"I'm absolutely enthused about you meeting my best colleague, Fancy." Hoity said with a bit of pep in his step. The two well dressed stallions were walking the streets of Canterlot, Hoity was leading the way to their location.
"Any friend of yours I'm honored to introduce myself to. But, if you don't mind me asking, how did you meet Miss Finish?" Fancy followed him with a causal stride.
Hoity took a deep breathe before sighing dreamily. "We grew up in the same small town together." His eyes spacing out into his thoughts. "We were foalhood friends, got our cutie marks and did everything with each other. Although I had to move to Prance sometime later. We did reunite here in Canterlot a couple of months ago and now we're working together!" His smile grew wide with the more he talked about his dear friend and Fancy was delighted to see him like this. This mare must have importance and that only made the unicorn all the more curious about her.
"Tell me about this mysterious companions, what is she like?" He asked and Hoity hummed to himself.
"she is bold, speaks her mind often and is not afraid to have a strong opinion. I like that part about her, her bluntness. She also has a sharp eye for fashion. She can tell what is going to trend and she's never wrong about it. To add, she's not exactly 'mysterious' to you." Fancy raised a brow to that.
"What do you mean? Have I seen her before?" He questioned and Hoity nodded his head, yet turning his face away from him. The gray stallion was hiding his expression, as if his tinted shades wasn't enough on doing so. This only made Fancy Pants concerned.
"Uhh, do you recall that one ball at Blueblood's castle and the guest I was with that night?" It was difficult for Fancy to decipher the tone in his associate's voice. With that being said, he did think about that night. There wasn't anything too eventful about that party other than Hoity having to leave not long after he arrived..
He remembered he few minutes beforehand. Oh.. Wait.
"Yes, you were going to introduce me to them but they ran out before you could. You mentioned about them having one too many. I didn't get a good look at them. I don't exactly see how that-" He was cut off by the other stallion's interrupting gasp.
"There she is!" Hoity already started to pick up his pace, leaving Fancy behind, bewildered. His eyes then fixed onto a mare sitting at an umbrella table, setting down her tea cup when she heard the stallion. Her stern demeanor changed to a kind smile upon seeing her friend. As they exchanged greetings, Fancy skimmed his eyes over her.
She was.. something, something all too familiar. He has seen her before, though the mare could have a bigger name for herself as Fancy did. He just couldn't put his hoof on it and felt it was going to drive him mad.
"It's always good to see you in the city! I am surprised to see your servile ponies not around." The two laughed as Photo nodded her head to that.
"They are on break! I wanted to see you and your friend alone. Come! Sit down. Have a drink with me." She gestured for him to take a seat. Hoity held his hoof out to pause her.
"Before I do, meet my companion first. This is-" He turned his back to see Fancy taking his time stepping forward, for he was still lost in his thoughts. Only wondering about the mare's strange familiarity.
"Poor old stallion is daydreaming. I swear he thinks too hard about things." The gray stallion mumbled to himself. He had the urge to smack the side of the unicorn's head just to snap him out of it. Before he could, he heard hooves slam onto the patio's table and a cup drop to the ground. It made his ear twitch. Photo didn't give him a chance to look back and zipped past him to meet the white stallion across them. Sometimes he forgets how quick she is.
Fancy left his thoughts when he saw the mare in front of him, getting up close and personal with his appearance. She pulled up her shades for a better view, drinking in the sight of him.
"This stallion, I nearly mistake for model! You have a face made for the camera." Fancy took that compliment in confidence, "I'm flattered, thank you." He meant it with sincerity.
"It is also a pleasure to meet you, Miss Finish." She shook her head, pointing her hoof in his face.
"No! Call me Photo. There is no need to be formal, we're friends now. Come, join us for drinks." She put her hoof down, her smile not leaving as she trotted to the table. He was caught off guard slightly from her boldness. Yet smiling at it, intriguing him more to the mare.
Fancy took a seat across the pair of fashion ponies. Waiting for Photo to finish apologizing to the waiter for spilling tea on the ground, Hoity only chuckled.
"Well now that you 'finished' your tea, why not we do some day drinking?" Hoity suggested, already opening up a menu to the drinks section.
"Ja, good idea. I need once after today." She looked over Hoitys menu.
"Mm, models giving you a hard time?" He glanced up at her above his shades. Photo nodded, sighing with force and irritation. "Models nowadays are stuck up and demanding! Attitude effects my art and outfits. I do not get much work done."
Hoity rolled his eyes in agreement, "I know how that feels."
Fancy got curious and he couldn't help himself from it, he wanted to know more about Photo. "Oh? What is your occupation, Photo?"
This made Hoity hitch forward. He gave a certain look to Fancy then shifted his eyes to Photo, who was staring at the white stallion across her. Hoity sputtered out to her, "H-He doesn't know a lot about the fashion in-industry. He did-didn't mean-" She shushed him.
"Nein, no, it is fine." She stated sternly. Hoity kept his mouth clamped shut.
Fancy was worried at this reaction, especially from her. He could feel the judgement bore into him from behind her sunglasses and it nearly made him sweat, "Oh. Oh dear. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you at all." He quickly pushed out. Photo then shushed Fancy as well. Not a word was said, only an action of her putting two hooves on the table and pulling herself up. Her stance was straighten, she planted a hoof over chest.
"I, am Photo Finish! Famous fashion photographer!" She shouted in pride. She sat back down and her grin returned to her face when she looked towards Fancy Pants. "I'm well known for my work in Vanity Mare."
Hoity let out a breath of relief yet the unicorn beside him sat in awe, til it clicked for him. "Oh! I remember you now, you worked with another companion of mine. Maybe you remember Fleur Dis Lee? She used to be one of the models for it." He also recalled what Fleur told him about Photo and her work nature. He preferred not to mention it, seeing as that's what made her quit.
"Ah yes! She was lovely. Shame her talent is with another brand. Hm, it does make me think." Photo placed a hoof to her chin. "You're becoming familiar to me as well. Did you ever appear at her runway shows?"
Fancy nodded, "I showed up to each one she did. I never missed one."
She thought harder to herself until her hoof shook out of nervousness when she pointed at him. "You.. you're her.. no.. are you?" Photo asked as she gulped down. Hoitys slight sweat returned to his forehead. Fancy already knew what she was going to say and nodded at no response. "Yes. I'm her ex-husband. Though we still remain good friends with one another I assure you."
Photo's bottom lip quivered at her realization, not only from this info but for a question that lingered for her. Her cheeks slowly grew crimson and soon covering the rest of her face, as well as her breathes getting shaky. Her next words slipped out of her mouth, "You.. were.. the stallion next to her at the ball."
Before Fancy could ask her if she was well, he thought about her words, his brow furrowing until it dawned on him.
"Were you Hoity's guest?" His ear twitched when he heard her audibly gulp. She looked down at her hind legs and nodded slowly, she couldn't even look at him. Photo could feel that her glasses weren't enough to hide the stallion in front of her. His.. sudden intimidation. The one she felt that night.
"I knew it was a bad idea to have a drink before coming to this ball. Ugh, but if I had to deal with Blueblood's damn buffoonery the whole night I wouldn't have been able to take it." Hoity said to himself as he looked down to watch his steps. Being careful not to seem too tipsy while making his way to the ball. He couldn't say the same for the mare holding onto him.
"C'mon Hoity! We shouhld ha-have drank ein gallons worfth of c-cider before comin!" She gave a hiccup and a hollering laugh before tripping onto her own hooves. Luckily, Hoity caught her just in time, giving a huff as he pulled her back up.
"I shouldn't have let you drink so much after you said you could 'handle it', you can barely walk." He did giggle a bit as his friend's drunken state. Hoity teased at her, "Try not to cause a scandal for yourself, darling." Which Photo replied with her rudely sticking her tongue out at him.
As soon as the two made it pass the front guards and Blueblood, Hoity spotted a pure white stallion across the room. He turned head behind to Photo Finish, "Oh! I want you to meet a companion of mine. He used to be one Tartarus of a drinker back in our college days. I think you'd like him."
Photo's ears perked with interest, clinging to him as he lead their way through the crowd. "We shouhld have invited him to come dr-drinking with uns earliaer. I wrould have enj-"
She cut herself off when she was dazed to to see one of her past models and.. Him.
She felt his sudden glow around this absolutely breathtaking stallion she has ever laid eyes on. Something about him was majestic, elegant and high class. Photo Finish could only stare at him in awe.. until she felt her stomach churn. While being in his presence, she had begun to feel anxious to which his intimidation wasn't helping. It was pushing her over the edge of the sickness she felt. Not wanting to hurl onto her friend, she had one option. She had to run. Being the quick pony she was, she sprinted pass the crowd and out the front doors. By the time Hoity was done conversing with Fancy Pants, he turned to see that Photo was already gone.
"Oh no.. Fancy, I.. I have to go. My friend must have had too much." Hoity looked back at the unicorn apologetically.
"I understand, Hoity. Go on and make sure she's alright. Perhaps we can meet another time." Fancy waved him off then returned back to Fleur at a table.
Hoity ran down the front entrance to meet Photo emptying her stomach by a nearby bush. She coughed violently until she was done expelling the rest of the cider into the grass.
"PHOTO! Are you alright? What in Tartarus happened!?" She ignored his outburst, slumping over a patch of grass and slowly collapsed onto the ground. He rushed over to her side, planting her head onto his lap and brushing away her mane out her face. The stallion pulled out a small paper fan from his mane, flipping it open and flapped her with fresh air.
"Ich.. Ich habe einen Engel gesehen." She uttered out weakly, smiling softly to herself as she passed out in Hoity's lap. Resting peacefully with the memory of the handsome stallion she didn't know she would forget the next day.
Of course she didn't remember much of that night after waking up and now.. facing this unicorn again, she recalled what she forgot. It only brought the anxious feeling again. She clutched her hoof over her stomach to stop the pain of butterflies swarming in it. Her breathing was rapid. Her head was starting to bang with the rhythm of her beating heart.
"Photo? Are you-"
"I MUST GO!" She blurted out, she felt like she couldn't breathe. She thought running away from the sight of the unicorn will make her feel less suffocated. Hoity wanted to stop her, placing a hoof onto Photos which she only flinched at.
"Darling, breathe. Are you sure?-"
"YES! I-I am sorry. I have to go, it was..." Photo shifted her eyes up quickly at Fancy then suddenly felt her stomach lurch forward again. "Nicemeetingyou, auf wiedersehen." She rushed out, standing up and zipping away down the street.
The two stallions were amazed to see a few bits left behind on the table, they didn't even see her reach into her pockets.
"Well, that was peculiar. Is she going to be alright?" Fancy asked the fashionista. Hoity had shook away his shock and looked over to him.
"I'm not sure.. I'll have to check in on her later." He sighed heavy and put his head in his hooves.
"Oh dear. I didn't say anything wrong did I?" Fancy questioned when he saw his companion's stress. Hoity brushed back his mane with one hoof, giving a quiet sputter afterwards.
"No no. If anything I feel like the one who did something wrong. I hope this first impression doesn't sour your perspective on her." Fancy gave him some reassurance by putting his hoof on his shoulder. He chuckled at his worry.
"Not at all. In fact, I'm absolutely fascinated by her."
