Vignette was snapping selfies of herself in sleek dresses, as per her usual at school. She would often Sprinkle in Peppered French Words as she often would to sound fancy, even if it seemed quite cringey to certain people around her who weren't obsessed with social media. But those people didn't matter Vignette, to her, their opinions had 0 'relevance'.
Life was about keeping up with trends for Vignette. She was all about stomping the competition and being the prettiest girl in the room. Tonight, was going to quite the ride for Vignette, for it would change her entire life forever as she knew it.
Some of the girls joked about they thought it would be funny to play a prank on Vignette, but however none of them acted on such a desire, much less wanted to see her flustered. They knew how much she would embarrass them back, and nobody wanted to look like a fool in one of Vignette's posts, for she could vengefully hurt anyone's reputation.
Everyone, Except Wallflower. She didn't have a social media account, nor did the pressures of others about social media either. This exempted her from the overall shame to a large degree, even with her own insecurities.
Wallflower, however, decided that she had enough of Vignette's pointless vanity. She would put on a display every day in the classroom before Language Arts class started. She sat behind her, unable to change seats, and oftentimes was accused of photobombing and ruining shots by Vignette when she intended to just take pictures of herself. This really threw Wallflower off. She did not care too much about her Social Media Addiction, but now that she has decided to be the biggest bitch ever about a few pictures, she wanted her to stop. But Vignette didn't know when to quit. She even embarrassed Wallflower on her social media to make sure she stops photobombing. or at least Vignette thinks her influence will stop Wallflower from trying anything more, making an example of her in front of hundreds of thousands of people who followed her online.
But she did not realize that Wallflower did not care about anything she posted, but rather that she was just FED. UP.
After that escapade, she was determined to teach Vignette a lesson about her obsession with her looks and her overall lack of empathy for others to compensate.
...
It all started in Class the next day.
They were working in groups over a project. Wallflower decided to be subtle, and work with Vignette in the one class they had, faking a smile and friendly persona, even saying she was sorry for photobombing her pictures, secretly to Wallflower's disgust and anger.
But it was all for the plan.
Wallflower and Vignette, along with another girl who joined their group, started to work on the poster for their project presentation.
While Vignette was working with the other girl (her name is Sadie Smiles, but her character name is irrelevant to the plot), she put down her phone for a bit, to help with the project, giving her "chic touches" to the poster. Wallflower took this golden opportunity. Seizing a moment when Vignette, the teacher, and everyone else was looking in other directions from her, Wallflower jumped into action. She covertly swiped her phone, which was unlocked, and active on the homescreen of her social media account,
Like a sitting duck.
She then headed to the bathroom with it, covering with the alibi of needing to use the bathroom immediately while rushing away. The other girls were too absorbed with the poster to hear her. Unbeknownst to Vignette, who was busy glittering and stylizing the poster to her preference, suspected nothing of Wallflower for having just nabbed and ran off with her phone to the lavatory.
She thought she had control with her social media "influence," assuming Wallflower as no potential threat.
In the bathroom. while inside one of the stalls, sitting on the toilet, Wallflower Carried out her crazy plan.
Having Downloaded a photo editing app, (which she would delete afterwards) on Vignette's phone, Wallflower used her 15-minute window of time to dabble with a few of her recent images in her phone gallery, then scouring pictures she never posted in a file she labelled "Not so Perfect." She then edited her, putting her pictures in strange filters she never used. She then saw some of the pictures that had her trying on tacky clothes at a thrift store dressing room, oftentimes taboo for all fashionistas. She was wearing baggy pants, and a crop top that didn't match, as well as wore a flower crown and some small colored hippie shades. She looked like a beatnik, and it would be perfect for showing to all of her friends how she really felt about her superficial fashions. She then started editing in runny makeup in some of her profile pictures, and in some, odd, wacky faces for posts to shock her audience that was used to her composed, sleek expressions. Combined with her "Not So Perfect" style, this was going to be a real treat to see play out, thought Wallflower.
She had finished in a matter of minutes, posting everything. She also changed her avatar/profiles on every site she used to vainly show off her hidden guilty pleasures of boyish, yet personally enjoyable fashion.
Before you know it, she's a complete laughingstock on the internet with her "new socks and sandals" and "Tacky Wacky" fashion line, and her profile picture with the mismatching colors she used, becoming a big joke as well.
She was trending like she never had trended before, but by being something she never wanted to be: a meme to depict what not to be in fashion. It became viral big time, due to how shocking it was for Vignette's status and usual appearance of her French American "Chic" Girl persona.
After doing so, Wallflower left the bathroom, and headed back to the classroom. Upon walking in quietly to not attract a lot of attention to herself, Vignette had already noticed her phone was gone. She was across the room from the place they were working on the poster, her back to Wallflower, having seemed to look all over for it, with how frantic her movements were.
Wallflower quickly threw it in her purse while she was looking in the corner of the room around the books for her phone. Lucky for Wildflower, everyone was too focused on their projects to see any of this happening. Even the teacher was paying more attention to the dry erase board. Wallflower shoots, and she scores. It lands in the opening of the mess of stuff in a bag Vignette calls a purse. It slips into the mess, easily considered missable in her current haphazard search for her smartphone, even if she sifted through the ocean of cosmetics and trinkets in her purse three times over.
It was done.
Everyone in the school was going to see those pictures in a matter of an hour. Everybody was connected to social media and saw Vignette's posts and truly thought they were genuine, even in spite of Wallflower's slight exaggerations.
It had Begun.
...
The Bell Rang shortly after, sending Wallflower and Vignette their separate ways. Relieved that it was finished, Wallflower was proud of her work and made her way to her next class trying not to strut too much with her confidence in having set in motion what was yet to happen.
Vignette, unknowing of the crazy post, was more focused on creating selfies to check her social media, having her camera on and focusing on getting her good side as she went to her locker. She followed that successful personal photo op followed by a strut down the hallway. She hadn't even noticed Wallflower turned off her notifications to the posts, so that she wouldn't see them right away.
Vignette was then on her way to lunch, and she had become suspicious. While walking down the hallway, she saw a few people snickering at her here and there. At first, Vignette took it as a sneer to her higher status over them or perhaps a nod to her excellent style. After all, laughter is just a way people relieve tension, obviously they're tense about me being better than them, she thought.
But little did she know what she would be in for.
She took her lunchbox and sat with her trendy friends per usual. They all started staring at her silently the moment she sat down, when they previously were all engaged in a conversation right before, with most of them staring at their phones and texting while doing so. Things were quiet as Vignette took a seat, while then saying, "Heeey Girls!"
One of the other girls spoke up before Vignette could go on,
"Uuuh, Vignette, what are you doing?"
"Weelll, I'm Sitting down. What do you think I'm doing?"
"Well, Valencia, this is a table only for trendy girls, and you're just not "It" anymore, and I know you know it."
Vignette was confused, pulling out her phone to finally check her status on the web.
"Whatever do you me-"
Then, she saw it, her social media profile. She saw everything that was posted on the front page, cut off mid-sentence by the surprise.
"Alright, now that you know how uncool you are, you need to go."
Vignette was taken aback that her friends wouldn't see this as a hack or prank. She then tried to defend herself and explain what was wrong.
"Come on guys, quit kidding around, this isn't really me. I wouldn't post something atrocious like this."
"Well, that's your account, and it wouldn't matter anyway, your little stunt just costed you everything."
She was right, 100,000 comments of laughs, ridicule and insanity all aimed at her fashion tastes.
"We like that you're trendy, but now, you're an embarrassment to all of us."
Vignette saw that her old friends had now turned on her because of her new status of being a beatnik thrift store dork. She started to feel powerless, feeling her previous status as a star start to erode.
She was once lauded and appreciated for her selfies, portraits, and art projects. But here she is, now mocked by the entire internet, and even her friends, even if it wasn't her post, no one believed her because they thought she posted it to be ironic, which they didn't appreciate either, seeing it as her stabbing them and their status in the back.
Vignette saw the frivolousness in trying to help them understand, then ran out of the lunchroom teary-eyed, embarrassed to remain around anyone. Other guys and girls from nearby tables started to snicker as they saw Wallflower's edited crazy photos of Vignette too, thinking of it as nothing but a joke. But Vignette had felt as if her life was falling apart at the seams, seeing them as laughing at her personally.
Vignette took off fast and ran out of the school. She frustratingly bursted through the front doors after darting from the Lunchroom. She sped through the halls to the Lobby where the entrance was, feeling as if she had no one to turn to, crying her eyes out in the process. By the time she was out of the school, her face was drenched in tears, mascara running and everything.
Her life may be forever altered.
...
She sobbed endlessly as she ran for home. It was the only place she could feel safe after being cyberbullied with her own pictures and account.
Vignette ran through the town, and streets, towards the mansion her parents owned, where she lived with them, taking her back in while finishing up high school after leaving to pursue a failed career. At least they cared, she thought.
Vignette ducked in through the backdoor using her key to get in. Even when upset and sobbing, she still found time to let in the family dog, a Sleepy Golden Retriever named Lenny. He came in with her from the heat. He followed her up to the room, laying on his dog bed, which was next to Vignette's bed, and went back to napping. (Context: Vignette lived in a really nice house, her parents were very successful, Her Father was a wealthy Businessman, and her mother was a French model. They were currently on a Vacation/Business trip in St. Lucia, so the place was empty, other than with Lenny, whom was often very loving towards Vignette).
Vignette took shelter in her room, and buried her face in her pillow, sobbing greatly after running through the empty mansion into her own room, filled with grungy stuff, posters of bands only she knew she liked, and her pink bed, which she loved more than anything, and had slept in it since she was little, her parents were generous to give her a big bed when she was little, so she kept it, unlike most of the fashion trends she had passed on from. It was perfectly sized for her now.
Vignette thought that she was lost without her social media. It was her pride and joy, and now, she's now a trending comic. Her mother would see this stuff too, and feel embarrassed to be her daughter, for she had always wanted to impress her, at least that was her view of her mother's perception. She was the reason she pretended to know French, and styled herself in every trendy way. Vignette thought if she acted suave and "Chic et glamour," she could have the life her mother had, where she could inspire and amaze people with her good looks through her business and social media.
But all of that seems to be ruined, and now with these Kooky, beatnik pictures of her, and there's so much of it. (Wallflower spammed the posts, even direct messaging people she wouldn't usually speak to), uncool people in her eyes, of which thought she was the coolest for sharing with them openly. Vignette felt shaky and vulnerable in the state she was in. She couldn't even lift a finger to delete anything, much less explore all of the pictures Wallflower had posted and edited on her social media.
She realized after seeing the jokes that nobody thought this was a prank, or a hack. They really thought she had turned a strange leaf as if she no longer cared about trends she once loved and pursued with passion to recreate her image as this beatnik character that is now portrayed, a repressed dream she had wanted to believe, now forcefully crushing the very "chic" French girl image she once had, permanently jeopardizing her previous status as a trend-chasing fashionista.
Then, Vignette had a shocking revelation upon thinking about turning leaves, and embracing this beatnik style she actually loved deep down, despite her objections from her old friends and the allures of trend setting to trash the style.
She remembered every moment when she knew of those who didn't care about status at all, seeing how she stepped on other people to get where she was. All to live a lie she felt she needed to live to validate herself to her mom, her friends, and everyone else in her life who knew her as the Social Media mogul she projected herself to be, even if that wasn't what she actually wanted.
She realized how many people she embarrassed, hurt, and ruined, and knew that there was no way she could come back from this. She was terrified, unknowing of what to do. Her Trendy friends unfollowed her, blocked her, and turned away from her completely. It was the biggest shock, that those who once gave her unconditional support, had now abandoned her due to the very thing she did to others:
Obsessing over looks and taking every opportunity to sideline others to achieve her goals, but never give back to those who gave to her.
Truly a lack of empathy, and a hole of pettiness she knew not of how to get out.
...
While it was true this is common for most girls, to want to feel beautiful, and to feel proud of appearances, Vignette was also aware of how much damage she did due to how greatly she cared about being on top to succeed in proving herself as a trendy girl, chasing trends like dogs chased cars.
Social Media turned out to be such a horrible place: A Competitive, almost animalistic environment, where everyone gets shredded or preyed upon if they aren't up to date or keeping up with some celebrity's trend, or some collectivist scam of a fashion statement, and everyone who does fit into the trend, shames and criticizes everyone who doesn't quite vainly accept such norms, while making an example of "failures" with their own fashion, all while disposing their style for something next week.
It seems like such a waste, Vignette thought, all of these brands, and limited choices to style herself, of which she lived within this conformist environment of constant disposability and distaste, that nothing is ever good enough in the Fashion Business.
"All I want is to be happy, and not step on other's happiness to do so," she thought.
Vignette felt like a fraud, and a despicable human being for everything she had done.
"Maybe this is it...," Vignette thought to herself, "Maybe...I'm not meant to be trendy. Perhaps all of this time I've been wasting my life doing things I didn't want to do."
A moment of silence seemed to stretch on forever, as she sobbed at the truth of feeling empty with her vanity goals fading as she saw herself far away from everyone and everything. Everything was starting to go black. What was she without social media?
She couldn't remember much before, in the wake of her sobs and sadness, even if it was clearly written on the wall (Her Walls, she had tons of interests displayed with trophies, posters, and murals, and hung-up t-shirts she liked, that were hidden from the sight of others due to how rejected she felt deep down for being who she really was).
Vignette was starting to spiral into something.
But All of a sudden, before she could fall away into some chasm of misfortune and endless disappointment in herself,
Someone was giving her a call.
It wasn't her Father or Mother, nor her old friends, nor was it even Wallflower calling to continue her plans to help Vignette pick up the pieces as she had planned to do after crushing her self-esteem sourced and heightened in her social media feed.
No, it was Rarity!
Vignette was in shock for a few seconds, forgetting her depressive feelings due to the surprise, shifting to anxiety and confusion. Why would Rarity want to talk to me, and now of all times? She was puzzled. Aren't I a joke to everyone now?
Maybe she's just calling to join in with the choir of taunts and jeers, she thought to herself.
But Vignette thought about it more as her phone in her hand continued ringing, displaying Rarity's Caller ID. She then remembered all of those times Rarity had openly been very sweet to her, even when she was highly dismissive, Bossy, and too focused on her selfies to care about how Rarity felt.
Why would she care if I pushed her away? I'm no friend to her, with how poorly I treated her in the past.
Vignette, despite her conflictions, felt obligated to know what was going on, for she was too unhappy and full of tears and sobs to think about anything else.
She accepted the call.
Rarity spoke before Vignette could speak, with a fast voice of deep alertness and concern.
"Daaarling, it's me. I heard about what happened and saw the posts, and I saw you from the second-floor window speeding away from the School Grounds. I just had to check on you! ARE YOU OKAY!?"
Vignette was in shock, silent for a moment. She had expected to be ridiculed by Rarity, but here she was pouring out her Element of Generosity with Great Concern for her friend over the phone.
"I...I-I..."
Vignette's tongue was in knots, she was absolutely in awe, that Rarity would care about how she felt when no one else seemed to.
"It's okay dearie, I'm sorry, you must be so upset, I'm terribly sorry to add to your stresses through my own anxious worries. I-"
Vignette interrupted her
"I-I...(sob)Rarity...(sob)…I, don't understand."
"Why-whatever do you mean Vignette?"
"Well...I,(Sob) thought you...didn't like me. (Sigh) I've always been so mean to everyone...to you especially...Friends don't do these things. I'm...not worthy of your help..."
She began to sob harder, unable to hold back the tears and misery she felt from the chuckles of all who laughed at her posts, combined with the guilt of being helped by Rarity, a girl who she passively bullied the most when she had hired her and overworked her to help with the parade float costume designs, and then she took the identities of Rarity, and her friends. with her now broken old magic cellphone and held the parade with the band of the Mane 6.
Back then, she felt nothing from how she treated Rarity so poorly, she cared too much about her own status to even know how to care about her feelings. But despite her passion and her attention to trends, it wasn't enough, and her social media company had gone under. She was a shame to her family for quitting school just to be a rich social media star. After falling on her face, she decided that she would be better off if she went back and finished the last of her schooling she had. She was an A-Student after all and could easily get into any college. To not disappoint her parents more than she had, she decided to go back, after Principal Celestia decided to let her finish her schooling. Though she still loved selfies and posting in a way which wasn't quite as wonderful as she had realized now after all this time.
As she thought about all of this in a sudden flash of seconds, with a flood of guilt from her failures and successes, Rarity heard all of Vignette's sobbing over the phone, and was deeply worried, it was as if Vignette was self-loathing from the pains she felt from the post, even if she was hurting herself over So Much More. She could tell Vignette needed her help now more than ever.
"Vignette, I-I understand you don't have good days, but...that doesn't mean we are not friends."
Vignette was surprised by Rarity's openness, and her big heart.
"But W-W-W-We're...Friends? After all that I've done? Why would you even want to be my friend? Why would anyone care after knowing of what I did to others and someone as kind as you, and just to be Trendy? Who would love a shallow coward like me?!"
Rarity composed herself a little bit to be more supportive in the instance.
"Vignette, while those things you did deeply hurt me and my other friends, you must remember that we forgave you for all of what happened(Even Applejack, whom was the most disapproving of you from the start), and you are part of my friend's circle now after that fiasco has passed, even turning into a success, but I assure you that there has never been a moment where we have not been friends since we've first met, even if our friendship has been, well, rocky."
In that moment, Vignette's façade of superficial trendiness had melted away in the face of Rarity's genuine support for her. She started to forget what she thought mattered to her most, for she felt in her heart Rarity's virtual hug and compassion from her ability to love someone despite all of their mistakes and troubles. Only someone as generous as Rarity could do that. My God, Vignette thought, continuing to be silent to let Rarity speak, as she felt she had more to say.
"Darling, I want you to know more than ever that You have always been a friend to me. I like you for you. You're quite the fashionista, like me, and you have such a style of your own that I take inspiration from. After all, it's as your old motto goes, 'Be Yourself, but Better.' You push yourself to be self-improving, as well as not look away from what's not important to you. I admire you for that, as well as who you are regardless of mottos and phrases. Vignette, I'm trying not to be too sappy, but just know, I am here for you."
Vignette was captivated by her sentiment, then broken by those last few words, as they repeated in her head over and over again.
"I am here for you."
"I am here for you."
"I am here for you."
She felt the loneliness and guilt melt away, all the years of wanting to be accepted and appreciated by others for being someone else.
The Sun had risen, Her Leaf had been turned truly. Her Eyes Grew wide, as she wiped her nose of snot and tears, and also the runny mascara on her eyelids and cheeks.
"Rarity...I-I, I need to come clean. This has gone on for too long. I have not 'Been Myself But Better.' I have been a cardboard cutout of what I picture myself as on social media. I'm a fake. None of this is truly me, I don't even speak French, much less think my styles are pretty. I just want to be myself, but I've never been able to be that. That's why I admire you Rarity, You know how to be comfortable in your own skin. I wish I knew how all the same."
She Started crying. She didn't know what else to say, feeling as if she didn't deserve Rarity's Generous affection and friendship, yet wanting to accept it anyway out of appreciation, as Rarity was reaching out as she was, just for her, even when she turned her away so many times in the past, demanding and ordering her around when she could only do so much back then. Vignette had never felt so openly empathetic in a very long time, wanting to be herself, and not hurt others the way she had been hurt by those she thought she called her friends. She wanted to be herself, because she did know to be that, but didn't know how to be out in the open with it all. For the first time, it was as if she was letting herself out.
Rarity gave Vignette a moment to let it all out.
She then went silent, meditating to herself how grateful she was for Rarity's acceptance, awaiting her next words as she had taken the time to let Vignette cry.
Rarity then spoke up.
"Oh Darling, I didn't know you were feeling this awful, and never knew you admired me so, even back in those days. You came off as so confident to me, I figured I had a lot to learn from you, seeing that you were older. Regardless, I Accept you, no matter who you are. I know you have goodness in your heart Vignette. It's going to be okay; your problems can be mended with time and love. Tell you what, I'm coming to see you. You shouldn't be alone like this. You live in the Marble Mansion in Equine Hills, yes?"
"Yes...but how do you know that?" Vignette asked, confused.
Vignette pokes her head out her window and sees Rarity standing on the sidewalks of the neighborhood in front of her house gates. She knew where she lived!
Before she could ponder that thought, She called out from the sidewalk.
"Don't you remember when you told me about it at that festival a while back?"
Vignette remembered, nodding to show Rarity she knew.
Vignette then told Rarity to wait a moment and ran out of her room to the stairs. Vignette had no words, for Rarity had gone out of her way to spend time with her when she was at her lowest after this big call.
She only felt like hugging her endlessly, as she ran across the lawn in her bare feet, as opposed to wearing her boots or heels. Rarity saw how Vignette was rushing over to her that Rarity prepared to embrace her with a kind, endearing smile, as well as open arms.
Vignette didn't even wait for the darn gate to slowly open, she ripped her "trendy" dress she had on as she climbed up the gate to jump the fences as it opened. She got to the top to then jump down and cling to Rarity tightly, crying and sobbing once again.
"OH RARITYYYY!!" Vignette cried as she held Rarity tightly in a hug, but not chokingly so.
Rarity embraced her, and they stood hugging each other affectionately for what seemed like the longest time, ignorant of neighbors walking by confused or worried about what was going on.
After a long time hugging, Vignette invited Rarity into the house.
For the rest of the day, they skipped school, and Rarity remained at her house to keep her company and not leave her alone. Vignette was grateful for Rarity's company, and she found great solace in speaking to her about everything. They chatted about life, and of Vignette's new findings about how she felt about status and social media.
She saw it for the toxicity it was, and asked Rarity for help. She then told Vignette about how many problems social media had, and she could easily delete her pictures.
Rarity gladly helped Vignette remove her social media posts from the internet to avoid more ridicule. As they finished looking through everything, Rarity took a long look at all of her stuff in her room, as well as the pictures she had on her phone of her at the thrift store.
"Vignette, as much as I may not find this as my own style, is this something you truly care about?"
Vignette was quiet for a moment, wondering how she was going to word this to Rarity, for she had never told anyone about her life beyond her superficial persona.
"You see, I love being peaceful and free, enjoying life for what it is, rather than what others want it to be. Have a look at my room, you're the first, and preferably the last I want to see this room. I don't want anyone else to see my inner sanctum this deeply. But..."
Vignette Trailed off, but Rarity picked up on what she was going to say,
"...You'd prefer to show everyone the real you..."
Rarity looked into Vignette's eyes, quietly delighted by her desire to want to be authentic to herself, quietly anticipating what Vignette would truly feel about her interpretation.
"Yes...I don't want to live in the shadows anymore, I tried building a whole life even leaving school over all that junk. I had
thought I could hide it for long enough to drop the mask one day...But That day would never come on the path I was going on. THe Mask had fused to my face. It was like that one episode of the Twilight Zone..."
"Oh, my, I didn't know you liked that show."
"I love it. But more importantly, Today has been a wakeup call. I can't live in a shell any more like a turtle constantly hiding away from the world to protect itself. If I don't live the way I want to, then I'm not really living, am I?"
"I suppose not..." Rarity Smiled, giving Vignette a hug, "You're making a good move today. Maybe you ought to take it a step further, and-"
"Wait. Before you say, I agree. I need to let it all go."
Rarity Nodded, and then guided the social media app to the settings of every page she had, and one by one, every single account was on a schedule to be deleted.
...
Vignette was eternally grateful for Rarity's help, and after this, they became the best of friends.
Tomorrow would come, and a new day would dawn. No more would she waste her time on the image she used to hide herself.
No More "Chic." Vignette decided that she would be what she had wanted to be when she was 5 years old, a laid-back, and joyful sweetheart of a Beatnik, wanting peace, love, and happiness for all people, especially those close to her.
...
Vignette insisted Rarity stay for a sleepover, since it was Friday, and she obliged. As they sat on the living room couch in pajamas after sharing a tub of Neapolitan Swirl Ice cream while watching old cartoons Vignette wanted to show Rarity, they were cuddling one another while watching. Vignette rested her head in Rarity's warmth, and almost fell asleep, but was awake enough to hug Rarity rather tightly and still watch, but gave Rarity room to breathe as she hugged Vignette back. They quietly spoke to one another and never let go. Never again would Vignette ever let herself fall away to the vains of fashion, and always nurture the Strength of Empathy that Rarity had shared with her, even when she did not.
"Thank you for being here, Rarity. You've changed the course of my life tonight."
"Oh Vignette, you were the one who helped yourself. That's what friends do; they help one another see their truest potential. And I think you have found the start of yours."
Vignette agreed hugging Rarity Tighter. She was filled with love, having been forgiven, and accepted for who she was, and accepting herself and how warmly she felt knowing what it meant to be authentic, genuine, and thoughtful/considerate of others. Upon these nurturing thoughts, she found herself comfortably falling asleep in Rarity's arms.
Rarity continued to watch the cartoon that was on of a Silly Orange Cat Eating Lasagna.
...
Meanwhile, right outside the mansion, Wallflower watched the whole thing unfold from afar. Looking through binoculars in a bush, she saw everything that happened, and saw they were cuddling near an open window warm and fuzzy with one another. She had been secretly spying on Vignette to see what would happen. While She didn't anticipate Rarity getting involved, much less becoming intimately helpful with Vignette. That being said, her plan was a success.
She had done it.
Vignette was no longer the shallow social media star that everyone once knew. She had officially gone through a metamorphosis through her post disguised as Vignette's own. She had shed the sassiness and constant disgust for not keeping up with trends, and accepted simpler fashion standards for herself, ones that she loved, instead of what others thought she should love.
The next day when she came back to school, she dressed now as her own charming beatnik, taking the styles she had formed from the remains of the trolling she had experienced before deleting her social media. She decided to run with it, posting one last post with the outfit she had secretly loved with the crop top, baggy pants, and Socks and Sandals, smiling without any filters or captions, all with just one message before she deleted her account minutes later for everyone to see:
"I'm out of here. No more trends, Toodles~"
With Rarity's help, as a running ironic joke turned into genuine fashion statement, Rarity laughed about it with her that next day at Lunch, supporting her after learning that she desired to dress more casually and off the beat, and quit chasing trends to just be herself. She adored it, and even offered to make her a few outfits, of which Vignette absolutely agreed, and even wanted to learn from her to learn how to make the dresses herself, perhaps even assist her in helping her clothing business take off. That lead to her being a partner of hers for their joint dress making shop in her house down the road, they became quite the tag team, and Vignette wouldn't have had it any other way, owning her new looks, and even trying out new looks with Rarity on occasion. While their styles couldn't be farther apart, Rarity could not help but admire Vignette's new desire to be herself, but better, but for real this time.
After a time, being the beatnik style with socks and sandals even took off as a trend of its own at school. Vignette had taken full advantage of Wallflower's trolling to enjoy her life with her new best friend, whom was all along, Rarity, the Most Generous Girl there ever was. Some would even say they're an item now, shipped like a container on a ship from Hong Kong to San Francisco, and perhaps they are.
Regardless, Wallflower watched them both at school those many months later, as happy as can be successful and happy, then turned to walk home in the opposite direction.
"My work here is done."
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Author's Note
Christmas 2021 Update: I am going to make this a one-chapter story. I will also make a separate Story for (Rarity X Vignette (Rarinette, Vignarity)), Coming Soon.
