|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 8:30 am
Ah it was such a beautiful day. The sun was shining, there was just a light breeze, and the little butterflies were out on their fluttery missions. Honeysuckle sighed happily as he walked through the garden he had so carefully planted and cultivated through the year. Large blossoms were everywhere sending their delicious fragrances all over.
The large Draft Pony carefully inspected his beauties for any damage by bugs or disease. His horn helped part some of the more thorny branches. He was glad he had thought ahead and planted his lovely ladies early so they could have time to make their seeds. He would keep them so he could replant next year.
In the middle of his garden he had set up a small sitting area with some shadey spots on the soft grass. He headed for that area, hoping to absorb some more sun before the cold weather set in.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 8:45 am
Taquita walked around Phonyland with a dark cloud over her head. And because she was in a land of magic and friendship, she literally walked around town with a dark cloud over her head. Funny how things like that worked.
She was in a nasty mood today as she was every day. Her dad and brothers were all singing different songs at the same loud volume, while her mom scolded them for the inappropriate lyrics. Taquita just wanted some quiet time.
Making her way over to Uncle Honey's garden, she gave a mean glare to every Phony she passed. How dare they try to look at her with their smiles and their hugs and their... blegh... happiness! There was no room in her black soul for such things! She was tormented day in and day out by the lot she had been born into. No one understood her suffering.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 8:52 am
Honey was almost to his center garden when he felt his flowers tremble. Something dark was coming. Not dark as in evil but just something that wasn't suppose to be there on such a super sunshiney day. He wondered what it could be and looked out over his garden. Thats when he noticed the little storm cloud. It moved around, heading towards his garden.
While most Phonies would be startlted by this he just smiled. He knew who that little rain cloud belonged to. It was his dark little neice's, Taquita. He knew she often found solice in his garden as it was quiet and away from the others. He didn't allow her brothers to play music here for fear it might upset his lovelies. But Taquita usually just read in his garden. Today she seemed a bit out of sorts.
"Hello Taquita," the deep voiced Phony called out softly without looked back to her. He continued walking to the middle of his garden. There he laid out a small picnic for the two of them. Small plain sandwichs and glasses of water. Taquita was not known for her extravagance, unless you count her words.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 9:09 am
She had almost hoped that Honey was out running an errand or something and that she didn't have to actually try to hold a conversation. She wasn't in the mood today. Then again, she was never in the mood, so it really didn't matter.
"Hello Uncle Honey," Taquita said in a monotone, "I see you set up a picnic for us." She didn't even try to smile or thank him right away, she figured acknowledging it was enough.
When she stood next to him, Taquita was very much in the shade. Honey was so much bigger than her. He was bigger than everyphony, but especially her and the other babbies. It would have been intimidating had he not been such a big love bug; it was his one fatal flaw. He could have used his size to keep all the other Phonies out of his garden and have perfect solitude, but instead he made them sandwiches.
Taquita wasn't going to complain about the sandwiches though. Her mother had taught her to never look a gift Phony in the mouth. She nodded and began to take painfully small, nibblely bites. Then, as if it almost hurt her, she squeaked out the words, "Thanks for the lunch."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 9:17 am
"Yes, I thought you would enjoy a bit to eat before your solitude set in," he smiled down at her. His little niece was the moody sort but things like that just rolled off Honey's back. Plus he had a surprise for her. But that would wait.
"Getting away from your siblings and parents again?" the draft asked as he settled down on a soft bed of clover. With his coloring he almost looked like a tree amongst the clover. It would have been more convincing had it not been for his long dark hair. Even in the sun his hair seemed dark and flowing, like velvet.
Honey thought over little Taquita's place in the world so far. Colored like her father but with the fire of her mother she was a bit out of place amongst her siblings. He often felt the same way. He was larger than either of his sisters, more confidant than Bon but more tame than Puffy, and he didn't speak much french despite his sister's efforts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 9:31 am
"Yes," she replied, "I had to get away from them." If she would have had her way, she would have gotten away from them forever. Maybe one day, when she was older, she would pack up every book she owned and run away from Phonyland. Maybe then she could be a phony herd of one.
Honey looked at peace here. He seemed content with everything going on around him. Taquita wondered if he argued with mom at all when they were foals. Probably not. It just didn't seem like anything bothered him.
"You just don't understand," Taquita whined, "You're always happy. You don't know what it's like to have your hopes crushed daily by a tyrannical overlord wearing mascara." She sighed audibly and shoved the rest of her sandwich in her mouth before she felt compelled to say anything else.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 9:38 am
Honey chuckled a bit as Taquita spoke of her siblings. He wondered how they would be when they were older. Obiviously Draft and PARTY were taking a musical path like their father, much to their mother's horror. But Taquita had a different path.
He listened as she spoke of his happiness and having her hopes crushed by TACO. Well maybe he wasn't crushing them but he sure wasn't helping them. Puffy wasn't any better but at least she didn't push her own ideals onto the small filly. He gazed at her with his dark eyes, seem and mysterious like always.
"No I do not understand. I will not lie and say I do," he handed her a napkin with his magic. Taquita was not a filly to be coddled and given the typical childhood white lies. You could be honest with her, it made things easier at times but could still cause some difficulties.
"But there is a saying by a man known for his peaceful nature that you might like to hear. He said "No one can hurt me unless I let them," he rested his head on his legs and gazed at her again, "So why are you letting him? Have you ever thought about it?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 9:50 am
Taquita shrugged. She had never thought of it that way, but she wasn't going to admit that she had never thought of it that way. Uncle Honey's brain just must have been bigger than other phony's because his head was so large. He seemed to usually have some sort of good thoughts.
The dark cloud above her wavered a little.
She swallowed her chunk of sandwich then wiped her face off with the napkin he had provided. "I think that's a pretty good point. But I can't control all the noise they make. That's why I leave. Then I can brood in my own peace and quiet and let them be horrible all by themselves." It was fairly clear that Taquita was not much of a problem solver, because she had the same solution for everything: avoidance.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 9:58 am
"No I suppose you can't. After all you don't like them forcing you to be social when you don't like to be, so it would be unkind to force them to be quiet when they don't like to be," he slowly stood up, shaking a bit of dirt off himself. He looked down at his little pale niece and smiled.
"Come with me," he didn't wait for her and walked off towards the wooded area of his home. Along the stone path were small rose bushes, dark red in color, and vined trelises. Finally he disappeared into the darkened wooded part of the path. Shadows danced through the branches but it was not sunshiney here.
At the end of the path was a small gazeboo, not so small that only babbens fit but small enough that it left room for only a few phonies to sit in the shadows. Creepers and vines twisted their way around the beams while little benches gave phonies a place to sit. There was also a small cabinet which, when opened, revealed poetry books as well as black paper with quills and ink.
'Your brothers have their place to be themselves, for music is the way they relate to the world. So I thought I'd give you a place to be yourself. I will not visit you here save for this one time to show you the path," he turned around to her, "It is yours to brood, to think, to do whatever makes you relate to the world around you."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 10:14 am
Tears welled up in little Taquita's eyes as she saw her gift. Her mom and dad had never done anything this nice for her before! She walked around the gazebo. It was dark and quiet. She didn't hear the hustle and bustle of town. And Honeysuckle had thought ahead and filled it with writing supplies! This was wonderful!
The wrapped her tiny legs around one of his big trunk-like legs, and gave him one of the biggest hugs she had ever given. "Thank you, Uncle Honey! This is great! This is the best thing anyone has ever done for me! I love it!"
When she was done babbling with excitement, she pulled away. There was one question she had though, "I'm not sure I understand why you would do this for me..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 10:23 am
Honey chuckled to himself as the little babben pranced around the gazebo. He had thought she would like this. A quiet place just for her, as she seemed to not have something that was hers. Honey knew it was hard when one was so different to have something just theirs, especially when family was so close by.
He looked down at his neice as she questioned his gift, ah that was expected he thought. He smiled and lowered his head so he would be closer to her, "Because I care about you Taquita. While I do not like places so dark and without color I know you do. And I knew I could make this for you. It is an act of kindness. Doing something for someone because you know it will make them happy. You do it without expecting anything in return. You do it because it feels good. When I see you smile, it warms my heart. I know your smiles are rare and valuable."
He smiled at her, knowing she was happy. That was a reward in and of itself, to see the little filly smile once in awhile. And he was pretty sure she'd appriciate his joke. "Even if you do not like whatever it is you are doing for someone, you know they like it."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 10:42 am
With that, as magically as the dark cloud had appeared, it disappeared from above Taquita's head. Honeysuckle had made her genuinely happy with his kindness.
"I care about you too! And as my thanks, the first poem I write here will be for you. I'll try really, really hard to make it about something you like, Uncle," she said with a genuine smile. Taquita wasn't sure if she'd ever written a poem about sunshine and flowers, but she was willing to give it a shot. It was the least that she could do after he had put all this work into the wonderful gazebo for her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 10:55 am
Honeysuckle chuckled and leaned down to give her a quick nuzzle before turning to leave. "Just write what you feel, Taquita. I would be happy with any poem from you no matter what it was about. Because I know you made it for me."
With that the draft went back to his sunshiney garden and continued tending to his flowers. He would actually visit the little place every now and then to tend to the vines and creepers. Had to keep that victorian vibe going for his little niece.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
