//------------------------------//
// Chapter Two 
// Story: Book 1 The Darkness: with the darkest of ponies 
// by Penelope Anne Ink 
//------------------------------//

Starry Emerald and her two pals were working diligently for the Friendship Festival.

Starry had sent out all the instructions on public safety to the firefighter ponies and guard ponies of Canterlot.

Meanwhile, Bumble Bee drank some chamomile tea.

Starry got a new book from Twilight Sparkle and spent hours practicing new firework spells.

While Cassiopeia found a new buddy to play Celestopoly with.

Starry had completed all her backlogged customer orders for necklaces and earrings.

Elsewhere, Bumble Bee and Cassiopeia came up with a new drinking song for when they went out for fizzy sodas.

She looked back at her friends with a sigh and a smile. They may be useless, but at least they weren’t getting in her way!

She had woken up that morning with the determination to get all her preparations finished up today. She had looked herself over in the mirror. At her light purple coat that occasionally turned brown from the heat of the forge. To her soft yellow mane that she had tried, unsuccessfully, to model after Rarity’s. To her neat little bow that rested over her simply wavy tail.

I got this, she told herself. And she repeated it all the way to the forge.

It was only one week until the Mane Event, and everypony from Appleloosa, Ponyville, Manehattan, and Canterlot would be crowding the streets around the castle enjoying the magical power of harmony that held Equestria together. Of course, there may be even more ponies from other farther away cities.

Starry tried not to think about those. She may not be Fluttershy, but she did feel a little more responsibility and anxiety when it came to all the performances she would have to give in front of all those ponies.

She was confident that she could do some of the easier light shows, but what about the Twirling Whirling Ribbon Splash? A huge display of colored lights where they begin dancing in their own circles before combining into ribbons that leap into all the corners of the sky in a choreographed dance? It would take a large amount of concentration and all eyes would be up there watching it. She couldn’t let everypony down, and she had already promised she would do it. She had tried it once before with a little success, but it was only a miniature version in her backyard with only her pet squirrel Rochester watching.

Starry also had several metal ornaments she needed to create for Rarity’s new stage for Songbird Serenade. Rarity was her idol, but she knew she couldn’t do all the fancy, frilly stuff Rarity could do. Starry’s favorite place was in the forge at Ponyville, where she used some spells but in general hoofskills to create her intricate metalwork. Everypony who was anypony knew that Starry could come up with the perfect setting for any jewel. So while Rarity could place them on dresses, Starry could make the accessories to match. Anytime Rarity needed new accessories, she could hit up the jewelry shop and buy something designed and crafted by Starry.

While Starry was pondering all this back in her forge, her friend Cassiopeia burst through one of her windows. She was used to doing this. The shutters were always notoriously swinging and Cass always thought it fun to try to fly past them when they swung out. It was like the game little fillies play at the swing set when all their friends are in motion and they run through.

“Hey Em, would you help me with the clasp on this locket I found? It’s all dangly and I can’t quite get it to shut,” Cassiopeia asked as she held up a locket in her feathery wings.

Starry picked it up with her magic and examined it. It was clearly a locket, but it wouldn’t pop open. It was circular with some odd writing in what Starry could only guess was Old Ponish on the edges. It didn’t look like it was something somepony would just lose on the side of the street.

“I think you should work on finding the owner of this, it seems pretty valuable...” Starry began. She went ahead and remolded the clasp so that it was working properly again.

“Oh Em, you’re so silly! Finders keepers!” and with that she took off back into the sky.

Starry turned back toward her work on the metal ornaments.

Of all her friends, she would be considered the one with morals. She had known Bee and Cass since she first came to Ponyville after finding her special talent. They claimed her as much as she claimed them. They weren’t completely useless. Bee had her own thriving business and Cass had a productive hobby doing whatever it was she was doing. It was still a mystery to Starry.

The locket is probably safer in Cass’s hooves than its previous owner’s hooves anyway, she decided.

It was still a few days off from the festival and she didn’t have time to worry about that just yet.