Carousel Boutique was alive with energy. Bits of paper lay scattered in various piles along the floor, along with ribbons of fabric in various lengths of massacred thread draped over every conceivable surface. Towards the back of the shop came various cries of ‘Yes!’ and ‘Just like that!’
In the corner a white cat shivered, looking a bit shellshocked. It hazarded a step towards the safety the laundry room might offer, but the second its paw touched the ground a length of fabric flew by at the speed of sound. It pulled that paw back for fear of losing it.
Inside the boutique’s workshop Rarity was having an amazing day. She’d just been struck with a sudden inspiration that would not be tamed. It was the perfect mix of circumstances; she had no responsibilities for that day, no clients on a waiting list, no prior engagements with friends, her sister, Sweetie Belle, was with her parents and there wasn't even anything going on in town. It was the perfect day to get some real creative work done, and that was exactly what she planned to do.
She gripped a pair of scissors in a field of magic, swinging them with a flourish. A piece of fabric the size of a pony was slashed off with the nimble efficiency of a master, flying off in some unknown direction. Rarity couldn’t be concerned with tidiness at the moment, she was only concerned with the creation of her new line. She was going to revolutionize the fashion landscape of Ponyville, Canterlot, the world!
She had been inspired upon waking up. She looked into the mirror and saw herself. Purple, deep, rich, royal and lovely, matched only by pure, innocent white with just a dash of blue. Why had she never seen it before? Everypony had their own style, their own way. Why not, instead of making outfits to match occasions, she make outfits to match ponies? It was so simple; no more would there be new fashions every month, washing in and out like the seasons and tides. There would be the one dress, the one fashion that matched a pony’s form, their essence. The cutie mark of dresses! And tuxes too of course. She couldn’t forget the colt and stallion demographic.
Frankly the males in this town could do with some sprucing up, she thought to herself as she ran a needle and thread through a length of pure white fabric. Caramel and Lucky had been out on the town together just the other night in nothing but their fur. Sure that was fine for the every day, but two colts on a date should surely spruce up for one another. If she ever found a mare who shared her tastes then surely they would do that. They’d get all gussied up in their Sunday best, just like ponies in the history books used to. They’d go to restaurants and be the talk of the town, the-
Her thoughts ground to a halt as her magical field wavered slightly. The needle went off course and pricked the edge of her hoof. She gave a girlish yelp as everything floating around her fell to the ground with a loud sound of crumpling fabric, her concentration broken for the moment.
She frowned with a sound of displeasure and on impulse, sucked lightly on the tip of her hoof. Admittedly it wasn’t the cleanest thing in the universe to do, but it was habit that was hard to break. When she was little she used to do it whenever she was frightened, or hurt, old habits die hard. It wasn’t as though there were anyone around to see her in any case
.
Rarity took the tip of her hoof from her mouth and examined it, it didn’t appear to be terribly injured, so she shrugged it off and got back to work. It took some concentration to get everything back into motion the way she had before the little accident, but she was practiced in working under stressful conditions. A prick on the hoof was nothing compared to all the other things she’d had to work through in the past.
Still, she’d ought not to daydream. It was bad for concentration, besides, she was in no hurry, she’d find somepony when the moment was right, so what if she didn’t have terribly much time to date? Her business came first, maybe she’d find someone nice on the fashion circuit? In the mean time she was perfectly happy making her dresses as she always did. Besides, in the mean time she had her friends, they were supportive and kind she couldn’t ask for much more than that.
At the front of the shop, she heard the doorknob jangle. Lost deep in her thoughts, her magic wavered again and she found herself jabbed with a needle again.
“Stitches and thread!” she cursed under her breath, sucking on her hoof on automatic again as she looked towards the door. She’d locked it the previous night, in her hurry to create, and the shop not being open besides, she’d never bothered to open it again.
She took her hoof from her mouth and shook it a bit until the pain ebbed. With an errant thought she used her magic to unlock the door.
“Come in!” she said, unable to keep a slight hint of annoyance from her voice at being interrupted. Rarity made her way to the front of the shop, annoyed or not, she made it a point to never be rude, whomever was at the door would get a proper greeting. She just hoped it wasn’t Sweetie Belle and her friends. She loved those foals dearly, but right now the last thing she needed was to be swept up in some scheme.
As she walked forwards, the door opened and she was greeted by a pony with a startling blue coat and a prismatic mane. The mare smiled, her eyes growing a bit brighter as she saw Rarity.
“Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said, a bit surprised. Of all her friends to pay a casual visit Rainbow seemed the least likely. They got along swimmingly of course, but the athletic mare had little interest in fashion, Rarity’s day to day work. It was rare to see her over unless the two of them had planned something in advance. Not to mention Rainbow had been off at the Wonderbolt Academy for several weeks. None of her friends had seen her in some time. “What a surprise.”
Rainbow flipped her mane out of her eyes, giving Rarity a cool glance. “A good surprise I hope.” She laughed and looked Rarity over. As she did she fiddled with her hooves oddly. “You look good today Rare.”
Rarity’s brow furrowed. In her burst of inspiration she’d barely spruced up at all. She’d done her hair (Of course, she was just in a hurry, she wasn’t a barbarian) but even that had been a rush job. She was quite thoroughly sure she looked five times better on a day to day basis...at least she hoped she did.
“Um...thank you?” She tilted her head. “Rainbow, darling, if you don’t mind my asking, what brings you by? I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m somewhat in the middle of something.”
Rainbow shrugged, she seemed quite fidgety. She smirked a bit as she met Rarity’s eyes again. “Well, can’t I come by and see my favorite mare?”
Rarity blinked in surprise. “Your favorite? Now Rainbow, I’m not sure about that...”
The multicolored mare’s eyelashes made a strange fluttering motion. “I am...now, are you gonna invite me in? Or are we just gonna do this out on the doorstep?”
“What?...O-oh yes.” For a moment she’d forgotten her manners. No matter how busy she was it was only polite to let a guest in, let alone one of her best friends. “Come in.”Rarity turned and walked away from the door, with Rainbow following in her wake. “Now...just what are we doing exactly?” She looked over her shoulder to see Rainbow was looking at something....she tracked the mare’s gaze and a slight blush colored her pale white cheeks. No....she couldn’t have been.
Rainbow just continued on as though she hadn’t heard. “I have a question.”
Rarity paused. “Um...yes? What is it?”
“Is there any water nearby?”
Rarity frowned again, nodding to the kitchen. “Well, yes, there’s a picture in the fri-”
“Because you’re on fire~” Rainbow more-or-less purred.
Rarity stiffened. What?....She....Her brain had to readjust itself, surely Rainbow was talking about her recent work output or something. “Oh um...Yes, I’ve been quite productive as of late. Thank you for....um...noticing?” Rarity started walking again, heading towards the living room. “How have you been dear? You seem a little out of sorts...”
Rarity looked back, only to find that the mare in question wasn’t behind her. She turned to find that Rainbow had sidled up beside her with a closeness that was just a touch disconcerting.
“You’re right Rarity...I am a bit out of sorts. ...perhaps I need some tender loving care?”
Rarity’s eyes darted around the room as she took a step away from the strange acting mare. “Um...Yes...well...I can call Fluttershy if you like. She’s good with that kind of thing. I’m sure she would be happy to assist.”
Rainbow Dash made an interested sound. “Oh my...admittedly that’s a bit of a surprise Rare...Might be nice down the road...but you know I think this would be better just between the two of us.”
Rarity was grasping at straws, taking another step away from her friend. Sh-she must have been talking about wanting to hide the fact that she was feeling ill from Fluttershy? That was something Rainbow Dash would do. Perhaps there was some kind of competition coming up, and Rainbow didn’t want the rest of their friends to know in case they tried to talk her out of competing? That seemed about right.
“O-oh well...you really should tell Fluttershy, I’m sure she could help.”
Rainbow closed the gap between them, and suddenly Rarity found her back against the wall, stiffening a little as the cold (and very well designed) wallpaper pressed against her.
Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Like I said...if you want...” The mare closed the gap between them. Rarity could smell her breath, it smelled of berries and a slight mint, as though she’d used some kind of breath spray. She could also smell more natural scents on the pegasus. The smell of weather, of clean, fresh water and ionized oxygen from the lightning storm she’d probably helped organized last night. It muddled her thoughts to the point where she hardly noticed when the mare in front of her finally pressed forwards.
Rainbow Dash was a very fierce kisser. Her tongue wasted no time diving towards Rarity’s, taking the fashionista’s in a surprisingly dexterous embrace, enough to make Rarity’s hair stand on end.
That is, before a mannequin smashed into the side of the bewildered pegasus at a speed approaching mach five.
Rainbow met the opposite wall with a resounding thud, while Rarity stood there, here mane and tail still standing up at odd angles in a right mess, eyes standing wide open as she stared at nothing in particular. She didn’t even remember grabbing the mannequin in her magical grip, just the sudden heat of the kiss, the surprise, then impact.
Rainbow groaned from the far wall, a pile of fabric falling off shelves around her. The sound knocked Rarity out of her daze as she turned to watch her extricate herself from the pile. “What they hey was that for?!” she yelled indignantly.
Rarity bristled at the question, her pale white cheeks coloring deeply red. “What?! You’re asking me?! And just what do you think you were doing? Waltzing in and...and...kissing me like that!”
Rainbow looked genuinely confused. “W-what? You mean you didn’t enjoy the kiss?” She tilted her head. “I mean that’s how most ponies start having sex right? That’s how it was at the academy. You know how I always seemed flustered around other mares? Well I learned why that was. Now come on, don’t be like this, let’s get this party started!”
Rarity sputtered for a few moments, looking flabbergastedly at Opal, who had taken the break in activity to scurry into the laundry room across the hall, peeking out at the goings on with obvious enjoyment. “W-wha-...I...you...no!” The pegasus flinched. “You don’t just...just kiss somepony out of the blue! I mean...You...I can’t even...”
Rainbow looked sheepishly up at her friend. “But...you know...it’s me. I’m Rainbow Dash! You mean you don’t want t-”
Rarity cut her off. “Don’t finish that sentence. Don’t you even finish that sentence. If you wanted to woo me, that was not the way to do it!”
It was Rainbow’s turn to stutter. “But I mean. I’ve been away at the Wonderbolt Academy, and I learned so much. I just couldn’t wait to show you! I mean come on! I’m the Rainbow Dash, don’t tell me you don’t wanna get some with the most awesome pony who ever lived! Let’s just go upstairs and I can win you over. I learned this one thing a mare can do with her tongue th-”
Rarity turned a shade that would put Big Mac to shame. “No! Nononono! Out! OUT!”
Rainbow opened her mouth to say something else, but she found a magical field encompassing her whole body. She had never seen Rarity exert such magical strength before, but she was tossed head over tail out of Carousel Boutique, the door slamming behind her so hard it made the windows rattle.
Rainbow stared at the door in shock and confusion. She’d been thinking about this moment ever since she had left flight camp. The mares there had finally showed her how good her body could feel, and she just couldn’t get enough of it. She’d really wanted to show the fashionista what she could do. The other Wonderbolt hopefuls had been so casual about it. Why had Rarity gotten so upset?
She righted herself and sat on her rump, looking at her hooves.
“Well...that didn’t go as planned...” She muttered miserably.
