“I know that look,” Berry Punch said, from behind the shop's counter. “You have no clue what to get. That's not like you.”
“I've been hearing that a lot here lately,” I said, not taking my eyes off the wine rack in front of me. “If I were buying for me, I wouldn't be having such a hard time.”
“You're not buying for yourself? What's the occasion?”
“I'm taking dinner over to Rarity’s tonight.” I glanced at Berry. “It's strictly a business dinner, so don’t get too excited. Sweetie and another pony will be eating with us.”
Berry deflated a little. “You're no fun. I don't even get to gossip.” She stepped from behind the counter. “I know Rarity's favorites.” She gestured toward a Chenin Blanc. “You can't go wrong with that one.”
“Light, sweet, refined,” I said, picking the bottle up with a hoof. I winced when I saw the price. “On the expensive side too. That fits her.”
“You broke house rule number one: don't whine about the prices of the wine. I only carry the best.”
“I know, and that's what I tell everypony.”
“And I appreciate that, so I forgive you this time. What do you know about the other pony?”
“Not much at all. I only met her once, and we didn't talk for long.”
Berry's ears perked to full attention. “Her?”
“Berry, focus please. Help me find the right wine first. You can dig for dirt later.”
“I'll take that as permission to gossip.”
“If it makes you happy, you may gossip all you want. Getting my name in ponies' minds might bring them to the shop.” Realizing what I said, I winced. “Scratch that. You can't say a thing. I'm overworked as it is.”
“Too late, I'm holding you to your word. Consider it the price for my expertise.”
I sighed. “Fine. You get me the right wine, and you can gossip.”
“That's what I wanted to hear.” Berry bumped me with her shoulder. “Give me something to work with. What does she do? What was your general impression? Did something about her stick out to you? Anything you can think of.”
“She's a costume designer visiting here till her acting group starts their next production or she finds another job.”
“She works in the theater. That's a start.” Berry motioned with a hoof for me to give her more information.
“She's had acting lessons. The other night, she acted like a lady from the high houses and did a convincing job of it.”
Berry smiled and nodded. “I have just the wine.” She moved down the row and pulled a bottle of red wine from the shelves. “It's a strong mulled wine that has a heavy body and rich, but artful, after tones.” She gave the bottle to me. “Just remember, warm it up for it to have its full flavor.”
I looked the bottle's label over. “This is from the Crystal Empire.”
“It came back when the Empire did, so it's from the right period.”
“Berry, you're a marvel.” I turned the bottle, looking it over. “There isn't a price on it.”
“What did I say about prices?”
“I'm not complaining. I'm just pointing out there isn’t a tag on it.”
“Tell you what; I'll sell you two bottles at my cost. In return, you come back and tell me how the wine was and how the night went.”
“I will. But you will be disappointed. It's not a date.”
“Maybe not, but I think your mystery mare has made an impression on you.”
“Her name is Coco Pommel. What do you mean she 'made an impression'?”
Berry gave me a smug smile. “What is her Cutie Mark of?”
“It’s a purple hat with a red feather.”
“What color are her coat and mane?”
“She has a cream coat and light blue mane that has a streak of paler blue in the center. What does that-?”
“What color are her eyes?”
“They’re blue, with white flecks around the irises. What are you-”
Berry held up a hoof, silencing me. “When was the last time you paid attention to a mare to where you could memorize that many details, much less in a short time frame?” Berry asked.
I could not come up with an answer.
Berry's smile grew. “I bet you liked her voice too.”
“I did,” I admitted.
“You better come back tomorrow, to tell me what happened, or I will spread gossip of the juiciest sort.” Berry poked me in the chest. “And I'll start by talking to Rarity.”
“Tomorrow! I'll come by tomorrow!”
*****
After taking a steadying breath, I knocked on the door to Carousel Boutique. A short time passed, and the door opened.
“Hello,” Sweetie greeted me.
“Good evening.”
“Rarity isn't here right now. She went to pick something up at Sugar Cube Corner and hasn't made it back.”
“I bet Pinkie has her tangled up.”
Sweetie nodded. “That's what I was thinking. She's probably asking Rarity a million questions about what's going on.”
“I will have to answer a million questions of my own tomorrow.”
“To who?”
“Berry Punch.”
Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. “She and Rarity gossip all the time.”
“I’ll do my best to keep you out of it.”
“Don’t worry. Rarity will tell her about whatever goes on tonight.” Sweetie Belle looked at the bag balanced on my back and my saddlebags. “That’s a lot of stuff. What did you bring?”
“Dinner is in the bag on my back. The saddlebags have wine for after dinner.”
“Oh,” Sweetie said, seeming crestfallen. “Rarity never lets me try any of hers. She says 'when you’re older' every time I ask.”
“This was going to be a surprise for after dinner, but I think I'll give it to you now.” I turned my head and, using my magic, opened one pouch of my saddlebags. I floated a bottle to her and turned it so she could see the label. “I didn't want to leave you out and asked for a little help. Berry said you would like this.”
Sweetie looked up from the bottle of sparkling apple cider. “This is the stuff that Apple Bloom’s cousin makes! It’s great!”
“How nice of you to think of Sweetie. It makes me feel bad, having called you all those nasty things the other night.”
I looked over my shoulder, towards the source of the voice. “Good evening, Rarity.”
“Good evening.” Rarity looked past me. “Sweetie Belle, what do you say?”
Sweetie took the bottle from my magical hold. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Sweetie turned and entered the boutique. “I’ll put this in the refrigerator.”
I stepped aside, bowed slightly to Rarity, and motioned towards the door. “Mares first.”
“You’re too kind.”
As Rarity went past, I took the cake box she was carrying from her back. “I’ve got that.”
Following Rarity into the kitchen, I asked, “Where would you like everything?”
“The counter is fine,” Rarity said. “Sweetie, would you be a dear and help set the table?”
“Can I use my magic?”
Rarity grimaced. “Tonight may not be the best night for something like that.”
“I promise I won't put any forks into the ceiling again.”
I looked up, scanning for holes. “You put forks into the ceiling?”
“Just two, Rarity said we had to stop after the second one.”
“I wish I could have seen that,” Coco said, as she entered the kitchen. She looked up towards the ceiling too. “I don't see any marks.”
“I haven’t found any,” I said.
“There aren’t any now,” Rarity said, in a controlled but unamused tone. “I've gotten good at a couple of repairing spells.”
Taking the hint, I stopped my search. “You can help me get everything unpacked, Sweetie.”
Rarity and Coco set the table while Sweetie and I got the meals and side items unpacked.
After transferring the last meal from its container to a plate, I looked at the table. Rarity and Coco had arranged things so that there were two sets of silverware on opposite sides of the table. “Who is sitting where?”
Rarity grinned, looking like a cat who had just caught a mouse. “What a dilemma for a gentlecolt to face. Which lady will he sit beside?”
Feeling I was being teased and tested in equal parts, I glanced back and forth between Coco and Rarity. “It would be wrong for me to choose. I don't want to hurt anypony's feelings.”
Rarity shook her head. “You're the guest and brought the meal, it's only proper for you to choose who will sit beside you. I assure you, nopony will hold your choice against you.”
“If that is the case, then I have made my choice.” I walked over to the table, pulled out a chair, and then held out my hoof to Sweetie Belle. “Would you grant me the pleasure of having you sit beside me?”
Sweetie Belle gave Rarity a wicked smile, then turned to me and said, “I would be glad to.”
As I helped Sweetie into her chair, Coco covered her mouth with a hoof and giggled.
“That's not at all what I had in mind,” Rarity muttered.
*****
“Pinkie outdid herself on that one,” I said putting down my fork. “Thank you, Rarity, for getting the cake.”
“You're welcome.”
I gathered the plates from the table.
Sweetie hopped down from her seat. “Can I help clean up?”
I shrugged. “Sure, if you want to.”
“Can I use my magic?”
“That's up to your sister.”
Sweetie looked to Rarity.
Rarity gave Sweetie an uneasy smile. “Why don't we wait until another time for you to try?”
“Twilight said I need to use my magic as much as I can so I can get better at controlling it.”
“I know, Sweetie, but you don't have enough control right now to help with something like this.”
Sweetie pouted. “How can I get better if you don't let me practice?”
“Maybe I can help?”
The three of us unicorns stared at Coco, who smiled back sheepishly.
“You can teach me to levitate stuff?” Sweetie Belle tilted her head. “I thought only unicorns could do stuff like that.”
“Sweetie, that's quite rude,” Rarity said, her tone sharp.
“Earth ponies can move things using magic,” I said. “They do it all the time.”
Sweetie gave me a look. “I haven’t seen any pony but a unicorn levitate something.”
“It may not have been levitation, but you've seen an earth pony use magic to move things tonight.” I nodded towards the table. “Coco picked up her silverware with her hooves, right?”
“Yeah,” Sweetie said, looking unconvinced.
I held up a hoof, showing it to her. “Ponies don't have things like a minotaur's fingers to pick stuff up. We have to use a kind of magic to hold and manipulate items with our hooves.”
Sweetie's ears shot up. “I remembered something from school! Unicorn horns and hooves are made of the same stuff!”
“Exactly.” I tapped a hoof against my horn. “Horns allow unicorns to focus magic outside our bodies. Magic flows into a pegasus' wings and gives them the ability to fly. Earth ponies hold their magic inside until they touch something with their hooves. When they do, they can connect with it much more than a unicorn or pegasus.”
With a look of comprehension, Sweetie nodded. “That's why earth ponies can help things grow and why the Apples can buck their trees without hurting them!”
“You've got it.”
Sweetie rushed over to Coco. “What do I need to do?”
“Get your spoon,” Coco said.
Sweetie grabbed up her spoon from the table and held it in front of her. “Now what?”
“Close your eyes and pass the spoon back and forth between your hooves.”
With a look of determined focus, Sweetie moved the spoon between her hooves again and again.
“Concentrate on how your magic clings to the spoon and what it feels like when you grip it and let go.”
After passing the spoon back and forth a few more times, Sweetie nodded. “Now what do I do?”
“Keep your eyes closed, use your magic to take the spoon from one of your hooves and back again,” Coco instructed.
Sweetie's look of concentration intensified as she used her magic to levitate the spoon in and out of the grip of her hooves.
“Really feel how similar your hoof's grip on the spoon is to your magic's.” Coco leaned towards Sweetie. “Now hold the spoon in the air with just your magic. Use enough magic to keep it still, but don't use too much or it will shoot out of your grip.”
“Okay.” Sweetie's magic held the spoon in the air. The spoon twitched now and again but it remained in place.
“I'm going to try to move the spoon. Try to keep it where it is.” Coco reached out, tapped the spoon a couple of times with her hoof, and then began to push on it with a slight bit of force.
Sweetie drew in a hissing breath, but the spoon remained where it was.
“Fantastic!" Coco cheered. "Now I‘m going to put a little more effort into getting the spoon to move. Are you ready?”
Her breathing getting labored, Sweetie nodded.
Coco pushed the spoon a little harder. “Don't open your eyes; focus on what you have to do to keep the spoon from moving.”
Beads of sweat formed on Sweetie’s brow. “I can't hold it much longer!”
“Keep holding it there as long as you can. If you drop it that's fine.”
After a two more pushes by Coco, Sweetie's magical grip gave. The spoon fell from the air and clattered across the floor, coming to a stop against a chair leg on the far side of the table.
“Don't move!” Coco said, as Sweetie made to retrieve the spoon. “Now, using your magic, pick up the spoon.”
Sweetie bit her lip and used her magic to lift the spoon and weave it through the chair legs. Levitating the spoon so it returned to its original spot in the air, she grinned triumphantly.
“Sweetie, I'm so proud of you!” Rarity rushed around the table and hugged Sweetie. “That was much better!”
Sweetie gasped as her magic faltered.
I caught the spoon in my magic, before it hit the floor. “Well done! I couldn't have done that when I was your age.”
Sounding winded, Sweetie said, “I feel like I've been running all day.”
Rarity nodded. “Using magic can do that to you, especially when you’re just learning.”
I asked Coco, “Where did you learn an exercise like that?”
“My brother's a unicorn. I remember that exercise from when my mom taught him to control his magic.”
“I didn't know you had a sibling,” Rarity said.
“I take it he's younger than you,” I said.
Coco nodded. “Five years younger.”
“Can I help clean up with my magic now?”
With trepidation in her voice, Rarity said, “You may, but please just help with the silverware. We'll get the rest.”
*****
Leaning against Rarity, Sweetie slept. Her empty glass sat on the couch beside her.
“Poor dear, she used a touch too much magic tonight,” said Rarity.
“She did well." I chuckled. "I have to admit, I'm kind of disappointed. I wanted to see her stick something in the ceiling.”
Rarity gave me a withering look and then smiled at Coco. “Thank you for helping Sweetie. I would have never thought to do something like that.”
“It was fun. I used to help my brother with exercises like that all the time. Teaching Sweetie brought back a bunch of memories.”
Rarity turned and kissed the top of Sweetie's head. “Adorable as you are, Sweetie, you should to go bed.” Rarity gently nudged her. “We still have a lot to talk about tonight, and you might get a kink in your neck if you stay like that for long.”
Sweetie barely opened her eyes. “I'm awake. I wanted to talk about something with you and Pin.”
“Not tonight. The three of us have quite a bit to discuss, and you need to get some proper sleep.” Rarity set aside her glass of wine, got off the couch, and, using her magic, levitated Sweetie to her back. “Come on. I'll tuck you in.”
“She's cute as a button,” said Coco, as they left the room. “She tries so hard to help Rarity. I don't understand why she acts the way she does when Sweetie offers to do something.”
“She tries, but Sweetie's help often is more of a hindrance than anything else," I told her. "Remind me to tell you about how she and her friends 'helped' me with the store one time.”
Rarity walked back into the room with a slight blush on her face. She sat back down on the couch and took a large sip from her wineglass.
“Are you feeling all right?” I asked Rarity.
Swallowing her wine, Rarity nodded. “Thank you for the concern, but it's nothing. Sweetie asked about something I was not expecting is all.”
Coco teased, “Must have been quite the something, if you were still blushing when you came back.”
“It was about a little project of hers that I thought she had given up on.” Rarity's eyes met mine for a second, and then she looked away. “Apparently she still thinks it still might work.”
It took me a second to realize what the 'project' must have been. I rubbed the back of my neck with a hoof. “That project. She brought that up when she delivered your message too.”
Coco, looking confused, asked, “Just what kind of project is she working on?”
“It's rather sweet, but embarrassing,” Rarity said.
“She thinks Rarity and I could be a couple.”
Coco paused for a moment. “Oh.”
“Let's get away from such an awkward topic.” Rarity pointed a hoof at Coco and then me. “Tonight is about getting things arranged between you two.” Using her magic, she floated a piece of parchment, a quill, and an inkwell from somewhere in the shop's back to the coffee table. “I asked Twilight to write up the contract. Take your time and look it over. There are few items you will have to fill in, and you both have to sign it, but it‘s mostly ready.”
“Mares first,” I said.
“Thank you.” She looked over the contract, wrote in various dates, and then nodded. “This looks fine.” She offered me the contract.
I took it and read carefully. “I can't agree to this.”
“Why ever not?!” Rarity said. “The terms are perfectly reasonable!”
I put the contract back down on the coffee table and pointed to the contract's clause that covered Coco's payment. “I can't pay her that. She would make the same rate as an apprentice.”
Rarity narrowed her eyes at me. “Are you saying she does not deserve that amount?”
I held up my hooves. “That's not it at all! She is a professional and deserves a professional rate.”
“I've never worked as a tailor before,” Coco said.
“You're a costume designer for both stallions and mares, so indirectly you have.” I took the quill and scratched through the offending amount. “What should go here?”
“I don't know. I was happy with the apprentice rate.”
Careful not to drip any ink, I pointed the quill at Rarity. “You will have to act as the neutral third party here. What should I pay her?”
Rarity gave me a disbelieving look. “You want me to give you a rate?”
“You opened your new boutique in Canterlot recently. You're the most up to date on what ponies are being paid for this kind of work right now.”
“But I'm not a neutral party. I'm friends with both of you and set things up to begin with.”
“Because you're our friend, we can trust you not to let either of us get a raw deal.”
Rarity sighed and gave a figure.
“That seems high,” Coco said.
“I was thinking it was low, considering your experience and level of skills. Since it's between what the two of us think should be the rate, we'll go with it.” I changed the contract’s payment numbers. “Out of curiosity, what makes you think it's too high?”
Coco fidgeted. “That's almost twice what Suri was paying me, when I was her assistant.”
Rarity all but growled, “So not only did she treat you like dirt, but she also didn't pay you what you deserved.”
“Suri sounds like a real piece of work,” I said.
“You have no idea,” Rarity said. “Coco is too nice to say anything, but Suri treated her awfully.”
I slid the contract down the coffee table and offered Coco the quill. “I promise I will treat you with respect.”
After taking the quill from me, Coco looked down at the contract. After a moment, she signed it and then slid the contract and the quill back.
I added my signature and turned the document towards Rarity. “Now for the witness.”
Rarity made a dramatic production of dipping the quill into the inkwell and adding her name to the paper. “Now that it's official, you two can open that wine. If you don't mind, I would like to sample a taste of it myself.”
“Of course,” said Coco. “It will be just a minute, it's a mulled wine, it needs to be heated it up first.”
“I’ll go with you,” Coco offered.
I motioned for her to stay seated. “Thank you, but don't get up. I'll heat the wine. I need to know where a saucepan is, though.”
“One is in the cabinet just to the left of the stove,” Rarity informed me.
“Thank you.” After entering the kitchen, I found a saucepan, uncorked the wine, and poured a good portion of the bottle into the pan, and set it to warm on the stove. The aroma that the wine gave off was wonderful. I used my magic to speed the process, being careful not to add too much heat. As I prepared three glasses of the wine, I could hear Coco and Rarity talking. While I could not make out all of what they were saying, they brought my name up more than once. “You know it's not nice to talk about a pony when they're not in the same room,” I said, loud enough for my voice to carry to them.
“It’s nothing negative,” Rarity called back.
“I'm glad to hear it.” Using a plate as a serving tray, I carried the glasses into the den. “If the wine tastes half as good as it smells, this will be wonderful.”
“I appreciate the thought, but I wanted a taste. I would hate for it to go to waste.”
“Drink as much or as little as you would like. It won't go to waste either way. I promise.”
Rarity shook her head. “Stallions.”
Coco raised her glass. “To artisans, successful businesses ventures, and doing what we love.”
“Cheers!” After touching my glass to Coco's and Rarity's, I took a drink of the wine. I hummed an appreciative note at the flavor.
Rarity's nose crinkled. “It’s a touch strong for me, but I can see why some would find it appealing.”
Coco said, “This is wonderful.”
“I have never had mulled wine before,” I said. “If this is what they are like, I'll have to try more varieties.”
“Drink more you two,” Rarity ordered.
Coco and I drank from our glasses again.
“Coco, would you mind drinking after me?”
“Not at all.”
Rarity poured what remained in her glass into Coco's and mine. “You two enjoy. I'll stick with the Chenin Blanc.”
After some pleasant, wandering conversation, and more wine for us all, Coco asked, “Rarity told me you used to live in Canterlot. What made you move to Ponyville?”
“Less completion was one thing, but ponies tending not to wear clothes here has about undone that advantage.” I looked down into my wine. “I've always liked the town; I guess is the best way to explain it.”
Rarity pointed a hoof at me. “Pin, if Applejack was here, she would chew on your ear about not being honest. Tell her about the shop and your grandparents.”
“His grandparents?” Coco said.
“The shop belonged to my grandmother and grandfather. Whenever I visited them, I would do whatever could to help out. My mark appeared when I was helping them make accessories to sell.”
“That's so sweet!" Coco said. "So you ended up taking over the shop from them.”
“That's the long and the short of it.” I glanced over to Rarity, making a silent plea to her.
“There's more to the story than he is letting on,” Rarity said, after giving me a disapproving look. “He's shy about telling the whole thing. The only reason I know anything about it is that his grandmother and grandfather used to help me with my sewing.”
“You two must have known each other for a while.”
“We have. I didn't get to see Rarity that often, but we would talk when she came to see my grandparents and would occasionally do things together. I guess the best way to describe it is that we were sporadic friends.”
“While not very eloquent, I guess that is one way to describe us back then,” said Rarity.
I glanced up at the clock. “I hate to do this, but I should be going. I've got to get an early start, and you'll have to meet the train in the morning. Would you like help getting your stuff there?”
“It's kind of you to ask, but no. The girls will see us off. They've already said they would help get everything on the train.”
“If you change your mind, let me know. I'll do what I can to help.”
“Thank you.”
“Let me get those glasses for you.” I put the empty wineglasses back on the plate and carried them to the kitchen. As I was rinsing them out, the sound of hooves behind me made me pause.
“Thank you for hiring me. I'm looking forward to working with you.”
I turned the water off and turned to face Coco. “I'm looking forward to working with you too. I feel horrible that you are walking into such a mess.” I took the mostly drained bottles from her and put them on the counter. “Thanks for bringing these. I should have gotten them when I got the glasses.”
“You're welcome.” She took quiet steps towards me and whispered, “If you don't want to talk about the shop later, I won't ask about it. Though, I have to admit that what Rarity said has me curious.”
“It's not that I go out of my way not to tell anypony about the shop, but it's a long story with a lot of family drama. I promise, if you still want to know later, just ask, and I'll tell you.”
“It sounds like something that would make good a play.”
I chuckled. “My grandfather would get a kick out of having a drama written about him. Not too sure how my grandmother would take it, she didn't like to make a fuss about anything, but I can assure you she would have something to say about who would to play her.”
Rarity walked into the kitchen. “It's entirely too quiet for two ponies to be in here.” She stopped, just inside the door, and one of her eyebrows rose. “Am I interrupting something?”
Mentally measuring the distance between Coco and me, I realized what Rarity was suggesting and blushed.
“What do you mean?” said Coco.
I attempted to take a step back. My hindquarters hitting the cabinet door under the sink stopped my retreat and made a hollow thump.
Coco turned towards me, and a look of embarrassed comprehension came to her face.
With a smirk, Rarity said, “It would appear, from where I am standing, that you were pinning him against the counter.”
Coco blushed and whipped her head back to Rarity. “Rarity! I wasn't 'pinning' him! I wanted to thank him for hiring me.”
“At a rate higher than what originally was given in the contract, no less.”
“I couldn't hire her at that rate in good conscience, particularly considering how much she will help me.”
“Spoke the still blushing stallion, in defense of the mare who moments before had been maneuvering him so that any retreat on his part would have impossible,” Rarity said, as if narrating from a cheap romance novel. “Or perhaps you were planning to surrender to her advances?”
“Rarity, you're reading more into this than what there is. He bought dinner for all of us. He got us both wine that he thought we would like and Sweetie sparkling cider so she wouldn't be left out. You should thank him too.”
“You're right. I should.” Rarity said with sincerity, “Thank you for dinner, the wine, and for being kind to Sweetie.”
“You're more than welcome. It was a pleasure.”
Rarity's smirk slowly came back. She put a hoof to her chin and tilted her head. “I'm still not convinced that there wasn't something else going on when I walked in.”
Coco sighed and lightly laughed. “Okay, I'll confess. I told him he didn't have to tell me about the shop if he didn't want to.”
“That's all?”
“That's it.”
“That's rather anticlimactic,” Rarity said, sounding disappointed. Looking to me, she said, “You will tell her about the shop.”
“I will, but not tonight. You know how long the story is.”
“We would be up too late, I'll grant you. Still, it's better for her to get the tale from the source rather than second hoof, so don't wait too long.”
“You're right there. No telling what ponies will tell her, particularly if they heard it second or third hoof.” I chuckled. “After the Foal Free Press fiasco, any doubts I had that gossip is nothing but useless are gone.”
“I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss gossip entirely. Depending on the pony you talk to and the circumstances, you can find out a lot of things.” A glint of something I could not name entered Rarity's eyes. “For instance, after speaking to a certain shopkeeper I learned there was no need for me to buy wine for this evening.”
“That was rather rude of the shopkeeper,” Coco said. “You should never name your customers.”
“She didn't. Berry was professional about the whole thing. One reason I was nearly late was that it took a bit to draw the details out of her.”
“I doubt it took too much effort,” I said, unable to keep a tinge of sarcasm from my words.
As if I had not spoken, Rarity continued, "I figured things out after hearing the list of nuances he gave to Berry so she could help him make his choices.”
My ears folded back of their own volition.
“You must have recognized something about yourself. Or did him asking for the sparkling cider give it away?”
“He didn't have to say anything about me. Berry knows the kinds of wine I prefer, and she never mentioned the cider. The impression I got is that he did a thorough job of describing you.”
I snapped my ears forward, as Coco turned to look at me. She studied me for a moment, as if trying to read my thoughts.
Rarity moved to stand beside Coco. “Don't worry about those glasses. I'll get those in the morning. It is getting rather late, and we will all have to face an early start tomorrow.” Rarity turned her head to Coco. “Perhaps you should ask him about what he said to Berry after he tells you about shop?” Rarity cut her eyes towards me. “You wouldn't want to rely on gossip on either of those topics, would you?”