Suited for Success

Pony's Log Number 114: When a pony is given a blessing, one shouldn't take advantage of it...or try to modify it either...

It was another lovely day in Ponyville and Rarity was hard at work in her home. Her home was also where she ran her business, the Carousel Boutique. She had just finished sketching her design and was admiring it proudly. Her cat, Opalescence, or Opal for short, was just lounging snootily on one of Rarity's mannequins.

"Oh, Opalescence," said Rarity excitedly as she studied her completed sketch, "Cant' you just picture it? Moi, stepping out in a stunning new gown at the Grand Galloping Gala in Canterlot!" Opal said nothing but just gave a sleepy meow.

"Why, yes! I did make it myself," said Rarity, taking Opal meowing as talking, "Thank you so much for asking." Rarity than pulled off a piece of cloth, which happened to be what Opal was sitting on and the cat was sent to the floor. Unlike other cats, Opal plopped in her stomach before getting quickly back on her feet and walked away. As Rarity was continuing to work at her sewing machine, Opal just took a seat nearby, giving a low, annoyed growl.

"Oh, Opal, of course you can help me. Thank you," said Rarity replied by sticking a sewing pin cushion inside of Opal's mouth. The white furred kitty just meowed with the pin cushion inside of her mouth again.

"What's that?" Rarity asked, "You want to help me more? Oh, aren't you the sweetest thing?" Rarity than used her magic to hand Opal several different items to hold. The poor kitty was now balancing on a single hind leg to keep her balance as Rarity continued to do her work.

"Careful now," said Rarity, "Don't move. This shouldn't take long at all." Opal just rolled her eyes twice, giving a low growl, as she continued to struggle to keep her balance. Once Rarity had finished with the thread and relieved Opal of her awkward situation...

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK

"Now who could that be?" Rarity asked since the boutique wasn't open for business that day. She was surprised to see Mario outside with some of his freight cars.

"Hey, Rarity," said Mario, "I remembered last night that you said you were running short on some fabrics and other things so...I took my train to Canterlot this morning and did a little shopping. I wrote the names of what colors and materials were called on my checklist here so..." Rarity gasped at all the materials in excitement.

"Oooo! Mario, you're a lifesaver!" Rarity exclaimed, "This puts me ahead of schedule for my latest design! And there's plenty of material for future projects. Oh how can I ever thank you darling?"

"No need Rarity," said Mario kindly, "I was glad I could offer you some generosity for a change. Plus I like a long train run to stretch my legs." Rarity just smiled when she got an idea.

"You know Mario, I've seen you're tastes in fine contour and I must admit that I'm very impressed," said Rarity, "Would you be...interested in a little...internship?" Mario's eyes widened.

"Why...sure...I mean...I've never made a dress before but...I guess I could offer my...point of view with the designs," Mario stuttered, not sure if he had the credentials for this opportunity. Rarity didn't seem to worried.

"Oh I'm sure you'll get the hang of it, darling," Rarity answered, "Let's hear your input on my new gown. Oh, and can you be a dear and bring in the materials inside please? Thank you, dear." Mario nodded as he walked inside, bringing as many of the materials inside and put them away too. Rarity didn't waste much time asking Mario for his insight regarding materials and colors for her dress. Mario soon found that he had some talent on choosing colors and fabrics. Plus Rarity found his opinions rather useful and they found that working together was very easy. Mario wasn't sure if he could add "Fashion designer" to his list of talents just yet, but he was glad for a new opportunity to develop some new skills and grow his friendship with Rarity.

(theme song)

A little later that day, Applejack and Twilight arrived at Rarity's shop.

"Howdy, Rarity!" said Applejack loudly.

"Shh..." Twilight hushed quickly, "Can't you see Rarity is trying to concentrate?" Applejack and Twilight noticed that Rarity was hard at work and in deep concentration. She also had a pair of red framed glasses on her face.

"What do you think she's makin'?" Applejack asked in a soft voice.

"Looks like a dress," Twilight answered. Rarity could hear the two ponies literally talking behind her back and felt a little annoyed.

"Well, that makes sense," Applejack answered, "Since this is a dressmaker's shop and all." Applejack then noticed that Mario was on the other side of the dress, holding the fabric in place with his magic. He had put on a pair of frameless glasses on his face as he seemed to look very focused as well.

"Wuh? Mario?!" Applejack said in shock.

"What? Where?" Twilight asked, trying to look over Rarity's shoulder and saw the colt, "He's...helping her make the dress?!"

"I didn't know Mario liked making dresses," Applejack answered, not hiding her snicker too well as both Mario and Rarity felt very irritated at this point.

"Guess Rarity is having him embrace his inner fashionista," Twilight added as their snickering continued. Rarity could feel her patience slip and Mario was inwardly growling at all the teasing.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Rarity asked in a cheerful tone and successfully hiding all signs of the irritation she had been feeling a few seconds ago.

"Why is Mario working on a dress?" Applejack asked, with a smirk on her face. Mario rolled his eyes and kept working.

"Mario appears to have some great tastes and ideas for my latest couture," Rarity explained, "so...I've hired him as my personal intern."

"Really?" said Applejack, "Guess you're list of talents now include sewing and seamstress now?" Mario looked indignant as Applejack and Twilight chuckled to each other.

"There's nothing wrong for a colt to be able to fix his own torn buttons and holes in clothing," Mario retorted as he continued his work, "Or being able to use a sewing machine thank you."

"Is there a reason you're both here other than to tease my new intern?" Rarity asked again.

"Oh, so very sorry to trouble you, Rarity" said Twilight apologetically, "but I need a quick favor." Twilight than pulled out a red dress and set it on a nearby table.

"Can you please fix this button for me?" Twilight asked as she showed Rarity the broken stitch with a button hanging on it, "It's my dress for the Grand Galloping Gala." Rarity gasped at the dress.

"Oh, no, no, no!" Rarity retorted, "You can't wear this...old thing. You need a glamorous new outfit for the Gala and I'll make it for you. No problem at all. It will be my pleasure!"

"Oh, that's really sweet of you to offer, Rarity," said Twilight, "but I can't let you do that. It would be so much work. This dress is fine."

"Twilight Sparkle," said Rarity definitively, "I insist on making you a new dress."

"But..."

"Not another word!" Rarity interrupted the purple pony, "I won't take no for an answer."

"Well, in that case..." said Twilight slowly before conceding, "thank you for your generosity, Rarity. Knowing your handiwork, I'm sure it will be absolutely beautiful." Rarity smiled as she looked over to Applejack.

"Let me guess, Applejack," said Rarity as if reading the orange pony's mind, "You don't want a new gown either."

"Gown? Shoot. I was just gonna wear my old work duds," Applejack answered.

"You can't possibly be serious, Applejack," Rarity exclaimed in disbelief, "You absolutely must wear formal attire."

"Hmm..." Applejack pondered, "Nah."

"What if I just spruce up your...duds for you a little bit?" Rarity offered.

"Okay, sure. Why not?" Applejack conceded, "Since you're up for it and all. Just don't make them too frou-frou-y."

"Deal!" said Rarity.

"What about a blend of heritage and chic?" Mario suggested as he poked his head from behind the dress he and Rarity were working on, "something that represents her country roots but still has that high class appeal?" Rarity clapped her hooves excitedly.

"I like the sound of that," said Applejack, clearly impressed.

"And that is why I made him my intern," said Rarity proudly, making Mario blush.

"Look out below!" a familiar voice shouted.

CRASH

Rainbow suddenly crashed into the boutique from the roof, smacked onto the floor, and bounced backwards as she crashed into the mannequins. Mario rolled his eyes with a sigh.

"I can fix that," Mario said in annoyance and dashed away to patch up the hole on Rarity's roof.

"Sorry, new trick. Didn't quite work out," Rainbow said sheepishly as she poked her head out of the piled mountain of knocked over mannequins.

"Hmm..." Rarity pondered when her face lit up like a light bulb, "Idea! I'll make you an outfit for the Gala too, Rainbow Dash."

"Outfit for what now?" Rainbow asked puzzled, not knowing what was going on.

"I'll make one for you and you and all of you," Rarity proposed, "Oh! And of course Fluttershy and Pinkie too. Oh, and when I'm done, we can hold our very own fashion show!"

"What a great idea!" said Twilight, "If you're sure you can handle it."

"Oh, it'll be a little bit of work, but it will be a wonderful boost to my business. Plus fun!" said Rarity.

"Oh, I love fun things!" Rainbow added excitedly.

"And I'm sure my new intern is up to proving his own talents right," Rarity proposed.

"Umm...s-s-sure," said Mario bravely, but not too surprised that he be thrust into a difficult task so soon. He had read a book called The Devil Wears Horseshoes, which was about an average pony becoming an assistant to a top fashion designer. He had a good idea when an internship with Rarity would require of him, as well as what not to do to get ahead.

"Then it's settled," Rarity said with conviction, "We'll have a fashion show starring us." Rarity then began to gather materials as Applejack approached her.

"So all you two have to do is make a different, stunning, original, amazing outfit for one, two, three, four, five, plus you and Mario, seven ponies? and lickety split?"

"Oh Applejack," Rarity chuckled, "You make it sound as if it's going to be hard."

"Oh boy..." said Mario as Rarity handed him a sketchbook, "Uhhh..."

"I'll need your help with the designs," Rarity told him, "Draw whatever comes to mind. In fact, reach into your very soul and find your inner fashionista."

"O-kay..." said Mario when Rarity scooted closer into his ear.

"If that doesn't motivate you, our first dress is Twilight's," Rarity whispered, "how romantic would it be if her own date designed it himself?" Mario felt his cheeks blush before he smiled.

"Ah!" he exclaimed and quickly began to sketch. The two ponies soon got to work and some music began to be heard as Mario showed Rarity his design. It wasn't much longer before they got very busy choosing color fabrics, threads, and other things to complete each dress.

[Rarity]

Thread by thread, stitching it together
Twilight's dress, cutting out the pattern snip by snip.
Making sure the fabric folds nicely
It's the perfect color and so hip
Always gotta keep in mind my pacing
Making sure the clothes' correctly facing
We're stitching Twilight's dress

"Ow!" Rarity looked his way.

"I'm good!" said Mario with a smile, shaking off the stinging in his hoof, "What's next?" Rarity smiled.

[Rarity]

Yard by yard, fussing on the details
Jewel neckline, don't you a stitch in time saves nine?

"I do," said Mario.

[Rarity]

Make her something perfect to inspire
Even though she hates formal attire
Gotta mind those intimate details
Even though she's more concerned with sales
It's Applejack's new dress

By now even the materials seemed to be dancing around Rarity as the two ponies continued their work. Poor Opal was even caught in the dancing materials once or twice. Then Mario presented two blank sketches of some dresses in which Rarity was deciding on the colors.

[Rarity]

Dressmaking's easy, for Pinkie Pie something pink
Fluttershy something breezy
Blend color and form,

"Do you think this looks cheesy?" Rarity asked Opal as Mario pondered on the colors himself and looked at the cat. She just gave a bored glare as her answer.

[Rarity]

Something brash, perhaps quite fetching
Hook and eye, couldn't you simply die?
Making sure it fits forelock and crest
Don't forget some magic in the dress

"And a little love," Mario added.

"Of course darling," Rarity agreed.

Even though it rides high on the flank
Rainbow won't look like a tank
We're stitching Rainbow's dress

Piece by piece, snip by snip
Croup, dock, haunch, shoulders, hip
Thread by thread, primmed and pressed
Yard by yard, never stressed
And that's the art of the dress!

While they worked together on the designs for Pinkie's, Applejack's, Fluttershy's, and Rainbow's dresses, Twilight's dress was designed solely by Mario, with some editing by Rarity but it was very minimal.

It was the next day when Rarity had gone to go round up their rest of the girls. Mario had just finished setting up the five dresses. At his request, he asked Rarity if he could keep his outfit for the Gala a surprise, which she heartily agreed. As he waited Mario could feel himself become very nervous.

"Do you think the girls will like the outfits?" Mario asked Opal out of the blue. Opal just meowed with her bored look as she sat on the table near the sewing machine.

"Sorry, didn't mean to bore you," Mario replied, "I just needed someone to talk to." Opal was about to walk away when she tripped over a snag in some fabric and about the tumble to the floor, but then was surprised to see Mario had used his magic to stop her fall and set her gently back on her feet. She walked over to him and nuzzle his fore-hoof, meowing to say thank you.

"Anytime," said Mario before he heard the door open and Rarity was guiding five girls inside with her voice since they had their eyes closed.

"That's it," said Rarity, "keep em closed. Don't look..." Once the girls were in position... "Okay, you can look now!" The five ponies opened their eyes and gasped all at once as they saw the dresses.

"These are your new outfits," said Rarity, showcasing each dress as she talked about them, "What do you think of your old work duds now, Applejack? Pretty Swanky are they not?" Applejack's dress featured a stylish stenson hat with a collar line that had an apple shaped jewel and tie. The back of the dress had a brown western saddle with some green Velcro-like pant legs that had brown tassels on the bottom. (Opal was happily playing with them.) The front hooves had some stylish green boots with apple decals on them with lacing.

"And Twilight! Mario made this dress for you himself and together, we designed each outfit theme to perfectly reflect each pony's personality," said Rarity. Twilight's dress had a celestial theme to it with a cape like front and back that was covered in decorative stars that literally "sparkled" in the lighting. Let's not forget a star hairpin to go with it.

"Oh, it took us forever to get the colors right on this one Rainbow Dash, but we did it," Rarity pointed out, "Oh, and it turned out beautiful, don't you think?" Rainbow's dress had a golden Athenian style headdress with a chained necklace that had a collection of purple beads on it. The back had a long flowing rainbow colored skirt that some cotton lining along the edges to resemble clouds. (Opal enjoyed nuzzling the material.) On the front hooves were gold laced ballerina style shoes.

"And I know you are going to love yours, Fluttershy," said Rarity, "It just sings spring!" Fluttershy's dress had a leaf-like front line that featured a large butterfly on the front and a butterfly hair clip. The back had a light blue sash with a long green, multi-layered skirt that had a simple line of yellow and blue flowers along the bottom. The fore-hoofs also had some ballerina style shoes, but hers were green and the straps resembled vines.

"And Pinkie Pie, look! Pink!" Rarity exclaimed, "Your favorite! Aren't they all amazing?" Pinkie's dress feature a white and blue stripped top that had a V neck, or something close to it, with a pink bow on the front with a long pink skirt that was divided by a white lace that was decorated with candy patterns on it. More candy patterns were found along a flowing blue lining along the bottom of the skirt. The front hooves featured some blue shoes that had pink bows on them. And it also featured a mini blue and white hat that had a candy shaped bow on the side.

Rarity and Mario smiled widely for them, for they were both very impressed with their work. They hoped their friends felt the same way. However, all they received was just a long dreadful silence as the two ponies just smiled, each becoming uneasy as the others said nothing but just stared.

"Wow...They're..." Twilight began.

"Yeah, they're..." Rainbow added slowly.

"They sure are...somethin'," Applejack replied.

"Yes! Something," Twilight agreed.

"I love something!" Pinkie pie added in her cheerful tone, "Something is my favorite!"

"It's...nice," said Fluttershy plainly, but there was no real joy in her tone. Mario felt like his heart was going to break. His first try helping Rarity and his own friends didn't like his efforts. The fact even Twilight didn't like the dress he designed hurt the most.

"But what's the matter?" Rarity asked curiously, "Don't you like them?"

"They're very nice..." Twilight said slowly.

"And we're plumb, grateful 'cause you two worked so hard on them," Applejack added. By now, even Rarity was feeling upset. No amount of sugarcoating could hide what they were really saying at this point.

"Mine's just not as cool as I was imagining," Rainbow said, the first pony to finally be upfront about their feelings, yet she got death glares from both Twilight and Applejack.

"She asked," Rainbow said in her defense.

"I guess what we're all saying is that they're just not what we had in mind," Twilight said after and their other gave a collective yeah in agreement. Mario said nothing as Rarity recomposed herself.

"That's okay. Not a problem," said Rarity, "There's plenty more where that came from. Right Mario?" Mario blinked a bit before he finally tried to recollect himself.

"Of...of course, Rarity," said Mario, trying to hide his disappointment, "When st first you don't succeed...try...try again...heh...yeah..." Mario sighed as he put his back against them all, trying to hide the single pair of tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

"Anyway, they were a first pass," said Rarity as she stared removing items from them, "You're our friends and I want you to be 110% satisfied. Not to worry, we'll redo them."

"Oh Rarity, Mario, "said Fluttershy, "You don't have to do that. They're fine."

"We want them to be better than just fine," said Rarity with determination, "We want you to think they're absolutely perfect. Right Mario?" Mario nodded quietly.

"Are you sure? I mean, we wouldn't wanna impose," said Applejack.

"Oh, it's no imposition," said Rarity, "Really, I insist."

"Well in that case..." said Twilight, "thank you again Rarity." Rarity just smiled as the rest of the ponies left the boutique. Rarity just sighed as she sat down.

"What have I gotten myself into?" she asked herself.

"This is my fault," said Mario sadly, "I...failed..."

"No you didn't darling," said Rarity, "We made these outfits together and you did a wonderful job. But that happens in the fashion world...sometimes...your best isn't what the customer wants." Mario nodded as he wiped a tear from his eyes.

"I didn't think it would hurt so much," Mario sniffled but then tried to composure himself, "S-s-sorry, I'll..."

"It's alright, Mario," said Rarity gently, "I get teary too when that happens and it's nothing to be ashamed about. I know it must hurt to work that hard on something for Twilight and for her to not like it must have hurt."

"Yeah," said Mario sadly, "So much for impressing her..." Rarity gave him a supportive hug.

"Well, you'll get another chance," said Rarity, "Let's get back to work." Rarity used her magic to hand him back his sketch pad and Mario began to examine their current dresses and what could be done to modify or improve them. Both were working themselves ragged as both their manes were getting rather frazzled when Fluttershy arrived back at the boutique. Rarity was currently working at her sewing machine and Mario had been examining color fabrics for another dress.

"Hello? You wanted to see me, Rarity?" Fluttershy asked softly.

"Fluttershy! Your new-new gown's ready," said Rarity as Mario brought it over. Once Fluttershy had change into the dress, they examined it together in the mirror. Rarity had adjusted the layering of the back of the dress and replaced the butterfly hairpin with a flower one. The bottom of the skirt had been giving a more arc-shaped pattern with some colored dots instead of flowers. The blue sash had also been extended to ride further down the skirt.

"We completely revised it and I know you're going to love it," Rarity continued.

"What do you think?" Mario asked hopefully.

"I...love it," said Fluttershy plainly. Neither Rarity or Mario believed her.

"Oh, you're just saying that," said Rarity.

"No, no," said Fluttershy quickly, "I do. It's...nice."

" "Nice"?" Rarity and Mario repeated together.

"Nice," Fluttershy said again. Mario just sighed to himself.

"If you don't like it, you should just tell me," said Rarity.

"Yeah, you're lying isn't making me feel any better about my designing skills," Mario added.

"Oh, but I do like it," Fluttershy kept insisting.

"Like it or love it?" Rarity demanded as she make Fluttershy step back.

"Um...both?" Fluttershy answered feebly.

"Which is it?"

"Please stop asking me this, I..."

"Well, just tell me what you really think! Mario and I want to know!"

"No, that's okay..."

"Tell me"

"No...it's fine..."

"Tell me!"

"I...like it..."

"Tell me, tell me, tell-me-tell-me-tell-me!" Rarity pleaded firmly.

"Out with it!" Mario finally snapped.

"All right! Since you really want to know..." Fluttershy snapped, taking a deep breath before speaking again, "The armscye's tight, the middy collar doesn't go with the shawl lapel, the hems are clearly machine stitched, the pleats are uneven, the fabric looks like toile, you used a backstitch here when it clearly called for a topstitch or maybe a traditional blanket stitch, and the overdesign is reminiscent of pret-a-porter and not true French haute couture." Fluttershy paused to catch her breath. Rarity and Mario were just dumbfounded. Since when was Fluttershy so knowledgeable about sewing? Guess you learn something new every day.

"But...uh...you know...um, whatever you want to do is fine," said Fluttershy timidly. Mario dropped his sketch pad in defeat.

"I quit...I just do," said Mario as he tried to walk away. There was no way he could improve Fluttershy's dress now. That critique was beyond even his understanding of sewing.

"Get back here!" Rarity said sternly.

"WAH!" Mario yelped as Rarity pulled him back.

Once Mario admitted that he just felt overwhelmed and wasn't actually gonna quit, he and Rarity were busy modifying Twilight's dress to her standards.

"Now, the stars on my belt need to be technically accurate," Twilight instructed as she paced about, "Orion has three stars on his belt, not four." Mario nodded as he quickly tried to find a place to put the constellation on her dress and Rarity kept sewing. Rarity began to sign again.

[Rarity]

Stitch by Stitch, stitching it together
Deadline looms, don't you know the client's always right?
Even if our fabric choice was perfect
Gotta get them all done by tonight
Pinkie Pie, that color's too obtrusive
Wait until you see it in the light
I'm sewing them together!

As they were working on Pinkie's dress, the pink pony herself was there with her own suggestions.

"Don't you think my gown would be more "me" with some lollipops?"

"Lollipops?" Mario exclaimed.

"Well, I think..." Rarity began.

"Balloons?" Pinkie suggested.

"Wuh?!" Mario exclaimed as he looked up from his sketch book.

"Well..." Rarity said again.

"Do it!" Pinkie shouted. Mario and Rarity sighed before the latter began to sing again.

[Rarity]

Hour by hour, one more change
I'm sewing them together, take great pains
Fluttershy, you're putting us in a bind
Rainbow Dash, what is on your mind?
Oh my gosh, there's simply not much time
Don't forget, Applejack's duds must shine

Dressmaking's easy, every customer's call
Brings a whole new revision
Have to pick up the pace, still hold to my vision

Twilight and Fluttershy continued to make their critiques.

"That constellation is Canis Major, not Minor," Twilight pointed out.

"French haute couture, please," Fluttershy added.

"Ugh..." Rarity and Mario groaned as Mario was rubbing harder and harder with his pencil to try and make the modifications in his book. Other modifications were just as frustrating.

"What if it rains?" Applejack said aloud, "Galoshes!"

"More balloons!" Pinkie suggested, "On no, that's too much balloons."

"Thank goodness," said Mario relieved.

"More candy, oh less candy," said Pinkie instead, "Oh, wait I know, streamers!"

"Streamers?" said Rarity and Mario together.

"Whose dress is this?" Pinkie asked skeptically. Mario just looked at Rarity wearily before Rarity gave her a sigh.

"Streamers it is," Rarity conceded as Mario sighed and went to vigorously erase his design for Pinkie's dress again. Then they went to work on modifying Rainbow's outfit. They had just finished the latest modifications when they turned to look at Rainbow.

"What?" Rainbow asked puzzled.

"Aren't you going to tell me to change something too?" Rarity asked.

"No, I just want my dress to be cool," Rainbow answered.

"Do you like the color?" Rarity asked.

"I picked it myself," Mario added as he continued to examine his sketch.

"The color's fine, just make it cooler," Rainbow told them.

"Do you not like the shape?" Rarity asked.

"I'm really trying to get the coolness here," said Mario, "but we need to know what we're missing here!"

"The shape's fine," Rainbow answered, "Just make it the whole thing...you know cooler. It needs to be 20% cooler." Rarity just groaned and Mario just face planted his sketch book in frustration. Then the song continued.

[Pinkie Pie]

All we ever want is indecision

[Rainbow]

All we really like is what we know

[Twilight]

Gotta balance style with adherence

[Fluttershy]

Making sure we make a good appearance

[Applejack]

Even if you simply have to fudge it

[All but Rarity and Mario as they stand around the sewing machine]

Make sure that it stays within our budget

[Rarity]

Got to overcome intimidation
Remember, it's all in the presentation

Piece by piece, snip by snip
Croup, dock, haunch, shoulders, hip
Bolt by bolt, primmed and pressed
Yard by yard, always stressed
And that's the art of the dress!

Rarity had barely sang the last note of her song before they both collapsed onto the floor with an exhausted plop.

"Ugh, Opal," said Rarity as she examined her work, "These are the ugliest dresses we've ever made."

"This is not what I had in mind when I thought I would help you make dresses," said Mario with sigh, "I feel no satisfaction with my work. I don't feel like I did a good job either. I hate feeling like this."

"We did with what we were asked for," said Rarity, "Now come on. Let's get the others." Mario nodded. But deep down, just the sight of what they had created gave him a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Okay, we did exactly what each of you asked for," Rarity told the five girls once they had arrived back at the shop, "Now don't hold back. Let us know what you really think."

"Oh my!" Twilight exclaimed.

"It's...perfect!" Fluttershy added happily.

"It's cool!" Rainbow said next.

"Why, they're the best duds I ever did see," said Applejack.

"It's exactly what I asked for!" the five girls said at once.

"Thank you, Rarity," said Twilight happily, "you too Mario."

"Guess you do have what it takes to be a fashion designer," Applejack added.

"Um...thanks..." said Mario, still not feeling worthy of the praise, nor did it make him feel any better about his work. Rarity just smiled sheepishly.

"Are you as happy with them as we are? Huh? Huh? Huh?" Pinkie asked Rarity and Mario eagerly.

"Well, I'm happy that all of you are happy," Rarity answered, "We're just relieved to finally be done."

"I knew making my first dresses wouldn't be easy," said Mario, "But I still wasn't prepared for this."

"You did just fine, darling," said Rarity, giving him a small smile but added under her breath, "under the circumstances, it's the best either of us could do." It was just then Spike entered the front door.

"You are never gonna believe this!" said Spike, "You've heard of Hoity Toity."

"The bigwig fashion hotshot in Canterlot?" Twilight answered.

"Uh-huh," said Spike, "He heard about your fashion show. Well, maybe I happened to mention it to him...He's coming here all the way from Canterlot to see your work, Rarity!"

"Whoa, Nelly!" said Applejack, "You could sell a ton o' dresses to this guy. Your business will be booming! And Mario will really make himself a name among the fashion elite!"

"Wow!" said Twilight.

"That's so cool!" Rainbow added.

"I don't believe it!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly. Neither could Rarity and Mario.

"Hoity Toity? He's coming here? To see THESE dresses?" Rarity exclaimed and Mario felt like his heart had stopped beating.

"Yep!" said Spike, "Get ready for all of your dreams to come true!" But for Rarity and Mario, the looks on their faces gave the impression that they were both about to experience their worst nightmare.

Later that night, several ponies from the town had gathered around a stage for the fashion show. Rarity was nervously awaiting with her head sticking out of the curtain. Mario was right beside her. While he looked like he was calm, deep down his heart was pounding out of his chest.

"Oh," Rarity gasped, making Mario jumped, "There he is!" Rarity began to breathe up and down frantically as Mario tried to calm her down. Hoity Toity snootily made his way towards the front of the runway. He then gestured for a pony to place a cushion so he could sit, but the pony holding the cushion got his face smashed as Hoity Toity took his seat. Rarity was still frazzled and Mario just held her close for support.

"How are you so calm about all of this?" Rarity asked Mario. Mario just looked at her and showed a fore-hoof, which was trembling. Rarity grabbed it to help him settle down.

"Relax Rarity," said the marshmallow pony, but her talk was more to herself, "You need to show Mario how to stay cool under pressure. Our friends like our outfits and so will he." Rarity then squealed when everything went dark and Mario jumped once more.

"What's wrong with the lights?!" Rarity exclaimed frantically before realizing something, "Oh, yes. That means the show's starting, good." Mario just whimpered lightly as the show began. The town's personal DJ, formally known as DJ-Pon3, began to play some tunes.

"Since the beginning of time," said Spike from a silhouette in the dark, "the elite of Equestria have longed for pony fashions that truly expressed the essence of their very souls. Patiently waiting decades - no, centuries - for the perfect pony gown. Today, at long last, Equestria, your wait is over! Let's hear it for the breathtaking designs of Ponyville's own Rarity!...and her new intern Mario." That last part was said with no enthusiasm. Most likely jealousy on Spike's part, but Mario was wishing that he had been left out. The spotlight was set on the five ponies and their new, modified dresses.

What a sight they were! First to walk the runway was Twilight, whose dress looked more like a cloak with constellations patterned all over it. A large bow was added to her tail and she had multiple star boppers on her head as well as gold star earrings. Applejack's new dress featured a red ten gallon hat, overalls style dress with a crochet quilt style mini skirt with yellow work boots. Fluttershy's dress had a flower bud neckline with a long skirt that had pink and yellow polka dots with a grassy like landscape along the bottom. She had some grass patch style shoes and a bird's nest for a hat. Rainbow's dress looked more like a badly dressed comic book super hero, with matching superhero style boots and helmet to boot. Pinkie looked like a clown. Literally. The dress was dark green top with an oversized yellow bow and a large blue tutu mini-skirt. She had tied yellow ribbons on her hooves and wore a giant cupcake for a hat. The five ponies walked down the runway proudly. But as they did, the other ponies began to murmur and make faces at their outfits. Once they reached the rotating platform at the end of the runway, Applejack was the first to noticed the murmuring.

"Why's everypony lookin' at us like that?" Applejack asked once she saw nopony looked too pleased at their dresses.

"Oh dear," said Twilight as she saw the discontent faces from the crowd.

"You think we overdid it?" Rainbow asked.

"Nah," said Applejack and then paused as she saw her work boots, "Okay, maybe a little." Hoity Toity was most indignant.

"Oh, these amateurish designs look like a piled on mesh of everything but the kitchen sink," Hoity Toity remarked, earning a few laughs from the crowd. Ironically, Rarity had Mario bring a kitchen sink and was quietly trying to hide it behind the curtain.

"Those outfits are the ugliest things I've ever seen," Hoity Toity continued, "oh for shame. Who is responsible for subjecting our eyes to these horrors? Not to mention wasting my valuable time."

"Oh! Hide me!" Rarity said to Opal as she ducked behind her cat.

"Me too! Me too!" Mario added, quivering behind the cat as well.

"Come on out and take a bow, Rarity! You too, Mario! You two worked really hard for this!" Spike announced as Rarity and Mario quietly made their way out into the crowd as Spike began to cheer...for Rarity of course, "Yes! All-right. Woo-hoo! Go, Rarity!" Rarity just kept her head low and Mario did the same. Their five friends just tried to smile at her, but their smiles soon turned to concern as the crowd murmured. Then they saw Mario and things just got worse.

"Wait? Mario's a designer!"

"He can't design anything!"

"No wonder these dresses are so awful!"

"Why would Rarity hire him for?"

"That young colt should have never tried to be designer," Hoity Toity added, "and he never will be with dresses like this!" Everyone began to laugh again. What happened next made the five ponies heart's break.

Mario began to cry, his sobs drowned out by all the murmuring and laughter.

If it hadn't been for Rarity, he would have ran off by now, but because he was a loyal and caring friend. He was willing to throw away all his dignity to make sure she didn't have to be on that stage alone.

Days had gone by and no pony had seen Rarity or Mario in public. No one could blame them. After such a humiliating fashion show, neither one of them wanted to be seen or spoken too. The mane 5 were more worried about Mario at the moment. They already knew where Rarity would be, but Mario was nowhere to be found.

"Did you check his house?" Rainbow asked Twilight. They had already searched about Ponyville several times today, but no pony had seen Mario. At first they had assumed he would be home and had given him space, but were later shocked to find the house was empty.

"Yeah, but he wasn't home," said Twilight, "It looks like he hasn't been home for days."

"Hey, how did you get a spare house key?" Pinkie asked indignantly.

"Because Mario knows Twilight won't decorate his house in "my sweet babboo" posters and love notes," Applejack replied.

"That only happened once!" Pinkie barked annoyingly.

"You don't think he'd run away do you?" Fluttershy asked worried.

"He might have gone back to the castle," said Twilight, "With his top speed, it's only a few minutes to Canterlot. I'll send a letter to Princess Celestia once we get back to the library," said Twilight, "but for now we need to see if Rarity is alright." The other's nodded in agreement as they made their way to Carousel Boutique. They opened the door and gasped to find Mario hard at work in front of the sewing machine. He was still wearing his glasses and had a measuring tape dangling from his neck.

"Mario!" they all shouted. Mario turned off the machine and gave them a smile.

"Welcome to the Carousel..."Then Mario's cheery tone faded instantly when he saw who it was, "...Oh, hey you guys..." Mario just went back to work.

"Have you been here this whole time?" Twilight asked curiously.

"Pretty much," said Mario simply as he continued to work, "With Rarity in seclusion, someone needs to run this Boutique. Even though...I've had no customers come in since the fashion show. I even tried putting up posters during the night to advertise an original design, but...no pony showed up."

"What design?" Fluttershy asked curiously. Mario pointed a hoof towards two lone dresses. They had the same style, just one dress had a pink top with a blue skirt and white beaded necklace while the other was a yellow top with a pink skirt with blue beaded necklace. There was also some matching shoes on the fore-hoofs and a mini bow just below the ears.

"They're not too shabby," said Applejack, "A bit basic for Rarity dresses, but definitely pretty."

"I agree," said Twilight, "I would wear this dress."

"Good to know," said Mario, "Too bad I didn't think of just going with my gut the first time around with your dresses. OW!" Mario pricked himself again for, who knows what number it was at this point. He just shook his hoof and got back to work.

"I hope you know that we're very sorry for what happened," said Twilight.

"Yeah, didn't expect you to cry a river in front of everypony," Rainbow added, getting plenty of glares, "What? That's what he did." Mario rolled his eyes at her lack of sympathy.

"Look, I've done what I could to help Rarity as much as I could, but she refuses to leave her bedroom and I don't blame her," said Mario, "I even said she could pin the blame for what happened on me, but she said no."

"For good reason," said Twilight, "You only did what Rarity told you to do. After all, your her student and she's the teacher."

"Maybe, but you can't change what happened," said Mario, "The damage has been done. I haven't even been outside this shop with the exception of the posters. I even wore a disguise when I left..." The ponies noticed a trench coat, hat, and some dark glasses on a table. "...as for Rarity, I've done what I can to make sure she at least eats while she's up there and I run the business.

"Wait a second, if you've been here these past few days, where did u sleep?" Twilight asked. Mario pointed to another corner. There on the floor was a single pillow and blanket.

"You could've slept on a sofa," Pinkie pointed out.

"The only one is Rarity's chasse sofa," said Mario, "and we all know how that is reserved for her...emotional moments." A mumbled "yeah" was muttered amongst the five ponies.

"Well, I think it's time we fix this," said Twilight, "Come on Mario. We'll need your help getting Rarity to come out." Mario shut off the sewing machine, removed his glasses and measuring tape, and followed the five girls upstairs to the door leading to Rarity's bedroom. Pinkie was the first to approach the door.

"Rarity?" Pinkie called out from outside the door, "You okay in there? You haven't come out for days."

"I never coming out!" Rarity replied dramatically as she paced about her bedroom in a pink bathrobe and slippers, "I can't show my face in Ponyville ever again! I used to be somepony. I used to be respected. I made dresses. Beautiful, beautiful dresses! But now everypony is laughing at me! I'm nothing but a laughing stock!" Rarity let out a loud sob.

"Rarity please," Mario pleaded.

"I already told you! This is my fault and my fault alone!" Rarity sobbed, "You did what I told you to do. I made the decision to present those dresses neither of us felt were worthy and now I'm ruined!"

"You're still not the only pony who thinks they're a laughing stock," Mario answered, "They're laughing at me too."

"Neither of you are a laughing stock," Twilight pointed out.

"They kind of are." Rainbow answered bluntly.

"Shhh!" Twilight retorted as Mario gave Rainbow a light growl, "Come on out and talk to us."

"Leave me alone!" Rarity sobbed louder, "I vant to be alone! I want to wallow in...whatever it is that ponies are supposed to wallow in! Do ponies wallow in pity? Oh, listen to me, I don't even know what am supposed to wallow in! I'm so pathetic! Mario, if there is one thing I do find you at fault for it's being loyal to the likes of me!" Rarity continued to sob as Mario just sighed sadly.

"Now what do we do?" Twilight asked.

"Uh...panic?"

"That's your answer for everything," Rainbow shot back.

"It's still better than you ideas, big mouth," Mario retorted, still feeling bitter over Rainbow's remarks earlier.

"Well, we can't just leave Rarity like this," Applejack pointed out and Mario nodded in agreement.

"She'll become a crazy cat lady!" Pinkie said worried.

"She only has one cat," Twilight remarked.

"Give her time," Pinkie answered, earning a eye roll from Mario. Mario then beamed.

"Idea!" Mario sing sang, earning stares from the others.

"So Rarity rubbed off on me a bit," said Mario in his defense, "Come on. I've got an idea." The others followed and Mario had Twilight peek inside of what was Rarity's personal work room. There on a mannequin was her unfinished dress for the gala. It didn't take long before the others figured out Mario's idea as he grabbed the key to unlock the room. A few hours later, Rarity was still...wallowing in her pity...to answer her question from earlier as she stood before her mirror.

"Exile," Rarity had decided, "I guess technically I'd have to move away to be in exile. Where would I go? And what would I pack? Oh, it's going to take me forever to do all of the packing. What are you supposed to pack when you are in exile? Are you supposed to pack warm?" Rarity was interrupted when she heard some loud meowing.

"Huh? Opal?" Rarity called out as she found the meowing was coming outside. Rarity gasped when she saw the poor cat clinging fearfully onto a tree branch.

"Opal, how did you get up there?" Rarity asked worried, "Hang on, you poor dear! Mama's coming!" Rarity ran out of her room and out of the Boutique to the tree Opal was in. She came to stop when she found Rainbow sitting on a branch next to Opal.

"Rainbow Dash?!" Rarity exclaimed, "How dare you strand my poor Opal in a tree!"

"Well, how else were we gonna get you to come out and show you this?" Rainbow answered as she tilted her head towards the other girls and Mario.

"What is it?" Rarity said in shock, "It's not...You..." Rarity gasped as they backed away to show that Rarity's dress for the gala was now finished.

"We all finished your dress for you," said Pinkie.

"Thanks to Fluttershy's freaky knowledge of sewing," said Applejack, as Fluttershy blushed shyly.

"And Mario's attention to detail so we could follow your design perfectly," Twilight added, making Mario blush in the same manner.

"Do you like it?" Fluttershy asked Rarity. Rarity said nothing but just walked around the dress quietly.

"Uh-oh. She doesn't like it," said Fluttershy sadly.

"I'm not cut out for this," Mario sighed in defeat as Fluttershy gave him a support pat on the shoulder.

"No, I don't like it," said Rarity upfront with her back against them.

"Awwww..." The rest of the group all groaned.

"I love it!" Rarity said as she turned around with a her eyes sparkling.

"Yay!" The girls all cheered and Mario breathed a long sigh of relief.

"You ponies did an amazing job," Rarity continued, "It's exactly the way I imagined it."

"We just followed your brilliant design," said Fluttershy, "And it was easy with Mario guiding us." Mario just smiled at Fluttershy to say thank you as he went to stand next to Rarity.

"Like we should have let you and Mario for our outfits," said Twilight, "those dresses you two designed were perfect."

"We're so super sorry," said Pinkie.

"You two worked really hard to make our dresses exactly the way we wanted them," Rainbow pointed out as she hovered next to Rarity with Opal on her back, "We all saw how well that turned out."

"Oh, I forgive you," said Rarity as Opal hopped from Rainbow to Rarity's back.

"Same here," said Mario, "We just wanted to make you happy is all."

"Well, that's mighty big of you," said Applejack.

"But my whole career is still ruined!" said Rarity in anguish.

"Oh, right," said Applejack, "that." Then Rarity noticed the sad look on Mario face.

"Darling, how many times have I..." Rarity remembered what Mario had said earlier, "You're hurting from all of this too, aren't you?" Mario just sighed.

"Yes," he replied slowly, "But I've been too busy trying to redeem your career to wallow in...well whatever it is you're supposed to wallow in...pity? Ugh, even I don't know the answer! Besides, as much as I want to just walk away from designing, you need me and I never turn my back on my friends...or my new mentor." Rarity gave him a watery smile and embraced him.

"We still have a long way to go redeeming ourselves," said Rarity.

"We'll find a way," said Mario, "eventually...this little bad publicity will blow over and we can recover."

"Maybe not," said Twilight as she noticed a familiar Canterlot fashion elite walking nearby. It could be assumed he had heard and seen everything.

"All right, I haven't got all day," Hoity Toity answered in his snooty manner. Mario and Rarity smiled before they all rushed inside to get ready. That was when Rarity remembered something else.

"Oh Mario! We've been so busy over everything else that we forgot all about your outfit!" Rarity pointed out. Mario just smiled.

"I got it covered," Mario replied with a wink. Rarity just smiled as they quickly came up with some choreography. Meanwhile, Hoity Toity was just waiting impatiently for the fashion show to begin. Opal seemed to be entertained playing with the end of his side ponytail.

"Take two," he said firmly as he shoved the cat out of the way. Rarity and Mario smiled before making both their horns glow. Hoity Toity oohed as a large collection of stars appeared before them all. Some of them flying into the back end of Twilight's skirt as she posed in the original design Mario had created for her.

"Hello..." Hoity Toity said in shock, "Oh, this can't be the same designers." The scene them shifted towards a large orchard that was loaded with apples. Then a lasso from the distance appeared and pulled in a lone apple from the tree. The apple disappeared once Applejack appeared in her dress and made a pose.

"Simply magnificent!" said Hoity Toity, "And I suddenly have a fierce craving for Dutch apple pie, candied apples on a stick, apple turnovers, apple cobbler..." His thoughts were interrupted as some rainclouds appeared, but rather than water, it began to rain various types of candy. Some began to land on the side of Pinkie's dress and one large one on her hat. Pinkie didn't resist extending her tongue to collect a green gumdrop before making her pose.

"Brilliant!" Hoity Toity exclaimed but was then startled when two clashes of lighting appeared before him. Then Rainbow came flying through the air, and made a dynamic pose as she landed.

"Oh spectacular!" Hoity Toity said, now applauding. Opal smiled in agreement when they were both taken back again as some vines appeared before them. The vines produced some flowers, which the pedals dropped from them instantly as a few butterflies flew by. One then landed on the side of Fluttershy's head, turning into her hairpin and front of her dress as she made a very calm and confident pose.

"Now this is a fashion show!" said Hoity Toity, now enjoying himself, "All of these dresses are absolutely amazing! Who is responsible? Step forward, show yourself!" That was when Rarity appeared, using her horn to make a disco ball lighting effect surround her dress as the rest of the girls appeared behind her as she made her way to the front.

"Brava! Brava! Magnifico! Encore!" Hoity Toity cheered.

"Let's not forget someone else," said Rarity as she made her horn glow once more. This time a black carriage appeared before a satin red carpet. Flashes surrounded by background ponies were cheering and squealing as Mario exited out of the carriage like a celebrity. His outfit featured a black formal shirt that had some low key glitter to it with a splatter style grey vest and gold necktie. He also had a some shiny black shoes on his hoofs and a Fedora hat that had a black band around it with a red rose tucked into it. Mario walked down the red carpet, posing twice before glancing at his side. Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Twilight were shown, pretending to be fan girls as they cheered for him.

Now here was the original script: Mario would toss his rose at Twilight, who would act smitten as Mario held her by a fore-hoof and escort her down the red carpet with him. She was his date for the Gala after all.

Here's what really happened: Mario tossed his rose to Twilight, only for Pinkie to bash her out of the way so the pink pony could catch the rose in her mouth. Pinkie then zipped up to him with a smile despite the rose in her mouth. Mario stayed in character, walked right past Pinkie, helped Twilight to her hoofs, and escorted her down the red carpet as planned. This time, leaving a shocked and annoyed Pinkie in the background.

Despite the altered scene, Hoity Toity was most impressed.

"Stupendous! Encore! Encore!" he replied.

"Oh, thank you. Thank you! Oh, thank you so much!" said Rarity happily as Mario stood on her right side.

"I'm glad you enjoyed the show and our work, sir," Mario added, "There's certainly more where that came..."

WHACK!

Mario was then smacked in the back of the head by the red rose. He turned to see Pinkie as she "hmphed", dropped the rose, and turned her head away with her nose in the air. All eyes were on Mario now.

"Heh...fashion models, am I right?" Mario replied sheepishly. There was a brief silence before they all laughed, even Hoity Toity.

"Dear Princess Celestia," Twilight told Spike as he wrote the letter and the rest of their friends were enjoying themselves, "This week, my very talented friend Rarity, as well as your student Mario, learned that if you try to please everypony, you often times end up pleasing nopony, especially yourself. And I learned this: when somepony offers to do you a favor, like making you a beautiful dress, you shouldn't be overly critical of something generously given to you. In other words, you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth." Twilight giggled at her little pun as Spike tied up the letter and sent it heading towards Canterlot. Hoity Toity watched the letter leave the Boutique before speaking to both Rarity and Mario.

"Rarity, Mario, my congratulations to you both on your most impressive fashion debut," Hoity Toity told them both, "Would you do me the grand honor of allowing me to feature your couture in my Best of the Best Boutique in Canterlot?" Rarity and Mario both gasped excitedly.

"Now, I'll need you to make a dozen of each dress for me by next Tuesday," said Hoity Toity, "and that will include a dozen of Mario's ensemble as well." Mario and Rarity's eyes nearly popped out as they both chuckled and smiled sheepishly.

No pony said the road to being a well-known fashion designer would be easy...

I would like to clear the fact that Mario's internship is only a part time deal. Plus he's there more to be an assistant and supportive friend to Rarity rather than become a designer.

When I took the "which pony are you?" questionnaire on Facebook, I was told I was most like Rarity. It's why you see Mario kind of act just like her in this story to some extent.

Peace Pony Fans