//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Team Awesome Short Stories: Dream's Reality // by Caustizer //------------------------------// The sun rose steadily upon a new day in the Palace of Creation, its smooth and calculated motion evidence that it is ushered in by a far greater power then that present upon the World of Ponies. Unhindered by a cloudless sky, its shining rays of light reach one of the tallest powers of the majestic structure triggering an impressive display. The light envelopes a set of golden chimes in the tower and they start to ring in a clear melodious tune that carries down below. Guided by elegantly crafted and specially shaped mirrors the beams spread throughout Celestia's personal chambers illuminating them as clear as day. The Sun Princess' bed lies in the centre of the circular room, which is decorated by a mixture of marble and gold tiles sporting mosaics of Mother's creations as well as occasional pictures of the six themselves. All on the walls golden instruments fill the shelves, and they spring to life at the coming of the new day. A trio of golden birds takes flight, adding their beautiful song to that of the Sun Chimes. Golden mice squeak and scamper about, behaving as one would expect ordinary mice should. Other objects that share fewer similarities with animals also begin their daily routine, with Celestia's dressing cabinet opening up in anticipation of her awakening and a golden broom floating about sweeping the always-clean-anyway floor. Once the glistening golden specimens that occupy her room become fully operational the final one activates – her awakening bell. The piece of jewellery emits a loud and consistent sound that is just annoying enough to achieve its goal. "Morning already?" comments Celestia as she turns and faces the still ringing alarm bell, "…but I was having the most wonderful dream." The princess yawns once and rises, shaking the sleep out of her eyes and hair. Still not fully awake, she slips out of bed and perfectly into her golden shoes. She ignores her bed as it makes itself without her prompt, as well as the swarm of golden bees that pass by her head closely. Looking around at the organized chaos that is going on around her, Celestia can't help but smile. All of the golden constructs are birthday gifts from her mother… Celestia had been given one for her first birthday and had asked for nothing else ever since. They may be silly and get in the way sometimes, but they made her otherwise cold and empty room feel vibrant and lived in. Besides, some of them were useful. So useful in fact that she had decided to give them names. "Take a note in my dairy Spike," insists Celestia as she approaches a mirror on the wall to start her daily grooming. While a floating gold comb works its way through the princess' already perfect hair, one of the birds places her crown on top of her head. Across the room 'Spike' or otherwise known as her floating golden quill with unlimited ink jumps off its perch above her books and steadies itself above the next available line in her personal diary. "… had a dream last night," began Celestia while her grooming continued, "I was the ruler of a kingdom of ponies. They were sweet and kind, though they had neither wings nor horns… somewhat needy though." All the while 'Spike' records everything she says faithfully, turning a page when the current one fills up. "…I worry what Mother will do with us," admits the Sun Princess with a look of uncertainty, "she seemed very upset at us for having some fun last night at dinner, and I don't understand why. She always encourages us to work together and develop our powers, so why is throwing food we don't need to eat anyway so wrong?" Celestia sighs at her own lack of understanding mid line. Her golden grooming instruments finish their job. "Perhaps things will become clearer at breakfast." … "Do you have any… Sixes?" asks Cadence as she looks carefully at the accordion of cards hovering in the air in front of her. "Nope," replies Discord as he looks at his cards, though there is a devilish smile on his face. Cadence is suspicious, but doesn't bring anything up. Celestia enters the Great Hall just as Discord is about to take his turn and settles into her usual seat. Atypically, Luna and Dream's seats are both empty. "Do you have any sixes?" inquires Discord slyly. "You can't ask for something you don't have yourself," lectures Cadence with annoyance, "and I have the six of crowns." Discord casually flips one of his cards on the table – the six of jewels. "well I happen to have one of my own." "WHAT!?!" fumes Cadence in rage, "you CHEATED!" "No I didn't… I was bluffing, you had to call me on it and you didn't," answered Discord matter-of-factly. "That's the WRONG GAME!" shouted Cadence, stomping on of her hooves on the table and attracting Celestia's attention. "No it's not," quipped Discord as he crossed his mismatched arms and hovered calmly in the air. "Cheater, cheater, BOTTOM FEEDER!" The insult stung Discord, breaking through his usually calm demeanour. "You dare liken me to a fish? You know the truth of my form you prissy rat!" Cadence's eyes begin to glow, drowning out her pupils in a purplish light. "Please stop fighting you two," insists Celestia intelligently, though more gingerly then she should have. "Don't tempt me Discord, or I'll…I'll turn you into a GIRL!" "Ooo I'm so scared now," answers Discord in a mocking tone, "little Caddy-pie is going to spit a spark at me." "Stop it… please!" begs Celestia, this time a bit more forcefully. Cadence and Discord looked about to start hurling spells at each other when suddenly the large iron doors at the end of the hall slammed loudly. The sound was enough to cause all three ponies to forget their feud for a moment and look to the source. Mother had arrived. The Mother of Creation, or Light as she is more properly known, walked down the stones from her personal quarters slowly and purposefully with the stride of one who is in control and knows it. Her scarlet tale and mane bear a simple and age old style that never changes regardless of her personal tastes and inspiration, and though Light's legs are long and slender and her wings are large and majestic it is her eyes that are the most penetrating. As she nears her seat at the head of the table she meets the gaze of each of the three ponies in turn, and those few seconds are enough to provoke a sudden change in all of them. Discord appears somewhat guilty at his little act of trickery and settles back down in his seat, while the glow in Cadence's eyes fades immediately and she appears ashamed that she had lost her temper over something so simple. Celestia simply feels nothing, as if her mother is merely observing her and this lack of sensation only heightens her insecurities about what is to happen next. "Where are the twins?" asks Light hardly as she makes home in her throne-like chair. None of the three ponies answer, for they are so overwhelmed by their mother's presence and its unspoken demand of silence and obedience. Celestia finally musters the courage to answer. "I… we don't know mother," the Sun Princess states. Unexpectedly, the Mother of Creation smiles. "Then we shall just have to carry on without them," she declares warmly, "Let us dig in." As per the usual routine, a spread of delicious breakfast appears on the table with a wave of Light's horn. Suddenly the tension from the atmosphere lifts as Celestia, Cadence, and Discord realize they aren't in trouble again. Paying the matter no more mind, they fill their plates and begin to eat. Satisfied that breakfast is now taken care of, the Mother of Creation summons what appears to be a miniature ethereal dragon on one of the arms of her chair. The magical creature calls out joyfully towards its master, earning a giggle from her. "Ever the charmer," whispers Light with a smile, "but I have a task for you this time… I need you to go find the twins for me and bring them down here. I have something to say that requires their presence." With a dutiful squawk, the conjured demi-dragon departs for the quarters of Luna and Dream. … Breakfast was surprisingly normal and uneventful. Celestia ate her fill and then waited patiently in her seat, eager to speak to her Mother about the events of the previous night. Light acknowledged the gesture with a slight nod, though she appeared disappointed about something all throughout the later half of the meal. Soon Cadence and Discord finished and left the room to begin their own business. Strangely, she did not stop them. Using her magic to usher away the soiled dishware, Light appears concerned and even slightly distraught. Celestia takes it to mean she is angry, and waits with her head down in silence. Eventually, her mother takes notice and addresses the problem. "There is something on your mind, Celestia?" The Sun Princess looks uneasy. "About what happened last night, I… I'm sorry I let that happen." Light is surprised that her child is still thinking about events since past, and takes on an expression of concerned wisdom. "It's not your fault my daughter. The power you all possess makes you volatile at the worst of times, but I would see that you do not seek to provoke each other unnecessarily again." "Yes mother," answers Celestia, though she is clearly disappointed in herself for both the events of last night and the ones of this morning as well. Light senses her discomfort. "Do you understand why I was angry with all of you? Do you know the reason you cannot fight one another, even if it is a game or simple prank?" Celestia doesn't have an honest answer, and just continues to bow her head in shame. In an instant Light teleports herself to her daughter's side, using her hoof to gently raise the princess' head. Celestia is comforted by the gesture. "Come with me," insists the Mother of Creation in a motherly fashion, "I was saving this talk for all of you, but now I understand it will work better if it is one on one." … Light led Celestia through the corridors of the palace and into the garden. At once the Princess of the Sun felt warm and at home under the rays of her golden star. Here there are flowers, trees, and even small animals wandering about their daily business. Most of them are completely oblivious to the two ponies passing through, but some such as the songbirds tweet with glee as they swoop in circles around Celestia. For a moment she considers stopping to talk to them as she always does, but a beckoning gesture from her mother forces her to carry on. One of Mother's rules is that no creature from the garden can be brought into the palace, regardless of the circumstances. A long time ago Cadence and Celestia found an abandoned kitten in the grasses and conspired to raise it together in their rooms. It had nearly ended in disaster when the poor animal began to starve, and the two sisters were forced to confess their deed to Mother so she could save it's life. It was the last time the two of them had been in big trouble, but some good had come of it – afterwards Celestia began to receive golden creatures for her birthday, and they succeeded in filling the void. "You enjoy this place, don't you my daughter?" asks Light casually, though it is more of a statement. "It's like my second home," answers Celestia truthfully, "if I could I would sleep out here with them." Light nods in understanding, before turning her gaze towards a pair of squirrels in a nearby tree. "Tell me Celestia, do you notice anything different about those two creatures since you first entered this garden many years ago?" "Yes mother," answers the Sun Princess, "when I was a filly they were small and brown with white stripes. Now they are bigger, and a bit more gray." "Do you understand what is happening to them?" returns Light. Celestia thinks a little bit about her answer. "…no, I don't," she replies after a time. "They are aging," comments Light, "and in time, they will die as well." "Die?" inquires Celestia with concern. "Their consciousness will depart this world, and their bodies will cease to move. In time, there will be no trace of their existence apart from the children they leave behind." It was a saddening thought, and it was enough to draw a tear from the Princess' eye. What a horrible, horrible thing to happen to such innocent and cute creatures. "But such is their fate, one of death, rebirth and renewal," continues Light as the two of them continue to walk into the grasses, "however, that fate will never befall any of you." "Why?" asks Celestia with a bit of a sniffle, "what makes the five of us so different?" "Everything." The two ponies halt before a large pool of water. On the other side of the banks, a family of grass cats drinks greedily from the muddy waters near the shore. "You and your four siblings share a special kinship with the element of your creation, the place in the universe where you came from," lectures Light with enthusiasm, "but what I haven't told you yet is that you are the element itself." "What do you mean?" inquires Celestia with a bit of confusion. "You Celestia are my daughter only in the sense that I gave you life and a portion of my power," replies Light with a smile, "but prior to me doing so you were the sun." "I am part of the sun itself…" This possibility had never occurred to Celestia before, but now that Mother had mentioned it, it made perfect sense. The sun always felt like a warm friend greeting her everyday, or more like a second family member that values and loves her just like mother does. "So does that mean that Luna is –" "– the moon?" finishes Light, "yes it does, but I'm afraid that her and Dream is another story altogether." The Sun Princess appears satisfied at the thought. "But why I have brought you here today is because I want you to understand that you and your siblings cannot fight each other because of the great power all of you hold within," informs Light with concern, "if it is fully unleashed, especially against one another, there could be more damage then just a few spilled bowls of oatmeal." Celestia steps forward and wraps her nose around her mother's neck, hugging her. Light returns the gesture. The embrace carries on for half a minute before it is interrupted by the arrival of a squawking creature. "Misty?" states Light, "well… did you tell them to come down to breakfast as I asked? I need to speak with them." The ethereal dragon titters a bit, and looks away in shame. "Gone? What do you mean they're just gone?" pushes the Mother of Creation in panic. The creature answers with a growling sound. "You checked the whole palace… everywhere?" Another clicking titter. "Get Discord and Cadence, quickly! They will help us search the castle." Misty evaporates into thin air to carry out her duties. "Come Celestia, we must find the twins. I worry that they may have ran away or worse… stumbled into a forbidden area of the palace." Celestia had never seen her mother this upset before, and as Light took to the air to search the palace she silently wondered what trouble Dream had led Luna into this time.