January 1st, 1000 Domina Solaria
The play had gone about as well as one would expect from a group of eight fillies, age two to six, with little to no acting experience and even less preparation time. They made up for their lack of practice with the boundless exuberance of youth and an unwillingness to let a missed line slow them down, improvising as the situation demanded and frequently before Meringue could whisper the correct one. Often to the exact opposite of how the act was supposed to go, such as the brief alliance of Pegasopolis and Unicornia. Nevertheless they persevered, eventually getting to the end where all six sung the Hearth's Warming songs, unhindered by the fact that three of them were supposed to be frozen.
The mares joined in at this point, though it wasn't like the peanut gallery hadn't been chipping in during the entirety of the performance, all sixteen singing along. Well, fifteen, depending on whether off-key snoring counted, since Granny Smith had fallen asleep about a quarter of the way through and even the rowdiest section, when the fillies were physically brawling and screaming at each other in the 'cave', had failed to wake her.
After the heartfelt conclusion everypony slowly calms down, the fillies bowing and scampering back to their dams. Pinkie Pie heads to the kitchen, pulling out a large selection of snacks to help everypony stay up until midnight. The fillies all rush the snack table, eagerly devouring the chocolates and sweets laid out in front of them.
Applejack lightly prods Doug with her muzzle, attempting to get him to head to the basement. It's hard to tell if Doug intentionally misinterprets the mare's intentions or if he thought she intended something else, but her next nudge is hard enough for him to grumble as he hops off the couch, wincing as his stocking'd feet walk along the cold wood to the stairs. Shortly after, the clatter of wood bouncing off wood comes from the basement. Doug returns, lugging a large barrel that barely manages to squeeze through the stairs. He sets the barrel down as Applejack heads to the kitchen, returning with a tap and enough glasses for everypony. Doug heads back downstairs, stretching his arms as he groans.
Rainbow rushes over, a bit of a frown as she notices the label. "What? Come on, Applejack! Where's the good stuff?" She points a hoof towards Canterlot while maintaining her stare, "This celebration is huge! I know you have it saved somewhere!"
Applejack smirks, "Hold onto your hat, Rainbow." The pegasus raises a hoof to her head, patting the empty space as Applejack announces to the fillies, "Who wants some sweet cider?"
The fillies all rush over, climbing over each other to get towards the promised treat. Applejack merely smiles down, tapping the barrel and pouring a glass. She savors a sniff, about to take the first sip as the fillies look up with large, pleading eyes. Applejack stops as a knock comes at the door, glancing over with a raised eyebrow. "Now, who would be knocking at a time like this?"
Rarity gets up, opening the door for a heavily clad unicorn. Amethyst Star shudders as Rarity gasps, the white unicorn quickly levitating Doug's warm quilt. She strips off the purple unicorn's cold jacket and wraps the quilt around the mare. Amethyst gives Rarity a grateful smile as she walks in, her eyes finding Big Mac. The red stallion gets to his hooves as she says, "You know, I thought you'd be over at the main farmhouse. I'd been waiting outside for several minutes before I saw the lights and heard the fillies!" She laughs to herself as she lays next to Big Mac, the red stallion nervously glancing over at the rest of the ponies watching him. Amethyst says, "Thanks for inviting me over, Mac. I was afraid I'd be spending the New Year alone!"
Big Mac lays down, his side pressing against Amethyst, a hearty, "Eeyup."
Applejack grins, a sly wink at Big Mac before she takes a sip of the cider. Big Mac barely shakes his head back and forth, trying to keep the motion away from Amethyst. An exaggerated pout comes over Applejack's muzzle until she drains the rest of the cup, unable to keep from smiling after that. The fillies jostle for position, each trying to be first to receive a cup of the delicious nectar. Applejack begins pouring glasses of cider for the fillies as a grunt comes from the basement.
Doug staggers up the steps carrying another barrel. Rainbow's eyes light up as she shouts, "Dibs on first!"
"Aww!" comes the immediate response from Applejack, "No fair! Ah was busy helping the young'ins!" She continues distributing glasses, raising her eyebrow as Applebaum walks towards the new barrel.
"Yeah, well, get in line!" Rainbow flies over, helping Doug get the barrel in position. A second tap appears in Pinkie Pie's hooves, soon jammed into the barrel. Rainbow wraps her mouth around the tap, the first spray going straight down her throat. "Oh, yeah!" she slurs, a silly smile already on her muzzle, "That's the stuff!"
Rainbow squawks in alarm as Doug pulls her away, the pegasus pouting until he fills a glass with applejack and hands it to her. She takes this one a little slower, just sips as Doug and Pinkie Pie give a glass to every adult in the room. Rainbow eyes the glass left by Granny Smith's side, the elderly mare just beginning to come to as it gets close to midnight.
Rainbow Dash isn't the only mare looking at the glass. Applebaum reaches up, placing a hoof on Doug's leg. He looks down, "Something wrong?"
"Um. Ah was hoping, that maybe Ah could get a glass of that?" Applebaum says, giving her best smile up at Doug. At Doug's pause she continues, "Ah mean, Ah am, um, kind of, like, an adult now."
"Hey, that's not fair!" says Apple Bloom, holding her glass of cider. "Ah'm older than you are!" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle also get up, standing a little behind Apple Bloom and nodding along.
Doug looks helplessly at Applejack, the mare sighing as she sets down her glass of her namesake. She walks over, gently placing a hoof on Apple Bloom's back, "Ah'm sorry, Apple Bloom. Ah can give you a sip of my glass, but you ain't old enough for a glass of your own." She silences the filly's objection as she continues, "And Ah know that you're older than Applebaum. But, cutie marks have a funny way of surpassing that. She's a young mare now. If'n she wanted, she could leave home, get an apprenticeship or a job." Applejack looks pointedly at Doug, "And, her body is going to start going through some changes."
"But, that ain't fair!" Apple Bloom sighs, looking back at her flank, slumping to the ground. "When am Ah gonna get my cutie mark?" Doug raises an eyebrow back at Applejack as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo trade curious glances.
Applejack strokes Apple Bloom's back, "Now, don't worry your sweet little head off. It'll happen when it's meant to happen." Apple Bloom sighs again, reluctantly walking back to her glass of sweet cider. Applejack looks at Applebaum, a serious expression on her muzzle. Applebaum stares back as if daring her dam to dispute her claim. "Now, Applebaum," Applejack starts, enunciating every one of her words, "like you said. Legally, you're an adult. That lets you start doing certain things. But, you're still a young mare, and a small one at that. You're still living in our house, and Ah expect you to keep following our rules."
Applebaum tries to suppress her grin, knowing the battle is won. "Ah get that."
Applejack smiles for a second before her muzzle turns serious again, quieting down as she admonishes the filly, "First, Ah expect you to not rub your sister's muzzles in the fact that you got your cutie mark already. Ah ain't saying you should try to hide it, but you can see how much they want it to happen to them. We Apples, we've almost always been the last filly in the class to get our cutie mark. Ah suspect you're one of the youngest fillies in the family to get yours. Now, we square on that?"
Applebaum nods her head slowly, trying to convey that she understands and will obey.
"Good." Applejack pours half a glass of applejack for Applebaum, "Now, this here's powerful stuff. Ah don't want you drinking too much of it, and it's right easy to do, especially for a mare your size. So, between every half glass of applejack you drink, Ah want to see you drinking two full glasses of sweet cider. That sound fair?"
Applebaum grins as she eagerly nods, getting up to take the glass from her dam. Applejack reluctantly lets it go, the filly taking one sip, then a longer drink, then chugging the rest of the glass. She smacks her lips, looking up at Applejack. The mare rubs her filly's head, directing her back to her sisters with a firm pat on the rump.
Applejack walks back to Doug, slumping a little as she rejoins her seat on the couch. He rubs her mane as she looks around the room. Big Mac and Amethyst Star are alternating between chatting and awkwardly staring at each other. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie are helping the fillies with getting out of their costumes and into something warmer for when they go upstairs. Rainbow and Rarity are both cuddling on the other side of Doug, beaming smiles at her.
"Applejack, I think you did an admirable job with that situation," Rarity says, Applejack returning a tired smile. "I hope I am able to set as good an example for Sweetie Belle."
"Ah'm sure you will," Applejack says, not a hint of sarcasm as she snuggles next to Doug. He lifts one arm off Rarity, still gently rubbing Rainbow as they settle together.
"So, what was that you were saying about body changes?" Doug asks, rubbing Applejack's mane as Rainbow utters an uncomfortable whine. Doug looks over, wondering why the mare whined when he hasn't let up with his light massage.
Applejack stammers a little as she says, "Well, um, it's just that, Ah don't think any of us have had to give, um, you know. The talk. To the fillies."
Doug raises an eyebrow, "When does that normally happen? For humans I would have said around ten or so, when they hit puberty."
"Eeyup. When you get your cutie mark, it's kind of like the body's signal that it should start turning a filly into a mare. And all that entails." Applejack grunts, "And tonight ain't the night to talk any more about that."
"Sure." Doug and the rest of the herd looks outside as the clock tower starts chiming. All of a sudden a burst of motion goes through the room, everypony scrambling to grab blankets, quilts, and pillows and make their way upstairs. The herd quickly gathers on the roof of the Carrot House. Rainbow quickly clears the snow while Rarity levitates blankets and quilts, spreading them around the roof. Each mare finds their filly or fillies, cuddling with them in a rough circle around Doug. Big Mac and Amethyst are off to the side, Granny Smith propped up against the wall and watching the herd with a smile.
Rarity levitates over a modest telescope, a squat gray and black cylinder. She aligns it with Canterlot Castle before letting Sweetie Belle look through it.
Doug leans over, intrigued by the sight, and asks, "Where did you get that?"
"I traded a suit for it, actually," Rarity says with a smile, "It's refurbished, one of the older models, but still in good working order. Sweetie Belle had been going on about looking at the stars, for an astronomy cutie mark or some such. Do you like it?"
Doug nods, "I do; I imagine it will get a lot of use tonight, that's for sure." He quiets down as Princess Celestia's Celestial Celebration commences, heralding the start of the new year. A faint outline of the moon can be seen getting brighter, slowly illuminating the pitch black sky. First six, then sixty, then hundreds of stars glowing, arranged in ever increasing circles. The shapes morph, some of the stars winking out only to reappear in a different pattern, mesmerizing the ponies watching from below.