The Settlement of Loyalties

by LeeWhiteField

Cloudy over Ponyville

There was a gray sky over the Stalliondoah Valley. Overcast days were nothing unique to the hardy but amiable little town of Ponyville which lay nestled in the valley below Canterlot. Despite being renowned for its generally perfect distribution of clouds, which would be scattered in just such a fashion as to provide an abundance of sun that was rarely overwhelming with complementary mild temperatures, it did occasionally experience days when the citizens awoke to find their village under the color quieting effect of a gray sky. Such a day, however, was more of a reflection on the whole of Equestria’s mood in recent years than that of most of the denizens of the little shire in the valley under the mountain borne capital of Canterlot.

Colts and fillies walked, ran, skipped, and flew their ways to school. Some were joined by parents enjoying a morning walk with their foals before heading off to work themselves. Some bore umbrellas in saddle bags in case the clouds made good on their inherent threat. Many saddlebags in Ponyville those days bore the same logo, owing to the influx of ponies that had come to live and work in the town which was rapidly becoming a city in its own right. It was certainly more diverse then it had been which was surprising in itself due to the established tolerance of the municipality. Its day to day mannerisms had indeed remained mostly unchanged. Those without foals in school commuted, browsed at shop windows, or caught up with friends. The Peddler Ponies scurried about the town’s main thoroughfare pushing and pulling carts that were generally two wheeled, single pony powered wooden boxes with legs that dropped from the two corners closest to the wagon yokes. While most looked no different than another aside from what they conveyed, some sported a strange apparatus in a metal box on the axles that could be activated by an actuator on the buckboard. This innovation was known as a Sparkle Start and Stopper. It bore a familiar emblem that was emphasized by the gentle magical aura that emanated from it. Peddlers with large loads almost always utilized this device nowadays. The dread associated with stalling for any reason when trailing a heavy cart was abated thanks to the inertia defeating action of the starter. The even greater danger of losing control was also largely abated by this device thanks to its additional function; that of being a magical breaking mechanism that could be utilized in a similar fashion. The merchants themselves were mostly independent in Ponyville but occasionally one would bear the seal of a guild on his or her stand or shop next to the brand name. Ponyville was, even more so as of late than before, replete with a healthy variety of goods as could be seen from the variety of wares among the peddlers and shops. One could find anything from a fresh apple from the town’s resident orchard to a posh, custom-made outfit which could be as practical as one liked while still retaining a rudimentary commitment to modern fashion. While the peddlers seemingly had no end of goods to attract the interest of everybody from tourists to old friends who bought from the sales ponies as much to support them as to enjoy their products, the most interesting ponies were a relatively new faction that was coming to Ponyville from the air.

They flew with a moderate speed and slow, sweeping swoops. What garnered one’s attention, considering that Ponyville had had Pegasus inhabitants for years, were the wings that they wielded. They flapped with a sound reminiscent of a tent being buffeted by a strong breeze when they were exerted and rippled like flags when they were gliding. The formerly earth-bound ponies who wore them were utilizing examples of the technology that had changed the whole of Equestrian society. The Lunar Moths’ bore a crest that had become increasingly familiar with the intensely exciting events of the Pegathlon of approximately 6 years prior to the day as well as the equally sobering events of the aptly named Flight War that had only ended 8 weeks ago. The symbol in question was the same that could be seen on the Sparkle Start and Stoppers of various wagons in and around town along with the saddlebags of many of the town’s commuters. It was the whimsical logo of the revolutionary Harmony Innovations Corporation.

The relatively modest hangar in which the company had established itself in the minds of Equestrians had since given way to a corporation that was now present in no less than 3 of the nation’s major cities. Although the majority of the corporation’s products were manufactured in the humble village that it had started in, which had since tripled in its population and expanded in metro area until it was nearly as large as its distant sister city of Cloudsdale during the 6 years following the company’s founding, the hangar that neighbored Sweet Apple Acres no longer housed the headquarters of Ponyville’s single greatest revenue source. Harmony Innovations had already become a familiar subject on the lips of the majority of Equestrians with the conclusion of the now simultaneously famous and infamous Pegathlon that had catapulted its flagship creation into the forefront of many Equestrian minds. When the legendary Canterlot mogul, Fancypants or the “Master of stocks” as some called him casually in The Daily Equestrian newspaper, was brought aboard 2 years after the Pegathlon as the company’s new R.B., the still relatively local organization virtually exploded until every welcoming corner of Equestria had either a manufacturing branch or a retail store associated with the famous flight frame fashioners. It had certainly become well known, but the reasons for its fame and whether the attention was favorable now depended largely on where one went.

As could be expected, despite the events of the last 6 years which had made the company a subject of serious controversy, Ponyvillians still viewed it as an facilitator for the betterment of all ponies as well as Equestrian society. The borough, which now not only housed the seat of Everfree County but also served as the capital of Stalliondoah Valley state, had already produced a veritable ensemble of nationally recognized faces. The current diva of the Canterlot Metropolitan Opera House, who was notable as much for her ringing voice as her impeccable sense of humor, was born and raised in the town. The dancing prodigy of Cloudsdale, who had literally redefined the art of Airborne Ballet as well as the Pegasus Tango while still retaining a sense of playful excitement on and off the dance floor, had grown up in and discovered her natural agility through the accomplishment of scooter borne stunts that mostly involved narrowly dodging the state capital’s usually patient citizens. The nation’s fashion sense was significantly influenced by the culture and lifestyles associated with Ponyville thanks to the inspiration it provided to the increasingly influential and in many ways ingenious designer who had masterminded the Carousel Boutique style of attire, which was indistinguishable thanks largely to its prolific use of gems. Thanks to these great ponies, among others, and their accomplishments Ponyville had come to be viewed as a producer of Equestrian progress in peaceful fields. Nonetheless, bringing up Harmony Innovations was still a gamble in many states and cities and many who would have once loved it now refused to visit Ponyville due to its association. Its place in the national spotlight as well as the consciousness of most Equestrians, whether it was positive or negative, was also shared by the most well known ponies that hailed from the eponymous town.

The 6 Elements of Harmony were household names. While they nonetheless received limited face time with many ponies, despite their deeds which had gained worthy recognition from both the Equestrian diarchs as well as their subjects, most of the nation was now aware of who they were. Thanks to their failure to expedite the end of what had started as an Equestrian civil conflict which subsequently spiraled into the Flight War when the griffins joined in, this recognition was now similar in manner to the attention that the company whose name they had inspired received. The failure had not been for any lack of trying, but that fact had not been able to vindicate the legendary artifacts and their bearers in the minds of many shattered Equestrian families, many of whose memories of the fighting years were still sickeningly fresh. Needless to say, the bearers had all dealt with what they viewed as their greatest defeat and the subsequent war that had ravaged their tranquil home with varying degrees of anger, despair, and in the case of she who had been the most torn by the Elements’ failure, deep confusion. The pony in question was the cyan coated and prismatic mane bearing Element of Loyalty whose demeanor as she stepped off the dated train from Canterlot to Ponyville’s refurbished glass station was an excellent example of what the current sky over her old hometown would look like if it was manifested in an equine form.

Rainbow Dash trudged down the platform, gingerly holding her deformed right wing which had taken to aching whenever it was bounced around in a manner similar to the train ride she had just taken, and upon reaching the end slowly raised her somewhat dulled magenta eyes to meet those of her closest friend and her spouse who was himself a brother to her nearly as much as the former was a sister.

She cracked a small smirk and said in her typical grainy voice with its strong Cloudsdaler accent, “hey Soarin you’re lookin’ high. AJ you look really good for somebody who’s pregnancy gut made me think she was literally gonna have a cow for a baby.”

The farmer Earth pony broke her stunned expression with a scowl for about a fraction of a second and then grinned as she retorted “well Soarin’ here did tell me that Peguhsi younguns do take up a fair amount of space ‘fore they pop out. A fact that you can’t deny seein’ as how I done seen them photos of your Ma when she was heavy laden with a certain somepony.”

Her former Wonderbolt squaddie gave her a gentle grin as he replied “whatup Dashster. You’re lookin’ pretty high too,” simultaneously returning his old comrade’s Pegasus slang and drawing a quick knowing glance from his wife due to his fairly obvious white lie. Sensing his spouse’s disapproval, Soarin’ jumped to neutral ground as far as verity was concerned by asking Rainbow how her wing felt now that it was as close to healed as it was ever likely to get. “It looks like you can use it at least.” He stated hopefully.

“Yeah,” she responded, suddenly looking uncharacteristically crestfallen. “I mean it got me as far as Canterlot before it started bleeding again,” the Pegasus started, seeming to perk up before being interrupted by her Earth Pony friend.

“You flew on it until it bled?!” she demanded of the equally stubborn soldier.

Before the war the question that Applejack had posed would have provoked an exchange that would have continued until the two mares stopped to eat and picked up fairly rapidly following. But now, rather, Rainbow held up her hooves in deference and smiled saying “hey it was either that or spend the night on Foal Mountain with its really comfortable ice patches to sleep on and rock slides to wake you up.”

Applejack was about to launch into a tirade about the how train system ran all the way from Manehattan when Soarin’ cut her off saying “you know how we prefer to glide even if we can only just.”

His wife glared at him but when she caught the pleading look in his eyes and saw how shaken he looked she gave in. Shifting her eyes back to Rainbow Dash who was wearing an appealing smirk and a quizzical eyebrow, she sighed and then grinned slightly as she hurried forward and pulled her friend into a hug, which was tentatively returned by the tired Pegasus. Soarin’ followed suit, whispering how glad they were that Dash had made it home. Applejack mumbled about how she struggled to sleep every night when the Aerial Defense Corps were repulsing the Griffins in Manehattan.

Rainbow surfaced from their impromptu group hug and put on her old smile saying “Just call ‘em the Wonderbolts. It’ll always sound cooler and c’mon you guys, I’m not goin’ down that easy.” Applejack sighed when Rainbow seemed to flinch at the last word and then entreated her to follow them back to Sweet Apple Acres. The Element of Loyalty trotted after her friends with a renewed spring in her step past the collection of directory signs, the newest of which indicated the direction of Harmony Innovations and stepped out onto Ponyville’s Market Street.

Glancing about at the majority of bustling ponies who seemed so vivacious whenever they saw a friend or even undertook a task that their cutie marks indicated as being inherent to their personality, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but feel relieved. “That’s refreshing,” she said to her friends as they strolled along.

“How so?” Soarin asked as he politely waved off some ponies that had recognized him from his election posters.

“It’s just…ponies here look like they still know how to smile.”

“How’s Canterlot?” Applejack inquired. “I ain’t been in those parts since the Malfunction.”

Rainbow Dash shook off the memory of the Elements’ most dire moment and replied that “it’s about the same as everywhere else.”

“That bad huh?” Soarin shook his head as they neared Sugar Cube Corner and slowed knowing that his wife and Dash would definitely want to invite Pinkie to dinner that night. The papers wrote plenty these days about the general melancholy in Equestria that sometimes spiked into outright anguish but he had always hoped that somehow the legendary capital would rise above it all. As Dash nodded in response he replied that it couldn’t be as bad as Cloudsdale though.

At that the cyan mare laughed saying “those hotheads? They’ll wrestle, race or chug viscous rainbow until they turn every color but the one they should be and then spend the next week sleeping it off and peeing it out. That’s why ponies say it’s quieter now, well, at least during the day.” She related irreverently as they entered the sweet shop.

“Remind you of anypony?” Soarin and Applejack asked together.

As Dash was protesting that that had been years ago when she graduated from the Flight Academy, her friends had already burst into laughter. “It’s not funny…”she growled, her voice breaking off as she started to giggle herself at the memory of just how ridiculous her black mane had looked. By the time they got to the front of the line, they were laughing so hard that Pinkie had heard it from the back of the store and roared out to join them adding her own raucous hysterics to the cacophony. As the friends hugged again, however, Rainbow found herself wondering just how long it had been since she had genuinely laughed. She glanced out the window between hooves and fetlocks at the gray sky and was bemused at how even on a day looking like that, Ponyville could still make her feel happy. It was good to be back, even if she wasn’t sure she was staying.

Author's Note:

Greetings fellow bronies here's the first chapter. Hope you enjoy and that it does its inspiration some justice.

*All the characters and settings used herein belong to Hasbro, Lauren Faust, and Warren Hutch. This work is meant to be a fan based fiction and no copyright infringement is intended.*

Comments

[Calex Winteridge]

I would like to see more