A/N: And for this chapter, you'd best be familiar with "I'll Make a Man Out of You," also from Mulan.

102. Brides to Be

LESHOU, CHINA, THE LAND OF DRAGONS

By the time Spike returned to the kitchen, Rarity had finished with breakfast. "Ready to go?" she asked.

"Yeah!" Spike answered before he was undercut by a rather obvious stomach growl. "Uh…so I guess I got excited, and I forgot all about breakfast…"

Rarity delicately handed him a muffin. "You'll need your strength for the day, dear."

"Thanks…" Spike blushed as he took the muffin from Rarity.

She wondered if she'd perhaps gone overboard again in her phrasing. She knew that Spike held feelings for her, but he truly was just a child. She found him adorable as one might find a cherished younger cousin adorable, but in her mind, she couldn't see a scenario in which she would ever be interested in him. She certainly didn't want to crush his heart ruthlessly, however. Her hope had been that as time went on, his affections might fade. After all, she believed he would make quite a cute couple with Sweetie Belle. It seemed that wasn't about to happen, though.

She had to figure out a way to let him down once and for all. It would need to be done with tact, however. The last thing she wanted to do was lose Spike's friendship. He was wonderful company, so loyal and polite.

For now, she thought it best to move on to other things. "Shall we get going?" she asked once Spike had finished the muffin.

"All right!" Spike pumped his fists excitedly.

...

Fa Li was mildly stunned when she found Rarity and Spike waiting for her outside her door. "Oh…hello," she greeted. "I thought you and the others had already left for training."

"Well…the others did leave with your daughter," Rarity clarified. "I'm hanging back for a while. I'll catch up to them in a bit."

"Is everything all right?" Li asked with concern.

"Oh, yes." Rarity nodded. "I just…well, I had some things I had to sort out. In the meantime, I'm waiting on a message before I depart, but since Mulan is away, I thought you just might need an extra set of hands or two around the farm."

"How kind of you," Li replied. "I'd hate to make a guest work, however – "

"Please, don't think of me as a guest," Rarity begged of her. "Today, I am a volunteer."

"Me too!" Spike said excitedly.

Li nodded. She was glad to have extra help, even if only for a day. "In which case, I thank you. It would be a great help to me if you could feed the chickens and gather the eggs while I tend to the stables."

"A wonderful suggestion," Rarity sighed, relieved. "I don't quite work with horses, you see." She wondered if she ever would get used to seeing them as creatures of lower sentience on these other worlds, and wondered why Equestria (apparently "fourth" in line as it was) seemed to be in the minority in that regard.

Li gave Rarity directions as to where to find a bag of feed for the many chickens on the Fa estate, and Spike was directed to the coop. It was agreed upon that Rarity would go on first, so as to lead the hens off their nests, and Spike was explicitly told how many eggs to take.

Rarity hefted the large feed bag out to the middle of the yard, dipping in a hand and sprinkling an arc of grains across the ground. A flurry of hens descended upon it, pecking away. More and more chickens arrived, and Rarity realized she had doled out nowhere near enough. Handful by handful, she attempted to sate the hunger of all the chickens.

"This is rather tedious," she muttered to herself. "Surely there must be a more efficient way to do this, and I envy whoever figured it out."

The chickens eventually figured out that the grains were coming from Rarity's bag, and those impatient hens that hadn't yet eaten decided to go straight for the source.

"What are you doing?" Rarity backed up as soon as the hens mobilized to charge. "STOP! STOP IT, I COMMAND YOU!"

Within a few minutes, Spike brought a basket full of eggs up to Li. "Is this okay?" he asked.

Li nodded. "It's perfect."

"Well, I couldn't have done it without Rarity's help," Spike admitted. "If she hadn't fed the chickens so well and gotten them off their nests, I don't know how I would've done this. That's the thing about Rarity. You can always count on her to get a job done well AND in style!"

This statement was punctuated by Rarity, hounded by hungry chickens, barreling across the yard with her feed bag and screaming, "GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU DISORDERLY, ILL-MANNERED CREATURES!"

...

Eventually, chickens were fed, and the rest of the farm was taken to. It was then only midmorning as in the dining room of the Fa family house, the slightly disheveled Rarity brought a tray laden with a steaming teapot and five warm cups of tea to the table where Li, Zhou, and Grandmother sat. Spike eagerly followed her, boasting, "Fresh boiled tea on dragon flame!"

"Thank you," Zhou said sincerely as Rarity put a cup before him.

"So why didn't you go with your friends, again?" Grandmother asked as she was given her own cup.

"Things to take care of," Rarity answered, hoping not to have to deal with the question.

"I was worried that you were scared to get into battle," Grandmother continued, "but then you went a round with the chickens. After fighting them off, an invading army would be a cakewalk."

"I've never met a more ungrateful flock of animals in my life," Rarity growled as she sat down to her own cup of tea. Spike took a chair next to her, claiming the last cup. He downed the hot drink in a few swallows; as a dragon, to him, boiling liquids only tasted as warm as water left out in the sun. Rarity, on the other hand, sipped her tea delicately, attempting to make up for her graceless run from the flock of fowl by making the simple act of drinking tea as poised as possible.

"You certainly have helped out a lot today," Li pointed out. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off and go into town?"

"You're sure you don't need me?" Rarity asked her.

"Between the two of you and me, we've gotten most everything done," Li confirmed. "I think you deserve some time to go relax. Besides, you're new here. It might be beneficial to spend some time familiarizing yourself."

"Why, then, I believe I shall take you up on that offer," Rarity decided. "I was thinking how nice it would be to do some window shopping."

"If your message comes to our address," Li told her, "one of us will be by to deliver it to you."

"And I'll check in in the evening," Rarity promised. "Spike?"

"Yeah?" Spike replied, already looking forward to what was coming.

"We're going out on the town," Rarity announced.

...

Downtown, not much had changed from the day before. The streets were still thick with people, and the shops offered many displays of enticing wares.

"What are you gonna look for first?" Spike asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Rarity replied. "I'm going to seek out a fabric shop. I'd been meaning to create something a little more…fitting for our journey, after all. Something inconspicuous that one can be mobile in. Though I'd like to keep the long skirt motif if I can get away with it. The gowns here are incredibly classy."

It didn't take long for them to locate such a shop. Fabrics of all sorts were on display on long rolls: deep blues, bright reds, cheerful yellows. Rarity, however, was on a mission; her dream design was clear in her mind. She passed up all the brighter shades in favor of a pure, jet black.

As Rarity unrolled the ebony cloth, she was suddenly aware of five feminine voices speaking near another section of the shop:

"I don't know…do you think this goes with this?"

"I don't see why not."

"I just really don't want to mess it up and turn up in a dress that doesn't match…"

"Your mother will point it out if it doesn't match."

"For the love of – will you just pick already?"

"I think it's beautiful."

"I…sorta think it's wrong. Ew."

Rarity leaned in close to Spike. "I can hear a fashion crisis from a mile away. I'm needed!"

"Do whatcha gotta do!" Spike flashed her a thumbs-up.

"Excuse me!" Rarity approached the five young women huddled over the fabrics in question: a deep green overlaid on lavender. Already, Rarity's lip turned up in disgust. "Oh…dear."

The quintet looked to her with matching expressions of mild surprise. Rarity surveyed them all. The one closest to her, she would have described as looking all-around average in comparison to all the humans she'd observed in her travels: average height, average build. The second was short by comparison, and quite thin. The third was neither very tall nor very short, and where her sleeves were tight around her shoulders, it was apparent that she had a bit more muscle on her body than the others. The fourth was short, with a rounded, heavyset figure. The fifth was the tallest of them all, over six feet in height, somewhat towering.

"It seems you have a question regarding these fabrics?" Rarity went on.

"Yes," the third, she of the solid upper body physique, said anxiously. "Today's the day we're all appointed to be approved by the town matchmaker…and we have to look our best. I have no idea what to wear at all. I'm terrified of turning up in the wrong outfit. What if she takes one look at me and says I'm unfit to ever wed?"

"That's never happened in the history of ever," the fourth huffed.

"Even Fa Mulan was only dismissed after she set the matchmaker on fire!" the first offered jovially, believing she was sincerely helping the case by stating that.

"Logically," the second offered, "you're judged more on your actions and behavior than what you wear. It shouldn't make a difference."

"Who even cares?" the fifth huffed.

"What do you think?" The anxious woman kept her gaze fixed on Rarity, since her friends seemed to be less than helpful in this particular case.

"Well…to be honest, I think that color combination is positively hideous," Rarity said frankly.

"Oh, I knew it!" the anxious woman practically howled. "See? This is why I KNOW I'm going to fail! I can't even put COLORS together!"

"Oh, my, dear," Rarity gushed in a syrupy, soothing tone, "you're only unable to see it clearly because you're obviously under a lot of stress! Were the circumstances different and less pressure on you, then surely you would be better equipped to make these judgment calls. Why don't you stand back and breathe deeply while I lend you a bit of a hand?" She rolled the lavender toward a royal blue. "This lavender would make an excellent accent on a gown of this color. If, however, you were more inclined to the green…" She overlaid it on a light gray. "This would be the direction to go."

"You're right!" the anxious young woman cried. "Those BOTH look better!"

"Who even are you?" the tall woman asked in a deep monotone.

"Me?" Rarity chuckled. "Why, I'm just your average connoisseur of the fashion arts."

"I've never seen you here before," the short, slender woman remarked. "You must be from out of town. In fact, you look like you're from out of the country."

"I am a traveler, yes," Rarity confirmed. "But in my mind, there's always time to take a break from travel in order to solve a couture dilemma. Will that be all…or is there anything else you wish to have my help with?"

"Well…" the nervous woman said hurriedly. "I really don't want to trouble you or keep you from important things. I'll figure out the rest on my own…"

"Actually," the short and thin woman observed, "I think she really WANTS to help out more."

"Oh!" This surprised the high-strung woman. "Well, if you want to help, then I also have no idea what jewelry to wear or how to put up my hair. And that's just the fashion things…but then again, that seems to be what you know best." She tried to lighten the situation with a forced giggle.

"Well, first of all," Rarity said as though a professor speaking to a room of students, "before I can properly assist in creating an ensemble, I must know more about the occasion. You said you were meeting up with some sort of…matchmaker?"

"You really are from out of town," the tall woman droned.

"You don't know about how matchmaking works here?" the tiny woman queried.

"Well, I can draw a few conclusions from the word alone," Rarity admitted – Spike, in the meantime, was watching from around the corner of one of the racks, listening intently to the conversation – "but I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to guess at the exact procedures in this region."

The tiny woman cleared her throat, sensing her time had come. "In order to begin consideration for eligibility for marriage," she explained, "all women of a certain age have to be evaluated by a matchmaker for suitability as a wife. If a woman passes, then the matchmaker meets with her family and the family of a prospective groom to discuss marriage. They make sure the man and the woman are compatible, and then arrange the marriage between the two of them."

"I'm sorry," Rarity interjected, bewildered. "Did you say 'ARRANGE'? And am I misunderstanding, or do you not meet the man you're going to marry before he's picked out for you?"

"You understood correctly!" the small woman proclaimed. "Though you don't seem too happy about it."

"That's because I'm absolutely NOT!" Rarity cried. "You can't simply marry someone because someone else TOLD you to! What about LOVE? What about building a FRIENDSHIP?"

"If two people are committed to sticking together and working through the hard times no matter what," the small woman went on, "then love blooms. It happened with all of our parents. Sometimes it does go sour, but there's more than enough time to build a friendship once the wedding has taken place. After all, our families will already have made sure we're compatible."

"At least that's how it looks on paper," the tall woman snorted.

"Bao!" the heavyset woman snapped. "We don't need you to be negative about this ON OUR EVALUATION DAY."

"I…I've thought about that before," she of moderate height and build admitted. "It does sound like a beautiful thing…falling in love with someone out of the blue and marrying the perfect person after you've found them. But that's just not how it works."

"I don't really mind," the nervous woman contributed. "At all. I'm just afraid that I'm not really…lovable. Whoever he is, I just KNOW I'm going to end up falling so hard for him, but he's going to find out that I'm a wreck and see nothing in me. There isn't much to see."

"Don't talk like that, Min!" the averagely-proportioned woman urged. "There's plenty about you to love!"

"I take it marriages aren't arranged where you're from," the tiny woman deduced, addressing Rarity.

"Not at all!" Rarity confirmed sternly. "Why, the very idea…it makes me sick!" Yet seeing the look of near-devastation on Min's face from all that worrying that she would make a fatal mistake, Rarity decided to put aside her reservations. After all, when in the Crystal Empire, you do as the Crystal Ponies do. "But…even though I might not like the idea, I can tell it's important to you. If you still want my help getting ready to meet this…matchmaker, I'm more than willing to assist!"

"Oh, thank you," Min sighed gratefully. "You have no idea how scared I am that I'll fail!"

"I…think I have a bit of an idea," Rarity informed her. "Your hands are shaking, dear."

"They are?" Min clasped her hands together. "How can I pour tea like this?"

"Well, you pour tea for yourself, don't you?" Rarity asked her.

Min nodded.

"You've just got to pretend, when the time comes, that it's simply your own personal teatime and you're not being evaluated," Rarity advised. "We can discuss that more later. First, we've got to get you into the proper gowns. Oh, but even before that, if we're going to be working together, we've got to undergo introductions! My name is Rarity, and back there behind that rack of exquisite fabrics is my friend Spike."

"Ohhhh!" the small woman observed. "Your guardian is a dragon!"

"Yup!" Spike revealed, stepping out into view. Now that he'd been pointed out by Rarity, he was obviously visible to all. "That's me!"

"Well, Rarity, it's nice to meet you," the woman of average height and optimistic disposition proclaimed. "My name is Ye Fen!"

The short, thin woman who'd explained the matchmaking tradition nodded. "My name is Liao Ai."

"And I'm Dai Min," said the worried woman whose lament over complementary colors had started it all.

"I'm Gu Lim!" the short, rounded woman cried happily."

The tall woman sighed, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. "Duan Bao," she droned.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you!" Rarity replied enthusiastically.

"Thank you again," Min emphasized, "for helping me out with, well…being a woman."

"It's no trouble at all," Rarity told her. "And I can help you out with a few more of the delicate arts like tea-pouring if you need it. But…well, I know I shouldn't judge, but as much as I appreciate the elegant femininity of a gorgeous gown or a casual teatime, I wouldn't by any means say that's what makes you a woman. Being a woman is far more complex than dressing up and enacting a few skills, you know." She stared Min down hard, hoping she would absorb what Rarity was saying.

"I'm…not sure I understand?" Min replied meekly.

Rarity shook her head. "It's all right." Perhaps weightier opinions were best kept off the discussion table at the moment. "For the sake of simplicity, we'll use your terminology. It appears my task is to…make women out of you." She looked over the five friends. "I'll admit, the phrase has a nice ring to it. All right, then! We'll have you stun that matchmaker speechless! Show her what it means to be a woman! And we'll begin with the dresses."

Rarity unrolled a length of the lavender cloth that Min had been fussing over earlier. As she did so, her tone transferred from speech to song: "Let's get down to business, starting with this dress! We've got one matchmaker that we must impress! You may have your qualms when first we start, but I'll impart wisdom that's true! Ladies, I'll make women out of you!"

...

Rarity's eye for fashion soon had the five friends clad in resplendent gowns. Fen was bedecked in brilliant red and gold, Ai was clothed in soft cherry-blossom pink, Min ended up choosing blue and lavender, Lim found herself quite enjoying a combination of lavender and white, and Bao remarked that the sea-blue and white gown she wore "could have been a lot worse."

"Now, as for the hair and face," Rarity explained, "I'll demonstrate on Min. Pay attention to what I do."

...

In a nearby salon, Rarity was given free reign over Min's hair, which she gently folded and pinned with hair sticks. "Hair is like an art form, where you choose the style!" she sang. "You have to be creative…" Pinning the last of Min's locks, Rarity steered her subject toward a mirror. When Min saw how Rarity had fixed her coiffure, she was immediately visibly cheerful.

"…Now, let's paint that smile!" Rarity concluded happily.

Sitting in front of Min as Spike, Fen, Ai, Lim, and Bao watched, Rarity first applied a coat of white to Min's face, then went to work lining her eyes. "If you choose the shades like matching paints, then the artwork will shine through! That's how I'll make women out of you!"

She turned to face the others. "Remember," she told Fen, Ai, Lim, and Bao, "your hair offers a lot of versatility, and when you apply any makeup to the face, you have to cross-check it against the colors of your outfit. Like…" She selected a brush, then dipped it in a lip paint that was subtle enough not to clash with purple or blue before sweeping it over Min's lips. "…So."

She turned back to the group at large. "What else did you have to do in order to earn approval, again?"

Once she asked the question, the other four let their own insecurities show. "I haven't memorized the admonition!" Fen admitted.

"I actually spill tea quite often," Ai added.

"They twirl those parasols, and I don't think I can!" Lim huffed.

"The matchmaker's got 'em scared to death!" Spike emphasized.

"We'll have to find a way to shake it off, then," Rarity said with a wave of the hand.

And behind the rest of the group, quietly, Bao muttered, "I think this is too much trouble to get a man!"

...

"BE WOMEN!" Min, Fen, Ai, Lim, and Bao sang out as the latter four went to work styling their hair and faces.

"You can be calm as a sparkling river!" Rarity crooned.

"BE WOMEN!" the five chorused.

"But have the force of a great typhoon!" Rarity went on.

"BE WOMEN!"

"Your passion burns like a raging fire! And you will shine like the bright side of the moon!"

...

Rarity had addressed each of the others' issues at a time. She read through the speeches they were expected to recite, and Ai was an expert at coming up with neat mnemonics to connect the words. Rarity then led the five friends in practice of synchronized parasol handling until Lim was finally able to gracefully maneuver hers without smacking Bao in the stomach. Finally, each of the seven poured his or her own cup of tea, and they took a break to drink the steaming liquid and relax.

"So are we done?" Lim asked. "Having to be poised and fashionable while doing every single this-and-that is getting really annoying."

"We aren't done quite yet," Rarity told her. "I do believe we covered everything you wished to know in terms of the matchmaking…but as much as I've truly enjoyed getting to help out with the artistic and fashionable endeavors, it still doesn't quite ring true to me that you're all learning this in the name of conformity. That's why I wanted to teach you all one last skill that you in all likelihood WON'T be appraised on, but it's something I've come to realize is rather important anyway."

...

She'd managed to haggle with the arms shop for six relatively cheap bows and a couple handfuls of arrows. Down an unused alley, six crude wooden targets – painted barrels – were set up.

"One last thing that I think every woman should know!" Rarity sang. "How to fight for yourself, in this case, with a bow!" She picked up one of the bows, nocking an arrow. "Hold it up like this, take aim, let fly, and your arrow should be true!" She let go of the bowstring, sending the arrow right into the bullseye of the target. "This can help make women out of you!"

"Be women!" Fen resolved, though when she tried to fit an arrow to her bow, she fumbled, and the arrow fell to the ground. Rarity put a hand on her shoulder and gave her an encouraging nod; Fen picked it back up to try again.

"You can be calm as a sparkling river!" Rarity reminded them all.

"Be women!" Ai proclaimed as her arrow hit the outer ring.

"But have the force of a great typhoon!" Rarity added.

"Be women!" Lim cried; her arrow hit an inner ring, and she immediately picked up another to try again.

"Your passion burns like a raging fire!" Rarity encouraged.

Bao's arrow hit the barrel, but not the target area, inspiring frustration within her. She put down the bow and snapped an arrow in half over her knee; Rarity flinched, deciding to move on.

"And you will shine like the bright side of the moon!" Rarity sang as she approached Min. Min had taken her time in aiming, using her eye to precision. Her hands were much steadier while holding a bow than they'd been when she thought about the impending meeting with the matchmaker. Back home, on the Dai farm, she was used to helping move about large bales of hay, and this had developed her upper arm musculature, allowing her to draw the bowstring back quite far. When she let the arrow fly, it pegged exactly in the center of the target.

...

At last, the time had come. Fen, Ai, Lim, Bao, and Min gathered at the end of the street, bedecked in their new gowns. Rarity assisted with last-minute makeup touchups and ensemble adjustments.

"I'll be waiting at the tea house," Rarity told them. "Be sure to stop by and tell me how it went!"

"We will!" Fen promised as she turned to lead the others in procession down the street. All five hoisted their parasols up onto their shoulders.

"GOOD LUCK!" Rarity and Spike called out to them once the five women's backs were turned to them.

The quintet strode proudly down the street, and members of the Ye, Liao, Dai, Gu, and Duan families lined it to watch their daughters, cousins, and nieces on their way to the imposing building ahead. As the five walked, they sang as one: "BE WOMEN! We will be calm as a sparkling river! BE WOMEN! But with the force of a great typhoon! BE WOMEN! Our passion burns like a raging fire! And we will shine like the bright side of the moon!"

Before the doors of the matchmaker's office, they lined up, opening and spinning their parasols in sync before kneeling in respect.

Rarity and Spike set out to find the tea house. "I do believe it's time for yet another well-earned break," Rarity stated.

"Gosh," Spike commented. "I hope everything goes okay for those five."

"How could it not?" Rarity replied. "They have my expertise backing them! I'm sure they'll all do quite well."

Back at the doors before which the five had lined up, the matchmaker, a tall and heavy woman emerged, giving a sour look at a scroll to see who she was scheduled to evaluate first. "Ye Fen," she called out.

Fen stood, folding her parasol and bowing.

"Enter," the matchmaker commanded, giving Fen a look that seemed to cause her blood to freeze.

Lim's heartbeat quickened. If she'd been called first, she knew she would have announced her presence, but Fen had obviously done the right thing by saying nothing. Lim realized how much she'd avoided a fumble.

Fen walked gracefully up into the office, and the doors closed. Ai, Min, Lim, and Bao waited, hoping the best for her and knowing their times would soon be nigh.

...

Spike and Rarity sat across from each other at a large table, leaving enough room for up to five people to join them. Their tea was placed before them, and they drank delicately.

"You sure did help those girls out a ton today," Spike remarked.

"Well, I'm always happy to help," Rarity replied. "Though…part of me still wonders if I did the right thing."

"Why?" Spike asked, shrugging.

"I still don't believe in this whole matchmaking custom," Rarity admitted. "Sure, Ai had a point when she said that love can bloom between committed people. And I can see how much the idea meant to them all. Yet…I suppose I'm just a romantic at heart. I couldn't BEAR marrying somepony I'd never met, let alone didn't love beforehoof."

"I getcha," Spike agreed. "Can…I ask you a question?"

"Yes, dear, anything."

"This might sound a little weird coming from me, since I'm not even a girl," Spike said plainly, "but what do you think DOES make a woman a woman?"

Rarity needed a moment and a drink of tea first. "That's a rather complicated question," she said at last. "I suppose when you think of what separates a mare from a filly, there's an element of maturity involved. However, in the end, what makes you a mare…a woman…it's something in the heart. Something you know in your own self. Does that make any sense at all?"

"Yeah, it does!" Spike confirmed.

It wasn't too long before Fen entered the tea house, visibly excited about something. It took her a moment to locate Rarity and Spike's table, but once she had, she bounced up to it, scooting into an empty seat. "It all went PERFECTLY!" she squealed. "The matchmaker said she'd be in touch with my family TONIGHT! Rarity, I'm so excited! And I have you to thank for all of it!"

"Why, darling, that's wonderful news!" Rarity cried. Once again, she set aside her distaste for the system in favor of being happy for her newfound friend. "And I'm MORE than happy to have helped."

"I wonder what he'll be like!" Fen sighed. "Maybe he'll be the strong and silent type. After all, opposites attract! Or maybe he'll be an optimist. I'd like that." She looked to Rarity. "What would you want in your man?"

"Me?" Rarity was caught off guard. "Hmm. I suppose…I'd want him to be tall, strong, and elegant. He should have a respect for the finer things in life. He should be well-mannered and incredibly chivalrous…and a sharp dresser."

Spike, crestfallen, was just hearing a bunch of criteria that didn't pertain to him.

"What if you meet somebody who's none of that," Fen asked, "but you two end up clicking?"

"I can't really conceive of falling for someone less than perfect," Rarity replied, "but I suppose that whatever sort of man he is, if it's love, I won't be able to deny it." For a moment, she was struck with mild despair. Staring down into the ripples in her teacup, she recalled that she was now bound to her true love by a wish doomed to go sour. She supposed even thinking about that too much was darkening her gem little by little. "I just hope it doesn't end in flames."

Not too long after, Ai rushed into the shop. She was slightly more collected than Fen as she located and sat down at the correct table.

"How did it go?" Rarity asked, though she could guess the results from Ai's smile.

"It went well!" Ai announced. "The matchmaker is going to make arrangements with my family as soon as she can. Thanks again for all the help."

"No trouble at all, really!" Rarity gushed.

"Min was next after me," Ai pointed out. "I hope she doesn't let her nerves get the best of her."

"I'm sure she'll do just fine," Rarity told Ai confidently.

...

Tears flowed down Min's face in twin steady streams, carrying the colors of her makeup down with them.

"And now CRYING?" the matchmaker barked – the end of a much, much longer rant. The room was covered in spilled ink and spilled tea. "After all your clumsiness, inability to remember a single thing you're told, and CONSTANT interruptions when you were CLEARLY not supposed to speak? What man would want to marry a mess like you?"

"I'm sorry," Min sobbed. "I'm so, so sorry…"

"At least you didn't set me on fire!" the matchmaker went on. "That is the ONLY grace I can offer you! Get out of here. I have NO MORE TIME to waste on YOU. You may look like a bride, but you're as dishonorable as they come!"

"Please…" Min whispered. "I need another chance – "

"I SAID GET OUUUUUUT!"

From outside the office, Lim and Bao heard the cry. They saw the doors open and Min go running down the steps in tears and shambles.

"I pity any man that has to deal with YOU for a wife!" the matchmaker called after the young woman.

Min couldn't bring herself to go as far as the tea house and tell Rarity, Spike, Fen, and Ai how she'd failed. She collapsed to her knees on the side of the road, only then beginning to run out of tears, having emptied herself by crying, now feeling overtaken by hollowness.

The matchmaker wasted no time moving on from the crushed Min to the next evaluation, as her job demanded. "Gu Lim," she called out.

Lim stood, folding her parasol. However, after giving another look over to Min, she didn't take a single step toward the matchmaker or her office. Instead, she stood her ground, looking the tall woman in the eye. "You know what?" she asserted. "I'm not gonna pass your stupid test either, so I might as well not waste your time. I don't WANT to pass your stupid test. I don't need you telling me OR my friends that we're not fit to be wives because we can't dress like them, memorize speeches, or do stupid house chores. I quit. Right now. I don't want to do this, so I'm not going to."

She turned on a heel, marching toward Min. She put a hand on Min's shoulder, momentarily startling the latter. "Come on," Lim offered. "Let's go to the tea house."

Bao looked at them, then at the matchmaker. "I didn't really want to think about getting married anyway," she said with a shrug before turning around to follow Lim and Min down the street.

"What…what do you think you're DOING?" The matchmaker was now more stunned than angry.

"LIM!" Lim's mother screeched, storming toward the trio. "You turn around right now and apologize!"

"No," Lim said sternly.

"Lim," Min said hoarsely. "Bao. You can't dishonor your families like this…"

"I'm doing what I want to do," Lim insisted. "There has to be more than one way to honor for my family. Mulan did it. Rarity believed in it. And Min has to find it. She tried, and she failed. I was probably going to fail anyway. I'm just saving time doing it."

"You think following in the footsteps of Fa Mulan is wise?" Lim's mother kept on. The other bystanders hung back; she was providing their mouthpiece.

"The woman who everyone with any sense in this country calls a hero?" Lim retorted. "You tell me."

"We just need time," Min stated in a hushed tone. "Time to figure out what to do."

Lim's mother didn't know what else to say. The window for apologies had long passed. "You…had better figure out the right thing," she seethed before letting Lim, Min, and Bao go on their way.

As she moved back into the crowd, she passed Min's mother. "How are YOU not angry about this?" she barked.

"Min did try," Min's mother said solemnly. "She truly did."

...

Min, Lim, and Bao entered the tea house to find Rarity, Spike, Fen, and Ai in a lively conversation. "But if a flock of ducks gets mad at you," Fen laughed, "then you better run! They bite hard, you know! Once, the ducks on my family's farm chased me all the way across the field and up a tree. I was little then, and a lot better at climbing trees…oh! Min! Lim! Bao! Hello!"

"That was awfully quick for all three of you to have gotten your appraisals done," Ai observed.

"We didn't," Lim explained. "I walked."

"WHAT?" Fen exclaimed. Rarity, Spike, and Ai were similarly taken aback.

"She said Min wasn't good to marry anyone," Lim explained. "And you know what I realized? This whole system is nuts. I don't want to marry someone I don't know. I don't want my husband to be picked out for me because I jumped through a bunch of stupid hoops. I don't want that to be what tells everyone that I'm a woman." She looked directly at Rarity. "And this is all stuff I wouldn't have thought about if it weren't for you."

"Oh, dear," Rarity replied sheepishly. "I'm afraid I may have come across rather strongly in my opinions. I didn't want you to just throw this moment away after so much preparation. Just because I feel one way about it all – "

"Just stop," Lim ordered. "You didn't make me feel any way about it. I think this is what I wanted all along. I just didn't know it."

"WHAT is what you wanted?" Ai asked. "Do you even know what you'll do now?"

"I wanted to stand by Min," Lim insisted. "And I want to get married whenever I feel like it. I guess I want to find some way to make up for the honor this is taking away from my family, but I know there has to be another road."

"I don't know what I'm going to do," Bao insisted, "and I don't care."

"That's why you taught us how to shoot, right?" Min reminded Rarity. "To get us thinking about other paths besides the one they set out for us. Maybe there's something out there in the world I'm actually good at. That's what I want to find."

"What if we just went out looking?" Lim asked. "Took a wagon and a horse and went across the country until we found what we wanted. Honor for me, confidence for you, and whatever makes Bao happy." She flashed a naughty grin at Fen and Ai. "Though it would be more fun with five."

Ai shook her head. "I'm sorry, but as much as I love you, I want to see this through. I'm ready to get married, and I'm looking forward to meeting my new partner. I think you should do whatever's best for you. But I feel like this is what's best for me. And I think Fen feels the same way."

"Actually…" Fen looked down at her hands, clasped in her lap. "Now, I don't know what I want. I was so excited to have passed…but now that I'm thinking about it, I never really did think about anything besides becoming a bride. What if that ISN'T my path? It's the only one I've ever considered. I think…I need time to figure it out."

"Time with us?" Lim suggested.

"No," Fen answered. "I should play it safe. I'll stay here while I think about it. But you three should have fun when you're out there! I want you to write me all about your adventures!"

"Is it even safe for you to be traveling alone?" Ai asked concernedly.

"We won't really be alone," Min pointed out, truly smiling for the first time since she'd entered the matchmaker's office. "We'll have each other. And we all know how to shoot a bow. We can protect each other."

"Well, Min and I can protect Bao," Lim teased, nudging Bao in the arm with her elbow.

"Arrows hate me," Bao growled.

"What about you?" Min asked Rarity. "Are you planning on traveling anywhere else?"

"ME?" Rarity was startled to have been addressed. She was still having a little trouble absorbing the scene unfolding before her. "Well…I was waiting on a message from friends to tell me where to meet up with them. I expect it will come sometime tonight."

Lim looked at Min, Bao, and then Rarity. "The three of us don't know where we're going, yet. I'm assuming we're all on the same page about this? Going out to find ourselves?"

"Yes," Min answered. "I NEED to find myself now."

"Me too," Bao confirmed.

"So if your message comes tonight," Lim told Rarity, "meet us back here. One of us will get a wagon – "

"I might be able to get one," Min volunteered.

"I'll give it a shot, too," Bao offered. "I could talk to my little brother. He's not as much of a stickler as the parents. He's also got a horse to spare."

"So we'll all ride out together," Lim explained, "and we'll start by dropping you off wherever your friends said to meet up."

"So you're all just…running away from home?" Rarity was flabbergasted. "But what will your parents think?"

"What do you think they think NOW?" Lim reminded her. "I already got chewed out once by Mother in the middle of the street! How's THAT for dishonor? They're gonna be mad either way! Let us handle talking to them. You just worry about getting back here at the right time."

Applejack would have been loath to hear it, Rarity realized. The thought of abandoning family for personal reasons would have left her in a state of ire. However, Rarity was not Applejack. "All right, then," she resolved. "I'll be here. You can count on it."

"Good luck," Fen said sincerely. "All of you. I'll miss you."

"We will write," Min promised.

"And be careful!" Ai insisted.

"We will be," Min added.

Finishing off her cup of tea, Rarity stood. "I'd best be going," she announced. "I wanted enough time to put together a new dress for travel before heading out. Besides, I need to see if my message has come in the first place."

"We'll see you here later?" Lim asked.

"Yes," Rarity promised. "If I don't receive a letter, I'll at least be along to tell you that I haven't."

As Rarity moved toward the door, Min took hold of her hands suddenly. "Thank you again," she said. "For everything. For what you helped us think about."

"You're very welcome," Rarity replied softly before breaking away and continuing out the door.

Spike soon caught up to her. "Isn't that awesome?" he asked. "They're all thinking about this in a whole new way, just because of you!"

"Right," Rarity sighed. "Awesome, indeed."

"Oh," Spike realized. "Are you still worried that you messed things up because of your opinion?"

"To put it simply, yes," Rarity told him. "I'm glad they're standing up to make their own decisions, believe me. I just hope it is their decision…and not mine. It sounds like it's going to take quite a toll on their families. I hope they know what they're in for."

"Well, it sounded to me like Min, Lim, and Bao were just following their hearts," Spike surmised. "And Ai and Fen, too. That's what you thought was important, right? Knowing what was in your heart?"
Rarity found herself smiling at that. "I can't fault them at all for that, Spike. I should stop worrying, shouldn't I? They wouldn't have broken away like they did if they weren't independent people at heart. That alone should prove they have what it takes to find what they're looking for. And I'm glad Ai is certain. Fen's answer will come along eventually." She knew when it was time to switch gears. "We still need new fabrics for travel garments."

The pair re-entered the fabric shop where their adventure in town had begun.

...

Rarity and Spike first stopped off at the Fa family residence to check if any messages had been left for them. None had.

That was their cue to return to the Starlight, where Rarity whiled away a bit of time creating her new dress. It was of a simple cut, with a roomy skirt. The primary color was black, with white accents. For Spike, she created a new garment as well, one of pure black.

By the time Rarity had finished, the sun had set. She and Spike, clad in their darker garments, made one more trip to the Fa residence, this one more fruitful than the last.

Fa Li met them at the gate, clutching a scroll. "The messenger came looking for you," she said almost breathlessly. "He said the sender told him to deliver to our home. It's from someone named…Dusk Shine?"

"TWILIGHT!" Rarity and Spike cried in unison.

Rarity unrolled the paper eagerly, reading the brief message. "It seems as though we are to report to a place called Tong'an," she announced.

"A port city," Li confirmed.

Rarity rolled the message back up. "Thank you for everything," she told Li. "And please, tell Zhou and Grandmother that I thank them too."

Li nodded. "You are most welcome. I wish you luck and safety on your journey."

...

The wagon waited outside the tea shop. Bao, now wearing far less formal garments of blue, was atop a chestnut horse strapped to the wagon to draw it. In the back of the wagon, Min and Lim chatted.

Rarity took the liberty of climbing into the wagon next to them, then reaching down to pull Spike in after her. On the floor, she noticed, three bows and several arrows lay off to the side.

"Looks like you've got a place to go," Lim remarked.

"Where to?" Bao asked.

"Tong'an," Rarity answered. "If it isn't too much trouble."

"No more trouble than anywhere else," Bao reminded her. "We don't know where we're going."

She brought the horse into a trot, and the wagon began its roll out of Leshou.

"What did your parents say when you told them about this?" Rarity asked.

"I told my parents I needed to go find myself," Min answered. "I said I'd be with friends. I didn't tell them…quite how far we were going. Mother was worried, but she and Father both agreed to let me do what I asked. I think…I think my failing to pass as a bride made them realize none of us knew what to do with me, so why not this? I hope it's not because I'm worthless no matter what."

"I'm sure that's not the case," Rarity reassured Min. "In fact, given what I've heard, there's quite a possibility that they might have been inspired by the stories about Mulan and let you go because of that. She went to find herself and discovered honor."

"Sure hope my parents see it that way," Lim sighed. "Not quite sure how they'll react when they find the note."

"Same," Bao chimed in.

"So you're both just RUNNING AWAY?" Rarity was aghast.

"We left NOTES!" Lim reiterated.

Rarity shook her head. "Well, in for a bit, in for a diamond. If you all feel as though things are settled…then let's see this through."

...

THE SEAS OF THE LAND OF DRAGONS

The Riptide left another port burning in black flame, sailing out to sea several pounds of treasure heavier. All other seaworthy vessels in the harbor had been destroyed, giving the Riptide a seamless escape without pursuance.

During the time Shan-Yu had spent with this band of pirates, he had learned much of them. The men hailed from several nations, but swore allegiance to none. They still had low ambitions, focusing more on what they could loot from every port – jewels, money, valuable items for trade – than on the big picture. They made useful enough soldiers, but it was Shan-Yu who did the heavy lifting, refining his Dark magic to cripple every port.

Shan-Yu supposed eventually the empire's military would be upon them. Let them come, he thought. He had already outlined a plan to his crew for the next port and what should be done there.

When he'd first brought the idea forth to the others, Itsuki had asked, "Captain, what is the purpose of this?"

"To show them that we are not something to be taken lightly," Shan-Yu had replied. "To show them that we're not as predictable as they hope we are. And to show them that I learn from my mistakes."

That night, while most of his crew slept, Shan-Yu oversaw a trio – known as Qiang, Masaru, and Trai – putting the finishing touches on the item he'd required. The physical makeup of it was easy enough; the materials could be found among what the pirates had looted. At least some of it was finally being put to good use instead of taking up space in the hull, Shan-Yu reflected. The men had wanted to cross to another shore and sell off some of their enormous hoard, but Shan-Yu refused to leave Chinese waters until his mission was completed.

He stayed just long enough to add the magical touches to the item, then moved abovedeck to survey the night waters alone. The Riptide was far enough out that no coast was visible on either horizon. It was a clear night, allowing for full view of the myriad stars overhead. Looking up to them, Shan-Yu wondered if that was from where the mysterious Maleficent hailed.

It was as if he'd called her through his thoughts. "I must commend you on your impressive work…Captain."

Startled, Shan-Yu turned to see her standing behind him, the darkness of her robes almost camouflaging her in the night. Maleficent's expression bore a playful smirk. Was she congratulating him, or herself for selecting him?

"Why are you here?" Shan-Yu asked tentatively.

"You have been every bit as ruthless as I expected," Maleficent told him. "Should you continue on your path unimpeded, China will sustain a near-fatal wound. However, you must know by now that you will not be unimpeded forever."

"The Imperial army," Shan-Yu muttered, almost as a reflex.

Maleficent's expression did not change, but Shan-Yu had a feeling she knew more about the situation than he did. That he was underestimating the challenges that lay ahead. "I have brought you a gift," she said simply.

"And how do I know that whatever you have for me won't destroy me and get me out of the way for your sake?" Shan-Yu challenged.

"I suppose you do not," Maleficent replied coyly. "However, to destroy you now would be an unfavorable waste. I would not spend so much effort bringing someone back from the dead and tasking him with something so vast only to eliminate him before he has reached his full potential. You are still useful to me, Shan-Yu."

"You could be lying." Now Shan-Yu was smiling too. Anything and everything Maleficent did was suspect, but there was little reward without risk. If she wished to present him with something, he would chance it being a trap. If it wasn't, after all, it could be his key to victory. "All the same…I want to see what you want to give me."

"First," Maleficent informed him, "I shall need your sword. Only for a moment."

The smile faded from Shan-Yu's face. "I would rather not disarm myself. Only a fool would make that mistake."

"Do not test my patience." Maleficent's tone had grown hard. "If I were to attempt to kill you here, that sword could not save you."

Shan-Yu certainly believed that. Bitterly, he hefted his sword from its scabbard and handed it over. Maleficent took it by the hilt gently into her elegant hands. For a moment, it was bathed in green light, contrasting vibrantly against the night's darkness. When the light faded, Maleficent handed the sword back to Shan-Yu. "It seems you have worried for nothing," she taunted.

Shan-Yu looked the sword over, attempting to figure out what was different. "What have you done to it?" he asked casually.

"Nothing that will manifest itself in battle," Maleficent informed him. "If you should continue on your current path and succeed, then there will be no need to use this power. However, should you fail…there is a way to still achieve victory. You will recall that you were given two chances to win the same war when time itself reset." Maleficent held out her hand, and with a shimmer, a deep red jewel appeared in it, filling her palm. "This gem is forged of the heart of this world. It contains a piece of the past within it. The spell within this stone is colloquially known as the 'Cosmic Reset.' Should it be struck with a trigger implement, then its force would envelop this entire world, forcing it back in time…in fact, to the moment when you and I met upon the beach. Whatever forces prevailed over you would find their work undone."

"And the trigger implement?" Shan-Yu asked, though he already knew.

"Is now your own blade," Maleficent replied.

Shan-Yu plucked the gem from her, examining it. If what she was saying was true, the Reset should only be used as a last resort. It would stop the Imperial forces from overtaking him, but would also undo everything he'd done since taking over the Riptide, putting everyone back at square one.

"I trust you to make good use of this," Maleficent stated. Before Shan-Yu could make a reply, the faery faded into the darkness until it was as though she had never been there.

How many others had she entrusted with this gift? There was no way of knowing. Shan-Yu tucked the gem away in one of his own pockets. It was incredibly valuable and useful to have, but he would much rather the circumstances be such that he would never even want to use it.

...

Chapter 102:

· While I had always planned for this chapter to be Rarity meeting with several OC women and dealing with the matchmaker in Mulan's hometown (the idea of doing a parallel with the other song was just TOO good to pass up), this chapter actually took a lot of twists and turns from where I thought. I knew I wanted Min to "fail" and have to carve her own destiny; the other four picked what they wanted to do on their own. I was glad that they all fell into different stances on the topic of arranged marriage. I personally prefer marriages that are not arranged over those that are for my own self, but I do believe there's value in the idea that two people can build a relationship about nothing if they're committed to making things work. I'm not really against arranged marriage as a concept; I just don't prefer it and I do feel as though it has been abused throughout history. I worried that this was going to be a touchy subject, so I did my best to treat it with respect while building upon the thematic elements Mulan laid down. Anyway, I'm not quite sure what these five are gonna do from here on out. No definite plans. I think their stage time in this storylet will be relatively short. Return visits might be a different story.

· As for the names of my five OCs, I picked five Chinese surnames at random and then selected five first names to go with them. No rhyme or reason.

· I dare you to store up that list of qualities Rarity wanted in an ideal man and compare it to who she endgames with.

· I do feel a little bad for the Dai/Gu/Duan families here. I kind of just shoved them into the corner to give their kids time to shine. Hopefully I'll figure out how to address that in the long run.

· The Cosmic Reset being a jewel activated by a triggering blade is something inspired by Once Upon a Time's S2 finale. I actually remember watching that episode, pointing at the jewel when Greg and Tamara brought it out, and yelling, "IT'S A COSMIC RESET!" My official explanation for how it worked over there is that Regina brought the Enchanted Forest's reset – a gem worked from the heart of the EF – to Storybrooke (I need to slap a number on that Earth). As opposed to Maleficent's KH gambit of just resetting the worlds to themselves. Also, while the gem in OUaT was black, I want to toy with the idea that the gems can be different colors based on what world they're forged of. This might not be the last one you see, after all.

· Though, fun fact: in the first draft I outlined of this storylet, the Cosmic Reset wasn't a factor. Shan-Yu wasn't gonna have it. Since I got the idea to give it to him…some things changed, of course.