“You’re very good at this” Cotton said at Howling, admiration in her voice.
“Uh, good at what precisely?” replied the pegasus, confused: he was doing nothing in particular, just resting against a tree, recovering the energies spent during the difficult day.
“Well, you’re amazing at traveling!” the young unicorn said with enthusiasm “Reading maps, traversing a forest like this, planning ahead, setting up camp… I can’t do anything like that!”
“...and you’re great at sewing” Howling commented, deadpan.
“What?”
“Sorry, maybe it sounded like I was putting you down, but that was not the intent. Quite the opposite actually. It’s just… Experience. I know all these things because I have done them for quite a while now. And you know why I have done them?”
Cotton shook her head.
“Because I wanted to. Because I have craved to travel” Howling said, looking up at the canopy of trees, shards of the sunset sky peeking out from the foliage “At the end of the day, we are our passions”.
“Some ponies think that’s something innate, a spark that we carry from our birth and then bursts out as our Cutie Mark”.
Cotton’s eyes fell on Howling’s flank, a wind rose, a common symbol for travels.
“But I think it’s the other way around. We live in a world that awakens our passions and as we grow up we make choices about which one to choose, which one really matters. And then you work for it. And only then comes the Cutie Mark, more an award to your efforts in staying true to your desires and dreams rather than manifested destiny”.
Howling lowered his head and looked directly at Cotton: the mare heart fluttered, as those emeralds eyes fixed on her.
“I’m good at all this stuff because I have worked for it. And so did you with sewing. And that’s equally amazing. Even more I dare say. You told me once that you learned how to make dolls and plush toys to make other ponies happy. That’s way better than venturing the world to fulfill your own desires if you ask me. And you’re taking a step further by training in healing magic”.
Cotton felt her cheeks flush at the compliment, both because she felt like she didn’t deserve such praise and for the pony that said it.
“I have tried to always stay true to myself” Howling continued, his eyes back to the sky, a bittersweet look on his face “I have trained to be self reliant. I wanted to never stop too long in one place. Even when close to a town, I always choose to camp somewhere quiet, somewhere surrounded by nature, enjoying a spring breeze rustling the leaves or the rhythm of raindrops patting on the ground”
“Well I hope you are comfortable sharing this camp with others” Cotton asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
“Do I have a choice?” replied the pegaus; the other pony looked down, a bit unsettled. Howling gave her a side look, still with his head turned to the sky, which was slowly becoming darker. Then he turned his head towards her and smirked “But I guess I could get used to it” Cotton’s head sprang up, a happy smile on her face “Though it will take a while with Ash around, but it balances out with you, so I guess I’m fine with it”.
After much planning and excitement, I present to you my newest webcomic, ‘Party Chat’, a slice-of-life/rpg fantasy!
Check it out here on Tapas and WEBTOON!
Thanks for your support, I’d love to hear what you think!
