It was the most beautiful Rainbow Festival Rarity had ever seen.
Granted, it was the only Rainbow Festival Rarity had ever seen. But it was beautiful nonetheless, and it certainly set the stage for a desire to see more of them. Perhaps a yearly trip to Hope Hollow wasn’t the worst idea in the world.
Not that Rarity would have ever thought that from her first impression of the place. To say that the town was drab upon first inspection was a vast understatement. Between the general grayness of the town and its ponies and the disappointments at every turn as far as the promised festivities were concerned, a return trip didn’t seem likely for a fashion-minded unicorn with a propensity for glamour and beauty. But first looks could be deceiving, and Rarity had begun to appreciate the little town and its hidden beauties even before the color and vibrance had returned.
“Rarity! Aren’t you gonna join in on the fun?”
Rarity smiled lightly at Pinkie’s voice pricking up over the music, though a faint blush also found its way to her visage. Had she really been sitting here and thinking for so long that it had become noticeable? It hadn’t felt like a terribly long time to her, but perhaps it had been. A busy mind tended to distort one’s notion of the passing of time.
“Of course, darling,” Rarity called out, waving a hoof in the direction of her friend. “I’ll be with you in a moment. I’m just...mulling over something.” Rarity knew Pinkie well enough to understand that shaking her usually wasn’t so easy, but it would have been rude to leave her question unanswered.
“Mulling is a funny word!” Pinkie responded with a giggle, before turning to bounce back towards the central point of the party. “Mulling mulling mulliiiiing...”
Rarity chuckled softly to herself. Pinkie really was an unpredictable sort. She felt a little guilty turning down Pinkie’s request for her to get up and join the party, but Pinkie clearly hadn’t been bothered by it if her behavior was any indication. Besides, she wasn’t really denying her. She was simply...delaying. Yes, delaying was a good way to describe it. She had every intent to join the party properly. She just needed to...mull things over. Once the mulling had ceased, she would become the consummate party mare.
Rarity’s eyes scanned over the gaggle of jovial ponies, taking delight in their exuberance. She kept an eye out for the ponies she recognized. Her dear friends were there, of course, spread out amongst the general populace. The mayor of Hope Hollow and his new fiancée danced in the thick of things, and the two friendly little twins who had performed that lovely air show with Rainbow Dash were currently trying to wow anypony who would cast an eye in their direction with a flurry of aerial tricks. The builder mare was chatting with Applejack while pointing out some of the handiwork on the podium where the rainbow machine sat. The Manehattan couple who made the delicious pies were chatting up the gardener whose apricots they had used. Even the young fellow in the trout costume was enjoying himself. Just about everypony was here.
Just about.
Truth be told, there was one specific pony that Rarity was looking for, and of course it was the only pony she could not locate. Her absence was peculiar and certainly noticed by Rarity, even if others at the celebration didn’t seem to notice. Or maybe they had noticedher absence, but weren’t as concerned with it as Rarity was?
The fashionista reflected on this as she got up to walk towards Kerfuffle’s boutique. There was quite a bit about the peppy pegasus that had intrigued her, enough so that she had particularly wished to speak to her more once the town’s little pigmentation problem had been solved. Among the multitude of reasons to wish to speak to her stood one specific reason, one stronger than the rest that had been sitting in the back of her head since that first talk. She would make sure to bring that up when and if she found her, but tact was a necessity. Thankfully, Rarity was not short on tact.
“Hellooo?” Rarity called as she knocked on the boutique door, an ear perking as it opened with a creak. “Kerfuffle, dear, are you in here?”
“Ya, I’m in the back!” Kerfuffle’s voice rang out. Rarity found a smile creeping across her face as she heard that pleasant alto drawl. Everypony in town, save for the couple from Manehattan, had that quaint accent, but something about the way that Kerfuffle spoke stood out to her that much more. That calm, almost singsong-y quality to it just had a way of dancing in her head.
“May I come join you?” Rarity asked, taking a few more steps into the shop. The smile that had crept up on her was stubbornly refusing to leave, unaware of the fact that its owner was quite satisfied with its residency.
“Oh dear, not just yet!” Kerfuffle replied.
“Oh?” Rarity asked, a touch of concern coloring her expression. “Is something the matter? I’d very much like a chat with you.”
“Not at all!” Kerfuffle responded quickly. “I just...ya know, I’ll just be a while, okay? We can chat like this, right?”
“I...suppose,” Rarity said, that smile beginning to fade. “But it’s...I don’t know, a skosh impersonal, don’t you think?”
Rarity’s question was met with a stark silence. It was far from the kind of response that she was hoping for. The question hung awkwardly in the air, and Rarity could distinctly feel her heart sink as her smile vanished. The unspoken rejection was affecting her far more than she could have expected, and with a sigh, she turned around to leave.
“Okay...” came Kerfuffle’s resigned reply. “C’mon back.”
“I could leave if you really wanted me to,” Rarity answered, glancing back over her shoulder. It wasn’t a lie, per se. She had said she could leave, not that she wanted to.
“I don’t want you to leave,” Kerfuffle said, and Rarity could swear she could practically hear a frantic shaking of the pegasus’s head. “C’mon back. Please?”
A fragment of Rarity’s previously-abandoned smile found its way back to her face as she approached the door to the back room, although her concerns weren’t as quick to disappear as the frown was. She didn’t bother knocking, nudging the door open just enough to fit in the entryway.
“Is everything alright, darling?” Rarity asked. “You vanished from the celebration right after the musical number, and I was–“
Rarity’s sentence came to an abrupt end as she took in the sight in front of her. There sat Kerfuffle, looking terribly nervous. In front of her was what appeared to be a partially-finished dress. The colors radiated from the garment as if they had never existed before and had been willed into existence for this dress alone. Frills adorned the skirt, evenly spaced and fluffing out in just the right places, and the bodice shone like the finest silk–likely a healthy indicator of what it was made from.
And there, in the center of the bodice, sat a single deep pink, diamond-shaped jewel. Even amongst the wonders of the rest of the unfinished piece, something about it still managed to beckon Rarity’s eyes. It seemed...familiar, somehow? Rarity couldn’t place her hoof on it at the moment, but either way, it brought the piece together in a lovely way.
The dress still needed work, some of the pieces still unattached and all, but that was unimportant. The love and attention put into it, as well as the quality of the handiwork...it was downright impressive.
“Kerfuffle, dear!” Rarity exclaimed, trotting over quickly to admire the sight. “This is...it’s splendid! Gorgeous, even!”
“So what you’re saying is...ya like it?” Kerfuffle asked through an embarrassed smile.
“Like it?” Rarity spat out, as if the lack of proper intensity in the words was offensive to her. “I adore it! Darling, if this is the kind of work that you claim to ‘not be good enough,’ then I can’t imagine what your standards must be!” The unicorn ooh-ed and aah-ed over the nearly-complete work a bit more as its creator blushed profusely.
“Thank ya so much, Rarity,” Kerfuffle said with a giggle, still in shock over the reaction. “I’m really glad ya like it this much, because...well...”
“Well what?” Rarity asked, her interest piqued. “Are you planning on displaying this? Maybe selling your work? Because I have many contacts in Canterlot who’d love to–“
“Hush, ya silly goose!” Kerfuffle said, surprising even herself with how direct it was. Rarity recoiled from the volume, but then quickly smiled and nodded, zipping her lips to let Kerfuffle finish.
“What I was trying to say...” Kerfuffle went on, kicking a hoof nervously as she noted Rarity’s rapt attention. “...Is that I’m glad you like the dress so much, because it’s for you. When it’s finished, of course.”
“For me?!” Rarity gasped, covering her mouth with a hoof. “Kerfuffle, darling! This is...why, I’m all a flutter! I can’t possibly thank you enough!”
“There’s no need to thank me,” Kerfuffle responded, cheeks still aflame as she smiled a shy little smile. “I should be thanking you, really. I’d thought my work wasn’t good enough, or at least nowhere near the level of something like yours. But you gave me hope, ya know? Somepony like you, whose work I admire so much, coming in and telling me how much ya like my stuff? That just...floats my boat, ya know?”
Rarity simply nodded, pulling her attention away from the dress to beam at the pegasus. The words had warmed her heart so much that she couldn’t find her own words to reply, and seeing the joy on Kerfuffle’s face only silenced her more. She had this way of radiating glee that nearly matched Pinkie Pie’s, the exuberance packed densely in her from the top of her head down to the tip of her hoof.
Rarity’s brow suddenly furrowed. Something was amiss. She couldn’t tell what it was, but there was something...different about Kerfuffle? She noticed the pegasus tilt her head in confusion at the sudden change in Rarity’s demeanor, but the something different had nothing to do with her head. It took a few moments for it to sink in, and when it did, it hit her like a ton of bricks.
“Kerfuffle!” Rarity exclaimed. “Your leg!”
Kerfuffle stared at the mare, quite confused.
“Yeah?” Kerfuffle replied. “Did...did you only just notice?” She lifted her hind leg a bit, giving it a little shake.
“Oh no, I don’t mean it like that!” Rarity responded quickly. “I mean...is it damaged? I could have sworn there was a jewel on the front.”
Kerfuffle was certain that her cheeks couldn’t get any redder, but they were certainly making a valiant effort.
“Oh, yeah...” Kerfuffle said, grinning at the unicorn. “I did that myself, actually. Ya know, it was the perfect color, and it went with everything else so well...”
It took a moment for the meaning of Kerfuffle’s words to settle into Rarity’s head. When they did, everything finally clicked together. Her attention turned back to the bodice of the dress, particularly the centerpiece.
“You used the jewel from your leg for my dress?” Rarity asked in a hushed whisper.
“Oh, it’s fine...” Kerfuffle said, tapping the wooden hoof on the floor. “I’ll get another one put in. That one was meant for your dress. I hope that isn’t too strange for ya. Besides, don’t they always say that an artist’s best work is something they put a piece of themselves into?”
Rarity shook her head, biting her lip in an effort to contain herself. She moved forward and wrapped Kerfuffle in a hug.
“Indeed they do,” Rarity said softly. “Thank you ever so much, darling.” She felt Kerfuffle’s foreleg wrap around her as well, giving a gentle squeeze. She was well accustomed to generosity, but every once in a while, somepony managed to display it in a way that could still surprise her.
As Rarity finally pulled away from the hug, the thought in the back of her head from earlier made its way to the front of her mind. It was merely a curiosity earlier, but considering recent events, she had a bit of a better idea about it. Nevertheless, it needed to be asked to be certain.
“Kerfuffle, darling?” Rarity asked. “I have a little question for you.”
“Oh?” Kerfuffle replied. “Well, ask away!”
“Earlier, when we first met,” Rarity said, carefully watching Kerfuffles face for a reaction. “You said something, and it came off as a slip of the tongue, but I simply had to know...”
Rarity stopped there as she noticed the change in Kerfuffle’s expression. The adorable sight of nervousness.
“Oh gosh...” Kerfuffle stammered. “I...uh...I was hoping ya didn’t catch that...”
“It wasn’t just a verbal misstep, then?” Rarity said, giving a coy little smile. “Not to sound vain, but when a mare says that she loves you with such conviction...”
“I really did mean to say that I loved your work!” Kerfuffle interrupted, a small bead of sweat forming on her brow. “But...sometimes a pony’s mind runs faster than her mouth, ya know? I just saw all these pictures of ya and these interviews and heard about your work ethic and ya got into my head and...I should stop talking now.”
Rarity couldn’t help but grin. It was simply charming, watching Kerfuffle get all flustered like this.
“I see,” Rarity replied, giving the pegasus a wink. “Then I have a followup question as well, if you don’t mind.”
“O-of course!” Kerfuffle exclaimed. “Ask away, why don’t ya?”
“Well,” Rarity said. “We’ve been having a lovely celebration for the Rainbow Festival while you’ve been in here working, but I haven’t sampled much of the cuisine. Would you, perhaps, care to show me a good place to eat here in Hope Hollow? I know there’s plenty of food at the party, but if you don’t mind, I’d prefer something a little more...one-on-one, as it were.”
Kerfuffle’s eyes widened as she took in the meaning of Rarity’s words. When it all finally hit, she giggled and hopped in place.
“I’d love ya!” Kerfuffle said.
“Did it again,” Rarity told her with a wink.
“I-I mean I’d love to!” Kerfuffle corrected herself.
“Then let’s,” Rarity said, offering a hoof to the pegasus. Kerfuffle was quick to take it. She did want to see a bit more of the town’s first Rainbow Festival in what felt like ages, but she was sure it would still be going on when they were done.
