Chapters Dear Miss Rarity,
It has been far too long, and the magnificent city of Canterlot has started to become dull after your last visit. Not counting the Changeling Invasion of course, and that reminds me that you have to remind me to thank you in person for playing a part in ending it.
But I digress. The reason I am writing to you is that I am arranging a social gathering for some of the ponies of higher classes, much like the Canterlot Garden Party you and your charming friends attended some time ago, and it would be a terrible shame if you missed it. So allow me to formally invite you as a guest of honor. The invitation, including a train ticket, will be included in the envelope. I would have arranged lodging for you, but I know you will most likely prefer to stay at the castle.
Yours Truly,
Fancy Pants
PS: There may be someone attending that will be interested in meeting you. I don’t want to make false promises, but it might mean good things for your Carousel Boutique.
The white pony looked out of the windows at the train carriage and in the distance she could see the many spires of the shining city of Canterlot. It looked truly magnificent as the sun rose behind it and she could feel a smile spread across her face. Waking up to take the train before sunrise was a small price to pay to see such beauty.
In the faint reflection of the window Rarity could see that there were some irregularities in her usually perfect mane. With a sigh she used her magic to fix it, before she threw a quick glance towards her tail as well. There was no reason for her not to look good when she arrived in the city, even if she had woken up early.
Her eyes fell on her flank for a moment. More precisely, they fell on the three light blue diamonds on it, and she gave herself a little smile. If Fancy Pants was right in his implications, she would probably have to use her talent quite a bit in the future, and what would be better than having a talent for making the most unique and fashionable clothes in Equestria?
“Well, Twilight’s magical abilities would be a welcome addition to her own,” she thought to herself. “There is more than one spell I have seen her perform that could be most useful at times.”
She stopped herself for a second, before she gave herself a short laughter. “Now Rarity,” she said while smiling. “There is no need to compare your magic to Twilight’s, your talent is related to fashion and you are not going to let it get to you that she can cast a few more spells than you, now are you?”
The mare returned her attention to her tail; if there had been any irregularities she must have fixed it subconsciously while her mind went off on its own because it was just as perfect as she always made sure it was before she went out.
She went over the letter from Fancy Pants again in her thoughts. He was right; she did indeed prefer to stay at the castle. It made an impression on most all of the ponies attending such gatherings, and if she had a chance of getting business for the Boutique she had no intention of not taking advantage of the status a suite at the castle would give.
She had already arranged the suite, thanks to Twilight who had asked Spike to send a message to the Princess herself asking her to prepare a room at the castle for her. Laughing a little again, Rarity thought back to the first time she had stayed there and how she had ended up kissing the Princess’s hooves. It had been a most awkward moment, now that she was looking back at it.
“Oh well,” she said to herself and walked away from the window and over to the small pile of bags she had brought onboard the carriage, starting to look through them one by one.
Her head and eyes moved faster and faster back and forth as the pile of unopened luggage shrunk, and she could feel her heart start to beat faster as well.
“Oh no! How could I allow this to happen? This is the! Worst! Possible! Thing!” the unicorn started to look through her bags once again, letting most of the contents fall out. “I haven’t brought anything that is even remotely fashionable enough for a party held by Fancy Pants!”
When she concluded that there was nothing to find in the bags and began to pack things back again. “Calm down Rarity, this isn’t the end of the world. After all, you have the entire day to make something that will surely impress him and this mysterious pony he wants you to meet.”
With another sigh to herself she went back over to the window and continued to look at the magnificent city that slowly came closer as the sun rose and once again she couldn’t help but smile. It was a truly beautiful sight.
**
The train rolled into the station and as the doors to the carriage she had been in by herself opened a couple of stallions wearing the servants uniform greeted her.
“Hello, Miss Rarity. The Princess told us you would be staying here and that you might appreciate some help with your luggage,” the pony who spoke swallowed involuntarily when he saw the pile of bags.
“Perfect, I am glad you are here,” the mare smiled back at them and battered her eyes slightly. “I have some small things I have to take care of before I go to the castle, so could you two be so dear as to take it to my suite in the meantime? I don’t believe you would be at all interested in carrying them around the city while I look for the fabrics I need.”
“As you wish, Miss,” the ponies walked by her and into the carriage, shortly after coming out with the pile of bags. “We’ll make sure it gets to your suite as soon as possible.”
As the two ponies vanished into the distance, Rarity looked around. It was merely an hour since the sun had risen, but the station was already crowded, both of ponies that looked like they were just on their way to their workplace, and some mares and stallions she could have sworn she had seen at the Canterlot Garden Party.
Before she could make up her mind whether or not they were the ones she thought they were the white mare was suddenly cast to the ground as something fell upon her, and let out a surprised scream.
“Oh, sorry ‘bout that,” someone said as she felt whatever it had fallen upon her starting to move. After a few seconds of trying to get up the pony that was lying on top of her finally got off and allowed her to move. “Here, let me help you up.”
She saw a beige colored hoof reach out in front of her, with what looked like a rough, not to mention dirty, sweater of some kind. Shying away from the hoof, she got to her hooves herself and turned to whomever it had been that had thrown her to the ground.
In front of her stood a stallion in a truly uncouth dark blue full body suit. He wore a hood so she couldn't see his eyes, but his horn stuck out along with a long lock of blue-black mane. His tail was long and styled into spikes. A small group of fillies stared out from behind him.
He smiled at her. “Sorry ‘bout that, I was just trying to catch the ball and I guess I got blindsided.” He spoke with a careless tone, and leaned his head slightly to his left. “Are you okay?”
As Rarity told him that she was fine she could see the ponies she had been looking at just a short moment in the corner of her eye pass by them, hearing them whisper as they went by.
“I told you she was not what she appeared to be, just like at the Canterlot Garden. If she had been a true upper class pony she wouldn’t have associated with the likes of him.”
Helplessly she saw them walk off in the distance while the stallion in front of her looked after them.
“Quite rude, aren’t they?”
Rarity walked towards the exit of the train station, still thinking about the incident. What sort of pony would play with fillies in such a place? Someone could get hurt if they weren’t careful. And it had ruined her wonderful mane. She turned to her right and looked at the reflection in the window.
“It isn’t so bad…” she said to herself with a fake laughter. “I just… I will just have to get to a place where they have the proper tools to fix this.”
As the mare left the station and started to make her way towards the city proper, Rarity could see the stallion that had run into her just a short distance in front of her; before he turned to his right and disappeared into an alley.
“Phew, I really was not looking forward to running into him again,” she said, just loud enough for herself to hear it, as she passed the alley they had gone into.
“… explained why I can’t do that already,” The stallions voice made her stop for a moment. “Those ponies would make life difficult for me if I did.”
“Oh, you really shouldn’t listen in on other people’s conversation Rarity.” The mare tried to keep going, but she stopped the moment one of the fillies asked him why.
“Because that is how they are. You don’t want me to go away do you? Who is there?” The adrenaline kicked into to Rarity when she realized that she had turned around and started to move closer to the voices. In her absentmindedness she had accidently stepped on something, alerting them to her presence.
Quickly she took several steps backwards and was caught in a group of ponies that happened to pass by, leading her away. The last thing she saw before they rounded a corner was a hooded head peeking out from the alley.
**
“Perfect! Just perfect,” the white mare beamed as she looked in the mirror. A dark blue earth pony stood behind her with a brush in his mouth. “Now, how much do I owe you for that?”
“Nothing at all, Miss Rarity; Mr. Pants sent a letter yesterday to inform us that he will be covering any expenses you might have today.” The earth pony put down the brush and gave her a professional smile. “Now, is there anything else I can do for you?”
“No, this treatment was more than enough,” Rarity turned away from the mirror and smiled back at him. “But you can be sure I will be back the next time I am in Canterlot.”
“Thank you, Miss.” The earth pony walked over to the door and opened it, holding it open for her and letting the sound of the streets outside fill the shop. As she went outside, she could see that it was nearing midday.
Around her Rarity could see all sorts of shops, from the expensive ones with names recognized all over Equestria to small local ones. Before she could decide which shop to visit first, a couple of well-dressed ponies approached her.
“Miss Rarity, is that you?” a unicorn stallion with a navy blue coat and blond hair spoke as he approached with a light grey earth pony mare dressed in a light pink dress. “Truly, ‘tis wonderful to see you, we haven’t met since the Canterlot Garden Party. I assume you are here for Fancy Pants’ sake?”
“That I am,” putting on her most sophisticated posture she gestured towards one of the many outdoor cafés. “Why don’t you join me and get something to eat?” Without waiting for an answer she started to walk in the direction she gestured, knowing that they could not decline such an invitation. Not from one of Fancy Pants favorite party guests.
“Now, I would like a simple daffodil and daisy sandwich,” Rarity said as one of the waiters came over to the table she had taken a seat by. The two ponies from the Garden Party had quickly made their way over to her, sharing her table and giving the second waiter to approach the table their orders.
“Tell me Rarity, how was it that you came to know Fancy Pants? I cannot recall him ever mentioning you before the time leading up to the Garden Party,” the grey mare asked, but was almost immediately distracted by a shout.
“Not him,” Rarity mumbled to herself as she recognized the voice.
“What was that?” the stallion at her table said, raising an eyebrow. “Not who?”
“Oh nothing,” with a slightly nervous tone she cast a quick glance at the rugged looking stallion in the distance where he was playing with some fillies. “It is just that the last time I ran into that pony, I ended up on the ground, with him on top. He behaves most inappropriate, if you ask me.”
“Undoubtedly, I have seen him before. Real trouble maker than one, and from what I hear he does it only to entertain those young ones. And the way he dresses is horrible, no sense of style what so ever.” As his courtship went on about the stallion the navy blue stallion leaned his head slightly to the left as he followed him with his eyes.
“He does look familiar, but I cannot remember where I have seen him.”
To Rarity’s relief the strange pony she had met earlier that day disappeared around a corner with his group of young ones and turned back to the ones at the table. “You have probably seen him around the city; he seems to be all over this place.”
“Maybe,” he spoke slowly before he threw a glance to the skies. “Oh dear, look at the sun! Sorry to cut this short Rarity, but it seems we have spent more time here than we should. We have a train to Manehatten we have to catch.”
Before she could object the ponies at her table had already gotten to their feet and were headed down the street. For a second or two Rarity traced them with her eyes, only to return to her food.
**
The sun had just started to set as Rarity exited the last store on her list, levitating s handful of shopping bags while she was making her way towards the castle. She would have to work fast if she wanted to be on time for the party.
Ideas for the outfit had been spinning in her head ever since she had noticed that she had to make one and now she was putting them together. It would be a lot like the dress she had made for the Grand Galloping Gala, but the colors would be dark blue rather than purple, and she wouldn’t have the tiara.
“Miss?” She heard several sets of hooves behind her, along with the familiar voice. “Can I ask you something?” She thought she heard a nervous undertone as she turned around, standing face to face with the stallion that had appeared throughout her day. He had thrown back his hood, revealing a part of dark green eyes.
“Oh, it’s you,” she tried not to sound too annoyed, but she wasn’t sure she managed it. “Was there something you wanted?”
“Well…” he was dragging his hoof at the ground for a moment. “It is just that the girls…” he gestured to the group of fillies a short distance behind him. “… won’t stop nagging about you, and-“ He swallowed. “And how I should ask you out tonight.”
“Oh,” with a shocked and nervous laughter she started to glance around, looking for an easy way out of the situation. Seeing none, she turned her attention back to him. “Well, I am terribly sorry, but I am going to a party hosted by Fancy Pants tonight.”
With a slightly disappointed smile he nodded at her. “Well, I shouldn’t get in the way then.”
Rarity walked back and forth in the suite she had been given at the castle, levitating fabric, scissors, tread and needles to wherever she needed them. The dress was coming together exactly as she had planned it and it would surely make an impression, even though the design wasn’t as original as some of the dresses she had considered bringing with her. With a glance out of the window she could see that the sun was about to disappear from the horizon.
“You better hurry up Rarity, you don’t want to be late to this party,” her habit if talking to herself shone through again. “But you cannot let it affect the result of the dress, it has to be perfect.”
Everything in the room started to move faster and she had to duck to avoid a small number of needles that passed right over her head, before they began to work on the final touches of her creation.
**
A door opened and a collective gasp when through the crowd of ponies in the Canterlot Gardens. The sun had set some time ago and the stars were shining clearly, accompanied in the skies by the full moon.
“It is wonderful to see you Rarity; you really should come to Canterlot more often. And might I add that you look astonishing. Did you make it yourself?”
“Rarity, there is someone I would like you to meet. Could you possibly make time in your schedule tomorrow, preferably before noon?”
“Rarity, what can I expect to see in your boutique in the future? I have some designs I am sure you would love to see. It is only to give you some inspiration, naturally.”
Just as she had entered many of the ponies had made their way over to her, bombarding her with questions and suggestions, or just complimenting her on her dress.
“Rarity,” a voice she hadn’t heard in a long time cut through the noise from the others, silencing almost all conversation instantly. “It is wonderful to see you. And I must say I do not regret covering your expenses; your dress is clearly the finest here.”
Rarity felt her chest swell as Fancy Pants complimented her. “Thank you, though this wouldn’t have been possible without your help. I had planned on bringing one of my other dresses for this, but you see how that went.”
“Yes, it seems you thought it was not up to your usual standard and decided to make something that would surely impress me. And you succeeded. Now, why don’t we go and get some punch?”
As the two unicorns moved away from the most crowded parts of the gardens and over to the buffet, conversations among the other ponies started to emerge again.
“Now, as you know I had hoped to introduce you to a friend of mine, but alas I fear he hasn’t arrived,” Fancy Pants filled a couple of glasses and gave one of them to Rarity. “Really a missed opportunity, he has many connections in Manehatten.”
“Oh, that is okay,” she replied, trying to hide the disappointed tone in her voice. “I am quite content with my Boutique as it is, and-“
“Fancy Pants, it has been too long,” Rarity was suddenly cut off by someone. Annoyed she threw a glance over her shoulder at whoever had started to talk, and she felt her mouth fall open.
“This is Rarity then? I thought that might be the case. Why was it that you wanted me to meet her?” the pony came up to them and stopped next to Fancy Pants. The stallion she had run into several times during the day was standing in front of her, now dressed in a simple tuxedo.
“Did I not explain that in my letter to you?” Fancy Pants looked a bit unsure for a moment. “My apologies; I wanted to introduce you because Rarity here is a very skilled designer and I had heard you were looking to expand into fashion.”
With a raised eyebrow the beige stallion looked right at his friend. “And I am starting to become concerned how you know about the plans I make, especially since they aren’t exactly public. But I get ahead of myself,” he turned to the mare. “Allow me to formally introduce myself; Golden Heart, how can I be of service?”
“But you…” she had trouble forming a sentence, being split between wanting to ask what he had been doing that day, and to make a good impression.
“… dress up in clothing that allows me to blend in and help parents around the city by watching their children while they are working?” Rarity could see Fancy Pants smiling in the corner of her eye as Golden Heart spoke. “And that I happened to turn up several times during the day, seemingly without a purpose.”
“Why, yes I would like an explanation for that.”
“I have two quite simple reasons, really,” he smiled at her. “One; I had heard about you, but I wanted to see what I could learn about you before I met you here.”
Rarity raised an eyebrow. “And the second reason?”
“And secondly,” he continued, still with a smile on his lips. “I am a young, rich and eccentric stallion. Why shouldn’t I have some fun?”
