Firstly, apologies for posting so late. On New Years, I was up till about five in the morning, and then I slept the entire day away. I think the aggravation of my sleep schedule cause me to forget to post, and I'm just now remembering. Forgive me!

In order to rectify this grievous error, I present to you the reason for my being up so late/early: Two chapters. Gasp! Another double post?

Indeed.

Enjoy!

Chapter 31: Generous Laughter

"I wanna go too!"

"Me too!"

Rarity glanced up from her sewing to look at the two girls in front of her. Well, one girl and one woman, if you could consider Pinkie an adult. The bubbly party-girl was knelt beside Sweetie Bell, both of them just a few inches from the table she was working on. They were pleading to go with Rarity to a fashion show she had been invited to participate in. While Sherry's baking competition was going on, Rarity was showing off her designs to local fashion shops and other dressmakers. She had made a few new contacts, contracted a few suppliers and distributors, and had firmly placed herself in the circles that she needed to be in to sell her work. She sighed. "Pinkie. Have you already forgotten that you're going with me?"

"I am?" Pinkie blinked. "Oh, that's right! I am!"

"But what about me?" Sweetie Bell asked. "I still want to go!"

"I know darling, but I can't. I'll have my hands full watching Pinkie."

"What am I gonna do then?"

"You'll be staying with Tyr and Luna for the time being. Isn't that fine? You'll get to spend time with Sherry."

Sweetie Bell sighed. "I guess that's okay…"

Rarity couldn't help but smile at her sister. Even though Sweetie Bell had discovered her own talent, she still liked to spend time with Rarity whenever she had the opportunity. Unfortunately, this was not one of those times. "Oh, you'll have plenty of fun."

"I'll try."

"So who's modelling for you, Rare-bear?" Pinkie asked, bouncing up and down. Rarity smirked just slightly at the affectionate nickname. To be perfectly honest, she loved hearing Pinkie say it. It was just silly enough to be something Pinkie would come up with, yet cute enough that even Rarity couldn't hate it. However, she had to roll her eyes at her scatterbrained girlfriend.

"Pinkie-winkle," Rarity replied with a sigh. "You're modelling for me, remember?"

"…Oh! That's right!" Pinkie stuck out her tongue. "Oopsie!"

Rarity stuck a hand to her forehead. "Pinkie-winkle…" She murmured. The silly nickname had the same plus points as the one Pinkie had for her, with the added bonus being close to the color of Pinkie's eyes. Those periwinkle blue eyes that held so much laughter.

"But you have so many dresses," Sweetie Bell said, looking over at the rack of clothes. "How is Pinkie going to model them all?"

"I asked Grace to help out," Rarity said, going back to work. The red material before her needed plenty of love and care before it was ready to be worn. "I got this to get ready for her. She also said she had a friend that was willing to help out."

As she finished the statement, the doorbell rang. "That must be them!" Sweetie Bell jumped up and went down to the door to answer it.

"I would hope so," Rarity said, not looking up. "I still have to measure her. Thank goodness her friend knows her sizes off the top of her head…"

Sweetie Bell came back up. "I brought them up, big sis!"

"Thank you, Sweetie dear." Rarity looked up as she thanked her sister, spotting Grace enter behind the young girl. "Hello Grace, it's nice to see you."

The redhead gave her a warm smile. Just due to how she dressed, Rarity sometimes saw the Lunar Knight as a ray of sunshine on a moonlit night. However, the girl's reserved nature fit her position well. "Same, Rarity." She turned slightly and moved to the side, motioning to someone behind her. "Come on Vanna, she won't bite."

"I wasn't expecting her to," a lilting voice told her.

"Oh, is that your friend, Grace?" Rarity asked, sitting up straight and adjusting her work glasses. The elegant accessory was enchanted with magic to allow her to do even more precise stitching. They were red rimmed and… oh my. Her train of thought careened to a halt as she beheld Grace's friend. Vanna was slender, quite so, yet still managed to look pretty enough that it didn't seem unhealthy. However, Rarity could see the muscles in the tan skinned arms that had been built up from long years of work. Long, silky black hair hung freely about the metalsmith's shoulders, framing a strong face with dark golden eyes. These eyes focused on Rarity, making her swallow heavily. She managed to speak up. "…Oh my."

"Caught off guard, are ya?" Vanna said with a smirk.

Rarity could do nothing but nod. "I mean, no offense to Grace, but I had no idea her friend would be so… so… gorgeous."

"You look really strong!" Pinkie said, hopping over.

"Been working with metal almost all my life," Vanna said, holding up an arm and flexing. "That sort of work leaves you tough."

"Quite so," Rarity said quietly, coming over. She gently ran her hand along the length of Vanna's arm. "Even so, you're still quite slender… Very… impressive."

"Um…" Vanna murmured, a slight blush running up his cheeks. Rarity caught herself and let go, backing up.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, darling!" Rarity blushed lightly, turning away. She loved Pinkie, which was true. But for some reason she had been unable to help herself.

"So… where're the dresses you want us to model?" Grace asked. Thankful for the topic change Rarity moved over to the rack. She selected a solid gold dress with a slant neckline and a slit along the side. It shimmered softly in the light.

"Ah yes! Vanna, since you gave me your measurements, go ahead and try this on. Grace, I need to measure you."

"Alright then," Vanna said, taking the dress and going to one of the dressing rooms. Rarity meanwhile led Grace over to a small pedestal. She pulled out a tape measure and began to work. As she measured her, Rarity took notice of little things about the Lunar Knight she had not noticed before. Grace wasn't curvy, yet she was still quite slender. From what the seamstress could see, the redhead tried to wear clothes that didn't show much skin. She'd fix that before long. When she got to her chest, she saw the knight blush. She smiled.

"No need to get embarrassed, darling. Not everyone can be as well-endowed as others."

"Easy for you to say," Grace replied quietly. "At least you're not flat chested."

"Now, now, none of that. Having large ones is not exactly good either."

Grace made a face. "Doesn't seem like it hinders Pinkie Pie," She grumbled.

Rarity spared a glance behind her. She immediately turned back around. "…Pinkie always likes to hop around."

"Uh huh."

"What articles of clothing she chooses to wear or not wear are not under my control."

Grace smirked. "Yet."

Rarity shot a surprised look up at the girl before her. "My! Chrysalis must be rubbing off on you!"

"It's only been a couple weeks," Grace said. In all honesty, Grace was finding getting along with the Changeling quite… easy. Chrys simply had a habit of teasing her whenever possible.

"More than enough time." Rarity smiled. "Although… Vanna was it?"

Grace immediately blushed. "What? What about Vanna?"

"I didn't realize you swung that way, darling!"

"W-what!? No, I don't…!"

"Oh, no need to act so modest!"

"Yeah!" Pinkie bounced over. "I mean, what, are Rare-bear and I going to be upset?"

"No it's just…" Grace blushed. "Vanna and I are just friends."

"Friends end up being more than that sometimes," Rarity said knowingly. Pinkie giggled at that comment.

"I understand what you girls mean, but I'm serious. It's not like that. Vanna and I are—"

"I'm finished," Vanna said, coming out. The other girls in the room paused. Rarity had to again admit to herself that she was truly good at what she did. The golden dress clung to Vanna's body, accenting the slight curves of his body. The metalsmith really looked good. "How do I look?"

"Wow…" Pinkie murmured.

"That looks marvelous, darling!" Rarity said. "You look good in dresses!"

"Well, I don't get to wear them that much," Vanna said with a small smile. "I like it."

"Wonderful! So you wouldn't mind modelling for me?"

"Nah. Business has been slow lately, so I was thinking about taking a short break." Vanna's smile grew. "So I'd love to come along."

"Will we be really busy?" Grace asked.

Rarity thought for a moment. The fashion show was in the evening, so if they went early enough, there wouldn't be much need for them until later. That meant they had the whole day to themselves. "No, actually. We can actually just spend some time around town until the show."

"Sounds like fun," Vanna said. "Do I need to drive you, Grace?"

"I would like that," Grace said, smiling.

Rarity nodded. "Fair enough. My car will have no room because of the dresses."

"We're going on a trip!" Pinkie sang. "We're going on a trip, in our favorite rocket ship!"

Although she was excited as well, Rarity shook her head at Pinkie's antics. Hopefully, her pink ball of joy wouldn't cause anything… unfortunate to happen.

-x-

"Oh dear," Grace murmured, looking out the window of Vanna's gunmetal-gray muscle car. "Rarity is panicking."

"From what you've told me of her, that's normal, isn't it?" Vanna asked. The metalsmith was wearing a knee length gray skirt accented by a violet low-neckline sweater. Grace noticed that he was wearing a necklace now, with the emblem of an iron hammer hanging from it.

"Well, true enough, but she's lying on a couch."

Vanna leaned forward to look as well. "…Well, Vulcan's flame, she is. Where do you think she got that from?"

"Probably the same place Pinkie gets her stuff," Grace said. "Let's go see."

They got out of the car and headed over, just as Rarity flung a hand to her forehead in dramatic fashion. "I can't believe this is happening to me~!" She sobbed pitifully. They were outside of the building the fashion show was taking place in, and some of the people were watching, confused. Pinkie was standing nearby, watching as if she was having a lot of fun.

"What happened?" Grace asked.

"She forgot her make-up bag," Pinkie said.

Vanna snorted. "Is that it? I brought mine if you want to use it."

Rarity stopped sobbing abruptly. She looked over at Vanna, hope in her eyes. "R-really?"

"If it'll make you stop crying, then yes."

"Oh, you wonderful person you!" Rarity jumped up, running over and embracing Vanna. "You're a lifesaver!"

"Gah! Confound it woman, get off!"

"Oh!" Rarity dramatically fell back, only to have Pinkie catch her. "Oh, thank you, dear."

"No problem!" Pinkie giggled.

Grace looked around. She saw Rarity's car parked off a short distance. "So what happened to the dresses?"

"They're being taken to the dressing area," Rarity answered. "They'll be there when it's time for the show."

"So what do we do until then?"

"I actually have to run and do a little business myself," Vanna said. "You girls go on without me. I'll catch up a little later."

"I could go with you," Grace offered. However, her offer was quickly denied.

"Sorry Grace, it's going to be nothing but fire, smoke, and old men who I'd rather you didn't meet."

"Hm… okay. Well, we should meet back up somewhere though."

"A friend of mine suggested a nice jazz club that she wanted me to try," Rarity said. "I believe it was called Babylon's Gates or something like that."

"I know the place," Vanna said. "I'll see you all there."

He left. As they began to make their own way, Rarity noted Grace's quiet sigh. "You really like Vanna, don't you?"

"W-what?" Grace looked caught off guard. "Where did that come from?"

"You sighed," Pinkie said with a giggle, popping up on the knight's other side. "You sighed, and that means you like Vanna!"

"You… you two…"

"Oh dear, darling," Rarity murmured. "Your face is almost as red as your hair."

"I'm easily embarrassed, if you haven't noticed," Grace complained.

"Oh, come now dear, it's not that embarrassing, is it?"

"It is!" Grace said. "I've never… dated before."

Rarity gasped, Pinkie popping back over to her side to mimic her. "Never dated? Why on earth wouldn't you?"

"I wasn't exactly an outgoing person like Pinkie."

"Yeah, I'm super outgoing!" Pinkie agreed with a giggle. "I threw parties for everyone back home!"

"Sounds like fun."

"Pinkie-winkle's parties were… their own kind of fun," Rarity said slowly. "Needless to say, I was on the receiving end of a lot of them."

"One every year!" Pinkie said happily. Then her smile lessened just a bit. "…I never missed a birthday."

Rarity smiled softly, reaching over to take Pinkie's hand in hers. "I know, Pinkie dear. Although I still wonder how you knew my birthdate the first time."

"A magician never reveals her secrets!"

"Of course not, dear." She sighed and patted Pinkie's head. Rarity never expected to understand her bright, cheery and silly girlfriend. At one moment, Pinkie would be bouncing off the walls, wild giggles coming from her all the way. At the next, she would be deathly quiet, simply spending her time watching someone or something; lately her contemplative gazes were busy regarding Rarity herself. Although she loved Pinkie's eyes, the looks she gave her sometimes… She shook it off. "So, let us go get something to eat!"

"That sounds like a good idea," Grace said, agreeing.

"Where should we go?" Pinkie asked, bouncing alongside them as they began to walk. "I wanna go somewhere that has tasty food!"

"I'm not surprised," Rarity said with a laugh. "What about you, Grace?"

Grace smiled. "I don't mind, to be honest. As long as it isn't too expensive."

"Expensive?"

"I don't have a lot of money on me…"

"Oh that will not do!" Rarity frowned. "Do not worry, Grace. I will gladly pay for you."

"What?" Grace blinked before holding up her hands. "No, I couldn't…"

"Ah, no buts! I will not take no for an answer."

"You might as well just say yes," Pinkie advised with a giggle. "She really won't take no for an answer!"

"…okay," Grace said after a long period of thought. She sighed. "You are the Element of Generosity after all."

"And don't you forget it!" Rarity said triumphantly. "Now, let us go!"

It didn't take long to find a restaurant Rarity was willing to eat at. It was a fancy restaurant that Grace and Pinkie could not pronounce. Before they had a chance to try, the Element of Generosity pushed them inside. "Table for three, please," she told the hostess.

"One moment," The woman there said. She went around a nearby corner for a moment, then returned a second later. "We have a table that just opened up. Follow me please."

They followed the hostess to the offered booth, and sat down. Rarity and Pinkie sat together while Grace sat on the other side. Rarity and Pinkie were engrossed in their own conversation, so Grace simply examined the menu. She had selected something that sounded relatively harmless before she was spoken to. "Grace?"

"Hm?" Grace looked up from her menu to see Rarity looking at her. "Yes, Rarity?"

"I'd hate to make you feel left out, darling," the seamstress said.

Grace smiled. "It's alright. I'm used to being quiet."

"Oh dear, you are just like Fluttershy…"

"I'm not that shy though."

"That is quite true."

"Grace, where did you live while in Equestria?" Pinkie asked, eagerness on her face. "Cause you didn't live in Ponyville! I would have noticed!"

Grace glanced down at the table. "I… I lived in the slums of Manehattan."

"Slums?" Pinkie frowned. "What's a slum? Is that a drink?"

"It means where the… those who were financially destitute lived," Rarity offered.

"…Destitute?"

"I was poor," Grace said simply. She smiled at Rarity. "Thanks for trying to be considerate."

Rarity smiled slightly. "I apologize, darling."

"It's okay. My childhood shaped me into the person I am now." Grace sighed.

"Was it that rough?"

"I was a little girl living alone in Manehattan, Rarity."

"…Sorry."

"No, I'm not upset. But I went through a lot, and saw a lot of things I never wanted to see. But I don't regret a thing. Me being there… I saved a lot of lives."

"How did you do that?" Pinkie asked.

"I learned my talent at a very young age when I had to treat an older friend who was stabbed by a mugger."

Rarity gasped. "Stabbed?"

"Yeah. I managed to save her life, and that's how I got my Cutie Mark." She smiled sadly. "…Battlefield triage. That means healing those hurt during fighting, Pinkie."

"Thanks!" Pinkie said with a giggle.

"That must have been extremely rough, darling," Rarity said. "How ever did you manage?"

"I had a lot of very loyal friends," Grace said. "…A lot of them didn't survive the Merge."

"Oh my…"

"Although… and it took me a while to notice… I met Applejack there."

"Really? I heard Applejack moved there for a short time, but she never liked talking about it."

"She gave me food," Grace said. She smiled fondly at the happy memory. "I was starving, and I didn't think I was going to make it through the day. She gave me my first ever slice of apple pie."

"Oh, leave it to Applejack to do something like that."

The waiter came back for their orders then, and they all quickly picked what they wanted. It wasn't long before their meals came back and they began eating. Rarity decided to switch to a happier topic. "So! Grace, darling, what do you think of Vanna?"

"Vanna?" Grace paused with a piece of salad halfway to her mouth. "What do you mean, what do I think?"

"You obviously are interested!" Rarity claimed. "Don't think I can't see!"

"I mean… I can't deny that I am attracted…"

"See? You should just ask her out!"

"Yeah!" Pinkie giggled. "Vanna probably likes you too! Oh, I could throw you two a party!"

"I don't think a party is needed, Pinkie-winkle. Perhaps they just need to go on a date?" Rarity directed the question at Grace, who blushed.

"I dunno…" Grace looked down at her food. "I don't want to embarrass myself in asking…"

"If you don't ask you'll never find out, darling." Rarity looked over at Pinkie. "I almost found out the hard way."

"But you didn't, and we're happy!" Pinkie said with a big smile, reaching over to grasp Rarity's hand with her own. The fashionista smiled and leaned over to kiss her girlfriend on the cheek.

"I suppose asking wouldn't hurt," Grace said thoughtfully.

"Ahem."

They looked up to see a waiter standing nearby with a slight frown on his face. "…Yes?"

"Some of the other patrons would like you to refrain from any public displays of affection," He said, almost impassively.

"What?" Rarity seemed taken aback.

"If you please." He turned on his heel and left.

Rarity scowled. "Why I never! What sort of discrimination is this!?"

"Let's just finish eating and leave," Grace said. "Please?"

"No, I will not…" She trailed off as she noticed to concern on the red-haired knight's face. She was obviously worried. "…Fine. I will keep my peace then."

The rest of the meal was in relative silence, except for Pinkie retelling the first party she ever threw for Rarity. Rarity and Grace interjected here and there, but otherwise they were keeping quiet. The meal finished, Rarity paid without a word, and they left. It wasn't until they were out of the restaurant that Rarity finally spoke her mind. "I cannot believe that!" She said loudly, drawing a few stares from passerby.

"Rarity…" Grace warned quietly. She didn't think she'd get the Element of Generosity to stop, but she at least hoped she'd quiet down a little bit. But Rarity was frustrated, and nothing could really stop her when she was this put off.

"Why does one little peck on the cheek almost get us kicked out?" Rarity continued. "I have half a mind to go back in there and—mmph!"

Her sentence was cut off by Pinkie pressing her lips to hers, pulling the purple haired woman into a tight embrace. As they held the kiss, Grace felt her cheeks warming up, and she forced herself to look away. A moment later, the two women broke apart, breathless smiles on both of their faces. "Better?" Pinkie asked after taking a bit of a breath.

Rarity chuckled a little. "You always know how to calm me down, Pinkie Pie."

"Of course!"

"Just… give me a little warning next time, alright?" Rarity gently caressed her girlfriend's face. It was times like these she was thankful for the spontaneity of her girlfriend.

"Seems I missed something." They all looked around to find Vanna approaching them, a small smile on the metal worker's face.

"Vanna!" Grace said in surprise.

"You're all done with your business?" Rarity said, neither she or Pinkie letting the other go.

"It went by a lot faster than I thought," Vanna said with a shrug. "So after I was done, I got changed and came after you guys to see if I could catch you."

"Seems you caught us!" Pinkie said.

"Lucky me."

"What did you mean by you got changed?" Rarity asked. "That's the same ensemble you were wearing earlier."

"I had to change into something more… businesslike," Vanna said. "The people I met with don't like it when I'm being casual."

"I understand completely, darling. So we have a bit of time left. Shall we be off?"

"Sure. I'm up for it."

Babylon's Gate was located in a small alcove like patio area, the patio itself decorated like an overgrown garden. The entrance to the club was shaped like a large golden gate, and when the four of them entered, it was like walking into another world. The lights were low, there was soft, jazzy music playing, and there was quiet conversation all over. They took a seat in a large, velvety semicircle couch near one far wall. "Ugh, this brings back memories," Rarity said with a small frown.

"Memories of what?" Grace asked.

"We went to a club with Tyr once," Pinkie said. "Rarity had too much to drink."

"I did not!" Rarity snapped. "I just… overestimated my limit."

"I think that's called having too much to drink," Vanna said with a laugh. "No worries. I'll order you guys some non-alcoholic drinks."

Vanna got up and went over to the bar. "So you never told us how you met Vanna, Grace," Rarity said.

"You're still on this?" Grace whined, exasperated.

"Of course! I may not be Princess of Love like Princess Cadance, but I still want my friends to find love!"

"Rarity, please…"

"Come, just tell me!"

"Well, I went by Vanna's shop to ask for a new sword…"

"Hey, you're not carrying it!" Pinkie said, leaning over the table.

"A spell I learned," Grace said. She held up her wrist, where a small blade charm hung from a bracelet on it. "This way I can carry it without it being obvious."

"That's really cool!"

"What's cool?" Vanna came back, four drinks held in his hands. He set three of them down on the table before sitting back down beside Grace.

"I made it easier to carry the sword you gave me," Grace said, holding up the charm. Vanna, intrigued, took hold of her hand so that he could look closer. He completely missed the blush on her face.

"Well, I'll be. Magic sure is useful, isn't it?"

"Yeah…"

Vanna noticed her embarrassment then, and let go of her hand. "…Sorry."

"Oh, come on you two!" Rarity said, exasperated. "Vanna, just ask the girl out already!"

The metalsmith and the knight stared at her for a long minute. "…Well, damn," Vanna said after bit.

"Sorry," Grace said softly.

"Nah, I've been thinking about it, actually."

Grace stared at him. "…really?"

"Yeah. Ever since you came into my shop. You want to… maybe go on a date or something sometime?" Vanna sighed. "That was stupidly put, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Grace giggled. "But I got the gist of it. I'd love to go on a date with you, Vanna."

"Oh, this is wonderful!" Rarity said, clapping her hands lightly. "Hopefully you won't offend anyone's 'sensibilities'."

"I can see how I would," Vanna said. "But how would Grace?"

"What?" Rarity frowned.

"You guys would be two girls dating, right?" Pinkie asked, of course taking the blunt route. "Don't people think that's weird?"

Vanna and Grace looked at each other for a moment before breaking out into laughter. "You never told them, flame-hair?" Vanna asked.

"I never got the chance to," Grace said.

"I feel like we're missing something here," Rarity said slowly.

"I'm not a girl," Vanna said, grinning. "I just like dressing as one."

"…oh? Oh! I must have been so insensitive…!"

"No, you never offended me, Rarity. It actually makes me a little happy that I managed to convince you two otherwise."

Rarity turned to Grace. "You knew? All this time?"

"Like I said, I tried to tell you girls." Grace smiled. "When you work with living people a lot, it's not that hard to tell at a glance."

"Oh my… I'm sorry for assuming…"

"It's okay, really."

"Well, I certainly feel awful now…"

Vanna smiled. "Hey, don't sweat it. It all worked out in the end."

"So you're still okay modelling for me?"

"Yeah. I like wearing dresses. That weird?"

Rarity shook her head. Surely, she had never met a stallion in Equestria that liked dressing in female clothing, but most ponies didn't wear clothing anyway. Plus, she had been exposed to a lot of different things after coming to the human world. And on top of that, Vanna looked feminine enough to pass for a woman with no work involved at all. "I do not think it you are weird at all, Vanna."

"I guess it doesn't help I have a feminine name," Vanna chuckled a bit.

"Nope!" Pinkie said, taking a break from chugging her drink. "Totally thought you were a girl!"

"How did you get into… um…" Rarity tried to find the word she wanted to use. Grace supplied it to her.

"Crossdressing?"

"Yes! That. How did you start doing that?"

Vanna thought for a moment. "Well, you can easily tell my body type doesn't give way to people guessing I'm actually a guy. I'm naturally slender, and that's been the way of things since I was little. A lot of my older relatives used to think I was a girl and would always give me girl's clothes. And it just kinda went from there."

"You never told them?" Pinkie asked.

"I enjoyed wearing the clothes, so I never bothered. Got me bullied in high school though. That's where I met Tyr." Vanna smiled. "Tall bastard was the top of our class and scary as hell. Unless you actually spoke to him, you'd think he'd hurt you just for looking at him."

"Tyr's not that scary," Pinkie complained.

"I agree," Rarity said. "Tyr is a veritable sweetheart."

"He's softened up a bit since then," Vanna said, shrugging and sipping at his drink. "Back then, I think he was still torn up about his parents."

"Tyr did tell us he lost his parents at a young age," Rarity murmured thoughtfully. Vanna nodded.

"Yeah. So he kept to himself, never got into any trouble, and kept his grades high. And then he met me."

"You were crossdressing back then?" Pinkie asked. She was focused on the story: she always loved listening to stories.

"Heh, yeah. After hearing that Tyr was the guy nailing top grades all the time, I approached him for tutoring. I was really bad in school, cause if it doesn't come to metal, I'm a dunce." Vanna grinned. "Tall bastard thought I was trying to hit on him."

"What!?" Grace covered her mouth as she giggled. "Really?"

"I mean, when you look like I do with waist length hair and wearing long skirts and whatnot, I can pass for a really pretty girl. So after clearing all that up…" Vanna laughed. "Tyr offered to help me. And that was the beginning of our friendship. The tall, scary genius and the crossdresser. What a pair, huh?"

"You two do seem like an awfully mismatched pair," Rarity said.

"Well, it worked out. Tyr was into fixing things even back then, so I made all his tools. In return, he kept me from getting picked on and helped me with school. We were real close."

"Wow," Pinkie murmured.

"Yeah, until he went to the police academy. I didn't see him much until after he was out. By then he was a different person… but still my friend." Vanna smiled softly. "But then he met you guys, and then he was yet again, another person. But better. And still Tyr."

"We didn't change him that much," Rarity claimed.

"No, I figure that little girl did. After he adopted Sherry, he was a lot happier than I'd ever seen him. That girl really did change his life. And you guys are making a change in him that can only be for the better."

"You really think highly of Tyr, don't you?" Grace asked.

"That I do," Vanna confirmed. He downed what was left of his drink in one gulp. "He deserves to be happy, and I'll be damned if I won't be wearing a dress at his wedding as his best man."

The girls laughed. "Well, we should be going," Rarity said, glancing at her watch. "We don't want to be late."

"Right. Let's get going girls," Grace said, getting up. She bumped into a young girl with an instrument case as she did. "Oh, sorry!"

"No biggie," Anastasia said, readjusting her headphones. She paused at seeing Grace's face. "…I recognize you."

"You're Jehu's other daughter, right? Anastasia?" Rarity asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I play here sometimes," Ana said with a small smile. "I play viola."

"Oh, it's almost a shame we'll miss it."

Ana frowned. "My music is on the radio sometimes. Just listen to the jazz station."

"Oh wow!" Pinkie said. "Are you famous?"

"Not particularly. I just play good music." She glanced up at the stage. "If you excuse me, I have to set up."

"Ah, don't let us keep you," Grace said, moving aside. Ana walked on, putting a hand into the air in passing. The four of them watched the young girl leave. "…Wow."

"She is nothing like her sisters," Rarity said.

"Yeah, she's super quiet!" Pinkie complained.

Vanna was quiet for a long time. "…That girl had the same kind of eyes that Tyr had after he left the force," He said quietly. The girls didn't hear him, but he was right. Those eyes full of pain, of seeing too much too quickly. Those eyes of someone who was trained to kill. He shivered. He hated looks like that.

"Did you say something, Vanna?" Grace asked.

"I said that girl had pretty eyes." Vanna lied. "Come on, we should hurry."

The fashion show went off without a hitch. Not a single person could tell that Vanna was a guy under all the makeup and accessories, and even Grace looked stunning in the bright, colorful dresses Rarity made. Pinkie managed to not bounce around as she modelled the pink and white frilly number she was put in. The fashionista found them after the show in their shared dressing room. "That. Was. FABULOUS!" Rarity squealed, giggling. "You all looked wonderful!"

"I felt so embarrassed!" Grace said, tugging at the neckline of her dress. "Why did every dress have to show off my legs!"

"You do have pretty legs, flame-hair," Vanna said with a grin.

"You're taller than me—you should have worn them!"

"I think Vanna looked better in the long ones," Pinkie said. "I was just happy mine were bright!"

"You all looked great, and did great." Rarity smiled. "Thank you all for doing this for me."

"Anything for you, Rare-bear!" Pinkie giggled.

Grace nodded. "I was happy to help."

"Same here," Vanna said. "Don't hesitate to ask me to do this again."

Rarity bowed low. "Thank you all. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"Rarity…" Grace murmured.

"Aw, you always do this!" Pinkie laughed and embraced her girlfriend. She took Rarity's face between her hands and looked into her eyes. "You don't need to be so modest, Rare-bear! We're your friends—of course we'd help out!"

"The crazy one has a point," Vanna said. "Don't worry about it."

Rarity smiled. "…Thank you all. As a show of my gratitude, you may keep the dresses you have on."

Grace and Vanna paused. "…Really?"

"Yes. Please, I want you to take them."

"Alright… if you say so…"

"Let's get going, shall we?" Grace smiled. "I do kinda have work in the morning."

"Same," Vanna agreed, stretching. "It's been fun, but I got metal to shape."

They left the hall, Rarity being stopped by plenty of photographers and other designers complimenting her on her creations. There were a lot of pictures taken, and by the time they were outside, they were even more tired than before. "I regret not changing now," Grace murmured.

"You look too good in that, darling!" Rarity said. "I must get you more dresses to wear."

"Really, Rarity, that's alright."

"I mean—hey!" A man in a hooded jacket bumped into Rarity, almost knocking her over. "Watch where you're going!"

"Hold a moment," Vanna said, glancing from Rarity to the rapidly retreating man. "Oi! Pickpocket!"

"My purse!" Rarity cried as the hooded man broke into a run. "He stole my purse!"

"Damn! I can't chase him in this dress!"

"I've got it," Grace said calmly, her magic flaring to life. A trio of needles pulled themselves out of her bag, snapping to attention before shooting after the man. All three thudded into his back, and he slumped to the ground, unmoving.

"Dear Celestia!" Rarity breathed.

"Whoa!" Pinkie agreed.

Vanna glanced over at Grace, an amused smile on his face. "…Nice shot, flame-hair."

They began walking over to the downed man. "He isn't… dead, is he?" Rarity asked worriedly. Grace simply shook her head.

"Pressure points. He's paralyzed until I decide to pull the needles out."

They reached the man, who was still trying to move. Rarity snatched her purse away. "Brute," She snapped.

Pinkie knelt down and poked the frozen man. "This is funny! Poke, poke!"

"Stop that, Pinkie-winkle."

"Aw…"

Vanna frowned. The man had waited until Rarity had noticed her purse was gone to start running, when he could have made it to the nearby alley if he had been running from the start. He had wanted them to chase him? The metalsmith, with his trained eyes for detail, noticed movement from his peripheral vision. There were more people in that alley. "Hey girls? Let's go. Grace, let him up once we're gone."

"Something up, Vanna?" Grace asked, frowning at her friend.

"No… nothing much." He would be sure to give Tyr a call later.