While the afternoon had been pleasantly silent for a long time, it was suddenly interrupted by the loud noise of the school bell of Canterlot High. And, as is so often the case, that sound was followed by a few moments of further silence, which yielded to an instant of students pouring out of the front door of the place as their day had finally come to an end. All over, there were pairs and groups of friends all talking with one another or going about in their own direction, ready to pursue whatever activity they had planned for the rest of the evening. Of all of them, however, there was a solitary figure; Rarity. This young fashionista was not going about in a frantic manner, like many of her other classmates, but was instead looking more ponderous, gazing at a sheet of paper in her hands, which was covered in a number of different designs for outfits, which she no doubt planned to make in the near future. However, it wasn’t long before her attention turned elsewhere.

“Yo, Rares! You comin or what?”

Looking up from her paper, Rarity turned to see that there, standing beside the still-ruined horse statue of the school, was Lemon Zest. With a small smile creeping onto her face, Rarity gave the Crystal Prep girl a brief wave before putting her designs into her backpack. With that done, she made her way over, all while Lemon leaned against the statue with a smirk on her face.

“I say, darling, I do apologise. I was just caught up in some work.”

But Lemon shook her head, looking far from offended at that.

“Hey, it’s no problem, Rarity. As long as we get going.”

Rarity nodded at that, gesturing with her hand to the street beside them. Nodding in response, Lemon began to walk, with her Canterlot high companion close behind. The two walked in silence for a few blocks, though were not looking at all uncomfortable when doing so. In the end though, it was Rarity who broke the silence, looking to Lemon with some curiosity.

“I must confess, Lemon, and I hope you’re not at all offended by this, but you don’t seem the type to come along to something like this.”

Lemon nodded at that, though still maintained her smile as she kept walking.

“Well, I’ve never really done the whole “shopping” thing, even for clothes. So I figured…why not? Might be fun.”

Rarity turned away from her, looking more than a little pleased at hearing that.

“Well…if you’ll pardon my saying so, but I truly wish some of my other friends had that kind of enthusiasm for it.”

Nodding in response, Lemon opened her mouth to say something additional, only to stop when she noticed something up ahead. Nudging Rarity a little, the girl pointed forward and showed her that, there, right across the street from them, was their destination; a small clothes store, still open. Squealing with delight, Rarity, to Lemon’s surprise, grabbed hold of her companion’s wrist and started sprinting towards the place. Lemon, thankfully, was unbothered by this, and in fact seemed to find it quite amusing. Before long, they were there, and Rarity burst through the front door, looking at all of the outfits on display and practically salivating at the sight of them. Seeing her like this, Lemon placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow.

“Geez, Rarity, you don’t have to go overboard with it. Besides, I thought you preferred your own clothes?”

Composing herself a bit more, Rarity brushed aside some of her purple hair before looking to Lemon with a more dignified look.

“That may certainly be true, Lemon, but that doesn’t mean I stick to such attire exclusively. After all, there’s always a chance I’ll find something interesting in the town’s stores every once in a while.”

Before Lemon had the chance to reply to that, Rarity rushed past her, moving over to another display outfit. This one was clearly formal attire, a dress that looked like it should be used for fancy parties. Also, and to Rarity’s delight, it was the same colour as her hair, which she seemed very happy about. Clearing her throat, Rarity turned to the store clerk, an older woman, and spoke in that more refined manner of hers.

“I say, Miss? Would it be alright if I were to try this outfit on for size?”

The woman gave a smile and a nod in response, leading to yet another happy squeal from Rarity. Looking rather amused by all this, Lemon watched as Rarity took the outfit and darted for the nearest changing booth, closing it behind her and getting down to the business of changing outfits. Being the kind of girl she was, and given how much she adored this type of activity, the change took mere moments, and when it was done, she emerged, clad in that purple dress and striking a pose not unlike some heroine from an old black-and-white crime thriller.

“I say, darling, surely this is a dress to die for?”

But, no words came in response, prompting Rarity to look where Lemon had been standing before. However, to her confusion, the Crystal Prep girl was nowhere to be seen, leading to a slightly worried look on Rarity’s part.

“Um…Lemon?”

Fortunately for her, Lemon’s voice could soon be heard after she called out.

“In here, Rares.”

Turning, Rarity saw that, adjacent to her changing booth, was another, and this one had also been closed. Putting the pieces together in her mind, Rarity broke out into a massive smile.

“Ooh! Lemon! I’m guessing you found an outfit that suited your tastes?”

“You know it! Found it over in the corner and I just knew I had to try it out. Just give me a moment, okay?”

Rarity nodded at that, walking around for a moment and looking at some of the other clothes, as well as simply enjoying the feel of the dress she was currently wearing, which she was particularly happy about. Fortunately for her, she didn’t have much longer to wait, as the distinct sound of a creaking door opening could now be heard. Putting on a wide smile, Rarity spun around to see her companion, only to have that smile vanish in an instant as she finally saw exactly what it was Lemon was wearing. In her head, she’d imagined some kind of evening gown, similar to hers. What she hadn't been expecting was for Lemon to emerge wearing a bikini swimsuit, the same colour as her green hair. As for Lemon, she was looking quite happy with herself.

“What do ya think? Pretty hot, right?”

At that, Lemon struck a pose, with one hand on her head and the other on her hip. Rarity, as one would expect in a situation like this, was rendered speechless. However, her personal sense of courtesy soon snapped her out of it, and she finally got her words together.

“Well, dear, it’s…um…very striking.”

Lemon chuckled at that as she assumed a normal standing pose.

“I know, right? It’s gonna be turning heads everywhere!”

Rarity let out a brief but nervous laugh.

“Yes…I’m sure it will. But, if you don’t mind my saying…isn’t it a little…er…out-of-season?”

Hearing that, Lemon rolled her eyes a little.

“Oh please! You’re telling me you’ve never run across a beach during an autumn rain wearing something like this?”

Rarity darted her eyes left and right as she considered that.

“Well…no. I can honestly say I haven’t.”

Lemon placed her hands on her hips and chuckled somewhat.

“Seriously, Rares, you gotta learn to live a little! Life is short, so go nuts!”

Letting those words sink in, Rarity afforded herself a moment to brush aside some more of her hair as she regarded the other girl.

“Lemon…far be it from me to question the kind of girl that you are, but…how is it that you can be so cut-loose about these things?”

Lemon nodded at that before starting to speak up again.

“Yeah…I get where you’re coming from. Because of Crystal Prep, right? Sure, most of it is all work and study and stick-in-the-muds, but me? I’ve always just loved being out there, doing new things. Guess it’s always been in the family.”

Rarity nodded in response.

“I see. Your family is…vibrant, I assume?”

At that, Lemon let out a loud chortle as she folded her arms.

“If by that you mean they can’t stand peace and quiet, and are always getting noticed for so-called weird stuff…then yeah, that’s them alright.”

Turning, a somewhat nostalgic look crossed Lemon’s face.

“Like my Grandpa always said…where’s the fun in making sense?”

To that, Rarity raised an eyebrow.

“Ugh…no offense, but...it's small wonder you and Pinkie get on so well.”

Lemon smiled and shrugged her shoulders at that, turning around and heading back into the changing booth. Rarity followed, getting into her own, and a few minutes later, both girls re-emerged, clad in their old attire. Both of them, however, were holding onto the alternate outfits they’d been wearing mere moments ago, and together, they walked over to the counter, ready to pay. The woman at the till smiled at both of them as the girls paid for their respective clothes, but, as Lemon began to make her way out, she stopped, noticing that Rarity had paused for a moment at the counter.

“Aren’t you coming, Rarity?”

The young fashionista shook her head a little.

“Oh…you go on without me, dear. I just need to sort out a few things.”

Lemon considered that before putting on a smile and heading off. Rarity stayed behind, watching as her companion walked further and further away. Only when she was sure Lemon was out of earshot did she finally turn and speak to the clerk once more.

“Miss, forgive my bluntness, but you simply must to tell me the designer for that stunning swimsuit!”