Author's Note

Ah, you've made to chapter five of Fireflower's fanfic that goes beyond the typical oneshots made from before, a Mature one no less on the grounds that a previous chapter has recently dealt with heavy subject matters proven to be unsuitable for those under eighteen, easily offended, and/or quickly nauseated; suffice to say, this was also by far a strong note for many readers all and therefore you were all given an option to skip ahead to that chapter: whether or not you have taken this offer, it was only up to you to do so nothing more.

As always, My Little Pony, or rather Friendship Is Magic, including its settings and characters belong to Lauren Faust and Hasbro; however, this concept of my fanfic belongs to me so I will say this line one time only: please do not steal this story or I will sue.

I want to take the time to say thank you for never pulling out too early since we're now approaching the halfway region of the story's progress; somehow, the new year has provided us with a new hope to have and hold with tender loving care rather than yet a totally lost cause and the strength to continue onward in staying tuned for the future that is the now: I believe at this rate, everything will make sense soon enough.

Uvula

The clinging and clanging of such metal gear against itself was heard throughout the cold distance as their innate structures had served to provide the monotone percussion all across the way at once. The identity to this very cause originated from a bell that despite being painted in gold was made of brass, possessing many dents and crack yet capable of withstanding the vibrations and echoes it had gave. It was currently hanging around and about as it swung back and forth in an arc during the aria, already held firmly in place by a pole stretching outward that had been fitted in to touch two opposite sides.

Outwith the gargantuan instrument itself was but a large building with most of its external structure tightly resting underneath it as the cacophonous percussion had started to subside altogether in due time. Zoning out up high as at least a few stories tall was a clock displaying a face with an obtuse angle, its arrows pointing to the digits: the long one rested between the two of them whereas the short one was direct. A big red flag was found at the rooftop, already waving around over the wooden shingles that were predominate, save for a glass dome that only served as a skylight to provide some illumination for its denizens. Residing a mere few furlongs from the very entrance was a stone statue in the form of a hippogriff, standing about atop a pedestal upon its hind limbs with both claws clutching onto some air in a tight grip. Kowtowing to all of this and heaven too were many thin blades of green grass with the occasional stone pavement carved into them, a large piece of nature becoming intertwined with an artificial minority. Spreading around were the many people that were currently coming from and going to the structure in their collective vicinity, each varying in such traits and characteristics both superficial and otherwise.

One particular figure in question happened to stand out and about amongst the sea of faces, trudging away from the structure that which stood behind upon the unbeaten path out in front all at once. A set of curly locks were found to be separated into two different colors, most of them painted in a royal purple hue whereas the rest were dyed in a hot pink as they had barely made it past her neckline. Running around the two pupils were but a pair of jade orbs and hovering directly above them were some eyebrows already furrowed into a slight incline hanging around and about in the balance. The owner’s face was feminine, possessing a complexion already free of imperfections thereof and came with brightness reminiscent of a peach traversing down the riverside detailed with blush. Her attire, although simplistic was otherwise elaborate for the most part: a dark magenta jacket with matching boots, a striped blouse barely matching the owner’s locks, and bright yellow shorts. Slung over the female’s back was a large orange backpack held together by two thick straps that were being carried around by the owner’s hands as she’d remained still against the mobile crowd around.

She stood upright to stare at the scenery in front of her, surrounded by many other faces but unperturbed anyway to scan in the details provided. The heavens above her were white as cotton, devoid of whatever color, imaginable or otherwise that could paint it in any form or fashion whatsoever. In the distance was a large body of water that despite being rather colorless already gave off its true blue state further along the wayside all at once. Aside from the building that was behind the female, there were others as well within the vicinity that had varied in size and texture thereof all around. Resting in front of the rocky pavement she was standing upon, there was also a dirt road in the middle that was filled many kinds of people as well. She even found a few flowers fluttering about in the wind along with some leaves as well, coming around in many colors within the distance.

“Sweetie Belle…!” a voice called out amongst the sea of people, bringing the female’s ears to stand out on endwise.

It wasn’t long until she had turned to find only one person that stood out and about within the crowd, already throwing a limb upwardly in her vicinity. The fact that such a call was already answered by the female made her identity apparent as she found a bright skinned female just like herself but taller. A tinted silver lining was found to be running right down in the middle of the mauve tresses upon the caller’s head past the nape of her neck further on. Like Sweetie Belle, the woman also had possessed some green eyes as well and in the same shade too no less, another key trait that they’d both shared. A purple sweater was found to be adorned upon the wearer’s body so thick and straight as its sleeves had reached past the length of the listener’s jacket. Circling all around the waistline and legs was but a long green skirt with a floral arrangement at the sides as they were being held up by a goldenrod strap. What was also found upon the bright skinned woman’s feet were but a pair of brown bluchers with some pink socks towering past her very ankles.

The observer went towards the caller’s direction and had responded almost instantaneously, “Miss Cheerilee…?”

“Sweetie Belle…!” the titular woman called out the female’s name once again, “I’m over here…”

“Hello, there…!” the responder replied as she had went over to the caller’s position rather quickly.

Sure enough, Sweetie Belle had suddenly jumped upward and hugged Cheerilee tightly with little warning whatsoever: of the two females that were quickly locked into an embrace, the latter spoke once again, “it seems that I had caught you at a very convenient time; how was school today…?”

“So–so: we had a test this morning in Remedial Physics class; I don’t think I had done well…” the younger female answered the older counterpart before breaking away all at once, “I could barely even stay awake after lunchtime today, especially in Music Class with Treble Blue: I was worried that he would catch me sleeping again…”

“Didn’t you study last night like I had told you…?” Cheerilee asked at once as several people walked by.

Sweetie Belle looked away and mumbled, “yeah, but it hasn’t been easy especially considering what had happened over the years…”

“I know that but we’re not alone, okay…?” the elder female had responded to her younger counterpart at once, “besides, your parents would’ve wanted the best from you; even your sister Ra–––”

“Don’t say that name; I still have nightmares about her…!” Sweetie Belle interjected all too suddenly; soon, she started to walk away already.

At that point, Cheerilee followed along and said, "okay, then: back to what I was saying just earlier, I am pretty sure that your mother and father would have wanted you to be the best in spite of the hardships; even your sister had became the best at my age back at the old town…"

"It's not just that, Miss Cheerilee…" the young female had said to the aforementioned individual, "it's been a long time since I’ve been able to see my friends again from my old school: Apple Bloom’s still with Zecora, Scootaloo’s living with Rainbow and Soarin, and I don't know what has become of my other classmates. Last time I’d recalled, I believe that Featherweight has become somewhat of a famous journalist after the war ended, the youngest one no less. No one else has been able to check up on Diamond Tiara ever since then and that was after when they had nearly went bankrupt trying to fund the effort."

"Oh yeah, now I remember… what a shame for her family’s industries to go out this way: they used to rely on the Apple Family thanks to the Zap Apples; but now that they’re gone, so is our home too…" Sweetie Belle replied slowly as she then stopped in place to face skyward like a sword.

Cheerilee caught up in mere seconds and spoke back, “don’t say it like that; you still have a home and it’s not just the very homeland itself where you were born and raised. You have people that love you and care for you; people like me and your friends: Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and her sister Applejack. While that I know that they’re going through the same things that we’re in now, they would have never allowed themselves to just surrender to such notions. Do you remember that fateful day in question when you started to use sign language the first year after the war had finally ended? People who had heard of what you had gone through have all thought about the idea that you would never be able to speak again; yet, you had proved them wrong over time. Besides, the card that you had made for Applejack years ago gave her a reason to keep on living even when the doctors said that she would die in giving birth. That get well card in question was more than just a plea for her to live: it was also a declaration that you made telling whoever was willing to listen that you weren’t going to give up; so, it’d inspired Applejack to see this through to the end. In fact, the sheer discovery that you were still alive in spite of what happened to you during the war inspired me to take you in when no one else could; think of the memories we had shared together after the dust had settled. The questions that I would like to ask are: where do you live, who is looking after you, and what do you want to do with yourself in life?”

“I really don’t see where you’re going with this…” the young female answered slowly, “but if there’s anything I would like to do for myself, then I want to see Applejack once again tomorrow…”

“Are you sure that you want to go through with this idea…?” the woman had slowly asked all at once.

Sweetie Belle turned around to face Cheerilee and answered with a nod before taking off her backpack at once, “why wouldn’t I? Ever since the social that Granny Smith had hosted years ago, I’d been able to consider the thought of letting her take me in as her sister; however, I’d never expected it to go down like that. In fact, I still miss my own family more; even with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo still at my side after all these years, I can’t get the image of my mom and dad out of my head. The way they were when I was there caused me to have nightmares even with the war over; I can still hear them calling out for me to run away to this very day. They usually go away when I’m around Applejack; even though that her sister told me what she tried to do, Apple Bloom forgave her anyway. It’s kind of sweet but sad: the fact that their bond as sisters was able to withstand whatever the world could dish out at them; yet, all that my sister saw was how our lives at our hometown were ruined along with our family as well. Why did they have to come on over and destroy everything that everyone in that town had built; what need was there in ruining the peace we had with that dumb war?! I hate everything that came about because of it: I hate these soldiers that killed my friends; I hate that man who killed my parents; I hate Rarity for trying to kill me; I hate m–––”

“It’s okay, Sweetie Belle; you don’t have to blame yourself for any of this…” the tall woman had said as she’d clutched onto the eponymous individual almost instantaneously, “besides, remember what I’d said earlier: you have a lot of people that still care for you, especially Applejack since you wish to see her again. After all, you’re not the very first person to suffer the same fate as all the others had but we can at least take solace in the fact that the war is over and we can use this time to rebuild our lives somehow; for what it’s worth, we can still do this. She was able to do all this when they let her leave the hospital and this was after she’d put the child up for adoption; we’re in this together for the time being so there’s no use in thinking that way, understand…?”

“I’m sorry; I’m just still upset about all this, that’s all…” Sweetie Belle wept as she returned the hug.

With both females locked into an embrace, Cheerilee also shed some tears as well, barely ignoring her own as she whispered onward, “I know, let’s just go on home and rest for a while; the past week must have been draining for the both of us. Besides, we’re going to be needing all of our strength in making a visit to Applejack should we decide to go through with this very idea; does that sound fair, Sweetie Belle…?”

“Okay then, Cheerilee; besides, I’m feeling sleepy already now…” the young responder had yawned, breaking off the hug to wipe away the tears around her very eyes, “I’m starting to get dizzy…”

“Do you wish for me to carry you all the way to our house…?” the elder female had asked warmly.

Sweetie Belle still retained enough strength to nod off to Cheerilee and replied, “well, I guess so…”

“Then the matter is settled: let’s head on home then…” the elder female said before turning around, “you’re gonna have to put the backpack back on for the trip over; no use in carrying it by the hands with me moving around…”

“Right then…” the young female said as she wore her little yellow backpack around again where it was.

Cheerilee crouched downward and said to Sweetie Belle, “hop to it now; it’s about to get dark soon…”

“Yes ma’am…!” the young listener replied, climbing onto her older counterpart’s back at once, “I’m ready…!”

“Are you all set there, Sweetie Belle…?” Cheerilee asked, earning a warm hum from the titular passenger at once.

It wasn’t long until the tall woman stood straight back up and began to carry onward away from the building that towered over the lot of them. Despite being amongst the sea of people moving on and about around, the two females had their eyes focused on what was currently up ahead. With their collective presence as the main method of keeping each other company, Cheerilee relied on herself to take Sweetie Belle on over. Not wanting to let go and fall to the earth beneath their very feet, the young female had held onto tightly by draping her two arms upon the elder. Cheerilee returned the favor by holding Sweetie Belle’s hands in place along the way but still payed attention to the environment around them.

As the young female looked upon the other structures around them on each side, she spoke up at once, “isn’t it nice that we could see the sunset from her on any other clear day, Miss Cheerilee…?”

“Maybe for you; I bet that you usually don’t stay around this long to see them when you were young…” the aforementioned individual commented onward, looking upon the grayscale sky above them in the distance, “did your father used to carrying you around when you were a little baby…?”

“As far as I can remember, of course he did…” Sweetie Belle had sighed as she held onto Cheerilee tightly.

As the tall woman tightly brought her younger counterpart along for the ride, the former had said to the latter rather quickly, “he must have been a great father to the two of you back then, am I right…?”

“Yeah, he was…” Sweetie Belle answered Cheerilee as they’d moved across the mobile crowd all at once, "come to think of it, what was your father like when you were young, Miss Cheerilee…?"

"A kind visage to come home to, Sweetie Belle: his name was Jupiter Jazz, a member of the Royal Guard for the Princess back when things were peaceful…" the tall woman answered with a faint smile upon her visage.

With the eyelids no longer halfway closed, the young female had exclaimed, "you mean to tell me you’d used to live at the capital when you were young; how come you never told us about that…?"

"It's actually pretty simple: no one had asked me until now…" Cheerilee giggled at Sweetie Belle as the former still carried the latter onward, "as for your previous question, yes, I did lived in the capital; of course, I wasn't the only daughter that was living with him: like you, I also have a sister, albeit a twin to boot. She's a professional wrestler named Mighty Mystery but her real name is none other than Cherry Blossom herself; we’d both lived there during our childhoods until we became sixteen years old. At that time, we’d decided to go our separate ways from here: I’d travelled down south to pursue my career as a teacher whereas she’d gone westward to find fame and fortune."

“But Miss Cheerilee, don’t you get lonely enough that you miss them or your hometown…?” the young passenger had asked instantaneously.

All that the tall woman could do was laugh and answered back, “I don’t see whatever kind of reason that anyone else would have if they aren’t; of course, when I’m with you, it’s all that matters…”

“You’re wonderful; it’s no secret as to why everyone liked you back before the war came here…” Sweetie Belle yawned as she rested her head upon Cheerilee’s shoulders, “I miss everyone else, my friends, my family…”

“I know, Sweetie Belle… I know…” the tall woman had sighed as she focused on what was ahead in walking distance.