Chapter 6
Why was there so much noise this early in the morning? Rarity was struggling to stay asleep, despite the insistence of something banging, over and over again. Couldn’t what ever it was just stop for another....hour? Or three?
Giving up entirely Rarity groggily got out of bed and headed downstairs, glowering the whole time. If this was another of Sweetie Belle’s attempts at ‘helping’ she was going to......
Well this was...new. The scene in the boutique was rather odd. For starters, there was evidence of some kind of scuffle. Here and there a fallen clothes horse, a bolt of torn fabric. It wasn’t exactly wrecked but it certainly wasn’t in the state she’d left it in. And to top it off it seemed the culprits were still here.
In the doorway a white unicorn was frantically holding the door shut while a wild eyed dark blue pegasus was pounding away at the locked door. It would have been comical if it wasn’t her boutique which was being abused.
“Stop this silliness, RIGHT, NOW.” Both mares in door stopped and looked up sheepishly.
“Yes sister, stop the silliness.” The white one was now grinning impishly at the one outside. “I did get here first after all.” So much raspberry blowing. These uncouth heathens were certainly not like Rarity’s usual customers.
“Look, I don’t care what’s going on here, but I think it’s about time for you both to leave.”
Both mares in the windows withered slightly under the ivory mare’s glare. The dark pegasus on the outside didn’t need any further hints before she was escaping the crazed fashionista faster than a Wonderbolt. The white one however was left scrambling with the locks she had done up at some point in the fight, her clouded sun cutie mark comically waving in the air in her attempts to flee the prison of her own making.
Despite the situation Rarity’s curiosity was starting to gnaw at her. “What exactly were you doing here anyway?” It was rather unusual for ponies to cause such a ruckus in ponyville. The white mare stopped scratching at the locks, as if just remembering something important.
“Ah yes, well you see, me and my sister are going to an...event.” She was composing herself, putting her pale pink mane back into place. “Yes, we’re attending an event in Canterlot and we decided that we needed new outfits.”
Rarity nodded, that made sense. If they needed new outfits then that was why they had come to a clothiers. “Erm, but if you both needed outfits then why were you fighting in my shop?”
The other mare looked at the floor, “Ah yes, you see we’d put on a bet, that that whoever managed to hook a......erm, whoever looked the best, yes whoever snagged the best outfit would win. Since the event required looking my very best anyway I knew exactly which pony to come to.”
This boosted Rarity's ego no small bit. If ponies were fighting over her services then she must really be getting popular. Well, designing royal wedding dresses would do that. Worrying over some unknown pony was silly of her after all.
“Why of course miss....?”
“Ah yes...I’m....Sunbeam!” Rarity noticed that the question seemed to have caught the mare on the wrong hoof. Who needed to think about their name? Not a problem, Rarity had dealt with stranger customers. Besides, she needed a new project to take her mind off things. Advertising at a big Canterlot event would be just what she needed to stay on top too.
“Ok then Sunbeam. Just come over here and we’ll measure you up.” The fashion unicorn gestured for the pink haired one to come over to a stand to be measured. Taking a measuring tape to all the major areas was a quick and easy task.
“Ah, miss Rarity?” Sunbeam seemed to suddenly remember something, “Could you, add a few inches to each of those? Oh, and the dress needs to be suitable for a pegasus.”
“Stranger and stranger..." Something about this pony seemed more than a little off, yet somehow familiar. "....Have we met miss Sunbeam?”
“No! Um, no we haven’t. Maybe you’ve just seen me around some Canterlot events. Were you at the Gala?”
Rarity's face darkened at the mention of that frightful night "Don't get me started." she growled tightly.
She became so lost in daydreams of throwing Blueblood off of Canterlot Castle that the designer missed the look of abject relief which flooded over the face of her guest.
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The shop was filled with the familiar tinkle of the door bell. Links waited a second, but since it only rang once it seemed ok to venture out. Pinkie Pie couldn’t resist playing with it each time she came in. Checking his collar he turned to step into the shop proper. Opps, almost forgot to check his cuffs.
“Is anypony there?” Ah yes, who’s walked into the shop this fine morning with such a soft lilting voice? Stepping proudly around the screen Cuff Links took in the customer before him. She was a deep blue pegasus mare, with a...shiny mane? Was that a full moon cutie mark? And why was she looking at him oddly. Almost like there was...a...spark. If he didn’t know any better, that was the spark of madness, not too dissimilar to the one Pinkie had at all hours.
No, more like a hunter which has unexpectedly walked in on the perfect prey, disturbingly close to the one Rainbow Dash had at the party the other night. He really would have to find a way to make it up to Big Macintosh. Seems she's only gotten stronger over the years.
“Right....We have an order to place. You will be well compensated. It must be the best thing you have ever created, and it must be able to outshine anything made by any other.”
Yeup, that was definitely a wild gleam, and a wild order to boot.
“My name is Moonshine, and I will be attending a high class Canterlot event in the near future. These are the measurements you will need.” She hoofed him a sheet of paper. “I will also need you to attend, so here is a spare ticket.”
Whoh there, what kind of event was it where the designer attended? Was this some roundabout way of getting him on a date? Links took a look at the paper. Those were large measurements, bigger than a normal mare. The ticket was for the Canterlot Garden party, the second most exclusive event in Equestria, next to the Gala. He’d even heard both royal sisters were attending this year. It would be a big boon if he could have his work on display there, perhaps even bigger if he was there himself to promote.
“Then you’ll come?” Bringing himself back to reality he looked up from the ticket into the wide blue eyes of his customer only inches from his own.
When had she gotten so close!? Was she related to The Pink!? He had learnt over the last day or so to become really worried when he saw the kind of overly happy look Moonshine was wearing. It spoke of headaches in his immediate future.
“Excellent! If you’ll come, then I’ve won already!” This had sent the little blue mare dancing with joy, frolicking around the shop with abandon.
Why oh why did Links get the feeling that whether she won or not, he was going to lose?