These Heartbreak Times

by Arcelia

Chapter 1 - New Beginnings

These Heartbreak Times

By Arcelia

~ * ~

Chapter 1 - New Beginnings

Rarity basked in the morning light that pierced through the skylights of Grand Central Station. It was early in the morning and the first cool breezes of Autumn air were nipping at the mare’s nose. Even now, she couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh at Manehattan’s stunning surroundings. From the gorgeous couture of the ponies passing by, to the neatly lined trees that filled every footpath, the city was as spectacular as the day she first arrived.

In her heart, Rarity felt that fate had brought here. Only that morning a letter had arrived on her doorstep, notifying her that a shop had just come up for lease in Manehatten’s fashion district. Not only that, but it was on Saddle Row, which had become famous for being the most exclusive place to open up shop in all of Manehattan.

Of course, she had to come up to Manehattan right away in order to put down a deposit and begin work on opening her new boutique. It had always been her dream to open up a boutique on Saddle Row and now, she was finally taking the first step to making it come true!

The unicorn let out a little squeal of excitement as she started down Manehattan’s main boulevard. While she trotted along she noticed that Central Park had become a delightful forest of dewy yellows and bright auburn. Leaves fell from the nestles of trees that lined the sidewalk, blanketing the ground with their deep shades of brown and yellow. By the end of the season, no leaves would remain to tickle the branches of the trees.

Rarity tightened her silk scarf as she crossed over into the fashion district. The streets were busy as always. With ponies rushing from one place to the next, not taking even the briefest moment to glance in her direction. Taxi carts were everywhere, pulling up alongside the street and speeding away within seconds. It occurred to Rarity that in this fast-paced world, no pony took the time to slow down and smell the flowers, as it were.

Treading cautiously across the road, she immersed herself in the glittering shop displays that lined the street. Just a few blocks remaining now; the site for her boutique sat squarely between two other high-end fashion brands.

A chilled breeze sent shivers through her wool coat, entangling her in its frigid clutches. She stopped in her tracks, tightening her scarf once more, as her eyes wandered over to the mare waiting for her outside the boutique’s entrance. Her dark, crimson mane was pulled into a neat bun, and as Rarity approached she could see the Earth pony adjust her dark charcoal frames.

“You must be Rarity, my name is Savvy Sales. I’m the property manager for Saddle Row Elite, the real estate company that owns this building.”

Rarity gave the mare a beaming smile. “Yes, I’m Rarity, and I can’t tell you how exciting it was to receive your letter, Savvy. I had always hoped such an opportunity would come up.”

Savvy raised an eyebrow at her but her expression remained unchanged. “Well then, why don’t you take a look inside?” She gestured towards the shop’s front door, its once bright blue paint now faded to a much more subdued hue.

At no more than four stories high, the building stood as a relic of past glory. While the rest of the shops in the district had either been restored or torn down, this forgotten little place remained an aged and abandoned eyesore. She had always been keen to take on a restoration project and when the realtor had found this place, she knew it would be the perfect site for her new boutique.

She peered into the shop’s front window. Cobwebs climbed up the inside of the windows, dust-covered every surface. Rarity began to wonder why such a sought after boutique space in Manehattan would have remained empty for so long.

The sound of rattling keys pulled her from her thoughts as she noticed Savvy Sales struggling to push open the heavy wooden door. “Are you quite alright, Savvy?” Rarity asked as she wandered over.

“Yes, this door is always difficult to open,” Savvy said through clenched teeth as she pushed hard up against the door.

“Perhaps this will help.” Rarity cast a blue aura around the keys inserted into the lock and jiggled them slightly before pushing the key in, “Don’t worry Savvy, the same thing happens at my Ponyville boutique all the time,” she said as a clicking sound alerted her to the door that now swung ajar.

“Ah, thank you Rarity. At least the door is open now.” Savvy said as she pushed a stray hair back into her mane.

Rarity smiled. “That’s quite alright darling. You Earth ponies may be strong, but sometimes a little unicorn muscle can be just the thing that’s needed.” She gave Savvy a playful wink before wandering inside.

“Yes, indeed,” Savvy said in a low tone of voice before adjusting her glasses once more and following the mare inside.

Rarity gazed up and around the inside of the shop, her heart dropped. She could already feel any excitement she had rushed out of her as she looked around. A growing feeling of concern grew as her once beaming smile faded away. The front window had only been a precursor for what was now in front of her. Thick layers of dust covered every surface, cobwebs were sprawled out lazily from the corners and draped across the beams. She could feel the dust beneath her hooves and as she glanced down she couldn’t even tell what kind flooring was underneath.

“Well, this place could certainly use a bit of…” She felt her nostrils flare up, agitated by the mounds of dust falling in the air, and promptly sneezed. “Spring cleaning.”

Then, just as she could hear Savvy’s footsteps behind her...Rarity spotted something in the corner of her eye. A small, long-tailed critter could be spotted scurrying across the floor towards the back of the room.

“Was that a...?” She turned back to face Savvy.

“Yes. This property does indeed have a vermin problem. I do assure you, however, that it will be dealt with if you decide to lease this building.”

Rarity glanced around the room once more, trying to stay optimistic about the shop’s prospects. “Savvy, is there anything else I should know about before I place my deposit?”

Savvy stared at her blankly. “Yes: if you decide to lease this property you will need to have your shop up and running by the end of the week.”

As she stood there, Rarity could feel her chest begin to tighten. “The end of the week? But that’s only six days from now. How am I supposed to have this entire place up and running in such a short span of time? Most boutique openings take months!” she exclaimed, gesturing at the shop’s disarrayed state.

Savvy followed the mare’s hoof with her eyes, but despite Rarity’s outburst, her expression remained the same. “Yes, well Saddle Row Elite has had so many proprietors lease out this building, only for their business to fail that we have made the decision to take one final chance with a new tenant.” The mare took off her glasses, peering through them momentarily before wiping off the dust that had now gathered on the lenses.

Satisfied that her glasses were now clean, Savvy placed them back into position. “Rarity, I am only going to say this once.” As she walked closer to Rarity her gaze grew more intense, so much so that Rarity now began to feel a little uneasy as she stood there. “If you don’t have this boutique of yours up, running, and turning a profit by the end of the week, we will be contacting our contractors. They will come and this building will be torn down so that a new apartment building can be constructed in its place. Saddle Row Elite is tired of losing money on amateur entrepreneurs who think that they can just open up shop here on Saddle Row and make bits rain from the sky.” Savvy said in a quiet, harsh tone.

The mare then turned and started walking towards the front door. “Now, if you are still interested, please come see me at my office.”

Rarity felt a sudden, heated sensation rise in her chest. She took one more glance at her surroundings. “Savvy, wait!” she called out.

Savvy turned back to face her and for just a moment, Rarity though she could glimpse even the slightest look of surprise in the mare’s eyes.

“I want to lease this building. I believe it would be the perfect place to open up my new boutique and I promise you, I will have everything up and running by the end of the week.”

Savvy cleared her throat. “Well then, I shall return to my office so that I can prepare all the necessary paperwork for you. Please, come visit me this afternoon with your deposit ready.”

Rarity let out a deep sigh of relief. She could already feel the tension lift from her chest. “Thank you, Savvy.”

The pair wandered back out onto the street. Fiddling with the keys once more, Savvy locked up the building before she started trotting back towards Saddle Row Elite’s head office building at the other end of the street.

Rarity decided to head off back down towards Central Boulevard but didn’t make it far before she heard Savvy call out to her. “Rarity?”

The unicorn spun around to see Savvy pacing over. “Yes?”

“Don’t let me down,” she whispered softly into Rarity’s ear.

And with those final words, Savvy took off down the street once more, leaving Rarity slightly perplexed as she stood in the middle of the bustling street.

To be continued…

Comments

[Replica Knight]

Reading this

[Replica Knight]

Alright so far

[JimmyHook19]

First Suri Polomare story (with the tag of course) in months! The previous one with the tag was my UK Friend's, aka The-Blue-EM2's, 8 Magic Nights story! O_O

[Starlight Nova]

I thought Rarity already opened up a store in Manehatten.

[Quillian Inkheart]

9965212
This is an AU, with more focus on Rarity and a small cast other characters -- both new and old. It's a familiar story, told from a new perspective.

[Arcelia]

9965212
I started writing this story two and a half years ago before the episode was aired. I've now begun rewriting and revamping it entirely. Since the episode has now aired, I've had to add an Alternate Universe tag to indicate that I'm not following the timeline of the show.

I'm taking the premise of "Rarity opens a boutique in Manehatten" in a completely different and hopefully more emotionally driven direction. I do wonder, however, by reading your comment I wonder whether you've read the first chapter?

That might help you see how I'm writing a new take on an existing story.

[Arcelia]

9965142
Thank you for your feedback. I'm glad to have earned your follow and that you're interested in my work.

[Arcelia]

9965115
Would you have any other thoughts about the chapter? Your feedback is rather brief.

[Arcelia]

9965144
I'm glad you're excited at the Suri Polomare tag. While she has not been introduced yet she will be later on. So keep an eye out

[JimmyHook19]

9965425
Heh, just so you know: I'm one of those rare MLP Fans that actually loves Suri Polomare and not hate her

[Ice Star]

I look forward to seeing more of where you take this.

[Arcelia]

9966205
Thank you, Ice Star. I'm glad to have piqued interest, I've already started writing the second chapter

[My Sister Tia]

9965905
I like this so far.