Chapter 16: Spring Already?
The school year was quickly winding down. It was already late spring, with only a couple weeks until summer. The gardens Lark and Windy planted had taken off quite nicely. The spring had been about average for moisture, if a little wet the last week, so things were about as good for growing as could be. Lark’s crops, if a decent garden qualified as such, were reacting better than he’d expected to the improved soil.
The sun was waking Lark before his alarm clock every morning. But Saturday morning, he had to set it. He was leaving on the camping trip before daybreak.
Windy’s dad, Mr. Meadow, thought it would be fun to take Windy and a few of her friends camping. He’d been unable to get out of the office most weekends and wanted to do something before the woods and trails were overrun by tourists and summer hikers. Planning ahead, they’d chosen an area in the foothills of the Unicorn Range. Lark was excited, in part because they’d see where Lt. Zip “Fire” Jetscream set up his first protection against the Centauri 1st Army.
Mrs. Meadow, for all the things her husband was able to rope her into, hated camping. All the bugs, cold wetness, and hunger had her longing for a roof with walls and windows with screens, a bathtub with hot water, and a couple of oatburgers slathered in ketchup. In short, she wouldn’t be going along.
Windy loved camping almost as much as Mr. Meadow, but hadn’t gone in a couple years. But they’d have access to shorter trails and never be far from where they were staying, so any difficulties she may have were minimized.
Along with Mr. Meadow, his daughter, and Lark were going Thunder, Medium, Daisy, and Pine. Lark hadn’t expected Pine to come, but apparently Pine’s dad, Mr. Licorice, was a hiking buddy of Mr. Meadow. He’d have gone too, but his knee was acting up; he’d been a professional hoofball player whose career ended with a rather nasty injury. He’d be spending the next few days in his chair with an icepack.
Misty, Sherry, and Light, from Lark’s main circle of friends, had other things to attend to, so they would be missed. But, with only Mr. Meadow, six foals were enough to keep track of anyway.
They’d get on a bus bright and early Saturday morning that would take them to the trailhead. It was only a short hike in, and they’d have facilities, so it would be a comfortable weekend. Mr. Meadow had a couple of canvas tents; the fillies would get one and the colts would share with Mr. Meadow.
Lark had his saddlebags but wouldn’t need much else. A canteen, flashlight, sleeping bag, and bug spray were about all he could want. And the tents weren’t a big deal to carry. They were horses, after all.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Lark’s alarm clock woke him up; he shut it off. 5:30 a.m. He yawned, briefly checking his saddlebags. He had what he wanted, so he ran downstairs, trying to be quiet as not to wake the family.
Aunt Fairy had been thoughtful enough to whip Lark up a little breakfast the night before; all he had to do was heat it up. Lark quickly ate, did his dishes, left a note of thanks and farewell, and began walking down the sidewalk at 5:50 a.m.
The bus was leaving from the school at 6:45 a.m., so he had a little time. He chose to head to the Meadows’. He could at least help them haul the gear to the bus they’d catch.
He saw Mr. Meadow carrying a large set of saddlebags down the front steps, “Good morning, Mr. Meadow!”
He looked up, “’Morning, Lark. Got everything?”
Lark did, “Yup.”
“Great. It’s only a block, so each of us can carry a tent.”
Mr. Meadow knew how to pack. He had all the food and cooking supplies they needed, right in his bag. All the foals had to do was pack light and bring personal effects.
“Hi, Lark!” Windy paddled down the steps, saddlebags riding as she trotted along.
“Hey, Windy!” Lark hugged her. “You good, today?”
“Sure… I’m just so excited to get going.”
Mr. Meadow lifted a tent, dropping it on Lark’s back, “We’d better get moving.”
The tent wasn’t too heavy, even with his saddlebags. It was figured Lark could hoof his bags off to another foal and spirit the tent by himself.
Arriving at the school, everypony else was already there. Thunder was caught up in an energy vortex, Daisy trying not to laugh at her silliness. Pine and Medium were chatting, smiling about something.
Windy called, “Hey, everypony! Ready for a fun weekend?”
Were they ever… It had been raining quite a bit, even for Vanhoover. It had finally dried up a few days and the forecast was nothing but sun as far as anypony knew.
The bus soon arrived, and they hopped aboard. It would be a couple hours before they reached the trailhead.
While Mr. Meadow and a few of the foals dozed off, catching up on sleep missed from the early morning, a few played Go-Fish.
The walk out to the site was a pleasant one. After pitching their tents, they set up the rest of their camp. At this point, Mr. Meadow wished he’d brought another adult. With six foals and a lot going on, he couldn’t be in two places at once. But Windy and Daisy wanted to stay in camp while the others went on a short hike. They’d be able to get lunch ready. It was agreeable enough.
After walking around for about an hour, admiring the developing summer landscape, the five ponies returned to find a nice pile of sandwiches and salad.
Once they’d finished lunch and cleaned up, they decided to go on a hike as a group. Lark and Medium wanted to see a specific trail again, so they went on a brief hike. Windy held up fine, and while not moving quickly, they had a comfortable walking pace.
After dinner, they sat around telling stories, trying to outdo each other. The stories had been pretty tame so far. Some were gross, some were kind of funny, but none of them were great. They began to get bored with the exercise. Mr. Meadow sort of hung out, almost out of earshot, letting them be kids.
Medium waved a hoof, “I have a story.”
The prospect was dubious. Lark remembered how gross she could be when she had a mind to, but… she had nothing on Windy. If the others had heard some of the things Windy had told him in private, they’d look very differently at the peachy Pegasus.
Pine laughed, “This could be good.”
Medium cleared her throat, “This is a story about why cats land on their feet: once upon a time, there was a little kingdom. The king’s daughter loved cats. She loved them so much, she’d ask for one for her birthday, for Hearth’s Warming, for any occasion.
“So before long, the castle was overrun with kitties. They had kittens and kittens and more kittens, and they had kittens and more kittens. Literally up to their noses in cats, the king had his soldiers devise a plan. They invented the catapult. Every night, while everypony was asleep, they’d round up as many cats as they could catch. They’d put them in the cat launcher and send them in every direction for miles! Other places with kitty problems of their own did this too… Soon everypony was catapulting cats.
“Most of the cats went splat… but the smart ones landed on their feet. The soldiers sent cats to their kitty fate until not a single cat was left in the castle. The king’s daughter was very sad… But one day, all the smart cats found their way home. The king’s daughter was so very glad her kitties came home.
“And that’s why cats land on their paws… and why they’re smart. Smart cats make more smart cats! Uh, the end.”
Medium giggled and Windy did too. The rest… were less amused.
Thunder blanched, “That’s awful! How could you think that’s funny?! All those poor kitties…”
Medium shrugged, “It’s just a story.”
The others grumbled; it hadn’t been a very good story.
Mr. Meadow laughed, from afar, “Oh, I remember that one for colt scouts.”
Pine spoke up, “I have one from colt scouts… I heard it last year. It’s funny.”
Whatever he’d tell them, it couldn’t be any worse than Medium’s catapult story. Lark never thought of Pine as being funny or anything, but they’d see…
Pine began, “There was a pony that loved canoeing but every time he bent over to pick up his paddle, he'd get an awful crick in his back. It hurt something fierce, so he went to see the doctor.
“The doctor checked his back and could find nothing wrong, but he gave him some advice. He said that if it happens again, instead of just picking up the paddle he should grab it with both hooves, stick the end of it in the ground, and slowly pull himself up to the top of the paddle.
“On the next canoe trip, the pony reached for his paddle and wham! that crick in his back started hurting again. Following the doctor's advice, he stuck the paddle in the ground and, worked his way up the paddle. When he was finally standing up on two legs his back didn't hurt, and he was very pleased to find himself ...up a paddle without a crick.”
Pine sat, looking as if he’d just given everypony a swell gift. It’s too bad his gift was as lame as a one-legged pony climbing up a ladder while carrying a bucket of paint.
Windy crowed, “Boo! That sucked!”
Mr. Meadow looked up from his book, with warning, “Windy…”
“But it did suck!”
The others laughed; it did suck. Mr. Meadow agreed silently, trying not to laugh at his friend’s son, now sulking.
Pine, unused to being embarrassed, didn’t much like it, “Okay, Windy… Why don’t you tell us one?”
Lark was at once eager and concerned. Windy had a creative mind… But her dad was there, so she wouldn’t come up with anything too nuts. He figured if either of her parents had heard about her little poem at the Waltz’s Hearths Warming party, a certain filly would have tasted a mouthful of soap.
The rest wanted to hear… other than the surly Pine.
Windy smiled, fluffed her wings, and sat more comfortably, “Okay… I’ve got a funny one…”
Mr. Meadow frowned, groaning, “Oh, not that one, Windy…”
Daisy’s developing radar for naughty things went off, “Oh, Windy, pleeeeaaase tell it. This has to be good.”
The other foals perked up at this development.
Mr. Meadow shook his head, laughing, “Well, I’m going somewhere else for a few minutes. I hope you kids don’t talk about anything too bad. Oh, Windy… if your mom heard some of…”
His voice trailed off as he went to the latrine. The young ones were ecstatic! The old man left so he wouldn’t have to “be held accountable” for whatever the fuck came out of his daughter’s mouth.
Windy giggled feverishly, reddening in the face, “You will not believe this… It happened at my old school… before coming here.
“My teacher in 3rd grade always made me take a note to another teacher. She said she trusted me and to never look at the note. I did it a couple times a week. After bringing the note to him for a couple months, I got… curious. I opened it just once.
“It read, ‘need someplace else- not my classroom this time.’
“I was just a little filly… I didn’t know what it meant. But then, she and the other teacher were arrested the next year because they got caught… making whoopie on the prep table in the school kitchen! They’d been doing it for weeks! We were eating the stuff the lunch ladies put together on the table.
“It was then that I finally understood what those notes were about.”
The foals sat, repelled by this. They’d been educated; they knew what whoopie was. Windy was cracking up, barely able to sit up. Daisy, blushing profusely, was giggling stupidly. The colts were definitely grossed out. Thunder and Medium looked positively revolted.
Lark didn’t know what to say; it was just another tirade of sickness out of his best friend. He didn’t know whether to laugh or puke half the time. His friends had just seen the side of Windy he occasionally got a glimpse at.
So, while he didn’t puke, he laughed in amused horror, “Oh, Windy! That was sick!”
She continued to giggle, barely able to breathe. It beggared the imaginations of the foals how Windy came across some of the things she did… Just “lucky”, they guessed.
Mr. Meadow returned, looking refreshed, “So, Windy… did your friends enjoy the story about the squirrel who lost his nuts?”
The faces of the foals answered his intentionally foolish question. Lark smiled inwardly. It was the father/daughter joke the two shared. Whenever one of them did or said something questionable, this was how they acknowledged it.
“Oh, I think they enjoyed it,” Windy simpered.
Thunder looked positively nauseated, “Could we do something else… maybe sing songs?”
Knowing things would only get worse, they all jumped on the idea. They sang songs, roasted some marshmallows, and settled in for the night.
Lark had trouble falling asleep. He’d found he rarely had any trouble sleeping anywhere, but he just couldn’t get comfortable. So, he got up, figuring he could lounge around camp… maybe get a drink and visit the latrine…
But he wasn’t the only pony awake. He saw… Windy… sitting up on a rock, staring up at the night sky. He quietly paddled up to her. She noticed, smiled, and helped pull him up.
“Windy, you shouldn’t have tried crawling up her on your own…”
She laughed, pointing in front of them; it was level ground. Lark had climbed when he could’ve gone around.
Before he could voice his embarrassment over the trivial thing, she hoofed him, “Lark… I’ve never asked. Do you know much about astronomy?”
He knew a lot about astronomy. It’s where his sisters got their love of it from. Noticing just how bright the stars were, he wished his sisters could be there. Well, maybe once they were older. Uncle Star and Aunt Fairy enjoyed the great outdoors even less than Mrs. Meadow.
“Sure, I do. I thought you did, too.”
She shook her head, “I know some… I never really became interested in it until this one night in Canterlot… last summer.”
Lark knew this was a sensitive topic for Windy; she was referring to her long stay in Canterlot, as the doctors were baffled by her condition.
She looked up wonderingly, “It was… about a week before they figured out exactly what I had. There was a power outage in Canterlot; the whole city went dark. It was… a little scary inside. Mom had gone to stay in the motel, so I was alone. I took a flashlight and found my way to the roof. I just had to get out of the dark.
“I went out and… it sure was dark, looking at the city. I could see the lights of Ponyville, really far away. But above Canterlot… the sky was clear as a bell. You could see everything. I’d spent years looking up but never thought much about it… I’d seen the same sky, so many times when we went camping.
“But for some reason… it got me thinking that time. The sky’s probably looked the same as long as ponies have been around. And it’ll look the same after we’re gone… whenever that is. I know it’ll… look the same after I’m gone…”
Lark was never comfortable when Windy started in on the mortality stuff. But she sat there, in what appeared to be perfect contentment, albeit a bittersweet look about her face.
She hoofed his shoulder, “Oh, don’t listen to me… just a bunch of crap about… life. The last year has given me plenty to think about.”
He nodded, “I suppose.”
“What do you think, Lark?”
He was confused a moment, “…About what?”
She giggled, poking at him, “Because I know what I think.”
Her fiendish look could have meant anything; Lark marshaled a smile, “What do you think?”
“I think… I hope we can be in class next year together… all of us. I… really wish I’d been in Ms. Pearlshine’s now… having met you… But that’s almost gone. Our class is big. It’ll be like last year. Things’ll get tossed up. Who knows? Maybe we will wind up together.”
Lark hadn’t really realized just how much he wished for the same thing. He just hadn’t thought much about it.
He sighed, “I’d like that too…”
“But we won’t know until, like, a week, before school starts. Keep your hooves crossed,” Windy stood up, cracking her back. “Well… I think I’m ready to lie down, now.”
Lark looked over, “Need a hoof?”
She walked down the same way she came up, “Nope… I’m good. See you in the morning?”
She’d asked it like it wasn’t a certain thing; he frowned, “Uh… yeah.”
Windy smiled at him dreamily before paddling towards the filly tent.
Lark was never quite sure what went through that girl’s head. But he’d learned to not think about it too much. As for himself, he decided to watch the stars for a while. He’d have a chance to see the full night sky again, soon enough, but first school had to let out. They’d be heading back to Vanhoover the next morning.
And so, the last two weeks of school ran out as a bathtub draining… faster than it may have seemed to… Soon the water was gone, and they’d reached the end.
Ms. Pearlshine stood before her class. It was the last few moments of the last day of school. The pretty Pegasus had been on the verge of tears the entire day. Her students were very eager to leave. And she couldn’t blame them. She still remembered when she was their age. 22 years didn’t really seem that long ago.
She so wished her students could understand how she felt. She’d seen 10 classes come under her tutelage. It was time for the 10th to go. Many of the first ponies she taught were already out in the world with jobs or degrees. But it only got harder every year. She so loved her students but could forgive them for being young. She was just a pebble in the road to their roads of life. Most of them weren’t even listening. But she said what she wished.
“My little ponies… The time has come for us to part. I must say, I’ve enjoyed working with all of you this year. You’ve taught me plenty and I look forward to watching you continue your studies. I know most of you will be back next year; it will be nice to see you when our paths cross. For those of you going elsewhere, good luck. Remember the year we’ve shared and put forth the same you gave here.
“It wasn’t all that long ago I sat where you are. I remember it with such fondness. Go enjoy your summer. Enjoy being a foal. Enjoy the time. Enjoy the moments. Be kind, be yourself, don’t be afraid to take a risk or do what’s right. And always remember-”
RIIIIIIIIIINNNG!
Many of her foals were already screaming for the door, their noise almost drowning out the school bell.
Ms. Pearlshine gave a small, conceding smile, “…Always remember you have those who love you… who want you to succeed… and will help you when you need it.”
As her former students streamed out of her room, she sat at her desk. Another lousy, canned speech… She wasn’t sure if her ill-prepared words meant much of anything to anypony. It was impossible to come up with something worth saying, it seemed… She sighed, as the last student seemed to disappear through the doorway.
Standing up, she began to erase the board. The hoof strap she had broke so she had to use her mouth… it tasted awful. She thought she was alone, but it shouldn’t have surprised her a bit that one student stayed behind. It was one she had no problem showing emotion in front of, which was good because her face was a mess of mascara and tears. It sure wasn’t the first time he’d seen her cry.
“Ms. Pearlshine?” Lark began. “Could we talk a few minutes?”
She should’ve expected Lark to be standing there, but she had assumed he’d just left with the others. He was still just a student after all… Why stick around to talk to some 30-something-year-old four-eyes?
“Oh, Lark… Of course.”
She fumbled around for her tissue box, but her nerveless hooves failed her. Lark fetched her a few. She couldn’t ever think what she’d done to deserve a student like him…
“Thank you, Lark,” Ms. Pearlshine was able to wipe her face a bit. “I admit… I will miss having such a thoughtful colt around… You really are a rarity.”
Lark smirked at this; Ms. Pearlshine usually didn’t mince words with him. Given some of the things she’d told him, he supposed she was a friend as much as a teacher. His family had certainly gotten to know her… How often does your teacher foalsit your little sisters?
“Are you okay, Ms. Pearlshine?”
She blew her nose, “I’m fine, Lark. I feel like this at the end of every year. I can’t help myself.”
He sat, understanding as much as he was able; he was rather empathetic for his age. And they knew of the other’s deeper torments.
Ms. Pearlshine continued, “It seems like yesterday I was meeting you for the first time. Your name… and your manner. I really was tickled pink to wind up with a student like you.”
She blubbered a little bit; Lark felt the only thing to do was pat her hoof.
He had a few things to say himself, “You really did help me out… those first couple weeks of school. I can’t imagine where I’d’ve wound up if you hadn’t… stuck up for me.”
“Oh, Lark. I was so glad to do it… It really surprised the admins when I came forward for you… Especially when I tried to intervene with the decision the board was already leaning towards. You really were in danger of expulsion. But I wasn’t the one that made any difference in the end… I’m just some… well, teacher… It was Mr. Chippy… and your wonderful friend, Thunder, that made the difference. I’m going to miss her very much… There’s something else…”
Lark decided to just listen.
His teacher sniffled, “Lark… you may think less of me, but I must say it. I wouldn’t have done that for just anypony. I told you, after barely knowing you a week, what happened to me when I was young… and how much you reminded me of myself. If I… hadn’t taken such a shine to you, I might have just stood back and let the system work. I was… scared. Scared they’d remind me of what a… disappointment I may have been.”
Still, Lark just listened.
“Lark… I’m so very pleased things turned out so well for you. Whether it was happy chance… or some kind of faith that got you and your sisters through all of that… Maybe it was just the unexpected love of an aunt and uncle. But here you are…!”
With that, the bespectacled Pegasus broke down, crying into the crooks of her front legs. Lark was kind of glad the door had shut; nopony needed to see this. He leaned in, finally ready to talk.
“Ms. Pearlshine… don’t call yourself a disappointment. And thanks… thanks for everything. I really did have a good year.”
He really had nothing much else to say.
Ms. Pearlshine got up from behind her desk and hugged her student. He returned it. He himself had no tears to shed. He’d worked out plenty over the last nine months. That day he felt pretty good.
His teacher laughed, “You really have grown up so much this year. In more ways than one…”
This was true. He was almost up to her eye level. And… he’d finally realized a few things… mainly that he mattered. But he’d figured that out a while ago.
Ms. Pearlshine broke it off, “Now… go out there and enjoy your summer. I’ll see you again in the fall… maybe sooner if your aunt and uncle need a foalsitter. Better hurry up; I have a feeling somepony’s waiting for you in the hall.”
Smiling, Lark left the classroom, and Ms. Pearlshine, behind him. And sure enough, Windy was sitting out in the hall, a little smile on her face.
“You good, Lark?”
He hefted her to her hooves, “I’m great, Windy.”
Giggling, she prodded him along, “Good. Now, everypony’s heading to the ice cream shop. They’re only a couple minutes ahead, so we should be able to catch up.”
The pair left the school and the things with it, behind them for a few months. They’d see Mr. Chippy, and maybe a few others, surely, but it was summer for the time being. Breaking into a trot, they spotted their friends and went to join them.
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Ok I finally caught up with this story. Really nice work you did. Oh and gelatin isn't the only thing you can use... But then again, they do eat eggs. No making real cake and stuff without. At least if it is supposed to taste good.
Now I just have to catch up with the only remaining one.
It is a bit strange that there are so few comments on this story.
8844911
I expect the stories to get more views and attention once they get higher in the word counts. Company will last at least a few months, but the other two will be quite a bit longer.
8844927
Well I just find it strange that people up or even downvote storys without even a word of why they liked, disliked it.
I mean, if a story gets allmost daily updates, it would make sense not commenting every single time. But with a story that updates slower? One has enough time to of a little something right?
Ok sometimes I just read a story and think it was a good read but don't bother to write it, because there enough comments already stating that in better words. Then I mostly just upvote the Story, as well as one of those comments and go to the next story..
8844950
I am not concerned. All it takes is enough time.
Are you taking this off break soon?
8939832
Late summer's the plan.
9088955
Meh.
A whole semester in two chapters? It kind of fell off but I do not know what else you might do with 5th graders. Looking forward to middle and hight school stuff if you get to it.
9103266
The next story is in the editing process. But I may just let it be until The Virgin Company is done with, which should be in the next couple/three months.
9103266
I thought it ended just fine.
9103289
Juggling three stories is too much.
9103289
So October/November?
Wish you had done more with the second term but I liked it. It made the long drive to Chicago bearable. I thought this story was on a long hiatus so I never bothered starting it.
Cheers!
9235759
Glad you enjoyed it. I know I should've done more with the story but had done everything I wanted to as far as them being 5th graders went. The sequel will find them more than a year later, with Lark turning 13.
Cute!
9251869
Cartman and the kidney... Classic.
Well, I’m hooked.
9389278
Thanks. Glad to hear it. I tried to write something pleasant enough... not too much end-of-the-world existentialist crap here.
...Why does Larkspur Blossom sound like a girl's name?
9440659
It's just the name I gave him. It could be a girls' name but I decided to give it to him anyway. I like the way the name sounds.
I just opened to a field guide for western weedy plants, closed my eyes, and pointed my finger in the index. Delphinium spp.