Manehatten Jazz
Sweetie put the last book on it's place and sighed deeply. It had been quite difficult to do everything just with her mouth and to make even the smallest process.
Also it was a constant reminder, that It was gone. But not only that, the constant pain and sparkles from the shattered rest were also a constant drawback. It never vanished, first she thought the medicine would ease it down, but it nagged and itched constantly, so it didn't feel better.
She shook her head, as she noticed, that she had glanced to the mirror in the corridor and stared at her forelock again. She shut her eyes closed and tried to levitate it from the wall, but her horn just sparkled again and a dump pain returned anew. Sweetie sighed and turned away from her reflection.
Why couldn't she accept it?
Why did she try to...?
Somepony knocked on the door and drew her back to the reality. She opened the eyes and flashed a glance to the clock. It was way too late.
She had began in the morning, so that she would have many hours, but even that wasn't enough time. Even the smallest box was very time consuming, if you had only your mouth to put everything out.
She had thought, that it would be easier and that she would be able to finish it in time. But it wasn't quite as easy as she had imagined.
She galloped through the room, pushed the half emptied box out of sight behind the couch.
She looked for the stuffed animal from Rarity and found it already resting beside her own present.
She put both presents on the couch table quickly and left for the kitchen to check out if the pie would be ready.
The smell of overbaked pie got into her nose, as she opened the door and she just thought to just open the oven with her magic.
The broken rest of her horn were just itching and a sparkle dazed her for one moment.
She shook it away and opened the door quickly with her mouth. The smell of burnt pie intensified and a louder knock echoed from the corridor.
“I'm coming. Just a mo...ah.”
She tried to answer and drew the pie pan out at the same time. But unfortunately she was in a rush and did it without any kind of protection.
So she burned her lips, jumped away wit a painful yell and the knocking became much noisier.
Sweetie put one cold hoof on her itching lips, tried to suppress another yell and stumbled slowly on three hooves to the door.
She looked into the mirror on the way down the corridor and sighed deeply.
A sweaty face with a stringy mane greeted her back, her half shut eyes darted to her red lips and over her hoof.
She spotted the burned fur under her nostrils.
What would the guests say?
Somepony knocked again and the voice of her longest friend sounded through the door.
“Hey Sweetie, are you alright in there?”
The former unicorn did look away from the mirror and turned to the door finally. First she wanted to open it with her magic, but as nothing happened, she just opened her mouth.
This wasn't as easy, as it sound, the more she opened it to grab the handle, the more it ached and she had to close it finally.
So she had to fumble around awkwardly with a hoof instead to open it. Finally she was able to push the handle down.
Sweetie hid behind the opening door and mumbled a few words.
“I'm forry. I have burnt my moufth...”
A wild cheer stopped her dumb whispering and a rushing dark blue scheme of a filly flew through the door and two older ponies followed her.
“Blue Hope, what is the first thing to do, when you're meeting a pony?”
A calm voice sounded gentle in the corridor and a dark blue unicorn mare entered the room and smiled apologetic to Sweetie Belle.
The younger well former unicorn shrugged her shoulders and answered with a grin, till the pain returned and she winched.
The small filly turned her head and cried over her humming small wings.
“Uhm...hello.”
She continued hovering through the corridor and vanished into the living room.
There she seemed to spot something and a joyful scream came out of the room.
“Uh a plush toy! Is it yours?”
Sweetie's smile widened first, but the pain got worse and the smile faded away quickly. She turned to the bathroom door and mumbled again.
“I'm back in a few minutes. Please sit down and...”
The door behind her closed in a gentle light of magic and a murmur filled her ears, before she was able to open the bathroom door.
“Sweetheart, would you mind accompany Blue Hope in the living room for a while and look out for her?”
A very bugged sigh answered the gentle voice and Sweetie couldn't suppress a snicker.
Blue Velvets habit to call Scootaloo sweetheart had she almost fell down of her chair in laughter as she first heard it.
And the younger pegasus was as bugged today as she was back than.
She rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to make a snippy response, but Blue Velvet knew exactly how to handle her.
She caressed lovely over Scootaloo's cheeks and pushed her with the hoof to the door.
The mare sighed again, but trudged obedient into the living room and called the little filly.
“Blue Hope, come here and this instant.
Mummy had said...”
Scootaloo's voice wasn't as firm as it should have been and became more bugged as the filly continued what she had done.
The small whirlwind simply disobeyed and flew through the room. She tossed around something, dashed after it and cheered, when she caught it.
Scootaloo stamped her hoof once and sighed again.
Sweetie Belle's grin widened and she had to suppress another snicker. The filly was a very particular tomboy, like her mother was.
Sweetie squeaked, as her lips started to hurt again and turned to the door finally.
She raised a hoof quickly to open it, but a dark red light pushed the handle and opened it for her.
First the former unicorn drooped her head sadly, but a gentle hoof pushed her into the bathroom and the low voice of the unicorn tried to calm her down, but her ears twitched nervously nevertheless.
“You should really do something with your mane, you know?
Let me help you out. Meanwhile you can attend your lips, okay?”
There was a undertone in the voice, who Sweetie disliked and she glared daggers to the bigger pony. Her smile was so friendly, that Sweetie just could sigh bugged.
Blue Velvet knew how to handle her as well and guided her simply along. She closed the door and placed Sweetie Belle with an impatient pushing hoof in front of the sink.
She opened the tap with her magic, before the little mare could raise a hoof to do it herself.
She grabbed a brush with her red magic and started to brush her outer streak's.
“You're awful tousled you know, Sweets.”
Sweetie turned around, raised a hoof and stroke over her mane on the other side.
“You know, I....”
Velvet smiled very gently again, turned her around with a hoof and gathered a towel with another magic field.
She waved it through the cold water and stopped Sweetie Belles mumbled complaint by placing the soaking towel on her mouth.
“Sweets, I have thought, that you could...”
The former unicorn rolled her eyes, as the real unicorn brushed further through her mane and gave her suggestions,
how she could find work in Manehatten, or how she should alter her apartment for her special needs.
In the meantime she arranged her mane in a pair of pigtails. She bound the two coloured hair into each other to create the tails.
Whatever Sweetie Belle tried, turning her head away, or taking down the towel, it didn't work out.
The field of Velvet's magic and her hoof held her in position and the brushed her mane, like a little filly.
“No, no Sweets, I'm not done yet.”
Sweetie just stood still and let it get over with. But she thumped her left front hoof impatiently on the ground and looked bugged into her own reflection.
The other mare didn't notice it, but stayed concentrated on her makeover. So she didn't noticed how bugged Sweetie Belle really was.
Finally she levitated a silver bow out of one closet and let it hover in front of the almost finished pigtails.
She cocked her head slightly and thought about something.
So she was distracted and Sweetie Belle could turn around to her finally, instead of just trying it.
She raised her hoof and ruined the unicorn's concentration by thumbing against her horn. The brush and the towel lost the red light around them and landed on the ground. Her mane was finally free too and exploded into a wild mess of streaks. The former unicorn took a deep breath.
“Blue Velvet!
I'm not your doll!”
Sweetie Belle talked back to her almost huffy, but as she looked angry into the older mare's eyes, she saw a disarming wink.
Velvet crossed her hooves in front of her chest and grinned widely.
“I know, Sweets.”
She sounded like she wanted to tease her even more and raised the towel with her magic. She let it hover in front of the white shatterhorn and looked directly into the small eyes of her.
Sweetie just grabbed it, slapped it against her lips and sighed. She felt for the brush, but couldn't find it, maybe it landed some place else.
This time Velvet let her alone and just watched her searching. Her expression was neither pity nor regretful in any manner.
She just stared into Sweetie Belles eyes with a challenging expression and an almost taunting grin on her face.
“What do you want from me, Velvet?”
Sweetie Belle just stopped and glared scowling to the older mare. But Velvet looked away, brushed gently over her dark red mane, tossed her long pigtail on the other side of her neck and cocked her head to the left finally.
“I? Nothing,.”
This nothing was loaded with something and Sweetie Belle sighed. She shook her head, stepped one step closer and sprawled herself.
First she wanted to grab the evading chin with her magic, but as nothing happened, she had to use her own hoof instead.
She whispered, as her head stopped almost aside Velvet's cheek.
“It looks like you're jealous, Velvet!”
The other unicorn, or more precisely the only unicorn took a hiss and flinched one step away.
Sweetie just continued and followed immediately.
“I'm not able to use magic, but my wits is still intact, Velvet.”
The mare made a depreciative snort and tried to turn her flank to Sweetie, but the younger mare just stumped a hoof on the ground and spoke clearly.
“I've no interest in Scootaloo, beside friendship!
I think I do prefer stallions, you know.”
Blue Velvet froze in place and her expression slipped for a moment. She stared confused to the smaller pony and started to laugh out loud finally.
Well she did it quite shortly, a serious expression returned quickly and the mare sighed.
Sweetie Belle took one step back, stepped on the brush and stumbled over it. Two strong hooves caught her, before she could fall and pulled her into a gentle hug.
Velvet held her gentler, as Sweetie would have thought, and looked down to her.
“I'm not jealous, Sweets.
I'm just worrying...
Well about Scootaloo. She was, well...”
The unicorn just whispered and Sweetie could sense, that she nestled close to her cheek.
There were tears on her coat. The mare brushed them away on her fur and spoke with a very fragile voice.
“I had never thought, that she has such a soft spot.
Besides Blue Hope of course.”
The mare trembled and hugged Sweetie closer and closer. The other mare sighed and answered her hug with her own.
She opened her mouth, but Velvet hadn't finished yet.
“You're very lucky.
She kept you close in mind so often and tried to figure out, how she would be able to help you.
But she did not sleep, nor did she eat...
She had yelled at Blue Hope yesterday and she would never yell at her, you know!
She is really worried about you.”
Sweetie Belle sighed and petted Velvet's mane, but closed her mouth again.
She waited, till the older mare had finished her monologue and had calmed down enough to listen to her.
“I have to talk with her.
She shouldn't care about me so deeply.
I'm not the little filly, who I was back than.
I'm...”
A low knock stopped Sweetie Belle. Both mares looked to the door and listened to a high voice, who sounded very quietly and even ashamed.
“Mummy said, that I have to tell you.
You...you know, I uhm...have done...”
Scootaloo's voice passed through the door much louder, as the low stammering and the filly fell silent.
“Blue Hope, wait until Sweetie Belle and aunt Velvet are here, before you...”
Sweetie Belle walked to the door, raised a hoof, but Velvet was faster again and her magic opened it quickly.
The white mare saw a misery ball of sadness in front of the door.
Blue Hope pressed her ears closely to her head with the dark red mane and her big purple eyes looked down at her hooves, who were drawing lines on the ground.
The small wings even trembled and her lips did as well. Scootaloo stood behind the filly and her face promised seven grounded days.
She nudged Blue Hope with a hoof from time to time, but the filly just hemmed and hawed and drew more lines on the ground.
Sweetie tried to break the ice with a gently smile.
“Well, what do you want to...?”
She couldn't even complete her sentence, as the filly ducked down and started to stammer.
“I didn't mean to break it.
But the last throw was way out of hoof and I thought I could catch him, well your plushy toy, before he.
But mummy had to catch me, before I bump into a closet and he ripped apart and I don't know, if I...you...”
The filly sobbed loudly and wiped away tears out of her face. She sniffed, licked her lips and flinched away from Sweetie Belle.
She shut her eyes closed and dropped her shoulders.
Scootaloo cleared her throat and pushed her forwards again.
The filly opened her mouth again, but nothing else than sobs escaped her.
She tried to fought them and the tears, but wasn't successful with it. Sweetie smiled encouraging, laid a hoof on the filly's head and petted her mane gently.
Scootaloo stroke her back consoling too and mumbled.
“It's okay, Blue Hope.
It isn't that bad.”
The filly jumped blindly forwards and raised her hooves with a sob.
“I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to...”
Sweetie Belle caught her gently and hugged the sobbing filly quickly. She pushed her small head gently against her chest fur and petted her mane.
“Hey, don't worry.
I can easily fix it, you see.”
She closed her eyes and tried to visualise the stuffed animal, but as she let her magic flow, there was just a oppressive feeling in her forehead and she sighed.
She looked from the filly to Scootaloo and both mares shared a long understanding look.
The pegasus stepped closer, nuzzled the filly's cheek and whispered encouraging.
“I'm sure, aunt Velvet can fix it.
She can sew very well, don't you remember?”
The filly just shook her head and dried her eyes on Sweetie's fur. She nestled closer to the former unicorn and whispered a few sentences.
“I'm really sorry, Sweetie Belle.
I didn't mean to break him.
May...maybe I can give you Red Lightning, as long as aunt Velvet is fixing him.
He's my favourite plushy and will look out for you.”
Sweetie Belle just smiled about this offer and how serious and contritely she sounded.
She pushed Blue Hope gently away, kneeled down, so that her eyes were on the same level as hers and nuzzled her cheek quickly.
“It was a present for you actually and...”
The filly stared with wide eyes to her and trembled. Her tail waved nervously from one side to the other and she bit her lips to calm herself down.
“And I have broken it.
I'm so sorry.”
Sweetie Belle shook her head and tried to raise the filly's chin with her magic, but this time a glowing spark emitted from the rest of her horn and a stinging pain hit her.
She had to suppress a yell and shut her eyes close. Blue Hope squeaked, jumped back and bounced scared against her mummy.
Sweetie Belle stood up on shakily hooves and pressed a hoof against her head.
Scootaloo jumped beside her, supported her with her own flank and laid a hoof around her.
“I didn't men to.
I'm sorry...sorry...I...”
Sweetie stopped the scared filly with a forced smile and a hissed sentence.
“It's not your fault, Sweetie.”
The filly just stared worried at her and Blue Velvet laid a consoling hoof around her as well.
She whispered inaudible with her and the filly nodded absent minded, while her eyes stayed on Sweetie Belle.
The former unicorn was guided by Scootaloo back into the living room and trembled, as her shattered horn emitted more sparks.
Her friend mumbled a few comforting words.
“It will get better soon, Sweetie.
Don't worry, I'm here for you.”
Sweetie Belle sighed, as the hoof petted over her mane. She hissed an answer.
“I'm not a little filly any more, you know?
You don't have to protect me any more!”
Scootaloo chuckled and towed her onto the couch. She looked out nearby, till she spotted finally her emergency back and made a run for it.
She didn't answered and Sweetie Belle just sighed and turned her head away. Now she was able to see the plushy, or the rest of it.
It had lost a wing and a leg, both hung trapped between two books from her bookshelf, but the pony just smiled anyway.
Sweetie Belle sighed again, forced a smile back on her face and mumbled.
“I'm not wimp!
I got this. I swear.”
She whispered the last word and laid her aching head on her hooves.
She trembled and sobbed, but a small cold hoof touched her forehead and petted gently over her mane.
Blue Hope's worried voice brought a real gentle smile back on Sweetie's face.
“It's alright, Sweetie Belle.
Please get well soon, okay?”
The shatterhorn raised her head and looked to the small filly, who answered with a worried expression.
She tried to petted over her mane and really wanted to be there for her.
But Blue trembled even more, than Sweetie and her eyes were looking back to Velvet and her mummy.
Like she wanted to assure herself to do it right. Both mares just smiled and Scootaloo hugged her with one hoof.
This was, what the filly needed and she continued to pet Sweetie Belle's mane.
“Thanks, Hope.”
The mare's whispered thanks brought a shyly smile back on the filly's face and she even blushed a little bit.
A small glass bottle hovered in a red light between the ponies and Sweetie Belle grabbed it quickly.
She drank a few sips and sighed relieved, as the aching pain went numb, but not all pain disappeared.
She just stayed laying down on the couch and let the little filly console her.
The filly stopped finally. Sweetie raised her head and stared to Blue with a inquiring expression.
Blue Hope licked her lips and her eyes stayed locked on the shattered rest of her horn
“Say, what happened to you?”
She sounded really curious and in her eyes just stand the same expression.
Unlike the older ponies, who didn't want to hear about it for real and just asked because it was polite, the filly was really interested how it happened.
Sweetie Belle sighed, her hoof touched the sharp remaining rests of the horn and put the mane out of the way, so that the filly would be able to see all of it.
“Well, you know.
It was an accident and a huge stupidity as well..”