SEPTEMBER
Dirt and pine needles crunched softly under Night Glider’s hooves as she trotted through the forest, trailmarkers long behind her. Her breath, though wheezing gently, kept a steady pace with her strides.
The air here was invigorating. Crisp and sharp with the memory of smoke and flame, but still welcome. Still bright.
Or maybe it was the lightness of her chest that made it all feel so much better.
Being here as a tourist was different than being here as a lookout. There were plenty of other things that were different, of course, but Night Glider noted the distinct lack of ownership she had for this place now. Before, she had felt a sort of possession—or, at the very least, overwhelming responsibility. A formless anxiety which joined her other formless anxieties in a dark cloud, always hanging over her head.
But the sky was slowly clearing.
Now, she only felt the coolness of the coming fall.
She slowed, coming to a stop at the crest of the next hill. She reached back with the intent to fumble about in her saddlebags, but found her eyes locked on the scene before her: the edge of the fire's wrath.
The forest was damaged. There was no denying that. But the damage was harder to see than one would think.
The greenery was largely gone, but it had been so high in the first place that it made little difference to everything at eye-level. The resulting bareness of the trees let more sunlight reach the forest floor than ever could have before, even in the dead of winter, and so brought a tremendous lightness to the place.
In the day, at least.
Night Glider, however, preferred the dark—always had, always would. The sun was slipping down beneath the horizon as she looked out on the skeleton of the woods she'd spent her summer watching, and she honestly thought they looked much the same as they had five months previous.
But looking wasn't the same as being. Night Glider knew this all too well.
She nodded to the damaged part of the woods, acknowledging it without needing to submit to it, and returned to fumble with her saddlebags once more.
After a moment of pawing through discarded granola bags and travel-sized tubes of various ointments and salves, Night's hoof closed around the letter. She pulled it out, smoothed it carefully against a nearby boulder, and read it once more:
Dear Night Glider,
I hope this isn't too weird, but it's been a few days since you were replaced as lookout and I'm going out of my mind with worry. Maybe it's the mom in me.
I truly wish I was better at letter-writing (it seems like a neat thing to be good at), but this is probably the hardest thing I've had to do since… maybe childbirth. And, even though I’m trying to write something to my daughter every day, I honestly don’t think I’ve gotten any better at it.
Just kidding.
But not really.
The tail end of the summer is barely dragging by without you here. I feel like we lost four whole months in the blink of an eye, and yet September has lasted about six years all on its own. If you get this letter, I would really, really appreciate a letter in return—maybe a visit, too?
Just kidding.
But not really.
I tucked a spare radio under the big boulder near the heart-shaped carving (I've also included a map because I know how twisty it can get back there). If you can, come back and give me a call. I just want to know you're okay.
With love,
Clear Sky
With love.
Night held the letter to her chest for a moment. If there was one thing she missed, it was that tiny vibration of the radio as it sat there, almost purring, while Sky talked with her into the night.
The letter did not physically purr in the same way, but Night swore she could feel something when she held it against her heart.
On the back of the letter was a hoof-drawn map, though Night had perhaps overestimated its usefulness; Sky had neglected including any landmarks, however small, and instead drew a crude approximation of the trails in pencil. Somewhere off in the white void was an x, also labeled 'here ish?' in a hasty scribble.
Night tucked the letter away in her saddlebag. Muscle memory would have to do.
She took off at a light canter, allowing the familiarity of the well-worn path to guide her. The lovers had settled for quite a while in this part of the woods, and so it was a frequent stop for listening in on those forgotten conversations.
Night found herself hoping, once again, that their voices would disrupt her travel (despite her distinct lack of radio). It, too, was a familiar feeling. It reminded Night of the way she had spent snowy mornings listening hard for the radio to call a snow day.
Her private hopes were interrupted by the flash of a familiar orange arrow—the one she had painted earlier this summer.
It was already starting to fade.
It was obvious why, of course. The fire had taken its shelter away, and it was now exposed to the elements. Rain and sun and all manner of other things.
The responsibility reared up, and Night found herself wishing she had a can of spray paint on her.
Not your job anymore, she reminded herself.
She knelt down in the dirt and reached under the boulder with one hoof. The underside of the rock was cold and clammy, like a turtle's belly, and the plastic casing of the radio stood out to her instantly.
She pulled it out.
Same old yellow.
Before she could even think of what she wanted to say, she had pressed the button, and stuttered out a meek "h-hey!"
She released the button and smacked herself on the forehead with the tiny radio.
Stupid.
A long silence.
She smacked her head again, just for good measure.
Then—
"Night!"
It made her jump.
Then it made her smile.
And, before she knew it, she was laughing.
"Is that really you?!" Sky shouted. "Ever since I sent that letter I've just been waiting and—I kept the lines clear especially for you! I didn't want even the tiniest chance that I'd miss even one word!"
She held the button, trying to conjure more, but seemed completely overtaken by her excitement.
Night cleared her throat. "Yeah, it's me," she replied, a little hint of laughter sneaking through.
"It's you!" Sky replied. "I knew it! I knew you'd come back! I have to—hold on!"
The line went dead.
Night chuckled to herself, then sat down against the boulder and waited patiently for Sky to pick back up. She tried to imagine what she might be doing, but came up empty.
Her voice cut through a moment later:
"Tell me everything!"
Along with quite a bit of clattering.
Night said down a bit lower. "Uh. Everything, huh?"
No response.
Playing games.
"Well… I dunno, I don't remember a ton," she said. "From the fire. The doctors told me I'd inhaled a lot of smoke and conked out, so… go figure, I guess."
She paused, waiting for a comment.
None came.
"They took me to a hospital nearby and, um… well, the doctors were trying to figure out why I hadn't flown out. I guess they thought I'd hurt something," she explained. "It's kind of a haze, but they managed to drag it all out of me. Wasn't pretty. But I'm doing some physical therapy and… and therapy therapy. Which is new for me."
She allowed herself to slide all the way off the boulder and onto the ground, sprawled out on her back.
"I haven't been going super long, but I'm pretty sure it's helping," she said. "Still haven't done any flying yet. I'll get there, though."
Night placed the radio on her chest and released the button, waiting for more from Sky.
"I'm really proud of you," she said with a bit of effort. "Sorry. Out of breath."
Night arched a brow. "Why the hay are you out of breath you weirdo?"
"Just keep going!" Sky instructed, her voice bright. "I'm listening!"
Night sighed, a bit in confusion and a bit from the familiar comfort of said confusion. "I dunno what to say. It's only been a month, Sky," she said. "I haven't done much."
She dug one hoof in her ear after a sudden itch.
"Oh! I read that book!" Night suddenly remembered. "The one you recommended—the mystery!"
A pause.
"Passion of a Heist?!" Sky shouted. "You read it? Did you love it?!"
Night guffawed. "Clearly not as much as you," she said. "But… yeah. It kept me company while I was in the hospital. Almost like you were still there with me, y'know?"
It just sort of slipped out.
As soon as it was out, Night wanted desperately to shove it back in. She bit down hard on her lip and smacked the radio against her forehead again, as if she could knock the regret out of her brain.
Stupid.
Stupid.
And then there was a sound.
A sort of a pop. The perfect sound of a cork flying from the mouth of a champagne bottle, followed by a much more literal sparkling than that of the bubbly carbonation.
She felt it, too. A twisting of the air. A pressure drop.
A teleportation.
The sounds of the forest rushed in afterwards, filling a silence that Night hadn’t even noticed.
“It kept you company?”
It’s hard to describe what it’s like to get to know someone exclusively via radio waves. Their voice is carried in soft, fuzzy lilts, the kind that makes hairs stand on end. Everything between the button presses a complete and total mystery.
To know someone that way, and then to hear their voice so clearly…
To hear the way the warmth was still there, buried in the throatiness of her words. To hear the way air rushed out of her nose in surprise.
It was like suddenly seeing the world in color.
Night Glider shot up, still clutching the radio to her chest with a fervor she couldn’t logically explain, and was met with another explosion of life in color.
Clear Sky was, in a word, beautiful.
Beautiful in a gentle way. A subtle, simple way. A grounded way.
She wasn’t tall. Night had pictured her tall, but she was really only an inch or two taller than the pegasus. Her mane hung in a thick, puffy curtain beside her face—not quite silken enough to have a shimmer, and yet the sunlight illuminated a halo of deep pink surrounding it. Her eyebrows had a funny angle, but a welcoming one. Her lips curled up at the ends, even as she stood with her mouth slightly agape.
She had a snout that turned up at the end. She had ears that were just a bit too small.
And… she did have nice pasterns.
Night Glider’s hoof flew to her own face, suddenly aware that Sky was looking her over in much the same way.
She smirked at that. Reflexively.
“Hey,” she said.
Night blinked. “Hi.”
“You look—”
“—different than how I thought,” Night finished for her.
“I like it,” they said together.
They stared at one another a moment longer. Just taking it all in.
Night broke the silence with a small chuckle. “I think it’s gonna take me a while.”
Sky frowned. “A while to do what?”
“To match the face to the voice,” she replied, getting to her hooves. “And the voice to the… the things.”
Sky made a face. Something between a pained wince and an embarrassed smile.
“Sorry,” Night apologized, looking down at the ground. “We shouldn’t talk about the things anymore.”
“What? Of course not!”
Before Night knew it, Sky had rushed in and grabbed her hoof. Her gaze was dragged up from the ground, and the mares’ eyes met—truly met—for the very first time.
“I was wrong,” she said firmly, though that ghost of a smile still lingered on her lips. “We can’t just keep distracting ourselves and running away from things.”
Night swallowed.
She looked at Sky, just barely up at her, and saw the face of the thing she had run to, even if she hadn’t known it.
“But…” Night cleared her throat. “What if I… kinda liked the distractions?”
She smiled.
A wonderful, secretive smile.
And she laughed. She laughed the laugh that Night had always thought she’d been laughing, the one between the messages, the one she’d hid so she wasn’t too vulnerable to the stranger on the radio.
She pulled Night in closer, so their noses were practically touching, and she said, “that’s the great thing about us: I think we can have it both ways.”
The radios lay neglected in the dirt between the mares' hooves as they embraced, silent at last.
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'Twas a good read
Reminds me very quickly of a game called Firewatch.
11182030
I was about to say, lol. I haven't even played it and I'm like 'isn't this just Firewatch?'
11182037
11182030
It is very heavily inspired by firewatch (though it definitely has a different main plotline), well spotted! I actually intended to put that in the description, but completely forgot to add it when I published - thanks for the reminder!
Each month has such an evocative description that places me right there in the timeline. The explanation of Night Glider's surroundings as well as the mystery really kept me hooked on this fic! Great job!
I was also going to say that I was reminded of Firewatch, too, but I'm glad our main characters got to meet at the end this time
...this isnt a parody of firewatch is it?
11182261
It is heavily inspired by Firewatch, i hope your joking.
Beautiful, just beautiful. It takes a lot of work to translate the visuals from a game like firewatch into writing, but you did it expertly, and you also nailed that constant feeling of being alone, but not being alone. this was a great read, and I definitely wouldn't mind if there was some kind of continuation.
I just gave everything a read, I loved it- a slow flow with a sweet ending.
Wow, this was amazing. I honestly don't know to say. For one thing you've nailed the feeling solitude (and the desire for it). The passage worked really well, to. I also liked the symbolism with the radios, how the one couple never grew beyond being disembodied voices while Night and Sky were eventually able to leave them behind.
But above all, I'm just happy that you didn't end it like Firewatch.
Lovely story!
It's always wild to me that people can do this isolation thing where all they have is a friend somewhere out there that is only able to communicate through one form. Just gives me the willies.
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Fair question! I hope I don't ruin the experience with an explanation haha
My intention was for Night and Sky to be "hearing back in time" - that the frequencies on their radios were leftovers from another time, transmitted to them through the magic of the park. This is why Star Hunter has the exact same transcriptions, why they only seem to get transmissions in specific places, and why Night is able to stand in front of the carving while she hears it being carved over the radio.
In this way, the lovers from the past have established a cycle: those who use the woods to escape their problems become wrapped up in chasing the remnants of their story, and so fail to self-reflect and truly heal. Night and Sky, then, are the first to break the cycle which is why the radios go permanently silent in the end.
I definitely wish I had had more space and time to allow this all to unfold - it was slightly too big a concept to explore thoroughly alongside the necessary romance, and so i don't think I really fully laid everything out the way I'd hoped. But that's what you sign up for when you write for a contest!
I hope you enjoyed the story regardless! Thank you for your comment!
Very good story, I really enjoyed it. I hope you consider a follow up or even a longer and more drawn out version since you mentioned it not being long enough for the overall concept.
This is a delicious little read. There’s a certain irony that i found it now. I’m about to meet my boyfriend for the first time, and the feelings this story stirred are nice. Sometimes sad, sometimes good. It’s well written, I only saw a couple typos and it gripped me beyond the funny similarities to my own situation. A+ read!
11186374
Thank you so much for your comment! It's always lovely to hear someone connected personally with a piece of mine. I wish you and your boyfriend the best of luck!! I hope you have a wonderful time together!
11186430
Haha! I’ll let you know!
11186430
Well, I can safely say that was the best week of my life. And this story did come u p a couple times, he thought it was funny I should find it right before we met up for real.
11194300
That's incredible!! I'm so happy for the both you of - that first time meeting can be so magical. I'm honored that this little fic ended up playing a little part in your story, and I wish you both happiness!
11194307
Haha, thanks. I'll make sure to enjoy him extra hard just for you!
I adore Firewatch, and I adored this.
The passages where Night Glider is alone are full of such beautiful, evocative imagery. I particularly love the intro to AUGUST. Hit me hard right in the end-of-summer-vacation nostalgia.
I also picked up what you were putting down with the griffin and pony couple. Echoes of the past was my guess, so I'm glad to see that I got it right.
I'm also pleased that this story ends more happily than its inspiration. I was afraid we'd be left with a similarly bittersweet, ambiguous conclusion. Instead, we get something hopeful (even if it's set against the backdrop of an old tragedy).
EDIT: Also, I totally forgot who Clear Sky (in canon) until like, right this moment? Which is weird, because she had an entire episode. Yet somehow, I remembered who Night Glider, background pony number whatever, was. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Makes the bit with her backstory hit even harder.
Fantastic play off Firewatch, really fun to read how you played in that space but really made it your own.
This was such a fairy tale and it is amazing to experience it! You definitely captured the mysterious nature of Firewatch and brought it out in your own way.
Very well written, Wordsmith!
Howdy, hi~!
So, first off I think you pulled off the concept fine. That no real concrete explanation is given to the radio waves, I think works well with the story as the focus is on the parallels between the past and current romance unfolding. There were a lot of emotional moments throughout that really hammered in Night and Sky's characterization that I appreciate. Also, I'm really impressed that you pulled off a romance like this where the characters don't even physically meet until the last chapter. Banger chemistry in this one.
Excellent read, thank you~!
and augh, just that one line about her daughter implying so much about where she is and where she was
augh, i love it
i just love the way this resurfaced again!
aww, healing!
augh, i love this directly-speaking-metaphors-to-the-reader technique, it works on me every time
the perfect way to ground the soaring heights of description preceding it, haha.
and the perfect imagery to end it with.
now this is what a romance story from the beginning should be! the way that the two mares adapted to the nature of their only method of communication, filling in the blanks of the other they could not see, just really struck me on a deep level. because that is what we do with all relationships, isn't it? we only ever get sketches of the other, filtered through the distance between two distinct beings that is not ever truly bridgeable. and we fill in these sketches to match the stories we tell ourselves. here, just more explicitly, with the "liked to imagine"s. further illustrated by the story-within-the-story of a couple who were as close as any two creatures could be, living by themselves isolated away from all other souls, but that did not save them, in the end, from falling short of truly understanding themselves and each other.
and augh, just everything! the pacing of both the story at large and the individual scenes between them, the way that the descriptions in the narration re-inforce the feel of each character, how natural and subtle and real their personalities and the way they meshed felt. i just feel like i have so much to learn about how to write a romance from this fic, and it was a joy to read. thank you so much for it!
Good story. Did remind me of Firewatch :)
I saw this on my feed a few months ago when you first posted it. I put it on my RIL then and finally now when I get around to reading it, I see it’s gone and won first place in the contest you put it in!
At least I can say that I am a fan of your stories before you’ve started winning contests with them!
As always, your writing bring forth a kind of emotional imagery that I envy. Felt like I am reading Stephen King again. (In a good way, honest!) where even the subtle things like a held breath can have a profound emotional weight behind it. Your prose is wonderful, always was, but somehow even more so with every story you put out.
You mention in your author note that you felt like it might have been served to be longer, but I think as is the story has a good pace behind it, and you captured the dynamic between the two especially well for being two characters who had zero interaction in the show, but with backstories that fitted well to one another.
I do have to giggle just a little bit though! Because I think this is the fourth story from you that I’ve read that’s ‘two ponies experience a twilight zone / magical thingy and grow / fall in love during it.’
But that’s okay! I’ll happily read a thousand stories from you until Equestria is filled with magic holes and paired off ponies. You do such a fantastic job of it that I love it every time. Celestia only knows my own stories are just silly excuses to get ponies kissing, so it’s not like am any better.
I will also grant you the greatest honor I can give. You’re the start a new bookshelf! because the deep introspection is a thing I like a lot that I haven’t quite encountered as much as I liked.
You can has review!
I can feel you there. The proportion of character focus (Night Glider, Clear Sky, and the voices) felt correct, but there are ways which you could have gone really into the dynamics more. The style of long multichapter works with a side story is a common one, but those tend to slow-burn the reveal of the connections between the main and the side stories. I'm not sure if that same feeling can be accomplished in less words, but yeah.
I often get "this would be better if it was twice the world count" in my own stories, so I know the feeling.
That said, I enjoyed the story.
Hello! Have a review. And a fave, too. I was a little iffy about this one going in, as I've never played Firewatch and I often dislike fics which bring in non-canon tech. I shouldn't have worried. While I do slightly agree that this could have been even better had the contest rules allowed it to be longer (the rhythms of the extended summer, in particular) it was still a fascinating, gripping and rather eerie read.
An oddball ghost happened across your fic and read it. Have a review!
Augh, come back for a reread after a full school year and it's still so peakkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
I wish I could put into words how good this is past it's gooooooooooood