Twilight Sparkle trotted into Carousel Boutique, the bell ringing as the door closed behind her.
"Rarity? I'm here for the dress fitting."
"Just a minute, darling, I'll be right out."
Twilight hummed, slightly flexing her wings as she looked around the shop. Rarity then walked in, a wide smile on her face—and an open book on her head.
Twilight raised an eyebrow, not entirely sure how to handle the situation. On one hand, there was a book on her best friend's head. On the other hand, Twilight didn't want to point it out. It may be some kind of new fashion statement she wasn't aware of. So she took the course of action she deemed most prudent; she said nothing.
"So, uh, Rarity... I understand you wanted to fit me for a new dress?"
Rarity nodded. "Yes, that would be correct." Rarity made a beeline towards one of the ponyquins, the book flopping against the side of her head. She pulled the dress off of the ponyquin, her smile turning into a look of pointed concern.
"Twilight, why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
Twilight shook her head. "Erm, no."
Applejack walked into the boutique. "Rarity, there's a book on your head."
"I'm aware, it's the new fashion in Canterlot," Rarity said with a giggle.
Rarity woke up with a start. What a vicious nightmare she had just experienced! The utter gall of her subconscious to flim-flam her brain into believing that wearing an open book on one's head would be an acceptable fashion style anywhere, let alone Canterlot of all places.
She shook her head, extricated herself from her bed and trotted towards the bathroom. There was still one minor detail of her somnolent torture that beguiled her
Why was I Twilight in the dream?
She thought up various interpretations for this curious aspect of her nighttime bedevilment that seemed more and more likely. Maybe she was forced into the perspective of somepony who was uninformed about the rules of fashion!
Or perhaps maybe she desired to be thrust free of the reins of being forever fashion conscious. As much as she enjoyed her destined profession, she did have to admit that the constant influx of orders from Manehattan and the Crystal Empire left her a touch harried when all was said and done.
She opened the bathroom door and looked into the mirror to discover that the true answer was far more sinister as she reflexively flexed her wing.
She was Twilight Sparkle!
Rarity woke up with a scream and instinctively looked down at herself, immensely pleased to see her porcelain countenance as she let out a relieved sigh. She did not want to be Twilight Sparkle, no matter how many benefits being said mare afforded her. She quickly went to the bathroom and washed herself, remembering that Twilight was showing up to help her fit a dress.
After washing herself, she went downstairs and examined the dress she wanted Twilight to help her fit. It was a dress she was making for Princess Luna and Twilight’s dimensions most closely matched hers.
What to do until she arrived, though? It’s not like anypony in town wore clothes, so she really didn’t see that much walk-in business. She set herself to cataloguing her new shipment of fabric bolts to pass the time.
The bell on the door of the boutique rang.
“Rarity? I’m here for the dress fitting.”
Rarity grinned. “Just a minute, darling, I’ll be right out.” She finished marking off the most recent bolt of fabric—a cerulean muslin—and trotted out to greet Twilight, who raised an eyebrow upon seeing her. Rarity thought nothing of it, this not being a dream and most certainly reality.
"So, uh, Rarity... I understand you wanted to fit me for a new dress?"
Rarity nodded excitedly as she headed towards the ponyquin that has Princess Luna’s dress fitted to it. “Yes, that would be correct. This is a dress custom-ordered by Princess Luna for the Grand Galloping Gala and I want to make sure that it’s absolutely perfect before she receives it.” Rarity slowly undressed the ponyquin and examined the shimmering silk dress in all of its hoof-crafted glory, turning around to an expression of profound bedevilment splayed across Twilight’s face. Her heart caught in her chest, her dream seeming to play out in reverse before her very eyes!
“"Twilight... why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
Twilight shook her head. “Erm, no.”
Rarity bit her lip. “Is… there a book on my head?”
“What?” Twilight asked, stifling a giggle. “Why would there be a book on your head?”
Rarity exhaled a sigh of relief. “Well, that’s good, at least.”
Applejack walked into the boutique. “Rarity, there’s a book on your head.”
“Oh, don’t be silly,” Rarity said with a chortle, “Twilight here just confirmed that there wasn’t a book on my—”
Rarity stopped when she felt the top of where her head should be, feeling the spine of a book. She trembled as she removed the… book, from her head and read the title: The New Fashion in Canterlot.
Rarity bit her lip and fell to her knees, completely perplexed by what had just transpired. Twilight had just—and then Applejack…
The strain was too much for Rarity’s thought processes. Her mouth foamed over as she fell to the floor, her body twitching intermittently.
Applejack trotted over to Rarity and poked her, her body unresponsive except for the sporadic twitching. “I think she’s broken.”
Twilight woke up with a start, utterly confused as to what had just transpired. First she was her… then Rarity as—
Twilight sat up and buried her face in her hooves. This was too much for her this early in the morning. She just now knew never to eat anything Sweetie Belle cooked before she went to bed.
At least she had something to look forward to today: the opportunity to help Rarity out with fitting a dress for Princess Luna.
Author's Note
This is a thing, yeah.
