The Regular

by Milo_Chalks

Milk Hearts

“...and because your both stallions what would your foals call you? Could you have foals? This whole thing is still super weird still. How did you find out? Wait, I don’t wanna know that-”

“Hazel! Hazel! Slow down, I am really happy that you’re taking an interest in this, but please, one question at a time.” Ristretto sighed and looked at the coffee; despite the time he was only half-finished, a by-product of the onslaught of questions he had just faced. He threw his head back and drained the remainder of the liquid before putting his brother’s mind at rest. “They would call us dad and pap. Yes, there is adoption. I found out through just the feeling that I was attracted to stallions, it is less self exploration than you think, you weirdo.” Ristretto smirked and nudged his little brother who was taking a much more cautious approach to his hot chocolate.

“I have more questions, you know.” The little colt replied through a mouthful of warm liquid.

“And I have work to go to in ten minutes. I’m sorry Hazel.” Ristretto replied looking at the clock. “Moonbeam’s mum will be over to take you to their place for the night, don’t go listening to any of his wild ideas now. I will pick you up tomorrow.” He grabbed his apron and bits from the couch he had left them on and rushed back over to his little brother to give him a big hug in his seat and a tickle under his forelegs. Hazel giggled and retracted from his bowl of cereal and covered the area under his legs with his hoof.

“Retto! Stop!” He shrieked as Ristretto made a pounce for his belly. The little colt rolled off his chair as the onslaught of tickles made him laugh harder, his belly being the main target. Ristretto continued the onslaught of tickles making his brother squirm beneath him as the colt struggled to break loose of the attack. Finally Ristretto looked up at the clock. He relented the attack and hugged his out-of-breath brother.

“Alright, be good for Mrs Bell. I’ll seeya tonight.” He finished before walking towards the door.

“Bye Retto!” He called out as the stallion gave a wave and closed the door behind him.

With a skip in his step and a song on his lips the stallion made his way to the coffee shop. More than ever excited for his favorite usual to meander through the doors later that morning. The snow was beginning to melt as spring began to take its grasp on the days. It would be winter wrap up soon, but until then the white stallion had to deal with damp hooves as the solid white snow turned to grey slush. Yet even the damp couldn’t dampen his mood as the coffee shop slowly came into sight.

---

Meanwhile, Sunburst was having the time of his life completely unsure of his orientation and by extension his future, his aspirations, his lifestyle and most of all, his friend. For almost half an hour he had been staring at the mirror asking over and over again.

“Who am I?” The orange stallion asked for the third time, once again not receiving an answer from the pony inside the mirror. He almost didn’t recognise who he was anymore.

For your entire life, you have knew what you were aiming for; a mare, maybe some foals, a nice house a little closer to the castle, happiness. Happiness. What is happiness? Is that really what I want? Is it what I need? Who am I? What am I?

“What am I?” Sunburst whispered into the mirror.

“A very confused pony, and a late one if you keep staring at that mirror.” Came a familiar voice from behind Sunburst. The stallion jumped as the intruder made her presence known.

“Starlight! Bucking hell! There goes my breakfast.” Came a wheasy reply as Sunburst’s wits came slowly back.

Starlight walked into the bathroom and stared at the mirror with Sunburst as the two looked at each other's reflections. Thinking carefully about her reply the mare finally broke the silence.

“Does it matter what you are? Do you need to label it?” She replied curtly and continuing to act casually.

“Well, yeah, how else am I supposed to know who I am? What I like?” Sunburst replied honestly.

The pink mare was expecting this answer.

“Sunburst, tell me honestly, do you need a label to say that you like somepony? Gay, Straight, hyper-present-uber-pyrobear-whatever-sexual. They don’t mean anything. They are words. When you look at Ristretto, do you see somepony you could, in time, love?” Starlight bluntly asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe? I guess yeah, so that makes me gay?” Sunburst answered much to the groaning reply he received from the mare. “What?!” He asked.

“Sunburst! Forget what it makes you, the fact stands that you are willing to give Ristretto a chance. You like him! Nothing else matters. Make decisions with your heart, not with a category you have put yourself in. Now, I will ask again, do you need a label to say that you love a particular pony? Do you see a pony in that mirror that could love Ristretto?” Starlight finished by holding Sunburst’s head in the direction of the mirror, forcing him to look at his reflection.

Brief hesitation washed over him before finally looking at himself in the mirror. Before he had been looking at different minute details of himself, looking only at one place at a time. Now he stepped back and looked at his entire upper body, the bigger picture finally setting in. Starlight still holding her hooves against his temples he replied with confidence and meaning.

“Yes, yes I do. I see a pony who can love Ristretto. Labels won’t change that.” He answered firmly.

“Are you going to give him a chance?”

“Yes I will!” Sunburst shouted into the mirror.

“Are you going to be the best you can be?”

“Yes I will!”

“Are you going to ask him out on a date today?”

“Yes I wi- Woah! Woah! Woah!” He turned around quickly pulling Starlight’s hooves from his face before looking at her, annoyance written on his face. His resolve quickly faded to a bashful look, heat rising to his cheeks. “I don’t think now is the ti-” Starlight gave him a hard stare as she put a hoof on his mouth.

“What are you waiting for you oversized scaredy colt! He likes you in case you hadn’t noticed. Sunburst, you are going to go that coffee shop today and ask him out! No more tiny little coffee outings; it’s dinner or nothing. Understand.” She firmly ordered, letting her hoof slip from his mouth. A look -like a colt who had just been scolded by his mother- quickly spread across Sunburst’s face.

“Fine, jeez, alright, Starlight, I will, I will.” Sunburst said as an annoyed look replacing his shameful one. He buttoned up his cloak and started heading for the door.

Starlight gave a content smile as Sunburst made his way to the front door, the mare in tow. “Goodluck Sunburst! Be confident, you’ve got this!” She shouted as the stallion reached the door and opened it..

“Thanks, Starlight, I’ll see you later.” He replied before closing the door, leaving Starlight in the house.

“Go get him.” She smiled to nopony in particular before sneaking out the house to once again spy on her friend’s visit to the coffee shop.

---

Sunburst walked into the little coffee shop. Ristretto instantly began to make his usual, the careful liquid quickly being prepared as the orange stallion went through his daily routine, paying for the coffee and watching as his friend finished preparing his coffee.

“Umm, hey Ristretto, oh thanks.” He started as the barista placed the coffee onto the bench in the awaiting magic aura of it’s owner.

“So um, oh sorry.” The two ponies blurted simultaneously. Awkward muteness set among the two, much to the amusement of Vanilla Latte, who tried not to laugh at the scene.

“You go first.” Sunburst urged, pushing through the moment and giving himself a chance to sip his coffee.

“So, uh... yeah. No, umm... so, Hazell is kind of at a friend’s house tonight and uh, well... yeah.” Ristretto took a deep breath trying to gather his thoughts and find the courage he needed to finish.

“That’s cool.” Sunburst added making Vanilla facehoof at the sorry attempt at a conversation.

“He’s out tonight, so I was... uhh, I was just wondering if you, uh…. kinda, wanted to do something... tonight?” Ristretto finally finished his question, in that moment wanting to be as small as possible when he felt the heat on his cheeks.

A million scenarios of this question had played out in Ristretto’s mind earlier that morning however, his friend bursting into laughter on the floor of the coffee shop certainly wasn’t one of them. Yet to barista’s amazement there lie Sunburst in tears on the floor as the laughter flowed out his mouth. A puzzled look spread on Ristretto’s face as he looked over at Vanilla for an answer. She just shrugged while Sunburst composed himself and stood up.

“Oh, haha.” Finally the breathless stallion managed to continue, “Sorry Ristretto. It’s just that I was actually going to ask the exact same thing, but I just expected you to be too busy with Hazel. I’d be honoured if you came out to dinner with me tonight. I finish work at around five, so how about we meet at your place at sixish? I’d offer my place but I have a meddling mare and I’d rather not let her get involved”

A smile of relief spread over the barista’s face as the answer he was looking for was given to him. “Yes, absolutely! Six is perfect!” He replied giddily. In his excitement, Sunburst didn’t realise his coffee cup teetering on the edge of the bench which he had placed it amidst his laughing fit. The coffee cup flew off the bench, some managing to splash on his stomach before the rest was on the floor.

The hot liquid burnt at his skin, in shock Ristretto grabbed cold water in a takeaway cup and some napkins as his friend danced about trying to cool the liquid on his stomach. Ristretto dunked the napkins in the cold water ran around the counter and gently placed them on the stallion’s stomach. Instant relief flooded over Sunburst’s body. He sighed as the cold water was placed on the point of contact. Ristretto continued to dab cold water enjoying it a little too much as he continued to do it after coffee had cooled.

“Oh uh there, sorry, forgot about the coffee.” He replied as Sunburst blushed at the contact.

“No it’s fine that was my fault.” He said apologetically as Vanilla got a mop.

“I’ll make you a new one Sunburst” Ristretto added getting behind the barista machine.

“Thanks Ristretto, you really are a nice pony.” Sunburst finished as the barista made a new coffee and chatted away to his friend.

---

Starlight Glimmer pumped her hoof from her hiding spot outside the cafe underneath one of the wallside windows. “Yesyesyes!” She replied ending her spell that allowed her to listen to the conversation. She pondered for a second before slowly using her magic to tip Sunburst’s coffee over the edge of the bench sending a spray of coffee over him, Ristretto quickly acted with the napkins. She watched him dab the napkins for far longer than normal. She smirked as the blush spread across both ponies faces.

“That’s my Sunburst.” She replied before sneaking off home.

Comments

[Mrs_Sarrah Pim]

oh Glimmer you sneaky thing XD i finally gotten around to reading more of this story and I’m loving it so far

[Milo_Chalks]

8219089
Thank you! I have some new chapters soon so be expecting more.