Plumsweet & Rainbow Flash Chapter Expansions · 2:37am Dec 25th, 2023
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/3238537
Happy Hearth's Warming Eve (or to those of you in time zones ahead of me, Happy Hearths Warming!). The next chapter of 16 is with my prereaders, and the biggest piece of news it's not one chapter, it's two of them. It was so big (and there was a natural break almost exactly in the middle), that I was advised to split the chapter in half. So that's what I've done. This two-parter is my tribute to MLP's 40th anniversary and will be posted before the end of the year.
Tomorrow Honeybuzz's expanded content will be posted as a blog post as a Hearth's Warming gift to everypony reading this story. They've been added to her chapter already, so if anyone wants a sneak peek, they can reread her chapter now.
Today, however, we have the chapter extensions for Plumsweet and Rainbow Flash. We get one scene for Plumsweet and two for Rainbow Flash. For those of you that have read this story in the last year and a half, you've already seen this content (both of these chapters were updated prior to July 2022, I just never got around to posting the blog until now). If you've read about Plumsweet at a monster truck rally, you've already seen this. Honeybuzz's expansion is almost entirely new as of this week, hence why I'm saving it for tomorrow.
I've been procrastinating on posting these two, wondering if maybe I should give them a little more expansion or not. The time has long since passed to post this blog, so I'm rectifying that oversight now.
After tomorrow's blog post for Honeybuzz, that leaves Cherry Pie & Daisy Dreams as the only ponies that still need to have their chapters embiggened. Which is great, because we're closing in on the conclusion of Act I. We can't start Act II until their background stories are done.
Cherry Pie: Currently in progress
Daisy Dreams: No recent changes; will be expanded
Dewdrop Dazzle: https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/1014130/dewdrop-dazzle-chapter-expansion
Diamond Rose: https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/990898/diamond-rose-chapter-expansion
Feathermay: https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/993541/feathermay-chapter-expansion
Flitterheart: https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/996030/flitterheart-chapter-expansion
Honeybuzz: To be posted tomorrow
Lily Blossom: https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/999575/lily-blossom-chapter-expansion
Lulu Luck: https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/1007071/lulu-luck-chapter-expansion
Ploomette: No expansions planned
Plumsweet: You're here
Rainbow Flash: You're here
Snowcatcher: No expansions planned
Starbeam Twinkle: No expansions planned
Sunny Rays: No expansions planned
Sweetie Swirl: No expansions planned
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/2311134
San Antonio, Texas: day 12
I stepped off the airplane and disembarked into the terminal. My first flight was an interesting experience, and one I wasn’t looking forward to repeating. Flying is for the birds… and the pegasi. I wonder how many more flights I’m going to have to take before I get used to traveling this way?
I’d gone through yet another orientation process, and then ESPN had sent me to some local sporting events to get an idea of what they were like. I’d watched some high school basketball games, and a regional hockey game, and I wasn’t sure I had a great grip on either one of the sports. Especially the latter, because the teams would randomly break out into fighting throughout the event.
My first on-air event had been a sumo wrestling event the night before. It had been an interesting contest, where two large men attempted to push each other. With my earth pony strength, I’d been tempted to get out there and challenge the winner. I was positive I could’ve beaten him, but I was a reporter, and I was supposed to observe and offer commentary – I wasn’t supposed to compete.
My next assignment was Monster Jam at the Alamodome. I figured it would involve humans wrangling monsters. Such events weren’t unheard of in Equestria, where some boastful ponies would fight manticores and hydras for the entertainment of others. It was generally frowned upon and completely illegal. But they’d host the events in places like the Everfree Forest that didn’t fall under any town’s jurisdiction.
It begged the question of just what humans considered monsters on Earth. I arrived early, because I wanted to learn the sport and interview some of the competitors before the show started.
The Alamodome turned out to be a massive arena, bigger than anything I’d ever heard of in Equestria. I got lost and wandered around the stadium for half an hour before I finally found my way out onto the floor of the arena. It was dirt, and there were multiple hills. I trotted up one of them, and was sweating before I made it to the top. Obviously the athletes competing would be in much better physical condition than me, and would have no trouble climbing the hills. Once I ascended the hill, I looked out over the playing surface. Two of the hills were more like buttes, with no easy way of scaling them. Oddly, there were metallic containers buried at the tops of the buttes.
Downhill was a lot easier, and at the bottom I came across four green cars parked next to one another. While I’d ridden in a few cars, I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to really examine one up close. So I took the opportunity to check them out. They didn’t seem to be nearly as nice as the ones I’d seen previously, and even though there were no windows in the car on the end, I couldn’t get the door open. I could probably buck it open, but I didn’t want to damage someone’s vehicle. I was a guest on Earth, after all, and it wouldn’t make a good impression if I went around destroying other people’s property. A thinner pony could’ve squeezed through the window, but I hadn’t been small enough to fit through that opening since I was a young filly. The last thing I wanted was to get stuck in there when monsters might attack at any time. I had yet to see any of the monsters, though there were people milling about by some oversized trucks along the wall.
I returned my attention to the green cars, and noticed that what I thought were the lighting fixtures were also painted green. One would think that would defeat the purpose of lights, but I’d seen humans had tiny lights that could shine very brightly, so perhaps they didn’t need big lamps like I’d seen on other cars.
Closer examination indicated that the cars had been hastily repainted, as I saw overspray on the seats when I stuck my head inside. But why? Perhaps these are also obstacles for the monsters to navigate? Or maybe they use the cars as traps. I bet it would be very easy to trick a monster into getting stuck inside! I bet that’s why they paint them – to camouflage them! Oh, I do hope they don’t kill the poor monsters. Maybe they have a Tartarus on Earth that they lock them up in too.
I decided to head over to the giant trucks, no doubt the vehicles used to bring the monsters to the arena. It seemed logical to assume that the monster cages would be near the transports. The first truck I came across was blue, with spikes along the top, and two big horns curving from the roof. It had ‘Dragon’ emblazoned on the side and I gasped. Dragons aren’t monsters! I thought Equestria explained we have dragons back home. Perhaps Earth’s dragons can’t speak the language, so the humans think they’re mindless beasts. This won’t do! I have to stop this!
A human wearing a shirt the same color blue as the ‘Dragon’ truck turned his attention to me. “You like it?”
“I demand to be taken to the dragon at once!”
“Uh, it’s right here. The truck. The truck is Dragon.”
I blinked. “So it’s not hauling a real dragon?”
He laughed. “Right, you have dragons back in Horseyland. There aren’t any dragons on Earth. We just call this truck Dragon.”
“Oh. Dragons are fierce, so I guess that makes sense if fighting monsters. Explain to me what this truck is used for if it doesn’t haul a dragon to be fought?”
“Wow, you really are new to this. The trucks are the monsters. Monster trucks. There’s two main events: racing, where two trucks square off against one another to see who’s the fastest, and freestyle, which is where one driver gets a minute and a half to do anything they want in the arena, hitting as many of the obstacles as they can, with the goal of impressing the audience the most with their stunts.”
“So no real monsters?”
He shook his head. “Nope, just trucks.”
“That still sounds very interesting. And less scary.”
“It’s perfectly safe. They don’t let fans sit in the first few rows of seats anymore.”
The ‘anymore’ at the end of that sentence begged questions, but I wasn’t an investigative reporter, rather I was a sports reporter. I wasn’t supposed to look for mysteries to solve.
I looked at the next truck in the row. That one had the biggest crowd around it – it was black with green flames, a giant skull, tombstones, and bright red headlights. The name on the side indicated it was Grave Digger. I blinked. Why would anyone want skulls and gravestones decorating their truck? What is wrong with these people?!?
I didn’t get to see any of the other trucks, because my camera crew had arrived and was setting up – I saw the big ESPN 8: The Ocho logo and introduced myself to the team. One of them looked relieved – a young lady who ushered me into a private room where she started doing my makeup. I was impressed at just how quickly she could do it – hands were way better at applying makeup than hooves or mouths. What would’ve taken me an hour only took her five minutes.
Then I was back out on the arena floor, and she steered me straight towards another lady. She was standing next to a truck called Whiplash.
My handler gave me a microphone and introduced me to her – she was apparently the driver of the Whiplash truck.
“Greetings! I’m Plumsweet, and I’m covering this for ESPN 8: The Ocho! This is my first ever monster truck event. Tell me what I can expect to see tonight.”
“You’re in for a treat. You’re going to see the biggest, most powerful monster trucks in the world as they destroy everything in their path. You’ll see trucks perform incredible death-defying stunts. You’re gonna love it!”
“Okay. I look forward to it.” I had no idea what else to ask her. I must look like a fool. “Any tips you can give to a first-timer?”
“Don’t blink or you might miss something.”
“Got it!”
The trucks fired their engines and my ears flattened. It was easily the loudest thing I’d ever heard, and my ears were begging for mercy as the trucks pulled out of the arena, staging themselves for the qualifying session.
The roar of the engines was made worse by the echoes as the noise reverberated around the Alamodome. I couldn’t help but think this would be a much better event if it was held outdoors.
As if the noise wasn’t bad enough, the fumes from the trucks were awful. Whatever fuel they were using made my eyes burn. It was even worse than the smelly bus we’d ridden in to the consulate.
I relocated to my position for the event. Qualifying involved watching the trucks run around the course. The goal was to get the fastest time – the lower the number, the better. I followed the scoring, even if I didn’t completely grasp what was so exciting about watching trucks go in a circle.
The racing bracket had the fastest qualifier against the slowest, and the second-fastest versus the second-slowest, etc. In theory it meant that the best trucks should all advance to the next round.
The racing was loud with two trucks racing around the arena simultaneously, but mercifully short. With my ears flattened, I could block some of the sound. Dragon won the racing, and the truck shot flames out of the front in celebration. I couldn’t help but wonder what dragons back home would think of knowing there was a monster truck named after their species. It was obnoxiously loud, shot flames, and it was extremely destructive. They’d probably approve.
As my job demanded, I went down to interview the driver of Dragon. “Great work out there.”
“Thanks. The truck was really hooked up tonight.”
“Hooked up to what?”
He chuckled. “It’s an expression. It means the truck was really working optimally tonight.”
“Forgive me, I’m still new to Earth and English. Congratulations on the win. Also, the flames are cool. But you probably already know that.” I stopped talking before my mouth could express any more of my embarrassment.
Freestyle started, and the massive trucks defied gravity. I’d heard it said that pegasi shouldn’t be able to fly because their wings are too small for their bodies, but these trucks were flying and they didn’t even have wings at all! They’d hit the ramps or obstacles and launch themselves thirty feet in the air.
The line of green cars didn’t stand a chance. A truck hit the first one in line and flew over the rest of them. The car on the end, the one I’d stuck my head into earlier, was absolutely obliterated. The metal was deformed and debris was everywhere. The door I hadn’t been able to open was lying on the ground next to the car. The truck landed on the car on the other end, squashing it flat. The truck was moving so fast it had already jumped off one of the other obstacles before my attention shifted away from the destruction of the poor green cars.
One popular trick was to hit the dirt mound with the shipping container buried inside and make the truck turn a backflip. The crowd went nuts every time a driver landed a backflip.
As the night dragged on I learned new terminology from my cohosts. Things like ‘wheelstand’ where a truck would rear up and drive on its back wheels only. The shorter term was ‘wheelie’ and it came in multiple flavors. The ‘power wheelie’ was the basic maneuver, where the truck reared up under acceleration. There was also the slap wheelie, where the truck would rear up after hitting something, and finally the sky wheelie, where the truck would rear up in midair with no wheels on the ground after hitting one of the obstacles.
The winner of the freestyle portion of the event was the same lady I’d interviewed earlier. I grabbed my microphone and once more asked her some routine questions. At least I hoped they were routine questions.
My ears were ringing when we finally left. It had been… interesting. I really didn’t know how to describe it. I sort of enjoyed myself, but I hated all the noise and fumes. I’d have to look into getting some sort of ear protection before covering my next monster truck rally.
Moving on to Rainbow Flash.
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/3057604
Gaitlinburg: four years, three months, and six days ago
Rarity was many things: the Element of Generosity, a leading fashionista, and an incredibly shrewd businessmare. From her visits to Gaitlinburg to see me, she’d realized she needed a presence in a town that had this much wedding tourism. Some of that was my influence, and some of that was her own observations.
That she’d opened a Carousel Boutique location in my hometown wasn’t a surprise. She’d been grooming me to take a place in her business empire, little by little. The next step was an apprenticeship, and the location conveniently opened just when Rarity determined I was ready.
The location was run by Sew-and-So, an orange earth pony with gorgeous pink and purple hair. The fashion field was dominated by unicorns, who had a natural advantage with telekinesis. Earth ponies and pegasi weren’t necessarily uncommon in the profession, but they were limited to hoof-stitch or machine-stitch, and couldn’t do intricate details with magic-stitch like unicorns could. Many ponies dismissed their talents as a result, so when an earth pony or pegasus made it to the top of the profession, it was especially impressive.
Gaitlinburg Boutique was the chain’s seventh location, behind the original location in Ponyville, Manehattan, Canterlot, Hope Hollow, Las Pegasus, and Fillydelphia. I wasn’t Rarity’s first protégé, that honor went to a colt by the name of Pistachio, who was apprenticing with Coco Pommel at the Manehattan location. I was also positive I wouldn’t be the last – Rarity had a reputation for generosity that was well-earned. She had a keen eye for talent, and a genuine desire to help ponies reach their dreams.
But she wasn’t stupid – her generosity had been taken advantage of more than once. The terms of my apprenticeship were generous… to a point. Rarity’s fashions took center stage – which was fair since she was the owner. Sew-and-So could display her own designs in secondary display areas. My own designs would be in the back, near the discount rack. For a designer of my experience, that was an incredible opportunity.
If I wanted to remain with Rarity’s Boutique, I’d graduate to my own store in three years at the conclusion of my tutoring. Possibly the Gaitlinburg location, but that would entirely depend on if Sew-and-So was willing to relocate or not. She had seniority, and hence first choice. If not, then I’d be at the mercy of wherever Rarity was expanding three years hence.
If I chose not to remain with Rarity’s, there was a two-year non-compete clause attached. That was the catch in a contract that would be too good to be true otherwise. I’d come out of my apprenticeship with the knowledge needed to succeed, but couldn’t immediately put it to use. It was a fair contract and I had no problems signing it, but I wanted to make my own mark in the world of fashion. I wouldn’t be satisfied with just having my own store, I wanted ponies to brag that they were wearing a Rainbow Flash original. My competitive spirit hadn’t died when I stopped running; it’d just turned to a different outlet.
But in order to be the best, I needed to be out from under Rarity’s shadow. At the same time, I owed her everything. It wasn’t like when I was running and I wanted the competition to eat my dust – I wanted to coexist with her. She was my mentor, my benefactor. She’d done so much for me; I’d never forget who’d given me a chance. Could I be happy being a store manager?
I had a lot to think about. Thankfully I had plenty of time.
Manehattan: sixteen days ago
Rarity had left the Ponyville location to former students of hers, Sandbar and Yona. She divided much of her time between the Canterlot and Manhattan locations, and most of the rest of it was spent in Maris, Prance, the center of the fashion world. All the while keeping an eye out for new towns to expand into. Her chain had grown to more than twenty locations, and if I wanted to stay with the company, I’d get the next one: Trottingham.
That’s what I’d come to talk to her about. I walked into the shop and Coco Pommel greeted me. It’d been months since we’d last seen one another, and we nuzzled. Six and a half months ago to be exact, for the grand opening of Chicoltgo Boutique, run by Coco’s former apprentice, Pistachio.
Rarity was expecting me and I took a seat in her office while I waited for her to finish what she was working on. I gazed around the room as she worked. Her Canterlot office was her ‘home’ office, but she spent nearly as much time in Manehattan. Half-finished sketches lined easels around the room, while three of the walls were adorned with pictures of celebrities wearing her dresses, including Princess Twilight Sparkle. The wall directly behind her desk was a map of the world, with pins in every city that had a location of her chain. Other cities had circles around them, including Trottingham, and that likely meant she was evaluating them for potential locations.
As cluttered as the office was, her desk was the opposite. It was empty except for a photo of herself and her sister, Sweetie Belle, and whatever document she was currently in the process of reading.
Rarity finally looked up. “Salutations, Rainbow Flash. I apologize for my rudeness, but I was in the middle of reading this document and legalese is rather tricky to negotiate effectively when distracted.” She looked at me and I could see the sadness in her eyes. “You’re here to turn down the Trottingham branch.”
I nodded.
“Not really a surprise. I’m sorry, Sew-and-So is rather fond of the Gaitlinburg location, and I can’t force her to leave. I suppose I could, but it wouldn’t be right.”
“I’m not sure I would’ve stayed on even if she’d taken the relocation offer. You know how ambitious I am.” I hadn’t hidden anything from her. We were in frequent correspondence, and she knew where my dreams were taking me.
“Indeed. I can’t fault you for wanting to make your own mark on the world. You have more to prove than most ponies. You’ve been open and honest with me, and I appreciate that.” She sighed. “However, you can’t fault me for wanting to keep you in the fold, as it were. You are quite a talent, after all. Is there nothing I can do to change your mind?”
I shook my head.
“Then I wish you luck, Rainbow Flash.”
“Thank you. I hope we can continue being friends?”
“Of course. As your friend, let me say that there will always be a home waiting for you at Carousel Boutique should you ever desire it. As your peer, let me warn you just what you’re getting into.” She gestured to the easel behind me, which was filled with unfinished designs for a fall line. Upon scrutiny the trends depicted appeared to be several years out of date.
“This was supposed to be my fall line… three years ago. I may find time to finish it when it comes back into style, fifteen or twenty years hence. As you know, I started in Ponyville. I apprenticed under Ribbon Heart, and took over the boutique when she retired. Unfortunately, Ponyville was a small town back then, a backwoods joke to the sophisticated ponies of Canterlot and Manehattan. Being a small town, Ponyville didn’t have much demand for a dress shop. Weddings, proms, school dances… these were the things that kept me afloat in the early years. Eventually I quite literally bumped into Fancy Pants in Canterlot. Thanks to my connections with Princess Celestia, he took a fancy in me and eventually invested in my business. If not for him, I’d have never been able to expand as quickly, or possibly at all.”
She swept her hooves around the room. “These days I spend more time running the business than I do designing. It’s why I rely so much on ponies like Sew-and-So, Coco Pommel, and Sassy Saddles. It’s why I’ve invested in promising young designers like Pistachio and yourself. This is a cutthroat industry. I try to take on as many up-and-comers as I can because there are less scrupulous ponies out there all too willing to take advantage of the talented and naïve. Coco could tell you about her time working for Suri Polomare. I saw firsthoof that it was unpleasant for her. Not only was Suri verbally abusive toward Coco, she also stole my designs. This is what awaits you… in two years. Have you considered your plans for the next few years?”
I replied in English. “Yes, I’ve put some thought into this.”
She responded in perfect English. “I commend you for thinking outside the box. It’s a risk, but without risk there can be no reward. While I won’t hold you to your non-compete clause on Earth, I will warn you that I’m also looking to expand into that market eventually. However, technically, I’m not currently doing business there and you wouldn’t be competing with me. Please keep in touch. When the time comes, perhaps you’ll be selling my designs in your shops. I think I would quite like to see that.”
“You’d let me sell your designs?”
“Of course, darling. If you invest in building a network on Earth, it would be foolish of me to do the exact same thing. Instead, we could partner by selling each other’s designs through our own distribution networks. I sincerely hope I haven’t seen the last of your work in my shops.”
“Makes two of us.” I smiled.
She smiled back. “Very well then. I look forward to seeing the rise of your fashion empire, Miss Flash. Good luck, and should the worst happen, remember there will always be a place for you at Rarity’s Boutique.”
Thank you for updating!
A 5 year noncompete is rather severe. I wonder if Rarity has needed to enforce it or if it has been challenged in Equestria's courts.
5760629
You're welcome! Rarity learned from the Suri Polomare incident in Manehattan. She's very generous, but her generosity has been taken advantage of before. She's made an investment in Rainbow Flash, and the clause is mostly there to prevent Rainbow from either taking upcoming designs with her when she leaves, and/or immediately opening her own shop in Gaitlinsburg. It was the solitary negative in a contract that was too good to be true otherwise. Rarity has taught Rainbow Flash everything she knows about the business.
This is also Rarity we're talking about. That's why she asked what Rainbow was planning on doing. If Rainbow said she wanted to open a shop in a town that didn't already have (or wasn't being considered for) a Carousel Boutique, Rarity would accommodate that. That said, five years isn't as harsh as it sounds initially. It takes time to set things up. Planning, building up inventory, acquiring a storefront.
I've never been subject to a non-compete clause, personally, but the ones I know about were all five years. Maybe three years or one is more common?
Plumsweet might be disappointed, since she'd have to do it only on her hind legs. For humans, touching the ground with anything but the soles of the feet is a loss. At the minimum, ponies would have an unfair advantage if they counted all four frogs as feet.
Many sports might allow exceptions to rules for Equestrians, but Sumo is technically a Shinto religious ritual, so bending the rules would be frowned on more than others.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dohy%C5%8D#Dohy%C5%8D_matsuri
5760724
Plumsweet would've been learning about sumo wrestling on the fly, so I'm not sure how much of that she knows and more importantly, understands. She was really looking at it as 'shove the other guy, I can do that!'
If we assume that ponies would be allowed to compete, but with no changes in the rules to accommodate their quadrupedal status, it would be difficult for a pony to win. Ponies aren't designed to be bipedal for extended periods of time. There's also the question of how much of her connection to the earth would she have? Would it be only half because she's only be touching it with two of her legs? Or is any contact with the ground at all sufficient to draw full strength? I think the most difficult part would be balancing in a rearing position for the duration of the event. I think for a pony to be successful, they'd have to be able to win quickly. The longer the match goes on, the less likely the pony is to win.
Conversely, they might allow ponies to compete specifically against other ponies to allow for their unique biology.
This is a really intriguing idea. I don't know enough about sumo wrestling to do it justice, personally, but I think there's a story idea there for someone.
With the religious origins, women are not allowed to participate in official sumo, since menstruation is considered impure. Mares having estrus instead would be an interesting consideration. But I imagine they'd refuse to participate in solidarity with their human sisters.
Also, many moves involve grabbing the belt, and if ponies had to do it with their mouths... ewww.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mawashi
https://tachiai.org/2020/08/29/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-mawashi/
Mawashi are never washed.
None of the mawashi I mentioned so far is ever washed. That’s a long standing tradition. Not washed. Not rinsed. Not dry-cleaned.
Those of you who watched the movie “A Normal Life” may raise their hands in objection. “But I saw Kyokutaisei in that movie washing mawashi”. No, as a matter of fact you haven’t. Go watch it again. He is only using the dryers, never the washers. Now let’s give a thought to the anonymous person who had to put his freshly washed laundry into that dryer after him. You’re welcome.
As a matter of fact, there are two occasions on which a mawashi may be washed. One is prior to the first use. The other is when the shisho – the stablemaster – dies.
So how are they cleaned? If a kesho-mawashi or a shimekomi is stained, stain-removers and/or damp cloth are used to remove the stains. Practice mawashi, which are made of coarse material, may gather a lot of mud. In that case, the rikishi may lay them flat and apply a deck brush to remove the caked mud. But that’s about it. If the stench becomes unbearable, since a mawashi is not very expensive, they may dispose of it and get a new one. You see sekitori do that more often than low-division rikishi.
5760782
In that case, stallions only, and I'd imagine they'd use belt moves as an absolute last resort.
5760634
It depends on the state. Five years is not unheard of, but I think 2-3 years is more common.
Oregon appears to limit it to 12 months, but I think that is on the low side.
https://joinhomebase.com/blog/2022-non-compete-laws/
See section four of this general legal reference site by a major publisher: "...between six months and two years as a reasonable non-compete time frame, ...But the longer the duration ..., the more likely a court will deem it unenforceable."
https://legal.thomsonreuters.com/en/insights/articles/the-basics-of-non-compete-agreements
Time in which it might be quite hard to earn an income and in which there might be temptation to sell any building stock.
Obviously though, that's not directly pertinent to your story since your pony will be operating in a different market. 
5761074
I'll change it to two. This is Rarity we're talking about, she wouldn't hurt somepony without provocation. The biggest question is how far out Rarity is working (one year, two, five?). Fashion is fickle, after all. This year's fashions are next year's discount rack clearance. Which is why she's protective of those trade secrets.
Though as I'm sure she'd be quick to point out, nothing is stopping the subject of the non-compete from working in an entirely different industry.
5761079
)
I can definitely understand why she would be protective of trade secrets! It seems to be difficult to predict trends more than two years out (though to some degree, she has power as a trend-setter and perhaps others would regardless follow her at this point in time.
Fair enough although it is probably easier for ponies to make a living wage than those of us in the real world (e.g. imagine a doctor being unable to practice medicine... after investing nearly a decade in high level schooling and residency--it would likely be difficult for the doctor to work in any industry whee the doctor could make equivalent wages.)
5761087
Rarity would literally give you the scarf around her neck, which is why this is such a tricky situation. After the incident in Manehattan with Suri, Rarity's a bit more protective of her ideas. At the same time, there's no way she would financially ruin a friend. They're parting amicably, with Rarity leaving the door open for future collaborations and even offering a safety net if needed (her door is always open to Rainbow returning to Carousel Boutique).
This is very true, and I don't agree with the concept of non-compete clauses. Sadly, they exist. In this case, Rarity has invested in Rainbow Flash and isn't going to see a return on that investment. Rainbow hasn't spent a fortune attending school, Rarity's been tutoring her (as has Sew-and-So). So from her horseshoes, she's spent time and money mentoring a protege who's now left the fold.
Happy belated Hearth's Warming!
"I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to really examine one up close yet. So"
On too many "yet"s?
And thank you for writing!
(Though I'm not sure when I'll get to the new 16 chapters.)
5761132
Fixed, thank you! As for the new chapters, they're not going anywhere, so they'll be waiting for you to have some time. There's also an expansion blog for Honeybuzz too. Mentioning that so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle. My apologies for posting a lot of content all at once.
5761134
"Fixed, thank you!"
:)
"As for the new chapters, they're not going anywhere, so they'll be waiting for you to have some time."
Thanks. :)
"There's also an expansion blog for Honeybuzz too. Mentioning that so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle."
Found it, and in fact just finished it and posted a comment, but thanks. :)
"My apologies for posting a lot of content all at once."
Apology accepted, and thanks. I enjoyed both chapter expansions, but... I have so much to read (and/or listen to). :D
Still, better too much good writing to read than not enough, I think. :)