Rarity, Mental Illness, Rejection [Feels]

They didn't like Rarity's work. This was an uncommon circumstance in the best of conditions, but these were not the best if conditions. Equestria's economy was doing poorly at the moment, and that meant that clients were always more picky about what they spent their hard-earned money on. Couple this with the fact that less money meant less money for Rarity to spend on high-quality materials and tools and, well, times were tough. Nobody was buying Rarity's clothing.

The haughty couple strutted out of the Boutique, leaving a distressed Rarity at the counter. She stepped out into the main lobby area and began to trudge toward the back area when the bell on the front door rang.

"Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where everything is sleek, sheek, and–", Rarity began, but then she took a look at her new guest and a scowl appeared on her face. "Oh", she grumbled, "It's you again."

The mare had the appearance of a somewhat poorer relative that someone from a wealthy family might have. She wore her mane in a simple bun and wore a simple tan vest. Her coat was a dull pink and her mane was somewhere between gray and lavender.

"Yes. It's me. What? I can't visit my darling Rarity every now and then?"
"Well you could, if you didn't harass me every night, or if you were welcome, or maybe if you were even real."

The mare smirked. "I will get you to admit that I'm real you know. I've got new tricks tonight."

"Right then. Well I'm going to go eat now. Go away." Rarity walked into the kitchen, the mare followed. She made herself a simple salad and began to eat without offering her guest anything.

"You know", began the visitor, "You seem a bit distraught, Rarity."

Rarity ignored her and finished her meal.

"I mean, it's just that, well you know, business is bad right now and you're not exactly selling any clothes, correct?"

Rarity got up, pushed her chair in, and and walked into her living room to lie on her red velvet sofa. She moaned slightly as she lay down; her legs were tense from a somewhat distressing day of standing up, and giving them rest felt nice.

"You know, if money is tight, them perhaps you should seek employment elsewhere," drawled on the pony, eliciting Rarity to look at her, "Why, a mare with a pretty body like yours could certainly earn a pretty bit down at some stallions' nightclub."

The mare dodged a fancy vase launched at high speeds by Rarity's magic.

"Oh my, I hadn't realized that my suggestion would make you so angry. Such a lovely vase ruined on some silly hallucination like myself."

Rarity answered, "Darling, I thought you were trying to convince me that you are real."

The mare made a gesture with her hoof, "Oh yes, but now I'm convincing you that I'm not real. Once I've convinced you of that then you'll decide that I am real. It's the new method."

Rarity was so unimpressed by this that her eyes became half-lidded.

"Oh, don't give me that look. You know, when I was as young and pretty as you, I worked in a stallions' nightclub. There's no shame in it whatsoever. And since you're failing at what you do like to do you certainly need the money. Wouldn't it be nice to have Sweetie Belle over? You know you can't have her over unless you can afford to make her some dinner."

Rarity left the question unanswered, saying, "I really must find a doctor who can get rid of you. You really are quite bothersome."

"Oh, doctors! What a truly useless profession. Why, I once had an infected nose, and the local doctor could only cure my left nostril! He sent me to a specialist in Manehattan for the right nostril," the mare snorted, "Besides, unless you're already working stallions' entertainment, I doubt you can afford a doctor good enough to get rid of me."

Rarity groaned, got up, and walked upstairs. The visitor took Rarity's place on the sofa and began idly examining her hooves.

She called up after Rarity, "Going to bed so soon, dear Rarity? I wish you a pleasant night's sleep. I'll be waiting for you in your dreams."

Rarity groaned. She groaned because she knew the mare was telling the truth. She would be there in Rarity's dreams, just as she had been for the past several weeks. Just as she would be for perhaps the rest of Rarity's life.

When would this torture end?