//------------------------------// // Chapter 25: Good Morning // Story: Time Lord: The Story of North Star // by Thrawn1800 //------------------------------// Chapter 25 Gentle light bathed my eyelids as I reached wakefulness. I laid still, enjoying the soft, cool covers. I clutched my pillow a little closer, rubbing my cheek against it. I rested there for a long time, enjoying the peaceful quiet. When I did open my eyes, I gazed up at my window. The sky was overcast, but with the brightness of winter clouds. And it was indeed winter, for snowflakes drifted downwards in lazy spirals, and I smiled a little. I closed my eyes again, and drifted back into a light doze. After an indeterminate amount of time, I stirred again. I sighed, rubbing my eyes with my hooves. Then I rolled over, sprawling halfway off of the bed. Eventually, I forced myself to slide off the bed, and stand up. Quietly, I left my room. After listening for a second, I guessed no one else was up yet. I walked downstairs, and into the kitchen. I walked over to the refrigerator, and pulled the door open. As I gazed in at the contents, the crystal on the back of the unit started humming gently as the spell it held worked to cool the interior. I pulled out an egg carton and a package of hay bacon, then closed the door. I set these down on the counter, and looked out of the window. Everything I could see had accumulated at least a foot of snow, and more was still falling. Turning away, I got out two pans and put them on the stove. I lit it, then started mixing the eggs with some spices stored in the cupboard. Once the pans had gotten hot enough, I poured the eggs into one, and placed the hay bacon into another. While I was cooking, I could hear the sound of hooves above. I listened as the other pony came down, and heard the door creak open behind me. “Good morning.” I said, not turning away from the bacon, which was reaching a critical stage of brownness. “‘Morning.” said Braeburn, who took a seat at the kitchen’s island counter. “You’re up early.” “It’s not that early.” I said. I heard Braeburn shift a little in his chair. “North?” His tone of voice concerned me, and I looked back at him. “Yes?” “Did you sleep well last night?” The real question was obvious, and I looked away. “Maybe?” “North.” he sighed, shaking his head a little. “I want to help you. Don’t keep this stuff from me, please?” I flipped the bacon, and nodded. “I’m sorry.” “It’s fine.” he said. “I guess I know where I’m sleeping tonight.” “I blinked, pushing the eggs around the pan. “But… I thought you weren’t ready.” He smiled toothily. “Somepony’s gotta keep you company, since yer too stubborn to admit you need help.” “I’m not stubborn.” I said. “I just don’t like making others take care of me.” Braeburn chuckled. “It’s really jus’ the same thing.” I rolled my eyes, and returned my attention to the food. “Get some plates out, would you?” He got them out, then I distributed even portions of egg to all of them. Everyone here was a ravenous eater, so there was no point in divvying up according to need. As I was putting the egg pan in the sink, Applejack and Big Mac came in, followed immediately by the half-asleep Applebloom and Granny Smith. “Go ahead and sit down.” I said. “I’ll be there in just a second.” Once I’d set the pans I’d used to soak, I picked up the plate of hay bacon and brought it over to the table. I set it in the middle of the table so everyone could reach it. “Thanks Sugarcube.” said Braeburn, when I sat down next to him. “It looks mighty fine.” “Thanks.” I said, blushing a little at his smile. My stomach felt a little fluttery, so I looked away. I distracted myself by taking a bite of my food, and was pleased to find it palatable. I knew how to cook, sure. But a habit of experimentation had led to some… incidents. There was a light conversation, maintained throughout the meal. Once in a while, Braeburn would glance at me, and smile a little. My cheeks would heat up, and I’d smile back. Once we’d finished eating, Applejack volunteered to do the dishes, so I found myself listening as Big Mac and Granny Smith discussed the current weather. He thought it’d be best to start clearing the snow off of the path now, since it would only get worse. And she thought that, for the same reason, it would be best to wait until the snow lightened up. “It t’ain’t snowing that much.” pointed out Braeburn. “Maybe we should start before it gets any deeper?” After another minute, Granny Smith agreed. “What do you think, sugarcube?” asked Braeburn, touching my shoulder. “Me?” I asked. “Yes, you.” “But… it isn’t really up to me. I just work here.” “Nonsense.” he said. “Your opinion matters.” The other two nodded in agreement, and Applebloom spoke up. “Yer part of the family, ain’t ya?” I blinked. “I… am?” “A’course you are.” said Braeburn. “Yer my coltfriend, after all.” “An’ our best help.” added Big Mac. “‘cept maybe Caramel. That stallion doesn’ know when to quit, fer his own health.” Across the room, Applejack flinched a little, but she didn’t say anything. Remembering the conversation Braeburn and I had heard last night, I could see why she’d be a little uncomfortable. “Oh. Well…” I looked outside, where the snow was falling perhaps a little lighter than earlier. “It’s probably better to do it now. It doesn’t really look like it’s going to let up anytime soon, does it?” “Let’s get to it then.” said Braeburn, standing up. He put his dishes next to Applejack, who nodded. “I’ll be out as soon as I finish.” she said. “Y’all go ahead’n get started, ‘kay?” By the time she joined us, Big Mac, Braeburn, and I had gotten the snowplows out of the large equipment shed. Braeburn had made me put on a scarf, even though I liked the weather. Even so, he’d forced me to sit still while he’d tied it around my neck. He’d wanted me to put on a jacket too, but the threatening glare I’d given him had convinced him to leave it be. It was slow going. The snow wasn’t heavy but it was deep. At least two feet in some places, and the light wind that was playing amongst the bare trees had made some drift into even deeper piles. It turned out I was more tolerant of the cold than the others, though not by much. And though Applejack shivered when she saw me, I pushed through the snow happily enough. Braeburn worried me though. He lived in a desert after all, and even though he hadn’t been born there, he wasn’t used to this much cold. “Are you okay?” I asked, while briefly resting my hooves. “I’ll manage.” he said. “I’m not gonna let a little snow stop me.” “Go in if it gets too much for you.” He nodded, but I could tell he wouldn’t do any such thing. I might be a little stubborn (according to him, anyway), but he was immoveable in this. An hour or so later, we’d cleared a strip to the road, which we were widening to accommodate the wagon’s girth. Once we’d gotten it wide enough, Applejack brought the wagon out, and we spent a few minutes loading barrels onto it. “Ah’ll see y’all later.” she said. Then she left for the market. We finished clearing up the area around the house and barn, then put the plows back in the shed. Before I even go to the porch, a gently thrown snowball hit my side. I jumped at the shock of sudden cold, then fixed my eyes on the culprit. Braeburn smiled slyly, holding a second ball of snow. I grinned menacingly, and his smile faltered a little. In a flash, I’d scooped up the snow and compacted it into a ball. Braeburn dodged that one, but not the second one I’d had ready. It exploded into a white cloud of flakes, covering him in a light dusting. While he was distracted, I jumped behind a tree, and quickly made another pair of snowballs. I stuck my leg out as if about to break cover, and several white missiles flew past. Then I leapt clear of the tree, and threw mine. The first tricked Braeburn into dodging left, straight into the path of the second. I ran back into the cover of the trees, listening as Braeburn crunched his way after me. Quietly, stepping only on the shallowest snow under the trees, I made my way so I was directly behind him. “North?” he called looking around. When I was just behind him, I tapped his back. “What!” Braeburn whirled around, and I grinned. “Hi!” I said. Then I promptly took his hat off of his head, and put it neatly on my own. “Hey!” “Not quite time to eat.” I teased. “Though if you’re hungry-” “Give me m’hat!” said Braeburn, blushing and trying to get it away from me. I ducked, then trotted back a few steps. “Come’n get it!” Braeburn laughed, and he did. He tackled me, and we both fell into the snow. White powder flew everywhere while Braeburn and I wrestled. By the time we stopped, both of us were panting, and giggling like a pair of colts. I was first on my hooves. I leaned over Braeburn, smiling. “You okay there?” I asked. “Fine.” he said. Abruptly, the sky and ground reversed, and Braeburn had me pinned to the snowy ground. “Gotcha.” he said triumphantly. “Now for my prize.” I assumed he meant the hat, which had fallen of when we’d been wrestling. Instead, he kissed my nose. “You have fun?” he asked, helping me up. “Yeah.” I said, pushing my nose deep into his golden mane. Braeburn nuzzled my cheek, then went to get his hat. _______________ Inside, we sat down on the couch. There wasn’t much of anything to do, and no one felt like going anywhere. For a while, we sat quietly, content in our own thoughts. Then after a while, I drifted off. It wasn’t until I actually woke back up that I realized that I had. Because instead of sitting next to Braeburn, I was lying with my head on his lap. Braeburn, still awake, was gently running a hoof through my mane. I sighed, and Braeburn looked down. “Hey there.” he said quietly, his hoof pausing. “You… you don’t mind, do you? You fell asleep, and I thought you’d be more comfortable lying down.” In response, I simply smiled, and closed my eyes. Taking this as an invitation to continue, he started playing with my mane again. “You didn’t sleep much last night, did you?” he asked. I didn’t answer, but I didn’t need to. “It wouldn’t have bothered me if you’d came and slept with me.” I felt rather than saw him smile. He stroked my ear, and I hummed at the soothing sensation. “I’m not leaving you alone tonight.” he whispered. “Okay?” I nodded a little. After a while, I fell asleep again. _______________ When Applejack got back from the market, she put the wagon back in the barn. Then she walked to the farmhouse, kicked the snow off of her hooves, and walked in. After grabbing a bite to eat from the kitchen, she walked into the living room. On the couch, Braeburn and North were both asleep. Braeburn laying on his back, and North with his head resting on his chest. There was no sure way to know how they’d ended up like that, but judging from what she could see, it was apparent they’d been out for a while. Shaking her head, she went to find Applebloom. She’d promised to take her ice-skating with her friends, and she herself thought it’d be fun to get out her old skates.