Life Woven in Charmeuse

by KiroTalon

Preparing the Warp: A Chance Encounter

The fashion show had been something of a disappointment so far. The models plodded down the runway and back with the enthusiasm of a commuter train; the collected photographers and reporters snapped photos and took notes with robotic regularity. Several ponies in the back rows of the audience, out of the glare of the stage lights, had trickled in and out of the auditorium to chat or even to leave the show early. Those whose careers depended on their attendance sat dutifully in the front row, occasionally stifling yawns with carefully disguised movements.

Even the designers whose clothes were on display seemed moderately ashamed to have contributed to the show; Suri Polomare sat in a darkened corner of the room, lips pursed with frustration as her newest line failed to elicit any meaningful reaction from the élite de la haute couture who ringed the end of the runway. A grey stallion with a white pompadour and dark sunglasses unabashedly checked his gleaming gold watch and muttered something to the mint green mare sitting next to him. She giggled into her hoof. A stab of frustration lanced through Suri's chest. It was fine to not appreciate the clothes, even though her latest line was by far her greatest work, but to laugh at it? That was simply rude.

Finally, the emcee's voice boomed over the silent audience. "And that's the last of the exquisite new line from the Polomare Collezione!" He paused for applause that didn't come as the last model slunk off stage. Suddenly, the house lights dimmed, and several spotlights ignited in various colors. The lights swung over the audience, who looked around in muted interest. "And now, for the final line of the evening, ladies and gentlecolts, we have a late addition to the show!" Suri's eyes narrowed slightly as she watched the audience turn to one another to share their surprise. "That's right, we have, for your enjoyment, the newest creations from the Lady of Lace, the Goddess of the Galloon, the Empress of Embroidery. Folks, put your hooves together and thank Celestia for the arrival of the incomparable, the indomitable, the one! The only!" Suri glowered at the stage. She knew whose icon was about to be unveiled by the parting curtains. The excited chatter and scattered applause of the audience suggested they did, too. "Rarity!"

The auditorium erupted. The curtains fell open to reveal the swooping purple logo of Rarity's recently expanded label, Trediamanti. It was very similar to the original logo that Rarity had used in the past, before she'd become a household name, before she'd hired dozens of assistants and other designers to bolster her brand. Where once there had been an iconic representation of her own eyes, the Trediamanti symbol had three simple baby blue diamonds, like her cutie mark, but with less detail. The industry had swooned over it upon its introduction. Suri could barely manage not to gag at the sight.

The spotlights ceased their swirling and focused in on the logo, which glittered as the light reflected through the hundreds of tiny gemstones set into it. The music swelled into a swift, pounding techno beat superbly interwoven with cuts of classical music. Then, the first two models strode confidently onstage. The response was immediate. Every pony in the crowd gasped, and dozens began to chat excitedly with one another. Both models--one male, one female--were decked out in sublime examples of fashion so cutting edge that in another pony's name they would have been absurd. Long, swooping curves accentuated both ponies' natural anatomy, the fabric sliding loosely and following their every move. The edges of the outfits were trimmed in impossibly narrow braids of gold, silver, and then gold again.

The mare's dress flowed in constantly shifting waves of cloth that gleamed and glittered as though woven from actual gemstones, and her tail, held in a tight, confident arch over her back, was laced with the same braids that rimmed the dress, coming to a delicately tied knot at the very end. The hem hung just above the ground on either side of her back hooves, allowing the crowd to see just the flickering of her hooves as she walked, and the sleeves swept down from her shoulders in a tight spiral, resembling nothing so much as a twisted wrought iron bar, but still glistening and flowing as easily as the rest of the dress. Then, the headdress...Rarity was famous for many things, but nothing really said Trediamanti quite like a headdress. This outfit was no exception. The collar was sharply cut, accentuating the mare's taut, delicate jawline even as it flared out and curled over into an almost floral shape. Ringing the petals of the collar was a second layer, made up of overlapping sets of feathers, first eagle, then turkey, then, incredibly, phoenix, and finally, no less than eight different palettes of peacock feather. The phoenix feathers glowed as though ablaze, the light flickering off of the iridescent peacock feathers and lending the model's face an ethereal air.

The stallion was similarly bedecked, with form-fitting pants that came to a tight hem above his back hooves and billowed slightly as he walked, the better to show off what Suri assumed must be a brand new weave of fabric, for how it shone. The braiding followed every seam and curled up around his stifle to meet at his dock and curl through his tail, just like the mare's. The shirt didn't billow like the pants, but rather clung tightly to his skin, rippling along with his musculature and flashing with every pompous step he took. His headdress was much less voluminous than the mare's, with only a single feather of each type directly behind his head, but the pattern was the same, and the flaming phoenix feather cast a bright gleam across his carefully coiffed mane.

Together, the models strode down the runway, serenely ignoring the suddenly rapt photographers, who pushed and shoved their way to the edge of the stage, snapping dozens and then hundreds of pictures of each outfit. Reporters chattered excitedly into voice recorders or wrote with feverish speed, their words utterly indecipherable in their haste to completely describe what they were seeing. The elite in the front row had dropped all pretense, many of them shamelessly grinning and applauding the fashion on display. Suri looked back at the grey stallion. His watch was forgotten. He had pushed his sunglasses up on top of his head and was staring in wide-eyed wonder at the models. The mare to his side clung to his foreleg, a huge smile on her face as she gestured to one facet of the clothing after another, yammering enthusiastically about each. The stallion seemed not to notice.

Suri gritted her teeth furiously. Again, she thought. I can't believe she did it again. She furiously kicked her chair away, sending her own assistant scrambling out of the way. Every show...every damn show she comes to... With a final indignant toss of her mane, she turned a searing glare on the cowering mare. "You! Come on. We're leaving."

The mare blinked and stammered, "B-but the show...the interviews--"

"I said," Suri sneered, "we're leaving." And with that, she stomped out of the auditorium, but not before casting one final, jealous eye on the next outfit to be revealed. It was incredible. They always were.

~~~

Rarity smiled serenely out at the long line of admirers standing in front of her. She was sitting on a plush velvet cushion, wearing a vibrant cerulean dress of her own design, flanked by a pair of stoic, black-clad pegasus bodyguards. They were sharply dressed--security at a fashion show typically was--and standing just far away enough from the celebrity designer to make the ponies approaching her feel at ease, without leaving her vulnerable.

The show had been over for almost two hours now. The first hour had been composed primarily of glad-hoofing and general greeting among the industry heavyweights, strengthening contacts and confirming future appointments while the general public watched, thrilled simply to be near these iconic moguls of fashion. Slowly, the celebrity core had filtered out of the auditorium and into the attached reception hall for the designer meet-and-greet.

The hall had been exquisitely decorated, and every designer who had shown a line that evening had a spot for admirers to come and see them, if they so chose. Some designers forwent the opportunity, whether for lack of time, lack of interest, or a general disdain for the hoi polloi. Rarity did not. Rarity never missed an opportunity to meet her fans.

Her quill scratched smoothly across the page as she completed a signature with her iconic swirling logo. "There you are, darling," she said, smiling up at the twin mares who had proffered the book. "Or rather, darlings, I suppose," she corrected herself with a grin. The young mares giggled. Rarity momentarily wondered which of the two females to return the book to. "I'm surprised you didn't bring more than one book to get signed," she mused. "If you were both coming, that is."

"Oh," one of the mares said, "well, we didn't know if you would want to sign more than one thing, so we just brought the one to share."

Rarity clucked her tongue. "Well that will hardly do. However will you both manage to fawn over my signature if you only possess one copy? Shinel," she said, catching the attention of a silver unicorn standing a few hooves away. He trotted over immediately. "Please get one of my..." she glanced at the cover of the book, "...Spring Collection VIII photo books, if you would."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, darting off into the darkness to do as he was asked.

The two mares gaped at her. "Miss Rarity," the second one started, "you don't have to--"

Rarity cut her off with a wave of her hoof. "Tish tosh, darling. I have so very many of those books, and you are clearly one short. It's nothing at all. Do you mind waiting for Shinel to return, though? It might be a few moments." The twins shook their heads in unison, and Rarity gave them a sparkling smile. "Wonderful!" She gently motioned them aside, and smiled at the next pony in line. "Good evening, my dear. Did you enjoy the show?"

A young mare, barely more than a filly, slowly made her way forward, her legs shaking violently. Her eyes were wide with fear as she nodded and whispered, "Y-yes, M-miss Rarity."

"I'm so glad to hear that, although," she said with a sly grin, "I trust my line was the highlight?" She winked.

The young mare blushed and swallowed hard, unable to speak. The older mare behind her rescued her with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Miss Rarity, she's just...very excited to meet you."

Rarity beamed. "It's nothing, darling. Is she your daughter?"

The mare nodded. "I'm Calico, and this is Chintz."

"Chintz," Rarity repeated, looking back at the white filly hiding behind a curtain of vivid blue hair cut long in the front and cropped short in the back. "What a marvelous name. I do rather like chintz patterns myself, though they do seem to have fallen out of fashion. I suppose something so...outrageous does lose its appeal somewhat when solid colors become vogue."

"You...you do?" Chintz asked, finding her voice again. Rarity nodded. "But I thought 'chintzy' meant...you know, 'ugly'."

"To whom?" Rarity scoffed. "To the general public, who believe only what they are told to about fashion? At the risk of offense, what do most ponies know about fashion? My dear, did you know that chintz was once so popular that some areas of Equestria actually had to ban ponies from wearing it?"

The filly shook her head. "No, I didn't."

Rarity smiled. "Never let anypony tell you what is fashionable. If you have the heart and the desire, you will be an excellent designer, and then you get to decide what fashion is." She raised an eyebrow at the girl. "You do wish to be a designer, don't you?"

Chintz nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yes, ma'am! More than anything! Someday I want to design for you, Miss Rarity!" A look of horror suddenly spread across her face as she heard the words coming out of her own mouth. "I mean..." she started, but trailed off as her cheeks glowed red.

Rarity laughed. "Well, then, I shall have to keep you in mind, my dear. What school were you--"

"Oh, come on!" The shouted interruption snapped every eye, including Rarity's, to the stallion standing behind Calico. He was holding a thin black portfolio and his saffron-colored face was a picture of haughty impatience beneath his close-shaven cinnamon mane.

"Excuse me?" Calico raised an eyebrow at him. "Is something wrong?"

"We've been waiting here for almost two hours already! Some of us have important things to get to," he groused. "Can't you have some other designer humor your daughter's wild dreams?"

"I...what?" she said, incredulous.

"You heard me." The stallion sneered. "Now come on, get your autograph, and go back to whatever backwater town you came from."

"I beg your par--"

"Oh, please." He rolled his eyes. "Anypony can tell you're not from around here. Look, it's great you scraped together enough bits to come to a big city fashion show, but some of us are actually here for a reason." He waved the portfolio at her. "Some of us are the whole point of shows like this. I'm here to present Miss Rarity here with a business proposal and I don't have time to listen to her being polite to some knock-kneed filly with a wide-ruled notebook full of sketches and stars in her eyes!"

The area immediately surrounding the small group had fallen silent as the stallion had ranted. Rarity's face had lost its smile, but she had not otherwise reacted. In the silence, she sighed audibly. "I'm afraid he has a point, Chintz." The young mare's face fell suddenly, and she looked down at the floor, her face coloring in shame. "I'm sure it would be difficult to pass up an opportunity like the one Mr...?"

"Dowlas," he offered, a smug smile tugging at his lips. "The name is Dowlas. I'm the owner of Dowlas Clothing Incorporated, and I came here today to offer you the chance to expand your sales horizons further than you can imagine."

"Is that so?" Rarity said.

"Quite so," he said, opening his book. "I have stores in Las Pegasus, Seaddle, Trottingham, Vanhoov--"

"Shinel," Rarity suddenly interrupted him, turning to address the returning unicorn. "Dowlas Clothing, you said?" Rarity asked the pompous stallion, who nodded. "Shinel, would you be so kind as to take note of this stallion's name, and the name of his company?" Shinel nodded, putting a stack of photo books down behind Rarity's cushion and pulling out a notepad.

"I knew you'd be--"

"Make certain none of our designs ever appear in one of his stores, please." Rarity narrowed her eyes at the stallion, who blinked, stunned. "And do contact Clotheshorse Magazine for me. I believe I'd like to give them a brief interview about tonight's show."

Shinel continued writing even as he said, "I thought you weren't going to bother."

Rarity smiled wryly. "It turns out I may have something interesting to tell them about after all." Her eyes narrowed further as she stared the bewildered stallion down. "Oh, and see if you can find Hoity Toity and Prim Hemline. I'd like to have a word with them about some...concerns I have about the executives of Dowlas Clothing."

"Yes, ma'am," Shinel said.

"You...you can't do that!" the stallion sputtered.

"Do what?" Rarity asked innocently. "Decide where my designs are sold? Converse with my contemporaries about my industry? Darling, I daresay you may have badly misread me if you believe for an instant that I would respond to such...oafish tactics."

Dowlas bared his teeth in a furious scowl. "No, you have misread me! I'll ruin you! I own a hundred clothing stores! I already sell your non-exclusives! If I take you off my shelves--"

"Then I become more exclusive, more valuable, and, dare I say, more of a rarity?" she finished with a smirk and a glint in her eye. "I assure you, Mr. Dowlas, I have taken my labels off other stores' shelves before, and I seem to be doing fine. Perhaps you recall Alnage? Barathea? I recalled my designs from their stores as well. Who of us remains?"

The stallion's face faltered slightly as the names matched memories of previously massive clothing outlets who were now defunct or barely solvent. "You...how dare you!" He suddenly snapped and leapt forward, as if to attack the stoic unicorn. Neither Rarity nor Shinel flinched as the pegasi flanking her darted forward, faster than the eye could track, and shoved the irate earth pony back. "I'll ruin you! I swear I will!" Dowlas spat furiously as the black-suited bodyguards effortlessly pushed him away from the line of ponies still waiting to meet the unfazed unicorn, to hoof him off to the venue's security forces.

Rarity shook her head. "So uncouth."

Shinel nodded his agreement as he finished writing. "Most uncouth. Is there anything else, Miss Rarity?"

"As it happens, yes, there is one other thing. Chintz," she said, looking back at the young mare who had gone from ashamed to astonished and now simply looked startled to be addressed again. "Before I was so rudely interrupted by that mule, I was going to ask if you had any plans for what design school you wished to attend after you finished your primary schooling."

Chintz blushed. "W-well...obviously I wanted to go to the Trediamanti Academy, but..."

"Obviously. But?" Rarity prompted.

Chintz's blush deepened as she glanced back at her mother. "It's kind of expensive..."

"Nonsense," Rarity said, waving a hoof. "We provide many ways of obtaining scholarships for those in need. If you want to attend, there's no reason money should stop you. Shinel," she said, turning back to her right-hoof stallion, "please add Miss Chintz's name to our watch list. Have one of our admissions counselors contact her and make sure that she has an opportunity to apply when she's ready, will you?"

Shinel nodded, still writing. "Of course."

"You see?" Rarity soothed, smiling. "If you have the talent and the drive, there is a spot waiting for you at the Academy. You need only apply."

"M-miss Rarity," Chintz said, gaping. She looked back at her mother, who was sitting back on her haunches with tears in her eyes and her hooves over her muzzle. "I...I don't know what to say."

"Promise me you'll work very hard, and that you'll be ready to stun the world of fashion someday. Now," she said, hovering her quill in front of her again, "what can I sign for you?"

"Oh," Chintz said, "I didn't...I don't have anything, I just...we didn't know you'd be here, so I left my books at home." Her ears folded back against her skull and she looked at the floor, disappointed.

"Oh, is that all?" Rarity turned to her assistant. "Shinel, can you--oh!" Shinel interrupted her by holding up two separate copies of the same book. "Shinel, you read me like a tabloid!" she said, grinning. "You do always seem to know what I want before I do."

The unicorn smirked. "I wouldn't be fit to be your PA if I didn't, ma'am."

"And how fit you are," she remarked. "Now," she said, opening both books to the title page. "Chintz, this one is yours..." she trailed off as she signed the book, finishing with a flourish. "And this one is yours, my dear," she added, signing the second book and levitating it over to the waiting twins. "Thank you so much for coming, and I'm so glad you could stay to see me. Ta!" She smiled and waved as Chintz and her mother walked away with the twins following them, all four chattering excitedly.

The smile slowly faded as Rarity's bodyguards returned to their posts, having dispatched the unruly stallion. "How much longer can we stay, Shinel?" she asked, scanning the endless line of ponies waiting to meet her.

The unicorn glanced at a nearby clock. "Two hours, Miss Rarity."

"Not long enough," she sighed. "I do so hate to turn ponies away."

"I'm sure they understand, ma'am."

"Still...shows like this used to be how I found new students and assistants. I met you at Fête Chic in Prance, I found Coco at Fashion Week in Manehattan..." She frowned. "Those days may well be behind me now."

The downcast expression lasted only a moment more before the shadow of an approaching pony pulled a smile back to her face. "Good evening, darling. To whom do I owe the pleasure?"

A custard-yellow unicorn mare with a cinnabar mane streaked in two shades of purple and a frankly hideous pair of black horn-rimmed glasses smiled shyly back at her. "Hi, I'm Moondancer. It's...it's really an honor to finally meet you, Rarity."

Moondancer... For some reason, the name rang a bell somewhere deep in her memory. Where had she heard that name before? "The pleasure's all mine," she said automatically in response before she really processed what the unicorn had said. "'Rarity', hm?" she repeated, catching the word at last. "Not 'Miss Rarity'?"

Moondancer shook her head. "I know that's what most ponies call you, but you said in your article for Satin and Saddles that you thought 'Miss' was too formal for fans, and that you wanted them to just call you 'Rarity', like your friends do."

Rarity beamed in pleasant surprise. "Oh, my! However did you find that article in the first place? That was...goodness, that must have been five years ago!"

Moondancer smiled and nodded. "Well, like I said, it's an honor to meet you. I've been a fan of yours since Clotheshorse called you the 'best new designer in an alicorn's age.'"

Rarity blushed lightly, the grin on her face still a touch unladylike. "Ahah, yes, well...they may have been exaggerating a bit, but still..."

"I don't think so," Moondancer said. "Your outfits are just as beautiful and incredible now as they've ever been. You never seem to lose your edge, and it's frankly amazing to see how you've evolved and grown as a designer."

"Dear me!" Rarity giggled, putting a hoof to her chest and blushing still further. "You'll make me so red I won't match my dress anymore!" she quipped with a smirk. "Well, Moondancer, as a long-time fan of my work, what did you think of tonight's show?"

"Oh, I didn't get to see the show," Moondancer said.

"You...didn't?" Rarity raised an eyebrow at her. "Then what brings you here tonight?"

"A friend of mine works for Suri Polomare, and she sent me a message telling me you were a surprise appearance. I don't get to go to too many shows, because they usually conflict with my work schedule, but I was off tonight, so I came as quickly as I could." She gestured over her shoulder at the entrance. "Had to pay full price just to get into the reception hall, but it was worth it." She smiled, her cheeks coloring slightly. "I've always wanted to meet you face to face."

"You...paid the full price for the show...just for a chance to see me at the meet-and-greet?" Rarity said slowly.

Moondancer's smile faltered. "I...yeah, I did. That's...that's not weird, is it?"

"It's certainly extreme, darling," Rarity said. "Surely we could have made other arrangements if it meant so much to you."

"We...we could?" Moondancer asked, puzzled.

"Of course. I do occasionally make a special effort to meet some of my fans away from the normal hubbub of the fashion show scene." She smirked. "In fact, I said as much in my most recent interview with 'Quin Magazine, or didn't you read that?" she teased.

"I did," Moondancer said, "but I thought you meant, like...rich fans. Famous fans. Like Fancy Pants and Fleetfoot."

"Not at all, darling," Rarity said. "I can see them any time they choose. Sometimes I get tired of seeing them so often." She grinned conspiratorially. "No, I make a special effort to meet my most dedicated fans, the ones who must pay to see my clothes, and do so without complaint or expectation of reward."

"Oh..." Moondancer's ears flattened against her skull. "Well, like I said, I don't really get to see too many shows..."

"Darling," Rarity said gently, "you just paid for a show you didn't get to see, just to meet me. I believe that is a fairly strong indicator of dedication." Moondancer smiled faintly. "Anyway, I would love to continue chatting, but unfortunately my time is terribly limited, and--"

"I understand," Moondancer said, hastily reaching into her saddlebag for a thick book of fashion photos. "If you would just--"

"No, no, I mean, we'll have to pick it up again later, dear. Shinel," she said, summoning the PA again, "please get Miss Moondancer's information so we can set up a lunch meeting some time." She smiled back at the blushing Moondancer. "And do try to fit her in as soon as possible. I will be looking forward to it in earnest."

Comments

[Daedalus Aegle]

Welcome back, it's always good to see you post

[Rahl]

Love it already. And as a bonus, I think this is the first fix I've read to feature Moondancer. ...I should read more. Anyway, great job!