//------------------------------// // Guiding Light // Story: My Guiding Light // by Infinite Affection //------------------------------// Evening had settled over the town by the time Greenfly was able to compose himself again. He had let loose his emotions all afternoon just about and was still struggling to keep calm – the same thoughts constantly clashing in his head. We’ll be back soon…. Greenfly, your parents are…. WAAAAHHHHHH… Scoo- A cold wind caused the pegasus to shiver and look up at the window. He spotted the sky’s crimson colour fading to make way for the light darkness of the early evening. Feeling the uncomfortable sensation of dripping snot go up his muzzle, Greenfly sniffled and slumped back into the stool. The moon would be out soon and the depressed pegasus was keen for some solace with his lunar companion even if it was rather early. He often waited until the late evening to venture out after eating his supper. Tonight however, instinct told him he would need the extra time. Even the thought of sitting on his lumber log bench under the moonlight brought happiness to Greenfly. There he could truly open himself up to the celestial being, nothing held back. After all, there was something about it that the pegasus couldn’t put a hoof on. It was as if the moon was like a long lost friend with whom he only chose to confide in. Pretty sound logic since the moon can’t blab to anyone else…sniffle… Greenfly’s ears pricked up. Hey! That might be why I- No! Not here! Save it for later! The pegasus heeded his conscience just in time to allow only small droplets of water to escape his eyes this time, preventing what could have been another downpour. He swivelled off his stool and trotted in the direction of his worktable. His hoof reached for his knapsack containing his usual outdoor portraying tools before retracting soon after. No drawing tonight – he had etched out his feelings too much already. And besides, Greenfly just simply wasn’t in the mood. All he cared about was the moon and him. Nothing else. No other distractions. Stifling a whimper, the pegasus breathed in slowly and started towards the front door. He shut it behind him as he wandered out, keeping his eyes locked straight ahead to keep anypony from noticing his evident depression. After all, it would be the first time that Greenfly went into his everyday evening without the thought of drawing on his mind ever since that first night in Ponyville. And that made him feel even sadder. Greenfly sat motionless on the chair, his eyes never leaving the orange filly in the cot across from him. He couldn’t tell how long he had been sitting there – his mind was frazzled by the news it had heard….sometime ago. Though it hadn’t come as that much of a surprise. Somehow the green pegasus had accepted that inevitable horrible truth on the second day of his parents’ absence but as any loyal and devoted son would, Greenfly kept denying it until the point where his fears were confirmed earlier today. The shock had erased his optimistic theories completely and consequently the pegasus didn’t budge an inch as the stranger in black offered up his condolences before alerting him of the upcoming funeral. A funeral? This early in her life? This can’t be… The stranger then rested a hoof on Greenfly’s shoulder and apologised once more after which he left the pegasus there on his own – in the suddenly much smaller lightcloud. Greenfly uttered no words; made no sounds. Even as his sister wailed louder and louder, the grief-stricken pegasus just stood there for a time. Then as if entranced, he made his way up to the beckoning sound and pacified the upset filly. And there she laid, sleeping in her usual cosy fashion with the blankets wrapped over her innocent and fragile body. She snored peacefully as her big brother continued to watch her – ever silent, almost scarily so. Any other pony would have sobbed on the floor or cried into the nearest pillow by now but Greenfly remained rigid and unmoving. And nothing but the tick of the wall clock echoed throughout the room; its syncopated rhythm proving to be quite relaxing to Greenfly even if half of his mind was unaware of the clock’s existence. Tick…snore…tick…snore… Greenfly’s facial muscles tensed slightly. From an observer’s point of view, it would seem that the pegasus was putting a lot of effort into keeping his expression neutral. Tick…snore…tick…snore… Sweat began to run down the green pegasus as he strained to retain his blank face. He began to teeter back and forth – his brow furrowing frequently. Tick…snore…tick…snore… Left. Tick…. Right. Snore… Left. Tick… Right. Snore… And just as Greenfly took in a big gasp full of air, he coughed on it and tears began to flee his eyes. Oh…What am I going to do? The familiar cold feel of the earth met Greenfly’s senses as the pegasus could yet again be seen sprawled out on the ground and emitting muffled moans. Lolling out on his belly, it looked as if he had tripped. Of course, if the green pegasus had not been incessantly taunted by his thoughts, he may have in fact seen the very conspicuous rock on the dirt path. And they certainly weren’t finished with him yet. BGM Music! Click here! (Right Click to open new tab) The ceremony had been perhaps the slowest half hour of the teenage pegasus’s life; sitting still as a board as the undermare recited the traditional rites. With drooped ears and an unchanging frown, Greenfly’s desolate demeanour remained with him during that seemingly endless event. From then until now, it had remained. “You have my deepest sympathies, dear. Your parents were some of the nicest people I ever knew.” The teen simply nodded in response to the unfamiliar mare’s empathic statement. It was hard to accept comforting words from a pony he had never known or heard of. Of course, being secluded in one’s bedroom drawing art all the time would do that to you. And so Greenfly stood unmoving and quiet in his familiar lighthouse home as one by one of friends and neighbours made their way up to offer their condolences in an attempt to bring comfort to the ever silent pegasus. And much like the first mare that had paid her respects, most of these ponies were unknown to Greenfly – which made it all the more awkward. But he persisted in giving the humblest of nods to everypony that came up to him before they made their way to conveniently located buffet table. Food. The pegasus’s stomach growled in anticipation of what his mind was thinking. He hadn’t had a bite to eat all day with the lingering thought of the day’s agenda. He spotted a couple of petunia and daisy sandwiches on the table at the corner of his eye. He would have shifted his gaze to meet the tempting meal if his crushing sadness hadn’t rendered him incapable of motion. “I’m sorry for your loss, son,” said the latest stranger that was giving him sympathy. Greenfly gave the much routinely nod in reply. If the service hadn’t already seemed slow, it was practically feeling like a millennia watching the invited strangers fill the room while chatting amongst themselves – leaving the teenage pegasus alone with only his grief. That said, they would still come over occasionally but Greenfly sensed that they too found it hard to comfort the sad stranger in the corner. Greenfly had never felt so alone. The feeling was strong enough to drive him to tears but somehow the pegasus didn’t feel like crying. Even if he wanted to, he just couldn’t. So Greenfly endured the pain on his tipping point, without the promise of any relief whatsoever. “Greenfly, why you look absolutely famished! Here, please take this sandwich to sate that hunger!” The pegasus lifted his head out of gloom at the nice tones of the recognizable mare’s voice. For the first time in what seemed to be forever, the frown on the teen’s face had evaporated and his eyes were now fixed on the outstretched hoof holding the tasty looking sandwich out in front of him. Strength finally returning to Greenfly, he reached his own hoof to take the sandwich from his long-time pegasus friend. He softly whispered a modest thanks. “Don’t mention it at all, Greenfly. Celestia knows how you must be feeling…they were such good ponies...” She broke into a whimper followed by a few sniffles, prompting her hoof to bring the evidently reused handkerchief to her mini-waterfalls. Only a couple of tears made it onto her violet coat of fur. “Celestia…look at me not helping things…I’m a mess without my honey-bunch…” Greenfly supposed she meant her husband. In fact, he knew both of them quite well. They were perhaps the only outside contact that the family regularly saw despite the pair of them living in faraway Ponyville. They had always so affectionate towards him in his early youth. “I’ll bet he’d like to see you too…sniffle…where is he?” She wandered off, leaving Greenfly alone again with the sandwich still in his hoof. The encounter had done wonders to the pegasus’s comfort and he decided to take a seat to enjoy this brief moment of encouragement. It had been scarcely two minutes when she arrived back with a dark grey pegasus stallion who Greenfly knew to be her husband and the sandwich had long since been devoured. Greenfly hadn’t realised how hungry he had been. “I can’t imagine what it must be like, Greenfly…” the kindly stallion began, “to lose your parents so young and with lil’ Scoots too…” Greenfly eased back into his sad state again but was quickly interrupted at the soft touch of a hoof under his chin. “And as your godparents…we’d love to step in and help you.” Greenfly’s face lit up in shock. “Godparents?” “Yes, Greenfly,” affirmed his godmother warmly. “When you were born, your parents asked us to be your guardians. And we really have come to love you as our own son.” “It means that both you and Scoots can be placed under our care in Ponyville,” assured his godfather. Leaving Loyal…? The thought didn’t sit well with the conflicted pegasus. “I…I…I don’t know if that’s a good idea…” His godparents recoiled in surprise, exchanging a bewildered look. “Greenfly, don’t you know what that means? It would be another chance at happiness for you and your sister! You want what is best for her, don’t you?” I do. I really do. But there was only one way the teenage sibling would ever accept his younger sister having a normal happy life. By now, Greenfly had turned his tranquil moonlight walk into an all-out gallop as he desperately tried to put the memory behind him. He was smart enough to know that he couldn’t run from his thoughts but that didn’t stop his mind from controlling his actions. He spied the isolated viewpoint; easily visible in the early evening. And it got to Greenfly. Without a second to spare, the pegasus quickly became airborne and flew with vigour at the necessity that was the hilltop. Normally, he would have enjoyed the trek up the hill path but at the moment he was making a beeline straight for the log – intent on wasting no time at all. Closer and closer he flew; the log becoming bigger and bigger as he approached it. Too big. The green pegasus suddenly realised he was on a crash course with the piece of lumber. And too late. Greenfly’s face made contact with the harsh ground; narrowly avoiding what would’ve been a more painful crash landing on the less forgiving log. His wings dug into the earth; pulling up grass and weeds as he gradually came to a halt. Greenfly grimaced in pain as he shakily got to his hooves again. They trembled as the pegasus struggled to keep his balance on his aching hooves. Sobbing with every step, he trotted gently to the log and sat down on the naturally hard surface. “You can’t be serious, Greenfly! She’s your sister!” “You’re right, she is. And that’s exactly why you must take only her.” Greenfly watched as the shocked expressions on his godparents’ faces became close to horrified. “But what about you, Greenfly? What will you do all on your own?” queried his godmother, clearly voicing her concern. “I won’t be. I have Loyal to keep me company.” “Loyal? Loyal’s just a rotating aura, dear. Besides, why in Equestria would you want to be separated from young Scootaloo?” Greenfly sighed deeply to prevent himself from openly crying. “She doesn’t deserve to live a life without her parents. She should have a life free of doubt, worry or fear and I am sure you will take good of her.” “She’s a smart cookie, it wouldn’t take her long to figure out that something was amiss. And if she ever asked me about it I…” The teen stifled a whimper before continuing. “I…don’t think I’d forgive myself if I ever told her…” “But she deserves to have her brother,” Greenfly’s godfather cut in. “Especially if you would go to these lengths just to protect her.” A long silence followed with neither side saying anything. The tension though seemed to prove too much for the violet mare. “Are you absolutely sure about this, Greenfly? Is this what you really want?” Greenfly responded to that as if his mind had greatly anticipated that question. He was also ignorant of his suddenly annoyed tone. “Of course this isn’t what I want! I never wanted our parents to die, but they did anyway! And now I’m suffering because of it. But I certainly don’t want Scootaloo to be unhappy either so I want to do what is best for her.” His voice became sad. “That said, I don’t want to be out of her life completely. But how can I be around her that doesn’t implicate me as being her brother? I’m better off just staying here.” The once concerned face of the violet mare lit up at Greenfly’s newest revelation. “Actually, there may be a way…” Greenfly had been staring intently at the bright orb in the evening sky for almost ten minutes now and he still couldn’t find respite from all the depressing memories swirling around in his head. Why wasn’t it working? It just had to be tonight of all nights eh? The day that my sister got her cutie mark, the happiest day in Equestria for the filly and her family. And for her brother too. Even though he had been quietly sniffling during his watch the pegasus soon found himself on the verge of tears again. Why can’t you be there for me tonight? What does it matter that I can’t celebrate my sister’s happiness? Why must I suffer this incredible pain? The early signs of wailing were now quite evident. I am your brother, Scoot- Greenfly turned from the moon and slammed down onto the rough oak of the log and wailed into it – the flowing tears darkening the shade of brown on the wood. He let his emotions out for a while before hoisting his head back up to rest on his fore hooves. His whimpers slowed and his mind became at peace, if only for a second. Just then the green pegasus heard a faint rustle from the nearby bushes and jerked his head over accordingly. Nothing. The pegasus turned back around and continued to cough silently with some remaining tears running down his eyes. That was until he heard a frightened gasp behind him. “Oh I’m sorry, mister! I didn’t realise anypony came up here.” BGM Music! Click here! (Right Click to open new tab) Greenfly looked around and couldn’t help but smile. Scootaloo. Scootaloo backed away slowly. “I’m real sorry to have bothered you, mister! I’ll…I’ll go now.” The orange filly made to leave but Greenfly jumped right off the log and gave her a pleading look. “Wait! Scootaloo! Please don’t go!” Scootaloo stopped and looked back around, confused by the desperation in the green pegasus’s voice. “Oh ok…it’s just that…well…you’re in my spot.” “Your…spot?” Greenfly considered that for a moment; unsure of what she meant. He surveyed his surroundings and soon knew the “spot” she was talking about. “Oh! I…I didn’t mean to hog this place all to myself. Would you like to join me?” Scootaloo brightened up at the offer. “Are you here to watch the stars?” “Yes. Are you?” “Umm…yeah.” Scootaloo walked on over to the green pegasus and used her petite wings to give herself enough airtime to land on top of the log. Greenfly made sure to check that the nervous filly was comfortable before taking up seat beside her. The two sat in silence atop the piece of lumber, watching the tranquil night. The orange filly began to hum happily, making the regretful pegasus more relaxed than he had been in a good while. “Just look at ‘em…” Scootaloo started. “Do you ever know there were that many lights in the sky?” “Yeah, it’s pretty amazing,” replied Greenfly. “So you said that this was your spot, right?” “Well it was, I didn’t know anypony came up here…until I saw you. Some nights just after the sun is lowered I come up here and just gaze up at the stars.” “Really? Me too – though I tend to come later at night.” “I’d like to do that too but my parents don’t want me to be out late at night so I decide to go just before dinner.” “Sometimes my friends come too but they don’t understand why I like looking at the stars so much. Most ponies don’t – but my parents do. They always let me go out once a week to come here. I’m happy that my Mom and Dad understand.” “Yeah, your parents are one of a kind.” Greenfly pursed his lips shut as soon as he uttered what he meant to have thought. Scootaloo shot him a surprised look. “You know them?” Panic gripped Greenfly’s mind but knew he had to continue to prevent arousing suspicion. “Yeah…I’m incredibly grateful to them. They were actually the ones that helped me get set up here in Ponyville.” “What do you think, Greenfly?” The teenage pegasus pondered on his godmother’s question as he looked through the rooms of his new potential home. “It’s fine. There’s enough room for me and everything looks cosy enough, I guess.” His godmother smiled at the comment. “Now, are you sure about this, Greenfly? If you’ve changed your mind then that’s ok. We would love to have you join us after all.” “Yes, I’m sure. Thanks for your concern though.” “Well…if you’re sure, at least let us pay for the upkeep on the house until you get properly settled?” Greenfly hesitated before answering. “I guess I could accept that. It would be a big help.” She made a satisfied grunt upon hearing the teen’s acceptance. The pair made their way back to the front door where struggling moans could be heard from the rather over-encumbered dark grey stallion. “Uhh…uhh…ah!” THUMP!! “Dear, please take care not to overburden yourself. And be careful when you do! This is Greenfly’s new home after all.” Her husband made a sheepish grin. “Sorry honey, hehehe….Here’s the last load of your stuff, Greenfly - good thing the delivery ponies were quite prompt.” Greenfly smiled in appreciation of his godfather’s efforts. “Thanks. I’m very grateful for all your support.” The dark grey pegasus nodded in acknowledgement as he embraced his wife in a hug. They both then turned to address the teen once more. “Now, I promise this is the final time we’ll ask. Are you perfectly sure that you are comfortable with this new arrangement?” No I’m not. “Yes I am,” Greenfly confirmed confidently. “OK then. But do remember you can visit us anytime you want. After all, we are your family and Scootaloo is your sister.” “Don’t worry, I will.” “Well then, we’ll leave you to your unpacking then,” declared the violet mare, eyeing all the stacks of boxes around the room. “See ya round, kiddo,” said the husband, giving a small brush of Greenfly’s orange tuft of a mane. “Visit soon.” Greenfly waved them off as their voices faded off into the evening air. “I sure hope trusting that Applejack filly was worth it…” But I never did. BGM Music! Click here! (Restart point) “Yeah, you’re very lucky to have parents like them, Scootaloo.” Scootaloo felt awestruck by the pegasus’s story. “Wow! Really? Hey…how’d you know my name?” Greenfly grimaced at the question. How did I know that? Greenfly scratched the back of his head with a hoof while he composed his excuse. “Uh-uh-uh…well everypony knows you and your friends from the amount of trouble you all cause, hehe.” Scootaloo’s cheeks turned bright red. “Oh yeah, I guess our crusading is a little infamous, hehe. Maybe now we have our cutie marks we might be more behaved." Scootaloo paused. “Maybe…” Greenfly giggled. “Haha yeah. Congrats on getting your cutie mark by the way. You must be so proud.” A smile appeared on the filly’s face as quick as lightning. “Are you kidding? I was over the moon when it happened…hehe no pun intended.” Greenfly laughed. “But it was just so awesome! Rainbow Dash was so happy for me and we had such a fun cuteceanera after! Today was just so amazing!” “Well, I’m happy for you too, Scootaloo.” “Thanks. So what’s your name, mister?” “My name is Greenfly.” The orange filly stared more intently at the green pegasus as if the name meant something to her. “Your name sounds familiar. Have we met before?” Yes. I’m your brother, Scootaloo. “Maybe but it’ll likely have been from your parents that you heard it.” “Yeah, maybe…” Scootaloo looked unconvinced. She continued to gaze at Greenfly which made the green pegasus uneasy. He felt glad that his sister was giving him so much attention after all these years but at the same time the last thing he wanted was for her to guess the nature of their relationship. A gust of wind blew past the pair of them, causing the orange filly to shiver and consequently end her staring. “Brrrrr…that’s cold.” Before Greenfly could think about it, out of sibling instinct, he shuffled along the rim of the log and placed a hoof around the freezing filly. Much to his surprise, his ignorant sister warmed into the embrace – snuggling her head against the pegasus’s soft green fur. “Hmm…thanks.” “Heh…don’t mention it.” Greenfly was blushing furiously. His mind still raged with conflicting thoughts but he had needed a moment like this for so long that he decided not to listen. “What do you suppose they are?” “Hmmm?” countered Greenfly, wondering what the “they” referred to. “The stars. What do you think they are?” Greenfly paused. “I guess I’ve never really thought about it.” The shade of night was darkening as they continued to stare out into the sky; the shared warmth between them compensating for the chill in the night-time air. As the sky darkened, the stars shined brighter and became more numerous. “My friend, Dr Hooves once told me that they are balls of burning gas, millions of light years away.” Greenfly chuckled before continuing. “But since I really don’t understand what that means, I like to think of them as just beautiful lights in the sky.” “They sure are,” Scootaloo agreed. “Have you ever made shapes out of the stars before?” “Like constellations? Yeah, I did it a lot when I was younger.” “Wanna try and make one now?” “Sure. There are plenty of stars to choose from tonight.” “Cool! Race ya to see who can get one first!” Scootaloo began scanning the sky in frequent motions. Greenfly chuckled and simply adjusted his view now and then, taking his time rather than rushing ahead. Truth was Greenfly had already etched out a shape many times before and he could still see it in front of him tonight. What made it better tonight was that the real thing just so happened to be in a warm embrace with the green pegasus. Yet he decided to etch it out one more time. Three stars in a triangular distance from each other created the head, joining that to a star further down made the neck. Then the stars seemed to follow a filleted rectangle to from the body with a tiny cluster of stars poking out to create her cute little wings. And finally the four forks jutting out to form the legs – even if they seemed to sprawl all over the place. It does require a lot of imagination from just those lines, though. BGM Music! Click here! (New track this time) “I got one!” exclaimed Scootaloo, evidently quite thrilled at being first to shout out. “Look there!” Greenfly looked in the direction of the orange pegasus’s extended hoof. She seemed to be pointing directly at the moon. “The moon? You made a constellation using the moon?” “Uh-huh! Look, it’s Angel bunny – Fluttershy’s pet rabbit. The stars above the moon are his ears and the stars below are his feet. And the moon, it’s Angel’s belly.” Greenfly had to accept Scootaloo’s judgment. He didn’t really know any of the animal lover’s friends let alone Fluttershy herself. Much like himself, Greenfly knew the yellow pegasus to be quite timid and reclusive and so he never did see much of her or her animal friends. “Wow, I’m impressed. I don’t think I’ve ever thought to use the moon in a constellation before.” “Really? Cool!” exclaimed the orange filly excitedly. The filly began to relax back into the cosy embrace again, finding herself very much at ease with the seemingly familiar pegasus. Greenfly on the other hand didn’t know what to feel. He loved that Scootaloo was giving him so much affection but his fears which he had chosen to ignore earlier were coming back tenfold. “You want to know what I really think they are? The stars I mean. ” “Sure.” Scootaloo hesitated. “You know…I’ve never told anypony but…I’ve always thought they were lightclouds.” Greenfly was taken completely aback by that. “What?” “Billions and billions of lightclouds at the far reaches of the sky; shining their light on whoever needs it. My parents told me a lot about them and said they knew ponies who used to live in one.” Greenfly didn’t need another trip down memory lane to understand that. “Wow, I never thought of it that way.” “And the moon is the greatest lightcloud of all. The one who is always there for you.” Always there for you… Those last four words resonated within Greenfly’s skull. This night had contributed more to his understanding of things than all his past evenings put together. As the pair sat there drinking in the moonlight a thought came to the green pegasus. Oh Loyal, you never did leave me. You were there all those nights I spent looking up at you. You were always there for me. And you still are tonight. Greenfly’s trail of thought was broken by the intensified snuggling that Scootaloo was giving him. “And it’s nice to know you’ll always be there for me too,” she whispered softly. What? “Big brother.” My Guiding Light.