Reality Awaits

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All of them were about five at the time. All four of those foals, sitting so close to their campfire they could feel the flames dance on their faces. They all stared deeply into the fire, not speaking, not moving. All except for Sand Stone, who was constantly exchanging glances with her home and the other foals. (Sand Stone's mother had agreed to let them go "camping" in her backyard as long as they remained close by).
"It's getting cold out. And dark. We should go inside," Sand Stone sounded, whispering ever so quietly that the others had mistaken it for the occasional cackle of the fire.
"Did you say something, Sand Stone?" Silver Star, the happy-go-lucky, fuzzy headed unicorn asked. She, who was seated next to Sand Stone, leaned over and smiled at her, awaiting an answer.
"Oh! I just said it was getting dark out. That's all," she replied, putting her hooves in her lap. Silver Star opened her mouth to say something, then snapped it shut and looked at the small colt sitting next to her. Dream Catcher, a blue coated colt that has a complex relationship with daydreaming, smiled wickedly. He must have overheard.

"Getting dark is the perfect time for a game of truth or dare!" He cackled, rubbing his hooves together.
"Yeah! That sounds like fun!" Sweetie Belle squeaked, the last of the four foals.
"Do we....have to play?" Sand Stone asked, ducking her head behind her shoulders. A few strands of hair fell across her face as she did this, causing her to look like an incompetent, scared child.
"Well, yeah, Sand Stone. It will be fun!" Silver Star chanted, throwing her hooves into the air and kicking her legs about in excitement.
"Okay, the rules are: we each get three truths, but after that, you have to choose a dare. Got it?" Dream Catcher explained, scanning each of the foal's determined faces. Each of them nodded, even though Sand Stone was unwilling.

Each of them took turns, either truthing or daring each other. Of course, afraid that she would be forced to do something that was dangerous or scary, Sandstone used her three truths up in a row.

"Sandstone, truth or dare?" Sweetie Belle asked. Just before she could answer with another, "truth," Sweetie Belle pounced on again.
"Wait...you already used up your truths, haven't you?" She asked, one eyebrow raised.
Sandstone blushed.
"I..well...I don't really remember," she protested, even though all three of her prior truths were rewinding themselves repeatedly in her mind.
"Yeah, I think she has!" Dream Catcher laughed, "so you have to pick dare!"

Sweetie Belle smiled.
"Sand Stone, I dare you to go into the old graveyard next to your house for ten whole minutes and then come back!" She yelled, a smile creeping upon her face.
Sand Stone looked into the now dying fire and began to think. She didn't want to do it, but she didn't want to look like a wimp, especially in front of Dream Catcher.
"Okay," she finally said, face full of determination, "I'll be back in ten minutes."

Sand Stone didn't waste any time getting to the graveyard. She ran to the break of the woods behind her house and glanced back at her friends, eyes wide with terror. Silver Star gave her a reassuring wave, and Sand Stone ran into the trees.
She crossed a small creek along the way and splashed about in the water for a moment, then ran to the opening in the thick trees. On the other side, she could see the graveyard.

The old, rickety gate was nearly rusted shut, and most of its glossy, marble-like appearance was now a rusty copper color.
Sand Stone ran up to it and attempted to push it open. The gate (which of course lead to the cemetery) made quite a racket as it squealed open.

Sand Stone poked her head through the now slightly open gate and looked both ways, as if readying herself to cross the street. She put one hoof in cautiously, the other three hooves followed that one inside with unknown bravery. This cemetery was definitely an old and abandoned one. A majority of its graves were tilted immensely and others had completely fallen over. Sand Stone walked over to one gravestone in order to read the name, only to be left disappointed, for the name had been worn away with time and erosion.
"I might as well begin my ten minutes. I want to get back as soon as I can," Sand Stone told herself in a gentle tone. She began to count, and every time she reached sixty, she started over, keeping track of how many "sixties" she came across.
It was about her fourth ‘sixty’, and she had been wandering around aimlessly for quite a while now, when Sand Stone bumped into something. Stunned, she stumbled backwards and nearly fell to the earthy ground.

"Hey now! Watch where you're going, I'm trying to walk here!" Another voice sounded from in front of her. A voice, whose words came out like honey with an accent; thick and smooth, and rich to the taste. Another foal, a pinch older than Sand Stone was herself, stood her ground in front of her. She looked aggravated, but behind that egotistical look, stood a scared frown.
"I-I'm so very sorry that I ran into you! I didn't mean to!" Sand Stone defended, ducking down behind herself, as if she could save her own self from the bump in the night. It didn't take her long, though, to realize that the pony standing before her was just another foal, and she recoiled.

"What are you doing here in the middle of the night?" Sand Stone asked, her ears dropping down, head cocked.
"What are you doing here?" The other foal shot back, her Britain accent hitting Sand Stone's ears once again.
"My friends dared me to come here," Sand Stone replied, raising a hoof.
"A dare, eh? Just like always. No pony ever visits me anymore, and it doesn't help that I live in a graveyard," the other foal said. She kicked a nearby pebble with her front hoof and sighed.

"Do you have a name, kid?" She asked.

"It's Sand Stone," She replied, a weak smile creeping upon her face. The other foal nodded.

"The name's Ground Breaker! Quite a name, eh? My dad gave it to me before he passed on," Ground Breaker said, gesturing to herself.

"I take it you like rocks or something?" Ground Breaker guessed, obviously thinking of her name.

"No. In fact I know nearly nothing about them," sand Stone replied, making Ground Breaker look surprised.

"Oh yeah? I see you're an early bloomer, eh? What's that beauty there on your flank?" Ground Breaker asked, gesturing to her cutie mark.

"Oh, it's either a mug full of coffee, or tea...or hot coco. I don't really know. My mama says it's supposed to represent calmness or something like that. But I'm not a calm pony at all, so I'm not sure why I got this cutie mark," Sand Stone admitted, smiling sadly.

"Eh, don't sweat it, kid. At least you have a cutie mark. I've got nothing but a blank flank."

They began to walk around a bit, learning new things about one another, and Sand Stone had forgotten about her ten minutes. She learned that after Ground Breaker's father had passed, she took on his job as grave keeper, and that it took approximately two weeks to bury a body, from dressing the body, to the actual burial. She learned that Ground Breaker didn't have many friends and that she lived at the graveyard- more specifically, atop her father's grave. Having felt sorry for the foal, Sand Stone promised to meet her again the next day in the same place. She, of course, kept that promise.

Weeks came and went, and Sand Stone had grown to become good friends with Ground Breaker. They met in the graveyard in secrecy each day (if Sand Stone's mother knew about her daughter's denounce, she would lose her head), and day after day, they weaved throughout each grave, Ground Breaker explaining the histories of each one. Sand Stone was mildly interested, as well, and wished to learn more. They didn't just talk about the gravestones, though. Many of times,they rambled on and theorized about what Sand Stone's cutie mark was. When Ground Breaker received her cutie mark (a shovel planted in front of a gravestone) they talked about hers.

A year passed, Sand Stone was six, and Ground Breaker was thirteen. Although she never mentioned it, Ground Breaker had began to realize that she had strong feelings for her small friend. Of course, she cared for Sand Stone as she had the day she met, but now, she truly loved her. She almost wished that she would never leave.
Before the small foal would leave, Ground Breaker would give her a hug, and on rare occasions, a kiss on the ear. The filly was so innocent and unaware, though, that she had only the slightest clue that this was abnormal for other friends to do. That is, until she mentioned this to her mother.

"Where have you been going, exactly, dear?" Sand Stone's mother had asked one day in the kitchen. "You have been out of the house for days now, have you been out at a friends house?"
"Something like that, yeah," Sand Stone had replied.
"Oh? So it's a friend?" Her mother asked, getting curious.
"Mm hm. She's nice. Her name is Ground Breaker. She has spiky hair and cool, blue fur. She likes to give me kisses!" Sand Stone laughed. Her mother frowned, and told her she was not to see "this new friend" until further notice. When Sand Stone asked for reasoning, her mother simply said, "No."

The Perfect Plan

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**********At The Cemetery****************

Clouds of gray and silver shown high above the old gravestones. ‘Tis the day after Sand Stone’s mother had departed her from her loyal tribute, though not even Ground Breaker- whose past transformed her to a vast-intellected filly- had a clue that her peer was not going to visit her that day.

Her front two hooves were resting excitedly atop the old, cemetery gate, just as she did every other day, and her face shown with an unknown beauty that only came out when she could hear the small child’s voice screaming out from the woods. She had been awake for a while now, and was now beginning to wonder if the small foal was coming at all.

“Where is she?” Ground Breaker asked herself, sliding one hoof off the gate. She looked both ways, her eyebrows forming a sad furrow, as if Sand Stone was just playing a trick on her and was already there behind her.
“She’s never here later than noon. By the looks of it, it’s about 11:45!” Ground Breaker grunted, and stuck out her lower lip. To tell the truth, she didn’t know the time. In fact, she was never taught how to tell time at all! She was sad, and that’s why she was guessing- or she was guessing, and that’s why she was sad.
Ground Breaker sighed, and collapsed to the ground, tears taking their places at the corner of her eyes.

“She’ll show...I know it!” She faked a smile to cheer herself up, it failed, and she slid further to the ground.

“I know it.”

But, Ground Breaker’s spirit slowly faded until it was nothing but a memory. Sand Stone hadn’t came at all that week, or month…..or year. Alas, she still waited there at the graveyard for her friend to return. That is, until five years passed, and she had given up all hope.

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Tick…..tick….tick! The wall clock pounded inside Sand Stone’s ears. In came one tick, and out came the other.

“Time’s just going by! And Ground Breaker’s waiting for me out there for years now!” Sand Stone yelped, pacing back and forth in her small room. She placed her front hooves on her window frame and peered out of it.

“I have to figure out a way to see her again,” She whispered to the cool glass. It had began to rain hard, but not even the loud thunder groaning every now and then frightened the determined foal.

For those long, five years, Sand Stone had been thinking up a plan so that she could go to the graveyard again on her own.
She had overheard her parents talking about needing a break for one night, and Sand Stone felt like this was a perfect opportunity for her to pursue her plan.

‘Sneaking out’ at night was the only option Sand Stone had if she wanted to see her old friend again. She had already quite easily persuaded her parents to go out to a movie and dinner for the night, which caused her parents to have no other option than to hire a foalsitter. She would then tell her arrogant foalsitter that before bed each night, she would go and say goodnight to her grandfather-who had passed away and was now at the graveyard. It was the perfect plan, and it was all starting to fall together like pieces of a puzzle.

After some goodbyes and a kiss on the forehead, Sand Stone’s mother told Cheerilee (Sand Stone’s foalsitter for the night) that she was to put her to bed rather early because she “Doesn’t do well with foal sitters.” Then, they were gone.

“Alright, well….I suppose we should begin to get you ready for bed, then?” Cheerilee said with her happy, enlightened manner.
It was then that the small filly began to get nervous. Could she really do it? Lie to her foalsitter and get away with it? -Sand Stone gulped- It was worth a try.

“Before I go to bed...can I please say goodnight to my grandpa? He’s in the graveyard,” Sand Stone said, attempting to sound devastated.
Cheerilee’s smile faded.

“Well...I don’t know about that. I’m not sure if your mother would approve,” She said, lifting a hoof.

“Oh, I know she would approve. You see, we do it every night,” Sand Stone insisted.

“Oh! So like...a tradition?” Cheerilee asked, smiling.

“Yes,” Sand Stone said, “A tradition.”

“I suppose there is no wrong in that then. Let’s go!” Cheerilee sounded, turning to leave.

“Oh, that’s okay! The cemetery is just behind my house, my mom let’s me go alone all of the time!” Sand Stone lied, smiling widely.
Cheerilee looked doubtful, but hurried her along just the same saying, ‘Hurry back now, we don’t want you up too late!’ So Sand Stone grabbed her shoulder bag, put a note she had written for Ground Breaker inside of it, and headed off.

Perfect.

Sand Stone shuffled through the old graves just as she did the first time she and Ground Breaker had met.
'She told me that she slept on top of her dad's grave. Where is that, I wonder?' A voice in Sand Stone's head began to talk to her about Ground Breaker. It might have been her self conscious: an all too familiar voice that she welcomed deeply inside of her mind. Although, it could also easily be her anxiety creeping up on her- a voice (which was familiar, as well) she was in a cemetery after all.

She rounded a small bush, which was gigantic to the small foal, considering she was only ten, and finally saw her peer. She was soundly sleeping in front of a grave, under a tall tree.
Sand Stone gasped with delight.
"Ground Breaker! I'm here again I didn't forget about you, really!" Sand Stone shouted as she ran towards her friend. She shook her shoulder in order to wake her up. Ground Breaker snorted and opens one eye sleepily. After realizing where she was and what was going on, Ground Breaker let out a screech.

"No, no! Shush, no! It's me, Sand Stone!" She put her hoof to her lips and waved the other one aimlessly in the air.

"Wha...? Bloody 'Ell, Sand Stone! You scared the living daylight outta me!" Her Britain accent, now mature and more "lady like," was aggravated and mean. Sand Stone's smile faded and she began to coil up, obviously frightened.

"Bugger off, Sand Stone! I've waited five long years for you, but you never came! Then, this one day you just show up in the middle of the night?" Ground Breaker ranted, face red and eyes beaming. Although, behind her anger, Sand Stone could see delight. She was happy to see her, and Sand Stone knew it.
"I'm sorry, Ground Breaker. I didn't want to stop seeing you. I... It.... I'm so sorry," Sand Stone stammered, her ears ducked down. She looked at the ground.

Ground Breaker's face thawed and her eyes softened.
"Eh, it's alright, kid. I'm... I’m happy to see you. Where have you been all these years, anyways?" Ground Breaker asked, taking a step towards her friend.

"At home. I've been waiting for the perfect time to sneak out of the house so I could see you again," Sand Stone replied, smiling.
"Sneak out? But why?" She asked. Sand Stone tried to think of the reason her mother had told her all those years ago, but found that she just drew a blank. She shrugged.
"I don't know."
Ground Breaker tried to hide her disappointment; and her feelings.
She opened her mouth, considered for a moment, then closed it again.
'Just say it, Ground Breaker! You can do it!' She told herself. But found out she could not.
"I'm happy to see you again, Sand Stone," She said, truthfully. She pulled the small foal close into a hug.

After they had separated from their hug, Sand Stone gasped.
"Oh! That's right! I have something for you," she said. She reached behind her and into her shoulder bag to pull out the note she had written for Ground Breaker.

"I wrote this for you, just to remember me by," Sand Stone smiled. Ground Breaker took it in her hoof and looked at her friend. There was a pause.
"Well, I should be going," Sand Stone said, cutting the silence like a knife.
"So soon? You just got here!" Ground Breaker protested, stomping her hoof.
"Sorry! My foalsitter is waiting for me. I don't want her to worry," Sand Stone called back as she ran towards the gate.
"Wait! When will you be back?" Ground Breaker called after her.
Sand Stone stopped in her tracks and turned.
"I don't know," she replied, honestly. Without another word, Sand Stone was off, leaving a long-faced Ground Breaker behind. She should’ve said. She should have admitted that she loved her.

When Sand Stone was out of sight, Ground Breaker unfolded the note she had given her. On it, written in childish handwriting was the sentence:

'Find your happy place.'