//------------------------------// // Story 11 // Story: Another Day in Ponyville // by AnOrdinaryWriter //------------------------------// The day was perfect. It was warm, the air was fresh and cool, and not a trace of cloud could be seen in the sky. The streets were filled with ponies of all ages, and fillies occupied all the swings and jungle gyms in the parks. Everyone in Ponyville had taken the opportunity to leave their houses and enjoy this fine, sunny day. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Rarity sat together at an outdoor table beside a café, enjoying the clean air and warm summer sun as much as everyone else. The three friends chatted about different stuff, Rainbow Dash rambling on about hanging out with the wonderbolts, Fluttershy, about her life with animals, and Rarity bragging about her incomes from her boutique in Manehattan. It wasn’t all that interesting, since each mare only enjoyed their own talk. They wondered however why Twilight wasn’t there to join them. She was supposed to meet up with them at the café almost a half an hour ago, but she still wasn’t here. Rainbow was the first to bring it up. “Does anyone know why Twilight isn’t here yet?” Rainbow impatiently asked, to which the response was a simple shrug from Rarity and Fluttershy. “Maybe she has some friendship studies to catch up on?” Fluttershy suggested in her usual soft voice. “I don’t believe that’s the case,” Rarity said. “Her knowledge on friendship is quite immense as it is. However, she could be giving Starlight Glimmer some friendship lessons, and it’s taken a little longer than expected.” “I wish she could deal with those things and get here already; we haven’t seen each other in weeks,” Rainbow Dash said. Rarity’s attention was caught by a distant spark. Looking in its direction, her lips curved into a smile. “Speak of the devil, she’s here!” The other two looked in Twilight’s direction, pleased that she was finally here. As Twilight approached them however, their smiles faded slightly once the different details of her appearance were more distinct. Her brow was drenched in sweat. Hairs from her mane stuck out, strung all over the place untidily—much to Rarity’s discontent—and she looked like she hadn’t slept in weeks… or even months. Twilight stopped by the table, panting for breath, like she’d just run a marathon. “Hi, Twilight,” Rainbow awkwardly spoke. “Hi!” Twilight responded in a way that made Rainbow lean back slightly in her seat. “Sorry I’m late… great day today, right?” Twilight’s right eye twitched, making the three mares at the table nervous. They exchanged glances before looking back at Twilight. “What ever is the matter, darling?” Rarity asked, slightly freaked out by Twilight’s attitude. “You look awfully stressed, and your mane is a disaster! Are you feeling alright?” A drop of sweat fell from Twilight’s chin. “Why wouldn’t I be? It’s a great day, everypony’s happy. Of course I’m fine.” Rainbow wasn’t buying it. “Twilight, you look like you’ve been to tartarus. Is there something bothering you? ‘Cause if there is, you can ask us for help.” As she spoke, she remembered the last time Twilight acted like this, and that almost ended horribly. Twilight’s eye twitched a second time, and she quickly lifted a hoof to rub her eyes. “Things have just been stressful lately, but it’s no big deal. I’m fine, really.” Her pace of breathing didn’t change. As a matter of fact, it seemed to get faster. Another drop of sweat fell to the ground, and she brushed a foreleg across her brow, collecting a river of sweat in her fur. “Why don’t you sit with us? It’d be nice to catch up since we haven’t seen each other in a while,” Fluttershy said in a serene voice. Twilight shook her head, sending droplets of sweat from her mane in different directions. “Uh—um… That would be nice, but I actually have to go now, there’s work and stuff back at the castle to do.” “Leave? You just got here!” Rainbow complained, but before she finished her sentence, Twilight fired up her horn, engulfing herself in a glow, and teleported away. Rainbow only stared in confusion at where Twilight once stood. The other two mares didn’t know how to respond to what just happened. As uneasy as they felt by the way Twilight acted, they puzzled over what could have been wrong with Twilight. Questions upon questions coursed through the three mares’ heads. Why did Twilight seem so stressed? Did something bad happen to Twilight during the long while they hadn’t seen each other? Whatever the problem was, it was clear Twilight didn’t want her friends to know. She would have otherwise opened up about it. “Is it just me, or…” Rainbow said, still looking in the direction where Twilight was before. “Yeah, you’re right, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said, not needing Rainbow to finish her sentence to know what she would have said. “What’s up with that pony, today?” she asked rhetorically. “I’m kind of worried about her,” Fluttershy said. “I think somepony should check up on her.” “I agree. I’ll go and see what’s the matter,” Rarity volunteered, getting up from her seat and walking away. “When you’re done, we’ll still be here. Come back and tell us how it went!” Rainbow called out to a now distant Rarity, who turned her head towards her friend and gave her a nod. She made her way down the street, unsure of what to expect from her confrontation with Twilight. Seeing the castle in the distance, she imagined ways that their conversation would go. Taking a turn at an intersection, the main entrance of her destination came into view. Seeing the castle like this was always a reminder of the adventures her and her friends had been on, and the accomplishments they’d achieved. Not only was this structure simply divine, but also a highlight of what amazing friends she had, and it would always have a special place in her heart. She remembered the time she first laid eyes on the castle, staring in awe at the beauty in front of her. Those were memories she would cherish for as long as she lived. Lost in thought, she didn’t realize she’d bumped her horn on the castle’s front doors. Her forehead throbbed, and she lifted a hoof to rub the base of her horn. She now had a slight headache, which disappointed her, but that was the least of her worries. She encased the large crystal doors with her magic and pushed it open. Light leaked through the growing gap between the two doors, revealing the crystal interior of the castle. She hadn’t been here in quite some time, and she smiled, glad to see it again in all its glory. “Twilight, dear? It’s me, Rarity!” Rarity called out through the long, empty hallway. The walls copied her, playing back her words like a tape player, however she got no response in return. She assumed that Twilight was in the library, since that’s where she almost always spent her time. Rarity took the nearest right, went up a flight of stairs and started down the corridor to her left. She had memorized the entire layout of the castle, so she had no problem finding her way around. A week after Twilight had earned her castle, she sketched out a map of it, showing the locations of all the different rooms. She gave a copy of it to all of her friends, and after a couple weeks, Rarity didn’t seem to need the map anymore. Eventually she reached the library door. The door was wide open, and Rarity saw a few books lying by the doorway. The sound of hooves from inside the room made it clear somepony was here. Approaching the room, she peeked inside, inspecting the library. She was glad to see that Twilight was there, although she still had the same messed up and sweat drenched mane as before. She was pacing back in forth with a look of stress on her face, picking up some books from the floor with her magic. “Twilight?” Rarity said, causing Twilight to yelp and release the book from her magical grip. Twilight and Rarity’s eyes met. “Oh, I’m sorry for scaring you,” Rarity apologized. “Its fine,” Twilight said, levitating a couple books off the ground and placing them in the shelves’ gaps. “What are you doing here?” “I was worried about you, so I came in to see how you’re holding up.” “Rarity, I told you, I’m fine,” Twilight said with a hint of coldness in her voice, hinting at Rarity that she should leave her be for now. “Alright,” Rarity said simply, turning around and stepping back into the hallway. Rarity noticed the door in front of her was open. She captured a quick glance in there before beginning to make her way towards the throne room. She suddenly stopped in her tracks. Something in that room had caught her attention. Rarity turned, and walked towards the room in question. In it was a large bed against the back wall and a tiny crib by the door. It was evidently a bedroom, however what had caught her attention was right next to the bed against the wall. A large, wooden chest sat on the floor, pushed open slightly because of whatever contents filled it. The chest was covered in cobwebs and it looked rotten, bits peeling off and hanging. Its details disgusted Rarity, but she approached it nonetheless. Placing a hoof on the lid, she pushed it upwards, revealing its contents. Newspapers filled the chest over the brim. Rarity stared, unable to imagine why Twilight had so many newspapers stashed in her bedroom. She lifted a few of the newspapers on the top, noticing that they all contained the same articles. This made Rarity very confused, and she lifted a newspaper up close to her eyes since she typically needed reading glasses to see the words. She quietly read to herself aloud, skipping parts here and there. “Twenty-fourteen… meteor on collision course with planet… due to collide in 12 days—” A purple hoof suddenly filled her vision, hitting the newspaper out of her grasp and back into the chest. Yelping, Rarity took a quick step back as Twilight slammed the chest closed with much force, and then turned, eying Rarity sternly. “What do you think you’re doing?!” Twilight yelled furiously, shocking Rarity who took another step back. She hadn’t even noticed Twilight entering the room. “Twilight? I-I’m sorry—” “Don’t you know you’re not supposed to look through other people’s stuff?!” Rarity couldn’t get any words to come out of her mouth. The rage in her friend’s voice chilled Rarity to the bone. She tried to think of something to say, but managed only to get out, “I—.” “I think you need to go!” Twilight’s words caught her off guard. “What ever do you mean, dear?” “I don’t want you here if you’re going to look through my stuff like that!” “You’re going to kick me out of our castle?” Rarity said in disbelief. “Actually, Princess Celestia said this is my castle, and I want you out of my castle!” Rarity suddenly felt like daggers had pierced her heart. She couldn’t believe the words she was hearing. How could Twilight say such vile things to her? How could Twilight be so rude to her friend? Rarity’s mouth was left agape in shock as Twilight stared at her with anger in her eyes. Hurt by her friend’s remark, she slowly turned around and made her way through and out of the castle, Twilight following her the whole way. Upon exiting the castle, Rarity heard the door slam behind her. Rarity wasn’t sure what to think. Although Twilight’s words were, without a doubt, impudent, she couldn’t help but wonder whether there was a bigger picture behind why Twilight acted the way she did. What were all those newspapers about? Why did Twilight get so angry when she found them? As these questions raced through her head, Rarity made her way back to the café in silence.