Choose Your Own Adventure: Maud's Education

by Palm Palette

(27)

“I'm going to make one like a geode. It's flashy, but only on the inside. The exterior just looks like a rock,” Maud said.

“That's... interesting. But if the gems are hidden, then how does that get you any attention?” Suri asked.

“It's sparkles when you take it off.”

“Take off the dress to display its value? That's–” Suri gasped. “–that's brilliant! It's defiantly a unique design that nopony else has made and it's bound to impress the instructor.”

“So did you want to help make it?” Maud asked. The room was strangely empty. “Suri? Suri?”

Suri was gone.

“Huh.” Maud ignored Suri's mysterious absence and set to work on sewing her design together. She used a variety of glass beads and colored baubles to achieve the sparkling effect then turned her creation inside-out to hide the fake gemstones and show the drab exterior. It looked like a plain, simple dress once she was done, but some sparkles caught the light around the fringes of it. It wasn't perfect, but it was enough to get the concept across. Maid loaded the dress onto a rolling wardrobe rack and pushed it out into the hall.

As soon as she got there, Suri rushed past her into the classroom with a wardrobe rack of her own. The dresses she'd made looked suspiciously like Maud's.

“Zirconia, check out this latest fashion trend I designed. I call it, 'geo-wear.' ” Suri proudly displayed her rack of dresses with drab colors and sparkles on the fringes hinting at that the interior beauty. In the time it took Maud to make one, Suri had made three.

Zirconia gave her an odd look. “Beauty's not a thing you should hide. Why are your sparkles on the inside?”

“It's easier if I just show you. Watch this.” Suri slipped on one of her dresses. A few beads popped off and stuck in her mane when she did so. “Right now I'm a drab nonchalant pony who'd rather not be mobbed by adoring fans.” Suri pulled the dress off, turning it inside-out as she did so. “And now I'm a dazzling superstar who doesn't even need to wear the dress to get attention and look fabulous.”

“That's quite the transformation. A trend like that could shock the nation. I guess I was wrong about the Suri Polomare. You're welcome in my class; this I declare.” Zirconia smiled and wrote in her book as Suri grinned back and rolled her cart out.

Maud slightly opened her mouth at the scene that played out before her. For her, that was gaping.

Before stepping out, Suri paused to whisper in Maud's ear, “You country bumpkins shouldn't be so trusting. Too bad, but in fashion only the ruthless win.”

Maud watched in horror with her neutral expression as Zirconia walked up and frowned at the dress she'd made.

“You can't just copy the design from another mare. Plagiarism will get you nowhere.”

“But that was my design,” Maud said.

“You expect me to believe this cheap knock-off is yours? Such ill-refined taste, you're a pony that boors. But you know what?—I'll let you try again. Show me something you made, if you think you can.”

Maud shook her head. “I no longer think that fashion's for a pony like me. Boulder and I will find another subject to study.”

Zirconia frowned. That rhyme almost sounded like a racial slur. Regardless, Maud wasn't going to be touching fashion again and didn't look forward to sharing a room with that sleazy pony for the whole semester.

Drat.

Start over?

Comments

[Changeling-Drone]

SURI!!!