Part Five: A Resolution
It was no surprise that Autumn Leaf loved autumn.
His friends often joked that it was hard to tell what came first, the season or him. And he’d roll his eyes and laugh along every single time, even when the joke got too old to be funny.
Even when he found out what his “friends” really were.
Nowadays he didn’t like that joke anymore.
Autumn frowned, staring at the bottom of his plastic red cup. He stirred in a small circle, watching as the dyed liquid inside swirled about in response. With a sigh he set it on the brick half-wall he sat on, rolling his neck in a small circle.
From his perch on the rooftop he could see the city as it sprawled out below him. The streets weaved and dodged in between the buildings, like trenches in the battlefields he had studied in school. Carriages and pedestrians moved about as tiny blobs below, scattering about the city in an organized yet uncoordinated mess.
Autumn turned away from the view below to scan the rooftop. Ponies were crowded onto it, milling about and chatting happily with one another. The sun was just setting over the roof’s edge, and an easy wind kept the air cool. On the far side of the roof was an empty stage, with a couple of stools and a microphone waiting to be used.
The awnings and gardens had been decorated with a plethora of flowers and paper decorations: their laminated surfaces glittering in the fading evening sun. The smell of food filled the air, making him lick his lips in anticipation.
“I can see why you like it here so much,” Autumn said, glancing to his right.
Evergreen didn’t reply, leaning against the concrete half-wall with a cup in his wing.
“It’s comfy. Cozy, even.”
“Yeah,” Evergreen replied. “Apple Split worked really hard on this.”
Autumn nodded, scanning the crowd and quickly finding the blue stallion. Apple Split was busy playing host, interacting with the crowd and striking up colorful conversations while swapping stories with the assembled guests.
But if Autumn squinted he could see the bags under his eyes, and how he would sometimes drift off when someone else was speaking: staring off into space with an empty expression. “He doing alright? I heard this took a lot out of him.”
Evergreen pursed his lips. “He’s really tired. It took a lot to pull this off, but he was determined. He said he owed Refrain… Well, Ballad that much.”
Autumn grunted. “Yeah, I think I heard about that. So, let me get this straight then. Ballad had a show lined up in the city when they decided to pull the rug on her?”
“The owner is a firm believer that the gender you are born as is the one you get,” Evergreen replied monotonously. “He wasn’t too happy to find out that Ballad was a mare.”
“Celestia’s sake,” Autumn spat in disgust.
“Ballad was devastated. Told Apple Split and he organized this entire thing,” Evergreen continued.
Autumn tapped his chin. “But… he didn’t know she was trans until she showed up?”
“Yeah. Ballad only told him that she had gotten cancelled and that was enough for Split,” Evergreen nodded. “She was still Refrain back when she lived here and never told anyone about her transition. Was afraid we wouldn’t approve.”
“I’m glad it all ended up working,” Autumn replied, draining the last of the liquid from his cup.
“For the most part,” Evergreen replied, gazing off at Apple Split.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just worried. Split worked hard on this but it’s not the last thing he’s got to do. The Apple Family Reunion is next week and he’s hosting,” Evergreen said, playing with his own empty cup.
Autumn blinked at that. “...Wow. And he still did all this just for a friend?”
“Friends stick together,” Evergreen answered.
“In theory they should,” Autumn muttered in reply. “But yeah, I get your worry. I’m sure you’ll take care of him though, keep him from working himself to death.”
Evergreen shrugged. “I try. But for him it’s not over yet.”
Autumn looked up at the sky. “Yeah. It’s not over for a lot of us, I guess.” He hopped off the barrier. “I’m going to get some more punch.”
“I’ll be here,” Evergreen acknowledged.
With that, Autumn began to weave through the crowd. The sounds of their laughter and conversation fell upon his ears like rainwater, forming a smile upon his face. Strings of Hearth’s Warming lights had been hung throughout the rafters, casting a warm and welcoming glow upon the scene like fireflies in the summer.
It was homely, but… Autumn’s own reservations kept the atmosphere from enveloping him fully.
The smile slid away when he reached the concession’s table. He absently took a paper plate and began loading it with chocolate chip muffins, chips, and pieces of fruit when someone bumped into him, nearly sending his food crashing to the floor.
“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry!” cried a bubbly voice. “Oh hey, Autumn! You came!”
Autumn turned to see a bright, orange face beaming at him. “Oh, hey Lilac. What’s up?”
“The sky, silly! What’s up with you?” replied the mare without missing a beat.
“Not much,” Autumn replied. “Studying, school, you know. Evergreen told me about this so I figured it’d be a fun way to spend the night.”
Lilac nodded eagerly. “It’s going to be so much fun! Did you like the flower arrangements?”
“Oh, you did those, huh? Thought I recognized that style,” Autumn answered.
Lilac just giggled, and it was only then that Autumn noticed the mare shuffling awkwardly next to her.
Autumn waved, and the mare gave a half-hearted wave back.
“Hey, have you met Low Res yet? Low Res, this is Autumn Leaf! He’s studying at college!”
Autumn rolled his eyes. “It’s not that impressive. But nice to meet you!”
“Nice to meet you too,” Low Res muttered, almost hidden behind her curly green mane.
Lilac threw a hoof around her. “She’s a bit shy, don’t mind her!”
“Heh, I get that. Don’t worry about it,” Autumn replied as Low Res blushed.
“It really has been forever since we talked,” Lilac continued as she pulled Low Res closer. “Last time we spoke was probably… the ice cream parlor on pride night?”
Autumn winced as memories of that flushed through his head. “...yeah. I think so. Celestia, I… Lilac I’m really sorry about that.”
Lilac put a hoof on his shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry about it.”
“How can I not?” he asked, rubbing his forehead. “I… what they said about you and everyone else who was there was just terrible. I can’t believe I called them my friends for so long.”
Low Res blinked curiously, glancing at Lilac.
“Oh, I went with some of my own friends to meet with him during pride night,” Lilac explained to her. “We were all wearing these jackets with pride flags sewed onto them! But, uh… turns out that some of Autumn’s friends didn’t like that.”
Autumn sighed, rubbing his forehead with a hoof. “I… I haven’t talked to them since. I just… it baffles me. We’re supposed to be a country of friendship, aren’t we? How are we ever supposed to progress if we can’t let go of old, outdated ideals?”
Lilac was uncharacteristically quiet at that. “Well… that’s the million bit question, I guess.”
“Yeah… I keep hoping someday that we’ll find an answer, but with everything that’s happening in Canterlot and in the news… It's so hard to have hope.” He looked up to meet Lilac’s eyes. “You all are incredibly brave, you know. But you shouldn’t have to be. You shouldn’t have to fight to express who you are and what you want. And I’m tired of being so angry all the time. I can’t even imagine what you all have to go through.”
Lilac chuckled softly. “Oh, Autumn. You’re learning, and that’s great! Because you’re right, a lot of ponies out there have their heads up their butts. But we’ve learned that we can’t listen to them. Who are they to tell us who we can or can’t be? It’s a fight of course, and for the longest time it’s been uphill. But things are changing. We have ponies like you now: ponies who are learning what the last generation told us is wrong. Nopony ever complained about having too many allies!”
Autumn kicked at the ground. “I don’t know. I… I feel like I’ve been ignorant to this stuff for so long because nobody talked about it where I grew up. And to think that I associated with people who hate you guys…”
“That’s the trick,” Lilac said. “Before, nobody was talking about this stuff. But now, we are, and we don’t intend to shut up about it anytime soon. And every voice counts, even yours, Autumn.”
Autumn sighed, chewing his lip. “I just don’t know. I don’t feel like I know enough to speak out. Identity is so important to you all. I can’t afford to make a mistake. It’s why I’ve been so focused on listening and learning.”
“But even if you do, we need your voice,” Lilac returned. “You can learn from your mistakes but only if you make them first.”
Autumn looked up, catching Low Res’ eye for a second. The mare was still half-hidden behind Lilac, but slowly she had crept out from behind her, gazing at him curiously.
“No… no, you’re right,” Autumn said. “You all have courage to fight. I need to find it myself if I want to help.”
Lilac smiled and hugged Autumn. “That’s the spirit! And thank you, really. I’m happy we’re friends.”
“Me too,” Autumn replied, patting her on the back.
As the two broke their embrace there was a short burst of feedback from the stage. Apple Split stood in front of the microphone, tapping it a few times with a hoof. “Good afternoon everyone! I want to thank you so much for coming out today, and if you’ll take your seats, our exclusive concert will start shortly!”
“Let’s get some seats,” Lilac cheered, pulling Low Res close and nuzzling her. “It’ll be fun!”
“Yeah,” Low Res echoed, the blush returning to her face. “Fun.”
The three joined the rest of the crowd, moving to form a semicircle around the stage. As Autumn looked around, he couldn’t help but smile as ponies from all walks of life came together, to do nothing more and enjoy the night together.
Lilac led the way, dragging Low Res along as she pranced over to some cushions. The two plopped down onto them, Lilac giggling the entire time. Her infectious energy put a smile on Low Res’ face as she nestled into the cushions. For a second she glanced back at her flank, but Lilac quickly recaptured her attention by leaning into her shoulder.
“Are you excited?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Low Res answered genuinely. “Yeah. I am.”
Next to them three pegasi climbed on top of each other, jostling one another for seats.
“Ow! Cut it out, you’re going to hurt my wing,” Velvet whined, shoving Rocky Storm away from her.
Rocky rolled her eyes. “You’ll be fine. C’mon, let’s get closer!”
“I dunno, I think it's fine,” Star Hunter replied, rubbing his chin. “It’s not like it’ll make a difference anyways.”
Velvet stared at him incredulously. “Not make a difference?!”
“Star doesn’t go out, remember,” Rocky pointed out.
“Oh come on, you can’t possibly tell me you’re going to complain about where we sit,” Star cried, throwing his hooves in the air.
As the three continued to bicker, two ponies trotted onto the stage to join Apple Split.
“Ready?” Apple Bumpkin asked Ballad.
Ballad took a deep breath, shutting her eyes as Apple Split’s voice continued to bounce about the rooftop.
“...welcome one of our very own, a resident who happens to be a dear friend of mine,” Split was saying.
“Yeah. ready,” Ballad declared. Apple Bumpkin leaned over and the two exchanged hoof-bumps.
“So please welcome Ballad!”
The declaration was met with a chorus of cheers as they sat down on the stools, Apple Bumpkin slinging an acoustic guitar over her shoulder.
“Hi!” Ballad said, smiling as she seized the microphone in her hooves. “Thank you all for the warm welcome back, it’s wonderful to see so many faces. It definitely has been a long time since I’ve lived here… it almost feels like I’ve become a different pony since then. And I guess in a way I have. But even after everything, all this change and all this growth… I’m still me. And I couldn’t be happier.”
That statement was met with a chorus of applause and cheers. Ballad smiled wider, glancing up as the stars began to peek out, basking all of Galley Alley in a warm and comforting starlight.
“So this song’s for you. For all of you who changed my life.” She nodded, and Apple Bumpkin began strumming a simple melody.
As the song began, Apple Split silently retreated off the stage to join the audience. As he sat down, Evergreen joined him, offering him a cup of water. “Thanks, Greeny,” he muttered, draining the cup almost instantly.
“You did good,” Evergreen replied, patting him on the shoulder.
Apple Split gave a tired smile. “Thanks. I’m just glad the building didn’t collapse!”
They both laughed, and Apple Split leaned into Evergreen. He yawned, rubbing his eyes as he tried to focus on the stage.
Evergreen rubbed his back and nuzzled him. “You gotta take care of yourself, Split.”
“I’ll try.”
“Hey, whatever you need, I’ll be there.”
Apple Split smiled and pecked him on the cheek. “Thanks, bud. I’m lucky to have you.”
“And I’m lucky to have you.”
With that, all of Galley Alley began to sway in time with Apple Bumpkin’s notes, and Ballad’s voice began to lift them from the ground to the sky, before falling to the ground like raindrops in the night.
“Oh, hello, won’t you be mine?
You’ve got me thinkin’ of a
Lovely colored sky,
And if you’d have me then I
Think I’d fly,
‘Cause it’s all I ever dream of
And it’s all I’d like to think of,
Now I’m in a skin I call my own,
And have a name I’d like to try
So, hello, won’t you be mine?
Oh, goodbye, I won’t forget this time
And that touch that was divine
Your breath against my skin and it felt
Paper thin,
How could I let you go
I’d rather die.
‘Cause it’s all I ever dream of
And it’s all I’d like to think of,
Because now I feel alive
So tell me it’s alright
Take me tonight, won’t you be mine?
Take me in tonight, won’t you be mine?
So I hope that you don’t mind?
So, hello, won’t you be mine?”
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Finally got around to reading this. It was really interesting seeing these disparate groups of background ponies with their own stories crossing over and coming together. It reminds me of a sort of non-tragic and more LGBT+ version of RENT. I'm surprised Low Res didn't get her cutie mark in the end, but as the story shows, it's fine if she hasn't yet.
ya think?
oof, that sounds like a sad story
oof!
friendship is magic!
aww that is so Lilac, love her
love them
so true! really makes you think about certain people who are supposed to believe in friendship
really makes you think…
yay, friendship!
augh it is them so much! that flank look, and Lilac distracting her from it, love that
augh it is them so much! they are so gremliny
augh it is them so much! they love and support each other while doing so much for the community
and what a perfect and lovely way to bring the four little stories here together! this was a delightful experience, and i am glad to finally see the whole thing here together, which made the pieces i loved in the speedwrites last year shine all the more brighter.
honestly, it’s hard to think of a Pride fic that is more central to the idea than this! the range of queer experiences covered by the breadth of its characters, the way the little stories all connected with each other between their characters and the place of Galley Alley, and the way this last bit both addressed allyship and the homophobes that are just so incongruous with a place that is built on friendship, without losing sight of celebrating these characters and their loving and being and thriving.
great stuff!
my guy, I feel you
that song's cute :)
I really liked this story. The way that all of the character's stories fit together was really neat.