“You know…you don’t have…to come with me.”
“Oh, but I do darling. I am not about to go through that kind of stress again. It is simply terrible for my complexion…” This rather pointed discussion had been going on all day as Peppermill led the way into the entertainment district of Canterlot. Rarity had flatly refused to let the grey colt out of her sight, no matter how much he pleaded his case. She had even gone so far as to cancel a number of appointments she had made with other well-known dressmakers in the city in order to chaperone the colt.
“What about…all your meetings…and stuff? You have…to keep…your priorities straight.” said the colt as he marched with determination down the sidewalk, easily moving among the ponies going about their daily actions.
“My priority is to make sure you are safe. Fashion…can wait.” The grey colt gave the mare a skeptical look over his shoulder.
“I never…thought I…would hear you say…that.”
“Neither did I, darling. And I would appreciate it if you kept that to yourself. I do have a reputation to keep up.” Despite the unicorn’s insistence in keeping her eyes glued to the colt, she found herself unable to tear her gaze away from the beautiful buildings the two of them passed by. In truth, despite the number of times she had been to the capital of Equestria she only tended to visit locations reflecting her tastes in class and fashion. There wasn’t much need to go to a restaurant when everything tended to be catered.
It was one of the top dining establishments in the city that was Peppermill‘s destination this day. Thanks to Fleur de Lis he learned this was where one of the only former employees of Apretif/Digestif who hadn’t left the city after the building burned down worked. Chef Cedar Plank, of whom Peppermill spoke very highly of, apparently became the head chef of what had been one of the restaurant’s major competitors.
“I’d accuse them…of poaching Chef Cedar…but I guess when…the place he used…to work is…gone it…doesn’t count…” commented Peppermill.
“Poaching? Was that meant to be a joke darling?”
“…maybe?”
“Well, just don’t let Pinkie Pie hear that one or we’ll never hear the end of it…” (Little would they know that at that very moment, back in Ponyville, the very mare they were mentioning was in her room rolling on the floor giggling madly and squealing “The chef got poached! Bwa-ha-ha-ha!!!)
“Here…we are.” exclaimed Peppermill, stopping before a mid-sized building with a long line of ponies waiting to enter.
“It doesn’t look like much on the outside, does it?” commented Rarity.
“The best…places don’t need…to be fancy on…the outside. Word of mouth…and the food…beat out…architecture.” said Peppermill with a hint of pride. “I remember…somepony mentioning once…that A/D looked…like a warehouse.” Rarity only arched a delicately shaped eyebrow in response.
For a few moments, the two watched as the slow trickle of ponies were herded into the building, and an even slower amount of satisfied guests left. Rarity was rather surprised at how slow the service seemed to be, despite how many satisfied ponies walked out of the establishment. She was trying to estimate just how long the two of them were going to have to wait to enter when Peppermill cleared his throat. She looked at him just in time to see him slip into the small alley between the restaurant and the building next door. She followed for a moment, but stopped short unhappily.
“Peppermill, where in Equestria are you going?”
“The…back way…”
“The back way? Through…there?!?” Despite being the middle of the day, the alley Peppermill stood before looked dark and imposing. Not to mention rather grimy and not at all the kind of place Rarity would be caught dead in. She gave a shudder of apprehension and gave the colt a look of pure disgust. Peppermill seemed unfazed, and he pointed with a hoof at the line of ponies.
“Look…if we…were to get in the line…it could be…hours before we…got a table. And even then…they would never…let us try to…talk to the…kitchen staff. The best way…to talk to a chef…is to go where…he goes, in this case…the kitchens in…the back. You just…have to trust me Rarity. You can follow…if you want but…I am not…waiting for you.” And with that the colt ducked away and got lost in the shadows of the alley.
Rarity found herself torn: the elegant side of her was absolutely repulsed by the thought of having to going into a dingy, greasy alley, but the idea of a young colt walking along in the same place seemingly without a thought of his own well-being drove her mad. Finally, with a silent prayer and the beginnings of a lecture on her lips, she squeezed into the space and followed the colt.
“Ew…ew…eeewww!” she wailed, followed by an inhalation to make herself as thin as possible. It wasn’t that the alley was terribly narrow as it was she dreaded the thought of whatever might be on the walls to either side of her coming in contact with her meticulous ivory coat. After what seemed like forever, made more so by the fact that the colt’s dark colouring made him blend so effectively into the gloom before her eyes that she once or twice wondered if he vanished, they arrived.
The tall buildings around the ponies blocked out the light of Celestia’s sun. If it were not for two streetlights and a single bulb sitting over a single door and steps, it would have been dark enough that Rarity wouldn’t have been able to see her hooficure in front of her face. Still, the loud banging and muffled shouts from behind the doorway didn’t comfort the unicorn mare at all. The only thing keeping her from panicking was Peppermill, who nuzzled up against her with a grin.
“There…was that…so bad?” he chuckled. “I’m sure…that Rainbow Dash…and Applejack would…be impressed.” All Rarity could do was shudder as she examined every inch of her pristine coat and mane for any sign of grime. Once Peppermill was satisfied that Rarity was not completely traumatized he approached the doorway. Rarity looked on as the colt actually bucked at the door as hard as he could.
“That…that cannot be proper at all!” exclaimed Rarity.
“It’s the only…way to be heard…over the noise. Considering how hard…these doors get banged…nothing short of…breaking it down will…get anypony’s attention.” Despite Peppermill’s insistence, Rarity could not hear anything resembling a pony approaching the door. There was lots of banging, running water and muffled shouts and what may or may not have been curses, but that was it. The mare was about to try and convince Peppermill to try a different tactic (preferably somewhere far cleaner) when the door swung open and a teenaged colt with a scowl poked his head out.
“What?” he demanded crossly. Rarity felt the urge to snap back at the stallion’s lack of class, but Peppermill spoke up first.
“Could you…please tell…Chef Cedar Plank…he has…a visitor?” shouted the grey colt, making sure to be heard over the noise. The stallion glared at the colt, then went back into the building, slamming the door behind him.
“How vulgar!” growled Rarity, her sapphire eyes glittering angrily. “That young stallion has absolutely no manners what so ever!”
“He’s a…dishwasher. Probably…fairly new…to the job. Probably hasn’t…developed the rhythm yet. I hope he…has the sense to…keep his temper in check. Otherwise…he’ll be…looking for a…new job.” Rarity clamped her mouth shut, her lips a grim line. She may have accepted the colt’s explanation, but it didn’t mean she had to like it. She decided to busy herself by using her magic to locate anything she could sit upon, unwilling to trust the cobblestones beneath her hooves. It didn’t help that Peppermill sat down in front of the stairs without so much a downwards glance.
After what seemed to be far too much time in Rarity’s opinion, the mare felt the presence of somepony approaching the door. It wasn’t through any sort of unicorn magic that she knew this. It was because the sounds behind the door had gone silent, as if whomever was there commanded such a tremendous amount of respect that even the appliances were reverent. When the door opened, out stepped a bulky earth stallion. His coat was the color of cedar and he had a flaming red mane. Dark green eyes first gazed upon the pretty mare, who immediately adjusted her pose to a more suitable position. When the stallion then turned his gaze down to the young colt before him, his expression turned to one of shock.
“Hello…Chef Cedar…” said Peppermill.
“…Peppermill.” The stallion’s deep rumble brought to mind another certain large stallion that he knew. But the unmistakable tone of relief in the baritone was welcomed by the colt and mare. (Peppermill would later admit in private he wasn’t entirely sure how the chef would react to his sudden reappearance. Apparently Chef Cedar was notorious for being rough around the edges and very intimidating towards young chefs, prep cooks and the grey colt himself.)
“I hope…the owners here…are treating you…well.” The stallion gave a snort and answered.
“Are you kidding? You’d think I was made of crystal, the way the owners and the kitchen staff mince around me. At least your father had the sense to tell me if and when I was making a mistake.” The large stallion walked down the steps, and lowered his head to examine the colt closely. `You look healthy enough. I hope this young lady has been treating you well…”
“Miss Rarity…is a friend. Another pony…and her family…have taken me in. Living on…a farm is…a far cry from…the big city.”
“I imagine it is.” Chef Cedar turned to Rarity, his green eyes focused with a certain amount of approval on the mare. “I suspect you’ve heard this many times already, but thank you for watching over him. He has a great future ahead of him.”
“I don’t doubt that one bit chef.” smiled Rarity.
“Are you sure…everything is…alright with you…Chef Cedar? I know…this would never…be the same…as Apretif/Digestif…” began the colt. The stallion silenced him with a large hoof under his chin. This allowed the stallion to meet the colt’s dark eyes with his own green ones. They held this pose for a long few minutes, and Rarity felt puzzled towards its purpose. Finally, the chef spoke.
“After everything you must have gone through, and you still are trying to fill your father’s horseshoes. I bet you would have tried to get here without anypony watching over you if you could have gotten away with it, hmm?”
“Peppermill seems to have developed a stubborn streak from his time with the Apple clan. But I can assure you her, me and the rest of his friends would of followed him to the ends of Equestria to make sure he was safe and happy.” This heartfelt comment from the unicorn mare caused both male ponies to glance in her direction, Chef Cedar with approval and Peppermill with a bit of embarrassment.
“To answer your question,” rumbled the chef, “I will always miss your parents and their restaurant. I learned more at their hooves than in all my years in the culinary academies. And I watched as you came into this world, and watched as you proved to be your father’s son in more ways than I can count. You understand the truth about food, how it is a right and not a privilege.
“I imagine you came here because of how your parents ingrained into you the need to watch over your friends. Believe me, that is a trait worth keeping. But you need to live your life, not what you might think your parent’s wanted. Your parents died because they wanted to make sure as many ponies as possible were safe. They died wanting you to live, and that is all they would want from you.”
Peppermill mulled over these words as the stallion let go of his chin. He felt a tightness in his chest at the mention of his parents, but he also felt like a weight had lifted off of him when the chef spoke of living his own life. The colt realized that, to a degree, he had literally put his young life on hold to fulfill what he felt was his obligation to his late parents. He had convinced himself that the vivid dreams he had been experiencing were orders. Instead, they were simply reminders of how much he loved his parents. Still, there was something that still bothered him…
“Is this…what Applejack meant…by ‘sowing my…wild oats’?” Rarity couldn’t stop herself from giggling at this innocent comment, while Chef Cedar gave a rumbling chuckle.
“I think it will be a while before you will be doing that,” answered Cedar. “Unless you have found some new fillies you haven’t mentioned…”
“So…it isn’t…something about…farming, is it?” frowned the colt, silently making a note to bring this up with Big Macintosh once he got home.
“No darling, it isn’t.” admitted Rarity.
“Hrmm…” Peppermill sighed. “In that case…maybe you…can help me one…more time chef…”
“I can try.”
“Is it…at all possible…that some other pony…from the restaurant…is still in…the city? I still find it…hard to believe…so many left.” The stallion sighed, and responded.
“A lot of the employees couldn’t bear staying in Canterlot after the fire. It was bad enough they lost their jobs and friends, but when they learned that your… brother was responsible there was a lot of anger. Many simply couldn’t stay here knowing that your brother had somehow managed to get out of the punishment he deserved. Still…”
“Yes?”
“I understand that Azure Mist was able to get employment at Canterlot Castle.”
“Azure Mist!” Peppermill’s face lit up at the mention of the name. “How did…she manage…that? She was…getting ready…to work at…the rainbow factory in…Cloudsdale.”
“Apparently she was given an offer she couldn’t possibly say no to. Personally I think it was a wise decision on her part.”
“I am sure this Azure Mist must be an accomplished chef if the castle would hire her.” spoke up Rarity. She frowned when the two male ponies both chuckled.
“Azure Mist is a Pegasus mare who used to work as a hostess at Apretif/Digestif.” explained Chef Cedar. “She was exceptional at that particular job…”
“…but she…probably could match…Rainbow Dash for…the last pony you…would want…near an oven.” finished Peppermill with a raspy chuckle. “It was a…good thing she was…given her meals for…free when she…worked at A/D…otherwise she…would have owed Dad…bits.”
“To this day I can still remember the mayhem that ensued when your father invited her to try her hoof at prep. I didn’t think it was possible to burn that many things in that short of a time span…” admitted Cedar with a small smile.
“I believe I understand.” announced Rarity tightly. While it was obvious the colt and stallion were getting some amusement from this, she didn’t like the idea of them laughing at the expense of a pony who wasn’t available to defend herself. She threw in a cross expression on her face, and was pleased to see peppermill look away ashamed.
“Ahem…” Chef Cedar cleared his throat, not before giving the unicorn an apologetic look. “In any event I understand she is quite happy there. Of course, being the castle I highly doubt you will find it as easy to see her as it was to find me.”
“Oh, I think it might be a little easier than you might think Chef Cedar.” smiled Rarity. The stallion raised an eyebrow at her, then to Peppermill who merely smiled.
“It…was good to…see you Chef.” intoned the colt solemnly.
“Yes, and I am sure I will all about you in the future. Now, if you two will excuse me…”
“Oh, one more thing chef…” Rarity piped up. The stallion had one hoof on the door, and looked over his broad shoulders at the pretty mare. “I do hope you won’t be too harsh on that young dishwasher. I understand it can be…trying working behind the scenes, so to speak…”
“Miss Rarity, that dishwasher’s exact words to me were ‘some colt and a smoking hot mare are asking for you’” Rarity’s blank expression was all Peppermill could stand. In seconds the colt was covering his mouth and snout with his forehooves, shoulders shaking and poorly disguised laughter leaking through. Chef Cedar had already re-entered the building and shut the door behind him.
“Smoking hot…?” managed Rarity, deadpan.
“It’s…a compliment…” wheezed Peppermill between laughs.
“Is that what passes as a compliment in Canterlot?! I have never heard anything so…crass…so vulgar…” sputtered the mare.
“I’ve heard…some of…the other colts…back in Ponyville…call you that…in private. And…a few stallions too…” Peppermill managed to totter back into the alley, leaving Rarity to fume.
“I want names Peppermill! Every single one of them that said that about me! Are you listening to me? Peppermill?”
…
…
…
“Pep-per-millllll!!!”