Bits, Pieces and other Scrapped Ideas

by FoolAmongTheStars

In Which Starlight Glimmer Remembers

Author's Note:

Summary: Starlight has trouble remembering things after her accident, she only knows that she's waiting for some pony in this cafe. Is the stallion sitting across from her the pony she's waiting for? (Slightly Alternative Universe)

Warnings: Mentions of past injury, fluff and a little angst, but mostly fluff.

A/N: I should mention that these one shots and drabbles have little to no connection to each other, unless stated otherwise.

She liked sweets, really, but even she had her limits. But she was waiting for somepony, and in the meanwhile, she put up with the strong, nearly suffocating smell of fresh pastries in silence.

A waitress humming a lively tune passed by, and she closed her eyes in concentration for a minute. Then she opened her eyes and blew out an angry sigh. It was as difficult to remember things as ever, and she found herself scratching marks into the steel edge of the table in frustration.

She pulled out a little flipbook then, and caught a whiff of sandalwood, like a cologne she had once liked on somepony. March 13: Tune from some pop song, she quickly scrawled in large writing, most likely from some popular artist. Her therapist had told her that writing down things that she couldn’t remember would help jog some memories, but it all seemed like a load of nonsense: it certainly hadn’t worked yet. She looked up for a moment at the empty seat across from her, then back down to her flipbook. Curiously, she shuffled a few sheets back, wondering what she had written a few days ago. She vaguely remembered her therapist reading the book aloud, talking about the odd things she had written.

March 9: My neighbor is trying to kill me, she read to herself, her brow subconsciously furrowed in a great effort to just remember, she brought me a tin of brownies to celebrate her birthday, but I can smell the rat poison she slipped into the mix. I know she wants my kites when I die.

The crazy things she had written, she corrected before she shut the book with a scowl. She was going crazy, losing her mind, seeing things that weren’t there, remembering things that had never happened to her—

The booth seat opposite her squeaked as a sudden weight landed on it. She looked up to see a stallion taking off a dark blue cloak.

She cleared her throat quietly, embarrassedly. “I’m sorry, I’m expecting somepony.”

Behind his large spectacles, he blinked his blue eyes at her and raised his eyebrows slightly. He broke the stare quickly and picked up the menu unconcernedly. “I won’t be a bother for too long.”

She looked back at him steadily, uncomprehending. He looked back up to meet her eyes. “I’m waiting for somepony too.”

A waitress with flaming red hair made way to their table, ending their awkward introduction, and twirled her pen enthusiastically.

“A plain bagel with daisies and hazelnut coffee, and a lemon pastry with a vanilla latte.” The stallion rattled off the order quickly, he had been here before.

The waitress scribbled a few words on her notebook and bounced away. The blue-eyed stallion turned his gaze back to her. “I ordered for you.”

She made a noncommittal noise from the back of her throat.

“Is that alright?” He asked, almost tentatively.

“I-huh, it’s fine. The lemon pastry is fine,” she mumbled, not looking away from the window. After a brief pause, “I like vanilla latte.”

He settled back into his seat, as in relief. A few minutes passed, and their order arrived on a round black platter. She picked up the hot cup placed in front of her and turned back to the window.

“Nice weather out today,” he commented offhandedly as he broke a piece of his bagel.

The sweet scent of her pastry wafted her nose, and she grimaced a little. “If you like that sort of unpredictable weather before spring sets in.” She ventured to take a sip, and the boiling heat of her drink scratched her throat. Wincing once more, she set down the cup and began to tap her hoof on the tabletop.

“It certainly can be charming in a picturesque way,” and here he ripped open the top of a sugar packet, “but it’s also terrible to move around. I had to hail a cab to get here, I was afraid of walking all the way.”

“I was in an accident last year,” she abruptly said. The stallion raised his brow in a silent prompt to continue. “It was bad. Still have the scar and all,” she traced the three-inch mark along her hairline with a ghost of a touch.

He gave her a sympathetic smile and blew over the surface of his drink impatiently. “I understand what you must be going through.” He took another bite of his bagel and proceeded to clarify, “My fiancée was in an accident last winter too.”

She felt a sudden, dour pang run through her at the mention of a fiancée, gathering that she was the one he was waiting for. “How is that working out for her?”

He bit his lip. “Oh, she’s coming along. Sometimes she isn’t entirely there, but I’m willing to hang around.” He played with his napkin for a moment and gathered himself enough to continue. “We were supposed to get married last summer, but her accident put a damper on things.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, as sincere as she could be to a stranger. He was quite handsome. “No pony deserves that.” At his lack of response, she continued. “Spring weddings are more ideal anyways.”

He raised his head with a jerk, his glasses nearly falling off from his muzzle. “You think?”

She shrugged, not expecting to be put on the spot. “You said you didn’t mind the unpredictable weather.”

“But what do you think?” he pressed.

She stayed quiet, unsure of what to do in the face of such intense attention. After a while, he finished off the last of his order and wiped his mouth on the napkin. “In any case, I think we’ll wait until this summer. Maybe the next. She’ll be better by then.”

She plucked up the courage to speak again. “It shouldn’t matter though.”

He looked at her interestedly.

She fumbled for the right words. “If you love each other, then it doesn’t matter if she remembers or not…She’ll feel it inside.”

He nodded pensively. “Even so, you only have a wedding once.” She opened her mouth to speak, but he interjected, “I’m not going to marry somepony else.” He sighed. “I really do love her, and so I’ll wait for her.” He stood up and began tying the straps of his cloak around his withers.

She watched him with surprise. “I thought you were waiting for your fiancee.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think she’ll be coming after all. Thanks for the company.” He pulled out his wallet, but she stopped him.

“I’ll pay. It’s no trouble at all.”

He smiled brightly at her. “Well then, have a good day.” He left the café in a flourish of fresh cologne and a jingle of bells, without a second glance backward.

She pushed her empty cup away soon afterward and pulled out her purse to fish out a coin or two. As she gathered the correct amount, her eyes fell on a picture tucked next to her identification. Realization hitting her like a kick to her barrel, she swore and slammed some money onto the table, pulling on her scarf simultaneously. She rushed out the door, not hearing the chimes that announced her departure, and swung her head both ways, trying to catch sight of a blue cloak. She found it then, amidst the mass of pedestrians waiting for the light to change. Galloping along the sidewalks at a breakneck pace, she shoved past handfuls of ponies until she reached him.

“Sunburst,” she panted as she spun him around and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Sorry, I’m late.”

Comments

[Jay Watson]

Very touching and sweet. Such loyalty from Sunburst for his One True Love.

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

Ouch.