//------------------------------// // Chapter Three // Story: Of Clouds, Seeds, and Apple Trees (Book 1) // by LotusTeaDragon //------------------------------// CHAPTER THREE The light from Celestia's Sun poured through the cloud windows of Rainbow Dash's home in the sky. Dust motes danced back and forth in the beams, bumping into one another, moving busily back and forth in the microeddies and rivulets of air that created an almost orderly chaos. It could be something worth meditating upon, if the pegasus pony in question wasn't completely unaware of such esoteric trivialities, due primarily to her closed eyes and loud snoring. Rainbow Dash had never been an early riser, and that fact had never been more obvious than watching the rays of the midday Sun concentrating on the back of her head, as it lay sunken in a soft pillow. This moment of serenity lasted approximately 5 more seconds, and then a loud chiming rang throughout her bedroom. A gurgle was heard from the pillow, as a hoof reached out, swiping chaotically in the direction of the alarm clock that had shattered the cyan pony's refuge from the mundanity of reality. Finally, after a moment of effort, hoof met metal, and a loud crunch silenced the cry of the alarm. Dash opened one eye, looking around her room. Letting out a sigh, she groaned, sat up in her bed, and rubbed both eyes, blinking a few times to clear out the sleep. A quick yawn, a stretch, a few flaps of her wings, and she was up. She shuffled into her bathroom, scratching her flank as she went, and clicking her tongue a few times and grimacing at the dragon breath (no offense, Spike) that she tasted. She stood in front of her sink, and looked at herself in the mirror. Half lidded rosemary eyes stared back at her. She gave herself a smirk, and winked at her reflection. Even half asleep she was still 20% cooler. Turning away, and waving a foreleg at the mirror non-commitally, she stepped into her shower and turned on the water. As the water poured over her stiff and aching muscles, she let her mind drift toward Applejack. Dash knew she had to eventually make her feelings known, it would be wrong to hide such things from the one pony who mattered most to her. What amazed her, though, was that she had even developed these feelings in the first place. When did they actually become something more than friendship? When did Applejack go from a way awesome rival to somepony much more special? she asked herself, waiting for an answer from deep within her mind that was still not ready to start talking. Dash wasn't an egghead. She would never have the smarts that Twilight had, and she was okay with that. Smarts didn't make the mare. Besides, as far as Dash was concerned, egghead smarts were more likely to get you into trouble, and trouble was something Dash didn't need any help finding. The more Dash thought about it, the more she realized that it wasn't just about smarts. Even the smartest pony could be dumb sometimes. Applejack was smart, but in her own way. She was smart about her work, and about her family. She was honest, and down to earth. That appealed to the brash pegasus, who preferred to win using whatever way she could, even if it was a little less than honest. Applejack, though, when she lost, she was always gracious and fair. How many ponies could say that? With that thought, Dash stepped out of the shower, and shook herself off. As she made her way down to the kitchen, she heard a knock at the door. Gliding over to the door, she opened it to see Derpy Hooves standing there with a letter in her mouth. She began speaking, not realizing that the envelope was still in her mouth. All Dash could hear was a "Ah hif a lffr fr ghr rbrdrf frm gr mer!", then her off kilter visage straightened for a moment as she removed the envelope from her mouth and spoke again, "Sorry about that, Rainbow Dash. Uh.. oh, you have a letter from the Mayor right here! If you'll just sign for it!" Dash waited for a quill or other writing tool to be presented, but nothing was forthcoming. "Uh, Derpy?" she asked, with confusion in her voice, "what am I signing?" Derpy looked around and blushed, her right eye sliding in the opposite direction from the other, and coughed, "Oh, uh, sorry about that Rainbow Dash. I left the clipboard in the mailroom." She grinned sheepishly. Dash closed one eye and studied her with the other, finally breaking into a grin and replied, "don't worry about it, Derpy. I'll tell the Mayor you delivered it." Derpy grinned and nodded her head, "Yeah! That would be great! Thanks Rainbow Dash!". And with that she turned around and flew away, waving to Dash as she went. Rainbow, for her part, just grinned and closed the door. Derpy was a little scatterbrained, in her opinion, but she made up for it by being a hard worker, and that was something Dash could respect. She stared at the letter for a moment, wondering what it could be about. As far as she knew, she wasn't in any trouble, but when it came to the Mayor, Dash never knew for sure. That kind of stuff was for people who liked to argue all day over silly government stuff, and sit around in chairs gabbing like it was important. That was something Dash was definitely not into. As far as she was concerned, that kind of thing was almost as boring as the history books Twilight would read for fun. Give me a nice Daring Do book any day! Dash chuckled to herself. Without further hesitation, she opened the letter. At the top was the seal of the office of the Mayor of Ponyville, and some stuff about heretos and therefores. Dash skimmed through much of it, but stopped at the line that read "meeting with local farmers about the prospect of a long drought, and solutions in regard to that matter." So the Mayor wants me to sit in on some kind of farm thingy about the rain? I guess I might be able to help. I am, after all, Ponyville's Chief Weather pony, Dash thought, as she stared at the letter. Looking at the date and time, she saw that the meeting was to be held that evening, in the Mayor's office. Dash heard the chime from her clock, striking noon. Good, she thought to herself, just enough time to grab a snack and get in some practice! She carelessly tossed the letter over her shoulder, and made her way into the kitchen. *** It was 4 O'Clock in the morning when Princess Celestia's carriage, carrying Twilight Sparkle, arrived in Canterlot, and landed in the palace courtyard. As she stepped out of the carriage, she saw that a royal steward was already bringing down her luggage. She watched a moment as he hurriedly sped off to the palace, bags in tow. Twilight heard a shuffle, and turning back toward the carriage, she saw that Princess Luna was standing right next to her. Twilight jumped in surprise. "Princess! Oh, I didn't see you there!" She started to bow, but Luna stopped her by putting a hoof on her shoulder. "Twilight Sparkle, thou has no need to bow before me. Thou is considered a dear friend", she spoke last words softly, a smile forming on her face. Twilight blushed. "Princess, it means so much that you would call me a dear friend." Luna's eyes sparkled, "Please, my dear Twilight Sparkle, call us Luna" she said, and with a wink, turned to walk toward the palace entrance. Twilight followed, walking alongside the Princess of the Night. "Pri-er, Luna", Twilight began and then corrected herself, "if you insist that I call you Luna, then you must also call me Twilight. You don't need to use my full name when addressing me. Friends call each other by their first names." Luna grinned and gave Twilight a sidelong glance. "Very well, then. Thee shall call us Luna, and we shall call thee Twilight. Does this sound fair and equitable, as what is exchanged between friends?". Twilight nodded. "It is, and it sounds wonderful, Luna." A moment passed as they entered the palace interior, making their way through the grand foyer. Luna turned her head slightly toward Twilight. "Our sister sleeps at this hour, and we have prepared a room for thee, so that thou may rest and prepare for the beginning of the symposium which shall begin this evening. Celestia will guide thee in how she wishes to proceed with thou as the representative for Canterlot. Art thou up to the task, Twilight?" That last question had an almost teasing quality to it's tone. As they walked up a flight of steps, Twilight stole a quick look at Luna's face, but there was no sign of mischief, which didn't really mean anything when it came to the mysterious Princess. She was renowned throughout Canterlot for her pranks, though the blame never came back to her, and for a moment, Twilight wondered at the implications of what would happen should Luna and Pinkie Pie ever to join forces. Twilight tossed aside the thought as she gave the Princess her answer. "I am up to the challenge, Luna. If I may say so, with all humility, I am the Princess' protege, her faithful student. I will not let her, you, or the rest of Canterlot down in these debates. Whatever the topic, I will be ready for it." Luna smiled at this. "Very good, Twilight, our sister chose well." A moment later, they reached the door to Twilight's suite. Luna opened the doors with a faint glow from her horn, and stepped inside, with Twilight following. "This will be thy room for the night", she said, "I believe thou will find it most suitable." Twilight gasped as she took in her surroundings. It was much more lavish than any room she had ever stayed in at the palace. The marble floors were so polished, she could see her reflection from across the room. There were lush, vibrant purple rugs that felt like one was standing on a cloud. The bed was enormous, covering a large section of the room, and was overloaded with soft, plush, stuffed pillows. The coverlets inlaid with gold and silver thread. She could see partway into the washroom, and caught a glimpse of a large marble tub. Looking overhead, she saw an exquisite crystal chandelier, light reflecting off of the brushed platinum inlaid filigree, and in the corner of the room, a massive desk, made of teak wood, a rarity that could only be found in the far northern provinces of Equestria, beyond where most ponies traveled. On the desk were various parchments, quills, stamps, and folders, and along the far wall, a shelf filled from floor to ceiling with what appeared to be very old books, parchments, and scrolls. All of it looking as if prepared specifically for her. Twilight turned to the Princess. "Is this all just for me?" Luna grinned and replied, "Yes, my dear friend, Twilight. We have prepared for thee a place of respite, relaxation, and restoration. It has been prepared by us and our dear sister, just for thee. Thou should also take note of this..." at which point Luna's horn glowed, removing a previously unnoticed cover from the entrance to the suite. Under the now removed fabric was a placard made of what appeared to be gold plating, containing an etching. Twilight looked at the symbol carved in the plate, and saw that it was an image of her cutie mark. "Yes, Twilight", Luna intoned softly, "this is thy permanent home in the palace. When you visit Canterlot, this is where thou shall stay if thou wishes, and thou may come and go as thou pleases. In honor of thy service, and because we know thee so well, there are similar suites fashioned like this for thy friends, the Elements of Harmony." Twilight stared for just a moment, but then let out a giggle and threw her hooves around Luna's neck. "Oh, thank you, Princess, eh, I mean, Luna! This is such a generous gift!" Luna accepted Twilight's embrace, and nuzzled her neck. "Twilight, thou has proven above and beyond that thou art a true friend of ours, and that thy love and dedication to thy Princesses is genuine. It is also reciprocated, and it was our wish, Celestia and I, that thee received a token of our gratitude." Twilight simply cried, tears running down her muzzle, as she tried to wipe them away with her foreleg. Luna smiled, and stepped toward the door. "Thou needs rest, now. Today shall be an important day, and we wish that thee has ample time to relax and prepare. Before we go, we would like to say one more thing: Thou are dear to us, Twilight. Remember that, always." And with that, Princess Luna left the suite, closing the doors behind her, and leaving a sniffling Twilight to rest and prepare for the day's events. Confident as ever in her abilities to debate and tackle the pressing science issues of the day, Twilight trotted over to the massive desk. She had a letter to write. *** [A/N: The action will begin soon, I promise! Feedback welcome, of course!]