A Day's Work and Cutie Mark Crusading
"Woooohooooo!" Cotton cheered when Sweetie Belle finished sewing the trademark Cutie Mark Crusader patch to his cape. She had come up with the idea after he refused to remove the cape that Linen had made for him years ago.
"Another Cutie Mark Crusader!" Scootaloo announced.
All of them took a deep breath and screamed, "YAAAY!"
Cotton smiled from ear to ear. He was so ecstatic to be a part of a group to help get his Cutie Mark that he almost shot sparks from his horn.
"Okay, Crusaders!" Applebloom pointed toward the clubhouse door. "Next stop, Ponyville Town Hall!"
All seven ponies scrambled to rush out, and hopped in the Crusaders' newest and bigger wagon. With the exception of the oldest Crusader Apple Sprout, who hooked up to the front with a rope tied to the handle. "Y'all ready back there?"
"Yep!"
"Go ahead!"
"Ah'm ready!"
"Let's get going already!"
Apple Sprout reared back and took off. She pushed her hooves as far as they would go. She ran so fast they were all soon going faster than when Scootaloo would pull them around on her scooter.
They flew past the Carousel Boutique, where inside two ponies were working effortlessly on new dresses. Rarity had instructed Linen to touch up and finish a few of her works in progress while she set out to begin a new order she had received the day before. Both were working diligently, which left little conversation between them, no matter how much they were longing to converse.
To Rarity it was obvious that Linen shared her work ethic and didn't like to waste time. He was also a fast learner. It only took him several minutes to understand how she ran things and he only had to ask two questions. She had observed him from her sewing machine and saw that his tastes were the perfect compliments to hers. He was working on several dresses at once, further adding to her admiration.
Linen was enjoying being able to work in peace. By his calculations, his work productivity had increased by four hundred percent with no drop in quality as compared to working in Trottingham, where the noise from his siblings and the constant breathing from his father down his neck would drive him insane at least twice a day. He was very pleased to work alongside Rarity as well. It added to his elation knowing that he was working in the presence of his biggest inspiration for fashion. He added another emerald to the red dress in the circle he was working on. He then turned to the blue one and added some white lace near the neck and leg areas. The green dress needed a splash of fade near the bottom. With a final spell, Linen added a thin gold thread to act as a brightener around the flank of each dress.
"Voila! Finished!" he announced, then to show off for Rarity, added, "Perfection in its finest moment!!"
Rarity looked up in total disbelief. "Really? But you've only just started!"
"Time is no object, you'll find, when I am held to a task", Linen explained.
"I am very impressed, Linen." Rarity inspected each of the dresses. "They are simply stunning! Our client will be very pleased with them!"
"I agree. These are a perfect paradigm of beauty." Linen adjusted his glasses happily.
Rarity used her magic to remove them from the ponikins. "I'll have these shipped off right away!" She raced around to find her delivery boxes. "Linen, I'll be a few minutes. Could you look after the Boutique for me? I won't be long."
"You can entrust me with the task."
Rarity levitated the three boxes out of the shop and left Linen alone. He looked around for something to do. He spotted the material closet Rarity had shown him. "Would Rarity mind if I started on a small project without her consent?" All thoughts of making a dress were only barely orbiting his cerebrum. He did NOT want to risk having Rarity walk in on him while he was in the middle of creating the dress's base. A raincoat, however, was less objectionable. He walked into the closet and randomly levitated out three open bins of fabric.
"Hmm…I do not have any vinyl treated fabrics", Linen said to himself while taking another quick look, "And I do not want to expend an excess amount of time in search for it, so it appears I will be improvising."
From the bins he levitated four different colored fabrics. He knew he wanted the coat to be casual, so he chose a dull gray to start off the color palette. He wrapped the long roll of fabric out and cut enough to cover his body. Before placing it around himself, the unicorn focused on a spell he taught himself. In ten seconds he had charged the spell and enchanted the fabric with a Waterproof Charm. The fabric wrapped around him as he grabbed a nearby pair of scissors. Linen shaped the coat with two front leg holes, deciding against making two for the rear legs to stay away from common design. He hummed a song to himself as he sewed and snipped.
Linen kept up the work until he had finished with the base design. He looked at his work and couldn't help but laugh. "Hoohoo! It appears I should be more attentive when selecting a color!" The fabric he had chosen was the exact same color as his coat. If anypony were to look, they wouldn't know he was wearing the first stage of a raincoat. The humor didn't last long; he wanted to get on with his new project. Now with the raincoat levitated in front of him, he spun it, debating what he should do with the plain coat. One choice was obvious.
"A hood is an unquestionable addition." His gaze shifted among the remaining fabrics. He first levitated the vibrant red up to the gray coat. It complimented well, but he still had two other options. The purple presented a mysterious aura, but blended too evenly with the grey. The Alice blue fabric was a very pleasing compliment, but for the unicorn, presented too much contradiction to be used as a hood. He settled with the red, and in only two minutes, had fashioned it into a double layer waterproof hood. He attached it with a sewing technique his mother taught him to hide the thread.
"Now I am presented with the—"
The bell to the boutique rang as somepony walked in. He turned to see a green stallion wearing a bandana around his neck and a hat behind his neck. He stopped after seeing that Rarity wasn't in the shop. Instead, a strange gray unicorn was standing in her usual place.
"…May I help you?" Linen set the coat down on the nearest table. "I am Linen Fiber. Rarity has stepped out for the moment and has left the Carousel Boutique in my able hooves. He trotted up to the larger colt, somewhat hesitant.
"Um…Ah'm lookin' to get two bandanas made fer mah sisters", Thorn Hopper said.
"Marvelous! What are the specifications for your order?"
Thorny blinked, "Uh…what?"
"How would you like them made?"
"Oh, whah didn' y'all say so? Ah don' really care what colors as long as one has a little pink an' the other one's got a little red somewhere on'em."
I possess near-absolute creative power! he cheered excitedly in his head. "What colors would your siblings' coats be?"
"One's laht blue an' the other is dark blue."
"Do you have a specific deadline for which they are to be complete?"
Thorny nodded. "They hafta be done by this Saturday."
"Excellent!" Linen was overjoyed to finally have his own, personal client, no matter if the order was just a couple of bandanas. "Rest assured, Mr.…erm…"
"Thorn Hopper."
"Rest assured I'll have your order finished no later than nine o' clock Saturday morning."
"When do Ah pay?" the Earth Pony asked.
"Since you have permitted me nearly complete freedom with your order, you are not required to pay until you receive your order." Linen almost forgot something. He hurriedly asked, "What is your preferred budget?"
"Ah'm lookin' at about forty t' seventy-fahv bits", he replied.
Linen nodded. He wouldn't be able to be largely creative, and judging from Thorn Hopper, ostentatious bandanas probably wouldn't be very appealing to the farm pony. In the end, it would work out in everypony's favor. "Well, I will work diligently to complete the bandanas for your sisters."
"Thank ya, Linen", Thorny extended his hoof.
Linen shook it, surprised at how strong Thorny's grip was. "I'll see you Saturday, Thorn Hopper."
"Naw, jus' call m' Thorny!"
"Thorny, then."
Linen turned his attention back to the raincoat as Thorny left. Now that it had a red hood, Linen wanted to give it more color with the two fabrics he had left. The blue and purple would make great contributions to it, yet, he couldn't figure out exactly how that was going to happen. He decided to brainstorm. "This blue should be used as a detailing agent. The violet should be used over a vast space or for a trim…" Now that he knew what to use them for, he had to figure out where to place them. That posed a problem because he didn't know what kind of pony he wanted to design it for. "Maybe I should give this more time to develop more ideas…"
L
"Thank you, Derpy. I can't believe I almost missed the Canterlot deliveries", Rarity said to the gray Pegasus.
"No problem, Rarity!" Derpy saluted before turning and taking off into the sky, barely missing a flock of geese migrating south.
Rarity left the post office for the Boutique, eager to see how Linen had handled things in her absence. She couldn't get the colt out of her mind all morning. He was just so interesting. Everything he did was spectacular! She had been trying for days to finish that order, and he had finished it in only fifteen minutes! It was as if he was the missing puzzle piece in the Boutique. And the designs he created were very unique.
"I wonder if Linen would design a dress for me for the upcoming Ponyville Ballroom Blitz…" A thought crossed her mind about inviting him to the annual dance. Then a sour thought crossed her mind. Suppose somepony sees us…She shook her head. There is nothing wrong with him! What does it matter that he is educated in mathematics and can speak in several languages? That makes him all the more fascinating.
Rarity kept walking until the Boutique came into view. Her trot quickened with her rising eagerness. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't hear the crash echo from down the street.
L
"Sorry Mayor Mare", Sweetie Belle apologized as the rest of the Crusaders picked themselves up from the hardwood floor. "We didn't mean to knock all of your filing cabinets over."
"Yeah", Scootaloo seconded.
"We'll help clean up."
The Mayor of Ponyville quickly shook her head. "That's okay, girls, I can get it cleaned up by myself."
"Are you sure", asked little Sprinkle, the Crusaders' youngest member.
"Yes", she assured, "It's no trouble for me. To be honest there isn't much difference between now and campaign season."
"If y'all say so", said Apple Sprout's little sister June Berry.
"Come on!" Cotton shouted. "We have a lot more places to go!"
Forgetting all about their fail attempt at Cutie Mark Secretaries, the seven rushed back out, completely unsure of where they were going next. They all piled into the wagon, and waited for Apple Sprout to get hitched up again.
"At least we didn't get covered in tree sap this time", Scootaloo sighed optimistically.
"Where to now, y'all", Apple Sprout called.
"I know where!"
"Where, Sprinkle?" Sweetie Belle turned to the Pegasus.
"Cloud told me there was a hang gliding place somewhere in North Ponyville!"
It was immediately settled. At once, they all screamed to the sky, "Cutie Mark Hang Gliders! YAAAY!"
In a flash they were heading into the cool, south blowing winds. Avoiding all safety precautions, Cotton stood up and leaned forward into the breeze. "Captain Threads flying in for duty!"
"Hey, Captain, sit down before you fall!" Scootaloo tugged at his cape.
"No can do, Scootaloo!" Cotton leaned even further, ignoring the filly's pull.
"You're gonna fall!"
"Maybe you should listen, Cotton!" Sweetie Belle grabbed his cape and pulled with Scootaloo.
Cotton pulled back with all his might, but their combined effort pulled him back down. He fell backwards and landed next to Scootaloo. He giggled, "That was fun! We have to play tug-o-war. You will be a formidable foe indeed!"
Scoots smiled, "You won't have a chance! Rainbow Dash taught me out to use my wings to make my hooves stronger!"
The wagon hit a hole and nearly threw the Crusaders into the air. They all grabbed the sides and held on for dear life.
"Careful, Sis!" June shouted. "We want t' get there in one piece!"
Apple Sprout slowed down a little, but kept her pace brisk. "Sorry!"
The Crusaders remained silent as they climbed one of the many hills in Ponyville. The autumn breeze was blowing cool air over them. All of the Crusaders were content with the beautiful day. It almost lulled Sprinkle to sleep. Cotton leaned backwards and rested his back against the wagon. He leaned his head back and looked up at the clouds. Sunshine filtered in from behind the few clouds. Scootaloo noticed him relaxing and moved to take the spot beside him as Sprinkle relayed directions to their Earth Pony engine.
"I really wanna fly up there…" Cotton said after a few seconds.
"Me too. Rainbow Dash is teaching me how, and I'm getting better every day", Scootaloo replied.
"At least you'll get to. I'm a unicorn…"
"What's wrong with that?" Sweetie Belle asked, turning to face the rear of the wagon.
"I can only use magic", sighed Cotton.
"Hey, that's cool!" Scootaloo sat back up. "I know unicorns that can teleport, and do all kinds of cool stuff!
"Except fly…"
"Being a unicorn isn't a bad thing."
"I know Sweetie Belle, I just really want to fly that's all."
Sprinkle turned around to add to the conversation. "Would you be okay with gliding?"
"Huh?"
A pony strapped to a hang glider flew just over their wagon and rose back up. In the sky, tens if not a hundred ponies were gliding around in different colored hang gliders. Sprinkle hopped out of the wagon. "Let's go, Crusaders!"
L
When Rarity walked in the Boutique Linen had just finished writing down Thorny's order. He didn't hear her come in, and was surprised to see her standing almost right behind her when he turned around. They were face to face, with only inches separating the two. Red blushes replaced their natural colors at the sudden realization of the lack of space. It took Linen two seconds to realize that he was getting the privilege to stare into Rarity's cobalt eyes. His breathing slowed in fascination.
"Such beauty", he breathed.
Rarity's eyes widened. He didn't even try to hold that in! Her sense of reason disappeared, and she was next in finding she couldn't pry her eyes away from the gray stallion. His dark cerulean eyes shown through his glasses. A hundred different feelings rushed through her body. No matter how good she felt about looking, she had to force herself to look away. Anything but his gorgeous eyes would be enough to make her blush go away.
Linen's disappoint arrived with the departure of his blush. Luna, she's so beautiful! What would cause her to look away? Embarrassment? Perhaps my glasses deterred her…
Rarity struggled to find something to say, but every time she looked back her eyes automatically went to his. So instead of looking at him, she turned and walked back to the order she was working on earlier.
Linen followed her. He didn't want to let the situation become any more unstable. "Would you like some assistance?"
Rarity hesitated. She wasn't one to be rude, but she was still fighting the urge to look back into his eyes. "I suppose. I will continue on with the fabrics, and you can retrieve the gem chests."
Linen frowned. A simple delivery task. He sighed disappointedly. The room that held Rarity's precious stones was locked by a special spell that Rarity taught Linen how to disarm. He lowered the magic field and brought out four chests, each containing its own share of earth gems. He set them all down in front of the working mare.
"Thank you, Linen", Rarity simply called without turning her head back.
Her avoidance was a concern for him. He wanted to be her center of attention again, so he gazed around for some way to impress her. He didn't have to look for long; the gates of opportunity opened for him.
"Oh! My supply of rubies is nearly depleted", Rarity said to herself, "I'll need to find the time for a gem hunt soon."
Linen seized the chance by the throat. Immediately, he said, "There will not be a need for that."
"What do you mean?"
He trotted to the ruby chest and focused on another special spell he had taught himself. "Observe." In a flash of light from his horn, the few rubies in the chest multiplied to fill it to the brim.
"Amazing!" Rarity exclaimed, "Duplication Spells are by far among the most difficult to master!"
Linen smiled proudly. "Not so much anymore. That particular spell was created by me as a means for practicing simpler magic. It is merely a small Halfing Spell, just on a larger scale."
"Linen, you have no idea the time that it could save me!" Rarity's face became flustered with excitement, "Is there any possibility I can learn it?"
Linen smiled as he began to instruct her on the principle of the spell. He was no fool. There was definitely a connection he wanted to establish between them. It was obvious to him. He knew that from the very beginning. He also knew that he had taken the first few steps to capture her heart.