A Unicorn’s Stages of grief

It had been a week since Alphabittle’s Tearoom was destroyed by those heartless, idiotic, selfish things. All he could do now was mourn his loss, he hardly slept at night from it. He also would not admit it, but a few meals were skipped as a result of this disgusting incident. He had felt hopeless as he got off his bed, he missed the sounds of chatter and the noise of the kettle. He missed the smells and sights he had there, he missed everything about that place. Onyx and Dapple hadn’t really spoken with him often lately, likely suffering from the loss too, that place meant a lot to them. He did not know where they were or what they were up to, none of his business anyway.

As he yawned, he headed out his room hearing some knocking on his front door

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” He groaned, soon opening it his heart stopping as he stared in horror. A chicken that looked like a mascot costume. Much like an antho would walk and stand, rather than a normal chicken.

“You are hired!” She said with a goofy grin. “Please accept or deny within a week! Or consequences may apply!” She said throwing an envelope at him just before he slammed the door on her face. Not giving a care if it hit her or not, because what was a freak like her doing here? One of the kind that made false claims and destroyed his tearoom.

You’d think they would have at least the respect to reuse the tearoom’s building for their stinky, greasy, old yucky- What’s it called? Egg-jerkingtons? Ugh, whatever, he could care less. Disrespecting the woods and everyone in it. Horrid pieces of mold- actually, much worse than mold, broken glass. That’s what they were, painful shards that take up space and hurt everyone around it, he picked up the envelope and slowly opened it. Scanning over it before throwing into the trash.

Just a menu advert along with the words “You are hired!” Written on it. Not even Izzy would wanna recycle something like that. He never agreed to anything… He was offered to open a new one in Zephyr Heights by Haven. But it wasn’t the same…

He went for a walk in the forest, going a different way, not wanting to go even close to where they destroyed his tearoom. He needed to get over this, but his heart ached. Those weren’t simple food-chain people, they were villains. If they wanted to open a store in that spot so badly all they could have done was reuse the building itself. But he was never going to let it go in the first place, that must be why they did this. Also, they could have easily built a store nearby. Just ask for advice, respect the woods and its inhabitants, this cannot be legal.

Onyx sadly stood under a tree, staring at the brick and concrete building that highly contrasted with the rest of the forest. She looked glumly ahead, playing a poem she made in her mind. “How I wish this never happened…” She whispered to herself before snapped out of her thoughts when Dapple trudged along. Wearing a hazmat mask, boots, cloves a thick jacket and a a bag, she had to blink a few times to process what she was seeing. “D-dapple? What are you doing?” She asked.

”Saving the tearoom! What about you, Onyx?” He asked innocently.

“The tearoom is gone, Dapple. You are seven days, three hours, twenty-one minutes and thirty-eight seconds too late.” She said bluntly.

”You’ve been counting?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. Getting no response until he said something else. “That Egg-noggiman- or whatever they call it is so out of place like a sore hoof. We must save the tearoom!” He exclaimed. “There must be still tome before-“

”As I said…” Onyx said bluntly, clearing her throat with a loud coughing noise before she started her poem. In a dramatic quiet voice, not admitting she made this one on the spot.

“Tragedy… It always comes with pain!

Even fighting for the fate of something in the wings of a chicken…

Always has a chance to come with defeat!

Denial can make you not believe what happened had happened!

Even if it’s hard to see, just gotta accept the pain!

Sometimes there’s a mistake, or sometimes it’s gotta rain!

Drowning out and washing away your joys and plans

Sometimes you just gotta accept there’s nothing to be done…

Even if you cannot comprehend why it had happened.”

She finished then looked at where Dapple was, seeing he wasn’t there “D-dapple?” She questioned in confusion before looking ag the store. After her wonderful poem, he still believed he could save the tearoom. Was her poem not good another, did she need to write another? Maybe she needed to mention the destruction of the tearoom and be more clear by ‘chickens’ when she made it. She sighed as she went after him, to see what he was up to.

She walked though the front doors, calling her friend’s name before freezing in place as soon as the door closed. The smell of rotten eggs stung her muzzle. The loud harmony-less music rung her ears, coming from the loud chatter of careless ponies, the crashing of- whatever was happening in the kitchen. The loud music playing from like four different pony’s phones! Three of them not wearing head or ear phones and the other one forgotten to plug his in. The addition of the occasional scratching of the metal chairs against the tiles and the loud eaters eating with their mouths open was not helping her.

This was a huge contrast against the relaxing jazz music in the tearoom. The ‘chairs’ were mostly cushions and the stools up against the bar never made such loud and terrible noise! The smell of tea also beats the smell of rotten eggs. The tearoom was rarely noisy and when it was, it was never too unbearable for long. The layout was more comforting, too, this modern layout looked like it belonged in a loud and bustling city like Zephyr Heights, which she had only been to once or twice. The small tables were spread across the room with small steel stools against them that actually looked a pretty uncomfortable. The desk where you order was in the middle at the back, the kitchen beyond the doorway behind the area behind the counter, and either side on the walls were screens showing the menus.

Onyx couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed. Emotions exploding in her mind as she looked around, ears twitching at every scrape on the floor made by a stool. Which was surprising often considering only about twelve ponies were present along with five of those chicken creatures. She also stopped herself from gagging at the smell of a rotten egg or flinch from a sudden crash and scream in the kitchen.

”Dapple?” She called out, her quiet voice being drowned out by the noise. As she ventured further in to look for her friend, she couldn’t help but feel so out of place. It was like she stepped into a portal and ended up on a space craft in some cheesy sci-fi movie Zephyr Heights or Maretine Bay made in the 80’s, 90’s or early 2000’s. Her heart raced as as somepony shot their stool backwards, hitting Onyx who almost fell to the ground. The stallion looked back, face covered in sauce. “Watch it, freak!” He shouted before getting off his stool and heading towards the toilets. He apparently didn’t bother to wipe the suace from his hooves, leaving behind a trail of tomato sauce mixed with egg yolk. She wasn’t used to so much noise at once. It didn't help when more ponies came in, especially not when the stools and tables were high, obstructing her view as they sat up on them. It was like she was in a packed concert, trying to find her seat, or find her way through.

She was moving a lot slower than she thought, too. Maybe it was the overwhelming, painful noises. Or maybe she was just filled with confusion. “Dapple?” She whispered, getting no response. The ponies sitting up on higher stools made her feel like a midget, she just wanted to find Dapple and get out! She couldn’t allow him to make a fool of himself. He needing to come to terms that the tearoom was gone and there was nothing he could do about it. Then suddenly a sweaty jock stallion cried out loudly, in a stool behind her her heart skipped a beat as he shouted, she had no idea he was there.

”Hey! Look at that fool!” He cried loudly, louder than Onyx ever heard a pony shout, her heart was racing as she looked towards where he was pointing. Towards a bench on the left side of the building. He was standing on it with a determined expression. Or what looked like it from what she could see under his gas mask.

“Dapple?” She whispered in shock. Watching as ponies got up from her seats. As she cringed from the painful scratching noises of the stools against the floor, ponies bumped into her rudely as they moved around. “D-Dapple, get down!” She tried to call louder but was drowned out she groaned slightly, he was never this reckless!

“Listen up ponies!” Dapple exclaimed, his heart was racing in his nervous body, holding onto his bongo drums. “This is the place of the Crystal Tearoom! Not Eggi-egg-uh… Whatever-ingtons! This does not belong to them! The Crystal Tearoom was a calm and more Bridlewood-like place! This store has no place here. But if we work together, we can bring it back!” He cried out. All the ponies talking amongst themselves, Onyx putting a hoof on her face and trying to look for a gap. She needed to get him out of here. But she was blacked in by another pony, one dumped into her accidentally as more ponies went in. But at that moment, she saw her opportunity and ducked under a table. “This was a place of poetry! A place of tea! A place of jazz music and relaxation! This was not a crazy, greasy fast-food place from Zephyr Heights! Who’s with me!” He shouted, playing some music on his bongos on an encouraging beat. “Bring back the Crystal Tearoom! Bring it back!” He played.

“Dapple, you idiot…” Onyx sighed to herself as she made her way, crawling under the table, but the second she was halfway out from under the table. A soft drink was split accidentally and split all down onto her head. She shuddered a bit at the unexpected freezing cold drink, some of it tickling down her face. Just as she was about to take a next step, the remains of a half eaten large burger fell down on her heard with a splat. mayonnaise all over her beret and splatters in her mane and face, she wiped it with a hoof just seconds before she realised it was the source of that terrible smell. She shook her head and quickly got up, glancing at the crying, fussy three year old earth pony that knocked it on her before she ducked under the next table. Her heart racing, from Dapple’s dumb idea and the smell. Onyx started to feel sick as the two different suaces oozed and dripped on her fur. She couldn’t stand the smell, texture of this mayonnaise, perhaps it was a different recipe from the one Izzy uses to show the unicorns that it was harmless. But with this one, the smell was getting worse and worse, like rotten eggs left in the sun.

She was starting to lose her cool as she glanced around, looking for a cleaning. It was rare to lose her cool, but the smells, the bad noises, the mess. It was way too much for her, she quickly got up from under the table and looked towards Dapple. He was playing some jazz music on his bongos with the crowd watching. They didn’t seem like they were going to do anything, so perhaps he’d be fine for the time being. She gritted her teeth, unable to keep her cool about this any longer. So she bolted for the toilets the second she had her chance, nearly bumping into a pony, and another shouted at her as she dashed into the rest rooms. Running to the tap, she quickly turned it on! She threw her mayonnaise and egg yolk-tomato sauce covered beret off and started splashing water onto her face and mane, hoping it wasn’t all soaked in now, she couldn’t stand the smell any longer. She quickly put her head under the tap, completely losing her cool as she attempted to rinse out the horrible white stuff. Running her hooves through her mane before putting her beret under, trying to get rid of much as possible. She did not want that disgusting smell around her, in fact, she didn’t know mayonnaise even smelt this bad, it didn’t smell bad when izzy had the unicorns try some, must be some herb or something within it. Or maybe it was off, because as she thought before, it smelt a lot like rotten eggs just left in the sun, mixed with stinky weeds.

then she paused as she looked at the door, now she had to save Dapple from the mob! The smelly sauces and food must have been why he was wearing a jacket, boots and all. He could not stand regular mayoniase, but there was also a chance he could get hurt, so she needed to hurry. She quickly grabbed her soaked beret and rinsed it under the tap with soap a few times till the mess was gone. Once she was satisfied, she wrung it to the point it wasn’t dripping anymore and put it back on before running out the toilets. Being greeted by the crowd booing loudly as Dapple stood on the bench in shock.

”Oh no…” Onyx muttered.

“H-hey! You guys want the tearoom, back, right?” Dapple asked as the crowd crowded him. “Right?” He asked.

”Why would we want that old thing back when we got this new place?” A stallion asked rudely.

“Yeah, that’s old. Glad it’s gone!”

”I think you secretly like Eggingtons!”

”The Crystal Tearoom is disgusting!”

“I like Eggingtons. Finally, one is nearby!” Said the only unicorn so far that agreed with the tearooms destruction.

A few ponies angrily looked at Onyx who barged in. “Dapple, get off the bench!”

He briefly glanced at Onyx, noticing she was a Little damp. How? It wasn’t raining. “What happened to you?”

”No time to explain, Dapple, let’s go.” She said bluntly. “I dislike Eggintons as much as you. But arguing isn’t going to being it back! It’s gone!”

”But-“

”Let’s go!” Onyx exclaimed a little louder.

Dapple sighed as he looked down at his bongos. “One more song? I think this one will change your mind?” He asked, just seconds before a buff stallion suddenly grabbed his bongo drums. “Hey! Give those back!”

“Bongos and your tearoom music have no place here!” He exclaimed, throwing them to a friend as Dapple tried to used his magic to reach for them.

“Yeah! Do your music elsewhere!”

”Dapple!” Onyx shouted just outside the crowd. “Let’s go!” She shouted before seeing the bench rumble and shake just before collapsing under Dapple’s weight. He let out a grunt as he faceplanted the ground, being pulled away just before being plummeted by the angry crowd and their choice of thrown objects. Onyx had pulled him towards her.

”Onyx!” He exclaimed in shock. “What are you doing here?”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t notice me.” Onyx bluntly whispered just before a random stallion shouted.

”Onyx!?” An earth pony shouted, recomising her. “Aren’t you the unicorn that makes those trashy poetry things?” She asked. She only seemed a little hurt by the remark, till more happened.

”Yeah, you suck, Onyx!”

“Get you and your anoy9ng mouth out of here!”

”We are sick of you!”

Onyx froze, looking as if she expected it, until the unicorn in the crowd walked forward. “Oh yeah. How long will it take for you to realise no pony likes you? Not even unicorns, havn’t you noticed yet? Unicorns look bored, push you sway from the microphone in events, or ponies in general wanting to get away as quick as possible? It’s because you suck, I hated your nonsense for my whole life!”

“Leave her alone, Maroon!” Dapple shouted, jumping ahead. “She tried her hardest at what she does!”

“I think we know what do do, right mob?” The orange and maroon unciron asked, smirking as the group raised random stiff to throw.

”Run, Dapple!” Onyx shouted, running with him. Narrowly dogging every thrown piece of food. Onyx covered for him, getting splattered in the face by a half-open burger then some tomato sauce splattering over her barrel.

“Onyx!” Dapple cried.

”I’m fine!” She exclaimed as they headed towards the doors. Stopping in their tracks right when an earth pony stallion jumped in front of them, with a large bucket. He smirked as he glanced at them.

”We’re surrounded!” Dapple cried out.

”Bet you unicorns atill can’t stand this!” The stallion exclaimed, what happened next seemed like slow motion as mayonnaise went spilling through the air, a large wave flying towards them. Seemed somepony didn’t get the message that unicorns were not ‘afraid’ of that stuff anymore. But Dapple completely despises it, not for the reasons of it being jinxed, just because he simply wasn’t a fan of it, part of the reason maybe being Izzy accidentally exploding a container all over him somehow. Didn’t help that it was an expired container of mayonnaise which made him gag.

”Dapple!” Cried out Onyx, pushing him out the way of the wave’s path getting the whole hit of it herself. She hit the ground with a loud disgusted groan as he screamed her name as if she had died. The crowd luaghed as he watched on with terror, the only sign Onyx was still alive was a weak groan. His heart was racing as he processed what had happened, he had saved her from the goop, that actually smelt kind of expired, meaning it was even worse than the fresher stuff that landed on her head. She groaned as she shakingly got up, looking towards the door.

“Y-you’re alive!” He cried. Then yelping the second they were both picked up in the magic of Maroon, who angrily shouted as the threw them right out the now open doors, far from the entrance.. “Get out, forever!” She shouted before slamming the doors. Onyx and Dapple both landing in the dirt, much of mayonnaise having flown from the former’s body. “Onyx?” Dapple groaned as he slowly got up, seeing her wipe as much of the mayonnaise off as she could. “Are you-“ He was about the ask before shrieking, seeing his bongos fly through the air and smashing into a nearby tree and into the mud below. He ran over and gasped in horror, his heart dropped as he looked at his damaged bongos. The wood cracked, the tops pierced and the whole thing looking like ponies purposely jumped on top of it to break it. Tears appeared in his eyes. “M-my bongos…” His heart was racing as he tried to process what happened, then his ears went back as he grumbled. They missed with the wrong ponies, he told himself as he clenched his teeth. Not only was her going to avenge his tearoom, he was going to avenge his beautiful bongos.

”See, Dapple? Pretesting isn’t going to bring back the tearoom.” Then her voice cracked. “Nothing will…”

”We could have saved the tearoom…” He whispered, seemingly not listening to her words. “But you had to be pessimistic about it.”

”The tearoom is long gone. You can’t just press a button, or play a song to bring it back. Your plan was never going to work. Even if your stunt managed to close down the Eggintons, the tearoom would still be gone.”

”But jaybe it could have worked!” Dapple suddenly said in an angry tone. “Maybe it would have been worth the shot!” Glaring down at his broken bongos, many emotions swirling in his mind. “Maybe some miracle would happen. But you got in the way!” He exclaimed, stomping his hoof angrily and turning around slowly. “I al,ost had them! But you had to come in ans ruin it for me!”

”Wh-what!?!” Onyx exclaimed, surprised by his outburst. She had never seen him do this ever. “D- You got to stop pretending! The tearoom is gone and there’s no bringing it back. That’s final!”

“They sold… Unhealthy stuff! Onyx! The sauce they threw on you was expired! They could be serving that to ponies!” Dapple bitterly responded through gritted teeth.referring to mayonnaise. Making another excuse on why it was bad, if she wasn’t going to listen about the tearoom’s destruction. The anger getting stronger. “We can’t allow that!”

“If they get sick and forced to close, then that’s their fault.” Onyx bluntly responded. “But shutting down the unhealthy food factory isn’t going to bring back the tearoom. It’s not gonna pop out the ground or anything.”

”It was worth a shot and you blew it! Now the only tearoom related thing i had left was destroyed! If I failed, I would still have by bongos and another crack at it! But you ruined it all! Because you enevr cared, did you!?” He accused her, his anger getting out of his controll. “ You just got in the way, Onyx! We are unicorns! We were here first, this is our turf and we will defend it! They are all just chickens and pony shaped chickens. We could have had our stage back! Our tearoom! The place where we’ve been doimg our stuff for years!” He exclaimed. “I am going to get it back, you will see. But I guess you don’t even care! Which is fine, I don’t need you, Onyx, I can do this myself!”

Onyx stepped back as her heart shattered. She had never seen him so angry in his whole entire life. “D-Dap-“

”Get lost, traitor!” He crossed his hooves, sitting on the ground to sulk over his destroyed bongo drums and the ruined tearoom. Onyx deciding to let him be for a while. So she decided to walk home and have a shower. On her way she thought about him and his actions. He had neber been so angry before. He was never angry at her, either. Him shouting at her and blaming her for not caring actually hurt. She had no words as she headed home. Hoping this was just a moment for him and he’d be apologising next time they met. He wasn’t the type to hold grudges for an extended period…