Writers Block

“YES!” I shouted as I retrieved the sealed envelope from my mailbox early the next morning. The sight of the return address, “Grey Wings Publishing”, instantly cured my drowsiness. I ran back inside, tore open the letter, and started to read.

Dear Hasty Sketch,

We have read the sample of your story, and are very interested in your writing style and story ideas. We would like to offer you a job here at Grey Wings Publishing. We will send a carriage to pick you up in a few days, and you will be staying in Manehattan for a few months until you can finish your book. We hope you will accept our invitation, and are glad you will be working for us.

Sincerely,

Best Seller, CEO

I could hardly believe it. The head of Grey Wings publishing wanted me to write my story on-site! I leapt into the air happily, and then sprinted out of the house. I wasn’t sure who I would tell, but I figured it would be whoever I ran into first. And what would you know, that first pony was none other than the beautiful Rainbow Dash! I saw her soaring overhead gracefully, which seemed strange, as she would usually be racing around at breakneck speeds. Maybe she just wanted to enjoy her time in the sky.

“RAINBOW DASH!” I called up to her. I saw her look down, and then slowly descend until she landed right in front of me.

“Heya, Sketch. What’s up?” she said cheerfully. I smiled broadly, out of happiness from both Rainbow’s presence, and from the letter.

“Grey Wings Publishing wants me to write for them!” I exclaimed, and her eyes widened.

“What? That’s great!” she cried, and we danced around in a circle for a few moments, until we fell over laughing.

“Yeah, I just got the letter today,”  I said as I stood up, “They’re sending for me in the next few days, and then I’ll be staying in Manehattan for the next few months,” I said, looking off into the distance. “This is it! My dream is finally coming true!”

I turned back to her, and saw a worried expression on her face that made me stop smiling. “What’s the matter?” I asked. She shook her head, and looked happy again. The tone in her voice, however, made me suspicious.

“Huh? Nothing. This is great! You’ve been working on this for a while, and now it’s finally getting finished. I’m happy for you, Sketch. Really!”

I nodded slowly, and suddenly got an idea. “I’d better tell Twilight! I’ll talk to you later!” I said, running off.

“Ok… bye,” I heard her say quietly as I left. Why was she acting so weird?  I wondered as I ran to the library.

“TWILIGHT!” I shouted as I burst through the door of the library. I heard a loud crash and a groan from the other room, and went to investigate. I saw a large pile of books on the far side of the room, but no sign of Twilight Sparkle. Just then, I saw the pile shift, and her head popped out from underneath.

“Come on, Sketch, I’ve been working on that stack all day!” she moaned as she climbed out from underneath the paper rubble that covered the floor.

“Oh… sorry,” I said sheepishly as she started moving the books around with her magic. “But, anyways, I came to tell you that my book is finally taking off!”

“What?” she asked, surprised. The books fell to the floor as she shifted her focus to me.

I smiled and nodded. “I sent a letter to Grey Wings Publishing, and they said they want me to stay in Manehattan for a few months so they can keep an eye on my book’s progress!” I jumped into the air happily, but stopped my now third celebration when I saw Twilight eyeing me suspiciously.

“Does Rainbow Dash know about this?” she asked slowly.

“Yeah, why?” I asked, nodding.

“And was she alright with this?” she continued. I nodded again.

“Yeah, she said she was happy for me. Why are you asking all these questions?”

Twilight looked away for a moment. “Remember when I said that Rainbow might like you? I wasn’t just teasing you or anything; I really, truly believe that Rainbow Dash may have a crush on you. But, if you are going away for a few months, she might not forgive you for that. Especially since you’ve already made plans with her. Am I right?” she asked, glaring at me.

This got me angry. “Look, I’ve been working on this book for nearly a year now. This is practically my life. I am not throwing it all away now that it’s going so well!” I retorted, and stormed for the door. “I will see you later, Twilight Sparkle!” I shouted behind me, and started running home. I heard her calling my name behind me, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to be alone.

How could she be so selfish? I thought angrily as a few raindrops fell onto my muzzle. I looked up and saw a thunderstorm forming overhead. I picked up my pace, not wanting to be angry and soaked.

The next day, I heard a knock at the door. When I answered, there was a pony in a fancy suit standing at my doorstep, and a carriage parked in the street.

“Hasty Sketch,” the colt began, “I am here to pick you up by request from Best Seller.”

I nodded and grabbed my saddlebag, packed with my writing and drawing supplies. As the suited pony guided me to the carriage, I saw my friends not too far away, and noticed two things: Rainbow Dash was not among them, and they all looked unhappy. I frowned, and turned back to the carriage. Twilight must have told them about what happened, I thought angrily. I jumped in the carriage, and not much later we took off for Manehattan.

It was a boring, quiet trip, but the whole time I was on the edge of my seat with excitement. Right after I went to Grey Wings Publishing, I had to visit my parents and give them the good news. We skidded to a halt outside the building, and I stared up in awe at the massive, 20-story building. I swallowed hard, and went inside.

“Ah, Hasty Sketch, there you are!” a handsome grey colt greeted me in the lobby. He had a neatly trimmed, black mane, and I saw his cutie mark was a golden book. I smiled and nodded to him in greeting. “I’m Best Seller. It’s such a pleasure to meet you! Follow me up to my office, where we can discuss your story a little more,” he said, guiding me towards an elevator.

“…and that’s pretty much what I have planned so far,” I concluded. Best Seller was staring at me with wide eyes from his desk chair.

“This sounds like a great story! ‘Young colt with lonely origins sets out to save the world, and makes friends along the way’! I’ll admit, it has been done quite a few times, but something about this one seems… greater. Like it could really take off,” he said, mostly to himself. I smiled.

“So, you like it?” I asked. He nodded vigorously.

“Oh yes, I do. I just have a few questions. Firstly, how did you come up with this story?” he replied.

I thought about this for a moment. “It just sort of came to me. I always wanted to be great, so I guess Crimson Embers is just who I want to be.”

Best seller nodded thoughtfully. “That might be why it’s such a good story; you’ve put your heart and soul into it because it is your story. Tell me, how did you get the idea for Crimson’s friends?”

I smiled. “I made a few friends during my stay in Ponyville. Their personalities were great inspiration.” I frowned slightly, remembering how I had reacted when Twilight disapproved my leaving.

Maybe I was a little harsh, I thought sadly. Best Seller’s voice suddenly snapped me back to reality. “So, Hasty Sketch, we are going to have you stay in a hotel room not too far from here. The driver that brought you here will drop you off at the hotel, where you can get back to work. Does that sound alright?” I nodded, but then got an idea.

“Actually, I was wondering if I could stop at my parents apartment first. They’ve been really supportive of me and my writing, and I can’t wait to see their faces when they hear that I’m on my way to being published.”

Best Seller smiled. “But of course! Just give the driver the directions, and he’ll take you there in a flash. Ta ta, Hasty Sketch, and good luck on your writing!” he called as I rushed out the door.

I knocked at the door to the apartment where my parents were staying. The door swung open, and I was suddenly embraced by my father. “Sketch!” he cried happily. “How are you, son? Your mother is at work right now, but she should be home shortly.”

I smiled at him. Ponies always said we looked alike, except for our colors; wherever I was red, he was tan. His mane stayed in place a lot better than mine, too. “I’ve got great news!” I cried as we headed for the couch. My father sat in a chair and listened intently. “I’m getting published by Grey Wings Publishing!” I cried, and his eyes got huge.

“What?” he asked, his voice filled with pride. “You did it?”

I nodded. “Yep. All my work is paying off at last!” I said happily, but suddenly remembered what I had probably lost because of it.

“What’s the matter, son?” he asked, noticing my change in mood.

“Nothing, it’s just… I made some friends while I was in Ponyville, but right now they’re kind of mad at me. I took their response to my success the wrong way and flipped out. I don’t know if they’ll forgive me.”

My father smiled at me comfortingly. “Son, I know what you are going through. You’re always going to expect your friends to always be happy for you and support you, but that isn't always the case. Sure, friends will cheer you on when you are striving for you goals, but true friends will always look out for what’s best for you.”

I stared at him for a moment, his words really hitting home. “I don’t know, dad… I don’t want to give this up, you know? I’ve waited so long for this, and it would be a waste to throw it away now.”

My father nodded. “I know how that feels, Sketch, to have to choose between what your head thinks is best and what your heart knows is best. When the time is right, you will know what you need to do,” he said as the door opened. My mother gasped and ran to hug me.

“Sketch!” she cried as she squeezed me.

“Kinda… need to… breath, Mom,” I gasped, and she let go quickly.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m just so happy to see you! What brings you here?” she asked. I explained what had happened, without the extra discussion I had had with my father, and she was overjoyed.

“My baby’s going to be famous!” she cried happily, and my father laughed.

“Let’s celebrate!” he said, running to the kitchen to start up a meal. About a half an hour later, we were all sitting at the table, talking about how our new lives were going, what had happened over the past few days, and what we hoped the future held. When it got late, we said our goodbyes, and I went to the hotel where I was set to stay at.

I dropped into the bed in my new room, exhausted, and looked around. It was spacious, with no walls separating the different areas, except the bathroom, of course. There were pictures of ponies and sceneries scattered about the walls, and one picture in particular caught my stare.

It was a rainbow, stretching across the sky over a mountain range. On the bottom, I could see a lush, green field and a stream. I smiled at its beauty, but my heart ached, as it made me think of Rainbow Dash. I rolled over and slowly fell asleep, but not even sleep would push the guilt of what I had done out of my head.