//------------------------------// // The Gentlecolt // Story: Indecision // by Kitsune112 //------------------------------// Butterscotch led her to the Carousel Boutique, just a short walk from Sugar Cube Corner. She was a little confused about seeing it. She wasn't one for dresses or even going to formal places. So going into a place full of high end dresses and tuxedos was definitely a little weird. Butterscotch knocked on the door gently, if not quietly, before the two entered. “Elusive? I have someone Berry and Dusk want you to meet.” He spoke so quietly, she was so tempted to actually just hug him and tell him it was okay to speak normally. But again, she kept herself in check and didn't do anything that might upset the colt. She looked around as they walked inside, seeing all the mannequins with certain types of clothes on them. They all looked so pretty and just really well made. Just something about hand...er hoof stitched clothes made it so much better than machine made clothing. She smiled at the styles before they both heard a bit of arguing. They both looked at each other before walking into the dressing space...or maybe it was just Elusive's thinking place...they never really give you a clear definition of which was the 'Trying on' room in the show. It was either where all the mannequins were or it was...this room of 'organized' chaos. “Stand still, I need to just get one more stitch.” “Well hurry up! I don't like being grounded for this long!” The two heard some huffs and uncomfortable hoof steps. They both looked in and saw that Elusive was trying to fit Rainbow Dash's male counterpart with what seemed to be a suit. Why was he getting fitted for a suit? Unless this was before the Grand Galloping Gala...or maybe just for the heck of it? So confusing. The two looked up when they saw the other two. “Ah, Butterscotch! Just in time, I need to get your size for your tuxedo and...” The white colt seemed excited to see his friend but when he saw the newest addition to their quaint little town, he couldn't help but get a little curious. “And who's this?” He walked over and gave a bow to her. “That's my new friend, Fireswoon. She's staying for a while and Berry and Dusk wanted you to meet her.” Well, it wasn't mostly Dusk. Berry was the one to suggest it first. Fireswoon smiled a bit at his politeness before bowing back the best she could. The balancing was still a little awkward, but she was slowly getting the hang of it. The colt fixed himself and smiled at her. “Fireswoon? Peculiar name...but you seem to be an oddity for this place, anyway.” She nearly froze up when he said that. Did he get what she was just by staring at her?! “Your mane is so messy...tight curls to the bottom, even your tail. Speaking of your hind, you don't even have a cutie mark.” He seemed more surprised by that since she was pretty much looking to be their age. So it was strange to see a blank flank this old. The girl blinked before smiling a bit nervously. “W-Well, I've never really known what I wanted to do...or am good at. A-And I had a long trip here, I wasn't able to get a good shower...” Truth be told, she never really did anything with her hair when she was human. She just let it air dry and it just turned out messy even after brushing it. Hopefully it wouldn't get humid here any time soon, either...it just poofs out. The rainbow pony seemed to be getting impatient. “Can I Please get out of this now?! Come on, it itches and I can't even move my wings that good.” He grumbled as he moved around. Elusive rolled his eyes. He just wanted to talk with the new filly, but he had to get him out of that suit. “I'll finish it up. I have your sizes, so it's not like I'll need you that much more until it's done.” He took the suit off with his magic, making Fireswoon tilt her head and try to look up at her horn. She really had to wonder how this was all done. Magic was just so strange...but maybe it was just like having another appendage? Just using your imagination to make things...but it seemed so much more difficult than that. Or maybe it was just that simple? Once Elusive removed the suit, he nodded for Butterscotch to get up on the pedestal to get sized and suited. The rainbow pony walked over to her and tilted his head. “Fireswoon, huh? My name's Rainbow Blitz, best flier in Ponyville.” He stated proudly as he puffed his chest out. She blinked and couldn't help but laugh. It was so nice to see someone so proud and so confident in their abilities. She's never really seen one in her town, so it was nice to meet Blitz. “No kidding? You're the best?” “Yup! Can clear the skies in 10 seconds flat.” He stated with a proud smile on his face. She knew that he could definitely clear the skies in that amount of time, she's seen it! Well...not in real life or face to face. Just through a tv screen. “Rainbow, don't try picking up fillies with your acrobatics.” Elusive warned him as he fitted Butterscotch. “I'm not trying to 'pick her up'! I'm just telling her how good I am.” He nodded, not even noticing the fact that the filly was faintly blushing at the two pony's remarks. She didn't think they talked so casually. But aside from what the show showed them, there was no say as to what they did and didn't do. That's why there are so many headcanons. She hummed a bit to herself about that. As Butterscotch was being fitted, he looked between the two, surprised that they were getting along...in a strange way. Rainbow and Elusive never really seemed to get along...then again, Rarity had a hard time with getting along with both the tomboys in the series. So it was relaxing to see that they really weren't arguing all the time. He smiled just a bit, happy that Fireswoon seemed to be doing well around the two and not getting shy...like he was. For however long she stayed, he was sure she was going to do fine making friends with them. “Hey, if you don't mind me asking, why are you making tuxedos?” Fireswoon asked as she looked over at the fashion suave pony. “Have you ever heard of a masquerade party? Well, one of my clients has invited me and I want to take everypony along. So they have to look the absolute best for it.” He nodded as he stuck a few pins in the sleeves to keep them together. Butterscotch's suit looked to be very light and pastel heavy. What else would you expect for the shyest pony in Equestria? She looked over at Blitz's suit and saw that it was rainbow colored, but the tones were darker to give it more of a masculine feel to it. She could only assume that Dusk, Berry, and Applejack hadn't come by for their fittings yet. Now that she thought of it, she hadn't seen Applejack at all. He was probably bucking the trees...selling apples...or just doing other chores around town. Applejack, no matter what gender, was always so hardworking and kind, so she had no doubt that the pony would be doing one of those things. “So...like masks and all? That sounds really fun.” She smiled at that. She always wondered what it would be like to attend something like the Carnaval or just a Masquerade in general. It always looked so fun. “You've never been to one? Not even a normal party?” He asked, making them all look at her. She blinked and blushed a little in a bit of embarrassment. She shook her head and drew circles on the ground with her hoof. “No...I was never really invited to anything. I was always so different so no one really became my friend.” She smiled a bit at them, trying to give them a reason as to why she never really went to a party. She was always the odd one out. She knew about rumors that spread about her and the fact that she just had so many different likes than the rest of her classmates, so it wasn't odd to her that she never got invited. She still drew circles on the ground with her hoof, knowing they were staring at her. She hated that, but she didn't want to yell at them. “Well that's stupid. Just because you're different doesn't mean they have to be so mean and not give you a chance.” She looked up at Blitz as he said that. She blinked before smiling at him. If only everyone was like him. Heck, if everyone was like the mane 6, things would be a lot better. She wouldn't be in this position right now. She wasn't sure if that was good or bad. “Thank you, Blitz, for saying that.” She smiled gratefully at him before nearly stumbling as he ruffled her hair. “Don't mention it! I'm gonna head out. If you guys need me, I'll be practicing my stunts!” He grinned before leaving the shop. Fireswoon tried to fix her mane but it was very hard to just fix with only hooves. Elusive sighed at his gesture but smiled at her, trying to tell her that she was lucky he didn't completely ruin her already messy hair. Butterscotch also sent her a smile, just happy she was getting along with them so far. She smiled back at them and waited for the fitting to be done. Once it was all finished, she was expected to go out and continue the tour, but the fashion pony stopped her. “I am not letting you out with a mane like that. You need to get it re-styled.” He nodded and dragged her over to another station in the boutique. As well as making dresses and other clothes, it was clear that Rarity and her counterpart were also knowledgeable in hairstyling. “B-But! I like my hair!” She tried to protest as she tried to get back. “Don't be silly, it'll take a few minutes, promise.” He sat her down in front of a mirror and smiled before trying to style her hair into something she would like. Not too easy, though. She really wasn't one for girly things and rarely if ever wore anything girly in her world. The only thing she thought were cool were the karma bead bracelets. But she doubted that anything like them were here in this world. She sighed a little before wincing as she felt her hair being pulled, probably with a curling iron. Her hair was curly enough, why was he trying to curl it again?! Butterscotch watched curiously to see what Elusive was doing with her hair. It was rare that he got to do a mare's hair, so this was probably exciting for him. “Voila!” Elusive smiled as he backed off and let the filly look in the mirror. She had her eyes closed, not sure if she should open them and see what had happened to her hair. She was expecting it to be poofy and over the top. As she peeked her eyes open, she tilted her head as she saw the work he did. It was laying flat in layers with a few lighter brown high lights. When in the world did he do those? She turned her head from side to side to check it out better. She smiled to herself as she looked at her new hairdo. “Well?” Butterscotch seemed excited to hear what she thought of it. She smiled happily and turned to them. “It's great! I thought it would be over the top, but this is actually nice.” She nodded. She was more than tired of her curly hair and while this wasn't permanent, she was glad that Elusive flattened it out for her. “But did you have to add the highlights?” She asked as she looked at a light brown stripe in the mirror. “I thought it would brighten your style up a bit. Having a dark brown color isn't too exciting, my dear.” He nodded before starting to straighten out her tail. She winced and whined a bit, finding the tail hair to be a lot more painful than her actual hair. Maybe because she wasn't used to having a tail. The added appendage really didn't feel like it was there just yet. It was like having ears. Until something touched or happened, you wouldn't realize they were there. Once he finished, he nodded and smiled at her. She looked at her tail and smiled happily. “Thank you so much for this. Is there any way I can repay you? I don't have any bits on me.” She asked, looking around to see if she could use anything to make something. He shook his head, though, and continued to smile. “It's quite alright. But if there was something, then I have to ask you to let me dress you up when I can. I don't make much clothes for fillies or mares. It'd be nice to have some practice.” He nodded, smiling at her hopefully. She blinked as her ears folded at the thought. She hated dresses and wearing makeup...but... “Deal. But, just don't stick me with any needles, though, okay?” She smiled a bit at him as she agreed. She hated all the girly stuff, but he was so nice to not make her pay. She had to repay him somehow, even if she wasn't comfortable with it. He beamed and suddenly trotted happily. “Perfect! We'll start the modeling tomorrow and I'll have a new line of clothes out that will be spectacular for everypony! Thank you so much, Fireswoon.” He thanked her happily, making her smile back at him. It was so nice to help someone out. It just made her feel good. Butterscotch hummed a little, trying to get her to mention teaching her how to use her horn. She blinked and tilted her head. He hummed again and pointed to Elusive. She blinked before realizing what he was implying. “O-Oh! Elusive, sir-” “Elusive is just fine, dear.” He corrected her, but looked curious as to what she had to say. “Right...Uh...I'm not so good with using my magic. Is it...okay if you...try and...teach me?” She asked, not sure if he would immediately go for it or if he would tell her no. He was the element of generosity, so hopefully he would agree. She saw him looking a little surprised and actually think about it. She was hopeful as she waited for him to answer. “What happened to Dusk Shine?” He asked, thinking that Dusk would be a better teacher. Butterscotch explained that he was out doing shopping and even letting her sleep at his place. She just didn't want to burden him more than she needed to. The stallion hummed a bit before smiling. “Well, if that's the case, then I suppose I can teach you. I do need a little help around here, too. Especially with Sweepybelle coming over more often.” He nodded before the two colts blinked as she bounced happily once he agreed. “Oh thank you thank you thank you! I promise I won't be a burden. At least...I won't try to be. But thank you so much!” She grinned happily at him, getting a chuckle in return. “It's no problem at all. We'll start tomorrow along with the modeling. I have some things to do for now, so you're free to leave.” He smiled at them before turning to go work on something else. She nodded before walking over to Butterscotch. He smiled at how happy she was, finding it to be a little cute. He walked her outside and checked the time. “Oh no, I have to get home. Angel is probably worried. I'll see you at the party.” He smiled at her, getting a nod in return. She understood that he had his own things to do and she wouldn't force him to stay with her. But it was a little unnerving to be left alone in a place you barely knew. She looked around before trying to find her way back to the library. She could rest there and maybe get walking up the stairs down. Hopefully, anyway.