Mixing Colors

by Lyssa

Road Trip

The rest of the week progressed slowly. The next day we finished with the apple orchard and put the apples in the apple stand to sell. Two days before the train was due to be finished, I decided we should find something suitable to wear for Manehattan. Needless to say, he seemed reluctant. "Come on, darlin'!" He complained after I told him we were going shopping. "Ain't my vest fancy enough for Manehattan?" I raised a quizzical eyebrow as I looked at his vest. It was worn and cracked and dusty, definitely not big-city material. "Nope! We are going to get you a new vest and that's final. I'll get something too, so we both look nice."

He smiled, knowing he had been defeated. "Alright. I wouldn't do it for anypony else but you, though."
I grinned, putting on my saddlebag and watching him put on his over his old vest. He'll look so charming in a new vest, I thought. "Come on, let's go!"

As we trotted to the small boutique, Braeburn got excited and distracted by every little thing. "Hay, don'tcha want some lemonade?" "Ah think Ah'm out of bread. We should get some more!" "Now, don't tell me you don't like scuba gear!" Why do they sell scuba gear out here? I asked myself as I practically dragged Braeburn to the shoppe. I grinned as I finally got Braeburn through the doors of the boutique. Ding!

"May I help you?" Asked a friendly royal blue stallion.
"Um, yes, actually. I'm looking for a nice dark vest for my coltfriend here," I answered, giggling a little. Braeburn blushed but smiled genuinely for the first time on our trip.
The salespony's face lit up. "Ah, vests vests vests... I just made a few... Oh! Here we are. I have some in black, gray, brown, blue, green, purple-or are you looking for a fabric? There's silk, satin, wool, velvet, velour for if you're on a budget, but I don't think it beats the real thing-" the flamboyant stallion might have gone on forever, had I not interrupted him. "Um! We're just looking for a good, high-quality black or gray vest." Braeburn opened his mouth but I blocked it with a hoof. The blue stallion led us to the vests of those colors. "Just holler if you need anything! I'm Haute Couture." I smiled appreciatively at him as he trotted back to the counter.

After looking through, feeling, and holding up a couple different vests, I picked out a few choice ones and told Braeburn to try them. I have to say, he looked nice in all of them, but in the end we picked two black ones and two gray ones in varying hues and fabrics that looked the best. Next, we trotted over to the ladies' section and picked out a few simple but nice dresses for me- one ruffle-y white one, one purple one with lace, a silvery, sparkly one and a black velvet one and, thankfully, the dresses wouldn't bother either of my wings. We made out with some pretty good prices, too, considering the quality of the products. Haute Couture chattered on and on as he rung up our purchases, and as nice as he was, I was kind of glad to say goodbye.

***

When we got home, I helped Braeburn pack up. We packed his new vests and small amount of toiletries (his toothbrush, toothpaste, vest and hat would be packed up before we left) and his extra bits from the apple stand. I packed up my dresses, my more extensive toiletries, and my finished art (I had done the last two in a small fit of homesickness, thinking of my family and friends and felt better afterwards). When we were done, I smiled at the way things were all turning out. I couldn't have wished for a better experience than the one I was having now. I realized I was just standing there, smiling like an idiot, when Braeburn pecked me on the cheek. "Come on, Sugarcube. We gotta make somethin' to eat." I grinned wider and kissed him on the lips. "Sounds good."

***

Finally, the moment had arrived-the train was working and it was time to go to Manehattan! We got all packed up and dressed (we decided it would be best to arrive in Manehattan dressed- I wore my black velvet dress and Braeburn wore his black satin vest. We agreed that we both looked very nice and headed off for the train station, saddlebags on our backs.

The day was as hot and dry as ever, Apploosan dust kicking up beside us. I took care to not let it settle on my fancy dress until we reached the train. When we finally arrived, the ticket mare showered us with complements on our attire as we bought Braeburn a ticket. My eyes softened as I realized how much I would miss this small town and its friendly ponies. We displayed our tickets as we trotted on the train. The inside had been fixed up a little too since the last time I was on it- the upholstery and floor seemed to be cleaned and the luggage racks dusted. Braeburn seemed to be fascinated by everything again, but this time it was genuine. "You've never been on a train before?" I asked.

He blushed and rubbed the soft seat cushion shyly. "Ah never really had reason to leave Apploosa..." He trailed off. I gently grabbed his face between my hooves and kissed him. "There is no reason to be ashamed of your roots. They're going to love you. Just like I love you." We both smiled and shared another kiss.

Just before the train left, six bouncing, noisy mares jumped on. Ugh...

Author's Note:

This chapter was short on purpose. Deal with it.
Entries still accepted.

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