Tick
Tok
Tick
Tok
Tick
Tok
Tick
Tok
Why did there have to be such a loud clock? It wasn't even a nice loud one either. An expensive, grandfather clock from a time long ago made out of the finest wood in equestria, whose sound alone could pierce the heavens and that Celestia herself would approve. But it wasn't. It was just a plain, white clock. Perhaps that was a beauty in itself, but Upper Crust couldn't see that beauty in such simplicity.
But why was there such a loud clock?
Out of any other store or building, a doctor’s office should know not to have a clock. Wouldn't that drive anypony mad?
She could picture it now. An older colt beginning to scream and cry out in agony as time controlled his life. Every single movement he made, and every breathe he took in or let out. They were all timed perfectly, even when he made sure they weren't. Each tick a push and each tok a pull. Was life already planned for him? Destiny? Did somepony somewhere decide on his cutie mark and how he would live before he was even conceived? She could picture that male ripping the hair out from his mane as he grew smaller and smaller in the world. How he realized life was a lie and nothing he did mattered once he was dead. The other ponies could only watch as he slowly destroyed himself from the inside out.
Upper Crust wanted nothing more but to do the same. Was that why she was here and not back at home where she could stay in her room and think all day and night about how meaningless this all was? But she didn't think everything was meaningless. There were times where she would think about the romantic bullshit she wanted. An idea of meeting Prince Charming. Someone who would tell her every day and night how beautiful she was, and how lucky he was to be with her.
As she gazed outside, she saw herself staring back in the window pane. A young mare whose eyes reflected the same blue a sapphire might with long, fake eyelashes sprouting out from them. Gems many chose to look at from afar, but none dared to steal. She deemed that she was wearing much too much turquoise eye shadow, courtesy of her mother, and the pink earrings really didn’t match. She just enjoyed the way that they looked almost like real pearls. She wore a white dress shirt and a pink sweater tied around her neck that managed to hide her flank rather well. Her hair was a light blue that matched her eyes rather nicely with the different shades, while her coat was beige. Overall, she was a fairly attractive unicorn living in high class Canterlot.
“Upper Crust? The doctor can see you now.”
Why do they say that? Was the doctor blind for a moment or two but now he’s okay? Why couldn't he see her before? Was she too hard to find? If her mother heard her thoughts, she would get a beating of some sort for sure.
She stood tall and walked past the nurse with her head held high. Her mother told her that confidence was everything, and so she tried to act like she was confident. It was surprisingly easy to act confident, and after some time of doing it Upper Crust began to believe she was, in fact, confident.
“Higher, dear. Let them know you’re better than them.”
“Yes mother.”
~~~~
“A blank flank at an age like this!? Preposterous!”
“Not really, ma’am. She would just be considered a late bloomer. Perfectly normal.”
“But she’s almost a full grown mare! It’s making the others say horrible things!”
It was true, though. She was probably the oldest pony in Canterlot without a cutie mark. The rest of the ponies would call her names and single her out. ‘Blank Flank’ ‘Talentless Pony’ ‘Useless’...But what was the big deal about cutie marks? Did they really mean that much to ponies? Did they control lives like time? Upper Crust tired imagined a life with a cutie mark. Perhaps it was more pleasant to not have one. She was unsure.
Her name raised the idea that her cutie mark would have something to do with money, but she didn’t want it to have anything to do with money. She found money to be boring, and the idea that her cutie mark just being some innuendo for being rich was repulsive. Her talent was not going to be being rich.
“Ma’am, there’s nothing I can do. She just needs to find it herself in time.”
Time. Time controls us all, doesn't it?
But there’s a beauty to it that few can see, and even fewer live by.