Rarity stood deep in thought, scrutinizing the ponyquin gracing the back corner of her showroom. It modeled a lovely yellow sundress trimmed in lavender, paired with a matching sunhat. Even though the ponyquin and its ensemble made a striking pose, a natural draw for every customer’s eyes, Rarity wasn’t quite satisfied.

Ding-a-Ling!

Without glancing to the front door, Rarity greeted, “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique!” She paused for a moment before floating over a piece of matching fabric and tying it loosely around the neck, forming an airy scarf. “Perfect!” Returning her attention to her guest, a smile grew on her face as she saw a familiar yellow filly in a red blouse and blue jeans patiently waiting. “Good morning, Joy.”

“Good morning, Rarity,” responded the filly, though her eyes were upon something behind the older mare.

Rarity giggled, “Ah, you have noticed the latest piece of my summer collection. What do you think?”

“Oh, it... it is nice.”

Rarity cocked an eyebrow at the filly’s hesitation.

Joy quickly amended, “I mean, it’s absolutely fabulous!” as a forced extra-large grin claimed her face.

Rarity laughed, “Darling, I am a professional, I expect honest criticism of my work. Please tell me what you really think.”

“Oh, well, it’s nice. It’s just that....” Joy’s eyes wandered over to the glittering gowns filling the showroom.

Rarity followed the filly’s gaze. “I understand. It is quite different compared to many of my other couture. But you know something Joy? This dress has a secret.”

“Really?”

A mischievous smile grew on her face as her eyes twinkled. “Would you like to know?”

“Yes,” said Joy eagerly as she stepped forward, closing the distance to her idol.

“This dress,” she began, leaning down so the two were nearly cheek-to-cheek as they gazed upon the outfit in question. “Some may call understated, even plain. But for this dress, the secret is,” Rarity paused for dramatic effect before saying in a stage whisper, “less is more.”

“Less is more?” repeated the disbelieving filly in a hushed whisper.

Rarity stood upright and beamed. “Oh, I could add gems or more layers of fabric to make this dress another one of my dazzling creations, but that would ruin it. You see Joy, the beauty of this dress is its simplicity. By using less, the exquisite fabric, bold color and loving care stand out. This dress has a true timeless elegance, an elegance that seems to be going out of vogue these days.” The last wistful words trailed off with a hint of longing as her smile ever so slightly faded.

Joy stared up at the dress with newfound appreciation.

After a pause, Rarity continued, “Well, perhaps it is time that we continue with your training. I have a very special project planned for you today.”

Turning to her idol, Joy asked eagerly, “What is it?”

“Follow me.” She led Joy from the showroom deeper into the boutique. Shortly the two found themselves standing in the newly-organized and clutter-free inspiration room. Rarity trotted over to the corner and opened a large chest.

“Ooh,” cooed Joy at the mesmerizing sight before her. The chest was overflowing with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and saphires, all glittering in the sunlight pouring through the window.

“Yes,” Rarity beamed. “Spikey-Wikey was ever so helpful with collecting these gemstones.”

“‘Spikey-Wikey?’”

“Oh, you haven’t met Spike yet? He’s a dragon and –”

“Dragon!?” squeaked the wide-eyed filly, the fear evident in her voice as her eyes darted about the room looking for the terrifying, ferocious beast.

“You needn’t worry, dear,” Rarity reassured. “He’s a baby dragon and Princess Twilight’s number one assistant. He also spends time helping me with various projects.”

“Oh,” said an unconvinced Joy as she continued to search the room with her eyes.

“The little darling is a real sweetheart. I’ll have to introduce you to him at some point.” Her brow furrowed. “Now, where was I? Oh, yes! Spike helped me collect these gemstones last week, but I simply haven’t had the time to properly organize them. I would like you to sort and classify all the gems in this chest. You are familiar with the Four C’s, aren’t you Joy?”

Finally giving Rarity her full attention, Joy scrunched her muzzle, “The ‘Four C’s’?”

She nodded, “Yes: Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat weight. Those are the standard metrics by which all diamonds are appraised, but the technique can be generally applied to any gemstone. These particular gems are uncut, but you can still sort them based on the other three.” She turned and trotted over to a bookshelf, scrutinizing the titles until her horn glowed and levitated a book from the middle shelf. “This is Beryl’s Complete Guide to Gemstones. It is the go-to reference on the topic.” Rarity flipped through the book until she found a particular entry. “For example, this section will have everything you need to know about the properties of sapphires.” She passed the volume over to Joy before pulling another book. “And this is Rating Gems by Multi Facet. It helps one appraise the value of gemstones.” She pointed to the other side of the room. “Over on the desk are the scale and weights to weigh the gems.”

Joy nodded.

“Any questions, dear?”

The filly shook her head.

“I’ll be down in the showroom catching up on some paperwork. Running a boutique isn’t just designing, sewing and catering to the customers. There’s unfortunately an inordinate amount of tedious paperwork that goes along with it as well,” she sighed. “Well, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Yes, Rarity.”

The unicorn smiled as she trotted out the door, leaving Joy to attend to the task at hoof.

“Yah gonna read that or are yah just gonna stare at it all day?”

“Huh?” Apple Bloom looked up.

“Y’all’ve been staring at the same page for the last five minutes,” noted Applejack standing in the doorframe.

“Oh, Ah guess Ah don’t feel like readin’.” She sat up on her bed and cast the book aside.

“Ah thought on a fine day like t’day, yah would be out with Sweetie Belle an’ Scootaloo.”

“Guess Ah didn’t feel like crusadin’ neither,” Apple Bloom hung her head and stared at the floor.

After a moment, Applejack offered, “Want to talk about it, sugarcube?”

Apple Bloom hesitated, then quietly shook her head, “No.”

“It’s Joy, isn’t it?” pressed the older sister as she entered the bedroom..

“It’s just that....” she trailed off.

Applejack sat down next to her sister. “Y’all wanted to spend time with her?”

Apple Bloom nodded, “Yeah. I mean, we’re sisters, an’ we haven’t seen each other since we were newborns. She comes all the way from Vanhoover, an’ Ah had so many plans for things we could do together, an’ all she wants to do is spend time with Rarity. Ah mean, Ah guess she likes that stuff, but we’re sisters an’ we’ve missed so much together. Ah just want to spend time together. Ah thought she’d want to spend time with me too but....” She wiped her eyes before hopping off the bed and trotting to the door.

“Apple Bloom....”

Without turning around she said, “Ah need tah use the outhouse.” Apple Bloom left Applejack sitting alone on the bed.

“...I had no idea of the variety of colors diamonds exhibited until today. You have, of course, your white diamonds which is what everypony naturally thinks of first. They are rated on a scale of D to Z, with D being the best. But then you have your yellow diamonds, not quite as desirable as your white diamonds but far more plentiful. And brown diamonds, though they are marketed by the fashion industry as ‘chocolate.’ And then you have blue diamonds, which are a beautiful deep shade. Rarity had several of those. And then there are red diamonds – ”

“Yah better eat yer supper b’fore it gets cold.”

She looked down at her untouched bowl of soup. “Of course, Mrs. Smith.”

She looked over at her other grandfilly, “And that goes fer you too, Apple Bloom.”

“Yes, Granny,” she sighed.

“Maybe you should let Rares have some peace an’ spend time with yer sister explorin’ Ponyville,” Applejack suggested.

“Oh, Rarity said I am a big help and she’s even invited me to attend the Canterlot Royal Fashion Show next weekend.”

Author's Note

I was shooting for a monthly release date, but I missed my self-imposed deadline. Well, I hope it was worth the wait.

V/R,

Dreadnought