(Ponyville)Textual Treasures - Grand Opening! (Open)

[Lux]

After months of planning and weeks of prepration, his dream was finally ready. Lore Weaver stood in the middle of the store admiring his work. All the books were aligned neatly on their shelves, organized first by subject and then author. One side of the store had fiction and the other had nonfiction. In the back was a section for foal's books. There was also three sections, each dealing with books pertaining to a certain pony type. Lastly, in the back opposite the foal's area, was his crowning part: the rare books area.

The bookstore also boasted several comfy chairs and couches for ponies to sit and read as well as an area for witers that contained stationary, quills, and ink.

Now there was only one thing left to do. He walked outside the store where a banner that read "Grand Opening" hung from the second floor. He had a few days before places fliers on the bulletin boards as the Mayor reccomended indicating this date that it would be officially opened. Now all he had to do is wait for some ponies to arrive before officially opening the store.

[Xiee]

Today was the grand opening of Lore's bookstore. The Mayor had promised a while back that she'd attend the grand opening and possibly give a speech to one of Ponyville's new citizens and merchants. She had hoped that her appearance during the grand opening alone would be a good boost to his business. She also had a speech prepared just in case a decent sized crowd would show up during the grand opening.

As she galloped towards the store she met Lore making the finishing touches. It wasn't that long ago when this old shack was filled with dust and run down, but today everything looked brand new and snazzy. The shop boasted decent space for ponies to enjoy a quick read as they browsed through books. It was a cozy place, and a place that the Mayor wouldn't mind to visit from time to time.

"Lore!" She greeted him in an upbeat voice. "I'm glad I could make it early. Congratulations on opening your store. I'm sure that the citizens of Ponyville would love another fine addition to our town. I know I would."

[ThatWhichIs]

Cinnamon Love trotted through the streets of Ponyville, taking a moment to stretch her legs and enjoy the sunny day. She was supposed to catch a train in a little while, one that would take her to Canterlot for a conference, but she was several days early and had decided to take it easy on her trip. And what better place to take a break than Ponyville? It had been years since she had set hoof in Ponyville, her last trip a weekend excursion with some boarding-school friends, and my how the place had grown. True, it still had that small town feel that she rather enjoyed, but it was much larger than she had remembered.

As she trotted down the street, Cinnamon's eyes were drawn to a large, bright sign, reading "Grand Opening". Interested, she headed over, trying to make out the name of the store as she did so. Narrowing her eyes on the name, a smile curled up her mouth, and she nearly walked right into a grey-maned pony before she realized how close she had gotten. "Oh, do pardon me," she apologized, bowing her head at the grey-maned pony before looking at the other.

"I was just passing through when I saw the sign, and I'm afraid I got so wrapped up in it I didn't look where I was going." Giving her head a light toss to get an errant strand of mane out of her face, she gave both ponies a bright smile. "I hope I haven't interrupted anything?"

[Lux]

Lore saw the Mayor greet him, just as he predicted. She was definitely a pony of her word and there was no doubt that when meeting him at the store that she's come to his grand opening, he knew she'd be there.

"I'm glad you could make it, Mrs. Mayor. Thank you for all your help in getting this store together. Of course, I couldn't have done it without the help of Ice Storm too."

Lore wondered if his friend and temporary dweller would be there. She could be busy at her store, but there was always a chance she'd show up.

Suddenly a pony who was gazing at the store's sign bumped into the Mayor. Lore had to admit, the sign was eye catching. It was an image of an open treasure chest, but instead of gold or jewels, books were sticking out. Above and below the chest were the words Textual and Treasures.

"Oh that's ok. You didn't interrupt anything. I am just about to open my bookstore for the first time. My name is Lore Weaver, but you can just call me Lore. What's your name?"

[Xiee]

"I'm glad your little store is finally opening." She said with a smile. "I look forward to it!"

Another pony apologized for interrupting. This was another new pony. Her ears perked up and she smiled. The Mayor always made it a point to know every new pony in town and this was another chance.

"Oh not at all, you weren't interrupting." She said. "I'm the Mayor of Ponyville, and you are?"

The Mayor sat down on one of the comfy couches in the store. She was ready to give her speech but there needed to be more guests to attend the opening. So far only a few have arrived, but she wasn't in a hurry. She kept her schedule open particularly for this day. She also made it a point to stay a while and perhaps browse, read and buy a few books. The store had an excellent selection. It could probably rival Twilight's library if it had more "sciencey" books.

[ThatWhichIs]

"I'm Cinnamon Love," she replied, trotting into the store after the Mayor. "It's a pleasure to meet you both!" The smile she gave both ponies said that she really thought it was a pleasure to meet them, that it wasn't just her being polite.

Looking around at all of the books, Cinnamon's eyes grew slightly wider than before. There truly was an impressive selection in this store, some of which she hadn't seen in years. Not limited edition printings, just books that were old, and hard to come by because of that fact. "This is your store?" she asked Lore, turning her head to look at the stallion. "I must say, I'm impressed. Some of these books I haven't seen in ages. Where did you find them?"

[Lux]

The turn out hadn't been what Lore Weaver expected. But it was still early in the day, and there was still hope that more ponies would show. If not, than this could at least be a soft opening of his store.

"Well Mrs. Mayor, if you're looking for something in particular to read to pass the time until more ponies arrive, I'd be happy to find you something."

He then heard the pony named Cinnamon Love mention about his bookstore.

"Yes this is my new bookstore. As for the books, the newer ones I got straight from the publishers. The older ones I got from really any place I could. Some I bought on my own to resell, others there were bookstores that were having sales of them, still others were just given to me in lieu of money to start up this business. To me having a bookstore is not just about getting some bits, it's giving knowledge to others. That's my talent, receiving and sharing information. So, do you have a title or subject you're looking for?"

[RarityDash]

Rarity nodded as she approached the newly completed bookstore, smiling at the sight of the banner indicating that today was the day of the grand opening. She had been looking forward to this shop opening. Sure, she wasn't as into books as some ponies, and she could get practically any book she wanted from Twilight with ease but she was compelled to pay this new little shop a visit regardless.

She had met the owner of the shop, Lore Weaver, at another grand opening, that of Frozen Delights, the new frozen treats shop in town. That shop happened to be run by Ice Storm, a pony who had befriended Rarity shortly after moving to Ponyville from Canterlot. From the sounds of things, Lore had been helping Ice out a lot, giving her a place to stay as she got situated in her new town and such. Rarity appreciated him helping out their mutual friend, and had been more than happy to say she'd visit his shop when it opened.

So here she was. She smiled as she slowly walked through the front door. She saw Lore instantly, already attending to some customers: The Mayor and a pony Rarity hadn't met before. She trotted toward Lore.

"Hello there, Lore Weaver, darling," Rarity started with a smile. "And greetings to you as well, Ms. Mayor," she said nodding to the mayor before looking back toward the bookstore's owner.

"Ice Storm told me you were opening soon. I am most delighted to see it is finally the day!" she said warmly. "And it seems you took my advice into consideration. Your shop looks just charmingly quaint."

[IceStorm]

Ice Storm took a day off from her own store today, as this was a moment that she'd been helping Lore with for a while herself when she could and she wanted to See lore to well on his grand opening just as she did. She was very much happy to help support her friend and landlord to see things off straight. She knew that there would be some sad ponies that would be sad if they didn't get their snow cones today which is why she always kept spare cones and flavoring in her saddle bag. Whenever she wasn't open, her snow cones were free for all fillies and foals. She could already see some ponies gathering around the shop and Ice smiled. Rarity had shown up to the grand opening, as well as the mayor, both she had expected to see there, and there was another rusty red unicorn that had come to the area as well. She was another pony in Ponyville that she hadn't met yet. At the very least with each passing day that list was getting smaller.

She approached the store and nodded at the Mayor as she entered, "Good morning Miss Mayor, Lore, Rarity," she greeted happily. "Today's the big day," she added smiling at Lore. "Hopefully your store does as good as mine! I want nothing more than to see everypony happy with what they do and have the success that they wish for," she finished.

[Xiee]

it was as good time as ever to start her speech. A small crowd of ponies had began to gather in the store. The Mayor stood from her chair and stomped her hoof twice on the floor sounding attention.

"Greetings everypony!" She said as she waved a hoof. "Welcome and a good day to you all! I've seen how hard work and dedication that Lore Weaver has put into every single detail of this store and it has been a thrill to watch it take form from the ground up. The moment he arrived in Ponyville, I knew we were not only welcoming another merchant, but another friend. A friend who could entertain us by giving us access to more books and other reading materials. It is with great pride and honor that we welcome you to the grand opening of Textual Treasures!"

The Mayor made her speech brief and short. She didn't want to spoil it for everyone by giving a long speech like she used to during her meetings and other important gatherings around town. She wanted this to be a bit more informal. Everypony in the crowd stomped in applause.

[Lux]

(OOC: since I'm not sure where Whatwhichis is, I'm going to skip him/her to continue the thread.)

Lore Weaver was excited to see that Ice Storm had arrived. He wondered if she was going to be able to attend due to her business of Frozen Delights. Yet to his joy she was able to take the time out attend. The purple unicoen also saw that Rarity, whom he met while attending the grand opening of Ice Storm's place, had also arrived. He mused at how things came full circle, how Ice said she met Rarity, Ice met him, Lore met Rarity, and now they were together here.

Lore listened to the Mayor give her short but wonderful speech. It was clear she made enough speeches in her lifetime to be able to effortlessly make a speech.

Then Lore decided to make his speech.

"Hello everypony and thank you for attending my grand opening. I'm not a pony to make speeches, but I'll try my best today. When I first arrived in Ponyville, I have to admit I was nervous that I would not be able to start my business. It was a daunting task, making sure everything fell into place. Without ponies like Mrs. Mayor, Ice Storm, and Rarity offering their advice and help, I might not be standing here at this shop's grand opening. The other part I was worried about was if I would be able to make friends and acquaint myself to this new town. But I'm happy to say that that all of you help me to allay those fears, and I count you all as my friends."

He paused in his speech to cathch his breath and also secretly to repress crying.

And now, I'm happy to say that Textual Treasures is open for business! So, can I help you find something?"

[RarityDash]

Rarity listened closely as both the Mayor and Lore spoke to the small crowd that had gathered. She smiled, it was a good speech from both of them. She was glad to see the Mayor be so supportive of a new business in town. Ponyville really did have the most pleasing sense of community. It was easy to appreciate and even easier to overlook at times, but here it could be felt fully.

Rarity turned to Ice, happy to see her but not at all surprised and smiled. "Good morning, darling. A pleasure to see you again!" She paused and gave a nod. "I'm quite excited."

"I think I'll just browse for now, darling," Rarity said, nodding as she stepped toward Lore. "I don't have anything in particular in mind, after all.

[Xiee]

After listening to Lore's speech, she shook his hoof in appreciation and like the politician that she is, shook the hoof of every other pony present. She mingled and chatted with the ponyfolk as more onlookers decided to come into the store. She acted like and usher as she greeted the newcomers telling them how small businesses like these were the building blocks of Ponyville. It wasn't long when the Mayor decided to check out some books herself and perhaps purchase a few. Aside from picking up a few books that contained light stories, she decided to purchase one of those Daring Do books that a lot of ponies were talking about and see what the fuss was all about.

It wasn't long until she bumped into Ice Storm.

"Well hello there Ice." She said while scanning through a few books. "How goes your own business? Doing good perhaps?"

[IceStorm]

(Sorry for the bit of delay, I was having a war with my internet and unfortunately losing.)

Ice Storm listened as Lore gave his speech, a small part of herself feeling the pride and the emotion radiating from him through the rest of the crowd as he spoke. He spoke with a passion, and his words filled with the fires of happiness and friendship. Stating that Rarity, the Mayor, and herself had all played a huge part in the contribution of this store and if it wasn't for ponies like them he probably wouldn't be standing her for the grand opening today. That he was originally worried about being able to make friends and be able to acquaint himself with the town, which Ice had to admit, she felt that same fear when she first stepped off the train, but for different reasons. Also that he was happy to count all of them as his friends.

Ice gave a soft teary-eyed smile at the speech. It warmed her heart to hear him talk with confidence and even more so that everyone was amongst friends. Rarity gave her and greeted her, saying it was a pleasure to see her again. She smiled back to her. "You're the one I should be thanking," she commented in gratitude from the break down that she had at Rarity's boutique only a week ago. "And it's always a pleasure to see you as well. As much as I don't like being out of the shop like this, I must say it is nice to have a day to myself once in a while," she finished as the Mayor walked over to her and asked about how her business had been going.

"It's become a lot to handle honestly. It's taken off so much that I've run out of supplies twice now. I've more than doubled my supplies at this point so I'm trying to avoid such things occurring again. Aside from that I guess you could say that I've been doing rather well. I've actually got most of the loan that I had taken out paid back already," Ice said with confidence knowing that she would be out of the debt hole soon. She still didn't have a place of her own yet though and that was the first thing that she would have to look for once she had the loan paid off.

[Lux]

Lore Weaver watched as the ponies who attended his grand open disperse throughout his store. He was happy that he was able to get through his speech with little problems. He shook the hoof of the Mayor and waved to Rarity and Ice Storm as he mingled through the store himself.

The ponies in attendance didn't ask for his help in finding thing. It was just as well as sometimes just wandering through a bookstore could lead to finding great things. Lore also felt that the lack of questions could be attributed to his labeling plan. Every shelf was clearly marked with a subject, and the books within were arranged by author. This made finding a spesific book very easy.

The Mayor then approached Lore holding a Daring Do book. Although she didn't appear to be a major fan, she was interested in the hype surrounding the series.

"Ah, Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Scepter. That's a good one. I like that a pony can read the series out of order or in order and it will still make sense because each book is its own separate story. So that will be three bits then for that book."

[RarityDash]

Rarity shook her had and smiled at Ice, remembering the events of the previous week. "Oh, don't worry about that, dear. It was no trouble to listen."

She nodded as she listened to the other unicorn talk about her work then. It was the second time she had expressed concerns about running out of supplies. Rarity smirked. This pony really wasn't used to the kind of rush a town like Ponyville could produce. Rarity could only hope she learned to cope with it soon. Rarity nodded in approval when the other pony said she had her loan almost entirely repaid.

"That's wonderful news, dear," she said. "it's a delight to see such a fine friend find success so quickly."

Rarity turned her head toward the mayor to see her purchasing a book from Lore. She took a closer look. Quest for the Sapphire Scepter? Rarity didn't read Daring Do, but she might as well considering a certain rainbow-tressed friend of hers tended to go into detail in discussing her favorites at the drop of a hat. She hadn't heard this title mentioned before, so chances were Dash hadn't read it yet. Rarity considered asking for a copy, but there weren't really and good reasons to give Dash gifts coming up, and after the confusion from last Hearts and Hooves Day, the idea of giving Rainbow a gift unprompted left Rarity more than a little unsure.

"I didn't know you read Daring Do, Ms. Mayor?" Rarity started, smiling. "I haven't yet read any of them myself; I kind of doubt it's quite to my tastes, really, but Rainbow Dash can't get enough of those books. She adores them. I hear she's even attending some kind of convention celebrating the series that's coming up soon."

[Duchess]

Polaris was a pony on a mission. In fact, a pony on several missions. It was for this reason that he'd roused himself from his comfortable bed (the siren song of which still echoed in the far reaches of his mind) just when the first lemon-yellow rays of another beautiful sunrise began to touch the mullioned windows of Hoofburgh House, the imposing and lavish Canterlot townhouse he currently lived in. Nothing compared to the colossal pile of Fetlock Hall, of course, but a very large dwelling nonetheless for one pony (and a small household staff, of course, but they didn't really count).

Amongst the nobility of Canterlot, Polaris was known as an early riser – as in, he habitually got up before elevenses were served – but he was finding the whole business of rising at dawn rather less of a good idea than it had seemed last week when he'd been planning this little trip. Nonetheless, his briskly efficient gentlepony's gentlepony, Sheaves, by dint of discreet bustle and peerless organizational skills, managed to get the bleary duke up, bathed, dressed – in fine silver-gray tweeds suitable for the country and for travel – and out of the grand double doors just as the city bells chimed seven, even when the short discussion (which the valet had lost) regarding mode of travel had been factored in.

By eight, having walked through the near-silent streets at a leisurely amble, Polaris presented himself at Canterlot's grand central transport station, an airy structure of white marble and arcing glass, on time and perfectly attired for a little country outing, if still not quite all present and correct in the brain department. In the section of the building reserved for aerial transport, he found his air-chariot, four strong pegasus-ponies already in its traces and champing at the bit to slip the bonds of earth and be soaring in the wide blue skies.

Despite the havoc that air-travel caused to his slyly unruly mane and tail – the slipstream often caught the silky black locks and freed them from ribbons and clips of any sort, letting them wave freely around in the breeze – Polaris loved the sensation of flight. Airships were beautiful and refined, of course, but they weren't quite so personal, so connected with the sky – and they didn't move as fast as a good air-chariot, with strong ponies in the traces and a light load behind.

Thus it was that he touched down on the outskirts of Ponyville just as the shops were opening and ponies were stirring in earnest. He took deep breaths of the country air – and sneezed; the wind was from the Everfree forest and it was cargoed with a heady melange of unfamiliar smells – before trotting gaily into town, having cursorily tidied his mane and retied the trailing ribbon in his tail. It was a place quite different to Canterlot; the white marble, alabaster and gilt that characterised royal (and, to some extent, unicorn) architecture had been abandoned in favour of solid plaster and half-timbered homes, the streets were unpaved and, a few buildings aside – like a fanciful construction of fluffy cumulus and rainbows that was evidently the residence of the local weatherpony – there were no soaring towers that pierced the sky. Still, everypony seemed friendly, calling cheery greetings to one another as they passed.

Polaris shook his head; he had things to do today in Ponyville. Mentally, he reviewed the list. 'Number One: Find the Carousel Boutique.' A chance conversation with Hoity Toity had sparked that particular idea off in Polaris's head, especially since half the designer's stock seemed to come from Carousel these days. 'Two: Sweet Apple Acres – Head Chef, Canapé has sworn up and down that their apples are some of the finest in Equestria, and she's made it clear that if she's going to make me anything apple-based, it has to be Sweet Apple Acres stock or nothing.' He sighed. Chefs of high calibre were picky. 'Three: Find that store...' The name was on the tip of his tongue, he knew, but he just couldn't quite remember it. Ice Storm, the pony with a talent for ice magic, ran it...he was really hoping he would recognize it from the exterior, or failing that, the products on offer. 'Four:-'

At that point, his musings were cut short by a proud banner waving over a shopfront: 'Textual Treasures: Grand Opening' it proclaimed to the world, fluttering over a building whose wide windows were thoughtfully arrayed with all manner of books – from the latest Daring Do to the complete oeuvre of the Encyclopaedia Equestria to a rather splendidly-bound set of tomes that Polaris knew for a fact were quite rare and difficult to get hold of. Ponyville really was turning out to be full of surprises; turned from his original plan, the noblepony trotted gently into the shop, letting his eyes adjust to the interior.

There were really only a few ponies present – an officious but kindly-looking mare peering around over half-moon spectacles, a tall, violet pony behind an ornate antique cash register; evidently the owner, or at least, manager, of the place, a unicorn with a dazzlingly white coat and richly purple mane, and – Polaris's eyes brightened. 'Well, this is a stroke of luck!' he thought to himself, happily. 'Just fancy bumping into Ice Storm here! I can ask her what her shop's called!'

“Hallo, Ice Storm!” he called, but quietly – this was a bookstore, after all. “Fancy bumping into you here! I didn't realise you enjoyed books.”

[Lux]

(OOC: Bump to get this thread restarted.)

[MyriadDreaming]

Starscape Quill ambled through Ponyville without much of a particular destination in mind.

After the fiasco that had been her holiday in Fillydelphia, she'd tried to return home and start working in the observatory again, only to have her coworkers once again throw her out of her own place and told to go somewhere else on holiday. Apparently six days was not enough after two years of practically solid working. She wasn't angry - they clearly were worried about her, but after all of the rigmarole in Fillydelphia, she wanted to go home and sleep in her own bed and get back to watching stars.

So she'd decided to wander a little bit, mostly walking. Her wing was still slightly sore, so she tried to rest it a little bit by trotting everywhere. Only, walking was a lot harder because she kept going off on tangents inside her head and tripping over things and was that a stone beneath her hooves?

She stopped walking and shook her head. Her mother would scold her again, but that was Mother for you - always trying to get Starscape to act like a proper lady, never minding her continuously dishevelled mane and tail, and her general distractedness.

Looking around, she rubbed her eyes. It was too bright out here for a pony that spent most of her time awake in the night, and her sunglasses had been broken in that incident with the hydra. She sighed and then spotted a sign that proclaimed 'Grand Opening' hanging from the second floor of the shop. Well, it was more of a banner than a sign, really, when she thought about it. The sign on the shop stated "Textual Treasures", and had an image of a treasure chest bursting with books.

Starscape brightened up considerably. A bookstore, where she might be able to buy some new stationary and a few more books on astonomy, and shade. While Celestia's sun was certainly very... sun-like, all bright and shiny and warm, it made Starscape's eyes hurt, and she hated that because she couldn't see where she was going and tended to walk into things even more often than usual. Which wasn't good.

She shook her head again and looked around. She'd been standing there staring at the shop, lost in thought for almost ten minutes now and probably looked very silly, so she trotted in and looked around with delight. Now this was a bookshop! After a few minutes she realised she'd been staring, blocking the door as she did, and sighed. What was with her and spacing out lately?

Having managed to move out of the way or the door, Starscape looked about, trying to find anything on Astronomy or the night sky.

[Lux]

Lore was pleased to see that ponies were finding what they were looking for. His almost compulsive organization lead to successful hunting of books. Then he noticed a pegasus pony enter in. For a moment she stopped and stared at the store. It was almost predictable that ponies would have a curiosity towards a new store, so staring was part of the curiosity. The pony then wandered around the store, looking for something. Maybe she was just browsing, or maybe his organization wasn't that good after all. Whatever the reaso, he thought he would help her.

There was another pony that entered, a blue unicorn stallion that also looked like he was on a mission. The regal looking pony appeared to know Ice Storm from somewhere and was making conversation. Lore felt best to let them continue rather than barge in.

"Excuse me miss," the purple unicorn said as he aproanced the pegasus, "My name's Lore Weaver, and I own this store. welcome to Textual Treasures. Can I help you find something?"

[MyriadDreaming]

Starscape jumped when the purple unicorn spoke to her and looked a little flustered.

"Oh... ah... Hello..." She said quietly. Probably the only thing that had sunk into Starscape's mind from her mother's constant drilling was her accent, which was somewhat posh, in contrast with the rest of the indigo pegasus' generally dishevelled appearance.

She brightened when he mentioned that it was his book store though and smiled. "So this is your store? It's rather nice. I... ah, do you have a book of moon maps from before the Mare in the Moon vanished? I have my own drawings and charts, but something official would help when I have to teach the foals that visit my observatory about it..."

[IceStorm]

Ice Storm turned in the room to see a familiar face walking through the doorway. It was Polaris, the Duke of Manehatten. He had come to the Grand Opening of Lore's Shop!!! This was such an honor and a privilage and so unexpected!!! Not that she wasn't happy to see him here in Ponyville. He was the one after all that was nice enough to stay at that Open House that started to turn into a Circus. All and all though everything turned out alright and she even got to speak with Princess Cadence! Most Ponies don't even get to meet one of the Princesses, let alone two of them!!! She smiled as he approached her saying that he hadn't realized that she fancied books. "I do like a good book every now and then, but the main reason why I'm here is that I live here with Lore. He's been nice enough to give me a place to stay while I've been getting on my feet. Only about another month and I should be able to buy a place of my own. I'm only a few hundred bits short from what I've been saving," she told him truthfully. "Besides I also helped him as much as I could get his store set up as well so I'm just as eager to see him succeed as I am happy that my store has taken off like it has," she added.

It was then that she turned to Rarity both of whom had been awaiting a response from the Mayor, but she assumed that she was lost in thought and spoke to Rarity. "Rarity, I would like you to meet another friend of mine that I met in Canterlot recently at the Royal Open House they had not too long ago. This is Polaris," she told her not disclosing his title. She figured that if he wanted to know what his title was, then he would tell her himself. It wasn't her place to do otherwise. After she spoke though she realized the possibility that they could have easily already have met. With as Popular as Rarity is getting now she would be surprised if they hadn't. the though made her feel a bit silly for jumping the wagon.

[Duchess]

Polaris trotted closer as Ice Storm replied, ensuring she didn't have to shout and disturb other ponies. He nodded in understanding as the arctic unicorn replied, noticing that she seemed a lot more relaxed and comfortable in Ponyville than she ever had in Canterlot. “Oh, I see! Awfully nice of you to come along and support your benefactor, I must say – he's very lucky to have such a stalwart friend. It's good to hear that your shop has done so well in Ponyville this time around, too. Business must be booming if you're contemplating buying a house; I was always given to understand that most shop-owners lived in their establishment. That reminds me; whilst I remember, what is your emporium called? I know you told us all at the Open House, but it went clean out of my head and I've been racking my brains for the past week trying to recall it.” He gave her a slightly embarrassed smile. “I'm not always the best pony at remembering things, as you can tell.”

At that point, Ice Storm turned to her erstwhile companion, the white-and-purple unicorn mare; Polaris could recognize the preamble to an introduction at fifty paces and so set his face in the diplomat's professional, amiable smile that could cope with anything. Well, almost anything – when Ice Storm mentioned the pony's name, Captain Synapse finally fired in the duke's brain, prompting a cascade of thoughts which threatened to ruin his savoir faire before he managed to recover somewhat. Even so: “Rarity? The Lady Rarity?” were the first words out of his mouth; even the plummiest of Canterlot accents couldn't disguise Polaris's surprise.

Even as he considered the question he'd voiced, his mind took over: 'That brilliantly white coat, imperial purple mane and tail, triple diamond cutie mark...it can't be! But these eyes don't lie – at least, close up – and Ice Storm did call her Rarity, to boot. I'm almost sure I've seen her – or at least, somepony who looks awfully like her – at the opera, too. Yes, perhaps if we add a fine evening gown and a tiara...' He cleared his throat with a gentle harrumph, taking advantage of the brief lull to order the words queuing up on his tongue.

“Do forgive me for not recognizing you straight off the bat,” he said with a self-deprecating smile and a half-bow – the confines of the shop, and the nearness of the other ponies, meant that a full courtly submission was out of the question - “-but the only impression of your fine self I've seen is on the windows of dear old Castle Canterlot, and the royal glazier rather tends to the stylized in his representations, alas.” He pulled a rather martyred expression, a small, wicked smile flickering around the edges. “Still, one must live in hope that portraiture will one day permeate even the hallowed halls of the royal palace. Ah, but where are my manners? It's a true pleasure to meet you, my lady.”

[Xiee]

[[ Note: I'm posting here to formalize the Mayor leaving the thread. I know its been a while since someone has posted but I will post my last reply anyway as directed by RP staff. ]]

The Mayor was still a bit unsure if she was going to pickup that Daring Do novel. Every other pony seemed to love it. Well why not? She thought to herself. From Lux's recommendations she picked up one copy of the novel and see what the fuss was all about. A few other books for light reading were on her list as well as a new study on "The Changing Political Climate in Equestria."

"I think I'm good to go Lux." She smiled as she hoofed out bits to pay Lux. "Oh keep the change, and I wish you well."

She then turned to IceStorm. "I wish you luck on your Ice stand! Come by the office for a chat if you're free. I'd love the company!"

The bookstore was filled with ponies by now and The Mayor had quite enough exposure. And besides she needed to get back to work. She exited the little bookstore wishing it a silent good luck and trotted her way back to Town Hall with her books in tow.

[Lux]

"A star chart showing the night sky before the Mare in the Moon vanished," Lore said questioningly to himself. He thought about the layout of his store as to whaere that would be and more importantly if there was really something there like what the mare was requesting. "Actually I think there is one in the Astronomy section called 'The Night Atlas.' The Astronomy area is tow aisles down on the left side. if you need any help, please let me know."

Rarity, Ice Storm, and polaris were busy introducing themselves to each other. It was interesting how small the town seemed when it came to ponies knowing each other. Rarity knew Ice, Ice semed to know Duke Polaris, and both Rarity and Ice knew Lore. Not wanting to be pushe, he let the three catch up.

Then The Mayor reappreaed carrying a few books, one of which was a Daring Do novel. "I see you found some books. Great! And thanks for the extra change and of course for your assistance in helping me make this grand opening a success."

The Mayor then left the shop no doubt on her way back to the Town Square. Lore mused at how busy the Mayor was and the fact that she had a memory lapse calling him Lux. He didn't know who this Lux was, but maybe the stallion reminded him of this pony.

(OOC: Yes, I know it was an honest mistake, but I decided to have fun with it. And thanks Xiee.)