Chapter Five: Unearthing Insecurities
Comet Burst didn’t leave Ms. Harshwhinny until a couple of hours into the afternoon. The cough drops and ginger tea with honey did wonders in soothing her throat. In addition, the monstrous soup the stallion concocted for her cleared her sinuses enough to taste the casserole he gifted. Warming it up in the oven, she scooped a serving into a bowl. She grimaced at the pile of light brown mush. She made out brown rice, mushrooms, and carrot slices but the rest remained a mystery. He put in the effort and she loathed to waste food. She could at least try it.
The spoon delivered a tiny amount to her mouth. The mare’s icy oculars rounded the second the mush touched her taste buds.
It was delicious.
She detected onion soup mix and cream of celery in the concoction and the brown rice itself tasted like it might have been boiled in vegetable stock. What ever the casserole contained, it was something she wanted again.
After she consumed a second helping, she proceeded to store the leftovers. Comet Burst had already did the same with the soup; in her refrigerator, single serving plastic containers were stacked. The calming scent of lavender tickled her partially clogged nostrils as she took notice of the sink free of dirty dishes and the spotless countertop.
The next day, Comet Burst returned to check on Ms. Harshwhinny. The mare had assured him she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but she reluctantly acceded after the stallion unleashed the power of his large burgundy eyes that shined with concern for her. He assured her that he would tend to her needs until her lethargy abated.
It was nice, though, having her meals prepared, the dishes washed, the house cleaned, and the plants watered for her while she rested. The service was permitted to last for three days, unwilling to allow herself to fall into laziness. She decided that she regained enough strength to fend for herself and sent Comet Burst on his way. The prolonged exposure to his company and attentive care had left an impression on the mare. Dedication like his was something she never expected to receive.
She legitimately was willing to embrace his friendship.
Ms. Harshwhinny’s symptoms significantly waned after a week. While she was still congested, that failed to dissuade her from rising early for a jog. Purple bands hugging her pasterns and matching headband firmly clenched between her teeth, her cold gaze swept over the table where a letter and form laid among bills and useless junk that arrived in yesterday’s mail.
The mare turned away from it and pulled on the headband. Her hoof swept over her forehead to adjust the headband and draw her golden forelock out from beneath the length of fabric. Her mind was heavy with the subject matter contained within the letter, starching up her structure with stress.
She exited her house once a girth holding a couple of bottled waters was strapped around her hips. An endorphin-producing run would relieve her of her stress. Thoughts veered to the azure unicorn as she broke into a warm-up trot. Maybe the bumbling stallion would be effective in helping her unwind.
“C’mon, Eggroll, all the carrot bits taste the same. Ya don’t need to throw any out of your bowl.” The Quaker parrot plucked bite-sized pieces of carrot from a metal dish and flung them with careless abandon. A sigh was expelled from Comet Burst’s nostrils, yet a patient smile was drawn over his lips. He scrunched up his muzzle as a piece of carrot bounced off his nose. The bird finally chose a piece at the bottom, eliciting a chuckle from the unicorn. “You’re a butt.”
The doorbell attained Comet Burst’s attention. He greeted his visitor with a welcoming smile and his parrot nestled in his untamed bedhead. His smile broadened at the sight of the Ms. Harshwhinny.
“We’re going for a run,” she stated before the unicorn could address her.
“Oh! Okay, I’m down with that.” He rolled his eyes up. Eggroll bit into the chunk of carrot held in his foot. Tinier pieces fell from his beak and clung to the stallion’s cyan mane. “Just let me put Eggroll in his cage with his breakfast. And I’ll get ready.”
Ms. Harshwhinny regarded him with incredulity.
Eggroll.
Eggroll?
The earth pony didn’t know what sort of name this strange stallion would bestow upon a pet, but Eggroll was an off-the-chart sort of odd in her perspective. She personally would have chosen something elegant and dignified for the cute creature.
Comet Burst returned to the kitchen. A couple of spinach leaves were dropped into Eggroll’s dish before it was scooped up. The bowl and bird were gently placed into the cage. Before closing the door, the stallion bestowed a loving pat on the avian’s head. “If ya haven’t eaten any spinach by the time I get home, you’re grounded.”
Paper and pencils were still strewn about on the floor, Ms. Harshwhinny noticed. The urge to point it out to the azure stallion was maddening, but she withheld her tongue as a method of subtly expressing that she liked him…a little.
She was rejoined by Comet Burst, his mane brushed and free of carrot bits and his back burdened by his saddlebags. “Alright! Let’s go! I packed us a couple of waters in case…ya want more.”
“Unless you want to risk heat stroke or colic, you will take frequent drinks,” came the mare’s stern warning.
The door bumped Comet Burst’s rear as it swung shut. “Doesn’t drinking too much water give ya colic?”
“No, that’s an old wives’ tale. There is no evidence that supports the old myth that drinking water during or after exercise causes colic. Only idiots would intentionally dehydrate themselves.” Ms. Harshwhinny led the stallion into a trot. “We’ll start by trotting to warm up and increase blood circulation. Our spleens will begin to contract and increase the amount of blood cells, which will carry more oxygen to our muscles.”
“Wow, you’re real dedicated to runnin’.” Comet Burst fell into pace behind the mare, the colored pencils clinking with each paced stride. “But ya wouldn’t have become an amazing racer if ya weren’t.”
“Dedication isn’t enough to be successful. You need to consistently push yourself if you want results.” She transitioned into a canter. “Unfortunately, success manages to find those who are undeserving.”
Comet Burst followed suit. “Like singers that become famous because they’re good-lookin’ and need pitch correction to sound decent.”
“That is one example.”
“I got a little sister who is real talented at singin’,” he revealed. “She sings at this restaurant she waits at, but she’s got her hopes on being discovered.”
“Perhaps her time will come. Patience is an imperative component to success.”
Ms. Harshwhinny and Comet Burst kept to the natural outskirts of Canterlot. Her eyes wandered over her shoulder and to the stallion galloping behind her. She detected his fatigue, but no complaints were ever uttered. That was good. She had no patience or sympathy for whiners.
The city was left behind and the pair was enveloped by an open field that separated Canterlot from the eventual downward slope that blended into the mountain’s face. Ms. Harshwhinny espied an overturned tree ahead. She slowed into a canter, muscles bunching up in her hindquarters. Her strong legs launched her into a perfectly timed jump over the tree. Her body still remembered the dynamics. She arced in a trot, waiting for Comet Burst to catch up.
Weighed down by enervation and desperate for water and rest, Comet Burst’s face still lit up with admiration upon witnessing such a graceful leap. He forced his burning legs to pump harder and he made his own attempt at a jump. Inexperienced and miscalculating, his forelegs caught the tree and was subsequently sent face-first into the grass on the other side.
Ms. Harshwhinny approached him, searching his forelegs for scrapes. None were to be found, but there was a definite possibility of bruising. The stallion’s sides heaved from the exertion and his legs were consumed by a fiery ache. He tilted his head back to meet the mare’s gaze with a smile as he pulled in his legs and arose gradually. “Guess I…should’a timed that better…I’m okay, though!”
“Good. I don’t tolerate complaining,” the mare said with a hint of relief lacing her tonality. She whirled around, guiding him towards the ledge.
“All it does is annoy everypony. My granny taught me that,” Comet Burst chuckled, his breathing rate normalized. He was grateful they transitioned into an easy walk. His body was begging him for rest.
They came upon the ledge and settled into the lush grass. The view, in it’s grandiose vastness, was breathtaking. It alone could mitigate the mare’s attention. Water bottles were withdrawn, the equines threw back their heads to quench their thirst. Ms. Harshwhinny drained the last drop from her second bottle. She frowned in disapproval upon acknowledging Comet Burst’s one unopened bottle.
“Drink more water,” she asserted. “You need to keep yourself properly hydrated.”
Comet Burst stared at the mare in mild bewilderment, but his typical smile came back to him. Stowing away his empty bottle, he twisted the cap from the second. He hesitated for a moment, his burgundy gaze fixating on her empty bottle. Shifting closer, he dipped his bottle and transferred a third of his water into hers.
“That’s enough. Start drinking,” the mare nagged. Her hoof curled around her bottle and she spoke again, her pitch softening. “Thank you.”
“Thank you for concernin’ yourself with my well-being,” he responded, sending her a wink. He downed the remains of his water and buried his muzzle into his opposing saddlebag. A sketchbook was fished out and placed between his forelegs.
“Are you really unable to perform magic?” Ms. Harshwhinny queried as Comet Burst chose a few colored pencils from his limited supply.
Comet Burst shifted his attention to the mare, pencil in his mouth. The green utensil fell from his lips as the stallion took on an expression of embarrassment. Clenching his eyes shut, he attempted to summon the inner mana every unicorn was supposed to possess. Ms. Harshwhinny observed with intrigue. The unicorn’s horn pulsated with the faintest burgundy glow. He grunted and threw in more effort, beads of sweat peeking out from beneath the fur covering his forehead and temples. The pencil below quivered and did nothing else.
The stallion’s face flushed, straining on an elongated grunt before he finally gave up. He could feel a headache coming on. Ears rolling back, he lifted his eyes to meet Ms. Harshwhinny’s. “I guess…that tells ya what ya need to know. My horn has glowed randomly when I was around my sisters or parents or Eggroll, but that’s it.”
“I see…” Ms. Harshwhinny mused, allowing a twinge of sympathy to enter her voice. A unicorn unable to cast magic was like a pegasus without its wings or an earth pony without sheer strength.
“I’m sure you can imagine I got picked on a lot because of that. Grade school was rough.” Comet Burst paused momentarily. “And middle school. And high school.”
The earth pony regarded him with an understanding nod. “Everypony endures cruelty during foalhood.”
“I don’t suppose you weren’t an exception,” Comet Burst said offhandedly. The mare’s uncomfortable silence stunned him. “Wait…What could somepony as cool as you be teased about?”
Ms. Harshwhinny’s ears flattened. Her sapphire orbs slid into his direction and she scrunched up her unusually lengthy muzzle. The stallion tilted his head, donning puzzlement.
“Hold it.” Realization spawned. “Your muzzle? Who would tease ya about your muzzle?”
“Shallow fillies who feel the need to point out imperfections on other ponies just to make them feel superior,” Ms. Harshwhinny huffed. She could still clearly recall the jeers she received in her younger years. The taunts were never taken without countering with her own snide witticisms. Her mother had never approved of her cynical disposition.
The mare squelched a shudder as her mother’s cold voice pervaded her mind.
‘Ladies apologize for such horrible manners. Such behavior is not befitting of a lady.’
Cognizance enfolded her. The words in her apology to Comet Burst on their first date were nearly identical to her mother’s. A flash of anger was experienced with the realization that her overbearing mother still held some semblance of control over her.
“Are you okay?”
Comet Burst’s voice extinguished her ire. She nodded and took a swig of water. “Yes.”
“Y’know,” the unicorn began, flipping open his sketchbook. “It’s too bad we weren’t around the same age and went to the same school. We could’a had each other’s backs.”
A ghost of a smile traced Ms. Harshwhinny’s lips. “I went to schools for fillies.”
A cheeky smirk pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Hey, I might’ve been able to blend in. I’ve been told I’ve got a pretty girly figure.”
The mare compressed her lips, a squeak resounding as she suppressed a bubble of laughter. She waited for the silly mental imagery to pass before speaking. “The…thought is…appreciated.”
“Not a problem. Friends do that kinda stuff for each other.”
Comet Burst’s focus shifted to the blank page in his sketchbook. As he mapped out the scenery on paper, his companion shifted closer. Resting her eyes on the sketchbook, watching the stallion bring the landscape to life drew her closer to solace.