//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: First Autumn - Ask Lovely Laughter 
// by LovelyLaughter 
//------------------------------//





Dear Blog,

I finally decided on the gray turtleneck. Feel free to skim the following paragraph.

Shopping takes forever for me, it seems. First, I couldn’t decide between the vertically ribbed gray sweater and the knit rose colored sweater with flowers, but then I decided that flowers are too springy, even though sweaters are autumny, and then I wondered why somebody would make a sweater with flowers when there’s that obvious clash between seasons. Except maybe for someone who likes flowers? Or maybe for a nippy spring day? There’s plenty of ponies with flower cutie marks. So then I thought I might get it after all because it was cute, but I thought about the ponies with flower cutie marks that would want a flowery sweater, and how they would be better suited for it, and how they might be disappointed to come into the shop having previously seen the flowery sweater with the intention of buying it, only to find out that I had bought it even though I don’t have a flowery cutie mark, and they might feel hurt or disappointed or angry, so I decided to get the gray sweater instead. Except what if somebody wanted the gray sweater too? And then I thought I might not get a sweater at all because there were plenty of ponies who needed sweaters more than me, but at that point I’d been looking at the sweaters for a long time and the salespony was watching, and it would be rude to leave without getting a sweater. They might think I was just wasting their time, or that I thought their sweaters weren’t good enough for me. So I decided to get the gray sweater because it was the least likely to have somebody wanting it, considering it was gray and not particularly special. But then I saw a blue sweater and I thought maybe I should get that one, so I stood there comparing the two sweaters for a good ten minutes, but eventually decided that the blue material was too scratchy. Plus it didn’t have wing holes, which I would need to make myself. And then I saw a different pink sweater without flowers, but by that time it had probably been like an hour and I was getting nervous, so I ignored it and purchased the gray sweater. Except the salespony noticed I was looking at the pink sweater while they where counting my change, and they asked if I wanted to look longer, but I thought something in the tone of their voice might have sounded irritated maybe? So I pretended instead that I had been zoning out and not looking at the sweater at all, and I tried to make a joke about how I was just thinking about how long I take at shopping, and I laughed nervously, but the joke fell flat. So I don’t think I’ll ever go back to that shop ever again. Except it’s Ponyville, and it’s a small town, and avoiding it might look suspicious.

Anyways, I have the sweater now.

@nittany-tigerasked, “Do you feel pretty, Lovely?”
Yes, yes I do. Although I can’t help but wonder what I would have looked like in the pink sweater. It’s okay to have more than one sweater, right? Maybe I should go back and get it. Ugh, but then I’d been proving the salespony right. UGH. WHY AM I SO ANXIOUS.

@ember-hearthasked, “Ha! I remember that night. For about five seconds, you were the fastest runner I’d seen. Then the greatest tumbler. Strange way to make an acquaintance, eh? Anyway, I’m just kinda doing odd jobs around Canterlot, haven’t found anything that sticks. How about you? Finally get that comedy start of yours?”
Well I do some stand-up on Wednesdays (open mic night) and I work as a waitress there the rest of the weekend, so it’s an improvement. As for your odd jobs, have you tried babysitting?

@snoninja​ said, “I believe you now have friends, me included.”
Daww you guys, I’m blushing! <3 I’m sure that means I can come to you with anything and bother you at all hours of the night, right? Heh, just kidding. But I really do appreciate it. I lost quite a few friends when, y'know, he… it… happened. Insert vague references to past here. Mysterious tragic backstory, blah blah blah. You don’t want to hear about it, I’m sure.

Okay, I’ve calmed down a bit, eaten some lunch, etcetera. Sorry about all that ranting above. I might have a slight tendency to overthink… just a tad… I don’t know, do any of you go through the same paralyzing moral dilemmas while shopping for sweaters?

~Lovely Laughter