Sunset realized at first that this orange pegasus in question, much like Indigo Zap, was somepony that she actually recognized. Although she had admittedly forgotten her name, she knew for certain that the human version she was familiar with was an actress. Seeing her with Lily made Sunset surmise that this pony must've adopted her, shortly after Applejack had looked after her yesterday. However, it was the fact that this particular pegasus matched the exact description of this seeming mysterious thief who had been committing robberies all over Equestria lately, which worried Sunset. Coupled with the fact that directly after entering The Tasty Treat, this pegasus had taken off her hat and sunglasses, a sign that she was possibly hiding her own appearance.
It made sense for somepony who matched that description to do so here in Canterlot, especially after Twilight had mentioned alerting all the guards to keep an eye out for anypony with those characteristics. Although glancing at her from behind the counter, seeing that she definitely had orange fur, blonde hair, purple eyes, and green eyeshadow, Sunset still felt like giving her the benefit of the doubt, as to not have a repeat of what happened with Indigo. After all, she had seemingly adopted Lily, who had claimed earlier on that she had no parents who would look after her, giving off the impression that perhaps the orange pegasus was kindhearted, and that her similarities in appearance were simply a coincidence.
Unfortunately, as much as Sunset wanted to believe this was the case, Lily's body language and expressions would soon be saying otherwise. While wiping the front counter with a rag, she immediately noticed Lily and the pegasus taking a seat at a nearby table, whilst the pegasus immediately grabbed a menu to look over her options. It seemed normal enough to Sunset, and she was at least glad that Lily had seemingly found a mother who was willing to take her in. She continued wiping down the counter to get rid of this tough stain, before overhearing the pegasus trying to call her attention.
"Hello?" The pegasus waved to Sunset. "Hey, you think you could come over here already?"
Sunset set down her rag and immediately went over, understanding that she'd have to deal with somewhat impatient customers from time to time. This particular first impression urged Sunset to perhaps not let her know that she had already met Lily, in case they were on a tight schedule.
"Yes, how can I help you ma'am?" Sunset greeted, before taking out her notepad and pen.
"Yeah, I was trying to get your attention because I'm ready to order." The pegasus snapped. "Is your attention span that short?"
"I'm... I'm sorry, it's just that..." Sunset began explaining. "We're a little short staffed, I'm the only waitress here today, and we just had a big breakfast rush earlier, so I apologize."
"Are you... trying to give me excuses?" The pegasus rolled her eyes. "You're a waitress who probably makes below minimum wage, how hard can your job be?"
While realizing what kind of pony she was dealing with, thanks to all this unpleasant behavior so far, Sunset merely brushed it off. Perhaps this pegasus was having a bad day, or there were circumstances that could be causing her to act extra grouchy.
"Again, I do apologize." Sunset said, before using her magic to get ready taking orders. "What can I get you started today? Perhaps... your filly there would be hungry for some hush puppies?"
Although Lily fully understood what Sunset had suggested, her mother became defensive upon hearing this.
"...What kind of a delusional monster are you?" The pegasus frowned.
"...Oh, no no." Sunset tried to assure, understanding that her last statement could've been misinterpreted. "They aren't actual puppies, they're deep fried dough with a cornmeal based-"
"Excuse me." The pegasus interrupted. "I wasn't talking about that, I'm referring to how presumptuous you appear to be right now, alright? Just outright assuming my daughter here is hungry?"
"Oh, well, I didn't mean it like that, I-" Sunset stuttered, before getting cut off again.
"Does she look hungry to you?" The pegasus pointed at Lily, who stayed silent out of fear. "No, she doesn't. So I would appreciate you not pointing a hoof or making these silly accusations, understood? Or do I have to go talk to your manager?"
"O...Okay, I completely understand, and I'm very sorry." Sunset apologized, but now getting the impression that Lily might not be in good hooves as she had previously surmised. "I'll take your orders and make sure you both have a satisfying experience here at The Tasty Treat."
"Thank you." The pegasus smirked with satisfaction, before holding up her menu.
"Alright, so what can I get you?" Sunset asked, getting ready to write down the order.
"Hmm, I think I'll go with a stack of ten blueberry pancakes with maple syrup and butter on top..." The pegasus began ordering. "I also want an order of oatmeal cookies, a chocolate milkshake, rice pudding, a plate of waffles, and the fruit yogurt parfait special."
"...Got it." Sunset finished writing down the order, thinking that perhaps she was too quick to judge, since this pegasus was seemingly ordering a lot of food for both Lily and herself. "Will that be all?"
"Yeah, it'll all be a perfect buffet for yours truly, so if you could go back to the kitchen, and..." The pegasus began, before noticing Sunset looking at Lily too. "Oh, right, that reminds me, I almost forgot. Lily here will also have a single, plain slice of bread. Don't toast it, no toppings, and for a drink, just get her water from the sink without ice. It'll... be a special treat for my daughter, since it's her birthday today."
"Oh, well happy birthday then." Sunset smiled, before her smile faded.
Sunset now understood the unusual context of what was going on. Was this pegasus joking when mentioning that she was ordering that entire breakfast buffet for herself, whilst only giving Lily bread and water, which would be considered her birthday treat? Even overhearing her mother order for her, Lily showed expressions that signified she'd be miserable with only that much to eat, and who wouldn't? But alas, she was still far too afraid to speak up, especially knowing what her mother was like. Realizing that Lily likely wouldn't have enough to eat, especially as a birthday treat, she then spoke up again.
"If it's your birthday, how about I also bring out the foal's special?" Sunset suggested. "It's a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with macaroni and cheese on the side."
Overhearing this, Lily's expression showed that getting to eat something like that now would be a dream come true, but knew that deep down, her mother would be out of her mind to agree to it.
"Are you really trying to recommend something else when I've already given you my order?" The pegasus huffed. "You should already know about customer service, the customer is always right! So, why don't you go on ahead and take our order to the kitchen, or do I have to do your job for you, since you probably never graduated grade school?"
Sunset took that last remark pretty harshly, since it was also technically true, given she still had yet to graduate the School For Gifted Unicorns, as well as CHS. Regardless, she felt that she had already seen enough hints and signs that even if this pegasus did end up adopting Lily, it was crystal clear that Lily was anything but happy. Even if this pony did come across as an abusive mother, it still didn't prove yet that she was truly the thief behind everything that had been happening lately. However, after getting ready to take the order back to Coriander, Sunset took notice of the gold necklace with an apple shaped red ruby in the center this pegasus was wearing, which looked like the same one Applejack showed her.
"Nope, I will get everything for you without any issues." Sunset tried to keep her optimism. "By the way, I like that necklace you're wearing."
"Oh, thank you, dear." The pegasus smiled. "But enough about me, you outta get moving, somepony's hungry for some brunch right now!"
Sunset nodded, before taking her notepad back to the kitchen, feeling incredibly uneasy about everything. This nasty behavior toward Lily already raised many red flags, especially if she had now been supposedly adopted. But the fact that this pegasus was also wearing a necklace that looked just like the one Granny Smith had passed down to Applejack, it really got Sunset wondering if her suspicion was correct. Although she felt like she still needed further proof before outright making a false accusation, much like with Indigo, Sunset decided it was likely better to lay low until she had more than simply circumstantial evidence. For the time being, she had to focus on her job, which still entailed going over to the kitchen and handing Coriander the order. As the stallion grabbed the paper and read it, his eyes widened.
"Oh my... YES!!!" Coriander exclaimed with excitement. "All this combined will already be enough bits to cover the rent of our restaurant space! My daughter will be so happy!"
"I'm sure she will..." Sunset added, trying to be happy for her boss, but she couldn't completely, not after knowing with certainty that somepony else's daughter was the complete opposite of happy.
Since Sunset had already finished her duty in bringing the order to the kitchen, she went back over to the front counter to ponder things. While waiting for Coriander to prepare all the meals, she continued trying to clean the tough stain, before getting an idea. There were still a couple of cakes in the walk-in fridge, which Coriander had already permitted Sunset to use for any purpose, and this opportunity seemed perfect. Much like with Moondancer, Sunset got up from the counter, went to the fridge, and grabbed a chocolate cake to give to Lily for her birthday. She figured that there wouldn't be issues with doing so, if she were to also mention that it was complimentary and for the special occasion.
Coriander had already finished preparing the water and milkshake at this point, so Sunset set the beverages on a tray, before also using her magic to levitate the chocolate cake. As she came back over to the dining room, she set the beverages in front of the two ponies, before also setting the cake directly in front of Lily.
"Alright, one milkshake, one water, and... here's for today's special occasion." Sunset smiled, as Lily looked at the cake with a glimpse of joy, which would become short-lived thanks to her mother.
"...What the heck is this?" The pegasus pointed at the chocolate cake, unamused. "Did you screw up our order already?"
"Oh, don't worry." Sunset assured. "It's just that, since it's your daughter's birthday today, I wanted to do something nice for her. And of course, it's on the house."
"Oh... I see how it is." The pegasus replied, feeling insulted. "So you don't believe that I can afford to buy my own daughter a cake, is that it?"
"No... not at all." Sunset said. "I just figured that since it's her birthday, I thought-"
"Hmph, you thought." The pegasus interrupted. "Your job isn't to think, it's to bring us exactly what we want, but I guess that's too complicated for you to understand. If we wanted a cake, we would've ordered it at the beginning, and you're assuming things about us, once again. What if my daughter here was allergic to chocolate? Would you have been trying to give her food poisoning?"
"But... I was just trying to-" Sunset tried to explain, before being cut off again.
"You're not supposed to try anything, unless you somehow have mind-reading powers, which I'm certain you don't anyways." The pegasus huffed. "Speaking of which... since you said this is on the house anyways..."
The pegasus then grabbed the cake, threw it on the floor, and then stomped on it with her hooves, creating a mushy chocolate mess on the ground. This sudden action not only shattered the plate that the cake was on, but also Lily's heart, since chocolate was ironically something she would've always loved to try.
"That's what I think of your restaurant promotions." The pegasus snarled. "So get back to the kitchen and get our order right this time! Also, have fun cleaning this up while we wait."
It took a lot of willpower for Sunset to not outright smack this pegasus at this point, especially after seeing how sad Lily became once the cake was destroyed. Although she could definitely say with certainty that the pegasus was anything but a loving parent, she still had no real evidence of this pony being the thief many ponies had been looking for. The apple necklace definitely looked similar, but Sunset didn't recall Applejack mentioning that the necklace was custom-built, which it actually was. Regardless, Sunset didn't want to make a scene, get fired, or even face charges for assault and battery, so she kept her cool and went on with grabbing a nearby broom and dustpan to start cleaning up.
After Sunset finished sweeping everything up, she then dumped the mess's remains into a dumpster outside the restaurant, before heading on back inside. She knew at this point that she definitely had to do something, regardless of that pony being the thief or not. Adamant on contemplating what she could do at this point, Sunset went back over to the kitchen, as there didn't seem to be any more customers to serve. Since she had finished her current duties as the waitress, she immediately went over to her boss, who was still preparing the waffle batter.
"Coriander..." Sunset said, rather worried. "Have you by any chance seen that mare and filly before?"
Coriander looked through the kitchen opening and saw the aforementioned ponies Sunset had described.
"Oh, so it's her." Coriander then understood why he got as big of an order as he did earlier. "Yes, I've seen them come in occasionally. They always love to order a big amount whenever they drop by. Though between the two of us, that pegasus mare tends to be a little... picky with her selection."
"Yeah, I get what you mean by that..." Sunset said, still concerned. "I just... have a bad feeling, especially since that filly with her looks absolutely terrified."
Sunset was hoping Coriander would understand her at the same level, especially given that he had a daughter himself. With how nice and understanding Coriander had been to Sunset this whole time, she was almost expecting him to take action immediately, upon letting him know that a filly was in potential danger. But what her boss said next completely took her by surprise.
"It's none of our business, Sunset." Coriander replied, calmly. "Our job is to serve food and make customers happy. Speaking of which, I've finished the pancakes over by the stove. Go bring them their food once these waffles are finished."
Despite hearing this, Sunset continued looking over to the table Lily and her mother were sitting at, and she was 100% certain that she could see absolutely nothing but fear and dread in Lily's eyes.
"I can't shake off this bad feeling..." Sunset continued her concern. "I just can't trust that mare."
"Well I do." Coriander replied, starting to become blunt. "I've seen her eat here before, she always orders plenty to keep the business afloat. And better yet, this is good for you as well, since she even leaves a decent tip if you do exactly as she asks. Just do exactly that, and we'll have no issues."
As Coriander finished, he nonchalantly went back to preparing the meals, with the only thing on his mind being when to turn off the waffle maker. Even after hearing this, Sunset didn't particularly care about money at this point. All she could think about was how rough life most likely was back at home for Lily, going off of everything she was dealing with from her mother here at a public place.
"But..." Sunset continued to stand her ground. "Coriander, don't you care if something-"
"NO!" Coriander huffed, as he slammed his hoof on the counter. "I do not care about anything like that, the only thing I care about at this point is satisfying paying customers. In fact, now that these waffles are done, I also care about you taking all this food over to them. They'll become happy, and we'll get paid. Now stop asking silly questions when you already know that our business with them is the key to saving The Tasty Treat."
Sunset sighed upon hearing how consumed with greed Coriander had become, since he was now adamant in preventing The Tasty Treat from closing down. While he was at least thinking of his daughter, he also appeared to take a blind eye to situations involving abusive family dynamics. Regardless, this now meant that she had no choice but to deal with this pegasus on her own, and she still had a job to do as a waitress. Sunset trotted in and out of the kitchen multiple times, bringing over the various dishes the pegasus had ordered for herself, along with the single slice of bread for Lily.
"Alright, all your food's here now, enjoy." Sunset tried her best to maintain her optimism, before getting ready head back over to the front counter.
"Hey, wait a minute now..." The pegasus began pointing at Sunset, whilst getting a closer look at her, realizing that this was one of the two ponies heading back to that cottage that night. "I knew you somehow looked familiar. You must be friends with that other pegasus whom I hear lives in a cottage. Better yet, you probably also lived in one of those cottages too, didn't you?"
"Well, not exactly..." Sunset began, trying to understand where this pegasus was going with that. "But I have slept in a cottage before, if that's what you're asking."
"Close enough." The pegasus rolled her eyes. "That explains why you messed up our order earlier by bringing us a cake we never even asked for. Anypony who lives in a cottage must be an unsophisticated, uneducated, insignificant waste of space. Why would you ever want to live in a woodland home, which is practically living in a tree? What do you think you are, a squirrel?"
"I guess everypony has their own tastes as far as homes?" Sunset continued to try keeping her cool, despite feeling that this pegasus was truly testing her patience at this point.
"Well whatever, isn't it just sweet of Coriander Cumin to give you a job here, despite the fact you're clearly under-qualified for being a waitress?" The pegasus remarked. "I mean, you're just taking orders and bringing customers their food, it doesn't really require any brain, yet you somehow screwed it up anyways. I have to imagine Coriander takes pity on you, since you clearly can't find any other reliable job to sustain your pathetic little life."
Sunset just glared at the pegasus, unamused after that last remark. She believed that although she had a number of equally insulting things to say to the pegasus at this point, it'd be better to still be the bigger pony by not stooping to her level. However, while her mother was busy tearing Sunset to shreds, Lily had secretly been grabbing blueberries from her mother's parfait bowl and stuffing them into her own mouth. After looking back at her yogurt, realizing that a few blueberries had randomly disappeared, the pegasus glared back at Lily, realizing what she did.
"Those were MY blueberries!" The pegasus frowned. "Are you that disobedient, even after promising your father that you'd be the perfect child? Oh, you just wait until we get home, you hear!? I am kind enough to take you out for a birthday breakfast, and this is the thanks I get? You steal from me like some nasty, spoiled brat?"
"B-But... what about that necklace you took from-" Lily finally had a little courage to speak up, knowing that Sunset was nearby, but was quickly cut off.
"QUIET!!!" The pegasus screeched to make certain that this waitress wouldn't grow suspicious of her. "Are you trying to spread lies about me now, on top of stealing my food!? I should've only given you half a slice of bread instead, if this was how it was going to be!"
Understanding that the pegasus was now making a scene, Sunset tried to do her best in calming her down, as it certainly wouldn't give the restaurant a good look. That last comment from Lily now made Sunset 99% certain that the necklace this pegasus was wearing really was the same one Granny Smith had given to Applejack, but she couldn't make a false move that would end up backfiring on herself. She understood that since Lily was understandably hungry, perhaps she could offer her a little something extra on the bread, which the restaurant doesn't charge extra for.
"Ma'am, I can understand that your daughter wants more than just bread." Sunset observed, before reaching over for one of the spreads. "We have some marmalade here if you want-"
But as Sunset reached on the table with her hoof, she had accidentally knocked over the water glass, spilling it all over the pegasus. Both Sunset and the pegasus gasped simultaneously, before Sunset realized she had made the situation even worse than it already was.
"Oh my, I'm so sorry, I-" Sunset quickly tried to apologize.
"And just when I thought the service in this place couldn't get any worse!" The pegasus snarled, before getting up to go to the restroom to clean herself up."
"Could I give you a napkin to-" Sunset offered, before getting cut off once more.
"No, don't even lay a hoof on me!" The pegasus snapped. "You've already messed up big time, and you expect me to entrust you with a napkin? You really are a brainless cottage crawler! Now get out of my way! And Lily, don't you even dare move from your seat!"
As the pegasus stormed off to get herself cleaned up, Sunset saw this as the perfect opportunity to talk to Lily, getting an idea of just how severe the situation was with her new adoptive mother. As Sunset took a seat, she wasted no time trying to get to the bottom of this. She herself was an adopted child too, and she couldn't imagine what her own life would've been like, had Princess Celestia treated her in a similar manner. After knowing how starved Lily presumably was, Sunset put the milkshake glass in front of her, which her mother had not even taken a sip of yet.
"I know how hungry you must be right now, so please... take a sip." Sunset insisted. "She'll take a while in the restroom, so this is your chance. If anything happens, I'll be there to protect you."
Lily nodded with some newfound confidence, knowing that Sunset was by her side, before taking a sip of the chocolate milkshake, and returning to her state of fear.
"Hey... Lily?" Sunset asked, trying to get the full extent. "Are you in danger because of... her?"
"I... I can't say anything." Lily began, still afraid for herself. "If I do, she'll... she'll..."
"Say no more." Sunset assured, now understanding that the situation was even worse than she thought. "But I need to know for certain on one thing. I had a pretty good feeling when I saw what kind of pony she is. Is that necklace... you know...?"
Lily continued to shiver in fear, not knowing if it'd truly be wise to fess up to Sunset about what she did. But at this point, she even considered the possibility of jail being more pleasant than continuing to be with her mother. Unknown to Sunset and Lily at this point, the pegasus had already exited the restroom after drying herself with paper towels, before going around the corner to spy on the two having a conversation.
"Come on, please." Sunset continued insisting that Lily let her know. "Did she... steal that necklace from Applejack?"
Lily finally nodded her head 'yes' to answer Sunset's question, which finally allowed Sunset to surmise that this pegasus most likely was the same one who also stole Derpy's packages and Fluttershy's bits. The pegasus only frowned at this, but decided that since the waitress now knew, she had no other choice but to play dirty. Sunset went back over to the front counter to pick up her saddlebag, checking to see if she had a means of communication with child protective services. Other than the journal which would normally deliver messages to Twilight, she had none. This meant that Sunset had to find a telephone in the building, ready to make an incredibly hard call.
As Sunset went out of the dining room to check the rest of the building, the pegasus saw this as the perfect opportunity. She grabbed the necklace off of her own neck, before secretly planting it within Sunset's saddlebag. She smirked upon realizing that she was now one step ahead of Sunset, since she already knew that her waitress was now most likely calling child protective services. After setting in motion her plan to frame Sunset if anypony were to actively look for that necklace, she turned around and saw Lily had witnessed the whole thing. Understanding now that she'd most likely be caught in the act if the authorities were to find Lily underfed, she went over to Lily and proposed a deal with her daughter.
"Hey, Lily?" The pegasus began in an unusual sweet tone, which was definitely unlike her normal self. "I can see that you noticed I put that necklace in her saddlebag, but... I also noticed that you seemingly already took a sip of that milkshake. I'll tell you what, you can have the whole thing to yourself."
"I... I can?" Lily's eyes widened in surprise, not knowing where this was coming from.
"Of course, it is your birthday, after all." The pegasus reminded. "But... if you want it, you'll have to do one small thing for me."
"What is it?" Lily asked, both curious and fearful at the same time.
"I just need you to keep quiet." The pegasus requested. "Don't open your mouth to the waitress about me planting that necklace in her saddlebag. Oh, and also, there will likely be ponies coming by to check whether or not you've been properly fed. So if you accept this deal, then finish that milkshake, you'll need to leave some on your mouth, and make sure to also burp in order to prove that you're not underfed."
"Oh..." Lily looked at the ground in guilt, her heart telling her that potentially framing Sunset was wrong.
"I work hard at my job to put a roof over your head and bought you a milkshake!" The pegasus snapped. "And you can't do this ONE, tiny little thing for your mother!? Or perhaps, you'd prefer I dump this milkshake all over you instead! Plus, once we get home..."
Realizing that the threats were becoming worse by the minute, Lily finally swallowed her pride and nodded in agreement to her mother's demands. She began drinking the milkshake in a swift sip, desperate to keep her nearly-empty stomach temporarily satisfied. But despite her stomach now getting full, Lily still felt empty on the inside, knowing that she had practically signed herself up for a losing proposition, which was at Sunset's expense.
Meanwhile, Sunset had finally located the only telephone in the restaurant, which was in the kitchen, presumably used by Coriander and Saffron to make delivery orders. There was even a phone book nearby, which also provided the number to call child protective services. Sunset flipped to the respective page and began dialing the number, awaiting a response to hopefully serve justice. She had already seen and heard everything she needed to know with certainty that she had now caught the true culprit, and there was no way for this pegasus to weasel out of it. However, whilst waiting for an answer on the other end, Coriander took notice of this and began expressing his disapproval.
"Sunset!" Coriander pointed at his newly employed waitress, aghast at her actions. "What in Equestria do you think you're doing right now!?"
"What does it look like?" Sunset continued waiting, not even having a care anymore about her boss disagreeing with her actions. "I'm calling child protective services, it's the only right thing to do now."
"I've already told you!" Coriander huffed. "That's none of our business, and the tab for their meal is going to save The Tasty Treat! I can't allow you to take that away from me and Saffron! Give me the telephone, right now, or else!"
"Or else what?" Sunset asked, still believing that whatever her boss was about to say next would be inconsequential.
"Or you can find another restaurant to become a waitress in!" Coriander threatened. "You already know how much this restaurant means to Saffron and myself, so you should watch what you say next! You think carefully about this decision now, you understand? Think about how you'll make it in this world without a job! Better yet, just imagine what you would do right now if you had your own daughter!"
Despite these harsh words and the threat of losing her new job already, Sunset remained strong and just shrugged Coriander's words off. She continued gripping the telephone firmly, before showing an expression of seriousness, and giving an answer to that rhetorical question of what she herself would do if her own daughter was on the line in a similar situation.
"I... am." Sunset began tearing up, whilst staring directly at Coriander's eyes. "That little filly... needs our help, she truly does. Will you help, Coriander? Or will you care more about the well-being of the restaurant over somepony else's safety? What if that filly was Saffron?"
It was by this point, Sunset's powerful words finally struck a new perspective into Coriander's eyes. He looked out the window, briefly, thinking of how he would feel if his own daughter was treated the same way as Lily by that pegasus mare. If Saffron was getting mentally and psychologically abused by a parental figure, and he wasn't around to protect her, he would've never forgiven himself. Saffron and Coriander were always the perfect team who gave The Tasty Treat the very life and soul it had to become one of the best restaurants in Canterlot. Coriander suddenly had en epiphany, realizing that he let his love for the restaurant completely consume himself to the point of turning a blind eye to this entire situation.
After all, whilst working in the kitchen, Coriander had already overheard all the nasty and hurtful things that pegasus had said to both Lily and Sunset, yet he brushed it off due to believing the profits were essential to keep the restaurant open. He then thought back to his last visit to Saffron at the hospital, realizing that while his daughter didn't directly say so, she did vaguely hint that she wouldn't want to keep The Tasty Treat open at the expense of others. It was a sudden occurrence in Coriander's memory, after recalling the last visit where he proposed recruiting volunteers at the establishment to help with business. Saffron insisted that her father should still open paid job positions, since everypony needs money in exchange for their services to survive.
Although this led to Sunset seeking a paid job opportunity at the establishment, Coriander now knew that deep down, he ended up betraying his own daughter's outlook at what the restaurant itself entailed, which was love and partnership. By refusing to care before about Lily's predicament, he became no better than any of the more expensive, fine-dining restaurants here in Canterlot, which was a serious spit in the face to The Tasty Treat's legacy. Saffron would've most certainly been unhappy with the restaurant staying afloat, if she knew the circumstances of what her father did to make that happen. As such, Coriander simply sighed in defeat and lowered his head in shame, and allowed Sunset to continue calling her number, which had just picked up.
Sunset told child protective services everything, which prompted them to send some ponies of authority over to the restaurant as quickly as possible. It was going to take some time for them to arrive, but luckily, there was still plenty of food that the pegasus had to finish before paying her bill. Unknown to Sunset, this horrendously abusive mother had already anticipated this action, which allowed her the opportunity to potentially deceive the authorities once they arrived. After all, she had planted the necklace in the accuser's saddlebag, fed Lily a milkshake which somewhat filled her up, and now had Lily playing her sick game of deception too.
After the pegasus had finally finished her food, she went over to the front counter to pay. Despite Sunset already knowing that this pegasus was the mysterious thief, she was unaware that these bits were actually the same ones stolen from Fluttershy's saddlebag on the train before. Sunset collected the payment as intended, but still glared at the pegasus coldly, not only for her treatment toward herself, but especially everything she had put Lily through. Counting the bits, Sunset understood that she had only paid the amount for their order, omitting the tip, which was to be expected. It didn't matter to Sunset regardless, as the only thing she truly wanted now was justice, not bits. It seemed that she would soon get it, as there was then a knock on the door, before one of the ponies of authority from outside spoke up.
"Child protective services!" A royal guard announced. "Open up, please!"
"They're... going to take my daughter away from me!?" The pegasus asked, pretending to be surprised, before turning back to Sunset. "You must've called them, you dirty little-"
"Cottage crawler?" Sunset pulled Lily up to herself and began holding the filly in a motherly manner. "I might be a cottage crawler, but at least I know how to love a foal."
Moments later, two royal guards, accompanied by a foster family agent stepped into the restaurant, hoping to put an end to this pegasus having custody of Lily, especially after hearing everything Sunset had reported on the phone earlier. The agent was a unicorn mare who began using her magic to search the database for this supposed foster mother, purely by capturing the image of her face.
"Well... although we're here to reassess custody, I'm afraid I'm confused as far as who this pegasus mare is." The agent began. "Not only do I see that she has never adopted a foal in these records, but the database itself is completely unfamiliar with her face. Regardless, we were called over because we got the report that a little filly was getting constantly abused, starved, and belittled by you, ma'am. Is that true?"
"No... of course not!" The pegasus tried to laugh things off. "Plus, just look at her mouth right now, she's clearly had a good meal!"
"Yeah, I..." Lily began, before her mother had forced out a burp by pressing a hoof along her back. "...technically did."
"Oh, really now?" The agent raised an eyebrow. "I'm afraid I'm still skeptical, considering how the mare who called us sounded absolutely distressed. I just can't help but feel you're covering something up, ma'am. And although this isn't directly related to child protective services, we were also told that you're a thief, who stole a valuable necklace?"
"Do you see a necklace on me?" The pegasus showed her neck off to the ponies of authority, feeling that she had nothing to hide. "Maybe you should instead consider the possibility of me being framed for crimes I never committed, because somepony's jealous!"
"She's lying!" Sunset insisted. "Please, you have to believe me, she was an absolute monster to this filly earlier! I'm genuinely afraid that if she takes her back home, it'll only get worse."
"Well... we unfortunately can't stick with one side, since it appears there isn't enough evidence to disprove either claim here." The agent said, conflicted. "Perhaps a secondary, reputable opinion or witness could sway our decision."
"Oh, of course!" The pegasus said with confidence. "Coriander Cumin, the restaurant owner can certainly vouch for me!"
Upon hearing his own name being called, Coriander himself stepped out of the kitchen, seeing the authority figures, pegasus, Lily, and Sunset standing in the dining room. He saw in Sunset's eyes that although she was unhappy with his own behavior earlier, there was still hope for him to turn everything around and do the right thing. The pegasus, however, was having none of that, only expecting that Coriander would come to her defense, especially with how much of a profit he had made from her order.
"Go ahead, Coriander, tell them how wrong your waitress is, and how I'm a wonderful mother." The pegasus asked, proudly. "The sweetest, most cherished mom in Equestria, and a valuable customer for you."
But what happened next completely went against the mother's expectations. Coriander only expressed the emptiness in those words by showing an expression of grief and shaking his head 'no', before trotting back into the kitchen, sadly, without even saying a single word. He didn't even want to look at her in the face anymore at that point, let alone defend her disgusting actions toward an innocent filly who definitely didn't deserve any of this abusive treatment.
"Coriander, please..." The pegasus begged. "I'm your best customer, I've always given you good business!"
Realizing that this was likely already more than enough evidence to lean toward Sunset's side, the agent then came down to Lily's level, believing that she needed the filly's word herself, before it was time to take action.
"Hey, little filly." The agent said to Lily, trying to also comfort her. "Are you hungry right now, and was that chocolate on your mouth only planted there by your mother in an attempt to deceive us?"
Seeing this as the perfect opportunity to finally expose her mother, Lily nodded her head 'yes'.
"I've barely eaten anything today." Lily finally admitted, much to the horror of the agent and royal guards.
"So that's it, huh?" The pegasus sprung her wings up in fury, before grabbing her own saddlebag, prepared to take out a bottle of heavy perfume to cover her escape.
Realizing what her mother was about to do, Lily then desperately tried to warn Sunset about what her mother truly ended up doing with that necklace.
"Wait, Sunset!" Lily called out. "That necklace was planted in-"
"Silence, you liar!" The pegasus quickly covered Lily's mouth with her hoof, before finally taking out that perfume bottle she was looking for. "You're in for it now once we get home, you hear!?"
The pegasus quickly smashed the bottle on the ground, creating a cloudy shroud of fragrant smells, similar to a smoke bomb. As Sunset, the agent, and the royal guards coughed uncontrollably, they did their best to fan at the air with their hooves to disperse the perfume fog. To their dismay, Lily and her mother were now gone, and they couldn't find any sign of which direction they had gone off to.
"Well, ma'am?" The agent addressed Sunset. "I'm not entirely sure that was a case of an abusive FOSTER mother, since my database spell hadn't picked up any records on that particular pegasus mare. However, you did the right thing by contacting us. There's unfortunately no guarantees that we can relocate Lily and put her into our adoption system, but we'll make this one of our top priorities."
"I guess that's the only thing we can do now." Sunset nodded, understandingly. "Thank you so much for coming."
The agent and royal guards then stepped out of the restaurant, before Sunset turned around to grab her saddlebag, and also taking a glance at the clock. It was now noon, meaning she was thankfully on time to attend that meeting to settle her and Rainbow Dash's dispute. Sunset sighed in frustration upon realizing she was too slow in anticipating that mare's escape, that she practically allowed that slippery snake to slither away with a vulnerable filly who would now most likely deal with even worse abusive treatment once they got home. She was still unaware of what happened to Applejack's necklace, but presumed that the pegasus must've hidden it somewhere around the restaurant.
As Sunset was about to leave The Tasty Treat, one last thing stopped her before fully exiting. The hoofsteps of Coriander Cumin followed her, prompting her to turn around to see what the stallion had to say. Coriander then spoke up, now showing his complete change of heart after hearing Sunset's powerful words from earlier.
"You did the right thing by calling them." Coriander said, rather glum. "I'm so sorry for my behavior earlier, I know now that Saffron wouldn't have wanted this, even if it did mean saving the restaurant."
"I'm glad you see things that way now." Sunset nodded, before looking around the restaurant one last time. "This really is a nice establishment, so I can kind of understand why you were so defensive before. Problem is, now that you've lost that mare as a customer, how will you manage to stay open after this month's rent is paid off?"
"Don't worry about it." Coriander assured. "I'm sure Saffron will understand too, especially after knowing the circumstances. The best I can do now is simply hope everything will work out in the future, and that in the worst-case scenario, we'll shut down, but make an investment to reopen somewhere else in Equestria one day."
"Sounds like you'll be looking toward the future with head held high." Sunset smiled. "I'm just hoping I can do the same too, in regards to my upcoming meeting with a friend I had a major fight with."
"Wait a minute!" Coriander tried to stop Sunset from fully leaving. "What about your pay for your waitress services?"
"Consider them on the house." Sunset insisted. "Being here has at least given me knowledge on something I've been trying to figure out for a while now, and it sounds like you'll really need those bits to stay open a little longer. Do it for your daughter, she truly sounds like a sweet and caring pony. Besides, don't worry about me. A good friend already gave me a good tip from earlier, so I'll manage."
"You really have a heart of gold, Sunset." Coriander began tearing up. "I won't forget this!"
Sunset nodded and began going about her way to the main castle, ready to face Rainbow Dash alongside Twilight and the rest of the Council of Friendship. She was admittedly still unsure of who that pegasus was, but knew for certain that she was in fact someone she had vaguely seen before in the human world. It had unfortunately already been so long that Sunset had truly forgotten her real name, which would've most likely helped as far as letting the authorities know of her true identity. Perhaps Wallflower's memory stone had somehow ended up erasing this particular memory, or Sunset simply never paid too much attention, given how she never really interacted with that pony's human counterpart much.
Whatever was the case, Sunset now had a story to share with everypony else during the meeting, in regards to finally meeting the thief and uncovering this perplexing mystery. While trotting over to the main castle, Sunset was still unaware of two crucial things. Lily and that pegasus mare were both connected to her own father, Sunspot, which would most certainly come as an absolute shock when Sunset uncovered the truth. But the more imminently disastrous fact, was that Sunset was now about to attend a meeting to settle falsely accusing somepony else of being a thief, when she herself was unknowingly carrying a stolen and valuable necklace to Applejack...