Introspection

Rarity stood over the flames, looking longingly at her own work she destroyed herself. If only she had given it a second chance but a few moments earlier, this wouldn't have happened. If only she looked at it in a different light.

She had put so much effort into it, and when it came out, it was the most hideous thing she had ever seen. It had been inspired by a walk through the Everfree Forest. The bottom of it was dirty brown, and the sides were all dark green with silver lines running through, to represent the ancient trees that loomed over the entire forest, and it extended over the head into a hood, deep dark purple, to represent the cool, lightless nights that blanketed the forest. It was meant to be exotic, meant to be a step into an entirely new kind of fashion, but instead it had ended ugly, it was disgusting and she hated it for daring to exist. She watched, spitefully as the fabric floated down into the flames. She stared at it, apathetic as to whether it would survive, she simply didn't want anything like that to have her seal on it. The shadows flickered around it, and she gazed impassively. Then suddenly, she found herself awestruck. The colors shown on the world around the fire, casting a beautiful scene, it was like she was watching life, frozen in time, a moment that would never happen again. The silver etching looked like the blood of life, flowing through the green leaves, the brown, sturdy and strong, representing the dependability and strength it takes to survive, while the dark purple represented the fragility of life, the ease with which it could slip away.

This was a new perception for rarity, never before had she based her designs off of something so rough and ugly on the surface, for she had always focused on the elegance of Canterlot society, the ingenuity of Manehattan, the rustic feel of Ponyville, and the intricate complexity of the personality of her clients. Taking this into account, it was understandable that the beauty that could be found in her more recent work was an alien thing to her, seemingly incomprehensible from her usual perspective, this was a situation in which a second look was required. If she hadn't learned that lesson before with Zecora, she most certainly learned it now, for this was something like her own child, made with care, and it was beautiful. Not only that, but she had destroyed it.  She now felt sorrow for her mistake, but what's done is done. Even now, the light show she had been momently treated to was dissolving into nothing more than red flickering lights. Rarity briefly considered the fact that maybe she didn't really hate the dress, and was simply looking for an opportunity to set something that wasn't Sweetiebelle on fire... She walked home slowly, still pondering why that thought came to her.