Honey Cup

by Novelle Tale

Honey Cup

Honey Cup.

The words stared Luna down from above the small shop, and as she tilted her head, she could not help but think that the paint used for the elegant script seemed to glitter in the evening streetlights. It was stark against the cool wood of the sign, but somehow managed to feel warm.

“Yes, we finally caught the Wandering Djinn!”

Luna twitched, not quite flinching, at the sudden shout, and turned. A blue unicorn and a white pegasus cantered up the street, chatting excitedly.

“I know, I’ve been waiting for literal ages to try their coconut curry. I can’t believe we found them,” the pegasus exclaimed, clapping her hooves together in delight. “And I hear the mango…”

The rest of the pony’s words were swallowed by the crowd as the two new arrivals joined the growing throng of ponies strewn about across the cobblestone street. The crowd was cheerful, but loud; seeing them bustling around a deep orange food cart—the ‘Wandering Djinn’ in question—the princess couldn’t help but picture chicks surrounding an overworked mother hen, and she almost laughed.

With a soft smile, Luna instead breathed in deeply. The spices wafting over on the evening breeze reminded the princess of her trip to Saddle Arabia when she was a filly, but the energy of the crowd pulled her up short. It would be nice, but… no. Instead, she turned back to the shop she had been considering.

Honey Cup winked down at her once again, and after less than a moment of further deliberation, Luna pushed the door open with her magic.

No bell marked her entry, but the pure peace that encompassed the princess’ entire being as she crossed the threshold signalled her arrival in a way that no bell ever could. Shelves upon shelves of tea towered to the right of the door, packed in with no particular rhyme or reason, and somehow defying gravity to stay in their rows. An elegant brown unicorn glanced up from behind the counter and cast a smile in Luna’s direction.

“Good Evening. I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of serving you before, Miss…?”

“Ah—it is... Io,” Luna stuttered. The barista paused, considering the dark-furred mare before her. The crescent moon adoring the princess’ flank remained, as did her deep blue coloring, but her wings and the darker dappling on her coat were gone. Luna had also taken great care to de-etherealize her mane, casting a mantle of magic over the strands to render them a deep, cool, curly grey that she had swept into an up-do popular a millenia ago in the Crystal Empire. After a few beats of silence, the barista smiled.

“A fitting name for a fitting mare,” she said, a twinkle in her malachite eyes. The pause after her words steeped long enough that Luna held her breath, fearing she had been discovered, but the unicorn quickly filled the silence again.

“The Honey Cup is a bit of an unusual tea shop in that it has no defined menu. Patrons instead order a feeling that they would like their tea to imbue. Our trusty staff—” Here, the unicorn waved a hoof at the cadre of ponies working quietly behind the counter. “—of brewing alchemists take up the task to craft the perfect cup.”

Luna frowned. “W—one orders a feeling? But how?” she asked.

“Very carefully,” the barista said with a cheeky grin. “But usually just with a single word. ‘Joy’ and ‘serenity’ are the fan favorites this week, though ‘sexy’ is always pretty popular as well.”

Luna choked on her saliva. The barista grinned wider.

“So! What’ll it be, Miss Io?”

The princess considered for several long moments, quiet enough that she could hear the babbling of boiling water in the kitchen behind the counter.

“...Regret,” she finally murmured. It was the unicorn’s turn to frown.

“Are you sure?”

Luna nodded, reaching back to her grey saddlebags to retrieve her money. With it, she missed the calculating gleam in the cashier’s eye.

“How much?” Luna asked as she turned back to the counter, the bag of bits floating in her magic.

“Usually, three, but for first-time customer’s, the first cup’s free,” the cashier answered with a smile. Seeing the discomfort in her patron’s eyes, she amended, “...if you come back, though tipping is always appreciated!” She poked a brown hoof at the brass container that Luna could have sworn had just been empty counter space a moment before. She blinked, nonplussed, then floated three gold coins into the bucket.

“Your order will be right up, Miss Io! Why don’t you take a seat on our patio?” the unicorn called, already bustling off to join the rest of the staff behind the counter.

“Ah… yes. Thank you.”

The princess stepped quietly to the back of the shop, where an open doorway welcomed the evening’s breeze, and peered out.

The patio sat cozy and hushed, despite the twenty or so ponies gathered within. Curving rowan boughs laced together to form a web around and over the patrons, not so thick as to be oppressive, but sturdy enough to feel safe, dappling the moonlight that came through the branches. Luna’s breath hitched at the simple beauty. Crickets thrummed a steady, calming beat in the near-silence, and fireflies winked from the rowan thickets. If stepping into the shop had soothed her soul, stepping out onto the patio had embraced it. She blinked her suddenly over-bright eyes and moved quickly to a single empty, round table. Her flank had barely touched her seat before a tea cup was delivered in front of her.

“Your tea, madame,” the cashier from earlier said with a wink and a bow, before beating a hasty retreat back through the back door.

“Th–oh.” Luna looked down at her tea. A pale moon glittered on the dark surface—she glanced up, the position shouldn’t be that high yet… but no. When the alicorn looked back, the moon in her cup had vanished, leaving only dark tea in its place. Her brow furrowed.

“What strange alchemy indeed,” she muttered, before taking a sip.

Flavors and warmth burst across her tongue in a way that no tea ever had. There was a bitter tang, she thought she could even pick out rue and pennyroyal, but the overall flavor was too smooth to be dissected into individual flavors.

As warmth filled her stomach, she thought of her sister, of the six mares who had freed her from her prison, of the scent of dew on a moonlit field as a filly runs past, crickets chirping and stars glittering above, echoes of laughter in the warm evening dark, and it tasted like a hug, it tasted like home, and she knew.

Before she realized it, Luna had downed the entire cup, and the warmth was fading from her gut… though, strangely, not from her soul.

“Acceptance,” she whispered, with a surety she couldn’t fully fathom. But how…?

Pale green magic encompassed her empty teacup, and Luna gasped. The brown unicorn barista had returned, and she smiled down at her patron.

“Sometimes, we only accept what we deserve. And sometimes we deserve more than what we think we need,” she answered, before quickly turning away.

Luna stared after the retreating mare. Perhaps she was right. Perhaps…

She closed her eyes, revelling in the gloaming warmth of her night, and not once realizing she had never actually asked her question.

Author's Note:

Thank you for reading!
☕

Comments

[Silent Whisper]

This fic, like the name, was super-duper sweet! I've been so excited for it to be posted! Like a sip of magic tea, this gave me exactly what I was looking for, and more. I look forward to reading more from you!

[Drazhan]

Very short, very nice, and a fine read. A wonderful blend.

[Dragonfart]

Luna needs our full Love!!!!! ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️. I LOVE YOU,LUNA!!!!!!!!

[Winston]

I liked this one!
Well written.

[Sunlight Rays]

Frick frick frick I'm not crying. I'm not crying ur crying! *cries in the corner*

Beautiful story, really. Got me tearing up while reading it. Beautifully showed Luna's feelings and thoughts through a cup of tea. Good work!

[TheLegendaryBillCipher]

A very cozy story that makes me want to curl up with my own cup of tea. And important life advice added in as sweetner. An excellent story, nice job.

[Bicyclette]

“What strange alchemy indeed,” she muttered, before taking a sip.

This line struck me as more Luna than a lot of Luna lines on the show itself.

I do get a feeling that there is a layer of meaning that I am not getting, between the delicate descriptions of the environment of the shop and the flavors of the tea itself. Perhaps even in the mysterious OC unicorn herself, who seems to know a lot more than she lets on. But despite this, I really enjoyed the sweet and meditative atmosphere, and the picture of the Luna that you drew, which feels far more subtle and well-drawn than the average take (including the show’s!) on the regret of her past and the acceptance offered by the ponies around her.

[RDT]

Wow, I could almost breathe in the atmosphere you've created. Great story.

[Vic Fontaine]

Damn this needs 100x more views! Well done!

[Atom Smash]

Now this was a nice read. I love the mysticism and scene setting, the descriptions and the character interactions, just like the flavours of the tea, it blends together well.

Also, I get very strong Callahan's Place vibes, but with a unique take on the trope.

[The Red Parade]

Loved this. A shop that can sell drinks based on feelings and emotion is an absolutely brilliant concept, and I love the wandering melancholy you draw on to propel the story along. Absolutely brilliant and tragically beautiful, also an excellent characterization of Luna. Fantastic work!

[lambda]

Great story.

[Bloody_Tofu]

Ohh! Mysterious Asian tea shop meats MLP.
Very well done!

[Zachmoviefan]

Great story! Idid a reading of this on my YouTube channel, here's a link if you'd like to check it out.

https://youtu.be/NCDO-vC_ydE

[BirdsBooksBrownies]

Would you ever consider expanding upon this brilliant premise? I want to know more about this mysterious tea shop and its owners/patrons. This story might very well have started as naught more than a writing exercise, but your skill at painting a picture is quite noticeable and you can practically smell the tea that Lu...Io is drinking.

[Ogre_Knight]

It's rare that I see the poetic feeling of grasping at a fleeting feeling that isn't quite there within fanfiction. I feel like you've captures an epiphany of Luna's that she doesn't quite understand, but will look back on later. Good job!

[Novelle Tale]

10957357
I WOULD consider expanding on this premise! :D

I have a vague idea of the plot, but I need to sit down and plan out what I want the story to say. I've had quite a few people express interest in expanding this one in particular, so hopefully I can get to it this year. If/when I do, I will likely just add chapters to this story, rather than expanding it in a separate one, so hopefully that'll make it eas8er to find.

[B_Munro]

The feelings-inducing tea, plus the green magic, makes me wonder if the owner of the teashop is a Changeling, possibly feeding off the good emotions she induces in her customers.

[Genmaicha]

This is such a cozy fic Your imagery put me right there with Luna and I am sad that it was over so quick! Definitely a place I'd want to visit in real life. I'd love to read more!

[duckmagee]

I like to think this a group of rogue changeling just travelling around selling amazing tea to gather love