Score will be off hiatus, plus a deleted scene. · 5:43am Oct 25th, 2014
Hey, it's waterpear, with a funky name change!
I've actually been working on the next chapter of Score, and I realized that I've reached a good cutoff point for it. So you can expect a new chapter soon! I noticed that I got quite a few favorites from RainbowBob's rec post, and I'm flattered that you have enough faith in this story to do so despite the hiatus.
As an advance, have a scene that I decided not to put in the story. The intent was to have Rarity and Fluttershy discover that it's been a long time, but I decided that it didn't need to be in there because :
1) You already know how long it's been, and having characters waste time coming to a foregone conclusion isn't very fun.
2) I could do that in a later scene at the same time as other revelations, so it doesn't need to have its own scene.
3) The last line is just cringeworthy.
Regardless, someone might enjoy it, so here you go!
The road to Canterlot had not been used for some time. Grass poked through cracks here and there, but the road was still recognizable. As Rarity and Fluttershy continued down the road, the cloud cover began to disperse. Sunlight stroked Fluttershy’s back, its warmth a near-forgotten feeling that evoked memories of picnics and playtime.
The two had come to a fork. Straight ahead, the road continued. But to the right, there was the outline of a path, ill-trod even in its glory days. Fluttershy had slowed, and was staring at the path.
“Um, Rarity?” Fluttershy asked. “I know we’re going to Canterlot, but could we go down this path instead? There’s something I want to check.”
“I suppose. Just--” Rarity looked at herself as best as she could. Her coat, while not pristine, was close enough to white to be presentable. “Don’t make me get dirty.”
Fluttershy took the diversion, letting Rarity follow at leisure. Soon, the very tip of a forest, the Unicorn Woods between Ponyville and the Unicorn Range, came into view. Saplings stood here and there, not yet dense enough for shade, nor tall enough to shelter birds. They were doing well; somepony must have been taking care of them. But that wasn’t quite what Fluttershy was looking for.
“Why are those trees taller than the rest?” Rarity asked.
Three oak trees were planted in a triangle, and, compared to the rest of the fledgeling woods, were immense. They each cast a respectable circle of shade, stunting the growth of the saplings near them.
“They’re magical saplings, enchanted to grow quickly. I had them planted the other day because the birds were running out of territory. I was going to plant more, but then...you know…”
“How on earth do they grow so quickly?”
They were supposed to grow quickly, yes, and they’d be big enough for birds to nest in within a couple years. But this high? So soon after planting?
Fluttershy shook her head. “They shouldn’t. The trees grow really quickly at first, but they slow down after a while. It’d take years for them to get this tall.“
“Years? But then why are they so tall?”
“Well. as far as I know, it’d take years. I don’t really know enough about trees to be sure…”
“This doesn’t make any sense.” Rarity stroked the side of her chin. “There’s only one explanation I can think of, which is so ludicrous that it’s hardly worth mentioning.”
“Oh?” Fluttershy leaned forward, eager to have some clue about what was going on.
“It’s childish, really. But it reminds me of an old unicorn folktale, about a baron who fell asleep after having too much to drink, only to find he’d slept right through the Hearts’ Warming. But that’s just a story, right?”
“Stranger things have happened,” Fluttershy mumbled.
Her desire for explanation sated, she flew to examine one of the trees. Nestled nice and snug in a hollow, there was a nest containing little robin eggs. The hollow looked as if were dug by hooves. Perhaps not the most talented trained of hooves, for it was a bit irregular, and a bit shallow--but the pony had clearly done her best, and it was good enough for the robins.
“Anything up there?” Rarity asked.
Fluttershy smiled. “The birds have their nests. I think everything’s going to be fine.”
