Every holiday has its aftermath and for Rarity, the day after Hearth's Warming means a well-established groove of frustration leading a parade of ponies into the Boutique. But she has absolute confidence in her ability to get through it. She's heard the songs, she knows what the most threadbare of floats looks like... having it happen every year just allows her to benefit from experience.
For example, the myriad of seasonal murder fantasies now know exactly which vital arteries to strike.
(A stand-alone, no-prior-reading required part of the Triptych Continuum, which has its own TVTropes page and FIMFiction group: new members and trope edits welcome.)
Now with author Patreon and Ko-Fi pages.
Chapters (1)
oh, when i first saw the title i thought it said "hoofcuffs"...pony version of handcuffs...
but it's actually the pony version of "fisticuffs", meaning fist-fighting.
edit: oh, NOW i get it, BOXING DAY!
That story left a warm feeling of holiday generosity but it got a small aftertaste of crazy and despair.
I really hope one day this Rarity manage to make enough to have those two other boutiques in Canterlot and Manehatan like in the show. But those would bring another kind of despair doesn't it?
Loved this. A lovely way to end a rough day, with a sweet understanding that what brings us together ultimately triumphs over what tears us apart. It was cathartic reading about Rarity's retail hell. I especially liked the little touch of the sign and how it came back in the denouement. It was clever, funny, and poignant in that uniquely Estee fashion.
Awww. That's sweet.
10007370
I made that same initial misread, but as soon as I did read it properly, I figured out what it meant.
Overall, nice story, if not really one of my faves from the Continuum.
It's interesting to see such meaning come from something seemingly unrelated.
This was a truly wonderful story, all the more because I know exactly how Rarity felt. I worked retail during Christmas once.
Once.
10007370
Edit: THANK YOU for thatI I would have never figured it out.
To those like me in the private service industry Boxing Day has always distinguished employers who appreciate tradition from those who don’t. I’ve had four who didn’t give their staff Boxing Day off (a British tradition as old as the feudal system), one due to ignorance as they were nouveau riche and had never had staff before (a lapse easily corrected by a quiet word from the butler), two who didn’t celebrate Christmas due to being from Saudi Arabia, and one who was just quite unpleasant.
There's a lot of material for a really interesting relationship between Rarity and Applejack.
You are on a roll with these stories of the Estee-verse !
I hope this is a good sign that some things are working out for you and family.
All the best for this coming new year
Wow, I relished every word between Rarity and Applejack. That scene was superbly well-written. What a lovely vignette (if that's the right word) for this frozen end of the year.
On the subject of returns, I have a friend who was a front-end manager at Wal-Mart. One day a woman demanded a return on a diamond ringーwith a K-Mart receipt. Of course, my friend, with no small amount of disbelief, attempted to reason with her, but one can't reason with a liar. An irate, hysterical one. I believe he eventually took the ring, because in an organization like Wal-Mart that makes billions in actual profits, it's just easierーespecially when one is the underpaid front-end manager.
That was great. And of course the insanity of retail is true to life, but I also really like seeing Applejack and Rarity connect here. Acknowledging that, even if it's not easy for them to share their respect for each other, it's still there.
Well, IDK about that. IMO, Dash & AJ are frenemies, Twilight is an introverted nerd & the others ain't, Fluttershy has trouble connecting with ANYBODY (well, she's close to Rarity), Rarity & Dash probably ain't close (too frou-frou),
In short, they're ALL "the most trouble"
10007370
You know, looking at the way she fights the Manticore in part 2 of the pilot & the way that she defends Tom in Return of Harmony, IMO Rarity probably DOES have at least some martial arts training. This has been almost entirely neglected -at least *I* haven't seen any stories about it
Perhaps just for the exercise, but still
It doesn’t exactly translate, but I just stayed up late to clean my kitchen because my cousin is coming over so I can see Star Wars.
I’m dealing with a bout of costocondritis. I told myself all day to leave it while I knit, but couldn’t in the end.
This... yeah.
I remember doing commissions and the person asking for it loving it but the recipient just not gelling, and how crushed I’d feel. Wasn’t my problem, I was paid, didn’t matter. OOAK pieces. So many times. I burned out.
I’m still that kind of crazy.
10007648
There's so many interesting axes for all of them, you can get an interesting opposition with any two of the main six/seven/whatever.
Most Acceptable Pegasus and Least. Most Grounded Earth Pony and Least. Biggest Aesthete Unicorn and Least.
I have lived this stupidity...
My heart goes out to Rarity.
Very nice. :)
...I don't think I understand the chapter title, though.
10007621
On the same principle, the official policy of most places is to just give armed robbers whatever they want, because your violent death will cost them more than is ever supposed to be in the cash register.
So sweet at the end! Especially after that brutal beginning, which was great setting the mood!
Applejack understands Rarity so nicely!
I wonder who's got the least connection now?
I wonder how much Applejack saw through, about her being the last, instead of the only...
She took it gracefully, anyhow.
----
So good! Coco!
My favorite relationship among the Mane 6 from the show was that of Rarity and Applejack, and how close they became over the course of 9 seasons despite their obvious differences, so it’s great to see some connection forming with them in these stories as well, tentative though it may be. Beyond that, I always love your Rarity stories, tinged as they are with heartbreak for the struggling artist following her dreams. And on a minor, specific note, the use of Opal here was a lot of fun.
Good stuff and another present of the season!
I do like the Equestrian translation of Boxing day, although the day has nothing to do with martial arts and more about opening the poor box which could well be a very Rarity thing as well.
How did Applejack describe Rarity's line of work?
It was something along the lines of "cutting oneself open, again and again, to see if this time you bled rubies", wasn't it?
10007869
From Triptych:
Just for the record: some of what Rarity goes through is taken from typical 12/26 events at long-suffering Returns counters everywhere.
A non-customer is a being which knows no shame.
10007370
Don't feel bad about needing a second to spot it. It took me a lot longer than that to come up with what felt like an appropriate title. (In the Equestrian case, the name comes because you feel like you're spending the entire time getting kicked in the snout.)
10007493
One thing which didn't quite make it into the story: a fashion designer is constantly trying to stay on or ahead of the trend. Unless a given look comes back around, some of the pieces being returned? Their time has passed, and so they're things which might never sell again. She can keep them in the storeroom, hoping for the bestowment of 'vintage' status -- but in all likelihood, they're scrap.
10007621
I believe every word about the ring story. Because people. And also because Walmart.
And I might as well admit this somewhere: that whole scene with AJ? Was written first. I usually begin composition at the start of the story and go straight through to the end -- but this time, I opened with the conclusion, then went to the starting line and caught up.
10007661
This story is, in many ways, a spiritual companion to No Sale. (I was afraid it was covering too much of the same ground.) But there's one core idea shared, and it's the one you know: when the creation is truly yours... everything can become a lot more personal.
Artists should think twice before running their own galleries.
Great story!!!
Though it kinda sounds like you had some personal experience in this.
10007880
That's why I couldn't find it. I scanned Triptych looking for 'Rubies' not 'Diamonds'.
ugh! gods above and below, i feel this one in my soul!!! i worked the returns counter at... a "major hardware/building supplies" store that i wont mention cause i wouldn't put it past them to go after estee for having a bad comment about them in the comments section of a story
bastards
i had someone return a soaker hose cause it "leaked", i had someone bring in several small fruit tree planters still in their pots with the stickers of a sale from over a year ago still on, stone dead and dry as the moon wanting them replaced. i had someone who bought a $2000+ grill in the spring used it all summer and in the fall brought it in for a full refund! their reasoning was that the starter quit working so it was obviously defective and when i replaced the AA battery in it myself and showed them the starter was just fine they answered with "well, im not going to wait for something else to break, i still want my refund" and due to store policy, i had to give it to them
ugh even flashbacks are rough. i feel for anyone still dealing with that
A great slice of life, and one with which anyone (myself included) who’ve ever worked in retail will resonate deep in the bone. What really struck me in this story is the depth of Rarity’s empathy with her customers, and how she deals with the personal hurt from the rejection of her creations. Your Rarity truly is generosity incarnate, and I love how your stories expose her inner soul so starkly and beautifully at the same time.
And we quietly slip further off the rails of canon.
Hmm, what do you call a pony Karen?
Maren? Keratin? Spoiled Milk?
Season’s greetings from r/TalesFromRetail.
20 years on the front lines of Retail. I know exactly the pain and joys Rarity is going through.
But to quote a wise man, "No mongo! Never kill a customer..."
10008180
You're right. Killing them just means a body to hide. Make sure they survive - leave someone to tell the others what suffering will come to the rest if they don't back off.
So, who's heard that more, Rarity's cat or her friends?
I take it this is before Twilight's wings.
... Oh. Huh. Either Rarity didn't know the details of Star Swirl's Unfinished Spell or I don't know the full mechanics behind it. Probably the latter.
That's pretty good, all things considered. Though the question then becomes how long it took for the second one.
A fantastic post-holiday blend of comedy and tragedy. You do write a fantastic Rarity, and her interactions with everyone else in the story were exquisitely portrayed. Especially Applejack knowing just how ragged she'd run herself and offering a reprieve. Thank you for this.
10008199
I think they were on to something when they hung raiders out on the front wall by their thumbs or whatnot during the Dark Ages...
Having worked retail, I can entirely sympathise, although, to be fair, I did usually manage to skive off dealing with customers in favour of stacking shelves and whatnot.
Still kinda wish I had been allowed a "Number of Customers Killed" sign though. Even if I wasn't allowed to make it an honest one...
There is a certain classification of person, or in this case pony, who does not quite realize that when you buy a pair of shoes, or pants, or a singularly bespoke dress for someone, that you should first
The name of that classification is difficult to include within the comments of an E-rated story.
About the only thing missing from this tale is the one (thousand) pon(y/ies) who didn't realize that a dress commissioned in the middle of December probably won't reach Vanhoover until the middle of January at the earliest, and wants their money back for a late delivery. Rarity would probably cut them off at the pass, but some folks just won't listen. Thank you for this timely bit of both schadenfreude and appreciative relief. After all, you've gotta laugh if you wanna survive... and not enough people have an Applejack on standby.
One of the joys of no longer doing fiber commissions is that when people approach me to ask “Can you make me something?” I no longer have to smile, produce a business card, and politely explain why a handknit costs more than the Walmart version (answer: the yarn alone costs more, especially if you want fine, natural fiber, and that’s not including design and work time—add more costs for handspun yarn). I can smile and say, “No!”
The people who do get it are rare as real qiviut. They’ll get things that my eyes wanted to make sometimes, usually if they admire it enough times (so I know it’ll be appreciated).
10007880
You would think that AJ would have respected Rarity's work ethic somewhat more before then as well.
Rainbow works yes in short bursts but then seems to sleep a lot. Admittedly shes recovering energy spent but it looks like lazy.
Fluttershy is the one that even AJ deep down knows needs to take a break cause that mare is working even MORE than AJ.
Id imagine that Pinkie is respected job wise cause a bakers life is a life that's up at even earlier hours than a farmer and as much hassle.
Twilight …..well being a librarian in Ponyville might be harder than it looks but Twi goes down rabbit holes a lot in her research and routine that probably drive AJ a little spare.
Rarity owns her store, works alone, takes care of her sister, and more often than not alone. Taking on commissions and actually getting them done in time for the event even with le grand inspiration happening often with everything else she does is ALOT of work. Id imagine that during the swap AJ found out how much more demanding and how much effort actually takes place to do well in that field and respected her even more after.
Seriously, the more I read of the hell Rarity goes through being the Element of Generosity, a single mare, and a shop owner always a few steps from a ledger of red ink makes me appreciate the way Estee writes her.
10007891
I feel this. I’ve pulled something like this before. I wrote the epilogue first, and then went back and wrote the first chapter. I also wrote the fifth chapter before the fourth and the third. It happens to everyone sometimes.
Sometimes, creativity is non-linear.
...Dammit, it took me until the end to get "Hoofticuffs Day".
The phrasing and sentence structure was a bit overwrought and thus difficult to follow at times, but still quite enjoyable in spite of that.
I get the distinct feeling the author owns a cat.
The stupid customers and Rarity's response made me laugh. That scene with AJ was heartwarming, both admiring the other like that.
10010937
does your very description not describe a decent portion of Rarity's canon portrayal?
Either "dress designs"
OR "designer dresses"
Isn't English a WONDERFUL language? ` `
I feel like someone here might have some retail ptsd. Holidays are rough, and I almost feel like this might be a way of venting. Even if it wasn't, it was well done and might help others with their own retail ptsd.
https://twitter.com/qikipedia/status/1213430122331508736?s=20 Of course someone has that statistic...