Rarity sat at her desk. Piles of crumpled parchment lay on the desk. Rarity had been trying for hours to write a very important letter.
A letter of thanks to her savior Thunderlane, a Cadet at the Wonderbolts Academy. He and his fellow Cadets had helped save Rarity and her friends from an out of control cloudbusting tornado.
Rarity and the gang had decided that it would only be polite for them to write thank-you letters to the Cadets. Everypony had already finished theirs, but Rarity was finding it far more difficult than any of her friends had.
She sat staring intensely at the paper. It was already rather late, but Rarity was stubborn if nothing else. But she couldn't sleep until she had at least started a halfway decent letter. She picked up her quill in a blue glow from her horn again.
'Dear Cadet Thunderlane,' Rarity wrote.
“Ugh, Far too formal...” She muttered, crumpling the parchment and tossing it at the overflowing waste paper basket with her magic. Rarity Leaned back in her chair, Lying her hoof over her tired eyes. “How hard can this be? Simply right the letter!” She groaned to herself. Sinking down into her plush office chair.
'Might as well stop for tonight. Its simply not possible for me to write a decent letter in this state' She thought. She lifted her hoof from her eyes. Her makeup had smudged onto her arm and hoof. “I had better wash up before bed at the very least...” Rarity mumbled. Pushing back from the desk, droopy eyed, and yawning she started toward her washroom.
Rarity opted not to turn on the harsh washroom light, instead casting a soft blue glow with her horn. She stared into the face of a disheveled unicorn. Tired eyes, surround by smeared and fading make up. Her mane resembled a bird's nest and dark bags hung under her eyes.
“Oh what a mess you are Rarity...” She whispered to the mirror, examining her reflection. She wet a washcloth and sleepily began to clean up for bed. “Tomorrow I'll finish the letter...” She promised the sleepy mare in the mirror.
The next morning greeted Rarity with a cardinals sweet song. The red bird sat on her windowsill, singing to its heart's desire. Rarity gazed sleepily at the bird, admiring its bright crimson feathers. She Imagined them on a large brimmed red hat. Maybe paired with a dark jacket to show of the bright red of the feathers hat. She smiled working on a rough design in her head. The cardinal flew off, and Rarity's daydream faded away. With that Rarity got up and prepared herself for the day.
After breakfast and quickly putting on her face, Rarity sat down at her desk again. She stared down at the blank page before her. Considering what to write, suddenly an idea popped to mind. Her quill poised above the page surrounded in a blue haze. With a newfound glee she set pen to paper once more.
“Dear Thunderlane,
I cannot express my gratuitous enough for you heroic actions this past week. So instead of attempting to express my self in words I have decided that actions would serve far better. To express my thanks please except this 'care package' if you will. Inside I have enclosed a book of the finest cookies and sweets to be purchased from Sugar Cube Corner. In small portions of course. I would hate to impair your training at the Wonderbolts academy with the splendid treats from ponyville’s best bake shop. I got a variety of sweets as I was unsure as to what your favorite would be. I included a few of my personal favorite, the “Sweet Grass Clusters.”
I have also Included a bushel of the finest apples from Sweet Apple Acres. I put in quite a few to make up for the reduced amount of cookies. I also extend to you a deal for my own boutique. One free outfit of your choosing. I know that a Cadet such as yourself may not have a need for fancy dress at the academy, but I would still like to extend the offer. It is of course the least I could do.
Sincerely,
Rarity.”
Rarity sealed the letter in a lovely lavender envelope. Beside her sat the care package for Thunderlane. Wrapped in a lovely cream paper with silver swirls and a lavender bow the package was near perfect. She had spent the better part of the day collecting it contents. Only the best would do for Rarity, and by extension her saviour. Rarity tucked the envelope under the bow neatly. The gift was surrounded in her blue magic as she picked it up.
“Now to get this to the post office before close,” Rarity said to herself. With a spring in her step and a soft smile on her face she set off to the post office at a brisk pace. She had thought about delivering the package herself, but the memory of her last balloon ride quickly changed her mind. Instead she opted to simply post the package express to the academy.
It was too late to ship out tonight, but no doubt the package would arrive at the academy first thing the next day. Rarity hoped that the apples would retain their fresh crisp till then. She had payed extra bits for the fastest delivery offered at the post office, but still, Rarity was somewhat worried.
'I should have asked Twilight to preserve them somehow...' She pondered in retrospect.
'Well no point fretting about it know' she thought.
The grey mare that she had dealt with at the desk hadn't seem very focused. Her crossed eyes had never wavered from the muffin on her desk. Rarity wasn't sure if she had correctly labelled the package, what with all her attention focused on that blueberry muffin.
'It had looked rather good though' Rarity admitted to herself.
Rarity's stomach rumbled as she thought of that beautiful blueberry muffin. 'Maybe I'll pick something up on my way home..' Rarity pondered what to buy for herself as she started toward the cafe. 'Maybe a muffin....'To Be Continued.
It had been three days since Rarity sent her care package to Thunderlane. She Hadn’t expected much in return from him but she was still disappointed that he hadn’t at the very least replied. Rarity had put a lot of time and thought into the package, Thunderlane could have at least acknowledged it. But it was of little consequence, she had an inventory to do.
With summer quickly approaching Rarity was expecting the usual ‘wedding rush’ as she called it. Everypony simply had to have their wedding in the summer, so it was not uncommon for Rarity to get two or three wedding dress orders a week. After doing the royal wedding last year she was expecting that number to rise at least a bit.
“Personally, I think it’s overdone, ” Rarity said partly to her self and partly to her Persian cat Opal, as she trotted around the shop taking inventory.
“I personally would much prefer a wedding in the winter.” Rarity said to the white cat.
“The bride wouldn’t get as sweaty in her dress, their wouldn’t be any bugs to ruin the food and it would probably be a lot cheaper too. It’s simply more practical and original to have a wedding in the winter.” She mused while counting out white gemstones. Opal purred in agreement, batting a piece of lint around in front of herself.
Rarity was just jotting down on a clipboard how many yards of white, off-white, eggshell, light beige, extremely pale yellow, alabaster, and pearl materials she had when her personal doorbell in the back of the shop rang.
“I bet that will be a letter from the first the first of our blushing brides to be,” Rarity cooed at Opal as she headed for the door.
Rarity opened the backdoor, not to a new bride, but to a lanky yellow stallion with a bushy red mushed under a couriers cap.
“I have a letter for Miss. Rarity? From the Wonderbolts Academy?”
“Dear Rarity,
Thank-you for your generous care package.
The other cadets and I really appreciated some fresh fruit. Especially after eating the slop in the cafeteria. I never thought Sweet Apple Acre apples could taste better!
As luck would have it, I actually am in need of fancy outfit. I have a family event in Canterlot soon. So if the offer still stands, I’d like to get a fitting done and discuss the suit. I’ll be in Ponyville soon. The academy is letting us off for a few weeks. No doubt RainbowDash already told you though.
Write me back if you have any concerns.
Yours truly,
Thunderlane.”
“Oh dear,” Rarity muttered to Opal. “ I really hadn’t expected him to take me up on the offer of a free suit... especially not so close to wedding season.”
Opal meowed in indifference, turning back to the toilet paper she was working on unraveling.
Rarity continued to take inventory, all the while chattering worrying to her aloof feline.
“I suppose it won’t take too long. I should be able to squeeze him in somewhere...”
With that the bell above the boutique door jingled softly. The first of the future brides had arrived at Rarity’s doors. She could hear female voices floating in from the showroom. It would appear the bride had brought her maids along as well. “Oh joy..” Rarity groaned softly. She plastered her most cheerful smile on her face and prepared for the worst.
Rarity flopped onto her couch with a sigh. Opal flopping down beside her.
The past few hours had been the longest of Rarity’s career. The customer had to have been her most demanding and fashion blind client to date.
She was constantly asking if Rarity was absolutely sure that a bright hot pink wedding dress would be in poor taste. And if it was maybe possible for Rarity to create a 30 foot train for her? Of course in the same blinding shade of pink with a vile puke green trim. The brides maids and Rarity had spent hours trying to convince her that a white dress would be much more flattering, and that a 30 foot train was far too impractical. Finally they got her to settle on a white dress with a soft pink tint, and a much shorter train. A soft green bow to be tied behind her back.
At least the brides maids hadn’t shared the same awful taste in colour palettes.
Turning her head, Rarity noticed the opened bright blue envelope on the coffee table. A bright yellow bolt superimposed on the back. The letter from Thunderlane. Hopefully he had better taste.
“ A family event in Canterlot... I wonder what it could be?” Rarity pondered, hovering the note above her in a transparent blue glow of magic from her horn. She skimmed it over a few more times, but there were no clues as to what the event could be.
I know Thunderlane is from Ponyville originally, so what would his family be doing in Canterlot? I swear they all live here. Rarity contemplated, turning the idea over in her mind. Perhaps they have ties to the princesses? She pondered, reading the letter over and over again.
“No, no, that would be just silly. Ponies go to Canterlot all the time. We had Twilights birthday at Canterlot in fact.” Rarity said to Opal, who was preoccupied licking her own toes.
Rarity trotted off to her office, leaving Opal to finish cleaning her tiny toes in peace. Regardless of why Thunderlane is going to Canterlot, I need to set up an appointment with him for a fitting. Then I’ll have to start planning that wedding dress. Rarity sighed to herself, just thinking of all the work that was bound to come this wedding season.
“Well, I’d better get started.”
To be continued.