Queen of Equestria

by Ponyman14

Chapter 2

The sewing machine hummed and vibrated. Rarity watched her work closely as she held the white fabric underneath the needle. Suddenly she noticed she was very tired, even exhausted. Something didn't feel normal.

Rarity looked back at her work. Come to think of it, Rarity had aged as well. "How old am I again?" she thought. A tangle of oddly stitched together cloth lay across her hooves.

"What is this?" thought Rarity. "Is this supposed to be a dress?"

As Rarity turned the fabric over in her hooves, folds appeared out of nowhere, and strings came loose showing a poor stitching job. Rarity couldn't find what the clothing was supposed to be. Now Rarity realized the fabric was torn, and old and faded too. Rarity's legs were shaking. She held one up to her face to examine it. The nail was dirty and cracked, like that of an old mare. Rarity stepped back in surprise, and felt a sharp pain in her spine. She glanced in the full-body mirror nearby. Her fur had faded grey, her eyes were dull and dark. Her stomach sagged and her legs were bent, and her once thick, purple hair was grey and thin.

"No!" she cried. "What happened to my youth? My… my hair? My beauty, my charm?"

Her voice sounded raspy like an old mare's. Rarity suddenly heard the sound of a trumpet. A parade was happening outside the boutique windows. Rarity hobbled to the window and looked out. After a platoon of royal guards, a chariot came into view. But Rarity didn't see Princess Celestia, instead it was her good friend Twilight Sparkle. Twilight looked more mature, but still very young. Twilight spread out her wings as the ponies on the street cheered, as if absorbing the fame and attention of her subjects. Twilight had always been so modest and humble, could this really be her? Twilight noticed Rarity, and waved at her and smiled. Rarity waved back, her old bones aching. Twilight turned away, her subjects required attention again.

"Twilight?" said Rarity aloud, again hearing her old mare's voice. "How is she so young?"

As an alicorn, Twilight had a greatly prolonged life, if not immortality, and as far as was known, everlasting youth and beauty.

"Twilight, wait!" Rarity yelled as she tried to run towards her door. But her body hurt to move quickly. Becoming angry with her disability, Rarity pushed against the pain and ran outside the boutique. "Twilight!" she called after the royal chariot. But it was moving away, along with the attention of the crowd and the musical escort. "Don't leave me, Twilight!" cried the old mare.

"Hey," said a pony in the crowd, "you can't address Princess Twilight like that. Have some respect! … senile old mare."

"Senile? SENILE?! Who said that?" Rarity looked around, but somehow faces were blurry. Rarity took off her sewing glasses. Everypony was blurry. Everything was blurry. Her eyesight was deteriorating. Rarity began to sob as the uplifting fanfare music continued to fade along with the royal procession.

"I'm so useless. So hopeless, and old, and weak," bawled the old unicorn as she fell to her knees.

The crowd moved away, following the lively procession. All Rarity could see was blurred hooves clopping past her.

"I'm so pathetic!" she cried.

The ponies seemed to take no notice of the distraught old mare.

"Twilight's left me. My friends have left me! Twilight..." sobbed Rarity. "Why does it have… to be this way?"

The pony fell to her side in the dirt and closed her eyes, her tears mixing with the dust on her wrinkled face. "Twilight…"

Rarity was left alone in the darkness of misery and hopelessness. Through the darkness, she suddenly heard a clear but faint whisper. Everlasting beauty, said the whisper. Suddenly Rarity's sight was back, and Canterlot Castle materialized as clear as day. Rarity's vision zoomed towards the castle, faster and faster. In a moment Rarity found herself staring the great black dragon, whom was being held prisoner there, directly in the eye. Eternal youth, whispered the voice again, only louder.

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Rarity's eyes shot open. She gasped and sat up in her bed, sweating and breathing heavily. A feeling of relief came over her as she realized that it had only been a nightmare. She moved her legs and flexed muscles in her body; she was still young and fit, no shaking hooves or saggy wrinkles. She ran a hoof through her hair; soft and lush, just as she knew it to be. Still shaken from her dream, Rarity slipped out of bed and turned a light on. She ran to her full-body mirror. Everything looked fine. She prodded her face with a hoof. Rarity breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're alright Rarity. Only a dream…" she told herself reassuringly. "Just the worst nightmare you've ever had. Nothing could be worse than that. My Celestia!"

Rarity hopped up onto her bed again, this time leaving the lights on.

"Ooohhh," Rarity whined, "The bed is wet with sweat from my night fright, and I had just washed these sheets!"

She got in anyways and tried to get comfortable. Sleep would not come. Rarity tossed and turned for a while before finally giving into her thoughts. What did her nightmare mean? Was it a premonition? Was Rarity afraid of her mortality, or dreading the thought of losing her beauty as she aged?

Rarity's inability to sew was another depressing factor of the dream. In the dream the boutique was dusty and dirty, the paint and wallpaper were peeling, and the place smelled of decay in general. What had a lifetime of sewing all been for in the end? Rarity shook her head.

"What an awful thought."

In the dream, it seemed that everypony was ignoring her. They had forgotten about her, and left her behind. It was in sharp contrast to her usual day in Ponyville, when gets looks from mares and colts alike, for different reasons. She eats up the attention, and loves every moment of it. That was probably the most painful part of her nightmare.

Daylight began to grow in Rarity's bedroom. She groaned and turned in her bed.

"I hope I won't be groggy all day. I hate to lose my beauty rest, but Sweetie is coming over for breakfast."

Rarity sighed, realizing she would have to face the day without sufficient beauty rest, and rolled out of bed. As she proceeded with her morning routine of makeup and brushing, the nightmare wouldn't leave her thoughts. She had never had a dream like that, never that terrible or that clear. Rarity finished with her makeup and walked downstairs. She didn't feel very hungry, but she wasn't about to neglect her responsibilities to her little sister. She levitated the pans out from the cupboard with her magic, and began the breakfast preparations.

"Everlasting beauty, what a concept. I've never really thought about it before. Maybe because I've never really thought about getting old before. It's not usually something that ponies think about."

Rarity, so deep in thought, didn't realize her younger sister walk though the open door behind her.

"How many years do I have until my hair starts graying? Or until my bones are aching?" thought Rarity.

Rarity shivered at the thought. Her shoulder twitched and a chill ran up her spine.

"What a frightening thought…"

"What's wrong Rarity?" piped Sweetie Belle. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Oh, it's nothing Sweetie Belle," said Rarity, smiling, "I only had a bad dream."

"What kind of bad dream? Were there monsters? Dragons? Zombies? … Did the gates of Tartarus break open and hordes of undead beasts swarm across Equestria leaving a trail of destruction and misery in their wake?"

"No Sweetie Belle, if only. Those sound mild in comparison," sighed Rarity.

"Wow! That must have been one mega-bad dream you had!" squeaked Sweetie Belle.

"Well it was only a dream, I will forget about it in time. Now bring these plates to the table, if you please. Your big sister has made a scrumptious breakfast for her little sweetie-weetie sister, Sweetie Belle," said Rarity, nuzzling her sister on the head.

"Thanks sis! Hey can we hang out when I get back from school this afternoon?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Um… 'hang out'?" said Rarity with a dismayed look on her face.

"Yeah, you know, do sister stuff together," said the excited little filly.

"Great," thought Rarity as she sat down at the table with her sister, "more chances for her to cause havoc and mess up my work."

"Oh I'd love to 'hang out', Sweetie Belle. But the Ponyville Promenade is not far off, and I've still got to finish up a lot of dresses. I also have to fit some dresses to clients this afternoon."

"Awww," said the little filly, sadly.

"You can go play with Apple Bloom after school today, how does that sound? That does sound fun, does it not?" said Rarity.

"Yeah, I guess so," said Sweetie Belle as she continued to eat her breakfast.

Sweetie Belle was always an upbeat little filly, and things seldom got her down. Regardless of what was going on around her, Sweetie Belle was always very excited and positive. Although Rarity was a bit concerned that her sister might have attention deficit disorder.

"ALL DONE!" yelled Sweetie belle as she finished her last bite of her food. Rarity twitched in surprise at the random outburst.

"… Okay Sweetie Belle. I'll clean up. You had better head to school, it's getting late," said Rarity kindly.

"Okay, sis. Catch ya later!" said the filly, already halfway to the door. "Oh, by the way, there's a letter for you."

Rarity breathed a sigh of relief as her sister left.

"Peace and quiet, at least for a little while."

Rarity checked the door, and sure enough found a note. It was from Spike, and said that Twilight was tied up due to official princess business and couldn't come over today to be fitted in her dress.

"She wants to try it on today? That is no problem," thought Rarity, "I shall simply bring the dress to her! After I finish making it, of course."

Rarity returned upstairs. Here in her room, Rarity had her own special world. Rolls of ribbon and pieces of fabric were strewn about the place. Anything chaotic and messy caused her stress, unless she was the one creating that mess. It was the chaos of a creative and artistic mind. Rarity's cat now hissed as Rarity walked through the door.

"Oh sweetie, your little bow has come undone. Fret not, mama Rarity will tie you a new one," said Rarity as she levitated the irritated cat into the air. Opalescence hissed and scratched at the air. She gave up after a moment, and submitted to her fate. Rarity retied the red bow on the agitated cat. Once released, Opalescence retreated to the other side of the room where she could try, once again, to paw off the bow.

"Now to get to work," said Rarity as she put on her sewing glasses.

Rarity had made dresses for Twilight before. This time was little different. The dress so far was a light purple fabric, studded with a few scattered sapphires. The frills were a gold colored silk. Simple, but elegant. Rarity hadn't made shoes or other accessories to go with the dress; she wasn't sure if Twilight planned to wear her crown or not. Rarity worked for about an hour, sewing a bit here and cutting a bit there. Twilight's dress was nearly done, and Rarity stepped back to look at her work.

She glanced at the clock. Now was as good a time as ever to head over to Twilight's. She packed the dress carefully in a small clothing box, and headed out the door, levitating the box with her.

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The Ponyville streets seemed more bustling than usual. Ponies were out and about visiting with friends and buying things at the local stores.

"Hey Rarity. You're looking very nice today," said a stallion as Rarity walked past.

"Why thank you darling," she said in return.

Rarity loved attention. Whether it was attention from mares or stallions didn't matter, so long as they gawked and gossiped about her stunning looks or her fashionable clothes. Two best friends, Lyra and Bon Bon, were chatting nearby.

"Rarity!" called Bon Bon, "I'm so excited to see my dress for the promenade. Is it all ready?"

"Absolutely. Your dress is ready and waiting. If you come by in say, two hours, I'll have you try it on!" said Rarity happily.

"Wow, thanks so much, Rarity. I'm sure it'll be gorgeous," said Bon Bon, "See you then!"

Rarity continued on her walk as the two ponies started chatting again behind her.

"Did you hear the princess just arrived in town?" said Lyra.

"Princess Celestia's in town?" asked Rarity, turning around. "My goodness, I wonder what the occasion is."

"No, not Princess Celestia. Princess Twilight," responded Lyra.

"Princess… Twilight?" said Rarity blankly.

Twilight's friends still hadn't gotten used to her new title. They've always known her simply as Twilight. To them, 'Princess Twilight' was the same goofy unicorn they had known since she arrived in Ponyville. After the coronation, Rarity had tried addressing Twilight as 'princess', and was glad when Twilight said it was unnecessary.

"But Lyra," implored Rarity, "You've known Twilight longer than anypony in Ponyville. Is everyone really calling her 'princess' now?"

"Well, she is a princess…" said Lyra. "I guess it's more of a Canterlot thing. Not many ponies knew the old Twilight Sparkle. Now that everypony in Equestria knows who Twilight Sparkle is, it just makes sense to call her Princess Sparkle or Princess Twilight."

"Well I for one will always call her Twilight, she's still the same purple pony, is she not?" said Rarity. "In fact, that's where I'm headed right now, to have Twilight try on her dress."

"Oh wow, can we see the dress, Rarity?" asked Bon Bon.

"No no no. You'll have to wait for it's big unveiling at the promenade. I wouldn't want to ruin a surprise," explained Rarity.

"Okay, fair enough. Have fun. Bye Rarity," said the two ponies as Rarity turned to leave.

"Princess Sparkle?" thought Rarity, shaking her head. "Twilight may technically be a princess, but she's still the same pony to me."

As the Ponyville library loomed ahead in the distance, an orange figure caught Rarity's eye. It was Applejack. Rarity trotted over to intercept her.

"Applejack! A lovely day, is it not?" said Rarity.

"Sure is! Everyday's a lovely day in Ponyville," she replied.

"Applejack, my dear, have you changed your mind about attending the promenade?" asked Rarity.

"Well shucks, Rarity, fancy parties just aren't my cup of cider. I don't really fit in at those things," said the farm pony.

"Oh Applejack," laughed Rarity, "Promenades are fun and lively, and there would be nothing to worry about. But I understand your choice… I'm just stopping by the library to give Twilight her dress. Won't you come with me?"

"Well, I would, but… well just take a look," said Applejack, as she nodded towards Twilight's home.

Ponies were gathering around the library. They glared through the windows of the library, and pegasus ponies flew up to the upper windows, trying to catch a glimpse of something inside.

The library, carved out of a huge old oak tree, had been Twilight's residence since she arrived in Ponyville a few years ago. Princess Celestia had made Twilight Ponyville's official librarian. The library was still Twilight's main residence, even though she commuted to Canterlot often.

"What in Equestria is going on?" wondered Rarity, as she and Applejack approached the small crowd.

"What's going on here?" Rarity asked a stallion whom she didn’t' recognize.

"It's the princess. She's in the library," responded the stallion.

"What?!" Rarity retorted. "It's only Twilight Sparkle. Of course she's in the library, she lives there!" said Rarity. "She's lived here for over three years, and she's a Ponyville resident just like the rest of us. What's the meaning of all this commotion here?"

"Well I don't know nothin' 'bout that." He responded, "I'm from a farm not far from here. Rumor's been spreading that Princess Twilight lives here."

"For Celestia's sake," said Rarity as she and Applejack brushed passed the farm pony.

The two mares passed more gossiping ponies and reached the library door.

"Excuse me," said a mare who Rarity didn’t recognize, stopping her and Applejack in front of Twilight's door, "Apparently you haven't noticed, but none other than Princess Sparkle is inside the library, attending to very important matters as we speak," continued the mare with a smug and satisfied voice. The flustered Rarity felt her temper rising. What right did this mare have to reproach Rarity at the doorstep of one of her best friend's house?

"Get out of my way, if you please!" yelled Rarity, startling both the mare and Applejack. Some other ponies nearby stopped their gossip and turned towards the scene at the library's front door. "That is to say, kindly step aside," continued Rarity, embarrassed at her flustered outburst. The mare backed away as Rarity stared her down and approached the door. Rarity's horn glowed and the door knob turned. Rarity and Applejack walked through the library's front door, leaving the crowd of ponies outside.

"That sure was awkward," said Applejack, as they stepped inside.

"Oh boy, am I glad to see you guys!" said Spike, welcoming them. "Those ponies out there are creeping me out. They all want to see Twilight, but I've been making sure they stay outside."

"I think I know what all the fuss is about," said Applejack. "These ponies are country folk from the country. There here for the big farmer's market today. They ain't never seen a princess before. Still, that must feel a bit strange for Twilight."

"Twilight's not sure what to do about it. If she starts signing autographs, do you think they'll go away?" asked Spike.

Rarity and Applejack didn't have time to respond, as Twilight Sparkle came hurrying towards them.

"Applejack! Rarity! It's so good to see you," she said.

"You too, Twilight," said Rarity.

"Eeyup," said Applejack.

"Please, make yourselves at home. Actually, come on up to the second floor, let's talk," said Twilight as she walked across the floor towards the staircase. Rarity and Applejack followed.

There had recently been a great deal of confusion surrounding Twilight's coronation. She had not only been crowned princess, but she had also grown wings, therefore making her an alicorn. Some ponies didn't like it. They felt that it undermined the status of alicorns, and that the millennia-old diarchy was at stake. The eminence of the two princesses whom their fathers and forefathers had worshiped and obeyed had been compromised, and by a young and inexperienced unicorn student of all ponies! But most didn't mind having another princess.

"I'm so glad you two came over. It reminds me of our sleepover party during the thunderstorm. That was a night to remember, wasn't it?" said Twilight happily.

The ponies were now upstairs. Twilight stood in the middle of the room, wings folded at her side, and looked openly and happily at her friends. In response to Twilight's question, Applejack pawed at the ground and Rarity coughed awkwardly. The sleepover Twilight mentioned had been a sensitive subject between Rarity and Applejack ever since, although they had made peace formally.

"Oh? is that my dress?" asked Twilight, breaking the silence.

"It is indeed your dress," said Rarity happily.

Rarity opened the box and pulled out the dress. Twilight smiled with glee. Rarity levitated the dress over to Twilight and she slipped into it.

"What do you think, Twilight?" asked Rarity.

"It looks wonderful, Rarity. Only, my wings feel a little uncomfortable."

"Your wings? Oh my. What a bubble-head I am! I completely forgot, I was using the outline for your previous dress, and adding holes for the wings completely slipped my mind," explained Rarity.

"It's okay, Rarity. Sometimes I forget I have these things myself. They've mostly just been a burden so far," said Twilight, as she wriggled out of the dress.

"I'll add holes for your wings and drop off the new dress later," said Rarity.

"Thanks Rarity. You're the best - a true friend!"

Rarity smiled as she packed the dress back into her box.

"Well, I was just on my way to the market. Apple Bloom's selling our apples all by herself… if you know what I mean," said Applejack.

"Oh my. You'd better be on your way then," said Twilight, sharing Applejack's concern.

"Glad I got to stop by. I'll see you later Twilight," said Applejack, as she headed down the stairs. Applejack cautiously opened the front door, and tried to slip out without being noticed by the ponies outside the library. Applejack generally didn't mind attention, but she didn't want any pony asking her if she knew the princess. Twilight deserved her privacy just as much as anypony.

"Well then," said Rarity cheerfully, "what new princess-related endeavors have you been partaking in?"

"Well you know… the usual," responded Twilight.

It seemed to Rarity as though Twilight didn't want to say.

"But um… what's new at the boutique? Do you have any new important clients?" asked Twilight, trying to change the subject.

"No. Just the same old," responded Rarity.

"I'm so glad we got to visit the spa last week. I really needed it," said Twilight.

"Of course, dear. You are welcome to come with me anytime. Fluttershy and I are getting a beauty treatment this Thursday, if you happen to be around?"

"I don't think I can. This Thursday I'll be busy researching."

"Researching what?" asked Rarity.

"Dragons. Dragons and ancient lore about dragons," confessed Twilight.

"Dragons? Whatever for?" asked Rarity sincerely.

"Oh, princess Celestia wanted me to do some research on Salazar. Speaking of which, would it be ok if we talked about the dragon ordeal?"

"Well, sure, I suppose," responded Rarity with a questioning look.

"You're not still upset about it, are you? I don't want to tread somewhere you don't feel comfortable," said Twilight.

"Why Twilight," smiled Rarity, "you act as if I'm your patient or something. We are friends, and I'm always open with my friends. Ask away!"

"Princess Celestia said she sensed Salazar speaking to you. That he was using dark magic to talk through your thoughts. Is that true?" asked Twilight.

"Yes. Yes he did speak to me. Princess Celestia spoke to me too. She told me to be careful what Salazar said, and that his intentions would only be selfish," explained Rarity.

"Absolutely. It's part of their uncontrollable greed," said Twilight.

"And Salazar did exactly that," continued Rarity. "He tried to get me to abandon my friends! He said if I did as he told me, he would give me 'mounds of gems' and fame and fortune and that old spiel. More or less, he offered to make me a princess; or a queen rather, as he said. Can you imagine that?"

"I don't believe it!" said Twilight, as she levitated a quill and began writing on some parchment at the nearby desk. "That sounds like quite an offer."

"I know, right? Although it's a fantastic thought, I didn't buy it at all. It was a blatant strategy to stop me from using my element against him. I've thought about it, and I'm sure that's why he choose me. I wasn't just a random pony he picked out of the crowd, he was clearly trying to separate us six friends. It was exactly as Princess Celestia had said, he'll say anything to get what he wants. Thankfully Rainbow Dash came to my rescue, and we defeated him, rather easily I might add!"

"Defeated him?" asked Twilight casually, as she concentrated on her note-taking.

"Yes. We did defeat him Twilight, did we not?" said Rarity, looking at her friend curiously.

"Oh yes, of course," Twilight nodded awkwardly.

Rarity noticed Twilight was concentrating on writing more than their conversation. If Twilight didn't have time to talk, why was she asking Rarity questions? That was quite rude.

"By the way, why is Princess Celestia still holding him prisoner? Shouldn't she have sent him off to where he came from by now?" asked Rarity, trying to gain Twilight's attention.

"Oh… I'm not sure why," lied Twilight.

"Whatever are you writing, dear?" asked Rarity, staring at the parchment.

"I'm sorry Rarity. Something just came to mind and I just had to write it down," said Twilight as she realized she was being clumsy. As much as she didn't want to, she had to extract information from her friend as Princess Celestia had asked.

"But our conversation's more important. Go ahead, I'm all ears," said Twilight.

"Well anyways, I'm mostly over it by now. I've gotten used to being kidnapped by dragons," frowned Rarity.

Spike, watching secretly from the staircase, blushed with embarrassment and returned to the main floor.

"Did Salazar say anything else to you?" asked Twilight.

"Not really, no," lied Rarity.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, quite sure."

"Well it's to be expected from a dragon," said Twilight, "Discord tried the same thing after all, only he very nearly succeeded."

Rarity didn't like talking about Discord, because he once tricked her into thinking an ordinary rock was a giant diamond. Thankfully, it had remained a secret among the six friends.

"Yes. I suppose it was predictable," responded Rarity.

"Well I'm glad you're feeling better after everything that's happened," said Twilight. "There was a time when you were really upset about it."

"I am. Thank you, darling," said Rarity. "As I said, I've mostly gotten over it, and it's not a big deal now. Well, I had better get going. I've got to finish up your dress and several others for the promenade."

"Oh, about that," said Twilight. "I'm still planning on coming, but you never know what urgent matters might come up. Don't worry though," said Twilight, seeing the look of disappointment on her friend's face, "I have every intention of making it to the party."

"Oh I do hope you can attend. You're the talk of the town nowadays," smiled Rarity. "Quite the popular pony indeed. You have your own entourage and everything!"

"I can't help that, Rarity," said Twilight, getting slightly defensive. "Popularity doesn't mean much to me. Anyways, I'm sure I'll make it to the Promenade."

"Of course. Well, off I go! Goodbye Twilight!" said Rarity.

"Bye Rarity! See you soon!" Twilight waved goodbye to her friend, watched her disappear down the stairs, and went back to finishing her notes on their conversation. She'd report her findings to Princess Celestia right away.

On the library's ground floor, Spike pretended as if he had been standing guard at the door when he saw Rarity.

"The coast is clear, ma'am. I've cleared the front entrance of ponies just for you!" lied Spike.

"Why thank you, Spikey-wikey," acknowledged Rarity as she opened the front door.

Several ponies were still loitering around the library to catch a glimpse of the princess, but the ones Rarity saw when she came in had gone.

"What? Are you going to take out a book, or just stand there gawking like a griffon?" said Rarity to a pony outside the front door.

Rarity felt irritated again; none of these ponies knew Twilight Sparkle, or knew that she was still her same adorable, geeky self, despite being an alicorn. They didn't even have the courage to step into the library! Unbelievable. Rarity trotted past them with her head held high.

"It must be hard on poor Twilight, she's not used to such attention," thought Rarity as she walked through the town.

The sun was rather hot today, so Rarity tried to stay in the shade of buildings as she walked. The last thing she wanted was to sweat in this heat. She hated being sweaty.

"She's just not sure how to handle it," continued Rarity's thoughts. "I would know just what to do, however. I'd start off with a grand appearance at the boutique door. I would smile and flick my hair just so, and my luscious mane would bounce and sparkle in the sunlight! Then I would step forth and ponies would marvel at my beautiful figure! The mares would be wowed, and the stallions would be speechless!" Rarity smiled as the fantasy ran through her head.

"Oooh," she whined aloud, "Why can't I be mobbed by strangers?"

Two nearby ponies overhead this, and gave Rarity an odd look. Rarity hurried away.

"…Come on now Rarity, don't let jealousy get the better of you again," she said to herself as her walk continued.

Rarity was reminded of the time when her friend, Fluttershy, became a fashion model, and Rarity's jealousy took hold of her. She had encouraged Fluttershy to keep modeling, but inside she was brimming with envy and secretly wished for Fluttershy to fail. It's not something that Rarity was proud of. Everything had turned out alright in the end, and she and Fluttershy have remained the best of friends.

Rarity arrived at her home and stepped inside. The coolness of the boutique was refreshing after the walk along the dusty Ponyville streets. After a short break for some iced tea, she ascended the stairs to her room to continue her work.

"I can't believe I forgot the holes for Twilight's wings," said Rarity aloud.

She levitated Fluttershy's finished dress onto one of the mannequins. She would use it a reference for adding wing holes into Twilight's dress. Scissors, thread and needle, and other various sewing tools floated around her. Being a unicorn certainly had an advantage in this line of work.

For the promenade, she was making new dresses for herself, Twilight, and Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie was attending, but was wearing a dress she already had. Rainbow Dash couldn't make it because she would be training for a race in Cloudsdale. And Applejack had chosen not to go. Several other local mares had ordered promenade dresses. Rarity had even tailored a couple tuxedos for stallions who were attending. Each dress was unique and one of a kind, although it meant that Rarity had to charge extra bits for her specialty products.

Rarity pictured Twilight in the dress in front of her. There needed to be something more, something fit for a princess! Gold trim around the wing-holes would look splendid. Rarity located a roll of sparkly gold fabric, made the necessary measurements, and proceeded with her idea. She took a step back and looked at her work.

"Lovely!" she exclaimed. "Fit for a princess. Well actually…"

Rarity's thoughts wandered off. A princess would never wear such a simple dress, such as the one Rarity had made. A dress for a princess would have the finest white silk frills along its skirt. The gold fabric would have actual gold in it, and there would be a lot more gems. A lot more gems…

"I hope Twilight doesn't mind wearing an ordinary dress," said Rarity, now having second thoughts about her work. "I'm sure she wouldn't, but perhaps I could add more to it. Let me see…"

Rarity tried to picture Twilight wearing a regal dress, but she couldn't. In her mind, nothing between Twilight and royalty seemed to match, in terms of fashion. As much as Rarity loved her friend Twilight, the girl didn't have the slightest sense of fashion. Twilight was about as stereotypical a bookworm as you could hope to find. Things like fashion, beauty care, and an appreciation for extravagance were the last things Twilight was interested in.

"It's a shame," thought Rarity, "that a princess would not have a sense of the greater things in life. No concept of fashion, fine dining, luxurious living; and princesses should understand all these things. And it would be especially important for alicorns because they have…"

"Eternal beauty and youth?" she said aloud, remembering her nightmare.

Rarity felt flustered again.

"Twilight hardly has any traits of a princess," her thoughts continued. "She can't even present herself properly at social functions, how could she handle doing it as a daily responsibility? It's just not fair."

Rarity realized her thoughts were becoming negative, and took a deep breath.

"Come now Rarity," she thought, "such negative energy is damaging to one's well being. Control your jealousy. You are happy for Twilight, just as Twilight is happy for your accomplishments."

Rarity sighed deeply. Her body relaxed as she subdued the envy that had come over her.

"No more work on this dress. It matches Twilight's fur perfectly, and she will be delighted to wear it to the promenade. Forget about Twilight's issues, and focus on Rarity's issues," said the unicorn to herself.

She levitated Twilight's newly finished dress into the garment box, closed it, and put it near the other finished dresses. Just a few more dresses to complete for the promenade. She put another dress on the mannequin and began again on her work, and successfully brushed aside any more thoughts about princesses and royalty for the rest of the afternoon.

Comments

[Fernin]

Why does this story not have more views / comments 0_o

I am enjoying Rarity's gradual corruption quite a bit.