Rarity was cleaning up a mess that Sweetie Belle and her friends had made before they left to help someone with their cutie mark. She picked up a piece of fabric as she heard her doorbell. She turned around to see Fluttershy standing at the doorway.
Fluttershy looked around at the mess and slowly backed away from the doorway. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you in the middle of anything important-”
“No, no, darling. It’s quite alright. I was just cleaning up,” Rarity explains.
“Oh, okay.” Fluttershy digs through her bag and finds a piece of paper. She shows Rarity the flier. “I found this flier for a fashion show by Photo Finish in the park. I thought you might want to see it. It’s actually a competition, so if you win, you could get a big increase in your sales!”
Rarity took the flier from Fluttershy and read through it. “I’ll be there!” she shouted, running past Fluttershy to her room to sew.
Fluttershy giggled. “I thought you might like it,” she says to nopony, since the room was now empty.
The next day, Rarity brought all her friends over to see the dress she made. “I give you: The Candy Cane Dress!”
Her friends observed it. “Wait a minute,” said Pinkie Pie. “Candy canes are red and white, not pink and white.”
“Oh, yes, well, I thought pink might be better, because red is sometimes a bit too bold,” Rarity responded.
“Is this the finished version?” Starlight asks.
“No, of course not!” Rarity responded. “It’s barely done, actually. I was thinking of adding a white fur boa. Or maybe I should give it a pearl necklace! What about both?”
Her friends quietly back away, letting Rarity brainstorm the final design.
“I sure am glad I’m not the model,” sighs Rainbow Dash.
“Who is the model?” Twilight asked. They all shrugged.
Rarity was taking the train to Manehattan with her friends. The fashion show was going to take place there, and her model also lived in Manehattan. “It’s been such a long time,” says Rarity. “I am quite looking forward to seeing the progress my boutique has made.”
“Manehattan,” the train announcer called, and Rarity’s friends got off.
Rarity ran into the boutique, and there, she found just who she was looking for. “Coco Pommel!” Rarity cried. They hugged each other. “I have something to ask you, darling.”
“Of course,” Coco replied.
“How would you like to be my model in the fashion show the day after tomorrow?” Rarity asked.
Coco just smiled. “I would love to,” she says.
Rarity runs the store while Coco Pommel takes Spike and the girls for ice cream. “I wanted to attend the competition, too, but I was busy hosting this year’s Winter Theater after seeing how big of a turnout the summer one was.”
“When is it? I’m sure Rarity will love to see it,” Fluttershy says.
“In three days,” she says. “I’m almost done, but I could use some help with the stage.” She winks at Applejack.
“That’s the day after the fashion show!” says Twilight.
“Yes, I arranged it so both events could be seen by the tourists and locals,” Coco Pommel explains.
“Well, I’m sure it will be just as great as the one in the summer,” says Fluttershy.
“You’re darn tootin’ it is! I guarantee you it’ll be even better,” Applejack says.
On the night of the show, Rarity finishes up her dress. “Rainbow Dash!” she calls.
“Yes?” Rainbow Dash zoomed over to where her friend was working.
“Can you fly over to Coco Pommel’s apartment and get me the white lace?” Rarity asks.
“Aye, aye!” she said, dashing towards the apartment.
Rarity places a pair of sunglasses on a mannequin’s head and starts looking for her model. “Coco Pommel?” Rarity searched everywhere to see where Coco Pommel might be, but she was nowhere to be found. “Has anyone seen Coco Pommel?” she asked the other fashion designers.
Coco Pommel trotted over to where Rarity was. “I’m here. Sorry I’m late, Rarity.” She fell to the ground and closed her eyes.
“What’s wrong, darling?” Rarity lifts Coco into a sitting position.
“I don’t feel so great,” she weakly replied.
“Oh no!” Rarity gasped. “Let’s take you to the doctor.” Rarity and Coco Pommel fled from the show.
Rainbow Dash returned to find that both Rarity and Coco were gone. She flew over to the dress and laced a few stripes on, following Rarity’s sketch.
Photo Finish grabbed Rainbow and dragged her to the dressing station with the dress. “Quick, quick! You only have 20 minutes to get ready!”
“What do you mean?” Rainbow asks.
“As Rarity’s model, your cue is in 20 minutes. Now quick! Get dressed.”
“Woah, there. I’m not Rarity’s model! Why would I ever do anything like that?”
Photo Finish gets angry at this. “Of course you are Rarity’s model. You were helping her with her dress. If you don’t take part in this, then I can just remove Rarity from the show. Now you must get dressed!”
“But that-”
“NOW!”
Rainbow Dash rushes over to the dress and stares at it. “What are you doing?” Starlight asks, staring at Rainbow.
“What?”
“You’re just glaring at the dress. Go ahead and put it on.” When Rainbow Dash grimaces, Starlight rolls her eyes and teleports the dress onto Rainbow, who squirms.
“Let me go!” she shouted.
“Sorry, but I have to get you in the dress before I go help with the theater,” Starlight says.
“Wait, I-” It was too late. Starlight had already vanished in a turquoise burst of magic. Rainbow Dash put on a brave face. She really didn’t want to do this, but if it meant her friend had a chance of winning, then she was game.
She puts on a pearl necklace, heart-shaped earrings, and a furry white boa. She flew closer to the curtain, waiting for Rarity’s name to be called. She noticed Twilight watching her out of the corner of her eye. Photo Finish walked up to Rainbow Dash.
“Where’s your makeup?” she questions.
“Makeup?” Rainbow Dash asks. “No, I’m just wearing the outfit.”
Photo Finish clapped her hooves and her assistants came over. “Please, take Rarity’s model and give her a makeover.”
They took her over to the makeup desk and brushed her eyelids and put hair rollers in her hair. “Hey!” Rainbow Dash shouted. She kept trying to fly away, but she couldn’t because Twilight held her still with her magic.
“Why are you doing this to me?” she complained. “My eyes don’t like makeup. I can’t-”
“Will you stop whining?” Twilight asks.
One of them sprayed a puff of perfume, putting Dash in a coughing fit. They gave her white evening gloves and pink high heels which she refused to put on until one of the assistants glowered at her. She slowly and reluctantly slipped into them. Rainbow Dash looked in a mirror and gaped. Her eyelids were pink, her hair wavy, her tail was braided, and there was a pair of girly pink sunglasses on her head that she didn’t even notice. “Ugh,” she groaned, making a face like she was throwing up.
Rarity’s name was called, and Rainbow Dash walked on the runway, looking very anxious. She tried to fly quickly, but Twilight grabbed her friend and made her walk in a stylish way so everyone could see every side of the dress. “Sorry about this,” Twilight quietly added.
Once Twilight let go, she flew backstage, breathing a great sigh of relief as she saw Rarity rushing to the stage.
Each model crowded around the curtains to hear who the winner of the fashion show was. “And as the winner of this year’s Young Fashion Designers’ competition, give it up for Rarity from Ponyville!”
Rarity and Rainbow Dash walked to the front of the runway and bowed. Walking back, Rarity whispered, “I had no idea they would make you my model.”
“Me neither,” Dash agreed.
After the show, they stood to the side of the stage, Rainbow Dash still wearing the outfit.
“Hey, there’s the model winner!” a voice shouted, making Rainbow jump. A few ponies gathered around Rainbow Dash and Rarity and dragged them to the after-show celebration.
Everypony giggled.
The next day, after watching Coco Pommel’s production, Applejack giggled. “Remember yesterday when Rainbow was wearing that dress?”
Rainbow’s face was as red as Applejack’s cutie mark. “Uh, well, it was for Rarity.”
Fluttershy saw Rainbow's desperation to change the subject. “I loved the play. It was great how the plot was about how hard Coco Pommel works to make the production possible. It’s a shame she got sick and had to miss it.”
“Oh don’t worry,” said Twilight. “I recorded the whole thing for her.”
“I won’t be attending anything like that fashion show ever again,” Rainbow Dash complains, which gets a laugh from everyone.