Chapter 1: The Rarity Chapter
In the land of Rarequestria there resided the quaint countryside town of Rarityville, where all the ponies were quite fashionable and trendsetting. But none so much as Rarity, who was the diamond of the entire town, if not the entire world and the universe itself.
On this day, Rarity was working in the Carousel Boutique, which was only the most glamorous building in all of Rarityville. Ponies would flock from cities all across Rarequestria—such as Rarehatten, Raritydelphia, and even Rarelot—to purchase the most refined and ravishing garments Rarity had to offer. So great was her skill with dressmaking that mares would often go blind just from the first look at their magnificent dresses.
While Rarity prepared to create the latest in vogue fashion piece that everypony in Rarequestria would fight tooth and nail over, the doorbell rang. Putting her red framed glasses and stitching material down, Rarity trotted at a collected pace to the front door.
“Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where your fashion dreams come true.”
Rarilight was there to greet her, followed by Raridash, Rarishy, Raripie, Rarijack, and finally Sparity bringing up the rear. Each of the ponies and dragon was a spitting image of Rarity, which was only natural, since everypony, and every dragon, of Rarequestria were undoubtedly the most resplendent people in the world. The only subtle differences that could be spotted were mane colors, which varied pony to pony, with Rarity clearly having the most radiant mane of them all. Also, Sparity looked like a reptile, but he was still quite comely.
“Greetings, Rarity. The girls and I have an extravagant request that only one with skills and tastes as remarkable as yours can pull off,” Rarilight said.
Rarity scooted over and gestured for the others to move forward. “Well, dears, come right in then. No use in discussing such sensational details outside, is there? Now, what can Rarity do for you all?”
“We need some new dresses for the Grand Galloping Rarela!” Raridash said, floating above the others as she entered the boutique. Her flight was graceful, truly a sight to behold.
“An’ we knew yur da only one who could do it, darlin’,” Rarijack said, her accent sounding rather obtuse and forced upon. However, she made up for it with a remarkably florid hat that were similar to the more homely aspects of the Wild West with a beautiful floral display that matched her curled blonde ponytail perfectly.
Rarity held a hoof to her chest and straightened out her back so that she appeared a few inches taller. “Why, I couldn’t be more touched by your confidence in my abilities than I am right now. Girls, I promise you all the most glamorous dresses Rarequestria has ever seen, or my name isn’t Rarity!”
“Wait, your name isn’t Rarity? Then who’ve you been this entire time?” Raripie asked, pressing her muzzle right in Rarity’s while her pink poofy mane—which could not be curled or controlled no matter how much manespray was applied to it—bobbed back and forth atop her head. Normally bubbly and full of mirth, Raripie lacked some of the more qualified attributes of a lady, such as understanding personal space. Her charming pleasantry and extra-friendly qualities, though, quickly made up for that.
Rarilight yanked Raripie back with a simple spell, chuckling daintily. “Oh, Raripie, I believe Rarity was simply joking, weren’t you, Rarity?” Rarilight beamed a smile at Rarity. She was, of course, one of the main negotiators in their group of friends, and having grown up in Rarelot under the guidance of Rarilestia, she was gifted with raricorn magical abilities far surpassing the typical, as well as being almost as prim and proper as Rarity herself.
“Quite right, dear. Nevertheless, I still intend to make you each a remarkably stunning dress that is sure to be the talk of the Rarela when we attend.”
“Rarity, would you be needing any assistance?” Rarishy asked, hiding her muzzle behind her long, flowing mane of pink swirls reaching the floor. While her meek personality hid her true beauty most of the time, Rarishy was quite the spectacle when she gained enough confidence to show herself off.
Rarity chortled, her eyes positively sparkling as she looked at the others. “Well, since you all are very fashionable on your own terms, of course I’d be delighted for your help!” Rarity glanced to Sparity and patted his purple spiked head. “In fact, I wouldn’t be able to get half of the work done in the boutique without the help of my little Sparity-warity, now would I?”
“Aww, shucks. Anything for you, Rarity,” Sparity said, blushing considerably. It was no secret that Sparity had a monstrously huge crush on Rarity, but then, who wouldn’t? She was undeniably the most exquisite mare in all of Rarequestria, so it was no wonder ponies loved her so much.
So the group of prestigiously pretty ponies and dragon prepared for the most monumental of all balls by making their dresses. Obviously, Rarity was the one in control of the stitching, weaving, cutting, and even sewing process, but her dedicated friends made suggestions for their individual dresses along the way to make them fit their specific characteristics and fashion taste.
Raridash received a stunning dress of the lightest fabric available so as to not impede her flying. It was exactly like the rainbow spectrum of her mane, and flowed wondrously at the slightest breeze so that it appeared that Raridash was a living rainbow herself. Rarity didn’t forget to add to the dress a tasteful amount of crystals and gems.
As for Rarijack, she prefered a more humble approach that still allowed the glitz and glamor to be seen: she had on formal wear that still appeared country, with a minimal amounts of gemstones, though she was very open to colorful fabric. Hers was a dress as green as the grasslands with a brown vest thrown in. A sparkling scarf redder than any apple Rarijack had ever grown completed the look. In the end, Rarijack had an ensemble that put all else to shame when compared. Except Rarity herself, of course.
For Rarilight, she fancied a more ethnic look of Rarityville to present at Rarelot while still showcasing her expert tastes in all things prim and mannerly. Thus, her dress had a much more homely appearance in terms of the quaintness of the village, while also adopting the pleasantries of sophistication, such as astronomy in the form of gem stones appearing as constellations on her gown. The color was dark violet with glitter taking the form of galaxies swirling in space, with golden ribbon connecting the constellations.
Rarity had much more trouble working with Raripie’s rapid commentary. Thankfully, Sparity was there to list most of her requests, which ranged from the outrageous to the just plain impossible. Well, impossible for somepony who wasn’t Rarity, that is. With enough focus and determination, Rarity was able to produce one of the most spectacular dresses ever envisioned in the minds of mere mortals. Pink sparkled off every surface, with said surfaces covered in pink gemstones and pink lace as well. And who could forget the pink ribbons, which also had pink glitter, trimmed with some more pink lace just to make sure it was perfectly pink enough.
Finally, Rarishy was given a flowing green dress with flora shaped by colorful fabrics that showcased her more natural side. Gemstones in the shape of butterflies, diamonds in the shape of rabbits, and rubies in the shape of vicious wolverines. Simply stunning.
And as for Rarity, her own skilled hooves bestowed upon herself the best dress of all. Unparalleled in design. A true marvel to behold. A shining light in a cold and dark world. A thing of such beauty and transcendence that its charm could be sensed not just in this world but all worlds, for existence itself bowed down to what it considered its most perfect of objects.
It was a royal violet dress with a satin finish, coupled with a dark magenta scarf that sparkled in the light. Gemstones were fixed on almost every inch of Rarity’s dress. Red, blue, green, purple, orange, and even a color somewhere between teal and beige. Truly, there was nothing as magnificent as the attire Rarity was wearing, for nothing else could possibly ever in all of time and creation come even close to it. Not to mention, it had glitter on it, which was amazing.
And so the group of gals made their way in a golden, gem-encrusted carriage pulled by the entire population of Rarityville to the most prestigious event in Rarequestria, hosted in Rarelot itself. When they climbed out of their carriage, Rarelot nobles instantly stopped what they were doing to witness the rare six walk down the red carpet to the Grand Galloping Rarela. Tea dripped out of mouths, crumpets were momentarily forgotten, monocles dropped from their recipients’ eyes, and bowties everywhere twisted like propeller blades.
Of course, because of the numerous photo sessions from paparazzi and the added slow-mo effect for an even more dramatic entrance, it took the group around two hours to actually reach the doors. But damn, did they look fine doing it.
When Rarity walked through the entrance of the castle jaws dropped and ponies fainted at just the sight of her, for truly perfection incarnate was walking before them. Elegant and dainty, she was every attribute of ladylike sophistication. She was practically the symbol of what the best qualities of a mare should be. She was fashionable, magnificent, prim and mannerly, and positively the most stunning mare that anypony had ever laid eyes on. So impressed was everypony, that even Princess Rarilestia herself approached the stunning mare.
“Rarity, I must say, you’re the most beautiful mare in the entire world, possibly the entire universe!” Rarilestia proclaimed, bowing before Rarity.
Rarity giggled, a faint blush gracing her flawlessly white cheeks. “Oh please, Princess, there’s no need for such kind words. I’m sure there are other mares in the universe somewhere.”
“But none as magnificent as you!” Raridash proclaimed, hoof pumping in celebration.
“Course there ain’t. Rarity is da most bootiful mare ever,” Rarijack agreed.
“Plus, she’s so generous and kind as well,” Raripie said. “She did make us all these dresses without any hassle.”
“That’s because Rarity can make any dress out there with just a ball of yarn and a toothpick! She’s just that good,” Rarilight chipped in.
“I am so in love with Rarity that keeping myself from throwing myself at her hooves is a daily effort,” Rarishy said, her blush even redder than Rarity’s.
“We all are hopelessly in love with Rarity!” Rarilight said, her friends all nodding in agreement.
The rare six closed in for a big hug, though they took care to not accidentally poke each others’ eyes out due to the copious amounts of sharp gemstones attached to their dresses.“Oh, girls, you’ve made me the happiest mare in the world!” Rarity said.
“I hope you’ve enjoyed your happiness, Rarity, for it won’t last long!” a sinister voice called from above. Everyone looked to the ceiling to find a vile patch of black smoke that had inexplicably appeared above everyone’s heads. Why no one ever bothered to glance upward was anyone’s guess.
“Oh no!” Rarilestia said. “It can’t be! It’s… it’s impossible!”
“Who is it?” Rarity asked.
“It’s my sister! Fashion Disaster!”
“Wait, seriously?”
Rarilestia nodded. “Yes, Fashion Disaster. About a thousand years ago she—”
“No, not the sister part,” Rarity interrupted. “I meant the name.”
“You mean Fashion Disaster?” Rarilestia asked.
“Yes. Did it not occur to you that name seems odd at all?”
Rarilestia shrugged, scratching at her twirled yet still flowing in some nonexistent wind multihued mane. “Well, that wasn’t always her name. She was once known as Luna.”
Rarity blinked. “Just… Luna? Not, oh, I don’t know, Rari...na? Rarina. Yeah…”
“Now why would she be called that?” Rarilestia asked with an arched brow.
Now it was Rarity’s turn to shrug. “I’m not entirely sure, but Luna just sounds odd to me. Well, not as odd as Fashion Disaster, at least, but there’s definitely something—”
“Hello! Still up here, you know!” the dark cloud shouted.
“Oh, yeah.” Rarilestia cleared her throat and focused intently on the cloud. “My sister, Fashion Disaster! She’s appeared after her thousand year exile after she tried to take over the world when it didn’t appreciate her fashion senses!”
“The ponies of Rarequestria were fools to not appreciate my stunning designs!” The dark cloud drifted slowly to the floor, pooling into a pillar of pure darkness that widened itself out so that it took the form of a pony. Not just any pony, however. It was neither a rarisus, a raricorn, or even a rarearth pony. Instead, it was an aliraricorn! She looked just like Rarilestia, except her coat was a dreadful color of dark blue while her mane was neither twirled nor curled, but was allowed to flow in the breeze freely!
“Where are her curls?” one bystander asked, immediately fainting on a couch.
Fashion Disaster took a step forward, her name coming to true fruition in the eyes of anyone looking. Her helmet was... plaid. And her chest armor was… polka dots! Despicable, ugly, and downright garish dark violet polka dots along with black, purple, and really dark pink plaid! Those weak of heart who hadn’t fainted before surely did now, and before long the entire Rarela was filled with sofas covered in unconscious ponies.
“My dream of covering Rarequestria in eternal plaid and polka dots shall soon become a reality!” Fashion Disaster cackled. Her horn glowed a malicious violet, and a wave of magic drowned everything in plaid and polka dots. “And then everypony will come to love my fashion sense! Whether they like it or not!”
“Oh no, Rarity, what are we going to do?” Rarilight called out, rolling to the side to avoid touching the awful plaid and polka dot nightmare.
“We’re doooooooooomed!” Raripie screamed.
“No, we’re not,” Rarity said. Glancing back to the other rare six, she narrowed her brows in an unbefitting—but rather appropriate for the serious shift of tone in the story—scowl. “Girls, it’s time. Time for the Elements of Fabulosity to shine!”
“I thought you'd never say that,” Rarilestia said. Her horn glowed, and a chest appeared before the six. The girls fished out their respective Elements and turned to do battle with the terrifying menace of the plaid and polka dot crusader of the unfashionable.
In order, Raridash was the Element of Frills, Rarijack that of Seams, Raripie of course being Glitter, Rarishy being Adornments, Rarilight having the Tiaras, and last but certainly not least, the Element of Generosity, Rarity!
A rainbow of purple, purple, slightly lighter purple, darker purple, purple mixed with some orange, and purple kind of like the first that spirited the group up in a bubble that contained all the colors of the raribow. Fashion Disaster rose to the air as well, a field of plaid and polka dots taking shape around her. Then both forces met head to head in a collision that produced a thunderous crash of bright, flashing lights that could lead one to a seizure if stared at directly for too long. Oh, and also glitter. In the first five seconds, the entire dance hall was practically covered in the stuff.
“Rarity, she’s too strong!” Rarilight shouted.
Rarijack grunted. “Ugh… we ain't gonna last fer much longer, darlin’!”
Rarity winced, her powers waning by the second. “Her positively atrocious fashion sense is canceling out our impeccable fashion sense! Neither of us will win if continue like this!”
“Then what do we do?” Raripie called out, doing a few flips.
“Give up?” Rarishy asked.
“We’re not ever going to give up!” Raridash yelled.
“My sentiments exactly, Raridash,” Rarity said. Closing her eyes, she sighed. “Forgive me, girls, for what I am about to do.”
Rarity propelled herself forward with her magic, pulling off her Element. As the purple rainbow faded, Rarity was assaulted by the full onslaught of the blast of plaid and polka dots. She crashed with grace to the floor, which was pretty much regular crashing, but done onto a sofa that had inexplicably appeared there.
Fashion Disaster floated down, along with the remnants of the rare six. She laughed, approaching the sofa with her horn still glowing while a devious smile spread on her lips. “Now, Rarity, your end is nigh! Prepare yourself for the final blow!”
“Oh, I’ve already prepared myself, dear,” Rarity said. A hoof appeared over the top of the couch, followed by the rest of Rarity, who struck a dramatic pose. “I’ve prepared to make myself look this good!”
A shocked gasp escaped from the rare six, Rarilestia—who had been sitting at the sidelines eating some low-carb popcorn—and even Fashion Disaster. Rarity was decked out head to hoof in plaid and polka dotted garments; a frilly frock hat covered in every inch by plaid, a polka dot scarf, a formal business attire of plaid, and even plaid horseshoes. But for perhaps the most unexplainable reason of all… she made it work. Heck, she didn’t just make it work, she made it look good. So good, in fact, it became the most fashionable look just by being on her.
“I can’t believe it…” Fashion Disaster whispered.
“Me neither,” Rarity agreed, checking herself over with a glowing smile on her face. “This plaid shows off my curves so well! And the polka dots really bring out my eyes, don’t you think?”
“Somepony… appreciates my fashion sense.” Fashion Disaster had tears in her eyes. “I never thought this day would come.”
Rarity rested a hoof on Fashion Disaster’s shoulder and patted her back gently. “There, there, dear. Of course I appreciate it. Everypony has their specific taste, but fashion is beautiful in all its forms, even when it appears dreadful or awful, because it’s the pony wearing the clothes that make them appear beautiful.” Rarity winked. “Plus, polka dots and plaid are so in this season.”
“Who told you that?” Fashion Disaster asked, wiping away her tears.
“Why, myself. I am Rarity, after all,” Rarity said, chuckling to herself. Soon all her friends started laughing, and before too long, the entire Grand Galloping Rarela had snapped out of their overdramatized faintings to join in the good-natured laughter.
And that, foals, is how Rarity saved all of Rarequestria, and is undoubtedly the most fashionable mare in all of existence.
The end.
…
Hey, I said the end already. You don’t have to go home, but you sure can’t stay here. Scram. Get lost. Out, out I say! And you better not steal anything on your way out!
Author's Note
