Big Macintosh had made a pallet of blankets and hay in the living room of their home after their houseguest went to settle in his room. The red earth pony didn’t know why the purple unicorn could not just sleep on a pallet. His sister insisted the unicorn sleep in a bed, though. And AJ had this weird look in her eyes when she spoke about the purple pony. Big Mac just couldn’t figure out what it was. Lust maybe? What was so great about Miamore? And it wasn’t just his sister either. Everypony seemed to be taken by this new arrival. The stallion noticed this as he was finishing up his deliveries today. Big Mac didn’t think much about Miamore. Then again, the few times they have met weren’t much to go on.
Once he was satisfied with the hay pallet, Big Mac removed his yoke, leaning it on the nearby wall, and then settled down for sleep. His slumber was a little rough. The pallet wasn’t very comfortable. But Big Mac was accustom to aches. He was a work pony. Used to hauling heavy loads, dragging along an old plow, and bucking trees of their stubborn fruit. In the morning, the red stallion was a bit stiff, but nothing a little stretching couldn't help. As the rooster crowed, Big Macintosh heard a loud thud from above. Curious, the stallion of the house went to investigate. He found his sisters and granny at the door of his room once he was at the top of the stairs. Applejack knocked on the wooden barrier.
“You okay, Mister Miamore?” The element of honesty asked. Hurried shuffling of papers could be heard, which made Big Mac a little nervous. The stallion had certain magazines hidden beneath his bed. After the paper-sounds stopped, Miamore came to the door, smiling sweetly at the Apple family. His mane and tail were different from yesterday. His hair was poofy like Pinkie Pie’s but more unkempt with many stray hairs here and there.
“Yes, yes. I’m perfectly fine. I was just a little startled. I’m used to Lovestruck, my canary, waking me up, singing a sweet song. Not… whatever that was,” Miamore said, shaking his head.
“I see. Would ya like to join us for breakfast?”
“Thank you for the offer, but I will have to decline. As you can see, my hair is an absolute mess and I must tame it. Which means I have to go to my carriage, as much as I dread to do so in this horrid condition. I suspect Miss Rarity could assist me ... May I stay here another night?”
“Sure, Big Mac doesn’t mind,” Applebloom chimed in. She liked Miamore as much as her sister did. Miamore smiled at the small filly. The other Apples didn’t seem to have any objections. Big Mac got a look from his sister so he decided not to say anything. Though, he did wish he could have his bed back.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must be on my way,” the unicorn said before making his exit, trying to flatten his poof of hair.
Big Mac watched Miamore go to the stairs. He hadn’t realized he was actually staring at Miamore’s flank until the purple pony was out of sight. The red stallion shook his head, not thinking much of it. Caramel would probably fuss at him for staring at another pony’s flank if he had known. Once the unicorn was gone, Big Macintosh and his family went downstairs for a meal of hay and apples then it was time for work.
Miamore was sneaking through town, going from bush to bush. He may not have been as snooty as most ponies that resided in Canterlot but he did care about his appearance. The purple unicorn didn’t want anypony to see him the way he was. Pinkie Pie might have looked good with the poofy hairdo, but it just wasn’t right for Miamore. The unicorn was able to make it all the way to his purple and red carriage without being spotted. Well, it was a bit early in the morning. Not many ponies were awake. Thank goodness for that. Miamore slipped into his plush carriage where his entire load of luggage was kept. Well, it his possessions only consisted of three bags. Two were full of clothes and the other was stuffed with grooming products. Before he could go to Rarity’s, Miamore went through his clothes. He was still been wearing the vest he’d had on yesterday. The rose was no longer there though. Maybe he'd lost it somewhere along the way.
It took Miamore an hour and a half to pick out what he wanted to wear. Once he was satisfied, he changed then grasped the bag of grooming products with a grip of magic. The bag floated behind him as the purple stallion once more went from cover to cover as he made his way to Rarity’s boutique. The unicorn hid behind a sign as he knocked on the door, hoping Rarity was awake. And he really hoped she was willing to help him. They had really hit it off last night and did consider her as a friend, of sorts.
“Hello,” Rarity said as she answered the door. Then she spotted Miamore. At least she believed it was him. His hair was a wild swirl of purple and red but she was positive it was Miamore.
“I’m very sorry for bothering you but I’m in need of your assistance,” Miamore said, feeling a little embarrassed.
“I see... Please, come in.”
Miamore nodded before slipping pass the white mare.
“I usually have my private hairstylist handle this rat’s nest, but I didn’t want to drag him with me. You know, let him have a break. I guess I was just hoping there would be someone experienced in mane and tail styling, since I came here on a whim. I can’t really style my own hair. I’ve tried, but it always comes out wrong. I’m not sure why. But you definitely look like you know a thing or two about maintaining one’s looks… I’ll deal with my hooves myself. I’d rather do my own pedicure,” he said as he walked into the Carousel Boutique. He was greeted by a white cat wearing a purple bow. Opalescence rubbed against his leg, purring.
“I’ll be more than happy to help you, Miamore. I do understand the high maintenance of keeping one’s appearance up.”
“Thank you very much, Miss Rarity. Now, there’s a certain procedure Slick Trim, my stylist, goes through to perfect my mane and tail. First is to wash my mane twice with this herbal shampoo.” Miamore opened his pack and pulled out an unlabeled bottle. It was a homemade mixture specially concocted for his mane. After that, he also laid out the other supplies needed to groom him. “While wet, run the hard-bristle brush through the tangles. After doing so, my mane must be soaked in my conditioner for at least fifteen minutes. Rinse then brush through again with the hard-bristle brush. Use my hair dryer on a low setting while brushing with the soft-bristle brush, making sure to part my mane. Then there’s the matter of my tail. One wash with shampoo then two ten-minute soaks in conditioner, brushing in-between each soak. Hard-bristle brush. Again, low setting while drying. Use the round brush to wave the hair, using the hairspray to keep it in place and give it that special sheen. I know it seems like a lot but it’s the only way to control this… mess…”
Rarity blinked. He just had to make himself look perfect. Reminded her of Prince Bloodblue except Miamore wasn’t as snooty as the prince. The white mare decided she would help the stallion since he was her new friend and was much more charming than Blueblood.
“It’s alright, dear. It’s expected of a Canterlot pony like yourself to look absolutely perfect.”
“Yes, yes.. I’m just amazed how a pegasus can do all that.”
“Slick Trim?”
“Yes. Amazing pony, he is. As soon as he could fly correctly, he started studying the art of hairstyling. Said he wanted to make everypony look perfect. And he’s very serious about his work. To think I met him in a club… But that’s a story for another time.”
Rarity nodded then gestured for the stallion to take a seat. Then the white mare got started on taming the beast that was Miamore’s mane and tail. She followed Miamore instructions to the letter, wanting him to look absolutely fabulous. While his mane was being tended to, Miamore filed and shined his black hooves. An hour later, Miamore was looking as charming as ever.
“You are a life saver, Miss Rarity,” Miamore said as he admired the hard work in the mirror, packing all his grooming supplies back into the bag. He then faced the white mare before sweetly kissing her cheek. “Thank you.”
A dark blush formed on Rarity’s cheeks. Miamore smiled before getting his bag and making his exit. Hopefully she didn’t take that as any more than a friendly gesture of thanks. He had a strange effect on those that surrounded him. It wasn’t only his good looks. He had a certain aura about him. One of love and appeal. It was like an extent on his magic that he couldn’t control. Ponies would fall for him in most cases. Or just want him in their beds. He hated that about himself, but just went on with his life. So far he'd found no way of stopping it. And it wasn’t all that bad sometimes; he could make friends quickly. It was also how he could tell two ponies were perfect for each other. Anyway, Miamore put his bag back in his carriage. Now what was he going to do today? He had made no real plans. This town had to have more to offer. Then Miamore got an idea. He needed to thank the Apples for their hospitality. He should make it a surprise. Maybe he could socialize and figure what he could do. Miamore nodded to himself before stepping out of his carriage and setting out to his mission.
Big Macintosh was in town pulling a bushel of apples in a cart at his slow gait. With him was Caramel, who was delivering things usually used for baking such as baking powder and sugar. Both were headed to the same place: Sugarcube Corner.
“Hey, Big Mac,” Caramel said, getting his companion’s attention.
“Hm?” Big Macintosh questioned.
“What do you think of that fancy pony?”
Big Mac shrugged.
“Nothing to say about him?”
“Nnope.”
“I think he’s kind of… cute… And his name is sort of exotic. Miamore. Just rolls off the tongue. Everypony is talking about him. How charming he is and how he doesn’t act all snooty. Maybe I should—“
Big Mac stopped in his tracks and looked at the colt when he heard the thud of crates hitting the ground. The tan pony had managed to trip on his own hooves, landing face first in the ground with his hindquarters in the air. The cart kept him held up like that. The red stallion shook his head, sighing, and then unhooked himself from his cart to help Caramel. After Caramel and readjusted and everything that hadn’t broken was loaded up on the cart, the two resumed their walking.
“Sorry about that,” Caramel apologized, a soft blush on his cheeks. “I’m so clumsy.”
“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed. The two became silent as they trotted along. The larger stallion’s ear twitched as he heard the tan colt beside him gasp softly.
“Look. There’s Miamore,” Caramel said, nodding towards the opening door of Sugarcube Corner. Miamore was just walking out of the place of sweets, Mrs. Cake behind him. The pair shared a few words, Miamore chuckling at some unheard joke or amusing words. Then the door was closed and Miamore seemed pretty pleased with himself about something. The smiling purple unicorn then looked around. It was then that he and Big Mac locked gazes. Miamore’s amethyst eyes got as wide as saucers before he galloped off as if he had just seen a ghost. What was that all about? Big Mac looked around, making sure there was nothing frightening around him. Did Miamore run because of him?
“He must be in a hurry,” Caramel reasoned aloud, interrupting Big Mac’s train of thought.
“Eeyup,” the red stallion said, pushing away the slight irritation he felt. He had no reason to be frustrated at the purple stallion. Still, what made him run off like that? The two ponies finished their delivery after which Big Mac returned home to see what other work needed to be done. While walking about, the farmer tried to figure why exactly Miamore ran. Did the other dislike him? Or was it because… Oh no… Miamore knew about Big Mac’s magazines. Maybe Miamore was embarrassed. Or disgusted since those magazines contained explicit pictures of one-hundred-percent colt on colt action? Then why did the pony ask to stay another night? It was just down right puzzling.
