Salvaged from the Cutting Room Floor

by wishcometrue

Somnambulism [Romance] [Drama]

Author's Note:

Additional Tags: [Somnambula] [Meadowbrook]

Description: Somnambula and Meadowbrook love each other. Not everyone is happy about this.

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Written for Quills and Sofas Contest #45, which had the theme "Candy" and the prompt "Bittersweet".

Somnambula lay in bed and waited. She didn't get up when she heard Starswirl snoring from two rooms away. She probably could have; Starswirl had always been a deep sleeper, and that had only become more true as the years went on. There was little point in risking it, though, as she had a lot to lose.

Finally, when she could wait no longer, she snuck out of her room and walked down the hall of the inn. She paused outside the second door from the staircase on the right and, after glancing around once more, crept into the room.

Meadowbrook sat by the window, her forelegs folded on the sill. The moonlight played over her features, highlighting the way her messy mane, frayed from nearly always being tied up, fell across her withers. Other ponies might think she looked messy, but Somnambula thought she looked angelic.

Somnambula, staying as quiet as possible, walked towards her. Meadowbrook’s ears perked up momentarily, but her gaze never drifted from the moon, not even when Somnambula wrapped a powerful wing around her and kissed her cheek.

“Good evening, my love.”

Meadowbrook leaned against her, and for a moment said nothing. As Somnambula breathed in to say more, Meadowbrook said, “I think Starswirl knows we’re seeing each other.”

Somnambula gasped. “Do you really think so?”

“The looks he was shooting you and me when he thought we weren’t looking…” Meadowbrook finally broke away from the moon and buried her face against Somnambula’s neck, not finishing the thought.

Somnambula pulled her lover close against her, cooing and soothing as Meadowbrook sobbed against her coat. Even as she tried to project calm, her own mind was racing. If Starswirl knew they were seeing each other, he would not allow them to remain pillars. He had been clear that they all must be seen as above other ponies, which meant they could not love, especially amongst themselves.

Eventually Meadowbrooks tears ran dry, and when they did Somnambula said, “If he knows, there is nothing we can do, my love.” She pushed her marefriend back and lifted her face with a hoof. She smiled--even tired and weary, even with her coat streaked and matted with tears and bags beneath her eyes, her love was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. “There is no use in worrying now. We are together, and we should not feel shame and fear in that, especially not here, tonight, alone.”

“It’s not fair how you got the wisdom and the beauty of the two of us.” Meadowbrook smiled. It didn’t quite reach her eyes, but it was a start.

“Compared to you, I am a foolish mule.” Somnambula chuckled.

Before her love could respond, she closed the distance between them and kissed her passionately, delighting in the taste of peppermint playing across her tongue. Tomorrow they could worry again. Tonight they let everything outside drift away, and lost themselves in each other.

Comments

[Flora Blossom]

Not sure what to think of these short stories.