The room was fairly large and well lit with stained glass windows along the walls and high ceilings. Six beds were arranged neatly in the center of the floor. An outside observer might have thought it was an infirmary or perhaps a very small hotel. Inside the Canterlot Castle would have been a strange place to find either of those, however.
There were no amenities included with the beds to stay overnight. There were no blankets or nightstands to be found in the room. It was also notable what was present.
A large hourglass from the library had finished timing its original task and been repurposed. It now contained one month’s worth of sand, and nearly all of it had flowed to the bottom. Watching it were two alicorn ponies, one brilliant white and the other midnight blue. They observed the hourglass, pleased that its timing was coming to an end.
As the last few grains of sand fell, a mote of light appeared in the air above each bed. Each bit of radiance grew in size, changing color and shape. In the next few seconds they resolved into six mares, each lying asleep on a soft mattress.
“It’s good to see them again, Luna,” said the white alicorn, smiling at the other. Her gentle voice eased the new arrivals awake. They sat up and looked around, happy to see each other and a familiar location after being away for a month.
“Wow! Wasn’t that exciting!” giggled a pink pony, her voice rising above the rest.
“It was an amazing experience. With all of us going different places, I’m sure we had a huge variety of experiences.” The lavender unicorn who had spoken turned her smile to their hosts. “Thank you Princess Celestia, thank you Princess Luna. The only sad part is that I didn’t get to stay longer and learn more.”
Celestia smiled. “I’m sure you still managed to learn enough to fill a book, Twilight. Speaking of that, we have a few stenographers coming to document your experiences.”
A blue pegasus with multicolored mane and tail grinned. “Can mine be called Rainbow Dash’s Awesome Adventure?”
The pink mare waved a hoof in the air. “Oh! Oh! Mine should be called Pinkie Pie and the World of Super Duper Amazing Stuff!”
“I think it would make more sense to bind them all as separate sections of the same book,” put in Twilight.
“Agreed,” said an orange colored mare. She grinned. “I think I’d go with somethin’ simple, like Applejack’s Travels. How about you, Fluttershy?”
The yellow pegasus she’d addressed smiled. “Yes, I think something simple for me, too.”
“You’re being awfully quiet, Rarity,” said Twilight, looking at a white unicorn with an indigo mane.
“It was a long, strange trip,” the mare replied cryptically.
“What, did they not have any fashion where you went?” laughed Rainbow.
Rarity rolled her eyes. “They had plenty, although I’m afraid I didn’t get to experience much of it.”
“That’s too bad,” said Fluttershy.
“Well, I discovered plenty of new and interesting materials, at least.” Rarity smiled. “For instance, there was a synthetic fiber with higher strength than steel, yet it was flexible like fabric. They called it Kevlar.”
“Sounds interesting,” remarked Twilight, always ready to learn about scientific advances.
“It worked fabulously for armor,” gushed Rarity.
“Armor?” asked Applejack, eyes wide. “Just what did you get involved in?”
Rarity waved a hoof. “Oh, they wanted me to experience everything about their world. I have to say, getting a different perspective on things can really broaden your horizons.”
“I’m sure each of you have interesting things to talk about,” said Princess Celestia, easing the conversation back to the point. “I suggest you all get them written down while it’s still fresh in your minds.”
The door opened to reveal six ponies with portable typewriters. As they were coming in, Rarity hopped off her bed and approached the Princesses. “I have something to tell you that will change Hearth’s Warming Eve forever.”
The two royal ponies traded a look. “It sounds important,” commented Luna.
Celestia nodded. “How will the holiday change?”
“Well, I suppose the event itself won’t…but the story will,” admitted Rarity. “Perhaps I could explain it better given some time to think. What’s done is done, and this isn’t really time-critical, not now.”
“I must admit, I’m curious,” said Celestia. “What does one of our ancient traditions have to do with your month on another world?”
“Ma’am? I’m ready for you,” broke in the stenographer who was assigned to Rarity.
She sighed. “I’ll record everything I know, Princess, and if you have questions after that I can answer them. It’s a long story.”
Celestia accepted that, and she left the room with Luna. Ponies with refreshments began to enter the room. The six mares settled in comfortably to tell their respective stories.
Rarity lay back on the bed as the stenographer sat down and waited for her to begin speaking. A tumble of memories raced through her head, each of them important. Rarity cleared her throat and started from the beginning.