A Collection of Writing Experimentsby matcha cheesecakeChaptersEmpty Space5-7-5From The TopEmpty Space: RewriteFreedomEmpty Space Summary: To Fluttershy, it always came back in that black room. * “Why do you feel guilty?” She stared into your eyes, awaiting an answer. You chewed on your lower lip and opted to study the painting behind her. It was a common home-among-the-clouds piece-- a typical attempt to induce some semblance of comfort in a place where ponies talk about the uncomfortable. You looked away and stared at your forehooves pawing at the floor. “I hurt other ponies.” “Besides that one time with your best friends?” You swallowed and gave a small nod, still not looking up. Your long mane fell over your face and you took comfort in the illusion of being hidden from view. Your eyes burned as you struggled to swim through your memories. “I’m always... I don’t remember much of my foalhood, but even back then... I vaguely remember telling somepony off then crying about it afterwards because I felt so horrible for hurting that pony’s feelings.” She didn’t say anything to that, so you raised your head to gaze at her. She studied you like the fascinating specimen you were, occasionally jotting down a few notes. You watched her watching you watch her. “What are you thinking about right now?” “In my mind, I have this, um, place. It used to be a desert. Before that, a forest. Right now, it’s just a room. A black room.” “Tell me about this black room.” She scribbled a bit more on her notepad. “What’s it like? What happens there?” Just like that, you found yourself inside the black room. “Empty,” you said to the nothingness. “Empty,” another voice echoed behind you. You shot to the air and sharply turned to the intruder. She had your long pink mane on her head, your yellow coat on her body, and your butterflies on her flank. But the way she sneered at your sudden flight told you who she was. “New Fluttershy.” Your mouth barely moved when you whispered it, but the words echoed all around the room, growing louder with each iteration. New Fluttershy. New Fluttershy. New Fluttershy. You dropped to the ground and cowered to the farthest corner you could find. You shoved hooves into your ears and even closed your eyes for good measure, but nothing you did blocked out the sound. It continued to increase in volume, hammering down on you until you could no longer decipher the words from the noise. “Stop,” you whimpered. “Please, make it stop.” It felt like something sucked away every sound, and the silence that followed left your ears ringing. “No!” You felt your body leave the ground. Somepony was holding your face between her hooves and lifting you in the air. Whoever it was shook you violently until you opened your eyes and looked at her. It was the other Fluttershy. Her features twisted into a smile as cold as the Crystal Tundra, and you felt like you were thrown there with nothing but your pelt against the harsh weather. “I hate you.” “You can’t erase me.” One Fluttershy let go, and one Fluttershy fell. But which was the real Fluttershy, and which one the fake? “I can never forgive anypony who hurts my friends!” you cried out to your tormentor. But nopony was there, and you continued to fall. Your wings had firmly locked to your sides and wouldn’t budge no matter how many times you pleaded for them to spread and let you fly. So you did the only thing you could as you plummeted-- shut your eyes and brace yourself for impact. “Fluttershy, that’s enough.” Your eyes flew open and you found yourself back in your therapist’s office, hooves firmly on the ground. She was smiling gently at you, a box of tissues at hoof. You took one, dabbed your cheeks, then blew your nose. “Same time next week?” 5-7-5 Summary: a collection of haiku about the Elements of Harmony * Harmony hearts touch o'er distance glorious colors light the world magic of friendship * Twilight Sparkle Taurus' Pleiades you shine brightest with others student most faithful * Pinkie Pie cupcakes and sweet hearts overflowing with joy, you rise above the blues * Applejack a rope unwhittled binds strong-- true integrity ‘til the very end * Rainbow Dash supersonic flight to where’er you go, I go unwavering so * Rarity diamonds hidden deep in our hearts, polished bright a giving spirit * Fluttershy most accepting heart but the butterflies belie a steely resolve * Elements of devotion, virtue charity, forgiveness true joy-- harmony’s roots From The Top Summary: Twilight Sparkle watches the sunset. * I took my time trudging up the hill where my friends and I met for our weekly play dates. I liked the feeling of grass crunching underhoof. I also didn’t want to dislodge the picnic basket on my back. I smiled a little whenever it shook with each step and the scent of freshly baked apple pie would waft to my nose. It may not be as scrumptious as Applejack’s, but it was good enough. Halfway there, I paused to catch my breath. I’d been so out of shape lately. Rainbow Dash would surely berate me for that, but it wasn’t my fault, not really. If there was anything to blame, it was all the cupcakes, muffins, and other treats that permeated my diet ever since I learned how to bake without causing explosions. Pinkie Pie would probably gush about how proud she was of me when I tell her about it, while Rarity would shake her head and lecture us about maintaining our figures. An otherworldly screech echoed from somewhere far away. Looking around, I saw a huge purple dragon emerge from the mountains. I briefly wondered where Fluttershy would hide when she heard or saw that big old thing. I wouldn’t really know, so I just shrugged then continued my way. The sun was nearing the horizon when I reached the top of the hill. Nopony else was there. It was past our usual time. I settled down a few lengths away from an apple tree that proudly stood at the peak. My position gave me an awesome view of the setting sun as I munched on my apple pie. I watched the dragon I had seen earlier stretch his wings and fly into the orange sky. It was way past our usual time. I looked behind me. Underneath the apple tree were five gravestones. “Hi, girls,” I said, sniffling a little. “I miss you.” Author's Note inspired by "Chant of Immortality" by 4everfreebrony and this image Empty Space: Rewrite Summary: To Fluttershy, it always came back in that black room. * “Why do you feel guilty?” She stared into me, her irises quivering as if searching for my answer. I chewed on my lower lip and decided to study the painting behind her. It was a common home-among-the-clouds piece-- a typical attempt to induce some semblance of comfort in a place where ponies talk about the uncomfortable. It wasn’t working. I looked down, at my forehooves pawing at the floor. “I hurt other ponies.” “Besides that one time with your best friends?” I swallowed and nodded, causing my long forelock to fall over my face. It was nice to have some kind of barrier from her gaze. Memories from long ago, both good and bad, clashed and whirled around my head. It was like a tempest or a flash flood, and the damp heat in my eyes told me of its overflow. “I’m always... I don’t remember much of my foalhood, but even back then... I vaguely remember telling somepony off and then crying about it afterwards because I felt so horrible for hurting that pony’s feelings.” A minute passed, then two. Nothing. I lifted my head, just enough to see her jotting down some notes. She watched me intently, the fascinating specimen I was. I watched her watching me watch her. Those shining eyes seemed to bore into my very soul. “What are you thinking about right now?” Nothing. Everything. “In my mind, I have this, um, place. It used to be a forest, then, um, a desert. Right now, it’s just a room. A black room.” “Tell me about this black room.” She scribbled a bit more on her notepad. “What’s it like? What happens there?” Just like that, I found myself inside the black room. “Empty,” my voice resounded in the void. “Empty,” another voice echoed behind me. I shot to the air and sharply faced the intruder. She had my long pink mane on her head, my yellow coat on her body, and my butterflies on her flank. But the way her face contorted to sneer at my sudden flight told me who she was. “New Fluttershy.” It was barely a whisper, but the words reverberated throughout the room, growing louder with each iteration. New Fluttershy. New Fluttershy. New Fluttershy. I dropped to the ground and curled up in the farthest corner I could find, my hooves over my ears. I even closed my eyes for good measure, but nothing blocked out the sound. It just continued to increase volume, hammering me until I could no longer distinguish the words from the noise. “Stop,” I whimpered. “Please, make it stop.” Something seemed to suck away every sound, and the silence that followed left my ears ringing. “No!” The ground disappeared from under me. It took me a moment to realize I was being lifted up. Somepony had my face in her hooves. She shook my head violently until my eyes flew open. It was the other Fluttershy. Her features twisted into a smile as cold as the Crystal Tundra, and I felt I was thrown there with nothing but my pelt against the harsh weather. “I hate you.” “You can’t erase me.” One Fluttershy let go, and one Fluttershy fell. But which was the real Fluttershy, and which one the fake? “I can never forgive anypony who hurts my friends!” I cried out to my tormentor. But nopony was there, and I continued to fall. My wings had firmly locked themselves to my sides. No matter how many times I pleaded, they wouldn’t let me fly. I could only shut my eyes and brace myself for impact. “Fluttershy, that’s enough.” When I opened my eyes, I was back in my therapist’s office, my hooves on firm ground. She was smiling gently, a box of tissues at hoof. I took one, dabbed my cheeks, then blew my nose. “Same time next week?” Freedom Summary: Pinkie Pie jumps out of a window * Defenestrate. It’s such a funny word, like picklebarrel and kumquat. It sounds like deafen and straight put together, but it doesn’t have anything to do with not hearing stuff or not being bent. I touch my bedroom window, not quite pushing it open. Windows are funny things, too, especially the ones made of clear glass. You can see through them, so you think there’s nothing separating you from the other side. That is, until you walk into it and then shatter the glass. I look down at my hoof now covered in blood and bits of my window. Each glass shard reflects an image of my smiling face. They say the grass greener on the other side, but beyond my broken window, all I see is Ponyville and a small piece of heaven. I’ve always wanted to fly. Well I’ve flown before using balloons and the candy-copter I made for my undergrad thesis, but that’s different. I want to know how it feels to leap into the air and soar using just my body. No balloons. No silly contraptions. I want to know how it feels to have nothing holding me down, not even gravity. Even for just one brief moment... I look out of my window again. The blue sky taunts me with its blueness. Defenestrate means to throw something out of a window. But if the thing you throw out is yourself, does it still count? Let’s find out.
Empty Space Summary: To Fluttershy, it always came back in that black room. * “Why do you feel guilty?” She stared into your eyes, awaiting an answer. You chewed on your lower lip and opted to study the painting behind her. It was a common home-among-the-clouds piece-- a typical attempt to induce some semblance of comfort in a place where ponies talk about the uncomfortable. You looked away and stared at your forehooves pawing at the floor. “I hurt other ponies.” “Besides that one time with your best friends?” You swallowed and gave a small nod, still not looking up. Your long mane fell over your face and you took comfort in the illusion of being hidden from view. Your eyes burned as you struggled to swim through your memories. “I’m always... I don’t remember much of my foalhood, but even back then... I vaguely remember telling somepony off then crying about it afterwards because I felt so horrible for hurting that pony’s feelings.” She didn’t say anything to that, so you raised your head to gaze at her. She studied you like the fascinating specimen you were, occasionally jotting down a few notes. You watched her watching you watch her. “What are you thinking about right now?” “In my mind, I have this, um, place. It used to be a desert. Before that, a forest. Right now, it’s just a room. A black room.” “Tell me about this black room.” She scribbled a bit more on her notepad. “What’s it like? What happens there?” Just like that, you found yourself inside the black room. “Empty,” you said to the nothingness. “Empty,” another voice echoed behind you. You shot to the air and sharply turned to the intruder. She had your long pink mane on her head, your yellow coat on her body, and your butterflies on her flank. But the way she sneered at your sudden flight told you who she was. “New Fluttershy.” Your mouth barely moved when you whispered it, but the words echoed all around the room, growing louder with each iteration. New Fluttershy. New Fluttershy. New Fluttershy. You dropped to the ground and cowered to the farthest corner you could find. You shoved hooves into your ears and even closed your eyes for good measure, but nothing you did blocked out the sound. It continued to increase in volume, hammering down on you until you could no longer decipher the words from the noise. “Stop,” you whimpered. “Please, make it stop.” It felt like something sucked away every sound, and the silence that followed left your ears ringing. “No!” You felt your body leave the ground. Somepony was holding your face between her hooves and lifting you in the air. Whoever it was shook you violently until you opened your eyes and looked at her. It was the other Fluttershy. Her features twisted into a smile as cold as the Crystal Tundra, and you felt like you were thrown there with nothing but your pelt against the harsh weather. “I hate you.” “You can’t erase me.” One Fluttershy let go, and one Fluttershy fell. But which was the real Fluttershy, and which one the fake? “I can never forgive anypony who hurts my friends!” you cried out to your tormentor. But nopony was there, and you continued to fall. Your wings had firmly locked to your sides and wouldn’t budge no matter how many times you pleaded for them to spread and let you fly. So you did the only thing you could as you plummeted-- shut your eyes and brace yourself for impact. “Fluttershy, that’s enough.” Your eyes flew open and you found yourself back in your therapist’s office, hooves firmly on the ground. She was smiling gently at you, a box of tissues at hoof. You took one, dabbed your cheeks, then blew your nose. “Same time next week?”
5-7-5 Summary: a collection of haiku about the Elements of Harmony * Harmony hearts touch o'er distance glorious colors light the world magic of friendship * Twilight Sparkle Taurus' Pleiades you shine brightest with others student most faithful * Pinkie Pie cupcakes and sweet hearts overflowing with joy, you rise above the blues * Applejack a rope unwhittled binds strong-- true integrity ‘til the very end * Rainbow Dash supersonic flight to where’er you go, I go unwavering so * Rarity diamonds hidden deep in our hearts, polished bright a giving spirit * Fluttershy most accepting heart but the butterflies belie a steely resolve * Elements of devotion, virtue charity, forgiveness true joy-- harmony’s roots
From The Top Summary: Twilight Sparkle watches the sunset. * I took my time trudging up the hill where my friends and I met for our weekly play dates. I liked the feeling of grass crunching underhoof. I also didn’t want to dislodge the picnic basket on my back. I smiled a little whenever it shook with each step and the scent of freshly baked apple pie would waft to my nose. It may not be as scrumptious as Applejack’s, but it was good enough. Halfway there, I paused to catch my breath. I’d been so out of shape lately. Rainbow Dash would surely berate me for that, but it wasn’t my fault, not really. If there was anything to blame, it was all the cupcakes, muffins, and other treats that permeated my diet ever since I learned how to bake without causing explosions. Pinkie Pie would probably gush about how proud she was of me when I tell her about it, while Rarity would shake her head and lecture us about maintaining our figures. An otherworldly screech echoed from somewhere far away. Looking around, I saw a huge purple dragon emerge from the mountains. I briefly wondered where Fluttershy would hide when she heard or saw that big old thing. I wouldn’t really know, so I just shrugged then continued my way. The sun was nearing the horizon when I reached the top of the hill. Nopony else was there. It was past our usual time. I settled down a few lengths away from an apple tree that proudly stood at the peak. My position gave me an awesome view of the setting sun as I munched on my apple pie. I watched the dragon I had seen earlier stretch his wings and fly into the orange sky. It was way past our usual time. I looked behind me. Underneath the apple tree were five gravestones. “Hi, girls,” I said, sniffling a little. “I miss you.” Author's Note inspired by "Chant of Immortality" by 4everfreebrony and this image
Empty Space: Rewrite Summary: To Fluttershy, it always came back in that black room. * “Why do you feel guilty?” She stared into me, her irises quivering as if searching for my answer. I chewed on my lower lip and decided to study the painting behind her. It was a common home-among-the-clouds piece-- a typical attempt to induce some semblance of comfort in a place where ponies talk about the uncomfortable. It wasn’t working. I looked down, at my forehooves pawing at the floor. “I hurt other ponies.” “Besides that one time with your best friends?” I swallowed and nodded, causing my long forelock to fall over my face. It was nice to have some kind of barrier from her gaze. Memories from long ago, both good and bad, clashed and whirled around my head. It was like a tempest or a flash flood, and the damp heat in my eyes told me of its overflow. “I’m always... I don’t remember much of my foalhood, but even back then... I vaguely remember telling somepony off and then crying about it afterwards because I felt so horrible for hurting that pony’s feelings.” A minute passed, then two. Nothing. I lifted my head, just enough to see her jotting down some notes. She watched me intently, the fascinating specimen I was. I watched her watching me watch her. Those shining eyes seemed to bore into my very soul. “What are you thinking about right now?” Nothing. Everything. “In my mind, I have this, um, place. It used to be a forest, then, um, a desert. Right now, it’s just a room. A black room.” “Tell me about this black room.” She scribbled a bit more on her notepad. “What’s it like? What happens there?” Just like that, I found myself inside the black room. “Empty,” my voice resounded in the void. “Empty,” another voice echoed behind me. I shot to the air and sharply faced the intruder. She had my long pink mane on her head, my yellow coat on her body, and my butterflies on her flank. But the way her face contorted to sneer at my sudden flight told me who she was. “New Fluttershy.” It was barely a whisper, but the words reverberated throughout the room, growing louder with each iteration. New Fluttershy. New Fluttershy. New Fluttershy. I dropped to the ground and curled up in the farthest corner I could find, my hooves over my ears. I even closed my eyes for good measure, but nothing blocked out the sound. It just continued to increase volume, hammering me until I could no longer distinguish the words from the noise. “Stop,” I whimpered. “Please, make it stop.” Something seemed to suck away every sound, and the silence that followed left my ears ringing. “No!” The ground disappeared from under me. It took me a moment to realize I was being lifted up. Somepony had my face in her hooves. She shook my head violently until my eyes flew open. It was the other Fluttershy. Her features twisted into a smile as cold as the Crystal Tundra, and I felt I was thrown there with nothing but my pelt against the harsh weather. “I hate you.” “You can’t erase me.” One Fluttershy let go, and one Fluttershy fell. But which was the real Fluttershy, and which one the fake? “I can never forgive anypony who hurts my friends!” I cried out to my tormentor. But nopony was there, and I continued to fall. My wings had firmly locked themselves to my sides. No matter how many times I pleaded, they wouldn’t let me fly. I could only shut my eyes and brace myself for impact. “Fluttershy, that’s enough.” When I opened my eyes, I was back in my therapist’s office, my hooves on firm ground. She was smiling gently, a box of tissues at hoof. I took one, dabbed my cheeks, then blew my nose. “Same time next week?”
Freedom Summary: Pinkie Pie jumps out of a window * Defenestrate. It’s such a funny word, like picklebarrel and kumquat. It sounds like deafen and straight put together, but it doesn’t have anything to do with not hearing stuff or not being bent. I touch my bedroom window, not quite pushing it open. Windows are funny things, too, especially the ones made of clear glass. You can see through them, so you think there’s nothing separating you from the other side. That is, until you walk into it and then shatter the glass. I look down at my hoof now covered in blood and bits of my window. Each glass shard reflects an image of my smiling face. They say the grass greener on the other side, but beyond my broken window, all I see is Ponyville and a small piece of heaven. I’ve always wanted to fly. Well I’ve flown before using balloons and the candy-copter I made for my undergrad thesis, but that’s different. I want to know how it feels to leap into the air and soar using just my body. No balloons. No silly contraptions. I want to know how it feels to have nothing holding me down, not even gravity. Even for just one brief moment... I look out of my window again. The blue sky taunts me with its blueness. Defenestrate means to throw something out of a window. But if the thing you throw out is yourself, does it still count? Let’s find out.
