Author's Note

Thank you so much to everyone who is reading, liking, and commenting on this story!!

Laughing Again

The sun was shining on the lake, reflecting sparkling blue glares all around the camp. Sparks stood on the dock, wearing a whistle around her neck and a lifeguard tube on her back. She raised a wing to her eyes to shield the sun as she looked out on the lake. A bead of sweat dripped down her neck. By Celestia it was hot today.

River, also with a lifeguard tube, was out on the lake in a kayak, weaving her way through the campers who were exploring the lake in combinations of row boats, canoes, and two-pony kayaks. With a jolt, Sparks fumbled for her whistle and blew the shrill noise across the lake.

“TOOLA ROOLA YOU PUT THAT LIFE JACKET BACK ON RIGHT NOW YOUNG FILLY!!!”

The camper jumped in her row boat seat as Sparks called out her name. Ducking her head sheepishly, she shrugged on and buckled the life jacket. Sparks just shook her head.

“What am I gonna do with that filly,” she wondered aloud. The sound of hoofbeats on the dock grabbed her attention and she turned to see a little yellow pegasus colt walking up to her.

“Hi Flaring Heights. Didn’t want to go on the lake today?”

The colt poked at the dock with his hoof. “No.”

“Why not? It’s a beautiful day.”

“Cause.”

Sparks set the lifeguard tube onto the dock and sat down at the edge, dangling her back hooves into the cool water. She tapped next to her and Flaring Heights sat down reluctantly.

“So what’s going on?” Sparks asked, looking out over the lake.

Heights grimaced and looked down at the water under the dock. “I asked Toola Roola to be my very special somepony. And she said no.”

Sparks looked at him. “Did she say why?”

“She said I’m too loud.” The colt kicked his hooves defiantly.

Sparks smiled. “Well there’s nothing wrong with being loud. Lots of ponies think I’m too loud too. And hey, there are plenty of fillies and colts in Equestria. Maybe Toola Roola doesn’t like you, but you’ll find plenty of ponies in your life who will.”

Heights looked out over the lake. “How....how did you meet River?”

“You just always want a story don’t you?” Sparks smiled down at him.

The colt grinned. “Maybe.”

“Alright then.”

oOo

I stopped on the path, looking up at the archway above me.

“Camp Friendship?”

My mother, Firetrail, bit her lip nervously. “Yes! It’s a wonderful little camp here in Ponyville. You’ll have so much fun here this week!”

My father, Darkened Sky, nudged me from behind. “And you’ll get to meet some of the Ponyville colts and fillies.

“Sure. Whatever.” I grumbled under my breath, begrudgingly walking into the camp.

There was a huge grass lawn with tents, cabins, and bigger buildings scattered around. To the left was a sparkling blue lake and beautiful wooden dock. On the right, the open spaces of the camp gave way to dark forest. I looked around skeptically until my gaze was caught by a group of foals playing by a fire circle.

A bright blue filly was strumming a guitar, her tongue licking her lips as she fumbled with the tuning pegs. Two colts ran around her, laughing and trying to tag each other. The blue filly looked over at me and smiled. I just rolled my eyes and turned away, tucking my wings tighter against my body.

My father was holding up my wing brace, explaining to the counselor that I had to wear it every night to keep my wing immobilized. I shrunk down, feeling the blush rise in my cheeks. Glancing up, I saw the counselor look at me with the look in her eyes that all adults look at me now. The pity, the shame, the subtle thankfulness that it’s me and not them. I sat with a whimper and crossed my forelegs over my head.

The world seemed to swim with the sounds of laughing foals. Echoing giggles, lapping waves, kicked balls, talking and screaming and…. My ears started to ring as I clenched my eyes closed, trying to block out the over stimulation.

Suddenly, I felt a small hoof on my shoulder. I jumped off the ground, my eyes darting around. It was the blue earth pony filly.

“Are you okay?” She was brighter than the sky, with other shades of blue running through her flowing mane and tail. Her eyes were bright green and they looked at me with absolutely no pity.

I took a breath and steadied myself. “I’m fine.” I paused, looking at the ground. “Thanks.”

The filly tilted her head, then pointed to my injured wing. “What happened?”

“That’s none of your business!” I snarled at her.

She just shrugged and walked away, going back to the colts and her guitar. I slumped back onto my haunches. I was so tired of ponies asking what happened. Glaring at all the colts and fillies of the camp, I knew that they would all ask if given the chance.

“Fine.” I muttered under my breath. “I just won’t talk to anypony then.”

I lasted two days. Counselors tried in vain to get me to talk. The foals did too for a bit. But after a while, it was only the counselors who tried to talk to me. They eventually resorted to asking me simple things like what I wanted for dinner, if I wanted a s’more, or if I had to use the bathroom. I just took what I needed and ignored the rest of the camp.

Then, on my third morning at camp, the blue filly hung back while everyone else ran to the mess hall for breakfast. She sat on the steps to my tent as I struggled out of my wing brace.

“So are you gonna tell me what happened?”

I tried to ignore her as I worked to untangle the brace from my broken wing. New gaps and cracks in my feathers had appeared over my days at camp, and the brace was getting stuck on them.

“You obviously can’t fly right now. Will you be able to fly in the future?”

I gritted my teeth and ignored her again, tears springing in my eyes as I tried in vain to get my sensitive feathers out of the brace. The counselors had stopped trying to help me on the second morning after I made it very clear that I wasn’t going to eat breakfast until they left me alone.

“Would you like some help?”

I turned my back to her, the tears falling off my cheeks as I desperately tried to reach my wing well enough to untangle the brace.

“Fine.”

I heard her stand to leave and felt my throat constrict. “No!” I closed my eyes. “Please don’t go.”

I heard hoofsteps approach me and I turned to face her. Stone-faced, she reached out and gingerly helped to take the brace off my wing. I sat down with a sigh, stroking and stretching the abused feathers. She sat down next to me and watched. She didn’t ask again, just let us sit in silence for a while.

“I fell out of Cloudsdale.” I mumbled. When she didn't say anything, I cautiously continued the story. “I clipped my wing on a flagpole and crushed it when I fell to the ground.”

I tried to answer her earlier question, but the words got stuck in my throat. With a start, I realized I had never said them aloud before.

“I- I….I won’t…ever...” My voice cracked and the tears welled up again. She placed her hoof on mine.

“So you can’t fly?”

She said it so matter of factly that I felt my sobs turn to hesitant laughter. I smiled weakly as I started to chuckle. She stared at me with such an incredulous look that the chuckles quickly turned to hiccupping laughter. The tears didn’t slow, but the aching in my chest lessened slightly.

The filly smiled awkwardly, then slowly joined in my laughter. After a few minutes, we were leaning against one another and catching our breath.

“I’m Running River.” She smiled at me, and I felt something catch in my chest.

“Seeking Sparks.” I said, stretching out my hoof.

She grinned and rolled her eyes, pulling me into a hug instead. I stiffened at first, but then relaxed into her embrace and slowly wrapped my forelegs around her.

When she pulled away, I wiped my tears and tossed the offending brace onto my bed. River grabbed my hoof and pulled me out of the tent, both of us laughing and running towards the mess hall.

oOo

Seeking Sparks looked out over the lake. “If River hadn’t stayed with me that morning, I might never have returned to Camp Friendship.”

“When did you become very special somepony’s?” The yellow colt looked up at his counselor.

Sparks grinned down at him. “Well I asked her out the first summer that we worked here. And we’ve been together ever since. When we got older, we pitched in and bought this place. Now we own and run Camp Friendship every summer.”

Flaring Heights looked out to the boats. “Do you really think I’ll find a very special some pony?”

Sparks laughed and ruffled his mane with her hoof. “I am sure that you will. And you’ve got your whole life ahead of you to find them! You’re only a colt, Heights.”

He grinned and jumped to his hooves. “Can I go out on the lake??”

His counselor laughed and buckled him into a life jacket. Buzzing his wings, the colt flew out over the center of the lake and landed in one of the row boats with a trio of other colts. Sparks sat back at the edge of the dock, watching River paddle among the campers’ boats. The sun sparkled on the water, reflecting light all around the edge of the lake. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, taking in the scents of pine sap, sunscreen, and fresh summer air.

“Thank you River.” She whispered, looking back out over the water. “Thank you for taking a chance on a broken little filly.”