The cafés of Manehattan had gained a rightful reputation as being a place where the upper crust of the city would gather. It was a place of class, of refinement, and of prestige. The kind of place one went where they typically wanted to drink in an atmosphere of elegance. And today was no exception, as many of the city's wealthy were gathered there to enjoy a nice cup of afternoon tea, with many professional-looking waiters serving them their favoured beverages with stone-faced reserve. But, at one table in particular, there was one mare who appeared to be having less of a pleasant time here. Dressed immaculately, she had her mane tied up into a tight bun, and seemed to practically radiate a sense of sternness. Even as the nearby waiter brought her some tea, she only gave him the barest nod in acknowledgement. Silently, she took her drink, allowing herself only the tiniest sip of it before letting out a long sigh.
"Ah...a pleasant way to end the day."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Not that it makes me feel any better about how things went."
"Totally."
Turning, the elite-looking mare gazed upon a companion at her table, who was dressed far less formally, and adjusted a pair of glasses before speaking to her yet again.
"That Rarity was, like, super un-chill about what we were doing. Great artists are never appreciated in their time, ya know?"
Elite gave a nod.
"Quite, my dear. It truly is a travesty that those who gave her Boutique such fine service should have been dismissed as callously as we were."
She let out a "hmph" sound.
"But, then again, I suppose it was too much to expect for a Ponyville type to recognise greatness when she saw it."
"Your woes echo in my soul, friend."
Elite and Hipster turned, looking to the third of their group, a mare who seemed to exclusively favour black in her garb. Her drink was one of coffee that, naturally, had no milk or sugar in it, and after taking a sip of it herself, she looked to her companions with the expected level of disinterest.
"That whole place was just so wrong for me. It's like she just didn't get the despair that exists in this world that I try to embrace."
Hipster nodded to that.
"True words. How are you feeling after she...well...you know?"
Goth turned to face her, looking right into her eyes, and after blinking slowly, began to explain her feelings in that long and sombre tone of hers.
"If mine was a position held by a young mare who was filled with joy and excitement, being fired would send that mare into an endless spiral of bleakness and unhappiness that would inevitably lead to her being a black hole of misery, from which no good feelings could ever escape or be born."
Another slow blink.
"Thankfully, I'm not a mare like that, so I'm doing fine."
Taking another gulp of her tea, Elite raised an eyebrow to her two partners.
"I'll admit, I probably wouldn't be seen with individuals such as yourself on a regular day, but...after what we went through together, I suppose some company is due...even if it is rather...odd company."
Hipster gave a nod to those words.
"Righteous. I usually feel your lot are a bit too stuffy, too closed-minded about the way the world is to really get ponies like me, but yeah, it's been okay working with you."
Looking from one mare to the other, Goth broke the silence next.
"Do you remember how all those customers started to dislike what we were telling them?"
Hipster rolled her eyes.
"How could we forget? Those mainstream guys wouldn't know a good outfit if it came up and slapped them in the face."
Elite nodded back.
"Indeed, my oddly-dressed companion. After all, it is within the purview of our profession to inform those customers of what outfits work well with them and which do not, and...well...if they fail to appreciate our honest and well-informed opinions on the matter, I suppose that's their problem."
Together, all three mares raised their cups, gently clinking them against one another before taking simultaneous sips. When that was done, Goth was, again, the first to speak.
"Do you know what bothers me?"
A pause.
"Okay...I know most things bother me, but do you know what bothers me the most?"
The others shook their heads, prompting her to continue.
"We only came along because that Fluttershy girl couldn't handle that job. We gave her a voice, and she totally couldn't have gone on as long as she did without us."
Elite narrowed her eyes.
"I couldn't agree more! Why, if it wasn't for us, that Boutique she was so worried about would have fallen into ruin within the first few minutes!"
Hipster gave a frown.
"We gave her exactly what she needed for each of her customers, and what did we get for it? A bunch of bogus rejection when her friends entered the picture. Talk about a classic case of conformity."
Again, the group nodded in unison, and then, at the end of it all, Elite took another sip before addressing her fellow mares.
"Well...if nothing else, at least we managed to find some decent characters to spend time with afterwards. I'm not quite sure what I'll do with myself now that my stint in that boutique is over, but..."
A small but empty smile came to her lips.
"...at least I'll know I have two fellow unappreciated artists whom I can share my misery with."
Goth nodded.
"Misery is my middle name."
"It's a totally rad scene to be part of," Hipster concurred.
Slowly, Elite raised her cup.
"Well then...here's to being cast out by those who simply do not appreciate us."
Agreement was shared among them all, but when it was over, Hipster again adjusted her glasses before addressing the refined mare before her.
"Just so I know...we are all aware that we're just figments of one mare's imagination that she doesn't need anymore, right?"
Elite nodded.
"Of course, dear."
Hipster sighed.
"Good...I was worried I was going crazy there for a moment."
Goth sighed.
"No more than the rest of us anyway."
