//------------------------------//
// Hotel Hell: The First in Ponyville part 2 
// Story: Kitchen Nightmares: Equestrian Misadventures 
// by Spettro138 
//------------------------------//

After clambering out of the flower pile-up, Twilight helped organize and teleport Rose and Daisy's flowers back into proper bunches. Separated by color, name, breed, and combination, she followed Daisy back downstairs where she was able to place them in proper containers. Thankfully, they had plenty of vases and flowerpots filled with water to use. The two Flower Sisters, excluding their busy third sister Lily, were quite pleased with the help. When the mess was cleaned up, she went straight back up to Gordon, to see if the honeymoon suite was otherwise adequate. The Symphony of Romance, as mortifying the name was, she supposed was rather marketable. Providing that it actually lived up to it.

"Shall we go in now?" Gordon suggested.

"Yes, let's," Twilight agreed. "Rose, Daisy. Why was that room packed full of flowers?"

"We heard lovers put flower petals all over the room!" Rose replied. "Doesn't that sound romantic?"

The mares dramatically swooned dreamily at the thought, weirding the hell out of Gordon.

"We wanted to take that up to eleven!"

"So...you put that many flowers, WHOLE flowers with the stems still attached," Gordon tried to reason. "Among them are Roses that have sharp thorns, that could hurt ponies, and cause a liability for you?"

The duo of Sisters laughed awkwardly like they didn't think about that. Gordon and Twilight just groaned and opened the door once again to get a look at the room.  

When they entered the room, it certainly was nothing that they were expecting. The first thing that caught Gordon's attention was a wide blackened burn mark seared into the ceiling. Gordon was taken aback by this, wondering if some kind of fight had taken place. Ponies could cause some damage when angry, especially unicorns. So he had heard anyway. The rest of the room appeared to be bland but decent. Stale cracked wallpaper with ugly flower patterns, a twin-sized bed with grey sheets that looked too small for two adult-sized ponies, and a dirty carpet. Dust was caked in many places.

A small hot tub sat on the far left side of the room shoved into everything else without its own curtain. There was what looked like a wine cabinet on the window side of the room that smelled of mold.

A strange smell of iron and burnt popcorn floated through the whole room When Gordon looked at Twilight, her face was deep red and she was sweating like she was embarrassed about something.

"Your highness? What seems to be the problem?" Roseluck asked.

"Twilight, is there something wrong? Other than the obvious things." Gordon asked.

Twilight jerked her head over to him with her eyes shrunken down to pinpricks and beckoned him to lean down. He acquiesced to her request as she whispered something into his ear. After only ten seconds, he reeled back in revulsion at what she told him.

"That's certainly not the first time I've ever heard of an explosive...reaction to illicit debaucherous activities," he muttered with disgust. "Though not from the forehead..."

He just stared in horror at the smoldering hole in the ceiling, desperately trying to bleach the disturbing thought from his brain. He grabbed a pair of latex gloves from out of his pocket and slipped them on with a snap. Not wanting to accidentally touch anything.

"WHAT???" Rose and Daisy exclaimed in horror. 

They got a better look and made "oh" faces like they made a huge oversight with something obvious. Fainting dramatically with embarrassment was the first reaction as they passed out for a few seconds before jumping back onto their hooves. Gordon metaphorically cringed himself into an atom watching the melodrama. They turned back to Gordon and Twilight and bowed multiple times in apology.

"We are SO sorry. We didn't realize it had gotten this bad. The last couple from Manehatten that used this room didn't say anything!

"Don't you usually clean rooms...after someone checks out of a room?" Gordon rhetorically posed in a deliberate fashion.

The two mares just stood there staring at him with blank expressions. Causing the duo to groan in frustration.

"At that, I think it's finally time we got down to brass tacks about how things work around here," Twilight stated. "What do you two do here as owners?"

"I do the bookkeeping and I do the front desk in the evening," Rose said. "There was one day Princess, where I had to pony the dining room and the front desk at the same time. Paper cup and string microphones are a little hard to manage."

"Where was your sister Miss Daisy during all of that? Shouldn't she be there to help if the business is getting that backed up?" 

"I think she was in Detrot." Rose replied.

The human chef visibly tried to restrain himself from face-palming himself.

'Detrot, of course, there's a fucking Detrot here...' Gordon inwardly groaned.

"Detrot? What were you doing in Detrot right after buying Butter Mellow's building?"

"I needed some time to myself your highness to think over a few things and deal with my emotions," Daisy said.

"So, you took a few weeks to yourself. What happened next?"

The two sisters looked at each other with vaguely scared faces.

"She wasn't gone for a few weeks, she was gone for a few months."

"After being open for only a very short time?" Twilight exclaimed.

Daisy went into an irritating rant about how she had no idea what her role was at the Hotel. Even though being an owner usually made that answer self-explanatory. Gordon went on to ask the both of them had ever stayed the night at the hotel. They said yes, but only once and then never again. Shaking her head, Twilight asked them to direct them to the room that they did stay in. To which they obeyed and led them down the hall. Unfortunately, the room they found was no better off than the last one.

Dirty drapes, a carpet that smelled of cat pee, and dust everywhere. The headrest of the bed in this particular room was all scuffed up like it had been bought at a thrift store. Twilight spotted a few hoof-sized holes in the walls which were spaced out like somepony was violently bucking at something. Or someone.

"Why is this place in such a horrible state girls?" Twilight asked sternly.

"I second that."

"We have a huge problem with our staff disrespecting us," Rose explained. "Rudeness, unprofessionalism, and we are constantly repeating ourselves every day!"

Gordon just looked at them with anger. He knew there was something obvious they were not telling him and Twilight. He would just have to wait until after he evaluated the Café Twilight spoke so highly about. 

They walked back outside where Ponyville Sunshine Café was finally opening back up again. Lily was unlocking its doors and setting up the tables as fast as she could. Gordon looked concerned, seeing how much she was dashing about and sweating like mad. A broomstick was clasped between her teeth and sticking out both sides. From time to time, she would find a spot on the ground and violently sweep away a storm of dust and dirt. Lily absent-mindedly pulled out chairs for the two to sit down at, who accepted the offer. They tried to thank her, but she dashed off to something else before they could get a word in.

Meanwhile, Twilight and Gordon took the time to converse with each other. Gordon, being respectful, mostly allowed Twilight full reign of the conversation. The mare recalled some of her earliest friendship lessons that began at that café. The Scotsman always liked listening to his royal alicorn friend. Some of her stories he found rather amusing.

"So all of that over a ticket to some fancy ball? Sounds like it was more trouble than it was worth. I'm not usually one for posh mingling with authority figures. Though I have done it a lot in the past for necessity," Gordon recounted.

"It gave me valuable experience in sharing my blessings with others and at the end of it all, it wasn't so bad," she replied. "I love my friends and I wanted to help all of them."

Gordon looked out to the view of Ponyville from where they were sitting, which was rather breathtaking. It never occurred to him before, but Ponyville looked a lot like an Irish countryside village. Small, rustic, homey, with a fresh inviting atmosphere. Bright green grass, the smell of crisp apples, and warm baked sweets in the air. Flowers of all colors of the rainbow blooming and growing everywhere. Happy ponies going about their day and selling their wares.

He was perplexed as to how anyone could mess up prime property like this. A family or a couple having a romantic lunch or dinner under the golden sunlight with the breeze gently blowing over the rooftops and through their hair. This was certainly going to be an interesting first project for Hotel Hell in Equestria. If anyone was up to the task, it was him and Twilight.

A pasty white pegasus mare with squared glasses and two pearl earrings walked tiredly up to the table with menus and set up their table. Her mane was tied up neatly into a short cut ponytail with a black band holding it down.

"Hi there! I haven't seen you around before." Twilight greeted. "What's your name?"

"Thimbleweed, your majesty," the mare bowed respectfully. "It's an honor to finally meet and serve you."

She looked just as tired as Lily was, bags under her large silvery eyes and a gait that looked like she had seen much better days. Turning to Gordon, she greeted him kindly as well, trying her best to keep up spirits.

"Did you move here recently?" Gordon asked.

"Yes, just a few months ago," she replied with a stifled yawn. "I've loved being in Ponyville.

She coughed and tried rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes temporarily.

"At the Hotel, not so much huh? Sorry about that," he added.

She just laughed grimly.

"What would you two like to start with?" Thimbleweed asked. "Would you like appetizers first?"

Gordon looked down at the massive menu with over a hundred items on it. He looked to the appetizer section and saw a familiar classic. Twilight scanned through it and seemed bewildered. This was certainly not Butter Mellow's café where she loved to get Daffodil Sandwiches.

"I'll try the Broccoli Cauliflower Soup." 

Twilight groaned and folded the menu back up, deciding to follow Gordon's lead.

"I think I'll do that too."

"And the entree?"

Gordon quickly scanned the menu and saw an interesting option. Twice Fried Cucumbers and Chips. Not entirely alien to him as he had heard of stranger things to deep fry. 

"I'll do the Cucumbers and Chips."

"I'll go my standard Daffodil sandwich," Twilight said.

She wrote down their orders while the two of them marveled at the sheer size of the menu. When they asked, they found out that the kitchen only had two pony chefs on hand to maintain a menu with over a hundred items. Thimbleweed visibly lamented how they have been unable to keep up standards in the kitchen since their five other kitchen staff left for jobs in the Crystal Empire. 

Lily came dashing back out, trying to make everything nice and tidy while juggling a dozen other tasks at once. It was rather upsetting for Twilight to see her like this.

"Are you alright Lily?" Twilight asked.

"You seem awfully busy," Gordon remarked gently. "You've been running around like a little gazelle!"

"Can you come over here? We need to talk."

Looking like someone had just killed her puppy, Lily drudged over to the table in a slow sickly gait.

"What happened Lily? Why are you here instead of running your Flower Shop? Twilight asked.

"I ask myself the same question everyday princess," Lily replied tiredly. "Selling our flowers is just a side thing now in the cafe. Among a lot of other things, being the general manager and all."

"No offense, but you don't work or look like a general manager," Gordon said.

"That obvious huh? Probably because I'm not really anymore."

Twilight wrinkled her brow, not liking the answer.

'What? Why? Don't tell me you got into a fight with Rose and Daisy, Lily..." 

She shook her head and explained how after they bought the hotel and her sisters became the owners, they started acting worse and worse. Despite never wanting to be in the hotel business with her sisters, she was roped into being the general manager anyway. Added with a lack of organization and efficient work strategies, Lily was forced to tackle 60 percent of the hotel's tasks on a daily basis. 

Twilight pulled out her notebook and a quill and began writing down everything.

"So what was different about your sisters Lily? This has gone beyond just bad business management. This is a class 3 friendship problem."

Lily looked angry and very reluctant to say anything, but Twilight was firm and a strong glare opened her up quickly.

"Daisy became more neurotic and cry foal ish than normal and Rose, I don't know. Rose is rarely here, but if today has been any indication, there's obviously something she's been hiding. All I know for certain, is both of them have been picking on me and the rest of the staff here. "

Twilight thanked her for the information and let her get back to work before the poor mare had a heart attack from stress.

"Gordon, we got to find out why Rose has been disappearing. That might be part of the problem here." Twilight surmised.

"Along with why the hell they took this hotel off that Butter Mellow fellow, to begin with." Gordon agreed. "Working as hard as she is and those sisters of her thinking SHE was the problem, I'd be pretty fucking pissed off too."

"I should probably give the Harmony Map a once over after all this. There have been quite a few friendship problems in Ponyville and Canterlot as of late and the Map hasn't been picking up on them.

"That map of yours is a little scary if I'm to be honest. It picks up on conflicts, arguments, and disputes anywhere around the world? I'd put something like that under lock and key. I can name quite a lot of unsavory characters who'd want to get their hands on that."

Twilight laughed nervously, remembering her climactic fight through time with her new student Starlight. 

"Yeah, I'm working on that."

Just a few minutes later, their food immediately came starting with their appetizers. The Broccoli Cauliflower Soups. As it was placed down in front of them, the color and blackened little bits in it concerned them greatly. Gordon took a big whiff of it and immediately discovered the problem.

"Burnt and overcooked as shit.

They tried a spoonful but immediately regretted their decision as a mouthful of grit and burnt pieces of broccoli assaulted their taste buds like a gang of street hooligans. Twilight and Gordon managed to swallow down the soup but shivered in disgust at the horrible taste. Their main entrees didn't fare much better. When Gordon had his Cucumber and Chips delivered, the fried cucumbers were as hard as a rock.

Twilight's daffodil sandwich was heartbreaking. The daffodils tasted a few days old, and the bread was obviously stale. The Neightalian Vinaigrette she always had on it tasted sour and gone off this time. She discreetly spat it into her napkin as she placed the disappointing sandwich back onto her plate.

"I think it's time we consult with the chef Twilight, wouldn't you agree?"

"Oh yes, nopony is gonna mess up my favorite sandwich and get away with it without an explanation," Twilight grumbled.

"I'm very sorry, I'll take those off of your hooves," Thimbleweed apologized as she carried off the plates. 

After she came back, Gordon asked a few more questions pertaining to Rose and Lily's new bad habits after buying the hotel and it was a lot worse than Twilight had feared. Sleeping in until 3 in the afternoon, keeping their bar open 24/7, blasting loud fancy music from their rooms every night, and keeping up the other guests. Daisy crying and overreacting to every little thing.

Thimbleweed called the Chef, a pudgy brown and yellow earth pony mare named Dandy. She was cleaning up after Gordon and Twilight's orders with her only other kitchen member. A green pegasus with a purple mane named Juniper Berry. Juniper was mopping up a burnt pot of hay pasta she accidentally knocked over. Dandy just glumly trotted out, wanting any punishment to get over with quickly so she could get back to her job.

Along with Rose and Daisy who came out onto the main dining area outside shortly after. They fainted again after smelling the burnt food. Gordon once again found himself fuming at how annoying the mares were. Gordon and Twilight tried voicing their concerns about the food, but Daisy and Rose just acted dismissive of everything. 

"We make our own food Princess, or we get our mother to make it, we never eat here anymore so it doesn't really matter."

"Really? You're the fucking owners!" Gordon shouted. "It's the food in your fucking hotel!"

Daisy just looked away and checked her hooficure while Twilight gave her a death glare. Dandy just shrugged hopelessly and gazed back at them with empty angry eyes.

"I apologize, your highness," Dandy said. "That was not the quality I like to serve. 

The first thing about Dandy Gordon could tell about her was she was very bitter and angry.

"Why are falling behind?" Twilight asked. "The food was amazing when Butter Mellow still owned the café! His daffodil sandwiches were what I ordered every day I was out on my friendship lessons! What is going on?"

Dandy twiddled her hooves in the grass as everyone looked at her expectantly, waiting for an answer. 

"I used to love my job...now I hate it," she said.

"I can see," Gordon stated solemnly. "What then, is not working for you exactly? What has made you this bitter?"

"The owners."

Rose and Daisy immediately bristled and began to shout and argue with indignation. Ponies passing by saw this and nervously galloped away, fearing some kind of fight about to break out. 

"I will not take disrespect! We aren't getting paid! We aren't paying ourselves!"

"What the fuck are you talking about? You can't as owners complain about not getting paid! You own the place! They don't own this building! They aren't paying for everything!"

"Why would you be paying yourself?" Twilight asked. 

"We haven't been ourselves lately. It's been so hard just to motivate ourselves to do much," Daisy said, trying to dodge the conversation.

"AGAIN! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT YOU LITTLE NINNY?" Gordon shouted.  "The entire staff seems to hate you two, and you don't seem to care! Grow the hell up!"

Twilight just noticed how empty the streets were, noticing ponies were hiding in their homes, watching from the windows. Their glassy eyes peek through shutters or blinds. She visibly shuddered at what would happen if Apple Bloom was listening and repeated Gordon's language in front of Applejack.

"Everything is fine everypony! Just a little disagreement!" Twilight tried to shout encouragingly.

The human, wanting to get away from the Sister's idiocy, walked off back towards the castle with Twilight in tow. He certainly didn't want to stay in that hotel. Daisy and Rose just casually went back to their meandering and drama making as usual.

"What's next? That went about as well as I thought it was going to," Twilight said.

"We'll get some real food, gather a few supplies, and then come back to watch them handle dinner service. Can you put out a memo and gather a bunch of ponies to stay at the hotel tonight? It might be a good way to see how those Sisters handle pressure."

"I think I can do that easy enough."

Gordon and Twilight had a nice lunch at the Castle with Zecora and the rest of Gordon's production crew, exchanging stories and tidbits about each other's cultures. It was a nice reprieve before jumping back into the insanity.

Later that evening, after ponies heard about Twilight and Gordon being at the Sunshine Inn and Café, the Hotel started filling up quickly. The outside Café was completely filled up with diners hoping to have a nice evening meal. Hoping to get a glimpse of the off alien celebrity and their princess. Gordon felt sorry for all of them. The kitchen was backed up with eight tables and Dandy was trying her best to get everything out in a timely manner. Lily was desperately trying to accommodate every pony the best that arrived. Thimbleweed had her hooves full trying to serve and take orders from as many tables as possible.

Gordon instructed Twilight not to help this time as they were only there to spectate and evaluate every problem they come across. It was a rather difficult concept for Twilight to swallow still, but she trusted Gordon's judgment.

Twilight headed into the kitchen first and was hit with a waft of burnt food. Dandy was shuffling around at a fast pace scraping green pasta off of a pan that was obviously overcooked. Juniper Berry was making some hay burgers but obviously was overworked.

"Do you need any help?" Twilight offered.

"No thank you, I just need to get these orders out," she replied.

"With the size of your menu, I don't know how you can keep up."

"It certainly doesn't help," Juniper added.

Twilight ran back out to find Gordon watching Rose at the front reception desk. She was doing as well as expected, handling a crowded hotel in the middle of a rush. However, Twilight inwardly cringed when Pinkie and Applejack stepped through the door. They noticed Twilight and went over to her immediately.

"Pinkie had a feeling you two needed some help, so we came over as soon as we could," Applejack offered.

"I brought my lucky frying pan!" Pinkie chattered as she lifted a shiny-looking pan over her head.

"Thanks, girls, perhaps go talk to the chef Dandy and see if she needs a few extra hooves in the kitchen," Twilight suggested.

They both gave big smiles and saluted, dashing off to the kitchen where they heard loud yelling and plates breaking. Gordon and Twilight only looked at each other and shared a short well-meaning laugh. They went back to their evaluation before checking with Rose on where her sister was. She was checking in more ponies at a rapid pace, barely registering their presence.

"There should be all hooves on deck. Where's Daisy?"

"I think she's upstairs," Rose replied absent-mindedly. "Hi there, Welcome to the Sunshine Inn and Café! Would you like to have a room?"

They rolled their eyes at her before bounding up three flights of stairs. It was faint, but Gordon could distinctly make out the sound of crying and dramatic wailing.

"IT'S TOO HARD! THERE ARE TOO MANY PONIES HERE! I WANT TO BE MORE HELPFUL! HORROR! SO MUCH HORROR!!!"

'What the fuck?' 

"What in the world?" Twilight muttered.

It was a little overwhelming how big the building seemed inside compared to its external appearance. Six floors felt more like sixteen with hundreds of rooms all over the place. They followed the over dramatic cries of Daisy until they came to a corridor off to the right. Three rooms down on the right side of the hallway, they found where Lily was hiding. Alongside an older mare with Daisy's coat color who they presumed to be the Flower Sisters' mother.

Daisy was sitting on the bed flailing all over the place. Gordon had half a mind to smack the living hell out of the mare but with Twilight here, he definitely knew to restrain himself. 

"Hello there," Gordon greeted to distract himself. "How are you?"

"Hello, Your Majesty and Mr. Ramsay. It's an honor to meet you," she replied. "I'm Rondelitia."

Daisy started to quiet down as she cried herself out and pulled herself together for a solitary moment while the others exchanged pleasantries with one another. 

"Are you alright Daisy?" Twilight asked in a clearly unamused tone.

"Yeah, I'm alright," the blonde mare replied.

"Really? Cause you sound and look like you've been violently crying in here for an hour." Gordon stated in a barely restrained manner.

"I just...didn't feel like being around ponies right now."

'You didn't FEEL like being around other ponies when your hotel is struggling and going through a massive dinner rush?' he thought.

Twilight looked at the situation and tried to think of any method to solve this delicately, but if she has learned anything from Fluttershy and Gordon recently, its the bluntest words can be the most effective sometimes.

"Rondelitia, does Daisy always run away like this when things get scary or tough? The first time I can to Ponyville, she nearly had a heart attack seeing Spike. She ginned up the hysteria against poor Zecora!"

Daisy looked a little huffy at that statement, but her mother nodded sadly at the alicorn.

"It's been hard admittedly, your highness..." the elder mare said.

"We need you downstairs helping your sisters, Miss Daisy" Gordon stated flatly. "But what I can plainly see is there is a lack of commitment in you."

Daisy was hesitant to answer Gordon as she looked him up and down, she looked over to her mother unsure of what to say. She only nodded back, giving her a moment to gather her thoughts.

"I just feel like we should have bought a duplex in Manehatten, instead of a Hotel." she sniffled. "I just find it so hard to do anything. I can't seem to do what I have to do anymore!"

"It's a little late for that!" Gordon exclaimed. "What you really need to do right now is get a fucking grip! You're a full-grown mare crying about nothing! Why don't you clean yourself up and come down to at least try to work!"

"Couldn't have said that better myself," Twilight muttered angrily from the side of her mouth.

With a bit of insistence from her mother, Daisy reluctantly agreed as the duo went back downstairs to check on the night's progress. 

As they went down one of the flights, the human saw the alicorn stumble and trip on something. Gordon caught Twilight by the mane before she took a tumble down the stairs. It appeared she had nearly tripped on a hanging piece of the carpet on one stair.

"You alright?" 

"Yeah, thanks," she said. "That is seriously dangerous! Ponies could really get hurt tripping on that!"

Gordon knelt down to investigate and saw how dramatic the tear in the carpet was. Revealing dry rot that had worked its way into the wood. If somepony had stepped there, they would have gone right through the stairs and broken a leg.

"Or death," he continued for her. "That's a pretty fucking big liability."

"Just another thing for us to fix," Twilight groaned as she magically mended the spot.

They continued downstairs without any other hangups, they found the Cafe and lobby were slightly running a bit more smoothly with Twilight's earth pony friends running the operations mostly.

Pinkie was dashing about with a wide smile on her face serving cake, cookies, and lemonade to ponies.  Twilight could hear Applejack happily chatting up with Dandy as wonderful smells started blowing through the first floor. All the while, Lily Valley was still running herself ragged, looking like death itself trying to stay alive. 

As Twilight and Gordon stood in lobby watching everything, they were quietly speaking with one another, sharing each other's thoughts.

"Daisy and Rose may not treat Lily like a general manager, but damn, she works like one. I'd hire her in a heartbeat if I could," Gordon said.

"Something's definitely wrong though Gordon," Twilight replied. "Not that I don't like this side of her, but Lily was the ring leader and the instigator of all the silly petty antics her and her sisters got into. Its like she's a completely different pony!"

"You think something happened?"

"Maybe..." the alicorn replied thoughtfully rubbing her chin.

As some ponies started to leave, Gordon overheard some of the ponies voicing their concerns about the food. Burnt, bland, underseasoned, it was all over the place. When he had a free moment, he and Twilight pulled Daisy aside to sit down and have a serious discussion with her about what had been going on with her and her sisters.

They went into the dining room as it emptied out and everypony began to head home. They sat down at one of the dining tables, staring at each other for a few seconds.

"You strike me as the owner of this place Miss Valley, do you know that?" Gordon asked honestly.

Lily looked a little surprised at first to hear him say that but also a little satisfied. 

"You are always so busy, dashing about all over the place. In the lounge, the cafe, the rooms, everywhere!" Twilight exclaimed. 

"I just hate unhappy customers, Princess..." Lily shrugged.

"But you didn't used to! I can see how much this place means to you!" Twilight snapped. "What the hell happened Lily? When I first arrived in Ponyville, you were one of the most sensitive ponies ever. Now you always look like you're working three separate jobs. What is going on?"

"Things have...really changed," she said.

Lily looked reluctant to say it as she rubbed her neck and looked off into space with a melancholy look on her face. Gordon had a feeling all evening about the answer but he didn't want to share it until he was sure. Looking her in the eyes, it was certain now.

"You're a mother, aren't you?" he said. "Being a parent makes you grow up very fast. Doesn't it?"

Lily just looked up glumly at the duo, as she started to tear up, but kept a steeled face, not showing any sign of breaking. She nodded quietly to them. Twilight all of a sudden started to feel terrible. Everything was starting to make much more sense.

"How could you tell?" she asked. 

"I'm a father of five," Gordon said. 

Twilight gave him a nice look before turning back to Lily with a solemn expression.

"When did it happen?" Twilight asked.

"Just after your first defeat of Discord," Lily said quietly. "I met a wonderful stallion on vacation in Trottingham named Plum who made me feel special. We...didn't get a chance to properly marry...yet anyway. One thing led to another and you could probably guess what happened. A year later, I went back and had my little sprouts there. Rose, Daisy, and I just grew further and further apart after that. They couldn't understand my new responsibilities. "

The alicorn gave her a sympathetic look and hugged her tightly. Lily faltered for a moment but reciprocated the hug quickly after.

"Why didn't you bring them with you, Lily?" Twilight asked. 

Lily looked even more reluctant to continue, but looking up at Gordon, she found something rather comforting in his eyes. 

"I tried...but Plum wouldn't risk their safety in Ponyville. With how many invasions and monster attacks there are here on a weekly basis. Especially after the portals opened up. I couldn't just leave my sister's here. And with the job market dried up in Trottingham, I came back to Ponyville. Now I'm constantly working every day with only a few days every week to see my colt friend and kids halfway across the country. Supporting two sisters and two kids takes up a lot of time."

She went through how she began to notice all of the irritating personality quirks of her two sisters and how her tolerance for them had completely disappeared. Daisy and Rose had been apparently treating her and the rest of the staff with so much passive-aggressive hostility. Being treated like idiots while Daisy and Rose were being the idiots themselves. Rose and Dandy were constantly taking vacations and leaving their staff high and dry to deal with their "stress".  Lily noted how they should be working in the real world before owning their own business. Twilight visibly winced when the mare said she had regretted ever starting the flower shop with Rose and Daisy.

Gordon was silent for the whole time, absorbing her story. It certainly wasn't the first time he had heard of a situation like this, despite the odd details. Young overworked parents working long hours with little time to sleep or rest. Lily certainly needed a boost in income.

"The only shining light in this building that I see, is you, Lily. Without you, your sisters would be fucked," Gordon said.

"Thank you..." Lily replied.

They said goodbye for the night as they packed up and headed back to the castle for dinner. Applejack and Pinkie said goodnight to the two of them as they went off in separate directions. Fireflies and moths fluttered around the streetlamps and crickets chirped in the distance as Gordon and Twilight once again absorbed the nightlife" of Ponyville.

"So what next?" Twilight asked. "I don't think Rose and Daisy have a clue about how much they have been hurting Lily and the others."

"We need to get them all in one place and clear the air, providing that Lily doesn't rip off their heads before I do..."

Next Time: Hotel Hell - The First In Ponyville part 3