ACT TWO
Soon the auditions were underway. Most of the remaining applicants, who possessed degrees and fashion credentials, merely showed the judges their outfits from kiosks, or on mannequins they have brought in on dollies.
But the judges were as tough as rocks, full of loads of criticism, and not very constructive either.
“What is this supposed to be?” Cowl asked gruffly.
The applicant answered, “I call it, the “Starry Sky Specialty.”
He demonstrated a beautiful dark gown, black as night with a slight touch of purple and beautiful sparkles all around it. A beautiful violet sash with a large white star was curled round the waist.
Rarity’s eyes sparkled like the dress itself. “I think it’s possibly glimmering.” she exclaimed. “I can feel the stars shimmering in the night, and it gives that soft coolness that lowers your temperature.”
Glitter agreed too, but with far less enthusiasm. “It looks sparkly, but it makes me think more of pins and needles to whoever tries that on.”
The maker froze in place. “Um… okay…”
Wind Breaker shook her head. “Sorry, honey. I just can’t dig it. Nobody wants to feel coolness in the air, they want to feel beauty.”
The maker was starting to feel weak in the knees, while Rarity was starting to feel a bit uneasy.
Then came Cowl, and he was meaner than a dog without a bone. “You call this fashion? I would call it “Trash” but that would be an insult to real garbage.”
Rarity gasped softly, and the maker could take a hint, and decided to leave before he started crying before the horrible judges.
Rarity wanted to shout out to the judges for that reprehensible act, but the next applicant came in.
She was a mare who had brought three outfits of the same color, but each of a different form-- a ball-gown, a leotard for gymnastics, and a swimsuit for the beach.
“I call this line, “Same Differences.” she boasted.
While Rarity was all one for the different designs she had marked down points for it all being the exact same color-- fuchsia. “The colors are fine, except that they leave out room for definition and making it hard to look at the designs.”
“Agreed.” said Glitter. “But according to your background, you won the Springtime Fashion Follies three times. That’s good enough for me.”
Wind Breaker marked down her points. “I say the colors level the field, and this way you needn’t worry about stripes, or other accessories that clash with it.”
Even gave a simple smile and nod. “Degree checks out, so do credentials; you’re in.”
The mare smiled thankfully, while Rarity’s insides were going crazy.
“Whatever is the matter with these folks?” she wondered. “They’re being persuaded by the ponies’ stats rather than the consideration of all the hard work they put into their outfits.”
Yet, nothing could have prepared her for what was coming next.
“Next applicant,” called Cowl. “…Applejack of Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville.”
Rarity’s heart skipped a beat. “Did you… just say… what I thought you said?”
Sure enough, it was Applejack.
“Hi y’all.” She called with a tip of her hat. “Congrats on making the board, Rarity.”
Rarity was most confused. “Since when are you into fashion…?”
Applejack felt insulted instantly, but instead she began with her opening statement. “Just because I’m a farm-girl, dirty, crusty, and covering in mud all the time… don’t mean she ain’t artistic. I can love fashion as much as any-pony else.”
The two lady judges held in soft snickers, and Cowl rudely motioned with his hoof for her to get it on.
Rarity could still hardly believe any of this. A week ago she had written to a letter to her friends back home telling them about how she made the panel, and wished they come over and see her for the show. She never, in her entire life, ever expected to see Applejack ever try to compete in the show.
Applejack had brought in a large mobile kiosk from home, which she took to great expense to get on the train and get all the way to Canterlot.
She opened the two doors wide, revealing inside, three beautiful ball gowns she had designed herself.
“I call them, the “Apple Sisters”
Reason she called them such, each dress was a different color of the three different kinds of apples-- Red, Green, or Yellow.
The Red dress had a long flowing skirt with ruffles.
The Green was a slick, sparkling dress that shimmered in the light.
The Yellow was by far the prettiest, to Applejack. It was a yellow, but so well faded it was near white, and Applejack had converted it into a wedding gown, and it shimmered as brightly as the sun.
Rarity gawked at each dress with such astonishment, and she pictured herself modeling in each one.
Yet the other judges, immediately gave Applejack an immediately dismissal.
“What are you even doing here?” asked Cowl.
Applejack’s features began to harden. “Excuse me?”
“You don’t even have a degree, you’ve not even been in any Fashion Show before, and yet here you are presenting this tasteless, blasted, eye-killing mess, and expect good things to happen to you?
Were it up to me, I would bare you from even going anyplace a needle and thread ever again.”
Rarity felt he had gone too far with that, and Applejack was furious.
Wind Breaker then said, “Honey, it’s good, but I don’t think you belong here at all. You should really stick to farming.”
“Ah!” Applejack gasped in disgust.
Rarity felt that same strike in her blood too.
Glitter shook her head at Applejack. “Lady, you got no place here, and even if we’d let you in, All Bets are off: You’d get Last Place for sure compared to all that goes on.”
Now it was down to Rarity, and she rolled her eyes back and forth at Applejack, and the judges.
The answer was painfully obvious at what she had to say, but then she could see all her wonderful fantasies-- the profits, the fame, her castle, the potential suitors-- they were all fading away before her eyes, and leaving her all alone in the darkness.
She then marked on her clipboard “Rejected.”
Applejack felt as if her heart had stopped. “I don’t believe this.” she peeped softly.
Rarity could feel the pain of Applejack’s gaze pierce her own soul as well, but taking the hint, Applejack closed up her kiosk and slowly wheeled it out.
Cowl yawned, “There goes another one. Poor duck.”
“Well, that’s what you get for not having the right stuff.” teased Wind Breaker.
Glitter sighed, “I’m glad she’s gone. I don’t know how we miss some of these talentless hacks on their entry-forms.”
As if it were bad enough the ponies had just shot down Applejack without giving her much of a chance, they didn’t seem to care a bit about her feelings either.
…And she, herself, just dismissed her dear friend.
Her insides were positively burning with guilt.
So guilty, she was barely able to snap herself out of it to focus on the next entries. She practically just went along with the other judges, with simple “Yes” or “No” responses because she could hardly think.
By the end of the day, all the auditions were over, mostly due to the three judges being highly biased, and the fact they had eliminated most of the entries simply by looking at their applications.
No Degree… No Entry…
No Background… No Entry…
Low Social Stats… No entry…
Glitter even rejected some of the ponies because she didn’t like their appearances-- nerdy, or too young or old, compared to dazzling and gorgeous, or even those who acted as pompous and as conceited as the judges.
“Well, this took me for a spell.” said Cowl. “It’s not easy telling ponies they ain’t good all day. I’m off to fill up.” and he excused himself to get dinner.
The ladies excused themselves as well, but Wind Breaker stopped a moment. “Care to join us, Rarity? The meal’s on us for your first day.”
Normally, Rarity would leap at the chance to dine, especially for a free meal, but she had to refuse. “I’m afraid there is something of great importance I must tend to.” and she galloped off, much to the judges’ confusions.