Sunlight still came through the window when he awoke, which was a pleasant surprise, but not more so than the hoof of Pipsqueak, which still wrapped around his belly in tender hug; his cheek on the colt’s shoulder. Feather heard the slow breathing, the colt still peacefully asleep. The pegasus wasn’t in any hurry to break free of the grasp, there was something grounding about it, which brought sanity and realness to his shaky perception. Were they coltfriends now, or was Pipsqueak just regarding him as a teddy bear? They were questions, but Featherweight was happy with them rather than the ones from yesterday or before. The ones that had him asking himself why he was so queasy, or why he felt so weird looking at the colt currently holding him close. The new questions could be answered with time.

He was content with waiting.

And wait he did. He wanted to savour every second in Pipsqueak’s hooves. Eventually though, the passage of time brought the inevitability of things moving forward, and time does not like things refusing to adhere to that.

“Pipsqueak, Featherweight!” a call came from outside the door, the voice belonged to Cheerilee. It was accompanied by several considerate knocks on the door. “We have to be at the pier by noon. Please get ready and meet me in the lobby,” she instructed, silence following thereafter.

Featherweight heard Pipsqueak groan, the colt’s hoof uncoiled from around his belly, rolling onto his back. He stretched all four of his limbs as he yawned. Featherweight simply looked at him, unsure of what to say but still smiling all the same.

Pipsqueak looked at his dopey expression with a cocked brow. “What?” he inquired, grinning.

“It’s just… I just...” he trailed off, failing to conjure an answer that didn’t make him feel silly. “I can just… look at you now and not feel weird.”

This answer failed to make Pipsqueak lower his brow. “O… ‘kay?” he chuckled, turning on his side. “Well, you might not feel weird, but I do - even if it is a little flattering. Think you can ease up on the lover’s gaze a little?”

“I can try,” Featherweight offered, his voice carrying a tone of faux committal, grinning.

“That’s all I ask,” Pipsqueak smirked.

The two colts then prepared to leave. They tidied up the bed, straightening out the sheets and making sure everything was as they had left it. They didn’t expect anypony else would be staying in it for quite some time however, all things considered…

“I suppose the upside of our luggage getting lost is that I don’t have to pack anything,” remarked as he opened the door, glancing back at Featherweight. The pegasus was ensuring the largely unused camera was safely in its bag, clicking it closed. “You didn’t get to use that much, did you?”

“I had other things on my mind,” Featherweight said, his cheeks taking on a tinge of pink.

“Oh...” Pipsqueak replied, awkwardly smiling. “Well, maybe it was for the best.”

“Why?”

“You kiddin’? Between being trapped in the hotel for over half our stay here, our horror-serial of a room and being force fed an assortment of goop, I’d rather there be no pictures,” he elaborated with a slight grimace. “And besides. You were there for all the good bits. Don’t need a picture to remember those when I can just, well, look at you...” he voice trailed off as he became sheepish, his cheeks flushed.

Featherweight chortled, amused but also surprised. “Wow. That could be construed as a flirt you know,” Featherweight pointed out, giggling.

Pipsqueak pouted, cheeks still red. “Well, maybe it was,” he replied, “or maybe it was just a simple admission of fact.”

“It’s still nice to hear anyway,” Featherweight said, voice soft and sincere, smiling at the colt.

Pipsqueak’s pout dissipated, his eyes averted somewhat as shyness overwhelmed him. “I-I’ll just wait in the lobby,” he informed, turning all too hastily away from Featherweight, disappearing around the corner and out of view.

When the earth colt had left, the pegasus sighed, before reaching out to balance on the bed, his other going to his chest. He needed a hoof there to help calm his racing heart, his calming breaths were underlined with a nervous titter and smile. Featherweight, on the surface, appeared to be taking it in stride. The whole reveal of his feelings, the back and forth thereafter. There was an element of truth to this. Such feelings had been bubbling within him for months now, and he was able to stomach it somewhat, however he still experienced a sudden onset rush that inflicted him with vertigo.

He took a few deep breaths, calming his quivering body and his beating heart, achieving enough calm to pick up his suitcase and leave the room; closing the door behind him.

Under sunlight the hotel looked abandoned, especially without the noise of other students coming out from behind closed doors. Featherweight felt wistful as he walked down the hallway for what was likely the last time. He could easily imagine a time when the establishment was actually worthy of its name. A time when the carpet wasn’t in tatters or when the walls weren’t like sunburnt skin – peeling. Just before he reached the stairs, he came to stop before a particular door. He gave it a few tentative knocks, wondering if he would even get a response so early in the morning.

The reply was surprisingly prompt, the locks coming undone on the other side with audible haste, Featherweight cringing in anticipation of the elderly griffon’s incoming glare.

“What! What!” Calvino’s voice was fierce, as sharp as his beak.

“It’s me!” Featherweight answered, stepping back instinctively.

“Oh...” he replied, rubbing one of his perpetually tired looking eyes as his expression softened.

“I just thought that I’d say goodbye.”

“You’re leaving?” Calvino said. His voice sounded neither happy or sad, opened the door the rest of the way.

“Yeah. I just wanted to say goodbye… and thank you,” the colt said with sincerity, smiling up at the griffon’s milk-white eyes.

The griffon’s cheek tugged, his lip curling into a slight smile. “You have nothing to thank me for, pony. I only spoke. You acted. And acting in spite of fear is the bravest thing one can do.”

The griffon’s words stoked a warmth in the colt’s chest, and he nodded, even if the griffon couldn’t see it. “T-then I don’t know what to say.”

“Then say nothing, young Featherweight. Go. Go smiling and knowing that the days ahead are happy and gay,” the griffon gave a smug grin.

Despite being blind, Featherweight knew that the griffon was aware of his success in burning a blush on his face.

“Goodbye Calvino.”

“Goodbye, Featherweight.”

With that exchange, Featherweight took off with a hasty gait as not to be late, hoping one day that he’d be able to see the sagely griffon again some day. Climbing down the stairs he saw the weary gathering of his classmates, a lot of them adorning funny looking hats no doubt purchased from their time spent at the fair. He glanced to see Cheerilee chatting with the bellhop, and he heard an amicable tone, but he didn’t open his ears to their conversation. Instead he scanned around for a singular pinto colt, the other voices background noise, smiling when he saw a familiar heart-framed visage smiling back at him.

He joined Pipsqueak, carrying his bag in tow, unsure of how to carry himself to publicly around the colt now. Pipsqueak on the other hoof seemed unchanged, which Featherweight counted as a blessing. To his own surprise his words left his gob uncluttered, flowing as they did prior to his love’s blooming. When Cheerilee began to chaperone them from the hotel onto the sun-soaked streets, Featherweight could scarcely offer his eyes to the near-new surroundings that graced him. Small puddles dotted the streets but apart from that, one would never guess the torrential downpour that was present only a day before. Ponies and citizens walked the streets lazily, whilst his fellow classmates could now finally survey the locale without the threat of a raindrop landing onto their perusing eye.

“What are your plans for the rest of summer?” Featherweight inquired.

Pipsqueak shrugged mid-step. “Haven’t really thought about it. Why, have you made any?”

“Not really. Although I wouldn’t mind spending it with you,” Featherweight told him directly, lip curled.

Pipsqueak smirked, slimming the space between them, just as the unmistakable sounds of a ship's horn sounded in the distance, seagulls cawing in the sky...

“I’d like that.”

Author's Note

I would not call this fic 'good,' and this isn't a fishing for compliments type thing. When I agreed to write it, the ideas I had were overly ambitious and beyond my capabilities as a writer at the time. The reason for why I wanted to make such a fic larger than it was is primarily due to the fact I actually agreed to write this shortly after finished chapter 3 of Snow and Sand. As a result, I had an idea for multiple plot threads, and a larger cast of involved characters. Unfortunately, the fic became a bastardised version of what I initially conceived. I believe this is due to several factors. One factor is that the fic would've had to become massively larger in word count, and that I am not yet a capable enough writer to do something of such a scope. One of the larger factors I think was that I completely lost all my notes and planning on the fic. I essentially lost the source code and was trying to create something from scratch about halfway through. If I disliked writing it so much, why didn't I just cancel it? Well, it was in large part that I felt obligated to a friend, and the large word count also dissuaded me. I was already three quarters done, so why not finish it? I was unable to make myself go onto other projects due to the fact I needed to finish this fic, and thus my writing slowed considerably. I wish I had gotten out a lot more fics, none of which I could go onto soley because of this. Fortunately, due to Rainbow Over Trottingham's completion, I can now go onto other things, as well as complete as of yet completed fics. Regardless of all this, I am thankful that you read all the way to the end.
Cut Things:
1. The entire hotel Regalia sub-plot was largely gutted. Initially, Calvino was a griffon tricked into staying, Dilap and the bellhop were charging him massive sums, which were enough alone to justify keeping the decrepit dump open.
2. Featherweight's realisation of love was to occur at the top of the ferris wheel instead of being outright told to Calvino. It was while writing this that I noted similarities to my other word 'Learning to Love,' I.E. the character learning what love was etcetera. This was an unfortunate accident, but thanks to the problems listed above the similarities dissipated.
3. Calvino original purpose was to shed light on the hotel and its staff. His reasons for staying there remained the same, however he wasn't the hotel's 'owner' as he was made in this essentially revised version.
4. Cheerilee was meant to have a greater role in the story. The console scene remained in the fic from the notes which I scarcely remember, but her main purpose was unfortunately lost.
5. Dandelion and Burdock. Probably the saddest victim of my notes being lost. The original purpose of these two is lost. I faintly recall a Flim Flam type role, with Calvino similarly being tricked into single handedly keeping the two afloat. I know I had a lot of fun writing up their part in planning, but I have no idea what I supposed to do with them. Remaining rigid to a story plan that I had no idea how to follow is the primary reason, in my opinion, why this fic ended up so subpar.
6. The Fair was initially meant to be something grand, with lots of flowery description, lots of fun and lots of cute/fluffy moments with Featherweight and Pipsqueak. However, due to loss of plans and running in fumes for this story, it was unfortunately rushed.
7. Featherweight's photograph was supposed to be of the class, hotel staff and Calvino. However, due to restructuring and the above 'cut' scenes, this never came to be.
8. Continuing photographs, Pipsqueak was supposed to take more than he did, however, much like the reason given in the fic, too much was going on.
There was meant to be more here, but without notes I don't know what else I'm missing.