//------------------------------// // Challenges // Story: Cinnamon in a Silver Spoon // by Catrlgirl //------------------------------// Fleur de Lis pushed her jewel toned shades up onto her forehead under her horn with a flash of pink magic and breathed in the crisp Ponyville air. It was warm and sunny and the town, while not as bustling as the larger cities she normally visited, was active. “Fleur!! Fleur de Lis!!” Silver spoon was waving her hooves frantically near a group of Ponies who must have also been waiting for friends to disembark. “Silver Spoon,” Fleur said ignoring the curious stares of some of the other ponies at the station as she pushed her way through the other passengers. “Oh sweetheart you’ve grown.” Silver Spoon preened slightly, flicking her shiny mane. “Well you haven’t seen me in almost a year. I was so happy you were around when I spent the summer with my mom. You made it a lot more fun.” The white unicorn mare smiled as she looked over Silver Spoon's shoulder at Twist. “And who is the adorable ginger hiding behind you?” “Oh, of course.” Silver Spoon flushed slightly. She was normally not so rude at least not anymore. “This is Twist my best friend and very special somepony.” “Hello, Twist,” Fleur said with her sophisticated Canterlot accent. “It's very nice to meet you. Silver you dirty little secret keeper, why didn’t you tell me you were with such a looker?” “Well,” Silver spoon said stepping away from Twist so the young mare couldn’t hide behind her. “I don't like to brag.” The model scoffed, snorting in a most un-lady like way. “Is that so? How very sweet and noble of you. Now can the pretty little thing talk?” “Of course,” Twist said. “I’m happy to meet you too.” She was met with a dazzling smile as Silver Spoon turned to lead her closest friends to the center of town. “Don’t let Twist fool you into thinking she’s shy. She’s a bit quiet till she warms up to you but when she gets to know you I promise you can’t get her to shut up.” “HEY!! I’m not that much of a chatterbox.” "I swear you girls make me feel so old.” “Old? You’re barely older than us, Fleur,” Silver Spoon said, huffing indignantly. “I mean me and Twist aren't exactly tiny little fillies you know.” “I know but you girls look so fresh and I’m already fading a bit. New girls your age are getting my covers instead of me.” Fleur de Lis made a very un-ladylike face as she followed the slightly younger mares. “It’s not a bad thing just a little reluctant to stop being the young heartthrob every little Pony looks up to. But we all have to grow up sometime I guess.” “Twist, will you show Fleur de Lis around a bit while I go handle an errand real quick?” “Sure, Silver.” Then the ginger Equine cocked her head suspiciously. “Wait did you forget something important again?” “Yes. I’d forget my tail if you didn’t drag me around by it half the time, Sweetheart.” Silver Spoon gave Twist a sweet peck on the nose and waved goodbye before bolting off towards her house. Well maybe not there was lots of stuff in that direction Twist considered. Fleur de Lis followed her flustered new friend as she was given a rather enjoyable tour of the town. Ponyville was small but expanding and it had a very friendly atmosphere. Nearly every pony they passed waved and gave a familiar greeting to the ginger earth pony. And almost everyone asked for an introduction to her pretty older friend. It wasn't like the big cities where ponies just fell over themselves taking pictures and forever asking for autographs. It wasn’t like when brown-nosers wanted to earn a favor either. It was just friendly. “This is a nice place, Twist. Every pony is just so genuine. And I’ve never seen such a well-organized weather team.” “Yeah,” Twist replied with a smile. “That’s Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash. Rainbow is the North wind for Ponyville and she runs a tight ship. Twilight helps it stay organized and running smoothly.” Then Twist pointed out the popular cafe. “That place really comes alive at night. We get live music shows from the locals and even a few big names have stopped by. A few weeks ago a DJ played. She had friends in town and made an impromptu stop on her tour on the way back to Canterlot.” “Really?” “Yup. In fact one of my best friends sings there all the time. She’s really good. So is there anything you want to do? I mean other than wander around and meet and greet while we wait for Silver Spoon to reappear.” “Are there any nice shops in town? I love to see what's popular in a new place. You'd be surprised by how different fashion and food is from one town to the next. I couldn't find good Prench food outside of Prance unless I was in Las Pegasus or Canterlot. Same thing with decent saddle Arabian food. I can only get it in Trottingham, but that’s because is pretty close to the Saddle Arabian border.” “The most popular shops are across from the park. Carousel Boutique and the market square. We get all kinds of food. Most of it is country earth pony stuff but it’s all really good." “Lead the way, Hun.” Fleur de Lis was absolutely smitten with the Carousel. Rarity was more than professionally star struck by having a famous young model visiting her little boutique in Ponyville. “Dear, Ms. Fleur, are you sure there is nothing I can get for you?” “Oh, no. I’m just checking things out. It’s always fun to see what’s new in each town or city. I’ve got to say I’ve never seen an eye for detail like yours Ms. Rarity.” The two gabbed for quite a while over tea and tasty little sandwiches Rarity loved to serve her guest. “I completely understand, dear. As a fashionista it is important to always be on the cutting edge. And someone in the industry such as yourself must always be looking for the next big thing.” After Fleur made a few splurge purchases the pair was ready to leave. “Oh you simply must keep in touch,” Rarity said as she led them to the door. “I haven’t had such nice things said about my Boutique in a long while. And do keep me and Ponyville in mind. A savvy entrepreneur like myself must always nudge her contacts. I hope you don’t take offense.” Fleur de Lis shook her head a wry grin on her face. “Not at all. I look forward to seeing what comes out of the Carousel brand. And I’ll be sure to mention it to my friends. You know the ones I keep in very strategic places.” “Of course,” Rarity said winking. The door to the Carousel was closed with a flash of light blue unicorn magic and Fleur de Lis just hitched the bag of accessories she had gotten a little higher on her rump. “Oh Twist that was fun. Such a nice little place. Nothing like the franchise brands I work for. And the thigns are such good quality.” “I know right. I love Ms. Rarity. I had a crush on her a while back when I was little.” “Oh” Fleur said stifling scandalous laughter. “You did, did you? I can see why. She’s so pretty and such a lady.” “Yeah. Her little sister is like that too. She's really nice. She's the one I told you about that sings.” As the pair made their way down the dirt path towards the market square Twist stopped. “We've been out and about for a while. Don't you think Silver Spoon should have caught up with us by now?” “Perhaps,” the unicorn said. She levitated the new hairpiece she had purchased, fitting in into her long multicolored mane. “But we have been bouncing from place to place. We might just be missing each other. Why don’t we relax a bit and wait for her? I’m sure enough ponies have seen us to point her in the right direction.” “Good point,” Twist said. She didn't notice the rather sly grin on the older mare’s face as she led them to Sugarcube Corner. “She’s sure to stop in here. It’s pretty much the hub for this part of town. We come here all the time. Oh,” Twist said. “And one of my friends works here. Mrs. Cake,” Twist said peering over the low counter. “Is Pinkie in today?” “No, Twist. I think she’s been busy with one of her personal projects. I’m going to be needing more help around soon if business stays this good. Pinkie is a great worker but her own business is taking up more and more of her time, you know.” Twist smiled at the older mare who was putting a tray of still steaming cookies into a display case. She set up a fresh and hot sign over the case. “Mrs. Cake, if Silver Spoon comes in looking for me will you tell her we’re in the usual spot in the back?” “Of course, sweetie. I’ll let her know.” “You know I can tell why Silver Spoon likes you,” Fleur de Lis said when they finally got comfortable at the quiet table. “There’s something very special about you.” They were near a painted screen with a beautiful pattern of all manner of sweets. “I bet you don't even realize how beautiful it makes you.” Fleur de Lis leaned in close, smiling knowingly. “I bet you’d be surprised by who else likes you.” “Well it’s nice to know that you feel that way. But I’m sure you're what comes to mind when anypony says the word beautiful.” Fleur de Lis just laughed. "There are different kinds of beautiful, Twist. I’m the generic surface kind of beautiful. It won't last long.” Twist was a little uncomfortable with how intimate Fleur was being. She wasn't sure how to feel about the way the Unicorn was closing the space between them. She just leaned back a bit and looked at the screen to avoid making eye contact. “Would you like something Fleur? Everything here is really good. They have sandwiches and pastries. And coffee of course.” “No, not really. The snacks from the boutique will hold me for a while. So, Twist, have you ever considered leaving Ponyville? Traveling?” “Not really? I grew up here. Its home, ya’ know. Can’t imagine anywhere feeling more comfortable for me. I guess I’m just a country home body.” “I beet you’re the same way about everything,” Fleur de Lis said. “Always ignoring new options and clinging to comfortable familiarity. I’m much more of the adventurous type. Always wanting to try new things.” Twist narrowed her eyes a bit finally looking away from the screen to meet Fleur de Lis’ vibrant lilac eyes. “I,” she said more sharply than she had been intending to. “Prefer to think of it as valuing what you have, instead of chasing after the unknown.” Fleur de Lis looked thoughtful for a moment. “Then maybe I need to find something really valuable to keep, hmm. I think I might have been settling for things that weren't very special.” Luckily it was at that moment that Twist heard a familiar high voice asking for her. “Yeah, she came in a little while ago with a friend. They are in the back at the usual table, Silver Spoon.” “Thanks, Mrs. Cake.” “Hey,” Silver Spoon said a rather sheepish look on her face. “So sorry. That took way longer than I thought it would. I figured you’d find somewhere to wait a bit for me. Did you enjoy getting to know each other?” “Oh, yes,” Fleur de Lis said tilting her head and giving a beaming grin. “I learned a lot about Ponyville and Twist is an absolute delight. Such a sweet thing.” Silver Spoon was oblivious to the tension between the two. “Isn’t she though,” Silver Spoon said nuzzling Twist a bit in a display of proud affection. “She really helped me become a better pony.”