Chapter x: 02:09

*click*

“- it’s not, really. Ponies love to exaggerate everything based on books and whatnot.”

“Fascinating. Well, thank you for your time tonight.”

“Gladly.”

“All right everypony, let’s give one last applause for-”

*click*

After several attempts, the stallion’s flailing hoof struck the radio and silenced it. The mare’s drunken giggling put a smile on his face. “H-hey! I was listening to that!”

He laughed. “Sure you were.” She rolled her eyes, giving him a light punch with her hoof.

“Turn it back on.” The stallion shrugged but obeyed. As he fidgeted with the antenna, a pony passed by their hotel suite. Her voice came drifting through the door.

“Heh. You’re in a hurry.”

“Yeah? You’d be in a hurry too if you could see what Ah'm seein’.” The voice that answered sounded distant and faded.

The mare chuckled. “And what do you see?”

“Somethin' beautiful, Ah suppose."

The mare sighed. “Heh… you ever hear that saying, seize the moment? I… I don’t know. I think it's the other way around. Like the moment seizes us.”

Static filled the radio for a second. “Can’t you feel it? In the air?” said a garbled voice.

Miles away, a stallion lounging underneath an apple tree sighed, his eyes up in the stars. “Yeah. Yeah, ‘ah get what you mean.” Above him, the skies seemed to burn with an unseen fire, bright and furious.

The stallion in the hotel room blinked. He set the radio back on the nightstand, as the static cleared. The mare outside the room trotted by, her words fading away and getting replaced by new ones over the radio “-no. It… actually… yes. Yes, it gets easier.”

He turned to the bed to find the mare asleep. He smiled and trotted over to her side, leaving the radio on.

“If you take time to find who you are, the little things won’t upset you anymore.” The voice on the radio droned on, “You might hate what you write and what you do, you might hate who you are, and the pictures you take, but you’ll figure it out.”

The stallion pulled aside the covers, climbing into the bed. “Don’t worry, take your time, and you’ll figure it out.” The stallion hesitated before getting in the bed and wrapping his hooves around the mare.

“I’m not worried about you,” finished the voice on the radio.

“I’m not worried about her,” the stallion in the bed muttered as sleep overtook him.

“I’m not worried about him,” the mare down the hall said aloud, though she didn’t believe it.

“I’m not worried about it,” the stallion under the tree thought, though he knew in his heart he was.

Author's Note

So, what is The Eden Project?

The Eden Project is an anthology-type story that aims to explore a history between these two characters. Recently, I was introduced the music of EDEN, formerly The Eden Project. The songs I listened to amazed and intrigued me, and both the sound and the lyrics conveyed a sense of meaning and power, whether it be sadness, loss, or hope.

I have worked to interweave the lyrics of my favorite songs into a story. There is so much meaning in the lyrics that I could probably write countless stories based on the same song, so even though I have tried something like this already with Wings, Songs, and Other Things and West of Equestria, I have decided to give this one last go.

The song which inspired the chapter is listed in the title, followed by a quote from the song. I do not claim ownership to any of the songs or lyrics, they belong to and were published by EDEN with the exception of Drowning and Man Down (Published under his previous alias, The Eden Project,) and Scribble (Published by Puppet, whose work is equally amazing.)

You don't have to listen to these songs to understand the story, but I highly recommend you listen anyways. As always, I hope you enjoy.