Homemade Kites and Whatnot

by getmeouttahere

7 - Side by Side

Yesterday’s off-and-on rainstorms left a shroud of fog over the forest in their wake. It lingered on throughout the night, and even past the sunrise. All you could see from your window when you woke up were the thin outlines of the closest trees as the daylight slowly spread over the land. With visibility so limited, there were few distractions to otherwise capture your attention, so you wrote in your journal, hoping to make up for the neglect you’ve shown it over the last few days.

Writing by hand was such an odd feeling, and even after all this time you were still getting used to it. By now, you had nearly forgotten what it was like to hear the steady, reassuring click clack in the air and feel the firmness of a computer keyboard underneath your fingers. It had been replaced by the sensation of a pen gliding across the page, leaving a trail of black ink wherever it traveled. The writing process became much slower and more deliberate, considering mistakes were so hard to correct, and you constantly had to make sure not to accidentally smudge the ink with your hand as you moved along.

Yet the more you wrote in this way, the more you grew fond of it. Since you had to think so hard about what you were going to say before you put pen to page, what you ended up producing seemed to flow more naturally than what was made by haphazardly typing away on the computer and then editing later. It also encouraged you to say more with less, so your stories became simpler; the flowery or overblown descriptions your mind sometimes thought up often cast aside before the first bit of ink was drawn.

You set the pen down and take a last sip of coffee while you allow the ink to dry. It’s a necessary precursor for the final step in this process, so after placing the empty mug aside, you lean back in your chair and close your eyes, giving it a few more minutes just to be safe.

“…Like two peas in a pod.”

You mutter your thoughts to the empty room with a smile. Really, who could deny it now?

“Or maybe it would be more like two apples in a bushel, huh?”

Opening your eyes once more, your gaze settles on the two kites on the table. They’re exactly as you left them; the smaller yellow delta resting atop its larger red sibling. The measurements really were spot-on; the red one’s wingspan is about 5 ½ inches wider than the yellow’s. It may not seem like much, but if your hunch is correct, it should make a huge difference in higher winds.

The sunlight outside burns some of the fog away, brightening the room. You stand from your seat and walk over to the table, examining the kites’ construction. They’re much more carefully made than the last three, a testament to how much the two of you have improved in such a short time. You’re certain they’ll fly well, but for some reason you’re still anxious to see it for yourself. You find that you’re glancing at the clock hanging on the wall more often than usual, even if you’ve long realized by now that it does nothing to make the time pass more quickly…

But regardless of how fast or slow you perceive it to be, the time will pass. It’s true in this world, just as it was true back on Earth. You take a seat once more, certain that the ink is now dry, but instead of resuming your work, you brush it aside, focusing your gaze on the window and the world beyond. The rapidly fading fog reveals more and more of the trees, forest and field, as if they were being painted on a canvas right before your eyes. The sight is mesmerizing, and you can’t help but admire it while idly wondering what the small pony you’ve spent so much time with recently is up to right now.

She’s no doubt awake, as life on a farm requires one to be an early bird, and she’s likely already started on her morning tasks. Feeding the animals, taking care of chores around the house, and all on her own, too… it really is amazing how much trust her older siblings place in her, even if she doesn’t fully recognize it. Were you in Applejack’s position, you’re not sure if you’d be willing to leave Apple Bloom to tend a farm on her own or not. But given all that you’ve learned about the surprisingly sharp and somewhat over-excitable little filly, you may not be giving her enough credit. After all, her family knows her best, and if they felt she was ready for the responsibility, then she must be.

So, how much longer would the typical morning chores on a farm take? Several more hours or so? Or is she so used to them that they could go by even faster now?

With a smile and a shake of your head, you pull the journal, pen and inkwell back within your reach. No matter the answer, and no matter whether you choose to spend the rest of the morning lost in your own thoughts or writing out yet another story from your past, you know you’ll eventually hear that familiar knock on your door, and those two kites on the table will sail through the afternoon sky side by side. Because just as you told her before, time marches on for us all, regardless of our wishes in the matter.

You hold the pen once more, and soon enough, the next words appear on the page.

~~~~~~~~~

The sun shines brightly overhead, doing its best to finally dry the damp forest. But though the heat of summer would’ve easily taken care of the soggy ground and morning dew by now, this was still early spring, and the cool morning air would help to permit many large puddles to linger on the forest path for at least a few more hours.

Apple Bloom does her best to avoid the puddles as she canters along the trail, fighting back the urge to run through them as she normally would. Though splashing through puddles was always fun, she had her doubts that Mr. Anon would like a bunch of mud and rainwater tracked all over his house, and upon further reflection she concludes that she really wouldn’t want the stuff all over the farmhouse, either. After all, since she’s in charge, she’d be the one who’d have to clean it up…

Yep, that would be no fun. And like her Granny always says, the house does need to be kept presentable, because you never knew when company would drop by. It could be somepony from the extended family who happened to be in town, or maybe a friend from school, or even someone you happened to invite over for a meal out of the blue!

She giggles to herself as she hops to the side to avoid yet another puddle. It was so great that Mr. Anon decided to stay for supper yesterday. It was nice to not eat dinner alone for once this week, and she enjoyed the opportunity to spend some more time with him…

But all that aside, it was great because it gave her an opportunity to show off her work! Sure, maybe she was a little too excited about it, but she couldn’t help but lead him to the screen door she fixed. And Winona, bless her heart, was so happy to have a new face around she gladly helped to show how it worked, running outside, then inside, then outside again, wagging her tail all the way.

But definitely the best, most amazing part of his visit was… he loved it!

She didn’t realize just how much she wanted to know what he thought until he said it, but to see him stand there and inspect the bands, and the changes to the doorframe she made, and to swing the door back and forth and watch how it latched all by itself, and then tell her that he loved it and that she did a great job… it made her spirits soar, and she had to somehow resist the urge to hop all over the kitchen with glee just like Pinkie Pie would. When she was cleaning up after dinner and doing the last chores for the day and she thought about it again, she even got a little embarrassed.

It felt like such a silly thing, to be so excited about getting praise from a grownup for something she’d done, even if it was from one she’d come to really like. After all, sometimes Ms. Cheerilee would praise her for her schoolwork if she did a good job, and her many relatives would usually compliment her whenever they came to visit. But for some reason, with Mr. Anon, it was different. For one, she could always tell he really meant what he said, and wasn’t just saying it to make her feel good. But that wasn’t all of it. To be praised by him like that made her feel warm and fuzzy inside, in that same strange, familiar way that she sometimes felt when they talked.

She still couldn’t put a hoof on what it really was, but what she did know is that it made her whole body feel lighter, and a little bit of that feeling lingered and stayed with her into the morning. It even drove her to bound out of the house and down the forest trail to go see him the moment her chores were done, with only a short ‘Hi!’ and ‘Thanks!’ given to a tried-looking Pinkie Pie as she stopped by the house to drop off the day’s dinner.

She picks up of the pace, laughing with joy at where her wandering imagination takes her. Because maybe today, he’ll praise her again. He’ll look at those kites they built flying in the sky and say, ‘These are the best kites I’ve ever seen!’, or ‘Look at how good they fly!’, and she’ll get that fuzzy feeling one more time, and maybe even get closer to learning what it meant. Pinkie didn’t seem to know, but Apple Bloom was sure by now that if she kept on spending time with her new human friend, she’d figure it all out.

Before she knows it, she’s hopping over the last puddle and a few small wooden steps to land squarely on Mr. Anon’s front porch. A knock on the door and a short wait later, and there stands the tall human himself, a mug of coffee in his hand.

“This is a surprise! You’re really early today.”

“Sure am!” she replies with an enthusiastic nod. “I finished up that ol’ list yesterday, so there wasn’t much to do this mornin’.”

“I see. Well, c’mon in. We’ve got a big day ahead of us, so I don’t think it’ll hurt to get an early start.”

He steps aside and she happily trots past the threshold, first waiting patiently for him to close the door and then following him down the hallway to the bright, familiar work room. The two new kites are still on the table, right where they left them at the end of the previous day. The slightly older orange delta they used as a template is set aside in the corner, safely tucked away but not forgotten. Apple Bloom hops into the seat of one of the sturdy chairs, giving her a better vantage point, and for the first time she notices the open journal, pen and inkwell sitting atop the table near the edge, right next to the chair the human takes a seat in as he sets down his cup beside them.

“Oh, were you in the middle of writin’ somethin’, Mr. Anon?”

He smiles and closes the book, its bright red cover a similar shade to the largest of their kites. “I was. But don’t worry, it can wait. I know you’re anxious to get out there, and I am too. It even looks like the wind already got started without us.”

As if on cue, the window rattles a bit as another strong gust travels over the field.

“Golly, it sure does,” she agrees after a glance outside.

“So, I’m thinking we’ll get a better idea of where we stand if we fly both kites at once. Which one do you want?”

“I’ll take the big one!” Apple Bloom answers without hesitation.

He chuckles. “Well, I suppose that leaves the small one for me. Depending on what we see, it might even be a good idea to fly the medium size one again too as a comparison.”

Setting the book and his writing tools aside, he pulls the two new kites closer, and together they check them over one last time and attach their lines to the keels. After that, it’s off to the yard, and a short walk to the field just beyond. The sky certainly isn’t cloudless, but it doesn’t seem to hold any threat of rain, either, and thanks to their early start, they have plenty of time to fly even if a small squall decides to roll through. Another gust pushes at their backs just as they cross the tree line as if to usher them forward, and the two share a knowing glance with one another, both holding the hope that it’s a sign that the weather will finally cooperate today.

Apple Bloom takes giddy steps through the tall grass ahead of her human friend, brimming with confidence in their work and excited about what’s to come. They both stop once they reach a good spot clear of any nearby trees, and with practiced ease the two quickly prepare for the first launch. The spool for the larger kite is entrusted to the small pony’s care, while Anon stands still with the kite held aloft in one arm, holding tightly to keep the wind from pulling it away until the right moment.

And then, with a quick count of three, they move in tandem and the red delta takes flight! It sails through the air with ease, and in no time at all she’s able to get it fully under her control and at the proper height.

The launch of the yellow kite is a somewhat more difficult affair. Much to Apple Bloom’s amusement, Anon holds it aloft and then gets a slightly clumsy running start. He lets go and immediately whips around, trying to pull the kite higher to catch more of the wind, but its much smaller sail has trouble keeping up. It takes several attempts at a running start and subsequent fighting with the line in order to get it high enough in the sky for at least a partially stable flight, but he eventually succeeds, and just as she imagined earlier in the day, the two kites sail in the air side by side.

For a moment, the wind remains steady; not too strong, and not too gentle, and the two are able to playfully guide their kites back and forth, painting patterns in the sky. The sunlight filters through the durable fabric, creating a halo within as if the kites were somehow enchanted by magic, and both pony and human stop to admire the unexpectedly beautiful sight.

Then the wind picks up, driving the clouds above faster and faster and nearly ripping the spool of line out of Apple Bloom’s mouth. She fights back the urge to dig her hooves into the ground and instead runs with it, just as Mr. Anon told her, and revels for an instant in the strange sensation of feeling a little bit lighter. Still, it takes every ounce of her strength and finesse to keep from completely losing her hold on the kite, and several times she wonders if her hooves are going to remain planted on the comforting earth beneath them, or if she’s suddenly going to be forced to learn what being a pegasus is like!

“Yeah, that’s good!” Anon yells over to her, retaining control of his own kite with surprising ease. “You’re doing fine; don’t give up!”

Emboldened by his faith in her, and further by a slight dip in the wind, she fights on and soon has the kite fully under her control once more. With a smirk of pride and some extra effort, she steers it back toward where he’s standing, panting for breath after the exertion of her frantic run, and somewhat jealous that he hasn’t had to do much running around since he got his own kite in the air.

But just as suddenly as the gust arrived, it vanishes, and those fast-moving clouds slow to a crawl. The large red kite in her care instantly stops fighting her and even drops a little while managing to stay airborne, but the small yellow kite held by Anon quickly dovetails out of his control. He immediately starts running to try to salvage the flight, but the kite refuses his efforts and ends up making a rough landing in the tall grass near the hill.

The cycle repeats itself as the morning wears on. The fickle wind howls and the smaller kite soars while the larger one struggles; it subsides and the large glides along easily, while the smaller barely floats or falls to the ground. To make matters worse, their attempts to fly the medium-sized kite reveal that it has the problems of both the others; steady with a moderate breeze, but quick to lose control in either extreme.

Anon and Apple Bloom, both exhausted from all the running around, collapse with their backs against the still-bare sycamore tree at the top of the hill. The young pony looks to the sky and the clouds above through the tree’s many branches, while the older human supports his head on one knee, eyes cast downward while he catches his breath, the three kites safely held against the grass by one of his hands.

“I… really should’ve given you the smaller kite,” he gasps, breaking the short silence that settled between them. “I haven’t had to do a bunch of running around like that for a long time.”

“Yeah… you’re right. There were a few times there when I wasn’t sure if I was gonna get carried away or not!” Apple Bloom exclaims with a giggle. “But I gotta say, you’re pretty fast for a fella with only two legs, Mr. Anon. You did good keepin’ up!”

The human laughs along with her. “Thanks, I’ll take that compliment!” He stretches his legs out and leans against the tree, training he eyes on the sky as well. “I hate to say it, but it looks we’ve run into a big problem. The delta’s the best design we came up with, but the wind’s so crazy that we can’t find a size for it that’ll work. And if we can’t get a good kite that’ll fly under our control, it’s definitely not going to fly out on the lake when it’s out of my hands, even if the conditions aren’t as bad then as they are now.” He sighs and turns to her with a sad smile. “It looks like it might be back to the drawing board for us, and I’m not really sure what direction to go next.”

“You’re… you’re not givin’ up, are ya?” Apple Bloom asks with a hint of worry. “I mean, we can’t give up! We’ve come this far, right? Maybe there’s somethin’ we’re doing wrong with the wings, or maybe they’re too heavy, or…”

“Maybe. But I’m a little out of my depth here. Like I said before, I’m not an expert on building kites. We could very well be doing something wrong or making a simple mistake, or even using the wrong design entirely… but I wouldn’t really know. The types of kites we made are the only ones I’m really familiar with… well, aside from some really exotic designs that definitely wouldn’t work…”

Silence falls between them as Anon ponders the problem, and Apple Bloom looks away, out across the sweeping field to the edge of the Whitetail Woods in the distance. Things certainly haven’t gone like she expected they would this morning. The kites they worked so hard on don’t fly right, and those words of praise she so looked forward to hearing from him today were nowhere to be found. Again, that feeling that something was missing starts to well up inside, and she sighs, her ears folding back as a new sense of frustration settles over her.

Why? Why was it so important to her to hear him say those things? It just didn’t make any sense! Sure, she loved it when her big brother and sister were proud of the things she’d done, and sure, she’d come to learn that she really liked Mr. Anon. But it’s not like he was family. Heck, he wasn’t even a pony! So why…?

The familiar sensation of a comforting hand tussling her mane, careful to avoid the bow tied there as always, pulls her from her thoughts, and she looks over to the human by her side. Despite her own somber mood, no gloom can be found in his expression as he softly smiles at her. The gentle reminder that he’s nearby lifts her spirits, and once again she finds that strange sensation of missing something slowly replaced by the feeling that what was lost was found.

“Hey, don’t let it get you down. We have another saying back on Earth, you know…”

“What’s that?”

He pulls his hand away and gathers the three kites into his arms.

“‘Nothing worth doing is easy.’ It means that the things we work the hardest for are almost always worth the effort.”

“Now you’re startin’ to sound like Applejack,” she says with a small laugh.

“Told you we have some things in common!” he replies with a laugh of his own. “Look, I know this is just putting a few kites together, but I’m having a lot of fun, and it seems to me like you have been too. C’mon, we’re not beaten yet. And just think about it… once we get this thing figured out and eventually watch that final kite fly no matter the wind? It’s gonna feel pretty amazing, huh?”

He stands up, holding the kites close to his chest while the little pony hops to her hooves, her smile now a mirror of his own.

“Eeyup!”

And with their confidence renewed, the two leave the field behind for now to return to the house for a somewhat late, but much-deserved lunch break.

Comments

[aLazyPanda]

Your stuff is fantastic. I'm almost disappointed there's not much going on down here.

[Cackling Moron]

Ah, just so fulfilling