She always knew what she was going to do with her life - she was made with it, of course, there was no question in Buttermint's mind. What she hadn't anticipated was that in her short time, those she had met could so fully shape her path in ways that would impact her and said future.
There was a pamphlet next to her bed, one from the place she'd viewed the stars with Prime Meridian and Wet Blanket. She left it there and cleaned out the more childish things around it that she'd outgrown - magazines, plastic saturated mane clips, a wand with a ribbon fanfare - and put them in a box for donations. Her time with Meridian and Wet Blanket had given her a grasp on the importance of being the bigger Phony, of doing what was best for someone else instead of doing what she wanted. It was an invaluable lesson, one that she knew would help her with future customers and her own crew -
Hah! Her own crew! Buttermint smiled to herself. Yes, she would very much like to have her own business, full of Phonies as passionate as she. Passionate as Pink Lemonade and the family running the cafe. The matron Phony's joy and warmth, even in their brief meeting, had taught Mint about how she'd like to interact with her own future customers, how to maintain her passion and maybe, a family! She could have it all, if she wanted, if she worked at it. Hard work paid off. Even if it meant she'd have colorful exchanges about carrots with faulty vendors.
Buttermint giggled as she cleared out a few subpar packages of mints, remembering Pink Lemonade's expression and her son's complete a-okayness with it. Of her own family, and how different they were: Regality, who while very invested in her own well being, showed such love and tolerance of Mint; of Blade, who was definitely too cool for her, but who found even ground with her; of her extended family like Noble, who she desired to reach out to but had taught her the value of discretion. Of her parents, who taught her what love was, who taught her how to harness passion.
Whimsical as she was, she was almost surprised when she turned around to keep working and found that her room was clean -- devoid of most of what made her childhood, clean and near spotless. It lacked her personal touch and any real proof that she'd called it her own. A clean slate. The child that had lived there was no where to be seen.
The babben didn't see the mark form, but she knew she was ready. It was time. Buttermint turned to go, and paused, glancing at the trash and slowly retrieving the wand with the ribbons on the end. Just because she was moving forward, didn't mean she had to discard where she'd been. She couldn't have the setting Pink Lemonade did, but she could take the lessons she had learned and never forget how she got there.
She was ready to take on her Purpose, to cater, to spread goodness, and she could not be happier about it.
