//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 Apples For Breakfast // Story: More Silver Than Gold // by Stepany1234 //------------------------------// I woke up and felt a small ache in my neck. Guess that’s what happens when you fall asleep sitting on a lumpy sofa. I tried to move to adjust myself and that’s when I felt the small creature next to me. I froze and looked down to see Silver Spoon snuggled up to me in a blanket. “It wasn’t just some crazy dream?” I told myself. Although I knew it was completely real, I still wished it was just a dream I could shrug off. I sighed and saw the rip on my sleeve from the dog bite the night before. I grumbled after seeing it was my favorite hoodie. Oh well. I was just lucky the bite marks didn’t actually wound me. The worse that could happen is that I won’t wear it until I get the rip fixed or something. I looked down and just waited for the small pony to wake up. Her adorable hair was still a mess and I then remembered her glasses. They were in my pocket. I took them out and saw the glass was cracked. I set them aside and waited patiently. I could only imagine what the poor thing went through out there. I was so stupid to let her go alone like that! What if those dogs would have gotten to her before I did? What if someone else found her and wasn’t as kind? I shook my head and refused to think about anymore possibilities. I was just glad she’s okay now. I could only take care of her for now. I thought back to the moment I saw the fear on her face when she saw me come to her rescue. What things she must have experienced and in the blistering cold too. My mind finally settled when she began to move. I saw her simply snuggle closer to me like a pillow and didn’t even bother to open her eyes. I couldn’t help but smile. She reminded me of my old pet cat. That was the first pet anything that I really showed any love for. I’m not really good at showing affection towards animals. That’s why after my cat died, I refused to get another pet. I didn’t want to go through that again. However, Silver Spoon was a sudden change in my plans and choices. I saw the look on her face and could tell that she probably thought she was back at her home, sleeping in her bed. Ponyville. A cartoon. How can this even be real? I was so desperate to find out the answers but seeing Silver Spoon made it hard for me to leave her alone. How am I gonna pull this off? I can barely feed and take care of myself. ----------- After about an hour of thinking, Silver Spoon woke up. Slowly her eyes opened. She rubbed her eyes the best she could with her hooves and blinked repeatedly. She needed her glasses. After a short moment, her eyes were able to adjust to see as clear as they could. She looked up at me and felt a little disappointed that what had happened wasn’t a terrible nightmare. I was a bit lost for words and felt a bit uncomfortable. The urge to chew my bubblegum was coming back to me. “Good morning,” I said softly. I cleared my voice to speak more clearly. She rubbed her eyes again and looked around. “Where are my glasses?” She asked innocently. “Well they kind of…broke,” I said as I showed them to her. She was obviously sad when she saw her only pair of glasses were cracked. “But,” I began to say. She looked up at me curiously. “I can get them fixed for you,” I said. What was I saying? I don’t have the money for this? She smiled slightly and it warmed my heart a bit. Great. Now she’s got me lying. Anything to keep her from being upset I guess. “Um. Are you hungry?” I asked. She nodded. What do horses even eat? Hay? Apples? I wasn’t an expert, I didn’t know these things. “What do you like to eat for breakfast?” I asked. Hopefully she would say something simple. I sat up a bit and felt my back relieve itself from any pain after sitting properly. She sat on my lap and just stared at me, thinking. “Hmm, well,” she said. I looked at her strangely. Was this the same pony from the day before? She looks the same, but she sounds different. The snooty tone in her voice was gone and all that was left was this cute and adorable and sweet pony. She wasn’t a bratty snob like before. Is this how she really is? Is that other act just some cover up? If so, why? I raised my hand and brushed back some loose hair that dangled over her face. She looked at me and I knew that she was still conflicted about her feelings for me. I couldn’t blame her. I’m so different than what she’s used to. I guess showing her kindness is the only thing I could do. I told her honestly that I didn’t have much in my kitchen other than cereal and milk for breakfast. Also some fruit. She was happy with just an apple or two. I walked into the kitchen and she followed me. I walked behind the counter and over to the refrigerator, forgetting that she was too little to sit on the stools that sat behind the large table counter. I realized this and walked over to pick her up. She let me place her on the counter and watched me as I looked through the cabinets for a small plate for her and a bowl for me. I wanted to serve her breakfast first. So I grabbed a big cherry red apple and cut them into independent slices. Just like my mother used to do for me when I was younger. I placed the plate in front of her and she smiled to see the juicy apples already cut for her. She shot me a very cheery smile, as if she was saying thank you before she began to eat. I served myself cereal in a bowl and ate along side her. I sat on the opposite side of the counter from her and watched her eat as she watched me. Slowly a conversation began and of course it was about her home. I couldn’t tell her that her home in my world is fictional. So I simply stretched the truth by saying that I didn’t know where it was. She was young and gullible, so she believed me. I just wondered though, how long would I keep her? How’s this gonna work out for me? So to avoid how she was going to get back, we talked about what it was like there. God, she spent hours about her home. The ponies, her best friend, how her family is one of the richest families in Ponyville. I took the opportunity to brush her hair and braid it back to normal as she continued to talk on. She told me so much! It was all so much to take in! I was actually growing more and more interested by the minute. By the time I finished doing her hair, she had told me basically all of her life. She really had grown more comfortable with me and I had to admit, I kind of liked having her around. We basically spent a whole day together in my apartment. I even almost forgot about the world outside my apartment walls. Of course, she didn’t ask me much of my life. But then again, it was okay. I didn’t want to talk about my boring life anyway. Hers was so much more interesting. “And that’s when Ms. Cherilee told me that I had to prettiest picture in the class! I was so happy because I thought I wasn’t good at art!” She told me. The whole day I had a smile on my face. I just couldn’t frown, the way Silver Spoon told her stories and acted when she explained her home to me. It just caused me to smile and inside I felt this happiness that I hadn’t felt in years. The same happiness I would feel when I was younger, when I was a kid. It was then that Silver Spoon’s excitement began to fade away. She started to cry. I stood up from my chair and walked over to my bed that she stood on. She turned around and rubbed her eyes. “Silver Spoon?” I asked as I sat beside her. I’m not going to ask her why she was crying, it was obvious why. She missed her home. Her family and friends, her old life. I placed my hand on her to comfort her and she ran to my arms. Snuggling and holding onto me tightly as she cried. I was a bit surprised too to see her clutch onto me so suddenly. It was then that I realized that I hadn’t changed out of my hoodie or clothes. I was too busy spending the day with Silver Spoon that it hadn’t occurred to me. I saw she was scared and wanted comfort. Seeing her cry was a bit heartbreaking. So I hugged her and leaned against the wall as I sat on my bed with her. I gotta find a way to get her back home. I just have to…but how?