Author's Note

PLEASE READ!

Hey folks. Long time no chat. I'm sure many of you have seen my postings about me getting a job and a new car. (Yay loans I love being in debt)

But I just wanted to give a y'all an update on this story and how it will be further updated. As I had stated in earlier messages, I will likely be taking two weeks to push out a chapter. The reason for this is because what I thought was going to be a part time gig, turned into a full-time gig with benefits.

This means I have more time to think about chapters, but less time to write them out, and I am sadly a slow worker when it comes to this stuff. So until I get a reliable schedule I will be keeping at a bi-monthly update.

Sorry.

Secondly I am in the market for an artist. I am looking to get characters illustrated for the story so if anyone knows of an artist comfortable with anthropomorphic art style, please send me a message.

Lastly. If you haven't noticed it yet. I love you guys. I am grateful for your support in likes and comments. Yesterday we broke 200 likes on this story and I could not be more floored. Thank you all so very much.

As always, thanks for reading.

Peace.

P.S. No 7,666 for this one. I guess I am safe from the devil this time.

Purple Hopes

Dawn had broken only an hour ago, yet the clash of steel on steel echoed from a third floor balcony nearby City Hall. Placed near the center of Ponyville, the Carousel Boutique was a large three story building that had once been a giant windmill for grain milling.

Rarity breathed evenly through her nose and out her mouth. A technique taught to her early in her instruction and she employed it now. Though she had long lost the feeling of being ‘centered’ as it had been explained to her, it did keep her from running out of breath. Which was important because her opponent was absolutely ruthless in the press of their attacks.

Speaking of, peering at the calm pose of her instructor she wanted to curse in disgust, but a lady does not debase herself in such a way.

Keen Edge was every bit as calm and collected as Rarity tried to project. Not a single strand of cherry blossom mane and tail were out of place. The touch of gray at her temples did not mar her almost regal appearance. Her blond fur still looked like it did when she had burst into her room an hour before dawn to begin her ‘training’.

A ritual that had been going on for the better part of six months, and this wasn’t the first time she felt she might have paid too much. To be treated this way was just so undignified.

Another wave of disgust washed over her, the damnable mare’s clothes weren’t even wrinkled! Meanwhile here she was sweating buckets, in the middle of the cooler part of April, still in her pajamas! It was enough to make any mare cry.

She slightly shifted her grip on the blunted sabre in her left hand. The fingers were still tingling after that last exchange and she had been forced to use that hand as Keen had stated ; “You are unbalanced. You must be able to use your weapon in any situation no matter what. You have relied far too much on your dominante.”

Thus had begun a grueling month of practice with her left hand. If not for the recently opened spa, Rarity would never have gotten through that first week of beatings.

But she had improved, measurably so. The problem was that it had been three hours now and she had yet to take a break at all. Even Mademoiselle Edge had taken breaks, only to make her go through forms over and over again as she sipped tea.

The attack would come again. Her instructor liked to wait before launching another barrage of swipes and strikes, never at any real set pattern that she could see. She could feel the bruises forming on her left hip and both sides of her rib cage where she had failed to defend herself properly.

“That is enough, I think.” The sudden but soft spoken words jolted her and she nearly lunged forward. “You are improving. I wasn’t sure if it was a fluke yesterday but today I can see it. At this rate I could likely enter you into a few tournaments back home without feeling ashamed that you are my student.” She smiled warmly, a gesture that softened the blow of those words. If only a little.

Rarity could only groan, but followed the proper forms of putting her weapon away. Once done she balefully glared at the source of her torture, rubbing at her left hand to work feeling back into it.

“Oh don’t pout my dear, this wasn’t that bad, and we learned the limits of your stamina as it is now. Besides, you will form wrinkles if you keep your face like that.” She had already long returned her own sword to it’s sheath, and had grabbed her cloak off the chaise lounger that had held the garment since the half asleep mare was forced up here. “I will see you in two days. Make sure to drink plenty of water,” and with that, she simply left.

Rarity wanted to drop something on the spiteful mare’s head as she exited her home. But she had paid for the service, and it was proving beneficial in keeping her waistline slim and her arms tone, and if she was being honest, her legs were absolutely fantastic. Anytime she caught a glimpse of them in her mirror she would stop to admire, then chide herself for being a narcissistic beast.

She grumbled, noticing the tea cup that had been left sitting on the patio table and she growled in exasperation. That wasn’t the first time Mademoiselle Edge had left a teacup behind without at least putting in the sink.

Snatching the porcelain up in her magic she stormed into her home proper, starting a pot of coffee and dumping out the tea. What a waste, though she could not bring herself to really care as she knew the tea brewed would not give her the kick she needed in order to motivate her to open her to start the day proper.

As she set about getting ready for the day she glanced at her apartment, and smiled through her exhaustion. She had come a long way from buying a dilapidated building to a full fledged business owner in a little more than two years. As the shower heated up her, mind wandered back to the journey she had undertaken to get to where she was now.

When she first bought the old mill she had gotten it at a steal, and was even happier with the location. Right down the street from the train station itself. She knew that new arrivals could see her store and would eventually come to look at one of the more unique looking buildings in town.

The reason she got it so cheap was simple, and more than once she wondered if she had been had. The old building had been a cheap buy, but the cost to refurbish ended up being more than she had a budget for. She was still paying off the loans.

As Ponyville expanded the windmill, which was now a boutique, had fallen into diservice as farms moved ever outward. This encouraged the construction of newer milling facilities to be built further out. That and the inefficiency the vertical-axis windmill presented at the time was not as productive as the later horizontal models proved to be.

Another reason was as the town grew in size, more and more pegasi arrived to manage weather and deliver important equipment to help the town in its early expansion efforts. The danger present to the flyers was apparent, as much of the air traffic congealed above the center of town. Which meant the windmill there presented a flight hazard, thus it was shut down in order to prevent unnecessary injuries.

Being the practical ponies that they were, the denizens of Ponyville opted to keep the structure and converted it into a makeshift warehouse. With the already sturdy nature of the building due to its original purpose, not much was needed to be done to the outside, save for removing the internal milling system and patching in holes left behind with their removal.

For years afterward the warehouse served the town well, seeing them through several disasters, however, poor management and even poorer repair schedules would be its downfall once again. After only a few decades the deed was surrendered to city hall for none to pick it up again. It seemed it was fated to be a blemish on the quaint rural town.

Until Rarity Belle had finally gotten a loan from her parents.

The mare had had her eye on the run down establishment since she was a filly. To her eyes, the place had such potential. She could see the colors, the layout out of where she could put all the ponyquins that would best display her work. There was a shop section in which she could bring forth her greatest creations. Even a living space at the top of the three story structure where she would never be far from welcoming her customers.

It would be transformed into a beacon of fashion to the entire world!

Of course she was being a bit dramatic, even she knew that. But the building did hold promise, and she had sold that idea to the Ponyville Chamber of Commerce. Though it had almost failed.

Mostly because Ponyville, for better or worse, was a farming community. Ponies didn’t care too much about fashion in the small town, as they were more concerned with crop yields and what might come out of the Everfree. Fashion was the last thing on anypony’s mind.

Rarity could have gone elsewhere. Could have set up shop in Manehattan, or even Baltimare. Though she shuddered to think of going to that last. With respect to the ponies of that city, it was rather unsavory. The stench alone was enough to peel the coat of polish right off her hooves.

In Manehattan she had the problem of competition. Too many boutiques for her to get her name out, and odds were she would likely be muscled out. The world of fashion was a dangerous place to be in for the mare that was unwary. Many in the business practiced less than pleasant negotiation tactics. She didn’t wish to awaken in the night to see her wares vandalized by the lowest bidder.

Canterlot had the problem of rental cost. Everything was far more expensive than what she could afford. That fact broke her heart every time she thought about it for she dreamed of being among the well-to-do upper crust of society. To attend the fancy balls and parties that were so common, and show off her abilities as a tailor.

But renting a property was nearly impossible with funds she currently had, and she would have to go through the government itself in order to get a place that was suitable.

Other cities were just too far away from her family. She knew one day she may have to leave them for greener pastures, but she was reluctant to do so just yet.

So she settled for opening up her store in Ponyville first. She would have to make practical things in order to make bits for upkeep. Expansion could come later, and with a store already anchored in one location, she could easily expand to the city of her dreams later.

But she couldn’t help taking a small measure of pride in it. While she was a city mare at heart, giving back to her community filled her with warmth. And maybe, just maybe, she could bring a little culture to her lovable backwards neighbors.

In the end it may have been less her passion for fashion, and more the practical nature of the residents themselves. It would cost more to tear down the structure than to sell it to her. Would save time too, and the local contractors could use the business.

So she got the building, at cost surprisingly, and began refurbishing.

It had taken nearly six months before she was ready to open for business. In that time she had behaved in a rather uncivilized manner much to her later shame.

Oh, it had been wonderful at first. But somewhere along the path of becoming a business owner, the rose colored glasses came off, and the ugly reality of maintenance reared its head.

The spiral started with the restoration itself.

She knew that the old mill turned warehouse was badly in need of repairs. It hadn’t been taken care of regularly since it was turned over to the city. What she hadn’t known was that it was infested with termites. Many of the support beams had to be replaced, and all the floorboards would have to be taken care of as well. Even some of the walls had the little beasts lurking inside them. Disgusting.

Her father jokingly asked if she got the insects at cost as well? She screeched, but otherwise said nothing to the laughing stallion. Though he was kind enough to increase the loan to cover the cost of repairs, he never quite let the humor go, much to her embarrassment.

The good news however, was that they discovered that the building still had its basement fully intact. Which meant she had a place to store her unfinished goods and fabrics. With enough mothballs to choke a leviathan of course.

The delay in restoration of the exterior was complicated by the weather ponies as they had to constantly usher in rain storms into place to make sure that crops got enough water. In retrospect she should have just waited till mid summer to start, but in the excitement of becoming a business owner she hadn’t realized what problems might arise.

That would prove to be her undoing for a great deal of the delays. As she had not bothered to check the schedule of many ponies that would be involved with her goals. Screaming could often be heard from the mare as mounting frustrations had gotten the better of her.

Spring was the high point of fabric sales, and she was fortunate that her father owned his own textile company because it meant that any purchases could come at a discount. The downside was she had to be placed on a waiting list. Spring was a busy time for her family's company, and just because she was family, didn’t mean she could cut in front of others.

It was horribly rude after all, and judging by progress on her store, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Still it irked her and she ground her teeth more than once when she realized she could not even get the fabric to start decorating the inside of the establishment till much later.

What began as a planted two month schedule ended up as a six month delay before everything was repaired and put just right. Finally, she could pick out the paint and make the decorations, even if she was already bone tired she would not allow for anypony else to make the decisions for her.

When it was all done however, excitement bubbled within her breast once again.

On the day of her grand opening she stared in wonder at the beauty of her establishment.

Soft sky blue walls with white trim, the support columns of a deep purple, the golden dark yellow curtains and shades that popped in the morning light, and all of it was covered in three separate tiled roofs of checkered pinks.

Even the glass was newly furnished and created colorful patterns inside her store when the sun shone just right. She had gone with glass with lead infused in it to give that rainbow effect.

It was Magnificent! Beyond what she had actually hoped toward the end. With her enthusiasm for the project waning she dreamed of just giving it up. But Hondo Flanks didn’t raise a quitter. So she stuck it out and was ecstatic that she did.

Just over the door sat her sign, ‘Carousel Boutique’. The lettering was written inside a ribbon that wrapped itself around the silhouette of a ponyquin. It was perfect.

Her family was of course there, as were the Apples they cheered their support loudly. The Mayor was a surprise indeed considering she had just barely approved the council’s decision.

With her, were the three council members that had actually given her the business license to operate inside the town limits. But Mayor Mare often liked to put her name on everything if it looked like a sure thing. She was always running for reelection after all.

The fact that she was there actually gave Rarity a little boost in confidence. It meant somepony believed in her idea and if there was one, there would be more. Even if the pony in question could flip in the other direction as quickly as one could blink.

There was one other notable attendee. An all pink mare that had come into town during the late fall of last year. She was a very strange mare, one that the burgeoning fashionista was having trouble deciding if she liked or not. But was leaning toward the liked column.

Her first encounter of the pony had not been a good one.

During the early days of surveying and evaluating the site for reconstruction, she had appeared and scared Rarity so terribly that she fell into the mud that had formed after a recent rainshower and ruined the gem encrusted speed suit she had made just for overseeing the construction efforts. It was white number that had a smattering of blue sapphires on the lapels. One of her best works.

And this deranged mare had RUINED it.

She had heard of this menace beforehand, going around town to introduce herself and asking a great deal of personal questions in a rush so fast that she left many a pony confused as to what had happened. It seemed her time was now.

She voiced her opinion of her state of filth quite loudly.

“YOU RUINED MY OUTFIT!” She proclaimed loudly over the fast talking disaster that had waltzed into her life.

“Oh silly filly! That’s a speedsuit! Its whole purpose is to get dirty and icky! Duh! Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah! My name is Pinkie Pie! It's so nice to meet you! You don’t mind if I ask you a few questions do you?! Of course not! You're a generous pony after all! Everypony says so! And if they say so then it must be so so I want to ask you about when your birthday is…”

It went on and on. Rarity idly wondered if the mare even needed to breathe. Just as quickly as she arrived she was bouncing away, her skirt fluttering up to anypony that cared to look as she wore no underwear. Ghastly.

She couldn’t be sure, but she was positive for whatever reason Miss Pie had weaseled out of her all of the important moments of her life. She dreaded what was to come of it.

Nothing truly terrifying ever did come of it. Instead was an odd sequence of events that led her to believe, once she had actually thought about it, that somehow Miss Pie was leaving cupcakes on days that held significance for her. They were her favorite too, Red Velvet with cream cheese frosting.

There seemed to be no malice from the mare other than her almost uncontainable joy at everything around her.

The biggest shock from her came on Rarity’s birthday.

She awoke that morning with a headache. More delays of course. There were always more delays. It was driving her mad.

Today was also her birthday, but unfortunately her parents were gone to Manehattan that week. They made promises to celebrate it on the weekend when they returned, but right then, Rarity would have loved to have had her spirits raised by her family.

But even little Sweetie Belle had been taken away, not that she needed the distraction but she would have loved to have been able to dote on the little filly instead of slumming it with the restoration crew she had hired.

Arriving at work, in a far more plain and less than presentable work speedsuit, she nearly lept out of her own fur at the combined shout of several ponies, mostly the work crew, as she had opened the door to her soon to be business.

“SURPRISE!!!”

She fell over in shock, and sat in an unseemly position on the stoop. Pinkie Pie was there to help her up, immediately giggling like a loon with a comical smile that seemed to stretch the mare’s face.

“Were ya surprised?! Huh? Huh?! HUH?!” She rapid-fired at her.

“Y-yes Miss Pie I was. Am! I am very surprised. But, what is the meaning of all this?” Somewhere along the so far brief conversation she had been ushered in and a cup of coffee had been pushed into her right hand. The smells of vanilla bean with some unknown spice assaulted her nose pleasantly.

“Oh silly, call me PINKIE!! This is your birthday party! What did you think it was? A wake for a funeral? No, don't answer, that was a silly question even for me!” Bewildered by the continued onrush of words and the well wishes from the many ponies already tearing into the cake, Red Velvet of course, Rarity was sat in a chair and a little purple party hat was stuck on her head. A larger than what she would permit herself slice of cake was pushed into her free hand.

“Oh thank you Darling, but I mean why? I didn’t ask for a party or anything like it. So why go through all of this?” Taking a sip of coffee, she elected to hold her cake plate in her magic as she gazed about the unfinished room that was now covered in streamers and balloons in various colours. How had the pink monster gotten all of this done? She had left late the previous night due to helping haul lumber up to the third floor, with her magic it had been easy but was also the source of her morning’s current headache.

“It’s your birthday! Why wouldn’t I do this?! Oh, here is some aspirin too! I almost forgot silly me!” A pair of white pills were pushed into her other hand.

“How did you know I had a headache, Miss Pie?” She took the pills quickly with a splash of the surprisingly delicious coffee.

“Call me Pinkie! And my Pinkie Sense told me!” She was still grinning.

“Pinkie...Sense?” Rarity replied dubiously.

“Yep, Pinkie Sense. First coined by my sister Limestone! Just before you walked in I got a twitchy right hoof and my third finger on my left hand curled in all twitchy itchy too! That meant that the next pony to walk through that door was going to have a headache! So I had some aspirin ready because, like, who doesn’t need pills after lifting all that wood by yourself. Especially after you sent everypony else home! So there ya go!”

Rarity’s mind swirled with the onslaught of thoughts that raged through her head. But the party had picked up into full swing and before she knew it she was enjoying herself. No work got done that day, but she didn’t mind in the end. It was nice that everypony wanted to celebrate her day with her, it was truly touching. Even her headache had vanished before the first hour was even over.

Mid-afternoon arrived and she decided it was a good idea to let everypony go home early. Choosing at the last minute she stuck around to help with cleanup, and she wasn’t the only one though she didn’t remember Mayor Mare joining in the festivities, but the elder pony was just as quick as those around her to pick up the trash and get the place ready to resume work tomorrow.

She shook her head and focused on the host of the party.

“Oh Darling. Thank you for such a wonderful birthday. I can’t remember when I last had that much fun.” She smiled warmly to whom she thought was the bane of her existence only a few months prior.

“No problem! I had lots and lots of fun too! I think a lot of ponies had fun today!” She giggled back as she quickly cleared tables at inpony speeds.

Rarity decided not to focus on the fact that the mare was doing the near impossible and asked a question she had asked before and hadn’t gotten a true answer to.” But I must ask dear, why throw me a party?”

Pinkie had stopped, a giant trash bag in her hands and her back to her. “Because everypony needs a pick me up when they are down. Because no pony should go through their birthday without a party and fun.” Turning around, the two tone pink mare had a small smile. The usual mirth in her eyes was subdued. “No pony should go through life without joy in their hearts. And you definitely needed and deserved joy.”

It was an oddly sentimental and a real feeling response she had gotten from her. It was not expected, and she had no real words to reply back with. So she simply said; “Thank you Miss Pie, for a wonderful day.”

The party mare was quick to boop her nose gently. “Silly filly, that's what friends are for!! And call me Pinkie!”

And friends they were, though she had never imagined she would ever become friends with somepony so energetic. It still somehow worked, but her efforts to get the mare to take care of that awful poofy mane had yet to bear fruit, but she wouldn’t give up!

Of course she hosted another party at Rarity’s grand opening. It was every bit as fun as her birthday, and of course she had more than her personal allowance in cake.

As she had suspected, the ponies of Ponyville didn’t go for her better, more fashionable clothing lines. At least, not at first.

Instead she sold more practical sets. Plain simple clothes were often what they wore in general. But she learned quickly that if she subtly combined her style with the cottons and wool that they preferred, the result was a far more fashionable populace without damaging their conservatives tastes.

At this rate she might have them wearing High Canterlonian fashion in a century. She had chuckled at the idea, for all her imagination she could not see it possible to watch a bunch of farmers and craftsponies greeting each other with the sophistication of blue bloods.

Opening her store in the fall called for her to produce the autumn and winter clothing lines that had been hastily drawn up and put together, she personally knew it wasn’t her best and that had upset her. However, it ended up working out surprisingly well, and by Hearths Warming she was already making more than cost for her monthly payments on her loans, if only barely. It was a miraculous holiday after all.

Watching herself in the mirror as she curled her mane, her coffee held at the ready in her magical grip, she sighed wistfully. Thinking back on the hectic day to day in those early months of opening, she found herself rather fond of the memories.

While she wouldn’t want to relive those days for all the bits in Canterlot, she still cherished the new friendships she had formed with the ruff and tough work crews, the pink ball of energy that was Pinkie Pie, even her suppliers were on first name basis with her.

Applying the complementing purple eye shadow she couldn’t help but smile. Almost three years on and she was thriving in the fashion world. Okay maybe that was a little too optimistic, but she was nearly done with her loans and the ponies of Ponyville were actually starting to buy much more decadent clothes, it made her giddy that her ideas somehow managed to catch on to everypony despite their rather reserved nature.

And last month she had gotten her first visitor from Canterlot. A noble mare named Fancy Breeze had just walked into her door and started pursuing her wares. The moment she had found out where she was from sent her blood racing.

That afternoon the mare had walked away with three custom dresses. It was only a matter of time before other nobles from Canterlot sought her out. Though the questions the mare asked did cause a mix of emotions.

She had no idea that the mare might have been Orion’s classmate. The noble mare had mentioned in passing that dreadful business a few years ago that had ended with his disappearance.

She had gotten Miss Breeze to speak a little more on him, but was surprised to learn he had very little overall interaction with anypony at his former academia. Not a single one save for some mare named Twilight.

To hear of his heroic efforts to save his class along with another noble sent her heart aflutter and remembering those strong arms that ended up holding her for a night.

But as always when it came to thoughts that drifted to the stallion, her mood became one of melancholy. He was still missing. No pony had heard anything. In the papers they announced that his body had never been recovered after going over one of the many waterfalls that fell from the city.

In Ponyville he was still venerated as a hero. A foolish one, but a hero nevertheless.

When news arrived that he was being tried as a spy for another nation, a few ponies believed it, but more refused to accept that the colt that nearly lost his life seeking peace for a family of their community was a traitor. Granny Smith being the loudest objector.

After the truth came out from the Princess’s own lips, a small shrine in the park was built to honor him, as no grave had yet been placed for him. Many residents suspected he died that night, and wished to honor him in some way.

Shaking her head, she applied her lipstick, red of course, after taking one last sip of her coffee. “Enough of that Rarity Belle! You have ponies to make fabulous today!”

It was a good day. Despite how the morning began Rarity had been busy getting measurements for custom orders and chatting excitedly with the mares who came in for an outfit for the Summer Sun festival coming up in a few months.

The town had petitioned for the event to happen here this year but was again disappointed. That honor would go to Dodge City. But that didn’t mean there would be no celebration in Ponyville. This meant a bunch of ponies would be coming to her, considering she was the only tailor in town, for a more flamboyant attire.

She loved this time of year because it allowed her to showcase her skill and style to everypony. She could take artistic liberties, to a certain extent, with new outfits during this time of year. Then afterward she could take what worked and apply it to everyday wear for the rest of the year because of how much they all enjoyed it.

Flipping the sign on her window closed she magically locked the door as she began to roll up the sleeves on her white blouse. Time to clean then make herself some dinner.

She barely stifled a shriek from the abrupt pounding on her door and jiggling handle. Placing her hand over her heart, her gaze bore holes into the wood of the door at whomever had scared her the tartarus out of her.

Finally after her heart had run its course in its panicked flight, she checked her visage in the mirror in case she needed to fix her mane, and marched to the still pounding door. Swinging it open revealed a panting, drenched wet, cerulean mare with of all things a short kept rainbow mane and tail.

It was a bizarre style that at first she thought was a terrible mane dye job. But as she really took in her look she realized the poor mare was actually born that way. If she remembered correctly, Multi-hue Poliosis often caused ponies to have three or more colors, but until today she had only read about the condition in fashion magazines.

Taking in the mare’s appearances as she slowly stood up the first thing that came to her mind was tiny. Not to say she was a filly. But her height came up to just below Rarity’s neck as best she could guess. Rarity by no means was a giant of a mare herself but she was a bit over average. To her eye the rainbowed maned individual may have been no taller than five foot two.

She was surprised to see such a dainty mare in the Ponyville Weather Patrol gear, even with the larger than normal wings she couldn’t imagine her doing the job with anything other than difficulties.

The one piece blue with white piping speed suit had actually been designed by her this year. She had cut the city council a huge discount to snag the contract from a company in Manehattan. The suit was fashionable and functional as it was made partially with cloud cotton to allow pegasi to channel their natural magics in manipulating the clouds to their purpose.

She even added gloves of the same material for added cloud control.

She was rather proud of that one as she had stayed up studying pegasus morphology so she could make the pitch to them just right.

To top off the outfit were a pair of specialized goggles that had a special chemical treatment for rainwater to slide right off.

It was a uniform Rarity was proud to design and a little surprised to see it as soaked as it was. Perspiration couldn’t account for this. There was also no rain scheduled for today.

“May….may I help you, Miss…?” She finally asked with more than a bit of trepidation. Her anger at being scared had all but vanished and she was beginning to be a little concerned for the pony.

The blue mare raised her hand, a finger pointed up, “Gimme...a second...storm….big...too long.” The scratchy voice was not what she had expected to erupt from her mouth. She had reasoned a more quiet tone.

“Take your time, dear. I would not want you passing out on my doorstep after all.” She folded her arms and waited.

“Hah hah...yeah. Wouldn’t be good for...my image.” She gulped audibly and Rarity made a note to offer her some water once her business was concluded. “Okay… I think I’m good.”

Standing up to her full height the diminutive mare gazed up at her with a frown on her face. “Great another giant. Are all you Ponyville types ginormous or something?”

She bit back a laugh for the sake of the mare’s pride. “I believe so, yes. I think it’s something in the water. Maybe our diet. It is a mostly earth pony farming community after all.” She smiled.

“Oh ha ha. Not like I haven’t heard that joke everyday since I got here. Anywho. My name is Rainbow Dash. Sorry I’m late, but I got wrapped up in something important that I couldn’t avoid.” She stuck out her still wet hand.

Not wanting to be impolite, Rarity shook it with only a slight grimace. “And I am Rarity Belle. Owner and Operator of Carousel Boutique, and you mentioned something about a storm?”

“Oooh yeah that. No biggie really. Just one of those Everfree storms I had been warned about. We got a message about one coming in and I went out to handle it. It was bigger than I thought it would be. But I beat it back no problem” She stuck out her chest proudly, her wings slightly expanding to accentuate her size.

“You handled an Everfree storm front. By yourself?” She said incredulously. This mare handling any storm from that damnable forest? “Highly unlikely.”

“Yep. Not only am I the newest member of the Ponyville Weather Team, I’m also the fastest flyer in all of Equestria!” Fists on hips joined the pose.

Rather than call the mare a lair, as she was tempted to do. She would withhold judgement as she had learned never to judge one's character by their appearance. A certain ruffian taught her that.

“That sounds impressive. But I must apologize Miss Dash, I have closed for the evening. If you’d like to come back tomorrow…” She trailed off seeing the forlorn look on the mare’s face.

“Awww man. I’m gonna be busy training for the next three days. I won’t have time. Between the weather team and my training this was the only day I could schedule to come out here and that bucking storm ruined it all.” She kicked a hoof into the stone patio. Rarity cringed at the word ‘buck’. She never did like cursing.

“Well if you had made time to come in earlier today, why didn’t you just hand off the storm to another member of the team?” A small blush formed on her blue face.

“I guess I didn't really think about it. Everypony has been really awesome in showing me the ropes. They all knocked off early today and I thought I could wrap it up quickly so the stand-by team would be rested to handle any trouble tonight.”

A small smile graced Rarity’s lips.

That was a kind and thoughtful gesture, a generous one. And the loyalty she showed despite being a new hire was commendable. She caved.

“Alright Darling, since you were held up by the weather, I’ll make a one time exception. But don’t expect this to be a regular event.” She admonished with a finger.

“YES! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!” The exuberant mare shouted in that scratchy tone of hers as she leapt into the air and hovered in a spin. That was an impressive move as she had only seen pegasi hover in the air with a wobble. It was almost like she wasn’t even moving. Most impressive indeed.

“Settle down Miss Dash, and please come in. I'll get you a towel and then we can work out what you need.” She ushered in her newest client with a smile. “This may prove interesting.”

After Rainbow Dash had dried off they retired to her work room on the second level.

The room was purples and pinks much like the rest of her establishment, the carpet holding the deepest purple. Bolts of cloth proudly sat on their shelves in order of importance. She also had three ponyquins set up in the left corner, to be pulled out and used as needed. Finally there was her tilted drawing table and crafting table in front of the window off to the right. She was rather proud of the set up and allowed her to maximize the small space as needed.

“Stand over on the dias Miss Dash.” She gestured toward the raised platform in the center of the room. “First I would like to take your measurements then we can discuss the style you wish, with some helpful suggestions from myself. Oh and be a dear and remove the suit if you would. I would like to get accurate measurements.”

“What's a dias?” The mare looked at her, befuddled.

“Oh Dear.”

“The raised platform right there” She gestured again.

“Ah Okay! You sure you want me to strip? All I got is my underwear on….and it isn’t my best.” She undid the flight belt and began to snap the button off the top to get at the zipper underneath.

“That’s fine Darling. I am a professional and I understand when a mare can only wear her not so fancy undergarments.” She smiled kindly, turning to grab some sketch paper, her notepad, and her trusty sewing tape.

She could hear zippers in motion and the shuffle of clothes as the weather gear was dropped to the ground. Turning around she hissed through her teeth.

Apparently, Rainbow Dash was noticeably bustier than she had suspected. The aging wire bra that held her assets in place was not just old, but several sizes too small for the poor mare. A quick examination of the rest of her showed the athletic body she suspected. Besides her breasts, the wings were the biggest thing about her.

“Miss Dash. Please for the love of Celestia, tell me that is not the average for your bra size.” She had already stormed around the again visibly confused mare.

“Uh, yeah actually. It’s so these things don’t slow me down. They're too big and they cut down on my speed if I don’t wear smaller bras.” She gripped the subjects, attempting to make them appear smaller.

Rarity was appalled. Not only was this mare wearing smaller bras, but she was doing it on purpose! “Does that not hurt!?”

“Well yeah. But I’m used to it. I barely noticed anymore so it's all good.” She smiled at the fashionista, oblivious to the horror she had visited upon her store.

Said fashionista scowled and walked over and flicked her right in the left breast.

“OW!!! WHAT THE BUCK WAS THAT FOR!!!” Rainbow Dash fell over sprawling as she clutched her chest.

“That is tenderness. Your breasts are over sensitive to pain now. I would imagine you have trouble breathing to boot. You can not be wearing undergarments too small for you.” It was then she noticed how thread bare the mare’s underwear was and glanced away blushing. “I would also advise you to purchase serviceable underwear. I can see everything and it makes you look like a dirty vagabond.”

It was the cerulean mare’s turn to blush as she struggled to stand once again, hiding her decrepit panties. “That shit is expensive. I don’t have the money for all that.”

“But you're working for the Ponyville Weather Team! How do you not have the money for new clothes?!” This was ridiculous. She couldn’t understand what was going on with the multi-colored maned mare.

“I just started, okay! I don’t get paid till the end of the week and I needed clothes. I have no bits to pay for anything yet so I was hoping to use a credit system and pay you on Friday…” She trailed off, then snapped her lips shut looking anywhere but at the proprietress.

Rarity gapped for a moment as thoughts whirled in her head. “Miss Dash. Where are you staying?”

She didn’t get an answer. But she could see tears forming in her eyes as her gaze looked anywhere but at her.

“You are homeless…”She spoke in a breathy whisper. “You don’t have anywhere to stay?”

“I do, but my aunts adopted a filly a couple years back and had yet to let me or my parents know. They….they offered me to stay, but with the kid their bits are tight and I didn’t want to cramp their style.” She chuckled. “The filly is a spitfire though.”

She sat down and appraised the mare once again. “So to ease any burden on family, you are living on your own out in nature of all places. That is a very noble action, but is so foolish. Where are you staying?”

“Um….heh heh...In the clouds...actually.” She ran her fingers through her mane.

“Not anymore.” She was no longer surprised, and even expected it. Pegasi did enjoy taking naps in clouds, but to do so every night, however temporary, was abhorrent.

“Huh?”

“Miss Dash, until you gain the funds suitable to purchase your own home or afford to have one built you will stay with me. I cannot in good conscience allow you to continue on this way. You will get sick, and I will not abide that possibility.” She stated, sitting primly in her stool.

“Uh, yeah I think I know what you’re sayin’....are you sure though? I don’t want to be any trouble. It’s okay I should have enough to have my home built in a couple of months….” She trailed off under Rarity’s stern gaze.

“I am sure, and you will accept. If you feel guilty I will charge you appropriate rent for your stay.”

“I….okay….yeah...sure that would be awesome. Thank you so much! I don’t know how I’m ever going to pay you back for this!” A real smile blossomed on her face.

“Well rent can handle that. But we will discuss that later. I have several spare rooms I am not using and a spare bed we can move into any of them. It will be a single. But it should be more than enough to meet your needs.” She grabbed her tape measure and stood up.

“Yeah I don’t need a whole lotta room, just a place to stash my things.” Rainbow Dash smiled and climbed back on the dias. “Okay. Let’s get this over with. I gotta go grab my things, it's not much but I left them in somepony’s barn today. Not sure they will be happy about that.”

“Was it a red one in an apple orchard?” There were several farms out and around Ponyville, but none as large as Sweet Apple Acres.

“Oh yeah it was, it was tempting to snatch a couple apples but I didn’t have the bits to pay for that outside normal meals.” She stretched out her arms.

“Oh yes Applejack would be very upset with you if she were to find out you stole apples from her family.” She had yet to step up to the dias. “Now, would you do me a favor?”

“Yeah sure what do ya need?”

“Lose the bra, and the underwear. I am going to have to replace your undergarments with something more...suitable.”

“But I can’t afford that!” She nearly screeched, not yet moving to shed her final wear.

“Pish posh, I am doing this on the house, for your health and my peace of mind. Now, STRIP!”