A row of opals floated in the air, suspended in a light blue aura, around the mare as she silently counted them. Nodding when she found that she had just enough of the opaque white jewels to complete her latest project, she floated the gems into place along the red fabric. The gems spread out along its length at regular intervals before the mare’s meticulous inspection. Finally, she smiled. “Perfect,” she remarked aloud.

Rarity took a step back to admire her newly completed masterpiece. The crimson material of the dress was perfectly highlighted by the stark white stones, which in turn would highlight her own pure white coat perfectly. Satisfied, she took the dress in her magic aura and carefully levitated it towards herself and began to put it on. A quiet sigh escaped her lips as she felt the soft, silky material lightly caressing her fur and the flesh underneath. She had chosen the fabric specifically for this event; it was sturdy enough to withstand the modifications and stitching she had done to it, yet light and breathable, perfect for a late summer afternoon.

With everything in place, Rarity stepped in front of the vanity mirror set up in the store front. Glancing in each of the side mirrors, her smile broadened as she saw that her hoofwork was indeed perfect. Just as she had predicted, the material and highlight colors complemented her fur and mane perfectly. Added to that, she had spent extra time preparing her mane and tail that morning; the mirror reflected the fruits of her labors. Altogether, the pony staring back at her through the mirrors was radiant and stunning and, well... perfect.

The events about to unfold flashed through her mind once again; it took all of her willpower to not begin prancing around like a filly at Hearth’s Warming again as thoughts of the highly anticipated events swam through her head. But then, that would be unladylike and today of all days she needed to be the very model of perfection of appearance and bearing.

Rarity’s recent success at Fashion Week had drawn the attention of several of the society ponies across Equestria. In particular, the most influential ponies of Canterlot, who had seen the classy mare before, were impressed to hear from her again despite her not residing in any of the cultural centers of the country. So impressed were they in fact that Fancy Pants and many of the other nobles had planned a meeting right there in Ponyville to see first hoof just how such a remarkable pony could have come from such humble roots.

Rarity had crafted the dress she now wore specifically for today. She was absolutely certain that the visiting Canterlot elite would be simply floored by her perfection the instant she entered the town hall to greet them, and when they saw Carosel Boutique, her notoriety and her fashions would become household names across Equestria. The best part though was that all of her more... brutish friends would be busy with their own activities and wouldn’t be able to attend, meaning that for once she would have absolute control of the proceedings.

She collected herself one more time, casting a final glance over her shoulder at the mirror. She smiled self-assuredly at her reflection. At long last, it was Rarity’s time to shine! She trotted over to the front door and confidently stepped outside.

... And was immediately soaked to the bone by a sudden rain storm...

At least she thought it was a rain storm. She realized, once the shock of what had just happened cleared, that none of the surrounding area was being rained on. Squinting against the continuous deluge, she confirmed that a single storm cloud had settled over Carosel Boutique, marring an otherwise cloudless sky. Against the noise of the weather, she heard the unmistakable laugh of her brash pegasus friend, along with a similar, but younger sounding version joining the chorus; her suspicions were then confirmed as she saw a rainbow streak cutting across the sky away from the cloud before disappearing behind the hills.

“Rainbow Da~~sh!!!”

Her outraged scream easily echoed across the whole of the town, but if the rainbow-maned pegasus or her tiny cohort heard her, they made no indication of it. So stunned was she by her friend’s audacity, Rarity simply stood beneath the localized downpour trembling with impotent rage. Once she finally calmed down enough to think, her mind raced trying to salvage her situation. Her ensemble was completely drenched but otherwise unharmed. She still had time before the meeting; perhaps she could quickly dry out the dress and press everything back into place with her magic-

Her thoughts ground to a halt as she finally became aware of something... off about the water raining down on her. Curious, she sniffed at it. There was a slight sweetness to the falling rain, with just a hint of acidity; certainly a much stronger scent than rain water should have... Try as she might, Rarity couldn’t quite place what it was she smelled. It was so familiar though... It was maddening to the unicorn as she struggled to identify the rain...

“Wait a minute...” Rarity’s features contorted in horror as the answer suddenly dawned upon her. “This is...!”

Author's Note

...

Perfect.