//------------------------------//
// Reminiscence 
// Story: Midnight Comfort 
// by Erynaster 
//------------------------------//

. . . 

Large droplets pelt at the surface of the window, one after the other. They linger for just a fraction of a second before yielding to gravity's embrace, sliding in zig-zagging motions as they race each other to the ground below and vanish out of view. The world outside is a blur, obscured by the heavy rainfall pounding relentlessly through the forest.

It's a stormy night in Bridlewood.

The rhythm of the rain is almost uniform, with the pitter-patter of the downpour sounding in your ears, accentuated only by the howling of the wind accompanied by low rumbling from the clouds. Intermittent blasts of wind would send you up in shivers, the cottage responding in turn by bracing itself all the more resolutely in the face of possible downfall.

Maybe that was it. The cottage.

The walls you could trust to hold. She had said so herself: the house had been standing for over a decade, through sun and rain, snow and all. The walls would not give in. But you couldn't help but feel a pang of doubt with every creak that would escape the wall's lips, and with everything else that followed, you could understand why it was so foreboding.

... Was it, though?

To anyone with an ounce of sense, the frigid tempest raging outdoors combined with the lovely warmth of a cozy bed was the perfect sort of evening for one to fall asleep to. Ideal, even. But despite all its somnolescence, the peaceful evening and its little gifts could do nothing to bring you closer to the sweet release of unconsciousness.

Why?

The evening dragged on. Periodically checking the time did nothing to alleviate the sense of urgency growing in you, either. Though you were practically bone-tired, you could never seem to find it in you to leave the realm of wakefulness in exchange for that moment of paradisical repose. Sleep was mocking you from a minute's distance, that much you knew. You swear you had it in your fingertips, yet at the last minute it would slip away from your grasp, getting further and further...and with it, all prospects of your much-needed rest. Gone.

And though your eyes were closed, your mind remained as wide-awake as ever. Free to roam, pounding ever onward despite your entire body begging for its silence. This way and that way you turned, you tossed...up and over and down and under your pillow went, but sleep did not come. The rain even seemed to be getting louder, as if to drown out your futile attempts at chasing sleep and to further rub in the fact that: Try as you might, sleep would never come.

You were too tired to feel frustrated. Too frustrated to feel tired.

Expecting nothing but ill-tidings, you reach for the stubby alarm clock on your bedside table and grope for the light button. As you press it, the ephemeral blue light illuminates your features for a moment as the barely visible digits confirm your worst suspicions. You fall back onto your pillow, which was no longer as warm and welcoming before getting up.

12:21 AM

You groan, a little too loudly perhaps. You register sounds of movement coming from the room past the landing, where your gracious hostess—and unapologetic crush—was supposedly in peaceful slumber. Glancing nervously at the doorway, you wonder briefly if your sudden noise of discomfort had woken her.

...No, you didn't have to drag her into this.

Faust above knows that the unicorn needed her rest.

You sit up in bed, rubbing your tired eyes as you slide off the edge and into your bedroom slippers. It's not hard to tiptoe your way out of the room without making a sound, as the rain took care of masking all other insubstantial noise as you make your way past the landing.

...Her door is slightly ajar. As you pass by the doorway leading to her bedroom, you catch a glimpse of a bundle of blankets and pillows, underneath which you had no doubt lay Izzy Moonbow, fast asleep. For one tantalizing moment you envision yourself walking in, gazing longingly at the sheets and the one beneath them, before yielding to the burning desire to just crawl in and lay down next to her until the morning sun would come...

You slap yourself. Figuratively and literally. Why did you have to be such a weirdo? Or a romantic...? The line between the two is very blurry. Either way, it was best if you just left her alone.

Staggering down the curved staircase leading to the first floor, you take notice of the living-room table. It's still littered with the clutter from last night, which you had spent in Izzy's company. A smile finds its way to your face as the happy memory pierces through the haze of exhaustion in your brain and replays itself right before your eyes:




"Do you like mares?"

You choke on your soda.
"W-wha...?"

She casually repeats the question, varying little in her tone but as curious as ever.
"Do you like mares?"

It takes a full second for you to compose yourself. 
"Well, I—uh... I need some context here."

She rolls her eyes in exasperation, torn between amusement and chagrin.
"You know what I mean."

Raising your cup to your lips, you take a long sip of your drink as the cogs in your head work in overdrive to come up with an acceptable response.
"...I like mares in general, if that's what you want to hear."

She tilts her head in wonder but accepts your response anyway.
"Mm-hmm... Okay, still my turn. Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"Kiwi-mayonnaise frappé or cheddar-almond frosted bagel?"

You grimace.
"The second one sounds far more palatable so I'll go with that."

She giggles.

"Okay, it's my turn." You scrunch up your face in concentration.
"Truth or Dare."

"Dare!" She flashes you a toothy grin.

"Finish this entire bottle of root beer in less than 10 seconds or...er, you'll have to sit closer to me, I guess." You finish lamely. You were out of ideas.

She laughs.
"Oh, pfffffffft. That's an easy one. Lemme just—"
She levitates the bottle to her lips, just as you start the countdown with your fingers. Before you know it, it's 'time's up' and she's only halfway through the entire thing. You win.

She seems unconcerned with the consequences.
"So how close should I get?" She smiles lightly.

You make a noncommittal noise in your throat.
"As close as you like, I guess. Or as far as you'd prefer, it's really up to you—"

Without warning, she shuffles closer a full ten paces, so close that you were now sitting only a foot apart.
"This good?"

"...Yeah, sure." you shrug.

She smiles. A little too sweetly, perhaps. Either that or you were imagining it.
"Okay...Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

She leans forward, enunciating each word with clarity.
"Do you like mares romantically?"

You fall back into the couch in mock disdain.
"This again? Why on Equus do you want to—Izzy. Is it that important for you to find out?"

"Well, I..." She pauses, thinking it over. "...I guess I'm just curious. You know, it has been a year since you arrived, and I was just wondering if you ever considered the possibility of...you know—"

"Yeah, yeah, point taken." You pinch your nose bridge out of impulse, closing your eyes. 
"...Well, I won't deny the fact that it crossed my mind at some point... But whether I have actual feelings for anypony in particular is an entirely different question." You finish, turning away from her.

There's an awkward silence. She's trying to catch your eye, you can tell.

Screw it.

"*sigh*... Yes, Izzy. I like somepony, okay?" As you speak, you notice her countenance falls. Slightly, and barely noticeable but it was a visible change nonetheless.
"Hey, are you alright?"

"Wha—yeah! Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine. Whoever said I wasn't?" Her ears perk up in surprise, and her expression clears up quicker than you can question it. "... Okay, it's your turn."

You gaze at her in mild suspicion, and she falters slightly underneath your scrutinizing stare.
"Truth or dare?"

"Truth." Her ears droop as she smiles sheepishly.

"Why is this so important to you all of a sudden?" You ask in bewilderment, "It's nothing significant. Really, would it matter to you if I was thinking of pursuing somepony?" You reason.

She glances up at you to meet your eyes without flinching, smiling warmly.

"Of course it matters to me, silly! You're a wonderful human, and I only want the best for you." She smiles softly, her cheeks flushed pink. "Whoever they are, I hope they treat you right. Because...because I sure  would."

A pause.

"Gosh, I...thanks, Izzy." You scratch your head in embarrassment. "Thank you for being so...considerate."

"Heh, heh...don't mention it." She titters nervously. "I'm just looking out for you. It's...it's what friends do..." She trails off, lost in thought.

"Anyway." She clears her throat. "It's my turn again... Truth or Dare?"

"Dare." You take a sip of root beer.

"I dare you—" She hesitates before extending her foreleg towards you."—to hold my hoof."

The oddness of the situation doesn't quite register with you yet.
"... Huh?"

You can tell that she's trying to keep a straight face, but her facade eventually crumbles as she devolves into giggly hysterics.
"*giggle* What? You're so serious sometimes. Is it too much to ask?" She blushes slightly, her foreleg trembling midair. "It's just a hoof-hold, no biggie...can you do that for me?"

"Um, okay then." You nod, obliging her unusual request.

You reach out with a trembling hand, grasping the broad pad of her hoof in your palm. It's surprisingly warm to the touch, as opposed to what one would expect from any equine back on Earth. Her forehoof is strangely prehensile too, managing to get a firm hold on your palm despite the lack of fingers. Thoroughly intrigued, you relax your grip on her bottom hoof to allow yourself to get a good feel of her fleecy appendage, eliciting an "Mmm!" of contentment from Izzy as your thumb lingers affectionately somewhere above her fetlock.

A few minutes of your impromptu hand/hoof-holding go by, and you're starting to get used to the feel of her hoof in your hand. This wasn't such a bad idea after all, you think as you stroke the surface of her phalanx, running your thumb in little circles around the area. Izzy seems to be enjoying the attention, though part of her expression disappears within the veil of her cerulean mane as it falls over her face, hiding her from view. You stop, suddenly conscious of the fact that she had been getting increasingly quiet since you had started your little hand/hoof-holding session. Izzy snaps back to reality, finally retracting her forehoof in embarrassment.

"T-Thank you...that felt really nice." She mumbles.

You chuckle nervously. For the first time during your laughter-filled evening, neither of you can find anything to say. But it's in the silence where the truest feelings are spoken without words, and in this particular pause, both of you can feel that a very potent change had occurred between you two, whether or whether not either of you chose to admit it.

Izzy clears her throat, finally making eye contact with you.

"Hey, uh... I'm sorry if things got weird." Her tone is subdued, almost shy. "... I promise I won't try anything like that anymore..."

"No, Izzy, it's alright! Really!" You're suddenly indignant.

"You mean it?" Her ears perk up hopefully. "You're not upset?"

"Of course not! Why, if anything, I...I kind of enjoyed it." You admit, causing Izzy to turn pinker than usual. "I mean, sure, it was a bit unexpected, but I liked the feeling. It felt...safe."

"...Safe?" Izzy tilts her head. "Is that how I make you feel?"

"It's how I've always felt around you, Izzy. You make me feel at ease...and I can't explain why." You shrug your shoulders. "Listen, please don't feel bad about all that. If anything, I'm the one who should be thanking you, considering the fact that I—"

"... Yes?" Her eyes widen in sudden interest.

"T-That I—" Your voice falters in sudden realization. "*ahem*—considering the fact that I've known you for so long."

"... Oh." Is all she says, leaning back into the couch looking pensive.

You relax a bit as your heart stops racing. For a brief moment you had teetered on the edge of saying, "—considering the fact that I like you", but you had caught yourself at the last minute.

Izzy clicks her tongue, shuffling over to close the window behind you. You had just begun to notice the low rumblings echoing through the sky. A few raindrops can be heard falling on the roof. The steady plunk-plunk increases in intervals by the second, and pretty soon a steady drizzle starts to pick up as the entire forest welcomes the first sign of rain.

"Oh—shoot!" Izzy exclaims as the lights go out without warning. You stand up in surprise. The abrupt transition from light to dark disorients you for a moment, particularly Izzy.

"The rain must've knocked out the power grid..." Her voice is coming from somewhere on your left. "...I should've known. The weather forecast said that the storm was going to make landfall this week, but I didn't think it was gonna be today! Today of all days..." Her voice trembles as a loud boom of thunder echoes overhead, seemingly confirming her suspicions.

The unicorn panics in her haste to find her bearings, and though your vision is compromised you can hear a variety of items clanking and toppling over as Izzy hops of the couch and onto the carpet.

"H-Hey, where are you?" You can sense the panic in her voice, and you call out to her in an attempt to set her at ease.

"I'm right here, Izzy." 

"Where is here?" She turns.

"I'm right next to you." You giggle.

Just as your eyes begin to adjust to the dim, an unexpected source of light illuminates the room as quickly as it had left.

Izzy's horn casts an iridescent glow overhead in her search for you. She relaxes at the sight of your face two inches from hers, though this is quickly replaced with embarrassment owing to your close proximity to one another. She staggers back in surprise, falling onto the couch.

"Hey, you good?" You chuckle.

"I-I'm fine." She smiles sheepishly. "Don't do that..."

"Do what?"

"Disappearing like that. You scared me." She makes the most adorable pouty face you've ever seen. "I thought... I thought you left."

You're mildly amused, but you do your best not to let it show seeing how truly disturbed she looks. You approach her cautiously, sitting on the edge of the couch.

"I'm right here, see?" You reach out for her hoof once more, massaging it consolingly. "I'm not going anywhere. Do you really think I'm going to leave you?"

Her eyes are still focused on your hand massaging her hoof, but her ears fold in a flustered manner as a slight blush creeps up her cheeks.
"Sorry...I'm being silly again, aren't I?" Izzy sighs, and the light of her horn falters slightly as her concentration wanes, and the glow dims considerably. "It's just the dark...not a big deal."

She seems to be directing her words to herself rather than you, as if to reassure herself of their truth. You give her hoof a gentle squeeze, still unsure of what to say.

Seconds pass, just as the rain grows increasingly heavy by the minute. As you sit in silence huddled beneath the faint glow of Izzy's horn, you contemplate upon your two options at the moment: to reach out to your friend and try to understand what she was feeling at the moment, or to simply sit in silence and wait.

You decide to change the subject for Izzy's sake. You didn't want to press your gracious hostess for any more information than she was willing to disclose.

"... You know, I think that's enough Truth or Dare for one evening." You give her a small smile, which she returns. "Do you want to head up to bed? I can clean up after us here."

She ponders your suggestion for a moment.

"No, not yet. I kinda want to stay here a for a bit...with you." Her eyes twinkle. "Would that be alright?"

You nod.
"Of course." You motion to stand up to get started on the mess, but you're suddenly yanked back into a sitting position by Izzy's magic. You raise an eyebrow at her in question, just as she realizes what she's done.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that... I-I think it's a subconscious reflex." She still looks stunned with herself, rubbing her horn with a free hoof. "I'm still getting used to magic... I just can't help it sometimes."

A sly grin creeps up your cheeks.
"Subconscious reflex, huh? So you're telling me that you subconsciously want to be with me?"  You nudge her shoulder teasingly, snickering.

She sways a bit from your nudge, but she doesn't laugh. Nor does she deny your words, but she remains unmoving, her gaze fixated upon your face.
"...Actually...heh. I think you might be right."

You stop snickering, glancing in disbelief at the mare sitting next to you. She sits stock-still, her eyes scanning you restlessly for any sign of reproach.

"Wh-What did you say?" You stutter.

Her ears flop in embarrassment.
"I...You might be right. I guess that deep down, I kind of—okay, I really enjoy being with you. You're just so fun to be around, you're literally the kindest, sweetest, and most sincere stall—er, boy I've ever met. EVER." Her voice drops to nearly a whisper, but you can still hear her. "Nopony has ever gotten this close with me before, let alone tried... It just makes me really happy that you are the way you are, even if sometimes you fail to see that. How much you mean to me. How you make my life so much better just by being in it, just by existing...b-because I do. Every day when I'm with you, I can see it. I can feel it."

Her rambling ceases the moment she realizes what she had just said, and a rosy blush finds its way to her face as she tries to pretend that she isn't as flustered or embarrassed as she is in the moment.

"Look...my point is, I enjoy being with you, that's all." Both front hooves curl up reflexively to her chest, and she looks away shyly. "It might sound really silly to you, but it's the truth. I swear."

Your neck suddenly feels warmer than usual.

"H-hey. Izzy." You begin, still unsure.

She almost looks afraid, as though scared of what you might say. Her eyes are focused on you with caution, almost anxiously awaiting your response.

You take her hoof encouragingly, letting her broad pad rest in the center of your palm.
"Look, for what it's worth... I really enjoy being with you too." You smile.

Her eyes light up in hope, and she opens her mouth as if to say something, but closes it almost immediately after.

You chuckle, running a finger up her forehoof. She giggles a bit from the affection, clearly a stranger to the feeling of fingers upon her coat. You can't help but note how adorable the unicorn looks when she's flustered, her blush could possibly be your most favorite color at the moment.  

Your gaze wanders.
"...And for the record, you're fun to be around too. Gosh, Izzy, you are the sweetest, kindest, and the most bubbly mare I've ever met. And I've met a lot of people." You sigh, the memory of your old home haunting you. "It might not be obvious, but...I'd be very miserable if you'd dissapear. I can't bear to lose somepony like you, you mean too much to me for that to happen."

You grip her hoof a little tighter.
"I just wish I told you this sooner, and not—well, like this." You chuckle sadly. "But I'll tell you now: You mean the world to me. Just...don't forget that, okay?"

You glance up back to look at her. She's sitting motionless, her mouth half-open. You swore you could see stars in her eyes, which were gazing at you with apparent fondness.

"I-Izzy, are you okay?" You mumble.

You could feel the heat rising to your cheeks as silence overtakes the confines of the living room. It's not unpleasant, though you would have appreciated it if Izzy would relinquish you of that adorable, puppy-eyed look she was giving you. It was unnerving.

In all the best ways, of course.

She regards you with a warm smile, her eyes twinkling. It's mesmerizing, enchanting, even. So much so that you fail to notice her leaning in until her head was now resting against your chest, hoof in hand. She sighs dreamily, and suddenly you're left trying to make sense of the sequence of events that had just transpired.

You might have said too much.

Outwardly, you appeared (for the most part) composed, calm, and okay with the fact that a cute mare was now snuggled up against you like it was completely natural. And to any outsider with no context of the evening's events, you were looking for all the world like two lovers simply enjoying each other's company on a cold evening.

Not that you mind in the slightest.

Your body quakes with suppressed elation as she begins to rub her cheek against yours, gently at first, but then with such vigor and enthusiasm that you resist the urge to moan as her coat makes contact with your skin. You and Izzy had hardly touched one another like this before, so the unexpected contact between you two was downright euphoric as you attempt to retain your composure. 

Inwardly, your mind was screaming for you to do something. Make a move, gosh darn it! Pull her in closer? Look her in the eyes? Hold her tight and tell her what she truly meant to you..?

You were at a complete and total loss of what you were supposed to be doing in this situation. All things considered, this was a first. She must've sensed your unease, because she arches her neck back to take a good look at you, giggling softly.
"You know, you can put your arms around me, right? I don't mind..."

Her tone is gentle, and with an upsurge of confidence, you slip your free arm around her waist, pulling her close in (what you supposed to be) a friendly embrace. She sighs for the second time that evening and looks up at you with adoration, her eyes reflecting the faint glow of her horn.

"H-hey...um...this feels really nice." A faint blush tinges her cheeks as she speaks, "... I hope this isn't weird for you or anything, but I'm glad I can do this with you... It feels special."

You're all smiles at this point, and as the evening rolls on, and as the unicorn starts to show more signs of fatigue and drowsiness, you ponder upon what could've been the outcome of the evening's events. Yes, you were this close to letting her know how you truly felt for her, but...now was not that time.

She couldn't know. Well, not yet at least. And as you hold the mare in your arms just a little bit tighter, you can't help but feel that maybe the time would arrive far sooner than later.



. . .