As was often the case, Rarity's workshop at CHS was a plethora of fashion and design. True, while there were many places in this room that seemed unkempt, or, as Rarity put it, "organized chaos", there was nevertheless a feeling that this was the workplace of an artist. Look anywhere within those four walls and your saw a passion for creating beautiful and brilliant outfits, from the many design sheets hung up on the wall, to the already-cut segments of fabric, to the fact that Rarity herself was now hard at work at her sewing machine. And speaking of whom, the young fashionista was, at this very moment, enraptured with her current task, with her tongue sticking out as she focused on the last few moments of her sewing. Eventually, and after looking over the fabric, she gained a bright smile upon her face.
"Perfect!"
Placing the cloth down carefully to one side, she got up from her chair, moving over to one of the designs on the wall, studying it carefully. Doubtless, to one such as her, she would have probably been right on the cusp of making some big change or adjustment to it. But, before she had the chance to do so, there was a knocking upon her door, gaining her attention. Turning to it, she took off her distinct red glasses, before speaking up to the mystery guest.
"It's open. Do come in."
The knob of the door turned, and the thing soon swung open fully, and when it did, Rarity regained her earlier smile. For there, standing on the other side, was Flash. The boy looked around the place, clearly unfamiliar with a lot of what was going on here, but, as he closed the door behind him, he took a casual step towards Rarity.
"Sunset said you wanted to see me?"
Classing her hands together, Rarity nodded.
"Indeed I did!"
She moved closer to him, placing her hands upon her hips as she began to explain things.
"The thing is, Flash...I need your help."
The boy considered that for a moment, stuffing his hands into his jacket pocket as he replied.
"Well...you know I'm always willing to help out, Rarity, but...I'm not exactly a fashion expert."
Raising a hand to her mouth, Rarity stifled a giggle before continuing her explanation.
"Don't worry, Flash. What I need you for is very simple. You see..."
Turning, she gestured to many of the designs and half-finished outfits on display around them.
"...while you can plainly understand that I have done much to help out the cause of fashion and aesthetics here at our beloved school, I came to a rather...embarrassing realisation."
Flash raised an eyebrow to that, but said nothing as Rarity looked to him once more.
"I came to understand that almost all of my work has been devoted to the girls of CHS. Whereas you and the other fine fellows have been completely ignored!"
A look of shame crossed her face.
"Clearly, I had to do something to rectify this situation!"
In spite of himself, Flash let out a brief chuckle.
"No offense, Rarity, but I wouldn't let something like that upset you. We're fine, honest."
But, in response to that, Rarity frowned slightly, placing one hand on her hip and waggling the index finger of her other hand in front of Flash's face in an almost-scolding manner.
"No no no! We'll have none of that! This was an oversight of mine and I intend to do something about it!"
Placing his hand behind his head, Flash scratched there in a nervous manner for a few moments, before, finally, just coming out and saying what was on his mind.
"Okay, I guess I can't stop you, but...that still doesn't explain what you need me for."
For just a flicker of a second, Rarity gained a somewhat sneaky-looking smirk, before wiping it away and wearing her usual smile. She gave the boy a "come over here" gestured with her finger, which he politely agreed to, and within seconds, the two were standing by one of the nearby walls. There, hanging from it, was, without question, a tuxedo of some sort. It was rather reminiscent of the one Flash had worn during the infamous Fall Formal some time ago, but it had clearly had a few adjustments made to it.
"Huh, looks pretty good," Flask remarked.
Rarity looked to him, seeming more than a little bit pleased at his words.
"Thank you, darling. I was rather happy with it myself."
Letting out a sigh, the fashionista turned to him fully.
"Now then...if you would be so kind..."
She didn't finish her words, but them, she didn't really need to. For flash soon looked to her, then to the outfit, then back to her, before gaining a look of realisation, complete with wider eyes.
"Oh! You want me to try it on?"
Clasping her hands together again, Rarity nodded.
"Indeed! I need to know if it suits you!"
Although hesitant at first, Flash looked once more to the outfit, considering the proposal for a bit before, in the end, letting out a sigh.
"Well...I guess it couldn't hurt."
To that, Rarity looked as if she might let out a Pinkie-style squeal of joy, but, as ever, kept herself restrained, limiting herself to a simple smile of appreciation. As for Flash, he reached forward and took the outfit off its hanger, before then starting to look around a bit. Sure enough, there was a make-shift dressing cubicle in the corner of the room, which he promptly made his way over to. Rarity followed, and watched as he closed the door of the thing behind him. Within moments she could hear the clear sound of changing clothes on the other side, and so chose this moment to ask her questions.
"I do hope I got the size right, darling. I never did take your measurements before making it."
A small chuckle was heard on the other side before she got her answer.
"Don' worry, Rarity, this thing fits like a glove."
Again, Rarity seemed pleased by this, and she continued to wait for her latest helper to come out. Thankfully, that didn't take long, as the cubicle door then slid open, revealing Flash on the other side. Taking a step back, Rarity looked her work over now that it was actually being worn by somebody. Just as the boy had said, it fit him well, and as he stepped out, he too looked down at himself.
"This is some pretty nice work, Rarity."
Rarity smiled warmly to this.
"Yes, it does rather suit you. A fine creation, even if I do say so myself."
Flash smiled back to this, but before he could respond, he noticed, in the corner of his eye, that there was a large, full-body mirror nearby. Curiosity took hold of him, and he began to make his way over, with Rarity close behind. It didn't take long for Flash to see his reflection, and he considered his new appearance well for almost a solid minute, while Rarity watched him from the side. In the end, a slight smirk crept onto his face, and he lifted both hands, putting them together and gesturing as if he was holding up some kind of imaginary gun.
"The name's Sentry. Flash Sentry."
Naturally, Rarity couldn't help but roll her eyes at that, but nevertheless giggled slightly at the display, and watched as the boy turned to her, smiling genuinely as he spoke.
"It's perfect."
Placing her hands upon her cheeks, Rarity seemed truly touched by that.
"You think so?"
Flash nodded.
"I do."
To say that Rarity seemed flattered would have been an understatement right now. However, mere seconds after the compliment, she gained a look that even Flash could recognise as her having some kind of idea. He watched as she rushed past him, grabbing something from one of the other hangers off the walls, before charging past him again and heading straight into the changing cubicle herself. The thing closed before Flash could really make sense of what was happening, and, as he took a cautious step towards the cubicle, his tone reflected this.
"Um...Rarity?"
As the sound of changing clothes could once more be heard on the other side, Rarity answered.
"Just a moment, darling. There's something I wanted to see."
Flash nodded, though was still unsure of what to make of all this. But, just as he looked away briefly to glance around the room, his head snapped back to the cubicle when it, at last, opened up again. For a moment, Flash stood there with his mouth gaping open at the sight that now greeted him. Rarity was standing in the doorway of the cubicle and had, of course, changed her outfit. She was now wearing a slim and glamorous evening dress, a slightly lighter shade of purple than her hair, complete with high heels. One hand was on her hip while the other was placed upon the doorway of the cubicle, and she looked to the gaping boy with a sweet smile.
"Well? How is it?"
The boy, realising how he must have looked right now, shook himself out of that state, returning to his more genuine smile before giving his friend her answer.
"Wow, you...you look great!"
A slight blush crept onto Rarity's cheeks at that.
"Thank you. I've been working on it for some time. I was hoping to try it out at a special occasion. But first..."
She didn't finish her words, and instead marched in a purposeful manner towards Flash, grabbing hold of his arm and practically dragging him back to the mirror. The two now stopped before it, looking to their shared reflection, with Rarity's arm looped through his, as if they were on some kind of date. As she glanced at her image in the mirror, she looked very satisfied.
"I thought so. I was thinking these two outfits might go together for a special pair of people."
Flash looked to the image himself now, and couldn't help but nod in agreement.
"Yeah...I guess they do work pretty well together."
Rarity began to wear a slightly more mischievous smile at that.
"I must confess...that right there? That is one fine-looking couple."
Here, however, Flash looked down to her with a degree of uncertainty.
"Um...Rarity?"
But, she just giggled in response.
"I'm just teasing, darling. I would never suggest such a thing with a "taken" gentlemen such as yourself."
Flash, of course, let out a sigh of relief to that, but, in the time it took to blink an eye afterwards, Rarity let go of him, reaching back to her neck and looking, for some reason, in pain.
"Oh!" she exclaimed.
Immediately, Flash's face became more serious.
"Rarity? What's wrong?"
The girl seemed to appear embarrassed about something, but was, at first, hesitant to answer him. But, after seeing the concerned manner in which he looked to her, she let out a sigh before explaining things.
"Well...I suppose I've been working just a tad harder than I thought. I think I might have strained something in my neck."
Flash looked over to the spot she was nursing, then looked her right in the eye again.
"Can...is there anything I can do to help?"
Rarity paused, considering that for a moment, before looking to him in a sweet and innocent manner.
"Actually...I don't think I can really sort this out myself. Could you, maybe...?"
Flash understood at once what she was asking, and while he was, for a time, uncertain about how to proceed, he soon took on a more resolved expression.
"Well...I said I was going to help...so I will."
Rarity smiled to him, and before long, she walked over to a the chair by her sewing machine, sitting upon it while Flash stood nearby. Reaching behind and grabbing hold of her hair, she moved it all to the front of her right shoulder, exposing her neck, which, given her current outfit, also exposed much of her bare back as well, right the way down to the middle of her torso. Naturally, Flash couldn't help but gain a slight blush to this, but quickly composed himself as he took a step closer to her. Glancing over her shoulder, Rarity looked to him in an expectant manner.
"Whenever you're ready."
Flash nodded, reaching forward with both hands to the back of her neck. He placed them upon the spot she'd been touching before and, as gently as possible, began to rub the tense spot. Rarity instantly let out a sigh to this, seeming far more relaxed than she had been before.
"That's...much better."
Flash smiled slightly, clearly pleased at being able to help her.
"Just tell me when you're feeling good enough."
Rarity nodded, and his careful soothing of her neck carried on for about a minute. When it was over, Rarity opened her mouth to speak, perhaps to let Flash know that everything was fine. But, before she got out even a single word, both of them were taken aback by the arrival of a third voice.
"Flash?"
Immediately, the boy's head snapped to the door leading into the hallway. There, standing with her arms folded, and bearing a confused expression, was Sunset. After staring at her for a few seconds, Flash let go of Rarity's neck, raising his hands in a defensive manner before fumbling his words.
"Sunset! This...this isn't what it looks like!"
Raising an eyebrow, Sunset glanced over to Rarity before looking back to her boyfriend.
"Well, it looks like Rarity was having some neck pains and you were being a good friend and helping her out with it."
Flash opened his mouth to speak, no doubt to offer some kind of further defence for himself. But, when he realised what Sunset had actually just said to him, he stopped, staring at her with pure disbelief. Slowly, he glanced down to Rarity, then back to her, then back and forth until, in the end, keeping his eyes on his girlfriend. After blushing slightly, he cleared his throat before, at last, replying.
"Um...in that case...it's exactly what it looks like."
Smiling, Sunset rolled her eyes to this, entering the workshop in earnest before looking her lover over.
"Nice tux by the way."
Flash's eyes drifted back down to his outfit, as if he'd only now just remembered what he was wearing. After chuckling nervously, he looked back to Rarity.
"Um, Rarity? Can I...?"
But Rarity already knew what he was going to say, and so gave him a smile and a nod before gesturing to the cubicle. Nodding back, Flash went over to it, closing the door behind him, and after a minute or so, emerged again in his usual outfit. After walking back to the two girls, he watched as Rarity got up from her chair, giving him a sweet-looking smile.
"Thank you so much for your help today, Flash. I really do appreciate it."
Though taken aback, Flash nevertheless returned the look.
"Anytime, Rarity."
He then looked over to Sunset.
"So...um..."
Smirking slightly, Sunset gave him a quick pat on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, Flash. Anybody with eyes could tell what was going on here. So relax, okay?"
He let out another sigh to that, looking as if the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders, which was something Sunset couldn't help but look amused at. Soon after, Flash turned to Rarity, giving her a slight nod before, finally, making his way out of the workshop. As he closed the door behind him, however, Sunset and Rarity watched it, waiting for moment after moment, just in case the boy somehow came back in afterwards. When enough time had passed, and they were truly certain that this was not going to happen, Sunset turned to her friend, a curious look plastered over her face.
"Well...?"
Rarity smiled.
"Just like you said, darling. A complete gentleman throughout. Never overstepped once."
Sunset nodded, looking pleased at that.
"And you?"
Rarity looked over to the door, placing her hand under her chin and pondering the question for a few moments, before looking back to Sunset.
"Well...I'd say there's definitely potential there. I can certainly see it happening."
Slowly, her smile was replaced with a slight smirk.
"In fact...I daresay I'd be happy if it did."
Sunset's smile widened, and she gave her a nod. But, her expression became more one of concern as she looked back to the door.
"And Flash...?"
Rarity giggled slightly as she answered.
"Just like we thought. Not...a...clue."
Nodding back to her, Sunset sighed, sounding relieved over something. But, as she looked back up at her friend, she took on what could only be described as a determined smile.
"In that case...I'd say we're off to a good start."
