Chapter 2: Another Lovely Day
Violets are Blue Chapter 2
Lilo stared hard at the sea of bottles before her. Each bottle was lined up in an orderly fashion on top of a table in the center of a tent, making a perfect square of twenty bottles long and twenty bottles wide. They were so tightly packed together, and the mishmash of colors hurt her eyes, hues ranging from bright yellows and obnoxious oranges and greens to darker reds, browns, and purples. It didn’t help that she was so focused on the colors regardless, measuring each bottle intently, judging each of their distances and trying to look for the perfect bottle that she could use to her advantage.
Transformed into her Rosebud disguise, Lilo felt perspiration soaking through her coat from the hot autumn sun. She looked like a creme colored pegasus with her mane and tail twisted into a light pink and white mixture, and on her flank was a picture of a pink rose. Her tail swished back and forth in idle concentration, and her tongue lolled out of her mouth as she licked her lips.
“I don’t mean to sound pushy, Lilo,” Carbon said behind her, sitting and watching some clouds float overhead, “but you’ve been staring at those bottles for over a minute now. Are you going to toss the ring?”
Lilo snapped out of her daze and looked back at him. Carbon was a light grey pegasus with a bushy blue tail and mane, and on his flank was a picture of a test tube crossing over an erlenmeyer flask. He caught her looking back at him, and he wiggled his eyebrows at her, causing Lilo to giggle.
“Gets you every time,” Carbon said with a smirk.
“Oh shush,” Lilo replied, then looked back towards the bottles. “If the colors weren’t so bright, I might be able to pick out which bottle I want to throw at.”
“Those bottles aren’t that bright, are they?” Carbon asked. He rose to all four of his hooves and walked over, then frowned. “Okay, so maybe those bottles are a bit bright. Want me to try first?”
Lilo nodded her head and stepped away, allowing for Carbon to take her place at the long table that separated the contests from the table of bottles. Three rings lay in front of him, each different colors but all the same sizes. He picked up one of the rings in his mouth and gazed over the bottles for a few seconds. Once he spotted a bottle, he tossed the ring into the air and watched as it hit its mark perfectly, landing around the neck of a bottle towards the center. He sat back and smiled.
“That was a good shot!” Lilo exclaimed, giving Carbon a kiss on his cheek.
“Lucky, I say,” he said as he blushed. “But, I guess I do have a few years of bow practice from when I was younger that might have helped in this case.” He kissed her back on the cheek. “You want to have a try?”
“Mhm!” Lilo nodded her head and took Carbon’s place, picking up a ring in her mouth. She scanned rapidly over the bottles and picked out a bottle towards the center where Carbon landed his ring. She took a deep breath, turned her head a bit, and then tossed the ring. She flinched when the ring soared over the bottle table and nearly hit another pony in the head.
“Sorry!” she yelled to the pony on the other side of the tent. The pony sighed and chuckled before tossing a ring at one of the bottles.
“You still have one more ring,” Carbon said. “You can do it, Lilo. Just… toss a little softer this time.”
Lilo nodded and picked up the last ring in her mouth. She carefully scanned over the bottles this time, passing her gaze over bottle after bottle as she looked for one that she felt would be the one to successfully toss the ring on to. The colors of the bottles still hurt her eyes, but she ignored the pounding feeling just below her brow in favor of honing her concentration for the final toss.
She spotted the target she was looking for, a bright orange bottle towards the right outer side of the table. She narrowed her eyes and took aim, then pulled her head back just a tad. She took a deep breath, counted to three, and then tossed the ring into the air towards the bottle. Time seemed to slow for her as she watched the ring descend onto the intended target, and a small smile very slowly crept onto her lips. The ring was going to hit its mark, she was sure of it. The flight path is so precise, so direct.
The ring bounced off of the top of the bottle and fell onto the floor. Lilo’s ears folded back and her smile immediately turned into a frown, and she sat down on her flanks in a huff.
“Oh, come on Lilo, you were so close!” Carbon said, putting his hoof around her shoulders. He pointed towards the unicorn carnie who had a little stuffed kitten in his magic. “And look, we even won a little toy.”
Lilo rolled her eyes. “You mean you won it.”
“We won it,” Carbon said right before he took the stuffed kitten in his mouth. He walked back to Lilo and offered it to her.
After a moment, Lilo took the kitten and put it between her wings on her back. She smiled up at Carbon, wiggling one of her ears.
“Right, now that that is taken care of, how about we go get something to eat?” Carbon asked. Lilo nodded her head and squeed, and both of them trotted out into the mass of ponies walking along the grass beside the tent.
~~~
“I thought ponies didn’t eat… meat?” Lilo said, staring at the hamburger in front of her. She lifted up the bun and condiments to take a look at the patty underneath. It was a light brown color, and obviously had grill lines painted on.
Carbon stopped from taking his first bite of his own burger and looked over at her. “It’s not actually meat,” he said as he lifted his own bun and condiments. “It’s a substitute that takes on the consistency of meat, but is made of ingredients to make it vegetarian, typically portobello mushrooms and bread crumbs. It’s safe to eat, Lilo.”
Lilo stared at her hamburger awhile longer, grimacing. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that Carbon had begun to eat his own burger and he was making the smile he always had whenever he thought something tasted delicious. She sighed and picked up the burger in her hooves and took a bite.
“This is… This is…” Lilo stared at the burger, patty, lettuce, and tomatoes threatening to fall out of her mouth. “I love it!”
She dove into the burger, stuffing as much food as she could possibly manage into her mouth. Bread, meat, and condiments flew everywhere, and Carbon scooted himself a safe distance away from the projectiles flying into his space. He nodded towards a stallion and his son walking passed, who threw both he and Lilo strange looked before continuing on their way. Carbon poked Lilo in the side.
“We’re in public, you know,” he whispered. “Ponies are staring.”
Lilo stopped eating and looked up. A few more ponies had stopped to look at them both, each one wearing a different look of confusion and disgust. She let out a terrified squeak and hid beneath the table, her tail sticking out over the top.
“I’m sorry!” Lilo yelped from underneath the table, although it was muffled to anypony else who could hear.
A few of the ponies chuckled, while the rest merely shook their heads and walked away. Carbon smiled uneasily and yanked on Lilo’s tail, eliciting a squeak from underneath the table.
“I have a ride that you might be interested in,” he said. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
He bit onto Lilo’s tail and pulled her from out under the table. She looked around for a moment and spotted the remaining ponies looking at her, and she covered her face with her hooves. Carbon saw the slight tinge of red flaring out from the corners of Lilo cheeks and he rolled his eyes.
“I’m not going to drag you all of the way there,” he added. “It’s not far, I promise.”
Lilo peeked from behind her hooves up at Carbon, and when he offered his hoof to her, she took it and allowed herself to be helped up. Carbon smiled at her, and she smiled sheepishly back, and they both walked towards a vast sea of tents and rollercoasters. He edged closer and linked their tails just before they vanished into the crowd.
~~~
“Just two please.”
The carnival worker looked between Carbon and Lilo and winked, then opened the gate to allow them through to a small boat. They both hopped into the boat, which sat in a narrow, pony-made river, and after the worker gave the boat a tap from behind, he sent it on down the current. Lilo giggled and leaned in close to Carbon, and looked up overhead at a sign that hung just above a the entrance to a tunnel.
“The ‘Love Tunnel,’ “ she said, giggling again. “They sure know how to pick names for these kinds of rides.”
“We’re just lucky that this ride isn’t named ‘Jungle Fever,’ “ Carbon quipped, nuzzling his muzzle against the side of her head.
They passed into the tunnel and immediately the entirety of the ride fell dark. Carbon was hardly able to see his hoof out in front of him, although out of the corner of his eye he made out the dull glow coming from Lilo’s own eyes. He wrapped one of his wings behind her back and she snuggled up into him, tucking her head underneath his chin and looking around at the walls of the tunnel.
They came upon a corner and turned, and they immediately were met with dim lighting and an entire forest of tropical trees. Palm trees and sandy beaches extended on either side of them, and primitive huts made from leaves of the trees rose on the edges of the forest. Lilo’s eyes widened and she lifted herself from Carbon a bit so she could get a better look. Carbon saw the glimmer in her eye and smiled.
“I guess ‘Jungle Fever’ wouldn’t have been too far off,” he chuckled.
“Wow, Carbon, this is beautiful,” Lilo said, trying to peer into one of the huts. “Are there really places like this that exist in the world?”
“Oh yes, the beaches of Zebrica for example,” he replied. “And some areas in the southern part of Equestria. They are major tourist spots for ponies.”
“Have you ever been there?”
“No, no I haven’t,” Carbon said, scratching the back of his head with a hoof. “I’ve never found the time.”
“Well, we should go one day. I’d love to see the real beaches and play in the water.”
“I know precisely where I’m taking you next,” Carbon said as he waved a hoof in the air. “Staying at a resort, going snorkeling to view the shallow sea life, ordering tropical drinks from an authentic beach side bar. We’ll live like island royalty!”
Lilo giggled and kissed Carbon under his chin. “That sounds like something I can get behind. Please, Carbon? Can we go?”
“Yes, of course we’re going to go.”
Carbon smiled and squeezed her with his wing as they passed underneath another dark tunnel. When they emerged again, they were met with an entirely new scenery composed of evergreens and beaches covered in snow. The air here was colder, and Lilo tucked herself tighter underneath Carbon’s wing to protect herself from feeling the chill seep through her pony fur. She still had a look of wonder in her eyes, though, and from behind Carbon’s feathers she took in as much of the sight as she could still manage.
Snow fell from overhead, tickling each of their muzzles as the soft flakes soaked through their fur. Lilo stuck out her tongue and caught one of the snowflakes on her tongue, and she made a sound of approval before going back to catch some more.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Carbon asked, looking at a snowpony as their boat floated past.
“It is,” Lilo replied. “I thought Canterlot was beautiful during the winter when it snows, but this is an entirely different level. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“It’s part of a temperate rainforest,” Carbon said. “You can find places like this further north where the soil is more acidic. I’ve always wanted to visit a place like this.”
“There’s so much snow,” Lilo said. “In Canterlot they plow the streets to allow ponies to walk, but out in the wilderness the snow would be untouched.” She reached out over the side of the boat and touched some of the snow. “We could build walls, snowponies, tunnels, and have a snowball fight!”
“All the more reason to go, right?” Carbon smiled and watched Lilo as she drug her hoof through the snow. “Maybe another private get away?”
Lilo nodded her head vigorously. “Do they have resorts in places like this, too?”
Carbon thought for a moment, then said, “They do, in fact, although it is more for the ponies who ski. You know, I think it would be a fun experience, both of us learning to ski.”
“O-oh, but what if we crash or… or fall off?” Lilo asked, ears flopping back.
“Oh, don’t worry. We’ll be starting on the easy hills, of course,” Carbon said. “Come on, Lilo, it would be fun.”
Lilo nodded, albeit hesitantly, but she looked to have relaxed. They passed underneath another tunnel again and emerged into the final landscape, a gorgeous cityscape with colorful brick buildings rising up on either side of them. Bamboo lanterns hung from wires stretching out across the narrow river, their lights shining down upon Carbon and Lilo as they passed underneath. Sweet smells circumvented through the air, and the warmth sufficiently sucked away the chill that had crept into both of their bones. Even gentle music played, soothing both ponies until they were practically melting into each other.
Lilo looked up at Carbon, her shining eyes meeting his deep turquoise ones. They held each other’s gazes for mere moments before they kissed, bringing each other into a close embrace.
“Carbon,” Lilo said, nuzzling underneath his chin, “I love you. I want to hold onto you forever.”
“I love you, too, Lilo,” Carbon said, kissing her forehead. “I’ll never let go of you.”
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“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Carbon asked, looking at a snowman as their boat floated past.
Snow MAN? It happens again later on. Cute chapter :)
3167715
Fixed! Thanks.
Streaming Outlast?
Link...NOW!
3172265
I'll make a blog post the next time I'm streaming! I'm a few hours into the game by now, but never hurts to watch me to shit my pants and run away from things. I'm the biggest baby when it comes to horror games. I might be streaming tomorrow. I'm taking a break tonight.
3167162
Please don't be in tune with G.R.R. Martin. He's not a good role model. The writing in his stories wasn't bad, in fact I would say that he's quite talented, except that there's one huge, massive, crippling flaw in his stories: It's completely impossible to actually care about anyone in his books.
I read Game of Thrones back before it was popular (
), so I didn't have anyone to warn me about it. By half way through, I had just completely stopped caring what any of the characters did because I knew what the inevitable outcome would be. Oh, look. Things are going well. Who knows, maybe that one character I like won't end up like....oh who am I kidding. Let me go ahead and set the timer to see how long it takes for things to go horribly wrong this time around.....
I got a joke for ya! Why doesn't George R.R. Martin have a Twitter account?
--Cause he'd just end up killing all 140 characters!
But seriously though, I wish you luck and I'll probably not be reading this (which makes me sad, because I love when good stories get sequels....) because I avoid tragedies. I usually double check with the author to make sure the story will actually be a tragedy and that it's not just a misused tag, but since you've pretty much already cleared that up already I'll be on my way. Maybe I'll check back again later just to see if things have taken an unexpected turn.
3179792
To be honest, I debated a long time on whether or not to use the tragedy tag. It's either I get backlash from one group of people or I get backlash from another, so I have to pick to satisfy one group or another. By trying to avoid spoilers here, you can probably see which group I decided to please based upon FiMFiction trends. (As much as I hate to admit it, perhaps I sold out in this regard.) I would much rather prefer to use the tragedy tag correctly--where some character undergoes a tragic downfall and is left ruined (everyone is familiar with Oedipus)--but judging from what I have read in the comments of other friend's stories, I felt the need to avoid such comments.
Perhaps I will remove the tragedy tag in favor of the sad tag as the ending of this fic has a purpose rather than simply to be an "ending." I'll consider it once I get one or two more chapters out.
3180668
I didn't intend for my comment to come across as a complaint, I just couldn't resist commenting because you mentioned George R.R. Martin. If you want your story to be a tragedy, then do what you gotta do. It's your story so write it the way you want.
I mean, I don't enjoy tragedy myself, but if that's what you wanna write then do it. I just always ask when I see it show up on a story because I've seen more than a few stories pick up a tragedy tag just because tragic things happen and not because the story is an actual tragedy. No sense in missing out on a story I might otherwise enjoy just because it's got an erroneous tag.
3181609
No no, I didn't see your comment as a complaint! I thought it more as criticism and I'm taking it to heart by reevaluating my choice for using the tragedy tag. I feel as though I might have picked the tag so as to appeal to the majority of FimFiction who see tragedy as something tragic in the story happens rather than as a genre. I probably have misused the tag as you have pointed out, so the best I can do is consider what you said.
Daaaaaaawwwwww <3
I'm like #111
I'm quite proud of myself
The love tunnel scene was basically Carbon talking about his wife, kid, and his upcoming retirement which is two weeks away.
Translation: Carbon is going to get killed soon.
3179792 3180668
Ah, 'Game of Thrones' levels of corpses.
It is going to be a good time for funeral service and grave digger ponies.
Hnnnnggghh!! Cuteness overload!!
Two years and they haven't tied the knot? Curious...