Crystals Grow on Rainbows

"Oh my, I'm not sure that I can get it done right away. If it isn't too much of a problem, maybe it could wait until Rarity comes back." It was Fluttershy's turn at managing the Carousel, unfortunately for her Sapphire Shores had arrived in Ponyville early that morning. After seeing her new inspirational line at Canterlot, what else could the pony of pop do but ask her good friend for a new set once again?

"Well Miss Fluttershy! May I ask you a question?" A huddle of whimpering seemed to be what Fluttershy was turning into at that point. "Do you think you would be able to provide me with a suitable outfit? I am in rather urgent need of some stylization from Rarity herself, and since she is not here, that means you!" The whimpering grew louder for a few moments; Fluttershy was buckling underneath the responsibility. She could do repairs, and work on some projects, but gems were Rarity's speciality alone.

"Umm, maybe it would be better to wait until she gets back. She's coming home today after all." That was one hope to look for; she wouldn't be in charge for too much longer. So long as she could handle herself until Rarity took control and made things better, everything would turn out alright. Sapphire was browsing some of the displays in the meantime, pleased to hear that Rarity would be returning soon.

"Well why didn't you just say so dearie? I'll just pop on over to the Sugarcube Corner while I wait then, alright?" With that, Sapphire Shores was gone. Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash took her place in the doorway. Everything seemed normal, especially Fluttershy cowering behind the counter. At least she was still at the counter; Dash had to commend her for that.

"So Fluttershy, what was all that about? A visit from Sapphire Shores must mean something really important is happening." Twilight occupied herself with reorganizing some of the displays, as she did every day. One of Rarity's tips had been to keep things looking different after all. Dash in the meantime found herself with the task of dragging Fluttershy back into the open, occasionally peering over her shoulder in case Rarity made a surprise return.

"Oh, Sapphire Shores just wanted a new outfit, but I'm not very good with gemstones you see." With Twilight and Rainbow Dash back, Fluttershy no longer felt worried, though remained rather clingy to her pegasus friend. Dash shook herself free to gag in private as a rather pegasi inspired dress floated by, coloured very brightly. Surely, she wasn't the only one who had made the connection.

"Well, you certainly handled that well all the same. Rarity should be back any time now; we should get to the station to greet her." That set Rainbow Dash onto high alert. 'Back any time now'? She couldn't possibly go to the station with the others; there'd be way too much awkwardness to handle. At least coming up with excuses was a particular speciality of hers.

"You know, I think I'll catch you ponies later. I'm probably late for, uh, daily training!" Not much of an excuse admittedly, but Twilight and Fluttershy wouldn't question it surely. They hadn't said anything by the time she got to the door at least. "Have fun all the same, and tell her I said..." A long gasp overtook her voice as the door opened.

"Hey Dash, we were looking for you funnily enough. We decided to stop by Ponyville for a special performance before we head to Las Pegasus for vacation. But, we're missing a certain pegasus to show us around, and lead the flight of course." There was no response from the pegasus, still trying to convince herself that Spitfire of the Wonderbolts was in fact standing there. And asking her to join in with their special performance.

As the silence drew long, Spitfire casually nudged Rainbow Dash to wake her from the shock. "Oh my gosh, this can't be happening. What are you doing in Ponyville anyway? I figured you guys would be heading back to Cloudsdale after the end of the season." Rarity made her presence known at that point, providing her with a perfectly innocent suggestion as to the answer. A small smile formed as Rainbow Dash nodded eagerly to Spitfire's offer at last.

"I met them in Joe's donut shop the first day I was there for my holiday. And I couldn't help but offer to create a special fashion line for them in return for a favour. After all, that injury hurt so badly, you were just feeling poorly for days afterwards, weren't you Dashie?" Dash blushed slightly at being called that in front of Spitfire, but managed to nod eagerly in the end. Nothing could get in the way of a day with the Wonderbolts.

"Great, we'll be at Town Hall when you're ready; they're already pulling together a welcome party. Have fun!" As she departed, Rarity casually slipped past to make her way inside. Twilight and Fluttershy seemed to have done very well in managing the Carousel for her; such favours had to be thanked properly after all. A hoof was placed firmly in her way, much to the surprise of all the other ponies. Rainbow Dash was looking at her sternly.

In her usual fashion, the unicorn tried laughing to relieve the mood. It was starting to seem like her friend felt it was some sort of ploy, and would confront her about it. Opening her mouth to defend herself, a brief yelp came instead. Dash's hug had been very sudden, not to mention strong, and it had caught her by surprise. "I'm sorry for being rude before, when you were just trying to help. Uh, is it okay if I come back tonight? No offence but, I've been waiting to hang out with the Wonderbolts for so long."

Rarity was of course relieved to hear such a response, completely different to her previous worries. "Of course, I too felt bad for my behaviour, and wanted to rectify that. Please, have a good day, for me." She released her hold on Rainbow Dash with a big beam across her face. Once the pegasus had flown off again, she returned inside where Twilight and Fluttershy watched in silence. That wasn't the sort of meeting they had expected to see at all, but it was a good sign that things were better between them again.

"Well girls, shall we begin catching up on what I missed, or should I begin with what happened in Canterlot?" Fluttershy smiled nervously, listen to Rarity talk about Canterlot for hours, or watch her squeal in panic about Sapphire Shore's visit. Twilight had a very similar thought, though the idea of conveniently leaving the visit out was growing very strong.

"Mrs Cake picked up her apron set; Lotus Blossom has a few robes she'd like to be personalized for some new customers..." Twilight continued to rattle off the events of the week, while Fluttershy continued to fret. Sapphire Shores could return at any moment, how would they be able to explain not mentioning that? Pressure was continuing to build, getting closer and closer...

"Sapphire Shores stopped by in search of a new outfit! She's at the Sugarcube corner right now and..." Rarity actually did faint, whether from Fluttershy's outburst, or what the outburst was about neither could tell. Finally, Twilight moved her into a nearby chair with her magic. That wasn't quite how she wanted to handle things, but now that Rarity knew, the best course of action would be to keep her calm.

"Oh Twilight, I didn't think she'd faint. Do you think we should've let her talk about Canterlot first instead?"