//------------------------------//
// chapter 4: What a Lady Likes 
// Story: Welcome to Equestria 
// by james_the_unicorn 
//------------------------------//

chapter 4: what a lady likes!

It felt like hours of learning, and while it was all confusing at first, I finally learned everything I needed, not just about magic, but also about where I was, how I got there, and the basic understanding of Equestria. I thanked Twilight for the lessons and went to explore the rest of Ponyville. Wandering around, I saw so many ponies with a smile upon their faces and none of them were arguing or fighting with each other. I decided that I either was here on an extremely good day, or this place was as good as Twilight said it was! I walked up to a building that looked like a carousel. It had dresses in the windows and they were all really well made. I also saw a white unicorn with purple hair. Was it Rarity? I walked in out of curiosity. Immediately I saw many dresses made for mares. It was obviously not a store many stallions would wander into. "A stallion?" A familiar female voice questioned over near a rack of dresses. I looked over to see the white unicorn approaching. "Welcome to Rarity's carousel boutique! Where everything is neat, chique, and magnifique!"

"Well, looking around at these dresses, you’re right about that. Did you design all these dresses?"

Rarity smiled and flipped her mane a little. "Why, yes! I am the best designer in all of Ponyville! Are you here to buy a dress for a special somepony?"

I looked around taking a second to figure out what she meant. Did she mean a girlfriend? That was an easy question. I don’t have one at all. I looked back to her and shook my head. "Uh, no. I don't have a 'special somepony', I just came in to take a look around."
Rarity tilted her head. "Oh? It’s rather unusual to see a stallion come in here just waltz into a boutique just to window shop."

"Well, consider me unusual I guess. I just saw the dresses outside and wanted to see what else was in here... I see you have a lot of great work with gemstones! They really catch the eye and add radiance to the dresses!"

"Why, yes! Thank you! It’s nice to know some stallions around here know a thing or two about what a lady likes!"

I laughed and walked down her line, then stopped to find a simple white dress on a mare mannequin. Next to it sat a box of sapphires. Sapphires were always my favorite gem because of their deep, rich color and soothing glow. I looked back at Rarity immediately. "Is this your work in progress?"

"Yes, dear. This was supposed to be a dress for my friend Sapphire Shores, the pony diva, but I can't seem to get any inspiration today! I’ll have to figure out something and fast before-!” Almost as if on cue, the door opened and Rarity swung around and trotted away nervously. "I’ll be right back, sweetie. Please don't touch anything."

She went back to the entrance and composed herself. "Welcome to rarity's carousel boutique, where everything is neat, chique, and-"

"MAGNIFIQUE! How's it going' Rarity dear!"

"SAPPHIRE SHORES!? B-But, I thought you were going to be here at the end of the week!"

I wasn't watching the events unfolding in the front of the shop, instead I was staring at the dress as something was striking me, but I needed to put it together...!

"I know, but I wanted to see how my new dress was coming along!"

I looked at the box of gems and then looked outside. I saw the wind suddenly carry off a leaf past a window. The leaf twisted and flipped in a little pattern... that was it!

"O-oh, yes! Your new dress! How could I forget, haha, silly me!"

I saw some adhesive for the gems and used my new magic skills to lift it up. I gently brushed a smooth and curly pattern onto the white dress and then lifted two sapphires from the box gently..., this won't sound good at all.

"You are working on it, aren't you?" Rarity stepped back and looked around nervously to find some distraction they could focus on.

I pressed the sapphires together and started to rub them against each other. The noise they gave off filled the room, and made the mares cringe in surprise and fear. I found myself in a little pain from the noise, but I knew I had to do this. As the gems ground against each other I collected the blue dust that came from the both of them.

"AH! Rarity, what is that AWFUL noise!?" 

"I-I'm not sure! But it's really painful!"

Once the gems were nothing more than dust, I aimed the dust at the dress and blew gently against the pile. My wind sent the blue, reflective dust flying, and it all landed on the dress.

Rarity started approaching where I was, as this was going on. "YOU! What did you?!"

I looked back after shaking the dress off a little and gasped. "I-I’m sorry, Rarity! I-I just-!"

I went quiet as I realized I just destroyed two of her gems, and messed with her project without permission! I’m such an idiot! I set the dress back on the mannequin and ran past her, looking away in shame. However, if I had not left the boutique, I would have been around long enough to hear Sapphire Shores gasp at the dress, saying "DARLING, I LOVE IT! This dress will be perfect for my new song 'light in the wind!' you did a fine job, Rarity!"

Only Rarity was not so much angry, but rather surprised! "I... but-he... you... love it?!"

I had done Rarity a favor and hadn’t even realized it! My own inspiration got the better of me and that action saved Rarity's career! I guess I was in the right place at the right time.