Brushstrokeby WonderShy101ChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 1Chapter 1: The Shed Pinkie Pie watches the chest of knick-knacks being pulled from a small shed in the middle of a forest, but not too far from Ponyville. Dropping the rope from the chest, Toola Roola breathes heavily at the accomplishment of taking out the heavy box. Pinkie Pie scratches her head, "Are you sure you don't need any help, Tooly (that's her nickname now)?" Tooly wipes the sweat from her forehead, and flashing Pinkie Pie a wide smile, "I'm glad you offered, but now that I got this heavy chest out the way, cleaning my grandpa's shed should be a piece of cake!" "Are you sure about that?" Pinkie Pie chuckles, and points back to the shed. Tooly turns around and sighs at the sight of the it, which was still full. "I guess I'm going to need all the help I can get..." Tooly shrugs, but her smile never wavers. Pinkie pats her on the shoulder in reassurance. "That's the spirit, Tooly!" Pinkie Pie exclaims, "We don't want you to do something that's complicated alone, you have friends to help!" "Plus, I can look forward to Sweetie Belle's delicious cookies." Tooly says, imagining the sugary treats that the young pony will prepare. "I'll go on ahead and get the girls, but don't finish without us!" Pinkie Pie floats away with her one balloon strapped to her, towards the direction of where her friends could be hanging out at. After that, Tooly continues to clean out the shed. It's been a while since she's ever been to the small little shack and wanted to help her late grandfather out to take a load off of him, plus, in his note, he promised that she would find some cool and new interesting things. Wondering, Tooly hopes that it's more crafting stuff! Just thinking about it makes her pretty giddy, because so far, all she's been seeing is old antiques and boxes filled with old tools and some old furniture that's either broken or intact but unusable. She did find some of her grandpa's old paintings that he painted in the past. Looking through them, Tooly gets a sense of nostalgia from the paintings, and wonders where he got his inspirations from. Doing a double take at one of the paintings, one with a beautiful waterfall, Tooly could've sworn that it moved, the water gently swaying down into the river below. Looking back, she shakes her head at her wild imagination. "The painting is beautiful, after all..." She mutters to herself. After a few minutes of tirelessly taking out old antiques to put them in more boxes to either donate or get rid of, Tooly takes a break to wait for her friends. Within the shed, she sits on a box to catch her breath, her hair messy from working too hard as well. So far, she hasn't found her grandpa's super special surprise yet, and is wondering if he only said that just to get her to help him clean, even though she would help anyway... "I wonder where grandpa got all these stuff from, it's so much..." She says to herself, looking around. She feels like she hasn't scratched the surface with the conundrum of things, but she knows that with her friends, they'll get it done, hopefully, by the end of the day. Suddenly, something catches her eye, somehow. She didn't see it before, and she's wondering why she's seeing it now. Under a few books and old papers, is a shiny box made from wood. It has a small lock on it, but the key is nowhere to be found, or if it'll ever be found. Disappointed, Tooly puts the box down next to her as she continues waiting, but her mind can't help but stare at the box. 'What's in this box?' she thought to herself, the thrill of the unknown gnawing at her greatly. An idea pops into her head, 'Is this the surprise that grandpa wanted me to find?!' Feeling excited, Tooly makes sure to take the small box home after finishing, and to also make sure to find the lost key. In an instant, the door to the shed swings open, causing Tooly to flinch and fall over in surprise. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo run towards her with glee, and helping her up. "Let us help, Toola Roola! I wanna find some cool stuff too!" Scootaloo says while jumping around. "And I made sure to pack some yummy cookies too! They're freshly made!" Sweetie Belle waves a bag of cookies in the air, while also eating a few in delight. "Let's not spoil our appetite just yet though, Sweetie Belle. We have a lot to get done." Cheerilee says, already getting started. "I'm sorry, I just can't help it, they're so good!" Sweetie Belle takes a another bite of her cookies. "Careful now, we might not have many to go around." Rainbow Dash adds flaunting her new stylish outfits. "Also, couldn't your grandfather keep this place more... Cleaner?" "Rainbow!" Cheerilee yells. "It's ok! She's right, he hasn't been to his old shed in years. I was hoping I would find the answer as to why he hasn't been back to this place, but so far, all I found is this old wooden box." Tooly shows the group the old wooden box. Pinkie Pie stares over the small box with wonder and curiosity. She sniffs it and covers her nose. "It's smells pretty old, all right! I wonder if there's any surprise inside, like confetti!" "Probably not confetti..." Tooly snickers, "But you see this lock? There's a small key somewhere, so once we start looking, please look out for any keys that you might see." "Let's get to it then!" Cheerilee says. The girls pick a random spot to start at, and they get to it, pulling out a multitude of boxes from out the shed, and stacks of books that look like they go on for miles. One by one, the girls neatly place the items outside for Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle to sort out, and by the time the evening sun is just about to go down, the shed is now clean and empty. Tooly walks to the group, a confident look stretches across her face. "Good work everyone! The shed looks good as new. Now that we sorted out everything, we can now put some of the things back, and most of the stuff either in the trash, or donate." "Are you sure we can just toss most of this stuff, Tooly?" Rainbow Dash asks. "Is you're grandfather completely ok with this?" "Oh yea, he's fine with it." Tooly responds. "In fact, in his letter, he said he was going to sell the entire shed with everything in it! I felt pretty bad that he wanted to make that decision, so I decided to just rearrange some things and keep whatever that's intact, and of course, jeep his paintings." "Speaking of which..." Pinkie Pie holds up a small satchel towards Tooly. Looking inside, she gasps at the many keys that were found. "Look how many keys we found! All the stuff in the shed besides that box you found don't have any locks to them, so we just have to pick and choose which key goes into the hole, which should be easy!" "Since we're finished, can we figure that out back home? I ended up eating all the snacks, but I have more at home!" Sweetie Belle adds in, her face covered in cookie crumbs. Everyone laughs but understands. "Sweetie Belle's right, and besides, I bet all of us are exhausted. Let's catch a break, then we can figure out what's in the box." Tooly puts the small box in her own satchel that's wrapped around her waist. "Last one there gets no more cookies!" Scootaloo runs towards the direction of Sweetie Belle's home. "Hey! No fair, I'm the one who makes them!" Sweetie Belle runs after her. By then, the rest of the girls all run as well, excited to know the secret that's in the box, and to also enjoy some sweet snacks after a hard days work... To be continued... Author's Note These chapters will be super short and sweet, but let me know if you guys wants them to be longer. Chapter 2Chapter 2: The Box A few hours after the girls had finished helping Tooly clean her grandfather's shed, and after taking a nice break, Tooly takes out the box and places it onto the table. Everyone is eager to know what is in it, and each come up with ideas. "What if your grandfather was into fine jewelry, or expensive clothing, like a nice scarf or a necklace?" Rainbow Dash adds her 2 cents into the jar. "What if it's food?!" Sweetie Belle asks. "That's disgusting, Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo laughs at the thought of old, spoiled food. "But what if it's a game inside? Like the entire box was a board game? How awesome would that be!?" "That's not a bad idea..." Starsong adds in, hovering in the air at the box. "What if it's a time capsule? I know those are fun to do." Cheerilee agrees, "Or, what if he has like a journal or other papers in there?" Pinkie Pie raises her hoof. "Oh! Oh! What if it's...--" "No, Pinkie, It's not confetti." Tooly chuckles at her giddiness. "Everyone has such great ideas, but we can't find out unless we find the exact key that goes to the box." "Here. Try this key!" Scootaloo takes out a key from the satchel and hands it to Tooly. Tooly observes the key, trying to match it up with the lock on the box. "Hmmmm, this one is a little too big for the lock." Tooly says. Disappointed, Scootaloo places the dud key on the side. "Not to worry, we have other keys to try out! What about this one?" Sweetie Belle hands Tooly a smaller key. Tooly examines the key, "Hmm, the key is small enough, but it's a different shape, so it won't fit... Sorry Sweetie Belle. Let's try another one.." They go over most of the keys that are within the satchel. After a few minutes, they come down to the final key, which was much rustier than the other keys. In fact, in looked older than the box itself. "Well, this is the last key..." Tooly says. "It doesn't look like it belongs to this box, but it won't hurt to try." "Ugh, the suspense is killing me!" Scootaloo blurts out. "What if it doesn't fit at all? Then we'll be stumped for sure." Sweetie Belle adds. "Hey, c'mon guys, she hasn't even put the key in the lock yet!" Pinkie laughs. After Tooly examines the key for a few seconds, she finally decides to place the key within the keyhole. It fits perfectly. Everyone gasps, the tension palpable as Tooly slowly turns the key. A small but subtle 'clank' is heard, signaling that the small box is indeed opened. "It worked! Hurry, hurry and open it!" Scootaloo rushes her. Tooly slowly opens it as her friends move closer around her, wanting to get a glance at what is in the mysterious box. Opening it fully, Tooly gasps at the sight as everyone else sighs in defeat. Within the box, is exactly what everyone had thought. "There's no confetti in there after all!" Pinkie shrugs. "There was never going to be confetti in the first place, Pinkie." Rainbow Dash says. Tooly looks at the intricate colors of the dried paint that is neatly sitting within the box. Paint of all colors adorn the inside with a colorful array of memories from being used back in the day. Tooly glides her hoof over the inside of the box to feel the paint stains to get a feel of a time long gone... "Well, I wasn't that far off from it being a sort of a time capsule." Starsong smiles at the thought. "Yea, but strangely enough, I figured that it was going to be paint, after all." Cheerilee chuckles, also staring at the beautiful colors in the box. "What do you mean?" Tooly asks. "Well, isn't your grandfather a painter too? I'm sure something as precious as this would be left for you to find, so really, I guess you did find that special something, because now you can use the paint that he used when he was younger! It's magical if you think about it, bittersweet almost..." "Yea! It may not be exactly what we all thought, but that's not really what matters, isn't it?" Pinkie adds in. "Yes, what matters is that he left his precious gift for you, Tooly. So, in the end, it made this entire build-up worth it." Rainbow Dash also responds, giving Tooly a fond smile. "That's true, but I was still hoping it was gonna be food or something..." Sweetie Belle droops her head. "Would you really eat spoiled snacks? Anyways, I'm sad it's not a game or anything, but it's something that you love, which matter to me the most, right Tooly?" Scootaloo says, but she gets no response. She spots Tooly just staring at the paint within the box, almost like a trance. "Hello? Tooly? You there?" Scoots waves her hoof over Tooly's face, and the rest of the girls start to worry as well. They sigh in relief as Tooly blinks and smiles at the box. "You're right guys... This is the best gift I could find. I-I don't even want to use it, as to honor my grandfather, but that would be a waste, wouldn't it? I'm sure he would want me to use it as much as he did..." Tooly flashes a smile at her friends. "But still, I get a feeling from the paint, like it's calling out to me, as if... As if it's tugging at a nerve..." "That's a sign that you should use it! At least test the paint first, since they're super old and dry..." Starsong suggests. "Oh! Oh! Draw me! I call dibs!" Scootaloo raises her hand. "Maybe we should have Tooly decide who she wants to draw." Cheerilee adds in. "No, that's a good idea! You're gonna love it, Scootaloo, I can't wait to start! "Then first thing tomorrow morning, I'll set up my easel at Scoot's place, I won't start without any of you guys...." Tooly gently closes the box with the paint inside, a subtle but unknowing aura emits from the box as she closes it, and darkness consumes the paint once more... To be continued... Author's Note This one is pretty short too, and I kinda rushed in making this chapter, but this one is pretty straight forward, so if there's any mistakes, please let me know. Thanks! Chapter 3Chapter 3: The Painting The next morning couldn't have started sooner for Tooly. As soon as dawn broke, and with excitement, she takes the small box of paint and begins the process of giving them life again from not being used in so long. Simply using water and one of her brushes, Tooly carefully and gently mixes the different colors together, their bright colors shining through once again within their little tubs. After testing out a small amount of paint on a small sheet of paper, Tooly breathes out at her accomplishment, and closes the box to get ready to start the day, and to prepare for Scootaloo's awesome new painting! Closing the box, Tooly takes in the old smell of wood and paint from the box and realizes that she hasn't noticed it before. It's a strong smell, but it's not overbearing nor stinky at all, in fact, it feels almost bittersweet, nostalgic even. Also realizing that she should be heading out now, Tooly quickly grabs her things, including the small box with paint, and her trusty paintbrushes, and puts them in her satchel. She trots out the door towards Scootaloo's house. After a few minutes, Tooly makes it to the young pony's home. All of her friends are there as well to watch the process, and to encourage Scootaloo to keep still during the long process. "Think of it as like a game, Scoots. If you stay still, you'll win a prize!" Pinkie Pie reassures her. "Oooh! I hope my prize is a new skateboard!" Scootaloo jumps in the air in excitement, her mind wandering at the many things she could possibly win. "How about a painting as a gift instead?" Tooly says, flashing her a caring smile. Scootaloo stops bouncing around to shrug. "I guess a FREE painting would be nice too." Everybody laughs at Scootaloo's carefree response. After setting up the easel and the paint from the box, Tooly sits down on her stool, and Scootaloo gets into position by hopping onto her scooter and fastening her helmet on her head. Tooly then gives her some directions, "Ok Scoots, you can be in any pose you want! Just make sure it's comfortable enough for you to keep still for a little while longer while I paint. Remember: even the slightest movement can be a HUGE change!" "All right, all right. I get it. Not moving, keeping still, I promise Tooly, I'm going to be just fine!" Scootaloo waves her hoof, reassuring Tooly in a playful manner. "I wouldn't keep promises like that if I knew I wouldn't keep them, Scoots, but I have absolute faith in you." Rainbow Dash nods her head. "Sounds like you're being sarcastic, Rainbow..." Scootaloo droops her head. Chuckling to herself, Tooly gets ready, and so does Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle prepares food for everyone as they watch Tooly gently glide her brush across the canvas. The paint within the box shows beautifully within the sunlight, and every stroke seems to excite Tooly more and more as the picture comes to life through a magnificent and vibrant array of colors. The paint on the brush feels light, like nothing is on the brush as Tooly uses each color, and surprisingly, Scootaloo actually keeps still throughout, although her facial expressions and obvious frustration to move around is evident. Tooly puts the finishing touches on the paint, giving Scoots the go-ahead to move again after being static for a moment. "Ok, Scoots. you can move now. I'm just putting some finishing touches to it, then you can see!" She says cheerfully, continuing quietly. Scootaloo stretches, breathing in and out with a loud huff, and Sweetie Belle offers her some fruits to eat. "Here you go, Scoots! Standing still surely would've made you hungry!" Scootaloo takes an apple and bites into it, savoring the ripe taste. "Who knew that standing still is so much work! Good thing Tooly is good at it, right Tooly?" Tooly doesn't answer. "Tooly?" Scoots says again. By then, everyone goes to check on the finished painting, and to their amazement, the painting that Tooly created of Scootaloo is nothing like they've seen before from Tooly. It' beautiful, vibrant under the sun, but something felt different about it, yet none of them could put their hooves on it. As for Tooly, Tooly stares at the painting, almost like in a trance again. The painting seems to move slowly and whimsically, almost like a dream, transporting Tooly to a wonderous world filled with vibrant colors and streaks of paint. She watches the painting of Scootaloo riding carelessly on her scooter, and seemingly having a grand'ol time. Tooly smiles, her eyes seemingly empty as she sinks deeper and deeper within the painting, the commotion and excitement from her friends drowned out completely. Suddenly, Tooly's smile fades as a scene unfolds that was not drawn within the painting at all. Instead of Scootaloo just riding around, she moves out of the painting! Tooly whips around to follow her movements, and the drawn Scootaloo, while silent and empty feeling, rides around everyone within the real world, but the problem is, no one else but Tooly can see what's happening around them. Cheerilee notices Tooly's sudden change in behavior and expression and walks up to her, seemingly worried. "Tooly? What's the matter? Do you not like the painting?" She asks. Tooly doesn't hear anything that she's saying, and only seeing her lips moving in slow motion as the painted Scootaloo continues to ride away. "Scootaloo, wait a moment!" Tooly yells, and chases after her, completely forgetting that she's just a painting, and the real one is watching in confusion. "Um, I'm right here-hey! Where are you going?!" Scootaloo yells out for her. "I guess she doesn't like the painting?" Sweetie Belle says confusingly. "No, something else is wrong, we gotta go after her, and quickly!" Pinkie Pie says, and all of them begin to follow Tooly closely behind. Tooly, still in a daze, follows the painted Scootaloo, who is carelessly and without emotion, rides through the town and towards the bridge that crosses the river. Tooly gasps, "W-wait! Scootaloo! Watch out for the bridge!" In that moment, the painted Scootaloo, with empty eyes, stares into Tooly's eyes, before speeding up. Completely missing the bridge, Scootaloo uses her scooter to jump forward and into the river, but before she could do so, Tooly hops into the water to try and save her. "Tooly!" Tooly hears the faint yells of her friends from above the water as she sinks into it. Looking around for Scootaloo, Tooly spots the morphed form of the young pony. The painted Scootaloo stops moving, and simply melts away quietly within the water... To be continued... Author's Note I feel like the ending and the cliffhanger is a little short.... Also let me know if there are any mistakes. Chapter 4Chapter 4: The Painting Part 2 The river's current rippled as Tooly, soaked and shivering, was hoisted out by Rainbow Dash and Starsong. Her pastel mane clung to her face as she coughed and sputtered, expelling the river water she had inadvertently swallowed. Pinkie Pie wrapped a blanket around her almost instantly, her usually bubbly demeanor tinged with concern. “Tooly! Are you okay?!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, her eyes wide. Tooly blinked rapidly, her breath still uneven. She looked around frantically, her heart clenched until her gaze landed on Scootaloo, who stood casually, completely dry and unharmed. The little orange filly tilted her head in confusion and fear. Tooly’s eyes welled up with relief, and she threw her forelegs around Scootaloo, pulling her into a tight hug. “Scoots! You’re okay! Thank goodness!” Scootaloo squirmed slightly in the embrace, her face scrunched in bewilderment. “Uh... yeah? Why wouldn’t I be okay?” Tooly pulled back, her expression a mix of confusion and emotion. “I saw you... on your scooter. You went into the river! I had to save you! What were you thinking!?” The group exchanged puzzled glances. Cheerilee stepped forward, her voice gentle. “Tooly, you ran off so suddenly. Scootaloo never went near the water. She’s been here with us the whole time.” “What? No!” Toola Roola protested, shaking her head vigorously. “I saw her! She was right there, scooting around like always. I—” She paused, her words catching in her throat. Her wide eyes darted back to Scootaloo, desperate for confirmation. “You really weren’t there? On the scooter?” Scootaloo frowned but shook her head. “Nope! I was here with the others, watching you act all... weird.” “But…” Toola Roola trailed off, her mind racing. The image of the painted Scootaloo zipping by on her scooter was so vivid, so real. She could still feel the adrenaline from chasing after her. Yet, her friends’ expressions told her a different story. Rainbow Dash put a hoof on Tooly's shoulder. “Come now, Tooly. Let’s get you home and dry before you catch a cold.” Starsong nodded, her voice soft and soothing. “Yeah, and we can figure all this out later.” Scootaloo picked up the painting that had been left near the riverbank, holding it carefully. She studied it for a moment before beaming. “You really did do amazing on this painting, Tooly. If it is ok with you, could I keep it?” Tooly's heart swelled at Scootaloo’s words, though her mind was still a tangle of confusion as the picture of Scoots is intact, as usual, almost as if it didn't come to life just now. “Y-Yeah, of course, Scoots. It’s yours, after all.” The group escorted her back to her cozy home. The familiar scents of paint and canvas greeted her, providing a semblance of comfort. Pinkie Pie quickly took charge, bustling about to make hot cocoa for everyone, while Starsong found a fluffy towel to help Tooly dry off. As the others settled in, Scootaloo carefully propped the painting against a wall. “Seriously, Tooly, this is awesome. It’s like... it’s almost alive.” Tooly winced slightly at the comment, her gaze flickering to the painting. For a moment, she could have sworn she saw the painted Scootaloo wink at her, but when she blinked, it was just a painting again. “I... I don’t know what happened,” Toola Roola murmured, pulling the towel closer around her. “It felt so real. I really thought I saw you, Scoots. It wasn’t just a dream.” Cheerilee offered her a kind smile. “You’ve been working so hard lately, Tooly. Maybe you just need some rest. Sometimes when we’re tired, our imaginations can play tricks on us.” “Yeah, maybe,” she replied, though her tone was uncertain. Her friends’ logic made sense, but the experience had been so vivid that it was hard to dismiss entirely. Scootaloo approached her, her purple eyes sparkling. “Hey, don’t beat yourself up about it. I know you’d jump in to save me any day, and that’s pretty cool. But next time, maybe check if it’s really me first, okay?” Despite herself, Tooly chuckled, her spirits lifting slightly. “Deal.” Rainbow Dash smirked, leaning casually against the wall. “That’s the spirit, dear! Once you rest up, do be sure to get me next. I have a fabulous outfit to try that you might love to paint! “Totally!” Pinkie Pie chimed in, balancing a tray of steaming cocoa mugs on her head. “And you know what? This calls for a ‘Tooly Didn’t Actually Drown and Scootaloo Loves Her Painting’ party!” The room filled with laughter, the tension from earlier slowly dissipating. Tooly managed a smile as she sipped her cocoa, her friends’ warmth and support surrounding her. Yet, deep down, the memory of the painted Scootaloo lingered, refusing to fade completely. As the evening wore on and her friends eventually left, Tooly found herself alone in her studio. Scoots took her painting with her, but Tooly, from her late grandfather's shed, had picked up the painting with the waterfall in it. She approached the painting, her eyes scanning every brushstroke. It was undeniably the work of her grandfather, yet there was something about it—something she couldn’t quite put into words. With a sigh, she reached out and touched the edge of the canvas. “What’s going on with me?” she whispered. The room was silent, save for the faint rustle of the wind outside. Tooly shook her head, forcing herself to step away. Maybe Cheerilee was right—maybe she just needed rest. But as she climbed into bed that night, her thoughts were far from restful. If what she had seen wasn’t real, why did it feel so true? And if it was real… what did it mean? To Be Continued...
Chapter 1Chapter 1: The Shed Pinkie Pie watches the chest of knick-knacks being pulled from a small shed in the middle of a forest, but not too far from Ponyville. Dropping the rope from the chest, Toola Roola breathes heavily at the accomplishment of taking out the heavy box. Pinkie Pie scratches her head, "Are you sure you don't need any help, Tooly (that's her nickname now)?" Tooly wipes the sweat from her forehead, and flashing Pinkie Pie a wide smile, "I'm glad you offered, but now that I got this heavy chest out the way, cleaning my grandpa's shed should be a piece of cake!" "Are you sure about that?" Pinkie Pie chuckles, and points back to the shed. Tooly turns around and sighs at the sight of the it, which was still full. "I guess I'm going to need all the help I can get..." Tooly shrugs, but her smile never wavers. Pinkie pats her on the shoulder in reassurance. "That's the spirit, Tooly!" Pinkie Pie exclaims, "We don't want you to do something that's complicated alone, you have friends to help!" "Plus, I can look forward to Sweetie Belle's delicious cookies." Tooly says, imagining the sugary treats that the young pony will prepare. "I'll go on ahead and get the girls, but don't finish without us!" Pinkie Pie floats away with her one balloon strapped to her, towards the direction of where her friends could be hanging out at. After that, Tooly continues to clean out the shed. It's been a while since she's ever been to the small little shack and wanted to help her late grandfather out to take a load off of him, plus, in his note, he promised that she would find some cool and new interesting things. Wondering, Tooly hopes that it's more crafting stuff! Just thinking about it makes her pretty giddy, because so far, all she's been seeing is old antiques and boxes filled with old tools and some old furniture that's either broken or intact but unusable. She did find some of her grandpa's old paintings that he painted in the past. Looking through them, Tooly gets a sense of nostalgia from the paintings, and wonders where he got his inspirations from. Doing a double take at one of the paintings, one with a beautiful waterfall, Tooly could've sworn that it moved, the water gently swaying down into the river below. Looking back, she shakes her head at her wild imagination. "The painting is beautiful, after all..." She mutters to herself. After a few minutes of tirelessly taking out old antiques to put them in more boxes to either donate or get rid of, Tooly takes a break to wait for her friends. Within the shed, she sits on a box to catch her breath, her hair messy from working too hard as well. So far, she hasn't found her grandpa's super special surprise yet, and is wondering if he only said that just to get her to help him clean, even though she would help anyway... "I wonder where grandpa got all these stuff from, it's so much..." She says to herself, looking around. She feels like she hasn't scratched the surface with the conundrum of things, but she knows that with her friends, they'll get it done, hopefully, by the end of the day. Suddenly, something catches her eye, somehow. She didn't see it before, and she's wondering why she's seeing it now. Under a few books and old papers, is a shiny box made from wood. It has a small lock on it, but the key is nowhere to be found, or if it'll ever be found. Disappointed, Tooly puts the box down next to her as she continues waiting, but her mind can't help but stare at the box. 'What's in this box?' she thought to herself, the thrill of the unknown gnawing at her greatly. An idea pops into her head, 'Is this the surprise that grandpa wanted me to find?!' Feeling excited, Tooly makes sure to take the small box home after finishing, and to also make sure to find the lost key. In an instant, the door to the shed swings open, causing Tooly to flinch and fall over in surprise. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo run towards her with glee, and helping her up. "Let us help, Toola Roola! I wanna find some cool stuff too!" Scootaloo says while jumping around. "And I made sure to pack some yummy cookies too! They're freshly made!" Sweetie Belle waves a bag of cookies in the air, while also eating a few in delight. "Let's not spoil our appetite just yet though, Sweetie Belle. We have a lot to get done." Cheerilee says, already getting started. "I'm sorry, I just can't help it, they're so good!" Sweetie Belle takes a another bite of her cookies. "Careful now, we might not have many to go around." Rainbow Dash adds flaunting her new stylish outfits. "Also, couldn't your grandfather keep this place more... Cleaner?" "Rainbow!" Cheerilee yells. "It's ok! She's right, he hasn't been to his old shed in years. I was hoping I would find the answer as to why he hasn't been back to this place, but so far, all I found is this old wooden box." Tooly shows the group the old wooden box. Pinkie Pie stares over the small box with wonder and curiosity. She sniffs it and covers her nose. "It's smells pretty old, all right! I wonder if there's any surprise inside, like confetti!" "Probably not confetti..." Tooly snickers, "But you see this lock? There's a small key somewhere, so once we start looking, please look out for any keys that you might see." "Let's get to it then!" Cheerilee says. The girls pick a random spot to start at, and they get to it, pulling out a multitude of boxes from out the shed, and stacks of books that look like they go on for miles. One by one, the girls neatly place the items outside for Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle to sort out, and by the time the evening sun is just about to go down, the shed is now clean and empty. Tooly walks to the group, a confident look stretches across her face. "Good work everyone! The shed looks good as new. Now that we sorted out everything, we can now put some of the things back, and most of the stuff either in the trash, or donate." "Are you sure we can just toss most of this stuff, Tooly?" Rainbow Dash asks. "Is you're grandfather completely ok with this?" "Oh yea, he's fine with it." Tooly responds. "In fact, in his letter, he said he was going to sell the entire shed with everything in it! I felt pretty bad that he wanted to make that decision, so I decided to just rearrange some things and keep whatever that's intact, and of course, jeep his paintings." "Speaking of which..." Pinkie Pie holds up a small satchel towards Tooly. Looking inside, she gasps at the many keys that were found. "Look how many keys we found! All the stuff in the shed besides that box you found don't have any locks to them, so we just have to pick and choose which key goes into the hole, which should be easy!" "Since we're finished, can we figure that out back home? I ended up eating all the snacks, but I have more at home!" Sweetie Belle adds in, her face covered in cookie crumbs. Everyone laughs but understands. "Sweetie Belle's right, and besides, I bet all of us are exhausted. Let's catch a break, then we can figure out what's in the box." Tooly puts the small box in her own satchel that's wrapped around her waist. "Last one there gets no more cookies!" Scootaloo runs towards the direction of Sweetie Belle's home. "Hey! No fair, I'm the one who makes them!" Sweetie Belle runs after her. By then, the rest of the girls all run as well, excited to know the secret that's in the box, and to also enjoy some sweet snacks after a hard days work... To be continued... Author's Note These chapters will be super short and sweet, but let me know if you guys wants them to be longer.
Chapter 2Chapter 2: The Box A few hours after the girls had finished helping Tooly clean her grandfather's shed, and after taking a nice break, Tooly takes out the box and places it onto the table. Everyone is eager to know what is in it, and each come up with ideas. "What if your grandfather was into fine jewelry, or expensive clothing, like a nice scarf or a necklace?" Rainbow Dash adds her 2 cents into the jar. "What if it's food?!" Sweetie Belle asks. "That's disgusting, Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo laughs at the thought of old, spoiled food. "But what if it's a game inside? Like the entire box was a board game? How awesome would that be!?" "That's not a bad idea..." Starsong adds in, hovering in the air at the box. "What if it's a time capsule? I know those are fun to do." Cheerilee agrees, "Or, what if he has like a journal or other papers in there?" Pinkie Pie raises her hoof. "Oh! Oh! What if it's...--" "No, Pinkie, It's not confetti." Tooly chuckles at her giddiness. "Everyone has such great ideas, but we can't find out unless we find the exact key that goes to the box." "Here. Try this key!" Scootaloo takes out a key from the satchel and hands it to Tooly. Tooly observes the key, trying to match it up with the lock on the box. "Hmmmm, this one is a little too big for the lock." Tooly says. Disappointed, Scootaloo places the dud key on the side. "Not to worry, we have other keys to try out! What about this one?" Sweetie Belle hands Tooly a smaller key. Tooly examines the key, "Hmm, the key is small enough, but it's a different shape, so it won't fit... Sorry Sweetie Belle. Let's try another one.." They go over most of the keys that are within the satchel. After a few minutes, they come down to the final key, which was much rustier than the other keys. In fact, in looked older than the box itself. "Well, this is the last key..." Tooly says. "It doesn't look like it belongs to this box, but it won't hurt to try." "Ugh, the suspense is killing me!" Scootaloo blurts out. "What if it doesn't fit at all? Then we'll be stumped for sure." Sweetie Belle adds. "Hey, c'mon guys, she hasn't even put the key in the lock yet!" Pinkie laughs. After Tooly examines the key for a few seconds, she finally decides to place the key within the keyhole. It fits perfectly. Everyone gasps, the tension palpable as Tooly slowly turns the key. A small but subtle 'clank' is heard, signaling that the small box is indeed opened. "It worked! Hurry, hurry and open it!" Scootaloo rushes her. Tooly slowly opens it as her friends move closer around her, wanting to get a glance at what is in the mysterious box. Opening it fully, Tooly gasps at the sight as everyone else sighs in defeat. Within the box, is exactly what everyone had thought. "There's no confetti in there after all!" Pinkie shrugs. "There was never going to be confetti in the first place, Pinkie." Rainbow Dash says. Tooly looks at the intricate colors of the dried paint that is neatly sitting within the box. Paint of all colors adorn the inside with a colorful array of memories from being used back in the day. Tooly glides her hoof over the inside of the box to feel the paint stains to get a feel of a time long gone... "Well, I wasn't that far off from it being a sort of a time capsule." Starsong smiles at the thought. "Yea, but strangely enough, I figured that it was going to be paint, after all." Cheerilee chuckles, also staring at the beautiful colors in the box. "What do you mean?" Tooly asks. "Well, isn't your grandfather a painter too? I'm sure something as precious as this would be left for you to find, so really, I guess you did find that special something, because now you can use the paint that he used when he was younger! It's magical if you think about it, bittersweet almost..." "Yea! It may not be exactly what we all thought, but that's not really what matters, isn't it?" Pinkie adds in. "Yes, what matters is that he left his precious gift for you, Tooly. So, in the end, it made this entire build-up worth it." Rainbow Dash also responds, giving Tooly a fond smile. "That's true, but I was still hoping it was gonna be food or something..." Sweetie Belle droops her head. "Would you really eat spoiled snacks? Anyways, I'm sad it's not a game or anything, but it's something that you love, which matter to me the most, right Tooly?" Scootaloo says, but she gets no response. She spots Tooly just staring at the paint within the box, almost like a trance. "Hello? Tooly? You there?" Scoots waves her hoof over Tooly's face, and the rest of the girls start to worry as well. They sigh in relief as Tooly blinks and smiles at the box. "You're right guys... This is the best gift I could find. I-I don't even want to use it, as to honor my grandfather, but that would be a waste, wouldn't it? I'm sure he would want me to use it as much as he did..." Tooly flashes a smile at her friends. "But still, I get a feeling from the paint, like it's calling out to me, as if... As if it's tugging at a nerve..." "That's a sign that you should use it! At least test the paint first, since they're super old and dry..." Starsong suggests. "Oh! Oh! Draw me! I call dibs!" Scootaloo raises her hand. "Maybe we should have Tooly decide who she wants to draw." Cheerilee adds in. "No, that's a good idea! You're gonna love it, Scootaloo, I can't wait to start! "Then first thing tomorrow morning, I'll set up my easel at Scoot's place, I won't start without any of you guys...." Tooly gently closes the box with the paint inside, a subtle but unknowing aura emits from the box as she closes it, and darkness consumes the paint once more... To be continued... Author's Note This one is pretty short too, and I kinda rushed in making this chapter, but this one is pretty straight forward, so if there's any mistakes, please let me know. Thanks!
Chapter 3Chapter 3: The Painting The next morning couldn't have started sooner for Tooly. As soon as dawn broke, and with excitement, she takes the small box of paint and begins the process of giving them life again from not being used in so long. Simply using water and one of her brushes, Tooly carefully and gently mixes the different colors together, their bright colors shining through once again within their little tubs. After testing out a small amount of paint on a small sheet of paper, Tooly breathes out at her accomplishment, and closes the box to get ready to start the day, and to prepare for Scootaloo's awesome new painting! Closing the box, Tooly takes in the old smell of wood and paint from the box and realizes that she hasn't noticed it before. It's a strong smell, but it's not overbearing nor stinky at all, in fact, it feels almost bittersweet, nostalgic even. Also realizing that she should be heading out now, Tooly quickly grabs her things, including the small box with paint, and her trusty paintbrushes, and puts them in her satchel. She trots out the door towards Scootaloo's house. After a few minutes, Tooly makes it to the young pony's home. All of her friends are there as well to watch the process, and to encourage Scootaloo to keep still during the long process. "Think of it as like a game, Scoots. If you stay still, you'll win a prize!" Pinkie Pie reassures her. "Oooh! I hope my prize is a new skateboard!" Scootaloo jumps in the air in excitement, her mind wandering at the many things she could possibly win. "How about a painting as a gift instead?" Tooly says, flashing her a caring smile. Scootaloo stops bouncing around to shrug. "I guess a FREE painting would be nice too." Everybody laughs at Scootaloo's carefree response. After setting up the easel and the paint from the box, Tooly sits down on her stool, and Scootaloo gets into position by hopping onto her scooter and fastening her helmet on her head. Tooly then gives her some directions, "Ok Scoots, you can be in any pose you want! Just make sure it's comfortable enough for you to keep still for a little while longer while I paint. Remember: even the slightest movement can be a HUGE change!" "All right, all right. I get it. Not moving, keeping still, I promise Tooly, I'm going to be just fine!" Scootaloo waves her hoof, reassuring Tooly in a playful manner. "I wouldn't keep promises like that if I knew I wouldn't keep them, Scoots, but I have absolute faith in you." Rainbow Dash nods her head. "Sounds like you're being sarcastic, Rainbow..." Scootaloo droops her head. Chuckling to herself, Tooly gets ready, and so does Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle prepares food for everyone as they watch Tooly gently glide her brush across the canvas. The paint within the box shows beautifully within the sunlight, and every stroke seems to excite Tooly more and more as the picture comes to life through a magnificent and vibrant array of colors. The paint on the brush feels light, like nothing is on the brush as Tooly uses each color, and surprisingly, Scootaloo actually keeps still throughout, although her facial expressions and obvious frustration to move around is evident. Tooly puts the finishing touches on the paint, giving Scoots the go-ahead to move again after being static for a moment. "Ok, Scoots. you can move now. I'm just putting some finishing touches to it, then you can see!" She says cheerfully, continuing quietly. Scootaloo stretches, breathing in and out with a loud huff, and Sweetie Belle offers her some fruits to eat. "Here you go, Scoots! Standing still surely would've made you hungry!" Scootaloo takes an apple and bites into it, savoring the ripe taste. "Who knew that standing still is so much work! Good thing Tooly is good at it, right Tooly?" Tooly doesn't answer. "Tooly?" Scoots says again. By then, everyone goes to check on the finished painting, and to their amazement, the painting that Tooly created of Scootaloo is nothing like they've seen before from Tooly. It' beautiful, vibrant under the sun, but something felt different about it, yet none of them could put their hooves on it. As for Tooly, Tooly stares at the painting, almost like in a trance again. The painting seems to move slowly and whimsically, almost like a dream, transporting Tooly to a wonderous world filled with vibrant colors and streaks of paint. She watches the painting of Scootaloo riding carelessly on her scooter, and seemingly having a grand'ol time. Tooly smiles, her eyes seemingly empty as she sinks deeper and deeper within the painting, the commotion and excitement from her friends drowned out completely. Suddenly, Tooly's smile fades as a scene unfolds that was not drawn within the painting at all. Instead of Scootaloo just riding around, she moves out of the painting! Tooly whips around to follow her movements, and the drawn Scootaloo, while silent and empty feeling, rides around everyone within the real world, but the problem is, no one else but Tooly can see what's happening around them. Cheerilee notices Tooly's sudden change in behavior and expression and walks up to her, seemingly worried. "Tooly? What's the matter? Do you not like the painting?" She asks. Tooly doesn't hear anything that she's saying, and only seeing her lips moving in slow motion as the painted Scootaloo continues to ride away. "Scootaloo, wait a moment!" Tooly yells, and chases after her, completely forgetting that she's just a painting, and the real one is watching in confusion. "Um, I'm right here-hey! Where are you going?!" Scootaloo yells out for her. "I guess she doesn't like the painting?" Sweetie Belle says confusingly. "No, something else is wrong, we gotta go after her, and quickly!" Pinkie Pie says, and all of them begin to follow Tooly closely behind. Tooly, still in a daze, follows the painted Scootaloo, who is carelessly and without emotion, rides through the town and towards the bridge that crosses the river. Tooly gasps, "W-wait! Scootaloo! Watch out for the bridge!" In that moment, the painted Scootaloo, with empty eyes, stares into Tooly's eyes, before speeding up. Completely missing the bridge, Scootaloo uses her scooter to jump forward and into the river, but before she could do so, Tooly hops into the water to try and save her. "Tooly!" Tooly hears the faint yells of her friends from above the water as she sinks into it. Looking around for Scootaloo, Tooly spots the morphed form of the young pony. The painted Scootaloo stops moving, and simply melts away quietly within the water... To be continued... Author's Note I feel like the ending and the cliffhanger is a little short.... Also let me know if there are any mistakes.
Chapter 4Chapter 4: The Painting Part 2 The river's current rippled as Tooly, soaked and shivering, was hoisted out by Rainbow Dash and Starsong. Her pastel mane clung to her face as she coughed and sputtered, expelling the river water she had inadvertently swallowed. Pinkie Pie wrapped a blanket around her almost instantly, her usually bubbly demeanor tinged with concern. “Tooly! Are you okay?!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, her eyes wide. Tooly blinked rapidly, her breath still uneven. She looked around frantically, her heart clenched until her gaze landed on Scootaloo, who stood casually, completely dry and unharmed. The little orange filly tilted her head in confusion and fear. Tooly’s eyes welled up with relief, and she threw her forelegs around Scootaloo, pulling her into a tight hug. “Scoots! You’re okay! Thank goodness!” Scootaloo squirmed slightly in the embrace, her face scrunched in bewilderment. “Uh... yeah? Why wouldn’t I be okay?” Tooly pulled back, her expression a mix of confusion and emotion. “I saw you... on your scooter. You went into the river! I had to save you! What were you thinking!?” The group exchanged puzzled glances. Cheerilee stepped forward, her voice gentle. “Tooly, you ran off so suddenly. Scootaloo never went near the water. She’s been here with us the whole time.” “What? No!” Toola Roola protested, shaking her head vigorously. “I saw her! She was right there, scooting around like always. I—” She paused, her words catching in her throat. Her wide eyes darted back to Scootaloo, desperate for confirmation. “You really weren’t there? On the scooter?” Scootaloo frowned but shook her head. “Nope! I was here with the others, watching you act all... weird.” “But…” Toola Roola trailed off, her mind racing. The image of the painted Scootaloo zipping by on her scooter was so vivid, so real. She could still feel the adrenaline from chasing after her. Yet, her friends’ expressions told her a different story. Rainbow Dash put a hoof on Tooly's shoulder. “Come now, Tooly. Let’s get you home and dry before you catch a cold.” Starsong nodded, her voice soft and soothing. “Yeah, and we can figure all this out later.” Scootaloo picked up the painting that had been left near the riverbank, holding it carefully. She studied it for a moment before beaming. “You really did do amazing on this painting, Tooly. If it is ok with you, could I keep it?” Tooly's heart swelled at Scootaloo’s words, though her mind was still a tangle of confusion as the picture of Scoots is intact, as usual, almost as if it didn't come to life just now. “Y-Yeah, of course, Scoots. It’s yours, after all.” The group escorted her back to her cozy home. The familiar scents of paint and canvas greeted her, providing a semblance of comfort. Pinkie Pie quickly took charge, bustling about to make hot cocoa for everyone, while Starsong found a fluffy towel to help Tooly dry off. As the others settled in, Scootaloo carefully propped the painting against a wall. “Seriously, Tooly, this is awesome. It’s like... it’s almost alive.” Tooly winced slightly at the comment, her gaze flickering to the painting. For a moment, she could have sworn she saw the painted Scootaloo wink at her, but when she blinked, it was just a painting again. “I... I don’t know what happened,” Toola Roola murmured, pulling the towel closer around her. “It felt so real. I really thought I saw you, Scoots. It wasn’t just a dream.” Cheerilee offered her a kind smile. “You’ve been working so hard lately, Tooly. Maybe you just need some rest. Sometimes when we’re tired, our imaginations can play tricks on us.” “Yeah, maybe,” she replied, though her tone was uncertain. Her friends’ logic made sense, but the experience had been so vivid that it was hard to dismiss entirely. Scootaloo approached her, her purple eyes sparkling. “Hey, don’t beat yourself up about it. I know you’d jump in to save me any day, and that’s pretty cool. But next time, maybe check if it’s really me first, okay?” Despite herself, Tooly chuckled, her spirits lifting slightly. “Deal.” Rainbow Dash smirked, leaning casually against the wall. “That’s the spirit, dear! Once you rest up, do be sure to get me next. I have a fabulous outfit to try that you might love to paint! “Totally!” Pinkie Pie chimed in, balancing a tray of steaming cocoa mugs on her head. “And you know what? This calls for a ‘Tooly Didn’t Actually Drown and Scootaloo Loves Her Painting’ party!” The room filled with laughter, the tension from earlier slowly dissipating. Tooly managed a smile as she sipped her cocoa, her friends’ warmth and support surrounding her. Yet, deep down, the memory of the painted Scootaloo lingered, refusing to fade completely. As the evening wore on and her friends eventually left, Tooly found herself alone in her studio. Scoots took her painting with her, but Tooly, from her late grandfather's shed, had picked up the painting with the waterfall in it. She approached the painting, her eyes scanning every brushstroke. It was undeniably the work of her grandfather, yet there was something about it—something she couldn’t quite put into words. With a sigh, she reached out and touched the edge of the canvas. “What’s going on with me?” she whispered. The room was silent, save for the faint rustle of the wind outside. Tooly shook her head, forcing herself to step away. Maybe Cheerilee was right—maybe she just needed rest. But as she climbed into bed that night, her thoughts were far from restful. If what she had seen wasn’t real, why did it feel so true? And if it was real… what did it mean? To Be Continued...
