//------------------------------// // A Breakfast to Start the Day Right // Story: A Few Moments with Twilight // by Haliton //------------------------------// Having woken up before planned, I had plenty of time to laze about and wait. The warm spots on the bed created overnight were especially nice, especially in a room chilled by winds adjusting to the settling of autumn. They had blown open the windows again while I slept, they enjoyed making sure I never woke up too hot. Out the open window were the first rays of daylight. A great orange tinge on the horizon taking over from the deep blue that still blanketed Ponyville. Not something I paid attention to very often, but it was captivating. I had some time to spare. Twilight Sparkle, Twilight Sparkle. Hers was an image I couldn't get my mind away from. I had to deeply consider who she was to me. She was the one who found me and brought me to safety. When I came to, she was the one I who helped me find a place to stay. She was the one who taught me how to live here, and also listened while I relived my former life so I wouldn't forget. She is a unicorn pony. A body of an animal, though her face was enough to look like a person's, and her mind was brilliantly intelligent. She was also someone I... Gah. How could I have fallen so low? Of all the things I could have been guilty of, I… never thought it would be zoophillia. Her hair was silky and straight, perfect. Her voice gentle, soothing, but with firm resolve when the time came. The way her tail sprang out so enticingly... It still wasn't easy to accept that I had developed a crush on Twilight Sparkle. Worse still, I was acting on it. As I was, there was no way I could simply cut her off. She was my only real friend. I still needed her to teach me more about living in Equestria. I needed someone to talk to, someone to while away the time with, someone to share my thoughts, ideas and memories with. Really, I shouldn't be putting such a good arrangement at risk. There was nothing rational about this. To help absolve myself of the responsibility, I kept it mind that it was she who invited me out. Nothing I could do about that. The worst thing I could do now was get my hopes up. At least I knew my chances weren't impossible. Ponies courted between their castes and apparently with other species too, if that subgenre on Twilight's shelves was anything to go by. If she didn't feel the same way about me, I could live with it. If she did... there lay a whole score of problems too numerous to even consider. Didn't stop me from preparing my best clothes today. Well, not 'best' as in fancy and formal, just nice clothes that suited the occasion. This was just a breakfast d– a breakfast meetup. Maybe Twilight would like it if I brought something she hadn't seen. Boxes still lay about unopened, I'd focused on unpacking essentials like clothes. Just in time for the autumn winds, growing colder and colder by the day. As much as I enjoyed the end of summer's heat, I had to keep warm. Not much of a problem today, looking outside. Not many clouds to obscure another day of sun, now that the twilight had transitioned to dawn. Maybe I should bring something Twilight would like. A textbook? I already lent her some the other day. My phone? It would be nice showing Twilight more of that since I had spare batteries to use it with, but that was still something best saved for emergencies. Flowers? ...No, that would be being very forward, and no matter how either of us felt it would still be strange. Not that I could even head out to find some right now. It took until a sun ray hit my face for me to realise how much time I'd dawdled away. Right, casual meetup. Simple, comfortable pants, white T-shirt under a blue jacket to go with the blue sneakers. My wallet, designed for paper money, had to be replaced with a coin pouch I could attach to my pants, or a bag. After a bit of obsessive combing and triple checking that I had everything I needed, I left my home, or what worked as one. Weekend mornings were only a little less busy than weekdays. Ponies preferred to wake up at daybreak for their business rather than stay up late into the night. A pity, because a wave of self-consciousness was washing over me, and I had no familiar crowd with which to blend into and hide from my imagined judging eyes. The foals about the streets playing were, today at least content with giving a friendly wave rather than asking me for yet another' interview'. Something about working to gain beauty marks, that's what they kept asking me about. As far as I could recall, anyway. "There you are! How has your morning been?" There she was. It must be easy to be a pony and not have to think about what to wear. Her mane did seem a little straighter than usual, but she was how I'd always seen her. I felt a thumping in my chest that I needed to suppress. "Hard to tell, just woke up. Good air today, though." "Table for two of us, please!" Twilight had to pay more attention to the waiter than me, which was more distracting that it should have been. "Hope you slept well! I've been so busy, but I've been getting really good nights lately for some reason. How about you?" "Come to think of it," I thought out as we were lead to our tables. "Me too. Mostly last night, actually, haven't felt this good in the morning since.. well, as far as I can remember. I'm usually not a morning person. By usually, I mean never, by the way." "Hahaha!" Twilight's laugh. Her sweet giggle. Curse it, and how it made my chest grow weak. "Me too, actually! It's hard to stop studying at night when you've got another page to go... so you decide, just a little more... you've built up momentum you don't want to give up, you know?" "I know, I know very well." "Right! What do you feel like having, by the way?" Twilight slid me a menu. As expected, no hope of bacon. But wait, eggs were available. Which wasn't exactly meat, but it'd fulfill the same craving. Pancakes drizzled with honey was the description of another item, my stomach decided that it had room for both. I could smell a lucky table already having a stack of those. To round that off, breakfast tea, the same as Twilight. "Wow, pretty hungry, huh?" Twilight remarked as we sent the waiter on his way. "As a horse. It–it's a saying." I had to quickly intervene in Twilight's confusion over my attempt at wordplay. "Ooooh. Right!" She quickly nodded her head, indicating that she understood quickly. Well, probably. She was very clever, after all. Be natural, be natural. I had to remind myself every time I wasn't stuck trying to make it not too obvious I was gazing at her. "How's your leg doing, by the way?" She had hurt herself the last time we went out together. I got my first chance to play a hero to her when I brought her back to Ponyville. Fond, fond memories, even if it was just around a week ago. "Oh, it got better really fast! Don't you worry!" She quickly waved it off, looking away and smiling. "I had to rest a while, but those textbooks you sent helped pass the time! Couldn't understand this part though, I actually brought it with me..." She opened the pages of the thick paperback volume with remarkable care, even if her using magic made it harder to tell. "This? I'm guessing it's the when they use the word 'fingerprints'? They're a unique way of identifying people, since every one of my kind has a different set, so it's a word used to mean something that can be used as a unique identifier. Here, see?" I held up my right hand to show her, pointing them out to her curious face. She drew her head near, so much I could feel the breath off her nose. "Why don't you try and feel the ridges?" Before I'd realised what I said, it came out. I wondered whether I would congratulate myself over a moment of genius like this or curse myself for being so brazen. Twilight's hoof, trembling, drew my hand. Closer, closer.... The first thing I felt was the soft hair that covered it, like a teaser that lasted a painful half second of longing. The lucky finger that first got to feel her touch was the index, prodded a few hesitant times at first. As if struck by a moment of courage, she finally touched me with her whole hoof. All at once my fingers were overwhelmed on the smooth surface of her coat, and in sheer fright I nearly drew back. It couldn't have just been the cool morning air. Were ponies always this warm? Twilight's hoof was like a fire in the midst of a blizzard. It might as well have shined, the way all my attention was drawn to it. Just a limb. Just a foreleg covered in a purple fur layer. "I... uh, a little I guess? They're small, so it's pretty hard..." Twilight kept her focus on the hand, being absolutely still save for the investigating hoof that kept poking about my fingers. By a deep, almost bestial instinct, I closed them. Right then was when Twilight's hoof grew hot, enough to create a small summer at our table. Her eyes widened for the briefest moment before she turned them away to concentrate on something away from me. I didn't feel right looking at the same time. My hand was around her soft, warm hoof, and that's all I could think of. "How about now?" I asked, just to keep the illusion going. That same base instinct made me run my fingers about her hoof, feeling her hairs fill the valleys of my hand. Somehow, they were a perfect fit. Between keeping down my chest and holding onto the hoof, I had to think of how to bring this situation forward to what I wanted. "Hmmm... yeah, a little better. Now..." Right as she pushed it into my hand, I squeezed. I could make out a small gasp escaping Twilight's mouth before I realised what I'd just did. I dared to squeeze her hoof again, and again she pushed in, holding on in return. Then it was her turn. She rested her hoof right into the crevasse of my grip, turning around to make a space for itself and reward me with more of that warm grip. I wanted it to last forever. "Pardon me. Your orders?" And just like that, it was gone. The waiter, possessed by some malevolent force, decided that this was the best time to serve us our food. He stood there, nonchalant, almost insolent in the way he broke this up. We drew away and I was left with nothing but a hollow feeling in my hand that was in heaven just seconds ago. "Thank you. Thank you very much." He nodded as if he was barely listening to my impotent frustration as he put down our breakfasts, which really wasn't worth any attention once I was done with my moment of indignation. A slab of pancakes for both of us, drizzled in honey and topped with a block of rich, creamy butter. I had an omelet, but Twilight had her egg scrambled. They sizzled in their juices, aromas working in tandem with the sweet pancakes to convince me there were other things in life worth pursuing. My gaze finally returned to Twilight, who looked back expectantly. "Right! Let's eat!" She, too, decided that food was the best thing we could get at the moment. It really was. Ponies had a gift for pastries, given that it probably made up half of what they ate. It was clear the pancakes were freshly baked, and the honey free of the usual processing required by the industry that stripped it of its wilder taste. I had to hold myself back from the urge to devour it right there. What would Twilight think? The elegant way she cut her pancakes and lifted the pieces with her magic, she'd definitely be put off. I had never seen her be so formal before, but I can't fall behind here. "Earth ponies usually do the farming, right?" I managed to force myself to take a break from devouring breakfast to add conversation. "That's right! It's a connection they have to the land that makes them good at it. The best farmers are in... harmony with it, they understand the land and know how to get the best out of it! They tame the land to make it theirs." Like the way you're making my heart yours. That's when Twilight would have gasped, swooned over my clever wordplay and declared her feelings for me on the spot. If I said it like I wanted to instead of backing out. Damn it, it wouldn't work anyway, right? "Wow. That sounds amazing. Ever thought of trying to apply your magic like that? Find some new secret to working the land? Seems like it'd be a profitable line of work." "Oh, you're giving me too much credit." Her cheeks glowed with a faint pink tinge as she lowered her head, her hoof in front of her mouth to try drawing attention away from her smile. "Am I? Imagine the headlines. Twilight Sparkle, herald of a new green revolution. Your name plastered over every billboard in the city, then you receive your many, many awards that only make it so even more people hear your name. They want to know who the talented Twilight Sparkle is...." "Goodness!" Twilight giggled. "You're really flattering me here!" "Not flattery if it's true! Well, could be true in time. You're brilliant enough, I can see that..." And cute, witty, pretty.... "W-well, so are you! I've never seen anyone pick up knowledge so fast. I-it shows when you tell me stories of your home. I you'd have to be very well read to understand things to a level where... well, to what I enjoy." "And you're saying I'm the one with the flattery here, Twilight." I had to lean on the table to accept that compliment, barely holding myself back from a big grin. Her eyes turned to meet mine, our heads leaning into each other. "Truth is, Twilight, you're..." CLANG! Very nice. Of all times something could have fallen of the table, it had to be now. Somehow my fork had moved over to the very edge before dropping off, deciding that the chance of getting a scratch on itself was worth ruining the moment. "Don't worry, I'll ask for something to clean it. Excuse me!" Twilight quickly recovered and got back to the business of doing customer things at a cafe. The sting of working up all the courage for nothing left me limp. Well, the food was still hot. There was that compensation. The same unfettered waiter came to give me a wet cloth for cleaning my cutlery, not caring that he probably never saw anything like it in his life. I was expecting a bit more attention for bringing utensils when ponies usually ate straight off their plates. Twilight didn't even comment on it. Well, she'd seen it a few times already, but still. "Thanks for that." I retreated to wistfully cleaning my fork. Twilight waited for me to finish before eating again. Very polite and nice of her. Not at all a way to make up for it, though. Clearly, ponies weren't as skilled as they were with eggs as with pastries. It wasn't by any means bad, but maybe built for a different palette. Still, it was made up for with a good spread of seasoning. Spices should count for something grown by earth ponies. It fulfilled the craving for protein, just very barely. It needed sausage bits cooked in to be complete. "Well?" asked Twilight as she sipped her tea. "I drop by here when I feel like having a larger breakfast. What do you think?" Right at the moment I was thinking that we were done eating far too fast. "Great! I'm really, really full. Thanks for bringing me here! I still don't really know what's good around town..." "Let's take a walk. I'm bursting, I need to stretch my legs a little. Come on!" She hopped out of her seat and walked me to the counter. Before I could even count the money in my pouch, I heard the cashier wish us a good day. "Oh. Twilight, how much do I owe you?" There went my plans of gallantly footing the bill, gently hushing her protests and insisting that it was only right. "Hmm? Nothing, my treat! It was me who asked you out anyway, so it's only right on a... well, on an outing." "What? But–" "Oh, don't worry about it, alright?" Twilight was the one hushing my protests instead. There was no fighting this when I'd already lost. "Huh. Next time, then." No arguing here. "Got any good places in mind?" "Oooh, next time?" She suddenly grinned before falling back to her composed self. "Well, uh, I was thinking a nice park to sit down. Ever been there?" "I don't think so. Care to show me the way?" Truth was, I never really felt like leaving my place for pleasure. The explorer in me was held back by the worrier over my days here. We followed where the crowd was until the park came into view, then took the path away from them. We went somewhere more hidden away by the trees and bushes, somewhere off where we'd be to ourselves. The trees were losing their lustrous green, getting ready to shed their weight for the coming months. "There's a bench. Let's relax a while. The air's really good around here." I pointed out a bench by the side of the footpath, a few pretty flowers growing just beside. Twilight hopped on first and scooted to give me space. It was warm, and not likely from the bench. My hand rested on the seat. Twilight's hoof was right beside it. I just had to inch over a little. There, they were touching. A patch soft and warm, unlike the hard wooden bench below. My heart was pounding as if possessed in a frenzy just like that. "Any plans for later?" Twilight asked. I wasn't fit to think about her tone. She wasn't moving her hoof away. "I was thinking of packing up some more at home, but that can wait. Got anything in mind?" "Hmm... not really." She twitched, just a little. A small shiver. Her hoof strayed a little closer, not daring to test limits that weren't really there. "It's nice enough being here." Enough as in satisfactory, but there was something more I wanted. I allowed my greedy hand to creep further around her hoof. Gently, gently. "Thanks for asking me out on this...." "My pleasure! A good outing's a great way for... for people to bond." Twilight's expression fell after the short pause in her words, like being resigned to some sort of defeat. "Outing?" It was my turn to get something done, wasn't it? I hoped she wasn't feeling the sweat in my palm. My pounding chest had enough to deal with. "Dates are better at that." There. It was done. Now to see it through so I could finally put this to rest. "I–I like that word." Twilight's cheeks made that pink colour again. It became a lot warmer than the sun should allow. "How about me? I suggested it." "You're–you're a great word too! Wait, no, I mean– I mean it! I–" "And I really like you too, Twilight." I held onto her hoof, finally feeling the courage to squeeze tight. Suddenly everything in the world seemed right. What was I so worried about, anyway? Actually, why did anyone worry about a thing? Everything was perfect. The violent thumping in my chest cheered before finally calming down, exhausted and glad for a chance to rest. "Strange, though. I still can't feel your finger ridges." She finally turned to face me, her face free of a worry and doubt I hadn't noticed until they were gone. "Oh, don't worry about that, no one really can. I lied." I shrugged. "Just making sure. I actually read about that in an earlier chapter already." Her face broke into a mischievous grin that I couldn't resist copying. Just like that, we broke into laughter. The tension in the air was gone just like that, and I could feel the carefree atmosphere that surrounded our meetings return, sorely missed. We laughed until we buckled over, realising the absurdity of the situation. When we were done, panting and heaving, I looked into those bright purple eyes again. Now, I knew they were looking back at me the same way. "So, what was that about plans for later? We've started the day off so great. Shame if it ended so soon." It was the best morning I had in a long, long time. Even better knowing now that I could have many more like it. "Glad you asked!" She pulled out an stack of notes, jotted with ideas and recommendations. There was a timetable, several timetables even, with different plans for the day. "I had a few things in mind..."