//------------------------------// // Piece By Piece // Story: What A Long Strange Trip // by milesprower06 //------------------------------// Sunset sat on the steps of the front entrance to Canterlot High, her gaze slowly going from the limestone base of the Wondercolt Statue, to the small gold and ruby pendant she held between her thumb and fingers, watching as her cutie mark emblem gleamed in the early afternoon sun. It was nearly 1PM, and she was still waiting for her appetite to come back. 'That's assuming things stay as quiet as they have been.' Principal Celestia's words echoed in her mind. Canterlot High had had its fair share of quiet spells before, and the last direct threat to the school itself was more than a year ago during the Friendship Games, when in her magic-fueled drive for more, Twilight destroyed the top half of the Wondercolt statue. Her gaze returning to her pendant, looking over the sun on the ruby base, Sunset's mind fell back to the lesson Princess Celestia had given her on cutie mark magic, and what cutie marks meant. She knew that so many people on this side would do unspeakable things to be able to have that sense of destiny. But it wasn't always as simple as deciphering whatever had appeared on your flanks. For some, it was that easy, but for others, their cutie marks had much deeper, sometimes unfathomable meanings. So what about hers? She remembered her entrance exam at Celestia's school shortly after getting it; Canterlot's ruler was so impressed with her abilities that she had been ushered to the front of the line, and was offered the position of the Princess' personal protege, something that, likewise, countless unicorns on the other side would do unspeakable things for. A sun with contrasting fiery colors didn't immediately scream 'magical' to her, so she had put herself into the 'not so easy' crowd. Once she had resumed correspondence with her former teacher, Princess Celestia had suggested that her mark, and her name, might symbolize the last rays of light standing against the darkness, and even that was mystifying to her. The sun never stopped setting. The darkness always came. But then after that darkness, a new day always dawned. Was there a new day waiting for her in Equestria? Would her friends here be alright if and when magical trouble inevitably appeared again? Would they be in for darkness without her here? She remembered the darkness in the closing hours of the Fall Formal, and how the five of them had been the only rays of light to help her to find her way out. She slowly turned her head around and looked at the far right end of the front entrance, remembering where she had been almost two years ago... Sunset found herself awkwardly fiddling with the masonry trowel as she attempted to get the first line of bricks laid in the left corner of the main entrance of Canterlot High. To her left was a pyramid stack of a couple dozen bricks, and to her right was a sheet of plywood with a pile of pre-mixed mortar. She had seen Princess Twilight return home through the portal, moments before it closed about a half hour ago. So here she had been, clumsily and awkwardly getting the first layer of mortar laid out, and had managed to lay a grand total of three bricks in ten minutes. She glanced over at Snips and Snails on the other side, and it was apparent that they weren't having any better luck. Back a considerable distance, Vice Principal Luna observed the trio and their questionable efforts. With most of the student body having already departed from school grounds after the Fall Formal had concluded, she glanced towards the sound of approaching footsteps, to see the sophomore Applejack come up to her. "It's pretty clear none of those three have any experience in masonry. You actually expect anything they do to be up to code?" The student whispered to avoid the attention of the three. "Perhaps, perhaps not. If it is not up to code, we can always contract the work out. I just saw the manual labor as appropriate and immediate punishment. A suitable lesson to be learned." The vice principal explained. "Well then, Vice Principal, I hope you don't mind if I add one more lesson." Applejack told her, before beginning to walk towards the girl kneeling on the floor between the mortar pile and bricks. "You'll be here all night at that rate, and believe me, I think Vice Principal Luna is set on keeping you here until she has to legally send you home. Here, let me give you some pointers. I'd roll up my sleeves, but, heh, don't have any to roll up." Applejack said as she came up next to her. Sunset looked up at her. "Th-That's alright, Applejack. I'm sure you don't want to get any of this stuff on your dress." "Don't worry about that. I was absolutely adamant to Rarity that this thing had to be able to handle some scrubbing to get out a stain or two. After all, never know when a wall might need to be repaired. Now, your mortar mix looks good, so the next thing you want to do is give a light mix every now and then. It makes it a lot easier to work with." Applejack explained, kneeling down next to her, taking her wrist holding the trowel in her hand and guided it over to the mortar, showing her how to give it a quick mix, then got the flat blade full of it. "Now, don't worry about using too much. Whatever is pushed off when you lay the brick can just be scraped up and be used to butter the sides of your next brick." The farmer guided Sunset's trowel-holding hand over the first trio of bricks she had laid, and flicked it in a downward motion. "Spreading it takes practice, but the basics are to line up your trowel with the wall, then turn it 45 degrees, and drag it back in a zig-zag motion like this." Sunset was silent as she received her first and likely only bricklaying lesson. Once the mortar had been spread, Applejack gave her back control of her wrist, and observed as she grabbed a brick, covered one of the sides with additional mortar, before setting it down on the spread, and pressed down gently. As Applejack said would happen, the excess drooped out of the bottom, and she took the trowel, angled the tip, and scraped the excess away. Applejack picked up another brick and offered it to her. She took it in her other hand, and spread the excess on both ends, before placing it next to the first one of the second row, then repeating scraping off what had began to droop down. It looked... Halfway decent. "So you clearly have some experience with things like this." Sunset finally commented as she grabbed a third brick. "Yeah, a bit. I laid the perimeter for my Granny Smith's backyard garden a couple years back. Workin' on your hands and knees is good for the soul, she always said. Well, looks like I should go over there and help those two as well. You look like you've got the basics now." Applejack replied, getting up and walking across the concourse. "Hey Applejack?" Sunset called. The farmer stopped and turned. "Thanks." Sunset told her, giving the first sincere smile of gratitude she could remember. Applejack smiled back. "Don't mention it. I'll hang around for a bit, and give you a ride home. It's pretty chilly out tonight." Sunset saw the bricks she had laid; Vice Principal Luna hadn't made her do more than six or seven rows, but found the work sufficient enough for contractors to come in, finish the work, and install new doors. It had been her first step forward. Feeling her appetite start to return, she reached into her backpack, and came out with her enchanted journal that she used to communicate with the other side. She opened it up, flipped past a few pages to the next blank one, and dug out her pen, and pressed it to the page. Dear Princess Twilight, Well, we're starting our last year here at Canterlot High. I'm sure you're pretty busy yourself getting ready for another incoming class at the School of Friendship. How's that been going? I've got some news. Canterlot High's administration has made the decision to seal off the portal in the statue base if things stay as quiet as they have been lately. They've told me it won't be done until after graduation, but it does mean that I will have to figure out if I'm staying here or returning to Equestria when the school year is up. It's been a decision I've continued to put off, and the magical distractions that stave off my homesickness haven't been present as frequently. Figuring out what to do after school is hard enough, but it's even worse when those choices are even more spread out on an interdimensional scale. I just figured I should let you know. I've clearly got some things to think about in the next nine months. Your friend, Sunset Shimmer