Blossoming Roses

by Storm butt

Uprooting

The world fell silent when Fancy Pants brought a blue ribbon to his lips. His eyes set on Fleur in the dim light from the window, her hoof reached to the wall, a brief boom of light and sound from the fireworks outside rang in his ears before the lights above him clicked on. She had a faint smile on her lips, her eyes weary yet only by exhaustion.

Fancy’s eyes shifted to the row of faceless plastic ponies in dresses and suits that sat on their displays, the area around them quite messy with strips of fabric and silk, hasty scribbles of furiously crossed out designs. Very few remained intact without being forgotten in a pile of crumpled paper. The purple carpet was covered in matters like this, one that he told himself that he would need to clean up if he wanted to open shop anytime soon.

“You truly should have tried to loosen up a bit more,” Fleur said, her smile faltering when she trotted over to the white unicorn and pressed a hoof to his cheek. His hooves fumbled with the ribbon that he pulled from his mouth before he twirled it around his hoof. “I know you didn't enjoy yourself all that much. Honestly you never told me what happened to your clothes in front of Hoity.”

“Somepony needed it more than me,” Fancy Pants stated as he tied the ribbon in a knot before running his hoof through his mane. He tied the ribbon around his pulled back mane, the hair out of his eyes and his face exposed. “I have a feeling he wouldn’t appreciate me gossiping.”

“Ooo, a he,” Fleur said with a mischievous giggle. “I didn't know you were the kind of pony to do such naughty things in such a public place with a stranger... at least not for quite a long time.”

“Believe it or not I do have some control over myself compared to fifteen years ago.” Fancy laughed at her teasing smile. He brushed off her hoof to take a few steps forward and into the center of the room. “I’m not like Hoity who has a new boy-toy every other week. I prefer to flirt and tease before I begin to grab."

Fancy's eyes drifted to the large window as he watched an explosion of colors in the sky be set off one by one. Always the same every year, fireworks to start and fireworks to end. The unicorn could hear the rustling of fabric as glanced behind him. His eyes kept watching Fleur wriggle from her red dress, holding it in her hooves with a sigh when she managed to free herself.

“I suppose you chose not to mingle with any stallions tonight?” Fancy Pants questioned the mare as she stroked her hoof through her long mane, setting the red dress on the back of a ponnequin. She shook her head, and in response Fancy Pants did the same.

“I really wish you would put yourself out there more. Not many ponies at the Gala are like the ones who gawk at you in public.” Fancy frowned at her smile as he took a step to her.

“What am I, an innocent little filly?” Fleur giggled at him with a shrug of her shoulders as she stroked her hoof down the red dress. “Please dear, I enjoy the gawking, that’s why I get paid to waltz around in dresses all the time. I don’t mingle because I feel you wouldn’t appreciate ponies who flock to you if they thought you came without a date.”

“So I’m the little colt now?” Fancy Pants questioned with a raise of his brow.

“No, I just figured you didn’t want to deal with it tonight. You seemed stressed enough with the dress dilemma.” Fleur said as she turned to him. The unicorn removed his monocle before he began to fog it up with his breath, wiping it clean with the back of his hoof.

“Honestly don’t remind me of the thing,” The unicorn began to trot to a large desk. With his hoof he fumbled around the inside of a drawer before he emerged with a small box. He opened it with his magic to pull out a thin stick which he brought to his lips.

“I thought you gave up that nasty habit...” Fleur’s words trailed off. Fancy fumbled for a match in the draw, striking it on it's way out and lighting up the stick. He took in a deep breath, opening a window quickly before he leaned out onto the railing.

“So did I.” Fancy stated. He looked to the sky, the faint fireworks in the distance had vanished. Fancy knew that it signaled the Gala had officially concluded. “I bought these last week. First pack in Celestia knows how long... Four years, maybe?”

Fleur was silent, but her face held a slightly disgusted look when the smoke drifted to her nose. Fancy continued to stare out the window and down to the grass between the building across from him. He never bothered to remember what they sold, something about mattresses or furniture.

"Fancy Pants, do you feel alri-"

“I met the Prince tonight,” Fancy Pants spoke up, trying to quickly change the topic. “The Princesses nephew, not the one who married in… He was all alone away from the party.”

“That’s... unusual for him… I hear he prefers to be the center of attention,” Fleur said, her face holding a frown. She thankfully played along with his little game. “He seems a little bratty, full of himself actually.”

“He was actually quiet for the most part," Fancy Pants said, not going into too much detail. “A little bit charming actually. It was actually a nice distraction from… all of this.” He said as he gestured his hoof around the air, spinning it in small circles. He didn't seem to point at anything in particular.

“Is that so?” Fleur questioned. “Well I suppose rumors are just rumors after all. If they were all true we would be an item by now.”

Fancy gave a dry chuckle at that. He brought his free hoof to his temple and began to rub, a headache beginning to pound against his skull. He began to wish that he hadn't attempted to drink that night.

“Are you honestly going to sleep here again tonight?” Fleur questioned him. Her eyes went to a maroon wooden door in the back of the shop. “I really don’t think there will be many customers tomorrow after such a big event, you should go back to your real home tonight, let your hoof maid take care of you for a change. You honestly never live like you have nearly as much money as you do. It's okay to live a little deary, no need to sleep in the back on some boxes."

"I do have a bed here, you realize," Fancy Pants shrugged at her words when he spoke. He rolled his eyes as he pressed the butt of the cigarette into an ashtray that was already on the windowsill. The tray he noticed was growing full all too quickly, and he would have to empty it soon. It was amazing how fast he could go through the sticks when he let his mind wander. There were a few moments of silence that she obviously expected him to fill as he took a long time to blow out the smoke from his breath. "Besides... I gave my hoof maid vacation time for a month."

"Why in Equestria would you do that?" Fleur raised her brow.

"I just..." Fancy Pants struggled to grasp at the words. "I'm not sure."

"Still, it's no place for you. Don't you like your house?" Fluer's tone sounded worried to the stallion. Fancy Pants avoided her gaze.

“I don’t… I honestly don't enjoy how large it is if I’m being honest. A place like that is far to big for a pony to live alone,” Fancy chuckled at his own words as he rested his head onto his hoof, his words slightly muffled with the cigarette between his teeth. He finally took the rest of the stick as he put it out with his magic into the ashtray before turning around, the taste still in his mouth as he rubbed his temple. “I can't stand coming home to all that nothingness. Especially after that horrid dress."

Fleur took a few steps over to his side once more. Her hooves stepped around the crumpled sheets of paper to get by his side, her body leaning up against him. “The dress looked fine, sweetie,” She said, her hoof giving his cheek a small stroke. He lowered his head to stare at his hooves before sitting down on the floor. “People commented to me all night on how stunning it made me look.”

“You could make a plastic bag look stunning Fleur,” Fancy attempted a joke with a laugh that quickly died out. “My work showcase very well if you're modeling it, ponies love you."

“Mmm, maybe you should have been like Hoity tonight,” Fleur spoke into his ear. She ran her hoof up and down his chest to ruffle up his fur. “Gotten yourself drunk enough to ask an attractive stallion to visit your home."

Fancy remained silent. Fancy continued to stare at the building next door through the window, no more than ten feet away. He put his hoof on his shoulder over Fleur’s.

“I think you should hurry, you left that poor stallion waiting in the dark far too long with the carriage… he can take you home and you can get a good night’s sleep dear, I gave him enough for the rest of the ride and a tip.” Fancy Pants said when he brought her hoof to his lips for a brief kiss.

“I take it you are in fact spending the night here,” Fleur said, Fancy nodding his head. Fluer, accepting the kiss on her hoof, shook her head in response. “I’ll check up on you tomorrow, we should go to dinner, on me.”

“You and I both know I can afford it for the both of us,” Fancy smiled at her words. He watched her straighten her mane out with her hoof and let a whinny past her lips. She put on another smile for him, staring brightly into her friends eyes.

“And you and I both know that who pays gets to decide where to eat,” Fleur giggled happily when she trotted in the direction of the door. "You don't get to use the word carb or salt either, no complaining."

"When have I ever complained about food?" Fancy Pants questioned.

"Around the same time a newspaper called you fat," Fleur grinned back at him. “Now you are not going to worry about that dress anymore and you’re going to have a good night sleep deary, I’m sure whatever you make next will be a fantastic dress that will dazzle ponies and make you more famous than Celestia.”

“Yes, mother,” Fancy stated with a roll of his eyes. Fleur straitened her back and opened up the door, taking the first few steps out into the night. Fancy sighed, silence beginning to creep into the room. He closed the window with a pull of his magic, tossing the box of cigarettes back into the drawer.

The place felt rather large and empty for such a small shop. The unicorn pulled at the ribbon holding his mane back carelessly when his hooves carried him over to the dress that lay on top the plastic pony. He picked up the dress with his blue shaded magic to give it a brief examination.

The white unicorn couldn’t help but bite onto his tongue. Someplace in his gut just began to lurch. The red was far too bright, golden highlights simply preachy and begging for attention. He couldn’t believe he let Fleur wear something like this.

“Maybe sleep could help,” He mumbled aloud to himself. He walked by a trash can filled with fabrics and other paper before quietly tossing out the dress into the bin without a second glance. It had barely fit, the end sticking out and hung over the edge.

If anything, he was glad that disaster was out of his sight.

Comments

[Vivid Syntax]

I think this format works great. You added a lot to the characters in a very small space. Keep it up!

[Vectored Thrust]

^ What he said. Gives a lot of depth into Fancy Pants himself