Solar Child: The Original Chapters

Solar Child

Chapter Sixteen

Written by Bakmah Genesis

        As the two made their way further into the park, the sound of singing birds reached their ears.  They sang in sync and harmony, perfectly along with a beautiful song that was lost to them among the singing.  In the center of the park was a yellow Pegasus with a pink mane.  The mare hovered above the ground and directed a group of various birds in a tree.

        Spike and Twilight stood patiently and swayed along to the music coming from the birds.  Twilight closed her eyes and hummed along, enjoying the bird's singing.  Once the singing stopped she opened her eyes and approached with a smile.

       "That was beautiful." said Twilight.  The Pegasus gave a small 'eep' and the birds flew off.  The pegasus started to shy away.

        "Oh.  Um.  Thank you." said the mare just enough to be heard.

         "My name is Twilight.  Are you Fluttershy?" she asked, bringing her voice down a bit for the timid mare.  She nodded in response.  "Well, that was a beautiful song, Fluttershy.  We just wanted to make sure that the music was ready."  She looked over at Spike who sat on his back.  "Alright.  That's it.  Lets head to library so we ca-"

       "Is that a baby dragon?!" exclaimed the Pegasus, her eyes shining in joy and curiosity.

       "Yep." said Spike confidently, puffing out his chest and raising up his head.

       "Oh my goodness, I never seen a real baby dragon before.  Oh you just have to tell me about you." said the mare as she fluttered in front of him.

       "Well..."  Twilight sighed as Spike went into a full out story about himself.  She kept a brisk pace forward as the two talked.  Not once she talked to, she only served as a transport.  She sighed in relief as the library came into view.

       It looked like a normal tree at first until you take into count the door and windows that were spread out through it along with the sign saying 'Golden Oaks Library'. She felt giddy about seeing something she was familiar with and felt overly comfortable in.  She stopped at the door ad turned to the still excited Fluttershy.

       "Well, we are here." said Twilight, growing an overly large fake smile.  "I just need to get Spike inside, he is so sleepy."  Spike crossed his arms.

      "I don't know what you are talking about.  I am fi-"  He was cut off as he was thrown off her back and landed on the ground.  His head swam from the sudden impact of the hard ground.

     "See?  He is so vewy tired." said Twilight, going into a baby voice.  Spike crossed his arms as his mother figure treated him like a baby once again.

     "Oh my, we must simply get him to bed." said the timid mare, making to bring Spike into the library.  Twilight stepped in front of her.

      "And I will get him there.  Well it was nice talking to you but we really need to go. Bye!" Twilight nearly slammed shut the door.  She sighed as she tried to make out shapes.  In the dark library.  "Spike, help me find the lights so I can get to research.  Right now, that's the only thing I want to be doing."  Oh how the world is cruel.

       "SUPRISE!!" The loud shout and the sudden bright light made Twilight jump and cover her eyes.  Upon opening them, she saw that her temporary home was filled with ponies she didn't know, save for the three ponies she got done talking to over the course of the day.  Next to them was the pink pony from when they first landed.  She wore a smile ready to rip her face in half and jumped from hoof to hoof in excitement.

        "Hi!  I'm Pinkie Pie!  You must be wondering 'Why are there all these strange ponies in my house?"  Well, I throw a welcome-to-Ponyville party for everypony I don't know who is new to town!  I threw it in the library because you seemed to like books and-". Whatever else was said by the rapid speaking mare was lost to Twilight as she tuned her out.

       Twilight grabbed a red bottle of liquid, half hoping for liquor to be in it, and poured it into a goblet.  She lifted the goblet to her lips and started drinking the red liquid.  After a few gulps. Her eyes widened and she set down the goblet.  Her mouth felt like it was on fire.  She spat out the rest of the liquid and ran up stairs, trying to escape the crazy ponies that were in her home.

         She walked into the bed chambers of the library and kicked the door closed behind her, shutting out the loud music and voices of ponies.  Reaching into her saddle bags, she pulled out a book she 'borrowed' from the Canterlot Royal Library.  The book focused on the subject of Nightmare Moon, telling the story of her corruption and of her banishment, touching lightly on how she was before.

        Twilight heard enough stories from her mother to know some about her aunt's past before the Nightmare.  In all reality, she was almost happy to have her come back.  She only wished it wasn't as Nightmare Moon.  She sighed and looked up at the setting sun, feeling the comfortable warmth of her mother and aunt combined as the day gave way to night.

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        Rainbow Dash excused herself from the group and flew up the stairs to the bathroom.  The music got much quieter as she opened the bathroom door.  She closed the door behind her and looked into the mirror sitting above the sink.  What looked back at her was a cyan Pegasus with a rainbow mane.  Her eyes sad and tired though the rest of her body said awake and full of energy.  She sighed and rubbed at her eyes.  She splashed her face a few times and opened the door, ready to head back down.

        A calming tune stopped her.  It was calm and slow singing of a familiar song she herself played at moments when she was depressed.  She could almost hear the guitar as the voice went into song, slow and sad.  Rainbow Dash slowly approached the door that lead to the bedroom.  She quietly opened the door and gasped at what she saw.

       The lavender mare from earlier.  She named herself as Twilight Sparkle.  She was sitting on her bed looking out the window at the setting sun.  The rays of dusk shining down perfectly on her lavender coat.  Her purple eyes gleaming in the sunlight even though they were laced with saddness.

         Here comes the rain again

             Falling from the stars.

           Drenched in my pain again.

              Becoming who we are."

           Twilight wiped away tears as she went into her next verse.  Rainbow's heart fluttered as she watched the beautiful mare sing.  She cautiously made her way into the room, careful not to startle the unicorn.  After a few more minutes, she sang the last note and held it into nothingness.

          "Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Hay, love that song." said Rainbow quietly.  The mare yelped and jumped into the air.

         "How long were you there?" asked Twilight, collecting herself.

         "Long enough to hear you have a beautiful voice."  she said with a smile.  Her face fell into her serious frown as she fluttered up to the next story.  "And that there is something bothering you."  Twilight sighed and looked out the window.  She couldn't exactly tell the truth to this mare she just met, but she couldn't just turn her away.

        "I was an orphan at a young age."  It wasn't a complete lie.  She had lost one of her mothers and she can't publicly call Celestia her mother anymore for at least another few years.  "I lived in the orphanage since I was three, my brother was fifteen and kept himself busy with school and later the guard." She gave a small smile.

        "Books kept me happy.  I had no friends there so it was just me and the stacks of books.  Because of my constant learning of magic, I grew quite skilled at it for my age.  The head of the orphanage got me a slot to audition for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns."  She laughed and looked down at her hooves.  "And I passed with enough flying color that I was appointed as Celestia's protege by Celestia herself."

       "Then why are you all depressed?  You have it all after starting off with shit." said Rainbow as she sat in front of the bed.

       "I was put down a lot."  Now this was true, she thought to herself.  "I was a no pony and somehow got into one of the most advanced schools in Equestria."  Her expression saddened and she faced the rainbow maned mare.  "Can you keep a secret?"  She got a nod in response.  "I suffer from major trauma induced anxiety and OCD.  I can also get extremely paranoid."

         "No one except Celestia and the guards that followed me knew."  She looked back out the window.  "There was a filly a few years older.  She absolutely, hated that I was a whole year higher than year and I was younger.  She wasn't afraid to beat me down vocally."  Rainbow's mouth went slack with shock.

         "I went into a full anxiety attack right there in the middle of the lunch room.  I was pulled out of the school and taught by Celestia twenty-four-seven.  I have never once been out of the castle for more than a little while and never tried to meet with other ponies."  Twilight looked over at her.  "What about you?"

         "What about me?" asked Rainbow, raising an eyebrow.

        "You said you loved this song." She looked Rainbow in the eyes and pointed a hoof between her eyes.  "And I learned to spot pain in someponys eyes."  Rainbow sighed and sat up against the bed.

         "I had a brother, a twin to be exact.  Don't ask me what it's called when twins are different genders, I can't remember.  Anyways, we were still pretty little, ten maybe.  It was a few years before we heard the Princess' daughter was killed."  She looked out the window with a distant look.  "We were pretty decent fliers.  I got my cutie mark the year before by doing a trick that was never supposed to be possible."

         "We thought we were invincible like any little kid, especially talented flying pegasi." She smirked a little.  "We were no exception.  It was Nightmare Night, I was here with Fluttershy.  My brother was coming down from Cloudsdale to hang out."  She gulped and Twilight could see a little of the mare die inside.

        "Some Pegasus thought it would be funning to use a thundercloud to scare the living crap out of one of his crew members, its not illegal.  He forgot to put it back and it was caught in a draft."  She turned her head away and looked at a floor.  "He loved to race through clouds because of the feeling you got when the condensed water breaks over your body."

        "It was late, so you couldn't tell white clouds from grey clouds very well, they looked the same if you don't have a keen eye for them."  Rainbows voice caught a bit.  "He didn't notice and by the time he did he was gone." she stuttered, her voice cracking.  "I saw the small explosion as the lightning escaped all at once.  I went to go check it out and found him on the ground.  Only a few strands of hair were left and his coat was burnt pretty bad."  She wiped away the tears.

        "I'm sorry." said Twilight softly, putting a hoof on the Pegasus' shoulder to help calm her.  Rainbow leaned her head on the hoof.  Her face reddened and her heart beat rose.

       "Thanks, Twi." she muttered.

         "Twi?" asked Twilight, raising a eyebrow at the nickname.

        "I thought it was cute, a little."  said Rainbow as she turned crimson.  "I just wanted something sort to call you."

        "Then Twi it is." said Twilight with a smile.  Rainbow smiled back and stood up and flew to the door.

         "You coming out?" asked Rainbow.  Twilight shook her head.

         "Nah, I want to get some sleep until tonight."  Rainbows ears drooped slightly.

         "Okay, well, see ya later."  With that she left the room.  Twilight looked out the window with a small smile.

         "Sometimes, I just need to remember there are people who had it worse.  Rainbow, thank you."