Laughy Sapphy Ice Cream, Est. 1959

"Can I get a bubblegum waffle cone with marshmallows?" The customer ordered, looking at the menu of various obscure ice cream flavors.

"Small, medium, or large?" I asked. I didn't normally work the cashier, but Lapis called in sick, Pearl was working in the back, and it was Opal and Carnelian's day off, so I was down an employee for the day.

"Small."

I took a waffle cone and the scoop, getting in multiple scoops and squished them down for maximum ice cream capacity. I topped it off and handed it to him. "Toppings are right here. That'll be $2.50, please."

The customer handed me a crumpled five. I put it in the cash register and returned him some ones and two quarters. He sprinkled the cone with miniature marshmallows and sat down at a table.

I took a few more orders. Saturday afternoons were always the busiest.

The routine was interrupted when a green Honda pulled into my driveway. I jumped up. "Pearl, can you cover the counter for me?" She nodded and came out, taking the order of a young couple.

I raced outside. "Mom!"

She gave me a big hug. "How's my girl!"

"What are you doing here, I thought you weren't coming back from vacation for another month!"

"Well, I'm not here long. My flight to New York had to land in DC because of a storm coming in. It should be getting here soon. I saw the silver lining: since I was in the area, I had to visit you before going back! I might even be in town for the fair! Need any help with the shop?"

"Do I?!" I said. "Lazuli's got a sinus infection and had to stay home. I just couldn't call in Carnelian or Opal. They've been working so hard."

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

We went in and the little bell on the door ringed.

"Hello, Mrs. Winters." Pearl greeted.

"How many times do I have to tell you, call me Sarafina."

A customer choked on his coffee. I glared at him. Sure, everyone in the family had a weird s-name, but that gave him no right...okay, I'll admit, it's embarrassed me more than once.

We worked more efficiently thanks to the plus one, but as the old boxy little T.V. in the corner constantly running the news informed us with its subtitles, it was going to rain. As the clouds came in, the customers went out. I hoped it wouldn't hurt the fair.

It was dark gray outside despite the fact it was only five. I was wiping down the counter, watching the clouds speed up. The shop was empty.

"You two should get going. Mom, if this storm grounded your flight, you should probably get back to your hotel so you don't miss it. Pearl, drive safe. See you Tuesday."

They nodded and left. I closed up the store and shut off the lights. I went up the spiral staircase in the corner of the shop to my little apartment. It only had three rooms, but it was home.

The rain started to softly patter on the roof and quickly sped up to thick sheets.

I sat on the couch and tried to watch some television, but the poor satellite had no chance of working in this weather. I frustratedly turned it off and glanced out the window. It was really growing dark out there.

I put a kettle on the stove and got out the hot chocolate powder. While waiting for the water to boil, I tried tidying up my slightly sloppy living room/kitchen combo.

While cleaning up papers by the window, something caught my eye. Someone parked in the driveway of the building across from Laughy Sapphy, the unlucky 1422 Rose Plaza. A small girl tried to shield herself and her groceries from the pouring rain, fumbling with her keys. She walked toward the building and slipped in the mud. She managed to land on her back and save the groceries, but the keys went flying into a bush. It started to hail, pounding down on the roof and the unfortunate girl. The Curse had already started terrorizing her. She set her groceries on the porch and went over to the bush, trying to find her only hope of shelter. I watched the spectacle for a full minute, surprised I could she anything at all with the black of the storm before sympathy won. I grabbed an umbrella, sighed, went downstairs, and exited out the door.

"Hey!" I screamed loudly once I reached the fountain in the middle of the plaza. It was overflowing with the heavy rainfall. The girl looked up.

I beckoned a come here motion. She stood up and walked over.

"You can take shelter in my store!" I shouted, holding the umbrella between us (though it didn't do much good, she was already soaked and I was getting pretty damp too). "Come on!"

We walked over slowly.

"What's your name?!" I yelled as the hail intensified. "I'm Sapphire!"

"Ruby!"

"Ok! Are you opening a shop?"

"Yeah!"

"What's it for?"

"Cake!"

"Kick?" I pondered the misheard word. "Like, kickboxing?"

"Uh, I guess we box cakes." She replied to the seemingly weird question.

I opened the door. I started to walk, but then I stopped. Ruby was drenched.

"I'll get you a change of clothes. Come upstairs."

We went up. I gave Ruby some oversized pajamas and changed into a pair myself. Once she was done, I went into the bathroom and tossed the wet clothes in the dryer. Ruby ruffled her hair with a towel and I ringed mine out before putting it into a ponytail. I heard the kettle whistle and went out to the kitchen.

"Hot chocolate?" I called.

"Sure." Ruby said as she came out wearing black sweatpants and a Blurryface t-shirt I got at a TØP concert. I was wearing flannel pants and a faded team shirt from when I did track.

I poured two cups and mixed in the powder. I handed Ruby the mug.
"Let's go downstairs." I suggested. "It's pretty in this weather."

The store was dark. The hail had stopped, but the rain was still coming down hard. The room had a gentle blue glow to it, setting a peaceful mood contrary to the storm raging outside.

We sat in a booth. It was my favorite booth. I call it the Booth of Backstory because it had all the family pictures and store awards.

Ruby gazed at them, wrapped up in a blanket. "Woah..."

"I'm guessing you want the Laughy Sapphy Ice Cream Historical Experience?"

She looked up eagerly. "Really?!"

"A lot can happen in 50 years. Well, plus the years before Laughy Sapphy was founded. I'm an insider so you'll get extra detail." Sapphire said. She took a deep breath.

"May 30, 1922, my Great Grammy was born. Her childhood was actually pretty boring. And then she met Socrates in the late thirties. He was a charmer. Once they graduated, he enrolled in the military. They were engaged. That first top picture you see is them sharing a milkshake. Then Pearl Harbor happened. Great Grampy Socrates was deployed overseas. All my great grandmother had was hope. Fortunately, he returned in '45 when the war ended and they got married a month later. That's their wedding picture. They had twin boys in 1947 and my Grammy Stefanina was born on August 5, 1950.

"A few years later, she casually mentioned in a drunk conversation to her husband she always wanted to own an ice cream shop. Little did she know, he began to save up money. He surprised her by purchasing this Rose Plaza building to make her dreams come true. This isn't official, but he totally got laid that night. A year later, Laughy Sapphy Ice Cream, Est. 1959, opened to the public, named after Socrates' nickname for her."

"Aww, that's so sweet! And you were named after her!" Ruby said dreamily.

"No, actually. Her name was Sephora. Everyone called her Sapphy though."

Ruby coughed.

"Anyways, the store was a hit. A year after it opened, it received that award. Everyone loved it because of the unique ice cream flavors and the communal mood set by the pastel colors and gentle tones. Sephora was master level with aesthetics. They rented out the apartment to tenants. Laughy Sapphy was a Rose Plaza Permanent. In 1965, Grammy Stefanina married my Grampy Solomon. The next year, they gave birth to my uncle Sebastian and my
mom followed not too long after that. That's their baby pictures. But when the sixties ended, something began, and I'm not talking about the seventies. The pizza parlor across from us went bankrupt and launched what is now known as..." I paused and looked around for dramatic effect.

"Known as what?!" It worked. Ruby stared at me anxiously. "Known as WHAT?!"

"The 1422 Rose Plaza Curse!" I shouted. Thunder boomed outside. Ruby tugged the blanket tighter around her.

"W-what's that?" Ruby asked quietly.

"You haven't heard? Shame, seeing you're the poor, unfortunate soul who ended up taking the bait of a surprisingly cheap building. No business has lasted there more than eight years! The pizza shop going bankrupt was rumored to be the doings of the ghost of a Nazi soldier Socrates killed during a WWII battle who came here for revenge. The pizza place was replaced with a smoothie shop. Also, my mom was born. Only five years after opening day, the shop was robbed and had to be closed then replaced with a Chinese Buffet.

"On the good side of the plaza in 1981, my great grandmother was planning to give the shop to my twin Grunkles Sylvan, the smart one, and Seymore, the fun one, but they both expressed disinterest so she gave it to Grammy Stefanina instead. A year later, the buffet was shut down by the FDA because a customer contracted salmonella sometime after eating there and they were trying to figure out the source. The buffet was innocent, but the scandal cost them quite a bit of money and they weren't able to catch up. It was replaced by a pawn shop.
In 1984..." I stopped, took a breath, and continued. "My mom got married to her high school sweetheart a few months after she turned 18. My father, Sydney. I was born the next year."

"So sweet!" Ruby said in a sappy voice.

"When I was three, Socrates died. Sephora was devastated. Socrates was her whole world. Grammy Stefanina promised to take care of the shop as long as she could for her father. In 1990, a fire devastated the pawn shop. Locals speculated it was because the store recently purchased a historical dreidel and a lotion store moved in.

"In 1992...Sephora died. I was only seven and never had enough time to get to know her, but I had met her and she was the kindest woman I ever met. Losing her husband hurt her in a way she could never heal. She was a wonderful person. Things only got worse in the family from there. In '94, my mom divorced my dad. She caught him cheating."

"Wow. I'm really sorry." Ruby said gently. She looked out the window, watching as the rain slowed down.

I nodded. "Thanks." I hadn't expected my emotions to hit me this hard. I quickly brought the conversation back around to avoid any more feelings from surfacing.

"The 1422 Rose Plaza Curse struck again 1997 when allegations arose against the lotion store for rashes. I think a lawsuit was filed. The lotion store never stood a chance. A Jewish Artifact Store moved in despite several warnings of the Nazi Ghost. They didn't last two years before fascism overcame them and the ghostly presence of Hitler's supporters drove them out. A sandwich shop desperately wanted to break the curse." I stared at the drizzle.

"Those blue ribbons from 1999-2008 are from the annual fair. Every year my grandma entered, she won. But back to 2000.

"The turn of the century brought the worst event in family history: The Great Fight. Tensions had been building with Grammy Stefanina and my mom over the divorce. I'm not sure exactly what went down, but my mom vowed never to speak to Grammy again. I got my driver's license in 2001 and was able to visit Grammy Stefanina and Grampy Solomon from time to time. Little did I know, the fight wasn't the worst thing thing ever happened to her because Grampy Solomon had a stroke and was hospitalized in 2005. He wasn't going to make it. The doctor let my Grammy, my mother, and I go see him. His dying wish was for Grammy and Mom to make up. They apologized and had a sweet reunion before Solomon passed on. After they made up, Mom and I spent more time at the shop again, especially when Grammy was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. She stayed strong throughout chemo. but eventually succumbed in the end in 2008.

"My mom never wanted to run the shop, but that didn't prevent her from being surprised to find out she didn't have the power to. Turns out Grammy made her will during The Great Fight and left the shop to me and never cared enough to change it. My mom offered to take over, but I wanted to run the shop. I was really close with Grammy, and that was how I was going to say goodbye. This is the first fair Grandma won't be able to enter a dessert and the first fair I've had as owner, so I'm really excited to be the one to bring home the tenth blue ribbon. So, that's the history of the love and loss that went into Laughy Sapphy. Why are you doing what you're doing in 1422?" Sapphire asked, dramatically finishing the tale.

"I like cake." Ruby answered simply.

I blinked. "That has nothing to do with kickboxing."

"What are you talking about? I thought this was about my cake shop."

I gasped. No. Way.

"I don't even like kickboxing."

"Oh no..." I said.

Ruby looked. "What is it?"

"We're going to be rivals."

The red girl furrowed her eyebrows. "We can still be friends, right?"

"Not if you're opening a cake shop next to my ice cream shop next Tuesday!"

"It was the only building I could get!"

"This means war."

"Okay, okay, I'm going." Ruby rushed out of the store. I turned my back.

"Oh, Ruby! Wait!"

She turned around hopefully.

"The sandwich shop closed in 2008 because of a ladybug infestation. No one bought the building for a year because of the curse. Of course, the realtor got desperate and you fell right into his trap."

Ruby rolled her eyes and stormed off.

💎💎💎

"So why did you call everyone in on a Sunday morning?"

"How could she do this?!" I slammed my fists on the table. I had pulled a stool up to the booth. Lapis and Opal sat on one side and Pearl and Carnelian on the other.

"Okay, Sapphire, calm down. What's going on?" Pearl asked gently.

"Sabotage!"

Opal slammed her face into the table.

"Start from the beginning." Lapis said in a nasally voice, not completely free of her sinus infection.

"Well, yesterday, we were pretty busy and had a hard time since you were gone until my mom showed up and helped out. Then the storm clouds came in and we didn't have any customers so I closed the store and let my mom and Pearl go. It started to rain and I was preparing for a cozy day when I saw Ruby trying to carry groceries inside in the pouring rain and then she tripped and dropped her keys in a bush and she couldn't find them. I felt bad for her because it started to hail so I got an umbrella and invited her in. I asked her what shop she was opening and she said something about kick but the precipitation was really coming down so I thought for some reason she meant kickboxing. When we got inside I gave her pajamas and hot cocoa the whole shop history and she returned the favor with a KNIFE IN MY BACK BECAUSE TURNS OUT HER SHOP IS NOT FOR KICKBOXING BUT FOR CAKES! DESSERTS, I SAY! SHE HAS THE NERVE TO OPEN HER STORE FOR SWEETS RIGHT BY MY STORE FOR SWEETS, DAMMIT! THIS IS NO LONGER THE BOOTH OF BACKSTORY, BUT THE BOOTH OF BETRAYAL!"

"That is pretty rude of her." Carnelian stared out the window at the store across the plaza.

"It's opening Tuesday!" I said, exasperated.

"I have an idea." Opal said quietly. "Someone is handing out flyers for it. Pearl, go get one, please."

Pearl went out to the middle of the plaza.

"Eternal Flame Cake Shop, Where the Hunger Burns Within!" A purple girl said as she handed flyers to a pedestrian.

"Excuse me, may I have one of those flyers, please? I wou-"

"Whatever, nerd." She slammed a flyer in Pearl's hands and chased after a man. "ETERNAL FLAME!"

Pearl glared after her and returned to the ice cream shop and set the flyer down on the table.

"Eternal Flame Cake Shop, Where the Hunger Burns Within." Sapphire read. "Opening Day, July 10, 2009. 1422 Rose Plaza. The fieriest cake in town. Hm."

"I don't understand why this is so important to you, but we could go to the opening day in disguise and figure out how the place works from within." Opal said.

"Yeah, it's not like Ruby wanted to hear all the store's secrets. It just happened." Lapis said with a sniffle.

"This is stupid." Carnelian bluntly stated.

"Okay, but you guys don't understand. The girl handing out flyers was completely uncouth and wild." Pearl interjected.

Sapphire sighed. "Battle of Opening Day: The Infiltration is happening, whether you like it or not. You can go now. See you on Tuesday."

💎💎💎

Tuesday mornings were not the most visited time for an ice cream shop, and we took advantage of the fact.

Lapis' hair was covered with a beanie. She put on heavy make-up and wore black clothing.

Pearl was wearing a brown wig and eye contacts. She had ripped jeans and a sweater.

Opal was the grandma. She stuffed her hair in a sunhat and dressed in large sunglasses, giant fake tatas, and a floral-patterned gown. She had a large bag.

I was wearing a backwards baseball cap, a flannel shirt, and jeans.

"Are you really sure Ruby won't recognize you? She already met you." Lapis asked me.

I laughed. "She won't recognize this." I pulled my bangs up.

Pearl gasped. "Are you sure?!"

I tapped my left eye. "She doesn't know it's glass."

"Where's Carnelian?" Opal asked. We looked around.

He walked in the door wearing a pair of sunglasses and a fedora.

"Oh my god." Lapis muttered, cringing.

"What?"

I groaned. "You look ridiculous! No one is going to buy that disguise!"

"I look ridiculous?! How can you say that when Opal has fake boobs larger than my will to live?! Besides, no one's looking for me."

Opal glared at him. "Keep me out of this."

"Let's just go." Pearl said.

We walked over to the other side of the plaza.

"Okay, team. This is it. Now matter how cutesy, how fluffy, how aesthetically pleasing this store is, do not give in." I opened the door and gasped.

The first thing that caught my attention was the floor. It looked like lava.

"It's stone set in glass on top of red LED lights. My idea. I'm full of them! HA!" A small green gem greeted before running away.

We stared after her. The whole place was black walls, horseplay, and death metal music blaring from speakers. It was all topped off by the sweet, sweet aroma of cake.

My eye twitched. This place was nothing like it should've been, and everyone loved it.

We sat at a table, trying to ignore the sounds of violence.

"So, what's next, Opal?" Pearl asked her.

Opal shrugged. "This is as far as I got in the plan."

They sat in silence. They were in the middle of enemy territory with nothing to do.

"I'll be right back." Lapis stood up.

"It smells really good." Carnelian said wistfully.

"Suck it up, this is a war zone. If Ruby finds out we're part of her world, we'll be-"

"What, annihilated? It's a cake shop, not Syria. Frankly, I think you're being immature and irrational. There's nothing wrong with this place."

An employee of the store walked by. He smirked at Carnelian.

"I'm going to KILL him!" Carnelian shouted, lunging at the employee's back. Opal and Pearl held him down.

"What are you doing?!" I asked.

"I can't believe my brother got a job here!" He said.

We looked at him, Pyrite, then back to Carnelian. "Oooooh."

Carnelian crossed his arms. "I don't want to work across from him! This sucks!" He huffed.

"See, there is a reason to hate this store." I said wisely. Pearl nodded.

"I'm not convinced." Opal said.

"Check out THESE!" Lapis sat down, holding a large cupcake in each hand. She set them down. "And I only spent five dollars!"

"Lapis! Why on earth would you buy food from the enemy! You're investing in their propaganda!" Pearl scolded.

"It was on sale! C'mon, this is an opportunity to investigate!" Lapis cut up one of them into fifths. "Give it a shot."

I watched as they hesitantly took a bite.

"This is delicious!" Lapis said, cramming her face with more.

"I have to say, they did a great job balancing sweet and salty." Opal complemented.

"It's too dry for my taste." Pearl said.

"That's 'cause you're so thirsty." Carnelian quipped. "This is pretty good, even if my brother was involved."

I took a bite. The chocolate cupcake was rich, but not too rich. It was sweet, but not too sweet. It was moist, but not too moist. It was amazing. It felt like a million kisses on my tongue. I looked around the shop. Damn you, Ruby. I'm trying to hate you, but all this stuff makes me want to be part of your world. Why is your food so damn perfect?!

I shrugged. "It's okay."

"We have no reason to stay here. We should go back." Opal said.

"Good idea." I stood up and we all left, Lapis still eating the extra cupcake. The day was unsuccessful.

Pyrite watched them go. As soon as they left, he went to the back.

"Ruby, I just saw my brother in here."

"So?"

"He was with his coworkers. They work at Laughy Sapphy."

Ruby almost dropped the batter she was mixing. "What did they do?"

"Uh, one of them bought some cupcakes. They ate them and left."

"Let them go." Ruby said dramatically.

"I wasn't going to chase the-"

"I don't like the sound of this. Something's up with them. And I'm going to find out."

Meanwhile, I opened the shop.

"Lapis, Pearl, can you two manage the shop? I'm going to come up with another plan with Opal and Carnelian."

They nodded and got to work.

I sat in the Booth of Betrayal with them.

"Well, that was a failure." Carnelian said.

"We didn't get anything new. We need a new plan."

We were silent.

Lapis got bored and began listening to the conversations of other customers.

"... think she's pregnant..."

"...changed when the Fire Nation attacked..."

"...kiss the girl..."

"...ate the bongos..."

"...annual food contest..."

Lapis jumped up, leaning over the edge of the booth to peer and the friends in the booth next to us. "Food contest?"

"Uh...yeah." The blue one said.

"That's right!" I jumped up. "The fair!"

Lapis stared at me, confused.

"Oh, that's right! Every year, the county has a fair and it's this weekend! A food contest is being held on Sunday. " I explained.

Lapis looked at me.

"I think I have a couple flyers left." I said, digging through my bag before handing one to her.

"This is perfect!" She said. "We'll show Eternal Flame who's the best store in the plaza!"

"I'm in." Carnelian said.

"Opal, can you go let Eternal Flame know? We'll brainstorm a dessert to enter."

Opal nodded and went outside to the other building. She opened the door.

"What'd you want, punk?!" A colossal purple gem shouted.

"I'm from Laughy Sapphy, and-"

"Your kind is not welcome here!"

"Look, I didn't want to come here. But my boss has a challenge for you. Unless you're too...weak."

"Weak? WEAK?! Who took down Communication Hub Towers all by herself?! ME!"

"Yeah, yeah, that's great. But if you want a chance to prove it, you should enter in the food contest." Opal gave her a flyer. One pair of arms was crossed and the other was on her hips.

"I. Don't. Care." Sugilite growled.

"But-"

"LEAVE!"

Opal walked back.

"So, are they in?" I asked.

"No. Sugilite kicked me out."

"That's okay, I'll figure something out. Anyway, we're entering Stefanina's Famous Milkshake. I have all the ingredients in the back, but I'm not making it until Saturday night. You and Carnelian can go home. See you tomorrow."

When the day was done, I took Ruby's clothes from the storm in my arms. After I folded them nicely, I wrote a quick letter and grabbed a food contest flyer. I walked over to Eternal Flame and left them on the doorstep, knocking. I left. Ruby opened the door and read the letter.

Ruby,

I think we need to duel this out.

Enter the food contest.

May the best dessert win.

-S

Ruby put down the letter and looked at the flyer.

14th Annual Beach City Fair Food Competition!

Sunday, July 11th

10:30-11:30

Awards:
1st: Blue Ribbon
2nd: Red Ribbon
3rd: Yellow Ribbon
4th: White Ribbon
5th: Pink Ribbon

Enter Now!

Ruby set down the flyer.

💎💎💎

A few hours later, I heard a knock. I smirked and went over to the door and opened it.

My washed pajamas were folded up somewhat nicely and a slip of paper was on top.

We'll be there.

I went inside and spent a long time doing nothing. I wasn't sleeping tonight.

I checked in the freezer for the billionth time. The milkshake was still there and still perfect. I examined it carefully and closed the door. I checked the time. 4:30. Great. The contest was in six hours. I tapped my foot anxiously. I had to stand guard, even if it was in the earliest hours of day. I slouched my head. Ugh, this was so boring...

💎💎💎

Pearl unlocked the door with her spare keys. She flipped on the lights and looked around.

"I don't see her."

Opal, Carnelian, and Lapis followed her.

"She should be up by now. Sapphire is always up early." Opal said with a note of concern.

Pearl walked around then went behind the counter. "Sapphire?"

"AAH!" I jumped up. Pearl stared at me and my other employees rushed over. I was slouched on the floor.

"Woah, are you okay? You look like hell." Lapis asked.

I quickly stood up and checked the freezer. The milkshake was fine.

"What time is it?!" I asked Carnelian.

"9:30."

"Oh. Well, I'm already dressed, so we can all relax for half an hour." I said.

It was quiet with the quiet hum of the lights. The time flew by as everyone talked quietly and we were ready to go. I put the milkshake in a cooler and went to my car. I put it in the trunk and everyone climbed in. Carnelian was in the passenger seat with everyone else in the back.

We drove quietly to the grounds. I parked and took out the cooler to the stage. There were five spots and I took a seat at the one that had a plaque with my name on it. I investigated the others. There was Kiki Pizza, Peedee Fryman, Lars & Sadie, Ruby Valentine, and Sapphire Winters. Fun. Kiki was already here.

I yawned. My employees were in the audience, along with the Pizzas and a few spectators. The judge table was occupied.

I stared at the clear sky. I hope it didn't melt. I looked at the three spoons I had prepared for the judges.

"Sapphire, you know you don't have to stay here for so long. Go have fun, we could probably squeeze in a Ferris wheel ride together!" Pearl said.

"But who's going to watch the milkshake?"

"Come on, lighten up. If it makes you feel better, Opal will look after it."

"I will?" Opal asked as she approached us.

"You will." Pearl said forcefully before smiling at me again. "Let's have fun!"

"I'd rather- woah!"

Pearl dragged me away from the contest and into the ride zone.

They stood in line for the Ferris wheel. Sapphire was fuming. "You're going to regret this, Pearl! You know how I am with heights!"

"You're going to have fun, I promise."

They waited in line for a few minutes. I glanced over to the other line and stomped Pearl's foot. She winced.

"What was tha-"

"Look." I hissed quietly and gestured towards the other line.

"Why did yo- ooh."

Ruby and Amethyst were waiting eagerly.

"Figures they're going on this instead of watching whatever dessert they concocted." I grumbled.

We reached the front of the line.

"Okay, you two together..." He pointed to Pearl and Amethyst. "And you two together." He paired me with Ruby.

Everyone began to argue with him.

"I was hoping I could ride with my friend Pearl. We haven't seen each other in a while."

"Tough shit, NEXT!" He urged us on the cage-like compartment.

I sat across from Ruby, my arms folded. She didn't care. I looked through the bars that made up the side of the compartment and saw Pearl keeping her distance from Amethyst, who was laughing hysterically. The wheel began to move.

Ruby gazed out at the fair. I squeezed my eye shut, grasping the bars of the metal deathtrap.

"Wow, look at the food contest!"

I peeked out to see the crowd filling up. The wheel got higher and my grip got tighter.

"Hey, Sapphire, are you okay?"

I felt clammy.

"Are you...afraid of heights?"

I shook my head.

"You're afraid of heights!"

"Please don't rub it in."

"No, no. It's okay. But there's no need to be afraid of this Ferris Wheel."

"God, I know that, I just can't help being afraid."

"That's not what I meant. My grandpa helped build this. It's made out of some super-strong metal, but the point is this thing is pretty much indestructible."

I opened my real eye and peered at her. "That does make me feel better... I'm still scared, though."

"We all have our fears."

"What are you afraid of?" I asked curiously.

Ruby turned even redder. "Well, the thing is, um, you see-"

"Spit it out!"

"Geese!"

It was quiet.

"Why?"

"Well, I lived in Maine. Every summer my family would go to Quebec for vacation since my dad is from there. We had a cabin by a lake and there would always be a flock of geese hanging around it. I don't know if you've heard the legends, but Canadian geese are the antichrist. If you never encounter the holy terror that is a Canada goose, consider yourself lucky. Now, five-year-old me was quite naïve when it came to the antichrist of the entire fowl population, I didn't think much of it. However, one think I did know was of the group of ducks on the other side of our lake. When I was a kid, I was a roller skating star and had just got my first roller blades. I spent a lot of time doing that because I had this weird dream of roller blading in the 2004 Summer Olympics. No idea why. I was also quite the chatterbox so my parents convinced me to take a couple slices of bread that had gone moldy and feed them to the ducks to distract me. I didn't suspect a thing as I put on my helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, and skates, of course. I had moldy bread in my hands as I skated in the grass. Not sure why I was in the grass, but I was making my way around the lake. I was determined to feed those ducks. Unfortunately, the geese had other plans. As if they spotted me, they lined up on the side of the road. I slowed down. I knew something was off, but it seemed cool. I went up to a goose when it suddenly hissed. Yes, hissed. It was horrifying, have you seen a goose tongue? I panicked and tried to protect the bread. One of the geese bit my leg. I started crying and screaming. I threw the bread and most of the geese went after it. My parents had seen and started running towards me with something in his hands, but they was still far away. I skated in their direction when the geese began to his again. They were done with the bread and were hungry for more. The geese ran towards me and I was so afraid I didn't figure they wanted bread, but rather my flesh. I skated as fast as I could, going on the sidewalk finally, but I could barely use roller blades so I fell and scraped my arm. The geese closed in when suddenly my mom came running in with a folding chair. She swung it at the geese. They hissed at her and she hissed back even louder. They were pretty surprised and backed off. My dad picked me up and we went back to the cabin. I gave up my dreams of being a roller-skating Olympic athlete after that day."

I stared at her. "Wow."

"Moral of the story: geese are dicks."

"That's...wow."

"I still have the scar from it." Ruby turned her leg to show faded bite marks from tiny goose teeth. "Never went that way to get to the ducks again."

The ferris wheel slowed down. I looked around as it came to a stop at the bottom. "Hey, the ride's over."

Ruby smiled. "Yeah, huh."

"That...that wasn't so bad." I said quietly. "Your grandpa did a good job on this wheel. And thanks for the goose story."

"Sapphire!" Pearl screeched as she threw her arms around me. "Oh, that was horrible! Thank goodness it's over."

"Ugh, she was such a nag! 'Use the safety belt!' 'Quiet down, you'll disturb those old people!' 'Don't stick your arm out, it'll get crushed by those gears!' Let's just go, the contest is starting soon."

"Right! The contest!" I said. I grabbed Pearl and sprinted towards the area.

"Did your grandpa really help build this?" Amethyst asked Ruby.

"No. Sometimes you need to lie to help people feel better." Ruby smiled after her, then turned back to Amethyst. "The goose thing is real, though."

We reached the stage.

"Opal, you can leave now. I'm ready."

She gladly went to her seat and I sat down. Every other spot but Ruby's was filled. I could smell all their foods. I looked at the clear blue sky and heard the sweet, sweet sound of fierce competition. This was my chance to make Grammy proud.

Speaking of family matriarchs, I spotted my mom in the crowd. I smiled. I knew she'd make it.

Someone came up and tapped the mic. "Alright, it seems Contestant Four is not-"

"Sorry!"

Ruby rushed through the crowd, Amethyst trailing behind her. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!"

A small, green gem approached them with a molten lava cake and handed it to Ruby, who sat down shamefully.

"Now it seems everyone is here." The host said. "Sorry for the mild annoyance."

Ruby blushed.

"I think it's time we should get started. There are three categories: presentation, appearance, and taste. Each judge will give you a score out of ten for each category. The total is your final score and the one with the highest score is the winner. Does everyone understand?"

Everyone nodded.

"Let's get started, then." The host said and he went up to the first seat.

"Hey, everyone! I'm Kiki Pizza, here to represent Fish Stew Pizza! My item is a piece of veggie pizza, the healthiest option in the shop! It has pepperoni, sausage, and broccoli!"

The judges scribbled something down from their table beside the stage.

"Thank you, Kiki! Next!"

"I'm Peedee, and I brought fry bits from my family business. They aren't actually a menu item, but it's popular with customers."

"Nice job, Peedee."

"I'm Sadie-"

"-and I'm Lars."

"We work at the Big Donut so we brought a glazed sprinkled donut here today." Sadie finished.

"Alrighty, and who's this newcomer?"

Ruby snatched the mic, getting the judge's attention. "My name is Ruby Valentine, and I'm here to rock your world with the Molten Lava Volcano Eruption Lava Hot Cake! I'm the owner of Eternal Flame Cake Shop, Where the Hunger Burns Within! I'm bringing you with the experience of a lifetime!"

Everyone was stunned. The judges didn't know what to think.

The host took the microphone back. "Okay...and here's a familiar face!"

"Hello. I'm Sapphire Winters, owner of Laughy Sapphy Ice Cream, est. 1959. This is my first year owning Laughy Sapphy and I'm excited to make it proud. I made Stefanina's Famous Milkshame in honor of my grandma, who won nine blue ribbons in this competition. Thank you."

The judges averaged their scores and they played on the board.

Scores

Sapphire Winters- 9
Kiki Pizza- 8
Ruby Valentine- 7.6
Lars and Sadie- 6.6
Peedee Fryman- 6

I smiled. I was in first!

"Next round: Appearance. Judges, take your places."

They stood next to Kiki and examined the pizza. They wrote down a number and moved down the line. Ruby's cake was a chocolate blob, but it worked. They inspected my carefully layered milkshake in a tall glass.

Scores

Sapphire Winters- 17.3
Kiki Pizza- 15.6
Ruby Valentine- 15.2
Peedee Fryman- 14.6
Lars and Sadie- 13.6

My mom cheered. "Go Sapphire!"

"And now, a brief break before the final competition." The host went over to the judge table.

Everyone came up to me.

"You're doing amazing!" My employees encouraged.

I looked over at Eternal Flame. Ruby's staff was coaching her.

My mom smiled. "You got this. I can tell you nailed the recipe. Blow them away. They sat down.

Eternal Flame was getting really rough. Sugilite and Ruby were happily punching each other. I rolled my eyes. Suddenly, Sugilite pushed Ruby. She shot backwards and into my table. My milkshake toppled over and spilled onto my plate. I gasped and frantically tried to put the contents back in.

"Oh, geez, I'm so sorry. Here, let me help. I can-"

"No!" I said. She backed away.

"Now for the final round: Taste."

As the judges sampled the other foods, I tried desperately to fix the milkshake. The layers were all messed up. I felt my hands get clammy and shaky, making the process even worse. I finally got it somewhat fixed, but everything was out of order. I turned and saw the judges react positively to Ruby's cake. My heart pounded in my chest as the judges took their spoons and each took a bite. I couldn't tell how they felt. I trembled with anxiety as they averaged the scores and gave an envelope to the host.

"Alright, contestants, it's the moment you've been waiting for!" The host announced. He opened the envelope. "In fifth place, we have Peedee Fryman and his Fry Bits!" The host have him a pink ribbon. "Coming in fourth, we award Lars and Sadie with their Glazed Sprinkled Donut!" He handed them the white ribbon. In third place, we have the lucky Kiki Pizza and her Veggie Pizza!" She received the yellow ribbon.

"Now, the one that counts the most. In first place with an astounding score of 24.8 we happily congratulate..."

I held my breath. Please...please...

"Ruby Valentine! Excellent job!" I watched as the blue ribbon was handed to her. I was shocked.

"Wow, really?! This is so cool! My shop hasn't even been open for two weeks and I already have an award! This is a dream come true!"

After the host basked in Ruby's glory, he handed me the red ribbon for second place quickly and scuttled back. I stared at it. I had red and she had blue. It was backwards. Ruby's employees ran up to the stage and picked her up.

Final Scores

Ruby Valentine- 24.8
Sapphire Winters- 24.6
Kiki Pizza- 23.9
Lars and Sadie- 22.6
Peedee Fryman- 20.6

I had lost by 0.2 points. I stared at the ribbon. 0.3 points better and my employees would be carrying me off the stage instead. 0.3 points better and Ruby would understand how opening a dessert shop in the same plaza as another dessert shop hurts business. 0.3 points better and I would be cemented as a first-place-blue-ribbon-winning-amazing-owner of the store. But I was 0.3 points less than what I could've been. My employees were not carrying me off the stage. Ruby didn't understand how opening a dessert shop in the same plaza as another dessert shop hurts business. I would not be cemented as a first-place-blue-ribbon-winning-amazing-owner of the store. I had let my employees down. I had let my mom down. I had let my grandma down.

The crowd began to clear. I sat in the chair.

Ruby was still celebrating when she noticed me in the corner of her eye. She remembered what happened to the milkshake and went over. "Sapphire, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to knock it over! This ribbon should be yours!"

"Leave me alone." I said quietly, tears running down my face that I hoped she couldn't see.

"It's all my fault, I shoul-"

"Go!"

Ruby hovered, then left. We made so much progress on the Ferris wheel. I wish this stupid contest never happened.

Pearl, Opal, Lapis, Carnelian, and my mom remained.

"You four should get going. I'll talk to her." Sarafina said quietly. "Go have fun."

They left and my mom gently approached me. "Sapphire... I'm sorry you didn't win. I'm proud of you."

"What's to be proud of?" I said bitterly. "Some wild lunatic can run a shop she opened barely a week ago better than I can run a shop I've grown up in."

She sighed. "I think this is more about Ruby than it is about losing the contest, huh?"

"It's like she's trying to run me out of business! She knows nothing and she can still with a competition!"

"Sweetie, I love you, but this rivalry is getting ridiculous. I know you're upset, but this isn't the way you should be dealing with the situation. It's not healthy and it's just making things worse for the both of you."

"You wouldn't understand! I have to do this! Just...just let me do this."

"You're not going to listen to me. Let me know when you want to be mature about this." She left. I watched her go and hugged my knees.

💎💎💎

The week had been horrible. It was Thursday and I already lost motivation. Everything was tense between my employees and we had worked in silence all week. I watched as my customers disappeared and Ruby's customers appeared. I dismissed Carnelian and Opal and closed the store when something caught my eye. I went across the plaza to gape at the windows of Eternal Flame.

50% Everything Day!

Eternal Flame Cake Shop

Friday, July 25

Be there!

Oh, I'll be there, Ruby.

💎💎💎

Ruby was on cloud nine.

This week was a huge success. Winning the food competition had brought her shop into the spotlight, and it was busier than ever with a 50% Off day. Ruby still felt bad about ruining Sapphire's shake, but she had been kept too busy to worry.

All of a sudden, Pearl and Lapis burst in the door wearing Groucho Glasses.

"STOP THE PRESSES!" Pearl said loudly.

"What's going on?!!" Lapis shouted back.

"Laughy Sapphy Ice Cream is having a 100% OFF EVERYTHING DAY!"

"That's incredible! When is it?"

"It's today!"

"Today?!"

"TODAY!"

"Holy smokes!"

"And it's right across the plaza!"

"Holy moly, we need to go!"

"Not before we-" Pearl whipped out a bunch of flyers. "-ADVERTISE!"

They started spinning back-to-back and making it rain down flyers on Ruby's transfixed customers. Pearl and Lapis ran out of the store, followed by a stampede of the people who wanted free food. (Which was, of course, everyone.)

Ruby, Amethyst, and Peridot stood in the deserted store, shocked. Ruby picked up a flyer, covered in dirty footprints.

100% Everything Day!

Laughy Sapphy Ice Cream

Friday, July 25

Be there!

Ruby looked out the window and across the plaza.

Inside the shop by the window, I was aggressively flipping her off with both hands.

Ruby crumpled up the flyer and slammed it on the counter. "That's it!" She stormed to the middle of the plaza, where I met her calmly.

"You. Me. Food Fight. Here. End of the day. Be there." She glared.

"I'm looking forward to it." I said, flipping my hair. Ruby stomped inside.

"Ruby?" Amethyst asked.

She ignored her and went to the landline, angrily punching in digits. "Hey, Sugilite! I know you're not working today, but if you and Pyrite aren't busy, you need to come in." She twisted the line around her finger. "We're going to war."

💎💎💎

Opal, Carnelian, myself, Pearl, and Lapis were lined up in camouflage and war gear. We were wearing black tank tops, cargo pants, cameo headbands, and war paint (except for Carnelian, who got the memo late). We had Ice Cream cannons and spoon catapults.

Sugilite, Pyrite, Ruby, Amethyst, and Peridot were mirroring us, ready with cakes and weaponry.

Tension was high. We didn't know who would attack first.

"RAAAH!" Sugilite shouted, and chaos began.

Ice cream was fired. Cakes were thrown. I ducked behind the fountain.

Opal and Sugilite were going head on. They slammed desserts at each other. It was a battle between grace and power.

Carnelian and Pyrite were involved in a brawl. It was more of a wrestling match than warfare.

Pearl and Amethyst were dueling over by a bench. They were lunging at each other. I think they drew blood.

Lapis and Peridot were in a game of cat and mouse. They were going in circles.

"Where is- yes!" I finally spotted Ruby across the plaza, looking for a target.

I leaped out from behind the fountain. Ruby turned and readied some cakes. I fired ice cream. She jumped back and it splattered on the ground in the middle of the ground. She threw a cake at me. I knocked it with my cannon on the ground and it landed on the ice cream. She charged at me. I charged at her. She stepped on the dropped cake. It slid on the ice cream. In the mayhem, she dropped another cake. I was too distracted to notice and I stepped on it. We were both slipping. We collided. I fell. After the shock set in, I opened my eyes to find Ruby in the same position. She was rubbing her head. Then she looked at me. We stared at each other. It was then I finally understood. I understood how petty this stupid competition was. I think Ruby understood too. It was like we were oblivious to all the hate going on between our employees.

"We really got carried away with this, huh?" Ruby said.

"DIE, TRASH!"

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have started this petty competition." I replied.

"YOU'RE THE SCUM OF THE EARTH!"

"I understand why you did. You had a right to be upset."

"YOU MANWHORE!"

"It was stupid...I'm just worried the store is going to flop under my reign. I had no right to take it out on you."

"GO STICK A POOL NOODLE UP YOUR ASS!"

"You're doing great, customers love you."

"I AM NOT A BIRD!"

"I couldn't even get a blue ribbon."

"YOU ARE TOO A BIRD!"

"You deserved that blue ribbon! We don't even deserve it, it's our fault you lost."

"YOU NERD!"

"Really? That...that means a lot. Thanks, Ruby. I think we should call a truce and be friends. Deal?"

"YOU CLOD!"

"Deal."

We smiled at each other and stood up.

A/N: Holy turtle duck, this chapter is long. I checked and it's as big as chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 combined with a total of over 8,000 words. I hope every one of them was worth it.

So, what did you think? I hope you enjoyed it as much as you're going to enjoy the sequel.

Oops!

Okay, I know it wasn't an accident. Coincidentally, I also left in some hints as to what fairy tale I'll be reimagining with everyone's favorite gays.

Now, what three song titles from a certain Disney movie did I slip into the first half of the oneshot?

When someone comments the movie I'll give out the title :D