//------------------------------// // Good Morning // Story: The Alleys of Ponyville: Short Stories from the Noireverse // by PonyJosiah13 //------------------------------// The crowing of a distant rooster instantly pulled Applejack from slumber as effectively as reveille at boot camp. She opened her eyes to behold the dim metal gray light of predawn seeping in through the window, reflected off the cloud cover. Beneath the clouds, Sweet Apple Acres slept soundly, a blanket of snow coating the rolling acres of bare trees. Applejack turned over her shoulder and smiled at the other two occupants of the room. Rara was curled up next to her on the mattress, murmuring in her sleep. Over in the crib, Endeavor was starting to stir, cooing softly. Stretching with a contented groan, Applejack climbed out of bed, pushing her long mane out of her face as she made her way over to the crib. Bright silver eyes blinked up at her as Endeavor sucked on his hoof, drool running down his chin. "Morning, little fella," Applejack whispered, gently lifting her son up out of the crib and carrying him over to the changing table. "Ma!" Endeavor babbled happily, gold lights dancing from his horn. A warmth spread through Applejack's chest and a wide smile crossed her face. "Yeah, that's right, sugarcube," she cooed, planting a kiss on the little unicorn's nose. "Mama's here." A low groan that turned into a yawn announced that Rara was waking up as well. Applejack turned to admire her wife's form as she sat up and stretched. "Good morning," Rara beamed at the two of them, crawling out of bed and greeting Applejack with a kiss. "I see someone slept through the night," she cooed to Endeavor, giving him a kiss on the forehead. Applejack sighed happily as she finished changing Endeavor and picked him up to carry their hungry baby downstairs. "I think it's gonna be a good morning, sugarcubes." The scent of flour and chocolate and a tickling sensation assailed Steamed Carrot's nose as she awoke. She blinked and found that her vision was entirely obscured by a veil of vivid cotton-candy pink and that something very warm and furry was sprawled across her chest, snoring softly. "Bu, wha?" Steamed groaned, pulling away from Pinkie's mane and groggily rubbing her eyes. "Pink--?" Pinkie Pie let out a particularly loud snort and rolled over so that she was facing Steamed, her bright blue eyes already alert with no trace of sleep. "Good morning," Pinkie Pie chirped, beaming at Steamed and placing a kiss on her nose. "Oh, um...morning?" Steamed blushed, blinking and rubbing her eyes as she fought through the morning fog. "Er, what are you doing in my bed?" Pinkie giggled and booped Steamed. "Silly, because you invited me to stay with you last night." "We--" The memory of last night finally penetrated Carrot's consciousness. They had indeed stayed up late last night after closing the Apple Pie and cleaning up the kitchen. Steamed had invited Pinkie up to her room to talk; she'd wanted some company that night, and darn it, no one could blame her if she'd wanted to cuddle with the pretty mare that had taken her in over a year ago. They'd cuddled on the bed, watching the starlight out the window and talking: of favorite recipes, and songs, old anecdotes, friends and family, anything and everything. There had been a moment where the two of them had lapsed into a comfortable silence and Pinkie Pie looked up at her with those beautiful sapphire eyes, glimmering in the starlight. It had been as good a moment as any. So she'd kissed Pinkie, pouncing suddenly upon her lips before she could think about it. For a moment, neither of them had moved. And then Steamed Carrot's heart had soared as Pinkie kissed her back, lips tasting like candy. Steamed managed to smile back at Pinkie, her blush holding steady. "So, um...I guess you like me, too?" "Sure I do!" Pinkie beamed at her. "In fact, I was wondering when you were going to say something." The heat spread further across Carrot's cheek. "Subtlety isn't one of my strengths, is it?" she admitted. Pinkie giggled. "No, not really. So, does this mean we can have sleepovers every night now?" Steamed stroked Pinkie's mane. "I'd...I'd like that." "Good morning, mama!" "Oof!" Prowl cried as her daughter crashed into her chest like a blow from a padded staff in sparring, pulling her from her dreams. She sat up in bed and looked down at Skysong's pale blue eyes, blinking up at her through a shock of hair the color of noontime clouds. "Morning, sweetie," Prowl smiled, stroking her daughter's hair as she sat up. "Look, mama!" Skysong chirped, flapping her tiny wings as hard as she could. Her face scrunching up with effort, she lifted herself up off the mattress, hovering in midair. Prowl smiled and pulled Skysong in for a cuddle. "Very good, honey. You're getting stronger every day," she said, proudly ruffling Skysong's mane. "You think I could be a Wonda-bol someday?" Skysong asked, beaming up at her. "If you're gonna be a Wonderbolt, you'd better get some breakfast," Maple Leaf teased from the doorway. "I made waffles." "Yay! Waffles!" Skysong cheered, jumping out of her mother's embrace and darting out the door. Prowl chuckled, then sighed happily as Maple Leaf entered the room. "Wasn't she in diapers and still sleeping in a crib last week?" Prowl asked. "Feels that way to me, too," Maple Leaf agreed as he sat down on the mattress, planting a kiss on his wife's lips. "She'll be a teenager before we know it." Prowl sighed. "I am perfectly happy to wait for that day to come as long as I can." "Well, no matter what, one thing won't change," Maple Leaf said. "What?" He smiled and brushed Prowl's blonde mane out of her face. "That you're the most beautiful mare in the world." Prowl giggled and rolled her eyes. "And that I'm married to the biggest dork in Equestria." Maple crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue at her, causing Prowl to burst out into laughter. "You know you love me," he grinned. She hummed happily and kissed him again. "I do, I do," she admitted. "Daaad!" Skysong whined from the dining room. "Waffles!" "Coming, honey," Maple Leaf replied, guiding his wife to breakfast with their baby girl. Bumblebee blinked awake, squinting at the blue and yellow shape in front of him on the bed. He blinked a few more times until the other object resolved into the shape of a blue unicorn with blonde hair that was staring back at him. Once he realized that he was awake, the other unicorn leaned forward and planted a kiss on Bumblebee's nose. "Good morning, sleepyhead," Arc Light smiled. "You know, most ponies think that staring at somepony while they sleep is creepy," Bumblebee commented. "Yeah, but I can't help it," the Royal Guard replied. "You're too cute when you sleep." Bumblebee smiled. "You think that everything I do is cute or sexy." Arc grinned and licked Bumblebee's nose. "That's because everything you do is cute or sexy. Or both." Bumblebee's stomach grumbled. "Even making breakfast?" he asked. "Even that," Arc giggled, crawling out of bed. Suunkii awoke and once more found himself wondering how he'd gotten so lucky. His wife was curled up next to him, her chest rising and falling with the soft music of her breathing. Her long mane, as pure white as the snow that was falling out the window, spilled gracefully down her perfectly toned body; some of her hair had dangled down in front of her nose and was dancing in the winds of her inhalations and exhalations. Suunkii reached out and gently stroked Sirba's warm cheek. A smile spread across her snout as she stirred, nuzzling his appendage and planting a kiss on it before opening her sapphire-colored eyes and fixing him with a look of adoration. "Good morning, my husband, hearts intertwined," she murmured, pulling him in close and kissing him on the lips. "Tell me, dear Suunkii, what is on your mind?" "I am pondering how the most beautiful mare in the world could possibly decide to marry and have a child with me," Suunkii replied, running a hoof down her mane. Sirba giggled and nuzzled him. "You sell yourself far too short. You're a hero who works to villains thwart. Your brain is full of wisdom and humor, your heart is tender and kind. If anything, my dear, I am lucky that you decided to be mine." Suunkii hummed and kissed Sirba again. "I love you, Sirba." "I love you, Suunkii," she replied, nuzzling him. "No school!" came a cheer from outside the room, accompanied by small hooves pattering down the hall and crashing down the stairs. Suunkii sighed with a weary smile that his wife shared. "And I also love my son," he sighed as they crawled out of bed. Beacon Fire rolled over in bed and frowned, cracking open an eye to confirm what her forelegs had told her. Her favorite heated pillow had gotten up and walked away. While she wasn't a detective, the scent of toast gave her a clue as to her whereabouts. Beacon groaned and pulled herself out of bed, blowing her mane out of her face. She trotted out of the bedroom and into the main room. Cold Case was standing with her back to her at the stove, making toast and eggs with a heavily sizzling. The coffee was merrily percolating away, dispensing its precious liquid. Beacon grinned and snuck up on Cold, wrapping her forelegs around her belly and planting kisses on the back of her neck. The Chief of Ponyville Police let out a very unprofessional squeal, squirming as her weak spot was assailed. "B-Bea!" she protested, smiling despite herself. "You're gonna make me burn the eggs!" "Ahh, let 'em burn," Beacon replied, nuzzling into Cold's arctic blue mane. "How do you always wake up before me?" "I do have a job," Cold replied, attempting to stoically ignore the general's continued attention and largely failing. "That requires me to be awake early." "You could take the day off, you know," Beacon said. "Ponyville's not gonna fall apart if you stay in for one day." "I'd be more careful about tempting the powers-that-be," Cold deadpanned, sprinkling seasoning on their omelets. "Are you gonna let me eat breakfast?" "I could kidnap you and keep you in bed with me," Beacon answered, continuing to hug Cold. "Kidnap the Chief of Police?" Cold answered with a dry smile. "You're nothing if not bold, General Fire." "You know it," Beacon grinned, finally letting go of Cold and joining her at the table. Cold sighed and shook her head. "You're incorrigible." "And you love me for it," Beacon smirked, magically booping her. Cold scrunched her nose, then smiled faintly. "Yes, yes, I do," she admitted. The clanging of the alarm clock yanked Flash from his dreams. He woke up with a snort, blinking awake and fumbling for the alarm clock on the counter. But it was switched off before he could reach it. The warm, furry pillow that was sprawled across his chest shifted and yawned. Flash let out a grunt of confusion, blinking away the last of the cobwebs and focusing on the purple blur in front of him. Vaguely, it occurred to him that he wasn't in his bedroom; his bedroom was smaller and had a lot fewer bookshelves. In his opinion, Twilight Sparkle always looked angelic, with her beatific smile, intelligent violet eyes, and sleek tri-colored mane and tail. But looking at her now, her baggy eyes partially obscured by the tangled mess that was her mane and a bit of drool dangling from her open mouth, he found himself briefly questioning his opinion. It took him about two seconds to decide that she was still gorgeous. "Hi," he smiled shyly at her. Twilight shook her head and blinked a few times, wiping her mouth as the gears in her head started to turn. Recognition spread across her face, then a smile. "Hi," she said, leaning down to plant a kiss on his lips. Flash relished the kiss for a moment. Then the garlic scent of her breath and the lingering odor of moldy onions and burnt cabbage hit him like a one-two punch and he recoiled with a grimace, earning a frown from Twilight. "Sorry, sorry," he apologized through a cough. "It's just--" Twilight sighed. "I know. I'll be glad when Spike's molt is over. Speaking of whom..." She pulled herself off of Flash with a groan, stretching as she headed for the door. Flash followed after her down the hall, scratching his head as they headed down the hall to another door. A faint odor of roadkilled skunk and rotten fish emanated from within the door, prompting both ponies to hold their breath as they approached. "Spike?" Twilight called, rapping at the door. There came a snort from within. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Spike grumbled from within, accompanied by the sound of scratching. "Remember to put on that rash cream!" Twilight called through the door. "Don't need to remind me," Spike groaned. "So did you give him his own room because he was growing up, or because you couldn't stand the smell anymore?" Flash smirked at Twilight. "...no comment," Twilight replied, heading downstairs. Flash chuckled and kissed Twilight on the cheek, earning a happy hum in reply. "I'll make breakfast," he offered, making his way towards the kitchen with a definite spring in his step.