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Cheerilee sat alone in the dark kitchen, staring at the headline from that morning's paper. She hadn't had any time to react before school, but now that class was finally done for the day she'd been able to give the lead story her full attention. 'Equestria in Ruins! Lunar Secession is Realized!' the title declared, with a picture of Scootaloo leading a retinue of ponies as they escaped the Royal Guard.
It was madness. Her little Scootaloo, that scared little filly she'd taken home and kept safe... It hadn't been that long, had it? She couldn't be so big. This couldn't be real. And yet, the photo stared at her, accompanied by rumors of guard movements and ponies gossiping fearfully in the streets. It had followed her everywhere, but it didn't strike home until she saw it for herself.
Tears ran down the aging teacher's face, counting all of the times she'd fallen short as a mother. When Scootaloo had been lost and hurt with all that talk of monsters, when her little filly had a foal much too soon, all of the times where her work had gotten in the way, where she had questioned her ability to raise a filly as a single young mare... This was proof that they were all founded. The mare she had raised, who she had been so proud of when she'd been made Captain of the Guard, had just betrayed Princess and country and started a rebellion...
What mother had ever done so poor a job?
From the doorway a soft sound was heard, a little voice, timid and sad. “Mom, are you alright?” The tiny silver pegasus had been watching for a while now, not sure what to do with her mother so down. She'd never seen Cheerilee cry in sadness once, the earth pony very careful about where she'd shown her weakness. To the little pegasus with no cutie mark, witnessing this was a sign that something was wrong in the world.
If only she had any idea how right she was. “N-no, sweetie. Mom isn't alright. Mom's... I'm worried about your m-... sister...” Seeing the confusion on Silver's face, Cheerilee motioned for her to come over, showing her the newspaper.
Silver looked at the paper for a little while, frowning as she tried to figure out how it had hurt mom. It had her big sister on the front! That was good all the other times it had happened. But even if she didn't know the words, the headline didn't sound good. “Did big sis do something wrong?”
“Scootaloo... She's...” Cheerilee froze at the innocent eyes of the filly before her, wondering if there was a good way to explain. How do you tell somepony that young that their world was about to be turned on its ear? “She helped a lot of ponies do something just... horrible.”
Silver held onto the paper, looking at the picture again closely. “They don't look like bad ponies. And big sis is awesome! If she wanted to do something, it can't be too bad. We can ask her when she comes to visit at Hearth's Warming!”
Cheerilee sniffed, the tears flowing as she tried to figure out how to keep the real news from her 'daughter'. “She won't be coming on Hearth's Warming, Silver. I don't think she'll be able to come visit again for a very, very long time.”
“Oh...” Silver's excited smile from her previous thought faded quickly, her mouth going into another pout as she thought about it. It didn't take long. “So you're crying because you miss her?”
“I already missed her... I'm crying because I've...” She sighed, feeling something fall out from the bottom of her heart. There was no hiding it. “I've failed her. I've failed both of you.” Something had broken inside Cheerilee at Silver's question, like a little dam in her heart had sprung open, and she sank to the floor to be closer to Silver and hug the little filly while she spoke. “I am so sorry for everything I've done wrong, all of the attention you've been denied... I'm sorry for every morning when I look into your eyes and see her and the biggest thing I failed to save her from. I wasn't good enough to be her mom... I'm not good enough to be anypony's. I'm so sorry...”
Cheerilee hugged Silver close to her chest, running a hoof lovingly through the little filly's mane while tears rolled from her cheeks, landing in that soft purple hair. However, as those small hooves squeezed into her side, returning the gesture, Cheerilee realized she wasn't the only one crying. She looked down only to see Silver's eyes looking back, her mother visible in every inch of them. “Don't cry, mom! You're the best mom in the world, better than any other mom I've seen! I know I'm too shy and sometimes I don't do good in my classes, but I'll try harder, momma! I will! Just... please don't send me away.”
Cheerilee's eyes went wide with shock. “Why would I send you away?”
Silver's tears kept coming, but her eyes continued to shine with worried hope as her words came spilling out. “I know I'm not the filly you want me to be. I know I wasn't even wanted. I was a mistake. And that's why big sis doesn't talk to me and doesn't write... She ran away because of me. Same as dad did, leaving you all alone and sad and Ididn'tmeantomakethathappenI'msorry!” Silver pulled her face into Cheerilee's chest, a wet spot forming almost immediately on the fur there.
Cheerilee shook her head in horror, appalled by the things Silver thought about herself. “Nonononononono... That's not it at all!” No wonder the little filly was so shy if she thought just existing had caused all of this. Her hoof returned to gently stroking Silver's mane, now trying to soothe the crying girl. “Silver Lining, you've got it all wrong. You are the most precious little filly any mother could hope to have. And even if you weren’t planned for, you were by no means a mistake. You were a choice, a gift! And on top of that, you let Scootaloo see what she really wanted to do with her life.”
She softly lifted Silver's chin so that they were looking at each other, trying to dry both her tears and her 'daughter's'. “When Scootaloo looked into those eyes, she saw herself and the things she had lost sight of. She left, not because she hates you, but because she loves you, and if she stayed, if she even talked to you too much, she might have never left. She loves you more than you will ever know, and she misses you every day, even if you don't see it and she's too busy to make it clear.
“As for your dad... I can't say much about him except that I'm glad you didn't meet him. After what he did to Scootaloo, I can only say he was a horrible stallion, and you're much better off for not knowing him.” Cheerilee let go of Silver's chin and looked to the kitchen floor, closing her eyes. “And as for why I'm sad... It's like I said, I thought I'd failed you both. I don't see what Scootaloo has planned, or what drove her to do it, and that frightens me to no end. And you... I somehow let you think even for an instant that you weren't wanted, and for that, I did fail you. But I promise with all my heart that I will never fail you again.”
Again Cheerilee felt the squeeze of small hooves as Silver hugged herself against her mom. “You didn't fail me, mom. You really are the best, kindest, most wonderfullest mom in all of Equestria, and I'm gonna be the best daughter you could ever hope for!” Cheerilee opened her eyes, now seeing the tearless determination glued to Silver's face as she looked up at her mother. Cheerilee matched it instantly, returning the hug her daughter was giving her.
“You already are.”
* * * * *
The bright morning sun swept its way over Equestria, bounding off of the fluffy snow and bringing just a little warmth to all of the sleeping wintery land. And, as it had for years, it launched through Flora's window, aiming directly for her eyes, only to be foiled by a heavy comforter drawn over her entire body. It had been trying to get her moving for nearly an hour now, but to no avail. For the first time in its long history, it had failed to rouse the industrious mare. She had finally defeated the sun.
On some other day, Flora might have celebrated or even noticed her victory. Under any normal circumstances she might even have cared about the heat building up in the direct light or the smell of the omlette congealing on her nightstand. But today, with her eyes redder than her mane and a wet spot under her right cheek, she remained firmly curled in a ball on her bed, wishing the day would just disappear.
She'd been having a similar wish for most of the night, and for much of the evening before it, borne straight from the icy chasm that had formed in her heart. She had been sad before, even felt crushed by the world when she heard about Newsprint's death, but it seemed a dull ache compared to this. Of course, it was how she expected to feel after the effects of the wintry dagger Jazz had shoved in her back and twisted, and yet it was so much worse than she could have imagined. Maybe, if she was lucky, somepony else would come along and finish the job.
But nopony did. For a moment she'd thought one such assassin had arrived, but it had turned out to be her mother, trying to fix a missing limb with a bandage and some kind words. When Rose had come in, Flora had been furious for the mare for even thinking she knew what she was going through. How could she? Her love hadn't betrayed her! Hadn't looked her in the eyes and spoken to her like she was worse than scum!
But now, with twenty minutes of silence and quite a few more tears soaked into her sheets, she knew how wrong her thoughts had been. No, Rose hadn't experienced the same, but her love had disappeared without a trace, leaving three young ponies and all the consequences of his actions to fall on her shoulders. It was a completely different kind of betrayal, far less upfront and much more lasting. Flora no longer blamed Rose for any of her actions those first few years... She didn't even blame her for the sulking she'd been doing a few months ago. If Rose had felt anything like Flora did now, she had just gained the full admiration of her aching daughter.
And, due to this realization, Rose had accomplished something that Lord Tirek, at the moment of his near triumph, couldn't have done with all the power under his command: she convinced Flora to get up and face the day. So, even though her hooves felt like iron and her throbbing head was filled with haze and berating thoughts, Flora managed to shove the covers off of her body and slump onto all four hooves on the floor. With a tired glare at the window and the happy light streaming in from it, Flora pulled herself up, standing in a slouch and ready to see what tortures the world held in store.
The first was the dish next to her bed. While it might have been somewhat appetizing when it was prepared so long ago, now it was cold and thick, looking more like something she'd spew from her mouth than something she'd put in it. Knowing her thoughts were harsh but not caring enough to get past the initial berating, Flora picked up the plate and opened the door to her room, feeling the cool air of an empty house sweep out the warm heaviness she'd been stewing in.
Her hooves dragged on each step as she made her way to the kitchen, feeling the happiness in the house from the night before. Where was the stale, depressing gloom her mother had built up for so many years? The one time she would have enjoyed it and instead she was assaulted by the aura of joy...
Standing at the kitchen sink, she had to stop and think about her next action. She wanted to just leave the plate there, but that was just a little too rude for her taste, no matter how tempting it was. With all of the unwashed dishes, she could properly compost the meal and clean things up, but that required a level of effort her leaden hooves refused to allow today. Torn between the two decisions, she was saved by the feel of a freezing wet nose bumping into her left flank.
Moments later the begging had ceased, Dot was happily chewing away at the bonus meal, and the dirty plate was tossed onto the others while Flora considered a more appropriate snack at the pantry. The first thing her eyes landed on were a pile of apples, still fresh and juicy, from Sweet Apple–
With the offending fruit sliding down the opposite wall in a pulpy mess, Flora grabbed a pear from the stock and walked from the kitchen, grumbling loudly. If any of her plants had been fruiting in the greenhouse she might have left without any sort of snack, but after her accident with the rapid growth of the zap apple tree seed, she'd been lucky to only lose her produce section and not any of her long term projects. If one of his trees had damaged my crystal bush... she started to growl in her head as she made her way back upstairs.
Once in her room again, the same room with the same posters she'd wanted to get rid of for years, she scowled at the snowy windowsill outside, knowing it would be cold out there. She found the small watering pail and took care of the plants in her room, then reached for the desk, only to find her hoof tapping down on empty wood. She was about to start looking around when she remembered where that long-held accessory was now. “He can keep his bucking kerchief,” she apparently said to the closet as she dug through it. “I don't want to see the thing anyway.”
She dug through the closet for a little while longer, then growled in frustration, slamming the door shut, unable to find the ear muffs or scarf she'd tossed in there years ago and forgotten about since. As she turned to look for her hat, her bed called to her from the corner of her eye, its draw magnetic for her poor leaden hooves. But as much as her messy cover called for her to crawl beneath it again, promising the world would stop this time, she fought it, jamming her hat on her head, jamming the pear she wasn't really hungry for into her mouth, and walking down to the front door. Swallowing the slightly bland pear that might as well have been chalk for how much she cared about its taste, she grabbed her keys from the door, feeling them hanging loose on their string around her neck as she stepped out into the world.
Flora wasn't four steps from the door when she was already regretting her decision, the snow around her ankles chilling her heavy hooves. And just as she reached the next street corner, a cool draft pulled against her fur, particularly the exposed area around her neck. The keys immediately became bitingly cold, chilling her with every step as they jingled lightly against her chest, the only sound in the air besides the snow crunching underhoof. Despite her mother's promise that ponies would be going about their lives, the streets were completely clear, even the market seemingly shut down due to weather.
She turned at another street, gazing down the long, empty road to her greenhouse. It was so far away, and the plants could survive a day without water... They'd probably be good for a week, really, maybe more since she'd treated them so kindly previously. With the chill in her hooves working its way up to her knees, Flora turned on the spot, allowing her cold hooves to drive her decision making as well. Before she could actually move, however, a flurry of snow flew up into her face as Silver landed quickly in front of her, her excitement spilling over into her quick motions.
“Flora! Glad I caught you on your way home. Did you know there's another pegasus in town?” Flora opened her mouth to say something, feeling the energy sapping out of her as she watched Silver bounce in place, but any response she had was trampled by Silver's enthusiasm. “It's true! I saw her while I was getting rid of a few unruly clouds from the morning snowfall. She was walking towards the castle with a unicorn, chatting away about... something. I dunno, I couldn't hear, but still! A pegasus in Ponyville! Where do you think she's visiting from? Where do you think she's staying? I wonder if she'd help out with the weather next week. I'm supposed to put together a blizzard and I just don't know if I'm going to be able to without pulling a few all-nighters...”
“That was my sister, Silver, so you could just come over and ask.”
Silver's jaw dropped. “That was Wind Key? The little twerp we had that epic paint war with at the clubhouse?” Flora gave a tired nod. “Wow... You know, I thought I almost recognized her. Must have been the bandana and the ear muffs. Almost made her look like she had your mom's mane on as a wig.” Silver chuckled a little at that, but it died off with Flora's apathy toward joining in. In the silence that followed, Silver suddenly got a very puzzled look on her face. “Wait, didn't she go over to the other side after Cloudsdale fell? What's she doing back now? And who's the unicorn she's with?”
Flora was starting to shiver from the cold, her head low to the ground as, more and more, her thoughts were returning to her sad, lonely, but impressively warm bed. “I don't know, she'd managed to show up before I got home last night. Her friend had some sort of trouble on the other side and they both came over... I didn't catch much after I finished welcoming her back. I was... out of it.”
Silver nodded. “I can see why. You look terrible, Flora. Did you get any sleep at all last night? Or did your duet get a little out of hoof?”
Another icicle lodged itself in Flora's heart and she glared at the friend that had reminded her. “That's definitely one way of putting it...”
Silver took a step back from the thick barbs in Flora's voice, realizing she was missing something big. Only a brief moment of looking Flora over let her pin the problem. “Wait a second... You're normally headed to the farm right now. Where's your violin? For that matter, where's your kerchief?” Silver's eyes met Flora's for the briefest of moments before Flora looked away. Immediately the tone of Silver's voice went from inquisitive to caring. “What happened? What's wrong?”
Flora was very tempted to stomp off home and forget this whole thing had happened, but she remembered her mother's advice. There was no friend closer to her than Silver, especially right now. Silver deserved to know. The question was, would Silver side with Jazz or her? “We had an argument yesterday afternoon. He said he was going to give me his orchard and go join the war, I said he was crazy. We yelled at each other for a while... He started saying all sorts of stupid things about the war, and when I told him the war was stupid he called me a traitor and 'some fool coward pegasus'... I didn't stick around after that.”
“No...” Silver sounded heartbroken, or she would have if Flora wasn't the one giving the perfect example of what that voice actually sounded like. “You two were adorable together! But if he's talking about traitors and cowardly pegasi, I really hope you didn't just walk out in a huff.”
Flora shook her head, smiling a little grimly despite herself. “I may have bucked him across the greenhouse...”
Silver smiled back, throwing a hoof around Flora's neck and pulling her into a sidelong hug. “Thatta girl! Knock some sense into the guy. That must've set him straight.”
“Maybe, but...” Flora sighed again, remembering the trial getting home was the night before. “I left the violin and his kerchief behind and told him he was the one canceling our duet. Since he didn't stop me or come after me... I'm pretty sure we're broken up.”
Silver shook her head, giving Flora an encouraging hug. “If he's gonna act like that, it's probably for the best. Maybe when all this is over he'll see what he gave up and come crawling back.” The words brought Flora a little bit of hope, but they couldn't budge the sadness that had a hold on her face. Seeing that, Silver just smiled, shaking her friend gently to get her out of her stupor. “Hey, you want me to walk you home? I know this awesome recipe for kettle corn that'd go great with a board game. It'd go good with a movie too, but we'd have to head to my house for that, and I'd have to convince mom to set up the projector...”
Flora shook her head, looking down the street at her original destination. Her hooves weren't feeling nearly so cold anymore, but she knew a good place to warm them up. “Actually, I was going to my greenhouse. I'm running a little behind on my day.”
Silver nodded, taking the hint. “Ah, well, I'll just leave you to it. But I can come back in a few hours, or meet you at your house and find something to do. We should have a girl's night, just you and me, if you're up for it.”
“Maybe we can plan it out once we get in the greenhouse.” Flora started down the street, unsurprised when Silver started to take off behind her. She also wasn't surprised when Silver reappeared in her vision, hovering just above the snow and looking completely perplexed.
“Wait, did you just say what I think you said?”
Flora gave Silver a warm smile from the bottom of her heart, a piece only warm thanks to Silver's efforts so far. “I said we could talk about our plans in the greenhouse.”
Silver gasped silently, her forehooves covering her mouth as she held her breath, certain her ears were playing tricks on her. She'd thought she'd taken the hint, but maybe she'd just been inventing it this time.
Flora laughed at Silver's antics, the simple act feeling so good after her night and morning without it. “Yes, that means you're invited in. Just don't repeat the cactus incident and this might not be the last time.” Silver soared into the air in a giant loop before doing a long corkscrew turn to meet Flora at the greenhouse door. Flora shook her head at the display, but inside she couldn't even pretend to regret it. Even if there was a cactus incident repeat, it was worth it for her best friend.
She unlocked the door, pushing it open wide and stepping into her secondary home, the familiar feeling immediately comforting, lifting her spirits and energizing her with the sight of all of the life around her. Silver came in right behind, entering it as though it were some sort of ancient sacred grotto, not a small plastic building outside the back of a florist's place. Silver even made it a point to hold her wings close to her side after she almost knocked over a tray of freshly planted seeds, only barely keeping the pots from smashing on the dirt floor.
This was entirely missed by Flora, though, who was staring at the crystal bush in the center of the room in wonder. It might have been her tiredness or the cold having some adverse effect on her addled mind, but it seemed like the long stagnant plant was taller and fuller than it had been the day before. As she got a closer look at it, she heard a whistle come from behind her.
“Woah... You'd never guess it was winter with all the flowers in here. And it's so warm!” Silver walked around the room, looking at all of the plants lined up on every surface and near every wall. Only once she completed that and looked towards Flora did she notice the centerpiece of the room, letting out another impressed whistle. “Is that your secret project? The one you got your cutie mark from?” She walked closer, examining one of the perfectly square, green-tinted transparent leaves before looking curiously at something. “Hey, what are these little bulby things?”
Flora ran around the crystal rose bush, delicately lifting up the leaves to get a better look. As soon as she did, she held her breath in wonder, sure she had to be dreaming this. “It's a flower bud. It's finally going to bloom!”
Silver was impressed and lost all at the same time. “You mean it hasn't bloomed before? You've been growing it for years, and all the other plants look amazing.”
Flora shook her head. “It hasn't had a single blossom since the day I grew it and got my cutie mark. In fact, it's barely grown at all in almost eight years...” She had no clue what had stopped the plant's growth, but it had halted without dying, still taking in water and sunshine but never getting any larger. It had gotten to the point where she had stopped taking measurements of its height after two months without any growth. But she knew the plant was magical, and magic did as it would, with or without her input. For it to be flowering, something must have changed.
“So why's it growing now?” Silver asked, her own curiosity overlapping with Flora's
“That is a very good question.”
* * * * *
It was madness. Her little Scootaloo, that scared little filly she'd taken home and kept safe... It hadn't been that long, had it? She couldn't be so big. This couldn't be real. And yet, the photo stared at her, accompanied by rumors of guard movements and ponies gossiping fearfully in the streets. It had followed her everywhere, but it didn't strike home until she saw it for herself.
Tears ran down the aging teacher's face, counting all of the times she'd fallen short as a mother. When Scootaloo had been lost and hurt with all that talk of monsters, when her little filly had a foal much too soon, all of the times where her work had gotten in the way, where she had questioned her ability to raise a filly as a single young mare... This was proof that they were all founded. The mare she had raised, who she had been so proud of when she'd been made Captain of the Guard, had just betrayed Princess and country and started a rebellion...
What mother had ever done so poor a job?
From the doorway a soft sound was heard, a little voice, timid and sad. “Mom, are you alright?” The tiny silver pegasus had been watching for a while now, not sure what to do with her mother so down. She'd never seen Cheerilee cry in sadness once, the earth pony very careful about where she'd shown her weakness. To the little pegasus with no cutie mark, witnessing this was a sign that something was wrong in the world.
If only she had any idea how right she was. “N-no, sweetie. Mom isn't alright. Mom's... I'm worried about your m-... sister...” Seeing the confusion on Silver's face, Cheerilee motioned for her to come over, showing her the newspaper.
Silver looked at the paper for a little while, frowning as she tried to figure out how it had hurt mom. It had her big sister on the front! That was good all the other times it had happened. But even if she didn't know the words, the headline didn't sound good. “Did big sis do something wrong?”
“Scootaloo... She's...” Cheerilee froze at the innocent eyes of the filly before her, wondering if there was a good way to explain. How do you tell somepony that young that their world was about to be turned on its ear? “She helped a lot of ponies do something just... horrible.”
Silver held onto the paper, looking at the picture again closely. “They don't look like bad ponies. And big sis is awesome! If she wanted to do something, it can't be too bad. We can ask her when she comes to visit at Hearth's Warming!”
Cheerilee sniffed, the tears flowing as she tried to figure out how to keep the real news from her 'daughter'. “She won't be coming on Hearth's Warming, Silver. I don't think she'll be able to come visit again for a very, very long time.”
“Oh...” Silver's excited smile from her previous thought faded quickly, her mouth going into another pout as she thought about it. It didn't take long. “So you're crying because you miss her?”
“I already missed her... I'm crying because I've...” She sighed, feeling something fall out from the bottom of her heart. There was no hiding it. “I've failed her. I've failed both of you.” Something had broken inside Cheerilee at Silver's question, like a little dam in her heart had sprung open, and she sank to the floor to be closer to Silver and hug the little filly while she spoke. “I am so sorry for everything I've done wrong, all of the attention you've been denied... I'm sorry for every morning when I look into your eyes and see her and the biggest thing I failed to save her from. I wasn't good enough to be her mom... I'm not good enough to be anypony's. I'm so sorry...”
Cheerilee hugged Silver close to her chest, running a hoof lovingly through the little filly's mane while tears rolled from her cheeks, landing in that soft purple hair. However, as those small hooves squeezed into her side, returning the gesture, Cheerilee realized she wasn't the only one crying. She looked down only to see Silver's eyes looking back, her mother visible in every inch of them. “Don't cry, mom! You're the best mom in the world, better than any other mom I've seen! I know I'm too shy and sometimes I don't do good in my classes, but I'll try harder, momma! I will! Just... please don't send me away.”
Cheerilee's eyes went wide with shock. “Why would I send you away?”
Silver's tears kept coming, but her eyes continued to shine with worried hope as her words came spilling out. “I know I'm not the filly you want me to be. I know I wasn't even wanted. I was a mistake. And that's why big sis doesn't talk to me and doesn't write... She ran away because of me. Same as dad did, leaving you all alone and sad and Ididn'tmeantomakethathappenI'msorry!” Silver pulled her face into Cheerilee's chest, a wet spot forming almost immediately on the fur there.
Cheerilee shook her head in horror, appalled by the things Silver thought about herself. “Nonononononono... That's not it at all!” No wonder the little filly was so shy if she thought just existing had caused all of this. Her hoof returned to gently stroking Silver's mane, now trying to soothe the crying girl. “Silver Lining, you've got it all wrong. You are the most precious little filly any mother could hope to have. And even if you weren’t planned for, you were by no means a mistake. You were a choice, a gift! And on top of that, you let Scootaloo see what she really wanted to do with her life.”
She softly lifted Silver's chin so that they were looking at each other, trying to dry both her tears and her 'daughter's'. “When Scootaloo looked into those eyes, she saw herself and the things she had lost sight of. She left, not because she hates you, but because she loves you, and if she stayed, if she even talked to you too much, she might have never left. She loves you more than you will ever know, and she misses you every day, even if you don't see it and she's too busy to make it clear.
“As for your dad... I can't say much about him except that I'm glad you didn't meet him. After what he did to Scootaloo, I can only say he was a horrible stallion, and you're much better off for not knowing him.” Cheerilee let go of Silver's chin and looked to the kitchen floor, closing her eyes. “And as for why I'm sad... It's like I said, I thought I'd failed you both. I don't see what Scootaloo has planned, or what drove her to do it, and that frightens me to no end. And you... I somehow let you think even for an instant that you weren't wanted, and for that, I did fail you. But I promise with all my heart that I will never fail you again.”
Again Cheerilee felt the squeeze of small hooves as Silver hugged herself against her mom. “You didn't fail me, mom. You really are the best, kindest, most wonderfullest mom in all of Equestria, and I'm gonna be the best daughter you could ever hope for!” Cheerilee opened her eyes, now seeing the tearless determination glued to Silver's face as she looked up at her mother. Cheerilee matched it instantly, returning the hug her daughter was giving her.
“You already are.”
* * * * *
The bright morning sun swept its way over Equestria, bounding off of the fluffy snow and bringing just a little warmth to all of the sleeping wintery land. And, as it had for years, it launched through Flora's window, aiming directly for her eyes, only to be foiled by a heavy comforter drawn over her entire body. It had been trying to get her moving for nearly an hour now, but to no avail. For the first time in its long history, it had failed to rouse the industrious mare. She had finally defeated the sun.
On some other day, Flora might have celebrated or even noticed her victory. Under any normal circumstances she might even have cared about the heat building up in the direct light or the smell of the omlette congealing on her nightstand. But today, with her eyes redder than her mane and a wet spot under her right cheek, she remained firmly curled in a ball on her bed, wishing the day would just disappear.
She'd been having a similar wish for most of the night, and for much of the evening before it, borne straight from the icy chasm that had formed in her heart. She had been sad before, even felt crushed by the world when she heard about Newsprint's death, but it seemed a dull ache compared to this. Of course, it was how she expected to feel after the effects of the wintry dagger Jazz had shoved in her back and twisted, and yet it was so much worse than she could have imagined. Maybe, if she was lucky, somepony else would come along and finish the job.
But nopony did. For a moment she'd thought one such assassin had arrived, but it had turned out to be her mother, trying to fix a missing limb with a bandage and some kind words. When Rose had come in, Flora had been furious for the mare for even thinking she knew what she was going through. How could she? Her love hadn't betrayed her! Hadn't looked her in the eyes and spoken to her like she was worse than scum!
But now, with twenty minutes of silence and quite a few more tears soaked into her sheets, she knew how wrong her thoughts had been. No, Rose hadn't experienced the same, but her love had disappeared without a trace, leaving three young ponies and all the consequences of his actions to fall on her shoulders. It was a completely different kind of betrayal, far less upfront and much more lasting. Flora no longer blamed Rose for any of her actions those first few years... She didn't even blame her for the sulking she'd been doing a few months ago. If Rose had felt anything like Flora did now, she had just gained the full admiration of her aching daughter.
And, due to this realization, Rose had accomplished something that Lord Tirek, at the moment of his near triumph, couldn't have done with all the power under his command: she convinced Flora to get up and face the day. So, even though her hooves felt like iron and her throbbing head was filled with haze and berating thoughts, Flora managed to shove the covers off of her body and slump onto all four hooves on the floor. With a tired glare at the window and the happy light streaming in from it, Flora pulled herself up, standing in a slouch and ready to see what tortures the world held in store.
The first was the dish next to her bed. While it might have been somewhat appetizing when it was prepared so long ago, now it was cold and thick, looking more like something she'd spew from her mouth than something she'd put in it. Knowing her thoughts were harsh but not caring enough to get past the initial berating, Flora picked up the plate and opened the door to her room, feeling the cool air of an empty house sweep out the warm heaviness she'd been stewing in.
Her hooves dragged on each step as she made her way to the kitchen, feeling the happiness in the house from the night before. Where was the stale, depressing gloom her mother had built up for so many years? The one time she would have enjoyed it and instead she was assaulted by the aura of joy...
Standing at the kitchen sink, she had to stop and think about her next action. She wanted to just leave the plate there, but that was just a little too rude for her taste, no matter how tempting it was. With all of the unwashed dishes, she could properly compost the meal and clean things up, but that required a level of effort her leaden hooves refused to allow today. Torn between the two decisions, she was saved by the feel of a freezing wet nose bumping into her left flank.
Moments later the begging had ceased, Dot was happily chewing away at the bonus meal, and the dirty plate was tossed onto the others while Flora considered a more appropriate snack at the pantry. The first thing her eyes landed on were a pile of apples, still fresh and juicy, from Sweet Apple–
With the offending fruit sliding down the opposite wall in a pulpy mess, Flora grabbed a pear from the stock and walked from the kitchen, grumbling loudly. If any of her plants had been fruiting in the greenhouse she might have left without any sort of snack, but after her accident with the rapid growth of the zap apple tree seed, she'd been lucky to only lose her produce section and not any of her long term projects. If one of his trees had damaged my crystal bush... she started to growl in her head as she made her way back upstairs.
Once in her room again, the same room with the same posters she'd wanted to get rid of for years, she scowled at the snowy windowsill outside, knowing it would be cold out there. She found the small watering pail and took care of the plants in her room, then reached for the desk, only to find her hoof tapping down on empty wood. She was about to start looking around when she remembered where that long-held accessory was now. “He can keep his bucking kerchief,” she apparently said to the closet as she dug through it. “I don't want to see the thing anyway.”
She dug through the closet for a little while longer, then growled in frustration, slamming the door shut, unable to find the ear muffs or scarf she'd tossed in there years ago and forgotten about since. As she turned to look for her hat, her bed called to her from the corner of her eye, its draw magnetic for her poor leaden hooves. But as much as her messy cover called for her to crawl beneath it again, promising the world would stop this time, she fought it, jamming her hat on her head, jamming the pear she wasn't really hungry for into her mouth, and walking down to the front door. Swallowing the slightly bland pear that might as well have been chalk for how much she cared about its taste, she grabbed her keys from the door, feeling them hanging loose on their string around her neck as she stepped out into the world.
Flora wasn't four steps from the door when she was already regretting her decision, the snow around her ankles chilling her heavy hooves. And just as she reached the next street corner, a cool draft pulled against her fur, particularly the exposed area around her neck. The keys immediately became bitingly cold, chilling her with every step as they jingled lightly against her chest, the only sound in the air besides the snow crunching underhoof. Despite her mother's promise that ponies would be going about their lives, the streets were completely clear, even the market seemingly shut down due to weather.
She turned at another street, gazing down the long, empty road to her greenhouse. It was so far away, and the plants could survive a day without water... They'd probably be good for a week, really, maybe more since she'd treated them so kindly previously. With the chill in her hooves working its way up to her knees, Flora turned on the spot, allowing her cold hooves to drive her decision making as well. Before she could actually move, however, a flurry of snow flew up into her face as Silver landed quickly in front of her, her excitement spilling over into her quick motions.
“Flora! Glad I caught you on your way home. Did you know there's another pegasus in town?” Flora opened her mouth to say something, feeling the energy sapping out of her as she watched Silver bounce in place, but any response she had was trampled by Silver's enthusiasm. “It's true! I saw her while I was getting rid of a few unruly clouds from the morning snowfall. She was walking towards the castle with a unicorn, chatting away about... something. I dunno, I couldn't hear, but still! A pegasus in Ponyville! Where do you think she's visiting from? Where do you think she's staying? I wonder if she'd help out with the weather next week. I'm supposed to put together a blizzard and I just don't know if I'm going to be able to without pulling a few all-nighters...”
“That was my sister, Silver, so you could just come over and ask.”
Silver's jaw dropped. “That was Wind Key? The little twerp we had that epic paint war with at the clubhouse?” Flora gave a tired nod. “Wow... You know, I thought I almost recognized her. Must have been the bandana and the ear muffs. Almost made her look like she had your mom's mane on as a wig.” Silver chuckled a little at that, but it died off with Flora's apathy toward joining in. In the silence that followed, Silver suddenly got a very puzzled look on her face. “Wait, didn't she go over to the other side after Cloudsdale fell? What's she doing back now? And who's the unicorn she's with?”
Flora was starting to shiver from the cold, her head low to the ground as, more and more, her thoughts were returning to her sad, lonely, but impressively warm bed. “I don't know, she'd managed to show up before I got home last night. Her friend had some sort of trouble on the other side and they both came over... I didn't catch much after I finished welcoming her back. I was... out of it.”
Silver nodded. “I can see why. You look terrible, Flora. Did you get any sleep at all last night? Or did your duet get a little out of hoof?”
Another icicle lodged itself in Flora's heart and she glared at the friend that had reminded her. “That's definitely one way of putting it...”
Silver took a step back from the thick barbs in Flora's voice, realizing she was missing something big. Only a brief moment of looking Flora over let her pin the problem. “Wait a second... You're normally headed to the farm right now. Where's your violin? For that matter, where's your kerchief?” Silver's eyes met Flora's for the briefest of moments before Flora looked away. Immediately the tone of Silver's voice went from inquisitive to caring. “What happened? What's wrong?”
Flora was very tempted to stomp off home and forget this whole thing had happened, but she remembered her mother's advice. There was no friend closer to her than Silver, especially right now. Silver deserved to know. The question was, would Silver side with Jazz or her? “We had an argument yesterday afternoon. He said he was going to give me his orchard and go join the war, I said he was crazy. We yelled at each other for a while... He started saying all sorts of stupid things about the war, and when I told him the war was stupid he called me a traitor and 'some fool coward pegasus'... I didn't stick around after that.”
“No...” Silver sounded heartbroken, or she would have if Flora wasn't the one giving the perfect example of what that voice actually sounded like. “You two were adorable together! But if he's talking about traitors and cowardly pegasi, I really hope you didn't just walk out in a huff.”
Flora shook her head, smiling a little grimly despite herself. “I may have bucked him across the greenhouse...”
Silver smiled back, throwing a hoof around Flora's neck and pulling her into a sidelong hug. “Thatta girl! Knock some sense into the guy. That must've set him straight.”
“Maybe, but...” Flora sighed again, remembering the trial getting home was the night before. “I left the violin and his kerchief behind and told him he was the one canceling our duet. Since he didn't stop me or come after me... I'm pretty sure we're broken up.”
Silver shook her head, giving Flora an encouraging hug. “If he's gonna act like that, it's probably for the best. Maybe when all this is over he'll see what he gave up and come crawling back.” The words brought Flora a little bit of hope, but they couldn't budge the sadness that had a hold on her face. Seeing that, Silver just smiled, shaking her friend gently to get her out of her stupor. “Hey, you want me to walk you home? I know this awesome recipe for kettle corn that'd go great with a board game. It'd go good with a movie too, but we'd have to head to my house for that, and I'd have to convince mom to set up the projector...”
Flora shook her head, looking down the street at her original destination. Her hooves weren't feeling nearly so cold anymore, but she knew a good place to warm them up. “Actually, I was going to my greenhouse. I'm running a little behind on my day.”
Silver nodded, taking the hint. “Ah, well, I'll just leave you to it. But I can come back in a few hours, or meet you at your house and find something to do. We should have a girl's night, just you and me, if you're up for it.”
“Maybe we can plan it out once we get in the greenhouse.” Flora started down the street, unsurprised when Silver started to take off behind her. She also wasn't surprised when Silver reappeared in her vision, hovering just above the snow and looking completely perplexed.
“Wait, did you just say what I think you said?”
Flora gave Silver a warm smile from the bottom of her heart, a piece only warm thanks to Silver's efforts so far. “I said we could talk about our plans in the greenhouse.”
Silver gasped silently, her forehooves covering her mouth as she held her breath, certain her ears were playing tricks on her. She'd thought she'd taken the hint, but maybe she'd just been inventing it this time.
Flora laughed at Silver's antics, the simple act feeling so good after her night and morning without it. “Yes, that means you're invited in. Just don't repeat the cactus incident and this might not be the last time.” Silver soared into the air in a giant loop before doing a long corkscrew turn to meet Flora at the greenhouse door. Flora shook her head at the display, but inside she couldn't even pretend to regret it. Even if there was a cactus incident repeat, it was worth it for her best friend.
She unlocked the door, pushing it open wide and stepping into her secondary home, the familiar feeling immediately comforting, lifting her spirits and energizing her with the sight of all of the life around her. Silver came in right behind, entering it as though it were some sort of ancient sacred grotto, not a small plastic building outside the back of a florist's place. Silver even made it a point to hold her wings close to her side after she almost knocked over a tray of freshly planted seeds, only barely keeping the pots from smashing on the dirt floor.
This was entirely missed by Flora, though, who was staring at the crystal bush in the center of the room in wonder. It might have been her tiredness or the cold having some adverse effect on her addled mind, but it seemed like the long stagnant plant was taller and fuller than it had been the day before. As she got a closer look at it, she heard a whistle come from behind her.
“Woah... You'd never guess it was winter with all the flowers in here. And it's so warm!” Silver walked around the room, looking at all of the plants lined up on every surface and near every wall. Only once she completed that and looked towards Flora did she notice the centerpiece of the room, letting out another impressed whistle. “Is that your secret project? The one you got your cutie mark from?” She walked closer, examining one of the perfectly square, green-tinted transparent leaves before looking curiously at something. “Hey, what are these little bulby things?”
Flora ran around the crystal rose bush, delicately lifting up the leaves to get a better look. As soon as she did, she held her breath in wonder, sure she had to be dreaming this. “It's a flower bud. It's finally going to bloom!”
Silver was impressed and lost all at the same time. “You mean it hasn't bloomed before? You've been growing it for years, and all the other plants look amazing.”
Flora shook her head. “It hasn't had a single blossom since the day I grew it and got my cutie mark. In fact, it's barely grown at all in almost eight years...” She had no clue what had stopped the plant's growth, but it had halted without dying, still taking in water and sunshine but never getting any larger. It had gotten to the point where she had stopped taking measurements of its height after two months without any growth. But she knew the plant was magical, and magic did as it would, with or without her input. For it to be flowering, something must have changed.
“So why's it growing now?” Silver asked, her own curiosity overlapping with Flora's
“That is a very good question.”
* * * * *
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