Author's Note

My editor found time out of his busy schedule to help me finish the 2nd chapter and if there are any errors, I welcome the constructive critisism, but anyways, thanks for your patience and support and remember to stay tuned for more chapters and keep on bronying on.

Love Is The Perfect Medicine

Not long after you got your job at The Tasty Treat, the restaurant had become busier than ever before ever since you created your most iconic dish, the vegetable-style enchiladas. While some ponies mostly ate your dish, some of the others still chose to eat some of the other foods that were originally made by Saffron Masala.

Both Saffron and Coriander Cumin were wonderful ponies who treated you like part of the family. Saffron admired your cooking just as you admired hers, and for these last few weeks you’ve been working here, the two of you have often given each other advice as you worked.

It seemed like getting hit by that truck back home brought you more joy than misery. Never in your wildest dreams had you finally felt so pleased and so relieved to finally have the one thing that you wanted in such a long time: A family. And being a part of a family comes with both good and bad consequences. As your life gets better, another struggle is soon to come up for you, Coriander and Saffron.

As if this very moment, it was still early and the restaurant still had a few hours before they opened so you were using your free time to help Saffron with breakfast. As usual, a pleasant smell filled the kitchen as the two of you prepared the food.

“It smells amazing as always,” Saffron said with a cheery tone. “I’m sure father and the other customers are going to be very pleased with your fine artwork.”

You smiled back at the orange mare. “Thanks, and I can see you’re looking bright and cheerful as always,” you replied happily. Saffron giggled. Her giggling and laughing always brought a smile to your face, whether you’re cooking or just chatting with her. She’s truly what you call a one-of-a-kind mare. But then, her giggling was cut short when she began to cough a little. She covered her mouth so she wouldn’t get it in the food.

“Are you okay?” you asked, growing quite a bit concerned. Saffron has been coughing quite a bit lately, and even though she waves it off, it seems to be getting worse each day. You start to wonder if she’s getting sick or something.

“I’m fine, it’s just a little c-” she was cut off as she began coughing more violently. Her face got a little flushed as she continued coughing.

Alarmed by Saffron’s condition, you called for Coriander. Hearing your voice, he rushed into the kitchen and notices his daughter coughing violently, standing on her knees. As the two of you helped her stand up, Coriander put his hand over her head and gasped.

“I knew this would happen, she’s catching a fever,” Coriander said shaking his head. “Saffron is a very dedicated chef and all, but she becomes so stubborn as to work even when she’s all under the weather.”

“You’re right, and it’s much worse than before, and it’ll just keep getting worse unless she takes it easy. She’ll have to stay in bed for a few days so she can recover,” you suggested sadly.

“No, I can work-” she stopped as she began feeling dizzy in addition to her coughing.

“It’s out of the question, Saffron Masala. You’re too sick to even stay on your feet, much less, cook a meal. Nothing personal sweetheart, but your health is important, especially as a chef,” Coriander said as the three of you began to walk out of the kitchen.

You nodded in agreement. “Even somepony as talented as yourself needs to know when to rest. Don’t worry, I’ll handle the orders while you’re resting and will be upstairs. Coriander will take care of you and I’ll upstairs when I get the chance for my lunch break,” you assured as you helped her walk upstairs since she was too dizzy to walk efficiently.

Once you reached her bedroom, you laid Saffron down on her bed gently. Gently stroking her cheek in reassurance, you then grabbed the covers and put them over the orange unicorn’s body. Coriander came upstairs with an ice bag and a cup tea.

“Thank you... father... and you too...” Saffron says weakly to you with her usual smile.

“It’s no problem at all,” you said modestly. “Now you just get some rest and I’ll cook up some vegetable soup for you after I get on my lunch break,” you said. You couldn’t help but notice that Saffron’s cheeks blushed rose red. Though, it was hard to tell if she was blushing in embarrassment or if it was because of her fever.

Regardless, you walked back downstairs just in time to help two customers who just walked in. While you were worried about Saffron, it wasn’t enough to stop you from cooking.

You kicked yourself into overdrive and started whipping up meals like crazy. At some point, you felt yourself getting exhausted. The fatigue was probably gonna hit you hard, probably before your lunch break. Though, you kept telling yourself to keep going.

As usual, every single pony in the restaurant got their meals exactly how they wanted them. Soon, it was time for your lunch break and you instantly went to begin working on that vegetable soup you had promised Saffron. Though you were in a rush to make it, you made sure not to waste any of the ingredients.

It took about 20 minutes to get the soup ready, but it was worth it, given the delicious smell that was coming from the hot liquid. Placing a bowl from one of the cupboards on the counter, you then got a ladle and scooped up some of the soup from the pot into the bowl.

Adding a spoon to the bowl, you began to make your way upstairs, being extra careful not to spill the soup. Entering into Saffron’s room, you saw that the poor mare was laying down and resting up. You set the bowl down on a nightstand beside her and whispered her name, causing her to wake up.

“Oh, hello, is it lunchtime already?” Saffron asked yawning. You smiled, as you could tell she had gotten a very good nap.

You nodded. “Yeah, and as I promised, I made you some vegetable soup,” you said, gesturing to the bowl beside her.

Saffron activated her magic and carefully levitated the spoon to her mouth. She smiled weakly, as she felt the warm liquid soothe her sore throat and dipped the spoon back in for more.

“I’ll take that as a sign that you like it, well I’ll be more than happy to make some more later. I’m gonna head back downstairs, you just keep eating your soup. And don’t hesitate call if you need anything else, okay?” you asked. Due to her sore throat, it wouldn’t be pleasant for her to yell. So Coriander had left a bell for Saffron to ring in case she needs something.

Saffron nodded before she got back to slurping up her soup. You didn’t know it, but another blush had appeared on Saffron’s cheeks as soon as you left the room.

‘He’s so sweet, he’s unlike any other pony, or man I’ve ever met,’ she thought setting the bowl down. With another smile, Saffron put her head back onto her pillow.

Now that Saffron was in good hands, and your lunch break had finally come to an end, you got back to work in the kitchen. The restaurant was getting more packed than it did before. Today was going to be the toughest day you’ve ever worked. Same could be said for Coriander, but it at least it was well worth the effort.

It was a busy day without Saffron to help you out with the cooking, fortunately it was almost closing time. Once the last customer paid for their meal and left, Coriander took this opportunity to head on over to the local pharmacy to pick up some medicine for Saffron’s fever as well as a cough mask.

You, on the other hand, had to stay behind and look after Saffron while her father went to pick up her medicine and her cough mask. Naturally, you had no problem with that.

Later that night, you sat by Saffron’s bedside and then heard the sound of hoofsteps coming from the stairs. Coriander had just came up with the medicine and the cough mask,

You put a finger to your lips since Saffron was fast asleep. He nodded and quietly walked over to his daughter as she slept peacefully. You gently shook her shoulder, waking her up.

“Oh, hello father,” Saffron said, tired. “And hello to you, too,” she said to you, smiling.

“Hey,” you replied, smiling back at her. “Your father went and got you some medicine to help calm down your fever. He even got you the cough mask just in case.”

“You’re both very kind and I do appreciate it. I feel like I can finally get back to work tomorrow.” she giggled weakly, but then let out a nasty cough, covering her mouth with her arm.

“Saffron, as your father, I can’t allow you to go to work tomorrow, you need your rest.” Coriander insisted.

“N-No, father. I want to work tomorrow, please!” Saffron persisted.

“Saffron, if you do that you’ll just end up making it worse for yourself. You could collapse from that fever if you strain yourself too much,” you said. Unfortunately, Saffron wouldn’t give in.

“Then I’ll just take it easy at work and wear the cough mask. I’ll even keep my hands clean and sanitized so germs won’t spread. I’ll take extra precautions, just please allow me to go back to work tomorrow!” she pleaded, gripping both yours and Coriander’s shirt.

You and Coriander awkwardly looked at each other, not knowing if it’s a good idea to let her work. He was right about one thing: Saffron is very stubborn when it comes to her career as a talented chef.

There didn’t seem to be any reasoning with her, so in a sigh of defeat, you and Coriander look back at Saffron.

“Alright, but just so we’re clear, keep your hands sanitized and always wear the cough mask during business hours,” you said.

“You are to take it easy when preparing the customers’ meals and if you somehow collapse from extreme fatigue, you’re staying in bed for the rest of the week. I’m only doing this because I care about you. I love you too much to see you strain yourself, okay?” Coriander asked.

Saffron nodded and smiled at the two of you. “Thank you... both of you,” she said, grabbing yours and Coriander’s hand.

“We do what we can. Now take your medicine and get some rest,” Coriander replied, taking out a single pill from the bottle. Nodding, Saffron levitates the pill into her mouth and drinks up what’s left of her water that’s on her nightstand.

After that, you covered Saffron up in her blankets and left with Coriander to let her fall asleep for the rest of the night. Saffron snuggled peacefully into her pillow and fell asleep within a few short minutes and could already feel her medicine taking effect.

The next day, Saffron was still under the weather, but her medicine was able to calm down her fever a little while. She made sure to keep her cough mask on so she wouldn’t risk anyone else getting sick. Of course, she still had to take it easy with the cooking so she wouldn’t pass out from extreme fatigue. She even took your word and kept her hands sanitized throughout the entire day.

At the moment she was cooking beside you, you just couldn’t help but think how beautiful she was and how dedicated she was to her cooking career. If anything, you might actually fall for this young mare.

“Don’t push yourself too hard, okay?” you said and Saffron nodded. “Remember, you’re still not completely better.”

“I understand, but I can assure you, I can still cook today,” Saffron reassured.

“Alright, but if you end up passing out from fatigue, you’re taking the rest of the day off. You’re not just a co-worker to me, you’re also my closest friend and you’re like the family I’ve never had in a long time.”

Saffron giggled and only slightly coughed. “You’re very sweet, but I promise you, I’m perfectly-”

“Don’t say perfectly,” you cut her off playfully, giving her nose a friendly boop. After exchanging a friendly conversation, the two of you start cooking up the orders you both had just received from the customers.

Recently, Saffron has been looking at you a lot more than she did before. You were a bit curious of why she would keep on looking at you so much. You weren’t bothered by it, just curious. Was she showing interest in you because of how kind and caring you are to her?

“Something wrong?” you asked and Saffron shook her head and turned her attention back to the food.

You raised an eyebrow, her behavior peaked your curiosity. But you were even more curious of another thing about her.

“You know Saffron, I’ve been wondering, when is it that you started cooking?” you asked.

“Well, it started a long time about when I was just a filly. My mother and father and I were once humble ponies in our hometown. I learned how to cook thanks to my mother. I eventually had to take cooking classes for... certain reasons.” Saffron sounded a little sad when she mentioned time in cooking class.

“What do you mean, did something happen?” you asked.

Saffron nodded as tears began to appear. “My mother... she... passed away because of an illness. She my meant the whole world to me. Father was devastated, too. The classes I took were expensive, but father went ahead and paid for my classes nonetheless.”

Even though she was contagious, you wrapped your arms around the crying mare.

“I’m sorry for your loss. I can’t even imagine what it was like to go through that,” you replied. “But if there’s one thing that’s definitely certain, it’s that your mother would be very proud of how far you’ve gotten in life. Look how talented you’ve become. You have a promising career and the look on your father’s face, even the customers proves it. If your mother was still alive today, she’d probably be smiling and you and tell you this: “You’ve made me so proud. Never give up on your dreams.”

Saffron gasped at what you said. Tears continued to fall down her cheeks and wrap you in a warm hug, sobbing into your chest. You gave her a warm hug back and pecked her on the forehead. This wonderful chef… no… this wonderful mare has lived a difficult childhood.

All of the joy and happiness she gives to other ponies here was all because of the beliefs she held onto because of her deceased mother.

To make matters worse, she struggled financially because of the expensive cooking classes she took after her mom passed away. But no matter how bumpy the road got, she still believed that she could become an excellent chef. The only thing you could think was “bless this devoted young soul” as you continued to hug her.

A couple of minutes later, Saffron let go of you and wiped the tears from her eyes. Somehow, underneath that mask, you could just tell that she was smiling at you.

“Thank you, for being so kind to me. I really needed this,” Saffron said.

“I’m glad I could be here for you,” you replied, patting her gently on the head. “Now, what do you say we get back to work?”

“Sure, but I want to know how you got into cooking, it’s only fair,” she replied, making you chuckle.

“Very well, I’ll tell you,” you agreed. Both you and Saffron got back to cooking just as you explain your story. “You see, Saffron, I also had to take cooking lessons at an early age, but I couldn’t go to cooking classes because I could never afford it. Back where I lived, I learned from these cooking shows I recorded and spent most of my years making homemade meals. I was very sloppy at first, I’m not gonna lie.”

“What about your parents, didn’t they teach you?” she asked.

“No, by the time I was getting the hang of it, my mother went to prison for murder and my father was always on the road as a truck driver.”

“Hmm? What’s a truck?” she asked.

“It’s an giant motorized vehicle that’s built to carry things in the back. Although, judging by that question, it’s obvious you’ve never seen one. Try to think of them as highly upgraded carriages that take way longer to run out of stamina. Since my dad is a truck driver, I don’t really see him all that much anymore and I’ll hardly ever see him again,” you explained.

“So, throughout your whole life, you’ve had to fend for yourself?!” Saffron asked, shocked.

“Yeah and if things weren’t bad enough, when I got my first job as a chef at this local restaurant in my hometown, all the other chefs thought I was getting in their way. I didn’t even have any friends when I went to school. Anytime kids picked on me, I made a precaution to secretly bring a frying pan with me and slap ‘em across the face and tell them “says the guy who can’t even cook right.”

Saffron looked at you with sympathy. “I’m so sorry...” she said quietly.

What you did next you couldn’t explain. Bending down a little, you gave Saffron a quick kiss on her forehead. Her face turned as red as a tomato but you only smiled.

“It’s not your fault, I’ve learned to take reality like a man and toss its cruelty in the trash like it’s nothing to me. To be honest, getting hit by that truck is ironically the best thing that’s happened to me since I ended up meeting you and your father.”

“A truck hit you?” she asked.

“Yeah, getting hit by them at full speed is like getting hit by a 5 ton boulder, only the boulder is 5 tons of steel. Any normal human would be dead from something that heavy. I guess I ended up getting a second chance, but man did I have a splitting headache. But it was well worth it, knowing that the family got to keep their dog.”

“Thank Celestia you were given a 2nd chance,” Saffron said.

“Celestia? Who’s that?” you asked.

“She’s the benevolent ruler of Equestria. Same with her husband, Prince Platinum. They watch over the land and have actually come to visit our restaurant a few times as customers. Maybe one of these days, they might show up again and possibly bring their darling little children,” she explained.

It was obvious Saffron admired the princess, but you were a bit curious of who her husband is. Is he a human like you, or is he a stallion? Either way, the chances of actually meeting her would probably be a 1 in 4 chance.

You returned your attention back to your dish and started throwing in a few spices to make it taste better. Once you and Saffron were finished with the food, you put it on the nearby plates and gave them to Coriander to serve to the customers.

“You’re doing much better than I thought, Saffron,” Coriander praises as he took the two plates.

Both you and Coriander could tell that underneath her mask, Saffron Masala was beaming a smile at her father. “A little cold won’t keep me from doing the thing I love,” she assured in a cheerful tone.

It was this determined attitude Saffron had which you always found to be adorable. It’s very rare that you find someone who can cook so well and treat with the respect it demands and look so beautiful when doing so. In all honesty, you felt yourself falling in love with Saffron. However, it felt too soon to start confessing to her, especially since she was still a little sick. Not to mention the fact that you’re not sure how Coriander would react if he found out you were falling in love with his daughter.

You watched as the customers enjoyed the food Saffron had helped you prepare with content smiles. It made you and Saffron feel proud that so many ponies in Canterlot were enjoying the food you both make.

You could feel Saffron wrap her hand around yours, but neither one of you said anything. One happy look from you was all it took to show her how proud you felt towards her.