//------------------------------// // happy hearths warming? // Story: Hearthwarmingly Heartwarming // by Octave Storm //------------------------------// It was still dark when Indigo Zap came to, although little could be said about waking up at the crack of dawn in the midst of winter. Still, the lights were dark, save for one in the kitchen. Her eyes adjusted to the dim lights quickly, spotting Sunny Flare and Twilight Sparkle's sleeping bags on opposite ends of the couch and Sugarcoat near the TV, her hand wrapped loosely around her phone. Indigo shifted in her place on the floor as her senses slowly woke, greeting her with the smell of... was that pancakes? Indigo closed her eyes for a moment, trying to get her brain to wake up properly before pulling herself up and shuffling over to the kitchen. She had the basic decency to keep quiet while the rest were asleep or perhaps her vocal cords hadn't unjumbled themselves yet. The latter had a higher chance of being true. Lemon Zest stood by the stove, flipping pancakes over the flame. She wore an old CPA class t-shirt and a pair of shorts, her hair damp against her neck. Morning showers in winter are hell, Indigo thought to herself. Her headphones were clamped tightly around her ears, hardly a surprise, although it probably qualified as some sort of safety hazard. If the smoke detector went off, she probably wouldn't hear it. To be fair, she'd probably smell it first and the girl was a fairly good cook if her tendency to make drinks for her friends didn't already suggest that. She hummed to herself, not noticing Indigo who stood by the doorway. "Morning, Zest. Smells good," Indigo greeted and the other girl turned her head slightly in acknowledgment. Indigo narrowed her eyes, spotting something off about Lemon's appearance. "What's that?" She gestured vaguely. "On your neck?" Lemon seemed to realize that Indigo wanted to chat and pulled her headphones down. "Hey, dude. Didn't catch what you said." She replied, still focused on the pancakes. "No, I just swear I thought I saw something on your neck... Probably just a shadow." "Mhmm?" "Want some help?" Indigo asked, not sure what else to say since the rest were still knocked out. Lemon put the pancake into a plate and turned to Indigo for a moment. "I hate to be that guy but you need to stay far, far away from this food if you want to eat it. I enjoy my breakfast without the char and the smoke detector," she laughed, before pouring more batter into the pan. Indigo returned the laugh with a grin. "Fair point. I'll go bug the others then. It's getting late." "Hm. Breakfast is ready in half an hour, don't wake the neighbors." With that, Lemon focused her attention back to the food, pulling her headphones back on just as Indigo turned to go. The other girl opened her mouth for a moment before closing it, figuring that some things were better left unsaid. "Happy Hearth's Warming," Lemon said with a grin, setting down the meal she had prepared on the table. The girls chorused their replies, digging into the food. It was easy to tell that they were all tired from the night before, with the exception of the ever hyper Indigo and Lemon who had already been awake for quite a while. Sour Sweet appeared from the corridor, drying her hair with a towel, a blissed-out smile on her face. "It's bloody cold," she grumbled, sitting down at one of the empty chairs, her smile vanishing. Sensing that everyone was watching her, she looked up. "What? Happy Hearth's Warming, everyone! Happy?" She said in a sickly sweet tone before beginning to eat. Lemon said nothing and took a seat beside her, helping herself to the food slowly. Leftover unease from the night before began to surface again, tension beginning to swell under the facade of a cheery, festive morning. Indigo swung her legs, kicking at her chair. "Sorry..." She offered halfheartedly. Acknowledgment flickered across Sour's face for a moment. "It's over now, can we put this behind us?" Sunny Flare asked, wishing that they could just enjoy this day together. "If you want to murder each other, at least wait until tomorrow," Sugarcoat added with a wry smile. The corners of Sour Sweet's mouth pulled upwards slightly and she shifted in her seat, such that she was a little closer to Lemon. Maybe friendship was magic because the tension melted away, buried by stupid jokes and cheerful smiles, putting everyone at ease. Sour Sweet's dreamy smile faded back after a while and listening to her giggle at jokes made Lemon wonder if this was how it was supposed to be. Later that day, Twilight walked up to Sugarcoat curiously, wondering if anyone else had noticed that Sour Sweet was wearing one of Lemon's band t-shirts. Sugarcoat almost replied that it looked good on her but she bit it back, watching her comment on a funny scene, drawing laughs from everyone else. "At least she's happy, that's good enough. We all are." Twilight smiled to herself. She could get used to this.