//------------------------------// // IGOR'S THEME // Story: IGOR // by mellon collie //------------------------------// "got my eyes open" The whirring of a sewing machine and the faint buzzing of an in-use horn filled the main floor of Carousel Boutique. Rarity always prided herself on her ability to immerse herself in her work, even if she'd just awoken. A half-empty cup of coffee stood discarded on the table where she sat, forgotten as soon as she was awake enough to begin working. Rarity was a pony who loved her work above just about everything else in her life. The world of fashion was one she often escaped to when she needed to, and even if she didn't need a distraction she was still overjoyed to design and create. It was an outlet that she used to fill out her days, and there were days where she did nothing but work on an article of clothing or two. Sunrise to sunset, give or take, she was in the design room of Carousel Boutique, bringing her most recent imaginations to life in the form of clothing. It didn't matter to her that much that most ponies in Ponyville didn't wear anything outside special occasions, she was happy to make and make and make. Creating clothes was her way of escaping her daily life. Whenever she felt upset she would immediately start sketching something down or picking out what fabrics she would need for a piece of clothing. She was able to drop everything at a moment's notice if need be, and that was something that helped during rough patches. Her job was her life and her life was her job at times, even though she knew that wasn't particularly healthy. At least things were going well now. Rarity was currently working on a simple yellow silk dress. It was a personal design that she had been playing around with for the past few days, not intended for anyone besides herself to see. She absentmindedly held a hoof on the dress, lightly moving it forward to continue applying the stitching. Her rear hoof was beginning to ache as it pushed down on the pedal, a sign that showed that she was doing good work. This dress was going to look absolutely lovely when it was finished, she could tell. Her eyes moved back to the sketchbook that she was holding in her magic, on a page that was slowly being covered with a drawing of a flowing evening gown. Rarity was always proud of her ability to multitask — it was one of the many reasons why she was glad to be a unicorn — as it helped her when it came to her work. The dress she was drawing was designed specifically for a pegasus, evident from the wing-holes that she quickly added after a moment of thinking. Clearly, this dress was going to be for one pegasus in particular. Rarity was always a romantic. She was born someone who desired love and was raised to believe that it was the key to happiness. Throwing herself at whoever was desirable to her, she was accustomed to being in relationships. They often crashed and burned — whether her fault or her partner's — and she eventually grew used to relationships ending quickly. It was the ones that faded away slowly, falling out of love with her day by day, that hurt the most. The unicorn had gone through many different partners over the course of her life. She had gravitated towards stallions for awhile, but eventually she realized that she was going through the same motions with them over and over again. Meet. Spend a night together. Honeymoon period. Fights. Breakup. She was setting herself up for failure because her expectations were too high. After taking a break from dating to reflect on herself, she spread her dating pool to include mares. Of course, she'd always been attracted to mares, but for some reason she'd never dated one. That was going to change. Even with mares, relationships went by quickly. Rarity got frustrated with this. What was the problem here? Maybe it was her. She was the one constant after all, but it couldn't be. It was always her partner who was at fault in the breakup. Whether they cheated, became emotionally distant, or whatever else, it was never Rarity who lit the match that set the relationship on fire. It might not have been apparent to her, maybe she was doing it unconsciously, but she grew to desire some sort of hold over her partners. After so much heartache, so much unfaithfulness, she needed some way to know that her partner would stay with her. If she was able to keep them incredibly close, then they wouldn't leave her. They couldn't leave her. Not like the others. The same was true for her current marefriend, Fluttershy. Rarity didn't really know when her feelings for Fluttershy first started appearing. She had always been closest to the pegasus out of all of her friends, and they spent plenty of time together independently of the group. Add on top of that the fact that she was the most beautiful mare the fashion designer knew — in multiple ways — and it made sense why Rarity had feelings for Fluttershy. Maybe she had just been burying them the whole time. There's no way they only came about because of- No, of course not. That was an idea so ridiculous it wasn't even worth entertaining with a second thought. The unicorn quickly returned to her work, setting down the sketchbook on the table with a nearly silent noise. Her gaze went to the dress, where she saw that she was coming up to where there needed to be a curve in the stitching. She rotated the dress with her hooves, watching as the stitching followed accordingly. Rarity examined the dress further as she sewed. It was a fairly standard dress, at least compared to some of the more out there designs she'd done before. It cut off at the ankles, and she knew it would be form-fitting based on how it was coming together. The waist was smocked, giving the appearance that it sunk in a bit, accentuating the wearer's hips. The cuffs were flared in the front. The dress was a light yellow that looked radiant in the morning light. It's material was soft to the touch, so much so that a pony likely wouldn't want to take it off for days, so to speak. It reminded her of Fluttershy. Dainty, elegant, and a beauty to look at. It was something one would wear to a picnic, overlooking a hillside as the sun set in the background. Hooves held close, bodies held closer, food forgotten as two hearts melted together into one. That was probably why she had subconsciously made it the same color as Fluttershy's coat. She'd been doing that a lot over the past few months. Her gaze drifted over to a mannequin, stuck in eternal mid-gallop as always, wearing a high-waisted pleated pink skirt. It flowed, reaching the top of mannequin's shins. The color was the same as Fluttershy's mane, a light pink that had quickly become one of Rarity's favorite colors. She was so happy with Fluttershy. They had a truly deep connection that became stronger with every nuzzle, every kiss, and every other intimate moment they held together. Fluttershy seemingly held her in an impossibly high regard after all that had happened in the past, but this didn't bother Rarity. If anything, she was glad for it. Someone had to be there to praise the ground she walked on, after all. That was overexaggeration, of course. Rarity wasn't that egotistical, but she did appreciate how much Fluttershy loved her. She knew that this relationship was different from the ones she'd had in the past. The others were too... too complex for Rarity. Maybe that was the word for it. Despite how much she enjoyed sweeping displays of affection, she enjoyed the simple things as well. Going out for walks late at night, watching the fireflies pass by in the moonlit sky, that was what the mare loved. Just being with Fluttershy was good enough for her. The past 6 months had been amazing. Rarity had never expected to feel as good as she did when she was with Fluttershy. None of her relationships had lasted this long, except for a few which only continued out of mutual resentment. Fluttershy was different. She didn't flaunt Rarity like a trophy, she didn't stay with her for the image, and she didn't grow to dislike Rarity like the others had. They truly cared for one another, and their bond grew stronger over time. They had spent countless nights together, doing nothing but holding each other close. Sometimes they would just lay in silence, content with just the warmth other's touch. At times it felt like Rarity was protecting Fluttershy, especially when she had to comfort her during a depressive episode. Protecting her from what, then? That question remained unanswered whenever it was pondered. Muffled hoofsteps, growing louder as they grew closer, snapped Rarity out of her thoughts. She paused in her sewing and turned her head to see Sweetie Belle at the end of the staircase, with a tired smile on her face. "Good morning, Rarity." Sweetie Belle stifled a yawn after speaking. "Good morning, Sweetie Belle." Rarity smiled back at her sister. "Would you like some breakfast?" "Ooh, could I ma-" Rarity cleared her throat, cutting her little sister off. "Sorry, Sweetie, but I already made breakfast before you woke up." She silently congratulated herself for her forward-thinking. Sweetie Belle put on her best puppy eyes and looked up at her sister. Rarity tittered, shaking her head and pointing to the kitchen. Sweetie Belle let out an exaggerated sigh and plodded away. She had lost this battle, but she knew someday she would be able to cook again, even if she was still technically banned from using anything in the kitchen other than the eating utensils. Rarity smiled and shook her head lightly. That little sister of hers, always so comical. She returned her attention to the dress and applied the last bit of stitching she needed. As she lifted the needle with her magic she could swear she saw someone through the window who appeared to be approaching the boutique, but she ignored the thought for the moment. She lifted the dress in her magic and placed it on the nearest mannequin. Her eyes widened in glee as she took in the sight. The dress looked just like she imagined. It flowed elegantly over the body, showing off the form perfectly. It was clearly easy to move around in, designed to be loose-fitting, but it was still tight enough to highlight the wearer's body. The back of it dragged slightly behind the wearer's rear legs, ruffling at the base. The yellow of the dress made it both eye-catching and relaxing to look at, like the sun through sunglasses. It was something that would catch the interest of whoever saw it for sure. Rarity clapped her hooves together and grinned. "Oh Sweetie Belle!" she called to the kitchen. The sound of a confused "hm?" and a chair being pushed backwards could be heard before the filly in question appeared. "Be completely honest. Brutally honest. I may take offense to what you say, but do tell. What are your thoughts on this dress?" Rarity asked, motioning to the dress. Sweetie Belle examined the dress for a moment before turning to her sister with a smile. "It looks great, Rarity! Who's it for?" Rarity flicked a hoof dismissively. "This is simply for my personal collection," she told. "I think I might wear it out sometime soon." "Well, it's gonna look great on you." Rarity opened her mouth to give her thanks, but a series of knocks on the doors interrupted her. Sweetie Belle perked up and headed to the door, telling Rarity "I'll get it!" as she moved. Or at least she tried to move. She was currently held in a light blue magical aura, stuck in mid-air. She looked confused for a few moments, but a knowing smile settled on her face when she realized what was happening. Rarity had recognized the knocks as those of Fluttershy's, and her mood instantly brightened. A visit wasn't something that she had been expecting, but it was a welcome surprise all the same. She rushed to the door and took a breath in before opening it, a smile on her face.