It didn't make any sense. Her cutie mark signaled, but the map was empty. Usually, three blue gem stones would hover over where she needed to go. She couldn't understand why it was happening, so she decided to look for somepony who could figure it out. She left the map room and searched the castle until she found Twilight. Her bedroom and the library were both vacant. She looked in the dining room and saw Twilight eating breakfast.
Rarity approached her. She felt rude walking into the dining room without permission. It wasn't her house, and she had no business being there. At the same time, something was wrong with the map, and she needed Twilight's help.
Twilight looked up from her plate of scrambled eggs and saw Rarity. "Good morning!" Rarity was confused. Sure, Twilight was her friend, but she was in her dining room uninvited. There were more important matters, though. "My cutie mark signaled, I'm sure of it, but I can't find where I need to go."
"Just go where your cutie mark is hovering," Twilight told her.
Rarity shook her head. "That's the problem. There is no cutie mark!"
Twilight dropped her fork onto the plate. "Now that's weird!"
She got up and walked with Rarity back to the throne room. Sure enough, the map was void of any cutie mark. This never happened before. Was it possible that where Rarity needed to go wasn't even on the map? How was she going to solve a friendship problem if she didn't know where the problem was?
Suddenly, a hologram of Rarity's cutie mark showed up and moved away from them. Rarity and Twilight knew that it probably had the answer, so they chased after it. It left castle and floated away. They kept following it all the way through Ponyville and into the Everfree forest.
If the friendship problem was in the Everfree forest, the map could have easily signaled them. It didn't matter now, though. They continued chasing the cutie mark through the layers of trees. Their eyes were focused on the cutie mark as it floated towards the castle. Twilight didn't understand what was going on. No one lived in the castle, and she knew that place inside-out. It was already restored. What problem was there for her friend to solve? There was no time to think it over too much. The cutie mark was out of sight, and so was Rarity. There was no telling where they could be.
The sound of hooves hitting the ground filled her ears. She sighed in relief and followed the sound until she found Rarity still chasing her cutie mark. It went through the castle until it came to a stop above a circle on the ground. Triangles pointed out from the circle two inches apart.
"This was one of the methods for interdimensional travel that Starswirl the Bearded created!" Twilight recognized.
Rarity looked back and forth at the circle and her cutie mark. "It looks like a circle." "I'm sure there's a book here that explains how this circle works," Twilight said as she levitated book after book passed her and skimmed the pages.
Rarity decided to help. She needed to find something about teleportation or a picture of that circle. She was a much slower reader than Twilight, so she spent more time on each book. The mares searched through the books. A pile started to grow in the ground. Rarity started to get bored, but Twilight managed to find what she needed.
Twilight looked into the book, "It says right here that the triangles must be filled with magical particles and it has to be held until the pony or object disappears. Ponies cannot use magic during the teleportation, so a second pony to do the magic is required."
"Perhaps that is why my cutie mark didn't lead me here until you were with me. It knew that you were needed as well." Rarity figured.
Twilight nodded, "and the reason it showed only your cutie mark is because you are the one who needs to solve this problem."
Rarity stood in the center of the circle ready to go. She didn't know where she was going, but someone needed her help. She only hoped that she had a way of returning. Twilight filled each triangle with magic.
They glowed white as they were filled. Eventually, all 30 triangles were glowing. The light from the triangles moved outwards to connect each other, and the light floated up until Rarity and Twilight were no longer able to see each other. Rarity was completely engulfed in the light. It died away, and she was in a strange place that she couldn't even imagine.
Strange creatures walked past quickly to where they needed to go. Horseless wagons ran freely through the streets. Unfamiliar scents filled the air. None of them were pleasant Rarity searched her saddle bag for something fabulous to wear. She wanted to make a good first impression. None of the dresses she had worked at the moment, but there was a hat. She put it on her head, and the brim covered her horn. She turned around and saw a tree. She put her hoof on it, but it went through as if the tree was a hologram. Rarity knew that was the way back to Equestria. She decided to walk around and try to understand the place.
People stared at her as they passed. To them, it was very unusual for a pony to be there. A lot of people took pictures. Rarity was pleased to receive all the attention, but she needed somewhere to stay. Luckily, there was a building that caught her attention.
"Littlest Pet Shop," She read. She was sure that there were smaller pet shops. It sounded like a place Fluttershy would have loved if she was there. She walked in and was greeted by an elderly lady whose eyes were glued on a newspaper.
She walked around until she found a back room with all the animals except an orange hedgehog playing around. The hedgehog was relaxing. All the animals looked strange, but she was able to identify all of them thanks to Fluttershy. There was also a purple dog, a pink monkey, a gray skunk, a blue mongoose, a purple panda, and a green gecko.
Rarity watched them play. Some of them made noises at her. Naturally, she couldn't understand them, though. The pink monkey walked out of that room and climbed on Rarity. She made various monkey noises which Rarity couldn't decipher.
"You're very loud!" Rarity told the monkey. The monkey stopped and went back to the room. The animals were now in a circle as if they were talking to each other.
She was able to understand the strange creatures that filled this world, but the other animals made their typical noises. An opening in the wall appeared revealing a girl. She was smaller than most of the creatures she saw. The animals ran up to her and made a lot of noise.
The girl's eyes widened. "What the wha!" She exclaimed in shock. She approached Rarity. "Hello, my name is Blythe."
"I am Rarity," Rarity replied.
"The pets told me that you couldn't understand them," Blythe explained.
"It's true. I don't speak animal. My friend, Fluttershy does, though."
Blythe ran towards the door. "Stay there, Rarity!"
Rarity stayed where she was and looked around. It was as if she was supposed to understand the animals. Was this a world where every animal understood one another? She recalled seeing dogs on leashes. Where the strange creatures the dominant life forms in that world?
Blythe quickly returned with another girl. She had black hair and purple eyes. "This is my friend, Youngmee Song," Blythe introduced. "Rarity, say something."
"Hello, my name is Rarity," Rarity said extending a hoof.
Youngmee looked at Rarity in shock. "I can understand her!"
"She can't understand other pets, though," Blythe explained.
"Who is her owner?" Youngmee asked.
Blythe looked at Rarity with her eyebrows furrowed. Rarity responded, "I do not have an owner."
"Then who made you that hat?" Blythe asked.
Rarity looked up at the hat. "I made it." She took off her hat revealing her horn. "It was hoof stitched."
Blythe and Youngmee stared at Rarity in shock. They thought it was strange enough that she was able to communicate with people but not animals. The fact that she was a unicorn was even stranger.
"Is that horn real?" Blythe asked.
Rarity nodded, "Of course it is.”
"I can see that, but that’s impossible," Blythe explained. "There is no way you can be a real life unicorn!"
"There is also no way she can talk to people and not pets," Youngmee pointed out. Blythe eyed Rarity suspiciously. "Are you a person in a unicorn costume?" She grabbed Rarity's coat and pulled it."
Rarity levitated a stick and pointed it threateningly at her, "Back off! This is not a costume!”
"Did that stick just float midair?" Youngmee asked Blythe.
Blythe nodded. Both girls looked at Rarity in shock. It was obvious that she was a real unicorn now, but they couldn't believe it. Unicorns couldn't be real. She was definitely there, though. There was no denying that she was real. She was right in front of them. She wasn't a hologram, a person in a costume, or anything like that. She was a unicorn.
"Is there anything else strange about you?" Blythe asked. She looked at Rarity's hind quarters which held her cutie mark. "I've spoken too soon! Please tell me that the marking was painted on or something!"
Rarity shook her head. "No. It's my cutie mark. It appeared there when I discovered my special talent."
"Are you saying you get a marking that tells you what you should do with your life?" Blythe asked.
Rarity shook her head again. "Not at all. It just shows you what makes you unique. You see, my special talent is gem finding. I am able to find gems buried in the ground. I don't gem hunt for a living, though. I make dresses. I am a fashion designer."
It was as if the hinges in Blythe's mouth broke. Her jaw dropped as far as it could. "You're a fashion designer?"
"Yes I am," Rarity confirmed.
Blythe jumped up and down cheerfully, "Then you can help me! I promised the pets that I would make them outfits to wear, but I don't know what to make. I really don't want to let them down."
"I will gladly help you in any way I can," Rarity promised.
Blythe thanked her repeatedly and hugged her tightly. Then she told Rarity to come with her. Youngmee left, and Blythe and Rarity walked into the day camp area. Blythe checked to make sure all the pets were there.
Rarity had no way of knowing what the pets were saying, so she needed Blythe's cooperation if she had any chance of helping. The pets seemed friendly enough. She didn’t typically design for anyone except for ponies, but Blythe designed for pets all the time.
"Do you do fashion shows?" Rarity asked.
Blythe nodded smiling, "That's how I started working here. Littlest Pet Shop was about to go out of business, but we brought in a lot of customers with the fashion show."
"Then we should put on another pet fashion show!" Rarity suggested.
"That's a great idea!" Blythe agreed.
Rarity needed to know what suggestions to give Blythe, and the best way to do that was to understand their personalities. "What are the pets like?"
Blythe pointed at the hedgehog, "This is Russell. He is very serious and organized. He loves reading and learning about new things. He hates messes, though."
She then pointed at the monkey. "This is Minka. She is very hyperactive, and she loves abstract art. She hates being trapped in tight spaces, though."
Then she pointed at the mongoose, "This is Sunil. He is a magician from India. He is afraid of almost everything, though."
Then she pointed at the dog. "This is Zoe. She loves singing and fashion, but she's a bit of a drama queen."
Rarity giggled knowing she could relate to her. Blythe continued with the gecko, "This is Vinnie. He loves dancing and watching TV, but he's very clumsy."
Then she pointed at the skunk. "This is Pepper. She is a comedian and has a sense of humor, but you don't want to be near her when she's nervous. “The scrunched her nose and held it closed with her fingers to elaborate.
Finally, she pointed at the panda. "This is Penny Ling. She's an aerobic dancer and very adorable, but she is very shy."
Rarity made a mental profile for each pet. They had very distinct personalities. Incorporating their positive personalities with their appearances was certain to make the most fabulous outfits. She wanted them to be spectacular.
She told Blythe her suggestions. Blythe made some of her own suggestions as well. They talked about what the pets should wear for thirty minutes. They agreed that the outfits should bring out their best traits.
“Let’s go upstairs and work on the outfits!” Blythe suggested. She started walking towards the door, but she stopped abruptly. “You may want to put your hat back on, though.”
“That is a great idea,” Rarity agreed. She remembered Blythe pulling her coat. She didn’t want that to happen again. She put her hat back on and followed Blythe.
They arrived in Blythe’s bedroom. Rarity looked around the room. Despite being on an alien planet, the room looked like a typical bedroom. There was even a sewing machine on a table. Posters covered with pet fashions covered the walls.
Blythe noticed Rarity looking at the posters. “Josh made me a poster so I could get inspiration from my own designs. Unfortunately, I ran out of ideas, and they didn’t help.”
“You can never run out of ideas, Blythe” Rarity explained. “There are times where you cannot come up with any, but you can always come up with new ideas. “
Blythe smiled. “Thanks.” She walked to her desk and started sketching.
Rarity sat patiently so Blythe could work. She was amazed by all the designs all over her room. Blythe was a very talented girl. She also noticed pictures of the pets wearing her outfits. She looked at the expression on their faces. They enjoyed wearing the clothes Blythe made them. Rarity loved seeing ponies wear dresses she designed. Blythe must have put the pictures on the wall to remind herself that the pets loved the outfits she made them.
"I finished the designs," Blythe announced. "Do you want to look at them?"
"Of course, darling," Rarity replied. "I love looking at the designs others made."
"Why's that?" Blythe asked.
Rarity smiled and answers, "It gives me inspiration." She levitated a book from her saddlebag and gave it to Blythe. "Perhaps we should look at each other's designs...”
"That's a great idea!" Blythe agreed. She handed her sketch book over to Rarity.
They looked at the other's designs and nodded approvingly. Blythe was amazed at how well Rarity's designs were. She never thought that ponies were capable of designing. She never even heard of unicorn fashion designers.
Rarity was amazed at the variety of body shapes Blythe designed for. Rarity has made clothes for non-ponies before, but she mostly designed for ponies. She never thought about designing for pets. An image of Opal wearing a turquoise dress filled her mind. It quickly faded away, and she continued looking at Blythe's designs.
"These are amazing!" Blythe said praisingly.
"Thank you," Rarity said graciously. "Your designs are amazing as well."
Blythe thanked Rarity then grabbed pieces of fabric from the closet. She cut the fabric into shapes and sewed them together. Rarity watched her work. It was amazing how sewing was universal. Another world, and there was still fashion.
“What are you called, Blythe?” Rarity asked.
The question confused Blythe. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I am a pony,” Rarity explained hoping that helped.
It did. “I’m a human.”
There was something else bothering Rarity. “Why were you surprised to find out that I can’t talk to the pets? Can everyone talk to them?”
“Not exactly,” Blythe answered. “I’m the only person I know with that ability. I thought pets were able to understand each other. Seeing you able to talk to humans and not pets really surprised me.”
Blythe continued working on the outfits. She wanted the pets to love them. They were the ones who were going to wear them, not her. She wouldn’t even be able to fit in any of them. She worked until it was time to sleep.
“Rarity, do you want to sleep here for the night?” Blythe offered.
“I thought you were going to send me back to the pet day camp,” Rarity assumed.
Blythe shook her head, “No. Their owners usually pick them up. Sometimes the pets would stay overnight, but it’s not typical.”
Rarity looked at the bed then back at Blythe. She was silent as she judged whether or not she could sleep on the bed. There was no way both of them were able to sleep on that bed. “Very well, but do you have an extra pillow?”
Blythe looked through her closet. Luckily, she found a box full of blankets and pillows. “Pick any you like,” she offered.
Rarity levitated each pillow and tested its comfort. A lot of the pillows were too flat or too rough, but a large pink pillow was perfect. Then she went through the blankets. There were only three blankets, so she wasn’t given much of a choice. The wool one felt too scratchy, she couldn’t stand polyester, so she went with the cotton blue one.
Blythe was already asleep, so Rarity folded the other blankets neatly and put the pillows on top. Then she put the box back in the closet. Finally, she made a makeshift bed in the corner and fell asleep.
A loud beeping sound filled the room. Rarity covered her ears, but she was still able to hear it. It kept going for what felt like eternity. Irritated, she found the source of that annoying noise and angrily threw it against the wall with her magic. Blythe sat up in shock and looked at what the banging noise was.
“Rarity, what did you do that for?!” Blythe asked, visibly angry.
“It was beeping,” Rarity answered.
Blythe got up from her bed and picked up the device that was thrown. It was definitely broken. She held it in front of Rarity. “This is an alarm clock! How am I supposed to wake up now?”
“You could have used a rooster like any normal pony,” Rarity said in her defense.
“I am not a pony, and we don’t have roosters here!” Blythe shouted angrily.
Rarity lay back down, “The alarm clock didn’t do a great job at waking you up. If I recall, you woke up after I threw it against the wall.”
“You got a point there,” Blythe admitted. She picked up her phone and went through it.
“What are you doing?” Rarity asked curiously.
“There are plenty of apps for an alarm,” Blythe told her.
“I’m really sorry about breaking your alarm.” Rarity apologized.
“Don’t worry about it,” Blythe forgave. Her eyes lit up. “This app lets you use your own songs as alarms! Zoe would love that!” She downloaded the app.
Rarity folded her blanked nicely and sat it in the corner. She didn’t want to put a used blanket in with the other blankets. It was unsanitary. She didn’t want to leave a mess, either.
Blythe looked down at her body and realized that she forgot to change to her pajamas. She asked Rarity to look away and put on new clothes to wear. Then Blythe grabbed the outfits, and both of them used the dumbwaiter to get to the pet shop.
The pets weren’t there yet, though. Blythe walked out of the day camp and saw Mrs. Twombly. “Mrs. T, is it OK if I make flyers for another pet fashion show?”
“Sure, dearie,” Mrs. Twombly replied. Blythe thanked her and went back into the day camp.
“I’m going to need to make flyers for the fashion show, but I want it to be tonight,” Blythe explained to Rarity. “I’m sure the pets won’t have a problem helping me with the flyers, but I don’t want the same problem to happen again.”
Rarity was confused. “What problem?”
“The Biskit Twins sabotaged the last fashion show I did. It was the first one, actually. They wrote claims of free money on there. Luckily, everything turned out in our favor”
Rarity smiled. “I’m glad it worked out. Have you considered using a charm on the paper to make it impossible to write on?”
“No magic,” Blythe told her.
“Very well, I will put a charm on the flyers after they are ready. The charm lasts three days, so it’s more than enough time.” Rarity explained.
Blythe continued working on the Flyers. Rarity wanted to help, but she only knew how to advertise for ponies. Humans may have been a little different. Humans seemed to be similar to ponies, but were they that similar?
Russell walked into the day camp and made chattering noises. Blythe responded with, “I’m glad you had a great sleep! I’m trying to make flyers for a fashion show, and I need some help.”
Russell made more chattering noises to which Blythe replied, “She is unfamiliar with this world.”
Russell’s eyes widened and he took a step back looking at Rarity. He continued with the chattering noises, and Blythe explained, “Yes, she is an alien. That isn’t anything to be afraid of.”
“What do you mean I’m an alien?” Rarity asked.
“You’re from a different world, and aliens include anyone from another planet. They don’t have to be brain sucking three headed monsters.”
Suddenly, there were loud gecko calls. “No, Vinnie, we don’t have three headed monsters!” Blythe called.
Vinnie made more gecko noises, and Blythe responded with an eye roll.
Rarity felt out of place. She was hearing Blythe talk to the pets, but she had no idea what half the conversation was. The pets continued going into the Day Camp until Zoe arrived. That was when Blythe told them about the flyers.
Blythe had a few flyers already made, so the pets knew what they should look like. They worked together to create several flyers. After each one was made, Rarity used a charm to make them impossible to tamper.
It was already past noon when they created enough flyers. Blythe and the pets went around Downtown City to post the flyers. Rarity stayed back in the day camp and cleaned up the mess.
It still surprised her that the cutie map saw a friendship problem that wasn’t even in her world. What surprised her more was how similar her world was to this world. She expected aliens with extremely high intelligence and the ability to read and control minds, not aliens who were similar to ponies except for their appearance and lack of magic. The aliens in this world, humans, had their own kind of magic, though.
What surprised her the most was that those aliens knew what a unicorn was. Did somepony go to this world already? She knew Starswirl went to different worlds. Perhaps he was that somepony.
Blythe and the pets returned. They were still able to use the stage they used in the last fashion show, so there was nothing else they needed to do. Rarity went up to Blythe’s bedroom, and Blythe stayed at the day camp. Rarity sat on the bed and looked at Blythe’s designs as she waited.
The streets were dark illuminated by lamp lights and the lights illuminated from the horseless carriages. The lights resembled eyes. Where humans riding inside other creatures as a form of transportation? The thought of it was repulsive, so Rarity focused on the fashion show.
Humans sat in the chairs surrounding the catwalk. A curtain with prints of various animals hung on the stage to hide the pets before they walked out. Judging from the crowed, pet fashion looked like a major thing for humans. Has Fluttershy ever considered a fashion show for her animal friends?
Blythe was back stage talking to her pets. Rarity decided to sit among the crowd. A lot of the humans came with their pets, so Rarity was able to blend in as long as she wore her hat. She also had to refrain from talking since ponies in this world didn’t talk.
Rarity saw two girls sneak behind the stage. They looked the same, but their hair was inverted colors with one black and the other white. Rarity saw the sly expression on their faces and knew they weren’t up to any good. She got out of the crowed and followed them.
“Whittany, why are we, like, here?” The one with white hair asked.
“Bleh is having a fashion show, Brittany,” Whittany responded.
“What are we going to, like, do about it? Brittany asked.
Whittany held up a hammer. “We’re going to like...uh… de… de… whatever. We’re going to tear the stage down.”
Whittany and Brittany held their hammers ready to strike the beams of wood. If they destroyed the stage, Blythe and the pets would have gotten seriously hurt. Rarity didn’t want that to happen, so she quickly took off her hat and grabbed the hammers with her magic. The twins’ gasped as their hammers flew out of their hands. Rarity quickly threw them and made sure nothing was destroyed.
The twins walked over to the hammers and picked them up. Rarity had to find some way to make sure that they didn’t hurt anyone. She had to think fast. They were about to strike the beams, so Rarity shouted, “Stay away from there!” She knew it would have given away the fact that she was able to talk
The twins looked straight at Rarity. She walked towards the twins. When she was between them, they were frozen in shock. Rarity whispered, “No one will believe you.” Rarity meant the fact they saw a unicorn, but they must have taken it another way because they ran away as if a monster was chasing them.
Rarity put her hat back on and walked back to the front of the stage. Blythe just finished her introduction speech. Rarity looked at the stage and waited patiently for the pets to show off their outfits.
Zoe walked out first. She wore a classy, fuchsia, dress. It was decorated with black music notes strategically placed to be noticed, but not get in the way of the entire ensemble. The humans cheered in approval.
Russell followed behind her with a black tuxedo and a matching bowtie. The shirt was long to resemble a lab coat. Rarity saw the wide eyes and slight shaking and knew he was nervous. Luckily, he was able to contain himself.
After him was Minka. Her dress was free flowing and had a large assortment of colors. The dress looked as if a foal decorated the dress, but the sparkles and multitude of colors worked great with her. The crowed approved of the dress.
Vinnie walked through. He tripped over his tail, but he got up as if nothing happened. He wore a shiny white shirt and tight, white pants along with a black dress coat. He attempted to dance to impress the audience, but he kept tripping. Nevertheless, the crowed cheered in approval.
Penny Ling walked with grace in every step. She was showing off how adorable she was. Her dress was red and layered to resemble a rose. A rose sat above her ear to complete the outfit.
Afterwards, Pepper followed. She was dressed in a jester hat and a dress with mix matched colors and shoes. The crowd laughed, but they still approved of the outfit. Rarity knew that outfit would’ve looked awful on anyone else, but she was told Pepper was a comedian.
Finally, Sunil walked through. He was shaking even more than Russell was. Still, the crowd didn’t notice. They were too focused on his outfit. He wore a dark purple turban and a silk robe of a lighter color. He decided to impress the crowd with a magic trick. He pulled a flower out of what seemed nowhere.
The fashion show was a success. Based on the reactions, Rarity knew that the other humans knew enough about the pets to know their different personalities. Humans and pets weren’t able to talk to each other, but there were other ways for them to show off what made them different.
Fashion was about bringing out what makes someone stand out from the others. Rarity knew that, and that was why she suggested taking their personalities into consideration. The crowed and the pets loved their outfits. Rarity knew Blythe must have been proud, too.
Rarity’s cutie mark glowed to signal that she was done. She decided to talk to Blythe for a moment before she left. She found her standing at the wing smiling. “That was very impressive, Blythe!”
“Thanks, Rarity,” Blythe responded. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“Nearly everyone who creates reaches that point where they think they can’t continue that they created everything they can. I assure you that you can always create pet fashion, though,” Rarity explained.
Blythe smiled. “I will remember.”
Rarity took off her hat and levitated a garnet and placed it in Blythe’s hands. She put her hat back on and explained, “I want you to have this. It’s a garnet. I want you to keep it to remember that you are very creative, and you will be able to face any challenge.”
“OMG!” Blythe exclaimed.
Rarity looked at Blythe as if she spoke a foreign language.
“OMG means Oh My Gosh,” Blythe explained. “You really want me to have this?”
“I do,” Rarity confirmed. “I have to get back to Equestria.”
Rarity started to walk away. Blythe shouted, “I won’t forget you!” Rarity giggled knowing there was no way Blythe was going to forget a unicorn. Neither were those twin girls.
Fisher Basket sat in his chair while the butler, François LaGrange, walked around cleaning everything. He was very relaxed and half asleep. Unfortunately, his relaxation was interrupted when his daughters walked through the door panting.
“We saw...like… one of those… like… horned horse things!” Brittany panted.
“A horse.. talked...to… like… us! Eww!” Whittany complained between pants.
Fisher rolled his eyes, “Now girls, there are no such thing as unicorns or talking horses,”
“But we…” Whittany protested.
Fisher interrupted her, “I don’t want to hear it. You’re old enough to know that unicorns aren’t real.”
The twins lowered their heads and went to their room. There was no way they were able to convince him that they saw a talking unicorn. There was no way for them to convince anyone. They decided to not tell anyone of the incident.
