//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: The Day of the Dead // by Bookpony579 //------------------------------// While Lyanna and Elinor cleaned up lunch, Cloud decided to take Twilight on a tour of the Inn. "And this is the garden. People love to come out here to eat, have tea or just to enjoy the outdoors. It was even featured in 'Garden Monthly' about two years ago." She explained as they walked on stone pathways through an intricate and beautifully decorated garden with all sorts of flowers, tables, chairs and even tiny rivers running through it. As they walked over a small bridge, she pointed at a large maple tree in the center. "That tree was planted the same day the Great Bear opened in order to commemorate the occasion. It is over two hundred years old, making it one of the oldest known trees in Canterlot." A small smile formed on her face as she spoke softly. "When Lyanna and I were little, our mother would read us stories under that tree whenever we couldn't sleep, even if it usually meant she had to carry us back to our beds." "That's so sweet." Twilight said. "Oh, I loved doing that. They looked so cute sleeping there, and I didn't mind carrying them back." Ursa said wistfully. "It sounds like you love working here." Twilight pointed out to cloud. "Oh! I do...well, I did." Cloud seemed to grow irritated at the though. "While Lyanna goes driving her truck to who knows where, I'm the one managing the inn. Making sure everything is running smoothly. Making sure all the guests are happy. But does my grandmother say anything about all the hard work I do? No. She only cares about Lyanna coming back to take over. And Lyanna? She's too selfish too see how great this place is or consider other people's feelings other than her own." "Well, why don't you just tell your grandmother you want to run the Inn?" "I have!" Cloud stomped angrily. "But she says it's "tradition" for the eldest daughter to take over the inn. Can't she see what a brat Lyanna is? You want to know what happened right after mom died? She bought that stupid truck and drove off leaving us here to take care of everything! Can you believe her!? Even after she-" She realized she was yelling once she noticed Twilight and Spike's widened eyes. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" She blushed. "I just...get a little upset talking about my sister. We were never that close. Especially after the...accident" Finally she sighed. "I need to go calm down a little. Please, enjoy the garden." With that she walked off. "Woah." Spike said once she was out of earshot. "Talk about drama." "Okay, I think we've got the story so far." Twilight said as she began summarizing. "The main problem appears to be that Elinor wants Lyanna to run the Inn, but Lyanna doesn't want to, and Cloud wants to run the inn, but it's against tradition." "All this fighting over nothing!" Ursa cried. "'Nothing'?" Twilight repeated in confusion. "Do they think I honestly care about who runs this place? If leaving this Inn and living their own lives makes my daughters happy, then so be it. That's something my own mother just has to deal with. Lyanna is such a free spirit, I always knew she never wanted to stay here. And Cloud used to love helping me around the inn after school; she loves this place as much as my own mother does. And my mother can be a little strict when it comes to tradition, but I know she means well." She sighed."I just want them to be a family." "I think, deep down, they want that too. They just don't know how to go about it." Twilight began to pace and think. "I think there's more to it though. They seemed upset whenever they mentioned you. That's natural I guess, but I think something else happened that made them so upset at each other." "Well, what do we do?" Spike asked. "We're not exactly therapists." "Wait! I think I have something!" Ursa spoke up. "Before I died I left a letter for them, in case I wasn't around anymore." "That's great! Do you remember where it is?" "No." Twilight slumped her shoulders. "I'm sorry! It's been a while! But..." Ursa floated around the tree until she came upon something. "Look! Up there!" Twilight walked over to where Ursa pointed and found an old not tied to a tree branch. "I wanted my daughters to get along so I left a few clues for them to find it together." Ursa looked away sadly. "Unfortunately, it appears you are going to have to do it for them. I was going to tell them about it soon, or on my deathbed but..." Her eyes furrowed, as though she were trying to remember something. "But what?" Spike asked. "Don't you remember what happened when you died?" "Spike!" Twilight scolded him. "It's alright. Unfortunately, that part is fuzzy for me. Even the hours before it are a blur. It's common for spirits who died suddenly or....tragically. I guess I didn't have a deathbed to tell them on." "We can work on that later. Now..." With that, Twilight used her magic to bring the note down and opened it.....to find it completely blank. "Uh...I think you didn't just forget to tell your family about the clues." Spike said when he saw the blank sheet. "Well I didn't want to make it too easy for them!" Ursa defended herself. "Hang on." Twilight gave the paper a quick sniff and smiled. "Lemon juice. I knew it! My grandma once taught me a trick where you can use lemon juice to create invisible ink! All we need is a heat source to light up the letters." "Well done!" Ursa smiled. "My mother always has a pot of tea boiling in her work room. She teaches tourists arts and crafts based on various Equestria traditions. My girls used to love taking the classes themselves, it was one of the few things they didn't fight over. It should be exactly what we need." "Well, then what are we waiting for?" With that, they rushed off.