Sweetie Belle hummed to herself as she trotted down the stairs of Carousel Boutique. Her thoughts were filled with what food would be waiting for her this morning.
As she trotted towards the kitchen, with a hop in her step, she called out: “Morning, Rarity. What are we having this morning?”
There was no response.
Sweetie quirked an eyebrow. “Rarity?”
She poked her head into the kitchen and looked around, only to feel disappointed. The kitchen was deserted, with no signs that the place had been used in a while. There was no food out, nor any plates on the table.
Sweetie sighed dejectedly. “Ugh! Another morning with no breakfast ready,” she complained.
She shook her head and trotted her way back upstairs,muttering to herself angrily.
“She better not have done this again,” she muttered.
She trotted towards her sister’s room and slowly opened the door. Sweetie was used to the ‘organized chaos’ in Rarity’s room, but it looked more chaotic than organized. Rolls of fabric littered the floor, with some of the fabric stretching across the room. Papers with dress designs on them scattered the place. Crumbled pieces of paper laid in the trashcan, but the bin was so full, the remaining pieces of paper fells out and formed a small hill around the trashcan.
“Nngh. . .” a voice groaned.
Sweetie turned her head to the right and saw, not to her surprise, Rarity slumped over her sewing machine, with her hooves holding on a piece of fabric.
Sweetie rolled her eyes and trotted over to her sister. She poked her in the side several times. “Wake up, Rarity!” she ordered.
The fashionista mumbled gibberish and remained motionless.
Sweetie poked her sister again. “Come on!” she complained.
Rarity swatted away the hoof and turned her head away from Sweetie.
Sweetie groaned in frustration and looked around the room. Her eyes fell upon a roll of golden fabric and an idea popped into her head. She trotted over to the fabric and picked up a piece of it. She looked back at Rarity, who was still sleeping and shrugged to herself. She pulled the fabric with her hooves tightly and a tiny ripping sound could be heard.
Rarity’s eyes went wide with horror and she quickly raised her head. “Don’t touch that fabric!” she cried out.
Rarity looked around the room, trying to gain her bearings about what was happening. As she looked around though, she noticed Sweetie standing next to her, holding the golden fabric and looking unimpressed.
“Oh, it’s only you Sweetie,” sighed Rarity, sounding a bit relieved. She noticed the fabric in her hooves and her eyes narrowed. “What are you doing with my fabric? You know you shouldn’t be touching it, much less ripping it.”
“It was the only way to wake you up,” she complained. “You weren’t downstairs to fix breakfast like you normally would, again.”
“You are capable of making breakfast on your own,” stated Rarity.
“You won’t let me, remember?” inquired a frustrated Sweetie. “You won’t even let me make cereal.”
“But to rip my fabric, the very lifeblood of clothing material was uncalled for,” Rarity sternly said. “Honestly, Sweetie, you could’ve woken me up some other way.”
The filly sighed exasperatedly and shook her head. “Yeah, but this is the third time in a row I’ve had to wake you up like this! Nothing else would work.”
Rarity let out a sigh of her own. “You know full well that I need to spend every moment I got to design and sew these dresses.” She pointed her hoof towards a pile of folded clothing near the sewing machine.
“Didn’t the doctor say to take it easy?” wondered Sweetie.
“One does not simply take it easy when it comes to preparing for a fashion show,” said Rarity.
A grumbling and groaning sound echoed in the room. Sweetie looked at Rarity in curiosity and saw she was blushing a bit.
“Well I guess taking a break wouldn’t hurt,” she said. She got up and looked at Sweetie. “Shall I make some toast?”
The filly beamed and nodded. “With cinnamon on it?” she wondered, sounding hopeful.
Rarity chuckled and said, “Of course.”
“Yay!” exclaimed Sweetie as she galloped down the hall.
Rarity smiled softly and followed her sister.
As Rarity washed the crumbs and cinnamon off the plates, she handed them over to Sweetie, who dried them off and put them in a neat pile nearby. After the last one was dried, Rarity put them away in the cupboard while Sweetie straightened up the table.
Sweetie finished pushing the chairs in and looked at her sister. “What are we going to do today, Rarity?” she asked. “Go to the park and play? Do some dress up? See a movie?”
Rarity chuckled a little and shook her head. “Why don’t you go play with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo? You girls haven’t been on one of your crusader adventures in a while.”
Sweetie frowned a little and said, “They’ve been wanting to spend a little more time with each other. Ever since they started dating, they’ve been wanting to spend a little more time with each other. Besides, we still get together, along with Button.”
Rarity quirked an eyebrow and smiled a bit deviously. “Oh? When did he become a Cutie Mark Crusader?”
“I. . . I made him a member,” said Sweetie, blushing a bit.
“Well why don’t you go see him?”
Sweetie frowned again. “He’s out of town for the week,” she said in a gloomy tone. “That’s why I want to spend the day with you, Rarity. I got nopony else to play with.”
Rarity frowned a little and bit her lip. “I’m sorry to hear that, Sweetie,” she said. “But I need to finish not only my orders, but finish putting the fashion line together. Why don’t you be a dear and help me?”
“The last time I tried to help, you yelled at me for scrunching up one of your dresses in the sewing machine,” said Sweetie.
“Oh. . .” stated Rarity, quietly. “Well I did apologize to you for that.”
“That’s not that point,” Sweetie said dejectedly. “I want to play with you, not spend a whole day being surrounded by dresses and dumb fabric.”
“My fabric is certainly not dumb,” argued Rarity. “You just don’t appreciate how the colors and the different qualities of it can make a good dress.”
“Yeah, that’s the problem,” she sarcastically muttered under her breath
“What was that?” inquired Rarity.
“Nothing!” answered Sweetie.
“Well if there’s nothing else, I will be on my way to finish those dresses. I only got a few more days before I leave for Manehatten.”
“Come on, Rarity,” whined Sweetie. “You’ve been working on those dresses for three days now!”
“And those three days were spent wisely,” stated Rarity. “I’m afraid I have no time for anything else if I’m to be ready by this weekend.”
“But Rarity. . .”
“No buts, Sweetie. I need to finish my designs, or I’ll be forced to pull out of the show. Nothing is going to change my mind about it and that’s final.”
Ding-Dong
Rarity turned her attention to the main entrance upon hearing the bell and let out a sigh. “Except for that.”
She trotted over to the door and opened it to reveal Fluttershy standing there and smiling softly.
“Good morning, Rarity,” she said. “Are you ready to go?”
Rarity quirked an eyebrow. “Ready? Ready for what?”
Fluttershy looked a bit shocked. “You know? Our weekly spa session?”
Rarity’s stomach churned a bit and felt a bit embarrassed. “Oh. . . um, I see,” she muttered. “Can we possibly reschedule for another day? I have other things to do.”
“But I can’t,” said Fluttershy. “We always have it on Wednesdays. Besides, since we’re leaving this Saturday, we won’t have time to do it another day. I need to spend tomorrow and Friday making sure my animal friends have everything they need before we leave.”
Rarity frowned and said, “I’m dreadfully sorry, Fluttershy, but I can’t. I simply have too much work to do. Besides, I don’t have anypony to watch over Sweetie Belle.”
“I can look after myself!” she called out.
“After what you did last time? I don’t think so,” Rarity firmly stated.
“Oh, come on! How was I supposed to know Opal doesn’t like baths?! I was just trying to be nice!”
“Because of that incident poor Opalescence gets scared at the mention of water.” Rarity looked back at Fluttershy. “I’m terribly sorry, dear, but maybe after the fashion show, we can–”
“Heya, Rarity!” a southern filly shouted.
The unicorn and Fluttershy looked to the side to see Apple Bloom and Scootaloo running up to the boutique.
“What can I do for you girls?” wondered Rarity.
“Can Sweetie come out to play?” asked Scootaloo. “We figured since Button is gone, we can just hang out.”
Rarity opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly felt something push against her. She looked over to see Sweetie looking ecstatic.
“Really?” she wondered in a hopeful voice.
“Yeah! We were also thinking of a way to get our cutie marks today. How about it, Sweetie?” asked Apple Bloom.
The filly looked up at Rarity. “Oh, can I go please, Rarity? I promise I won’t get into trouble.”
Rarity rubbed her chin. “Well. . . I don’t know.”
“Please?” pleaded Sweetie.
Rarity looked at the sad puppy like expression of her sister and was overcome with guilt. She nodded and said, “Very well, but I don’t want to hear anything about somepony’s property being destroyed by your crusading.”
Sweetie rolled her eyes. “You accidentally break somepony’s window and then all of Ponyville doesn’t trust you.”
“Sweetie,” Rarity warned.
The filly nodded. “Alright, I get it.” Sweetie hugged her sister. “Thanks, Rarity!” She bolted out the door and ran off with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.
Rarity and Fluttershy watched until they were out of sight. Fluttershy looked at Rarity and asked, “Are you ready?”
The fashionista rubbed the back of her head. “Fluttershy, there’s another reason I can’t go. You see I–”
“Oh, my goodness!” cried out Fluttershy. She pointed towards a clock on a wall behind Rarity, showing it was nearly ten. “We’re going to be late! We better hurry!” The pegasus galloped down the street.
“Fluttershy, wait!” called out Rarity. Her friend was too far away to hear though, making Rarity sigh to herself.
She looked back upstairs, pondering about the clothes and then looked out again towards the direction Fluttershy galloped. With a heavy sigh, Rarity decided to trot out the door and lock her boutique.
“I guess a little time off wouldn’t hurt me,” she said. “As soon as this is over though, I shall finish my order by tonight.”
Rarity just trotted into Aloe and Lotus’ spa, albeit she was panting a bit from the running she had to do. She straightened herself up and looked around the place. The room was large and had sky blue wallpaper along its walls and its floors were white and shiny. There were several chairs to the left for those who were waiting for their appointment. To the right was a red door and a table nearby, with a blue mare with a pink mane standing behind it.
The pony looked up and gasped at Rarity. She trotted over to her. “Oh, Miss Rarity, welcome,” she said in a rather thick Prench accent. “Your friend, Miss Fluttershy, was just taken back to the mud baths. If you hurry, you can get there before Aloe starts the treatment.”
Rarity nodded. “Very well, Lotus,” she said.
Lotus led Rarity to the red door and opened it. They both trotted down the hallway, passing by other rooms like the sauna, an area where some ponies were getting a massage, and even a giant pool that made Rarity reminisce about when she and her friends used a similar pool to cure themselves of Poison Joke.
Lotus stopped halfway down the hall, prompting Rarity to do the same thing. Lotus opened the door to reveal as small dimly lit room with royal purple wall paper and a chandelier hanging above. Along the walls were tall and elegant candle stands, with the candles themselves giving off a lilac aroma that filled the room. The back of the room had a hallway entrance with a sign above it saying “Showers” and there was a stack of white towels near the door. Along each side of the room was three large tubs, each one full of mud.
Rarity’s eyes caught notice of a pink mare attending to Fluttershy, who was lying in the tub in the upper left corner near the door.
The pink mare, Aloe, noticed Rarity and smiled. “Just in time, Mizz Rarity,” she said in a similar accent to her sister. “Please come and join your friend. I was just getting ready to put the cucumbers on her eyes.”
“Oh, of course,” said Rarity.
She trotted over to the tub next to Fluttershy and cautiously stepped into the mud, shivering a bit as the hot substance tingled her body. After settling herself in the tub, Rarity laid her head back and closed her eyes. Aloe trotted over to Rarity and put cucumber slices over her eyes. Aloe then went over to a nearby table and cranked a small white timer.
“I will be back in thirty minutes, girls,” said Aloe. “Please don’t hesitate to call me or my sister for anything.”
“We won’t,” said Fluttershy. She laid her head back against the wall and let out a contented sigh.
Rarity laid her head back too, but despite wanting to forget her troubles for a while, she couldn’t help but think back to the large order waiting for her at home.
Do I use red ribbon on that dress, or cinnamon ribbon? she pondered. Well cinnamon wouldn’t be bad with orange, but I don’t want my designs to look like a bunch of dead leaves were thrown together. Maybe I should pay another visit to Silver and see what he has in stock.
“Rarity?”
The white unicorn jumped a little in surprise and said, “Red ribbon it is!”
Fluttershy jumped a little too from the response she got and let out a “Meep!” before sinking into the mud a bit.
Rarity held her chest and took a few deep breaths as her heart beat slowed down. After a few minutes, she let out a relaxed sigh.
“Um . . . Rarity?” a quiet voice whispered.
The unicorn’s ears perked up and although she couldn’t see with the cucumbers over her eyes, she recognized the voice. “Oh, um, sorry, Fluttershy,” she said. “I hope I didn’t scare you with my outburst.”
“It’s okay,” said Fluttershy, sounding a bit calmer now. “What were you saying anyway? Something about a ribbon?”
Rarity blushed a little in embarrassment. “Yes . . . I was thinking about what to put on one of my dresses for the upcoming fashion show. I’ve been at it for days and I still got to finish some of them up. Not to mention fix that suit for Fancy Pants and the Wonderbolt uniform.”
“It sounds like you’re very busy,”Fluttershy sighed. “Maybe we should have rescheduled after all instead of doing this.”
Rarity gasped and waved her hoof. “Oh, darling I wouldn’t dream of it,” she said. “Sweetie Belle did say that I’ve been working on those dresses for a while now. Perhaps I should relax and forget about them for a while. Now do tell me, Fluttershy, how have things been going for you? Anything new?”
No response came from Fluttershy.
“Darling?” asked Rarity.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Rarity,” said Fluttershy. “I was just thinking about what you asked.”
“Well?”
“There’s really been nothing happening,” Fluttershy stated. “But . . . there was one thing.”
Rarity quirked an eyebrow. “Oh? What was it?”
“I’ve . . . been spending time with Bulk Biceps,” she muttered.
“I’m sorry, what was that?” asked Rarity.
“I’ve been spending time with Bulk Biceps,” said Fluttershy a bit louder.
“What?”
“I’ve been spending more time with Bulk Biceps,” she said rather loudly. She quickly placed a hoof over her mouth and felt the heat build up in her cheeks.
Rarity stayed silent for a moment, taking in what she heard. She quirked an eyebrow. “I see . . . well, that’s nice to hear,” she said. “I must admit, Fluttershy, I never really thought you would want to spend time with Bulk. He’s . . . interesting, but I never took him as somepony you would want to talk to.”
“He’s actually quite nice once you get to know him,” Fluttershy said. “Sure he yells a lot and does work out a lot, but once you get to know him, he’s not bad at all.”
“That’s not the impression I got from him.”
“He’s a real gentle guy though. He’s been helping me around the cottage and with the animals. Why he’s even managed to stay on Angel’s good side, and Angel’s always misbehaving around anypony who visits me.”
“That is quite the accomplishment. I remember when I first met you, he constantly pelted me with acorns,” said Rarity, sounding annoyed.
“He got around with you eventually,” said Fluttershy, reassuringly.
“Yeah . . . after a few months,” she muttered.
Fluttershy, either not hearing or just ignoring what her friend said, continued. “He and I have been talking and for somepony who’s pretty loud, he’s really kind and just a big gentle giant.”
Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like you’ve taken quite a liking to him,” she teased.
Fluttershy was glad her and Rarity had cucumbers over their eyes as the heat in her cheeks built up and she let out an embarrassed “Eep!” before sinking her head a little into the mud.
Rarity chuckled to herself. “Darling, I didn’t mean to press you like that,” she said, sounding a bit remorseful. “I was just saying that because you do seem to like him.”
Fluttershy rubbed her hooves together, nervously. “He’s. . . just a friend,” she said, timidly. “But you’re lucky, Rarity.”
The fashionista raised an eyebrow. “Why do you say that?” she wondered.
“Well, you’ve pretty much had your eyes set on several stallions, and some stallions here seem to have taken a liking to you as well.”
Rarity felt a bit cold and empty inside. “Um . . . what do you mean?” she asked.
“You seem to make it so easy with other stallions,” said Fluttershy. “Whenever you talked to me about somepony that you like, you always seem to know how to make them really like you. You have the looks and confidence to win almost any stallion over.”
Rarity turned her head away, the empty feeling in her feeling bigger. “Yet that always ended in failure,” she muttered.
“Did you say something, Rarity?” asked Fluttershy.
The white unicorn let out a long sigh. “I was just thinking to myself, Fluttershy.”
“About what?”
“You say I’m lucky with my beauty and how I can woo any stallion, but for all my efforts, it’s been for nothing,” said Rarity, gloomy.
“Why do you say that?” wondered the pegasus.
“Because . . . because every stallion I’ve met has either only been interested in my looks, my wealth, or just want a quick one night stand,” said Rarity.
Fluttershy lowered her head a little. “Oh . . . I’m sorry, Rarity, I didn’t know.”
The unicorn waved her hoof. “It’s quite alright, darling,” she said, still sounding a bit depressed. “Not all the stallions I met or who were interested in me were bad. The other stallions just lacked . . . charm.”
“I don’t understand.”
“What I’m saying is that they seem nice and handsome, but once you talk to them, they seem to boast about themselves and their accomplishments, what they plan to do, and just ignore what others are saying. Some did honestly try to woo me, but those stallions just never interested me.”
Fluttershy frowned, feeling a little regretful. “I’m sorry, Rarity. I hope I didn’t hurt you by talking about you like that.”
“You’re alright, Fluttershy,” said Rarity. “If anything, you’re the lucky one.”
The pegasus jumped a little in shock. “Really?” she inquired.
“Well yes,” replied the unicorn. “Bulk seems to have more in common with you then I realized and he seems nice enough to you. You had more luck than I in love.”
Fluttershy blushed a deep red. “He’s just a friend though,” she muttered.
Rarity couldn’t help but smile a little. “Regardless, it sounds like he’s a good stallion for you. If you ever want to become more than that with him, just talk to me and I’ll be happy to help.”
The pegasus smiled a little. “Thanks, Rarity, I’ll remember that.”
Rarity rested her head back, feeling a bit more contentful.
“One more thing,” said Fluttershy.
The fashionista quirked an eyebrow. “Yes?”
“Don’t worry about what I said,” said Fluttershy. “Maybe one day, you’ll find somepony again. Maybe even somepony around here.”
Rarity looked down and smiled sadly. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said solemnly.
She sighed and leaned her head back. If only it were that easy, she thought to herself.
Before Rarity knew it, the spa trip was over. Much to her relief, they spent the remainder of the time talking about the upcoming trip to Manehatten and what to do. It was twelve-thirty in the afternoon by the time they were done and Fluttershy said she had to go home to feed her animal friends. Her and Rarity said goodbye before they took off in opposite directions.
As Rarity trotted back towards Carousel Boutique, her mind was abuzz with the thought of all those dresses at her shop. However, something else creeped into her mind, something that gnawed at her constantly.
“Why did I just suddenly feel so . . . empty when I talked to Fluttershy?” she wondered. “All she did was talk about my attempts at finding love. Yet it made me feel cold and rather hurt. I mean sure she may not admit it, but she does seem to like Bulk, despite his . . . enthusiasm.”
Rarity sighed to herself. “I mean, my love life hasn’t exactly been the greatest, but I’m not giving up. So what if many of my past relationships were failures? Who cares if the ponies I was interested in were?” As she asked those questions, Rarity felt a bit cold inside and the courage in her died. She lowered her head and muttered, “Who indeed?”
She shook her head and said, “Perhaps I’m thinking too much into this. I just need to focus on something more productive, like my dresses at home. Speaking of which, I should probably head over to the store and pick up some more fabric. If everything goes fine, I should be able to finish it to–”
“Hey, Rarity, there y’are!” a southern voice called out.
“–Day,” muttered Rarity. She looked to the side to see Applejack approaching her. “Hello, Applejack.”
“Howdy, partner,” she said. “I’ve been looking for ya most of the day to tell you two things. First, thanks for letting me give Soarin his uniform back. He said it was just like new and even offered to buy you dinner,” she said, with that last part sounding a bit annoyed.
“Well thank you, darling,” said Rarity. “It was nothing I couldn’t handle. Now, what was the other thing?”
“I need to talk to ya, sugarcube,” said Applejack. “Somewhere a little less out in the open.”
Rarity raised an eyebrow in confusion, but decided not to question her friend. “Okay. . . well there’s a tree we can hide behind,” she said, warily.
“Close enough,” said Applejack. She pulled the unicorn by the leg, causing Rarity to yelp in terror. After they got behind the tree, Applejack looked around, but nopony was in sight.
Rarity slapped Applejack’s hoof away and narrowed her eyes. “Applejack, control yourself!” she scolded. “Honestly, you didn’t need to do that.”
“Sorry, Rarity,” said the farmer pony. “This really can’t wait though and you're the only one I can talk to about this.”
“And what, might I ask, is so important that you needed to drag me?” demanded Rarity.
“It’s something I’ve been keeping to myself for some time,” said Applejack.
“What is it?”
“I’ve been holding this back for a while now and I think you need to hear what I have to say.”
“Again, what is it?”
“This is a bit hard for me to say, partner,” said Applejack, a little hesitantly. “I just don’t know how you’ll take what I have to say to ya.”
Rarity’s eyes went a bit wide. “Applejack . . . what are you getting at?” she wondered.
The farmer turned away, looking a bit flustered. “I just don’t know how to say it to you after all this time. I’ve been kind of holding it in for too long.”
The fashionista backed up a little. “Applejack, is this some sort of come on to confess that you . . . like me?” she wondered, sounding a bit worried.
Applejack shook her head and looked shocked. “What?! Oh, hay no!” she exclaimed. “You think I pulled ya over here just to say that to ya?!”
Rarity couldn’t help but chuckle a little. “Perhaps those rumors I’ve heard about you are true after all,” she said.
The farmer pony let out an exasperated groan and stomped her hoof. “I swear, ya turn down the interests of some famous writer whose nuttier than Twilight on missing a friendship report and suddenly, all of Equestria thinks yer barn door doesn’t swing that way!”
“Calm down, Applejack,” ordered the unicorn. “You were sounding like you were confessing to me.”
“Well I wasn’t!” interjected Applejack, angrily. “I’m just. . . well it’s . . . oh, never mind!” The farmer turned around to leave.
Rarity grabbed her friend by the tail and forced Applejack to turn back around. “Darling, whatever you need to tell me, just tell me.”
Applejack scratched the back of her head and let out a sigh. “Alright, sugarcube, but one more thing.”
“And that is?”
“Don’t tell anypony else.”
Rarity held up a hoof. “Pinkie Promise,” she proclaimed.
“FOREVER!” Pinkie’s voice echoed.
Applejack and Rarity jumped a little in surprise, but quickly shrugged it off.
“Now, what is it?” asked Rarity.
Applejack bit her lip. “I need some advice,” she muttered.
“Advice?”
“For a friend!” the farmer blurted out. “A friend who . . . is a little shy about these kind of things.”
Rarity looked a bit shocked from her friend’s outburst and worried. “. . . I see, go on,” she said, apprehensively.
Applejack rubbed her hooves together. “Well . . . she’s been seeing this pegasus for a while now and he’s quite the stallion. I, er, she doesn’t know how she would talk to him though, or what to say to him.”
Rarity quirked an eyebrow. “Tell me more about this stallion,” she said, sounding a bit suspicious.
“Well he’s pretty strong, for a pegasus that is, a smooth talker, and well . . . um . . .” Applejack gulped a little as she tried to hide a growing blush. “. . . handsome. He’s a bit of a goofball and like pi–er, I mean, cake.”
The fashionista smirked a little. “Is that so? Well what does your ‘friend’ want?”
Applejack wiped the sweat off her forehead and took a deep breath. “Well. . . I, er. . . um, she wants to know how she would ask him on a . . . on a . . .”
“On a date?” inquired Rarity.
“That’s it!” exclaimed Applejack. “I, well, she wants to ask him out on a date. Ya got any advice on asking somepony out and what to do?”
Rarity closed her eyes and hummed to herself.
“Well?” wondered Applejack.
The fashionista smiled deviously to herself. “Before I answer your question, Applejack, I have something to ask you.”
“Uh. . . okay,” said the farmer pony, unsurely.
“Didn’t you say that Soarin offered to take me out to dinner?”
Applejack perched her lips. “Yeah. . . why do you ask?”
“I was thinking that maybe I should accept it,” said Rarity, carefully hiding her smirk.
“Excuse me?” demanded Applejack, her eyes narrowing.
“I have been working awfully hard lately. Perhaps I should take advantage of such a generous offer by him. Maybe I could even get to know him more and see where things go.”
The farmer’s eye twitched and she gritted her teeth. “Now hold on here,” she ordered. “Yer much too busy on those dresses of yours. Didn’t you say you wanted to finish them as quickly as possible?”
Rarity nodded. “I did, but maybe a little break wouldn’t hurt me. I have heard Soarin is quite the ladies man anyway.” She trotted past Applejack. “Now what should I wear when I tell him I’ll accept his invitation? Maybe something matching a Wonderbolt’s uniform? No, no, no. Maybe a–”
Applejack snorted and stomped her hoof. “Not if I ask him out first!” she bellowed.
Rarity turned around and smiled sinisterly. “Gotcha,” she said.
“Got what?” demanded Applejack, who was still huffing.
“Seems like I found out who this ‘friend’ of yours is,” said Rarity, smugly.
Applejack was a bit confused, but the realization quickly dawned upon her. Her eyes went wide with surprise and could feel the heat building up in her cheeks, making her try to hide her face.
“You surprise me, darling,” said Rarity as she was chuckling. “To think you finally found somepony you love at last. I have to be honest with you; I never could see you with anypony else.”
Applejack quickly placed a hoof over Rarity’s mouth and looked around frantically. “Quiet!” she seethed. “You want all of Ponyville to hear!?”
The fashionista slapped the hoof away. “Applejack, why are you being so secretive about this?” she wondered. “There’s nothing wrong with falling for somepony.”
“One, I don’t want Soarin to hear and I scare him off with how I feel,” said Applejack. “Two, you remember the last time our sisters played matchmaker.”
Rarity blushed a little. “Well at least it worked out for Big Macintosh and Cheerilee, didn’t it?” she wondered.
“That ain’t the point!” exclaimed Applejack. “The point is that I don’t want them to try that again.” She let out a sigh. “Besides, even if I didn’t have to worry about that, what can I talk to Soarin about?”
The unicorn quirked an eyebrow. “I’m not understanding, darling,” she stated.
“What am I supposed to say to Soarin? He’s a big shot and all I can talk to him about is just . . . apples, of all things.”
Rarity rubbed the back of her head. “Well I’m sure he’ll find it somewhat interesting,” she said, hesitantly.
Applejack gave her friend a deadpanned expression. “Oh, he’ll be so interested,” she said with a mocking tone. “Oh, Soarin, would you like to hear this history of zap apples? What about how many kinds of apples are there in Equestria? Or, my favorite, how many apple trees I bucked in a single day.”
Rarity bit her lip. “Well you do have a point,” she said.
“You see? I’d probably bore him so much, he’d never want to see me again, much less look at an apple again,” said Applejack, depressingly.
Rarity frowned and wraped a hoof around her friend’s shoulder. “Applejack, you’re overreacting. It’s okay to be nervous about asking the stallion of your dreams out, but you don’t want to act like a wreck around him.”
“Kind of hard not to be nervous around him when you’re not exactly in the same league as a famous Wonderbolt,” groaned the farmer.
“Honestly, you’re being much too hard on yourself,” said Rarity, sternly. “Why don’t you tell me what Soarin has said about you?”
“Well. . . he said I’m kinda cute, hardworking, and nice,” she said, blushing a bit. “Why do you ask?”
Rarity smiled softly. “Darling, I think you got nothing to worry about.”
Applejack quirked an eyebrow. “Why would you say that?” she wondered.
“It sounds like you’ve already made a good impression in front of him,” said the unicorn. “I’d say you do have a good shot at him.”
Applejack opened her mouth to object, but recalled what she just said. She rubbed her chin and nodded slowly. “I . . . guess you’re right,” she said, hesitantly. “But even then, even if I do ask him out, I don’t know what I’d talk to him about without making him bored.”
“Why not tell him more about your family business?” asked Rarity. “Didn’t Granny Smith tell the tale of how your family found Ponyville and all the foals were amazed by it?”
Applejack rubbed her chin. “Hmm. . . ya got a point there, sugarcube,” she responded. “He’s been asking me about how my family established here.”
Rarity clapped her hooves together. “Well there you go. You have something to talk to him about, and I’m sure he won’t be bored of it either.”
“But what if he does get bored with it and wants to talk about something else? I don’t want to come off as somepony who doesn’t know what they’re talking about.”
“Applejack, my advice is for you to just tell yourself more to Soarin.”
The farmer pony raised an eyebrow. “And just what in the hay does that mean?” she inquired.
Rarity let out a soft sigh. “I mean you should tell him about your accomplishments,” she replied. “I’m sure he’d be interested in hearing some of the adventures we’ve had. You can also tell him about how your skills in rounding up animals, but there is one thing that you should also do.”
“And that is?”
“You should also listen to him and get to know him more.”
“Excuse me?”
“If you’re truly interested in him and want to win him over, then listen to some of his interests as well. There’s got to be something he likes aside from pie. Then, if your date goes well, you can try to do something with him that interests him. Who knows? If things go really well, maybe you and Soarin could–”
“Alright, don’t get ahead of yourself now!” barked Applejack, blushing deeply. She sighed and said, “Sorry, Rarity, I’m just trying to take things one step at a time. I don’t even want to think of something like that yet.”
“Oh, I understand all too well, darling. Why, I got nervous over the crushes I had. Only for them . . . to . . . fail,” muttered Rarity, sounding a bit depressed.
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “You alright, sugarcube?” she wondered.
Rarity shook her head and let out a sigh. “It’s nothing, Applejack. I’m just thinking to myself about. . . something else.”
The farmer pony bit her lip. “Okay then, well thank you for the advice, Rarity,” she said, hesitantly. “I’ll be sure to use some of those suggestions you told me about.”
The fashionista waved a hoof. “Think nothing of it, darling,” she replied, sounding more confident. “When one of my friends is in love, I am always willing to lend a hoof in making sure their love life is successful.”
Even though all my attempts at love have been failures, she coldly thought to herself. Rarity frowned at this and felt a bit cold herself.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
The white unicorn looked up to see Applejack staring at her again.
“That’s the second time you’ve blanked out on me,” said the farmer. “What’s wrong with you?”
“It’s nothing darling,” assured Rarity. “I’m just thinking to myself again.”
Applejack stared at her friend for a few seconds before nodding slowly. “Alright, well I guess that settles that then. I’ll head back to the farm and–”
“Nonsense, Applejack,” interrupted Rarity. “I need to quickly make you something if your proposal does work out. Now it will be tricky, but–”
“I actually already had something,” said Applejack.
Rarity stopped speaking and looked at her friend with a blank expression. “You do?” she inquired.
Applejack nodded. “Sure do! When I was talking to Soarin when I asked him about the uniform, he said I looked kinda cute in that outfit I wore for the Grand Galloping Gala. I figured I’d wear that again since he seems to like it.”
Rarity smiled and said, “Well I’m not normally one to recycle and reuse clothes a lot, but if he liked you the way you dressed up, then I’d say go ahead. But maybe I should also take you to Aloe and Lotus for a quick spa treatment to–”
“Granny Smith has that covered,” replied Applejack.
The fashionista looked at Applejack with a puzzled expression. “Granny Smith?” she asked.
“Yeah, she actually knows some beauty secrets that’s been passed down from one family member to another. She even used some of those fancy treatments on Big Mac when he asks Cheerilee out.”
“Tell me, Applejack. Is there anything Granny Smith can’t do?” wandered the fashionista.
The farmer pony rubbed her chin. “Uh. . . I guess get any younger,” she joked.
The two ponies looked at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter for a minute.
Applejack wiped a tear of laughter from her face and said, “Well thanks again, Rarity. I guess I better head home before anypony sees us together and takes things the wrong way.”
“Well I was happy to give you some–”
“Rarity, there you are!” a voice called out.
Both the white unicorn and Applejack turned to see Twilight and Spike running towards them.
Twilight huffed and puffed and she tried to catch her breath. “You . . . see, Spike?” she asked, gasping for air. “I told you Rarity was still in town.”
Spike crossed his arms. “Well I just wanted to make sure she was okay.” He looked up at Rarity and smiled. “Sorry about that. I’ve been wondering where you’ve been.”
“Why would you want to know that?” inquired the fashionista.
“Spike’s been worried that you haven’t been seen for a few days and wanted to check on you,” said Twilight.
Spike looked over at Twilight with an annoyed expression on his face. “I would’ve helped earlier if I wasn’t forced to triple check our luggage for the millionth time,” he said, the bitterness in his voice making Twilight leer at him.
“Spike, you know that it’s better to be safe than sorry,” said Twilight. “Now that Rarity’s been found, let’s go back and check to make sure you’ve packed all the toiletries you need.”
The dragon let out a sigh. “For the hundredth time, I made sure I got everything I need,” he said, exasperatedly. “Honestly, Twilight, you’re really overreacting. It’s not like we’re off to see Princess Celestia or anything.”
“We may not be seeing the princess, but this trip is very important for Rarity” said Twilight, sounding a bit annoyed. “Besides, we need to make extra sure that nopony in Manehatten knows about. . . ‘that’.”
“I’m right here you know?” inquired Rarity, sounding annoyed.
Twilight blushed embarrassingly. “Oh. . . um, sorry,” she said quietly. She turned to look at Spike. “Well, Spike, I guess we could take a small break from all the packing.”
“Finally,” he muttered. He let out a bit of a yawn. “That packing really made me tired. Let’s go home so I can catch a nap.”
Twilight looked at Rarity. “What have you been doing? I ran into Sweetie Belle earlier and she said you were still working on those dresses of yours. Did you finish them?”
Rarity tapped her hoof. “Well. . . not exactly,” she said. “I was on my way back from a spa appointment when Applejack asked me–”
“Ahem!” a voice announced.
Rarity looked and saw Applejack shaking her head and looking a bit nervous. Realizing what her friend was trying to say, the fashionista nodded. “She was asking if I needed help.”
Spike, who was slowly drifting off, suddenly shot his eyes wide open. “Oh, I can help you with that, Rarity!” he exclaimed, eagerly. “What do you need help with? Carrying fabric? Sewing?”
Rarity raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were tired, Spikey,” she said.
The dragon waved his hand. “Ah, I was just joking,” he replied. “Besides, I’m always happy to help you out.”
“I appreciate that, Spike, but maybe you should rest if you’ve been helping Twilight a lot,” said Rarity.
“No way,” said Spike, firmly. “I want to help you no matter what and after what happened to you, I’ll make sure nothing happens to you.”
As Rarity looked at Spike’s determined expression, she felt a little. . . relieved. It was almost hard for her to describe, but it felt calm and rather peaceful. She couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her friend.
“Very well, Spike,” she announced. “We still got a couple dresses to do, but with your help, I think we should be done with it in no time.”
The dragon nodded eagerly. “Got it!” he exclaimed. He looked over at Twilight. “I’ll see you later at the library, Twilight.”
The lavender unicorn smiled and chuckled. “Alright, but don’t forget that we need to finish packing and checking to make sure everything’s ready,” she said.
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” he said. Spike looked at Rarity. “Shall we go, m’lady?”
The fashionista couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’d be delighted to,” she replied.
Together, the two of them walked off into town, with Twilight and Applejack waving.
Applejack chuckled a little. “That’s Spike for ya,” she said. “Sometimes I think he works a little too hard for Rarity.”
Twilight nodded and said, “I just hope Rarity doesn’t overload herself with the show coming up. It’s already tough enough with what’s happened to her, but I just hope things will be okay.”
“I understand what you mean, Twilight,” said Applejack. “But I think we’ll be fine. Nopony’s really going to be paying attention or asking questions about Rarity.”
“I hope so, Applejack, I hope so,” replied Twilight.
Rain and thunder rumbling; those sounds were very familiar to a mare walking one of Manehatten’s ‘less traveled’ streets. The run down buildings, with street lights flickering constantly, the sounds of ponies yelling and some begging for their lives, and the sight of ponies taking scantily clad mares into alleys were an all too familiar sight for the pony.
She stopped in front of a large puddle of water and looked at herself. Her pink coat was mostly unkempt and looked a little shagged. Her hot red mane and tail was flat, with a few strands sticking out. The ruby red lipstick, black fishnets on her hind legs, and tight black skirt made her shiver a bit from the sight of it, but she dismissed it. She let out a sigh as she trotted down the street, ignoring the pelting rain drops falling on her.
The mare stopped at a nearby corner and let out another sigh. She looked around her surroundings and noticed several mares across the street in very similar clothes to her own. They greeted her with a nod before looking away and giving sultry looks to several passing stallions. The mare watched as a few of the stallions took interest in the other mares and give them some money before escorting them into a nearby alley. The sight of it made the mare’s stomach do a belly flop.
The sight was quickly cut short as a piece of paper hit the mare in the cheek, causing her to flinch. She snatched the paper and looked at it, but felt a burning anger build inside her. The picture had a smiling beige mare’s head with a short teal mane surrounded by a gold star on the top. In the middle were three elegant dresses of different styles. On the bottom of the paper it said Dresses by– but the last part was cut off by the rain smudging the name. The mare didn’t need to read it though as she recognized the beige mare. In a fit of anger, she ripped the paper apart and let out a frustrated groan.
She threw the pieces of paper down and gritted her teeth. “When I’m through with you, traitor, I’ll make sure you never work in the fashion business ever again,” she spat.
The mare was so angry that the sound of hoofsteps galloping against the street nearly missed her ears. As soon as her ears picked up the soon, she turned her head and gasped. A large, sleek black coach carriage with golden trimming. four windows with each covered by a red velvet curtain, and four lanterns hanging from each corner pulled up. Four ponies, each in black raincoats, were in front and had reigns on each of them to help pull it.
It’s showtime, thought the mare, trying her best not to smile greedly. It’s not common to see the Manehatten elite come to this part of town. Maybe tonight I can hit some major pay dirt.
The door to the coach opened and the mare cleared her throat. “Hi there big guy,” she said, seductively. “My name is Sweet Cherry and I–”
“Just get in,” said a stallion, coldly.
The mare stared blankly. “Excuse me?” she inquired.
“You hear me,” ordered the stallion. “Get in now.”
“Now hold on here,” the mare stated, sounding irritable. “We need to–”
“Please come in,” said another stallion, sounding more gentle. “We need to talk to you, but I’d think you’d much rather get out of the rain, right?”
The mare opened her mouth to protest, but felt the rain coming down harder. “Alright, make room!” she ordered. She quickly hopped into the coach and the carriage door closed.
She looked around it and saw it was more elegant on the inside. The floor was covered in a red velvet carpet, with two equally velvety couches in the back and front. There was a small chandelier hanging, lighting the place. On the right wall were some towels, and a bottle of what looked to be sparkling wine.
“Have a seat,” the cold voice said. “We have much to discuss.”
The mare jumped a little, forgetting about the other pony. She quickly sat on the empty couch at the front of the carriage. She looked towards the back and couldn’t help but feel a little nervous from the sight before her. Two ponies sat there, each in a black robe and covering their faces.
One of the ponies raised his head up. “Move out!” he barked.
The mare yelped a little as the coach slowly moved forward. She quickly regained her composure and put on her best seductive smile. “As I was saying,” she said, sweetly. “My name is Sweet Cherry. How can I help make your night sweet?”
“Cut the act,” ordered one of the stallions. “Nopony is around to eavesdrop on us and I know you’re only doing this as an act.”
The mare’s heart nearly froze and sweat began to build up on her forehead. “I–I have no c–clue what you’re talking about, sweetie,” she said, nervously. “I’m just–”
“–Somepony who isn't happy with what’s become of them and had to resort to selling herself on the streets, right Sweet Cherry, or should I say,” both ponies removed their hoods to reveal an alabaster white unicorn and a gray unicorn, “Miss Suri Polomare?”
The mare’s stomach sank and her face looked like she’d seen a ghost from both the accusation and the face she looked upon. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into a ball and hide herself in shame.
“P–Prince. . . Bl–Bl–Blueblood,” she muttered in sheer terror. “Wha. . .How? W–what are you doing here?”
The prince smiled. “You could say I was in the neighborhood,” he said. “And I had to see if the rumors and the ponies I talked to to track you down were true. To think you went from being one of the rising fashion designers to a lowly street rat.”
Suri looked up, still looking a bit fearful. “You don’t understand!” she screeched. “Do you think I wanted to do this? Do you think I enjoy doing this to myself almost every night to get myself through another day? Living in a shanty apartment with loud neighbors? Fearing that somepony would come out and kill me? The humiliation of degrading myself in front of a stallion almost every night? Do you think I honestly enjoy doing all of that?!”
Suri panted like as if she ran a marathon while Blueblood remained motionless.
The pink mare lowered her head. “Your highness, I beg of you,” she pleaded. “Don’t tell anypony about this. I’ve been humiliated enough and I’d probably never show my face anywhere in Equestria again.”
Suri bowed her head and was quivering in fear. She could hear the laughter of many ponies as they mocked her new living style. She tried her best to hold back the tears in her eyes and wiped any that seeped out very quickly.
Suddenly, she felt something soft thrown at her. She lifted her head up and noticed a white fluffy towel in front of her.
“Clean yourself up,” ordered Blueblood. “You look like something the cat dragged in.”
Suri hesitantly reached her hoof out for the towel, but took it nonetheless to wipe the few tears she missed and the massive amount of makeup on her. Soon the towel was completely dirty and Suri put aside.
“You look much better now,” said Blueblood. He levitated the bottle of sparkling wine three wine glasses. He poured some in each glass and levitated one of the glasses to Suri. “Drink up.”
Suri didn’t wait a moment before she eagerly sipped the drink and felt a bit refreshed. She looked back at Blueblood. “W–what do you want from me?” she asked.
“I’m not here to be judge, jury, and executioner,” replied the prince. “I’m here because I want to help you.”
“Help me?” wondered the pink mare. “How can you help me? I’m pretty much a disgrace across Equestria now.”
“We’ll get to that in a little bit. First, do you happen to know another fashionista by the name of Rarity?”
Suri bolted upright and stared out into space. Whatever fear she felt inside her quickly gave way to thoughts of anger and hate. The images of the white unicorn flashed before her eyes, from meeting her in Manehatten, to seeing her image on the paper as she was announced the winner of the fashion show, all Suri could see now were images of Rarity. The thought of her made her blood boil and, unbeknownst to her, her grip on the wine glass increased to the point where she broke it.
“I take it you do?” asked Blueblood.
Suri laid back and threw the remnants of the wine glass to the side. “. . . Yes,” she spat. “Why do you bring that. . . that. . . career destroyer up?”
“Because it seems you and I have a common thing,” he replied. “We’ve had our. . . ‘run ins’ with Rarity. Though it seems what happened to me at the Grand Galloping Gala was nothing compared to you.”
“You have no idea!” Suri snapped. “She was the one who offered to help give my dresses with that fabric! I simply told her it’s everypony for themselves here in this city and she has the nerve to claim I stole her designs! Then she just throws something that looks like it came from the dumpster together and still wins! But it wasn’t the end there.”
“How so?” asked Blueblood.
“My traitorous assistant exposed me and soon I lost everything!” yelled Suri. “Prim Hemline just happened to hear what I said about Rarity when. . . she said she didn’t want to help me anymore. She was so furious about what I did that soon all of Manehatten heard what she said about me.
The tabloids had a field day with my fallout and soon I had other ponies approaching me, claiming the very same thing I had done to Rarity. Even with the lack of evidence, I was forced to pay thousands of bits to settle those lawsuits. Soon after all those lawsuits, I had to sell my shop because nopony wanted to affiliate with me, much less shop there. I tried using my last bits to bounce back, but nopony was willing to hire me and every fashion business turned against me and disbarred me from future fashion shows and wouldn’t allow me in.”
The pink mare lowered her head. “I tried desperately to do anything to get myself back into the spotlight, but soon I lost all my remaining bits and. . . well, you know the rest.”
Blueblood sat there and finished drinking the rest of his sparkling wine. “Fear not, Miss Polomare,” he said, assuringly. “I’m not here to mock you or anything. I want to help get you back into the good graces of Manehatten, but only if you’re willing to help me with something.”
“What is it?” she asked, hesitantly.
“There’s something that’s happened to Rarity,” said the prince. “Something so dark, that it would not only ruin her career, but destroy her forever.”
Suri looked up and couldn’t help but smile eagerly. “Your highness, what is it?” she wondered. “Has she stolen designs too? Is she a fillyfooler? Tell me!”
Blueblood raised a hoof and narrowed his eyes. “All in good time,” he stated. “I’ll give you the details as we make our way back to the hotel. Now listen up.”
Blueblood went on to explain about Rarity’s “condition” and how he planned to make sure she didn’t take over Equestria. The more Suri heard about it, the bigger her smile came and various images of her standing tall over the fashionista filled her head. She couldn’t help but think about how Manehatten, no, Equestria would respond when she’s revealed to be the one of the heroes of Equestria. Perhaps Coco would beg to come back and work for her. Maybe even the fashion bigshots would proclaim it was a mistake to disbar her and welcome her back with open hooves.
“Miss Polomare, are you listening?”
“Huh?” the pink mare wondered. She broke out of her thoughts and looked back at Blueblood, who was looking a bit annoyed. “Oh, my deepest apologies to you, your highness,” she said. “I was just thinking to myself.”
“Well I think you had plenty of time to ‘think’, so what do you say?” he asked. “How would you like to help me and reclaim what was once yours and much more?”
Suri raised her head up and smiled wickedly. “It shall be an honor, your highness,” she said, sinisterly. “How are we going to get Rarity though? Are we going to set a trap in Ponyville?”
“That won’t be needed,” said the prince. “She’s coming to us instead.”
Suri quirked an eyebrow. “Forgive me if I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Quick Note,” stated Blueblood.
“Yes, your highness?” asked the stallion next to the prince.
“Show Miss Polomare the letter,” he ordered.
Quick handed Suri a folded envelope, which the mare took and opened to read. She quickly read it and lowers the envelope. “It still doesn’t answer my question though,” she said.
“I heard you’ve been at P&H Studios before for another fashion show,” said Blueblood. “Since you seem to know the layout of this place better than anypony else I know, I want you to help scout the area out and help prepare a trap to catch Rarity. I got friends providing me the means of capturing her, but without your expertise of the place, it would be all for nothing.”
“But how can I get in without being recognized?” wondered Suri. “I’m not even allowed in P&H Studios, or any other fashion headquarters.”
“As I said, I got friends who are providing me with the means of capturing Rarity,” replied the prince. “You’ll be given a disguise to allow you to enter the building without anypony recognizing you. As added backup, I shall be there along with my assistant and one of my friends.”
“And if the trap fails?”
“Don’t worry, I got somepony who can make sure they can’t track us back and destroy evidence.”
Suri laid back and smiled. “Very well then,” she replied. “If you’re so certain this will work, then I will gladly help you out.”
“Excellent,” said Blueblood, smiling. “Soon, my. . . no, our days of being seen as disgraces will be over and the mare who ruined us shall be out of our hair for good.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Suri, wickedly. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”