"Now, Darling, of course it's necessary!" Rarity said, her magic taking hold of several strips of measuring tape, a notebook and pencil in hand. "If you are to take a mare out, you must look your absolute best! Who is the lucky mare, may I ask?" she went on, stepping around the human that stood upon a pedestal, the subject of her measurement and glee alike. He stood, a good 5'7, with arms outstretched to give him a sort of "T" shape. Not necessarily tall by human standards, but compared to the anthropomorphic ponies of this world who stood at an average of 4 feet, he was rather intimidating.

"Well...if you must know, Roseluck asked me out. I usually stop by her stall each day I go to the market to chat with her a bit. She was the pony who found me when I first arrived, remember? I'd woken up in her fields and her first thought was to see if I was okay. Never mind the fact I'm an entirely different species than you ponies! She's one of the sweetest mares I know, so I was glad to accept her proposal," he answered, a smile coming to his face at the thought, cheeks pressed firmly upwards towards his sea green eyes. From his angle, he couldn't see the pencil in Rarity's hand snapping in two. "We're going to 'La Fantaisie' and I'm hoping to make a good impression on her. I figure you've got some tips for something like this...care to share, oh great element of generosity?" he teased, sneaking a look back towards her which she quickly corrected with her magic.

"I told you not to move, Anon. One more slip like that and I shan't give you a single idea on how to proceed tonight!" the fashionista responded, clicking her tongue as she looked over the measurements before her. "Why don't you head on home and make preparations for the night ahead while I get to work on your outfit tonight, hm? And would you prefer blue or black for your suit?" she asked, writing little notes on her design as she waited for an answer, moving to sit at her sewing table with the tape measures coming around to hang on hooks near said table. The book came down, and fabrics began to move about the room to lay beside her, scissors at the ready.

“Blue would be great! Thanks again, Rarity,” Anon said, heading toward the door. He gave her one last lingering smile, and headed out, giving a glance down as he passed another familiar pony.

"Here ya go, Rares. The first barrel of cider this season. Yer my friend an' all so Ah'll let ya have it on the house. Why'd ya need it so fast, though? Got a party goin' on or somethin' ya ain't tellin' me about?" came the country twang voice of Applejack, her hands busy setting the barrel aside so it was out of Rarity's way while she worked.

Rarity looked like she was about to be sick. "Oh, Darling, it's awful! It's about Anon. He has a date tonight, Applejack...a date! Can you believe it? After all the hints I've dropped, all the flirting, the teasing...and he goes for Roseluck of all ponies! How ungrateful can a human be, how unperceptive to my advances! It is positively humiliating, Applejack. Am I losing my touch? Is that it? Must I go find a stallion today just to see if I still have what it takes? Am I not pretty enough? What if-"

Applejack cut her off with a hand to the mouth, a stern glare set in her eyes and her mouth twisted to the side in a half-pout. "Rarity, ya know none of that is true. Not every stallion hasta be interested in ya. That said, Ah'm a lil disappointed, mahself. Ya know Ah've had mah eye on him ever since Ah saw how he could pick an apple without havin' to strain himself or use a ladder. And bah Celestia's beard, ya seen his arms? I'm sure he could drag a tree down with the muscles one a single one alone!" AJ said, her hand leaving Rarity's mouth to hang loosely at her side while she daydreamed. "Ah can just imagine those strong arms, carryin' me through the threshold, him in a tux, me in a white dress...Ah'm not the romantic type, really, but every mare wants ta have a romantic weddin', right?" Rarity was positively fuming at this point, a pout of her own adorning her lips with her eyebrows pointed firmly towards her nose, hands clenched.

"Of course, Darling. Every mare does. But if any mare would get his attentions, it would be me, don’t you agree? I mean, look at me!" she said after a moment to calm herself, taking several deep breaths and loosening her stance. "To think he'd go for someone as...country...as you! I am refinement incarnate! Generosity and love in the bountiful package of my wonderful, voluptuous body! And you? You're all muscle. Flat where you shouldn't be...though I must admit, you have a rear that may come close to rivaling my own were you to stop working and bake more often."

Now it was AJ's turn to be angry, a finger coming to jab itself into Rarity's chest near her collarbone. "Now you listen here, little miss 'Ah'm so perfect and Anon won't want a country girl'! He don't care fer yer looks like ya think ya do. He's not datin' you, now, is he? He's with Roseluck now it seems. 'Sides, Roseluck can't cook like Ah can. Everypony knows the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. And your cookin' is hardly better than Sweetie Belle's. He don't want no mare who can't cook for him, who's too worried about gettin' her mane messy to clean for him. Ah'd be the perfect wife, makin' sure he was taken care of an' loved like a stallion's supposed ta be."

"You think you're a better match for him than I am? I'd like to see you try to bag him! If I can't be successful, what makes you so sure you will?" Rarity answered, smacking AJ's finger away and setting her own on Applejack's. "What do you say we have a little wager, darling? I bet I can get Anon to take me out before you can. No coercion, no asking him first, just plain and simple flirting. You think you can contest me in a battle of romantic intent? Prove yourself to be my better!" Rarity challenged, a smug grin coming to reside on her muzzle, arms moving to cross over her chest.

Now AJ was practically fuming. She couldn't resist a challenge, and Rarity knew it and was using it to strike a nerve. She threw her hands in the air in defeat and turned to leave. "Fine! Ah give ya a week to have him drop Roseluck an' take ya out. If ya do it, then Ah wont' say a word about you marryin' him. But if Ah win, ya can't complain that things didn't go well. Ah'll see ya in a week, Rares!" And with that, she was out the door, slamming it behind her and grumbling all the way home. Rarity, meanwhile, merely smirked to herself and went back to her work. The suit was nearly finished at this point, and her favorite human would be by any time to pick it up. Now was her time to consider a scheme.

Author's Note

I've never written anything before, and I'm writing this now for a good friend of mine. If there's anything wrong with it, constructive criticism is appreciated!