Chapter 1
Amethyst Star adjusted her jewelry magnifier, purple eyes scanning the gem in the magic hold of her horn for any imperfections she may have missed.
A cool dusk had fallen over the town of Ponyville. The sun had begun its descent onto the horizon, its soft glow painting its side of the sky a deep gold. Amethyst Star was nestled in her house, unwinding after a long day at work. Her pastime of choice? Gem cutting. While she loved being surrounded by treasures and trinkets alike at her workplace at Ponyville's jewelry store, the jewel-savvy unicorn found no greater enjoyment than with herself and her chisel, meticulously chipping her freshly mined gemstones into more lustrous shapes, such as the round brilliant cut that the diamonds on her cutie mark featured.
...Or at least that's what she was trying to trick herself into believing.
"There! Another gem finished," Amethyst smiled after putting the finishing touches on the radiant rock. She placed it in a nearby chest, and got to work on another, her smile growing increasingly forced by the minute. "This is great! Just me, all alone, shaping up my gemstones to reveal their hidden beauty. I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing than sitting here by myself for hours just chipping...and chipping...and chipping some more...and..." She could feel her frustration intensifying with every word that ran through her head. Granted, gems were her greatest passion, but this honestly felt more like a chore than an enjoyable pastime.
"UGH! Who am I kidding?!" She shouted to no one in particular, her magic launching the shimmering stone across the room. A sharp popping sound coupled with tiny fragments of pressurized earth tumbling on the floor indicated that the gem had, rather unsurprisingly, failed its suddenly imposed durability test, thanks to a wall that couldn't be bothered to move out of its flight path.
"I can't keep pretending like this..." Amethyst mused to herself, on the verge of breaking into sobs. "But, what else can I do?" She sat there in silence for a few moments before noticing the shattered remains of the jewel she had hurled in frustration on the floor. Scattered gem shards were as dangerous as broken glass, so she carefully made her way into the kitchen, levitating a broom behind her on the way out. While she swept up the shards, she let her mind drift towards more meaningful times.
The first things that came to mind were the heartwarming moments she shared with her mother during fillyhood. While of course, she loved her whole family dearly, it was her mother who she felt the closest bond with. Be it having fun blowing & popping bubbles or getting the occasional stomachaches from eating too many muffins, the two of them were as close as any mother and daughter could hope to be.
"Why did we have to grow apart...?" She thought solemnly.
A low grumbling sound surprised Amethyst out of her thoughts. She had been so busy trying to fool herself into thinking gem-cutting was fun, that she hadn't realized she was hungry. Maybe a nice snack would help her feel a little better.
Opening her fridge, she shifted some objects around and picked up a premade daisy & grass sandwich. Doing so revealed a trio of fluffy muffins in the back, each one baked with a cinnamon flavor. The sight of those muffins triggered a particularly fond memory that made Amethyst smile.
"Sparkler! Is the batter ready yet?" called Derpy, rummaging through a cupboard.
"Yeah, Mom!" The young filly replied jovially.
Find what she needed, she closed the cabinet and went to view her daughter's work. She was quite surprised to find that Amethyst had adorned the muffin mix with several gemstones.
"Er, Sparkler, why are there gemstones in the batter?"
"I wanted to try something different, like maybe we could make the muffins sparkle, like me!"
Derpy could only smile at her daughter's optimism. "That's a...creative idea, Sparkler. But, I don't think we could even eat gem-flavored muffins!"
"But, I thought they might taste like hard candy!"
"Really? Why don't you try one, then?"
"Hmmmm, Okay!" She plucked a gem from the mix and tried to bite down on it. Failing that, she slid her tongue across its surface. The less-than-delicious taste of pure earthly minerals almost made her sick, even after unceremoniously spitting it out.
"Yuck! It tastes like dirt!" Amethyst stuck her tongue in disgust while her mother giggled. "Okay, I guess gems aren't good muffin ingredients...
"Definitely not," agreed Derpy. "But do you know what is a good ingredient?" She reached under her wing and pulled out a small canister. "Cinnamon!"
Amethyst's eyes lit up. "My favorite!" She spontaneously wrapped her forelegs around her mother in a hug. "I love you so much, Mom!"
The pegasus wrapped a wing around her daughter in return. "I love you too, Amethyst."
Amethyst smiled wistfully as the warm memories played through her mind. Life seemed so much more fulfilling back then.
Her reminiscing was interrupted by a knock at the door. Who could that be? she wondered, trotting over and opening the door. Her eyes went wide upon seeing a gray pegasus mare standing in her doorway. The walled eyes were all Amethyst needed to see to identify her visitor.
"Mom?" Amethyst said with confusion.
"Hi, Amethyst," greeted Derpy, a wider-than-usual grin on her face. "How's my little Sparkler doing?"
Amethyst Star winced slightly at her nickname. "I'm just fine, Mom. Yourself?"
"Just wonderful, thanks. I came by because I have a big favor to ask you."
"Sure, Mom. Come on in." Amethyst led her mother inside & the two of them took a seat on the couch. "So, what do you need?"
"Well, me and your father both have been talking, and we agree that our marriage isn't the same as it used to be."
Jumping to conclusions, Amethyst's eyes went wide with panic. "Mom, PLEASE don't tell me you guys are getting a divorce!" Hyperventilation soon followed. "I know I've already moved out, but-"
"Whoa, whoa, calm down, my little Sparkler!" Derpy pulled her daughter into a comforting hug. "We're not doing anything like that!"
"You're not?"
"Nope! In fact, we're doing the opposite!" Derpy beamed as she broke the hug. "Me and your father are taking the weekend off for a romance-filled vacation in Manehattan to give our relationship that spark back!"
"Oh!" Amethyst's quick breathing transitioned into laughter upon hearing the good news. "That's great, Mom!"
"I know! Not to mention it's been way too long since our last moment of romance." Derpy let out a dreamily content sigh. "I still remember the day we had our first kiss. He was reading a book at Sugarcube Corner, & there was a muffin he had bitten on his table. I just so happened to be sitting next to him and he was so busy with his book that he didn't notice me take a bite out of the same spot he did. I'll admit; it was indirect, but it was still a-"
"Mom?"
"Yes, dear?"
"Didn't you have a favor to ask me?"
"Oh, right. Well, me and your father both agree that it would be best if the trip was just for the two of us."
That statement gave Amethyst an idea on what the favor would be, and she didn't like it.
"So, we were hoping if you watch over your little sister Dinky for the weekend?"
Amethyst resisted the urge to cringe. The request was just as she feared. For a brief moment, Amethyst kicked her brain into overdrive, trying her best to make up a plausible excuse for why she couldn't foalsit, but her morality got the best of her. After all the love and bonding they had shared together in the past, she couldn't stomach lying to her mother. Heck, she was already miserable lying to herself. With a sigh, she put on the most sincere smile she could muster. "...Sure, Mom. I'll watch her for you."
"Great! In that case, I'll just go let your father know, and we'll bring your sister over tomorrow, okay?"
"Alright, Mom."
Derpy pulled Amethyst into another hug. "Thanks so much for doing this for us. I love you, Amethyst."
"...I love you too, Mom." Amethyst could feel her eyes beginning to water. She wiped them dry with a hoof before the hug ended.
Derpy was getting the vibe that all was not well with her daughter. "Is there something wrong, Sparkler? I would think that you would be excited about getting to see your little sister again. Come to think of it, the two of you haven't seen each other since you moved out, and that was about a month ago." Her face turned into a look of concern. "Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, Mom. I'm fine, really."
"...If you say so. I should go now. We need to get Dinky ready." She hovered toward the door, smiling at Amethyst on her way out. "Thanks again, see you tomorrow!"
Amethyst simply waved goodbye as Derpy departed, after which she took a moment to grasp the elements of her situation. One one hoof, she was going to see her little sister again, whom she loved. One the other hoof, well...she was going to see her little sister again, whom she could barely stand looking at for reasons she believed were best kept secret.
Her rumbling stomach once again demanded sustenance. She let out another sigh and went back into the kitchen to retrieve her sandwich.
Tomorrow would be the start of a long weekend. Amethyst was sure of it.