All The Time

by Wilgrove

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 5930

Trying to make it in a big city can be tough for any pony. When Chiselle is presented with an opportunity to become the number one sculptress in Canterlot, she’ll have to make tough choices and decide if the price is worth it.

Chiselle loves her job as a sculptress and it provides her with some income. However, she cannot sustain herself on her art alone and often take on side jobs to make ends meet. All of that is about to change when she meets a member of Canterlot's elite society for a commission. However, this job may soon become her albatross as she has to make sacrifices to meet the deadline. Will all of her dreams come true, or will she decide it's too much?

Published 2014-01-13 21:50:04 UTC
Last updated 2014-01-13 21:50:04 UTC

All The Time

All the Time
By: Wilgrove

A brush went down her blue streaked mane as the young mare looked into the mirror. “Nine...and ten,” the gray unicorn counted off as she levitated the brush from her mane to the sink. ‘Who has time to brush their mane a hundred times, every day?’ she jokingly thought to herself.

A silver aura shone from her horn as she opened up the mirror to reveal an in-wall cabinet. From there she pulled out a blue plastic case with a snap-on lid. The pony opened up the lid and looked inside at the various earrings. “Hmm I think I’m in the mood for the blue-studded one,” she whispered to herself as she levitated the earring out of the case. She placed the case back in the cabinet and closed the mirror. With a small effort of will she looped the earring into her left ear and twirled the little bead till the loop was closed.

“Perfect!” she exclaimed as she walked out of the bathroom. The pony lived in a small apartment on the second story of her store in Canterlot. The unicorn walked into the living room and glanced at the opposite wall from the couch, which held a painting of Foal Mountain and a poster for the band “Four Horses”. The bottom left corner of the poster held the inscription, “To my daughter, with Love, Drumstick.”

The gray mare walked over to the couch and picked up a red flannel shirt that she had lazily tossed last night after a long day in the shop. With a hint of her magic, she slipped the shirt back on and buttoned up before she trotted over to the kitchen to prepare her breakfast.

As she levitated two pieces of bread out of the bread box, the chime of her doorbell rang. “Who could that be? I don’t open up for another hour,” the emerald-eyed pony wondered as she made her way downstairs.

The unicorn opened the door to find a tall, tan-colored earth pony with dark red mane wearing a blue suit and hat. He reached into a brown satchel hanging around his neck. “I have a telegram for a ‘Ms. Chiselle’,” the pony announced as he fished out an envelope.

“I’m Chiselle,” the small mare replied.

The tall stallion produced a clipboard and pencil from his satchel. “Sign here, please.”

Chiselle lifted the pencil and signed the paperwork, then she placed the pencil back onto the clipboard and took the telegram. “Thank you very much, I hope you have a great day!”

“I hope you have a pleasant day as well, ma’am!”

The artist gave the tan pony a smile before closing the door. Chiselle quickly turned around on her hooves and started walking up the stairs while she held the envelope in the air. As she walked, the mare opened up the envelope and took out the telegram. Her eyes darted back and forth as she held the piece of paper in front of her.

“Dear Chiselle,

With my latest tour coming to a close, I would like for us to spend some time together. How about dinner tonight at 7pm at Glaze n’ Doughnuts Cafe?

Sincerely,
Drumstick”

The pony’s pupils expanded and her mouth formed a huge grin as she happily skipped back into the kitchen. She placed the telegram onto the kitchen’s counter, suddenly she started giggling and skipped in place.

The young girl enjoyed French toast and coffee as she read the morning paper. After she was done, the mare quickly cleaned up the morning’s mess before heading downstairs into her shop. The shop was divided into two section, workshop and storefront. The entrance to the storefront consisted of two large bay windows on either side of a solid oak door. Inside the storefront there was a long counter that ran from one wall to the other. Chiselle would often greet her customers at the storefront, where she took and delivered their orders of various artworks which ranged anywhere from a simple wood carving to a full pony statue.

Behind the counter were many stools and drawers, as well as a door which led to Chiselle’s studio. The studio was mostly empty space with a few workshop benches scattered here and there. To the far right corner of the workshop laid a kiln which was built by a mechanic in Canterlot. There were tools, sketches, pieces of wood, stone, and clay strewn throughout the studio. The final piece of the studio laid in a cabinet that stood under a clock at the front of the room. It held a record player as well as various albums from musicians all over Equestria. The whole room was in complete disarray, yet the shopkeeper knew where everything was.

Chiselle walked down the stairs from her apartment to her studio through a door that connected the two rooms. Once she entered the studio, she used her magic to grab some pencil and pad of paper. ‘Okay, let’s see if I need any materials,’ she thought as she walked over to the piles of wood, marble, and bricks of clay.

“...Five and six,” she quietly muttered to herself, as she counted each piece with her pencil. “Okay, I need another crate of clay bricks, and I could probably use a few more pieces of walnut,” the mare commented to herself as she wrote down her tally. Chiselle walked over to table that was farthest from the front door and placed the pencil down. The young unicorn tore out the piece of paper just as she heard the doorbell ring. She walked from the studio to the storefront to see standing in front of her a tall, muscular, dark purple earth stallion. He was wearing a safety vest and hard hat which complimented his gruff face.

“Hello Digger, I didn’t expect to see you here so early!”

“Well, Ms. Chiselle,” he began in a booming voice, “I thought I’d get an early start on the day. Is there anything you need from the quarry or mill?”

“As a matter of fact there is,” Chiselle replied as she levitated the piece of paper over to Digger. “I could use about five blocks of marble, a couple crates of clay, and maybe a nice big box of walnut. If you could get me those items, I’d really appreciate it.”

The stallion balanced the paper on his hoof, and looked it over with his blue eyes before tucking it into his vest. “No problem Ms. Chiselle, I’ll have it delivered to you mid-day. How does that sound?”

“That sounds great, thank you so much! How’s the wife?”

“Oh same as always, that little mare works her loom so fast, I can barely keep up with the heddle!” the giant chuckled. “Well, I hope you have a pleasant day Miss. Chiselle,” he stated as he tipped his hat. Chiselle smiled and gave the stallion a nod before he turned around and exited the shop.

After the pony left, Chiselle turned to one of the drawers below the counter and pulled out a clipboard. Holding the clipboard in front of her, she looked over her task for the day. “Hmm, I gotta finish up the candlestick and napkin holders as well the RPG figurine. It’ll be tight, but I think I’ll be done by six thirty. That’ll give me plenty of time to meet dad at the restaurant!”

She took the piece of paper from the clipboard, folded it, and tucked it into a breast pocket on her flannel shirt. The mare was about to turn around and go into the studio when the doorbell rang.

“Welcome to Chip Off The Block!” Chiselle cheerfully sang to a white stallion that just entered. “Yes, yes, I’m here to place an order,” The earth pony replied in a haughty accent as he adjusted his purple bowtie

“Okay, what’s your name?”

“Gold Chain.”

“Well, what kind of sculpture do you need?” the gray unicorn asked as she pulled out a sketch pad and a pencil from one of the counter’s drawers.

“I’m hosting a soirée tonight and I just had a new fountain put in. However it needs a sculpture in the middle.” Gold Chain explained as he dusted his black dress jacket. He closed his eyes and ran a hoof through his expertly styled gold and silver mane.

“Well, you’ve come to the right place, sir.”

“I would hope so, can you do a reproduction of the Bird Mare Statue?”

The young sculptress’ horn lit up as her pencil flew across the sketchpad. As she drew, her eyes squinted and her tongue stuck out the right side of her mouth. Within a few minutes she placed the pencil down on the counter, and turned the sketch pad around. On the pad was a Pegasus with its wings extended, holding a bowl on each wing. The statue had its eyes closed, head turned upward to the side. Her mane was long and flowing, as if a light breeze was blowing. The tail gracefully fell down to one side.

“Are you looking for something like this?” the mare asked the gentle-stallion.

The white pony leaned in and studied the drawing with his silver eyes. “Hmm yes, will you be able to have it done by tonight?”

“Er, tonight? I already have a couple of orders ahead of yours, and I always try to be fair to all my customers.”

“But I’m a very important stallion!”

“Uh-huh, I operate on a first-come first-served basis. Right now you are number three on my list.”

“I simply must have this sculpture tonight, or else my gala shall surely be ruined!” the pony whined.

Chiselle sighed and rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry, but the answer is ‘You are number three’. If you wanted it done by tonight, you shouldn’t have waited ‘til the last minute.”

“You know, if you were to do a good job, I wouldn’t hesitate to refer all of my friends to you. However I guess I won’t do that now.”

“Um... what?” Chiselle sputtered. Her lifelong dream always had been to be able to live off of her art. Up to now, she’d been doing odd jobs around Canterlot to make ends meet. Which she found rewarding in its own way. Now she had a chance to actually make an honest living selling her sculptures, it was a dream come true!

“Yes, it’s no coincidence that I chose you for this job. I have seen your previous works around town, and I must say that I am simply impressed.”

Chiselle looked away and blushed, “Well… I guess I could bump you up to the top of the list, just this once.”

“Good. I shall be back shortly to check on your progress.” The high-class stallion turned around and left the shop. Chiselle sat down on a stool and sighed. This was going to be an all-day job, and she hoped that she could still meet Drumstick at seven. Her green eyes looked upwards at the clock behind her. Nine o’clock.

“Well… better get started,” she sighed as she pushed herself off the stool and walked into the workshop.

***

At nine thirty Chiselle had built three large sandboxes which were used to stabilize the blocks marble. Two of the sandboxes already had a block of marble in them and the small mare began preparing the third. The unicorn walked over to where she kept her building supplies, and with a touch of her magic, she levitated a moderately-sized block of marble. The gray pony moved it over to the last sandbox before positing the stone and securing it with sand.

The mare walked back and looked at the three differently-sized marble and let out a sigh. “Well, step one is complete, now for step two.” The small unicorn walked over to one of her many workbenches, picked up a sturdy black crayon, and began to draw her design on the marble. It was hard to draw a 2D drawing onto a 3D object, but Chiselle had the process down to an art form. After half an hour of drawing, she was ready to start carving.

The black mane unicorn trotted over to a workbench and laid down the crayon. She picked up a mallet and point chisel with her magic before she turned back to one of the large block. She stood there for a moment, staring at the marble. Chiselle closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, then, with laser focus, she walked over to the block and began chipping away at it.

At ten thirty, the rough sculpture of the wings was coming into shape and Chiselle was hard at work. Her coat, mane, and flannel shirt were covered in dust. She had several streaks of sweat down her forehead which were visible against the backdrop of the marble dust. Chips and pieces of stone littered the floor around the sculpture.

Chiselle was about to pick up one of her tooth chisels when the doorbell rang. She trotted out of the workshop and into the storefront to see a mare in a fancy hat. She was light orange and had a blazing red mane, all of which was in stark contrast to her dark purple eyes.

Chiselle’s eyes widened as her mouth hung open, ‘Oh rut, one of the ponies whose order I was supposed to finish today!' She was not looking forward to having this conversation.

The small artist nervously chuckled, “Hello Dusty, I take it you’re here to pick up your napkin holder and two candlestick holders, right?”

“Yes I am Chiselle, are they ready?”

The sculptress hesitantly smiled as bead of sweat formed on her forehead. She nervously chuckled again, “Well you see, I kind of had a big order come in today from a wealthy client. As a result I kind of had to put all my other projects on hold, including yours.”

“Oh,” Dusty replied as she frowned and her ears fell flat against her head.

The smile faded from the mare’s mouth and was replaced with her own frown. “I’m really, really, really sorry Ms. Dusty. If there’s anything, anything at all that I can do to make this up to you, please tell me.”

“It-it’s okay Chiselle, I know how it can be. You’ll have them ready by tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, I promise you, I will have them ready by tomorrow.”

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow bright and early.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Dusty turned around and walked out of the door, the bell rang as she did so. The small mare dropped her haunches down onto the stool and let out a heavy sigh. Her stomach churned as she wiped her forehead with her right fore-hoof. Even though Dusty seemed okay with the explanation, the artist still couldn’t help but feel rotten, the way she let a client down.

After a couple of minutes, the mare pushed herself off the stool and went back to her workshop. It was ten forty, and she still had a lot of work to do. She was almost finished with the wings and started on the rough form of the base and statue itself.

***

A plate of salad floated out of the refrigerator and over to the dining room table where Chiselle sat. She had a glass of orange juice in front of her as well a fork. Her mane was a frayed mess covered in dust, as well as her flannel shirt and gray coat. In front of the salad and glass was a pile of newspapers, magazines, and books. The gray mare’s horn lit up with a silver aura as she shifted through the pile until she came to the current edition of Canterlot Times.

She quickly flipped through the pages till she arrived at the “Life & Arts” section. Chiselle folded the paper in half, and began to read an article about a traveling art gallery that was coming to Canterlot. The corners of her mouth turned upwards slightly as she read more about the gallery. The sculptress was fully engaged in the article when the shop’s doorbell rang.

Chiselle grumbled as she placed the article and her fork down onto the table and strutted down the stairs to the shop. She went through the door at the bottom of the stairs and stopped. The small mare closed her eyes, took a deep breath and let it out slowly. A smile spread across her face as her eyes lit up. With a bit of her magic she opened up the door to the storefront. “Hello, and welcome to Chip Off The Block. I’m sorry, but-”

“Yes yes hello again Miss Chiselle.” Golden Chain replied, cutting off the small unicorn. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything important.”

“Er no, not at all, Mr. Golden Chain,” she replied. ‘Except my lunch break.’

“Excellent! I’ve come to check on the progress of my statue.”

“It’s going fine Mr. Golden Chain, I should have it ready before your soirée.”

“Excellent, now there is a small change that I would like to make.”

“Small change?”

“Yes, the statue is of a Pegasus, right?”

“Yes, yes it is.” Chiselle hesitantly answered.

“Good, I was wondering if you could cover the leading edge of the wings in gold foil.”

“Gold foil, I-I don’t know if I can do that Mr. Gold Chain. I’d have to get somepony down here to add the foil, not to mention the cost of the materials and labor. The whole process of adding gold to the statue would be very time consuming.” The sculptress explained, hoping that the stallion would see reason.

“Yes yes well, I’d be happy to pay for the extra cost, Miss Chiselle.”

The small mare let out a sigh, “Right, let me get in touch with the pony who does this kind of work and see if she’s available. If she is, I’ll try to bring her onto the project.”

“Right, well I will see you tonight,” Gold Chain finished before he turned around and walked out the door. Chiselle followed him and watched him walk down the sidewalk and out of sight. The black maned mare then walked back into her shop and, with a strong surge of magic, slammed the door behind her. “As if the project wasn’t hard enough, now he adds on extra demands!” she growled to herself.

The female unicorn walked behind the counter in the room and pulled out a telegraph machine. After pressing the dial a few times to make sure it worked, she quickly tapped out a message to another shop. Within a few minutes, she received a reply, “I will be there this afternoon, at two o'clock.” The mare leaned back and let out a small sigh of relief, “Well, that’s one problem solved.”

The artist walked out of the storefront and up the stairs to her living quarters. Once inside she looked up to see both hands on the clock pointing at one, “I just hope I can get this project done before seven, I really don’t want to stand dad up.”

***

A red unicorn mare with dark green mane and tail stood at the door. Her violet eyes looked upon the sculptress and a small smile spread across her soot covered face. “Hello Chiselle, how are you this afternoon?” the mare asked with a Ballyduff accent.

“I’m exhausted, Millie,” the small mare replied. She stepped to the side and let the tall pony enter into the storefront. With her horn aglow in a red aura, she carried a large wooden crate behind her. “Right this way,” the gray mare instructed as she trotted past the counter and into her workshop.

A pair of finished stone wings, a semi-finished base, and the beginning of the statue’s body stood before the ponies. The bigger of the two unicorns placed the crate down and walked over to the wings and studied them.

“Beautiful craftsmanship as always, Miss Chiselle,” Millie complimented.

The smaller pony walked over to one of the tables, picked up her carving tools and walked over to the incomplete portion of the body. “Thanks, I’m hoping I’ll have it done by six and have it picked up by six thirty.”

“Why the deadline?” Millie pondered as she adjusted the tools on her tool belt.

“My father is in town, and he invited me out to dinner at seven. He’s always on tour with his band so we don’t get to spend a lot of time together. As a result, I take every opportunity I can for some father-daughter time.”

“Aye, well we better get to work then, shouldn’t we?” the red pony asked as she pried the top of the crate off with a crowbar. The metalworker took rolls of gold foil out of the crate and set them alongside the wings.

“Yes, the sooner we can get this project done, the sooner I can put it behind me. I’m just hoping it hasn’t become more trouble than it’s worth.”

Millie nodded her head in agreement as she took out her measuring tape, pen, and notepad. Chiselle was about to start on finishing the body when the bell above the shop’s entrance rang. The small mare let out a frustrated sigh and placed both of her instruments on the floor. She walked over to the storefronts’ door and stopped.

The unicorn closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and forced the air out. She then put on a small smile and walked into the storefront. Stood before her was a small blue stallion who had on thick glasses and was wearing a white buttoned up shirt.

“Excuse me, Miss Chiselle, I was wondering if you had my figurine ready?”

“Figurine?” Chiselle asked flatly.

“Yes, I ordered one for my Oubliettes and Ogres game, you told me it’d be done by today.”

“Why was the deadline today?”

“Well, because my friends and I are doing an All Weekend O&O campaign this weekend!” the stallion proudly stated.

The sculptress let out a sigh and put her right fore-hoof against her face. “Rut,” she muttered to herself. “I’m-I’m sorry Rook, I haven’t had a chance to complete your O&O figurine, I’m behind on all of my orders today. I can have it done by tomorrow, I promise.”

The Pegasi sighed, “No, that’s alright Miss Chiselle; I think I’ll use a bottle cap for my piece this weekend.”

“Are you sure you can’t pick it up tomorrow morning?”

“Yes, my friends and I will be at White Tail Woods for this campaign. We’ll be camping and drinking apple cider all weekend.”

“Well, I’m really sorry. I’ll have it done for you by the time you get back, promise.”

“I know you will, Miss Chiselle, I hope you have a great weekend.”

With a nod of his head, Rook turned around and walked out of the shop. ‘Okay, my customers are way too understanding,’ the small pony thought to herself as she watched him leave. She walked back into her shop where Millie was standing by the doorway. The tall mare watched as the gray unicorn picked up her tools and prepared to work.

“It’s been like that all day, hasn’t it?” she asked out of concern
.
Chiselle let out a sigh and closed her eyes. “If I do a good job on this statue,” she softly began, “the pony who ordered this will tell all of his hoity-toity, high-class friends, and they may hire me to commission work for them. This may be my one chance at actually being able to make a living solely off of my artwork.”

“Aye, but everything has a cost, my friend. You should decide who you want your clients to be, and what price you’re willing to pay to get them.”

The small gray unicorn put her chisel on the stone. “Let’s just get back to work, okay?” she asked as she brought the mallet down.

***

The two mares took a step back and gazed upon the finished statue. Chiselle was covered in dust, her mane was a complete mess, and she had splotches of gray paint all over her body. Millie was covered in sweat, her own dark green mane slightly neater than the gray unicorn’s.

The statue stood before them in dignified grace, each wing holding up a metal bowl. The head tilted upwards as the mane flowed from the head to the floor. The golden inlays shone beautifully under the shop’s light. The tail flawlessly followed down the right hind-leg before it wrapped itself around the right hind-hoof.

The sculptress placed the spray can down beside her, the paint sparkled in the light, hiding any imperfection in the statute. The two mares slowly circled the statue, giving it one last inspection.

“I don’t know how you do it. The piece looks flawless, my friend,” the strong mare complimented.

“T-Thank you, and thank you for your help; I really appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it. Always glad to help out a friend.”

“So, what’s the cost for this help?” Chiselle asked with a weary chuckle.

“Ach, don’t worry about it, I’ll bill you after your customer pays you.”

“Speaking of my customer,” the smaller unicorn started. She looked up at the clock on the wall, it was six thirty. “Oh thank Luna!” she began, “If he shows up right now, I can still get ready and meet my father at the restaurant!”

“Well, I won’t keep you then. I’ll come by tomorrow morning to check on you and to give you my invoice.” Millie packed away her tools and tool belt into the now empty crate.

“Too tired to carry the tools on your person?” Chiselle asked with a smirk.

“Ah yes, very much so.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow Millie.” The strong, red, mare nodded with a weary smile and walked out of the shop. She slowly trotted down the sidewalk into the evening. The gray pony followed her as far as the counter and watched her leave.

Chiselle sat behind the counter, and waited. The poor mare waited and waited. With every minute she became more angry and annoyed. At seven thirty, she decided to walk back into her shop and began to clean up the day’s mess. The small pony slowly walked over to a metal cabinet, pulled out her cleaning supplies and began to sweep up the shop floor. Chiselle normally enjoyed this part of the day, it signaled the end of the shift, and the beginning of her own time. However, the anger she felt bubbled underneath the surface, ready to explode.

At eight o’clock, the doorbell rang, and there was Golden Chain. He looked more posh and well-to-do than he did this morning. He was sporting a top hat and a walking cane as well as a suit. The small mare walked into the storefront, hastily sat down on the stool. “Hello, I’m here to pick up my statue. I have a carriage and my own work-stallions to carry it for me.”

The peeved pony pulled out a pad of paper and a pencil. She quickly and angrily scribbled on the paper. The mare tore it off the pad and floated it over to the stallion. “This is my bill. You will pay me before you receive your statue,” the pony stated with a slight edge.

The tall white earth pony looked over the bill. “Hmm, do you have a discount that you could give me?”

Her left green eye twitched as she gritted her teeth. Chiselle calmly placed both of her fore-hooves onto the counter, lowered her head, and took in a deep breath. Chiselle then raised her head and locked eyes with the fancy, hoity-toity pony.

“Let me lay down some facts for you, Mr. Golden Chain,” she angrily spoke. “I spent all day on this project. I had to put two other projects on hold while I completed yours. Two projects that were for clients who are much nicer and more pleasant than you! If the rush order wasn’t enough, you came in mid-day and made demands that required me to seek outside help! I was able to get the project done by six thirty, by then I’d hope that you’d show up shortly after! I hoped for this because I had dinner plans with my father tonight, plans that unfortunately fell through! They fell through because you decided to take your sweet time getting here!” The small pony’s voice had risen to a considerable level, “You come in here way past my usual closing time, which is at seven by the way, and ask about discounts?!”

The small mare climbed over the counter, stormed up to Golden Chain and put her face right into his. “No, you’re going to pay me full price, plus the price of the metal work! You’re going to do it with a smile on your face and thank me for the privilege! Afterwards, you’re going to take your statue to the soirée and talk it up like it was the lost treasure of the ancient crystal ponies! You’re going to tell all your friends about me, and mention that they will be working on my terms, not theirs!” Her eyes narrowed, her voice was hard and harsh. “Do I make myself clear?!”

The tall white stallion hurriedly backed away. “Get away from me, you wild thing! I refuse to pay after such horrid display of rudeness!” The pony dusted himself off and turned to face the door. There before him in the open door stood a tall, muscular, red pony with a metal mallet floating in front of her. Her eyes were ablaze with anger. “My fee for the metalwork on your statue will be two hundred bits. Chiselle, what’s your fee?”

“I quoted him six hundred bits, but now I feel more like…eight hundred bits is a fair price.”

“I think that’s a fair price as well. Here’s what you’re going to do Mister. You’re going to pay a thousand bits to her, and you’re going to leave with your statue, happy.”

“What if I refuse? What if I go to the police saying that you’re trying to rustle me?”

“Then I start swinging,” the tall mare growled as she raised the mallet.

Golden Chain’s eyes widened as his pupils became pin-like. He backed away and back towards the counter. He took out a small pouch from his top hat, opened it quickly and counted out a thousand bits.

“Thank you kindly,” Chiselle spoke sweetly. “The large door on the side of the shop is open, go around, take your statue, and get out.” The fancy-pants pony quickly shook his head in acknowledgement and scurried out the front door. The tired gray pony counted off two hundred bits and passed it over to Millie.

“If ye wondering what I’m doing back here, I noticed your lights were still on and I noticed the stallion going down the road with his team of workers. I followed him and watched the whole thing unfold from the window.”

Chiselle gave a weak nod of appreciation. “I’ll see you around, friend,” she tiredly replied.
“Right, I’ll see you around,” the red mare finished.

***

Chiselle sat down a small shaping tool and leaned back against her chair. In front of her was a figurine of a pony in full metal armor and a spear in one hoof. He had a look of determination and purpose on his face. The tired mare floated over a mug of hot coffee to her lips, and took a long sip. She let out a long yawn as she sat the cup down onto the table.

The pony walked over to her kiln and with a small surge of her magic, she started it up. With a ceramic tile in tow, she walked back over to the figurine. Carefully, she lifted up the piece and placed it onto the tile. Gently and slowly she walked the piece over to the kiln, slid it in, and closed the metal door. Finally, she set the timer for when the figurine would be done.

“That’ll have to cook until morning. In the meantime, I can finish the napkin and candlestick holders for Dusty.” The mare walked over to a shelf that was full of incomplete projects and picked out the project that had Dusty’s name on it. She walked over to her work station and placed the object down onto the table. The small pony placed her flank onto the stool and was about to start sanding when her eyes became heavy. She blinked once or twice, let out another yawn and placed her head onto the table. Within a few minutes, she was snoring and drooling onto her project.

A light tap on her back disturbed the young mare from her slumber. She woke up with sand in her eyes, “Wha-who’s there?” she mumbled. A low, gruff voice with a hint of gravel chuckled, “I knew I would find you here, Chissy.”

“D-dad?”

“The one and only; I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

Chiselle rubbed her eyes until she saw before her a tall, lanky unicorn with black mane and tail. He had a black goatee, dark green coat and eyes. His cutie mark, two drumsticks was proudly on display. He hovered a couple of bags and two Styrofoam cups of coffee over the table, which he then sat down in front of his daughter. The elder pony took a seat beside the gray mare.

Chiselle looked at her father, then at the food and drinks, and then back to him. She quickly looked away, her mane falling over her eyes while tears started streaming down her face. “I’m sorry I didn’t meet you at the restaurant. I meant to, I wanted to! I just got hung up at work by a complete and selfish idiot.”

The stallion did nothing but sit there and listen to Chiselle as she continued her story of today’s events. He unpacked the food from the bag and put some of it in front of his young daughter along with a cup of coffee. He did all of this with a slight smile on his face and a tentative ear to the story.

“So I ended up waiting until eight o’clock for him to arrive, he then had the gall to ask for a discount and that’s when I lost it. I chewed him out and over-charged him because I felt like it. Since then, I’ve been working on two projects that I neglected today.”

“Well,” began the father, “I knew you had a good excuse for not showing up. You never stood me up when we made plans before, I figured you were busy with work. After you didn’t show up at the restaurant I went to see your mother.”

“Oh, how is Mom?”

“She’s doing fine, still wants me to stop touring the country and become a studio producer.”

Chiselle chuckled. “Last time I spoke to her, she was still trying to get me to become an architect. Said I would make more bits, and have a more stable job. Honestly, I stopped listening to her after that.”

“That does sound like your mother,” the stallion chuckled.

She took a bite from her tofu hot dog and pondered, “Say, have you found out what she does for a living yet.”

“No clue kiddo, no clue.”

The two ponies shared a meal together as well as laughter, good cheer, and good memories.

The End