“Heyo. Are you, ah, open just now, or — gah!”
“Good day, sir, and welcome to Carousel Boutique! But first and foremost, I must regale you.”
“Regale me? I, um. You’re the proprietress here, I take it? I was wondering if you could fit me out with a —”
“I’ll take your measurements while I regale you, sir. Let nopony say I can’t multitask. Let’s get that barding off as well. Now, to business. It’s all concerning the pony I had in just before your good self. I’ve felt like a shaken champagne bottle ever since she left; I’ve been aching to uncork and tell somepony about her. You don’t mind being that somepony, I hope?”
“I … I can do my best to be an audience, miss, but if I could just —”
“So picture the scene, sir. There I am, adrift in the zone, right where you’re standing. Applying a few finishing touches to this Summer Sun Celebration’s decor. Picking out a suitable ribbon with a patina of sparkle, just to catch the light, you know. Somepony enters, seeking my assistance, or so I presumed. So I finish my task, turn to greet them, and what do I behold?”
“A pony worth regaling others about, I guess?”
“A vision, sir. A vision. Let nopony tell you that being starstruck at first sight exists only in novels. There she stood, a lovely little dragon by her side, and I drank the whole of her in at a glance. From her fetlocks to her mane, the picture of Canterlot reserve and grace, save for … well, save for her mane.”
“Her mane?”
“Her mane. And right there, right then, I had to do something. One must live up to their humble raison d’etre, after all. There’s beauty in everypony, and I presume only to … coax it to the forefront, as it were, wherever it should need coaxing. And I shan’t lie. Her mane was in need of some rather severe coaxing. But all the rest of her … goodness, I’m not altogether she knew what an oil painting she was. A mare could and did get lost in those violet eyes of hers. And that coat — is lavender the shade? No, no, I’m thinking of mulberry. What a lovely word. Doesn’t it just roll off the tongue?”
“Miss, are you talking about Twilight Sparkle?”
“I … possibly I am. Is that her na …?”
“... Miss? You’ve gone quiet.”
“...oh, Celestia’s fetlocks, I forgot to ask her her name.”
“Happens to the best of us, miss.”
“You — you know her, then? Ah, wait, of course, this is royal guardspony barding. You’d have come with her from Canterlot, then? Entourage, or … ah ...?”
“Entourage, miss. Sky-chariots shan’t pull themselves.”
“Oh. Well, that’s good. That’s, ah, very good. Though I do hope I haven’t made a dreadful mess of things. Perhaps I might have been a touch … overbearing. I really did just want to do justice to her, though. That mane couldn’t be allowed to stand. And as a purely secondary objective, I might have wanted to show her my talents, just a little bit. To get through the pony within that reserve. I do hope I didn’t make too terrible a first impression.”
“She’ll be supervising the rest of the Summer Sun Celebrations here, miss. Plenty of scope to make a second impression, if you’re worried.”
“True. Well, I shall do my best. Though, ah, lest I make a fool of myself, do you know whether she’s got a significant other at present? Surely she must be admired far and wide within Canterlot.”
“Couldn’t speak from personal experience on the latter front, miss. Been married to another stallion for nigh-on five years now. But I don't think she’s attached to anypony at present, no.”
“Ah. Very good. Well, good second impressions or complete foolery it’ll be, then. Truly obliged for your help, sir.”
“No trouble, miss. Though if you were to repay me at all … well, I did come in here to tog myself up a bit.”
“Gracious, so you did. Apologies for letting that fall by the wayside. What sort of apparel would you like this day?”
“Just a nice jacket-and-waistcoat number, something nice. Five-year anniversary coming up, you know, and I want to look the part for him. Though I’d as well get something here and bring it back. Haven’t got much of a sense for these things, but … well, you seem to. Mind advising? If you’re not too busy with Summer Sun stuff, of course.”
“Not at all, sir. A little sparkle’s clarified whatever doubts I had there. Now, let’s see what I can do for you.”