The Saddle Row Review
Pony's Log Number 609: I'd never thought I'd ever see the day I'd do one of those documentary type episodes. It was actually fun contradicting myself...
It was another quiet day in Ponyville.
"Come on!" Rainbow shouted as she and all but Rarity were racing down the street as if an international crisis had broken out, "If we hurry, we can get there before the paper's even delivered to Rarity's house!"
"Maybe she won't read the article," said Pinkie hopefully.
"I'm pretty sure Rarity's gonna read a review of hers and Mario's new boutique in Manehattan," Applejack pointed.
"I still can't believe we all just blabbed everything that happened to that reporter!" said Rainbow.
"I just hope it doesn't end up being an article about how her friends almost ruined the opening," Fluttershy remarked.
"Oh man," Mario groaned, "if Rarity finds out what really happened and what we said! What I said! I'm gonna be fired! Prosecuted! Convicted!"
"Mario!" said Shenran, "Rarity isn't going to fire you! It's not like you expressed some feelings behind her back right?" The fact Mario whimpered and Twilight smiled sheepishly was a clear sign that he had.
"In that case," said Shenran bluntly, "you're dead horsemeat." Mario felt like he was about to cry.
"Easy, honey," said Twilight as they reached the front door to the boutique, "I think you're all overreacting. Rarity's out friend. If anypony is gonna understand, it'll be her." Mario just sighed.
"If...you say so," said Mario wearily as Twilight went to knock on the door. But before the purple pony could do so, the door opened to reveal Rarity with a stern look on her face.
"I was wondering when all of you were going to show up," Rarity said grimly. The others gasped. Mario then made a scroll appear.
"Here's my will," said Mario quietly and gave it to Twilight, "I leave you everything I own!"
"Aw, I wanted to call dibs on the train set!" Shenran retorted since he could hear.
"Shenran!" Fluttershy scolded.
"What?" Shenran remarked, "You wanted his plush toys!"
"SHH!" Fluttershy hushed as Rarity started but then smiled.
"Now we can all read the review together!" Rarity told them excitedly. The others shared worried looks with each other as they made their way inside of the boutique.
"Um, I have an idea," Rainbow stuttered, "How 'bout we don't read it?"
"Y-y-y-yeah," Mario added nervously, "w-w-w-what's the rush?" Rarity just stared when Twilight used her magic to grab the paper.
"What she and my husband mean is," said Twilight, "before you read it, we should probably tell you-"
"No, no, darling," Rarity interrupted as she took the newspaper back, "Please, no spoilers." The others all cringed.
"But-" Fluttershy tried to protest.
"No spoilers!" Rarity snapped.
"Rarity, please-" Mario said in desperation.
"I SAID NO SPOILERS!" Rarity yelled, making Mario flinch. Mario then groaned as he and the others just shared worried looks with each other.
(Main Theme)
Rarity then took a seat near a table and used her magic to put her glasses on.
"Now, is everypony ready to hear what I'm sure is a stellar review that describes in stunning detail exactly how each of you contributed to the successful opening of Rarity For You?" Rarity asked the group. Applejack cringed as Mario and Fluttershy both rushed to hide behind a rack of dresses. Mario then was tossed out of the hiding place.
"Hey! I got there first!" Mario protested.
"Well too bad!" Fluttershy retorted as she stuck her tongue out at him. Mario just sat on the floor and pouted. Rarity just stared at the two for a moment before she cleared her throat to start reading.
"Many a pony have tried their hoof at joining the ranks of the elite fashion trendsetters currently ensconced in the boutiques of Manehattan's famed Saddle Row," Rarity read to the group and giggled to herself, "Some might say it's the ultimate achievement in Equestrian fashion, and never before has a reporter been granted such unfettered behind-the-scenes access until now!"
"I wish it had been more fettered," said Fluttershy as her husband was now standing nearby and Mario was just sitting beside her outside the clothing rack.
"Me too," Mario said quietly in agreement.
"Oh, uh...Ah!" Rarity muttered before she continued reading, "I said down with..." Rarity giggled again, "...Rarity, her business partner Mario, and her friends after the opening to get the inside scoop, and what a scoop it was!"
Inside a Manehattan diner, a reporter with salt and pepper mane and tail, wearing a white shirt with a red tie was sitting with Rarity and Mario at a booth. (Some could even say he looked like a ponified version of a famous editor in chief from the Spider-Man comics.)
"Okay, kids, ya successfully opened a shop in Manehattan and that's no mean feat!" said the reporter named Buried Lede. Rarity and Mario just smiled, "Most ponies might wonder what it feels like. Here's how it's gonna be: I'm gonna interview you, your business partner, and your friends so I can paint a picture of how it all came together. A word picture, mind you, not an actual picture. Any questions?"
"Well, we were wondering-" Rarity said.
"Let's get started!" Buried Lede interrupted, "Ms. Rarity, you and Mario have got shops all over Equestria, but this was your first time trying to make it in the big city. What made ya think you could tackle it on your own?"
"Well, I wouldn't stay all over Equestria," said Rarity, "We just have two other boutiques: one in my hometown of Ponyville, and one in Mario's hometown of Canterlot. Uh, still, when I decided to open this one, we were nothing but confident." Mario nodded in agreement.
Later with the others.
"Let's just say that if I could choose," said Twilight with Mario at her side as she drank some tea, "I probably wouldn't do it that way again. Heh." Twilight smiled sheepishly.
"Yeah, it was as if Saddle Row turned into Tartarus for a day," Mario remarked bluntly as Twilight just kept smiling.
"Well, it wasn't the funnest party ever..." Pinkie remarked as she had some sweets on the table.
"It was a plum-puckered, pig-pushin' disaster!" said Applejack with a slice of apple pie on the table.
"After a lifetime of awesome," said Rainbow as she reclined against the back of the booth seat, "I think everypony's allowed to mess up every now and then, right?" Rainbow then blinked as she heard Buried Lede writing.
"Wait, are you writing this down?" Rainbow asked worriedly.
"Um, it didn't go exactly how I thought it would, but it um, started out alright," said Fluttershy with a smile.
"But as they say," said Shenran calmly as he sat beside his wife, "Everything that can go wrong, most certainly and absolutely went wrong!" Shenran had a panicked look on his face. Fluttershy just looked at her husband and just kept smiling.
Earlier that day, Rarity and Mario were leading the seven ponies down the street leading toward the new boutique.
"Welcome to Saddle Row," Rarity told the ponies behind her, "an entire street lined with the most fashionable boutiques in all of Equestria!"
"When it comes to the best fashion," said Mario, "if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere! If you can't...you probably have no business working with fashion."
"Mario is one of the most humble ponies I've ever known," said Shenran to Buried Lede with his wife sitting next to him, "but sometimes he can say or do things that make him look like a snooty dweeb! Probably has to do with the fact he grew up in Canterlot."
"I hate to admit it, but my husband has been having more snooty moments ever since Rarity made him her business partner," said Twilight and then huffed, "But I know differently. She wants him to be more than her business partner! I can see it in her eyes. Rarity, if you even think that I would end my marriage just so you can have him! I don't think so! I don't think so..." Twilight gave Buried Lede a stern look. There was a long pause before the scene went back to the group walking down Saddle Row.
"If it's supposed to be the most fashionable block of shops," said Applejack, "Where's Stinky Bottom's Discount Hat Emporium?"
"I supposed it didn't make the cut," said Rarity snootily as she and Mario came to a stop, "Here it is! Rarity For You!" Rarity then pointed to the building that she, Mario, Pinkie, and Maud had discovered during their last trip to Manehattan.
"You might be thinking," said Mario as he sat smugly at the table, "Why just "Rarity For You"? Why not "Rarity and Mario For You"? Or even "Mar-ity For you"?" Well the first title is a little wordy and the second just makes no sense at all. Rarity is the true fashionista among the two of us and this has always been her dream. I'm just here to provide my support as her best friend and honorary brother. Besides, I'm the Prince of Friendship. I don't need my name on any storefront for ponies to know who I am! You can be sure to write that in your review!"
"Here's your chocolate milk, sir," said the waitress as she set a tall glass on the table.
"Thank you," said Mario smugly, "I'm sure you know who I am?"
"Not really," said the waitress bluntly and walked away. Mario was stunned and then saw Buried Lede writing.
"Don't write that down!" Mario snapped in a discreet tone.
It was then Rarity opened the door to reveal a very dirty, dusty, but mostly empty floor space. There was just a single chandelier for lighting and some wall shelves that were covered in cobwebs. As the eight ponies made their way inside, one wall shelf broke and a white mouse scurried across the floor to a wooden crate.
"What do you think?" Mario asked, unphased by the interior's current condition.
"Rarity, Mario, it's lovely," said Twilight, "But are you both sure you'll be ready to open tonight?" Suddenly, some dust went up Pinkie's nose, making her wince.
"Ah-ah-ahhhhhhhhhh-CHOOOOOOOOO!" Pinkie sneezed, blowing dust all over the others, who looked most annoyed. While Applejack, Mario, and Rainbow only got a few tuffs of dust on them, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Shenran were completely coated. Rarity had about a medium amount on herself."
"Ah-CHOO!" Mario sneezed, which made the dust covering his body to come up. Rarity just shook herself to get the dust off while Twilight fanned her wings about to get the dust off herself.
"No need to fret over a mere moderate amount of preparation," said Rarity, "our clothes arrive soon, our sales associates after that, and with a little...dusting..." She then used her magic to give the others each a broom, "...we'll be ready for the grand opening tonight."
"Hey, Mario, does your saddle bags have any super cleaning power ups in it?" Rainbow asked.
"Or maybe those cute little alicorn toy helpers?" Twilight asked in a hopeful tone.
"Those won't be necessary," said Rarity before Mario could answer, "In fact, I told Mario to leave his saddle bags back home for today."
"You know, every time Mario leaves his saddle bags behind," said Rainbow, "We always end up realizing that we could've used what was in it to help us out."
"That decision certainly came back to bite Rarity," said Twilight bluntly during her own interview.
As Rarity headed toward the left. A stallion with light grey fur and purple mane, thick eyebrows, mustache, goatee, and tail appeared wearing a blue track suit and a gold medallion around his neck. Next to him was teenage filly with the same colored mane, thick eyebrows, and tail. Her mane was tied in a ponytail being held by a thick light green scrunchee and wearing a blue plaid shirt and magenta feather boa around her neck. She also was wearing braces.
"Rarity! Mario!" said the stallion, "So good to see you both! Your store, it's going to be very good place, I think!" He then gave a haughty laugh.
"Mr. Stripes owns the building," said Rarity, "He's a very pleasant landlord. Although he can be pushy at times...Okay, all the time." Rarity then smiled sheepishly.
"You know it's really funny," said Mario alone, "I was very well aware of Mr. Stripes...pushy...nature. Even offered to buy out the whole building from him to save Rarity the grief. But Rarity said she wanted to make it work. Yeah, Rarity certainly knows how to keep Mr. Stripes from being pushy with her. Plus, I don't know why, but whenever he talks. I keep wanting to hear him say..." Mario then imitated Mr. Stripes voice, "Mind tricks don't a work on me! Only money! No money, no parts, no deal!" Mario then banged the edge of the table to emphasize his point with an exaggerated look on his face.
"You've met my daughter, the apple of my ear, the hay of my hoof?" Mr. Stripes told the two ponies, "You will let her work with you." The teenage filly, named Plaid Stripes, just gave a toothy smile, showing off her braces.
"Hmm...well we could use another set of hooves around here," Mario pondered.
"I'll take care of this," said Rarity, "It's just, We're dreadfully busy preparing for tonight's grand opening, as you can see."
"There are only two things I love more than being pushy," Mr. Stripes told her.
"I can guess one of those things," Mario muttered, "but what's the second thing?"
"One is my daughter," said Mr. Stripes.
"Of course," Mario said with an eye roll.
"The other is miniature doll furniture," said Mr. Stripes as he held a very poor made item in his fore-hoof, "And I would sell my entire mini-furniture collection to make my daughter happy. You understand?" Rarity just smiled nervously as Plaid Stripes wiggled her thick eyebrows. Mario just face-hooved himself.
"I'm sorry," said Rarity as she used her magic to remove his fore-leg, "I just don't think it's going to be possible."
"Let me say another way," said Mr. Stripes in a firm but pushy manner, "Hire her or I raise rent until you can no longer afford!" Rarity squeaked as Mario glared.
"Oh, uh, welcome aboard," said Rarity as Mario shook his head disapprovingly and rolled his eyes behind her.
"This could've all been avoided if Rarity had just listened to me," said Mario, "Even if she realizes now that I was right, she'll never admit it to me. Female pride you know."
"Mario was right, I should've just listened to him and I wouldn't be getting pushed around by Mr. Stripes," said Rarity, "Of course I'll never admit that to him. I have my pride you know."
"First idea!" Plaid Stripes interjected, "Instead of clothes, we sell glow-in-the-dark teeth! Like this..." She then chomped some air to prove her point, "...But they glow in the dark."
"Golly, what a splendid idea!" Rarity said with a nervous chuckle.
"Glow-in-the-dark teeth!" Rarity exclaimed to Buried Lede with her fore-hooves on the sides of her head, "What was she thinking?!"
"I'm sure we can take that idea of hers and turn into something chic," Mario whispered to Rarity, "I'm sure Plaid Stripes has some fashion sense."
"That girl has no fashion sense whatsoever!" Mario retorted at the diner, "I mean not even Countess Coloratura would use glow-in-the-dark couture for any of her concerts or back-up singers! We might be good at turning lemons into lemonade, but this batch of lemons is far too sour to be useful for much of anything!"
As all but Rarity got to work with the cleaning, Rarity decided to duck into the storage room.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Rarity shrieked from inside, getting everypony's attention.
"Fluttershy, your assistance is required in the stock room, posthaste!" Rarity called out.
"Come on, honey!" Fluttershy asked her husband as Shenran followed the yellow Pegasus into the storage room. Once they both entered the room, they found Rarity standing on a barrel as she was surrounded by a family of three raccoons.
"Aw, hello," said Fluttershy.
"They're adorable," said Shenran.
"But what are they doing here?" Rarity asked frantically. It was then the raccoons chittered in their own dialect.
"Ah, I see," said Shenran in understanding.
"Smoky made too much noise eating garbage," said Fluttershy, "So Softpad's mother made them move out of the trashcan."
"Then Smoky Jr. found a nice home in the crawl space behind the building," Fluttershy continued with Shenran and the three raccoons with her. Smoky sipped a drink with his wife, Softpad, beside him and their son, Smoky Jr, was eating some hayfries. Shenran was on the opposite side of the raccoons. Fluttershy also patted Smoky Jr. on the head, "But Mr. Stripes demolished it, so they were temporarily camped out in the back until they found a new place to live."
"You might be wondering how we know all this," said Shenran, "But it's because my wife and I know how to communicate with animals. My wife knows how because, well, she's amazing. And as for me, I actually spent months studying as many animals dialects as I could before we got married so I could help her with her animal caretaking. Many ponies think I was crazy for doing that, but that's how much I loved my wife." Fluttershy just blushed with a rather cute and shy smile on her face. then kissed her husband on the cheek when he finished to make him blush bashfully.
"No, no, no!" said Rarity as the stomped out of the storage room, "I can't have a family of rubbish-scented raccoons living in the boutique."
"I'm sure we can convince them to take a bath," Shenran suggested.
"That's not the point!" Rarity snapped when suddenly the "Boom-boom-boom" of some very loud music could be heard above them and made the chandelier creak and wobble a bit.
"Uh, did you hear that?" said Rarity.
"I don't remember there being any rowdy neighbors living above us when we were renting out this place," Mario said suspiciously.
"Heh. Turns out there's a Club Pony Party Palace upstairs," said Rarity annoyingly.
"Turns out there's a Club Pony Party Palace upstairs," said Pinkie excitedly as she stuck her face into the foreground with a crazy and large smile on her face.
"And the pony in charge of it moved in after we had secured the ground floor for the boutique," said Mario irritably and shook his head, "Wouldn't have happened if Rarity had let me just buy out the building..."
"I should've just let Mario buy out the building," said Rarity with much regret in her tone as she buried her face into the table.
It wasn't long before Rarity stomped out of the front door of the boutique and entered another door that led her to the top floor of the building where the Club Pony Party Palace was. Mario offered to go with her, but Rarity told him to continued supervising the clean up downstairs. Rarity approached the entrance, which was blocked off by a security pony. Rarity looked at the security guard and then around him where she saw DJ Pon-3 at the controls of a turntable with very large loudspeakers. In front of the music pony was a dance floor where three dancers were working on their moves. Rarity glared at them before trying to enter, but the security pony used a single fore-leg to push Rarity back.
"I'm sorry," said Rarity, "Could you please ask her to turn it down?" The security guard said nothing.
"Could you ask her to turn it down, please?" Rarity pleaded and smiled cutely at him, but the guard took no notice.
"Turn it down, please! Oh, please!" Rarity begged and sobbed as she sat down. It was then two ponies arrived to the club and the guard let them in, but still kept ignoring Rarity. Rarity was now feeling very indignant.
"Ugh! Foals today listen to their so-called "music" far too loudly," Rarity complained, "I realize that this makes me sound like an old mare. But this is business!" Rarity then knocked her tea cup aside as she interjected.
"Rarity should have sent me to deal with the party," said Mario, "I could have gotten around the guard, walked right up to pony in charge and said in a calm tone. WILL YOU TURN THAT BLASTED MUSIC DOWN!" Mario then snarled when he heard somepony make a snarky comment off screen.
"HEY! I AM VERY MILD-MANNERED THANK YOU!" Mario shouted angrily at the off-screen pony. Mario blinked and realized he was still being interviewed.
"Eh-heh...did I mention I have a short temper?" Mario chuckled in embarrassment.
Back on the first floor, Applejack was holding a dust pan with her teeth Rainbow swept a small pile of dust into it. Applejack then flinched when they heard the loud music continuing and made the Chandelier wobble about. Mario snorted.
"Guess Rarity's pleas fell on deaf ears...literally," Mario remarked as he held his broom with his magic.
"I wish we were having as much fun as they are," said Rainbow as she hovered up to the ceiling.
"Well, sweeping can be fun, too," said Twilight.
"How so, honey?" Mario asked curiously.
"Sweep, sweep, sweep, sweep," Twilight chanted as she dusted, then rotated her broom in the air with her magic and continued, "Sweep, sweep, sweep, sweep..." Mario smiled and was soon chanting alongside his wife. Applejack and Rainbow just gave the two alicorns funny looks.
"You know," said Mario as he and Twilight sat together in the booth, "I've seen my wife do some unexpected things, but I've never seen her beat-box before. It was attractive...very attractive." Twilight just smiled but looked away as she blushed.
"Only Twilight could make a dance remix about sweeping," said Rainbow as she and Applejack reclined in their side of the booth together, "and Mario would actually like it. I mean, how lame is that?"
"Yeah," said Applejack smugly, "Not only does that show how lame my big brother is, but it wasn't even catchy."
"Nope," said Rainbow as she and Applejack shared a hoof-bump.
"There was no way we were gonna get sucked into sweeping to such a sad remix," said Shenran as he and his wife sat together.
"Yeah, only dweebs would clean to something that lame!" Fluttershy added smugly as she and Shenran shared a hoof-bump of their own.
"Sweep, sweep, sweep, sweep..." Twilight and Mario chanted to the beat as they dusted and rotated their brooms with their magic.
"Sweep, sweep, sweep, sweep, sweep, sweep, sweep, sweep, sweep, sweep, sweep..." chanted every pony else to the beat except for Fluttershy and Pinkie as they all followed the alicorn couple about the room. Fluttershy chose not to chant while Pinkie was simply following and rotating her tail to do the cleaning. The group's moment of fun continued until Rarity arrived.
"We can guess things didn't go well," said Mario, "But did you at find out who's responsible?"
"Apparently, DJ Pon-3 has a residency at the Party Palace upstairs," Rarity explained, "but security won't let me speak to her."
"I thought DJ Pon-3 lived in Ponyville?" said Mario, "Didn't think she made enough bits to own a second..."
HONK!
"Aah!"
"Wah!" Rarity and Mario yelped in surprise.
"What in the name of Celestia was that?!" Rarity exclaimed.
"You know how most stores have a little jingle-bell when the door opens?" Plaid Stripes told Buried Lede, "Ahem. I thought we should have something with a little more pizzazz! So, I installed one of Daddy's antique horns."
Honk! Honk! Honk!
Rarity and Mario looked back to see Plaid Stripes was testing the horn by opening and closing the door. She then waved to Rarity and Mario before walking off with a pleased smile on her face.
"We'll have to do something about that," said Rarity plainly.
"The horn or Plaid Stripes?" Mario asked.
"You know what I mean!" Rarity snapped before recomposing herself and speaking to the rest of the group, "after I think of a way to quiet down the music. And after Mario comes up with the presentation we'll use to welcome the guests tonight. And after we finish designing the window display!"
CRASH!
"Aah!" Mario and Rarity yelped again. They turned to see a delivery pony had arrived with several packaged boxes. It should be noticed that many of the boxes were banged up and damaged.
"Wait, is this my merchandise shipment from Ponyville?" said Rarity, "It's completely disorganized!"
"I put specifically on the invoice how we wanted everything packaged," Mario told the delivery pony angrily, "and that these boxes were to be handled with care!" The delivery pony just shrugged both ponies off and walked away.
"A-A-" Rarity stuttered as her temper was nearing its limit. Even Mario was gritting his teeth to keep himself from exploding as well. Then Coco Pommel entered the shop. Neither of them had noticed the mare, or the fact her mane was messy and her nose was red.
"I told you I should've just brought the shipment myself!" Mario told Rarity sternly, "Look at this! This is gonna take extra time we don't have to organize!" Rarity just sighed.
"Achoo!" Coco sneezed.
"Gesundheit!" said Rarity as she turned around to see the mare, "Oh, Miss Pommel! I'm so glad to see you! Now as the sole sales associate at Rarity for You. I hate to add to your already overflowing plate of responsibilities, but it looks as though we have just a tad more to do before tonight than we thought."
"Actually, I-Achoo!" Coco replied as she sneezed again, making Mario flinch nervously, "I can't work tonight."
"Oh? Why not?" Rarity asked.
At the diner, all Coco could do to during her interview was blow her nose and look very sick.
"ACHOO!" Coco sneezed, right into Rarity's and Mario's faces.
"GAH!" Mario yelped as he jumped away, grabbed a can of anti-bacterial spray he had in his mane, and sprayed the solution into his eyes!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Mario screamed, covering his eyes, and tumbled to the ground, groaning painfully.
"Did I mention my husband has a germ phobia?" said Twilight when somepony off screen dropped off a quesadilla to her table, "It's actually quite embarassing. Good thing I don't have any ridiculous phobias of my own." It was then Twilight saw the quesadilla before her.
"YAH!" Twilight screamed as she pressed her back into the chair and scooted frantically out of her seat and ran off, "GET THAT THING AWAY FROM ME! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"I'm so sorry!" said Coco sadly, feeling bad for Mario as Rarity just rolled her eyes at Mario and gave Coco a sympathetic look.
"Feel better, my sweet," said Rarity sympathetically as she wiped the cheek Coco had accidentally sneezed on, "We'll manage without you...somehow." It was then Mario, now with red eyes, walked up to her.
"So what do we do now, Rares?" Mario asked.
"Well," said Rarity, "We have to manage glowing teeth and car horns, and disorganized clothes and dance music! Am I forgetting anything?" As Rarity spoke, the view focused on Plaid Stripes, the antique horn, the disorganized clothes, and then sat down when she mentioned the dance music. As she asked what she might be missing, Smoky, Softpad, and Smokey Jr. chittered and ran across the background.
"Um...your three unwanted tenants?" Mario said.
"You're really not helping!" Rarity yelled.
"Hey, I'm doing what I can here!" Mario shot back.
"YOU'RE NO HELP AT ALL!" Rarity screamed as she angrily shoved Mario back. Mario wobbled a bit as he bumped back first into the now closed front door. The impact had loosen the antique horn above, knocking it loose...
CLANK!
...and clocking Mario hard on the head. The others cringed as Mario lay on his back with his eyes now shrunk and crossed and his tongue sticking out from the side of his mouth.
"Mario? Mario! Honey? Are you okay?" Twilight asked with worried as a just a concerned Rarity stood next to her. Mario remained still for a moment as some stars circled the top of his head before...
"Cheep! Cheep-cheep-cheep-cheep! Cheap! Cheep-cheep-cheep-cheep-cheep! Cheep!" Mario said continuously with his eyes still crossed.
"Turns out the impact of the horn to his head made Mario think he's a bird," said Twilight, "And since, as said before, Rarity thought it was a good idea to have Mario leave his saddle bags behind, which, I might add, had a cure for his condition, we didn't have anyways of snapping him out it. Great call there, Rarity. Great call." Twilight said the last remark sarcastically as a bitter look appeared on her face.
"I honestly don't see what the big deal was," said Shenran as he and Fluttershy sat together again, "Mario was always a birdbrain anyway."
"You mean a complete dodo bird," said Fluttershy with a smirk on her face.
"Exactly," said Shenran smugly as Fluttershy snickered to herself.
It wasn't long before a medical carriage appeared and the medical ponies put Mario inside of the wagon. Mario was now tweeting instead if chirping.
"Is he going to be okay?" Twilight asked the nurse pony worriedly, "Do I need to come along?"
"Oh no need, Princess," said the nurse cheerfully, "We'll get Prince Mario back to normal in no time at all."
"Phew!" said Rarity and Twilight with relief.
"He'll be good as new by tomorrow!" said the nurse as she walked away.
"WHAT!?" Rarity and Twilight exclaimed as the medical wagon drove off. As they all headed back inside, Twilight looked rather heartbroken and was fighting back tears. As much as she wanted to go with the medical wagon, she knew Mario would want her be at the store to help with the opening.
"Okay...so on top of everything else," said Rarity, not hiding the fact that she was starting to panic, "My business partner can't help us anymore because he thinks he's a bird! He is always able to help me make the impossible possible and now I don't have anypony to come up with our presentation for tonight!" Rarity's eyes twitched before she burst into tears.
"WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!" Rarity sobbed so loudly that everypony outside walking past the shop, including a taxi pony stopped moving.
"Well, opening a store in Manehattan is a pretty big deal," said Twilight, "It's natural that Rarity would be a little stressed about how it was going. Since it wasn't going well...and my husband was now in the hospital and unable to help us. Still, I think she handled it all right. I know I stayed calm and composed over Mario's accident." Twilight smiled smugly.
"Oh there, there," said Fluttershy as she hugged the purple alicorn. Twilight was so worried about Mario that she had burst into tears, "It's going to be okay."
"Our dream is doomed! Doomed, I tell you! DOOMED!" Rarity cried out with her fore-hooves to the sides of her head as she lay on the floor, "I sealed my fate when I pushed Mario into that wall! I'm sorry, Mario! I'm so sorry..." It was then Twilight managed to calm herself down, wiped her eyes, and took charge.
"I know things haven't gone perfectly so far," said Twilight, "but we've done this kind of thing before. If we all work together-"
"I appreciate the offer, but this is Manehattan," Rarity interrupted as she stood up, "To make it in the fashion scene here, everything has to be perfect. The perfect location! The perfect clothes! The perfect opening! Mario understood this..." Rarity walked outside to emphasize the location and then went back inside as she finished speaking.
"Maybe we should just postpone," Twilight suggested, "Then...Mario would be here to help?"
"Postpone?!" Rarity exclaimed, "Darling, tonight is the last night of the fall season. Mario wouldn't have it if we didn't open by tonight. And if we don't open by tonight, it won't be..." Twilight sighed since she knew what Rarity was going to say.
"Perfect," said Twilight.
"Yes, I know what needs to be done even without Mario," said Rarity, "I just need more of me! Oh, how I wish I could make copies of myself."
"Yeah..." Pinkie said wearily as she sat at the booth with a tall stack of pancakes, "Making copies of yourself always sounds like a great idea, but before you know it, you're locked in a room with fifty Pinkie Pies watching paint dry." Pinkie then grabbed most of the pancakes and stuffed them into her mouth. Behind her was...is that a Pinkie look alike wearing a fedora hat?! Did the Mane Seven miss one when they were rounding up those copies years ago?!
Oh well, the pink pony disappeared before anypony could find out.
"We can do this," said Twilight, "And we can stay true to yours and Mario's vision." The others all nodded in agreement.
"You'd do that?" said Rarity and then pondered quickly before continuing, "Fluttershy, you'll handle those...strong-smelling raccoons for me?"
"Of course," Fluttershy replied.
"Leave Plaid Stripes to me," said Applejack, "I'll handle her and her, uh "good ideas"."
"Ooh, ooh, ooh!" said Pinkie as she stood in front of Applejack and started bouncing about, "And I can go upstairs to that nonstop party and have tons and tons of fun and eat some cake and set off party cannons and-" Pinkie stopped talking as Rarity cleared her throat definitively and gave Pinkie a stern glare.
"-and then make them be quiet," said Pinkie with a sheepish smile on her face.
"I'm pretty sure I know somepony who wouldn't mind organizing the merchandise shipment for you," said Twilight as she walked up to the boxes. The others just stared at her.
"I'm talking about myself," said Twilight as the stares and silence continued.
"Oh, please, let me organize it!" Twilight pleaded, "I need a distraction. I'm starting to miss Mario and I feel like I'm gonna start crying again." She gave some teary eyes and puckered lips to make her point.
"This all sounds splendid," said Rarity, "But I don't have a single employee, and I'll need the best of the best."
"Leave the hiring to me," said Rainbow.
"And I still need somepony to give the opening presentation," said Rarity.
"Shenran can do it!" said Fluttershy.
"Wuh?!" Shenran yelped.
"He's really good at speaking in front of a crowd," said Fluttershy, "if there's anypony perfect for the job. It's him!"
"I...uh...wuh?!" Shenran spluttered.
"What was she thinking?!" Shenran spluttered to Buried Lede, "Just because I am a retired second in command of the Royal Guard and the Crystal Empire doesn't mean that I'm good at public speaking. My stage fright is just as bad as hers! Just thinking about speaking in front of a crowd makes me suddenly...suddenly..." Shenran then grabbed a paper bag and started breathing into it.
"Oh Shenran, can you please take over for Mario?" Rarity asked, trying to use her charm to be persuasive.
"Um...I...I...don't think I..." Shenran stuttered as he looked away, only to see his wife starting at him.
"It would make me very, very happy if you did it," said Fluttershy, "Pretty please?" Fluttershy gave Shenran a smile. But not just any smile, it was her cute smile. The one that made Shenran's heart melt and could never say no to.
"I...I'm not sure I...oh, okay," Shenran conceded nervously in a quiet voice.
"Ya know," said Rainbow, "Shenran has always told me that he's alot like Fluttershy, but this was the first time I was really seeing him act just like her. How did he even survive in the Royal Academy being that shy?"
Rarity gave a happy squeal.
"Oh! This is it, my dears," said Rarity, "If you can handle these problems, I'll focus on the designs for the front window display. We'll show Manehattan what Rarity For You is all about! Oh, what would I do without you?" They all gathered around Rarity for a loose group hug.
"What would she do without us?" said Rainbow, "Huh. Lemme think." Rainbow then put a fore-leg over her fore-head.
"Darlings, I'm absolutely doomed, doomed, doomed!" Rainbow said, pretending to talk like Rarity and then laughed and spoke in her normal voice, "Heh, I sounded just like her!" Rainbow then blinked when she heard the sound of Buried Lede writing.
"Hey, you're not writing this down, are you?" Rainbow asked with a worried look on her face.
"I might not have been there physically, or mentally for that matter," said Mario, "but that didn't mean I wasn't cheering them on in my heart. But I will admit...since my wife told me what happened next...I was so glad I was unconscious for all of it."
Back at the boutique, Rarity stepped into the area for the window display with box filled with some choice outfits.
"Now for the perfect window display," said Rarity as she shut the door behind her, "Hmm...got to make sure I incorporate Mario's personal touch as well..." She pondered for another moment and then quickly got to work.
At the party palace, DJ Pon-3 had started up some music again as her three dancers started to boogie. The security guard was still standing at the entrance as Pinkie hid behind a vase.
"Oh, I can't really stop a super fun party in the middle of mega-happy fun times, can I?" Pinkie pondered aloud, "Oh, what would Rarity want?!" It was then small red colored Rarity appeared holding a pitch fork, horns on her head and horn at the tip of her tail.
"Keep that party going 'til the break of dawn!" Rarity Devil told her.
"Really?" said Pinkie. It was then angel-like Rarity appeared.
"Indubitably!" said Angel Rarity, "And as for the roof, get jiggy! Raise it, Pinkie! Raise it like you've never raised it before!"
"Oh! If you say so!" said Pinkie as she started to walk away when Rarity Devil pulled her back.
"Oh, please, Pinkie Pie," said Rarity Devil, "Never in a million years would I say such balderdash!" Rarity Devil then poofed away. Pinkie looked at Rarity Angel, who just shrugged and poofed as well.
"Oh," Pinkie sighed and approached the security guard. He raised a fore-hoof to stop he from entering the area.
"Obviously, DJ Pon-3 only plays the sickest of beats," Pinkie told the security pony, "I just wouldn't want her to miss out on the coolest new music straight from the back-alley underground, zip-zap party scene!" As Pinkie spoke, she managed to get around the security guard and onto the dance floor. Pinkie wasted no time approaching DJ Pon-3.
"I'd play the whole thing if I were you," said Pinkie as she gave the DJ pony a record, "no matter what other ponies think." DJ Pon-3 grabbed the record with her magic, started at it, and then put it into the turntable. Suddenly a record scratch was heard as the record started playing shopping mall music. Pinkie just smiled sheepishly as she moon-walked across the floor backwards.
"Awww," groaned the other dancers.
Outside the building, Rainbow was talking to three ponies who had applied for the sale associate position.
"Rarity For You is only hiring the best of the best," Rainbow told the three candidates, "And to me, that means the fastest. Now, uh, before we begin, uh..." Rainbow soon found herself at a loss for words as she turned away for the moment.
"Am I doing this right?" Rainbow pondered, "What would Rarity want?" She quickly came up with an idea.
"New plan!" she told the candidates and quickly zipped away and returned holding something in her fore-hoof that was blue with some streaks of tye-dye on it.
"Who can be the first to tell me what fabric this is?" Rainbow asked.
"That's organza," said one of the candidates named Blue Bobbin.
"Are you sure?" Rainbow asked her slowly.
"It's a thin, plain weave," Blue Bobbin replied, "Sheer fabric traditionally made from silk, so...yeah." Rainbow just winced and didn't reply.
"I don't know the first thing about clothes," said Rainbow, "Pretty much all I can do is look at something and tell you if it's not clothes or not. This chair? Not clothes." She then smiled smugly as she reclined against the booth seat.
Meanwhile, inside the boutique, Plaid Stripes was speaking with Rarity.
"See if you can keep up with me here," said Plaid Stripes, "What are all clothes made of?"
"Uh, fabric?" Applejack answered slowly.
"Bingo!" said Plaid Stripes, "But not in this store. Uh-uh. Not anymore."
"Oh, no?" Applejack asked in a puzzled and worried tone.
"Two words for you," Plaid Stripes said excitedly, ""spoon clothes". All our clothes will be made of spoons!" Applejack then sighed to herself.
"What would Rarity want?" Applejack pondered to herself before speaking to the filly, "You know, I like you Plaid Stripes. If it were up to me, we'd have a spoon clothes store right next to Stinky Bottom's Discount Hat Emporium. But it ain't up to me, so the answer is no." Applejack removed her hat and held it over her chest as she spoke. Plaid Stripes was in tears at having her idea rejected.
"Personally, I think spoon clothes ain't such a bad idea," said Applejack to Buried Lede, "Useful too. Eatin' Soup, stirin' gumbo, diggin' little holes."
"Like I said," said Mario bluntly during his own interview, "No fashion sense at all. It's embarassing..."
In another part of the store, Twilight was busy setting up the clothes on some ranks. She had also done so by color.
"There. Perfect," said Twilight as she surveyed her work, "Although what would Rarity want? In fact, what would Mario want?"
"I think I can go on record for being the only pony who thought of what Mario wanted and not just Rarity," Twilight boasted as she reclined against the booth chair, "See honey? I think about your opinions. Not like I ever wasn't...I mean...no pony's perfect...I did tune you out alot in the past...and I..." Twilight had a nervous smile on her face but then blinked when she heard scribbling.
"Please don't write that down!" Twilight pleaded in desperation.
"Maybe she or Mario wouldn't like it done by color," Twilight pondered before smiling excitedly, "Guess I have to start over!" Twilight then got to work removing the clothes off the racks. Just a short distance away was Shenran as he sat on the floor. He had some sheets of paper being held by one wing while he was using the others to write down some notes.
"Okay, with these notes Mario left behind and the note cards Twilight let me have for my own notes," said Shenran, "I should be able to come up with a presentation. Just...what would Rarity want?" Shenran grabbed Mario's notes and looked them over. "After all...heh...all I got to do just welcome everypony and tell them what the store offers, which is...uhh...umm...really nice clothes. And I have to say in front of probably hundred of ponies...who will be watching my every move...just waiting to see me mess up so they can laugh at me!" Shenran's eyes shrunk and he bit his lower lip and started trembling.
"You can't blame me for panicking," said Shenran, "Mario's may undestand all the fashionably correct terms, but when I read it, it's all mumbo jumbo to me! I don't know anything about fashion other than if something looks cute and beautiful on my wife! And...public speaking isn't exactly my greatest strength..."
"Many ponies might wonder how a second-captain of the Royal Guard could get stage fright," said Fluttershy, "The answer is simple and it's the same case for me. If you put either one of us in a dire situation. We don't have much trouble stepping up and taking command of a crowd. But if it's purely for entertainment..." Fluttershy whimpered and sank in the booth seat, "...yeah...g-g-good luck getting us in front of a large crowd..."
Back in the storage room, Fluttershy went to speak to the three raccoons.
"Hello, Smoky, Softpad, Smoky Jr.?" said Fluttershy timidly, "I have some...interesting news. I, oh...I'd like you all to stay forever, but..." Fluttershy pondered to herself, "what would Rarity want?" She then went back to addressing the raccoons and burst into tears.
"You have to move out!" Fluttershy sobbed. There was a brief pause before the three raccoons shrieked angrily.
Back in the display window, Rarity was continuing her work.
"A window display is the first thing customers see," said Rarity to herself as she tried to find the right hat for one of the mannequins, "and if they like it, they'll walk inside and experience the glory that is Mario and I's boutique.
"The display window might have been coming along nicely," said Shenran and then said with much dread in his tone, "but inside was a completely different story."
"I don't know which one of you to hire!" Rainbow stuttered as she held some fabrics in her fore-legs and then dumped them on the three ponies, "Just keep guessing fabrics!" In the fore-ground, poor Applejack was getting backed into the corner by Mr. Stripes and Plaid Stripes.
"Daddy, Rarity's friend doesn't like my ideas!" Plaid Stripes complained.
"Spoon clothes is good idea!" Mr. Striped snapped as Applejack was now backed into a stack of boxes. it was then a familiar beat was now playing and shaking the area.
"Oh, no!" Pinkie groaned as she squatted to the floor, "Not a shopping music mashup!" Just a few feet away Shenran was having a bad case of stage fright. He was rocking back and forth on his back while holding his hind legs with his fore-legs. His notes were scattered about the floor and he was humming to himself.
"Find a happy place, find a happy place, find a happy place!" Shenran squeaked. Fluttershy then ran past him as the angry raccoons chased after her.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Fluttershy repeated as she ran away from the raccoons and jumped into a table. It was then Twilight poked her head out of the pile of clothes she was buried under and saw all the chaos unfolding before her. Then her heart skipped a beat when the door knob to the window display jiggled and Rarity was about to enter the main room. Twilight gasped. Suddenly time slowed down and Twilight wasn't even using the Double Gem Amulet! Twilight opened her wings and did a huge super jump over everypony.
"How's it-"
SLAM!
"Ooh!" Rarity exclaimed as she was cut off when Twilight shut the door to the display room and pressed her back against the door as she used her strength and wings to keep Rarity from coming inside.
"When you write the story," said Fluttershy with Shenran sitting beside her, "could you maybe skip over the part where we locked Rarity in the window display?" She then gave a crooked smile.
"Maybe he wouldn't have to if you hadn't brought it up, dear," said Shenran in an annoyed but discreet tone.
"You brought it up too, dear," Fluttershy protested with stern look on her face.
"Well, you brought it up first!" Shenran snapped.
"And if it gets in the article," Fluttershy retorted angrily, "It will be your fault."
"No yours!" Shenran shot back.
"Yours!"
"Yours!"
"Grrrrrrr!" the two Pegasi growled as they pressed their noses together and glared at each other. They quickly stopped when they saw Buried Lede was just writing his notes.
"Uhhh...eh-heh-heh-eh..." The two Pegasi chuckled nervously.
"Hello?" Rarity called out as she kept turning the door knob with her magic, "The door appears to be stuck!" The other ponies of the group winced.
"Yep," said Twilight quickly, "We're working on it!"
"Hmm," said Rarity suspiciously, "Well, shouldn't let this time go to waste." Rarity then got back to work. Back inside, Mr. Stripes, Plaid Stripes, and the three job candidates were still arguing as the raccoons chittered and raced about the room. The rest of the main group were all gathered around Twilight.
"How did this happen?" Twilight asked the others as she took a step forward.
"I shut down the party," said Pinkie.
"I told Plaid Stripes no," said Applejack.
"I put together a fashion worthy presentation," said Shenran.
"I asked the raccoons to leave," said Fluttershy.
"I asked a lot of fabric questions," said Rainbow.
"Just like I thought Rarity would want!" the five ponies said together and then looked at each other.
"Uh oh, we didn't even think about what Mario would want!" said Pinkie sadly as the others had guilt-looking faces.
"Told ya?" said Twilight smugly as she used her magic to eat the last bite of a piece of cake, "I always think of my husband." It was then Mario came to sit with her and saw the empty plate.
"Hey! We were supposed to share that chocolate cake!" Mario said and crossed his fore-legs and pouted at her. Twilight just put on a smile and pretended he wasn't there.
"Rarity asked us to help her with everything because she and Mario know all of us so well," Twilight told the group and then looked at Fluttershy, "She knows how much you care about animals. She'd trust you to solve the problem your way and Mario would want you to do the same." She turned to the others, "Maybe we should all do the same. Doing this our way is what Rarity and Mario want. It's not too late. Let's all dig in and we can fix this!" Twilight then looked to see that the chaos was still ongoing before them.
"Before Rarity finds out how bad we messed up," Twilight added wearily.
It wasn't long before the raccoons had gone back to the storage room and started packing up when Fluttershy approached them.
"I'm sorry I asked you to leave," said Fluttershy, "This place is yours if you want to stay." The three raccoons smiled.
"Though I would like to ask you all just one favor," said Fluttershy as the three raccoons gave the yellow Pegasus a curious look.
Upstairs, Pinkie was confronting DJ Pon-3.
"I'm sorry I made you play that un-fun, super-boring music," said Pinkie then the security guard started dragging her away by the tail, "But if you're up for it, I have an idea to make the party even better!" There was a brief pause before DJ Pon-3 smiled.
Meanwhile, Rainbow had brought the three candidates back outside.
"Okay, I don't get fabric," Rainbow told the three candidates, "But I do get speed. And I need somepony fast enough to help all the customers Rarity's gonna have. So...first one to the river and back gets the job!" The three candidates just stared in disbelief.
"It's a race! Go!" Rainbow said firmly as two ponies ran off while the third pony just trotted after them in a snooty fashion.
Back inside, Twilight had finally found a way to organize the clothes. Nearby, Applejack was speaking with Mr. Stripes and his daughter.
"Mr. Stripes," said Applejack as she cleared her throat, "I owe your daughter an apology. She's got good ideas, and I should give them a chance. So here's what I'm thnkin'." As Applejack discussed her idea, with the two Stripes. Shenran was still struggling to come up with a good presentation for the opening. He soon groaned as he swiped a fore-leg at both Mario's notes and the discarded note cards.
"Ugh! It's no use!" said Shenran sadly, "Unless it's an emergency, I'm just not good at public speaking! Or performing for that matter!"
"I wouldn't say that, honey," said Fluttershy as she presented Shenran with his dual swords.
"My swords," said Shenran in surprise. He had left them at home.
"And let's not forget some music," said Pinkie with DJ Pon-3 right behind her. Shenran blinked and then smiled.
"I know what to do now!" said Shenran as he gestured for them to gather around and he explained his idea to the three mares.
Soon the sun had set and Rarity had just finished her window display.
"Perfect!" said Rarity and tried to use her magic to open the door, but it still wouldn't budge. Rarity put on a determined look on her face as she backed up and charged the door. Just as she was about to make contact, Twilight opened the door and Rarity ended up falling flat on her face.
"Wow, looks like we fixed that door just in time!" said Twilight awkwardly as she helped Rarity stand up. Rarity recovered and gasped.
"Oh! What's all this?" said Rarity as she saw that the boutique was now cleaned up and decorated. The place now looked like a proper boutique.
"The whole place organized by style, cross-referenced by size, and reverse indexed by fabric," Twilight boasted, "She and Mario will be able to find anything in three seconds flat! It was some of my best work!"
Rarity wasted no time smiling and giving Twilight a hug.
"Oh! I knew I could count on you!" Rarity said happily to Twilight and everypony else, "All right...I suppose this is the moment of truth...I still wish Mario was here to share this with me."
"We know, I wanted him here to," said Twilight, "But just know that he's with us in spirit." Rarity smiled and nodded in agreement before she went to open the door. She heard the sound of a normal jingle bell and was grateful that the antique horn had been removed. She gave the others a smile before she stepped outside.
"Rarity For You is now open!" the marshmallow pony announced but was then shocked to see that there was a very long line of ponies standing outside. There was even a squirrel waiting in line...until the pony in front of it shooed the squirrel away. Rarity started to feel overwhelmed.
"Oh, dear," said Rarity worriedly to Rainbow, "I wasn't quite prepared for such a large crowd. How will I handle them all?"
"My name's Blue Bobbin," said one of the three ponies that Rainbow had been interviewing earlier that day, "I'll be your personal shopping assistant this evening." The pony smiled in reply.
"Right this way, everypony, and one of our talented salesponies can help you out!" said Rainbow to the arriving customers as she pointed toward the other two salesponies.
"Honestly, they were all pretty slow," Rainbow told Buried Lede, "But they finished the race. Plus they know alot more about fabric than I did. So, I hired them all!"
As Rarity was walking about, some spotlights lit up and she turned to see that DJ Pon-3 had set up her turntable and speakers nearly, her security guard stood in front of her equipment and some fog filled the area around it. Then the shadow of a familiar Pegasus appeared wearing a formal shirt and a pair of slacks used for dancing and started showing off his sword skills to the audience.
"Unlike others who have trained with swords, I learned my sword skills by studying the training of the ancient imperial guards," said Shenran, "Such swordsponyship was designed for knowledge and cultural arts as well as self-defense. In other words, simple training drills can be seen as dancing."
"Since the founding of this fine city," said Shenran dramatically, "ponies of all corners of Equestria have sought..." Shenran then did some dynamic poses with his swords, "Class! Style! Grace! Chic! Fabulous!" The other ponies awed and even Rarity had a large smile on her face.
"And tonight fillies and gentlecolts," said Shenran, "All those qualities can only be found in one place. For tonight, true fashion is...RARITY!" Shenran did one final pose as some sparklers shot from behind him. He then bowed down and hovered out of the way as DJ Pon-3's main dancers took over the entertainment. Rarity was rather shocked at Shenran's presentation, but saw one of her new salesponies helping a customer who was going to buy not one, but two dresses. Then she saw another ponies about to buy three dresses. Pinkie then took a seat next to Rarity as she swirled her fore-hooves to the beat of the music.
"The way I see it," said Pinkie, "Rarity and Mario design fashion, DJ Pon-3 designs beats. What a better combination than a boutique/dance club? Plus Shenran's opening presentation was amazing! Alot of mares bought dresses just to get his attention."
"I'm not a jealous kind of mare," said Fluttershy calmly before exploding into rage, "but...IF ANY OF YOU MARES MAKE ANY GOO-GOO EYES AT MY STALLION I'LL MAKE YOU SEE THINGS IN 4D!" Fluttershy then blinked and blushed bashfully as she sank under the table to try and disappear.
Meanwhile, Rarity was still trying to recover when she saw the three raccoons walk in front of her. She was stunned once more when she saw they were all dressed up in waiters outfits and one was holding a plate with a specially made tea in each cup.
"After a quick bath," said Fluttershy as the raccoons sat to her left and then went crazy when Fluttershy pushed a whole pie to them, "they were more than willing to help!"
"Ah, a blue corn reduction with a shallot confit!" said a pony named Waxton, "But how can I possible enjoy it without a-"
"Spoon?" Plaid Stripes suggested as she appeared wearing a special glove that had spoons attached to it like fingers. The filly didn't resist showcasing them either.
"Heh, Toldja spoon clothes ain't such a bad idea," said Applejack smugly.
During Mario's solo interview, Mario just had a long face and blew a raspberry at the idea. He also used his magic to hold up one of Spike's spare winter gloves and shaped it into a thumbs down gesture.
Waxton then used the new spoon glove to sample the tea.
"Mmm! Exquisite!" said Waxton, "This is the most whimsical and wonderfully fashionable boutique I've ever seen!" The other ponies just chattered in agreement as Rarity smiled. She then turned to her friends, still smiling as tears of gratitude fell from her eyes. Then to hers as well as the shock of the rest of the main group, the door opened once again to reveal...Mario!
"Turns out the doctors were able to snap me out of my...bird delusion...sooner than expected," said Mario, "I would have been at the boutique sooner, but it took me hour to get all the birdseed out of my teeth...and my nose..." Mario then smiled sheepishly.
The group wasted no time gathering around him for a group hug as Rarity and Twilight shed tears of joy.
"In the end," Rarity read from the newspaper as the scene returned to everypony being back at the Ponyville boutique, "Rarity and Mario's grand opening was a smashing success! True, it got off to a rocky start, but somehow this rag-tag group of ne'er-do-wells..." Rarity then blinked, "Oh, heavens, I think he means you."
"I hope you not including me..." Mario said indignantly.
"Yes, we're including you!" said everypony but Rarity as Mario rolled his eyes.
"...came together and created the perfect boutique. A vision of Rarity and Mario combined with the expertise of her friends! This reporter, for one, is a believer," Rarity finished reading as the rest of the group had modest smiles on their faces. Rarity then put the paper down and took off her glasses.
"Why didn't you tell me there were so many problems?" Rarity asked the group.
"We all figured you had enough on your mind," said Twilight as she, Mario, and Pinkie walked up to Rarity from the left.
"And we didn't want you to think that the opening wasn't perfect," said Applejack as she, Fluttershy, Shenran, and Rainbow walked up from the right.
"And I didn't want you thinking I was trying to make you look bad with some of those vents I told the reporter," said Mario, "Guess I'm still having a hard time speaking my mind when I feel shut down." Rarity hugged Mario to say all was forgiven.
"I understand, darling," said Rarity, "But remember that you can always come to me when you feel your opinions are being ignored. You're my business partner after all. I can admit that some of your decisions on certain matters were probably the better call." Rarity then giggled to herself as she went to address the group, ""Ne'er-do-wells" or not, I know I can always count on all of you. And nothing could be more perfect than that." The eight ponies all gathered around for a group hug as the scene made an iris out to close the scene.
Then the scene opened up to show Plaid Stripes at the diner, using her new spoon gloves to sip some soup and then smirked.
Nopony had no idea how happy Mario and Rarity were when this filly quit her job at the boutique to pursue...other interests...
Heh-heh...oh boy...
And there we go! MLP's first and only documentary style episode. I hope you all enjoyed what Mario and Shenran had to say as well. Kudos if you caught the Star Wars "Watto" joke in the story but Mr. Strips certainly talks like him if you listen carefully. Also if you caught the Monster Inc. Joke as well. And their was also an Animal Crossing New Leaf joke in their too.
And the fact Mario got KO'd and Shenran took over his job was a request from a pony fan. I hope I didn't disappoint with what I came up with and how things played out.
Next time: Mario sees Applejack's stubborn nature on a whole new level. And all Rarity wanted was a fun day at the spa...
Peace Pony Fans!