Don't Open Your Eyes, Scoot: Sneak Peek · 4:03am Aug 24th, 2014
I know it's been a horrendously long wait for the final chapter of Don't Open Your Eyes, Scoot. As such, I feel like I owe you guys. So, here's a sneak peek.
Enjoy. Quick note below the end of the sneak peek.
...(SNEAK PEEK BELOW)...
Amidst the surge of passion that had covered his brain in a misty cloud, there had not been proper time for risk assessment. But now that the time for planning had passed and the time for execution was nigh, Hutch was given a lot more time to think.
He only wished his more sensible side had decided to show up before he'd found them all pinned up against the rock, right beneath the platform where their targets sat. Where, if either pegasi were to even look down in their direction, they would be seen. Otherwise, he may never have spared this idea a second's thought.
And now, with his heart swimming in his ribs, Hutch realized the stakes at hoof. There was no denying it; if they were to spot he and his group and escape, it was over. The authorities would have a definitive trail to follow, and there would be no coming back. And while this had been true of all their previous excursions, this time was already shaping up to be a far greater challenge.
A dry chuckle from the top, to the right of where he crouched. Hutch pressed himself up against the wall, pinpointing where his targets were with one ear angled toward the sky. The sound of their chatter was subdued, at least more than it had been when he had made his stealthy approach. The relative quiet unnerved him, daring him or anyone else in his entourage to make a mistake.
To his left, Anvil lay flat. A much smaller crag of rock, one that stuck out at an odd angle from the rest of the cliff, was at his side. It was a stepping stone made by nature, one that rose up almost as highly as Anvil did when standing straight. For non-fliers, it was the only feasible way to climb up onto the main platform up above. He stared at Hutch's right hoof, which was raised up in he manner of somepony swearing an oath of honesty. Beads of sweat trickled down his face and the tip of his tongue stuck out with concentration. He would not move until he'd been given his cue.
Hutch tried his best to pinpoint the location of his targets, listening and focusing all of his attention on the task at hand. Specifically, he listened for the more youthful of the two voices, and determined that she was closer to the center of the rock. Separated from her older counterpart.
He smiled, but did not drop his upraised hoof just yet. He had to be absolutely sure...
...
"Hey, hey Scoot?" Rainbow broke the silence at last. Scootaloo's ear twitched. "You wanna sit back here with me?"
Rainbow cocked her head toward the empty space at her side, keeping her hooves behind her head like a pillow. Scootaloo gave the suggestion some thought, head frozen as she stared at the spot Rainbow Dash had indicated. But alas, after some consideration, Scootaloo shook her head.
"Nah... maybe later. I can see a whole lot more from right h--"
Scootaloo was cut short as a whole cluster of pale white streaks blazed across the sky, starting from the furthest horizon to the east and shooting westward. They crossed right over the top of where they stood, six or seven of them all at once. She let her mouth hang open, doing a little hop skip backwards in surprise. Rainbow Dash sat up, catching the display just before it dissipated into nothing amidst the stars.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, both of them made eye contact. For the time being, however brief it was, the tension between them fizzled away into the night air, carried into the cosmos.
Rainbow Dash grinned. Scootaloo pointed a hoof up at the sky, eyebrows raised in incredulous awe.
"Did you see that?"
...
Hutch saw it, too. They all did. But, more importantly, he heard.
Not the meteors, of course. But as he trained his ears to listen to every word, he'd heard had been exactly what he wanted to hear.
The rainbow mare had asked her young friend to join her. To be next to her, within hoof's reach.
Her offer was declined.
Hutch and Anvil looked at one another in silent understanding. To his right, the other two stallions watched with a blend of anxiety and concern, ready to jump into action at a moment's notice. Satisfied that everything was in place, Hutch made sure Anvil could see his right hoof.
He let it fall.
...(SNEAK PEEK ABOVE)...
Guys... I'm gonna be totally honest, here. I've never had more trouble writing anything before. The frequent POV switches, the sensitive subject matter, writing my second favorite pony in the whole show in so much pain... This has got to be the most I've ever agonized over a piece of fiction in my entire life. And the thing is, I don't even know if it's turning out the way it should. This last chapter has undergone two restarts and a rewrite already, and now that classes are starting back up in two days, I'm afraid that I'm going to take even longer to finish it up. In fact, I'm kind of regretting ever starting it up in the first place.
But I'm not going to cancel. I'm not having another Heaven Nor Hell. And until this is done, I don't think I'm going to start something new unless I get some kind of collective response telling me to take a break from this story or something.
I feel like any more apologies will just be redundant, but I really am sorry.
~Arwhale
You're a cruel, cruel man, but I understand how Life takes precedence.
not bad...tho I hate rape stories and yet I'm reading this
And then Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo went for ice cream......right?
Can we have some assurances that in the end the four stallions get punished for this? I'm talking about 'chained to a chair and forced to listen to Pinkie Pie rant on about the perfect method of making a birthday cake' kind of punishment...