-Beginning of October-
It took a week before Randolph's letters arrived back.
Dear Coco,
Thank you for getting in contact with me. To reach you, I asked Rarity (Rather hastily, If I may add) for an address to reach you. But, now that you’ve sent a letter here, I realize why you weren't answering back. So, I apologize in advance if the theatre's post box is full.
I'm glad that she made it. I also can imagine how she felt meeting your friends! All the more better to have a night out with the gang to relieve any tension she is having.
It's also curious you mention the lab coat! In my experience, I have found that ponies still find an assortment of interests and hobbies, regardless of their cutie mark. In all honesty, I never found her to be the medical type- but that's the joy of discovery.
As for your concerns, I'm glad that you have accepted her into your hooves. In saying that you are the only pony capable of taking care of Mistress Tiara, no pony is more qualified than you. I mean it when I say that any other family is not safe or stable enough to support her.
As for her folks back in Ponyville, I trust that you can keep a secret. As I said before, her family dynamic is unstable. Her mother has already filed the papers. Thankfully, her father's side of the forms are at standstill due to preoccupations with work.
If you accept, please go to the city offices to file a form for legal guardianship. In the form, set me as the current guardian. That way I can help you.
As her guardian since she was born, I am immediately grandfathered in. (I don’t find that term flattering). This will make sure that I am present at the time of the hearing, whilst keeping it under the nose of the Rich’s.
Your old friend (but not so old),
Randolph
Coco reread the letter over and over. No matter what she did to calm herself down, she felt all of this would get her into more trouble than she could handle. She could be thrown in prison for foal-napping Dazzle! Jasmine was right about all of this- she could get into serious trouble.
Yet still... in her heart, she knew that Dazzle needed somepony to care for her. Randolph trusted her with this work, and even if this was a tough task, he knew her capabilities.
She sent a letter back, expressing her concerns, but said that she was more than willing to accept.
She received a letter yesterday.
Dear Coco,
Thank you for helping me out. I request that you head to the city offices as soon as possible. As soon as we set you as her legal guardian, the more stable the situation will be.
Don’t worry about a thing. Once I step in, the court will be understanding of your situation.
Even if you are busy, these are dire times, and I know you can spare the time.
Respectfully,
Randolph
She set down her spectacles and sighed.
Coco resented that last statement. She didn't have too much time left. Two weeks left on the clock, to be exact. She had stayed up countless nights trying to wrap up her project.
She took a peek in her folder, looking at all the designs she had to do. Flipping through the leaflets, she was surprised to see that there were only two dresses left.
How did it happen? She estimated it to be another week and half- if she was lucky. But somehow, these last few could be done overnight if she wanted to.
Maybe since she stayed up late, it whittled down the extra hours. Oddly enough, she didn't even feel tired. Usually by the time she finished up a project like this, she would be nodding off every time she blinked.
Maybe it was due to Dazzle recommending she move the sewing machine to the kitchen. Since Dazzle was struggling to get her rest, Coco took Dazzle’s suggestion to move the noisy machine.
In hindsight, it potentially saved her a lot of time and aggravation. She could read a letter. She could enjoy the view of the sunset on the city. Best of all, she could snack on something while she worked, making the process less of a chore.
Maybe this new setup could allow her to finally get to that cookbook she has been putting on the backburner for ages. But, again, it had to wait. She had to take care of Dazzle first.
Coco set the letter down atop her sewing machine, right next to the bobbin. She flicked the machine off. That was a precaution. Knowing herself, she would look for any excuse to procrastinate Randolph’s request. As soon as she would see that sewing machine with power on, she would convince herself to do just one more pattern. Then another. Then another.
She shook off her daze, then tip-hooved down the hallway. She had to be careful to make sure the clatter of her hoovesteps didn’t wake up the sleeping filly.
Dazzle's door was ajar. She peeked in.
Dazzle stirred. The little filly snuggled Yttrium's lab coat closer to her barrel. Coco’s heart melted. She nudged the door open.
She snuck up to the side of the bed, silently thanking Dazzle that the mess was cleaned up. Somehow, Dazzle found a home for every knick-knack piled into the room. Nothing was left on the floor minus Dazzle’s bed.
A frown stretched across Dazzle’s face while she drooled up a storm. Her pillow was soaked.
She tapped Dazzle on her shoulder.
“Hmm?” Dazzle rubbed her eyes. Her eyes were pink.
“You okay?” Coco asked. She contemplated mentioning that Dazzle’s eyes were bloodshot, but figured it would’ve been too rude. Instead, she asked: “Am I still keeping you up at night?”
“Pfft. You're fine.” Dazzle waved a hoof before closing her eyes and rolling back into her sheets.
“Sorry to wake you, I just wanted to take you somewhere. We need to take care of something.”
“Leave me alone. I have a headache.” Dazzle rubbed a hoof over her temple.
“Oh sorry.” Coco apologized, keeping her voice down.
She started towards the door. But the nagging feeling still ate away at her stomach. She turned around and offered. “Let’s give you some medicine. I made breakfast.”
“Five more minutes.” Dazzle buried her face in a pillow.
“Come on and get up. The sooner we do this, the sooner you get over that nasty headache.” Coco stomped a hoof.
Dazzle sprung up and glared at her. After a minute of narrowed eyes, she peeled off her blankets. “Fine then.”
Coco trotted out of the room. Maybe that wasn't the right move. Maybe she should've gone back to sewing. The slow burn of guilt started to well up in her barrel. Did she do the right thing?
Too late to turn back now though. Dazzle was already up. Coco approached the kitchen and snagged an apron that was hanging on a rack. She wrapped it around her barrel. Preparing herself, she rolled her shoulders. Working at the sewing machine too long gave her shoulder cramps.
After a minute of heating up on the stovetop, Coco was ready to exclaim, but kept it at a level that Dazzle's headache wouldn't overwhelm her. “Your favorite. Apples and cream!” Coco scooped some oatmeal into a bowl. She set a bowl of oatmeal in front of Dazzle.
“Oh. Almost forgot.” Coco trotted over to a drawer and took out a spoon. She set the spoon in Dazzle’s bowl.
Dazzle limply lifted the spoon. “My favorite apple is zap apples.” She sighed and prodded the oatmeal with the spoon. “Too bad I'm not there to see them gather the zap apples.”
Coco blanched. She shut off the pot of oatmeal. Even if it was a simple bowl of oatmeal, that was the very extent of her knowledge. Perhaps she had to turn it up the heat- like brownies or cakes. She gave a glance to the cookbook sitting on the counter.
She broke out of her daze again and remembered. On her tippy-hooves she reached up and grabbed some medicine from the counter. She took out a canister of pain relief pills and a canister of her her medication. She set the canisters down and unscrewed the lids.
She took out two red pills and two white pills. Slowly, she approached the table, careful not to drop the capsules.
“Well, eat up, we have a long ways to go.” Coco laid out two red pills before Dazzle.“Now, after we get finished with breakfast, we are going to the city offices.”
Dazzle groaned.
“I know. But in order for you to stay, we need to jump through a couple hoops. Make it official.” Coco tapped on the table playfully. She looked at her oatmeal. It was getting cold.
Dazzle arched a brow. “Why all of a sudden?”
“You're underage. In order to for you stay here, I-” Coco stopped herself. She cleared her throat and took the pause an opportunity to take a bite out of her oatmeal. She popped two white pills into her mouth, hoping to drown out the chalky taste. “We need to fill out some forms.”
Dazzle scoffed.
Coco glared at Dazzle. She wanted to tell Dazzle to watch her attitude, but stopped herself. Dazzle just woke up on the wrong side of the bed, that’s all. It would go away in time. Coco chose to distract herself as she looked disdainfully at the sewing machine.
Her project was ninety percent done, but she needed a little more to power through the last ten percent.
She didn't want to bug the filly, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Besides, she needed some help since her filly manakin was too small. “Hey Dazzle, I know it's a lot to ask, but would you be willing to help me with the last of my sewing?”
Dazzle lifted her head. “Really? Can I?” She squeaked.
Coco blanched. She would've suspected a flat ‘No’ or a passive ‘Maybe’.
Still, Dazzle's eyes suddenly glazed aglow- the same aglow when Yttrium gave her his coat.
Maybe she was into design also?
Coco chuckled. “If you want to.”
Dazzle huffed “Are we-” she wheezed “Are we there yet?”
They should've took a taxi. However, Coco was running low on funds and had to be thrifty. It would be a little over a month before she would have some revenue. Thankfully, she was on the home stretch with the next play coming up.
“We’re here.” Coco said, opening the glass door.
The smell of apples flowed out. It was probably to lighten the atmosphere. However, the fragrance didn't seem to lighten the atmosphere.
A wry smile came across Dazzle’s face. Coco was trying her best not to mimic it.
This is going to be tough. The process will be quite a lengthy and grueling one. It agitated her just in the slightest, but urgent measures had to be taken.
Coco sheepishly trotted up to the secretary’s desk. A secretary, just like Entry from her apartment complex, scribbled away at the papers on the desk.
“Hewwo! Welcoom to the fitty Offife” The mare greeted with the pen still stuck in her mouth. She spit out the pen. “How can we help you?”
“Uhm, I’m not sure how to do this... but, is there a form that I can fill out for legal guardianship?”
The secretary glanced at Dazzle and nodded. “Sure,” She rummaged through a stack of papers to the side of her desk and hoofed a couple over to Coco. She pointed to a couple blank fields on the forms “You will need to fill out this request for a hearing,” She flipped the page. “As well as fill out your information and her information.”
Coco took the pen from a nearby cup and started writing as they approached the seating area. Her hooves echoed as she stepped across the pristine marble floor.
She admired the ornate carvings and olden feel of the building. Yet, it had the gentle touch of modern updates like the clear glass doors and the furniture placed around.
She took a seat and sighed in relief. At least the chairs were comfortable. Dazzle took a seat right next to her.
Coco started to fill out the information she knew; her name, birthdate, and address.
“It was a long walk over here and my hooves hurt.” Dazzle whined.
“Oh, I’m sorry-” Coco stopped herself. Maybe that came out a little wrong. She was meaning to help Dazzle not hurt her. So, for good measure, she smiled, and in her best ‘Fluttershy calming the animals’ voice, she soothed, “Good thing we are sitting down. You can rest here for a bit, I’m just going to ask you a couple questions.”
Came to think of it, that last remark sounded like a therapist’s standard dialogue.
Dazzle shrugged then laid down on the couch. Coco found that she was a bit uncomfortable. Maybe she could use her flank as a pillow. However, she figured that Dazzle needed a little more time before she was comfortable doing that.
“Uhm, Dazzle, when is your birthday?”
“April 5.”
“How old are you?”
“Eleven.” She said.
Something was wrong. The way that Dazzle said it was like a yawn, fading out to nothing, as if in apathy. Coco inched closer, hoping for her to open up.
Instead, Dazzle scooted away from her. Coco frowned in response.
Coco shook off the feeling as her eyes reeled back to the paper. Maybe the next few questions would allow her to open up. “Where were you born?”
“Ponyville Hospital.”
Coco scribbled down the notes.
“Social Pony Number?”
Dazzle surged upward. She twisted back with a confused look on her face. “What?”
“Social Pony number?”
“What is that?”
Coco frowned. “A Social Pony Number is your identity. It helps offices like this keep track of all the ponies roaming about Equestria.”
Seeing her confusion still persisting, Coco realized that the explanation she gave wasn’t enough. “Think of it as like a cutie mark. It is unique to the individual and help show other ponies who they are.”
“Oh.” Dazzle’s confusion molded into a frown.
“Only instead of a picture, it’s a number, and it helps Celestia and her guards know where a pony is at, and their history.” Coco added for good measure.
Dazzle went back to lying on the couch.
Coco clicked her tongue. “Looks like I need to send this to Randolph.” She said as the only thing she could recall was just his name.
“Wait, you are sending stuff to Randolph?” Dazzle popped up from the couch.
“Mmm hmm.” Coco said, rolling up the letter and putting it in her bag. “He would know how to do this. He was one of my mentors while I was taking designing classes. He specialized in the regal and proper.” She fixed her posture, as if Randolph was present. She let out a chuckle. “Sure fits he knows how to do paperwork.”
Dazzle leaned closer. She looked up at Coco with curiosity in her eyes.
“Not only that, but he was the backbone of fashion so to say. Simple. To the point. Minimal distractions. His style agitated most students, since they were more focused on being the forefront of anything trending.” Coco continued. “However I didn't mind his style much. In consequence, him and I became close friends. ”
Coco sighed. “After a while, he left to be a butler for the Rich family. We stayed in contact, until...”
Suri Polomare
Coco closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
“Until?” Dazzle asked, leaning closer.
Coco looked to Dazzle, trying to find the best way to describe it. Coco let a tear fall from her eye. “Sometimes, you do things that you regret. You just want to forget, but it's hard to.”
Dazzle’s ears drooped. She leaned into Coco and hugged her.
Coco jumped a little. She didn't know if it was safe. She looked around, and found nopony gawking. She hugged Dazzle back.
“Thanks. I needed that.” Coco said as soon as Dazzle let go.
“Okay Dazzle, hold still.” Coco tied a red bow in Dazzle's frizzy hair.
“Reminds me of Applebloom.” Dazzle said, looking up.
“Who's Applebloom?” Coco asked, taking a step back. She tapped a hoof at her muzzle and observed.
“Just a friend.” Dazzle answered.
Coco tilted her head and paced back and forth. Every angle counted. “Hmm, I just can't seem to find what's missing… the red sets the the tan apart, but it needs a little more flair.”
“I think Little Strongheart looks fine,” Dazzle said.
“Maybe the dress can be shortened.” Coco considered the possibility but shook her head. “I don't want to destroy bottom trim though.”
“Add a red bow to my tail.”
“Of course! Dazzle! You're a genius!” Coco exclaimed.
Dazzle winced.
“Oh, sorry. Forgot about the headache.” Coco sat at her desk, and cut a ribbon off a spool.
Like a present, she wrapped Dazzle's swirly tail in in the ribbon. “Take some medicine before you go to bed.” Coco instructed.
Dazzle nodded.
Coco took a step back again and clapped her hooves together. “Perfect.”
She took the bows off Dazzle's mane and tail. “Go ahead and take it off. This dress is finished.”
Dazzle wriggled out of the dress daintily. She folded it neatly and set it on a chair.
“Thank you for letting me use you as a mannequin.” Coco said. She lifted the presser foot and shut the sewing machine off
“You’re welcome!” Dazzle said. “What are we going to do next?”
“Go to sleep. I'm exhausted.” Coco yawned as she pulled her fuzzy robe off the nearby rack.
“Already? I'm not even tired.” Dazzle whined.
“It's seven at night, I need my beauty sleep.” Coco said.
“C'mon! One more please?” Dazzle pleaded.
“You need to take some medicine and get to bed.” Coco said. She shuddered after she finished that sentence. Now she sounded like her mom.
Dazzle shook her head. “Not tired though.”
“You're probably having headaches from lack of sleep.” Coco reasoned.
“I know you need to get stuff done. You'll stay up anyway” Dazzle said. “New rule: You stay up, I stay up.”
Coco glanced the hallway. She couldn’t wait to get into those fluffy warm blankets.
She wanted to add another rebuttal, but then, she looked at Dazzle.
She looked at Dazzle, into those cold aqua eyes. Yet they had a warmth, a warmth that Coco couldn't place. Like a fire that burned bright at the end of a day.
...“Get your lab coat on, I have an idea.”