//------------------------------// // Looming // Story: A Second Chance // by nimaru //------------------------------// I opened my eyes and smiled. Dusty was fast asleep as usual, one of her hooves in a position I was certain wasn't comfortable. Giggling slightly under my breath, I pushed the hoof forward with my nose until it looked more natural. Why does everything you do seem so wonderful? Where once I greeted the day exhausted from a night of fleeing nightmares, in the weeks since Dusty began sleeping next to me, the only sensations I woke to were the soft warmth of her body; the calming rhythm of her breathing; the pleasant smell of her hair… Dusty sleepily repositioned herself; her snout briefly touching mine in the process. Confused by the unexpected sensation, she paused, scowling. I watched, frozen and wide-eyed; waiting to see what she would do. Her face softened and she nuzzled me briefly before turning away and announcing her return to sleep with a loud sigh. I popped out of bed like a spring, magically moving my blanket to fill the gap I’d left. I fled down the hall and out the front door then took several slow, deep breaths of the cool morning air to calm my fluttering heart. She’d nuzzled me in her sleep before, but a gentle stroke on the hoof or shoulder was nothing compared to nose contact… though I couldn’t begin to explain why. Before I could dwell on it for too long, a shadow darted across the ground. Looking upwards, I saw a passing pegasus messenger; hurrying to her destination. Across the square, delivery ponies were dropping off supplies or loading finished works as usual. In the shops, most artisans would already be busy at their trade. All around was the city I’d come to know and love, full of ponies that I’d soon be parting with for the last time. I smiled, though I didn’t feel happy. The time had passed far too quickly since that day... The day I learned when this all would end… ******************************** (Nearly two weeks prior) It was a beautiful day and I was heading to the market, grinning. Glacial Drift walked beside me and Dart Hoof hopped and spun around us; calling to me every few seconds to “watch this!” A few times, he looked as if he might crash into another pony or a cart before deftly dodging out of the way. Glacial Drift just shook her head and sighed. “He’s been practicing every day,” she said, referring to the obstacle course he’d made in their backyard. “He barely crashes anymore,” she added with a motherly eye roll. I knew exactly what she meant. I’d seen it myself a few days prior when he begged me to come over. He explained how he’d been training to improve his reflexes and stamina so he could “run full speed through the wilderness” then demonstrated while I watched anxiously. Sure he was dexterous, but he was still a novice and it was very difficult not to cringe every time he tripped or rammed into a wall. He’d quickly pop back up and glance at me with an embarrassed look, but I’d cheer a little and put on a face as if I hadn’t noticed. Then, thrilled as only kids could be, he’d go off again. I didn’t want to discourage him, but I did start to worry that his showing off was going to lead to brain damage. Luckily, it was well before I’d hit my stress limits that Glacial Drift ordered a break, cutting off Dart Hoof’s complaints by setting down a tray of warm, hoof-made honey rolls for us to share. The rolls were a welcome distraction not just because they kept Dart Hoof from further injury, but also because they tasted even better than the ones in the market. I begged Glacial Drift to teach me how to make them, but she just stared for a moment and slowly asked, “you want to make some for Dusty?” A few moments later, she cut off my stuttered protests with a laugh and agreed to teach me. I couldn’t say why I felt so corned by the question, but I didn’t dwell on it. Instead I threw myself into cooking practice and, a few days and a mountain of failures later, I finally mastered it. “Now with a few supplies you’re ready to try it on your own,” Glacial Drift had said. She offered to show me the best places to buy ingredients and so, the very next morning while Dusty still slept, I set out for the market with my baking coach and her excitable little show-off. “Watch me! Ms. Snow, watch!” “Dart Hoof!,” His mother scolded. “Be careful!” The exchange made me giggle. They reminded me so much of my own mother and little brother somewhere on the other side of the dream. I missed them, but I had hope. After all, in my favorite stories, ponies… er, people, who spent time in other worlds would return after days, years, or even an entire lifetime and find that no real-world time had passed. But… not every story was like that. In some, they awoke years later, sick and debilitated, having found that life passed them by as they slept away their life. My pace slowed and I hung my head. What will I find when… if I wake up? I worried, realizing too late what my lamenting had invited. My breath caught and my stomach knotted as fear covered me like a hungry blanket. Suddenly numb, my chilled legs faltered and stumbled. Then, all at once, Dart Hoof jump forward, yelling back as spun: “Watch this Miss Snow!” Glacial Drift, having seen me fall, turned my way to ask if I was ok. The fast moving carriage neither of them saw careened down a side road, its wheels rumbling over the cobblestones like an avalanche. No! I pleaded voicelessly, extending my hoof in vain. Everything moved in slow motion: The carriage pony ran full speed like he was possessed. Glacial Drift looked at me in confusion; trying to understand my body language while her flicking ears sluggishly relayed the sound of approaching danger. Dart Hoof spun and spun, obvious. Glacial Drift, suddenly understanding, whipped around so fast that her front hooves lifted off the ground. “DART HOOF!” She screamed. But she was a breath too late, and I, too horrified to look away, saw it all. ******************* A bystander screamed; everypony in the street and in the air froze. The only noises were Glacial Drift’s desperate cries and the carriage thundering into the distance. In the street, the crumpled form of the little pony, tangled hopelessly in… What is that? I tried to make sense of what I had just seen: Dart Hoof had nearly fallen into the path of the carriage’s wheels, but bare moments before they collided, a brownish-blackish lump had broken off and fallen on top of him. Glacial Drift scooped Dart Hoof up, pulling him from the black threads that covered him. She frantically checked him over for injuries ignoring his protest until, satisfied he was ok, she hugged him tightly. Then she held him at hoof’s length and yelled. “What were you thinking!? How many times have I told you to be careful on the streets!?” Dart Hoof had the decency to look ashamed as Glacial Drift piled on every admonishment motherly instinct had to offer. Meanwhile, another pony had run over to check the lump. He yelled something I couldn’t understand and the other nearby ponies cheered before resuming their day. Finally adrenaline won over shock and I shakily hobbled over to the two. “I’M SO SORRY! It’s my fault! I should have stopped him! I… should…” I choked out before collapsing again in a fit of tears. Glacial Drift and Dart Hoof both looked at me in stunned silence as I wailed. I knew crying wasn’t helping, but I was adrift in a cyclone of shame. If I hadn’t had that attack, Glacial Drift would have noticed! I could have warned him! I could have used my magic to stop him. I could have done anything! “Miss Snow,” Dart Hoof said, lightly touching my hoof with his. “Don’t be sad. I’m ok! See!” “Snow, it’s ok. It’s not your fault,” Glacial Drift offered. Having them try to comfort me under the circumstances only made me more miserable. I cursed my weakness; for having the attacks in the first place and doubly for worrying them both as I cried uncontrollably on the street. Suddenly, the brown and black lump behind Dart Hoof rose from the ground, its hair hanging down in long black strands like something out of a Japanese horror movie. Instinctively, I froze mid-wail, unable to take my eyes off the… thing. Then, the hair started spinning, flipping in a wide circle before me. The blood drained from my face and my mouth hung open as I watched, completely terrified. Dart Hoof jumped behind his mother, but she remained calm and bowed low to the hair monster. “I am ever in you debt Grandmaster!” Glacial Drift said as gravity finally caught the rotating hair and dropped it into place on Luau’s back. “Oh! Hello Glacial Drift,” she said briefly glancing her direction before looking skyward. “Three hours huh? That’s a little longer than usual.” I stared in shock, still trying to reconcile what was happening as Luau searched the ground briefly before reaching down to pick up a pink flower. But finding it hopelessly trampled, she discarded it and pulled another one from somewhere; popping it in her mane. “Much better!” she piped. Finally, she looked at the mother and son before her. “Well, I best be off. Be sure to soak that in the lake”. Glacial Drift looked at her curiously for a moment before glancing sharply at Dart Hoof. With a stern look, she responded, “Yes. I will. Thank you Grandmaster.” “Just call me Luau,” she laughed, heading towards me. I watched as she approached, still unable to move. “Here,” she said, a hoof outstretched. I put my hoof in hers and she helped me up. “Don’t be sad,” she said quietly so only I would hear. “It will all be over after the celebration.” My heart beat quickly and my ears laid back. What did that mean? Before I recovered enough to speak the words, Luau was long gone. “Come on,” Glacial Drift said. I complied and walked over to the before noticing she was speaking to Dart Hoof while motioning resolutely to her back. “Awwwww!” he griped. “No arguing. Your hoof is sprained and unless you want to go right home, you’re riding the rest of the way!” Once that was settled, we began walking again, but this time in silence. Dart Hoof pouted while Glacial Drift seemed to know that I needed some time to think. And think I did. Luau, who had rescued me twice now, was the only pony I’d met who seemed to know what was really going on. I turned the words over in my mind; stretched them; turned them inside out. The stranger the things she says, the more likely they are to be true, Crystal’s voice echoed in my mind. It will all be over after the celebration, Luau’s voice followed. The Castle Completion Ceremony… for which Luau was master of ceremonies. For which Dusty had been commissioned to create a centerpiece for. A centerpiece that she’d started sculpting on my arrival. And one that I now knew my fate was tied to. It all made sense. The day of the ceremony would be my last. ******************************** And that day had finally come. I spun around and looked the drab and uninviting shop where a pony who matched it perfectly lay sleeping inside. I’m going to miss Dusty… I thought sadly. I put my hoof to the spot on my muzzle where I could still feel her breath. But then I shook my head, reminding myself to stay grounded. I repeated the same phrase as always; like a mantra: It’s a dream…a wonderful dream, but a dream. I can’t stay here forever. I have to go home and I’ll be ready when it’s time. And it was enough. Whenever I felt sad, or worried; whenever I feared the panic would return, the truth that Luau shared that day kept me stable. Since then, I explored freely and found wonders, I made friends, I learned new skills, I played… I was no longer lost or afraid. I was ready. Well… almost ready anyway. I looked to the sky. 12 hours until the ceremony, I estimated. I better hurry.