The sound of ticking was one of the two sounds Sugar Crush heard in the Chocolate Palace’s kitchen. The other sound was her scribbling chalk on a chalkboard. Nopony accompanied Sugar Crush as she finished writing in cursive: “Try the new Mineral Milk Cookies! Each cookie changes your milk into a different color and flavor!”
It took Sugar Crush a week to finally convince her manager to be allowed to show off her creation to the Crystal Empire. An extra pony had to be called in to run the front of the house, while Sugar Crush would be outside the store selling her cookies. A nervous shiver quaked in the thestral’s bones. It was going to be her first time advertising her very own product all on her own. Her boss warned Sugar Crush she was not going to receive any help from anypony; it was Sugar Crush’s little venue. She started it, so only she will finish it.
On the plus side of Sugar Crush’s independent endeavor, her boss was allowing her to keep 25% of all sales, as well as use all the ingredients she needed to make her cookies. Five large plates contained a large pile of chocolate chip cookies but they were her Mineral Milk cookies in disguise. Sugar Crush had prepared five flavors for the mineral milk: orange, strawberry, grape, cinnamon, and chocolate. Despite there being five plates and five flavors, Sugar Crush made sure to assort the cookies randomly. So if she wanted a cookie that would turn milk into an orange flavor, Sugar Crush would not know which one would be the desired flavor until she tested one out first.
A timer dinged, indicating the cupcakes have finished baking. Before Sugar Crush could make a move, her boss came into the kitchen. “I got it!” Raspberry Jam exclaimed. The door was pushed too hard and it slammed into the wall. Sugar Crush never understood why shoving the kitchen door open was a good idea. Somepony could be behind it and get knocked over; or worse, spill freshly baked goods. Sugar Crush watched her purple-red boss briskly approach the oven, and the slightly pudgy mare looked back at her. “No need to look at me, dear,” the mare said. “You got your sale to focus on.” Raspberry flicked her crystal-white mane aside before opening the oven door with a mitt and obtained the tray of vanilla cupcakes.
“I still could have gotten them for you,” said Sugar Crush as she drew shapes across the blackboard, some being stars, and others diamonds.
“Nonsense! You need all the time in the world to prepare for your big day!” Raspberry used her horn to remove the cupcakes from their hot tin and onto the countertop. “I remember my first day I featured to the public my raspberry custard pudding.”
The tasty treat made Sugar Crush’s mouth salivate with intensity. “How did it go?” the thestral asked.
“Ohoho,” Raspberry laughed aloud, “it was terrible!” Sugar Crush stopped her drawing and gandered over to her boss. The crystal unicorn didn’t bother to look at her employee, only fixated on decorating the cupcakes. “I had very little pudding prepared, so I was out in less than an hour. Yes, I was happy to sell all I had in that bowl, but there were more ponies wanting to try what I had created. What made matters worse was that my parents gloated to practically everypony in town, so I ended up disappointing the entire Empire!” The thestral began to feel a rush of anxiety press on her forehead. If there was something Sugar Crush would have wanted, it would be words of encouragement, not a humiliating past story! Raspberry’s eyes glanced at the staring thestral and caused Sugar Crush to quickly return to her drawing.
Already doubting herself, Sugar Crush asked, “Do you think I will fail?” A sudden yank began to pull her toward Raspberry. Sugar Crush noticed a yellow aura was around her and the unicorn was the caster. When the thestral was close enough to the boss, Raspberry wrapped an arm around Sugar Crush’s neck.
“Of course not,” Raspberry answered. “You are already prepared with your goods, your table is set up out front, you have plenty of gallons of milk in the fridge, and you look lovely today.” Raspberry looked at Sugar Crush from top to bottom, the Crystal Coat applied to the thestral. “You will shine like a true crystal pony, both in effort and outward appearance.”
Sugar Crush’s ears fell back, “Thank you, Raspberry.”
“Your welcome,” Raspberry said before using her magic to push Sugar Crush back to her original place. “Now make sure you are ready. Triple check everything when you think you are done.”
“Yes, mam.” Sugar Crush pawed at her chin before starting her drawing of a cookie. Let’s see… Cookies… Milk… Plastic cups… Napkins… Table’s set up… Seems about right. She knew everything would be triple checked as her boss implied, though everything seemed to be prepared. All she needed was to finish her chalkboard drawings and prop the display beside her table. I do hope Mineral Water comes to wish me luck today.
***
The bleak light in Mineral Water’s workshop flicked on and off as the unicorn stood at the top of the staircase. “I need to go wish Sugar the best of luck. She is having her little bake sale and I want to go support her.” One flick of the hoof and darkness swallowed the room whole. “But I need to work on those Crystal Coat orders a little longer. They do take a while to complete.” Mineral’s hoof swatted the switch and the yellow aura returned. “But I haven't seen her in three days!” Off and on went the switch, until Mineral realized he wasn't doing anything to accomplish either task. Tending to one over the other needed more thought, but Mineral needed to muster up something to make his day productive.
The switch flicking resumed while the unicorn wondered what hasn't been done around the house or to himself. A shower would be considered if both of Mineral’s options involved him going outside. Personal hygiene was always something Mineral committed his life to. He loved making products that made others feel clean and positive. But Mineral did not like to needlessly bathe every hour and waste what wasn't needed. Besides, he already showered the evening before.
A grown from below distracted Mineral from his pondering mind. It wasn't until that moment the stallion realized he had not eaten. In a sick and twisted way, Mineral was glad he had unintentionally starved himself because of the constant work he put into his current project. He slammed the door and briskly made for the kitchen. But just before Mineral reached the hall that reached to the kitchen, the unicorn came to a screeching halt. A blue aura grabbed the basement doorknob and twisted the brass handle in a quick motion. Mineral wondered if he had forgotten to turn off the basement light, further empathizing his distaste for wasting anything. It brought him joy to see the void of black as the door was pushed open. When Mineral closed the door, he knew he was distracting himself from the primary question at hoof; and it wasn't what was a preferred meal for breakfast.
Without giving his meal much thought, Mineral Water fixed his mind on a simple peanut butter and banana sandwich. As plain as it was, the sandwich would hold him over for a while. He walked over to the cabinet and got himself a loaf of bread and the peanut butter jar. At the same time, Mineral used his magic to pull out the chopping block from the other side of the kitchen.
“Work or Sugar?” Mineral Water repeated as he unraveled the plastic holding the bread. “Work or Sugar?” At the chopping block, the unicorn picked off a banana from a bunch and began to dice it. “Work or Sugar!” He magically gripped a slice of bread and slashed some peanut butter on it. “Work or Sugar!?”
Mineral Water looked around him to see the various objects around him floating like ghosts attempting to haunt him. Even the chopping block wasn't touching the countertop. At least the banana slices were evenly balanced on the board and not spellbound. Everything from the loaf of bread to the knife slowly settled down on the countertop.
“Why am I having a hard time choosing my friend over my job again…?” Mineral Water asked his peanut butter bread slice. The stallion dared to look down the hallway lined with pictures leaning against the emerald walls. No longer bound by his thoughts about work or Sugar Crush, Mineral Water approached the darkened hallway.
The first picture that caught his attention was a small block of a frame. He picked it up with his hoof but kept the image from meeting his eyes. Mineral Water knew who was behind the glass on the other side of the picture frame, and knew what would happen if he saw her again.
Still, the stubborn unicorn turned it over like a card after being dealt. There she was, forever smiling in captured moment. Nebula’s dark-blue mane almost looked animated as the white spots that spread about her hair seemed to twinkle. Two light-blue eyes shined slightly brighter than the whites in her mane as Nebula stared into Mineral Water’s soul. Her body was a light-gray shade and easily stood out in the sunset backdrop.
To no surprise to Mineral Water, Nebula’s picture blinked. Her smile widened as she said, “Good morning, Mr. Crazy.”
The corner of Mineral’s mouth lifted, but not into a smile. “That's not how you greet somepony when you see them first thing in the morning.”
Nebula brought her eye so close to the picture’s border, it blocked out the background. “You're the one with the imagination. All I do is retain the memories of your friend.” The mind trickery amused Mineral Water and he allowed Nebula to resume her existence instead of turning the picture over like the others. “So, is something bothering you?”
“Since you are a part of my imagination, why don't you read my mind and find out.”
Instead of listening, Nebula folded her arms. “The only thing I know going on in that head of yours is that you are procrastinating.” An old and memorable stare burned into Mineral's eyes. All his attention was on the bothered thestral and he waited for her to speak. “Now, talk out loud; tell me what's wrong.”
Mineral Water flushed as he admitted, “Well, there’s this mare-”
The angry-looking thestral changed her mood in a quick scramble as she leaned up against the picture frame. “A mare you say?” Nebula wiggled her brows. “Have you been busy since you turned my frame around?”
“Don’t imply that I'm some sort of flirt!” Mineral argued. The stallion could see a faint reflection of his flustered expression on the picture glass.
“You are the one implying things, Mr. Crazy.”
A sigh escaped Mineral Water. “If you are going to exist, could you at least not call me ‘Mr. Crazy?’ Please?”
“I can manage that,” Nebula nodded. “So, you were going on about this mare…”
Mineral Water did not want to be rude to his imagination, so he placed the picture on the wall where it once hung. “Her name is Sugar Crush.”
A giggle that reminded Mineral Water of better times left Nebula. “That’s a cute name.”
“She also happens to be a thestral just like you.”
“What?!” The frame swung back and forth on the wall as Nebula exclaimed. “No way!” A barrage of questions pummeled Mineral’s ears. “What does she look like? What does she do? Is she as cute as me? Where did you two meet?”
“Slow down,” Mineral Water begged. “Regardless of what she is, Sugar Crush and I are good friends.”
“How good?” Nebula asked. “Are you treating your friendship with Sugar Crush much better than when we were friends?” Mineral Water’s ears fell back in shame and jolted his attention to his breakfast. He didn’t want to meet gazes with Nebula. But a command was made, “Mineral Water, look at me.” The image didn’t give the stallion any hard looks or gave off the impression she was going to make harsh remarks; not that she has said insults to Mineral Water. “Why are you having this challenge again? You should have learned by now.”
Mineral Water swallowed, “I warned Sugar Crush I was a workaholic.”
“So you haven’t learned.”
“But I did become her friend! And I- I really like her!”
“Then take a break from your job and go!” Nebula pointed a hoof down the hallway. “You have all the time in the world to go and spend time with your friend. And don’t tell me that you have a lot of work to do. If you have time to talk to a picture, you have time to go see Sugar Crush.” A comforting smile lifted Nebula’s cheeks as she reassumed her pose as she did when she was a still photograph. “Learn from your mistake and change. Do it for your friend and for me.”
All was quiet in the emerald home as Mineral Water looked at the picture of his old friend. He turned around to see a much larger picture frame leaning on the wall. Mineral levitated it and spun it around to observe another memory. It was a picture of Nebula and himself at the Crystal Faire. But before he could admire the two happy ponies, Nebula’s image blinked. “Get going,” she calmly said.
Finally, Mineral Water managed to smile just like his past self in the picture. He hung the large memory on the wall and began to leave his home. “Don’t forget your sandwich!” Nebula cried.
Mineral Water ran back into the kitchen and placed the diced banana slices onto the peanut butter-slathered bread. Instead of placing another slice of bread on top of the meal, Mineral simply folded what he had made to create a half sandwich. Everything Mineral used flung in various directions, carried by the unicorn’s magic to their rightful places. Finished with putting everything away, Mineral Water briskly made for the door. “Thank’s, Nebula,” he said.
“Your welcome, Mr. Crazy!”