Surface Deep

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3

Chapter 1

The image in the mirror was resplendent. Sapphire blue eyes appraised the smooth, white coat in search of any signs of dirt or dishevelment. They moved up to the elegantly stylized purple mane, ensuring that each hair was in its proper place. At last, the unicorn's eyes fell upon their own reflection. They studied the powder blue eye-shadow, the long lashes, and finally the pupils themselves. There they lingered for a moment before finally looking down to the floor.

Perfection. I can't allow anything less.

A single tear escaped and rolled down her snout before falling to the floor below. A soft blue glow enveloped the unicorn's horn as its telekinetic power was used to magically bring a small purse to float before her. She levitated a tissue out from within the purse and caused it to dab at her eyes, careful not to ruin the make-up. Having composed herself, she took one last look at the mirror.

I am Rarity. One day all of Equestria might know the name. One day.

With a shake of her head, she quickly walked away from the mirror and towards her bedroom door. Her horn glowed once more as the door magically opened for her. With a small, inward sigh, she walked out to face whatever the day held in store for her.

One day.

"Hello, Rarity," Twilight Sparkle said with a warm smile. The purple unicorn was meticulously unfolding a wide red and white blanket out onto the grass. A large wicker basket had been placed on the ground beside her, a few plates and cups scattered about nearby.

"Hello Twilight. Such a lovely day for a picnic, is it not?" Rarity replied as she walked over to assist.

"It certainly is. Better to do it now while we still can. Next week the weather team is planning a downpour," Twilight stated.

Rarity shivered at the thought. They finished spreading the blanket and Twilight began removing plates from the basket magically with her horn and setting them out.

"The others should be along any moment now, too," Twilight began once all the plates had been set out. "Pinkie Pie said she wanted to bring some fresh cupcakes, and had Applejack along with her at Sugar Cube Corner to help out. I'm not quite sure why Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are late, though."

"It's because this silly filly insisted on bringing protective gear for a game of touch-hoofball!" a blue pegasus sporting a rainbow-streaked mane called out from above. She was gesturing toward a yellow pegasus who was clumsily trying to fly while wearing a helmet and protective shoulder pads.

"Oh hello Rainbow, Fluttershy. So glad you could make it," Rarity called out to the flying ponies.

The two pegasi landed and said their greetings. Rainbow Dash pulled a pack from her back and emptied it; a hoofball, a frisbee, tennis rackets, and other sporting goods tumbled to the ground.

"Who wants cupcakes!" a pink pony with dark pink curls in her mane called out as she came into view. She had a plate of cupcakes balanced on her head, and was accompanied by an orange mare whose blonde mane was done up in a ponytail that hung from beneath a cowboy hat.

"Hello girls," Twilight said, smiling. "Wow Pinkie Pie, those cupcakes look amazing!"

The pink pony grinned and set the cupcakes down. "Aww thanks, Twilight. Oh, and Applejack brought the most fantastically amazing and delicious-looking apple pie ever!" she shouted.

"Aw shucks, it's nothin'," Applejack said, embarrassed.

"Don't be ridinky-wink Applejack, you're the bestest baker in Ponyville! Oh, looks like we're all here, let's eat!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she tossed a cupcake into her mouth and swallowed it whole.

The ponies all gathered around to enjoy a meal of oats and daisies, apples, pie, and cupcakes together. It was just another typical get-together with the girls, Rarity thought. She could do without the brutish sports that Rainbow Dash wanted to play, but any time spent with her friends was time well spent.

"You'll want to know, I plan on making some fabulous new summer outfits for you all. I had a sudden flash of inspiration yesterday and I just had to put together a few designs," Rarity told her friends. "You can expect them next week."

"Thank you Rarity, that's so generous of you," Twilight beamed, the other girls offering their thanks in-between mouthfuls of food. The meal soon disappeared, leaving behind empty plates and satisfied ponies.

As soon as Rainbow Dash had finished eating, she said, "Alright, who's ready to play some hoofball? Come on, Fluttershy!"

"Um, no thank you, please," Fluttershy cringed as she replied.

"Oh come on, we're not even playing tackle!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"Ooh, ooh pick me!" Pinkie Pie bounced up and down excitedly.

Rarity watched while the other ponies sorted out who was going to play. She could enjoy these moments spent with her true friends. She quietly sighed and thought back to other, less enjoyable times.

The young filly hopped around with excitement. Her mother and father tried to settle her down, but she would not be still for long.

"Calm down Rarity," her father said. "I know it's your first day of school, but we need to get you ready!"

The young pony held still as her father gave her mane a quick brushing. As soon as he had finished, she began to bounce excitedly around the house once more.

"Oh I just can't wait to make new friends!" little Rarity shouted enthusiastically.

Her mother and father smiled down at her proudly.

"You'll make all kinds of friends, we know it," her mother said warmly. "Now come along, we don't want you to be late!"

The young filly followed her parents out the door, walking between them on the way to school. She had never been so excited before; she couldn't wait to learn new things and meet new ponies. She could finally learn how to control her magic that had accidentally led to a few broken household items.

She giggled happily to herself. Today was going to be the best day ever!

The bedroom door glowed soft blue for a moment and opened inwards. Rarity walked into her room, not bothering to shut the door behind her. She hopped onto her bed and lay down, her snout buried beneath her front hooves.

A faint smile touched her lips as she thought back on today's picnic with her best friends. The smile faded as her thoughts drifted further back to times long past, but not forgotten.

She idly wiped a tear from her face and stared at the ceiling. Her throat felt tight as her lower lip quivered slightly. As hard as she tried, she could no longer hold back. Tears began streaming unchecked down her face as she started openly weeping into her pillow.

Her white cat, Opalescence, walked in from the other room at the sound of the unicorn's sobs and sat to watch. It was a sight that the cat had become used to by now.

The young filly's parents knew something was wrong as soon as they saw their daughter walking morosely through the school door. They glanced uncertainly at one another, then rushed forward to greet their little one.

"Oh honey, what's wrong?" the little unicorn's mother asked.

At the sight of her parents, young Rarity seemed to stare blankly for a moment. Then, just as her parents looked to be about to question her further, a wide smile appeared on her face.

"What do you mean? There's nothing wrong at all, today was the best day ever!" she beamed.

Her parents glanced at each other once more. An unspoken agreement seemed to pass between them, then they both smiled down at their daughter.

"Of course it was, sugar plum," her father said with a larger smile than was necessary. "How about we go down to Sugar Cube Corner and get a nice treat for a certain special filly?"

Little Rarity nodded, the wide smile never faltering. The lack of any real enthusiasm was not lost on her parents, but they said nothing.

They left together and arrived at their destination a short time later. It was a large building designed to look like a gingerbread house topped with a large cupcake. The sight of the shop often brought excited squeals from young ponies in the hopes that they might be treated to one of the many goodies held within.

Rarity simply continued to smile.

"Good afternoon, how can I help you all today?" asked a brown and tan stallion from behind the food counter as the family walked in.

"Oh hello, Marble Cake," Rarity's mother said warmly. "We'd like to get something extra-special for our little one."

The stallion leaned over the counter to look at the young filly.

"Oh well isn't she so precious!" he gushed. "Hey Carrot, get this little lady a nice slice of cake. This one's on the house."

A tall, gangly young colt emerged from the back of the shop, a plate in his mouth. His yellow coat was accented by a curly, bright-orange mane. He set the plate down on the counter top, then disappeared into the back of the shop once more.

"My he's getting so tall!" Rarity's father commented. "Well, thank you very much Marble, we owe you one!"

The shopkeeper chuckled. "It's fine, we're not going to go out of business any time soon. Just enjoy yourselves."

The family left and headed home. Rarity continued to smile the entire way there.

Once home, the little unicorn absently nibbled a few bites from her cake, then stated she was full and ran up to her room.

Her parents eyed the uneaten food with some concern. Ordinarily the cake would have been consumed within seconds, leaving a large mess of crumbs and frosting around their daughter's mouth. They agreed to give it a week, then have a word with the filly if things didn't improve.

Upstairs in her room, as quietly as she could manage, Rarity cried herself to sleep.

Her tears finally dried, Rarity hopped off of her bed and walked into her large walk-in wardrobe. Her horn glowed blue and caused random articles of clothing to be pushed aside to reveal something that had been hidden in the back where it wouldn't be noticed.

The white mare sat quietly and stared.

The wedding dress was beautiful. It featured stunning hoof-beaded detail on the bodice in the front and back, and a gorgeous, full gathered skirt. Gold accents complimented the white fabric and made the entire dress look...

Perfect, the unicorn thought.

She sat in silence looking upon the beautiful dress for a few more moments. Finally, she sighed and magicked the other outfits back into place. She walked back over to her bed and lay down.

Someday.

Chapter 2

"Come on Rarity, let's get this taken care of," the unicorn filly's father said. "We're usually done by now."

Rarity picked her way carefully among the plants, but it was no use. Her hooves and snout were covered in dirt again. She angrily pulled a carrot from the ground with her mouth and tossed it into a basket.

"Couldn't I just use my horn to harvest the veggies? It'd be a lot faster and cleaner," the filly asked.

"Of course you could, but then I wouldn't get to spend all this time working with my favorite daughter!" the stallion grinned.

"I'm your only daughter," Rarity said with annoyance.

"Well, maybe someday you won't be. What matters now is that you're my precious little girl and I want to see you happy. You usually love harvest time. What's wrong, Sweetie?"

The filly tossed another carrot into the basket. "My name's Rarity, daddy, not Sweetie. I do enjoy harvesting, I just wish we could do it in a cleanlier fashion."

"Sorry Rarity, I just like using the name Sweetie," her father stated. "As for being dirty, that's a side-effect of having fun! Just take a bath when we're done."

The little pony sighed. "My coat is white, daddy. You know how hard it is to keep a white coat clean!"

The stallion eyed his own white coat and shrugged. "It's just a little dirt; it never hurt anyone."

If he only knew.

Rarity quietly continued her work. Her father was right, she had always enjoyed working on the farm. Until recently, that is. She would take extra care to make certain she was completely clean when she took her bath. Anything less would be unacceptable.

Stitch by stitch, Rarity's vision came together as a beautiful summer dress. Just the right fabric, the correct spacing between stitches, the perfect amount of gemstones. Many who met her thought she simply had a natural talent at designing fashions, but she knew that to be only partly true. She possessed some talent, but it was her determination and dedication that resulted in the gorgeous outfits she created.

Rarity stepped back and admired her handiwork. After several moments of intense scrutiny, she nodded to herself and magicked the dress over to where two others were displayed. Sighing, she trotted into her bedroom to stand before her mirror. Several hairs from her mane were out of place. A quick brushing corrected the imperfection and allowed the unicorn a moment's respite from her work. Dressmaking wasn't nearly as easy as she made it look to her friends. It required socialization with the fashionable elite to gain an idea as to what will be in and what will be out this season. It required a discerning eye for fashion and detail. It required patience and perseverance.

Most of all, it required practice.

Stitch by stitch, the unicorn filly's vision looked further from what she had actually accomplished to create. Little Rarity gritted her teeth, frustrated. She silently eyed the monstrosity she had stitched together for nearly ten minutes, examining every inch of the fabric. It looked nothing at all like what she had imagined.

Scarity. The Southern Hilly Filly.

The nicknames her classmates had given her came unbidden. There were others, but those two stood out the most. They cut the deepest, brought forth the most tears. What was wrong with working on a farm, anyway? It was fun, or at least it had been fun.

Scarity.

She thought about how her braids had been tugged on by some of the more cruel young colts; both from her mane and her tail. The physical pain was temporary. The memories though, those would continue to damage her over time. Her mother had always braided her mane and tail for her, as it kept the hairs from interfering with her work on the farm.

She glanced back at her mane, which was now flowing loose over her shoulders. Her tail had been meticulously brushed, and was now long, straight, and beautiful. Well, she hoped it was beautiful. Her coat was completely clean, and almost seemed to shimmer. Her father had agreed that she could stop working in the fields when she had gained such an enthusiastic interest in tailoring.

The filly smiled sadly as she thought of how her father had always been supportive of what she wanted to try to accomplish.

Her eyes returned to the failed dress. Examining it for several more minutes, her gaze fell upon a particular stitch that was off. That was it. That was the point where she had gone wrong.

With a look of determination forming on the little filly's face, she bent down and got to work on making corrections. She would work through the entire night, the entire weekend even, if she had to. She would not stop until it was perfect.

Six beautiful summer dresses were displayed proudly in the front room of the Carousel Boutique. Rarity felt that they represented some of her best work to date. They were a culmination of years of studying the fashion industry, thousands of hours of practice and experience, and an early desire to become the very best at what she did. Everything she had worked for in her life had led to these creations, and they would be given to the best friends she had ever known.

More than a simple generous gift, these dresses were a thank you for their friendship. A heart-felt expression of gratitude for looking past her many faults and loving her for who she was. For giving the Southern Hilly Filly a chance to prove her worth.

Rarity wasn't in the front room of the boutique, however. She was sitting in her walk-in wardrobe once more, staring at a gorgeous wedding dress that was stored away in much the same way her emotions were. Hidden, alone, but never forgotten. She thought back to the day she had finally perfected the dress as another tear made its lonely way down her face to fall to the floor.

Little Rarity walked through the front door and headed straight upstairs, ignoring the calls from her parents that dinner would be ready soon. Her horn glowed and caused her bedroom door to open as she approached her room, then caused it to slam shut behind her as she hopped onto the bed and buried her face in a pillow. It was soon wet with tears.

Blank flank.

Her newest nickname had struck her like a physical blow. She had changed her mane. She had stopped going to school unless her coat was pristine. She had even begun to flirt with some of the colts in an effort to become popular, though she wasn't interested in any of them. Just as she had begun to turn things around in her life, that accursed Trendy Star had to point out her lack of a cutie mark. Rarity could remember the filly's scathing remarks.

"Oh look at that, little Rarity thinks she can become as popular as I am," Trendy had sneered. "Good luck with that, you little blank flank. As you can see, being popular is my special talent," she finished, nodding towards her flank. The image of a large star surrounded by smaller, less shiny stars represented her cutie mark. A rude chorus of derisive taunts had assaulted little Rarity's ears as ponies who she had just begun to consider to be friendly had begun to laugh at her.

The filly shook her head, clearing away the awful memories. She magicked open her closet door, then dragged her failed experiment out and set it on the bed. Kicking the door shut with a hind leg, she studied what was beginning to resemble a dress. There, that was the spot she had messed up this time. She bent down and began to make corrections.

She worked through the night and into the next morning, taking a break long enough to eat a quick breakfast. She then trotted right back up the stairs and into her room, shutting the door behind her. She worked through lunch, and came downstairs briefly for dinner before wolfing it down and rushing back upstairs. Her parents exchanged glances once again, but decided to let her be. They knew she had gained a sudden interest in tailoring. If it made her happy, then they would support it.

At around the stroke of midnight, the unicorn filly stood back and admired her work. The wedding dress was beautiful. It featured stunning hoof-beaded detail on the bodice in the front and back, and a gorgeous, full gathered skirt. Gold accents complimented the white fabric and made the entire dress look...

"Perfect", the unicorn filly said quietly.

She magicked the dress back into her closet, then walked over to her window and gazed out at the stars.

"By Celestia, one day my prince will come and carry me away from all of this. One day, we will be married and I can finally be happy. One day, all of Equestria will know my name," she whispered.

One day.

Chapter 3

The first few drops of rain began to fall as Rarity gathered up the summer dresses with her magic and placed each of them into plastic covers to protect from what looked as if it may turn into a heavy downpour. She was due to meet the girls at Twilight's house for lunch soon, where she would finally give her friends the gifts she had worked on all week. She could make dresses quickly, but she had taken her time with these. They were special, and were to be given to very special ponies.

She checked the mirror one last time before heading out. Every hair was in place, her make-up was flawless, and her coat was spotless. All was well as she bade her cat Opalescence farewell and left the boutique.

Outside, the storm began to pick up.

The young unicorn mare stood back to examine the shop. She had just purchased the building a month ago, and it had been in shambles then. Now, through hard work and determination, she had a beautiful boutique in which she could sell her dresses. The carousel design had been her idea.

"We're so proud of you, Sweetie," her father said as he put a hoof around her shoulders.

"My name's not Sweetie," Rarity said and made a show of rolling her eyes.

Her father grinned at her. "Well maybe we'll just have to save that name for the little one, if it's a filly," he said as he nuzzled her pregnant mother. The three of them shared strained smiles.

Rarity's decision to move out at a young age had surprised both of her parents. Though she could tell it pained them, they had supported her decision. She had become adept at dressmaking, particularly after her talent for finding gems had manifested itself. She had saved every bit earned from selling fashions over the years, dealing with more nicknames in the process.

Bit-Pincher. The Pretty Poverty Pony.

Now the first small step to fulfilling her dreams had finally become a reality. Years of hard work and dedication might finally trump years of insults and ridicule. She kissed her parents goodbye. They needed to go for a doctor's visit to check up on the little unborn foal. She magicked her luggage into the shop with her as she took her first steps into her new life outside the farm. She would make her name here in Ponyville.

She opened up one of the pieces of luggage and levitated the first dress out of the bag. It was the wedding dress she had stitched together as a filly, the one she was to wear in her royal wedding to a prince. The prince had never come, and there had never been a wedding.

Sighing, she walked into her new bedroom with the dress floating idly beside her. She opened up a door and was greeted by an empty walk-in wardrobe. She magically held the dress aloft for a few moments, admiring the stunning job she had done on it. With another sigh, she moved the dress to the very back of the wardrobe and hung it up.

Some day.

Rarity closed her eyes against the strong wind and heavy rain. The pegasus ponies had decided to go all-out this time to make up for a few missed showers from earlier in the month. Her mane and tail were soaked. She had been so busy worrying about keeping the dresses for her friends dry, that she had forgotten to bring an umbrella. She moved ahead blindly a few paces, but stopped in her tracks when she heard a sudden noise heading her way.

"Make way, ma'am!" a voice called out through the rain.

Rarity opened her eyes and was terrified to see a carriage careening through the mud towards her. She had just unknowingly wandered directly into its path. Not possessing Twilight Sparkle's ability to magically teleport, she had no choice but to leap out of the way. She turned and leapt back to the side of the road with moments to spare, but her hooves slipped and she fell onto her side in a muddy puddle.

After the carriage had passed, the unicorn stared miserably at her filthy coat and mane as she weakly stood up on shaky legs. Her eyes then fell upon the torn, dirty mound of clothes lying in the middle of the road. She must have lost her concentration and dropped the dresses for her friends when she had to leap to safety.

It looked as if the carriage had run them over.

Hanging her head in defeat, Rarity levitated the dresses out of the mud and slowly made her way towards Twilight's house. Mud and rain mixed with her tears as she anguished over what she would have to tell her friends.

Rarity was putting the finishing touches on the Town Hall decorations for this year's Summer Sun Celebration. She used her horn to cause a piece of yellow ribbon to float before her face.

"No," she began as she magicked it away and replaced it with a blue, then a green ribbon. "No, no, oh goodness no." She magicked the yellow ribbon back up as she reconsidered her options.

"Good afternoon," came a voice from behind her.

She held up a hoof to stall whoever was interrupting her. "Just a moment please. I'm in the zone, as it were," she told the stranger as she brought the red ribbon back up and added sparkles to it. "Oh yes! Sparkle always does the trick, does it not?" she said, hoping to impress her guest. "Why Rarity, you are a talent." She turned to face the stranger. "Now, how can I help you... waaahahaaa!"

The stranger's mane was styled in the worst possible way. Surely this tragic purple unicorn was mocked and derided on a daily basis with that kind of fashion sense. The poor dear.

"Oh my stars! Darling, whatever happened to your coiffure?" Rarity said, shocked.

The purple unicorn looked taken aback for a moment. "Oh, you mean my mane? It's a long story. I'm just here to check on the decorations and then I'll be out of your hair."

"Out of my hair, what about your hair?" Rarity asked with true concern. The poor mare's life must be miserable. She couldn't allow this fashion-senseless pony to live through one more day of what she'd had to go through as a filly. She moved and began to push the unicorn out the door of the town hall and towards the Carousel Boutique for an emergency makeover.

She didn't know it at the time, but a simple makeover was soon going to lead to one of the strongest friendships of her life.

There came a knock at the door.

"I'll get it, that must be Rarity," Twilight Sparkle said as her horn briefly glowed red and telekinetically opened the door. It swung open to reveal a soaked and muddy unicorn.

"Oh my. What happened to you, Rarity?" Fluttershy called with genuine concern in her quiet voice.

Rarity walked in with her head hung low. She couldn't bear to look her friends in the eye. She caused the ruined dresses to float in from the outside, and set them onto a table.

"They're ruined," she said, barely above a whisper. "I made you all the most wonderful dresses yet, and they're ruined."

"Aww, that's okay Rarity. We just want to know what happened to you. Are you alright?" Pinkie Pie said in a much more sombre tone than usual.

Rarity's friends gathered around her to learn what had befallen her. She finally lifted her head to look at them. Their eyes widened as they noticed her red, puffy eyes.

Rainbow Dash gasped. "Are you crying? Is she crying? What happened, are you hurt? Did somepony do something to you? Did they do that?" she said, pointing at the mud on Rarity's mane. "Those jerks! Who did it, Rarity? I'll show them! Mess with my friends, will they? I'll give 'em the old one-two and a..."

"Oh my goodness, come on over here and tell us what's wrong," Twilight said, pushing her friend toward the fireplace.

Rarity looked around at the concerned faces surrounding her. "I wanted to give you these dresses as a little thank you for being such wonderful friends. But I accidentally walked in front of a speeding carriage and had to jump out of the way. I... I lost my concentration, and they dropped, and they were run over and now... " she began to sob quietly once more.

"Hey, it's okay, sugarcube," Applejack said to Rarity. "We appreciate the thought with those dresses, but letting us see ya smile is the best gift I think you could give us," she said with a wink. The other ponies nodded in agreement.

Rarity looked into Applejack's eyes and knew she was being sincere. She was the Element of Honesty, after all. Her friends were all here, ready to help her with anything she needed. It didn't matter that her mane was a mess, or that she had tracked mud throughout the room. Her gifts didn't matter either. It was her well-being that her friends cared about.

She smiled a wide, heart-felt smile as she gathered her friends up in a big group hug. None of them complained about being smeared with dirt and mud. They were too busy being her best friends for that.

"How about we all go down to the spa once the rain settles down? It looks like we could all use a little more than a bath," Rarity suggested as she observed her friends who were now as dishevelled as she was. They all laughed together and agreed.

"Sold for three thousand, seven hundred, fifty bits!" the auctioneer called as he slammed the gavel down.

"Wow, that has to be some kind of record, Rarity!" Twilight Sparkle said with a smile.

Rarity nodded, but her eyes were on the dress that had just been sold. They took in every detail for what could have been the thousandth time in her life. Some lucky mare would be wearing that dress, the first that Rarity had ever made, to her wedding. A single tear escaped and rolled down her face.

"What's wrong, Rarity?" Twilight asked with concern.

Rarity's smile was genuine. "Nothing, darling. Just saying goodbye to an old friend. I used to think that it would be me wearing that dress someday, on the happiest day of my life."

"Oh Rarity, why did you sell it then?" her friend asked.

"Because someday came a long time ago when I met you and the others. The dress has served its purpose."

The two friends smiled at one another and shared a warm hug.

"Twilight?" Rarity asked.

"Yes?"

"Let's go have a picnic with the others."

Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I came to terms with an important lesson about friendship, and about life in general. Life can be difficult sometimes, and a rough childhood can be a real challenge to overcome.

On the one hoof, you can allow your past to take control of your actions in the present. This way of living can be destructive not only to yourself, but to those around you. You can fail to see the good that is all around you, and to appreciate those who have been there for you.

On the other hoof, you can choose to ignore the past and live only in the present. This choice might lead to less pain, but it can cause you to ignore the lessons of the past. These lessons, while painful, are critical in understanding who you are and who you wish to become. They play an important role in defining you as an individual.

I learned today that neither of the above paths are correct. A careful, balanced approach down both paths is required to truly appreciate my life, and the friends that take part in it. My past has hurt me, but no longer. It shall remain in the past where it belongs. I can't ignore it, it helped to mold me into the mare I am today. But I will no longer allow it to control where I go from here. That decision is best shared with those I love.

Yours faithfully,

Rarity