In the predawn darkness, a little filly awoke. In what was becoming a familiar routine, she stretched her limbs and rubbed her sleepy eyes before silently climbing out of her sleeping bag and slipping out of the bedroom, gently closing the door behind her. She quietly trotted down the hall and descended the stairs. Upon entering the kitchen, she came to a dead halt. “Joy!?”

The aforementioned little filly sat at the kitchen table wrapped in her luxurious red bathrobe with a cup in her right hoof and a saucer in the other. “Good morning Apple Bloom,” she greeted.

Rubbing her eyes again, her twin repeated, “Joy?”

Joy smiled and nodded, “I was so excited about working with Miss Rarity today that I could hardly sleep. MacIntosh was kind enough to brew a pot of tea when he made his coffee. Would you care for a cup?”

Apple bloom hesitated, “Uh, sure.”

Joy set her cup and saucer to the side and went to the stove, while her twin examined the magazine her sister had been reading. It was filled with colorful photos of mares dressed in lavish gowns, bedecked with necklaces of glistening gems, and sporting elegant manes that likely took hours to style. A moment later Joy presented Apple Bloom with a cup and a saucer of her own. “Do not worry, the tea has been properly steeped,” she assured.

Confused, she looked down into the unanswering liquid before asking, “Steeped?”

“Letting the tea leaves soak in the boiled water so that the flavors come out,” Joy explained.

“Oh.” Apple Bloom took a seat across from her sister.

“Do you take your tea with something?”

Apple Bloom cocked her head, “What do ya mean?”

“There are many things ponies put into their tea. Sugar, milk, and honey are some of the more popular items,” Joy elaborated. “There is even this scientist that claims a little salt added to the brew makes for the best tea. Can you imagine? Salt!”

“Oh,” she responded noncommittally. Apple Bloom glanced at her own cup for a moment before motioning to the magazine on the table, asking, “What’cha got there?”

“It is the latest issue of Vanity Mare. I wanted to brush up on this year’s summer fashions before going to Carousel Boutique.”

“Y’all really like that stuff?” she asked, lifting her teacup.

Joy nodded, “Definitely. The fashions, the balls, the high society. It is all so fabulous.” She let out a wistful sigh as she seemingly drifted off to some exclusive soiree.

“Bleah!” Nearly dropping her teacup, Apple Bloom stuck out her tongue in utter disgust.

“You do not regularly drink tea?”

Shaking her head, Apple Bloom said, “Not really.” She stared down at the offending fluid, “You like this stuff?”

“Oh, yes. It is one of my favorite drinks.” She thought for a moment, “Well, do not take it too hard, tea is more of an acquired taste, especially without anything else added to the brew.”

“Apple juice is what Ah drink,” her sister proclaimed. Apple Bloom went to the cabinet and retrieved a glass, and then filled it with a familiar amber liquid from the icebox. Returning to her seat, she took a large gulp and smiled happily.

Taking a sip of her tea, Joy asked, “What about you? Do you like fashion?”

Apple Bloom scrunched her nose. “Nah. Ah’m like Applejack. Ah ain’t got time fer any of that fancy stuff.”

Looking pointedly at her sister, Joy observed, “And yet, unlike your friends, you wear a bow in your mane everyday.”

Apple Bloom unconsciously reached up to touch the trademark red bow adorning her mane. “Well, it’s... it’s important....”

“How so?” Joy pressed, leaning over the table as if her twin was going to reveal a closely guarded secret.

“Well, ya see....” Apple Bloom looked down at her apple juice, swishing the glass a little. “Mama used to put a bow in mah mane when Ah was a foal.... Ah... Ah guess Ah wear it fer her.”

Joy leaned back and her ears pressed down on her head. “Oh, I see. I am very sorry I asked.”

“It’s okay.”

“You really miss her?”

Apple Bloom nodded, “Yeah.” Looking up, she asked, “Don’t you?”

Joy took a sip of her tea then sighed, “Not really.”

Apple Bloom’s jaw dropped and her wide eyes teared a little at the words.

Quickly Joy clarified, “I did not even know she was my mother until a few weeks ago. For all of my life, I thought mo... well, I thought my aunt was my mother. I had seen a picture of Pear Butter once, but nopony in the family really wanted to talk about her.”

“Ah... Ah can kinda see that,” she said, gazing back down into her apple juice.

The two sat quietly for a few moments, sipping their tea and drinking their juice.

The door opened and Applejack walked into the room. “Mornin’ everypony. My Joy, yer up early t’day.”

“Yes, Applejack.”

“Bloom, got yer chores dun?”

“Not yet.”

“Well, git out there,” she said, prodding her little sister.

Apple Bloom went outside and visited the outhouse before completing her chores and washing up. Coming into the kitchen, she was again dumbstruck by what she saw. The normal wooden table had been covered with a fine white tablecloth and in the center was a vase with fresh flowers. Around the edge were laid five place settings. On the left sat two forks and a small plate with a knife and to the right sat a knife and spoon, along with a cup and saucer and a tall glass. In the center sat a small stack, with a plate on the bottom, a bowl in the middle, and finally a napkin on top. But these weren’t any old napkins; they had been folded into different shapes including an apple, a bow tie, a bunny, a flower, and a swan.

“What the hay is this?” asked Apple Bloom.

Looking over from the stove, Applejack said, “Joy offered to set the table, though Ah think she might have gone a little overboard.”

“It is a proper place setting, much like you would find in a three hoof dining establishment,” explained Joy matter-of-factly.

“Well, Apple Bloom, go grab yer brother. Joy, go let Granny Smith know we’re ’bout ready to chow down.”

A short time later Joy and Granny Smith came from downstairs while Big Mac entered from outside followed by Apple Bloom. The two newcomers blinked at the kitchen table, but quickly everypony found their place. Granny Smith sat at the head of the table, Apple Bloom took the seat with the flower, Big Mac sat down with the bow tie, Applejack with the bunny, and Joy seated herself at the place setting with the swan.

In short order everypony was eating. Well, most of them were. Once again the family listened to Joy’s talk of fashion and her excitement at visiting Carousel Boutique, and once again Applejack had to prod her into eating the meal. Meanwhile, Apple Bloom remained unusually quiet.

As soon as breakfast was over, Joy disappeared upstairs. Applejack and Granny Smith cleaned up while Big Mac went to work the fields. After a few minutes Joy returned, wearing a purple dress.

“You sure do like that dress,” commented Apple Bloom.

“What do you mean?” questioned Joy.

“Ah think she means that y’all wore that purple dress when we picked you up at the train station,” explained Applejack.

Joy shook her head, “Oh no. That dress was lavender. This dress is violet. And the two are of completely different styles and fabrics.”

“Uh, they look the same,” complained Apple Bloom.

“No point in arguing with her Bloom. Ah ’ad a similar conversation with Rares back at the Traders Exchange. Even though Ah was right, she wouldn’t admit it.”

“Come on Apple Bloom,” said Joy as she pulled her twin towards the door, “let’s get down to Rarity’s.”

Applejack watched the fillies trot down the old country lane to town.

“Ah’ll see ya later,” said Apple Bloom as she departed the boutique, leaving her sister alone with Rarity.

Joy turned to the fashionista, “So, what are we going to do today, Miss Rarity?”

Looking down at the admiring filly, the unicorn smiled, “First of all, I want you to call me ‘Rarity’. I believe we are at the point where etiquette allows us to be informal with each other.”

“Yes – Rarity,” Joy said giggling.

Rarity nodded approvingly, “That’s better. Now, I have a special project that I think would be perfect for you.” She turned and led the filly from the showroom deeper into the boutique. Reaching a door, Rarity dramatically flung it open and with a sweep of her foreleg proclaimed, “Welcome, darling, to my ‘Inspiration Room’.”

Joy stood in awe. The cluttered room seemed to be the very embodiment of a fashion designer’s mind. Everywhere were tools of the craft. There were towering stacks of thick books documenting fabrics and gems and patterns. Past editions of Vanity Mare, Cosmare, Clothes Horse, and Fashion! were scattered about haphazardly. Several poniquins stood ready, the brilliant sunlight poring forth from the windows giving them a noble bearing. A table at the far end featured a deluxe sewing machine, while a promotional poster for the Manehattan Fashion Week hung on the wall above it. Tacked and taped everywhere were sketches and notes for new designs. And all around lay balls of yarn, pieces of lace, bobbins of colorful thread, rolls of ribbons, and bolts and scraps of fabric.

“Wow,” Joy murmured at last.

“Yes...,” Rarity sighed, “wow.”

“So, what do you need me to do?” asked the eager filly.

“Some may call this ‘organized chaos.’ But a cluttered room is a sign of a cluttered mind, dear. It does a designer absolutely no good if she can’t locate the things she desperately needs, especially when under a strict deadline. So, I would like you to organize this room. You should ensure tools are stored, the completed sketches filed away, and fabrics sorted according to material, color, and pattern. Any salvageable scraps should also be retained, as they could still be used in later projects.”

Joy continued to stare at the room Discord would feel right at home in.

Looking down at the filly, Rarity offered a way out. “It’s not too late to go play with your friends outside if you’d like.”

Joy shook her head. “Oh no. There’s no place I would rather be than here.”

Rarity eyed the filly for a moment. “Very well. Are there any questions?”

“No, Rarity.”

Rarity beamed, “Excellent. I’ll be working down the hall on the dresses for the Canterlot Royal Fashion Show. If you need help or have questions, don’t hesitate to come get me.”

Joy nodded.

Rarity smiled and left the filly alone in the room.

“...Rarity was quite impressed with how I organized the bolts of fabric. She said that I had quite the discerning eye when it came to sorting them by shades. She says having a good eye for color is essential for any fashion designer.”

As the filly took a moment to take a bite of food, Applejack asked, “So, basically ya spent the day cleaning Rarity’s workroom?”

Joy paused for a moment in thought, began to say something but quickly swallowed and wiped her mouth. “Most of the day. She did show me her sketch for the ‘pièce de résistance’ of her line for the Canterlot Royal Fashion Show. And she did make an absolutely divine soufflé for lunch.”

“Mmm-hmm,” responded her older sister.

Author's Note

Kind of strange that I'm not publishing this from a convention, as the past three chapters were all posted during one (Whinny City PonyCon, Trotcon, Everfree Northwest). But I'm trying to post a new chapter every month. I hope the wait was worth it.

Keep Writing,

Dreadnought