Colors of the Heart: Specials

After a good night’s sleep, Surefire found herself still not ready to tackle the day.

Just five more minutes...

She tried to convince herself snuggling her pillow tight. However, after a few moments she became faintly aware of the puddle of drool her face now laid in. The size and fluffiness of her pillow also started to tug at her mind, furthermore, she realized she needed to go to the bathroom.

Seeing as defeat was inevitable, the gears in the young mares mind started churning, getting ready for the long day ahead of her.

I need coffee...

With a real objective set in place, Surefire opened her eyes and lifted her head, taking in her surroundings.

“This isn’t home...” she mused to herself, before rubbing her eyes with a big yawn.

With a fresh supply of oxygen in her brain, dots started to connect in the detectives mind as she looked down to the ‘pillow’ she had been laying against. The soft white coat of another mare stared back at her. Surefires eyes immediately widened at the realization she wasn’t in her room or bed, but was sleeping with another mare.

Oh Celestia! What did I do last night!? She briefly panicked, retracing her foggy morning memories of the night before.

Let’s see... hospital, Pris—

Surefire let out a sigh of relief as she recalled her staying the night in the hospital with Prism. For a moment there, the young mare feared she might have had a bit too wild of a night. On that note, Surefire brought a hoof to her chin in thought. It had been a very long time since she attended any sort of social gathering or event, so how she could even end up in a situation like that in the first place was beyond her.

Shrugging the thought away, she pushed herself up from the bed. Though a wet sensation on her foreleg caught her attention as she looked back down to her bedmate. Her eyes once again widened in realization as she squeaked

Oh Celestia! I drooled all overher!

A mild panic set in as she glanced about the room, looking for something to wipe her saliva off the albino mare. Finding nothing of conventional use, she decided to use the next best thing.

Surefire took a corner of the blanket that laid over her, and began softly wiping the puddle of drool off her newly found friend’s clean white coat. Taking a moment to examine her work, she decided that it should suffice.

I hope she doesn’t notice...

Slowly slipping out of bed, Surefire spun and made her way silently for her saddle bags. Not feeling like toting the entirety of her personal equipment, the young mare shuffled through the bags until she found her coin purse strap.

That should do it. Now for some coffee...

* * * * * * * * * *

Exiting the hospital lobby, Surefire made her way out into the relatively quite Manehattan streets. It was far too early for anypony to really be out yet, but that would not stop her quest for the sacred substance of liquid motivation.

The young mare knew that one of her favorite coffee shops was a few blocks up the street from the hospital. It was a bit of an extra walk from the closer shops, but it was worth it for the quality coffee.

Only the best will do!

She took her coffee very seriously.

During the walk, Surefire reflected on the events of the previous day; a lot had happened in a very short time. If this were an official case, there would have been mountains of paperwork and reports to file from yesterday alone. However, the young mare knew she still needed to compile her notes and research with the data she were to receive from Doctor Ruby Heart later that day. If she wanted to build a solid case, the junior detective had to do everything right the first time; formalities were very important.

The walk ended up being much faster than Surefire realized. Being lost in thought it felt like only a few moments, rather than several minutes. Approaching the door of the cafe she glanced up to the sign with a smile.

Gallopfrey’s Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

Without a doubt, Gallopfrey’s was one of the best places to get coffee in Manehattan, maybe even in all of Equestria as far as the young mare was concerned. It was her one stop fill if she was in the area, that’s for certain.

Walking through the door, Surefire was met with a ringing of a bell overhead and the heavenly smell of fresh brew. The cafe’s interior was nothing special, just a tiny hole-in-the-wall establishment with a walk up serving bar surrounded by glass to save space; with the exception of the service area. Hidden behind the protective glass where espresso machines and the like that a pony might expect to find. However, Surefire knew that the magic in this cafe was the owners talent, and his obsession with only using the perfect beans.

Behind the counter was the cafe’s owner, Gallopfrey; a dark-brown pegasus stallion who wore a coffee-stained white apron, with a matching visor in his sandy-blonde mane. His focus was on serving the small hoof-full of customers inside. Though despite his busy focus on his work, he took the time to greet the young mare entering his shop.

“Hey Squirt!” he greeted Surefire with a large smile and a wave of his right wing. “What has you up at this early hour?”

The young mare’s expression fell into utter deadpan. “Please stop calling me that, Dad; it’s embarrassing...” she stated, taking her place in the back of the serving line. “I’m a grown mare now.”

“Sure thing, Squirt!” Her father replied enthusiastically, turning back to the customer he was serving.

Surefire facehooved with a small groan.

Why does all of my family have to be so weird?

* * * * * * * * * *

The line ahead of the young mare moved at a fast pace, as soon she was getting served. For as small as her family's cafe was, it was quite popular with the residents of the local blocks. As Surefire approached the counter she got an idea; coffee for her new friend.

But does Prism even drink coffee?

“The usual, yeah?” Her fathered asked, alrighty preparing the order he was expecting.

Surefire nodded. “Yeah, for me.”

The stallion looked back to her, eyebrow raised. “For you?” he asked quizzically. “You actually getting a drink for somepony else too?” A small smirk played across his face at the possibilities that this sign might entail.

The young earth pony shot her father a heavy glare. “You can just wipe that thought right out of your tiny brain, it’s not that,” she informed him in mild irritation. “It’s for a friend.”

This answer honestly surprised him. “You made a new friend?”

Surefire rolled her eyes at her father's overreaction. “Yes. Is that really so hard to believe?”

“For you it is,” he replied, pointing the drink he just made at his daughter before sitting on the counter. “Whatever happened to ‘I’m too busy for friends’ or ‘I don’t have time for other ponies’?”

The young mare let out a frustrated sigh; clearly not in the mood for playing twenty questions. “This is different, she’s special,” she replied, beginning to anxiously tap her right forehoof in anticipation of her liquid mistress.

Surefire’s reply only caused the stallion to form another smirk as he leaned on the counter. “Special huh? Just how special is this mare?”

Surefire craned her neck back in shock, taken aback at her father’s insinuation. “Wh-what?! No! Just no!” she exclaimed wildly. “I’m not even into mares, besides I already have a stallion that I li—” The young mare reared up on her hindlegs, quickly covering her muzzle with both forehooves at the realization of the verbal trap she just walked right into.

Her father’s smirk spread into wide grin as he stood up straight, puffing out his chest. “Is that so?” he exclaimed smugly. “So, when can I expect the wedding and grandfoals?”

Surefire froze, her face flushed flamin’ hot in absolute shock from the sudden embarrassment; thoughts quickly began to race through her mind of Beaker and herself in the implied situations.

Her father roared with laughter at his daughter's reaction to his banter, before running out of breath and cutting into a coughing fit. Many of the other cafe regulars behind the young mare had joined in on the laughter as well.

Taking several moments, Gallopfrey eventually managed to compose himself. “Whoo! ...Well then, you’ll have to tell me all about him later,” he stated before shifting his posture to a relaxed lean. “So, what’ll your friend have to drink?”

Surefire flopped her face down on the counter at her father’s hopelessness. “Just... give me a moment okay?” she replied, muffled by the counter; trying to forget that she was related to the pony in front of her.

I don’t know if Prism drinks coffee, but I’d really like to get her something...

Surefire scratched the back of her head with a forehoof, deep in thought.

Most ponies who don’t like coffee are generally tea drinkers; but what if she doesn’t like tea and actually does like coffee? ...Ah, screw it, I’ll get both and drink the one she doesn’t pick later.

“A vanilla bean latte and an earl grey lavender tea,” she requested, taking the safe bet and picking her father’s two best drinks.

“Two huh? Coming right up!” he replied, turning and beginning the ordered drinks.

Surefire lifted her head to look to her father. “Yeah, I don’t know if she drinks coffee or tea, or either”

The stallion let out a chuckle. “Everypony drinks either coffee or tea, it’s the law,” he stated, finishing the first drink and sliding it to his daughter.

The young mare scoffed at his cheapness of ‘law’. “Pfft, if anypony knows law around here, it’s me,” she stated matter-of-factly, “and I recall no such law.”

“That’s because you haven’t looked hard enough,” he said, glancing to her with a quick wink. “It’s in there somewhere, I promise!”

Surefire face hoofed, shaking her head. “You are the biggest feather-brain in all of Equestria; I hope you know that, Dad.”

The stallion craned his neck back, shooting her a perplexed look briefly. “Really?” he asked, before closing his eyes and executing an overly-enthusiastic hoof pump  “Yes! Number one, baby!”.

The young mare flopped her face onto the counter in absolute defeat. “I hate you...”

“Love you too, Squirt!”