Berry Scribbles quickly trotted through the elegant halls. Though she was dressed in the best of attire known to ponydom, she didn't have time to appreciate the silkiness of the fabric and the softness of her mane. Her hooves pounded, some-what gracefully, on the cold, polished stone ground as she quickly sped towards the large blue doors that separated half of the castle.
"Your Majesty." She said as she briskly opened the door. She knew better than anypony not to burst in, no matter how urgent. No longer were the days where a curtain of vines were the only thing standing in her way.
Princess Luna looked up from a role of parchment. "Ah, yes. Do you have those translations I've asked of you?"
Berry Scribbles quickly plucked out a large stack of papers from her saddle bag. Her signature berry ink, the ink of her home, tasted sweet. It took all of her will power not to drool on the papers.
Princess Luna levitated the large stack. One by one, papers left the stack to land on her desk, her eyes barely skimming over a single word. "Excellent." She said. "You may leave now."
Berry Scribbles was used to the Princess's cold behavior. She grunted, nodded politely, and walked out of the large room making sure her hooves didn't make a sound. The door closed behind her, leaving a cold breeze hitting the back of her neck. The large castle where the Sisters made their home toward above her. It was times like this when she missed her small village, with it's warm sunshine and beautiful starry nights. She missed being called Chuuta, and she missed the familiar safety of the jungle trees.
But she had a job to do. A job she was destined for.
As she walked down the long hallway, she passed a set of royal guards changing shifts for the morning. The bat pony, a set of creatures of which she was quite frightened of when she first encountered them, walked towards the exit with the a sinister frown on his face. The day guard, a white unicorn with bright blue eyes, sat smugly in his place.
"Lousy sun worshiper..." The bat pony growled, not realizing that Berry Scribbles was in earshot. She felt a familiar feeling appear in her stomach: Dread. The feeling waited, coiled and ready for something to happen. Something big. There seemed to be a serious divide in the guards. Tensions were high. The castle air seemed to crackle with anger and menace when the bat ponies were on guard for the night. Though, for those few moments when she saw the Princess of the Sun, it was clear that the feelings weren't mutual. Princess Celestia's eyes were creased with worry whenever Berry saw them. All the while, Princess Luna's seemed to be creased with anger and bitterness.
Berry Scribbles sighed. Now wasn't the time to dwell on her imagination. She had work to do. She had to work on her coding. Though she was superb at translating code, she had difficulty creating it. Princess Luna told her to practice, and it was her duty to do so. If she did her job correctly, it would give one less thing for Princess Luna to worry about.
"Good morning, Ms. Scribbles." She heard as she walked out of the Castle. Standing before her, on the narrow bridge that separated herself from a day's sleep, was a handsome unicorn stallion. His light blue mane curled nicely over his bright green eyes. His muscular build showed in the morning sun under his pale orange coat.
"Good morning to you, Sergeant Shine." Berry answered in monotone. She was too busy recalling all of the alphabets she had to study.
Sergeant Shine trotted next to her. "How was your night?"
"It was fine." She answered. "I handed my translations over to the Princess."
"Ah." He smiled warmly at her. "Um... Well, I'm assuming you're going to be doing the same thing tomorrow?"
"That's correct." She smiled at him. Though she would only tell her friend Muabe, who wasn't with her at the moment, she couldn't deny that Sergeant Shine was certainly a very handsome stallion. His smile made her heart flutter and his voice made her calm down after a stressful day at her desk. There were times when she could look back at herself the day before, and blush because she remembered thinking about him when she was lulling herself asleep.
She continued to walk down the bridge. He followed suit. When she looked at him out of confusion, due to his house being on the other side of the castle, his smile simply grew warmer.
"Please," He said. "allow me to walk you home."
Berry felt her chest fill with warmth. She didn't deny his request, for she really didn't want him to leave. In fact, she had to do everything in her power in order to not squeal and jump around like a madmare.
"I would be delighted, Sergeant Shine, to have such an esteemed stallion court me on my way home." She said.
He chuckled. "It's when you speak like that, that I forget you came from one of the smallest tribes in Equestria."
"Actually, it's right on the outside of the border." She corrected without thinking. "We didn't want to disturb the monkeys, so we never bothered to expand in that direction." She quickly covered her mouth with her hoof. A lady, even one with roots such as her, should never speak in such a casual manner to such an important member of the royal night guard.
To Berry's relief, he only laughed. "Is that so? Well, I'm sure the monkeys are very pleased!"
The rest of the walk was spent with the Sergeant speaking about his day, telling Berry about how it was mostly filled with paperwork and yelling at colts who didn't know any better. Berry was always taken aback, for she could never imagine Sergeant Shine yelling or raising his voice at anypony.
"I'm sure you know how paperwork feels, what with you always being surround by it and all..." He said as they stood on Berry's doorstep. "But I'm sure it's not as aggravating to you, as it is to me."
Berry's ears lowered as she remembered the large stack of blank papers that rested on her desk on the other side of her door. She needed to code, write down, and deliver those messages by the day after tomorrow. "I... wouldn't necessarily say that."
The Sergeant grunted. "Well, even with our opinions about such things, I think we'll both agree that tomorrow is not going to be nearly as aggravating as any other day."
Berry sighed, knowing what was coming. "And why is that?"
Sergeant Shine snorted. "Let's see, you've declined your birthday present from me... what? Three consecutive times in a row?"
"That's right- and let's go for a fourth!" She said. "I'm sure we'll hit a record at some point!"
"Now, now..." The Sergeant waved his hoof. "This time, I'm going to give you a present that even a stick-in-the-mud pony, such as yourself, can't decline. Or, at least... will hesitate to... Hopefully... for the sake of my pride."
"Oh, really?" She said. She had to admit, she was curious.
He nodded. Berry watched as he took a breath, and with a long pause, gave her his present.
"Will you spend your birthday with me?" The Sergeant looked at her hopefully. "I have a whole day planned, and it would give me the greatest pleasure if you chose to spend the day with me... Chuuta."
Berry felt a shiver travel down her spine. Nopony ever called her Chuuta anymore, for nopony but him knew of that name here. He was the only one who knew, because he was the only pony she'd told.
It happened when she first arrived. He was meant to show her to her quarters, give her her schedule, and leave. But he didn't. Instead, he stayed. He taught her about how to use all of the appliances in the kitchen, and laughed at her kindly when she told him she had only used an open fire to cook her meals, if they were cooked at all. He listened to her tell the stories of her heritage and describe her tribe. They took a walk around to the shops in the markeplace. He even took her to one of the prettiest spots in all of the kingdom. It was there, where he asked her to be his special some-pony for the first time.
Then, she was scared. It didn't work like that in her tribe. For something that... meaningful to happen so abruptly, it didn't make sense to her. But now, declining his request became more and more a priority. She didn't want to say no, but she had to.
She really had to...
That's what she told herself now, as she walked to her desk. The sunlight streamed through an opening in her thick curtains. Though she knew she was supposed to get sleep at this time of day, she needed to finish her work first. When she went to close her blinds, she saw the orange stallion, with a smile on his face, walking towards the direction of his home. She knew that he would ask again. But, whether it was tomorrow, next month, or even next year, the answer would always be the same.
Because she made a choice. She didn't regret her choice... most of the time. It was an important choice, and she still believed that she chose the right one. She could've stayed in her village, maybe met the handsome stallion when she was visiting the kingdom on her own, or perhaps even settling down in her own village with an entirely different pony. But she didn't make that choice. Instead, she chose the choice that only she could choose. The choice that let her reach her full potential, and allowed her complete freedom to use her special talent as she pleased and allowed her to use it in a way benefited everypony.
Berry's eyes darted to the large stack of papers that waited for her... she gazed longingly at the window.
"Most of the time..." She repeated to herself.
...
"Violet!" Mrs. Sugar shouted in her dim kitchen.
"What are you doing awake? Quickly, get back into bed!" Mr. Parch added, trotting quickly to Violet's side. He started to gently push her back up the stares. Upon a quick rethinking, he then picked her up and placed her on his back.
"I told you, I'm fine!" Violet said as she flailed about. That was a lie, obviously. Violet could barely manage to slow Mr. Parch down, much less get off of his back and prove her statement. Her legs ached and her head was still swimming. Her mouth still tasted vile and her mane was still slightly damp with a cold sweat.
"I don't think so, young lady." Mrs. Sugar said. She had recovered quickly from Violet's scare. Though her face was pinched with worry, her eyes held no leeway for Violet to escape. "Put up the facade all you want, but a mother knows when a child is sick. And you are sick. Go back to bed."
Violet tried to wiggle free again, only to stop instantly when her stomach made a sudden lurch. The two ponies noticed, and quickly stopped moving.
"Are you about to-?"
"I'll go get a bucket!" Mrs. Sugar quickly ran back to the kitchen. Mr. Parch gently set her down on the plush carpet of the staircase. He smoothed her mane out of her face and gently examined her.
"Oh, Celestia... what in the world did you do to yourself?" He whispered. Violet looked up to see his worried eyes. She felt her stomach lurch again, not out of nausea, but out of guilt and embarrassment. His eyes, so bright and intense with worry and fear, caused small tears to reach the surface of of her eyes. They trailed down her cheeks, and landed on Mr. Parch's hooves.
"Here!" Mrs. Sugar said, running up to reach them. "Here you go, sweetie." She placed a damp rag on her forehead, cooling the fever that rose to Violet's face. A soft metallic thud sounded from beside her, and Violet opened her eyes to one of Mrs. Sugar's numerous pots was resting in the carpet at her side.
"Oh! Oh, sweetie... Are you okay?" Mrs. Sugar asked. Violet saw her eyes were pink, and slightly puffed around the edges. She had been crying. Violet managed a subtle nod. None the less, the gold mare pushed the pot closer, and replaced her now warm rag with a new cooler one. "Don't worry, honey bun. We've contacted your parents, they'll be here in a minute. Everything is going to be alright.
Violet could barely hear her. Her head was swimming again, and a dreadful ringing consumed her hearing. She felt the cool wall against her back and let herself lean against it as her vision faded back to an all too familiar black.
...
"It's alright." Mr. Parch said to his wife. "She's back in bed."
"Thank Celestia." Mrs. Sugar said. She had been pacing her room worriedly. "Cream puff, what if she wakes up again? What if she stumbles and breaks her leg down the stairs? What if-"
Yellow Parchment raised his hoof. "I locked the door." His wife shot him a look of shock. "She needs to stay in there. She needs to rest. She's- She's not like Cloudy. She's..."
"Independent." Mrs. Sugar finished, understanding. Even with the realization that Violet was as... self-dependent as she was, and the fact that she was bound to find herself outside of the bedroom at some point, it still caused a scare when she saw the poor little filly stumbling about like that. She had dark plum-colored circles around her eyes, and her mane and tail didn't have that silver shine to them. On top of everything, she was still wearing her ball gown. The large heap of fabric and ribbon was wrinkled and slightly stained. Both she and her husband tried to take it off of her, but the little pony flailed about in discomfort when they did. Eventually the couple decided that it was best just to contact her mother and have her decide what's best.
Sugar Crystal felt her stomach churn. "Do you really think... Do you really think contacting her parents was a good idea?" Her husband's eyes wandered to the side as he himself debated the decision. "I mean... You know..."
She found herself at a loss of words. Mrs. Sugar, with her sweet personality and kind eyes, wasn't one to say mean things. Especially to ponies that she didn't associate herself with regularly... not out loud anyway. There were many times where Mrs. Sugar had to remember to keep her mouth shut, what with some of the things that go on in her head. It was how she was raised.
Her husband sighed. "It might not seem like the right decision, but neither you nor I can say that we can do otherwise. Before we do anything, we must contact her parents. If those parents said that they were going to take her home, then there's nothing we can do about it."
"But she's not fit to travel!" Mrs. Sugar argued.
"It's not that far." Mr. Parch took a sip of his coffee. His eyes told that he was worried about it as well. Both parents knew that a filly in that situation shouldn't be bothered, much less taken across the street on a freezing cold night like this one.
The kitchen was then draped in a tense silence. Worry and dread pricked at Mrs. Sugar spine, making her fidgety and nervous. She was busy absent mindedly braiding her mane when there was a loud bang at the door.
"That must be them." Mr. Parch's mouth was pressed in a thin line.
"Goooooood evening, Darling!" Silky Petals said as she sauntered through the heavy wooden door. Mrs. Sugar could hardly recognize her. Instead of her last seen cream coat and navy mane, now, everything was pink. Her coat was the color of rose petals, and her mane was the few shades darker. Her hooves were painted with a bright bubblegum color. Even her dress didn't provide relief from the cotton candy colored onslaught. It too was bright pink, and was covered head to tail in sequins. Though Mrs. Sugar was sure she looked lovely to the other Canterot ponies, in her eyes, the mare looked like a giant fish.
"Um... Hello." Mr. Parch said awkwardly. Silky Petals gracefully took of her coat, which was also pink, and threw it rudely onto Mrs. Sugar's back.
"Take care of that for me. Will you, Sweetie?" The mare said to her, not even casting her a side-long glance. Instead, her eyes were gazing steadily at Mrs. Sugar's husband. Or, more specifically, the small tuft of his mane that curled around his eyes. Sugar Crystal felt her blood start to boil. She took a breath and placed Mrs. Petal's coat gently on one of the arms of their couch.
Mrs. Sugar quickly walked over to her husband and gently leaned on his side. Though she was sure she kept her face blank, she was glad to see Silky Petals get the message. The pink mare shot a glare, along with a not-so-subtle eye roll. "I understand that my daughter is in your care?" She snorted.
The two of them nodded. Silky Petals nodded once. "Good. I will see her now."
It took all of Mrs. Sugar's will power not to snort in return. She hesitantly left her husband's side to go upstairs.
Once she was up there, she nearly stumbled over her own daughter. Cloudy was lying by her own bedside, surrounded by a mountain of her pillows. She was still wearing her dress, as well. The fabric was in a similar state as Violet's. The feeling of dread that found it's way into Mrs. Sugar's stomach grew colder. It went against her greatest motherly instincts to separate those two, especially now.
She gently lifted Violet up and placed her gently on her back. She squirmed and moaned in discomfort. Mrs. Sugar cringed. With a small breath of regret, she quietly closed the door and headed down stairs.
"He was quite a charming stallion. Though I hear that he was rather obsessed with machines as a colt." Silky Petals was eagerly gossiping with Mr. Parch. "How... unseenly. All greasy and messy, smelling like oil! Such a shame..." Mrs. Sugar had to stifle a smile of triumph at her husband's uncomfortable expression.
"Well... I'm sure everypony can have their own interests... and, from what I can perceive, he's a very nice pony. Probably the nicest I've had the honor of coming into acquaintance with. " He said, backing away. Violet's mother had closed the distance between them when Mrs. Sugar left. She was about to bring up Parchment's adoration of literature and everything old. According to Violet, this would work as a repellent to the mare, but she held her tongue.
Mrs. Sugar looked around the living room. Finding the couch to be overrun by a fluffy, probably dust covered, coat, she figured that her own back was the most suitable place for Violet to rest. Temporarily, at least.
"Ah! There she is! My beautiful daughter." Silky smiled at her filly's fever run body. "I'm so happy to see you!"
Violet grimaced at her own mother's voice. The room grew silent as the little filly curled tighter into a ball and moved closer to Mrs. Sugar's mane.
Silky Petals cleared her throat, clearly not liking the reaction. "Well, I suppose we should hurry. I prefer to be fashionably late, but not be rude."
Too late... Mrs. Sugar thought to herself. It was then when the pink mare's words hit her. "Late? Late for what?"
"The ball, of course!" She said. She said the words as though they were a form of blasphemy. As though what Mrs. Sugar was suggesting was insulting, and unheard of. "The festivities started a while ago, but we still have enough time to pick her up a new dress and restyle her mane. It shouldn't be a problem, though a slight inconvenient-"
"Are you saying that you're still going to the ball... with Violet?" Mr. Parch asked, a look of fear and dread on his face. "As in... you're taking her to..."
The mare looked at him as though he was an idiot. "Of course I am! So she's a little tired? I'm sure a few moments of socializing with Canterlot's greatest will perk her right up!"
Mrs. Sugar walked to her husband's side. Both of the ponies had equal expressions of horror and disgust. It wasn't until another nock at the door sounded, was the silence broken.
"Forgive me for letting myself in." A white stallion with a blue mane said, as he walked into the scene.
"Fancy Pants!" Parchment said in shock. "Um... what are you doing here?" He only briefly recovered, for when he looked back to Violet, his gaze focused again on her mother.
"Well, I heard about your little predicament- thank you so much for the letters, they really do help the sorting, and I was hoping to check on little Ms. Lace before my party reaches it's peak."
"Well, that's... very kind of you." Mrs. Sugar said, her eyes never leaving Silky Petals. "Are you acquainted with Violet?" Her eyes narrowed in anger. "Or her mother?"
"Um... I previously had the pleasure of meeting her tonight, at the before party. She and her friend were playing a delightful little game with some of the other fillies. She made a lovely first impression, but I could've sworn she was healthy when I saw her." He noticed the little filly was resting on Mrs. Sugar's back. "I was worried."
"Well, I'm sure she's fine." Silky Petals said. "Probably just playing the role, as they say. She was never one for big, extravagant occasions."
"She needs rest. Lot's of it." Mrs. Sugar's tone was bitter and brisk. "A party is the opposite of helpful."
"I agree. I have a daughter too, you know. My pride and joy." He walked closer, getting a closer look at Violet. "I'm sure a few days of sleep should help out."
The room went silent again. The tense atmosphere that surrounded the two mothers in the room could choke the two fathers. Mr. Parch silently motioned for Fancy Pants to follow him into the kitchen.
"I would like to have my daughter now." Silky Petals said through gritted teeth. "The clock is ticking."
Mrs. Sugar didn't say anything. Instead, she kept staring straight ahead, directly into the mare's eyes. Many years of practice helped her keep a straight face, a face of cold, though reserved disdain. Her eyebrows didn't twitch, nor did her nostrils flair. The opposite was for Violet's mother, who's nose was turned up in a manner that was almost comical. Her coat job was done poorly, Mrs. Sugar noticed with closer inspection. The edges of her forehead, along with a few stray roots of her mane, were their previous color. Mrs. Sugar also noticed the faint scent of cider. Though it was obvious that the mare was in her right mind, it was also painfully clear that she had a few. And was probably going to have more.
"Ah... I see...hmmm." Mrs. Sugar's ears twitched. Her husband's and Fancy Pants' voices could barely be heard. She had to strain her ears to attempt to hear their conversation. Attempt, being the most honest word. She couldn't make out the rest.
"Well, that seems quite interesting." Fancy Pant's voice rang from the kitchen. "Wonderful, in fact."
Both mares turned their heads in confusion. The look on Mr. Parch's face showed that he also didn't know what was going on. Fancy Pants trotted into the living room, a dashing smile plastered on his face.
"Mrs. Petals, is it true that you darling little daughter has a fondness for writing?" He said, his voice holding a small amount of forced enthusiasm.
Silky Petals didn't seem to notice. Instead, she simply blushed and smiled. "Um.. well, yes! To be honest, I was always very proud of her writing hobby."
Fancy Pants swung his hoof in a triumphant expression. "That's great! I would like to make you an offer."
"An offer?" She batted her eyelashes in shock. "An offer for what?"
"Your daughter, of course." He answered, as though it was obvious. Though, with her strong motherly instincts, Mrs. Sugar became defensive of the little bundle on her back, she had to admit that she was more confused than anything. Same with Mr. Parch, who held the same amount of reserved shock on his face but crept a little closer to the two of them.
"My- my daughter?" Silky Petals stuttered. Her face held no defensive tone, nor did her voice. "What do you mean?"
"I'm going to be starting a new fashion company here in Canterlot." He explained. "And I was hoping to hire Violet as, not only one of my models, but also as one of my writers. I've been thinking of getting a child's perspective on fashion, and what better filly would be better than the daughter of Silky Petals and Platinum Watch?"
"I..um..." Her mouth hung open, gaping, making her look more like a fish than she did before.
"Your daughter would become the poster child for one of the most underground, highest quality, and prestigious companies in all of Equestria. She would be held to the highest quality, to the point where she wouldn't even have to share her image with the common ponies of Canterlot. Your daughter's face would be the most refined, dignified, and admired in all of the land. Not only that, but she would also be writing!" He explained, his smile growing more charming as he went on. "Of course, she would have to stay with me. Training, and what not."
The last thing he said was with a wave of his hoof. Though he said it so casually, it was clearly the most important thing he said. Sugar Crystal felt her heart sink. Even with her...ways, Silky Petals would never fall for something like that. She would never sell her daughter into a career like that, much less do it without consent from her husband or the daughter her-
"Yes!" She shouted. "Oh! This is amazing!" She sprinted to Mrs. Sugar's side and quickly pecked her daughter on the cheek. "Sweetie, isn't this glorious? My daughter, the poster child of one of the greatest up and coming companies in all of Equestria." She started walking out the door. "I accept, Fancy Pants. Do as you wish. I assume you're taking her now? Oh, of course you are. You're so kind, clearly you would."
She draped her coat over her shoulders. "I can't wait to tell Platinum. He's going to be so proud!" She started sprinting out the door.
Fancy Pants waved after her. "I'm more than glad, Mrs. Petals!" He called. "See you later tonight!"
Once she was gone, the room grew cold. The silence was deadly, and Mrs. Sugar felt tears prick at the backs of her eyes.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" She shouted. "Her own daughter, who is still lying here, helpless on my back? After five seconds of explanation. No papers, no documents, no contract. Nothing. And she just..." She motioned her hoof towards the door, at a complete loss of words.
"That kind of thing... that doesn't happen... not in real life..." Mr. Parch said, dazed.
Fancy Pants sighed. "I sorry, my dear. But that is truly one of the ugliest things about Canterlot society. Silky Petals... her husband... they are one of the worst members of the elite. I always assumed that they dropped the act when they're with their daughter, but it seems as though there's not an act to drop anymore." His ears dropped. "I'm sorry to only be informed of this now, I should've noticed sooner..."
The couple stared at him in silence.
"They both started out so... typical. Not the nicest ponies around, but they weren't this bad, not by far!"
"... What now?" Mrs. Sugar asked, finally recovering. "Are you really going to take her, or was that all a lie?"
Fancy Pants readjusted his bow tie. "As much as I would like to take in Violet, I have my own daughter I need to raise. Plus, I was hoping you two could take her in."
"We... we can't..." The weight of everything finally settled down on her shoulders. "Can we?" She looked towards her husband.
"She's... already here most of the time. Just these past few weeks, she's spent more nights hear than in her own home." He said. "She and Cloudy could share the room. Cloudy certainly wouldn't mind it."
"I can't believe we're actually discussing this." Mrs. Sugar said, a new wave of shock appearing. "I can't believe you're convincing me..."
"I feel as though I can assure you both, that this is probably what's best for her." Fancy Pants said. He started walking out the door. "If you two come to the conclusion that she can't stay with you, I'm sure we can all figure something out within a moment's notice."
He was halfway out the door. "And I wasn't lying about the fashion company. Both girls can visit, I'm positive the boys at the office will love them. They really are very sweet. They can visit my estate as well, I don't have a doubt that the two of them and my own daughter will hit it off."
He closed the door. Not without a wave, a goodbye, and a very quite, very sincere 'thank you' from Mrs. Sugar.
Not to mention, a smile from Violet.