//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: The Awakening // Story: For Want of a Better World // by Lunafan1k //------------------------------// A/N: This was my first attempt at writing in first person that isn't a flashback, so if I'm using the wrong tense just let me know. My name is Rarity Belle, just Rarity to my friends and colleagues. I was recently asked to bear witness to the excavation of what was going to be the largest gem ever unearthed. I had just finished my last order of dresses for Fancy Pants and his troupe, so my schedule was open for the next few days. It just so happened that Twilight was headed to Canterlot the next day, apparently the Royal Library had gotten some new editions and Twilight was taking the first chariot out to the city. She was also nice enough to allow me to accompany her and to drop me off at the dig site. I stood before an enormous hole in the mountain and in that instant I regretted ever coming. All the dirt and icky muck was improper for a lady such as I, but no! I mustn’t! This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for the most marvelous and precious of gemstones! “Excuse me?” I was interrupted from my musings by a scruffy young colt wearing a yellow safety helmet with a hole cut into it for his horn. “Are you by chance Miss Rarity of Ponyville?” “Why yes, I most certainly am.” I said, flaunting my looks as the colt eyed me over. “Are you going to take me to the marvelous gem?” “I-I umm…” I love it when they get flustered. “Y-yes, this way.” I could see he was trying to hide his blush as he led me inside. We went deep within the base of the mountain, upon which sat the great city of Canterlot. The dig crew worked around the clock to uncover what they considered to be the biggest discovery to befall Equestria, let alone the largest gem in the world. The crew consisted of 26 ponies, comprising mostly of earth ponies and unicorns to dig through the long hours of both day and night. They worked quickly, not wanting to damage the huge spherical crystal gem while opening the tunnel wide enough to safely remove it. They had planned to present the crystal gem to Luna herself on the eve of the upcoming Sun’s Celebration tonight, as a gift for the anniversary of her return, a secret I was bound to keep until the unveiling. “Ahem.” I cleared my throat to announce my presence. The workers stopped their frantic digging. “I still cannot simply believe you would ask me to come to such a filthy place. This amount of dirt and muck is hardly befitting for a lady.” “Ah, Mizz Rarity, it iz such a pleazure to zee you ‘ere!” Exclaimed the Foreman, his heavy accent made him sound like a mad scientist rather than a humble archeologist. “Ah truzt your trip vent vell?” he said, holding out a hoof to greet me. “Uh, yes.” I said, backing away slightly from the repulsively dirty appendage. “Twilight was on her way to Canterlot anyway, something about a new book for her collection. I was able to join her in the royal chariot, but she also seemed excited about this… dig… and would like to know if she could have a look at the gem as well?” “Of courze Mizz Rarity! Ze prized student of ze Prinzess iz more zan velcome ‘ere! Come now, I, Fernando De Levinchie, vill show you ze gem.” Fernando turned and led me further into the tunnel. “Ve hav a hunch az to vat type of gem dis iz, but ze size iz impozzible it iz. Not only dat, but ze gem appearz to be crafted, ze perfection iz not natural.” The tunnel opened up into a large carved out chamber, scaffolding and support beams lined the walls, and magical globes of energy floating around the chamber lit it up like the midday sun. The workers had dug out almost the entire sphere and were preparing for the removal. I had to stop and just gaze at it, the amazing majesty, the sheer size dwarfed anything I had ever imagined. After taking a moment to snap myself out of the shock, I went straight to work. I began to cast a spell to tell me the density, purity, and composition of the gem. I released the magic, only to have it slip off to one side, striking a worker in the chest. The biological form made the spell backfire, assaulting me with an annoying, loud ringing as was accustomed to glitches in various spells. “Hmm. That was odd.” I said as I turned to Fernando. “Did you have any of your unicorns try to examine it?” “No, unfortunately ze unicornz employed ‘ere are spezializtz in ze digging or dating of fossilz, but ze datez of ze fossilz in zis area are hudredz of millionz to evenz billionz of yearz old.” “I see…” I said as I wreaked my mind trying to figure out why my magic had no effect, if only Twilight were here. “Sir,” A young apprentice approached the Forman, “We have a Miss Twilight Sparkle at the entrance, she wants to have a look at the dig.” “Ah! Twilight is here already? Well let her in, she will know how to examine this.” I said, looking at the apprentice expectantly. “Vell, you heard her.” The apprentice nodded and ran back up the tunnel, returning shortly with an overly excited Twilight Sparkle bouncing with glee. “Oh wow! Is this it?” Twilight asked as she joined me and the Fernando. “This is beautiful, Princess Luna’s going to love it!” “You knew this was to be a gift for Princess Luna?” I asked. “Oh, well, Princess Celestia ‘accidentally’ let it slip from her mouth this morning.” Twilight said, I raised an eyebrow as she put hoof quotes around “accidentally.” “Yez, vell… ve are having troublez dizconcerning ze age and type of gem zis iz. I vas hoping you could shed zome light on zis mystery?” Fernando motioned toward the large crystal. “I thought Rarity would have already done that?” Asked Twilight, raising an eyebrow to me. “That’s the thing, Twilight. My magic seems to just slip right off, like it’s not even there.” I went up to the sphere, tapping it with a hoof. “I can tell without magic that it is simply clear quartz, but I have no way to tell if it’s solid, hollow, the structure, how brittle it is, or many other things.” I turned and pouted to Twilight, who giggled at my dramatic desperation. “Ok I get it, I will see what I can do.” Twilight closely examined the sphere, sticking her tongue out as she worked. “The sphere is 14 meters in diameter, so that’s a volume of…. 1436.755 cubic meters, and a surface area of….615.75 square meters.” “Yes, ve know zat already, ve need ze composition for ze record book.” “Oh, right…” Twilight let out a nervous giggle. “Well, here goes…” I watched as She closed her eyes in concentration, letting her magic reach outwards as an extension of herself. I watched as she made contact and her magic slipped off the surface. Twilight gritted her teeth, “Well if that’s the way you wanna be…” I heard her mumble, she grunted as she redoubled her efforts. Her horn was soon enveloped in several layers of over glow, much like it had been with the Ursa Minor. She threw everything she had into the spell, forcing it to stay on target as she made contact. It looked like this new spell was going to work, but then her magic was rejected, knocking Twilight onto her rump. “OOF! The hay?” Twilight shook herself off as she got back to her hooves. “Who was talking to me while I was concentrating?” She glared at me to my surprise. “Darling, nopony was talking to you, at all for that matter. Did you hear something?” I asked, looking her over for any injuries. “Um, yes, actually.” Twilight said. I could tell she was considering lying to me, probably so I don’t worry. Then she sighed with resignation, “I heard a rough gravelly voice and a kind, soft one. They said that I was ‘bright,’ but that could mean my intellect or magical abilities.” “Hmm… I do remember somepony saying something about life and the stars.” I said as I cast my mind back to the various romance novels and poems I’ve read, at a loss as to the meaning behind Twilight's words. “’The souls of a pony are like stars in a sea of darkness.’” Twilight quoted from memory. “Twilight, I didn’t know you read poetry.” I couldn’t stop myself from gasping dramatically; she was more of the science type, not romance. “Sometimes, but I need to read the books in order to properly categorize them.” I couldn’t tell if that was a clever lie or the truth. Regardless, I’ve learned a bit more about my shut-in friend. The girls at the spa are going to love this. “Ah, vell, now zat dat myztery iz solved,” Fernando turned to his workers, “Are ve ready to pop ziz cork?” His crew responded with a series of cheers “Wait, what?” Twilight and I looked around in confusion was the workers began running from place to place, setting down wooden planks in the form of makeshift train tracks. “Ve’re about to chizel de last piece ov rock from ze cryztal, den ve vill roll it along zees tracks and onto a cart to be taken to Canterlot.” “What?! But you’ll scratch the surface and ruin the pristine shine!” I wailed, genuine concern in my soul as to what the damage will do to the shine. “Oi! Ve couldn’t hurt ze damn zing if ve tried, it’z stronger than diamondz. Now pleaze, stand over ‘ere out of de vay, ya?” Fernando asked us, gesturing to a side tunnel. A call of ready was yelled from the entrance, signaling the cart was prepared. The ponies preparing the tracks also gave the ready signal, then the entire tunnel was filled with the sound of an explosion. The blast breaking away the last of the rock attached to the spherical gem and setting it to roll along the wooden tracks. Several earth ponies helped push it along through the tunnel at a slow trot. The cart was set level to a small drop off, allowing the crystal to roll smoothly in place, where the tail gate was raised and numerous lengths of rope secured it in place. Several earth ponies quickly ran to the front of the cart and strapped themselves in before pulling it along a dirt road leading around the mountain to the backside of the palace. “Twilight,” I said, noticing the lack of a chariot. “I do hope you’re not planning on us walking all the way to Canterlot, I just had my hooves manicured.” I said, inspecting my hoof for dirt or any other foreign material. “No, we’ll get back the same way I got here.” Twilight said, I swear that’s a devious smile on her snout. “Oh? And how would that-” There was a blinding flash, “-be…” I looked around at my new surroundings, then noticed that my coat and main were slightly singed. This was a crime against fabulosity, punishable by banishment, I will not have this. “Twilight…” I said through gritted teeth as I made my way towards her. Twilight folded her ears back, obviously worried for her safety. “I-I… Oh! Hi Princess!” Twilight said as she ran from me to hide behind her mentor. I vowed to never forget this atrocity as I bowed with a smile to the Princess. “Good afternoon, Princess.” I said as I stood from my bow. “How are preparations for the celebration coming along?” I said as I magically removed the ash and burnt hairs from my once pristine form. “Oh just absolutely wonderful. I sent my sister on a wild goose chase across Equestria until sunset, so she won’t accidentally find out what we’re planning.” Celestia giggled at her own cruel joke. “She’s never going to find the Snipe!” “What did you tell her it looked like?” Asked Twilight. “A giant hairless ape.” Said Celestia as we walked down the magnificent halls towards the grounds, the preparations were indeed well underway. Streamers depicting the moon and colorful decorations were strewn from lamp post to lamp post. Enormous banners hung from the roof of the main tower all the way to the grass below, an enormous image of Princess Luna looked out over the kingdom. “But Princess, apes have been extinct for the last 800 years!” Exclaimed Twilight. “She doesn’t know that. Now hide, it’s nearly time!” Princess Celestia pointed to a large column, which Twilight and I hid behind. I watched as another pair of ponies unrolled a giant canvas painting of the courtyard to hang in front of the archway, instantly hiding the crowd and decorations. I marveled at the realism, If I didn’t know any better I would assume I was looking out into the courtyard itself. “Celly!” I heard the angry voice of Princess Luna. I wanted to witness the dispute but I didn’t want to be seen, so I stayed hidden. “I flew half way across the world and searched the woods, deserts, and oceans and not only could I not find the so-called ‘Snipe,’ there were no apes anywhere!” “Oh did I say ape? Apes have been extinct for 800 years, sister.” Princess Celestia said slyly. “Bvwa-huh??” Princess Luna spit out, obviously flabbergasted, the poor dear. “Oh come now. Besides, I wanted to show you something.” I heard their hooves clopping on the tile as they made their way toward the archway leading to the grounds. From our hiding spot we were able to see the backs of the Princesses as they neared the archway. “SURPRISE!!!” I heard thousands of voices cry out as the image of the grounds fell away to reveal the enormous crowd of ponies, all happily cheering and applauding. “Sister, what is all this?” Princess Luna asked her sister, who in turn smiled sweetly. “This is your celebration, to welcome you back to Equestria. We couldn’t do it two years ago because of the short notice, and last year’s was ruined by Discord’s return. But we got you something special to make up for the missed parties.” Celestia said. I heard the sound of many ponies pulling on the cart before I saw it, the huge gem glistened in the setting sun as they pulled to a stop in front of a beveled hole in the ground. The ponies unhitched themselves and removed the rear pair of wheels from the cart, allowing the gem to roll off and into the inset groove as its permanent resting place. “This… Celly, this…” Was all Princess Luna could manage as I watched her closely examine the marvelous gem. “This is absolutely gorgeous! I love it! Thank you Celly, Thank you everypony!” She announced to the crowed as she hugged her dear sister. “Everypony? Am I to assume we are at a party?” “That voice!” Gasped Twilight. She ran to the Princess, I followed closely behind. “Princess! I heard that voice when I was examining the gem this morning.” “The bright ones are present, now would be the best time.” I heard the voice, like a low growl far more sinister than a diamond dog. “Twilight, I don’t like where this is going…” I said, voicing my concerns. “Ok, let’s do ‘Dramatic Reveal 46,933’” “Grrr….Fine.” The sky darkened at an alarming rate as the light seemed to fade from the sky, the lamp posts lit up in the new darkness as a strange music filled the air. I remember hearing something similar during a party hosting DJ Pon3, but this was much deeper and faster. The top of the gem slid down and around the lower sides, I was blinded by the sudden beam of light pouring out from the top. I squinted my eyes to see the silhouette of two figures, one on all four legs while the other stood tall on its rear legs, its arms spread wide as if greeting the world. The tall one waved its arms in a flourish before punching at the sky, the light disappeared to reveal a brilliant display of fireworks before fading into a beautiful aurora. Once the display was over I looked to the top of the gem, my gasp met with many from the crowd. There stood a tall white hairless thing, wearing some strange garment for clothing with only a mane on top of its head, and with no tail to speak of. Standing next to it was a monster, resembling the timber wolves of the Everfree forest, but it was large enough to bite a pony in two with its massive jaws if it chose. Everypony was stunned into silence as the creature spoke. “Is this some noble’s stockade?” “I hope not, I’m starving.” The wolf licked its chops, a few ponies in the crowd fell in a dead faint. “Better not, not until we find out the local customs. They might be possessions or a food source.” The tall one turned towards us. “Oh look, these must be the prized ones, look at the decor on them.” It said as it jumped down in front of us. I could tell at this point that the creature stood on only two legs and has claws, like Spike, but they were not sharp at all. “So, is this a unicorn with wings or a pegasus with a horn?” Asked the wolf. “Well these small ones are unicorn so my assumption is unicorn with wings. I shall call you….” The tall one seemed to ponder for a moment. “A peguunicorn.” “ENOUGH!!” Yelled Princess Celestia. “I tire of this absurd display of insufferable mannerisms! I’ll have you know that we are the princesses of this land and you are trespassing on our castle grounds!” I smiled smugly as news of this hit home in the creatures heads, they stood staring at Celestia slack jawed. “…Talking horses? Did not see that coming.” Princess Celestia, Luna, and Twilight stomped a hoof and brandished their horns while I backed away, what use was sewing magic in a fight? “WHOA! Easy!” The tall one said as it backed away slightly, claws raised defensively. “We mean you no harm. Ok, speech means they-YOU! I mean, have intelligence, and intelligence listens to reason…mostly. But please, let’s calm down and sort this out. We have questions, you have questions, let’s get some tea or hay or whatever and have a nice chat, okay?” “Ha! I knew they were real! In your face!” I heard from the front row of ponies. “Shut up Lyra!” I saw Bon-Bon grab Lyra's head, her protests muffled. I looked back to see Princess Celestia give a long sigh. “Fine. Come with us. Twilight, gather the elements and meet me in my chambers. You two, try anything funny and I’ll personally send you to the sun, got it?” Princess Celestia said with a very serious expression on her face. “Probably won’t be as fun as Proxima Centaui.” The wolf nodded in agreement. “I mean, yes, your highness. Lead the way.” As the princess led them away, a large group of guards followed after as Twilight and I went to find our friends in the massive crowd of ponies. A/N: Not a superb ending nor really a cliffhanger, I needed to break it up so I can switch the perspective to another pony. As always, Jagun was the editor. So send hate mail his way if something's not right.