Loud sobs could be heard behind the bedroom door.
“How long has she been in there?” asked Twilight to the others.
“Two days,” answered Applejack. “We need to get her out of there pronto.”
“You’re right,” agreed Twilight, “But we need to be tactful. Rarity’s upset and we don’t want to say anything-”
“Rarity!” called Pinkie, knocking on the door. “Come on out! Sure the dresses were hideous, but it’s not like you sell them for a living or anything!”
Rarity’s crying increased in volume.
“…Stupid…” finished Twilight. She grabbed Pinkie with her magic and threw her down the hallway. “Rarity?” she called. “We just want to talk to you. Will you come out?”
“No!” cried Rarity from inside her bedroom. “My life is ruined! I’m never coming out, ever!”
“You can’t just stay in there!” replied Twilight. “At the very least, you’ll have to use the bathroom at some point.”
“Says you!” said Rarity. “I have one of Opal’s litterboxes in here! I will be just fine!”
“Gross,” said Twilight. She shook her head. “Listen you need-”
“Do you understand my plight?” asked Rarity. “I had it all! Talent! Natural good looks! Humility! I was the complete package! And then I decided to be nice and let some morons design their own dresses!”
“Rarity?” called Applejack. “Ya know we can hear you, right?”
“My mistake dear,” replied Rarity. “I decided to be nice and let some dumb motherfucking morons design their own dresses!”
“Those guys sound like idiots!” said Pinkie Pie, bouncing back over to the girls.
“They are,” agreed Rarity wholeheartedly. She sighed wistfully. “I used to make beautiful dresses! And now I’m the laughingstock of Ponyville!”
“That’s not true!” said Rainbow Dash. “Spike’s still here.”
Rarity ignored Rainbow and continued sobbing. “I could have been somebody! I coulda been a contender!”
“Ooh!” said Pinkie. “I love Cinderella Man!”
“I think that was Rocky,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Why are you still there?!” yelled Rarity from her bedroom. “Go talk to someone who isn’t a sad, pathetic, fat, ugly shell of a mare!”
“Don’t talk like that,” said Fluttershy.
“Oh…you’re right, dear,” said Rarity from the bedroom. “I should think more positively. I know! How about I focus on the fact that MY LIFE IS RUINED!” She started to cry again.
Twilight looked at the others and whispered, “We can’t just leave her in there alone. Somebody should go talk to her.”
“Who did you have in mind?” asked Fluttershy.
“It needs to be somebody reasonable,” said Twilight. “Someone calm and willing to put themselves aside for others.”
“Got it!” said Rainbow Dash, flying into the bedroom. “I need to ask her about making a new set of battle armor anyway.”
“What?!” said Twilight in alarm. “Wait!”
She was too late, Rainbow Dash had flown into the bedroom and slammed the door shut. “Rarity!” the others heard her call. “I need-”
There was a bestial roar followed by a blood-curdling shriek. The door was thrown open and Rainbow Dash was hurled out of the room. As she crashed into the wall, a blue glow enveloped the door and slammed it shut.
Rainbow Dash huddled up in the fetal position. “I…I don’t think s-she’s in the mood to talk…” she muttered, rocking back and forth.
Fluttershy sighed and walked over to Rainbow Dash, gently pulling her back on her hooves. “To think this all started because we wanted those awful dresses…”
“Ah know, Sugarcube,” said Applejack. “If only there was some way to make it up to Rarity…”
“If only there was a way to let her know that we care about her designs…” said Twilight.
“If only…” said Pinkie with a grin. She walked over to Fluttershy and put her hooves on the side of the pegasus’s head. She slowly turned Fluttershy’s head over to Rainbow Dash. “If only there was something to help us!” said Pinkie, smiling widely.
Fluttershy frowned as she looked at Rainbow. “What’s that in your mane?”
“Huh?” asked Rainbow Dash. She reached up and felt a rolled up piece of paper in her hair. She grabbed it and looked at it. “Looks like a dress design. I must have picked it up while I was getting thrown out.”
“That’s it!” said Twilight, grabbing the design. “If we make this, we can use the dress to apologize to Rarity!” She blinked. She glanced at Pinkie. “How did you know this was in Rainbow Dash’s hair?”
Pinkie shrugged nonchalantly. “Pinkie’s intuition.” Her eyes darted around nervously.
“Hmm…” said Twilight suspiciously. She shook her head. “Well, let’s get started on this dress!”
The others cheered and started walking back downstairs. Twilight stared at Pinkie as she walked away. “This requires further study…” muttered Twilight.
Later:
Rarity threw an empty bottle at the wall. The bottle shattered on impact, sending glass everywhere. Rarity sighed and got up out of bed. She grabbed another beer bottle and drunkenly stumbled to her mirror. “Look at you!” she said to herself. “Look at what you’ve been reduced to! A formerly talented mare now in hiding, drinking the days away!”
“Come now, Rarity,” she imagined her reflection saying, “You can’t just lock yourself away! It was only one little fashion show!”
“Yes,” agreed Rarity, “Only a little fashion show...” She shook her head. “You’re right! I can’t let that stop me! I need to-” She looked at a newspaper next to the bed. The headline “Rarity Sucks at Design” was printed in big bold letters.
Rarity looked back to her reflection, an eyebrow raised.
“Um…” faltered the mirror Rarity. “I…I’ve got nothing. You’re fucked.”
“Thanks for that assessment,” said Rarity morosely. She drained the bottle of beer and threw it behind her. “Opal?” she called. “Go get Mommy another beer!”
There was silence.
“Hmm…” said Rarity, turning around. “Usually she would have hissed at me for that…” She began to look around the room. “Opal? Where are you?”
There was a meow from outside.
Rarity went over to the window and opened it. Looking around, she saw Opal clinging to a nearby tree branch for dear life.
“How did you get up there?!” Rarity yelled. “Not to worry! Mommy’s coming!”
Rarity backed up. She took a deep breath and ran for the window. She jumped out of it, soaring through the air.
“Hmm…” said Rarity as she looked at the ground beneath her. “I just remembered that I can’t fly…” She blinked and winced. “This is going to hurt.”
She fell, crashing on the ground. She pulled her face from the dirt and said woozily, “Don’t worry Opal…Mommy’s just got a minor concussion…” She looked up to where Opal was and gasped.
Rainbow Dash was in the tree, smiling down at Rarity. In her hooves was Opal, who was purring.
“Rainbow Dash!” yelled Rarity, pulling herself up. “You unhand my pussy this instant!”
“I’m not even going to comment on that one,” said Rainbow. She flew down to the ground and gently set Opal down. She turned and pointed. “We wanted to show you this!”
Rarity looked to where Rainbow Dash was pointing and her jaw dropped. Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie were all standing around one of Rarity’s mannequins. The mannequin was wearing a beautiful pink dress. On its head was a golden tiara.
Rarity was speechless.
“We finished your dress for you!” said Pinkie happily.
Rarity was silent.
“Thanks to Fluttershy’s sewing skills!” said Applejack.
“It was nothing, really,” said Fluttershy. She gave a manic grin. “I just stabbed with the needle over and over and over…”
Rarity was still silent.
“Um…Rarity?” asked Twilight. “Are you ok?”
“I-If you don’t like it we can-” began Fluttershy.
Rarity opened her mouth and let out a loud squeal of delight. The rest of the ponies covered their ears and grimaced in pain. The windows of the boutique shattered.
“I love it I love it I love it I LOVE IT!” screamed Rarity. She used her magic to gather all five of the others to her. She wrapped her arms around them and gave them a bone-crunching hug. “Thank you thank you thank you! What can I do to repay all of you?”
“Not killing us?” wheezed Rainbow Dash, her face turning a darker shade of blue.
“Really,” coughed Pinkie, tears running down her face, “It was no problem.”
Twilight’s horn glowed purple. She teleported herself and the others out of Rarity’s grasp. She took a deep breath and wheezed, “We wanted to make up for the fashion show. We should’ve accepted the dresses you made at the beginning. They were perfect.”
“We’re awful sorry,” said Applejack.
“I still say my armor is kickass,” said Rainbow Dash, “But I’m sorry these other bozos messed up your show.”
Applejack glared at Rainbow. “Because armor is so perfect for a dance.”
“Better than your galoshes!” shot back Rainbow.
“I’m glad you’re sorry, and I forgive you,” said Rarity, “But my career is still in the shitter! No one will want to buy dresses from me because of that fashion show.” She froze. A devious smile was on her face as she looked at Twilight. “Unless…”
Later:
“Thanks for giving Rarity another shot, Hoity,” said Spike as he and Hoity Toity walked into the boutique. “It means a lot to her.”
“I’m curious to see if she can change my mind about her,” said Hoity. He and Spike walked into the showroom, where another runway had been set up. “Besides, it was either this or help Vinyl pick up more blue hair dye.”
“What is her natural hair color anyway?” asked Spike.
“It’s actually-”
Hoity Toity was cut off as the lights shut off. A blue light glowed from Rarity’s horn as she walked on the catwalk wearing her new dress. There was a bright flash from her horn and Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy walked onto the catwalk, each wearing their original dresses.
Twilight took a sniff of herself and grimaced. “Did you really have to pull these out of the garbage?” she whispered to Rarity.
“Do you want my forgiveness or not?” hissed Rarity. She looked at Hoity Toity, who had no readable expression on his face.
“Um…Hoity?” asked Spike.
The designer raised his hoof in the air for silence. Getting up, he took off his glasses and stared at Rarity.
Rarity gulped nervously.
“I told you before, didn’t I?” said the stallion seriously. “A true artist doesn’t throw shit at a wall and hopes it will stick. A true artist throws shit at a wall and convinces everyone that that shit is gold.” He stared into Rarity’s eyes. “I told you that, correct?”
Rarity had a bead of sweat going down her face. “Um…yes?”
Hoity was silent.
Then he smiled and said, “My dear, this shit is gold.”
“It…it is?” squeaked Rarity.
Hoity smiled and climbed up onto the catwalk. “It is. You, my dear, are a true artist.”
“I…I…” began Rarity. She took a deep breath. Then she let out an even bigger squeal than she did when she first saw her dress. Everyone quickly covered their ears. The sunglasses that Hoity Toity had left at the bottom of the catwalk shattered.
Hoity uncovered his ears and smiled at Rarity. “Would you allow me to feature your dresses in my boutique in Canterlot?”
Rarity opened her mouth to squeal again. Hoity quickly clapped his hoof over her mouth. “You can just nod,” he said.
Rarity nodded frantically.
Hoity uncovered Rarity’s mouth and said, “Great! In that case, I need you to make a dozen of each dress by next Tuesday, ok? Oh! And don’t forget to include a pair of galoshes with each one! That was brilliant!” He turned around and left the boutique.
“Well, our work here is done!” said Rainbow Dash.
A blue glow surrounded the front door and slammed it shut. Everyone turned and stared at Rarity, whose eye was twitching.
“Sorry everyone,” she said, using her magic to lock the door, “But I need just one more thing from you before you’re truly forgiven.” She smiled and used her magic to give everyone a spool of thread and a needle. “I need your help to make 72 dresses by next Tuesday! Won’t that be fun?”
“No!” said everyone else.
“Great!” said Rarity, ignoring them. “Let’s get started!”