“Mom? Mom! Can I get my lip pierced?” Nightshade bounded into to house, her eyes wide with excitement.
The middle aged mare looked up from the sweet smelling raspberry pie she was taking out of the oven, “What? No!” She prodded the top of the pie gently, “This needs five more minutes.”
“No?” Her face fell slightly, “Are you not even going to let me persuade you?”
“Sweetie, there is nothing you can say that will persuade me.” Berry Blossom said as she slid the pie back into the oven and set the timer again.
Nightshade sighed and approached her pseudo-mother, “Please?”
Berry Blossom turned and placed a hoof on her daughter’s cheek, smiling softly “What’s brought all this on?”
“Well,” The grin returned to Nightshade’s face, “I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. Don’t you think it would look really cool? Nothing huge, just a stud – maybe a small ring.”
“Nope. No way. You’re too young!” From the day she had adopted Nightshade, Berry Blossom had done everything she could to ensure that the terrified filly, hiding under her bed at the Ponyville Orphanage the day they met, grew into a confident, well balanced young mare. It had only ever been the two of them in the quiet, modestly decorated cottage, but it was enough.
“All my friends are getting them!” Nightshade retorted, refusing to drop the subject.
“Well I doubt their parents are too pleased about it.”
“Oh come on, mom. It’s only a tiny piercing, it’s not a big deal!”
“If it’s not a big deal then why are you being so persistent?” Her tone was beginning to rise now.
Nightshade paused, stumped by her mom’s reply. “That’s not fair.”
“It might not be, but my answer is no.”
A ringing filled the kitchen as the timer went off, announcing that the pie was ready.
“Ugghhhh! Why won’t you let me have one?!” Nightshade shouted, causing her mom to look up in surprise.
“Nightshade!” She snapped, taking the steaming pie out of the oven, “No means no!”
“You never let me do anything! This is so unfair!” She slammed a hoof down on the tiled floor, her voice breaking slightly as she shouted even louder. As her hoof hit the floor a wave of energy seemed to surge through the kitchen, causing everything to shake violently. Thick purple mist seeped from her glowing eyes and for a moment Nightshade was blinded by her temper, only seeing a haze of darkness in front of her.
The sharp sound of the baking dish shattering on the floor pulled Nightshade from her hysteria. Blinking and shaking her head, she looked up to see her mother on the floor before her, surrounded by the broken fragments of the dish, pure terror in her eyes.
Nightshade stepped back, shocked and frightened by what she had just done. Tears began to fall around her as she saw the damage she had done; the shattered dish, the ruined pie, the hurt she didn’t mean to cause. “Mom, I’m – I’m so sorry!” She rushed over, helping her get to her hooves, “You’re shaking . . .”
“This needs to stop, Nightshade. I can’t cope with it anymore.”
“I know Mom. I’m so sorry! Really, I’m trying so hard to control it!” She sobbed, “I’ll fix this, I promise. I’ll buy you a new dish, and help you bake another pie tomorrow.”
“The pie isn’t the problem here, Nightshade. Your outbursts are getting worse.”
“I wouldn’t ever hurt you.”
Nightshade stepped towards her mom, but as she did, Berry Blossom flinched and pulled away, “Don’t!”
“Mom please, I’m sorry!” She couldn’t hide the desperation in her voice. The guilt that came with knowing that she had scared her mother so much was overwhelming her, causing her to tremble. Keep it together, don’t lose it again. Just breathe. Focus. In . . . out . . . Nightshade looked up, “You don’t hate me, do you?”
Berry Blossom sighed and pulled her daughter close, hugging her tightly, tears also pricking at her eyes, “Nightshade, I love you more than anything, but I don’t know what more I can do. You’re almost a mare now, and these outbursts are still happening. It – it frightens me so much.”
“I’ll sort it out! I’ll do anything I can. Please believe me; I will control myself better next time.” She cried, burying her face in her mother’s mane.
She could feel her daughter’s pain so acutely in the moment. Berry Blossom’s heart sank, knowing that Nightshade’s condition was beyond anything she could deal with. She had hoped that as she grew, her temper would subside, but it was becoming clear that this wasn’t just a case of teenage temper tantrums; there was something fundamentally – and possibly irrevocably – wrong with her. She wiped away Nightshade’s tears and kissed her forehead, “Shhh. It’s okay. We’re going to get you some help. I’ll never give up on you.”