//------------------------------// // First Hint of Daylight // Story: A Few Moments with Twilight // by Haliton //------------------------------// Vast stretches of grassy hills, sparsely marked by trees. A flower occasionally poked through, interrupting the green with a bright yellow or pink. Above, cloudy sky, occasional oases of sunlight shining through. Mountains in the distance, surrounding us like a great barrier. To my side, my unicorn pony companion, Twilight Sparkle, steadily trudging on forward with me. Today was another Saturday, yet chillier than the one before. A few days ago, one of her friends came with news about finally having found a very important possession of mine. We quickly made plans, as we'd be hiking to a valley far from Ponyville. None of her friends were free, so it was just down to the two of us, walking down the wild trails far from town. We left at sunrise, spirits high at the time, but now they were beginning to be tested. "Hey, um... I've used up all my water. Could I have some of yours?" Twilight was holding her own bottle upside down to show it was empty, her brow furrowed. Her lips were looking quite dry. My canteen was larger and I'd been drinking less, so there was plenty to spare. I drew it from my backpack; Twilight lifted it from my hand and sipped for a while. Her eyes gazed into the distance, unfocused. Probably exhaustion, poor thing. "Hey, you alright? Don't worry about saving some for me, I'm good to go for a while." "Eh? Oh, uh, just spaced out a bit, sorry. Twilight grinned sheepishly and returned me my canteen. I decided I'd have some water myself. A few sips was all I needed for now. It was wet on this side of the opening, Twilight drank from here, did she? "Tired? You're spacing out too. There's a stream up ahead we can rest at." Twilight looked at me concerned. I quickly put away the bottle, and we continued. Talk among us had been animated in the morning. We didn't speak about any one thing in particular, as we found many topic we could spread out. It started with a question, whatever it was about already long-forgotten as time melted away in our voices. Light orange woodland turned to plains hours later, and here we were. Quieter, since the distance had taken its toll on us, but we were comfortable that way. "Here we are! And look at the time, I guess we may as well get seated for lunch!" Twilight had brought use to a stream of clear water, levitating her map with magic to conform our position. She made another mark on the map with a pencil to mark the latest in our trail, then laid on the grass. I offered today's lunch. Sandwiches packed into lunchboxes, enough to feed us and easy to carry. Twilight had asked for daisies mixed with her garden vegetables. I made do with ham and cheese, toasted to golden brown, though no longer hot. "Let's eat, Twilight." "Yeah, let's!" Lunch with Twilight again. Not in my house this time, but out in the open fields of Equestria. Cool breezes blew on us, and her hair flowed with it in hypnotizing fashion. She held her face to the wind to catch the air, and her dark blue mane blew out behind her, scarf she wore to resist the elements riding with it. "Huh, Twilight, you look like one of those models from back home." "Hmm?" She looked at me, large eyes innocent even as her hair looked like the image of a windblown model. "Yeah. Photographs of women with their hair swept in the wind are popular. Hold on, stay still... yeah, perfect." She looked... ... For a moment, she was not Twilight Sparkle the unicorn pony. For a moment, I forgot that she wasn't human. For a moment, she was– "Y-yeah, it is pretty windy, huh?" She smiled, eyes squinting in the air currents. She quickly looked down, probably to give her face reprieve from the wind. Back to her lunch, and I followed. We were both hungry. The thick clouds above floated over us leisurely, sailing upon the winds. Twilight and I both sank into the soft grass, barely paying attention to our meals despite being in the midst of eating. A few flowers surrounded us, some drinking from the stream they were growing nearer to. Purple and magenta most common, but a few white flowers were trying to grow among them. Munch, munch... Twilight was eating far slower than I remembered from when she visited. Upright, focused, posture proper. Hmm. "I've never actually prepared a... flower sandwich before. Is it alright?" "Yeah, yeah, it's good. You should try a bite yourself!" Twilight pushed the sandwich towards me, a clean uneaten end to my face. "You, uh... you can eat flowers, can you?" Her face was beginning to droop in disappointment. "I think I can actually. May as well..." I had heard about edible flowers, at least. I tore off a leaf and a petal. ... "So, how did you like it?" Twilight looked on hopefully. Ears upright, leaning forward. "It's.. interesting. I'm not very used to it, myself." "Oh, well, hmm." Hoof to her chin, eyes to the side and upwards. Deep in thought, looking for ideas. "I should introduce you to some other flowers, then! There's a nice cafe I used to visit a lot. You've been mainly eating pastries aside from what you make yourself, so I should introduce you to what other pony food is like!" "Sure. Next week?" "Yeah! How's breakfast sound?" "Sounds good." "Right then! It's a d–" Twilight stopped herself short, then looked down and coughed. "Yeah, it's a deal." Back to our lunches. I stepped over to the stream for a bit, refilling both our canteens. Twilight's horn glowed, as did the bottled water, and small specks of dirt came flying out. Useful, this magic of hers. She watched my own sandwich as I picked it backed up, eyes following with intent. "Hmm? Want to try some of mine, Twilight?" Maybe she wanted some cheese. Or did she prefer her bread toasted? "No, um, well... could I try some of your meat? Just a small piece." "Are you sure? I mean... is it alright for you? It won't cause you any problems, will it?" "Nah. It's just... not common for ponies to eat meat. It's not unheard of in far-off lands or history, but it's just not done around here. Still, I'd like to try." I let Twilight tear off her share. Barely anything, a thin slice, like something off a shredder. She looked carefully at it, gave it a sniff, then dropped it into her mouth. Those purple eyes of hers looked upwards, left and right, before shutting as she chewed. Finally, she swallowed, a slight grimace on her face. "You alright, Twilight?" I couldn't imagine what would happen if my food caused her any harm. I knew about meat-eating horses, but Twilight... "Yeah. It was... different. I can imagine it being a pretty good source of nutrition, though!" "Mmhmm. Hope you liked it." Twilight enjoying, or at least willing to try something of mine felt somehow fulfilling. Conversation petered out, then came back in as we finally finished our sandwiches. The grassy bed we were on was alluring and almost had us glued, tempting us for rest that would quickly become a nap. "Guess we're done. Ready to head off, Twilight?" "Yep. Thanks for lunch, again." Back to our hike. We passed the stream, then went over more soft, rolling hills. The wind blew at our backs, keeping us moving even when our bellies enticed us with the pleasures of laying on the grass for another break. The mountains came closer around us, and the clouds began to part, letting more of the sun shine through. "Noon already, Twilight?" "Almost." "We've been walking for five hours already. How much longer?" "Soon..." She inspected her map again. "Just beyond those mountains over there." To the distance, two mountains towered next to each other, like great gateposts, or guardians of whatever lay behind. Clouds hung low over them, spilling to their bases. The sound of our footsteps were all that made noise as we walked. The silence of anticipation had become sacred. Fog stood as a gate between the mountains, reducing what we could see of the distance. Not enough to deter Twilight and myself. "Fog's getting pretty thick, Twilight. Twilight?" It had come to us, and I couldn't see much farther than my face. The shade of purple beyond the white blurs made its way to me. "There you are. We should stay close, let's not get lost." Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. "I should probably hang on to you or something. Or, uh... how about you hold onto me? Or just my scarf, yeah." I couldn't see her face, obscured as it was. "Yeah. Sure." Just lightly grab her scarf, that's all. Behind her neck, there, it was loose enough to just grip a bit. So we wouldn't get lost, of course. "Oh, right. Hang on... there we go." Twilight's horn glowed, illuminating a path through the mist. The ground was clear and safe to keep on moving. We kept our silence. At last the fog thinned, and through it, a massive valley. Waterfalls in the distance spilled into rivers that flowed on to feed many others. Sheer cliff faces hinted at stranger trees at their tops, cloaked in clouds that contorted themselves into whatever they fancied. Closer to the earth sprung shrubs and trees, all flowering in colours seemingly to rebel against the green. "Look! Is that it?" On a flat stretch with nothing but grass, something metallic, with glass windows. "Yeah, Twilight, I think so." I moved on forward first, letting go of her and breaking into a sprint over the distance. Yes, it was a car. My car, inside still loaded with the things I remembered bringing. "It is! Come on, Twilight, come look at this!" My pocket, my pocket. I did remember to bring the keys, right? Yes, they were there. Click. The sound of doors unlocked. "It's working! Twi–" "Ow!" Twilight tripped and fell face-first into the ground, trying to run to where I was. My high spirits fell with her. "Damn. Are you alright? I rushed to her, though not before I dropped my backpack by the car. "Oww... yeah, but I think I sprained my hoof..." She tried to stand back up, but winced when she tried putting pressure on her left foreleg. She looked at her hurt leg, dejected. "Don't know how long I'm going to need to rest here." "Easy, Twilight, come on. Hold onto my arm or something." I bent over, giving her my forearm for her good leg to hang on to. She was surprisingly heavy, not that I was deterred or anything. Slowly I led her to the car's side and set her down. "Can you climb in? Hang on, let me help you." I opened the door for her, then helped her get inside. Fortunately the passenger seat was cleared out the last time I left. She seemed comfortable enough on the seat, left leg lifted a little. "And, uh, hang on, I hope this isn't too uncomfortable for you..." I pulled over the seat belt. At least it didn't take too much effort to fit over her. "What's this supposed to be?" "It's a seat belt, for safety. The vehicle should still be working, so while you're a passenger in here it's best if you buckle up. It can move pretty fast, so you need to be secured. It's.. not too uncomfortable, is it?" "Don't worry, I'm fine." When the door closed, she smiled at me through the window. Round to the driver's seat. Left foot onto the clutch and down, key in hole, hopes about to be tested. The key twisted, and the familiar purr of the engine came to life. "Whoa! So there's a small engine somewhere here, is there?" Twilight's eyes came to life again. "Yes, I should show you, but that's once we get back. We've been walking on wide open ground the whole way, so getting back shouldn't be a problem. Just sit back and relax." Shift to first gear. Handbrake disengaged. Release the clutch a little, then right foot down on the accelerator, and only slightly. These familiar actions were comforting and stilled my hands. I hadn't even realised they were trembling. "We're... we're moving!" Wonder and amazement in that voice. Any and all fatigue from the walk faded away. "Like I said, Twilight. Enjoy the ride." I drove us slowly at first Fortunately, the windscreen was clean and there was no need to check if the wipers were still working. Scenery passed us way faster than before, and being seated made us much more at ease. "I don't think I can really take this through Ponyville. I can probably stop at my house, then I'll help you home, alright?" "I just hope this'll be better by then. Thanks.. thanks a lot." "It's no problem. Can't wait to show you what else I've packed in here. I'll definitely lend you whatever books you want, I've got a few textbooks you might be interested in. Not today though, I'll need to sort them out first. Oh, and get you home safe." She giggled. "So careless of me, really." Taking a girl home. Driving her home, even, after a long day out. That was what I was doing right now. "Heh, back behind a wheel after so long and I'm already driving a girl back." "Eh? Is this something significant in your culture?" "Not really. It's just commonly assumed that a girl being driven home by a guy is... well, uh, dating him." I had to focus on the road. That's why I didn't look at Twilight, yes. Focus on the path, I mean. There wasn't any road here. Right. "I–I see." A silence. Twilight was tired and had to nurse her injury, I was sure. The clouds finally decided to move off, letting through sun rays too long stifled. Lowering the windows as a good idea to let in more air for myself, and Twilight requested the same for her side. "What's that weird black case you have there?" "That one? A computer. Think of it as a... device that can carry out instructions to do a wide variety of tasks. I don't think I can show you unless you've got a suitable power source anywhere, though." "Hmm... let's take a look sometime. There's so much here, it's a shame if it went to waste." Conversation carried on till we made it back to Ponyville, within a single hour when it took us from sunrise till noon on foot. The ponies about that saw us stared, but at least they treated it like any other carriage as they got out of the way. Twilight was better, but I made sure to accompany her to her library anyway. Wouldn't have felt right otherwise. "Do take care of yourself, alright? Tell you what, I'll bring over a few books tomorrow, and you can have your pick. Maybe even all of them. Just promise me you'll rest well." "Yeah, don't worry. I had a fun time, anyway. Never been on a walk so long for a while!" "Well... see you tomorrow, Twilight." "See you tomorrow! Have fun with your old stuff back!" I had a load of my old possessions to sift through, full with pleasures I thought I'd lost forever, but for a while, they didn't seem as important as I'd imagined.