"Okay, how about...no, that wouldn't work. Oh! What about...nah, that's no good either! And...what if I were to...ugh! No! This just isn't working!" Sighing, Pistachio took off his hat, a hat that meant a great deal to him for very special reasons, and wiped his brow. He'd forgotten just how long he'd been working at this, but he wasn't the kind of guy to quit now. So, taking a deep breath, he took on a more determined look, then gave a firm nod. "Okay, Pistachio, don't worry. You can do this. Rarity believes in you, so you know you've got it in you." A moment or two passed, and then he loudly gulped. "...I hope."
The young stallion retained his underlying nervousness, even in spite of the confidence his idol had shown to him. He stared for a long time at the work that he'd been toiling over, but even now, after so long on it, he still wasn't satisfied. At first glance, a novice to fashion might simply recognise the outfit as a simple suit for a stallion, perhaps the type that you'd find at many a formal gathering. But if you looked closer, you'd find that the materials were of very high-quality, as was the stitching. Pistachio was especially pleased with the latter on that one, given how many tries he'd gone through to get it right. This was a well-made, if not exactly flashy outfit. But while most would have liked it, Pistachio was not them. He sighed, still unhappy about it, and moved away.
"What am I going to do?" Perhaps it was the stress of being away from home. Though Rarity had been kind enough to persuade one of her Manehattan associates to lend the young fashion-lover with an unused studio for his work, he still had a hard time adjusting, as shown by the brief way he'd casually glance at his unfamiliar surroundings. Soon enough, he found himself at the studio's window, looking out at the bustling city below. He was honored to be here of course, but it was all so big and overwhelming. Discomfort took him, and he buried his face in his hooves. "This isn't going to work."
It was right at this moment when, to his surprise, there was a knock on the door of the room. He was confused, naturally, since he wasn't expecting any visitors, and even the studio's owner wasn't due back for another hour at least. Uncertain, he walked over, reaching for the knob of the door and opening it. When he saw who was on the other side, he tilted his head slightly.
"Hello? Can I help you?"
The visitors were a trio of mares, none of whom he'd recognised. A unicorn, a pegasus and an earth pony, they looked to him with genuine smiles.
"Terribly sorry for interrupting, my young fellow, but you wouldn't happen to be Pistachio by any chance, would you?" the unicorn asked.
Pistachio raised an eyebrow. He definitely didn't recognise any of these mares, but having them know him took him off-guard somewhat. "...I am."
One of the others, the pegasus, smiled widely to him, taking a step in the door and taking him by the hoof, shaking enthusiastically. "Oh, pleased to meet ya! You wouldn't believe how much we've been looking forward to this!"
Keeping one hoof on his hat so as to not lose it in the shake, Pistachio took a step back, eyeing the mares with increasing suspicion. "Do I...know you?"
The last mare, the earth pony, let out a little giggle, then pointed to herself. "Sorry, we should have introduced ourselves first. I'm Coco. Coco Pommel."
"Sassy Saddles," added the unicorn.
"Kerfuffle," the pegasus finished.
Pistachio didn't recognise the pegasus' name, but the other two were definitely ringing a bell. "Wait...you're friends of Miss Rarity, aren't you?"
Both Coco and Sassy smiled back to one another, before the latter gave a firm nod to the youth. "Indeed we are, friend. And we're quite proud to be too, as you can imagine."
To say Pistachio was excited would have been an understatement, but then Kerfuffle cleared her throat, and the stallion looked to her, blushing slightly. "Oh! I'm sorry, Miss Kerfuffle, but...I don't recall your name though."
Far from being offended by that, the mare simply gave a hearty laugh. "Oh, don't you worry your little head off. I'm kind of new in Rarity's circle."
However, regardless of how pleased Pistachio was to meet fellow associates of his hero, there was one little matter that wouldn't let itself be ignored in his mind. "So...what are you all doing here?"
The mares entered the studio in earnest now, with Coco politely closing the door behind them, before all turning to look at Pistachio together. "Well, we all had some free time today, so we got together with Rarity for a spot of tea," Sassy began.
Kerfuffle nodded. "Yep! Then she started talking about you and how you wanted to be involved in the fashion industry too!"
Pistachio blushed again, leading to a second giggle on Coco's part as she carried on. "After she left to go back to Ponyville, the three of us got to talking, and we thought, well, maybe it'd be worth coming over and seeing how you were doing here."
Now realising the purpose of their visit, Pistachio's pupils shrank to pin-points, and he immediately backed up to his still-in-progress suit. The mannequin it was on nearly fell over as he lightly collided with it, but it nevertheless stayed standing, even as the young stallion did his best to put himself between it and the mares. "Oh! Er...you can't! It's not ready yet, and...um...I'm sure three fashion experts like you have way better things to do than to spend your day looking at the work of a newcomer like me!"
The three glanced to each other, each exchanging knowing looks, before starting to move forward. "Oh pish-posh, lad! Now come along and let us see," Sassy requested.
Sweat was pouring down Pistachio's brow now, but he knew that this was not a request he was going to be able to deny. They were here to help, and besides, he told himself, Rarity was unlikely to associate with them if they weren't decent or well-meaning ponies. So, with his shoulders slumping, Pistachio stepped to one side. His creation was in full view now, and the mares gave it a look over. The stallion could feel their eyes going over every square inch of the thing, and he gulped to the thought of having them declare his work as "unworthy" or some other horrible description. However, as they again looked to each other, they actually smiled, which surprised him to no end. Coco looked to him first and spoke with a genuine tone.
"This is some really nice work, Pistachio!"
But the lad simply shook his head. "N...no. It's really not all that great."
Sassy seemed aghast at his words. "Whatever do you mean, dear? This is a fine creation! Good color choice, fair design, and I really do love some of the patterns you've woven into the ends of the sleeves here."
Again, Pistachio shook his head. "It's just novice work. Nothing great. Go down the street anywhere in the city and you'd find something better in the store windows."
Kerfuffle, in a move she likely didn't do that often, frowned. "You really shouldn't say those kinds of things about your own work, kid."
Pistachio looked away. "The three of you...I'm sure you've all done wonderful stuff. Better than anything I could ever do! I'm just..." Slowly, he took off his hat, holding the rim of it tightly as he stared down at the ground. "...I'm not good enough to be here."
And just like that, the other mares knew what the problem was. The issues this young stallion were feeling were as plain as day to them now, and they once more looked to each other, giving silent nods before walking over to him. Gently, Sassy placed a hoof under his chin, guiding his face upwards to look at her. "My dear Pistachio, I believe Rarity mentioned once before how you shouldn't talk badly about yourself?"
Sheepishness came to Pistachio, but he did not interrupt her. "Besides, I myself am no clothes-creator. I simply manage and advertise. Vital skills, to be sure, but creation? That, I leave to others, so don't think I'm some clothing expert myself."
Coco stood beside her, adding her voice to the discussion. "I used to think the same thing of all the clothes I made back in the day. They weren't good enough, or that others would surely come across as better. And all that thinking did was hinder my skills and make me second-guess myself every time."
Kerfuffle finished. "It wasn't so long ago that Rarity taught me my own work was better than I thought, even when I felt all I could do was build on what others had made. Thanks to her, I had the confidence to put faith in my own work to stand on its own."
Pistachio had listened well to these lessons, and as he looked to the smiles the mares were giving him, he felt the need to smile himself. "Well...I guess my work's not so bad."
Sassy gave a firm nod. "By Jove, I think he's got it!"
There was a laugh all around, and in the midst of it, Pistachio put his hat back on, glancing upwards to smile at his most cherished possession. But then he looked back to his suit, and his smile faded a little. "You know...I'm still not entirely happy with it."
Coco looked to it herself. "We're artists, Pistachio. We spend most of our time unhappy with what we've done."
Another laugh all around, and when it ended, Kerfuffle looked to the stallion beside them with interest. "You know, if you like, we could offer some advice?"
Pistachio's face lit up. "Oh! Could you?!"
Sassy raised a hoof. "On one condition!"
Pistachio looked to her warily. "...Yes?"
Then, the older mare gave him a sly look. "It's quite simple...never think of yourself as unworthy ever again."
