[Ponyville] Glam Garments for the Gala

[Apolline Allura]

Ponyville!

How...country.

Leading actress and occasional Playcolt model, Spotlight traversed the little town of Ponyville, severely unimpressed by the overall look of the place. Yes there was the absence of arrogance and egotism that plagued it's neighbors like Canterlot and Cloudsdale (not that she couldn't fit into those kinds of places)... And yes the Sweet Apple Ciders were to die for, but it didn't wow her like she'd have assumed it would. The houses were too...homey. The hustle and bustle wasn't as thick as it was in say, Manehattan. It was alive, but only but so much. Spotlight decided to amount it to what Brace called "soul". It was a much more personal kind of place, and she could hear ponies calling the other ponies by name, which meant that this was a place of community. Nopony could be so familar in the bigger cities she had visited. Not something she was entirely unfamiliar with, being from the Badlands and all.

Although Lefferded, the marginally larger settlement that it was had a rather twisted soul, in the form of bandits and such that swept through the area on a daily basis.

But!

Things had changed for the pegasus and her family since moving them from that pit, and Spotlight was living larger than ever. Or at least, she planned to by the time she retired. But that would require her not to spend the vast sums of money she earned during every tour on jewlery and drinks while the other half was already guaranteed toward her family. And oh dear, her mother had even sent her a letter saying she was expecting in anywhere from two to three months. She cursed her mothers fertile grounds for such a thing...it was much better having been the only child.

All the same, now was not the time to consider such things. There was a very special appointment to be kept, and it just so happened to be at the rather interesting building in the center of the town square. Spotlight found herself impressed at last, and briefly wondered why she hadn't seen the carousel shaped building, or the cake shaped one across from it when the train was approaching Ponyville. With her playwright, boss and bestie, Ghost Writer in tow, she pointed excitedly at the sign.

"The Carousel Boutique!" She turned her head to Ghost Writer, "Where, as told to me by Hotiy Toity himself, every garment is chic, neat and magnifique!"

Spotlight's wings fluttered and she wished she could just up and dance on her hind legs without the contents of her saddlebags spilling onto the floor, but alas, she settled for a broad and happy grin.

[GhostGirl]

Ponyville.

It was the perfect, slow-moving sort of town. Ghost Writer briefly considered a change of location from Canterlot to Ponyville, then shook the thought away. She knew the troupe would never go for it. No, she'd have to wait until the Traveling Players ready to disband before she could change location. That could take years. As much as Canterlot was often too fast-paced for the quiet little unicorn mare, it was home.

She shook the train of thought away and turned back to the matter at hoof. Spotlight was dragging her off to Celestia knows where... again. Always here and there and all around with the pegasus. Only place her leading actress couldn't drag her was Cloudsdale, or she was certain she'd have been dragged there various times as well. Today their destination was some fancy dress shop. Ghost Writer had never been one for finery, but her friend certainly was, and Celestia knew she wouldn't go out shopping alone. The pegasus seemed to think everything had to be a group activity.

She stopped short behind Spotlight as they arrived at Carousel Boutique.

"Hoity Toity, huh?" she asked, eyeing the building. "Must be fancy, then. We're just here to pick up the one dress for you, right? Won't take long?"

[RarityDash]

Ponyville...

There was a point in her history when Rarity had had little use for her hometown. She had been a rather fanciful filly though, caught up in misbegotten dreams of looking down from a crystal tower as a beloved princess, admired for her unequalled beauty, charm and talent. In time she had become more ground, and now she could say that most of her old storybook fantasies had been displaced by more realistic and attainable goals. Things had changed and Rarity no longer even considered leaving her home for Canterlot or some other hub of high class.

A lot of it was in the great friendships she had made. Ever since getting her cutie mark, Rarity had been perhaps too acutely focused on making her star shine. She had forwent much in her tireless struggled to establish Carousel Boutique, her life's work. While she had been met with success, her shop finding customers even in a quaint town that hardly demanded such a classy establishment, by the time she the bonds started to forge with the five ponies who would come to be her greatest friends she would still have a lot to learn and experience. Those experience in turn bolstered her love of the town and the ponies within it, while at the same time, around each corner she was finding more success at her vocation. Her attachment to where she was had only grown while her need to look elsewhere had declined.

As the mare finished up some alterations on a red dress, she nodded. The boutique had been increasingly busy of late. Hoity Toity... Sapphire Shores... Fancypants... witch each new famous friend she met her business just grew and grew. It meant great things for revenues and reputations, but keeping it all up could be a bit of work. Nevertheless, at that moment in time, she was mostly through with her current orders, and her shop was filled with customers, so a smile graced her face.

She was eager and willing to meet with any pony or ponies who might so happens as to require her services.

​

[Apolline Allura]

She tapped upon the door with a hoof lightly, unsure of how to directly approach a place of such repute, if only for the fact that her greatest clothes were made by ponies far away. The catalogs of all the most popular styles lay in neat stacks under Spotlight's bed back at the trailer. The mare wasn't accustomed to meeting with one of the ponies actually responsible for creating new garments.

"Oh yes, of course, mmhm," said Spotlight, skating over Ghost Writer's question with ease, "yes, picking up dresses..." she lowered her voice to a murmur when it came to the plural suffix involved in the word.

There was a mild amount of chatter and such that could be heard from outside, which easily meant customers were already there. Oh how Spotlight hated the lines! 'If I had known minding Writer's sleeping schedule would lose us out on a first in line spot, I'd have dragged her out of bed hours ago!' hissed the pegasus in her mind as she pushed the door open.

Upon her entry, Spotlight gasped. What a place! Such lush and yet subdued colour! The interior reflected the sense of style and true craftsmareship of the outside. It was beautiful.

"Splendor and wanderlust and--ooh, is that velvet red?" Her voice dropped low with the tone of one who was very fond of the colour and material. Spotlight could have just jumped up and positively exploded into flight, but it was important to maintain herself. It wouldn't do for a pony of her caliber to simply just up and overexcite in front of all these country ponies. Trotting back, she locked her fetlock in Writer's and dragged her on in.

"Oh just look at all the new things she has together." said Spotlight, trembling with excitement. "And oh, I do believe this one is in your colour..."

At some point though, it became apparent to her that the only one who could truly offer good judgement--neigh, divine judgement--on dresses for both her and the unsuspecting Ghost Writer was the creator herself.

"Miss Rarity?" she called out from the crowds, not entirely sure what she looked like, but searching for a pony heading in their direction at her clarion call.

[GhostGirl]

Ghost Writer's ear flicked at the word "dresses," and she did a quick mental calculation of the bits her brother had provided. She figured Happi had sent enough for maybe two dresses. Then Spotlight opened the door and Ghost Writer blinked several times in quick succession. First the colours hit her. Even working on plays she wasn't used to so many colours in one place, so near each other. It made her head spin. Then the sound hit her. The plays were in open air so the sound of the crowd could escape. The sounds of the crowded shop, though, were all held in by the building, and the acoustics of the building weren't helping any, either. Finally, the size of the crowd itself hit her, and the unicorn mare was instantly glued to Spotlight's side, wide-eyed as a doe that had just caught scent of a manticore.

She was just trying to remember what she was about to ask Spotlight when her train of thought was wrecked by the pegasus' commentary. She mumbled incoherently and stayed close to her friend, avoiding the other ponies at all costs. This was not where the simple unicorn mare belonged. She belonged in her cart, drinking tea and writing stories and enjoying the company of her small troupe. She certainly did not belong in the shop of a renowned dress maker in the middle of a large crowd. She closed her eyes tight and breathed deeply and began counting to ten, trying to calm down, only to have yet another train wrecked by Spotlight's voice calling for Rarity.

The poor novelist was getting dizzy.

[RarityDash]

The Boutique was busy, but the arrival of new ponies to the crowd was not the sort of thing that ever went unnoticed. The chime of her door alerted the mare immediately. Finishing up with an earth pony mare who seemed mostly to just be browsing, Rarity turned to greet her new customers. It was a pair of mares: one was a blue-gray unicorn with an oh so stylish red and black mane do; the other was a white pegasus with an equally striking black and pink mane. Rarity smiled. How fabulous! She could already see both of these mares made up in one of her finest styles. She hoped they were both here as customers.

​

"Splendor and wanderlust and--ooh, is that velvet red? Oh just look at all the new things she has together. And oh, I do believe this one is in your colour..."

Rarity could hear the pegasus speak out with excitement. She nodded. This was exactly what she liked to see. The unicorn mare didn't seem to share her friend's excitement, however. She looked misplaced and positively overwhelmed; almost unwell, really. Poor thing. Rarity hoped the discomfort wouldn't dissuade this mare from indulging in the world of glamor she was prepared to show her.

​

"Miss Rarity?"

At the call, Rarity decided it was time to make herself known to the mares. She put on a smile and trotted toward them. [colour=#663399]"Hello there, darlings. I am Miss Rarity, Ponyvile's premier couturier extraordinaire,"[/colour] Rarity introduced herself proudly, flipping her coiffed mane back with vigor.

[colour=#663399]"I do so welcome you to my Carousel Boutique,"[/colour] she started, smiling and giving a little nod. [colour=#663399]"What might I be able to do for two lovely young mares this fine day?"[/colour] she added, eager to please.

​

[Apolline Allura]

Spotlight had the grace to look shocked. Miss Rarity was quite a looker.

Though she'd never concede it, the snow white coat, similar to her own but only more...fetching had plenty to do with it. Her mauve coif was also a sight to see as well. In short, she knew she was looking at the finest sight in Ponyville. A "rarity" indeed. She also looked familiar, as though she had--

"Princess Platinum?" said Spotlight, stunned now at the appearance of said actor. "From the Hearth's Warming play in Canterlot last year! You're a premier fashionista as well? What else can't you do?"

And so began Spotlight's thirty second rant of gushing and fangirling all over Rarity. She was at the very least, so excited that in her mirth, she prepared to tangent to reason behind the visit.

"--and now that I think about it, the designs of those costumes were simply superb! If I had known that was you, I'd have been here sooner and--"

'SPOTLIGHT. STOP. BREATHE. DIGNITY.'

Spotlight paused, took a deep breath, and focused her eyes before lifting a hoof. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she said in subdued tones, audibly forcing her excitement down, "I'm Spotlight of the Traveling Players, and this is my playwright, Ghost Writer."

She gestured toward the other unicorn, all meek looking and out of sorts amongst so many ponies. Spotlight briefly pondered her well-being before, 'Oh she's a big filly, she'll be fine.'

"We're both here to find dress," she leaned into Rarity's ear to add the plural "es" to the word before leaning away, "for the Grand Galloping Gala. Any appearances in one of your numbers will surely make it the best night ever!"

[GhostGirl]

Ghost Writer was only mildly aware that Rarity was greeting them, her eyes wide and twitching from Rarity to Spotlight to the crowd. She didn't flinch when she was introduced to the other unicorn mare, either, simply continued watching everyone and trying to calm down. She was slowly becoming unruffled when her ear flicked toward Spotlight as she said "dresses," and suddenly the playwright was unruffled all at once.

"Wait. We both? Dresses? For the Gala?" She ran through the past few days in her mind as quickly as she could, from the first mention of the upcoming Gala to the decision to stop off at Carousel Boutique when the troupe made it to Ponyville. Not once could she recall agreeing to go to the Gala. It was too crowded and fancy and posh and... crowded.

Suddenly, she was altogether composed and nodded to Rarity. "It is a distinct pleasure to meet you, I must say, but I fear my companion is mistaken. I have no plans to attend the Gala, and thus no need for a dress. We are still here for Spotlight's dress, though, and will both be quite pleased to see what you might be able to do for her." If there was one thing drilled into Ghost Writer's mind by her mother, it was how to talk to ponies who had any pull in high society.

[RarityDash]

"Princess Platinum? From the Hearth's Warming play in Canterlot last year! You're a premier fashionista as well? What else can't you do? --and now that I think about it, the designs of those costumes were simply superb! If I had known that was you, I'd have been here sooner and--"

Rarity couldn't help but feel a swell of pride at being showered with praise by this enthusiastic mare. So she had seen that, huh? Acting wasn't something Rarity did much of, but to perform in the Hearth's Warming pageant with her close friends had been a true and rare delight. Sinking into the character of Princess Platinum had ended up being very fun, and the performance had went over well. Though she was far more accustomed to staying on the other side of the stage, she had enjoyed her chance to claim the spotlight for once. It was good to see that ponies still remembered the performance and her part in it, not to mention the work she had put into her costume designs.

​

"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Spotlight of the Traveling Players, and this is my playwright, Ghost Writer."

Rarity's eyes widened after the mare calmed down and came to her introduction. This was a professional in the world of theatre--one with her own playwright no less--and Rarity's little one time foray onto the stage was worth remembering? That made the thick praise even weightier. Rarity smiled brightly, and gave a nod to the two.

[colour=#663399]"A pleasure to meet the both of you!" [/colour]she started in excitedly, shaking the hoof of both mares. [colour=#663399]"It's not often I run into anypony who remembers me from that performance. It was a delightful thing and we all worked so hard to make it as great as we could. It's pleasing to hear that its still remembered, and by ponies of the art, no less!"[/colour]

​

"We're both here to find dresses for the Grand Galloping Gala. Any appearances in one of your numbers will surely make it the best night ever!"

Rarity chuckled, brought back to another moment her history. Those same words had left her mouth once. For her, the best night ever hadn't exactly come from the Gala, to put it simply. No, due to a certain obnoxious prince, it had been a pretty miserable event, the only pleasant memories of the night coming after the event when she was amongst her friends. She hoped the Gala would be a better memory for these two.

Also interesting in the request was the way the mare bent in close to whisper how she wanted more than one dress. How cute. So the meeker of the two, the playwright, didn't know she was getting a dress too? An interesting little game. Fun. Rarity gave an understanding nod at this and smiled, eager to please these customers.

​

"Wait. We both? Dresses? For the Gala? It is a distinct pleasure to meet you, I must say, but I fear my companion is mistaken. I have no plans to attend the Gala, and thus no need for a dress. We are still here for Spotlight's dress, though, and will both be quite pleased to see what you might be able to do for her."

Unfortunately, it seemed the shyer mare was onto her friend's little game. Rarity gave a little sigh. She supposed it was a hard thing to hide. Poor thing really looked terrified by the whole idea, or maybe it was just her surroundings? it was the same uncomfortable look that so often graced Fluttershy's face that presently held this mare.

[colour=#663399]"I see. Well that truly is a shame, my dear. You have such a fine, lovely mane, Miss Ghost Writer! I can think of so many dresses here that would suit you just perfectly,"[/colour] Rarity said, shaking her head. [colour=#663399]"Let us look around all the same. I'm sure we'll find something that Miss Spotlight simply must have!"[/colour] she added with excitement, leading the two toward some dresses.

[colour=#663399]"And if not, ordering a custom design to your specifications is also always an option,"[/colour] she said with a nod. [colour=#663399]"Provided you have time to wait, of course."[/colour]

​

[Apolline Allura]

'Curses!'

Why oh why did Ghost Writer decide to have such wonderful hearing then and there? Spotlight had even bothered to parse the word so that she wouldn't catch onto the plural! There was hardly any point in heading up to the gala without the entirety of the troupe. They were a group, a unit, a collective! To be without one was to be without all! Not that this would stop her in the least.

What Spotlight lacked in subtlety, she made up for in bombast, peer pressure, and sheer excitement.

"Miss Rarity," she said as they continued through the direction of the many different dresses available, "my dear Writer is the slightest bit ill from the bump on her head from this morning, and requires bed rest, and will do so after we have purchased her dress for the gala--"

She said all of this with a cheery, bright smile, and not stopping to give Ghost Writer a chance to speak, spotting a positively dazzling black and gold number and trotting over to it. She continued to babble on about possible colour combinations, coordination, and the viability of velour wear versus satin. There were so many different kinds of combinations that Spotlight almost lost track of herself before finally coming to the conclusion, "Miss Rarity, I must ask you, what do you think would look best for my friend and I?"

Before she turned away to point in some direction, she gave Rarity a small but hopefully understandable wink before turning to point in an arbitrary direction and frantically yelping.

"Ghost! Your quills are on fire again! I smell the feathers burning from here!"

[Dio]

[colour=#ff0000]“Funny you should mention that, Spotty dearest! I seem to be smelling some pinions burning myself, though they most certainly don’t belong to Ghost Writer...”[/colour]

Floating in the reddish glow of unicorn magic, a black pinstriped fedora moseyed around a sale rack of discount dresses, doing a little twirl before settling on Spotlight’s head. Around the same sale rack stepped a tall lithe stallion, his fire-coloured mane spiked high, his tail trimmed short, and a smug grin dominating his face. A merry jingling could be heard as he rounded the racks, eventually revealing itself to be the sound of his pocket-watch swinging from its chain around his one of his front hooves. With a chuckle, the stallion twirled his watch once, twice, three times around, flinging it up before opening the pocket of his black suit vest with his magic, allowing the watch to land squarely in its resting place.

[colour=#ff0000]“Thank you very much for the help, Miss Rarity,”[/colour] Double Tap threw over his shoulder as he breezed past Spotlight to finally settle next to Ghost Writer. [colour=#ff0000]“I think this hat will very nicely replace the one that met its untimely demise at the hooves of Spotlight’s bony flank!”[/colour]

As if to drive home the point, the hat settled on Spotlight’s head was given an ever so slight tip, just enough to cause its brim to fall in front of Spotlight’s eyes. Snickering puckishly, Double Tap gave Rarity a wink and an almost imperceptible wave of a hoof, a subtle gesture to continue. As much as he enjoyed addling Spotlight, he had to agree with her that Ghost Writer was desperately in need of proper attire for the Gala. More importantly, she was in desperate need to get out and socialize! His proverbial song and dance complete, Taps finally turned to his playwright, friend, and off-duty boss.

[colour=#ff0000]“So what brings you out of the writing room? Did Spotlight manage to blow all of last bill’s earnings on salt lick and diamonds already?”[/colour]

[GhostGirl]

"Double Tap!" Ghost Writer's demeanor visibly and audibly brightened ever so slightly at the arrival of the stagehoof. A light smile played on her lips as he teased Spotlight and spoke to Rarity, and then she found herself doing damage control. After all, Spotlight was a diva. She could handle only so much teasing before she would throw a fit, and Carousel Boutique was most certainly not the place for such a scene.

"Spotlight, dear." Her voice was soft as she carefully patched up the situation. "Get your dress. Double Tap and I are going to talk." Then, ever so gingerly, she took the brim of the hat in her teeth and plucked it off the mare's head, turning back towards the stallion then and motioning for him to walk with her. A quick flick of her magic and the fedora was then settled on her head, the brim of it just brushing against her horn.

"Tap, you really shouldn't torment her so. She can be so temperamental. She's decided she wants to go to the Grand Galloping Gala, and therefore she needs a dress. My brother sent a sum of extra bits to supply her with such. I suppose she must have asked for enough to buy me one, too, because she seems to have got it in her head that I'll be going as well." Consternation and frustration spread across her features then and she looked up at Tap. "Really, what would I even do at the Gala?"

[RarityDash]

"Miss Rarity, my dear Writer is the slightest bit ill from the bump on her head from this morning, and requires bed rest, and will do so after we have purchased her dress for the gala--"

Rarity giggled at the explanation. She could entirely understand this mare's plight. They had all had reasons they wanted to attend the Gala the year they had, but Rarity's friends by in large weren't ones for social functions either. Twilight and Fluttershy weren't the most social mares and it was often difficult to coax Dash into dressing nice. Pinkie and Applejack were probably even more of a lost cause. Sympathizing with this mare, who fought to get her friend looking pretty for the Gala even as she protested came naturally. As such, she was more than ready to play along with her playful gestures. She would do her very best to make sure that both of these mares left her shoppe as wholly satisfied customers.

​

"Miss Rarity, I must ask you, what do you think would look best for my friend and I?"

[colour=#663399]"Hmm, well..."[/colour] Rarity started, as she quickly studied the mare.

This Spotlight's eyes lingered first on a black dress with a gold trim. Rarity nodded; this was certainly a fine choice; the colour matched her mane while providing contrast with her coat. She would look good in it, but Rarity wondered if there wasn't something lying around that might be better. After a moments thought, she brought the mare's attention to a sleekly styled red-violet dress trimmed with a little black.

[colour=#663399]"I do believe this would compliment that mane of yours quite well,"[/colour] she said with a nod. [colour=#663399]"As for your friend... I'd--"[/colour]

​

"Ghost! Your quills are on fire again! I smell the feathers burning from here!"

[colour=#FF0000]“Funny you should mention that, Spotty dearest! I seem to be smelling some pinions burning myself, though they most certainly don’t belong to Ghost Writer...”[/colour]

Rarity found herself interrupted first by outbursts. She turned to see an immediately striking stallion in a quite handsome suit vest saunter toward them, placing one of her hats on his head as he did. Rarity smiled. There was no denying this charming gentlecolt knew how to make himself known. He was so very charming and stylish too! This was particularly uncommon to see in a place like Ponyville. She could only assume this was a stallion of the city; Canterlot or Manehattan perhaps? Either way, he was certainly intriguing.

​

[colour=#FF0000]“Thank you very much for the help, Miss Rarity. [/colour][colour=#FF0000]I think this hat will very nicely replace the one that met its untimely demise at the hooves of Spotlight’s bony flank!”[/colour]

The mare gave a small laugh. He had selected the hat himself, so she hadn't really helped, so to speak. With his playful gestures he pulled the line off so as it was charming rather than noxious. His comments toward Spotlight were a little harder to interpret, though from their mannerisms she could only assume they knew each other well. A playful barb at the expense of a close friend? That's all she could really assume.

[colour=#663399]"Oh, but it was my pleasure, dear!"[/colour] Rarity commented effortlessly winking back at the gentlecolt. [colour=#663399]"I must say that it suits you quite handsomely!"[/colour]

Ghost Writer spoke up about then, insisting that she speak with this stallion and encouraging the other mare to finish her dress selection as she did. This was fine with Rarity, though she wasn't going to let the playwright leave without a dress. As she pulled the stallion aside, Rarity stepped back toward Spotlight.

[colour=#663399]"Now where were we, darling..."[/colour] she started as she pulled the dress from before out again. Glancing back, she then added with a playful smirk, [colour=#663399]"and just who was that charming stallion friend of yours?"[/colour]

​

[Apolline Allura]

Double Tap.

Her mind ran the words through again.

Double. Tap.

And upon his arrival, of course--of course--he'd spend his first few seconds making sure to rile her some. Her flank was an important asset to her! It had won her numerous awards and cover shots in Playcolt magazine! Hoof Hefner commented on it himself! Yet here they were again. Spotlight's searching eyes found no makeshift object that could be easily slipped past Writer and brought down upon his wonderfully empty little head--

[colour=#282828]"Spotlight, dear." Her voice was soft as she carefully patched up the situation. "Get your dress. Double Tap and I are going to talk."[/colour]

Good. Good, good good good good. Dear Writer, always able to keep a calm head and break things up. To be honest, Spotlight could easily admit that time not spent drinking tea, directing or writing could easily be called babysitting her troupe. Being the hotheaded one of the bunch always did bring things into a different perspective for her, but during some moments of clarity, it was obvious that they were a somewhat dysfunctional family. Of course, the zebra and the mute still had to be accounted for, and then of course there was Brace--but she'd not dare utter a word about him unless he was present--but they were all a cohesive, argumentative and talented family.

The several changes in Spotlight's facial expression were barely perceptible to the naked eye, aside of a few twitches and maybe, just maybe her hoof prodding the end of one of the hangers to see how sharp it's corners were. For poking of course.

Her lit fuse coming to a stop, she took a small breath and shrugged. "The help. We keep him around because he makes good coffee. Or something." A blink, a second blink and then an actors blink, and it was BACK to happy.

"So!" she said brightly, clapping her forehooves together, "Dresses for the Gala! I'm loving the idea of something in velvet, and although I'd like it in red, I'd prefer not to be so tacky as to go in the same colour as my playwright! We're an acting troupe, not a task force like the Wonderbolts..." The pegasus mare paused for a second, noticing a number of dresses in the opposite direction of her and then turning to Rarity.

"Diamonds. I'd like something that can use those beautiful gems to great effect."

The words were spoken with a quiet anticipation, rumbling deep within her, causing her to want to emit giggles (a few actually slipped) because if there was one thing Spotlight loved to wear, it was diamonds. A dress, made by Rarity herself would no doubt include them in the most extravagant fashion yet!

She continued on with a smile, "We'll follow that rather grand tangent later though, I want to get Ghost Writer settled first, and I believe a bit of black and red will suit her without question. Nothing overly done however. I respect her desire to remain...not the center of attention, but only to a certain point. She will come to the gala. This, I promise."

The material and how much of each one that would apply to each dress would factor in, but plainly enough, no matter what it was--buying two dresses would be a cinch. The prices were nothing. The purchases were the point today.

Of course, Spotlight spared no expense even when buying large and expensive pieces of custom-made jewelry, so frugality was a moot point as far as she was concerned.

"But of course, as I've stated Miss Rarity, whatever you consider apt would be wonderful as well. I place the fate of two of Equestria's most stylish mares in your capable and well trimmed hooves."

[Dio]

[colour=#ff0000]“It’s all in good fun!”[/colour] he chuckled. [colour=#ff0000]“I’m sure Spotlight knows I have no interest in her flank. Sadly, neither does my hat.”[/colour]

Pulling the hat off Ghost Writer’s head with his magic, he held it aloft before him in mock Shakesbeardian eulogy. [colour=#ff0000]“Alas, poor hat, I knew him well!”[/colour]

The way he saw it, he was doing Spotlight a favour. After all, if she had actually taken her manuscript to be published, it would have been the laughingstock of the publisher. He hadn’t seen such tripe since he’d had the misfortune of selecting from his mother’s “other” bookshelf when he was bored and in need of reading material. Needless to say, romance was not Double Tap’s favorite genre, though Spotlight seemed to be starry-eyed and dizzy-brained over it.

And so with merely the flick of a hoof, the manuscript was put out of its misery, the victim of a half-pint of cheap domestic brew that Taps had hardly considered drinkable anyways. Two birds with one stone as the hunter griffon would say. Spotlight, however, was less than amused.

[colour=#ff0000]“I knew she wasn’t happy about my work, but I really do wish she hadn’t taken it out on my previous hat,”[/colour] he sighed, flipping the fedora onto his head. [colour=#ff0000]“Now as for the Gala, there are many things you can do!”[/colour]

[colour=#ff0000]“I was there a few years ago while I was still, er, freelancing. There’s food, music, dancing, socializing, DRINKS. And let me TELL you about those drinks. Best bartenders in Equestria; the Princess must have gone out of her way to find them! I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a GREAT time to me!”[/colour]

[GhostGirl]

Ghost Writer snerked at Double Tap's Shakesbeardian quip. She had a sneaking suspicion that Tap could act, but she wasn't keen on the idea of badgering him to perform in one of her plays. Badgering ponies was rarely her style, unless it came to dragging Spotlight's sorry flank out of bed the morning after the final performance in a town. The pegasus never did want to get up early and leave with the troupe. She briefly considered leaving the star behind once, but had dismissed the idea quickly. Ghost Writer simply couldn't be that spiteful.

She listened closely, then, as the stallion attempted to elucidate the appeal of the Gala. Food, music, dancing, socializing, and drinks. Right. Food and music were fine in Ghost's book. Sure, she didn't eat much, but she could munch a little throughout the night if it suited her, and music was always good. It was hard for the mare to find music she didn't like. This, however, is where the list went downhill. Dancing? Ghost had four left hooves. Socializing? She hid from the crowds after plays. Drinks? Tea was one thing, but the drinks Double Tap was talking about where another entirely.

"That all sounds... highly stressful, to be frightfully honest, Tap. I know you're relatively new to the troupe, but I had figured you would've picked up on my anxieties by now." A sheepish smile spread across her face. "The Gala is mostly a social event, and I am... not a social pony. I'm merely the mare behind the curtain in the Emerald City that is our troupe. You and Spotlight? The rest of the troupe? You are the Great and Powerful Wizard. You interact with other ponies brilliantly. They find your charm and wit irresistible. Me? My tongue ties itself in knots if I even so much as recognize the fact that I'm in the middle of a crowd." It should be noted about now that Ghost Writer had been making a point of looking at Double Tap, the ceiling, and her own hooves throughout the entire conversation, never letting her gaze wander to the other ponies in the shop.

[RarityDash]

"The help. We keep him around because he makes good coffee. Or something."

That's all? It seemed kind of alarming to have such a well dressed and charismatic stallion around only to bring you coffee. She had assumed he was one of the performers. He had that sort of vibe. Then again, there was some rather visible animosity on display from the mare. Perhaps some sort of rift between the two kept the stallion from the stage? There was clearly some manner of friction between the two; perhaps they were former lovers? It seemed plausible. Either way, it wasn't Rarity's place to pry into the personal affairs of her customers.

​

"So! Dresses for the Gala! I'm loving the idea of something in velvet, and although I'd like it in red, I'd prefer not to be so tacky as to go in the same colour as my playwright! We're an acting troupe, not a task force like the Wonderbolts... Diamonds. I'd like something that can use those beautiful gems to great effect."

As Spotlight returned her attention to business, it was apparent to Rarity that at least something had her distracted as she seemed not to pay any mind to the dress Rarity had brought forth. That was fine though; she wasn't going to push it. The customer was right, and if this customer wanted velvet, not-red with diamonds her selection wasn't on point anyway. She'd be more than happy to lead this mare to a gown more to her specifics if that was what she was looking to buy. She lived to please her customers, after all. She smiled and nodded to the mare as she spoke about what she wanted, returning what she had pulled quietly.

​

"We'll follow that rather grand tangent later though, I want to get Ghost Writer settled first, and I believe a bit of black and red will suit her without question. Nothing overly done however. I respect her desire to remain...not the center of attention, but only to a certain point. She will come to the gala. This, I promise. But of course, as I've stated Miss Rarity, whatever you consider apt would be wonderful as well. I place the fate of two of Equestria's most stylish mares in your capable and well trimmed hooves."

Rarity nodded. She was definitely interested in seeing this mare get her way regarding her reticent friend. Spotlight seemed like the sort of mare who liked to get her way. For that reason, even though she was invited to make her own selections, she was more inclined to now just follow what this customer thought best and only protest if a choice made was absolutely wrong.

She continued to nod as she spoke, [colour=#663399]"No, you're on the right track for her, I think. Complimenting the tones of her mane will produce a striking effect. Of course, red and black can both be rather daring colours. If you wish to save her from an undesired fate as cynosure to all eyes at that gala, we're going to need to be careful with exactly what tones we select."[/colour]

She moved toward a rack of dressed. [colour=#663399]"I think a darker, earthier red is preferable to something vibrant...Or maybe even something with a bit of a violet hue. We want to go for subtlety and stay away from bombast. It's probably preferable to keep to a simpler design, though not too minimal as to draw the least wanted attentions,"[/colour] Rarity spoke as she flipped through some dresses.

[colour=#663399]"Nothing garish. Nothing flashy. Yet something that will look good... something relatively elegant,"[/colour] she said as she continued her search through her reds, until she ultimately arrived on a piece, which she pulled from the rack.[colour=#663399] "Aha! This perhaps,"[/colour] she said as she pulled the dress toward Spotlight. It was a modest piece, dark, subdued red, with some black trim. Rarity thought it would look lovely on the playwright.

​

[Apolline Allura]

[colour=#b22222]"That."[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Was the only thing Spotlight could say, her eyes alight with satisfaction. She nodded vigorously in approval of Rarity's colour choice as she examined the dress in it's splendor. "Yes. Yes yes yes yes yes." fired off Spoltight in rapid succession. [/colour]

[colour=#000000]The trim was just perfect, and the dominance of the red was perfect against Writer's off-gray coat. This was definitely the thing to get for her friend. [/colour]

[colour=#000000]Spotlight sidled up to Rarity's ear and whispered, "Now you didn't hear this from me, but I might know of a certain unicorn who just earned herself grand seats at the next production of the Traveling Players in their last performance in Ponyville." [/colour]

[colour=#000000]Pulling away with a grin, she continued, "We shall have to see that come Gala time. Add that one to our cart, dearest Rarity. And onward to the star attraction!" [/colour]

[colour=#000000]The pegasus posed on her hind legs with a beatific smile.[/colour]

[Dio]

Double Tap followed Ghost Writer’s gaze around the room. The ceiling. The dresses. The floor. The windows. Not exactly the most interesting or distracting of views. But closer inspection seemed to suggest that the distraction was deliberate. Of course! How could he have forgotten? Ever-introverted Ghost Writer was flank-showoff Spotlight’s polar opposite when it came to interactions involving anypony other than the troupe itself.

[colour=#ff0000]“Well now from that little speech, I’d have to disagree.”[/colour] Taps gave Writer a sidelong smile. [colour=#ff0000]“In fact, I would say you’re quite good with your tongue.”[/colour]

Pausing a moment to let the jest sink in, he continued. [colour=#ff0000]“Come now. Not everypony is a brat like Spotlight or a high-society cur like some Canterlotians I know. Conversation and company isn’t as hard as you’re making it out to be.”[/colour]