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Interlude1,170 words
Royal Dignitaries1,560 words
Of Velvets and Roses6,861 words

Interlude

Velvet

The sound of music hung in the air, as the marketplace of Hollow Shades -- a small, but decent town situated beside a steep cliff -- is clogged up by hundreds of ponies looking for goods to buy. All of these goods -- whatever they may be -- each has its own qualities which makes it unique, whether it be a basket of fruit or a bouquet of lilies and roses.

Amidst the wave of ponies entering the area, a rather-tall Earth pony is running late for work. It was quite evident that she had rushed her morning routine -- her messy, purple hair adorned with pinkish-streaks; the way her green eyes dilate; and her unkempt violet fur. As she galloped her way across the market, she bumped into a muscular, white pony. The impact had caused the both of them to fall onto the ground; herself groaning to herself and the victim slowly standing up. His shadow looms over her, intimidating her.

"Velvet," he said as he brushes off some dirt which had landed on his fur. The white pony extended his hoof, to which she grasped quite tensely, helping her to get back on her feet.

The pink pony raised her head slowly, eyes widening as she realised who she had just bumped into. There, her boss, Vivid Rose, stood proudly, his sharp irises piercing right through Velvet's soul.

"S-Sir, sorry I'm late. My alarm went of late, and--" the white pony chuckled to himself softly and patted Velvet on the back.

"No worries, Velvet; but bloody hell, get a new alarm, will ya?"

She nodded quickly before letting out a sigh of relief. Of course Vivid Rose would be fine with it, she thought. He's one of the nicest ponies she has ever met (though he can be quite intimidating at times).

The pair trotted on the wet earth, soaked by the previous night's storm. As they continued their march towards their booth, a changeling refugee draped in a ragged piece of cloth was being chase by a horde of angry fillies. While it might be difficult to sense it at first, but one can't help but to feel the eerie sense of tension that has been circulating around Equestria like a wildfire recently. Ever since Chrysalis's failed attempt at overthrowing the Equestrian monarchy, discrimination towards the changeling population of Equestria has been on the rise, with new cases of such discriminatory acts appearing everyday on the tables of the local garrison, who, at this point, has done nothing to quell the violence and racism the Changelings have been experiencing lately -- despite swearing an oath to protect those anyone in need.

Vivid Rose shook his head in disappointment. "Damn youth these days chasing 'em buggers like they're chasing a butterfly in a open meadow," he commented briefly before drifting off in some faraway thought.

Other than the occasional pony and/or gryphon greeting the pair, the walk to their shop was rather uneventful -- nothing out of the ordinary. While her boss entered the shop, going back to working on his previous errands, Velvet couldn't help but to stand outside their shop for a moment and appreciate just how much they have done with it. The vibrant-green plants brought life to an otherwise lifeless store painted in dull colours of brown and grey -- not like she had anything against them. Within the store itself, paintings of varying sizes hang proudly on the building's walls, fitting well with the shop's main intention: to sell baked goods and anything botanical related.

As she entered the shop, she smiled proudly at the sight of their customers: business is doing great... And there's a long line slowly building up due to the absence of a certain cashier. Her eyes widened rapidly and she quickly put on an apron that was hung conveniently near her. An old stallion whose beard was as long as the eye could see waited impatiently for his order to come, tapping his hooves ever-so-slightly on the birch floor.

He was about to ring a bell when Velvet, holding a plate full of apple pie with her mouth, came to the cashier, sweat dripping down from her forehead. The stallion coughed, to which Velvet nod embarrassingly. "Sorry for the delay, mister; I believe this is your order?" she laid the plate on the counter and awaited for his response.

The stallion nodded slowly and produced a bag of five bits for the order. "Aye, lady. Tis' my order, indeed," her eyebrows were raised steeply when she heard how the stallion worded his sentence. She, in turn, nodded, and grabbed the bag of bits and inserted said bits into the cashier.

She gave him a kind smile, one that is necessary in these kinds of jobs. "Thanks for stopping by at Roses and Baked Goods!" in what seem like an act of ignorance, the stallion trotted off condescendingly, dismissing her gratitude as something a peasant would say before leaving the shop.

"What an arse," she thought to herself, handing out the next customer's order(s).

But that's what she was expected to face when she first signed up as a cashier for the baked goods part of the shop: sometimes, you have the customers who respect you as a pony and those who downright despise your very presence.

She inspected the treats and frowned slightly. Ever since Cotton Bun, the previous baker, passed away due to leukemia, the shop has never been the same -- the quality of the treats have significantly degraded since his untimely passing; and while Velvet herself is an experienced baker, none had the level of expertise Cotton had -- nor the personality.

He truly was one of a kind.

The rest of the day was horrifically slow, with Velvet laying her head on the counter, waiting for the next customer to come; and Vivid, who, at this point, has had a decent day serving a large crowd of customers. She let out a tired sigh followed by a yawn. It seemed like she would be here for a very long time.

She did not stay for a very long time, as she had escape from the clutches of her job and unto the majesty that is Crow's Peak, a hill adjacent to her house not too far away from there. The pink pony had asked her boss if she could take the rest of the day off, for her job was stressing her out and that she'd like to have some peace and quiet for a bit. Vivid, while reluctant, accepted her request on one condition: she would have to work twice as hard as she did today. While unfair, it is the ultimate price of having some tranquil time as an adult.

Velvet, enjoying a nice, juicy piece of apple, flipped the next page of the newspaper, and sighed when she saw the headline:

Stalliongrad secedes from Equestria -- government is enforcing limited conscription

"Times, they truly are changing," she said to herself, enjoying the smell of a freshly-brewed chamomile tea.

Author's Note:

thank you for reading the very first chapter of hearts of steel. it's been a while since i've written anything, so constructive criticism is much appreciated.

ciao !

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