• Published 29th Jul 2013
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As Sweet As Lavender - Draconian Soul



The world sees her as an abomination. They see her as a gift.

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A Mother's Attempt at Bonding

“Lavender, get up!”

Rarity knocked on Lavender’s door, but received no answer.

“Lavender, I’m not going to ask you again.”

Still no answer.

“Young lady, my patience is wearing thin! Now if you aren’t going to get up, I’m coming in there to…”

She tried to open the door, but the knob wouldn’t turn. Lavender had locked the door from the inside, aggravating Rarity. Sighing loudly, she used her magic to pick the lock of the door.

“I swear, of all the…” As soon as Rarity heard the lock click open, she pushed the door open and entered Lavender’s room. She was sleeping in her bed, her mouth hanging open and left arm flopping off the side of the bed. Rarity shook her head at the sight.

“You’re lucky that Twilight taught me a few magical tricks, otherwise you would be in a heap of trouble. Now get up, Lavender!”

Lavender just mumbled, rolling over in her bed. Rarity gritted her teeth at her daughter’s defiance, and opened the blinds in her room. As soon as the sun hit Lavender’s face, she groaned and pulled her pillow over her face. Rarity lifted the pillow, watching as Lavender blindly grasped at it.

“Hey, I’m still using that!” Lavender mumbled, still half asleep.

“Not anymore you’re not,” Rarity replied, placing the pillow out of Lavender’s reach. “It’s about time you got up. It’s already twelve o’clock!”

“So? Just give me a few more hours…” Lavender turned over, ignoring Rarity once again.

“No!” Rarity pulled the covers with her magic, making sure they didn’t fall on the dirty floor. “You promised that you would spend some time with me today. I planned on this for nearly a month now!”

“Could you postpone it again?” Lavender moaned. “I’m not really in the mood for it.”

Rarity tapped Lavender on the shoulder, doing everything in her power to get her up. “But I was really looking forward to this!” Rarity’s whining pierced through Lavender’s ears. “You never want to do anything with me!”

Lavender covered her ears, trying to block the grating whines of her mother. “Could we please not do this now?”

“But you never spend time with me!” Rarity continued, crying out loudly and stomping on the ground. “You always want to do things with your father, but when it comes to me… I’m starting to believe you don’t even love me anymore!”

“Wait, no! That’s not…”

“That’s fine. If you don’t want to spend time with your dear old mother, I guess I’ll just leave you here.” Rarity hung her head low and walked slowly away, smiling mischievously as she trotted towards the bedroom door. Lavender groaned and threw her arms out.

“Fine! If it will stop your little temper tantrum, I’ll hang out with you today,” Lavender submitted.

“Fabulous!” Rarity immediately perked up, using her magic to straighten up the bed she helped mess up. “I want you to comb your hair and make yourself look presentable. Make sure you wash your face, brush your teeth, oh, and trim your claws a bit, dear. They’re dreadfully long.” Rarity skipped out of Lavender’s room victoriously, causing the dracony to sit on her bed and sigh in annoyance.

“Great! Leave it to Mom to guilt trip me into doing what she wants.” Lavender brought her claws to her face, analyzing her nails. She scraped them against the bedpost, easily drilling through the wood with her nails. “I guess it’s about time I trim you girls down.”

Lavender grabbed the nail file Rarity pushed on her, carefully polishing and shaping her sharp claws as she saw fit.

Although she didn’t really care about her hair, she knew that Rarity would have a fit if her hair was unkempt, so she went into the bathroom and prepared herself for what her mother found to be a thrilling family rump.

“Celestia have mercy on my soul.” She grumbled to herself while reaching for her toothbrush. Lavender went through her normal procedure: curling her bangs, flossing her fangs, and washing the dried drool that marked her cheeks. Didn’t want the drama queen to get onto her for having one little dried crust on her lips.

After managing her appearance, Lavender slowly trotted downstairs. A small purr became audible as she inched her ways down the steps, pausing as she approached the bottom floor. Lavender looked down, chuckling when she saw the fat, lazy cat brushing her tail towards her foot.

“Opal, what have I told you about sleeping in the middle of the floor? That’s how Dad stepped on you the first time!”

Lavender leaned down and picked Opalescence up, straining as she stood on her two back claws. Opal swatted at the air, eliciting more laughter from Lavender.

“Jeez, would it kill you to lose some weight?” Lavender teased while taking Rarity’s cat into the living room. “You really let yourself go over the years. If you get any bigger, I’m gonna have to stop picking you up and opt to kicking you around instead!”

Opalescence folded her arms and rolled her eyes. When they entered the door of the living room, Lavender dropped Opal on the ground, causing her to growl in agitation and run towards the couch. All Lavender could do was wait for her mother to get done with her excessive preparations. Rolling a yarn on the couch for Opal to swat at, Lavender put her claw up to her cheeks and sighed.

“While you get to be lazy all day, I’m forced to wherever Mom is going to take me. Probably to some fru-fru saloon or help her buy some some more fabric for her dresses.” Lavender gagged at the thought of being stuck in either of those places.

“While those are both common things she does, I don’t think she’ll be taking you to those places today.” Lavender cocked her head to the side, watching as her father walked towards her and sat next to her. “Consider yourself lucky. Usually, I’m stuck with her while she sorts through the same fabric over and over again. ‘Spike, could you tell me if this aqua looks good, or do you prefer deep sea blue. I think it would go well with my pearl necklace.’”

The two shared a hearty laugh, Opal just watching in amusement and licking her fur.

“But seriously, Lavender, cut your mother some slack,” he said. “She’s trying her hardest to spend some quality time with you. Trust me, it’s not so bad.”

“I know, Dad,” Lavender replied. “It’s just that…well…we’re not really on the same level of what we consider fun, you know?”

Spike put his hand on Lavender’s back, rubbing it slowly. “Just bear with it. She’s trying really hard to have a good connection with you, and I don’t want to be your only favorite in the house.”

“Lavender, are you ready, darling? We’ll be leaving in a while!”

“I’m downstairs, Mom!” Lavender called out, refocusing her attention towards Spike. “This is going to be a long day.”

Spike put his hand on her shoulder and smiled. “Now now, Lavender, I want you to have a good time with your mother. Make her feel like she’s doing a good job, and don’t complain every second you’re with her. If you do well, we’ll share some of the sapphires Rarity uses for her dresses.”

“Uh-huh,” Lavender began. “And if I don’t enjoy myself, are you still going to take them and share with me?”

“Probably.” Spike smiled at Lavender, who chuckled and lifted herself off the couch.

“Yeah that’s nice. Great coaching there, Dad.” Lavender snickered, watching as Rarity slowly walked down the steps. Her mane was parted and curled in specific areas, she applied mascara on her eyes and wore a pair of short, fake eyelashes.

On her neck was a diamond encrusted necklace with small sapphires circling around. But the centerpiece, and the most important part of Rarity’s necklace was the shiny pearl Lavender gave her when she was young.

“Rarity, You look absolutely stunning,” Spike said, fawning over his wife’s appearance. “Though, that’s not really too hard for you to do.”

Rarity put her hoof over her mouth and giggled. “Oh, Spikey, you really know how to make an old lady feel young.”

“Please!” Spike walked towards Rarity and caressed her face with his claws. “Age is nothing but a number. Your beauty is eternal.”

“Oh, such a charmer,” Rarity cooed, leaning in closer to Spike. “I always thought you were a ravishing gentledrake yourself.”

“Not as ravishing as you are, especially with your—”

“Okay, okay, we get it!” Lavender groaned. “You two love each other so much, it’s vomit inducing. Now could you please kiss and get it over with so we can get this over with?”

Rarity looked longingly into Spike’s eyes. “Gladly.” With that, the two lovers parted their lips, connecting each other with passion and vigor. Lavender groaned and covered her eyes, regretting even suggesting it.

“You’re going to go see Twilight today, right, Spike?” Rarity asked, hooves still wrapped around him.

“Yep. Plan on going as soon as you girls head out.”

“Well, before you come back, could you do me a favor and pick up some of those delicious cookies you know I like.”

“Will do,” Spike said, saluting.

Rarity smiled warmly at Spike, adjusting her pearl necklace and then looking at Lavender. “Come on, sweetie. The day is young, and I want to get the most out of it!”

Lavender rolled her eyes and sighed. She looked back at Spike, who smiled and winked at her, reassuring her that things would be alright. With a small smirk, Lavender walked out the door, following Rarity to Celestia knows where.

***

Lavender remained silent throughout most of the walk. She walked side by side with Rarity, listening to her mother’s giddy hums for most of the walk. After a while, Lavender decided it was time to break the ice.

“You seem…extremely happy,” Lavender said, receiving an amused glance from Rarity.

“Why wouldn’t I be, Lavender?” she asked. “I finally get to spend some nice, quality time with my daughter. I’d be a terrible parent if I wasn’t excited!”

“Yeah, I suppose,” Lavender responded.

Rarity’s smile weakened, but didn’t fade. “What’s wrong, sweetie? You don’t enjoy being around your mother?”

“Yeah, it’s nothing against you. It’s just…” Lavender paused, rubbing her head with her front claw. “No offense to you, Mom, but you don’t really do anything that interests me.”

“Oh?” Rarity rose an eyebrow curiously. “What do you mean about that?”

“Well…” Lavender held out her claw, pointing at each finger to levy her points. “While you like the relaxing at the spa, I like to wrestle in the mud. You try to dress fancy all the time. I’d rather be comfortable and free of that extra stuff. You have Opal, the frilly, uppity cat. I had Slithers the snake, but we all know how that ended.”

“Lavender, not this again.” Rarity groaned and planted a hoof to her face. “Lavender, that was seven years ago. Not only that, but it was a wild snake you had wrapped around your neck! What if he had bitten you!”

“It wasn’t even venomous, Mom,” Lavender argued.

“That’s not the point, Lavender. And I’d rather not discuss that again.” Rarity shuddered slightly at the thought of the snake returning.

“Fine,” Lavender said. “Anyways, the point is we don’t have too many common grounds. So, why do you keep insisting on trying to make some?”

“Hmm, let’s see. Why on earth would I ever try to bond with my daughter?” Rarity tapped her hoof playfully against her chin and giggled. “How about the simple fact that you’re my daughter and I care for you? That sound good?”

“As good as any reason, I guess,” Lavender said.

The two shared small conversations throughout their walk. Sometimes, Rarity would elicit a small chuckle from Lavender, though those times were mainly brought out by Rarity’s disdain. Though not much progress was made, Rarity was confident she could receive a positive reaction out of Lavender by the end of their outing.

“Well, here we are!” Rarity stopped in front of the building, smiling widely at Lavender. After noticing the exterior’s design, Lavender sighed and gave her mother a bemused glare.

“The spa?” Lavender began. “Are you serious?”

“Very.”

“Mom, what part of I hate the spa didn’t get through?”

“The hate part.” Rarity smirked as Lavender gave a look of dissatisfaction. “Look, I know you aren’t the most preppy girl in Equestria, and you don’t really like things that you conceive as ‘girly’, though Celestia knows I wish you did, but trust me, you’ll enjoy this once you give it the chance.”

Rarity widened her pearly eyes, trying to sway Lavender into going in. It wouldn’t have taken much, either way. Lavender already promised Spike to do this for her, so she wasn’t going to disappoint. That, and a few free gems sounded nice at that point.

Lavender sighed and looked up at Rarity, smiling softly. “Doesn’t look like I have much of a choice. Might as well grin and bear it.”

“That’s the spirit!” Rarity skipped towards the door, waving at Lavender. “Come on, Lavender.”

“Yeah, yeah. Keep your head on.” Lavender said, slowly walking towards the door alongside Rarity. Rarity pushed the door open and the two walked in.

Business was quite stable. Other than a few slow days, the spa twins always racked in a good amount of customers, Rarity being a constant returning customer. Because of this, the twins knew exactly how to handle her everytime she showed up.

“Good morning, Mrs. Rarity,” Lotus Blossom said. “Pleasure doing business with you again.”

“Oh, and I see you brought a guest,” Aloe said. “Is this the sweet little Lavender you talk so highly about?”

Lavender turned away, trying to hide her embarrassment from the two. “I’m not that sweet...”

“Yes, she is,” Rarity said, pulling two coupons out of her small bag. “I’m going to pay for her treatment today, so do whatever Lavender wants. Oh, and if she says nothing, give her the treatments I wrote on the back of the coupon.”

Rarity winked at the two, causing Lavender to become curious to what Rarity was plotting. Lotus and Aloe giggled, looking towards Lavender, causing her to look uncomfortably at Rarity.

“Mom, what are you guys talking about?” Lavender asked.

“Nothing important, sweetie.” Rarity dodged the question, grabbing her robe and towel, wrapping it around her head. “Come get your towel. You’ll need it to prevent your mane from getting all wet and puffy.”

“Mom, I don’t care how bad my hair gets,” Lavender said. “I’ll just straighten it out when I get home.”

“Well, but I do, Lavender. And while you’re here with me, I’m going to make sure your hair stays nice.”

Lavender growled to herself, inching towards the towel rack and wrapping it around her head. “There, happy now?”

“I’ll be happier when we get started, Lavender,” Rarity said. “Lotus, Aloe.”

The two sisters nodded their heads, leading them to their predetermined destination: their reclining chairs.

“Please, sit down you two,” Lotus Blossom said.

“We’ll go fetch the materials needed for the treatment.” Aloe and Lotus left the two customers to pick their supplies. Rarity immediately reclined in the chair, sighing loudly. Lavender looked at her in confusion.

“So, what, are you paying to lay in a chair?” Lavender asked, wiggling around the admittedly comfortable seat.

“You’ll see in a little while, Lavender,” Rarity answered. “Trust me, you’ll enjoy it.”

Lavender leaned back, unsure of her mother’s scheme. It didn’t take too long for the twins to show up with a jar and bag. Lavender leaned up, looking at the stuff they were carrying.

“Please, just lean back and relax,” Aloe said.

“We’re going to give you two lovely facials,” Lotus Blossom said, opening the cap of the mask.

“Facials?” Lavender looked towards Rarity for information.

“Don’t worry, Lavender. It’s just the face mask for your facial. It keeps your skin silky and soft.” Rarity pressed her hooves against her face, molding it into a soft mound and to show Lavender how smooth it was.

“Ok, if you say soOOO!” Lavender jolted when the green paste brushed against her face. “That’s cold!”

Aloe giggled, brushing the face mask on her face. “It’s just the mask being applied, honey. Try to be still so I don’t get any in your eye.”

Lavender wiggled and squirmed, making it difficult for Aloe to apply the facial cream.

“Maybe if you wouldn’t chill that stuff in an ice box, I would be able to sit still!” Lavender felt a restraining well of magic constrict her movement, forcing her still. Lavender tried to squirm, but to no avail.

“Lavender, be still and let them do their jobs,” Rarity demanded.

“You're not really giving me the chance to refuse, are you?” Lavender asked, slowly giving in to her mother’s demand.

“You could say it like that.” Rarity smiled at Lavender, reclining back and allowing Lotus to apply the cream to her face as well.

Lavender groaned and mumbled under her breath. It was one thing to be dragged to a spa without her knowing, but another to be subjected to frozen torture.

I’m going to have to ask Auntie Twilight if this is legal when we’re done…

Lavender’s face was now coated in green paste. She leaned towards Rarity, who had her eyes closed, lost in pure bliss. “So, how long am I supposed to wear this, anyways?” Lavender asked.

“Just until the spa treatment is over.”

“So I gotta look like a green goblin for most of the day, huh? Sounds fun.” Lavender put her claws behind her head. Aloe lifted two cucumber slices and gently placed them on Lavender’s eyes, causing her to smile slightly. She grabbed one of the slices and popped it into her mouth.

“Well, at least they have the decency to feed us,” Lavender said, crunching on the juicy cucumber. Her uncovered eye widened as Aloe giggled at her. “What’s so funny? What, you’ve never seen someone eat a cucumber before?”

“Well, I’ve never seen anyone eat a cucumber from the spa treatment before,” Aloe said, trying to stifle her giggling.

“Huh?” Lavender scratched her head, staring at Aloe.

“Sweetie, you aren’t supposed to eat them. You let them rest on your eyes,” Rarity explained, giggling herself.

“Wait, what kind of sense does that make? Why would I put food on my eyes?”

“Because they’re good for them. They keep the wrinkles away and make you look young and smooth. How do you think I kept my youth for so long?”

Lavender covered her mouth to stifle her laughter. She was glad that Rarity kept the cucumbers on her eyes, otherwise her gaze would have pierced through Lavender’s soul.

“So…since I already ate the first one, can I just go ahead and eat the other one?”

Aloe smiled. “Of course, dear. Whatever makes this more enjoyable.”

“I’d enjoy it more if I wasn’t here, but thanks anyway.” Lavender popped the other cucumber in her mouth, leaving a loud crunch. Aloe replaced the cucumbers Lavender ate and placed them on her eyes.

“So, today you tried to freeze me to death and torture me with food dangling in my eyes,” Lavender said. “How long is this going to last?”

“Oh, about thirty minutes or so,” Rarity said, causing Lavender to sigh in relief.

“Thank Celestia this won’t take so long.”

“As for the rest of the day, I usually stay here for around five to six hours. So you can tell, we’re going to be quite busy today.”

“Five to six hours!” Lavender groaned and slammed the back of her head against the chair. She brought her claws to her face, but was ultimately stopped by Aloe.

“Don’t touch your face quite yet! The mask hasn’t dried.”

“Yeah yeah.” Lavender sat listening to the ecstatic hums of Rarity. She was obviously enjoying it more than she was. “I’d rather be organizing Aunt Twilight’s books right now than sit here.”

Blinded by the cucumbers, Lavender felt herself drifting off. She didn’t really try to fight back the sleep, as she was bored out of her mind. Without a second thought, she closed her eyes and let sleep take a hold of her.

Author's Note:

And thus, the beginning of the teenage years begin. See ya in the next chapter; hopefully it won't take as long as this did.