Coming Soon · 11:08pm Dec 5th, 2013
With the Christmas holidays drawing ever nearer, I give you the first of two presents from me, to you sexy people: A small extract from my next big project. My Christmas special is about halfway done now, so expect to see that soon, but for now, here is this!
“So,” Celestia said. “I assume you’ve finished your final report.”
The only response Twilight could manage was a simple nod.
“And?”
Twilight took a deep breath, and slowly recounted the words she’d memorized from the many hours of research she’d done in the past week. “The newly constructed apartments had been built with piping that was far below standard, as a result of the construction company trying to cut corners to lower their expenses. The initial explosion killed most of the ponies in the building, as well as several who were walking past at the time. Luckily, the building was incomplete, so the only ponies inside at the time were construction workers.”
Celestia nodded sadly, not wishing to consider the death count if the building had been finished, and if there had been any families inside. “How many survivors?”
Twilight paused before she answered, thinking how best to word her response. “Initially, there were six ponies who had been doing electrical work in the basement. The explosion was on the top floor, so they were shielded from the blast by the many levels of flooring.”
“Initially?”
“They survived the explosion, but then they were trapped in the basement by the flames and the rubble. Luckily the basement roof had been reinforced, so there was no risk of it collapsing, but the rubble instead blocked all the exits. It took the fire teams seven hours to get through to them, but by that time, they had all succumbed to the fire, mostly due to smoke inhalation.”
Celestia didn’t answer. She simply kept her gaze fixated at the smoke on the horizon.
“With those six, and the eighteen still missing, we’re assuming a death toll of thirty four. The fire fighters are still going through the rubble, but the only remains they’re finding now are just… well, bits and pieces.”
After a deep sigh, Celestia finally responded. “What about the construction company?”
“The CEO has been taken in to police custody, and after having a quick look at their current stock devaluation, I’d say that it’s pretty much finished.”
“Well, at least that’s one less item to worry about. Did you finish the condolence letters for the families?”
“Yes, I had my assistant write them each out by hoof, and after I signed them I had him take them to your office.”
“Excellent. Once I’ve signed them, I’ll make sure both Luna and Cadence sign them as well.”
“It feels like we sign more and more as each year goes by.”
“I know what you mean. But I suppose we all have our way of dealing with things. I mean, you have EQUIS, Luna has…”
“What?” Twilight asked, cutting Celestia off mid-sentence. “How did you know about that?”
Celestia chuckled to herself. “Twilight, we all know. Me, Luna, and Cadence.”
“Anypony else?”
“Don’t worry yourself, we’re all sworn to secrecy. Anyway, it’d still be a secret if you hadn’t left your sketchbook in the Library by mistake.”
Twilight blushed slightly. “When was this?”
“A few years ago, not long after EQUIS had its first mission. I saw you get up to leave, and I saw that you’d left your book behind. I was going to call you back… but you’d left it open and… well, I couldn’t resist a look when I saw what you were working on.”
Twilight’s cheeks began to flush, turning bright red.
“I must say, I did find your alias to be rather entertaining. What was it again?”
The amused expression on Celestia’s face eased Twilight’s tension, and she allowed herself to grin slightly. “Dusk Shine,” she said with a chuckle. “I would have told you, but I thought you’d be angry.”
“Twilight, why in all of Equestria would I be angry?”
“Because… well, you know.”
The penny dropped for Celestia as Twilight couldn’t even bring herself to look at her. “Ah. You never talk to me about that.”
“Because I never once doubted your motives. I know that whatever reason you had for lying for so many years… you had the best interests of Equestria at heart.”
“I’m truly thankful that you think of me so fondly. But you didn’t need to hide EQUIS from me. One part of being Princess is allowing our subjects to reach their full potential. Some ponies were curious about outer space, so you set up EQUIS to allow them the opportunity to reach and explore it. Even if I had known when you set it up, I would have made no attempt to stop you.”
Twilight hung her head slightly. “I’m sorry. Sometimes I feel there’s just so much more for me to learn about being a Princess, it just becomes too much for me to bear.”
Celestia stepped up to her former student, and lifted her chin to face her. “There is always something for us to learn. Even ponies as old as I am. It’s just a case of learning it at your own speed.”
Twilight smiled gratefully at her mentor. It never ceased to amaze her how much Celestia could make her feel better in bad times.
“But,” Celestia continued. “I fear that this ‘modern age’ may be a bit more difficult to come to terms with. The annual death toll caused by accidents has quadrupled in the last two years, and I fear it will continue to rise.”
Twilight thought on this for a few seconds.
“Have you looked in my sketchbook at all lately?”
“No,” Celestia said. “Not at all, since that one time in the Library.”
“Well, I’ve been working on some new projects, and I think I may have a solution.”
“Some new kind of rescue equipment?”
A large grin appeared on Twilight’s face. “Something like that.”
Bear in mind that date is UK format, so that's DD/MM/YY, or if you prefer, December 26th.
Enjoy the run-up to Christmas, peeps.
8_Bit
<3
Oooooooohh myyyyy gooooooooddd!