//------------------------------// // Recruiting Rarity // Story: Dresses for a Princess // by twilightsparkle3562 //------------------------------// Chapter 2 “Recruiting Rarity” Early the next morning, Spike left the castle and walked over to Carousel Boutique in order to get Rarity to help Twilight fill in the void that she had lost. As he walked, Spike could only think of his friend and how she was dealing with this loss. At the same time, however, Spike was also beginning to think of how the library’s loss affected him too. Like Twilight, he too lost everything he had owned: his bed basket, his comic books and most importantly, the pictures of his pet phoenix, Pee Wee, whom he returned to his parents. However, his main concern was of course, Twilight and his own concern was secondary. Soon, he came across the large foundation where the Golden Oak Library once stood, now empty and lonely. He knew that while the library was now a chandelier, the memories in the place that he and Twilight called home would continue to prosper in their minds. Just then, he suddenly saw something lying in the ground. “What is that?” he thought as he crawled down to pick up the object, which was revealed to be a dirtied pink bow that was not charred by fire. Looking at it closely, Spike carefully examined the bow and realized exactly what it was. “Incredible!” he whispered. “This is from Twilight’s best mare dress. I’d better get this over to Rarity and fast, just to be sure if it really is.” So Spike ran as fast as he little legs would let him and soon he came up to the door of Carousel Boutique. Ringing the doorbell before fainting from exhaustion, the door was soon opened by a white unicorn with a long, neat purple mane. “Yes, what can I do for…?” the unicorn started to say, but then looked down at the site of the purple baby dragon, causing her to gasp. “Spikey Wikey! What happened to you?” Hastily bringing him inside, Rarity brought Spike into her kitchen where she immediately gave him a glass of water, throwing it onto his face and causing him to wake up with a start. “What happened?” gasped Spike, trying to make sense of where he is. “How did I end up in here?” “You fainted at my door,” replied Rarity, refilling the glass of water for Spike. “Drink this, you need to conserve your energy.” As he drank, Spike suddenly began to feel flush in love for what he called the most beautiful creature in Equestria. Once he finished drinking, Spike then pulled out the dirtied pink bow and held it out for Rarity to see. “What is that, Spike?” she gasped, racing over to the bow and picking it up with her magic. “Where did you get this bow?” “I found it on the way over here, Rarity,” replied Spike, stroking his tail as Rarity examined the bow. “Twilight’s been feeling upset about losing her personal possessions when Tirek destroyed the library. She was up half the night thinking about it.” “But, I thought she was happy with what we did with the library,” said Rarity, continuing to examine the bow “You saw the happy tears that flowed from her eyes.” “I know, we all did,” remarked Spike when he suddenly heard a gasp from Rarity. The white unicorn stared down at the bow, before looking back towards Spike with a shocked expression on her face. “So, do you know what the bow came from?” Rarity stayed silent for a moment as the sight of dirtied bow sent chills down her spine. Spike was starting to grow uncomfortable with this, but it didn’t last long and Rarity was soon back to her old self, letting out a deep sigh. “I know what this bow is, Spike,” she said, sadly. “This is from Twilight’s best mare dress that she wore at her brother’s wedding. Remember we made this for Twilight as an apology for not believing her about the Changeling Queen?” “We did, didn’t we?” remarked Spike. “It was all that I could find from the library site, Rarity. Twilight says that the dresses that you made for her held so many memories.” “And she’s right,” said Rarity. “I always told her that I could always make her new dresses. She will need a new wardrobe after all, giving all the royal duties she will have to take part in as the Princess of Friendship.” As she spoke, Rarity began to get more and more excited over this, but Spike had to set the record straight with Rarity. He had to tell her that Twilight longed for a piece of her old life back and Spike was going to do everything in his power to accomplish that. “That’s not the reason I am here, Rarity,” he said, ending Rarity’s excitement. “Twilight told me that she would like you to remake all her dresses that she wore as a unicorn.” This caused Rarity to suddenly stop being excited and instead let out a loud gasp of shock. “But, Spike,” said Rarity, her eyes wide open. “Twilight’s an alicorn now and if I remake her dresses, they won’t fit her anymore. Of course, I could make holes in them for her wings, but still, it’s better for her to move on. Clothing can’t last forever.” “Twilight knows that she can’t wear them,” remarked Spike, taking another sip of his water. “But you need to know that the times that she wore those outfits were some of the most important in her life, like the last time we went to the Grand Galloping Gala. Twilight loves the chandelier, but those dresses you made held close to her heart, like the books that Celestia would always send her. How would you feel if something you cherished was destroyed before your eyes?” This caused Rarity’s stomach to slightly cringe. Sure she had seen many outfits destroyed in her life, but she could feel the pain that her friend was going through. After all, what Tirek did in addition to his rampage was commit a crime against fashion by destroying Twilight’s clothes. “It would mean a lot to Twilight,” continued Spike, getting down from the table. “If you do it, then she’ll be getting a piece of her old life back because of you. Will you do it for her and me, Rarity?” Rarity thought about for a moment and then began to think of what she did to help Twilight adjust to her new castle. She knew that while Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie each decorated a room in their honor, Rarity knew that she had still yet to do something for Twilight. Even though she decorated the dining room, it wasn’t enough. This was something that needed to be done and it was Spike that was going to make sure that it was carried out one way or another. “Oh, I might as well, Spikey Poo,” she said, placing her hooves on her cheeks. “I’ve never said no to you and Twilight before and I won’t start now. You are important to me, just like all the other girls.” Spike smiled excitedly knowing that the pony he had a crush on was going to help his friend in her time of need. So, Rarity walked into her work room and began to gather the necessary fabrics that she used to make Twilight’s dresses. But just before Spike left, Rarity suddenly sat back on her bed and had a look of worry on her face. “Rarity, what’s wrong?” asked Spike, worriedly. “It’s just that I was wondering if maybe Fluttershy could give me a hoof here," replied Rarity, who was starting to feel the pressure that comes with large orders. . Can you see if she can help me out?” “I’ll see what I can do, Rarity,” replied Spike, kindly and headed over to Fluttershy’s cottage to ask her for help. “As far as I know, she can sew just as good as you.” Spike knew that this was a step in the right direction. Getting a piece of Twilight’s life back was much more important than anything else and he would stop at nothing to make sure that Twilight continued to be given the support she needed to adjust to her castle.