Ruby sat at her desk, her bedroom wrapped in total darkness as she worked under the light of a single desk-lamp and her magic's red glow. The sounds of pens and pencils scribbling on paper was the only break in the silence as the Unicorn worked. All the while, a soft smile graced her muzzle as she concentrated on her latest creation.
Almost there. It just needs a little more shading and it will be ready.
Her magic's grip on the pencil wavered as weariness started to weigh in on the young mare's resolve. Through sheer force of will, she gritted her teeth and forced the writing implement to obey her. Just when her eyes started to droop, she let the pencil drop as a satisfied smile graced her muzzle.
"Done," she sighed as she levitated her tools away. "Now I just need to cast a Preservation Spell onto it and it will be ready for tomorrow."
Yawning, she cast the spell onto the paper in front of her. For the briefest moment, the spell illuminated the drawing just enough for Ruby to see it completely. A series of tired chuckles burst out of her before she managed to regain control of herself. She smiled a little as she understood what this meant and got out of her seat.
Perfect, she thought as she staggered to her bed a couple feet away. Assuming sis did her part, then we are ready to move into the next stage of the plan.
Her gaze drifted to a thin stack of paper sitting on a corner of her desk as she pulled herself into bed. The products of three days of tireless work. Her smile persisted as she let her exhaustion take her.
Now the real work begins.
***
The school cafeteria was a hub of activity like usual as students went about their business. Platinum stared at her two new friends with concern in a corner booth farthest from the front door. Both fillies looked like they hadn't had a decent night's sleep in days, Sapphire especially as she struggled to keep her head from slamming into the table they shared. She passed questioning glances at Sunday and Sherbet only to receive awkward shrugs for her trouble.
"Are you two okay?" she asked.
"Yes," Ruby yawned, rubbing some sleep out of her eyes. "Just some late night study sessions. Don't worry bout it."
"Yeah," Sapphire mumbled, head drooping just as much as her eyelids. "Studying..."
A soft snoring accompanied that as the blue Earth Pony's will power finally ran out. Ruby sighed as she nudged her sister awake, before summoning a square object wrapped in brown paper from her saddlebags with her magic. A faint smile graced her lips as she levitated the package to Platinum. The metallic Pegasus eyed it curiously before taking it with her hooves.
"What's this?" she asked, staring at the notebook-sized package.
"The first of many gifts we have for you," Ruby smiled. "The rest should be ready throughout the week."
"That won't be necessary," she frowned, setting the gift down on the table and nudging it back towards Ruby with a hoof. "The fact that you have decided to make me one of your resources is more than I could ask for. Anything else would be asking for too much on my part."
Sunday and Sherbet subtly cringed at that, while Sapphire let out a faint irritable sigh. They knew this wouldn't be easy, but they thought the real difficulties wouldn't come until later. Ruby, for her part, hid her frustration well as she nudged the package back towards the Pegasus.
"Maybe, but I still want you to have it all the same. It's normal for friends to give other friends gifts every now and then."
"But-"
"Think of it as an apology for all the hostilities over the years," Ruby smiled, nudging the package a little closer to the filly.
Platinum stared at the package for a moment, then sighed as she reached out and took it.
"Very well. Thank you Ruby Stokes."
"You're welcome Platinum Scales."
An awkward silence fell over the group as the Pegasus stared at the offered package like it was some great puzzle. Sapphire let out a small frustrated groan.
"Aren't ya gonna open it?" she grumbled.
"Right now?" Platinum asked, leveling a confused look at her.
"Might as well," she yawned. "Unless you want to carry around a present all day like Santa Hooves."
"Right," Platinum frowned, scanning the package in her hooves.
Geez, has this filly never seen a gift before? she thought irritably as she watched Platinum strip away her gift's wrappings. Then again, considering what Sunday and Sherbet told us, I shouldn't be all that surprised. Maker I hope this works.
Everypony watched with baited breath as Platinum tore away the last strip of wrapping paper. What was revealed earned some confused head-tilts from Platinum's half of the table and conspiratorial smirks from the twins. It was a drawing set in an expertly carved amethyst frame with flower like patterns carved into the soft stone. The drawing itself caught the Pegasus's attention the most. It was a small kitten, fur still soft and fluffy like goose down as small flowers flooded the background. The small creature's eyes were crossed as it stared at a butterfly resting on its nose with innocent wonder. The monochromatic drawing was drawn so well that the trio half expected the kitten to hop off of the page to greet them.
"Wow," Sunday whispered. "I knew she was good, but not this good."
"Yeah," Sherbet breathed, eyes tracing the frame.
Ruby and Sapphire mostly ignored their comments as they watched Platinum Scales. It was faint at first, but they could see it. Small cracks started to form in the Pegasus' mask as a small, genuine smile slowly formed on her muzzle as she stared at the picture. They knew what was coming when Platinum's cheeks started to puff up and she trembled, but when the damn finally burst they were shocked by the end result. Platinum burst into laughter as the picture's magic finally broke past the filly's defenses. It was a bright and wild sound like the first gale of spring as it filled the room, shocking everypony around her as the prim filly fell into a laughing fit for the first time in public. As she did, she looked like a completely different pony to the small cluster of fillies. Then just as quickly as it came, the illusion was shattered as Platinum pulled herself back together.
"I-I apologize for that," she coughed, a small blush coloring her cheeks as she scrambled to put the framed picture into one of her saddlebags. "A-Anyways, thank you for the gift a-and I look forward to what you have for me in the future. E-Excuse me."
With that, she staggered out of her seat and quickly trotted through the cafeteria's exit. Victorious smiles spread across Ruby and Sapphire's faces while confusion colored Sunday and Sherbet's.
"What just happened?" Sunday asked.
"Simple," Ruby smiled. "I filled her with laughter."
Sapphire chuckled at that while their two comrade's confusion seemed to grow.
At that moment, Quartz and Opal took seats next to their usual party members.
"Looks like it worked," Quartz smirked, playfully nudging the red filly to his left.
"Indeed," Opal said, earning a shy smile from the blue filly to his right.
"Can somepony please explain?" Sherbet asked.
"Well," Ruby started. "I'm sure you have all heard the rumors about my art, correct?"
They nodded.
"They're true."
The two fillies gawked at her for a minute, not sure how they were supposed to take the news. Sunday found her voice as she noted something that contradicted her ally's claim.
"Wait, we saw the picture too. How come we didn't turn into laughing loons too?"
"Simple," ruby sighed. "You weren't the targets for the spell."
Both fillies blinked at her, earning a tired sigh.
"When I discovered what my art could do to ponies, I tried to find a way to reduce the effects it had on them. Fortunately, Miss Trixie knew of a spell that could do just that and was willing to teach it to me. Now I can narrow the effects my art has on ponies based on certain specific conditions."
"Like what?" Sherbet asked.
"Like if a pony needs to laugh," Sapphire sighed, barely aware of the fact she was leaning into Opal as her fatigue started to catch up with her again.
"Or if a specific pony stares at it," Ruby added. "When I made that drawing, I put as much laughter and comedic memory into it as I could. I also made it so only Platinum could be affected by it and only when the effects were needed."
"And all of the other pictures are going to do the same thing?" Sunday asked, a trace of hope filling her tone.
"Something like that," Ruby smiled.
***
As soon as the door to her room clicked shut, Platinum's face twisted into terror as she let her mask fall away.
"Wh-What the hay happened today?" she stammered, setting her saddlebags down by her bed as she started to pace. "All I did was look at that picture and suddenly I..."
She stopped and her eyes wandered towards her bags. She heard the rumors about Ruby's artwork before, but ignored them. To her, it all sounded like the kind of gossip bullies started to alienate talent. Now that she stopped to consider what happened a few hours ago, the rumors seemed to hold a bit more weight.
Cautiously, she reached for her bag and pulled out the framed picture. A small bubble of giggles slipped past her lips the second she laid eyes on the kitten. It was with shock that she came to terms with something that she hadn't before; laughing felt good. No, that wasn't quite right. Of course it felt good to laugh, but at the time in the cafeteria it felt amazing. It was like she had been breathing stale air the whole time and was suddenly given a breeze of the freshest mountain air. It scared her, but also made her feel so happy at the same time that she didn't know what to do with herself.
"What have they done to me?" she asked, hiding the picture beneath her bed.
***
"Here you go," Sapphire smiled, handing Platinum a small square package just outside the school gates.
Platinum stared at the package, trepidation hidden behind her mask. It was much smaller then the previous gift she received, a roughly four-inch squared as opposed to the foot wide framed kitten hidden under her bed. Students gave them passing glances as they stepped around them through the open gates while Platinum battled with herself as to whether or not she should risk accepting the gift.
She let out a nervous sigh as she took the small package.
Sapphire's smile grew as the Pegasus cautiously tore the paper away and stared at what it held. It was another framed picture, only instead of being a drawing it was a painting. It was a peaceful ocean scene at night, dozens of shades of blue and violet making up the water taking up the bottom half of the background while a solid curtain of navy-blue dominated the top with specks of silver and gold for the stars reflected in the water. The foreground was a clear cream-colored coast with the black silhouette of a pony sitting on their hunches with their back to the viewer. To match the scene, the frame was covered with wave and seashell patters carved directly into the amethyst that made it.
Platinum's anxiety seemed to fade away as she stared at the scene. In addition, her thoughts seemed less muddled as she took in things as they were around her. The effects this painting had on her shocked her, but like the first one she found that she rather liked it.
"Thank you Sapphire," she said, lips pulled into a small smile as she stowed the painting away in her saddlebags.
"No prob," she smirked.
With that, Platinum gave a small nod and walked through the gates towards the school's main building. Sapphire watched her walk with a wide smile plastered across her muzzle for a minute before letting herself onto the school grounds.
Zen Painting delivered? Check!
***
Gold blocked an incoming arial strike from her student with a foreleg just before she vanished in a blast of wind to come at her from a different angle. The Earth Pony marveled at how Platinum moved today compared to how she did normally. Before, her strikes were wild as they tried to hammer their way past her defenses, but today they were more probing and precise. Most of her more powerful attacks were aimed at the softest points of the cloaked pony's guard and blind-spots. furthermore, the crazed fervor she often saw in the filly's eyes had dimmed somewhat. It was clear she still loved the thrill of battle, but now it wasn't quite as all-consuming as it once was.
Perhaps I should thank those fillies sometime, she thought as she dodged a wing-strike to the head.
"Enough!" Gold barked, freezing Platinum mid-strike.
"We're done already?" Platinum panted, folding her wings as she moved out of her fighting stance.
"Unfortunately," Gold smiled.
"Pony feathers," she muttered as she deactivated her training wing-blades. "I was just getting into it."
"Indeed," Gold smiled, placing a hoof on Platinum's shoulder. "Your form has improved significantly since yesterday. Am I right to assume that your new friends have something to do with this?"
"M-Maybe," Platinum stammered, blushing a little.
Gold chuckled.
"It feels good to have ponies care about you, doesn't it?"
Platinum nodded.
"Yeah. It's a little scary sometimes though."
Gold nodded as she let her hoof fall, then said, "Many first steps are, but are also worth it in the end."
A light giggle slipped past her muzzle as she nodded at her teacher. Both ponies were internally taken aback by how natural the act seemed to them. But while Gold was perplexed by the anomaly, Platinum found that she was too at peace to care for too long.
***
Platinum was putting her books back into her saddlebags as she prepared to move on to her next class. As she did, she wasn't surprised to see a dark-purple shape move towards her from the corner of her eye.
"Good afternoon Opal Heart," she said with a faint smile.
"Likewise," he smiled, his horn alight with magic as he manipulated something within his saddlebags.
"Am I to assume that this is yet another gift?" she asked, her smile growing slightly.
"Indeed," he nodded, finally managing to extract the package from his bags and levitated it over to her. "Ruby and Sapphire apologize that it took them so long to present it. The frame was apparently giving Sapphire trouble."
"It's only three days," she shrugged as she accepted the gift. "An artist can't be rushed and be expected to produce top quality work."
"I suppose that's one way to look at it," he said through a tense smile.
While they hadn't officially been friends for vary long, he still didn't like others talking about Ruby and Sapphire like commodities. Granted, he expected it from Platinum, but that didn't mean he was okay with it by any stretch of the imagination.
"Though please refrain from talking about my friends like that in the future," he said letting his smile fall.
Platinum blinked at him, then bowed her head to him as she said, "My apologies. I didn't mean to offend."
"I understand," he sighed. "Just try to be more mindful."
She nodded, then went to work unwrapping her latest gift.
As she suspected, it was another framed picture only this one was done with colored pencils. The scene made Platinum stare in awe, unaware that her mask had slipped as her eyes absorbed it in all its splendor. A milk-white Pegasus with a golden-blond mane and tail stood tall and proud with a sword gripped tightly in her mouth on the right side of the picture. The left was dominated by a mass of amorphous darkness, wispy tendrils coiling around the cold gray stone and sky as it pulled itself towards the mare. All of this took place on top of a mountain with bolts of lightning ripping across the sky like cracks in a mirror. The frame was carved to look like rough stone, like it was taken straight from the mountain's surface.
A shiver ran down Platinum's spine, though not out of fear or excitement. It was like she had just been hit by a gust of cold wind first thing in the morning. She carefully placed the picture into her bags and locked eyes with Opal. The colt flinched slightly at what he saw as the filly smiled at him. Her eyes held a lot more life then he remembered seeing in the past and the smile she sported was more genuine then he could remember.
"Thank you Opal Heart and let Ruby Strokes and Sapphire Trails know I like their gift."
"You're welcome and I will," he nodded.
With a small bow she turned and left, smile still present as she stepped out of the classroom.
Perhaps I should ask Miss Ruby to supply art for my cousin's counseling sessions, Opal thought as he stepped towards the door himself. The results seem promising to say the least.
***
The clinking of glasses and silverware echoed in the dinning room of Coin Manor as it always had at that time of day. As such, Platinum was not surprised when the usual silence dominated the first ten minutes of the meal nor what topic eventually broke said silence.
"Tell me Platinum, how goes your arrangements with the twins?" Platinum's mother, Bit Coin asked.
"Slow," she responded, eyes locked onto her baked salmon as she cut a piece away. "As I have said before, I don't want to give them a reason to question my worth as an asset. I am taking cautious probes with them to see just how far I can take things before I can proceed."
"Of course," Bit Coin nodded. "Though I suppose it would be so much easier if you didn't spend so much of your time with those two underachievers."
Platinum tensed at that as yet another daily routine started.
"Honestly, I have no idea why you still associate with those two. You have access to a Princess' ear and the most those two could provide for you is catering. It is time for you to mo-"
"With all due respect, mother," Platinum said, a faint growl coloring her tone as she locked eyes with the mare. "The two fillies you are describing have names and I would appreciate it if you used them."
Bit blinked in shock at her daughter's actions, only to glare at her a moment later as she said, "Excuse me?"
Platinum's eyes narrowed as the morning breeze she felt a few hours ago at school washed over her. Only now, instead of chilling her she felt a surge of strength. In that moment, she was the swordspony on the mountain staring into the abyss and her mother was the beast that came for her. She would always run from the monster, take shelter in the darkest hole she could find if it meant avoiding her progenitor's wrath. But not this time. She was done hiding.
"You heard me," Platinum said evenly. "And as for why I choose to interact with them? That is my business and mine alone."
Bit gaped at the gall her daughter was exhibiting while her father simply observed quietly behind some paperwork held in his magic.
Bit Coin's glare turned absolutely venomous as she leaned towards Platinum like a bird-of-prey.
"Listen here young lady. I am your mother. I birthed you and own everything from the bed you sleep in to the food in your gullet. You are my property. Your life is mine! If I tell you to abandon a bunch of useless pawns, you will do it! Do you understand me?"
Platinum matched her mother's glare with one of her own and with a cold growl said, "Yes," then smiled as she rose out of her seat and left the table.
"Where do you think you're going?" Bit growled.
"To my room," she smiled, not turning to face the mare as she walked. "I have to prepare for my Martial Arts lesson and I've wasted enough time here."
"Get back here!" Bit demanded, voice turning shrill. "We are not done here!"
Platinum paused, then restored her mask as she turned to face her mother.
"Yes. We are."
With that, she let herself out of the dinning room.
***
Platinum laid on her back, staring up at the sky under the shade of a tree in a park near the Academy. Before yesterday, she never understood the need to do so. The act would've seemed pointless in the grand scheme of things before, but when Quartz Mark saw how dazed she seemed he suggested she try her current activity.
"Nothing better then cloud-watching to help get your mind off of things."
"He has a point," she mused. "I don't think I've ever been this relaxed before."
The sound of grass under hooves made her ears twitch as two ponies moved towards her. A Faint smile graced her muzzle as she guessed what was to come. She dragged herself to her haunches as she turned her head towards the approaching ponies.
"Good afternoon Sunday, Sherbet."
"Hey, Platinum," Sunday smiled, Sherbet not far behind her as she reached into her saddlebag.
"Is this the next one?" she asked.
Sherbet nodded, finally managing to pull a small package out of her friend's bag with her mouth and offered it to the Pegasus. Smiling, Platinum tore away the wrapping and looked at the latest picture. Like the others, this one was held in an amethyst frame, only this one was decorated by cloud carvings. The picture itself was a scene that made the metallic Pegasus pause. It was a starving yellow colt with a messy brown mane wrapped in a tattered blanket sitting in front of a wooden table with a bowl of food sitting in front of him. A look of pure elation was plastered across his gaunt face as he stared at the humble offering. All the while, a pair of Pegasi stared down lovingly at him from above. One was a gold stallion with a red mane and onyx glasses dressed like a doctor while the other was a teal mare with a silver mane dressed like a nurse.
As she stared at the scene, countless memories of the time she spent with Sunday and Sherbet jumped to the front of her mind. The smiles they managed to coax out of her. All the times they helped her learn to talk to ponies. All the time they spent studying together after class. The time they stopped her from committing suicide.
Slowly, she looked away from the drawing and stared at her friends, truly seeing them for the first time. Since the beginning, she wondered why they treated her so kindly. For a time, she thought it was because of her connections, but that became less likely to her as time went on. Then she thought it was because they considered her good company and as she came to see them as the same, she became defensive of them. It was only now that she finally realized what she truly felt towards them; care. She cared about them. They cared about her. They weren't assets to each other. They were friends.
Tears ran down her cheeks as she quickly closed the gap between her and her friends and pulled them into a tight hug. The two fillies blinked in shock at the sudden embrace before smiling as they added to it.
"Th-Thank you," Platinum sniffled, burying her muzzle into Sunday's shoulder. "For everything."
"You're welcome,"Sunday smiled, gently tightening her grip on her crying friend.
"Yeah," Sherbet smiled, comfortingly rubbing Platinum's back. "We've got your back. Always."
The three fillies stayed like that for what felt like hours, two offering support as their friend finally understood the compassion her friends had been giving her over the years.
***
Platinum sat in her room staring at the wrapped package in her hooves with trepidation. Even now she could feel the effects of the past paintings running through her. Laughter came much easier to her then it had before. Her tension was mostly gone as images of calm seas entered her mind. The fear that hung over her head every time she saw her mother had greatly reduced itself. And the simple concept of compassion was a lot less confusing for her then it was the day before. Finding all these new things about herself was just as thrilling as they were terrifying for her, like finding out new things about a house you've lived in all your life. She was afraid of what would happen when she saw this last portrait, but she knew that it had to be done. So with trembling hooves, she tore away the wrapping.
The picture was the same size as the first one with an amethyst frame decorated with fire-like carvings on the left half while rippling water covered the right. The picture itself was something that made Platinum's eyes widen as she took it in. It was a picture of her hugging a copy of herself, both of with their wings open wide as they reached for the opposite ends of the frame. As her eyes scanned the scene, she noticed that while the two Platinums were drawn the wings were made of dozens of small pieces of paper cut into the shape of feathers with fine details drawn into them to make them look more organic.
As she stared at the portrait, her eyelids started to get very heavy. A loud yawn fell past her lips as she fought against her sudden fatigue. A fight that was quickly proving to be futile as the room started to spin around her. Suddenly, all her strength left her as she fell to her side, the portrait the last thing she saw before the world turned black.
***
When Platinum opened her eyes, she found herself laying on an ornate marble floor covered with sliver cloud carvings. As she pulled herself to her hooves, she noticed more things about the room she was in. The walls were made of pure silver and stretched far beyond her eyes could see into the sky above. Thick white clouds covered the ceiling just within her range of vision and fifty foot tall crystal windows decorated the walls. At the room's heart stood a throne made of her namesake covered with countless gems of varying sizes and worths. Sat upon the throne was a filly that looked exactly like her, the only difference being a plain white mask covering her face.
"So you have finally awakened," the double said, tone empty of emotion and identical to Platinum's own. "Good. I was growing tired of waiting."
"Who are you?" Platinum asked, a trace of fear entering her otherwise defiant tone. "What is all this?"
"Excellent questions," her double said, rising from her throne. "But do you really not know the answers?"
Platinum stared at her double for a moment, not quite sure how to answer the question. The masked pony sighed as she casually walked towards her baffled double.
"I suppose it's too soon for you to truly understand. That is fine. The fact that we are talking is a sign that you are on the right track."
"What do you mean?" Platinum asked, almost begging for her copy to make sense.
The other Platinum gently placed a hoof on her confused double's shoulder and said, "I cannot say what you don't already know. For now, all I can say is trust in your friends and your teacher. They will help guide you to a happier life then the one our mother has planned. Trust in them and be strong. And know that when you need me, I will always be there to protect you."
As she said that, the Platinum copy started to fade away. Only the mask remained when the double ceased to be, falling to the ground with a loud clatter. The noise made Platinum blink in surprise, but when she opened her eyes she was laying on her bedroom floor with the first rays of morning light creeping past her curtains. As Platinum dragged herself to her hooves, she noticed the portrait she received the night before laying on the ground not too far away from her.
That morning, before she left to go to school, five new portraits decorated the walls her room. Their owner hanging them with care and a true smile on her face as she did.