//------------------------------// // As Sweet as Her Name // Story: No Hugs for Sugar Crush // by FerociousCreation //------------------------------// Mineral Water looked up and saw the light-purple mare on the Chocolate Palace’s rooftop, her body resting parallel to the square building. One of Nightshade’s hind legs dangled off while she continued to look down at himself and Sugar Crush with quite the smug grin. The stallion was flustered to be asked if he was going to kiss Sugar Crush but was more curious because his friend knew the resting thestral. “You know her?” Mineral asked. Sugar turned away from the lingering Nightshade. “I wish I didn’t…” In an exaggerated gasp, Nightshade brought a hoof to her mouth. “How could you say that about your sister?” She stood up and her snickering grin returned. In one quick motion, Nightshade fanned out her leathery appendages and flew in front of the Mineral Milk Stall. The stallion was impressed by her speed. “That was quite the dive. I forget how uniquely designed thestrals are.” “How kind of you to say,” Nightshade said, her proud smile reducing to a more thankful expression. She brought a hoof to her chest and gave her head a small bow. “I’m Nightshade, though I am sure you knew that because of my sister’s outburst.” Mineral Water stood with politeness and did the same gesture as Nightshade. “I am Mineral Water, though I am sure you know her because of your sister.” Nightshade’s teeth made an appearance again, though it was a small amount. “You do know how to make a mare smile.” The thestral broke Mineral’s professional mannerism and he looked toward Sugar. The gray mare was slightly hunched over as if to clutch something close to her. “I didn’t know you had a sister,” Mineral Water said. “Why have you not told me?” “Because she likes to embarrass me…” Sugar Crush grumbled. The sibling wore no shame in her eyes. “It’s kind of what older sisters do. However, this time I just came by to wish you luck on your stall and be your first customer.” “That’s very nice of you, Nightshade,” Sugar said, though her tone was nowhere near appreciative of her sister’s presence. Mineral was curious as to why his friend was refusing to look at Nightshade. She may be an annoying sister, but a sibling is a sibling. He never had any brothers or sisters to play with or come visit him. Mineral Water made a note to go see his parents and introduce Sugar Crush to them. Something about Nightshade made him miss the only family he had. “Be glad your sister came to see you at least.” Mineral’s voice brought Sugar’s attention to him. “You were glad I came to see you this morning. I think it is fair to be somewhat happy about Nightshade, even if she may get under your skin.” His stare made her straighten up when she noticed how serious he was. It was a few moments before Sugar Crush faced Nightshade and gave a smile. “Thank you for coming, Nightshade.” Sugar gestured to her sweets and asked, “Pick one cookie while I get you a cup of milk.” It was Sugar Crush’s turn to smile as Nightshade’s signature grin was nowhere to be found. Mineral Water looked at the older thestral with wonder. Oh, how the roles have shifted, he thought. When Nightshade noticed she was being stared at, her slit pupils ran through the stallion. Her eyes were sharp and Mineral Water worried if she could read him. Instead of having something to say to him, Nightshade gave a tiny smile before picking a cookie from the middle plate. “What flavor of milk are you expecting to get?” Sugar Crush asked her sister as she hoofed a cup of milk to Nightshade. “I would not mind vanilla, but that would ruin the purpose of the color change you want. And I am sure you would want the milk to have some visual differences once you mix the cookie with it.” Sugar Crush gasped, lightly clapping her hooves together. “I should actually make some vanilla flavored Mineral Milk Cookies!” Both Mineral Water and Nightshade looked at one another, curious as to what was conceived in Sugar’s inspired head. “Think about it. You get Mineral Milk Cookie, then mix it in the milk, but there is no color change. After thinking it didn’t work, you take a sip of milk and… surprise! Your tongue is assaulted with sweet vanilla!” An even brighter smile than before rose Sugar’s glittered face. “Thanks for the unintentional idea, Nightshade!” The older sister lost her grip on the plastic cup and it fell to the ground. Some of the liquid jumped up at her and the thestral made an unnecessary jump backward. Mineral Water stood up and walked around the table with several napkins chasing after him like ghosts. “I never thought I’d see the day my sister thanked me twice in the same day,” Nightshade said as the stallion soaked the napkins with milk. “She is something else,” Mineral Water said. He lifted his head and saw Nightshade grinning at him. “Speaking of her, did she really stalk you all the way to your house before you two became friends?” One blink was all it took before Mineral Water saw Sugar Crush pounce her sister. The assailant heaved Nightshade into the air, her arms around the other sibling’s torso. Sugar then squeezed Nightshade while wearing the sweetest of smiles. However, the smile spoke a more sinister message to Mineral Water as he watched Nightshade try and escape the crushing thestral. “I am so glad you came by to meet my friend and say embarrassing things.” “I’m sorry!” Nightshade wheezed. “I won’t say anything to embarrass you!” Mineral Water watched in horror as Sugar Crush revealed the power of her hugs. I hope this fate does not become of me… Sugar let go of her sister and Nightshade coughed a few times. Sugar gave Mineral a wink and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t hug you like that.” She tilted her head down just enough for some shadow to fall over her eyes. “Unless you make me angry.” I somehow want to go home, Mineral Water swallowed as he disposed of the soggy paper towels in a small trash can by the table. He and Sugar sat down at the same time. Sugar’s chair hopped a little toward him and the stallion couldn’t help but flinch. “If I am going to be here for moral support, don’t torment me while you are at it.” “I won’t,” Sugar Crush shook her head. She then started to pour another cup of milk for Nightshade. Mineral Water looked at Nightshade who was stretching a little before smiling as if nothing had happened. “Don’t look so grim, Mineral Water,” Nightshade said. “My sister is glad to have you as a friend. So don’t worry about her killing you if she actually gets a hold of you.” “I’ll keep that in mind,” Mineral snorted. Sugar Crush placed the second cup of milk on the table, and Nightshade naturally pulled it toward herself. Nightshade dipped a cookie in the milk and gave it a swirl. Her brows creased at the liquid, perhaps displeased with the blue color she received. A few dunks in the milk and the cookie found its way to Nightshade’s sharp teeth. “If you don’t mind, can you tell me a little about yourself?” Mineral Water rose a brow, “Has Sugar Crush not told you much about me?” Before she could speak, Nightshade had to swallow. In the time it took her to do so, Sugar interjected, “I… don’t want to tell her everything about you. Some things between you and I are… personal.” “How personal are you two?” Nightshade asked, stirring the milk with the cookie. She pressed her nose, spoke the word “pause,” and looked at Mineral. “Do you know about my and Sugar’s rule of pause?” For as much stress that she brought Sugar Crush, Mineral Water respected Nightshade for wanting to be serious. “I know all about it. Of course, your sister doesn’t like that, I guess you can say, I abuse the system of the rule of pause.” “Psh!” Sugar hissed and folded her arms. “You just don’t want to take the chance of being hugged and stay permanently paused.” She pointed a sharp hoof at Mineral. “Before you got here, he’s been paused for the longest time.” Mineral Water rolled his eyes before looking back at Nightshade, who was giving him quite the hard stare. “Just be sure you don’t step out of line when still paused,” she said. “Otherwise, there will be consequences.” “Like what?” the stallion asked. “Easy,” Sugar Crush said. “If you break the rule of pause, then I won’t make the active effort to hug you.” The idea of Sugar not trying to always hug Mineral didn’t bother him at first. But then he really delved into a reality of her not wanting to hug him, and it made the crystal pony deeply worried. Mineral knew he relied on Sugar’s persistent character to remind him she is his friend. Without that motivation to embrace him, Mineral feared he might start to forget about her importance. He did not want to deal with a possible repeat as he did with Nebula… “Unpause,” Mineral muttered as he pressed his nose. At the corner of his eye, Sugar Crush looked at him with concern. He didn’t want to bother her with another possible sobbing session, and the stallion cleared his throat in an attempt to cough out all sad emotions. “So, what was your question again, Nightshade?” “How personal are you and my sister?” she repeated. “She and I talk about our jobs among other things.” “What ‘other things’ do you discuss?” It was too early in the morning to bring up Nebula. Besides, Mineral Water was influenced by a picture of hers to come and see Sugar Crush in the first place. In the most amount of respect he could, Mineral wanted to not think about Nebula for the remainder of his time with Sugar and Nightshade. “Personal stuff that I don’t want to bring up at this time.” A tickle on Mineral’s shoulder shocked him and the stallion twitched before noticing Sugar’s hoof rubbing his shoulder. She blinked at him and nodded with a smile. Mineral admired how she hadn’t told her sister about Nebula yet. And considering how Nightshade’s teasing behavior against Sugar, personal information is best kept away from the older sibling. “And I will respect that,” Nightshade said. “I paused because I didn’t want you to think I was being a pest on purpose to you, and I wanted an honest answer to one question.” Her hoof touched her nose. “Unpause.” Mineral smiled, “You and your sister are both interesting ponies.” Oh no… Emotions started to strangle his windpipe. Their thestral appearances began to resurface the mare of the past. He took a deep breath and asked Sugar Crush, “Can I go into the back kitchen and check on how much milk you have?” “How come?” “Just-” His voice crack made Mineral Water clear his throat into a more controlled tone. “Just to be sure we have enough milk for the time being. If your stall gets a lot of business, being well stalked will prevent one of us from running to the store.” It was an ingenious way to escape, even if his attitude was being noticed by the mares. “You sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Sugar Crush asked, her eyes hungry to aid him. Mineral Water dismissed the suggestion with a shake of his head. “You have your stand to watch over.” Even if Sugar would deny him access to the kitchen, he would have given himself permission anyways. “Then… go take inventory, Mr. Worksalot.” The crystal pony knew she didn’t mean any harm, but the comment punched him in the stomach. With haste, he entered the Chocolate Palace. The bell yelled back at Mineral Water for pushing the door too hard. When he came to the kitchen door, Mineral was less aggressive with it and gently pushed it opened. Raspberry gasped when she saw Mineral Water walk past her, but made no comment about his presence. Just as the fridge door was in site, Mineral’s vision became blurry. Cold air blasted onto his purple body the moment he pulled the door open and entered the fridge, the wind trying to numb the mental pain. The door closed on its own with no effort from Mineral. The stallion rested an arm on a graded shelf to support himself from possibly collapsing to the ground in a fit of hysterical sorrow. Oh Nebula… Mineral Water finally let it all out. Weak whimpers sang from the stallion’s throat as he rested his forehead on the leaning arm. He wanted to go an entire week without the past reminding him of his errors. It was nopony’s fault but his own for even thinking about Nebula. The fridge door opened slowly, but Mineral Water didn’t bother looking at who entered. The voice is what gave away who it was. “Mineral,” Sugar Crush said, her voice cautious and gentle, “are you okay?” “Just lamenting about the usual,” Mineral Water answered. The stallion realized that Sugar was with him and not outside. He felt no shame when he faced his friend and asked, “Aren’t you supposed to be tending to your stand?” The thestral creased her brows, “My friend is in need. I could care less about my business. Besides, Nightshade is keeping an eye on everything for now.” Mineral clenched his jaw, frustrated that his own friend’s stall was more concerning to him than Sugar coming to aid him; thus, more tears followed suit. He watched his friend walk over, her brows slowly removing the tension in them. A smile as sweet as her name lifted Sugar Crush’s cheeks. Just when she got close enough to Mineral, Sugar gently poked her nose on his own. “Pause.” Joy smashed through Mineral Water’s gray raincloud, the stallion laughing at the silly antics. “You are quite something.” “Well, this is me you are talking about,” Sugar giggled. Mineral watched her adjust herself and carefully set her side against him. He tensed up, his sensitive nerves reflexing for possible discomfort. Instead, Sugar’s touch didn’t make him flinch. Her contact was as soft and warm as a mother bird landing on her bundle of eggs. “Sorry I can’t get over myself,” Mineral Water sighed, though he still smiled because of Sugar Crush’s kindness. “If you cannot help yourself, I understand,” Sugar Crush replied, shaking her head. Her eyes looked elsewhere and her fuzzy ears fell back a little. “But… maybe sometime, we can, perhaps, talk about you and her. Just so I know why you get like this.” She looked back at Mineral Water, and the stallion wished she could understand how their friendship meant to him in an instant. But that would involve a more embarrassing discussion, which may come off as an “I’m in love with you” sort of way. Still, the idea of talking about Nebula to Sugar didn’t sound too awful, so long as it didn’t involve too many painful memories. “How about this...” Mineral began. “After we are done selling cookies, you and I can go to some diner and I will tell you about Nebula, while you tell me why you like to hug your customers.” “Hmm…” the thestral hummed. “I think that is fair. If I am going to force something out of you, I might as well tell you something about me.” Sugar bobbed her head, “Okay, we can do that. But I get to choose where we get to eat.” “Then it’s a date,” Mineral Water said. At once, Sugar Crush flushed. “A-as in a friendly occasion!” He bit his lip, “I used to say ‘it’s a date’ a lot when it came to business. Some habits die hard.” The cold air was starting to become less effective on Mineral’s cheeks, his blush warming his embarrassed face. Sugar Crush giggled, “I know what you mean.” She looked at the door. “But before we get out of this cold place, can I ask you something about Nebula? It’s only a simple question.” Sugar faced Mineral again. “I want to exhaust any sadness that may resurface today.” Crying was not on Mineral’s list of things he liked to do. But the comfort of Sugar kept him from refusing the question. “You may ask.” Even though Mineral granted his friend permission, he braced himself for a question that would most likely hit hard. “Okay, my question is that whatever happened between you and Nebula, would you tell her you are sorry? I remember the day we became friends, you said she isn’t here because of you, so I can assume something happened before Sombra came.” It was strange. For once, Mineral Water tried to find the urge to cry, yet it never came. Perhaps he already exhausted it and had no strength to do so. However, it didn’t make him happy that he remembered the day he really screwed up. “It would mean the world to me if I could be given the chance to say ‘I’m sorry’ to Nebula. But I know that will never happen. And now I am haunted by thoughts of what I could have done to avoid losing my friend.” “I wish I could do something to help,” Sugar muttered, her ears twitching a little. The forces of depression couldn’t keep hold of Mineral any longer. “You being here is the best help you can do.” “No, it is not.” The thestral’s lips writhed into a grin as she reached for her nose. “Unpause!”