Ponyville
Twilight sighed and made to refill her tea as Crescendo continued to scrawl rapidly across the blackboard she’d conjured for him. His magic made the chalk flit about like an agitated bee and she had to force herself to stop watching its progress. “So you know Daring Do?”
Crescendo nodded without looking back. “I’ve become her go-to source for all things ancient unicorn. Miss Do is quite adept at reading the language herself, you understand, but it’s not boasting when I say that I can crack the old codes in a fraction of the time she can.” The chalk paused for an instant. “I take it you know her as well?”
“Not until a few years ago.” Twilight sipped her drink and looked out the window. “My grandmother wrote the first Daring Do books, basing them on her own adventures. When she got too old, she passed the task on to my mother. I was supposed to be next in line, but it was clear to everypony that my future lay in Celestia’s tutelage.” She sighed and flexed her wings. “Truth be told, a small part of me still wishes I could trade these wings for a chance to continue the family legacy.”
The chalk was moving again. “You became so adept at magic that you ascended both into royalty and the rarest of pony genetics. Not to mention saving Equestria Celestia knows how many times. I’d say you’ve done your family quite well.”
She smiled. “Thank you.” She went to sip her tea and was surprised to find it already empty again. “A few years after I started school, a big fan named A.K. Yearling contacted my mom and asked permission to write a spin-off series. They met up, and Mom decided to grant her the exclusive rights to the character.”
“Lucky mare.”
“Yep. Then she decided to take it a step further. She actually became Daring Do and started having adventures of her own, writing the books as she went.”
“Huh.” The chalk paused again and Crescendo lowered it to the table. “That’s one way to do it I suppose.”
Twilight looked past him at the board, its surface now coated in all manner of words and illustrations. One bit caught her eye. “You know Starswirl was actually Clover’s student, not the other way around?”
Crescendo almost visibly deflated at the idea that all his hard work had been for nothing. “I suppose you would know that, growing up in the castle and all.”
“But how do you know? That knowledge is hardly common.”
Crescendo shrugged. “I’ve translated enough of Starswirl’s private diaries to get the idea. He was always ranting about how much of an old biddy she was. I’m also pretty sure he and Princess Luna were 'amatoribus'.”
Twilight lowered her cup. “I’d always heard rumors that somepony had cast copy spells on those diaries. I, on the other hoof, read the originals.”
“In the original language?”
Twilight’s pride faded slightly. “Uh… ancient unicorn was never my strongest subject. Princess Celestia had one of my teachers rewrite them in common Equestrian.”
Crescendo perked up a little at that and gestured to the board with a hoof. “Here’s where we are. A few months ago, Daring contacted me and brought me a text that appeared to be another diary of Starswirl’s.”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “She found the lost journal? The book that Starswirl took with him when he wandered into the Bad Lands?” The bibliophile in her tried to lunge across the table at the professor, but she resisted the urge. “Where was it? Was Starswirl with it?”
Crescendo shook his head. “She didn’t tell me anything. You’d have to ask her yourself.”
“Oh, I intend to.”
He cleared his throat and continued. “In the journal, Starswirl referenced the night Clover died and confirmed that there was a final prophecy. Only he heard it since he was listening for her last breath at the time. He wrote that the prophecy filled him with the greatest fear, so he etched it in stone and left it in a place where it could never be found.”
“But Daring found it.”
He nodded. “Yes, I think she did.”
“How? Did he leave clues?”
“Only one. That the secret lay below Truth itself.”
Twilight’s jaw dropped. “He meant the Archives of Truth. The last prophecy was underneath the castle all this time.”
“It would appear that way.” He gestured at the board and willed the three lines of ancient unicorn to glow. “For some reason, Daring’s parchment was badly burned. I was only able to translate these three parts of it. First; ‘Sicut visio nocturna desinit, nova luna ascendit.’”
“Luna? As in Princess Luna?”
“I don’t think so. ‘Nova luna’ means ‘new moon.’ It translates to ‘as the Nightmare ends, a new Moon ascends.”
Twilight’s horn sparked and her cup was refilled, saving her a trip. “It could still be talking about Princess Luna. Nightmares ending and new moons ascending? That sounds like her return from banishment.”
Crescendo nodded. “Keep in mind that these lines are out of context. This one; ‘Crystal Thronis et collidam in te.’”
Twilight almost spat out her tea. “The Crystal Throne? As in the throne of the Crystal Empire?”
“That recently seceded from the rest of Equestria. Eerie timing that this was found, isn’t it? Starting to see why I got the shivers?”
Twilight nodded. “’Collidam?’”
“'Shatter.' It reads ‘the Crystal Throne will shatter.’”
Twilight looked down at her hoof, only now realizing how badly she was shaking. “And the third line?”
“’Faciet rex inferrent.’” Crescendo sat heavily at the table. “'The King will make the first move.'”
“Any idea by what that means?”
Crescendo shrugged, regretting his choice of no tea. “Given Clover’s love of games, I’d almost think it was a reference to chess. This ‘King’ will make the first move, setting the game into motion.”
“But the king doesn’t move first in chess. He’s hidden away.”
Crescendo shrugged again.
“Crescendo, why was Starswirl so afraid of this prophecy?”
“He wrote in the journal that he knew in his heart of hearts that since the prophecy came to this world with Clover’s dying breath, it meant that what it foretold would be the death knell for all of Equestria.”
Twilight nodded slowly, drained her cup of tea in a single gulp, and stood. “I happen to be heading to Canterlot anyway.”
“For Mrs. Apple?”
Twilight laughed and shook her head. “Fluttershy, Crescendo. You’ll soon learn that most of us in Ponyville go on a first name basis. And yes, for her. But I’ll tell Princess Celestia about all of this as soon as I arrive.”
Crescendo smiled. “Thank you, Twilight.” He turned his gaze to the kitchen. “But before we go our separate ways, I really wouldn’t mind that cup of tea about now. Lecturing parches the throat so.”
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Sweet Apple Acres
Applejack looked back at her snoring marefriend one last time before closing the door to her bedroom. Dash had passed out at Pinkie’s headstone (just as Applejack had predicted) and had put up no resistance to her earth pony lover dragging her back to the Apple Family’s farmhouse.
That business finally settled, she leaned her full weight on the wall and exhaled. She reached up, doffed her hat, and stroked a hoof along the streak of pure white in her blonde mane, a move that had become a sort of stress reflex in the past few years. Contrary to what Rainbow Dash believed, this was a tough day for Applejack as well. For the entire family really.
The thought of the extended clan reminded her that the linens in the guest room needed changing, especially if Caramel was coming over once he finally gave up the ghost on the bar’s floor.
As she headed down the hallway, her gaze was drawn to an open door. Given her current state of mind, she almost didn’t register this as an odd occurrence.
She snapped to attention and rounded on the open door to the storage room.
Just as she’d expected, there was Applebloom.
The young mare was leaning over a journal encased in worn brown leather.
Driven by almost supernatural speed, Applejack crossed the space between them and slammed a hoof down on the cover of Apple Family Secrets. Her other hoof stuffed itself in Applebloom’s surprised face, stifling her scream. Applejack leaned in close. “Rainbow Dash is in my room sleeping off a drunk.” She whispered. “I take it Scarlet’s down for a nap?”
Applebloom nodded.
Applejack let go of the breath she was barely aware of holding in and glared at her younger sister. “What have I told you about this book? Ain’t I told you to leave it be?”
Applebloom spat out her sister’s hoof and returned the glare, eyes level with her sister’s. “I don’t understand why. It says ‘Apple Family Secrets’ on the cover, don’t it? Ain’t I an Apple?” She raised an eyebrow. “Or is that another letter?”
“Don’t you get sassy with me, young lady. Just ‘cause you hit yer growth spurt don’t mean I won’t take you behind the barn and…”
“Applejack?” Applebloom’s tom-boy image faded as she looked back at the book. “Why won’t you just tell me why I can’t read it?”
Applejack’s rage softened and she looked down at the journal. “That book is what folks might call a necessary evil.” The tome almost seemed to twitch beneath her hoof. “I wish I could take it to Twilight, see if there was something she could do about it, but I’m afraid it would make somethin’ bad happen.”
“I don’t understand.”
“And I hope you never have to, little bit. I’ll die a happy mare if nopony else in this family ever has to look in that book ever again.”
Applebloom rolled her eyes, but smiled. “Why you still callin’ me that? I’m almost taller than you.”
Applejack returned the smile and ruffled her mane. “You’ll always be my little bit. And a pain in my flank.”
“The feelin’s mutual.”
The sisters shared a whispered laugh as Applejack returned the journal to its home in the storage room’s big oak chest. “Chores?”
“Already done.”
“Alright. I’ll take care of Scarlet if she wakes up. You go on into town. I ran into Pip while I was there and he said Rumble wouldn’t shut up about you.”
“Thanks.” Applebloom trotted towards the door.
“Applebloom?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you promise me that you will never, and I mean never, read this journal unless it’s given to you?”
Applebloom considered. “I promise.”
“Thank you. Now go see that stallion of yours.”
She was gone.
Alone save for the snores of her love in one ear and her niece in the other, Applejack repeated her ritual of stroking the white in her mane. That had been way too close. Part of her would always want to desperately tell Applebloom why she shouldn’t read the journal unless it was given to her.
The last to do so had been Kindle Apple, the pair’s great grandmother.
She’d read the journal… and then a tree branch had taken her legs from her.
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Macintosh Apple pulled his head from the barrel of water he’d plunged it into and took in a great gulp of air. He shook his head rapidly, spraying water in all directions, then hung his heavy work collar on the barn wall. The day’s chores were finally finished. Finally he could head inside, take a quick shower, and relieve his little sister of foal-sitting duty.
He leaned down to take a drink of the cool liquid he’d just chilled himself in… and almost jumped back in surprise when he found Cheerilee smiling at him from the barn’s entrance.
“Hi Mac.”
Swallowing his surprise, Mac returned the smile. “Howdy Cheerilee. What brings you all the way out here on such a fine day?”
Cheerilee entered the barn proper and crossed the straw covered floor towards the great red stallion. “I was just walking by. Thought I’d stop in and say hello.” She arrived at the water barrel and looked at her reflection within. “May I?”
“A’course.”
Not taking her eyes off her ex-coltfriend, the teacher craned her neck down and lapped up several swallows of the barrel’s contents.
Mac cleared his throat and broke eye contact with her when the liquid motion of her tongue began conjuring some very specific memories.
Cheerilee swallowed her mouthful and sighed. “That always hits the spot. I always seem to get extra thirsty when I come in here. Must be because of that time we…”
“Not to be rude, Cheerilee, but I was just headin’ inside. Ya’ll have a nice day.” He started past her but found his path impeded by her tail. “Cheerilee?”
“Macintosh?”
“What is it yer after?”
“You, not to put too fine a point on it.”
Mac started to smile, trying to see the joke being played on him. “Now Cheers, you know I’m a married stallion.”
“Why did we break up?”
Her tone of voice chased the smile from his lips. He knew this was no joke. “We’re just two different ponies, Cheers. We talked about this after I started dating Fluttershy, remember?”
Cheerilee bristled at the name. “What does she have that I haven’t got?”
Mac raised an eyebrow. “Are we seriously havin’ this discussion?” He shook his head and turned to face her. “Cheerilee, why are you here?”
“Because I love you.”
“Cheers…”
“I’ve always loved you. I thought it would get easier with time, but…”
“Cheerilee.”
She stared at him with real pleading in her eyes. “What?”
“I love Fluttershy, Cheers. She’s my everything. I love our daughter. I love the life we’ve made together.”
“I know that.”
Mac sighed in relief.
“That’s why I don’t mind sharing.”
Mac rolled his eyes and starting leaving the barn again. “I don’t have time for this, Cheerilee.”
“Earth ponies have been herding for thousands of years, Mac. It’s perfectly natural.”
“It’s immoral.”
She started trotting after him. “What’s immoral about having two mares to take care of you? To love you and have your children?”
Mac was getting irritated now. “That’s enough. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but you need to leave.”
“Mac, I know Fluttershy can’t have foals anymore!” Cheerilee gasped and drew back, shocked at her own voice.
Mac froze. With careful, measured slowness, he rounded on her. “What did you just say?”
“I know you’ve always wanted a big family, Mac, and I can give you that.” She was babbling now, but she didn’t care. “I’m healthy, I’m not too old… We can have as many foals you want. There’s finally something that I can give you that she can’t!”
“…get out.” His whisper carried the force of an explosion.
Cheerilee stopped and brought a hoof to her mouth. “Mac. Oh Celestia, I didn’t mean to…”
“Get. Out.” A bit louder now. His eyes blazed at her with an emotion she didn’t recognize.
“Mac, I…”
“GET OUT!” His words hit her like a cannon, the rage in his eyes driving the bellow from his chest.
Cheerilee opened her mouth to say something, thought better of it, and ran past him. She left him in the barn, alone save for his angry snorting.
A whimper, barely louder than a mouse’s squeak, came from above.
Mac peered up and found his wife watching him from the rafters.
His rage began to fade when he saw the tears streaming down her cheeks. “Is it true?”
She sniffled and nodded.
Mac’s own lip began to quiver. He extended his forelegs and she zipped into his tight embrace. She wept into his shoulder and he buried his face in her now short pink mane. He wanted to ask her a dozen questions, wanted to console her, wanted to make plans for the future.
Most of all, he wanted to tell her how much it didn’t matter, how much he still loved her.
He didn’t have to say any of it.
She already knew.