Velour Vanity poured a cup of tea as the day drew to a close, and the customers in the boutique gradually left with their purchases. She had offered to watch the store so her mothers and brother could spend some time together during the busy summer season. At closing, she flipped the sign out front to say CLOSED and went upstairs to the studio, letting out a happy sigh. Her alone time was cut short, though, as a flash of magic signaled the arrival of one of her friends: Prince Epiphany.  
“Vivi! You got time to chat?” the draconequus asked. Velour smiled as she rolled her eyes, replying “Yes.” She took another sip of her tea. “What happened this time?”  
Epiphany took in a deep breath, floating through the air as he explained: “Some newspaper got wind of North Star and his late night antics - painting him to be some sort of creep, you know? - and one of the servants caught wind of Prince Blueballs being the one who tipped off the paper about it.”  
“Mhhmm” Velour nodded, letting him know she was following.  
“So in retaliation, my…uh, creative little sis Fairy decided that the appropriate response was to douse herself in all colors of paint and run rampant around his quarters. Needless to say, I think he’s gonna have to live in one of the guest houses until they get the stains out from…well, everywhere.”  
Velour laughed, “My my, what a prank to pull on Blueblood. Can’t say he didnt deserve it, though. Northy doesn’t deserve that kind of slander.”  
Epiphany laughed a little as well and replied, “Well, Blueblood certainly did, but I’m afraid the job was easily tracked back to Fairy Floss. Mother and Father grounded her for the next month or so.”  
“Your father as well? That’s surprising.”  
“Yes, well, he wanted to go easy on her, shorten her sentence to about a week, you know? But Aunt Luna shot him a look and he quickly backpedaled. I’m sure he’ll still be sneaking Fairy sweets from the kitchen though.” he giggled, and turned to his friend. “How about you? Anything wild happening in the world of Velour Vanity?”  
The unicorn shook her head, setting her cup on the table. “Oh, no scandals this week, I’m afraid.”
 
“Aw really? Not even any tiny ones?” Epiphany tilted his head. Velour rolled her eyes and smiled.
 
“Well..”  
“Well??”  
“I have been approached by a certain famous pony about possibly becoming a permanent assistant of theirs. You know, picking out/making new outfits for different occasions and such? I’ve been considering it for a short while.”  
Epiphany’s face lit up with a huge smile. “Are you serious, Vivi? That’s amazing!” He hugged her with his wings, “Have you told your family yet?”  
Velour had to push some feathers out of her face before responding with a laugh. “Not yet, no, I want it to be a surprise. And first I have to get into contact with them and actually accept the job, you know?”  
“Oh, right right, of course.” Again, Piph’s face broke out into a huge smile. “Oh, I’m just so excited for you, you’re gonna be doing fashion work for somebody famous! This is amazing!”
 
The draconequus hopped up and down as he hugged Velour, until he was facing the clock on the wall.  
“My goodness, is that the time? I’m afraid I need to head back the castle, Vivi.” He gently lowered her to the floor. “Congrats on the new job, though! Let me know if anything else comes up!”  
With that, one of Canterlot’s royal family promptly squeezed himself out of the small workspace window and flew himself back home. Velour waved goodbye to her friend through the window, and turned back to her workspace. She moved her cup aside and brought out her sketchbook, drawing outfit ideas for the rest of her evening.