Author's Note
Let's see, who did I offend in this new chapter?
People who wear hats for stylistic reasons, engineers, hospitality industry workers, the Japanese, and the Chinese. Good so far, it's really starting to shape up.
This took a long time to write. I'll likely break up things like this into two or more chapters from now on.
Paradise Islands, Part 1
Wave Function did not know where he was. He had transcended the realm of thought, it seemed. He was aware of some things around him. It was warm, and dark. Somepony was singing; it sounded like a faded hum. A pretty mare was seated to his right, an obese stallion to his left, encroaching on his space. He noticed these things, but he did not actually register them. While his eyes moved from a plain ceiling, to a plain carpet studded with tiny lights, to the fat stallion, he actually saw none of these things. His sight, like his mind, was mystically inoperable.
This phase was like a second, and it was like an entire day. What seemed like millions of ponies eventually left, seemingly pushing himself along. He managed to lift a spoon of a cold pink substance to his face, then his sight flashed to a single frame of ponies walking along the streets, the lights of carriages shining down a long avenue bounded by a canyon of skyscrapers. Everything was dark for a while, until he saw a cream colored pony with a red mane slap him with her hoof. He heard nothing but the impact, and noticed that the world was tilting. His mind skipped forward again, this time seeing the pretty mare who was next to him looking up at him with puffy eyes and wet cheeks. His senses all came alive at once, overwhelming his mind. He began to lose the little grasp on his functions that he had. A black dot formed in his vision, slowly expanding outward.
...Dolce? Dolce!
KNOCK KNOCK!
“BURGHAHFITLJGH!” Wave Function shot up, screaming gibberish. Looking around, he noticed morning sunlight streaming in from a window, which displayed the skyscrapers of Manehattan and the Eastern Ocean. Right. Trip. I forgot.
Pleased to once again be in control of his considerable mental faculties, Wave Function thought back to what he had experienced the previous night. A dream? No, it was too real to be a dream. A hallucination? Sure felt like taking too many sleep aids. But if it wasn't real, why can't I remember anything about what I did with Dolce Tempo yesterday evening?
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
Wave Function grumbled and stumbled over to the door of his hotel room, opening it to reveal his traveling buddy. She took one glance at him and her eyes lit up with fiery determination.
“WAVE PROBABILITY FUNCTION! YOU TOLD ME TO WAKE UP AT 6:30 AM AND YOU'RE NOT EVEN AWAKE YET? LOOK AT YOU! YOU'RE STILL WEARING YOUR CLOTHES FROM YESTERDAY!”
Wave Function turned his muzzle down to see he was wearing a suit on his upper body, complete with an askew tie.
“In fact, I would slap you right across your muzzle if last night...wasn't one of the sweetest things anypony has ever done for me...”
Her rapid change in demeanor was accompanied by a tight hug.
She pulled back. “I mean, I ate some of the best food at dinner...”
Wave Function opened his eyes wide as Dolce's monologue rung a bell inside his head. Dinner, I remember that! A very fancy place, in the basement of a financial building. We were all dressed up. I got something with lots of cheese. Dolce ate with speed, violence, and passion like she usually does. Everyone looked at her funny. I loved every second of it! Haha! But after...I don't remember.
“And then the play...”
Ahh. Hinnie and the Hills. I remember, two days ago, yelling at the travel agent until she got tickets for me. That explains the coma, the amnesia, and the whole being trapped in my own mind thing. Art does that to my brain. The borderline concussion from the train probably didn't help.
“And then ice cream! And then I came back from the bathroom and saw Roseluck hit you in retaliation for eating all her merchandise back in Ponyville! And even though you fell over, and were bleeding from your nose and all the other ponies wanted you to go to the hospital, you insisted on walking me back!”
By this point, Wave Function began to develop a chronology of events.
“...By the way, I'm sorry for getting all emotional about Hinnie in the lobby and making you carry me to my room. You were a little quiet last night, did it get to you too?”
Wave Function decided now was the time to test if his brain remembered how to speak. “You could say it...affected me greatly.”
“I know! I just... I can't...Hinnie's sister...and...and... the villain, he...she...only loved...”
Dolce Tempo rushed forward and began sobbing into Wave Function's shirt. He draped a hoof over Dolce Tempo's neck and held her tightly to him. He walked back a few steps and closed the door, as she tightened her grip on him.
Wave Function wouldn't ever admit it to Dolce Tempo, but he didn't just put up with Dolce's emotions because it was the friendly thing to do. He enjoyed being there for her, it made him feel wanted. And the chance to passionately hug was was just as wonderful.
Dolce Tempo wouldn't admit this to Wave Function, either, but she enjoyed his embrace so much she cried louder to make him pull her tighter, and held on long after she had stopped.
By the time the two pulled away, there was no time for breakfast at all. Wave Function hurriedly placed his crumpled suit into his bag, levitated all of his and Dolce Tempo's bags in the air, and rushed them down to the docks, which thankfully were only three blocks from the hotel.
Dolce Tempo sighed as they neared the main dock. Ferries loaded to the brim with crying foals, bickering couples and picture-happy Japaneighse tourists were lined up all the way down the quarter-mile long dock. She had a very bad feeling about today's leg of the trip.
That feeling suddenly evaporated and was replaced with curiosity when they bypassed the main dock. She inquired, “Wave, where is our boat?”
“Right there,” He said, gesturing to a double-hulled, ultra thin yacht-sized boat that looked like something out of a science fiction movie. He grinned knowingly, “You didn't think I'd make you ride with the common folk, did you, princess?”
She stuck out her tongue at him, then growled playfully. Afterward, her ears perked up. “Where are we headed? You still haven't told me.”
“And I'm not going to, no matter how hard you beg for it. I'm staying strong; it's better as a surprise,” he said. “AND NO PHONE GPS ON THE BOAT,” he quickly added.
The duo walked toward the plank, and Wave Function removed their tickets from a saddlebag he had with him. They approached the front of the line laden with rich and distinguished ponies of all monocle girths, and a mare in front of them asked the crew member taking tickets, “Excuse me sir, but my final destination is the Spice Isles. Does this boat continue on or do I have to transfer?”
“Ma'am, our only stop is in the Paradise Islands, you should transfer to the number of the boat
printed on your ticket.”
Overhearing this, Dolce Tempo turned to her friend, completely overwhelmed. “We're going to the Paradise Islands?”
Wave Function brought his hoof to his face. Things never worked out for him if he tried to make them happen, it seemed. Little things like this didn't bother him too much, but it just went to show him how absolutely hopeless it was for him to hope something important would work out. The lottery ticket was just luck.
Dolce Tempo continued without waiting for any verbal reply, “Wave Function, it's supposed to be one of the most beautiful places on the planet. I'll never be able to repay you for it.”
Wave Function replied in stride, but his voice lost it's normal nonchalant tone and became authoritative. “This is for you. It's not to be repaid.”
Dolce Tempo was taken aback by his tone and words. She was about to fumble for a reply when a stallion with a beanie on ran down the pier to reach a smaller boat at the end. It was at this point that Wave Function's turned head revealed a refreshed glimmer in his eye, and he cupped a hoof around his muzzle, calling out, “HAH! GAYYYY!”
Dolce Tempo once again reminded herself that her friend was a complete goof, despite his tendency to occasionally act like more than one. “What did he do wrong?”
“Well, he wore a hat. There are two acceptable times to wear a hat. One is when you are cold. The other is if you are a no-nonsense detective with thirty years of experience on the force. Hats are not meant to be fashion statements; this is Equestria, not Prance,” Wave Function declared with just a hint of comedy in his voice. Although I suppose we'll be in Prance soon enough...
The two gave their tickets to the pony in charge and took a seat in their private cabin. Dolce Tempo, noticing that there were no beds in the cabin and noting that the Paradise Islands seemed very far from Manehattan on the map, began to wonder how they would pass the long trip on the boat. “Wavius, there aren't any beds. How long will the trip be?”
“Eh, should be 4 and a half hours or so once we get haulin'. It's an ultra-high speed boat; that's why the hulls are so sharp and the boat looks so science-fiction-y. An impressive ship. Covers the 1500 miles at an average speed of around 300 mph. Unbelievable it can go so fast; I bet the materials science team brought in some unicorns to strengthen the materials, it'd be almost impossible otherwise. I'd actually really like to model the velocity and acceleration vectors for...”
Wave Function continued to talk as Dolce Tempo realized she had forced him into a talking loop. She needed to stop his thought process right now if she was to have any hope of surviving the next several hours. She had been through this with him before. It was as big of a pain as getting him to go to sleep after mixing caffeine and sleep aids; and significantly less fun.
“Hey! If it's all science-y, why don't you go take observations and ask the crew about it and stuff. Learning, right?”
Wave Function looked at her, dumbfounded. “This ship was designed by ENGINEERS, Dolce. I am a SCIENTIST, and soon to be a physician. Asking me to admire their work and ask them about their process is like asking Princess Celestia to go study under the tutelage of a serf to learn how to farm potatoes. What was I talking about before? I forgot. Oh, shoot. It was important...”
It's Working!, Dolce Tempo thought.
“Oh! Of course, the ship! It's got super efficient radio wave amplifiers, back up fuel cell engines, salinity and temperature sensors, and a very important secret feature you'll see soon.”
The pegasus' ears perked up at hearing that, curiosity replacing her disappointment at her previous failure. She hated secrets with a passion. It was like everyone else got to have fun but her. Thing was, she had gotten really quite good at extracting them from her companion. He was so gullible; a slight whine, a bat of the eyelashes... “Tell me what it is!”
“No.” Wave Function was not going to fail at this to, like he did with everything else so far. “You'll have to wait and see. It's coming soon.”
“B-but, but...”
“If it makes you feel better, since you know where we're going I'll tell you about our accommodations. Much better than in Manehattan.”
The boat began slowly whirring out into the bay, weaving through the other assorted amounts of maritime traffic. The sun was truly starting to get high in the sky, the sea sparkling outside the cabin and it's motion reflected by the glass panels on the city's skyscrapers. The duo ignored the intercom introduction of the trip as they continued to parlay.
“...Ok. But I still want to know about the boat's secret! You're not off the hook.”
I'm off the hook, thought a relieved Wave Function. His red herring had worked. “I figured that all the resorts are crowded, and full of foals...even though one has a water-slide that goes through a shark tank...”
Dolce Tempo seemed even more depressed than he upon receiving the news that they would not be frolicking at high speeds with dangerous predators.
“...But, I got us something way better. It's run by one of the main resorts, but it's on the third-biggest island. A little out of the way, but worth it. It's a VIP type set up. We have a private Cabana that can house up to 6. Just for you and me. With a private hot tub, and pool, and bar, and beach access. And...” Wave Function relished in seeing his friend's eyes grow even wider than they were, “24/7 butler access.”
“Wave! This is so amazing!” Dolce hugged her friend in excitement, letting out little chokes and squees of excitement.
“Of course it is, seeing as I'm pretty amazing,” Wave Function playfully asserted, rubbing his chest with a hoof.
Dolce Tempo tried to come up with a sarcastic retort, but she didn't need to. The boat kicked into full acceleration at that moment, gluing both ponies to their seats. As the speed continued to increase, Wave Function (who spoke in a deep tone of voice unless surprised or startled) let out a medium-pitched shriek. “Dolce! Ooooooohhh my!”
Dolce Tempo scoffed as he held onto her. “You're such a mare. You have one almost-bad experience on a jet ski and suddenly you're afraid of high-speed water travel?”
Wave Function barely managed a coherent (and high-pitched) reply, “I'm not scared of the motion...It's fun... But at this speed if we so much as hit a rogue wave the boat could break apart and we would be effectively vaporized on deceleration!”
At that point both ponies held onto one another. After a few minutes of the boat weathering the bouncy sea without exploding, it became clear that the crew knew what they were doing and the two ponies slowly separated, with hot faces and ears.
The rest of the trip to the islands passed quickly. Light refreshments were shared, magazines were read, and perhaps most importantly, the planning of the next few days went on. Dolce Tempo wanted to go scuba diving near a reef; Wave Function pretended he was scared, so as to not give away his surprise.
Finally, the islands were in sight, far off in the distance. At this time, the intercom informed the crew to prepare for “stage 2”. A few seconds passed before the intercom buzzed again.
“Attention passengers, this is your Captain speaking. It's the moment that many of you have been waiting for. We just ask that you please be seated and refrain from standing until we are docked, and please obey the instructions of any crew members. Thank you.”
Dolce Tempo looked up at the smiling Wave Function. “What does he mean?”
The boat decelerated over a period of a minute or so, slowing to almost a crawl. Wave Function chose this time to reply, “He means this.”
A hissing sound was heard from the hull as the bow oriented several degrees downward and the boat began to sink downward into the water. At first Dolce Tempo was paralyzed with fear, but seeing the calm look on the face of the pony worried about their vaporization only a few short hours before partially assuaged her fears. As the water overtook their cabin window, they could begin to see the underwater world.
A massive coral reef was feet from their faces. Blues and greens and purples mingled with the browns and blacks of the ocean floor, as rays of sunlight streamed downward through the water, diffusing softly every which way. A school of neon yellow and purple fish fled from the boat, as a small shark followed it curiously, eying Dolce Tempo and Wave Function. The boat continued to descend, stopping only when a solid twenty feet of water was between the duo's cabin and the surface. Stunned by the display, neither pony could move or talk as the boat sailed over a ridge, revealing a veritable underwater valley lined with coral, kelp and natural rock formations, standing out in a background of the purest light blue. This new landscape was easily twenty times the size of the first ridge they had been so mesmerized by only seconds before.
Dolce Tempo couldn't take it anymore and stood up. Captivated himself, Wave Function could only put so much effort into his next joke of, “The captain said to stay seated.”
“Oh, screw you.” replied Dolce Tempo, turning her head to stick her tongue out at him for only half a second before returning to the natural wonder spread out before her.
“Now'd probably be a good time to take pictures,” Wave Function noted, without thinking about it too much.
“Yeah.”
A few seconds passed before the duo jumped and began scrambling through their bags to find their cameras, not wanting to miss documenting a single second. Soon the duo had videos and photos to show all of their friends back home, and within twenty minutes another hiss caused the boat to ascend.
Another ten minutes found the ponies on the main dock in the capital of the Paradise Islands, more than pleased with their journey on the submarine boat. Finding their passports with ease, they quickly passed through the very lax immigration check before making their way into the capital city.
The sound of steel drums playing in the background could be heard as small crowds of tourists bustled up and down the street nearest the cool waterfront. Tourist shops were sprinkled up and down the street filled with tropical-style buildings. A handful of brick and glass offices could be seen a few blocks away, and behind them, the towering buildings of the major resorts. Wave Function led Dolce Tempo a few blocks over from the main dock to a much smaller one of rickety wood. A Paradise Island native took them on a small boat to the island they were staying on, about 2 miles from the main island.
Wave Function tipped the driver and exited the boat with Dolce, only to be greeted by an overly enthusiastic beige earth pony mare who was clearly not from the area.
“Why hello there! Are you Mr. Function?” Wave Function nodded. “Ohhh, it's so good to meet you!” She threw her hooves around him in a big hug, which Wave Function only half-heartedly accepted. Dolce Tempo glared at the mare. “And you must be Ms. Tempo!” She offered her only a hoof, making her glare more fierce. Dolce Tempo softened her glare when she took her hoof, if only to put on a false air.
“It's so nice to meet you!” Dolce said with a great deal of emotion and emphasis on each word. One of Wave Function's ears involuntarily flicked at hearing her speak. He had heard that tone from her before; it was not a good tone. “And you are?”
That's it... Answer so I can put you on my list. Dolce Tempo thought.
“Where are my manners? My name is Private Suite, I work at the Grand Paradise Resort in the VIP getaways department, and I'll be your personal activity coordinator! Oooooooohhh!” She stamped all her hooves quickly in excitement before turning her gaze to Wave Function. “We're going to have so much fun!” The emphasis on the last word caused Dolce Tempo to growl, although she quickly turned it into a strange clearing of her throat.
“Ok! Well party ponies, it's time to head to your private bungalow!”, Private Suite said, flipping her purple mane flirtatiously in Wave Function's direction and turning toward the island.
“Actually, we haven't eaten yet today, so we're gonna do that first. Any recommendations?” asked Wave Function.
Private Suite turned back to the duo. “Well, sir, we have a fantastic international restaurant on the main island. It has multiple sections for each specialty, and world-renowned chefs work there!”
Wave Function frowned. “The main island? We just came from there.”
“I know, sweetie. I'm required to suggest there first. But...” Private Suite looked around furtively before continuing, “the locals run a place in town here. Incredibly tropical food. Very spicy. Think you can handle the heat, Mr. Function?” Her coy tone drove hot daggers into Dolce Tempo's mind.
“Yup. I like spicy foods. Capsaicin is my favorite. In fact-”
“Well then, here's a map so you can find your way to your bungalow when you're done. And here's a card with my manager's number if you need anything! I'll see you at bungalow number seven to give you the tour! Oh, I'm so excited!” She hugged Wave Function again, drawing a hoof down his chest as she released him. With that, she walked off slowly.
The duo started off towards the island's main town, which looked smaller but otherwise comparable to the larger city on the main island. Dolce Tempo spoke first. “You're so dumb.”
Wave Function merely raised an eyebrow, knowing she'd continue.
“I mean, that mare was flirting with you and you just stood there and took it!”, she huffed.
Wave Function shrugged. “Flirting? Huh. Didn't notice.”
“Exactly! You can act so dumb! She was just using you because she knows you're rich and wants you to tip her or give her a good report.”
“As I would expect anypony in the service industry to do. They're not that nice to me because they want to be.”
“Then why did you just let her!? I think we should call and let he supervisor know how she's acting!”
“My, my Dolce. Are we jealous?” Wave Function asked in a joking manner, his grin turning his eyes into slits. They widened again when she didn't smile back.
“S...Shut Up!” she pouted.
Wave Function's mind tied itself in knots. I was just joking, wasn't I? She's not actually jealous, right?
Lunch was fabulous. It was cheap, spicy, fresh and generally wonderful. From the restaurant in town it was only a ten minute walk to the bungalow.
When they got there, Dolce Tempo couldn't even believe her eyes. It was a two story wooden structure on a pristine white sand beach, that aside from having it's own pier that extended at least thirty feet out into the water also had a balcony on the second floor that looked down over the crystal turquoise water. The tour was a blur, and she was so enthralled with the full indoor bar, and hot tub, and rainfall shower, and the half-Equestria Games sized pool that she barely even noticed the flirtatious ramblings of Private Suite.
When they had been introduced to their butler, a local stallion who was clearly quite wise, Private Suite gave them a few more papers of information, then left with the butler, saying “I hope to see Mr. Function again very soon!”
“Well, Dolce, I'm going to put our bags away, then go shower, seeing as I haven't yet today. Why don't you get settled in?”
With that, Wave Function turned toward the master bedroom, levitating all their bags with him. Dolce Tempo's heart skipped a beat as he brought both sets of bags into the master bedroom with the ocean view, only for her heart to sink a few moments later (in what? Was it relief or disappointment?) As he emerged from the room with his own bags, putting them in one of the other, smaller rooms.
Dolce Tempo watched him close the door to the bathroom, confused as to what she was feeling. After she had brushed the question off, she spent the next few minutes writing in her journal. After that (and a drink at the delightfully well-equipped bar), she decided it was naptime.
She peered in the bathroom and saw nopony; she checked all the other rooms and he Wave Function wasn't there either. Where was he? It would be very rude to take a nap without telling him first.
Wave Function stepped out of the shower. His body was clean and in order, but his head, like the steamy bathroom, was clouded. I must just be tired, he thought.
Deciding that a nap would be the best option, he left the bathroom and headed toward the beach exit to the bungalow, where he had spied a hammock in the shade earlier. He noticed Dolce Tempo writing furiously, and after a few seconds of looking at her fondly, decided not to interrupt her.
The hot sand burning his hooves, Wave Function hopped, skipped, and jumped over to where the hammock was, between a group of tall palm trees. Settling himself in, he shunned thinking about the day so far, closed his eyes, and let the waves lull him to sleep under the cool shade.
Dolce Tempo couldn't believe it! He had just fallen asleep without even telling her! How rude. In fact, she even thought to check his room for him, and yet found him out here! Well, she wasn't just going to stand for this! She had to prank him! This required retribution, and swift-
*Yawn*
Suddenly, Dolce Tempo thought that the hammock looked pretty comfy. She looked at her friend. He was splayed out like a starfish, hooves in all four directions. I guess it wouldn't be bad to join him, right? He wouldn't mind. He sleeps like a rock anyway.
She gingerly climbed in the hammock, as a light breeze rolled in, swaying the hammock and blowing Dolce's mane to the side. She lowered herself down, resting herself on Wave Function's torso. She immediately let out a small hum of pleasure at the softness and heat, placing her front hooves on both sides of Wave Function's head. She nuzzled his chest, giving out a little moan. She enjoyed his chest most of all.
A new idea came to Dolce Tempo. She adjusted herself upward, placing her muzzle on Wave Function's neck. She inhaled, and was immediately hit with Wave Function's smell, the one that always made her feel happy and safe. She noted just a hint of hotel shampoo, as well.
Then, her plan went into full action. She exhaled over his neck, something at he loved when they were cuddling awake. He didn't move. Dolce was disappointed.
“unh...” Wave Function let out a grunt about ten seconds later, simultaneously moving his hooves so they flopped on top of the smaller red pegasus. She smiled, shuffling her body back just a few inches so she could nuzzle his chest again.
Eventually, sleep got the better of her, and she closed her eyes as crystalline waves rolled toward the shore and a breeze blew over bungalow number seven.
Wave Function opened his eyes. He could see the leaves of a palm tree, illuminated by a soft orange light. He felt heavy, and he looked down to find Dolce Tempo sleeping softly against him. She exhaled against his purple fur lightly.
He smiled. He had had this dream before, it was his favorite. He would wake up from resting with Dolce, caress her lightly, and she would wake up, smiling at him. He wished dreams like this wouldn't end, but at least they came every once in a while.
He pulled his right hoof from outside the hammock and ran it through her mane. She snuggled closer to him in her sleep. He took his other hoof and placed it on her back, lightly running it up and down.
Then he leaned forward, smiled, and gave Dolce Tempo a light kiss on her forehead. “Hey, beautiful. It's time to get up,” he whispered in her ear. He continued to play with her hair as she stirred.
Finally awaking, she lifted her head, looking at Wave Function. She gave him a small smile, though she was still groggy. Wave Function noticed her smile was different this time, more genuine than usual. But he thought nothing of it. She flopped her head back to his chest, letting out a groan of “mreehh”.
Wave Function felt her muzzle against his chest. It was hard... was he feeling...discomfort? That was unusual. He looked to his left, and ended up startling himself. Was that the ocean? And, come to think of it, that wasn't a sunrise. It was a sunset. He looked back at Dolce Tempo.
That all meant that she was real. And that meant...
This wasn't a dream!
“ALKFOJHSAGTXXISACCCLARKEXXKHOPAUHY!” Wave Function flipped out like a Chineighse gymnast who was far to young to be competing where she was. His freakout caused the hammock to flip with a great deal of angular velocity, planting him face down square on the sand, with Dolce Tempo on top of him.
“Wavius! I'm so sorry!I didn't mean to startle you but I was just so tired...”
“No, no, I'm sorry!” Wave Function pleaded, eyes wide.
Dolce Tempo looked puzzled. “Why are you sorry? I snuck into your hammock.”
Wave Function felt his face heat up. Does she know? “N-nothing.”
“You know I hate secrets! Tell me!”
There was only one way Wave Function could get out of this situation. He flipped over, despite Dolce Tempo's resistance, and began pushing his hooves in her belly.
“Aaah!” Dolce Tempo cried with laughter. “S-Stop!”
“No!” came the reply from the deranged serial-tickling stallion.
After a few seconds, Dolce managed to wriggle free of him and run away down the shoreline. He chased after her, catching up on the now cool white sand. But instead of pouncing on her and tickling, he tapped between her wings and blew past her “Tag! You're it!”
“Oh no you don't!” Dolce Tempo boosted herself with her wings, tagging Wave Function as he tired and then taking off into the air. “Tag!”
“That's not fair!” Wave Function complained. Dolce Tempo merely stuck out her tongue at him.
So, in retaliation, Wave Function levitated her down to the ground, tagging her. The two rolled around at the water's edge, the sea lapping at their back hooves, until they came to rest, Wave Function sitting on top as the victor.
“I win!”
“As if!” Dolce tickled him now, and he fell off, laying at her side. The two looked at the stars. “Wow, Dolce said. Look at all the stars here! So pretty!” They looked for a moment, the seawater now rising to their flanks, as the very last vestiges of the sun fell behind the horizon.
“You want to see something really cool?” asked Wave Function.
“Sure.”
It had been the better part of an hour and Wave Function had not revealed where they were headed. All Dolce Tempo knew was that it was dark, muddy, full of plants, and she was pretty sure that a snake had fallen right in front of her a few minutes ago. “Wavius, why did you take me here? My legs hurt, we've been climbing forever!
“I took you here to see this.”
Wave Function cleared the low hanging limbs in front of them to reveal a dark, flat area, and above, the entire night sky. To Dolce Tempo, it seemed to bend like an atrium, reminding her of a display in a museum. Each star gave out light like a small light bulb, illuminating the platform. The moon, too, was bright, but also emerald green, and so large it took up a quarter of the dome. It was the clearest, brightest, most beautiful night sky she had ever seen. Dolce Tempo was absolutely speechless.
“It's like this because there's no light pollution here. We're also on top of a dormant Volcano now. Almost a mile and a half above sea level. There's less air here to disperse the light.” Wave Function sat down in the center of the clearing. “Plus, we're close to the equator, so there are some stars here we don't see back home.”
Dolce Tempo stumbled forward and sat down close to him. He pointed up. “That one is the Southern Cross. I'm glad we came when we did; it'll only be visible from the southern hemisphere soon.”
“This is so amazing,” Dolce Tempo managed to say. “This is the best thing I've seen in my life.” She scooted closer to Wave Function, as did he, so that their flanks and sides were touching. “What's the curvy one with all the bright stars? “
“That's Hydra; it's a monster from an old pony's tale.”
Dolce Tempo noted the curvy imaginary line connecting the stars. It didn't seem like the monster she read about in the stories back in school. Her eyes were then drawn to the moon. She had seen it when it was white, and yellow, and golden, and even orange once or twice. She had never seen it so large and green though; it was hypnotizing. Her eyes were drawn to a small crater she had never seen before. It must have been too small to see back home.
“What's that crater? It looks so perfect!”
“That's a point of scientific squabbling,” said Wave Function, beginning his lecture. “There's a rumor going around that that's the pupil of the mare in the moon; where Princess Luna hit when she was banished. When that whole thing a few years ago turned her good again, and the mare in the moon vanished, they say that that one crater stayed there. The big fancy astronomer's association in Canterlot says it's a load of garbage, but don't really have any other theories.”
“What do you think?”
“Who knows?” Wave Function shrugged his shoulders, using the movement as an excuse to pull even closer to Dolce Tempo. “It's not like a whole lot of ponies remember what the moon looked like a thousand and some years ago.”
Dolce Tempo was wrestling with a question she decided to ask. “How do you know this place?”
“I just do,” Wave Function replied. “I know about all sorts of places and natural phenomena. I just wanted to share it with you.”
The two looked up in silence, as they slowly brought each other closer using wings, hooves and the like. Soon, they were just lying on the ground, Dolce Tempo's head on his shoulder, gazing up at the stars. If they never had to move again for the rest of their lives, both of them probably would have been okay with where they ended up.
Dolce Tempo yawned. Wave Function responded, “Maybe it's time to go back. We're tired and hungry.”
“Nooooo! Just a few more minutes!”
“Okay. But remember we have almost a week here to do this again.” He nuzzled her ear softly. She exhaled in pleasure.
After another few minutes had passed, Dolce Tempo spoke again. “Okay, we can go. But Wave,” she looked into his eyes, “thank you for taking me here. It was the most amazing evening of my life.” She nuzzled his cheek, lightly brushing her lips against his cheek. He smiled.
“I promise, this night will be at the bottom of the list by the time we finish this trip.” He began to get up.
“Nuuuuuuhhhh! Carry me!” whined Dolce. “I'm tired.”
Wave Function sighed lightly. “Classic Dolce. Ok, get ready!” He began to levitate her, surrounding her with a silver aura.
“No! Carry me on your back.”
“Why?”
“It's more comfy...”
Wave Function picked her up and placed her on his back as she wrapped her hooves around his neck and nuzzled his mane. As they headed down the hill, both were smiling.
An hour later Dolce Tempo had eaten some fruit, gotten cleaned up and was ready for bed. She was wearing a silk nightgown that Wave Function had gotten for her. It was really soft.
And that reminded her; she needed to find Wave Function before they went to sleep. She wanted to say good night, and to thank him again for the stargazing.
It didn't take much searching to find him. He was on the balcony overlooking the ocean. In the night, not much could be seen, and only the gentle lapping of the waves could be heard.
She walked up to him and saw he was crying silently. She placed a hoof around his neck. “What's wrong Wavius?”
“A lot.”
Dolce Tempo just waited. Wave Function sighed. His voice was full of hurt, and defeat. “Everything I do fails. Whenever anything big and fun comes into everypony's life, I'm the one who doesn't get to experience it. Everyone has all these memories and I don't have them because enough people hate me to keep me from being normal.”
Dolce Tempo realized that whatever he was crying about had nothing to do with the immediate trip.
“Everything I try to do turns out wrong. I don't get the benefits everyone else does. I don't get away with anything. And worst of all, because no one cares for me like I care for them, I get screwed by everypony.”
Dolce Tempo found her opportunity to speak up. “I care for you, Wavius.”
“Not like I care for you,” he said, his voice commanding, yet vulnerable. “Not even close.”
It was another couple of moments before he continued, “Everypony else never works and gets all these great memories. I work as hard as I can for things and in the end I end up alone, with nopony, while everyone else lives their lives to the fullest...Sometimes, I hate me.”
Dolce Tempo stood silent for a few moments as she contemplated his words. “I know what this pain is. I've had it, but for different reasons. Don't let it get the better of you...You and I will make enough memories on this trip to last for a lifetime. Other ponies won't even know what living is in comparison. Do you understand? I promise this.”
Wave Function stood completely still for a minute. Then he weakly nodded. “I'm just tired. Ignore me.”
“I'll never ignore you. You and me, we'll show the world. Understand?”
He nodded, this time a little stronger.
She walked up to him, nuzzling him gently. “Don't stay up too late, Wavius. We have a big day tomorrow. Good night. Thank you for the stargazing, it was really incredible.”
From her bed that night, she could see Wave Function looking out over the ocean on the balcony. She could see him standing there motionless until she finally fell asleep.
