My head started to ache as I used my magic to zip my suitcase shut, my hands holding it in place while the zipper struggled to make it past the large gap across the middle.
“Come on…” I groaned, gritting my teeth and shutting my eyes tightly. “Close… close…”
Suddenly, the zipper became much easier to pull, and I was able to close the suitcase with ease. When I opened my eyes, I saw a light green magical aura swirling with my light blue aura.
“You’re welcome, Rarity” I heard from behind me.
I turned around and smiled at the young filly standing above me.
“Thank you, Sweetie Belle,” I said, standing up and ruffling her mane. “It’s nice to see that you’re finally starting to harness your magic.”
“Well, it did help that you already had a grip on the zipper,” she blushed.
“Aww, don’t sell yourself short, sweetheart. I’m sure you have tons of magical potential.”
Sweetie Belle’s ears suddenly perked up. “Oh! That reminds me! The other crusaders and I ran into Twilight on my way back from the movies and she’s gonna give me magic lessons while you’re away!”
“Well, that’s awfully nice of her to offer her time like that,” I chuckled, taking a seat on my stripped bed with Sweetie sitting beside me.
“Well, technically she didn’t offer her time per-se…” My sister’s eyes drifted as she said that. “We had asked her earlier if she’d tutor us after school this year. Apple Bloom wanted to learn potion making and Scootaloo wanted to learn how to build stuff. Twilight said that she’d think about it, and when we saw her at the market earlier, she told us that she’ll tutor us.”
I sighed. “You and your friends can be too eager for your own good sometimes.”
“Well it worked out, didn’t it?” she asked teasingly, giving me a playful nudge.
“True, and I suppose I have no right to say anything since I can be quite persistent when I’m ready.”
“Definitely,” Sweetie giggled, and then she let out a sigh as she looked around my barren bedroom. “Man, I still can’t believe you’re leaving to go to college. Everything’s all packed up and put away. When I passed by your inspiration room, it was probably the cleanest it’s ever been.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at my sister’s observation. “Yes, it is quite strange to see it without all the ponnequins, mannequins, and random fabrics strewn about.”
“Yep!” the little filly exclaimed, falling back onto the mattress. “You’re clean and tidy most of the time, but that room of yours was always a total mess.”
“It wasn’t a mess. It was organized chaos,” I corrected, letting out a scoff as I rested beside her, only for her to roll her eyes in response.
“Whatever you say, sis,” she shrugged. “Still, though… The Carousel Boutique looks really… empty now.”
“Well, I won’t be able to run the shop while I’m in Canterlot, so I have to lock everything up,” I explained. “I won’t be able to open it back up on holidays, but I’ll open it during the summer when I’m here for a longer period of time.”
The young filly stayed silent for a moment, as if she was taking in everything that was happening. “The summer went by so fast. Seems like just yesterday you got your acceptance letter in the mail.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” I laughed lightly as I recalled the memory…
It was early March, and I was in the middle of finishing up some designs for the last few dresses of my spring collection. I stood by the window of my inspiration room, pencils and other design ideas floating around me as I stared at the blank piece of paper in front of me.
“The last few are always the most difficult,” I lamented, digging into the recesses of my mind for some kind of idea…
…as I have been for the past half-hour.
“Maybe this is a sign that I should take a break,” I sighed as I placed the various floating objects on the ground around me. “A nice cup of tea should do the tri-AGH!” I looked up and saw a pegasus coming straight for my window, and I instinctively used my magic to open it at the last second. The pony flew right inside, skidding on the ground as she landed, but miraculously not breaking anything.
“Goodness, Derpy!” I gasped. “Do be more careful!”
Oh, who was I kidding? We went through this on a daily basis.
“Sorry about that, Rarity,” my wall-eyed friend said with a smile, unexpectedly softening my initially perturbed demeanor. “I got a letter for you!”
She handed me an envelope and I smiled back as I took it from her. “Thanks darling.”
“No problem. See ya later!” she said as she went airborne once more, clumsily flying towards the still open window while I did the best I could to guide her away from the more breakable items in my room. When she was finally outside, I shut the window with a sigh of relief, then looked at the letter she had given me. As I glanced over the envelope, I gasped at the seal that was on it:
CANTERLOT UNIVERSITY FOR THE ARTS
ADMISSIONS INFORMATION ENCLOSED
This was it. This was the moment where I’d find out whether I made it in or not. My heart pounded violently as a bizarre combination of fear and excitement overtook me, my hands shaking as I levitated a letter opener over to me. I slowly opened the envelope and unfolded the letter inside, reading the enclosed message aloud.
“Dear Miss Rarity,
With the approval of the Board of Admissions, the Fashion Department is pleased to inform you that your application has been approved and you have been accepted to begin study at Canterlot University for the Arts this fall. Congratulations.”
I froze when I read the message, staring at it in disbelief.
“I got in…” I muttered, the very notion making me question whether or not I read the letter correctly, but after reading it again, I let out a loud squeal of delight.
“EEEEEEEEEEE! I GOT IN! I GOT IN, I GOT IN, I GOT IIIIIIIIIIIN!”
I was so caught up in my excitement that I didn’t even hear the hoofsteps rushing up to my door, followed by the loud slam of the door hitting my wall when it was forcefully swung open.
“Rarity!” Sweetie Belle called, a frantic, worried look on her face. “I heard screaming! Is something wrong?”
I turned back to look at my sister, an ear-to-ear smile on my face. “Oh, I’m just peachy, darling! I’ve just received the most wonderful news! CUFTA accepted my application and I start this fall!”
Realizing that this wasn’t a state of emergency, Sweetie let out a relieved sigh. “Oh, well congrats, sis. Does the letter say anything else?”
It was at that moment that I realized that I hadn’t even looked at the rest of the letter. I read over the details of my acceptance, mumbling unintelligibly as I did so.
“Your acceptance details are as follows:
Student Number: 14357388
Term Start Date: September 3rd
Program: Fashion
Advisor: Silver Lace
Degree: BFA”
When I got to the last part of the letter, I then began to read it out loud once more.
“You will be receiving a follow-up e-mail from your advisor within the next few days, as well as some supplemental documents containing fee details, tuition expenses, scholarship information, and grants. Once again, congratulations on your acceptance, and we look forward to your attendance this fall.
Sincerely,
Fuchsia Fierce
Fashion Department Representative”
“Ugh… fees…” my sister groaned. “Isn’t CUFTA expensive… like, really expensive?”
I merely chuckled at her concern. “Of course it is, little sister, which is precisely why I’ve been saving up my earnings from dressmaking for the past year and a half, as well as spending some time applying for scholarships.”
“So you really were preparing for this, huh? What are you gonna do with Opal when you’re gone? You know Mom and Dad got a dog recently.”
“I’m sure Fluttershy would love to take care of her while I’m gone. Opal and Angel Bunny get along so well, anyway.”
“That’s what you think.”
“What was that, darling?” I asked.
Sweetie shook her head. “Nothing.”
“Anyway I’ll ask Fluttershy when I tell the others about my acceptance.”
“Celestia help her.”
“Hmm?”
“Nothing,” My sister answered again, shaking her head. “So when did they say the term was starting again?”
“September, I can’t wait for my first day!”
“Quite strange how time flies, isn’t it?” I asked Sweetie Belle.
“It sure is,” she sighed. “I’ll have to get used to living with Mom and Dad full-time, now.”
“Whatever do you mean? You lived with them full-time back when we were foals, before I moved out, remember?”
“Yeah, but still; I’ve gotten used to going back and forth between your place and theirs,” Sweetie explained. “It’ll be so weird not having my big sister around.”
I noticed the melancholic tone in Sweetie Belle’s voice, so I turned to look her in the eye, a warm smile adorning my face.
“I know this will take some getting used to, Sweetie Belle, but trust me; it won’t be as bad as you think. We can still talk on the phone and keep in touch, and I’ll be back to visit when Hearth’s Warming comes around.”
“But that’s three months away…” she whined.
“Yes, it does seem like a long time, but I promise you, the months will go by faster than you think. Just wait and see.”
Sweetie gave me an unsure look, casting her eyes off to the side. “If you say so…” she sighed.
All of a sudden, a loud chime filled the room, and my sister reached into her pocked to pull out her phone.
“It’s Mom,” she told me. “She and Dad are on their way over to pick us up.”
“We’d better get downstairs and wait for them, then,” I said as I grabbed some suitcases and brought them downstairs with Sweetie following behind me, carrying another suitcase. When I reached for the front door, though, I made a sudden stop. “Um… Sweetie Belle, go on outside. I’ll be right behind you.”
“Sure,” she shrugged as she passed me and walked out the front door. With her gone, I turned around and looked around my boutique… and what I was leaving behind.
When I first moved out of my parents’ house, this place was merely a home for me. At the time, I never would have imagined that this building would be the anchor for my dressmaking career. Not only did I receive plenty of business from Ponyville, but I had gotten orders from other cities as well. You could say that I was doing well enough as a businessmare, because I was.
But “well enough” wasn’t enough. I always strived to improve my craft. With Ponyville being the simple town that it was, there wasn’t anyone to mentor me during my early days; I was self-taught. Going to CUFTA was my chance to receive formal training from the best of the best, and to learn from my fellow students as well. This experience would open an infinite number of doors for me…
But I had to leave my home behind as a result of it.
It had always been at the back of my mind, even before I got accepted, but it never really hit me until now.
“I’ll surely miss this place,” I sighed to myself.
HONK-HONK!
“Rarity! Mom and Dad are here!” Sweetie Belle called out, snapping my attention to the pair of headlights illuminating the road in front of my house.
“Just a moment!” I called over the obnoxiously loud hum of my father’s car engine. I dug into my pocket for the front door key, walking outside and closing the door behind me. When I put the key into the lock, I froze for a moment before finally turning it. “There we go,” I lamented as I pocketed my key.
Suddenly, the sensation of a large hand touching my shoulder made me jump in shock, and I turned around quickly to see my father looking down at me.
“G’night, Rarity! Need any help with your bags?”
I stared up at him with a stunned look on my face before regaining my composure. “Ahem. Yes, Father. I’d really like that, actually.”
He gave me a smile and carried the two larger suitcases over to the trunk of the carriage-car while I carried the smaller one. Once they were packed away, I got into the back seat of the car, taking a seat next to Sweetie Belle.
“G’night, sweetie!” my mother said as I sat down.
“Evening, Mother,” I greeted back.
“Alright, family. Let’s head on home!” Father said as he drove away. I looked out the back window as we got further and further away from the Carousel Boutique.
“You alright back there, Rarity?”
I turned around and saw Mother looking back at me with a concerned look on her face. “Oh… I’m fine,” I lied.
Well, it was more of a half-lie. I was a little upset over leaving my home, but I wasn’t distraught. Still, I told her that I was completely fine so as not to arouse any further concern.
We went to the train station early the next day. Despite the early hour, though, the station was still moderately busy. It was the end of summer, and many ponies and people were heading back to their homes. I looked over my shoulder to see Mr. and Mrs. Morrison, two human neighbors of mine, seeing their grandson off as he left with his parents to board their train.
“Bye, Grandma! Bye Grandpa!” he said as he waved goodbye.
Even with all the humans in Equestria, Ponyville had one of the highest pony-to-human ratios in the country, along with Appleoosa. Most of the few humans that lived here were old folks looking for a nice, quiet town to settle into. Cities like Seaddle, Manehattan, and Applewood had a more equal ratio.
My family and I approached our platform with me looking at my watch along the way. My friends should be at the station any min-
“SURPRISE!”
“GAH!” I shrieked as a blast of confetti hit my face, stunning me for a few seconds. “Oh, what in the-”
My eyes shot open when I saw my friends waiting at the platform for me, with a certain pink pony giving me a nervous smile.
“Oops… I guess I went a teeeeensy bit overboard on the confetti.”
“Eheheh… It’s alright, Pinkie Pie,” I told her as I picked confetti out of my mane.
“Your mom and I will give your bags to the luggage attendant, Rarity,” my father said as he and Mother took hold of my suitcases.
“Thanks,” I told them as they went off to deliver my bags.
“We wanted to surprise you when you got here, so we all came a little early,” Twilight Sparkle explained.
I felt somepony’s arm reach around my shoulder, pulling me in for a pseudo hug. “You deserved a nice send-off from us, sugarcube,” said the southern mare that was holding me.
“Thanks, Applejack,” I chuckled. “Now, could you let me go? You’re holding me rather tightly.”
“Oh, right. Ah forgot you was a might frail.”
“I resent that statement,” I grumbled.
“C’mon, AJ! Let the rest of us share some love, will ya?” a cyan pegasus interrupted.
“Calm yer hooves, Rainbow Dash,” said the southern belle. “Ah’m just givin’ Rarity a hard time. Go on, now.”
Applejack shoved me over to Rainbow, who trapped me in a hug of her own. “You’d better show them what’s what at that school, Rares!”
“I’ll be sure to do that, darling,” I smiled as I felt somepony tap my shoulder, and I turned around to see my timid friend, Fluttershy, looking down at me.
“I hope you do well in school, Rarity,” the pegasus smiled as she handed me a gift basket.
“Aww! Thank you, Fluttershy!” I said as I took the basket.
“My pleasure,” she nodded.
Just then, an announcement played over the train station’s PA system.
“Attention passengers, the train to… CANTERLOT …is about to arrive. Please stand clear of the platform edges.”
I let out a deep sigh. “Well, here comes my train,” I said to my friends and my sister as my parents came back to join us.
“GROUP HUG!” Pinkie yelled as they all wrapped me in the tightest, most loving embrace I had ever received. I felt something cold soaking my chest, and I looked down to see Sweetie Belle crying into my blouse. I held her tightly as she sobbed into me, for once not caring about the stains on my top.
“You’ll call me when you get there, right?” she asked.
“Of course, Sweetie,” I answered, tears trickling down my face as the train pulled to a stop by the platform.
“Don’t forget to write!” Pinkie reminded me.
“Feh, nopony writes anymore,” Rainbow scoffed. “Well, except Twilight.”
“Good luck in school, Rarity!” Mother said over the sudden bustle of passengers entering and exiting the train.
“We’ll miss you!” everyone else yelled over the noise.
“Thank you!” I yelled beck as I turned to step onto the train. When my hoof touched the ledge, though, I froze. There was something that I had forgotten. Something that I needed to do before I got on that train.
I turned on my hooves and rushed towards Sweetie Belle giving her a tight hug and a kiss on the forehead. “I’m really going to miss you, Sweetie Belle,” I cried as I held her. “I love you. Be a good student for Twilight, you hear me?”
She was stunned for a moment, but she soon hugged me back. “I will. I love you, too, sis,” she cried.
I let go of my little sister as I rushed back onto the train, my friends and family waving goodbye as the doors closed behind me. I looked out of the window and waved back as the train left the station; my eyes stayed on them for as long as they could before they were no longer in sight. With the train having long since left the Ponyville station, I proceeded down the train car and found a vacant cabin.
I settled down in my seat and reached into my purse, pulling out an old CUFTA guidebook that I had received in the mail shortly after my acceptance. As I perused the contents of the book for the first time in a long while, my drive was slowly reaffirmed. I was leaving my home behind, but once I finished my studies, it would all be worth it.
A determined grin grew on my face as I said to myself: “CUFTA had better watch out, because Rarity is going to blow them away!”