Jump to content

A Much-Needed Break [Open]


RadiantRhapsody

Recommended Posts

     The homey little cottage that had been partly paid for by her parents upon her insistence of moving out felt far too large for the young mare and her little feathered companion.

     

     Upon entering, anyone would be able to take notice of how empty the little home was; it seemed almost as if it were uninhabited, if not for the bed, other furnature, and a couple of hoof-drawn posters that remained perched upon the walls.

 

     A fire crackled in the fireplace, smoke billowing up through the hole in her roof that served as a ventilation of sorts. Little trinkets lined the old and rickety wooden shelf that hung near the entrance, many of which had been brought back by her parents over years of long trips to make up for missed birthdays or forgotten holidays. 

 

     Upon the bed was a pile of blankets, which shifted after a moment or so with the muffled coughs that seemed to come from within. Orchid gave a muffled chirp of concern as she fluttered over to perch upon the edge of the mattress and tried to nose her beak into the blanket fortress that was Radiant. The mare felt absolutely horrible, as noted by the small groan that parted tired lips when the light from the fire sent a painful throb into her skull. "Not now, Orchid... We'll play later." she muttered, rubbing at her eyes some and flopping over onto her other side, back turned to the songbird, whom merely shifted forward some to try and offer a comforting nudge to Radiant's back. 

 

     There was supposed to be a sort of music showcase on such a day, but Radiant had declined to show up upon awakening with a relatively mild fever. Well, she would've ended up going anyway... if Orchid hadn't refused to let the mare anywhere near the door. The songbird had sensed that something was wrong the moment Radiant greeted her with a scratchy, painful-sounding voice... and the mare smelled rather... sickly?

 

     The avian would recognize such behavior from a while back. The mare had fallen ill a lot back when she'd been recovering from the incident that had cost Radiant a wing. The little songbird remembered days on end of perching upon the edge of the mare's bed, singing the few little tunes she knew in some attempt at offering comfort to her feverish friend. 

 

     Grumbling, Radiant pulled the blankets around herself more securely as she heard a knock at the door. Now who could that be? She wasn't expecting any company... was she? No matter. She pushed herself to her hooves, before clearing her throat with a wince and responding, somewhat irritably, her voice scratchy and soft. "Yes? Is someone there?"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Loose Cannon had just got back from a quick trip to the Everfree. The Everfree wasn't a controlled park of Equestria and it was pretty wild. She was originally planning on joining the military, but deep recent conversations have brought up the idea of becoming the first Everfree ranger. That idea sounded better to her than the military thing and it would fulfil the roles of law enforcement and scientist at the same time, just like her parents respectively. So she decided that to become the first ranger, she would need to do some exploring and learn the place. The gloomy nature of the Everfree meant that there was less reliance on visibility aspects which came in favour of herself.

 

When she got back into town, she noticed that there was somepony new in town. She knew that because that house over there wasn't supposed to be occupied. But today it was, and it appears as if the new resident was still inside it. Why would that resident be inside on such a day like this? And when the Ponytones are performing their new song soon, it would be a big treat to see on their first day here. There must be something wrong right? If a pony didn't want to socialise than Ponyville would be the last place you'd go to. A town of such size warranted the development of a deep community. No, she would have to see for herself if anything was wrong, it would be the right thing to do. As future ranger (unconfirmed.) she should know the behaviours of ponies in order to better understand and protect them from the horrors of the Everfree. 

 

As she walked up to the front door, she could hear the small groans of a pony outside, no doubt that a regular pony couldn't have heard it. She could also hear the faint speech that followed it, she could've listened harder, but she didn't wish to eavesdrop, that was a habit she wanted to break. She gave some knocks on the door, hoping it was enough for them to hear, but not to excessive. More sounds came from inside, before such an out of tone scratchy voice was heard. "Yes, I'm here, not a ghost," She joked in reply, hoping to make good impressions. "Are you alright in there? Doesn't sound like it, but just wondering because very few ponies would give up a chance to hear the Ponytones, especially if it's your first time. That's actually the second reason I'm here, Welcome to Ponyville. I know because this house wasn't occupied last time I checked."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

     Radiant winced upon attempting to clear her throat one more time, before finally pulling the door open all the way to allow her visitor entry. She sighed as Orchid fluttered forward to perch upon her bedframe, telling the little songbird to stay put with a wave of her hand when she noticed the way Orchid had protectively fluffed up her feathers. The mare chuckled at her visitor's words.

 

     She moved over to the stove, where a metallic pot of tea sat ready. 

"Sorry about the mess." she spoke up sheepishly, glancing over at her messy bed, where sheets, pillows, and extra blankets alike lay strewn about upon the floor. Well that was embarrassing. Orchid chattered quietly, moving over to where her cage sat open and perching on the little makeshift swing inside.

 

     Radiant watched momentarily, before rolling her eyes and returning her attention to the other mare. "I'm just a little under the weather. You didn't have to come all the way out here." she responded once more, shrugging and moving to offer a cup of tea. "Freshly made." she grinned, proud of herself, before taking a sip of her own. She'd been careful in making it. The warmth of the cup warmed her chilled hooves whilst the liquid inside served to sooth her scratchy, somewhat painful throat.

 

     She frowned at the mention of the Ponytones. "Y-Yeah... I really wanted to go see them..." Radiant finally responded, voice sounding much less scratchy, as of now. At the offered welcome, the corners of her lips upturned some in a small smile, and she offered a little bow of her head in response. "Thank you! I've actually lived here for a while, now, just... with my parents until now."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

She stepped in after the Mare opened the door, letting out a click that echoed around the room, loud enough that she could hear it, but another pony would have to be paying attention to really notice it. The house was more empty than the average house around here. There were slight disturbances on the wall, presumably posters that she wouldn't be able to decipher for herself. There was also the distinctly messy bed, that was perfectly reasonable. "It's your bed, you can do whatever you want with it," she replied to the mare's apologetic statement. "But it is a bit out of place, compared to the rest of your house."

 

She heard the bird chirp and smiled at her before turning back to the mare. "I really, didn't, but it felt like the right thing to do, seems unfortunate for your condition to occur on your first week." She didn't want to say first day, because the last time she was around here was about a week ago, she wasn't sure when the mare moved in exactly. "Normally, I wouldn't drink tea, but i'll make an exception for this occasion," She explained nodding her head. 

 

She thought for a moment, what time would it be now? She left her watch at home, so she couldn't quickly check the time at that moment. "I think they're playing right now anyway, if my perception of time serves me right, they're supposed to play around 11. It isn't a once in a lifetime opportunity, you'll get to see them again eventually," She explained before realising. "Wait, really? I've never noticed, that's weird, why have I never noticed? I'm sorry for assuming. Oh, by the way, my name's Loose Cannon." There was something up about the mare, but she wasn't sure what it was. The mare was a pegasus, nothing weird about that, but it felt like something was missing.

 

"Huh, that's weird... I can't detect your right wing. Weird."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

     Radiant merely offered a sheepish smile at the other mare's observations, though, she did allow her own golden hues to linger upon said mare's face a few fleeting moments longer. The other's gaze seemed almost unseeing, in a way, and Radiant wondered if she could see anything at all. 

 

     She offered a soft, somewhat relieved sigh at the mention of how often the Ponytones seemed to play. She'd get to see them someday, after all! The mare grinned at the acceptance of the tea, handing the cup over carefully and picking up her own once more for another small sip. 

 

     Orchid chirped a soft tune of sorts from her cage, peeking out at them through the little opened door, and Radiant hummed softly in response, wincing slightly at the little prick of discomfort that made itself known in the back of her throat again as a result.

 

     She offered a polite bow of her head at the offered introduction, before finally speaking up, herself. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Radiant Rhapsody, but that tends to be a mouthful, so Radi's fine as well. My little friend over there is named Desert Orchid, but I just call her Orchid." 

 

     She froze a moment or so at the mention of her wing, the remaining feathery appendage tightening against her left side somewhat nervously. 

 

"I, uh... Lost it in an incident..."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

She received the tea from the mare and took a sip from it. Not actually as bad as she thought. "You make some good tea, although, I'm not sure if my opinion is qualified much," she complimented before hearing the bird chirp nearby. She couldn't understand it, but she wondered if the pegasus could. "Can you understand birds? Or maybe just her?" She pointed to the bird that was sitting obediently in the cage nearby.

 

She nodded in response to the Mare's introduction, setting the tea down.  "I don't think it's much of a mouthful, I talk a lot, so anything that makes me talk more doesn't hinder me at all. Radiant Rhapsody, Desert Orchid. Radiant Rhapsody, Desert Orchid. Got it. I can say them perfectly fine. You can call me Loose if you want, not Cannon, that sounds weird by itself."

 

She felt the mood go down a bit as the mare took a moment to respond. She clicked again and still noticed the missing limb, and it was definitely not a fault of hearing now. "Oh, okay. I guess... that makes sense then. I'm not going to try and dwell much on the topic, because, I don't want to make such a big deal out of it. I lost something too, you probably noticed it through my actions and my noises if you've been paying attention, but I can't see at all. And I don't remember ever seeing. I guess it's not quite the same thing, but y'know."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...