Rarity's Choice

by mikemuir0178

Chapter 9: Safety in Numbers

Chapter 9: Safety in Numbers

For Applejack, there was nothing more perfect that bringing in a wagon full of freshly picked apples into Ponyville. To see customers line up to purchase her hard-earned produce was always a delight to see, and today seemed like the perfect day. With barely a cloud in the sky and a cool breeze on the streets, Applejack knew she would make a good sale.

“So how many do you think will be left this time?” Apple Bloom asked.

Applejack smiled down at her sister as she gave the question some thought. It was a simple friendly wager the two sisters would sometimes do. Whoever could guess how many apples were left at the end of the day would get a jar of jam or cider made from the remaining apples for themselves. “Hmm. I’ll wager just enough to cover the bottom of the cart,” Applejack replied.

Apple Bloom gave a small laugh. “With this weather and me helping, I’ll wager there will be less than a dozen left!”

“You’re on, Sugar Cube!” Applejack replied happily. Unfortunately for her, Applejack suspected her sister might win this round. With the weather as nice as it was, Applejack wouldn’t be surprised if the cart was empty at the end of the day. “Oh well…” she thought.

Applejack parked the cart at the edge of the street and then stood in front of it. “Get your apples here! Sweet apples!”

“Freshly picked from Sweet Apple Acres!” Apple Bloom shouted happily.

Immediately, heads turned as ponies heard the welcoming call. Almost immediately, a line began to form for ponies to get the freshly picked produce.

Applejack smiled happily as she watched the crowd form. “Now don’t you worry! We got enough for everybody!” Applejack said as she handed out bags of apples to each of the customers. With each exchange, she heard the welcoming sound of bits falling into her pouch.

“I don’t think we brought enough,” Apple Bloom grinned as she handed out another bag of apples and placed the bits she received into her own pouch.

“I agree. I wager we’ll be going home early today,” Applejack replied as she handed out some more apples. For Applejack, finishing up early would mean she could have some time to herself or time to spend with some of her friends. Of course, it also meant she would have lost the wager to her sister, but she didn’t care.

“Hey! Isn’t that Applejack over there?!” someone shouted from behind the ponies in line.

“Yeah! She’s friends with Rarity, right? Let’s talk with her!” another voice said.

“Huh?” Applejack said as she heard the voices. She then began to peer over her customers to see who was looking for her.

Slowly, a group of roughly a dozen ponies began nudging through the line of customers. Though the customers groaned and shouted as they were pushed aside, this new group of ponies simply ignored them as they made their way forward. Some carried notepads while others had cameras. A few wore fedora hats.

“What in tarnation?” Applejack replied in surprise as she watched this new group approach her.

Apple Bloom also noticed this new group of ponies and watched as they approached. “Are they trying to buy some apples too?”

“I’m not sure,” Applejack said as she glanced down at Apple Bloom before returning her gaze to the new arrivals. As the ponies made it to the front, Applejack decided to address them. “Woah! There’s no need to rush! We got plenty of apples for everybody!”

Immediately, one of the ponies, a tan stallion wearing a fedora and carrying a notepad, stepped forward. “Miss Applejack. May we have a word with you?”

“Miss? You don’t need any of them fancy titles with me,” Applejack chuckled.

“Of course,” the stallion said, “Are we correct in assuming you are good friends with the fashion designer, Rarity?

“Uh, yeah? We are good friends,” Applejack replied, slightly confused as to what was going on.

“Who are you guys?” Apple Bloom stepped in.

“My colleagues and I here represent various magazines and newspapers who wish to conduct an interview with you about some things recently discovered about the fashion designer, Rarity.”

“Rarity?” Applejack replied in surprise, “Why not talk with her?”

“We’ve tried, but she’s been eluding us,” a second pony of the group said.

“We were hoping you could shed some light about some recently discovered issues,” the first stallion added.

Applejack wasn’t sure why, but something in her gut made her feel uncomfortable about the reporters. As a simple country pony, Applejack preferred to stay out of the limelight and give that spot to Rarity. The fact that Rarity was avoiding them could only mean they meant trouble. “Listen. I got apples to sell right now. If you could just wait, maybe I can help you later.”

“This will only take a few moments,” the tan stallion replied impatiently.

“We were hoping you could tell us if you knew anything about the relation between Rarity and a baby dragon,” a third reporter shouted out.

“Baby dragon?” Applejack responded.

“I think they mean Spike,” Apple Bloom added.

It took Applejack a moment to realize that her sister was right, though she didn’t think of Spike as a baby dragon anymore. Of course, she didn’t exactly think he was full grown either. “What do you want to know about them,” Applejack asked.

“It’s come to our attention that Rarity has been having an ‘unnatural’ relationship with this baby dragon. We were hoping as one of her closest friends you could confirm this,” the stallion responded.

“Unnatural?” Applejack said in surprise. For her, it was common knowledge that Spike had a crush on Rarity. Applejack admitted to herself that a pony and dragon being together was a little odd, but she did fully support Rarity and Spike being together. The two were like family after all and it wasn’t her position to say who they should and should not court. Before Applejack could speak on behalf of her friends, she was interrupted.

“We also just talked with Rainbow Dash! She said she was helping out with a wedding dress for Rarity! Can you make any comments on that?” another reporter asked.

Applejack felt her jaw drop in surprise. “Wedding dress?” she gasped. Applejack knew Spike and Rarity were close, but…a wedding dress?

As other ponies heard this, many ponies in the crowd shared a similar surprised reaction just like Applejack’s. After the initial surprise, a few ponies began whispering to each other. Neither Applejack not Apple Bloom could make out what they were saying. But from the glances that some of the ponies gave, Applejack suspected some of it was not good.

“Are Spike and Rarity really getting married?” Apple Bloom asked her sister.

“Well, I…That is…This is the first I ever heard of it,” Applejack stuttered.

“So, you never knew about this marriage?” the tan stallion asked.

Applejack was in shock at what she had heard. She knew Spike and Rarity had recently started dating…but marriage? Granted, Spike and Rarity knew each other for a long time, but Applejack never realized they would consider taking the next step so soon. What surprised her even more was that Rarity had not told her about it. Yet Rainbow Dash somehow knew? “Well…I mean…he has been seeing her for a long time…” Applejack stuttered in surprise.

“So, it is true!” one reporter responded.

Immediately, a full barrage of questions assaulted Applejack. It was not just from the reporters, but from other ponies around the stand as well. Applejack could only step back in fear as she began to realize how everyone had interpreted her answer. Immediately it brought back nightmares of hordes of fans swarming her in the past. “I think we better get out of here. Hang on Apple Bloom.”

“What?” Apple Bloom said in surprise. Before she knew what was happening, she felt Applejack grab her by the scruff of her neck. The next moment, she found herself being swung into the air and landing on Applejack’s back.

“This interview is over!” Applejack proclaimed. Before the other reporters could realize what was happening, Applejack used all of her might to ram through the reporters and other ponies. None could stop her as she broke through the crowd at a full charge.

Apple Bloom held tightly onto Applejack’s back as her sister ran as fast as she could. As she did, she took a moment to look back at the crowd of ponies at the stall. “Wait! What about the cart?”

“Leave it!” Applejack replied as she galloped as fast as she could.

“But where are we going?” Apple Bloom asked.

Applejack realized she had not considered any kind of destination. She just wanted to escape the reporters before she said something that would make things worse. For a moment, she considered heading to Rarity’s boutique to get some answers. However, Applejack doubted Rarity was there since the reporters said they couldn’t find her. That only left one other option. “We’ll head to Twilight’s. Maybe she knows what’s going on!” Applejack said as she adjusted her course.

X==X==X==X==X

“Oh. Thank you, my dear,” Rarity said as she accepted the cup of hot tea at the dining room table.

Twilight didn’t say a word as she used her magic to hand the tea out to her friends. Instead, she took a few moments to observe the condition that Rarity and Sassy Saddles were in. Twilight was undoubtedly surprised when Rarity arrived at the Castle of Friendship looking frazzled and out of breath. She was even more surprised that Sassy Saddles was accompanying her here in Ponyville and was in the same physical state. No doubt the two ponies were exhausted after running clear across Ponyville to reach the Castle of Friendship.

Starlight Glimmer stood next to Twilight wearing the same expression of concern. “So…What exactly happened?”

“It’s a long story,” Rarity said after sipping the tea Twilight had given her.

“Rarity has become the subject of some…negative press reviews,” Sassy explained.

“Negative press reviews?” Twilight said in surprise. She then shared a look with Starlight before returning her gaze to her friend. “What kind of negative press reviews?”

“Did you make a bad dress or something?” Starlight asked.

Rarity gave a small snort of amusement. “If only it were that simple,” she said before taking another sip of tea. “Apparently, the press has found out about me and Spike.”

“Spike?” Twilight said in surprise, “But why would that matter?”

Sassy Saddles decided to chip in. “To put it simply, the idea of a pony and dragon being together is considered…well…’unnatural’ among ponies, especially in the society of the elite.”

“Unnatural?” Twilight replied in outrage.

“Yes. Because dragons are not received well in Canterlot, the idea of courting one is not accepted,” Sassy explained.

Twilight found the whole idea of ponies judging Spike and Rarity’s relationship revolting. “It’s not up to other ponies to decide who Rarity dates. It’s her choice.”

“You don’t understand. Rarity is a role model among all the ponies in Canterlot. She rose up from nothing and now runs one of the most successful fashion design chains. Ponies see her as a legend in the fashion world. It’s very much like how your subjects look up to you as their princess.” Sassy Saddles explained.

Twilight remained silent as she comprehended this. Being a princess, Twilight knew a lot of ponies did look up to her and depended on her. She admitted to herself it was not easy playing the hero everyone wanted. There were times she thought ponies wanted her to be something she wasn’t.

“The only difference between your popularity and Rarity’s is that Rarity depends on the press to give her good reviews so she can maintain her status. But unlike you, her status can easily be taken away if the public thinks she no longer fits their standards,” Sassy Saddles continued.

“She’s right,” Rarity replied solemnly, “My figure depends on how ponies see me.”

“There is nothing wrong about Rarity dating Spike,” Twilight repeated.

“Rarity needs to appear perfect in front of her clients. That’s what the public wants to see. If ponies see her as imperfect or unnatural, they lose faith in her. She’ll be shunned and could lose everything. The fact that she has been dating Spike, a baby dragon, has made other ponies frown upon her activities,” Sassy explained.

“Spike isn’t a baby!” Rarity growled at Sassy. She then looked to Twilight. “He isn’t right?”

Twilight gave a sheepish smile as all eyes fell on her. “Well…Spike is a…’special’ case.”

Rarity’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean ‘special’?” she demanded, “He had his first molt, right? That’s supposed to mean he’s an adult!”

“Well…yeah. According to dragon culture, that’s true,” Twilight responded hesitantly.

“He is kind of short for a dragon,” Starlight pointed out before looking to Twilight, “Is he still a child?”

“Well…yes…and no,” Twilight responded.

It was easy for Rarity to see that Twilight was hiding something. Twilight was never very good at lying, at least not in Rarity’s eyes. “Is Spike a baby or not?”

Twilight let out a sigh of defeat. “The truth is I’m not sure. From what I’ve learned from Ember, Spike should be about the size of a regular pony by now, if not larger.”

“So why is he so small?” Starlight asked.

“I’m not exactly sure,” Twilight explained, “As best as I can tell, it might be hereditary. Runt was a small dragon as his name implied and from what I’ve learned about Grey Shire, she was not that big either. But I think it could be something else.”

“Like what?” Rarity asked.

“Well…When compared with other dragons, Spike has not eaten that many gems. Most of the food he eats is pony food. But gems are a dragon’s primary food source,” Twilight continued, “In fact, it wasn’t until he ate my mother’s jewelry that we even suspected that dragons needed gems in their diet.”

“I’m sure that must have been a shock,” Sassy replied as she pictured a baby dragon eating a pony’s jewelry. Not to mention the reaction of the owner.

“It was,” Twilight nodded as she remembered the event, “Of course, I’m sure you all realize that buying gems is pretty expensive and my family could not afford to do that on a daily basis. So, the only thing we could do was feed him food meant for ponies.”

Rarity could understand this. Even she had to admit that purchasing gems was quite expensive, even for a pony as rich as she was. It was also the reason why she had to mine the gems herself. As she thought about what Twilight said, a small wave of guilt washed over her for all the times she had withheld gems from Spike until after she had inspected them. Never once did she consider that dragons needed gems to survive. She always assumed they were a simple treat like candy.

“I guess that explains why Spike likes gems so much,” Starlight replied.

“It’s also why I let Spike help Rarity in the mines so many times. Spike needs gems to grow, but I can’t afford to buy them every day.” Twilight confessed.

“In other words, you’re saying that Spike is an adult, but his body is still that of a child?” Rarity asked.

“More or less,” Twilight replied, “Like I said, he’s supposed to be around our size by now, but his body has not grown. It’s possible he might grow later since he’s been eating more gems these days, but I can’t say for sure.”

Starlight Glimmer took a moment to process the information. “All right. So we’ve established that Spike is not a baby, at least not technically. Will that be enough to get the reporters off Rarity?”

Sassy Saddles shook her head in response. “Even if what you say is true, it still won’t erase how dragons are portrayed as fierce competitive monsters. There are just too many legends and stories of brave pony warriors fighting off fierce dragons.”

Twilight could not deny this. Even she remembered her brother telling a story or two to scare her when she was a young filly. “Well…Maybe we can have some kind of ceremony to show ponies differently. Show them that dragons can be…peaceful,” Twilight hesitantly suggested.

Starlight gave the idea a little thought. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. Remember how Ember was invited to Ponyville that one time? She scared over half the town away just from sneezing,” Starlight commented.

“Oh…right,” Twilight replied as she remembered the event.

“There’s also the fact that Spike is not like other dragons. He’s more like us than one of those beastly things. We would need to let other ponies see him for who he really is,” Rarity added.

Twilight had to agree. Dragons were very competitive and loved to fight in order to show off their strength. It was how they achieved their status in dragon society. Spike, though quite capable of standing up for himself, was tame in comparison and more like a pony. “I guess I see your point.”

“Unfortunately, simply telling ponies won’t work,” Sassy Saddles added.

“What do you mean?” Starlight asked.

“Do you remember the events concerning that Friendship Journal? It’s the same situation all over again,” Sassy explained.

At first, Twilight wanted to disagree with Sassy Saddles. However, as she gave it some thought, she did see common elements between what was happening now and the incident with the Friendship Journal. Even when Twilight and her friends had tried to reason with the crowds of fans concerning the Friendship Journal, they could not reach through to them. Everything had spiraled out of control.

And now it was happening all over again.

Still, Twilight was not willing to give in. What Spike and Rarity shared was special and should not be taken away by others. “I guess the question is how do we make ponies see the truth?”

“Usually, an artist will inspire or move their audience. If this was the Crystal Empire, it would be easy since Spike has done many great deeds in the past for them. The two of us would be accepted,” Rarity explained.

“But Spike’s reputation is different in Canterlot. A lot of ponies still remember how much trouble he caused when he ushered commands under Twilight’s name. Only the fact that he’s her assistant has kept him in some good graces,” Sassy added.

Twilight admitted that was not one of Spike’s finer moments. He probably meant well in what he did. But having so much power went straight to his head. After that, Spike only remained in her shadow and had tried to keep himself out of the public eyes of Canterlot. “There must be something we can do before things get worse.”

“I really don’t see how things can get worse. My career appears to be at an all-time low” Rarity responded dramatically.

Before anyone could say anything else, another voice echoed from the entranceway of the castle.

“Hey! Is anybody hear?”

Everyone turned and looked toward the entrance to the dining room.

“That sounds like Applejack,” Starlight said.

“We’re up here!” Twilight shouted through the door.

It took a minute, but Applejack and Apple Bloom eventually found their way to the dining room. As the other ponies looked at them, it did not take them long to realize that Applejack had ran to the castle as well. She appeared slightly fatigued but was in better condition than when Rarity and Sassy had appeared. Apple Bloom on the other hand appeared to be unsteady on her feet, as if she had been jostled around.

“Applejack? Apple Bloom?” Twilight said, “What happened?”

Applejack took a moment to gather her breath before answering. “You remember that one time when I said I was popular and I didn’t like it. Well, I think it’s happening again,” Applejack responded between heavy breaths.

“Popular?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah! A whole group of these reporters found me and Apple Bloom at the market. They began asking me a bunch of these questions about Rarity,” Applejack responded.

After Applejack said this, Rarity got up from the table and went to Twilight’s side to speak with her friend. “What did they say?”

Applejack turned to Rarity to answer. “They wanted to know about you and Spike. They said the two of you were getting married!”

“What?!” Rarity gasped in surprise as she took a step back.

“Married?!” Twilight’s surprise was equal to that of Rarity’s. Immediately she could feel her parental instincts for Spike kick in. She turned to Rarity with a piercing gaze that matched the moment when she first found out about the Mark on Rarity’s neck. “What is she talking about?”

“I…I have no idea,” Rarity stuttered in surprise.

Twilight was about to assume she was overreacting when Applejack spoke up again.

“But they told me you were making a wedding dress for yourself,” Applejack said.

“Are you getting married?” Apple Bloom asked Rarity.

Rarity felt as if her life was flashing before her eyes as she heard this. Granted, she did love Spike, but marriage was still something she had not considered yet. “But…that wedding dress…

“Rarity! What’s going on?” Twilight demanded.

Rarity felt her voice fail her as she tried to make sense about what was happening. “I don’t…I mean…I never…”

“I can probably explain,” a new voice said from the entrance of the dining room.

All the ponies turned to see Rainbow Dash entering the room. To everyone’s surprise, she was wearing a wedding dress that appeared like it was falling apart at the seams. A few pieces hung loosely and trailed behind her.

“My wedding dress!” Rarity screamed in horror as she ran to Rainbow Dash to look over the damage. “What have you done to it?!”

“YOUR wedding dress?!” Twilight demanded.

Sassy Saddles quickly stepped in to clarify things when she saw Twilight’s reaction. “It was a wedding dress for a very important client of Rarity’s.”

“Oh,” Twilight said as she let out a sigh of relief.

Rarity held up a piece of trim to examine it. Her eyes filled with tears as she saw the state the dress was in. “It’s ruined! Ruined I tell you! RUINED!” she wallowed out loud. Tears poured out of her eyes as she saw all her hard work was destroyed.

“Sorry,” Rainbow Dash said sheepishly, “But I didn’t know how to get it off.”

This did little to calm Rarity as she continued to wallow at the loss of her work.

Twilight approached her friend. “What happened?”

Rainbow Dash sighed angrily. “You mean what didn’t happen! I tried to cover for Rarity when the reporters came to interview her. When they saw me in this…‘thing’, they thought I was the one who was getting married! Me of all ponies!”

Starlight stepped in the next moment. “And let me guess, you said it was Rarity’s dress.”

“Well…Yeah. What was I supposed to say?” Rainbow Dash argued as she faced down Starlight. She then looked to the other ponies. “Anyway, I couldn’t figure out how to get out of it so I had to run here before any of the reporters could catch me.”

Rarity stopped wallowing and angrily looked at Rainbow Dash. “It’s supposed to come off like this!” Rarity said as she used her magic to undo a simple knot on the back of the dress.

Almost immediately, the dress slipped off Rainbow Dash and landed cluttered on the floor. Rainbow Dash quickly launched herself in the air to be rid of the dress that held her down. “Wow! I’m finally free!”

Rarity did not respond as she sat down in front of the dress and picked it up. “How am I going to mend this,” she bemoaned as she held the ruined dress in her hooves.

Sassy walked over to Rarity’s side to inspect the dress. “I’m sorry, Rarity. But it’s possible the clients may have cancelled that order.”

Rarity’s eyes went wide for a moment before she turned to Sassy Saddles. For a moment, she thought about responding. But as she looked at the solemn expression on Sassy, she saw that her friend was only trying to be honest with her. For Rarity, it was a bitter pill to swallow. “I suppose you’re right,” Rarity bemoaned as well. Slowly she dropped the dress and let the fabric fall to the floor as she tried to accept the cruel hand fate had given her.

For a moment, Twilight Sparkle was surprised by Rarity’s actions. However, this was quickly replaced by a combination of anger and disappointment. There was no way she was going to let her friend give up on her career. Slowly she stepped forward so she was standing next to Rarity. “I know it doesn’t look like much, but I’m sure you can mend it.”

“What’s the point? I’m sure the clients won’t want it,” Rarity responded in tears, “Not after what’s happened.”

Twilight sat down next to her friend and placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. “But we don’t know that yet. The owner of this dress is depending on you right now.”

Rarity said nothing as she picked the dress up and took another look at it.

“She needs a dress for her wedding, and she chose you to make it. Are you simply going to tell her you can’t do it? Where would she go then? What would she do?” Twilight asked.

As Rarity heard those words, she began to remember her own “Rules of Rarity”. For each dress she had made, she always applied time, love, and contour. It was a standard she held onto for all her clients.

“The pony you’re making this for needs this dress. She needs you to finish it,” Twilight encouraged gently.

Rarity looked at Twilight for a moment and then back at the dress. As she did, she remembered the one moment she cherished above all others. The moment when a customer’s eyes would shine in ecstasy as they beheld all the work she had done for them. If she quit now, she would never see that moment again. Rarity’s brow then furrowed with determination. “You’re right. It’s going to take some time to repair, but I won’t give up on it just yet.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear,” Twilight replied happily.

Rarity then turned to Twilight. “Thank you, Twilight,” she responded before hugging her friend.

Twilight returned the hug for a moment before pulling away. “All right. The first thing we need to do is-“

Their moment was interrupted the next second as a series of knocks could be heard at the front door. Immediately, all the ponies turned to face the general direction the knocks came from.

“It’s probably those nosy reporters,” Applejack said angrily as she stomped her hoof in irritation.

Starlight felt her own anger boil slightly. The last thing she wanted to see was her friends being tormented. Given that Twilight was comforting Rarity, Starlight thought it fell upon herself to drive them away. “Let me handle them,” Starlight responded as she angrily trotted to the front door.

“Wait!” Rarity quickly shouted.

Starlight stopped and looked back at Rarity in surprise.

“As much as I don’t want to speak with them right now, you mustn’t be harsh. My career does depend on what they hear,” Rarity explained.

Twilight decided to jump in to instruct her friend. “Just tell them Rarity is busy helping an important client now and does not have time for an interview.”

“And do it gently,” Rarity added.

Starlight let out a deep sigh of frustration. Though she knew she had to be ‘gentle’, she could not help but wonder how much the reporters would try her patience. Still, for Rarity’s sake, she would fulfill the request. Slowly, she made her way down, practicing to put on her best smile for the occasion.

As Starlight left the room, Applejack turned to the other ponies. “You know. After all that has happened so far, I think we forgot about someone.”

“Who are you talking about?” Apple Bloom asked.

Twilight’s face lit up with realization. They were so concerned about Rarity they had forgotten about…”SPIKE!”

Rarity also lit up with the realization that Spike was not around. Immediately she began to fear the worst. “Where is he? Is he still in the castle?”

Twilight bit the bottom part of her lip for a moment as she tried to recall Spike’s whereabouts. “No. He said he had some errands to run.”

“Does he know about the reporters?” Applejack asked.

Twilight shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

Applejack was never one to stand around when a friend was in trouble. Though she doubted the reporters would harm Spike in any way, it would cause more problems if Spike was caught off guard and said something to make the situation worse. “I better go and get the little guy! Where is he now?”

Twilight took a moment to think about Spike’s whereabouts. “He went to Pinkie Pie’s to help her bake. That was the last I heard.”

“Well then, that’s where I’m going!” Applejack replied. She then turned to her younger sister. “Stay here little sis and wait until I get back. No sense in you getting mixed up in all of this.”

Apple Bloom nodded in agreement. “Be careful, Applejack.”

“Wish me luck!” Applejack said as she reared up on her hind legs and began her charge out of the room. As she passed through the doorway, she narrowly managed to dodge Starlight who was now returning.

“Huh? What’s going on?” Starlight replied as she watched Applejack pass her in a hurry.

“Sorry!” Applejack’s voice echoed as she ran through the halls.

Starlight then turned and looked at the other ponies in confusion. “Did I miss something?”

“Applejack is going to find Spike,” Twilight answered, “Were you able to get rid of the reporters?”

“It wasn’t the reporters. I think they know Spike isn’t here. But…someone else came to see Rarity,” Starlight replied.

Rarity’s interest grew as she looked to Starlight. “Someone else…?”

“Who came to see her?” Twilight asked.

Starlight stepped off to the side and began to usher four new ponies into the room.

Rarity felt her jaw drop to the floor as she saw who entered the room. For her, they were the last group of ponies she wanted to see get mixed up in all of her troubles.

“Well, hi there Rarity!”

Only two words escaped Rarity’s mouth…

To Be Continued…

Author's Note:

Preview: It is the one moment all lovers fear above all else. The dreadful encounter Rarity must now confront. But can she face some of her toughest fears. Care to take a guess on who the new arrivals are. I won’t say who they are, but I’m sure you know. After all, it’s a “Family Affair”.

Normally I have an idea on what to call each of my chapters as I write them. But this one gave me so much trouble. For a long time, I called it “Confessions”. But due to a combination of doing a major rewrite and only having Twilight confess for a short time, I was left stumped on its title. I finally settled for “Safety in Numbers” since it showed all the ponies gathering together. Pretty much I was desperate for a title.

I have to say I am still not fond of the title and would like to hear your ideas on what I should call it. If I like your suggestion, I will make the change.

Comments

[Hillbe]

Other pressing issues. . .
Spike smokes cigars and plays the violin "Yes! He's my boyfriend!" ( The sound of lightning & angry horses)
Gerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Is the Doctor in?

[Sunset_Shimmer83]

i'm thinking its Suri Polimare