The Tale of The Stone-turner

We made it to Rarity's without incident, which really was the biggest shock of the day for me. Given the way things had been going I half expected a pack of wolverines to fall from the sky and run amok. During the entire walk since my mentioning it Rarity had been trying desperately to dissuade me from wanting a cloak. It amused me.

“Well, here we are. My Carousel Boutique.”

I looked up at the building. It was some horrifying cross between a merry go round and the high tower of a renaissance castle that made the very last bits of man juice inside me dry up for good. With a light shudder from me, we all followed Rarity inside her place of business. And heard a small voice that seemed to crack whenever it hit a high note.

“You made it back! You didn't see that monster out there di-” The voice stopped as soon as I entered the building, only to start back up with much more terror in it. “Look out Rarity, the monster followed you home!” I looked downwards to find the source of the voice, it was a small white unicorn filly with a slightly curled pink and purple mane and tail. I swear, if this one bites me.... Rarity looked back at us then at the small unicorn.

“Sweetie Belle, whatever are you talking about?” Sweetie Belle looked like she was about to explode from sheer shock when Rarity looked at me and didn't seem phased in the slightest.

“Rarity, clearly she is talking about Fluttershy, I mean just look at her, Sweetie Belle here must be scared stiff.” Humor, humor always diffuses tense situations.

“Oh, am I scary? I could just go wait outside... um... that is, if you want me to.” I have never face-palmed so hard in all my life.

“I was making a joke Fluttershy. It's obvious she's referring to me when she says 'monster'.”

“Oh, I knew that.” *Squee* Whatever that sound was I want know how to liquify it and inject it straight into my bloodstream because it was just fucking precious.

Rarity walked over to the smaller pony and gently laid a hoof on her.

“Now Sweetie Belle, you don't need to worry a bit. Stone-turner here isn't a monster. He's a bit... odd, yes. But not a monster. He's a friend of ours and I am going to make him an outfit so that maybe the other ponies in town won't be as afraid of him.”

“So, he's not gonna eat us?”

“Of course not.” The little unicorn then looked straight at me.

“Promise?” I just grinned as I remembered something from a few days earlier.

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” I finished by lightly bonking my fist against my eye. Apparently what I just performed was some kind of dark magic ritual which meant I could never go back on it without forfeiting my soul, for that is the only reason the little filly could possibly trust me so absolutely from then on.

As Rarity led me into a room filled with fabrics and instruments I assumed were for tailoring, Sweetie Belle, who I learned was her sister, circled around my legs asking me question after question. Some of the questions were the basic, who are you, what are you, where'd you come from, and so forth. But when Sweetie Belle asked me what I liked to do in my free time and I replied with reading, Rarity quickly interrupted before that subject line could move any further, clever girl.

“So Stone, is there any particular look or color scheme you would like?” I didn't even bother to think on it.

“Nope, I'll trust that to you completely, I would just like it to have a cloak.” I watched a shudder actually travel from Rarity to Sweetie Belle.

“Very well then.” She growled.

Rarity had me stand straight, arms wide, legs slightly spread while she took measurement after measurement. Then she began to work.

“I don't have any mannequins in your shape so I will be needing you to hold still for quite a bit, I hope that isn't a problem.”

“Well I don't think I have any previous engagements so I suppose I could stay here a bit longer.”

For several hours I stood there, not allowed to move an inch, making idle conversation or answering more questions from Sweetie Belle until Rarity declared that I was no longer required for the next step and shooed myself, Fluttershy, and Sweetie Belle back into the entrance, Rainbow and Pinkie having left of boredom some time ago, so that she would have no distractions for the next phase.

“So then.” I plopped down and crossed my legs on the ground. “How shall we burn time?”

“Well, um.. We could play a game... If you want.”

“Alright, how about rock, paper, sciss..... right.... hooves... never mind.” I face-palmed. They just blinked at me a couple times. “Oh, how about twenty questions?” Sweetie Belle nodded happily, while Fluttershy remained mostly hidden under her mane.

“That's a great idea! You should go first Fluttershy!” Brilliant, this way the timid one can participate with minimal speech required!

“Oh, well... OK.. I'm ready. You can start guessing.. If you're ready too.” I grinned lightly.

“Is it a mineral?” One. Me.

“No.”

“Is it a Vegetable!?” Two. Sweetie.

“No.”

“Hmm, must be animal then. Is it carnivorous?” Three. Me.

“Not at all.”

“Carnivorous?”

“A meat eater.”

“Oh, so it needs to eat plants then, is it a pony!?” Four. Sweetie.

“No, it isn't a pony.” Fluttershy seemed to be getting slightly bolder around me as the game progressed, huzzahs all around.

“Is it a large animal?” Five. Me.

“Um, not really.”

“Does it breathe underwater?” Six. Sweetie.

“No.”

“Is it capable of flight?” Seven.

“No.” Hm, that leaves us with only non-large land animals. I wonder just how many of those Equestria has.

“Is it fuzzy?” Eight.

“Yes.” So, it is furred.

“Does it climb trees?” Nine.

“No.”

“Do you take care of it?” Ten.

“Yes.” Damn, I know nothing of Fluttershy's pets, or even that she had any. Advantage Sweetie Belle.

“Um, is it's fur brown?” Eleven.

“No.”

“Is it's fur white?” Twelve.

“Yes.” Sweetie Belle looks like she knows exactly what it is, this is my last shot. What's small and timid like Fluttershy?

“Is it a mouse?” Oh let it be question Thirteen.

“No.” DAMNIT!

“It's Angel Bunny!”

“Yes.” And lo, the great beast that is Stone-turner was bested by a small unicorn with a squeaky voice, how the mighty do fall.

We continued with several more rounds, a majority of them ending with someone other than myself as the winner. The final tally was, Fluttershy: eight, Sweetie Belle: nine, and myself: three...

I really suck at this game, but I prefer to blame it on the fact I know little of these ponies lives and it puts me at a disadvantage.

Before we could begin another round Rarity's voice drifted in from another room, her work was complete and it was time to try it on. Walking back into the work room I found a tidy and folded pile of clothing hovering before me.

“Here you are Stone, come now, let's see them on you.” I looked around at the ponies currently in the room, the innocent ponies that did not need to ever see my dangly bits.

“Would there happen to be a place I can change in private? I don't exactly wear clothing only for show.” With a raised eyebrow Rarity pointed a hoof at a small door.

“You may change in there if you feel self-conscious about us seeing you.” I nodded and took the floating clothing with me into a small room and rapidly got changed.

There were shoes, a pair of pants, and a long sleeved shirt. No underwear or socks but I didn't think going commando would be a huge issue from the feel of the fabric. The pants and shirt both seemed to be incredibly soft and upon putting them on, I never ever wanted to take them off again. They fit me almost like a second set of skin and yet didn't constrain my movement in the slightest. The shoes were made of some strange material, feeling soft like a fabric but remained firm as I put them on. These shoes fit so snugly and yet let my feet breathe so well that even attempting to break them in would a be crime against that wonderful marshmallow unicorn. Once the clothes were on me I took the time to look at them more closely. The shoes had a cool blue base with a warm orange top color that both ran along each other before both rose up towards the openings of them. A closer look showed flecks of red glittering on the shoes. At the bottom of the pants the same colors rose up and spiraled around each other before widening out and laying in several side by side lines towards the waist. The shirt used the same colors as the pants and shoes, the colors rising up from the base and swirling around next to each other thru the whole of the chest and one solid color going to each arm. Looking closely at the fabric of the pants and shirt I noticed a sort of odd red dust to be present throughout the whole of them, that gave off a nice sparkle as the light hit it at certain angles. Standing fully and looking down I couldn't help but be amazed, the clothes fell naturally so that the colors from one ran seamlessly into the next creating the look that I was not wearing several multiple pieces of clothing, but rather that two separate colors had decided to climb up me and settle themselves down. I stepped back into the room where the others waited and spread my arms as I did a little spin.

“These clothes are amazing!” I grinned. “I can't even imagine how you managed to make something this high quality that quickly!” Rarity got a small blush.

“Think nothing of it, it was actually much easier than you would think.” And she levitated IT in front of me. “But that isn't the complete outfit.”

IT was a thing a beauty. The magnificent cloak. I maintained the color scheme of the rest of the outfit, the blue coming in from the edges and swirling lightly but for the most part acting as a border around the whole of the body and the hood. While the orange moved in from thin lines around the edges and grew to fill in a majority of the inner coloring. All along the edges and hood at regular intervals were small rubies studded into the fabric and two large ones at the neckline. Quickly donning the piece of awesome I looked for how to fasten it closed and found the two larger rubies were cut so that they could snap together easily and wouldn't pull apart unless slid with the intent to separate them. Sweeeet.

“OK, I don't think there will ever be anything capable of topping this, the history books will be written to say how awesome the cloak worn by the Stone-turner was.” Rarity grinned as I found a tall mirror to face and pulled up the hood. Oh man that is great. The hood shadowed my face just enough so that I could be recognized up close but from a distance all that would show would be the light red glow of my eyes. I smiled, my white teeth joining my eyes in the dark of the hood. “Oh yea.... Let's go show this off to the town.” I spun on my heel and began to head out to the town.

“What? Oh no, I don't think it would be very to get the town any more wound up than they already are.”

“Pshaw, I don't think I could wind them up any more, besides they'll be too awestruck at this magnificent outfit to feel terror.”

“Well, I don't know that it's that good a design, it's just something I whipped together on the spot.”

“If something this good was just whipped together, something you had taken the time to carefully plan would probably make me die from amazing overload.”

“Oh, stop it.”

“Alright then.”

“Huh?”

“Oh goody, we're outside. Now where did all the ponies go?” The streets seemed oddly barren, the sun slowly going down off in the distance.

“Maybe they all went inside for the night.” Fluttershy observed.

“Speaking of retiring for the night, Sweetie Belle it IS getting close to your bedtime.”

“Aw, but I wanna watch Stone terrorize the town.” Oh how the young are so impressionable.

“No buts, now come along back inside. Fluttershy I trust you should be able to handle Stone on your own.”

“Don't worry Rarity, I won't give her the slightest bit of trouble.” I don't think her constitution would be able to handle it if I did. “How about you lead me back to the library and I'll wait until tomorrow to throw the town back into a frenzy?”

“Oh, OK.. But do you have to throw the town into frenzy?”

“Fine, I'll try not to make the situation worse. But only for you.” Fluttershy gave me a light smile as she led me back to the big tree that was the library. I knocked on the door before we entered. “Twilight, you home? I'm done being a menace to society today!” With a small wave Fluttershy left as I stepped into the library.

“Really? That's a relief.” Twilight trotted down the stairs, looking slightly flushed with her mane a bit frazzled. “Now let's get you to not be a menace at all.” I grinned.

“I already promised Fluttershy I would try not to make the situation any worse.”

“Good. Are you hungry?” I shook my head.

“Nah, I think I'll just turn in early. Being a monster is pretty tiring.” She rolled her eyes.

“Alright then, Spike is out getting some things so don't be alarmed if you hear him coming in late.” She turned and started going back up the stairs. “Just shout if you need anything.”

“Alright then!” I then started thru the basement door, closing it behind me, and down the stairs. I stopped mid step, there was a very low sound, almost like the rhythmic clopping of hooves. With a shrug I continued down the steps and took a look at the basement, having been too tired to do so the previous night.

There were a couple of shelves with some books on them and several devices I couldn't even begin to guess the function of. Aside from that there was little else other than the pile of sheets and pillows I was suppose to make a bed out of. Deciding that tonight I should actually use the bedding I spread it out on the floor then took off my clothing and folded it neatly and set it in the corner. Slowly settling down into my makeshift bed my gaze fell onto one of the shelves of books. It was the 'Stallions and Saddles' series and there seemed to be a few of them. I began to count them to help me sleep. There was book one, two, three, four, five, seven, eig- Wait a minute. Four, five, seven... One was missing from the shelf. That low clopping sound reentered my mind and with the mightiest shudder the world has ever seen I attempted to force myself asleep. Tomorrow I would find a vat of acid and dunk my head into it...