Three Hundred and Sixty-One days until the next Summer Sun Celebration
Mia was not used to being awake before the sun had even crested the horizon. For most of her life the day started after the sun had risen, and for the past few years hadn’t started until well after it had peaked.
But Applejack had told her to be up at this time or be woken up at dinner last night, and Mia did not like the implication of being woken up. Not by AJ. It probably involved a bucket of cold water or two steel pans getting violently acquainted with each other.
The pegasus fiddled with her mane, using her wings to tie it up into a ponytail the best she could. It wasn’t as good as Apple Bloom’s attempt had been, but it would be serviceable. Next she found the bucket of water that she had got for herself last night and gave her body a once over. It was when she was washing her flanks that she noticed something quite curious. Her cutie mark had changed, ever so slightly. Instead of the heart on her flank being made of crystal, it was just a simple blue heart with a pink and red one flanking it.
“That’s not right…” She muttered. Cutie marks didn’t change. They showed you what you were good at, your innermost talents and for some ponies, your destiny. Never had she ever heard of a cutie mark changing, but she guessed her case was a little unique. She had discovered her talent and became a Princess at the same time, so maybe her cutie mark was somehow attached to that? Maybe it changed when she gave it up?
Another question she had no one she could ask for an answer.
Now that would be in the back of her mind all day, just great. She would just have to try her best to ignore it for now and get on with what Applejack needed her for.
“Mia? Y’all awake?” The call came from just outside the barn door. Mia finished drying her coat and responded in the affirmative, to which her hostess entered. AJ looked awake and ready to go for this early in the morning, much more than Mia was. “Mornin’.”
“Good morning, AJ.” Mia rubbed her eyes and did her best to hold back a yawn. “So what are we awake this early for? Milking the cows? Feeding the pigs?” Maybe she could get used to it, maybe. Waking up this early was still a novelty to the former princess.
“Naw.” Applejack responded, opening the barn door a little more and beckoning the pegasus out. “Y’all come out here, walk with me for a bit.” Cadance wasn’t going to argue or protest her hostess’ request, but she would worry about the implications it carried. Surely Applejack wasn’t going to kick her out now.
Had she done something wrong? Said something she shouldn’t have?
Or was Applejack going to just put her to actual work today? Bucking trees all day did not sound too appealing to Mia’s fragile pegasus body. Her once finely manicured hooves might shatter against the bark if she tried.
“Alright…” Mia responded, trepidation saturating the word to its core.
She followed the farmpony through the rows upon rows of apple trees. The sun was just below the horizon, spilling pale oranges and pinks into the sky in preparation for the dawn. Birds sang out in the early morning chill, swooping down and plucking worms from between dew covered blades of grass. It was serene, and it almost made Mia forget that AJ wanted to talk with her.
“Here.” The earth pony stated.
The pair were now at the top of a hill, from what Mia could tell it was the tallest one around. Applejack plopped down on her haunches, took off her hat and sat it beside her. A hoof patted the ground, beckoning the pegasus to sit as well.
“What did you wish to talk to me about?” Mia did as instructed and sat, her hooves tapping against the soft ground nervously. She tried not to stare at the pony next to her, and instead looked out to the horizon in the hope of distracting herself. She was only met with the stomach churning silhouette of Canterlot in the distance.
“Ah know y’all aren’t tellin’ me the whole truth.” Applejack spoke softly but her words carried weight, and that weight hit Mia at the speed of sound. All the air left her lungs as she tried desperately not to look at the pony next to her. “Ah’ve always had a little sense of knowin’ when a pony is lyin’. It’s a gift.” Applejack explained bluntly. “But-” She got back on track as quickly as she left it. “-ah know what Ah saw.. So Ah know y’all really were in that castle, trapped. Ponies don’t lie about that kinda thang unless it’s important...unless it ain’t too safe to tell the truth.” Applejack turned her head away from the horizon to look at Mia, who did the same and only saw fire in those emerald eyes. “Seein’ as how yer around mah family, that means yer safety is theirs. So ah reckon when it is safe, y’all will tell me whatever it is yer hidin’.”
Mia’s heart was in her throat, and the words wouldn’t come even though she desperately wanted to explain things. She couldn’t tell Applejack, not now. Instead, she just nodded.
“Ah brought y’all up here to give ya some...perspective.” Applejack motioned out to the sprawling orchards in front of them. “Ah was born n’ raised here, mah Granny and her kin helped found the town and settled this here land. Mah Ma and Pa were born here, they’re buried here too.” The mare cleared her throat and turned away, pushing emotions down. The cracks in her voice, the slight waver, betrayed that. “A-ah don’t ask for much, Mia. Ah want my apple trees to be healthy and Ah want my family to be safe. But Ah gotta ask y’all...if my family is in any danger from ya, tell me. Please. Just...watch the sunrise with me, see what all Ah gotta protect. After that, take the day to yerself, think an’ all that. Just...please...”
The two mares sat there in silence from there out, waiting for the sun and looking out over the land.
------
Shining was, as Vinyl would say, going through it. Adjusting to life without magic was like losing a limb for him. He couldn’t pour his own coffee, couldn’t take a proper shower, and couldn’t even open doors without a hassle. It was humiliating.
He wished he could’ve stayed in the house all day, just laze around with Vinyl and try to forget about his current predicament. He couldn’t though. He had work to do, he had a job and a duty to the ponies of Canterlot to figure out a way to keep them safe. He had to help Twilight figure this out.
Without magic.
As he entered the basement of the palace, he regretted his commitment to Canterlot’s safety. Galea was sitting at the table in the middle of the room where Twilight’s study materials and notes were all laid out. Except there was no Twilight beside her, and no Par.
Just Galea.
“Where is she, Shining Armor?” Captain Galea’s voice was flat and cold, sending a shiver up the stallion’s spine. She turned to face him, a scowl across that soft blue face of hers and murder in her stone gray eyes.
“Who? Twilight? Last I knew she was in her room recovering from her last attempt at-”
“No!” He was interrupted by the Captain’s raised voice and a book being slammed forcefully with magic. “Cadance, Shining Armor, where is she? What did Celestia do with her?” In a moment, Galea was in his face, her nose almost pressed against hers and a fiery passion in her usually cold eyes.
“I-” Shining’s voice caught in his throat, a shallow panic rising in his gut that made him want to back away. He knew he couldn’t do that, though. He needed to stand his ground and not give Galea any more power than she already had at the moment. “I don’t know, Galea. Celestia never told me what she did with her, just that she was out of the Canterlot and somewhere safe.”
A heavy silence filled what little air was between the two ponies. Shining Armor stood still, staring straight at the Royal Guard captain as she searched him for any lies he might be telling. Galea had known him long enough to know lying wasn’t in Shining’s character, no matter how badly she wanted it to be.
“Well-” Galea said with a huff. “-I searched Celestia’s room and read one of her journals.” Shining opened his mouth to comment, but was silenced by a single raised hoof. “I know, it’s not proper, but it needed to be done.” The mare turned her back to Shining and began to pace across the floor, her hooves tapping against the stone and echoing in the basement. “Cadance was supposed to be in the Castle of the Two Sisters in the Everfree Forest, that’s where Celestia stashed her. Only, she’s not there anymore.”
Shining did his best to ignore the shiver than ran up his spine, but he just couldn’t. Knowing that Cadance was free and his lack of magic at the moment just made him feel a lot less safe in Canterlot.
“What do we do about that?” He hoped that Galea had some sort of plan or had a search party looking for her, anything at all to keep him at ease.
“Keep a close eye on you. Celestia knows if she’s out she’ll be looking for you.” Shining’s breath caught in his throat as he stared at the back of Galea’s head. If looks could kill, there would be a hole burned straight through her skull at the moment.
“You’re using me as bait?” There was not even an attempt to disguise the indignation in his voice. “You’re putting mine and Vinyl’s safety at risk to do what, exactly?” As soon as Galea turned, Shining was on her, standing up straight and towering over the mare in front of him. “Talk to her? The last time she was here I tried talking to her and guess what? I had my head torn to shreds by her!” Shining could feel his face turning red from anger as he lost control of the volume of his voice. “The only one who could stop her is who knows where! What are you going to do, huh? Shoot her nasty looks and plot behind her back?!” Shining let out a snort through his nostrils and turned away. “That’s all you’ve ever been good for Galea.”
“You listen to me you worthless welp.” Galea’s voice grew low and cold, a chill coming over the room to the point that Shining could see his breath. “I did not work my flank off for my entire career to be talked down to by the likes of you, some guard washout who pushes papers for spooks all Celestia-damned day.”
“I know, Galea.” Shining closed his eyes, not even sure what he was saying anymore. It did get Galea to shut up though and caused her advance on him to halt. “I know what you did to get this job, my grandmother told me before she passed.” That was a complete lie, his grandmother had hated him and anything she had needed to say she had given over to Sweetie Drops. It was a gamble he was willing to take, though. “So find a way to get Cadance, I don’t care how you do it but leave me and Vinyl out of it.”
Shining left without another word being spoken by either pony.
--------
“You ready, Ray?” Vinyl hit the button at her side, closing the doors in front of her and her newest friend. The mechanical whir of the elevator’s engine started up overhead and the small carriage they were in started to lower into the rocky ground.
“No!” The batpony unicorn gave an exasperated sigh. “I do not even know why we are doing this Vinyl! It is so foalish.” Vinyl rolled her eyes behind her shades, resisting the urge to bring her hoof to her face as well. “You know I am basically a pariah to the Canterlot elite, correct? If they ever found out I went...down here, I would be banished from any function forever.”
“And?” Vinyl offered dryly.
“Vinyl, I know you are not as in tune with the upper crust as I am. I get that. But surely you understand what it is like to be ostracized?” Ray looked around the dingy metal box the two mares were stuck in, searching for an example. “W-what if you were banned by your favorite club? Like, the only one whose music you enjoyed because it was all you ever listened to?”
“I’d find another club.” Vinyl said with a shrug. “If they didn’t want me there, then why would I want to be there?” She gave Ray a pat on the back. “Broaden your horizons, kid. Find a new better club that actually wants and appreciates you.” Vinyl lit her horn up and flicked the fluffy tip of one of the bat’s ears. “And one that doesn’t make you hide your cute natural features.”
That elicited a blush from the unicorn hybrid, making Vinyl chuckle. In all honesty, the fluffy ears and little fangs poking out did lend an adorable air to Ray. Her golden eyes closed and Ray took a deep breath in.
“Okay.” Her eyes opened again, filled with worry and shame. “What if they don’t like me either, Vinyl?” There was no small amount of pity in Vinyl’s heart for her young friend, taught self-hatred from a young age and now terrified of who she really was.
Maybe Vinyl just understood that a little too much.
Maybe she was just going soft.
“If they don’t like you, we’ll head straight up back to Canterlot and you get to pick dinner. On me. Maybe we’ll get drunk too, who knows.” Vinyl shot one of her knowing grins, which actually seemed to calm Ray a bit. “Now c’mon-” A ding sounded, letting the two mares know they had reached their destination. “-I’ve only been down here when I was hammered. Even I’m excited to see what it’s all about.”
The doors opened to reveal a vast cavern sprawling before them. Lights hung from the ceiling in long strings as batponies flitted about them, going about their business. There were structures clustered together as far as the eye could see, some ramshackle made of whatever the inhabitants could get their hooves on, and some carved directly into rock.
“Welcome to Sandy Echo.” Vinyl read the crooked sign propped up in front of them. “Homey.”
“Dear Celestia, this is a slum.” Ray’s voice was full of shock and a little disgust. “I cannot believe anypony would want to live down here.” Her slitted pupils, fine for such dim lights, took in the squalor that the ponies like her lived in down here beneath Canterlot. “Hewn from rock and the dark itself…”
“What other choice do they have?” Vinyl asked, taking off her glasses so she could see better. “Even though they’re allowed in the royal guard again, living up there will just get them nasty looks and insults behind their backs. Anywhere else in Equestria and they’ll be just driven away.”
“Well yes, but this is Canterlot. Ponies don’t live like this here.” Ray countered, still offended at the sprawl before her eyes. It was neverending, just fading into the inky blackness further on.
“No.” Vinyl began to walk, Ray staying by her side as they made their way through the narrow streets. “This is Sandy Echo. Canterlot is up there.” She jabbed a hoof upwards. “Two different places entirely.”
“I see that now…”
The two made their way through the undercity, Vinyl drawing a lot more nasty looks and jeers than she even would up in Canterlot. It was her guess that pure white unicorns weren’t exactly an archetype that the denizens of the deep were fond of.
The roads, if they could be called that, all seemed to lead to a massive column that connected the floor of the immense cavern to the ceiling. Vinyl swore it was almost as big around as the Palace grounds splayed, it was just simply colossal. The inside of the pillar seemed to be hollowed out to some degree, as lights could be seen through carved out windows.
“Visitors!” A voice cried out from somewhere in the tangle of houses along their path. For the most part they had been given a cautious berth, but that voice almost seemed excited to see them. “Two unicorns at that!”
A mare stepped forward, full batpony with silver eyes instead of the usual gold. She was a bit taller than either Vinyl or Ray and wore a cloak of silver on her back as well. VInyl shot her best smile and Ray did the same. “Welcome to Sandy Echo, both of you!” She had a bit of an accent too, not one Vinyl could place at all but she wasn’t pure Equestrian.
“Hey, finally a welcome.” Vinyl chuckled a bit nervously and nudged her companion. “Was beginning to think that we weren’t welcome here or something.” There was a lot of truth underlying the little joke, and Vinyl knew that they weren’t exactly wanted.
“Yes, well. We do not have the best record with surface dwellers, yes? You understand.” The mare waved her hoof at Vinyl then turned to Ray, her eyes alight at the newcomer. “You are a vesper. Fascinating and rare.” Ray seemed to shrink at that new term, wincing a bit as though an insult was hurled at her head.
“Y-yes. I am.” Vinyl wondered about the term, assuming it was just a more technical term for what exactly Ray was. “My mother was a thestral and my father is a unicorn. I was raised in Canterlot.” The thestral mare in front of them leaned in and scrutinized Ray a bit closer.
“Fascinating. Do you know much about our kind?” Ray responded to the question with a shake of her head.
“She would love to learn, though!” Vinyl chimed in with a cheeky grin.
“Vinyl!” Ray hissed through her fangs.
“Well lucky for you two, that is what we do here!” The batpony motioned to the pillar before them with a gleeful grin. “This is the one and only thestral cultural center in all of Equestria, dedicated to educating the lost sons and daughters of Thestralia about their past.” This was a newer structure then? How had nopony in Canterlot heard them digging into this?
“There are others? I thought all thestrals...just...knew this.” Ray’s golden eyes were filled with a new curiosity. Vinyl held back her grin, but she was just as curious as Ray about all of the history held in there.
“You are not the only vesper or flightless we have here. You are not the only one told not to embrace their heritage and hide who they are.” The mare spoke in even soft tones, putting a hoof on Ray’s shoulder. “You are not alone, my dear.”
Wordlessly, the mare turned and began walking towards the pillar that housed the thestral cultural center. Vinyl and Ray, of course, followed. A look over revealed to her that the ‘vesper’ beside her was tearing up a bit. Whatever this mare said must have struck a chord with Vinyl’s new friend, and honestly that was a good thing.
The trio moved into the structure, no doors in place and apparently free to roam. Others went about, all in the same silver cloaks as the mare leading them. They were lead down a flight of stairs and into a room, most likely below the floor of the rest of the cavern, and decorated with a shining pool of water surrounded by mossy stones.
“Sit, please.” The mare motioned to one side of the pool, which the two unicorns gladly sat on some mossy rocks. The silver cloaked thestral sat across from them with a smile on her face. “My name is Wax, teacher of the lost and disciple of the moon. I hail from the great jungles of Thestralia, our homeland.” She motioned her hoof between herself and Ray. “Where our hearts come from and where our souls will rest.”
“What is all of this?” Vinyl was happy to sit back and listen to the conversation between the two thestral mares. “This room, I mean.” There was a pause as Ray took in the rather surreal room, letting both mares realize that the water in front of them was glowing ever so slightly.
“This is the Moon Pool, teleported wholesale from our homeland to right here. Every stone, every feature. It is a sacred place to our culture, one needed here in Equestria.” Wax spoke calmly, dipping her hooves in the pool and looking up into the air.
“Why? What about the thestrals still there?” Ray was practically sitting on the edge of her seat, now seemingly eager to learn about the history of her suppressed side. “Aren’t they connected to this?”
“I always forget how little they teach you about our kind up here.” Wax lamented with no small amount of venom in her words. Her eyes returned to look at Vinyl and Ray. “Thousands of years ago, a visitor from a far away land came to Thestralia. She sat in this very room, at this very pool. Ancient and primal magicks surged through her and the pool, destiny connecting her with the very moon above.” There was a hum in the room, the din of magic that was very slight and very very old. “She became an icon to the thestrals, a link to the moon and one who could speak for it. Our Goddess, the Moon Mother, the mighty and beautiful Nyx...she told us that she needed to go west to fulfill her destiny. We followed her en masse, leaving behind only the heretics and non-believers. Over the millennia they left this holy place alone, seeing it only as mark upon our history.” The cloaked mare looked down at the pool. “One day we will return to our home, whole as the day we left. Until that moment, our history and heritage must stay here with us.”
“Where did she go?” Ray’s voice was quiet, absorbing all of the history just given to her. “Nyx, I mean? She isn’t here anymore, I assume.” Pain flashed across Wax’s face as the thestral shook her head.
“No...she went away a long time ago. Punished for her pain, pushed away by the one who loved her and kept buried in her own suffering since.” Wax shook her head with a sigh. “Come, both of you. Dip your hooves into the pool, relax and close your eyes.”
The mares followed the instructions given, putting their front hooves in the shallow pool and closing their eyes. There was definitely magic in the water, Vinyl could feel the telltale tingle of it running up her hooves.
“Empty your minds, focus and listen. Listen to the song of the moon.” Wax spoke softly. “She was quiet once, sad and dismal. Listen to her proud song, now.”
Vinyl’s heart nearly stopped when she heard it. It wasn’t something that she was hearing with her ears, no. Whatever this was, the song could be heard in her very soul. The song was resonating with her on such a level that she couldn’t even comprehend it. This song, it was so proud, it was defiant and noble in tone. There were no instruments, no true sounds, but it was a feeling.
The moon was singing a song, and it was only getting louder.