Celestia didn't know the exact time - she would have to ask Rawsthorne for a clock like his. She could wear it around her ankle, the mare supposed. All she knew was that it was really early.
As she had feared, the empty stomach didn't let her have much sleep. She woke up several times and snuck out for a glass of water. It didn't help one bit that she could smell the lingering aroma of the sandwich Rawsthorne had made for himself.
The least her owner could do was join her in fasting. A show of solidarity! Every time Celestia crept down the corridor she stuck her tongue out at Greg's door and blew a silent raspberry. She snorted softly in annoyance, then had to suppress a giggle when she realized what she was thinking.
She could have cheated and gotten a snack. The mare was fairly certain that the human wouldn't notice. That would have been dishonest, though. Quite frankly, Celestia was no longer sure about her ability to lie to her owner. No longer in such perfect control of her face.
Therefore she kept feeling for the sun. She was getting better at it. With some effort, she could tell when it was two hours or so from rising, and then she couldn't stand the hunger anymore.
She went to the kitchen and looked over the stock. So many delicious things! Her mouth watered as her nose took in the smells.
The rules, as she understood them, were that she wasn't allowed any food until breakfast. In which case, Celestia reasoned, breakfast should be moved to as early as possible. That made sense, so the mare quickly went about preparing it.
She did everything. Nicely browned toast and butter. Sliced bread. Peanut butter. Jam. Waffles. Scrambled eggs with a hint of parsley and pepper. She even made tiny little cupcakes - chocolate and vanilla cream. A pitcher of orange juice completed the set.
The mare found a large enough tray to fit everything. She stacked it up, lifted it with her magic and went up to Rawsthorne's room.
It was far too early to poke the poor human upright. So he would get breakfast in bed. Incidentally, the mare would be there to 'clean up' any leftovers, such as there might be.
She made damn sure there would be leftovers!
Celestia knocked, waited for the groan, then burst in with a cheerful smile. "Good morning, Mr. Rawsthorne! Rise and shine. The sun is... almost at the horizon!"
The mare pulled the curtains back dramatically, but it was still pitch black, with perhaps the barest trace of purple toward the east.
"What kind of time do you call this?" the human asked, a little grumpy. "It's the middle of the night!"
"Uh, sunrise? Nearly? Almost?"
He glanced at his clock and groaned again. "One day of week I get to sleep in a little, and you can't even let me have that? Is this revenge for sending you to bed without supper?"
The mare laughed pleasantly in lieu of an answer. She lifted a large napkin from her back and spread it over Rawsthorne's legs in the bed. Then she balanced the tray there.
The human stared at the array of food before him. "Just how long have you been awake? This is... impressive. To say the least!"
She kept her grin and sat on her haunches beside the bed. She would watch him eat. Make him, if she had to. Fortunately, the human understood that and didn't seem to mind. He gave a resigned sigh and picked up some toast.
"Might as well join me. This is too much for one person, Celestia. Don't you have any moderation?"
Celestia chose to understand his words in the way that suited her best. That, too, was freedom of a sort. With a single bound she was on the bed and snuggled up to the human's side. That gave her a superb position to 'help' him with his meal, as he had requested.
She felt happy enough to try a little joke. "Hmm. Mod- er- at- ion... No, I don't think I've ever heard the word. What's it mean?"
It worked and the human chuckled. The atmosphere lightened. Then he bopped her nose with a finger. "Watch it, you! I know you're trying to cook your way back into my good graces!" His finger left a smear of peanut butter on her nose. She snaked out her tongue and licked it off. It was the most delicious thing she had ever tasted!
"Is it working?"
She watched his hand, which was going down for the napkin. She stopped it with her magic and gently lifted it back up.
Rawsthorne watched it curiously, but didn't fight it. His eyes widened as the pony licked it clean. Then, after Celestia had time to realize what she had just done, they looked at each other. She blushed a rosy pink. The human shook his head in wonder, but he was grinning.
"I still don't know what to make of you, Celestia. Sometimes you seem five years old and sometimes fifty. Are all ponies that strange?"
She laughed, but didn't answer him.
Between the two of them, the food was gone in what seemed like minutes. The mare firmly squashed the thought that she had eaten most of it. There had been a small victory! Rawsthorne had taken one cupcake, eaten it, and proclaimed it 'good'. He refused any more, but it was a start!
She floated the empty tray out the door and deftly manoeuvred it to the counter in the kitchen. Then she focused her gaze on the human. "You can go back to sleep now."
The human looked outside. It was still pre-dawn. "That's just what I intend to do. Could be a problem now that I've eaten, but I'll give it my best! I suggest you do the same!"
The mare, again, interpreted it a bit more creatively. "Okay!" She settled down right beside the human, on the bed. She didn't mind the lack of a blanket - her fur and wings kept her quite warm. But she did lay her head on Rawsthorne's chest.
"Goodnight!"
The human stared for a moment. "See? This is what I'm talking about. It's like you're eight years old, or something!" The mare just poked her tongue out, without opening her eyes.
Rawsthorne shook his head and sighed. "I've half a mind to call Mr. Plain and have him get you, but I really like what you're doing with the place. Aside from the hedge, of course, and you can cook."
Celestia shrugged a little. "What can I say - I'm just good."
A hand came down on her neck and fiddled with her mane. Then the fingers travelled up to her ears and began slowly scratching. "Okay, you can stay here until morning," came the very welcome verdict.
"Mmmm."
Then the human reached to the wall and turned off the light. Celestia felt him shift lower, until he was lying down. But throughout it all, the hand didn't move and the fingers continued their wonderful, magical scratching.
This particular perk of having a master she could get used to, the mare decided.