Trot the Trot, talk the talk!
Glittery Heart was scheduled to appear in the Manehatten fashion competition, where I would model some of the finest pieces of her work for some the biggest ponies in the industry. But when she came down with that nasty sickness, I was left with showing off her finest work. Fortunately, her brother Skater and I did come up with a plan at the last minute...
Nearly a hundred ponies were gathered in the large auditorium, all talking and gossiping amongst themselves. Most looked bored and disinterested, as if they'd merely be presented with what they had seen a thousand time before. But one or two hopefuls among the industry's elite were scattered throughout the crowd, holding out a desperate hope that something new would impress them.
"Well, well, well, Berry Bright!" A mare declared, sitting down in a chair next to an orange pony with a golden mane. "Still coming to there events, hoping to find your line of clothing store's next big thing?"
"I'm here for the same reason Manehatten's trendiest and richest pony is." She told Ivy League, the aqua coated mare with the pink and purple mane. "That somewhere in this morass and boring collection of profit-driven and focus-group crafted drivel, there is still a shred of creativity among these so-called 'fashionistas', and you'll see something original and exciting this year."
"What a shame we live in such times, Berry." Ivy replied with a sigh, lowering her sunglasses. "If only the real artists, like Coco Pommel and Rarity were still around. They'd show these horseshoe licking toadies a thing or two about fashion!"
The two mare's conversation was cut off, as the lights were lowered, and the fashion show began. Models came trotting up and down the runway, clad in the same old dime-a-dozen dresses that had decorated store shelves for decades. It seemed like it would be just another hum-drum show, when an orange earth pony suddenly stepped out on stage, her legs squeaking beneath the fabric of her dress.
SQUIRK-SKWIK SQUIRK-SKWIK SQUIRK-SKWIK SQUIRK-SKWIK SQUIRK-SKWIK
"Hello, ladies and gentleponies!" The mare cooed provocatively, blowing the side of the room with the few males in the room a kiss. "As many of you know, life is a wonderful celebration! And we feel you should celebrate it with the Glittery heart line of dresses and garments!"
The mare then proceeded to promenade across the stage in one outfit or another. First a long purple evening gown with shimmering couture, then a soft green ball gown made of a transparent fabric. By the time the mare with the elegantly coiffed mane had paraded out in a set of white slinky lingerie with ruffled bottoms and lacy leggings connected by straps, the two earth mares in the audience had sat up and taken notice.
Neither of them noticed the nervous mare constantly exchanging glances with a stallion in the audience, who kept giving her reassuring nods and glances as she carried out her little act. The outwardly calm and collected mare was unsure if she could have made it through the stressful experience without Skater's support, and words could not express how incredibly grateful she was for it.
"Hey, just who is that pony?" Berry asked in surprise. "I've never seen her at any of the fashion shows before!"
"Oh, that must be Applejewel, I've heard of her." Berry replied, not taking her eyes off the model. "She's the assistant of that new dressmaker in town, Glittery Heart. Boy, she certainly can market those outfits!"
It wasn't so much the clothing, which while it was good, didn't stand out in any unique way from the show's other offerings. Instead, it was the way Applejewel presented the outfits, displaying a charisma and gusto that really made it seem she was excited about the outfits she was modeling. It was such a contagious energy, that it couldn't help but infect the two rich and influential mares sitting in the audience below.
"Oh excuse me, Miss Applejewel?" Ivy declared, trotting up to AJ after the show. "I'm truly sorry you didn't win the competition, but... I was wondering if I could commission you to make about a dozen or so custom dresses for some friends and I? We so do need some stunning new outfits for our cruise to the Griffin kingdoms!"
"Pardon me, Madame Jewel." Berry added, trotting up behind the rich pony. "But if it isn't too much trouble, I would like to discuss the possibility of featuring your employers' outfits in my chain of fashion boutiques. I can of course, make a very generous offer for your personal services in endorsing the line..."
"This is it, AJ! This is what we were hoping for!" Skater whispered in her ear, barely containing his smile. "You and my sister have both hit the big time!"
And he was right, we really had hit the big time! What followed for me was many different photo shoots and grand openings... it was such a flurry of activity and attention I really wasn't used to! But Skater and Glittery helped this poor little farm pony through the whole thing, and I was able to deal with all the stares and judging glares from some of the most important ponies in Manehatten. But I was unable too see the cracks already forming in plaster of my new life...
"I really can't thank you enough for coming to the ribbon-cutting ceremony at Berry's new store." Applejewel sighed as she sat in front of the vanity in her room, and brushing her mane as she stared at her reflection. "I don't know how I'd handle all this craziness without you and your sister around."
"Hey, you know I'll always be there for you babe, I'd never leave you hanging." He replied with a laugh, tying the laces on his skates together, and hanging them on the wall. "By the way, I was hoping you'd be able to come to my skating tryouts for the Equestria Games tomorrow. I know you've been busy with appearances and stuff, but you haven't been to one of my rollerblading events in months, and this is really important to me!"
"Of course I'll be there! You're always there for me when I need you!" AJ smiled, turning around to face him. "I did have a photo shoot scheduled for tomorrow, but I think I can cancel it for something this important to you."
"That's good, I'm really glad!" The stallion replied, trotting up behind her, and putting his hooves around her soft neck. "Because the royal princesses themselves are going to be at this year's tryouts to watch! Can you believe it?"
"The.. royal princesses? Celestia and Luna?" All the color suddenly drained from Applejewel's face, as she thought of the two mares she hadn't seen in many, many years. "Wow, that's... that's so incredible for you! Congratulations!"
"Not as wonderful as you are, Jewel!" He smiled, as AJ turned around to face him. "I'm so happy you came into my life."
Skater playfully tackled her, causing AJ to come down on the bed on her stomach, with Skater landing right on top of her. The stallion gently kissed the back of her neck, as Jewel's apprehensions about the possible alicorn reunion tomorrow slowly drifted out of her mind.
"Awww, Skater!" The orange mare giggled playfully, her flank going up, as he stood over her. "Ya'll always know how ta hit the mark!"