Chapters "Well, Coco?"
Suri tried to force down a glare as Coco started sweating bullets. This was a mistake; Coco still wasn't a people pony. How she could be like this having lived in Manehattan all her life, Suri couldn't figure out. But Suri forced down her irritation. "You mentioned three toppings on your Mom's pizza," she said, in a softer tone than earlier. "Onions, red peppers, aaand..."
Coco's teeth gritted as her eyes darted around. Suri frowned, even softly. Finally, Coco looked at her and opened her mouth. Then she closed it. Then she opened it. Then she closed it. Then she opened it.
"Pineapples."
Silence. Coco winced and shut her eyes, quivering.
'...oh, that's it,' Suri thought. She smiled at Coco, who had cracked one eye open. "That sounds delicious," Suri told Coco. She turned back to the waiter. "You heard her: red peppers, onions, and pineapples."
The waiter winced, but nodded and walked off after Suri glared at him. Suri smiled as she turned back to Coco. "It's OK," Suri said. You're OK." Suri blushed. "In fact, I wanted to say I'm sorry for how I've been acting lately. I've been an absolute nightmare."
"Oh, it's OK," Coco said. "You were just stressed ou-"
"No, it's not," Suri interrupted her. "I still shouldn't have taken it out on you. You've been nothing but wonderful these past few months and you've done so well and you deserve to be treated better than I've been treating you. Here." Suri bent over, rummaging through her saddlebags. "It took me a while to make this but ooh! "
Suri recoiled, cradling one of her forelegs. "Suri?" Coco asked, moving forward.
"It's alright," Suri told her. "Probably just the cold weather. Here we go." She straightened up, lifting a piece of cloth and placing it on the table. It was a cravat, colored deep purple and a little jagged around the edges. "It's not my best work," Suri said. "I'm still not very dexterous yet. I'm getting better, though, and the therapist said I'll be back on form in two months."
Coco said nothing, merely holding the cravat. She sniffled, then looked up at Suri, a tear in her eye. "Thank you," she said. "For everything you taught me. I hope I..."
"You'll do fine," Suri said.
<<*>>
Still crooked. Not nearly as good as the others. Not nearly as good as Coco.
Suri Polomare threw the scrap of cloth aside. Then she shivered. Angrily, she tried to push herself upright, but her foreleg twinged. With a wince, she fell back onto her stomach. She gently rubbed down her leg, tracing the line of a faint scar midway down.
'You'd think with all the money I give him,' she angrily thought to herself, 'my landlord would at least spring for a decent heater.'
The pain at bay, Suri frowned at her surroundings. Her old house, while not at all ritzy, at least had everything working. This apartment, on the other hand was just plain ratty. No fridge, no lights, barely any plumbing, and musk and water damage as far as the eye could see.
Suri turned back to the middle of the floor. In that place was an open pizza box, with one slice already eaten. Suri grimaced as her stomach bubbled. Hoping it had settled enough by now, Suri gingerly picked up another slice of the greasy pizza.
There was a knock at the door. Suri dropped the pizza, but didn't move to get the door. Instead, she stayed very still, breathing quickly and praying that-
"SURI! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!"
Suri's winced at her landlord's voice. She forced her lungs to slow, trying to will the weight in her stomach to lighten. It didn't. She got off of the floor and trudged over to the door. The landlord pounded on the door again and Suri bit her tongue as she unbolted the door. As soon as she did, it opened, revealing a burly, green-maned pegasus scowling at her. "Yes, Mr. Skinflint?" Suri asked.
Skinflint glared at her. "It's been four days, Suri. If you want to keep living here, I need your rent."
The weight solidified, and the fire in her heart flared. "OK," she breathed. "Just, wait right there, and I'll... go get it."
Suri turned around and walked over to a cabinet. Inside was a narrow bag, which Suri extracted. It felt far too light, and Suri took her time in returning to the door to hand it over. "Here," she told Skinflint. "That should be enough for-"
Skinflint knocked the bag out of her mouth. The coins made a depressingly soft clink as they hit the ground. "That doesn't even put a dent in it. You stopped paying rent three months ago, you think that little poke's going to buy you a minute? Well it won't , and unless you find more, I've got no problems throwing your derelict plot out into the snow."
"I'm doing my best! " Suri snapped. "I've sold all my furniture for the best price I could get! That should be more than enough for a rathole like this!"
"I didn't hear you complain when you signed the lease, lady, so you still owe me two thousand by tomorrow or you can just find a cardboard box in the alley!"
"That won't be necessary."
The two ponies turned to see an earth mare standing beside them. She was a cream-colored pony, with a light blue mane. Draped over her was a lavender coat that was a little too large and accenting it was a crimson tie around her neck. As she saw them face her, she backed a mite away from them. Suri frowned.
"Hello Coco," she said.
Skinflint rounded on Coco. "You have two-thousand bits on you?"
Coco backed away from him. "Well, no. I was just thinking she could live with me."
"Not on your life!" Skinflint snapped. "That swindler owes me two-thousand bits and so help me, I'm going to get it!"
Coco jerked away and Suri felt surprised to feel a twinge of anger. She blinked a few times, but when Skinflint kept advancing on Coco, Suri scowled at him. "You want to take it to court?" she icily asked. "I'm sure the housing bureau would be very interested in the black mold in my bathroom that you promised to clean out."
Skinflint glared at her, jaws working, but nothing coming out. Suri glared him down, refusing to budge an inch. Finally, Skinflint turned away. "Fine! Just be out by tomorrow!"
"I'll do you one better!" She stomped down the hall. "C'mon, Coco, we're leaving!"
"Wait."
Suri stopped, then turned back around. She thought she saw Coco frowning for a moment, but it vanished. "What about your furniture?" Coco asked.
"I don't have any," Suri replied.
"AT LEAST CLEAN THE ROOM UP!" Skinflint shouted.
<<*>>
After concluding that the apartment was unsalvageable, the two left the building. As the two trudged through the snowstorm over the course of fifteen minutes, Coco looked over at Suri. Suri shivered, lacking a wrap, but stubbornly faced forward. Coco looked away. "So," Coco said, "you been up to anything?"
Nothing. Coco felt an electrical charge in the air between her and Suri. "You in good health?" Coco asked.
Still nothing. Coco opened her mouth again, but Suri hissed. Coco turned her head. Suri had stopped and was bent forward and hissing a shuddering breath through her teeth. Tears started falling as Suri started moaning under her breath.
Coco quickly looked around. Several buildings were dark, and the others didn't look like places that would let somepony in unless they spent more than Coco had on her. Then she noticed a familiar building. "Suri," she said. "Suri, look over there."
Suri glared at Coco, but was bent over too much to be intimidating. She looked where Coco's hoof pointed, then back to Coco. Slowly, she lifted her foreleg and inched it forward. Then she inched the other one forward.
"That's it," Coco told her. "You can make it. Just a little further."
Suri didn't look up, she just kept walking. Coco kept in front of her, walking backwards and encouraging her. Finally, the two reached a door. Coco pushed it open and then guided Suri into the building.
"Welcome to Taste of Neighples..."
The mare behind the podium stared at Coco and Suri as they entered. "Parmesian, do you remember what we used to get?" Coco asked.
It took a moment, but Parmesian nodded. "Just take a seat, I'll be right with you."
As Parmesian walked to the kitchen, Coco guided Suri to a booth. Suri lifted her hoof to the table, but had only lifted it halfway before she set it back down again. Coco moved to help Suri up, but Suri crawled onto the seat. As Coco settled onto the bench opposite her, Suri lurched herself upright, placing her forelegs on the table to steady herself. Coco started to congratulate her, but Suri glared at her and Coco shut up.
Parmesian brought two cups of coffee to the table. Coco thanked her and drank while Suri wrapped her legs around the cup. The two sat in almost total silence as Parmesian brought out a pizza with pineapple, onion, and red pepper on it. The two ate in silence, careful not to touch each other. Finally, the empty plate was taken away and more coffee brought. Coco poured over the menu. "You want dessert?" she asked Suri. "I'm pretty sure we liked the-"
"Why did you find me?"
Coco looked up. Suri wasn't glaring, per se, but there was a tired and grumpy expression on her face. Coco closed the menu. "Well," Coco said, "it had been a while, and I was wondering-"
"It's been a year and a half," Suri told her. "That's more than a while."
"Well... true," Coco admitted.
"It's obviously not a social visit," Suri continued, "so you need me for something. Since you've seen I still can't sew, that means you must be out of ideas."
Coco frowned. "No. I was thinking, since you need a job..." she forced herself to continue, "maybe you could be my assistant."
Suri glared at her. Coco looked back at her. Suri tilted her head, moved it around, and scrutinized Coco. Finally, she asked "what's the catch?"
Coco's frown deepened. "There isn't a catch. I just-"
"Riiight," Suri said. "You can keep spouting that drivel, but I know this business doesn't work that way, no matter how much you and your new friend want it to. It's survival of the fittest: you take what you can-"
"-get caught, and spend the rest of your life in a mold-infested dung heap! "
Suri jumped back. Coco was glaring at her, even baring teeth. Suri wanted to make a joke, but the sight was too wrong to let one out. Soon, though, Coco put her face in her hoof and took a deep breath, swallowed, and looked back up.
"Suri," she said, voice straining, "I want to help you. I don't regret turning you in, but I do want you to get back on your hooves. That's why I chose you. But if you're going to be the same pony who terrorized me, then I'm not going to bother." Coco stopped. "I guess that's your catch: show me that the pony who took me here still exists. Otherwise, you're on your own again. Deal?"
As Suri's shock faded, her face hardened. Her gaze swept over Coco's face, which lost its snarl, then her forelegs, which moved to cross in front of Coco. But Coco's body language only barely changed. Suri stared into Coco's eyes. Coco stared back.
"...alright," she said. "I'll give it a shot."
Coco sighed. "I guess that's all I can hope for."
Author's Note
And thus begins another story. Yes, my EOP exams are over. I have two more classes before I graduate, and I hope to also make some progress on my professional writing. While working at my new job. And on A Blueblood for Everyone . So, yeah, this could take a while to update. I make no promises, but I hope that each chapter is as pleasing as my others have been. As always, comments are more than welcome.
Suri screamed as her hand hold crumbled beneath her hoof. Falling down the side of the cliff, she barely managed to grab the lowest hold before falling into the pit. She chanced a look down. A bright, white light shone upwards, and the harsh sound of laughter followed it. Her eyes flashed around as she tried to find something to grab onto.
Then Coco appeared over the ledge. Immediately, she pulled off her cravat and lowered it over the edge. The cravat lengthened as it lowered, until it reached Suri's side. "Grab on!" Coco shouted.
Suri stared at the cravat, a ratty thing colored dark pink. Beneath her, the laughter grew louder and the light shone brighter. She could feel the sweat on her hooves making them slippery. Finally, though, she forced herself to grab the cravat with her teeth. She shut her eyes as she felt herself rising, the light and the laughter coming harsher and stronger. Then she gently landed onto firm ground. Suri opened her eyes, then she let go of the cravat. "You saved my-"
Her eyes widened. Coco was gone. Instead there was a giant white wraith of a pony with icy blue spotlights for eyes. It scowled down darkly at Suri. "You tore my cravat," she spat. "Do you know how much I paid for that? "
Suri tried to back away, but stopped at the cliff edge. She turned and noticed that she was in the wraith's hoof, suspended over the pit. She spun back to face Coco. "I'm sorry!" she pled. "I'll-"
Suri fell forward. She quickly rolled over and raised her legs, only to watch them vanish before her eyes. The laughter peaked again and the light grew piercing. Suri rolled back onto her stomach and looked up. "Give me a chance! I'll fix your cravat!"
A long sewing needle came out of Coco's mouth. "Of course you will," she said.
Then Suri felt herself getting smaller still; longer and skinnier, too. The world went pure white, but Suri's other senses remained. She felt herself being lifted up. She felt her mane being tied into a knot. She felt herself being pulled through something narrow time and again, being held tightly in place. Finally, she could hear and feel her mane being cut off. Then there was silence.
"Pathetic," Coco spat. "It won't even last a week."
The laughter exploded, a million times more powerful. Suri tried to protest, but her mouth was gone. Not that she could move it. All that was left were fraying plant fibers, twined into Coco's cravat. Suri felt herself fall.
"I thought I raised something useful, " Coco hissed. "I guess I just wasted money... "
Suri awoke to find herself panting, sweating, and tangled up in something woolly. She quickly yanked herself out of the thing, flinging it away. As she turned, a bright light shone in her eyes, so she threw her leg over them. Gradually, Suri's breathing slowed, and she came to full wakefulness.
She was on a pullout couch, beside which was a red wool comforter. A little sliver of sunlight poured into the room, which was painted off-white and well-bedecked with family photographs. In a corner was a chalkboard and against one of the walls was a large cabinet. The room itself was pleasantly warm, and Suri's legs weren't aching at all. Suri was in Coco's living room, and the smell of good breakfast filled the air.
Suri shoved herself off of the bed and trotted over to the table. A plate of hash browns and cinnamon toast was laying out, complete with a glass of orange juice. Suri shoved herself into the chair, lifted the toast, and practically swallowed it whole. When she finished the toast and looked for her fork, however, she noticed something. A note had been written on the napkin under the fork. Suri pulled it out and held it up to her eyes.
Suri,
I've gone to get you a coat and scarf; I'll be back around noon. You start work tomorrow, so just feel free to settle in today. As I said last night, the bathroom's all yours, just please leave me some of the shampoo, since we're almost out.
-Coco
Suri stared at the napkin for a few seconds. Then, all she could do was sit back, letting the napkin fall. 'This is really happening,' she realized. Suri put her head in her hoof as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. Then she sniffled, shuddered, and then she started to sob. She grabbed the plate and drew back, but stopped. Thus she nibbled at the hash browns instead, chewing on them until they were paste before she swallowed.
<<***>>
"Alright, Suri, I'm..."
Suri turned off the sink as Coco entered the apartment with her large saddlebags. "Hello, Coco," Suri said aloofly.
Coco stared at her. "Ah, Suri," she said. "Thank you for doing the dishes. You didn't have to. I would've-"
"That's alright," Suri said. "I am your guest, after all. I should be helping you around the house."
Coco kept staring at her. Then she frowned. "This isn't going to convince me you've reformed," she told Suri.
"Didn't think it would."
Coco glared at Suri for a few moments before she shook her head. "This is for you," she said, pulling a light brown coat out of her saddlebags. "I had to guess on some of it, but I think I did well enough."
Suri slowly took the coat from Coco. She looked it over; approvingly at first, but then uncomfortably. She started to give it back, but a look from Coco stopped her. Finally, she put it on. She shifted around in it, first one way, then another. "It's a little loose," Suri said. "Otherwise OK."
Coco nodded. "Good."
Suri took the coat off and hung it on the coatrack by the door. "Well," she said, "if there's nothing for me to do, I think I'll just go back to bed." Suri moved over to the pull-out couch and laid back down on it.
"Actually," Coco said, "I was thinking we could take a look at your sewing skills."
Suri looked up and scowled at her for a moment before turning away. "You saw them."
"Not recently."
"Nothing's changed."
Coco scowled. "Do you want it to?"
Suri sat still for a moment. Then she turned back to Coco, glaring into her eyes. Coco stood just as firm as she did last night, barely showing any signs of discomfort. Finally, Suri groaned. "Where d'you wanna' start?" she asked.
Coco walked over to the cabinet and pulled out an embroidery hoop, a needle, a pallet of thread, scissors, and cloth. "I'm going to draw out a pattern and I want you to copy it." Coco walked over to the chalkboard, erased the design on it and drew a star. "You can use whatever thread you like and you can take as long as you want. Also, if you wanted to go in a bit of a different direction with the pattern, that'd be fine."
Suri frowned at Coco and the chalkboard before picking up the cloth and snapping it into the hoop. She picked up some blue thread, but stopped, put the thread down, and unsnapped the hoop. Coco watched as Suri pulled at the edges of the cloth. Then she snapped the hoop closed again. Then she picked up the thread with her mouth, stopped, and looked back at the hoop. She stared at it for a good five seconds before she turned back to the thread. She threaded it through the needle on her first try, then picked up the hoop with her hooves.
Then she stared at the cloth. Then she looked back up at the chalkboard. Then back at the cloth. She moved the needle over the cloth, but pulled it away. This went on for thirty seconds, then forty, then fifty...
Coco cleared her throat. "Don't rush me," Suri growled. Then she stuck the needle into the back of the cloth. Turning the hoop around, Suri looked back up at the design, then pulled the needle through the next hole in the cloth. Then she looked back up and pulled again. Look, pull. Look, pull. Look, pull. Eventually she made it to the end of the first line. Then she took a good, long stare at the design on the chalkboard before starting the next line. On and on, she kept stitching out lines in the same fashion of constant double-checking.
Finally, she dropped the needle. Before Coco could speak, Suri put her hoof up. She pored over the stitching, doing everything but smell every line of fabric. She tilted the hoop this way and that, then turned it over to look at the back. "There," she proclaimed. "I believe that should be AGH!"
Suri flung the hoop away and rolled to face the window. Coco caught the hoop with a scowl. "Please be careful with my tools," she said. Then she looked the star over and her scowl vanished. "You've been practicing," she said admiringly.
Suri got up and turned around. "Don't you tell me you don't see it," she snapped as she stomped over to the kitchen, keeping her eyes off of Coco.
"You didn't do anything wrong," Coco told Suri. "OK, the thread's a little tight, but-"
"Thank you," Suri spat, opening the refrigerator. "Maybe you should cut to the point next time, okay?"
"I'm not cracking the whip over you for that," Coco said. "I do that all the time."
"WELL, I'M NOT YOU, AM I?" Suri slammed the refrigerator door and spun around, all but frothing at the mouth. "I don't sew threads too tightly! I don't cut fabric crookedly! I don't make stupid mistakes! " Suri stopped, breathing heavily. "But then, this happened, didn't it?"
She held up her leg, showing Coco the side with the scar. "That doesn-"
Suri sighed, cutting Coco off. "Coco, just stop," Suri snapped. "My time is over. You win; they want you now. I'm just some disgraced has-been who doesn't..."
Suri stopped. She was scowling, but the scowl didn't quite reach her eyes. Coco moved closer, but Suri turned away from her and stomped off into the bathroom, firmly pushing the door shut. Then Coco heard the sink come on. She looked down at the embroidery hoop again, then back up at the bathroom door. Then she put the hoop down and walked over to the fridge.
When Suri came out of the bathroom, there were two tall glasses of cider sitting on the table, at two places right next to each other. Coco was seated at one of them and patted the chair at the other. "Please, sit down."
Suri scanned Coco's face. Despite the pleasant look of indifference, Suri could tell this wasn't going to be pleasant for her. Suri sat at the other end of the table from Coco, pulling the glass of cider towards her. Suri took a long pull on it before setting the glass back down. "So, what're we testing next?" she asked.
Coco cleared her throat. "Actually, I don't think we'll be testing anything else," she said.
Suri looked up at her. "Really?"
Coco nodded, then swallowed. "I... think the day would be better spent talking about you. Or rather, how we're going to move forward here."
Suri frowned. "And how do you intend to do that?" she asked. "Going to make the Princess of Friendship lecture me?"
"Actually, I don't think I'm going to do anything."
Suri's frown dropped as her eyebrows raised. "I've tried holding your hoof and that's just made you bitter so far," Coco continued. "Plus, you did wash the dishes and swept the floor without me asking, so I have some faith in you. However, you're also going to be paying for half of the rent and any food you eat as soon as you get the money. How does that sound to you?"
Suri looked Coco in the eyes. Coco slowly took a drink of her cider. Suri kept watching her. Finally, Suri made a noise and nodded. "That sounds alright."
Coco nodded. "OK." She sat silent for a moment. "Want to help me put up the holiday decorations?"
"Alright." Suri finished her cider and got up from the table. "Where do you keep them?"
"You don't have to start right now," Coco said as Suri walked down the hall. "We can talk some-"
"Found 'em."
Coco quickly finished her cider as Suri pushed the box into the living room and opened it. "Alright," Coco said, lifting up a menorah and placing it on the windowsill. "Just feel free to set stuff down-"
Coco stopped as she noticed that Suri was just staring into the box. Suri quickly noticed Coco staring, though, and grabbed a string of lights to untangle. "Do you still have any adhesive hooks?" she asked.
Coco hovered over her until Suri frowned at her again. "I think we might need some new ones," Coco admitted. "We can go get them after lunch. Come to think of it, we need to get you a new toothbrush."
Suri snorted. "After going up against the bathroom of horrors, that's for darn sure."
"I still can't believe it dissolved like that."
"I told you what the bathroom did to my toilet brush."
Author's Note
OK, this took me some doing, but I think that's done it. Next month, if I'm lucky, I'll get to her new workplace. Comments welcome, hope it pleases. Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Saint Andrew's Day, Happy Hanukkah, and happy Bodhi Day.
“Drgh!”
A young Suri Polomare threw the cloth against the living room wall and groaned, head in her hooves. Her mother walked in. “Is there a problem?” she asked.
Suri didn’t look up. “I used the wrong color accents,” Suri said. “Crimson would’ve looked so much better.”
Suri’s mother chuckled. “Oh, is that it?” She picked up Suri’s project and sat to feel it in her hooves. “It feels wonderful,” she said. “I don’t think she’ll mind your using cinnamon instead of crimson.”
“Well, I’ll mind,” Suri muttered.
Suri felt her mother patting her head. “And it’s great that you do,” she said. “That means you’re trying to make something better next time. However, it’s also important to know when it’s time to let things be and work on the next thing.” She chuckled, then pulled Suri into a hug. “She’ll love it. I promise.”
Suri frowned into her mother’s swollen belly. Then, however, she turned around and hugged her mother back. “If you say so,” she said.
Suri felt her little sister kick her on the nose. “You see that?” Suri’s mother asked as she rubbed her belly. “She likes it.”
Suri smiled. “Unless she’s really a boy. Then it’s going to be the wrong color.”
Suri’s mother tutted. “You and your father have got to learn to stop doubting me.” She got up on her hooves. “Well, it’s about time to light the Advent wreath.”
“Oh!” Suri exclaimed. “Can I do it?”
Suri’s mother smiled. “Of course.”
She moved to the side to let Suri pass. Suri walked over to the fireplace to grab the brass candle lighter and light it in the fire. Then she walked over to the window, hopping up.
The wreath was gone. In its place was a receipt.
Suri woke up, not in a fit, but gently. She looked up at the clock: it was only two in the morning. Suri pulled the cover back over herself, but she couldn’t get back to sleep. Thus, she stared at the darkened living room. At all of the decorations. At all of Coco’s decorations.
<<***>>
“Well, here we are.”
Suri looked up at the building in the morning light. It was a largish, light-grey building with a dome on the top, and it looked like it had never been very ornate. It looked clean, though not very well lit. Suri frowned at the sign: The House of Tomorrow. “This is the place?” she asked. “From what I heard, you worked somewhere else.”
“My last job was only temporary,” Coco said. “After that, though, I found a permanent job here. Come on.”
Coco produced a key and the two entered the front doors. The lobby was in the front of a curved hallway that extended both ways. “Have you ever been here before?” Coco asked.
Suri shook her head. “Never even heard of it.”
Coco walked to the door next to the ticket office. “I’ve known about it my whole life, and I’ve even been here once or twice.” Coco pushed the door open. “After you.”
Suri walked through the door. Past it was what seemed to be an enormous, darkened amphitheater, with stairs running up even over the exits. The stage was down in the center, surrounded by a small pit that was decorated with little ornate fountains. Overhead were multiple catwalks culminating in a small platform.
“This used to be an outdoor theater,” Coco said. “One of the first revolving stages ever constructed. It was originally an outdoor theater, and those fountains would serve as the curtain. Unfortunately, due to the war, it was shut down because of costs.”
“And then my father bought it,” said a rough but chipper voice.
Suri and Coco turned. One of the exits had a griffon standing in it. He smiled at them and began walking down the aisle. “He made a few alterations, such as enclosing the stage to make a theater in the round, but the building reopened. That was fifty years ago, and we continue to stage plays, comedy, magicians, anything that can entertain or amaze.”
The griffon stopped in front of them. His eyes and fur were gold in color, and in the light from outside, Suri could make out several grey hairs in his mane. “I take it you’re Suri. My name’s Grant.”
Grant extended his talon and Suri uncertainly shook it. “Pleased to meet you,” she said.
“Coco said you were good at sewing and finding good bargains.”
Suri frowned. “I’ll do my best, sir.”
Grant waved his talon. “Oh, you don’t have to call me sir. Just Grant is fine. And don’t worry, if Coco’s OK with you, so am I.”
“…thanks.”
“Ah, Coco?” Grant turned to face her. “Your props are ready. The last pots just came in yesterday.”
“Good!” Coco turned to Suri. “I’ve got to check on the props, but we’re about to have a meeting. Do you want to wait here and meet the rest of the crew?”
Suri’s frown deepened a little, but Coco’s glare stopped that. Suri nodded. “Yeah, I suppose.”
“Excellent,” Grant said. “I think…” Grant looked up in the rafters. “HEY GAR, YOU UP THERE?”
The two ponies leapt away from a sudden BANG . In one of the seats was a scrawny, tabby colored griffon. He casually stepped off of the chair and strolled into the aisle. “Here, boss,” he said dispassionately, with a voice much like wind chimes.
Grant motioned to Suri. “This is Suri,” he said. “Would you mind introducing her to the other members of the production team? Coco and I have to look over the new props.”
Gar nodded. “Will do, boss.”
“Good.”
Coco moved forward. “Suri, this is Gar,” she said. “He paints the sets and the props.”
Suri put her hoof forward. “Pleasure.”
Gar just looked at it. Eventually, Suri put her hoof back down. “Don’t worry about him,” Grant said. “You’ll get used to it. Ready, Coco?”
Coco nodded, then turned back to Suri. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
Grant and Suri turned out of the theater and walked into the front of house. Suri watched after them for several seconds, then turned away with a grumble. “New props, right, ” she grumbled. Then she turned to Gar. “So, I guess we’ll be working together.”
“Guess so,” he replied in the same gentle monotone.
Then he said nothing. For several seconds, neither did Suri. “So, I hear you do props,” she said.
“I do.”
Silence. “How is that?” Suri prompted.
“Very relaxing.”
Suri stared at him for a moment. “…so, anything interesting going on in your life?” she asked.
Gar shrugged. “I had chicken for dinner last night.”
“...I guess that's a no.” She looked out into the theater. “Is somepony gonna’ turn on the lights soon?” she asked.
“I GOT IT!”
All of a sudden, the lights started flickering on from random wings. Five seconds later, the whole theater was brightly lit. “Oh, drat,” the female voice noted. “Looks like I’m gonna’ have to work on the wiring again.”
A light green pegasus, all covered in soot, fluttered down out of the catwalks. On her back was a harness. As she came down, she smiled at Suri. “Sorry about the wait,” she chirped. “I guess I still got pregnancy brain. You’d think it’da gone away by now.”
Suri noticed that the harness on her back held a little blue foal. “Yeah, sometimes that can go on a while,” she noted.
The pony’s eyes widened. “Oh! You have kids of your own?”
Suri started. “Oh, no! Just my little sister. So, you’re…”
The pony grinned. “Candelia! You can just call me Candy. I do all the lighting and the electrical stuff.” She pulled off her harness. “And this is Lumen! He does adorable stuff to keep his Mommy entertained.”
Suri looked at the little blue colt. He was, in fact, adorable, even though Suri kept out of his hooves’ reach. “Hi,” she said.
Candy slipped Lumen back onto her back. “So you’re Coco’s old mentor?” she asked. “She hasn’t talked about you a lot.”
Suri’s frown set deeper. “Can’t imagine why,” she muttered.
Candy stared at her for a moment. “What’s that for?”
Suri blinked at her. “What? I mean, what did she say about me?”
“She said you taught her a lot of useful stuff and used to treat her to pizza.” Candy put a hoof up to her mouth. “Though whenever I asked why she left, she just said that part of her life was closed and changed the subject.” Her eyes widened. “You didn’t have a bad brea-“
Suri silenced her with a raised hoof. “I’m not that kind of mentor,” she hissed. “All I did was teach, m’kay?”
Candy recoiled. “OK. You get asked that a lot?”
Suri frowned as she caught herself. “Only once,” Suri told her in a much gentler tone. “I made sure of that.”
“-first thing you see is a dead body.”
Suri’s eyebrows rose as she turned around. Standing behind her was a bluish-black dragon that filled the exit. He stared at her for a moment, then smiled. “Sorry about that,” he said. “I was just practicing my... y’know, I’ve never seen you before.”
“I just started,” Suri told him.
“Oh? Well, pleased to meet you. My name’s Agate.”
He offered his claw and Suri shook it. “I’m Suri.”
He stopped for a moment, putting a claw on his head and drumming his claws. Eventually, he shrugged. “Sorry, thought I’d heard the name.
"Your brain appears to be catching, Candy," Gar remarked.
So, what is it you’ll be doing here?” Agate asked, a little more pointedly.
Suri took a moment to answer. “I’m Coco’s new assistant.”
“Not your ideal field of work, huh? Don’t worry,” he said when Suri moved to clarify, “I’m doing this to pay the bills, too. I’m the guy in charge of props, finding them, making them, all that stuff. And don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad job, and I really like who I work with, but I really want to be an actor.”
Suri nodded. “Well, I hope you get a part soon.”
“He just might.”
Suri turned around. To her lack of surprise, Grant was standing there with Coco, Grant holding a large pad of paper and an easel. “Alright, everybody onto the stage, this meeting is now in session.”
Everyone walked down to the stage. Several other ponies entered the theater from the other exits, and everyone gathered in a circle. Grant walked through the others, standing in the center. “Alright folks,” he said to everyone. “Good news: our current production is already in the black.”
A ring of applause circled around the workers. “Yes,” Grant continued. “Yes. Well done, everyone. I’d especially like to thank Glissando,” he motioned to a grey unicorn with a conductor’s baton on his flank, “his work in the orchestra pit won us some good praise. And, of course, we can also thank the good publicity from everyone’s volunteer work.”
Suri noticed Grant looking at Coco when he said that, as well as Coco’s blush.
“Since our current play’s doing so well,” Grant continued, “I think it’s a good time to take risks. Shoenfeld’s production of The Blue Bird did really well last season, and my own asking around shows that there are a bunch of ponies who’d be interested in seeing a version of that a little cheaper.”
Grant set up the easel and pad of paper. “Since we’re obviously going to have to scale down a bit,” he continued, “we’re going to have to spend extra attention on the props and set. Don’t worry, Agate,” he said, “I think with Gar and Coco helping out, you should have enough time for your lines.”
Suri looked at Coco. “You do sets?” she whispered.
Coco shushed her. “I learned a little from… a friend.”
Suri frowned.
“Everything look doable?” Grant asked. Three heads nodded. “Excellent.” He flipped over the paper. “This is the idea for the costumes.”
Everything left Suri’s mind as the sketches were revealed. Growing up, her mother had left her very detailed instructions about what not to do when making clothing. The designs she saw in front of her were an almost careful destruction of all of them, to a colorblind and misshapen end. Her eyes, ears, and other thoughts were ignored as Suri tried to organize her complaints. Multiple times she tried, but then she had to start again.
Finally, something shoved her. Suri turned around to see Coco frowning at her. “Problem, Suri?” Grant asked her.
Suri faced forward again. Grant was frowning at her, but softly. Suri stalled, running through her options. Finally, she politely said “…yes, sir.”
“Just Grant, Suri,” he said. “Want to tell me what you’re thinking?”
Suri walked to the other side of the sketchpad. Suri took a deep breath. “Grant, with all due respect, I can’t put my name on these designs.”
Grant’s frown deepened. “What’s wrong with them?”
Suri tried to organize her thoughts. “Is it something that can be easily fixed?” Grant asked.
Suri bit back the first thing that came to her mind. “It’d be easier if we just started from scratch,” she told him.
Grant looked over at Coco, who nodded at him. Then Grant glared back at Suri. “Can you come up with something by next week?”
Suri froze. She had never even heard of the play before. Suri looked at Coco, who held her hoof up and shook her head. Suri looked back at Grant. She cleared her throat. “I think so.”
Garth smiled. “Great. Have them on my desk by the end of the week.” He flipped the paper over. “Now, Glissando…”
Suri stared at Coco, but Coco did nothing. Thus, Suri got back in line and waited for the presentation to finish. “Alright,” Grant finally said, “everybody to your duties.”
Everyone turned around and walked off of the stage. “Oh, Suri.” Suri stopped and turned around to see Grant beckoning to her. Coco stood right next to him. “Come over here,” he said.
Suri frowned at them, then slowly walked back to the center of the stage. “Did you plan that thing earlier?” she asked.
“Yep,” Grant said. “Don’t feel bad: I do that to everyone who works here. I just wanted to know how you’d react to an impossible demand. I’m happy to say you're doing well so far. Just deliver on the designs and you'll pass with flying colors.”
“Well, thank you, si-Grant. What was it you wanted?”
“I just wanted to show you something.”
Coco stomped on the stage and the very center of it started to sink. Suri looked up, but neither Coco nor Grant said anything. The three descended into a large open room, empty for a space around the sinking platform, but shelves and worktables were arranged further out. Suri saw the other workers walk in from spiral staircases near the walls. Finally, the platform stopped.
“Isn’t that great?” Coco asked.
Suri nodded. “Yeah, I suppose.”
“Oh, Coco?” Agate asked as he walked up. “I have that thing you wanted all polished. It’s waiting on your desk.”
“Huh? Oh, great! Thanks.” Coco stepped off of the platform. “We work over this way, Suri,” she said.
Suri stepped down and followed her, ignoring Agate’s question about Garth’s color vision. “As you might’ve noticed,” Coco continued, “there aren’t any really any walls, so it might get a little noisy when somepony’s working on the heavy machinery. You’ll get used to it.” Coco turned between some shelves and Suri followed her into a little enclosure of shelving. “Everything you’ll usually need is here: pencils, fabric, scissors…”
Suri looked around the enclosure, but then she stopped. For several moments, she stared at the desk in the center. Then she stepped towards it, slowly and unsurely. On the desk was a sculpture of a gold-colored fir tree, with little discs arranged in its branches at varying heights. The highest of all of them was at the top of the tree. Suri’s mouth fell open.
“…my Advent wreath.”
Coco nodded. “Yeah, I saw that a few days ago while I was looking for props and I thought you might want it back. I’m sorry I couldn’t find anything else.”
Suri tilted the pyrite wreath. Under the base was the year 1943 and the words ‘All wealth pales next to a clean spirit. ’ Suri set the wreath down and stared at Coco. Her breath caught in her throat several times before she could speak. “Thank you.” Tears started to roll down her cheeks. “Thank you.”
Coco shrugged. “What’s Hearths Warming for?”
Author's Note
Well, here it is!
“Something wrong, sis?”
The little pink filly looked up at Suri. “No,” she said. “I’m OK.”
Suri frowned. “You’re sure?” she asked. “Did you want to go somewhere else?”
The filly nodded. “OK,” Suri said. “Where?”
Her sister’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. Suri waited for several seconds, but her sister remained just as silent. “Look, Diamond” she said, “it’s going to rain soon. If you can’t think of anywhere-“
“Give me a moment, OK?” Diamond Tiara snapped, baring teeth.
Suri stepped back. “OK, fine.”
Diamond Tiara’s snarl vanished. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I just…”
“Is this about Mom?” Suri asked.
Diamond didn’t answer, she just bit her lip. “It’ll be alright,” Suri said. “She’s getting better. You’ll see the woman I grew up with. You just have to be patient.”
“I gave her nine years,” Diamond growled. “Why wasn’t she getting better then?”
Suri frowned. “Sometimes it takes a while for ponies to even admit they have problems. That’s why it’s important you don’t tell anyone about Mom’s condition. But Mom’s admitted she has a problem, and she’s getting better.” Suri’s frown vanished. “She is getting better, isn’t she?” she asked gently.
“Yeah,” Diamond Tiara said. “She hasn’t yelled at me in a while.” She scratched at her fetlock. “Partly because I haven’t gone near her all that often.”
“Diamond?”
The two girls turned around. Spoiled Rich was standing just a little ways away from them, frowning. Diamond Tiara’s knees started knocking together. “Mom?” she asked. “Wha-what’re you doing here?”
Spoiled Rich’s frown deepened and she opened her mouth. Then she stopped herself, forced her frown away, and she sucked in a deep breath. She let it out, and she took in another. Finally, she opened her mouth again. “I’ve been to your school,” she said, “and your teacher says you’ll have to go to tutoring for English.”
“I’m so-“
“It’s alright, Diamond,” Spoiled told her. “Yes, I’m disappointed in you, but it’s not the end of the world. It’ll be OK.”
The three stood there for several awkward moments. Spoiled Rich moved towards Diamond Tiara, but Diamond took a step back. Spoiled nodded, then turned away. “Better come home soon,” she told both of them, her voice cracking slightly. “It looks like it’s going to rain.”
Suri and Diamond watched her trot off down the road until she was two blocks away. Suri turned to Diamond. Diamond stared after her mother for a moment, then looked back up at her sister. “That…” she said. “…that wasn’t what I thought it would be.”
Suri spread her forelegs out and Diamond Tiara climbed into them. “Enjoy it,” Suri said. “She’s only going to get worse from here.”
Diamond Tiara pulled away from Suri, eyes wide. “What?” she asked. “But you said she…”
Suri woke again. The clock on the wall read 11:45. Suri looked out the window into the night. “Are you doing this, your highness?” she asked the moon.
The moon just hung there in the sky.
<*>
The next morning, Suri knocked the design into a small mountain next to her desk, not even bothering to crumple it up. She looked over the brochures and books she’d spread across her desk. Then she picked up the pencil and started drawing again. Halfway through, though, she growled, balled up the paper and dropped it on the floor.
“Is something wrong?” Coco asked.
Suri didn’t look up from her desk. “See for yourself,” she said.
There was silence as Coco looked through the crumpled-up balls. Suri waited for her to say something, the hair on her back bristling as the silence continued. Finally, Coco put the last paper down. “I know this is going to seem like a dumb question,” she said, “but what’s wrong?”
Suri rolled her eyes. “Well, most of them are just flat-out tacky. The fourth draft’s Myltyl is the same cut as the current production, just recolored. Tylo’s coat in the twelfth draft had the same pattern of spots as the production five years earlier.”
“That’d be… this one,” Coco said as she uncrumpled one of the papers. “This doesn’t look bad,” Coco remarked, showing it to Suri.
“That’s practically a recolor,” Suri explained. “I need something original.”
“This is original enough,” Coco assured her. “No-one’s going to notice.”
Suri glared at her. “I don’t want to take any chances.” Groaning, she put her head in her hooves. “Ugh, I need to think!”
“Coffee?”
Suri didn’t look up as Gar walked forward with the tray of paper cups. “Sure,” she groaned. “Maybe I’ll get buzzed into inspiration.” As soon as she heard the cup get put down, Suri scooped it up and started sucking it down. After three-quarters of the cup, though, she pulled it away and stared at it. “Wow,” she noted, “this is really good coffee.”
“My mother runs a café,” Gar stated. “She enjoys trying her new blends on me. Most of them are awful, but I get the occasional tolerable one.”
Suri put the cup down, frowning at Gar. “Well, thank you for sharing,” she said.
“I’ll tell her what you thought,” Gar replied. “She might keep going this way.”
“Ah, coffee,” Agate said. He picked up a cup, but sniffed at it first. “Hey, this actually smells drinkable,” he said.
“Suri really liked it,” Gar stated.
Agate pulled the cup away from his mouth. “So do I,” he said. “Tell your mom to keep making this. Oh, Suri, I got some more stuff from the market. If you want to look over it, it’s all yours.”
Suri winced. “Thanks, Agate. Uh, how mu…”
“For you, nothing,” Agate said. “A friend of Coco’s is a friend of mine.”
“…well-”
“I’ll tell you what,” Agate said. “Do you take commissions?”
Suri looked at her paper balls on the floor for a moment before nodding. “Yeah.”
Agate smiled. “You can pay me back that way. I-”
“I GOT IT!”
Candy fluttered down through the ceiling, Lumen strapped to her back. “After a whole night’s work, I finally got the old lights working!” she sang.
Coco smiled. “That’s great,” she said. Then her eyebrow rose. “Wait, you were here all night?” she asked.
Candy blushed. “Uh, yeah,” she said. “I guess. I kind of lost track of time. Thankfully, I had plenty of diapers and stuff in my booth, so Lumen’s alright. Get the tower prop!” she exclaimed, zipping back through the ceiling.
The others looked at each other, but Agate grabbed a large wooden tower and dragged it over to the elevator. The others walked over to the spiral staircase in one corner of the workshop. As Suri came up into the audience, heading up the rear, Agate brought the tower up. “Is everything ready?” Candy yelled down.
“YES!” Agate shouted.
“OK! Three, two…”
The house lights dimmed as one. The theater was almost completely dark. Then, a ring of light appeared in what used to be the fountains. As Suri watched, it expanded inwards, moving up the stage. Finally, the light moved up the silver tower, reflecting off into the seats until it hit a crystal at the top, sending little motes of light into every corner of the theater. Suri stared at the show in wonder.
“Oh, yeah!” Candy fluttered down from the catwalks, dancing in the air. “Oh. Yeah! Have I got it or have I got it?”
“Candy!”
Candy turned around. Standing in the door was another pegasus, a stallion with a small sack on his back. “There you are,” he said. “I didn’t see you come home last night.”
Candy’s face fell. “Sorry, Fella” she said.
“It’s alright,” Fella said gently as he walked down the aisle. “Just let me know if you’re going to stay late next time.” Fella picked up the sack and passed it to her. “Here’s your lunch. I also made some sugar cookies for you, since you’re probably beat right now.”
Candy was smiling again as she took the sack in her mouth. “Thankth,” she mumbled through the sack. She turned around.
“Hold on.”
Candy stopped and let Fella kiss her on the cheek. “Now you can go,” he said.
Candy lifted off and disappeared into the catwalks again. “So you’re her husband?” Suri asked.
Fella’s smile disappeared. “Yeah,” he replied. “Name’s Falafel Ball. He turned back to Coco. “Has Candy been acting kinda’ strange lately?”
Coco shrugged. “A little,” she said. “Mostly she’s just more forgetful than normal. Is there something else you’re worried about?”
“I don’t know,” Fella told her. “There’s that, but she also keeps kicking me in her sleep. Used to be only Lumen did that.”
“Is she eating?” Suri asked.
Fella stared at her for a moment. “Yes,” he said, “just as much as she normally does. What’re you thinking?”
Suri shrank back slightly. “Nothing,” she said. “How long has this been happening?”
Fella frowned. “You think she’s-“
A talon clapped onto Fella’s shoulder. “It’ll be OK,” Grant said. “Her hormones are probably still a little unbalanced. Go ahead and see a doctor, but bear in mind it’ll probably clear itself up without a whole lot of drama.”
Fella’s face relaxed. “Ah, OK. You’re married yourself?”
Grant smiled. “Oh, yeah. Twenty years.”
“Awesome.”
“Thanks. Just wait another seventeen years, you’ll have it down as good.” Grant’s smile soured. “And then her side-husband’ll come around…”
“Dad.”
A teenaged griffon laid his talon on Grant’s shoulder. Grant looked at him, then took a deep breath. “Sorry,” he said to Fella. “Just going through a divorce at the moment.”
“Ah,” Fella noted. “Gotcha.” He turned to everyone else. “So, anybody else got some advice for the not-quite-so-recently-married?”
Coco put an eight-year-old griffoness down. “Well, my parents wrote a book about marriage,” she said.
“They wrote a book?” Fella asked. “Awesome.”
Coco nodded. “And then my mom saw my dad with another mare and threw them both out a window,” she sheepishly admitted, “but up to that point it was really nice. I’ll send you the book.”
Fella’s smile vanished. “Thanks.” He turned to Suri. “What about you?”
“Three years separated,” she said. “At least, that’s how they were last year.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Gar mumbled.
Fella’s face sank. “Right. OK. Right.”
“Actually, I’m engaged,” Agate said.
Fella turned to face him. “Oh?” He smiled. “Awesome! You set a date yet?”
“Next June,” Agate told him. “We’re just pinning things down. Catering, flowers, I think we just tied up the dress.”
Suri suddenly struggled to breathe.
“Awesome! Well, I’ve got to get to work, but it was nice to meet you.” He turned and walked out the door. “Bye!”
Everyone waved goodbye to him. “If it helps,” Agate told the others, “my parents were killed by a rampaging Isolationist before I moved here. That was actually why I moved here.”
“How is that helpful?” Gar asked.
“Wait, let me get this right,” Suri breathed. “You want me… to design your fiancée’s wedding dress?”
Agate frowned. “If that’s a problem, I can-“
“No!” Suri exclaimed. “I can do it. I was just a little…”
Suri trailed off as her eyes unfocused. She smiled for a moment before it vanished. A few seconds later, she swallowed and looked back at Agate. “I can do it,” she asserted.
Agate smiled. “Thank you.”
“Coco,” Grant asked, “are you free for that bookkeeping lesson?”
“Yeah,” she said.
The two of them walked out into the foyer, Grant’s daughter on Coco’s head and Grant’s son close behind. Suri looked after them, a small frown growing on her face.
“They’re not seeing each other,” Gar told her.
Suri looked at him. “He started teaching her that while he was married,” Gar explained, “and Grant’s not the kind of guy to do what his wife did.”
Suri’s frown stayed in place.
<*>
Suri pounded on the desk, screaming, before tearing another page off of her sketchpad and throwing it onto the floor. She reached for her cup of coffee, but it was gone. Thus, she pounded on the desk again before putting her head down and groaning into the paper.
“Are you alright?”
“FINE! JU-“ Suri lifted her head and rubbed her eyes. “Fine, Candy. I’m just a little stressed out.”
“Ah, OK. Well, I was just about to head out the door. Just heard you and wanted to see if you were alright.”
Suri turned around and looked up. Candy was hovering in the air, weighed down by several pastel-colored bags. “Taking your work home?” Suri asked.
“Baby stuff,” Candy replied. “I forgot I’d left these here and Grant asked me to clean up. Have you seen my reading glasses?”
“They’re on your head.”
Candy whipped her head back a little and the glasses nestled on her nose. “Oh, there they are.” She smiled at Suri. “Thanks. See ya’ tomorrow.”
She ascended through the elevator hole and flew off. Suri stared after her for a moment before turning back to her pad. She picked up her pencil, but just held it against the paper.
“It’s about time for us to be heading home, too.”
Suri looked up to see Coco. “You don’t have to get it perfect,” Coco said.
Suri pushed herself out of the chair. “It’s not your career on the line,” she growled.
“They’ll understand,” Coco said. “If you’re nervous, just show Grant all your sketches. He likes options.”
The two started up the stairs. “So how’d you two meet?” Suri asked.
“When my job ended, the manager recommended I apply to work for Grant. He was looking for a costume maker and he was friends with the manager, so I got the job.”
“And his kids?” Suri asked as they exited the stairwell.
Coco frowned at her. “They come to work every so often. All the staff know them.”
“Do they climb around on all the staff?”
Coco stopped. ”Grant and I are friends,” Coco growled. “Nothing else.”
Suri stared into Coco’s eyes, brow furled. Coco scowled back in reply. Finally, Suri looked away. “OK,” she said. “OK. If that’s what you say happened-“
“I AM NOT SLEEPING WITH GRANT!” Coco snapped.
“I wasn’t implying you were!” Suri snapped. “I just wanted to make sure you were OK!”
”Really? Since when? Since you stopped undermining my career or just since you stopped working me like a salt miner?”
Suri gawped at her. “Hey, I may’ve screwed you over, but I never made you screw me!”
Coco rolled her eyes. “Right. Yeah. You never forced me to sleep with you. Truly, you’re Princess Celestia, mark II.”
Suri opened her mouth to try and come up with a retort, but none came to her mind. Then every thought emptied out of it in an instant. She saw Coco’s mouth drop open and her eyes widen at the same time as her own did. The two sprinted into the theater. Suri’s heart stopped as she looked up to see Lumen fluttering between the catwalks.
“LUMEN!” Coco shouted.
Coco spun around, but Suri stopped her. “I’ll get him!” Suri exclaimed. “You go find something soft!”
Coco stared at her for a moment, but nodded, spun around, and dashed down the stairs. “LADDER’S RIGHT ABOVE YOU!” she shouted back.
Suri looked up and sure enough, there was the ladder. Suri leapt up and grabbed it in her teeth, not even letting it get all the way down before she put her hooves on the rungs and climbed. Before a minute had passed, Suri was trotting down the catwalk. Lumen had already left that catwalk behind and was drifting over to another one. “Lumen!” Suri called.
Lumen stopped and turned around. As soon as he saw Suri, his face brightened and he let out a happy coo. “Yeah, Lumen!” Suri called. “Yeah, I’m over here! Come and get me!”
Lumen started drifting over. Suri kept shouting encouragement, at one point yelping as Lumen performed a barrel roll. But Lumen kept coming. Suri looked down. Coco was dragging a small box with a ripcord up the aisle. Suri looked back up. “Alright, Lumen,” she said, “almost there!”
Lumen bumped his nose into hers and Suri grabbed him. “Good job, Lumen,” she told him. She brought him up to her face. “Let’s not do that agai-wait NO!”
As soon as her grip lessened, Lumen wrenched out of it. Quick as lightning, Suri’s teeth grabbed him by his (thankfully clean) diaper. Lumen frowned, squealed, and started thrashing around. Suri pulled back, but the diaper came loose. Suri lunged forward and caught him by the tail, but overbalanced. Instinctively, she pulled him to her and curled around him.
WHAM!
Suri suddenly flew sideways before landing gently on the stage. “Lumen?” Candy asked wildly. Suri let go and Candy ripped her son out of Suri’s hooves. “Lumen!” she blubbered. “Lumen, I’m so sorry! I, I…”
Candy let Lumen down dazedly as she stared into nowhere. Suri saw tears running down her face just before she started to weep. Suri heard Coco walk up to the stage, but she stopped at the top of the steps. Suri hesitated, but eventually, she moved forward and gently laid a hoof on Candy’s shoulder.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“I didn’t mean to forget him,” Candy said. “It’s just, it’s been so hard to focus these last few weeks, to get up and go. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since before Lumen was born. And I got so focused on the bags that I forgot about…” Candy sniffled. “What kind of mother am I?”
Suri patted Candy’s shoulder. “The kind who comes back.”
“I forgot my own son!” she sobbed. “I almost killed him.”
“You did not,” Suri told her. “You were tired, you forgot. Take it from me: that happens to the best of mothers. My mom once left me at a grocery store when I was five because she’d worked all night and forgot I was with her. In the five minutes she was gone, I could’ve been kidnapped by a stranger or I could’ve gotten lost. But she ran back as soon as she realized what had happened and made sure I was OK. Accidents happen.”
Candy just sniffled. “Candy,” Suri continued, “have you mentioned your lack of drive to a doctor?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t think it was important.” She looked up. “You don’t think-“
“It’s alright,” Coco told her. “Pregnancy screws with your hormones. You’re just having a tougher time bouncing back, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Doctors can help you. Just don’t give up on yourself.”
Candy said nothing, just looked between Suri and Coco, for several minutes. Suri in turn said nothing, only keeping her hoof on her shoulder. Coco came forward and re-diapered Lumen, then held onto him. Finally, Candy sniffled one last time, took Lumen from Coco, and strapped her son into his harness. “Thanks,” she said.
“If you want, you can walk with us,” Coco offered.
Candy was silent for a moment, but nodded. “Thanks,” she said. “I’d like that.”
The three left the theater. At first, the walk was almost completely silent. A few attempts at talking were made, but they died after a few sentences. Finally, though, Coco managed to strike up a conversation, and Candy managed to smile. After thirty minutes, the three stopped in front of an apartment.
“You gonna’ to be alright?” Suri asked.
Candy frowned. “I don’t know,” she said. She sighed. “But I think I’m feeling better now.” She smiled at them. “Thanks again, both of you. I’ll see you… I think the day after tomorrow. I’m overdue for a doctor’s appointment.”
With that, she waved goodbye, turned and walked into the building. “Well, let’s get moving,” Suri said as soon as Candy was out of sight.
“Suri, wait.”
Suri stopped. “I just want to say I’m sorry for shouting at you earlier,” Coco said.
“Don’t,” Suri said. “You were right.”
“But you were still trying to be nice to me,” Coco said, “and I’m still sorry I shouted at you like that.”
Suri nodded. “Alright.”
“Y’know, I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned your mother,” Coco hinted.
Suri turned away. “I’d rather not,” she replied.
“OK,” Coco said.
With that, the two set off for their own apartment.
Author's Note
On the off-chance anyone doubts what Suri says to Candy, here is my source.
So, yeah, chapter four. I'll be honest, I wish I'd settled things a little more before I jumped into this chapter, but I'm trying to write on a schedule and I didn't have any ideas. As it stands, I've got this planned for about four or five more chapters. As always, criticism is welcome.
Suri growled as she walked across the stage. “Of all the stupid excuses,” she rambled. “OF COURSE WOOL SHRINKS! THAT’S WHY I DON’T USE IT!” she barked off stage. She put her face in her hooves and groaned. “Morons!” she snapped. “Morons, every single one of them!”
“Uhh…”
She glared up at the voice. Fidgeting in the aisle was a cream-colored mare with a light blue mane. She shrunk under Suri’s scowl and seemed almost determined to fit on one of the boards that made up the center aisle. “Am I bothering you?” she mumbled.
Suri huffed as she rolled her eyes. “What do you want?”
“I really don’t-“
”Get up here and spit it out!” Suri snapped.
The pony jumped and stumbled up the steps onto the stage. Suri could notice tears threatening to fall out of the pony’s eyes, but the pony straightened up in front of her. “Uh, well, my name’s Coco,” she stammered. “Coco Pommel. I was just wondering if-“
“I don’t do collaborations,” Suri told her.
“Uh, no, that’s… not what I was asking,” Coco stammered. “I- I wanted to- I was wondering if… m-maybe I could…” Her breath stopped as Suri’s frown deepened. After staring at it, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and blurted “maybeIcouldbeyourassistant?”
Coco quivered as Suri glared down at her. Suri opened her mouth, but then she closed her mouth. Something wasn’t right. She took a deep whiff of the air around her, which confirmed it. She looked around the seats, but no-one was in them. “Excuse me a minute,” she said. Before Coco could say anything, Suri spun on her hooves and walked offstage.
Suri found a ladder and started to climb into the catwalks. When she was halfway up, she noticed somepony there watching her. She made it to the top, then bowed. “Greetings, your highness,” she said.
“So you’ve finally found me,” Princess Luna said. “When did you start suspecting?”
“I realized I was dreaming memories, your highness,” Suri explained. “That typically doesn’t happen. Then I realized certain parts of the dream were wrong. It already thundering back when I was with my sister, and Coco was wearing perfume when I really first meet her.”
“Yes,” Luna said, “details are always more difficult in a dream.”
Suri frowned. “Your highness, and not that I’m not honored to host you,” she clarified, “but why are you here? Don’t you usually watch over children?”
Luna frowned. “You’re never too old to ask for help,” she said. “I know that all too well. So I go wherever somepony needs me, adult or child. But yes, I normally do stick to children.”
“So why are you here, your-“
“You can stop calling me that,” Luna said. “It’s just the two of us. And as to why I’m here…”
Luna’s horn lit up and the dream vanished, as if the backdrop of a play had been taken down. Beyond the dream was an endless expanse of stars. Luna drifted off, pulling Suri alongside her. “Each of those stars represents a sentient creature, pony, griffon, or otherwise,” Luna said. “As I pass by them, I can feel certain parts of the dream.”
As they passed near one of the stars, Suri shuddered and put her hoof to her mouth. She felt traces of dread, and one of her teeth hurt, barely, but consistently. “If you’ll excuse me,” Luna said. Then she dove into the star. Almost immediately, the pain and dread disappeared and Suri tasted something sweet. Luna reappeared. “Dentist,” she explained.
Suri nodded. “I understand, y- I understand. But what did you sense with me?”
“What you feel in waking life,” Luna replied. “Jealousy, fear, hatred. Feelings that are familiar to me, especially when they run so deep, so I decided to intervene.”
Suri turned away. “Yeah, well, my feelings aren’t nearly so…” She stopped, unable to think of the word.
Luna chuckled as she turned Suri’s head back to hers. “I tried to kill my sister because she was more popular than me. Dignity and justification are the last things I would try to posture with.”
Suri looked into Luna’s eyes. She seemed sincerely accepting. Suri examined her longer, but Luna’s face didn’t change. Finally, Suri said “OK.”
Luna nodded. “Now let’s get back to understanding you,” she said.
The dream at the theater reappeared, with both Suri and Luna in the catwalks. Beneath them, Coco and another Suri were talking. “I’d just fired my last assistant,” Suri explained. “She’d ruined one of my outfits, or something that was supposed to be it. I don’t use wool, but she claimed I did and the event organizers sided with her. Then Coco showed up, and...”
The past Suri shook her head. “Look,” she told Coco, “you know your stuff, I’ll give you that, but I’m just not interested in having an assistant right now.”
“That won’t work,” Luna told her Suri. “Nothing is here that you don’t personally know.”
Suri stopped scanning the catwalks and frowned. “Nopony ever found anything,” she said. “I just hoped-“
Then a rope slipped its post, and the curtain fell freely, pulled along by a heavy iron rod along the bottom. Suri felt time slow down as she saw Coco freeze and her past self dash forward. She closed her eyes just as her past self made contact.
There was no crash. Suri opened her eyes to find only a white room. “I’ve broken bones, too,” Luna said. “I won’t make you go through that again.”
Rubbing one of her scars, Suri turned to Luna. “Thank you,” she said. “They actually shattered. I needed to have rods put in my legs. Even today, I can’t stand the cold weather, and nothing helps.” Suri sighed. “And worst of all, I lost dexterity in both of them. Sewing became impossible; even with my mouth, I had to hold the material. All I could do was design.”
“So you hired Coco?”
Suri nodded. “I had to. I hated it at first: I felt like I was helpless. Every time Coco did something for me, I thought…” she blushed. “Well, I know she wasn’t,” she said.
“You thought she was laughing at you,” Luna observed.
Suri turned away. “Yeah.”
“What changed?” Luna asked.
“Suri?”
Suri pulled her head off of the kitchen table. “Did you fall asleep?” Coco asked her.
“Huh?” Suri looked down. It was daybreak in her apartment, and she was sitting at the table. Right next to a large puddle of drool were three written letters. “Yeah, I guess so,” Suri said as she scooched them away.
“Did you finish those letters?” Coco asked.
Suri frowned, then sighed. “More like I couldn’t think of anything else to say.” She folded up the letters and put each in a stamped and addressed envelope. Then she dropped the envelopes in her bag and pulled on her coat. As she picked up her bag, though, she froze. “You think it’s going to be enough?” she asked Coco. “I mean, the last time everyone heard of me was…”
Coco put her hoof on Suri’s shoulder. “Not at first,” she said. “But give them time, and we’ll see what happens.” Coco put on a scarf. “And I’m always here for you,” she added.
Suri stood stock still, looking into Coco’s eyes. Finally, she pulled her bag on. “Alright,” she said. “Let’s go to work.”
<*>
“COCO?” Suri called out. She’d searched all over the basement, but she couldn’t find her. “COCO?”
“Something I can help you with?”
Agate strode down the aisle. “Have you seen Coco?” Suri asked him.
“No,” Agate replied. “I think she was going to talk to Garth, though. He’s in his little enclosure.”
Suri stared at him. “Enclosure?”
Agate quickly nodded. “Yeah, just head into props and look for the curtains hanging down. I’d show you, but I’m late for lunch and Saffron’s father is hosting us.”
“Ah,” Suri said. “That’s alright, I can find it.”
“Thanks, I’ll see you later.”
As Agate ran off, a corner of Suri’s mouth turned up. She slowly turned around and walked down the shelves until she turned left, next to a steel candle stand. Between a gap in two shelves was an open area with smaller shelves. Suri continued in and looked down the aisles. Finally, on the far end, she noticed a pair of curtains at one end of the aisle.
Suri walked between them and entered a small area with a desk pointed towards the wall. Garth was seated there, brush in talon and intensely focused on a piece of paper. Suri watched him as he swished his brush in a cheap cup of water, then rubbed it on the watercolor paints, then drew the brush across the paper. Suri tiptoed closer to the desk, slowly sneaking up until she was looking over his shoulder. There was barely anything on the paper: just a few bright yellow lines.
Then Garth looked over. As soon as he saw Suri, he started with a yelp. Suri leapt back. “Sorry!” she exclaimed.
Garth took a moment to slow his breathing, his wide eyes narrowing as he frowned. “I asked you not to do that,” he muttered, turning back to his painting.
“Sorry,” Suri said. “I forgot.”
Garth paused and stared into space. Suri opened her mouth but Garth motioned for her to be quiet. Then he took a deep breath and his frown faded away. “It’s OK,” he said. “What did you need?”
Suri took a moment to reply. ”Have you seen Coco anywhere?” she asked.
“She and Grant went out to lunch with the other theater owners,” he said. “Was there something you needed?”
Suri’s face fell for a moment, but she quickly hid it. “Oh, no,” Suri said. “I just wanted to tell her I’ve got the patterns ready to be sewn together.”
Garth’s eyebrow rose as he turned to face her. “Already?” he asked.
Suri frowned. “I work quickly,” she said.
“Do you sleep as quickly?” Garth asked her. “My mother’s coffee isn’t that-”
“Yes, I slept, ” Suri snapped. “I just. Work. Quickly. Mkay?”
Garth nodded, raising his talons. “Understood.”
Suri sighed. “I’m sorry, Gar,” she said. “It’s just…” she trailed off.
“It’s alright,” Garth told her. “We’re fine.”
“Thanks.”
Silence fell between the two. Neither of them moved. Suri had wilted a little and Gar was sitting up straighter. “So, where’s Candy?” Garth asked.
“Off having lunch with her husband,” Suri said, her voice slightly more strained. “Same with Agate and his fiancée.”
Garth nodded. “I see.”
Suri nodded, then straightened up. “Yeah, I was thinking of just going out somewhere,” she said. “Do you know any good Chineighse places around here?”
Garth nodded. “Better,” he said, “I know an authentic Chineighse place.”
Suri’s brows rose. “Really?”
Garth nodded. “I can take you there if… if you don’t mind.”
Suri noticed Garth’s tongue stop for a moment. Then the corners of his mouth rose up. His eyes, however, remained as they were when his tongue stopped: a little too wide for him to be entirely at ease. Suri opened her mouth. “Just as friends,” Garth assured her.
Suri didn’t buy that for a second. But as she opened her mouth, she realized that she was the only person in the building who was alone for lunch. Garth frowned for a moment. “I can just give you the direc-“
“No,” Suri interrupted. “Let’s have lunch.”
<*>
Baguazhang was an octagonal building with the kitchen in the center and tables of all sizes around the sides. When Suri and Garth entered, the place was relatively full, but the greeter quickly found them seats. The two settled into a booth on the far end, near a lush peony plant. “How’d you find this place?” Suri asked.
Garth shrugged. “I just did. Went out for a walk and there it was.”
Once again, he fell silent. Suri frowned. “Anything good here?” she asked.
“Plenty.”
Silence. “Can you order for me?” Suri prompted, barely keeping the growl out of her voice.
Garth nodded. “Absolutely. Do you have any allergies?”
Suri’s mouth almost dropped open at the question. Slowly, she shook her head. “No,” she said. “I’m not too fond of spi-“
“Do you need a minute?”
Suri almost screamed at the waiter before she noticed his odd, unwelcoming tone. She turned to face the waiter, a grey dragon with yellow spikes and wings. He was staring at Garth, who was frowning back at him. Garth shook his head. “No,” he said. “No, uh, we’re ready.” Garth tensely gave out a list of dishes, which the waiter stiffly took down before turning on his heel and walking away.
Suri looked over to Garth. “What was that?”
Garth frowned at her. “Familiar face,” he said. “From… earlier in my life. I’d rather not talk about it.”
‘Of course you wouldn’t,’ Suri thought, repressing a roll of her eyes.
Garth rubbed his beak. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “It’s just…”
Garth took a deep breath, opened his mouth, then he let the breath out. He tried again, but he got a similar result. The third breath he sucked in, the frown on his face deepening. Suri’s frown faded. “Look,” she said, “if you don’t want to say anything, that’s fi-“
“I used to be in a gang,” Garth interrupted. His voice was strained, but he wouldn’t meet Suri’s eyes. “I was an idiot from a poor household, I thought I could make some extra money casing businesses for burglaries. I… saw a lot of dragons. Es-especially after…”
Garth’s voice hitched, and he put his head in his talons. “Garth, it’s OK,“ Suri said. “You don’t have to say anymore.”
Garth wiped his eyes, then put his hands down. Then he turned to Suri. His eyes had reddened and his mouth had formed a thin line. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m ruining your lunch.”
“That’s alright,” Suri said.
Garth stared at her for a moment, then put his head down on the table. The silence grew uncomfortable now, hanging like a thundercloud between the two. Suri occasionally opened her mouth, but whatever she’d try to say would lodge in her throat, and she would shut her mouth again. Once, she reached across the table, but Garth moved his talons back, and Suri followed suit. Then she noticed something. “Hey, Gar,” she whispered. “Look over there.”
Garth picked his head up and turned around. Several tables over, beyond the range of hearing, were several ponies in fancy dress talking among each other. The only griffon among them was Grant, and seated right next to him was Coco, both laughing and talking with the other ponies: the other theater owners. “Well fancy that,” Garth remarked. “I had no idea they came here.”
Garth turned around. Suri was staring at the far table, mouth wide open and face almost blank. “Suri,” Garth asked. “What’s the matter?”
Suri steepled her hooves, but she didn’t answer Garth’s question. Garth looked back at the table. While Coco wasn’t the biggest participant at the table, she was definitely holding her own, and Garth noticed her and Grant playing hoofsie under the table. Then Garth turned around. “Coco?” he asked.
Suri nodded. “She’s doing great,” she mumbled. “When I met her, she couldn’t even introduce herself. Now she’s holding her own as a manager.”
A tear rolled down Suri’s cheek, and she quickly reached up to wipe it away. “That’s good, isn’t it?” Garth asked. “She’s using what you taught her?”
”But I didn’t teach her that! It’s like-“ Suri stopped herself, then took a deep breath, wiping more tears away. “I taught her how to work with fabric, and now she’s thriving with people . I should be happy for her, and I am, but it’s like I never happened.” She sniffled. “And she’s happier that way.”
Suri put her head down and bit her tongue. The tears came anyways, but she was barely able to suppress the shuddering. After a moment, the emotional wave passed, and her head cleared a little. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I don’t make a whole lot of sense, do I?”
Then she felt someone grabbing her hooves. “I understand,” Garth said.
Suri sat up. Certainly enough, Garth had reached across the table and was holding her hooves in his talons. “I still have to live with my mother because I can’t pay rent on my own,” Garth said. “And there are days that she remembers why I went to prison. However, things got better. Those days came fewer and further between, but even then, if I died, she would’ve been upset. She remembers who I was before then and what I’m trying to do now, and she’s helping me succeed because she cares about me. No-one’s forcing her to do this, just like no-one’s forcing Coco to help you. She’s doing this because she cares about you.”
Suri stared into his eyes. Garth looked gently back at her, his talons still holding her hooves. “Wow,” Suri said. “I mean, thank you. I’ve just never heard you talk that much.”
“I usually don’t,” Garth admitted. “I’ve just always found it hard to talk.” His mouth hung open for a moment, but it slowly closed itself. With a final squeeze, Garth drew his hands back to his side of the table.
Suri’s heart sank, and the two fell into silence again. Finally, however, Suri smiled at him. “How about we head back to the theater?” she suggested.
“I don’t want to ruin your lunch,” Garth replied.
“We’ll pick something up,” Suri told him.
<*>
A few minutes later, Suri and Garth were in Garth’s alcove back at the theater, a bag of hayburgers sitting on Garth’s desk. Alongside it was a piece of paper, some watercolors, and a cup of water, all of which Garth was using. “You have a very thorough color palette,” Suri noted.
“Grant lets me have them,” Garth said. “He noticed I liked doing this, so he lets me use the watercolors for my own work.”
“And this is yours?” Suri asked, indicating the paper.
“Yes,” Garth replied.
Suri looked at it. Most of it was still incomplete. “What’s it going to be?” she asked.
Grant shrugged. “I thought I’d just paint what came to mind,” he said.
There was a knock on one of the shelves. “Hey, Gar,” Agate called, “are you in there?”
Suri saw Garth stiffen as he put the brush down. “Yes,” he answered as he looked up.
The curtains were pulled aside and Agate peeked in. “Thanks for sanding the props for me,” he said.
“You’re welcome,” Garth said.
Agate paused, but Garth refused to say anything else. After a few awkward moments, Agate nodded, said goodbye, and left. Garth turned back to the painting but did not pick up the brush. “Something wrong?” Suri asked.
Garth stayed silent. Suri was just about to speak again when Garth cleared his throat. “It’s… personal,” he said. “I’d rather not talk about it. Besides, he keeps calling me ‘Garth’.”
He turned to Suri, who had turned slightly pinker. “That’s not your name?” Suri asked.
Gar shook his head. “No, it isn’t,” he said.
“What is it, then?” Suri asked. “Because I doubt your parents called you ‘Gar’.”
Gar just sat stock still and frowned into the picture. After a few moments, Suri looked around for something to make conversation. Finally, she cleared her throat. “So, why’d you learn how to do props?” she asked.
“Everyone around here knows at least two things,” Gar said. “It helps in case someone can’t come in. That’s why Crescendo is up fixing the lighting whenever Candy has a doctor’s appointment. His brother Decrescendo takes over the orchestra, if he isn’t mending the floorboards.”
“Ah,” Suri mumbled. “Right.” She suddenly took notice of a plastic daisy chain, trying not to focus on anything else. She noticed that Gar was saying nothing, which made it harder to block out what she was thinking.
“Would you like to try?”
Suri turned back around. Gar had scooched away from the desk and motioned to the chair. Suri looked at the chair, then back to Gar. “Well,” she said, “I haven’t tried it in a while. At least since grade school.”
“Then why not get started?” Gar asked, gently.
Suri faltered, but slowly she put her hooves forward and sat down in the chair. “This is your painting,” Suri protested.
“I wasn’t really doing anything,” Gar said. “Just do what comes to mind.”
Suri looked back at the paper. The only thing on it was a set of bright yellow streaks. “It looks like a grain of wheat,” Suri thought. She picked up the brush, rinsed it out, gathered up some green paint, and dragged out of the paintbrush a long green stalk. Then she went back up, adding leaves and refilling the brush as she went. Gar stayed back, occasionally patting Suri on the shoulder when she tensed up after a mistake. Finally, the simple painting was finished. “Well done,” Gar said.
Suri frowned. “It could look better.”
“It will,” Gar said. “It will.”
Author's Note
Alright, here we go! I'd hoped this would take less time, but it seems that my last chapter of A Blueblood for Everyone was a fluke. Comments welcome, you may fire when ready.
