Rarity Takes Manehattan
Night's POV
The Mane Seven and Spike were getting ready to board the train. "There you are, Rarity. That's the last of your bags," Spike said, pushing up a cart full of luggage.
"Actually Spike, I've got one last pile of bags over there," Rarity said, pointing to a bunch of luggage about the same size as the pile in the cart. Night and Twilight rolled their eyes behind Rarity's back. "Won't you be a dear?" Rarity asked Spike as Twilight glared at her.
"Sure. I'll be a dear," Spike said nervously as he walked up to the pile.
"An entire week in the fabulous city of Manehattan, plus all of my very best friends there with me!" Rarity said.
"Yet you packed like you'll be there for a year," Night muttered in Twilight's direction, referring to Rarity.
"Of course we'd all come along to support you during Fashion Week, Rarity," Twilight told her.
"Not that you'll need it. We're sure you'll win," Fluttershy added.
"Ooh, I can't begin to tell you how excited I am that you'll all be there with me. However, perhaps I can show you…" Rarity said, pulling out some tickets.
"What are those?" Twilight asked.
"Oh, oh, oh, I know! A paper fan!" Pinkie guessed.
"No. It's-"
"A magic trick!" Pinkie interrupted. "You know, where I pick a card and remember what it is and then put it back in the deck so you can't look at and-"
"These are tickets to the hottest musical on Bridleway," Rarity told the others, ignoring Pinkie.
"You couldn't mean Hinny of the Hills, because that show's been sold out for months… or could you?" Twilight asked, getting excited.
"I could. I do," Rarity answered.
"Oh, Rarity, you didn't have to do that, but… since you did…" Twilight said then the girls beside Rarity started cheering.
"This trip is fun already! I love jumping up and down!" Pinkie shouted.
"Isn't this exciting?!" Twilight asked Night, getting in his face.
"Uh… sure. Of course," Night said quickly, not knowing what Hinny on the Hills was.
After all the excitement calmed down they boarded the train and rode it to Manehattan. When they exited the train station, Rarity said, "Come along. I found us a place to stay only a block from the train station, in the very heart of this glorious metropolis!"
"Hey, look! That's the theatre where Hinny of the Hills is playin'!" Applejack shouted, pointing to the theater.
"Wow, Rarity! How'd you manage to get us seats for tomorrow night?" Twilight asked.
"Oh, I gave some designs to the costume designer, so he pulled a few strings," Rarity answered.
"Cool," Pinkie, Rainbow, and Applejack said.
"And I hope you don't mind Night, but I mentioned that you'd probably be there so he was able to give us a balcony just for us," Rarity added.
"It's fine Rarity," Night told her.
"Still, that is what makes Manehattan so splendid and amazing. You do something nice for somepony, and you never know when they'll do something nice for you," Rarity explained.
"So then you can do something nice for us," Applejack added.
"Like get us in to see Hinny of the Hills," Fluttershy said.
"Which is only the best musical in all of Equestria!" Rainbow shouted.
"It must be good if Rainbow's impressed," Night noted.
"Yeah. Normally, she doesn't even like musicals," Applejack added.
"I know. Ponies just bursting into song in random places at the drop of a hat. Who does that?" Rainbow asked rhetorically.
"Kid shows on Earth did that a lot. Really gets annoying as you get older unless you're into that stuff," Night told her.
They then made their way to the hotel and as they were checking in, one of the workers saw all the luggage Spike was carrying. "Please allow me to take those bags to your room for you!" he offered, bringing out one of the luggage carts.
"Oh, thank you," Rarity said, giving him a gemstone.
"Oh, uh, thank you. I'll get your change," he said.
"Keep the change," Rarity told him.
Once they were all settled in, they headed out to a ferry that would take them to the Mare Statue, which sat on a small island just outside the city. They also went up to the top of the torch that was held by the statue and Night got an excellent view. "It really is a great view," Twilight noted as she stood next to Night.
"Eeh, I like the one next to me better," Night told her.
Twilight started laughing. "Are you seriously doing cheesy lines right now?" she asked.
"Clearly they work," Night countered.
"If you two lovebirds would pay attention you'd notice the rest of us getting ready to leave," Rainbow said, hovering above them.
"Oh calm down Rainbow," Applejack told her.
They headed back to the city and besides a minor detour to help a broken taxi, they headed to a fashion store in which Rarity looked into the display windows. "To think my dresses could soon be displayed in the most glamorous shopping thoroughfare of the most glamorous city in Equestria! Oh, it would be my dream come true!" Rarity said dreamily.
"Is there anything left to do we can help you with?" Twilight asked.
"Hm. Nothing I can think of. The dresses are all completely finished, all made from a fabulous new fabric I've been developing for months. Stretchy but not clingy, shimmery but not showy," Rarity answered.
"Sounds amazing," Fluttershy commented.
"There's nothing left for me to do but check-in at the runway with my dresses by two this afternoon," Rarity said.
"That's funny. Because that clock over there makes it seem like that's only ten minutes from now!" Pinkie said, pointing at the large clock tower.
"Oh, my ribbons and threads. And the runway ballroom is all the way across town! If I don't get there, I'm disqualified! Taaaaxiii!" Rarity shouted.
"Oh, no! We've gotta help her find a cab, now!" Fluttershy said.
"No time. Rarity!" Night shouted, getting her attention.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Grab on and hope you have a tough stomach," Night said. She did so and Night used his Lightning Travel to get to their hotel, quickly grab the dresses, and get to the ballroom just in time. Thankfully Rarity had a tough stomach.
"Whoa. I can see why that ability is useful," Rarity stated. She then went inside and got herself checked in as Night went back to the hotel.
Rarity's POV
After getting herself checked in, Rarity made her way on stage where the others were. "Hello, everypony. Pleased to meet you all," Rarity told them, getting mixed looks.
"Rarity, I presume?" a pony asked and Rarity recognized her as Prim Hemline, the host of Fashion Week. Rarity nodded in response. "Miss Rarity, how is it that all your competitors are here half an hour early, and yet you arrive seconds before we begin?" she asked.
"Uhhhh… Just lucky, I guess," Rarity answered awkwardly, chuckling nervously as well.
"Once we're done here, you're to finish setting up backstage, so you'll be ready for your run-through appointment. You show your designs last. We keep to a precise schedule, so let's try to be more than a few seconds early, hmm?" Prim Hemline told her. She then turned to the other competitors. "Tomorrow is the contest to see which one of you gets to stay to meet top designers all across the city. The rest of you must go home early. So sad. Dismissed!"
The other ponies ran off while Rarity looked over her dresses. "I'm so glad you made it, Rarity!" one of the other competitors said.
"Me too, but everything just seems to keep working out!" Rarity stated.
"Don't you remember me? Suri Polomare from the Ponyville Knitters League?" she asked.
"Oh, yes, of course, of course! I– I thought you looked familiar, but I couldn't place it" Rarity said, only now remembering the pony. "You haven't been back in years!"
"Because I moved here to make it in the big city," she said before laughing like it was a joke.
"Oh, good for you, Sur—" Rarity started when Suri hugged her.
"Ooh, it's so good to see you! And now here we are, competing!" she stated with excitement.
"Yes, yes. Well, good luck!" Rarity said, feeling a bit awkward.
"Oh, I don't need luck. Would you like a hoof with your things?" Suri offered.
"Why, thank you so much!" Rarity answered.
Once they were in the room, Rarity took the coverings off her dresses. "My, your collection is gorgeous!" Suri commented.
"Oh now, I'm sure your collection is equally lovely, if not more so!" Rarity told her.
"It's alright, but nothing like this! Take my culottes, for example, they are simply crying out for just the right accent, but I haven't the slightest notion where I—" Suri started then noticed the fabric Rarity was carrying and gasped. "Actually... just a touch of this fabric could be perfect with it. W– Oh, hey, would you mind terribly if I took a swatch?" she asked.
"Oh, not at all! Here, I have loads extra," Rarity answered, giving her a swatch.
"You're sure?" Suri confirmed.
"Positive! Oh, well, it's been wonderful getting caught up, and I don't wish to be rude, but I must finish my preparations and I am a bit late as it... is?" Rarity said, turning away from Suri but when she looked back the earth pony was gone.
The next day, Rarity was sure to be on time. "Hello! I'm here half an hour early for my run-through appointment, just the way Prim likes!" she told the receptionist.
"Get in line over there," she said, pointing to the other contenders. "Oh my, that fabric's gorgeous, did you make that yourself?" she asked, looking at Rarity's dresses.
"Oh, why, yes. It's stretchy, but not clingy. Shimmery—" Rarity started when she heard someone repeating her.
She looked towards the runway and saw Suri had almost completely replicated her designs. "Shimmery, but not showy. And the entire line is in the same adorable pattern. It works on everything from skirts to tops to shoes," Suri said.
"Oh, bravo! I've never seen anything like it!" Prim Hemline complimented.
When Suri was off stage, Rarity was furious. "You stole my fabric!" she accused.
Suri laughed. "I didn't steal it, okay? You gave it to me, 'member?" she answered.
"I gave you the fabric for accents! Not for your whole line! And how could you possibly make all of those outfits out of it so fast?!" Rarity asked, curious and angry at the same time.
"Fast? Hah! Coco Pommel here took practically forever. Nearly got me completely disqualified," Suri answered, pointing to her assistant.
"Well, I wanted to make sure you'd win, so I took the extra time to—" Coco started.
"Quiet! I pay an assistant to sew and get coffee, not talk. 'Kay?" Suri told her.
"How could this happen?" Rarity asked herself.
"Aw, sweetie, don't blame yourself. It takes some small-town fillies a while to learn it's everypony for herself in the big city, m'kay?" Suri stated. Rarity couldn't take it any longer and ran out crying.
Night's POV
Night, Spike, and the other girls entered their apartment after their afternoon of activities. "Oh, my gosh, what a great afternoon! That was almost too much fun!" Twilight commented as they entered their room.
"Better pace yourself, 'cause the rest of the day is jam-packed!" Rainbow pointed out.
"First there's the salon appointment to get our manes done," Applejack started.
"Then our fancy dinner at the Far-Afield Tavern!" Pinkie continued.
"Then after that…" Fluttershy added.
"Hinny of the Hills!" the girls shouted.
"Well, you all enjoy the salon. I'll find something else to do and meet you all at the tavern," Night told them as he and Spike carried all the stuff the girls brought in.
"What is up with girls and buying everything in the store?" Spike asked Night.
"Don't bother trying to figure it out. You'll just get a headache," he whispered to the dragon.
They all then noticed Rarity walking in, looking miserable. "Is... everything okay?" Rainbow asked.
Rarity didn't say anything as she walked up to her bed and started bawling. "I thought we got everything sorted out?" Night asked.
"And the Suri stole them!" Rarity shouted through her tears. She then started breathing quickly. " I let one of the other contestants use some of my one-of-a-kind fabric and then she turned it into a wardrobe just like mine, only now it looks like I'm the one copying her! My generosity has ruined me, I tell you! Ruined!" Rarity said quickly before bawling more.
"Now, Rarity, whatever went wrong, we're all here to help you get through it, no matter what it takes," Twilight told her. Everypony agreed with her.
"Come on, Rarity, buck up! All we need is some fabric and you'll be back in business!" Applejack reassured the fashionista. Rarity then looked around the room and she suddenly looked inspired.
"This new line is going to be marvelous! Perhaps even better than the last! It's daring, it's bold! Perhaps I still have a chance after all!" Rarity said. They started getting to work and Night quickly realized that Rarity was acting like a tyrant. "Twilight! Sew these pieces together according to that pattern there!" she told her.
"You said if we skipped dinner at the Far-Afield Tavern, you'd order a meal for us while we keep working," Twilight reminded Rarity.
"Don't fret. It'll be here in an hour. That's not going to be a problem, is it?" Rarity asked and everypony looked at each other.
"Well, we're supposed to be watching Hinny of the Hills by then…" Rainbow stated.
"Oh! I see! I go out of my way to get you tickets for a show, and this is how you repay me? By abandoning me in my hour of need?" Rarity asked. Everypony shifted uncomfortably at that. "Oh, oh, oh! Fine! Go and see Hinny of the Hills tonight! And then tomorrow morning when you come to see my fashion show without any fashion to show, you can have more entertainment! "Oh, why look, there's our friend Rarity going down in flames! Isn't friendship magic"?!" Rarity added angrily.
"Stop with the guilt trip Rarity. It isn't helping anypony," Night told her.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't realize that guilt-tripping was a problem when I do it but not when you do it!" Rarity shouted.
"What are you talking about?" Night asked, actually confused.
"Oh sure you do," Rarity said angrily. "I'm talking about how you wave that scar of yours around like it's some kind of trophy to be proud of. You never even took the effort to get rid of it," she added.
"Excuse me? I'll have you know that I spent weeks trying to figure out how to heal this, but the wound is covered in dark magic that blocks even my self-healing," Night told her, starting to lose patience.
"Both of you, calm down," Twilight told the two before turning to Rarity. "What's gotten into you?"
"What's gotten into you?! Oh, go ahead! See your little show! Congratu-pony-lations, fillies! Sounds like you've all figured out already it's everypony for herself in this town!" Rarity shouted before running out the door.
"What the fuck was that all about?" Night asked.
"I have no idea," Twilight said. "Also, language!"
"Swear police," Night muttered.
The ponies worked through the night to get everything done and somehow managed to do so. "There. That's the last of them," Twilight said, exhausted.
"Finally!" Rarity shouted as she took all the dresses and ran out the door.
"Your welcome!" the two Alicorns shouted after her. They then had a brief laugh at their shared thought.
"I don't know about you…" Rainbow started before yawning. "I'm really tired."
"We'd better get some shut-eye," Applejack suggested.
Rarity's POV
Rarity was able to get her new designs to the show on time and waited for her turn. Suri was before her and showed off her 'collection' and looked proud. "Let's have another round of applause for Suri Polomare's amazing collection," Prim Hemline announced. Rarity scowled at Suri as she walked off the stage and looked at Rarity smugly.
"Well look who's here. Here to show off your copycat collection, mm?" Suri asked, but Rarity didn't answer.
"And now, Rarity from Ponyville with her brand new line – and I mean "brand new" – Hotel Chic" Prim Hemline announced.
The models walked the runway and the audience was clearly impressed with what they saw. "Oh! They're liking it! I think I may have just won this thing! Oh, I can't wait to celebrate with… My friends" Rarity started then realized what she'd done. She looked through the crowd and saw the empty seats where her friends should be. "They didn't come. What have I done?" Rarity asked herself.
"Rarity, they all adore you! Aren't you going to tell them about your fabulous pieces?" Prim Hemline asked her as she came up beside Rarity. Rarity hardly heard her though, as was more focused on the spots where her friends should be.
Something then activated inside her. "I have to go," Rarity said. Not caring for formalities, Rarity ran right towards the front entrance and past the audience.
She luckily was able to catch a quick taxi and made it to the hotel. "How do you do, ma'am? Contest going well?" the bellhop asked.
"No time to talk. I have to find my friends!" Rarity told him.
"Oh, uh, they're gone already. I saw them headed out this morning" he told her.
"Oh, no! Back to Ponyville, I imagine. Oh, they worked so hard on my behalf! And I repaid them with unkindness. What have I done?!" Rarity cried out. "Oh... here you are," she added, giving him a gem. She ignored his calls of confusion as she ran off. She made her way back to the runway and rang the bell. "I need a moment with Prim Hemline. I have to rush back to Ponyville, but I just wanted to thank her first for—" Rarity started.
"Uh-uh-uh, you'd best steer clear of Prim for a while. She's pretty furious. Isn't that right?" Suri said, and asked Coco.
"Um... yes," Coco said as familiar shapes appeared behind the two. Rarity was surprised to see they were her friends.
"There you all are! I can't believe it, I thought you went back home!" Rarity said in shock.
"We missed the show because we overslept. Suri told us you lost. I'm really sorry," Twilight said.
"I lost?" Rarity asked, kind of surprised but she shrugged it off. "You know what? I don't even care. I'm just happy you're all still here after how I treated you. Taking advantage of your friendship the way I did. How could you ever see past it?" she asked them.
"Yeah, you were pretty rotten," Applejack stated.
"Wow, Applejack. I know your thing is honesty, but come on!" Rainbow said, a bit surprised.
"Actually I was going to say something along those lines but Applejack beat me to it," Night told Rainbow.
"Last night we may not have seen you at your best, but we know you. And we would never let one thing like that change how we feel about you," Twilight told Rarity.
"Oh, thank you! You really are the most wonderful friends a pony could have! You know, I already arranged to make it up to you this afternoon! Hope you're all available for an exclusive performance of Hinny of the Hills!" Rarity told them.
They went to the theater and everypony enjoyed the performance. "Wow! That was even better than I imagined!" Applejack stated.
"I loved it!" Rainbow shouted, taking to the air and doing a flip. She then realized what she said. "Uh, I mean, it was a'ight," she said. Applejack, Pinkie, and Night shared a laugh.
"How did you ever get them to agree to do an extra performance just for us?" Twilight asked Rarity.
"Remember my costume designer friend who got me the tickets? Well, I offered to make all the costumes for his next show!" Rarity answered.
"Um, here in Manehattan?" Fluttershy asked.
"Well, um... yes... it will keep me away from Ponyville for a while," Rarity answered and her friends looked a bit disappointed. "But I so wanted you to see this show! And working for this designer is such a great opportunity!" she added.
"We know. We're happy for you, Rarity. We're just sad for us," Applejack replied.
They then heard the door to the theater open. "Mind if I join you?" Coco asked, stepping into the room.
"Sure. Come on down," Rarity told her. When she got to the group, Coco pulled out a trophy from her bag. "This is the first place trophy for Fashion Week," Rarity said, recognizing it before noticing something big. "With my name on it?! But I thought I lost!"
"You didn't. You won," Coco said, giving Rarity the trophy which she accepted. "Suri was hoping that if you didn't claim your prize, the judges would consider it a forfeit and first place would go to her. So she lied to make you and your friends go away, and, well, I lied too. I've worked for Suri for so long, I started to believe that it really is everypony for herself in this town. Until I saw how generous you were with your friends and how generous they were with you. It made me start believing there was something better for me out there. So, I– I quit," Coco explained. "I brought you something to say thank you," she added, pulling out a small box.
"I suppose you'll need a job now that you're no longer with Suri," Rarity said and Coco nodded. "How would you like to work for my friend making all the costumes for his next show?" she asked her. Coco immediately accepted and Rarity explained it to her friend and he agreed.
When Rarity got back to Ponyville and her boutique, she wrote her experience down in the journal they agreed upon. Manehattan was simply grand. It was in this magnificent metropolis that I learned that, while there are ponies who will take advantage of your generosity, you should never, ever let that cause you to abandon your generous spirit. Nothing feels worse than taking advantage of the giving nature of your friends. Once she was finished, she opened the box Coco had given her. Inside was a rainbow-colored thread and Rarity smiled at the gift.