Happy?

For a week, everyday, Sugar Swirl would stop Dark Rose on her way home from work and sell her 2 lollipops, both red. On the fifth day he had sold 20 SSS's (mostly to the same pony) and his boss promoted him, this was the sixth day afterwards.

"OH! Hey Dark Rose! Here to buy something?" asked BonBon, greeting the now familiar face.

"Actually, I'm here to see Sugar Swirl. He told me you promoted him so I got him a Salt Lick as a congratulations." she said opening her saddlebag to show the other mare a small cube of salt next to a bottle of cider.

"Well, hate to break it to you, but Swirl didn't show up today, I think he's at home sick!"

"Where is his house? I'd like to bring this to him today." she said emotionlessly, although BonBon could have sworn she saw her steady gaze flicker with concern before returning to expressionless.

"Yeah, sure. He lives on Cottage Lane, go down Merchant Way, turn left, it's the big yellow house on the corner. There's no way you'll miss it." after receiving the directions, Dark Rose made her way down Merchant Way, took a left, and immediately saw Sugar Swirl's house. The only thing that set it apart from the others was the sickly shade of yellow.

Without a second of hesitation, she knocked on the front door loudly with her hoof. A few muffled cries of "Gimme A Thecond!" and "Who Peut Dat Dere!?" later, the neon orange stallion opened the door to scold whatever Filly Scout was trying to sell him cookies, but stopped to gawk at the usual customer that was at his door with a blank expression on her face.

However calm Dark Rose looked, it did not mask the look of "OH MY CELESTIA WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOUR FACE!?" look she had in her eyes.

Sugar Swirl's entire face was swollen and covered in blue spots, his neon green and pink mane sticking up on ends. He looked and felt exhausted, though he would never admit to the last part. Dark Rose shook her head in disbelief and wrapped a hoof around a bunch of his mane and pulled him out of his house and onto the street.

"OW! Did tou come to vizit or harath me?!" scrambled the sick stallion, thrashing in the statuesque mares grip. Without answering, Dark Rose pulled his front door shut and dragged her captive up Cottage Lane, took a right, and marched all the way back up Merchant Way. Ignoring Sugar Swirl's grumbling about "Crazy bucking mares", she unlocked her front door and pulled the stallion in.

"Take a seat, I'll make some herbal tea, feel free to take a blanket." she said, motioning to her living room, which had a dark green couch covered with an assortment of grey throw pillows. A glass table sat in front of the couch, which was facing a unlit fireplace, adjacent to a mahogany bookcase. As his sudden hostess disappeared to what he could only guess was her kitchen, the sick stallion reluctantly trotted into the well decorated room.

He sat down on the comfy piece of furniture and took in his surroundings a bit more. There was two neatly folded blankets sitting on a rocking chair the same colour of the couch he was on, which he took one off and wrapped it around himself, it didn't seem to do anything helpful, but it did make him feel a bit better. The bookcase was filled with an assortment of novels titled things like "Pokey and Staple" "How to Make Harmless Explosives" and "Tomorrow Will be Brighter Than Yesterday".

But what really caught his somewhat obscured attention was a small blue and purple picture frame. He got of his seat to get a closer look and saw a purple pegasus mare with a puffy pink mane wearing a bridal gown, next to her stood what he could only assume was her husband, who was a dark red earth stallion with a light brown mane, wearing a simple dark blue tux. Written on the bottom of the frame were the words "Mum and Dad"

"What kind of tea do you prefer? Chamomile or Earl Grey, their the only kinds I have." Came a shout from the assumed kitchen, snapping Sugar Swirl back to reality, to which he promptly ran back to the couch, sat down at gave a muffled response of "Chermermerle iz ferne!" feeling like he just violated this hospitable mares privacy. After five agonizing minutes of silence, a kettle whistled and Dark Rose trotted out of her kitchen with a platter of small biscuits and tea.

Setting the tray down on her coffee table, she sat down in the rocking chair and picked up her cup. "Go ahead, it should cure up your Poison Joke rash." she said nonchalantly, taking a sip of steaming chamomile. Before she had said that, Sugar Swirl had taken a sip as well, but when he heard the Poison Joke part, he nearly spat it out.

"How did you know I was infected with Poison Joke?!" he almost shouted, the tea having already soothed his mouth enough to allow him to talk. Dark Rose merely shrugged in a "Just a hunch" manner and continued with her tea. After a few minutes of dispatched chit-chat, the tea and biscuits were finished, wordlessly, the hostess picked up the dishes and tray and was about to leave when her captive spoke up.

"Why did you bring me into your house? Was it just to make me some tea?" She turned and huffed quietly, setting the tray down, she looked at the stallion in question and said.

"It's what I do for a friend."