Return of the Mirror Pool
The sewing needle just barely missed contact with Rarity's delicate hooves that were starting to ache. Even practiced precision and repetition could only do so much to take the strain off what was becoming a most taxing task. Stitch by stitch the dress was coming together, much slower than the fashionista would've liked. She was supposed to have finished ten dresses by this point in time today, yet she was only just about to put the finishing touches on dress number two.
It wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact that Rarity had been developing a backlog on dresses for the past several days. Curse the School of Friendship for taking up so much of her time that would've gone to tending to these matters. How had time slipped away from her so badly this time? Hadn't she gotten better at managing it since opening those boutiques in Canterlot and Manehattan?
As the final stitch was completed, Rarity paused to let her horn rest and brought the sewing needle down. She sighed, by now her ruby red sewing glasses were starting to feel heavy, and her mane and tail were completed frazzled. Was this what Twilight went through last Hearth's Warming when she was grading tests?
Rarity's wandering eyes turned to the clock on the wall nearby. It was already half past three, the day was more than half over. That was not good. She had skipped lunch and only had a light snack to tide her over, a decision she was starting to regret as her stomach growled quite audibly. To say nothing of how every inch of her body felt tired and sore. But there was no time to take a break. "I have to get all these orders done by the end of the week, and that's only two days from now!" She thought to herself.
But could she make it? The fashionista was already pushing herself to the limit as it was, her entire body felt ready to collapse at a moment's notice. Forgoing sleep and food and drink was out of the question, it would only serve to make her feel even more tired than she already was.
"What am I going to do?!" Rarity wondered aloud as she lowered her head onto the desk. "I'm running out of time!" She couldn't ask Coco or Sassy for help, both of her other boutiques already had enough on their plates as it were and she could ill afford to leave either of them understaffed (the one in Canterlot especially considering it was the flagship boutique in the growing fashion empire). And none of the students in her generosity class seemed likely to provide much assistance on such short notice.
"Oh, if only there were more of me!" Rarity loudly complained. And it was that very remark that suddenly set off a spark inside her mind, the spark for an idea that would set into motion a chain of events she could've never imagined. For she knew that there was a place not far from Ponyville that would allow her to do just that, clone herself. The fabled mirror pool that Pinkie Pie had once used long ago to try and not miss out on any fun with all of her friends.
Naturally, the memories of that cloning incident did give Rarity room for pause. She remembered that things had gotten so out of hoof that there had been a real risk of the real Pinkie Pie being sent back to the mirror pool along with the clones. And the clones themselves had been reckless and caused quite a bit of damage when they'd gotten loose.
If only the circumstances were not what they were, the young fashionista would not have allowed herself to look past those objections as she removed her sewing glasses, set aside her measuring tape, and headed out the door of Carousel Boutique.
Rarity remembered the way to the mirror pool well enough, Starlight had discovered it once and Maud Pie had mentioned that her home in Ponyville adjacent was connected to it by a series of caves. So the unicorn was able to reach her destination without much fuss. Even the brambles and vines gave her little trouble, and despite how much her horn ached it was an easy task to push the boulder blocking the entrance aside.
The unicorn tumbled down the hole and took a moment to get her bearings when the journey ended, before trotting towards the pool's reflective surface. Now how did that chant allegedly go? She thought and thought, racking her brain for the answer as it danced on the tip of her mind but remained just out of grasp. Suddenly, however, it came to her.
Rarity stepped back for a moment to clear her throat, then peered once again into the pool's surface as she repeated to herself. "And into her own reflection she stared, yearning for one whose reflection she shared, and solemnly sweared not to be scared at the prospect of being doubly mared!"
Seconds passed, then a full fledged moment. Nothing happened. Had she somehow not repeated the chant just right? Was there an extra step she was forgetting?
But just as the fashionista was about to consider it all a lost cause and pack up and leave, a familiar voice called out to her. "Hello, darling. Sorry to keep you waiting, but good things do come to those who wait." She spun around, her eyes locking onto an exact replica of her in every detail. Not a single stretch of mane was out of place, the eyes were the exact same color as her own, and the cutie mark of three diamonds was as it should be. It had worked, the mirror pool had done it again!
"Oh Pinkie Pie, I owe your Nana Pie more thanks than she could ever know!" Rarity fondly exclaimed as she took in the sight of herself, "doubly mared" for lack of a better term.
The clone Rarity, for her part, just blinked as she stared back at the original. "Darling," She spoke up in what sounded like a polite whine. "Must we spend time getting lost in each other's reflection when we could be spending that time doing far more productive things? Those dresses aren't going to finish themselves, you know."
The original Rarity just waved a hoof. "Oh relax, those dresses can wait. The two of us aren't going to be enough to finish the workload on time. We will need a few more of me, or rather us, to get the job done," Without a second's thought or hesitation she ushered the clone to stand beside her at the pool's reflective surface. "Now repeat after me and do exactly as I do: And into her own reflection she stared, longing for one whose reflection she shared, and solemnly sweared not to be scared at the prospect of being doubly mared!"
With the clone chiming in and mimicking Rarity in words and actions, it wasn't long before two more Rarities had popped up. That was enough for Rarity. "Four of me should be plenty enough to handle the workload. If not, I can always come back for a few more," She thought out loud to herself. "As long as I keep the count low, I shan't have any trouble keeping everything under control."
But no sooner had Rarity spoken those words, when the three clones she had created were repeating aloud the chant. Three more Rarities surfaced mere seconds later, as the original could only blink in surprise and concern. "Okay, darlings," She tried to call out to the clones. "That's quite enough of... that."
The clones took no notice, they just chanted again. This time there were six of them, so six more Rarities appeared. And before Rarity could draw close enough to get their attention, those six clones joined the original six clones in making clones of themselves. So now the clones had grown to twenty four!
"That's enough!" Rarity shouted at the top of her lungs, stopping the twenty four clones before they could double themselves and create forty eight! "I most certainly didn't intend for there to be so many of you. There's certainly more than enough for us to make all the dresses and then some, Carousel Boutique is not so backed up that we need an entire army to make dresses."
"Ooh, did somepony mention dresses?!" One of the clone Rarities exclaimed! "Where?! Where?! Where?!" And several other clone Rarities began to chant "Dresses!" over and over again, their voices echoing off the walls of the surrounding cave.
Now the original became quite concerned and nervously bit into her hoof. While she had stopped anymore clones from appearing she had way more than she could possibly hope to manage. True, she could divert some of the clones into household tasks or even send them out shopping, but that would run the risk of somepony seeing them and she most certainly didn't want Pinkie Pie or Twilight (or any of her friends for that matter) knowing that she had used the mirror pool. Twilight had been quite insistent on nopony ever using it again for any reason at all. What would Rarity's princess friend have to say if she found out?
But did that mean that all but a few of these clones would have to be sent back to where they had come from? Would Rarity be forced to tell these copies of herself that they had no right to exist and that their creation had not been planned? Sure, twenty four clones was a tough number to manage. But she could find a way could she not? She was not as easily distracted as Pinkie Pie was, and she would not make the mistake of letting her clones run free the way Pinkie had. For at least a couple of days she could make it work if she was careful.
So with her mind made up, Rarity gave a whistle to get the attention of the clones. "Darlings, we have a lot of orders to fill and not much time to fill them. I'm sure you have some knowledge of fashion that is shared by me, but I must see for myself if it's good enough for what the clients want. Please come back to the boutique with me and we'll get everything sorted out," She was quick to add. "And under no circumstances are you to let anypony notice you or tell them how it is that you came to be. Nopony must know that there exists more than one of me."
"Why, darling? We want to make dresses!" The clones insisted! "Fashion is fun!"
The unicorn nodded her head very slowly. "I know it is, and you wouldn't want the fun to end because somepony spotted you and made you have to go away." The clones seemed to hear and obey, which was a good sign for the original. "Yes," She thought to herself. "This could work."
It took a lot of out of the way maneuvers, but Rarity was able to bring her unintentional army of clones back to Carousel Boutique without anypony being any the wiser. A much needed sigh of relief escaped her lips once she had ushered the last clone inside and shut the door tightly behind her.
The clones seemed to be taken aback by their new surroundings! They were immediately rushing all about, examining every inch of the building. But they especially seemed to take a liking to dresses and fabrics, the prettier the better. Some could tell what kind of fabric was what or describe the textures behind it, but most referred to them in terms that an average pony might use.
But anypony could know a thing or two about fabric. Not just anypony was capable of the hard work that went into fashion: Particularly the sketching, the measuring, the cutting and the sewing. For one to be a true fashion expert they had to know their way around both a mechanical sewing machine and an old fashioned needle and thread. And that was where the clones would hopefully prove useful.
So Rarity led what she was fairly certain were her original three clones and the only ones she had planned on creating upstairs, though she was a bit surprised when a few more somehow slipped their way into the ranks. "This is my workshop," She told the clones. "This is where the magic happens. Here, dresses are turned from simple sketches into finished products. Before I turn you loose to clear up the backlog of orders I was facing, I must test your abilities as it were. The clients expect a certain standard of quality, when they expect the best they deserve only the best. So I want to see if your skills are to a level that can match what the orders will ask of you. Therefore, I present you to your first task," She presented them a sketch that resembled her gala dress from when she had taken Sweetie Belle as a plus one. "I want each of you to make me a dress just like this one."
"Not a problem, darling." The clones all replied at the same time, and then quickly set to work. Rarity was amazed at just how fast they seemed to move. Dare she say it there was something almost magical about their movements and efforts. And yet the end product did not disappoint, it was a perfect replica of the original. That they had been able to produce something so high quality in such a short amount of time was outstanding to say the least!
"Oh my! This is absolutely divine!" Rarity fondly exclaimed as she put a hoof to her head! "I couldn't have designed it better myself. You are all most definitely ready to take over on dress making," She floated over the stack of papers that had been piling up in a corner of her workshop. "These are all the orders that must be completed before the week is up, and you have only two days to do so. But having seen your work, I can already tell that will not be a problem."
The clones simply answered. "Darling, it will be a piece of cake. Dresses are fun to make." And in no time at all they were picking up orders and setting to work on turning them into beautiful dresses.
With a smile on her face, the young fashionista left her workroom. Those clones had been taken care of. And to her surprise, the other clones had already started working on other things without even having to be told to do so. They were organizing fabrics, cleaning the floors, putting away dishes, and even managing to tend to Opal (though Opal herself didn't seem particularly thrilled with the many Rarities constantly fawning over her and moving her all about).
However, with them doing everything that Rarity herself would've done that presented a problem. What was she to do now that she had so much free time on her hooves? It didn't take long for her to come up with a solution to that problem, though. One look at her mane and tail and the appalling state they were in (she had only bothered to maintain it while creating her clones) made it very clear to her what she could do. A spa trip was in order. A deluxe one at that, with all the bells and whistles that would come with it.
"Keep holding down the fort while I'm away, darlings," Rarity called out to the clones. "I shall be at the spa."
"Ooh! Spa!" Some of the Rarity clones commented.
But Rarity quickly objected to what the clones were thinking. "Absolutely not, darlings. You all are to remain here. I can't have you coming with me and having our secret exposed. Just keep doing what you're doing until I get back," She instructed and then departed with a call of "Toodles!" In her haste to leave she forgot all about closing the front door of the boutique behind her, a careless mistake she would later come to regret.
It wasn't long after Rarity had departed that her clones finished all the tasks they had been given (or had taken up without needing to be asked). All the dresses had been completed and sewed according to design, just as the clients wanted. Every inch of the boutique was spotless, everything was in its proper place and as it should be.
So what were these clones to do now that they had nothing but free time on their hooves?
Well that was a question that was answered the moment one of the clones happened to spot the open front door. Rarity's earlier warnings about not leaving the boutique did briefly echo in said clone's mind, but she dismissed them out of hoof. "Who knows what other fashionable things we can create out in the town?" The clone pondered aloud and gave a whistle. "Darlings, we've done a fine job but our work has only just begun. We need to bring fashion to every nook and cranny of this town."
"But what about the others?" Another clone asked. "Aren't we supposed to avoid being seen?"
The first clone just winked. "Darling, you can never have enough of us. And wouldn't Rarity be thrilled when she has more fashion friends to talk with, and a town that's more in line with her way of life? Besides, think of all the ideas for dresses we could inspire! Rarity would have enough orders to keep her satisfied for life!" And that did the trick, the mentioning of dresses was enough to get all the clones onboard.
They all filed out of Carousel Boutique and soon split off, each to pursue their own fashion oriented goals of transforming Ponyville!
For the unaware citizens of Ponyville, the peace and quiet of what had up to that point being an average day was suddenly ended as a swarm of Rarity look alikes descended upon the town like thundering cattle! Many of them were spouting off the words "Darling", "Dresses", and "Fashion" over and over again, and were making use of their magic to "transform" whatever they felt needed to be made more beautiful.
"The horror! The horror!" Rose screamed in unison with her sisters as their flower stand was overrun with Rarities that quickly snatched up every last flower they could find! When the Rarities departed, Rose and her sisters fainted in shock. It had taken them weeks to get all those flowers and put them on display. And now their hard work had been ruined.
Meanwhile, from high above, a snoozing Rainbow Dash was awoken by the sounds of commotion from below. Grumbling, the brash speedster rose from the cloud she'd been dozing on and looked down on Ponyville.
To say that she was surprised by the sudden onset of chaos that had appeared to engulf the quiet town would be an understatement. "What in the hay's going on here? Can't a high class athlete have a little 'me time' every now and then?" She remarked in a rather angry tone of voice. If there was one thing to be known about Rainbow Dash it was that she was never in a good mood if her power naps were disturbed for any reason at all.
But as the currently off-duty Wonderbolt scanned her surroundings below, she had to blink to make sure she wasn't seeing things. There were multiple Rarities running among, trying to slip hastily made dresses onto ponies and attempting to transform various buildings with their magic. All the while various utterances of the words "Darling", "Dresses", and "Fashion" were being heard every couple of seconds. And Rainbow knew that Rarity herself wouldn't be caught dead doing even half the stuff these duplicates were doing. Which could mean only one thing!
Fast as lightning (if not faster), Rainbow zipped across the sky and towards Twilight's castle! Only a pony as knowledgeable and magically gifted as Twilight would know what to do in a situation like this, and she had to be made aware of it as soon as possible. In fact, because Rainbow was determined to get there so fast, she barely even noticed when said castle suddenly appeared in front of her. She smacked right into the solid crystal structure, though luckily she wasn't hurt. She'd had far rougher impacts.
After taking a moment to shake off the soreness, Rainbow trotted up the castle steps and burst through the front doors without bothering to knock! "Twilight! Twilight, it's an emergency! Ponyville is being overrun by Rarity clones!"
Though Twilight was in the castle library, she was able to overhear Rainbow's announcement and immediately her heart was filled with dread! She teleported out to the front hallway to reach her brash friend. "What?! Are you sure?!"
"I saw 'em with my own two eyes! They've gone completely crazy!" Rainbow Dash insisted with a nod. "It's just like when Pinkie Pie made copies of herself with that magic mirror thingy... whatever it was."
With a groan, Twilight corrected. "Mirror pool, Rainbow Dash. And I can't believe Rarity would do something like this! I had the entrance to that pool sealed off for a reason. What, do I have to put up a sign that says 'Off limits: Do not clone yourself with mirror pool'?!"
"We can worry about that later," Rainbow replied with a sense of urgency in her voice. "We gotta find the real Rarity and send all these clones away before they do anymore damage. I hope you still have that banishing spell ready."
"Well, I'm a bit rusty at it since I didn't think I would actually have to use that sort of spell again. But I should be able to cast again," Twilight commented. "Though that leaves the question of where we can find the real Rarity, and how we make sure we don't banish her by mistake."
"Just check everywhere Rarity would be go, and see if she can something besides just 'Darling', 'Dresses', or 'Fashion' every five seconds," Rainbow insisted. "I'm gonna go round up every lookalike I can find! You want me to herd 'em towards Town Hall like we did with the Pinkie clones?"
Twilight shook her head. "No, just bring them all here. A place like this seems more likely to draw their attention. And be careful, there's no telling what they might do next."
The brash speedster just waved a hoof. "They're just clones, Twilight. I think I can handle 'em!" And she flew away without another word.
Twilight could only sigh as she watched her friend depart. "She's going to get herself into trouble, I just know it."
Twilight couldn't have known just how right her prediction would turn out to be. For it didn't take long for Rainbow Dash to spot some of the clones upon returning to the center of Ponyville.
By this point many ponies had taken to locking themselves indoors in the hopes of avoiding the Rarity clones and their fashionable rampage. A few of the more unlucky ponies were waddling around in dresses that only barely fit them and clashed quite horribly with their coats, manes, tails or eye colors. Some were even itchy.
Yet that did not give Rainbow reason to be concerned as she swooped down, right into the thick of all the chaos. "Hey, Rarities!" She called out. "You're all needed for a fashion emergency at Twilight's castle!"
But the Rarity clones that gathered just looked at the pegasus in their midst and started to snicker. "A fashion emergency, you say?" One spoke up. "Why, darling, you're more right than you know. There is a fashion emergency, and you're it, darling."
Rainbow blinked and stepped back in confusion. "Huh? W-what are you talking about?"
Another Rarity clone looked at Rainbow and commented. "Darling, just look at yourself. Honestly, darling, you're a walking fashion disaster. Such a mistake cannot go uncorrected."
The pegasus with a light blue coat tried to back away, now starting to get a sense of dread as a tight knot formed in her stomach. But she had barely taken five steps back when she felt herself brush up against another Rarity clone. And as her violet eyes spun around she could see that several other Rarity clones were closing in on her. She tried to flap her wings to get away, but one of the Rarity clones simply grabbed her by the tail and held her down.
"Where do you think you're going, darling?" One of the clones questioned as a rare glint came into her eyes. "Thinking of escaping to warn the others?"
"What?! You knew?!" Rainbow blinked in surprise. These clones were a lot smarter than they let on.
Another clone responded. "Honestly, darling, do you think we're going to let ourselves go back so soon? Our work has just begun. Now, I believe we have something extra special planned for you."
All the clones then shouted together! "Makeover!" And poor Rainbow could only scream in horror as she was dragged away!
The original Rarity was unaware of what her clones were up to as she indulged in a much needed steam bath and mud mask at the Ponyville Spa. Oh, she hadn't felt this relaxed since... well she couldn't remember when. That was how long she had gone without a good pampering. How had she let things slip away from her so badly?
But Rarity's spa treatment was suddenly and rudely interrupted when Twilight happened to pop up beside her during a rather indulgent hooficure! She frantically wrapped a towel around herself! "Twilight, must you insist on appearing so abruptly like that?! Don't you know it's not polite to interrupt a lady when she's in the midst of pampering herself?"
Twilight frowned as she pulled the towel off of Rarity and lit up her horn. "What is the name of the changeling student at my school of friendship?" She immediately demanded.
"Her name is Ocellus, Twilight. What, did you forget?" The fashionista snorted. "If this is your idea of a joke it isn't funny."
Twilight lowered her horn and stopped the sparking. "Okay, it seems you're the real deal and not a clone. Just to be safe though, you're coming back to the castle with me."
"Clone? Whatever are you talking about?" The unicorn pondered.
Twilight struggled not to frown more. "You really don't know? I guess you really are the original if that's the case."
It didn't take a genius to figure out what Twilight was referring to. "Don't tell me, the clones got loose and have made a mess of things," Rarity questioned, to which she received an answer in the form of a firm nod. A sigh escaped her lips. "I suppose I should've seen this coming. I thought I could trust the clones to stay put and do as they were told. They must've gotten bored."
"And their boredom has led to them terrorizing the entire town!" Twilight snapped as her eyebrows narrowed. "When this is over, I think we need to have another talk about how no one is to ever use the mirror pool under any circumstances! If I have to, I'll seal off the entrance with concrete and get Maud to bury the entrance to it from her place! Now come on, Rainbow Dash and the rest of our friends are already rounding up every clone they can find. Considering what your clones have done to them or tried to do to them, they were more than eager to help."
At Carousel Boutique, poor Rainbow Dash was completely at the mercy of the Rarity clones as they all crowded around her. She had a pretty good idea of what to expect, and she didn't like the thought of it even one bit.
"How shall we begin this makeover?" One of the Rarity clones pondered.
"Well, all good makeovers start with styling," Another clone insisted. "Let's do something about those eyelashes. They really need to shine!"
A third clone chimed in! "Ooh, good idea! And while we're at it, let's add a touch of blush and eyeshadow to compliment them. Rainbow Dash will be the finest looking pegasus in all of Equestria!"
Two other clones held Rainbow down with their magic, preventing her from fleeing even though she really wanted to. All the brash speedster could do was squirm as she felt her eyelashes be pulled back and combed over. She was so distracted by this that she almost didn't notice as a small powder press made contact with her cheeks, which now felt like they were on fire. She hadn't gone through something like this since she was a little filly and her mom made her dress up nice for family photos (Windy had learned the hard way that her little Rainbow Dash was not one for looking pretty).
The process lasted only for about two moments, but they might as well have been an eternity as far as poor Rainbow was concerned. "Ugh, it's too much!" She complained aloud, hoping the clones would change their mind and let her go.
They didn't. "Darling, you mustn't put up such a fight and make such a fuss," The two clones holding her down scolded quite sternly. "A lady does not complain when others give her a makeover."
"Don't care, I'm no lady!" Rainbow bellowed as she made a gag face! "Now let me go!"
The first Rarity clone simply replied with a shake of her head. "How unfortunate. It seems we will have to teach you some manners in addition to your makeover, darling. We will bring out your inner ladylike behavior no matter what it takes."
"Now we can start on the mane styling, I'm thinking we mold it into a rather stylish curl." Another Rarity clone suggested.
"And you can't forget the pretty dress that goes with it," A third clone declared! "No makeover is complete without a dress!"
"What?! Dress?!" Rainbow screamed and kicked about in vain! "Celestia please, no! Anything but the dress! Anything but the dress!"
Of course her protests mattered little to the clones. They worked quick as a flash to twist and turn the mane, molding it and morphing it until it resembled the kind of curls that Rarity always wore her mane and tail in. To compliment their work they added a lovely pink bow, which just happened to match the long, flowing pink dress that they had in mind for their little fashion victim.
"There, all done," The clones said as they finally finished, one even floating over a mirror. "Now let's see how pretty you look, darling. A lady must always look her best no matter what the occasion."
The pony that stared back at Rainbow in the small, hoofheld mirror, might as well have been an entirely different pony to the tomboyish speedster. In fact, if she didn't know better she would've thought that it was a different pony from a different timeline (or even dimension). The curly mane, the exaggerated blush, the lavish eyelashes, the bow, and of course the dress. It was all like a nightmare come true for the mare, an all too real one at that.
"Oh dear, you don't like it," A Rarity clone declared. "Well that simply won't do. Clearly, we will have to teach you how to embrace your inner lady. I'm thinking a delightful tea party will be just the ticket."
The tea party was a lavish and extravagant affair for all involved. Try as she might, Rainbow couldn't help but take part in the event with the other Rarities. She could distinctly remember partaking in several tea parties with Fluttershy when the two were growing up, and while at first she hadn't really cared for them as time went by she had come to not mind them or even dread them.
The tea party with the Rarity clones, dress aside, seemed to transport the mare back to a simpler time and place. Even if it was only for a moment, she enjoyed the peace and quiet. And she found herself unable to keep from mimicking what the clones did. It helped that doing so kept them from scolding her and tightening the sash on the dress to further restrict her wings.
By the time the whole thing had ended, Rainbow felt almost like she had gained "acceptance" into the clones' circle. As if she were one of them. "You know, even the dress isn't so bad. If only it were more aerodynamic and not so pink, I could actually see myself wearing something like it around the house," She thought to herself and then blinked in surprise. "Wait, why did I think that?! I would never wear something so... so...." Try as she might she couldn't think of a good word to describe it, it was as if the words she wanted to use didn't exist.
However, other matters quickly drew Rainbow's attention away from her inner thoughts. For at that moment who should come upon the scene but the original Rarity herself? She took one look at the tea party and the unlucky guest of honor before her, and let out a gasp! "Oh my stars!" She exclaimed as she put her hooves to her face. "What have they done to you, Rainbow Dash?!"
The Rarity clones just turned to greet the original with waving hooves. "Oh, hello, darling," The first clone greeted in a chipper tone of voice. "How nice of you to return. All the dresses have been finished, there's not a single order left to fill. And your boutique has never looked better, and neither has Ponyville."
But the original Rarity just snorted and frowned. "You have caused quite enough damage for one day, darlings! Ponyville is a disaster thanks to you all! I never should've allowed you all to be left unsupervised!" She then gestured a hoof out the door! "I want you all out of here immediately! You're to go back to the mirror pool from which you were created! No ifs, ands, or buts!"
Any will the clones might have had to resist faded away upon seeing just visibly upset and distraught the original was. So they obeyed without question. Though one snatched up the still overly dressed Rainbow Dash as they departed!
"Rarity, help! They think I'm one of them!" Rainbow Dash screamed as she tried to free herself from the dress, the only thing that was preventing her from flying away!
Rarity immediately rushed out after the clones! "Wait, darlings, come back! Rainbow Dash is not a clone!" She had to catch up to them before it was too late!
Author's Note
This story idea was a request from a user on Fanfiction.net, particularly the detailed makeover scene and Rainbow being hauled away by the clones at the end. The reason why I decided to set it before any events in Season 9 is because I don't really see Rarity having the time to clone herself, let alone letting things escalate that far when she spends at least the first half of the season getting ready to rule Equestria alongside Twilight.
