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THE CANTERLOT TIMES

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Expansion of Rarity Belle’s Boutique Empire Blighted by Fresh Claims

Profit Margin | Business Editor

Rarity Belle yesterday unveiled plans for her latest boutique, shrugging off fresh allegations concerning the links between her Yakyakistan branch and the Yakyakistan-Ibexstan war.

Speaking at the planned site in Griffonstone, Miss Belle was quick to dismiss the claims, made by international charity Friendship and Fabric Forever, that Rarity’s Fashion Alman-yak has been producing arms for the Yakyakistan military.

“Like every pony, ibex and yak, I wish for nothing more than a peaceful resolution to this dreadful, and quite frankly ridiculous, conflict,” Miss Belle told the gathered press. “But this appalling mud-slinging by Suri [Polomare, CEO of Friendship and Fabric Forever] simply has to stop. Her claims are spiteful and baseless, and have caused me no end of sleepless nights.”

When pressed about emerging photographic evidence of swords being collected from Rarity’s Fashion Alman-yak, Miss Belle went on record to stress that they had been manufactured for ceremonial occasions, and that a strict contract was in place with the Yakyakistan Royal Family to prevent their misuse. Miss Belle also took the opportunity to state that, despite growing pressure from lobbying groups, she would not be recalling branch manager, Miss Coco Pommel, from Yakyakistan.

A detailed analysis of the Yakyakistan-Ibexstan war, which began after a disagreement between a yak and an ibex over whether a popular self-portrait more closely resembled a yak or a potato, can be found on pages 7-8.

ROYAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Yakyakistan Royal Family very proud to announce engagement of Prince Rutherford and small yak-pony Coco Pommel.

Legend of yak-pony Coco Pommel beating Prince Rutherford at Official and Excellent Bayakhongor Wrestling Tournament is already now popular ballad of how romance began. Ballad is beautiful and speaks to soul of yaks. Yakyakistan Royal Office angrily dispute claims that Prince Rutherford lost match due to slippery mud: He was actually trapped in ocean of yak-pony’s eyes.

Prince Rutherford and Coco Pommel will celebrate engagement with three-day party in Bayakhongor, in two hundred moons. Much drinking and revelry. Will be perfect. All welcome.

Except philistine ibex.

A Triumph of Identity; A Triumph for Identity

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Trailblazer
Chief Reporter, Saddle out of Focus

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When was the last time you could say that the Manehattan Fashion Design Awards had shied away from controversy? An annual fixture in the calendars of fashion-lovers and socialite-seekers, the show would never have succeeded in climbing to its lofty position had it not been for its penchant for the edgy and the dramatic. Such outrage and spectacle is not just in the DNA of the MFDA though, it’s in the DNA of all who make its shortlist. So fitting, then, that on the eve of the show’s fiftieth anniversary, the winners of the MFDA welcome into their ranks one of the most controversial rising stars of the fashion world.

Coco Pommel’s inclusion in this year’s shortlist swiftly brought to the surface those historic, tawdry claims concerning her alleged involvement in the production of arms for the Yakyakistan-Ibexstan conflict, as well as her predilection for smashing garments that fail to meet her exacting standards, and her triumph last night will have done nothing to appease those who feel that the MFDA have recently crossed the line between scandal and poor taste.

However, a much greater proportion of the population will be celebrating a pony who has become an endearing and inspirational beacon (again, controversially) of cultural union. Resplendent visions of shimmering bronze and hard angles, Miss Pommel’s new line, simply entitled ‘Yak-Pony’, is a brutish, tongue-in-cheek and ultimately challenging look at the suppressed social excitement of conflict, and the manner in which insecurities are often hidden behind walls of bluster. Her fusion of pony and yak styles is immediately apparent, perhaps deliberately so, but there are so many deeper delights to be found: not least in the question of how much of ourselves we are willing to concede in our quest for a perfect, harmonious relationship.

Not that Miss Pommel is taking herself too seriously. The over-rough edges and unfinished stitchwork pokes fun at the traditional yak obsession with perfection, and the oversized sword and shield accessories are clear shots across the bows of those who criticised what she considers to have been her true alma mater: Rarity’s Fashion Alman-yak.

But perhaps the most refreshing aspect of Coco Pommel is the pony herself. Stepping up to collect her award, and to deliver a stirring speech, she was the perfect visualisation of the chaos and beauty of that aforementioned nebulous union. Wearing her traditional yak helmet on top of a fabulously shaggy mane, Miss Pommel spoke passionately and tearfully about her life’s journey, before closing with a bellowing command to join her at the bar for celebrations and wrestling. At a time when many of those in Manehattan’s fashion scene are struggling to bare their true souls, they’ll find no brighter guiding light than the city’s own prodigal daughter.

Author's Notes:

Thanks, Coco, it’s been a blast!

There were quite a few things about this story that I was proud of, but the main one was ensuring that there wasn’t the jumble of themes, ideas and content present that plagued my last story, Chicken! That meant some interesting content was removed, and certain stylistic attempts at the narrative abandoned.

The content of this chapter were all ideas and angles I had originally considered when developing the story. At one stage it was going to be told in interview/flashback form, as Rarity and Coco were arrested for the production and supply of arms. Then I had originally conceived another two endings: one where Coco became so 'yak' that she was getting marriage proposals from the Yakyakistan natives, and another where Rarity visited her back in Manehattan and witnessed Coco's change in character.

But none of those fitted the story I wanted to tell, and I didn't want the ending that’s now in place to be weakened (because I love it). That being said, I gave some thought as to whether I could include some of the content in a more fitting way, particularly as some of the comments I received suggested a general interest about how the concept could ultimately play out.

A bonus chapter with cute news summaries seemed to add enough flavour to the world of the story without overpowering/overbalancing it; plus, this way the content can also be ignored if desired.

Thanks again for all of your comments. As you can probably tell, I enjoyed writing this one very much.