Author's Note

Continuation of Lis' and Syringa's story here.

Meisterin is the German female version of Meister. What that means is explained here.

Episode 13: Dress to Express

Canterlot Carousel was packed full with ponies of all kinds browsing through the stock.

It’s always so busy when Rarity is here, Sassy thought while ringing up another customer, and now she visits during Season’s End Sale!

“Here you go—” she handed the mare the bag with her purchase “—You’ll look absolutely stunning with it!”

The mare took her bag and left without another word.

Sassy sighed. Why am I even wasting my time…

She looked around and spotted Zesty Gourmand inspecting a suit jacket. She went over to her and asked, “Can I help you with something?”

“Yes. Can you make me a suit shirt from a silver coated fabric?”

“I’m sorry,” Sassy said confused, “do you mean a silver coloured fabric?”

“You should really learn to listen better, I said silver coated. Since the guard isn’t doing anything to protect us, I want to ensure that my blood isn’t stolen by some filthy vampire.”

Sassy swallowed down her shock and just said, “I’m sorry, I’ll have to ask Rarity about that.”

“Then do that. I’m not going to wait all day.”

Sassy hurried to the back of the shop. No vampire with a hint of self respect would want your blood, anyway, you pretentious old hag!

“I need your help at the front,” Sassy said to her boss.

Rarity looked up from her desk with a smile. “What’s the problem?”

Sassy explained what Zesty wanted, and why, and the grin left Rarity’s face. “Oh, I see. Don’t worry, I’ll deal with it.” She put on her customer service face and walked out of her office and to Zesty, Sassy following closely.

“Sassy told me that you have a very unusual request?”

“Yes, and if your assistant is worth her salary, then she already told you what I want.”

Rarity nodded. “She did, and I’m afraid that I can’t provide that service to you.”

Zesty snorted. “If it's about the money or the material, I can pay everyth—”

“You misunderstand,” Rarity said, raising her hoof to make Zesty stop talking, “I really can’t provide that service to you. Or any service, for that matter.”

Zesty looked at Rarity in shock.

“You see,” Rarity said, still with a friendly voice, “one of my best friends is a vampire, and I refuse to serve somepony with that kind of bigoted worldview.”

“You can’t be serious, Rarity,” Zesty protested, “I’m a paying customer and a well respected member of Canterlot society! I demand that you sew me what told you to sew!”

Other customers had noticed them, and now looked over to see what was going on. Rarity looked around herself and said, “You really shouldn’t cause a scene over that, my dear, it could do serious damage to your social standing. Now leave my boutique.”

Zesty’s face turned an interesting shade of red. “I. Will. Not.”

“It appears that I wasn’t clear enough.” Rarity turned to Sassy. “Would you help me show her the way out?”

Sassy nodded with a smirk. She and Rarity lifted Zesty off the ground with their combined magic and carried her to the front door, with heavy protests from the struggling Zesty herself.

They opened the door and threw her out on the street. Rarity cheerfully said, “If you come back, I’ll call the guards,” to her before closing the door.

The boutique closed a few hours later. Sassy and Rarity rang up the last customers before cleaning up the store.

After refolding a stack of skirts, Sassy walked up to Rarity and said, “Hey, thanks for standing up for us. It’s really refreshing.”

“What do you mean, ‘us’?” Rarity said while rearranging a rack of dresses, “I just—” She turned to Sassy and noticed the fangs in her mouth, her eyes now sporting a red colour “—Oh, I see. Well, I feel honoured by your trust.” She went back to tidying up the store.

“So, I’m not out of a job?” Sassy asked while helping Rarity.

“Of course not! It’s not like anything changed, right?”

“Well, no, but if it comes out, you might lose customers…”

“You mean like customers like Zesty?” Rarity turned to Sassy and looked her in the eyes. “I can do without customers like her. Don’t worry, my integrity is worth more to me than bits. And if you want to show your fangs—that are white as snow... Who’s your dentist?” Rarity shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. If you want to show them in here, that’s not a problem, either.

“Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll keep them in.”

A Few Weeks Later

Rarity sat hunched over her design sketchbook in the back room of the Canterlot Carousel. Maybe if I had a hint of orange here… No, that wouldn’t work… Lace socks? Stylish, but they would just get dirty… Baggy cut? Gets caught in plants… Tight cut? That’s too uncomfortable…

She threw her hooves up. It’s no use! Nothing works!

She grabbed a nearby cup with her magic and was about to drink from it, but Sassy yelled, “That’s mine!”

Rarity stopped the cup an inch from her mouth. She looked down. The content smelled like tea, but had a dark red hue to it. “Sorry, I’m a bit besides myself right now.” She put the cup back and drank from her own one besides it.

“I can see that.” Sassy stepped over a field of crumpled up papers to get to Rarity. “Do you want to tell me what the problem is?”

Rarity sighed and placed her head in her hooves. “Hearts and Hooves Day is in one week, and I have no ideas for Spectre's dress!”

“Huh, I didn’t know that you had a girlfriend.”

Rarity got up and turned to Sassy. “She’s not my girlfriend!” Rarity turned away. “Not yet, at least.” She started pacing around the room, turning around after every thought. “Not that I would want her to be… But I certainly wouldn’t mind it, either… But I don’t think she likes me… Well, she does like me, she said so herself, but I don’t think she means liking me like that… Or does she mean like that? Oh, I would be giddy as a filly if she meant it like that… She’s such a wonderful artist, and she commends my sketches… Nopony ever did that… My dresses, yes, but most ponies don’t realize how much work goes into a dress before the first stitch is even done… and talking to her is always such a delight as well… and her mane… oh, dear Celestia, her mane… it’s so gorgeous! I could spend hours just looking into the colourful, chaotic whirlpool that is her mane… her hypnotic, ever changing rainbow mane…”

Sassy looked at the dreamy look in Rarity’s eyes. “Wow, Cupid didn’t just hit you, he turned you into a pincushion…”

“Cupid himself couldn’t create love as pure and as grand,” Rarity proclaimed, “No, nopony but Aphrodite herself could kindle love so sweet!”

Sassy smiled, but then thought of something. “Wait, ever changing rainbow mane… You’re into the Spectre? The Nachtmare with the mane nopony can ever tame?”

“You heard of her?”

“What nocturnal with an interest in fashion didn’t? She’s basically synonymous with ‘unsatisfiable customer.’ You really couldn’t have chosen a bigger challenge, I’m afraid...”

“I know… It’s no use, I won’t find inspiration here… Sassy, I’m going back to Ponyville!”

Rarity’s new plan was to ask her friends for help. First stop was Fluttershy’s cottage. After some tea, she finally asked for advice.

“Um… I’m not sure that I can help you,” Fluttershy said, “You’re so much more experienced with dresses. Do you remember our first Grand Galloping Gala? We liked the dresses you designed for us more than the ones we came up with ourselves!”

“I know,” Rarity said with a sigh, “But I don’t think that that will work here. I’m not arrogant enough to assume that all the other designers that came before me were incompetent, that’s Dashie’s thing. She probably already got dozens of masterfully designed dresses before, and she rejected all of them…”

“You just have to believe in yourself.”

The next stop was Sugarcube Corner. Rarity had to wait until Pinkie had a quiet moment to pull her away to her room. She explained her situation to Pinkie. “...So, now you know my problem. Can you help me?”

“Sorry, Rarity, nothing I can do.”

“Come on, you have files on everypony down in your lair! You must know something that could help me.”

Pinkie giggled. “It’s not my lair, it’s my Party Cave, silly! Yes, I have something about everypony in Ponyville, in case of a party planning emergency, but she’s not from Ponyville.”

Pinkie and Fluttershy couldn’t help me, but maybe Applejack can, Rarity thought on her way to Sweet Apple Acres, I mean, she’s a practical pony, just like Spectre, right?

“Ah’m sorry, Sugarcube, but you know that dresses aren’t ma speciality. Ah could give you advice about hats, though.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I don’t think that will be of use right now.”

“Hello, Derpy,” Rarity said at the entrance of the Friendship Castle, “Is Twilight here?”

“Hi, Rarity. Yes, she’s in the library. Come in.” Derpy let Rarity into the castle and walked with her to Twilight. “But I don’t think that she will have a lot of time. She still has a lot of books from Castle Everfree to work through. She’s been in the zone for days.”

“It’s worth a try. And how are you doing?”

“Good. Now that Hearth's Warming is over, work in the postal office has calmed down. But once Hearts and Hooves day comes around, I’ll probably have to work overtime again.”

They reached the library. The books Twilight had to sort through turned it into a maze, with Twilight mumbling while making her way through it without even having to look up from whatever book she was inspecting that moment.

Rarity tried to talk to her, but Twilight seemed to be completely unaware of her surroundings as long as those surroundings weren’t books.

Rarity went back to Derpy, who had been waiting at the door.

“You didn’t exaggerate,” Rarity said, “She really is in her own world right now.”

“Yeah, Starlight has to carry her out of the room every few hours, or she wouldn’t take a break at all. But it’s kind of nice as well, right?” Derpy looked at Twilight. “Here we see a wild Twilight Sparkle in her natural habitat, sorting through her nest of books.”

“Yeah… Wait, that’s it!” Rarity hugged Derpy before saying, “Derpy, you may not be a genius yourself, but you sure are talented at inspiring it!”

Rarity went to Castle Everfree, and after some asking around, found Rainbow in a tent near the bridge to the castle. She was sitting over a map of a cave system, trying to memorize it. “Hey, Dashie, how are you doing?”

“Learning. Never thought I would have to do that again, but I signed up for it, so what can you do… So, what brings you here?”

“I have to ask you for a favour. Smuggle me into the Schattencity.

“You want me to do what?”

“Smuggle me into the Schattencity. I have to visit Spectre in her workshop!”

“And how am I supposed to do that?”

“You’re a Shadowbolt, aren’t you? Didn’t they grant you access to their city?”

“Well, yeah, but only to our barracks. I don’t even know where her workshop is! And it’s not like you could just put on a uniform and fly into the city with me, because you’re kinda lacking in the wing department. Even more than me.” Rainbow waved with her metal wing. “And even if you could, do you really expect me to risk my last chance of being a professional flyer just so you can visit your girlfriend?”

“She’s not my—”

“Rarity, even I see that you’re head over hooves for her! Just ask Twilight to send a message to Shaded. I’m sure she’ll allow you to visit her.”

“But I can’t wait that long. I want to make a dress for Spectre for Hearts and Hooves Day, but I need to see her in her own habitat to get inspiration!”

“Maybe I can help,” a voice behind Rarity said, causing her to yelp and turn around to see a Shadowbolt stallion standing in the entrance to the tent.

Rainbow sighed. “How long have you been eavesdropping, Night Sky?”

“Since the moment she entered the camp. Anyway—” he turned to Rarity “—I can get you in.”

Rarity’s ears pointed forward. “And how?”

“I’m supposed to bring her a shipment of colour fragments from the ruins. I could put you into another shipping crate and deliver you right to her workshop.”

“You literally want to ship her to Spectre,” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Yes,” Night Sky said.

Rainbow groaned. “I’ve read enough Daring Do fanfiction to know where this is going…”

Spectre’s Atelier

Spectre was sitting before her easel in the middle of the room, working on her latest piece, a painting of the night sky.

Two younger mares, an earth pony called Turquoise and a pegasus called Indigo, worked on their own projects. They were apprentices of her, currently learning how to make and mix colours. The earth pony looked over her shoulder at Spectre’s canvas, then she leaned over to her colleague and wisphered, “Hey, is it just me, or did Meisterin Spectre use a lot of white, dark violet, and light blue in her works lately?”

“Huh, now that you mention it…”

They were interrupted by Night Sky brinning in two crates. “Ey, Spectre! Delivery for you!”

Spectre sighed. Without looking away from her work, she pointed at her apprentices and said, “Just put it over there, they’ll take care of it.”

They didn’t look, but the apprentices could hear the grin in Night Sky’s voice. “Trust me, you’ll want to open that one yourself.”

Now Turquoise and Indigo were interested. They turned around to see what was happening.

Spectre put down her brush and walked to the crate Sky was pointing at. She grabbed a crowbar and opened it. As soon as the cover landed on the ground, a white unicorn jumped out of the crate, yelling, “Surprise!”

Spectre tumbled back a few steps, her mane suddenly being dominated by redish and pinkish colours. “Ra—Rarity? What are you doing here?”

“I promised to make you a dress, didn’t I?” She stepped out of the crate and got a brush out of a saddlebag laying in the crate to fix her mane. “Well, to do that, I need to see you here, where you create your art.”

Turquoise looked at her and mumbled, “White coat, dark violet mane…”

“And a light blue cutie mark,” Indigo added, “now it makes sense.”

“You went through all the effort to get here just for me?” Spectre asked.

“Of course.” Rarity took out a notebook from the crate and said. “Now, just ignore that I’m here. I need you to act au naturel.”

How could I ever ignore the presence of a unicorn as stunning as you, Spectre thought. “Um, okay… I’ll try…”

She went back to her canvas, picked up her brush, but as much as she tried, she couldn’t continue. After a moment, she turned back to Rarity and said, “Maybe it’s better if I explain what all these things are?”

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t mind an art lesson from you.” Rarity said. She walked up to Spectre, and Spectre began to talk her through the different tools spread out on the workbenches on their sides. What colours she used and why, the advantages and disadvantages of different types of brushes and pencils, how she used them, and a lot more.

They had spent hours together like that before Rarity suddenly tensed up. “Finally! An inspiration!” She packed her notebook into her sattlebag. “I have to leave at once!”

Spectre sounded disappointed. “Can’t you stay a little longer?”

“I’m sorry, my dear, but you know that the muses are fleeting creatures. If I wait, the inspiration may be gone before I’m home.” She placed the saddlebag on her back, ready to leave. “Do you want a goodbye kiss?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Rarity stretched to give Spectre a quick kiss on the cheek before running out of the workshop. Spectre turned back to her canvas, but froze in place just as the sound Rarity’s steps got lost in the tunnels. Wait, that was…

Rarity ran straight ahead in the tunnel leading out of Spectre’s atelier. Night Sky warned me to not use this tunnel because of what lives down there, but they are exactly who I need right now.

And sure enough, she found the Diamond Dogs.

She calmly approached them. “Hey, boys.”

Rover pointed at her and screamed, “The Banshee!”

All of the Diamond Dogs quivered with fear.

“Now, that really isn’t a way to greet a lady, is it?” Rarity asked.

“I’m sorry, miss Rarity!” Rover pled, “I won’t do it again, just don’t start whining!”

“I didn’t plan to. Just show me the way back to Ponyville. I’ll even throw a box of jewels down into the caves tomorrow, if we get there quickly.”

“And you won’t whine?” Fido asked.

“Not if we get going now.”

Rarity locked herself into her workshop the moment she came back to her house. Not even the prospect of Sweetie Belle cooking was able to stop her now.

She drew a sketch of what she had in mind first, then she levitated the cloth she had bought specifically for this dress over to her sewing machine.

“Finally,” she exclaimed after completing it, “if Spectre doesn’t like that, I’ll give up dressmaking!” She folded the dress and put it into a locked chest. I’m not taking any chances with this.

Rarity took a deep breath and turned to inspect what Sweetie Belle had managed to burn today, but was struck by a realisation. She blushed brightly. That was our first kiss!