Spike’s eyes rolled around in his head, dazed and confused by the sudden impact on the top of his skull.

“Oh no!” a young, fair, and elegant female voice cried out in surprise. Spike heard hoof steps come near him; right up to where he had been hit on the head. “Sweetie Belle! What have I said about hitting ponies on the head when they come in!?”

“Rarity, get away! It’s a monster!” A squeaky little unicorn spoke up next to Spike, and his vision finally focused enough to see the filly was elevated from the floor with a big plank. He wasn’t sure how that filly could even hold up the plank with her mouth, much less sneak up behind him and give him a good whack right as soon as he came through the door.

“Sweetie, that’s the dragon I was telling you about last night.”

“Ya mean the one that got your mane all stuck up with sticky taffy?”

“Not by his own fault - but never speak of the taffy again!” the older mare chided. Spike slowly got up from the floor with a major headache while Sweetie hopped away from him, both scared of the dragon and scared of her sister’s wrath for doing something wrong. She quickly scampered off to her room upstairs.

While Spike rubbed the back of his head, he looked around the room. It was a cozy little lobby for the building, as the right wall and the wall behind him formed a part of the circular walls seen from the outside. In front of him stood a doorway through which he could see some threads and an industrial sewing machine. To his right was another doorway where, unlike the purple rug and decorations around the walls of the lobby, he could see only white with a table in the middle, possibly making the room a kitchen. All around the lobby were purple rugs and purple linings on the furniture, some shades of purple darker than others. Mannequins lined the walls with different dresses and styles, on display for potential customers. He quickly noted that there weren’t any clothes for males.

“Huh. So this is the famed ‘Carousel Boutique’,” Spike mused out loud.

“Oh please, you flatter me,” he heard a voice behind him say. “But my business is not famed yet. It is not even well known in Ponyville, even less so in the important cities like Canterlot or Manehattan.”

Spike turned around. The white mare with the purple stylized coiffure stood behind him closing the entrance of the boutique. He met this mare last night at Pinkie’s party, before the taffy incident. They didn’t see each other much, not even bothering to get names, but she did notice his dexterous claws, and asked if he would like to apply for a part-time job at her business, the Carousel Boutique.

He accepted rather quickly.

“Well, I see that you cleaned up better than most of us after the party,” Spike chuckled.

“Yes, well, perhaps. I can still smell some of the bubblegum taffy on you,” she replied with a slight smile, turning back to him and walking up to the center of the room.

Spike sniffed his arms and, oddly, under his arms, trying to see where the smell could be coming from. He swore he cleaned up extra well this morning before he came. “Uh, you can smell me from that far?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. If I didn’t know the truth, I’d say it’s a… unique perfume for anypony to wear.”

“Yeah, about the taffy last night…”

“No!” the mare stomped her hoof on the ground, glaring at Spike with an angry expression. “You will not remind both of us what happened last night! Am I clear on that?” she ordered.

Spike nodded his head, but his mind still flashed back to last night.

For Spike and Rainbow, the party invitation was a good idea to show off their real selves instead of the “petty noble” side they showed during the police station incident.

It did not help that Mayor Mare was very insistent for everypony to stay away from them, as she feared a single hoof touch on either the blue Pegasus or the purple dragon would somehow cause an explosion of canceled tourist events.

Or just an explosion.

However, as it was wont to do, explosions and general mishaps did happen to the duo.

Spike was held up onto the ceiling of Sugarcube Corner by, of all things, pink bubblegum taffy. His limbs were splayed back in awkward positions, his arms pinned back while his legs were tucked in, as if he was about to run along the ceiling.

He wished he could - at least he could get away from the taffy.

Meanwhile, Rainbow was also stuck onto the ceiling, although not exactly how Spike was. She was held down by her back legs deeply entrenched into the ceiling taffy. Her wings were also stuck into her sides by the gum, but her forelegs were free to grab anything.

This left her in the position of hanging upside down, blood rushing to her head.

“Hey, uh, Dash?” Spike called out behind her. His call was a bit muffled from the gum on his jaws but otherwise heard. “How, uh, how are you doing?”

“Oh, you know, I’m just uh, hanging around,” Rainbow spat, seething with anger, and trying not to look at her brother out of spite.

“Yeah…” Spike sighed awkwardly. He knew that parties can tend to be wild when he’s involved, but he never imagined Pinkie Pie’s party to get this wild.

He also should have known all that taffy wasn’t going to end well.

“Ugh…” Rainbow moaned, the blood in her head clearly making her feel a bit dizzy and uncomfortable. She’d been upside down like this before; she had to since she was an athlete at Flight School, but it didn’t mean she liked to be upside down. “Where’s?...Ugh, where’s Fluttershy?”

A “squee” could be heard from the duo’s right, a large mass of gum that looked almost like a cocoon.

“Yeah, not our finest moment with this town, I’d say…” Spike spoke.

“Oh, don’t be so worried. Now the town knows that you’re a rather rambunctious group up there in the cloud houses. For a couple of nobles, you and, er, Dash Rainbow, was it?” the mare asked in the middle of her sentence.

“Rainbow Dash. I’m Rainbow Spike, by the way,” Spike held out his hand in order to shake the mare’s hoof, “But most call me Spike, while they call my sister Rainbow.”

“Ah, you two are siblings? Rarity, by the way,” Rarity shook her hoof with Spike’s hand.

“Yup. I was born a day later after Rainbow. My egg was dropped right in front of our parents, if you would believe that!” Spike laughed. Rarity laughed as well, and Spike noted to himself that he liked her laugh.

“Well, as an older sister, I expect that Rainbow has been a little obnoxious to you?”

“Ugh, you wouldn’t believe. Just because she’s a day older than me, she thinks she can call all the shots because she is, and I quote “more experienced” than me. Yeah, more experienced by, like, 20 hours.” Both of them laughed, the slight pain now all but gone from Spike’s head.

“Yes, well, as I was saying, our town is more than used to the couple odd ponies and events here and there, that isn’t even the craziest ending to a Pinkie Pie party, you know. Easy-going nobles like you and Rainbow are in good company here.”

Spike silently hoped he wouldn’t have to be at the other parties where it could get even crazier. There’s fun with a crazy party, but something about Pinkie just… unnerved him.

“Uh, glad to hear that!” Spike replied. “Truth be told, we just wanted to get away from the business of Cloudsdale. Also, some things that had happened there, but they’re not important now. You said last night you needed someone like me to help around in your shop?”

“Why yes, I do,” Rarity walked over to the room with the threads and the sewing machine, beckoning him to come inside with her. Walking in, Spike noticed that while there was an industrial machine, there were also several smaller home sewing machines around the room. Spools of different colored thread and different pieces of materials were piled high and clumped on a shelf near the big machine. In the back of the room was a table where several scraps of paper and charcoal were spread about, a closer look revealing patterns and designs for dresses. Fabric rolls in different colors and materials were near the work table, with several of them looking like a couple feet had been cut out of the rolls.

“Tell me,” Rarity spoke, making Spike focus his attention back on her, “Do you by chance know how to sew, or at least use a machine?” She pointed to one of the home machines, Spike assuming the big machine belonging to her.

“No, can’t say I do, but I am a quick learner though - if you can teach me how.”

“Oh, excellent! Before we begin, however, I would like to talk a bit about your… payment,” Rarity hesitantly spoke. Spike was slightly surprised. Not at how much he was going to earn, but that he was going to be making anything at all.

“What about it?” he asked.

“Oh, well, this is the part where you will, um… reconsider working with me. Most ponies do not like what I am offering right now for the position…”

Spike smiled in his mind. It seemed Rarity was forgetting who, exactly, she was talking to. He wondered if she even saw his custom Rainbow fire necklace.

“You see, as I have said before, I am not yet well known in the fashion world. While I try my best to get new customers to start coming, we aren’t exactly making a lot of money here. The best I can do is pay the minimum wage…”

Spike pretended to be shocked, and added to the act by making a couple steps to the door, as if he was going to bolt away from the shop. He could see the tears already starting to form in Rarity’s eyes.

Seeing the tears made him feel like a real jerk for even pretending like he was going to run, and he quickly dropped the act. “Relax, Rarity, I’m not going,” he assured the mare, smiling and coming back towards her.

“W-what, really?” she replied incredulously, clearly expecting him to run and leave her on her own again.

Spike tapped the necklace on his chest with a finger, pushing his body high and proud. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m a Rainbow. We’re not exactly needy for bits in our family, and my parents send us a good amount of money to cover all our bills and some more. Really, Rainbow just wanted us to get jobs so we don’t laze around like bums.”

Rarity stared at him, eyes full of hope of finally having somepony, er, somedragon to help her. “Do you mean it? You can stay and help?”

“Of course! If you think minimum wage really isn’t enough, I can maybe get some clothes for myself too, if you wouldn’t mind…”

“Oh no problem!” Rarity waved her hoof, “I can certainly create some very fashionable clothes, even for a dragon like yourself! Perhaps some items that can be worn for when you are on a date with a special somepony?” Rarity smirked.

“I dunno. Will you fit me at 7, then we go out to eat at 8?” Spike, while not normally being the flirtatious type, certainly wanted to see the kind of reaction he could get.

Evidently, all he got was a little punch in the arm. “Oh, don’t be like that! I will have you know that I already have somepony to catch my eye, if I am not already married to my work.”

“Oh? And who is the lucky fellow that has caught your eye?” Spike smirked, leaning in like it was a secret.

“Oh, nopony more than the great Prince Blueblood, of Canterlot! I can see it now, I’ll be wearing a dress that perfectly accents both my mane and my eyes, and when he sees me, ohhhh it will be love at first sight!” Rarity lifted up her hooves in giddy anticipation already, sighing in bliss. “Oh, to be a part of the high noble society of Canterlot! Class, soirees, wine tastings!”

“So, you’d like a noble to sweep you off your feet? I mean, I’m right here, and I can pick you up off the ground with my wings,” Spike joked, giving his wings a couple test flaps in the room.

“Oh, I’m not a shallow gold-digger, thank you very much!” Rarity harrumphed. “But, I’ll make you a little deal. If, on some factually improbable chance, I meet Blueblood and our relationship doesn’t work out like it should… I would certainly not reject an offer to be treated to a nice night by a gentle dragon like yourself.”

“But as for now…” Rarity walked up and raised up her hoof with a casual smile, “I would like us to be friends and business associates. Would you accept?”

Spike smiled and shook her hoof, “I would like that very much, Ms. Rarity.”

“Oh, don’t call me miss yet!” Rarity pulled back her hoof with a sheepish smile. “It makes me sound old and single. Just call me Rarity, dear Spike.”

“Very well then, Rarity,” Spike grinned and nodded. Rarity suddenly gasped and grabbed his arm, startling him a little.

“Your scales… I can certainly come up with a fashion line based straight off of them. Think of it as bringing out the wild side, of showing that you are the alpha predator in a sea full of prey! Could I by chance pluck all your scales off you?”

Spike recoiled in horror, imagining what he would look like if all his scales were forcibly removed. He imagined his sister Rainbow wearing a dress made up of purple and light green scales. She was loving the way it protected her from random arrows that were being shot at her for some reason.

He was brought back to reality with a light boop on the nose, courtesy of a giggling Rarity. “And that’s for acting as if you would run from my shop, you silly dragon.”

Spike, dumbfounded, sat on the ground, watching with an open mouth as Rarity walked out of the room.

“Dang… she’s good,” he thought to himself, seeing her wiggle her hips just a little bit with each step as she walked out of the room.

Author's Notes:

What do ya know? The author does remember his old stories!

Took him long enough, anyway...