//------------------------------// // Création // Story: À partir de Bourgeons à Fleurs // by Indulgence //------------------------------// Déjà vu much? ‘Buck’ Coco sighed quietly, to nopony in particular beyond herself. Her tired head leant forwards to rest her muzzle on her forehooves, sat sunk at the centre of the lounge space’s least detritus covered of its trio of sofas. Before her several sheets lay settled across the squat surface of the coffee table, all depicting a single slender figure in a variety of poses, but also all markedly incomplete, lacking the outfit for which they stood waiting. Her mind was hatefully entirely correct in its appraisal: nothing about her frozen state being in any way new, she having been there many times previously, waiting upon the spark of inspiration to fire so that she could return to motion. For Fleur however she found this stillness more pronounced. This was both in terms of the difficulty of the obstructing stumbling block and her desire to overcome it, perfection being the goal and nothing less than that being an adequate solution. Start with what you’ve actually got and then work from there. ‘Okay.’ Coco indulged in a deep calming breath, taking an imaginary step backwards to take better stock of what she had. ‘The form is already pretty much set in stone as it’s got to be a suit, so let’s move on from that foundation.’ Normal jacket or coat tails? ‘No tails: too old fashioned, plus we’re hinting at traditional not wallowing in it. Above all else though they just wouldn’t be her.’ Next: colour scheme? ‘Definitely black as the base colour, anything besides in the wedding setting has the potential to look tacky. Equally as the main colour block it should create a nice refined line.’ Taking up her pencil again, having cast it aside in annoyance some time ago, she let it follow the tracks of her thought. ‘Hooray progress!’ Black maybe the norm for such attire, but might it not be too dark, giving off kind of a funeral air? ‘True to an extent, but at the same time it adds definition and as well as looking cheap something lighter wouldn’t suit her, no terrible pun intended.’ She mentally face-hoofed. Too plain? ‘Also in part true. The solution to both points therefore: patterning, kept simple so as not to detract or distract from the overall look, also adding some brightness to it.’ Pinstriping perhaps. --- ‘Hey, sorry I’m late.’ Fleur span round on the chocolate coloured sponge cake of a seat on which she sat, looking over a shoulder to meet the approaching pegasus with a smile. ‘It’s all cool.’ The steel grey shape of Twilight Sky deposited himself in a similar chair, completing a circle of four at the back of a strangely quiet coffee shop, caught in the calm just after the rushed anarchy of morning. ‘So, what’s occurring?’ ‘We’ve been waiting on you to find out’ Roxie interjected, almost mistakable for the pegasus’ sister in her mirrored sky blue eyes and short spiked mane, although the pale blue earth mare’s stood in stripes of violet and lilac whereas his were simply azure. ‘The suspense is killing me.’ ‘Well sorry, it’s not my fault that the air traffic around here is permanently snarled up’ Sky retorted, though no more seriously than the complaint he addressed. ‘So what’s up Fleur?’ ‘As long as it’s not another surprise show I’ll be happy’ Roxie interrupted again before the white unicorn could make an answer. ‘Come on, it wasn’t that bad’ returned the pegasus, picking up the disagreement for the sake of it. ‘I thought it was quite fun actually.’ ‘Speak for yourself, all you had to do was strut about and look pretty. I’m not complaining and I’m happy about what it achieved, it was just quite a lot of work.’ ‘If you two are finished I could actually tell you’ Fleur broke in to the verbal back and forth. ‘Before I begin though, I would like to thank you all again for what you did.’ ‘Sweet Celestia, this is going to be another show isn’t it!’ ‘Kind of’ Fleur continued, maintaining a straight face, ‘it’ll be a show of sorts.’ ‘Come on Fleur!’ both pegasus and earth mare chorused in unison. ‘Okay okay. Me and Coco are now engaged’ she confessed in a rushed exhale, briskly continuing: ‘and we’d like to invite you all to the wedding.’ ‘Well buck’ Sky exclaimed, the first to break the brief silence which had fallen amongst them, startling a server placing a tall latte in front of him. ‘Congratulations’ the final member of their party added quietly but warmly. Amethyst Glow (a dark cream earth mare with strikingly contrasting electric pink hair and tail, her mane a dichotomy of buzz cut back and extravagantly long front) tended to be like that, in the background but therefore always honest in her sparing use of words. ‘Yeah congrats!’ Roxie added in support, grinning broadly. ‘You don’t hang about do you.’ Sky in contrast remained more reserved. ‘I mean you two haven’t been together that long and you’ve already popped the question.’ ‘Actually, she asked me.’ ‘Really? Again wow, unexpected, she’s always been the quieter one of your pairing.’ His words kept themselves frank and questioning, almost cold. ‘Pack it in Sky, stop being such a downer!’ Roxie again rose her voice and the two turned back to light hearted bickering. ‘Don’t let them bother you’ Amethyst whispered, leaning in towards the unicorn as she spoke, ‘you two are lovely together, and all this proves is that you bring out the best of her confidence.’ ‘Thank you’ Fleur whispered back with some gratitude. ‘So, ignoring this ass’ Roxie began again, coming out of her arguing with Sky and ignoring a raised eyebrow and infantile stuck out tongue from the former, ‘what’s the plan then?’ ‘Nothing big: a small ceremony of just close friends and family up at Rainbow Falls.’ ‘Nice.’ ‘I’m not trying to be an asshole Fleur’ Sky corrected apologetically, ‘it’s just ‘cause I give a buck, I’ve known you for a while, and this is sudden even for you. I really am happy for you though. Anyway, friends and family right?’ ‘Yeah, so?’ ‘So… family… your parents?’ ‘Yeah that…’ Fleur’s voice trailed to an uncertain nothing. This was a sticking point from which she had tried to keep her mind, tying an insecure knot in her guts each time it was considered. Her eyes, having fallen to her forehooves, now extricated themselves from the floor and met a concerned circle of knowing faces as they looked up. They helped, a little. ‘For one thing the last time we actually talked was after the show, only consisting of a very brief row, and on top of that they don’t even know about me and Coco yet, let alone anything else.’ ‘Damn Fleur.’ A supportive steel grey hoof came to rest against her shoulder, the pegasus attached to it the picture of understanding, matched in turn by the rest of those present. This begot another loaded quiet, none really sure of what to say. ‘Buck ‘em.’ Amethyst shocked everypony there with her blunt words, it being easy to forget that she was capable of them, but all were swift in recovering. ‘I hope that you’ll be pleasantly surprised by their reactions, but if not they can go to Tartarus.’ ‘Yeah, buck ‘em’ Roxie mirrored, taking up her cue with a supporting warm smile. ‘Thanks guys.’ Although the knot remained ever-present it was loosened somewhat in their faces, fear and doubt still there also but dulled as incessant voices. ‘Now then’ Sky began anew, lifting his mug with a wing, steam rising from the homely looking cup, ‘this stuff doesn’t seem like the most appropriate drink, but nonetheless cheers to Coco and Fleur.’ ‘Cheers!’ The four friends brought their mugs together with a *clink*, sharing a slight giggle at the vaguely weird looking nature of their caffeinated toast. --- It’s not personal enough, it needs something. Coco now faced a crowd of unicorns, each clad in the stark simplicity of a suit jacket, broken up and brightened whilst still maintaining its clean lines with the whiteness of pinstripes running across their bodies and sleeves. Again she had been forced to pause, with déjà vu her unwanted companion, in search of how to conclude the ensemble. It looked good, more than good although her inner self would never let her admit it, making her loath to add anything and ruin its refinement. Something that speaks; so what do you want to say? ‘That I’m simply hers, that’s all, that’s everything.’ In order to continue she switched to the more academic task of lining, which of course would be velvet for its feel, flicking through a book of offcuts. Initially she flew past a variety of colours uninspired, her neck bent low as she stared down at the passing pages. Then she suddenly stopped, her forehoof resting against a piece of fabric almost matching the turquoise strands of mane hanging at her vision’s periphery. The colour, distinctly somewhere between that of her hair and irises, would ultimately be invisible, really only known to herself as creator and Fleur, but that in turn made it a nice touch. It could therefore be a minor, tiny even, hidden reference to herself, gifted with the outfit to her partner. ‘That could work.’