It was the mare’s poise that caught Rarity’s eye. The unicorn stood out even amongst the grand designs of the Carousel Boutique. She belonged here, this mare, in a way no other pony ever could. The thought brought a smile to Rarity’s face even as she pretended not to watch her through the glass in the back of the store.
The mare’s attention seemed to be fixed on the hats she had out on display. All of the hats were marvelous, of course, but not every hat was appropriate for every occasion. One could hardly wear a derby hat around Ponyville every day, after all. Bonnets were an option, of course, but added ten years to the age of any mare under forty; hardly an ideal form of headdress for a beautiful young mare. Berets weren't even worth considering; most ponies here would not appreciate a good beret if they saw one. But then, they did not know silk from toile.
A slouch hat? Rarity watched as the unicorn pulled one down with her magic, looking it over for a moment before setting the hat with the folded brim atop her elegantly coiffed mane. She hesitated, then reached up with one hoof to set it askew. It was beautiful, perfect; any pony with eyes would find them drawn to her.
But Rarity knew the look the pony wore. It was the look of a pony who found precisely what they wanted, but not what they needed right now. That hat was perfect, but there were times when perfection simply wouldn’t do. It was practically a crime for such perfection to go unappreciated, but she knew that it would. After all, a diamond in the rough was nothing more than a sparkle in mud. Reluctantly, the pony lit up her horn, and the hat floated off her head to return to its place alongside the others.
If perfection wouldn’t do, what did she need? Rarity’s eyes wandered over the hats. The cartwheel hats were marvelous, with their splendidly wide brims, but if a slouch hat was too much, a cartwheel hat would be no better. A shako? Now how did that get there? No, that belonged with the costumes, not on the hat rack. What had she been thinking?
The pony turned round, drawing Rarity’s attention back to the glass as the unicorn’s magic tugged another hat onto her head. A sun hat, of course! Perfect! Not too sophisticated for Ponyville, but not so plain as to be unfashionable. Oh, but which one? There were dozens. True, one could not go wrong with a sun hat – well, not with her sun hats – but there were so many to choose from, and only one would be perfect.
The one with amethyst? Rarity’s ears fell as pony returned the hat to the rack; she was quite fond of that one. Or perhaps the wide-brimmed one in yellow? It was beautiful, but clearly, the garden’s worth of flowers was just too much for her.
Rarity watched the mare go through hat after hat. At first, each hat found its way back to the rack, perfect in its place, but soon the mare grew impatient, ripping the hats off the rack and tossing them to the side as they failed to appease her. This one was too plain; this one, too large; this one, too flowery. This one…
Rarity’s eyes lit up as the mare stopped, gazing at herself in the mirror. It seemed she had what she was looking for. The slouch hat had been perfect; this one was less than that, and at the same time so much more so. Sure, that hat was perfect for a Canterlot party where they sipped the finest chardonnay, but this was a hat that could be worn around Ponyville. It was eye-catching, but not gaudy. It would stick in the mind and draw the eye, but not seem like it was trying too hard.
Simple, yet beautiful, it was the perfect hat for Ponyville. It was a good thing she had replaced the flower in the band this morning on impulse; its vibrant petals were flush with color and full of life. And the scent! Oh, she could practically smell it, the sweet hint of fresh flowers it would lend its wearer as a sort of natural perfume. Rarity clapped her hooves together as the mare glanced up at the brim of the hat, then looked over and met Rarity’s gaze through the glass.
“That hat looks simply divine,” Rarity said, smiling as she strolled up, the mare following suit. “But I’m afraid that a hat is nothing without the right attitude. It takes poise. Elegance. Sophistication. And most of all, the ability to seem as if those things are all nothing to you.” Rarity put her hoof on the wall, leaning forward towards the thin barrier that separated them. “And darling, you have all of these things.”
The mare giggled as Rarity joined in as well before the unicorn shook her head.
“But you are trying to impress someone in Ponyville.” Rarity waved her hoof in front of the glass. “No, don’t bother denying it; I saw the look in your eyes. I am certain a mare like you could get the attention of any pony in Canterlot, but if you are seeking the attention of a more… rustic pony, I’m afraid things will have to be a bit different.”
The mare frowned.
“Tut, tut. You know as well as I that proper behavior can easily come off as pretentious to those who are unaccustomed to such things. Or worse still, are accustomed to such behavior from those who give ponies like us a bad name from their pompous behavior. Now…” Rarity turned to the side, glancing at the mirror out of the corner of her eye. “Perhaps something like this?”
Rarity could see the mare imitating her pose, reaching up with her hoof to tug her hat down to nearly hide her eyes.
“No, that’s not quite it. Chin up. No, down a little; that’s too high. Tilt the hat just a little to the left… perfect.”
The mare beamed, her eyes sparkling from under the brim of the hat.
“Yes! Just like that!” Rarity’s smile faded as she hesitated for a moment. “Now… this is the hard part. I know you pick up on social cues better than anypony, but many ponies here struggle with even the most obvious of signals. This means you will have to be a little bit… obvious.”
Even on the other side of the glass, Rarity could hear the mare’s sigh.
“Yes, I know. But if they haven’t noticed you up to this point, I’m afraid the time for subtlety has ended.” Rarity raised her hoof. “I’m not saying that you should simply abandon it, but perhaps exaggerating a teensy bit might help. Laugh a little too loud. Smile a little too long. Let your gaze linger.”
The mare mimed the motions, drawing a loud laugh from Rarity.
“Yes, just like that. Now…” Rarity turned back to face the mare. “Once you’ve caught their attention, you’re going to need to encourage them. Give them a little nudge.”
Rarity stared at the mare for a moment as she shifted around, tilting her head at various angles. After a half-dozen poses with half-lidded eyes, Rarity shook her head.
“No, that will never do. You seem desperate darling. We’re trying for alluring. Perhaps like this?”
Rarity shifted to the side, turning her head and ducking her chin down towards her chest as the mare did the same. Lighting up her horn, Rarity tugged on the mare’s hat, pulling it down just so to half-cover one of her eyes, so she was just barely peeking out from under it.
“Just a little more to the right…”
As the mare turned her head, the light of the sun was caught and reflected; a million motes of light danced across the glass as her eyes shone like diamonds beneath the brim of the hat.
Rarity sucked in her breath. “Oh, my.” Smiling, she sat back and fanned herself with her hoof. “Yes, good, good.”
Rarity glanced away from the mare for a moment, her gaze landing on the vase she kept stocked with flowers for important occasions – and the occasional emergency snack, though a lady never spoke of such things. Blue light enveloped the delicate things, lifting them up and drawing them up to the glass, as if offering them to the mare.
“Now, after all your work, no pony worth their salt could help but to offer you flowers. It may not happen today, darling, so don’t rush things, but if they do, if they do show interest, you must be ready. You must!” Rarity waved her hooves dramatically, then giggled as the other mare did the same, nearly falling over before she returned her hooves to the floor. “Yes, I know it looks silly.”
Rarity stared at the flowers, then looked back to the mare, her expression resolute. “This is important. A lady must be approached, but for a kiss, you must meet them halfway. To simply be kissed is unacceptable. A kiss should mean all that is right in the world, and they should forget all other mares beside you. And there should be no hesitation in their heart; they should know, when they kiss you, that you are ready to be kissed. Now…”
The mare leaned forward until her breath fogged the glass, lips scant inches away from Rarity’s own as she fluttered her eyes sultrily. Rarity’s breath caught as she pressed her snout to the glass, eyes sliding shut as her lips pressed against—
“Rarity, what the hay are you doing?”
Rarity squeaked loudly, jerking her face away from the glass, her cheeks burning. “Applejack! What are you doing here?”
“Uh, came to pick you up for the picnic, remember?” Applejack hefted a wicker basket in one hoof.
“Why didn’t you knock?”
“I did knock. Three times. Ya might have heard me if you weren’t so caught up in… what were you doin’, anyhow?”
“Oh, nothing,” Rarity said, fluffing her mane with her hoof.
Applejack glanced from Rarity back to the mare in the glass, her eyes narrowing before she smirked. “Well I’ll be. Finally found somepony who was up to your standards, huh?”
“Why, whatever do you mean?”
“Oh, I ‘spect you know exactly what I’m sayin’. You were flirtin’ with the prettiest pony in all of Ponyville, weren’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Rarity looked away.
“Uh huh.” Applejack’s eyes fell to the floor. “Are those… flowers?”
Rarity’s face was on fire as her horn lit up, grasping the flowers and replacing them in their vase. “Yes. I just thought I would freshen up the boutique. You know how nice they smell.”
“Sure do.” Applejack tapped her chin with her hoof. “But I wonder how they ended up over there.”
“I was just… rearranging things.”
Applejack laughed. “Well, whatever you say, sugar cube.” Her eyes flicked back to the glass. “I can leave y’all alone if you’d like.”
“Oh hush.” Rarity pouted, turning her face away as she crossed her hooves across her chest.
“Aw, I’m just teasin’.”
Rarity blinked as Applejack’s hoof touched her shoulder.
“Don’t worry. It’s kinda cute.”
Rarity coughed loudly. “You said we were late for the picnic?”
“Sure did.” Applejack glanced over towards the door. “You ready?”
Rarity bobbed her head.
“Let’s get goin’ then.” Applejack grabbed the picnic basket in her mouth, taking a few steps towards the door before setting it down. “By the way, nice hat. It looks good on ya.”
Rarity couldn’t stop herself from grinning. “Why, thank you.”
Applejack clicked her tongue, flashing Rarity a wink before she bent down to retrieve the basket.
Turning back to the glass, Rarity lifted a hoof to brush back her mane before returning it to the floor. Bracing herself, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she straightened her shoulders. When her eyes sprung open, the other mare had returned, eyes sparkling with confidence once more.
“You comin’?”
“Of course.” Giving one final glance at herself in the mirror, Rarity lifted her head up high before she trotted out the door.
Author's Note
Thanks to everyone in the Writeoff Association for their feedback on this story; without their input, this story wouldn't have been the same.
I'd also like to thank Bribri, M1Garand8, and Chrono for helping me go over the revised version of this story before I posted it.
