//------------------------------// // Winter // Story: There Will Come A Day // by Glimglam //------------------------------// The Red Moon had not once left the sky since its first arrival late last spring. Over time, the ponies across Equestria soon learned to accept this new oddity, and the state of panic that had gripped most ponies soon began to quell. Many astronomers in particular were quite interested to study this new moon, and since its close proximity made its surface easily viewable, much was gleaned from this research. Among what was discovered about this moon, it was found that the surface bore very little resemblance to that of Luna’s Moon. Whereas the old moon’s landscape consisted of hills, mountains, craters, and plenty of dust, the Red Moon’s surface was almost entirely a plains-like environment. Rolling hills dotted the surface, but there were hardly any craters or major crags marking it. For a celestial body lacking an atmosphere, this was considered hugely unnatural. Some researchers had raised questions about the possibility of life on this moon. Unfortunately (or, depending on who one was asking, “luckily”), no evidence of any sort of life-form – sentient or otherwise – was ever discovered, and this theory was quickly dropped. Twilight counted herself among the “curious, but wary” group of astronomers, and she had regularly participated in the study of the Red Moon. She still felt a chill run down her back at the sight of this moon, but the potential for learning was too great a chance for to pass up. It also gave her a chance to try and discover if the moon really was a threat, even though nothing had happened in the past several months. Except, that was a lie. She already knew that bad things were starting to happen, even if the population at large didn’t know. After all, she had a hoof in keeping such things quiet and out of public knowledge. Trusted ponies were sworn to secrecy. Records were written, classified, and then destroyed; most of the time it all happened before the ink even had a chance to dry. As much as she didn’t want to lie to the ponies, she really had no choice in the matter—Celestia herself approved of this action. Luna, however, was still questioning the effectiveness of this so-called “Gag Policy”, calling it a “denial of the most basic Equestrian rights”. Celestia had argued that, in a time when paranoia was still running high, consistent assurance that nothing was wrong would keep ponies content, and ensure that the populace would be easier to manage. Twilight herself had nothing to say during that meeting, and Cadence was absent—duties back in the Crystal Empire, from what she understood. She remembered the day that Applejack had come to visit her, and first told her of what was happening. She was staying in Ponyville for a few weeks, mainly to overlook her position at the library, and spend some time with her friends. It seemed so long ago, and yet, it was not very long ago at all. “Twilight,” she had said, “the apple trees — A-ah dunno why it’s happenin’, but… they’re dying.” “The apple trees are dying?” echoed Twilight, taking in the full implications of this. She didn’t realize this at the time, but crops around Equestria were failing fast. The delicate ones of many precious and expensive fruits were the first to go; even some of the hardier crops were beginning to follow suit. Only a scant few simple farmlands to the south containing nothing but corn, hay, and potatoes remained. But Applejack’s primary output wasn’t any of those. As many were aware, they were apples. In the endless dusk onset by the Red Moon, the chilly temperatures and insufficient sunlight had slowly killed off her livelihood. She was trembling, Twilight noticed. With fear, perhaps, of what would happen to her family. With anger, obviously aimed at whatever cosmic force wrought this upon her. With despair, having only just coming to realize what this meant for her farm. Or maybe it was just the fact that winter had arrived five months early, bringing with it both blizzards and ice storms, and she was cold. “Mah farm is never gonna make due this year, Twi,” Applejack had lamented, lowering her head with shame. “So… ah… ah had to sell the farm.” Twilight was shocked. “You did what…?! But… Applejack! How could you do such a thing? It’s your home! Your home, here in Ponyville!” The earth pony sighed, and slowly took her Stetson hat off her head. “Ah didn’t want t’ do it Twilight,” she confessed. “But, Ah had to. Me n’ Apple Bloom, an’ Big Mac… we don’t got anything else left for us here. Ever since Granny passed away…” She remembered what AJ was referring to. The funeral had taken place a mere three weeks before the Red Moon had first appeared in the sky. She recalled being there with AJ, right by her grandmother’s deathbed. She even remembered the last words that were spoken between them all, before the end. “Sometimes… sometimes Ah guess that… such things gotta happen sometime.” “D-don’t talk like that, Granny. Yer gonna be fine.” “Oh, psshaw… Yer a bad liar, AJ. Always have been.” “G-granny…” “Hush now, girl… Ah’ll be fine. Hah, y’know, it’d be nice to see the hubby again after so long.” “Granny Smith… You are one of the greatest ponies I know. You’ve lived so long, seen so many things… I’m actually a bit jealous.” “Well, ah thank ya, Twilight. Sure is nice to hear things like that from a Princess.” “The others wanted to let you know that, as much as they wanted to come, they were busy. I, um, hope you understand…” “Oh, never mind that. Ah’ve already got all I need, right here.” “……” “Big Mac… are you cryin’?” “…N-nope.” “Aw, ya big lug, you… Always the softest apple core in the family, y’are.” “Granny…” “Now… Applejack?” “…Y-yes, Granny?” “Take care of the farm, an’ all… but jus’ make sure—family comes first, alright? Look after yer brother, an’ little Apple Bloom, too…” “……” “And… Twilight?” “Yes? I’m listening, Granny.” “Remember… There will come a day, Twilight. A day that you’ll hafta make some sacrifices. A day that things might go wrong, but, just try to look past the bad stuff.” “…” “A day where yer gonna hafta know where yer loyalties lie. Know what Ah’m sayin’, missy?” “I’m not sure I do, Granny.” “Ah, you’ll know that day when it comes…” “…” “Now then… Kids, yer granny is feelin’ awful tired… Ah’m gonna take a little nap, now…” And that had been it. Twilight did not know what Granny meant by what she said to her, but she clearly understood it when the old mare had told Applejack that “family comes first”. The thought of what her friend was getting at made her feel hopelessly empty on the inside. “So, we’re gonna be movin’. As soon as we can, really,” explained AJ, her pained expression suggesting that it was almost killing her to have to break such news to her friend. “Seems like the only crops that can be grown nowadays is jus’ plain ol’ corn an’ potatoes an’ other stuff like that. We’re headin’ out to the fields ‘round Fillydelphia. Apparently, that’s one o’ the few places left that we can even find any work on a farm.” Twilight knew what she meant. Applejack and her family were leaving Ponyville. And as much as she truly, deeply wanted to, she knew that she could not convince her to stay, as they had no means of maintaining a livelihood in town. So she didn’t bother trying to; the two of them had only stared at each other in silence, before Applejack quietly excused herself. Twilight could see the tears forming in her friend’s eyes as she turned away, and once AJ had left the library, the alicorn could only stare at where her friend had been moments ago—wishing, just wishing, that she would come back and say that she wasn’t going to leave after all. Three days later, Applejack, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom left Ponyville. Several generations of Apple Family legacy in the town had come to an end. The knowledge that she had, in a sense, lost one of her friends weighed heavily on the alicorn’s heart. She had still kept in touch with them via mail, and judging from the last letter she received from them, they were learning to adapt. It wasn't any easier for them than it was for Twilight; if anything, it was even harder. Right now, they were staying in a hastily put-together "refugee camp" of sorts, waiting for the far-too-early winter to pass. Once it did, they could resume working the fields—albeit, a type of fields that they weren't as used-to. Twilight sympathized for them. But they weren't the only ones suffering behind the scenes, of course. Farmers in general were in dire straits, and fruit and vegetable stands alike were closing down one by one. For a small rural town like Ponyville, this was a serious problem. Maybe ponies wouldn't notice the issue right away, she figured. It would take some time before the true gravity of the situation was fully understood by the public. But until that happened, she had to keep up the ruse. Everything is just fine, she would say, over and over again. Until her face turned blue, she would say it. Was she lying to the good ponies of Equestria? Of course she was. And Twilight knew how wrong it was to be dishonest. She knew that lies only hurt others. But the worst lies are often the ones with the best of intentions. Deep in her mind, Twilight knew that Applejack would never have approved of her decision to hold back the truth. She probably might have disowned her, the alicorn grimly noted. Then again, she had already lost her Element of Honesty—so to speak. Later on, while she was studying her texts in the palace’s library as she was so often used to, Twilight began to notice a connection between now and an event in pre-Celestian history. She knew of it well; it was the old tale of how Hearth’s Warming Eve came to be. A lot of things did match up, she realized; the cold winters, the food shortages, and feelings of bitterness that was starting to become more commonplace. Twilight was almost certain that this was a repeat of what had happened in the past. Except the history books never mentioned a Red Moon. Nor did they allude to an “endless dusk”, like they were currently experiencing. And what of the increasingly bizarre and unpredictable weather patterns running rampant, that the weather pegasi seemingly couldn’t control? During the old ages, the winter onset by the Windigoes was virtually endless. Now, while it was certainly harsher than usual, it didn’t last all year. Speaking of the Windigoes, why haven’t they been discovered again? And since everypony was perfectly happy before the Red Moon’s appearance, they had no reason to come back. It just didn’t make any sense. Sighing with resignation, Twilight shut the book she was reading. Looking out the huge window of the library, where she would normally be overlooking the city of Canterlot, all she could see was an expanse of white fog. This blizzard in particular had been raging for many hours, and it showed no signs of slowing down. On days when it wasn’t snowing, it was usually chilly beyond belief. It was times like this, that she really missed Spike... “If it’s not the Windigoes,” she asked herself, frowning with worry, “then what is it? It can’t be all because of that, can it?” Through the thick snowstorm, she could barely make out the reddish-colored outline of the alien moon in the sky. The way it sat there in the sky, day after day, silently mocking her confusion—it frustrated Twilight. She wanted answers, and yet, none could be provided for her. After all, it’s hard to solve a question when the answer doesn’t exist.