City Streets and Fancy Eats
The sounds of hooves clacking against cobblestone and the dull roar of public conversations filled the streets of Canterlot with life and energy. The sun shone from high above, providing a blanket of warmth in the middle of the afternoon. The ornate castle that towered above the streets cast a shadow over the tops of stone-shingled buildings that stood next to one another, packed closely together within the walls of the city.
Rarity trotted with confidence, her hooves tapping ever so elegantly against the cobblestone beneath them. With her chin held high, she continued through the street away from her boutique. She had just finished checking up on things to make sure everything was just right. Her boutique in Manehattan was her main priority, but she still felt compelled to ensure things were running smoothly. But mostly, she was just happy to have any excuse to visit the beautiful city of Canterlot every chance she had.
The check up on her boutique wasn't completely problem-free, but it didn't take up too much of the day. As Rarity did best, she made the fine-tuned adjustments that made everything as perfect as possible. A few ponies that meandered throughout the store even recognized her. A younger mare gushed at her sight and had even asked her for an autograph, which Rarity was happy to oblige. She smiled on both the inside and the outside as she levitated the piece of scratch paper back to the young mare who thanked her excitedly.
Feeling generous, Rarity quickly called out to her again before she left, asking which of a few dresses that were on display she liked most. The young mare eyed them carefully for a few moments, and gave her answer. Rarity smiled again and removed the dress from its display to give to her. Her eyes lit up with delight as she thanked Rarity profusely for several moments before briefly feeling like she couldn't accept the gracious gift. But Rarity insisted, and gave her a small hug before she giddily left the boutique with her autograph and designer dress. It was moments like those that fueled her passion for creativity.
Her work was done, and she had the entire rest of the day to do whatever it was that she wanted. Her mind was filled with ideas of places to see, cafes to eat in, and ponies to have elegant conversations with. The sheer amount of possibilities was almost overwhelming compared to what she could do in Ponyville. But, her excitement far exceeded any sense of worry. In the interest of finding something to do, she decided it was probably best to simply take a stroll through the town and see what she came across. She would "wing it", as a common pony would say. But here in the fanciest cities of Equestria of course, it was called "improvisation."
Rarity meandered through the crowded streets of Canterlot, trotting and observing everything around her until a curious scent permeated the air around her. The warm and sweet aroma gently whirled in the air around her nostrils, carried softly by the afternoon breeze. Across the street was a quaint little pastry shop, with its windows open to the ponies passing by. Rarity didn't immediately recognize the business, so it must have been a semi-recent addition to the town. She carefully made her way across the street filled with a river of ponies streaming by in both directions and entered the pastry shop.
A bell rang as the door closed behind her and the smells from before now filled the air with an aura of thickness. It was absolutely delightful. Rarity made eye contact with who was presumably the store owner, a yellow earthpony mare behind the counter. She pulled a tray out of a nearby oven before quickly addressing her new potential customer with a smile.
Rarity's eyes glazed over the grand assortment of cakes and pastries that filled shelf after shelf behind the glass on the counter. Croissants, cakes, donuts, macarons, and several varieties of sweet breads all tempted her tastebuds. She simply couldn't choose just one, so she settled on a small cherry tart and a croissant. The earthpony behind the counter happily grabbed the pastries Rarity asked for and she levitated a few coins onto the counter for payment. They briefly exchanged pleasantries, and Rarity made her way outside. In front of the stores were a few ornately decorated tables and chairs. She took a seat in one that was enveloped in sunlight and took out the cherry tart. She levitated it in the air briefly to take in its sweet smelling aroma for a couple moments before taking a small bite. Moments later, she knew that she would certainly have to return to this shop again sometime. The tart was absolutely delicious, sweet and tangy to perfection.
She spent the next few minutes simply enjoying the sunlight and her pastries. As she did, her mind wandered and began to think about her life in general. It seemed like only so long ago, she had been the simple yet refined unicorn with a small business in Ponyville. But now, she had three separate boutiques in three separate locations to her name. Famous and well-established ponies knew her by name, and bought the clothing she designed. She had accomplished everything she ever dreamed of and more. And, she still managed to find a way to stay in Ponyville and remain close to her group of tightly-knitted friends. Still though, part of her did long for more. To be more famous, to be more well-known. Never arrogant or pompous, of course.
The driving reason behind that desire was simply because it would allow her to be more generous to everypony. As much as she hated to admit it, she could only be so generous or risk losing what she had worked so hard to gain. But, if she continued to rise in popularity and become more like those she looked up to, it was inevitable that the time spent with her friends would go down. It was simply a matter of how many hours there were in a day, and for a pony as busy as she was, there weren't many to spare.
Rarity sighed, half wistfully and half out of melancholy. Just like the tart that she had finished eating, there was both a sour and a sweet side to everything.
