Mornings at the Silver Gates Villa were quiet at the best of times. Luckily the calm Sunday morning left the mansion all but dead silent in the early morning.
Seated on a petite white vanity seat, Rose ran a fine tooth comb through her mane while a brush smoothed each curl until her hair hung naturally to one side. The last gesture the levitating comb made was one swift brush over the shortest curls so they lay neatly over the left side of her face.
As the comb and brush were laid down on the vanity table, Rose stared at the tired green eyes reflected back at her. The fact that she could barely keep them halfway open paired with her dull yet persistent headache nearly made her want to crawl back into bed. However, a coffee could be a much needed remedy for the bitter headache that racked her mind.
Rose turned away from the reflection and placed her front hooves on the cold hardwood floor. Slowly she walked to the foot of her bed where her knitted shawl lay draped half way off of the thick comforter. Without even lifting her head she drew the shawl towards her and only lifted her head enough so it could loosely tie itself around her neck.
Finally she turned and crossed the soft area rug and reached the double doors of her room. Quietly she slipped out the doors and closed them behind her, turning only to bump into a passing pony.
"Celestia's flank... Fleur--sorry." Rose held her forehead as she backed a step away from her sister.
"You're up early. Are you okay?" Fleur asked as she tilted her head to get a better look at her youngest sister. "You look awful. Are... Rose, a-are you drunk again?"
"Hungover, Fleur... Hangover's happen after the drinking." Rose said as she lowered her head and looked up at Fleur's shocked expression.
"So you were drinking again? H-How? You barely had a sip of wine when you came back last night." Fleur narrowed her eyes slightly as Rose attempted to step around her only to be blocked by the taller mare.
"It doesn't matter Fleur, besides I didn't have much this time." Rose said irritably as she leaned against the wall to await the retreat of Fleur in hopes she had something important to attend to.
"That's not the point Rose; what if mother saw you? Or Ivory? What would they say? Mother despises some of the things you drink; it's not healthy." Fleur lowered her head as her voice turned more concerned for her sister who only looked at her out of the corner of her eye.
"They never notice. I have to go, okay? I'll be back later." Rose pushed herself off of the wall and stepped around Fleur who attempted to follow after her as Rose began descending the staircase into the main hall.
"Go where? You don't have anything planned today; it's Sunday." Fleur stopped as Rose reached the bottom of the stairs and looked back at her.
"I have a date, I'm just getting a coffee. I'll be back before Mom decides to send anyone looking for me." Rose had barely taken another step before Fleur called out again,
"A date? With whom? R-Rose, wait," Fleur paused as Rose turned slowly back again, "well, before you go, have you seen Fancy Pants since last night? He... Well, he wasn't home when I woke up, a-and he didn't leave a note or anything. I thought maybe he was here for breakfast and I just didn't hear about it." Fleur rubbed the back of her foreleg with her hoof as she watched Rose's expression change from blank to sympathetic. After a moment of quiet, Rose responded in a lighter tone.
"No. I barely even saw him last night after you both arrived. You can check the guest rooms, I'm sure he's somewhere close by." Rose attempted to reassure Fleur as she stepped down the last few stairs with a sigh.
"It's alright. Anyway I'm glad you have a date so don't let me make you late." Fleur painted a smile on her face even when Rose frowned at seeing the forced expression.
"If I see him, I'll tell him you're looking for him. He's around Fleur, don't worry, you know he's never far away with you around. I'll be back in an hour or two, if he's not here by then, we'll look around his usual spots, alright?" Rose asked in a softer tone as Fleur's smile widened and the older mare wrapped a hoof around her sister's neck and hugged her close.
"Thanks Rose. I'll cover for you until you get back; have fun. Love you."
"Love you too, Fleur. I'll see you in a bit." Rose returned the hug before smiling again at her older sister before releasing her and turning away to cross the main hall and foyer as quickly as possible to lower the risk of being intercepted by her mother or Ivory Tower. Luckily the front doors were not posted with servants just yet, and Rose slipped quietly between the two front doors. As they began to swing shut behind her, she caught then both in a magic pull and lightly shut them behind her. Satisfied with the mostly quiet get away, Rose turned and immediately felt her headache worsen as the bright morning sun beat down on her. After taking a moment to adjust and let her headache subside slightly, she began the decent to the Canterlot streets.
Though it was obvious that her presence was noticed, with mares and stallions glancing her way as if to confirm her identity, Rose took comfort in the fact that half of Canterlot considered themselves celebrities and would most likely let her continue on her way uninterrupted. However Fleur's worry of other ponies possibly noticing the air of a hangover rather than simply seeing a tired unicorn made her lift her head just high enough to pass for the average Canterlot pedestrian.
As she turned the corner, she sighed in relief at turning away from the morning sun, thankful to be cast in her own shadow for the remainder of the walk. However, halfway down the street Rose caught the sound of a soft laugh in the low rumble of hooves on cobblestone and quiet early morning conversation.
Rose lifted her eyes to find the slightly blurry outline of Coco exiting the front doors of a small bakery. The smells of freshly baked breakfast pastries rushed out as the door opened and Coco set a neatly wrapped parcel on the path next to her. She turned as the baker followed her half way out the store and lifted a camera from around her neck with her hoof.
"Would you mind if I took a photo of your shop, sir? It's so charming." said Coco as she smiled sweetly at the stallion.
"Of course not, ma'am. Go right ahead, after having a doll like you in my shop, it's the least I could do." The stallion responded as Coco stood and balanced on her hind legs as she lined up the photograph and clicked the capture button. Satisfied with the photo she let the camera hang gently around her neck as she placed her hooves back on the ground. She straightened the small purse that hung around her neck so that it hung back over her shoulder.
"You're here early." Rose interjected as Coco waved to the baker as he returned to the counter of the bakery.
"Oh, good morning Rose!" Coco said excitedly as she turned to face the model mare. Rose unfortunately cringed slightly at Coco's voice.
"Sorry but talk a tiny bit quieter please? Slight hangover here." Rose said as she blinked tiredly. Coco lowered her head slightly and nodded quickly.
"Sorry about that, I forgot about the drinking. Would breakfast possibly help? The baker gave me extras; he said I was a sweetheart." Coco smiled and giggled happily as she picked up her package by the ribbon handles.
"Well aren't you just a regular flirt? Here one day and you already have ponies giving you free pastries. Wonder what you could do after a few weeks." Rose and Coco both turned to walk to the cafe next door to the bakery. Rose set herself down on the nearest cushion on the closest outside table and sighed in relief. Coco lightly set the parcel down on the table and unwrapped the decorative pink cardboard box and opened it to reveal four perfect croissants, each still steaming and smelling of melted chocolate and light, flaky bread. Rose's eyes fixed on the fresh pastries before looking up as Coco as she was sitting herself down on the cushion on the opposite end of the table.
"You aren't a secret fanfilly of mine, right? Even Fleur doesn't know how much I like chocolate."
"Who doesn't love chocolate? I thought everypony did."
"Not as much as me. Mother only has this weird unsweetened stuff that would make a foal cry." Rose seemed preoccupied with the sweet smell of chocolate as Coco was met by the waitress, a grey unicorn with a small black apron. Beside her levitated a notebook a quill. Rose's eyes were fixed intensely on one of the chocolate croissants as she levitated it from the box and onto the square plate in front of her.
"Chocolate perfection." Rose quietly said to herself.
"Good morning ladies, what can I get you today?" Asked the mare in a polite voice.
"Just a caramel cappuccino for me, please. Could I get that with an extra bit of caramel on top?" Coco asked as she politely crossed her front hooves.
"Of course, and for you-- Rose Blossom?!"
Rose immediately held a hoof to her lips to silence to mare before she said anything else.
"Rose wants a quiet morning." Coco said quickly, holding a hoof out to the waitress. "She didn't sleep well last night; terrible migraine after the party."
The mare seemed intent on speaking to the celebrity mare, but relaxed as Rose's appearance gave the impression that her story was very true.
"My apologies Ms. Rose, I-I'm just a huge fan. I'll make sure the staff and customers give you your space. D-Did you want to order something as well?" The mare straightened herself up as she regained her composure.
"Yes please, a cup of your Baltimare roast with a dash of vanilla cream, and if you could add a drizzle of chocolate ontop, I'd really appreciate it."
"Of course, I'll have them both out right away." The mare's quill hastily scribbled on the notepad as the unicorn turned and trotted back into the cafe.
"I'm surprised she didn't notice you sooner." Coco said as she giggled at Rose who went back to admiring her future breakfast.
"And I'm glad you seem so quick on your hooves, filly. I don't think I could have responded as fast as that." Rose said as she seemed to perk up slightly after the waitress had left.
"It comes with the job. Luckily Rarity doesn't have me running back and fourth like my last mentor did." said Coco as she took one of the croissants and set it on her plate.
"I caught a little about that story last night but being slightly brain-dead I didn't hear all of it. Something about your mentor lying to Rarity, right?"
"Right. Suri wasn't... Well, wasn't the nicest of ponies."
"Anyone in the fashion industry who thinks they're worth two bits is not nice. Unless they fake it to get by in public appearances. Fleur is the only exception I know of. 'It's not safe to be nice', as my mother says." Rose and Coco both shrugged their shoulders simultaneously.
"I figured that out the hard way," Coco's gaze drifted off to one side as Rose watched curiously, "Suri hired me to sew her line for fashion week in Manehattan. She wasn't nearly as good a sewer as she was a designer. Then again, she didn't design so much as she did "borrow" otherpony's designs."
"She wouldn't have lasted a day in Canterlot fashion. Here, if you steal, you'd better be ready to risk your reputation. That's why Ivory and my mother invest so much into every new line. That's why they're investing so much in you and Rarity." Rose snapped up a piece of croissant as she finished speaking, using her magic to tear off small bits of the sweet pastry.
"Oh no, just Rarity. All I do is the sewing and even she does that. I'm just her assistant is all." Coco waved her hoof to the side as if brushing the idea away.
"If Rarity brought you along, I think that she would have a good idea about your level of talent. Not to mention Ivory wouldn't invest in you if she didn't trust you both to do any good for her investment." Rose snorted as she rolled her eyes at the mention of Ivory's name.
Coco tilted her head, furrowing her brow as she examined the unicorn's reaction to her manager.
"Curious. You're talent is modeling but you hate everything about it." said Coco, thinking out loud as she took a bite of her pastry.
"Huh? What gave you that idea?" Rose drew her head back slightly at Coco's thought.
"Well, last night for one. You made it quite clear that you were upset."
"Oh," Rose paused and sighed softly, "actually, I should apologize for that. You shouldn't have had to deal with me like that, it must have been awkward."
"Surprising is more accurate. I could tell you needed someone to talk to. I just wish I could have talked to you before you got yourself so, well, intoxicated, but, apology accepted."
"You don't drink much, do you?" Rose chuckled as Coco shook her head. "I need to get you a drink before you leave then. There's a first time for everything. Oh, but about my talent," Rose paused for a moment as the cafe doors swung open and the same unicorn waitress exited the cafe with two levitating cups of coffee beside her.
"Here you are, and if either of you need anything else at all, please do not hesitate to ask me." She said as she gently set the decorative coffee cups onto the table.
"Thank you miss...?"
"Oh, Parker, m-my name is Parker, Ms. Rose...!"
"Parker." Rose repeated with a smile, "Thank you again."
"Your very welcome, Ms. Rose." Parker stammered as she turned and attempted to walk steady as she walked back to the cafe to attend to her other customers. "As I was saying, about my talent," Rose took a sip of her coffee before speaking, and was silent for a moment as she savored the strong, slightly chocolaty drink, "I don't hate it at all, I love what I do when I get to enjoy it."
"Well if you love it so much, why were you so upset last night? You said something about how it was all, 'fake', was it?" Coco asked curiously.
"Because it is, mostly. Occasionally I'll get a good day when Ivory can't make it to one of my photo shoots or appointments and I get do what I want to do instead of what she wants me to do. I love what I do; my entire family loves being noticed. I just wish ponies would notice me and not the money I make them, y'know? Plus I've had enough of the hoity-toity talk, it gets unbearably irritating after hearing it day in and day out."
"Why not talk to Ivory about it? I'm sure she could be reasonable." Coco suggested while sipping her cappuccino as she listened to Rose's explanation.
"Because she doesn't hear anything that doesn't have to do with the next fashion show. I think she's deaf, but only when I'm the one talking. Remember when you first met us? She's had me measured for every single new designer she's brought in for me. Believe me, it gets old really fast." Rose took a deep breath as she finished speaking and sighed loudly as she looked down at her breakfast again.
"Sounds like you could have used a coffee sooner. How'd you get out here without Ivory coming with you? By the way you talk it sounds like you two are joined at the hip."
Rose laughed dryly as she immersed herself in the warm smell of her drink once again for a short moment, taking small, savoring sips.
"I snuck out, like any other normal filly does. Fleur's always nice enough to cover for me when I need a break."
"I noticed. She seemed very understanding. I think she noticed I was new to Canterlot too."
"Filly, everyone notices that you're new to Canterlot. You've got the Manehattan look through and through. Fleur's always nice to newcomers, she's changed a lot since moving in with Fancy Pants." Rose said with a smile that quickly faded as soon as she mentioned Fancy Pants. "Speaking of which, you haven't seen him have you?"
Coco set her cup down as she tilted her head at the question.
"Fancy Pants? I met him last night, but I didn't see him after the party; Rarity and I went straight back to the hotel. I had to walk her back since she had a little too much champagne." Coco said as she quickly retraced the memory of the party. "Why? Is he okay?"
"It's not him, it's Fleur. They've been having some trouble lately."
"Oh, I see. I'm sorry to hear that. It's not serious is it?" Coco asked in a concerned tone as she set her empty coffee cup down.
"Fleur thinks it is, and it takes a lot to upset her like this. I just hope it ends soon." As Rose spoke she looked at the bottom of her cup, as if staring at it long enough would make it fill back to the brim with coffee.
Coco smiled softly and nodded in agreement,
"Need another?" She asked kindly.
Rose looked up from her cup as she set it down in front of her.
"I would like one but I promised Fleur I'd be back in an hour. Maybe we can do this again tomorrow before the shoot, you and Rarity will be there working, right?"
"Definitely. Rarity is working on designs today and Ivory is going to be looking over her first drafts tomorrow."
"Then I'm buying; same time tomorrow? I hate to run out on you but--"
"Don't even worry about it, Fleur's your sister and it's important. I'm just glad you're better after last night." Coco smiled as she pulled her purse onto the table and pulled out four small gold bits and placed them neatly on the table. "How about you take her those extra croissants? At the very least it'll be a kind gesture."
"Really? Sure, thanks filly, she loves these things, although not nearly as much as she loves eclairs. So I'll see you here tomorrow then?" Rose said with a smile as she stood up from her cushion and levitated the pastry box over to her side.
"You bet." Coco smiled as she stood up as followed Rose out to the sidewalk before the two of them parted opposite ways.
Rose quickly broke into a brisk trot as soon as she finished her goodbye in order to get back home as quickly as possible. The short distance home was quickly covered in half the time she had taken to walk during early morning, and luckily the sun was still rising so it would be behind her for most of the way, leaving her nearly headache free.
As she arrived home, the two stallions stationed at the front door opened the double doors for Rose to pass, and she was met with a waiting Fleur, who lay on one of the love-seats in the foyer.
"He's not back yet, is he?" Rose asked gently as she approached her sister.
Fleur had not raised her head to see her sister enter the room but she shook her head and sighed heavily while looking down at the ground. Rose placed the pastry box on the end table beside the seat and sat on the ground next to Fleur, leaning her forehead against her sisters cheek.
"He must be at the arena again. I asked around, there was a whole list of races scheduled for today." Fleur said quietly as she pushed her muzzle under her crossed hooves. Rose wrapped one of her forelegs around Fleur's neck in an attempt to comfort her distraught sister. "He didn't even tell me where he was going this time, Rose, he just left without saying a word." Fleur's voice trailed off as she hung her head over the side of the seat, strands of her soft pink mane falling over her eyes. After a moment of silence between the sisters, Rose spoke up quietly.
"Come on, let's go check the derby arena. We'll bring him home; it'll be okay, Fleur." Rose said softly as Fleur looked at her from out of the corner of her eye. Slowly, she nodded and stiffly stood from the seat and placed her hooves on the ground. Leaning their shoulders against each other, Fleur and Rose left the foyer and exited the estate's large front double doors to descend the stairs back onto the Canterlot streets.