I yawned as existence faded in around me after my peaceful state of slumber. Looking forward, I saw Flare's still sleeping face. I felt his soft, warm exhales touching me, generating a soft wind under the covers. I rolled slightly, looking at the fabric nest Red had rested himself in. I tried opening my eyes further, to notice the intense light pouring in from the window. What time was it? I leaned over to glance at the clock, seeing a 10:30 AM glowing in a green tinted blue. I began to roll back over into bed, then realized the severity of the situation.
I shot up from my position, letting the insulative layers float up as I bolted out of the room and down the stairs into the kitchen. I had to make coffee, or else Flare and I would suffer the consequences. What are the consequences? Headaches, really bad headaches. I ground up the coffee beans and scooped up the grounds into the filter which I applied to the socket on the machine. I put the small glass under the dispenser and pressed the button. I then fetched two coffee cups, pouring the warm caffeinated substance into one coffee cup. I repeated the first process and went to grab the milk and agave nectar. I poured more coffee into the other cup and added the appropriate amount of my additives.
Flare slowly and carefully stumbled down the stairs, dazed and confused at my abrupt awakening. I looked at him and levitated the cup to him. He promptly took it and began sipping on it. He sat down at the table and rubbed his eyes. I sat next to him and leaned up against him, closing my eyes and snuggling in. He wrapped a hoof around me and levitated my coffee over. I smiled at him as he held me.
"Good morning." He croaked.
I responded, "You too."
"Your magic is already getting better." He remarked.
I smiled again, "Thanks."
I drank a bit of my coffee. As usual, it was slightly bitter with a sweet note and a strong creamy taste. Just like my dad would make. There was another nice thing I could say about him. He made the best coffee. And the best part, it helped wake you up. My special somepony seemed to enjoy it as well. I finished off my coffee and went to rinse the cup out. Today was Flare's day off, so we would be able to do something together. But what would that something be? I had no idea yet, but I knew Flare had a plan.
I made my way up to our room to put my dress on, as well as my shoes. I noticed Red still hadn't woken up, so I decided not to bother him. Just then, my phone started ringing. Looking at it, I found that my parents were calling again. I sighed soberly as I silenced the phone and set it down on my nightstand. I still didn't want to talk to my parents. I was still mad, and felt rejected. I did at least appreciate that they were at least showing concern to try and contact me. As the call timed out, I received a voicemail from my dad. I was tempted to open it up and listen, but decided to put it off for now. I wanted to have a day with Flare, not be bummed out because of my parents.
I went to the bathroom to do my make-up. I had gotten good at it and didn't really have to think much to apply it. I exited the room as I pulled up MgP on my phone to see what was up. Oddly enough, I had no notifications. I left my thoughts on the daily inevitable memes that showed up on the sight and finally sjoved my phone into its usual place.
"Ready to go?" Asked Flare as he retrieved the car keys.
I nodded as we stepped out the front door and got in the car. I had no idea where we were going, so I stared intently out the passenger side window, looking for landmarks that I might recognise, seeing nothing once we left town. I began to see trees as we started going deeper into a forest. Only some beams of sunlight leaked through in most parts of the area. Then, we got to n elevated clearing. We drove further and further up until we arrived at a cliff face overlooking hundreds of trees with a beautiful view of Canterlot.
"I used to come here a lot just be alone." He calmly told me.
I smiled, "It's beautiful!"
He nodded as we got out and sat at the edge of the cliff. I looked out at the landscape, seeing the sunlight bathe the area, only broken by the trees, forming barriers of shade. I took a deep breath of the fresh air, becoming intoxicated by the feeling of breathing air with a lack of most artificial materials. I closed my eyes as i laid my head down on Flare's shoulder and relaxed for a minute.
"Did your parents call again yet?" Asked my special somepony.
I nodded, remaining quiet.
"Well, did you answer?" He inquired.
I shook my head no, "They did leave a message though. I don't know if I want to listen to it yet. I don't know if I'm ready."
"Hey, no, that's fine. Take the time you need. But if you need help telliing them, I'm here and always willing." He responded.
I nuzzled him, "I love you."
"I love you too." He wrapped one of his front legs around me.
Around noon, we pulled a picnic basket out of the car and retrieved sandwiches. We quietly ate in each other's embraces, enjoying the breathtaking view. On the way back home, we stopped at various tourist attractions and took some selfies with each other. I enjoyed spending time with Flare more than anything, bjt the message stayed in the ba k of my mind the whole time. What was it going to say? Were my parents going to say they hated me? Were they officially disowning me?
When we finally got home, it was starting to get dark. I sat down on the front porch and readied myself for what they had to say and played the message before I had a second thought.
"Hey, Aria. It's your dad. I'm sorry for snapping on you like that. I should know better. Listen, I don't know the first thing about this whole transgender thing, but if it's how you feel, I guess what I can do is accept it. It'll feel pretty weird calling you my daughter though. You know, after over twenty years of calling you son? Look, your mom and I, we're worried sick about you. I'm gonna call again tomorrow, now I understand if you don't want to answer. After the way I treated you, I wouldn't want to talk to me either. But I'd be pretty happy to hear my so- my daughter's voice. Well, I've gotta go spend time with your mom. We love you, Aria. And we're sorry."
I wiped a tear away as I began to cry. It was out of emotions conflicting. I was frustrated at myself, happy my parents were being accepting, and angry that they hadn't shown that before, and so many other things which I didn't know how to say. I sighed as I looked down. I was going to answer my dad the next day. I was going to say sorry.