Avenging Love

I walk through my castle in almost a daze. The ponies in the hallways watch me with sad eyes as they carry on with their duties. Not bothering to speak to me. It has only been four days since they found me chained in that dungeon crying. They pried me away from my lifeless sister, and took me home. I don’t know how they took her to the castle, and just the thought of it made choke down a sob. I step into the dining room and look around. Only the chef stands by the table. He’s a skinny, pearl white stallion, with the brightest blue eyes. And he’s young. So young. He smiled at me as he prepared my meal. Oats. Gourmet of course! As the he would say. I sat myself down in my habitual seat.

“Sugar Spice,” I say quietly. “Thank you, but I wish to be alone.” He stands awkwardly for a second as if he doesn’t know what to do. This was the first time since the incident that I had eaten in the dining room. The last three days I had been in my room. Refusing to come out. I sat in the dark, crying and grieving. The food had been delivered to my room by a soldier. The staff didn’t want to see their ruler huddled in a corner, bawling. Of course the soldier didn’t like it either, but they volunteered anyway. They would open the door and place the plate on my desk, and bring the uneaten food away. I couldn’t eat. All I could do was think about her. Cry about her.

Sugar Spice nods and trots into the kitchen. I hope he understands why I want to be alone. I wouldn’t know though. He doesn’t have a family. Sugar Spice was an orphan. I found him wandering the street as a little foal, and took him under my wing. It was amazing to watch him grow up and earn his cutie mark. It was a sugar cube in a salt shaker. I never knew he could cook until I saw him bake cookies with my sister. I never thought about how much he must miss her too.

“Wait!” I call out. Sugar Spice turns around and looks at me confused. “Eat with me,” I state. It is not an order, but an invite. He walks over and sits across from me, careful not to sit in my sisters spot because he didn’t know if that would upset me or not. It would. If he had sat there. It would be like she’s already replaced. Like she’s not coming back. Which she’s not. That’s just my denial talking. Sugar Spice looked up at me. I was very tall compared to him. Not just because I was an alicorn, but because he was a bit under average in height for an earth pony. Just then, I notice that he didn’t have any food to eat.

“Here.” I say passing him some oats. He smiles and takes them. Then he stuffs them messily yet gracefully into his mouth leaving crumbs all over his coat. Sugar Spice is a bit of a slob, but an excellent cook. He is also quite humorous. When he was a foal, he used to disappear mysteriously, but he would always leave a trail of sugar so we could find him.

“Do you remember that time,” I say staring at his beautiful golden mane. “When you hid in a bush outside the castle. Your mane was filled with sticks and leaves. You looked like a little Christmas tree.” I chuckle remembering how long it took to untangle the twigs from his mane. Sugar Spice blushed. “It took us hours to find you. All the birds had eaten the sugar path you had made.” My smiles fades. It took “us” so long to find him. We searched all day. Heavenly Love started to get nervous that he would never come back. I calmed her down by singing her a lullaby that our mother used to sing to us. We shared a hug and sang together. That’s when we heard a rustle from the bushes. We were so relieved to have him back, but that moment scarred me. What if he had never come back? Heavenly Love would have been devastated. As would I. That night I told her that we should promise to never lose anypony again. I broke that promise when she died. I didn’t mean too, but I did.

“Are you ok Lovely?” Sugar Spice asks as I wipe tears from my eyes.

“I’m fine.” I state getting up from my chair. “I just… have to be alone.” I gallop out of the room leaving Sugar Spice sitting by himself.