I woke up to the sound of birds singing high above my head in the treetops above. It was a pleasant sound, and the cool morning breeze was so comfortable that I let myself lay and listen to birds for a few minutes before rolling over, standing up, and stretching the sleep out of my body. That began the summer morning routine which had always been my favorite part of every day, excepting laying down to sleep at night and lunch and dinner and, of course, breakfast. Continuing the routine, I left my small lean-to that I'd built at the base of a tulip poplar on the edge of the Everfree Forest and made my way to a small stream that ran out of the forest half a mile away from my shelter. I usually used the walk to reflect on my dreams from the night before, and this particular morning was no different, I'm sure, though I can't remember now what I'd dreamed that night. At the stream I washed my face and body in the water; it ran out of the ground from a spring about a furlong upstream, and was cold as snow where I bathed in it. The chill was always a shock, but invigorating. Next, I drank from the water. It had a heavy mineral taste that brought back memories of bloodied lips in childhood; painful moments that were remembered for the joyous carelessness of youth. I still was young, and often careless, but even then I knew that the future would mean responsibility and that I couldn't always afford to be careless, though I had no premonition of how soon that future might come nor how impactful it might be on myself and the world. Finishing my drink, I thanked the stream for its gift and filled a small bowl I'd carved from a fallen oak limb and carried the water back to my shelter. There, I poured the water out at the base of the tree, thanking it for allowing me to rest at its feet.
It was still early when I made my way into Ponyville, but the sky was clear and the sun was warm. It was comfortable now, but I knew it meant the day would be stiflingly hot by midday. I took my time and enjoyed the comfort of the morning while it lasted, so the streets were starting to get busy by the time I arrived at the Ponyville library. The sweet smell of honey and the sound of bees busily preparing for the day greeted me. I knocked twice to announce my presence and entered.
"Good morning," Spike muttered from somewhere behind a large pile of books on the floor. "Twilight's around here somewhere."
I opened my mouth to thank the young dragon, but was interrupted by Twilight Sparkle's entrance down the stairs. I immediately dropped into a low bow. "Miss Sparkle."
Her bright violet eyes seemed to scan over me slowly, noting my forest green coat dappled with small spots of brown, the brown pastern markings above my hooves, and the faint brown strip that started between my eyes and ran to my muzzle. They passed briefly over my deep brown mane and tail and then came to rest on the the two birch leaves emblazoned in a brown patch on my flank: my cutie mark. Apparently satisfied, she spoke at last. "You must be Leaflock. You may rise," she said with a yawn that I interpreted as an intentional show of disinterest, as her watchful seemed to be wide awake. "You're late," she added as an afterthought.
"My apologies," I stammered in response. She had probably risen before the sun. I silently cursed my lackadaisical pace. "I'll get right to work."
Twilight Sparkle finally broke character with a small laugh. "I think you've got time for breakfast first. If it hasn't gone cold by now."
The formal greeting was a bit of a joke between us. When I first came to Ponyville six months ago and started working as Twilight's assistant, I'd heard that she was a personal student of Princess Celestia and sister-in-law to Princess Cadenza, as well as an avid believer in rigid scheduling and order. Perhaps overreacting to this information, I greeted her with a formal bow and she decided it'd be fun to play the part of a stuffy aristocrat. Spike played along, of course, so I spent that first day worrying that I'd lose my job if I so much as spoke out of turn. The illusion was shattered when her close friend Pinkie Pie decided to drop by with a tray of muffins and a small bucket of confetti. Since then we'd become good friends, but I still began work every day with the bow and she played along until one of us broke and laughed. It was almost always her.
Breakfast was a bowl of oatmeal with slices of apple and sweetened with honey. It had gone cold, and this time I cursed my slowness in earnest.
"I've got it," Twilight offered, lowering her horn to the bowl. A faint pearlescent glow built up along her horn and leaped from it to the oatmeal. It shimmered through the spectrum of violet to pink to white all in an instant, then faded as if it had never existed. I'd seen Twilight perform magic like this countless times over the past six months, but it never ceased to amaze me with its beauty and utility.
As I ate my now warm oatmeal, Twilight Sparkle and I went through our typical breakfast small talk. We briefly discussed the weather, our plans for the day, and the latest gossip about which young stallions in town were interested in which young mares, and vice versa. After breakfast I started work, helping Spike re-organize the bookshelves to integrate the new arrivals Twilight had ordered from the Royal Library in Canterlot. Twilight spent her morning alternating between helping the organization effort and practicing a water purification spell she'd recently learned. After a few hours we took a break for lunch, where we met up with Rainbow Dash and discussed our latest favorite books and the weather again.
The rest of the day passed as uneventfully as the morning, until late evening when the sun was just beginning to disappear over the horizon. I was on my back to my lean-to when I saw a pegasus with a dark coat and a light mane and tail flying towards me out of the Everfree Forest. It wasn't anypony I recognized, and I'd been in Ponyville long enough to be familiar with all of its residents, and it wasn't every day that somepony visited from the forest. As he flew closer I could tell that he was breathing heavily and seemed to be barely able to stay airborne. He didn't notice me, so I called out to him as he was about to pass. "Hey, are you ok?"
Clearly startled, he almost dropped out of the sky before catching himself and landing more gently in front of me. "Thank Celestia," he managed between gasps for air. "You've got to help me. Hoofington's been destroyed!"
