(Longest chapter so far for this story! What an accomplishment!)
You trotted down the road, its emptiness coming across as odd. You knew that today was the Summer Sun celebration, but it seemed odd that there wouldn’t be ponies anywhere except for the town hall, where the princesses were. You had quickly broken off from the crowd, determined to get your goggles from Fluttershy’s cottage. As you made your way towards the cottage you began to feel lightheaded. Abruptly, the ground beneath your hooves turned to empty sky.
Despite being a pegasus, and used to the open skies, you felt yourself plummet for a moment before the idea of opening your wings came to you. As they snapped open, you felt the strain of the muscles as they protested the sudden opening. You looked from left to right, hoping to make sense of where you were, but there was nothing but empty sky around you.
You came to a stop in the sky, simply holding your position, when a glow appeared in the distance. As it grew closer, you began to make out some distinctions in the glow. The first thing that became clear was the color, which was blood red. Shortly after, the shape began to grow clearer, and it became clear that it was pony shaped. When it was just a dozen yards away, it stopped moving. You could see a pony floating in the center of the red glow, but there was something off about the way it looked.
Despite nearly every part of your brain telling you not to approach it, you did anyway, throwing every scrap of caution into the proverbial wind. When you were just a few yards away you came to a stop once again. The head of the pony followed your gentle drifting, and it was then that you noticed that the pony’s eyes were both closed, and there was a scar running the circumference of its neck, along with a few chips missing from its horn. You eventually completed a full lap around the pony, and then you came to a stop before it once again.
Just as you were about to move a bit closer once more, the eyes of the pony opened, revealing empty sockets.
You let out a shrill cry as you sat upright abruptly, nearly tossing Twilight out of her own bed in your burst of movement. Your chest was heaving, and there was an ache behind your eyes that you couldn’t explain. As you felt your breathing begin to show signs of slowing you felt a hoof come into contact with your side, and you recoiled from the contact, all measure of calmness that had started to come vanishing in an instant. Your eyes dart from side to side as you realize where you are, and what you were doing.
You finally let your gaze rest on the lavender unicorn, and there is fear written plainly on her face. Whether it was for her own safety, based on your reaction, or for your safety for the same reason, you couldn’t tell. She just watched you as you slowly allowed your body to recover from the stress that it had just endured. It took the better part of ten minutes for your body to stop releasing adrenaline, and when it did you could feel the weariness seep into your limbs, weighing them down. It was only then that you noticed that your wings had snapped into an upraised, but curled position, something that only happened when a pegasus had to fend off a predator.
When you felt your wings go limp, you knew that the worst of your panic had passed, and clearly the mare did too, since then she climbed onto the bed. She sat beside you, and then she wrapped a hoof around your shoulders, pulling you into an embrace. You could feel your body shaking in her grasp, and despite your desire to make it stop, it persisted for nearly an hour. Twilight had started stroking your unkempt mane at some point, and the rhythmic motion slowly eased you into a passive state.
“What happened? You just sat up screaming.” You try to answer, but your throat is raw from the force of your earlier cry. After several attempts at answering, you finally manage to croak out a response.
“Nightmare. Except it seemed… Different.” After your answer Twilight kept stroking your mane, and after a few minutes she eventually lowered you back into a lying position, and then she curled up next to you, bringing you into a tight embrace. Her horn glowed briefly, and then you felt a soothing pulse of energy run through your body, and with that pulse came a sudden intensified weariness.
“Just sleep, we can share our dreams.”
Your second awakening on the day of the Summer Sun celebration was far more sedate than the last one, and with it came a sense of warmth across your body. You cracked open one eye, noting with relief that the pain that had been present earlier had faded. You looked down, and you were rewarded with the adorable sight of Twilight clutching tightly to your chest. Your own hooves were wrapped around her, and you pulled her tighter just a bit, and the sigh of contentment that escaped her threatened to turn this adorable situation into something far more adult rated.
You resolved not to repeat your action, for fear of losing control over your body. Instead, you opted to simply enjoy her presence. As the light of the sun began to pierce the thick curtains, you slowly made attempts at escaping the mare’s clutches. When you finally managed to get free you noted the mare’s wide smile faded into a tiny frown. You planted a quick kiss on her nose, and her frown, much to your satisfaction, turned into a smile wider than the one she had on previously.
You made your way to the bathroom, and the first thing you did was look at yourself in the mirror. The eyes that stared back at you seemed different than they were before. A closer examination revealed that they had in fact changed slightly, shifting from their old green to have a slight red tint around the iris. When you backed up some the red was next to impossible to detect. Without knowing that it was there it was impossible to see.
You frowned at this change, upset with the disruption to your physiology. You resolve to take a trip to the clinic within the next few days, to get it checked out. Although you seem to recall that changes in eye color weren’t unheard of, simply rare at your age. You banish the thought from your mind, confident that if there was something wrong you’d be able to get it fixed. Hay, the doctors had told you that you’d never fly again without their help, and you’d certainly shown them. Or, to be more accurate, Twilight had shown them.
Several minutes later, and you emerge from the bathroom, your coat now lustrous and clean. You crack open the door to Twilight’s room once again, and thankfully she is still in bed. You close the door quietly behind yourself as you turn to head downstairs. You eventually make your way into the kitchen, and you glance at the clock quickly, noting that it’s just a bit before eight, meaning that you had about fifteen minutes to get everything ready for Twilight’s breakfast.
While you’d never count yourself as a good chef, you could make a pretty good omelet when you had the right ingredients on hoof. At the thought of omelets, though, you frowned, realizing that your cooking paled in comparison to that of Fluttershy’s. Hopefully it would suffice. As eight rolled around, you heard the sound of hooves on the second floor, and minutes later a groggy Twilight entered the kitchen, a look of concern coming through her grogginess. You smiled at her as she entered, and when she saw you her concern faded, but only slightly.
“What happened last night? I know you had a nightmare, but the way you jumped at my touch. It was almost like my touch hurt you…” You frown in response, before you turn back to the breakfast you were making.
“It was a nightmare, Twi. I was walking through Ponyville, when suddenly the road disappeared from below me, forcing me to take flight. After a short time of simply hovering, a red glow appeared, and then approached me. It was a unicorn being held aloft by its own magic. It had a chipped horn, and a scar running around its entire neck. But when it opened its eyes, there was nothing in the sockets.” You didn’t turn to see the mare’s reaction, instead opting to focus on the meal you were preparing. You briefly considered mentioning the change in eye color, but you decided against it, not wanting to bother the unicorn with something that wasn’t likely a problem.
As you finished preparing the omelets you had to take your time with the pan, since you didn’t have quite enough coordination to use your wings to aid you. After nearly dropping the pans several times, you managed to get the omelets onto their plates, and over to the table. The unicorn ate silently, occasionally glancing at you as you ate. By the time you finished eating, the mare’s disposition had improved, but only marginally. Even though you often thought yourself unobservant, even this minimal change wasn’t lost on you.
“Is everything okay, Twi?” The mare looked up from her bare plate at you, her frown clear to see. “Really, if this is about my nightmare, don’t worry about it. It’s not the first time I’ve had one.”
“That’s only a part of it, really. I mean, I am concerned about you, and how you feel, but I’m more worried about the princess coming by today. While I was getting ready to go out with you I got a letter from Princess Celestia. She’s bringing along a new pony who she’d like to move here. I’m worried about that pony, and what they mean. I was the last pony whom Celestia personally moved here.” As the pieces clicked into place, you finally managed to understand.
“Are you worried about being replaced, Twi?” You allow a brief chuckle to escape you, and then you continue. “Twi, I don’t think that the princess is going to replace you with a new star pupil. You’re the most talented unicorn I know, and I think we’d have heard of this before now if he was as good as you are.” The mare looks up at you with a small smile on her face. Let’s see if we can widen that smile just a bit. “Besides, no matter what I doubt that this new pony will look half as good as you.” Much to your satisfaction, this did widen the unicorn’s smile, as well as bring a delightful blush to her cheeks.
She used her magic to quickly clear the table, and you just remained seated for a moment. When the mare finished putting the dishes in the sink, she turned to face you, and her smile had reached a size that was acceptable. “You really think I’m that pretty?”
“I do, actually. Prettier than I can put into words. And your beauty goes so much deeper than your skin.” You get out of the chair and you move to the mare, bringing a hoof to her cheek and bringing her eyes to meet yours. “There are countless pretty mares, Twilight. You’re one of them. But what makes you better than them is that you’re beautiful.” The mare just giggles softly, but you continue. “Back in Fillydelphia there were hundreds of pretty mares vying for the attention of all the trainees, hoping to ride our coattails to fame. But they were all shallow, seeking nothing but the spotlight.” You give her a quick peck on the lips before you continue. “You, mon amour trump them all.”
The mare’s blush grew even deeper as you finished, and she smiled back at you before she gave you a longer kiss than you gave her. “Je ne savais pas que vous parlait français.”
You can’t stop yourself from laughing just a bit. “Only a few phrases and words, honestly. There were a pair of twins that one of the other trainees got with, and he decided to… Share. It’s hard to spend time with a mare when you don’t speak her language, so I tried to learn.” You finally lower your hoof from her chin, and she moves her head with your hoof for just a moment, seeking to preserve the contact. You just continue to look at the mare for a moment, and then she suddenly looks at the clock, her look of happiness showing signs of disappearing.
“We need to get going. The last minute preparation work needs to get underway, and I’m the mare to get things going at a decent pace.” She quickly makes her way from the kitchen, utterly focused on what she had to do. “I’ll get my list, and get started. If you could go run to Fluttershy’s and make sure that she’s ready to bring her birds to town. And then swing by the boutique, since it’s the only other place that I don’t think I’ll be able to get to in an acceptable amount of time.”
“Alright, Twi. I’ll meet up with you later.” You start heading to the door, when you hear an exasperated grunt come from behind you. The lavender mare is glaring at you, an amused expression on her face. “Am I forgetting something?”
The mare rolls her eyes, before her horn glows and you feel yourself lift off the floor. You flail for a moment, before you regain control of yourself. You notice that you’re being moved closer to Twilight, and then you are released from her magical hold, and she gives you a kiss. “You’re forgetting your goodbye kiss.” You smile at her, before you give her another quick kiss before you turn and head out the door.
You paused as you stood outside of the library, suddenly recalling the dream you had gone through the night before. You gave your head a quick shake, banishing the memory from your mind. It was a dream, and nothing more. Dreams had no impact on what happened in real life. You started making your way towards the home of the Element of Kindness, a small spring in your step making the trip seem shorter.
It didn’t take you long to reach the cottage, and you were greeted by the sight of Fluttershy flitting between the branches of the trees, her sweet voice carrying on the wind. As you grew nearer you allowed your pace to slow, so you could hear all of her song before you got there. Even with the rush that Twilight had seemed to be in, you knew that hearing Fluttershy sing was a treat. Even when she was a tiny filly she had been able to carry a melody with relative ease. Now, though, it seemed that singing came with effortless ease to the pastel yellow pegasus.
The final note seemed to last for almost a full minute, and when she did bring the song to a close you heard the faint sound of applause coming from the animals that had gathered below her while she sang. You finally covered the last bit of distance, noting with a smile the platypus that had seemingly grown attached to you was watching you. You pause for a moment as the platypus’ gaze follows your every move. You crouch down to its level, and then you let out a loud snort. The creature recoils from this, before scampering into the thin stream in front of Fluttershy’s cottage.
You then turned your attention back to the mare, and as you did you saw that she was looking back at you as well. “Good morning, cousin. What brings you by?”
“Well, Twilight sent me here to make sure that you had your birds ready to head into town.” The mare looked over her shoulder at the tree, and when she looked back at you she had a smile on her face.
“I think we’re ready to go. I’ll have them in town within an hour.”
“That’s perfect. Thanks, Flutters.” As you were about to turn to leave you were suddenly struck by an idea. It was probably a bit too late to work, but it was better than nothing. “I’m actually going to pop inside for a moment. I’m going to Rarity’s place next, and I want to bring the goggles with me. It’s a long shot, but maybe she’ll be able to get them done for me by tonight.”
“I’m sure that if you explain why you need them Rarity will be more than happy to make some time for you. She’s really quite interested in all things romance.” The mare’s cheeks flush a bit, and her voice drops off a bit as she continues. “She’s even writing some fairly romantic letters to a pen-pal. She really wants to meet him, too.”
“Well, I got my wings back; I don’t see why Rarity shouldn’t get her dream too.” You quickly make your way inside the home as you needed to get going. The goggles were sitting atop the dresser you had put them on top of, and you also grabbed your saddlebags, knowing that if Rarity couldn’t get them done you wouldn’t want to have to wear them the whole time you had them. You quickly made your way out of Fluttershy’s home, and then you began walking down the road back to Ponyville after saying your goodbyes.
The trip towards the town was uneventful, but as you reached the edge of town you picked up on the rising levels of emotions running throughout the town. You felt a weird sort of energy thrumming through the town, and as you grew closer to the center the strange energy grew stronger and stronger. You paused for a moment, as you recognized the energy for what it was. There was a musical number going on somewhere in town. You heard the chorus of the song carried through the air, and you had to fight the urge to join in as well.
“I don’t sing.” You turn to make a detour around the center of town, determined to avoid the festivities going on near the center of town. With your new diverted course it took you twice as long as planned to get to the boutique, but it was worth it in your books. As the boutique came into view, you spotted Rarity standing near the center of a small group of other ponies. They were all in high spirits, as indicated by their laughter, and so you waited for them to finish up before you got involved. It only took a couple minutes, and soon Rarity had given each of the ponies a large crate full of decorations.
“Oh, what brings you by?” The white unicorn had noticed you standing a short distance away, and she had started walking over.
“Ah, right. Twilight asked me to come by to make sure that you had everything under control, and I can see that you do.”
“But of course I do! I know that Twilight does this to make sure that everything gets done, but I would expect her to know that I can get done what I say I can get done.” The mare’s tone didn’t indicate that she was really bragging, simply stating a fact.
“Well, I was just doing what I was asked to do, and I’m glad to know that you’re all set to go.” You hesitate for a moment, before you reach a hoof back into your bag. “Um, Rarity, I was actually hoping to ask for a small favor.”
“What do you need?” Her tone had a slight edge to it, but you couldn’t quite identify it.
“Well…” You pull out the goggles, before holding them out towards the purple maned unicorn. “I was hoping that you’d be able to help me with these.”
The mare couldn’t quite hide her disdain for the goggles, but she looked them over nonetheless. “Dear, I don’t think there’s a thing I can do for these. I’d suggest getting a new pair if you want something fashionable.”
“No, that’s not what I mean.” You point to the small inscription on the side, and then Rarity’s eyes widen. “I want to give them as a gift to Twilight, since they’re really special to me, I was hoping that she’d understand the sentiment behind the gesture.”
The mare’s posture changed incredibly quickly, going from politely distant to overly interested in mere moments. “Of course I’ll help you with that! Just tell me what you’d like it to say, and I’ll have it to you before the celebration starts.”
You raise a hoof to the mare, and she tilts her head. “I don’t need it that soon. Just… Well, preferably before sunset. I don’t need, or want you to rush. So, take your time.” You pause for a moment, as you finalize what you want the inscription to say. Finally, it comes together in your mind, and you smile as you speak the words to the fashionista.
(You just finished 3600 words! Aren't you pleased with yourself? Anyway, that's all for now. Probably nothing else new till the weekend. Next chapter might be another longer chapter, but I don't know for sure just yet.)