ACT TWO

Rarity came to her senses and found she was sitting on a bench in the city, and her friends were next to her. “You, okay, Rarity…?” Applejack asked.

“Oh, my!” groaned Rarity “I just had the strangest dream, that I was banned from Manny Collars boutique.”

The others acted awkward.

“I was… dreaming… wasn’t I?”

Pinkie was quivering and wanted to tell her, but she didn’t have to. Rarity was able to guess and she felt like fainting again. “This… this can’t be happening? How could I, of all ponies, be banned from such an amazing fashion shop?”

She was on the verge of tears.

“Oh, Rarity…” cried Pinkie, “Anythin’ we can do?” asked Applejack.

Rarity still couldn’t understand and she was almost too upset to think straight. “This… reminds me of when he and I had our fallout.”

“He?” asked Applejack.

“He who?” added Pinkie.

Rarity recounted an old story she didn’t like bringing up.

Years ago, long before Twilight came to Ponyvile, before the Mane Six had ever been assembled, Rarity had a friend-for-life.

His name was Needle Stitch-- a light yellow unicorn.

He was an aspiring tailor whom attended the same fashion classes in school as she did. He had loads of trouble getting the hang of it, but Rarity gave him a helping hoof. She showed him how to really sew and how to correct the mistakes he made that held him back.

She even helped him earn his Cutiemark-- a picture of a blue shirt with a red heart on it.

They became good friends, and graduated from school together and attained their licenses and permits to start their own respective businesses and shops.

Though rivals, they still maintained a healthy friendship.

“Rarity…” Needle said “I really owe all I am to you.”

She blushed, “Oh, really… it was nothing.”

“No, I really want to make this up to you some day. I don’t know how, but I’m going to.”

A year later, only a few months before Twilight arrived, Needle had spent months working hard on a very special very beautiful gown, which he named “The Rarity” and he spent a long time working on it.

(This music in a montage)

It had a long sparkling skirt, and was light hinted gray, the exact color of Rarity’s coat. The ruffled shoulder epaulets were mulberry, the same color as her mane and tail, and the skirt itself was decorated with blue jewels, just like the jewels of her Cutiemark.

It was only the prototype, and he did plan to make more dresses to sell to his own customers.

Rarity was so incredibly enamored by the dress and how it sparkled like the stars in the sky, and how it's shiny fabric made it look like only royalty should wear it.

She never thought she'd ever be able to make such a gown like it, and wished she could just have it herself.

"Oh, this beautiful work of art?" she remarked "Just looking at it gives me so many ideas of my own."

Needle smirked and said, "Well, you can borrow it if you'd like. You can hold on to it for me for a while while I get the patent for the dress and prepare to expose it to the world. Then I can start make other dresses for my lineup."

Rarity was simply over-the-top flattered.

“I don’t know what to say…” remarked Rarity. It was the sweetest, most thoughtful gift he, or anyone had ever made, and he was letting her borrow it.

Needle left for a family reunion holiday, and would be gone for a week. "When I comeback I'll take back the dress and get a patent for it."

Rarity kept it and promised to return it, but during that week, something happened to make her go a little bit the other way...!

As Rarity was modeling in the dress, in front of her mirrors to gain ideas for her own creations... her store was visited unexpected by an editor of a first-class fashion magazine, and he just happened to walk in while Rarity was trying the dress on and admiring how she looked in it.

The editor was so captivated by its stunning beauty and asked to feature it in his article, which would be seen by ponies all over Equestria, even in Canterlot.

Rarity, suffering from her extreme weakness, her lust for fame and glamour-- when she was asked by the editor, “Did you make this lovely dress?”

Applejack and Pinkie gawked in shock. “Rarity!” cried Pinkie, “You didn’t?!” added Applejack.

Rarity shamefully nodded her head. “I took the credit for the dress, and I was asked to design more of it for the ponies of Equestria. I knew deep down I was doing something very wrong, but I couldn’t control myself, and when Needles came back… he was nothing short of outraged.”

In almost no time, Rarity rose to a great term of fame from pilfering Needle’s dress. The papers and magazines and even billboards seem to rise up overnight with news of her fame.

When Needle found out, he was extremely furious!

“How could you?!” he scolded!

Rarity tried to apologize and explain her actions, but Needle could not and would not accept it. “I can’t believe you, after everything we’ve been through, you just sold me out for fifteen minutes of fame!”

Rarity pleaded for him not to act so rash,

"I could not help it, I mean I... just... what I mean is--" it was no use. The fact she couldn't even come up with anything else to say only further incriminated her for being totally selfish.

Needle stormed out vowing to fight her for it. Unfortunately, no one believed his story claiming he was the original creator and rightful owner of the dress, the people simply did not believe him-- too mesmerized by "Rarity's" creation and believing too much in her incredible skills to believe him.

There was also no proof to suggest Needle was the rightful owner either. The only one who could vouch for him was Rarity, and while she did want to try and make things right, the way things were going so wonderful for her now would only make her crash and burn hard-- she'd lose her reputation, and probably be outcast.

...So she said nothing, digging herself even further, and to add insult to injury, she tried to make it up to Needle simply by entitling him to half her profits from her earnings.

All this did was further cement how selfish she was acting, and caused Needle to totally snap with her.

"I thought you were my friend!" he said, with such a tone that really hammered it in-- Rarity felt her guilt catch up to her and burn inside.

She couldn't sleep well, think straight, she even lost her appetites as the guilt continued to eat her.

She immediately discontinued the dress; refusing to sell it or make anymore, and she cut ties with all agencies that had her booked for speakings or modeling shows.

Many of her customers were outraged and disappointed of the cancellation, but Rarity publicly announced her crime of betrayal to her friend.

The people were horribly outraged to hear that she would do such a thing. Pilfering a dress was one thing, but betraying a dear friend was enough to make one vomit.

She was lucky Needle didn't re-open any cases or charges against her, or she would have been tried and convinced of Grand Theft, Forgery, and a few other misdemeanors that would land her in jail for a long time!

The reason there were no charges and re-openings of the case: Needle had disappeared from Ponyville. He had gone missing several days before Rarity’s confession and had not been seen since. Not a single pony knew where he had gone.

His store and shop was abandoned entirely.

Overwhelmed with guilt and shame, Rarity could only bewail for things, and cried her heart out. “Oh, Needle Stitch… I am ever so sorry!”

Alas, she never saw or heard from him again; as if he had dropped off the face of Equestria.

Pinkie Pie was sobbing loudly and blew her nose in a hankie. “That is so sad!” she cried.

Applejack didn’t cry, but she did sigh and shake her head in disappointment. “Don’t you have anything to say?” Rarity asked.

“Well, not that it makes much a difference, and won’t change nothin’...” said Applejack “Besides, you kinda brought on yourself.”

Rarity could only sigh. “Yes, I did. I had no right to do what had done, and I never got to make it up to my dear friend, Needle Stich.”

Still, despite the heart-wrenching story, “What’s this got to do with your being banned from Manny Collar’s store?”

Rarity winced, and being reminded of that, she burst our crying hysterically. “Nice goin’, Sugarcube.” grunted Applejack.

Poor Rarity felt so overwhelmed by her sadness that she just wanted to check into a hotel and stay there while she let it all out, snacking on tubs of ice-cream from room-service.

“You sure you don’t wanna come with us?” asked Applejack “I mean, it’s only a store, and there’s tons of other places to check out here in Manehatten.”

“Yeah, there are party shops, bake shops… ooh, even the Fireworks, Puppies and Candy store!” Pinkie cried with enthusiasm, but Rarity was too distraught-- practically too stubborn-- to let it go.

“I just want to be alone right now.” she sobbed, and she took another bite of ice-cream.

Applejack sighed, “Let’s go, Pinkie. No sense that we can’t at least have a good time.”

Pinkie hated to leave Rarity all by herself, but Applejack dragged her along by the tail out of the room. “Poor Rarity…” Pinkie cried “I wish there was something we could do to help her.”

“Well, we can’t change the past. What’s done is done.”

Pinkie then got a crazy idea “But we can fix the present. Come on!”

“Whoa!”

Pinkie dragged Applejack back to Manny’s store, and she practically burst in shouting “HEY MANNY COLLARS!! WE WANNA TALK WITH YOU!!”

The entire store went silent and every single pony was looking their way with shocked and frightened expressions, much to Applejack’s embarrassment.

One of the store assistants approached them and she said, “Mr. Collars isn’t here right now. He is at a photoshoot where models are posing in his latest creations.”

“Thanks.” said Pinkie, and she just ran off without even asking where the photoshoot was.

Applejack sighed, and then asked, “Look, I didn’t wanna be involved in this, but my friend just wants to know why our friend Rarity can’t shop here.”

“I don’t know either.” replied the assistant “Mr. Collars just told us not to allow her inside. I don’t know why, but we must respect his wishes.”

Applejack began to have her own curiosities about Manny Collar’s secretiveness. “Can you tell me where I can find him?”

“I’m sorry, but even I don’t know where he is. I do know when he’ll be back though; I can schedule an appointment for you.”

“That’d be mighty fine.”

So while Applejack agreed to come back later, she now had to track down Pinkie. She already began to worry about what mischief that pony was getting into.

Indeed, Pinkie went all around, checking ponies’ faces, asking for directions to places she didn’t know. She even confronted a baby in his carriage…

“Okay, Tiny… where is he? Have you seen him? Where did he go? Tell me! TELL ME!!”

The baby just cooed and honked her nose without a care in the world, while his mother was very annoyed and walked away with her son in the carriage.

Undiscouraged, Pinkie continued on her search for Manny Collars.

Meanwhile, after quite some time of being cooped up in her hotel room, Rarity decided to at least try and get out and clear her head, and do as Applejack said and try to get her mind off things.

She hated to go off without telling her friends, so she left a note on her bed in case they came back to the room.

She wasn’t hungry, considering how much ice-cream she had eaten. It was also amazing she hadn’t gained any weight nor even had a tummy ache, but she was rather parched from all the crying she had done.

So she got a latte, did some window browsing at other stores, sat on a bench in Central Park, and she did begin to feel a little better. She drowsed happily as the mid-afternoon sun shined down on her. “Ahh… this feel divine.” she sighed.

She had nearly fallen completely asleep when she heard someone shout, “STOP, THEIF!!” which snapped her wide awake and she almost slipped off the bench.

That’s when she saw a gray Earth Pony wearing a burglar’s outfit-- tuque, sweater, and mask-- came rushing along, carrying a small briefcase by his teeth, and heading straight her way.

With no other ponies around, as the thief raced past the bench, Rarity used her telekinesis to yank the briefcase away from the thief, surprising him.

“Hey!” the thief shouted, and not watching where he was going, ran smack into a tree. That’s when a pony cop happened to be nearby and recognized him from a wanted posted, on the very tree itself. The thief was arrested and taken away.

Rarity was relieved, but wondered whom the briefcase belonged to, until none other than Manny Collars himself came running down the path, “My briefcase.” he cried. He could see it floating amongst magical waves and dashed up to take it, only skid to a dead halt when he realized who was there.

Rarity saw him, and felt somewhat shocked to see him.

“You again…!” Manny grumbled, and rather than politely ask for his briefcase back, he used his own magic to pull it away from her.

Rarity was totally livid, “How rude!” she snarled.

Manny didn’t care, and checked the contents of the case-- which were full of photos and patents from his photoshoot in the park. Then he began to walk away, but Rarity was not willing to let him walk away from her, especially after that rude reaction he gave her.

She dashed right in front of him demanding he stop. He glared at her, and turned to walk another way, only for her to block him… and again… and again.

“Leave me alone, Rarity!” he snarled.

“How do you know my name?”

Manny seemed nervous, and ready to kick himself for saying her name. He tried desperately to leave again, but Rarity would not let him go. “Either you let me go, or I’ll call the police!”

Rarity was outraged the way he was acting, but she spoke calmly, not wanting to make a scene. “Look, all I want is simple answers. Why are you treating me with such hostility, and why am I not permitted in your store?”

Manny glared furiously at her, still refusing to answer, but as Rarity gazed into his hate filled eyes, she was certain she had seen this expression before. Come to think of it, his eyes seemed very familiar to her as well.

Suddenly, she stared so hard she compared his appearance to and image in her mind.

She, gasped! “It… can’t be? Needle Stitch…?!”

Hearing that name, Manny felt numb and frustrated “No, I don’t go by that name anymore! I… I mean…! URGH…!!”

“It is you!” cried Rarity. “Needle Stitch is Manny Collars?!”

Manny couldn’t take this anymore, and knew what he had to do to get away from her. “SOME-PONY, HELP ME!!” he shouted “GET THIS CREEPPY STALKER AWAY FROM ME!!”

Many ponies nearby heard him shout and assumed the worst. They all huddled around Rarity shaming and scolding her, allowing Manny to escape. As for Rarity, the police in the park didn’t know the full story but asked her to come along to the station for questioning, much to her embarrassment.

Author's Note

You might yak at me going, "Rarity would never do such a thing!"

Wouldn't she? You forget...

-This was before Twilight met Rarity, which means she DOESN'T have the element of Generosity yet.

-Even still, you know one of Rarity's flaws is Self-Centeredness. She'd do ANYTHING to boost her own image.