Unscrewing Herself

by Mr. SexSymbol

The Mare of the Plum Trees

This is the story of a young rich mare who never discovered her special talent and, as such, her cutie mark. She lived in an estate in Canterlot, living off the inheritance her parents left behind when they died of sickness several years ago. The estate had hundreds upon hundreds of plum tress growing on her vast property. It was her playground as a filly and now her garden that she kept after.

It was a long and lonely life. Day by day she watched her servants tend to her orchard and night by night she found herself whisked away into the parties and civil pleasures of the wealthy folk of Canterlot. Ponies sided by her and claimed to her friends. They knew nothing but only money, fame, and happiness of wealth. They knew not of the blank flank she bore on her side and she took great care in keeping that secret hidden.

If only they could understand... she would be happy. Yet deep down she knew they wouldn't... no pony will ever understand this feeling of confusion. No pony could understand the bitter nights she spent brooding what she was meant to be. Those long dreadful nights...

Everything would all change however once this mare had a taste of chaos.

* * *

Hours until Discord's release: 6

Warm, soft sunlight poured through the clear glass of the large diamond-shaped window of the third floor bedroom of Merry McScrew. The bedroom was large and oval shaped, cluttered with all sorts of plush dolls and pictures that she had drawn as a filly. It was her childhood room, never changing it since her parents had passed away. In the center of the room, sitting atop a velvet rug, was an ornate bed. The covers were thick and silky, softer than a cloud and under those covers slept Merry.

She was a very light purple Earth Pony, with a bouncy white mane that was now wild and messy due to the tossing and turnings of the night. Dark was the bedroom and was her thoughts. Merry stared into the old tattered photograph of herself as a filly and her parents beside her. The curly haired filly did not smile in the picture; her eyes seemed dull...

"Miss Merry? Are you awake my lady?" A bouncy, fresh and yet aged voice called somewhere, Merry was too drunk from sleep to accurately know were the voice came from.

That was her maid... what was her name again? Merry's violet eyes flashed with recognition when it came to her.
"Yes, Gracia. I am now. Come in." She responded, her voice loud and clear. The moment the words had left her mouth, the double doors to her room opened and a white unicorn wearing a maid's outfit rushed into the room, using her magic to lift a duster and brush off the accumulating dust on Merry's dolls. Merry sat up in bed, watching the old maid fret over every little object and it's cleanliness. A lock of her white mane fell and clung to the side of her face as Gracia spoke. "I just don't know how you can live in these conditions my Merry. Don't you ever clean up my dear?"

Merry looked around her bedroom. Dust covered her collection of stuffed dolls that Gracia did not brush off, the tattered old ones, in thick layers and the red paint that was plastered on the four walls was getting dull.

"I have servants for that Gracia..." Merry mumbled in disheartening tone. Gracia chucked. "Oh yes why of course, silly me." Neither of them said nothing of how Merry would refuse anypony from entering her room to clean at all. For years she had kept the room untouched. It was a sense of something that Merry couldn't explain to herself.

Gracia gave the dusty room a final glance before shaking her head lightly and sighing. "At the very least my dear can you please rest in another bedroom. I'm concerned for your health..."

"I've never had asthma, Gracia... you know that."

The unicorn maid simply sighed once more and backed away into the hallway to fetch the other servants to assume the daily morning routine for their lady.

Merry yawned and climbed out of bed, shaking her head around. Her mane bounced about and assumed it's normal shape, a cloudy and curly look. Two of her trusted servants entered and escorted Merry to an area in the small estate for the purpose of getting spruced up, as her mother used to say, for important social activities her adviser had planned and set appointments for. The shape of the room was an oval and the walls were a dull gold color with small glass lamps lining it near the ceiling, filling the room with vibrant light. A three-sided mirror was on one side of the room and before was a pedestal, where Merry was to stand on for her servants to dress her up.

A light blue unicorn with a mane of white and dark blue brushed Merry's cloud-like mane with an elegant purple brush, held aloft with a coat of bright baby blue magic. "A-one... A-two... A-three..." She murmured under her breath, counting each stroke to achieve a more perfect look on her mistress's white mane. A chubby butler with a speckled white and brown coat brought forward a ceramic bowl filled with fresh cold water and dabbed Merry's hooves in it. He then held a towel in his mouth and dried them off.

They fussed over her looks, tossing jewelry on her and different styles of hats. Merry McScrew just simply stood there, having not moved at all on her own since leaving her bed, as her servants spruced her up for the day. One of the earls of Canterlot requested her for a meeting so they would discuss a business plan that would merge her plum orchard with his peach fields. Despite all the approval of her advisers and how her 'friends' pushed towards the deal as it would benefit her financially, Merry would have to say no to the earl's offer.

This was her family's farm, nothing was going to contaminate it. The soil was meant to raise plum trees and that was how her father saw it and it will be the way she sees to it. Nothing will change... not even herself.

Merry sighed and looked in the three mirrors angled at herself, all her reflections gave her a copied expression of sadness. Nothing will change... She thought, her eyes slinking to the side as she lifted her left foreleg up for her butler to slid it into a sleeve of a dress. What am I doing here? I haven't smiled since I was a filly... Everything is the same. Everypony is the same. No one understands how I feel. She watched as they fitted the red dress over her haunch, hiding the blank flank from view. Business is not my talent. Neither does it have do with plums. I am twenty years old and I still haven't matured in this society's viewpoint! Bah! Enough with it... I have to meet with the Earl of Pearls soon and I'll have to look presentable.

She shut her eyes and let them finish up.

... What exactly does a pearl enthusiast want with my plums anyway? They are fruit, unless he intends to eat them, he wouldn't have such an interest to pester me day by day for a meeting with him.

Merry sighed to herself and opened her eyes, glancing at herself in the mirror. They were nearly done with their job, putting the final touches on her mane. The light blue unicorn, Tesa, had sculpted the white fluffy hair into a beehive fashion and was fitting little gleaming violet gems in the shape of a plum just above her forehead. The butler took a step back, admiring the work he and his assistant had put into their lady.

"Madam, the Earl awaits." He murmured, bowing in a polite manner.

"Yes he is." Merry answered. "Tesa. Bruce. Though the two of you should keep to your daily duties, as usual. There's something else I'd want you both to do in my place."

"Of course Ma'am!" Tesa chirped, hopping up eagerly. "What is it you'll have us do?"

Merry glanced at Tesa, the grin on her servant's face fading away. "I want you two to visit mother and father for me. "
The room fell silent and Bruce shared a look with Tesa.

"Ma'am, pardon me but should you do this? They are your parents after all, right?" Tesa asked. Merry shook her head and walked up towards the doorway leading out.

"My parents are dead." She muttered. Tesa blinked. "Oh."

The violet earth pony shuddered slightly. "Bring sunflowers. Mommy had always loved sunflowers." She hung her head and pushed opened the door and left the two of them there alone. Gracia's voice called out from somewhere and the two could hear her old maid running to catch up to Miss McScrew.

Tesa leaned her head to the side and sniffed. "What happened to them?"

"Hm?" Bruce hummed. "Ah. Mr. and Mrs. McScrew? They both died of a viral infection when Miss Merry was only a little filly." He eyed Tesa, up and down. "You seem to understand. Have you lost a family member yourself?"

"My grandfather."

Bruce nodded. "Time passes like morning and night, the very end we sleep." The butler raised up his foreleg to check on his watch. "Speaking of time we must hurry and deliver the sunflowers to her parent's graves. I recall that Gracia would want you to accompany Miss McScrew."

Tesa nodded, wiping a small tear. "Okay."

* * *

The morning light shined brightly before the lush greenery that was the pride and joy of the McScrew's Estate, lining down as far as the eye can see. Like polished gems, the rich purple plums glinted in the light. They hung in a way that made it seem like they were going to fall down to the earth. Ripe. Almost ready to harvest. Though there were many trees, it was nowhere near the size of the real orchard. The actual moneymaking crop was behind the estate, nearly forty acres large.

Merry McScrew stepped out on the front balcony, looking down at the hired workers plucking juicy fat plums and tossing them in a barrel to be personally delivered to the Earl this afternoon. Merry scrunched her nose, already imagining how dull and bothersome this day would be. "My dear! Wait for me!"

Gracia was behind her, huffing from the effort to keep up with her lady. "Huh... huh... Miss... we must take our leave now if we ever hope to make it in time."

"You're so hasty," Merry mumbled to herself. "Momma had always told me that you were always out of breath when you were around me, trying to keep up with me or keep me out of danger." She smiled softly. "Yes. I do think we should go now. However it is still morning. We can wait, can we?"

"Mi-miss! Merry, we'll... be late!" She huffed.

"We'll be even later if we go now with you like that..."

Gracia fell on all fours, breathing deeply. "No no, I'm... fine!"

Merry opened her mouth to say something but then an idea popped up in her mind. "Well... in that case you should feel good enough to leave?"

"Yes!" Gracia wheezed.

"Hee! Then can you carry the carrige as well?"

Gracia's eyes widened but quickly hid her shock with a fake smile.
"I've always done that for you dear ever since you were" She stopped, out of breath. "were a little... girl..."

Merry grinned and looked below. A large worker waved her and tapped the barrel to let her know they had finished their task. "Can you also do me one more favor?"

"A-anything for you..."

"Carry the barrel full of the first harvest of the week. The Earl will surely enjoy these fat. Gigantic. Heavy, and juicy plums freshly plucked from my orchard?"

"Huh?"

Merry helped Gracia up and pointed down below to the overly large container that held fifty pounds of her family's plums.

With a heavy sigh, Gracia's eye's fluttered and fell with a swoon.

* * *

Tesa left the cemetery alone, stopping before a puddle that remained from last night's thunderstorm. The lone light blue unicorn had left her companion behind to head on back to Miss McScrew before she left her estate. It was almost noon and nearing the time McScrew was to meet with the Earl.

Tesa sighed and simply shook her head. There were times where she didn't know who Merry was and others she felt as if she could read the mare like a book. They had practically grown up together ever since they were little. As the lone mare turned to walk back towards the estate she felt something drip on her nose.

"Huh?"

Another drip fell on her. Followed by another... and another and soon a downpour came over her. Tesa huffed hungrily. "Just great..."

She plowed on, the McScrew family estate wasn't too far from the cemetery and if should she make it within an hour she would have enough time to dry herself off and be off with Merry to the Earl's. A distant rumble made the air around her tremble and Tesa squinted up ahead, seeing a carriage coming her way.

As it neared she could make out the plum orchard's emblem on it's side. Tesa grinned and hopped up to it's side as it came to a stop. The carriage was a light purple and in the shape of a round plum. It was decorated with a greenish tinted metal, embalmed all over as if they were vines or roots growing over the plum. An odd concept, Tesa had always thought, that the roots would grow up and over a plum... Then again it was Merry's father who designed the carriage and he had been an eccentric one.

The door opened and inside sat McScrew herself, sipping from a straw on a tea cup. She seemed to be pleased with herself judging from that smirk on her face. Tesa peeked inside and noticed that Gracia was not with her. "I'm guessing you gave her a day off?"

"If you're referring to my maid, yes. Yes I have. Now come in! Look at you, all wishy-washy with wetness. Cast a spell or something, you're a unicorn aren't you?" Merry piped, talking very... oddly. Tesa hesitated at first but then remembered that they were going to be late if they didn't leave soon. Her horn glowed a shining azure and steam rose from her body as the rain evaporated. She quickly climbed in as the spell was taking effect when Merry dumped the contents of her cup outside and held up, letting the rain pouring in it.

"Miss, whatever are you doing?"

"Hush. How could you not notice, Tesa?"

"Notice what?"

Merry brought the cup inside, the door closing with her friend's magic, and held it out between them.

"What the..."

"Indeedy. I know we aren't supposed to have rain today but this is... something else."

Within the cup was... rain. It fell out of the sky, clouds, it had to be rain. Yet it was brown. Merry lifted the cup up to her mouth. "Don't drink it!" Tesa cried out.

Merry scoffed. "And why should I not?" Before Tesa could reply, Merry downed it in one gulp.

The mare smacked her lips and shook her head. "No this can't be right..."
Tesa glanced outside through the window and back at her friend. "What is?"

Merry looked at Tesa with confusion in her eyes. "The rain... the rain is chocolate milk."

Comments

I like where this is going. Please continue.

[gapaot]

Awesome, Definetly tracking. I hope she'll be good Screwball after Discord is imprisoned again. Screwy is good pony.

[tokyooranges]

This looks very promising, tracked

[Meta Knight]

fantastic

[Ptero]

tracking

[Mr. SexSymbol]

174553 :3 Good, another chapter will (hopefully) be released soon.

[dermuffinmeister]

chapter one down. Onto two, tomorrow. I'm sleepy. As a writer myself, I'll point out that there's one grammatical typo I noticed. Other than that, great flow and fantastic visuals. I want to read more, but my eyelids have other plans.

>Within the cup was... rain. It felt out of the sky, clouds, it had to be rain.
should be fell, sorry for being anal.

[L4]

This is just so well made X3