Twilight's Studies - Part 2

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It's Rook!

The Tumblr has really helped with these since I can do a lot of the art without tracing first.

Also I went a little overboard at one point and wrote too much detail for the report. I figured it's no good wasting it so I'll include it here. Make sure you read the comic first.

(Wow this is long... can you imagine if I had actually tried to put this in the report?)

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It was afternoon by the time Breakneck's parents came looking for him, wide-eyed and desperate. When Rook confessed their plan, Breakneck's father spared no time for blame or lecture. His wife and Rook's parents would gather help while he and Rook flew directly to the canyon. Rook led Hammerhoof through their practice route and when they didn't find anything, they doubled back, moving slower this time. Then Rook saw it: a smear of feather-dotted blood on the Canyon wall leading down into the darkness. Rook bolted for the smear and, with practiced reflexes, Hammerhoof followed.

A few minutes later, the search party neared the Canyon and found Hammerhoof flying quickly, but gently toward them. Breckneck was balanced on his back, limbs dangling unnaturally and caked in dried blood. As they closed in, Rook's mother saw Rook trailing behind, head hanging down, struggling to fly. She veered towards him and, just as she reached him, Breakneck's mother started wailing and calling her son's name. Rook dropped like a stone.

His mother caught him on her back and turned to ask what was wrong when she saw his face. "Breakneck... he's... he's. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" She swallowed her words and turned to fly home while Rook apologized over and over as he cried.

The next days were hard as news of Breakneck's condition came slowly. "He would live", they said. A few days later, the doctor's were certain that his legs would mend. A few days more and they were hopeful that he'd fly again. Rook's mother shared the news each time hoping to bring back the light in his eyes. But he just lay in his room, not moving, not speaking, barely eating. As she looked at him, heartbroken, she couldn't help thinking that it was her son that had died out there. Turning quickly so that Rook couldn't see her tears, she left. But as she did, she stirred up some papers from the desk.

Almost as if a portent, a single sheet floated gently, to and fro, before landing on the tip of Rook's nose. His eyes reacted involuntarily and he glanced at the paper to find that it was the map he and Breakneck had worked so hard on. "It wasn't good enough", Rook lamented. "I wasn't good enough!" But a few moment's later, Rook's mind started churning again. "Why didn't it work? What did we do wrong?"

These words swirled around in his brain, not to be ignored. The thoughts grew stronger and stronger until they filled his whole body. A hoof twitched. "What went wrong?" he said softly out loud. A wing flicked.

He stomped a hoof down resolutely on the floor. "I don't know!" he exclaimed. "I don't know what went wrong..." and then, shaking, and unsteady, weak from his self-imposed isolation, he stood. And as he did, he finished with "... but I'm going to find out".

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The sun was getting low in the sky. Another day gone by, another day of healing and bedrest for Breakneck. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes in frustration. Though ponies had come to see him, some were timid, others condemning, and none were Rook. He had heard how Rook stopped coming to school and worried that his parents had chained him to the basement or worse!

Breakneck paced through his restlessness.

That's when he heard it: voices from far off calling his name. He rushed to the window and then he saw classmates flying his way. And, dead in the center, Rook. They were excited and yelling over each other which drew the attention of other fillies and foals who flew up to join them and get the scoop. By the time, they reached the window, nearly the entire school was flapping their wings (and mouths) creating more chatter than a flock of bluejays. From the mass, Rook dropped into the room, looking tired and a bit beaten. One eye was swollen and he had several bruises forming on his legs.

"They tortured you!" Breakneck exclaimed!

Rook laughed. "No, that's not it. I did it! WE did it! I made it through the Canyon!"

Breakneck beamed. "I knew it could be done!" he shouted as he lept to give Rook a big, warm hug.

"Ow..." they both said, wincing. Then they looked at each other, and laughed.

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Part 1 - Willow's Report
Part 2 - Rook's Report
Part 3 - Luau's Report
Part 4 - Crabapple's Report
Part 5 - Rose's Report
Part 6 - Road Trip
Part 7 - The Meeting
Part 8 - Spoink
Part 9 - Connections
Part 10 - Precious
Part 11 - Common Ground
Finale - Magic Hair