"...and after I realized I had to host this get-together in Manehattan, I asked the restaurant owner if they were willing to rent out a table for a bit. Thankfully enough, the article gave them some publicity, so they agreed pretty quickly." Rarity opened the door to a small breakfast bar, smiling apologetically at Sassy Saddles. "I do hope I haven't imposed too much on you."
"Not at all, Rarity. In all honesty, I had always intended to visit Manehattan, I just..." Sassy Saddles shook her head. "Well, I had to deal with all my issues in Canterlot first."
"I understand completely, darling. Oh! There they are!" The white unicorn waved at a small booth, leading Sassy over. "Sassy Saddles, this is Coco Pommel and Plaid Stripes, my sales associates at Rarity For You. Ladies, this is Sassy Saddles, my associate over at Canterlot Carousel." She cleared her throat. "Ah, where are the others?"
"Blue Bobbin's on a date, Bleeding Heart is doing a charity thing, and Lager Field is...." Coco coughed. "He's in the hospital."
"Oh dear. What happened?"
"It was craaaaaaaazeeeeeeeeeeee!" Plaid exclaimed, slamming her hooves down on the table. "One of the ponies from the party palace came downstairs and wanted to get a new dance outfit, right, but she had this glass of orange juice and the coons--"
"Let's just say it made the tabloids," Coco interrupted gently. "Luckily he's not hurt too badly, and we're insured..."
Sassy Saddles brought a hoof to her mouth. "Bells and bobbins, that does sound rather dreadful."
"Hey, this is Manehattan. Didn't even top the papers." Plaid Stripes sipped her juicebox. "Love your mane, by the way. How do you do that different-color-inside thing?"
The blue unicorn ran a hoof through her mane subconsciously. "Ah, well... my mane is naturally a byzantium shade, but that blended too well with my coat. When I went into fashion I decided to dye it, and... the rest is history, as they say." She cleared her throat and sat down next to Coco. "I couldn't help but notice your choice of jewelry, it's rather avant garde."
"...What, my spoon earrings?" Plaid tapped a hoof to them. "Yeah, I had this idea for spoon clothes. Spoons are so useful. I think that everypony should be ready to spoon at a moment's notice."
"A combination of utility and aesthetic," Sassy mused. "Generally fashion designers avoid that--it's usually only part of armor design or city services, where the utility is an outright necessity. To wear something that might only be used in very specific situations is... bold, to say the least."
"And yet, Plaid makes it work," Rarity interjected. "I will admit that I had some minor doubts when her father requested I hire her, but all in all miss Stripes has proven to be a source of unconventional inspiration."
Sassy rose a brow, looking over Plaid's ensemble of eye-watering colors. "Somehow I don't doubt it."
"Um... Rarity?" Coco rubbed her hooves together nervously. "...I... kind of need to talk to you about something."
"What is it dear?"
"...actually, do you mind if we... talk about it somewhere, um, private?"
Rarity blinked. "Well, I... I suppose, although I was expecting--"
Sassy got up, letting Coco slide out of the booth. "Don't worry, Rarity, I can tell that this is important. I'm sure I can discuss things with miss Stripes while we wait."
"If you're certain..." Rarity conceded, nodding to a small table in the corner. "Come along, Coco dear..."
Plaid Stripes watched them walk away, her thick brows furrowed. "Huh. Wonder what's going on with that."
"I'm sure Rarity will inform us if it becomes relevant." Sassy retook her seat, scooching toward the window. "So, you were recommended by your father? How did he and Rarity meet, may I ask?"
"He owns the building she's renting her shop out from," Plaid explained, sipping her juicebox again.
Sassy Saddles winced. "I... see." She took a moment to analyze the mare... the filly in front of her. "Would I be wrong in assuming this is your first... actual job?"
"Huh... no, you're right." Plaid Stripes put her juicebox down. "How'd you guess?"
"Well, a number of things, but most pertinently..." The blue mare cleared her throat. "Have you ever heard the word nepotism before?"
"Nah. Is it some foreign word for fur collars?"
"No. Nepotism is the idea of employers hiring or being made to hire family over others... It's a very dirty word, usually thrown about by jealous coworkers or unappreciated ponies, who will say that so-and-so only got their position because they're the boss's relative and have no actual skill or effort."
Plaid blinked. "Waaaaait. Are you saying that I'm a spoiled daddy's girl?"
"Not at all. I'm saying that the way you replied to my question indicated you were unaware of the concept." Sassy leaned back. "In the fashion industry, image is everything. And the image of being promoted through nepotism is poisonous. I would... suggest that in the future, you keep your relationship to your rent-owner a little quieter."
"So..." The filly fiddled with her earrings. "If I tell ponies that my dad got me the job, they'll think I don't know how to do it?"
"Essentially. To be fair, as this is your first job a little familial networking is expected and forgivable, but..." The unicorn rolled her hoof. "It's better to say this is a test flight and you'll find your wings once you left the nest. It makes you seem more... practiced."
"Were you ever accused of new-pot-ism?"
Sassy Saddles sighed, her eyes drifting away. "No. My parents didn't care for my love of fashion. They expected something... quite different from me."
"Really? What?"
Sassy shook her head. "It's not that important."
Plaid Stripes frowned, saying nothing as she drained her juicebox dry.
"...so, you ever been to Manehattan before?"
"No, actually. I always wanted to come, but... well, suffice it to say certain things prevented me from doing so on my own time. I'm actually rather glad Rarity arranged for this meeting to be here."
"Hey yeah! Maybe next time we have a Carousal Congregation, it'll be in Canterlot and I'll get to look around there!" Plaid grinned. "That would be sweet!"
"Hmm, well... Canterlot isn't really as impressive as it sounds."
"What are you talking about? It's the capital city!"
"And all its glamour, all its wealth, is devoted to convincing the ponies who run the engines of government to stay where they are." Sassy Saddles rolled her eyes. "I can't tell you the number of times the princesses have 'just so happened' to have an engagement in Ponyville or Fillydelphia or... anywhere that isn't Canterlot, really. It's a nice place to visit, don't get me wrong, but at the end of the day it's just one big paperwork factory with a wealthy coat of paint."
Plaid Stripes actually pouted at her. "It can't be that bad."
"Mmm, maybe I am a little cynical about the place. I've seen... well, not the worst bits," Sassy admitted, "I never got into organized crime or anything like that, but I've seen the worst of the best." She shrugged. "Then again I've seen the best of the worst. I suppose that would leave it all a wash to me."
"...so why'd you want to visit Manehattan?"
"My dear filly, do you know your city? Manehattan is a true conglomeration of so many different cultures, an ever-evolving changing melting pot where anyone can be anything. Everything here is real. Even the lies."
"Eh, there's the good and the bad." Plaid Stripes looked around, before leaning in. "Do you know, most restaurants around here don't serve juiceboxes?"
Sassy Saddles looked at the small assortment of cardboard packages littered on the table. "Do tell."
"It's like they have something against perfectly blended and preserved juices!" The filly held up her box and shook it. "If you pour juice from a pitcher, you have no idea what drifted in since the last pour, but this? I know what's in this. I can trust this."
"I suppose truth in advertising is important to consider. Especially when it comes to foodstuffs."
"Mmmhmm!" Plaid Stripes shook her head. "Also why I always order warm meals. Kills off the germs."
The blue unicorn shook her head. "You truly are a fount of unconventional thinking, miss Stripes."
"Rarity said the same thing! I like being unconventional." Plaid waggled her brows. "Lets me do things the way I like, instead of letting others say what I should do!"
Sassy Saddles couldn't help but laugh. "That it does! I suppose you're more fortunate than most in that regard." She sighed, absently stroking a hoof down her leg. "I spent most of my life trying to sell what others wanted, instead of selling what I wanted... if I'd learned that lesson earlier, a lot of things might have been different."
Plaid Stripes peered at her. "Huh. You keep saying all these things and I just get more and more curious about your past."
"Well," Sassy replied with a flip of her mane and a sly grin, "a lady must have some mystery after all."
She glanced at the corner table again. "I do wonder what Rarity and miss Pommel are talking about..."
"Oh, Coco probably wants advice about her romantic life." Plaid leaned back and sipped her juicebox. "You would not believe the crazy things that mare gets entangled in--there was that thing with the Orange family, and then there was the griffon, and now it's actually a changeling..."
