"I believe Summer Sun would look best in yellow..." Rarity mused as she pulled the bolt of cheery fabric off of the shelf. "Though I don't know if she'll get to wear the sundress I'm making with how it's been raining lately."
The white mare looked absentmindedly out the window as she placed the fabric on the table. The rain was coming down in buckets outside. "It's been like this all week!" She thought indignantly as she began cutting out the pattern. "I can't go outside for fear of my hair getting ruined!" Shaking her head, Rarity decided to just focus on the dress.
She had been sewing for about an hour when she heard a loud knock on the door. The white unicorn looked up in alarm. "Hello?" She called out, dropping the half-finished dress on the sewing table. "Who is it?" "It is I!" She heard a muffled voice say from outside the door. "And I seek employment! I saw your "help wanted" sign in the window!" Rarity tilted her head and considered this--it was true that she had put up a sign. Finally she began to walk toward the door and answered the voice. "All right, dearie! I'm opening the door." With that she reached out a hoof and opened the door wide.
She could not hide her shock when she saw who stood there.
"TRIXIE?!" She exclaimed, putting a hoof to her mouth. The blue unicorn hung her head and sighed. "Yes, he great and powerful Trixie has come to ask for work." Rarity's eyes flashed and her heart filled with rage. "You fiend!" She yelled, trying to slam the door in Trixie's face. "You almost got my boutique crushed by an Ursa Minor!"
However, Trixie had her hoof in the door. "Trixie is sorry for nearly destroying your boutique and all of Ponyville. Trixie only comes here because she is cold and hungry and penniless. She learned how to sew from her mother when she was a filly and made her magic outfit herself!" She said with pleading eyes.
Rarity looked at her friend's former nemesis with suspicion. "You can sew?" She said slowly, "And you promise not to do anything dumb or show-offy like that again?" The little blue mare just nodded. "All right then." Rarity said, cautiously opening her door wide again. "You're hired. Come on in."
Trixie stepped into the shop with her head bowed, her clothes, mane, and tail dripping wet. "Oh my!" Rarity exclaimed, her suspicion of the mare turning into concern when she saw how wet, thin, and miserable Trixie really was. "You're thin as a twig! And your mane is mussed up!" The fashionista pointed at the white, dripping mess that currently was Trixie's mane. "We need to fix this ASAP!"
A few minutes later Trixie was sitting in front of a mirror with Rarity working away furiously at her mane and tail. "Straighten that...No, curl it...Oh, forget that, I'll just comb it out!" The white mare said as she worked. Trixie just looked at herself in the mirror. "How did Rarity get so good at fashion designing?" The blue mare asked quietly. "Oh, I've always had a knack for it." Rarity said as she brushed Trixie's tail. "What I wanna know is how did you get so good at stage magic?" "It was a family business for a long time." Trixie answered, her ears starting to perk up. "But Trixie got to be too talented for them and left to start on her own." "Oh really?" Rarity retorted. "Well I guess THAT'S why you couldn't fight off the ursa minor, huh? Too good to fight it off?" Trixie simply hanged her head. "Oh, all right all right!" Rarity said quickly with a smile. "Just cheer up, will you?"
An hour or so later Trixie's mane was styled again, her mane and hat were hung up to dry, and Rarity had just finished showing her around the boutique. The tour ended in Rarity's living room. "Well then, Trixie." the white unicorn said, "Now you've seen everything. You will sleep on the couch in my apartment until we can get you a proper bed. Mealtimes are six for breakfast, twelve for lunch, and eight for dinner. We will go out shopping for new supplies every saturday. We will work from nine to five. Your job will mostly be up front for now, but if you prove to be a good sewer you'll get to come back and help me." Trixie nodded eagerly. "The normal and not show-offy Trixie is ready to work tomorrow! Goodnight Miss Rarity!" "Goodnight Trixie." Rarity replied before walking through the door into her bedroom, magically shutting the door behind her. With a satisfied but exhausted smile, Trixie flopped onto the couch and magically turned off the lights.
The next morning Trixie awoke to find Rarity's bedroom door open. She crawled off the couch and walked over to peer inside. The white unicorn was not in the room, but a white cat sat at the foor of the bed, looking up at Trixie expectantly. "Who are you, little cat?" Trixie asked, picking up the feline with her magic. It meowed in protest. "Be quiet, silly animal!" The blue unicorn scolded, trotting out of the grand bedroom with the cat floating along behind her. "Trixie needs to ask Miss Rarity who you are."
Trixie found Rarity in the sewing room working on a small, pink-checked dress. "Miss Rarity!" Trixie called, standing in the doorway. "Trixie found a cat sitting in your bedroom!"
Rarity stopped sewing and turned to look at the pair. "Oh, that's Opalescence!" Rarity said, running over and taking the creature in her hooves. "She's my pet! Isn't she fabulous?" The mare beamed, holding the cat out. "I made her collar and hair bow myself!" "She's very...Stylish." Trixie replied slowly, staring at the cat. "I don't think she's that impressive..." She thought as she noticed the pudgy stomach, crooked whiskers, and pushed-in face.
Suddenly Rarity dropped the cat and smacked her face with her hoof. "Oh, facehoof!" She said loudly, shaking her head. "I need to get back to work! I have five dresses to make for some little fillies that are going to DIamond Tiara's big birthday party this weekend! Trixie, I know I said that you were going to mostly work up front, but this is a really big order that I have to do on short notice! Could you please help me?" Trixie quickly nodded. "All right then!" Rarity said quickly. "Follow me and I'll tell you what to do."
The blue mare followed Rarity over to the sewing machine. A half-finished pink-checked dress laid there just waiting to be finished. "I'm working on this dress for Anna Blue." Rarity said, sitting on the stool next to the machine. "You need to go to the sewing table over there and start on Silver Spoon's dress. Her mother said that she wants a gray dress with blue roses on it made out of satin. The skirt needs to be full and it has to have cap sleeves. Can you do that for me?" "Trixie can!" She answered confidently, nodding her head. "Good!" Rarity chortled, focusing her attention on the sewing machine.
A few minutes later Trixie was magically cutting some beautiful gray satin with scissors, having found the perfect pattern and fabric to use for the dress. She was just finishing when a question popped into her head. Dropping the scissors, Trixie turned to face Rarity. "Rarity," She said, "Why do you love designing so much?"
Rarity didn't even look up from her sewing. "It's my talent. I'm supposed to love it." She answered simply. Trixie magically picked up the gray satin and trotted over to the second sewing machine, being careful not to wrinkle the delicate and shiny cloth. "That doesn't really mean anything." Trixie said as she sat down on the stool in front of the machine. "Trixie has known quite a few ponies over the years that didn't really like their special talents, or got tired of them, or just felt that they weren't good enough. Even Trixie is not satisfied with her magical talent sometimes. How come you are so content?"
The pure white unicorn stopped sewing for a moment and cocked her head, thinking. "Well..." She started, scratching her chin absentmindedly with one hoof. "I think that, of course, some ponies think that their talent isn't good enough or cool enough or useful enough, even though it takes many ponies with all sorts of different talents to make society work. And I do believe it's possible to be talented in something you don't enjoy. And everypony gets tired of doing the same thing for a long time unless they REALLY REALLY love it. I guess I just got lucky." Rarity turned to look at Trixie with a curious expression. "Why don't you always like your talent?"
Trixie's shoulders slumped and she sighed. "I guess Trixie does not like it because...Because...Oh, forget it. It is a silly reason." "No, no!" Rarity exlaimed, placing a hoof on her employee's shoulder. "No reason is a stupid reason." "Oh, fine." Trixie answered, looking away from the other unicorn. "Trixie does not always like it because...Because...Because Trixie is not the BEST at it. Whenever a pony comes along that is even more talented than Trixie then Trixie feels insecure, and then Trixie has to go and prove herself and try to be better than the other person." The blue unicorn hanged her head in shame, continuing, "That is why Trixie lied about defeating the ursa minor. Trixie wanted other ponies to admire her and be impressed by her and want to be her friend. Twilight Sparkle was so talented that Trixie knew she couldn't compare without her stories."
Rarity's jaw dropped in shock. "So THAT'S why you lied and did all of those things?" The other mare said, gobsmacked. "Why weren't you just honest?" "For the reasons Trixie said!" The blue unicorn retorted angrily. "All right, all right!" Rarity answered, patting Trixie's back. "I understand. But really, you shouldn't be ashamed that you're not the greatest and best of all at your talent. No matter who you are there will almost always be someone better than you! Hay, even Twilight knows other unicorns that are more talented than her. To get better you just have to learn and try your best and be proud of what you CAN do! If you work hard you'll get better, and then you won't have to lie anymore!" "You...You really think so?" Trixie whispered, a few tears forming in her eyes. "Darling, I KNOW so!" Rarity exlaimed with a laugh. "I'll tell you what. Tomorrow when we get our supplies you can pick a good book on magic to help you learn until you can find classes or a tutor or whatever works for you. I'll pay!" "R-Really?!" Trixie said, her ears perking up. "Nopony has ever been so kind to Trixie before!" "Really!" Rarity answered with a smile. "Now let's get back to work!"
And so they began to sew again, their friendship just beginning...