A few days later, there was a knock on the door, and Poly answered...
"Hello?"
"Is this the residence of a Miss... Poly Sketch?" asked the mail pony.
"Yes...?" she answered, confused, as she hadn't been expecting any mail, and she couldn't think of anypony that would be sending her anything, either.
"This is for you." he said, handing over the letter.
"Um... thank you..." she replied, taking the letter...
__________________________________________________________________________________
| Shining Armor |
| 549 Shimmer St. |
| Canterlot, EQ |
| |
| Poly Sketch |
| 23 Splatter Row |
| Canterlot, EQ |
| |
|________________________________________________________________________________ |
"Shining Armor? I wonder who that could be?" she posed aloud, going and sitting down for some tea, as she continued to ponder. Then something occurred to her. "Meta?" she called, only to hear some stumbling and crashing before...
"Yes? Did you need something? More paint? New brush? Hayburger?" he answered excitedly.
"While I was away, you said a young stallion came in and bought "Bubbles" for his special somepony... was his name Shining Armor, by any chance?"
"Um... yeah, actually, now that you mention it, that sounds right..."
"Well, he's sent me something!"
"What? What is it?" he asked, coming closer.
"I don't know, I haven't opened it yet."
"Well, what are you waiting for? Open it already!"
She giggled before opening it, and out came a letter... and two golden tickets. "Hm? What are these? They... look familiar... maybe the letter will explain..." she pondered, before turning to the letter.
___________________________________________________________________________________
| |
| |
| Dear Poly Sketch, |
| My special somepony was extremely delighted with the gift I gave her... a |
| piece of yours called "Bubbles". When I told her that I got it from a small shop |
| that most ponies are largely unfamiliar with, she asked what your name was. |
| At the time, I didn't understand why, but I looked into it, and gave her your |
| name. Now, I understand. She was so thrilled with your work that she felt you |
| deserved a chance to mingle with potential customers and investors alike. She|
| has procured for you two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala, one for you, and|
| one for a +1 of your choice. I do hope we get the chance to see you there, as |
| we intend to make our relationship known at the Gala. Yes, it's a secret. I have |
| a feeling you know who she is. |
| Enjoy, |
| Shining Armor |
|__________________________________________________________________________________|
"The... the... the... the..." Poly stuttered, unable to finish her sentence from sheer shock.
"The what now? What the hay is 'The Grand Galloping Gala'?" asked Meta.
"You don't know about The Grand Galloping Gala?" Poly exclaimed, "Why, it's only the biggest social event of the year! The connections I could make there would be invaluable! Think of the attention, the customer acquisition, the sales! This is quite possibly the biggest opportunity of my career!"
"Um... okay... but isn't 'social event' another way of saying party? A really fancy party? What would you wear? How will you pay for it?"
Poly blanched. "Oh... oh, you're right! I don't have anything nearly good enough for an event of this caliber! Then there's my +1! What am I going to do? Oh!" She cried out.
"Who were you thinking of taking?"
"Oh... um... well... I would've actually thought that quite obvious. You... assuming you were willing to come, of course. I would never make you go if you didn't want to." she answered, somewhat sheepishly.
"Well, I actually already have a tux, and for stallions, practically any tux will work for practically any fancy party. It's rare that you need a different tux. Plus, I wouldn't mind at all. As long as I'm with you." he smiled.
"That doesn't solve the issue of my dress, though it certainly alleviates some of the pressure. To get a dress suitable for the Grand Galloping Gala, it would cost so many bits! I likely would have to sell everything in order to both get the dress and keep the store running! And I would require those pieces in order to draw in new customers!"
"Sounds like you're stuck between a rock and a hard place, but don't worry. We have plenty of time. Based on what it says on the tickets, we have at least a couple of months before you'll need a dress. We'll figure it out." he told her, wrapping his hooves around her comfortingly.
"Heh... I guess you're right. We still have time. I just hope it's enough time..." she sniffled, because she'd been about ready to cry.
"Now... how about you work on some of your pieces? Best get them done sooner rather than later, so that they're ready to sell, and we can make that many more bits for your dress!"
"Good idea. Right after I finish my tea!" she giggled.