"Goblet, you MUST wake up! Your father requests your presence!" Rose urged, shaking her awake. Rose was the only one Goblet let do that.
"Okay, alright! I'm up and coming!" Goblet pushed her away and drowsily got up. She yawned as Rose trotted here and there, grabbing clothes and jewelry. She looked rather nervous. Goblet knew why.
"Rose, my father knows how hard it is to wake me up. He won't mind if you are a few minutes late!" she insisted.
"Sure, sure, but it's always good to be on time." Rose retorted. Goblet sighed and shook her head. The same answer. Every time. What more did she expect?
So she reluctantly let Rose put on a very light green dress, with a shorter yellow dress over top to make it look pretty. A necklace, golden earrings, and green veil to keep the hot sun off her eyes, and a light yellow paint on her eyes, she was set. Well, not quite, according to Rose. her hair was brought back and Rose expertly twisted strands together and held them in place with a green, emerald clip.
As Rose escorted her to her and her Father's favorite meeting place, the fountain in the Lily Garden, Rose tugged on strands of Goblet's mane, adjusted the veil, and flicked stray eyelashes off her cheeks.
"Rose! I look fine! Thanks to all your meticulous grooming, I'm well set so leave off!" Goblet said in annoyance.
"Fine! Fine. But if someone scoffs at your appearance, don't blame me." Rose retorted.
Goblet sighed and shook her head, then motioned for Rose to wait for her by the gate.
She smiled at the guard, who smiled back, and went inside to her father. She was always friendly with the servants and the guards.
"Hello dear. You look wonderful." her father greeted her. She smiled sheepishly.
"Thanks, but really, Rose would be better fit with that compliment." she said, and kissed his cheek.
"Darling, I have been thinking, and I've decided that you need a guard."
What?
"A..guard? Why?" Rose had brought up the same thing....
"Rose just mentioned it to me, and I thought it was probably a good idea." her father answered. Goblet smiled. That was her Rose. Always looking out for her.
"She's sweet to say so, but I don't really need one...." I said.
"But me and your mother both have one, so I think you'd do good with one. He will follow you at a distance, disguise himself as needed, but will ultimately be your guard and defend you with his life." he said.
"Well, who is my new guard?" I asked.
"I haven't found one yet. We have no trained ponies to spare, and no time to train one. So, I'm going to travel all over Equestria till I find you one."
"Really?!"
Goblet loved traveling. She'd only done it once or twice, and never very far, but she loved seeing new places!
"Oh, Father, can I come? Please! I mean, after all it is my guard and it might help if I help do the choosing-" but her father was already laughing.
"Of course you can, My Dear! I intended to bring you! We leave early tomorrow, so don't push your poor maid off when she comes to wake you up." he said with a mock firm voice.
"'Course not. I'll be packed in no time. Rose may come too?" she asked hopefully.
"Yes, definitely. We'll probably head to a small town called Ponyville first, and stop at any towns on the way. I'm also going to have an audience with Her Grace Princess Celestia. I have a few things I'd like to talk to her about." at this the slightest frown creased his face but was gone before Goblet was sure she'd even seen it.
"Well, then, I can't wait!" and with a farewell kiss to her Father's cheek, she dashed (very mare-like, or so she tried) back to the gate where Rose was waiting. Don came running in.
"Majesty...fairest grace...sorry.." he puffed, quickly bowing.
"That's alright Don!" Goblet said.
"Must...deliver message...your Father! Greatest majesty!" and he ran by. Rose and Goblet looked at each other and giggled and then Rose was informed of Goblet's new upcoming adventure.
"Oh my, highness! What a great venture this will be! I must pack your things right away!" she said, and tugged her princess along with her.
"Whoa, Rose! I can't have too much to lug around. Two small suitcases is all I need. Our garments don't take up much space and neither does one or two warmer things." Rose bowed and was itching to start packing, but would not leave Goblet.
Goblet smiled. Though Rose was strict about time, very easy to worry, and sometimes a little nagging, she had loyalty nothing could buy.
"Go ahead, go pack. I'll be fine on my own for a little while." she emphasized 'little' silently knowing that Rose was a super-packer.
"Okay...call me if you need me...you hear?" Goblet laughed and nodded, then they parted.
Goblet went to the kitchen and grabbed a couple pastries. After stuffing her face, she went to the lotus garden, picked a flower, put it in her hair, then headed down to the ocean. Ah, she really did love the sea.
Her veil blew back in the slight breeze, and she took in the salty, fishy scent of the sea that she loved. A lot of people didn't like the smell of the sea, but she loved it.
She took her light clothing off and dived in off her favorite rock into the cold water below, and swam happily. Her mother always called her half seahorse, as much as she loved swimming and water. She bumped noses with a puffer fish, and played hide and seek with sharks. She swam one hundred yards from the shore, then decided if Rose would ever forgive her for running off she'd better get back.
But oh she couldn't wait till tomorrow, when she could go with her father and explore Equestria, even if it meant she'd be far away from the coast for a few weeks.
That was the ONLY downfall.
That and the fact her mother couldn't come along. But she shook it off and walked back to the palace, shaking sand from her hooves and walking straight to the laundry mat, where she dropped off her sandy things, then took her jewelry and went the rest of the way home.
When she got home, she did get quite the scolding from Rose, but it rolled off like water off a ducks back. She had had a great time at the ocean and couldn't wait till tomorrow. Nothing could ruin her good mood.
"Goblet, would you like to go to the shop today? Your skill is one that could always use some fine-tuning." Rose suggested. Goblet nodded and let Rose lead her to her second favorite place in the world.
Her gold-making shop.
As the name suggests, her talent was Gold making. She loved making delicate plates, goblets, cups, necklaces, hooflets, and the like.
When they got to the shop, Goblet tied her hair back and put on her gold-making apron.
"What will you make today?" Rose asked, settling down on the mat to watch.
"I've been wanting a new bracelet. I want it to be two slender, delicate slivers of gold curled together with an emerald in the middle. So, could you run to the jewelers shop and fetch me a couple small emerald pieces?" Goblet asked, removing a couple pieces of gold from the shelf.
"Of course." and Rose ran off immediately. She returned soon with a couple small, rough pieces of emerald.
"Now, could you heat up the stove, start the burner, get some oil burning, and pound me a small sliver of gold?" Goblet asked, completely forgetting that Rose knew how to do none of that.
"What in the hay-highness I would if I could..." she stopped.
"Oh, sorry! I forgot who I was talking to. No, don't. forget it. I will." she smiled in Rose's direction and did the things herself.
By the end of that day, she had a beautiful bracelet to take with her on her journey.