There was no question that everyone was having fun right now, as the after-play party was in full-swing. All of the students who'd participated in tonight's performance were here, all smiling and laughing and enjoying themselves as best they could. Even Mr Cranky was here, giving a dance that, while not expert-level per se, nevertheless had plenty of people cheering him on. Of particular note in this audience of his were Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, who were especially happy about his being here, since that was how they were able to use the projector that so many other party-goers were enjoying at this moment. From the side-lines, Rarity watched the three younger girls, a look of pride upon her face as she regarded them. Her work had been done, and they'd come away happy as a result of it. But, as she stood there, thinking back on what she'd done for them, her train of thought was interrupted by the sudden sound of a familiar voice.
"They're lookin' pretty cheery, Rares."
Smiling, Rarity turned to find not only Applejack, but also Rainbow Dash, who walked towards her carrying cups of fruit punch. Applejack even had a second one with her, which she promptly offered to the young fashionista once she'd reached her. Rarity graciously accepted, and together, the three teens gave simultaneous slurps. For a time, they simply stood by one another, enjoying the music and watching as everyone had fun around them. However, after a minute of this, Rainbow turned to her with curiosity.
"Scoots told us what you did, Rarity. That was some sweet handling of old Cranky over there."
Rarity smirked slightly, giving a nod to her athletic friend, before once more looking over to the older teacher in question. Though he had most definitely been on the receiving end of her harsh rhetoric, there was no doubt that he was enjoying himself as much as the rest of them.
"Well, one simply needs to know how to speak to people properly. Find the right angle."
Applejack chuckled.
"The way Bloom told it, ya'd make a pretty good lawyer or somethin'."
A giggle came to Rarity at that.
"She's sweet to say so, but I'll stick to making dresses over managing court-rooms and juries, if it's all the same to you girls."
Then, she appeared deep in thought for a few moments, looking over to Sweetie Belle and her friends as she spoke in a quieter tone than before.
“Although...I may need to teach Sweetie and the girls to do this sort of thing themselves. You never know when they’ll next have to face some stiff-lipped fellow like Mr Cranky again.”
Looking back over to her, Rainbow seemed thoughtful.
"Hey...didn't you used to be part of the debate club a few years back? I can guess you were pretty good at that."
Taking another sip of her drink, Rarity nodded.
"Indeed I was. Never took my fancy as much as I thought it would though."
Applejack turned, giving her full attention.
"Ah'd be pretty interested ta learn where ya picked up that kinda hagglin' skill, Rarity."
Putting her finger to her chin, Rarity considered that for a moment.
"Well...my first real foray into that sort of negotiations began when I first started to truly get involved in fashion. I was looking over town for a place to set up a design studio for myself, purely on weekends of course, and I came upon this perfect little spot just next to the park."
A smile came to her.
"The owner was a bit blustery, but I managed to get him down to half the rent he'd asked for initially. I simply let him know that it wasn't reasonable for ask for the full fare when the room wasn't being used any more than a few days a week."
Rainbow nodded.
"Yep, sounds like something you'd do."
She let out a chortle.
"Better come up with a plan in case you do need to use that place all week."
Looking to her, Rarity gave a knowing smile.
"Oh, trust me, darling, plans are already in motion."
All three girls laughed to that, then watched as their younger siblings all chatting among themselves, cheering on Cranky as he, rather unwisely, tried to do a backflip to end his dance. Naturally, this ended as expected, and so soon there were a few other students helping him off the ground. As this moment passed, however, Rarity appeared thoughtful once more.
"Although...if I had to pick a moment when I first truly began to understand the intricacies and subtleties of haggling, it would be when I used to go shopping with my Mother when I was little."
She developed into a nostalgic smile.
"She was always rather adept at that sort of thing, but there was this one stall in particular down at the market that used to sell pears, and the owner was a touch, shall we say...uncompromising?"
Applejack looked to her, clearly interested, but remained silent as she continued.
"Anyway, my Mother was a true master of this sort of thing. She managed to bring that old man down to a price far lower than what I ever thought we'd get for that fruit. That right there, my friends, was the moment I knew it was a skill worth learning."
Hearing that, Applejack narrowed her eyes slightly.
"The old market? Rarity...ah think that was mah Grandfather ya met back then."
Immediately, Rarity looked to her friend, hand over mouth, sounding genuinely apologetic.
"Oh, I am sorry, Applejack! I had no idea, I swear! I hope you know I meant no disrespect to your family when I said that!"
But Applejack sighed, and then, in a rather unexpected move, she chuckled slightly.
"Don' fret it. Grandpa Pear always was a bit...well...excessive in his prices. You should hear Granny Smith goin’ on about how they used ta argue about that stuff back in the day. Ya know...jus’ like they argue bout everythin’ really."
Laughing briefly, Rainbow looked to her two friends.
"Well, no matter how you did it, or where you learned to do it, I'd say it's worked out pretty well for everyone tonight."
Smiling, Rarity spoke softly.
"Indeed it did...and you can see it all right here."
Turning, the girls all looked to their fellow friends, all of whom had taken part in some way. Sunset, Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Flash, their sisters, and everybody else. Smiles were abound, and many of those looks came from seeing the images now brought up by the projector. Whatever mishaps, accidents, tough situations they’d been through, it was all there, up on screen for all to see, bringing back good memories of the past few weeks. It had been an eventful time, that much could not be denied, but, it had also been fun, memorable, and above all, had brought them together as always. Seeing that, the three girls all smiled to one another, silently, banging their cups against one another, before yet again taking deep gulps of their punch. But, as they let out contented sighs from this, Rainbow paused, thinking back to Rarity and how she managed to get that projector. Then, slowly, she looked to her friend, speaking in a somewhat nervous manner.
"Um...just so I know...do we actually pay taxes?"
The other two looked to her.
“Didn't you start paying them after you picked up that job at the Mall sports store?” Rarity asked.
Turning, Rainbow’s eyes widened slightly.
“Okay, remind me to look into that when I get home.”
Applejack merely chuckled, placing her hand upon Rainbow’s shoulder.
“Party now, money-worryin’ later.”
Looking to her, and to the reassuring look Rarity was giving her also, Rainbow returned to her earlier smile.
“Now that’s a plan I can get behind.”
She then gave her focus to Rarity in particular, smiling in a slightly worried way as she spoke up to her.
“You know...so long as you can help me, you know...haggle it?”
Hearing that, Rarity flipped aside some of her hair, taking on yet another look of pride.
“Oh well, since you asked nicely, consider it done.”
