Rainbow Thread
By Alaborn
Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.
Ponyville
Today
Rarity was thrilled. Sure, she had won first place in Fashion Week, the biggest prize she had ever won, and one that came with invaluable connections to Manehattan’s fashion elite. But she had won prizes in fashion contests before. No, she was thrilled because of the kindness of Coco Pommel. The mare had given up a secure if awful job, broke ties with a powerful fashion designer, and risked her very well-being to help Rarity.
She had to admit that her experience in Manehattan had wounded her. To see her generosity with an old friend abused like that had made her question the principle on which she had founded her life. That, more than anything she had ever used the phrase to describe, would be the Worst. Possible. Thing. But then there was Coco Pommel, so moved by Rarity’s generosity that she resolved to live her life by her example. It might not be reforming an ancient god of chaos, but seeing just one pony embrace one of the traits that embodied harmony in Equestria made her feel wonderful.
Rarity wished her the best. She had given Coco Pommel a start, an opportunity to design the costumes for a new Bridleway show. Rarity had been impressed by her needlework, which she noticed even through her rage at Suri Polomare’s brutal theft. Time would tell if the mare had design instincts as well as technical skills. And as for winning over the fickle Manehattan fashion elite? Rarity didn’t feel that anypony could guarantee success in that endeavor, not even her.
And then there was Coco Pommel’s gift, a small box, its contents a mystery. Rarity had resisted the temptation to open it right away, choosing instead to spend her time on the train ride back to Ponyville in the company of her friends. Many apologies were made, many honest words were spoken, and their friendship grew stronger as a result.
But now she was home, in her inspiration room. With a brief flare of magic, Rarity cracked open the box. She levitated the contents of the box and examined it. It was the most wondrous thread, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow, each shift of the light bringing new details to sight.
Rarity smiled. “Idea!” she singsonged. Around her, fabrics, gems, and tools flew. Her wondrous fabric was so last week. Today, she would create the future of fashion.
“Thank you, Coco,” she whispered. She would have to ask her where she found this thread!
Manehattan
The previous morning
“Go fetch me some coffee. And I need it ten minutes ago.”
That was all Suri Polomare said to Coco Pommel when she first saw her this morning. No “Thank you for your long night and hard work.” No “You look like you could use a break.” Just the demand.
And then she would probably complain about the quality of the hotel’s coffee.
As she poured the coffee, Coco noticed a commotion, as a number of deliveryponies carted in equipment. “Where does dis stuff go?” one of them called in a thick Broncs accent.
“Back to Salon B,” the clerk replied. He rang a bell. “Somepony will be here soon to show you the way.”
Salon B? That was the backstage area for the Fashion Week competitors. Sure enough, she recognized the equipment from that room, a loom, a spinning wheel, and several sewing machines. They were there primarily for last-minute alterations and repairs, but somepony must have borrowed them for some emergency work.
Rarity. It had to be her. Even after watching Suri Polomare steal her wonderful fabric, she was determined not to give up. The way Suri had talked about her former friend, the insults she threw, infuriated Coco. That was especially true as all the time she spent gloating about how she and only she could introduce this fabric to the world could have instead been used making the dresses.
There’s no way she could have done this by herself. Rarity’s friends must have helped. Not assistants, not interns, just friends. Generous friends.
“Actually, if you like, I could show you to Salon B,” Coco offered. “I’m heading there anyway.”
“Well, tanks, miss,” the lead deliverypony said.
Coco cradled Suri’s coffee as she led the way back to the salon. Suri, of course, has wandered off. She set down the coffee and helped the deliveryponies move the equipment back to its original location. After they departed, she noticed something hanging out of the drawer of the cabinet of one of the sewing machines. She opened it and found a bundle of the most remarkable thread, shimmering like a rainbow captured in a spray of water mist. It was almost as beautiful as that fabric... the fabric that Suri never should have taken.
She gathered the thread and tucked it away. Something this beautiful belonged in the hooves of somepony who could do it justice.
Manehattan
The evening before that
“What’s gotten into you?!” Rarity retorted. “Oh, go ahead. See your little show! Congratu-pony-lations, fillies! Sounds like you’ve already figured out already that it’s everypony for herself in this town!”
Rarity opened the door, trotted out, and slammed it behind her. The room was silent, save for the whirring of sewing machines.
Twilight Sparkle broke the silence. “She’s right. We can’t abandon her, when she needs our help the most.”
“Or, we can just work faster!” Rainbow Dash suggested. “Then we can still catch Hinny of the Hills!”
“We have to do our best for Rarity,” Fluttershy said.
“Our best? Rarity is having me spin thread out of lint and dust bunnies,” Rainbow Dash replied. “Now, I don’t know that much about fashion, but her new line is either going to be a surprise success or a colossal failure. I don’t think speed’s going to change that.” Determined, she worked the hoof pedal with increasing speed.
“Ah have to agree with Fluttershy,” Applejack said. “There’s no substitute for care when doin’ somethin’ like this.”
Rainbow Dash turned to face Applejack. “This is Hinny of the Hills. The best musical ever!”
Pinkie Pie suddenly jumped in the air. “Yanky tail!”
“Is that your Pinkie Sense?” Twilight Sparkle asked. “What does it mean?”
“It means somepony’s tail is going to get yanked!”
“And what do you mean by thaaaa...eeeeeYOW!” Rainbow Dash screamed.
Everypony turned and saw Rainbow Dash’s rump stuck to the spinning wheel, the hairs of her tail caught in its wheel.
“Ah told you not to go fast,” Applejack said.
“No, you didn’t!” Rainbow Dash retorted. “Anyway, can somepony help me get out of here?” she pleaded.
“Let me help. Ah know fancy machinery,” Applejack said.
“Actually, spinning wheels date to before unification, so they don’t really qualify as fancy,” Twilight Sparkle observed.
“That’s beside the point!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. She hissed in pain as Applejack tried to free her tail.
“Quiet! If Ah can tame that cider press, then Ah can handle this here contraption,” Applejack said.
“This is, like, the opposite of a cider press!” Rainbow Dash yelled. Another tug from Applejack, and she was no closer to being free.
“Wait, stop pulling. Let’s take a closer look,” Fluttershy suggested.
The two ponies stopped struggling. Fluttershy came over and carefully traced the stuck hairs with the tip of her wing. “Oh, my,” she whispered.
“What? What is it?” Rainbow Dash asked
“These hairs are already bound together. Pulling won’t help,” she replied. “I think we need to use the scissors.”
“No. Nuh-uh. No way. You are not touching my tail!” Rainbow Dash protested.
“Ah don’t think there’s any other way, sugarcube,” Applejack said.
“No, wait,” Twilight Sparkle interjected. “We need to untie the hairs, which is impossible to do by hoof, but maybe an animation spell would work! I’ll just command the hairs to untie themselves, and then you’ll be free!”
“Great. Let’s do it!” Rainbow Dash said.
Twilight Sparkle concentrated on the animation spell, shaping its effects in her mind before firing. Rainbow Dash felt a tickling sensation as the magic washed over her tail. She started giggling, but then yelped in pain. “Get your hoof off the pedal!” she shouted.
“What? Nopony’s touching the spinning wheel!” Pinkie Pie observed.
Sure enough, on closer inspection, nopony was operating the spinning wheel. But the same violet magic that was animating Rainbow Dash’s tail was also operating the spinning wheel. And the spinning wheel was spinning a lot faster than her tail was untying. That painful pulling sensation returned.
“You hit the spinning wheel!” Rainbow Dash yelled.
“I’m sorry! But they were kind of mixed up together!” Twilight Sparkle replied. “I’m trying to fix it!”
Rainbow Dash squealed as her tail was yanked again. “There’s no time!”
“Come on, everypony! We gotta pull!” Applejack said.
The ponies formed a chain, with Applejack grabbing Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy pulling in turn. Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth and stifled her screams as she felt a pain far worse than crashing into the ground after a failed Sonic Rainboom.
Over the grunts and groans, a loud ripping sound was heard. The chain of ponies flew back, tumbling into the wall. “Owwwww....” Rainbow Dash howled in pain.
“Are you all right, sugarcube?” Applejack asked as she got to her hooves.
“I think I’ll be... EEP!” Rainbow Dash blushed, and tried to hide her tail. A tail that was now shorn of all hairs.
“Um, I think it looks cute,” Fluttershy said.
“It looks like a dumb rat’s tail,” Applejack noted.
“Rats aren’t dumb. They’re very clever and social creatures,” Fluttershy observed.
“They’re varmints,” Applejack said.
“My tail! My beautiful tail!” Rainbow Dash moaned.
Behind them, the spinning wheel slowed to a stop. Twilight Sparkle’s horn stopped glowing. The spindle of green thread that Rainbow Dash had been working on was now wrapped in shimmering multicolored thread.
“Rainbow Dash! How are you feeling? Any pain?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“Eh. Just a little stinging sensation. I’ll tough it out.” She flicked her bare tail. “But could you, you know, do something about this?”
“Hold still, Rainbow Dash. Everypony else, stand back,” Twilight Sparkle said. Her horn flared again, and Rainbow Dash felt a horrible itching on her tail. She resisted the urge to scratch as she watched Twilight Sparkle’s spell accelerate the regrowth of her tail hairs. After a minute, her tail was back to new.
They heard hoofsteps approaching. “Rarity’s back with dinner!” Pinkie Pie said.
“So, um, let’s hide that away,” Fluttershy said, pointing to the spindle. Twilight Sparkle nodded, and pulled the multicolored thread from the spindle. Fluttershy took it and hid it in a drawer of her sewing machine cabinet.
“Back to work, everypony,” Applejack said. “Slow and with care.”
“And not a word of this to Rarity, right, girls?” Rainbow Dash said.
“Right,” they agreed.
Author's Note
Just a quick humorous explanation about where that rainbow thread came from.
