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Post by Snowdrop on Apr 19, 2012 20:06:29 GMT -5
It was a lovely Spring morning! At least, it was if you were a small foal with no raincoat or boots who adored leaping and splashing into every cold muddy puddle you could find! the rain was pouring down with steady, patient persistence, as though it intended to turn all of Ponyville into a big muddy pond. It was rather off to a good start. Snowdrop bounced from puddle to puddle, enjoying the fresh air and the sound of the rain as she splashed her way all over town. She had no particular goal in mind today, she was just out to see all the new green growing things and the first spring flowers.
Today, the filly was extraordinarily muddy and grubby, even by her own standards. The rain might have loaned a hand in washing away some of the mud, except that the filly had discovered a fun new game of charging down a wet muddy hill and then throwing herself on her stomach and sliding the rest of the way down. It was like sledding with mud! as a result, she absolutely mud-caked from flank to foot. This was bad enough, but Snowdrop had lost her brush somewhere a few days ago and had not yet remembered to ask Granny Weathermane for a new one yet. So her mane and tail were suffering the effect of a few days of complete neglect, and...
...Well, grubby was a somewhat charitable description of the filly right now. 'filthy little beggar foal with a bird's nest for a mane and a rat's nest for a tail' was a good deal more truthful. And Snowdrop wouldn't have minded in the least if anyone had said so. She would have thought it a great joke and completely agreed with them. Then she would have imagined what it would have been like to be a beggar, since in stories they were always such interesting tragic figures. She'd never even seen a real one.
But at the moment, Snowdrop was merely bouncing her happy muddy self past the Carousel Boutique, pretending to be a cute little frog she'd just seen, when she stopped to have a look. The shop had always attracted the little filly. It's fancy exterior had always reminded Snow of what a princess's cottage (like what they might live in when they got turned out of their castles to make their way in the cold hard world) should look like. Snowdrop put her front hooves carelessly on a pane of clean glass to have a look inside.
Aha! As she might have expected, the inside was full of what were unmistakeably (to Snowdrop's eyes) the fine and fanciful clothes of a princess. She gazed in admiringly, imagining what it would be like to wear such beautiful things, and the wonderfully rich and elegant parties you would attend once you had them on. She moved to peek in different windows, leaving behind muddy hoof-prints without realizing it.
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Post by Rarity on Apr 30, 2012 23:56:28 GMT -5
It was customary that the resident dress maker would close down her boutique on days with inclement weather, and today had been no exception. Rarity wasn’t unreasonable. She knew the pegasi had to water all of the fresh grass and budding flowers; but that didn’t mean she was going to allow any soaking wet pony in her shop, around her dresses.
This downtime allowed her to straighten up. A dress may have been put back onto the wrong rack, on not hung up properly, and though these were things only she noticed- they had to be fixed. For the time being, however, she focused on fixing the window displays. One here had accessories falling to the ground, one over there had the skirt turned around; how these mannequins got messed up, she would never understand.
Inspecting the sixth, and last, of the mannequins on display, she turned it from side to side, checking ‘her’ from every angle. Fortunately, this one wasn’t a fuss, and she put it back in it’s proper position with a contented sigh. “There we are, all finished.” a hint of triumph sounded as she looked out the window at the downward drizzle. Her eyes caught sight of one raindrop in particular, and continued to follow it on it’s descent; her focus only to be interrupted by two small, muddy hoof prints.
“What!?” Rarity let out a cry before leaning forward, with her neck peeking through the mannequins, face nearly pressed against the window. She looked to her right seeing two more on the next window, causing her to quickly back out of her position and peek through the next two mannequins, surely, finding those next two hoof prints. She continued this across the front of her shop, looking, in horror, at all of the muddy prints.
Just before reaching the end of her displays, Rarity had to scoot one of her larger creations to the side, to allow room for her to get a look of the window. The dress was big and bouffant, tulle billowing off of the flank, and just long enough for a graceful inch to lay on the platform. This dress, truthfully priceless, was the current favorite among all of the creations in her store. Rarity herself deemed it worthy of royalty, and promised to keep it front and center…just in case a princess stopped by.
Right outside, two hooves were pressed eagerly against the glass in front of aforementioned dress. Mud dripped down both the window, and the culprit’s forelegs. Rarity stood in aggravated shock, glaring down at the little foal- the glass thankfully protecting her from the rage boiling inside of the shop’s owner.
“Take your filthy hooves down from my window!” Rarity’s voice could not be heard outside, but her arm flailing could certainly be seen. She reared up onto her hind legs, waved the ones in the air, and stomped back down. It appeared to be, (and was), nothing short of a tantrum.
Her attempts were fruitless; she rolled her eyes and blew a stray hair from her face. It wasn‘t until now that she had gotten a good look at the little foal. They had clearly been enjoying their time in the rain, mud was covering it from head to flank; but considering the way it’s eyes sparkled while gazing upon the gown- Rarity knew it to be a filly. And not any filly she had seen before. Why, this one was nothing but a filthy little beggar foal with a bird's nest for a mane and a rat's nest for a tail….or, so she appeared.
Rarity‘s brow ridge lowered in focus, the front of one of her hooves settling under her chin, lips locked in a perpetual pout. She looked down at the filly once more, eyes adamant on making contact. “Door.” she mused, pointing her hoof in it‘s direction. With the flick of her tail and a matching, “Hmph!”, she marched to the door, collecting an umbrella into her ice blue stream along the way. [/color][/size]
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Post by Snowdrop on May 1, 2012 1:07:34 GMT -5
Snowdrop took her time gazing at each creation in turn, trying to memorize everything about each- How the colors were just so, How there was always the perfect amount of trim for each- never too much, and never too little. Most of them had gems of some kind, and Snow wondered what kinds they might be and where they had come from. And the accessories! Hats, ribbons, shoes, fans, feathers- Snowdrop had never carried anything more than her own saddlebag, she'd never even tried on a shoe!
But of all these, she'd spent the longest amount of time, more than fifteen minutes (which was a lifetime for Snowdrop when it involved standing still) gazing at The Best Dress. Actually, Snowdrop had, on first seeing it, named it The Best Dress Ever Made in All of Equestria and Probably the Whole World Too! But that was an extremely long title, so she had shortened it to 'The Best Dress', Because 'T.B.D.E.M.i.A.o.E.a.P.t.W.W.T' sounded too informal.
She was still gazing at it, trying to memorize it so she could imagine it later, when she was next pretending to be a princess- even though she hardly knew how she dared- When the princess of the place herself appeared. Snowdrop knew at once that this pony, with such a beautifully styled mane and such an elegant, fashionable way of carrying herself must be a princess. Hadn't she seen enough royalty in Canterlot to know a princess when she saw one?
But what the lovely princess did next both mystified and delighted the muddy little filly. As she watched Rarity rear up, gesticulate wildly, throw her front hooves up in the air in fury, Snowdrop could only speculate that she was being treated to some sort of exotic royal welcome or dance. Whatever it was, it was extremely energetic and, Snowdrop thought, enthusiastic!
She was sorry and a little disappointed when it was over, but she had been extremely entertained and flattered to be favored so. Snowdrop waved her own small hoof back eagerly and cheerfully from her side of the window. Then the princess did something even more astonishing! She pointed in the direction of the entrance and mouthed the word 'Door' very clearly. Snowdrop was going to meet the princess in person! She nodded her understanding with eyes as big as dinner plates and a huge grin! Then she bounded in the direction of the front door.
Snowdrop had just enough time to wonder at herself- such a fun morning and now she was going to meet a princess? Before the door opened. "HI, Princess!!!" Snowdrop blurted out instantly. Then, remembering something- "Oh, wait! That's not right. Uh, Let me try again!" She bent low in a formal bow, just as she'd been made to practice a hundred times or more in Canterlot, not that she'd ever been called upon to use the skill before! "Good Morning, your highness? Or is it Majesty? Or just princess? My name is Snowdrop! I'm very pleased to meet you!"
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Post by Rarity on May 28, 2012 2:37:25 GMT -5
”HI, Princess!”
Rarity’s mouth dropped, and the umbrella she had floating next to her opened in unison.
"Oh, wait! That's not right. Uh, Let me try again! Good Morning, your highness? Or is it Majesty? Or just princess? My name is Snowdrop! I'm very pleased to meet you!"
She watched, in awe as the filly bowed down to her, trying her darnedest to get everything just right- suitable for royalty, to be exact.
This had to be some sort of prank…
The thought disappeared as soon as it had appeared, and she floated the umbrella out over Snowdrop. Her cheeks were flushed from the flattery, and a coy smile played on her lips. But that also didn’t last long, seeing as she sought to correct the child before it went any further.
“Oh, darling. You certainly have me confused. I am no princess at all.” The word ‘yet’ found it’s way to the forefront of her mind, “Whatever would make you think something like that?” She drew a hoof to her chest, questioning lightly. “And what did you say your name is? Snowdrop, correct?” She bent down, trying to picture just what she looked like under all of that dirt. “It’s gorgeous.” And with what Rarity began imagining, there was no doubt whether she would be, too.
Tentatively, she stepped to the side, signaling for the young thing to enter. “Oh, wait!” It came out quickly, as it needed to. A large bolt of red, cotton fabric joined the two at the door. It was something she had an excess of, and didn’t mind using it favor of multiple towels or some such. The cylinder rolled across the floor, stopping in the middle of the gallery of the shop.
Even though the fabric could be cleaned, Rarity winced at the dirt. She walked alongside it, silently apologizing to the limp, completely lifeless material.
“Snowdrop,” she began, “Your family must be quite new to Ponyville. Is that so?” She had never seen this filly before, and she appeared to be the age of Sweetie Belle- so she certainly would have known about her otherwise. “Do you attend the school here, or do you plan to? You seem like you would be…” She laughed at the situation. Suggesting friends to a dirty, if not rowdy foal.” “…..great friends with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Have you heard of them?” Generally, most had. Especially foals. But, to clarify she added, “Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle? The last of which happens to be my own sister.” A twinge of her tone was proud, Rarity loved her sister dearly, but she slipped her lower lip under her teeth- realizing all the more, how completely unlike herself her sister turned out to be.
The filly didn’t seem to be much different from her sister. She was amused, and dazzled by Rarity’s creations- more than likely wishing to try one on for herself- but still had the personality to play out in the filthy streets on a stormy day. With a name like ‘Snowdrop’, perhaps that wasn’t so strange, and being a Pegasus, she was sure to love the weather.
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Post by Snowdrop on May 29, 2012 6:09:57 GMT -5
When Snowdrop looked up from her introduction, she saw Rarity with her mouth open in surprise. At once, the filly was sure that her unorthodox introduction had offended the princess. (she had heard from somepony that many royal dignities were very easy to offend!) and she was about to make more apologies and maybe even run away- for Snowdrop was not above dashing off without a word of explanation to end an awkward situation! But then, the princess smiled and floated the umbrella out over her head, a friendly, reassuring gesture. Snowdrop took a little more courage at that.
“Oh, darling. You certainly have me confused. I am no princess at all. Whatever would make you think something like that?”
Now it was the filly's turn to look surprised. Rarity not a princess? She couldn't believe that! And, so, well, she didn't! But she wouldn't argue with the princess over it. Snowdrop recalled in more than one story there were princesses who, being sent out into the world for one reason or another, cast off their royal status and tried to live as common ponies. They were usually betrayed, however, by royal breeding which gave them distinction, no matter how hard they tried to hide it. Now that she thought of it, the unicorn's surprise at her greeting had probably been because she had been so instantly recognized. In fact, nothing was more likely! But how to explain it to her?
Snowdrop considered, and then smiled. "D'you know that famous author, William Flankspur? And in his romance, Ponyeo and Muliette? 'What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet' I think it means that no matter what name it goes by, it's still made up of the things that make a rose a rose. So, with your grace, and charm, and, um, beauty... " Snowdrop blushed visibly even under all the dirt- she wasn't the least bit ashamed of her own honest admiration but she heard how strange and even a little silly it sounded in words- "Anyway, that's why I think so. You're made up of all the things that make a good princess." The little filly scuffed a hoof shyly, looking away for a moment. When she looked back, the unicorn mare had stepped back and seemed to want the filly to come inside.
Snowdrop stepped forward eagerly, thrilled at the unspoken invitation and the chance to see the pretty cottage from the inside, but she hesitated at the door, one hoof poised just at the threshold. Snowdrop never minded being muddy- she liked it, in some ways. Once you were dirty, you didn't have to worry about keeping clean any more, and it allowed you more freedom to do things you otherwise might not be allowed to do. But... just because Snow did not mind it, did not mean she was never aware of it. She was awfully dirty today! Luckily, it seemed Rarity realized it to, and the bolt of fabric that was unrolled seemed to offer a way that Snow could pay her visit without leaving something behind.
The filly tucked her wings in tightly so that they wouldn't drip off the fabric and stepped onto it a bit gingerly. "Not exactly the kind of thing you'd expect to see walking down the red carpet, huh?" Snowdrop remarked, with shy apology. She seemed quiet and a bit intimidated for a moment. But only a moment. She was intimidated. Snowdrop loved meeting ponies, especially adults. (she believed it was because they usually had the most interesting stories to tell) But she was spectacularly gifted at disappointing and annoying them, and she often lost confidence at that awkward point after the introduction and just before finding that spark of connection that made fast friends. But this wouldn't do at all! This unicorn was being friendly and generous, she was (probably) a princess, she deserved better manners than tongue-tied shyness, and besides! Snowdrops were not wallflowers! So she lifted her head, smiled, and if she blushed, her eyes were always bright and admiring!
"Yes, I'm new to Ponyville. I've..." she hesitated, not sure of the nicest way to put this... "Been sent to live with Granny Weathermane. I guess she's a great great great aunt of mine. Some kind-of distant relation anyway." Best get the unpleasant part over with, everyone always asked eventually! "My parents are on the weather-planning committee in Cloudsdale, but even though I'm a Pegasus, I can't actually stand on clouds. I sink right through, like a rock. And, also like a rock, I cant fly yet! Soooo the ground is the safest place for me!" she managed to get through the recital cheerfully, and that gave her a little boost in confidence. She looked eagerly around her as she spoke, taking in the rather elegant surroundings. She could see now that it was, in fact, a shop (at least on this floor) but she still wasn't convinced. Even princesses might learn a trade!
"I heard there was a school here, but I haven't been there yet. I don't think Granny Weathermane has thought of enrolling me yet.She'll probably get around to it eventually!" Actually, a lot of things were like that. Granny Weathermane was a dear sweet thing, but she was elderly and sometimes forgot things. Snowdrop wasn't sure she wanted her to remember to send her to school just yet. She was enjoying long days of freedom! "And I haven't run across the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but from what I hear, it's only a matter of time." Snowdrop giggled again. She had only been in town a few days and she had heard of them!
[1000 words! insanity! my longest post ever! XD]
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