Of Moments and Melodies

by Church

Chapter V

It was dark out. Night had fallen, and the rain had finally quit. Mum had gone to bed a while ago, ‘cuz I think beating me up made her feel tired. That was fine by me. It gave us more time to prepare. It was nice, ‘cuz now Fluttershy and I were gonna make our move. We were going to do something daring, something heroic and drastic... and we could never turn back on it, not never. Nope. This was it. We were about to do what I had been dreaming of doing for just over two years, but never had the guts to accomplish.

“Do you think we’re ready?” Fluttershy asked me. I could only vaguely make out her outlines, Luna’s moon was not shining brightly enough through the window pane for me to get a clearer view.

I scuffled across the carpet, searching for my knapsack. I hoped that I had packed everything that I needed. “Ready as we’ll ever be,” I said to my friend, whom I could no longer see at all. She seemed to be very good at blending into the background, sometimes it was as if she were invisible.

“Um... okay. So, um, should we go now?”

“Shhhhh!” I shushed her, just in case my sleeping Mum happened to randomly obtain bat ears. You never know, and you can never be too careful.

“Oh, um... sorry.”

I listened through the walls, just to make sure that I couldn’t hear any shuffling hoofsteps or anything like that. Nothing stirred, the coast seemed to be clear... for now.

“C’mon... I think we’re good,” I said into the darkness.

I opened our bedroom door a smidge, trying to inhibit the creaking sound it always made whenever it opened. I peered out into the blackened hallway, which was unnecessary ‘cuz I wasn’t going to see anything anyway. It was as black as the night. It was as black as the relationship with my mother. In many ways, it exemplified the future, jumping into a pit of darkness with no foreseeable exit. But in other ways... it was a hallway in a cottage on the edge of town.

The door slowly drifted open, making that darned creaking noise the entire way through. I couldn’t hear it all that well, ‘cuz I was muttering ‘shoot, shoot, shoot...’ under my breath in the process. I could sense Fluttershy’s grimace as we prayed that Mum could not hear the noise in the dark. Our heads were kept on a swivel... or rather our ears, if possible, just in case something did decide to go bump in the night, and we would have to abandon ship.

The door stopped groaning as it fully swung inward, giving us a good amount of space to squeeze through into the hall. I led the way, Fluttershy close behind, and we silently shuffled out. We decided that it would be a good idea to stick as close to each other as possible, ‘cuz it was so dark and we didn’t want to lose each other. So Fluttershy pretty much hung on to my tail as we meandered down the eerie hallway.

And now, for our next trick: finding the stairs. This was going to be lots of fun and so much more, as the danger level of this endeavor now tripled. Not only could we not see where the stairs began, but falling down them meant certain death, a demise I do not want to have to deal with tonight. That, and we could even hurt ourselves falling down them alone, forget the punishment that comes after.

But I was such a smart foal, oh yes I was. You see, I had counted how many steps it took to get to the stairs before nightfall, which was approximately thirteen. I was very proud of myself for thinking of such.

“Okay, stay close,” I whispered behind me, simultaneously feeling the tighter grip onto my tail.

One...

Two...

Three... I felt like I was in some sort of jailbreak movie. Like I was a wanted criminal.

Four... Five... Six...

We were getting out of here, into the night. I was sure of it.

Seven... Eight... Nine...

I certainly hope that Luna can handle two wayward ponies when we do.

Ten... Eleven... Twelve...

“Stop,” I said as I held up a hoof and came to a sudden halt. I could feel Fluttershy lightly bump into me from behind.

There was a frozen moment at the top of the steps, or what I thought was the top of the steps. Fluttershy waited patiently behind me as I slowly raised my hoof and proceeded to bring it back down, hoping that I would find the first step. To my surprise, my hoof slid off of the corner of the steps and came down onto the staircase.

“Eep!” I squeaked out. I covered my mouth with my hoof, ‘cuz I was being too loud. For a moment, it felt as though there wasn’t any pressure on my tail any more. It felt like Fluttershy had just... disappeared.

I relaxed when I found out that Mum was still sound asleep, ‘cuz I heard a snore. I could also feel Fluttershy’s tight grip on my tail again, and she was ready for me to lead her down the stairs. So that’s exactly what I did. One small step at a time, I furtively led us down the steps. We were silent as a mouse. Maybe even more than silent, we were like secret agents on those stairs. I suppose that you could call me the Stair Master.

We hit the bottom of the steps and stepped out onto the first floor. I know, because I counted the steps- seven. The moonlight here shone through the windows, making it possible for us to see clearly again. Everything in the room was crisply outlined by the moonlight, including my friend.

“You ready?” I asked Fluttershy, smirking, though she probably couldn’t tell.

“Only if you are,” she replied, her voice unmistakable.

I turned my head toward the front door. I motioned my hoof forward, signaling Fluttershy to follow me. “Alright, let’s go.”

Fluttershy and I exited through the front door, being extra careful not to make it sound too loud. I let Fluttershy step out into the cool night air with me, which was much more suitable than that stuffy old cottage, I’m sure Fluttershy agreed. I closed the door behind us. I shut it tight, making sure that I heard the click of the bolt slide into place on the other side. This meant something to me. I wasn’t just closing a door, no. I was closing out painful memories and several cuts and bruises. I was closing out my old life. ‘Cuz you know what?

You know what I’ve decided?

I’m never coming back.

I heaved a deep sigh. I turned away from my front door, my knapsack slung over my shoulder, and I stared at what lay before me, what my new life was going to look like.

The outside world was beautiful. The moonscape was a stunning display of violets and lavenders and navy blues that blended together in a harmony comparable to that of a music ballad masterpiece. The stars were entwined with the heavens, making the otherwise dark night sky spring to life with the numerous floating orbs that rested in its midst. The moon itself was a floating, spherical lantern that hung there for all to gaze and marvel at. If you could ever see something as beautiful in your lifetime, you would be one lucky pony. It had taken my breath away instantly.

The cosmos were not the only extraordinary sight on this evening. The moon highlighted every little outline and every edge of everything in sight, making the plants and such gleam and shine in a different way than they would in the daytime. The trees that lined the path going back to the village were gently swaying in the moonlight, essentially appearing to be very tall ponies with giant afros on their heads. I could hear crickets and bugs and raccoons and restful breathing. I could hear whispers on the wind and an inner voice that was telling me that everything would be all right.

That wasn’t even the best part, no. The best part was the overcrowded population of lightning bugs that danced in the scene, buzzing back and forth with ease. They were so beautiful. They were so graceful. They frolicked from grass blade to grass blade, every now and then making their presence known with that glow of theirs. Pop and I used to catch them when I was little. We would put them in jars and watch them glow, captivated by it. I would always try to make my flank glow after I saw them... it never worked. I guess that I can say that they hold some sort of significance to me. Some of my favorite memories are sparked by the sight of the lightning bug.

I watched intently as one of the creatures buzzed over to me, taking an interest to this intruder of the night. He fluttered over and alighted on my nose, glowing in a constant rhythm. I loved it. I giggled, ‘cuz he was tickling my nose. How did he know that that was my sweet spot? How did he know anything about me? I would probably never know.

Then, there was my friend, Fluttershy. I could see the stars shine in her eyes like undying embers in the middle of a pool of dark water. I wish I had her eyes. She was glowing by herself, the moon producing a halo of light around her to accentuate her own divinity. I was in awe. The whole scene... all of it... I could never ever grow tired of it.

“I, um... I kinda know my way around here, if you want me to lead the way,” Fluttershy said, snapping me back to reality. “Oh, unless you want to lead... that’s fine too.

I smiled at her. “It’s fine, I want you to lead,” I said. I paused, taking a look back at my new house, the one that I still liked, but was now going to leave because of the monster that lived inside. “You sure you want to go?”

I could just feel her smile from all the way back to the front door. “Yes. I think that it is time I moved away anyway.”

“How long have you been living here?” I asked her.

Fluttershy thought about it. “Ummmm... I stopped counting at 106, but, uh... well I’m not so sure now...”

I chuckled. I chuckled at my friend, because she was still funny whenever she lied. She wasn’t too much older than me, I think. “Right. You’re funny! I like that.”

Both she and I turned to the road ahead, the one that took us out of this little village. Who knows what lurks out there.

“Should we go then?” Fluttershy asked me, almost hesitant about it, as if I might change my mind.

I would not. I was determined, ‘cuz I was really ready to do this. Nothing could be as dark as living under Mum, I was sure of it. So this is what I’ve decided. I’m gonna do it, and nothing’s gonna stop me.

“Thought you’d never ask,” I told her, wearing what I liked to call a Fluttershy smile.

Song: Everlasting Light

By: The Black Keys