Sassy Saddles tried to keep her head up in the face of the glare she was receiving. Raging eyes were drilling into her skull, and she was finding it harder and harder to keep eye contact.
Hoping to give herself courage, she swallowed and forced a smile.
“But…I don’t understand,” she said with a small laugh. “What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong? What’s WRONG?” The pink pony’s eyes grew even larger and Sassy took a step back despite her best efforts. “This is all your fault! That’s what’s wrong!”
Sassy blinked and recoiled at the anger. “What…what do you mean? Did my—”
“Quiet!” Suri Polomare stood up on the tips of her hooves and shoved her face into Sassy’s. Again, Sassy took a step back and she noticed she was in the doorway of Suri’s boutique. “I let you work here because you said you were good. You said you could make my work brilliant. What was that stupid phrase you used…? ‘Bust my buttons’ or somethin’, right?”
“Um, yes, that is what—”
“Well, do you see customers lining up? Do you see ponies beating down my boutique’s door?” Suri waved her hoof around, but Sassy dared not look away from the angry mare for fear that doing so would cost her dearly.
“Well, Miss. Polomare, I did say that—”
“Save your excuses, ‘kay?” Suri pressed her forehead against Sassy’s and forced her to step back even more. “You said that it didn’t matter about what happened in Manehattan. You said you could get this place up and running in a Manehattan minute.”
Sassy swallowed and tried to keep her smile in place. She had promised that, but that was before she had truly gotten to know her new partner. She had presented Suri with a perfectly laid out plan that, despite Suri’s very standard design choices, would get the shop in tip top shape within two weeks. They most certainly would not be the talk of Canterlot, not at first, but they would build up to that.
Step one was to build a solid base. Garner enough loyal customers to ensure that income was steady.
Step two was meant to take the extra bits earned and hire on a designer or two. Suri understood the basics of fashion, certainly, but her designs just did not pip-pop the way they needed to if this boutique was going to truly shine.
Step three had been…what had step three been? Sassy found that she could no longer remember it in the face of Suri’s anger. All she could think of was the mare bearing down on her.
“If I had wanted to have a shop full of nothin’, I could have stayed in Manehattan!” Suri gave one last push and Sassy stepped back, only there was nothing there for her hoof to step on. She had been pressed to the edge of the steps leading up to the boutique, and as she tried to back away again, she lost her balance and fell. She landed on her bum and looked up at Suri. “Huh. Even that little wallflower was more useful than you. She could at least make a half-decent cup of coffee!”
“But Suri, it’s only been three days since—”
“You’re fired, ‘kay! Don’t bother comin’ back!” Suri slammed the door and locked it.
Sassy sat in the street for a moment, the shock of what had happened causing her mind to freeze. This was becoming a worrisome trend, with her ending up on the street staring at her place of former employment.
The moment of shock passed and Sassy shook her head. She quickly looked around, her orange and yellow mane swishing about her head. Only two ponies were looking at her, while the rest had not appeared to notice the commotion. She quickly stood up, brushed off her outfit, and raised her head up high. It would not do for the Canterlot Elite to see her down like this.
“Chin up, girl,” she told herself as she began to walk down the street. “You’ve dealt with this before. You will be fine. Just a minor setback.”
Despite her words, Sassy found her mood falling quickly. Suri’s words had cut her deeper than she wanted to admit. Combined with the knowledge that her previous job had fallen through too, and she found herself starting to fall into despair.
“I need something to drink,” the Unicorn said, blinking back tears that she hadn’t realized where forming in her orange eyes. She looked up and found that she had wandered through Canterlot’s streets and was now standing outside of some quaint little café. She didn’t even bother to look at the name before she walked in.
“Greeting, ma’am,” the waitress said when she saw Sassy walk in. “Table for one?”
“Yes please,” Sassy replied, her spirits already rising when she saw the mare’s welcoming smile. She followed the mare through the café and back outside. The mare showed her to a small table in the corner of the patio.
“Here you are, ma’am,” the mare said as she used her magic to pull out a chair for Sassy. “A quiet little spot, with a gorgeous view of the city’s streets.”
Sassy blinked in surprised. “How did—”
“You looked rather…disconcerted when you walked in, ma’am,” the mare said before Sassy could finish her sentence. “I thought this would be a nice place for you to collect your thoughts and such. I apologize if I assumed too much.”
Sassy smiled. “Not at all. Thank you very much.”
“Is there anything I may get you?”
Sassy usually ordered a rich mixture of coffee, but right now she was too distressed to attempt to deal with the energy the drink would provide. Instead, she asked for a simple cup of tea and a sandwich.
The mare nodded and walked off to fulfill the order. Sassy watched her go, and then she pulled out a fold sheet of paper and laid it on the table. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she unfolded it and looked at its contents.
“Back to step three,” she mumbled. “Again.”
The paper listed a small pattern that she had mapped out for her success. It wasn’t flashy or impressive, like the ones she drew up for clients. It was simple, consisting of just a few sketches of her and her goals. She had already managed to cover the first three parts of her pattern years ago. Going to school for design, moving to Canterlot, and getting an apprenticeship in Canterlot had all been easy for her.
It was step four of the pattern that had been a preverbal pin in her side for…goodness, how long had it been now? A year? Perhaps it was even longer. She did not understand why she could not seem to hold a job in Canterlot’s fashion business. None of her skills were lacking. All of her employers—save for her most recent one—could attest to that. She got boutiques up and running lickety-split time and again.
Why, it was because she was so good at what she did that she could afford to lose her jobs so often. If her former clients hadn’t been so impressed and paid her so well, she would have been forced to leave Canterlot a long time ago. As it was, she still had plenty of bits saved up, so finances were far from her mind.
Sassy’s chin sank onto the table and she blew a strand of dyed mane out of her eye. Bits were nice and all, but she wanted more. She wanted to be part of something great. She wanted to be the talk of Canterlot. She wanted ponies constantly marveling at what she had created, and asking her for her services.
That part of her pattern was turning out to be difficult. The fashion world in Canterlot was extremely whimsical, and every time Sassy had felt safe, something had come along and ripped a hole through her precious patterned plan.
“Do you still call it a ‘pattern’, my dear?” a soft voice whispered.
Sassy’s eyes nearly jumped out of her head. They shot up, and a heartbeat later, the rest of her head followed.
Standing at the other side of the table was an Earth pony. She had a long, light purple mane that was kept back with a simple white headband. Her coat was a rich cream color and glistened in the sunlight. She wore a purple choker, the same shade as her mane and tail, and in its center was a single pink jewel. The jewel’s coloring matched her cutie mark, which was a beautiful lotus flower.
“B-B-Bless…” Sassy stammered as she stared at the Earth pony in shock.
“My buttons?” the mare asked. A grinned formed at the tips of her mouth as she closed her blue eyes halfway, revealing beautifully applied eye makeup. “You have always had your charming little quirks, dear Sassy.”
“Vera?” Sassy finally managed to say, even as her mouth hung open. “I…I don’t…what…why? How?”
“May I sit with you, my dear?” Vera asked, ignoring the mess of questions. Sassy immediately grabbed the nearest chair with her magic and yanked it over for the Earth pony. “Thank you.”
“Vera, I…why are you here?” It was all Sassy could think to say.
“A rather silly question, Sassy,” Vera said with a smile. “I live in Canterlot. I told you as much when we were in school.”
Sassy blushed in embarrassment. Vera had been a classmate of hers when she had been in school. Sassy had always admired her, even back then, because the mare was everything Sassy wanted to be. She was refined, but not withdrawn. She did not command respect, but encouraged it. She never wore more than her headbands and chokers, and yet she was always fashionable wherever she went.
And yet, despite all that, she had never once tried to make Sassy, or any of their classmates, feel belittled in her company.
“I like the highlighting in your hair,” Vera said. Her voice still carried that exotic accent even years later, and Sassy found that it still made her tingle. “The purple is a nice contrast.”
“Thank you,” Sassy replied.
Vera’s eyes flowed down to the paper in front of Sassy. “I am glad to see you still pursue your passion, my dear.”
Sassy immediately wanted to crumple the paper up and toss it in the trash. It was the same one she had shown Vera years ago, and the embarrassment of being caught—by Vera no less—of still carrying it around nearly killed her.
But before she could do anything, Vera’s hoof glided across the table and pulled the paper away.
“Hm…” the Earth pony said as she looked at Sassy’s dream. “Seems part four is going a bit rough?”
Sassy winced at the question. The fourth drawing had a few more pinholes in it than the previous three, and the two drawings after it had none. “Afraid so. Terribly.”
Vera carefully folded the paper back up and slid it back to Sassy. “What seems to be the problem, my dear? As I recall it, you were one of the top students in our class. I cannot imagine you have lost your touch, especially with that look. Very fetching.”
Sassy felt color flooding her cheeks and she quickly ran her hoof through her mane and adjusted her dress a little. “Well, no. It is just…Canterlot is proving to be a bit more…unpredictable than I had anticipated.”
Vera smiled. “It is a rather veracious city at times. What happened?”
“Paisley and poplin, Vera!” Sassy said. “Every time I think things are finally going my way, something happens. One time, after I presented all my work and it looked as though I was a shoe in, the next day I go back and I’m told no. Apparently, this odd…backwater country look was in. What was it called? Hip-something.”
“Hippie,” Vera offered with a smile. “I remember that phase. They still sell some of the finest beauty products in Canterlot though.”
“Yes!” Sassy replied. “But the owners of the shop said that they felt I was no longer the best candidate, considering that I didn’t know two bits worth of that style.”
Vera nodded and the waitress pony came back then. She put Sassy’s tea and sandwich on the table, and them smiled at Vera. “Hello, Ms. Vera. A pleasure as always. The usual?”
“Certainly,” Vera nodded and the mare left. Vera returned her attention to Sassy.
“And then, another time, seemingly out of the bubbling blue, every mare wanted this…dress.” Sassy made a face just recalling the horrible thing.
Vera let out a small laugh. “Tell me, was it that simple dress? The one with the ribbon sash?”
“And nothing else!” Sassy replied. “No suave stich, no glittering gems, no colorful collar! Not even the sash was splendidly special. Just a plain dress, with a white trim, and a pink sash. Every mare in Canterlot wanted one overnight, and the boutique I was running then lost so much business that they had to let me go.”
“That is unfortunate, my dear,” Vera said. “They could not hire you back?”
“I had already found another place to work, although that one fell through as well,” Sassy mumbled. “And now, I just got fired from my new position.”
“Fired?” Vera asked, her face breaking its soothing calm expression for a moment. “What mare in their right mind would fire a pony as talented as you?”
“Some new mare. Just moved to Canterlot. She used to have a business in Manehattan, but something didn’t work out so she came her.”
“Why would she fire you though? Breaking into the fashion world in Canterlot is not easy. I would imagine most ponies would give their front hoof to have such an experienced pony apply, especially if they have just arrived.”
“Well…cross the corset, how do I say this…?” Sassy took a deep breath. “Her talents weren’t exactly…particularly pleasant. She was not bad, by any means, but in Canterlot, a pony needs to be ‘better than great if she wants to succeed’.”
“’It is the home of royalty, after all’,” Vera added, finishing their old teacher’s favorite saying. The two mares shared a laugh.
“I…tired to explain that to her. I laid it out in my pattern, but she would not listen. And, well, when your designs don’t dazzle and delight…”
Vera nodded just as the waitress returned. She placed a saucer and a single cup in front of the Earth pony and then walked away. Vera lifted the cup to her lips and took a small sip, then set the cup back on its saucer, perfectly centered.
“Her loss then, to be sure,” the mare said. “But Sassy, you are not above blame there either.”
“I…beg your pardon?” Sassy had done all she could to help Suri. It was not her fault that the mare had been too prideful and stubborn to accept change.
“Right there.” Vera pointed her hoof at Sassy as a grin spread across her face. “That feeling in your chest at the words I just said. That is your pride being wounded.”
Sassy blinked. “I suppose, but…”
“All creators have pride, Sassy. Sometimes, especially if they are just starting out, they have too much of it. They don’t understand that, sometimes their pride needs a gentle bruising. It is not to be cruel, but to show them that compromise is needed. And that sometimes, they do not know what is best.”
“I don’t understand.”
“While that mare was clearly too stubborn for her own good, you should have been firmer. You have been in Canterlot longer. You know how it works. You should have been more forceful in your ideas. Your job as a manager is to manage the boutique, and that sometimes means managing the designers and owners as well. You do not need to trample on them, but at the same time, you will need to step on some hooves.”
Vera finished and took another sip from her cup while Sassy sat at the table, digesting the Earth pony’s words. Slowly, she raised her sandwich to her mouth with her magic and took a bite.
Was Vera right? Should she have been more forceful with Suri? The mare had certainly had potential, but Sassy had a feeling that she would not have listened no matter how hard Sassy tried.
Still, that did not make Vera’s advice completely irrelevant.
“May I assume you are still looking for employment?” Vera suddenly asked.
“Um, yes,” Sassy replied.
“Excellent! As it so happens, I may know of a job opening that you are perfectly suited for.”
Sassy’s orange eyes lit up. If Vera was offering her a job, then she would surely do her best to exceed the pony’s expectations. “Bobbins and bodkins, Vera! Do you mean it?”
“I will have to write a letter to my sisters, of course, and I will need a copy of your résumé, but I know you will be perfect for what I have in mind.” Vera took another sip of her drink, a long one this time, and set the empty cup back down on the saucer.
“Right away!” Sassy instantly pulled out a copy of her résumé from her bag and then neatly folded it and placed it in an envelope. She sealed it and then levitated it over to Vera.
“Ever prepared, my dear Sassy.” Vera smiled as she took the envelope. “Now, I must warn you, this pony that you shall be working with is a bit…refined. And stubborn. Do not be afraid to stand up to her a little if you need to.”
“Absolutely, Vera,” Sassy said with a smile. “I will make sure I make you proud!”
* * *
Lotus sided in relief as Aloe’s hooves rubbed her shoulders. Her sister was being surprisingly well behaved right now. She wasn’t doing any of her silly chanting, she wasn’t whispering rather inappropriate things in Lotus’ ear, and her hooves weren’t ‘accidently’ sliding to places they weren’t supposed to go to.
This was all due to the fact that they had both had a rather trying day. Bulk Biceps had gotten too excited, again, and had burst through a doorframe, giving the twin sisters yet another headache of repairs.
“At least he’s not crashing through the walls anymore,” Aloe said. Her hooves slid down to Lotus’ lower back and began to rub out a mess of knots just above her tail. “That’s something.”
Lotus’ entire body relaxed as Aloe got rid of the first knot. A tiny sigh of relief fled from her lips. “Mmm…” she mumbled.
“Oh, I see somepony is…enjoying herself.”
Lotus could see the wicked smirk on her twin sister’s pink face without even turning around. “Don’t you dare,” she warned. “You are doing fine as you are.”
“Honestly, sister, we need to find you somepony. All this refined beauty, and no pony around to appreciate it.”
“You are single, too, last time I checked.”
“Fair point.” Aloe’s hooves began drifting a bit further down Lotus’ backside. “Well, I appreciate it, sister.”
Lotus rolled her closed eyes. “Don’t you think it just a little unrefined that you keep trying to seduce your sister? Your twin sister? Why don’t you just look in a mirror and run your hooves over your own body?”
“Not as much fun,” Aloe replied. To her credit, she did stop before she actually did touch places she wasn’t supposed to. “I don’t react the same way you do.”
“You are impossible,” Lotus replied.
For all of Aloe’s flirting, Lotus knew the mare was just teasing. She would never cross that line, even if Lotus gave her permission. Which was why, despite that many times Aloe had brushed her backside and whispered dirty things into Lotus’ ear, Lotus still allowed her younger sister to give her massages.
Plus, Aloe was great with her hooves, probably even better than Lotus herself.
Clink! A small sound echoed through the empty spa and both sisters looked up.
“How odd,” Lotus said from the spa bed. A single letter had been slipped in through the mail slot on the door. It was lying on the floor. “Mrs. Hooves usually places the mail in our mailbox.”
“Or through it,” Aloe joked. She stopped massaging Lotus’ back—much to Lotus’ disappointment—and walked over to the letter. She stopped in front of it, bent down, and grabbed it with her mouth. Before she stood back up, she turned and looked at her sister. She winked and swished her tail as she smiled.
Lotus rolled her eyes. “Grow up.”
“You don’t think I’m pretty?” Aloe asked, pretending to be hurt. She stood up and tore off the top of the letter with her mouth.
“Well?” Lotus asked. “Who is it from?”
Aloe wasn’t moving. She just stared at the letter resting on her hoof.
“Aloe?” Lotus got off of her bed and walked over to her sister, who was now shaking ever so slightly. “What is it? Another stallion asking to marry you?”
“It is from Sis.”
Lotus’ blood ran cold. “Sis…sent us a letter?”
“Uh-huh.”
Lotus swallowed the lump in her throat. Big Sister Vera had written to them. She hardly ever wrote to them.
“Well, what does it say?”
“I…I don’t know. I can’t get past the whole, ‘To my two beautiful, breathtaking, stunning, baby little sisters…’ part.”
Big Sister Vera was not mean or abusive by any stretch of the imagination. Quite the opposite, she cared deeply for her two younger sisters. But she loved to tease them. She made Aloe look perfectly civil by comparison.
Lotus looked over her sister’s trembling shoulder and began to read the letter.
‘To my two beautiful, breathtaking, stunning, baby little sisters. Why, it seems like only yesterday we were all playing dress up with mother’s makeup. Oh, you two looked so cute in your little maid outfits! I still have pictures. All those bowties in Lotus’ mane, and Aloe, you looked so good dress with all those ruffles! I could just snuggle you both all night in those outfits!
But, that is not what I am writing to you about today. If I recall, recently you two informed me that one of your favorite clients, Miss Rarity, had just bought a boutique here in lovely Canterlot. Well, as it happens, I know a perfectly suitable Unicorn to help her get new business up and running. I know her quite well myself, and she has my full endorsement, but enclosed is her résumé as well as her contact information in the even that Miss Rarity requires more.
I do hope my two little sisters will be the dolls I know they are and pass this information along to Miss Rarity. You would be doing your Big Sis a grand favor.
With all my love and affection,
Your Big Sis
P.S. You two must come to Canterlot sometime! There are so many outfits here I would love for you two to try on. Otherwise, I shall simply have to buy them myself and you can try them on when I come visit later. Oh, I do hope I don’t forget them with all the hubbub Miss. Rarity’s new boutique will cause…‘
Lotus read the letter two more times, keenly aware of what Big Sis Vera was asking of them, and what she was threatening if they didn’t do it.
“We, uh, better go find Rarity, huh?” Aloe asked, her voice shaking slightly.
“I don’t know, Aloe,” Lotus said, spying a chance for a bit of revenge teasing. “I think you look pretty good in a maid outfit too. I mean, you have the plot for it, for sure.”
“Shut up!”
Author's Note
For those of you with keen memories, each thing that happened to cause Sassy to have problems has happened in the world because of the Mane Six. The 'Hippie' look comes from when Flax Seed and Wheat Grass became popular in Canterlot--thanks to Rarity.
The dress is the dress Rarity never finished for Twilight for her birthday. If you recall, Fancy Pants made it super popular.
And, well, without Coco Pommel, I have a hard time believing Suri would have been able to survive long in Manehattan.
For those wondering who Vera is, she's only appeared once, and her mane was a fright. You can go look her up if you like. Most ponies say she is Lotus and Aloe's cousin, but I like to think she's their older sister. It's more fun that way I think.
Hope you enjoyed reading.
