Princess Pile Drinking Games

by GaPJaxie

Deco

I loved Sassy Saddles as a character, and really wanted to see more of her as the antithesis to Rarity. I'll have a real fic to that effect up soon, but in the meanwhile, witness two old mares fighting for the love of one young, impressionable apprentice.

***

“Shhh. Shhhh, dear…” Rarity lifted a hoof to her apprentice’s shoulder, patting her gently. Deco was on the verge of either tears or a nervous breakdown, staring at the pile of cloth in front of her as she randomly flipped through it. “It’s alright. Take a breath.”

“It’s not alright,” Deco insisted. The fabric in front of her was a loose pile of semi-identical slips of fabric, all roughly the shape of an oval, differentiated only by the color. Some were light blue, some were dark blue, some were colors that had names like “cerulean” or “teal” or “sea swell,” but all were cut to the same specifications. “I knew that the dock flare would be a bit dark when I started. But I thought I could just tweak it. But then I made it lighter and it got even worse.”

Deco’s horn lit up, lifting a slip of Brandeis-Blue slip of fabric into the air. In front of her was a dressmakers frame in the shape of a pony, with a half-assembled gown hung over it’s white fabric frame. The dress was all in blues and greens, decorated with shells and other sea colors. Deco slipped the fabric over the frame’s dock, letting it flare up like it would over a tail. “Look!” she snapped, her throat going tight. “Look Just look! It’s like I took a crap over the rest of the fabric.”

“Language, Deco!” Rarity scrunched her muzzle, frowning like she’d eaten something distasteful. “Goodness! You are a lady. Not a sailor.”

“Sorry. Sorry.” Deco forced herself to take a breath. She a hoof up and dragged it over her face, then up and across her mane. “Sorry. I just meant to say, you know. I don’t think it’s really contest material. Like, rack store stuff? Sure.” She nodded quickly. “But I can’t possibly put that into a competition, much less Canterlot Fashion Week. Everypony knows I’m your apprentice. I’d bring shame on the store. I’ll…” She tapped her own cheer twice. Stared at the floor again. Nodded. “I’ll start over. If I sew quickly, I might be able to do something.”

“Like drive yourself into an entirely new nervous fit?” Rarity sighed, and a bit of a smile touched her face. “Deco? Dear? Look at me.”

Deco slowly lifted her head, tilting her eyes up to look at Rarity. They could hardly have been more different. Rarity was ever the pinnacle of fashion, with her snow-white coat and perfectly curled tail. Her royal-purple mane had gained a few grey streaks since her Ponyville days, and her face a few lines, but they only served to make her appear wise as well as vigorous. Deco, by contrast, looked like she’d gotten lost and wandered into the shop while looking for some sort of street event. Her clothes were utterly unbefitting a dressmaker: square steel earrings, hoof paint, and bulky cargo pants she’d stuffed full of her sewing supplies. She was garish, with an orange coat and a clashing mane and tail she dyed electric blue. She even kept her mane and tail short like a stallion, both of them were mussed and tangled.

“It’s not good, Rarity,” she insisted, flicking her eyes back to the floor.

“That color? No. Not so much,” Rarity agreed. “But you? You, my darling apprentice, are very good. And your dress? Tide Shift? This wonderful dress that you have made?” Rarity stepped up to Deco’s side, and turned her to face the stand. “It is good. And I won’t let a few last moment revisions stand between you and seeing it realized. Now I want you to shut your eyes…”

“And take a breath. Yeah yeah.” While she did not shut her eyes, she did take a breath and slowly let it out. Then she did it again, and ran a hoof back through her mane, making the short hairs spike upwards. When she next spoke, her voice was calmer. “It feels wrong. I don’t like it.”

“The backing needs to be darker,” Rarity said smoothly. “Like the ocean floor. A bit of contrast for the blue to stand out on.”

“No, that’s not it.” Deco tapped her off hoof in the ground three times in quick succession, narrowing her eyes as she stared at the dress.

“I didn’t mean a darker blue. I think you’ve used quite enough of that.” Rarity’s horn shone as she sorted through the pile, until finally she found the darkest scrap of fabric there. A small spell Twilight had taught her twisted its shade just so, down to a true black. Deco watched as Rarity slipped it in over the tail of the dress, letting the richer blues stand out over it.

“Mmm, that’s not quite right. Grey, perhaps?” Rarity glanced over at Deco, who quickly nodded.

“Yeah, grey. That’s… yeah.” She nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. That is better. Maybe a very slightly blue-grey so the contrast is less sharp but… no. The backing works. Particularly since the model could have a lighter coat.” Her tail flicked once, and she lowered her head. “Thank you. I needed that. I’m having all sorts of a day today.”

“It’s your first big fashion competition! Of course you’re in knots.” Rarity smiled, and after one last affirming nudge, lowered her hoof from Deco’s shoulder. “But don’t you worry. Tide Shift is some of your best work yet. There’s a very good chance you’ll be walking home with the prize, and even if not, I’ll make sure the right ponies notice your work.”

“Thanks…” Deco took a breath, then shook herself out, nose to tail. “Phew. I uh… I still feel tense. I actually think I’m going to take a break for a few minutes. Tea?”

“That would be lovely.” Rarity turned back to the shop as Deco trotted off, taking a few moments to open the window and air the room out a bit. The new Canterlot Boutique location was quite a bit larger than the old one, and with a much better view. As the city had grown, replacing alleys with wide roads and one-story structures with tall white towers, Rarity had been forced from her old locale. Rather than join the throngs of fashion shops in the city center, she’d decided to move up and out, to the edge of the city further up the mountainside. There she had fresh pine air, unobstructed sun, and when she opened her window, a flawless view of the city. It’s white towers shone, their golden caps sparkled, and in the center of it all she could still see the old palace.

The crash of breaking china sounded from the kitchen behind her. A frustrated snarl came shortly after. “Fucker!” Deco’s voice echoed. Then a moment later. “Sorry! Sorry. Don’t worry, it was just my old scratched up cup.”

“It’s ponyfeathers, dear! Ponyfeathers! Because we are civilized creatures who do not strip the paint off the walls at the slightest provocation.” Rarity gave a small sigh, but smiled and continued to look out over the city. The air was pleasant and cool, and it was a good way to pass the time as she waited for the tea to be done.

Then she heard a sound. A regular thumping, and under it, an equally steady swishing noise. They kept time with each other, beating so quick they formed a steady purr. Rarity’s ears picked up, and she stuck her head out the window. Her new neighborhood was full of traditional artisans, and the street’s usually held nothing but customers and the occasional wagon full of crafting supplies. But coming around the bend, she could see the source of the sound—an off-blue motor car, working its way up from the city.

“Mmph.” She frowned, and watched the large, close-roofed vehicle as it deftly navigated the crowds. The driver moved at a speed most would consider reckless, weaving around clumps of shoppers moving along the road. It was a luxurious vehicle, all polish and silver fittings. And it was headed directly for the end of the street. Rarity followed it with her eyes until it pulled so close the corner of her building cut off her view. She stepped away from the window, and moved to the foyer. She was on the second floor, looking down over the entrance from the top of the grand stair.

She didn’t have long to wait before the door opened, and a new pony pushed in. The little bell rang.

“I’m sorry, but we’re…” Rarity began, her voice trailing off into silence. She licked her lips. “We’re closed. I’m sure you can read the sign.”

“Yes, Rarity. I can read. Closed for Canterlot Fashion Week?” Sassy Saddles lifted her head to Rarity, observing her from below. Time had not been so kind to her as it had been to some. While her body was still strong and her trademark gold-and-black-cloth saddle still fitted her frame well, there were a number of discoloring spots in her coat, and her tail had grown thin. Her mane style was interesting, with the hair left to dramatically obscure the right side of her face, while her left ear was decorated with square steel earrings. But Rarity read enough gossip magazines to know it wasn’t an affectation. Rumor had it she was totally blind in her right eye, and that the hair was just a cover.

“Most designers are closed now.” Rarity leaned forward slightly to peer more closely at Sassy. Her head was turned slightly, so her left side faced Rarity. Outside, the car was still running, and the steady purr of its small steam engine drifted in through the open door. Rarity snorted and leaned back. “Not that you would know.”

“I actually know quite a few designers.” The door behind Sassy pushed open, and three more ponies walked in. Two of them were unicorns, one grey mare with a clipboard, and one green stallion with saddlebags full of pen and paper. The last was a pegasus stallion, white and brown dappled, carrying nothing. “But most of them are closed so they can be present at the events. You’ve been conspicuous in your absence. Getting ready for the last-day competition I would assume?”

“That’s none of your affair, now is it?” Rarity replied, narrowing her expression and sharpening her tone. “This is my boutique, and as I said, we’re closed. You have no business here, Sassy. I’m going to have to ask you and your flunkies to leave.”

The mare with the clipboard glowered at the pony who had just called her a flunky, but Sassy showed little change in expression. Her face stayed sharp, but neutral, keeping an eye on Rarity above. “It is your boutique,” she agreed, “and you are closed, but I do have business here. I had a lunch meeting scheduled with Deco today, and she did not appear. I’d like to know if there’s a problem, or if she needs to reschedule.”

Rarity narrowed her eyes at the pony below her. Turning her head without taking her eyes off Sassy, she called out into the back. “Deco! Could you come out here please?”

“Sure! Just a second!” Deco called back from the next room, the words shortly followed by the sound of her hoofbeats from the end of the hall. “Water’s boiled.” She nodded to Rarity when she came into view. “I put it to one side and…”

When she stepped out of the hall into the foyer, and her eyes met Sassy’s, she stopped so suddenly it was like she’d walked into an invisible wall. Her tail went down between her legs, her ears folded out to the side, and she stared straight down at the ponies below. “Uh…” she stammered. “Shit.”

“Horseapples,” corrected Rarity.

“Raving rick-rack,” corrected Sassy, in the same breath. The two spoke over each other, and briefly each glanced at the other. Then they went back to Deco. “You missed lunch and our interview. I do hope nothing is the matter.”

“Interview.” Rarity’s expression settled into something steady, her eyes lidding by a few degrees as she looked at her apprentice. Deco shifted from hoof to hoof, glancing rapidly between the two. “Oh, spit it out, dear.”

“Sassy, uh…” Deco shifted her jaw, then cleared her throat. “Asked to interview me for a designer job at her factory, starting after I finished my apprenticeship. We were going to get lunch, tour the facility. All that. I uh… well.” She looked down at Sassy below. “I’m sorry for not letting you know in advance, but on second thought, I’m going to have to decline. The big fashion competition made me realize… well. I’m trying to get taken seriously as a designer, you know? Build a name. Save up for my own store one day. I can’t be getting distracted from that goal.”

“I’m very sorry to hear that, Deco. You’re a very talented young designer. I was hoping I’d at least have the opportunity to try and persuade you.” Sassy nudged her muzzle up towards the second-story archway. “You’re working on your entry now?”

“Uh… yes,” Deco nodded quickly. “It’s pretty much done, but, you know. Some last moment touches.”

“That’s good. Back in the day, Rarity always put everything off to the last second. It would turn into such a production. Fussing over the colors and the lighting.” Sassy’s tone was warm, but she didn’t smile, and neither did Rarity. “She did her best work that way though. Would you mind if I took a look?”

“You have your own entries in the competition,” Rarity cut in, with sharp words. “It would be highly inappropriate for you to get a sneak peek at the competition.”

“Paisley and poplin, Rarity.” Sassy brushed away the comment with a hoof. “The competition is for young ponies. Besides, I’m no designer.”

“Neither are the hacks you employ, but that doesn’t stop them from entering on your behalf every year.” Sassy showned little reaction to Rarity’s comment, but the mare with the clipboard glared up all the more intensely, and the other two began to glare as well. “I’m sure with a few dozen entries, at least one of them will have managed to rip off somepony with genuine talent.”

“Rarity!” Deco sucked in a breath, looking quickly between Rarity and Sassy. “Sassy, I’m sorry I… Rarity doesn’t mean that.” She paused to make eye contact with Sassy’s three tag-alongs. “Sorry. To you too. Yes,” she looked back to Sassy, “you can see my dress if you’d like. But my answer is still no.”

“I’m sure Rarity is just getting into the spirit of the competition.” Sassy smiled a thin smile as she walked up the stairs, her followers not far behind. “No offense taken. This is Flash Recall,” she indicated the pegasus, “Mail Call, and Fine Print,” her hoof moved to the unicorn mare and stallion. “Everypony, this is Deco.”

Each of them muttered or mumbled a greeting. Flash Recall shooks hooves with her. “Uh… a pleasure,” Deco nodded. “This way then.”

It was only a few steps back into the design room. Tide Shift sat just where they’d left it, surrounded by work tables, bolts of fabric, and other dress templates with bits of fabric hanging off them in various stages of completion. “This is it,” Deco said, taking a few quick steps to get ahead of the group. “It’s called Tide Shift. Inspired by this trip to the beach I took a few months ago. The style is the interesting part for me.” Sassy walked right past the stand without stopping, looking at the other work tables in the room. Her followers waited by the door. “It’s an update to the uh… the old stirrup dress design. I made it lighter and um…”

Sassy waited until Deco had trailed off. “This is all your work?” she clarified, not looking up from the bench of designs she was examining

“Yes,” she nodded. “Rarity’s workshop is across the house.”

“So you’ve sewn every single item of clothing in this room yourself?” Sassy asked. Her one good eye made contact with Deco’s gaze, and held it for just a hair too long. “Except for my saddle.”

Deco stood stiff, and it took her a moment to nod. “Except for your saddle,” she agreed.

“It’s very good work.” Sassy smiled, turning back to the shelves and hangers at the edge of the room. Rarity glowered at her back. “It really is a shame I can’t persuade you to at least consider my offer.”

“Like I said, I’m planning on opening my own shop.” Deco forcefully shrugged. She glanced back at her teacher. “Like Rarity. I need to build some credibility for that.”

“Have you sold anything yet?” Sassy asked. Deco shook her head. “No, of course not. You’re still apprenticed. It’s a big hurdle.” Deco nodded again. “Would you like to change that? I think a few of the items here are useable.” Before Deco could object, Sassy made a wide gesture around the room. “I’ll give you fifty thousand bits for the exclusive manufacturing and licensing rights to any one outfit in this room. Except Tide Shift of course. That actually would be cheating.”

“Fifty…” A choking sound emerged from inside Deco’s throat. “What?” Rarity wore her own shock less openly, but it was there to see, mixed in with a guarded suspicion.

“Bobbins and bodkins, mare. Breathe.” Sassy tittered. “Blushing doesn’t go well with your coat color.”

“Fifty thousand is…” Deco forced herself to swallow, then take a breath. “That’s kind of a large bribe just to get me to interview, isn’t it?”

“It’s not a bribe, it’s a purchase. Fair price.” She nodded her head to Deco. “I buy dress designs all the time, and that is how much I pay for something I think is brilliant. A truly good design can easily earn fifty times that much in a year.”

“Which dress do you want?” Deco looked quickly over her old designs. Sassy shook her head.

“Mmmm. I’ll pick later,” she waved the matter off. “Fifty thousand for any one outfit you’ve made, except for Tide Shift.”

“Except for Tide Shift.” Deco’s whole body was stock stiff, and her head jerked sharply as she nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, okay. Deal. I mean, that’s enough to start my own shop, I’d have to be fucking thick right? No. Um.” She turned back to Rarity. “What do you think I should do?”

Rarity gave Deco a stern look, and her tail swished sharply. But she paused a moment before she answered, and in that brief pause, visibly calmed herself. “Deco, dear, you’re a grown mare,” she spoke without the edge she had possessed a moment ago. “You hardly need me to tell you what to do. And while I may find the mare offering you money distasteful, that… is a very generous offer for one of your practice dresses. Just be careful. Money is a means to let you express your creativity. Don’t let it become your end.”

“I know. I understand. I uh…” Deco paused, shifting her jaw. She nodded. Then she nodded again. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m in.”

“Wonderful. Fine Print?” Sassy gestured. The stallion stepped forward, and produced a set of pre-prepared paperwork. He spent a moment filling in the little blanks where the designers name went and the amount they were being paid, and then Deco spent a moment signing her name to all the dotted lines. Fine Print wrote the check as well, handing it off to Deco.

She took it like it would explode holding it perfectly still in the air in front of her. “Wow,” she managed, staring at the writing. “I uh… wow.” A wide smile appeared on her face, and she abruptly hugged the paper against her chest. “Uh…” She looked around the room, still smiling, and reached up to push her mane back. “Heh. I kind of want to go cash this right now.”

“You’ll need a ride to the bank.” Sassy gestured to the door. “If you’d like, we could even stop for lunch on the way.”

“Uh…” Deco looked back to her teacher. “I… Rarity needs me to get some work done this afternoon.”

“Flights and fancy! Rarity’s invited. She can be our chaperone.” Sassy chuckled at the idea. “To make sure I’m not corrupting your innocent young head. Isn’t that right? Besides. Rarity hasn’t seen the new factory. Perhaps it will make a good impression. Maybe we can even mend some fences. Talk about the old days.”

“If…” Deco trailed off, staring at Rarity. “I mean, I am still your apprentice. You can say no.”

“You’re not a bird in a cage, dear. Besides, I suppose bribery is the highest form of flattery, in her case.” Rarity let out a sharp sigh. “Let’s go then.”

Nopony spoke much during the walk to the car. The steam engine was still running, letting out its soft purr and a small cloud of steam behind the vehicle. The back was roomy, pull of plush, inward-facing couches that left plenty of room for everypony to stretch out. The driver was still waiting in the front, and once they were all settled in, the vehicle rolled away. Mail Call made small talk with Deco for most of the way, chatting about the city and the other fashion events and some new band called Princess Buzzkill.

“You see that? The bridge there, with the decorative work integrated into the iron?” Sassy said to Rarity about halfway through the trip, keeping her voice low so as not to interrupt the two gossiping young mares. Around them, the new towers and bridges of Canterlot slid past as the motor car made its way up the smooth streets. Where once there had been single-story structures as old as Equestria, there were now elegant arches, huge multiple-story markets, monolithic white towers, and bridges of finely wrought steel, all of them capped with Canterlot’s signature gold.

Rarity’s first reaction was not to follow Sassy’s pointing off, but to look at the mare herself. Her head was twisted around to an uncomfortable angle, so that her left eye instead of her right faced the exterior of the car. Rarity watched her like that for a moment, before turning back to the glass and spotting the bridge in question. “What about it?”

“One of my designers made it.” She returned her hoof to the seat, and moved her head to look at Rarity normally. “The decorative work that is. He quit about three years ago to go back to school and study architecture.”

“It’s quite good,” she agreed. “I can see why he left.”

Rarity and Sassy spent the rest of the ride in silence. It wasn’t too long a ride. The motorcar made good time through Canterlot’s streets, as the driver wove among carts, pedestrians, and railcars. Once in awhile, they’d pass under one of the bridges or elevated rails, and a train would clatter past, leaving a trail of steam in its wake. The steam always smelled a little minty fresh, but that was unicorn magic. Soon, they were at the opposite edge of the city, pulling up to a nondescript white building next to a private railyard. A sliding metal door in the side swung open for them, and let them drive straight in.

“I think this is worse than the old one,” Rarity said, watching through the window as the car came to a stop. The door opened and all the ponies inside piled out, starting with Deco, then the assistants.

“It’s cleaner. It’s brighter.” Sassy pointed out, scooting along her seat to the door. “There’s plenty of sunlight and good ventilation. We shortened the shifts to six hours so everypony can stay alert.”

“Well, put that way, I guess killing designers hopes and dreams is marginally better than killing your employees.” Rarity slid out of the car, her hooves making a distinctive click on the concrete. In front of them was a single, massive, unbroken stone floor stretching off into the distance. Rows and rows of work benches filled the space, arrayed along a dozen assembly lines that snaked through the facility. Massive clocks along the walls kept the time, as the slowly moving belt brought dress stands from station to station. At each station, a young unicorn or a diamond dog could be seen, drawing from a box of identical fabric scraps to add their singular piece to the final creation. The floor was white stone, and the area was clean. So clean it seemed empty, despite how crowded it was.

Rarity tilted her head up, and above it all, she could see a series of glass-walled rooms hanging from the ceiling. The glass was tilted out, to give a “command view” of the floor below, and a number of drafting tables and fabric boards could be faintly seen.

“That’s the designers area. And where we’re going,” Sassy said, following Rarity’s gaze. “This way.”

Comments

[Flutters Is Shy]

Is SS a character from the show? She doesn't look familiar...

[Flutters Is Shy]

I want more Double Take.

Is there any chance of a story focusing on him? Or is that just hopeless speculation?

[Catalysts Cradle]

The philosophical differences between Rarity's rules and Sassy's schemes touches on some themes and ideas you've explored in your other works, so I'm definitely interested in seeing your full take on Sassy.

[GaPJaxie]

6420865

She's from the latest episode! Just came out yesterday. That Sassy Saddles.

[GaPJaxie]

6420877

I'm working on it!

[GaPJaxie]

6420948

Should be up this week!

[Reese]

"lifting a slip of Brandeis-Blue slip of fabric"
"slip of" appears to be repeated there.

"over it’s white"
"its"

"her own cheer twice"
"cheek"?

"It’s white towers"
"Its"

"pull of plush"
"full"?

[howard035]

I love this, you've logically projected out Sassy and Rarity's different values and business practices and extrapolated how they'd end up and their relationship between them. I can't wait for the stand-alone!

[Myrandall]

It’s white towers shone,

*Its