Chapters Hi, I'm Lavender Love. I'm 16 and a Ponyville High School drop out. I had to actually, because I need to take care of my sister. I'm a light lavender color with a navy blue and red mane and tail. I wear glasses and usually wear a light-blue scarf. I am a unicorn too.
I...What's that? "I forgot my cutie mark?" actually I don't have one yet...
Anyways I managed to get a job at sugar cube corner sweeping for 1 bit a day. It's not much, but it adds up. Plus Pinkie Pie, my co-worker of sorts, is good friends with the ponies who run Sweet Apple Acres, so she usually sneaks me an apple or two.
My every day routine is this (remember it):
Wake up
Take My Sister, Love Blossom, to school
Go to work
Sweep
Wait
Sweep again
Wait more
Sweep more
Get my daily bit and if I'm lucky, an apple from Pinkie Pie
Go to pick up Love Blossom from school
Go Home
Try to make her smile
Sleep
Rinse and Repeat.
I know this was sort of boring, but you need to know it for the story I'm about to tell you...
"Time to get up Love Blossom." I called into my sister's room one chilly winter morning. I was responded to by a small, high-pitched "Ah-choo". "Oh no..." I said with dread, "You're not sick are you?" I peered around the door to and into my sister's room to see her, mane in a mess, eyes reddish pink, many fluids coming from various parts of her face, her blue coat seemed more like a green one and dear Celestia the smell was just awful.
"Uhm...I thing I need do sday ome vrom sgool duday..." she managed to get out between coughs and sneezes.
My worse fears had come true, I had just spent last month's salary on more blankets to keep her warm at night. I was flat broke, there was no way I could pay for medicine, let alone the doctor's appointment. "Don't worry." I comforted her. "I'll take care of you."
I walked back into the kitchen of our three room hut I had found near the lake several years ago. The Mayor had given it to us until we got back on our hooves again, which never happened, but she let us stay there for free so I guess it's not all bad. I quickly grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill that were lying around and jot down a letter to the Cakes saying my sister was ill and wouldn't be able to make it to work today.
I trotted outside into the snow just as the Mail Mare arrived. She had a light grey coat with a light blonde mane and tail. Her cutie marks was seven bubbles (I believe, I've never been good with numbers), and she wore her blue uniform hat along with the winter scarf.
"Anything outgoing today?" she asked cheerfully.
"Yes, I'm glad I caught you." I said.
She frowned, "I'm afraid I can't take it." she informed. "Orders from the top, you're behind on your postal payments. You know you were pushing it sending three letters with no stamps, and I've been told I can't take your mail until you pay." she began to tear up "I'm so sorry this happened. I would take it if I could but, I need my job to support my two daughters." she looked down and kicked a small clump of snow.
I was at a loss for words and I sat down and stared at the frozen lake behind her hoping to see the answer in that frozen water. But nothing but emptiness.
"Well..." She began. "You know I could just take it there for you as a friend...that's technically not breaking the rules..." she looked at me from the corner of her eye and gave a sly smile.
I shot up and wrapped my hooves around her, "Thank you so much!" I exclaimed.
She merely grabbed the letter in her hoof and put it in her pocket. By that I mean the pocket everypony has right there on their cutie mark, or in my case, blank flank. She then tipped her hat and flew off.
I watched her go off into the winter sunrise, turned and returned to my ill sister.
"Are you hungry?" I asked.
"What about you?" she replied, "You didn't eat at all yesterday."
This was true, I had given her my half of the apple we were supposed to share because I could tell she was coming down with something and knew she needed to have nutrients. "I'll be fine." I told her, "This is your big brother we're talking about."
"Okay." she sulked, "Just don't do something stupid like not drink when we've got a whole lake right there." she pointed with her hoof towards the front door.
I stayed with her all day that day, never leaving her side except to fetch her something. I told her stories, jokes to try to make her laugh. Sang her songs, though off key, but she didn't mind that.
"Big Brother?" she asked already doing much better by one in the afternoon, "Why don't you have your cutie mark yet?"
"I've told you that before sis, 'I just never discovered my special talent.' that's all." I said reassuringly.
"I don't see how that's possible." she retorted.
"Well the accident sort of shook things up for me." I replied.
"Yeah I know." she paused for a few seconds then said, "But I still managed to get my Cutie Mark." she turned her head towards her flank where there was a light red flower in the shape of a heart with one orange leaf.
"And what is your special talent?" I said jokingly.
"Matchmaking..." she huffed.
"It's more than that. You are able to see the good in others and help them discover it for themselves. Then you can help ponies find other ponies who will end up being good friends."
"Or more." she said with a sly grin.
"Yes...'or more'." I joked.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. I told my sister that I would be right back, got up, and went to the door. I opened it to see a bright pink pony jump tackle me. "Oh good you're okay, because you didn't come in to work today and so I got worried, but the Cakes got your letter, but they didn't tell me what was wrong, so I tried to sneak a glance at it and all I could make out was the word 'ill' and that's not a good, happy word, I mean just say it, 'iiiiiiiiilllllllllllllll' I mean it just sounds like somepony gagging on something I mean 'Yuk!' who wants that sort of sound-taste in your mouth? So I brought Applejack and Fluttershy to see if they could help, and Twilight should be coming when she gets some of her princess work done.So for now LET'S HAVE A PARTY!" Pinkie Pie then produced one of her three "handy dandy party cannons' and commenced firing.
Before I knew it the walls were covered in streamers and other festive decorations for any kind of party.
"SHHHHHHHH!" I said "Keep it down, my sister is asleep." I said to her, but it was like talking to a brick wall really.
Pinkie Pie was about to start blasting music from a box labeled "The Wub Machine Mach3000" when Applejack said to Pinkie Pie, "Ah don' think he needs a 'loud' party right now."
"Oh, sorry." Pinkie then proceeded to turn the volume from 11 down to 1 and played some soothing smooth jazz. Blue's music probably.
"Ah didn't know ya had a sister Lavender. Where is she?" asked Applejack.
"She's asleep in her room over there." I pointed with my head to the door behind me.
I believe it was then that the three of them first got a look at our house, if you could call it that, it was more of a Soddy really. The roof and walls were dirt, there were three rooms; the Kitchen, My Sister's room, and our living room (that's where I sleep on the floor). The front door was a bunch of wooden planks tied together with some rope, when you came in you entered into the kitchen. Dirt floor, one table, no chairs, and an Ice Box. It was literally an Ice Box, a wooden box filled with ice where we kept the little food we had that required refrigeration and anything else that needed to stay cool. In the summer I had to cast a spell on it every morning to restrengthen the Ice. We had a "sink" which was really just a water spout that was next to the ice box. On the walls were some improvised cabinets made from wood planks.
To the left of the Kitchen was the living room, it had a dirt floor, with a small orange rug in the middle covered with stains and rips. We had a basket of my old toys that we would play with sometimes when we had free time. There was one window in that room which you could see straight out over Ponyville, that is if we were able to keep it clean for an extended period of time. In the corner was a blanket, which is were I slept.
Now if you had gone straight through the kitchen instead of turning left, you would come to a door made of wooden planks and in that room was my sister's room. The floor was, you guessed it, dirt, and in the center of the room was a big quilt which acted as a mattress and she some blankets and she had a little stuffed blue Bunny.
Applejack looked around and said, "This is some place, I'm not quite sure how ta describe it, but it's...interestin'."
"I like it..." said Fluttershy softly, "It reminds me of a house of my friend bear..."
Pinkie Pie was too lost in the smooth jazz to take part in our conversation.
"Please," I said pushing up a rock improvising as a chair, "Make yourselves at home." I said, realizing it was probably hard for them to do.
After several minutes of awkward sitting and listening to smooth jazz, I finally asked, "Sooooooo...can you guys help my sister?"
"I can try." said Fluttershy.
"An' I'll do ma' best." chimed in Applejack.
I looked to Pinkie Pie who was still in her own little world of smooth jazz. I knew she meant well, but not everything is meant to be made into a party...
My sister, Fluttershy had diagnosed, had a cold. Which was not surprising considering how cold it was outside. Luckily Fluttershy knew an herbal remedy that a Zebra named Zecora had given her. But it wouldn't take affect until the next day. Yet how was I supposed to know what would happen between then and now.
I was sleeping next to my sister that night, making sure she was alright. I often checked her forehead for her temperature. The medicine had a very potent effect of putting the pony taking it to sleep.
It happened suddenly.
There was a loud rumbling, which turned into a growling, then a roaring. The earth itself started letting out horrific noises. Then came the shaking, it shook so hard, and so violently, that it seemed it would never stop. Was this an earthquake? It had to be.
I stood up after falling once or twice, and used my magic to pick up my sister and put her on my back. I stumbled out of her room and into the kitchen. I was halfway through the kitchen when one of the cupboard doors flung off its rope hinges and hit me in the side of my head. There was a ringing in my ears for a few seconds before I remembered where I was. I continued walking and I swung open the front door. But just as I took the first step out of my unstable dirt home, snow fell off the roof and buried me. I was about to pull out using my still free hind legs, when the doorway collapsed on my back half.
My first thought was to protect my sister. I struggled and squirmed to get her into the pocket of air beneath me. Buried, half by snow, and half by dirt, I stood there, bearing all that weight. I felt like Atlas, the giant Titan Pony who had to hold the Sky on his saddle. I stood there for who knows how long. My back felt like it would give in at any second, I had given up screaming for help hours ago, after my throat had gone dry. I almost fell asleep a couple of times, and I was starting to feel the effects of not having eaten at all that day. My hope was dwindling and I knew all I had left to live for was, my sister.
I was dozing off for the third time when suddenly there was a sound above me. It sounded like shovels! "Help!" I managed to shout one last time before it hurt too much to speak.
"Hey!" came a muffled voice, "There's somepony down there! Quick grab the shovels!"
I heard the sound of shovels above me, then I saw a light from the heavens raining down upon me. All I remember now was being lifted into that light.
