A Dress Fit for a Princess
She awoke yawning from her bed. Her room smelled strongly of sweet apples. A thin red sheet with white edges lied above her lower body. It was a warm and slid smoothly over her. She kicked it off gently before returning it nicely to its place on her bed. It was a small wooden four-poster bed with room for only one pony. Purple curtains hanged down from the top of the bed. She had made them herself, and was really proud of the diamond shaped design that embroiled its edges. Her pillow was a simple white one, but comfortable nonetheless.
The door to her bedroom stood widely and revealed the staircase down. She slowly walked down the stairs following the sweet smell. The further she got, the stronger did it smell. Some other smells were combined with the smell of apples, but not nearly as strong.
“Sweetie Belle, is that you?” she called out; remembering the last time her sister had made breakfast while she was asleep. It doesn’t smell burnt.
Once she reached the bottom of the stairs another smell started taking over the apple one. A disgusting smell of wet fur and other smells she didn’t want to think about. The door to the kitchen was closed off. A wet hoof mark covered the door’s handle.
She stormed through the door, taking care not to touch the mark. In the kitchen stood an orange Earth Pony with a brown cowboy hat on her head, making food on the stove. Pots and frying-pans stood dirty on the sink. Drops of battered dropped down on it from the pots. On the table stood apple sweets of all kinds ready to be eaten, some of them were lacking slices.
“Applejack, what is the meaning of thi…” She interrupted herself when she saw what else was in the room with her. A horde of dirty sheep stood in the corner of the kitchen. They walked slightly, but mostly kept themselves to their corner. The floor was all dirty and wet wherever they put their cloven hooves. Under them was a large amount of wool spread out across. “What, what are these dirty things doing in my boutique? Applejack, explain this folly.” She retreated as far away from them as she could while still remaining in the room.
“Mornin’ Rarity,” the Earth Pony said and moved some sweets from the sink to the table with her mouth. “Ah baked breakfast for you. Mighty fine of you to let my sheep take cover here during the rain.”
“I, I allowed no such things to be here. Look what they are doing to my beautiful floor!” She put her right front hoof on her nose. The rainy weather had been planned by the Pegasi for a very long time, she remembered. She had prepared herself well in advance and allowed the evening to be one where she took care of her body amidst the sound of raindrops hitting the roof. There were no sheep involved from what she remembered. “How did you get in with these things?”
“The door was unlocked,” Applejack answered. “Ah’m sorry. Fluttershy had no room for the sheep, and it would have too long to walk to the farm. They don’t handle the rain well. Ah thought you wouldn’t object it. They are well behaved and clean. Soon they’ll be ready to head to the farm.”
“Clean?” Rarity almost screamed the word out. “There’s dirty dirt all over the boutique. Just look under them? That’s not how a lady’s home should look, or smell.” She pointed with her right front hoof to the sheep, but quickly brought it back up to her nose. A terrible taste reached her tongue during the time she had her hoof away.
Applejack looked long at the corner with the sheep before replying. “Ah’m terribly sorry, Ah’ll clean it up before Ah leave. Please let them stay until they’ve had their breakfast at least.”
The sheep stared at her with large dog like eyes. Some even had what looked like tears in their eyes. She looked away from them to the hot treats on the table, but when she looked back the sheep hadn’t change their position at all. A loud sigh left her. “They can stay until they’ve been fed, but they’re not allowed to move out of their corner until they leave. I’ll go for a walk to cleanse my mind of this ever happening.” She jumped out of the kitchen on her three legs. Her fourth leg wanted to do move down to the ground and aid her walking, but she forced it to remain on her nose.
“Thank you, Rarity!” her friend called out from the kitchen.
She moved quickly to the front entrance of her boutique. The smell of sheep still leaked through, but she found it enough to remove the hoof from her nose. There half-finished dresses sat on mannequins. Finished dresses were sitting hangers ready to be tested by customers, or rolled out to various fashion events. There were two large mirrors in the wall, and she spent some time in front of them fixing up her mane and tail. She fixed a feather on one of her dresses before moving out naked.
The sun stood low on the horizon but shined brightly. There were no clouds on the sky. Puddles still remained on the road in varying sizes. Accompanying them were clearly visible mud spots beside the road. She avoided them all with ease. Ponyville was full of ponies that had gotten up from bed early and were now preparing for the day. Annoying fillies stopped by the puddles to jump in them on their way to school. She paid no more mind then to cautiously avoid them. Instead she looked all over her surroundings and the beautiful colours that existed in the village.
On a small tree by the road past the Ponyville library, hung a colourful note with dresses on it. She quickly glanced it over as she passed by. Two words stood out to her, fashion and show. She thought about it for a second, and then returned back to the tree. The poster was filled with text over a bright background of a blue pony carrying a dull dress. At the top of the page stood the two words she had noticed in large letters. She carried on with reading the rest.
Show of your fashion sense in this new and richly rewarded fashion show; each contestant is allowed to make one dress and must have a model to wear it. A large crowd will then decide which dress and model they believe has the best style and deserves the most to be crowned the winner. The lucky winner will then receive the price of going to Yanhoover and show off an entire home-made collection in front of the very best within fashion. They’ll also get to meet them all in person. What are you waiting for? Prepare today and sign in on Tuesday at the Town Hall, an hour before the contest starts.
Best wishes of luck to you all.
“Idea!” Rarity exclaimed. I do have some time to spare, and a fashion contest will be a great place to promote my newlines. Twilight will make the perfect model for this. No pony can withstand the magnificence of a princess. But I must hurry, Tuesday is today.
She trotted over to the Golden Oaks Library which the poster conveniently had been posted close by. The door stood firmly close with a white wax candle engraved in the wooden door. She used her magic to levitate a small rock and used it to knock on the door. From inside came the sound of things falling to the ground, but eventually the door was opened by a princess lying on the floor with her wings covered in books. The entire floor in the hall was covered by a thick layer of books. All of the bookshelves were already filled to the brink. It looked clear to her that no more books could be placed on them.
“Hi there, Rarity,” Princess Twilight said and rose up. Her golden crown with a star on it sat firmly on her head, yet her mane was all messy with hair straws standing in all directions. The feathers on her wings were all roughed and dirty. A horrible smell came from her. “What can I do for you?”
“I need a tiny little favour,” Rarity responded. She raised her hoof into the air, but stopped before she could place it on her nose. “As a princess, I realise how busy you must be, but I would love if you could be my model for a fashion show at the Town Hall tonight. I have just the best dress made for you. A star among ponies is what you will be.”
“I should have some time available tonight. Sure, I’ll do it.” Twilight shook of the books and stood up. There she levitated forth a parchment with a quill and ink to her. She scratched down a few notes before putting them away.
“Oh, great,” Rarity squealed. “This is going to be fabulous. I’ll go make the preparations.” She used the hoof already in the air to wave goodbye before starting to move away. “One more thing, clean up yourself, will you? There’s no way to say this kindly. You look horrible, and by no means can you wear a dress in such a condition.”
The streets were a bit emptier as she trotted her way back to the boutique, but no less dirty. Once again she made her way forth carefully until she was back. When she entered the smell of roses and apples reached her nose. In the kitchen sat an apple pie on the table with a small note next to it. The sink was shining clean, and all the equipment that Applejack had used lied in their right place without a spot. All the wool the sheep had dropped on the floor was gone, and the floor so shining clean she could use it as a mirror. Even the hoofmark on the door was gone. She levitated up the letter from its spot and read it through.
Thank you for letting us stay here over the night. The sheep really appreciate it. I made an apple pie that I think you’ll enjoy.
It was signed at the bottom by Applejack. She smelled the heat of the pie quickly before returning back to the hall with the mannequins. There she grabbed a large sheet of paper and some pencils. She grabbed some colourful fabric as well, and placed it all down on the wooden table. Twilight had previously said what kind of dress she wanted for the Grand Galloping Gala. Although, the result for that dress had been catastrophic, she still kept some of the suggestions with her.
Once she was finished with the design of the dress, she moved on to actually making it. Since her friend had gotten a little bit taller since her ascension to princess hood, she had to use a special sized mannequin. First she placed down some basic fabric on it and cut out two holes for the wings to come through. Then the fabric for single parts of the dress was laid down together with symbols.
Hours ran by as she sew everything together. Her stomach growled multiple times, and the smell of apples disappeared. The fabric went from being just something placed down on top of a mannequin, to a dress fit to be worn. It was made of a translucent black fabric with bright red edges. It had some stars on it that looked like sparkling glitter. A large dark flower sat on top of the dress. With it also came a pair of black heel shoes.
Rarity sat herself down on the floor and wiped away some of the sweat from her forehead with a towel. Through the window she could see the sun starting to set down on the horizon. Oh no, the fashion show, she thought at the sight of it. A blue aura surrounded the finished dress as it was slowly pulled off the mannequin. She left it levitating in the air as she galloped towards the Town Hall with it following. The streets were more crowded than they had been during the day, but most of the dirty puddles had vaporised in the heat. In their place were large amount of wool. They went up in whirl when she ran over them, but she used her magic to repel them and make sure nothing touched her or the dress. Other ponies were not as lucky when they decided to cross over.
The Town Hall was a pretty sight in the evening. It was a circular shaped house stretching far into the sky. The red coloured roof was of a gable design with a tall orange spire. Beige was the colour the wooden walls were painted in. The doors and windows were instead pink coloured. Beams were positioned all over it giving off light in all different colours. In front of the front door had a wooden catwalk been built for the models to walk on. Around it were a scarce crowd of ponies standing around it. Loud talk was all over the place. A lot of sheep were also standing among crowd. It looked to her as if the sheep outnumbered the ponies. In the air was a horrible smell that she recalled from earlier that seemed to indicate the same thing she was seeing.
She paid them no mind and went around the house with her mouth shut hard. The back door was crowded with ponies who were rushing in and out; some still had their dresses on them. It was no question that she had reached the right place. Among them all was one pony who stood out with her larger size and both wings and a horn on her body. Newly arrived ponies even bowed down in front of the princess, and some kissed her naked hooves.
Rarity pushed herself through the crowd to her friend while making certain that the dress was high in the air and beyond harm. She bowed slightly in front of the princess. “Twilight, I’m so glad that you could make it.” Her voice melted in with all the others. The Alicorn’s hair was glittering straight, and her wings groomed. She even smelled better. With the exception of the crown on her head, she was completely naked.
“It was my pleasure,” Twilight replied loudly. “Come, let’s head inside, Applejack is waiting for us to explain a few things.”
“I do believe that I have quite a bit more experience with fashion than her,” Rarity responded. Twilight moved inside, and she followed closely behind. Ponies that would most likely have stood in her way if she was alone now moved aside for the princess. “What suggestions could she possibly have to tell me?”
“You’ll want to hear this.” Twilight pushed on through the crowd. Every time a pony bowed down in front of her, she muttered a few words and the pony quickly got up.
The inside of the Town Hall had been redone to fit multiple make-up stands. They were all placed along the walls in a large room with a table in the middle. All of them were equipped with a mirror and lots of different cosmetic products. None looked to do the job as good as Plum and Pears creams. Ponies were seated in small chairs in front of the mirrors and being taken care of by others. Some of the chairs were only seated with a pool of white mess that had a resemblance to the things that had been in her house earlier. Screams were all over the place, yet it was quieter that it had been outside.
Applejack stood alone in front of the stands. The mirror was covered with a thick purple curtain with flower symbols, and the chair’s backrest was facing her. A rigid smell was hanging in the air around her.
“Hi there, princess,” the Earth Pony bowed low quickly, “Rarity. “Ah never thought Ah would see you here after this morning.”
“What do you mean?” Rarity asked. She placed the dress on top of the chair together with the hell shoes. “I could never let an opportunity to promote my fashion with the elite. It’s a fabulous plan to get it out to the whole of Equestria, and not just the elite of Canterlot.” She corrected the front of her mane a bit with her hoof before letting it fall down over her right eye. It didn’t block her sight completely on the eye. “How come you’re here? Usually I have to drag you with me to watch a fashion show.”
“To help you win the contest. Twilight told me all about your meeting. The posters placed around Ponyville accidentally left out quite an important detail.” Applejack spun the chair around and revealed a small stinking sheep sitting in it. The wool was white clean, and the floor had been spared from the fate her kitchen floor had suffered. “She was so happy that you let her stay the night in your home, so she wanted to help you with this.”
Rarity levitated up her dress and backed away until she hit the table. “Get that thing away from the dress. She’ll ruin everything.”
“Rarity,” Twilight started, “the information that was left out on the poster was that this is a fashion contest for sheep. I thought it was weird that you came to me with such little time left before the show, so I decided to do some research around it. Turns out this isn’t the first time such misunderstandings have happened.”
“Then you came to me to tell me about the situation,” Applejack continued. “Ah couldn’t let my friend have to go through without help, and Mary here was quick to offer herself as your new model.”
“That thing?” Rarity exclaimed. “In my dress? No, this can’t be happening. A funny jest you’re doing, Twilight. Now stop it.”
“I’m sorry,” Twilight said. “If I would have known beforehand, I would have warned you. I’m sure Mary would love nothing more than to repay your generosity if you’ll give her the chance. Word in Canterlot is that some of the ponies the winner will meet is the big next thing.”
“But the dress is too large. That thing doesn’t have any wings, so there’ll be two useless holes in it. There’s no time to fix any of it.”
“Look around you,” Applejack responded. “Mary will do a mighty fine job compared to the others, if you’ll let her. We won’t feel different about you if you happen to lose.”
A yellow Earth Pony dressed in a slim dress that covered all of her body, entered and announced that the first contestants were to go out on stage. Sheep bleated all over the place in response. Some fought their way out of their handlers and ran out. Others ripped their dresses open in defiance. A small white sign with the number five on it sat on Mary’s wool.
The dress will be ruined, but the chance is high that’ll I get to promote my fashion in other non-disgusting ways. Think of the positive, Rarity. Think of the positive. “It won’t fit well,” she announced, “but it’ll have to do.” Using her magic, she dressed the sheep from a far distance into the dress. It went quickly at first, but it came to a standstill while Mary attempted to get her legs in a proper position. Applejack went in and helped the sheep as the announcer declared that the next model was to enter.
By the time Mary was fully inside the dress, her number was announced. She looked strange walking in the oversized dress. Even from inside Rarity could hear the loud music and the cheers that accompanied them when the sheep went onto the catwalk. Applejack and Twilight both went outside to watch it unfold, but she decided to walk out a different way.
At the backdoor of the Town Hall it was quiet and empty. Some of the sound from the front reached all the way back. There were no ponies or sheep who remained back instead of watching the show. The dress crossed her mind a few times as she sat herself down on the ground. It was cold on her skin, but luckily quite clean. A bit further away from the exit the ground wasn’t as lucky. There were clear marks that the area had been crowded, and a thick layer of white wool lied on it. She used her magic to make a quick little dress of the wool. It would be destroyed as soon as she allowed her magic to fade. Even outside the area was filled with the horrible smell of sheep.
“You missed Mary’s walk.” The voice of a princess came from behind her. “They are going to pick the winner soon. Aren’t you going to be there?”
“The dress was made for you,” she answered without turning around. “It was to be fabulous. Mary was kind to help me, but I don’t want to make clothing for sheep. If I win, I won’t be able to do anything else. I tried to trick myself into believing that maybe it would have something good for me. Let her continue her career as a model among them, but I’m pulling out.”
“Rarity,” Twilight started, “you shouldn’t beat yourself up. There’s something good in this for you as well.” She put her front hoof around the white Unicorn.
“For Mary there might be.” Rarity got up and pulled herself away from her friend. “There’s nothing here for me. This is not what I wish to do.” A tear rolled down her left cheek, but she didn’t turn back towards her friend before walking away. The Princess called out something to her, but she was already too far way to make out the words.
The moon rose up above the sky, and by the time she was back at the boutique, it stood high in the sky. She looked around the room with all the finished dresses; there was nothing left to do. No shows to complete, no fashion contests to compete in, only finished orders. Using her magic, she pulled forth a small parchment and a feather.
“Dear Princess Celestia.” She read the words out loud before writing them down. “Today I learned that...” The ink dripped down onto the parchment, but she couldn’t come up with anything she learnt anything new during the day.
Tomorrow is a new fabulous day, Rarity thought and put away everything. A short yawn slipped out of her mouth, and she headed upstairs to her bed. Tomorrow is a new fabulous day.
