Fare music, colourful ribbons and streamers, delicious smells coming from the street stands – that was the Summer Sun Celebration in all its glory! Ponies from all over Equestria made their way to Canterlot to witness this yearly event in which Princess Celestia would publicly raise the sun. Small lampions, shaped like the royal Cutie Mark, illuminated the fading night – the rather chilly morning air was heated with excitement and everypony was enjoying themselves.
* * *
CRASH! A blue stallion bumped into a yellow mare, causing the delicate contents of her saddlebags to break. “Sweet Celestia, I’m so sorry!” exclaimed the colt, looking at the female pony with embarrassment. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, I think I’m fine” she replied, opening one bag with her mouth. For a moment her red, flowing mane obscured the mess that were the vases she bought an hour or so ago. “But I think that these didn’t survive…” she sighted, blowing away the hair from her eyes.
“I-I’ll pay you back, I promise!” said the stallion, lowering his head and reaching for a small bag hung at his side. “I’m really so, so sorry this happened, miss…”
“Satin Veil. It’s fine, really… It wasn’t your fault,” the red haired mare said. She put a hoof on the stallion’s azure coat. “Really, there is no need to pay anything back. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“Nonono, I insist!” said the colt zealously. “So how much were they?”
“Umm…” Satin scavenged around her bag for the tags and showed them to the stallion. The mare blushed as the other pony’s eyes shrunk and jaw dropped.
“Oh… Uh… That much…” he said, nervously running a hoof through his black, short mane. His equally coloured tail whipped about. “Ummm… I-I’m afraid… No,” he shook his head, collecting himself, “its fine. I honestly don’t have that many bits on me right now. I may be of the Shadow family, but my parent’s didn’t call me Valliant for naught!” His eyes beamed, looking at the bright-yellow coated mare whom he bumped into. “I promise I’ll make it up to you!”
“Mr Valliant Shadow… Really, there is no need,” replied the mare a bit nervously, trying to back-pedal unnoticed. She met such, hmm, zealous colts before. They were cute, but usually… Crazy.
“No no, I insist!” repeated Valliant, putting his hoof down. “Please, if that is not a problem, could you show me where you bought those?”
“Umm… O-okay” said Satin with a sigh. She could smell trouble a mile away. The colt couldn’t be seriously considering buying back the pieces that happily sang a broken symphony in her bags. Each one was a master crafted piece of art and, come to think of it, it was silly of her to put them where she did in the first place. Still, the one she learned was Valliant Shadow seemed really into his promise. Was he one of those stallions who were gold digging for her parents’ small fortune? Who was he trying to impress? She saw them all – from charming and passionate to rough but kind, all had their eyes fixed on bits that weren’t even hers. It was a grave error to even mention the price tag attached to her possessions.
As Satin Veil beat herself mentally over her carelessness, Valliant’s mind was flooding with numbers. Most of them had a big, nasty minus in front. The stallion barely got by as he did and now with his new pledge, he would probably have to live off of eating grass from the streets. It was so stupid of him not to look where he was going. And it was even more moronic to promise buying the vases back!
The awkward silence between the two was finally broken when a magically enhanced voice announced the coming of the Princess. Both ponies weren’t sure what was the best thing to do – go together, pretend they didn’t meet, just ignore each other?
“U-um…” started Vailliant, clearing his throat. “I guess we’re both going in the same direction… Would it be too much if I .. if I asked you to accompany me? I-I mean, if you’re not going with your coltfriend, that is.”
“No, no, I don’t have a coltfriend, nothing of the sorts,” she blurted out, biting her tongue a bit too late. Why did she say that?! “I-I mean, I came here with my parents… They should be here! Somewhere! Around…“ she exclaimed with a false and troubled smile. In the end, the most awkward of walks ensued.
* * *
The Princess, basked in the light of the sleepy sun, was a magnificent sight to behold. Her flowing, multi-hued mane reflected colourful beams all around, causing mini-rainbows to appear amongst the gathered ponies. Satin Veil and Valliant Shadow stood in awe, absorbing the regal air around the Princess. With a few powerful strokes of her royal wings, the alicorn rose above the crowd, causing the sun to follow in her wake. It was a spectacular sunrise, one that many would remember for years to come.
“Wooow…” whispered Valliant Shadow. “The Princess sure is something…”
“Mmmhmm…” replied Satin Veil, her eyes wide.
Soon the ceremony was over and the ponies returned to the fare grounds, where hot pie would be served and cheerful games would continue till dusk. The azure colt and yellow mare stood amongst the thinning crowd, again finding themselves in an awkward deadlock.
“Listen…” started the mare, looking Valliant straight in the eye “This whole situation is… Awkward… And really, let’s just forget what happened, okay?”
The hope Satin had for a clean departure faded as the colt stood there silent. His eyes were wandering and he wouldn’t meet her gaze. Really, she thought to herself, men and their honour. He’s just like my father, with all those silly codes and rules…
“I’m really sorry if I’m causing any trouble,” said the colt unexpectedly. “It’s just that… Well, breaking those vases probably made you sad…” Was that a hint of red beneath the bluish fur on his cheeks? “A-And I didn’t want to make someone like you… Umm… Sad… Not on such a beautiful day and all” he finished in a hurry. Yes, his face was definitely on fire.
Satin giggled uncontrollably. “Eh, if it means so much to you… Then I guess I can’t do anything, but graciously accept your offer?” She made a curt nod towards the stallion.
“Th-thank you.” He blurted out, fumbling back a bow. “Umm, where do you come from anyway?”
“Fillydelphia,” lied Satin Veil “I’ll write down the address so you can look for me, okay?”
* * *
“All aboard! Express to Hoofsdale leaving in 5 minutes!” shouted the announcer at the Canterlot train station. Valliant Shadow and Satin Veil parted ways some time ago – she went off to look for her parents, he needed to visit his uncle and aunt. The day was nearing to an end and the atmosphere was slowly beginning to unwind; stands were being torn down, goods wrapped up carefully in cloth and foals and fillies were complaining about the fun ending so fast. The colt looked at his saddle in which he had the address of the mare from Fillydelphia. All things considered, she was quite pretty and should circumstances be more favourable, he’d ask the girl out. Maybe after he paid his debt. But would a big city mare like herself even consider somepony from Hoofsdale?
Satin Veil was waiting for her parents at the crowded station. Her thoughts kept coming back to the handsome stallion she met. A shadow of regret kept creeping through her mind, but she reasoned herself out of guilt. It was obvious someone as good looking as that colt would already have a mare friend. His reaction to the price of the broken vases, which she wasn’t mourning anyway, said it all. She could swear she saw tiny bits spin in those deep blue eyes of his…
“There you are hun!” said a low voice from behind. Satin’s father ruffled the mare’s mane and gave her a hug. “Had fun at the fare?”
“Daaad!” complained Satin, giggling like a filly “Don’t mess with my haaair, you know how long it takes to comb it afterwards…” She regretted those words almost instantly, as her father would proceed to ruffle her hair even more vigorously.
“Edward, leave Satin alone, can’t you see she’s tired?” remarked Satin’s mother, hugging her daughter and dragging her away from the vicious assault. “So, did you have fun? Met anypony interesting?” she smiled with a you-know-what-I-mean smile.
“Weeeell, there was this one colt that…” she started, but instantly stopped and hid behind her mother.
“What’s wrong honey?” asked the startled mare, looking around.
“Oh, it’s nothing, totally nothing, I just, hum, that is…” the confusing stream of words got cut when an azure stallion cautiously joined the group.
“Ummm… Satin Veil?...”
* * *
The cat was brutally dragged out of the bag and beat with a stick (or so Satin Veil though of this situation). She sat beside her parents, anxiously looking around, pretending she wasn’t listening to Valliant Shadow relaying the whole awkward waltzing around the issue of broken porcelain. The colt was well mannered and respectful – he even somewhat covered up the fact that Satin lied to him about where she lived.
“So, in the end, I forgot to ask her where she lived. Thank Celestia we’re on the same train and I can do so now” he concluded with a wide smile, eyeing Satin as she squirmed.
“Good boy, that is mighty kind of you to want to do justice, even if it wasn’t entirely your fault” said Edward von Haystern, Satin’s father. “One can look far and wide for a colt such as yourself and run out of candles before he finds one!” he chuckled, apparently happy with the way he mashed together two sayings.
“You give me way too much credit, Mr Von Haystern” replied Shadow, bowing his head. “I am in no way that special – I just did what I thought was true and right.” The special pressure on the word true made Satin’s ears twitch. The mare was still trying to ignore the colt and his staring at her.
It was all a cruel joke to her. She did all she could to repress the burning sensation in her cheeks – it was a disgrace this stranger had to cover up for her faux pas, one that she knew her father would be furious about. Fate, you are not being funny, not in the slightest, she thought to herself.
“Please, forgive my daughter,” said Edward, nudging the young mare on the side, “she must be so tired she totally forgot her manners. Answering your question, we have a small residence in Hoofsdale, near the silk farm we own.”
Valliant cocked his head sideways in surprise. “Excuse me?” he let out a gasp.
“Well, yes,” picked up Satin’s mother, whom Valliant learned was Sunny Beach, “We rather try and keep to ourselves if we can, so you might not have known us by name.” The smile on her face was probably the reason behind her name – it was warm and delicate.
“Oh, uh, yes, of course, sorry, ma’am.” The colt felt uneasy all of a sudden – the owners of the only silk farm in miles were right in front of him. And he managed to offend their daughter. If there ever were dark clouds in Valliant’s life, they chose this exact moment to storm his mind and haunt him with terrible visions of having to act as the family’s servant to pay off the debt he could not back out of now.
Satin Veil interpreted his behaviour in a different set of colours – he finally acknowledged they were rich and would now probably try and scoop something for himself. All the colts and stallions that she ever tried dating did that and it was only Satin’s kind (but broken many times) heart that didn’t allow her to confess to her parents. Her father would probably go into a fit of rage, cursing her former coltfriends for being so petty about money and status. It was true their family had the resources, but they never cared to rub them in anypony’s face. They lived a peaceful and modest life, allowing their hard work on the farm to bear fruit without any strings attached. Satin’s family did a lot to help the village prosper – sometimes Winter Wrap Up would go over budget or somepony needed an honest loan to get out of a ditch. Satin’s father would always be there for the community, even if he helped from the shadows. It would be a shame to break his faith in ponykind with a few greedy noponys.
Valliant cleared his throat. “Wow, that is such an honour to meet you, Mr van Haystern, Mrs Beach. And Ms Veil,” the colt said in an overly upbeat tone and bowed to each pony with respect.
“Nonsense my boy! We are just like your everyday ponies, nothing special about us,” beamed Edward, “Hard work, well earned bits, always ready to lend a hoof.”
“Oh, I know that feeling, sir!” Valliant sat up straight and his eyes begun to sparkle. “I work as a construction worker in Hoofsdale. Its really hard and manual labour, but it pays off really well! I mean, in a certain way,” he flinched. “It's so great to see other ponies inhabit the houses we make. I have a feeling we do something important for others. And that our work will be of use to other ponies for generations to come!”
Satin rolled her eyes. Who was the colt trying to fool? All this buttering up made her sick – she heard similar stories time and time again, from all sorts of lips. Her grumpy attitude was totally ignored by the rest of the family, though.
“You certainly have spirits, son!” exclaimed von Haystern, a spark lighting in his eye. “Do you want to hear how we do things on the farm?”
Satin sighed silently and slumped on her couch, bracing for an hour or two of colourful stories about her everyday life.
* * *
“It’s been mighty refreshing talking with you, Mr Shadow!” Edward shook the colt’s hoof firmly. “You should come by and visit sometime! We could show you around, have some tea, perhaps share a story or two…”
“Please, Valliant is just fine” he winked “I’d love to, but I’m afraid I’ll be extra busy with… Umm, raising funds to repair the damage I did. Again, please accept my most sincere apologies, Mr vor Haystern.”
“No harm done, right Satin?” he nudged the mare, causing her to loose balance for a second. “As far as I’m concerned, you can come by anytime you want, with or without them blasted vases. And Edward is just fine too.”
With a last hoofshake and smile, the family and the colt parted ways – the former towards their property, some distance from town, and the latter to his small house on the outskirts of Hoofsdale.
It was an extremely eventful day for Satin Veil and Valliant Shadow – none of them could rest properly, however, as thoughts of one another (each tinted with their own suspicions and worries) kept coming back, buzzing louder than the summer bugs outside. It was a beautiful night anyway, so how could one sleep through it?
Valliant Shadow must have finally dozed off, as the sound of his alarm clock startled him into falling out of bed. His back against the hard wooden floor, the colt yawned and reached for the blasted screaming device, turning it off after three attempts.
Sluggishly, he twisted around and heaved himself into a standing position, sleepily resting his head against the simple drawer next to his bead. His brain begun functioning properly, reminding him of yesterday’s events – the fare, the mare, the despair of broken ware. It even rhymed.
Having plenty of time before departing for work, the colt scavenged around his fridge, hoping that a miracle would fill it during the night. As far as he could tell, there might have been a miracle inside, but it was inedible. And smelled gross. Maintaining a clean house, despite its relative smallness, was a task that flew over the pony’s head. What little clothes he had lay in a heap near the bed, his only wardrobe was empty and looked quite sad, and the contents of the refrigerator were already plotting their owner’s demise.
“Think it’s time to throw this garbage away before it develops any hooves or hands to strangle me with,” muttered Valliant, closing the fridge doors. “Maybe tomorrow.”
The colt reached for the cupboard above his sink, scooping a box of cereal. Reluctantly, he looked at the pile of dishes nesting in the sink. Somehow all the bowls, spoons, forks and dishes that he owned, which weren’t many, lay there, each dirty with some meal he ate in the past. He wasn’t a great cook, so most of that was fast-food from his favorite place not that far from the construction site he worked on now.
“Maybe. Someday,” he grumbled, tipping the box and munching on a mouthful of oats. They were horrible without milk, and Shadow could barely swallow the gooey mass. Still, it was a lot safer than trying to add milk to it. The milk that remembered the times when his parents visited a few months back.
“Maybe we’ll grab some lunch later with the boys,” shrugged the colt, reaching for his helmet and work belt neatly arranged on a small table near the doors. He had to care for those particular items, they were borrowed and it would be a pain to buy back yet another broken trinket.
Stomach growling, mane in disarray and winding his jaw in a yawn, the colt left his home. With a sigh of pleasure, Valliant Shadow embraced the dawning sun. The cold morning air ruffled his fur, pumping in some energy and optimism that would let him last through the day.
* * *
“Hiya Valliant!” called out a brown coated pony, shaking his hoof with the colt. “So, how was the Summer Sun Celebration? As fancy-shmancy as everypony makes it to be?”
“You don’t even know the half of it,” chuckled Valliant, loosening up his muscles. It would be a long day, and not a single cloud in the sky heralded work in the heat of the sun.
“Heh, guess you’re right. Never been into that kind of thing. Too many ponies in a too small space, you gots to watch where you’re going and make sure you have yer horseshoes on ya at the end of the day.”
“True,” snorted Valliant, heaving up a wooden beam.
The house the construction ponies were building already had its skeleton set in place. Right now they had to construct the floors, prepare more wood for the walls and stairs, and then wait Celestia knows how long for tiles to arrive. While the Everfree Lumberjacks were a reliable company, albeit a bit crazy for gathering resources in such a creepy place, it was a well-known fact that Pristine Tiles took its time with manufacturing goods. Even if they made stupid excuses that ‘perfection takes time’, they were the darn best and most honest tile supplier that Valliant’s boss could afford.
“How’s it going, boys?” greeted his workers Solid Roof, the overseer for Hoofsdale Constructions.
“As Solid as ever,” chuckled a few colts in response. The pun was as old as ever, but the boss didn’t mind. He and his crew went a long way back. It would be honest to say that most of the new architecture in Hoofsdale was built with their sweat, tears and sometimes imaginative cussing.
“Boss?” Valliant Shadow approached his employer who was in the middle of skimming through a checklist on his clipboard. “Can I speak to you for a second?”
“Sure, boy! What’s troubling ya?” asked the overseer, his eyes still focused on his work.
“I was wondering, would there be any overtime available this week? Or maybe even this month?”
“Sure, there’s always something to do. Need the extra cash, kid?” smiled the bulky pony, eyeing Valliant.
“Yeah, kind of,” chuckled Shadow, kicking some dust up.
“Something wrong? Got trouble?”
“No, of course not, sir! I just, uh...well-”
“I get it, I get it,” Solid waved him off. “Well, let’s see. Yeah, I guess we could have something tomorrow. Unless those Pristine bucks don’t delay their shipment again, I’ll need a pony on-site to unload the stuff after working hours. If you’re up to it, we could reschedule a bit and start tiling the roof earlier to save some time. So, you’d basically just unload the cargo, secure it and do fill out some paperwork. Standard overtime pay, I gather no more than two or three hours. Deal?”
“Yes sir!”
* * *
The day went by as predicted; it was hot and everypony was sweating their fur off, pausing every now and again to pour some water into their mouths or onto their backs. As always, a small group of mares gathered near the site, whistling and winking at the construction ponies, who in turn flexed and shot dirty looks. Valliant did not indulge more than it was polite to, mainly because he was tired and the sweat rolling down his muzzle left a salty taste that made smiling difficult.
During lunch break the colt was saved by one of his co-workers with a dandelion sandwich. Valliant was so thankful he even listened to the pony’s rambling about his wife. It seemed he got married quite recently and his wife, who was described as the most perfect being in the universe, always made him extra lunch.
“I don’t know how she does it, considering we both have very little energy in the morning. If you know what I mean.”
Of course he did. This was the most discussed topic on site, apart from other coltly things such as wagons, body building or bets on Wonderbolt races. Very few of those topics really interested Shadow. He mostly came here for the work, not the bits or social interactions. He was honestly into his vision of creating houses for generations of ponies to come.
He looked around, remembering all the years he spent on sites. The cream and yellow house and how the roof nearly fell apart due to an unexpected termite infestation. How the chimney on that blue one was tilted and the guys named it the Drunken Tower.
Actually, the first floor of that house with a garden was assembled while half the crew was drunk. It was the day after one of them had their first foal – even Valliant had to admit it was the cutest little filly he had ever seen. The dad was swelling with pride and jumping to the needs of his wife and child, thus missing out on most of the party. And yes, the day after that, the boys just rolled over to the site and it was a miracle nopony lost a hoof or eye. A professional is a professional, even with enough alcohol cruising through his veins to knock out a cow.
Valliant was lucky enough that day to only have a hangover, one that couldn’t be quenched even with the help of the local water reservoir. All of them got a talk from the boss – it was a quiet speech, one that Solid Roof made with a bag of ice on his head and his bloodshot eyes half-lidded.
His memories were cut short by everypony packing up the remains of their lunch and returning to work. Yes, this was a fine life, and a great job with fantastic ponies. Still, the time he had to spend between working hours was…boring.
* * *
Solid Roof blew a whistle, letting his workers know they are done for the day. Happy with their work, he shook hooves with each and every one of them, making double sure Valliant still wanted the extra assignment.
“Oh, and, kid. Remember, if you have any trouble, you know who to call. We are more than a team you know. We-”
“- are a family. And a bloody good one, sir,” finished Valliant, smirking. The overseer smiled back, nodding and writing some notes on his ever present clipboard.
The sun was still high up in the sky, and only a few smaller shops closed for the day, so the colt decided to indulge in some window shopping. He should call it ‘look at things you can dream about for the next few years’. He was quite certain that even with overtime, if there was any that he could take, it would take a lot of effort to gather the sum that etched itself in his mind with big red numbers.
“Geez, that girl sure has a lot of bits to waste on fancy junk,” growled the colt, leaving the front of a tool shop. He would have to get tools of his own sooner or later, as it felt weird to keep the ones he had for such a long time now. Having debts rubbed Valliant the wrong way. He was thankful to those that offered help, of course, but it was a drag to have to constantly remind yourself that somepony, somewhere, is waiting for you to return a favor.
The colt always tried to offer whatever help he could without asking anything in return. In most cases he did get a favor back, but in his book that was not rushed and he didn’t ask for it. A present for a present was okay, as it flowed from the need of the heart, not a weighted down conscience.
“Oh…it’s you,” sompony said next to him. Snapping back to reality, the colt looked sideways. His view was filled with a flowing red mane and a yellow muzzle with gorgeous green eyes. The face was clad in a mildly disgusted expression, so the thrill of seeing it got immediately quenched and replaced by defensiveness.
“Uh. Hello. Yeah, it’s me,” he replied, pouting slightly. “What are you doing here, Satin Veil?”
“Window shopping,” said the mare, a theatrical sigh leaving her lips. “I like to just look at all the things.”
“But these are tools. You have a hobby or something?”
“No. I stopped here because I saw you,” Satin sneered, flicking away a stray strand of her mane. “Listen. I know we started off the wrong hoof. And I really don’t miss those vases or anything. You are forgiven, it didn’t happen, everything is fine. Just please, please don’t make a show out of this incident, okay? Just leave me alone.”
“Why? Does it bother you so much?” Valliant furrowed a brow. He wasn’t sure if she was forgiving him, apologizing or making a fool of him. Either way, it didn’t sit well with the stallion.
“Yes, it does. A lot. Let’s be honest,” the mare lowered her head slightly and took on a smug smile. “You saw I was rich, right? And now you know who my parents are. Many before you tried similar tricks, but as you can see, I am still single and happy about it.”
“Huh?” replied the stallion, cocking his head.
“Stop playing dumb, okay?” spat the irritated pony, stomping her hoof. “I know you are in it for the money. You’ll get all friendly with my dad and mom, then try and woo me. Once you’ve done that, you’ll start asking small favors, which my dear but naïve father will grant you. And then, once you get bored or find another nice flank, you’ll dump me, like they all did. I’ll cry some, my dad will comfort me, and we’ll never hear of you again. Yeah, you should know I did that a dozen times over, and am sick and tired of it.”
Valliant Shadow was in too deep a shock to even open his mouth. What was this mare saying? Was she passing judgment on him without even the slightest hint of evidence? How could she even think he would be such an inconsiderate jerk?
“Ha, you’re all the same,” snorted the filly, backing away slightly, apparently sure of her victory. “So let’s cut a deal, here and now, okay? You tell me what you want, I’ll try and get it for you. Then, you will leave me alone. Me and my family. I don’t want nothing from the likes of you, you hear me? Just name your price. Bucks like you make me-”
“I can’t believe how shallow you are,” whispered Valliant, cocking his head.
“Excuse me?!”
“Y-You heard me,” repeated the colt, anger churning in his chest. If she were a colt, she would already have a black eye and a few teeth to swallow. “Shallow. Judgmental. How dare you accuse me of anything?! How can you go around telling ponies things like that?! Ugh!”
This time, it was the mare who kept silent, her ears withdrawn and forehoof slightly raised.
“You don’t even know me that well, and you put those kind of words in my mouth?! Really, of all the mares, I had to bump into the most stuck up and narcissistic one? Your parents seem like great ponies and I have no idea how you can be their daughter. You make me sick.”
Silence yet again. Valliant Shadow was puffing, containing the heat in his torso. It hurt him so much that somepony would ever think so low of him.
“You know what? I’ll buy back those stupid vases. I’ll buy them back, shove them in your stupid face and then you’ll never again hear from me. Have a nice day,” the stallion spat, trotting away, leaving the mare stunned.
The sun was getting low over the horizon and a light breeze finally blew life into Satin Veil. Nopony ever talked to her in that tone. In such an angry, shaking voice. She was nearly certain he was going to hit her, he was leaning so hard over her. She didn’t deserve that. All stallions were the same. It was always the same scenario. But why the hay didn’t Valliant Shadow follow the script?!