Hùndùn

by LoZLttP13

I-XXII. Rarity

Rarity held a rubber band in her mouth as she did her hair up in a ponytail. She was standing before a mirror, making sure that she looked presentable before she went out to lunch with her friends.

After their encounter with Zecora and their subsequent remedial bath a few weeks ago, Rarity had been constantly toying with the idea of asking her friends to join her for lunch and another spa trip. She was especially anxious to spend time with them because the Grand Galloping Galla was in only a little more than a week, and Rarity was tremendously nervous at the idea of finally meeting Prince Blueblood in person at that most prestigious of high-class balls. She needed to relax, and she could think of few things that could provide relaxation better to her than casually chatting with her friends in a bath at a hot spring.

Eventually, she built up enough courage to ask her friends to do it. They had agreed, and their get-together had been scheduled for that day. Since she was going to be undressing again at the spa soon, Rarity had dressed casually; she was in a simple white t-shirt, denim short shorts, and a pair of soft brown leather sandals. She was putting her hair up in a quick ponytail, and she wasn't wearing any makeup. Once she had her hair tied up with the rubber band, she made a satisfied smile at her reflection. "There's something to be said for natural beauty, I suppose...." she muttered.

There was a knock at her front door, and Rarity heard Sweetie Belle cry, "I'll get it!"

Rarity heard Sweetie's footfalls as she ran to the door, then the creak of the hinges as she opened it. "Oh, hi, Twilight!" Sweetie cried.

"Hello, Sweetie," Rarity heard Twilight's voice reply. "Is Rarity home?"

"Yep!" Sweetie answered before bellowing up the stairs, "Rarity, Twilight's here to see you!"

"Coming!" Rarity cried back as she snatched her purse from the edge of her bed and swiftly made her way down the stairs to the front door.

Twilight was standing in the doorframe, holding an old orange-and-yellow ruffled dress from a wire hanger. "Hi, Rarity!" Twilight said, cheerfully waving at her.

"Hello, Twilight!" Rarity replied. "You're here a bit early," she remarked.

"Yes; I wanted to ask you a favor," Twilight said. She held out her other hand, showing Rarity a a large coral-colored button. "Do you think you could sew this back on?" Twilight said.

"Of course, Dear!" Rarity replied, taking the dress and the button. She then handed them to Sweetie Belle, saying, "Sweetie Belle, would you be a dear and reattach Twilight's button to her dress, please?"

"Sure thing, Sis!" Sweetie replied, grinning and running towards Rarity's workroom.

Rarity turned back to Twilight and cheerfully asked, "What's the occasion?"

"Oh, that's my Gala dress," Twilight replied.

Rarity gasped. "Your Gala dress?!" she exclaimed, stunned. She held a hand to her mouth as she cried, "Surely you don't really mean to go to the Gala in that old thing!"

"It's alright, Rarity," Twilight reassured her. "Besides, I don't have any other ballgowns."

Rarity made an even more dramatic gasp. "Oh, no, no, no, Twilight!" she cried fearfully. "That dress simply will not do for the Gala!"

"Alright, then," Twilight said. She smiled as she asked, "How about you make me a new dress, then?"

Rarity's face lit up as she gasped and grinned elatedly. "Make you a new dress? Oh, that's a wonderful idea, Twilight!" she cried.

Twilight chuckled, rubbing her head. "That is, if you can handle it...." she added.

"Oh, of course I can, darling!" Rarity replied, tossing her hair. "Really, it's no trouble at all!"

"Well, alright, then," Twilight said. She nodded as she said gratefully, "Thanks, Rarity."

"You're most welcome, Dear!" Rarity replied.

Twilight raised her head back up, then her eyes widened as she cried, "Oh, I forgot something! Rarity, would you also mind tailoring a new suit for Spike? He's outgrown his old one."

"Of course I can!" Rarity said. "Just have him come in for me to get his measurements, and I'll be able to get started right away!"

"Thanks, Rare," Twilight said, grinning.

After a moment, Rarity clapped her hands together. "Well, I say it's about time we get going!" she said. "Let's go gather our friends, shall we?"

"Yes, let's," Twilight agreed.

Rarity and Twilight exited the Carousel Boutique, then made their way to the rest of their friends' homes until all of them were gathered together. The girls ate lunch at the town square's diner, then they went to Aloe and Lotus's spa, where they all immediately went into the hot spring-filled hot tubs.

The girls talked, laughed (and, in Pinkie's case, played) in the water for several minutes. After they had stared in awe and laughed as Pinkie did a few ridiculously complex dives into one of the tubs (partially in relief that she emerged from each of them unharmed), Rarity said, "One again, thank you all so much for coming. It really means a lot to me."

"You're welcome," Twilight replied cheerfully.

"Don't mention it," Applejack added.

Rainbow shrugged, folded her arms, and closed her eyes as she smirked. "Hey, did you really think I'd just pass up another chance to see you all naked again?" she said.

Fluttershy blushed and hid behind her hair, Rarity made a small smile of flattery, Twilight rolled her eyes, Pinkie grinned, and Applejack shot Rainbow a dirty look.

Rarity leaned against the wall at her back and took a long, deep, satisfied breath. After a few moments of silence, however, she opened her eyes and said, "Out of curiosity, girls, what are all of your plans for the Gala?"

"Why do you ask?" Pinkie asked curiously.

Rarity shrugged. "Oh, I don't know...." she muttered. "Twilight just asked me to make a new dress this morning, and so I suppose I was wondering what the rest of you planned to wear to the dance."

Applejack chuckled. "Well, shoot, Ah was just gonna go in my old work duds!"

Rarity stared in horror at Applejack for a moment, then said astonishedly, "Your work duds?!"

Applejack closed her eyes as she lazily nodded.

"But... you can't, Applejack!" Rarity cried distressedly. "It would be scandalous, as well as supremely rude, to the point of being unthinkable! You simply must wear formal attire!"

Applejack shrugged. "Hmm, nah," she said offhandedly.

Rarity's face twisted with apprehension. She said softly, "Umm... what if I were just to, erm... spruce up your old, eh... work duds for you, Applejack Dear?"

Applejack's brow furrowed, then she looked up, humming as though the suggestion was an unpleasant one to consider. At last, however, to Rarity's enormous relief, Applejack shrugged again as she relented, "Sure, why not."

Rarity sighed relievedly, but Applejack firmly added, "But if ya'll make it all frou-frou-ey-"

"I won't!" Rarity quickly assured her, holding her hands up. After a few moments, however, she gasped again as another realization struck her. She turned towards Rainbow and said, "Do you have a dress for the Gala, Rainbow Dash?"

"Nah," Rainbow immediately replied.

"But... what were you planning to go in?" Rarity asked worriedly.

Rainbow shrugged. "I dunno," she said.

"Would you allow me to make you a dress?" Rarity said hopefully.

Rainbow shook her head. "Nope," she said.

"Rainbow, you must-" Rarity began.

Rainbow interrupted her, "Zip it, Rare. I don't care if it's 'improper' or some shit like that. I. don't. do. dresses."

"But you'd be so cute, Dashie!" Pinkie cried, a sad look in her eye.

"I agree!" Rarity added. "You'd be absolutely stunning in a dress, Rainbow!"

Rainbow scoffed disgustedly. She folded her arms as she replied, "You can bitch about it all you like, but I ain't ever gonna wear a dress. Ne.ver." She glared at the others as she barked, "Got it?!"

Rarity gazed pleadingly at Rainbow for a few moments, but to no avail. She then moaned dramatically as she cried, "Oh, tragedy of tragedies! Such beauty... such a pretty flower, simply wasted!"

She turned to Fluttershy and failed to prevent the corners of her mouth from betraying the beginnings of a smile as she said, "Oh, what shall we do, Fluttershy Dear?"

Fluttershy swallowed, then looked down and began flushing as she said quietly. "Um... well, I... I think you're- you're right, Rarity... um...."

Twilight noticed Rainbow perk up slightly.

"I think that Dashie would look... um, lovely in a dress...." Fluttershy muttered, gazing away from the others nervously. "And I wish that she would...."

Rainbow gazed at Fluttershy for a few moments, then Twilight made a small smirk as she added, "Well, I for one find femininity on girls to be quite attractive, myself."

Rainbow blinked, then looked down as she said hesitantly, "I don't know...."

"What if I promise to make your dress... erm, cool, Rainbow Dash?" Rarity said, leaning forward hopefully.

After thinking with visible distress for a few moments, Rainbow cast quick glances at Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Twilight before she closed her eyes, sighed, and muttered, "Fine...."

"Oh, thank you, Rainbow Dash!" Rarity cried, rushing forward to embrace her. Rainbow's eyes widened with surprise for a moment, then she smirked and looked down at Rarity's breasts, which were pressed against her side.

Once Rarity released Rainbow, she gasped, then clapped her hands together. "I-deeeaaaaaaa!" she sang. She turned to the others as she cried excitedly, "I'm going to make you all new dresses for the Grand Galloping Gala!"

The rest of the girls gasped with excitement, but then Twilight said, "That would be amazing of you! But... are you sure, Rarity? I mean, it would be so much work!"

"I insist!" Rarity said, placing her hand over her chest. "Consider it my way of thanking you for the ticket, Twilight. Besides, it'll be a huge boost for my business. Plus, fun!"

Here Rarity giggled and squealed with delight. She then cried excitedly, "As soon as we leave, let's go to my boutique! I'll get all of your measurements, and then I'll get started on the designs right away!"

The others enthusiastically agreed.

---

Rarity spent a good deal of time trying to decide what she'd do with her friends' Gala dresses. She tossed ideas around in her head as she stitched Spike's new tuxedo together, and she later sketched and discarded many concept drawings in her pursuit of the perfect ensembles.

She wanted to give each of her friends a dress that matched their personalities, would be to their tastes, and would emphasize their diverse forms of personal physical beauty.

She wanted to tailor a dress with a theme of exotic, mystical wonder for Twilight. Rarity spent several hours studying the heavens late at night, attempting to distill their essence in her mind so that she might capture it in the weave of the dress's cloth. She wove the fabric herself, carefully choosing silks of purples and violets that would compliment Twilight's eyes and hair to thread through her loom. Once the cloth was completed, she then spent several hours with a needle and thread, delicately embroidering it with stunning patterns of stars and galactic clusters and vibrantly-colored nebulae. She made the dress backless, and ran slits up the skirt, so that as much of Twilight's lovely brown skin as possible would be shown. She then bought a pair of tall black high-heeled slippers, some silver star earrings inlaid with many indigo sapphires, and a silver tiara-like comb inlaid with rubies and sapphires designed to evoke a violet sunset to complete the outfit.

Rarity thought that Pinkie shouldn't wear something too elaborate; what Pinkie needed was something simple, fun, and playfully elegant. The first thing that she decided was that the entire thing would be of a single, uniform color: a hot, passionate pink. She decided to make it a party dress, and so she made a long, ruffled skirt for it. The top's design, however, was difficult for her to decide on; should she make it shoulderless and tube top-like, or should she go in a more traditional route and model it after classical ballgowns? In the end, Rarity decided to make it a little more modest, and so she decided upon an oriental-style kimono-inspired folded top with small sleeves. However, she made sure that the neckline would show some cleavage and made a long slit up the right side of the skirt to show off Pinkie's long leg, just to make it a bit sexier; after all, Rarity thought to herself with a chuckle, a dress could always use a little eroticism. She finished by buying Pinkie some matching high-heeled shoes and balloon earrings.

Fluttershy's dress was probably the easiest for Rarity to design; she decided that the Spring-themed dress that Fluttershy had worn for Photo Finish was almost perfect, and would need just a few modifications in its design. She chose fabrics of greens and pastel pinks that were a bit more vibrant than the originals, and embroidered vines and flowers into the skirt and the top. Rarity worked very hard to ensure that the dress would be reminiscent of current Athenian fashion trends by consulting the latest magazines to replicate the vogue motifs and touches of the time. Once she was satisfied that Fluttershy's dress was completed, Rarity bought a pair of high-heeled leather sandals that would provide a similar look to the shoes that Fluttershy normally wore. She finished the ensemble by purchasing a pair of soft pink butterfly earrings and making a note to ensure that Fluttershy would be wearing flowers in her hair when they went to the Gala.

Next were Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Rarity took a deep, anxious breath, bracing herself for her monumental task ahead. She would have to ensure that both of the dresses were suitable for the Gala, but still satisfied their owners by not being too overly feminine. She began designing Rainbow's ensemble first, as Rainbow could at least bear to have a few girly touches, such as hot pink accents and heart motifs, on her belongings (Rarity thought this was quite curious, particularly in regard to Rainbow's liking towards hearts; she still had no idea why Rainbow had such a soft spot for such a stereotypically girly symbol, but still knew that she did, as Rainbow's pillowcase had a hot pink heart pattern on it). After deliberating it for a while, Rarity decided to make Rainbow's dress vibrantly rainbow-colored and reminiscent of the classical Asgardian togas that Scorpan and Horus had once worn; that way, it would be satisfactorily masculine and "cool," not to mention reflective of Rainbow's native culture and her personality. She gave it a white fur edging, and completed it with a pair of ancient Asgard-style high-laced leather sandals (with no heels) and a gold laurel wreath to place in her hair.

At last, Applejack's dress. Rarity secured an old plaid shirt and a worn leather vest from Applejack, and spent several hours studying them to figure out how to salvage and integrate them into Applejack's enseble. Eventually, Rarity decided to emphasize their used quality by making them the front pieces of Applejack's dress; a risky and bold move, perhaps, but Rarity was determined to pull it off. She carefully cut Applejack's shirt apart in order to make it into strips of fabric she could work with, then made a green-and-orange top of sturdier fabric that she sewed them over. She then purchased several bolts of blue denim, which she stitched together and layered over other fabrics of reds, oranges, and yellows to make Applejack's skirt. Once Applejack's dress was on a mannequin, Rarity put Applejack's old brown leather vest over it. Deciding that it was very nearly perfect, but not quite satisfied, Rarity purchased a pair of red-edged, fine leather cowgirl boots, as well as a matching beaded soft brown cowgirl hat, to complete the ensemble.

All of the dresses thus completed, Rarity exhaustedly collapsed in her chair and scooted back to admire them. They turned out even better than she'd hoped; these were, without a doubt, the best dresses she'd ever designed. Rarity smiled. She was enormously glad that they'd turned out so well, as she wanted nothing more than for her friends to be completely happy with them.

---

Rarity invited her friends to her boutique in order to unveil their new dresses to them. She'd never been more excited in her life; she was absolutely sure that her friends would love them, and that they'd look amazing in them. She'd shown them to Sweetie Belle, who agreed; these were the absolute best works of Rarity's career.

Once all of them were at the boutique, Rarity led the others upstairs and down the hall to the door to her bedroom. Once they were there, Rarity excitedly said to them, "Close your eyes now! And don't open them until I tell you to!"

Her friends nodded and closed their eyes. Rarity then opened the door to her room and herded them all in before she squealed and sang, "Alriiiiight! You can open them now!"

Her friends did, then gasped at what they saw: all of their dresses were displayed on five mannequins before them.

"I've designed each of your dresses to match your personalities!" Rarity cried. She went to Twilight's dress, and said, "How do you like this embroidery, Darling? I think it's the best I've ever done! I know how much you love studying stars, so I tried to make your dress look just like the night sky!"

Rarity then moved on to Fluttershy's dress, saying, "Just look at this, Fluttershy dear! Doesn't it simply sing Spring?

"Ooh! And as for your dress, Rainbow Dash, it took me forever to get the colors right, but I'd say it came out marvelous, wouldn't you agree?"

Rarity's grin widened as she turned to Applejack. "How do your duds look now, Applejack?" she said with just a hint of smugness. She then stood behind Pinkie's dress, crying, "And look, Pinkie- pink!"

Rarity closed her eyes and squealed with delight, then looked expectantly at her friends as she cried, "So, what do you all think?"

The other girls blinked blankly at Rarity for a moment, causing her smile to fade slightly. They all made smiles that seemed a little forced as Applejack said, "Well, uh... they're all sure, uh... somethin'."

"Yeah, something!" Rainbow cried.

"I love something!" Pinkie interjected.

"They're, uh... definitely quite pretty," Twilight added.

"It's... nice," said Fluttershy.

Rarity's smile faded completely. "Just nice?" she said.

"Y-yes! They're very nice!" Twilight said quickly.

Rarity blinked. "Do you not like them?" she said softly, a little hurt.

Fluttershy shook her head and said, "No, I do like it, it's... nice."

"Is there something wrong with them?" Rarity said.

"N-no!" Twilight said. "It's just-"

"It's just not as cool as I thought it'd be," Rainbow said, frowning with slight disappointment.

"Rainbow!" Twilight hissed at her.

"What? She asked," Rainbow muttered.

"I guess it's just... they didn't turn out like we thought they would," Twilight said kindly.

Rarity gazed at her friends for a few moments, then sighed. "Well, that's alright. I mean, they were just first passes," she lied as she forced a smile. "I can certainly try again."

"Oh, you don't need to do that, Rarity," Fluttershy insisted. "The dresses you've made are lovely. They're fine."

"Oh, I want your dresses to be more than just fine," Rarity replied. "I want all of you to be one hundred percent satisfied with them."

Twilight began, "No, Rarity, you really don't-"

"No, no, I insist," Rarity interrupted her. "I won't rest until you all absolutely love your dresses."

"Well, thanks, Rarity!" Twilight said, smiling softly.

"So this time around, I want you girls to tell me exactly what you want."

The others nodded. "Will do," Rainbow said.

"Now, if you don't mind," Rarity said, "I'm going to get to work on preliminary sketches for your ensembles, then I'll have each of you come here and tell me how you'd like me to modify it."

Rarity's friends nodded, thanked her again, and exited the room together, crying "Bye, Rarity!" as they left.

Rarity made a wide smile until her friends left; but once they were gone, she looked distressedly at the ground. "Oh, what am I going to do?" she groaned under her breath.

---

The next few days were extremely hectic and stressful for Rarity. She had each of her friends come to her boutique; one at a time, whenever they could, and extensively consulted them when making the designs for her second attempt at their new dresses. Twilight told her that she loved the idea of star patterns, but that she wanted to ensure that they were technically accurate. Rarity was thus forced to study constellations and star formations in textbooks, which she found to be quite dull and lifeless work; these might be more technically accurate, Rarity thought, but they're so cold and lifeless. It doesn't truly capture the essence of the stars.

In addition, Rarity found that the cloth for Twilight's skirt became so crowded with constellation embroidery that she couldn't fit them all on. When she told Twilight about this problem, Twilight suggested that she make the entire dress out of the fabric. Rarity nearly threw up, and feebly asked Twilight if she was sure she wanted to do it, but Twilight insisted that she was. So Rarity made Twilight's dress out of the single constellation-patterned fabric, making it resemble an ugly robe littered with black patchwork once it was completed. Rarity nearly fell into despair, as this was by far the tackiest eyesore she'd ever laid her hands upon; however, there was even worse still to come.

Rarity consulted Rainbow next, and Rainbow was remarkably unhelpful. Rarity made several sketches of ideas for her dress, all of which were dismissed by Rainbow for not being "cool" enough. Rarity desperately tried asking Rainbow what she meant when she said to make it "cooler," to which Rainbow would only shrug and and mutter, "I dunno."

"What do you want, Rainbow Dash?" Rarity said exasperatedly after she had unsuccessfully shown Rainbow another one of her sketches.

"It just needs to be, y'know... cooler," Rainbow replied simply. She was lazily leaning against Rarity's writing-desk, gazing absentmindedly out of the bedroom window.

"What do you mean, 'cooler'?" Rarity said, desperation beginning to creep into her voice.

"It just needs to be cooler," Rainbow replied, inspecting a scab on her arm. "Y'know, about twenty percent cooler."

Rarity sighed. "What would be cool, Rainbow?" she said, her exhaustion and frustration quite apparent.

Rainbow shrugged. "I dunno," she said. "Armor's pretty cool, I guess."

Rarity groaned. "Armor? Really?" she said exasperatedly.

"Yeah. A suit of armor," Rainbow replied, smiling. "That'd be awesome."

Rarity gritted her teeth. "Alright...." she muttered. She didn't even have the will to argue anymore. She dismissed Rainbow Dash, then promptly ordered a brass suit of armor. Once it arrived, Rarity drudgingly drew rainbow-colored stripes with marker all over it.

Pinkie Pie and Applejack were easy to design for. Pinkie simply wanted balloons, lollipops, streamers, and confetti to be sewn into her dress, and didn't particularly care about how it looked or what its style was. Applejack's dress was even more ridiculously easy to make; all Rarity had to do was remove the sleeves off one of Applejack's old plaid shirts, convert one of her old pairs of shorts into a skirt, and buy her a pair of galoshes (because "it might rain," as Applejack put it).

To Rarity's enormous surprise, Fluttershy was by far the hardest one to design a new dress for. Rarity had thought that it would be impossible for someone to be more unhelpful than Rainbow, but Fluttershy proved her wrong; no matter what idea or design Rarity showed to her, Fluttershy would always say that she liked it, it was nice, it was fine, or some variation thereof. It got to the point where Rarity brought Fluttershy in front of a mirror in a half-completed dress and asked, "Now, Fluttershy Dear... what do you think?"

Fluttershy made a small, nervous smile at her reflection. "Oh, I love it," she said softly.

Rarity groaned. "Oh, you're just saying that," she said.

"No, no, I do like it," Fluttershy assured her. "It's... nice."

"If you don't like it, you should just tell me!" Rarity cried.

"Oh, but I do," Fluttershy said.

Rarity rounded on Fluttershy, causing Fluttershy to shrink away from her. "Like it or love it?!" Rarity demanded.

"Um... both?" Fluttershy said quietly.

Rarity backed Fluttershy against her wall, saying, "Which is it?!"

"Um... please stop asking me this," Fluttershy said anxiously. "I-"

"Just tell me what you really think!"

"No, that's okay-"

"Tellll meeeee!"

"No, i-it's fine...."

"Tellme!"

"I- I like it-"

"Tell me, tell me, tellmetellmeTELLME!" Rarity growled.

"Alright then," Fluttershy said worriedly. "Since you really want to know...."

She took a huge breath, then Fluttershy began, "The arm size- tight; the midi 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 overall design is reminiscent of prêt-à-porter and not true Athenian haute couture."

Rarity gaped in shock at Fluttershy for a moment, then Fluttershy muttered as she looked away, "But, um... whatever you want to do is fine."

In the end, Rarity simply gave up and asked Fluttershy to design her dress herself. The end result was a ridiculous eyesore of a green Athenian-style dress, the crowning jewel of which was a hat adorned with a fake bird's nest.

At the end, Rarity was incredibly disheveled, under-rested, and miserable. "Just look at these... things, Opal!" she cried as she stroked her cat, who was curled up in her lap. "These are the most ugly dresses I've ever seen!"

She cast a glance at Rainbow's armor as she added, "And that's not even a dress at all!" she cried. "It's... it's... it's a crime against nature, that's what it is! Her old dress was fine! My fabric choices were perfect!"

Rarity gazed distressedly up at the ceiling for a moment, then groaned. "Well, I suppose it's time to bring them back...." she muttered.

Rarity had Sweetie Belle gather her friends back to the boutique, then brought them to her bedroom again. She opened the door, cringing and tightly shutting her eyes as she awaited her friends' reactions. "Here they are...." she said softly.

The girls gasped. "Oh my gosh!" Twilight cried elatedly. "Rarity, these are perfect!"

Rarity felt her heart drop; this was exactly the reaction she was afraid of.

"Thank you so much, Rarity!" Fluttershy cried. "This is just what I wanted!"

Pinkie bounced in place excitedly. "I love them!" she cried. She then turned to Rarity and rapidly said, "Do you love them, too? Huh? Huh? Huhhuhhuh?"

Rarity swallowed, forced a smile, and replied weakly, "If you are all happy with them, then I am too."

Rarity's friends grinned, then Rarity cleared her throat and said, "Well, I'm going out to take a little walk. I'll be a few hours. I'll be back soon!"

Once Rarity had exited her bedroom and closed the door, she despairingly placed her hands over her face. She was exhausted, as well as enormously distressed; not only had she made dresses so terrible that they made the ones Sweetie Belle tried to make when she was five look exquisite, but she also couldn't take any comfort in knowing that at least her own would be amazing; she'd spent so much time slaving over the second incarnations of her friends' Gala dresses that she now no longer had any time to finish her own, which meant that she would have to buy a less-magnificent one for herself at another boutique.

Rarity trudged down her stairs and made her way out of her front door. She made her way to the Sugar Shack; she couldn't bear to see those unholy abominations her hands had crafted on her friends' bodies, and she desperately needed to get away from here to have some ice cream and liquor.

While Rarity was at the Sugar Shack, weepingly eating hot fudge-drizzled ice cream and drinking wine while wailing to the Cakes that she'd never receive a dance from Prince Blueblood now, her friends were busy continuing to admire their new dresses in her room. Fluttershy said to the others, "Come on, girls! Let's put them on!"

"Yeah!" the others shouted, then they all began to strip down. They all helped each other into their dresses, which took several minutes. Once they were all in their new Gala ensembles, Fluttershy said, "Come on, girls! Let's go downstairs and see what we look like!"

The others enthusiastically agreed, then they all stampeded down the stairs and made their way to the Carousel Boutique's group fitting room to see their reflections in the mirrors there.

Once they saw themselves, however, all of their eyes widened in shock.

"Uh...." Applejack said uncertainly.

Twilight blinked. "Oh, gee.... Um...." she said, gazing down at the heavy coat of dark blue fabric draped over her shoulders and form.

"These are... um...." Fluttershy said softly.

Rainbow lifted her arm and thrust it outward, gazing disbelievingly at the brass gauntlet over it. "These things fucking suck!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah! They do!" Pinkie cried. "What were we thinking?!"

The others all unanimously and loudly agreed, then after a few moments of awkward silence, Twilight said, "Do... do you girls suppose that Rarity still has, um... those first dresses she made for us somewhere?"

"Oh, yes," Fluttershy said, smiling. "She keeps them in her storage room. I saw them."

"Great!" Twilight said. "What do the rest of you say to trying those on?"

"Yeah!" the others chorused in unison.

However, as they ran out, Fluttershy suddenly skidded to a halt and gasped.

The others turned back to her. "What is it, Fluttershy?" said Rainbow.

"What about Rarity's dress?" Fluttershy said, covering her mouth. "It's not done!" she cried worriedly. "Rarity was making us our new dresses, and didn't have the time to finish hers!"

The others all returned her worried expression. "You're right," Twilight said. "What should we do, Fluttershy?"

After a few moments, Fluttershy gasped and smiled. "I've got it, girls!" she cried.

Fluttershy ran back up the stairs, gesturing to the others as she called, "Follow me, everyone!"

---

Several hours later, Rarity walked back home from the Sugar Shack, feeling slightly ill. She hadn't drunken enough to be intoxicated yet, but she still felt a bit tipsy, and she had certainly consumed too much ice cream. She was terrified to see how her friends looked in their disasters of Gala dresses, but had decided that she had put off the inevitable long enough.

Once Rarity reached the front door of her boutique, she entered and called, "Everyone, are you still here?!" into the house. However, nobody answered.

Shrugging, Rarity muttered, "I guess they took their dresses and went back home...."

Rarity yawned, set her purse down on her kitchen table, then made her way upstairs to her bedroom.

The moment she opened her bedroom door, however, the lights were switched on, and she was startled to see all of her friends standing on the other side and grinning at her. "Surprise!" they cried.

Rarity gasped; they were all in their original Gala outfits, and they all looked amazing. "Wha- Bu-!" Rarity stuttered. Once her surprise had softened a bit, she cried, "Huh?! Where are your new dresses...?!"

"We burned 'em," Applejack said, grinning. "Those things were awful."

Rarity slowly smiled as she gasped elatedly. "Y-Yes, they were, weren't they?!" she cried. "Just abysmal! They were the absolute worst things I have ever made, and I hope I shall ever make!"

"We're really sorry, Rarity...." Fluttershy said softly. She smiled at Rarity as she continued, "These dresses were perfect. We should have tried them on in the first place, because they're just amazing!"

"I love my dress! I love my dress!" Pinkie shouted, bouncing in place. "It's the most beautiful dress I've ever had!"

"And that's not all," Twilight said. She and Rainbow stepped aside, revealing a mannequin bearing a completed, violet-pink, elegant ball gown to Rarity.

Rarity gasped. "Is that-?" she said, pointing at it.

Rainbow smiled broadly and nodded. "Yeah! We finished it for ya!" she cried.

"Fluttershy did most of the work, though," Pinkie said, grinning as she held Fluttershy by the waist.

"Yeah!" Applejack added. "That girl's got some crazy sewin' skills!"

"I still don't know how we finished it so fast...." Fluttershy said perplexedly, staring at the ground.

"So, do ya like it?" Rainbow said, leaning forward hopefully.

Rarity blinked. "Like it?" she said. Her eyes narrowed and she frowned. Like it?!"

Her friends gazed anxiously at her as she huffed and spun around, folding her arms. "No, I don't like it!" she said.

Rarity's friends all gave deeply worried looks to each other. However, before any of them could begin apologizing, Rarity suddenly chuckled, drawing their attention back to her. She spun back around to face them and grinned enormously as she cried, "I love it!"

The others cheered, and rushed forward to embrace her. "Thank you so much, Rarity!" Twilight shouted over the others. "Thank you so much for these dresses. They're beautiful. We're so, so sorry-"

"Not at all, Darling!" Rarity laughed. "I should be the one thanking all of you! Especially for finishing my dress for me! You're really the best friends a girl could ever ask for!"

Comments

[Atlantis Productions]

My my, another chapter so soon? Has Christmas come early this year?

All joking aside, I'm guessing that the hooded cult will be attacking the gala. Why do I think that? Because how can you not? It's the Grand Galloping Gala! It was made to be messed up! I will do that in my story too, just in a way no one, and I mean no one, will expect.

[brisa_mlp]

7792597 well fluttershy isn't usually one to go out and fight somebody whether they're attacking or not

[LoZLttP13]

7806155 You ain't gonna survive long in this world if you ain't ever willing to fight...

[ElCazadorDeHistorias]

Well, this is a nice way to reboot that episode, with less drama and tragedy for Rarity.

Very funny how Rarity convinced Rainbow to get a dress for the Gala XD

[violet_star_267]

This chapter was good, but maybe not quite what I had in mind lol. (God I sound like the girls with there dresses)
To me, it didn't have that much.....What's the word.... Emotion. That's it! Emotion. But otherwise, great

[He23t]

Fashion is really complex in my opinion.

[brisa_mlp]

7806198 ok...