"Ha! Look at all of those pitiful little seamstresses, Coco. they wouldn't know talent if it marched on up to them and whacked them over the head!"
Suri smirked as she looked at all of her fellow dress-makers, all working hard to create outfits at the local faire. It was a happy time, for the most part, as many from all the surrounding villages had come to show off their wares, and in some cases even demonstrate the creation of them, as in the case with the aforementioned seamstresses. Suri was unimpressed with their work, however, despite the fact that many who were gathering to watch seemed to like what was being made. Her assistant, Coco, a shy girl by all accounts, looked to her senior with worry.
"Well...they all seem to like it," she remarked, pointing out the other villagers.
Suri rolled her eyes.
"Pfft! They're merely plebs, Coco. They look at anything shiny or colourful and they immediately think of it as being good. They don't appreciate true quality! They don't appreciate a great work..."
She turned, pointing to the dress she herself had on display, which was currently placed out neatly upon her stall.
"...like this! Just look at all his detail! The embroidery, the stitching, the patterns! Why, I'd wager, you wouldn't ever find a finer dress in all the land!"
Coco, naturally, was worried that her colleague was getting ahead of herself, since it was pretty well-known what typically happened when matters of arrogance was involved.
"Um, perhaps you might want to tone down your claims? Confidence is all well and good, but we don't want people to think that we see their work as worthless. I mean...I think they've made good stuff."
Suri frowned at the young girl beside her.
"Ugh! And that just shows how little skill you must have if you honestly think any of those outfits are any good!"
And just as she was saying that, one of their fellows, another young lady, was walking by, carrying her own outfit, and one that she clearly had a fondness for, as shown by the warm smile she had when she passed by. Suri, by contrast, saw nothing to be pleased with, and so, in a move shocking to all there, yanked the dress right from the girls' grip. All eyes turned, and the girl herself became exceptionally distressed, which proved to be justified when Suri did what she did next.
"These others ladies have made nothing more than cheap, unimpressive rags!"
With that, she tore the dress apart, throwing it down onto the dirty ground, right in front of the girl. She fell silent, as did all there, and before long, tears were in her eyes, and she ran off before the first of them could fall. Nobody had anything good to say to Suri after that, but they were all so intimidated by her right now that they had not the courage to even speak to her, especially not Coco, who merely shrank away while trying to focus on her own sewing. Suri, utterly confident that she'd established her dominance here, placed her hands upon her hips and smirked triumphantly to the crowd. That is, until she could hear somebody clearing their throats, and she turned to see what appeared to be an old woman. She was short, hunched over, and wearing a simple grey robe which included a hood that now covered her face.
"Pardon me, young lady, but I believe you are behaving quite out of order."
Suri looked the old-timer over, then chortled.
"Oh? Let me give you some advice, old one. I have every right to do what I did. Why, a dress-maker of my calibre has every cause to rid the world of a poor creation like that. I am better at this than everyone else here, so who better to pass judgement on their work?"
The old woman remained where she stood.
"Be careful about looking down on the work of others. You may have no love for them, but their creators certainly do, as do those who see them as they pass by. The work you display may be beautiful, Suri, but don't let that cause you to think yourself better than all others."
But Suri had heard quite enough from her at this point, and just waved her off.
"What could you know, old woman? I'm better at this than any under the sun!"
Slowly, a smirk formed on her lips, and she gazed right up, pointing straight to the sky.
"In fact, I'd say I'm even better than the Goddess Rarity herself!"
All took a step back, utterly shocked that such a claim had been made. All, that is, except for the old woman, who gripped the edge of her robe tightly.
"Is that so?"
Suri looked back down to her, frowning.
"Yeah! And hey, if she doesn't like that, then she should just come down here and prove me wrong!"
That, apparently, was it, and the "old woman" cast off her cloak to reveal that she was, in fact, not an old woman at all. She was indeed the Goddess Rarity herself, standing tall, and began floating above the ground by a full three feet. All gasped as they saw her, clad in a pristine while gown that flowed elegantly in the gentle wind, her glow bathing all around her in light. She gazed down to Suri, eyes narrowed, and the seamstress gulped, taking a step backwards while twiddling her thumbs.
"Um...you know...sometimes we say things when we're on a bit of an emotional high and..."
But Rarity was not going to let her off the hook that easily, and raised a finger, silencing her.
"Miss Suri, your behaviour here has been utterly disgraceful. You treat others with complete disrespect, all because you think yourself greater. Your so-called confidence is little more than arrogance of the highest order, and your challenge to me personally..."
A knowing smile came to her.
"...is accepted."
She snapped her fingers, and with a brief flash of light, two tables, covered from one end to the other in dress-making materials, appeared out of nowhere. Many in the crowd were in awe at this power, but Suri just remained as concerned as ever,.
"Um...you know, maybe my boast was a little much. I'd never seek to try and..."
Alas, Rarity was already standing by her own table, and quietly gestured to the other.
"Oh no. I'm sure we're all eager to see what the great Suri Polomare has to show us. By all means, wow this crowd with your exceptional skill. Skill enough to eclipse mine, as I recall you saying?"
Suri was frozen in place, like a statue, but now that she knew there was no getting out of this, she slowly walked to her table. Rarity nodded, and immediately began her own work. Her dexterous fingers, quick reflexes and amazing eye for detail meant that she was throwing herself into her work in a manner never before witnessed at a faire like this. All there gathered as well as they could, all trying to sneak a peak at the work of a Goddess. The dress she was making was immaculate, unravelled in its beauty, yet also simply made in a way that anyone here felt that they themselves could accomplish. After a few finishing flourishes, Rarity stepped back, using her power to float the dress in front of the crowd, and many clapped at her creation, which she was sure to give a quick bow to.
"Thank you all. It was a pleasure to make it."
Then, as expected, all eyes turned to Suri. Unlike Rarity, she hadn't even started on her own dress yet, and was in fact sweating a great deal now that the eyes of the crowd were upon her. She quickly glanced over to Rarity,.
"I...er...I might need more time."
Rarity nodded, taking some small measure of amusement in her rival's predicament.
"Oh, by all means, take as much time as you wish."
Then, she frowned, taking a step forward.
"Or is your hesitancy more to do with the fact that you have no skill at dress-making?"
There were mutterings of confusion among the crowd, and doubly so in the girl Coco, who, unlike all here, stood beside her colleague to defend her.
"But, she's a great dress-maker! I've seen what she's made, we all have!"
Rarity nodded, her face softening at the word of this earnest girl, and she gave her a smile. Walking forward, she placed her hand upon her shoulder, speaking sweetly to her.
"My dear girl, that dress she lauded so much, that she used as justification for putting down you and all others...does it not look just a touch familiar?"
Coco blinked, unsure of what she meant by that, and Suri, who had also heard that, looked mortified for some reason. Coco, slowly, turned her gaze to Suri's dress, still on their stall, and focused on it intently. After a while, little things and details started to make themselves known to her, and after a time, her eyes widened, with realisation finally dawning.
"Wait, is...is that my dress?"
Suri hung her head in shame, and Coco's head snapped in her direction.
"You...you said you threw it out! That it wasn't worth showing to others!"
Suri said nothing, but Rarity now moved, heading straight for the dress in question.
"Indeed, she did say that. But what she actually did with it was dye its colours, add a few bit of flourish, then placed it here to claim as her own."
She looked to Suri with clear disapproval.
"She has never made a dress of her own. All her most recent 'successes' have all been your work, Coco. Work she took and simply added to."
Coco shook her head, stunned at having learned this. Suri, having finally been exposed for her actions, spun around, falling to her knees and clasping her hands together.
"Oh please, Lady Rarity! Don' turn me into a spider for my arrogance!"
Rarity was quite taken aback by that, placing her hand to her chest and gasping slightly.
"Oh! Heaven forbid! Spiders are grotesque creatures!"
She paused, glancing to the side briefly.
"Unless they're little sweethearts named Lucas."
She looked back to Suri.
"No, your arrogance shall not warrant any physical torment like that, but rather a more, shall we say, fitting task?"
She stifled a giggle, leaning over and nudging Coco slightly with her elbow.
"Just a little fashion joke there."
Coco nodded, accepting the pun even as she screamed internally over it. Rarity looked back to Suri, taking on a more regal-sounding tone.
"Suri Polomare, for your many lies and acts of disrespect, you shall henceforth be Coco's assistant!"
Suri's eyes snapped open.
"Pardon?!"
Rarity nodded.
"Quite. Clearly she is the greater dress-maker here, so it's only right that you learn from her. You will help her in all that she asks, and she will be the one to receive credit for her work. You will gain credit of your own...but only if and when you deserve it. Understood?"
Though Suri clearly chafed at the notion of becoming a subordinate to her own assistant, she knew that trying to challenge a Goddess a second time would not be a good idea, particularly now that her shame was probably going to be known far and wide after today. Instead, she relented, sighing and giving a nod, much to Rarity's satisfaction.
"Very good. Let us hope you learn humility from this day. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other duties to attend to."
She turned, looking to the meek blue-haired girl beside her.
"And Coco?"
Coco looked up to her with uncertainty.
"Um...yes, Lady Rarity?"
Rarity smiled to her, snapping her fingers and, in a flash, transforming the displayed dress back into it's original form. The form Coco had made it before Suri made her secret changes.
"I wish you a successful day here today."
Coco too smiled, bowing her head respectfully. In another blinding light, Rarity was gone, leaving only the mortals, who now muttered excitedly amongst themselves over all they had just witnessed. Meanwhile, Coco frowned at Suri, who was at last getting back to her feet. After brushing herself down a little, the former "master" looked to her new senior in this relationship, then spoke more quietly.
"So...is there anything you'd like me to do...Miss Coco?"
Coco thought on that, then glanced past Suri, after which she smiled.
"Well, you can start by cleaning up all of that."
Suri turned, and she saw that it was her pile of sewing materials. The same pile Rarity had conjured for their little challenge earlier, which was still here despite the fact that Rarity herself was not. Sighing, Suri's shoulders slumped.
"...Sure."