//-------------------------------------------------------// When a Mountain loves a Diamond -by Sad Horse- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// 1: Too Many Eclairs //-------------------------------------------------------// 1: Too Many Eclairs “Just one more stitch here...a little tug on the bow there...and complete!” Rarity gave a gentle giggle, as she lit up her horn, carefully levitating the dress off the mannequin, placing it on a thick coat hanger, and put it over on the rack with its sisters. The dressmaker sighed, wiping her brow as she fell onto her work chair, leaning back while floating an eclair from a nearby plate over to her mouth - her reward for a job well done. “Fifty three dresses...Oh my word I’m not sure how I got through them all so quickly!” She thought aloud. Taking a bite of the eclair, she then dabbed her full lips with a napkin, ever careful to remain ladylike, even when she was the only one in the room. “But you did it, Rarity! And they all look positively magnifique!” Rarity added, before looking over to her plate of confections, a brow raised. She brought her finger to her chin, and gave a bit of a sheepish smile, hear full, alabaster cheeks tinting pink as she blushed gently. “In fact...I believe you deserve another treat! After all...it’s quite an accomplishment to complete fifty three dresses in a mere two months!” Her horn lit up again, as she floated another eclair over to her mouth, taking a bite and cooing at the flavor. “Mmm...positively delightful…” The dressmaker leaned back in her work chair, stretched her arms over head with a soft, dainty grunt, before she pulled herself out of her seat and meandered over to the rack of dresses. Though as she made her way closer...she paused, noticing something out of the corner of her eye after passing a mirror. “...Hmm? Wait a moment…” She said, turning towards the mirror to examine her reflection. It was the same Rarity alright, white button up blouse, red work glasses, elegant, knee length black skirt with dark stockings, a poochy belly. Wait...a Poochy belly? Rarity gasped, as she pressed her dainty hands against her midsection. Sure enough, they sunk in slightly, her slight pot belly gurgling ever so gently in protest to its mishandling. Rarity would have been as white as a sheet, if she wasn’t already such a perfect shade of alabaster. Her pupils shrank, as she lifted her blouse only to have a small, but still quite noticeable muffin top settle itself atop her skirt. “No! NO! NO NO NO NO!” Rarity pleaded, feeling her tears well up in eyes. Sure, most ponies would look at their reflection and simply say ‘Hmm, I need to lose a few’. But not Rarity - she was the Queen of Overreaction, the Duchess of Drama, the Lady of Losing it! Still, she managed to gather herself, and remain composed. “It’s fine Rarity...It’s fine. You’ve just...fallen asleep at the work desk again...yes! Exactly! All you need to do is closer your eyes, and will yourself awake...and then you’ll awaken and be your perfect, curvaceous self again.” Rarity closed her eyes, and tried to bring herself out of this dream. It had to be a dream, she would NEVER let her figure get out of control. It was all a dream, it was all an utterly terrifying nightmare. The Dressmaker stood there, trying to will herself into a higher state of awakeness than she already was. Finally, she opened her eyes...to find that pot-bellied white mare staring back at her in the mirror. Nothing had changed. This was not a dream. Rarity shrieked with such volume and power that ponies outside couldn’t help but turn their heads towards Carousel Boutique! Rarity’s windows shuddered at the high pitched exclamation, as the mare screeched herself hoarse. “This...this is not happening!! How is this happening?! It can’t be happening!” Rarity cried, unable to stop herself from bouncing the muffin top attached to her torso around in disbelief. Frantically she looked towards her workstation, towards the empty platter of eclairs, which was stacked ontop of five similar platters. The eclairs! It had to be the eclairs! Sure, the incentive to finish her tedious work helped her along, but it cost her her beautiful figure! Now who could ever want such a blob?! Such a pig?! Such a- “Rarity, are you okay?” Rarity gasped, as she turned to see the portly figure of a tiny unicorn peeking in her door. It was Sweetie Belle, her dedicated and ever helpful little sister, still clad in her pink hoofsie pajamas, decorated with little musical notes all over. She rubbed one of her adorable eyes - an ursa minor plush toy headlocked under one pudgy arm - before yawning with the cutest little squeaky yawn. Rarity couldn’t help but form a smile at the site of her little, sleepy sister, momentarily forgetting about her predicament. “Oh...nothing, Sweetie Belle. Sorry for waking you.” Sweetie Belle’s half lidded eyes blinked a few times, looking up at her sister as the overweight filly waddled into the room. “You sure? You haven’t screamed that loud since I accidentally used all your silk fabric for a trampoline.” “Oh, it…” Rarity thought for a moment, and frowned ever so slightly. She couldn’t tell her baby sister, pudgy as she was, that she was that upset about gaining weight! She couldn’t hurt the little filly’s self esteem! She had to think of a lie, it was the only way. “I...I saw a spider, is all. Nasty little thing...hairy legs and everything.” The lying mare stuck her tongue out in disgust. “What time is it, Sweetie Belle?” Sweetie Belle canted her head a little bit, raising a brow as she looked to Rarity with disbelief. Rarity could feel a single bead of sweat form on her forehead, which seemed to vanish when the filly shrugged and smiled sweetly. “Oh, okay. It’s like...seven thirty in the morning, I think.” The filly answered, rubbing the sleep from her eyes again. “Oh! Well, shouldn’t you be getting ready for school?” The Fashionista asked of her, turning around and busying herself with packaging her finished work neatly into customized boxes. Sweetie Belle giggled sweetly. “Raaaraaaity! It’s Saturday, silly!” Said the filly, grinning at her sister. Rarity blushed, giving a sheepish smile. “Oh...of course.” She remarked, ears pinned back. “Sorry, Sweetie. I suppose I lost track of the day...what with all my work as of late.” The flustered fashionista lit her horn up, as she floated over a large stack of flattened boxes, assembled the first into a proper box, and then placed the dress neatly into it. No magic for that, such a careful maneuver required the skilled expertise of the unicorn’s delicate hands. Sweetie watched for a few moments, before speaking up. “OH! I can make those boxes for you!” She declared, placing her little plushie on Rarity’s work chair. Before Rarity could even protest, Sweetie Belle was already folding boxes up and offering them to her big sister, grinning from ear to ear. She so adored helping her big sister...even if she messed things up a lot doing so. Rarity had long since learned the importance of the mantra ‘It’s the thought that counts’ when it came to Sweetie Belle. Ding dong! Rarity’s ear wiggled, as she heard her doorbell ring, instinctively looking towards the door out of her work room. “...Someone at this hour?” She thought aloud, turning back to her sister. “I’m going to go answer that, Sweetie Belle, since you’re still in your pajamas. You just keep folding those boxes up, alright?” She smiled, heading over towards the doorway out of the room. “Okay, Rarity!” The dressmaker smiled, and shook her head once she was out of sight from her eager little sister. She just hoped the Filly’s rampant initiative didn’t damage the dresses. As she walked, she could feel her slight paunch bounce with each step, and it made her ears flatten against her head. Tugging on her blouse, she tried to hide the slight stomach as best she could, managing to tuck the garment into her skirt. It still looked a bit tight...but it was good enough camouflage for now. Rarity would just try to avoid the light of the sun when she opened the door. Shadow was her enemy, after all. Down the stairs she went, into her living area. Pausing to adjust a pillow on one of her expensive couches, she made her way out the door and into the Carousel Boutique’s storefront proper, making her way to the door at the front. Rarity took a moment to adjust her mane in the mirror next to the door. DING DONG! “Just a moment Darling!” The vain diva called, having taken the time to touch up her make up and smooth out her clothes. Her delicate hand grasped the elegant doorknob, and twisted it open, pulling the door towards her and stepping aside. “Welcome to Carousel Bou-” She was cut off by a sudden tooting horn, as an explosion of confetti and streamers rocketed towards her. The mare’s painstaking work was undone in moments, as the force of the blast blew back and dishevelled her lavender curl, her face and shoulders covered in confetti. She only knew one pony that would greet somepony in such a startling and messy manner… Pinkie Pie. “HI RARITY!” The pudgy pink mare exclaimed, waving at her friend with exuberant energy, a miniature party cannon tucked under her opposite arm. Seeing Pinkie made the unicorn feel moderately annoyed, but also relieved. She hated to admit it, but seeing such a big mare like Pinkie Pie made Rarity feel better about her own situation. But the annoyance came two fold. One reason was obvious: She had just shot her party cannon in Rarity’s face. But the other reason was a bit more subtle and personal. It annoyed Rarity that Pinkie was so comfortable with her body, even as obese as she was. The Pink mare had a gut that hung down over her pants and down to her ankles, yet she did nothing to conceal it. In fact, if anything Pinkie flaunted it! She only wore tube tops and never stuffed her gut into her lower garments, letting it hang free over her waist. Her cleavage was expansive and deep, resting atop that big pink belly like two giant watermelons confined to a glittery black top. A rock candy necklace was set around the pink pony’s fattened neck, while her lower garments were not but a pair of black hotpants with the word ‘Party’ embroidered on the seat. Rarity mentally grimaced as she knew those hot pants barely all the way up the party mare’s backside, giving her a substantial plumbers crack...especially since she chose to forgo wearing underwear. And that cherubic, fattened face was always home to a big, maniac grin and often a pair of pink goggles, pushed into that unmanageable frizz of Pinkie’s mane. “Yes...hello...Pinkie…” Rarity slowly said, pulling out a long strand of streamer from her mane as she spoke. Pinkie blinked a bit, smile fading, before giving a slight blush and a sheepish grin. “Ooopsy...sorry Rarity! I was so excited about the party tonight that I totally forgot that you don’t like being party cannoned!” Pinkie explained, clicking a button on the party hand cannon. It started to emit a loud sound reminiscent of a vacuum cleaner, as she held it up to Rarity. The fashionista gasped as she could feel the sheer sucking strength of the device, it untucking her shirt and further mangling her coiffure as it sucked all that party supplies back into it’s depths. By the time it was done, Rarity looked as though she had slept in her clothes...and had a particularly rough night. Pinkie blinked a bit, and tried to keep from giggling. “...Ooops.” “It’s...fine...Pinkie. Thank you for cleaning me up, anyway.” Yet another example of the Rarity’s mastery of the idea that it was the thought that counted. She turned to her mirror again, and did her best to fix herself back up. “...Now what do you mean a party tonight? I don’t remember any party scheduled for tonight.” Pinkie gave a long, overexaggerated gasp of sheer horror and shock. “YOU MEAN YOU FORGOT?!” She exclaimed, suddenly pressing her nose against Rarity’s snout - and by extension, her expansive, cupcake scented body. The fashionista had to admit that even if she was unfashionably fat...Pinkie was quite warm and soft. “This is like the biggest, bestest, most importantest party EVEEER.” Rarity just stared back into the Pie’s blue peepers. “...Erm...it is?” “TOTAL ABSOLUTELY TOOTLY!” Pinkie Pie backed off, throwing her arms up and making her fattened upper arms jiggle and shake. “It’s only the welcome party for my BIGGEST and BESTEST sister Maud! She’s moving to Ponyville you know! To study the rock formations in the Ghastly Gorge! Everypony in TOWN is invited! I even rented out Town Hall, the best venue in Ponyville!” She rambled on, as if all this information was both obvious and intensely vital for life. “I’ve been planning this for MONTHS! How could you forget?!” She pouted, poking out her chubby lower lip as she crossed her arms under her large bosom. Rarity gave a sheepish cough. “Oh...I apologize darling. I’ve been very busy as of late and I suppose it...slipped my mind.” Suddenly the party master’s scowl turned into a big grin, as she snatched up the slightly shorter unicorn and squished her against her bulk. “Oh that’s okay, Rarity! Everypony forgets!” Pinkie pulled away, placing her hands on Rarity’s shoulders and staring her in the eyes with a visage with more earnest than the fashionista thought Pinkie was capable of displaying. “You are coming though, right?” Rarity felt, on the spot, to be frank. In normal circumstances, she would say no. She weight to lose, after all! She wouldn’t go to such an important function with such an unsightly tummy! But this was Pinkie Pie, and for all her happiness, she was very easy to sadden, especially when it came to her friends and family. The unicorn shifted her gaze back and forth, ears pinned back as she chewed her bottom lip, before finally answering. “O-Of course Pinkie! I wouldn’t miss it for the world, darling!” She exclaimed, giving her best smile, before gasping as the deceptively strong pony squeezed the breath out of her again. “HORRAY! Maud will be SO SO SO SOOOOOO happy you came!” The maniac exclaimed, before unceremoniously letting go of Rarity. “I gotta go remind the others, okay? You just get positively super duper ready for the Party! Remember, it’s at four o’clock sharp!” “O-Of course Darling. I’ll be there. I promise.” “WOOHOO! SEE YOU LATER THEN, RARITY!” In her exuberance, Pinkie Pie shot off another confetti blast from her hand canon, directly at her alabaster friend. Rarity sputtered and recoiled as she was once again covered in party paraphernalia, but once she opened her eyes, Pinkie was already gone. With a heavy sigh, Rarity closed the door and looked into her mirror again, carefully picking confetti and streamers out of her mane. What was she going to do? She certainly couldn’t go to such an important social event looking like she did! It would be terrible for her reputation! But she couldn’t back out, she had promised! At the same time, there was no possible way she could lose the weight by four o’clock, no amount of exercise could accomplish weight loss that quickly! What was she going to do?! And it was at that moment, as she picked some streamers off of her horn, that Rarity got an idea. She was a unicorn...maybe there was a spell that could thin her down...nice and quick and easy, so she could go to that party and absolutely dazzle the town! She tapped her chin with a skinny finger, thinking on this. She didn’t have any spell books in her home, she wasn’t really one concerned with magic as her friend Twilight… “A-ha!” She exclaimed, bringing her fist down into her palm in excitement. “Twilight! I’ll go to Twilight! She’s certain to have such a spell!” Rarity nodded, and smiled, as quickly finished primping up her features, before calling out up the stairs. “Sweetie Belle! I need to go to Twilight’s for a few moments! If you make yourself breakfast, only have cereal! You know the rules!” She yelled up the stairs to her sister. “Okay, Rarity!” “I’ll be gone for no more than thirty minutes, I’m sure! Be good!” And with that, Rarity was out the door, and heading towards the crystal palace, the home of her friend Twilight Sparkle. This was positively the best possible plan anyone had ever concocted. It was sure to work fabulously! Author's Note Whew...okay. I'm surprised I managed to do this. Here's my first pony story I ever wrote, and it involves my favorite ship. The pressure is on! Heh heh...this is just setting stuff up.