Twilight shivered in spite of her boots and scarf. Her walk was short one, just from the library to Rarity’s boutique. She tried to focus on their breakfast plans to keep her mind off of the bitterly cold winds blowing through the streets of Ponyville.
It was barely winter, and yet the temperatures had dropped faster than anypony expected. Rainbow Dash mentioned something about a few of the weather teams from up North being unable to restrict some winds, but for once, Twilight found herself out of her depth when it came to knowledge of all things. Individual cities managing their own weather was a concept she and many other ponies understood well, but the larger systems eluded her. She sighed and trod on, hoping to reach the warmth of the boutique soon.
Not long after, Twilight stood in front of Carousel Boutique. A note fastened to the door read “Twilight, please come in and make yourself comfortable. I have had a long night and will be down to greet you properly when I awake. Love, Rarity.” Twilight chuckled and tried to open the door. When it didn’t give, she infused the lock with a touch of magic and it clicked open. Twilight stepped inside and locked the door behind her before she kicked off her boots and hung her scarf on the rack next to the door.
She glanced around and saw that the boutique was unusually dark. Some light filtered through the curtains on the windows, but early morning offered little brightness, especially for the expansive foyer. Since she hadn’t seen Rarity yet, Twilight wandered further into the boutique. She poked her head in the kitchen, but saw and heard nothing. So she’s not preparing breakfast yet, Twilight thought.
“Rarity?” Twilight called softly. “Are you downstairs?” Twilight kept her ears up and flicked them side to side, hoping to catch any sound of her pale friend. She continued to search downstairs, but there was still no sign of Rarity.
“Rarity?” Twilight called again. She ascended the stairs to the second floor and started searching. The first door she came across was the guest room; Twilight doubted Rarity would be in there, but she would leave no stone unturned in her search.
The next room she searched was a store room, full of bolts of fabric, ponykins, and shelving. To Twilight’s surprise, the store room looked like it was used recently, as the bolts of fabric looked like they had been hastily rearranged by Rarity in a search of her own for a particular bit of cloth. Twilight resisted the urge to reorganize and shut the door. She turned back to the hallway and the last room on the second floor, Rarity’s design room.
She poked her head in and whispered, “Rarity?” Like the other rooms, the design room was dark with its curtains closed. Twilight stepped in to open the curtains but stopped when a light breathing drew her attention to a large sofa tucked in the corner.
Rarity slept peacefully with her head resting on her hooves and her curly tail wrapped around her body. Her chest gently rose and fell with each inhale and exhale. A little shiver ran through her and Twilight nearly melted.
“Oh, Rarity, you poor thing. You must’ve been up all night!” she whispered. She planted a soft kiss on Rarity’s forehead and earned a soft murmur of appreciation and slight smile. Twilight shot her a smile back and left the room in search of a blanket, not wishing to wake her sleeping marefriend up just yet.
She returned shortly after raiding a closet for a large fleece blanket. Twilight unfurled it and draped it over Rarity’s sleeping form and tucked her in with a hoof through her mane and another soft kiss to her forehead. A contented sigh escaped Rarity’s lips and Twilight smiled once more.
“I’ll be back in a bit, love, just after I get breakfast started for us,” Twilight whispered. She almost made it out of the room before a needy whimper begged her to turn around. Rarity tried to nuzzle a cheek that wasn’t there and grab and hold a hoof that wasn’t, either.
“Breakfast can wait,” Twilight whispered to herself as much as anypony. She slipped under the blanket and leaned against Rarity. Now Rarity’s nuzzle and hoof hold found their mark and Twilight cooed. She slid one of her wings around Rarity’s back and snuggled closer. As if by instinct, Rarity’s tail flicked and found Twilight’s, so Twilight obeyed and entwined her tail in Rarity’s.
Now settled in, Twilight laid her head down and smiled blissfully. She closed her eyes and waited for Rarity to wake up, completely content to just lie with her until that happened. A few false starts got Twilight’s hopes up. A happy murmur here, a slight stir there. Twilight let herself drift off for a bit longer after the latest bit of Rarity trying to wake up when she rolled over and pulled Twilight to her chest to be her little spoon. Twilight chuckled and laid her head down to continue her wait.
After what seemed like only minutes, Twilight felt a distinct tickle along her neck as a pair of lips found a place uncovered by her mane. She cooed softly and turned her head upwards.
“You’re warm,” Rarity whispered sleepily.
Twilight chuckled. “Good morning sleepy head.”
“Every morning is a good morning when I wake up with you.”
“Awww!” Twilight turned the rest of the way and planted a gentle kiss on Rarity’s lips. “Come, now that you’re awake, we can get started on breakfast.”
“Mm, breakfast,” Rarity mused, still half asleep judging by the sound of her voice. “Breakfast!” she cried as she sat bolt upright. “Oh no, I overslept, I was supposed to have breakfast prepared and--”
“Ssh!” Twilight pulled Rarity into a loose hug and used one of her hooves to massage the panicking unicorn’s back. “Ssh. It’s OK. You’ve been awfully busy, I know. So ssh. You needed your rest, and breakfast can wait.”
“I just...”
“Ssh, there, there. Deep breaths.”
Rarity nodded slowly and took a few deep breaths. “OK, I think... I think that’s better. But... I don’t, uh, I don’t remember grabbing a blanket last night. Er, this morning.”
Twilight giggled and shook her head. “You didn’t. I did. I let myself in and you were fast asleep with your tail tucked around you. I was going to start preparing breakfast for us, but you, well, you seemed rather insistent that I join you.” Twilight’s smile sparkled with amusement and lighthearted teasing.
Rarity’s smile, in return, was soft, genuine, and full of compassion. “Thank you, Twilight, for staying with me.” She craned her neck around Twilight’s and nuzzled. Twilight’s giggles continued at the ticklish sensations of their coats rubbing together and she knew full well that was Rarity’s intention.
A little gurgle from Twilight broke them apart. “Perhaps breakfast shouldn’t wait any longer,” Twilight said sheepishly.
Downstairs, Twilight pulled out flour, salt, baking powder, butter, milk, a bag of chocolate chips, a platter to stash in the oven and an egg while Rarity put a kettle on the stove for their tea and turned on the oven.
"Shetland breakfast, Lijiang or Spiti?" Rarity asked with her head in her tea cupboard.
"Your pick," Twilight replied as she busied herself with sifting the flour, salt, and baking powder together into a large glass bowl.
Rarity pulled down a sealed jar of black leaves and set it next to a glass teapot and fine metal strainer. "Shetland breakfast it is, then." She turned around and tiphoofed to Twilight before bring up her hoof and gently tapping it to Twilight's muzzle. "Boop." She giggled and flashed Twilight a sly smile.
Twilight scrunched her nose and frowned, but her eyes betrayed a mirth and desire to return the favor. So with a touch of magic, she grabbed pinch of flour and threw it at Rarity's nose.
"Ah!" Rarity squealed. "Twilight, no fair!"
"All's fair in love and war, sweetheart," Twilight replied with her own sly smile.
"Hmph!" Rarity tossed her mane back and stuck her nose in the air for a brief moment, long enough to make Twilight step forward. Rarity struck with a swift kiss, brushing the flour off of her muzzle and onto Twilight's cheek.
Twilight giggled and kissed her back. "Truce?" Twilight asked. "We'll never get breakfast done otherwise."
Rarity nodded and nuzzled Twilight's cheek again. The whistling kettle called her to the stove, however, and she set to preparing the pot of tea.
Twilight turned her attention to the pancake batter. In a separate bowl, she melted the butter with magic while stirring in the milk and egg. Once done, she folded the liquids into the flour mixture and poured a cup full of the chocolate chips as Rarity slid her a cup of tea.
Rarity softly kissed Twilight’s cheek and whispered, “I’ve got the skillet hot and ready for you, darling.”
Twilight nodded and brushed the tip of her wing along Rarity’s side as the white unicorn trotted out of the kitchen and took to setting the table for their breakfast.
"Rarity?"
"Yes, darling?"
"I love you."
Rarity giggled. "I love you, too, Twilight." She bowed low. "Oh Princess of my heart."
Twilight giggled as well and returned the bow. She then turned around to tend to the pancakes. She grabbed another pat of butter and stirred it around the skillet to coat it. It bubbled and popped, so Twilight grabbed a ladle and scooped a cup of batter into the skillet where it sizzled for a few moments. After a few minutes, she flipped the pancake with a spatula and it sizzled again. She pulled the platter from the oven and after a few minutes more, she flipped the pancake out of the skillet and onto the waiting platter.
Several ladle-fulls of batter and many flips later, Twilight took the stack of pancakes and her tea to the table to be joined with two plates, cutlery, and carafe of maple syrup.
"Oooh, these look delightful!" squealed Rarity as she grabbed a couple of pancakes with her fork and set them on her plate. Twilight did the same and they passed the syrup between them after pouring a generous helping each.
Rarity cut into hers with the side of her fork and brought the bite to her mouth. She sighed contentedly. "Twilight, dear, these are even more delightful than they look. Oh, the chocolate has melted just perfectly. Mmm!"
Twilight blushed. "Thanks, Rarity. I'm glad you like them."
They descended into silence save for the clattering of cutlery on plates and sighs of appreciation until the breakfast was gone and eaten. Twilight finished first and sipped her tea while she stared out of the kitchen window. Sunlight streamed in, a brighter, whiter glow than the dim grey from earlier in the morning.
This is better than any morning in the library, thought Twilight. She closed her eyes and just focused on her thoughts and her tea. While Shetland breakfast wasn’t her favorite tea, it made the top ten and it was what she needed now: sweet, dark, and malty. Each sip reminded her of the teas that got blended to make a breakfast tea. And each reminder brought up memories of many shared teapots, early mornings, late nights, and causal visits. Well, all but one visit. That visit was special. Twilight took another sip.
A late summer afternoon in Ponyville greeted Twilight when she left the library. Thankfully the post still got delivered on the weekends, because Twilight had been anxiously awaiting a very special package. She almost thought of abusing her new position as a princess to have that specialty shop expedite the process, but she thought better of it. Rarity would be none too pleased, she argued, and this is for her.
Twilight double checked that her little note was still affixed to the indigo-and-purple iridescent wrapping paper. That had taken yet another trick, but one of magic rather than careful research and selection. She didn’t care how much effort it took, today needed to be perfect. She was off to a great start, but the rest of the plan needed to come together just as perfectly.
“Ahem, darling?” Rarity asked, brandishing the teapot.
Twilight’s ears flicked forward as she was roused from her daydreaming. She nodded and Rarity poured another serving into her waiting cup.
“Shall we?” Rarity asked again.
Twilight nodded and got up from her chair. Rarity sidled up to Twilight’s side, so she extended her wing and draped it across Rarity’s back. Rarity nosed Twilight’s cheek and they both left the kitchen on the way back up to the design room, holding their tea cups in front of them with their magic.
Once they reached the design room, Rarity summoned down two books: one of her romance novels for herself and one of Twilight’s many encyclopedias on loan from the library for just these occasions. They settled back on the sofa with Twilight wrapping a wing around Rarity and Rarity wrapping them both in the fleece blanket.
Rarity leaned in Twilight, wiggled to get comfortable, and rested her head on Twilight’s shoulder. Twilight, in turn, rested her head on Rarity’s, earning another contented sigh from the pale unicorn. They opened their books and got to reading.
Or, at least, Rarity did. Twilight simply couldn’t focus on the history of colonialism in the Griffon Empire. Her heart just wasn’t in it today; it laid right next to her. Twilight brushed her wing along Rarity’s back and heard a delighted coo. She smiled and sipped her tea, contenting herself with more staring out into bright winter mornings and her memories of that visit.
Twilight tapped three times on the door to the Carousel Boutique. She hid her little gift behind her, between her upstretched wings so that even when Rarity opened the door, she wouldn’t be able to catch a glimpse.
The door opened.
“Twilight!” Rarity said with a high note of surprise in her voice. “I wasn’t expecting you today. Did we have plans?”
Twilight shook her head. “No plans, I just thought I’d pop over for a quick visit. I have a couple of things for you. Do you mind if I come in?”
“Not at all, dear. Feel free.” Rarity stepped aside and swung the door open to admit her friend.
Twilight trotted in. Her wings twitched and she looked back to Rarity. “Where can I set something down? I have a little gift for you to unwrap.”
“Twilight, dear, you didn’t need to get me anything! But, you can set it down on this workbench, here.” Rarity gestured to a small space she just cleared of fabric and spools of thread.
Twilight magicked the small gift from her back to the cleared space and flapped her wings a few times to stretch them out before folding them back to her sides. “Uh, open the gift first and then read the note, OK?”
“Certainly, dear.” Rarity delicately tugged the note from the wrapping paper, folded it in half and set it down while she inspected the cylindrical package in front of her. “Why, wherever did you get this wrapping paper, darling? It’s marvelous!”
Twilight chuckled. “It’s just a little something I came up with. A little illusion charm I cast on the roll of just plain blue.”
“You’ll have to teach that to me some time. Now,” Rarity replied. She pulled apart the wrapping paper with as much care as when she pulled the note free. In fact, once she was done, the paper itself had only a few wrinkles and creases that indicated it had been used at all. Rarity turned her attention back to the cylinder and rotated in her magic. She gasped.
“Twilight! This is a first flush Darjeeling! However did you get your hooves on this? The only place I know that will even stock this is a shop in Canterlot, and even they charge out the nose... per ounce,” Rarity’s voiced trailed and dropped. “Twilight, no, you didn’t!”
“Surprise!” Twilight offered a weak smile. “I know you mentioned always wanting a Darjeeling tea, but it was just ‘never in the cards, as it were’ and I wanted to get you something special.”
“Twilight, you didn’t need to do this. I’m touched.” Little tears formed in the corners of Rarity’s eyes and she deftly brushed them away. “You said you had a note that should wait until after?”
“Yeah, you set it down. Just, when you read it, that gift is from me to you because we love tea. I wanted to share that with you. The note, uh, has a question, and I... I don’t want you to give me an answer because you think you owe me or anything.” Twilight shuffled her hooves and looked down.
Rarity tilted her head but grabbed the note from the table. “Ahem, Dear Rarity, would you do me the honor of attending the inaugural Autumn’s Eve Ball in two week’s time? Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle.” Rarity set the note down gently and placed one of her hooves under Twilight’s chin to bring the lavender mare’s head up to face her.
Once Twilight was looking into her eyes, Rarity whispered with a smile, “My darling Twilight, yes!” and hugged her date tightly around her withers.
“Twilight, is everything alright? You’ve hardly read a word!” Rarity asked.
Twilight shook her head. “Everything’s fine, sweetie. I was just thinking about last summer.”
Rarity nodded. “Ah, yes. Our gowns were the talk of the town! Well, aside from us being the official couple. And to think, I was about to ask you to the ball as my date. But no, Miss Princess needed to make it all serious.” Rarity giggled, set her book down, and hugged around Twilight’s chest. “But I am oh so glad you did. I’ve not been this happy in an unfathomably long time. Thank you, Twilight.” She kissed Twilight’s cheek once more and settled her head back down on Twilight’s shoulder.
“You’re welcome, my love.”
Author's Note
The names of the tea blends come from various pony breeds native to the countries or regions the tea is named for. Shetland is a pony breed native to Scotland. Lijiang is a pony breed native to China, specifically a subregion of Yunnan province, known for its tea. Spiti is a pony breed native to India, found near the Darjeeling and Assam regions, also known for their tea.
