//------------------------------//
// Waiting with Twilight 
// Story: A Collection in Snow 
// by Lucky Break 
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	  As the sun came down, taking its light and warmth with it, the last rays beamed across the land and reflected off the fresh snow. It made the land glow with a gentle light. The sky was a beautiful pastel painting that streaked across the horizon in colors of red, orange, and even purple. Not to be outdone though; the moon, only half full, was beginning to rise over the horizon, bidden to start its personal journey. It seemed to glow with an almost ethereal light and appeared too eager to rise into the soon to be night sky.

One unicorn took in all these sights with eyes of wonder and awe as she rarely took the time to stand outdoors and watch the sunset anymore. Her face was usually buried in some sort of book, or carrying out a task for somepony somewhere for something. It was rare that she stopped and took a moment to see the world around her, and at the moment it was nothing less than breathtaking. The land and sky joined to created a masterpiece that would only last for these fleeting moments, and was already shifting into something new.

“Wow.”

That single word came out as a sigh of cold air that quickly dissipated into the fading light of day.  Its ice crystal and vapor though, carried the weight of Twilight Sparkle’s amazement into a sudden wind that blew across the land, as if that lone word could sum the entire experience. The frigid air made the lavender unicorn squeak in surprise and try to draw herself closer for warmth. She shivered in her boots and huddled down, caught off guard by the biting gust that played with her mane and tail, causing them to float softly in the air. The cold wasn’t horrible, and the worst of it could be staved off with boots and a scarf, but the wind still carried a sharp edge to it.

The wind had its fun and passed after a moment, letting the unicorn attempt to regain some of her previous warmth. She stamped her hooves and buried her muzzle into her scarf, letting her warm breath and soft fabric heat her face.  She smelled cookies on her breath, and Twilight giggled into the scarf, remembering the baked goods her little assistant had forced her to eat before setting out earlier. Spike was always strange, acting completely aloof one moment, and then sick with worry the next, but Twilight loved that little dragon.  

It has only been a few days ago that Twilight had been jumping around the library, smiling as wide as her cheeks could sustain. She had exclaimed in a high voice that she would be going out for the night, and had studying and research to do. Spike had given her his usual flat stare, and sighed. He appeared to be mostly uninterested in the affair, only making the comment about how he would be able to get a decent night's sleep for once.

Twilight had laughed at his comment, use to his jabs by now, and began grabbing books from the shelves and losing herself in them. She had schedules to plan and checklist to compile, and one sarcastic dragon was not going to keep her from her tasks. Come day of the appointment however, Spike had shown a very different attitude. Instead of lazying about and griping, he busied himself making sure Twilight had her boots and gloves, making sure she looked her best, and even made her an extra snack to help stave of the cold for a while. The biggest surprise had came as Twilight was leaving, and had stop to give her assistant an affectionate nuzzle goodnight before heading out for the evening.

“You be safe okay?”

Twilight was taken in surprise at his words, and not without reason. Spike had a vehement distaste, with a certain white unicorn being the exception, for anything considered “touchy-feely” or “mushy.” So to hear those words from him almost brought a tear to Twilight’s eye. She held it back though, electing to bring her scaly brother close with a hug and held him tightly as she whispered to him in turn.

“I will be.”

They had released each other there, with Spike leaving her with one lingering look before closing the library door. Twilight would have like to hold him like that for a much longer time, but she had an appointment to keep and wanted to arrive  fifteen minutes before the actual meeting. That meant leaving the library at least twenty-five minutes before the appointed time according to her schedule. She had checked and double checked so she was sure of her calculations. She had intended to triple check it as well, but stopped herself with a gentle mental rebuke. After the incident with Future Twilight, she had decided to cut out some of her more redundant habits with planning out her days.

It had been a hard pill to swallow, but after her first few panic attacks and subsequent meltdowns, her efforts had definitely blossomed into something tangible. Not only had it made many things in her daily life more stress free, Twilight had fallen in love with reading all over again. It was so much better without the burden of half a dozen schedules and checklists  running through her mind at the same time. She could take her time and thoroughly enjoy every written word, and relish every flip of a page. Covering her mouth with a hoof to stifle a giggle, Twilight remembered when she had actually taken a moment to take a new book and gingerly sniff at it, taking in that unique freshly printed book smell.

As much as she loved her books and reading, it was something else that was claiming the majority of her attention at the moment. It was the reason she was standing idly in the park for the past ten minutes, watching the sun slip below the horizon as the evening slipped into the hour of twilight. According to her research, the park was one of the most suitable meeting locations for something like this, and Twilight could not but marvel at how correct that was.  No matter which way she turned, the place could only be described as scenic. 

Trees with no leaves, but covered with a layer of snow that laid there so quietly it seemed to be sleeping on the branches. The ground was covered with the same white powder, turning the normally green fields and hills into a smooth and unwrinkled blanket of winter. Even the frozen pond played its part to making the scene almost surreal, with its icy surface adding a frosty countenance to the undisturbed snow.

In that majesty, Twilight stood, a lavender pony surrounded by field of white, letting the last rays of the sun warm her before slipping into the cold night. She found herself holding her breath constantly and had to release it with awestruck sighs and murmurs of wonders. Every time she exhaled though, Twilight feared that it would somehow break this painting she was in, as if silence was the only thing holding it together. It remained though, letting Twilight engrave the land in her memory.

That silence was shattered as Twilight discovered that she was too taken in with scenery. The sudden ringing of a bell nearly made her jump out of her boots in shock, and she nearly lost her balance. She stayed on her feet though, and with a frantic heartbeat, she looked to the left and right trying to locate the source of the still reverberating interruption. After taken a moment to swallow her heart she realized sheepishly what the sound was and where it had come from.

After all it had rang six times, each peal an announcement to those who could hear it.

The bell at the town hall had rang to mark the top of the hour as it always did, which was something Twilight was usually familiar with and had come to expect in her small town. She was just a little too absorbed in the land and her upcoming meeting to realize that fact. With the bells sounding out and knocking her out of her reverie, Twilight noticed that a few ponies moving through the park as well.  

They carried torches and were slowly and methodically lighting the many lampposts that adorned the park and Ponyville as a whole. It was more as if the process was a sacred ritual than a mere town duty.  Each pony walked somberly towards each post, not rushing, but not taking their time either. They held their torches out in front of them; the small flame darting and ducking along with the movement of their bearers. To Twilight, it was hypnotic to watch, and found herself watching them move along from lamppost to lamppost, bringing a little more light to Ponyville with every stop.

Twilight had to shake her head and clear her thoughts. She was getting absorbed far too easily. The ringing of town hall’s bells also meant something else. Six o’clock was the time of the meeting, and now that time had passed. Normally anypony being late would have sent Twilight into a frantic, mane frizzing panic attack, but her studies had shown that “being late” was one of the factors that one had to account for in this type of situation. With Twilight being the careful planner that she was, her schedule already allocated time for somepony running behind.

One of the lamplighters moved past Twilight with their careful gait, having to take care not to slip on the icy paths or snow. As he passed, the lamplighter turned to Twilight and with a smile, bowed his head in greeting to the unicorn. Twilight grinned sheepishly, slightly embarrassed by the show of respect, but lifted a hoof and waved at the pony in a more laid back and friendly manner. Some ponies only knew her as the “Savior of the Kingdoms x3” and “Protégé to the Princess” instead of Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville librarian. The thought saddened her slightly as she watched the lamplighter raise the torch in one hoof, placing the flickering flame against the lamppost's wick.

She didn’t need all that recognition and fame. She had a wonderful mentor, an amazing family, and the five best friends a mare could have. Frankly, that is all she really wanted, besides a library of ancient texts and scrolls. Twilight could admit she was gifted, but she wasn’t only those gifts and deeds. She was Twilight Sparkle; a friend, sister, librarian, and egghead.
She chuckled at the last title, small clouds of vapor escaping into the night. The lamplighter had moved on, and Twilight scooted closer to the freshly lit lamppost for the extra warmth. It wasn’t an inferno, but the fire let heat drift lazily onto her backside, which was more than enough to fend off the dropping temperature. Twilight murmured in contentment at the extra heat, letting her eyes drift shut for a moment.

In that moment, she heard the sound of snow being crushed beneath somepony’s hooves, and rather quickly at that. It was coming closer to her, and Twilight could also hear the sounds of somepony’s panting as they ran. It came out in short but deep breaths and kept in time with the sounds of snow being crushed beneath hooves. Twilight smiled to herself, keeping her eyes shut and imagining the scene before her.

The sounds of the hooves stopped when they could only be a few feet away, although the labored breathing continued. The panting turned into gulps of air as the mystery pony tried to regain whatever composure they might have had before bounding across a blanket of snow. It was a moment before a new sound emerged, broken up by gasps for breath.

“I’m…I’m sorry I’m late…did…did you wait long?”

Twilight’s smile tugged at the corner of her mouth; her eyes still closed, and she moved forward a pace where she knew the source of the panting was standing. Feeling the heat radiating off their body, she brushed against them with an affectionate nuzzle.

“No, I just got here.”

Twilight marked that line off the checklist. Everything was going as planned according to the checklist of “Having the Perfect Date.”