Restart

by Alden MacManx


Chapter 6- Carousel Boutique

Once Merry Smile went off with her mother, I did some more wandering around town, having about an hour and a half before meeting up with Twilight. I decided to go to the Carousel Boutique, to see how Rarity was doing on my ‘fancy clothes’, as I thought of them. The bell on the door tinkled as I went in. Rarity was in the front room, working on something stretched over a tailor’s dummy. “Tristan! Do come on in! I have something ready for you!” she called out with a smile in her voice.

As the door shut behind me, I tipped my hat using my glow and bowed pony style, meaning I bent one knee and dipped the front part of my body. “Miss Rarity, I’m sure whatever you made for me will be spectacular. I will be honored to see it, and more honored to wear it,” I said in my best approximation of a southern accent. Back in Groton, many people had a hard time telling where I was from, because one of my hobbies is collecting accents and dialects. I was terrible at languages, French and Gaelic being the only two I could speak with anywhere near grammatical correctness, Spanish being even worse, having picked that up from Sesame Street and other sources.

I’m almost positive Rarity blushed a little. “Do come in back, and I’ll show you,” she said, putting down her sewing tools on a nearby table top. I followed her to the back room, where there were several dummies wearing various gowns, suits, and hats, all of which were spectacular, and I said so.

She went to one particular dummy, which was shrouded in a cloth. “This ensemble I made for you, Tristan,” she said as she whipped off the covering cloth with a flourish.

I let out a gasp of pure surprise. On the dummy was a shirt made of what looked to me like it was a metallic silver, like the stripe in my mane. It glittered in the lights of the room, along with the matching dusky metallic red bow tie and gold buttons. Atop the dummy’s head is a hat, a small one, but enough to shade my eyes, also in silver, accompanied by a pair of sunglasses with glittering gold rims, which matched the buttons on the shirt. I went up to feel the fabric hesitantly. It was light and breathable, so I should not sweat heavily wearing it. “My dear Rarity, words fail me on how I feel looking at this ensemble you have made. It will be such an honor to wear this when I go to Canterlot next week.” I said with honest respect and admiration.

“Come, let’s get it on you and see how it wears,” she said, using her glow to remove the outfit. Carefully, I took it in my glow and slipped it on, the shirt, hat and shades. It fit me like it was made for me, which of course it was. I looked in a mirror and let out a gasp of surprise. Whoever was in the mirror was not someone I knew. The pony pictured had poise, style and grace I normally did not possess.

“The clothes do make the pony, yes?” Rarity said, standing beside me. The shirt was long enough along my body so that it partially concealed my flanks, and the fact I, for now, did not have a cutie mark without drawing attention to that fact.

“Miss Rarity, in that, you are most certainly correct. It is an honor to wear such a creation. Know that I will treasure it for its beauty, and the knowledge that you crafted it. For that, you do have my thanks, my gratitude, and my respect,” I said to her as I looked at myself. The glasses had enough tinting to cut glare but not so dark it impaired my vision. “Too bad I don’t have a camera with me.”

“There will be plenty of cameras when you go to Canterlot, Tristan. Rest assured, you will make the front page of the Equestrian Times, above the fold, with pictures, as well as about half a dozen important magazines,” Rarity assured me.

I removed the outfit carefully, first the hat, the glasses, then the shirt, placing them on a convenient tabletop. Once removed, Rarity carefully folded the attire and placed them in a box, which she then presented to me. I took the box in my glow. “Miss Rarity, in exchange, may I take you out to dinner Saturday night?” I asked. “You name the place.”

“Saturday night at six? Of course!” she said, before naming the classiest restaurant in Ponyville. I was sure I could spring the bits for it off Twilight.

“My dear Rarity, it will indeed be an honor to dine with you. Will it be too bold to ask for some attire that is a bit less spectacular, but suitable for such a dinner?” I asked.

“I already did,” she said with a smile as she uncovered another dummy, revealing a cream-colored shirt with blue buttons and a blue bow tie, cream-colored hat and silver rimmed shades, definitely attractive but not as spectacular as the first set.

“My dear Rarity, this now entitles you to drinks with dinner,” I said, looking at her, catching her blush.

Rarity then removed the second shirt from the dummy and boxed it. That was when I noticed that what I thought of as just a shirt was a shirt and jacket combination in matching colors. “Does the formal wear also come with a matching coat?” I asked. “I’m positive I did not notice it before.”

“It does. You could not tell?” Rarity said playfully.

“The ensembles are so spectacular, my eyes were unable to notice,” I replied. “May I give you a hug?”

“Of course, Tristan!” she replied, moving close. I gave her a warm hug, which she returned. Feeling daring, I lightly kissed her cheek.

She giggled some as we broke the hug. “Tristan, I didn’t know you felt that way.”

“Just showing the depths of my respect and gratitude, Miss Rarity. I did not mean to seem forward, but I felt it was your just due for the work you have put in,” I said with all sincerity. “Now, I have a question for you.”

“Oh? What be that?”

“Where can I find suitable attire to work in, both with Applejack and Fluttershy? Something suitable for hard work in the mud and dirt.”

“Oh, yes,” she said before naming two shops she knew here in Ponyville. “Either one can make suitable working wear.”

“For that, you have my thanks. I wish to make friends with all of those who helped me when I arrived, and sharing their work is one way of showing my gratitude. I’m trying to figure out a way to help Rainbow Dash. Unlike her, I cannot fly.”

“I’m sure you will think of something, Tristan. I know she will appreciate any effort you make.”

“I will also like to come and help you as well, but I shall wait on that until I am more practiced with my glow. A shop like this is no place for an untrained and clumsy hoof. I will allow you to decide when I am practiced enough.”

“Why, thank you, Tristan. You don’t have to.”

“I know I don’t have to, Rarity. I want to. Return kindness with kindness, in your own way. My way here is being willing to help, so I can learn about Equestria and Ponyville. I may have had a sit-down desk job before I came here, but I’m not the same person as I was then. I feel the need to share myself with the community. Study is not everything in life, fascinating as it may be,” I told Rarity.

“A lesson that took Twilight a long time to learn,” Rarity told me with a smile.

Just then, we heard the clock tower strike the half-hour. “Oh, my, look at the time!” I exclaimed. “I had best bring these back to the castle now. I’m supposed to meet Twilight at the café at five for dinner.”

“You do that, Tristan! Dinner Saturday!” she said, giving me a gentle hug, which was returned.

“I will be there!” I said in reply as I picked up the two boxes in my glow and headed out, remembering this time to OPEN THE DOOR before going through it.