//------------------------------// // A Feeling of Relaxation // Story: A Feeling Of // by Nuke //------------------------------// Tartarus's Kitchen. I think it's a pretty good name for Sugarcube Corner during this week. A week that should only come once a year, but a certain rotund baker decided it would be a good idea to do it again, not even four months after the last time. Mrs. Cake decided to spring the surprise on me earlier this week, with absolutely no prior indication of what she was planning. If anyone could describe the ideal job to me, it would be this one, with different bosses. That's not to say I don't like the Cakes. I like them very much. Mrs. Cake was, of course, kind enough to give me this job, and as much as Mr. Cake dislikes me, my mere existence here has boosted business. "March, I need more frosting!" Now, in order to understand why I hate this week, I have to explain something. On any other day, when Mrs. Cake requests frosting, it's as easy as pulling it from our preparation cupboard. This week, and every day this week, she needs frosting every hour that we bake. It is a very special kind of frosting that I can't quite divulge the secrets of in writing, but I can say that it is a massive pain to make. We make it from scratch. It is, honestly, my favorite part of the week, only because it's the only thing I'm expected to do. Unfortunately, it pulls me from the things I usually try to bake on the side. "Alright, give me a second." I gather up all of the ingredients for the frosting, measure it all out perfectly - and I do mean perfectly - and start mixing it in a large bowl. Normally, we would use an automatic mixer for frosting, but according to the Cakes' family recipe, everything is supposed to be done manually. Not that I mind, but I feel bad for everyone in their family line that has had to make this. I suppose the only reason why we're doing this more than once a year is because of me, even if I'm only making the frosting. I have seen the recipe, and this is the only part that would be difficult for any non-unicorn. "Is it done yet?" "Yeah, sorry." I carry the bowl over to Mrs. Cake. She takes it and immediately starts scooping the frosting onto the bare parts of a massive four-tier cake. Mr. Cake leaves the kitchen once she's done. "What do you think, dearie?" "You know what I think." She does. The first time we made this, we had enough ingredients left over for me to bake a single-tier cake. It was like a little slice of heaven. And yes, I did eat the cake as if it was a single slice. Mrs. Cake knows exactly what I'm about to ask, and preempts me. "There's enough left over for you to make a cake big enough for you and Speck." She barely finishes before I pick her up and hug her as tight as I can. Excitedly, I carry her out of the kitchen and shut the door after dropping her off in the lobby. As I lock it, I turn to the kitchen. I am not allowed to write down what happens next, but the results are worthwhile. Nearly an hour and a half later, I emerge from the kitchen with my very own Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness cake. Single-tier, of course. "See you tomorrow, dearie." "No you won't. I get two days off after MMMM week." "Sure thing." She trots past me and into the kitchen. I make my way out of the bakery. An oblivious, inattentive mare bumps into me on the porch. "Oh, excuse me!" Matron Cherry looks up at me. I look down at her. "You're that thing that came to visit a few weeks ago, aren't you? Anonymous, was it?" "Yeah, it's uh... It's March, now." "Oh! Sorry, I could have sworn... Nevermind." She shakes her head for a moment. "So what brings you here?" Small talk. Wonderful. "I work here." "Oh? Well, isn't that wonderful. Could you recommend anything small to me?" "Depends. What's the occasion?" "It's that little filly's birthday today. I figured I'd come by and get her a little something for her." I look down at my cake box for a second. "Don't worry about it. I've been meaning to drop by to see her anyway, so I'll bring this cake with me. Just, uh... let me head back home real quick. I've got something there for her." Matron Cherry nods and turns to head back to the orphanage. I was honestly hoping to get home and relax for the rest of the day. Of course, I know it wouldn't be, considering I live with a very silly, obnoxious, excitable bat-pony. But, as batty as she drives me, I love her to pieces. I cringe a little as my choice of words as I walk home. Recently, the neighborhood children have taken a liking to me, for whatever reason. Several pegasi foals guide a small storm cloud around me, kicking it and firing lightning. They miss, but I'm not entirely sure if that is their intent. Unicorn foals try to tug at my clothes or trip me with their budding magic. The earth-pony foals just latch onto my legs and hips. They abandon me as I pass by their homes. Playing school bus is not high on the list of things I enjoy doing. The last filly, a pegasus, hops off of my back as I pass by her house. A stallion, who I assume is her father, stares at me as I continue walking, just as he does every day. He ducks beneath the windowsill if we make eye-contact. I ignore him as I climb the steps of my own house and walk inside. Strangely enough, the house is dark. I'm caught a little off guard. No messes, no screeching, no hyper bat-pony flying down the stairs our out of the kitchen to hug me and ask about my day. Speck must have gone out for a walk or went to the library. I'll have to drop by there on the way to the orphanage. Regardless of where she is, I make my way to my study, where I've been keeping the chests from the tower. I pull all of the little puzzle cubes out of their chest and stuff them into a saddlebag. Slinging the bag over my shoulder, I grab the cake and head back out. Everyone in Ponyville is starting to get ready for the fall weather. Between gathering up yarn and wool for scarves and hats, or shopping if they aren't able to craft their own clothing, they have little time to acknowledge me. Using this to my advantage, I rush through the town on my way to the library. "March!" Reverie greets me as I step into her domain. She nearly pounces on me, but stops herself as she notices the box in my hands. "Hey, Reverie. Have you seen Speck around? She wasn't at home." She shakes her head and shrugs. "Nope. Haven't seen her around at all. You're still coming to visit when Princess Twilight and the others come by, right?" "Of course. Next month, right?" "Yup!" "I'll be there. Sorry I can't stay longer, I'm kind of already late for something." She nods and waves as I leave. So much for finding Speck and dragging her to the orphanage. If she wasn't at home, and she wasn't at the library, then I have no clue where she could be. The sun is starting to set, too, so I don't really have time to run around the town and try to find her. With a disappointed sigh, I walk to the orphanage. Matron Cherry waits for me at the entrance, just as expected. "Did you find what you were looking for?" She asks me as we walk inside. "Yeah. Figured I've been meaning to give the kid something I found in Canterlot since I got back. I was going to bring someone with me, but I couldn't find her." "Well, that's alright. She doesn't really like too many ponies around her." "I understand." Matron Cherry leads me to the basement, where I first met the bat filly. It is much cooler than the first time I was here, most likely due to the weather cooling down outside, and the orphanage being an orphanage. The sound of metal tinkering fills my ears as we descend into the dark. The little filly sits at the desk, silhouetted by her lamp, as she fixes whatever toys are laid out in front of her. Matron Cherry flips a switch on the wall, turning the lights on. She sighs and stops with her task as we approach her. "Miss Cherry, I told you I wanted to be left alone today." "I'm sorry, sweetie, but you have a visitor. He brought cake." The filly grumbles softly and turns around. She nearly jumps out of her coat as she looks up at me, and I fear she'll throw something at me and try to hide, just like she did last time. Instead, thankfully, she just stares. "Hey, kiddo. I brought some cake. I heard it was your birthday, so I came by to see you." I step beside the desk and set the cake box down. "I brought some things from Canterlot, too. Some stuff I had a long time ago. Figured you might like them." I extract the puzzle cubes from my bag and place them beside the cake. The filly just stares at me, her mouth slightly open in a confused manner. She glances between the cake and me, tears starting to form in her eyes. She reaches her hooves out to me. I take one into my hand, and she pulls my arm into a hug. "Thanks, mister. I've never had anyone come visit me on my birthday, or... ever, really." "Well, happy birthday, kid. Can I sit down?" She nods and hops out of the chair. I sit down as the matron turns to walk back toward the stairs. She tries to give me alone time with the filly, so I'll get to know her and adopt her. The filly climbs up into my lap and snuggles against me. As weird as it is, I don't object. I can't imagine how she feels, alone on her birthday, with no friends or family to spend it with. "What are these?" She stands up in my lap and reaches for one of the puzzle cubes. "They're puzzles. You twist their sides around, until every side is the same color, or you guide the little metal ball through a maze." She picks one of the colored cubes up and starts twisting it around. Her tongue sticks out of her mouth as she observes how each piece moves and takes notes on them. I am content to sit back and watch her. The matron returns from wherever she disappeared to with a couple of plates and forks, a short while after the filly finishes jotting notes down for the puzzle. "I think I've got it," she mutters as she starts twisting the sides quickly. "I used to try for weeks just to solve one of those. I never could get it. But, you seem to be a smart kid, maybe it'll only take you one or two we-" She holds the cube up to me. I take it and turn it over. Sure enough, the kid solved it. "Is that right? I wasn't sure if the algorithm would work." "Yeah, it's... it's definitely right." Matron Cherry leaves with naught but a giggle. I just stare at the cube, completely perplexed. "How'd you figure it out so quickly?" "Well, -" she holds her paper up to me, "- all I really had to do was turn it a few times in a few combinations to see how each individual piece moved in relation to the center of the sides, figure out how to get one side the same color, and then from there it was really just the same thing, but with fewer moves per side, since the others were already solved. The last side was the hardest, and it had a lot more manipulation, but fewer moves, and... uhm..." She falls silent and looks away with a blush. "I'm sorry, mister. I know a lot of ponies don't like bat-ponies, and all of my dumb math talk doesn't help." "I like bat-ponies. And math. It was one of my favorite subjects in school." She smiles as I give the cube back to her. "Matter of fact, there was someone I wanted you to meet, but she disappeared. I'll try to bring her by tomorrow after you get out of school, alright?" "Alright." The filly grins as wide as I've ever seen a pony grin. She definitely beats Speck in the heart-melting adorableness category. "Do you think I'll ever be adopted?" "A kid as smart and cute as you? Please. It's a wonder you haven't been adopted already." She frowns and turns back to the desk. "It's cause I'm different." A soft sniffle sounds in front of me. I hug her tight. She squeaks. "I'm different too. Remember when you first saw me? You ran and hid. That didn't stop me from coming back, did it?" "No." "And I'm not bad, am I?" "No." She starts to giggle. "See, I even brought you a cake. A really good cake, too. You ever hear of the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness cake?" She shakes her head. "Well, you're about to taste the best cake in the world." As we open the box, I realize I never cut the cake, didn't bring a knife, and the matron forgot to give us one. The filly looks up at me in anticipation. "What's wrong, mister?" "I don't have anything to cut the cake with." "Oh. I have fishing line in the bottom right drawer." She points to my right. "If you hold the line taut, you can cut the cake pretty easily." I reach down and open the drawer. Inside are a bunch of tools, rags, and a spool of fishing line. I take a length of the line and cut it before twisting it around my fingers. As I pull it tight, I use the line to gently saw into the cake and cut it into equal pieces. "Huh. I guess that worked out pretty well. It's a good thing one of us is resourceful." She grins from ear to ear as I put a piece of cake up with a fork and place it onto one of the plates. Before I can put a piece on my own plate, the little filly has already eaten half of her slice. She has table manners that rival Speck's: no use of utensils, and she has her face shoved into the plate. I think it might be how they eat in private. Speck hasn't done this in public more than one or two times. "Mister?" I look down at the filly, just as I start to cut into my slice of cake. "Can I have another piece?" "Of course." She grins as I use her fork to pick another piece up and place it on her plate. She only manages half of this piece by the time I've finished with mine. With a soft groan, the filly rests her back against me, her head propped up against my shoulder. "That was too much cake." She grumbles softly as she covers her face with her hooves. "You can always save it for later." The filly looks up at me like I just gave her a million bits. "Thanks, mister. Can we play a game?" I check my watch: six o'clock. "I'd love to, but it's getting late. How about tomorrow? I might be able to convince a special friend of mine to come with me." "Sure!" The filly nods ecstatically. She hops out of my lap as I stand up from her desk. Hot on my heels, she follows me up the stairs and into the lobby. Matron Cherry sits at her desk with a smile, a stack of paperwork sitting neatly piled in front of her. The filly and I walk over to the desk. The mare gives me a small packet of papers and grins as I start flipping through them. "Yes?" I nod a little bit and purse my lips as I flip through the packet. I don't read a single word, because I already know what it is. "No." I bop the mare on the head with the papers and set them down on her desk. The filly looks up with a disappointed squeak. "Mister? Miss Cherry said you were gonna adopt me today." I make the mistake of looking down at the filly. Tears well up in her eyes as she reaches for my hand. I pick her up and hug her close to my chest. "I'm not really in a good position for that kind of thing. Plus, we don't really know each other that well. I don't even know your name." Matron Cherry recoils as I shoot her a nasty glare. What kind of monster tells a kid they're going to be adopted, when they know it most likely isn't going to happen? "It's Sirocca." "Sirocca? Alright. Well, I'll tell you what. I'll come visit you every day, starting tomorrow when I bring my friend, until you get adopted, alright?" She sniffles a little bit and nods with a slight smile. "Okay." Sirocca scampers off with an excited giggle. She's a resilient kid. "You might as well adopt her. Bat-ponies get attached very easily." "I'll think about it." Spending some time with the kid has definitely swayed me. I don't know what Speck will say, or how she'd react at all. "It isn't even a decision I can make alone. My partner hasn't met the kid yet." "Understandable." Matron Cherry smiles an innocent smile at me. I stare at her, completely dumbfounded. "Then, why are you drafting up paperwork and telling the kid I'm going to adopt her?" "It doesn't hurt to be hopeful!" "You gave the kid false hope." "Did I?" "Yes. I would think telling the kid that she's going to be adopted, on her birthday, no less, constitutes false hope." "Regardless of what I did and did not do, you made her day. You said you'll be back tomorrow?" I nod, still off-put by this mare. "The papers will be waiting!" I turn from the mare, whom I had thought to be somewhat normal the first time I met her. I can understand being hopeful and trying to get the kids adopted off, but she is much too straight-forward and pushy about it. I'll definitely be visiting Sirocca every day, if only to make sure she's doing well. A brisk wind nips at me as I start walking back home. It is rare that I can walk through Ponyville with only myself for company. This evening seems to bless me with just such a blue moon. As the sun sets, the windows of houses glow as I pass by them. Inside, families sit down for their evening meals, cozy and warm, happy that they're all together, safe and sound. Parents play with their children, or lie on their living room floors, reading stories to young fillies and colts. I furrow my brow as I walk, curious as to why I am noticing things that would never catch my eye. Once I reach the door to my house, a thought occurs to me. Matron Cherry put some kind of psychological spell on me that's going to make me slowly notice things about other ponies' families, until I decide to adopt Sirocca. That witch! I have to stifle a laugh at such an absurd thought as I unlock the door and walk inside. The house is as dark as I left it. "Speck?" No answer. I shut and lock the door behind me. I take my shoes off and set them by the wall before I tip-toe through the house. I round the corner to the right, into the kitchen. It is spotless and Speckless. I walk across the foyer, into the living room. It is in the same condition. Checking the back rooms, I am met with the same outcome. No bat-pony, and nothing out of place. The eerie silence of the house spooks me a little, so I crouch a little bit and clench my hands into fists. Time to check upstairs. I make my way back to the foyer and quickly and quietly rush up the stairs. I decide to start with Speck's bedroom. I should say her old bedroom. Her brick room. The room's only purpose is to store her bricks. Nomenclature aside, I push the door open as slowly as I possibly can. Of course, I'm met with nothing but bricks lining the walls. None of them are stacked in a way that anyone could hide. Shutting the door behind me, I leave the room to check the third bedroom and the bathroom. The third bedroom is completely empty, and its closet sits wide open. The bathroom is also empty. I even check behind the shower curtain. Only one room left. Our bedroom. I take a deep breath and tip-toe toward the door. I wrap my hand around the knob, twist slowly, and open the door. The closet door stands wide open, just like I left it this morning. Evening light filters through the window, onto the bed. On the bed, lies my goofy bat-pony with her forelegs folded to her chest, and her hind legs stretched up into the air. She smiles just as softly as the light that engulfs her. "You're home late," she says in a hushed tone. "Busy day?" "Sort of. Were you here about an hour ago?" She nods. "Hm. I dropped by, trying to find you, but the house was all quiet and dark. What've you been doing all day?" "I've been up here, doing this." She moves her legs like she's riding a bicycle. "What is 'this?" "It's relaxing." She pats the bed beside her. "Come here." I cautiously approach the bed. She beckons me to lie beside her. I oblige. "So, tell me how this is relaxing?" "I can't. You have to try it." "Fine." "Alright. Fold your arms on your chest and raise your legs." With a disgruntled sigh, I obey her. "This is stupid. I feel stupid. I don't even see how this-" "Shh. Close your eyes and relax." I close my eyes. The only way this could get any stupider is if she tells me to start kicking my legs. We lie silently for a moment, and I feel myself almost nod off until she speaks. "Now, kick your legs." My eyes snap open as the bed starts to rock. I look over to see Speck flail her hind hooves as she snickers to herself. "Come on, March!" "No." She whines at me. I roll my eyes and start kicking my legs. It... works, surprisingly. I feel like I'm kicking all of my stress and frustration out into the air. Either Speck is a wizard, like Pingpong, or Equestria has some kind of de-stressing magic that I never noticed. Or I'm going a little bit crazy. Probably that. Speck flops her legs down onto the bed with a sigh. "You know what. That actually worked, Speck. I really needed that." "Good! Now that you're relaxed, we can do something fun and exciting!" She starts bouncing on the bed. I feel my heart seize and my vision start to dim. This is it. This is how she kills me. "March?" "Tomorrow. We'll do something fun and exciting tomorrow, alright?" She lands on her belly and lays her head on my chest. "Okay. But... can we do something fun and exciting now?" "Depends on what you have in mind." She nuzzles into my neck and drags a hoof over my chest. A sly smile plays across her lips. "Cuddles and a story?" "I think I can deal with that." I reach over to my nightstand and grab a book off of it. Its bookmark falls out of place as I open to the page we left off last night. Speck listens intently as I read, never relenting until late into the evening after she's fallen asleep. Something tells me that tomorrow is going to be a bit of an adventure itself.