//------------------------------//
// Steamed Hays 
// Story: MLP G5 but it's written by me 
// by TPC-2k16 
//------------------------------//

Sunny Starscout’s Home
Maritime Bay
Equestria
12:02 P.M.

A disgruntled Sprout walks on up to Sunny Starscout’s house, knocking on her door three times. A bottle of apple cider in his hoof.
Opening up from the inside, Sunny welcomes the red, blonde haired stallion to her home, her having a bright smile on her face (all the while wearing a white apron).
“Well Sunny. I made it, despite your directions.” Sprout said, sounding disgruntled about having to be here.
“Ah Sprout, welcome. I hope you're prepared for an unforgettable luncheon.” Sunny greets the red stallion.
“Y- yes.” Sprout grumbles to himself as he walks on in to her home.
Watching the stallion walk on in, Sunny shuts the front door. Her doing so causing the picture of her dad and younger Sunny to fall to the side.
Of course Sunny would immediately notice this, taking the time to readjust the framed picture.
The main reason why Sprout is here at this luncheon with Sunny is because she oh so desperately wants to help him understand more about pegasi and unicorns. To help him not focus too much on differences and instead embrace them.
Hitch may or may not have put her up to this.
Walking into Sunny’s house, Sprout goes to sit at a small, round dining table set in the center of the living/dining room, not before placing his bottle of apple cider in a small bin filled with ice.
Sunny meanwhile heads into the kitchen, smiling still, until when she walks in does she see smoke coming out from her oven.
“Huh.” Sunny runs over immediately to her oven, looking in through the translucent glass oven door to see her casserole completely engulfed in flames.
“Oh Egads! My casserole is ruined!” Sunny exclaims before she gets the attention of a conveniently placed fast food restaurant right outside through a kitchen window.
“Hmm. But what if...” Sunny puts a hoof to her face, whispering to herself, “I were to purchase fast food and disguise it as my own cooking?” 
“Oh hoho. Delightfully devilish Sunny.”
Sunny unties her apron, setting it on the counter, then opening the kitchen window up. 
Placing one hindhoof on the window still and just about ready to climb out, Sprout comes walking on in to the kitchen, gasping at what he sees.
“Sprout! Uh... I was just..., doing isometrics exercise. Care to join me?” Sunny lied.
“Why is there smoke coming out of your oven Sunny?” Sprout begrudgingly points out the fact that her oven has smoke coming on up from the inside.
“Smoke?” Sunny stands up straight, “That isn’t smoke. It’s steam. Steam from the steamed hays we’re having. Mmm, steam hays.” Sunny lied again.
Sprout cautiously narrows his eyes, before then walking out of the kitchen.
“Phew.” Sunny lets out a sigh of relief before finally now climbing out through the window, then running on over to the fast food restaurant that just so happened to be across the street.


***


“Well Sprout, I hope you’re ready for mouth watering hayburgers.” Sunny proudly said as she walks into the room with a silver platter of both hayburgers and oat fries.
“I thought we were having steamed hays?”
Sunny sets the burger and fry platter down on the table, then taking a seat across from Sprout. “Yes! You see, that’s what the unicorns call hayburgers.”
“The unicorns call hayburgers 'steamed hays'?”
“Well now, not all unicorns I should say. It’s more of a regional dialect in parts of Bridlewood.” Sunny said, totally going along with the lie.
“Uh huh. What region?”
“Uh... Izzy Moonbow’s region.”
“Alright.” Sprout just simply strugs. Going along with Sunny’s supposed lesson on unicorn food dialect.
The conversation over, the two ponies each grab a hayburger with a hoof. Also each one pouring themselves a glass of the apple cider that Sprout brought.
After taking a few bites, Sprout speaks up: “Ya know these hayburgers sure do taste exactly like the ones they have at EarthPony Burger.”
“Oh nono. Patented Sunny burgers. Old family recipe.” Sunny laughs off Sprout’s observation.
“For steamed hays.” Sprout says deadpanned.
“Yes!” Sunny says with a smile, raising up her glass of apple cider.
“Yeah, and ya called them steamed despite the fact that these are obviously grilled.” Sprout points out as he takes off the top bun and shows the actual hay patty and how more grilled it is.
“Uh. I should... somepony let me... ‘Cuse me for one second.” Sunny’s nerves start to kick in, causing her to stumble her words, trying desperately to think of a more reasonable explanation before just deciding to get up and walk on back over to the kitchen.
“Of course.” Sprout said anyway. Any chance of him being suspicious of the whole situation totally not found on him.
As Sunny walks back into the kitchen does she immediately walk back out, stretching her hooves out and fake yawning.
Not even noticing of how her whole kitchen had seemed to be completely engulfed in flames.
“Well, that was a wonderful. But I’m pooped.”
“Yes I really should be going- SWEET CORN ON THE COB what is happening in there?!?!” Sprout gets up from his seat fast, what after having caught a glimpse of the fire in the kitchen.
“Aurora Borealis!” Sunny blurts out randomly.
“Wha, aurora borealis?! You mean the magical reindeer legend that was told to us all when we were foals? They just so happen to be in your kitchen this very time of year, this very day, and at this very hour?”
“Yes.” Sunny just so reluctantly goes along with.
Sprout, feeling taken aback, totally not expecting that answer. “May I see them?”
Sunny thinks it over for a bit before just giving a plain no. 
“No.”


***


“Help! Help!! The lighthouse is on fire!!” Some random pony screams as loud as they possibly can, while both Sunny and Sprout exit out the front door of the lighthouse.
“No silly. That’s just the magical reindeer.” Sunny tries to reassure the scared pony that there is no fire.
“Well Sunny, you are truly an odd pony. But I must say...” Sprout takes a deep breath.
“Look, I know I’m not the best pony in town. I’ve made plenty mistakes. Big ones especially. Lately.”
“But what you’re trying to do. To help me understand more. No other pony would do what you’re doing. Not even Hitch, shockingly.”
“Simply put, I’m glad, relieved actually, that you'd do anything to help me be a better pony. ‘Cause honestly, after what happened, nopony seems to want to care for me. Not even daring to look my way. But you. You are the exception.”
“And considering you would take the time and trouble to climb out a window, purchase fast food, and completely ignore your own house on fire, you must really believe in me. And I thank you for it.” Sprout said, true to his heart.
Sunny Starscout, after hearing everything Sprout had just told her, of how special she is to him, of how she helps him be a better pony, of how she's the exception. It really stuck with her.
“You really knew my house was on fire?” Is all Sunny can say.
“Oh, I could practically see it from where I was sitting. Also saw you climb out that window, and run totally not like you're in a rush.”
Sprout and Sunny both stare at each other for a solid minute. Their silence being interrupted by the sound of hooves clopping as Hitch Trailblazer frantically comes running over to the still burning lighthouse, drawned to him a fire engine wagon. 
“Sprout, what did we say about starting fires?!”
“Uh actually. This was of my doing.” Sunny says, blushing a deep embarrassing red.