Tales of the Sapphire Carousel: The Chef's Guardian

by Undome Tinwe

Chapter 4

"So, where do you see yourself in five years?"

Lily Petal's question brought every pair of eyes in the rec room facing towards her.

Setting down her bottle of cider, Candy Apple snorted. "What is this, a job interview? Are ya looking to poach us for that place down by the docks?"

"It's a perfectly reasonable question!" Lily protested from her seat on the other side of the room. "We all know that this is a pretty tough job to work in the long term, so we gotta be thinking ahead, right?"

"Well I for one won't be here in five years," Rarity said as she made another stitch in the hat she was working on. "By then, I'll have found myself a handsome prince who will whisk me away to his palace and shower me with love and affection. And the finest silks, of course."

"Right." Lily rolled her eyes. "So you plan on having only one client in five years."

"Oh, not at all," Rarity replied. "I'm not going to let myself become a woman of leisure. After all, It would be cruel of me to deprive my clients of my services. Either set of them."

Ripple Seas set down her own bottle of beer and stared at Rarity incredulously. "You really think your prince is gonna let you keep selling dresses and screwing people for money?"

"I expect anyone I fall in love with to understand and support my career choices," Rarity said primly, turning up her nose in that dramatic way that Shimmer Glass had learned meant she wasn't being fully serious, but still meant what she said.

"Uh-huh." There was a moment of silence as Ripple took another swig from her bottle. "Gonna be real interesting one day when you actually fall in love with someone."

The sound of Lily clearing her throat brought the room's attention back to her. "Meanwhile, in the real world, I'm thinking of taking some business classes," she said, sitting up straighter. "Maybe the Lady will let me manage this place when I get too old to dance, or I can strike out on my own and start another troupe."

"So this is a job interview!" Candy Apple said with a snicker. "Anyways, I don't see much point fretting 'bout the future. Got plenty o' time before I have to hang up my knickers and dancing shoes."

"I—" A soft voice made Shimmer turn her head to see Heart Throb looking up from a book. "I think I want to play the piano. Professionally, I mean. I, umm, I studied music and dance at the academy, and I really liked them both." At the attention everyone was giving her, she wilted a little.

Shimmer couldn't let that happen. "I think that's a wonderful idea," she said, smiling. "You have to play for us sometime. We'd all love to hear you."

There was a chorus of agreement, and Heart Throb blushed and promised to play a song next week.

"How about you, Shimmer?" Ripple asked after the commotion had died down. "You gonna be feeding us still when we're all old and gray?"

Shimmer paused. "I don't know," she finally admitted. "This is a good place for my boy." Something she never thought she'd say about a brothel, but the Sapphire was truly a special place. "I think I'll stay until he's finished schooling, at least."

"Yeah, the Lady might not know the difference between a baby and a dog, but she only hires the best tutors," Ripple agreed. "And I'll have enough saved up to retire in a nice little cottage by the countryside by the time my little Wave is old enough to decide what she wants to do."

"What if she wants to go into the same business as you?"

The question slipped out before Shimmer could stop herself, but before she could give an apology, Ripple waved her off with a laugh.

"I'll give her a recommendation to my best clients," Ripple replied once she settled down. "Make sure she starts things off with the right folks, and a contract that doesn't screw her over."

Shimmer didn't know what to say to that. The last thing she would ever want for her kids would be to have them forced to do what she'd had to in order to survive. But if they chose to sell their bodies...

Fortunately, she was saved from having to answer by a pair of late arrivals to their little party, their voices predating their appearance by a few seconds.

"You're just scared that I'll blow your mind so hard that you'll never wanna do your job again."

"Oh, if I had a bit for every time a client told me that, I'd be living it up in the Solar District right now."

"Gimme one night and I'll show you—" Rainbow Dash stopped as she entered the room and she saw Shimmer Glass staring at her.

It warmed her heart to see that consideration from the guard, but it also made it pang with guilt at forcing her to hold back. Even as Shimmer appreciated the gesture, she couldn't help but feel it was wrong to keep her restrained in this way, like a caged bird not allowed to sing some admittedly very bawdy songs.

She looked at the girls around her. They were all comfortable, even appreciative, of Rainbow's advances, and she had to admit that she'd grown used to them talking about their other trade in the past couple months.

Maybe... maybe it was time for her to let go of a piece of her past. It would do her good, even if it scared her. An idea came to Shimmer as she watched Rainbow stand in awkward silence by the entrance, and it terrified her, opened up doors that could lead to her getting hurt like she had in the past.

But this was Rainbow Dash. One of the guardians of the Sapphire Carousel. And she would never hurt Shimmer.

Steeling her shaking body, she made her decision.

"C'mon, Autumn!" she called out, using every inch of her resolve to keep her tone light and joking. "You can't tell me you aren't interested at all in what Miss Dash has to offer, can you? Look at her!"

The whole room went silent as everyone seemed to hold their breaths. Shimmer felt the weight of embarrassment press down on her, and though she didn't feel any past fears threatening to seize control of her heart, she did feel a very real fear of making a fool of herself.

Just as she was about to make some excuse to leave the room, Rainbow Dash's eyes sparkled with understanding. "Yeah, how could you turn down all this awesomeness?" she boasted, gesturing at her own lithe and muscular figure.

Autumn Haze caught on, and gave Dash a considering look. "Hmm, well, you're not the worst I've had before," she said. "Maybe I'll keep you in mind next time I'm looking for a little fun after work."

"I'll take it!" With that, the tension in the room melted away, and Rainbow Dash and Autumn Haze joined the carousing in the Carousel, grabbing their own preferred drinks and going to town.

Some time later, Shimmer found herself alone in a corner, sitting opposite to a mostly-sober Rainbow Dash. Despite the large amounts of alcohol the guard was consuming, Shimmer didn't feel even the least bit nervous. She knew Dash didn't have it in her to do anything unwanted towards her.

"You didn't have to do that, you know," Dash said, taking another swig of cider.

"I know," Shimmer replied, skirting the edge of drunkenness. "I wanted to. You shouldn't have to change for me."

"It's fine," Dash slurred. "Not like I've got a chance with any of these girls anyways. I mean, I'm competing with professionals here, and they're all damn good at their jobs."

"Rainbow Dash," Shimmer chided, "you work here. You should know better than anyone that it isn't what's on the outside that counts."

"I know." Even in her inebriation, Dash's eyes had a look of true honesty about them. "That's why I know none of them will be interested in me. They're all so awesome, you know? Heart Throb is some kinda musical genius, Lily's been meeting with the boss to help her out with running this place, and Rarity is basically the best dressmaker in history. They're all prettier and cooler than me. I'm just the guard."

"You are much more than just 'the guard.'" Indignation rose up in Shimmer's heart as she set down her drink. "Everyone here trusts you enough to come to you with their problems. You make people feel safe just by being you, and let me tell you, that means more than you can possibly imagine. Don't you ever think you aren't just as awesome as everyone else here."

The alcohol loosened her tongue enough that the next words just slipped out between Shimmer's lips. "And you're way prettier than you think, too." Her eyes found themselves tracing the taut lines of Rainbow Dash's muscles before she stopped herself, chiding herself silently for leering at her friend.

"You really think so?" Rainbow Dash sounded so vulnerable in that moment, with the alcohol dulling her mask of confidence.

It was easy enough for Shimmer to answer with the truth. "I know so. One day, someone very lucky is going to see that, and I'm sure you'll blow their mind."

"Pfft." Rainbow let out a short chuckle. "Yeah, you're right. Just gotta keep trying."

"That's the spirit!" Shimmer raised up her glass. "To finding someone who likes you on the inside and out."

Rainbow Dash grinned. "I'll drink to that!" They downed their beverages, letting the warm burn of alcohol suffuse their bodies before Dash added, "you know, you're really pretty too."

Shimmer's heart skipped a beat. "Oh?"

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened in horror as she realized what she'd just said. "I'm sorry!" she blurted out. "That was dumb of me. Stupid cider. I shouldn't be drinking if it's gonna make me say stuff like that to you."

"No, no, it's fine," Shimmer hastily assured. To her shock, she found that it actually was. Compliments on her looks used to make her skin crawl, and having a guard at this place make such a comment should have made her want to run, but this was Rainbow Dash. She didn't have any ulterior motives in complimenting her, wasn't thinking about the next time she'd be able to use her body. It was just a compliment for a compliment, two women recognizing each other's beauty. "Please, don't apologize. I... I liked hearing you say that."

"Really?" Dash's body sagged with relief.

"Yes," Shimmer said. "I'm not going to let my past take anything else away from me. I want to be beautiful, and not feel like I'm going to be hurt because of it." So that's why they called it liquid courage. Right now, as she straddled the line between sober and drunk, Shimmer wanted nothing more than to reclaim the love of her own body that had been seized by others.

"Well, you're definitely beautiful." And as for Dash, the cider was making her tongue more free, and Shimmer heard nothing but honesty in her words. "Even in a place like this, you shine."

A blush threatened to form on Shimmer's cheeks. "Thank you, Rainbow."

"No need to thank me for telling the truth." The bodyguard finished the last of her drink in a single gulp. "I'm gonna get another one of these," she said, putting her bottle down and standing up on unsteady legs. "See ya later."

Shimmer waved and watched her teeter away, her heart warming and a smile played across her lips. Rainbow Dash was beautiful, and so was she, and those facts couldn't have Shimmer any happier tonight.