Thunderlane shook his head, Big Mac agreeing, “Nnope.”
“I just hope Rarity doesn’t get overworked,” Midnight brought up, “I mean, she’s making dresses for six ponies, including herself, not to mention the suits she’s making for us. That’s nine outfits altogether!”
“Oh I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Thunderlane waved off his concern, “I’ve seen that mare tackle bigger goals than nine outfits!”
A few days later, the boys were called to the boutique, where they noticed Rarity looked a little bedraggled.
“Come in, come in, gentlecolts!” she invited them before leading them up to her bedroom door. “Now close your eyes and follow me.”
The guys all just shrugged and did as she asked, following the sound of her voice as she led them into her room.
“Alright, now open them!”
Midnight, Big Mac, and Thunderlane opened their eyes and gasped at what they saw before them.
“Behold, gentlecolts, your new suits!” Rarity declared.
She stood next to the first one, a large earth-brown western-styled suit with green apple-colored accents, a leather-brown saddle, crimson batwing chaps, a fedora, and a bolo tie with an apple-shaped ornament.
“This one’s yours, Big Macintosh! Very rootin’-tootin’, wouldn’t you agree?”
She then stood next to a dark blue single-breasted suit, much like a blazer, with sapphire-blue lapel, a silver undershirt, coat-tails, star-shaped cufflinks, moon emblems on the lapel and buttons, and a silver-accented black bowtie.
“Oh, what do you think, Midnight? I shudder at just how handsome I envision you in this!”
Then she was next to what could only be Thunderlane’s suit. It was stormy-gray with sky-blue lapel, an electric-yellow tie, cloud-white hems, holes for his wings to fit through so he wouldn’t have to wear the suit over them, and a lightning symbols embroidered onto the collar, an overall likening to a pilot’s outfit.
“And Thunderlane, it took me some real brainstorming to determine the right color-scheme, but I think I got it in the end, don’t you?”
She turned to them, saying, “So gentlecolts, what do you think? Are they not stunning?”
The boys could see a hopeful glint in her eyes but they could honestly say…
“AWESOME!”
They each went beside their own suit for a closer look, Midnight saying, “Rarity! You are a visionary!”
“A real artist!” Thunderlane added, Big Mac saying, “Eeyup!”
"These suits are incredible!" Midnight stated, "Thanks so much!"
“Oh thank Faust…”
They looked and were worried to see Rarity had collapsed and looked exhausted, Midnight hurrying over, asking, “Rarity! Are you alright?”
“Oh nothing to worry about, dear,” she brushed off his concern as she stood up, squinting her eyes.
“A cup of tea and I’ll be right as rain.”
“Rarity, you… don’t look well,” Thunderlane commented in concern, Big Mac saying, “Eeyup!”
“Rarity, was this project more than you could handle? Be honest,” Midnight insisted.
“Well…” Rarity hesitated before admitting, “It’s the girls. I made a wonderful dress for each of them, but they weren’t... satisfied with the results.”
“WHAT?!” Midnight gaped at her, and said, “Well, what didn’t they like about- Y’know what? Show us the dresses you made for them.”
Rarity sighed and soon brought out the original ensembles she made for the girls and the boys were all blown away. Big Mac really liked the dresses Rarity made for his sister and Fluttershy, Midnight was speechless at the gorgeous stars on the dress Rarity made for Twilight, and Thunderlane thought the dresses for Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were just perfect for the athletic pegasus and party pony.
“How could they not like these dresses?!” Midnight was cross, as were Mac and Thunder. “You go to the trouble to make these amazing gowns for them and they have the gall to say they’re not good enough for them?!”
“I can’t believe they don’t appreciate the gesture you did them,” Thunderlane agreed.
“Ah’m gonna have a few choice words t’ say t’ Applejack,” Big Mac stated when Rarity said, “NO! Please, boys, it’s… alright! After all, the customer is always right, and all that. I gave you all my word you would each receive an outfit you yourselves deemed perfect! And while I am thankful you are satisfied with your suits, I simply must keep true to my word. So, please! Don’t bring up the issue with the girls, promise me!”
Though it went against their common senses, the boys could see Rarity desperately needed them to promise, and so they sighed.
“Alright, Rarity… we won’t say anything.”
“Not a word about the dresses,” Thunderlane added, Big Mac saying, “Eeyup.”
“Oh thank you,” Rarity sighed in relief before clearing her throat. “Now, feel free to take your suits but I must get back to work, tight schedule an’ whatnot.”
Rarity placed each suit in a package and gave them to their recipients, and shooed them out. As the guys walked away, Midnight fumed, “I cannot believe this, the girls receive exclusive original dresses, so well made, and they don’t think they’re good enough, and totally disregard Rarity’s generosity. She didn’t have to make them those dresses in the first place.”
“But we gave our word, haystack,” Big Mac reminded him. “We promised not t’ say anything t’ th’ girls about the dresses.”
After a brief moment of consideration, Midnight’s raised brow told them he had an idea.
“That’s true, Mac, we said we wouldn’t say a thing about the dresses although… we didn’t say we wouldn’t say anything about our suits.”
“Whattya have in mind?” Thunderlane asked.
“Huddle up, boys,” Midnight invited them and started whispering.