This ended up being very busy day for Applebloom in my Equestria dreamscape, and a very confusing day for Stone Mane.
As usual by the end of Applebloom’s Shik-ka-lim lesson the filly was sweaty and exhausted, but also very stoked. Today’s lesson had gone very well for her. Enough so that Zecora had given her some new, more complex, drills to do at home.
Upon completion of her lessons the filly took a brief shower. This was effectively a bucket hanging from a limb of her teacher’s tree hut. Rarity would’ve consider the setup to be crude and inadequate, but the filly didn’t care. It got the worst of the workout sweat off her and cooled her down.
Normally she didn’t worry about taking a shower or bath until she got back home, but today was going to be different. Sweetie Belle had told her during her recent visit that Rarity wanted Applebloom to come in for a final fitting for her dress that was going to wear to the Ponyville Summer Barn Dance. Which was coming up in a week. So the filly’s plan was to go straight from her lessons to Carousel Boutique. With a quick shaking and flipping of her mane she figured she’d be dried by the time she got to the boutique.
Applebloom predictions of being dry by the time she got to the boutique were more or less correct. She just needed a couple more minute and she got that because upon arriving she discovered Rarity had stepped out to run an errand. However Rarity’s younger sister Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were holding down the fort while she was gone.
This was probably for the best because Sweetie took one look at Applebloom and immediately knew that her sister would throw a fit over AB’s disheveled appearance. So the unicorn went and broke out some mane and curry brushes, and by the time Rarity haed returned the earth pony was presentable again.
For Stone Mane the wait was a very odd and uncomfortable experience. From the moment he’d stepped into the boutique the colt had been full of uncertainty and trepidation. He always felt apprehensive whenever he was standing in a mare or filly’s bedroom. He couldn’t put his hoof on it, but it always felt as if he was intruding into some very private inner sanctum. Some realm where he didn’t know what the rules were. So instinctively he had a tendency to remain still and not say much.
Carousel Boutique was projecting the aura of being one giant bedroom in the colt’s mind.
This was made worse by racks and racks of garments, and the mannequins wearing….well, uh, the colt wasn’t sure what some of the mannequins were wearing. They were outfits that he’d never seen before. The colt was familiar with saddles because they were often used for regimental markings.
These were not that kind of saddles.
Stone Mane was aware of bridles as a form of ornamentation for both mares and stallions. Either for formal occasions or once again as part of dress kit for certain regiments.
These were not that kind of bridles.
Even more curious, and distracting, was that some of the mannequins that were wearing these very tall, and shiny, boots of various colors. Although the one’s done in shiny black leather seemed to be constantly demanding his attention. They reminded him of the boots a couple AB’s neighbor had been wearing during his first visit to Ponyville.
Fortunately Scootaloo wanted to talk hoofball which kept him fairly distracted from the mannequins. This worked until the bell over the front door of the boutique chimed announcing the arrival of the shop’s owner.
Stone Mane had met and knew what he thought were beautiful mares. Princess Luna and her older sister Celestia were considered by many to iconic examples of elegance and grace. In the colt’s mind Applebloom was a filly he could look at all day.
However what stepped through the front door of the boutique could’ve been described as they very living embodiment of elegance and beauty. With her impeccably, gleaming white coat and flawlessly curled violet blue mane and tail Rarity strolled into her realm.
Even more stunning was the outfit the mare was wearing. A white, sleeveless shirt with matching white cravat were worn under a very, very snug vest of violet blue silk, but what made the colt’s heart skip a beat was boots the mare was wearing. Sheathing mare’s long legs were boots similar to the ones adorning some of the mannequins. However seeing them in motion on a mare’s legs elevated them to whole another level of fascination. Suddenly Stone Mane understood why Applebloom’s neighbors had captured his attention that afternoon recently.
And these boots had zippers! Zippers! Those wondrous new fashion invention that colt found so intriguing and wanted to discover more about. So naturally he found himself staring Rarity with fascination when she started removing these boots.
Maybe a bit too intently considering how the mare and Applebloom were acting.

To be continued.