//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Every Mare for Herself // by Ianpiersonjdavis //------------------------------// Suri walked the streets of Manehatten with empty saddlebags, fuming. Prim was such an idiot-how could she have been impressed by that garbage? Using hotel items as accessories? That was pathetic! “I thought it was supposed to be a fashion show, not a soup kitchen…” she grumbled. Not only had she lost fashion week despite her careful planning, but she had also lost the trophy and her assistant thanks to that little traitor. She could still hardly believe the conversation that had transpired little over an hour ago. --- After warning Rarity to stay away from Prim, all she needed to do was play the waiting game until Prim got impatient enough to declare Rarity’s absence as a forfeit and a refusal to accept the trophy. Prim’s tacky fashion sense would have been just a small hiccup in the plan and the victory would have been another box checked off on the road to becoming a world renowned fashionista. And Rarity would go back to that little one-horse town she came from. Or at least, that’s how things would have turned out. However, looking back towards the trophy there stood Coco speaking to Prim before putting the trophy in her saddlebag. Alarmed, Suri galloped towards to the judge’s table. “What do you think your doing!?” she demanded. “I…well; I saw how generous Rarity was and how much her friends cared for her.” “So?” Suri pressed, indignantly. “Well, what you did to Rarity-what we did…” Coco corrected herself. “It wasn’t right, especially after she went out of her way to help us by giving us those fabric samples.” “Do you honestly think anyone in this city actually cares about what’s right or wrong?” Suri snorted. “If you want to get anywhere in this industry, you’re gonna have to learn that the only way to survive swimming with the big fish is to become a shark, m’kay?” “E-even if that’s true, I’d rather be an unsuccessful fashion designer with a clear conscience, than a nasty successful one-that’s why I um, I quit.” “You WHAT!?” “You’re always so mean and not just to me, I stayed up all night work on those outfits with the materials you stole from your friend.” “No, Rarity gave them to me!” Suri protested. “For accents-“ “Coco,” Suri cut her off. “Ask yourself this; if that’s how I treat my friends, what do you think would happen to one of my enemies?” “I-are you threatening me?” “That depends on whether you actually plan on going through with this, I’m the best mentor someone like you could ever hope to get and because I’m so generous I’ll make you an offer; you give the trophy back to Prim and ‘admit’ that you were lying and we’ll forget this little mess ever happened. If you don’t, I’ll make you wish you’d never knitted your first scarf, m’kay?” she replied. “I-I’m still giving Rarity her trophy, she won and it belongs to her.” Coco turned to leave before looking back at Suri. “I know that you think it’s everypony for herself in this city, but I think your wrong. I also don’t know what happened to you to make you be this way, but um, I-I feel sorry for you.” She then left to track down Rarity and her friends, leaving Suri behind, stunned. The shock she had felt slowly began to turn into anger. She felt sorry for her? First she takes the trophy from her, quits, and then had the nerve to talk down to her? “Now that you’ve had your little temper tantrum, you should know that I have taken into account your poor sportsmanship-had I known earlier that you cheated through plagiarism-you would have been disqualified on the spot.” Suri felt her blood turn to ice. “Prim! I didn’t notice you standing there!” she replied turning around, trying to sound upbeat while feeling herself beginning to sweat. She was so furious with Coco that she had completely forgotten that Prim was still around. “So I’ve noticed.” She deadpanned. “The fact that she managed to create an even more impressive ensemble so quickly in the face of such adversity is truly a testament to Miss Rarity’s skill. It will take her career far. You however, will be lucky to ever work in this city again.” Suri slowly cantered towards her, as her brain frantically tried to think up a way to salvage her career. “I’m not sure how much of that you overheard, but I’m certain this is all just a big misunderstanding, m’kay?” “I highly doubt that, much of what I heard was quite incriminating and given the hostility you had towards that young filly, I’m certain I understand everything just fine.” Suri was about to protest before she continued. “Every fashion week there is some mare or stallion who thinks they can pull the wool over my eyes; despite the fact I’ve been at this game for over twenty years. If there’s one thing I hate it’s being made a fool of-especially when it comes to a contest I’m presiding over. You’re officially blacklisted from this competition.” --- Returning to the present, Suri found there was little else she could do until she got home, but simmer in her anger. “Stupid Rarity thinks she’s so important, pretending not even to recognize me from the Knitter’s League…” Suri grumbled. “’Oh, I thought I recognized you, I just couldn’t place where.’” She mimicked. “Please, as if anyone could ever forget me. And just who does she think she’s fooling anyway? Those eyelashes are so obviously fake-probably trying to impress one of those stallions she wouldn’t shut up about. Just how many crushes can one mare have, anway?” “And Prim, I can’t believe that stupid old bat-she wouldn’t know good fashion if it bit her in the-” A passing cart pulled through a puddle, splashing water over her and ruining her mane. It was probably a cart that she failed to flag down earlier. Given how everything else had been going, it wouldn’t surprise her in the least. “Coco may think that being ‘nice’ is worthwhile now, but once she gets chewed up and spit out as many times as I have-she’ll come crawling back, begging me to take her under my wing again. ”