//------------------------------//
// Act One, Ch. 1: A New Day {EDITED OCTOBER 8, 2023} 
// Story: UNCOVERING 
// by TheHumanWriter 
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The colt slowly rolled from one side of his bed to the other; his mouth was slightly ajar with some drool leaking out, and his eyes were still shut. He snored lightly and was noticeably still sleeping. A few minutes later, some hoofsteps sounded from down the hall, and they were getting closer to the colt’s bedroom door. Suddenly, they stopped on the other side of it, the silence returning once again. After a couple of moments, a soft, feminine voice called out, slightly muffled by the door.

"Honey, are you awake?"

The colt didn’t react to the voice, as evident by the continued snores coming out of his mouth. He was still in the dream realm. When the one who called out noticed that there was no response, she repeated the question with a couple of soft but firm knocks on the door.

"Bluey, honey, are you awake? Breakfast is ready, and you have to prepare for school."

The colt, now known as Bluey, started to arise from his slumber, but his mind was still fogged up from sleep.

"Huh…?" he groaned. He remembered hearing somepony called out hi-

"Bluey?" the voice called out again from behind his bedroom door, and a couple of loud knocks followed, resonating throughout the room. "Please get up, Bluey; you have to eat breakfast with the family and get ready for school!"

As if a bucket of cold water was dumped onto the colt, he sprung up from his bed like a Jack-in-the-Box. This caused his blanket to fly out onto the wooden floor, and he landed in an upright position. Sleep immediately left Bluey’s mind, and it made him alert to his surroundings. The room was slightly dark due to the curtains that covered his window, but enough light shined through a crack that he was able to see clearly.

"I'm up, Mother!" he said in a loud voice. "I am awake, now!" He looked at the bedroom door across the room.

"Good, good!" his mother’s muffled reply made her content evident. "Hurry up before the breakfast gets cold, dear."

"Yeah, Mother, I will. Just give me a minute or two to freshen up, ok?"

"Okay, Bluey! I will be waiting with your father and sister downstairs in the dining room, alright?"

"Sure, I’ll be down there soon."

"Wonderful!" Bluey’s mom replied before her hoofsteps were heard walking away from his door and towards the end of the hall.

Bluey sighed in relief and stretched each of his legs, causing a couple of muffled pops from each of them. The relief in his legs made him sigh again, enjoying the new feeling that came to them. As he took a step forward, he felt something soft under his hoof. When he looked down, he saw his blanket messily splayed across the floor.

"Right, right, I almost forgot about it," Bluey muttered as he used his teeth and brought the blanket back onto the bed. After he successfully placed the cloth on the mattress, he used his hooves to smooth out the multitude of wrinkles and folds that were on his blanket, causing it to become tidy.

Afterward, Bluey turned and trotted to the desk in front of his bed. Above the desk was a window from where he could see the outside world. At least, that would’ve been the case if it weren’t for the blinds. 

After he hopped onto his chair, he stabilized himself with one of his forelegs on the table, shoved his schoolbooks to the side, and used the other to quickly push the curtain aside. He was immediately struck by an intensely bright light, and it was so great that he immediately lifted his foreleg to cover his eyes.

"Well, that was a dumb decision..." he angrily muttered under his breath, and he squeezed his eyelids shut as his eyes stung with pain. When a few moments passed, Bluey opened his eyes again, squinted through his window, and through the light of the rising sun, took in the view.

Bluey observed a stunning, cloudless, orange sky with cyan undertones. In the far distance, he could make out the tall, snow-covered mountains. At an angle, they looked like connected groups of frozen waves that were at their climax. Although just a tiny pinprick, if one squinted hard enough, Canterlot, the capital of Equestria, can be seen hanging from the tallest mountain of the range.

Bluey had a decent view of the sprawling town from the second floor of his house. Due to his home being situated on a small, out-of-the-way hill, he was able to see the town's famous and most important structure yet: the Crystal Tree Castle. The Castle was the tallest building in the town and home to Twilight Sparkle, the recently crowned princess and the most well-known of the Six Bearers of the Elements of Harmony. The tall, sparkling branches arched over each other, and they encircled a round structure that was connected to its nearby slim watch towers. The tallest part of the castle was a coned roof with a bright violet six-pointed star on top of it.

When Bluey angled his gaze downward, he saw the many yellow-colored roofs and brown and gray structures of Ponyville. Most of them were houses of differing sizes, but some were big, stony structures that were mostly located at the center of the town. As time went on, the blue colt witnessed many ponies become active on the cobbled and dirt streets. Some were talking with their neighbors; a couple of them were cleaning their front porches; and others did a variety of activities. The neighborhood was starting to become alive.

He would’ve looked on longer, but the thought of breakfast and school snapped him out of his trance. Bluey then got down from his desk and used one of his forelegs to open a drawer on his right. In it was a metal box, and so he opened it to find numerous small sticks with reddish spots on their edges.

"Okay, let’s do this," Bluey muttered before he used his left foreleg to brush away some of the hair from his mane at the front of his head. Between the numerous navy blue hair follicles was, admittedly, his short horn. For one reason or another, his horn is shorter than other colts his age. This led him to struggle with using magic from time to time, compared to others who would have little difficulty. In times past, his parents were the ones to do magic for him. However, over time, Bluey showed that he was capable of performing some fundamental tasks, like holding tiny or light-weight objects and starting small fires. So, they usually left him alone, only helping him if they were asked to or if they stumbled upon him doing something that looked complicated.

Bluey then closed his eyes and concentrated on a spell his father and teachers taught him. His horn began to glow blue, and he started to feel the power flow out of it. Suddenly, a small match was enveloped in a bluish hue, and it levitated from the box and hovered a hoof's length in front of him. Afterward, with a small whoosh, the edge of the stick was lit up with a miniature flame that danced on the red spot. Immediately, he opened his eyes and smiled at his accomplishment. Without wasting time, he turned around and trotted to a door across from him.

With a push from his hoof, the door creaked forward. The combination of the match and the sunlight from his bedroom showed a windowless, small bathroom. Its floor was made out of wooden planks, and the walls were made of gray stones. A mirror, a sink, and a stool were to his left, while a bathtub and toilet were to his right. Bluey looked up and saw the box-shaped lantern with a candle inside, and a silver chain helped the thing hang from the ceiling. Using his magic, he opened a small door on its side and inserted the match onto the top of the candle’s wick. Suddenly, the wick fired up, which caused a white and orange glow to illuminate the parts of the room that the sunlight couldn't reach.

"Phew, thank goodness nothing bad happened," Bluey sighed in relief before he blew the match’s fire out, made sure that no remnant of its flame survived, and threw the stick into a trash basket beside the bathroom sink. He then turned and closed the door, using his magic to slide the latch into its lock, which locked it. Now, it was only the hanging lantern that lit the room.

He then turned and climbed on top of the stool, which allowed him to fully examine himself in the mirror. Bluey looked in the mirror and saw his blue-furred upper body, black eyes, and a messy dark blue mane staring back at him. After a moment, he looked down and saw his comb on the edge of the sink, next to the water faucet. He lit up his horn again, which caused his part of the room to glow with the familiar bluish hue. He picked up the comb and quickly but gently combed his mane in one direction. He also made sure that the comb would go around the horn and untangle some hair follicles that were stuck on every side of the pointed cone.

After a couple of seconds of combing, he stopped and looked at his handiwork in the mirror. His mane is now neat rather than messy, combed to his right side, making him look like a handsome noble. Bluey smiled, content with his work. He then placed the comb down and turned the faucet’s handle with his right hoof. After several moments and an odd squeaky sound later, water gushed out of the funnel. He held his breath, turned his head at an angle, and moved it toward the torrent. The gesture made the water fall onto the left side of his face before it rushed over and covered the other side.

When a couple of moments had passed, he swung his head back from the waterfall and took some big gulps of air. Water dripped from his drenched face as he looked at himself in the mirror. For a moment, he looked like a desperate fish that somehow landed on dry land. Parts of his mane got caught and wet, but most were untouched.

Bluey turned off the faucet, stepped down from the stool he stood on, and grabbed a towel that hung from a rack attached to the bathroom door with his teeth. He then used his right foreleg as a holder and nuzzled his head into it, which wiped off a lot of the water from his muzzle, cheeks, forehead, and parts of his mane. When he was finished, he looked in the mirror for the umpteenth time. His hair became unkempt again, with a small portion of it still wet, and some parts of his face looked partially moist.

As Bluey looked at himself, he flashed a toothy grin.

"Well, pal, even though you’re messy, you are looking handsome today!" He happily told his reflection. He then looked beyond the front of his body and onto his flank, which was blank. Bluey's mood suddenly became sour when he remembered that he still hadn't acquired a cutie mark. His smile quickly turned into a frown, and his eyebrows scrunched against each other.

"Right, right, I almost forgot that I haven’t gotten a mark yet," he muttered. For a minute, there was only silence as Bluey stared at his blank flank. If it weren't for the muffled but recognizable voice of an anxious parent, he would have remained in that position longer.

"Hey, Blue, are you alright, kiddo? What’s taking you so long?"

"Oh, sweet haystacks! I nearly forgot!" Bluey panicked as he quickly threw the towel into the bathtub, opened the lock and the door, and galloped out of the bathroom. If he hadn't been careful, he would’ve knocked into the chair and desk. Thankfully, he was thoughtful enough to miss them and trotted to his bedroom door. Bluey hurriedly laid one of his hooves on the lever handle of the door and pushed down, opening the door a crack, and he replied to the one on the other side as he looked up at him, "Sorry, Father, I was a little too focused on something and nearly lost track of time."

On the other side of the door was a tall, black-furred, and clean-shaven unicorn stallion with a short and combed gray mane. His white eyes looked down at Bluey with confusion and annoyance for a moment before they relaxed.

"Oh, and good morning." Bluey quickly added with a sheepish smile as he looked up at his father.

"Well, good morning to you too, son," he said before furrowing an eyebrow. "But you've got to be more aware next time. Number one," his father lifted a hoof. “my stomach is rumbling with hunger." As if in response, the father’s stomach growled. When a moment or two had passed, he then twitched his hoof downward and continued, "And two, you and your sister are going to be late for school! Whether we like it or not, time marches on.”

Bluey quickly pushed the door aside, leaving the doorway wide open and revealing his father's form in full view. Without the door in the way, it is possible to see the stallion's flank, which displayed the cutie mark. His was a newspaper with a quill beside it.

Bluey rolled his eyes at his father before he replied sarcastically, "Alright, Father, you don’t have to explain the whole history of Equestria to make a point…" He then pointed his hoof toward the ceiling and quickly whirled it around like a fan. "Whether we like it or not, time marches on!" he said, in mock imitation of his parent, and ended with a grin.

"Hey! That’s my line!" Bluey’s father tried to make himself look angry, but instead looked as if he was trying to hold back a laugh; the edges of his mouth arched upward.

"Well, it’s mine now! Aha!" Bluey replied joyfully as he circled himself several times in a dance. He then continued, "You can’t do anything about it now, Father!" He closed his eyes and stuck out his tongue at him.

For a second, Bluey’s father was in shock at what his son did, but then he made a sly grin and said, "Oh, you’re not going to get away with this, Bluey!"

Before Bluey could react, he was tackled to the ground with a thud, and an gasp emitted from him. His father’s body was on top of him, with enough weight to not suffocate him. For a moment, he was dazed from the surprise attack. A second later, however, he felt something that was all too familiar on his abdomen. Suddenly, Bluey snapped himself out of his daze and looked at his parent. Due to an obstructing foreleg, he could only see half of his father’s tilted head. His left eye looked back at him with a mischievous look in it.

Bluey started to panic; his eyes slowly turned into pinpricks. "L-Look, Father, y-you don’t have to do t-this!" He stuttered, his body lightly shaking, "W-We can t-talk thro-o-ough thi–" He was abruptly cut off before he could finish his sentence.

"Hehe, nice try, son," his father chuckled before he continued, "but you’ll have to suffer the consequences of your actions!" He then opened his mouth, tilted his head backward, and sucked in a lot of air. At that moment, he looked like a shocked pony who had been told the news that his wife was pregnant.

Bluey’s eyes bulged out of their sockets as he cried out, "W-wait, NO–" before he could finish his sentence, the stallion immediately brought down his muzzle and blew raspberries onto his child’s tummy.

"EEEEEEEEK!" Bluey shrieked as the highly tickly sensation swept over him like a hurricane. He wriggled and bucked wildly under his father's weight, attempting to escape the ticklish onslaught brought on by him. He turned to the left and then to the right, but he wasn’t able to escape the strong grip of his parent. All he could do at the moment was laugh his head off as the stallion continued to blow raspberries into his bare abdomen.

"P-Please, Father, stop!" Bluey cried out between his laughter, praying to the Harmony above that his father would stop the madness. To the colt's dismay, however, the stallion ignored the plea and continued tickling him.

Finally, after what felt like a long time (even though it was only about thirty seconds), his father stopped tickling him, giving Bluey some time to breathe. He gladly lolled and breathed a lot of air into his lungs, thankful that the nightmare was over. He lay on the floor, his strength mostly drained from the chaos. For a time, he was content where he was, rejuvenating his strength.

"Are you alright, Blue?" his father asked Bluey. He didn't respond until he felt some sort of weight added to his chest.

He opened his eyes and saw his father's head resting on top of his foreleg, which was on his chest. While his face had a smile on it, there was a hint of concern.

"What d-do you think, father?" Bluey asked with a slight stutter in his voice.

His father chuckled before replying, "Well, if you ask me, you look fine."

Bluey replied with a huff, "If by 'fine' you mean nearly out of breath and my strength mostly sucked out of me, sure..."

"Gasp! Was that disrespect I heard, my son?!" His father asked with feigned surprise. He then smirked evilly and continued, "Looks like you need to be punished again, Bluey."

The colt felt his eyes bulge out again as he panickedly replied, "F-Father, please, I don't w-want to be tickled agai-" He was cut off by a hearty laugh from the stallion.

"Haha! I was just joking, son," he replied with a cheeky smile.

Bluey rolled his eyes as he sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness, Father. Please don't do that again..." He said it with a whine in his voice.

The father chuckled as he got off of the colt and helped him to his hooves. He replied, "Hehe, no promises, Blue."

Bluey huffed in reply before he said, with a determined look on his face, "One day, father, I will take my revenge on you." He pointed a hoof at the stallion. "You will receive it when you least expect it!" he proclaimed as he flashed a grin.

The black unicorn smirked and said, "We'll see about that, Son. For now…" He took on a serious expression, puffed out his chest, and placed a hoof on it. "I am unstoppab-"

A couple of hoofsteps accompanied by a creaking noise and a familiar feminine voice interrupted him before he could finish his sentence. The voice seemed to be coming from around the bend at the end of the hallway.

"Bright and Bluey Writingson, are y’all sleeping or something? It’s getting late! Hurry up for breakfast!" The mare's voice

"Whoops!" The father, now known as Bright, exclaimed with an embarrassed look as he turned his head to look behind him towards the end of the hall. He then replied to the one who called from downstairs, saying, "We are coming down soon, honey!"

"Well, you better! Don’t make me come up there and drag y’all’s butts to the dining table!" The mare called back with feigned anger and a playful tone to her voice. The hoofsteps audibly trotted down some steps and away to someplace in the house. The stallion chuckled before he looked back at his son, a sly grin now on his face.

"Alright, Blue, we have to hurry downstairs to where your mother and sister are so that we can eat breakfa-" His stomach growled abruptly, as if in anticipation and delight at the thought of food. Bluey giggled at the sound. "As I was saying!" his father continued with a slight irritation at the interruption. "We can eat breakfast, and you and your sister can go to school while your mother and I go to work."

"Sure, Father. Let’s go!" replied Bluey excitedly.

With that, the black stallion turned and walked toward the end of the hall, and Bluey followed him. Their combined hoofsteps sounded like a cacophony of sporadic knocks on wood. They passed by three doors before they reached the end of the corridor and rounded the corner to the staircase. Bright was the first to descend the stairs, with his son following close behind. When they arrived on the ground-floor landing, they trotted down the short hallway before they came across a T-intersection. A smell of cooked eggs, hay, and a soup of some kind hit them, which caused the empty food storage organ of the adult unicorn to growl again. The scent was coming from the left doorway.

"Ah, the smell of cooked eggs and hay, and your mother's special broth for breakfast!" He exclaimed excitedly as he licked his lips. Bluey tilted his head and looked at his father with some confusion.

"Uh, Father, what is a 'broth'?"

Bright stopped and turned his head to look at his son. He then responded with a wave of his foreleg, "Oh, well, it is just a fancy word for a soup."

"Oh, alright," Bluey replied before he continued with a determined tone. "C'mon, Father, let's go and eat!!" With that, he trotted forward and into the left doorway. His father chuckled before he followed his son.

When they entered, they were met with a dining room mixed with a kitchen. In front of them was a round table with four chairs, and beyond them, in the corner, was the kitchen with the cupboards, stove, sink, and oven. On the table were four bowls, each filled with fried eggs and hay, and they were placed in front of each chair. Hanging from the ceiling overhead was a lit chandelier that had a similar design to the single one in Bluey's bathroom. Next to the kitchen's stove, was a window with its curtains partially lifted, allowing some sunlight to pour in.

Sitting on one of the chairs was Bluey’s twin sister, a dark gray-furred unicorn with a long, red mane. She had a cutie mark that showed a bunch of papers with a symbol of a mouth next to them. The filly was about the same size as her brother. At that moment, she was facing away from them and was looking at the mare across from her.

The mare in question was a blue-furred unicorn with red streaks that ran across her navy blue mane. On her flank was a sewing machine with a ball of yarn next to it. She, too, faced away from the colt and the stallion and looked at the stove that had a metal pot over it. A giant wooden spoon encased in a teal glow hovered beside her. The mother and daughter were busy conversing.

"So, that is how you make that soup, Ma?" The unicorn filly asked with a tilt of her head.

"Yes, darling, as far as I remember it from my mother, your grandmother," she replied before she noisily tapped the spoon against the pot.

With the sound of Bright and Bluey’s hoofsteps, they turned and looked at them. Both of their faces showed that they were relieved at their arrival.

"Finally, I thought I would have to drag both of your rumps here!" exclaimed the mare jokingly as she flicked off the stove and walked toward the dining table, placing the spoon into the pot.

"Well, we have arrived!" replied Bright as he went and sat on a chair across from his daughter, his front legs ahead of his rear ones. "So, there’s no need to do that!" He chortled.

"G’morning, Mother, and good morning, Sis," said Bluey as he greeted his sister and mother with a smile.

His sister waved her hoof at him and smiled back. She replied, "Good morning, TB." One of her black eyes winked at him.

Bluey felt a little embarrassed about the nickname Lily gave him. He felt it was too childish, even though he himself was not even a stallion yet.

"Good morning, hun!" His mother responded as she brought the pot from the stove to the table with her telekinesis. The soup in the pot had steam coming from it like smoke from a chimney. She then brought up the spoon and gave each of the bowls a healthy serving. Bluey’s stomach growled loudly, and his mouth started to water at the food. His mother put a hoof to her lips and snickered; his father flashed a grin at him; and his sister giggled. Bluey’s cheeks started to burn from embarrassment, and he looked at them with a goofy smile.

"Sounds like somepony is starving, eh?"

"S-something like t-that, Mother," Bluey replied sheepishly as he hopped into the chair next to his sister. When he first glanced at his bowl of fried eggs and hay, he fell into a trance and forgot the embarrassing incident from earlier. His mother sat down next to her husband and asked something, which startled him and brought him back to reality.

"Alright, is every pony ready?" She looked around the table at her family members.

"I sure am, Ma," Bluey's sister replied.

"You bet I am! I can't wait to taste your 'broth', as father liked to call it," the blue colt replied excitedly. The mare chuckled in amusement before her gray eyes looked at her husband.

He winked and said, "Ready when you are, Martha."

The unicorn mare, now known as Martha, giggled and proclaimed, "Alright, everypony, let’s ‘dig into the meals,’ as they say!"

"Woohoo!" The siblings rejoiced.

"Finally…"

Bluey thought about using the spoon his mother gave him to eat the soup, but he decided not to because he was far too hungry to conjure up his telekinesis.

With that, all of the family bent their necks forward and started to eat their meals. A loud cacophony of slurping and munching sounded throughout the room. For several minutes, it was like this. The ponies didn’t talk to one another, as they were all busy eating from their respective bowls. When the family was finished, as if they were of one mind, they laid back into their chairs and sighed in unison. Their eyes were closed, and their mouths were slightly ajar in relief. A moment later, Bluey was the first to talk.

"Wow, that was pretty good, Mother," Bluey said before he opened his eyes and looked at her with a big grin. "Thank you so much!"

His sister also praised her mother, saying, "As Bluey stated, thanks for the food, Ma; it was indeed good!"

His mother's face blushed as she replied, "Why, thank you, Bluey and Lilly! It's good to know y'all have some manners, unlike your father here..." She jabbed a hoof at her husband's shoulder with a smirk. The stallion, who was resting peacefully, jerked himself upright with a surprised grunt.

He then laughed and defended himself, saying, "Haha! Woah, hey! I too was about to congratulate you, honey!"

"Well, you were too slow!"

The couple chortled while their children looked on with smiles. After the shenanigans died down, silence returned to the room. For a couple of seconds, there was only the loud ticking of a clock in the next room, and some birds chirped outside. The blue unicorn mare was the first to speak up, ending the silence.

"Has anypony heard the news that the Royal Sisters will be joining the Nightmare Night festival here in Ponyville?" Martha asked as she looked around the table.

"Wait, really?" Lilly asked with surprise evident in her voice and wide eyes. "I didn't know that they were going to come here!"

"Mhm," the mother replied. "They are planning to celebrate the festival with the Element Bearers and Princess Twilight Sparkle."

The blue unicorn colt gaped at her before replying, "Woah! That's so cool! I can't wait to see them! Who will be coming here?"

It looked like the mare was about to respond, but before she could, her husband replied first, "I've heard that all three of them would be coming here." He then exited his chair, lit up his horn, and levitated all of the bowls with a light gray glow towards the sink. What he had said surprised the siblings, as they both looked at him with astonishment and excitement.

"EEEE!" Lily squealed, her forelegs and body shook excitedly. "I can't wait to see them! Oh, I cannot wait!"

"All three of them?" Bluey, who was far more composed compared to his sister, asked with an amused look as he leaned over with interest. His forelegs rested on the table. The stallion chuckled at the colt’s and Lily’s reactions and nodded.

"Yes, Son, Princess Celestia and her two sisters, Princesses Luna and Moonshine, are going to be in this town tonight for the holiday."

After a couple of moments, the gray unicorn filly, who became calmer than before, lifted a hoof and asked, "Pa, if I may ask, where did you and Ma get this information? I don't remember this being in the town gossip, newspapers, or at school." Before he could reply to the question, his wife spoke up to him.

"Thank you for the help, honey; I appreciate it," Martha smiled as she got up and trotted toward the sink. She then used her magic to levitate them over a trash basket and dumped the remaining contents into it. Next, she turned the faucet on and started to clean the bowls with a sponge.

"You're welcome, Marthie," the stallion responded with her nickname before he walked to one of the kitchen's drawers and levitated a cup out of it. He then continued, "As I was about to explain, a letter that arrived an hour ago from your cousin, Fierce Fighter, after he told us many things, said that he overheard a lot of rumors that the Princesses are planning to come to Ponyville this evening."

Bluey raised an eyebrow at the name.

"Fierce Fighter? Do you mean the one with the red fur and brown mane, Father?" When the stallion nodded, he looked at his sister, who looked back at him with the same confusion. Fierce Fighter was a friendly, patriotic pegasus who was a distant cousin to Bluey. Occasionally, he would come by their house whenever the annual family reunion took place. Other than that, however, they didn't see or talk to each other. While the blue colt never had anything against the soldier, he wasn't necessarily close to him either.

The colt turned his gaze back at his father, who was pouring water into his cup from a levitated jug, and asked again, "Wasn't he supposed to be stationed in Cloudsdale?"

"Well," Bright brought the cup to his lips and sipped some water from it. When he was finished, he hovered and placed it on the table. He resumed, "According to the letter, he was moved from there to Canterlot for a reason he didn't state." He ended with a shrug.

"Hmm, interesting...," Bluey muttered as he looked at his hooves. Before he could ask another question, the clock in the other room began to ring with a repeated bong. All of them widened their eyes as realization hit them.



BONG





BONG





BONG



"Oh no! We forgot about the time!" Martha Writingson wailed dramatically as she quickly finished cleaning the last bowl and placed it into a small metal dish rack that was next to the sink. With that, she whirled around and told her still-frozen children, "Kids, hurry and pack up your things! We're all going to be late!"

Immediately, as if time itself had sped up, Bluey and his sister swiftly hopped out of their respective chairs and galloped out of the room. Bluey was the first to climb up the stairs, with his sibling not too far behind. Several times he nearly tripped, but either through sheer luck or divine internvention, he was able to make it to the top intact. After he turned the corner and went through the seemingly long hallway, he arrived at his bedroom and trotted to his bathroom. When he got inside, he quickly searched for the toothbrush and toothpaste.

"Ugh, where are they? Aha!" Bluey exclaimed as he found the toothbrush and toothpaste sitting on top of the toilet. He focused on his magic, lighting up his horn with a familiar glow. Carefully, he unscrewed the cap from the tube, placed it near the edge of the sink, and hovered the brush and paste over the sink. He then got onto the stool, which helped him see himself fully in the mirror. With the help of the mirror, he started to brush his teeth. When a minute had passed, he took out the toothbrush and rinsed his mouth using the water from the faucet.

After he placed the toiletries where he first saw them, he left the bathroom and walked to his desk with the bare window over it. When he squinted through the blinding sun, he saw that it was higher in the sky than when he last saw it. Groaning in frustration, he quickly pushed his chair aside and found his saddlebag under it. Using his magic again, he dragged the bag out and hovered it onto his back, making sure that it was secured and wouldn't fall off easily. He then used his mouth to grab his schoolbooks and other necessities, inserting them into the opening of the saddlebag.

"Bluey!" He heard Lilly calling from down the hall. Looking up, he saw his sibling looking at him from the end of the hallway, in front of her bedroom door. She had a saddlebag on her back and an anxious look on her face. She continued, "Are you ready yet? Pa and Ma are waiting downstairs."

Grunting, Bluey pushed his chair back into its place in front of his desk and quickly trotted out of his bedroom and through the hall. When he was only a couple of hooves away, he replied, "I'm ready now; let's head down, Sis."

His sister quickly nodded before she turned, went around the corner, and trotted down the staircase. Bluey then followed her, not far behind. With each step, the worn wooden stairs creaked. When they arrived at the bottom, the twins went down the short hall and went through the right doorway.

Bluey and Lilly found themselves in the den. Across from them, a couch sat in front of a fireplace encased in a stone chimney; the other portions that led upward were hidden from sight by the ceiling. Hanging above the mouth of the furnace was a big, square-shaped analog clock; the second hand loudly ticked away the seconds. An unlit chandelier that looked identical to the one in the dining room hung above the space between the couch and the chimney.

To their left was the front door with two rectangular windows on opposite sides of the doorway; their curtains were partially opened to allow sunlight into the relatively dark room. The two located their parents, who waited patiently in front of the door; they both seemed to relax when they laid their eyes on them.

"Finally, it took you long enough!" said Bright Writingson with relief in his tone. His wife, Martha, spoke next, worry and concern returned to her features.

"Are you both prepared? Saddlebags, books, everything?" When Bluey and Lily nodded, she sighed in relief, and she returned to a relaxed position. Martha then turned to Bright and said to him, "Alright, let's go, honey."

With that, the unicorn stallion lit up his horn and pulled the door open. Sunlight immediately poured through the opened doorway like a tsunami, bathing them in brilliant white.

"You all go first," he said with a smile as he stepped aside.

"Thanks, Bright," his wife thanked him as she trotted forward and through the doorway. The siblings followed suit, making sure to thank their father for his manners.

"Thanks, Father."

"Thank you, Pa!"

He replied to them, "You're welcome!" With all of his family outside, he took a last glance around the living room before he walked through the entrance and closed the door.




>--==[}_____{]==--<




END OF CHAPTER 1


EDITED ON OCTOBER 1 and 8, 2023