Twilight and Rarity took their time as they walked down the main street of Canterlot city. Twilight was mainly keeping her eyes and ears peeled for the slightest hint of trouble. She scanned the scene and took note of every pony they passed while trying to find anything out of place in their search. Rarity seemed to be more interested in the pony fashion on display in the store windows as they walked past.
“Oh look, Twilight!” Rarity stopped and pointed at a nearby shop window display.
Twilight spun around and quickly tried to ascertain the cause for her announcement. “What is it – where… who…?”
“Isn’t it just the prettiest thing you ever saw?” Rarity planted herself against the shop window trying to get a much closer look of the ensemble on display. She backed off a little as she posed a question to herself aloud, “I wonder how much it costs?”
“Rarity, we have much more important things to be looking for right now,” rebounded Twilight. “Could we please stay focused on the mission?”
Rarity blushed a bit before coming down from the window sill. “Oh, yes…. You’re right – It’s just that I have the perfect hat to go with that gown and they would look absolutely smashing together.”
Twilight gave her a knowing smile. “I promise we’ll come back and do some shopping once this whole mess with the elements is taken care of.”
“It’s mine!”
“Hooves off! I saw it first!”
The shouting and screaming of two mares echoed down the street. Twilight and Rarity perked up their ears to try and get a better idea of where the noise was coming from. They both looked at each other briefly before Rarity nodded toward a store at the end of the block. Without saying another word, they took off at a dead run in that direction.
In a few moments, they burst in the door of a fancy dress shop. Almost immediately, a familiar and unmistakable voice called out to them:
“Thank Celestia you’re here,” came the greeting from the one and only Hoity Toity.
Twilight’s gaze quickly scanned the somewhat empty store as she replied, “What seems to be the problem?”
“Oh no dear, I meant thank goodness -you’re- here,” he said as he pointed over at Rarity. “I have a fashion emergency and who better to help than the designer herself.” He quickly moved over behind Rarity and started nudging her towards the fitting rooms. “I simply had no idea you were even in town, my dear. Please, it’s right this way.” He pushed her more firmly toward the back of the store.
Rarity got the hint, and she and Twilight trotted back towards the fitting rooms followed by the anxious proprietor. No sooner had they pulled back the curtain and stepped into the elegantly appointed dressing area, they found the source of all the commotion. Two mares were facing off in what looked like it was about to become a no-hoof-barred all-out brawl.
“How -dare- you try and take this away from me!” shouted Upper Crust.
“How -dare- you think you’re more deserving of it!” cried Fleur Dis Lee.
Hoity trotted over and placed himself between the feuding mares. “Ladies! I’m sure we can resolve this problem like civilized ponies. We even have the great fortune of having the designer herself with us right now.” He pointed over in the direction of Rarity.
Rarity seemed a bit confused. Regardless, she stepped forward and gave a small greeting, “Hello… I’m Rarity.”
She gave a small curtsy toward the two mares still locked in conflict. It didn't seem to change the situation at all. The two already fabulously dressed ladies glared at one another without any hint of backing down. A gorgeous ball gown lay on the floor between them – each had a hoof firmly planted in the fabric.
“I’m sure this whole fight can’t be about a simple dress - can it?” Twilight palmed a hoof to her face.
Rarity looked rather shocked herself, but replied, “It’s much worse than that Twilight – that’s my design from three seasons ago!” She pointed down at the gown laying on floor, half trampled by the feuding patrons. “No mare in her right mind would want to be caught dead wearing that old thing.”
“It’s vintage!” shouted upper Crust.
“It’s still an original ‘Rarity’!” bellowed Fleur.
“Ladies, Ladies…” Hoity Toity tried to calm the ponies as he looked for another option to satisfy them both. “I’m sure we can find you another equally stunning – original – design by the star of fashion herself.” He looked over at Rarity and struggled to maintain a cheery smile. “Isn’t that right, my dear?”
“Then it wouldn’t be vintage, now would it?” Upper Crust sat herself down in a pouting huff.
“And just look at what this ruffian has done to my lovely gown.” Fleur flopped down in the opposite corner and looked like she was about to burst into tears.
The ball gown was indeed looking like it had seen much better days – multiple hoof prints leading to even more scuffs and tears could be seen strewn across the bodice. The two full grown ponies, now looking like they had devolved into petulant teenage fillies, still seemed devastated over the prospect of not owning the significantly scarred dress.
Rarity had a brilliant idea. “How about I take that, uhh, lovely gown and fix it up a bit? I can even divide the fabric and make two stunning outfits for you both. Would that be alright?”
“Oh, Rarity,” Hoity Toity broke out into a grateful applause, clapping his handsomely manicured hooves together, “that would be most excellent – what do you think girls?”
“I’d still rather have the entire gown for myself, but I guess that’s ok.” Upper Crust settled a bit as she started to realize that she might still be getting a good deal out of this fight.
“As long as I can have it by tonight,” said Fleur between quieting sobs. “I must have an original gown to wear to the charity auction this evening.”
Twilight still didn’t get what the whole problem was about. “So, could somepony explain to me why this one dress is so important? We’re in the middle of a dress shop – there’s hundreds of gowns all over the place. Surely you could find something else that would work for your little event tonight.”
The two mares finally came to their senses once they realized whose presence they were in. A Royal Pony did command a higher level of respect – especially in Canterlot. They both took another look at the dress on the floor, and then looked over at each other.
“I-I-I’m sorry,” stuttered Fleur. “I don’t know what got into me. Maybe it was just the stress of making sure I looked perfect for tonight.”
“I’m sorry too, princess.” Upper Crust bowed her head a little. “I guess I just couldn’t stand to see the dress I wanted being worn by anypony else. Nothing else seemed to matter but getting what I wanted.”
The devastated mares didn’t really realize what came next. A small, almost unnoticeable amount of magic essence floated up out of the beaten dress on the floor and slowly wound its way over toward Rarity. The gemstone around her neck gave off a slight glow as the magic gathered within. It wasn’t much, but the light was definitely there.
“Well, luckily I’m here and I can salvage what’s left of this outfit.” Rarity waltzed over and levitated the gown off the floor. “I’ll have this old things looking marvelous in no time! Just point me at a sewing machine.”
“Right this way, Miss Rarity.” Hoity Toity held the curtain for her as he led Rarity, gown in tow, out of the dressing area and over to the alterations room.
Twilight spent a few minutes more talking with the two ponies - trying to get to the bottom of their feud. It seemed that it had all started when they both set eyes on the same dress. Each wanted it in order to wear to a special charity auction event that was to be held later that very evening.
The upper class elite would all be in attendance at this event especially being as it was to benefit Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. It seemed that only a few weeks ago, one of the more ‘gifted’ of them had tried to show off to his classmates. His little stunt had managed to blow the roof clean off the building. Fancy Pants was leading the event in order to show support for the princess and possibly gain some favor in the eyes of the royals.
Fleur was trying to be at her best when it came to dressing the part of the leading lady of an event as important as this. Upper Crust was simply trying to show how influential she herself could be by showing up in the most glamorous outfit she could find. Neither one had a particularly good explanation why that one dress had become such a point of conflict between them. Twilight’s comment about having hundreds of other options to choose from had finally knocked some sense into them both.
The pair apologized once again to each other, and to the princess, as Twilight left them and went to meet up with Rarity once again.
“Rarity, I think we may be onto something here.” Twilight was cautiously optimistic as she walked in on her friend already madly involved in remaking the mangled dress.
“Just a moment, dear,” Rarity replied. “I’m in the -zone-.”
Her hooves flashed across the fabric as she laid down stitch after stitch. A cloud of various appliques, ribbons, and sequins danced around her head as she plucked them out of the air one by one and magically guided them into place on the new outfit.
“I guess I’ll leave you to it then,” said Twilight as she started to back out of the room. “I think I’ll go check out this charity event and see what’s going on over there.”
“That sounds wonderful, dear.” Rarity hardly looked up from her work as she absentmindedly responded without really understanding what Twilight had just said to her.
“Oh, ok then,” said Twilight as she backed out of the door. “I guess I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Uh-huh…” came Rarity’s reply as she stayed almost completely focused on her work.
Twilight left Rarity at the dress shop and headed off toward the auction hall.
The hall was in the upper part of Canterlot City, close to the castle itself. It was little surprise when she arrived that she found Discord and Spike already engaged in conversation with Fancy Pants himself.
“I tell you again, this is no place for dragons.” Fancy pants tried to brush the small dragon and the somewhat dragon-esque Discord out the front door of the hall and nearly down the steps out front as well.
Twilight arrived just as the pair nearly tumbled down the steps to meet her. She called up to them both, “What’s going on?”
“Oh, nothing,” replied Discord. “Just a little dragon discrimination is all. It seems that the reputation for hoarding doesn’t sit well within the circles of ponies gathering for a charity event.”
Spike brushed himself off and said, “Yeah, and I think they also want you to have a lot of money too. I’m not sure why though. Most of that junk I saw in there shouldn't be worth more than a few bits anyway.”
“Hmmmm,” thought Twilight as she pondered the curious situation. “Maybe this bears looking into. We should probably go check with the princess and see about getting ourselves properly invited.”
“Well, you can count me out, Twilight,” retorted a still miffed Discord. “I shan't be returning to a place that obviously doesn't appreciate my fine tastes and impeccable sense of artistic style.”
Spike sighed. “Well, there’s that - and you broke that vase too.”
“How was I to know it was a priceless antique?” responded the still offended not-dragon. “It looked like something straight out of Fluttershy’s herb garden.”
“Alright you two,” giggled Twilight, “let’s go talk to the princess and see if we can’t get to the bottom of this.”
Discord waved her off. “I’ll catch up with you later, Twilight. I have a few matters I must -urgently- attend to.” He snapped his claws and disappeared into a puff of smoke.
“I guess it’s just you and me, Spike – Let’s go.” Twilight levitated Spike onto her back, turned, and trotted off toward the castle.