To Befriend a Mailpony

Chapter 2: Rarity

Ditzy flew up from the library in a lazy spiral, getting above the rooftops so she can look around. As she hung in the air, she took in a deep breath of the crisp air. Her days where like this sometimes. A series of up swings and down. Bad things and good things. She sighs and rubbed her eyes against her hoof, wishing she could remember only the good.

She shakes her head rapidly to get the negative thoughts out of her mind, her blond mess of hair bluring around her in a yellow haze. “Focus Ditzy. If you want good memories, you gotta make them. Like good muffins they require hard work and focus. Especially blue berry muffins. And banana nut muffins. Chocolate chip muffins.” She licked her lips as her mind wondered to food, her wings heading home to see if she had any made before snapping out of her muffin daze with a hoof across the cheek. “Focus Ditzy! Mail first, muffins later.”

She looked around the town to see what was near. Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash lived on the outside of the main part of the town. Sugar Cube Corner was close enough that she could see people working from the windows, possibly Mr and Mrs Cake. Her training said to go there first but.. She put a hoof over her chest as it tightened up. It was too early, even now. A turn and she could see the purple roof of Carousel Boutique. Nodding in confirmation to her own idea, she floated off towards the dress shop.

Rarity was in the middle of entertaining guests while Ditzy was heading her way. Fancypants and Fleur de Lis had come to see some new designs by Rarity, both having become fans of her accidental rustic designs. Well, she was sure that Fancypants was a fan, the pink coated mare who hangs on him like the fancy suits he wears never seemed to speak, or hold still, or look at anything for more than a moment.

It was a pain to try and get her measurements, the two of them moving like a strange dance, but she finally got them so she could get started on the designs.  Rarity magicked a Dress Template that she had made herself to account for the mare's long thin body, a rare type in this town, and several different colored Pastels to her design desk. “I want to thank you both again for taking time out to come visit. I know it was rude of me to ask for you to visit, however I assure you that this will be over quickly.”

“Miss Rarity, it is an honor to visit the place where such magnifisant dresses and outfits are designed. Anyone who doesn't visit the workplace of someone they work with is just rude.” Fancypants was one of the more unusual of the active members of the upper society culture. Most make an art form out of being snobs and rude to anyone who isn't like them, however he was more open minded than them.

'Sure,' Rarity thought, 'he only grew interested once he heard where I was staying. But at least he took the time to listen.' Rarity was in the process of trying to find a color to match the mare's light pink coat, having to find the new place she had wondered off to each time Rarity looked away. “Thank you. Still, it must have been so troublesome to ride the trade all the way here. I do hope the trip was... relaxing?”

She trailed off as, in the process to find where Fleur wondered off to, her eyes caught a gray and blond pegasus moving towards the Boutique in an erratic manner. She knew it was Ditzy, the mailpony , quickly and a quick glance to the trees that were visible from the window explained why she was. The weather ponies had started the light storm early, the wind was picking up and the mailpony looked like she was fighting against it with all her strength to keep in control. Rarity could already see what would happen should she lose against the wind and head crashing towards them. Most of the building was surrounded with tall windows and if she didn't crash though the wall but one of those, the damage to the items inside the building will be minor to what might happen to the pegasus when she meets the glass.

She snapped out of the daze her panic had sent her in as she realized that Fancypants was talking. “...rustic charm was refreshing after spending so long with Canterlot styles. Of course, the only nice thing he could say was how easy they must be to take off. Hah, and he wonders why I don't invite him to most of my affairs.” He was looking at Fleur while he was talking, but when he was looking for a reply, he turned to Rarity and asked. “Rather stiff of him, don't you think?”

“Wha- Oh! Yes, very much. Perhaps he just needs a chance to.. see it for himself?” Rarity quickly pulled herself out of her mind and focused on the situation at hand. “But lets worry about that for another time. I don't think ether of you want to stand around while I get the rough drafts up. I got some snacks from the local bakery called Sugar Cube Corner made by Pinkie Pie with ingredients from Sweet Apple Acres and Applejack. You remember the two of them, Pinkie Pie was the energetic one and Applejack was the one that was the most rustic of our group.” She spoke rapidly to keep control of the situation as she lead them back to a seating area where the snacks were. Once they were seated, she moved to prevent a disaster.

Rarity threw open the window closest to the struggling mailpony, getting a face full of the cold wet air as she did. “Ditzy!” She called out to get the pegasus' attention. “Ditzy! This way!” She waved both her forelegs to show where she wanted the pegasus to land. But she wouldn't have any of it.

“No! I can do it. I can land! I promised I wouldn't crash anymore. I can do it!” As much as she said it, the facts were against her. Already her strength was fading. She was being thrown further and in wider arcs with each gust. The weather not caring for the strength of the little pegasus' heart.

“Ditzy! It's fine, even Rainbow Dash would have given up trying for a normal landing by now.. Oh dear.” Her words making her see that if Ditzy did head towards the window, it would just lead to another crash. She looked around quickly before grabbing three sheets of cloth with her magic and hanging it in the air with the firmest first and the softest last, right in front of the window for Ditzy to aim for. She moved back to the window and called out again. “Ditzy! Please before you hurt yourself!”

Seeing the safety net that Rarity had set up, Ditzy gave up trying to fight against the wind and with the next gust, barreled towards the cloth head over hoof. She hit it hard and it wrapped around her like she was a Hearthwarming Eve present but it softened her landing so that she safely rolled to a stop in the middle of the shop, groaning in a daze as she tried to work her way out.

Rarity couldn't help but be reminded of the first time she meet Ditzy as the cloth wrapped around her. The images from that day flashing past her eyes as she moves to help the pegasus unwrap herself...

It had been another day that was set to storm, before Twilight had arrived and changed Rarity's world, and she was enjoying her days being a small time dress designer working her way up. The day had been rather cold both weather wise and personally. She was already short on bits, but no one would back down on their prices and sell her goods cheaply. She knew that everyone knew how she had staked out on her own and needed every bit, but they refused to try and help.

When she got home, she was still fuming. “Oh, those.. those.. Heartless, greedy hicks! I repair and mend their clothing for half the price anyone would do in Canterlot with the best of quality and they repay me by scraping me for every bit I had!” She stomped her hooves in frustration, gaining an upset mrawl from Opalescence, her white furred cat, as she looked down at Rarity from her design desk. Rarity turned on the cat now. “Oh, don't you stab me in the back as well. You know how nice I am to them with my prices and no matter how low I go, I give it my all. But they don't care in the slightest!”

Rarity stomped her hooves more and Opal had enough. She jumped down from the desk and ran out of the door that was left open. Rarity didn't bother giving chase, only calling out “Don't you track mud back in when you return!” before going about her work. But as time wore on and Opal didn't return, Rarity became more and more worried as the sky grew darker and darker with storm clouds until she couldn't take it anymore.

She had been working on a new outfit for winter, a cotton and wool based coat that would provide warmth and comfort and in her rush to find Opalescence forgot to remove it. She dashed out into the moist air and called out for her cat. “Opal! Opalescence! It's time to come home, darling. It's going to rain soon!” She called out for a while longer till she heard mewing from a nearby tree.

Opal had gotten herself up on a branch just out of reach of Rarity, giving her a mean look after it took so long for Rarity to try and find her. “Opal, you need to hurry and come down. It's going to rain soon and you don't want to be caught out now do you?” Rarity tried appealing to Opal's desire to not get wet to urge her down, but she wouldn't have any of it and she showed it with a firm shake of her head. “Ohhh... Fine. I'll go get.. something to make you come down. Just wait here-GAH!” Her statement was interrupted as when she turned to leave, she nearly ran into a pony.

“Hi! I heard you talking really loud so I came to see what you were talking really loud to!” The pony said as she lifted off the ground with her wings. “I thought at first that you gave the tree a name and was arguing with it and trying to get it to go inside, which is silly because trees don't talk or walk and I don't think they like being inside or else they would have built their own homes, right? Well, there was that tree during the school play but there was somepony in that!” She giggled as she floated around Rarity.

Rarity shocked by the sudden arrival of the blond haired pony with the grey coat at first, but then she was just driven confused by her sudden rambling about trees. She reminded Rarity of the pink earth pony she meet when she first arrived. With a short shake of her head, she focused back on what was going on and stopped the pegasus with her hoof. “Well, I assure you that I wasn't yelling at the tree, I was speaking to my cat. I need to get her inside before it rains so excuse me.”

She starts walking past the strange pony but stops before she got anywhere by her saying, “Well, I can get her down!” She giggled as she flew up into the tree calling out for Opal  before Rarity could stop her and the Unicorn could only watch as the pegasus somehow got tangled in the limbs of the tree above where Opal was. “Opps.” Was her only response to the strange turn of events as she tried to untangle herself and get to Opal. “I-I can get her. Hang on..”

Rarity sighed and shook her head, thinking 'Whatever reward she is hoping to get isn't worth this.' Rarity watched as the pegasus finally untangled herself and got Opal to climb onto her before floating down. “Thank you. That was kind of you to get her. If you will excuse me.” Rarity starts to turn, but the Pegasus speaking up halts her.

“Oh! That's ok. I said I'd help people and that's what I do. It wasn't really my fault anyway, I can't even remember how it happened but I'm doing my best to make up for it. They said that it should be fixed tomorrow anyway so everypony should be a lot happier anyway and that makes me happy and-” She was cut off as a flash of lightning and crash of thunder makes her cry out and wrap her hooves around Rarity.

Rarity on the other hand was more worried about the rain that was rapidly starting to build up. Under the tree she was mostly safe, but she had to get inside before the moisture started to effect her outfit. “Oh no, the rain. Please, miss, I need to get inside before I get too badly wet.” She pleaded as she tried to get the strange pony off of her.

“You don't want to get wet?” the Pegasus asked, tilting her head in a questioning way before gasping and taking off into the air and nodding. “Wait here ok! I'll get you something to keep you dry, ok!” She doesn't wait to get a reply before speeding off into the distance, leaving Rarity rather speachless.

Rarity watched the pegasus fade into the distance before turning to Opalescence on her back. “Lets just go, the damage shouldn't be.. too bad.” She watched as the rain picked up more and more. “Besides, she's not coming back. She'll see how bad the rain is and just forget it.” She slowly creeped towards the edge of the tree cover until Opal jumpped off of her and walked back to the tree, sitting down and refusing to move.

Rarity walked back in a huff and tried to pick the feline up with her mouth, but was unable to catch her. “Opal.. You can't really expect her to come back, do you? You heard what happened to me, didn't you? She isn't going to come back. No one would. Why would she get herself wet for me? No one cares enough here!”

“I care.” Came the familiar voice of the pegasus. Rarity turned in shock, the mare was indeed back and in her hooves was a folded blanket with a bubble pattern pressed to her chest to keep it dry. “I want to be your friend.” She said with a smile like it was the answer that everyone knew. She pulled open the blanket, showing that two corners were tied to her back hooves and she held onto the front corners with her front hooves, making a mobile shelter from the rain. “Come on!”

Rarity was still in shock, she could only nod dumbly and walk under the blanket, directing the pegasus back to her shop. All the while, she could hear the blanket getting soaked with water, but the tight weaving kept it from dripping though. Rarity was still unable to process what had happened even as she walked into her shop and almost didn't catch when the wind suddenly picked up and blew the pegasus out of the air and sent her tumbling across the ground.

When it finally clicked what had happened, she nearly tore her outfit off of herself and ran outside, not caring how her hair was being ruined in the rain, looking for where the pegasus had landed, finding her finally wrapped up in her blanket. Covered in mud and with a large tear right in the middle of it. “Miss.. Miss are you ok?”

The mess giggled and groaned as her head poked out. “My name isn't 'Miss'. It's Ditzy! Ditzy Doo.” She pulled herself out of the mess and looked down sadly at the blanket as Rarity felt a pain in her heart. Here she was cursing the world and this entire town for not caring about her situation and when somepony comes along who does care, she didn't even bother to ask for her name. “Blankie got a hole in it...” Ditzy said softly.

Rarity perked up at the notion and tried together it up. “Darling, let me fix it up for you. I'll make it all better and clean it up too.” She sent her magic out to take up the fabric but Ditzy pulled it away, shaking her head as she lifted herself with her wings and dropped the ruined blanket in the trash.

Rarity followed her but didn't take it out. “Darling?”

Ditzy whipped her eyes and smiled widely, a grin that looked like it could bring out the sun past the clouds. “It's fine, it's fine! I need to get going though. It's going to get worse tonight. Bye!” She took off in a yellow and gray blur, leaving Rarity and the ruined blanket behind.

However, the unicorn wasn't one to leave things like that. She lifted up the blanket and hurried to take it inside. She already knew what she'd do. She'll clean it, sew it up and then make that Pegasus' day. Maybe even her week! The deed, however, would prove harder than she thought. The water, tearing and stretching the fabric went though during the events of the night ruined any chances of it being used as a proper blanket again. And the mud left a stain that none of her tricks could remove no matter how hard she tired.

It wasn't till tomorrow that Rarity learned just how important the blanket was. When Rarity was drying it out in the sun, she was approached by a orange haired pony. “Excuse me.” the pony asked, her voice unsure as she looked mostly at the blanket than Rarity.

“Yes? I'm sorry, but I have a personal order to fulfill, but return tomorrow if you can.” Rarity said quickly, trying to make it clear she was more focused on her work than the other pony.

“I see that. I wondered what happened to Ditzy's blanket.” The other pony said off handedly as she looked at the cloth closely, noting the large stain on it.

Rarity perked up. “You know Ditzy? Oh please tell her to drop by soon so I can return this. I promise that I can get it looking clean.”

However, Rarity's request was meet with a shake of the other's orange mane. “I don't think that would be a good idea. This blanket belonged to Ditzy's grandmother. She had made it after Ditzy decided to leave Cloudsdale and move to Ponyville. She died not long after and at first, it was good because it let her ease her sadness. But it's a crutch now. It being gone might actually help her move on. She might start trying to make friends instead of living with just memories.” The mare with the yellow coat put a hoof on Rarity's shoulder. “As her friend, I ask that you hide this from her. Maybe she can have it returned one day, but she needs to stand up on her hooves.”

Rarity could only dumbly nod and go about putting away the precious cloth. To hear that a pony could sacrifice something so close to them for a stranger spoke to something deep in her heart. She would later learn that the cause for the high prices was due to a major accident on a road way connecting Ponyville to a nearby city. It cut into their revenue and they had to keep prices high to feed their families. That day would never leave her mind...

Rarity finally got the pegasus out of the blankets, the both of them falling into giggle fits during the entire process. “My goodness, darling, when you get yourself tangled up, you make sure it's good and tangled, don't you.”

Ditzy on the other hoof was more focused on the blankets after she was finally out and hovering above them, her giggling fading away to replaced with a look of worry. “But.. I made a mess again. I still can't land right.” She lifted up the wrinkled and dirtied cloths for Rarity to take away and toss aside.

“Nonsense, dear. While it might not have been a five star landing, it was a landing. A rough landing, that's all.” Rarity said while putting a hoof on both of Ditzy's shoulders, trying to ease the pegasus' worries as best she can. “Now, shall we call this a social call or do those saddlebags of yours carry something for me?”

Ditzy tilts her head for a moment, looking a bit lost at the question until she brightens up and remembers whys he came here. “Oh yes. Delivery~!” She sings out as she digs into her saddlebag to pull out a roll of pink cloth that was much too big compared to the outside of the saddlebag. But Rarity had seen such magic before and only smiled as she saw it.

“Oh yes! Finally! I've been waiting for this for so long.” She laughed in almost a singsong way as she took the cloth and rolled part of it out. “Oh, just perfect.” She said to herself as she let the light shine on it.

Ditzy took a closer look at it. “Were you running out of pink cloth?” She asks, looking around at the many colors that were placed on the shelves around the shop.

“No No, dear. This is a very special cloth. In fact, it isn't really cloth at all. These are magic fibers. Watch closely when I infuse it with a charge.” Rarity removed a strip from the roll and charged it with her magic. After a moment, it started to float and flutter like it was caught in the wind. A sight that left Ditzy wide eyed and amazed.

“Wow... That'll make a pretty dress, Rarity.” She looked as if she was going say something else, but looks away quietly, focusing on her saddlebag with her eyes half closed. Her sudden silence was not missed by Rarity.

“Darling? Whats wrong?” She asked while putting the cloth away safely.

“It's nothing. I need to get going. I think the wind has died down enough for me to make my next stop. Goodbye, thanks for catching me.” She forced a smile before heading towards the door and out into the weather.

She is stopped just before she could open the door by a roll of cloth. “Now hold on there. Don't think I'm going to let you get away that easily. My friend suddenly looking downtrodden in my store is not going to stand. I refuse to let you leave before tell me what is bothering you.” She said firmly but her eyes where soft as she walked to the pegasus.

Ditzy shook her head at first, looking away. “I.. I'm fine.. Really.. I..” But she closed her eyes and was quiet again for a few moments before looking at Rarity with her eyes brimming over with tears. “I wish sometimes that I was pretty enough to wear dresses like yours.” Saying those words, the words that she believed from the bottom of her heart, opened the floodgates and the tears feel from her eyes like rivers.

To say Rarity was in shock would be an understatement. Her friend's words struck her so deeply it broke her magic holding the roll of cloth and it almost appeared to have caused her hair to loose it's rolls just out of the sadness she felt. “Ditzy... Whatever horrible pony told you that is the one not pretty enough to wear my dresses. In fact, I had thought that you were like Applejack and didn't like wearing dresses. See.. I had one made for you a long time ago.”

She took the now surprised Pegasus' hooves in her own and lead her to a private closet where she kept dresses she's made for her friends that didn't have the closet space. The names Applejack and Rainbow Dash were marked above two sections, filled with several outfits wrapped in protective plastic. And right next to them was one marked for Ditzy Doo. With a flick of her horn, Rarity opened it, to reveal a dress and jewel set made just for the mailpony.

The rest was a blur to Ditzy as Rarity quickly fussed over the Pegasus. Though Ditzy, still in denial about herself, tried to point out excuses. They were quickly shotdown by the unicorn. When she said her coat wasn't shiny like Rarity's, she found herself being rubbed down by some oils and a firm comb that made her coat almost glow. When she mentioned her hair, Rarity said that it doesn't look any worse than Rainbow Dash and the wild look was in anyway. Though that didn't stop her from adding a few accents and tying the back into a tail. Before Ditzy could find anything else wrong with herself, she looked at the mirror and for a moment, didn't recognize the pony looking back at her.

The pony in the mirror was wearing a beautiful dress that Ditzy never could have dreamed up. She was wearing a vest that was gold as it went down her back and wrapped around to the front until it  meet with a grey-blue that went down her chest. Down her flank flowed a gold trimmed dress made up of the same grey-blue that covered her chest. But floating up from the bottom were beautiful silver-blue bubbles. Her hooves were wrapped in gold shoes with bubbles hanging from them and she even had bubbles in her hair and attached to the tie that held it back in a tail.

As she took in the sight before her, she couldn't help but be drawn to her eyes. She looked back at them in frustration before concentrating and for a moment, they were straight before Rarity put her hoof on Ditzy's shoulder. “No, Darling. No. Just relax. Smile. Let your imperfection be what makes you beautiful. Look at my horn, no where near long enough or pointed enough by some pony standards, yet  I display it proudly.” She said with a pose to prove that.

Ditzy was not very convinced. But still, she looked at the mirror again and brought herself to smile. Seeing herself smiling back only made her smile more. “It is very pretty Rarity. Where did you get the design from? I love that.”

Rarity was surprised at the question, but smiled and said softly. “Do you remember the night we first meet? What you used to keep me and Opal dry as you lead us back to my shop?”

Ditzy only tiled her head in response at first, but then it dawned on her like the sun during the Solar celebration. The pegasus turned and traced her gold shoe covered hoof along the cloth. “Grandmama..” she whispered as she circled the bubbles on the cloth.

“I did the best I could. I couldn't save all of it though. However, I know I couldn't just let it be thrown away. This is my gift for you. Just for being a friend.”

Ditzy was on the verge of tears again and Rarity was growing misty eyed along side her. A moment that words could only ruin, the two friends quietly embrased, holding each other tightly for a long time. It was only after that long moment that they remembered that they were both in the middle of their jobs. After a careful removal and storage of the dress, Ditzy quickly pulled on her saddlebag and seeing that it wasn't yet time for the rain, she headed out, waving goodbye to her unicorn friend as she hovered above the ground, her next destination not too far away.

Rarity watched her go for a time before closing the door and turning around to find Fleur di Les standing there, smiling at her. “Oh! You scared me a bit. I'm sorry for the delay, it was a personal matter that-”

She was cut off as the taller unicorn approached and lowered her head, looked deeply into Rarity's eyes before saying in a soft and gentle voice “Vous êtes très aimable”.

Rarity recognized the language, but before she could try to reply, the unicorn turned away and headed back to where Fancypants was, almost floating on her steps. The stallion in question was just coming out when she approached. “Ah, there you are darling. Those snacks were so good that I couldn't help but relax so deeply. Did you keep yourself entertained?” She replied by wrapping her hooves around his neck and whispering something to him. Or at least Rarity hoped she was whispering and not nibbling on his ear. In ether case, he smiled and looked to Rarity. “I believe before we went to get a snack, we were in the middle of business.”

Rarity nodded, getting back into her zone and bringing up the newly delivered cloth. “Yes, I just had this arrive. The magic in this will make it so that she will always look like she's in a soft summer's breeze without revealing too much...” As she spoke, she brought up several designs, showing different ways to use the unique cloth, though part of her mind was still on her pegasus friend and the letter she wrote about her.

To her Royal Highness, Celestia

Before I meet Ditzy Doo, I had believed that Generosity was simply freely giving of what you have in excess to someone else. Whether it be dresses, free time or your tail hair, I had thought that people who did not do so where unsophisticated, rude or selfish. Now I see how wrong I was.

Generosity is more than that. It is giving freely of things that don't have a value. Trust, understanding, and the benefit of the doubt for a few. And Generosity is also giving what you hold most valuable to your heart to someone else when it is freely given. And those gifts. The gifts that are from the bottom of your heart are gifts that can not be measured.

The only way to repay gifts such as those, is to use them in ways that can only make the giver smile. And I hope one day I can be as generous as the young pegasus who showed me what generosity truly is.

Your Faithful Subject,

Rarity.