LIFE OF STYLO
-- Act I --
A good walk’s way to the east, up in the windswept hills above the outskirts of Ponyville, a pegasus named Stylo stares intently at a sheet of paper. His mind is turning and his eyes are calmly closed.
“Mmm…hmm. That sounds right,” he softly mumbled to himself.
He opened his eyes and scanned the paper before him, kusoma the lines over once more.
The imaginary smiles
And the make-believe trees
Carry desperate dreams
On a humbling breeze
For behind those eyes
True feelings are found
But denial is safe
Quill in mouth, he pens one final line below the others.
While honesty lies bound
Stylo gently placed the quill pen down and breathed a sigh of satisfaction.
“Yes. Poetry is the ro-“
His musings are cut short kwa a harsh knock on his door. Stylo’s smile fades to an unpleasant grimace as he shuffles across the scarcely-furnished room to greet his uninvited guest.
He flings the door open to find a brightly colored Pegasus staring back at him. He knew her. Every pegasus knew her. It was upinde wa mvua Dash.
She proudly stuck out her chest and began to greet him. “Hello, Mr. Stylo! I am upinde wa mvua Dash, Captain of the We-“
Stylo waved a hoof and cut her off. “Yes yes, I know, I know.”
upinde wa mvua continued without missing a beat. “It’s my job to inform wewe that wewe have been selected to put in mandatory Weather Team hours as part of the Cloudsdale Weather Team Progress Initiative.”
Stylo’s eyes widened. “I’ve been… you… what?”
upinde wa mvua dropped her professionalism. “We need wewe to help us… wewe know… kick some clouds around. There’s been some really weird weather pattern stuff going on, and the Weather Team needs all the help it can get!”
“Oh no. Nononononono. I can’t go up there,” Stylo retorted, retreating inside and casting a wary eye up towards Cloudsdale.
“Come on, it’s no big deal. Just get up there, kick some clouds for a siku au two, and get it over with.”
“No. Mm-mmm. Absolutely not.” Stylo feverishly shook his head as he spoke.
upinde wa mvua leaned in and squinted, examining the shivering pegasus before her. “No offense, but it looks like some sunshine could do wewe a whole lot of good. I mean… why are wewe wearing a coat? It’s July! How long have wewe been cooped up in here?”
upinde wa mvua trotted inside and examined the house. Not a single light was on. Thin streams of light came in from curtained windows, dimly illuminating some dusty cardboard boxes and a table.
She tapped a hoof on one of the boxes. “Ohhhh, did wewe just move? Do wewe want to finish unpacking before wewe head up?”
Stylo shook his head. “I’ve been living here for three years. I just… never got settled.”
“I’ll say.” She walked over and examined Stylo again. “Look. I know not everybody’s cut out for the Team. But if we don’t get this weather mess sorted out, Ponyville could be in some real danger. So stand up straight…”
upinde wa mvua pressed her hooves to Stylo’s spine and straightened him out.
“Put your chin up…”
She gave him a quick uppercut.
“And spread those wings!” She jumped up and spread her wings wide. Stylo opened up his flutter-flappers with the silky-smoothness of a rusted machine. wewe could almost hear them creak.
Rainbow’s expression faltered. “Wow. What have wewe been doing these past three years?”
Stylo closed his wings and slouched once more, his tattered mop of a mane covering his indigo eyes. Suddenly, his helplessness turned to anger.
“You listen here, missy!” he spat as he stomped over to the Weather Team captain, “it’s none of your business how I spend my time, and it’s none of your business to come here and demand that I do your job for you, so wewe might as well turn around and march out of here right now, because…”
Stylo stood up straight and crossed his forelegs.
“I’m! Not! Going!”
Stylo stood, triumphant, waiting for a response. upinde wa mvua simply stared at him with wide eyes as silence flooded the room. Stylo was about to speak again when upinde wa mvua abruptly dashed toward him and cocked a hoof.
“AAH!” Stylo cried and shielded his face. “Okay, I’ll go!”
She lowered her hoof and grinned. “Great!”
Stylo sighed as she strode past him. “It’s only a minute’s fly from here, but I can give wewe five to help break those dusty old wings in.”
Stylo looked up at her with eyes full of spite. “I’m taking a balloon.”
“Whaaaaat?” upinde wa mvua looked back over her shoulder. “We don’t have time for that! We’ve already wasted enough!”
“Well…” Stylo began, a smile spreading across his face, “we could reach Cloudsdale much zaidi quickly if wewe let me ride wewe there.” He cheekily nudged her.
“Ugh.” upinde wa mvua breathed an exasperated sigh and clapped a hoof to her face. “Fine.”
She stepped out on to the front sidewalk, spread her wings wide, and bent down. Stylo simply watched, grinning. upinde wa mvua cocked her head at him.
“Well?”
Stylo began to chuckle as he trotted over and mounted his trusty steed. upinde wa mvua and her passenger took off for Cloudsdale.
---
High up in the air at a comfortable cruising altitude, upinde wa mvua Dash and Stylo have almost reached their destination. Some pegasi began to pass kwa them, causing Stylo to sit up straight and assert his superiority over these brutes.
“Yah!” he barked, smacking his steed on back of the head. “Straight ahead! Yah!”
Rainbow’s eyes widened. “Are wewe serious?”
Passing pegasi watched in confusion as Stylo commanded his horse. “Mush! Mush! Faster, you!”
“If wewe insist…” upinde wa mvua muttered, narrowing her eyes and adopting a smirk.
“Yah, I said! Yah…wait. What are wewe doi-AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhh…!”
Stylo could only hold on for dear life as upinde wa mvua shot mbele towards Cloudsdale at the speed of sound.
-- Act I --
A good walk’s way to the east, up in the windswept hills above the outskirts of Ponyville, a pegasus named Stylo stares intently at a sheet of paper. His mind is turning and his eyes are calmly closed.
“Mmm…hmm. That sounds right,” he softly mumbled to himself.
He opened his eyes and scanned the paper before him, kusoma the lines over once more.
The imaginary smiles
And the make-believe trees
Carry desperate dreams
On a humbling breeze
For behind those eyes
True feelings are found
But denial is safe
Quill in mouth, he pens one final line below the others.
While honesty lies bound
Stylo gently placed the quill pen down and breathed a sigh of satisfaction.
“Yes. Poetry is the ro-“
His musings are cut short kwa a harsh knock on his door. Stylo’s smile fades to an unpleasant grimace as he shuffles across the scarcely-furnished room to greet his uninvited guest.
He flings the door open to find a brightly colored Pegasus staring back at him. He knew her. Every pegasus knew her. It was upinde wa mvua Dash.
She proudly stuck out her chest and began to greet him. “Hello, Mr. Stylo! I am upinde wa mvua Dash, Captain of the We-“
Stylo waved a hoof and cut her off. “Yes yes, I know, I know.”
upinde wa mvua continued without missing a beat. “It’s my job to inform wewe that wewe have been selected to put in mandatory Weather Team hours as part of the Cloudsdale Weather Team Progress Initiative.”
Stylo’s eyes widened. “I’ve been… you… what?”
upinde wa mvua dropped her professionalism. “We need wewe to help us… wewe know… kick some clouds around. There’s been some really weird weather pattern stuff going on, and the Weather Team needs all the help it can get!”
“Oh no. Nononononono. I can’t go up there,” Stylo retorted, retreating inside and casting a wary eye up towards Cloudsdale.
“Come on, it’s no big deal. Just get up there, kick some clouds for a siku au two, and get it over with.”
“No. Mm-mmm. Absolutely not.” Stylo feverishly shook his head as he spoke.
upinde wa mvua leaned in and squinted, examining the shivering pegasus before her. “No offense, but it looks like some sunshine could do wewe a whole lot of good. I mean… why are wewe wearing a coat? It’s July! How long have wewe been cooped up in here?”
upinde wa mvua trotted inside and examined the house. Not a single light was on. Thin streams of light came in from curtained windows, dimly illuminating some dusty cardboard boxes and a table.
She tapped a hoof on one of the boxes. “Ohhhh, did wewe just move? Do wewe want to finish unpacking before wewe head up?”
Stylo shook his head. “I’ve been living here for three years. I just… never got settled.”
“I’ll say.” She walked over and examined Stylo again. “Look. I know not everybody’s cut out for the Team. But if we don’t get this weather mess sorted out, Ponyville could be in some real danger. So stand up straight…”
upinde wa mvua pressed her hooves to Stylo’s spine and straightened him out.
“Put your chin up…”
She gave him a quick uppercut.
“And spread those wings!” She jumped up and spread her wings wide. Stylo opened up his flutter-flappers with the silky-smoothness of a rusted machine. wewe could almost hear them creak.
Rainbow’s expression faltered. “Wow. What have wewe been doing these past three years?”
Stylo closed his wings and slouched once more, his tattered mop of a mane covering his indigo eyes. Suddenly, his helplessness turned to anger.
“You listen here, missy!” he spat as he stomped over to the Weather Team captain, “it’s none of your business how I spend my time, and it’s none of your business to come here and demand that I do your job for you, so wewe might as well turn around and march out of here right now, because…”
Stylo stood up straight and crossed his forelegs.
“I’m! Not! Going!”
Stylo stood, triumphant, waiting for a response. upinde wa mvua simply stared at him with wide eyes as silence flooded the room. Stylo was about to speak again when upinde wa mvua abruptly dashed toward him and cocked a hoof.
“AAH!” Stylo cried and shielded his face. “Okay, I’ll go!”
She lowered her hoof and grinned. “Great!”
Stylo sighed as she strode past him. “It’s only a minute’s fly from here, but I can give wewe five to help break those dusty old wings in.”
Stylo looked up at her with eyes full of spite. “I’m taking a balloon.”
“Whaaaaat?” upinde wa mvua looked back over her shoulder. “We don’t have time for that! We’ve already wasted enough!”
“Well…” Stylo began, a smile spreading across his face, “we could reach Cloudsdale much zaidi quickly if wewe let me ride wewe there.” He cheekily nudged her.
“Ugh.” upinde wa mvua breathed an exasperated sigh and clapped a hoof to her face. “Fine.”
She stepped out on to the front sidewalk, spread her wings wide, and bent down. Stylo simply watched, grinning. upinde wa mvua cocked her head at him.
“Well?”
Stylo began to chuckle as he trotted over and mounted his trusty steed. upinde wa mvua and her passenger took off for Cloudsdale.
---
High up in the air at a comfortable cruising altitude, upinde wa mvua Dash and Stylo have almost reached their destination. Some pegasi began to pass kwa them, causing Stylo to sit up straight and assert his superiority over these brutes.
“Yah!” he barked, smacking his steed on back of the head. “Straight ahead! Yah!”
Rainbow’s eyes widened. “Are wewe serious?”
Passing pegasi watched in confusion as Stylo commanded his horse. “Mush! Mush! Faster, you!”
“If wewe insist…” upinde wa mvua muttered, narrowing her eyes and adopting a smirk.
“Yah, I said! Yah…wait. What are wewe doi-AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhh…!”
Stylo could only hold on for dear life as upinde wa mvua shot mbele towards Cloudsdale at the speed of sound.