Chapter 16 - Shopping
Spike was in his room, giving a last glance at his notes ready to head out the hotel room the town had paid for them. It was still a bit weird to keep a semblance of normality, doing correctly his job. He had always prided himself to give all his attention to his job, but now he was not sure when in the middle of a lesson he worried about Twilight. Frankly, after their trip to the cave with the changelings, he nearly wanted to go home in the Crystal Empire and let some professional help Twilight like Emerald suggested once.
There was a knock on his door, he replied with a simple “Came in.”
An alicorn with a not yet combed mane entered the room. Spike did not have to wonder long what she wanted as she quickly blurted “I need a dress!”
“A dress?” Spike was confused, Twilight never wanted dresses, she mostly was the target of other mare wanting to dress her, like her mother Cadance or even Rar… Lady Blueblood.
“Yes. For Emerald!”
“You want a dress for Emerald? You want to see him in a dress?” Spike asked in reply with a small smile on his face.
“Yes!” she paused “No!” she shook her head. “Gah. No. Why would I want that?”
“I am just teasing you. Why do you need a dress?”
She patted the ground with one hoof and muttered: “To look pretty.”
Spike could have rolled his eyes, he did not need to be Cadance to see that Twilight was getting enamorer in the stallion. He repeated, “To look pretty.”
“Yes?” she cleared her throat, took a look behind her and whispered “I mean, he wants to go to a fancy restaurant. I need to look pretty? So I was thinking. I need a dress.”
Spike pondered the thought, Emerald had insisted on inviting them to a restaurant and obviously it was not a cheap priced one. But Spike knew by experience that most of the time, expensive establishment was worth the bit “Ok, it makes sense. And yes it’s a good idea. Luckily I have a suit.”
“You have a suit? It’s not too hard to find one?” she poked Spike’s belly.
“Hey. I am not fat!”
Twilight eyes opened wide “What? No. I mean. I don’t think ponies sell dragon clothing, do they?”
“No. I have them made.” It’s was one of the perks of living with royalty, the royal tailor of the Crystal Empire always loved the challenge to do cloth for him “Anyways, do you want bits?”
She looked at him with pleading eyes “I know nothing about dresses.” she lowered her head and sighed “I am a stupid mare.”
Spike brought a claw under her dropping head “Hey, not every mare know things about how to wear clothes. But I have an idea.”
He opened the door of his room and poked his head through the door. He shouted “Emerald?”
“Yes?” came the reply from the main room of the small apartment.
“Would you mind doing some shopping with Twilight?” Spike continued.
“Alright. For some books?” the stallion inquired.
“No, a dress.”
Spike closed the door before Emerald could reply back, chuckling to himself.
---
Emerald and Twilight were walking through the main commercial street of the town. Emerald was eyeing each vitrine with a critical eye. Twilight had a coat colour close to her normal one, but her mane was white.
She stopped in front a store that sold sportswear. Her eyes stopped on the poster displayed behind some flying suits and goggles.
Emerald followed her gaze “You want some goggles? Or some flight lessons maybe?”
“Hu. No, I was looking at that” she pointed at the picture of a blue pegasus mare, wearing the typical blue with the yellow lightning bolt suit of the Wonderbolts. The pegasus mare had a prismatic tail that matched some wild mane stands that poked out the suit and goggles.
Emerald panicked internally. She was pointing at the famous Captain of the Wonderbolt, Rainbow Dash. She was famous for her Sonic Rainboom and for her fast climbing in the rank of the elite group of flyers. But Emerald remembered that she was also one of the mares that helped Twilight Sparkle save Equestria. Her own earned fame as a stunt flyer make it easy for ponies to forget that.
No, No, No I need to find a way out, It will be terrible if she remember that? right? “Maybe you like the Wonderbolts?”
“No, it’s the mare. The rainbow tail, it looks familiar.” her eyes narrowed..
Not good, how about “Maybe your brother had a poster of her? Youngs stallions love Wonderbolts mares posing in tights suits.” Emerald chuckled and waited for the alicorn to realize the implication of his words.
“No Shining was more into guard stuff. And...” she trailed and blushed then hit the stallion with a hoof “Hey!”
Gotcha thought Emerald “Sorry, sorry. Anyway, do you want something?”
Twilight keep stammering not being able to look at the stallion “I… no, it’s alright.”
They keep trotting slowly, passing more shop. Emerald was worried. It had been a close call. He had no idea how she could react remembering what must be an important pony for her. That gave him another reason to avoid one of Lady Blueblood shops. First, it was rather pricey for the quality served and second it was a very handy network to gather information, knowing whom mare a young Lord was seeing was always juicy gossip and potential pressure. And that aside most dresses were just gaudy or unoriginal. To add another thing in disfavor of the choice there was always some picture of the Lady herself in every shop.
Emerald kept eying the passing and incoming shop while thinking. The main shopping area of the city had a good variety of small shop, some well known store you could find in every major city, some local. It was like a small Canterlot in some way. He was trying to find something quite unique but proper.
“You don’t wear your suit?” interrupted Twilight.
Emerald stopped trotting “Sorry?”
“Well, you always wear a suit. I always saw you with a suit.”
Emerald looked left and right searching for something then said: “Oh, It’s quite simple.” He pointed to another stallion wearing what was for Emerald a cheap suit. He was followed by two mares “It’s to attract less attention.”
“I see.” She remained silent then looked at Emerald “How do you handle it?”
“Handle what?”
“The fame. I… At the train station, a filly recognized Spike and I saw a picture of myself at the library.”
Emerald straighten his posture. It was a question some of his ‘commoners’ friends had asked him and still did not have a good answer “You should probably ask Spike. I know my place in the world since I was born. I was raised to act upon that. I am not sure I can help.”
“I see.” she paused, looking at her reflection in a display window “It’s just so weird.”
“Well, ponies know you for good things.” Emerald reflected on this, he knew all too well how easy it was for a pony to lose credibility based just on popular opinion.
“I guess.” Twilight looked at the stallion then back at her reflection “It’s still all blurry in my head.”
They resumed their walk and soon Emerald said “Aha. I think we will find you a nice dress here.” he pointed at a small sign that read Pommel’s Design. It looked like a rather plain shop with simple but elegant designs from what he could see in the display window.
Emerald entered first and held the door for Twilight.
“Good morning. How can I help you?” greeted a mare. She was an earth pony with a cream coat, a mane and tail with two ton of cyan, she was wearing a pair of glass with a black frame.
Emerald moved toward the counter “Good morning. My friend here needs a nice dress. Something simple and elegant.”
The earth pony mare looked at them and nodded “Hm, I see.”
“And don’t worry about the price.” He turned his head toward Twilight “I will be back in 1-2 hours.”
“You are not staying?”
“I have some things to take care. And I know how mares can be with dress.” he heard the mare behind the counter chuckle before leaving the shop.
***
Coco Pommel eyed the confused mare in front of her after the stallion just left in a hurry. She was curious, the stallion must be a noble, it was hard for them to hide how they hold themselves. Common ponies only saw the fancy dresses and expensive suits, trained eyes saw trained good posture. But the mare was totally different. She was probably his next conquest. He went just here to buy her some fancy trinket to impress her. Young ponies.
She left her counter to walk toward the mare “What is your name, miss?”
“Twilight Flower,” she answered shyly.
“Can I call you Twilight?”
“Hu, yes”
“Twilight, do you have an idea on what you want?”
“Not really” the unicorn eyed the dresses on display on the different ponyquin. “I… I will have a look?”
“Suit yourself. I am here if you need help.”
The earth pony mare get back at her counter, trying to picture what kind of dress she could make for the unicorn mare if asked. She rarely got orders for full custom-made, mostly altering an existing design. She did not accomplish her dream of becoming a well-known fashion designer, but she was still happy with her modest shop. At least she was her own boss and had no pony to answer to.
She was scribbling on a sheet of paper when the unicorn mare gets back to the counter. She had a frown on her face, the corner of her eyes had signs of tears on her face.
That was new for Coco, she left her counter again to get close to the mare “Something wrong, sweetie?”
“I… I know nothing about dresses.” she looked at Coco, hope in her eyes “I… don’t know what to choose.”
“Well, in my opinion, it’s better to admit you don’t know and seek help than thinking something that does not suit you at all is a good dress.”
Twilight nodded and Coco continued, “So. What colour do you prefer?”
The unicorn raised her head then looked at Coco “White… I think. I like white thing...” she paused and chuckled “My brother is white. You are white… white and dress?”
She grabbed her head with her hooves emitting a small “Gah.” After a short while, she shook and head and sighed.
“Are you alright?” asked a worried Coco Pommel, ready to grab the mare.
“Yes, I am fine,” she stated in reply.
“Are you sure? Do I need to call for help?”
Twilight groaned “It’s nothing.” she smiled “So white! Yes white.”
Coco was not convinced the mare was fine. She was no doctor, but she knew that head issues were rarely nothing. Still, she was here to sell dresses, and the customer was mostly always right.
“Right, white, what shade of white? More pearl white, gray, crème…. And I lost you.”
The ears on the head of Twilight dropped, betraying her confusion “Yes, sorry.”
Coco put a smile on her face, she was always happy to guide a customer to find something that suited them “Alright, alright, with your coat…”
***
They had moved to a stand where the seamstress was making adjustment to a white cream dress with blue strands running from the barrel to the tail of the unicorn. Coco was using the base of a white dress she already has, then worked from there by adding touche and making adjustment to have a perfect fit.
“So, who is the stallion? Your coltfriend?”
Twilight nearly kicked Coco in the snout, to answer at the unexpected question. She turned her head toward the earth pony mare just in time to see her back her head away “I am so sorry! I am sorry.”
Coco smirked, “I take that as a no then?”
Twilight’s ears fluttered then she sighed “I… don’t know. He is more like my big brother, taking care of me.”
The earth pony mare got back at working adjusting the strands “Well. He is buying you a dress.” she noted.
“Spike told him to.”
“Spike?”
“My… caretaker.”
Coco paused in her work, she was a really an unusual customer, or maybe just a confused young mare. If she had a caretaker she was probably a fragile mare too. But as much as it was confusing it was not like she could do something.
She planted one final pin to fix a strand “Alright. I think I am done.” she invited the mare to leave the pedestal. She put her best smile while dragging a big mirror closer. “So?”
She watched the mare gaping and smiling while turning around in front of the mirror to have a better look. A clear sign of success and probably a nice sell.
“It’s beautiful!” beamed the unicorn.
---
Emerald was on his way back to the boutique. He almost went to see the mare that give him her address at the train station, it had been a tempting way of distracting himself. Doing shopping with a mare was not unusual, and something he could enjoy, but dealing with… actually Emerald had no idea what could happen if Twilight was to remember majors thing from her past, but it was out his comfort zone. He had to clear his mind, so he choose to kill time by wandering in the city and stopped at a bar. Most of his time at the bar had been just thinking, he barely touched his drink.
Before entering the shop he glanced at his reflection, checking his mane and coat for any trace of dirt. When he entered he spotted Twilight sipping tea with the shop owner in a corner where was disposed chairs and a coffee table.
“Ha you are back.” said the shop owner, she pointed to a dress on a ponyquin. “I hope you like it.”
Emerald moved closer to the dress, first looking the colours, eyeing Twilight. Hm, not bad choice He then looked closely at the strands, analyzing the stitches holding them. Proper stitches that should hold quite a bit.
He moved back to have a full view of it “Good work.” he produced a paper from his mane wrote something on it and give it to the earth pony “Do you know how that works?”
“Yes, thank you.” she eyed the card then the stallion “House… Scroll?”
Emerald nodded “I am surprised you recognize the seal.”
“When I started my boss was a bitch but a bitch that teach me where and who to bother to get money. Ended memorizing seals, houses name and the name of big ponies.”
Emerald chuckled at the honest answer. It was not rare for artists or craftsmen to bother noble house or rich pony to get some support.
They bid their farewell to the earth pony mare and left the shop, Emerald holding in his magic a slipcover that protected the dress.
“You did not pay…” Twilight said and trailed, then she looked at Emerald “or the card was a form of payment?”.
Emerald smiled, she looks cute when she figures something “Yes, she will send it to the Scroll Manor with the bill. Then my father or the accountant will send back a special cheque to get the bits from a certified bank.”
Twilight looked at him, visibly confused “You don’t know how much the dress cost?”
Emerald chuckled “Well, I am not really poor. Do you really pay attention at the price of a pastry you want?”
“I guess no.” she paused “I guess it’s just a matter of scale…” she looked at the dress “Thank you.”
They walked back to the hotel to drop the dress then met with Spike for lunch. Emerald spent time talking to him about his issues with Twilight. They agreed there was not much they could do aside from trying to lead her thought on something else.
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They're going to be so cute together.
Gosh I'm glad to see this update, I missed this story.
If you write these on google docs you can send a suggestions link to some people to get on top of the grammar and spelling for you. Other than that, I look forward to seeing more c:
Yeah, you can create a link-sharing option, but give suggestion-only access so that people can't actually change your work. Google shows the intended changes, and you can accept or reject them as wanted. It prevents vandalism, yet lets you get the audience to help spell check.
Reminds me of a poem:
This is a very interesting story.
8974311
Apologies for necroing this one, but I found it hilarious. Also, I think I found it. It's great, and there's a lesson to learn too.
Am I weird for disabling all spell checkers and auto-correct options?