Mister Small and Handsome

Rarity, fashionista and seamstress nonpareil, was in line at the carrot stand at the Ponyville market place. As the line moved forward she accidentally bumped into the pony in front of her.

"Oh, I am sorry." Rarity apologised.

"No problem." Said the pony, turning around to revealing a familiar bow tie and pimple-covered face.

Rarity gasped. It was the nerdy-looking pony she had once flirted with in order to convince him to give Fluttershy the last asparagus in the market.

"Oh... hello, again." Rarity said awkwardly.

"Hi." The bespectacled stallion replied.

"You're looking well." Rarity told him. "And just as handsome as you were the last-"

"Save it." The stallion cut her off. "I know you were only acting interested in me before because you wanted me to give your friend the last asparagus."

"Oh." Rarity deflated.

"It's okay, though." Said the stallion. "Truth be told, I liked the attention, if it wasn't entirely truthful. I can't remember the last time a mare talked to me like that."

Rarity felt a twinge of guilt. She had thought her bout of flirting was relatively harmless, but now, she was thinking otherwise. This stallion clearly had some self-image problems.

"I... never formally introduced myself, did I?" She asked. "My name is Rarity."

"I'm Poindexter." The stallion declared, shaking her hoof.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance." Rarity smiled.

"Same here." Poindexter grinned.

By then, Poindexter had reached the front of the queue, and turned to face the stallvendor. The vendor in question was an earth pony mare with a brown mane and an off-white coat. Her eyes were blue, and her cutie mark was a single bit. She wasn't what Rarity would classify as "stunningly beautiful"; More like "moderately pretty".

"Hi, 'Dex." The mare nodded, showing familiarity with him.

"H-hi, Penny." Poindexter stuttered.

Rarity couldn't help noticing how nervous and flustered Poindexter was acting around her. Throughout his transaction, he had a shaky grin and a sweaty brow. When Penny smiled at him, his cheeks flared bright red. Once she had made her own purchase, Rarity quickly trotted after him.

"And who, pray tell, is this Penny?" She asked.

"Just a friend." Poindexter blushed.

"It looks to me like you want her to be more then just your friend." Rarity smiled knowingly. "Am I right?"

"Well, maybe..." Poindexter mumbled.

"I knew it!" Rarity smirked. "I know what a stallion looks like when he's infatuated!"

"But she wouldn't want me to be her coltfriend." Poindexter sighed. "Let's face it, what mare would? Just look at me!"

"Oh, pish-posh." Rarity waved her hoof dismissively. "Everypony knows it's what's inside that counts! Then again, a makeover wouldn't hurt... And I know just the place to get one!"

Rarity used her unicorn magic to push Poindexter across Ponyville, kicking up a cloud of dust and gouging a trail into the ground.

"No, really." Poindexter protested, struggling to break free. "There's no need to go to any trouble on my account."

"It's no trouble at all!" Rarity declared, galloping beside him. "Besides, making other ponies look fabulous is my raison d'etre!"

That much was true. Rarity didn't wield the Element of Generosity for nothing. At her core, she was a truly selfless and giving pony. She felt as if it was her duty to help this stallion who was so lacking in self-confidence, not just to make up for her small manipulation, but because she truly wanted to help him.

Rarity pushed Poindexter right into the local spa.

"Ladies, I have a customer for you!" Rarity told the owners, Aloe and Lotus. "Give him the once over, and put it on my tab!" She lowered her voice and whispered into Aloe's ear. "And, er, be sure to use the strongest facial treatment you have..."

Still protesting, Poindexter was dragged into one of the spa's many treatment rooms. Rarity took a seat on one of the waiting room's chairs, picked up a magazine, and started reading.

Before long, Poindexter returned, looking like a changed stalllion. His mane and tail looked shiny and full-bodied, and his face was free of pimples, Not much could have been done about his slightly-oversized teeth, but they had been whitened to a brilliant shine.

"Darling, you look marvelous!" Rarity declared.

"You really think so?" Poindexter smiled shyly.

"Of course." Rarity nodded. "Now, we move on to phase two!"

"Phase two?" Poindexter asked, before Rarity's horn lit up once again, and she pushed him out of the spa.

Running right behind him, Rarity catapulted Poindexter into Carousel Boutique.

"Okay, now all you need is a little wardrobe upgrade." Rarity declared. "Dress for success, as it were!"

Deaf to any and all protests Poindexter had, Rarity had the stallion try on practically every item of male clothing in her Boutique. Eventually, she traded his green checkered bow tie for a black velvet model, his taped up coke-bottom lenses for half-moon frames, and placed a feathered-topped blue hat on his head.

"There." Rarity smiled, using her magic to pull over a mirror. "Take a look."

"Wow." Poindexter gasped. "I look... good!"

"Of course you do, darling." Rarity agreed. "Now then, on to phase three."

"Phrase three?" Poindexter repeated. "What's phase three?"

"Why, asking the lovely Penny out, of course." Rarity grinned.

"No, no, I can't..." Poindexter stuttered.

"Of course you can!" Rarity encouraged him. "You like her, and I know she likes you."

"Sh-she does?" Poindexter smiled hopefully. "How can you tell?"

"A true romantic can always tell." Rarity declared confidently. "The way she smiled at you, how her eyes did sparkle... I would stake my professional reputation on it!"

"Well, if you say so..." Poindexter murmured. "What should I do?"

"Just be confident, darling." Rarity adjusted his bow tie. "Just ask her out to a lunch date, and see how she reacts."

"Okay, I guess..." Poindexter shrugged. "What have I got to lose?"

The two returned to the marketplace. Penny was in the process of closing up her stand. While Rarity watched from a distance, Poindexter gingerly approached her.

"Hey, 'Dex." Penny smiled. She performed a double take. "Whoa, what happened to you? You look good!"

"Oh, you reallly think so?" Poindexter tugged nervously at his new bowtie. "Um, Penny, I have something I'd like to ask you..."

"Go ahead." Penny nodded.

"Would you... like to go to lunch... with me?" Poindexter stuttered.

"You mean like... on a date?" Penny asked.

"I guess so, yeah..." Poindexter mumbled.

"Okay." Penny smiled.

"Oh, that's alright." Poindexter sighed. "I guess Rarity was wr- Did you just say 'Okay'?"

"Yes." Penny chuckled. "Truth be told, I've been waiting for you to ask me out every day for the past month."

"You have?" Poindexter gasped. "Why didn't you, you know, ask me instead?"

"I was afraid you'd say 'no'." Penny admitted. "Pretty silly, huh?"

"Not as silly as you'd think." Poindexter grinned knowingly.

"Just let me grab my things, and we can go to lunch." Penny smiled.

"Okay." Poindexter smiled back.

As Penny went around the back of her stall, Rarity saw fit to come out of hiding.

"Everything went according to plan, I see?" She smiled.

"Yep." Poindexter grinned. "Thanks, Rarity. I don't know how to repay you."

"Think nothing of it, darling." Rarity waved her hoof modestly. "It was my pleasure."

As Poindexter joined Penny, and the two trotted off for their lunch date, Rarity smiled to herself. Helping others always felt so good, and this time was no different.

"Have fun, you two lovebirds." She said quietly, before gleefully trotting home.

The End.

(My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all associated characters are the property of Lauren Faust and Hasbro.)