Rarity's Rules of TLC

by jamiejammers

Rating: everyone
Tags: Rarity, Slice of Life, Sweetie Belle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 1506

Rarity is making dresses for her customers as usual, but she keeps scrapping and scrapping her work. Maybe she's way too hard on herself.

A personal short story about the consequences of perfectionism, and my first ever published work on FimFic! Hope you guys enjoy.

Rarity is making dresses for her customers as usual, but something is wrong this time. She keeps scrapping and scrapping her work, unable to view her work as complete. Maybe she's way too hard on herself. Maybe there is such a thing as too much TLC? The cycle must be broken!

Published 2024-04-12 18:40:00 UTC
Last updated 2024-04-12 18:40:00 UTC

Am I Too Hard on Myself? Pshh Nah

Right, orders. Rarity, the customers need their orders done, and the customers will get their orders!

Ponyville’s premier fashionista unicorn, Rarity, trotted circles around the working room of her famous Carousel Boutique. This is where all the magic happened. Where the stylish seamstress turned mere sheets of fabric and individual gemstones into a complete dress. She spent hours searching for the gemstones to make her perfect dresses, digging for them in the dirt. She spent hours researching patterns and designs to make the perfect matching outfit for her client. Dresses could never conflict with tails, hats could never conflict with manes.

It had been done plenty of times before. It could be done again. Buck, Rarity even designed all her best friends matching dresses for the Galloping Gala (the hottest event since, like, ever)! Several of the most influential fashion ponies of high society have seen and appreciated her dresswork. She even owned a branch in Canterlot proper, and was on the cover of numerous fashion magazines. Rarity had everything she could ever ask for, could ever dream for. So, let’s get to work making these marvelous dresses, Rarity.

With a deep, prolonged inhale, Rarity hovered her signature red glasses onto her muzzle with her magic aura. It really does pay to be a unicorn, she chuckled to herself. She walked around her boutique, care was put into the decorations. The white and purple pony’s horn started to glow as she walked through her store front. A mannequin was picked up in her aura, conveyed through the air as if it was on a conveyor belt. She took plenty of fabric and other supplies from her supply closet, and went back to her working room, setting everything down as her horn turned off. Rarity couldn’t imagine having to do all this work with wings, or even just her hooves.

So, Rarity went through the motions. She draped soft fabric over the mannequin. Then, she carefully and purposefully used the pins to hold them in place. Gently guided the needle and thread to stitch it all together, and added the gemstones to bedazzle. This dress was being especially designed for a prestigious unicorn mare in Canterlot. It had to be done right!Right. Right, right, right. Right, it had to be done right. Tender loving care! That was the Rarity slogan. Tender loving care.

Scrap. Try again, Rarity.

And so, Rarity went through the motions. Carefully, the white mare levitated the discarded prototype off the simulacra of a pony, and tossed it into a bin. The bin was empty. Through the motions, Rarity. This next dress was going to be perfect. Everypony had to at least scrap one prototype before they were done.

Rarity wrapped fabric over the pony model, used some more pins to hold it in place, used a different needle and a different color of thread to stitch it together. It was really all coming together. Rarity smiled! Smiling was good. Keep smiling. Stop frowning. Stop frowning, Rarity! Goodness why are you always frow-

Inhale. Exhale. Try again, Rarity. Maybe you’re not in the right state of mind.

And so, Rarity went through the motions, yet again. Third time’s a charm they always used to say to her as a filly. Third time’s a charm. The skilled seamstress tossed the failed prototype in the bin. Fabric. Pins. Stitch it together. Why isn’t this Tartarus-damned thing coming together! It’s not!

Inhaleeee, exhale. Did this breathing thing really work? Twilight would never lie to-

And so, Rarity went through the motions, yet, yet again. Maybe fourth time’s a charm. This time, Rarity didn’t even bother with her unicorn magic. She gripped the bucked-up dress into the trash with her bare teeth. A small bit of sweat dripped down her forehead, which she wiped off with a forehoof. It started to itch.

Fabric. Pin. Needle. Thread. Gems.

Fabric? Check. Pins? Check. Needle? Check. Thread? Check. Gems? Check.

Fifth time’s a charm had a ring to it. Sixth time’s a charm was hard to say. Seven. Eight. Nine. Oh hoofness, did she really do the same thing over and over again ten separate times?

Rarity grounded herself into the floor through all four of her hooves. Her breath was shaky and unsteady. She focused all of her being through the floor. BUCK! IT! ALL! GUH! She kicked, and kicked, and kicked. The mannequin wasn’t even there but she still kicked air. Maybe the air deserved it. Maybe she was breathing in harmful fumes. Maybe Discord took away all her special talent. Buck it all, she thought. Tears started to well in her eyes as she paced, and she paced, and she paced.

Okay Rarity, you’re throwing a fillyhood fit. Just. Breathe.

In. One… Two… Three… Four… Five… And hold.

Out. One… Two… Three.. Four… Five… And hold.

“Rarity, Rarity, are you okay,” a familiar squeaky voice boomed into the room. The owner of the voice, none other than her younger sister, Sweetie Belle, crashed through the door. “Is someone breaking into the bou-”

“Oh hoofness, did- did I really do that?” Rarity looked all wide eyed at the mess she had made in the room. Bits and pieces of fabric scrap carpeted the floors. Scissors, needles, tools haphazardly thrown around the room made it seem pretty dangerous to walk around without boots on. Needless to say, the place was a total disaster. Rarity’s younger filly sister seemed like a spitting image of her, the same shocked expression painted on her face.

“Ah,” Sweetie Belle searched deep inside her brain for words. Anything to say to her older sister, her idol. Not only did she look up to her physically (being rather small and all), but mentally as well. “You need a break.”

“I-I just need to finish this dress, dear-y,” she stammered out, rather unconvincingly.

“What dress? This room looks like more of a mess than when Applebloom, Scootaloo, and I made Cheerilee a giant love heart for hearts and hooves day.”

And so, the little filly basically pushed her older sister out of the door to the carousel boutique, the older mare’s hooves digging into the dirt.

“I’m fine, Sweetie Belle, trust me!”

“Nope, you go and enjoy the sunset, and I’ll clean this mess up for you to start over again in the morning.” The door was suddenly encased in an aura of mint green, and then it slammed itself shut. I guess it didn’t pay to have a unicorn as a sister, huh Rarity? Rarity chuckled to herself once more. Wait, sunset? The sun hung in stasis halfway down past the horizon, all of the sleepy village of Ponyville was basking in the beautiful orange glow of it all. How long had she been working for? Had she really lost count? Rarity’s stunning white coat was all frazzled, and drenched in sweat. It itched and tingled all over her. The one thing she hated more than failing her customers was getting all itchy and tingly.

“Nevermind that you fool,” she spoke to herself as her legs started to pick themselves up and move on their own. She walked and walked and walked.

Princess Celestia lowered the sun down past the horizon, and the orange glow faded away into obscurity. Stars, bedazzling like gems strung across the sky. It was one of the most beautiful things she had seen in a long while. Fatigue washed over Rarity as the night, and Princess Luna took over, and eventually the moon would start to rise over the horizon to replace the sun. If only she could share this moment with Sweetie Belle, or even Applejack. Twilight would definitely appreciate it too. Moments of the times she made her friends happy flashed through her head. Maybe she was being far too hard on herself. Maybe she really didn’t have to go over that same dang dress ten times over. Besides, now she had the perfect inspiration for a new collection. Stages of the sun and the day and the sunset and the night and and-

Rarity willed herself to get up, Sweetie Belle probably wasn’t expecting Rarity to sleep all alone outside in the grass after all.

Trotting back to the Carousel Boutique, she chuckled at herself for how silly she was being. She walked into Sweetie Belle’s room only to find the filly sleeping soundly in bed, tucked in with the night light off. The loving older sister walked right up to her, and gently kissed her on the cheek.

When she walked into her work room, everything was the exact opposite of how she had left it. It was clean. It was tidy. It was… wow. The waterworks turned on again, and Rarity wiped off a tear with her hoof. It was far too late now to work.

Right, Rarity. No need to be so silly this time. Ask Sweetie for feedback. She loves your dresses, Rarity.

And with that, she went through the motions. Of sleeping of course!