Dressmakers
It all started with a dress.
Not even a terribly good dress, at least by Rarity’s appraisal. She didn’t really care for it, but the socks fad was in full swing, and she needed something in that vein so she wouldn't appear to be behind the times. It was a simple number, grey and minimalist and just a little bit risque, but not so much it couldn't be worn in good company. So she threw it together over a weekend, named it the Grey Mare, brought it to Canterlot, and spent her customary Sunday evening in the store catching up with Sassy Saddles before the Monday opening.
It wasn’t until that next morning that Rarity realized something was wrong. A customer had come in, looking for something hip, and Rarity had reluctantly indulged them. The fad was not flattering, but the dress was an excellent example of the archetype, and it pleased Rarity to see how happy the mare was with the work. She tried it on, liked it, bought it, and walked out with it, leaving Rarity with a few hundred bits and good warm feeling. Then she turned back to the stand, thinking to refill it with a new work.
The dress was still there. Grey socks, little fetching hat, frilly skirt and all, waiting to be sold.
Rarity frowned. She looked to the window, thinking that the customer had somehow returned the dress in the fraction of a second her back was turned. But there she was up the street, clothed in her latest purchase. She looked back to the stand, and her frown deepened. Then she turned her head up. “Sassy?”
“Yes, Rarity?” Sassy called from the little office upstairs. She usually did the books Monday, taking into account all the new instructions Rarity had given her the previous night.
“Could you come out here for a moment?” Rarity waited until Sassy had appeared at the top of the steps, and then gestured at the stand and its inexplicable dress. “Did you do something to this dress stand? Or the dress itself?”
“No. I think I learned my lesson about tampering with your creative process.” Sassy shook her head, and she started down the steps to look more closely. “Why? Is something wrong with it?”
“I’m not sure,” Rarity admitted. “Except, I just sold this dress to a customer. I saw them walk away with it. And yet when I turned back… here it was again.”
“Ah.” Sassy nodded. “No, I see the problem. You sold a Grey Mare. That’s the Grey Mare.”
“I’m sorry?” Rarity asked, her ears tilting up. “I don’t understand. I only made this dress once.”
“Well, of course! You made your feelings on repeat dresses very clear back when we started.” Sassy gave a little smile, and nodded towards Rarity. “But, ponies wanted outfits with socks, so it occurred to me, why not skip all that nonsense? Just make the dress once and call that that. Besides, I doubt anypony could top what you’ve done here. It’s a flawless example of the medium.”
“Sassy…” Rarity raised a hoof for silence. “Yes, thank you, that’s all very well and good, I’m glad you like it, but where did the second dress come from?”
“There is only one dress,” Sassy explained. “And that’s it in front of you. The Grey Mare.” Seeing her employer’s frown, Sassy paused and spoke more slowly. “You know. Like how there’s only one Royal Seal of Equestria. You can put it on a stamp, or on a document, or on a newspaper, or on whatever else you like. But it’s the same seal.”
“So… what?” Rarity asked, looking between the stand and her store manager. “It’s magic? You enchanted the stand?”
“No. That’s just how the world works.” Sassy looked as confused as Rarity. “Celestia doesn’t have to enchant every stamp and seal and official document. You can make a copy of the royal seal however you like. But only she has the Royal Seal. And only you have the Grey Mare.”
“And if another pony walks in and tries to buy it?” she demanded. “Will it keep making more copies?”
“Well…” Sassy looked to the door. Her ears flicked back a few degrees. “I guess that depends on if they want to buy the Grey Mare itself, or if they want to buy a dress. There’s only one Grey Mare. But you can sell as many dresses as you like.”
And so Rarity did the only thing she could do. She fired Sassy. The mare was clearly mad. After some thought, she threw the dress and stand away, reasoning that it was unwise to keep enchanted objects about the store.
It was several weeks more before Rarity heard Sassy’s name again. She was opening a new store across town, and generating her usual fanfare. All the ponies of note were invited, including Rarity herself. Rarity scanned the missive long enough to decide she didn’t want to attend. No designers names were listed, and it wasn’t in the good part of town. Just another low-end clothing store. She put the invitation to one side, and put it out of her mind.
She had other things to think about in any case. The fashion industry was booming in Canterlot. It had always been a town that favored decoration, but suddenly, clothing was in. Nudity was for peasants. “The clothes make the mare,” the saying was. Rarity had never heard such a phrase before, but she was hardly in a position to object. Her store was always busy, and while her replacement manager Rack Spin wasn’t quite as efficient as Sassy, she was always able to bring Rarity good news.
Until she wasn’t, anyway. It took a few months, and it was hard to see. The store was always busy whenever Rarity visited. But Rack was asking for less replacement inventory every month, and the rate of sales reflected that. Ponies were in the store, and they were obviously loving the designs, but they weren’t buying them. Window-shopping. Eventually, when it became clear that Rack was not going to fix things on her own, Rarity showed up to see to the problem herself, and found a young mare admiring one of her creations.
“It’s gorgeous,” the mare said. Rarity agreed. It was one of her better creations—a light and breezy number, brushed with a handful of pearls to give it that taste of nobility. “Gosh, I wish I could have it.”
“Why, you can,” Rarity assured her. “I can ring it up for you right now if you’d like.”
“Oh, no.” The mare had the decency to look embarrassed at least, adding a bit of blush to her cheeks. “It’s lovely, but I don’t think I can justify the price. It’s a bit rich for my blood, you know?”
Rarity saw here the problem. Changing tastes were a part of the fashion industry, after all, and price was a part of that. “What price would you think is fair?”
“Oh… well. It is of an exceptional quality…” The mare considered. “Perhaps fifty bits?”
Rarity blanched. The mare was obviously new to fashion. The dress was probably the first outfit she’d ever seriously looked at. “That dress contains over a hundred bits worth of fabric alone. Not to mention the pearls.”
“Oh, well. They’re selling dresses a lot like that for twenty-five bits downtown. They’re not quite as good as this one of course, but… yeah. I don’t think I could pay more than double the going rate.” The mare laughed. “I mean, you design for the Princesses, right? I’m not a Princess.”
Rarity agreed that she was not. But in the weeks that followed, Rarity’s customers increasingly were. Twilight bought dresses in her store, as did Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and a hooffull of other noble ponies who insisted on having the very best. Those customers were reliable. But while the store got busier, sales continued to fall. Out the window, Rarity could see ponies festooned with all manner of clothing and accessories: dresses, pants, hats, saddles, jewelry and eyeglasses that didn’t help ponies see. It was a boom time, but Rarity’s business wasn’t booming. Soon, she knew, she’d be struggling to make rent on her Canterlot location. So she reached out to her designer friends for help: Coco Pomel, Back Stitch, and the others.
But they were not doing any better than her. One by one, they confessed to sharing her troubles. The market was flooded with designs that cost less than the fabric that composed them. The same sayings, advertisements, and posters that made ponies want to buy clothes made them want to own multiple sets. Owning one dress was fine if it was worn once a season, but Rarity’s fine creations could hardly be worn every day.
And so, Rarity decided to go downtown, and to see her former employee.
Her store was not a store at all. It was a warehouse, with its heavy loading doors left open to the public. Crowds of ponies gathered around those gates, clad in all manner of finery—swarming like brilliantly colored insects. Rarity could hear the strangest noises from within: a buzzing like wasps, a hiss like angry snakes, and the chimes of unseen bells. None of the ponies around her seemed bothered. None of them even seemed to notice her. Laughing and giggling, they went about their way, until Rarity made it through the doors.
A cavern opened before her then. Three levels she could see in the warehouse, with the middle cut open to leave them all visible from below. There were rows upon rows of outfits. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of them on stands, all arranged facing the middle so the each could be seen from below. No two were the same, each perched upon a neat row for easier access. But there was more iron in that cavern than fabric. Steam engines hissed in the back, whirling and hissing, their boiling excess leaving the air hot and humid. Electrical cables fell from busses on the ceiling, and impaled the ground like spears, the distinctive humm that surrounded them revealing the life within. Machines beeped, and whistled, and chimed on some unseen pattern.
And yet, as far as Rarity could see, there was no point to it all. The engines turned nothing. The electrical cables powered no lights, and connected to no generators. The machines beeped and chimed unattended.
“Rarity!” called a voice to her left. Turning, she saw Sassy not far away, mixed in with a group of the swarming creatures. Pushing herself away from her customers, she crossed the distance in a few quick steps. “Goodness, what are you doing here?”
“I just… thought I’d stop by,” Rarity managed to say. With effort, she swallowed. “It’s been awhile. And we didn’t part on the best terms. I thought I’d see how my old manager was doing for herself.”
“Of course!” She excused herself from the customers she’d been speaking with, and gestured Rarity deeper into the warehouse. “It’s actually nice to see you again. Things have been going well here, as I’m sure you can tell, but I do have such fond memories of Canterlot Boutique. It’s hard not to care about how it’s doing.”
“So no hard feelings about being fired then?” Together they walked along rows of dresses that were seemingly without end. Rarity’s critical eye turned upon them. Not all of them were bad. Some were even quite good.
“Oh, not at all!” Sassy nodded. “We had different visions of how fashion worked. That was your call to make. And besides! It worked out for the best.” She indicated the rows of dresses all around them. “Business is booming. We just opened a Manehatten location two months ago.”
“I know. Coco told me.” Rarity took a moment to collect herself. The hot air made it hard to get a good breath, and her skin already felt damp from the steam. It was no condition for a clothing store. “She was very curious where you’re getting all your fabric.”
“Oh, I don’t buy fabric.” She waved the comment away. “That’s for real designers. Like you! I buy the dresses directly.”
“Coco told me that too,” Rarity said, looking out over the customers. None of them seemed to notice the heat or humidity. “She said that you offered her ten-thousand bits for one of her dresses. But that after you bought it, she wasn’t able to make it any more. Whenever she tried, she ended up with an ugly pile of fabric.”
“Well, of course,” Sassy agreed. “It’s my dress now. Coco knows better than to steal somepony else’s designs. You taught her that, if I remember correctly. She told me lots of stories about you.”
“I’m sure she did.” They came to a set of wrought-iron steps, twisting upwards through the structure. Sassy took them without a thought, and Rarity followed. Moving up through the levels, the styles on display changed. Pants. Hats. Saddle-cloths. Traditional wear. “So, you just buy other ponies’ ideas and replicate them?”
“No no. I add quite a bit! These dresses don’t market themselves after all. And I have some very clever and creative ponies on staff.” She tittered, and leaned in to stage-whisper to Rarity. “Don’t tell anypony, but we’ve got something in the works for next month that is absolutely brilliant. Seasonal fashion! Dresses just for that one season!”
“Seasonal fashion has been around since the founding of Equestria.” Rarity tilted her ears back. “That’s hardly new.”
“Ah, but our dresses disintegrate exactly three months after you buy them.” That made her giggle again. “Isn’t it brilliant? We’re going to sell them for twenty bits each. If it works, we’re even considering a weekly version. Tell ponies,” she took Rarity’s shoulder, and cast a wide hoof out to the space, “‘Never wear the same dress twice!’ It’s gauche you know.”
“Princess Platinum, ruler of the entire Unicorn Kingdom, only owned four dresses.” Rarity said slowly. Her face was drawn. “Each one was perfect. She said they were all like old companions to her.”
“Paisley and poplin, Rarity! This isn’t the tribal era. You know tastes change. I’ve been watching some of your new work. It’s very chic.” She gave a little sigh as they reached the top of the steps. Assorted mare’s fashion, it seemed. An odd mix of purses and bonnets and shawls. “Honestly, when I worked for you, I think I took your genius for granted. Selling some of these pieces is an uphill struggle. Your work sells itself.”
“Actually, it doesn’t.” Rarity corrected her. “The Boutique has been struggling. Prices for clothing are going through the floor.”
“Oh, that’s terrible!” Sassy paused in her steps to look over at Rarity. “You’re not going to have to close, are you?”
“I might. If things keep getting worse. I only have a hoof full of regulars left.” She cleared her throat. “It’s very hard to compete with somepony who doesn’t have to pay for fabric or… or anything else.”
“Oh,” Sassy frowned. “Bobbins and bodkins, Rarity. Is that why you came here? You didn’t need to do that. Of course I’ll help support your boutique. I know we’ve had our differences, but I’d like to think we’re still friends. You taught me about the Rules of Rarity, remember?” She smiled. “And, let’s not beat about the bush, you are the very best. I’d trade a hundred of these dresses for one authentic Rarity.”
“Oh.” Rarity tried to smile, but the gesture came out weak. The oppressive heat clung to her coat, and drops of water were forming along her mane and tail. How the dresses weren’t ruined by the conditions were a mystery to her. None of the swarming creatures seemed to notice the temperature at all. They were just there. Laughing and admiring each other in the fabric. “That’s good.”
“In fact… here! This way.” Sassy took several quick steps, moving them up the row. Socks were soon the order of things, outfit after outfit embracing the old fad. “Remember this? Awful, I know. But they have a few die-hard devotees. It’s so hard to do right though. Sultry but not suggestive. You really nailed it with the Grey Mare. Better than anypony else I’ve seen.”
“That’s good…” Rarity managed, but even the weak smile soon faded.
“How about I buy it?” Sassy offered, with an upbeat little twitch of her ears. “I’ll give you ten—no. Twenty thousand bits for the Grey Mare.”
Rarity paused.
“If I sell it to you,” she asked, “will I forget how to make it myself?”
“Of course!” Sassy replied. “If you sold it to me, it would be mine. And you know better than to steal other ponies designs.”
Rarity’s breath caught in her throat. She struggled to speak. “You can’t buy creativity, Sassy.”
“But I can!” she replied, so cheerful, with just that hint of the civilized Canterlot accent. “And I do! Every day.”
“I don’t know what you are or how you’re doing this,” Rarity’s voice rose, and a tremble carried behind it. “But I’ll get Twilight and the others. The Princesses. They’ll stop you.”
Sassy tittered, lifting a hoof to cover her mouth. “Summon the Royal Sisters and the Elements of Harmony to shut down a dress store? Oh, Rarity. You are dramatic.” She lowered her hoof, revealing a friendly smile. “Though, really, I thought you’d be happy.” She nudged her muzzle out towards the open space. “You like making dresses, don’t you? That’s the fun part? The sewing and tending shop was… Well. It’s just what you go through to pay the bills.”
She indicated Rarity with a small flick of her tail. “Isn’t that what you wanted? To make your living creating beautiful dresses? All I’m really doing is offering you a chance to cut out the middle pony.”
“And if I sell you the Grey Mare, what happens to all the other designers who make outfits with socks!?” Rarity demanded, her voice rising to a shout.
“Why, they compete for the business, I suppose. Though I’d be happy to purchase their designs too. Assuming they’re good. Unique. I hardly have a use for inferior work. Not when I can buy the real thing. A hundred knockoffs aren’t worth one authentic article to me.” She reached out to nudge one of the stands, adjusting it slightly on its base. “I grant, some of them probably won’t enjoy it. But the very best designers will do fantastically well. And you are the very best, Rarity. I always knew that.”
“So that’s your vision of what fashion is!?” Rarity demanded. The heat was becoming stifling. Choking. She coughed to try and draw breath. “All the designers of Equestria fighting for the right to have you run their designs into the ground? Ponies competing for the privilege of seeing their creations turned generic?”
“Satin and silk, Rarity! You have a way of making everything sound bad. You don’t even like the Grey Mare.” She let out a little sigh, and put a hoof around Rarity’s shoulder, turning her to face the rows of dress stands. Rarity could hardly breathe. Water dripped from the ceiling and from Sassy’s hooves, as the crackle of electricity seemed to buzz directly in Rarity’s ears. “And here I’m offering you the opportunity to live your dream more than you ever could have before. To have an upscale boutique in Canterlot, without worrying about sales volume or fads or any of that nonsense. Free to create as your heart desires. Isn’t that what you want?”
Rarity’s jaw worked without a sound. Sassy spoke for her. “Go ahead. Twenty thousand bits for one fad dress you hated. It’s a good deal.” Rarity couldn't speak. “Just nod, dear.” Rarity nodded.
When she lifted her head, the old row of dresses were gone. No longer were there dozens of outfits with socks, but a small select number, all of which were tasteful. The Grey Mare held center stage, right in front of Rarity. There it was on its stand, just as she’d made it before.
Rarity reached out. She touched it. She tried to picture how it all went together. How she had sewn it piece by piece. But the memory wouldn't come.
“There. See?” Sassy smiled softly, and it was with wide eyes that Rarity looked up at her. “It’s better this way. This is the future, Rarity, and this boutique will never. Ever. Close.”
Rarity looked left, then right. At the hissing machines, the crackling lightning, the swarming creatures and the rows and rows of dresses. She screamed at the top of her lungs, and fled down the stairs as fast as her hooves would carry her. She shoved through the crowds, and past the machinery, and out the doors. She didn’t stop until the air became cool again, and clear, and quiet. She didn’t stop until she was back uptown, and ran straight to the train station. To Ponyville.
Twilight wanted to know if her new outfit looked good on her.
Rarity’s boutique sold few items that month, but it didn’t matter. She had no trouble making rent.
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...Don't know what to think of this work of fiction. It's certainly an interesting take on how the two artists might split up and operate on their own, and it's a damn well written one at that...
But man, I feel dirty after reading that. I feel like my throat just got dragged through the dirt, my heart just got run through with a spear; as a creator, it feels awful to have that fate bestowed to upon anyone. Your creation belonging to someone else, something you put your love and soul into taken by another...
It's a love/hate relationship with me and this fic, really is.
Really impressive - I was almost expecting that it would reveal that Sassy did a Faustian deal (and I don't mean with Lauren!) for success or something...
At the end there is a bit of Lovecraftian atmosphere on it.
Let me guess: You're exorcising some inner demons about Digital Rights Management, yes?
Wow... that's truly a fascinating piece!
I don't know but that a horror tag might be appropriate as well.
Artistry vs Industry. Loved it. I dare say it had a dash of lovecraftian horror garnishing it too.
This was good, but quite strange.
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I don't know, Jaxie.
I liked it, and I'm upvoting it, but... I just don't know.
That's an interesting way for the world to work, selling physical manifestations of a One True Thing. Would totally invalidate any sort of mass production system, make it meaningless.
Still a very interesting idea, one I don't think I've seen before. Oh, sure, I've seen the idea of The Perfect <Thing>, that represents something and is the perfect instance of that thing but never the coping of said thing.
Leaves a man with ideas. And that's not always a good thing... .
6425476
But I don't think the two unicorns are related so Sassy wouldn't have needed to change her name.
6425692 (Wizards?)
6425701
That was what you were referencing right? Did I err?
I have mixed feelings about this...
But it was extremely well written, so good job!
I don't see how Sassy is wrong. This is how economies of scale work.
6425837 It had a magical conflict between creative Rarity & mechanized Saddles.. like 'Wizards' in the end the 'good' creative wizard capped the mechanized 'bad' wizard, the last line the bad guy heard was "Here's something mother didn't teach you".
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Wow. Talk about copyright protection.
21st century economics summed up in under 4k words. There is no as much profit in manufacturing physical goods anymore. Rather, most value comes from the creation of new ideas. Great job.
I felt my heart sink down into my chest as I read that, and as I kept reading it just sank lower and lower. And when it started entering Lovecraft territory... Just... my God. Nothing truly horrifying even happened, yet I'm still left feeling deeply, deeply disturbed by the whole thing (Especially its atmosphere.).
Have a like my friend, you've most certainly earned it.
6425983 That's the scary part.
I don't get this story, Sassy's machines are what, wiping the possibility and the memory of how to produce the dress idea? How strong are these machines that they can just mind wipe everybody like that?
It was also not answered as to what the dresses are made out of or how sassy already had a grey mare ready when rarity brought the design in.
I'm confused.
Well! This was an extraordinary read.
The role Sassy plays here is an interesting one; again, she's not a villain, or even especially unscrupulous. She pays good designers handsomely for their creativity, doesn't copy other ponies designs, and sells fine outfits at affordable prices. And yet... the atmosphere of the whole story is one of growing strangeness and unease. I think this story could proudly wear a "Dark" tag, too, and with more justification than quite a few stories with blood and guts and monsters.
6425993
Wizards is a weird movie. It's actually exactly the sort of anti-science, anti-technology screed that Tolkien's work is unfairly blamed as, yet nobody seems to notice or care.
This isn't what we discussed!
*hesitantly clicks the 'thumbs up' icon*
This feels like it should have a dark tag...
It feels less adventurish and more... slow and steady march towards the edge of a cliff made from the frozen tears of grown-up nightmares...ish.
And...yep. The story's marked as complete so we're not going to see a quest to bring things back to the old ways.
I guess the main reason this is as horrifying as it is, is that Sassy Saddles has a monopoly on the infinite replication methods which enables her to massively undercut the competition.
Though it occurs to me that if Sassy managed to apply this way of thinking to foodstuffs-
Wait, scratch that; I just imagined a world where every time you ate something it tasted exactly the same as the last time.
6426356
I think it's less wiping their minds and more that they've sold the idea of the particular garment. After all, if Rarity could remember how an item was put together then they could instruct somepony else on how to make it. Simply being physically unable to make it wouldn't be enough.
I suspect it's more like digital rights management as Skywriter suggested except that after the idea's sold, instead of having the proscription enforced by lawyers and fines it's done by magic.
Magic.
Or perception, it could be argued that they're the same thing anyway.
6425342
It's interesting how something commonplace can become horrifying once the context changes isn't it?
This is an allegorical story about the Fashion-Business. I can see this story breaking the brains of literal-minded ponies.
WHAT? NO. OF COURSE I NEVER WANTED TO SLEEP AGAIN. WHY DO YOU ASK?
Edit: upvoted but not faved because I never ever want to see this fic again.
Change is always scary. I think once Rarity gets over her shock, she'll do just fine in a world where she can get paid a hundred times as much for just doing the part of the work she enjoyed the most anyway.
If we're to maintain this story as an allegory for our own world, I doubt Sassy Saddles will maintain her exclusive control over the replication business. Celestia knows from experience that having one pony completely in charge of any large area is bad for everyone. Sassy Saddles will do quite well for herself, but she'll have some competition before too long.
Everything changes, Rarity. If Sassy has a way that sells better, means she knows her market more than you.
6426410
Have you seen this guy's blogposts recently? He's out of control. If we want to get him to write that fic for you, it'll probably require less carrot and more stick.
6425137
I'm not sure if you're freaked out by the Lovecraftian horror bit, or just the state of Intellectual Property law in Equestria, but either way it's a win!
6425292
"Sassy loves her crafts."
Right there in in the story description.
6425342
Yup! Through the lens of how an Equestrian would see it.
6425463
I think I'll probably write another piece soon that explores the same themes, but with a bit more careful development. This was an experiment. Though I am decently happy with how it worked out!
6425574
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You make authors happy!
6426410
I AM ALTERING THE TERMS OF THE FIC.
Pray I do not alter them any further! Or add shipping.
6426591
6426284
Thank you! This is my first serious attempt at Lovecraftian horror. In my headspace, Sassy Saddles is possessed by The Swamp that Devours Concepts, a creature from beyond the veil of Equestria. Humidity and the drone of insects are its raiment, and the brilliant swarming creatures its heralds. Woe unto all who encounter such a beast.
I need to think about this...
I love your Sassy so much! She's disrupting inefficient businesses and making products available to the masses! She's putting bits into the saddle of the middle class of Equestria and breaking up the cozy colluding cartels of fashion!
Jeff BezosSassy Saddles is going to get Canterlot renamed Silicon Mountain, isn't she? Maybe hiring a couple of top mages out of CSFGU, she could code some spells in her accessories and deliver "smart" watches to the masses.Have you ever read Roald Dahl's The Great Automatic Grammatizator? This story reminds me of that one strongly.
6428982
Thank you! And thank you for the recommendation. I have not! I'll add it to the list.
Simply fascinating. On the one hand, you want your creation to be valued for what it is: a one-of-a-kind, heartfelt creation, an expression of your artistic soul. Furthermore, people can recognise that what you're putting forward is the best; they might not know exactly why, but they can definitely tell. On the other hand, if someone is offering a somewhat poorer quality, mass produced product for a much lower price, the consumer essentially dooms the creator. What is the creator supposed to do? Maintain their integrity, go out of buisness and have their work seen by no more than a handful?
This fic essentially explores (with no small amount of horror) the burning passion of the designer against the cold logic and ruthlessness of the world.
and i love it
I ponder where the material is coming from. I also ponder what the law would have to say about this how ever its being done she is tampering with their minds and what is to stop her from doing that without paying for the idea
I reviewed this story!
My review can be found here.
6431313
Oh my goodness two stories in one week!
This is a good week.
6431338
I've also got a review for Regarding the Need for Sex Education written up, but I'm not sure if I'll finish that post this week or not; gotta get some actual writing of my own done, after all.
I find it rather disturbing that Rarity's immediate response to "Someone is being extremely successful with a business model I don't approve of" was to threaten to call out the Princesses and the Elements.
6431380
To be fair, the machine seems to be more or less taking away their ability to make the dresses normally so that the machine can make them. I can see why that might be disturbing.
6431371
Eeeeeee!
6431390 Given that just about everything in Equestria is done by magic, I'm not sure that copyright enforcement by (implied) magical contract is something reasonable to flip out over. Especially not when Sassy Saddles is evidently going out of her way to make it clear that she's buying the pattern for magical replication and is paying accordingly.
It really feels like Rarity is irrationally jealous and upset that Sassy Saddles' mass-production method of doing business is working at all; she's taking the disdain of high end fashion designers for anything "off the rack" and extending it to threat.
6431431
Oh, I'm not saying that Rarity's attitude is the right one to take; I'm just saying that I don't find her freaking out over it implausible.
Sassy Shores can see the shape of the future; Rarity doesn't like it one bit.
Well, that gave me the willies. I think it was that Sassy didn't explain how she was doing all this.
6431732 She's using magic to sell clothing the way modern publishing houses sell things: you buy the rights from the designer and then sell "cloned" copies of the product to the consumer.
6431983 She still doesn't say how. You can guess it's a spell, but it's not stated that that's the case: you only see Rarity's confusion and Sassy's satisfaction.
6432106 It's not fully explained, but it is at least partially described as being some form of electrically powered magic/technology hybrid:
6432241 It is never said at any time "I am doing X." It is only danced around.
6427667
But, I thought Chrysalis was already a notable character in the show.