Frenemies Talk, Chapter XIII

Frenemies Talk, Chapter XIII: Canterlot Boutique

They thought us gone... they thought us defeated and cast into oblivion. But we have survived... and in the shadows we plotted... watching... waiting... holding our breaths... And now... it is high time we return... to take what is ours...

... wearing the glamorous Rarity's Royal Regalia! :squeal:

:bang:

:thud:

I have no idea who interrupted me there, but he shall not be a nuisance ever again. At any rate, as I reload my revolver, I welcome you back to the wondrous adventure, Prane's and mine! We are, indeed, back with our discussions, inviting you to tag along. Mind interrupting us though.

Stripes and sequins, there are spoilers below!

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"I left the Carousel Boutique in the hooves of my parents. They possess a rather simple taste in fashion, but they will do for you Ponyville simpletons."

Prane: There are many ways to pimp up your user page here on FIMFiction. You can add a gallery of your stories, or one consisting your personal favorites. You can have every visitor promptly informed that you’re the member of particular groups, or you can put a blog post to let your followers know what you’ve been up to lately. You can even go wild and have a box with custom content, like a list of your most-liked things about the show! If I had one, I would put Rarity as my favorite Main 6 member, and Canterlot as my favorite place in the show, so when I realized that was exactly what I was getting after the hiatus I felt like a pampered kid.

Rarity’s “The glamour, the sophistication!” from the very first episode remains to be the most accurate description of what Canterlot stands for. Back then she stated that she had always dreamed of living there. Of course she learned her lesson in Sweet and Elite, so in the cold opening of this episode she reworked that dream into setting up a boutique in the capital. Good for her (a side note: she got the required money from the Sapphire Shores' Equestria-wide tour, great continuity detail)! She holds onto her dreams, she works hard towards making them come true, she’s consequent, dedicated, and talented, so she most certainly deserves a bright, prosperous future. The grand opening of Canterlot Carousel brought us Rarity’s Royal Regalia collection which was eye-catching and inspiring, from the colors, through the variety of forms, up to the conveyed message unique to each dress. The dresses presented in the finale weren’t bad either. Of course the words of praise for those should go to the artists behind this episode’s visual appeal - great job in creating such beautiful aesthetics! I’d love to see some of those as human ensembles. What we see at the catwalks these days is a crime, I tell you.

Yeah, I know a thing about two about fashion, I’ve read The Devil Wears Prada. Shut up.

So, what are your general thoughts about the episode? Two-month break is a lot of time, so were these further adventures in dressmaking enough to rekindle your interest in the show?

Gulheru: My interest in the show is unquenchable. And although I am not big into fashion, I was intrigued to see how this particular episode shall unravel. After all, one of the characters of the show achieving a long-time ambition? That is something I enjoy in storytelling. A step forward.

The first thought that came to me in the episode was the fact that, considering Rarity afforded grabbing for herself a place in Canterlot to run her boutique should indicate that she has some pretty significant funds hid around. Dressmaking is one thing, gem-hunting is another, but acquiring property in the capital? Rarity, you mogul, this looks like a beginning of an enterprise that could one day dominate the world of Equestrian fashion! Good fortune to you!

When it comes to the entirety of the episode, I think it was a piece of solid work. It was not flashy, it was not action packed, but it taught an important lesson about one’s passions and dreams. Care about them in your own way. After all, in the entire world, they are what truly belongs to you and only you. Never forget that.

So, all things considered, I think we have managed to start the second part of the season in a pretty convincing... fashion.

Yes, fashion. No, I will not apologize.

Rejoice, for the hiatus is over, the ponies are back, and our little review blog is up and running again!

Gulheru: “Canterlot Boutique” gave us a nice roster of new characters, even without granting us with names. Well, bar one. Sassy Saddles. Allow me to stop on that particular character for a moment.

Her appearance and accent both caught my eye and ear. I was intrigued what kind of pony she would be, especially after hearing the line: “when Sassy showed me her resumé and I saw that she worked in all of the finest boutiques in Canterlot”, when my mind gave out a warning sign. She worked in all of them, so… why is she not working in any of those still? Was she laid off, did they go bust, or… “Or”, that was the most important word.

And, even if at first I was expecting her to turn into the kind of “evil advisor” character (and I love the kind, I mean, they are just wonderful!), I was actually positively surprised. Despite the fact that her approach is lacking that artistic flair and deep, heartfelt passion, she is a professional and brings a lot of thought to her work. Perhaps beforehand she simply did not fit, or perhaps she but needed somepony like Rarity to show her what fashion really is about. Her desire of being recognized and make sure everything goes more than splendidly finds a certain appeal in my mind. I will keep reminding myself of Sassy Saddles. We need more well organized and methodical characters in the show.

What about you? Which character caught your eyes in the episode? No, really, I wonder…

Oh, one more thing, I need the name of that otherworldly tranquil and eye-catching mare who got herself the “Over the Moon” dress. And possibly her phone number too...

Prane: By now even the younger audience has realized the world isn’t just black and white. Back in the days the issues our heroes had to tackle revolved around setting them against some kind of a villain, which is a nice was for introducing a conflict. Look, this one wants to steal our sunlight, and that one’s heart is as black as night. So evil! That one, she’s a bug parasite! So despicable! Now, about that Starlight Glimmer, what’s her deal? A pony who has a different set of rules and acts against the establishment for what she believes is right? Well, that’s not something we can classify as “evil”, at least as far as Disney’s conditioned us to define it, much like we can’t talk about Sassy Saddles as an antagonist.

You’d say that I’m stating the obvious, but please bear with me. Think about Rarity Takes Manehattan and the character of Suri Polomare. From the very first moments she is introduced as the bad element of the episode through her behavior (“I pay an assistant to sew and get coffee, not talk.” to Coco Pommel) and actions (applying Rarity’s material for her entire line). That could have been, but fortunately wasn’t the case with Sassy. Enthusiastic and outgoing Mistress of Marketing, she does much good when she creates the hype during the opening, hovers the dresses over the heads of the customers, and provides a changing background during Rarity’s presentation. In short, she helps to the best of her ability.

I believe that if it wasn’t a cartoon she’d never take such a massive pile of orders on day one – no person with her apparent experience would – so that’s forgiven. She was the source of the conflict in the episode, but she wasn’t doing it out of spite. Look at her expression when Rarity’s new and improved Princess Dress fails to woo the customer. There’s no gloating, no contempt, and she “looks down” on Rarity only because of their height difference. That’s why I think when she slips her line “And Sassy Saddles' boutique succeeds!” is just a narrative shorthand for showing the audience that she’s gone too far in her pretty neat business plan, and that it’s time for the episode to have some kind of climax.

The bottom line is, Sassy Saddles could have been introduced as a generic haughty snob and the message about Rarity and her creative freedom would remain the same, and the only difference would be Sassy forever banished from another boutique. Instead, the writers made her an actual character for which I am glad. It’s just one of those ponies that deserve their own story.

Gulheru, your beloved mare’s name seems to be Moonlight Raven. She’s all yours. I’m much more interested in her apparent sister, Sunshine Smile.

I bet the antics of these two have brought more smiles overall than all of Pinkie Pie's mostly redundant jokes combined.

Prane: I found Rarity’s situation as an interesting metaphor that can be applied to all forms of creating, not only dressmaking. I know that more than once I had to choose between what I actually wanted to write, and what was trending at the moment and would net me the biggest possible exposure. Obviously I always went for the former, which is why you won’t find any stories about Twilight eating peaches on my profile (disclaimer: this is in no way intent to provoke a hostile reaction from those who enjoyed writing or reading stories about ponies verbing articles and nouns - just an example of a train on which we can choose to ride or not).

Writing what’s popular at the moment isn’t a bad way to go. There’s always that influx of stories after every new episode which are read only because they are related to the episode. No one cares about those stories later on, because the emotions evoked by the episode aren’t there anymore. Still, they weren’t meant to be timeless tales to which you’re returning every now and then. They were meant to net you a bunch of likes, comments, and new followers so important if you want to get your magnum opus out there.

So here’s a question: does one have to choose, or is it possible to balance sewing dresses you want, sewing dresses that everypony else wants and pays for, get famous, and not get depressed while doing so?

Gulheru: I think it comes to the creator himself. It might sound shocking but authors differ as much as regular humans do. Really, that is the truth. Some of us work better on a whim, reacting to sudden stimuli that might come from the show, while others prefer to weave intrigues through months, just so they can hit that perfect goal they are trying to achieve. The funniest thing about this is that you cannot really grade those two types of authors. Both have equal chances, for it is the “chance” that often deals out the cards of fame.

The important matter is finding the type of work that you yourself enjoy doing. As a recent allegory can show us - Rarity prefers to add a touch of sophistication and inspiration to her work, act on a momentary revelation, so that her creations feel unique, radiate splendour and chique. And then you have Sassy Saddles who is keen on finding and promoting that one “template” that will take over the hearts and minds of masses. And, even though the show favors one of those approaches, can we really say that Rarity’s way was that much better?

Yes, we have had ponies come in, find dresses that match their personalities and speak to their souls, but I did not see the ponies that ordered the Princess Dress coming back and complaining about it being an established, repetitive motive. As much as creators differ in their approach, the recipients are dissimilar as well. So, as long as you are “sewing” what you enjoy sewing, should you really be worried about reception? And fame? Fear not, fame favours those that pursue their own goals, not the goals of others.

Oh, by the way, Prane, uhm… I have both Sunset and Trixie on the line… They are asking what is the deal with you fancying Sunshine Smile.

"Where do you think you're going? I still need to see how my new line of skimpy outfits behaves on hot mares during hot table dances!"

Gulheru: Let us, for a moment, imagine that we know something about fashion (Ha.). Let us also imagine that we are going to help Rarity out in coming up with new concepts for her Royal Regalia (Ha!). Since the city of Canterlot was the source of inspiration to our most dear fashionista, I would like to ask - what other places in the capital would serve as your own font of illumination?

I am certain it was simply an omission in the show and Rarity would surely reach for the place, but I was considering the Royal Gardens. I mean, when one has such a sublime site which is the lovechild of nature and countless hours of work of the gardeners, I imagine a dress containing elements of both geometrical perfection and botanical excellence would be able to entangle anypony staring at it. Or, perhaps one should have gone to the Royal Archives? Who knows how unique would a dress look, if it would take from the magnificent collections hidden in the ancient bookstands… Oh, all of this wonderful knowledge… Those spells and rites, those incantations and enchantments…!

You enjoy yourself, I need to read a book or two… for fashion, yes, for fashion.

Prane: A perfectly adequate attempt, darling, but if you want to get to the top in this unforgiving world of pony couture you have to dream beyond Canterlot. I mean, I could easily come up with a collection based on Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, but since you’re saying to enjoy myself I think I might do just that.

I give you… ze magicks!

And here she is, fillies and gentlecolts. An untrained eye would call her ensemble an evening dress, but we all know it’s more than that. It’s a dream, an exquisite representation of its wearer’s empathetic nature, as seen in the soothing cyan which brings to mind a peaceful lagoon you’d love to visit on your vacation. The deeper shades outlining the form of this crowning jewel of the collection suggest a past, perhaps quite a troubling one hiding behind that mare. However, the three near-white sashes resting on the cyan fabric provide a perfect contrast, all going out from the shoulders and then enveloping the sides, reaching the height of the mare’s thighs, hocks, and as low as her ankles. That’s not just something to wear, that’s a message. Her past is not today, everypony and—by Celestia’s drizzled mane, are the sashes actually silversilk? I hear excited murmurs from the crowd, so that must be the case!

Make no mistake, fillies and gentlecolts, for this is no ordinary dress. Multiple layers arch gently around the model’s loin, hip, and croup, but as you can see, the tail and dock area are concealed by the fabric sweeping her shapes as low as the coronet level where a tasteful addition of yellow diamond dust brings to mind a shimmering sun. This truly combines the modesty with strength, and subtly underlines the confidence of the mare wearing the dress.

The crowd goes wild as the model saunters back the catwalk. She did it again, fillies and gentlecolts. Rarity of Carousel Enterprises once again proves that she’s unmatched in the world of modern fashion. Wait, do I see what I see? The model blushes, wants to step off the catwalk, but there’s the designer herself stopping and joining her! Together they’re back in the middle of the cheering crowd of mares and stallions whose fashion tastes have been once again refined thanks to the mare from Ponyville. I see a fancy mare—that’s Fleur de Lis, everypony, a former supermodel! The unstopping ovation gets defeating as Fleur hands a bouquet to Rarity. Did she forget about the—no, there’s her husband by her side, giving her an identical bouquet which she then hands to the flame-maned model. Hooves are stomping and cameras are flashing! Fillies and gentlecolts, what a spectacular finale of this year’s Canterlot Fashion Week!

Stay tuned to hear our expert, Hoity Toity, and his commentary on the event, right after the commercials!

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That's all for this week. While we watch the commercials, you feel free to roam around, perhaps check out some of Prane's and mine work. Stay tuned, for we are going to have some intriguing guests joining us soon, as well as old acquaintances making their triumphant returns.

Gulheru