//------------------------------// // RUNNING OUT OF TIME // Story: IGOR // by mellon collie //------------------------------// "it's a low tide, i'll be fine, i found peace in drowning" Rarity sat motionless at her sewing machine, barely able to remain conscious. What time was it now, three in the morning? She couldn't tell. The clock that hung on the far side of her room had become so blurry that she couldn't read the numbers anymore. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hooves to try and make them less bleary. Her eyes fell onto the mess of fabric in front of her, piling up until they became indistinguishable. She let out a frustrated groan. Where had her inspiration gone? She had went to bed, woken up an hour later with a million ideas in her head, then sat at her table staring at unmoving fabric for who knows how long. Rarity slammed her hoof against the table, as though it was the cause of her problems. She needed something to lash out at, some way to release her anger. Biting her lip, she ignored the seering pain in her hoof and went back to staring at the fabric. It was like they were testing her, waiting for her resolve to break again. This was the second night in a row that this had happened. She would just end up sitting there, doing nothing except wishing she had the motivation to do anything. But the flame would never be reignited no matter how many times she tried to light it. This proved to be a problem, as a regular client had placed a particularly large order that was to be ready by the end of the week. "It'll be fine," Rarity told herself. "Everything will be just..." She hung her head and tore her gaze from the fabric, unable to stomach looking at it any longer. "...fine. Maybe I need some water." She stood up and quietly trotted out of her room. The lamp in the hallway gave her just enough light to see where she was going, giving everything a dim grey appearance. She went down the stairs and moved to the kitchen, her hooves dragging slightly. Faint traces of moonlight filtered in through the window, illuminating the kitchen. The stars in the night sky seemed a little less visible than usual, but Rarity paid no mind to that. She paid no mind to anything, instead just quickly getting a glass of water and trying not to cough it back up after she drank it. "Am I coming down with something?" She asked herself, but no response came to her. Having put away her glass, she walked back upstairs, feeling no better than she had a few minutes prior. When she entered her room she made a point not to look at the fabric on her table. "I think I should get some rest..." She sluggishly walked over to her bed, barely feeling in control of her body. After she collapsed onto her bed, she lay there pitifully, unmoving until her body yelled at her to turn over. She ended up staring at the ceiling for an unknown amount of time before returning to her table, back to staring at the fabric. Rarity blinked, a horrid, rancid noise coming out of her throat as she gagged on the air. As her vision began to return, her head slowly stopped spinning. A groan passed through her lips as she finally became able to see properly. Sitting in front of her was a neatly folded blue sun dress, covered in a white daisy pattern. There were 2 other dresses, the same design with slightly differing colors, sitting next to it. "What?" She looked around the room, only just now noticing the sunlight that came in through the window. When had it become day? More importantly, when had she made these dresses? Had she even made them, or were they some of the inspiration pieces she had stored away for when she was creatively lacking? No, these were brand new. She knew that. What she didn't know was how she could've possibly made them. She went to sleep before even touching her sewing machine, let alone starting to design any dresses. Hadn't she? A series of knocks made Rarity jump out of her seat. "Come in!" She attempted to put on her most level voice, but it faltered into a tired moan almost immediately. Fluttershy gingerly pushed open the door, looking down at the floor as she moved. "Uh, hey, Rarity." She looked up, her eyes widening at the sight before her. Rarity's mane was frazzled, in some places sticking out randomly and other places matted to her face from sweat. Her eyes hung heavily, bags under them from how long she had gone without sleeping. Little red lines hid themselves in the corners of her bloodshot eyes. She looked like she was barely awake, holding onto the table to support her tired body. "However did you get in here? I thought I had locked the door last night." "Your sister let me in. Are— are you alright?" Fluttershy took a few pensive steps forward. "I'm fine, dear. I just... had one of my fashion frenzies, as they've been called." There were times where Rarity got so lost in her work that her mind would shut down, leaving her body to continue moving on it's own. In her mind, she was simply asleep during these times, even if her body was awake. The worst case of this lead her to being hospitalized after she lost consciousness for 2 days straight. "Oh, um, do you need anything?" "Could I get your opinion on these.. on these dresses?" Rarity motioned to the folded dresses that rested on the table. "They look lovely," Fluttershy responded immediately, beginning to move again. "How about you— why don't you take a— a break?" "No! I need to finish this order." Rarity clumsily folded her hooves, almost losing her balance. "I think that it— that it would be a good i— idea if you did." Rarity didn't respond, instead turning to her material shelf. She hummed a tuneless song quietly as she tried to find a specific fabric. "Today was supposed to be our spa day, you know." In that moment, it seemed like a switch had been flipped in Rarity's head. She twisted around and finally looked into Fluttershy's eyes, an apologetic look on her face. "Oh. I'm sorry. I just got so caught up in my work that I completely forgot." Rarity glanced away, shame in her eyes. "It— it's alright, Rarity." "Do we still have time to go to the spa? I could really go for a massage right about now. Something to help calm my nerves." "Oh! Um, yes, our appointment isn't for another half an hour. I came here because we were supposed to— supposed to meet there a few minutes ago, but you weren't there." "I truly am sorry about that." Rarity stood up, though she quickly sat down again as moving so fast made her nauseous. "Do you mind if I wash up a bit before we go? I wouldn't say I'm at my..." She looked down at herself. "...most presentable." "Of course not, Rarity." Rarity felt a million times better after leaving the spa. All the tension that had built up inside of her had been expertly eased away, the knots in her muscles had been treated perfectly, and her hooves and mane looked better than they had in weeks. The spa wasn't her favorite place to go to for no reason. It gave her a place to relax, a place to let go of all the stress she had accumulated since her last visit. The feeling of laying in a hot tub, all her troubles soaking away into the water that surrounded her, that was something she loved. Fluttershy cleared her throat, breaking Rarity out of her thoughts. "Um, Rarity?" "Yes, dear?" Rarity turned her full attention to the pegasus. "Your.. fashion fre— frenzy, it didn't have anything to do with our fight from last night, did it?" Rarity was silent for a few seconds, before letting out a laugh. At Fluttershy's confused expression, she explained, "Of course not. I would hardly even call that a fight. All we did was argue a bit because we had a disagreement, say some regrettable things, then we kissed and made up. It was as much of a fight as... if we had argued over who would get the last potato chip, as it were. Something meaningless and unimportant." Fluttershy took a few seconds to think up a response. "You seemed really mad, th— though. And when you're upset you usually— you go right to making dresses. It's like you're, um, distracting yourself-" "I make dresses for a living." Hints of indignance started to creep into Rarity's tone. "I'm telling you that our little tiff didn't affect me as much as you think it did. Can't it just be that I had a sudden rush of motivation and have that be that?" "But—" "Please, Fluttershy? Will you believe me just this one time?" She narrowed her eyes, her voice hardening just enough for Fluttershy to notice. "I have a very important order that has to be done by the end of the week. That's all this is, ok?" Fluttershy fell silent, her throat suddenly feeling dry. "Y— yeah, I guess so. I— I'm sorry." Her gaze went to the ground. "It's alright, dear." Fluttershy expected there to be more said, but silence filled the air once again. Her eyes remained on the ground for the rest of their walk. "Rarity—" "I'm sorry about earlier." The response caught her off guard. "You— you are?" "Yes, I shouldn't have been so snappy with you. I really thought the spa had gotten rid of all my stress, but I fear not." Rarity's eyes shifted away from Fluttershy's for a brief flicker. "It's ok. Maybe you just— maybe you just need some rest. I hope you feel better soon." Fluttershy tried to smile her most genuine smile. Rarity didn't seem to notice how strained it was. "Maybe you're right." Nothing was said for a few instants, the tension in the air wrapping around Fluttershy's throat and beginning to suffocate her. "Well," Rarity continued, "I guess this is where we part for the day. I love you." "I love you too." The two shared a kiss. It started out slow but as it grew in intensity, the spark in Fluttershy's chest was reignited. It made her forget about the previous unease. Rarity always knew just how to cheer her up. When they pulled away, the smile on Fluttershy's face had become a genuine one. "Have a good day, Rarity." Fluttershy pulled her into a hug, her grip tighter than usual. "You too." Rarity lightly nuzzled her. The two separated and Fluttershy went on her way home. Rarity silently watched her walk away. When Fluttershy stopped to talk to a materializing draconequus, an indescribable feeling bubbled in Rarity's chest. She released the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding as the pegasus disappeared from her view. She entered the boutique, her mind replaying the argument that had passed earlier. Fluttershy had brought forth such a preposterous idea that she didn't know whether or not to take it seriously. Why and how would she 'distract herself' by doing her work? That made zero sense. Pushing it out of her mind, the lack of sleep finally began hitting her. Combined with the relaxation from the spa, her mind fell into a half-conscious haze. She could barely lift her hooves at this point, but she kept pushing as she mindlessly walked to her room. Her body led her there purely on instinct. She yawned loudly as she opened her door, her gaze immediately falling onto her workspace. Of course, there was still things to be done, no matter how foggy her mind was becoming. She had to get this order done. That was the most important thing right now. It didn't matter if she was falling asleep as she walked, it didn't matter if she could barely move without her muscles screaming at her to stop, all that mattered was making those dresses. She had to get this order done. And so she got to work.