Unexpected Changes

It didn't take long for the fillies to finish up their homework. There wasn't that much of it this early in the year, and they weren't all that bad at the material.

Before too long, they had finished and were sitting around and chatting. "So, what's all of this stuff for?" asked Snapdragon, inspecting the charms. "Is this something your yak sitter brought with her?"

"No," waved Lily. "These are part of the alternative medicine treatment. According to my dad, these are inscribed with a spell that makes it easier to go through heat."

"How do they do that?"

"Apparently, they smooth everything out and straighten out my insides so that everything moves how it's supposed to. Kind of like when there's a kink in your hose, how untwisting it makes it easier for the water to flow? Well, this helps unkink my hoses."

"I thought there was that one organ that, if you uncoiled it, it could stretch to the moon and back?" questioned Glory. "If that's straightened out, how are you not a thousand metres tall right now?"

"It doesn't stretch everything out and make it all straight, it just makes sure that there aren't any kinks or bends where there aren't supposed to be. If there's supposed to be a bend, it leaves it there."

"So, then, what are the crystals supposed to do?"

"The crystals are mood elevators. They're supposed to improve my mood in the morning, and they kind of do."

"How?"

"Because every morning, there are dancing red and pink lights on the wall, and that makes me feel all bubbly inside."

"So, it's just a light show?" asked Daisy.

"Yeah, but it works..."

"This all seems rather silly, dear..." Snapdragon scrutinised the crystals in the window. "I don't think these things have any magical properties. I think you were swindled."

"My dad would have been the swindled one, and he only makes good deals."

"There's a first time for everything, dear, and it always causes a spiral out of control."

"You think my dad's spiralling?"

"Well, he's not here, he's hired a yak to babysit you, and he picked one that wants you to call her "Granny." If it were happening to me, you'd think my dad was the one who snapped."

"Maybe," admitted Lily. "Or maybe, my dad has a plan that he has to be careful about, and there's nothing wrong with having a yak as my sitter. She's not that bad, girls."

"Oh, thank you."

They all looked up from their activities to see Granny standing in the door.

"Food is ready. Come. Eat."

Not only was the food ready, but by the time they come downstairs, it was ladled out into bowls, and the spoons were laid out in their proper locations. Not only had Granny set out bowls for them, she'd displayed a degree of etiquette that would not be out of place at a fancy gala.

The soup was a bright red colour, and smelled like sour candy. As the fillies all took their seats, Lily wasted almost no time. As soon as everypony was seated, she began to shovel big chunks into her mouth.

"Such healthy appetite," chuckled Granny. "She eats soup like starved child." She turned to the other three. "Eat, eat! I make plenty!"

Glory was the first to actually taste it, starting with a mix of enthusiasm halfway between Lily and her normal self. If Lily was devouring it, then it had to be good, right? That fervor disappeared after two bites. It was far more sour than she had expected, and she had to stop and finish what she had in her mouth.

Snapdragon tried just the broth, at first. She wasn't too sure about the chunks, and having the whole thing being bright red made her a little bit wary of it.

After seeing her friends reactions, Daisy was almost scared to take a bite. Even as Glory kept eating at a slower pace than what she'd started at, making funny faces all the while, Daisy lifted her spoon and inspected it. Why was it so red?

"What'd you say this was, again?"

"Borscht," answered Granny, looking up from her bowl. "Try. Is good."

"What's in it?"

"Is beetroot, is cabbage, is onion, is carrots, is vegetable stock. Has lemon juice. Is good. Try."

She leaned forward and sniffed it. It still smelled sour, as if it were fermenting.

"Can I have more?" asked Lily, holding up her empty bowl. Daisy still hadn't tasted it, and Lily was already done.

"Is good girl!" laughed Granny, taking the bowl from her. "You eat enough to feed two fillies."

As she disappeared into the kitchen, Lily turned to Daisy. "It's good, right? Didn't I tell you she's a good cook?"

Daisy didn't answer, and just took a bite. Despite the reactions of her friends, there was a lot of sweetness to it. Perhaps it was because she'd waited so long, but the soup was frigid.

"Is it supposed to be this cold?" asked Snapdragon, having taken another spoonful.

"Yeah. It's a cold soup," explained Lily. "Apparently, there are all kinds of soups that are served cold. Borchd is one, then there's geshtappo, and fishy-swahs."

"Gazpacho and vichyssoise," corrected Granny as she walked back into the room with Lily's bowl. "When borscht served hot, during wintertimes, is called borshch. Is good, but is hot. Now is summertimes. Serve cold."

Lily began eating once more, and did not stop until her bowl was empty, then leaned back with a hoof on her belly. Glory was the only one that made it through a bowl, while the other two were only able to make it halfway, if that. Granny had a bowl and a half before putting everything away.

After dinner, Glory raised her hoof. "What should we call you?" she asked, looking right at Granny.

"You can call me "Granny,"" she smiled back.

"But I already have a granny, and she's not a yak."

"How about "Lily's sitter?"" suggested Lily. "If you need her attention, you can call her "Granny," and if you're talking about her to somepony else, you can just tell them that she's my sitter. It doesn't have to be that complicated."

"Unless you and her real granny are in the same room," suggested Daisy. "That could make things complicated."

"Only if they're in the same room, though," clarified Snapdragon. "How often do you expect that to happen?"