There's something both exciting and frightening about holding a little black box that contained all of my savings in the form of a ring. Years of taking odd jobs and searching for the absolute perfect engagement ring for my perfect marefriend, Parasol, finally culminated to this moment!
Under my right wing, I carried that little box close to my body so I could feel its outline against my side. A piece of jewelry could never have fully expressed my love for her, but it was darn close! I had been all over Equestria to look at the selection in every store I could find, and there it was, in Ponyville all along. There was a skip in my step as I trotted down the street toward our meet-up destination.
"Hey, Silver Script!" a stallion on my right called, waving. "Today's the day?" He winked.
I winked back at him and tapped one hoof to the side of my muzzle. "Just might be!"
"Atta boy! It's about time!"
I laughed. Yes, it was about time. We had been together five years and for the past three I had been on the hunt for the ring and working on the perfect poem to propose with. Scriptwriting was my true talent, so crafting a poem was more than a bit of a struggle for me. She was worth it, though. Every bit, every second, all of it spent for her.
In hindsight, there is a good reason why ponies say never to put all your bits in one box. Or, if they don’t say it, they really should start. I had to learn it the hard way.
Parasol sat at a table for two outside our favorite restaurant, Haut-Savoir. She was a beautiful mare, and my heart fluttered with joy at the mere sight of her. My fiancée-to-be.
"Sweetest love, hello again," I singsonged as I approached her from behind. As I rounded her, I placed a kiss on her cheek and continued, "on this auspicious day! My feelings, simple and plain, I can no longer keep at bay..." I dropped down onto bended knee, removed the box from its hiding place, and opened it to reveal the ring inside. "My wife, I ask you to be, if you'll agree to marry me."
"Oh, Silvy..." Here it was! My new life was about to begin! "I'm sorry, but..."
The look on her face was not elated or anything I expected. There were no tears in her eyes. Instead she almost looked... pitying. Confusion gripped me and I remained where I was, still holding the box in my hooves.
"Sorry?" I swallowed. "Why?" The question escaped me not like a wistful sigh, but more like a rock. A big, heavy rock dropped into a pool of depression that I knew I was about to fall into right after it, judging by how she was, in fact, not accepting my proposal.
She looked at me with those orange eyes I loved. "I like you. I really do, I just, well. You're not the pony I want to spend forever with, is all."
My wings drooped, my heart ached, and my brain screamed, You two-bit dam! I guess I was keen on driving the knife in further because I asked, "Why did you wait five years to tell me this?"
She shrugged. "Because I haven't had any better offers? There aren’t a lot of stallions around here that aren’t farm ponies, and—"
The confusion and hurt coiled around my emotions like barbed wire and agitated me into anger. "You two-bit dam," I spat. My brain rejoiced.
She gasped and raised a hoof to slap me, but I turned and jumped into the air before she could. Why let her get in another hit when I was already down?
My wings carried me away and in the safety of the open skies. Far and away from Ponyville, I let the hurt out. My vision went blurry with tears and my breathing grew ragged. I pulled my foreleg back, then threw that little black box of expensive pain away. I hoped it landed on some happy couple and knocked one of them out cold. I'm not exactly proud to admit I smiled at the idea of that ring ruining somepony else's day, too.
I yelled incoherently at the empty space around me. I think I was trying to exclaim "How could you, Parasol" but I'm not sure if the words came out right. It may have been more like "How could you, you heartless daughter of a worthless nag!" But that doesn't seem very fair to her mother, so maybe my memory is just messing with me. It is fickle that way.
Exhausted from the emotions surging through my veins, I collapsed onto the nearest cloud. It was in the early phases of rain, just starting to turn from fluffy white to dreary grey, so it seemed like an appropriate place to rest. I wanted to just lay there forever until I could no longer feel. The cloud rumbled beneath me and grew so dark it turned almost black.
"Sorry," I mumbled, patting the emotional sponge. "You're going to be one heck of a nuisance for somepony."
One wing extended and flapped, sending the cloud in some direction. Any direction. I was heading away from Ponyville, and that was all that mattered to me.
I felt hurt. Betrayed. Foolish. Angry. But I didn't want to feel anything at all. I just wanted to sleep and never wake up...
...
The tickle of electricity followed by a crack of thunder awoke me from my coma-like slumber. Or perhaps I was roused by the feminine yelp right after that hit my ears. I scooted to the edge of the cloud and peered below to see a pink mare peering back up at me.
Great, a mare. Just what I needed right then.
"Hey, buddy!" she called. "Mind moving that elsewhere? I've got groceries and you're blocking my path!"
I blinked a few times to clear my groggy vision and took in the situation carefully. The mare was standing under the awning outside a grocery store, and the rain from my cloud was like a curtain in front of her. She tapped a hoof impatiently.
I blinked again. "Yeah. Sorry." I flapped a few times to direct my little patch of anti-sunshine away from the mare. When I looked down again, she had stepped out from under the awning, but was still looking at me. "What now?" I asked, frowning.
She rolled her eyes. "What is it with pegasi and bad moods? I swear." She sighed and shook her head. Her mane was tied up in a bun, but two strands were free to frame the sides of her face.
She had a pretty face… Too bad for her, though. I was feeling pretty bitter about pretty faces at that moment. "What’s your point?"
"My point is, I was going to ask if there was anything I could help you with, but if that’s your attitude, then forget it." She turned and walked away.
It was more of a prance, really, or maybe a little haughty dance. She was mocking me, wasn’t she? She had to be. I scowled at her backside and thought about bucking my cloud over her, but that would require more energy than I had right then, so instead I laid back down and tried to sleep.
Of course, when you have a rumbling, grumbling storm cloud for a bed, and your stomach is making the same rumbling, grumbling sounds, going to sleep isn't always easy. Seeing the fruits and vegetables poking out from that mare's saddlebags must have reminded my body of the concept of hunger.
I sighed and got off the cloud, pushing it to send it on out of the city limits. Unscheduled storm clouds generally weren't allowed to be left unsupervised in residential areas, after all.
It seemed like serendipity that the cloud had taken me just above that grocery store, which I descended to and entered. On the other hoof, I had never spent much time outside Ponyville, so grocery stores were unfamiliar territory. I had to take a moment to look around in awe. There were shelves upon shelves of food the likes of which I'd only heard about. We just didn't carry these sorts of things back home. Canterlot really knew how to go all-out!
"If you'd like to buy something, please get out of the doorway," the clerk behind the counter said, one brow raised. "If you’re just browsing, then please get out of my store." My shock must have shown on my face when I looked at him because he sighed and muttered, "Stupid backwater farm ponies."
Anger surged through me like I had been branded with a hot iron. I felt it first in my chest before it spread to the very tips of my hooves and I yelled, "I am not a farm pony!" I glared at the clerk and turned to leave. "Ignorant, self-absorbed Canterlot snob!"
The door shut behind me and my stomach made me painfully aware that it would have rathered I had not insulted the gatekeeper to a meal. Then, a thought struck me and I slapped a hoof to my face, groaning at the newfound realization.
I had no bits on me. Everything I had saved up had been spent on that ring, and there was no way I was going to find it after I had thrown it off to who knew where. For the time being, I needed to find a way to get some bits or, at least for the time being, some free food… and Canterlot wasn't exactly known for its generosity.
I started to walk up the street and examined the nearby shops along the way while I gave my situation more thought. I couldn't stay in Canterlot, and I definitely couldn't go back to Ponyville for a while, so what were my options? My parents lived in Cloudsdale, but forget that! Hers did, too.
The far ends of Equestria were starting to sound appealing to me when my nose caught whiff of something sweet and my stomach demanded I follow the smell. I knew anything that smelled that good would cost more than a smile, and that was all I had to offer. However, ponies that made pastries had to be nice, right? A glance upward revealed that the bakery was called Sunridge Sweets. That sounded like a nice place.
A little bell chimed, and a stallion behind the counter greeted me with a cheerful "Hello!" and a sincere smile. Given his friendly disposition and that he was an earth pony, I had a feeling—or, at least, a hope—that he wasn't a Canterlot native.
"Hello there!" I approached the counter. "I am in a bit of a bind, and I was hoping you might be so kind as to help me out, good sir."
The stallion blinked and tilted his head. "Okay?"
I paused to collect my thoughts, then explained, "My marefriend broke up with me after I spent all of my bits on a ring with which I proposed, and I lost the ring. And now I'm hungry after smelling your wonderful pastries, but I haven't a single bit to my name."
"So..." The stallion quirked a brow. "You’re looking for a free hoof-out?"
I nodded and smiled. "That would seem to be the situation I'm in, sir."
“Oops,” a feminine voice said from the other room behind the counter. “I broke this cookie while frosting it!" Her tone was anything but honest, yet still playful. "I guess I'll have to throw it away." A familiar pink head poked out and into view, familiar mauve strands framing her familiar face. "Hey, you. Can you throw this away for me?" She raised a hoof and tossed a perfectly fine-looking cookie my way.
I fumbled trying to catch it with both hooves, my gaze instead focused on her. "You—" I frowned. "You're the grocery mare."
"No, I'm Velvet Step." She grinned and walked around the counter, glancing up at the stallion that quietly observed her. "It's okay, Dad, I'll take care of him."
Dad? Of course. I just had to walk into the bakery belonging to the parents of a mare I may have offended! She did give me a free cookie—which I had already scarfed down and it was delicious—so perhaps she wasn't all that mad.
"Come on," she said, hooking her foreleg with mine and leading me over to a nearby table. "Let's have a chat."
I shrugged and allowed her to lead me. "I'm willing to chat for more cookies. Or maybe something more substantial like a muffin?"
Velvet laughed. "We'll see about that!" She slid onto one of the stools and after I followed suit, she continued, "So, bad break-up, huh?"
My ears swiveled back and pinned against my mane. "I don't really want to talk about that."
Velvet raised her brow. "You already did, so you might as well keep it up if you want a muffin."
"Fine," I relented with a sigh. "Yes, bad break-up."
"Tell me about it." She hooked her forehooves together and rested her muzzle on them, smiling.
"Why?" I frowned. What was she, some kind of sadist?
Another laugh escaped her and she rolled her eyes. "The faster you cooperate, the faster you can get fed. Depending on your situation, I might have an offer for you."
"An offer?" I stalled.
Unfortunately, she seemed immune to stalling. "Tell me about the break-up."
I leaned back and looked away from her, instead taking in the interior of the bakery. A black-and-white checkerboard floor stood out against the bright walls of pink and white stripes. While the display counter and tables were white, the chairs were black with intricate scrollwork, like a fancy Prench cafe.
Prench, like Haut-Savoir.
My wings clasped in tight to my sides and, finally, my gaze returned to her. "I've been dating a mare for five years, finally proposed, and she rejected me. Does that sum it up for you?" My gut wrenched when her mouth wriggled, then she burst into laughter. I tried to hide my hurt feelings and slight embarrassment by scowling. "What's so funny?"
"Five years?" she managed between laughter and gasps for air. "You waited five years to propose? What the hay were you waiting for, the stars to align?"
I crossed my hooves over my chest and jerked my gaze away. This conversation was quickly going way past sour. "What does it matter? It turns out if somepony better looking or richer or whatever it was she was after came along, she would have left me. I was just the best apple within reach on the tree." The metaphor made me wince. That's the sort of metaphor a farm pony would have used, and my chest grew tight with ache and anger.
Velvet wiped her eyes, her laughter calming down to giggles. "Sounds like her loss! Come on, I'll get some muffins, then we can talk some more."
"I like the first part of that," I grumbled, but she didn’t seem to hear me, instead walking away to go back behind the counter.
I contemplated just leaving. After all, she was clearly just trying to get some sick, twisted enjoyment out of my plight. But the moment I moved to flee, my stomach cramped up to protest the potential loss of muffins. I sighed and settled back down into my seat just as she came back with a box balanced on her back.
"First, I'll need you to run an errand for me," she said, smiling.
"Muffin first." I held out a hoof.
Velvet raised a brow and said in an annoyingly coquettish way, "I said I'd get muffins, not that I'd give you muffins. These aren't for you. I need you to be our delivery colt, because we've got our hooves full here." Without waiting for me to accept or reject the request, or even acknowledge that she had spoken, she pushed the box to me. "The post office is just up the road if you turn right. Can't miss it. Take these there, then bring the payment back if you want something for yourself."
She stood in front of me with a harrowing expression of utmost seriousness. "And if you run off with these muffins, I'll give your description to them. You don't want the whole Canterlot Post Office squad after your flank, do you?" The seriousness was quickly replaced by a smile. "Okay, get along, then!"
What sort of crazy, scheming mare had I gotten myself attached to? I groaned but my hooves forced me to walk to the door, apparently in cahoots with my stomach. Traitors, the whole lot of them.
Wait, attached? No, no, no! I was attached to the promise of a muffin, not to the mare that gave the promise. Or at least made the tempting offer. She hadn't really made any promises by that point, I realized too late.
I could smell the freshly baked muffins resting on my back as I walked along the streets in the direction she had given me. What was really stopping me from taking off? They didn't know my name. Equestria was a pretty big place, after all.
Of course, mailponies were some of the most dedicated workers across any career. Rain or shine, snow or sleet, they would suffer through any weather just to deliver one letter.
With a sigh, I kept walking. Good job, Silver. You've been single for less than twenty-four hours and you're already entangled with a mare. And now she has you doing errands for her.
The post office was indeed hard to miss. Aside from the big sign that stated exactly what it was, there were lots of ponies wearing mail carrier uniforms coming and going. When I got closer, a few noticed me and—more specifically—the box on my back. I guess it was a popular bakery or something, because they immediately stopped what they were doing to follow me inside.
"Delivery from, uh—" My mind drew a blank.
"Sunridge Sweets!" the stallion behind the counter filled in for me, his hooves outstretched to take the box. "Right on time! Though, where's Velvet?" He paused to eye me with what seemed like suspicion.
"Busy," I replied, trying to shake off the feeling of so many gazes on me. It was like I didn't belong. Well, technically, I didn't. Not in this role, in this building, or even in this city. But how did they know that?
After a moment, the stallion chuckled. "She always is. Nice of her to keep helping out her folks, though." He reached under the counter and retrieved a small pouch of bits that he tossed my way. "Thanks for the muffins!"
I could barely take a step away from the counter before the mailponies swooped in like they hadn't eaten in weeks. Well, for how hard they work, maybe they hadn't. I just decided to get out while I still had all my feathers intact, payment in hoof.
Standing outside, I looked up at the sun, then at the pouch of bits. One simple errand and I had enough to get some of those muffins for myself. Plus, it didn't feel like my money, really. I had run an errand for the bakery. Technically it was theirs.
I made my way back to Sunridge Sweets, pausing at the door to glance around. I wasn’t in a picky mood, but I still wanted to get an idea of what seemed to be popular here. The place was absolutely full of ponies eating muffins, cookies, cupcakes, and other little pastries. Some even had milkshakes or smoothies. The group of foals in the corner sitting at the colorful little tables and chairs sized just for them were devouring a plate of ooey, gooey chocolate chip cookies.
All of it looked delicious, nothing seemed more popular than anything else, and my stomach urged me to take a place in line.
Before I could make it to the counter, however, Velvet appeared at my side with another box on her back. "How did it go?"
I glanced at her. She wasn't looking at me. "Fine. I got the bits, so now I'm back for muffins."
"Great!" She shifted to pick up the box and held it out to me. "Deliver these to 221B Baker Street. Just go left and follow this road until it curves around, then take the first right. It's the big condominium building straight ahead."
My stomach growled, and so did I. "My muffins first."
Velvet eyed me with a small grin playing on her muzzle. "Fine, but then you'll have to make the delivery."
"What's stopping me from taking my muffins and leaving?" I asked as I took a step forward in line, returning my gaze to her father behind the counter as he helped another pony.
"What's stopping you?" she repeated, then hummed in thought. "I guess nothing, but you don't seem like the type of pony to just walk away when somepony asks him for a favor."
My wings flicked in close to my sides. No, I wasn't. "How can you be so sure of that? We just met."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her struggling against a wicked grin. "Because you dated a mare for five years that didn't love you. That kind of makes you a pushover."
Anger flared in my chest and I wanted to yell at her, but the fire fizzled out just as it started to roar. She wasn't exactly wrong. I had given Parasol everything I had, and now I was left with nothing. What was the use in fighting about it?
I felt all the energy drain from me and I turned my head away from her. "Fine. Muffins, then delivery."
"Great, thanks!"
When I glanced over, she was still standing beside me, staring at me, not seeming the least inclined to leave. It was like she was waiting for something, so I asked, "What?"
Her brow furrowed for a brief moment, then she scrunched up her nose. "What did you like about her?"
I blinked. What did I like about her? Parasol? It'd be easier to answer what I didn't like about her—the fact she didn't like me. Everything else was perfect. The way she laughed, the way she smiled, the way she was afraid of thunder but loved lightning...
Velvet's expression softened. "Oh, wow. You really did love her."
I blinked again. "Huh? What?"
"Your eyes." She raised a hoof and gestured at my face with it. "I've seen that look in them before." The hoof lowered to rest on my shoulder. "I'm sorry."
And with that, she finally left my side, disappearing around the counter and into the kitchen. I could still feel the weight of her dainty hoof on my shoulder. I shivered to try to chase away the sensation.
"Sorry about her," the stallion behind the counter said. "She can be a little off-putting, but she's not a bad pony."
I looked up at him and tried to smile, but something inside of me felt strange. "Oh, uh, no worries." Wasn't he her father? Of course he'd say she wasn't a bad pony. I shrugged. "Anyway, can I have some muffins?"
"Sure!" He tapped a hoof on his side of the display case. "What kind?"
Stomach growled as loud as it possibly could. I winced. "I do not care as long as it gets in my mouth sooner rather than later." Setting the bag of bits on the counter, I added, "However many I can get with this much."
With a laugh, he grabbed a variety of muffins—six in total—and put them in a box that he gave to me. "Enjoy!"
I could only nod in response as I juggled both my box and the one Velvet had given me over to the nearest unoccupied table for two. All sense of dignity was lost the moment I picked up one of my muffins and shoved the entire thing in my mouth.
And, apparently, all sense of reason was lost, too. Muffins, while delicious, aren't intended to be eaten whole. And I realized in that moment just how thirsty I was. No matter how moist the muffin was—and it was so absolutely wonderful—it stood no chance to dehydration. My eyes went wide as I looked around, only to discover Velvet walking toward me with a glass of water and a smug expression.
"Here," she said, laughing when I couldn't stop myself from snatching the glass, swallowing the giant mass of muffin, and chugging the water to ease the pain of that much muffin going down my throat all at once. She slid into the seat across from me and leaned back. "So, what do you do? When you're not making storm clouds and begging for hoof-outs, that is."
"Why?" I managed in a raspy voice and took another long drink of water.
Velvet shrugged. "I told you before. I might have an offer for you depending on your situation."
She had said something like that, hadn't she? I thought that was just about the delivery, but apparently there was something else. One ear flicked and I sighed. "I'm a scriptwriter. I write scripts for films."
"Films?" Her nose scrunched up before she laughed. "Like, that's it? That's all you do? How do you make enough money doing that?"
My mouth wanted to say something, but I shoved a muffin in it before it could. I wasn't quite ready to offend her and get kicked out of the bakery. She seemed like the type of mare that would take away my muffins before showing me the door.
Finally and carefully, I replied, "There's not a lot of work, but when there is, it pays well enough to make up for it."
Her amusement faded into something that seemed contemplative. "Oh, cool." She drummed her hooves before she reached across the table and pulled my box over to her, closing the lid. "Can you do that delivery now?"
I tried to glare at her, but it was difficult to look irritated when my cheeks were full of muffin. "Ahm eatin'."
"And I'm trying to help my parents run a business here." She waved a hoof. "The faster you get it done, the faster you can eat."
That seemed to be her favorite phrase. Hurry up and do what she wants, then I get what I want. Throughout the day, every time I sat down to eat, I could barely finish one of my muffins before she'd come over with another box and another question. She wanted to know about my foalhood, my failure of a relationship, my future plans, my desire to stay in Canterlot, and—
"Excuse me?" I asked.
"Where are you staying tonight," she repeated as she trotted over to the bakery doors to flip the 'Open' sign to 'Closed'. "Like, a hotel? A friend's place? That angry cloud of yours?"
My brow furrowed as I watched her move about the bakery to stack chairs onto the tables while her parents cleaned up in the back room. Sunbeam and Pepper Ridge were their names, I'd learned over the course of the day. They seemed nice. Velvet, on the other hoof, was strange. She still is, but that's part of her charm.
I gave a shrug and set about helping her stack the chairs. "I don't know yet. I hadn't really thought that far ahead."
"Cool," was her response. It was strange like the rest of her. She didn't ask or say anything else until her father came around the corner and called her over. They whispered back and forth; I couldn't make out the words, but he sounded concerned and kept glancing at me.
Did he think I was hitting on her? I tried to look casual, like a pony who had no interest in her whatsoever. I leaned against the wall, then frowned. Wait, what was I doing? I could just leave. I should just leave. Deliveries were finished, my stomach was sated, and she had let me keep some of the bits from the work I'd done.
My ears perked at a thought. Perhaps I had the situation all wrong. Maybe today had been some kind of weird interview and she was going to let me work full-time as a delivery colt. Not what I wanted to do long term, but I'd at least get paid.
Finally, with the box on her back, Velvet came over to me and nodded her head toward the door to indicate she wanted me to follow. I complied, if only because on the off-chance this was a job interview, I wanted to do well.
Instead of more questions, however, she walked, and I followed. Was she on a delivery? I glanced over the box on her back. There wasn't any address or order number written on it, though.
The silence grew too much and I couldn't help but blurt out, "Is this part of the job interview?" I slapped a hoof over my mouth and winced. Oh, smooth move. Nopony had said it was a job interview. And the confused yet amused look on her face pretty much confirmed it wasn't.
Finally, Velvet giggled. Why did it have to be so cute? "It’s not a job interview. It's a personal interview."
I blinked as my hoof lowered. "A 'personal' interview? What even is that?"
Velvet hummed for a moment, her gaze lifting to the sky in thought before it dropped back down to the road ahead. We were approaching a set of condominium buildings, which started to raise my hackles. I had enough sense to be suspicious of them, even if I didn't know why at the time.
"It's an interview to be my roommate," she finally said.
That stopped me dead in my tracks. "Your what?"
"My roommate," she repeated, continuing forward. "You don't have to pay any rent. I'll take care of groceries, though if you want anything special, you're on your own for that." She opened the door that led into the building, waiting for me to catch up.
I did. I still don't know why I didn't just turn around and leave right then and there, but instead I followed her, despite my better judgment. Rooming with a mare I had just met? The very idea was preposterous!
"Anyway, I have a two bedroom condo and there's only one of me. I'm doing pretty well financially so I can afford to let you live like a leech. So, it’s up to you." She stopped outside a door and turned to look at me. "You can live here with me, free rent, free food, total freedom, or you can take these muffins and walk away. Of course, if you stay, you also get the muffins. As thanks for your help today."
She paused, then corrected, "What I mean is, the muffins aren't part of the deal. A completely free lifestyle is, though."
We stared at each other in silence while I thought it over. It was a really good offer. In fact, it was too good to believe. What did she get out of it? Was she just lonely in the condo by herself? No, the smirk on her lips suggested there was something else, but what?
I eyed her with what I think was reasonable suspicion. "What's the catch?"
Velvet lifted her nose in the air and turned to the door. One hoof fiddled with the lock and once the door creaked open, she flicked her tail in my face. "Don't fall in love with me."
Fall in love? With her? After what I'd already been through, the idea of another relationship turned my stomach. Yes, she was cute, and she was giving me way more than I could ask for, but that didn't change how I felt.
"Oh, don't worry," I muttered under my breath as I rolled my eyes and followed her inside. "There's no way in Tartarus that's going to happen."