Child Of Wonder

by Artist

The party

A few weeks later:

Arriving at Twilight’s castle, Applejack and Melody were greeted by the purple princess and led inside, the inside of the castle’s front room was decorated with streamers and balloons courtesy of Pinkie Pie.

“Wow, Pinkie really outdid herself,” Applejack marveled at all of the decorations.

“Follow me, we’ll be waiting for you in the map room,” Twilight said, smiling brightly as she walked off in the direction of the map room.

Melody and Applejack followed her. Applejack continued looking at her surroundings, describing them for her daughter as they went.

There was a three-tiered frosted cake that stood on a table in the middle of the room, it was yellow and red.
Twilight opened the door to the map room where they were greeted by four of the bearers of the elements of harmony and Ray.

“So glad you could make it,” Ray spoke, turning to them.

“Uncle Ray, Ah’m happy to see you,” Melody said, as she came further into the room with a big grin on her face.

“Me too,” Ray smiled, then he turned to Applejack who had come into the room as well, and whispered, “I just hope she'll be happy to see her dad again,” which earned him a grimace from the cowgirl.

“Don’t you ever know when to stop?” Twilight harshly whispered when she saw Applejack’s expression.
Ray just shrugged it off and continued his conversation with Rarity.

“Auntie Twilight, where is Uncle Moonwalker?” Melody asked.

“Oh, I am not sure,” Twilight replied with a sigh.

“He’s not here, darling but he will come when he is done with what I had planned for him to do,” Rarity bubbled as she walked up to her niece.

As a sudden knock echoed through the quiet halls, Twilight's attention snapped to the front door.

She felt a rush of anticipation, tinged with curiosity, as she wondered who could be visiting at this hour. With a gentle swirl of her magic, the heavy door creaked open, revealing the figures standing in the doorway.

Smoky by the instruction of Stevie walked into the throne room with the rest of the band following him, when Twilight saw Stevie come into the room.

She stood up and walked over to him, she guided him toward a chair next to his daughter.

“Well, this is a nice surprise.” Rarity was the first to break the awkward silence that followed after Stevie had sat down.

“Yeah, it’s nice, ain’t it, AJ?” Stevie attempted to make conversation with his wife.

“Ah guess so, but it’s not like you know how that feels.” Applejack turned and gave her husband an icy glare that he couldn’t see.

“Applejack, please I wasn’t gone that long.” Stevie protested.

“Well, maybe y’all should’ve never come back, ya were gone for four years without even one letter, how do you think I feel!" Applejack yelled as she began to cry.

To Melody, it seemed like crying was something her mother had done a lot of lately and she didn’t understand why, did something happen 4 years ago that made her father leave, why was no pony telling her anything?

“Daddy, why did you leave?” Melody asked.

“I was ashamed of having a daughter who is blind, like me, ok?” Stevie yelled, throwing down his glasses. Look at my eyes, do they look normal to you, NO they don’t, I never liked it in Equestria, but do you think I had a choice of coming here, no, I didn’t.”

Ray went over to his friend and tried laying a hoof on his shoulder. Stevie just shrugged it off.

“So, it was true what you told me all those years ago, ya still don’t love me, but ya only married me so we could have a kid together?” Applejack asked.

“That’s right, I should’ve left you a long time ago,” Stevie stormed out of the room, leaving the rest of the party guests in shock.

When Stevie had gone, Applejack sat down on the floor and cried.

Smokey and the rest of the band members slowly filed out of the room, leaving behind a somber atmosphere. Smokey shot one last glance at Applejack before departing.

"I don't understand, Mom. I thought Dad loved us," Melody's voice quivered as tears welled up in her eyes, mirroring Applejack's sobs.

"Melody, honey, I know this is hard to grasp right now. Let's step away for a moment," Twilight gently intervened, guiding her niece away from the emotional scene.

Confusion and sadness clouded Melody's thoughts as they walked down the hallway together.

"Aunt Twilight, why did Dad leave us?" Melody's voice trembled with sorrow, her heart heavy with unanswered questions.

Stopping at the end of the hallway. Twilight paused, her expression reflective as she considered her response.

"I know this is difficult, Melody. Your dad's decision hurts, but sometimes we can't understand why ponies do what they do. All we can do is support each other and find our ways to heal."

---

Meanwhile, back in the map room, Applejack was sitting on the floor with Fluttershy having wrapped a wing around her, trying to comfort her friend to the best of her ability.

Pinkie looked dejected as she sat on the floor, looking around at all the destruction that was caused, the cake, that moments before stood on the table now was all over the walls, the pink pony looked like she had been crying or was ready to cry.

Rarity went over to Pinkie and gently laid a hoof on her shoulder.

“This is my fault, I’m a terrible party planner,” Pinkie sobbed as Rarity held her.

“You shouldn’t blame yourself, in the few years I’ve known you you’ve been a great party planner,” Ray said, coming over.

“Thanks, Ray I appreciate it.” The pink pony managed a smile.

“How could everything go so wrong?” Applejack thought to herself as she sat on the floor with Fluttershy by her side. “Ma and Pa would be ashamed of me if they knew.” She thought.

“Ah can’t believe this happened, Ah know that if Ma and Pa were still alive, they would be mighty disappointed in me,” Applejack said out loud to no pony in particular.

“Oh, my dear, I'm sure that's not true," Rarity said soothingly as she trotted over, her elegant mane swaying gently with each step, leaving Pinkie and Ray to engage in their conversation.

"Thank ya, Rarity," Applejack sniffled, her voice trembling slightly as she pushed herself up from the floor, her hooves shuffling nervously.

"Anytime, darling. You know I'm always willing to help," Rarity replied with warmth in her voice, her azure eyes filled with genuine concern as she enveloped Applejack in a comforting hug, her soft fur offering reassurance amidst the emotional turmoil.

---

The next day in school, Melody and Cozy were telling stories about what they did over the weekend.

“We had a party, it wasn’t a pleasant one because Daddy yelled at Mommy again,” Melody said.

“Oh dear, may I ask why?” Crisp, who was sitting to Melody’s right, asked.

“Sure, Ah’m not quite sure why but ever since dad left mom has been real odd, but don’t ask me,” Melody explained.

“So, what did ya do over the weekend?” Melody asked Crisp Canter.

“Well, my parents and I went to dinner at this fancy restaurant in Canterlot,” Crisp told her.

“That must’ve been a blast, ya know my Aunt Twilight is from there,” Melody excitedly bounced up and down in her seat.

“Really?” Crisp asked.

“She sure is.” The filly answered, smiling brightly.

Ms Cheerilee walked into the classroom and stood in front of the class.

“Settle down, today we’re going to do something really exciting, I asked each of you to pair up with some pony, and we will learn what it feels like for blind ponies to get around, Melody I trust you have your braille book?” Cheerilee asked.

“Sure do, Ah’m real excited for today,” Melody smiled.

Melody sensed the anticipation buzzing in the air as the other students paired up. Amidst the whispers and shuffling hooves, Chance's voice broke through the noise, tinged with nerves.

"Hey, you um, wanna be partners?" Chance's request was tentative, his apprehension palpable.

Melody offered a warm smile, turning her head in his direction. "Yeah, sure, but why the sudden kindness?" Her curiosity hung in the air.

"Let’s just get this over with," Chance muttered under his breath, a flicker of reluctance evident.
Melody, though sensing the sarcasm, brushed it off, attributing it to pre-obstacle course jitters. She extended a hoof towards him. "Alright, let's tackle this together."

Together, they made their way to where Ms. Cheerilee had set up the obstacle course. Melody listened intently as their teacher explained the challenge, mentally visualizing the layout. Despite her blindness, she was eager to take it head-on, relying on her instincts and trust in Chance.

"Alright, Chance, here's the plan," Melody said, her voice brimming with determination. "I'll lead, and you follow my lead, okay?"

Chance nodded, his uncertainty evident in the way he shifted his weight. "Got it."
With resolve, Melody took the first step onto the course.

She navigated through the hoops and hurdles with grace, relying on the sounds and textures around her. Behind her, she could hear Chance's footsteps, his breath steady as he followed her cues.

"Great job, Chance!" Melody encouraged her voice as a beacon of support as they progressed.

Together, they faced each challenge, their unity shining through as they communicated and encouraged each other. Despite her visual impairment, Melody felt a surge of pride with every obstacle conquered.

As they reached the final hurdle, Melody's heart swelled with anticipation. "We're almost there, just one more jump!"
With determination, they cleared the final hurdle, crossing the finish line together.

Melody couldn't see the smiles on their classmates' faces, but she could feel the warmth of their applause.

"Well done, Melody and Chance!" Ms. Cheerilee's voice rang out, pride evident in her tone. "You two make an excellent team."

Melody beamed with satisfaction, her sense of accomplishment undeniable. And as she turned to face Chance, she sensed his genuine smile, a silent acknowledgment of their triumph.

"Thanks, Melody," Chance said, gratitude laced in his voice. "I couldn't have done it without you."

Melody returned the smile, feeling a bond strengthening between them. “Maybe we can be friends?” She asked.

“I don’t think so, this doesn’t mean we’re friends.” Her bully laughed and walked away.

Melody sat down on the ground dejected, she really thought that he could be her friend.

Author's Note:

I hope you enjoy this chapter, make sure to leave a like and comment.

Comments

[Big Imagination E]

Poor Melody. Having her dad saying that he should left Applejack. And she was hurt that Chance wasn't her friend. I feel really bad for her. I hope they can mend this soon before things get worse.

[Artist]

11818611
I hope so, too.

[Big Imagination E]

11818612
Yeah. I can't believe that all this time her father didn't want to be with Applejack. I think there's something evil going on that's causing this.

[Artist]

11818614
We will see.

[Big Imagination E]

11818615
For sure. Tell Melody that I will be her friend and hope they get out of this situation.

[Artist]

11818617
Right, I’m glad that you liked the story, and I’m sure Melody is too.

[Big Imagination E]

11818618
Anything for her to feel better.