> Pinkie’s Boutique
>  by Tangerine Blast
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rarity had a problem. 

Her dress business in Ponyville wasn’t doing as well as she had hoped. The reason for this could be any number of factors. It could be that she was young, that the ponies in Ponyville never really wore clothes or it could even be the fact she was fairly new to the whole running-a-shop industry and nopony knew she existed. 

But no. Rarity knew what the problem was and it certainly wasn’t any of those other, silly things. No, the problem was that she didn’t have competition. She was the only boutique in town and a monopoly scared customers. With nothing to compare her products against they grew suspicious they were getting a bad deal. 

She needed a competitor. It was important to her business and her future.

And she very much needed someone to talk shop with because she was so bored.

That’s why she was sitting at her highest window, binoculars in hoof, watching the moving crew lug crates into the empty store a few buildings down. Rarity did that with every new pony who moved in. But it wasn’t in a creepy sort of manner! She was scoping for competition. So far there hadn’t been a single other shop with even a hint of resemblance to clothes or fashion but she could feel that this… this time was the charm. 

Her months of patience were finally rewarded not a moment later as she managed to spy one of the stallion carrying a few boxes overflowing with dresses A large grin blossomed across Rarity’s face. No pony would own that many clothes of different styles unless they were planning on selling them! It was happening! She was finally going to have a friend to talk shop with and gossip with and, ehem, increase her business through friendly competition of course. Rarity peeked back through the window and scanned for the owner of the new dress shop.

She found what she was looking for rather quickly this time. In between the bulky moving stallions, furniture, and luggage zipped a small Earth Pony. She was trotting around with the skippy gait of someone looking for a way to help and finding none. Her coat was a brilliantly bright pink with her mane a few shades darker save for a black and white stripe zagging through it.

This was Rarity’s quarry for sure. Not only did the pony own more clothes than all of Ponyville, but she herself was also dressed in a cute and fashionable dress. An outfit that had obviously been tailored to her if Rarity could trust her eye for such things.

Rarity spied for a few more seconds before putting down the binoculars--deciding to continue, or approach, tomorrow. She was about to turn away when someone coming up the road caught her eye. 

With a flash of magic, the binoculars were back and Rarity watched in fascination as her good friend Fluttershy approached the new pony. With little hesitation, the Pegasus struck up a conversation with the Earth Pony and soon the two were chatting happily. 

If this was any other pony it won’t give Rarity pause. After all, most folks in town were overly friendly and liked to personally greet any new neighbors. 

But this was Fluttershy and, though Rarity couldn’t hear what was said, the way the two were casually chatting made her sure that the shy dear hadn’t suddenly gotten over her fear of new ponies. No, the two had definitely met before.

“Curious…” Rarity muttered to herself, “You’d think Fluttershy would tell me if she knew another designer was moving to town.”

She finally left the window, tucking her binoculars away, and trotted down the stairs with determination. Apparently, she needed to invite her dear friend to lunch tomorrow.

***

“So Fluttershy, darling, deary, how have you been?” Rarity asked the fellow pony sitting across from her. The two were seated at one of those little outdoor cafes and were enjoying some finely brewed tea under the warm spring sun. 

Fluttershy shifted nervously in her seat. But that was obviously because the Pegasus was uncomfortable being in crowded areas and had nothing to do with the stretched smile and boring eyes Rarity had directed at her. 

“Oh, um, I’ve been fine Rarity,” she replied, fiddling with her teacup and avoiding eye contact.

“That’s fascinating, darling,” Rarity said, leaning closer, “anything new happen lately?”

“Um… Harry had a cold this weekend so I had to stay inside with him for a few days.”

Closer now. “Anything new in town?”

“Bon Bon had some mice in her basement but I got them to leave rather quickly…”

Even closer. “Anything new about ponies, hmm?”

“...did you get a new haircut?”

“Oh for pony’s sake, Fluttershy!” Rarity cried, falling back in her seat so suddenly she almost smacked the Pegasus with her horn. “I’m talking about the new pony that’s moving in on Willow Street!”

Now that Rarity had left her personal space, Fluttershy perked up and sat straighter. “Oh! You mean Pinkie Pie? Yes, she’s just started the process of moving in. She’s very nice, I think she’ll fit right in.”

Rarity’s smile was back full force. “And?”

Fluttershy’s gaze grew unfocused as she drifted into happy memories. “We met a while ago, back when I first left Cloudsdale. She’s very loud but cares for others so much. We’ve written back and forth over the years.”

“Yes, but what about her work, darling?” Rarity pressed, growing just a tad impatient.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she finally realized what her friend was getting at. “Oh! She does work with clothing actually. I think she’s even planning on opening her first boutique here. Isn’t that neat? It’s just like you.” 

“Yes,” Rarity purred conspiratorially, “Just like me…” She leaned over and cupped Fluttershy’s hooves within her own. “Fluttershy, darling, do you know what this means?”

Fluttershy smiled widely. “Yes, now you can have a new friend to talk the ins and outs of fashion with.” 

Rarity scoffed. “Well, I suppose. But that’s what I have you for, yes? What do I need with another friend?” Her smile grew wider even as Fluttershy’s shrunk away to nothing. “No no, this means that I’ll have a rival. Finally, someone to urge me to better myself and my craft so I don’t fall behind. A chance to see where all my competition is in style and design. A chance to show Ponyville just what I’ve been giving them all along!”

“That’s… nice…” Fluttershy tried to be supportive. “But… um… don’t you think it would be nicer to just be friends with her?”

“Pash,” Rarity huffed dismissively, “we’re on different sides of a war, darling. We don’t make friends with the enemy.” Her eyes grew unfocused as the Unicorn became lost in her own head. “Oh, there are so many things I must do to prepare. So many ideas to try… why I don’t remember the last time I’ve felt this inspired!”

She rose from her chair and quickly placed a few bits on the table. “I hope you don’t mind if I leave a little early, darling. I just have so much I need to do. Dresses to design, schemes to enact, you understand, yes?”

“Of… course I don’t mind,” Fluttershy answered, “But… schemes? Rarity are-”

“Thank you so much, Fluttershy,” Rarity called, already trotting away, “I’ll see you soon, tata!”

Fluttershy stared after her friend until the Unicorn disappeared around a corner. “Oh dear… I really hope she doesn’t do anything mean.”
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few days later her rival’s store had its grand opening and Rarity was the first one out to see it. If she knew one thing about this ‘Pinkie Pie’ it was that she certainly worked fast. Moving into a new home took time and effort but also setting up a shop in less than a week? It seemed almost ridiculous. 

But that just made the mysterious new pony all the more intriguing and dangerous. 

This would be the first time Rarity talked to her rival. She needed to meet her in a natural fashion, scope her out before the competition had a clue who Rarity was. And there was no better way to do that than by masquerading as a normal customer. 

So, with saddlebags jingling full of bits, Rarity confidently trotted into her rival’s shop.

What she saw almost made her stop in her tracks. 

The boutique was different from Rarity’s in almost every way. While The Carousel was open and spacious this was cramped with clothes and displays in every corner of the shop. While Rarity’s was decorated in light pastels this place was full of dark, vibrant colors. And, while The Carousel Boutique was lit by large windows and natural light, the only illumination here seemed to be from multicolored light bulbs decorating the ceiling.  

It was crowded, intense, dynamic, and everything Carousel Boutique wasn’t.

It was beautiful. 

“Hiya!” Came a chipper, high pitched voice and Rarity’s target bounced out from behind one of the displays with a wave and a grin. She was wearing a new, short colorful dress that fit in very well with the rest of the store. This was her. Rarity’s new rival. “Welcome to the store! I would tell you what store but I don’t have a name picked out yet.” She paused, tilting her head to the side as she took Rarity in. “What do you think about Soup?”

Rarity had her mouth open, ready to introduce herself with a carefully constructed script, but the sudden topic shift threw her off guard and left her gaping like a beached fish. “I’m… I’m sorry, did you say soup?”

The pink pony nodded rapidly, the smile still on her face as if it was a permanent fixture. “Yeah huh. Soup! I think it’s a good name for a store.”

Rarity squinted at her, trying to see the connection the other pony had obviously stumbled upon. “...you want to name your boutique… Soup?”

Another energetic nod. “Just an idea right now, but I kinda like it. What do you think?”

Rarity squinted harder. Trying to find the real motive that was certainly lurking just below the pleasant pink surface. Did she know about Rarity? Was this some ruse to get the upper hoof in their rivalry straight away? But she could find nothing in that cheerful smile but sincerity. Eventually, Rarity could think of nothing to do but answer. “Why would anyone think to buy clothes in a soup store?”

The Earth Pony blinked owlishly, as if this had never occurred to her. “Huh, you’re right. They might come in trying to buy food!” She shrugged with a little giggle. “Oh well, back to the drawing board. Oh! Is that why you came in here? Looking for food?”

Rarity felt a headache coming on. “No no, of course not! I’m here to scope out how much competition your boutique is going to be to mine.”  

Rarity slapped her hoof to her mouth, trying in vain to stop the words that had slipped out in her confusion. This was the filly’s plan! To put her off guard so Rarity would reveal all her secrets!

Pinkie gasped so hard Rarity feared she would inhale one of the dress racks. “You have a clothing shop too?!? That’s so awesome!”

“It’s a boutique, darling,” Rarity stressed. She flipped her mane and tried to act disinterested. “But anyway, yes. The Carousel Boutique is the one shop stop in Ponyville for all your fashion needs. I already have many loyal customers.”

Instead of being intimidated or threatened by Rarity’s obviously superior boutique, Pinkie simply nodded happily, her wide smile never shrinking. “That’s so cool! I’m so glad there’s somepony else who knows about fashion.” She turned sheepish and kicked her hoof across the carpet. “This is my first time trying to sell the clothes I make. I’ve never owned a business before and this is such a new town. I’m going to need all the help I can get.”

Rarity started and stared at the little pink mare in front of her. This encounter wasn’t going at all how she had planned. Rarity was supposed to wander the shop while side-eyeing the other designer. They would circle each other, exchange false pleasantries with backhanded compliments and then part ways feeling motivated to improve themselves for the competition.

Her rival wasn’t supposed to ask her for help. 

Rarity was floored, and had no idea how to respond, but was thankfully saved from having to by Pinkie gasping again. This time in horror instead of excitement.

“Oh no! I never even asked you your name. Here I am rambling on and on about myself and not even letting you get one word in! I’m so sorry!”

Baby blue eyes glistened with guilty tears and bored straight into Rarity’s soul.

It was a good minute into Pinkie not uttering another sound did Rarity realize she was waiting for her to respond. And, thankfully, this was a question she could answer.

“Ah, yes, right. I…” she paused dramatically, putting one hoof on her chest, “am Rarity Belle. Owner of Carousel Boutique, as I’ve said.”

She stumbled and almost tripped as her hoof was forcefully grabbed and given a rough shake. 

“It’s super nice to meet you, Rarity! I can already tell we’re going to be fast friends!”

“Ah… yes,” Rarity wrenched her hoof out of Pinkie’s death grip, “Well, since we’ve properly made our acquaintance now, I’m afraid I must head back. Can’t leave my own shop unattended, right?”

Pinkie nodded so fast her head blurred. “Right right right! I don’t want to keep you. I guess I’m still technically at work, too. It was super nice meeting you, though!”

Rarity nodded slowly as she trotted out the door. “It was… very nice meeting you too, Miss Pie. I do hope we see each other more often.”

Pinkie waved up until the door firmly closed behind Rarity. The Unicorn stood just outside the nameless shop for a moment before she stomped her hoof in frustration. “Darn it all!”

*** 

Fluttershy loved Rarity, she really did, but the Unicorn confused her in ways that she didn’t always have the strength to handle. 

Right now, said friend was sobbing pitifully into one of Fluttershy’s throw pillows and had been doing so for the past few minutes. 

Usually, this wouldn’t have been a problem. Fluttershy knew how to deal with animals, and friends, that were hurt. She could heal and comfort and find great joy in knowing she helped someone get back on their hooves or paws.

But it was what Rarity was crying about that baffled Fluttershy so and made it impossible for her to do anything but sit at her table and watch her friend while holding rapidly cooling tea.

“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy eventually said after another few minutes of nonstop crying, “but you’re upset because Pinkie was nice?”

“Beyond nice!” Rarity cried, throwing her hooves in the air dramatically, “She was absolutely precious. Not a hint of a competitive bone in her entire body!”

“And that’s…” Fluttershy’s eyes furrowed in thought, “...bad?”

“Yes!” It was to wailing now. “How am I supposed to grow as an artist if my one and only rival just wants to be best friends with me? How Fluttershy? How?”

“Well, um…” Fluttershy tried tentatively, “Maybe you could just try being her friend? I’m sure if you two compare notes it’ll help your… um… art?”

Rarity sniffled and Fluttershy really hoped she wasn’t staining her pillows. “No no… I have… I could talk to anypony about my fashion. We’ll just steal each other’s ideas subconsciously. We won’t grow.”

“I’m not sure-” Fluttershy tried but Rarity was already on a roll. 

“No, I see it now. The only way for this to work is to force the rivalry.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Rarity I don’t-”

Rarity had gotten up and started to pace. “I can’t let her know what I’m doing, of course. I can’t make it obvious. I just need to observe her in action. See where she gets her ideas and use it for mine! But I make mine better than hers.”

Fluttershy cringed. “Rarity I really really don’t think this is a good idea. Pinkie is new to town, you don’t want to make her feel isolated.”

Rarity stopped her frantic pacing and turned to her friend. “I’m not going to isolate her, darling.” She patted Fluttershy’s hoof comfortingly. “In fact, if everything goes well, no pony will even know I’m doing anything.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t?” Fluttershy tried to insist. “Rarity, I’ve known Pinkie for a while and she can be… sensitive about some things. I really don’t like the idea of you going out of your way to antagonize her.”

Rarity gasped and raised a hoof to her chest. “Darling, how could you even suggest that? Of course I’m not going to… to antagonize her. This is still just a friendly little rivalry.” 

“But if she doesn’t agree to the rivalry?” Fluttershy tried desperately to reason. “Is it really just a game if you don’t both agree to play?”

Rarity lowered her hoof, and her dramatic expression, to gently smile at her friend. “Fluttershy, you needn’t worry. I won’t do anything to upset her, I promise.”

Fluttershy smiled gratefully at her. “I’m just worried about her. I’m her only friend in town and, with me going to Cloudsdale for a week, I don’t want anything happening to make her feel even more alone.”

Rarity took Fluttershy’s hooves in her own. “I swear to you. I will do nothing to upset her and even be there for her if she should need anything.”

Fluttershy sighed in relief. “Thank you, Rarity. That means a lot to me.”

“Besides, I can’t let anyone else become rivals with her!”

Fluttershy groaned and buried her head into her hooves.

***

Rarity decided that the outdoor tables of SugarCube Corner were the absolute best place to scope out her new rival.

It was in the middle of town, perfect view of everywhere from the marketplace to the edge of Sweet Apple Acres. It was busy itself with many ponies going in and out of the store. No one would notice one more Unicorn sitting to eat her pastries. 

Plus the pastries were delicious. Always a plus.

So there Rarity sat, eating her fritter and watching the crowds carefully. 

She had seen Pinkie exit her shop and head to the marketplace. Rarity had briefly lost sight of her as she had claimed her scoping table but it was only a matter of time before the crowd parted and-there! She spotted the bobbing pink mane of her foe weaving in between ponies and heading straight for Applejack’s stall. 

Rarity pulled out her binoculars and watched closely. She hoped, if Pinkie had an idea, that she would make it easy for Rarity and write it down. Or perhaps just say it out loud. But, either way, Rarity was poised with her own notebook to jot down any inspiration she gained from watching the other mare. 

Pinkie was wearing her dress again. The same lovely little black one. Rarity thought it was a tad too formal to be shopping in but to each their own she supposed. After all, if Pinkie was from someplace like Canterlot than it would simply be habit wearing clothing when going out. Many big city ponies found the need to look their best at any occasion.

It occurred to Rarity that she didn’t know where Pinkie had moved from.

Or anything about the pink mare for that matter.

Well, that was why she was observing her, was it not? She’d find out all she’d need to shortly.

Rarity watched intently as Pinkie moved through the marketplace. She didn’t stop to speak to anyone as she went, only saying a quick apology whenever she would accidentally bump into another pony. 

True to Ponyville fashion, the other townsfolk would brush it off with a polite smile, but even so Pinkie seemed to grow more and more agitated as she went.  Eventually, she stopped in front of Applejack’s stall and offered the farm pony a big grin. 

Rarity, unfortunately, couldn’t hear what they were saying from this distance but the two Earth Ponies seemed to be engaging in a pleasant conversation if the smiles and wide, often confusing, gestures were anything to go by. 

But, just as Applejack had finished bagging Pinkie’s order, the farm mare seemed to say something that struck a negative cord. Pinkie’s ears tilted back and she began fiddling with her dress even as she replied. 

Applejack didn’t seem to notice and waved Pinkie off with a smile and an extra apple for the road.

Rarity watched carefully until she was sure Pinkie was out of sight before abandoning her table and making a beeline for the apple stand.

“Applejack!” she hissed when she was close enough. Her eyes darting about to make sure she wasn’t being watched. She did not acknowledge the hypocrisy of the thought. “Did you just talk to Pinkie Pie?”

Applejack jerked back at the sudden Unicorn in her personal space and gave Rarity a lopsided smile. “Oh, uh, hey there Rarity. Ah haven’t seen you around in a while.”

“Yes, yes,” Rarity dismissed, waving her hoof wildly, “we need to catch up one of these days and all that. But more importantly; Pinkie Pie. Did you talk to her?”

Applejack blinked at her like she had just said something insane. “Uh, yeah ah did, just a few moments ago. How did you… where you spyin’ again?”

“What?” Rarity pulled back at the accusation. “What of course not. Not on you at least. But what, exactly, did you and Mrs. Pie talk about?”

Applejack gave an exasperated sigh and rubbed her eyes. But she still answered the question and that’s all Rarity needed. “Nothin’ much. She’s new in town so ah was just askin’ how she liked Ponyville and if she was settlin’ in alright. Seems like a nice filly. Little awkward though. Ah gave her a few free samples of apples. You know, the usual stuff.”

Rarity chewed her lip in thought. None of that seemed like particularly useful information or anything Rarity hadn’t already suspected. “What about at the end?”

“The end?”

“Yes, the end, Applejack. What was the last thing you said to her?”

Applejack’s face could be used as a visual model for confusion. “Uh… bye?”

Rarity groaned and placed her head on the applestand. “No, darling. Before that. Please try to keep up.”

“Oh, uh.” Applejack scratched the back of her neck as she thought. “Ah guess she told me this was her first shop and ah mentioned how nice it is ta finally get to what your meant ta do in life. Ah ain’t got a clue how ponies go to school for years before they can even start on pursuing their cutie mark.”

“Hmm,” Rarity hummed, “and that’s when she became nervous? Very interesting…”

“Ah guess? Ah think anybody’d be nervous settin’ up in a brand new town.” Applejack eyed Rarity with squinted eyes. “You got somethin’ against her, or somethin’ Rares?”

Rarity snapped out of her musing to quickly shake her head at Applejack. “What? No, no, of course not. I think she’s a very charming individual. I simply want to… know her thought process. After all she is a fellow designer. Perhaps we could learn from one another.”

“Uh huh,” Applejack replied with that half lidded stare that meant she wasn’t taking you seriously, “You’re just bored cause Fluttershy left town for a few days, ain’t ya?”

Rarity stuck her nose up. “You accuse me of such hurtful things, Applejack. Now, to prove that I am a good and honest pony I will purchase some apples from you for your time… if you tell me where she’s headed next.”

Applejack just sighed.
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rarity honestly could not tell what Pinkie Pie was doing. She had been following the Earth Pony for almost an hour now and her sense of purpose seemed completely random. Pinkie Pie was just… walking through town. Looking at things, sniffing flowers, entering any random shops that caught her fancy, the works.

“Perhaps,” Rarity muttered to herself, “she’s seeking inspiration?”

To Rarity, there was absolutely nothing in Ponyville worthy of inspiration or interest. She had lived in the same small town and had practically combed every nook and cranny for something to help her career years ago. She could not fathom what Pinkie would find so fascinating about the dingy little town. Rarity would give her right hoof to leave and make it big if the opportunity ever presented itself to her.

Even so, the other shop owner seemed absolutely enthralled with every little detail Ponyville had to offer. Rarity was about to call it quits when Pinkie wandered into the small town park and the commotion going on there.

In her excitement, Rarity had completely forgotten about the little celebration taking place this weekend. It was an anniversary of some significant event in Ponyville or something. Rarity could not be bothered to remember all the significant events. The park was all dressed up in streamers and snacks and ponies mingling about. A standard little fanfare for the standard little town.

Rarity watched as Pinkie’s eyes grew wide seeing the celebration. As if pulled by a force beyond her control she weaved into the crowd wearing a large grin.

With a startled gasp, Rarity realized she was losing her target among the other ponies. She tumbled out of the bush she had been spying from, quickly fixed her mane and coat, and followed Pinkie Pie into the fray.   

Unfortunately, she was immediately stopped by a pony immediately forcing her into a conversation she was much too busy to participate in and much too socially aware to brush off. 

“Rarity it is just so nice to see you today.”

“Oh, hello there Strawberry…” Rarity tried to peer around the yellow and red Pegasus to glimpse her target but it seemed Pinkie had completely disappeared into the crowd. Sighing with defeat, Rarity fully turned to engage with the new conversation. “How are you this evening?”

“Oh, I’m alright,” Strawberry Sunrise answered, a smirk playing on her lips that Rarity was all too familiar with, “I’ve heard some funny news around town lately. Apparently a new pony has moved in.”

“Really?” Rarity said, feigning surprise. Strawberry liked to gossip even more than she did and Rarity had learned she also adored being the first pony to know something. So she humored her. “I know ponies don’t move in everyday but this hardly seems like news, dear.”

“That’s the thing.” Strawberry pressed against Rarity’s side, guiding her through the celebration while keeping close enough they could talk without being too badly overheard. “This pony has some… interesting things about her. And she’s moved in on your street so of course it became my duty to inform you of them.”

If Rarity had any question in her mind about who they were talking it was completely gone now. “That’s true.” She leaned in close to her friend. Perhaps this was the better way to learn about her neighbor. Since following her seemed to be of little use. “Please, do tell Strawberry.”

“Well,” Strawberry continued, glancing around as if the pink pony was about to pop up at any moment, “The rumors are that she’s been living in five different towns in just as many months.”

Rarity’s eyebrows shot up at that news. She certainly didn’t know… well she didn’t know anything about Pinkie’s past, did she? “Really? Why is that?”

“No one knows for sure,” Strawberry said, her voice becoming quieter, “But some people think Mrs. Pie was run out of those towns.”

“What?” Well, that was obviously not true. Pinkie was one of the most delightful ponies Rarity had ever met. But that was simply the nature of the rumor mill. Some facts, some obvious falsehoods. “Why on earth would ponies think that?”

“I know,” Strawberry continued, rolling her eyes a bit, “I don’t take much stock in that either but it seems no pony can figure out exactly where she’s come from.”

If you don’t know where she’s from how do you know she’s moved so much? Rarity did not voice these thoughts out loud. One did not question the rumor mill outright. You had to prod gently. “But that seems like quite a leap to being run out of town, doesn’t it?”

Strawberry nodded, her eyebrows raised as if the two were uncovering some deep mystery together. “That does seem odd, doesn’t it? You know this is the first boutique she’s opened, right?”

Rarity was thrown, a bit, at the sudden shift in the conversation and so all she could do was nod. “Y-yes, why?”

“Doesn’t that strike you as strange?” Strawberry pressed, “The store is so professionally decorated and she has so much experience. But in all the places she’s traveled she’s never even worked at a shop before? How is that possible?”

“That… does seem a bit odd,” Rarity relented. She wasn’t really watching Strawberry, her eyes were still skimming the crowd for any glimpse at their topic of conversation. But there were too many ponies and every flash of pink turned out to be a disappointment. “But perhaps she has just graduated school or some other training?”

“And then there’s the way she acts,” Strawberry continued, either not hearing or not listening to what Rarity had said, “So awkward and shifty all the time, like she has something to hide. You’ve noticed it, haven’t you?”

“What? No?” Rarity asked, forcefully bringing her attention completely back to the gossip, “What in Equestria do you mean by that?”

“I’ve talked to her, once or twice now, and I’ve spoken to a few other ponies who have too,” Strawberry explained, waving a hoof in the air as if trying to summon the right words, “And she starts the conversation fine but she gets really quiet really fast. Or she completely changes the subject and leaves immediately. And she’s always tripping over her words, like she doesn’t actually know what she’s talking about.”

Rarity stared. She hadn’t noticed any of that at all. At least… not while she was talking to Pinkie Pie. It’s true that during her observation of pink mare she had seen a few conversations end with awkward pauses or quick getaways but she hadn’t thought anything of them, some strangers simply did not click right off the bat. But if that was happening with almost everypony Pinkie talked to...

“Hiya Rarity and Strawberry!”

The two mentioned ponies froze as a chipper voice greeted them and Pinkie Pie herself materialized out of the crowd and right in front of them. 

“It’s so nice to see you girls here!” The Earth Pony continued, bouncing in place like she was a yoyo attached to the heavens. “Isn’t this great? I didn’t know there’d be a party!”

“Yes, it’s a festival.” Rarity regained her composure first and subtly stepped away from Strawberry so it looked just slightly less like they had been gossiping not a moment ago. “Ponyville has a couple now and again. Honestly, I think most small towns do in the summer months.”

“Mine sure didn’t!” Pinkie exclaimed. While she was talking to them, her eyes also darted around, as if they needed to take in every inch of the festival as quickly as possible.

“Oh?” Strawberry sensed an opening. She leaned into her prey and casually fluttered her eyelashes. “And where’s that, hmm? Some high fashion area, no doubt?”

Pinkie blinked, obviously caught off guard by the question, and her thousand-watt beam dimmed a bit. “Oh, uh, not really. I grew up on a rock farm, actually. Kiiiinda the middle of nowhere if you know what I mean.”

Strawberry froze. She had short-circuited by the ease withwhich that answer had come. 

“A rock farm?” Rarity asked, picking the conversation back up so Strawberry could come to terms with the fact that she didn’t have to dig. “That’s quite unique. Did the atmosphere influence any of your design choices?” While Strawberry’s plan may have fallen apart, Rarity’s certainly had not. She would find and potentially use Pinkie’s inspiration and become a better designer from the rivalry she sowed!

“Sure, probably,” Pinkie answered distractedly, staring off at something over Rarity’s shoulder, “Oh oh! There are games! Come play one with me, Rarity.”

Rarity would have pressed more but didn’t get a chance to before the smaller pony was dragging her across the park, leaving the still frozen Strawberry behind.

When they arrived, Rarity couldn’t stop her eyes from rolling at the sight before her. “Pinkie, darling, these are foal’s games.”

“What?” Pinkie gasped as if Rarity had just insulted her ancestors. “Nuh uh! All party games are for all ponies. That’s the rule of party games.”

“I don’t know if that’s… quite right.” Rarity’s eyes scanned over the group of foals playing bean bag toss or swinging at a pinata, their parents watching to the side.

“Come on, Rarity. It’s fun if you try!” Pinkie quickly spun around before stopping when her eyes landed on an unoccupied game. “Look look! Pin the Tail on the Pony! That’s my favorite game ever.”

With nothing really better to do, since her plans had involved watching Pinkie Pie all day anyway, Rarity followed the skipping Earth Pony over to the game. 

Pinkie grabbed the blindfold and tied it around her own eyes as if she’d done it a hundred times before. Then, properly blinded, she turned in the rough direction of Rarity. “Okay, now spin me, spin me!”

Rarity groaned in defeat but Pinkie Pie’s excitement was infectious and Rarity couldn’t help a smile from crossing her lips as she trotted over and gently pushed on the Earth Pony’s shoulders until she began to spin round and round.

“Weee!” Pinkie shouted in absolute glee as she twirled. After a few seconds of this Rarity stopped her and positioned the blind pony so she was in the rough direction of the board.

“Arlight, just walk forward,” Rarity instructed, watching as Pinkie, almost drunkenly did as requested. She stumbled up to the board and planted the pin with a flourish.

Right into the flank of the painted pony. A perfect mark.

Rarity blinked.

“Whooo!” Pinkie cheered when she threw her blindfold off. “That was great! Do you want to give it a go, Rarity?”

“Well, I…” Rarity hesitated, still staring at the completed picture of the pony, “I don’t think I’ll do quite as well as you, darling.”

“Aww, that’s fine. Winning really isn’t the point, ya know?”

Before she could protest further, the blindfold slipped around Rarity’s own eyes and she felt what she assumed to be Pinkie’s hooves, pushing into her side, encouraging her to spin.

She complied, trotting in a tight circle for a minute before she was stopped and positioned herself. The spinning had certainly worked as intended. Rarity had absolutely no idea which direction she was facing and felt as if all the blood was rushing through her ears.

But still, she couldn’t help but chuckle a little as she tried desperately to walk in a straight line. She probably looked absolutely ridiculous but in this moment she found herself honestly not caring. Placing the pin roughly where she thought her target was, Rarity took off her blindfold and examined her handy work.

The pin had pierced the picture right in the middle of the forehead.

Giggled came from Rarity’s side as Pinkie stood with her to examine the work. “Hehe, you made it a Unicorn, Rarity.”

Rarity snorted a very unladylike laugh that she quickly tried to cover up. “I did, didn’t I? Miss Pie, I must admit this was certainly a more pleasant endeavor than I had expected.”

“Parties are always fun,” Pinkie Pie said as if it was an undeniable truth about the universe. Then her expression dropped, just a bit, as she looked over the rest of the festivities. “I wish I could go more often…”

Rarity had no idea how to respond to the sudden mood shift and before she could even try Pinkie perked right back up again and went skipping off. “Thanks for having fun with me, Rarity! Enjoy the rest of the party!”

Rarity watched after her. The entire interaction had happened so fast, like a blur, and yet Rarity was feeling lighter than air.

What a strange pony.
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie Pie had not left her shop in days.

Well, alright, that wasn’t completely accurate. Rarity wasn’t actively watching her anymore so she couldn’t be certain of the Earth Pony’s comings and goings at all times. But even so, activity from inside the neighboring boutique had gone up significantly while comings and goings were most definitely on the decline. And when Rarity did glimpse her neighbor on occasion through the window Pinkie seemed almost torn at the edges. Mane on end and body language twitchy.

She was planning something, obviously. That was the only kind of explanation for such shifty behavior. Pinkie knew Rarity had been watching her and was planning to launch a counterattack at any moment.

Alright fine. That probably wasn’t what was happening. Rarity had to conced at this point that Pinkie seemed to be the most genuine pony Rarity had ever encountered. She was sweet and fun and full of life. And most definitely not conniving in a way to make her perfect rivals with Rarity.

But still. A pony could dream. 

And wonder.

Because if Pinkie wasn't planning some epic move against Rarity, her greatest rival, then just what was getting her so frazzled? Her store was still open and she seemed to be doing relatively steady business. No customer seemed angry or aggressive coming in and out. So what was happening? Not knowing was killing Rarity.

And what was worse was that Fluttershy had left for her trip and so Rarity didn’t even have someone to complain to or try to wheedle information out of!

Speaking of Fluttershy… the dear had made it excruciatingly clear Rarity was not allowed to bother Pinkie Pie while she was gone. She had insisted that the fellow dressmaker would be too stressed out in the coming days to deal with Rarity’s shenanigans. 

But stressed out with what? Rarity was positively dying to know.

Suddenly, movement caught her attention from the corner of her eye. Fumbling, she grabbed her binoculars and peered into the upper window of Pinkie’s shop. 

Nothing. Just still silence. Maybe she had imagined- no there! A flash of pink and black as the shopkeeper darted by the window again. It had only been a moment but Pinkie had looked… overwhelmed? Panicked? Even a little… scared? 

As Rarity watched the boutique door swung open, just long enough for a pink leg to reach out and place the ‘closed’ sign, before it slammed shut once more. 

Closing in the middle of a busy day? That was not normal for any shopkeeper worth her salt. Now Rarity had to see what was going on. 

With flair, for Rarity did everything with flair, she set down her binoculars and strode out the door, flipping her own sign closed and not missing the irony of the action. But darn it this was an emergency! Justice was on the line!

Well… no… justice most certainly was not on the line. But something definitely was and Rarity was going to find out what!

She marched across the street to her neighbor, her rival, and pounded on the door. “Pinkie Pie, it’s me, Rarity. What in Equestria is going on in there?”

Barely had she gotten her sentence out when the door opened. Not by someone coming to answer Rarity’s call but simply from the impact of her knocking. Apparently, Pinkie had forgotten to lock up when she had hastily closed. 

“Well…” Rarity mumbled to herself, “I’m already in this deep.”

Taking a breath to steel herself, Rarity pushed the door further and strode into the other shop. The front room was dark, being closed and all, but Rarity could hear the distinct hum of a sewing machine and see a light spilling out from further in the building.

“Pinkie?” She called, stepping carefully towards the light. She could hear Pinkie’s voice now, muttering something under the machine. The machine itself wasn’t the consistent whirr that Rarity was used to when she was sewing. Instead, it was jolting. Starting and stopping seemingly at random, with even more aggressive muttering after every stop.

Rarity stepped into the doorway and peered into the light. The room she saw was a mess, but that didn’t surprise her much. Her own inspiration room was in such a state, disorganized to the point of genius.

No, what surprised her was Pinkie Pie standing in the middle of the room, leaning over a sewing machine. Her characteristic dress was thrown to a heap at her hooves and the piece of fabrics she was working on looked no better. With her back hoof, Pinkie pushed the peddle and the machine sprang to life again, only to screech to an unpleasant sounding halt as it caught and protested.

“No no no!” Pinkie said, no longer mumbling at all, “Not again! Work you stupid-”

“Pinkie Pie?” The question tumbled from Rarity’s mouth against her will. 

Said pony shrieked, a valid response to someone sneaking up on you, and reared back in shock. Her hoof pressed on the peddle again and, groaning, the machine desperately continued to sew. 

Unfortunately, that sent the fabric Pinkie had stumbled onto to surge forward, knocking her off of her hooves. 

In a comedy of errors, Rarity could only watch slacked-jawed as the Earth Pony rolled across the room and impacted a dresser. The force sent a bucket, which had been perched much too precariously on top of the dresser, careening down to land squarely on Pinkie Pie’s head, bathing her in the glitter that had been contained within and making an unpleasant clang type noise as the metal impacted the poor pony’s skull. 

There was silence for a moment, Rarity too frozen to even breathe, before the tiniest of whimpers punctured the air like a cannon shot.

“Oh, darling!” Rarity called, rushing over to help her poor friend, “Are you alright? I am so so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you but the door was open and…”

She trailed off as Pinkie slowly tilted the bucket off of her head. 

If the Earth Pony had looked frazzled from the back, actually looking into her eyes she now appeared heartbreakingly close to tears. Besides the glitter now sticking to every part of her mane and tail, her blue eyes were bloodshot and she had a few colorful bandages on her hooves. The darling looked to have not slept in days.

“Rarity?” Pinkie asked in a shaky breath, her bottom lip wobbling just a bit, “W-what… what are you doing here?”

Rarity felt like a foal with her hoof caught in the cookie jar. But worse. Like a bully suddenly called out for their behavior. What was she doing here? Spying? She broke into her neighbor’s home and maybe even hurt her for Pony’s Sake! What had she been thinking?

“I’m sorry,” she said again, gently reaching out to remove the bucket fully from Pinkie’s head, not trusting her magic not to waver and give away her own emotional distress, “It doesn’t matter. What matters is if you’re alright? That was a nasty tumble and… oh darling what happened to your hooves? We need to get you looked at right away.”

Pinkie pulled her front hooves into her body, making herself even smaller than she already was. “I-I’m fine. Really! I’m just… pretty clumsy sometimes. But I’ll be okay, you can go home now.”

Rarity swallowed a lump in her throat and shook her head. “No, I caused this mess. It's the least I can do to help you clean up. That glitter will never go away if we don’t deal with it now.”

Pinkie sighed, a downtrodden kind of sound that twisted Rarity’s heart further. “Yeah, okay. I’ll go get a broom.”

She stood up, massaging her head where the bucket hit it, but seemingly no worse for wear, and trotted out of the room.

While she was gone, Rarity glanced around at anything she could help with in the meantime. Her eyes fell upon the still jammed sewing machine, and she trotted over to it curiously. It seemed like a fine model, there shouldn’t be anything wrong with it to cause it to jam so aggressively. 

But as she got closer the answer jumped out at her immediately. While sewing, the needle had come into contact with a pin that had been hazardly left in the fabric. No wonder it had made such a terrible noise, that metal-on-metal mistake had cost Rarity a few machines entirely back in her early days of sewing.

Thankfully, that also meant she had plenty of experience getting it unjammed. Her magic flared to life and she got lost in the delicate process of fixing the machine. So particular was the taste that she didn't even notice Pinkie coming back into the room until she was practically breathing over her shoulder. 

"Oh wow, did you fix it?"

Rarity did not jump. She wanted to, certainly, but when one worked with needles so often one learned to not be jumpy. "Yes, you simply got a pin stuck in there. Really wrecks the machine if you're not careful. I made the mistake a few times myself when I was first starting out."

“I didn’t even know you had to take them out. I thought the fancy machine just sewed them into the dress.”

Carefully, Rarity put down the pieces she had been working with and turned to Pinkie with an incredulous expression.

Pinkie’s eyes immediately widened, but the panic was gone in a moment, replaced by resignation as she fiddled with the broom. “Oops, guess I kind of let that one slip out, huh? Yeah, I… uh… I don’t really… um… know how to sew.”

Rarity stared at her. “You own a boutique.”

“I design the clothes!” Pinkie quickly reassured her, “I do all the drawing and stuff. I'm just not so good at the actual making part. Fluttershy usually sews them for me, that’s why I moved here, but with her out of town so long I thought I should try myself again.” She grimaced and looked around the chaotic room and the scraps of fabric that were scattered everywhere. “I guess you can see how well that turned out.” 

Once again, Rarity found her eyes drifting to Pinkie’s flank. One couldn’t judge another by their mark, she knew that well. After all, diamonds often didn’t have much to do with dress-making either. But still… balloons…

Pinkie Pie must have noticed her looking, or was just generally self-conscious, for her tail curled around her side protectively as she turned back towards the giant pile of glitter on the floor. “Anyway! Cleaning, we gotta do that.”

Rarity shook her head and cleared her thoughts, there was no need to speculate on such affairs she wasn’t invited to. What she needed to do now was fix her mistakes. “Here, allow me.” Using a combination of her magic and Pinkie’s broom, the two had the floor swept of all specs of shiny paper in record time. Even so, it took a good hour to finish. It was glitter.

“I think that’s the last of it,” Rarity said once she had dumped a few stray pieces into the trash can. A waste, but they were too covered in dust to be of use to anyone now. “Well, except for what’s on you.”

Indeed, Pinkie Pie was still covered hoof to hock in confetti. And with the wild tangles her mane was always in the glitter would mostly stay there forever if they let it.

Pinkie grimaced as she looked herself over. “Yeah, a bath is definitely the next thing to do. Do you wanna help? I don’t think I’ll be able to reach most of what’s in my mane.”

At another time, Rarity might reject such a request, but she still felt horrible about causing the mess in the first place. She didn’t feel like she had the right to refuse anything Pinkie asked of her at the moment. “Of course, simply lead the way.”

Pinkie did just that and Rarity was treated to an unintentional tour of her living space.

While the front of the store was glamorous and well put together Rarity was surprised to find that the back wasn’t in the slightest. 

Boxes stacked high covered the area, no decorations were hung anywhere and, while peeking into an open doorway that they passed, Rarity could see there was little furniture besides a frame and mattress in the bedroom. 

When they entered the bathroom it was more lived in. Not obsessively organized like Rarity’s was but more a cluttered mess of someone barely hanging together. 

Not that it was dirty. Good heavens, Rarity wouldn’t know what to do if that was the case. No, the tub was scrubbed clean but there were about three about-empty shampoo bottles just lying in it as well as-

“Your mane is dyed?” Rarity found herself asking.

“Uh, yep,” Pinkie answered with false casualness, running a hoof through said mane. It came out absolutely covered in glitter. “It’s naturally just all pink but I thought the black streak would help with my, um, my image.”

The last bit came out almost as a question, as if Pinkie was unsure about her own reasoning. She tapped her hoof on the tile with barely contained agitation as she glanced at Rarity while biting her lip. “Can you not tell anyone? Pretty please?”

Rarity nodded as Pinkie busied herself with setting the water running and dunking her head in it. Some glitter came out, as well as some dye, but it was far from completely removing the problem.

“Of course,” Rarity emphasized, picking up a brush and gently running it through Pinkie’s mane, getting out knots and glitter alike, “but, if you don’t mind me asking, why? There’s nothing wrong with dying your mane. I know for a fact the mayor does it for the exact same reason you do.” 

Pinkie shifted uncomfortably. Or maybe she was just getting at a better angle to scrap glitter out of her coat. “I know. But lots of ponies have naturally colorful manes too. And it’s really cool to have a stripy mane or a solid colored mane! I just feel like mine needs to be stripy or no ones gonna take me seriously. And if they find out it’s not naturally stripy they might think I’ve been lying to them on purpose and take me even less seriously cause I’ve only been pretending to have a stripy mane and I actually just have a boring solid mane but no one likes it when I have a boring solid mane so I gotta buy the mane dye and pretend it’s stripped or ponies won’t like me at all!”

Pinkie Pie had rambled the entire rant in one breath, her voice getting constantly high-pitched and strained the longer she went on until she eventually stopped to take erratic breaths. 

Rarity was frozen, for a moment. While the content of the rant seemed petty, and perhaps a little insulting as Rarity herself had a solid mane, she got the distinct impression that they weren’t actually talking about mane colors at all. Rarity found her eyes, once again, drifting down Pinkie’s back and to her cutie mark. 

Balloons. Always covered up. 

It wasn’t odd for some ponies to wear clothing but even those that did regularly, like the business stallion up in Canterlot, usually positioned their outfit in a way that their mark was fully visible. 

Had Rarity ever seen Pinkie’s mark before today? Had any pony in Ponyville?

“Pinkie, darling,” Rarity began slowly. She wasn’t sure if she should be prying like this but in for a penny in for a pound as the saying went, “what is your cutie mark for?”

Pinkie flinched and her tail instantly curled around her legs in a habit Rarity had seen her perform a few times before in her observations. 

For a moment, Rarity was worried Pinkie wasn’t going to answer and their already awkward session of de-glittering Pinkie’s mane would get unbearable. 

But then Pinkie sighed, as if the tension simply drained out of her. “Parties. It’s… it’s for throwing parties.”

“Ah,” Rarity said simply, digesting this information, “You know, my mark is for finding gems. I love to incorporate them into all of my work, which I’m sure you’ve noticed. Do you enjoy making party dresses?”

“No,” Pinkie said, her voice barely a whisper and yet still echoing off of the bathroom walls, “No, I don’t like making dresses at all.”

Rarity froze and the bathroom descended into a weighted silence with only the running of the water to drown out their thoughts.    

Pinkie was hunched down, potentially to better get water flowing through her mane but to Rarity it felt more as if the Earth Pony was physically trying to shield away from her. “I’m sorry,” Pinkie said before Rarity could think of any kind of response, “It’s not that making dresses is bad or anything! You make such pretty ones and it seems like you have a super fun time doing it to! I just don’t have a super fun time doing it and I don’t-“ 

“Then why?” Rarity found herself saying, cutting off the rambling apology. It wasn’t that doing something you didn’t enjoy was completely unheard of in Equestria. Cutie marks certainly made the situation easier to avoid but not every pony with a music mark could be Sapphire Shores or sometimes it was simply preferable to have a steady, consistent job in something you didn’t love while doing your talent as a stress-free hobby. But in this case… “Fashion design is a ruthless industry, darling, and while I assure you I know nothing of the party planning scene I’m sure anything would be less taxing then trying to design ensembles when you don’t care to I-“ she let out a shaky laugh, “so why are you doing this to yourself if you’re getting absolutely nothing out of it?”    

Pinkie traced the bottom of the bathtub with her hoof, swirling the water around in a mini whirlpool. “I’m not getting nothing out of it… I mean I’m really good at it! That’s what every pony always says.” She turned around sharply, causing Rarity to draw back, and looked at the Unicorn with big, almost pleading eyes. “You… you think I’m good at it, right? Cause you’re really super good! And you can sew! And I can’t sew but ponies buy the clothes and they say the design is real good and I do that so it is good right?”
   
“Yes, yes,” Rarity said, interrupting the frantic rambling, “darling your designs are amazing. I…erm… I don’t know if you notice but I was feeling, well, intimidated by your work, in a way. It’s fantastic and so different from mine.”

Pinkie gasped like Rarity had just told her world-shattering information. “You? But you’re amazing! Your designs are so put together and lovely and and you can really tell you pour your heart and soul into everything you make!” 

Rarity’s cheeks grew hot and she went back to combing Pinkie’s hair to avoid having to look her in the eye. “Why th-thank, you darling, that means a lot. I do put great effort into my designs. I love what I do and I always hope that’s communicated in what I create. Even before I got my cutie mark I’ve been making outfits,” she trailed off for a moment before continuing, “how did you get started? If you don’t have any interest in fashion design?”
  
Pinkie chewed on her lip and for a moment Rarity was worried that she wasn’t going to answer at all. But then she sighed and admitted, “My family… they wanted me to do it.”  

Rarity’s eyes widened. “Your family are fashion designers?” Visions started swimming through Rarity’s head. An upper-class elite, feeling the pressure of such high-wedend places like Cantorlot, coming down to the lowly small town of Ponyville just to get away from it all… “but, wait, didn’t you say you grew up on a…farm of some kind?” Why would farmers pressure their daughter into being a fashion designer if she didn’t want it? Living her whole life in Ponyville, Rarity knew many farmers and usually if there was any pressure from the family it was to stay exactly where one was and carry on the tradition of farming.   

“A Rock Farm,” Pinkie Pie explained, “and, yeah, my family would have loved it if I had been good at farming like them but,” she let out a sad little laugh, “it was pretty obvious since I was a teeny tiny filly that I was so bad at it the work actually went better if I didn’t try to help.”

“I’m sorry,” Rarity said sincerely. Celestia only knows how many times Rarity’s parents had tried to get her into their business while every word flew over her head. “That must have been hard.”

Pinkie shrugged noncommittally. “It was okay. They really encouraged me to find other hobbies, hoping something practical would stick and I’d get a cutie mark we could all be proud of.”

“But that’s not what happened?” 

“They’re practical,” Pinkie emphasized, splashing water with her hoof, “Value to them is in making and growing real tangible things. Throwing parties and having fun isn’t important to them at all.”

“So they discouraged you from your mark but also didn’t want to shackle you to something you were obviously unsuited for,” Rarity mused, turning the story in her mind as her hooves subconsciously scrubbed at Pinkie’s mane, “How did you land on fashion as an alternative?”

“Maud, my older sister, she went to college for her rocktorate in the big city,” Pinkie said. Rarity chose to not question what a ‘rocktorate’ was. “She met a lot of friends at college and one of them got her into clothes. Maud doesn’t go anywhere without a dress on anymore. Since we already had an ‘in’ and I was good at designing things in general they enrolled me in fashion school in the same town Maud was attending hers.” She held her hooves up in an overemphasized shrug. “And I was good at it! I aced all my classes and my parents thought they had totally succeeded in giving me a practical career I could thrive in. I just always felt… I dunno… empty. I started to get more nervous around ponies, and more unsure on my hooves. I never felt like me unless I was attending a party but my parents insisted it was a waste of time. I guess I started resenting fashion for that.”

“But you didn’t quite?” Rarity asked. Her own parents had wanted her to go to college too, were incredibly insistent about it, but she had always found she was too impatient to sit in a classroom and learn the theories of her craft and so had dropped out after only a week. “Why ever not, darling? If it was making you so miserable?”

“I couldn’t do that!” Pinkie whirled around so the two were now facing each other in the cramped tub. “I’ve already been a disappointment to my family for so long. They’ve sacrificed so much just to make me happy. If I gave all this up now and switched to full time parties they’d think I hated them or something.”

Rarity frowned and her brow creased in a hard line. “That is no reason to make yourself miserable. Family is important, yes, but they aren’t you. You should do what will make yourself feel proud and fulfilled, not cater to how they feel about your life.”

“But I- I can’t just… I can’t throw it all away. I’ve worked so hard and, they’re right, parties aren’t practical. What if my life becomes even more miserable?” The pink pony hung her head, her wet mane now almost completely straight with black dye dripping out of it in a steady stream. “I don’t want… I don’t want to prove them right.”

Rarity pursed her lips. Part of her wanted to encourage Pinkie Pie to just throw caution to the wind. Buck whatever anyone else said and follow her passion as far as it would take her. 

The other part of Rarity, the much more sensible part, admitted that Pinkie’s fears were justified. There was no guarantee things would work out if she tried to throw parties as a full-time profession. And it appeared she had already gone to years of school to become as good a fashion designer as she was. Tossing all of that out at the drop of a hat would just fill her with guilt and self-loathing. 

Rarity knew one had to be practical sometimes. That was, after all, why she still lived in Ponyville and hadn’t headed out to Canterlot or Manehatten to try and make a name for herself from the ground up. It was what she wanted to do but she was sure if she had followed that impulse that she’d be penniless and crushed.

But being practical did not mean bowing to what others thought was best. Nor did it mean shoving your dreams in a closet to never see the light of day again.“What if…” Rarity ventured slowly as an idea took shape in her mind, “what if you could do both?”

Pinkie sniffed, whipped her snout with a soaked hoof, and looked up. “Wha-what?”

“I mean,” Rarity said, tapping her hoof and chewing on her lip, “it seems like you didn’t hate your college experience, the learning about fashion part I mean. No, your troubles came because you were barred from parties the whole time you were there, correct?”

Pinkie nodded, hesitantly. “But I can’t do both now. I have a whole store to run! And keep trying to learn how to sew, I won’t be able to rely on Fluttershy forever. I won’t have time to be throwing parties on top of all that.”

“True,” Rarity agreed, “having your own store would eat every moment of free time away. But your dream isn’t to own your own store now is it? That’s a large endeavor and if you simply worked under another designer, or even just with them, then you’d have the stability and ‘practicality’ your family wants from you but also enough time to go pursue your own ambitions.”

Pinkie blinked rapidly at her. “What are you saying?”

Rarity took a deep breath and, throwing caution to the wind, simply went for it. “Pinkie Pie, do you want to combine our stores?”

***

A Few Months Later

“Welcome!” Pinkie chirped to the latest person who entered the store. “Thank you for coming to the grand opening party of the joint owned Carousel Boutique. There’s punch and other snacks in that corner and lots of cool dresses in the other! Only the snacks are free but you can get a discount if you order an outfit at the party.”

Rarity took a long drink of her punch. She was standing by the dress display in case any pony wished to approach her about a sale but this was a party and so, by golly, she was going to enjoy herself too. 

“This is really nice,” Fluttershy said. She had also been standing next to the dresses all night, pushed into a corner. Though Rarity suspected that was more to stay out of the crowd’s way than anything else.

“Yes,” Rarity agreed, smiling to herself, “Pinkie’s done an amazing job on this party. You can really see her talents.”

The pink mare bounced around the room as easy as a Pegasus flew, greeting each guest individually and making sure the refreshments were always fully stocked. The streaks in her hair were gone, leaving her natural pink-on-pink look. And while she had dressed up for the event it was only with a simple vest, leaving her cutie mark fully exposed.

She seemed to positively radiate joy.

“The party is very nice.” Fluttershy moved closer and gently nuzzled Rarity’s cheek. “But I was talking more about what you did. Offering to share ownership of your store? That was very generous of you Rarity.”

“Well, technically the store is still under my name,” Rarity said around a small blush, “Pinkie’s my partner, obviously, but I still own the building and most of the financial responsibility falls on my shoulders. We thought that’d be best for Pinkie to pursue her own dreams while also- what’s so funny, darling?”

Fluttershy was giggling softly into her hoof and looked up with a fond smile at Rarity’s question. “I’m just so glad this all worked out. Thank you Rarity, for helping her. Thank you.”

Rarity wanted to protest some more, to insist that it was nothing. But instead she just looked back at the happy Earth Pony, so completely in her element, and found herself smiling as well. “Believe me. It was my pleasure.”

THE END