Legacy volume 1: Eruditio
Chapter 7 – Speeding Bullet
Rosa and Sparks were sat in the third row from the front in the centre section of plush red seats, complete with gold-painted metal support beams. The auditorium itself was massive, with two tiers of seats that stretched around the centre stage and back at least twenty metres towards the entrance. The stage was currently veiled by a red curtain; the clatter of stage-hooves moving props and faint chatter and chirps could be heard behind it.
Thanks to their early arrival the pair had spent a good half an hour making small talk, Sparks asking Rosa about her life in Ponyville and Rosa erring at every turn, trying to make her life not seem as boring and pathetic as she knew it was. He knew a lot already from her father which only made things worse as Rosa was left backtracking on a statement or two, including one about her love of nature despite the fact she was barely even aware of the Ponyville nature reserve.
Rosa had chatted to Sparks about his life, learning that he was still living with his parents but did want to move out pretty soon. I hope he doesn’t expect me to move in with him, she thought nervously, evading the subject as soon as she could. She’d learned that he worked at the Ponyville leisure centre, a relatively new establishment and one that Rosa had never been to either. She saw couples kissing in other rows and immediately felt awkward. One stallion in particular bore a resemblance to Nico, and Rosa nearly felt her heart jump out of her chest, only for him to lean back and reveal an entirely different face. She’d always wondered in the back of her mind if Nico was off gallivanting with randy mares, though nothing had ever come of those fears, at least to her knowledge.
Sat to Rosa’s right was a plump, middle-aged mare wearing a large floral hat and thick shades (which seemed completely inappropriate attire in an auditorium) who had done nothing but complain to her husband since she had arrived. As much as Rosa tried to keep her attention to Sparks she could still hear the warble of high-pitched moaning as the mare talked about how she’d blasted a sales-pony at a trendy clothes shop for not being able to recall certain brands of dress. The mare’s partner was completely disinterested, letting out faint hums and droning “Oh I see” to whatever she said. Rosa felt herself getting irate just being sat next to the mare, clenching her muscles with a minute sense of anger. Just being in Canterlot was having some kind of effect on her. From her outburst at the receptionist to her immense irritation in that moment, something was obviously different.
Just as Rosa had reached a new level of discomfort the lights on the walls dimmed and the entire auditorium quickly fell into silence as ponies hushed each other. Small lights dotted around the edge of the stage switched on, followed within moments by two spotlights being manipulated by stage-hooves pointing at the centre of the curtain.
Sparks gave Rosa a nudge and an approving smile, and then whispered in her ear, “You’re going to love this.”
Just as he’d said that a booming voice echoed around the hall. “Mares and Gentle-colts! Welcome to the Royal Canterlot Auditorium! Today we have the most awe-inspiring show on Earth for your viewing only!
“The pegasus wonder-colt with extraordinary gifts the likes of which you will have never seen before! Part pony, part bird, all talent! Please put your hooves together for Foal Gallagher and his high flying birds!”
With this announcement the crowd clapped their hooves and stomped their hind legs, some cheering and whistling as the curtain slowly rose from the floor. Stood before them was a white pegasus hovering just above centre stage, his back turned to the crowd. He wore a black coat covered in rubies, sapphires and diamonds that sparkled in the spotlight. The back of his jacket read ‘HIGH FLYING BIRDS’, each letter alternating in the type of gem. His tail was a sky blue with a jade green stripe through the middle, much like the back of his mane.
While the back-end of the stage was kept in darkness, Rosa could see that in front of the pegasus was a painted backdrop depicting an aerial view of Equestria, showing Canterlot curving its way around the mountain, Ponyville down below and various other towns and villages dotted beside meadows and forests.
The pegasus gestured with his hooves for even more cheering which had the appropriate effect on the crowd. Rosa sat smiling, gently clapping her hooves together while Sparks had his hooves raised over his head, clapping more enthusiastically. The pegasus slowly turned around in mid air revealing an enormous grin on his face. He was young; from what Rosa could tell he was no more than sixteen years old. A mare near the front stood up and shouted something that was inaudible against the din of the rest of the crowd. The pegasus waved back to her — prompting a loud pitched scream from the star-struck fan — then bowed to the audience. He stood for a moment, admiring the warm reception then began to gesture with his hooves for the audience to quiet down. Sure enough, the commotion began dwindling to quiet whispers as the pegasus on stage spoke, his voice loud and clear.
“Hello mares and gentle-colts! My name is Foal Gallagher, though you probably already knew that. I’m here to show you the time of your life! But I can’t take all the credit…”
As he trailed off, the rest of the stage lit up to reveal an orchestra at the back split into two groups, each on either side of the stage on a set of steps. There was an arrangement of cellists, violinists, trumpeters and flutists, plus one or two playing instruments that Rosa couldn’t recognise. Most were unicorns, though an earth pony mare with a light brown coat and chocolate mane stood out.
“Please give a warm welcome to Canterlot’s very own Treble Clef Symphony Orchestra!”
The musicians rose from their seats and bowed as the crowd applauded in response. They sat back down and Foal Gallagher turned to the audience.
“And let’s not forget the high flying birds!”
At this, more lights came into action as several flocks of birds flew onto the stage from the sides, a flurry of cockatoos, parrots, owls, doves, eagles, blue jays and a barrage of other, exotic birds in a spectrum of colours. Some of the audience gasped in surprise and awe; Rosa’s mouth was agape as she watched the majestic creatures, of which there were at least fifty, obediently perch themselves atop the set of steps that the orchestra were seated at while Foal directed them with his hooves. It was almost like watching a master puppeteer manipulate the birds with mind control. Whoever this pegasus was, it was obvious that he had a special bond with these animals.
“These birds are my friends, my inspiration. Without them I wouldn’t be the pony I am today. So let’s hear it for Frederick, Boston, Watson, Adam, Jerry, Thrifty, Bagel, Fizzy...”
Foal inhaled deeply, arching his back dramatically.
“And the rest!”
Faint chuckles emanated throughout the auditorium.
“Now since we’re only just warming up I guess we should start with something a little softer than usual. Ready, fellas?” One of the birds squawked angrily back at him. “Sorry! Ready, fellas and ladies?”
Foal turned back to the perched birds and nodded, to which they all chirped in response. Some flew out of sight, into the darkness at the back of the stage leaving a small group of doves. Foal approached them and held out his hooves, the doves circling around his head like a halo while string instruments played an angelic chord. The birds darted off, and then swooped back to land perfectly on his spread forelegs. This elicited more gasps from the audience, but there was a lot more to come.
A new set of coloured lights sprang into action at the back of the stage, spots of blue, yellow green and red swishing across the hall as Foal took the standard flight position and swooped forward, the doves still hanging onto his legs as he twirled in the air. It started slowly at first, gradually gaining speed as the music followed suit, the string play getting consistently more rapid. Suddenly, the doves burst from Foal’s grasp and flew out above the front row of the audience, dipping and diving as the trumpets came into play, the music and pulsing of the coloured lights flowing in time with the beat of the birds’ movements. It was like nothing Rosa had ever seen before; she could hardly believe her eyes.
Foal and the doves flew right up to the ceiling and stopped just as the orchestra fell quiet. With but a moment’s pause, the pegasus and birds fell from the sky as if they had all been killed mid-flight, their bodies spinning and splaying out like ragdolls. There were a few gasps from the audience and even Rosa felt herself holding her breath as they fell. It was unnervingly convincing.
Just before the pegasus and his loyal birds could hit the ground they shot up again, just as the symphony was kicked back into full swing. The performers flew out to the back rows prompting many ponies to clamber out of their seats to get a better look. The doves flew back towards the stage, spiralling and criss-crossing their paths just as Foal reached them and spread his wings, descending slowly to the floor as the doves took their places along the edge of his wings, keeping their position as he gently flapped and brought himself down to touch the stage’s wooden floor. The sound of trumpets echoed around the auditorium, holding their notes until Foal lifted his head in triumph. The orchestra fell silent.
The audience’s reaction was an explosion of cheers, whoops, claps and stomps that was almost deafening. Rosa found herself stood on her hind legs, clapping furiously at what she had just witnessed. It was by far the most amazing thing she had ever seen, and if this was only the beginning...
She noticed Sparks smiling admirably at her, obviously happy that she was enjoying it as much as he had hoped. She smiled bashfully in response, the stress of the ‘first date’ scenario and the headache of navigating through Canterlot’s busy streets becoming distant memories. It was the happiest she had felt in a long, long time.
In a flash, the doves were accompanied by a rainbow of different coloured parrots and cockatoos that landed on stage, followed by a beautiful crimson-coated pegasus mare wearing a silk pink dress. Foal took one look at her and glanced back at the audience, raising his eyebrows and smiling mischievously, eliciting a small laugh from a few ponies.
The music started again, this time more upbeat than the previous piece. Each parrot and each dove shuffled around, pairing up with one another and lining up along the front of the stage. Foal and the mare locked forelegs and began to dance, Foal twirling her around until she span into the air, then leapt and caught her before swinging her back out again in an array of complex hoof-work. The birds at the front mimicked these dance moves, spinning and fluttering into the air with amazing grace, each of the bird ‘couples’ precisely timing their movements with the music. There were no missteps and each performer held their own, shuffling and bounding, twirling and flapping as the music constantly changed pace.
Before long, the bird couples split apart as the two pegasi took places at either side of the stage. The parrots lined themselves up on Foal’s head, shoulders and wings while the doves did the same with the mare. The music was reduced to a simple, slow beat of cello strums. The two pegasi walked slowly towards each other and met in the middle, playing out a silent, pseudo-acting part as the two of them exchanged glances, portraying two would-be lovers struggling to express their feelings. The violinists began to play along to the tune, then accompanied by the flutists, the music gaining in complexity as the scene played out.
Suddenly, the sound of trumpets echoed throughout the auditorium as the birds burst from their respective ponies like confetti and flew in formation, drawing two hearts in the air as the mare literally leapt into Foal’s forelegs. He spun her around and took flight, mimicking fancy hoof-work on just thin air. The two of them then leapt through each heart of birds, scattering them as they did so. The mare landed daintily at the edge of the stage while Foal purposefully tripped, landing in a heap. He looked around suspiciously and clambered to his hooves in time just before the mare could turn to see his ‘mistake’. They then turned to face the crowd and bowed while the birds circled above, the coloured lights cascading across them.
Rosa clapped enthusiastically, much the same as the rest of the crowd followed by the obligatory cheers and wolf whistles. As she placed her hooves back down it came into contact with Sparks’, who wrapped his hoof around hers and gave it a loving stroke. Rosa’s expression was one of shock, much like when he had embraced her a few days previously. However, the sheer joy that she was feeling at that moment disintegrated her usual awkwardness, even though her heart was thumping inside her chest, still audible despite the surrounding racket.
As Sparks smiled, gazing deeply into her eyes, she could do nothing but respond with the same action, beaming from ear to ear. This was the stallion who had brought her here and made her witness the most spectacular thing she had ever seen. She felt such happiness that she could only have dreamed about when her life was just a never-ending cycle of working, sleeping, reading and the occasional day out with Clover and Nico.
Rosa had no idea whether she was falling for Sparks or simply falling for these wondrous experiences, but whatever it was, it felt good. Nico had never made her feel this way, at least not in reality. Simply dreaming about events such as these couldn’t compare to the real thing.
Rosa held Sparks’ hoof and turned back to see Foal getting ready for the next performance, the doves fluttering away as the parrots and cockatoos were accompanied by two majestic, but fierce looking hawks. Sparks turned back too, caressing Rosa’s hoof with his own. For perhaps the first time since she could remember, Rosa was no longer just acting the part. She wasn’t returning Sparks’ gesture because of peer pressure or parental advice. For once, she was doing something because it felt right. Not for anypony else, but for her.
The show continued with more dazzling displays of aerobatics, impressive dance moves, creative bird formations and heavenly music. At one point, flocks of birds orbited Foal in separate rings, curving their way around him at different speeds and in different directions as the lights bore down on him, creating the most unusual effect. It was still a wonder how the birds could have been trained so well. Other pegasi joined Foal on the stage, one notable piece being one where they threw him around in the air, spinning him into dizziness as he performed all the wrong dance moves, but obviously just as part of the show.
With each separate ‘act’ Rosa would applaud the performers and rest her left hoof in Sparks’ right, almost as if it were natural. Of course, at a time like this it should be natural, but to Rosa the sensation was something otherworldly that barely clawed its way into the realms of normality.
As the show came to an end, Foal, the birds, the numerous pegasi who had performed at intervals and the entirety of the Treble Clef Symphony Orchestra came to the front of the stage, lined themselves up and took a bow, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd that must have lasted at least two whole minutes.
“Thank you for coming and I hope you’ve had an amazing time!” Foal announced, sweat pouring from his forehead. “So from me, the lovely ladies, the Treble Clef Symphony Orchestra and the high flying birds, I bid you farewell!”
They swiftly left the stage as the lights dimmed, the cheers and claps from the audience eventually dying down.
“So you enjoyed it, it take?” Sparks asked slyly.
“That’s the understatement of the year!” Rosa chuckled. “I loved it, Sparks. Thank you.”
Rosa looked around as the majority of ponies headed for the exits, many of them chattering ecstatically.
“How long were we here for?” she asked curiously.
“I’m not sure. Two hours, perhaps?”
“It went by much faster than that. I guess that’s the price for having such a good time.”
Sparks brought Rosa’s chin up with a hoof and she smiled. She expected herself to blush as always but found that she wasn’t flustered at all. She did feel a slight pang of anxiety, but it was somehow different from what she had come to expect.
They left the auditorium, Rosa making sure not to make eye contact with the mare at the front desk, and walked out into the sunlight. It was still as beautiful a day as it was when they had arrived in Canterlot. Sparks began leading the way back to the train station.
“Shall we?”
The walk back was a much more pleasant experience than the trip there. The two of them chatted excitedly about their favourite parts of the performance. Both of them found too many to list, as if every moment could have been considered the best moment.
The streets were less crowded now. They were still far busier than Ponyville had ever been but it was at least somewhat tolerable. It was much easier to appreciate the stunning architecture of the city, not that this was Rosa’s main focal point. She was starting to look at Sparks in a different light. Even if he had simply coaxed her with money, perhaps she should stop looking at it in that way. Maybe... she should stop trying to actively decide on her feelings and just let things flow. She was tired of being confused, tired of feeling awkward all the time. If there was a way to make it so that she wouldn’t have to ever feel like that...
They took the train back to Ponyville after waiting a few minutes at the station. The two of them continued to chat quite happily, Rosa inquiring about Sparks’ knowledge of the auditorium and how often he had been there before.
“I’d been a few times with my parents as a foal, though mostly we just saw opera. It’s been a while since I’ve been back, but when I heard that Foal Gallagher would be performing there I knew I had to see him. Not that I only brought you here as an excuse to see him, of course.”
On the train journey home Rosa questioned Sparks on his family, surprising him by being the instigator of conversations for once. In a way, she was surprised herself. She was genuinely intrigued, wanting to get to know him better for reasons that felt right. Foal Gallagher’s show had broken the ice between them like nothing before. It was almost as if Rosa was a different pony from the one that crawled out of bed this morning. She learned that he had a twelve year old sister called Crane who practiced ballet. According to Sparks, she was looking forward to meeting Rosa some day, if only to judge her.
“She might think you’ll try and take me away from her,” he said, half smirking despite being serious. “Though I’m sure if she met you she’d be fine with it.”
Rosa had deep down always wanted a sibling, though she could hardly blame her parents for not providing her with one. It would’ve been nice to have somepony to talk to who could understand her better than her Mum and Dad. It was a thought that hadn’t crossed her mind in years.
The sun was beginning to set as the train pulled up close to Ponyville station, a splatter of beautiful orange tones decorated the sky, just a sliver of the sun still visible. A few clouds dotted the heavens, wisps of translucent fluff glowing like hot coals in an open fire. A few pagasi above were manoeuvring some of the plump white masses, spreading them across the entirety of the village. It was such a peaceful view, a stark contrast to where they had just been.
As they disembarked the train amongst the groups of other passengers Rosa’s eyes fell down to Sparks’ flank, or to be more specific, his cutie mark. The two rows of fire surrounded by tiny sparks was a certainly a peculiar mark to have and didn’t speak for itself, though the same could also be said of her own of which she was still unsure about. She didn’t know what she would say when she was asked the inevitable question about her own mark, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her. She wanted to know what made Sparks so special, as if to confirm her newfound feelings. Not that she was even sure if she had begun to care about the stallion in that way, but a bond was certainly forming. Time was flying by ever so quickly; Rosa almost didn’t want the day to end.
“I was just wondering about your cutie mark. I would’ve thought your special talent had something to do with athletics.”
Sparks glanced at his flank apprehensively. “Oh, um... Well I guess I can show you.” He paused as they exited the station. “But we’ll have to take a walk over to the training grounds. It’s not something I can just do anywhere.”
Rosa gave him a puzzled expression. “What do you mean, ‘show me’? I’ve seen you run before.”
Sparks sighed and shook his head. “Well yeah, you have, but this is different. It’s up to you though; I can walk you home right now if you’d like.”
Rosa thought this over for a moment and then smiled cheerily. She was tired, but going home meant the day coming to an end. Plus, Sparks’ cryptic comments had piqued her interest. “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to see this special talent of yours. You’ve got me intrigued.”
Sparks grinned bashfully, scratching the back of his neck with a hoof. “Since you’re so interested I’ll show you, but then I’m walking you home.”
“Deal!” said Rosa matter-of-factly, and the two of them walked uphill towards the training ground.
The light breeze cooled their exhausted bodies, rustling nearby trees and bushes. There were no birds chirping or bugs humming around the plants they walked by and any citizens of Ponyville were milling about in the distance. All Rosa could hear was the rush of the wind and the shuffle of hers and Spark’s hooves. The two ponies kept a comfortable silence and their pace had slowed from Rosa’s usual rush to a leisurely trot.
This is nice, thought Rosa, who on most days like this would either be reading or perusing the various new books that had come into their family’s possession. Either that, or she’d get the odd visit from Clover or Nico to come join them in some inane activity. Even though part of her would wish to be left alone, she did often enjoy the little get-togethers with her friends, but she was hardly ever the one to instigate them herself. She’d been more sociable in the past, trying her best to spend as much time with Nico as possible but had begun to realise that since her only reason was hopeful romance…
Rosa shut her eyes and tried to throw these thoughts from her mind. She couldn’t spend her time thinking of Nico — not anymore. Things had changed; she had changed.
The two ponies descended upon the training ground, the sun just barely visible now. Sparks headed to the ‘start’ marked by chalk on the ground and lined himself up.
“Just so you know,” he said solemnly, “I’m not much of a show off, so don’t go getting that impression. I’m only doing this because you asked.”
“OK, Mr Show off, I understand,” Rosa chortled.
Sparks smirked in response, and then turned his head to face the track out in front of him, a look of steely determination appearing on his face. He shook each leg out in turn to loosen up his muscles while Rosa watched curiously.
Sparks began to head off around the track, building up speed. He had gotten around half-way when Rosa rolled her eyes, wondering exactly what was so special. He was a fast runner, there was no doubt about it, but if that was his special talent then why didn’t he just say so?
Just as disappointment set in she noticed something happening to Sparks in the distance. His head was held lower, his face appeared contorted, and a small, white glow materialised around him. She watched in awe as his horn lit up like a fire-cracker and he began to charge around the last half of the track even faster than before. He kept building speed, tearing past the start line. He kept getting faster and faster, his horn glowing brighter and brighter until he was moving so quickly Rosa’s jaw was about to fall off.
He was a blur now, whizzing round the track at least three times as fast as he was when he started and he wasn’t slowing down. It was dizzying just watching him and difficult to make out his features with him moving so quickly, but she could see his teeth clenched and his lips tightened. His speed kept increasing and increasing, the light from his horn enveloping his entire body. Then, something else happened.
As he tore down the straight next to Rosa she saw sparks being cast from his hooves, flying out in all directions. Within a few seconds he was back on the straight, charging past and leaving two ethereal trails behind him. With each lap the trails became a brighter and brighter white until suddenly, flames began to erupt from behind him as he passed, sprouting for a moment before disappearing. He made his final lap, fire spewing from the orange stone. Within a moment the flames died down, the trail disappeared and Sparks slowed himself to a mere ‘sprint’. He left the track, slowing to a stop on a patch of grass just shy of where Rosa stood. After a series of quick breaths, he collapsed.
Rosa quickly broke into a sprint herself and made her way to where Sparks was led, puffing and panting like some kind of beast.
“Are you OK?!” she cried, resting a hoof on his shoulder. He didn’t reply for a while, but kept inhaling deeply, his eyes steered to the skies above. Finally, he turned to Rosa with a cheeky grin on his face.
“That was nothing. I could’ve gone a million times faster than that!” he said with a deadpan face. Rosa simply gasped, but Sparks threw his head back in a fit of laughter and Rosa quickly joined in, realising just how ridiculous that statement was. They sat there on the grass, laughing themselves into breathlessness until the sun finally left the sky, night officially beginning. Sparks was the first to speak.
“So what did you think?”
“What do I think? Sparks, how fast was that!?”
Sparks smiled proudly. “Well I’m not sure exactly, but I think my best recorded lap time on this track is 9.3 seconds, so if this track is one kilometre...”
Rosa’s eyes lit up as she did some rough calculations. “But that’s over one hundred metres a second! How is that even possible?!”
“Magic!” Sparks grinned, and began to laugh again.
“You’re the fastest pony alive! You should be winning every award going!”
“Not quite,” Sparks revealed. “In every official event no participants are allowed to use wing-power or magic to enhance their performance. I’m not the only pony who can do things like this and some are even able to teleport across absolutely ridiculous distances. There was a unicorn your father knew who he said could run a thousand metres in just 4 seconds. And there have been a select few pegasi who have been able to break the sound barrier. So… I’m not really the fastest pony ever.”
“You know what? It’s a shame they don’t let you use your magic in races. I actually think I‘d watch the Foalympics if that were the case.”
“Tell me about it. I’ve hoped for some kind of separate event for years, but I guess it wouldn’t be too fair on earth pony folk who are genuinely great athletes. If I had more incentive to practice I’m sure I could attain higher speeds, but it’s pretty risky. If somepony comes crashing off the track at two hundred miles an hour a broken hoof would be considered a lucky escape.”
Rosa thought this over, realising just how much danger he had put himself in. Of all the amazing things she’d seen at Foal Gallagher’s show, the most awe-inspiring act she’d witnessed that day had been from Sparks. My colt-friend, she thought, acknowledging it for the very first time.
“I guess I’d better get you home before it gets too dark,” Sparks proclaimed, standing himself up. “I imagine your parents will be wondering where in Equestria you are.”
“Yeah, I guess I’d better go back. Are you sure you’re OK to walk? You did kind of run a dozen or so kilometres back there.”
“Oh that? That was nothing!” Sparks joked, his back legs visibly trembling.
“Seriously Sparks, are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. But I definitely won’t be going for extra practice tomorrow morning! For once, I think I’ll stay in bed.”
“Now you’re turning into me,” Rosa chuckled, taking to Sparks’ side as they sluggishly soldiered on home.
The moon had come into full view now, a beautiful gift of night from Princess Luna. Millions of stars twinkled above them, their sparkling beauty creating the perfect backdrop for what Rosa had to consider as the perfect end to the day.
They stopped just outside Bloom’s Books, Rosa glancing inside to catch her parents waiting for her. She saw her father leaving the kitchen door, only to notice the two of them and smile with relief. Rosa grinned back and watched her father return back to the kitchen, probably to let her mother know that she’d returned.
“So I guess this is the bit where we say goodbye,” said Sparks, his body trembling with aches and pains from his little stunt.
“I had a wonderful day, Sparks. To be honest, I’m sad to see it end. Thank you. I mean it.”
Rosa looked up at the blonde-maned stallion, wondering how in Equestria she had gone from casually dismissing him to having the time of her life with him. She was reminded of Spike’s words, how he had said that the future could be surprising, very surprising. She didn’t love Sparks, but maybe that was the point. Maybe it meant not having to deal with soul-crushing anxieties like with Nico.
“I’m glad you had a great time. I did too.”
Rosa paused for a moment and then bravely leapt around the stallion’s neck, holding her forelegs around him tightly, accidentally blinding him with her long, fire-red mane. He wiped it from his face in surprise and then responded with his own embrace. They stood there for a few moments, locked together. Sparks’ breathing in her ears, Rosa felt a warm sense of satisfaction flow through her.
As they finally let go of each other, Rosa saw Sparks’ stupid grin and couldn’t help but smirk. The stallion made an effort to compose himself and took a step back.
“So I guess I’ll see you again some time?” he asked.
“I guess you will,” replied Rosa, walking towards her front door but keeping an eye over her shoulder to watch the giddy stallion. She opened the door and waved slowly, watching as Sparks did the same and started walking down the road.
“Hello darling. How was your day?” her mother asked, peeking out from the kitchen door as Rosa walked in. Her father was just behind her.
“It was great! We went to Canterlot and—”
“Canterlot!?” her mother interrupted, a somewhat worried expression appearing on her face.
“Yes, Canterlot. We went to see Foal Gallagher. Oh, he was amazing! I’ll tell you all about it!”
Rosa told her parents of the time her and Sparks spent in Canterlot, recalling all of the incredible dances and aerial acrobatics of Foal and the birds. She didn’t know why, but she had some kind of feeling that in amongst all of the pride and happiness that they felt for her, that there was something else. Apprehensiveness, maybe? It could have been that he’d taken her far away from Ponyville, or that they were simply surprised that for once, she genuinely wanted to talk to them and discuss her experiences. But as far as Rosa was concerned, it didn’t matter. This was the best day Rosa had experienced since she could remember and nothing was about to ruin that.
After eating some potato and leek soup Rosa confidently declared that she was going to bed. After such a tiring day the sanctuary of her bedcovers was all that more enticing. Walking into her room she completely ignored her copy of An Equestrian Night Mare despite being so enthralled by it that very morning. She had wanted to know how it would end so badly, and now she didn’t even care.
She turned out the light, curled up into her duvet and quickly drifted off to sleep. That night she dreamed of her and Sparks running through an empty Canterlot, devoid of any other ponies, laughing and watching as birds fluttered around them, chirping and whistling a song made from her own subconscious.
Life couldn’t be better.