A Wonderful Get-Together, An Unexpected Get-Another

"Oh, I'm so glad you managed to visit our quiet little town, Coco," Rarity sang, her vibrant voice reverberating through the market square. "I'm sure it's a perfect place for taking a little break from a busy life of a city as glamorous as Manehattan. Though, I frankly don't understand how a pony could get tired of it." She winked.

Coco studied the cobble path underneath her hooves, her face graced with a faint smile. "Believe me, Miss Rarity, I needed this break more than you could imagine."

"Why do you insist on calling me miss?" Rarity pouted, her lip quivering. "Am I that much older than you?" A mirror produced out of thin air sailed in front of the unicorn's face. "Have wrinkles already appeared on my face? Because every time you call me miss I have a distinct feeling of another one popping right out." She looked deep in Coco's eyes. "Do you want me to feel old?"

"Of course not... Rarity," Coco chuckled.

The fashionista clapped her hooves. "Excellent! Now, be a dear and tell me what you think of the prototype line I showed you, hm?" She narrowed her eyes slightly. "But remember, I want to hear an honest opinion."

"Fit for a princess." Coco exhaled. "You couldn't have chosen a more fitting name. Where do you get those amazing fabrics and ideas from?"

Rarity smiled, her eyes brimming with pride. "Why, thank you. I do hope you won't hold my desire not to reveal my trade secrets against me."

The earth pony smiled. "Of course not. I understand it perfectly, especially considering the Polomare incident."

"Speaking of my former competitor..." Rarity's brow furrowed marginally despite her best effort not to show it. "How is she faring in the big city?"

"Frankly –" Coco drew a sigh of relief "– I don't know. And have no desire to find out."

The corners of Rarity's lips traveled upwards by a degree most ponies wouldn't even notice. "A wise decision, if you don't mind me saying that. She worked very hard to deserve ponies' ostracism. I wonder whether she is happy now that she's finally earned it."

Coco didn't answer, nor did she drag the topic on any longer. Suri Polomare was, like any other unwanted bygone, best left alone.

"You, on the other hoof, seem to be taking the city by storm." Rarity nudged the earth pony's side with a hoof, a sly smile forming on her face. The blush on Coco's face only encouraged her to go on with the teasing. "Oh, don't be so modest, darling. The word about your partnership with that lovely zebra potion master have already left Manehattan and traveled within the upper classes of Canterlot. Who would have thought it would be perfumes?"

Coco studied the patterns of cobble beneath her hooves as her cheeks threatened to burn the coat off her skin. "Well, the mares of my family have been known for their keen sense of smell for generations," she said, "but before I met Zaree, I have never expected I could use mine to test the aroma of perfumes."

"Just think of the possibilities." Rarity waved her hoof at the sky, her eyes glimmering. "In a few years from now, every mare in Canterlot, Baltimare, Manehattan, and Fillydelphia shall be wearing my dresses and freshen herself up with your perfumes."

"I don't know about every mare," Coco chuckled. She stopped and looked Rarity in the eyes. "But if they do, I will owe it all to you. If it weren't for you, Rarity, I would probably still be sewing buttons for Suri."

"Nonsense, darling." Rarity shook her head. "I gave you but the tiniest of pushes, everything else is your own merit."

"Sometimes, the tiniest of pushes moves that one small pebble which starts an avalanche, though." Coco smiled.

"And what an avalanche it will be." Rarity's eyes glittered with tiny stars. "The Coco-Zaree perfumes will cause a stir, I'm sure of it."

The earth pony rubbed the back of her head. "I don't think Zaree would want her name to appear on a perfume label. Zebras are very protective of their given name, you know. They consider sharing it a great honor, given only to those they trust and respect."

"Imagine that, I had no idea." Rarity slowed down her trot, noticing Coco had stopped before the fountain. "Ponyville does have its own zebra herbal expert. She calls herself Zecora, but after what you've told me, we have no way of knowing whether it's her real name."

Coco scratched her chin. "It certainly sounds zebrish... But Zaree once mentioned zebra names are built of two parts, separated by an apostrophe. Most probably Miss Zecora only revealed half of her name to you, just like Zaree did to me."

"Why would anypony—or a zebra, for that matter—do that?" Rarity stopped to look in Coco's eyes, her brow furrowed in shock and disbelief. "I would love to have my own name known and recognized. To think that somepony would intentionally hide it..."

"Well, Zaree once told me full name is everything zebra shamans need to put a curse on someone. Perhaps that's the reason for their secrecy?" She shrugged. "I can't say I believe in any of that, but I'm surely not going to challenge her beliefs."

"Celestia forbid." Rarity shook her head. "This raises an interesting question, though. How do other ponies address her?"

"When she introduces herself, she prefers to use the direct translation of her name in our language: Spirit Channel."

"It does sound a tad more pony, I'll give her that." Rarity's face burst in a radiant smile as she turned to her friend. "Well then, I guess they will be Coco-Channel perfumes taking on Equestria then."

Coco smiled to herself, containing a blush that crept on her cheeks.

Rarity motioned at the earth pony, leaning secretly towards her. "Before they do, however, I'm positive you should think of appropriate names for them. Something that smells as divine as that little bottle you gave me, deserves a more fitting name than a simple 'No. 5', wouldn't you agree?"

Coco offered a sheepish smile. "It's only a prototype mixture, our fifth sample so far—hence the name."

Rarity put her hoof on Coco's shoulder. "You should never underestimate the value of a catchy and creative name, my dear," she said, looking into Coco's eyes. "It can make a difference between life and death of your creation in other ponies' mouths. And sometimes, word of mouth is an advertisement which brings the most customers."

Coco nodded. She wasn't going to argue with a pony who clearly had more marketing experience than her.

They trotted alongside in silence, Coco taking in the rural architecture of Ponyville, until they stopped before a small, inconspicuous building.

"And here we are," Rarity announced, pointing at the building. "The beauty center of Ponyville, the wellness pride of our little town, a perfect place to raise a pony's spirit and freshen her body..." she said, her face oozing with pride. "Let me introduce: the Day Spa."