//------------------------------//
// An Opportunity of a Lifetime 
// Story: The Fab and the Beautiful 
// by BronyDad 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 1


An Opportunity of a Lifetime


Rarity watched with a discerning eye as Lyra Heartstrings picked out several dresses from the clothing racks.  Seemingly satisfied with her selection, Lyra crossed the shop and entered the fitting room.  

While her customer was trying on the dresses, Rarity trotted over to the racks and rummaged through the clothing.  She believed she knew just the dress that would draw out Lyra's natural beauty.  

Rarity turned when she heard the fitting room door creak open and had to stifle a gasp when she saw the dress that Lyra had chosen for herself.  While it was a beautiful pink frilly dress, it clashed horribly with Lyra's coat and mane.  

"I think this is the one for me," she said, smiling brightly.  "What do you think, Rarity?"

"Uh, well, that one is...nice," Rarity stammered, "but what about this one?"  She held up the stunning light blue and violet dress that she had chosen.  "The blue will go so well with your coat, and the purple will really bring out your eyes."

Lyra stared at the dress admiringly.  "You really think so?"

Rarity nodded.  "I do."

"I'll give it a try then."  Gripping the dress with her magic, Lyra smiled as she ran a hoof over it.  "It's my birthday tomorrow, and I really want to look my best."

"Oh?  Any particular reason why?"

Suddenly, Lyra's face turned red as she smiled sheepishly.  "There's going to be a couple of stallions at my party that I kinda like."

Rarity giggled.  "Well, you are certain to get their attention with this dress."

She led Lyra to a pedestal that was surrounded by three full length mirrors and helped her out of the frilly dress.  With quiet elation, Rarity watched as she pulled on her pick.  

Immediately, Lyra's face lit up as she gazed at her reflection with wonder.  "I-I look beautiful!"

Rarity beamed with pride.  "You're more than beautiful, darling.  You're dazzling."    

"It's so perfect," Lyra stated, still staring at herself in the mirror.  "How much is it?"

"You can have it for sixty bits."

Lyra's face fell.  "I only have fifteen to spend."

"Oh."  Rarity watched with a pang of regret as Lyra dejectedly removed the dress and placed it back on the rack.  "That's too bad."

Lyra sighed as she lifted the pink dress with her magic.  "I guess I'll just take this one."

"That'll be ten bits," Rarity told her.  Then, with a forced smile, she added, "It really does look lovely on you."

Rarity bit her lip as Lyra trotted toward the exit of the Carousel Boutique.  

It was such a shame that Lyra couldn't afford that dress, it had been perfect for her.  She had wanted to offer a lower price, but the dress was easily worth ninety bits, and sixty was as low as she could possibly go.

But that pink dress looks simply dreadful on her!  How could I possibly let her go to her party dressed like that and call myself a fashionista?  Besides, she was hoping to impress some stallions, and it was her special day.

As Lyra took one last look at the stunning dress before stepping through the door, she made her choice.

Rarity quickly pulled the dress from the rack as she raced outside.  "Lyra, wait!" she called.

Lyra turned, and upon seeing the dress floating in the air, her eyes widened.  

"Will you have another fifteen bits to pay me next week?" Rarity asked hopefully.

Her eyes still on the dress, Lyra slowly nodded.  "Yes.  I could pay you next week."

Rarity sighed with relief.  "Great!  Give me your other five bits and you can have this now."

Lyra blinked.  "B-but that will only make thirty bits.  What about the other thirty?"

Rarity smiled amiably.  "I'll cover it.  It is your birthday after all."

Lyra's eyes grew watery.  "Thank you, Rarity!  Thank you so much!"

"It's my pleasure," Rarity replied sincerely.  "Just be sure to tell everypony where you purchased it."  Rarity gave her a wink.  "But please refrain from mentioning how cheap you got it."

Lyra laughed as they traded dresses.  "Your secret is safe with me.  Promise!"

Feeling a warm glow within as she watched her satisfied customer prance across the bridge, Rarity turned back toward her shop and gasped at who was standing in front of the door.

"You really do know your fashion," the pony commented as he lifted his sunglasses up and revealed his emerald green eyes.

Her mouth hanging open in disbelief, Rarity found that she could not speak.

Standing before her was none other than Fashion Forward, a fairly new fashionista who had taken half of Equestria by storm in only two short years.  Envious of his quick rise to fame, Rarity had read every article ever published about him, and had followed his progress closely.

An Earth pony that was born and raised in Baltimare, Fashion Forward's sudden explosive success in his hometown had surprised everypony in the fashion world.  His unique style that many young ponies found hip and cool spread like wildfire to the nearby city of Fillydelphia, and before long his work was sought after by the youth in Manehattan as well.  Now, he had several stores in all three cities, and rumor had it that he was looking to expand.

Fashion Forward moved closer and plucked the dress out of the air.  "This is a killer dress you got here, but it would have been mondo bogus to let that pony wear it to her party.  Those colors would have totally clashed with her coat big time."  

Finally snapping out of her stupor, Rarity stammered, "Why y-yes.  T-that was exactly what I was thinking."  She flipped her mane with a shaking hoof and grinned at the celebrity.  "I wouldn't have been able to sleep tonight if I had allowed her to leave with this.  It would have been an unforgivable fashion atrocity!"

"Right on, sister," Fashion Forward replied, smiling pleasantly.  He lifted a hoof into the air.  "Gimme some hoof!"

Flabbergasted, Rarity slowly raised a hoof and bumped it against his.  Seemingly satisfied with her response, Fashion Forward turned his attention to the pink frilled dress.  

Fashion Forward stood on his two hind legs as he held the dress out before him, slowly turning it in his hooves.  "The name's Fashion Forward, and I've made a bodaciously awesome living off of whipping up gnarly foal clothing."

"Uh...yes, I've heard of you," Rarity said slowly.  Why was he talking like that?  She couldn't understand half of what he was saying.  

Waiting anxiously for him to say something more, she finally asked, "So, um, what brings you to Ponyville?"

"Oh, yeah!"  Fashion Forward slapped himself on the forehead.  "I came here to see you.  I found an article about you in a magazine, and everypony I asked told me that you were a tubular fashion designer." 

Rarity felt as though she were about to faint.  "You came here to see me?"

"Too right."  He ran a hoof through his black mane.  "I need your help."

"You need my help?!"

"Totally."  He nodded.  "My business is booming, and I want to expand it to Canterlot.  The problem is, everypony there is radically persnickety, and I need somepony who can help me make a clothing line that will be killer there."

Rarity scratched her head.  "Are you saying that you want me to help make your style more appealing to the Unicorn population of Canterlot?"

"Right on."

She couldn't believe this!  Fashion Forward, one of the most successful fashion designers in the last two years, was asking for her help!  Not only that, but the work she did for him would go straight to Canterlot!  She couldn't believe her luck! 

Rarity quickly composed herself.  "Did you bring any samples for me to work with?"

He indicated a suitcase sitting on the ground next to her window.  "Sure did."

Trembling with excitement, Rarity tilted her horn and opened the door.  "Let's head upstairs and I'll see what I can do."

As she lifted his suitcase with her magic, Rarity glanced back to watch Fashion Forward lower his sunglasses back over his eyes before following her inside.  

She didn't know what to make of this stallion.  He wasn't anything like she expected a top fashionista to be.  He was so peculiar.  Everything from his speech to his mannerism seemed to clash with his reputation, and Rarity began to wonder if somepony like him even had a chance with a populace as high class as Canterlot's.      

"This is an outrageous store," Fashion Forward stated as they climbed the stairs.  "I am totally stoked to be working with you."

Unsure of what exactly he was saying or how to respond, Rarity simply remained silent as she opened the door to her bedroom.  

Rarity's horn began to glow with a blue light as her closet flung itself open and several smaller versions of her mannequins floated out.  "Please place your clothes on these mannequins."

While Fashion Forward did as she asked, Rarity trotted over to her desk and spread out several sheets of fabric.  She then gathered her scissors, measuring tape, and spools of thread and lined them all neatly on the table.

Finished, she watched Fashion Forward as he placed the last of his clothes on the mannequins.  

She couldn't help but wonder why he was wearing his sunglasses inside.  It just struck her as a very bizarre fashion choice, but after a brief internal debate, she decided not to ask him about it. 

Turning her attention from him, she studied the five outfits.  

Although none of them were anything she personally found appealing, she could see why he was so popular among the young.  The outfits were definitely hip, several of them even sported accessories like gold chains and backward ball caps, and Rarity had no trouble imagining Scootaloo, or even Rainbow Dash, wearing them.

"I see what you mean," Rarity mused.  "These are nice and all, but nopony in Canterlot will be interested in any of this."

"Can you—"  Fashion Forward was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door, and a moment later, Spike entered the room.

"Hey, Rarity.  I finished my chores early today and thought that..."  The little dragon trailed off as he caught sight of Fashion Forward.  Spike immediately turned back toward the door.  "Oh, sorry.  I didn't know you were with a client."

"Little scaly dude!" Fashion Forward cried excitably as he rushed toward Spike.  "You are totally awesome!  Are you, like, a dragon?"

Caught off guard, Spike stared at him for a moment, and then puffed out his chest.  "That's right.  I am a dragon."

"Far out!" Fashion Forward exclaimed.  "I've never seen a dragon before!  This is mondo tubular dude!"

Spike cocked an eyebrow and glanced at Rarity.  When she only shrugged, he said, "I don't understand any of the words coming out of your mouth."

"Spike," Rarity interrupted, "I'm glad you're here.  I've got quite a bit of work ahead of me, and if you would be willing to help, it would be most welcome."

"Of course!" Spike stated enthusiastically.

Rarity favored him with a warm smile.  "That is ever so kind of you, Spikey-wikey."

Spike studied the outfits for a moment.  "So, what are you doing?"

As Rarity introduced Fashion Forward and began to explain what he wanted from her, her bedroom door suddenly crashed opened and three foals barged into the room.	

Breathing heavily and grinning widely, the three young fillies brandished their sabers.  

"Hey, Rarity, can we borrow one of your mannequins?" Sweetie Belle asked.  "We want to use it to practice at being Cutie Mark Crusader Fencers."  As Sweetie Belle finished announcing their title, the three of them lifted their sabers into the air and clashed them together.

"Cutie Mark Crusader Fencers?" Rarity repeated, appalled.  "Where ever did you get such an idea?"

Scootaloo shrugged as she swung her sword around lazily.  "I dunno.  We never tried it.  So why not?" she answered as she leaned against her scooter.

"Why not!" Rarity gasped.  "Because it's dangerous, that's why not!  You don't even have any protective gear."

"Protective gear?"  Apple Bloom blinked.  "It's a mannequin, Rarity.  It's not like we're gonna hurt it."

"That's not wh—"

"And if we do rip it up, we'll pitch in and help pay for a new one!" Sweetie Belle chimed in.

"I'm not worried about—"

"Please!" all three of the fillies said at once.

"Absolutely not!" Rarity exclaimed with a hoof stomp.  "It is much too dangerous, and I forbid you to proceed with this foolery."  Her horn began to glow with a bluish light as she plucked the sword from Sweetie Belle's grip.  "Now, if you had all the proper protective gear, then maybe I would allow it, but only under my supervision."  

Rarity watched them as they voiced their disappointment, and then indicated the other two.  "Give up yours as well."  As Apple Bloom and Scootaloo offered up their sabers, Rarity scooped them up with her magic and sent the three swords up to the highest shelf in her closet.  "I'm sorry to do this, but it really is for your own good."

Suddenly, Fashion Forward stepped up and closely examined Scootaloo's scooter.  "That scooter is boss, dude!" he stated admiringly.  "I'll bet you can catch some primo air with this thing!"

"Totally," Scootaloo replied, beaming with pride.  "You wanna take it for a ride?"

"Most definitely!" 

Rarity watched the two of them with amusement.  It was rapidly becoming clear how Fashion Forward was so successful creating clothing for the youthful.  He thought and acted just like them.

As he followed the three fillies out of the room, Fashion Forward waved.  "I'll be back in a bit to scope out your work.  I'm totally amped to see what you can do."

"Have fun," Rarity said with a smile and a wave.

"What a weirdo," Spike mumbled as the bedroom door closed.

Rarity hid her smirk behind a hoof.  "That's not very nice, Spike," she chided.

Spike raised his clawed hands out in front of him.  "I'm just saying.  I mean, you can't even understand him when he talks."

Rarity allowed a smile to creep across her face.  "Perhaps I should hire Scootaloo as a translator for the remainder of his visit."

That elicited a chuckle from Spike.  "That's not a bad idea!"

"All right, enough of the idle chatter."  Rarity turned back to the five outfits displayed on her mannequins.  "I've got to find a way to make these appealing to the populace of Canterlot."

Spike scratched his head as he studied the clothing.  "Is that even possible?"

"Of course it is," Rarity assured him with a smile.  "All you need is a little creativity."

"And a primo miracle."

Unable to help herself, Rarity began to laugh.  "That's why I always enjoy having you around, Spike."

She pretended not to notice his glowing cheeks as she forced herself to stifle a giggle.  

He was so adorable that she sometimes wanted to scoop him up and snuggle him closely, but she never would.  She knew that he had a huge crush on her, and understood that if she ever took anything too far, she could unintentionally cause him harm.

She recalled her first crush back when she was still in school.  She could still vividly remember the hurt when she had discovered that he hadn't felt the same way.  The feeling of rejection had been nearly unbearable, and Rarity had made a vow to herself long ago that she would never allow Spike to experience the pain that she had.

Still, they had forged a strong friendship over the years, and Rarity harbored no doubt that it would outlive his crush.	    	     

Returning her focus to the task at hoof, Rarity frowned at the outfits.  

It was going to take a lot of work to make them presentable to higher society.  Fortunately, Rarity had spent some time, and even made a couple of friends, with the higher class, and she had a good idea of what would interest them.

Rarity stepped forward and examined the first outfit.  It looked to be aimed at fillies, but it wasn't anything that she would have ever worn as a foal.  Then again, foals these days all seemed to have a rebellious streak, and loved to express themselves in unique ways.  Rarity supposed that this would do nicely for a filly that wanted to show the world how different she was.

The outfit consisted of a light blue shirt that featured a breast pocket with a golden star embossed on it, a black skirt with silver frills, a large, gaudy gold necklace, and two black shoes for the forelegs.

Rarity made a face at the gaudy necklace as she lifted it over the mannequin's head and tossed it unceremoniously into the back corner of the room.  Behind her, the top drawer of her desk opened and a beautiful pearl necklace floated into the air.  

She had created the pearl necklace several days ago as an accessory for another dress, but had decided at the last moment to exclude it.  The pearls were exquisite and shone brilliantly in the light, and were fastened to an elegant silver chain.  

As she placed the pearl necklace over the mannequin's head, Rarity smiled.  The pearls complimented the light blue shirt perfectly.     

Her eyes narrowing in concentration, Rarity's mind began to conceive and reject ideas as she studied the rest of the outfit.  

The skirt wasn't bad, but it lacked the zeal it needed to succeed in Canterlot, and the shoes were much too plain and contributed nothing to the outfit.  Also, she knew that some found it stylish to wear shoes only on the forelegs, but Rarity felt that it didn't quite work for this particular piece.

As she removed the shoes from the mannequin, Rarity glanced at Spike.  "Would you be a dear and head down to my inspiration room?  There is a jeweled box in the closet that I need you to get."

"You got it!"

Rarity smiled as she watched Spike bolt out of the room, and then trotted over to the closet.  Pushing aside several rolls of fabric and a couple of boxes, she finally found what she was looking for.         

Extracting the four white heeled boots, Rarity returned to the mannequin and strapped them onto its hooves.  "That looks much better than those ugly black things."

Another drawer of her desk opened as she turned her attention to the skirt.  "And as for you..." 

Rarity began sprinkling sequins and glitter on the skirt, giving it the dazzle needed to impress the higher class.   

As she was finishing, Spike entered the room.  "Sorry it took so long.  Your closet was a disaster area."

Rarity waved a hoof dismissively.  "You're fine, Spike."  Opening the box and removing several sapphires, she favored him with a warm smile.  "Thanks."

With a critical eye, Rarity began to attach the sapphires to the boots, and was thrilled by the end result.  The boots were magnificent, and the sapphires complimented both the shirt and the skirt.  

"We just need one final touch," Rarity mumbled as she pulled out a silver chiffon ribbon from the closet and draped it over the mannequin's shoulders.  "Splendid!"

Just then, Fashion Forward entered the room.  Brushing the dust from his chestnut coat, he glanced up at her work and came to a halt.  He stared at his altered outfit as he slowly raised his sunglasses onto his head.

"Oh, you're just in time," Rarity announced, suddenly feeling very nervous.  "I've just finished this one.  What do you think?"

Instead of answering, Fashion Forward began to walk a slow circle around the mannequin.  Once he had completed the circle, he turned his wide eyes to Rarity's.  	"You did all of this in that short amount of time?" he asked.

"Yes," Rarity answered uncertainly.

Suddenly, Fashion Forward grinned.  "It's totally awesome!  I love it!  Canterlot will love it!  We're gonna be huge!"

Rarity sighed with relief.  "I'm so glad you like it."	

He ran a hoof through his mane.  "I heard that you were good.  But I had no idea that you were this radically good."  He met her gaze evenly.  "My Canterlot shop opens in two weeks.  Rarity, I want you to be there."

Rarity blinked.  "You mean to help ensure that the opening goes smoothly?"  She turned and gazed out the window as she contemplated his request.  "I suppose I could spare a week to help you."

"No."  Fashion Forward shook his head.  "I want you to run the store.  Like, permanently.  I'll let you make most of the decisions, I'll lend you some employees, and we'll split the profit fifty-fifty."  

Her breath caught in her throat as her entire body began to tremble.  It would be just like having her own store in Canterlot!  It's what she'd always wanted!

But what about my friends?  And Sweetie Belle?  I would have to leave them.  But this was the chance of a lifetime!  It was much too important to pass up.  Besides, Canterlot is only a short train ride away, there would be plenty of opportunities for them to visit.	

Rarity grinned brilliantly.  "I accept!"

"Far out!"  Fashion Forward pumped his hoof into the air. 

"Where will I be staying?"

"There's a bedroom on the third floor of the shop," he told her.  "You can crash there."

Rarity nodded.  "That sounds agreeable enough." 

"Can you be there in a week?"

Rarity made a quick mental list of everything she would need to do before leaving, then nodded again.  

"Sweet!" he exclaimed.  "That will give us time to create some bodacious outfits for the grand opening."  He indicated the mannequins.  "And bring these with you.  I'm stoked to see what you can do with them."	

"I'll meet you in Canterlot in one week's time, then."

He grinned at her as he trotted toward the door.  "See ya there, sister!"

As the door swung shut, Rarity began trotting in place excitedly.  "Oh, I can't believe this!  My own shop!  In Canterlot!"

"Are you really gonna leave Ponyville?" Spike asked dejectedly.  "Permanently?"   

Too enthralled by the prospect of obtaining her dreams to notice his tone, she answered, "Of course, Spike.  This is the opportunity of a lifetime!"	

The large green spine on Spike's head drooped sadly.  "B-but we won't get to see each other anymore."

"Oh, don't be silly," Rarity said as she turned toward her closet.  "I'll only be in Canterlot.  You can visit me whenever you like."

Her horn glowing as she began sorting through her clothes, Rarity muttered to herself, "Now, what to wear for my big night."

So absorbed was she in finding the perfect dress for the occasion that she didn't even notice a crestfallen Spike slip silently out of the room.