• Published 3rd Jul 2018
  • 8,312 Views, 610 Comments

The Champion of Harmony - Voxum



Princess Celestia understands that being an Element of Harmony is dangerous, and that Twilight and her friends are bound to make enemies. So, naturally, the only course of action is to send a guard to keep them safe, even if they don't know about it.

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Fashion Service

"Thank you, have a nice day!"

The usual response left his mouth without issue, with the customary smile and wave in seamless conjunction.

The stallion he'd finished serving left without issue, allowing the pony directly behind him to march right on up to the counter, and the cycle repeated once more.

It wasn't all bad, he supposed. Pinkie definitely kept him entertained whenever she popped out to deliver something to one of the tables, often doing some little dance or even outright jumping up onto the tables to present the customer their treat.

It had been a few days since he made that little revelation, and the Grand Galloping Gala was coming up quickly, and Hearth's Warming was only a month after that, promising a very busy next couple of weeks.

The line dwindled down quickly, since most of the orders were small and easily made, thankfully, until only one customer remained.

"Hey, Emerald!" Sparky exclaimed, adjusting the purple-and-white striped scarf around her neck with a tug of magic, "Could I get six blueberry scones?" she asked, smiling, "Princess Celestia gave me an assignment today, and I'll need the energy!"

"Really now?" he asked, passing the order off to Pinkie, "And what is she having you do?" Sparky smiled,

"She assigned me a few books to read on ambient magical theory," she said, "I haven't studied it in a while. I can't wait to start taking notes!" she gushed happily. Emerald chuckled,

"Of course you can't, Sparky," he remarked, hearing the bell ring behind him.

He still didn't know how Pinkie made everything so quickly, but he wasn't about to question it. So even as he reached behind him to grab the bag of six, fresh-out-of-the-oven-scones, he ignored the fact that they shouldn't have been ready yet, and simply passed the bag off.

"Thanks!" Sparky chirped, levitating a stack of bits onto the counter, and turned to leave, "Have a nice day!"

Emerald nodded after her, allowing his eyes to linger perhaps a little too long on her retreating form.

Her choice of attire was a little odd, in his opinion. A blue and white fur saddle, the aforementioned scarf, as well as a set of yellow rain boots on her hooves provided some strange colour clashing with her purple coat. But he ignored it, more focused on... other things.

He was snapped out of his trance once the door shut behind her, leaving him staring out into space for a moment, before his gaze slid over to the window just as she passed by it.

There was still a fair amount of snow on the ground, and a few stray snowflakes could be seen drifting towards the ground. It wasn't a blizzard like a few days ago, but it was still enough to warrant the use of winter clothing.

He chuckled a little, his eyes roaming away from the window, lingering over the ponies occupying the booths.

Each one of them wore some sort of scarf or hat, with the younger ponies wearing little boots or coats as well, leaving him as one of the few individuals not wearing any extra clothing.

Aside from the influx of customers the cold weather brought, the day was turning out to be a nice and simple one. Honestly, the past few days had followed that pattern and Emerald was quite thankful for the extended period of rest, especially considering how stressful the days before had been.

A sudden rush of motion from outside, which obscured the windows for a moment, causing the various customers littering the store front craning their necks to see what was going on, signaled the end of his peace.

Fantastic.

"Woah, what's going on?" Pinkie asked, sticking her head from the kitchen window, before gasping, "Is somepony throwing a party without me?!" Emerald sighed, and sent a glance her way,

"I doubt anyone in this town would throw a party without you, Pinkie," he said, and turned back, "But there's definitely something happening today, and knowing this town, it probably has something to do with you girls."

It wasn't a farfetched guess. Not at all, in fact.

In fact... he might just have a guess as to who this involved.

"Rarity mentioned that she would be getting visited by a famous photographer this week," he mentioned idly, "I'm guessing this is her."

A moment passed, before a magenta earth mare, wearing a pair of flight goggles, not too different from his own, suddenly burst into the room,

"Hot air balloon on the loose! Somepony help me out here!" she screeched, before bolting back outside. Most of their customers glanced at each other, before they all scrambled outside, a few of the foals whining about their abandoned treats in the process.

".... Or not," he amended, watching the thinning stream of ponies slide out the door.

Amongst the river of the bodies flowing out, he could clearly see the struggling form of one of them coming in, yelling out amidst the throng,

"Ooh! Watch the coat! No! Don't pull my mane! Move please!"

Eventually the flow subsided enough that the pony in question, who turned out to be none other than Rarity, managed to pop through a gap, nearly sliding onto the floor at the sudden lack of resistance.

Rarity straightened herself with a huff, adjusting her white fur cap so that it settled just behind her horn, as well as brushing some accumulated dirt off of her off-white fur jacket.

"Goodness, what's all the fuss about?" she asked, turning curiously over to Emerald and Pinkie, the latter of whom spoke up,

"Oh! Berry Punch's hot air balloon got loose again!" she answered cheerfully, only for Rarity to sigh and shake her head,

"That mare..." she muttered, "I swear she needs to keep a closer eye on that thing,"

"The balloon belongs to Berry Punch?" Emerald couldn't help but ask. They'd used it before, back during the Best Young Flier Competition, but they'd never mentioned that it belonged to someone.

Emerald had just assumed Pinkie had something to do with it.

Rarity shook her head,

"Oh no, she's just the one who maintains the thing," she explained, sighing, "She runs a wine press, but closes it down for the Winter, since the berries were harvested in October," she added, then continued, slightly more aggravated, "But my point does stand!"

"Right," Emerald muttered, before shrugging, "What can I get for ya?" he asked instead.

"Oh!" she gasped, as if she'd only just remembered why she was there, "Well, I'd like your help, if I'm honest," she said. Emerald nodded,

"Okay... with what?"

"I'm sure you recall our conversation at the spa not too long ago?" she led, and continued when he nodded, "Well, I spoke to Fluttershy earlier and she agreed to be my female model to showcase my dresses, but I fear I'm still in need of a male model..." she trailed off, staring at him imploringly. Emerald sighed,

"And why not choose someone else?" he asked, "Like... Macintosh? Or Thunderlane?" Rarity nodded at his suggestions, but shook her head,

"I'm afraid not, darling. While I do agree that Big Mac would look splendid in a tuxedo, and that Thunderlane could use a good cleaning up, I believe that you will do much better," she said, and tilted her head, placing a dainty hoof against her cheek, "Well, that and you being there would most assuredly give Fluttershy a bit of a confidence boost. With how shy that mare is, she'll need all the confidence she can get if I'm to impress Photo Finish without embarrassing her." Emerald nodded.

It was a sound idea, at least. Fluttershy could, very well, faint during the whole thing if there's too much attention on her at once, so having him there would not only draw away some of that spotlight, but it would help put his cousin at ease.

"Well, it's a good idea, I'll admit, though I'm not sure if me alone will be enough," he said, nodding along, "Yeah, I might boost her confidence, but I'm not really that close to her. Confidence is one thing, but courage is another."

"Why not ask Dashie?" Pinkie suddenly suggested, "She and Fluttershy have been friends forever! She'll definitely cheer her on!" she proclaimed, hoof extended into the air for dramatic effect.

Rarity 'Hmm'd to herself, nodding slowly,

"Yes, that is an idea..." she muttered, "Perhaps I could even convince her to..." she trailed off, beginning to mutter under her breath too quietly for him to hear. Emerald grunted, and shrugged,

"I... suppose you have a point, in the end. Besides, I don't have anything else to do after work anyways," he admitted.

"Splendid!" Rarity chirped, clapping her hooves excitedly, before giving a light squeal, "Oooh! Photo Finish is going to love the designs I'll have for you two so much, that she'll have no choice but to feature my designs!" she exclaimed, then spun on her hooves and waved towards them as she made her way outside, "I'm off to find Rainbow Dash, so wish me luck!"

A moment of silence passed between them after she left, before Emerald glanced at Pinkie,

"You think she'll be able to convince Rainbow to come along?"

"Nope!"


"I can't believe you managed to talk me into this..." Rainbow moaned from the couch, where she laid sprawled out on her back, scarcely paying attention as Rarity moved about her two models, her magic moving various needles and threads around, though she took care to avoid Emerald after the fifth time her magic shorted out around him.

Oddly enough, she didn't seem to question it, though that could be due to the sheer amount of focus she was dedicating to his and Fluttershy's outfits.

Fluttershy was decked out in a long black gown, inlaid with multicoloured sequins, that ended in a fuzzy pink trim. Of course, it wasn't all, given that she was also wearing a black headdress, with feathers of the same shade of pink flaring out over the top.

In contrast to Fluttershy's darkly coloured outfit, Emerald was garbed in a bright, shiny, blue suit that remained unbuttoned at the front, exposing his white undershirt underneath, which matched the set of white boots on his hooves. It was decorated with a bright red bow tie at the collar, fit with a rose of an equally bright red beside it, all topped off, quite literally, with a top hat the same colour as the suit, with a red band at the base.

"Imagine how I feel..." Emerald muttered. Admittedly, when he'd agreed to be her model, he hadn't anticipated all that it would entail. After all, Photo Finish was going to arrive, potentially while he was still acting as a model, and after the annoyance that was Hoity Toity, he didn't want to endure any sort of fashion related drama again.

Not to mention the impact it would have on his station as the Champion.

He knew that Mo-the princess had said that he'd have to come clean eventually, but even if that was the case, he didn't want it to be like this.

"Alright!" Rarity suddenly announced, not quite glancing at him and Fluttershy as she passed around them once more, a length of measuring tape in her magical grip, "Photo Finish is going to want to see attitude and, most importantly, pizzazz!" she breathed.

"A-attitude?"

"Pizzazz?"

"Hmm, it needs more light," Rarity muttered, "The sequins on Fluttershy's dress must shine! And we certainly can't have Emerald sitting in the dark either. Rainbow Dash!" she shouted, startling the chromatic mare off the couch, landing on the floor with a pained grunt,

"Ugh, what?" she groaned, rising back to her hooves, sending Rarity a half-hearted glare, though it remained unnoticed as the unicorn started fumbling around through a nearby box,

"I need you to adjust the spotlight to shine on them more while I look for some more feathers for the headdress," she ordered. Rainbow groaned,

"Aw, what? Why's it gotta be me?" she muttered,

"Aw, don't be like that, Dashie!" Pinkie said brightly, "Rarity's our friend, and this is super important to her!" she added, nodding at the blue pegasus seriously, though it was ruined somewhat by the eager smile on her face. Rainbow shook her head,

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." she muttered, though she had already begun flying up to the light in question. The room brightened considerably a moment later.

"Ah, here they are!" Rarity cheered, emerging from the box, a set of pink feathers flying out after her. They hovered in the air for a moment, before Rarity had them zooming straight over, and into, Fluttershy's headdress. Rarity approached them once more, giving them a hard once over, specifically Fluttershy,

"Hmmm.... More sequins!" she announced, pointing at Rainbow, "I need more sequins, Rainbow Dash! Over in the dresser!"

Rainbow sputtered, but didn't say anything, preferring to grumble to herself as she slunk over to the nearby dresser. She rummaged through it, and soon returned with a bowl filled to brimming with sparkling little sequins, which Rarity gathered in her magic, then practically chucked the whole pile at him and Fluttershy, causing both of them to splutter and spit in surprise,

"Ack! What the fuck, Rarity?!" Emerald snapped, but she ignored him, already trotting behind him.

She eyed him for a moment, before reaching out and grabbing his tail, eliciting a shocked yelp out of him even as he felt her almost violently run a brush through the damn thing,

"Your tail is far too unruly!" she said, "Pinkie, gel!" she called.

"Yay!" Pinkie cheered, happy at finally being called upon, happily bouncing over to the nearby dresser, where she swiped up the indicated bottle. Gel in hoof, she eagerly trotted back over to Rarity, and passed it along.

Rarity didn't acknowledge her presence, instead taking the bottle without so much as glancing at her. This was followed by the ever unpleasant sensation of something being rubbed into his tail a moment later. She finished gelling up his tail, unaware of just how close Emerald had been to kicking her in the face the entire time, and stepped away from them for a moment.

"I'm... sorry if I seem a little short with you all," she suddenly apologized, stunning the three of them for a moment, though Pinkie remained unfazed, "I'm just very nervous about this whole thing. Photo Finish's opinion could very well mean the end of my business if she doesn't like my designs, regardless of how much Hoity Toity and Sapphire Shores seemed to like them," she said somberly.

"Oh, it's alright Rarity," Fluttershy cooed softly, smiling at her friend, "It must be really stressful to have your business on the line like this, so it's okay," she added understandingly,

"Yeah!" Pinkie chirped, "We're your best friends, Rarity! We've totally got your back!" Rainbow nodded,

"Eh, I might not be into this whole 'fashion' thing, but its real important to you, so I'll deal with it," she added supportively, for her at least.

"You're determined," Emerald said, and nodded, "I can respect that." Rarity smiled at them, her gaze drifting to the ground as her eyes began to tear up,

"Oh... thank you all so much..." she gasped, her smile widening into Pinkie-esque territories, before she practically lunged forward towards Emerald, using her magic to pull the other three towards them, and engulfed them all in a hug.

Pinkie and Fluttershy happily reciprocated the gesture, though Emerald and Rainbow were more hesitant. But, eventually, they too gave in.

For a few seconds that they'd later deny, of course.

They broke apart a moment later, with Rarity discretely wiping a tear away,

"Alright," she breathed, and swallowed the lump in her throat, "Alright..." she repeated, then nodded firmly, "With your help, I know I can really impress Photo Finish!" she declared confidently, giving them all a bright smile that had most of them returning it.

The moment was ruined an instant later when the front door practically burst open,

"I, Photo Finish, have arrived!" a heavily accented voice announced, startling the mares.

Emerald glanced over at the newcomer and was struck with how... odd she seemed.

Her mane and tail were stark white, and visibly well cared for. Her mane had been styled into a short bob cut, though her tail remained long with the slightest curl towards the end of it. Her sky blue coat was equally well cared for, though most of it was hidden by a sleek black and white striped dress that flared outwards towards her cutie mark, which was also obscured. A good portion of her face was hidden behind a set of black goggles with bright pink lenses, with an equally pink scarf wrapped around her neck.

While her appearance was a little strange to the thestral, her behavior was even more so.

She was quite obviously scanning the room, even going so far as to ignore Rarity's greeting. She gave off the air of someone who believed themselves too important to regard other ponies unless they had something of value, and given her occupation as a photographer, he had no doubt that that was the case.

She wasn't alone, of course. Two other mares accompanied her, wearing strange, skin-tight garbs of blue and white, and pink and gold. Their manes were styled into similar buns, and their tails were tightly wound into buns of the same type.

Emerald hid a sneer. He really didn't like this whole 'fashion' thing.

"Photo Finish!" Rarity chirped nervously, though obviously excited as well, "I must say, it's quite the honor to-" she cut herself off as Photo walked straight passed her,

"We begin... now!" she declared as a third pony, wearing a green long-coat, rushed forward with a purple and gold briefcase, which suddenly popped open into a large tripod camera.

Rarity, completely nonplussed by the earlier dismissal, had already zipped back over to him and Fluttershy,

"Remember! Attitude and pizzazz!" she hissed quietly, obviously more nervous than before.

A flash from the camera prevented either of them from responding,

"Come on now, show Photo Finish, zomethink!" the photographer shouted.

Emerald and Fluttershy spared each other a glance.

Alright.... attitude and pizzazz....

What the fuck did that mean?

Regardless, he lifted his front right leg, straightened his back, and turned his nose slightly upward, just as Fluttershy rose to her back legs, dropping into a pose he'd likely see on a hungry lion.

"No!" Photo shouted, causing Fluttershy to wilt, dropping her unusual pose, head beginning to tuck behind her mane. Emerald noticed his cousin's reaction, dropping his pose as well. He sneered at the cameramare, doing absolutely nothing to hide his disdain.

"Hmm... yes..." she muttered, though Emerald wasn't sure what she was talking about.

Rarity, who had once more snuck around behind Photo Finish, gave them a supportive smile, before miming for them to do the same.

Once more glancing at each other, the two of them tried to follow her directions, with Fluttershy giving a very obviously fake smile to the camera, holding a hoof beneath her chin. Emerald tried to do much the same, allowing his height over Fluttershy to help him peer over her back, giving the camera a sort of half-grin, turning his nose up a little more than before.

"No!"

Their smiles dropped, Fluttershy's face taking on a downturned expression, while Emerald sneered once more.

"Yes!"

Both he and Fluttershy were once more confused by Photo's reaction, but their eyes drifted over to Rarity regardless. She smiled once more, though it was strained, and struck a pose of her own. Stretching her legs wide, while flexing one of her front hooves, it was likely some pose she'd seen in an old painting, he noted.

Either way, they copied her, Fluttershy in front facing to the right, with him facing the left behind her.

"No!"

Fluttershy wilted once more, this time nearly curling up onto the ground. He could practically see the anxiety pulsing through her. Fluttershy was a kind and gentle individual who loved helping her friends. If Emerald didn't think this was going well, which he most certainly didn't, then Fluttershy might be afraid she was screwing everything up.

Emerald placed a hoof on her back, while sending a glare back at Photo once more.

"Yes!"

He ignored her this time,

"You alright, Shy?" he asked gently. She turned and glanced up at him,

"Oh... um... y-yeah, I guess I'm just-"

"Enough!" Photo suddenly announced, collapsing the camera as she suddenly spun around. She walked passed Rarity, with the three mares she'd come in with dutifully following behind her, the long-coat one carrying the camera with her.

Silence reigned for a moment, before Rainbow suddenly spoke,

"Jeez, what the hay is her problem?!" she snarled, tearing herself away from Pinkie, who, at some point, had covered her mouth with a hoof, "Who does she think she is, talking to you guys like that?!"

For once, Emerald agreed with her,

"I don't like her," he said contemptuously, stripping himself of his suit. Rarity ignored both of them, however, and merely proceeded to help Fluttershy undress, a sad expression overtaking her features,

"I-I'm so sorry," Fluttershy said, looking guilty, "I tried my best but..." Rarity shook her head,

"Your headdress was too big, the cape had too much sparkle, and Emerald's outfit was a little too shiny for him," she said, smiling gently at Fluttershy, before it fell, "I can't believe I thought I could impress Photo Finish," she muttered sadly.

The door suddenly burst open once more revealing the very mare in question,

"I, Photo Finish, seem to have discovered the newest fashion sensation here, in Ponyville!"

"R-really?!" Rarity gasped,

"Really," Photo confirmed, "And I, Photo Finish, will do everythink in my power to make all of Equestria see its magnificence shine!"

"Shine?" Rarity muttered, her voice rising in pitch, even as a smile overtook her,

"Tomorrow, a photo shoot in ze park!" Photo declared, and paused, ".... I go!" she announced dramatically, and dashed out the door once again.

"Did you hear that, everyone?" Rarity asked, happily trotting over to the door, where she spun and faced them with a radiant smile on her face, "I'm the newest fashion sensation! She said she's going to make me shine all over Equestria!" she cheered, almost bouncing on her hooves,

"Oh thank goodness!" Fluttershy breathed, "I was so worried I'd messed this up for you!"

"I still don't like her," Emerald said,

"I hate her," Rainbow agreed, crossing her hooves. Rarity shook her head,

"I knew you two would be perfect!" she said, ignoring his and Rainbow's words. Finally, however, it seemed the excitement had made its way to her head, and Rarity began excitedly bouncing on her hooves,

"Ooh! Yes, yes, yes, yes!"

Emerald sighed at her excitement, but a soft smile graced his features nonetheless. Rarity suddenly stopped bouncing,

"Oh my gosh, I have so much to do!" she realized, "I don't know how long the shoot will last, and I have to make dresses and suits to last the entire session!" she breathed, horrified, "I have to-!" she was cut off by a sudden, eager knocking on the door.

Confused, and likely thinking it was Photo Finish again, Rarity immediately spun around and opened the door,

"Is there something you need Pho-oh!" she interrupted herself, "Applejack? Spike? What can I do for you?" she asked, "I'm afraid I don't have a lot of time," she added.

"Uh, that's fine, Rarity, we were just here ta, uh..." Applejack's strangely unsure voice resounded from out of their sight. Emerald frowned, and ended up sharing a confused look with Rainbow,

"Do you want some pie?! I helped make it!" the hatchling asked,

"Oh, well that sounds lov-ely?" Rarity said, her voice shifting from delighted to unsure towards the end for some reason.

Rarity moved aside to let the two of them in, revealing a very uncertain looking Applejack, and Spike, who was carrying... a pie?

Emerald's nose turned up at the mere sight of the thing in his claws. It certainly looked like it might have once been a pie, but given its sickly gray colour, and the fact that Emerald couldn't even smell the thing, led him to believe that it was, in no way, an actual pie.

A thought suddenly struck him.

Wasn't Sparky doing a bunch of research today? Wouldn't she be needing her assistant for it? So why the fuck was Spike spending time with Applejack of all ponies?

It was possible that Sparky had given him the day off, considering that her research, from what he guessed, likely had to do with a lot of reading, leaving him with little to do to help. But if that was the case, wouldn't he have immediately made his way over to Rarity's for the day?

Seemingly in defiance of his expectations, Spike and Applejack walked into the Boutique, with Spike happily walking towards the kitchen. Applejack lagged behind a little bit, looking distinctly uncomfortable, and gave the entire room a pleading look, before moving on.

They all shared a confused look, before following behind the unusual pair.

When they arrived in the kitchen, they found Spike waiting patiently, but obviously excitedly, beside the 'pie', which he had set on the table.

"So, uh... why don'tcha give 'er a slice, Spike?" Applejack asked,

"Okay!" he said, and zipped off to grab a plate and fork. Taking the brief moment in his absence, Emerald turned to Applejack,

"Mind explaining?" he asked,

"Yeah, what the hay is going on?" Rainbow added. Applejack sighed,

"Well, thing is-"

"I'm back!" Spike cheered, inadvertently cutting Applejack off, before he ran back over to the table, setting not one, but five separate plates onto the table, "And I got enough plates for everypony too!"

"Oh," Applejack said, glancing at the others apologetically, "Well, uh, that's mighty.... thoughtful of ya, Spike," she finished. Spike puffed out his chest, apparently proud of the pointless task, then set himself to dividing the "pie" onto the plates.

It took him a minute or so, but eventually everyone save himself and Applejack had a piece passed to them, excluding Emerald, who Spike was too afraid to get near, and, unfortunately, had Applejack pass, looking apologetic.

He stared down at his slice of the thing, and, without any hesitation or remorse, tossed it in the trash.

He ignored the angry glares that both Applejack and even Pinkie sent him, though Pinkie's glare faded when she took her first bite.

It was interesting to watch her face twist into something that resembled disgust, an expression that looked distinctly out of place on Pinkie. Spike, much to his surprise, seemed completely oblivious to Pinkie's reaction.

Though, after seeing how intently he was staring at Rarity, who had yet to take a bite, then perhaps it wasn't so surprising.

The sound of trash meeting bin interrupted his thoughts, and he glanced over to find that Rainbow had done much the same as him, though, seemingly, with more disgust than him.

He looked over to Fluttershy, only to blink in shock when he saw her empty plate. It faded a moment later when he spotted it hiding back inside the tin, as if it had never been moved.

Eventually, their gazes all rested on Rarity, save for Pinkie, who was too busy trying not to cry it seemed, and they waited.

She swallowed when she noticed everyone's gaze on her, and, timidly, used her magic to stick a bit of the "pie" onto a fork and, in a motion that reminded Emerald greatly of tearing off a bandage, bit into it.

Her eyes widened in horror, but, even so, she pressed on, beginning to chew on the foul substance.

"Wow, you look good even when you're chewing!" Spike exclaimed, confusing Emerald, "Who looks good when their chewing?" he asked nervously, staring up at Applejack.

Rarity took this moment of distraction to violently spit the food out of her mouth, before quickly wiping her mouth with a nearby napkin, just in time for him to turn back as well,

"Well, that was, um.. delightful, Spike," she said,

"Really?" he asked eagerly, then glanced down at the lone bite taken out of it, "Oh? Aren't you gonna have more?" he asked. Rarity stilled for a moment, and lout a nervous laugh,

"O-oh, well, I would but, you see, I had a rather large, um, lunch!" she said, almost shouting the last word, "Yes, a large lunch indeed. I'm afraid I can't eat anymore of your, er... wonderful pie."

"Oh," Spike nodded, and smiled, "Okay!"

"Uh, Spike?" Applejack interjected, "Why don'tcha wash off their plates?" she suggested. Spike saluted,

"Yes ma'am!" he said, and gathered everyone's plate, except Emerald's, who merely tossed his at the drake to save time.

"Oh my, what's all this about?" Rarity asked once Spike was out of hearing range. Applejack sighed,

"Well, thing is, I kinda saved Spike from some timberwolves in the Everfree, an' now he thinks he owes me 'is life," she said.

Emerald stilled for a moment, and sighed.

And here he had begun to think that whatever was causing this was stupid. If Spike was really doing this because he owed Applejack his life, then he could certainly understand what the drake was doing.

Although, Applejack did sound a little exasperated. Strange, considering how many chores he does for Sparky, Emerald would've thought that Applejack would be glad to have someone like Spike around to help out at the farm.

He glanced back the pie, and frowned.

Then again, Spike cooked for Sparky all the time, and yet he claimed to have a significant part in that thing's creation. Not only that, but after all the fuss he had over Owloysius' introduction, he just shifted his loyalties like that?

Emerald's frown deepened.

Something was wrong. He knew that Sparky and the hatchling had made up, at some point, but, perhaps Spike was still feeling restless and was trying it make himself feel better? But that wouldn't explain why he screwed up the pie so badly.

...

She saved him from some timberwolves, right? Just how close had he been to dying, then? Depending on how close a shave he had with death, it could very well have put him into shock and his cooking skills were suffering from it, though he seemed fine, and it might've been going on for some time now.

And hadn't Sparky mentioned something about a full grown dragon in the Everfree chasing them not too long ago?

A delayed reaction triggered by his brush with the timberwolves, then?

It would explain why he shifted to Applejack as easily as he seemed to. Maybe he was trying to distance himself from the mare he associated that instance with until he sorted through it subconsciously.

"Really?" Rarity asked, breaking him from his thoughts, "Oh that's marvelous! I only wish I could have someone owe me a life debt!" she gushed, "Why, I could have them organize my closest, give me pedicures, help me with my sewing an-!"

"I get it!" Applejack snapped, "Havin' somepony doin' things for ya is a dream come true," she added,

"Heck yeah it is!" Rainbow interjected excitedly, "So what are you having him do? Laundry, cleaning, harvesting? Help write your novel?" she asked, "Cuz mine is all about a pegasus who's the best flyer ever and becomes the Captain of the Wonderbolts!" she boasted.

"Ingenious," Emerald snarked, "How ever did you come up with that idea?" She shrugged,

"Eh, it just came to me."

"I don't want 'im ta serve me forever," Applejack interrupted them, and frowned, "I don't feel comfortable with him thinkin' he owes me 'is life. I dunno how I'm supposed ta make 'im stop,"

"Um... maybe you could just ask him to stop?" Fluttershy suggested, but Applejack shook her head,

"I tried that, an' everytime he tells me that his 'dragon code' won't let 'im." Rainbow scoffed,

"Then just make him do something really hard," she said, waving her hoof casually, "Once that's over with he'll feel like he's repaid you, and stuff."

"That won't work," Emerald said suddenly.

Applejack blinked at his suddenly reply, and turned to him,

"Whaddya mean?" she asked. Emerald sighed, and shook his head,

"You could order him to move the mountains, and he'd do it no matter how impossible," he said, and looked her straight in the eye, "The value of a life is only equaled by that of another life, Applejack. It doesn't matter what you have him do, because it will never equal the price of the life you saved. That is a guarantee."

Applejack sighed angrily,

"Then what am I supposed ta do?!" she asked, "You saw that pie! His help ain't exactly helpful!" she insisted. A loud crash interrupted them, just as Spike suddenly appeared in the door, laughing nervously,

"Hey, uh... where's the broom?"


Rarity, not wanting Spike to ruin her kitchen anymore than he was, had opted to show him where the broom was as well as watch over him while he cleaned to prevent any more messes. Pinkie, however, had rushed off to the bathroom, where he could faintly hear the sound of retching, and Fluttershy had decided to go and comfort her after he told her about it.

He'd've gone to do it himself, but-

"I don't believe you," he said bluntly, "There's no way in Tartarus that Sparky would just let Spike serve you for life. Especially not after the whole Owloysius debacle." Applejack huffed,

"I'm tellin' ya, Spike went over an' asked 'er 'imself!" she insisted, "Said she was completely fine with it too!"

"And I'm telling you that I don't fucking believe it," he repeated, then smirked, "As a matter of fact, I'll fucking prove it, let's go," he stated, spinning around. Applejack blinked,

"'Go'?" she asked, and frowned, "Where?"

"To talk to Sparky, of course."

-----

"Sparky?" he called, passing through the front door with ease. There was no one down in the actual library portion of the building, which made sense if she was still working on whatever assignment that Mother had given her.

He growled to himself.

Still doing it.

He shook his head, and immediately made for the stairs. While he couldn't hear anything going on upstairs, he just knew he'd find her sitting in her room, reading away.

And, indeed, that's exactly what he found.

Sparky, her back turned to him and Applejack, sat in front of her desk, the curtains partially closed, reading away. There were two stacks of books on either side of her, though one was significantly larger than the other. That either meant that she was finishing up the eleventh of what appeared to be twelve books, or had only just started on the second.

Knowing her, it was likely the former.

"Sparky!" he called once more, punctuating it by slamming the door open harder than usual.

"Ahh!" she yelped, sending her book flying once more, only Owloysius wasn't around this time, leaving the book to come crashing down atop her own head.

Emerald snickered at the sight, and ended up fighting a much harder laugh when she turned around to face him, her eyes only just visible underneath the edge of the book,

"Emerald...." she said lowly, though whatever effect it was supposed to have was ruined by the massive red blush adorning her face.

"Sparky," he replied cheekily, though his cheer faded quickly, "So, is it true?" he asked. Sparky paused, taking the book gently off of her head,

"Is... what true?" she asked, obviously confused, her eyes dancing between him and Applejack,

"Well, Spike told me that you were okay with 'im servin' me forever after I saved 'im from some timberwolves in the Everfree," she explained uneasily. Sparky stared at her, and, after taking a single, deep, breath, spoke.

"What?" she asked. Applejack blinked,

"He said... oh, of course," she muttered, dragging a hoof down her face, "He told me that you were okay with 'im servin' me since his 'dragon code' said he had to," she repeated, then gave herself a hard pat on the head, "Shoulda known ya wouldn't have jus' let 'im do that,"

"I must've been really distracted to miss that..." Sparky chastised herself,

"Well, now that ya know 'bout all this, do ya think ya can help me get rid of 'im?" Applejack asked desperately. Sparky sighed, and shook her head,

"Oh, I'd love to, Applejack," she said, "But I can't. This is dragon code, we're talking about," she said, frowning, "Spike takes that very seriously, as long as he thinks he owes you, he won't stop," she said, then perked up, though it was faked, "I mean... it's not all bad! He's a very good cook, and he's wonderful at doing his chores!"

Applejack, winced,

"Yeah... 'bout that..."

"I think he's going through a bit of a disconnect of some kind," Emerald interjected, "That mess with the dragon could be considered fairly traumatizing for someone as young as him. He was probably just burying it down, until those timberwolves brought it back up. He'll probably be fine in a few days. He just needs to feel like he's useful again, and I'm sure this will blow itself away."

"I... guess that makes sense," Applejack said, though she didn't seem too sure about it.

"Well, I'll see if I can't schedule a visit to the therapist. He's too young to deal with that kind of thing alone," Sparky added, then nodded, "But first, I think I have an idea on how to get rid of the debt he thinks he owes you," she said, wrapping a hoof around Applejack's shoulder.

Emerald scoffed,

"It better not have anything to do with putting Applejack in danger just to have him save her," he said, sneering, "An idea like that has too many risks." Sparky shook her head,

"Of course not!" she snapped, then relaxed, "That's why we're going to pretend her life is in danger."

"That's not much better."

"What's the plan, Twilight?"

"Damn you ponies..."


Emerald's eye twitched, even as he felt a surge of respect for the foolish little hatchling.

Applejack and Sparky had gone out to gather the others, save Rarity, since Emerald had told them about her upcoming fashion show, while Applejack had asked Emerald to find a way to distract Spike, but keep him at the orchard.

He genuinely didn't know what to do, and had just given Spike the first impossible task he could think of, something that even he wouldn't have done, regardless of whether Mother ordered him to or not.

Count the grass.

Of course he'd said that Applejack told him to pass along the message, as well as a bullshit reason as to why she'd even want that done, but he hadn't even gotten passed the order itself when Spike had set himself to actually counting the fucking grass.

That was loyalty and determination that had to be respected, if not admired.

It was also hopelessly stupid, but respectable nonetheless.

Emerald shook his head and slunk back into the barn, where the others waited.

"Okay, he's... distracted," he said, and spared a glance backwards, "... very distracted." Applejack nodded,

"Good," she said, and turned to everyone, "Now, I know ya'll are wonderin' why Twilight an' I brought ya here," she began, ignoring Pinkie's excited 'Yep!', "See, I need Spike ta save mah life,"

"Uh... what?" Rainbow asked, then sighed, "Oh yeah, the whole 'serving you forever' thing, right?" Twilight nodded,

"That's right. Spike has this dragon code he's made for himself so that he doesn't end up like the meaner dragons that sometimes enter Equestria, and he takes it really seriously," she explained, sounding a little exasperated, "I didn't see much of an issue when he first made it, but that was a long time before we came to Ponyville," she added with a sheepish chuckle.

"S-so, um... why does Applejack need Spike to save her life?" Fluttershy asked,

"Cuz I don't want 'im servin' me, an' Twilight says that this'll definitely get 'im ta think we're square," Applejack said.

"And we're here... why?" Emerald asked. He hadn't been made privy to their plans before they left, leaving him just as in the dark as the others,

"Ya'll are here, cuz I'm gonna get attacked by a timberwolf," Applejack announced darkly.

The girls, save Sparky, gasped at that.

"What?!" Pinkie shouted, sounding much more worried than he'd heard her, "But that's super dangerous!"

"That's why it won't be a real timberwolf," Sparky clarified, smiling, just as her horn glowed. A bright flash of light lit up the room, revealing-

"What the fuck is that thing?" Emerald snapped.

Levitating quietly in Sparky's magical grip, was a timberwolf puppet that looked more like it belonged in a foal's play than anywhere near this kind of idiocy.

Its head was made of a log split in two, with its body being a whole one. Twigs made up its tail, and a few leaves were stuck to its face.

All in all, it was a well made puppet, but it was no where near convincing enough to make anyone who'd seen an actual timberwolf at least once, think they were seeing one again.

"This is our timberwolf!" Sparky announced happily, "Turns out that Cheerilee had one in storage. Apparently she uses it for the school play every year," she added. Emerald blinked, and sighed,

"Do you honestly believe Spike will fall for that?" he asked, brow raised, "I understand he's only a hatchling, but surely he's smarter than that? I mean, it's a fucking puppet," he stressed the word, "and not just that, but a puppet made for foals."

Sparky winced at his words, but shook her head and stood firm,

"It's the best we've got!" she insisted, "Besides, even if it doesn't look like a timberwolf, we can trick Spike into thinking it is!" Emerald scoffed,

"How?"

"Rainbow here used ta tell me all 'bout how good she was at imitatin' a timberwolf," Applejack said. Rainbow laughed,

"Aw yeah! I used to practice that for hours at my old school for the talent contest," she said, then wilted, "Flying wasn't allowed...." she muttered petulantly.

"Plus," Sparky continued, "they're made of wood, so faking their steps won't be difficult either." Emerald shook his head, and cast his gaze around the assembled mares, before shrugging,

"Fine. Whatever. What's the stinkin' plan anyways?"


There was no way in Tartarus that this plan was going to work.

Honestly, Sparky raised Spike herself. Wouldn't that, logically, mean that Spike would be smarter than most his age?

Then again, he did run to Sugarcube Corner looking for a quill.

Emerald shook his head. Matters of whether or not the hatchling was smart weren't his business.

Applejack and Sparky's plan involved the group of them running over to the park to begin. According to their plan, the idea was for Sparky to control the puppet from within the trees, out of sight, while Fluttershy and Rainbow hid off to the side. Applejack had provided a set of mugs for Fluttershy to wear to simulate the sound of the timberwolf's steps, while Rainbow would imitate its roar.

That left him and Pinkie with two other, not quite as important, jobs.

Pinkie's role was to come running out of the Everfree, screaming about timberwolves to make it seem like she was actually getting chased. Emerald, however, was there to imitate its growling, apparently.

Applejack was then left to perform her part, by pretending to trip and injure her hoof, leaving Spike having to drag her along behind him "away from the danger".

"Alright, everypony ready?" Applejack called,

"Yeah!"

"Yep!"

"Okay."

"Get on with it!"

He heard Applejack grumble at that last one, just as another voice shouted out,

"Hey, Applejack!" she stiffened,

"He's comin'!"

Emerald slid back into the bush he'd chosen as a hiding place, and watched as the hatchling came to a stop in front of the farm mare.

"I'm here, Applejack!" he said happily, "You said you needed me for something?"

"Oh, right, yeah, uh..." she looked around, "I needed ta grab some wood fer the house, but all the spare wood back home is wet from the snow, so I need some from the, uh, the Everfree," she explained.

"Really?" he asked, but nodded before she could answer, "Sure! That'll be easy!" he boasted.

Emerald rolled his eyes, but kept his thoughts to himself as the hatchling turned to the forest, his expression fading into one of nervousness now that Applejack couldn't see it.

Just before he took a step forward, however, Pinkie came running out of the forest,

"Timberwolves!" she shouted, though Emerald made a mental note to never ask her to perform, seeing as how, despite screaming, she was smiling widely, and her running was more akin to a quick trot than anything resembling a 'running for your fucking life' kind of run.

Despite that, she brushed passed them with little issue. Moments after that, a loud roar echoed through the forest, surprising Emerald, whose head shot up for an instant,

Timberwolves?!

He nearly shot out from the bush, and would have, if not for the faint snickering he could hear coming from Rainbow and Fluttershy's hiding place.

He blinked in surprise.

Holy shit, that's impressive!

Of course whatever amazement he felt was quickly dashed away when the "timberwolf" made its appearance.

It came hobbling out of the forest, its dark strings easily visible in the daylight, and even more so against the snow covered ground. The sounds of its steps were completely out of sync with its actual movements. And, lastly, it didn't have a smell.

Perhaps the most defining trait of timberwolves was their noxious breath. Something that this puppet sorely lacked.

Even so, it seemed to work, much to his astonishment, though he still kept up his growling.

Spike backed away a few steps from the puppet, looking terrified, though a quick yelp from beside him bid him to turn.

Applejack had 'tripped',

"Ah," she yelled, though it was painfully, obviously fake, "Mah hoof!" she added, holding a hoof up to her head dramatically, partially ignoring the puppet make its way over to her, "Spike, help! I need ya ta save me!" she pleaded.

Emerald paused his growling, just long enough to give a soul-suffering sigh.

Spike, however, relaxed and just stared at the scene before him. He watched as the puppet smacked against Applejack's head lamely, though only Emerald could hear Sparky 'Eep!' at the mistake. His nose twitched,

".... Seriously?" Spike asked, his expression flat, "I mean... seriously?"

"Uh... whaddya mean, Spike?" Applejack asked, dropping the act accidentally. Spike sighed,

"I mean, I know it's fake," he said, walking over to the shitty puppet, "Don't get me wrong, it certainly looks like a timberwolf-" Emerald whacked his hoof against his face, "-and that roar was spot on!" he added, then shrugged and shook his head, "But you forgot one thing."

"What?" Applejack asked, completely giving up on the act, Spike laughed,

"Its breath! You can smell a timberwolf's breath a mile away!"

Emerald frowned, his nose twitching once more, before he stiffened.

"Great," he muttered, standing from his hiding spot, "Rainbow's little roar must've attracted the fuckers."

Thankfully he wasn't the only one to smell the sickly scent of rotting wood, evident by the way Sparky suddenly flashed down by Spike and Applejack,

"Timberwolf!" she screeched, and dashed off, followed quickly behind by Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, the former having discarded her little mug-shoes.

"Huh?" Spike asked, before suddenly sniffing the air, and chuckling, "Oh, nice, but it's a little too late for that, you know?"

Applejack turned to face the treeline, before paling and taking a step back,

"Uh... it-it ain't a trick this time!" she sputtered, scooting back rapidly, "Run!" she shouted, then bolted.

Spike blinked, and turned around, only to come snout to snout with an actual timberwolf. Its hate-filled green eyes bore into his own for an instant,

"Oh... right," he muttered, then nodded, "Yeah, that's one real... AHHHHHH!!!" he screamed, and ran as well.

Emerald sighed, and dashed out of the foliage, cutting off the wolves chase before it could begin.

The lone timberwolf before him growled, and let loose a massive roar that forced Emerald's ears to clamp down.

Great, the one time he didn't have his spear.

He heard some yelping from behind him, but he didn't dare turn around in case the wolf tried attacking him in that instant. He didn't have to worry about that, however, as, a moment later, two more of the fucking things emerged from the woods, and took their own place beside the first one.

The three growled at him in unison, before lunging at him as one.

Emerald skipped back a step, allowing the three of them to come crashing just in front of him, the absence of flesh causing the three of them to bump into each other. He took that one moment to lift a hoof, before slamming it down on the center wolf. It let out a pained yelp before it was reduced to a pile of twigs, the magic holding it together dispersing as its head was crushed.

He smirked, and stepped back, allowing the last two to stand once more.

They growled at him, but didn't lunge, instead choosing to spread out, and began circling him. Their newly cautious behavior amused the thestral, who made sure to keep his eyes on one, and his ears on the other.

It didn't take long for one of them to grow tired and lunge at his exposed back, but a quick spin had him ducking just beneath its attack, leaving its underside exposed.

Taking that single moment of opportunity, Emerald lashed out with a vicious uppercut, sending the wolf tumbling through the air, before it crashed headfirst into the ground, crumbling into a pile of twigs.

He smirked, and turned to the last one. The wolf now seemed much more apprehensive of him after disposing of its only two allies, but that didn't matter to Emerald. He immediately charged at the wolf, taking it off guard, the predator not expecting the prey to attack so quickly.

He tackled the wolf, and lashed out with a quick punch to send it falling to its back, where he quickly climbed on top of it, pinning it with his weight.

It was a simple matter, then, to lunge his head down and clamp his fangs around its neck. All it took was a bone snapping *CRUNCH*, and the wolf breathed no more.

He spat out the disgusting sap/blood that filled his mouth, and flipped off of its corpse. He watched, for a moment, as the scattered twigs and limbs of the once-timberwolves began to glow, but that was as far as he let them get, for a great torrent of sapphire flames incinerated them into ash a moment later.

He scoffed.

They were as stupid as ever, it seemed.

With the threat dealt with, he turned around, and blinked in surprise when he didn't see anyone around. That was... odd. He was certain he'd heard someone yell behind him.

He shrugged, and did a quick check with his hearing, and found the others not too far off, and made his way over to them.

"-lda seen it! I tripped and hurt mah hoof, and that timberwolf woulda been right on me if Spike hadn't saved me!"

"You mean... you actually tripped?" Sparky asked, just as he came into view,

"Sure did!" Applejack insisted, and shook her head, "But, like I said, Spike here got me right back to mah hooves and helped me get away. He saved mah life!"

"Uh, I was there too, you know?" Emerald asked, though it seemed he went ignored,

"Aw, it was nothing," Spike said, rubbing the back of his head,

"Course it was somethin'!" Applejack said, then frowned, a guilty expression forming on her face, "'Course, I wouldn't have needed savin' iffin I hadn't tried ta stage a fake timberwolf attack in the first place, " she admitted. Spike scoffed,

"Well, yeah!" he said, then narrowed his eyes, and placed his claws on his hips, "What was that about, anyways?" he asked. Applejack grimaced,

"Well... I know that whole dragon code of yers is important an' all, but if this happens again, say we can just stick to mah code of 'that's what friends do' an' leave it at that?" she asked. Spike frowned, and looked away, a contemplative expression overtaking his face, "I promise I won't think of ya as any less noble," she added sincerely, taking off and holding her hat to her chest.

Eventually, Spike nodded,

"Yeah, alright," he agreed, reaching out with his fist, making Applejack laugh, and bump her hoof against it.

"Although, do try to avoid getting in situations where you actually need saving," Emerald interjected with a smirk, "It would make my job a lot less stressful," he added cheekily.

"Hehe, of course!"


Thankfully, the rest of the day passed without a single issue, barring Rarity asking him and Fluttershy to return to the Boutique for a minute for some 'colour checking' as she put it.

The night was a little more active, however.

Apparently, Rainbow's little roar had attracted more than just those three timberwolves from before, much to his amusement.

At least it kept the night from being too boring. It tided him over until it was time for him to shut down the barrier and call it a night, at the very least.

Eventually, the time came for Sugarcube Corner to open, but, unfortunately, he had to ask the Cakes to give him the day off, since Photo Finish, the bitch, never actually gave them a time to arrive at the park, or, at least, he didn't hear it.

And so, it was with more than a little irritation that he made his way over to the Carousel Boutique fairly early in the morning, just in time for him to run into Fluttershy, who was standing timidly outside the door.

"Oh! G-good morning Emerald," she greeted him, tucking her forest green scarf a little tighter around her neck, he nodded,

"Morning, Shy," he returned, and glanced at the door, "Is Rarity not in? Or do you just like standing out in the cold?" he asked teasingly. Fluttershy smiled faintly, but shook her head,

"No, no... I just don't know if she's awake yet. She was awfully excited about today, so I was worried that she'd stayed up too late and was too tired..." she said, then lowered her head, "but, then she wouldn't be up for the sh-show..." she trailed off.

"Right," Emerald said, and sided up to her, "Well, only one way to find out," he said, and gave the door a quick rap with his hoof,

"Coming!~" he heard Rarity's voice sing from inside. He smirked, and glanced sideways at Fluttershy,

"Well, there we go," he said simply.

Another few minutes passed, before the sound of hoofsteps approached the door, which opened mere moments later.

"Oh! Emerald, Fluttershy!" Rarity greeted them, shocked, then stepped away and ushered them inside, "Come in, come in!"

They did so, allowing Emerald a cursory glance around the Boutique, until his eyes landed on a clothe filled rack,

"I presume those are the outfits Shy and I are to wear for the show?" he asked, nodding towards them,

"Hmm? Oh, yes!" Rarity confirmed with a smile, "I'm rather proud of them as well. Since the Grand Galloping Gala is next week, I really put my all into them. I just know Photo Finish is going to love them!"

"Oh, I'm sure she'll make you into a great star, Rarity!" Fluttershy quietly cheered, then smiled, "Just don't forget us little ponies when you do!" Rarity laughed,

"Never!"

"Well, you'll never get to be a star if we don't head out. Did Finish ever mention when we were supposed to be down there?" Emerald asked. Rarity froze mid step, and turned to face him mechanically,

".... We need to go. Now!"

-----

"Oh, it looks even lovelier than I'd imagined!" Rarity gushed, taking a step back from Fluttershy. Fluttershy, while slightly embarrassed, did puff out her chest a tad, feeling a little more confident in the beautiful dress Rarity had provided her.

It was completely white in colour, with blue sapphires of varying sizes inlaid into the design. A similarly designed jacket covered her back, tying together in the front beneath her neck. It truly was beautiful, and it even made Fluttershy feel just the slightest bit festive with its colours!

"It certainly does look nice, Shy," Emerald noted, causing the two of them to turn to him.

Like Fluttershy, he was wearing the outfit that Rarity had prepared for him.

It was a white, skin tight outfit, that gradually turned into a dark blue towards his legs, with a short cape of the same design. It was remarkably simple in the end, but it was still a work of art, in Fluttershy's opinion.

"Put me down, here," an accented voice called out, causing the three of them to turn to face the source.

Photo Finish, in the exact same outfit as the previous day, rode in to the park on a small pedestal, carried by a pair of stallions who smelled like too much mane gel and cologne, with the same three mares from yesterday trailing after them.

Fluttershy had to hide a frown.

She was really beginning to regret agreeing to being Rarity's female model, and not just because her nerves were beginning to act up.

She shook her head, and took in a deep breath.

It's okay Fluttershy, she told herself, you're doing this for Rarity, so it shouldn't be too hard...

Photo Finish stepped off of the pedestal, and took a quick look around,

"Ah, yes zis vill do nicely," she said, before her gaze fell upon Fluttershy, "Oh, no no no no!" she suddenly shouted, taking a few steps towards her, "No, ze model should in zomethink simple!" she said, spinning around, "Something inspired by... ze natures!"

Rarity blinked, and nodded,

"Well, I was thinking something similar!" she said, talking a few steps towards the rack of outfits she'd brought along with them, "Though, most of these designs are winter themed, instead of nature," she muttered, then perked up, "But I can go and whip together a few simple outfits if you give me but a moment!" she announced.

"Zat vill not be necessary," Photo said, waving her hoof,

"Wha-but-then how are you going to make me 'shine all over Equestria!' if you're not using my designs?" Rarity asked.

"You?" Photo asked, almost sounding disgusted, "I'm not going to help you shine!" she said, and then suddenly turned her gaze onto herself and Emerald, "I'm going to help them!"

"Eh?" was Emerald's eloquent response,

"Um, what?" was hers.

Neither of them were acknowledged beyond that, however, as the three mares that accompanied Photo Finish crowded around her and ushered her away, the stallions doing much the same with Emerald, though he was putting up noticeably more resistance.


"I... I can't do this, Rarity," she said to the white unicorn, being mindful of the, admittedly pretty, dress that Photo's employees had all but stuffed her into.

The dress was nothing more than a long, transparent cape with flower buttons on the sides, and a similar flower headband, but it was still nice.

Not as nice as the dresses Rarity made, she believed, but nice nonetheless.

"Oh, but you must, Fluttershy!" Rarity instead insisted, much to her chagrin, "Photo Finish wants to make the two of you stars! This is the opportunity of a lifetime!" she added.

"Yeah, your lifetime," Emerald suddenly snapped, appearing by her side, though he was, surprisingly, not wearing anything, "I'm not fucking doing this."

"But Emerald!" Rarity gasped, "This is a once in a lifetime chance to be a star! I understand we had all hoped, and even expected it, to be my chance, but you can't simply throw something like this away!" she said, "You must do this, for me! You must! You must!"

Fluttershy swallowed.

Ohhhh.... when she put it like that, she couldn't really refuse, could she?

But... she really didn't want too... Just the thought of what it would be like, standing in front of those c-cameras, an-and those p-p-ponies, and-and-and-!

Oh sweet Faust she was going to have a heart attack!

Emerald snarled, thankfully breaking her from those... terrifying thoughts,

"I. Am. Not. A. Model. I refused when that bastard Hoity fucking chased me around Ponyville for the better part of an hour, and I am most certainly refusing this!" he growled, then suddenly turned to Fluttershy, "And so should you."

"Wh-what?" she asked, stunned, and glanced at Rarity, panicking a little bit, "B-but, what about-?"

"What about what?" Emerald asked, raising a brow, "You want to be a model, Shy?"

"W-well, no..." Emerald clicked his tongue, and turned to Rarity,

"Listen, Rarity, I know this is important to you, but we're not you," he said simply, and frowned, "I'm not comfortable being in the spotlight like this, and you and I know that Fluttershy isn't either," he paused, then narrowed his eyes at her, "You do know that, right?"

"Of course!" Rarity said, almost sounding affronted at the accusation. Emerald scoffed,

"Well it certainly doesn't sound like it!" he snapped, before taking a deep breath, forcibly calming himself down, and once more turned to her, "Do you want to do this?" he asked. Fluttershy blinked,

"U-um... w-well, if Rarity says-"

"I said. Do you want to do this?" Emerald repeated, his patience obviously wearing thin, evidenced by the way he was gritting his teeth. Fluttershy swallowed, feeling herself begin to shrink behind her mane,

"... No..." she muttered meekly,

"What?" he asked,

"... No," she repeated, the faintest bit louder,

"Speak. Up," he ordered, and Fluttershy's head almost shot up,

"No!" she snapped, uncharacteristic anger flowing through her at having to repeat herself when she knew he could hear. Emerald smirked, and turned, once again, to Rarity,

"And there you have it. She doesn't want to this, and neither do I. So, what to you have to say to that, Rarity?"

Fluttershy blinked, and almost smacked herself in the face when she realized that he'd just fooled her, and so easily as well. It hadn't even occurred to her that Rarity would hear her say that.

Still, it did leave her curious.

How would Rarity react? She knew how important Rarity believed Photo Finish's opinion was for her business, and what it might mean, having them refuse to model for her.

Then again, why would that matter? Photo had made it quite clear when she chose herself and Emerald over Rarity of what she thought of her designs. So then... why was Rarity so insistent on them being models?

Had she forgotten that they, unlike her, did not enjoy the spotlight? Had she tricked herself into believing that such an "opportunity" was something that they would enjoy? Or had she genuinely thought that such a rare chance had to be taken?

Rarity was a wonderful friend of hers, who wanted nothing more than the best for her friends. She wanted them all to succeed, so... maybe she thought that by having them succeed where she failed, that she'd get to live vicariously through them, if only for a while.

"W-well...." Rarity began, glancing between herself and Emerald, as well as Photo Finish.

The look in Rarity's eye suddenly changed. Before it had been worried, fearful, even apprehensive, but, suddenly, it hardened, and she turned to look Fluttershy in the eyes,

"I'm sorry I tried to force you into something like this, Fluttershy," she turned back to him, "and you as well, Emerald," she added, before sighing, "It's just..." she sighed, and trailed off.

Despite this, Fluttershy stepped forward, and placed a hoof on her friend's shoulder,

"Um... It's okay," she said, and gave her a weak smile, "I know you didn't mean anything bad by it... you were just really excited, and then really sad about her not wanting to use your designs... you just wanted me to take a chance, and do something you thought might be good for me... so, it's okay... really!" Fluttershy comforted her.

Rarity smiled, and took a shuddering breath, then closed the gap between them, bringing Fluttershy into a tight hug,

"Thank you for not being mad, dear," Rarity muttered, "do forgive me for being such a selfish pony, trying to push my dream onto you."

"Of course," was her sincere reply.

"Besides, this isn't gonna hurt your business anyways," Emerald suddenly said, causing them to separate, with Rarity sending him a confused look,

"What do you mean?" she asked, and frowned as she glanced behind him at the impatient Photo Finish, "She's the premier photographer in Equestria! If she doesn't like my designs, then who will?"

Emerald scoffed,

"Well, aside from esteemed fashion critic, Hoity Toity, and famous singer/songwriter Sapphire Shores, it just so happens that you have five of the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony who love your work, a member of the Guard who likes your designs, as well as the two princesses of Equestria who are nothing more than a letter away from both myself and Sparky, two individuals who I'm sure you could convince to put in a good word for you," Emerald said, and smirked, "Quite frankly, Finish's career is in more danger than yours if she hates your designs when you've got that kind of support, you know?" he added.

Rarity just stared at him for a moment, and then laughed.

However, it was a kind of laugh that Fluttershy had never heard from her usual composed friend. Whenever Rarity laughed it was always quiet, dainty even, and it always seemed to suit her so well.

But this? This was a loud, boisterous laugh that almost sounded like it belonged to Applejack and not Rarity.

She kept laughing for another thirty seconds, before she suddenly regained the ability to control herself, and covered her mouth with a hoof. A few, distinctly unladylike, snorts still escaped, however.

"I... I apologize," Rarity said, smiling wryly, "I... must admit, I haven't laughed like that since I was a filly," she admitted happily, and took in a deep breath, "Goodness, I might just have to laugh like that more often, I feel... quite a bit lighter than I did a moment ago," she muttered to herself. Regardless, she shook the thought from her head,

"You're quite right, Emerald," she agreed, smiling, but another voice stopped her from speaking further,

"Flootershy! Emrald!" Photo shouted, "Ve must begin ze shoot now!"

Fluttershy glanced at Emerald, who merely inclined his head in her direction. Fluttershy took a deep breath, and stood up a little straighter, before turning,

"I'm sorry Photo Finish, but... no!" she said, stamping her hoof, though it probably looked like she had but patted the ground if she was honest, "I-I don't want to be a model! I don't want to 'shine all over Equestria!'!" she declared, and carefully wriggled out of the dress, making sure to fold it properly once she'd finished.

"Yeah, me neither," Emerald added, much more casually than Fluttershy, "Go find another set of peacocks," he finished, sauntering off with nary a backwards glance.

"Vat?" she heard Finish question, "You-you can't!" she shouted, sounding slightly panicked, "You can be the next biggest stars in all of Equestria!"

"W-well... choose somepony else!" she shouted back, though it likely didn't come out as loud as she thought it did, "Like-like... Rarity!" she added after a rush of courage invaded her. The mare in question blinked,

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Vat?" came the same reaction from Photo, but Fluttershy continued, unwilling to let go of the momentary burst of courage,

"Rarity's designs are some of the most beautiful I've seen in Equestria!" she left out the part where they were also some of the only designs she'd ever seen, "An-and Sapphire Shores really likes them! And so does Hoity Toity!" she felt the courage begin diminish, but she couldn't stop yet! "You-you-you should like them too!"

"Fluttershy..." Rarity breathed, honestly stunned at her shy friend's, not-quite, demand.

"H-here!" Fluttershy added suddenly, and quickly dashed over to the rack of clothes that Rarity had brought along, and gave them a shove towards Photo Finish, just in time for her courage to run out.

She 'Eep!'ed, and quickly hid behind Rarity, feeling mortified by her actions, and simply began hoping that she hadn't messed things up anymore than they were.

Part of her expected to hear shouting, but it was, thankfully, let down when all she heard was some quiet hums, and a few grunts, which stoked her curiosity enough to peek out from behind the unicorn.

Photo Finish was, surprisingly, taking a look through the outfits, and making a few noises of approval as she did so,

"Hmm... yes, I see..." she muttered, and glanced around, her eyes landing on one of the mares and stallions she'd brought with her, "You! Come over here!"

Fluttershy sighed in relief as Photo began ordering them to try them on. It certainly looked like she liked the outfits, and that alone caused Fluttershy's nerves to calm down.

"Fluttershy, what did you do?" Rarity asked her, spinning around, looking both afraid, and oddly excited.

"O-oh!" she stammered, "W-well, I just... I just.. I told her to look at them?" she answered, not quite sure what she'd done herself, "I-I just... I know this is really important to you, an-and I thought that, maybe, if she looked at them, then... well..." she trailed off.

"You!" Photo suddenly called, causing her and Rarity to turn, "You made these?" she asked, pointing at them. Rarity started slightly,

"Oh, um, why yes!" she said, "Each one of those outfits is a Rarity original!" she gushed, holding a hoof to her chest,

"I see..." Photo said, and turned away again, "Let us begin... ze magics!" she announced, striking a pose.

Rarity smiled, and nodded thankfully at Fluttershy, before approaching Photo,

"Of course! That's exactly what I was thinking!"

Author's Note:

Warning, I've run out of pre-written chapters, meaning that updates will be taking longer from now on. They'll still be on Mondays, of course, but I very much doubt I'll have 'em out every week. Maybe once a month or so? Eh, I'll get them out as I finish them, so don't worry!

-----

You don't know how much it hurt me to write in that accent... all those red lines... the spelling errors... urk.

Not too much action this time around, which is to be expected, considering that the Grand Galloping Gala is just around the corner!

That's right everyone, the long awaited Season One Finale! We're finally moving on passed it, so prepare for a little more adventures to come, after all, things are going to get a little more chaotic soon!

As it stands, I hope you enjoyed. Constructive criticism appreciated. See you next time.

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