Mother! You Didnt!

Ametrine sat at her windowsill with her sketchbook in her lap and her pencil etching furiously, infused with the magic from her horn. She stared at her work in concentration. It wasn't easy to create the proper proportions of another pony from memory, but she always felt it was a necessary practice. She furrowed her eyebrows with a scoff and discarded her pencil.

The door to her painting studio opened after a familiar and gentle rhythmic knock on the door. The workspace was neat and tidy - only indicating she hadn't currently been working with paints currently. In the case she was painting, the studio could become a mess in record times. "Ames!" The melodic ring of her mother's voice called from the door. The way her name was sung into the air meant that Rarity had news. It could be anything from minor gossip to life-changing decisions. Rarity always had a knack for dramatics. Admittedly, Ametrine didn't always find it annoying. It made harmless gossip much more entertaining.

Ametrine stood from her window and met her mother in the middle of the room. Rarity looked incredibly excited, which only piqued her interest. Before she could ask, Rarity was spewing out her news.

"I know you've been having a difficult time with selling your art, so I took it upon myself on my recent visit to Canterlot to take a detour and advertise in the hopes of collecting some potential patrons," she began. Ametrine raised her eyebrows at the mention of patrons for her art. She had just recently decided to sell some of her work, but she couldn't imagine anyone from Canterlot would bother buying a piece that wasn't from someone well-known. The way Rarity had been presenting the news made her face flush with excitement and she smiled. "And?"

"I not only got your name being spoken about around Canterlot's fabulous, but I even got your very first patron and he will be here in three days!" Rarity chimed. Ametrine's eyes brightened. "To look at my recent pieces? I can't imagine any of them are well off enough-"

"No!" Rarity exclaimed. "He is going to be arriving for a portrait."

A portrait. A prestigious stallion from Canterlot was coming to get a portrait from her? A squeal of excitement left her before she could contain it. "Oh! I'll have to ensure my paints are restocked! Might I ask who it is? I can't have it being a surprise if I want to collect the right palette." She mentioned, her mind swirling with what paints she might use or what mood the patron might want in their portrait.

Rarity's smile grew. "Only the best for my daughter. I pulled some strings and I spoke with none other than Queen Celestia. She agreed for her son to travel to Ponyville to get his portrait painted! He'll be staying with us for the few days while you're painting. I know how long your process can take and-"

"WHAT?" Ametrine's voice became more pitched. The prince would be her first real patron? Her heart thumped hard in her chest and her cheeks flushed red with panic. "Mother, you didn't!" She gasped, her eyebrows furrowed. "That is so much pressure! I can't possibly paint a portrait for someone like that. What if I offend him? I know you're in the same circle as some royalty, like Auntie Twilight and all, but I couldn't ever imagine having to interact with anypony as- as-" She didn't even know the word. Royalty was going to be here, in her studio, and she was expected to paint him. It would be different if it were Astrophel - she grew up with him and really, his presence didn't bother her. But this was Prince Parhelion. She'd only ever seen him on photos in the papers.

Rarity nudged her gently with her shoulder. "My beautiful gem, you have nothing to worry about! All you have to do is treat him like you would any other pony." She reassured. "Believe it or not, I used to be quite frazzled in the face of royalty. I still can be, admittedly," a light blush dusted her cheeks. Ametrine frowned, unsure if she felt consoled at all. Rarity always seemed to graceful and easy going with everypony. It was hard to imagine she wasn't always so calm and charming. "This is a great opportunity to get your work being talked about in the far corners of Equestria. No one can ignore an artist who holds the prince as her patron."

She had a point. Ametrine tried to relax her tense shoulders. "Right," she huffed quietly. "You're right." But it didn't smooth the nervous sinking feeling in her chest..