Wonder Wordsby AvoxChaptersLet Her Soar (Sad, Romance) (AJ, RD) [Written 12/8/13]Nyctophobia (Dark) (RD, TS) [Written 9/1/14]The Western Sky (Sad, Adventure) (Scoots) [Written 12/20/14]Let Her Soar (Sad, Romance) (AJ, RD) [Written 12/8/13]They say that guilt can eat you alive. Applejack never knew just how true that was. At first, she was happy. Every time she was with Rainbow, she couldn’t help but smile. But soon, the guilt set in. After having spent so long hiding her emotions, she expected a weight to be lifted from her shoulders, and, admittedly, there was. But it was soon to be replaced by a much heavier one: the weight of a decision. A decision the likes of which could prove to tear apart the very fabric of their friendship. And she was scared. Applejack let out a pent-up sigh and fell back onto her bed. What would happen if she made the wrong choice? It wouldn’t only ruin her relationship with Dash, but her friendship with the rest of their gang. That was something she couldn’t live without. She turned to her chest of drawers and examined her belongings. Everything was just where she expected it to be. That is, except for her signature Stetson; she had given it to a sleepless Rainbow who had come knocking on her window last night. She hadn’t seen hide nor hair of either the hat or the pony since then. It was probably for the best: more time to think about what she had to do. A fresh wave of guilt slammed into the earth pony full force. Her actions were justified, right? It’s not like she had been leading Dash on, although the pegasus was sure to take it that way. If fact, it was the exact opposite. She loved Rainbow too much to stay with her. Rainbow was changing. Ever since they had started dating, things had been… different. Although she was sure Dashie loved spending time with her, it was clear that she itched to be in the sky instead of stuck on the ground with her. She wanted to be performing her daring stunts up in the sky, impressing Ponyville with her special talent. It was in the nature of pegasi—they were meant to be among the clouds, not down on earth with lowly farmers like herself. As much as she hated thinking it, she knew it was true. In time, Dashie would get tired of soil and would fly up to bigger and better things, leaving AJ down on the ground, alone. All of that got her thinking—what would happen when Rainbow became a Wonderbolt? It wasn’t a question. She would become a Wonderbolt. After the whole ‘Best Young Flier’ fiasco, Spitfire and Soarin’ had told the rest of the gang that they planned on recruiting Rainbow as soon as she was old enough. Heck, some of the Wonderbolts were trying to find loopholes around the whole ‘minimum age thing’. They all really wanted her Dashie on their team, and she couldn’t blame them. She was the only pony in the Equestria who could pull off a sonic rainboom. Once Rainbow was on the team, she would have training and performances to worry about. She would barely have enough time to breathe, let alone to visit AJ. At first, she thought she had been selling her friend short; she was the element of loyalty after all. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She had wanted to be a Wonderbolt since she was a little filly, right? She had met AJ many years after that. It only made sense that she was more loyal to the Wonderbolts than her. Applejack turned to face the clock. It read 11:32 pm. Looks like she wasn’t going to be getting any sleep tonight. She hadn’t slept properly in weeks because of the thoughts plaguing her mind. A gentle knock at her window jerked her from her train of thought. AJ turned her head to the side to look at her window, only to see a rainbow-maned pegasus staring back at her. Applejack slowly made her way over to the window. Once there, she turned around to face her bedroom door, listening carefully for the any traces of her family being awake. She heard the faint breathing of Applebloom in the room over, and the obnoxiously loud snoring of Big Mac a few doors down. She couldn’t help but smile. It was funny how such a quiet pony like her brother could snore so loudly. Applejack opened up her window, letting Rainbow inside. She gave the pony in front of her a once-over; Rainbow donned her stetson and was carrying a large bouquet of rainbow roses in her mouth. All together, she looked quite flustered. Applejack laughed, taking the flowers from her and placing them on her dresser. Now that Rainbow was able to speak, she said, “Applejack, I—” “Shhh! I don’t want ya to wake up my whole family,” Applejack interjected. The red hue that already tainted Dash’s cheeks deepened. “S-Sorry, AJ. I-I brought you some flowers…” she finished lamely. Applejack laughed. It was moments like this that she was going to miss the most. “Thank ya, sugarcube. Where in Equestria did ya go about gettin’ all those fancy colored flowers?” Rainbow sighed. “Roseluck made ‘em special for me. Something about cross genetics and food coloring. But sweet Celestia, she gave me a hard time about it. She really wanted to know who I was getting them for.” “Did ya tell her? “No. And she wasn’t very happy about it.” AJ smiled weakly in response. If Roseluck knew, then that was just another person to complicate things when she broke their relationship off. Not even their friends knew, and they probably never would. As much as she hated thinking it, she knew it was better off that way. “So why did ya wait ‘til now to bring ‘em? Roseluck closes up shop around six, so ya had to have had ‘em before then.” “Because I knew you’d be working during the day, and I thought that…” she trailed off, realizing Applejack wasn’t buying it. “Can I stay here tonight?” Rainbow asked bluntly. “I couldn’t sleep last night, even with your hat…” “So what your tryin’ ta say is ya were butterin’ me up with these flowers?” “No! I mean, maybe a little…” The farm pony giggled. “Alright, sugarcube. But just this once. Don’t start thinkin’ ya can stay here every night.” Rainbow Dash’s face broke into a grin of victory. She quickly leapt onto AJ’s bed and stretched out, getting ready to sleep. Applejack sighed. She owed Rainbow this. Chances are it would probably be the last time the two would share a bed ever again. Applejack didn’t sleep a wink. The clock currently read 4:41 am, and she would have to get up soon to tend to the farm. She supposed it would be better to get an early start on the day than to sit here and dread what was to come. She carefully untangled herself from Rainbow and made her way over to the door. As soon as she placed her hoof on the doorknob, a tired voice permeated the darkness. “Where... where are you going?” Applejack turned around to face Rainbow. “Ah gotta work.” Rainbow’s eyes bored into her soul. After a moment of silence, she said, “Why don’t you ever stay here with me?” Applejack could feel herself choking up. It was now or never. “RD, we gotta talk.” The look of fear in Rainbow's eyes was enough to bring Applejack on the verge of tears. “Ah think it would be best if we b-broke up…” she choked out. Applejack shuffled her hooves, uncomfortable with the situation. After a few more moments of silence, she dared to look up at Rainbow. What she saw scared her. There were no waterworks. There was no begging her to stay. All there was was pain. Pure, raw, unadulterated pain. Before Applejack even knew what was happening, there were tears streaming down her cheeks. You know the saying if you love something, let it go? Applejack cursed the very pony who came up with it. Rainbow spoke up, tears now flowing freely down her face too. “W-Why? D-Do you hate me? Was everything you confessed to me a lie?” Applejack winced. “Sugarcube, t’aint no way I could ever hate ya. And I don’t lie. I’m the element of honesty. I can’t lie.” “Then… then why?” Applejack sighed. “I see how ya long to be in the sky when you’re with me. Ya wanna fly, so that’s whatcha gotta do.” “AJ, I can fly and date you! I don’t have to quit doing one of them!” Rainbow said, exasperated. Applejack let out a weak laugh. “Maybe right now ya can, but what happens when ya join the Wonderbolts? You're gonna be away all of the time, and I’m gonna miss ya. We… we've gotta break up if ya ever want to join the Wonderbolts, and the longer we draw it out, the more we’re both gonna be hurtin’ when ya leave fer real. It… it’s better this way.” “I… I won’t join the Wonderbolts then.” Applejack glared at the pegasus. “Now you’re not bein’ fair to yourself, sugarcube. You've wanted to be a Wonderbolt all your life.” Rainbow sighed, seeing the truth in her words. After exhaling loudly, she spoke, “AJ… I love you.” “Ah love ya too, sugarcube.” As the sun began to push up over the horizon, a fresh wave of tears began to flow down Rainbow’s face. Both of them sat there in an uncomfortable silence. What more was there left to say? The farmer pulled Rainbow into one last warm embrace. They sat there like that for what seemed like hours. Eventually, Applejack whispered, “I’m sorry, Rainbow…” With that, the pegasus pulled away from the earth pony. She shot AJ one last pained glance before taking off through the window. She flew out into morning sky, disappearing into the vibrant colors of the sunrise. Applejack turned to look at the multicolored bouquet of roses Rainbow had given her last night. She let out another sigh. Maybe someday if the circumstances allowed it, they could get back together. But right now, she only had one option— she had to let her Rainbow soar. Nyctophobia (Dark) (RD, TS) [Written 9/1/14]Rainbow Dash screeches to a halt. The fluffy white powder that coats the path flies in all directions, momentarily blinding her. The sound of her heart beating ever faster pounds against her ears, and her eyes grow wide as dinner plates. Alone in the Everfree, she stands stark still, staring straight into the darkness before her. There’s no questioning it now. She definitely heard something. Heard it. An ominous creature looming just beyond the veil of darkness, waiting for her to waltz into its trap and become the first ever pegasus-kebob. At first, the noise was quiet. Nothing more than a low thrum, muffled by the thick crystals of snow falling all around her. As soon as she wrote it off as a product of her overactive imagination, however, the volume of the noise picked up ever so slightly. It grew to a constant rumble, coming from all directions at once. The strange noise wrapped her up in it’s cold, numbing blanket. Despite its overbearing presence, the sound was barely audible, so she once again decided it had to be nothing. This process repeated over and over for some time—much like a fly slamming into a window again and again, desperately groping for freedom just close enough to see but not to touch. Then, just like that, the noise stopped. Now, moments afterward, there is nothing but Rainbow and the all-consuming silence. The world around her seems frozen. The snow on the ground and in the air insulate the forest, keeping everything perfectly quiet. That pervasive absence of sound compounds into a fierce roar deep within her ears. Combined with the constant thump thump thumping of her heart rattling about her chest, her head is reeling. She can hardly breathe. Suddenly, she hears Twilight’s prancing hoofsteps crunching through the snow just behind her. She is roughly fifty feet back, Rainbow estimates. She doesn’t dare turn around to check, though. If she takes her sight off the wall of darkness in front of her—even for a moment—then the creature will slip away. At roughly fifteen feet back, the sound of Twilight’s hooffalls cease. Rainbow can feel the other mare’s look boring through the back of Rainbow's head, questioning her. “Uh, Rainbow? What’s wrong?” “I heard something,” she whispers. “Heard what?” “Quiet down!” Rainbow whisper-shouts. “And I heard it. Something. I don’t know. All I know is that that thing is out there somewhere, watching us.” Twilight lets out a snort, rolls her eyes, and closes the small distance still between them. “I think you’re going crazy. I don’t hear anything at all.” Rainbow nods once, very slowly. Her eyes never leave the patch of shadows in front of them. “That’s the problem. This whole time I’ve been hearing this dumb growling sound. Then it suddenly stopped, just like that.” Twilight cocks her head to the side, lips pursed. “Of course it’s going to be quiet out here, Rainbow. We’re in the forest at night during the dead of winter. All the animals are either hibernating or sleeping.” With a sigh, Rainbow finally tears her gaze from the darkened path before them. Her head hangs low and a scowl worms its way onto her snow-coated snout. “All but one,” she mumbles under her breath. “What was that?” “Nothing,” Rainbow replies, turning her gaze to meet Twilight’s. “Are you sure you wanna go through with this, Twi? Can’t we do this some other time when it’s not, y’know, snowing?” “I told you, we can’t,” Twilight says. “I already told you that the moonblossom is a night-blooming flower, and it only sprouts for one night every seventeen years. It always happens during the winter after the cicadas come to the surface, and this year the entomologists were able to calculate the exact day it would happen. Were you not paying attention when I was telling you all of this earlier?” Rainbow’s scowl deepens further, if possible. “To be honest, no, I wasn’t paying attention. I was more concerned with convincing you to stop being an idiot and postpone this stupid trip. Seriously, why the hay would you ever go into the Everfree alone? At night? During a snowstorm? Without telling anypony?” “I’ve been waiting for this day since I was just a little filly, Rainbow. I missed seeing the moonblossom once already, and I’m not going to miss it again. Besides, a little snow never hurt anypony.” Rainbow stomps her hoof on the ground, though the action isn’t nearly as expressive when it’s muffled by the powder underhoof. “This is the Everfree Forest we’re talking about, Twilight! You know, the place where unimaginable horrors lurk at night? That ring any bells?” “I knew that if I told you girls—” she stops to send another glare Rainbow’s way “—then you would try to convince me not to go. I figured it would be best to leave you all out of this.” Sensing her imminent defeat, Rainbow decides to switch tactics. “Please, Twi? I promise I’ll come with you again in seventeen more years when they come back. Heck, I’ll even make you a map with all the flowers’ locations beforehand! You won’t even have to look for them!” Twilight’s brow furrows and her nose crinkles, forming an adorable pout. “It’s not like anypony is forcing you to stay here with me, Dash. If you want to head back, then do us both a favor and head back already. You weren’t even supposed to catch me leaving town in the first place.” “But I can’t just leave you out here alone. What if you get hurt… or worse?” Twilight’s scowl slowly fades away, and the ghost of a smile takes its place. She leans into Rainbow and nuzzles her, burying her head in the crook of the other mare’s neck. “I appreciate the gesture, Rainbow, but I’m not a helpless little filly. I’ve got magic and wings now. I’d like to think I could hold my own against anything the forest could throw at me.” Rainbow grumbles unintelligibly under her breath, reluctantly returning the hug. Just then, an icy breeze blows through the forest, whipping the snow falling from the sky into a frenzy. They both shiver simultaneously. Rainbow instinctively wraps her wing around Twilight and pulls her closer, trying to retain warmth. “What creatures are you worried about anyway?” Twilight asks. “I’m pretty sure the two of us together could take on most anything.” “I’unno,” Rainbow says with a shrug. “Like, but what if it’s something we’ve never seen before? What if it’s some sort of phantom or something, or even a demonic creature escapted from Tartarus? I know you’ve heard the stories they tell us as foals, Twilight. You know what I’m talking about.” Twilight pulls away from Rainbow, looking her straight in the eyes. “Don’t tell me you buy into all that paranormal mumbo jumbo, Dash.” “I mean, why not? I mean, who’s to say those… things don’t really exist?” The left side of Twilight’s mouth curls upward, and she lets out a small huff of air. “I think the darkness is playing tricks on your mind, Dash. There is no noise, there are no paranormal creatures, and there is definitely not a… thing out there watching us.” Rainbow shifts her weight from side to side, staring at the ground. “Just ’cause you can’t see it doesn’t mean that it’s not there.” “Yes, but it doesn’t mean that it is either.” Silence. Rainbow’s mouth opens and closes as she searches for something, anything to say, but there are no words. She clamps her mouth shut and stands there, mute. Twilight gives Rainbow a once-over, donning the same worried look as earlier. “Honestly, there’s no way to know for sure, Rainbow. You’ll never know if there is a creature out there.” Rainbow’s heart leaps into her throat. For some reason, that simple fact scares her even more than any monster ever could. “All right, let’s go get this over with. All your superstitious nonsense is giving me goosebumps, and I really don’t want to be out here in the cold any longer than I have to be.” She takes a few steps forward before turning her head around to look back at the pegasus. “Oh, and Dash? This time, try to stay with me instead of scouting ahead for your silly little monsters.” At that, Twilight spins around again and heads down the path. It isn’t until her silhouette has been completely devoured by the darkness that it hits Rainbow Dash. The sound of her heart beating pounds against her ears like the drumbeat to her own death march. She shivers once more, though this time it isn’t because of the cold. Alone in the Everfree, she stands stark still, staring straight into the darkness before her. This time, the darkness stares back. The Western Sky (Sad, Adventure) (Scoots) [Written 12/20/14]She shouldn't have. She really, really shouldn't have. But she did. Scootaloo breathes in a long breath, taking in the crisp, wintery-fresh air. A smile tugs at the corner of her lips, but she doesn't let it take hold. Not yet, at least. At first, Scootaloo's parents were skeptical of these nightly walks of hers. You're too young, her father told her. It's dangerous out there. You could get hurt! They do always have her best interests in mind. That doesn't mean they are always right, though. So she argued with them. After belaboring her point for days on end, her parents conceded and compromised, allowing her to make the trek down to the bridge at the end of Elm and back. It was still a good thirty minute walk, and lamps lit the whole way, despite the summer sunset sky providing more than enough light to see. And just like that—just like always—she got her way. The initial decision to argue for her walks was a cloudy one. The idea simply just popped into her head one sleepless evening and she ran with it. Perhaps it was the prospect of freedom that made the idea so alluring, or perhaps it was just sheer boredom. Either way, it didn't matter; the cause wasn't nearly as important as the result. And to be terribly honest, the first walk had been just as bad as writhing around underneath her bed's sweaty, itchy covers would have been. So bad, in fact, that she almost hadn't gone on a second one. Almost. Almost. Suddenly, Scootaloo skids to a halt. A gust of frostbitten wind blows through the streets. Instinctively, she wraps her mother's silky, cashmere scarf more tightly around her neck. She's already reached the bridge at the end of Elm street. Without a second thought, she presses onward. With a mother who works real estate and a father who runs one of the most successful weather-making corporations in all of Equestria, she would often find herself alone in a house far bigger than anyone could ever possibly need. Her parents would pepper her with trinkets and gizmos in apology of their absence—much like the mountains and mountains of Hearth's Warming gifts sitting in her living room back home—but they never helped any. A lonely filly with a lot of toys is still a lonely filly, after all. Despite what they may think, money can't buy happiness or love. That's why, when she came back home from her first walk to see her mother's worried, caring face awaiting her safe return, she vowed she would never stop taking these walks until the day she died. But unfortunately, as time went on, her parents' concern faded, and her mother no longer sat awake at night until Scootaloo herself was in bed. Still, every day of the last six months without fail, Scootaloo would go for a walk, hoping against hope that they'd both be there when she got home, patiently waiting for her arrival. They never were. Abruptly, Scootaloo breaks a gallop, the rough edges of her father's old saddlebags chafing her sides. Still, she pushes herself harder and faster, digging deep into the snow with everything she has. Maybe... maybe if she goes fast enough, she can outrun the tears. Fluttershy's cottage blurs by in her peripherals, followed the passage leading to Zecora's hut. All the while, she can hardly breathe—the feeling gives her more of a rush than she's had in all her life, chilling her to the bone. For her entire life, she has either been her rich parents' daughter, or that funny pegasus mare who could barely fly, or the one filly obsessed with Rainbow Dash. Never once in her life had she been Scootaloo, plain and simple. And if she couldn't be Scootaloo here in Ponyville, then, well... she'd just have to be Scootaloo somewhere else. Her legs slow and her gaze turns upward. She finds herself at the base of Butternut Hill, looking longingly up to the crest some five hundred feet up. Jaw clenched, she wipes the tears from her eyes. With a deep breath, she starts for the peak. The class took a field trip up the hill yesterday for a picnic. On the far side of it, just beyond her current line of sight, is a cliff. Naturally, Cheerilee, hadn't let them anywhere near it, but she hadn't needed to. Scootaloo had already seen what she needed to see. For yesterday, in the very moment saw the cliff, she stumbled across a terrifyingly enticing idea: an idea that she couldn't help but latch onto. She shouldn't have. She really, really shouldn't have. But she did. Just thinking of it sends a shiver down her spine. No two ways around it—the enticing taste of freedom had already taken hold. There would be no turning back now. The idea is simple. She would chase the sunset through the western sky, never stopping, never looking back. She would keep on like that, breathlessly, until she reached the end of the world. Her friends and family would miss her while she was gone—and she would miss them as well—but someday, they would understand why she needed to break free. Someday, they would understand why she deserved the chance to fly. A millennium later, she reaches the summit the enormous mound of dirt, stopping just shy of the edge. The radiant blues and purples and pinks and oranges of the sunset mingle with the frosty night, forming a sight so picturesque that had she not seen it herself, she wouldn't have believed it was real. For now, though, she doesn't have time to enjoy the sight; she needs to leave. But first... The cold nips at her hooves, urging her to keep moving forward, but she doesn't. Instead, she shuffles her father's saddlebags off her back and places them delicately on the snow in front of her. Slowly, hesitantly, she pulls out an old, slightly discolored photograph. Her wings flitter at her sides as she drinks the picture in. It depicts herself and her parents alongside her friends and their own families, all of them sitting beside a roaring fireplace, sipping mugs of cocoa and laughing. She looks at herself, Sweetie, and Apple Bloom tearing through their gifts on that Hearth's Warming morning all those years ago... In them, she sees two happy, beaming faces, and beside them, a hollow, empty one. The picture is hidden away again just like that, and the saddlebags haphazardly slung across her back. All at once, her eyes slam shut, her legs bend downward, and with a deep, sharp intake of breath, she leaps into the air and off the ledge, flapping her tiny wings madly. The desire to smile tugs at the corner of her lips once more. This time, a small, shaky smile creeps across her face, somehow finding the strength to shine through the tears welling behind her eyes. For the first time in her life, Scootaloo is truly flying.
Let Her Soar (Sad, Romance) (AJ, RD) [Written 12/8/13]They say that guilt can eat you alive. Applejack never knew just how true that was. At first, she was happy. Every time she was with Rainbow, she couldn’t help but smile. But soon, the guilt set in. After having spent so long hiding her emotions, she expected a weight to be lifted from her shoulders, and, admittedly, there was. But it was soon to be replaced by a much heavier one: the weight of a decision. A decision the likes of which could prove to tear apart the very fabric of their friendship. And she was scared. Applejack let out a pent-up sigh and fell back onto her bed. What would happen if she made the wrong choice? It wouldn’t only ruin her relationship with Dash, but her friendship with the rest of their gang. That was something she couldn’t live without. She turned to her chest of drawers and examined her belongings. Everything was just where she expected it to be. That is, except for her signature Stetson; she had given it to a sleepless Rainbow who had come knocking on her window last night. She hadn’t seen hide nor hair of either the hat or the pony since then. It was probably for the best: more time to think about what she had to do. A fresh wave of guilt slammed into the earth pony full force. Her actions were justified, right? It’s not like she had been leading Dash on, although the pegasus was sure to take it that way. If fact, it was the exact opposite. She loved Rainbow too much to stay with her. Rainbow was changing. Ever since they had started dating, things had been… different. Although she was sure Dashie loved spending time with her, it was clear that she itched to be in the sky instead of stuck on the ground with her. She wanted to be performing her daring stunts up in the sky, impressing Ponyville with her special talent. It was in the nature of pegasi—they were meant to be among the clouds, not down on earth with lowly farmers like herself. As much as she hated thinking it, she knew it was true. In time, Dashie would get tired of soil and would fly up to bigger and better things, leaving AJ down on the ground, alone. All of that got her thinking—what would happen when Rainbow became a Wonderbolt? It wasn’t a question. She would become a Wonderbolt. After the whole ‘Best Young Flier’ fiasco, Spitfire and Soarin’ had told the rest of the gang that they planned on recruiting Rainbow as soon as she was old enough. Heck, some of the Wonderbolts were trying to find loopholes around the whole ‘minimum age thing’. They all really wanted her Dashie on their team, and she couldn’t blame them. She was the only pony in the Equestria who could pull off a sonic rainboom. Once Rainbow was on the team, she would have training and performances to worry about. She would barely have enough time to breathe, let alone to visit AJ. At first, she thought she had been selling her friend short; she was the element of loyalty after all. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She had wanted to be a Wonderbolt since she was a little filly, right? She had met AJ many years after that. It only made sense that she was more loyal to the Wonderbolts than her. Applejack turned to face the clock. It read 11:32 pm. Looks like she wasn’t going to be getting any sleep tonight. She hadn’t slept properly in weeks because of the thoughts plaguing her mind. A gentle knock at her window jerked her from her train of thought. AJ turned her head to the side to look at her window, only to see a rainbow-maned pegasus staring back at her. Applejack slowly made her way over to the window. Once there, she turned around to face her bedroom door, listening carefully for the any traces of her family being awake. She heard the faint breathing of Applebloom in the room over, and the obnoxiously loud snoring of Big Mac a few doors down. She couldn’t help but smile. It was funny how such a quiet pony like her brother could snore so loudly. Applejack opened up her window, letting Rainbow inside. She gave the pony in front of her a once-over; Rainbow donned her stetson and was carrying a large bouquet of rainbow roses in her mouth. All together, she looked quite flustered. Applejack laughed, taking the flowers from her and placing them on her dresser. Now that Rainbow was able to speak, she said, “Applejack, I—” “Shhh! I don’t want ya to wake up my whole family,” Applejack interjected. The red hue that already tainted Dash’s cheeks deepened. “S-Sorry, AJ. I-I brought you some flowers…” she finished lamely. Applejack laughed. It was moments like this that she was going to miss the most. “Thank ya, sugarcube. Where in Equestria did ya go about gettin’ all those fancy colored flowers?” Rainbow sighed. “Roseluck made ‘em special for me. Something about cross genetics and food coloring. But sweet Celestia, she gave me a hard time about it. She really wanted to know who I was getting them for.” “Did ya tell her? “No. And she wasn’t very happy about it.” AJ smiled weakly in response. If Roseluck knew, then that was just another person to complicate things when she broke their relationship off. Not even their friends knew, and they probably never would. As much as she hated thinking it, she knew it was better off that way. “So why did ya wait ‘til now to bring ‘em? Roseluck closes up shop around six, so ya had to have had ‘em before then.” “Because I knew you’d be working during the day, and I thought that…” she trailed off, realizing Applejack wasn’t buying it. “Can I stay here tonight?” Rainbow asked bluntly. “I couldn’t sleep last night, even with your hat…” “So what your tryin’ ta say is ya were butterin’ me up with these flowers?” “No! I mean, maybe a little…” The farm pony giggled. “Alright, sugarcube. But just this once. Don’t start thinkin’ ya can stay here every night.” Rainbow Dash’s face broke into a grin of victory. She quickly leapt onto AJ’s bed and stretched out, getting ready to sleep. Applejack sighed. She owed Rainbow this. Chances are it would probably be the last time the two would share a bed ever again. Applejack didn’t sleep a wink. The clock currently read 4:41 am, and she would have to get up soon to tend to the farm. She supposed it would be better to get an early start on the day than to sit here and dread what was to come. She carefully untangled herself from Rainbow and made her way over to the door. As soon as she placed her hoof on the doorknob, a tired voice permeated the darkness. “Where... where are you going?” Applejack turned around to face Rainbow. “Ah gotta work.” Rainbow’s eyes bored into her soul. After a moment of silence, she said, “Why don’t you ever stay here with me?” Applejack could feel herself choking up. It was now or never. “RD, we gotta talk.” The look of fear in Rainbow's eyes was enough to bring Applejack on the verge of tears. “Ah think it would be best if we b-broke up…” she choked out. Applejack shuffled her hooves, uncomfortable with the situation. After a few more moments of silence, she dared to look up at Rainbow. What she saw scared her. There were no waterworks. There was no begging her to stay. All there was was pain. Pure, raw, unadulterated pain. Before Applejack even knew what was happening, there were tears streaming down her cheeks. You know the saying if you love something, let it go? Applejack cursed the very pony who came up with it. Rainbow spoke up, tears now flowing freely down her face too. “W-Why? D-Do you hate me? Was everything you confessed to me a lie?” Applejack winced. “Sugarcube, t’aint no way I could ever hate ya. And I don’t lie. I’m the element of honesty. I can’t lie.” “Then… then why?” Applejack sighed. “I see how ya long to be in the sky when you’re with me. Ya wanna fly, so that’s whatcha gotta do.” “AJ, I can fly and date you! I don’t have to quit doing one of them!” Rainbow said, exasperated. Applejack let out a weak laugh. “Maybe right now ya can, but what happens when ya join the Wonderbolts? You're gonna be away all of the time, and I’m gonna miss ya. We… we've gotta break up if ya ever want to join the Wonderbolts, and the longer we draw it out, the more we’re both gonna be hurtin’ when ya leave fer real. It… it’s better this way.” “I… I won’t join the Wonderbolts then.” Applejack glared at the pegasus. “Now you’re not bein’ fair to yourself, sugarcube. You've wanted to be a Wonderbolt all your life.” Rainbow sighed, seeing the truth in her words. After exhaling loudly, she spoke, “AJ… I love you.” “Ah love ya too, sugarcube.” As the sun began to push up over the horizon, a fresh wave of tears began to flow down Rainbow’s face. Both of them sat there in an uncomfortable silence. What more was there left to say? The farmer pulled Rainbow into one last warm embrace. They sat there like that for what seemed like hours. Eventually, Applejack whispered, “I’m sorry, Rainbow…” With that, the pegasus pulled away from the earth pony. She shot AJ one last pained glance before taking off through the window. She flew out into morning sky, disappearing into the vibrant colors of the sunrise. Applejack turned to look at the multicolored bouquet of roses Rainbow had given her last night. She let out another sigh. Maybe someday if the circumstances allowed it, they could get back together. But right now, she only had one option— she had to let her Rainbow soar.
Nyctophobia (Dark) (RD, TS) [Written 9/1/14]Rainbow Dash screeches to a halt. The fluffy white powder that coats the path flies in all directions, momentarily blinding her. The sound of her heart beating ever faster pounds against her ears, and her eyes grow wide as dinner plates. Alone in the Everfree, she stands stark still, staring straight into the darkness before her. There’s no questioning it now. She definitely heard something. Heard it. An ominous creature looming just beyond the veil of darkness, waiting for her to waltz into its trap and become the first ever pegasus-kebob. At first, the noise was quiet. Nothing more than a low thrum, muffled by the thick crystals of snow falling all around her. As soon as she wrote it off as a product of her overactive imagination, however, the volume of the noise picked up ever so slightly. It grew to a constant rumble, coming from all directions at once. The strange noise wrapped her up in it’s cold, numbing blanket. Despite its overbearing presence, the sound was barely audible, so she once again decided it had to be nothing. This process repeated over and over for some time—much like a fly slamming into a window again and again, desperately groping for freedom just close enough to see but not to touch. Then, just like that, the noise stopped. Now, moments afterward, there is nothing but Rainbow and the all-consuming silence. The world around her seems frozen. The snow on the ground and in the air insulate the forest, keeping everything perfectly quiet. That pervasive absence of sound compounds into a fierce roar deep within her ears. Combined with the constant thump thump thumping of her heart rattling about her chest, her head is reeling. She can hardly breathe. Suddenly, she hears Twilight’s prancing hoofsteps crunching through the snow just behind her. She is roughly fifty feet back, Rainbow estimates. She doesn’t dare turn around to check, though. If she takes her sight off the wall of darkness in front of her—even for a moment—then the creature will slip away. At roughly fifteen feet back, the sound of Twilight’s hooffalls cease. Rainbow can feel the other mare’s look boring through the back of Rainbow's head, questioning her. “Uh, Rainbow? What’s wrong?” “I heard something,” she whispers. “Heard what?” “Quiet down!” Rainbow whisper-shouts. “And I heard it. Something. I don’t know. All I know is that that thing is out there somewhere, watching us.” Twilight lets out a snort, rolls her eyes, and closes the small distance still between them. “I think you’re going crazy. I don’t hear anything at all.” Rainbow nods once, very slowly. Her eyes never leave the patch of shadows in front of them. “That’s the problem. This whole time I’ve been hearing this dumb growling sound. Then it suddenly stopped, just like that.” Twilight cocks her head to the side, lips pursed. “Of course it’s going to be quiet out here, Rainbow. We’re in the forest at night during the dead of winter. All the animals are either hibernating or sleeping.” With a sigh, Rainbow finally tears her gaze from the darkened path before them. Her head hangs low and a scowl worms its way onto her snow-coated snout. “All but one,” she mumbles under her breath. “What was that?” “Nothing,” Rainbow replies, turning her gaze to meet Twilight’s. “Are you sure you wanna go through with this, Twi? Can’t we do this some other time when it’s not, y’know, snowing?” “I told you, we can’t,” Twilight says. “I already told you that the moonblossom is a night-blooming flower, and it only sprouts for one night every seventeen years. It always happens during the winter after the cicadas come to the surface, and this year the entomologists were able to calculate the exact day it would happen. Were you not paying attention when I was telling you all of this earlier?” Rainbow’s scowl deepens further, if possible. “To be honest, no, I wasn’t paying attention. I was more concerned with convincing you to stop being an idiot and postpone this stupid trip. Seriously, why the hay would you ever go into the Everfree alone? At night? During a snowstorm? Without telling anypony?” “I’ve been waiting for this day since I was just a little filly, Rainbow. I missed seeing the moonblossom once already, and I’m not going to miss it again. Besides, a little snow never hurt anypony.” Rainbow stomps her hoof on the ground, though the action isn’t nearly as expressive when it’s muffled by the powder underhoof. “This is the Everfree Forest we’re talking about, Twilight! You know, the place where unimaginable horrors lurk at night? That ring any bells?” “I knew that if I told you girls—” she stops to send another glare Rainbow’s way “—then you would try to convince me not to go. I figured it would be best to leave you all out of this.” Sensing her imminent defeat, Rainbow decides to switch tactics. “Please, Twi? I promise I’ll come with you again in seventeen more years when they come back. Heck, I’ll even make you a map with all the flowers’ locations beforehand! You won’t even have to look for them!” Twilight’s brow furrows and her nose crinkles, forming an adorable pout. “It’s not like anypony is forcing you to stay here with me, Dash. If you want to head back, then do us both a favor and head back already. You weren’t even supposed to catch me leaving town in the first place.” “But I can’t just leave you out here alone. What if you get hurt… or worse?” Twilight’s scowl slowly fades away, and the ghost of a smile takes its place. She leans into Rainbow and nuzzles her, burying her head in the crook of the other mare’s neck. “I appreciate the gesture, Rainbow, but I’m not a helpless little filly. I’ve got magic and wings now. I’d like to think I could hold my own against anything the forest could throw at me.” Rainbow grumbles unintelligibly under her breath, reluctantly returning the hug. Just then, an icy breeze blows through the forest, whipping the snow falling from the sky into a frenzy. They both shiver simultaneously. Rainbow instinctively wraps her wing around Twilight and pulls her closer, trying to retain warmth. “What creatures are you worried about anyway?” Twilight asks. “I’m pretty sure the two of us together could take on most anything.” “I’unno,” Rainbow says with a shrug. “Like, but what if it’s something we’ve never seen before? What if it’s some sort of phantom or something, or even a demonic creature escapted from Tartarus? I know you’ve heard the stories they tell us as foals, Twilight. You know what I’m talking about.” Twilight pulls away from Rainbow, looking her straight in the eyes. “Don’t tell me you buy into all that paranormal mumbo jumbo, Dash.” “I mean, why not? I mean, who’s to say those… things don’t really exist?” The left side of Twilight’s mouth curls upward, and she lets out a small huff of air. “I think the darkness is playing tricks on your mind, Dash. There is no noise, there are no paranormal creatures, and there is definitely not a… thing out there watching us.” Rainbow shifts her weight from side to side, staring at the ground. “Just ’cause you can’t see it doesn’t mean that it’s not there.” “Yes, but it doesn’t mean that it is either.” Silence. Rainbow’s mouth opens and closes as she searches for something, anything to say, but there are no words. She clamps her mouth shut and stands there, mute. Twilight gives Rainbow a once-over, donning the same worried look as earlier. “Honestly, there’s no way to know for sure, Rainbow. You’ll never know if there is a creature out there.” Rainbow’s heart leaps into her throat. For some reason, that simple fact scares her even more than any monster ever could. “All right, let’s go get this over with. All your superstitious nonsense is giving me goosebumps, and I really don’t want to be out here in the cold any longer than I have to be.” She takes a few steps forward before turning her head around to look back at the pegasus. “Oh, and Dash? This time, try to stay with me instead of scouting ahead for your silly little monsters.” At that, Twilight spins around again and heads down the path. It isn’t until her silhouette has been completely devoured by the darkness that it hits Rainbow Dash. The sound of her heart beating pounds against her ears like the drumbeat to her own death march. She shivers once more, though this time it isn’t because of the cold. Alone in the Everfree, she stands stark still, staring straight into the darkness before her. This time, the darkness stares back.
The Western Sky (Sad, Adventure) (Scoots) [Written 12/20/14]She shouldn't have. She really, really shouldn't have. But she did. Scootaloo breathes in a long breath, taking in the crisp, wintery-fresh air. A smile tugs at the corner of her lips, but she doesn't let it take hold. Not yet, at least. At first, Scootaloo's parents were skeptical of these nightly walks of hers. You're too young, her father told her. It's dangerous out there. You could get hurt! They do always have her best interests in mind. That doesn't mean they are always right, though. So she argued with them. After belaboring her point for days on end, her parents conceded and compromised, allowing her to make the trek down to the bridge at the end of Elm and back. It was still a good thirty minute walk, and lamps lit the whole way, despite the summer sunset sky providing more than enough light to see. And just like that—just like always—she got her way. The initial decision to argue for her walks was a cloudy one. The idea simply just popped into her head one sleepless evening and she ran with it. Perhaps it was the prospect of freedom that made the idea so alluring, or perhaps it was just sheer boredom. Either way, it didn't matter; the cause wasn't nearly as important as the result. And to be terribly honest, the first walk had been just as bad as writhing around underneath her bed's sweaty, itchy covers would have been. So bad, in fact, that she almost hadn't gone on a second one. Almost. Almost. Suddenly, Scootaloo skids to a halt. A gust of frostbitten wind blows through the streets. Instinctively, she wraps her mother's silky, cashmere scarf more tightly around her neck. She's already reached the bridge at the end of Elm street. Without a second thought, she presses onward. With a mother who works real estate and a father who runs one of the most successful weather-making corporations in all of Equestria, she would often find herself alone in a house far bigger than anyone could ever possibly need. Her parents would pepper her with trinkets and gizmos in apology of their absence—much like the mountains and mountains of Hearth's Warming gifts sitting in her living room back home—but they never helped any. A lonely filly with a lot of toys is still a lonely filly, after all. Despite what they may think, money can't buy happiness or love. That's why, when she came back home from her first walk to see her mother's worried, caring face awaiting her safe return, she vowed she would never stop taking these walks until the day she died. But unfortunately, as time went on, her parents' concern faded, and her mother no longer sat awake at night until Scootaloo herself was in bed. Still, every day of the last six months without fail, Scootaloo would go for a walk, hoping against hope that they'd both be there when she got home, patiently waiting for her arrival. They never were. Abruptly, Scootaloo breaks a gallop, the rough edges of her father's old saddlebags chafing her sides. Still, she pushes herself harder and faster, digging deep into the snow with everything she has. Maybe... maybe if she goes fast enough, she can outrun the tears. Fluttershy's cottage blurs by in her peripherals, followed the passage leading to Zecora's hut. All the while, she can hardly breathe—the feeling gives her more of a rush than she's had in all her life, chilling her to the bone. For her entire life, she has either been her rich parents' daughter, or that funny pegasus mare who could barely fly, or the one filly obsessed with Rainbow Dash. Never once in her life had she been Scootaloo, plain and simple. And if she couldn't be Scootaloo here in Ponyville, then, well... she'd just have to be Scootaloo somewhere else. Her legs slow and her gaze turns upward. She finds herself at the base of Butternut Hill, looking longingly up to the crest some five hundred feet up. Jaw clenched, she wipes the tears from her eyes. With a deep breath, she starts for the peak. The class took a field trip up the hill yesterday for a picnic. On the far side of it, just beyond her current line of sight, is a cliff. Naturally, Cheerilee, hadn't let them anywhere near it, but she hadn't needed to. Scootaloo had already seen what she needed to see. For yesterday, in the very moment saw the cliff, she stumbled across a terrifyingly enticing idea: an idea that she couldn't help but latch onto. She shouldn't have. She really, really shouldn't have. But she did. Just thinking of it sends a shiver down her spine. No two ways around it—the enticing taste of freedom had already taken hold. There would be no turning back now. The idea is simple. She would chase the sunset through the western sky, never stopping, never looking back. She would keep on like that, breathlessly, until she reached the end of the world. Her friends and family would miss her while she was gone—and she would miss them as well—but someday, they would understand why she needed to break free. Someday, they would understand why she deserved the chance to fly. A millennium later, she reaches the summit the enormous mound of dirt, stopping just shy of the edge. The radiant blues and purples and pinks and oranges of the sunset mingle with the frosty night, forming a sight so picturesque that had she not seen it herself, she wouldn't have believed it was real. For now, though, she doesn't have time to enjoy the sight; she needs to leave. But first... The cold nips at her hooves, urging her to keep moving forward, but she doesn't. Instead, she shuffles her father's saddlebags off her back and places them delicately on the snow in front of her. Slowly, hesitantly, she pulls out an old, slightly discolored photograph. Her wings flitter at her sides as she drinks the picture in. It depicts herself and her parents alongside her friends and their own families, all of them sitting beside a roaring fireplace, sipping mugs of cocoa and laughing. She looks at herself, Sweetie, and Apple Bloom tearing through their gifts on that Hearth's Warming morning all those years ago... In them, she sees two happy, beaming faces, and beside them, a hollow, empty one. The picture is hidden away again just like that, and the saddlebags haphazardly slung across her back. All at once, her eyes slam shut, her legs bend downward, and with a deep, sharp intake of breath, she leaps into the air and off the ledge, flapping her tiny wings madly. The desire to smile tugs at the corner of her lips once more. This time, a small, shaky smile creeps across her face, somehow finding the strength to shine through the tears welling behind her eyes. For the first time in her life, Scootaloo is truly flying.
