A Unicorn’s Stages of grief

*The next day*

Dapple sighed as he put two pieces of his bongos back together with glue. Being the most careful he could be, making sure everything was in the correct spot. If he missed up, then he’d either have to start from scratch, or they’d be destroyed permanently. As he worked at it, the events of the day before played though his mind. How he treated his friend when she followed him in. Did she really mean harm? Or was she just concerned about him entering the stinky area and wanted to make sure he’d stay safe? His stomach hurt as he thought about the smelly sauce. That stuff would have been all over him if it weren't for her. Maybe he should have paused before speaking, maybe he was a little too harsh with her yesterday, besides, she was just as important to him as the tearoom or bongos. Sure it was technically her fault the bongos got broken, but if he lost her, he’d lose everything that reminded him of the tearoom, and one of the many reasons on what was special about it. He’d hate to get rid off her because of the tearoom is apparently ‘gone for good’. So after gluing a few pieces together her got up and took a breath and went to the door, thinking on what to say to her about his actions. Besides, he was a little hungry, so maybe they could talk it out with lunch somewhere.

As he headed down a path after looking through half of Bridlewood for her, he finally saw her sitting down of a wooden long near a creek just beyond the run-down park and school. The creek was knowing to be pretty big, and not too far from the large pond where unicorns like to play in during summer.. This creek was a special place for him, It was where they both met as foals. But it took them years to realise they were perfect for eachother, which wasn’t long after they both started doing little performances at the tearoom, they fir well. He noticed she seemed busy looking at something, but was alerted when he called out fro her, immediately turning around. He first noticed she was using her magic on something, but didn’t know what.

“Daps?” She questioned quietly.

“Hey Onni… I uh…” He paused, starting with a nickname and looking at his friend, who could tell he was nervous. “I kind of wanted to apologise for yesterday, when I said some mean things…”

“I know…” She said softly, watching as Dapple sniffed around. Looking confused.

“Uh, do you smell that?” He asked her. “Smells like- He said before noting a small smear of red sauce on her mouth. “What are you eating.”

“Uh. Treat.”

“Okay…” He said, noticing Onyx was acting a bit suspicious, especially when he got a peak of some white paper bag behind her bag. “What are you hiding?” He asked.

“Nothing.”

“C’,mon, we are friends!” He exclaimed, getting a bad feeling about this.

“Just some rubbish I found and picked up to throw out. Naughty litterers…”

“Oh. Okay, that’s fair. Darn litterers!” He exclaimed, walking around her before snatching it right out of hos hooves and looking straight into the bag. “Aha!” He exclaimed before pausing, seeing three strawberry cupcakes and one wrapper in there.

“There, see it, now?” Asked Onyx. “You can have one if you want, but only one, the rest are for-“

“Oh really!?” He asked, perking up before taking one out with his hoof, looking as the swirled pink icing with half a strawberry on top. About to take a bite just seconds before he eyed a familiar name and logo on the paper bag. He yelped as he jumped, the cupcakes being thrown on the ground with the one on his hoof ending up in the air and landing on Onyx’s head, splattering icing on her.

“E-eggingtons!?” He exclaimed, eyeing the bag on the ground and back at Onyx, feeling sick to the stomach at what he was witnessing. “On-“

“I can explain.” She said and paused. “They looked good.”

“You fell for the trap!?” Dapple cried out, anger building up. “I thought you knew better! But no! You had to go there and betray me! Betray our relationship and every single unicorn! You betrayed Bridlewood, you know that!?” He shouted at her loudly.

“The tearoom is gone, so we might as well try to find some enjoyment in it’s replacement… The cupcakes are decent.”

“You are a traitor!” He raised and hoof in anger and slammed it down, not realising what he was doing until Onyx cried out.

“Ow!”

He then paused, opening his eyes as he glanced at Onyx, seeing what he did before freezing. What she did felt like betrayal, felt like their friendship was coming to an end.

“Ony-“

“J-just go.” She said, rubbing her cheek. “It’s clear you’ve got issues. Like your anger…”

He didn’t know what to say or do and only ran. Mixed emotions in his head, the rift tearing their friendship apart! Must be the destruction of the tearoom causing it, without the tearoom their friendship is nonexistent, it is the place that sparked it after all.

”Guess Onyx is not on my side after all?” Dapple grumbled to himself as he jumped onto his bed. “But she’ll see, maybe it is gone, but we can bring it back, I just know it!” He grumbled, “I’ve been there for as long as I remember! So it’s up to me to get it back, even if Onyx doesn’t understand.” He responded, his heart ached as her remembered Onyx and how he treated her, But also how she betrayed him. He never shouted at her before or said those things, so it’d be unlikely she’d want to talk to him again. But if she was going to get in the away and lie about the tearoom not being able to return, then he didn’t want her. The tearoom was a big part of her life too and she didn’t want to do anything to bring it back. So it was all on him. He really thought she’d help.

He grumbled as he eyed a shelf in his room, on it was an aged plush toy of a bear and a photo frame showing a photo of Onyx with a bucket on her head, it was taken not long after magic returned, unicorns were still getting used to their magic. The day it was taken, Onyx was trying to levitate a whole bucket of soapy water, but made a mistake which caused her magic to stop and drop it all over her. Dapple remembered he was laughing hard and saw this as a good photo opportunity with a camera he had at the time which he never used. It felt good to finally laugh after so long of being all droopy, tired and magic-less. He smiled slightly as he levitated both of them towards him in the bed, soon looking sad as he gazed at the photo, sitting up a bit as he remembered the moment it was taken. Which was in the tearoom, which was now gone…

With the tearoom gone, did that mean this moment was invalid? The photo was nothing but rubbish now? Then he looked at the teddy bear, he had actually won this in a bet with Alphabittle many years go, just moments before he and Onyx preformed on the stage in the tearoom for the first time. When their friendship was made, even if they didn’t feel it yet. But this plush meant a lot to him too, but with the tearoom gone, did that mean the plush had to go too? If the plush and the picture have to ho, perhaps so did his friendship with Onyx. He already lost his bongos that he almost always used in the tearoom.

He sadly gazed at a nearby bin and at the two objects before letting out a sigh, he couldn’t do it, he couldn’t throw them out! He had to save his friendship! He had to save the tearoom so he and Onyx could still be together! He was going to do it tomorrow! Their friendship cannot be destroyed like his bongos was, he wasn’t going to let anything else be destroyed because of Eggingtons.

The next day…

He grumbled to himself as he exited his home with a bag over him. As he walked along, he bumped into Alphabittle, who was looking a little better. “Oh Dapple! You off to make some beats with your bongos, right?” He asked, intentionally pouring salt into the wound, “Well. I was thinking of opening anew tearoom in a new location. How you like the sound of that?”

Dapple looked pretty unimpressed at this remark, he muttered to himself and looked back at him. “I’m not working with Onyx at the moment.” He bluntly responded, “She doesn’t care about our lives being stripped away from us!”

“Wh-what? But- You two had like a thing going on!“

”I’d rather not talk about it.” He grumbled, walking away, leaving Alphabittle to scratch his head in confusion, wondering what had happened. He had never seen him look so upset.

He arrived to the restaurant, wearing a fake mustache, a brown hat to hide his horn and a coat that covered his cutiemark, he held hos tongue as he slowly opened the door. Hoping not to be exposed to the forbidden sauce. But this was his only chance of getting the forbidden sauce out of Bridlewood and getting the tearoom back. If he brought the restaurant, then he’d be able to replace it with the tearoom! It’d be just like the days where he and Onyx were on stage! Onyx would finally see how right he is, and how ridiculous she is.

Thankfully it wasn’t so busy this morning, so he made his way to the counter with ease. It wasn’t like the ones in the tearoom, so he had to pull a stool up himself and sit down. He put his hooves on the counter and then took out an old phone he had, but rarely used. But now was part of his plan, he went to a boring web Page about the history of money and gazed at it, scrolling slowly. Trying to appear smart, serious and important. Also yo try and appear rich, too. Unicorns weren’t the richest race, but weren’t ‘poor’ either. They thrived the way they were just fine.

“Welcome to Eggingtons, what may I do, sir?” A mascot looking chicken asked him as she stood at the counter.

He cleared is throat and tried his best at a fancy voice. “M’lady. I don’t want any greasy food from this joint. This is a beautiful place to start a business, I know just the thing that will make it bloom! But in order to do that, madam, I’d have to buy the whole building so it can happen. You must be able to share my visions and spare one buildings, for moi?”

The chicken gave him a blank stare and paused. “No.”

”No-no. I’m terribly sorry for the misunderstanding!” Dapple said in his fancy voice. He knew it was awful, but he had to disguise himself, to be believable. “I wanted to ask your manager, not you!”

“Ugh… I’ll get him…” The chicken said before heading to the kitchen.

Out came a familiar rooster and stood in front of Dapple, towering him. He had to stop himself from going ‘you!’ But he paused and gulped. “O-oh yes! Nice to meet you, Mr. Roller Roost. I must ask you to spare this building. I know the perfect store for it.”

”Not for sale…”

”Are you sure you don’t want this opportunity? For the first week after the opening, you’ll get half of the earned money from the customers…”

“Month.”

”Fine.”

“Deal. Buying this store will cost you 1,500,500 dollars and we get half of what your place will earn in the first month.”

”1,500,500?” Dapple questioned, flabbergasted.

”Indeed.”

”D-deal! I’ll have it in a week, sir!” Dapple gulped, shaking his wing in agreement, not noticing the nasty smirk. “Thank you for your time.” Dapple said before walking out the restaurant and dumping the hat and coat in his bag and carrying them away. “1,500,000!?” He cried. “How am I supposed to get my hooves on that!?” He them slapped both his hooves to his face then paused after a long groan. The tree! He ran through the forest as fast as his legs could carry him until he finally reached the giant tree in the clearing. The wishing tree, he grinned slightly as he approached it. Putting his hoof down on the bark, he looked up at the branches. “Wishing tree? Breezies? I wish for as much money and everything I need to bring the tearoom back! I need the money!” He asked with a mischievous grin. “I want the money on my couch when I wake up in the morning!” He asked, hoping for his wish to come true, but suddenly there was a loud noise as leave flew through the air and slapped him in the face. He then looked around, confused. “Tree?” He said before the strong wind blew at him harder. This only happened when a unicorn had bad intentions and wanted something out of greed. If a unicorn wished for a plate of cookies for somone’s birthday, then the breezies would come out the tree and give it to them in secret. But if you asked for something bad, the tree would pretty much say no, in its own way, some rumour it’s the breezies controlling the tree. So basically, the breezies might have given him a big “no!”

In fact, one of them even came out the tree herself and slapped him with a rubber stick

”That’s a no?” He asked and sighed. “Guess I have to do it myself…” He grumbled, walking home. “But how’d I get that much?” He wondered. Muttering to himself as he headed inside his home, not noticing the owl nearby his window, hooting loudly in the daytime. He simpy went to his bedroom and brainstormed a plan to get the money. Maybe he could busk! Nah, he wouldn’t get enough in time, he only had a week! Donations would take too long, too.

Then he gasped as an idea snapped in his mind. “The bank!” He gasped with an idea. “They have lots of money, right?” Surely Zephyr Heights wouldn’t mind him borrowing some. Besides, a trashy place that originated in that city did destroy part of Bridlewood. So it’d be fair. Sure, the currency between the two were a little different, it wouldn’t matter. It was never a problem anyway. He just needed to get the money to save the tearoom. He started planning out loud to himself as he went to some paper to write or draw it down. Ignoring the hooting owl wearing a guard helmet outside of his window, not noticing it was wearing such thing, which probably wouldn’t confuse him to be fair, but this owl was not cosplaying.