//------------------------------// // Another Day in Paradise // Story: Pretty Laces for Good Little Fillies // by libertydude //------------------------------// She awoke with a contented sigh. Her relief came from both the filtered sunshine streaming through the partly opened drapes and the fluffy white comforter which embraced her little green body. Strands of her messy, dark mane spilled over her face. Even the bedroom, a grand display of Princess Twilight’s status with its extravagant glass chandelier and hoof-carved furniture worth more than most ponies’ homes, helped the little filly breathe easier in the warm morning air. I’m safe from the dark, Anon thought. I’m home.          She yawned, stretching the knots out of her legs before hopping off the bed and trotting to the white dresser crowded with makeup tools she couldn’t even name, let alone wrap her mind around. They’d merely been dropped off one day by a nameless castle maid who nodded and smiled at the confused filly, promising these things would make her even cuter than she already was. Anon had giggled in the childish high-pitch she hadn’t yet gotten used to and smeared the various concoctions across her face. The resulting mess had not only cluttered the dresser further, but made Princess Twilight laugh uproariously when her ward appeared before her caked in a mish-mash of eyeliner and facial powder.          Anon smiled at the memory while she brushed her mane back into its trademark curl atop her head. Twilight is fun, she thought. More fun than anybody back…  The brush stopped. Anon looked into the mirror and realized how frightened her reflection looked. She knew she needed to do something, anything to keep the thought from returning, so she pushed the brush across her head in faster strokes. She tried to hold back her pained squeaks with each hair pulled from her scalp, but they echoed throughout the room regardless. Anon did not try to shame herself for being a baby like she usually did. She only brushed faster and harder, hoping to escape the pained eyes staring out from her mirror.           The hair finally beat back into position, Anon trotted to the bedroom door and stepped out into the long-arching castle hallway. Stained glass windows lined the walls for what seemed like miles, casting brilliant colors upon the violet carpet stretching just as far. The distant tap-tap-tap of the castle staff's hooves filled the corridor. Anon took off down the hallway. Her journey was accompanied by the onlookers she passed, and their expressions leaned toward amusement at the rambunctious filly or confusion at her presence. The castle guards and staff tended to be the former.  The stares were no matter to Anon, whose sole interest was the faint scent of dandelions and roasted vegetables snaking through the corridor. They alone would distract her from the thoughts plaguing her mind, their daily aroma a reminder this was her life now. The smell intensified the deeper she dashed into her new home, and only when the tall, golden doors to the dining room came into view did she slow. Anon jogged in place, her hooves pat-pat-patting upon the carpet. Every few seconds, she tried to jump up to the door handle, but couldn’t quite grasp it in her flailing hooves. Eventually, a guard in golden armour opened the door from the other side, staring down in mild amusement at Anon thrusting her hooves at the door handle with wizard-like zeal. “Voila!” Anon chirped. “My spell has worked!” The guard gave a bemused smirk, then opened the door further. “Please come in, little one,” he said. “The Princess is waiting for you.” “Thanks, buddy!” Anon said. She saw a ghost of a smile cross his face before it was swallowed by the sternness expected of Twilight’s castle guards. Anon made her way into the open dining room and stared at the buffet before her: the roasted vegetables and dandelions, once faint scents, now steamed on turquoise china. Various fruits covered a quarter of the long table, from avocados to bananas to dates.          Yet none of the delicacies compared to the beautiful figure sitting at the end of the table: Her slender body lounged in a large chair, the back of which only barely stretched past her long horn and golden crown. Her hair waved elegantly in the air in an invisible breeze and twinkled with sparkles like stars in the sky. She held herself with the majesty of a learned mare, with wisdom and grace earned through a lifetime of experience.            “Good morning, Nonny,” Twilight said. Her voice was light, even musical, far from what Anon had expected when they’d first met. Perhaps this had been what endeared Anon to her in the early days, when the past threatened to pull her under crushing waves and steal the air from her lungs. Even now, Anon’s morose thoughts dissipated upon seeing her.  “Morning, Twilight!” Anon said. She hopped into the smaller chair beside the Princess, beaming up at her. “I think I’m getting better at this whole ‘magic’ thing.” Twilight paused, her spoonful of yogurt hovering in the air. “Oh?” “Yeah, didn’t you see? I wanted the door to open without having to touch it, and boom, it opened!” “Is that so?” Twilight asked with an amused smile, setting down her spoon. “And you managed to do this even without a horn?”  Anon giggled. “Of course! I have the best teacher-mother-princess ever!” Twilight brought a hoof to her chest in exaggerated surprise. “Well, I’m quite honored to hear that, Nonny. I was worried that Cadence might’ve beaten me in that department.” “Nope!” “Well then, in my official capacity as BTMPE, I would suggest having a little breakfast before you try any more ‘spells.' ” She gave Anon a wink, then returned to her tea. “Did you have a good night’s sleep?”          “Sure did!” Anon grabbed for the bread rolls before her, the steam from them distorting the view of the window across from her. The scene depicted a mare fighting a grotesque monster with many limbs grabbing for her crystalline body.  “Your mane certainly looks pretty. Did you comb it?” “Yeah. I…” Anon grasped the roll in her hoof tighter. She knew she shouldn’t tell Twilight about her mental hiccup. Her eyes flashed when she realized the perfect distraction. “I wasn’t sure if your friends would be here for breakfast, so I figured I’d try to look a little neat.” Twilight gave a warm chuckle. “Well, I’m sure Rarity would appreciate the gesture. Unfortunately, she and the others are not arriving until noon.”  Anon felt relief wash over her. Twilight had talked nonstop about the yearly visit of the other Elements of Harmony for the last two weeks. Anon could rely on them to distract Twilight from the crumpled bun in her hoof, the only sign of discontent in Canterlot Castle.  “Were you hoping to meet them?” Twilight said, a nostalgic smile spreading on her lips. “Not really,” Anon said, tearing the bun in her hooves flake by flake. “They sound nice enough though.”            “You’re not still worried they won’t like you, are you?” Twilight asked, placing her fork down upon her half-empty plate. “Nonny, I can promise you they are some of the friendliest mares you’ll ever meet. Well, Rarity is as long as she gets her morning coffee. And Pinkie needs a good amount of sugar. A lot of sugar...” Shaking her head, Twilight said, “Look, the point is you don’t have to―” “It’s fine, Twilight.” The room went quiet as Anon stared at her plate, shoulders hunched. She stuffed the bun into her mouth before any more angry words could leak out.           The heat from the buns filled Anon’s mouth. Each chew pressed harder into the yeast, each one a contemplation on how to handle her emotional faux-pas. A lie was quickly ruled out, as Anon lacked both the experience and talent to make it believable. Telling the full truth would eat up too much time, something Twilight couldn’t afford today with her friends all on the way there. Anon had seen how Twilight’s eyes gleamed the previous day when she talked about Rainbow Dash and Applejack and all the other friends that helped her become the wonderful mare she is today. The kind who stared at Anon with concern as well as care. It was the generosity of somepony Anon couldn’t bring herself to disappoint, lest she strain Twilight’s generosity and Anon be left abandoned and alone as she had been with all the others in her previous life. I’ll survive, Anon said. I can keep the past back a little longer. For her.   Anon swallowed the bun and sighed. “I was just thinking about something from a while back. You know… from before I came here.”          Twilight nodded, her expression no less kind but growing more serious. “Do you want to talk about it?”          Anon shook her head. “It’s nothing. Besides, I don’t want to distract you from your friends.”          Twilight’s eyes flashed a brief moment of concern, then returned to their default warmth. “That’s very considerate of you, Anon.” She poked at the zucchini on her plate. “More considerate than any of my prior children have been.”     “Isn’t that what a good little gir― I mean, filly is supposed to be?”          “Well, it’s certainly preferable.” Twilight chuckled. “I remember being a bit of a hooful when I was little.”          Anon laughed. “You? A troublemaker? Next you’ll say Spike was a big dork who read comic books every day.”          Twilight burst into guffaws, which echoed across the whole dining room. “Oh Celestia!” she said between tears. “You think he was always a big, tough dragon? The little guy almost cried when Zephyr Breeze called Supermare trash!”          The image of Spike as little and in tears over a comic book caused Anon to let loose her own chuckle. For a few seconds, the duo laughed in unison at the other’s silliness.          “But Anon,” Twilight said, reaching across the table and placing her hoof atop Anon’s. “You have to understand that I’m here for you, whether my friends are coming or not. If you need me, I would drop everything to help you. Even if that means having to give up time with my friends.”          For a moment, Anon felt relief wash over her. Twilight was just as loving and wonderful as she'd thought. She would help her handle the past, the evil boogeyman threatening to rip away the pretty land and the beautiful mare who’d taken her in. But the guilt soon reared its head when Anon realized Twilight’s loyalty would be the killing blow. Her day of reunion, once the harbinger of fun times and happy memories, would be tainted by the little runt who’d cried about her life and refused to let go. Her friends, occupied with their own lives, would grow bitter once they knew she cared more about some filly that stumbled into her castle than the ponies she’d gone through Tartarus and back with. The Princess of Friendship would become the Princess of Broken Promises, all because of one selfish little filly.          Anon knew what she had to do before the words even left her mouth. “That’s great, Twilight,” Anon said. “But I’m fine. Really.” Mild doubt crossed Twilight’s face. “Are you sure? We can talk about what hap―” “No!” Anon said louder than she’d desired. She couldn’t bear to see the shock upon Twilight’s face, so she focused on the limes sitting in front of her. “Just… give me some time, Twilight.” Twilight scrutinized the filly for a moment, a gentle frown on her face. Eventually, she sighed, her posture relaxing. “If you say so. But I’m here for you when you’re ready. Never forget that.” Anon nodded and reached for another bread roll. Twilight herself nibbled on a stalk of celery, before moving on to the strawberries lined in a row upon her plate. For a few minutes, the duo ate in silence while the distant sounds of servants’ hooves and clanking kitchenware came from the kitchen next door. Each moment of shared silence built an awkwardness around them, and Anon grasped for something to bring the conversation back onto pleasant grounds.  “So how do your friends get here?” Anon said, dabbing her face with a napkin. “They usually share a carriage from Ponyville,” Twilight said, fiddling with a half-empty teacup. “Rainbow Dash used to just fly up, but Applejack convinced her a leisurely ride was more in the spirit of the event.” “What do you guys even do? Just talk?” Twilight nodded. “Nothing too exciting, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s nice to just catch up on things.” “Seems kind of boring.” Anon regretted the words the second they came out of her mouth. If there was one thing that would break Twilight’s benevolence, it would be to denigrate her friends in any manner. Anon’s hooves gripped the seat in fearful anticipation of the angered rebuking or withering glare the Princess would bestow upon her. To her surprise, only a small laugh came from Twilight’s lips. “I guess it would seem like that for a little one.” Why is she so nice and understanding? Can’t she just… stop? Anon thought. I fear hurting her more than― She forced herself to stop. They couldn’t cross her lips, let alone her mind. There was no place for them in Equestria or her life anymore. They would not become Twilight’s burden as well. “Friends are the most valuable things in the world, once you really understand how important they are,” Twilight said. “In fact, today would be the perfect opportunity to demonstrate that to you!” Anon put her hooves in the air. “Oh, don’t let me get in the way. They’re your friends, not mine.” “Oh, nonsense, Nonny,” Twilight said with a smile. “My friends would love to meet you!” “I don’t know,” Anon said. “I’ll be a distraction more than anything.” Twilight tilted her head. “How so?” “Well, you know how nopony can talk when there’s a dog or cat wandering around the room? Because it’s so cute and everypony wants to dote on it because―” Anon froze when she saw the wide smirk filling her guardian’s face. “Are you saying you’re too cute to be around my friends?” “Um… yes?” Anon lurched forward, a light purple aura surrounding her body and thrusting her into the outstretched legs of Princess Twilight. Anon struggled against her mother’s vice-like grip, making indignant grunts as the Princess nuzzled the top of her head.  “Can’t argue with that!” Twilight said, practically squealing. She flew out of her chair and around the room, joyful cackles bellowing from her throat while her charge gripped her legs ever tighter. Nervous laughter escaped her mouth the smaller the floor became and the crystal chandelier swung only a foot away. “H-Hey, Twilight!” Anon said. “Can I please be adorable on the ground?” As fast as they’d gone up, they were back on terra firma. Anon found herself landing on her rump once she wiggled out of Twilight’s arms. “I’m sorry, Nonny,” Twilight said. “It’s just… It’s been so long since somepony like you became one of my children. Somepony so wonderful and considerate and Celestia-darn cute. Now you have to meet my friends.” “Are you sure?” Anon said, still shaking. “I can just stay just in my room.” “Absolutely not. In the buffet of life, you’re a scrumptious soufflé the chef only serves once every ten moons.” “What?” “You’re a good little filly, Nonny. As a mother of multiple children and desperate for bragging rights among my peers, I’m pretty much required to show you off as much as possible.”   Anon sighed. “I’m not getting out of this, am I?” Twilight’s face curled into an unmistakable leer. “Silly little Nonny,” she said in a sing-song voice. “You act like you had a choice to begin with.” She leaned down and gave her a light kiss on the cheek.  Anon felt the same magical force surround her and lift her up into the air. She landed right on Twilight’s back with a quiet thump. “Now we need to get ready,” Twilight said, walking towards the exit. “We must look our best today, what with the finest fashionista of the land being one of our guests. I need to get my coat smoothed over, and you need to put on your prettiest dress.” Anon’s face fell, the filly groaning as she said, “Do I have to? Dresses make me look silly!” “Oh, you won’t have to worry about looking silly today,” Twilight said, chuckling at some premature punchline. “Nopony’s sillier than Applejack.”