A tangled sea of limp magenta hair slid across the floor, the sound of hoofsteps resounding in the room as an earth pony mare paced nervously. Her coat was a light pink, but her entirety of form seemed to be tinged with a sickly gray. This pony — Raponezel by name — paused and turned her head, looking out the window at the vibrant blue sky. It was just one more bright and sunny day to add to the growing tally. She sighed and dejectedly turned her gaze to the small green figure that sat in the nearby armchair.
"Oh Gummy," she remarked sadly, the baby alligator blinking slowly in response, "it's been two months since Mother Gotland left now. She's never been away this long before! What if something terrible has happened to her?!"
The alligator blinked again and Raponezel lowered her head and emitted another sigh as she plodded sluggishly over to a lonely section of the wall. With a hoof and a piece of white chalk, she added yet another tick mark to the already present 41. Tossing the piece of chalk aside, she stood back and counted the marks again, hoping she had somehow been mistaken the last few hundred times she had counted them. She hadn't been. It really had been that long since her mother left to get some supplies. Usually she would return to her within a week - two weeks at most! But this time it simply hadn't been the case.
Raponezel walked over to the open window and rested her chin on the sill, looking down and out at the treetops of the forest that surrounded her tower. In her feverish worry, the thought had occurred to her to go looking for her mother many times, but... well... she had never left her home before, and Mother Gotland had always been strongly against it.
"Never leave this tower, Raponezel," her mother would say. "The world outside is a horrible place! Filled with the cruelest of ponies who would only harm a sweet young mare like yourself. You must stay here and content yourself with throwing parties for me."
Raponezel had always obeyed her mother's instructions to remain in the tower, busying herself with things like baking and throwing parties for her mother, as well as playing games with her dearest alligator friend... but for the first time in her life she was seriously considering that in these special circumstances, she should leave and go in search of her lone parent, hoping that nothing too terrible had befallen her.
"Um... hello? Is anypony home?" came a quiet and distant voice.
Raponezel's ears suddenly perked up at the sound and she lifted her head from the sill and peered over the edge, looking down at the source of the small voice. Her gaze scanned the expanse of lush green grass below before fixing their focus on a distant pony form. Raponezel gasped and her eyes widened surprise. It was a pegasus mare - Raponezel knew because Mother Gotland was one - her coat a light yellow and her large eyes looking up shyly from behind the wispy trails of her light pink mane. A tall, pointy lavender hat sat upon her head with a veil falling loosely from its tip, and a separate length of the same material encircled her neck and framed her face. Nearby her on the grass there sat a small white creature with long ears, its expression sick with worry and its ears hanging limply from its head.
"H-Hello... Could you help me?"
The pegasus had spoken so quietly Raponezel had barely been able to make it out at all. The earth pony was just about to close the window and wait for the stranger to go away, when abruptly, she realized that the pegasus appeared to be a bit disheveled. The traveler's mane was filled with loose twigs, and she had some rather painful looking cuts and bruises covering her legs. Raponezel swallowed nervously and called down to her. "H-Hey," she began tentatively, "what happened to you?"
The stranger looked visibly relieved, glancing down at her little furry friend. "Oh, Angel! Somepony's home!" she said, her voice now becoming a little louder. She turned her eyes back up at Raponezel again. "Hello! Could you help me?" the pony 'shouted' up at her. "I got separated from my party when we were attacked by bandits, and I'm afraid I am unable to make my way back to the palace in this state. If you assist me, you'll be handsomely rewarded."
Raponezel bit her lip, considering the situation. Mother Gotland's words reverberated within her mind once more. The world outside is a horrible place! Filled with the cruelest of ponies who would only harm a sweet young mare like yourself. Her eyes widened in realization. This pony was just like her, having been closely guarded by others who cared for her, only to be attacked by those Raponezel herself was hid away in the tower to avoid! The earth pony's expression turned determined. No! She couldn't just ignore this poor traveler!
"I'll help you!" Raponezel called down, her voice carrying with it a sense of conviction. "Just fly up to the window!—Gummy! Get the first aid kit!"
The little green alligator stayed perched on the armchair, unmoving save for his slow blinking.
The yellow pegasus shook her head. "Oh. I'm afraid I can't. You see, I injured my left wing fleeing from the thieves. Can't you just open the door for me?"
"Nopie-dokie-lokie. Don't have one."
The pegasus was visibly deflated at the news. "Oh."
There was a pause, and Raponezel brought a hoof up to her chin in thought. She looked behind her and about the room, her eyes searching for something she could use to dangle down the side of the tower that the pegasus could grab onto. She didn't have any rope, and even if she tied every blanket she had together she knew it wouldn't be able to reach. Then her eyes drew their focus to her long mane that lay on the floor, circling and crisscrossing around the furniture in the room. Suddenly an idea struck her. "One sec!" Raponezel called down to the traveler, then she pulled back into the tower and began to follow along the trail of hair, gathering it into her hooves as she went.
The pegasus and white rabbit shared an uneasy glance before turning their attention back to the unoccupied window. They were both unsure as to what the pink pony was planning, but could do little more than simply wait for her to return.
Within the tower, with her hair at last all gathered together in her hooves, Raponezel abruptly released her grasp on it, allowing it to fall into a heap upon the floor. Then she grabbed a large, tightly-woven basket from the corner, emptying out the miscellaneous contents before tying the end length of her hair securely to the handle. "I sure hope this works, Gummy!" Raponezel told to her pet. That done, she trotted over to the open window and reappeared in the awaiting guest's line of sight.
The travelers both breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the pink mare, as she had been gone from them a little longer than they would have liked. But what was that... pink thing in her hooves? "Um... d-did you find something that might help?" the timid pegasus managed.
"Yep!" The pink pony grinned. "Grab hold of this!" Raponezel instructed, abruptly releasing her grasp on the fuchsia tresses, allowing them to fall from the open window, descending along to about a third of the length of the tower before the released portion pulled taut. Raponezel then lowered a few reserved lengths of it further downward, bit by bit until the basket at the end touched gently upon the grass below.
The yellow pegasus did not know what to make of this, but her rabbit hopped forward and pawed at the basket critically, eyeing the contraption with disdain before turning back to his mistress with his nose in the air, shaking his head with arms crossed as if to show his disapproval.
"Go on!" Raponezel encouraged from above. "Get in!"
The pegasus eyed the makeshift dumbwaiter with hesitancy, unsure what that unwoven pink 'rope' was even made of. "Uhh... are you sure that's um... safe?"
"Of course it is!" Raponezel chirped happily. "Get in and I'll hoist you up!"
The pegasus glanced at her bunny rabbit friend, who repeated his head-shaking motion. The pegasus glanced between the grinning earth pony above and the basket a few times before swallowing nervously and cautiously stepping forward into the basket, much to her bunny's visible surprise.
"You in?!" called Raponezel from above.
The pegasus nodded, then realized that Raponezel probably couldn't see her this close to the base of the tower. "Um... yes. Yes, I am!" she said.
"Okie-dokie-lokie!" Having heard the affirmative answer, Raponezel began to pull the hair up. The bunny gulped nervously and hurriedly hopped up onto the basket next to his owner, grabbing himself tightly to her left foreleg and scrunching his eyes shut. Meanwhile Raponezel continued to hoist the strangers up little by little, groaning as she pulled. The weight did hurt a bit as it pulled on her roots between each movement of her forehooves, but Raponezel grit her teeth and managed it all the same, consoling herself with the fact that pegasi were inherently a bit lighter than earth ponies for flying purposes.
The basket bobbed up between pauses, and the pegasus watched as the ground below grew further and further away. Her rabbit managed to pry open one of his eyes and look down mid-height, but at the sight of the world below he quickly shut it again and held to his owner even more tightly. The pegasus was secretly as uneasy as could be, but tried to keep her composure for the sake of her companion. Eyes awide, she silently prayed that the pony who lived in the tower would not drop them. Finally, the basket was close enough to the window sill.
"Get in!" Raponezel instructed in a strained voice, the pegasus heeding her words hurriedly, stepping up and onto the ledge and then quickly scurrying into the tower, rabbit still firmly attached to her leg with his petrified grip.
Raponezel groaned in relief upon feeling the weight lifted, and began panting heavily to catch her breath. The pegasus sighed relievedly herself. "Thank you."
"..No... problem," Raponezel replied between pants.
The pegasus smiled, and noticing that her bunny was still clinging tightly to her, gently touched her right forehoof to his shoulder. "It's alright, Angel," she mumbled gently. "We're inside now."
The trembling rabbit opened one eye and scanned the room for verification of this fact, then he hurriedly let go of his mistress's leg and sat about a foot away from her in one fluid motion, assuming a nonchalant pose and pretending to inspect his paw for any minor imperfections. Apparently he was trying to brush aside the indignity of the fearful state he'd been in just moments earlier.
The pegasus smiled knowingly and then turned her head to face the kind stranger, but to her dismay the pink pony had vanished.
"Whooden sboon or eggbeether?" came a voice, just inches away from her face.
The startled pegasus let out an "eep!" and turned to see that the pink stranger was standing right beside her, surprisingly already having set about tending her injured wing. Bandages were wrapped around the feathery appendage, and the pink pony had two kitchen utensils in her mouth. The pegasus was inwardly astonished that the earth pony had even managed to get as far as that without her noticing. "U-uh, I beg your pardon?"
"Pspfft!" Raponezel spat the utensils out of her mouth. "I said: wooden spoon or eggbeater?"
The pegasus blinked in confusion.
"For the splint?" the earth pony clarified.
"Oh... um..."
"Nevermind," Raponezel interrupted, laughing nervously. "I just remembered how making a splint is different from baking a cake."
The yellow pony's eyes enlarged slightly with worry. "Are you sure you know how to—"
"Done!" Raponezel declared triumphantly.
The pegasus looked over to her wing, and her eyes slid over the stranger's finished work. The splint looked just as it should - perfectly tidy, comfy and functional, or at least, as far as her medically untrained self could tell. She hadn't felt any discomfort while it was being tied either. "Thank you," the pegasus breathed, still a bit wonder-struck by how professionally done it was, even if it had utilized a wooden spoon in its design.
"No problem!" the pink pony chirped, her hopping in place flopping her limp pink mane about with the motion. "The name's Raponezel, by the way," she added, grinning to her guest. "What's your name, stranger?"
"Oh." The pegasus blinked. "I'm Princess Fluttershillian, but you can just call me Fluttershy. All of my friends do."
Raponezel gasped deeply in surprise. "YOUR MAJESTY!" she exclaimed, falling flat on her face with her forehooves stretched out above her head, her form now in a very, very deep bow. The princess winced slightly, imagining that the sudden contact with the floor must've hurt her face a great deal.
"U-um..." the princess began awkwardly. "It's highness, actually. M-Majesty is my father. And I'd really prefer it if you just used my name."
Raponezel peeled back her face from the floor with a smack, still grinning ear to ear. "Okie-dokie! Say, are you and your little white alligator hungry? Why of course you are! I'll fix you up something in a jiff!" With that, a streak of pink bolted around the room, bouncing from here to there like a ball in a pin-ball machine.
The next thing Fluttershy knew, she was seated at small wood table across from her currently confused-looking pet bunny, something holding her in place rather tightly.
"Ta daaaaaa!" Raponezel grinned, indicating with a forehoof to the meal upon the table, a meal which she had miraculously produced in just seconds. Raponezel seemed quite pleased with herself. "Well? Don't just sit there! Dig in while it's ho—" But her words abruptly stopped short when she realized that with all of that darting about, she had inadvertently tangled her guests up in her pink tresses, and there really was no way for them to move at all. Raponezel put a hoof to her mouth, her pink face turning slightly crimson in embarrasment. "Woopsie."
---*---
Some time had passed since that fateful day when the princess had happened upon the kind stranger in the tower. And Raponezel had enjoyed playing host to a mare around her age, the two of them spending many long hours in conversation delving into various topics. And with each exchange between the two ponies, Raponezel's limited library began to seem more and more limited. The pink pony was finding that there was a great deal to the outside world that she had simply never imagined there could be - surprisingly, nearly all of it good.
And as the days drew on, Mother Gotland had still not returned. Fluttershy's wing however, had gotten better and better... pushing Raponezel to make the biggest decision of her young life. She would leave the tower with her new friend, their critters in tow, in the hopes that she would be able to be reunited with her missing parent.
The princess stood on the sill of the open window, facing outward. "Are you ready, Raponezel?" Fluttershy asked cautiously, the nervous pink pony perched on her back.
"Uh... Yeah, I.... think so." Raponezel gulped, glancing down unwillingly at the grass below. She forced her gaze up at the horizon. It just seemed so much higher up than usual, given their current objective.
Angel and Gummy watched uneasily from inside the tower - there had been short test flights indoors, but the load was still a bit concerning. All things going well though, they knew that once Raponezel was safely down they would be next.
"Alright. Hold tight!" Fluttershy crouched down and readied herself for lift off.
"Uhh, okaymaybethiswasamistakeIthinkmaybeweshouldjuststopandthinkofadiffere—Woooaaah!" But Raponezel's nervous flurry of words were interrupted by the motion of takeoff. The pink pony felt the push of the air against her chest, and she gripped herself even closer to her friend's back, closing her eyes tightly as she squealed, the two of them hurtling through the open air. She felt the weight of her long magenta hair trailing behind them in the wind, everything she felt so new and terrifying to her.
Slowly however, Raponezel became increasingly aware of the sensation of the cool breeze tickling her coat, and the sound of her friend beneath her laughing in glee. Raponezel peeled open an eye, the blurring colors of the ground below unlike anything she'd ever seen before. She looked around her, the green forest below them, the blue sky above - all somehow so different from the way they had seemed from her open window all those years. She chanced a look behind, watching the tower as it became more and more distant in her vision. It looked so small now... so foreign and cold compared to the rest of the world.
She turned her head to face forward, the sound of her friend's delighted squeals piercing the air. It felt so good to fly after being cooped up with an injured wing for so long! Seeing her friend so happy, Raponezel cracked the biggest grin without even realizing it. Suddenly, she had the craziest thought. Gently, she tightened her legs firmly against her friend's sides, then she slowly eased off her grip on her friend's mane and raised her forelegs in the air, crying out in glee. "Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" she cried, her joy-filled laugh echoing against the sky above and the earth below.
It was Raponezel's first ever taste of freedom.... and the taste was truly sweet.
Author's Note
Please direct your grammar and spelling corrections to PM. Thank you. 
