//------------------------------// // Friendships Forged // Story: Daughters of Dusk // by PoneFluff //------------------------------// Hazy and Star chased Apple Bloom through the streets of Ponyville. Above them the sky was awash with fireworks, cheering ponies gathered around as unicorns launched their magic into the sky. Despite the merriment all around them, Hazy's worry only grew. She and Star were keeping pace with the friendly farm filly as they gradually headed towards the huge tree they'd seen before. Only as they neared it could they begin to make out windows carved into the tree, the inside lit up with a welcoming yellow glow. Silhouettes of ponies moved to and fro behind the glass, swaying to music that the fillies couldn't hear thanks to the multitude of other parties going on all around them. "Ah think she's supposed ta be here." Apple Bloom said, not even tired after having led the group at a full gallop all the way from the outskirts of town. Star rushed for the door, breezing past Hazy and flinging the wooden barrier open with her golden magic. A flood of yellow light and noise exploded out the now open door, before the party fell to a hush. Inside Hazy could see five mares she recognised as her mother's friends. Hovering above the crowd, she recognised the wonderbolt captain, Rainbow Dash. However, she looked different from how Hazy had seen her. The slicked back mane style she usually had was gone, replaced by a much more low maintenance tomcoltish manedo. Also absent was her uniform or any of the marks of her office… Leaving the filly to wonder was she even a wonderbolt yet? Ahead of her, Star was frozen in place. Hazy could see the telltale sign of Star teetering on the edge of a meltdown, the blue filly's ears twitched and flicked, whilst her tail refused to remain still. Movement drew Hazy's eye as she closed the gap between her and her sister. The source of the movement was revealed to be Applejack. Unlike Rainbow Dash, Hazy couldn't tell if anything was different with the farm mare. Admittedly she never knew her mother's friends very well, but they'd always attended hearth's warming up in Canterlot. A quick glance around the room revealed more vaguely familiar faces. Fluttershy, who had seemingly overcome her surprise at Star's entrance and was working up the courage to approach the fillies. Rarity off to the right, had been in a discussion with a white and green unicorn Hazy didn't know. "M-mom?" Star muttered into the silence, prompting a wave of murmuring to ripple across the room. Everywhere the sister's looked, mares and stallions looked back at them with pity. Some of the older party goers had horrified expressions, the sudden arrival of two seemingly orphaned fillies evoking unpleasant memories. Hazy was painfully aware of the silence as it lingered. Seconds ticked by until a sniffle from her sister broke it. With the spell broken, Rarity stepped forward from the crowd, followed by the unfamiliar unicorn. Star pressed herself against Hazy, trying to hide behind her older sister as the weight of a building full of ponies staring at her weighed down on them both. “Dear, can you tell us your mother’s name?” Rarity asked, leaning down to be at eye level with the two fillies. Hazy felt Star nudge her, clearly wanting her older sister to handle the conversation. “D-dusk Shimmer...” The dark filly said, thinking on her hooves to come up with a name that wouldn’t get them into trouble. She realised that if they did tell the truth and Twilight was found, only to say she did not recognise the fillies it would be all kinds of suspicious. Hazy was yanked from her thoughts by a rush of wind and a pink blur materialising beside her. “Ooo! New ponies! I’ve not seen you two before! I don’t think I’ve met Dusk Shimmer either!” The pink mare giggled as she spoke, bouncing up and down on her hooves. Plunging a hoof into her mane to yank out a book that was almost as big as Hazy. Flipping the vast tome open, Hazy craned her neck to see pages of profiles cataloguing all kinds of information about what must have been everypony Pinkie had ever met. “Let’s have a looksee! D...d...Du” A frown formed on the pink mare's face before she flipped to the other end of the book, revealing the index. Sprawling detailed hoofwriting listed names and pages, occasionally scratched out with updated page numbers. The mare’s mane deflated as she read through the several pages of names beginning with D, a saddened sigh escaping her mouth. “N-no Dusk Shimmer… I don’t think I’ve met your mom yet…” Before anypony could even react, the pink mare’s mane re-inflated followed by a squee of excitement. “That’s great! A super special party as ordered by the princess and I get to make four new friends tonight! How could the night get any better!” “Pinkie, Darling, there’s two of them and their mother. That’s three.” Hazy heard Rarity whisper loud enough that practically anypony near them could hear it. Dismissing her comment with a hoof, Pinkie advanced on Hazy and Star. The mare’s eyes looked over them like a predator eyeing their next meal before her grin widened and she shot off towards the back of the room. “W-what?” Was all that Star could say, meanwhile Hazy was at an utter loss for words. She couldn’t feel any magic at work outside of normal earth pony magic, yet somehow this mare was moving faster than it seemed a pegasus could fly. “That’s Pinkie Pie for you, She’s our resident party pony.” Rarity stated, sighing before returning her gaze to the fillies. “I must apologize, where are my manners? My name is Rarity, purveyor of the finest fashion this side of canterlot. If you need somewhere to stay until we find your mother, I’d be happy to volunteer my guest room. Sweetie would probably enjoy the company.” The return of Pinkie was heralded by her pink blur racing across the room before she reformed beside Rarity, two plates with slices of cake resting on her back. “Tada! I figured you two could use a treat, We’ll find your mom don’t worry!” Edging her way out from beside Hazy, Star lit her horn and claimed a slice of cake for herself. Hazy saw the mystery mare start to cross towards them out of the corner of her eye. Star however, was thoroughly engrossed in the confectionery before her, eyes closed in joy as she devoured the cake at a speed that even Pinkie couldn't match. The blue filly looked up at Hazy with a smile, not even having to ask her sister. Hazy simply floated her slice onto Star's now empty plate, nuzzling her little sister's cheek. "Did I hear correctly, that these two fillies are here looking for their mother?" The mystery mare asked, looking at Hazy and Star with thinly veiled suspicion. Hazy instinctively moved to place herself between Star and the mare, a small knot of fear building in her stomach. It wasn't hard to guess what this mare was thinking. Hazy could practically feel the sheer amount of magical power the unicorn before her had. Paired with the fact she was here on the night that Nightmare Moon was supposed to return. The filly guessed that whoever this mare was, she'd been sent by Princess Celestia to potentially protect the town from Nightmare Moon. So for two fillies of unknown origin, wearing cloaks with a moon motif, to arrive and claim to be looking for their mother. Hazy shuddered at the realisation of just how bad their situation sounded when she actually thought it through. Not that the mare's gaze was helping either. "Yes Darling, these two are apparently looking for their mother. A mare named Dusk Shimmer." Rarity picked up, skimming across the building tension with all the grace one would expect of a socialite. "It's gotten Pinkie Pie rather excited, she couldn't find this Dusk Shimmer in her party book." The mare nodded, eyeing Hazy and Star before sighing. "My name's Four Leaf Clover, it's a pleasure to meet you both. Sorry about being a little rude, planning for tonight's festivities has me a little on edge." "Rarity, we still have to finalise the decorations if I recall correctly." Four Leaf said as she turned to head back over to the table she'd occupied before. Hazy could only just make out a stack of papers on the table as well as what looked like fabric draped over it. "Of course! Those patterns you have are tricky but I can manage them I think." Rarity said as she turned, the two white unicorn mares' conversation rapidly fading into the general noise of the party. Behind them, Hazy heard Apple Bloom clear her throat. The sister’s turned to look at Apple Bloom, distracted momentarily by the fireworks blooming in the sky behind her. “Ah have some snacks that mah Sister made if you’d like ta share?” She offered, beaming happily at the two sisters. In unison, Hazy and Star nodded and returned the smile, Hazy was eager to get away from Four Leaf. Just being near her was starting to worry the filly, concerned for where her mother was mingling with fear of what the unknown unicorn would assume about the fillies. As they walked away from the tree, Hazy caught a look at the sign out front of it. The golden text momentarily lit by a burst of green light from the sky. “Golden Oaks Library” gleamed back at Hazy as she looked to the sky, her heart in her chest. The filly’s eyes raised to the heavens, looking for any sign they were too late. The flash of fireworks obscured the stars, but she was certain they were slowly growing brighter as the night progressed. “Come on Sis!” Star’s voice called out, shaking Hazy from her thoughts. The dark filly galloped across the short distance to catch up with her sister and new friend. A welcoming scent drifted over to her from the small hamper that Apple Bloom had opened. Chasing the smell Hazy couldn’t help but drool, her mouth watering at the sight of an expertly made pastry floating out of the hamper. Soon enough the three fillies had settled, resting on a large blanket from the hamper. A comfortable silence had fallen over the trio, soft humms of contentment escaping from the two that had not experienced apple family cooking yet. Hazy’s tongue still danced with the delicate balance of sweet apples, slight tart hints of lemon and the buttery flakey pastry. The simple snack had utterly trounced anything the castle chef’s had ever cooked for the sisters, leaving Star sleepily leaning against Hazy teetering on the verge of a food coma. “What’s yer mom like? If ya don’t mind ma askin’ that is.” Apple Bloom’s voice shook slightly as her nerves rang clear. As Hazy glanced, she could see a slight glassiness to Apple Bloom’s eyes. The filly remained silent, trying to collect her thoughts. “Mom is...Mom is special, She always seemed to know what to say or what to do to bring out the best in somepony. I wish she was here because she’d know what to do.” Hazy’s voice trailed off momentarily. “She makes me feel safe as well I suppose. Might be a unicorn thing but I can almost always tell where she is, it’s just comforting to know.” “Why can’t ya find her now?” the earth filly questioned, visibly thinking over the possibilities. A wave of horror visibly traveled through Apple Bloom as her ears pressed to the side of her head.“W-wait yer not sayin’ that she could be…” Before Hazy could reply, Star shook her head. Flashing a grin of pure confidence, in what Hazy could guess was an attempt to brighten the mood. “She isn’t, nothing could hurt our mom!” “She’s pretty skilled with magic, before we….got separated she taught us everything we know about magic.” Hazy chuckled softly before nuzzling her sister’s cheek. The filly smiled at fond memories of learning magic with their mom, leaving out how both of the fillies’ parents had been excited to teach them to fly...or more accurately, glide. Time passed quickly, Hazy and Star telling stories about their parents. Their situation was forgotten momentarily as they relayed the story of their parents disastrous first date. Having to rework the tale slightly to remove mentions of the Crystal empire, instead the sister’s worked to spin a story of how their parents' date had been derailed by an immense snowstorm instead of a dark tyrant. Hazy didn’t like lying to their new friend, trying to keep the story as truthful as possible without bringing up Sombra. Even the name made her shudder, stories of what he had done to her cousin had given both sisters nightmares for weeks after they’d finally been told what the tyrant had done. “No way! Yer ma met the Princess! Ah’ve never heard of anypony who got to meet her one on one unless they were nobility!” The farm filly complained, pointing out how a lowly librarian would never get a chance to meet Princess Celestia without some exceptional newsworthy circumstances. As Hazy scrambled to think of an explanation, Star cut her off, swooping in with a save, quickly climbing atop her sister’s head with a small hop. “Mom studied in Canterlot, The Princess occasionally goes to the Canterlot city library if she wants a more modern book. We saw her once when we were waiting for mom, she’s super tall!” Star explained, raising a hoof as high as she could to try and illustrate how tall the princess was. Hazy giggled before shifting slightly, prompting Star to tumble backwards with a yelp of surprise. As the Trio descended into a fit of laughter, another set of hooves approached them. The gentle sound of hoofsteps on cobblestones ringing out into the night air. “E-excuse me, you’re the new fillies right?” A voice called out from behind them. The sister’s turned, revealing the voice to belong to a unicorn filly sporting a two toned mane styled in curls. “My sister mentioned new fillies in town, so I was…” “Wanting to join us?” Star suggested as she shuffled over to make space for the newcomer. As soon as the space was opened, the new filly swiftly filled it, sitting down between the sisters. “Thank you! I’m Sweetie Belle. I wanted to say hi back at the library but well...I didn’t get a chance before you left.” Sweetie Belle admitted, rubbing the side of her neck with a hoof. “So what’re your names?” The trio gave a short introduction, Star and Hazy introducing themselves only to pause awkwardly where they were used to having to fill in their titles. Apple Bloom frowned when Sweetie Belle looked at her, seemingly expecting Apple Bloom to introduce herself. “Ya kiddin’ right? We’re in the same class...” Sweetie Belle paused, opening her mouth to reply only to have the fillies beside her burst into laughter. The white filly’s cheeks burned crimson as she sputtered out an apology only to have Apple Bloom wave her hoof. “Ain’t a problem Sweetie, we don’t talk much, you’re with that pegasus filly...Scoodle? Ah think.” “Oh Scootaloo! She’s with her aunts at a party I think, Twist mentioned it…” Sweetie trailed off, looking into the middle distance as she thought. The group fell into silence as they waited for Sweetie to continue. A distant boom of fireworks causing them to jump, snapping Sweetie out of her silence. “Y-yeah so I should introduce you all to her at the Celebration later.” “How long is it until that Celebration?” Hazy asked, trying to work out how long in her head. The Stars were definitely brighter than they had been before, but she still wasn’t sure how long they had. In the moments it took for her to receive an answer, the thought occurred to Hazy that they didn’t actually have a plan for what to do. With her mom missing then...maybe they’d have to harness the elements themselves? Off the top of her head she knew there were Six Elements. The numbers didn’t work out based on the fillies she and Star had met...maybe they’d be able to find another? Even then she didn’t understand how the magic of friendship actually worked, Twilight had taught them about her studies but never went into detail. Her mother's words practically echoed in Hazy's head "Friendship can't be learned in a classroom, it blossoms naturally and with a little effort it's the most powerful force for good in the world." “Sis? You okay?” Star’s voice cut through Hazy’s rapidly swirling thoughts, followed by the feeling of her sister’s head nuzzling Hazy’s cheek. The two fillies watched as Hazy blinked, looking almost confused about where she was for the moment before returning the nuzzle to her sister. “Apple Bloom just said it was about seven hours from now.” “Yeah, Ah was gonna say you could come back with me and have a sleepover, Granny wanted me to come home before the end of the party for Mrs. Leaf.” Apple Bloom offered, beaming at the prospect of a sleepover. Hazy and Star paused, looking at each other in a mixture of shock and confusion. Neither had considered where they’d have to sleep, now bringing a brief moment of horror. “T-thank you Apple Bloom, We didn’t really have anywhere to go tonight...you think your granny will mind?” As Hazy spoke, Apple Bloom just giggled before shaking her head. “Nah, Granny always says how caring fer yer fellow ponies is the right thing ta do, So ah figure this is just doin’ that! Plus friends help out friends. You wanna come too Sweetie?” Applebloom asked, looking at the unicorn filly with pleading eyes. Sweetie slowly shook her head, sighing. “Sorry, Rarity wants me home tonight. Our parents are coming to town after the Celebration so I need to be there.” Her sigh continued, the unicorn filly’s ears drooping only to be pulled into a hug by Star. The blue filly hugged her new friend tightly, pressing her side to Sweetie Belle. Hazy swore she saw a flicker of surprise cross Sweetie’s face, only for it to be replaced a moment later by an earnest smile. The fillies exchanged their good-byes, sharing a brief group hug before Sweetie galloped back towards the library, her path lit by the bloom of fireworks overhead. Once again reduced to a trio, Apple Bloom looked to her companions before setting off down the hill. Weaving a path away from the town, the fillies followed the cobbled streets of ponyville as they walked past more parties. Singing filtered out of one house as they passed it, the chaotic looking building split down the middle as sounds of a string instrument filtered out into the night air. Deep stallionly voices joined music as a mare sang about Princess Celestia. Hazy’s ears swiveled to listen to the music as they walked on, picking up the melody as she began to hum along happily to the tune. Despite the upbeat tune, as she listened to the lyrics, Hazy began to realise what the song was about. Beside her, Apple Bloom remained oblivious to the meaning of the song, the farm filly having joined in humming as the path underneath them turned from cobbles to a well worn dirt path. “Ah heard that song was about Princess Celestia’s special somepony, must have been so sad for her to lose them.” Apple Bloom commented as the group stopped, the farm filly gently kicking a fence gate to swing it open. Ahead of them just beyond a small hill, they could see the farmhouse of Sweet Apple Acres. Windows lit by candles, and a tall stream of smoke billowing from it’s chimney. Star sniffed at the air, practically swooning at the scent of baking apples and cinnamon as it drifted across the farm. “Granny must be nearly done cookin’ dinner, come on!” The farm filly cried before galloping towards the farmhouse at full tilt, closely followed by the two sisters. Their hoofsteps punctuated by the rumble of hungry stomachs. Hazy hadn’t realised how hungry she was, the warm smell of home cooking only further reminding her of her hunger. “Granny! Ahm home!” Apple Bloom called out, as they trotted up to the front door of the farm house, an unintelligible reply followed as they heard wood and metal creaking from inside the building. Moments later the door swung open to reveal an ancient Mare, her white mane tied back in a bun as she looked at the three fillies on her doorstep with confusion. “Eh, Apple Bloom? Who are yer friends?” The aged mare asked, squinting as she examined the sisters. Star squirmed under Granny Smith’s gaze, the old mare’s eyes pausing as she examined the filly’s cloaks. “Well I’ll be. Apple Bloom, ya didn’t mention they were nobility.” Hazy and Star froze, a rushed explanation forming in Hazy’s throat dying as Apple Bloom voiced her confusion. “W-what? Yer nobility?” “Them cloaks are made from Canterlot silk, Only fancy canterlot types can afford it” Granny explained, before turning to head into the house. “As long as they behave, t’would be an honour to have nobility join us for dinner.” The trio remained still as Granny disappeared round a corner into the kitchen. Silence filled the space between them as Hazy’s brain tried to catch up. Canterlot Silk had been made far easier to produce for almost sixty years from what she remembered, had that not happened here? “Sorry about granny, She’s a little behind the times, Ah saw some cloaks like that last nightmare night for Vampony costumes.” Apple Bloom paused, sniffing the air and sighing happily. “Let’s go get somethin’ ta eat before it goes cold.” In the seconds it took for the fillies to enter the kitchen, Granny Smith had three bowls already laid out onto the table. Apple Bloom hopped onto her seat with practiced ease, turning to see Hazy float Star onto a seat before climbing up herself. The farm filly suppressed a giggle as her guests looked at their meals with shock. “Is it really all made from apples?” Star asked, looking at the toasted bread beside their bowls of stew. Across the table Apple Bloom beamed in reply, practically bouncing in her seat as she gestured at the meal before them. “Eeyup, bread made usin’ our famous cider alongside great granny’s apple n’ potato stew!” As Apple Bloom spoke, Hazy ignited her horn. Sampling some of the cider bread dunked in her stew the filly’s eyes went wide. The sweetness of apples melted on her tongue, supported by the potatoes as well as fresh chives and sage. Hazy’s lips curled into a happy smile prompting Star to dig in. Before much time had passed the trio of fillies had finished their meals, having dragged themselves into the sitting room. With a brief promise by Granny Smith to wake them up in time for the festival, Star was the first to succumb to the mounting food coma. The blue filly cuddled up against her sister, using their cloaks as a blanket to cover her. Outside the sounds of fireworks had finally died down, ponies all across town seemingly heading to bed to get up in time for the Summer Sun Celebration. Apple Bloom was the next to fall asleep, her snoring soon filling the silence left by the lack of fireworks. Hazy yawned, looking out one of the farmhouse windows into the night sky. The edges of her vision blurred as she fought off sleep, using Star as a blanket left the elder sister comfortably warm. Outsite, the night sky had faded to a dark blue, pinpricks of light growing slowly. Rubbing her eyes with her forelegs, Hazy shuddered. The Stars were moving, she could actually see them as they gradually inched closer towards the Mare in the Moon’s silhouette. As she finally succumbed to sleep, the filly nuzzled back against her sister, closing her eyes and swiftly falling asleep.