Rarity's Dilemma

Chapters

Intro
Fluttershy
The CMC
Sweet Apple Acres
The spa
The stone
The Stone (way better version... promise)
Twilight

Intro

“AAAAHHHHHHH” the terrified shriek rang out throughout the entire boutique. Fearing the worst, Sweetie Belle rushed to her sister’s side. Room after room flashed by with no trace of Rarity in any of them, each offering an ever elaborate predicament which only caused Sweetie to run even faster. Panting and nearly out of breath, Sweetie rounded the last corner, and found Rarity lying on her bed. Only something wasn’t quite right, her body didn’t look peaceful at all, in fact it looked tense and broken in a way that is impossible to describe.

“Rarity…” said Sweetie Belle in a cautiously optimistic way, barely managing to keep her voice under control. After a few seconds and no response, Sweetie definitely knew that something was very wrong, but when she tried to move forward she found that her hoofs were glued to the floor. The realization of this fact sent a gut wrenching spasm through her stomach which in turn made her legs wobble like they were made of Jell-O.

“Come on Rarity, this isn’t funny…” Sweetie’s voice now noticeably shaking. After a few seconds and no response, Sweetie summoned the courage within herself to take a step forward. Just one at first, then slowly another, and another until she felt confident that her legs wouldn’t buckle; she looked up towards Rarity and could see her silhouette growing ever larger as she approached. Sweetie could hear the breathing before she could see Rarity’s chest slowly moving up and down. Thanking Celestia that her sister was still alive, and not knowing what else to do, Sweetie decided to poke her sister.

“Rarity, wake up… it’s time to wake up Rarity…” the words came out slowly at first, but soon took a more urgent tone as nothing seemed to happen. The poking likewise turned into more of a gentle shoving motion, which slowly rocked Rarity back and forth. After several seconds of trying to prod her sister awake, a sensation that was becoming all too familiar to Sweetie returned and blind panic took over. The rocking became a desperate shoving motion. Tears began to well up in her eyes as her worst fears began to work their way through her imagination, an imagination that was beginning to be all too real. Sweetie’s voice was shaking and her throat was starting to go raw as she tried to hold back her sobs. “Rarity, please… please wake up, come on… let’s go play outside together… please wake up.”

Deciding that nothing she was doing was working, Sweetie gave in and broke down, moving Rarity’s legs in such a way that it seemed like Rarity really was hugging her. Feeling her sister’s weak heartbeat and fearing the worst Sweetie bear hugged her sister, wishing that this was all a dream and that she would wake up in her bed, safe and sound. “I’m so sorry Rarity, for everything.” The words rang hollow on Sweetie Belle’s ears, knowing that Rarity would never truly hear them. Then something seemed to happen. It almost felt as if Rarity moved. What started out so slowly soon began to spread and almost as if by magic, Rarity’s legs gained their strength back, her heart felt powerful and sure again and slowly Rarity began to rise.

A stunned Sweetie Belle simply stared back in equal parts amazement, confusion, and disbelief. A magical aura surrounded Rarity and seemed to make her shine and shimmer. Sparks danced around her as the aura began to fade taking with them the energy that had revitalized Rarity. After all of the magical energy had left, there was only Rarity, breathing in a trance like way. Daring not to disturb whatever may be happening with Rarity, Sweetie stared back in bewildered astonishment. After several minutes, Rarity finally opened her eyes which had a sharpness about them, renewed and full of energy. Sweetie let out the breath she didn’t even know she was holding and ran over to Rarity. Sweetie attached herself to one of Rarity’s front legs and pushed her face against Rarity’s body. Not expecting to see her sister so soon after her trance, Rarity simply looked down at Sweetie Bell, dumbfounded and touched at the same time. The two decided to let the moment last for a time, until Sweetie Bell decided to break the silence.

“Rarity, I thought you were… and the scream… what happened?”

“It’s ok Sweetie, I’m not going anywhere. The scream was a physical reaction to the complexity and large amount of magic needed to perform the trance spell I just came out of.”

“Trance spell? What do you mean?”

“Well, Sweetie, sometimes when I get a new idea for a dress or a fashion line, I tend to get a little excited.” The rolling of Sweetie’s eyes confirmed that she at least understood that much. “And then I realize how much planning has to go into the project, and sometimes I freeze. I can’t think how to what or when I’ll find time. I told Twilight about it and she showed me a spell that she often used while studying in Canterlot. You must have seen me when I was in it?” The slight nod was enough of an indication for Rarity to continue. “The spell does take a lot out me, I admit, but it is worth it once I come out of the trance. I feel renewed and refreshed and I feel like I can take on the world. Or at least the new dress I am planning on making for Fluttershy. Speaking of which, have you seen her today?”

All of this new found information was a bit much for Sweetie Bell to take in at once, and she answered in a somewhat dazed yet thankful voice. “The last time I saw her, she was by her cottage, helping the animals.” With that, Rarity bolted out of the room and made her way towards the front door, thinking with speed and clarity and moving with purpose towards Fluttershy’s cottage.

Author's Note

Finally got around to posting this, just nerves I guess.

I would like to give a VERY LOUD shout out to TwiwnB without whom this story would be a whole lot worse.

Fluttershy

It was midday and Fluttershy was busy tending to her chickens. “Such lovely little animals,” said Fluttershy in her quiet and kind voice. She happily enjoyed the warm sun as it shared its warm and comforting energy while humming a soft lullaby. Although Fluttershy worked alone, she never really felt alone, content with her place in the world. With a quiet calm she spread her wings and stretched them, feeling a sense of rejuvenation as blood worked it’s way through her wings. With a gentle sigh, she began to climb the little ramp that led to her chicken coop. Once inside, a sigh of sheer pleasure escaped her lips as she looked at all of the eggs her chickens had produced. Moving toward the corner where she kept her baskets, Fluttershy paused and gave thanks for the chickens, their eggs, the bits they would provide at the market, all of the other animals whom without she wouldn’t have her cutie mark. Slowly Fluttershy reached down and took the handle in her mouth and moved to the first bed to collect any eggs that may have been laid. After several minutes of gathering, Fluttershy counted two and a half baskets; not as much as last week, but she would get by. Only a hint of worry creased her face as she carefully walked each basket back to her cottage, careful not to let even one egg drop. Only when the eggs were safe in the cupboard did Fluttershy return to her fully relaxed self.

“Ok all you critters, who wants some lunch?” Fluttershy may be quiet, but she hardily needed to repeat herself. All at once, squirrels, birds, and Angel suddenly popped their heads out of their homes. Fluttershy smiled and gently placed the appropriate food in the proper bowls and watched as the various critters attacked the food like they haven’t eaten in days. Fluttershy felt something brush past one of her legs and looked down with a surprised look on her face. After seeing it was Angel, the surprise was replaced by kindness and compassion, “Oh, of course Angel, how could I forget you? I have something I’m sure you will just love.” Fluttershy flew up to one of the hanging baskets in her kitchen and reached for a particularly fresh and juicy carrot. Angel’s ears noticeably perked up and his nose began to twitch uncontrollably. Fluttershy landed softly next to Angel and offered him the carrot with a look of proud-ness for selecting only the best. Angel returned Fluttershy’s gesture by glaring angrily and holding one of his arms up in a gesture of disgust. Not sure what to do, Fluttershy asked the most obvious question first, “Is there something wr-wrong Angel?” Sensitive to Angel’s particularities, Fluttershy braced for the worst. Angel looked up at Fluttershy with a glare that would rival her own. After pausing for a few moments Angel dropped the act and quickly hugged Fluttershy in what could only be interpreted as a gesture of extreme thanks. Relaxing, Fluttershy smiled back at Angel and gave him the carrot, which Angel happily accepted and immediately started to greedily eat while laying on his back.

Satisfied that the animals were all in good health and happily fed, Fluttershy turned her attention to her own needs and began preparing lunch for herself. Nothing to complicated, just a simple daffodil salad and a glass of water. Slowly chewing on her salad gave Fluttershy the chance to truly appreciate just how wonderful the salad tasted. Letting the chewed up bits of food work their way through her mouth, the flavor of the juices reaching every taste bud, the sound the food made as she chewed it, Fluttershy took nothing for granted. She closed her eyes and let the sensations fill her, counting herself lucky and blessed. She thought of all the other ponies who never seemed to be satisfied, no matter how much they had and smiled to herself. Fluttershy took a sip of water and let it cleanse her pallet then swallowed the small sip. After a moment of looking through the glass and seeing how the water distorted her perception of the world, Fluttershy took a rather large drink of water, feeling the hydration refresh every cell in her body. Looking through the glass once more, Fluttershy absently wondered if this is what it was like to be intoxicated. “Now why would anypony want such a thing…” Fluttershy wondered out loud in an almost dreamy tone of voice. Taking up her fork once more, Fluttershy prepared to enjoy another bite of salad.

She stabbed the leaves with her fork and savored the slight crunch sound it made. She chewed her food, unaware of a faint voice in the distance. Fluttershy paused when she thought she heard her name, and jumped in surprise when she heard her name again, paused, then scurried under the table. Several moments passed before she could clearly make out the words.

“Fluttershy, are you home darling? I have something truly wonderful to tell you.”

Fluttershy made her way to the front door wondering what in all of Equestria could have happened to excite Rarity so much.

“Oh, hello Rarity, how are you today?”

“Fabulous, as always. How are YOU, Fluttershy?”

“Well, um… I’m ok… I guess.”

“Whatever is the matter dear?”

“Oh… it’s nothing.”

“Are you sure, is there anything I can do to help?”

“No, it’s ok. Everything is fine.”

“Well, alright then. If you wouldn’t mind, I have something I think you will absolutely love.”

“Oh, of course, please come in. I was just eating some lunch… would you… like to join me?”

“I would be delighted.”

Fluttershy quickly moved aside to let Rarity enter and rushed towards the kitchen to prepare another seat at the table. Giving extra thought towards her guest, Fluttershy even used one of her couch pillows as a seat cushion.

“Here you go Rarity, I know it isn’t much, but if there is anything I can get you to make you feel more comfortable just let me know ok."

“Oh, nonsense, this is perfect. By the way, great job on the salad, it looks absolutely delicious. By the way, you must share the recipe for the dressing, it is exquisite. Soo much better than anything else I can find at the store, you truly are a good cook.”

“Oh, thank you,” said Fluttershy with a slight blush. “I’m glad you like it.”

“Which reminds me, I have something that I think you might like a lot as well,” said Rarity with a knowing grin.

Fluttershy looked Rarity over and couldn’t see anything and looked up with an expression which resembled happy unexpected confusion. “So… um… what is it?”

“Well, Twilight showed me this spell which helps focus the mind. I finally decided to use it, and well… it was difficult yes, but when I finally got it, I was inspired to create a new and daring dress.”

“Oh, well… that sounds lovely.”

“You haven’t let me get to the best part yet, dear. I want to base the design on nature and I thought you would be the perfect choice.”

“But Rarity, I couldn’t… I just don’t have the money for a new dress right now.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it, I can cover the costs. Besides, when the dress sells, you can have some of the bits for your inspiration and the time for fitting and modeling, deal?”

“Well, I suppose I could use the bits… are you sure this new style of dress will be popular? What if it doesn’t sell?”

“Oh, nonsense darling. Once everyone sees it, it will redefine what every pony thinks of as fashion.”

“Well, if you are sure… then I’ll do it.”

“Oh thank you thank you thank you. You won’t regret this decision, I promise. So when is a good time for you to come by the boutique?”

“Oh, well… maybe in a couple of days, would that work for you?”

“Of course, I need to draw up the design first, order the supplies, and actually make the dress. All of that shouldn’t take more than two, three days tops.”

“You mean you don’t know what the dress is going to look like yet?” said Fluttershy in a worried voice.

“I do, I just haven’t drawn it all out yet, that’s all. Don’t worry, this is all a normal part of the creative process, everything will turn out fine, you’ll see.”

“Well, I guess so… I mean, as long as you’re sure.”

“So, you’ll do it?”

With a new found confidence Fluttershy answered, “Yes, just tell me what to do.”

“Great, just come by the Boutique in a few days for fitting.”

“Ok, I’ll see you then.”

The CMC

It was beautiful. The dress flowed like the wind and sang like the trees. The back tapered off into several different tails and made a general impression of leafs listing in the cool summer breeze. The middle had intricate and subtle lines all through it in seemingly random patterns which all led to the upper back around where the wings would be. There was a piece of silk shaped like a triangle that led from the upper back to the chest partially concealing the front chest. From the bottom front chest, about where the rib cage is, there started several long and thick lines which wrapped themselves together like roots and worked their way up to the neck line.

“Wow,” thought Fluttershy, “Rarity wasn’t kidding, this really does look interesting. I just hope I can do my part.”

“Oh Fluttershy, there you are. I was just putting the finishing touches on the dress. I’ll only be a few minutes more, please have a seat and make yourself comfortable.”

“Easier said than done,” thought Fluttershy. “Um, Rarity? Are there going to be other ponies here, you know, when I’m modeling?”

“Of course not, Fluttershy. I know how nervous you get with this sort of thing. No, I’ll just need to fit the dress to you and get a few pictures of you posing in it, that’s all.”

“Thank you Rarity, that’s really good news.”

“Speaking of good news, I’m ready for you now. Come into the fitting room and we can get things started.”

Pin cushions galore awaited a nervous Fluttershy and it wasn’t so bad. More like a three hour haircut, just wishing to be anywhere else and hoping that Rarity didn’t poke her too many times with the needles. The rest of the day went pretty much as Rarity said. Walking out of the fitting room for the first time was a little uncomfortable as the dress felt too tight in certain places and too loose in others. However, as Fluttershy moved she soon discovered that the dress gradually began to relax and was more comfortable with each step. Rarity led Fluttershy to the main entry room and showed her the small runway she set up for the pictures. Flying up to the stage with confidence, Fluttershy turned her full attention towards Rarity’s directions and cues, letting her capture all of the dresses unique features and style. Finishing of the photo shoot with a few playful poses, both friends laughed as they reminisced on Fluttershy’s experience with Photo Finish.

“That was great Fluttershy, truly wonderful work.”

“Awww… thanks Rarity. I just hope everything works out for you.”

“Thanks again for everything Fluttershy, I’ll let you know when the dress sells so you can come by and collect your share of the bits.”

“Sounds good. Oh, by the way, is our weekly spa day still on?”

“Of course, wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“See you then.”

~~~

After the farewells and good wishes, Rarity turned her attention towards the recently completed dress and took a few moments to marvel at its bold design and beauty. The satisfaction of a job well done came shortly after. After a few moments of reveling in the feeling, Rarity used her magic to remove the dress from the manikin it rested on and carefully placed a hanger in the dress. Satisfied the hanger wouldn’t wrinkle or otherwise distort the dress in any way, Rarity moved towards the front of her boutique to place the dress on one of the many different display mannequins. Suddenly the front door burst open so loudly that it almost gave Rarity a heart attack.

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS PLAY DATE, YAY!!!” screamed Sweetie Belle at the top of her lungs.

With a face that was on the edge of exploding yet holding back for the sake of Sweetie, Rarity replied, “Oh, my… Sweetie you really startled me. You know, you really ought to be more careful around doors. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“You're right, I’m sorry sis,” said Sweetie in a genuinely sorry yet excited voice. “It’s just that the cutie mark crusaders are having a playdate out in the club house, and I guess I got over excited.”

“Now it’s quite alright to be excited, just try to be a little more considerate of the ponies around you, ok?”

“Sure thing Rarity. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go get ready.”

Before Rarity could respond, Sweetie rushed up the stairs towards her room at such a speed it would have impressed Spitfire. Once there, Sweetie quickly dropped her saddle bags on the floor, not minding that the contents spilled out as well. Trotting to the bathroom Sweetie made mental notes of everything she was going to need for the play date. While brushing her mane and teeth, Sweetie thought she heard somepony calling her name, but decided she must be imagining things. After putting the brushes and toothpaste back, Sweetie Belle made her way back to her room and began gathering the necessary supplies.

“Let’s see, I’ll need some paper, glue, scissors, and the… where is it? OH. I think I found where I left the glitter,” thought Sweetie Belle as she saw the spilled container next to one of her saddle bags.

“Sweetie, did you hear me? How was your day at school?”

Thinking on her hoofs, Sweetie quickly scooped up the glitter onto a piece of paper and guided it back into the container. “Everything was great. Cheerilee taught us all about the different types of ponies and what their responsibilities are.”

“Really, that sounds like really advanced material for such young minds, but I suppose Cheerilee knows what she’s doing. Did anything else interesting hap-” Suddenly the doorbell rang announcing the presence of potential customers. Rarity practically jumped to the front of the store and with the politest voice said “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, how may I help you?” Slightly confused when no pony spoke up, or could be seen for that matter, Rarity blinked and took a sanity check.

“Umm… Is any pony there?”

“Down here, Rarity.”

“Oh, Scootaloo, I didn’t see you there. Please do come in, I assume you are waiting for Sweetie Belle? She mentioned a play date?” Rarity moved towards one of her displays and started sprucing it up while half listening to Scootaloo’s response.

“Yeah, it’s going to be awesome. Rarity?”

Looking up from her work, Rarity turned towards Scootaloo. “Yes…”

“I was wondering if I could get a glass of water? I’m kinda thirsty after riding over here from school.”

“Oh, but of course. Wait right here, I’ll be back in a moment.”

As Rarity moved towards the kitchen Scootaloo looked around the boutique in a half curious, half awestruck way. Wandering the racks and browsing through the various styles Scootaloo could only dream of what it must be like to own clothes. One dress in particular looked simply horrendous and she couldn’t possibly fathom who in their right mind would be proud to own something that looked like that, let alone wear it in public. Rarity must be proud of it though, as it sat on one of the front window display mannequins. Brushing over the poufy and fru fru dresses, Scootaloo glanced at some of the more streamlined athletic clothes that caught her eye. Moving towards that section, Scootaloo wondered how anypony could fit into something so small and tentatively reached out to touch it. Surprised at how thin and slippery the fabric felt, Scootaloo took the garment off the hanger and was again surprised at how much it stretched.

“Huh, what IS this stuff anyway,” thought Scootaloo. Curious, Scootaloo tried on the strange suit and was surprised that it not only hugged her body so tightly that it almost felt like a second skin, but it also seemed to keep her both warm and cool at the same time almost as if it breathed. Scootaloo made her way towards one of the many mirrors and started striking dramatic poses as she imagined what it would feel like to be standing next to Rainbow Dash in the Wonderbolts.

“I see you found something you like,” Rarity said with amusement in her voice.

Scootaloo jumped in surprise, a look of embarrassment on her face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… am I in trouble?” A look of dread replacing the earlier surprise.

“Why whatever for?”

“Well, for looking through your clothes. I didn’t get your permission, and I didn’t wait where you told me to.”

“It’s all right dear, you were only looking around after all. No harm done. Here, I brought you some water, and I thought you might be hungry as well so I brought out some food. Sweetie should be down in a minute or two.”

Climbing out of and putting the clothes back where they belonged proved to be a far greater challenge than Scootaloo thought. Just as she was about to ask for help, Rarity appeared with her horn already glowing. “Just hold still, and this should only take a few seconds.”

Nodding in understanding, Scootaloo stopped moving and waited for Rarity to do whatever she was going to do. “So, uh, do I have to do anyth-,” Suddenly Scootaloo was bathed in the bluish glow of Rarity’s magic and was lifted several feet off of the floor and twirled playfully about as Rarity worked to remove the flight suit. In a matter of seconds the flight suit was properly returned to its home and Scootaloo to the ground. Slightly shaken from the experience but not wanting to let on to any weaknesses, Scootaloo gave a confident smile and followed Rarity to the kitchen.

Sipping at her glass of water Scootaloo assessed the delicious dishes before her. “Hey Rarity, can I have one of those daffodil sandwich things?”

“But of course, help yourself to whatever you like. I’ll be right back, I’m just going to go check on Sweetie Belle. Like I said, help yourself.”

As Rarity made her way upstairs she glanced out the front window and could see Applejack, Apple Bloom and Big Mac cleaning and packing up their apple cart. Seeing that the three were almost done packing, Rarity rushed towards Sweetie’s room with a new sense of urgency. “Sweetie, are you ready yet? Scootaloo is waiting downstairs and Apple Bloom is going to be here soon. I saw her cleaning the apple cart and that means th- th- th-”

Seeing the look of shock and borderline insanity instantly come over her sister, Sweetie Belle correctly guessed the reason for Rarity’s sudden mood. “Oh, hey sis. Don’t worry, I have everything under control. I just need a little more time to work out how I’m going to get the glitter out of my mane. But still, don’t I look fabulous?”

“How in Equestria did you manage to cover your entire room with glitter? It doesn’t make sense. NO!!! This is all just a bad dream and soon I’ll wake up and everything will be back to normal.” Watching Rarity pace back and forth with an uneasy look on her face made Sweetie Belle feel like the worst sister of all time. Sweetie waited for the inevitable as she prepared herself for an afternoon of intensive cleaning.

Suddenly Sweetie Belle could hear Scootaloo’s voice from the bottom of the stairs. She couldn’t make out exactly what was being said, but from the tone it sounded important. Excusing herself discretely, Sweetie made her way downstairs to see what was going on. As she neared the end of the staircase, Scootaloo pointed out the window and they both looked and saw that Big Mac, AppleJack, and Apple Bloom were heading towards the Boutique on their way home from the market. Forgetting completely about the glitter, Sweetie Belle rushed outside with Scootaloo following close behind.

“Apple Bloom, Apple Bloom!!!” Cried both fillies in sheer delight at seeing their friend.

“Whoa there Big Mac. Looks like a couple a Apple Bloom's friends wanna have a word with her. Tell you what let’s take five.”

“Eeyup.”

“Well hi there everypony.”

“Oh, hey Applejack, how’s it going?”

“Just dandy Scootaloo. I reckon we’ll need a bigger cart if our apples keep selling this fast. Why Sweetie Belle, don’ you just look all fancied up? How long did it take to get all that glitter in yer mane. Must’a taken at least a few hours?”

“It was actually more like a few seconds. Is it that noticeable?”

“Well, yes.” Upon seeing the look of embarrassment on Sweetie’s face Applejack quickly added “But, uh… it looks nice, and ya just act like it’s suppos’ to be there and I’ma sure everypony won’t mind.”

“Awww, thanks Applejack, you always know what to say.”

“Well shucks, you're welcome. But uh… ya’ll probably wanna talk to Apple Bloom, right?”

Seeing her two best friends trotting over, Apple Bloom jumped out of the cart and joined her friends. After the customary CMC hoof shake, all three of the fillies screamed with excitement at the top of their lungs

“Cutie Mark Crusader Play Date YAY!!!”

As the customary laughing ensued, Rarity snapped back to reality. Putting the mess behind her, she made her way downstairs slowly, carefully taking the time to calm down enough to be presentable in public. Taking one last deep breath, Rarity opened the front door slowly and calmly made her way towards Sweetie Belle.

“Why hiya Rarity, how is everything going for ya?”

“Good afternoon Applejack. Things couldn’t be better. I just finished one of my more ambitious creations. Fluttershy was such an inspiration to the whole process. I simply couldn’t have done it without her. Would you like to see it? It’s right in one of the front display mannequins.”

“Well shoot, I’d love to it’s jus’ that I gotta get back to the farm. Ya may already know, but these here little fillies have some important crusading to do an’ I promised I would help em’ find their cutie marks by showin them some of the more advanced farming stuff. Ya know, like tractors an stuff like that.”

“What? Sweetie Belle never told me about any of that. She said it was going to be a cutie mark crusaders play date.”

“The thing ya got to remember Rares is that eve’thing is a play date at their age. Besides, it’s not work if yer having a good time right?”

“I suppose so, but I’m afraid that Sweetie Belle won’t be able to go.” That last remark instantly silenced the joyous reunion of the CMC. Apple Bloom stepped forward, a look of determination on her face. “Why can’t Sweetie Bell come? It jus’ wouldn’t be the same withou’ her.”

Scootaloo joined Apple Bloom with a look of equal determination and looming disappointment. “It’s just that we have been planning this for a really long time. I would hate to see Sweetie Belle miss out on this. It could be our last chance to earn our cutie marks together.”

“Well, I am sorry about all of that, but Sweetie Belle made a rather large mess of things inside and she needs to learn that sometimes little fillies need to take responsibility for their actions. Now don’t give me that look you three. I’m sorry Sweetie Belle, but you’re going to be spending the rest of the day cleaning the mess you made.”

“OH COME ON!!! Rarity, it was an accident. It’s not like I wanted to cover my room in glitter.”

“Ah, well… guess that explains some things”

“It doesn’t matter if it was an accident or not Sweetie Belle. Your room is covered in glitter and that’s all that matters. Now please go back inside so you can get started cleaning your room.”

“Now hold up there Rares. Ya know she didn’t mean to do it, an’ the way I see it the glitter will still be there tomorrow. What if Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both get their cutie marks in farming and Sweetie Belle didn’t? How would that make her feel?” Seeing a thoughtful look cross Rarity’s mind, Applejack decided to press her point. “Ya see, clean’n the house is important an all, but making memories with yer friends is important too. Now, as long as Sweetie Bell promises to clean extra hard tomorrow it should be ok to let her have her play date with her friends today.”

Sweetie could hardly believe that Applejack made serious progress with Rarity. Looking at AppleJack with a mixture of awe, appreciation, and thanks, she looked back at Rarity and asked her with the most sincere attitude “I’m sorry I made a big mess of things inside. I’ll work really really hard to clean it tomorrow, I promise. Would it be alright if I went to Sweet Apple Acres with my friends to earn my cutie mark in farming?”

“Well… I don’t know… the house is awfully messy.”

“Please sis, I promise to clean it.”

“Rare, ya’ll need to stop stressing the small stuff. Tell ya what sugar cube, why don’ ya come down to the farm. Could be fun watching yer sister get her cutie mark and all.”

Looking back Rarity wasn’t sure if it was Applejack’s logic, the possibility of crushing Sweetie’s dreams, the CMC’s pleading faces, or her own need to just get out of the house for awhile that swayed her decision. Needless to say, Rarity was in for a round of sisterly bonding down at Sweet Apple Acres.

Sweet Apple Acres

“Alright ya’ll, who’s ready to get their cutie marks?”

Applejack was not the least bit surprised to see three enthusiastic hoofs reaching and waving around. Aj couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Well, all right. Lemme see here, how about we start with something simple. The north field needs to be harvested, so we’ll start there. If you two could help Apple Bloom gather the baskets, Big Mac can get the cart an’ I’ll watch over ya an’ make sure things are safe.”

“You got it sis. Come on girls, baskets are over this a way.”

“You can wait here Rarity, Big Mac will be back in a minute. Just make yourself comfortable.”

“Oh, but of course. I was just wondering if you happen to have any, oh I don’t know, work clothes? I would hate to get messy, you have no idea how long it takes to get an alabaster coat spotless.”

“I wish I did, but frankly we just don’t have any, sorry about that sugar cube.”

“Oh, well, that’s alright. I suppose I’ll just have to be careful. I mean how dirty can harvesting a few apples make me?”

“Plenty, trust me.”

Applejack looked over to the orchard and was mentally working over how this day would go and carefully avoided the nervous glances of Rarity. Looking around, Rarity noticed that the CMC were having trouble moving all of the baskets. She watched as they tried balancing one basket between two of them while the third would try to stack as many as possible before the whole thing tumbled down. Giving up on that method, next they tried putting a basket over Sweetie Bell and tried stacking the baskets again. She watched as Scootaloo and Apple Bloom smiled at each other for their success in basket stacking and quickly turned to check each other’s flanks. Meanwhile Sweetie Bell was having a hard time going anywhere with all of the baskets stacked on top of her. Disappointment kept the Cutie Mark Crusaders company as Rarity made her way over.

“Oh, hey Rarity,” said a rather depressed Sweetie Belle. “We were just working on getting the baskets over to AJ-” “But it turns out our cutie marks isn’t basket moving or basket stacking,” finished Scootaloo. “Ah, cheer up. There’s plenty of other stuff to do on the farm. Maybe we can get our cutie marks in apple pickin like AJ said.”

“That’s the spirit Apple Bloom. Now let me just help you with these baskets.” As soon as Rarity stopped talking her horn lit up and soon several of the baskets were hovering in mid air. The baskets followed Rarity as she trotted back to the spot where Applejack said the baskets should go. Rarity was only halfway there when she heard a rather loud “A HEM.” Looking to the source, she found an annoyed Apple Jack staring her down.

“Now look Rarity. I can respect the fact that you wanna help out, it’s mighty generous of ya and I can’t thank you enough. But the Apple family has harvested apples for... well, as long as we can remember without magic an’ we don’t intend to start now.”

“Oh my, I’m terribly sorry Applejack, I just assumed using magic would be ok. How come it was ok to use magic when I helped you save the farm from the FlimFlam brothers?”

“That was an emergency an’ we needed all the help we could get. Besides, that was only ‘bout half an hour or so. Ya see, some ponies up in Canterlot have been workin real hard trying to come up with ways to speed up growin food with magic. Every single time they tried they found the food wasn’t good at all and the plants and soil were ruined.”

“Not that I doubt you Applejack, but how do you know about what ponies are researching in Canterlot?”

The steady rhythmic hoof falls of Big Mac were felt rather than heard and Rarity was shocked when he suddenly appeared behind her.

“Being farmers and such, we get letters all the time ‘bout anything farming. New plows, sunlight vs. growth analysis, which soil to use for what plants and why. I’m sure you get similar letters from Canterlot about fashion.”

“Big Mac... I uh, didn’t know you knew so much about farming.”

“Comes with the territory. So Aj, what’s the plan for today?”

“Well, I was thinkin we could all buck apples together but then I forgot I promised the Cutie Mark Crusaders how to work the tractor.”

“Well, it’s broken. Been broken since we were young. Granny never did like the thing.”

“Do ya think it’s fixable?”

“Hard to say... Why don’ you take the fillies to the orchard an’ I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks BIg Mac. Take the cart an’ whatever tools ya need. Just holler if you need help.”

“Eeyup.” With that, Big Mac expertly harnessed himself to the cart and headed off towards the tool shed.

“But sis, how are we gonna get the baskets out to the North field without the cart?”

“Now don’ get your tail in a twist Apple Bloom. Me an Rarity will pull a stack of baskets an’ you three can help by making sure they don’ fall over. We’ll work in teams, Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell can help Rarity, and Apple Bloom can help me. Now let’s move em out everypony. YEE HAA!!!”

The CMC looked at the baskets with new found enthusiasm and began to stack them in neat piles of ten. Rarity looked towards Big Mac and the cart he was carrying away then back to Apple Jack with an expression of concern. “Applejack, why are you just letting him take the cart away? It would be easier for us if we had it.”

“Well, it sure would be but Big Mac has a lot of heavy stuff to carry, and besides he’ll meet us in the North field after we have our baskets good and full.”

Moving over to the stack of baskets, Applejack bit down on the lowest basket handle and started dragging them along towards the north field. Putting on as sincere a smile as possible Rarity followed behind. The start of the north field was only a couple a hundred yards away from where they started, but to Rarity it seemed more like a few miles. Sweat began to form on her brow as she moved through the soft earth. Making their way behind her were Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell doing an excellent job admiring the scenery. Finally all of the ponies reached the start of Northfield and as Rarity looked up her jaw almost dropped as she saw Applejack and Apple Bloom already had six of their baskets full. Not accustomed to working on a farm Rarity decided the best thing to do would be to ask Applejack what to do next. As Rarity trotted over towards AJ, she couldn’t help but smile to see the two enthusiastic fillies kicking the first tree they laid eyes on to death.

“Well, I can see you two have been busy.”

“Aww shucks, just doing what apples do best,” said Applejack with a smile.

“So, what can I do to help?”

“Ain’t nothing to it, jus’ buck the trees with the shiny red apples an’ let Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo put the apples in the baskets.”

“I’m sorry but I think I misheard you, did you say “buck the trees?””

“Uhhh… Yeah.” Applejack gave a subtle nod towards Sweetie Belle, then looked back to Rarity. Looking over Rarity could see Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell kicking away as hard as they could, barely budging a single apple. Getting the message and giving a small sigh, Rarity steeled herself and trotted over to the two. Picking the first tree, Rarity set her forelegs and bucked.

“That’s it sugar cube, but a bit harder next time.”

Rarity looked up and saw the apples swinging ever so slightly. Rarity was flustered that her first attempt was less than successful. “That was just a warm up. Now I’m ready, STAND BACK EVERYPONY!” Moving back like Rarity said, Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell watched expectantly. Even Applejack and Apple Bloom stopped their work to watch. Rarity tightened her hind legs and bucked for all she was worth. Her legs felt like they were trembling and there were two rather large stinging sensations where her hoofs met the wood. Opening her eyes, Rarity looked to see if any apples had fallen from her most recent effort and was rewarded to see that about half actually did.

“Good job Rares, keep it up and you jus’ might earn your cutie mark in apple farming.”

The mention of cutie marks immediately prompted Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo into action and they began to pick up the apples and drop them in the baskets. However they quickly finished and looked towards Rarity to buck another tree. Rarity obliged and bucked the next tree allowing Sweetie and Scoots to help out on the farm. Satisfied that the three could handle the job, Applejack and Bloom went to work on their own trees.

Sweetie and Scoots set a quick pace and soon Rarity was struggling to keep up. Rarity tried slowing down to catch her breath, but she could never catch it fast enough. Looking over to see how much farther Applejack and Bloom were Rarity decided it would be to every ponies advantage if she used a bit of magic to help speed things along. As she approached the next tree she studied it carefully and selected several apples that she would wrap in her magic as she bucked. Setting up in the now familiar position, she unleashed two powerful kicks and in the space between the first and second kick dropped a few apples with the help of her magic. Looking at the results the technique seemed to be effective. Rarity quickly moved on to the next tree to get ahead of Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo and checked to make sure the two were busy with their task before selecting a few more apples to “buck.” Rarity was making great progress dropping more apples with magic than bucking, slowly catching up to team Apple.

Rarity looked back to see Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle working as fast as they could. Beads of sweat were working their way down Sweetie Belle’s and Scootaloo’s faces, struggling to keep up with the pace Rarity set. The two fillies worked as one, each knowing the others job as well as their own. They neither smiled nor talked as there was not enough time to. As they arrived at their next tree, neither looked up and instead concentrated only on the one tree, knowing that there would be another, and another, and another, and probably another after that. At some point Sweetie must have clipped her hoof because every time she took a step an annoying sting would make it’s presence known. Sweetie Belle looked over to Scootaloo and could tell that she hadn’t fared much better and absent mindedly wondered if it was worse to have one big scrape, or twenty small ones. Scootaloo looked up to see how far ahead Rarity was and was surprised that she couldn’t see her. She moved along the rows of trees and came to a small valley and looked down to see Rarity bucking the trees. Rarity looked up in surprise, smiled and waved to Scootaloo, and gave the tree another kick for good measure watching in satisfaction as the apples fell. Scootaloo made her way back to Sweetie Belle to continue their work, deciding it would be a good time to trade jobs with Sweetie.

Giving a quick sigh of relief, Rarity got back to her apple bucking. The slight sting she felt when she had started had transformed into what felt like raw skin. Each buck was harder than the last and her legs were beginning to feel weak. Deciding that it wouldn’t hurt to fall a few more apples with magic each time, Rarity slowly began to catch her breath. Her feelings quickly got the better of her though as she remembered what Applejack had said about using magic. Almost reluctantly Rarity moved to the next tree and prepared to actually buck it. Taking a deep breath, she kicked out with her two hind legs and visibly shuddered when her hoofs made contact. Despite the pain Rarity felt, she tried again and saw that hardly any apples had fallen. Rarity gave a small sigh of defeat and looked at what was left of her hoofs. She was shocked to find that in so short of a time her once perfect hoofs were chipped, dirty, and unbefitting of her. She actually suppressed a quiet scream when she looked up and saw just how much more work there was to be done. Thinking about how bad her hoofs looked now she imagined what they would look like after. Looking up to see that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were making their way down the hill, Rarity watched them for a bit as she ate one of the apples. Several bites in it was apparent that both of the fillies were extremely focused on their tasks and Rarity gave herself a mental pat on the back for teaching Sweetie the importance of concentration. Rarity quickly finished her apple and set her mind to bucking the trees. However, the first tree nearly made Rarity’s eyes water from the pain she was feeling. Deciding it would be a good idea to go back to using a little magic, Rarity continued working. Despite the appearance of bucking, Rarity hardly gave any physical effort and instead focused on using her magic. It wasn’t too much longer before Rarity stopped bucking the trees altogether, relying on her magic to do all of the work. Rarity calculated that at her current pace she could “buck” at least three trees before Sweetie and Scoots could do one. Deciding that it would be a good idea to slow down, Rarity made her way slowly from tree to tree, falling the apples as she moved. The work was so easy and routine for her after several trees that she found herself humming a tune to help pass the time.

Applejack and Apple Bloom were moving along at a steady pace, easily falling into the familiar rhythm that is bucking apples. To a casual observer, it would seem like the two were actually trying to make music rather than buck apples. The bucking of the trees, the falling of the apples, even the way they breathed helped create an underlying sense of energy, of purpose. It was beautiful to behold. The two hardly noticed or cared about all of the dirt and grit slowly accumulating in their coats. It was a fact of life living on a farm, but once accepted the rhythm could be unlocked and explored. To Applejack the rhythm of the farm was everything, guiding her choices and ultimately her character.

Looking off in the distance she could see Big Mac finishing up with his work and preparing to bring the cart around to collect the baskets of apples. Deciding that it would be a good time for a lunch break, Applejack called Apple Bloom and the two sisters made their way to where Rarity was working. It didn’t take too long to find her though, and when Applejack saw what Rarity was doing she just couldn’t believe it.

“Apple Bloom, why don’t you go and get some lunch ready an’ meet us back here alright?”

“You bet. How about some sandwiches?”

“Hmm… sounds good,” answered AJ rather distractedly, who was already trotting off towards Rarity.

“Well, that’s a mighty nice song you’re singing there. I thought you’d be out of breath by now, guess not, eh?”

“Wha, why Apple Ja-a-a-ack, I didn’t see you there… how long have you been, watching?”

“Long enough. Look, I know you want to help out around here and all, and it’s mighty kind of ya but we just can’t have anypony using magic. Tain’t natural.”

“I know, I know… I’m really sorry, but look at my hoofs. They were hurting so bad that I just couldn’t take it anymore.”

“Well… shucks. If your hoofs were hurting that bad, why didn’t you just find me? There are tons of other jobs that need to get done around here.”

“WHAT! Why didn’t you say so. Applejacckk I need a new jobb, my hoooveesss are killlinnngg mmee.”

“Whining about it ain’t gonna work on me. Try again.”

“But they hurt, and they’re all dirty. Is there anything else I can do?”

“You mean something that don’t involve you usin’ magic?”

“Oh... that.”

“Yes, THAT! I can’t believe you would do that. Usin’ magic behind my back especially when I told you not to. I just don’t know what to think about all this.” Applejack sat down in the dirt and struggled internally with her emotions.

She shot a look at Rarity and was taken aback slightly when she saw how distraught Rarity looked.

Applejack couldn’t help but feel bad for her. She shrugged it off, got up and went over to her friend, Rarity.

She put a hoof on her shoulder and sighed softly. Rarity looked up to her and mumbled a soft “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright suger cube. I’m sorry I lost my temper. I shouldn’t have yelled at ya like that. Can you forgive me?”

Rarity was taken aback. She thought about what Aj had said and let it sink in. She looked back up to Applejack and with a tad more confidence in her voice and said “Can you forgive me?”

They sat in the sun for several seconds before Applejack broke the silence.

“Couse’ I forgive you sugar cube.”

The two let the moment sink in and pass. Applejack again broke the silence.

“Cheer up Rarity, it’s not so bad once you get used to it. Besides, it’s lunch time. Why don’t you head on back to the house an’ have a sandwich.”

“I guess I can handle that.”

“Great, I’ll go an get Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Meet ya back at the house.” She gave her a slight nudge in the right direction and headed back towards the house.

As AppleJack left, so too did a piece of Rarity’s heart. The only thing she could think about was how she betrayed AJ’s trust and so took her time getting back to the house. Lost in thought, Rarity looked around and sighed. Applejack seemed to accept her apology well enough, but Rarity knew that there was a rift in their relationship that wasn’t there before and she was at an absolute loss at how to go about fixing it. Rarity put one hoof in front of the other, looking down towards the ground. She couldn’t help but think about how dirty her hoofs had gotten. They would need some serious attention when she got home. Finally, she arrived at the Apple’s house and saw everypony enjoying each other’s company and some sandwiches. Taking her seat at the table, Rarity took one of the sandwiches with her hoofs, still very conscious about using her magic on the farm. She took a bite and chewed slowly, and just looked out to the fields, trying to enjoy the sense of peace and tranquility that Applejack seemed to find out there. After several minutes she gave up and returned to her sandwich, constantly looking at the damage done to her once pristine hoofs. Curiosity got the best of her and she glanced around to see what everypony’s hoofs looked like. Not surprisingly, Apple Bloom’s looked alright, maybe a tad dirty but that’s to be expected. A slight twinge of guilt shocked her as she saw Sweetie Belle’s hoof with the rather large, but relatively minor cut on it. Scootaloo seemed to be ok, but the tiny cuts must be driving her slightly insane. When her eyes rested on AppleJack’s, Rarity nearly fell out of her seat. The evidence of countless hours of hard work were plainly visible for any who cared to see.

Suddenly, a thought struck her and it just felt right. She knew what she must do, and she hoped that it would not only mend her friendship with AJ, but also help her gain some business at the boutique. With a speed that surprised even herself, Rarity jumped up from her chair, startling everypony.

“Hold on there Rares, where are you off to in such a hurry?”

“No time to explain, inspiration waits for no pony,” Rarity stated as she galloped back to her boutique with a certain glint of determination in her eyes.

Author's Note

Well, I promised that I would get it done today and while 23:09 is late it is still technically today.

The spa

Rarity burst through the front door of Carousel Boutique, turned and immediately locked it. With a girlish squee, she closed the curtains, casting the first floor in a deep purple hue. She glanced at the clock and her scheduling book to make sure she had a decent block of free time ahead. Satisfied, she took a quick breath and cast the focusing spell Twilight taught her. Her eyes closed, then tightened as her brow began to sweat. The magic began to release from her horn, working it’s way around Rarity’s body. Swirls of blue and white energy intertwined and surrounded Rarity. Once the two tails met she worked the magic to form a ball around herself. The magic entered Rarity’s body and slowed her physically and transferred the energy to her mind.

Time seemed to speed up and slow simultaneously as Rarity felt her body slowly weakening. She allowed the familiar sensations tingle up her spine as she layed back on her sofa and closed her eyes as the world around her slowly turned black.

Rarity awoke some hours later, letting the magic leave her. After a moment of deep breathing she opened her eyes with a snap. Her horn sparked and various fabric supplies filled the air. They moved about like angry hornets, obeying Rarity’s every command quickly and precisely. Standing in the eye of the storm, Rarity laughed out loud and ignored the slight twitch in her eye as she directed the fabrics as if they were grand avalanches. Cloths cascaded from the shelves and were funneled towards the sewing machines which spat used spools about the room. Scissors moved with such speed and grace that they created a little song as the air resonated with their movements. The accenting fabric was simultaneously situated on the drawing board, letting the various markers forever stain the rich fabric.

Rarity sat with bloodshot eyes and veins throbbing in the middle of the chaos. Her mane looked disheveled from the amount of heat and static her magic was generating. Her eyes constantly twitched and her pupils began to shrink ever so slightly. Rarity paused for a moment and double checked all of her measurements, talking to herself as she did so in hushed whispers. Satisfied with her work so far she wasted no time and brought in the manikins. The various pieces of cut cloth descended upon them before they came to rest on the floor.

The needles weaved the thread through the cloth effortlessly and relentlessly, bringing together Rarity’s latest masterpiece. The tiniest bead of sweat began to form on her brow but she ignored it, laughing out loud as she crafted four sets of custom made working clothes. Time was meaningless to her, the only thing that mattered were the clothes and her desperate desire to finish them.

The creations slowly began to bear fruit as Rarity stitched the fabric together. AppleJack’s work clothes were the first to be finished and featured long denim legs with special hoof shoes. Big Mac’s were designed with a strong yet light fabric that would whisk away sweat and allowed for extra padding in key places. Granny Smith’s didn’t really have anything special, but Rarity supposed it was the thought that counted more than anything and that made her clothes special. Sweetie Belle’s was a combination between AJ’s and Big Mac’s except instead of extra padding Rarity added a small backpack that could hold water to help keep the little filly cool while working. Rarity paused and took a step back to admire her work and was pleased with how practical she made everything. A nagging feeling in the back of her mind made left her thinking that something was missing. She pondered it for a moment and suddenly she knew what was missing. In a burst of creativity she levitated two bow ties and a matching bandana. She placed the bow ties on the two mare’s outfits and let the bandana hang from the neck of Mac’s. She took a quick look and decided that, while the outfits were not properly fitted, they were finished to her satisfaction.

The bulk of her work completed, Rarity released the magic that allowed her to focus. Nothing seemed to happen at first but slowly a bluish aura started to leave her body like so much excess heat. The magic only left her for a few seconds but the effect was immediately noticeable. Her once crisp eyes had a dull and lazy look about them and her mane was noticeably frazzled. It didn’t take long to notice that she had lost several pounds in the process and her rib cage was slightly more noticeable than before. The next thing she noticed was a peculiar smell, one that she knew of but one that never came from her. It almost smelled like... hard work. Upon this realization there was only one logical conclusion that was as inevitable as it was unavoidable, it was time for a spa date.

Fluttershy was outside enjoying the sunshine and wonderful sounds of nature in her modest garden. She hummed to herself while she collected some herbs that she planned on using for her dinner. Her hooves lightly caressed the leaves and she inhaled the sweet scents left behind. As Fluttershy worked her way through the garden she paused every once in awhile to pull out the stray weeds which seemed to spread like wildfire. Taking extra care she dug her hooves into the soft, cool soil and gently dug the roots from the nurturing earth. She placed them into her saddlebag and yawned. She glanced up at the sun to get a rough estimate of the time and turned back to her garden with a sense of tranquility. She wiped the small amount of sweat from her brow and continued her work, pausing every few minutes to sample some of the delicious berries growing nearby.

Fluttershy picked several berries and savored their flavor as she worked them over in her mouth. A soft pat on her hind leg startled her a bit as her cheeks turned to a delightful shade of rose.

“Oh, Angel, you startled me. I’m sorry that I didn’t brush your coat like I promised, but now isn't a good time.”

Angel tapped Fluttershy again while making some distinctly feminine motions with his hips and pointed towards the front gate. Fluttershy just looked at him, trying for the life of her to understand what got into that rabbit. Seeing that he clearly wasn’t getting through to her, Angel tried again only this time he ruffled his coat and started digging up the entire garden, pausing every so often when he dug up a large rock. He hugged it and let his eyes light up dramatically as he gave it a kiss. He then pointed urgently towards the front gate. Fluttershy only stared at him, completely at a loss as to what kind of illness angel could possibly have, let alone what kind of medication could treat it.

“Ok Angel, that’s a very nice game you made but I think it’s time to go inside and take a nap.”

Angel face pawed and decided to take a more direct route and started pushing Fluttershy to the front gate.

“Now now Angel, I understand you need your exercise but I don’t want you to hurt yourself. Why don’t you try pushing one of your rocks instead?”

Fluttershy moved the leg Angel was pushing on and immediately he face planted into the dirt. He bounced back up and dusted himself off and jumped on top of Fluttershy’s head. He grabbed at her hair, taking two large strands and jerked them towards the front gate. Fluttershy’s front hoofs obeyed and moved in sync with Angel’s commands. Fluttershy tried to get her legs back under her but they wouldn’t stay still. She swayed and tumbled towards the gate while making a pretty good impression of a drunken sailor. Angel sighed in relief as Fluttershy saw what he had been so desperately trying to communicate. He hopped off Fluttershy’s head, gave a quick salute and scurried off into the bushes, leaving a slightly dumbfounded Fluttershy in his wake.

She quickly regained her composure as a slightly unsightly Rarity urgently approached her.

“Fluttershy, good news. I Finally finished AppleJack’s work clothes hehe, and it only took four hours. A new personal best.”

“Oh, well I see...”

“You wouldn’t believe how quickly it all happened. Why just over two hours ago I came out of the trance spell Twilight taught me and”

“What’s a trance spell?”

“everything simply flashed before my eyes. I knew exactly what to do and it flowed so smoothly. You do understand my limits with magic? I was able to”

“Well, sort of but not really.”

“effectively double the amount of things I could levitate and”

“Um... Rarity?

“the precision of the stitches were just so easy it’s like”

“you look a little... off today. Are you alright?”

“I wasn’t even trying. Oh, what was that? Yes I do seem rather down in the dumps. Nothing a quick spa date couldn’t fix, right?

“Oh, well... you see... now isn’t”

“Please?”

“exactly the best time. I have a lot”

“Pretty please?”

“of food to prepare for dinner tonight and I”

“Please please please pleeaassseee?”

“just don’t think I have the time right now.”

Rarity gave Fluttershy a convincing puppy dog stare knowing that it was only a matter of time before a Fluttershy would give in. She held the stare for a few seconds and gauged her resistance and seeing weakness, she intensified her efforts substantially. Another few seconds and she would all but have Fluttershy in her hoof. Putting on the final show was all too easy. All she had to do was quiver her lip a bit and widen her eyes as large as possible and three, two, one...

“Oh, alright. I go to the spa with you. I do feel a little dirty after working in the garden.”

“Fluttershy, you simply must try this massage. It’s simply divine.”

“Oh, well... I would love to. It’s just that I don’t have the bits for something like that right now.”

“Nonsense darling, I have more than enough bits for both of us.”

“Well, if you’re sure you can afford it then I would be happy to try a massage.”

Fluttershy smiled as she relaxed on the couch and gave a small sigh of pleasure as Lotus’s hoofs worked around her wings. She was soo caught up in the massage that it took her a moment to realize Rarity had been talking to her the last few minutes.

“and then Sweetie Belle managed to cover her entire room in glitter.”

“Oh, that sounds messy. I remember this one time that Angel-”

“Then her friends came over and somehow Applejack convinced me it was a good idea to go to the farm. I can’t even mention how dirty I felt and my hoofs were completely ruined.”

“But you hate physical labor. How did you manage to get through it?”

“Well, I used magic to help speed things along.”

“Oh, my. You do know that’s bad for the trees, right?”

“Well... yes, but my hoofs were practically bleeding. Surely you understand?”

Fluttershy looked at Rarity’s hoofs and rolled her eyes slightly. “Of course I understand, but you should have just told Applejack. I’m sure she would have found something else for you to do.”

Aloe and Lotus were putting the finishing touches on the massages while Quake began setting up the hoof soaks. Aloe and Lotus finished the massages and guided Rarity and Fluttershy towards the shelf which held the various treatments for the soak. Rarity simply walked past without giving the shelf a first glance and simply said “The usual.” Aloe was in the process of mixing the various salts and oils for Rarity when she noticed Fluttershy staring meekly at the shelf. She paused and looked up a Fluttershy and offered her a friendly smile but went back to her work when she saw Fluttershy look away and hide herself in her mane. Fluttershy looked back at the various bottles when she felt Aloe was concentrating on the salts. A moment later, Lotus approached Fluttershy and was about to tell her the hoof bath was ready but paused when she saw the perplexed look on her face.

“Is there something I can help you with?”

“Oh, well... I was uh, just looking... and I think I will just skip this part... if that’s ok with you?”

“It’s not a problem at all, but if you change your mind just let one of us know ok?”

“Oh nonsense,” Rarity called from the other room. “Fluttershy, you must try the bath salts. They are utterly magnificent. Lotus, could you be a dear and put whatever Fluttershy selects on my tab?”

“If that is your desire, then it shall be done.” Lotus then turned to Fluttershy and indicated the shelf of luxurious hoof treatments. “Have you made a decision, or should I come back in a few minutes?”

Fluttershy hadn’t made a decision. In fact, she didn’t even know how to pronounce half of the words she was reading. But she didn’t want to fall too far behind Rarity and so she simply pointed to a random bottle that she hoped wasn’t the most expensive and watched as Lotus pulled it from the shelf.

“If you would kindly follow me, Aloe will prepare your selection while I prepare your hoofs. This way please.” Fluttershy followed without making a sound and was escorted into the next room where Quake was working on Rarity’s hoofs. Lotus indicated where she would like Fluttershy to sit and began to lightly file away the calloused skin.

“Thank you Rarity, I wasn’t expecting to get to try the bath salts. I hope I didn’t put you too far back with my choices.”

“Not at all dear. But where were we?”

“Something about your hoofs?”

“Oh right. Well naturally Applejack caught me using magic and I felt awful so I decided to make her entire family a brand new set of work clothes, as an offer of forgiveness. In fact, I was planning on making the delivery right after the spa treatment. Would you like to come with? I can’t wait to see the surprised look on their faces when I show up with my latest creations.”

“Well, I don’t think I can. I was planning a special dinner tonight and it needs a lot of time to properly cook. I just don’t think I’ll have enough time to do both today. You understand, don’t you?”

“Of course I understand. I dabble a bit in cooking myself and there are countless stories I could tell you where my impatience got the better of me.”

Quake and Lotus finished the final touches on their hoofacures and without so much as interrupting the conversation they made it clear that the hoof soaks were ready. Rarity took the lead and Fluttershy followed behind her. Quake indicated which tub belonged to who while Lotus made her way to the front of the shop. Quake disappeared behind one of the many curtains when she saw that the two guests were enjoying their soaks.

“Oh, well... I’m glad you understand. I was wondering how the dress is going. You know, the one I modeled for you.”

“Well, it’s sitting in front of the store, but nopony has seemed overly interested in it yet. That is understandable because it’s only been a few days and I have been a little busy with Sweetie Belle and making the Apple’s work clothes. Perhaps it is time to start marketing to other towns.”

“It’s ok Rarity, I was only curious.”

“Nonsense. You have the right to know how the sales are going. I admit, they are rather slow at the moment, but nothing a quick advertisment can’t fix.”

“You don’t have to do all of that for me. Whatever you want to do is fine.”

“Oh but I must, otherwise I couldn’t enjoy the simple pleasures in life.” (zoom out for luxurious spa, complete with golden toilet ^^)

“Well, if you say so.”

The girls enjoyed a moment of silence. Rarity sighed contently and let her mind wander through some possible dress designs while Fluttershy began to melt into her spa. Her eyes started to get heavy and she snapped awake several times before she stopped worrying about it and let her body slowly find the bottom of the tub. Rarity was about to tell Fluttershy about an adorable thing Spike had done for her but stopped and smiled gently when she saw how relaxed her friend was.

She couldn’t help but giggle when she heard a soft purring coming from Fluttershy. For the first time during the spa date, Rarity decided to take Fluttershy’s lead and found the bottom of the bath. Rarity caressed her cheek against the edge of the tub and let out a soft moan of pleasure. She let her eyes go out of focus and simply enjoyed the faint sounds of trickling water and wind chimes. Rarity could feel her eyes getting heavy, and she didn’t try to fight it, instead she gave herself fully to the bliss and reveled in it.

Rarity was soo relaxed that she didn’t notice when Aloe came in to check on them. Aloe smiled softly to herself, slowly made her way back to the front, and started to ring up the sales on their bit processor. The sounds of the buttons clicking was relaxing in it’s own way and Aloe found a small measure of contentment as she watched the numbers climb. The climax of course was the glorious ring, loud, clear, and it always brought a smile to Aloe’s face. She double checked to make sure everything was correct, paused for dramatic effect, and pulled the handle. The ring resonated throughout the store like it normally did, but for some reason it always seemed sweeter when Rarity’s name was on the bottom of the parchment. She took the papers in her mouth, and with a slight spring in her step, went to go wake Rarity and Fluttershy from their unexpected naps.

Rarity could literally feel her mind start to slow down and gradually shut down. She decided to turn it into a game, trying to see how close she could come to sleep while still being awake. She was getting quite good at it, allowing her senses to shut down one by one. Rarity was in the middle of a particularly challenging balance between consciousness and sleep when she heard a loud but short ding echoing throughout the whole store. The sound snapped her awake instantly. Her eyes shot wide open and her pupils shrank slightly as her pupils dilated. Rarity jerked her head towards the sound and she blushed slightly at Aloe. Rarity saw the papers in her mouth and knew that her spa date was over. She gave a small signal to Aloe to let her know that she would be along shortly then turned her attention towards Fluttershy.

Rarity rubbed the base of her wings in a pattern that she knew was relaxing. A soft sigh escaped from her lips and her back arched and tensed up as if begging for more. Rarity gave a steadfast sigh and began rubbing harder, digging her hooves into Fluttershy’s muscles in a more determined effort to gently wake her friend. Fluttershy woke with eyes half open and managed a quick “Oh, my...” before her head settled back into it’s original position. Rarity slowed down when she saw that Fluttershy was awake and stopped when she put her head back down.

“Ohh Aloe, please don’t stop.”

“It’s me Fluttershy.”

“Hmmm...”

“Rarity?”

“OH Goodness! Rarity, what are you doing?”

“Trying to wake you up. It seems that you fell asleep in the hoofacure tub.”

Fluttershy gave a slight blush and tried to hide herself in her mane. “I did?”

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about darling. I fell asleep too. But, Aloe did come in to give us the bill.”

Fluttershy glanced out the window and checked the time based on the angle of the sun. “I suppose it is getting late.”

“Shall we go?”

“After you.”

The two got up and dried off while laughing at how shriveled their skin looked. Rarity grabbed a towel with her magic and helped Fluttershy with the difficult spots and Fluttershy returned the favor. They deposited their towels in the appropriate bin and helped themselves to the complimentary soaps on their way out. They both trotted towards Aloe who was eagerly awaiting them behind the register. Fluttershy put a small pile of bits on the counter and felt a tad guilty for accepting so many extra treatments from Rarity as she watched her empty her bit pouch and write a check for the rest of the bill. The two then made their way outside and felt the warm glow of the sun on their thoroughly refreshed coats.

“It was good catching up with you Rarity, we really should do this more often.”

“I wish I could, but work has kept me pretty busy lately. Which reminds me, I still need to deliver Applejack’s work clothes.”

“Oh, well don’t let me keep you. Thank you for the spa date... it was nice.”

“You’re very welcome dear, think nothing of it. But I really must be going.”

“Of course. See you later.”

“Ta Ta darling.”

Author's Note

I would like to think that my writing is improving overall but one thing that still bothers me is the seemingly flat way the characters talk when they go their separate ways. Probably just a by product of my own social awkwardness... oh well. I hope you are enjoying the story.

The stone

Rarity found herself wandering down the back streets of Ponyville. She hummed a little tune to herself and enjoyed the evening sun on her coat and decided to take the long way home. She turned willy nilly down whichever street took her fancy while heading in the general direction of Carousel Boutique. She stopped for a fraction of a second when her nose picked up the delicate mix of spices floating in the air and her stomach made some very unladylike suggestions. Rarity decided to follow the compelling smell to it’s source. She weaved in and out of the different streets and gradually the buildings shifted from the shining, welcoming advertisements of storefronts to the more modest appearances of Earth ponies homes. Rarity doubted she would ever get to taste whatever it was she was smelling and decided to head back. She managed three and a half steps before another smell caught her attention. She made a quick guesstimate and it seemed that both fragrances were coming from the same general direction. She pressed on, more out of curiosity than anything else. Rarity turned a corner and soon discovered to her delight that the delicious aromas were coming from a restaurant that she didn't even knew existed. Rarity approached the establishment and took note of the name, Soaps and Soups they called it. “How delightfully rustic” Rarity said to herself and went in.

She was a bit taken aback when no pony greeted her. A visibly placed sign that said “Seat Yerself Please” made itself known, and having nothing else to go on Rarity found herself a nice booth in the corner. Fate smiled on Rarity as she sat down for her rather spontaneous dinner. It seemed that the last pony to eat at her table managed to misplace some bits on the floor after, what she assumed to be a drunken party, took place there. She looked around in a vain attempt to find the owner of the missing bits. Rarity could feel her face scrunch up as she struggled with the notion of simply claiming them as her own. She gathered them from the floor using her magic and placed them on the table. While the bits themselves were a little worse for wear and covered in sticky cider, the fact remained that they were there and perfectly capable of being spent. Rarity decided to stack them into a neat pyramid shape while she contemplated the fate of her new found fortune.

An Earth pony soon came over to her table and introduced herself as Squeaky Clean. She looked at Rarity for a moment and could tell that something was off. Rarity glanced upwards and composed herself.

“Yes, I’d like to start with a small glass of wine an-”

“We don’t have any wine. Can I get you a glass of water?”

Rarity’s ears slanted downwards and her mouth hung open slightly. She barely managed to stop one of her hoofs from reaching above the table but caught herself when she noticed Squeaky Clean’s raised eyebrow. Rarity suppressed a sigh and put on her best sincere face.

“Water will be fine, thank you. Also, if you could bring out some of that heavenly soup that would be wonderful.”

Squeaky Clean nodded and walked off towards the kitchen while Rarity nearly face hoofed out of sheer embarrassment and loss of face. She supposed she could make up for it by giving an extra large tip. She had more than enough after all, and she didn’t intend to carry the cider soaked bits home with her anyway. Time seemed to pass slowly as Rarity waited for her meal. She glanced around the mostly empty restaurant and recognised Caramel and Miss Cheerilee. They were sitting several tables away from each other but it was painfully obvious Caramel was eyeing Cheerilee. He would glance up, stare for a moment, then look down at his food with his ears hanging low. He would pretend to eat for a moment, then start over again. Rarity found it rather cute, especially when a slight blush would appear on his face, but the routine quickly grew old in Rarity’s eyes when it was clear Caramel wasn’t going to make a move. She contented herself to observing the few other ponies she didn’t know. Rarity could see a brown stallion with a dark brown mane with a hourglass as a cutie mark sitting in the bar area clearly enjoying the drinks. A purple mare with a darker purple mane sat next to the stallion. Her cheeks burned with the fire of the alcohol she had consumed which the stallion took completely the wrong way and earned himself a quick slap to the face.

Rarity’s meal was brought out to her and the source of the decadent smells were revealed. As Squeaky Clean approached the table she couldn’t help but give a slight chuckle when she saw how Rarity prepared her napkin. She moved to put the dish on the table but paused when she noticed the pile of bits on the countertop.

“Umm, Miss? Would ya mind moving yer bits off the table please?”

“Hmmmm.... Oh sorry, it must have slipped my mind.” Rarity slapped herself in her mind for being so careless and struggled to come up with a plausible reason the bits were still there. In a stroke of genius, an idea formed in her mind.

“Actually, I was wondering if I could pay for my meal in advance? I uh... have to pick up my sister after school and I really need to be going soon.”

“You have to pick up yer sister from school? This late at night?” Squeaky Clean eyed her guest skeptically.

“She has extracurricular activities.” Rarity said with practiced ease, doing her best to sound casual about it.

“I see.” Squeaky intensified her stare just a tad and watched as Rarity began to look away and even tried to casually laugh it off. Her suspicions were aroused, but when Rarity pushed the whole stack of bits to the edge of the table, Squeaky shrugged it off and let the coins fall into her side pouch. She laid the soup in front of Rarity and cantered off to the kitchen, her bit pouch jingling all the way.

Rarity let out a quick sigh of relief, lit her horn, and slowly took a spoonful of the soup to her mouth. The flavors were at once complex and simple at the same time and Rarity was at a loss as to how this could be. She took another bite and reveled in the soup, letting it slowly caress her tongue as she moved it up and down. She looked around and made absolutely sure nopony was watching. A small gleeful smile lit her face when she discreetly borrowed a spoon from a nearby table and began, for lack of a better word, started shoveling the soup into her mouth. Soup began to splatter all around the table and even managed to get onto her ruffled napkin bib.

As with most good things, the soup too lost it’s luster as her hunger was sated. Rarity had very nearly reached the bottom of the bowl when she started to stir one spoon in the bottom in a manner that suggested she was debating on taking another bite. Her eyes soon began to wander over the rest of the restaurant in a lazily satisfied way. Her eyes soon made it to the window where she made a causal estimate of the time based on the sun’s position. When Rarity looked back to her soup something caught the corner of her eye. Rarity thought she was imagining things but decided to look again anyway. To her surprise she could see a faint shimmering coming from a nearby shop window. While it wasn’t unusual for unicorns to use magic to help enhance their advertising, this part of town seemed to house a lot of Earth ponies and while it wasn’t unusual for unicorns to live amongst the different types, Rarity found it rather unlikely. Besides, she knew from experience that eye catching light shows powered by magic always grew dimmer in time but the longer she looked the more powerful the light seemed to become. She decided that she really ought to be getting home and decided to call it a night. Having paid in advance she felt no need to wait. She gave a quick compliment to the chef and practically dashed out of the restaurant.

Curiosity compelled her to the source which was gleaming in the moonlight from behind a shop window. Strangely enough, the object seemed to glow from the inside out. Rarity put her face against the glass and used her hoofs to block out the last rays of the sun so she could get a better view. Her face lit up when she realized it was a diamond of some kind, which made her even more curious. Rarity had seen a fair amount of jewels and gems in her day but never one quite like this. It was interesting, but only as a curiosity. She glanced back to the sky and noticed that the moon was just beginning to rise and decided that it would be best to return home for the night. She took one more glance at the diamond, made a mental note of the store, and headed home.

Sleep did not come easily for Rarity that night. She tossed and turned on her mattress which refused to yield a comfortable position. Thoughts of the mysterious diamond swirled in her head, as well as several drinks which clouded the edges of her thoughts, which made her cling that much harder to the memory of the enchanted jewel lest she lose them forever. She tossed and turned several more times before giving up her pathetic attempts of sleeping and decided to start work early today.

She busied herself with packing the Apple’s work clothes. Rarity carefully packaged each one into a white box, which featured a dark purple bow tie and had her cutie mark in the bottom left corner. She left the manikin room with her boxes levitating behind her, a tranquil smile appeared on her face when she saw the first glint of the sun. Rarity placed the boxes in the back of her small cart and struggled for several moments to hook herself up without magic. The whole thing felt overly frustrating and tedious but eventually she heard a slight “click.” To her it was one of the more satisfying sounds in the world.

She set out at a slow but reasonable pace towards Sweet Apple Acres determined to make amends with Applejack. Rarity didn’t mind pulling the cart as much as she thought she would yet her vanity was glad it was early and nopony would actually see her.

It wasn’t long before the cobbled streets of Ponyville gave way to well worn dirt roads. Rarity walked the familiar path and kept her eye on the tall barn that loomed in the distance. Even this early the faint sound of apple bucking could be heard in the distance. She paused for a moment to catch her breath and make herself presentable again and tried to find the source of the bucking. Her ears twitched slightly as they struggled to listen. Rarity began to shuffle a bit but soon picked up the sound of apples falling and trotted off in that direction. When she reached the top of the hill her forehead was covered in sweat and her mane wasn’t exactly perfect, but she could see Applejack and Big Mac bucking apples in the orchard below her. She smiled and trotted out to meet them.

As Rarity got closer she could see Applejack positioning the baskets under the trees and taking the full ones to the apple cart. Rarity couldn’t help but admire Big Mac’s technique. She watched as he bucked two trees at the same time and Rarity was doubly impressed when all of the ripe apples fell neatly into the half barrels. Rarity’s heart gave a slight flutter when his head snapped up in her direction. Rarity quickly got her feelings under control, not wanting to blush so red it would match his coat, and announced her intentions. Big Mac and Applejack looked at each other in a somewhat shocked manner. It wasn’t too hard to figure out Rarity had probably made them some kind of clothes as a way to apologize for her behaviour on the farm a few days ago. Truth be told, they were kinda expecting something like this although not this soon. They gave each other a series of looks as they wordlessly communicated their surprise but stopped and stared when they saw Rarity struggling to get her harness off.

“Oh this stubborn thing, I had it all figured out when I left home. I can’t imagine why it’s not working now.”

Applejack looked at Big Mac and he offered a slight shrug in return. He walked (is that an ok term to use?) over to Rarity and pushed a complicated metal piece forward on the back of her harness which promptly shed itself from Rarity as if by magic, much to her relief. Rarity stepped out in front and looked back at the device with confusion and bewilderment, paused for a moment and then looked up to Big Mac.

“How did you do that?”

“It was a special harness, designed to keep slave ponies from leaving work early. Only somepony on the outside can undo it.”

Rarity stood there for several seconds while she let the implications of Big Mac’s history lesson set in. She looked down at the harness and visibly shuddered.

“So uncivilized.”

“Eeyup.”

“Well, I see. I’m glad that *that thing*,” Rarity spat “will never be used again.”

“Where in Equestria did you get that?” Applejack asked with slight curiosity and morbid fascination.

“Oh, I uh... bought it at the market. I thought it was just another cart...” Rarity looked down at the ground and let her ears hang back.

“It’s just that it brings back some memories, is all.” Big Mac reflected solemnly.

“Oh, I didn’t know...” Rarity could feel the tension in the air and her chance of making up to the Apple’s slowly slipping away. She felt that the sooner she could steer the conversation away from this subject the better. Rarity cut to the chase and put on a genuine smile, guiding her friends to the back of the cart where the alabaster parcels waited. Her eyes lit up with excitement and anticipation while Applejack and Big Mac gave each other a quick smile and sat on the ground and waited patiently for Rarity. They sat in such a way that Rarity was blocking the view to what would no doubt be a fabulous yet portable display. After several minutes of waiting and no indication of progress, the two began to wonder what was taking Rarity so long.

Meanwhile, across town in a certain bakery a particular pink mare’s tail, left hind hoof, and eyes started to twitch in a most peculiar and strange manner. Suddenly, the pink mare literally dropped everything and rushed upstairs knocking over several finished racks of custom order cupcakes in the process. She ignored Mrs. Cake’s confused and angry shouting and yelled back “NO TIME... PART-.” Mrs. Cake only sighed and poured herself a generous helping of Sweet Apple Acres cider and sat in the ruins of her once proud kitchen.

“Confound it Pinkie, you drive me to drink.”

“Hey Rarity? What’s takin so long?”

“Just putting the finishing touches, won’t be a moment longer.”

Applejack sighed and turned to Big Mac, “She’s said that before.”

“Eeyup.”

The two sat and waited patiently for a few minutes and suddenly the banging and haphazard noises coming from Rarity’s cart ceased. The two sat a little straighter and leaned forward a bit, anticipating Rarity’s display. Rarity looked out to her captive audience and moved aside from the cart, milking the moment to the fullest. Applejack just looked to her friend with an “what the hay is that” expression to which Rarity responded by gripping a corner of the purple cloth with her teeth.

“Thse, Afflejack,” she paused letting the tension build for a moment and then tugged the curtain away, “are you’re new work duds.”

Several seconds passed before an all too familiar yet vaguly described bubble gum pink mare appeared behind a tree and unleashed the party cannon while yelling at the top of her lungs “SURPRISE!!!” The timing was perfect, the confetti glittered and the streamers streamed, yet Applejack and Big Mac sat in the dirt dumbfounded. Even Rarity was taken aback by the sudden appearance of this cotton candy maned mare. Pinkie smiled one of her trademark smiles, jumped onto the barrel of the cannon, yelled “NAILED IT!!!” and did a hoof pump simultaneously. After which she promptly packed up her cannon and began to wheel it home, muttering something about taking the scenic route home.

Applejack stepped forward, followed closely by Big Mac, and examined the four boxes. It was immediately apparent that a massive amount of work and thought had been put into these clothes and it seemed to her that each one was custom made to help each of the Apples with their unique challenges on the farm. She looked to Rarity who was begging them to try them on. Applejack hesitantly pulled her duds out of the box and held them up to see how they would look without actually trying them on.

“Well, what do you think?”

“There uh... nice?”

“Aren’t they? That’s custom hoof stitching on the legs and I took extra attention in mak-”

“I need to stop you right there sugar cube. I appreciate the effort and all, but we can’t accept these.”

“I understand Applejack, I would never charge full price for one of my friends. For you and your family, half price.”

“I reckon this is gonna be a heartbreaker, but we still can’t accept these. It’s just not necessary.”

“How about quarter price?”

“I’ma sorry hun, but we just can’t. Thank ya mighty kind for the offer an all, I appreciate it, ah really do but we can’t accept.”

“You’re really not going to take them, aren't you?”

“Eeyup.”

“Oh, well... in that case I suppose I best be getting home. Nice seeing you all again. Tell Apple Bloom and Granny that I said hi,”

Rarity packed her cart, saddled up, and decided to take the scenic way home too.

Author's Note

Sorry if the last bit is not "up to snuff" as it were. TwiwnB is off exploring the world and taken names (which means sitting in a cold bunker apparently.... who knew, right?) and doesn't have internet there.

If you haven't already, check out "Helping Hoofs" which was written on a whim from a conversation TwiwnB and I had. So you know, it's way different from Rarity's Dilemma in that it relies on narrative and your imagination to build some of the more tedious to explain in words bits so the actual story moves a lot faster.

The Stone (way better version... promise)

As Rarity got closer she could see Applejack positioning the baskets under the trees and taking the full ones to the apple cart. Rarity couldn’t help but admire Big Mac’s technique. She watched as he bucked two trees at the same time and she was doubly impressed when all of the ripe apples fell neatly into the half barrels. Her heart gave a slight flutter when his head snapped up in her direction. Rarity quickly got her feelings under control, not wanting to blush so red it would match his coat, and announced her intentions. Big Mac and Applejack looked at each other in a somewhat shocked manner. It wasn’t too hard to figure out Rarity had probably made them some kind of clothes as a way to apologize for her behaviour on the farm a few days ago. Truth be told, they were kinda expecting something like this although not this soon. They gave each other a series of looks as they wordlessly communicated their surprise but stopped and stared when they saw Rarity struggling to get her harness off.

“Oh this stubborn thing, I had it all figured out when I left home. I can’t imagine why it’s not working now.”

Applejack looked at Big Mac and he offered a slight shrug in return. They looked up in surprise when they heard the sounds of metal against wood, punctuated with soft taps from the leather harness strap. The two stared in bewilderment as they tried to figure out what in the hay Rarity was trying to do. Big Mac put two and two together and walked up to the back of the cart. He applied a little pressure and the harness lifted enough for Rarity to slip out. Big Mac just smiled and offered a quick nod and walked back towards Applejack.

“Well, shoot... why didn ya just say ya’ll needed help getting out. Now that I think of it, why didn ya just use yer magic?”

“Well, you see, I wanted to apologize for using magic on the farm and it wouldn’t be appropriate if I simply used magic, would it?”

“Eeynope.”

Feeling that her point was mad, Rarity cut to the chase and put on a quick smile, guiding her friends to the back of the cart where the alabaster parcels waited. Her eyes lit up with excitement and anticipation while Applejack and Big Mac gave each other a quick smile and sat on the ground and waited patiently for Rarity. They sat in such a way that Rarity was blocking the view to what would no doubt be a fabulous yet portable display. After several minutes of waiting and no indication of progress, the two began to wonder what was taking Rarity so long.

“Confound it Pinkie, you drive me to drink.”

“Hey Rarity? What’s takin so long?”

“Just putting the finishing touches, won’t be a moment longer.”

Applejack sighed and turned to Big Mac, “She’s said that before.”

“Eeyup.”

The two sat and waited patiently for a few minutes and suddenly the banging and haphazard noises coming from Rarity’s cart ceased. The two sat a little straighter and leaned forward a bit, anticipating Rarity’s display. Rarity looked out to her captive audience and moved aside from the cart, milking the moment to the fullest. Applejack just looked to her friend with an “what the hay is that” expression to which Rarity responded by biting a corner of the purple cloth with her teeth.

“Thse, Afflejack,” she paused letting the tension build for a moment and then tugged the curtain away, “are you’re new work duds.”

Several seconds passed before an all too familiar yet vaguely described bubble gum pink mare appeared behind a tree and unleashed the party cannon while yelling at the top of her lungs “SURPRISE!!!” The timing was perfect, the confetti glittered and the streamers streamed, yet Applejack and Big Mac sat in the dirt dumbfounded. Even Rarity was taken aback by the sudden appearance of this cotton candy maned mare. Pinkie smiled one of her trademark smiles, jumped onto the barrel of the cannon, yelled “NAILED IT!!!” and did a hoof pump simultaneously. After which she promptly packed up her cannon and began to wheel it home, muttering something about taking the scenic route home.

“Well, what do you think?” Rarity’s eyes reflected her pride in her creations. Her voice betrayed the amount of work that she put into them and her heart soared when she saw the dumbfounded looks on their faces.

‘Any moment now,’ thought Rarity ‘they will come back to their senses and admire the fine details.’

“There uh... nice?” Rarity couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s ignorance of fashion. Almost without thinking she leapt at the chance to brag about her work while still being sensitive to Applejack’s unkeen eyes. They were, after all, friends and customers, and ‘a lady is always patient and polite.’ Those words echoed in her mind as she spoke to her friends.

“Aren’t they? That’s custom hoof stitching on the legs and I took extra attention in mak-”

“I need to stop you right there sugar cube.” Rarity’s mouth shut and her eyes went wide as her pupils shrank a little. From her experience, it never bode well when a customer stopped her mid sentence, and she could feel her heart begin to pound ever so slightly in her chest.

“I appreciate the effort and all, but we can’t accept these.” The slight pounding turned into a sinking feeling and she tried to hide the beads of sweat that were slowly beginning to form on her brow. Rarity decided to make an unrefusable offer and tried to keep the shock out of her voice, trying to play this as if she expected it.

“I understand Applejack, I would never charge full price for one of my friends. For you and your family, half price.” There was an uncomfortable silence that hung in the air. Big Mac shuffled his hoofs and found an unusually interesting flower to stare at. Applejack tried to hide behind her hat, but looked up at Rarity after a few seconds, unable to bear the guilt. Her eyes wandered over the clothes Rarity made, searching for the right words. When she finally looked back up at Rarity, she couldn’t bear to look her in the eyes and instead settled for half way up her forelegs.

“I reckon this is gonna be a heartbreaker, but we still can’t accept these. It’s just not necessary.”Applejack tried to casually pass it off, but the words sounded hollow when she remembered the amount of effort that must have gone into the clothes. Rarity tried to understand how Applejack refused her unrefusable offer, and decided to go for broke with another.

“How about quarter price?” Rarity tried, but it was painfully obvious the begging tone in her voice was not lost on the Apples. Big Mac was hoofing at the dirt, doing his best to avoid Rarity’s gaze while trying to make himself as small as possible. Rarity felt her heart beat faster as the pit in her stomach turned into a sinkhole. She tried one last time to point out the special features but was again cut off by Applejack mid sentence.

“I’ma sorry hun, but we just can’t.” Applejack knew that sometimes the truth hurts, especially being the element of honesty and all, and tried to let Rarity down gently, not wanting to make more of a problem for not only herself but for Rarity as well. “ Thank ya mighty kind for the offer an’ all, I appreciate it, ah really do but we can’t accept.” Her words felt flat and lame in her mouth and when she glanced up at Rarity she immediately looked down and found an interesting blade of grass to stare at. She felt bad for doing so, but didn’t know what else to do except keep saying no, and that was getting harder to do all the time.

“You’re really not going to take them, aren't you?” Rarity asked with a sincere yet tired voice. Rarity knew that she was going home with her clothes and the fire that was once present in every aspect of her was gone and replaced with something akin to a heavy cloud.

“Eeyup.” One word pierced the awkward silence and seemed to set the three on an irreversible course akin to passing the event horizon of a black hole. One word drove the final nail into the coffin, and Rarity visibly flinched when she heard it, all of her effort for nothing. One word compelled Applejack to stand by her brother’s side to wait out the storm.

“Oh, well... in that case I suppose I best be getting home. Nice seeing you all again. Tell Apple Bloom and Granny that I said hi.”

Rarity packed her cart, saddled up, and decided to take the scenic way home too.

Author's Note

You see how much trouble I would be in without editors and pre-readers?

Twilight

The sun was just beginning to clear the mountain Canterlot rested on by the time Rarity got home. She sighed and undid her harness with magic and packed the cart away. She took up the parcels she had meant to give to the Apple family and made her way to the front of Carousel Boutique. Her eyes glossed over when they caught sight of Fluttershy’s dress hanging in the front window. Rarity decided it would be best to put off work until Sweetie Belle was off to school for the day. She pushed open the front door and marveled at how quiet it was. Normally Sweetie would be bouncing around the kitchen trying to make herself some breakfast while attempting to do some last minute homework. Rarity began to wonder if perhaps Sweetie had slept in again. She trotted upstairs to Sweetie’s room and gently pounded on the door.

“Sweetie Belle, it’s time to get ready for school. Wake up.”

After several seconds and not one sound from inside Rarity started to get flustered. She rapped her hoofs on the door again, harder and more forceful this time, and put a hint of annoyance into her voice as well.

“Sweetie Belle, I’m not going to knock again. Hurry up or you’ll be late.”

Rarity walked away and headed downstairs to start her own breakfast. She decided to flip open the local paper and skimmed some of the bigger headlines while she waited for her coffee and toast. Something in the back of her mind wouldn’t relax and she couldn’t figure out what it was. After several minutes of browsing the column she realized what was wrong. She glanced up to the ceiling and wondered why there wasn’t any noise upstairs. She furrowed her brow and stared daggers at the spot where Sweetie Belle’s room was as if that would make a difference. Rarity could literally feel the blood rushing in her ears and waited for the tell tale thump that meant Sweetie was out of bed and moving. She looked at the clock and audibly gasped.

“Alright, no more hoofing around the bush.”

She worked her way up the stairs quickly but made sure to pound them unnecessarily loud. When she reached Sweetie’s room she threw open the door loudly and without ceremony.Her eyes quickly darted around the room looking for any trace of her sister. Rarity didn’t see her anywhere and she lost all control as she yelled out.

“SWEETIE BELLE! YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE. IF YOU DON’T GET UP RIGHT NOW SO HELP ME-”

She stopped herself when nothing happened. Her anger instantly turned into worry as she began to wonder what sorts of horrible and unspeakable things may or may not have happened to her dearest sister. She rushed downstairs hellbent on calling in the Equestrian Guard if necessary. Fueled by adrenaline and worried sick to her stomach she rushed passed her breakfast without giving it a glance. Only three things were on her mind, parchment, quill, and ink. Spike was in there somewhere, vaguely, like a blurry haze pushed to the very corners of her eyes. She scrambled around her house looking for the desired objects wishing she was more organised like Twilight. Seconds were wasted rummaging through drawers but at last she had what she needed. In a furious haste she dipped her quill and began scribbling a request to the Canterlot Royal Guard like a mad mare, obscuring her already rushed penmareship with blots of ink dripping across the page. Only half way through the frenzied scribblings did she happen to notice a rather noticeable piece of parchment placed in a noticeable, almost convenient place. She paused her efforts and picked up the paper with her magic and whipped it towards her with such force that it whipped the paper, despite the magic that held it. Rarity’s eyes focused on the neat, almost frilly writing that she immediately recognised as Sweetie’s. She paused and took a minute to re-read the note to make sure she fully understood the implications. Rarity’s heart rate gradually slowed as the note’s contents gradually filtered through her nerve wracked brain.

Rarity, I went to school early today for a project we have to set up. See you when I get back.

Like most notes written by children, it raised more questions than answers. What project was she talking about? Who is “we?” Get back from where? Rarity took several deep breaths and went back to her kitchen and blushed a bit as she righted her tipped over chair. She put some jam on her toast and took her coffee with her magic and headed toward the school house, trying to balance quick with casual.

She approached the school house and decided to walk past it as if nothing was wrong. She paused ever so often, looking at the flowers and landscape, pretending to enjoy them as if she was on a pleasant stroll. As she passed by she could see Sweetie Belle playing with her friends in the school yard. Rarity heaved a dramatic sigh and let her heart rate slowly come back under control. Knowing that her sister was safe gave her all the freedom in the world to go back home and enjoy the rest of her day.

Rarity stepped into Carousel Boutique and ignored the wreckage her panic induced frenzy left behind in favor of finishing her once crisp toast and only slightly stale cup of coffee. She savored the flavor as the liquid trickled down her throat and waited several minutes for the mind numbing energy that only caffeine can bring. Rarity could feel the second the drug hit her system and wasted no time in cleaning her house. In record time, order had been restored. Rarity grabbed another cup and turned her sights on her creative room.

She effortlessly whisked paper and chalk from their respective places and sat down at her drawing board. The chalk seemed to move of its own accord and followed the familiar lines and patterns over the dotted pony figure. Several hours later the waste basket was overflowing with rejected ideas, the chalk and paper lay to the side of the desk and showed considerable wear. Rarity rested her head on the table, her eyes slightly bloodshot from mild panic and possibly caffeine withdrawal.

There was a loud knock on the front door, which surprised Rarity because normally ponies would just let themselves in. She rushed to meet the potential customer, mentally kicking herself for forgetting to flip the closed sign to open. She was met with a young mare trying raise bits for the local charity drive. Rarity instantly went for her bits without thinking but stopped short when she realized how low they were getting. So low that she could almost see the bottom of the barrel, as it were. She made her way back to the front door slowly, trying to fight her natural generosity and politely explained that she simply couldn’t spare any bits at the moment. The young mare said that she understood completely and moved on to the next house.

Rarity shut the door and felt terrible about the whole thing but there really wasn’t anything to be done. She watched as the mare made her way down to the next few houses, a similar scene repeating itself every time. Rarity’s heart ached as she watched the chance to be generous and do some good for somepony else slip by her. She then glanced at her dresses and decided to fluff them up a bit and rearrange them a little. After she was satisfied with her efforts Rarity checked the closed/open sign and mentally kicked herself for leaving it on closed. Letting out a sigh, Rarity left the sign alone as she passed through the doorway, not really believing that a customer would come by in the few minutes it would take her to get her mail.

Her nerves were a little on edge as they always were when she checked her mail. It was a nice to know what is going on in the world of fashion, for sure, but there was always the danger of being left behind and forgotten in the ever changing tastes of the Canterlot elite. The highest point of emotion was always when her hoof hovered over the door, and she let out a slight breath when she noticed nothing was in her mailbox. Several seconds passed before it dawned on her that that was a very bad thing. Rarity specifically remembered putting an advertisement out to her usual buyers a couple of days ago. She knew that in the pit of her stomach she was in trouble and rushed back inside to prepare the focus spell. However, it quickly became apparent that no matter how hard she tried nothing came out right. It seemed as if the only useful thing she accomplished was create job security for the garbage ponies. Rarity checked the angle of the sun and knew she had plenty of time to visit Twilight. “After all,” Rarity reasoned “she is the one who gave me the spell in the first place. I bet she can tell me what’s wrong.”

With that single goal in mind, Rarity freshened herself up and made her way over to Twilight’s for some much needed advice.

The trot to Twilight’s passed quickly and uneventfully. Rarity approached the library door with equal parts determination and desperation. She knocked on the door in her usual ladylike way and let herself in when there wasn’t an answer. She passed through the threshold and shut the door behind her, letting the door fully click into place. She scanned the main lobby and didn’t see Twilight or Spike anywhere. She searched the surrounding rooms, her steps growing more frantic as time passed, her eyes passing through rows of shelves. She called out to Twilight, but when no response was evident, she raised her voice almost to the point of yelling. Still nothing, so Rarity made her way back to the main lobby. As she was making her way down the steps, her ears perked at the sound of the doorbell, which resonated a cheery ring. Rarity quickened her hoof steps down the stairs and was rewarded to see Twilight Sparkle.

“Oh, hey Rarity. What brings you here?” Twilight said in her usual tone of voice, curious as to the unexpected visit of her friend.

“Oh, well... I just happen to be passing by, and I thought I would drop in and pay you a visit.” Rarity balked at the lameness of her excuse, but judging by Twilight’s expression, it was a safe bet to assume she hadn’t picked up on her real reason for dropping by.

“Aww, thanks Rarity... I’m flattered. Well, we are just coming home from the market and was about to make lunch, would you care to join?”

Rarity let her heart beat slow down and took a deep breath. While she was slightly taken aback by Twilight’s generosity, she decided it would simply be uncouth to refuse such an offer and she reasoned it wouldn’t be too hard to bring up her dilemma over a quick brunch. It took Rarity a moment to realise that Twilight had referred to herself as “we.” It quickly became apparent that Twilight also lacked any groceries, and come to think of it, she didn’t even have her saddle bags. Rarity was about to point these things out to Twilight, when she turned towards the door and shot an impatient look outside.

“Spike, what’s taking so long? I thought you were right behind me a block ago.” Spike looked up from his pile of groceries and gave an equally dissatisfied look.

“Yeah yeah, I’m coming.” Spike shouted to Twilight, though under his breath he muttered “sure would go

a lot faster if you helped.” He hoped that Twilight had not heard what he said, but by the looks of it she was about to ask him something else. He reminded himself to think his comments to himself next time, or at least not to move his lips as much. Spike sucked a gut and remembered that Twilight was having a rough week and hoped to himself that it was because of some assignment from the Princess or something. Spike braced himself for the next wave, hoping that it wasn’t a doozy.

Twilight replied by shouting back, “And when you finish putting the groceries away, could you make Rarity and I some lunch?”

Spike paused at the thought of Rarity, and with the strength of ten drakes, carried the saddlebags inside and began planning a delicious meal fit for a lady. Rarity watched this transpire over the course of several seconds and was impressed with Twilight’s uncanny ability to motivate the young dragon. It seemed like she was learning the fine art of how to play off of ponies feelings, a useful skill for a Princess in training to master and Rarity made a mental note to ask her for tips in dealing with Sweetie Belle. Twilight’s voice shook her out of her train of thought.

“So, Rarity. How have things been going for you? Have you tried the focus spell yet? I heard Fluttershy talking about a dress you designed based off of her.” The enthusiasm that radiated from Twilight when talking about magic was not matched by Rarity. While it was understandable that they shared a common bond, what being unicorns and all, Rarity was bound to the more unforgiving world than she would care to admit and was a bit jealous and annoyed when Twilight pulled out a quill and ink with the intentions of writing a dissertation on Rarity’s experience with the focus spell. Rarity took a quick moment to remind herself that Twilight probably had never had to worry about something as trivial and arcane as money being raised in Canterlot as the personal student of Princess Celestia herself. Rarity couldn’t stay mad at her however. Twilight sat down in one of her chairs, levitated some parchment and a desk nearby, and donned her reading glasses.

“Now, we’ll start with some simple questions. I just want you to tell me the first thing that comes to mind, ok? Alright, let’s see... well, how did the spell work for you? Did it enhance your natural abilities? Also, how much would you say your abilities were enhanced?”

The barrage of questions was too much for Rarity to take in so she decided to stick with the truth and began describing the enhancements in glossed over detail. She talked about how it fueled her passion to create and how at first the ideas seemed to flow easily but gradually began to slow and then stopped altogether. She took the opportunity to guide the conversation towards her concerns with the spell, specifically, that while it enhanced her ability ten fold it seemed that she couldn’t make a dress that anypony wanted to look at, let alone buy. When Twilight tried to ask her more questions about the spell and its effects, Rarity ignored her and continued to explain how she only had enough bits for one, maybe two more attempts before she found herself in hot water. Rarity tried rubbing her hoofs on her forehead to massage away the mild headache she got for thinking about what would happen if she failed in her next dress. Twilight could see her friend was stressed and lead her through one of Princess Cadence’s advanced breathing exercises, which calmed Rarity down enough for her to recover her lady like composure. Just in time too, as Rarity could see Spike putting the finishing touches on the dish he prepared.

Spike came out of the kitchen to deliver the claw made appetizers, mostly involving tulips wrapped in fancy shapes and filled with a kind of hummus. He set the dishes before the two ponies and offered to pour some tea. The two politely thanked him and quickly returned to their conversation. Taking the hint, Spike returned to the kitchen to prepare the main meal, barely getting the faintest whispers of the conversation as he left. Of course, his curiosity to Rarity’s sudden visit caused him to drag his feet on the way back but all he could make out was something about a spell. He thought nothing of it as Twilight talked about spells all the time, and let the thought fall to the back of his mind. A few seconds later, his nose picked up the smell of something burning and his fears were confirmed when Twilight announced “umm... Spike? I think you’re burning something.” The young drake let all thoughts of the conversation fall from his mind as he rushed to the kitchen to hopefully save his culinary creation yelling with urgency “MY SPINACH PUFFS.”

The sounds of pots and pans being rapidly shifted could be heard from the table. They paid it no mind however as Twilight began to pick Rarity’s brain in an attempt to figure out what had gone wrong, determined to help her friend. Rarity tried to explain to Twilight how each time she used the spell it felt like the first, yet something was different, and her ideas simply wouldn’t flow.

“Ok, so you said that the first time you tried it was when you were inspired to make something for Fluttershy, right?”

“Yes, that’s what I remember.”

“Then you used it again to make a set of work clothes for the apple family?”

“Well, yes... I did feel rather guilty using magic after they explained why that was such a bad idea. I thought it would be nice to make it up to them.”

“Hmm... I see. And the last time. That was after Sweetie Belle left for school early and you panicked because you couldn’t find her, then panicked again when your advertisements failed to attract attention?”

“Well, yes. But what was I supposed to do? I’m running lower on bits than I would like, and I can’t seem to come up with any ideas. I thought the focus spell would help, but all it did was waste fabric and my time.”

“Well, there’s your problem.”

“Huh?”

“It’s a focus spell, not a create ideas spell. The whole idea behind the spell is to enhance what is already there and to me it sounds like there was less and less each time you used the spell, which would explain why your ideas weren't flowing like they did the first time.”

“So what exactly are you saying, Twilight?”

“Well, I would hypothesize that it worked the first time because you genuinely wanted it to. The second time was a little weaker because while you wanted to make the work clothes, you were doing it out of a sense of duty, rather than for the joy of creating. The third time was a disaster because, well, there just wasn’t ideas there to begin with. Or perhaps the spell is somehow tied into the users emotions. It might be possible that the increased stress you were feeling may have created a kind of negative magical feedback which would also explain why it progressed the way it did.” The rest of Twilights thoughts were lost on Rarity as she only had a basic understanding of magic. Even the most fundamental of magical equations that Twilight began to scribble down on her parchment were quite beyond her.

Rarity stood behind Twilight and watched helplessly as she navigated the complex maze of equations and formulas she had created for herself. There were symbols and all kinds of squiggly lines, all of which meant absolutely nothing to Rarity, but Twilight shifted through them so quickly it almost seemed that the quickly expanding mass of ink had a life of it’s own; one that held a puzzle and was bound and determined to keep it, mind. Several minutes passed before Rarity gave up in trying to understand what all of it meant and went back to her seat and tried to eat the food that Spike prepared. After several bites she felt bad for not doing her best to help Twilight and asked if there was anything that she could do.

Twilight told her the names of several books she might need and Rarity ran off into the heart of the library in search of them. Rarity paced up and down the aisles one at a time, quickly scanning the titles and gauging the subject matter. Nothing was really catching her eye, but she wanted to help and so she kept looking. There were so many different topics, from politics and government, sociology, psychology, magic, cooking, even things about... rocks? That stuck Rarity as odd as she thought to herself ‘who would want to read about rocks?’ The question lingered even as she walked away in search of the books whose titles had already started to become a blur but curiosity eventually compelled her to return and levitate the book off of the shelf. She opened it up in the middle and found picture after picture of rocks with their classifications, where they would most likely be found, and what they were used for. Rarity flipped the pages with all the patience of a five year old, only taking the time to briefly study each page before moving on. She stopped when she came to the section about geodes, which said something about crystals forming in rocks. She was naturally intrigued having once been to the Crystal Empire herself and was surprised to learn just how many different kinds of crystals there were and how many magical effects crystals could have.

She closed the book and looked at the cover which read,

Rocks and rock farming. A guide.

She decided to hold on to it and look at it later, remembering fondly how rocks played an important role in getting her a cutie mark. Rarity’s flashback was interrupted by Twilight, who was curious about Rarity’s progress on finding the books she asked for. Rarity confessed she was having trouble finding them and went back to scanning the titles again. She felt like she was getting closer, as the titles started to resemble the kinds of things Twilight talked about. However, as she narrowed it down to a single shelf the amount of books still left to search was staggering, so she began to look at each book, reading its title to confirm it wasn’t what she was looking for. Several minutes in and Rarity still wasn’t having any luck and there were still so many books left to check. To Rarity’s relief, Spike appeared and effortlessly walked up to the shelf and picked out the books Twilight needed and gave them to Rarity, then went back to his work in the kitchen oblivious to Rarity’s mind bucked stare. (that last part won’t make it, but I’m going to call it a night so I thought why not :?).

Rarity thanked Spike as he was leaving and took the books downstairs to Twilight who was on her fourth page of parchment. Before Rarity could speak Twilight grabbed the books with her magic and levitated them over to her table, where they quickly formed a neat semi-circle around her and began flipping to seemingly random pages all at once. Rarity took her seat across from Twilight and noticed that Spike had replaced the tulips with a fresh tray of spinach puffs, which remained untouched by Twilight despite the seductive aroma.

Rarity helped herself to a few, which soon turned into a few more when Twilight announced that she may be on to something. So Rarity sat back and waited, helping occasionally by retrieving a new quill, or a few more rolls of parchment. In the mean time she kept herself busy by flipping through the rock book she found. Rarity found it rather amusing that there was a section called “rare gems” and flipped to it just because she thought the play on words with her name was amusing. She was surprised to learn that a significant amount of the magical energy contained in the Alicorn Amulet was actually channeled through a gem. She flipped the page and learned that a similar gem was forged by Princess Luna herself to counter the dark magic of the Alicorn Amulet, but was lost after a decisive battle. There was a picture of the gem which radiated an inner fire of a blueish hue. Rarity paused for a moment when she thought she recognised the stone, the one that was outside of that restaurant she went to the other day. Rarity’s curiosity was aroused and just as she was about to continue reading, Twilight said she almost had an academic answer for Rarity. At least she thought it was an academic answer. So Twilight set up the equations again just to make sure, but just as she was about to write them down, a jolly little jingle could be heard from the main lobby which could only mean another pony wanted to check out a book. Twilight sighed, and abandoned her equations, putting on what she hoped to be a genuine smile and made her way to the front lobby. Rarity followed close behind, feeling that it would be rather awkward sitting alone in one of the side rooms while Spike made his way into said side room and began to gobble down the treats that were left behind smiling with glee.

As Twilight approached the main lobby, her fake genuine smile turned into an actual genuine smile when she saw that the pony who walked through her doors was Fluttershy. The two exchanged the normal pleasantries with an added surprise hug from Rarity. When the three finally stopped laughing, Twilight moved the conversation to it’s next logical point.

“So good to see you Fluttershy. I assume that you want to return that book on animal care you checked out last week?”

“Ohh, yes. Thank you for letting me borrow it. My little woodland creatures were ever so thankful as well and wanted me to express their thanks for your kindness.”Twilight smiled and let the warmth she experienced when her books did something good for somepony grow in her chest. Naturally, a ridiculously cute smile graced her face as she took the book in her magic grasp and filled out the paperwork to check the book back into the library.

While Twilight was busy with the paperwork, Rarity began catching up with Fluttershy. Twilight hurried through her work upon hearing her friends animated conversation, not wanting to miss out on a single detail. As she rejoined her friends she caught the tail end of a joke and only half heartedly laughed.

“So Rarity,” Fluttershy began “what brings you to the library? I didn’t think you had that much of an interest in books.”

“Well you see darling, Twilight here was just helping me with a little problem I’ve been having.”

“Oh, what kind of problem?” asked Fluttershy with a newfound sense of curiosity.

“It’s nothing serious, I’ve just been having some trouble coming up with new designs that will really wow the fashion world.”

“Well, what about that dress that you designed from me? Didn’t that “wow” the crowd?”

Fluttershy’s questions hit a little too close to the mark, and Rarity didn’t want to worry her friend needlessly. Not to mention hurt the poor pegasus's feelings, so she did what any lady in her circumstances would do... fudge the truth a bit.

“No, of course not. Those Canterlot snobs simply wouldn’t know a good fashion show if it came up and-” Rarity paused and took a deep breath to gather her composure. “Just give it a few days more and they will realize that they are in the presence of a genius, Genius I Say.” Added Rarity for good measure.

“Don’t worry about it Fluttershy,” assured Twilight “I’m sure Rarity will figure out something. She usually does.”

“Thank you darling, you’re too kind.”

“Umm... if it’s allright, I really have to get back to tending to my animals.”

“Well, it was good seeing you again Fluttershy. Stop by again sometime and we’ll have some tea together.”

“Oh, that sounds nice. Thank you Twilight.”

"Take care darling, and a quick question before you go. Are we still all set for our spa date tomorrow.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’ll meet you there like usual?”

“It’s a date. Have a lovely day Fluttershy.”

“Goodbye everypony.”

A mumbled grunt could be heard from the kitchen, something about always being left out of hello’s and goodbyes. To his surprise, Fluttershy popped her head above the kitchen window and made a point of saying goodbye to Spike in a more personable manner.

Twilight and Rarity watched as Fluttershy showed herself out of the tree, and returned to the mess of papers that were scattered across the desk. Twilight quickly summoned her quill to her as well as lifting several pieces of parchment to eye level but paused just as she was about to write something down. She glanced between several papers with a confused look on her face and her shoulders soon slumped after that. She explained to Rarity that she didn’t remember which page came first and all of her calculations weren't making any sense. She told Rarity that she would work out what was going on with the focus spell and advised her not to attempt it again until she was sure what was happening. Rarity agreed with Twilight and started to leave when she suddenly remembered the book about rocks that she wanted to borrow. Rarity checked out the book and made her way back home to hopefully scratch out a successful design, wishing Twilight the best of luck in solving her equation.

Author's Note

Just so you know, it's my one year aniversary for becoming a brony today. Hope you enjoy the update.

Also, I posted a quick oneshot called "Give em' an Inch" so you can check that out if you want to. :?