//------------------------------// // Chapter 21: The Stallions and The Seamstress // Story: My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Stallion Edition // by SuperPinkBrony12 //------------------------------// At Carousel Boutique, Rarity was just putting the finishing touches on a vest of her own design. The suit in question was being made for her boss, Fancy Pants, in preparation for the upcoming Grand Galloping Gala. He had originally planned to design the vest himself, but Rarity had insisted on doing it as a way to thank Fancy Pants, for looking after her sister Sweetie Belle and her friends a few weeks back. Fancy Pants tried not to be too demanding, even though Rarity told him he was perfectly entitled to demand whatever he wanted. Ever since he and Rarity had opened Carousel Boutique, Rarity and her sister had practically become part of his family. In a sense Rarity was almost like the daughter Fancy Pants never had. He never told anyone about this, for personal reasons. "There we go, a fine piece of work if I do say so myself." Rarity said happily "So Fancy Pants, what do you think?" "It's nice. You've really outdone yourself Miss Rarity." Fancy Pants commented "I must say, this vest is probably one of the finest creations you've ever whipped up." "Oh you're just saying that." Rarity replied "The suit is nice. But I'm sure it's not that nice." "I really mean it." Fancy Pants stated "Everything about it just screams perfection. The colors are bright but not too bright. The fabric feels soft to the touch. The stiches are well hidden to the point where you can barely see them. The jewelery provides the perfect amount of elegance and grace. And the matching tie compliments the vest to a t. You've truly outdone yourself." "Well I'm glad you think so." Rarity said with a smile "Customer satisfaction is something I truly pride myself on. Once again, I must thank you for letting me take on this opportunity. I don't know where I'd be today if I hadn't met you." "I'm sure you'd do just fine on your own." Fancy Pants said honestly "You really just needed help getting your hooves off the ground. Just look at how far you've come in such a short span of time. You're practially an expert at dress making, and you're well on your way to learning how to manage the store. Dare I say, you could manage without me. Perhaps I ought to test that theory sometime." "I'm honored that you think so highly of me, but I'm not sure if I'd be ready to take on such a big responsibility just yet." Rarity replied "Maybe after The Grand Galloping Gala has come and gone I'll feel ready." "If that's how you feel then I won't burden you with managing the store until then." Fancy Pants stated "But if you ever change your mind, just let me know." At that moment, the door to Rarity's bedroom/workshop opened, and the bell attached to alert Rarity to a new customer rang out. "I wonder who that could be?" Rarity asked. "Your guess is as good as mine." Fancy Pants replied "I wasn't expecting any customers to stop by today." "Oh, hello Rarity. Haven't seen you in a while." Shining Armor greeted "Big Macintosh and I were just passing by, and thought we'd stop to chat with Fancy Pants for a bit." "Sorry if we interrupted your work." Big Macintosh said, noticing the vestt on a nearby ponyquin, and the outline for a potential dress tacked to a wall. "Interrupting? Oh, don't be silly. I always have time for you. Any friend of Fancy Pants is a friend of mine." Rarity explained "Besides, I've just finished stiching together Fancy Pants' vest. I haven't time to get started on any new projects, yet." "Oh, then we'll just leave." Shinng Armor said politely "I'm sure you don't get many opportunities like this, and we'd hate to cut into your personal time." "Nonsense, I always have time for friends." Rarity smiled "What can I do for you?" "Well, since you asked" Shining Armor said, and pulled out an old vest "could you fix this button for me? I was going to see if Twilight had any books on the subject, but I figured this was something best left to an expert like you." Rarity very nearly cringed at the sight of the worn out old vest "What you do need this for?" she asked. "Well, it's going to my outfit for The Grand Galloping Gala." Shining Armor explained "Despite being Captain of The Royal Guard I don't have access to formal attire, and I'd look pretty silly wearing my captain's uniform. This is the nicest outfit that still fits me, especially since a new vest would cost a month's worth of pay." "But you can't possibly wear this old 'thing' to The Gala." Fancy Pants stated "You'd stick out like a chocolate bar at a swimming pool." "What you need is a brand new suit." Rarity continued "And I shall gladly take on the task of designing one for you free of charge." "Oh, you don't have to do that Rarity." Shining Armor suggested "I guess my captain's uninform wouldn't be that bad to wear. Besides, I'm not really comfortable accepting favors that I didn't ask for." "It's no trouble, really." Rarity assured Shining Armor. "Miss Rarity's outfits are extremly high quality. Rivaled only by the likes of Canterlot fashions." Fancy Pants added. "And it shouldn't take me long to have it ready." Rarity smiled. "Well, if there's really no way to talk you out it, then I guess you've got yourself a deal." Shining Armor stated "And perhaps, you could make something for my sister since she'll be going to The Gala too." "I'll see what I can do." Rarity said honestly, then she turned to Big Macintosh "I know you're a stallion of simple tastes, so I'm going to assume you don't want me to design something for you to wear to The Gala, right?" "Eeyup." Big Macintosh replied "In fact, Applejack and I were just planning on sprucing ourselves up a bit. Knowing my sister, she'll probably end up wearing her old work duds." "As 'interesting' as that might sound I'm afraid The Grand Galloping Gala is an event that all but DEMANDS formal attire." Rarity explained "So, unless you have something that can fit the bill, I'm afraid you'll only attract laughs, and not customers, to your stand." "I really don't have much use for fancy stuff." Big Macintosh stated "But maybe you could use my sister's work duds as a base to design something that's a bit more fancy, but still fairly simple." "That shouldn't be too hard." Fancy Pants said. "I love a challenge." Rarity said with a smile "I accept. That's two vests, and two dresses, plus my one." "Incoming!" a familiar voice called. "Sounds like he's right on top of us." Shining Armor stated. "Eeyup." Big Macintosh replied "And he should be in coming in for a landing in 3, 2, 1." Sure enough, Soarin came crashing through the roof of Carousel Boutique, and didn't stop until he colided with the ponyquins. He was a bit dazed, but unharmed. "Ah Soarin, how nice of you to drop in." Fancy Pants said, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Are you okay Soarin?" Shining Armor asked "That was some fall you took." "I'm fine." Soarin said, rising to his hooves "Sorry about the mess. I've been working on my tricks in preparation for The Grand Galloping Gala. Guess I still need more practice." "I'll say." Big Macintosh chuckled. "Well, I was planning on stopping by here anyway." Soarin stated. "Oh really? And what would a stallion like you be doing in a place like this?" Big Macintosh asked. "Spitfire says I need a new vest for The Grand Galloping Gala." Soarin explained "I figured this place was probably my best bet." "Couldn't you just wear your flight suit?" Big Macintosh asked. "I asked Spitfire the exact same question." Soarin said with a sigh "And she said no." "If it's a vest you need I'm sure I can design one for you Soarin." Rarity smiled "In fact, I think I'll make vests for Thunderlane and Braeburn as well. And if they agree, dresses for Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie." "That's a big order to fill Rarity." Shining Armor commented "Are you sure you're up for it?" "I'm positive." Rarity said with a smile "And once I'm done, perhaps we could put on a fashion show." "That would be lovely!" Fancy Pants said happily "And we could drum up a lot of business for Carousel Boutique." "Well, so long as everyone agrees I'm all for it." Shining Armor stated. "Good, a fashion show it shall be." Rarity said, grinning from ear to ear as she set to work. "So, let me see if I've got this straight." Big Macintosh said "You've got to create five different vests and five different dresses, as well as a dress for yourself?" "Indeed." Rarity replied. "That's a total of 11 different orders to work on!" Big Macintosh exclaimed. Rarity smiply chuckled "Oh Big Macintosh, you make it sound as if it's going to be hard." Sure enough, Rarity had each of the vests completed in no time at all. Needless to say, everyone was surprised. Especially because, when they arrived, Opal seemed to be quite chipper. The usually grouchy cat was lovingly brushing up against the suits. Even Thunderlane couldn't recall a time where he'd seen Opal THAT happy. "Like what you see boys?" Rarity asked "I made each vest specifically with your styles and personalities in mind. For example, Shining Armor, your vest defies all those naysayers who said military and fashion didn't mix. Just look at how elegeant, yet commanding it is. Tell me Big Macintosh, does your vest not just simply scream 'Southern Grace'? Soarin, your vest is so sleek you'll be the envy of every mare, wheter you're on the ground or in the sky. It took me forever to find something that contrasted nicely with your dark coat Thunderlane, but it I think it 'suits' you nicely. And look Braeburn, your vest matches your coat down a t. You're sure to attract attention at The Gala. So tell me, what do you all think of them?" Now, one would think that the only natural response to the seemingly impressive vests that Rarity had designed, would be praise and admiration. That was not what happened. Instead, there was an akward silence. As if though the five stallions were trying desperately not to say anything. "Is there something wrong with the vests?" Rarity asked "You can tell me. We're friends after all." "Well, they're 'something' I guess." Shining Armor said nervously. "Oh, I love 'something'." Braeburn said rather unenergetically "In fact, 'something' is my favorite. Really." Rarity didn't seem to be buying a single word of what the stallions said. "They're, nice." Thunderlane said "Honest." "Oh for the love of, mine's just not as 'cool' as I thought it would be!" Soarin blurted out, breaking the silence. Everyone else looked at him as if though he'd just kicked an innocent puppy for no good reason. "What? She asked for my opinion." Soarin said in response. "I see." Rarity said with a sigh "Well, fear not. These are just the prototypes. I'm more than happy to make any and all necessary changes to satisfy you guys. And they won't cost you a thing." "Now Rarity, you really don't have to do this." Big Macintosh spoke up. "Big Macintosh is right." Shining Armor added "I mean, you're the expert on this. Who are we to decide what's truly fashionable?" "You don't have to lie to make me feel better." Rarity stated "In business, the customer is always right." "But you've already done more than enough for us as it is." Thunderlane protested "It wouldn't be right to ask you to do even more." "They kind of have a good point." Soarin added "I'm fine with my vest not really being all that cool. I can live with it." "I'm sorry, but I won't take no for an answer." Rarity said firmly "I know these vests aren't up to snuff with the standards you have, and I can't ask you to lower them just because you feel sorry for me. It wouldn't be right. I'll redo all of them until you're 100% absolutely satisfied." "Well, if you're really sure that's what you want to do then I guess we won't stop you." Shining Armor said reluctantly "But keep in mind, you're the expert when it comes to fashion. You should follow your instinicts, even if we feel they may be wrong." "Relax" Rarity said kindly "just leave everything to me." Once the stallions had left, under her breath she added "What have I gotten myself into?" Unfortunately, Rarity knew she had come too far to back out. A few days later, Rarity called Thunderlane back to Carousel Boutique. "Hello Rarity." Thunderlane called "You wanted to see me?" "Indeed I did. I've got good news." Rarity said proudly "Your new new suit is ready Thunderlane. I've completely revised it from top to bottom and I know you're going to love it. So try it on, and tell me what you think." Thunderlane did so and looked at himself in the mirror. He wasn't sure, but it looked to him like the vest hadn't been changed all that much. "Well?" Rarity asked "I'm all ears." "I... love it." Thunderlane said half heartedly. Rarity didn't buy it for a second "Oh, you're just saying that. Tell me what you really think." "No, no. I mean it, really." Thunderlane said nervously "It's uh... nice. You've done a good job." "'Nice'?" Rarity asked. "Yeah, nice." Thunderlane nodded. "Look Thunderlane, if you don't like it you can just tell me." Rarity said kindly "Like I said before, the customer is always right." "Oh, but I DO like it. Really." Thunderlane said nervously. "Like it or love it?" Rarity asked. "Uh, can't I just say both?" Thunderlane asked nervously. "Come on, which is it?" Rarity asked "Like it, or love it?" "Please stop asking me this, I..." Thunderlane protested. "Just tell me what you really think Thunderlane, I really want to know." Rarity said firmly. "No, that's okay. I really don't have a problem with it." Thunderlane said nervously. "Tell me." Rarity said, getting right up into Thunderlane's face. "No, it's fine. Really it is." Thunderlane said, backing up. "Come on, tell me!" Rarity said crossly. "I said I like it." Thunderlane said nervously. "Tell me, tell me, tell-me-tell-me-tell-me!" Rarity said. Thunderlane wasn't sure but it looked like Rarity was about to snap. "Well, all right. Since you really wanna know that badly." Thunderlane said, and promptly inhaled "The armscye's tight, the middy collar doesn't go with the shawl lapel, the hems are clearly machine-stitched, the pleats are uneven, the fabric looks like toile, you used a backstitch here when it clearly called for a topstitch or maybe a traditional blanket stitch, and the overdesign is not reminiscent of Italian style even in the slightest." Rarity was speechless. "But, uh... you know... um, whatever you want to do is fine." Thunderlane finished "You're the expert on this subject after all." "Are you sure you're okay with this Rarity?" Shining Armor asked "I really think you might be going too far with all of this." "Nonsense Shining Armor." Rarity said, trying not to convey how stressed she really was. Shining Armor sighed "Well, if you're sure." "I am." Rarity replied "Tell me what you want me to work on." "Okay." Shining Armor sighed again "The stars on my belt should be as accurate as possible. Remember, it needs to look like the actual seal of the royal guards." Just like she had done when designing the originals, Rarity worked nonstop until the vests were exactly waht her friends wanted. Even if some of them felt like they taking advantage of Rarity's generoisty. Needless to say, by the time she was finally done, Rarity was exhausted. And in her personal opinion, the suits she designed looked completely awful. But she'd said it herself that the customer was always right. So like it or not, she had to be okay with how they looked if her friends thought they were fine. "Alright. It wasn't easy, but I did it. I did exactly what each of you asked for. Now please don't hold back, tell me what you really think. If they're still not what you wanted I can make any necessary changes." Rarity stated, looking rather worn out. "Oh my!" Shining Armor exclaimed "You did all of that?" "Yes I did." Rarity said, putting on a smile for the sake of her friends. "I think you hit the nail on the head with my vest." Thunderlane said happily. "My vest was already pretty cool, but you made it look even cooler!" Soarin stated. "I don't think I've ever seen a vest like that before." Big Macintosh said honestly. "It's exactly what I asked for!" the five stallions all said at once. "Thank you so much Rarity." Shining Armor said kindly "You really didn't have to do any of this, but I'm sure my friends and I are glad that you did. If there's ever anything we can repay you please let us know." "That won't be necessary." Rarity replied "Though I appreciate the offer." "So, are you as happy with the suits as we are Rarity?" Braeburn asked "It's only fair to ask you that after all." Rarity paused for a moment, considering what to say next. Then she said, reluctantly "Well, I'm... happy that all of you are happy. I'm just relieved to finally be done. I'm incredibly exhausted." At that moment, Spike came running in with important news. "Oh Rarity, you are never gonna believe this!" he exclaimed "Have you ever heard of Hoity Toity?" "Hoity Toity? The glamorus, bigwig, hotshot fashion critic in Canterlot?" Fancy Pants asked. "Uh-huh." Spike nodded "He heard all about Rarity's fashion show." "Really? How convinent." Shining Armor stated, he and Fancy Pants promptly cast a glare at Spike. They knew all too well about his crush on Rarity. They wouldn't put it past him to behind Hoity Toity's sudden knowledge of Rarity's fashion show. "Okay, so maybe I just so happened to mention it to him." Spike confessed "The point is, he's coming all the way over from Canterlot to see your work Rarity! I'm not making this up!" "You know Hoity Toity?" Fancy Pants asked. "Well, to be more precise I know this guy, who knows this guy, who knows this guy, who knows this guy" Spike began to explain. "Get to the point!" Fancy Pants said crossly. "Well to make a long story short, I know this guy who's part of a long link of ponies that know other ponies, and so this one guy knows this guy's cousin, and this guy's cousin just so happens to know Hoity Toity." Spike finished "Back in Canterlot, being the only dragon admist a population of ponies really attracted a lot of attention." "I see." Fancy Pants nodded. "Hoity Toity sounds like a very important pony in the world of fashion." Big Macintosh commented. "Indeed he is." Shining Armor explained "He's part of a trio of Canterlot fashion celebrities. The other two are Photo Finish, and Sapphire Shores." "Sapphire Shores, the pony of pop?" Braeburn asked. "The very same." Shining Armor explained "Growing up in Canterlot I heard all about them." "I see." Soarin stated "Bet that means you could sell a ton of dresses to Hoity Toity, huh Rarity?" "That would really boost business!" Thunderlane exclaimed. Rarity however, sounded quite nervous. She knew the vests weren't very good, but she held her tounge. "Hoity Toity's coming here, to see these dresses?" she asked. "You betcha!" Spike said happily "Get ready to have all your dreams come true Rarity!" "Yay me." Rarity muttered under her breath. The fashion show, needless to say, was a complete disaster. The less that could be said about it, the better. Shining Armor and the others unfortunately realized, too late, that what they wanted to have added onto their vests, weren't very fashionable. Hoity Toity wasn't very forgiving towards Rarity, and neither was the crowd that had flocked to the fashion show. Despite Fancy Pants' reassurance that there would be other opportunities, Rarity became depressed. Nothing could cheer her up, and she was convinced her fashion career was over. Shining Armor and his friends felt pretty bad about Rarity's condition, realizing that they were to blame for it. Some of them felt more guilty about it than others. Even so, they knew they had to do something as the days ticked by without any sign of improvement. "Rarity? Are you in there?" Braeburn asked, knocking on the door to Rarity's room "It's me, Braeburn. The guys and I want to apologize for messing things up for you." "There's no need to apologize. This was my own fault." Rarity complained. "Are you okay? You haven't come out of your room for days now." Braeburn said "We're all worried about you." "I'm never coming out! I can't show my face in Ponyville ever again, not after that terrible fashion show!" Rarity wined "I used to be somepony. And I used to be respected. I once made dresses. Beautiful, beautiful dresses! But now, thanks to my generoisty, everypony is laughing at me. I'm nothing but a laughing stock!" "Rarity, you're not a laughing stock." Shining Armor reassured her. "Hate to break to you but I think the town itself begs to differ." Soarin commented. "Will you be quiet?!" Shining Armor said crossly "Rarity please, come on out and talk to us. Everyone is worried." "Leave me alone!" Rarity shouted back "I just vant to be alone! I want to wallow in... whatever it is that ponies are supposed to wallow in! Do ponies wallow in pity? Oh, listen to me, I don't even know what I'm supposed to wallow in! I'M SO PATHETIC!" "Well this is just great." Shining Armor said sarcastically. "Beating ourselves up about the role we played in this won't get us anywhere." Big Macintosh stated. "So then, what ARE we gonna do genius?" Soarin asked "Got any bright ideas?" "Uh... panic?" Thunderlane suggested. "That's your answer for everything." Soarin complained "And that won't get us anywhere." "Well, I do know one thing." Big Macintosh said firmly "We can't just leave Rarity like this. We've got obligations as her friend, and as Fancy Pants' friend, to put things right." "And we've got to act fast." Braeburn added "Or poor Rarity will become a crazy old cat lady!" "But she only has one cat." Shining Armor replied. "Give her time, and anything could be possible." Braeburn explained. "So, what's our next move?" Soarin asked. Shining Armor didn't answer right away, he was busy looking through the small seeing hole that granted a glimpse of Rarity's room. Tacked up to a wall at the other end of the room, was the design for a dress. Shining Armor could only assume that it was Rarity's own dress for The Grand Galloping, which she had never gotten around to designing. Upon seeing it, Shining Armor knew what to do. "Okay guys." he whispered, leading them away from Rarity's room "Here's what we're gonna do. Listen carefully." Rarity had no idea that Shining Armor and his friends were up to something, and if even she did she probably wouldn't have cared. Right now she was contemplating a very important and very serious option. "Exile" she muttered to herself "I guess technically I'd have to move away in order to live in exile. But where would I go? And what would I pack? Oh, it's going to take me forever to do all of that packing. What exactly are you suppose to pack when you go into exile anyway? Are you supposed to pack warm? Or maybe you're suppose to pack light?" Rarity's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a familiar meow. From the looks of things, the sound appeared to be coming from outside. Now that Rarity thought about it, she hadn't seen Opalescence all day. Opening up her window to take a better look, Rarity searched despartely for the source of the meowing. Suddenly, she spotted Opal, clinging frantically onto a nearby tree branch. "Huh? Opal?" Rarity asked, completely confused. All Opal could do was meow, as she held on for dear life. "Opal, how in Equestria did you get up there?" Rarity asked "Don't you worry. Just hang on, you poor dear! Mama's coming!" Rarity wasted no time in rushing outside, still wearing her pajama robe and matching slippers. "Hey Rarity." Soarin called, sitting in the same tree branch as Opalescence. Rarity quickly realized what was going on, needless to say she wasn't happy. "What do you think you're doing Soarin?! Stranding my poor Opal in a tree like that!" Rarity shouted. "Well, how else were we gonna get you out here to show you this?" Soarin asked. "What is it?" Rarity asked, then she saw something on the ground in front of the tree. She couldn't believe what it was "It's not... You..." Rarity gasped. "Surprise!" Braeburn shouted "We took the liberty of all pitching in and finishing your dress for you." "All thanks to Thunderlane and his freaky knowledge of sewing." Big Macintosh said honestly. "Rumble's always tearing holes in his clothes. Between you and me I think he does it on purpose." Thunderlane explained "So, do you like it?" "Like it? Like it?!" Rarity asked "What do you all think?" "Oh, you don't like it." Thunderlane said saddly. "No, I'm afraid I don't like it. Not one little bit." Rarity said crossly. Shining Armor and his friends were disappointed. Their attempt at cheering up Rarity had failed. "I LOVE IT!" Rarity exclaimed happily. Everyone was happy. "I must say, you stallions did an absolutely amazing job. It's every bit what I imagined it to be." "Hey, we just followed your brilliant design." Thunderlane explained. "Something we should've let you do all along when you were making our suits." Shining Armor stated "Those first suits you designed were perfect. We should've just been satisfied with them as they were, especially since you were the expert." "We're all so very sorry." Braeburn apologized "Clearly fashion is not our calling." "I'll say." Soarin said "You worked oh so hard to make our vests exactly the way we wanted them. And let's face, we all saw how well THAT turned out." "Oh I forgive you all." Rarity said kindly "I told you before that the customer is always right. You were perfectly entitled to demand only the best." "Well, that's mighty kind of you. Even though the blame rests squarely on our shoulders." Big Macintosh nodded. "But sadly, that doesn't change the fact that my whole career is ruined!" Rarity said sadly. "About that," Shining Armor stated "I think we found a way to fix that as well." "What do you mean?" Rarity asked. "Let's just say I 'pulled some strings' so to speak." Shining Armor explained "But I managed to convince Hoity Toity to come back for a private fashion show with your first batch of suits." "Really?" Rarity asked. "Yup." Shining Armor nodded "Being Captain of The Royal Guard has its uses. It ain't just a title after all." "All right, I haven't got all day." Hoity Toity said firmly "Let's get on with it shall we? I hope this won't be a waste of my time. I don't think I need to mention how fortune you are, that your friend made me reconsider my decision to forget about you." Luckly for Rarity, the second fashion show turned out to be much better than the first. Thanks in no small part to the lesson Shining Armor and his friends had learned. When you try to please everypony, you often end up pleasing nopony. And when somepony offers to do something nice for you, you really shouldn't look the gift horse in the mouth. But most importantly, there are some things best left to the professionals. And even when you might think you know better, it's usually best to let the expert handle things. "Brava! Brava! Magnifico! Encore!" Hoity Toity cheered, once the fashion show had concluded. Needless to say, he was impressed. Rarity, for her part, was overcome with joy "Oh, thank you. Thank you! Oh, thank you so much!" she said happily. Her fashion career was back on track, and it had nowhere to go but up. And Fancy Pants and the other stallions couldn't be happier.