//------------------------------// // Memories // Story: The Sunshine Chronicles // by TwilightUCrazy //------------------------------// ... "Is it on?" "Eeyup." "I can't see a thing! How do you know that? ...I know, I know, you flicked the switch, but I still can't see anything!" ... The world opened up before the viewfinder of the video camera as the lens cover was removed and set aside by Applejack's older brother. A quaking, black-and-white grassy field blinded the camera for several moments before the lens readjusted to the newfound light. "Oh... that makes sense." "Eeyup." The camera swept to the right to find Big Mac and the family's porch behind him. He flashed a warm smile for the camera and took a sip of his milk. "Oh, this is sooooo sweet!" The camera panned to the left, recording the skies and the apple orchards, then left more towards the barn where Applebloom and her Crusader friends, donned in their cloaks, were setting out on another adventure. "It's a little old, but I guess it'll work. Sure wish it picked up color, though." The audio receiver picked up Big Mac's chuckle in the background, and Rainbow turned the lens back towards the front door. "Alright! Let's go put this puppy to work. Thanks, big guy." A faint 'eeyup' faded into the background as the front door gently swung open. The camera paused, recording carpet fibers for several moments as the front door drifted gently shut behind. The image righted itself and swung left and right, scoping out the surroundings before Rainbow trotted quietly towards the stairs. She ascended quietly, each hoofstep just barely registering with the camera itself. An exaggerated movement near the top of the stairs indicated where Rainbow avoided the squeaky floorboard at the top. The recorder adjusted to the low light and moved to the door at the end of the hallway. The lens nudged the door open with a faint squeak and peered around the corner, past the nightstand and oil lamp, and focused on the sleepy form in the bed. Applejack's chest continued a steady rise and fall. Judging from her snoring and the position she was still in she hadn't been bothered by Rainbow's departure from bed earlier. The camera wobbled slightly as its carrier maneuvered around the bed, stumbling for just a moment with a faint grunt. "How do you zoom this dang thing?" a soft whisper said, before the image focused on Applejack's face began expanding. "Oh, there we go." The pegasus's wife's tongue lolled out of her mouth like she had been drugged. Her blonde hair was a loose mess, and her messy tail twitched in her sleep. Whatever dream she must have been having must have been a good one. "Aaaaand behold, the prettiest, most awesome pony in all of Equestria," Rainbow said with no small amount of amusement in her voice. She trotted gently around the bedside and mounted the mattress, zeroing in on her wife's humorous expression. Applejack unconsciously grasped at a pillow next to her and squeezed it against her chest. "Uh oh... looks like somepony's missing me..." Rainbow leaned closer, to the point where even the old-fashioned black-and-white camera could make out the individual freckles and fuzz on her rosy cheeks. For some reason, Applejack chose that moment to close her mouth and smile, stirring slightly in-place. The position she came to rest in put her eyes in the growing sunlight peering through the curtains. The earth pony winced and stirred, even as the room began to grow lighter. "Mornin', Slim," Rainbow said playfully. "Nnngh..." she received in reply. Applejack reached for a pillow and pulled it over her head. "Hey! Come back here!" The pegasus rotated the camera around to the crease in the pillow. Her wife's silvery hair poked out, frayed in every direction imaginable. "Can't Celestia ever sleep in...?" her mate muffled through the pillow. "Heheh. Don't see this side of you too much..." The camera angled awkwardly, showing Rainbow's side as she leaned forward to nuzzle into the pillow fortress, kissing the top of her mate's head. "Ugh," the earth pony muttered, tossing the pillow across the room and rolling onto her back, covering her eyes with her forelegs. The camera honed in on the blonde again. "Okay, AJ. Look up into the camera, state your name, and what you love most about me." Applejack peeked wide-eyed out from behind her hooves and squeaked, yanking the covers up over her head. "Take that stupid contraption away!" Rainbow recoiled with the camera, and judging from the angle of the image, nearly fell off the bed. "Hey! Get back here and smile for the camera!" "No! Goway!" her wife said, her tail twitching. The image spiraled wildly as Rainbow pounced on her tail. The sound of a scuffle unfolded, barely able to be heard over the ruffle of blankets, and the stray image of a cyan wing poking at a trio of a ticklish apples imprinted on the earth pony's flank. "--bow! HAHAHAHAHA! Get offa me!" "Come back here and give me a smile and I'll think about it!" "No! I'm hideous!" The camera received a quick thump to its side and spiralled to the floor with a loud clatter. Peering beneath the bedskirts, it picked up the frantic scuffs of orange hooves hitting the floor and fleeing the bedroom. The recorder was lifted off the floor, and a striped mane and the edge of a grin appeared in the picture. "Oh, I'm gonna have fun with this thing..." The image cut out as Rainbow hit the Stop button.