//------------------------------// // Impatience // Story: Beyond Blind Eyes // by Lunaric //------------------------------// Cotton stopped beating her wings. Beginning to descend, she spread her wings wide and tilted forward. Cotton began to glide downwards and closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath of the cold, winter morning air. She exhaled, though it could not be heard over the wind. Cotton smiled. Opening her eyes again, she was much closer to the wooden building. She tilted to the left, beginning to circle above the building while losing altitude. Eventually, she got close enough to the ground. Beating her wings quickly to slow her remaining velocity, she hovered down to the ground. With two pairs of hoof clops, Cotton landed. She began to trot towards The Princess' Orphanage. As much as she loved the chill while flying, it got to her on the ground. Something to do with moving to keep you warm? Cotton shook her head and headed inside. Pushing the doors open, she saw a splotch of red to her right. Cotton waved. "Hello, Solid!" He nodded with a new smile. "Hello, Cotton. How are you?" She smirked. "Doing better, now that I'm inside. How about you?" Solid nodded. "Also okay, if a bit tired." He gestured towards her scarf, "May I?" Cotton mock-swooned. "Such a nice stallion!" She smiled and hoofed him the scarf. "You may." He hung the scarf up on one of the few coat racks in the front and nodded once more. She thought back to the previous day and smiled. Feather is doing okay. I need to meet up with her more. Cotton quietly sighed. Life is nothing like school anymore. Glad she's doing alright. Realizing that she had been standing in place, Cotton shook her head, clearing away her thoughts. "So, did Aqua cast anything yesterday?" He nodded. "She did. Though, she avoided anything while she said her horn hurt." Cotton groaned. "With all due respect, good luck, Cotton." Solid had a smirk on his face. She shook her head. "Thanks, though she's the one who needs it." Beginning to hear other foals wake up, Cotton decided she should go wake Aqua. She never wakes up by herself... "True enough." Cotton walked towards the bedrooms, occasionally passing fillies and foals, some dragging along bedding. Is that a duck pillow? She shook her head and continued towards Aqua's room. She knocked on the door three times and waited a few seconds before pushing the door in. Knowing no sound would wake the filly, she approached, reaching a hoof out. The filly was holding a small pillow she had been given. A small square cushion. She was wrapped around the cushion more akin to a snake than a pony. Her tail wrapped further around, nearly circling the larger-than-Aqua-sized cushion twice. Cotton held back an audible appreciation of what was in front of her. She's too cute for her own good... Continuing with her hoof, she rubbed the filly's whithers, side to side. Slowly, the filly stirred with a mumble. "Nuh..." The mare leaned in and whispered to the filly, "Aqua... It's time to wake up, Aqua." The filly mumbled once more, beginning to move. "Aqua... Food'll be waiting for you." The filly spread out her hooves in all directions and quietly groaned. "There you go, Aqua. It's time to wake up." After holding the stretch for a second and then collapsing, she turned her head to face Cotton. The filly slowly opened her eyes, facing her, yet not focused. Cotton smiled. "Almost there, Aqua." The filly blinked once. Twice. A few times... She then hummed aloud. "It's morning. time to wake up, sleepyhead." Aqua blinked a few more times and rubbed her eyes. "Oh yeah... 'M wake." The pegasus patted the filly's back. "There you go." "Morning..." Aqua yawned. "Morning... Cotton?" She nodded and hummed in an affirmative tone. "Yep. Are you hungry, Aqua?" The filly slowly smiled lazily. "In a moment... Come closer." Cotton leaned in. "Yeah?" The filly suddenly jerked towards Cotton as her horn glowed. The pegasus let out a yelp as she felt like she got shoved into the bed. Cotton lost her balance and fell onto the bed, thankfully not landing on the filly. "Heh. You fell for it... Literally." Said filly sleepily climbed onto the collapsed pegasus. "Now I get to climb Mount Cotton." The filly then yawned and lightly grimaced as she rubbed her horn. "Ow." Cotton frowned as she got her hooved under herself again, still laid down so as to not jostle her living saddlebag. "I thought you weren't going to be using any magic until we saw Raven tomorrow?" "I mean..." Aqua covered her mouth with a hoof and spoke quietly. "That's not what I said." Sternly "Aqua." "Alright, alright. I did do some yesterday, but just as I said, I was only gonna do it when it wasn't painful." She lightly rubbed her head with a hoof. "Sadly, it's still painful." "So you just lied?" Aqua looked up with a focused expression, thinking. "Technically, no..." The filly smiled. "Anyway, other than soreness, nothing else happened. Incredubiously, Cotton replied, "And how is that technically not a lie?" Aqua snuggled closer and yawned. "Well, I was talking about yesterday, not today." "Aqua..." The pegasus face-hoofed. "That's still a lie." "Nuh-uh." The filly shook her head. "No, it's not. It's so close it might be, but it's not." Cotton sighed. Aqua rubbed her horn lightly. "Anyways, how's Feather doing? She doin' okay?" "Yeah. She's good. Mostly the same as usual, but now she has a crush on this one coworker. He's a unicorn accountant by the name of Clear Ledger." Aqua tilted her head, ears following. "Oh?" The pegasus hummed. "Yeah. They both work at the castle, so they even up coming across each other. Fairly often, too." "Makes sense. Hope it goes over for her well." Cotton nodded before getting off the bed, the filly still holding on. "Same." She smirked. "Well then, not-quite-a-liar, let's go get some food for you." Aqua blanched with exaggerated disgust. "Ew. That requires leaving the bed. I think I'm good without that." Cotton started walking to the door. "So, you're saying you're not hungry?" Aqua leaned to the side. "Well... That's not what I said." An eyebrow quirked and a smirk. "Is that so..?" Cotton closed the door behind her and began to head towards the cafeteria. The filly sounded smug. "Yeah." Cotton expected the filly to continue, but when she didn't, she shook her head. "Alright then. Let's." A tiny hoof tapped the back of the pegasus' neck. "Oh, can we make a stop by the restroom before eating?" Aqua spoke through a yawn. Cotton giggled and turned around. Seems we have a little delay. "Thanks."