Sunset slammed her book shut as she stretched out on her bed that she was surprised to admit was quite comfortable. She was even more surprised to find out Silverspeed had specifically made her bed for her before she arrived.
And Sunset was admittedly a bit more concerned to find out she slightly enjoyed the Guards company from time to time. Silverspeed was surprisingly friendly and helpful, good at following orders and fast in the air and on her hooves.
“Is it okay if I leave my sister Silver Spoon here while I run some errands?” Silverspeed asked as she poked her head in.
“Fine. Just don’t let her touch anything,” Sunset answered as she climbed out of her bed and stared down at a bored looking filly that resembled Silverspeed to a scary degree. “What exactly do you need?”
“You ran out of coffee,” Silverspeed answered dryly. “You went through all four boxes and two bottles of whiskey in three days. You also asked me to get you various snacks such as cereal and carrots.”
Sunset had a faint memory of that as she levitated some bits the pegasus’ way.
“Here, it should cover everything. And bring back some medicine for this hangover please!” Sunset called out as Silverspeed flew out the room. Sunset muttered curse words about her lack of coffee as she stumbled to her office and plopped down on her chair, opening up her files of paperwork necessary for the rest of the Celebration as Silver Spoon sat on another chair in the room.
“Hey. I’m bored,” Silver Spoon announced as Sunset spared her a glance.
“That’s nice,” Sunset said dismissively as she dipped her hoof in ink and signed a document.
“Got any toys?”
“Kid this is a government building. I’m a government official. I don’t have toys,” Sunset explained as she washed her hoof off and levitated a pen onto Silver Spoons lap.
“What exactly do you expect me to do with this?” Silver Spoon demanded as she lifted it.
“Play with it, I don’t know. It’s the type you gotta push on the end to get the tip to come out. You can make it bounce in the sky. I did it often whenever I accompanied Celestia to her Day Court,” Sunset rolled her eyes as she licked a envelope and shut it with a hoof.
Silver Spoon gave the pen a doubtful look before balancing it on the arm of the chair, pushing down on it and watching it fly up into the sky.
“How was this supposed to be entertaining?” Silver Spoon asked after a moment as she played with her ponytail and Sunset groaned.
Kids these days. When Sunset was a filly, she was her own source of entertainment whenever the staff in the castle were too busy to play with her or her few friends she had as a kid that she didn’t anymore couldn’t play.
“Whatever I don’t care. I’m just watching you for Silverspeed, now come on. You’re going to show me where the post office is,” Sunset said as she stood up and held the letter in her magic. “I have to mail a letter to the treasurer in Canterlot.”
“You know Princess Celestia?” Silver Spoon asked in awe as she jumped off her chair to follow the unicorn who nodded. “Must be nice, bet you can get anything you want from her.”
“Ah yes totally. Instead of giving me a decent town to work at, I get this place,” Sunset flung her forelegs out to gesture at Ponyville as she opened her front door. “It’s so nice.”
“Mom said this town had potential,” Silver Spoon shot back as she stepped in front of the mare and started trotting to the post office.
“Potential to drive me up the bucking wall is pretty accurate,” Sunset muttered too quietly for the filly to hear. With an eye roll, she trotted after her.
“Hi!” A unicorn with a blonde mane and gold eyes said as Sunset pushed the doors open and the filly adjusted her mailmare hat. A pink teenager unicorn was leaning against the opposite wall with a similar hat on with a tired expression. “What can I do for you today?”
“Mailing a letter,” Sunset answered as she placed the letter down on table. “Straight to Canterlot.”
“Okay. That’ll be six bits please,” the filly said as Sunset nodded.
“Four bits,” a voice behind the table said and Sunset leaned over to star at Derpy sitting on her stomach and staring up at Sunset. “Hi.”
“Hello.”
“It was bring your kids to work day,” Derpy said sheepishly as she stood up. “Dinkys the filly, Sparkler is the grumpy one against the wall.”
“I see,” Sunset said as Dinky examined the letter curiously and Sunset placed down fourteen bits down. “Four for the filly, four for you and four for the grumpy one.”
“Ooh shiny!” Dinky stared closer at it as Silver Spoon rolled her eyes. Sunset shot her a dirty look and the silver filly sat down. “Thanks miss!”
“Thank you,” Derpy gave a smile as she shoved the letter into a plastic container with the words Outgoing stamped on it. “Her real name is Amethyst Star but she’s going through a phase. Teenagers are stressful.”
“It’s not a phase mom,” Sparkler commented before she yawned. “It’s my new name.”
“And what’s wrong with Amethyst Star?” Derpy shot back as Sparkler paused, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly.
“I don’t know,” the shorter mare said finally and crossed her forelegs. “I’ll get back to you on that when I figure it out. Hey, I know you. You weren’t to school with Lyra at Princess Celestia’s school of magic, didn’t ya?”
“Yeah what of it?” Sunset asked warily as Sparkler shrugged.
“I went there as a kid. Got moved to Ponyville school after Mom adopted me. Heard you are a massive bitch.”
“Amethyst Star!” Derpy snapped and pointed at Dinky. “Not in front of your sister.”
“That’s funny coming from you,” Sunset said casually as she leaned against the counter with a smirk. “Takes one to know, an I right? So you must be just as big a bitch as me then.”
Sparkler opened her mouth to retort as Derpy glared at the two with her eyes.
“Not appropriate,” Derpy chided sternly and pointed to a corner. “Go to timeout Sunset.”
“I’m not a filly- ow!” Sunset shouted as Derpy flapped her wings to stand next to the mare and Derpy bit her ear and started dragging her to the corner. “Ow, ow, ow! Let go of me right now!”
Derpy pushed her onto her plot and stared down at her with a frown.
“You sit there and think about what you’ve done,” Derpy said as Sparkler giggled and Derpy spun around to face her. “I don’t know what you think is funny over there. You’re next.”
Sparklers eyes widened as Derpy started trotting over and the unicorn took off up some stairs and Derpy flew after her.
“Dinky, make sure she doesn’t leave that corner!” Derpy thrust a hoof at Sunset before she disappeared up the same stairs.
“Aye aye!” Dinky tossed the pegasus a salute and jumped over the counter to stand in front of Sunset and a snickering Silver Spoon. “Now you stay right here. I’m the sheriff now.”
“What?” Sunset demanded as she gave the filly a confused look.
“Getting into character. Just sit there for thirty minutes while Mom gets Sparky. That’s normally how long my timeouts usually are,” Dinky explained as she sat down next to a small table with crayons and a coloring book. “Really, it’s not that bad. Could be worse.”
“How could this get any worse?” Sunset asked in confusion as Dinky giggled.
“Could be an hour long. Muffin?” Dinky offered a basket full of muffins.
Sunset pouted as she levitated a muffin to her and took a frustrated bite.
“We are never speaking of this ever again,” Sunset warned Silver Spoon thirty minutes later as the pair exited the post office.
“Oh but of course,” Silver Spoon snorted and rolled her eyes. “Definitely not going to tell my sister. What even is your relationship with her?”
“I don’t have a relationship with your sister.”
“You live in the same house as her, she alternates sleeping there and sleeping at the mansion so there’s obviously something going on,” Silver Spoon pointed out with a smug grin.
“She lives their because it’s her job as she works under me,” Sunset answered as Silver Spoon laughed. “What?”
“Oh I bet she works under you a lot,” Silver Spoon winked at Sunset as the unicorn blushed at the implication.
“It’s not even like that,” Sunset retorted.
“You’re blushing.”
“Because of what you implied, not because it’s true. And aren’t you a bit young to know about that?” Sunset said as Silver Spoon shrugged.
“Mom and dad taught me about it. It’s like a thing in our family. Silverspeed was taught it too when she was my age,” Silver Spoon said casually.
“Okay then. Hurry the heck up, I wanna get home,” Sunset grumbled as she picked up her speed.
“To see my sister?” Silver Spoon suggested as Sunset turned red again.
“No!”
With a smug grin on her face again, Silver Spoon trotted after the older mare.