> The Formula for Love
>  by MegaTJ
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Fashion Algebraist and Historian
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Fashion Algebraist and Historian

The long whistle of the Ponyville Express echoed throughout Trottingham Station. The train slowed to a halt in front of its platform. The whistle caused a young unicorn to jump and fumble with some of his luggage. He looked around, as if realizing for the first time he had been standing on Platform 12 for the past ten minutes. His start made his glasses slip down the bridge of his nose. He pushed them back up with his hoof and returned his gaze to his things. Counting his bags and suitcases once more, he turned to face the train, where other passengers were already boarding. Using a levitation spell, he picked up his things, walked up to the conductor standing by the open passenger car door, and, after the conductor stamped his ticket, climbed aboard. He had cut getting on the train close, for the conductor was already calling for any last second boarders.

The gray pony walked through the train, wondering just where his overnight room could be. “Hmm…”, he hummed to himself over the noise of the other travelers, “Just where can room 14 be?”

He followed the numbers of the cars and quickly figured out that they weren’t in numerical order, but numbered in accordance to class, size, and car location. “The number fourteen”, he concluded, “must be in the midsection, high class and must be of a moderate size.” Satisfied with the complex algebraic solution to his fairly simple problem, he turned back around and proceeded to car number 5, where room number fourteen lay in wait of his arrival. The unicorn ignored the conversations of the other passengers, keeping careful to mind his own affairs and to keep his luggage from bumping into anypony. He reached his room, a fair-sized, two benched compartment with tiny bunks at the top.

A loud “thud” echoed around the little room as he dropped his luggage. The world beyond the window hadn’t started moving yet, so the young colt used his magic to levitate the bags to the left top bunk. They landed with a softer thud, and he turned to the door.
“I haven’t any reason to leave my compartment at the moment. I wonder what I could possibly do to pass the excess time”, he pondered to himself.

He turned back toward the window and gazed around until he became familiar with the room. On the other side of the windows, he saw the busy crowd of Trottingham tourists and business goers swarm the other platforms. He breathed a sigh of relief. No longer would he have to put up with the crowded city.

“I was promised Ponyville would be a small, quiet town”, he said to the window, “I just hope my new employer hadn’t said that only to appeal to me.”

That thought gave him an idea. From the top bunk, he levitated two of his suitcases down. He opened one, revealing a neat stack of scrolls and memos. He took one of the scrolls from it and replaced the case. With the scroll still in the air, he opened the second one. In it was a deep purple dress he had nearly finished a few days before. He turned it over and over, inspecting it for damages and deficiencies. It had a white, cotton trim and he ruffled the rear of it into a ballroom-like fashion. He made a shawl for it and fastened it with a clasp boring a round cut emerald. He used some of his magic to create a white, wispy lightning bolt emblem in the green gem. It was still a work in progress, and he hoped to have it finished completely over the next week or so.

He laid the dress on the right bottom bunk and opened the scroll he was levitating. He had read it over and over and over again, but he couldn’t just seem to believe what it said. It was a dream of his to escape the overbearing rule of his parents to live a subtle life in the more rural areas of Equestria. He managed to do so when he sent of several letters of requested employment and got one back from the one he had actually really wanted. He read the note again.

In very neat hoofwriting, the letter said:

Dear Linen Fiber,
It is my pleasure to inform you that I accept your request to work in my dress shop. Your résumé has detailed everything I need to know about you to determine that you are the perfect pony for the job. I thank you so much for applying. As a token of my gratitude, I have arranged to have you moved to Ponyville via the Ponyville express. I have also asked one of my friends to spruce up a three bedroom home for you. The ticket and the first month’s rent for the apartment will be placed on my tab, so do not fret if your money situation is not in the most desirable condition. I hope to see you very soon.

Sincerely yours,

Rarity

P.S.: I will be greeting you at the Ponyville train station the morning after your departure. Be sure to look for me. I will be wearing a stunningly fashionable sunhat.

He had read the letter several times just that day. It was so nice to have a pony be that generous to him. From the letter alone, he had come to admire his new employer already. He knew the Carousel Boutique quite well, as his family’s own dress shop imported many materials and designs from the Ponyville shop.

From the front of the train, the whistle rippled through the cars. The room jolted forward as the brakes released and the train started moving forward. Linen placed the scroll back into its suitcase. He put the bag onto the bunk below his storage bunk. Outside, the sun was setting. Most ponies told him that having to travel through the night on a train would be uncomfortable, but Linen loved the idea. It was an adventure for him, especially because it was at night.

Just as he was preparing another levitation spell, somepony knocked on his door. Startled, he jumped and turned to see a silhouette on the other side of the distorted glass door. He slid it open, revealing a young, lavender unicorn. Her tail and mane were dull sapphire blue with rose and violet streaks. Her Cutie Mark was what Linen could describe as a sparkle sort of shape surrounded by smaller ones. She smiled.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything”, she said.

“Oh, no, not at all”, Linen replied in a slight Trottingish accent, “I’m not pursuing anything important at the moment. Er…May I help you?”

“Yes, I am Twilight Sparkle.” She peered into the room. “I was told I could find a Linen Fiber here?”

The gray unicorn was slightly unnerved at the fact that this complete stranger knew his name and was looking for him. “I am Linen Fiber.”

“Oh, that’s great!” she cheered. Luckily, no pony was in the hallway to hear. By now the train was swaying with its growing speed, and it was getting difficult to stand. “May I come in?”

Linen thought for a second. Well, she seemed nice enough. And her smile was genuine. He stepped aside and beckoned her in. “Why yes, please do.”

She sat on the empty bottom bunk. Linen closed the door and sat opposite of her.

“Miss Sparkle”, he began.

“Please, just call me Twilight.”

“Twilight…” Linen mulled over his words, trying to choose them so as not to sound impolite. “If I may ask, what may I help you with?”

“Oh, how rude of me”, Twilight stated, “I was looking for you as a favor for somepony. You see, I had a small conference in Trottingham and I received a letter from one of my friends in Ponyville.”

Linen’s ears perked up at the sound of the town. He was now giving Twilight his full, undivided attention.

“She told me that you would be taking the same train with me back home and asked me to accompany you on the trip”, Twilight explained. “To make you feel comfortable for the night. I understand this is your first big move.”

Linen already knew who Twilight’s friend was from the beginning. He could easily put two and two together. “I thank you both for the gesture, Twilight, but it shan’t be necessary. I am already quite content. I will thank Rarity when we arrive tomorrow.”

Twilight’s expression drooped somewhat, just to where Linen could barely detect it.

He quickly made up for his mishap. “However, if you would like to stay and keep me company, I would much appreciate it. I can’t logically think of any situation where travelling with somepony wouldn’t be fun.”

Twilight brightened back up. “I was hoping you would say that. The ticket Rarity bought for you covered a room this big so that we could share it. She told me not to go through the trouble of getting a ticket and asked me to look for you. It was her treat for me.”
“Hmm…I see”, Linen could feel his face heating up. He turned to the bunk on which he threw his suitcases. He levitated them back up to the top one and arranged them in a neat fashion. He levitated a new one down and made his way for the door. “Please excuse me, Twilight; I must go find a washroom in which to change.”

Twilight shot him a confused glance. “Change?”

Linen sighed to himself, this was going to be embarrassing. “I usually wear pajamas to bed”, he explained, nodding to the setting sun on the other side of the window. “I am aware that most ponies don’t wear clothes, but I am rather…conscious of the action of changing in front of a lady. It’s more polite for me to change elsewhere.” His face was really hot now. He was trying to fight the blush down, and was losing badly. 

Twilight stifled a small laugh. He sounded just like Rarity! “It’s okay, Linen. You can change in here. I’ll wait outside.”

Before he could protest, Twilight was already sliding the door open. “Just call when you’re finished”, she chimed over her shoulder. The door slid close with her magic.

Shrugging, Linen resumed his levitation. He unzipped the bag and pulled out his favorite pair of pajamas, a deep void purple button down shirt with hundreds of stars on it with a matching set of pajama pants. He used his magic to quickly wrap himself in the garments. When the last button was fastened, he called for Twilight. “Twilight, I’m finished!”

The door opened, and Twilight entered again, this time, with several bags of her own. She was lightly blushing. “I left these out in the hallway. Guess I was too worried over if I could stay to remember them.”

“Would you prefer a top bunk, or a bottom one?” Linen asked. He nodded to his suitcases to the top, ready to move them.

“I’ll be fine with a bottom bunk. I don’t like the idea of falling off of something that high in my sleep.” Something on the bed caught her eye, and she turned to inspect it while Linen had his back to her.

“Completely understood”, Linen replied, putting his overnight bag with the others. He turned to see Twilight levitating his dress in front of her. His face instantly went ten shades of red. Only his family knew that he made dresses! How could he be so careless?

“Wow!” Twilight exclaimed, “It’s beautiful! Linen, did you make this? Are you a dress maker?”

Linen bit his lip and swallowed the lump in his throat. He removed his glasses and pretended to clean the lenses. After he put them back on his face and calmed down a spell, he finally replied. “Y-yes, I did, and I am.”

“When Rarity said she needed help around the boutique, I wasn’t aware she needed this kind of help.” Twilight glanced at him and saw how nervous he was getting. The beads of sweat across his red nose were very noticeable. “There’s no need to get so embarrassed. Trust me when I say that it’s perfectly normal for a colt to design and create dresses.”

“I do believe that is true myself. It is only…no pony outside my family knows that I am a tailor. I’m not ashamed of it in the least, I…”, Linen replied, his voice breaking off.

“Oh, I see. You just don’t have many ponies with this in common, is that it?” She glanced at the dress.

“I suppose that is the closest explanation…I feel better now…so that must be accurate…” Linen agreed.

Twilight changed the subject back to the dress. “How long have you been working on this”, she said, rotating it with her magic.

“The total time is currently three weeks, four days, ten hours and thirty-five point eight seconds”, he said proudly. “It’s my best record to get a dress of this quality to this point of completion.”

He approached and admired it with Twilight.

“It’s very pretty. And looks comfortable”, Twilight observed.

“I will admit this dress does have one of the best visual attractions out of all of the others I have made. And you are very correct; this dress is very comfortable indeed.” It took a second for him to realize what he had just said. His face once again became dark red. He dared to look at Twilight, who of which was giving him a very confused look.

Before she could ask, he decided to explain. “During my dress making process, I don’t make use of a dress figure, instead, I form it around my very body, to ensure a comfortable and accurate fit. I only do this until the main design is finished. I add the finer details later.”

Twilight replied, “That’s a very unique way to make a dress. Rarity will be impressed. I mean, making a dress using by using your own body, that’s amazing!”

Linen forgot all about his embarrassment. “You really think so?” he asked excitedly.

“Absolutely! It can’t be easy making a dress like that; you must have been practicing for a long time to accomplish it!”

“In my opinion, it’s the best and only way to create an ensemble. Though, you’re the only pony that knows of it…”

“It’s really amazing…” Twilight said to comfort him. That’s when she noticed the emerald. “Wow, this emerald is really beautiful! Hmm…What’s that inside it?”

It took Linen a moment to realize what she was asking him about. “Oh! You’re referring to the lightning bolt. It’s a skill I that I have learned with some experimentation. The lightning bolt is a carefully cut opal gem. I used a self-crafted Ghosting Spell to insert the opal inside the emerald after I shaped it”, he explained. 

“You made a new spell just so you can make your dresses better?”

“Well, yes, I have. There are actually several spells I’ve created for tailoring. It’s definitely not simple, and I’ve nearly fractured my horn a few times”, Linen explained. “Dress making is my lifelong passion; I’ve worked my entire life to achieve the skills I have now.”

“You’re really dedicated to what you love, huh?” Twilight finally set the dress down.

“I am. That’s why I’m moving to Ponyville. My parents, well, they are considered by many to be imperious. I left so I can lead my own life, in self-created comfort.” Linen adjusted his glasses and levitated the dress’s suitcase down. He picked up the dress and carefully placed it back into the bag.

Twilight disappointedly watched him zip it back up. “Have you given any thought to what you’re going to do with it?” she asked.
Linen saw her expression and knew what she meant. He wasn’t a liar, so he said, “I was planning to sell it upon its completion. I’d hate to let it go, but I have no use for it. I won’t ever wear it.” Linen watched Twilight’s expression drop further. A tiny “oh” escaped her lips and Linen smiled warmly. “Twilight, do you really like the dress?”

The lavender unicorn nodded. “I do”, she replied, “It’s very, very pretty.”

He smiled wider as he picked the bag up and placed it with her things. “Then it’s yours.”

“But you said it isn’t finished, besides, I don’t have the mon—”

He interrupted her, “It is my gift to you. Anypony who admires something to an extent such as yours should have it. It is enough pay for you to appreciate my work the way you do. And as for the dress’s final details…” He quickly unzipped the bag once more and removed the dress. Unclasping the front, he slipped it onto Twilight and levitated a green spool of thread and a sewing needle down from his supply bag.

“Now don’t struggle…” he said.

Twilight wouldn’t have been able too if she tried. The shock from what had just happened was a lot to take in. Linen used the thread and stitched, in very neat cursive, Twilight’s name near the rear trim at the bottom of the dress. He pulled the needle and unused thread loose and put them back in their respective bag. He took one long look at the dress and the shocked unicorn wearing it.
“Something should be changed”, he said, taking a deeper look, “It isn’t completely you just yet.”

Twilight remained silent. She was now coming back to her senses but still couldn’t talk.

He looked for several more seconds before he finally realized what it was. He focused his energy into his horn. When it started glowing, and when he had Twilight’s Cutie Mark pictured in his head, he touched it to the emerald. The emerald glowed faintly. The gem inside started to change shape. It slowly transformed into a magic sparkle, nearly identical to the one on Twilight’s flank.

“Voila! Perfection in its shining moment!” Linen announced to Twilight, “Yes! The dress suits you well! Very beautiful indeed!”
Twilight blushed. “Thank you. Thank you very much”, she said, “Is there anything at all I can do in return?”

He shook his head and reorganized his bags. “Twilight, I meant what I said. You needn’t repay me. You’re my first actual friend. That is already more than I could ask for.”

Twilight wanted to ask, but didn’t want to butt into Linen’s life. She could wait for him to open up more first.

Linen sighed. His satisfaction was clearly evident across his face. He grinned very widely at Twilight. Before either of them could even think about their next words, another knock came through the compartment’s door. It slid open to reveal a pale yellow Pegasus.

“I hope I’m not intruding, but I’m here with the dinner trolley. Are either of you ready for dinner?”

Twilight glanced at the other unicorn. “I’m starting to get hungry. I guess I’m ready.”

Linen nodded. “As am I. A wholesome meal is definitely what I could use at the moment.”

The Pegasus nodded, and disappeared again behind the door. She slid it completely open and carried in on her wings two piping hot plates of spaghetti and wheatballs. She walked to the window and tapped her front hoof against the wall. A collapsible table fell from it and she placed the two plates on top of it. The unicorns watched her trot back to the trolley and bring back two glasses of water.

“I hope you enjoy your meal. If you would like anything else, please do not hesitate to ask.” She bowed politely and left the two alone to eat.

Linen sat down and gazed at their dinner. “It looks delectable.” He looked to Twilight. “Shall we eat?”
	
> The First Day in Ponyville
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The First Day in Ponyville


Linen awoke to the gentle swaying of the train. He slowly opened his eyes to see that the sun was barely up. With a moan he turned over and tried to go back to sleep, but the movement of the car wouldn’t let him drift off again. He groaned and sat up. “Oh, curse my inability to possess a weightier sleeping capability”, he said to himself. He rolled out of bed.

The sound of the machinery rattling throughout the train was strangely peaceful, almost lulling the unicorn back to sleep. He shook himself free of any intentions of returning to sleep and levitated his toiletries bag down. He slid open the door and walked outside. It was empty in the hallway, as everypony was still asleep. Linen walked through the train and finally, after three cars, found a restroom. He gave the door a generous knock. With no pony answering, he entered the room and started to prepare for the day ahead. His toothbrush, comb, and toothpaste floated out of the bag. All at once, he loaded the toothbrush, shook himself free of his pajamas, and started to comb his nappy bedhead.

Meanwhile Twilight was just waking up. Unlike Linen, she rolled right out of bed, as bright as the sun that had just finished filling the room with warm light. From her bags, she levitated her brush and her mirror down from her travel bag. She quickly gave her mane a brushing and decided that her teeth could wait until after breakfast.

She turned to the sound of the door clicking back into place. Linen stood there, now out of his pajamas, holding his morning things. They took a look at each other, as if they were complete strangers again. Twilight was the first to speak.

“How did you sleep?”

“It was utterly delightful.” Linen had never had a better sleep. His very first night away from home was the most peaceful night in his life.

“That’s great. You have a very long day ahead of you. You’ll need all of that sleep for today.” She watched his eyes gloss over with realization.

“Indeed I do”, he agreed. He placed his bag with the others. Then a thought struck him. He didn’t immediately turn around.

Twilight saw the hesitation. “Are you okay?”

“What is Miss Rarity like?” he asked quickly. He turned around to meet Twilight’s gaze.

The unicorn almost laughed. “You don’t have a single thing to worry about. You and Rarity will get along just fine. You have a lot in common.”

Determining that he may not get the answer he was looking for, he nodded and changed the subject. “Is Ponyville a quiet town? I was told from several visitors that it was, but I think it would be best to ask a permanent resident.”

Twilight thought about the question. “Well, for the most part Ponyville is quiet, though once you get to the market it does get a bit busy. I guess the best thing to say is that if you want to find peace and quiet you will.”

Her answer put the male unicorn at ease. He was so worried that the comments of the town were lies and he would be living in another restless metropolis. He sat on his bed absently, more questions about Ponyville entering his curiosity.

The next hour or so was spent with aimless conversation. The two talked about everything from hobbies to books. The breakfast trolley came around, but neither was hungry enough to grab anything from it. It was during one of the periods of silence when Linen spotted something out of the window. He rushed over to it. He squinted hard to try to focus on what had captured his attention.

“Would that happen to be…?” The excitement in his voice told Twilight what he saw.

“Yep”, she said without getting up, “That’s Ponyville. We’ll be there in a few minutes now.”

Linen didn’t say anything else. He just kept his eyes fixed on the collection of tiny buildings in the country side. Almost there…he thought.

_________________

The long whistle of the Ponyville Express echoed throughout the small station. Despite the time of morning, it was already busy with the early commuters. A white unicorn did her best to navigate her way through the crowd. She was certainly surprised to see so many ponies today. It usually wasn’t this busy.

“Oh, I hope Linen Fiber doesn’t mind”, Rarity said to herself, “He specifically told me that crowds didn’t appeal to him much.”

She kept walking through the crowd, trying to get to the train. It got harder as the passengers started to unload out into the station. She kept wading through the other ponies until a voice called out to her.

“Rarity!”

She turned her head to see Twilight trotting up to her. A light gray unicorn followed behind her. He was levitating quite a few bags behind him. 

“Twilight!” Rarity gave her friend a generous hug. “How was Trottingham? Did you enjoy your trip?”

“It was great Rarity”, Twilight replied, “I wish I could have stayed longer.”

“That’s magnificent to hear.” Rarity glanced over Twilight to see a colt cleaning his glasses. “Twilight, would this happen to be?”

Twilight stepped aside and held out her hoof. “Rarity, I would like you to meet my new friend, Linen Fiber.”

Rarity almost pushed Twilight aside. She walked right up to the gray unicorn, who had just finished cleaning his glasses.

“Linen Fiber…” she said, extending out her hoof. “I am Rarity. It is so nice to meet you!”

Linen shook her hoof. “Miss Rarity of the Carousel Boutique…It truly is an honor to meet you.”

Twilight gave them a smile before disappearing into the crowd. She understood what was happening and knew they wouldn’t need her around for it. First introductions were always the most important.

“You are just as I have imagined you”, Rarity commented as she circled him. “Pristine, well groomed, confident…”

Linen remained silent. He couldn’t speak for through the attention he was getting. It was about maybe the second time she passed in front of him when he forced himself to speak.

“Thank you”, Linen replied, “And you are just as beautiful as everypony says.”

Rarity stopped. “Why thank you. I’ve never met a pony as straightforward as you.”

He snapped to attention, mostly in embarrassment. His cheeks were as red as can be. “I apologize. I do not usually speak my mind. I was captivated by your elegance.” Oh, why must my mouth stay in motion?

“There is no need to be embarrassed I assure you”, Rarity said, “Honest comments never hurt anypony.”

“Y-yes.” Linen swallowed hard and exhaled deeply.

“Now that we have been properly introduced, I think it is time I welcomed you to your new home.”

Linen’s heart hit his throat. “That would be marvelous!”

“I’m delighted you think so.” She turned. “If you would kindly follow me, I will show you there.”

She began to walk out of the station. Linen hurriedly picked up his things and walked beside her. “Where is it located exactly?”

“Not very far from the Carousel Boutique. A very good friend of mine owns it. I shall introduce the two of you later today”, she explained.

“Miss Rarity I must thank you for all that you have done. I simply cannot fathom how much trouble you have gone through for me.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s my pleasure.”

Linen couldn’t decide on what to say next, so he remained quiet. They walked on in silence. The sun had by then gotten higher in the sky and was now releasing its furious heat upon Ponyville. It didn’t bother Linen, though. It got at least twice as hot back in Trottingham. Rarity was too busy minding the path ahead to notice. They passed a few shops and Linen noted a few he would like to stop by later.

“I hope you are finding Ponyville as quiet as I had promised”, Rarity said in an attempt to strike up conversation.

Linen took a moment to let his ears take in the surrounding bustling. “It is very peaceful”, he replied, “I can hear myself think clearly.”

“I think you will appreciate the fact that I have personally picked your home in the quietest part of Ponyville available.” She gave him a generous glance.

“I give you my sincerest of thanks, Rarity. I promise I will work hard for you in an attempt repay you.”

“Oh!” Rarity stopped in surprise. “Linen”, she said stepping aside, “Welcome to your new home!”

The unicorn looked up and gasped at the sight in front of him.

It was a two story, pure white house. The front door was preceded by a spacious and beautiful covered deck. Wind chimes and humming bird feeders were strung from the raptors. The perimeter of the deck was surrounded by white and yellow flowers.
Linen stared at the structure and took in its every perfect detail. Rarity walked up the three stairs of the deck and levitated two keys and a note taped to the door. Linen noticed her wave him over. He anxiously made his way to her.

“What does the message say?” He pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

“It appears my friend Roseluck had to leave for an emergency. She was going to show you around the house, but has asked me to do so instead.” She folded the paper up and gave it and the two keys to him. She pushed the door open. “Let us take a look inside, shall we?”

“Certainly!” Linen stuffed the keys and note into one of his bags, and followed Rarity inside.

The inside was spacious, and was completely furnished!

“I recall Rose mentioning something about your freedom to decorate if you desire to do so”, Rarity explained.

Linen dropped his things by the staircase. “I had my hopes set on self-decoration”, he replied, “I know a few Transformation spells that will most definitely suit my fashion needs.”

“I take it you are a pony of exquisite taste?” Rarity turned to face him. A grin of appreciation had formed on her face.

“I am uncertain about that, but I do choose styles that seem to be, how could I explain this, exotic, or strangely different from most other ponys’ fashion tastes”, he said bubbly. 

“How far exactly does your fashion sense deter from what some ponies would call the ‘normal standards?’” Rarity asked curiously.
Linen thought about it. I suppose that it couldn’t hurt…he thought. “It will be best if you could be presented with a visual example rather than an explanation. If you have no previous engagements planned for tonight, I would like to invite you to dinner. I could show you then.”

Rarity hesitated. She didn’t see that coming. “I-I would love to join you for dinner tonight.”

Linen’s heart hit his throat. “That’s marvelous!” he exclaimed, “I’ll have dinner on the table at six sharp.”

“I will arrive right on time.” Rarity turned. “Please get accustomed to your new home. I’ll leave you to unpack your things and get settled in.”

And with that, Linen watched her disappear through the door.

“That was an abrupt exit”, Linen mumbled to himself. He glanced to his bags and decided that he may as well make the house his own. He levitated one bag, his outfit bag, to him. He looked around the room for a closet and spotted one near the front door. He opened it to find that it was very spacious.

He opened the bag and the craziest thing popped out of it. A short, dark blue pony with a gray and green mane landed on the floor proudly. A blue cape tied around his neck bore the initials C.T.

“Captain Threads!” the colt announced proudly, “Ready to fight evil and repel doom everywhere it dwells!”

“COTTON!?” Linen exclaimed. “What it the names of Luna and Celestia do you call yourself!? Having stowed away in my bags!?”

“That’s Captain to you”, Cotton retorted. “And I am your little brother!”

“No, boy, I mean, what in the hoof are you doing here”, Linen asked. He eyed his brother darkly.

“Oh!” Cotton reached under his cape and withdrew a note sealed with a pink diamond from the bag he had just emerged from.

“A note from Mother?” Linen snatched it up and tore it open.

Dear Linen,
I have the most wonderful news for you! Your little brother was worried sick about you leaving and has decided he wants to come with you. For fear of you saying “no”, he has decided to tag along in one of your bags. Your father and I shall provide transportation of his things to your new home. Take good care of him, and no fighting whatsoever!

Love,

Pin Cushion

Linen read it again and again, hoping that it was just a very horrible figment of his imagination. But after he decided it was not going away, he admitted defeat.

He looked down to see Cotton hadn’t moved from his spot.

“Go select the room of your desire”, Linen half-ordered.

“Yay!” Cotton disappeared upstairs in a flash.

The older unicorn put a hoof to his head. “Oh, how am I to explain this to Rarity and Roseluck?” he asked himself. “I had not in the least bit expected this turn of events.”

He listened as he heard Cotton running around the second story. He smiled to himself as a thought struck him. “What better way to cope with the change without at least taking a small part of home along with me?”

He shook himself free of the little remaining frustration. Peering into Cotton’s travel bag, he found that the blue unicorn had stuffed it with food and snacks for the trip. He’s just as smart as his big brother, Linen’s mother’s voice echoed in his head.

“I must say, that frightens me”, he said with a chuckle.

“Big Brother! Come look!” Cotton yelled from upstairs.

He left the closet to go find where his brother had wandered. “What is it?” he asked as he ascended the last stair. Another set of stairs led into the ceiling from the hall. At the top of the retractable steps was Cotton, smiling proudly at his discovery.

“Come on up!”

The attic was hot and stuffy, as was to be expected. It was also renovated! The rafters both for the roof of the house and the ceiling of the second story were boarded over, making a new room. Light poured in through a large, round window that Linen assumed must have been located at the back of the house facing away from town.

“Roseluck must not have anticipated any tenant to use this for a room.” Linen assumed. It was empty, not a single piece of furniture was to be found.

“My room!” Cotton announced.

“Very well”, replied Linen, “But we will first need to install a bit of ventilation. We wouldn’t want you to bake in the heat.”

“I’ll be fine, for nothing can harm Captain Threads!” He pounded his chest.

Linen rolled his eyes. “Well, I for one am close to spontaneously combusting.” He wiped the sweat from his brow. “Back downstairs. We have much to do.”

With a bit of a struggle, he dragged Cotton from his new room and into the cool hallway of the second floor. “Now.” He turned after the attic stairs snapped closed. “Since your things have yet to arrive in Ponyville, you have no chores for the time being.”

“YES!”

“However”, Linen continued, “You must stay out of my way until the house is fully functional. I have a tremendous amount of work to accomplish, and I cannot simply have you interrupting me.”

Cotton nodded. “But how am I supposed to have fun?”

Linen gave it some thought. If mother thought it safe enough to let him roam throughout Trottingham, then it would be perfectly safe to let him roam around Ponyville.

With a brotherly smile, he said, “You may go outside to play. But return home before five-thirty.”

With a yelp of cheer, the young colt dashed downstairs and out the door.

Linen turned and focused energy to his horn to set out for redecoration.
________________

“Hmm…” Rarity hummed to herself. She levitated two dresses in front of her, trying figure out which would amaze Linen more. “What do you think, Opal?”

She turned to the cat’s usual perch to find that she wasn’t there. “Oh, of course…” Rarity remembered. “Opal is spending the day with Fluttershy and Daylight. That’s too bad; she always knows what looks best on me.”

She returned to alternating the dresses. The task was becoming more and more frustrating by the second. Suddenly, the boutique’s bell rang. She immediately set the dresses down on the display stand in front of her mirrors. The unicorn turned around and saw Twilight crossing the room.

“Twilight”, she greeted happily. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

“I have a favor to ask of you, Rarity”, the Element of Magic replied.

“What is it, dear? I’ll be happy to do it!”

“Well, you see, Dream Runner’s birthday is next week, and I’ve been looking around for a gift for him—”

“And you want me to make him a stunning vest or jacket for his party? How thoughtful!” Rarity interrupted. She levitated a quill and note pad up to her.

“Actually”, Twilight continued, “He mentioned something about a traveling cloak when I got back to the library.”

“Even more appropriate for an explorer like him!” Rarity jotted down a few ideas and made side notes for needed materials.

Twilight glanced over Rarity to see that a few of the dress racks had been practically turned upside down. As a matter of fact, the entire room looked like an earthquake had shaken it apart. “…Is everything okay in here?”

Rarity stared at her blankly for a moment. Then she traced her gaze to the big mess behind her. “Oh, yes, all is well. I just have a small dinner date tonight and finding the right dress has been rather, well, challenging.”

“I can help.”

“Oh, Twilight, I can’t possibly—”

“Rarity, it’s fine. It won’t take long”, Twilight interjected. Then she added with a wink, “And besides, I know what Linen will like to see you in.”

“How…”

Twilight giggled. “Just a hunch.” She picked a couple of dresses from off the floor. “Now, let’s get you ready for that date!”
I know I’m late with this update, but school and work have been murder. Anyways, I struggled a little with this chapter, so any support would be largely appreciated.
	
> Second Impressions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Second Impressions

“Are you sure about this one Twilight?”

“Absolutely”, Twilight replied a-matter-of-factly, “Linen has a taste for symmetry and asymmetry, as well as contradictory colors. He will LOVE it!”

Rarity found it ironic how SHE was questioning the outfit SHE was being forced into while standing on her own display table. She and Twilight had spent the past two hours getting her ready for her dinner date with Linen. Now she was wearing a very beautiful purple dress. She wasn’t certain whether or not the yellow guidings for either side were necessary, nor did she believe that the dress needed a lightened fade at the bottom. But Twilight did spend more time with Linen that she did, so it only stood to reason that Twilight knew what she was talking about.

Twilight studied Rarity intently. She was trying her best to make her fellow Element appear the very best for Linen. After about thirteen hours on a train together, she was sure she knew a lot about him. She kept scanning the dress over and over again, and something finally struck her. There was something missing from Rarity’s dress. She recalled that Linen had mention something about accessories and she tried to figure out exactly what his taste would call for. Then inspiration hit as she laid her eyes on a pink cloth in the back of the store. She levitated it over to her and fashioned it into a large bow. She used her magic to attach it to the back of the dress.

“Walla!” she cheered. “All finished! What do you think Rarity?” She held her breath anxiously.

Rarity gazed upon the dress in the three mirrors before her. “Unique”, she observed, “Truly unique…and rather unusual…I love it!”

“I’m glad you think so.” Twilight smiled bashfully. It wasn’t everyday she wandered out of the library to dress up a semi famous dress designer, so any compliments were completely flattering.

“Thank you so much, Twilight. You may have saved my second impression from disaster!”

“It’s nothing Rarity”, Twilight replied, “You do the same for me all the time.”

Rarity admired herself in the mirror for a few seconds longer. Twilight did a fabulous job. The dress complimented the unicorn in every way. She studied her eyes and wondered exactly how Twilight got the dress to bring them out so brightly. She noticed her neck. It was somewhat bare since the dress was strapless. “Twilight”, she said to Twilight’s reflection.

“Yes, Rarity?” Twilight stepped forward.

“Near the door there is a small, oak box. Could you please bring it here?”

“Sure thing!” Twilight chimed. She saw it from across the room and simply levitated it over. “Here you go!”

“Thank you, Twilight.” Rarity took the box and opened it. Still staring at her reflection, she withdrew a very pretty sapphire necklace. She slipped it around her neck and fastened it. That seemed to wrap the entire outfit up. Only one last thing. From the stand to her left, a perfume bottle floated over. She gave herself two quick puffs of the aromatic essence.

She turned to Twilight, once again a questioning expression plastered to her face. “Are you sure I won’t need any more makeup?”

“I’m completely sure, Rarity. The mascara and blush should be more than enough. Linen told me himself that he believed in natural beauty and that it shouldn’t be covered up by artificial colors.” 

“I do hope you are correct…” The last thing Rarity wanted to do was make a bad impression.

“Trust me. Linen will like almost whatever you wear. He’s very calm and collected.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Come back here, Cotton!” Linen shouted. He chased his brother across the living room, causing him to dodge some of the furniture. Crashing and shattering could be heard racing throughout the house.

Cotton was leading him all over the place. The small unicorn dove under the couches and squeezed in every nook and cranny he could to avoid his older brother. “Captain!” he screamed at his brother. He jumped over the coffee table in the living room.

Linen stopped dead in his tracks. “ENOUGH!” With a surge of powerful magic energy, he threw a force field around Cotton. Instantly, he froze in midair.

“No fair, Big Brother!” Cotton grumbled.

“I have no further intentions to play nicely”, Linen retorted. He levitated the comb he had been chasing Cotton with up to the imprisoned unicorn.

“NNNNOOOOOOO!!!!” he screamed in vain as the comb neatened his messy mane. He struggled to break free, but Linen only tightened the hold on him.

“Yes”, Linen snapped, “Miss Rarity will be appearing here for dinner this evening, and I will not have you, who I may add is not even supposed to be here, present her with a worse impression than that of which will more than likely already be in effect due to your unannounced arrival!”

“Blah blah blah.” Cotton rolled his eyes.

“Don’t you DARE! I am your eldest brother and from this point forward your guardian!” Linen yelled. “You WILL listen to me, or so help me Luna I will have you sent back to Mother and Father!”

That threat did it. Cotton stopped struggling. Linen finished combing his mane and then lowered him. He refused to face Linen even when he was set back on the ground. Linen saw that he was crying. He only got to take a single step before Cotton spoke again.

“Y-you know what, Big Brother”, he sniffed.

“What, Cotton?” Linen asked softly. He slowly approached his little brother.

“I w-wanted to come w-with y-you, because e-everypony was mean to me in T-Trottingham!” He cried. He turned and grabbed Linen’s leg. “Please, d-don’t make me g-go back!”

It had never occurred to Linen that Cotton had been bullied back home. He never noticed any signs, and that is nearly impossible being as they had, despite the rivalry, the best sibling bond anypony had ever seen. Linen put a hoof around his brother. “I won’t, Cotton”, Linen whispered, “I promise.”

They stayed that way for several more minutes. Then Cotton broke free from the hug. Linen didn’t follow him. He knew Cotton would make no further interruptions. The little colt wouldn’t want to upset him again.

He sighed. “Oh, what am I to do?” He turned and gazed upon the destruction he and Linen had just brought upon the house. Two of the lamps had been shattered into a few hundred pieces on the floor, and one of the couches had managed to flip upside down. Linen shook his head and levitated his one spell book from the only intact bookshelf in the room.

“Ah, Restoration and Renewal, my old friend!” Linen flipped open the book and flicked through its pages until he came across the spell he was looking for. He set the book down and focused as much magical energy as he could to his horn. It glowed and sparked as he followed the instructions in the book. “Oh”, he groaned, “This would be much easier if I practiced magic more frequently like normal unicorns!”

In a sudden burst, the spell arced off his horn to the ceiling and shot around the room.  Everything the bolt of magic touched instantly started to repair itself. Linen looked up. He smiled at the progress. In a matter of moments, the house would be back to the way it was. 

He made his way to the kitchen. As soon as he crossed the threshold, the egg timer on the dining table started ringing. He pulled the oven open and withdrew the pan from within. He gave the dish a deep sniff. It smelled okay to him despite missing a few ingredients his mother had always used. He wished he had more time to make something better, but that was the best he could do in the time given to him. He placed the pan on the stove and withdrew three plates from a cabinet. He dished out an equal amount of the hay over rice on each plate and set the table.

“Big Brother?”

Linen turned his head to see Cotton holding the kitchen door open. “Yes?”

“It’s five minutes to six.”

Linen’s heart hit his throat. “Thank you, Cotton”, he said quickly. He dashed out of the kitchen so fast that Cotton didn’t even have time to correct him with “Captain”. 

He flew up the stairs and into the bathroom. In a matter of seconds, the sink was full of sudsy bubbles. He rubbed his hooves together vigorously in an effort to get them as clean as possible. He dunked his face under the water and scrubbed off any possible dirt. He pulled his head back out and instinctively grabbed his comb from the counter. He combed his sopping wet mane back into its normal neat fashion. A towel levitated up to his face and he dried it and his glasses. He sighed in frustration when he realized he had just mangled his mane again, and quickly combed it back into place.

Linen peered into his reflection. He pulled open his lips to make sure his teeth were still white. The frantic gray unicorn searched himself all over for any more flaws before rushing out and into his room, where he grabbed a collar and black bowtie. He struggled to get it tied and nearly fell down the steps in his attempt to multitask. He slid to a halt in the living room. By then the repair spell had completed its job and had since disappeared. Cotton was busy reading a comic book on the couch against the far wall.

Linen saw that it was a book that his brother didn’t own. “Cotton”, he said, “Where did you get that book?”

“One of my new friends gave it to me!” Cotton announced.

Linen smiled. “You made some friends?” Back in Trottingham, Cotton couldn’t even talk to very many ponies, and now he has made at least two friends!

“I made…uh…” Cotton looked off into space in concentration as he counted the fillies he had met just a few hours earlier. “Six friends!”

“That’s marvelous, Cotton!”

“Uh huh!” Cotton agreed. “Tomorrow they say they’re going to swear me in as a Cutie Mark Crusader! YAY!”

“What a delightful sounding group!” Linen nearly jumped and started to dance. With his magic, he grabbed Cotton’s cape and tied it around the colt’s neck. The magic field then spread to Cotton’s whole body. Linen picked him up and started to levitate him over the furniture and across the room.

“Captain Threads to the rescue!” Cotton  cheered as he flew around the room.

On the outside of the house, Rarity could tell something was definitely going on inside. Playful laughter and giggling could be heard as far away as the Carousel Boutique! She walked up the steps, eager to leave the steadily darkening evening for the inside of the house. A small tug at the back of her dress made her freeze. It felt like a snag. Her heart began to pick up its pace in her chest. She hesitantly turned around. Any sudden movement, and she would hear the horrible sound of the dress ripping. She shut her eyes and slowly backed down the stairs. The dress fell loose. She breathed a sigh of relief. Carefully, she gradually moved back up the steps to avoid the step on which the dress had gotten snagged. 

Now at the door, she paused before giving the door a knock. Something had been bothering her since she left the Boutique. Despite what Twilight had told her, she pulled out a compact. She quickly applied a very light blue-violet eye shadow to her eyelids. “Sorry, Twilight…” she said, “But I just don’t feel myself without it.”

She snapped the compact closed and finally gave the door a polite tap. It swung inward to reveal two unicorns. Linen smiled welcomingly.

Linen stared at her in awe for about ten seconds before speaking. “Ah, Rarity. Right on time!” He stepped aside and she walked in. When he shut the door, Cotton stepped forward. He put a hoof on the colt’s shoulder. “Rarity, I would like to introduce you to my youngest brother, Cotton Threads. He stowed away in my luggage with a note from my mother to say that he is to live with me. I hope that this doesn’t violate any regulations or provisions set for my employment or housing.”

Rarity looked to Cotton, then back to Linen. “I am sorry, Linen”, she said with a saddened frown.

The brothers tensed as they braced for the news of having to move back to Trottingham. Cotton was just about brought to tears.

Rarity’s frown rose into a smile, “But now I have to tell my friend Pinkie Pie to throw two welcoming parties!”

“Party!?” Cotton jumped into the air and darted up to her with wondering eyes.

“Yes, little Cotton.” Rarity replied. She kneeled to his height. She whispered, “And you know, I have a little sister. She’s very near your age.”

“Sweetie Belle!” Cotton yelled excitedly. “I met her today in the park! She said she was your sister, that’s how I know who you are!”

“Oh, did she now?” Rarity nearly forgot how idolized she was by her sister. She was the main topic of most of Sweetie’s conversations.


“Uh huh!”

“Rarity, er…could I interest you in a cup of tea before dinner?” Linen inquired shakily. It was his first time being the actual host for a guest. Back in Trottingham it was always his parents who had invited and tended to the visitors. He was just there for atmosphere.

“That sounds lovely, Linen. The trip was rather chilly.”

“Of course.” Linen rushed into the kitchen, leaving his younger brother and employer alone in the living room.

“I can’t wait to be a Cutie Mark Crusader!” Cotton blurted out.

“You haven’t earned your Cutie Mark yet”, asked Rarity.

“Not yet, but I’m working really hard.” He pulled his cape aside to reveal his blank flank. “Linen always says I can make it whatever I want, but I just don’t know what will look cool.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t work towards obtaining a Cutie Mark that will look cool, but instead a Cutie Mark that will always be a symbol of pride and skill in what you excel in.”

“I am!” Cotton chirped.

Rarity gave him a confused expression.

“I do all kinds of cool stuff! And any Cutie Mark I get will look the coolest!” He bounced with every word he shouted.

Before Rarity could continue the conversation, Linen walked in carrying a tea set. Three small cups were steaming with the hot tea. A kettle was placed in between the three and a small saucer held a few cookies. All arranged in accordance of 
mathematical probability of first use. Thank LunaI actually gave Mother’s teachings the proper respect and devotion. If it weren’t for his mother, Linen would be at a complete loss now. He set the tray on the table in the center of the room.

“Would you care to sit down, Rarity?”

“Oh, yes, why thank you.” She took her seat on an orange couch. She sat unmoving so she wouldn’t wrinkle her dress. She levitated one of the cups of tea to her lips.

“Dinner is currently cooling. Unless I have calculated incorrectly, I estimate it to be at the proper temperature in approximately twelve minutes.” Linen double checked his math to make sure he wouldn’t look like a foal if he was wrong.

“It seems that has given us an ample amount of conversation time.” Rarity gave her tea a sip.

“Now we are presented with the issue of a discussion topic.” Linen sat on the purple couch opposite of Rarity. Cotton bounced about the living room, having finally lost interest in the evening. Linen watched him nervously. Rarity didn’t seem to notice, but the grey stallion wasn’t taking any chances. He levitated a cookie from the tray and hovered it in front of his younger brother’s face. Giggling, Cotton followed it around the room. The two weaved in between the furniture, until finally the cookie landed on the arm of the green loveseat that Linen had positioned in a cattycorner fashion against the far corner facing the front door.

The colt immediately devoured the round sweet, barely leaving any crumbs.

Linen gazed sheepishly to Rarity. She was chuckling to herself. Linen decided that he had a suitable conversation topic. With a forced confident smile, he said, “Cotton’s stomach has the largest volume capacity I have ever seen. No matter what he eats, there will always remain an empty space inside that little void of a belly.”

Rarity giggled at his comment. “Yes, it seems that nearly all colts at his age level eat more than average.”

“The energy for growth must come from some source.”

Cotton watched the two quietly and tried his best to keep himself behaved. His adventurous nature was making that very hard for him and he soon found himself bouncing slightly with the urge to start running around the living room once more.

Linen, having noticed, decided to change the subject for his brother’s sake. “Would there happen to be any locations Cotton could…safely…explore and develop his magic talents?”

Cotton’s ears perked up. Now this he could relate to.

Rarity already had an answer to that question. It seemed that many new ponies always asked the same thing. “Why yes. Ponyville is home to many small caves and groves that can be very safely navigated. And if you require additional assurance, the Golden Oaks Library’s assistant librarian is a treasure and avid cave spelunker. He would be more than happy to bring Cotton with him on an exploration.”

“Really!?” Cotton hopped off the couch and once again trotted up to the white mare. “That’s so cool!” He turned and galloped back to Linen. “Can I, Big Brother? Please?”

Linen recoiled as cotton thrust the questions at him. “Well, of course, Cotton. But be sure to have all of your other affairs in order first.” Cotton had a reputation for a forgetful mind, and would often let many scheduled events slip his mind due to his 
excitement for something else. “You wouldn’t want to oversight your induction as a Cutie Mark Crusader tomorrow, would you?”

“Nuh uh!” Cotton shook his head vigorously.

Rarity’s eyes widened a touch. Another Cutie Mark Crusader!? Oh dear Celestia…the thought ran through her head again and again.

“Rarity, has something startled you?” Linen rose for any assistance he may have been able to offer.

The white unicorn rose too. “Not at all. Not at all”, she assured, “It seems as if my hunger has decided to spike.”

Linen bought the lie. “Well, if that is indeed the issue, then we may sacrifice the several last minutes to dine sooner.”

“That sounds lovely.” Rarity followed Cotton, who had first sprinted into the kitchen. 

Linen followed behind, hoping that the rest of the evening would flow evenly according to the algorithm he had formulated.

Perhaps, he thought, my second impression will surpass the results of my first… 

> Time for Work
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Time for Work


Linen slowly rolled out of his bed. He was so stiff and tired from tossing and turning in what seemed an endless sleepless night. It was an hour before he was even supposed to get up, but the anxiety was too much for him to stay in bed. He just had to get up and do something, anything. He settled with getting ready for the day. He groggily walked down the staircase to the floor below. He yawned, nearly falling down the last few steps.

The whole house was quiet, a sure sign that Cotton still had yet to wake up. The thought of the little colt made Linen’s heart jump. He would have to leave his brother alone for the day! From the kitchen door he levitated a small clipboard with a list taped to it. Seeing that he had yet to entail it, Linen tiredly wrote a note to find Cotton a sitter. It just had to be Saturday. He knew Cotton was mature enough to care for himself, but he couldn’t help but worry what would happen by leaving Cotton unsupervised. He was sure Ponyville was a very safe place, but they were both still new to the town. The thought didn’t run through his mind the day before, but Cotton could easily get lost. He had mentally slapped himself for that mistake.

“I wonder if Rarity is in possession of a map”, he pondered to himself. He had taught Cotton how to read them and it would bring him much relief if he could give one to the little colt.

The kitchen was much cooler than the rest of the house, causing a chill to run through Linen’s thin frame. He shivered violently. “I-I must see to it t-that the i-installation is p-properly installed”, he chattered. He walked aimlessly through the room in an attempt to warm up. On his third lap he noticed that he had adjusted to the temperature and was no longer shivering.

With the annoyance no longer a factor, Linen set out to prepare for the day ahead. The second checklist he made hung on the wall next to the back door of the house. He levitated it over and, to his misfortune, saw that there wasn’t much at all to do but get ready for his first day of work. He huffed in frustration. He was going to be so bored for the next hour. There was nothing, absolutely nothing for him to do until Cotton woke up. Then a thought struck him.

“Instead of waiting for Cotton to wake up before starting breakfast”, he said to the kitchen, “He’ll wake to breakfast!” He opened the refrigerator, once again thanking Princess Luna that somepony had filled it—and the rest of the kitchen’s cabinets and the pantry—with fresh food. Since he started the tour yesterday, he kept finding more and more surprise he guessed that Roseluck had set up for his arrival. Another one presented itself when he discovered that there were pots and pans in the cupboards and drawers. Holding a pan out in front of him, he said to himself, “I must do something in return for Roseluck’s kindness. But what could even so much as equal her gestures?”
He cracked an egg as he mulled over ideas. It wasn’t much longer before his kitchen was alive with the sizzling and simmering of breakfast. In only six minutes, Linen had four pans on the stove and was mixing batter for waffles. It was no wonder why he was grateful for the fact that he could multi-levitate on a large scale. It made life so much easier for him.
_____________
Cotton rolled over and over in the bed in the spare bedroom. If he wasn’t so lazy, he would have been up three hours ago, when he first woke up. His logic was that, if there was no reason, there was no getting out of bed. But that didn’t include sitting up to read. He hurriedly grabbed the comic book that Scootaloo had given him the day before from the nightstand and opened it in his lap. To his dismay there was no source of light in his dark room. The little colt groaned in frustration. He remembered one time when Linen had used a spell to make his horn light up like a candle, but was unsure if he could do it or not. He was very afraid of hurting himself trying out magic that was too advanced for him. A fight broke out in his head about whether or not he should try to give himself at least enough light to read.
The mental battle never came to a conclusion. The smell of pancakes drifted into his nose, making his belly growl loudly. He rubbed his dissatisfied organ. When it became clear it didn’t want to stop, he huffed, and then jumped down from his bed. He grabbed his comic and left the room. Upon opening the door, Cotton’s nose was welcomed with even more smells of breakfast. Eggs, toast, even the orange juice floated into his nostrils!

The scents of the soon-to-be-devoured meal almost lifted him into the air to pursue them. He hastily made his way down the stairs and through the living room. Poking his head around the corner, he peered into the kitchen and saw Linen hovering over the stove. The bigger colt looked like he was really busy with making breakfast. Cotton took advantage of Linen’s distraction and slipped into the chair farthest from the stove. Carefully and silently, he opened his book in front of him to the last page he left off.

He managed to flip through a few more pages before the book magically snapped shut and was levitated away to be replaced with a plate full of all of his favorite breakfast foods. He looked up to see a very bright smile in his face.

“Good morning, Cotton!”

“Good morning, Big Brother!”

“I must say, I’m surprised that—” Linen didn’t finish his sentence, for Cotton couldn’t postpone eating any longer. Linen watched him eat, somewhat amused to see his brother scarfing down all of his hard work. It didn’t matter though; he found it well worth the time. The scene brought a feeling of satisfaction to Linen.

He sighed in contempt, then made his way to his own seat to enjoy his homemade oatmeal. Breakfast lingered on in silence. That is, neither of them talked. There was plenty of noise as Cotton’s mouth plowed through food that his brother had given him.

Linen’s thoughts, however, were no longer on breakfast. He had so much on his plate of life that he wasn’t sure he could handle it all. I must enroll Cotton in school, as well as find a way to keep him out of trouble out of school…To add to it, I also have my own issues to tend to… It was becoming increasingly more difficult to maintain track of all that life was currently throwing at him.

“Life is life I suppose”, he said aloud. Ignoring Cotton’s “huh”, he picked up his bowl and moved to the sink, where he had piled his dirty pots and pans. Using an animation spell his mother had taught him, Linen brought the dishes to life to clean themselves. He nodded in satisfaction, and turned to see that Cotton had nearly finished his breakfast.

Bringing up an old joke, he said, “Have you even noticed the taste?”

“Haha, Big Brother”, Cotton said sarcastically, “I haven’t heard that one before.”

“In the sink with your dishes when you finish.” With that, Linen left his brother for the bathroom. He was in such a stressful situation earlier that he had almost forgotten to get freshen up for the day ahead. His mane was only—thankfully—slightly disheveled from his night in bed. His hooves, however, were frighteningly dirty from fixing breakfast. Upon looking in the mirror, Linen saw that small spots of pancake batter dotted his face. And maybe worst of all was how tired he looked from his lack of sleep. His eyes were red, and his coat was darkened somewhat. He levitated the mirror out and withdrew a small bottle of eye drops from the medicine shelf. He squeezed two drops into each eye, and replaced the bottle. His next step was to remove the filth from his face and hooves. The sink filled with sudsy water as he opened the tap and combined it with soap. He scrubbed his face and hooves vigorously, enjoying how invigorating it was. He then dried off, combed his mane, and brushed his teeth.

Linen left the room feeling refreshed and alert. The cold water washed away his sleepiness as well as the grease and grime he had accumulated. Cotton was busy reading again as Linen made it to the living room. I bet he’ll be an author one day, Linen thought as he poked his head into the kitchen to check on the cleanup process. The dishes had just finished rinsing themselves, and had placed themselves in a drying rack in the opposite sink. Linen nodded in satisfaction. “Parfait!” he chimed, using a word from ancient times.

“Big Brother?” Cotton called from the couch.

“Yes, Cotton?”

“Can I play with the Cutie Mark Crusaders while you work today?” inquired the colt.

“So long as you don’t leave Ponyville, you have my permission”, Linen replied. It made him feel better knowing that Cotton would have friends who knew the town and would keep his little brother from becoming lost. For today, he thought, I won’t have the worry of Cotton losing his way…

Cotton inwardly squealed and went back to reading his book. Linen knew better than to bother a Cotton reading session, even if it was just to play with the colt. The blue unicorn took his reading very seriously. Being a booklover himself, Linen did have his appreciation for books, but he wasn’t even in the same league as Cotton. It left the bigger pony with the new problem of satisfying boredom.

He gazed around. There was nothing to clean. Nothing to work on…and he still had an hour before he was supposed to leave for the Carousel Boutique. He sighed. “I would clean the gutters if I didn’t have a fear of heights…” he said frustratingly. He knew it wouldn’t be much longer before his body started to itch and twitch from boredom. Another glance at Cotton gave him an idea. Books! He still had some reading to catch up on! A book from his shelf became surrounded with the color of his magic aura as he levitated it over to himself.
The front of the book read:

Algebra Centurion: Volume Six
He opened the textbook to the page he marked with a quill. An inkwell levitated over from the table in the middle of the room as he took a seat on the couch adjacent to Cotton. He saw that he had left off on the binary formula and application section. He got right to work on fixing the problems that followed the lesson outline.
_____________________
At about the same time, Rarity was busy making preparations for the day of work ahead. She wasn’t very nervous about having a new hoof around the shop, although she was very, very excited. Since dinner with Linen and Cotton the previous night, she found she like the new colts very much, and that Linen was just her type of worker. Hard working, punctual, and above all, an absolute gentlecolt. She couldn’t wait to see what he could do with a few yards of fabric. Twilight had informed her that he had a very unique way of making dresses, but refused to tell her the details, insisting that Rarity would have to see it to believe it. She had also told her that Linen had given her a dress, and, upon hearing this, Rarity immediately asked Twilight to wear it in today.

The white unicorn soon noticed that there wasn’t much more to really prepare for. She did tidy up the shop to avoid any embarrassment of how she left her workspace, and that didn’t take very long. She would hate to start early but—

“Of course”, she pondered aloud, “That would be a magnificent scene for Linen to behold upon arrival!”

She was hoping to give the stallion a bit of charm when he first walked in. And who knows, she may even receive another compliment from him. The thought of Linen calling her beautiful again tickled her emotional ribs. It made her feel sort of special, having a Trottingham unicorn give her such a compliment; she had always thought their standards of beauty were very high. She had seen a few Trottingham models, and to say the least, she quite often found herself jealous. But since yesterday, she no longer felt that way. And the fact that Linen didn’t seem to hesitate made her feel slightly superior to those mares in the magazines. She giggled at the thought that she may even be Photo Finish material.

She laughed, “Perhaps I am slightly getting ahead of myself!”

None of that mattered if she couldn’t get Linen to notice her again. She gave herself one last check in the mirror before taking her place in front of the dress-wearing ponikins. Her makeup was lightly applied for this particular day. She chose a lighter shade of eye shadow, and decided to skip the lip gloss. Her hooves were still shiny from her recent hooficure, something she couldn’t—nor would she—help. And finally, instead of three puffs of perfume, she only gave herself, a single, almost puny spray of the scented mist. Twilight’s explanation of Linen’s preference for natural beauty left the Element of Generosity torn between everyday routine and impressing Linen to the highest extent. She hoped she wouldn’t regret choosing the latter.

With her reflection staring intently at her, she mused, I wonder if it’s time to begin wearing my mane differently…
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. Her clock read seven fifty-five. “It’s not like anypony to knock before business hours…I wonder who could be calling so early.”

Upon opening the door, she found the infamous Vinyl Scratch, with her head low. She pushed her way inside. “Why Vinyl, I’m not expecting you until—”

“I know, I know”, Vinyl interrupted, “There’s been a slight change in plan, Rarity. I kinda need that dress like now.”

Rarity turned and led Vinyl to a door in the back of the room. “Well, I’m happy to inform you that I had finished it last night.”

“That’s great, Rarity”, the DJ said awkwardly. It was obvious she didn’t visit the Carousel Boutique very often. Her red face only further proved that fact.

Rarity pulled the door open to reveal a closet full of completed dresses. Out levitated a beautiful blue dress with white sheet music sewn into it. She gave it to the DJ.

“Thanks, Rarity”, she thanked, “Um…could you not tell anypony about this?”

“Your secret is quite safe with me”, assured Rarity. She wasn’t sure why Vinyl was being so modest, but she respected the unicorn’s wishes.
“I’m really late”, Vinyl said as she began her rush for the door. “I’ll pay ya later!”

The door slammed with Vinyl’s exit, leaving Rarity once again alone. She never minded the solitude, as it always gave her a peaceful atmosphere. Almost as soon as she began working on one of the dresses did the bell alert here that somepony had just entered the Carousel Boutique. Now her clock read eight on the dot. She hurriedly levitated a needle and spool of thread over.

Linen was confused. He was sure he had heard the bell of the shop ring, so why didn’t Rarity turn around? Perhaps she is so busy she hadn’t noticed…he thought. He crossed the room to her. It was when he was about five feet from her did she seemed to hear him behind her. She turned smoothly, shooting him a very flirtatious expression. In an instant Linen noticed every change Rarity had made to her appearance. A wild blush flew across his as he saw more of her natural beauty. She was so beautiful, that he actually fell into a slight trance. “Wow”, he breathed impulsively.

Rarity felt her insides nearly start a party inside of her. She was so flattered! “Ah, Linen! Right on time!”

Linen shook himself out of his daze. “Y-yes! I…er..always attempt to be as prompt as promptly possible!” he chuckled nervously. He gave himself a mental facehoof for his misuse of vocabulary, but Rarity didn’t notice. He gave a sigh of relief.

Rarity set her textile tools aside. “Well, now that you have arrived, I do believe you deserve a proper Carousel Boutique orientation.”
If Linen was back in Trottingham, he would have never, ever have believed he would ever hear those words. They struck him with enough happiness to almost knock in through a loop. It was so exhilarating that he had to fight a wave of magic energy from expelling from his horn. “T-that would be magnificent!” he managed to get out. His excitement delved so far that he added, “Ce serait un honneur!”

Rarity was astounded by his statement’s addition. “You speak Ancient Equine?”

Linen smiled in embarrassment. “Yes”, he answered, “I’m quite fluent. I also happen to know how to read and speak Japonies and Sirish.”

“That’s extraordinary!” Rarity exclaimed. “How in Equestria did you manage to find the time for all of the required study?”

“Back in school”, Linen explained, “I was always fascinated with the many languages of the world. I would devote whole weeks studying for fluency. Eventually, though, I eventually transitioned from language and settled for math and fashion.”

Rarity found it very weird how similar Linen and Twilight were. Well, similar in the sense of academics. She could bet her tail that Linen would faint at the possibility of failing any test. It also offset her views of him slightly. Rarity had never given time to ponies of his academic stature. She was always afraid they would bring her social status down, especially in school. She tried fighting those thoughts away, but was losing badly.

“Is something the matter?” asked Linen at the sight of Rarity’s internal struggle.

She gave her thoughts a very strong push to the back of her mind. “All is fine.” She smiled for reassurance.

Linen nodded. “Erm…shall we start the tour?” he asked.

“Why of course! We have much to do to prepare you for your first day!” Rarity chimed. She led him from the room. Hoping to leave those plaguing thoughts behind too, but unfortunately, they kept echoing around inside of her head. She guessed it would be okay if they stayed within the confines of her head. It’s not like they were going to play a major factor in life or something.

> A Day's Work and Cutie Mark Crusading
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


A Day's Work and Cutie Mark Crusading


"Woooohooooo!" Cotton cheered when Sweetie Belle finished sewing the trademark Cutie Mark Crusader patch to his cape. She had come up with the idea after he refused to remove the cape that Linen had made for him years ago.

"Another Cutie Mark Crusader!" Scootaloo announced.

All of them took a deep breath and screamed, "YAAAY!"

Cotton smiled from ear to ear. He was so ecstatic to be a part of a group to help get his Cutie Mark that he almost shot sparks from his horn.

"Okay, Crusaders!" Applebloom pointed toward the clubhouse door. "Next stop, Ponyville Town Hall!"

All seven ponies scrambled to rush out, and hopped in the Crusaders' newest and bigger wagon. With the exception of the oldest Crusader Apple Sprout, who hooked up to the front with a rope tied to the handle. "Y'all ready back there?"

"Yep!"

"Go ahead!"

"Ah'm ready!"

"Let's get going already!"

Apple Sprout reared back and took off. She pushed her hooves as far as they would go. She ran so fast they were all soon going faster than when Scootaloo would pull them around on her scooter.

They flew past the Carousel Boutique, where inside two ponies were working effortlessly on new dresses. Rarity had instructed Linen to touch up and finish a few of her works in progress while she set out to begin a new order she had received the day before. Both were working diligently, which left little conversation between them, no matter how much they were longing to converse.

To Rarity it was obvious that Linen shared her work ethic and didn't like to waste time. He was also a fast learner. It only took him several minutes to understand how she ran things and he only had to ask two questions. She had observed him from her sewing machine and saw that his tastes were the perfect compliments to hers. He was working on several dresses at once, further adding to her admiration.

Linen was enjoying being able to work in peace. By his calculations, his work productivity had increased by four hundred percent with no drop in quality as compared to working in Trottingham, where the noise from his siblings and the constant breathing from his father down his neck would drive him insane at least twice a day. He was very pleased to work alongside Rarity as well. It added to his elation knowing that he was working in the presence of his biggest inspiration for fashion. He added another emerald to the red dress in the circle he was working on. He then turned to the blue one and added some white lace near the neck and leg areas. The green dress needed a splash of fade near the bottom. With a final spell, Linen added a thin gold thread to act as a brightener around the flank of each dress.

"Voila! Finished!" he announced, then to show off for Rarity, added, "Perfection in its finest moment!!"

Rarity looked up in total disbelief. "Really? But you've only just started!"

"Time is no object, you'll find, when I am held to a task", Linen explained.

"I am very impressed, Linen." Rarity inspected each of the dresses. "They are simply stunning! Our client will be very pleased with them!"

"I agree. These are a perfect paradigm of beauty." Linen adjusted his glasses happily.

Rarity used her magic to remove them from the ponikins. "I'll have these shipped off right away!" She raced around to find her delivery boxes. "Linen, I'll be a few minutes. Could you look after the Boutique for me? I won't be long."

"You can entrust me with the task."

Rarity levitated the three boxes out of the shop and left Linen alone. He looked around for something to do. He spotted the material closet Rarity had shown him. "Would Rarity mind if I started on a small project without her consent?" All thoughts of making a dress were only barely orbiting his cerebrum. He did NOT want to risk having Rarity walk in on him while he was in the middle of creating the dress's base. A raincoat, however, was less objectionable. He walked into the closet and randomly levitated out three open bins of fabric.

"Hmm…I do not have any vinyl treated fabrics", Linen said to himself while taking another quick look, "And I do not want to expend an excess amount of time in search for it, so it appears I will be improvising."

From the bins he levitated four different colored fabrics. He knew he wanted the coat to be casual, so he chose a dull gray to start off the color palette. He wrapped the long roll of fabric out and cut enough to cover his body. Before placing it around himself, the unicorn focused on a spell he taught himself. In ten seconds he had charged the spell and enchanted the fabric with a Waterproof Charm. The fabric wrapped around him as he grabbed a nearby pair of scissors. Linen shaped the coat with two front leg holes, deciding against making two for the rear legs to stay away from common design. He hummed a song to himself as he sewed and snipped.

Linen kept up the work until he had finished with the base design. He looked at his work and couldn't help but laugh. "Hoohoo! It appears I should be more attentive when selecting a color!" The fabric he had chosen was the exact same color as his coat. If anypony were to look, they wouldn't know he was wearing the first stage of a raincoat. The humor didn't last long; he wanted to get on with his new project. Now with the raincoat levitated in front of him, he spun it, debating what he should do with the plain coat. One choice was obvious.

"A hood is an unquestionable addition." His gaze shifted among the remaining fabrics. He first levitated the vibrant red up to the gray coat. It complimented well, but he still had two other options. The purple presented a mysterious aura, but blended too evenly with the grey. The Alice blue fabric was a very pleasing compliment, but for the unicorn, presented too much contradiction to be used as a hood. He settled with the red, and in only two minutes, had fashioned it into a double layer waterproof hood. He attached it with a sewing technique his mother taught him to hide the thread.

"Now I am presented with the—"

The bell to the boutique rang as somepony walked in. He turned to see a green stallion wearing a bandana around his neck and a hat behind his neck. He stopped after seeing that Rarity wasn't in the shop. Instead, a strange gray unicorn was standing in her usual place.

"…May I help you?" Linen set the coat down on the nearest table. "I am Linen Fiber. Rarity has stepped out for the moment and has left the Carousel Boutique in my able hooves. He trotted up to the larger colt, somewhat hesitant.

"Um…Ah'm lookin' to get two bandanas made fer mah sisters", Thorn Hopper said.

"Marvelous! What are the specifications for your order?"

Thorny blinked, "Uh…what?"

"How would you like them made?"

"Oh, whah didn' y'all say so? Ah don' really care what colors as long as one has a little pink an' the other one's got a little red somewhere on'em."

I possess near-absolute creative power! he cheered excitedly in his head. "What colors would your siblings' coats be?"

"One's laht blue an' the other is dark blue."

"Do you have a specific deadline for which they are to be complete?"

Thorny nodded. "They hafta be done by this Saturday."

"Excellent!" Linen was overjoyed to finally have his own, personal client, no matter if the order was just a couple of bandanas. "Rest assured, Mr.…erm…"

"Thorn Hopper."

"Rest assured I'll have your order finished no later than nine o' clock Saturday morning."

"When do Ah pay?" the Earth Pony asked.

"Since you have permitted me nearly complete freedom with your order, you are not required to pay until you receive your order." Linen almost forgot something. He hurriedly asked, "What is your preferred budget?"

"Ah'm lookin' at about forty t' seventy-fahv bits", he replied.

Linen nodded. He wouldn't be able to be largely creative, and judging from Thorn Hopper, ostentatious bandanas probably wouldn't be very appealing to the farm pony. In the end, it would work out in everypony's favor. "Well, I will work diligently to complete the bandanas for your sisters."

"Thank ya, Linen", Thorny extended his hoof.

Linen shook it, surprised at how strong Thorny's grip was. "I'll see you Saturday, Thorn Hopper."

"Naw, jus' call m' Thorny!"

"Thorny, then."

Linen turned his attention back to the raincoat as Thorny left. Now that it had a red hood, Linen wanted to give it more color with the two fabrics he had left. The blue and purple would make great contributions to it, yet, he couldn't figure out exactly how that was going to happen. He decided to brainstorm. "This blue should be used as a detailing agent. The violet should be used over a vast space or for a trim…" Now that he knew what to use them for, he had to figure out where to place them. That posed a problem because he didn't know what kind of pony he wanted to design it for. "Maybe I should give this more time to develop more ideas…"


L


"Thank you, Derpy. I can't believe I almost missed the Canterlot deliveries", Rarity said to the gray Pegasus.

"No problem, Rarity!" Derpy saluted before turning and taking off into the sky, barely missing a flock of geese migrating south.

Rarity left the post office for the Boutique, eager to see how Linen had handled things in her absence. She couldn't get the colt out of her mind all morning. He was just so interesting. Everything he did was spectacular! She had been trying for days to finish that order, and he had finished it in only fifteen minutes! It was as if he was the missing puzzle piece in the Boutique. And the designs he created were very unique.

"I wonder if Linen would design a dress for me for the upcoming Ponyville Ballroom Blitz…" A thought crossed her mind about inviting him to the annual dance. Then a sour thought crossed her mind. Suppose somepony sees us…She shook her head. There is nothing wrong with him! What does it matter that he is educated in mathematics and can speak in several languages? That makes him all the more fascinating.

Rarity kept walking until the Boutique came into view. Her trot quickened with her rising eagerness. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't hear the crash echo from down the street.


L


"Sorry Mayor Mare", Sweetie Belle apologized as the rest of the Crusaders picked themselves up from the hardwood floor. "We didn't mean to knock all of your filing cabinets over."

"Yeah", Scootaloo seconded.

"We'll help clean up."

The Mayor of Ponyville quickly shook her head. "That's okay, girls, I can get it cleaned up by myself."

"Are you sure", asked little Sprinkle, the Crusaders' youngest member.

"Yes", she assured, "It's no trouble for me. To be honest there isn't much difference between now and campaign season."

"If y'all say so", said Apple Sprout's little sister June Berry.

"Come on!" Cotton shouted. "We have a lot more places to go!"

Forgetting all about their fail attempt at Cutie Mark Secretaries, the seven rushed back out, completely unsure of where they were going next. They all piled into the wagon, and waited for Apple Sprout to get hitched up again.

"At least we didn't get covered in tree sap this time", Scootaloo sighed optimistically.

"Where to now, y'all", Apple Sprout called.

"I know where!"

"Where, Sprinkle?" Sweetie Belle turned to the Pegasus.

"Cloud told me there was a hang gliding place somewhere in North Ponyville!"

It was immediately settled. At once, they all screamed to the sky, "Cutie Mark Hang Gliders! YAAAY!"

In a flash they were heading into the cool, south blowing winds. Avoiding all safety precautions, Cotton stood up and leaned forward into the breeze. "Captain Threads flying in for duty!"

"Hey, Captain, sit down before you fall!" Scootaloo tugged at his cape.

"No can do, Scootaloo!" Cotton leaned even further, ignoring the filly's pull.

"You're gonna fall!"

"Maybe you should listen, Cotton!" Sweetie Belle grabbed his cape and pulled with Scootaloo.

Cotton pulled back with all his might, but their combined effort pulled him back down. He fell backwards and landed next to Scootaloo. He giggled, "That was fun! We have to play tug-o-war. You will be a formidable foe indeed!"

Scoots smiled, "You won't have a chance! Rainbow Dash taught me out to use my wings to make my hooves stronger!"

The wagon hit a hole and nearly threw the Crusaders into the air. They all grabbed the sides and held on for dear life.

"Careful, Sis!" June shouted. "We want t' get there in one piece!"

Apple Sprout slowed down a little, but kept her pace brisk. "Sorry!"

The Crusaders remained silent as they climbed one of the many hills in Ponyville. The autumn breeze was blowing cool air over them. All of the Crusaders were content with the beautiful day. It almost lulled Sprinkle to sleep. Cotton leaned backwards and rested his back against the wagon. He leaned his head back and looked up at the clouds. Sunshine filtered in from behind the few clouds. Scootaloo noticed him relaxing and moved to take the spot beside him as Sprinkle relayed directions to their Earth Pony engine.

"I really wanna fly up there…" Cotton said after a few seconds.

"Me too. Rainbow Dash is teaching me how, and I'm getting better every day", Scootaloo replied.

"At least you'll get to. I'm a unicorn…"

"What's wrong with that?" Sweetie Belle asked, turning to face the rear of the wagon.

"I can only use magic", sighed Cotton.

"Hey, that's cool!" Scootaloo sat back up. "I know unicorns that can teleport, and do all kinds of cool stuff!

"Except fly…"

"Being a unicorn isn't a bad thing."

"I know Sweetie Belle, I just really want to fly that's all."

Sprinkle turned around to add to the conversation. "Would you be okay with gliding?"

"Huh?"

A pony strapped to a hang glider flew just over their wagon and rose back up. In the sky, tens if not a hundred ponies were gliding around in different colored hang gliders. Sprinkle hopped out of the wagon. "Let's go, Crusaders!"


L


When Rarity walked in the Boutique Linen had just finished writing down Thorny's order. He didn't hear her come in, and was surprised to see her standing almost right behind her when he turned around. They were face to face, with only inches separating the two. Red blushes replaced their natural colors at the sudden realization of the lack of space. It took Linen two seconds to realize that he was getting the privilege to stare into Rarity's cobalt eyes. His breathing slowed in fascination.

"Such beauty", he breathed.

Rarity's eyes widened. He didn't even try to hold that in! Her sense of reason disappeared, and she was next in finding she couldn't pry her eyes away from the gray stallion. His dark cerulean eyes shown through his glasses. A hundred different feelings rushed through her body. No matter how good she felt about looking, she had to force herself to look away. Anything but his gorgeous eyes would be enough to make her blush go away.

Linen's disappoint arrived with the departure of his blush. Luna, she's so beautiful! What would cause her to look away? Embarrassment? Perhaps my glasses deterred her…

Rarity struggled to find something to say, but every time she looked back her eyes automatically went to his. So instead of looking at him, she turned and walked back to the order she was working on earlier.

Linen followed her. He didn't want to let the situation become any more unstable. "Would you like some assistance?"

Rarity hesitated. She wasn't one to be rude, but she was still fighting the urge to look back into his eyes. "I suppose. I will continue on with the fabrics, and you can retrieve the gem chests."

Linen frowned. A simple delivery task. He sighed disappointedly. The room that held Rarity's precious stones was locked by a special spell that Rarity taught Linen how to disarm. He lowered the magic field and brought out four chests, each containing its own share of earth gems. He set them all down in front of the working mare.

"Thank you, Linen", Rarity simply called without turning her head back.

Her avoidance was a concern for him. He wanted to be her center of attention again, so he gazed around for some way to impress her. He didn't have to look for long; the gates of opportunity opened for him.

"Oh! My supply of rubies is nearly depleted", Rarity said to herself, "I'll need to find the time for a gem hunt soon."

Linen seized the chance by the throat. Immediately, he said, "There will not be a need for that."

"What do you mean?"

He trotted to the ruby chest and focused on another special spell he had taught himself. "Observe." In a flash of light from his horn, the few rubies in the chest multiplied to fill it to the brim.

"Amazing!" Rarity exclaimed, "Duplication Spells are by far among the most difficult to master!"

Linen smiled proudly. "Not so much anymore. That particular spell was created by me as a means for practicing simpler magic. It is merely a small Halfing Spell, just on a larger scale."

"Linen, you have no idea the time that it could save me!" Rarity's face became flustered with excitement, "Is there any possibility I can learn it?"

Linen smiled as he began to instruct her on the principle of the spell. He was no fool. There was definitely a connection he wanted to establish between them. It was obvious to him. He knew that from the very beginning. He also knew that he had taken the first few steps to capture her heart.
> The Day Off
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Day Off


A few days had gone by since Linen's first day in the Carousel Boutique. It was now Saturday, giving him his first day off to become more accustomed to and enjoy Ponyville. Cotton's furniture and belongings had finally arrived in from Trottingham, and now he and Cotton were busy getting the attic set up for him. Except that Cotton was only directing, leaving Linen with the heavy lifting.

"No, Big Brother, in the corner!" the little colt yelled from his bed.

A large thud echoed as Linen dropped the dresser into the desired spot. He mopped his forehead with a sweat rag. The morning's heavy levitating drained most of his magic energy, leaving him writhing without water in the desert of exhaustion. "Is this to your liking, Cotton?"

The younger colt looked around and nodded. "Yup, thank you, Big Brother!"

"You are very welcome Cotton, but next time you will provide assistance."

"Not if I sprang my hooves again!" Cotton announced, holding up his bandaged appendages. He might have lost his shot at his Cutie Mark by crashing a hang glider into a tree, and he might not have been able to go out crusading since, but he was enjoying the hooficap. He was free from all of his chores, and Linen was waiting on him every minute of the day.

"You must surely be more careful when ascending stairs", Linen scolded, "Mother and Father would not like the news of any further injuries."

Of course Cotton lied about what had happened, for the sake of his Cutie Mark and the sake of remaining a Crusader. Cotton held up his hoof to his heart, "I promise, Big Brother."

Linen nodded, and headed for the ladder. "If you need anything at all, merely call."

"I will." Cotton returned his gaze back down to the newest comic book that Scootaloo let him borrow.

Back downstairs, Linen levitated the much lighter boxes from the upstairs hallway and placed them in the trashcan just outside of the back door. In the living room, his record player was producing the beautiful music of one of Linen's favorite composers, Neighthoven. He gazed around, and soon was bored out of his mind with nothing to do. Since Cotton's injury, the older unicorn had no free time whatsoever. He was cursed with remaining in the house and confined to boredom. Linen levitated the raincoat he draped over the table in the living room for the sixth time that day. He rotated it in front of him, still unsure of just what to do with it.

Eager to see it finished, Rarity allowed him to take it home. She also told him that he was welcome to take anything from the Boutique he needed for its completion. Fortunately, he only needed the addition fabrics. He was thankful he didn't need to burden her by taking anything else. The only problem was that he was now stressing about his creative block. He was afraid that it wouldn't get finished by Monday and would remain as unfinished as it was on Wednesday. He sighed, and levitated the other fabrics up to it again.

"If only I hadn't finished Thorny's order yesterday", he said to himself, "Then, at least, I would have something to occupy myself with." He gave his clock a glance. "Eight-thirty. Twelve hours before the day is to halt." He sighed again. I really must bring Cotton along to the park, or someplace to spare us from the confines of our home…

He continued to rotate the coat, and just as soon as he had an idea for the direction he wanted to take for it, a loud knock rippled through the other side of his front door. He jumped, but set his uncompleted project down to answer it. A visitor this early?

Behind the door, and staring up at him, was a small Pegasus. She was pulling a wagon full of comic books behind her. Linen was unsure of how to approach this situation. "Err…may I assist you in some way, young one?"

"Hi, I'm Scootaloo!"

"Scootaloo?" Linen frowned as he tried to remember why that name sounded so familiar. Then it struck him with a smile. "Oh, you are one of Cotton's new companions! Oh, please do come in!" He stepped aside to let Scootaloo pass. He was elated that Cotton had made such a friend that would go out of her way to take her Saturday off just to visit him.

"Thanks. Where's Cotton's room?"

"It is upstairs, so I'll have to levitate your things up." He encased the wagon with his silver-blue magic aura, and led Scootaloo upstairs. He went up the ladder first, just so he could see his little brother's reaction. The wagon landed just as his head poked up the ladder. "Cotton, you have a visitor", Linen called, climbing through the hole.

Cotton cocked his head to the side. "I do?"

Scootaloo popped up through the floor. "Yup, me!"

The little colt's eyes lit up five times their normal shade. "Scootaloo!"

"I came by to keep ya company since you can't go crusading with us today. I brought all of my comics." She pushed her wagon to the bed and jumped on it with Cotton.

"Yes! I'm gonna read them all!" Cotton cheered.

"I'll leave you two to have fun." Linen climbed down the ladder, but quickly ascended as he remembered something. "And Cotton, I need not remind you that you are still injured despite your guest, so no jumping on your bed."

"I won't, Big Brother!"

Linen nodded, and was soon back in the living room. The raincoat remained on the table. The thought of levitating his algebra book from its shelf crossed the borders of his mind, only to be deported by a crunch under his hooves. He looked down to see that one of Scootaloo's comics had fallen from her wagon. Linen cared not for the title; it was the mysteriously dressed mare on the front firing a blue lightning bolt from her horn that interested him. He snatched up the raincoat, the fabrics, and a pair of scissors. "Inspiration", he chimed. The scissors snipped away at the fabrics as he shaped them into what was undoubtedly the best pattern for the trim and details.


L


While the three ponies were going about their day, a white unicorn in the Carousel Boutique dreamed happily. Rarity was attending a very fancy ball held in her honor. Everypony present was wearing something that she had created and sold to them. Needless to say she was very happy with being the center of attention for all of society's highest noble ponies. Even Fleur De Lis had pried herself away from Fancy Pants to compliment her on her many accomplishments and best styled dress of all the ponies at the party.

The colts also brought their attention to her. At first, she was polite in rejecting their offers to dance, but that led to her just ignoring them after the rejected ponies would turn right around and ask her again. It was becoming so badly that she soon found herself nearly suffocated by the stallions. Instead of decking colt after colt, she did the more lady-like action of slipping away to the outer, and vacant balcony of the ballroom's second floor.

Outside the stars twinkled magnificently, and the cool air was a much welcomed comfort from the heat of the crowded inside. Her breath sparkled in the moonlight. The generator of such light was huge and right in front of the balcony. She could easily see every detail of the moon. Every crater and every canyon. That's when she noticed she wasn't alone. Six yards away, leaning on the banister, was a lone unicorn watching the sky in wonder.

"Such a beautiful night", he said, "On my honor, I am at peace."

"That was perfect Sirish", Rarity said to herself in amazement. "Linen?"

His ears twitched, but before the stallion could turn to face her, she woke up from the dream. She lifted her eye mask to see that Celestia's sun was doing a magnificent job of filling her room with warm sunlight. "Oh, my, the day has only just begun and it is already off to a magnificent start!"

She left her bed, not at all remembering her dream, and wondered if she even dreamt at all. With the cravings of an herb, egg, and cheese sandwich plaguing her stomach with hunger, she set out about her morning routine. At the bottom of her stairs sat a small table and on top a brush and tube of mascara. Both levitated from the table, but only the brush went to work. Rarity shaped her mane without the use of one of the many mirrors she kept around the Boutique.

Next was her mascara. But she stopped just before the wand reached her eyelash. "Suppose I meet with Linen today. He would find me more appealing it if I were more natural in appearance."

The drive to look as beautiful as possible and the want to impress Linen fought inside of her head, causing the wand she levitated to waver in the air. Eventually, though, she defeated her instinct and replaced the wand and set the mascara down. She removed her robe and set it in a hamper inside her utility room. The kitchen was just as bright as her room. She opened the fridge and several cabinets to retrieve the ingredients for her breakfast and soon she was cooking a very delicious sandwich to satisfy the emptiness in her stomach.

The commotion in the kitchen lured Opal Essence to investigate. The cat hopped onto the counter and witnessed Rarity cooking and not filling her bowl with her wet cat food. She glared at the unicorn derisively and made her presence known by stepping closer to the stove. "Meow."

"Oh, silly Opal. You can't help me cook", Rarity laughed. She levitated the feline back down to the floor.

"Mmrrrrowww…" the cat hissed. She left the kitchen to go stalk a mouse, and maybe hack up a hairball for her owner's bed.

Once Rarity had finished toasting the bread, she carefully built her sandwich. Each layer delicately topped the next until she had a beautiful three layer breakfast stacked on a plate. It was so perfect that she almost regretted eating it. However, the void in her stomach was a bit more important, and soon she was eating away at the savory sandwich.

The morning was quiet, almost too quiet. Rarity thought about the day ahead. She didn't have anything planned, so it was just a free day for her. "Though I don't want to be bored…I must find something to do." The thought of visiting Linen was the first to cross her mind. "No, I must give him privacy. It is his first day off after all." She took one more bite of her sandwich. "Perhaps Fluttershy would like to go for a picnic in the park…"


L


"Lala lé li dum", Linen hummed as he finished sewing the purple trim to the rear of the coat. "Ah, finished at last!" He admired his work. The gray coat was well complimented with the trims he sewed into it. He used the blue to create lightning strikes that started at the top of the sleeves and widened toward the cuffs. They were so bright against the gray that they were almost neon. He snipped the violet trim into the shape of a sea of flames along the back. It combined the elements of mystery and action all into one vessel. "Any pony with a taste for things adventurous would surely love to own this!"

He checked the clock to assess how long he had been working. "Two hours? It only felt like minutes. Hmm…perhaps Mother was correct when she said that time does accelerate when one is enjoying the work they are doing…"

The folded the coat and made a note to check if for flaws later. For now he decided to check on the younger ponies in his attic. Two hours was plenty of time for the newly erected room to become a disaster in the wake of two underage ponies, even if one couldn't walk. Wanting to keep their privacy for themselves, Linen only barely poked his eyes above the floor.

They were both still sitting on his bed, but now Scootaloo had repositioned herself beside Cotton. She pointed to different panels of the comic and explained what was going on and why it was important in the next one they were going to read. They were both too absorbed in the book to see that he was spying on them. Linen smiled, and was just about to leave when he noticed something odd about Cotton. The colt was squinting unusually hard at the page. An optometrist visit is a must. He may have inherited our family's poor eyesight… He left the attic again to go find something to pass the time.

"And make sure you remember the move that Mare-Do-Well uses against the Shadow Salamander. What she does in the next one is super awesome!" She flipped the page. "Oh, and take a look here! If you look in the corner of the page you can see the mastermind behind the attacks hiding in the shadows!"

"Hey, is that a griffin?" Cotton asked, pulling the book over a little.

"Maybe. You gotta read to find out", Scootaloo snickered.

Cotton was about to take another look when a flapping sound above them rang in his ears. Scootaloo heard it too, and they curiously scouted the ceiling to find out what it was. They looked and looked, but couldn't find any sign of a bird. The flapping moved around the attic and for the love of the comics, neither pony could find what it was. Occasionally, a chirp would echo around them.

"What is that?" Scootaloo hopped off the bed for a better investigation. She looked up to the peak of the ceiling, and followed the line to the giant round window.

"Do you see it?" Cotton called.

"No, but it's creeping me out." When Scootaloo walked along the far wall, she saw the noise maker.

In the kitchen, Linen was busy fixing everypony an early lunch. Little did he know that in fifteen seconds total chaos would be unleashed. "I hope Scootaloo's palate would be satisfied with a carrot and, er…I believe these to be morning glory? I should have tended to the flower garden alongside mother…I suppose, though, it is of no importance what species I use so long as they are of adequate flavor…Perhaps a contingency brunch should be considered. This is my first time using tortillas for a sandwich wrap, after all."

"EEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

Linen didn't ask any questions. In a flash he was back in the attic. "Cotton!? Scootaloo!?"

They were on the bed holding each other for dear life, cringing as a huge bat flew over them in search for a way to get as far from the screaming ponies as possible. Linen watched the creature fly by curiously. Through the screams, he managed to memorize the terrified bat's flight pattern. He stepped in front of it and held out his left hoof. The nocturnal animal screeched but turned and latched its feet around the unicorn's perch. Linen examined it with great interest. The ponies on the bed stopped screaming, and now instead watched Linen take the bat downstairs silently. The younger ponies didn't get hurt, well, except for their pride.

"I won't tell anypony if you don't", the orange Pegasus told her unicorn friend.

Cotton nodded. "Deal."

They were still shaken, so the comic books were on a temporary hold while they calmed down.

"What do you think he's going to do with it?"

"Big Brother will probably let it go outside", Cotton replied. "He doesn't like animals very much."

"Let's see now…" Linen said to himself as he transferred the bat to a bar under the mantle's shelf. He observed the bat yawn, and comfortably attempt to go back to sleep. "Fascinating. You are the largest bat I have ever laid my eyes upon. I never attended mammal studies in school, so I must make do with my own research . I would like to become better educated about you. I do know that you are fruit species." He levitated an apple from the kitchen and held it up to its face.

"Scree!" it chirped. It took the apple in its mouth and flew to an upright position to Linen's back for the feast.

"My conclusions were correct! You are hungry, are you not?" he let his new pet munch away happily at the fruit. Linen watched in amusement, then in amazement as the bat's black fur washed over with crimson red. "Incredible! Your outer coat adapts to the color of whatever you ingest!"

The apple was soon completely gone, including the seeds. The bat yawned and draped its wings over Linen's sides for balance as it napped. Linen gently levitated it back to the bar, where it instinctively grabbed hold of it. He left it for his bookshelf. His eyes scoured the spines, searching for one that he barely opened. "I know I have kept the animal encyclopedia for some reason…" His gaze came to a stop once he spotted a blue spine sporting golden letters that read: Everything Animal: A Walk on the Wild Side.

The table of contents was a great help to the researching unicorn. Once he found where the "bats" section was, he began observing the furry flyer. It didn't match the description on the first page, but when Linen flipped it over, he gasped. It was obvious at that point that he was dealing with a Flying Fox. He had heard stories, but never thought they were true. "I should not be taken by surprise…You do resemble a small canine with wings…"

"Cheep!"

"Hmm…now to identify you as a male or female…" Using his book's instructions, Linen examined the ears. The tips were round instead of pointed. "You are a lady!" Linen announced. "You deserve a name befitting your incredible nature, and, ahem, the circumstances of how we became acquainted."

Hmmm…Ebony...no, much too ordinary. Perhaps, Penumbra? No no, her fur cycles colors…Chromasable! And Sable for abbreviation! Perfect!

"From now on I will refer to you as Sable, though when you are officially licensed to me your true name will be Chromasable", he told her.

She stretched her wings, no longer interested in what the crazy pony had to say. All she wanted was a nap. Linen crossed the room to the couch to read more about her. The more he read, the more fascinated he became. Flying Foxes had many magical abilities, almost as many as phoenixes. "I never expected a bat to be a magical creature…It says here that you are native to Colt d'Ivoire. How come I found you tormenting two children in my attic then?" Linen's theories didn't last long. He suddenly remembered that the ponies upstairs never got their lunch.

He placed the book down on the table and did just that. He levitated the plate holding the wraps up along with two cups of juice. "Cotton, Scootaloo, I've brought you lunch."

"What is it!?" Cotton asked excitedly. He had gone a full two hours without food, and was starving.

"I've decided to attempt something new. Instead of sandwiches, I've prepared wraps. I hope you enjoy them."

Scootaloo took a quick bite. "Hey, not bad!"

"Thank you, Scootaloo." Linen shifted his gaze to just see the tail end of the wrap disappear into the blue unicorn's mouth. "Would you happen to have tasted it, Cotton?"

Scootaloo snickered. "Seriously, did you even chew?"

Cotton blushed in embarrassment. "I don't eat that fast!"

"No, you just almost ate the plate", she laughed.

Linen only smiled. He knew Cotton would find a way to get him back later if he laughed at him. He wanted to stay longer, but a second knock at the door echoed from the stairs. He left without saying a word. The pony who knocked gave the door a few more raps. "Coming!" Linen called. He pulled the door through to reveal a minty cream Earth Pony. Her mane was pink and red. Linen saw her Cutie Mark and deduced she must be his landlord. "Ms. Roseluck?"

"Rose is fine, Linen", she replied, grabbing his hoof and giving it a friendly shake. "I've been looking forward to meeting you!"

"The pleasure is all mine", Linen chuckled. He motioned for her to come in. "I must thank you for your enduring generosity, Rose. I would never have expected to find my home fully furnished. You haven't the slightest idea of the trouble you have rescued me from."

"You're very welcome, Linen." Rose gazed around the room. "I love what you've done with the place. The colors are amazing."

"Why thank you again. When Rarity informed me that I had the freedom to ornament as I please, I immediately added my own preferences."

"It's nice to see you've made the house your own."

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Linen pushed his glasses back up his nose. He couldn't believe he nearly forgot to offer hospitality!

"Oh, no thanks, I can't stay long. I have to get back to my rose stand."

Sable, who had enough of the yammering, finally decided to say something about it. "SCREEEECH!"

"Yow! What was that?" Rose rubbed her ears.

"That would be Sable", Linen answered. He pointed to the bat. "I discovered her earlier tormenting my brother and his guest and have decided to domesticate her and keep her as a pet."

"You work fast", Rose complimented. "Most ponies don't get a pet until a week after they move in."

"Sable arrived in my life. It was not in my intentions to search for a pet."

"Believe it or not, that's how most ponies get their pets around here", Rose stated.

Linen was a bit skeptical at that fact; there was nothing, no mathematical equation that could explain that. He struggled for a reply, but thankfully, Rose went on.

"I have to get going now. Maybe me next visit will be at a time when I'm not taking care of the hotel." She headed for the door, which Linen politely opened for her. "See ya around, Linen!"

"Another time, Rose", Linen said warmly. He watched her leave, wondering just when she would visit again. Her stay wasn't long enough for Linen to properly repay her, but it did give him a few ideas of where to begin. Hmmm…At first a ballroom gown, but now I suppose a casual dress would be more appropriate for her personality…

His thoughts were interrupted by a high pitched whistle coming from the tea pot steaming on his stove. "Oh! The tea!" He rushed into his kitchen, turned the burner off, and quickly poured the hot water into a cup with an awaiting tea bag. The water slowly adopted the color of the ground tea leaves. He waited a few more seconds before removing the bag. Using the equation he crafted during his mother's kitchen lessons, he carefully measured the right amount of sugar and mixed it into the water. He repeated his steps over until there was no more water in the kettle. In all, he had mixed a total of four cups. "Once again, I have brewed more than what is necessary..."


L


While Linen struggled to figure out a new expression to prevent another tea overproduction, Rarity was struggling to find any means to cure her boredom. She paced around her home, cleaning what small messes were left around. It turns out most of her friends were busy with previous plans or working through the weekend to prepare for the upcoming change of season. She happened to be the only one stuck at home with nothing to do. Even Sweetie Belle was busy! Exasperated, Rarity finally decided to adorn one of her sunhats and go to Sugarcube Corner.

She didn't visit Pinkie Pie often, but at least so long as she wasn't out of town, the Earth Pony would likely be in the place doing something or other. Unsure of how long she would be gone, Rarity grabbed her purse containing her emergency kit of seventy-five bits, a small hoof mirror, a brush, and a ton of cosmetics. It was a good thing she got her sunhat; Princess Celestia had worked really hard at making it bright! "Such a beautiful day! Though a bit stuffy", Rarity observed. She quickly checked her mane for frizz before leaving her doormat.

Despite the heavy heat, the ponies of Ponyville were happily going about their day. The Pegasi Weather Crews were busy preparing the sky for an upcoming shower. Rarity looked, but couldn't find Rainbow Dash flying with them. Fillies and colts were busy enjoying their day off from the enclosing walls of school. No pony seemed be having a bad day.

Ponyville's wildlife added to the serenity. Birds chirped happily as they darted here and there. Chipmunks and squirrels hunted down nuts and berries for the hibernation months. A few dogs barked while they played tag and wrestled. The few cats lazing about meowed greetings as she walked by.

Sugarcube Corner's outside tables were completely full, indicating that it was probably going to be packed inside. Pushing past the door, she found that it was actually the opposite. Hardly anypony wanted to enjoy their sweets indoors, leaving the inside vacant enough to cause echoes.

"It has been a while since I've savored a fudge cube from Cupcake's ovens", Rarity told herself. She took a seat at one of the barstools. Her hoof struck the service bell a few times.

"On my way!" called an unfamiliar voice.

Rarity's five second confusion was cleared up when a light blue unicorn pushed his way through the kitchen doors. It's that charming new colt Pinkie Pie introduced to me…

"Hey again Rarity!" Strings greeted brightly.

"I wasn't aware you were working for the Cakes", Rarity stated, "Is that why you came to Ponyville?"

Strings chuckled and blew his bangs out of his eyes. "No, this is just an accident. Pink got me working part time until I can get a gig somewhere. I wanted to learn how to bake and stuff, so here I am."

"Speaking of Pinkie Pie…" Rarity looked around, "Is she in?"

"Ah, no, she took off somewhere. Think she said something about three welcome parties or something."

Rarity smiled knowingly. "I'm sure I know for whom."

"Might wanna warn'em", Strings chuckled.

She almost left to do just that, but wasn't certain it was a good idea. I shouldn't invade Linen's privacy on his first day from work. I'm sure the last pony he wants to see is his employer…And he may be practicing math anyway, and not working on a better way to rid himself of being a blemish to society.

Before she realized the bitter insult, Strings asked, "What can I getcha, anyways Rarity?"

"Hmm?"

"Most ponies eat when they come to Sugarcube Corner ya know?" he laughed. "I mean, unless you just wanna talk."

She thought it over. Staying would be the perfect distraction from Linen. "Maybe both…" Rarity leaned forward. "I would like to become better familiar with you."

Strings looked around awkwardly. "Uh, why?'

"Well, your visit to the Boutique was a bit rushed…"

He sighed in relief. "Oh, okay, then. What's up?"

"Oh, primarily work in the Boutique", she replied.

"Pink says you gotta new worker. He making it any easier?"

Rarity cringed at the thought of the pony she was trying to ignore the thoughts of. "Oh, yes, Linen is a very honest and hardworking pony." She withdrew a few bits from her purse. "A fudge cube please."

"Coming right up!" He took the bits, deposited them into the register at the far end of the counter and levitated her order from one of the display cases.

Rarity took a bite and chewed politely. "As always, the sweetness is extraordinary."

"How's your day been?"

"Oh, so-so, although there hasn't been much to do. That's why I've come here. I had hoped Pinkie Pie would be here."

Strings fell silent with nothing else to say. He tried thinking about something to say, but his mind couldn't find anything compatible with Rarity's personality. The silence got somewhat awkward, prompting Rarity to do something about it.

"Are you enjoying your work here in Sugarcube Corner?"

"Besides making tons of messes yeah."

"'Tons of messes'?" Rarity repeated. She raised a brow.

"Yeah, Pink's teaching me how to bake and stuff, but I can't really get much right. Usually spill something on her…"

Rarity swallowed her third bite. "Oh, I'm sure you will be a fantastic baker with practice. No pony can be adept in everything the first few tries."

"Pink says the same thing", Strings sighed, "But sometimes somepony can't be good at just one thing at all."

"Pessimism will only further hinder your motivation and confidence", Rarity pointed out.

He shrugged, "Glass is always half-empty to me."

She frowned. "Do you really think so?" She took another bite of her treat.

Strings smiled. "Okay, ya got me. I'm not really like that, no. You can't and be friends with Pinkie Pie at the same time."

"Very true", she agreed. "Pinkie Pie's cheeriness does have a way of affecting the ponies around her." Upon Rarity's final bite, she rose.

"Leaving?"

"Unfortunately, yes", Rarity repeated. "Our chat was interesting, Strings. We must plan another soon."

"Sure, yeah…okay!" He levitated away her napkin while he waved her goodbye.

Back in the heat, the white unicorn wondered just what to do after her short discussion with Strings. Another thought of visiting Linen interrupted her choices. "No no no!" she screamed to herself a little more loudly than she had wanted.

A few ponies jolted away and many stared at her in fright. A baby in a carriage across the street began to cry as the whole block went silently still. The crowd began to murmur while Rarity shook in embarrassment. She offered a simple apology before the gazes traced her as she ran as far away from them as she could.

Fate would have it that she galloped right into the one pony that could easily take her mind off of anything Linen.

"Oomph!" Rose gasped as she hit the ground. She turned her head to see to see who had just tackled her. She saw Rarity dusting off the sunhat that was obviously flung from the top of her head. "Rarity?"

"Rose!" she proclaimed happily. She hurriedly helped her friend up. "I apologize for my abrupt collision."

"It's okay Rarity", Rose replied, "I half expected to see Pinkie Pie!"

"Are you on your way to the spa?"

"Not today." Rose straightened her mane. "The hotel's super busy today. I barely managed to get away to finally meet your new employee."

Rarity's eye twitched. All day Linen kept coming up in some form or another. It was driving her nuts!

"Are you okay, Rarity?" Rose took a step back. She looked like she was going to explode.

"Oh, nothing." The unicorn's voice was higher in pitch, reflecting her strain to keep sane. "I've just been under so much stress lately."

"Really?" Rose scratched her head in confusion. "Shouldn't life be getting easier? I mean, you have a new hoof helping on those big orders you always talk about."

Rarity shut her eyes in an attempt to keep the colt from entering her thoughts. She gritted her teeth. The two parts of her mind were now viciously battling inside her. The half that desperately wanted to see the charming colt had been taking a steady beating by the unreasonable side that wanted nothing to do with the algebraic embarrassment to popularity. She just couldn't get over the fact that underneath his charismatic exterior he was a nerd. A pony that secluded his talents in books instead of attempting to become noticed by everypony.

Rose watched Rarity's condition get worse. She was now shaking and muttering to herself. The florist knew she had to do something before something went terribly wrong. "Hey, if you need to talk about something…"

Rarity couldn't hear her. Her longing to see Linen finally pulled out its secret weapon. A brief image of Linen's eyes rolled across her mental field of view. It was exactly what she needed to finally shriek, "That settles it! I'm going to see him!" She tore off in the direction of his home. She wasn't in the least bit aware that she had just scared the color out of Roseluck, who had fallen over and was panting to calm her racing heart.

She ran faster and faster until she finally reached her destination. Now that she was gazing up at the two story house, she wasn't sure what to do next. "Should I wait for him to exit? Or perhaps I should knock?" Her hooves moved toward the porch without her instruction. "Am I decent?" The thoughts and questions swirled in her head as her hoof reached for the door.

Knock knock knock!

"A third visitor?" Linen set his cup down. "Perhaps the unintentional fourth cup will not go to waste after all."

He paused in opening the door. Sable had just caught his eye, and the temperamental bat had already disrupted one conversation. "It would be best", he said, gently levitating the bat from her perch, "that you roost in a dimmer and soundless atmosphere." He quickly moved her from the living room to his room.

What is keeping him? Rarity thought frantically. What if he really doesn't want to see me? She shook her head. Preposterous. He doesn't even know who is knocking. She raised her hoof to knock again, but it opened, revealing the very stallion she was fretting over.

They simply gawked at each other. Both wondered why Rarity was visiting Linen on their day off. Neither had expected to see the other, although Rarity could have foreseen it through her constant debating. Absentmindedly, Linen forgot to greet her before he stepped aside to let her in. She walked in without taking her eyes off of him. They didn't know what to do other than stare at each other like chipmunks cornered by a cat.

Linen managed to fracture the mental brick wall a tiny bit to ask, "Would you like a cup of tea?"

She nodded. The calming drink was extremely inviting. It would completely restore her frayed nerves. Some of the tension melted away as soon as he left the room. Anxiety made it impossible for her to sit down. She felt like she was imposing so much. She was just glad he wasn't in the living room.

Linen was glad that he was in the kitchen and not in the living room. Rarity's sudden appearance sent his mind on a spiraling crash course through the skies of doubt and panic. But after a quick check in the mirror to find his mane tidy and his glasses smudge-free, he knew there was nothing to worry about. He calculated the odds of Rarity's arrival according to the law of probability to be actually very good. He should have expected her. So, with warm cordiality, he gathered up homemade crumpets sent by his mother, set them on his tray with the tea, and left the kitchen with a huge change of attitude.

The lingering stiffness dissolved completely as Linen's brightest smile brightened the room. Rarity, who was gazing at Linen's collection of glass math symbols, turned to the sound of the tray clunking on the table. She gasped when she saw Linen smiling at her. His trip to the kitchen completely transformed him to a shaken colt into a lively stallion.

Rarity blushed. He's so…handsome. Her other inner demon added, for a social outcast. She ignored it. Linen was very different from the colts she usually chased after. But it was the different that made him better than all of those other stallions.

The Ponyville Ballroom Blitz is in only a few days…
> It's Decided: A Date It Shall Be
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's Decided: A Date it Shall Be

Celestia's sun took its final rays of the day with it as it set on the settling town of Ponyville. "Thank you", Linen called politely after the Carousel Boutique's last customer of the day left through the door. Linen flipped the open around to the closed side. "Another wondrous and successful day", Linen declared to the door.

"Now, it mustn't slip your mind, Linen, we won't be opening tomorrow", Rarity called as she walked into the next room.

"How could I possibly", he asked himself. "Tomorrow is the scheduled day of the Ballroom Blitz!"

Rarity was too busy to hear him. She hummed peacefully to herself in an attempt to keep her fretting mind in one piece. The two halves of her opinion of Linen had been viciously battling over the decision of whether or not to ask him to the Ballroom Blitz all day. She knew he had planned to go whether or not it was with her, but still wanted to have him accompany her. That is, when she wasn't criticizing him for being such an academic shut-in.

Linen began to clean up the mess that was left in their busy wake. Since the start of the week of the Ballroom Blitz, tons of orders streamed in for dresses and touch ups. The ending result aside from major profits was a messy workspace. Linen swept up the dust and dirt tracked in from their customers of the day, making sure to do it in complete silence. He and Rarity never made it a habit to talk right after closing the doors as it preserved the peacefulness of the evenings. Occasionally, the gray unicorn would glance at his employer through the open door separating the two rooms, causing a smile to tug at his lips. He wanted badly to ask her to the Blitz, but wasn't very sure if he could handle a rejection. She was, after all, his first crush, no matter how many times his mind tried to convince his heart otherwise.

To help ease her stress, Rarity decided to focus on the new dress she had been preparing for the dance. It would still take her hours to finish, but it would be worth it once she was the proud wearer of the finest dress at the Ballroom Blitz. Usually, she would be helping Linen at this time of the workday, but her nerves were much too frayed to endure being close to him. He didn't seem to mind. She could hear him hum his favorite nursery rhyme as he did during most of the time he worked.

In the two and a half weeks he had known her, Linen had never known Rarity to seclude herself after the Boutique closed. It was odd for him not to see her vigorously working to keep up her half of the workload. It didn't bug him, he was more than happy to demonstrate how dedicated he was to the job he only dreamed he would have four weeks ago. He had nothing to do once he got home except feed Cotton. But even that wasn't much of a problem since he got a foalsitter for the evenings.

The stallion was so caught up in his thoughts that Rarity's entrance had gone by unnoticed. He finished sweeping the floor then continued on to tidying up the textile supplies scattered about the shelves and tables. She stood undetected near the mirrors at the back of the room. Watching him work caused her heart to beat a little faster. To go along with his charm, Linen possessed an ample amount of generosity that nearly matched her own. He was constantly asking if there was anything he could do for her, even well after the doors to the Boutique had been solidly closed for the day. Probably just an attempt to win my heart, one of the voices in her head spat maliciously. The other one rebutted with a solid fact. It's working… That last thought gave her hooves a tiny bit of incentive to move towards him. I could bet he doesn't act like that at all when he isn't around me…Her hooves stopped.

Linen stepped back to study the room for anything that he may have missed from his cleaning crusade. Everything looked exactly the way it did when he walked in eight hours earlier. "Clean as the surface of a freshly washed plate."

Rarity stifled. Linen's various languages always came out beautifully. His pronunciations, word usage, and even the slight accent he used for them made her heart jump on its own. She crossed the room until she was just behind him. Now she had absolutely no idea what she was doing or what to do next. She could only stare at the back of his neatly trimmed and combed mane while he cleaned his glasses.

While he worked out the smudge that invaded the left lens of his second pair of eyes, Linen tried to determine what wonderful smell had just drifted through his nostrils. Unfortunately, the algorithms he formed couldn't help his mind pinpoint where it was coming from. With a final blow on the lens, Linen replaced his glasses and turned to see Rarity staring at him wide-eyed in the face. He recoiled slightly at the lack of distance between the two, but recovered to wonder why she seemed to be fixated on him. A slight blush rose to his cheeks as a side effect from her staring. As he studied her face, Linen could easily tell there was something going on in her head. "Rarity…is something troubling you?" he asked concernedly.

Ask him! the passive voice in her head screamed.

Don't you dare even consider it! the other voice ordered.

Linen continued to watch her, unaware of the battle taking place just behind her beautiful sapphire eyes. The math pony's eyes looked into hers and through some sort of telepathic message, directed him to do something his heart had desired for weeks. "Rarity, would you perhaps like to attend the Ballroom Blitz with me?"

The sudden question caught all three Raritys off-guard. Fortunately for everypony, her heart took over her mouth before her voices could begin a new argument. "I would absolutely love to, Linen."

What?!

What?

"Really?" Linen asked to make sure his ears weren't playing horrible tricks on him.

"I would love to go with you", she said again.

All of the Carousel Boutique was plunged into a stiff silence as the two unicorns processed what just happened. Rarity, finding a chance to take charge of her emotions and the situation, went on. "I'll expect you here no later than five tomorrow."

"Not a nanosecond later", Linen gasped with excitement.

She smiled warmly. Her heart was racing, but at least it was no longer fighting with her head. She ushered him to the door. "You should be on your way home. We will both need rest for tomorrow night's bash."

Linen stopped halfway over the threshold to turn to her. "Good night, Rarity."

"Good night, Linen", she returned politely.

The door shut behind Linen once he was completely over the threshold. In his opinion it was somewhat sudden, but all thoughts and suspicions could only be vaguely considered with his mind focusing on cloud nine. The gigantic grin beneath his nose completely reflected the unicorn's mood. Never before had he been so happy, not even after he defeated Trottingham's six-time running algebra champion. The words he wanted to say to himself repeatedly became jumbled up in the tornado of statements and exclamations that formed in the regions of his complex mind.

The trot home seemed like it was cut in half. Linen was so ecstatic that time sped up to the point to where five minutes passed by in only a few seconds. He climbed the steps of his porch and opened the door of his home. The inside was dimmer than he usually kept it, but that was because it was story time for Cotton, who was enjoying the fantasy world of knights and legendary creatures with great interest.

Fluttershy looked up from behind the book she was reading to the colt. "Welcome home, Linen. I hope your day wasn't too exhausting."

"Not at all", Linen replied cheerfully. "How was Cotton?"

"He was as sweet as an angel for the whole evening."

"Big Brother! Me and Fluttershy played a lot of games and charades and Scootaloo came over with Sweetie Belle!" He chased his mouthful to give Linen's forelegs a huge welcome-home hug.

Levitating the colt from his legs, Linen flew his brother around the room casually while closing the distance to talk to Fluttershy face to face. "And Sable? She behaved herself as well?"

Fluttershy nodded. "Her temper hasn't been so bad today. She should be happy to see you."

"Ah, perfect." Since the bat's vaccinations, Sable had begun a Linen-hating grudge and wanted nothing to do with him for the past week. "Thank you, Fluttershy."

"You're welcome", she smiled.

Linen paid her the few bits for her evening service and wished her a goodnight before taking the first sigh of the night. Cotton had disappeared to the attic, leaving Linen to tidy up what little was disarrayed from the day. Other than a few books pulled from his shelves, there wasn't much to clean. Cotton spent most of the days after school with his friends, leaving the house vacant during the week. He was supervised by Linen on the weekends, leaving little chance for any big messes to come about. He placed the usual animation spell on the few dishes in the sink, and while they cleaned themselves he made his way his tailoring room in the back of the first floor.

The inside was the exact opposite of the rest of the house. Fabrics littered the floor and hung from the furniture. Amidst the giant explosion of textile supplies, a lone ponikin stood wearing Linen's attire for the Ballroom Blitz. It was a fairly simple green vest and white undershirt; nothing more than anypony in Canterlot wore on a daily basis. The difference between his and theirs was that his contained magical properties. As Linen circled the fabric, the color changed from green to blue, then to crimson as the viewing angle changed. It was sure to be a head turner.

A table next to the stand held a small collection of gems Linen found in the mineral fields just outside Ponyville. He didn't need to take much, just enough to get the vest symmetrically studded with sapphires, rubies, and emeralds. He had already cut two of them into the shape of his Cutie Mark for the cufflinks. He examined the rubies shaped into a pi symbol threaded by a sewing needle to make sure that they matched the perfection he was aiming for. When his eyes failed to spot anything that would upset the visual quality, he went on to brainstorming ideas for the lapels. He wanted something that would bring more attention to his eyes. Unfortunately, since he wore glasses, the gems he had picked out wouldn't be able to do the trick. He frowned. "There must be some addition that will highlight my features."

Linen levitated the gems from the table into small patterns in the air. They changed into various mathematical symbols as he mulled over different possibilities. Inspiration struck like lightning when he noticed that he absentmindedly formed the two patterns into lemniscates. The infinity symbols were the perfect way to display his love for the arithmetical arts. Deciding that emeralds would be the perfect complement for the cufflinks, he used his special gem cutting spell to alter the green minerals into the appropriate shapes. From a small, cherry wood box, he levitated two brass frames to attached the freshly cut emeralds to the lapels. Satisfied with his work, Linen gave the outfit one last onceover, and to his dismay, found that it was not yet complete. Feelings of creative exhaustion tore at the upper levels of his head, begging him to take a break. His sense of perseverance was much greater, and overcame them somewhat quickly1. However, his imagination couldn't find what to add to the vest, much less where he could start.

A loud bang from the second floor shook Linen right out of his skin. "Dear goodness!" He left the room briskly. Whatever happened, he had a feeling Cotton's name was written all over it. He ascended the stairs to see that the attic door was closed and that the colt wasn't on the floor above the room he just left. "Cotton!" he called to the ceiling.

"Just a second, Big Brother", came the colt's muffled reply through the door. Linen heard what sounded like the grinding of furniture scraping across the floor followed by something being knocked over. The door swung down and released the ladder to the attic. Cotton stood smiling down at him from the top.

To Linen his grin seemed a bit suspicious. "May I enter?"

Cotton stepped aside. "Uh huh!" he answered quickly and loudly.

Linen was now sure there was something to be found in the room. He climbed the last step and proceeded to examine the unusual tidy room. Cotton's toys were somewhat crammed into his toy chest and his shelves were packed with what he couldn't fit. The books the colt had collected over the years were stacked neatly on the round writing table next to the big window at the back of the room. What really caught the older unicorn's attention was how well made the bed was. Cotton never made his bed in the mornings, so a near perfectly made bed brought the hammer of suspicion down upon it.

Cotton watched helplessly as Linen used the theory of chance to find what he had hidden underneath his sheets. He hid his face in embarrassment at the small blue vest Linen levitated curiously from the bed. Big Brother is so smart…

"Cotton", Linen called in gentle admiration, "Did you craft this?"

He nodded. "Yes, Big Brother."

Having the feeling he knew exactly what it was for, Linen decided to shove a little more embarrassment into his brother's hooves. "For what reason would you make such a vest?"

Cotton didn't dare utter a single word. The red blush turning his dark blue face deep purple burned with fiery fierceness. He could only stare in silence as his brother turned his vest this way and that with inspecting eyes while he waited for his answer. Linen's eyes weren't on him, but he could still feel the burning sensation of attention on him.

"Cotton", his brother pressed.

Moving on its own, his mouth spilled everything his big brother wanted to know. "Scootaloo asked me to go to the Ponyville Ballroom Blitz with her and I said yes so I needed something to wear and didn't have anything so I tried making my own." He took a deep breath.

"Try?" Linen repeated. "You've accomplished much more than just a simple attempt! To say that I am impresses would be severely understating the extravagance of what you have achieved with this!"

Cotton forgot all about telling Linen about the part with Scootaloo to relish in his sibling's praise. "Really, Big Brother?"

"Absolutely!" Linen inspected it more closely now. "However, there are a few deficiencies…but I can assist with that."

Having his brother's expertise seemed like the best idea that could ever be. He launched himself at the neck of the larger unicorn. Together, the two set out to complete the formal attire. The brothers left the attic for the first floor where all of Linen's supplies lay in wait. They began work immediately to enhance the fabrics that Cotton had begun so many days before.

Meanwhile, in the Carousel Boutique, Rarity no longer fought with the emotions inside her. She simply let them swirl around in her head, occasionally making her stomach feel repeatedly flop with back flips. Her decision was satisfying. It confirmed exactly what she had been wondering, and in some cases, fearing, about since she first laid eyes on him. I simply can't fathom why I would reject all feelings I have for him…he is everything any mare could ask for…

She sighed with content. "I should have listened to my heart sooner. Maybe we could have shared brunch or a meaningful dinner together…"

The dress she stitched more attachments to didn't seem very interested in her rant about Linen. Maybe it understood that all of the feelings she kept imprisoned in her head needed to be voiced before it turned into excitement. She bounced on her hooves giddily while she worked. The progress she made seemed more promising now that her mind was completely positive to every aspect of the world. "I may even finish you before I'm due for bed!"

And she was right. It didn't take her any longer than an hour to complete her dress. It was perfect for her. If seeing her wear it didn't leave Linen's jaw on the floor absolutely nothing would. Her stomach was still too bubbly to eat anything, so she decided to skip dinner and go right into a relaxing bath.

The water ran with a tiny roar as she poured her favorite bubble solution into the tub. She left it filling while she fetched her robe. The after-bath garment hung from the indoor clothesline in her utility room. It wasn't quite dry yet, but it didn't matter much since she would be wetter than it when she finished her bath. She turned to leave, until something caught her eye. The place on one of the shelves where she usually kept her old sewing box was empty. She grumbled. "Sweetie Belle…" It made no sense to seethe over it. Her bathtub was probably full now. She would just have to talk with her little sister when she came over for her dress fitting the next day.

The progress the steam made in her bathroom was something sort of shocking. In the two minutes she was gone her mirror had fogged up and the steam had wafted into a thick haze in the air. She feared she carelessly set the water to its hottest setting. That didn't exactly bode well with her sensitive skin. But, upon testing the water, she found it was her favorite temperature. Shrugging at the weird phenomenon, she slipped into the soothing liquid.

Instant relief from the day's stress on her body melted away under the bubbles. "Ah…" She let her mind wander off into the distant plains of serenity. The peace enveloping her mind soon turned into a balcony under the stars as her subconscious took hold and continued the reoccurring dream she had been having for weeks now. It was magical, being twirled around by Linen under the night sky. He was a terrific dancer. He was so in sync with her own movements that it seemed like he was reading her mind. They danced to no music except the melody he hummed with every step. Neither unicorn, not even Rarity, knew that there was somepony watching them from the shadows.

A darker, more sinister form of Rarity glared at the two enjoying themselves. "That's the way you want to play, is it? Then so be it." She turned on her hooves. "I'll just have to strike when you least expect it. I'll break that stallion's heart right in front of you, just watch."
> Heartache, Heart Break
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Heartache, Heart Break


"Is it finished, Big Brother?" Cotton asked for the sixed time since he woke up.

Linen smiled. "Yes, I have finally finished sewing the seams together correctly. It has reached completion. You may now wear it to the Ballroom Blitz. Scootaloo shall surely be, er…how is it relayed in Ponyville?"

"Scree!" Sable answered from her perch next to the kitchen door.

"Ah, yes, head over hooves for you."

Cotton looked away with a blush and mumbled something that wasn't audible to his sibling. He left to go have a look at what he could fix himself for breakfast since Linen was too busy working on the vest to get to the kitchen first. "Hoohoo", Linen laughed, "I am so very pleased to see that somepony's heart has captured Cotton's." He turned to put his textile supplies away and caught sight of the gift Rarity had given him several days before. It was a picture of her in the first dress he had made from start to finish in the Carousel Boutique.

The photo always brought a smile to his face and even more so when he thought about the night that would conclude his exciting day. He couldn't wait to confess his feelings to Rarity at the dance. He even picked up books from the library to boost his confidence. He bookmarked a chapter in the copy of What is Love? The Many Feelings Of and a chapter in The Ways to Get Your Heart Out There for the steps. He was terrified that he would mess it up, and had to make sure he did it right. And what better way to reinforce he did it correctly than by doing it by the book?

He heard Cotton raiding the pantry, but wasn't in the mood to go supervise. He would just have to clean the mess later. Instead, he left for his porch to read in the sunlight until the day gave him something else to occupy his mind with. The second he opened his door was the second he found that reading would be put on hold.


L


"Now hold still, Sweetie Belle", Rarity instructed. "This is a very delicate stitch. If you were to move I could quite easily prick you with my needle."

The smaller unicorn obliged and stood as still as the statue of Nightmare Moon in the Everfree Forest. Since her sister wasn't going anywhere, Rarity decided to bring up the subject of her missing sewing box. "Sweetie, do you recall my old sewing box I keep in my utility room?"

"Yeah, why?" Sweetie replied, hiding all signs of guilt.

"I found it missing last night", Rarity explained in a nearly investigative manner. "Would you happen to know who has taken it?"

Sweetie Belle knew she had already been found out, and that she wasn't going anywhere, so she didn't bother keeping up her charade. "…I did Rarity."

"You do know if you must borrow anything of mine, you need simply to ask, don't you?"

"I was going to but Scootaloo needed a dress fast and Applebloom didn't have any more dress supplies and you weren't around for me to ask."

It sounded like gossip gold to Rarity. She asked, "Scootaloo? Now why would Scootaloo need a dress?"

"She's going to the Ponyville Ballroom Blitz with Linen Fiber's little brother Cotton", Sweetie replied as-a-matter-of-factly.

And I had thought that's who you were going with, Rarity thought. "And who is the fortunate colt who will be courting you tonight?" She snipped the final thread she weaved through the gold trimming of Sweetie's purple dress. When she didn't respond Rarity decided to use a little persuasion. "If you don't tell me, I shall let your friends know exactly where it is you go on Friday nights."

Sweetie turned her terrified eyes to meet her sister's smug smile. She mumbled a name, but when Rarity widened her smile she figured she couldn't hold it in any longer. "Gale…"

"The younger brother of Rain Cloud?" Rarity asked, to which she was answered with a nod. "Oh, how lovely. You must certainly be special to woo such a, er…"

"Dimwitted colt?" Sweetie snickered, somewhat mocking her sister's speech pattern. When given a slight scolding glance from her sister, she went on, "He really isn't that smart, you know."

"I'm sure he merely lacks common sense", Rarity laughed.

Sweetie giggled. "Yeah." She fell into silence and a wistful daze as she thought about the pony of her affections.

Teasing only came as a back thought; Rarity had a feeling she shouldn't embarrass her sister any further than what she already had. She would hate to scare Sweetie out of such a fun night. She finished the few more touch ups and, after making sure the dress was safe, let her sister leave to join her friends who were waiting outside.

Putting the dress aside, Rarity thought about how Linen made raincoats and vests. "I may be able to detail garments while somepony is wearing them, but I can't seem to understand how to tailor while wearing one myself. Oh, how does that stallion do it?" The subject of tailoring brought her mind to the dress she had just finished the night before.

Doubts about how complete it was crept into her mind along with a little paranoia, so she tore off to go check on it. The room was still in disarray as it usually was, leaving her to step over fabrics on her way to the middle of the room. The small island of floor was just enough for her to circle what she was hoping to be her greatest creation yet.

The new magical properties she infused in the materials when she was sewing it together made it the most unique dress she had ever seen. Most of the threads were gold and reflected light much in the way the actual element did. The others were weaved into the gold instead of stitched in so that their silver color would create a sparkle effect when the viewing angle was just right. A spell Twilight taught her crafted a pattern that looked as if it were a moving background beneath the threads. The diamonds that made up her Cutie Mark swirled around in wave-like motions.

Rarity examined the parts of the dress that she did have to stitch. Light tugs here and there assured that even though she was tired to the point of hallucinating the night before, she reinforced the strength of the stitching with a needle technique she learned over the years as a fashion designer. The cloud-shaped trimming she used for Rainbow Dash's Grand Galloping Gala dress didn't look like it was going to tear from the collar.

She sighed with a small laugh. "I must surely be nervous to doubt my abilities as a dress maker." Another glance at the product of hours of work brought back the memories of Linen teaching her the spells he used to make the threads weave diagonally. She adored the way it looked so much she practically begged him to teach her. Before she could use her feminine charm, he caved and let her in on some of his secrets. The thought of how nice he was always was to her brought a second sigh from the depths of her lungs. "I was never under the impression that when hiring my first employee, I was also bringing into my life a stallion worthy of my heart…"


L


Linen concentrated all of his concentration on the predicament he was currently faced with. "Surely, you could have come to me in the Carousel Boutique when it was not so last second?"

"Sorry, Linen…"

Linen smiled at his friend's shy nature. "Honestly, Fluttershy, are you not aware of other's sarcasm. I was not at all exhibiting seriousness", he chuckled. "Now, I suppose you would like a few additions for the dress Rarity has told me you have made?"

She nodded meekly. "I wanted to go to Rarity, but she didn't answer when I knocked. I hope it's ok that I come here instead."

"Why of course, Fluttershy!" Linen asked in near outrage. "I wouldn't have it if you decided against coming to me!"

The meek mare flinched at the sudden increase of volume. "But it's your day off…"

"And what a better day than any to come for my assistance?" Linen levitated the kettle from the stove and poured the two a cup of steaming water. He dipped teabags into them and seated himself across from Fluttershy at the kitchen table, where to his right Cotton was busy mercilessly devouring a bowl of cereal. "I assume that given your dressmaking capabilities, you will only need minor work, correct?"

Fluttershy blushed and nodded, taking her cup of tea and sipping it politely. She smiled for the first time since Linen opened his door to greet her. "Thank you, Linen."

"You're so very welcome!" Linen jumped from his place at the table. "I cannot wait to begin! May we perhaps start now?"

"I was hoping we could, I have other things to do for the Ballroom Blitz…"

"Magnificent! Not another second to spare let us go!" He galloped to the back room, only to return to the living room with his now bare ponikin and a mountain of supplies to finish Fluttershy's ensemble.

The sight of Linen's extreme enthusiasm wrestled Fluttershy's uncertain frown into a very relaxed smile. She just couldn't question his desire to find something to work on. He was like Applejack but with a fashion sense. With a final sip, she finished off her tea and left her seat and Cotton to go join Linen with her dress.

He slipped the pearl white dress around the ponikin and examined it close before turning to Fluttershy. "I see nothing that offsets visual quality or durability. What may I add to enhance it?"

Fluttershy delved into her saddlebag and brought out two very beautiful broaches. They were identical aster flowers. The receptacle flowers in the center were created using hundreds of tiny yellow sapphires. From what Linen could tell, superheated tanzanite was cut into the form of the long, slender blue petals. "Oh, my lucky stars! They're simply beautiful!"

"I know", she agreed, "I was hoping you could permanently attach them to the shoulders. They don't have pins."

Linen gently levitated them out in front of him for a closer look. The backs were carefully intertwined with fine wire appendages of the round disk to which they were attached. The disks were in turn, completely flat. "Hmm…I'm not sure as to what these round backings are, but I happen to know an infusing spell which will combine the fiber and the metal into one material."

"Oh, how wonderful", Fluttershy cheered in her usual, silent way. "…It isn't a hard spell is it? I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"My, Fluttershy, there is no need to worry yourself, honestly!" Linen laughed. "Even if the side effects are detrimental to my health, I would assist you regardless." Another smile from the Pegasus was enough evidence to suspect that she was well pleased with his attitude about helping her. "Now, we wouldn't want the fabric to stretch under the weight and as a result the gems to be angled toward the ground, I must conduct a small analysis in order to prevent that from happening. The fabrics you used for the area to which I will attach the broaches appears to be a hybrid material of polyester and cotton, so given that its elasticity is…"

Everything he said after that became another language to Fluttershy. He began a long, drawn out explanation that crossed into an algorithm he was going to use to help keep her gems from sagging. She took an awkward seat on his couch to observe the fashion algebraist in his natural habitat.


L


Rarity sighed in content as the relaxing sunlight fell over her. She had five hours until the Ponyville Ballroom Blitz, so she decided to spend the next two hours relaxing on her hammock behind the Carousel Boutique before having to get ready. The breeze coming in from the north offered her netted bed a gentle push, and began to rock her to sleep. With a final sigh, the unicorn found herself in her reoccurring dream for what she didn't know would be the final time.

…

The dream continued on with the walk she was taking through a garden maze with Linen. It was well lit by the moon and stars, which they would occasionally look up to gaze at. She let Linen lead the way, and hoped that he wasn't getting them lost in the endless turns they took. She didn't even know if there was a destination in mind. She only knew that so long as she was in the presence of the amazing colt, she didn't care where they ended up.

"Your night is going better than you had expected, I presume?" Linen asked when she leaned against him.

She nodded happily into his shoulder. "I honestly didn't know what I could have expected, though I am absolutely positive that if I had anticipations, they would have been far exceeded."

He led her left to the top of a bridge that overlooked the whole maze. It split off into a third walkway that ran upwards to a lookout tower. He climbed the stairs with her and surprised her by lifting her up the last few steps with his magic. The top platform held a large couch and a glass skylight for them to stargaze together.

The faraway burning balls of gas twinkled against the velvet blanket of sky. Rarity seated herself next to the stallion of and currently in her dreams. She relaxed her body and fell into his side. He responded by resting a hoof around her. Rarity giggled and nestled her head farther into his neck. He gave the mare a gentle squeeze. She couldn't contain herself and giggled a second time.

They watched the starry sky above them until they could no longer guess how long they had been up there. A shooting star streamed across the sky, prompting the start of the next part of the dream. Linen lifted his head from the top of hers. Rarity curiously looked up to scope out the change in position. She gasped at the same time her heart rate skyrocketed. Through his glasses, Linen held the warmest of looks.

"Linen?" She had a feeling she knew what his look meant, but didn't want to give her hopes up. He smiled and silenced her with a hoof to her lips.

Even in the dream, she could feel her blush burn fiercely across her face. They stared into the other's eyes until Rarity noticed that Linen was moving toward her. His lips were slightly puckered, causing Rarity to seize up with excited embarrassment. He got closer and even closer, then just before he reached her own puckered lips…

"RARITY!"

In a split second, the white unicorn took a direct flight from her hammock to the ground of her backyard with a crash landing. She looked up in a daze to see her sister standing over her. Rarity got to her hooves with a large cloud of fury. Sweetie saw it coming and explained herself before Rarity unleashed a torrent of scoldings upon her.

"Sorry, sis, but I was just on my way to see if you were getting ready and you were asleep back here. I had to wake you up because there's only one hour left before the dance!"

Rarity's heated anger cooled down into a chill that shook her with terror. "A single hour!? That's not nearly enough time for me to look presentable for Linen! I have to brush my mane, polish my hooves…oh, I'm going to be late and Linen will—"

"Sis!" Sweetie screamed. "Don't worry, I know somepony that can help us get you ready in time!"

If there was ever a time that Rarity had appreciated having Sweetie Belle in her life, it was when the filly brought her Lotus from the Ponyville Spa. Rarity needed to ask no questions, the only thing on her mind was looking her best when she walked into the Ponyville Community Center.


L


"Tonight shall undoubtedly be the best night of my whole life", Linen said to his reflection one last time before departing his room. Downstairs, Cotton waited for him on the couch already dressed comfortably in his vest. The green bowtie that Linen used to wear as a young colt was firmly tied around his neck. If he had been gray, he would have looked just like his older brother.

"Big Brother! You're finally ready!" Cotton jumped from the couch to the floor. "Are we going, now?!"

Linen nodded with a chuckle. "Yes, Cotton. It is five to the hour, which is ample time for our short excursion to the community center."

With a whoop, a cheer, and a shout, Cotton dashed out of the house and took the lead to their destination. Linen followed behind briskly, and kept the distance between them short. It was already dark, and with Cotton's dark blue fur, Linen was afraid that if they got separated, he would lose his brother. But that didn't happen when the streetlights clicked on. Soon other ponies joined them on the walk as they got closer to the big building holding the Ballroom Blitz. It occurred to Linen that it was a bigger event than he first thought, especially to the mares of Ponyville. A new mare came into view everytime his hoof struck the ground.

A crowd had begun to gather by the time they reached the community center. Unfortunately, the mayor had only instructed only one door to remain open at one time, leaving the town of Ponyville to funnel in the building through only one set of double doors. Linen grabbed Cotton by the collar of his vest to keep him close and prevent an accidental trampling. Through some unexplained miracle, they managed to squeeze into the room after only a few seconds, where immediate relief in the form of a spacious room.

Linen hurried Cotton across the floor to the less dense area of the room. The brothers gazed around in awe. "I commend the decorators. This is quite possibly the most ornate event I have ever attended."

From across the vast room, Cotton saw Scootaloo. He practically forgot he even had a brother and left Linen in a full charging sprint to the orange Pegasus. Linen smiled after him and left as well. The flower shaped light orange spotlights oscillated around the room, igniting the theme of a tropical vacation. Linen couldn't help but smile with pride as ponies watched him walk by. The vest reacted differently with the colored lights, and was fading in and out of the tropical colors. At one point it even glowed. He continued on, hoping he would find Rarity in all of her elegance unknowing that what he would find would deliver a critical strike to his very soul.

At the opposite end of the community center, Rarity searched for Linen. She had arrived a few minutes before the dance started, and every ticking second after she walked in added five more beats to her bpm. By now the ponies on stage had finished setting up and were starting their first song. For the first time, Rarity wasn't interested in what the Shooting Stars had to offer for music. Instead, she was more focused on finding Linen before some other mare did. Enough time had gone by to suggest that if she hadn't seen him by now, something must be keeping him from her.

She turned around once more to find herself face-to-face with a brown stallion. Rarity recognized him as the pony who purchased the raincoat Linen finished the week before. He was related to Filthy Rich if memory served her correct, which was very high on the social chain and on par with standards of Canterlot. It was just the bait her other half needed to enact her malicious plan.

"Hey, there", he greeted smoothly with a flirtatious smile.

At that moment, from somewhere deep within Rarity's subconscious, her alter ego snuck in and took over. She didn't see it coming and was helpless to prevent herself from falling for the colt's sloppy advance. "Hello", she replied coolly.

"Looks like you lack a date", he pointed out.

On the inside, she smiled devilishly, but portrayed it as a cute grin. "That would be correct. I was to meet a colt here, but never mind him now."

The brown Earth Pony chuckled, "Traded the zero in for the hero?"

She nodded and winked. "I absolutely have, and believe me when I say that a dance with you would be more desirable than with an embarrassing math nerd of a unicorn."

The insult hit the funny bone of the stallion, who chuckled briefly before stopping to offer the pony behind his catch a few words. "Hey! You gotta problem, four eyes? Why don't you take those glasses and stare at a textbook?"

Rarity turned to see Linen frozen in place behind her. His face was the true definition of the word "hurt". Behind his glasses, Rarity could see the deepest emotional injury she had ever seen anypony endure. She didn't see tears, but was sure that they were on their way. His mouth hung downwards with a loose frown and twitched with sadness. For the longest time they exchanged stares. Then, with a sniff, he turned and trotted away as fast as he could without drawing any more attention to himself.

"Wow, who was that crybaby", the brown pony asked harshly.

His remark flipped a switch inside Rarity's head. The good side of her fought back with a whole army against the evil intentions. It was an instant victory, and the only thing she felt after the short triumph was a tidal wave of guilt. That guilt ignited into pure anger as she turned her gaze back onto the Earth Pony. "That 'crybaby', as you have so ignorantly and rudely put it, is the smartest, politest, and most handsome unicorn I have ever met in my whole life! Now if you will excuse me, I must go offer my biggest of apologies to him."

He huffed. "Hmph. And I had thought you were high quali—"

Rarity interrupted his disrespectful comment with firm hoof across the face. She then turned on the spot and ran in the direction Linen had. Nothing else mattered to her after her hooves got to moving. Not the dress she practically destroyed in her attempt to chase Linen down, not her social status, not the many ponies she shoved through to get to the doors, nothing. It took only moments to burst through the building's emergency exit next to the entrance to find that the stallion she had driven off was nowhere to be found. She looked around frantically until she found evidence that he did run as far away from her as she could.

Rarity levitated up a finely crafted vest that looked like it was ripped from the pony who wore it. She turned it around in the air, and then noticed something else. On the ground under it was a pair of green rimmed glasses. The frame was bent out of shape and the lenses were smashed into thousands of shards of glass.

She held them up in horror. "By Celestia, what have I done?"
> The Formula of Love
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Formula of Love


The Celestia raised her majestic sun about ten minutes early the next morning, waking Rarity from a rough night's sleep earlier than it would have. The brightening sun was just enough to show through her eyelids and gently coax her awake. She opened her eyes slowly, as if any sudden movements would shatter anymore of her frail body. The first thing she came to focus on was what lay under the needle of her sewing machine. A yawn escaped her mouth as she tried to figure out what and why she had fallen asleep working on. The first clear thought was a brief flashback to Linen's heartbroken face. Everything was instantly clear, jolting her awake and plunging her hooves back onto the sewing machine. It came back to life as she worked continued her working. The thought of putting on a pot of coffee to help her grogginess didn't make it very far in her mind. She was more focused on finishing the garment she had started the second she got back to the boutique the night before.

She thought back to the time when Linen taught her the sewing technique she was using for her project. It brought a smile to her face to remember Linen falling out of his chair while leaning over to pull the fabric under the needle. "What a better way to ensure gravity is still in good order?" he whimsically quipped for a laugh.

"He does have such a well-rounded sense of humor", she sighed, turning the fabric over and cross-stitching it. "If only I had laughed more at his jokes…" She giggled, the thought reminding her of how he laughed. It was so adorable how it sounded like a double hoot of an owl.

The unicorn finished not too long after continuing, having worked through the night with only an hour's sleep. Rarity folded it crisply, then packaged it in the most decorated box she had in the shop, even adding a few more bows and ribbons just in case. That brought her to the second thing she had to get fixed.

Unfortunately, she knew no repairing spells, and was at the mercy of the aid of an outside force to get Linen's glasses back in one piece. She levitated the box containing the shattered spectacles up to her, wondering if they could even be reverted back into their once whole form. The optometry clinic wasn't yet open, and there wasn't another place she could take the glasses. Rarity could only resolve to forcing herself to wait as patiently as she could until the clinic opened. That was at least two hours away which would drag by slower than Rainbow Dash getting up in the morning for weather patrol duty.

Fear of ridicule by her friends kept Rarity inside the Carousel Boutique. There was no doubt that word about what happened at the Blitz had already spread over most of Ponyville by now. Until she got things sorted out with Linen, she couldn't talk to anypony. She sighed, trying not to think about it. Had she been in the mood to eat, she could have passed the time with breakfast, but guilt was proving to be a pretty heavy meal.

The time went by filled with menial tasks Rarity found to keep her mind as far away from Linen as she could. It was an absolute impossibility for her to completely get him out of her mind. After all, he was the first colt to fully come into her heart and make a nice place to settle down. She flinched upon thinking about if that spot was still even there. The rag she was dragging across her bathroom sink stopped moving. She sighed, letting it fall to the bottom of the spotless basin. Her reflection caught her eye.

"Oh, look at you", she said to it, "Heartbreaker. I cannot believe that you…I hurt Linen so deeply…" As her heart began losing the will to beat at a regular pace, Rarity noticed the dry makeup that had run down her face from result of the tears she shed after realizing she wasn't going to find Linen after the Blitz. The rag in the sink wasn't very dirty, so she levitated it up to wipe away the mess.

It took some work, but in a few minutes her face was completely free from all signs of artificial color, leaving her natural white fur behind. A moment of self-inspections ensued. What exactly does Linen find so appealing about my natural beauty? If she was anypony else, Rarity would not have recognized the pony looking back at her through the shiny glass. The lack of her signature eye shadow, mascara, and clear lip gloss was enough to completely change her physical identity. That gave her an idea.

"Linen has not seen me fully barren of cosmetics…Maybe approaching him this way will aid in my mission to apologize…" She looked uncertainly at herself. "And if that would so happen to be the case, then…dare I say…I must be 'all natural'!"

A few minutes later, Rarity emerged from her bathroom, now a new pony. She was so convincing, that even Opal took a sightseeing detour to go look at something that was not in the direction of the new pony in her home. "I must really be sorry", Rarity said to herself. She ran her hoof through her now completely straightened mane. "For nopony else would I ever decimate my mane…or my tail unless it was a dire emergency."

To prevent an inevitable crash, Rarity pulled her mane behind her ears and held it in place with a dark purple headband. Even with the curls taken out, her tail didn't touch the floor, so nothing was needed to keep it up. Her clock read a quarter after seven, telling her that it was time to leave out to start the second part of her planned apology. The small box of busted spectacles floated behind her as she left her home for humid morning of Ponyville.

It was too early in the morning for most of Ponyville to be out and about. Rarity set her mind at ease, that meant there was no pony to stop her on her way. She didn't think about it, but no pony would have even known who she was anyway. The absence of her makeup and the complete change of her mane and tail turned her into a completely different pony. She kept her pace swift, hoping that the less time she spent getting everything ready would increase her chances of receiving a positive outcome.

Rarity reached the optometry clinic faster than she thought she would. The "open" sign welcomed her in, yet she remained frozen just on the outside of the door. "It will be okay, Rarity", she assured herself, "You must only give the pony the glasses, Linen's information, then simply wait." She crossed the threshold with a held breath.

Surprised at how early somepony had shown up, the desk pony waved her to the desk. "May I help you, dear?"

"I, er…yes", Rarity sputtered. Swallowing her nervousness, she continued, "I need a pair of glasses repaired…they are for my friend, who is too busy working at home to bring them himself."

The unicorn bearing the nameplate "Crystal Clear" looked into the box Rarity placed on her desk. "Oh, my…They are absolutely destroyed!"

Rarity recovered from the guilt as quickly as she could, replying with, "He refused to tell me what had happened, only telling me that it was merely an accident."

"I see…" Crystal replied skeptically, "Well, if you want them fixed, I only need the measurements."

"Er…"

"If you can't remember, I can just look up his information."

"Oh, yes, of course", Rarity chuckled fretfully, "His name is Linen Fiber."

"Ah, I thought I recognized this frame!" the blue pony realized, "He came in just two days ago with an appointment for his brother. He's a sweet stallion. I heard that he was hurt real bad at the Blitz last night, though. Poor guy. You're a good friend to help a very near-sight pony like him. You must be much better than that ungrateful mare who broke his heart."

She didn't get a response. If she had looked into Rarity's face, she could see the guilt advertising itself across her frown. "I'll get these fixed right up. Shouldn't take more than few minutes. Feel free to take a seat in the lobby, mmkay, Sweetie?"

"I'll do just that." The seat farthest from the door and windows seemed to be the best place to help keep her identity to herself, so Rarity chose the chair in the far corner of the room. The air was stiffly quiet, adding a new member to the army of stress assaulting her conscious. "Ungrateful mare is right", she said when Crystal Clear disappeared behind the door leading to the workshop. "I couldn't see what was clearly in front of my nose."

There were about sixty other things that Rarity wanted to do than wait alone in the lobby. Most of them involved Linen in some way or another. Her mind wandered around the plains of imagination, playing through scenarios of how she should approach Linen and exactly what he would do in response. Not many of them ended very well, resulting in adrenaline rushes, making it a pain to sit still. She fought the urge to stand up and pace around the room, the last thing she wanted to do was exhibit the impatience she felt.

The room had reached the brightest point from the sun outside by the time the door behind the desk opened. Rarity saw it in the reflection in the glass of the aquarium she was peering through. She shot around to see the blue unicorn levitating a small case in front of her. "Just like new!" she commented, pushing them across the desk. "Linen's insurance covers replacement glasses, so you are free to take them now."

"You have really done it", remarked Rarity in astonishment. The jade green frame of Linen's glasses held brand new lenses in them, ready for use. "Thank you very much. I cannot express my gratitude."

Her savior smiled. "Just get them to Linen before he knocks himself out. I doubt he can see a thing without them."

"Thank you again", Rarity called, stepping out of the office.

That was number two crossed off her list. The only thing to do now was take the two items to Linen's home and beg for forgiveness. It wasn't exactly what she was inclined to do, but Rarity galloped as fast as she could through Ponyville. In the twenty minutes Rarity spent cooped up in the lobby of the optometrist, more ponies had decided to come out and enjoy the beautiful morning. Not many noticed her rush, and the ones who did only thought that some new pony had just bumped into Pinkie Pie.

Nothing slowed the unicorn down, not even a little. She was going to get to Linen if it killed her. Upon making the last step to the porch, it almost did. She didn't pick her hoof up completely and suffered a crash right against Linen's door. To her relief, the packages she levitated with her didn't fall out of the air with her. Even though her hoof had already swelled in the spot she hit, she gave the door she used to stop her crash a few quick knocks.

When she was absolutely sure that five minutes were enough time for him to answer, she knocked again, this time waiting ten minutes. Horror creeped up her spine. If he wasn't home, then that meant he was hiding from her. "But where could he have gone?" she asked her hooves. "Perhaps to the library? He and Twilight are very good friends…"

That's all it took to motivate her to tear off for the library. If Linen was upset to the point of seeking sympathy from a friend, then he was probably looking for anyway to heal his heart, even if it meant replacing her with somepony else. "I hope I'm not too late…"


L


"Here ya go, Cotton", said Spike, sliding a towering pile of pancakes in front of the colt.

"Thanks, Spike!" he cheered, tearing into the flapjacks without the slightest hint of remorse. Scootaloo giggled at his ferociousness while she finished off her orange juice.

The dragon nodded, taking a seat next to them with a big bowl of emeralds. They worked on satisfying their stomachs while Twilight quietly shelved the books leftover from the day before. There weren't many, so she took her time levitating them from her cart to their correct gaps on the wooden cases. Owlowiscious and Peewee flew around aimlessly for morning exercise. All was peaceful, that was, before somepony crashed through the door.

"Twilight!" Rarity cried. "Twilight, oh, Twilight!" She threw herself to the floor in front of the librarian. "You have to help, something terrible has happened."

"I am well aware", Twilight said, ignoring her friend's dramatic entrance.

"You are?"

"Hi, Rarity!" Cotton called from the kitchen.

"Cotton's here? Then is Linen…"

"No."

"I don't understand, why is Cotton here and Linen—"

"Because", Twilight interrupted sharply, "Linen has appointed me as Cotton's godsister. Cotton came here last night after he couldn't find Linen. He went home, but Linen wasn't there. No pony knows where he is."

Rarity stared at Twilight. "D-Disappeared?"

"After last night, I don't blame him", Twilight snapped, "I can't believe you did that to him. You, of all ponies should know how frail a heart can be. There's even a rumor going around that you have driven him to move back to Trottingham."

Twilight watched Rarity blink back tears. "I do know what I did, Twilight. And know that I fully intend to fix the damage I have done."

"Then you should go look for him."

"I haven't the slightest clue as to where to look", Rarity replied, "Would you have any ideas?"

Twilight knew, Rarity could tell that right off the bat. She just didn't know if Twilight was going to tell her. She mulled it over in her head. "I don't know if I should tell you, Linen only goes there when he wants to think…"

"Twilight, please", Rarity begged, "You must! You must, you must!"

"For his sake, I suppose…"

"Where? Where!?"

"The west cliff of Pointy Peak…but I can't guarantee he'll be there."

"That's more than enough for now!" Rarity exclaimed, "Thank you, oh thank you Twilight!"


L


Rarity could no longer move any faster than a slow walk. Her hooves just weren't meant for the punishment of loads of galloping up a mountain. She was only halfway up to her destination, which had shaved off two hours already. Now she was certain that too much time had gone by. There was no possible way she could be forgiven now. "I must still try…" she cried. "I can't live life wondering what could have been."

The mountain suddenly steepened ahead of her, and was mined with a forest of low hanging branches. With the exception of the exhausting climb, there wasn't much to offend Rarity's cleanliness. "Sacrifices must be made, Rarity, especially for love…" In order for her to muscle her way through the low trees, Rarity imagined how upset Linen was. Instant motivation caused a temporary spell of amnesia as she let the twigs and leaves stick into and ruin her mane and tail's sleekness. She climbed higher and higher, putting her mane and tail through more than they had ever gone through.

The hardest part of the climb dissipated into level terrain filled with low growing vegetation. It was an easier trek now, but still a trek lasting another agonizing ten minutes until the fertile soil gave way to the rock of the cliff facing the area Celestia's sun always set. The trees ahead of the nature-covered unicorn thinned out, revealing the silhouette of a pony against the setting sun. Figuring out exactly why getting to the top of Pointy Peak took her until sunset didn't even register as a problem to solve, for she had blasted out into a sprint to the pony sitting very near the edge of the mountain.

Rarity slowed her approach, fearing that if she startled Linen, he might fall over to his doom. She was only six feet away when she couldn't go on any farther. The sight of his tattered mane and tail erased every plan and rehearsal she had intricately thought about since the night before. He sat unmoving, merely looking at the sun sink below the distant horizon. Every so often, he would levitate a rock into a haphazard pile he built beside him. When he collected enough, he dragged his hoof through it, sending every pebble over the edge of the cliff. Rarity watched him repeat the process several times before he sighed deeply.

All of the words she wanted to say got caught in her throat every time she opened her mouth to voice them. Rarity shifted her wait to her left, then immediately wished she hadn't.


Snap!


Her eyes shot down to the broken twig under her left hoof, then to Linen just in time to see his ear still in mid-twitch. She held her breath, but apparently it wasn't enough to completely remove her existence to him.

"Who's there?" he called halfheartedly, "I did hear you…"

"A very sorry unicorn", she replied weakly.

"Rarity?" Linen stood up and turned to face her. He squinted as hard as he could, but only made out a vague outline of a pony in front of him. "So it merely isn't my psyche playing tricks on me…"

"No", she confirmed, "I am the real thing, come to apologize deeply for what I have done to you."

"You have?"

"Yes, you see, I heard that you were going to return to Trottingham…I'm not sure that's the best decision to make…"

"Why do you say that?"

"Well", she went on with a laugh, "Cotton and Scootaloo have grown rather close, and I…I…"

"You…?"

It was no use. Rarity couldn't keep her posture any longer. With a loud wail, she flung herself to his hooves. "Oh, Linen, I'm so very sorry, I-I had the chance to have your heart and I smashed it to pieces with my behavior! Please, I regret everything little thing! I realized straight after that you are the colt of my dreams, Linen! You are everything I never knew I wanted! You are p-perfect!"

Linen watched the sobbing blob of white cry and beg for him to accept her apology. He honestly hadn't expected to even see her, let alone hear her collapse into a pathetic pile of tears for him. At a loss for words, Linen did the only sensible thing he could think of. He brought his hoof to her mane and gently brushed it. The blindness made his hoof clumsy, but it still had some effect. Rarity's sobs and sniffs lessened more every time he returned his hoof to the beginning of her mane.

She stood up the second her crying got under control. She levitated the case she carried with her up the mountain open and extracted the precious cargo inside. "They may cover up your wonderful eyes, but I think you need these."

Linen's vision cleared up the second his glasses were slipped onto his face. The fuzzy blob turned into a pony he didn't recognize as Rarity. She wore no makeup and her straight, frizzy mane and tail were filled with leaves and dust from the climb. He gasped.

"Yes, it is I", Rarity said with a small smile. "I wished for you to see exactly how sorry I am without—"

"Rarity, forgive me", he breathed.

"You have nothing to apologize for, I—"

His second interruption wasn't spoken. When Rarity's mind comprehended what had just happened, Linen broke the kiss. Though he was blushing fiercely, he still managed to say what he wanted. "I…hope it wasn't too horrible. I…have never kissed a pony before…and I couldn't formulate an algorithm for it…"

"It was just as I had imagined", Rarity sighed, "Only better."

The stallion put his hooves around his soulmate in the warmest embrace he could give her. He spotted a giftwrapped box behind her and curiously released her to go have a look. "Rarity, did you bring this along with you too?"

She nodded. "In case your eyeglasses weren't enough. I pieced it back together with a few minor alterations."

Inside, Linen found the vest he made, only now embroidered with math symbols and numbers in gold thread. He levitated it out, completely mind blown over the fact that she had made his vest even better. Not only had she managed to keep its original properties, she gave it additions that didn't at all upset them!

"Do you like it? I worked all night…"

"Rarity, to say that this piece is perfect would be a lie", he stated plainly.

The mare's ears drooped in disappointment. All of that hard work for nothing…

"Because it goes well beyond perfect!" he finished excitedly.

"Oh, Linen, you scoundrel!" she laughed, aiming a hug at his soft neck.

"Indubitably", he chuckled. "Shall we return to the library and collect Cotton for, I suppose, ice cream?"

"Absolutely", Rarity replied, "We can make it a double date by bringing Scootaloo too, if you wish."

He nodded, levitating the box containing his new and improved vest behind them. He led her down the mountain path she wasn't aware was a much safer way to the top. They fell silent for the first few minutes to relish in each other's company. They trotted close enough together for Rarity to lean against the stallion to support her aching hooves. Linen held her weight and let his mind wander off.

"Hoohoohoo!" he laughed after they had reached the bottom.

"What are you finding so funny?"

"I was pondering everything that has happened since last night and have accidentally created a new formula, hoo!"

"And what formula could have you so excited?

"Well", he answered, coming to a stop, "If I were to write it out, I would take one heartbreak, add depression, divide it by guilt, then add a pair of glasses and a vest, and then multiply the result by an apology, I would have love."

Rarity blushed. "The formula of love?"

He nodded. "Precisely."