A Tale of two Fillies

by Skyeheart


Act 2: A Rarity to come by

Twilight was the first to break the ice as she put a hoof forward. "It's nice to meet you Rarity. My name's-"

"Oh, of course I already know who all of you are!" Rarity primly interjected. "To think, I'm designing dresses for the Elements of Harmony! Gala dresses no less! Ohh...I am just all atingle with inspiration already!"

Sherbet lifted a hoof to the dressmaker's shoulder. "Steady there, Rarity. All in moderation. You've had a rather long train ride coming up here, and I'm sure you'd much appreciate some time to unwind after an entire half a day's travel. Why don't you join us for lunch while my porters get your luggage settled into your suite?"

"Really? Moi? Dine in your company? Oh, how gracious of you! I suppose it would only be in good etiquette that I accept your offer, Madame Sherbet."

"Come now darling, you're my dear Applejack's close associate. When we're not on the clock, you may call me Auntie." Sherbet then addressed the lanky piebald bellhop that was crawling by at a turtle's pace, not able to even stand straight from the mountain of bags and cases stacked on top of his back. "Yes, Trolley Good. Just send those up to the third room on the 67th floor, thank you very much."

Her worker gave a strained grin and a nod, and he had taken not half a step further when the mare he was carrying for cried out. "Oh! Wait a moment! If I'm going to luncheon with distinguished clientele, I had best look a tad more presentable for them. Pardon me..."

With a glow of her horn she whipped out a sea green longchamp bag from the bottom of the baggage mass, which promptly collapsed in an attempt to fill the missing space. The poor porter surfaced with a struggle, clearly distressed at his sudden suffering for a short brimmed purple felt hat, a thin red silken scarf, and a pair of rose-tinted cat eye glasses that the fashionista was fishing out of the bag.

His mood soon alleviated itself though, when Rarity also pulled out a glittering emerald and tucked it into his shirt pocket. "A little tip, my good sir. And thank you once again."

The group made their way under Sherbet's guidance to the dining hall, with Twilight doubling back to pick up a transfixed Spike. "Spike? Come on, Spike. We're going to lunch now."

The little dragon didn't even realize he was riding on his guardian's back until his nose caught the smell of today's hotel special, prime morel mushrooms braised in chestnut sauce, coming from the back of the kitchens. "Hmm? Huh?" His bearings were regained only for two seconds before he found a pair of sapphire eyes staring back at his own.

"Oh? And who is this little one?" Rarity scrutinized what was perhaps the first real dragon she ever saw in her life. "I don't believe I'm acquainted with...whoever it is you are."

Spike could only stare back blankly with mouth agape at the pretty face that seemed to be glowing in his vision, so Twilight answered for him.

"Oh, he's Spike, the dragon. I hatched him from an egg right before I became Princess Celestia's student. He's my number one assistant and friend."

Rarity gave a sincere smile and patted him on the frills. "Well, aren't you just the sweetest little thing? You are certainly a very lucky mare Twilight, having your own personal helper who's just oh, so adorable!"

"I-hee...heh...I am pretty amazing to have around." Spike blushed under the caress of Rarity's hoof.

As they sat themselves down at their table, the little dragon made a beeline for the spot right next to his new and gorgeous unicorn friend.


"Really? So that's how you met Applejack?" Honey asked between mouthfuls of her heirloom tomato salad. "Your little sister and her little sister?"

"Well, more or less." Rarity tentatively chewed a strawberry before continuing. "Ever since Sweetie Belle joined that quaint little club of hers, we couldn't help but run into each other whenever they got together. Of course, I am a bit contrite to say we didn't exactly, to use her term of phrase, 'hit it off with each other'. Granted, after the first ten declinations to beautify that...rustic charm of hers, I figured we could settle to keep our distances to mere meet and greet acquaintances. The real friction, however, started a month or two back...when I was trying to finish up this 20 piece order for a client in Trottingham..."


"Sweetie Belle was up to her usual antics, trying to help out as she waited for her friends..."

"Won't you at least let me help you clean up?" the little green eyed unicorn begged her older sister.

"No. You've helped me quite enough," Rarity firmly scolded as she picked up the last of the scattered fabrics and uprighted her last overturned ponyquin.

"I'm sorry, sis!" Sweetie Belle insisted at her latest mess. "I just thought that if I could help, I might find my special gift and finally earn my cutie mark."

"I understand. It's just that...I need this time to fill this order without any...complications." Rarity placed the last ball of yarn back on the shelf. "Okay, all done. Now, back to work. I've lost a lot of time, and I cannot have any more interruptions."

Just then the doorbell rang.

"What now?" Rarity groaned.

"That was when Applejack showed up with her little sister Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle's other friend, Scootaloo."

"Heya Rares-woah!" Applejack tripped over herself as her little cream colored sister and the orange pegasus filly zoomed right under her legs at a dam bursting speed.

"Hi, Rarity!" they sped past without even waiting for a reply and surprisingly braked instantly in front of their other member without crashing. "Hey, Sweetie Belle!"

Sweetie Belle perked up instantly. "Scootaloo! Apple Bloom!"

Applejack picked up her stetson hat as the trio began to babble on about their plans for the night. "Heh, Ah swear. If Apple Bloom put that much vigor in 'er chores every day..."

"Yes, quite..." Rarity cleared her throat a bit to ease the tension in her voice. "Are you sure these three can't stay over at your place this time? I am a tad behind in my work..."

"Ah told ya last time. Big Mac an' Ah have overnight deliveries and Granny's out visitin' Uncle Apple Strudel. Ya certainly don't want yer sister ta be locked up in a big ol' house with no grownups around, do ya?"

"Yes, I suppose that's true..." Rarity admitted. "Well! I've just have to set a few more ground rules in that case."

"And then it happened..."

"Cutie Mark Crusader sleepover at Rarity's! Yay!"

"And... look what I made us!" Sweetie Belle triumphantly donned a flashy cape with an emblem of a pony embroidered on and gold silk lining the undersides.

Her two friends ooh'd and ahh'd at the set of club uniforms, while her big sister had a slightly different reaction.

"*SHRIEK* SWEETIE BELLE! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?!"

The fillies' ears all wilted at the sudden realization they just might be in trouble. Rarity zipped up to her sewing machine and pulled out the ream of cloth it was holding, pupils shrinking at the three very large square holes that now took up most of it.

"That was the last of my gold silk! Ohhh...the order's ruined, RUINED! I'll never be able to make more of this before tomorrow!"

"Well, ain't too much a bother, right? Just use some other cloth that looks like it," Applejack hopefully suggested.

"Bear in mind, I probably wouldn't have reacted that intensely any other time but...even a lady's nerves can only take so much at once!"

"Just use some other cloth? JUST SOME OTHER CLOTH?! Do you not realize just how graceless and insulting I'd be to my client if I used 'just some other cloth' to replace this!? Well then, why don't you just replace that garish and old wrinkled thing you call a hat with 'just some other hat'?"

Applejack held her hat flat against her head in defense. "Hey now! Ah told you the first time y'all suggested that. This here's mah ma's hat, it's special! This an' that are two completely different things, Rare."

"Well, I suppose a sweaty uncultured country farm girl like yourself wouldn't understand the intricacies that dictate the rules of fashion, would she? Guess I can't fault you for that." She turned away, looking to the trio of fillies and then to her ruined cloth. "Although I do note, my dear Sweetie Belle never started doing anything so inconsiderate until she met your sister..."

"Oh no, you didn't..."
"Afraid so, my dear Blossomforth. It was a low and crass blow, but I just could not help myself in my current state of mind. The reaction was as any of you would expect..."

"Beg pardon?!" Rarity suddenly found herself nose to nose with a huffing Applejack. "Whaddya sayin' Rarity? That mah Apple Bloom's a bad in-flu-ence? Is that what yer accusin' of?"

"Well I'm just saying fillies of her and Sweetie's age are so impressionable. It's only natural they take after the ponies that raise them."

The three foals were slowly backing into a huddled corner at the increasingly scary situation as the two mare were now baring their pearly whites.

"Oh, so now yer sayin' Ah ain't rearin' my lil' sis right, huh?!" Applejack leaned against her muzzle forcefully.

Rarity leaned right back with a surprising amount of strength. "I wouldn't say you're the worst possible custodian, but let's just say if I were teaching her a few things, number one would be to wipe her hooves before coming in after rolling all day in the muck so she doesn't get dirty hooves all over my carpet!"

"Ya wanna see dirty hooves?!" Applejack grabbed the potted rhododendrons off Rarity's windowsill and dug a forehoof deep into the moist soil. "Ah'll show ya dirty hooves!!"

And before Rarity could so much as scream, a large clod of dirt found itself on a high speed collision course with her head and-

"Oh dear, that does sound like my niece. I'm so sorry."
"No that's quite alright, Auntie. I deserved that one, loathe as I was to receive it. Needless to say, we went so far as to forbid our sisters from seeing each other after that. It didn't seem like we were going to be anything but bitter enemies then until a week later..."

"Will you hurry up an' just take those branches down Rarity?! I'm doing all the work here preppin' the town for this here thunderstorm."

Rarity sniffed disdainfully at Applejack as the farm pony bucked another mess of twigs and leaves to the ground, some even falling into her mane.

"Well excuse me for not wanting to make a mess of the town square, and myself while doing a good job."
"Good job nuthin'. The only thing you seem to be good at is your prissy, useless. frou-frou outfits. In fact, Ah bet y'all wouldn't know useful if it came up and bit'cha."
"Ha hum, that doesn't even make any sense."
"Does so."
"Does not."
"Does so."
"Does not."
"Does so."
"Does not."
"Does so infinity. Hah."
"Does not infinity plus one. Heh."
*BOOM*

A drizzle started to sprinkle down on them.

"Aw, now look what y'all did! While you wasted our time bickerin', the storm's started up before we could finish!"
"Oh no! My wonderfully styled mane shall be ruined!"
"Will ya stop fussin' over your precious mane fer one second? We gotta take cover before the full storm hits!"

"Unfortunately, the only shelter close enough and unlocked for us was the old abandoned Ponyville library."
"Abandoned?! What kind of town keeps a library abandoned?!"
"Well Twilight, no one had gone in there in years since...everypony was pretty sure there a ghost haunting it."
"...A ghost, seriously?"
"Well there was nopony living there and strange noises were coming from inside every night! It was the most plausible explanation we could think of!"
"..."
"Aheh, anyways, things weren't too much better inside than out..."

"Ugh! Look at all this silt covering the floor. Doesn't anypony dust in here?"

Applejack walked ahead as Rarity fussed over where she stepped. "Considerin' this here is the abandoned Ponyville library, Ah reckon not."

"That was hardly necessary to point out, Applejack." Rarity lit up her horn to get a better view of the lounge they were in.

Other than the abundance of dust and scarcity of home furnishings, the building inside the giant tree actually seemed to be in good shape. No rotted or worn planks, no broken shelves, they were even still full of books, albeit dusty. There was a checkout desk, some reading tables, one even had a head bust, everything for a fully functional library needed, except a librarian to work it.

Of course that didn't change a thing to how unsettling it was to be in here. It was still dark, it was still dusty and grimy, and shadows around the room still gave a foreboding feeling that something was there besides them. "So just long do we have to remain cooped up in this creepy place anyways?"

"Well, from what I've heard from the pegasi, Ah reckon the rains won't stop 'til tomorrow mornin'," Applejack said.

"What?!" Rarity was aghast in repulsion. "You mean I have to endure an entire night stuck in here? With you?"

"If ya don't like it, you and yer precious mane can take yer chances outside in rain!" Applejack opened the door again, and a torrent of wind and water blasted her in the face before she could shut it again.

Rarity gave a dry, humorless, chuckle. "Well fortunately, as a proper lady, I am well fitted to tolerate even the most unbearable and uncivil of company."

"Fine by me, this here library's big and spacious enough fer neither of us ta see each other's faces. What say we make each other scarce fer th' rest of the night?"

"Well, fine."
"Fine!"
"Fine!"

And with that, they immediately began to walk in separate directions.

Whoooooo...

Rarity stopped. "Oh, very funny, Applejack. But I am not as fragile as you think I am."

Applejack turn around. "What'chu talkin' 'bout, Rarity? And cut it out with those spooky ghost noises!"

"That's what I should be telling you!" Rarity huffed. "Just because things have supposedly been going bump in the night around here, doesn't mean you can play on those-"

Whoooooo...

Rarity paused, staring at Applejack's tightly closed mouth. "That...wasn't you..."

"Neither...was it you..." she mirrored back at Rarity.

Whoooooo!
*CRACK* *BOOM*

A crack of blinding lightning and uproarious thunder suddenly drove them into each other's trembling hooves.

"Um...uh...maybe for the sake of survival...we should remain within eyesight," Rarity nervously suggested.
"Uh...uh huh...wouldn't want ta git lost in here..." Applejack agreed.

"Well, for next hour or so, we ended up scaring ourselves silly over the smallest of things. A dust rag fell on me while I was checking out the stationary closet and I thought a swarm of bats were attacking. Applejack brushed her leg up against a broken quill and thought a spider was crawling up her. And we practically jumped into each other hooves every time that voice out of nowhere wailed at the most unexpected of times. Eventually, we found our way upstairs and found there was an old cot we could sleep on for the night..."

"Keep your muddy hooves on your side of the bed," Rarity whispered harshly.

"My hooves ain't muddy," Applejack whispered back.

"They were before," Rarity asserted. "There might still be a little on them."

"There ain't. See?" Applejack turned over to flash her hoof in front of Rarity.

"Eww!" Rarity recoiled and rolled back over, taking the only blanket they could find in the place with her.

"Now who's bein' inconsiderate?" Applejack huffed and yanked the covers back.

Rarity hopped out and pushed Applejack off. "Now I have to make the bed again because of all your tossing and turning!"

Applejack rolled her eyes as Rarity nipped and tucked the corners together.

"Ah ah ah! You'll ruin it," Rarity said with a raised hoof before Applejack could get back on. "You have to do it like this."

And she scooted herself in ever so slowly before sighing in contentment amongst the unruffled sheets.

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen. Geronimo!" Applejack cannonballed the bed, knocking Rarity out and once again claiming the covers all for herself.

"You did that on purpose!" Rarity cried.

"Can't hear ya, I'm asleep." And Applejack gave off some fake snores just to mock Rarity further.

Rarity tore the warm covers away. "Get up so I can fix it again."

"Y'know what? I ain't budgin'," Applejack groused.

"You will if you want any blankets-Hey!" Rarity suddenly found herself in a game of tug-of-war with Applejack.

"Give it back!"
"I will not!"
"Yes, you will!"
"Won't!"
"Will!"
"Won't!"
"Will!"
"Won't!"
"Will!"
Whoooooo!
"Oh, will you just shut up?!" they both yelled into the darkness from where the ghostly voice wailed.

"That was when the thunder came down, so to speak."

A massive bolt struck the top of the library, something that probably wouldn't have happened had there been a magic lightning rod installed in that tree by somepony, and without warning a large muddy branch came crashing right down through the roof on top of them!

Applejack, reacting a second quicker than Rarity shoved her out of the impact zone right before she herself became sandwiched between a bed and a wooden place.

"Ungh!" She grunted in pain. A feeble attempt at pulling herself out notified her that she was pinned from the torso down. And the rain coming in certainly wasn't making things more comfortable.

Rarity, shaking her head a few times to regain her bearing, gasped and crept forward as much as she dared without getting her hooves in the puddles of water, mud, and sap. "Applejack! Are you alright?"

Applejack panted a bit, her breathing regulating as the adrenaline rush wore off. "Hah...yeah...yeah Ah'm okay."
*creeeeeeeak...crack*

The mass of bed, branches, and pony suddenly lurched downward as the sound of snapping wood could heard from beneath Applejack. Apparently, the floor was not designed in mind to hold that much weight in one spot. Eyes wide, the earth pony desperately tried to squeeze herself out again, but to no avail.

Then there was another snap, and another lurch.

"Aah! Ah, ah, on second thought, Ah'm not okay! Definitely not okay!" Applejack madly clawed at the floorboards which she was beginning to sink past.

Rarity's eyes widened in alarm at the situation before her, and what would happen should the floorboards completely give way with Applejack still trapped on top of them. She frantically looked around for a pole or some rope. Finding nothing to extend her reach, she gulped and moved closer, only to stop at the edge of the hole in the ceiling, where the rain was freely pouring in.

*CRRRRRACK*
"Ahh!" Applejack whimpered.

And like how a runner sprung off to the sound of a starter pistol, Rarity plunged into the thick of the squall. Her front hooves clutched the underside of the branch as she groaned to heave it upwards.

*crack* *CRACK*

She could feel the weight pulling her hooves down. It was no use, she couldn't budge it. And the snaps were becoming more frequent as more of the supporting planks failed. Rarity's mind raced for an answer knowing she had precious few seconds left. If only this branch was like her bonsai assortments. Those were much lighter to carry and smaller too-

A spark lit up in the back of her eyes. Without a moment to lose she flared her horn furiously, and the huge branch became a set of thirty different potted tree trimmings, which she easily swept off of Applejack's backside. Gripping her front hooves, she heaved the distressed farmer up onto the ledge. A moment later the bed fell through with a final snap and the devastating crash could be heard from the floor below.

A still moment passed. Then Applejack croaked a weak chuckle. Rarity did the same, and gradually the pair's weak chortles grew into a vibrant mix of laughs, tears, and hugs.

"Oh, look at me. I'm all filthy!" Rarity said at last as she felt her soggy straight mane and sticky sap covered coat.

"Yeah, but ya did save mah life there," Applejack comforted.

"But of course!" Rarity exclaimed. "I can always wash out this dreadful mess on me. But you...I can't very well fix a broken you!"

"Heh, yeah, thanks." Applejack went and fetched her hat from the rain.

"And I certainly wouldn't have been able to save you if you hadn't saved me first," Rarity continued. "I mean, you just pushed me out of the way instead of leaping back yourself!"

"Well, kinda how Ah was raised," Applejack explained. "Ma always told me, the time ya got fer yerself is only the time ya got after others. It's why Ah'm always helpin' other townsfolk with their odds an' ends." She then shifted a leg against another as she looked slightly downwards. "Hey, Rarity? Ah'm sorry Ah've been all hot an' bothered with y'all lately. Ah thought with all yer fussiness and primpin' y'all didn't care 'bout anything but yerself. But ya went got yerself all messy just fer me back there and...well Ah now know ya know what's important when it boils down ta it."

"I...I'm sorry too Applejack. You're untidy, crude, and have no sense at all concerning your wardrobe, but you are most certainly not a bad role model if you can go out of your way for me after all the things I've said to you. And furthermore, it was wrong for me to pin my frustrations on you or our sisters." She held out a hoof. "Perhaps we could use this moment to get to know ourselves better and start over on a...clean slate, as they say?"

"Heh, Ah'd say we'd be dumb not to. Ya got yerself a deal Rares!" Applejack lifted her own hoof up...right before she spat into it and reached out.

Rarity of course jerked her own hoof back. "Oh! Gross! You know, there's messy and there's just plain rude."

Applejack scowled for a moment, but then she looked at her hoof and decided to wipe it off on her muddy coat. She then held the muddy, but spit-free hoof out. "Baby steps?"

Rarity looked to the messy hoof that, in her opinion, wasn't much improvement. But then she looked at her own hoof, which was pretty muddy regardless thanks to her efforts. And with that, she reached out to touch the tips with a tiny smirk on her face. "Baby steps."


Rarity giggled as her recollection came to a close. "We made quite a pair that night we made amends, we even managed to solve the whole mystery of the specter haunting the place. Turned out after the rains stopped and we went to tidy up the mess left behind, we found a makeshift nest of books in the upwards corner between two shelves where an owl had made its home. After we spread the word of our ghost's identity, just about every pony in town with an overdue book flocked to library to make returns. To our surprise, that owl was actually very clever, as he took the books in his talons and reshelved them in all the right places. Believe or not, I, Applejack, and the mayor got the library refurnished and reopened, with Owlington officially instated as our new librarian, that's who we're naming the owl by the way."

"Really? I would have gone with Owlowiscious," Twilight speculated.

"Oh, but enough about me," Rarity insisted. "I'm sure I've talked an ear or two off you ladies. Why don't you tell me a little about yourselves?"

That was an opportunity cue for Trixie if she ever heard one. "Well, the Great and Powerful Trixie is not one to brag but-"

"Really? I hear you do it every time I see you," Blossomforth interrupted.

The rest of Trixie's friends shared a short giggle at that, while Rarity took the moment to dip into her celery stew.

She almost spat it out. "Oh! Dear me, it seems this has gone cold whilst I was meandering small talk. A chilled flavor just doesn't do for this sort of dish."

"Oh, goodness me. Don't worry your pretty little head over it dearie," Sherbet assured. "I can have my chef bring out a hot fresh one just for you."

"Oh! Wait! I can help!" Spike saw a golden chance to rescue the distraught maiden fair. Taking the bowl into his claws, he lifted it up and gently breathed a simmering flame beneath it. He proudly presented the now steaming warm brew to his diner. "Your meal, milady."

Rarity took another sip with her spoon, and her smile widened. "Ooh, this is much better! You're such a good little boy, Spikey-wikey! Here." She pulled out a sparkling red tip for the little dragon, who held it in his claws like it was the most important thing in the world.

Rubies...my favorite!

Spike popped the gem into his mouth, and he could feel the richness of the gem's quality with each crunch. So sweet and pure~

Just like her...


"This is where I'm going to work?!"

Rarity's mouth hung open at the sight of the design studio Orange Sherbet had rented out for her. The room alone seemed to take up the entirety of the building's floor. Red and purple velvet lacing and curtains lined the walls and windows. Her fabrics and tools were already stocked and set up among the rows of shelves that stood like a supermarket aisle. There were ten different fitting rooms to the side, each marked with different hues of orange. A showcase display, complete with plexiglass casing, was placed at the front and could seemingly exhibit twenty samples at once. A sketch corner at the eastern end had not only a large table and headlight, but a blackboard, whiteboard, tackboard and vertical stands to hang papers from. The machines lined up under the low hanging light fixtures included not only several different kinds of sewing machines and a cloth press, but an automatic knitter, loom, steamer, decal maker and sequin machine, all professional business grade. And smack dab in the center was a marble stair and runway, complete with a full set of floor lights and music player.

"Do you not like it?" Sherbet asked. "I could always arrange for something if you want."

"No, I don't like it..." Rarity said as she took a few steps forward. She then whirled around with an ecstatic grin on her face. "I LOVE it!"

She bounced around giddily, squealing like a schoolfilly. "Ohh, this is marvelous! I have everything I need here to make...to make...EVERYTHING! I can't wait any longer, I have GOT to break in this atelier right now! Oh! That's it!" A swarm of tape measures and rulers flew up behind and above her, basked in her horn's glow. "Since you're all here, let's get started with your measurements!"

Blossomforth waved a front leg. "Ooh, ooh! I'm a dress size 10."

"No Blossomforth, this isn't like picking out a sweater at the mall," Honey explained. "These dresses are being made from scratch. What Rarity wants are our full body measurements, side-to-side, head-to-tail."

"Actually, it's shoulder to flank," Rarity corrected. "Let's start with you!"

With that, Honey was abruptly yanked onto the platform with a 'yipe!' as the measuring tape enveloped her every which way possible.

"Bust: 4.22 hooves. Waist: 3.93 hooves. Hips: 4.5 hooves. Length: 3.3 hooves shoulder to flank, 4.4 flank to ankle. Inseam: 3.2 hooves. My, Miss Daring, I guess all that adventuring you do in your novels really does do a figure good."

"Yeah, it couldn't possibly be the one hour workouts I do at the gym every Sunday," Honey said as she rolled her eyes. "No, it has to be my grand explorations and brilliant excavations in which I spend half the time sitting in a carriage or airship and another fourth reviewing my site notes and translating ancient text in my tent that are the key factor to my physical fitness."

The dressmaker seemed nonplussed at her client's response, to which she turned to the others for appropriate feedback. "Touchy subject?" she ventured.

"Very touchy," they chorused.

"I see. Well, do excuse me." She undid her tape gingerly and bade Honey to step down and make room. "Next please!"

Trixie obliged her as she repeated her process.

"Bust: 4.28 hooves. Waist: 4.25 hooves-"
"4.1."

Rarity blinked. "Excuse me?"

Trixie turned her head to meet Rarity from behind. "Trixie's waist is 4.1 hooves."

Rarity's mouth formed a knowing grin. "Now darling, your waistline is nothing to be ashamed of. It's just a number."

"And that number is 4.1 hooves," Trixie stated adamantly. "She did not gain weight since her last check up nine months ago!"

Rarity now donned the chiding motherly frown. "Now Trixie, do you want your dress to be form-fitting or suffocating? Trust me when I say I've fitted mares in far worse shape and they've turned out splendidly."

"And Trixie would like to reiterate a classic business credo: The customer is always right. 4.1 hooves!"

Rarity raised an eyebrow at her, then hid a knowing smirk as she secretly penned down the number 4.25. "Very well, 4.1 hooves it is. The customer is always right, as you say."

"And this customer is Trixie!" she proclaimed smugly as Rarity finished up the rest of her body. "So that makes her doubly right!"

"Don't two rights make a wrong?" Blossomforth asked.

"No Blossomforth, it's two wrongs don't make a right," Octavia corrected.

"Next up~" Rarity sang.

After Blossomforth's ticklish giggling, and Twilight's insistence to convert her measurements to metric units, there were six different stacks of measurements neatly filed onto the dressmaker's drawing table. "Next."

The mares looked to one another. "But, that's all of us," Blossomforth pointed out.

"Oh, I wouldn't say all of you have been fitted just yet." Rarity pulled the little dragon up and positioned him to lift his arms to the side.

"Huh? Me?" he asked.

"Oh. Well I didn't really commission you for Spike darling," Sherbet said. "Given his species, I was planning on having a tailor more accustomed to non-equine anatomies outfit his suit."

"Oh, nonsense darling," Rarity insisted as she marked Spike's height. "Perhaps this is the first dragon I've worked with, but a good designer never shies away from a chance to expand her area of expertise. And besides..." She playfully tousled the frills on his head. "It would rude to exclude a little charming crumpet such as this from fabulosity!"

Spike fidgeted his fingers as he could practically smell the clean fragrance of the mare this close up. "Well, ah...I do like being included more often..."

"Well, if you really want to, I suppose I should add a few more bits to the-"

"Ah-aup-aup-aup!" Rarity interjected with a raised hoof. "You already given me a far more generous payment, in advance I add, than I could ask for already. Consider this a gift for Spikey-wikey, on my time."

Spike grinned widely as she tickled his chin. Wow, some free duds just for me? Looks like the old Spike charm's really working it today!


"Ooo! Yes, right there! That's the sweet spot!" Rarity squealed in delight as the masseuse firmly kneaded her backside. As the filer came over and started on her horn, she rolled her head over to thank her gratuitous host. "Oh, Auntie, darling! How did you know this was just what I wanted after today's work?"

Sherbet looked up over her magazine from under the mane curler she was sitting in. "Well Rarity, darling, it's really quite simple. Everypony wants to relax after hours on the job. And what would any new mare in town want more to relax by than sampling the finest in refreshing your body this city has to offer? After all, it worked quite well for Blossomforth's darling friend Fluttershy last time."

"Oh, I know darling! She and I have dates for Aloe and Lotus' Sunday special every week!"
"I should have guessed you had a weekly regime back home darling, it certainly shows on your coat."
"Oh Auntie, you flatterer! But you're certainly no stranger to looking your best yourself. That necklace you wear is just darling!"
"You like it? Well darling, if you want, I can show you where I bought mine next time. Maybe we could find one that fits you."
"Ooo! Jewelry shopping! I daresay Auntie, darling, we are going to get along just fine, you and I."

"Ugh, if Trixie has to hear the word ‘darling’ one more time…"

Sherbet and Rarity looked to Trixie getting acupuncture treatment on table two stations to the left of them. "Just like if we have to hear the name 'Trixie' one more time...darling?" Rarity teased.

Trixie mulled over the fact as modestly as she could. "Point taken- aah!" she yelped a bit as a needle found its way into her flank, "In more ways than one."

An overhead ring-a-ling sounded as Sherbet pulled the hood over her head up. "That's the 15 minute warning bell for closing. We should be finishing up our session soon."

"But I haven't even gotten to the hydrotherapy pools yet," Rarity whined. Her pout however, was met with indifferent silence. "Oh fine," she relented as if she had made a difficult choice to compromise over a heartrending dilemma. She got up off the table, put the hoof gloss back on the shelf, and proceeded to follow Sherbet through the facilities towards the front.

Trixie freed the last stubborn pin from her shoulders and looked to the mud bathes Twilight and Octavia were wallowing in. "Coming, Sparkle?" she called.

Twilight lifted the cucumber off her seaweed mask. "Oh, we'll need a few more minutes to clean up once we get out. Go on ahead, we'll meet you outside."

Steam erupted from the sauna doors as Honey, Spike, and Blossomforth emerged fully robed and refreshed. "Whew! How hot do you think it was in there?" Blossomforth asked causally.

"Hot enough to make a dragon sweat!" Honey joked, ribbing Spike playfully.

"Yeah, that's the first time I've ever heard that one," Spike commented, his voice dripping with sarcasm. All dry humor left him though as he saw the ivory goddess that went by Rarity pass through to the spa's lobby. She had been beautiful before, but after her spa treatment, she was drop dead gorgeous! Her glossy coat shined pure radiance in even the dimmest of lights, her face was flawless, graced with the perfect smile of warm feeling that could melt the iciest of hearts, and her proud, sashaying gait maximized the voluptuous appeal of every curve of her body, just enough to display but not flaunt.

"Uh, Spike? Are you drooling?" Blossomforth's question snapped him out of it.

"Uh, well..." Spike's stomach took the opportunity to give a small growl. Whew! Saved by the gut! "It is almost dinnertime, you know...and I just couldn't help thinking about that nice big hunk of garnet I had stashed away back at the library."

"Aww...did I just hear that poor Spikey is hungry?" Rarity asked as she approached the conversation. "Growing boys do need their nutrients. Here, let me get you something to hold that tummy of yours." Her horn quickly fetched and paid for a fruit smoothie from the spa's health bar.

Spike eagerly sipped down on the tasty beverage, hearts blinding his vision. Another gracious gift from the most lovely unicorn in the world...that cinched it for his mindset, he just had to do something great for her! Something meaningful, something passionate, something that would make her think the world of him! But what?

As he pondered away onto the sidewalk, Honey and Blossomforth said their goodbyes and flew off. Trixie did the same, vanishing into a cloud of blue smoke as she sped off. Sherbet, meanwhile, hailed a taxi for her and Rarity to take back to the hotel.

"So, Rarity, how was your first day in Manehattan, to your liking I hope?"

"Oh Auntie, it was marvelous! I feel I could move here if I didn't already have my sights on Canterlot! Rest assured, I promise I will not disappoint you after such gratifying hospitality you've given me. By my horn, I swear I will have your dream dresses ready by the end of this week, and no later!"

"Six custom dresses by this weekend? That seems quite the deadline," Sherbet worried. "There's no need for that much express."

Rarity just laughed. "Oh, Auntie. You make it sound as if it's going to be hard."

"Well...would you at least like me to lend you an assistant or two?" Sherbet suggested. "It's easy to lose pacing working on something all by yourself."

"Well..." Rarity considered presumably. "I suppose given the novelty of my work environment, it may be useful to have someone else by my side to help me get into the flow-"

"I'll do it!"

Their heads turned to little purple dragon with his hand raised high and his eyes bright with eagerness. Realizing he had gotten their attention, he quickly pulled it down to clear his throat and play it as cool as possible. "That is, I already have years of experience being a number one assistant, and I really don't have anything more important to do around then. So I'd be glad to lend my services to you, Rarity."

"Truly? Oh Spikey-wikey, you truly are such a gentlecol- uh, gentledragon. You don't know how much this means to me." She leaned down to give him a quick peak on the forehead. "Drop by this Saturday, I'll be sure to have everything ready to go by then. Ta ta~"

Spike simply stood still as a statue as Rarity boarded her carriage and rode off with Sherbet. He then stiffly fell over, his face all goofy and flushed. "I am never washing this forehead again..."

I've got a date! With that beautiful, beautiful Rarity! Just me and her together in her studio! This Saturday can't come soon enough! Hang on, why does that day sound familiar? Was I going to do something that day?

Twilight then stepped outside with Octavia. The first she did was notice Spike's lovelorn expression sprawled out all over the pavement in front of her. "Okay...I think Spike's reached his activity limit for today. I better get him home."

Octavia smiled. "He is after all, still a baby dragon," she mirrored Twilight's thoughts as she propped him up back on his two feet. "Have a good night Spike," she whispered. "I'm sure Saturday's rehearsal won't be nearly as draining on you."

Lovely images of a pristine white unicorn slowly transformed into equally graceful pictures of refined and warm gray earth pony.
Oh yeah...that's right. I'm going to Octavia's apartment Saturday for an engagement with her and her sweet music. Just me and her on...SATURDAY!?!

His eyes popped wide open as he watched Octavia trot away into the darkness of the evening's twilight, his brain finally connecting the dots.

Oh no! I'm meeting Octavia for a private concert date this Saturday, but now I'm also meeting Rarity for a dress design date this Saturday too! I...I've just made two dates for the same day! Which means...which means-!

If the little dragon had hair, he would have pulled it out by now as his claws dug deep into his scalp.

"SWEET CELESTIA, WHAT HAVE I DONE?!"